Chapter XI: Part 11

When quite young, the son disliked close confinement in school, the task of poring over books being to him rather dry and irksome; but his father said to him that he must either study or go to work in the mill. At the latter place he was soon found engaged in a work well calculated to dispel boyish romance in a summary manner. He almost repented making this choice, but pluckily "stuck to the work" with the indomitable perseverance so often displayed in after life, and was employed as a bobbin-boy for a year by the company. He then entered Wrentham Academy, where he remained, making progress in his studies, for a year and a half, when his father was compelled to inform him that he had met with serious losses by reason of the failure of the company, and that he, Phinehas, would now leave the academy and go to work. The father very much regretted feeling obliged to take this course, having cherished the hope of being able to give his son a thorough education. The latter readily accepted the situation, replied to his father that he was ready and willing to work, but, that if he must go to work in a mill, he preferred that it should be in a large one, and not in a "one-horse concern;" for he desired a wide field and the best possible opportunities to gain a knowledge of the business in its many details.

One of the greatest events in the commercial history of our country was the founding of the "City of Spindles," in 1821. Very naturally, the junior Adams was led to go there to gain his desired knowledge. On the 10th of November, 1829, he proceeded to Lowell, and at the age of fifteen became employed as bobbin-boy in the mills of the Merrimack company. At that time, the company had only about thirty thousand spindles in its mills.

In these early days of manufacturing, the system was adhered to in Lowell of keeping fierce bull-dogs--one, at least--in each mill. They were liberally fed with fresh meat, _not_ for the purpose of making them _less_ savage, and chained near the entrance to the mill, making effectual sentinels while the watch-_men_ were making their rounds. This custom was followed until about 1831.

Mr. Adams was early possessed of an ambition to become an overseer; and to this end he labored hard and faithfully, never thinking or dreaming, however, that he would become agent of a large mill. This was his real beginning, the wedding to his long and uninterrupted manufacturing life, the "golden wedding" anniversary of which event occurred in November, 1879.

Soon after his commencement at Lowell, he was promoted to the position of second overseer in the weaving department, a post he retained until 1831, when he passed to a similar position in the Methuen Company's mill, of which his uncle was agent. In 1833 he made another change, going to Hooksett, where he became overseer in the Hooksett Manufacturing Company's mills, of which his father was then the agent. Not long afterwards he assumed a similar position in the Pittsfield Manufacturing Company's mill, at Pittsfield, then under the administration of Ithamar A. Beard. Mr. Adams remained in Pittsfield from December, 1834, until Mr. Beard resigned.

On the 7th of March, 1835, Mr. Adams, who had previously decided to return to Lowell, left Pittsfield; embarked in the mail stage, and found himself about noon of the next day at Nashua, where his parents then resided. In those days there was no city of Manchester, neither was there a splendid railroad service running through the fertile Merrimack valley. But the waters of the Merrimack, though scarcely at all utilized at that time to propel water-wheels, carried upon its bosom heavily laden vessels from Boston, _via_ the old Middlesex canal, which ran as far north as Concord. Locks were in use at Garvin's Falls, Hooksett, Manchester, Goffe's Falls, Nashua, and at other points. A passenger steamer plied in those days between Lowell and Nashua upon the river. Mr. Adams remained at home only until Monday. He was industriously inclined, and proceeded immediately to the Merrimack Mills in Lowell, the scene of his earlier labors, where he accepted the office of overseer. He remained with this company until he came to Manchester, in 1846. In December, 1841, John Clark, the agent of the Merrimack Mills at Lowell, proposed that Mr. Adams should enter the office as a clerk. This idea was very distasteful to Mr. Adams, but he yielded to the wishes and advice of Mr. Clark, to get acquainted with book-keeping and the general business of the mills, to prepare for a higher position. For five years he held this position.

In the year 1846, Mr. Adams left Lowell to assume the agency (succeeding the Hon. William P. Newell) of the "Old Amoskeag Mills," then located on the west side of the Merrimack River at Amoskeag Falls,--now a part of the city of Manchester,--on the present site of ex-Governor P. C. Cheney's paper-mill. The building of the Amoskeag mills was the beginning of Manchester's wonderful career of prosperity, which has developed to such great proportions. Her many mills, now running more than three hundred thousand spindles, many looms, and many cloth-printing machines, and the many other signs of industry, are abundantly attesting to the truth of the statement. With the Amoskeag company Mr. Adams remained until the 17th of November, 1847, when he became agent of the Stark Mills.

Of the great manufactories of Manchester, that of the Stark Mills company ranks third in magnitude and second in age. This company was organized September 26, 1838, and began active operations during the following year. During its forty years and more of busy existence, up to April 30, 1881, when Mr. Adams resigned on account of ill health, it had but two resident agents: John A. Burnham held the position from the inception of the corporation until the 17th of November, 1847, the date marking the commencement of the long term of service of the subject of this sketch. At that time the capital of the Stark Mills company was the same as now,--one million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The shares, the par value of which was one thousand dollars, were worth six or seven hundred dollars when Colonel Adams was chosen agent; but they had risen to fourteen or fifteen hundred dollars when he resigned.

In the early days of New England manufacturing, more labor was performed by hand than is to-day; and, though substantially the same machinery was employed, yet it had by no means attained its present capacity and wonderful completeness. In December, 1863, Mr. Adams was commissioned by the directors of the Stark Mills to go to Europe for the purpose of securing machinery, and information relating to the manufacture of linen goods. At that time, owing to the war, cotton goods were very scarce and expensive. For unmanufactured cotton itself the Stark company paid as high as one dollar and eighty-six cents per pound, and a higher price than even that was paid by other companies. A bale of cotton brought nine hundred and thirty dollars. Mr. Adams traveled extensively through England, Scotland, and Ireland, and visited the city of Paris. He ordered considerable machinery of the English manufacturers, who were very busy with American orders at the time. So great, in fact, was the demand upon them, that the Stark machinery did not arrive until the September following, nearly a year after being ordered.

