First
Ministers Lot
This is one of two unnumbered lots that were set aside for town use and had to be inserted among the home lots, not shown on the original map of the town. In June of 1761, the town voted the following:
“At a legal meeting held
in Epsom at the house of Capt. Andrew McClary, on thursday, the twenty-fifth
of this 1761 instant June, according to notification dated June the 20,
the free holders met according to notification and thus
“1. Voted Capt. John McClary moderator.
“2. Voted Mr. John Tucke to be their gospel minister.
“3. Voted one hundred acres of Land as a settlement as the charter
allowed 50 acres laid out and the other 50 in some Convenient place, reserving
the priviledge for seting of a meeting house and what of this Lot is taken
for seting the meeting be made up in the other Lot.
“4. Voted thirty pounds starling as a salary for the first two years,
reckoning dolers at the Rate of a 6 pt doler.
“5. Voted That an adition of five pounds be made to sd minister next
after the first two years are expired.
“6. Voted That thirty cords of wood be annually cut and hauled to
his house.
“7. Voted abraham lebee, Isaac lebee sen., John Blake, george wallis,
cap. John mcclary, ephraim Locke, Samuel blake, Left. Eliphlet Sanborn,
nathan marden be a committee to present a call to Mr. John Tucke.
“8. Voted six hundred pounds, old tenor, towards building a minister’s
house, to be paid in Labour if he accepts the call.
“Town meeting ended.
“NATHAN MARDEN, Clark.”
And shortly thereafter, on August 14, 1761, it was “Voted That the meeting house shall stand on the same Lot where the old meeting house formerly stood, at or near the Burying place.” This indicates a couple of things, first that there was an earlier meeting house on the site, and second that the cemetery was already in use prior to Reverend Tuck arriving in Epsom and the building of the new meeting house.
The town was short funds, and the Reverend bought the lot a built his own house, which was finished just about the time he married. His house held several of the early meetings of the congregation while the town worked on building the meetinghouse. Rev. Tuck’s tenure lasted until 1774. The family retained the home lot, and upon the death of the Reverend in the Revolutionary War, his wife remained until debts forced her to sell the property. They owned two adjoining lots, and a law suit forced the seeling of 35 acres of the adjoining lot. The house and lot, was sold in October of 1797 to Simon Ames Heath of Canterbury, who had married the daughter of Capt. Andrew McClary, Elizabeth McClary. Here Simon Heath ran a successful tavern and the property remained in the Heath family until 1864.
In 1864, Simon’s sons Benjamin Moody Heath and John M. Heath sold the property to George W. Batchelder, as they moved to Lynn, Ma.. By will, the property passed to a son of George Batchelder, Alonzo E. Batchelder, on his death in 1889. When Alonzo died 2/3 of the property went to his wife Laura, and 1/3 to his daughter Laura, and both were purchased by Charles Sumner Hall in 1907. He sold it the next year to Bernard S. Anderson of Greenville who just a few months later sold it to Albion Ambrose of Deerfield. The family owned the ‘old tavern’ until it burned about 35 years ago.
ROCKINGHAM COUNTY DEEDS FIRST MINISTERS LOT
146-173 February 15, 1797
Thomas Rand of Rye, and Polly Rand, his wife; Samuel J. Tuck of Boston
and Judith his wife; Simon Drake and Love Drake of Pittsfield; Joseph
Tuck, Richard Tuck and Abigail Tuck of Boston, quitclaim to Simon A. Heath,
all our right and title in the estate of John Tuck, late of Epsom, clerk,
deceased, in Epsom, taking its beginning at the south westerly corner
of land set off by execution to James Marden, then westerly a parallel
line with the road to the burying yard fence, then as the fence goes to
land of Ephraim Locke, then northerly on the line between Locke’s
and Tuck’s land the full length of said lot, then easterly on the
north end of said lot to land set off to said Marden, than southerly on
said Marden’s land to the bounds first mentioned, including all the
buildings standing thereon. – Simon Drake, Love Drake, Samuel J.
Drake, Judith Drake, Thomas Rand, Mary Rand, Abigail Tuck.