From choice, Colonel Adams has been quite clear of politics, having only served as ward clerk when a young man in Lowell, and, later, as a presidential elector for General Grant. He was Governor Straw's chief-of-staff, which, by the way, it is believed never "turned out in a body" as such. He was also four years a director in the Concord Railroad, just after the decease of Governor Gilmore. About the year 1848 he was chosen one of the assistant engineers of the Manchester fire department, in which capacity he served with peculiar fidelity for twelve years. Mr. Adams and the other engineers resigned their positions after two steamers had been obtained, thus giving the captains of the old companies chances of promotion. Never being "up for office," as were many of his friends, he could act with positive independence; and he invariably did act, as he thought, for the best interests of the city.

Col. Adams has for a long time been closely identified with the moneyed institutions of Manchester, having served as a director in the Merrimack River Bank from 1857 to 1860, the same in the Manchester National Bank from 1865 to the present time; and as a trustee in the Manchester Savings Bank nearly all the time since it obtained its charter. Since the decease of Hon. Herman Foster, Mr. Adams has been one of the committee on loans for the latter institution. He is one of the directors of the Gas-Light Company, and was for many years a trustee of the public library. He was elected, in 1865, one of the original directors of the New England Cotton Manufacturers' Association.

For many years, Mr. Adams has been engaged, as opportunity occurred, in procuring rare coins and medals. Of the former, he now possesses very complete collections of the various denominations in gold, silver, nickel, and copper; and he has a great number of valuable medals. Many of these antiquities command a very high price in the market, their numbers being absolutely limited, and the demand for them steadily increasing.

During the administration of Colonel Adams, which covered a long series of eventful years, a great many changes occurred. In what may be called, more particularly, the manufacturing world is this especially true. He is the oldest agent and the longest in such position in the city,--nay, more, in the entire Merrimack valley; and most of those holding similar positions thirty-two years ago are now passed from this life. That fine old estate on Hanover street, for a long time known as the "Harris estate," was formerly owned by the Stark company, who built the commodious mansion now converted into a charitable institution,--the "Orphans' Home,"--for the use of their agents. John A. Burnham was its first occupant; and next, Mr. Adams, who resided there nine years, beginning with 1847.

When Baldwin & Co.'s steam mill on Manchester street, where D. B. Varney's brass foundry is located, was, with other structures, burned on the 5th of July, 1852, that house, then occupied by Mr. Adams, was set on fire by the flying sparks; but the fire was speedily extinguished. Mr. Adams was at the time attending to his duties as engineer where the fire raged the fiercest. Thus Mrs. Adams and those of her household were without protection of the sterner sex in the early part of their peril. Soon, however, aid was proffered by several men, of whom Mrs. Adams admitted Mr. Walter Adriance and three others, friends of the family, whereupon she securely barricaded the doors. The work of passing water to the roof was very lively for a while.

In 1856, Mr. Adams moved into the house No. 2 Water street, where he lived about nine years, when he purchased his present fine residence, No. 18 Brook Street.

On the 24th of September, 1839, Mr. Adams was united in marriage with Miss Elizabeth P. Simpson, daughter of the late Deacon Samuel Simpson, of Deerfield, a veteran in the war of 1812. Mrs. Adams's paternal grandfather, Major John Simpson, participated in the battle of Bunker Hill, and, it is said upon good authority, fired the first shot, on the American side, of that famous engagement.

It occurred in this wise: The men in his line were instructed by their commander, Colonel Stark, not to fire a gun until the British had arrived at a certain point, forty paces distant from the American works. When the red-coated invaders had advanced to within that distance, the major (who was then a private), an excellent marksman, being unable to withstand so good an opportunity, fired before the order was given, and dropped his man. The fire was then opened along the whole line. On being reproved for disobeying orders, Mr. Simpson replied, "I never could help firing when game which I was after came within gun-shot." He died October 28, 1825.

From this happy union of Mr. Adams with Miss Simpson two children have sprung: Elizabeth, born June 15, 1842, and Phinehas Adams, Jr., born December 26, 1844,--both being born in the same house in the city of Lowell. The former is the wife of Daniel C. Gould, paymaster of the Stark Mills, and the popular tenor singer at the Franklin-street church, to whom she was married the 10th of September, 1868. Mr. Gould is the son of Deacon Daniel Gould, who was the first railroad-station agent in Manchester, a position he held until succeeded by the late Henry Hurlburt. Mr. Phinehas Adams, Jr., married Miss Anna P. Morrison, of Belfast, Maine.

About a year after being married, Phinehas Adams joined the First Congregational church in Lowell. Mrs. Adams was a member of the same church. On removing to Manchester, both had their relation transferred to the Franklin-street Congregational church.

At a business meeting of the Stark Corporation directors, in 1879, on the suggestion of Edmund Dwight, it was voted to present Colonel Adams with a suitable token, bearing testimony of the high respect in which he is held by them. Therefore, on the 17th of November, 1879, that being the date completing his thirty-two years of service as agent of that corporation, they presented him with one of the most valuable gold watches made by the Waltham company, together with a massive gold chain and an elegant seal. Inside the watch-case is engraved the following: "The Stark Mills to Phinehas Adams, November 17, 1847-1879. William Amory. Edmund Dwight, treasurer." Accompanying these superb gifts was the following letter, expressive of sentiments that any honorable man would be justly proud to merit:--

"BOSTON, November 15, 1879.

"_My Dear Sir_,--I send you a watch and chain by request of the
directors of the Stark Mills. It will reach you on the
anniversary of the day on which you entered their service,
thirty-two years ago. Will you receive it as an expression of
their great respect for your character, and their high
appreciation of the service you have rendered the corporation
during the third part of a century?

"It is their sincere hope that the connection which has lasted
so long may long continue.

"With great regard, yours sincerely,

"EDMUND DWIGHT, _Treasurer_."

"PHINEHAS ADAMS, ESQ."

This testimonial was eminently deserved, as no one is held in greater or more universal respect than is the upright, courteous, and genial recipient.

Right here it may be as well to put on record the fact that Mr. Adams has never used tobacco or intoxicating liquors during his life. The life of Mr. Adams proves that tireless persistence and devotion to duty accomplish much. The influence exerted by his life is far greater than is commonly supposed or realized. It can hardly fail to stimulate young men to honorable exertions, and to teach them that extensive notoriety is not necessarily indicative of true greatness, and also that too eager grasping after mere political distinction or after temporal riches is far less desirable than linking their lives to immortal principles. No sermon could be more potent than such a life as this, illustrating the fact that exalted character is the choicest of all possessions, bearing ever large interest in this life, and likewise in the life hereafter.

GENEALOGY.

_The "Phinehas Adams" Branch of the Adams Family, copied from the Original Chart prepared by Elijah Adams, and dated Medfield, May 2, 1798._

HENRY ADAMS, Devonshire.
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PETER, JOSEPH, HENRY, ----, EDWARD, SAMUEL, JONATHAN.
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JONATHAN, HENRY, JAMES, JOHN, ELISHA, EDWARD, ELISHAB.
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OBADIAH, JOHN, THOMAS, JEREMIAH, ELEAZER, ABRAHAM, DANIEL, PHINEHAS, EDWARD.
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BENJAMIN, JOHN, ELEAZER, SETH.
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JOHN, JUDE, JOEL, PHINEHAS, JAMES, ELIAS, HEZEKIAH, ELEAZER.
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ASAHEL, BARZILLAI, PHINEHAS, WILLIAM, LOWELL.
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ASAHEL, ASAHEL, PHINEHAS, ASAHEL.
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---+---+
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PHINEHAS.

NATHANIEL WHITE.

The ancestors of NATHANIEL WHITE were among the hardy pioneers who settled New England two hundred and fifty years ago, William White, the founder of the family in this country, having come from England and landed at Ipswich, Mass., in 1635. The descendants of William were among the earliest settlers of northern New Hampshire.

Nathaniel White, the subject of this sketch, the oldest child of Samuel and Sarah (Freeman) White, was born in Lancaster, February 7, 1811. His childhood was passed under a tender mother's care; and to her strict religious training he was indebted for the noble character which led him untainted amid the temptations of youth, and unspotted through a long career of usefulness. At home were those principles of integrity, honesty, temperance, philanthropy, and generosity inculcated which led to a long life rounded by Christian virtues, adorned by humanitarian graces, and free from vices.

At the age of fourteen he went into the employ of a merchant of Lunenburg, Vt., with whom he remained about one year, when he accepted employment with Gen. John Wilson, of Lancaster, who was just entering upon his duties as landlord of the Columbian hotel in Concord. His parents more readily consented to his taking this step on account of the many noble qualities of Mrs. Wilson. To her care he was intrusted by his solicitous mother. In the employ of Gen. Wilson, Nathaniel White commenced life in Concord at the foot of the ladder. He arrived in Concord, August 25, 1826, with one shilling in his pocket. For five years, or until he came of age, he continued at the Columbian, rendering a strict account of his wages to his father, and saving the dimes and quarters which came as perquisites, until by his twenty-first birthday he had a fund of two hundred and fifty dollars.

In 1832 he made his first business venture, negotiating the first and last business loan of his life, and purchased a part interest in the stage route between Concord and Hanover, and occupying the "box" himself for a few years. In one year he was free from debt. Soon after, he bought into the stage route between Concord and Lowell. In 1838, in company with Capt. William Walker, he initiated the express business, making three trips weekly to Boston, and personally attending to the delivery of packages, goods, or money, and other business intrusted to him. He was ever punctual; he never forgot. In 1842, upon the opening of the Concord Railroad, he was one of the original partners of the express company which was then organized to deliver goods throughout New Hampshire and Canada. The company, under various names, has continued in successful operation to the present day; and to Nathaniel White's business capacity has it been greatly indebted for its remarkable financial success.

In 1846, Mr. White purchased his farm, and has cultivated it since that date. It lies in the southwestern section of the city, two miles from the state-house, and embraces over four hundred acres of land. For his adopted home he ever felt and evinced a strong attachment, and to him Concord owes much of her material prosperity and outward adornment. Beautiful structures have been raised through his instrumentality, which render the capitol and the State-House park such attractive features of the city.

In 1852 he made his first step in political life, being chosen by the Whigs and Free-soilers to represent Concord in the state legislature. He was an Abolitionist from the start; a member of the Anti-Slavery society from its inception. His hospitable home was the refuge of many a hunted slave,--a veritable station on the under-ground railroad, where welcome, care, food, and money were freely bestowed, and the refugees were sent on their way rejoicing. The attic of his house and the hay-mows of his stable were the havens of rest for the persecuted black men.