147-338 October 3, 1797
Mary Tuck of Pittsfield, widow, administratrix of the Estate of the Reverend
John Tuck, formerly of Epsom, deceased, to Simon A. Heath of Epsom, yeoman,
A tract of land in Epsom to take its beginning at the south westerly corner
of land set off by execution to James Marden then westerly a parallel
line with the road to the burying yard fence, then as the fence goes to
land of Ephraim Locke, than northerly on the line between Locke’s
and Tuck’s land the full length of said lot, then easterly on the
north end of said lot to land set off as aforesaid to said Marden, thence
southerly on said Marden’s land to the first mentioned bounds, to
include all the buildings standing thereon. – Mary Tuck
MERRIMACK COUNTY DEEDS FIRST MINISTERS LOT
(M) 174-413 May 23, 1864
Benjamin M. Heath and John W. Heath of Epsom and Rachel D. Heath the wife
of Benjamin M. Heath and Nancy W. Heath, wife of John W. Heath, to George
W. Batchelder of Epsom,
A parcel of land in Epsom being the homestead farm on which the said Benjamin
M. Heath now resides, bounded as follows: southerly by the road leading
from said Epsom to Deerfield by the dwelling house of Jonathan S. Chesley
and land occupied by John C. Hall, westerly by land of said John C. Hall,
Andrew Hall and said George W. Batchelder, northerly by the southerly
side of Cass Mill Pond to the easterly end of said pond and from thence
northerly by land of said Chesley and land of Daniel T. Cilley, together
with the buildings thereon. (also another tract of land). – Benjamin
M. Heath, John W. Heath, Rachel D. Heath, Nancy W. Heath.
1889 George W. Batchelder by will to son Alonzo Elbridge Batchelder
378-159 March 29, 1907
Laura A. Batchelder of Epsom, to Charles S.Hall of Epsom,
One undivided two third part of the following tracts of land with the
buildings thereon in Epsom – the homestead farm of the late George
W. Batchelder, bounded southerly by the highway leading from Epsom Depot
toDeerfield past the dwelling house of Joseph Lawrence, westerly by land
of Rosilla W. Heath, Amanda Hall and land formerly owned by Hiram A. Holmes;
northerly by the northerly side of the Cass Mill pond and the little Suncook
river and easterly by land of Walter Chesley and Daniel T. Cilley (and
other land) – Laura A. Batchelder
354-358 March 29, 1907
Laura A. Batchelder of Epsom, guardian of Doris A. Batchelder of said
Epsom to Charles S. Hall of Epsom, certain real estate belonging to my
aforesaid ward –
Land in Epsom containing 140 acres bounded as one undivided third part
of the homestead farm of the late George W. Batchelder as conveyed to
him by BenjaminM. Heath and recorded in the Merrimack county records Lib.
174 Vol. 413. (and other tracts) – Laura A. Batchelder, guardian
of Doris A. Batchelder
367-251 November 1, 1907
Charles S. hall of Epsom to Bernard S. Anderson of Greenville,
A tract of land with the buildings thereon in Epsom, being the homestead
farm of the late George W. Batchelder and bounded southerly by the highway
leading from Epsom Depot to Deerfield past the dwelling house of Joseph
Lawrence, westerly by land of Rosilla W. Heath, Amanda Hall and land formerly
owned by Hiram A. Holmes, northerly by the northerly side of the Cass
Mill pond and the Little Suncook river, and easterly by land of Walter
Chesley and Daniel T. Cilley. (and one other tract). – Charles S.
Hall and Ellen M. Hall.
384-132 May 1, 1908
Bernard S. Anderson of Epsom to Albion N. Ambrose of Deerfield,
A tract of land with the buildings thereon in Epsom, being the homestead
farm of the late George W. Batchelder, and bounded as follows: southerly
by the highway leading from Epsom Depot to Deerfield past the dwelling
house of Joseph Lawrence; westerly by land of ROsilla W. Heath, Amada
Hall and land formerly owned by Hiram A.Holmes; northerly by the northerly
side of the Cass Mill pond and the little Suncook river and easterly by
land of Walter Chesley and Daniel T. Cilley - Also the Cass field so called,
bounded southerly by the aforesaid highway, westerly by land of Charles
J. Brown, the heirs of the late Joseph B. Cass, northerly by the aforesaid
Cass heirs and easterly by the Cass Road (so called) containing 15 acres
more or less. – Bernard S. and Hanna S. Anderson
RELATED:
The Old Meetinghouse
There are no pictures of the old meetinghouse, but it is known that once
the various different church affiliations built their own structures,
the town abandon and sold it, and it was moved to Concord. A new town
hall was built in 1850, where it still stands today. The only true record
of someone remembering the old meetinghouse was in a speech given at Old
Home Day in 1901 by Mary L. Cass.
The
Old Burying Ground
The burying ground, we know from several accounts, was behind the meetinghouse.
Historical accounts place only a few early burials here, the first burial,
according to John Mark Moses, “William Blazo Sr., is said to have
been the first person buried in the old cemetery.” In an article
written for the ‘Granite Monthly’ magazine he gives one of the
early accounts of some of the graves and markers.
"At least two hundred and fifty (graves) may be counted that are marked with only common fieldstones, uninscribed. The oldest inscribed stone, on which only a few letters are now traceable, is among the McClary graves, near the south wall, and is probably that of the first Andrew McClary. Near by are graves of the Sanborn, Eliphalet and others; and near them, those of Samuel Blake and wife Sarah. He ‘died Aug. 19, 1801, aged 83 years. One of the first settlers of Epsom.’ Sarah ‘died June 27, 1804, aged 68 years.’ Among the Locke graves we find a rough stone lettered as follows: ‘E. L. B. F. 10, 1730. D.M. 7, 1798’; and at the left of it another, lettered ‘E. L. J. B. M. 7, 1761. D. F. 7, 1771.’ [see photo] These are supposed to be the graves of Ephraim Locke and a son, Ephraim, Jr. Among the Bickford graves is a rough stone, with letters now only partly legible. We can trace the letters ‘M.B.B….D…’ This is evidently the grave of Widow Mercy Bickford, who died at great age in April, 1824. The uninscribed grave beside it is doubtless that fo her husband, Samuel Bickford, who died in April or May, 1773.
The two Locke graves can still
be seen, and the McClary fieldstone may or may not still be visible. Gilbert
Knowles, also an Epsom Historian, noted the following: “One cannot
now count 250 graves marked with field stones because along about 1920
when the south wall was taken down and replaced with the iron fence given
in the will of Mary A. Evans, the Cemetery Trustees removed a great many
of the uninscribed stones. This was done to make the mowing and general
care of the old part of the cemetery easier.”