In all works of charity and philanthropy, Mr. White was foremost or prominent. He was deeply interested in the establishment of the New Hampshire Asylum for the Insane and the State Reform School; in the Orphans' Home, at Franklin, which he liberally endowed; and the Home for the Aged, in Concord, which was his special care. The Reform club of Concord, though not an eleemosynary institution, received substantial benefits from his generosity; and to him, in a great measure, it owed its very existence during the reaction which followed the first enthusiasm.

Besides his extensive interest in the express company, his farm,--which is one of the most highly cultivated in the state,--his charming summer retreat on the borders of Lake Sunapee, and his real estate in Concord, he was interested in real estate in Chicago, in hotel property in the mountain districts, in railroad corporations, in banks, in manufacturing establishments, and in shipping. He was a director in the Manchester & Lawrence, the Franconia & Profile House, and the Mount Washington railroads, and in the National State Capital Bank; a trustee of the Loan and Trust Savings Bank of Concord; also of the Reform School, Home for the Aged, and Orphans' Home, and other private and public trusts.

In 1875, Nathaniel White was candidate for governor, of the Prohibition party; and he had a vast number of friends in the Republican party, with which he was most closely identified, who wished to secure his nomination for the highest honor within the gift of a state, by the Republican party. In 1876 he was sent as a delegate to the Cincinnati convention, which nominated Mr. Hayes for president. During the summer of 1880, he was placed by his party at the head of the list of candidates for presidential electors. With all these honors thrust upon him, Nathaniel White was not a politician, although firm in his own political convictions. The office sought the man, and not the man the office.

Nathaniel White was blessed in his marriage relations. His history is incomplete without a narration of the perfect union, complete confidence, and mutual trust and assistance between him and his wife, during a married life of nearly half a century. November 1, 1836, he was married, by Rev. Hubert Bartlett, of Laconia, to Armenia S., daughter of John Aldrich, of Boscawen, who survives him. Mrs. Armenia S. White is of good old Quaker stock, descending, in the sixth generation, from Moses Aldrich, a Quaker preacher who emigrated to this country in the seventeenth century and settled in Rhode Island: and on the maternal side, from Edward Dotey, a pilgrim who landed in the Mayflower. She was born November 1, 1817, in Mendon, Mass., her parents removing from Rhode Island at the time of their marriage. In 1830, she went with her parents to Boscawen, where she lived until her marriage. Mrs. White has been her husband's companion and helper in every good work.

Their children are John A. White, Armenia E. White, wife of Horatio Hobbs, Lizzie H. White, Nathaniel White, Jr., and Benjamin C. White, who survive. They lost two children,--Annie Frances and Seldon F.; and adopted one,--Hattie S., wife of Dr. D. P. Dearborn, of Brattleborough, Vt.

In early life Mr. White joined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He belonged to no other secret society. Anti-slavery societies, temperance societies, charitable and benevolent societies, woman suffrage and equal rights societies, and the Universalist society,--in all of these both husband and wife were deeply and equally interested. During the first four years of their married life, on account of Mr. White's occupation, they boarded; for eight years they lived on Warren street; since 1848, until the death of Mr. White, in their residence on School street. Here they have meted out generous and refined hospitality to the humble slave, the unfortunate, and to the most illustrious guests who have honored Concord by their visits.

Nathaniel White died Saturday, October 2, 1880, having nearly completed the allotted span of three score years and ten. He was stricken down suddenly, although, with his usual business foresight, he seems to have been prepared for the change.

Among the tributes to his worth which were called out by his death was a letter by Hon. H. P. Rolfe, which presents a just and fair estimate of his character, as follows:--

"I remember Mr. White even before you became acquainted with
him. I can see him now, as in the early morn, in the dim light
before the dawn of day, he drove up over the frozen hills of
Boscawen, through the drifting snows, buffeting the bleak winds,
and standing erect upon the footboard of his sleigh, with his
six frost-covered steeds well in hand. I remember him as in the
late afternoon or early evening he went dashing down those
fearfully steep hills, called "Choate and Gerrish hills," with
his Concord "coach and six," loaded down with sixteen and
eighteen passengers, and no break to resist the fearful pressure
upon a single pair of wheel-horses. He then had the same quiet,
reserved manners that marked the man all through his long, busy,
and useful life. There was no noise, no brag, no bluster, no
profanity, no tobacco, no rum! He was mild in speech, pleasant
in address, gentle in conduct, quiet in action, diligent in
business, constant in season and out, and faithful to all his
trusts; and every thing he did came fully up to the measure of
his responsibility.

'His life was gentle; and the elements
So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up
And say to all the world, "This was a man."'

"The wealth he possessed, and which he distributed with such a
generous hand, came from no ancestral estates. He made his
wealth, and he made himself, and he was emphatically 'the
architect of his own fortune.' He honored his father and his
mother, and his days were lengthened in the land; and if he had
lived till the 17th day of February, 1881, he would have filled
up the number of days which the Psalmist has assigned to manly
life. His example in youth, in manhood, and in mature age is a
valuable legacy to the young man who shall try to imitate it.

"To his wife and children he has left a memory as fragrant as
devotion, tenderness, and love could make; and in the hearts of
his other kindred he has planted a grateful remembrance, which
will find a habitation there as long as their lives shall last.
The beauty, gentleness and sweetness of his domestic life were
only appreciated by those who saw him at home, in the bosom of
his family, and partook of his genial hospitality.

'Wife, children, and neighbor may mourn at his knell;
He was lover and friend of his country as well.'

"It will not be out of place to insert here the language of a
learned and gifted gentleman who knew Mr. White, having formed
an acquaintance with him before the days of railroads, while he
was driving on his route between Concord and Hanover. I refer to
Prof. Edwin D. Sanborn, of Dartmouth College, who used
frequently to ride on the outside of the coach with Mr. White.
The following sketch was published in the Lebanon _Free Press_
in 1859, and was part of an article entitled, 'Good Habits the
Best Capital of the Young':--

'I know a gentleman, now residing at the capital of New
Hampshire, who, at the early age of fourteen, left the paternal
roof to become a clerk in a store. Thirty years ago every store
was a grog-shop. From that business he entered a hotel in a
large town, where liquor was also sold. The inference would be,
with most persons, that such positions were very unfavorable to
temperate habits. Ruin is almost inevitable to a young man thus
exposed and tempted. In the case alluded to, the lad served his
apprenticeship, and saved both his money and character. He
never, in a single instance, tasted liquor, or used tobacco, or
handled cards or dice. He passed from the hotel to the
stageman's box. He drove a coach from Concord to Hanover ten
years, I think. Before the building of railroads this was one of
the most exposed routes in the state. The day's journey was
long, the roads were bad, and the cold was often intense. It was
the common practice of stagemen to fortify themselves against
the cold by large and frequent potations. They soon lost health
and character. They were a short-lived race because of their
intemperance. But the subject of my story was true to his
principles. In cold and heat he abstained. He resisted all
solicitations, and offended nobody. He was trusted by all,
suspected by none. He was universally popular, always
intelligent. He was both a good companion and an honest agent.
He never forgot a commission, never violated a trust. He saved
his wages, and supported his parents, who needed his aid.
Multitudes who had occasion to travel that weary road, still
remember with gratitude the pleasant speech, agreeable
deportment, and excellent habits of this accomplished stageman.
When the railroad took the place of the old mail-coaches, the
trusted and confidential agent and owner of "the old line" was
employed upon the new mode of locomotion. He soon entered into
the express business, which has been constantly increasing in
extent of space and in quantity of packages from the first
journey of the iron horse till this hour. The honest stageman
became the confidential agent of thousands who had messages or
property to be conveyed over the road. With the increase of
business came increase of wealth. He was no lover of lucre.
Though born in humble circumstances, and trained to habits of
rigid economy, he had an eye for improvements, and a heart for
practical beneficence. He acquired property easily, and he gave
liberally. Aged parents and needy relatives shared his
liberality. He cared for the friends who were bound to him by
the ties of blood first, and then for such acquaintances as
needed his ready aid. From the penniless boy, without education,
he has become a thrifty man of business, bestowing thousands of
his hard-earned treasures upon objects of charity of his own
choice. How valuable is a character thus formed and matured!
Through all his varied life he has never tasted ardent spirits,
or used tobacco in any form. He ascribes all his success in life
to his early determination to be both temperate and honest. Such
an example deserves commendation and imitation.'

"These lines were written in 1859; and more than a score of
years of usefulness, of duties, of benevolence, of affection,
and of honor have since filled up and rounded off a life into
the completeness of manhood. When he was removed from earth,
death claimed a dutiful son, a tender and loving husband, an
affectionate father, a devoted brother, and a constant friend.

"Since I came to this city, death has been constantly busy in
our midst. None of us who have lived here these thirty years but
have witnessed its ravages, snatching from many of us our
dearest treasures. He has gathered to himself many of the gifted
and the good, whose memories are still fragrant; but the sincere
tributes to the memory of Nathaniel White have never been
equaled, I fear never will be. No person in New Hampshire has
ever had the happy combination of means and disposition to
bestow such noble charities as he. I feel myself privileged,
after forty years of constant friendship, to unite my tears of
sorrow and sympathy with those of his bereaved family and
afflicted friends, and to lay a laurel upon the freshly made
grave which covers one of earth's true noblemen.

"How well he filled up all the days of his years with love for
and duty to his family, his kindred, and his friends; to the
poor, to the downtrodden, to the slave, and to all the
unfortunate of earth! He claimed no right or privilege for
himself, in the wide domain of nature, that he did not want
others to enjoy. Hence he insisted always that the nation should
immediately strike the shackles from the slave, and let the
oppressed go free. Never himself under the thraldom of rum and
tobacco, he wished everybody else to be free from it. He
exercised the largest liberty himself, and enjoyed perfect
freedom of thought and action in religious, political, and other
matters; and he desired every man and woman to do the same.
Hence, when he arranged his worldly matters, he gave the
ownership and sole control of his business affairs into the
hands of his wife, with whom he had walked life's journey,
thereby giving signal proof of his sincerity that the wife is
the equal of the husband in the sight of God, and should be in
the love, esteem, and regard of man. He often said that the
wife, in the event of the husband's death, should maintain the
same rights and the same relation to the family that the husband
would if the wife were taken away. In his will he made her
responsible to no court or other tribunal. She was only required
to make proof of his will, in order that the ownership of all
his property should vest in her. In all this he recognized the
rights of womanhood as well as the rights of manhood. In this
way he gave proof of his belief that the twain, man and wife,
are one flesh.

"The Centennial Home for the Aged was the apple of his eye; and
yet he made no large bequests to it himself, having perfect
assurance that the wife, who had borne life's burdens with him,
and shared his devotion to this noble benevolence, would be
equally the author of her own charities and the almoner of his.
As a business man and a citizen, his reputation ripened by
integrity. It was beautified by sincere sympathy for the poor
and the downtrodden; it was embellished by his generous
charities; and it was endeared by his gentle and winning
manners. When his final summons came, he had filled out a life
of rare usefulness and of singular success.

"Mr. White was fifty-four years a resident of Concord. In every
thing that made for her welfare he was always the foremost
citizen. Many others did nobly, but he exceeded them all. In a
single matter that vitally affected the city of Concord,[6] in
which the writer was engaged, and in which liberal expenditures
were needed, he contributed more than all the others combined;
and I make mention of this because the people of Concord should
know of his liberality, about which he rarely ever spoke and
never boasted.

"In all his aspirations to make himself an honorable name, and
to do good to his kindred, his friends, his country, and his
race, Mr. White was most fortunate and happy in that he had the
early suggestion, the prompt encouragement, the ready
co-operation, and the ardent sympathy of her who for nearly half
a century kept his home constantly blooming with the
sweet-scented flowers of affection.

"Farewell, noble spirit!

'Thou 'rt buried in light:
God speed unto heaven, lost star of our night!'

We dismiss thee, not to the tomb of forgetfulness and death, but
to a blessed memory, an unclouded fame, and to a limitless
life."

FOOTNOTES:

[6] The retention of the state-house.

FRANCIS COGSWELL.

FRANCIS COGSWELL was born in Atkinson, December 21, 1800. He died at his home in Andover, Mass., February 11, 1880. His death closed a long, honorable, and useful career. He was a gentleman of the old school, strong, steadfast, and true. God gave him talents of a high order, and he improved them all. He was honest, not from policy, but because it was his nature to be. His ambitions never clouded his convictions of duty, nor swerved him from the path which his high sense of probity and honor pointed out; and, after more than fifty years of business activity, and association with thousands of people in almost every relation in life, he could say, as he did: "I die contented. I have no ill will towards any one, and I know of no reason why any one should have any ill will against me." He loved his family with a love that never wearied and never forgot; which dared all things, suffered all things, did all things, that could make for their comfort and happiness. He loved his books. He was a stanch friend, a kind neighbor, and a generous citizen, who never left to others the duties he could discharge. In business, he was sagacious without being a schemer, patient and industrious without being a slave. He had judgment, foresight, and reliability; and he worked his way to success openly, steadily, and surely. He died universally respected and widely and sincerely mourned.

Mr. Cogswell was the son of Dr. William Cogswell, the son of Nathaniel Cogswell of Atkinson, who was born July 11, 1760, and was married to Judith Badger, July 22, 1786, the daughter of the Hon. Joseph Badger, senior, of Gilmanton, N. H., born May 15, 1766, whose children were as follows:

William, born June 5, 1787; Julia, born February 20, 1789; Hannah Pearson, born July 6, 1791; Joseph Badger, born August 30, 1793; Nathaniel, born March 5, 1796; Thomas, born December 7, 1798; Francis, born December 21, 1800; George, born February 5, 1808; John, born February 14, 1810, and died August 6, 1811.

Julia Cogswell was married to Greenleaf Clarke, of Atkinson, March 1, 1810. They were the parents of William Cogswell Clarke and John Badger Clarke, who are sketched elsewhere in this book.

Hannah Pearson Cogswell married William Badger, of Gilmanton, who was afterwards governor of New Hampshire. Their children are Col. Joseph and Capt. William, of the U. S. army.

Joseph Badger Cogswell was married to Judith Peaslee, October, 1817. They had six children, three sons and three daughters: William is a successful physician in Bradford, Mass.; Francis has been a very popular teacher, and is now superintendent of schools in Cambridge, Mass.; and Thomas is a dentist in Boston.

Rev. Nathanial Cogswell married Susan Doane, October, 1825. He was a settled clergyman at Yarmouth, Mass., a man of great influence, and his son John B. D. Cogswell has been speaker of the Massachusetts house of representatives.

William, Thomas, and George Cogswell are sketched in this book.

Francis Cogswell received his early education in the public schools and at Atkinson Academy, from which he entered Dartmouth College, where he graduated with honor in the class of 1822. Selecting the law for his profession, he prepared himself for admission to the bar at Exeter, was admitted in 1827, and commenced practice in Tuftonborough, N. H., the same year. He removed, in 1828, to Ossipee. In 1833 he removed to Dover, and was appointed clerk of the court in Strafford county. Nine years later he located at Andover, Mass., and became treasurer of the Ballardvale Woolen Company.

May 16, 1845, he was chosen cashier of the Andover bank, to which institution he devoted himself with great fidelity until he was called to the presidency of the Boston & Maine Railroad, in 1856. In this position, his systematic methods, untiring industry, ability to manage men, careful regard for the public and respect for its opinions, and stern integrity asserted themselves, to the great advantage of the corporation and the approval of its patrons; and his resignation, which he tendered in 1862, caused wide-spread regrets, which grew more and more pronounced until 1865, when he yielded to the general demand and accepted a re-election. His second term lasted until 1871, when he felt compelled to lay down the heavy burdens inseparable from the office, and retire from active life.

In addition to these, Mr. Cogswell held many other public and private trusts of great responsibility, in all of which his sterling qualities were quietly but effectively asserted. He was a director of the Andover bank for twenty years; treasurer of the Marland Manufacturing Company for twenty-two years; a trustee of Gilmanton and Atkinson academies, and of the Punchard free school at Andover; an overseer of Harvard College; and senior warden of the Episcopal church at Andover, where he was a constant worshiper for many years. Many private properties were also committed to his care; and his advice was constantly in demand by his neighbors and acquaintances.

Mr. Cogswell was a man of pronounced political views, but would never accept political honors. Prior to the war he was a Democrat; but the attempt of the southern slaveholders to destroy the Union made him an earnest Republican, and one of the strongest supporters of the loyal cause. He was chairman of Andover's war committee, and gave liberally of his means to her soldiers and their families.

Mr. Cogswell was married, June 8, 1829, to Mary S. Marland, daughter of Abraham Marland, of Andover, by whom he had eight children. Three of these--John F. Cogswell, of Andover, at the head of the well known and very successful express company of Cogswell & Co., Lawrence, Mass., Thomas M. Cogswell, of Lawrence, engaged in the same business as his brother, and Mary M., wife of William Hobbs, Esq., of Brookline, Mass.,--are living.

HON. JOSEPH BOND CLARK.

JOSEPH BOND CLARK, son of Samuel and Betsey (Clement) Clark, was born at Gilford, N. H., June 21, 1823. He had four brothers and four sisters, of whom two survive,--Samuel C., a lawyer at Lake Village, and Hannah B., widow of the late William G. Hoyt, of Moultonborough. At the age of seventeen he began a preparatory course of study at New Hampton Literary Institution, and, after three years, entered Brown University at Providence, R. I., in 1844, and graduated in 1848. He then spent six years teaching in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, meanwhile qualifying himself for the profession of law, some time with the Hon. Asa Fowler, of Concord, N. H., and with Stephen C. Lyford, of Laconia, from whose office he was admitted to the Belknap-county bar in 1853. He however continued for two years longer principal of the Wolfeborough Academy, and then removed to Manchester, N. H.

Mr. Clark was soon recognized as a moving force among men, was made city solicitor in 1858-59, representative in the legislature from ward one in 1859-60, and was appointed solicitor for Hillsborough county in 1861 and again in 1866, holding the office ten years in all. In the midst of his varied activities the war broke out; he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Eleventh Regiment, Col. Walter Harriman, and went to the front to assist in putting down the rebellion. In March of the succeeding year he was promoted to the rank of captain, and was wounded in the battle of the Wilderness, May 6, 1864. He remained with his regiment until the close of the war, and was mustered out of service in June, 1865. In 1867 he was mayor of the city of Manchester. He has been a director in the Merrimack River Bank (now First National) and trustee of the Merrimack River Savings Bank, since their organization, and is a director of the Nashua, Acton, & Boston Railroad and of the Manchester Horse-Railroad. He was for several years a director of the First Baptist society of Manchester, and chairman of the building committee, which erected probably the finest church of that denomination in the state.

In 1878-79 he represented ward three in the legislature, and was chairman of the finance committee; and was a member and clerk of the committee for the erection of the soldiers' monument in Manchester, in 1879. He married, September 12, 1862, Mrs. Mary Jane (Peabody) Smith, daughter of James H. and Roxana Peabody, of Manchester. She died August 15, 1873, leaving two children,--Mary P. and Joseph M.

This record, so brief and yet so full, will suggest better than any words the general estimation of Mr. Clark among those who know him. Undemonstrative and quiet in his manner, cautious and prudent in action, simple and temperate in habit, he is, above all, a thoughtful and patriotic citizen, whose vote is given for the best measures, and whose example lends force to his words. Conservative by nature, he is yet not slow to place himself on the side of equal justice and truth.

HON. GEORGE W. NESMITH.

[FROM HISTORY OF ANTRIM, BY REV. W. R. COCHRANE.]

JAMES NESMITH, one of the signers of the memorial to Gov. Shute, March 26, 1718, and one of the proprietors of Londonderry, was also one of the original sixteen that first struck for settlement on the soil of that ancient town. April 22, 1719. He was a strong man, worthy of respect, and honored by his associates. Was appointed elder of the West Parish Presbyterian church, at its formation in 1739. The date of his death was 1767, and his age seventy-five. He married, in Ireland, in 1714, Elisabeth, daughter of James McKeen and Janet Cochran. This Elisabeth McKeen was sister of Janet McKeen, Dea. Isaac Cochran's mother. She died in 1763, aged sixty-seven. The Nesmiths lived in the valley of the Bann in Ireland, and emigrated to that place from Scotland in 1690. Dea. James Nesmith had two children in Ireland, and seems to have buried the eldest child there. Seven children were born to them in America. The names of all were: Arthur, buried in infancy in Ireland; James, born in Ireland in 1718; Arthur, born in Londonderry April 3, 1721; Jean, born March 12, 1723; Mary, born Jan. 24, 1726; John, born Feb. 11, 1728; Elisabeth, born Jan. 8, 1730; Thomas, born March 26, 1732; Benjamin, born Sept. 14, 1734.

James Nesmith, Jr., the son born in Ireland, was born early in 1718, just before embarking for America, and was brought over in his mother's arms. He married Mary Dinsmore and settled in the northern part of Londonderry. Though an old man when the Revolutionary war broke out, he went with all his heart into the struggle against the British; marched among the minute-men at the first call, and was a participant in the battle of Bunker Hill. He had children, James, Jonathan, Robert, Elisabeth, Mary, and Sarah; and died where he settled, July 15, 1793. Of these six children, we will only say as follows: James, the oldest, was born in 1744; married Mary McClure (Parker's History is wrong in saying Martha); was elder in the West Parish church; left children,--William M., Robert, Isaac, James, Martha, Jane W., and Margaret,--of whom William M., the first named, married Harriet Willis, and was father of Hon. James W. Nesmith, long U. S. Senator from Oregon. Senator Nesmith was born in 1820, married Pauline Goffe in 1846, and now lives in wealth and honor at Dixie, Ore. The second child of James, Jr., was Jonathan of Antrim; Robert, the third child, married Jane Anderson; Elisabeth, the fourth child, married James Cochran of Windham; Mary, the fifth child, married James McClure of Acworth; and Sarah, the sixth, married Daniel Anderson of Londonderry.

Returning now to Arthur, the third child of Dea. James the emigrant, we have to say that he was born April 3, 1721. He married Margaret Hopkins, and settled in the south part of Londonderry; but in later life he moved to the state of Maine. He had two sons in the Revolutionary army, one of whom, John, was a captain noted for valor and strength, but died near the close of the war from effects of excessive exposure and hardship. Of Jean and Mary, daughters of the first Dea. James, I know nothing. But John, the sixth child of the emigrant, married Elisabeth, sister of Gen. George Reed of Londonderry, settled on the first Nesmith homestead with his father, and died there in 1815, aged eighty-seven. His children were: James of Antrim; Arthur of Antrim; John, Jr., who married, first, Susan Hildreth, and, second, Lydia Sargent, and died on the homestead in Londonderry in 1844; Ebenezer, who married Jane Trotter; Thomas; Elisabeth, who married Dea. James Pinkerton; Mary, who married John Miltimore, moving to Reading, Penn.; and Jane, who married Hugh Anderson. Of Elisabeth, the emigrant's seventh child, I have no data. Thomas, the eighth child, was born March 26, 1732; married Annis Wilson, and settled in Londonderry (now the north part of Windham), and had three children: John, Elisabeth, and Thomas, Jr. Of Benjamin, the ninth child of the first Dea. James, I have no information of importance in the present undertaking.

JONATHAN NESMITH, second child of James and Mary (Dinsmore) Nesmith, and grandson of the proprietor Dea. James, was born in Londonderry, in August, 1759. He came here in May, 1774, and began to clear the farm that remained in possession of the family until 1865. He made successive clearings each year, and with vigorous hand put up his log cabin,--though only a boy of sixteen years when he began. He permanently moved here in 1778. He subsequently had to pay for the most of his land a second time. Was one of the leading spirits of the town. Was eleven years selectman, and was four times chosen representative of the town. Was always on important committees, and was known and confided in by all. He was chosen one of the elders of the Presbyterian church at its formation in 1778, though only twenty-nine years of age. For fifty years he only failed of officiating at one communion. Dea. Nesmith was a man of great sociality,--up to jokes,--genial, jolly, and good-natured; was very hospitable and benevolent; anxious for the public welfare; stoutly in earnest to maintain the faith of his fathers; a man of strong ability, good judgment, and irreproachable character. He was an honor to the town he helped to establish. His death occurred Oct. 15, 1845, aged eighty-six. His first wife was Elenor Dickey, whom he married in 1781. She was the daughter of Adam and Jane (Strahan) Dickey of Londonderry, and grand-daughter of John and Margaret Dickey, of Londonderry, Ireland. She was born Jan. 1, 1761, and died Sept. 17, 1818. He married, second, Mrs. Sarah (Wetherbee) Hamblin, of Concord, Mass. She was twelve years of age when she witnessed the battle of Lexington and Concord from her father's door. She saw those brave men fall, remembered everything, and was always fond of telling of those first blows for liberty. She died Jan. 16, 1852, aged eighty-nine. Dea. Nesmith's cabin was burned one day when the family were absent; and he used to remark, in after years, that he never felt so poor as then. Yet, undismayed, he went about building another, being generously aided by neighbors he had himself always been forward to help. After several years he put up a substantial framed house, which was burned March 4, 1841, from a spark catching on the roof. In his old age Dea. Nesmith resigned his office in the church; and it is spoken of as a remarkable scene, when he stood in the public assembly and offered his resignation, and then, with trembling voice and with uplifted and palsied hand, invoked God's blessing on his successors in coming time. His children were:--

1. JAMES, b. Oct. 5, 1783; m. Polly Taylor April 10, 1810;
cleared and settled west of the pond and west of the Steele
place, on land now George Brown's,--often called the Boyd place;
went thence to Solon, N. Y., in 1822, with six children. There
his wife d. in 1846. In 1852 he m. 2d, Mrs. Susan Clark; moved
to Waukon, Io., and d. there in 1862. He had children:--

_Mary_, (b. in 1811; d. in infancy.)

_Mary E._, (b. in 1812; m. John Stillman of Cortlandville, N.
Y., in 1833; went to Waukon, Io., in 1857, where they now live.)

_Rev. John T. G._, (b. in 1814; studied at Cazenovia Seminary;
m. Harriet N. Taylor; entered the Methodist ministry; was a
faithful and able man; d. while pastor, at the age of 36.)

_Hannah E._, (b. in 1816; m. John Reed; moved to Waukon, Io., in
1857, and d. there in 1877.)

_Abigail S._, (b. in 1818; became second wife of Isaac Barker in
1847; went to Waukon, Io., in 1854.)

_Mark W._, (b. in 1820; d. unm., at Solon, N. Y., in 1848.)

_James A._, (b. in 1822; carried to Solon, N. Y., when an
infant; went thence to Illinois in 1844; m. Laura Post.)

_George W._, (b. in Solon, N. Y., in 1825; m. Mary C. Farrar of
Fairfield, Vt.; resides at Waukon, Io.)

_Dr. Milton W._, (b. in 1828; m. Margaret Donoughue in 1852; is
now physician and druggist at Waukon, Io.)

_Woodbury T._, (by second wife; b. in 1852; remains at Solon, N. Y.)

2. JEAN, now called "Jane," or "Jenny;" b. May 14, 1787; m. John
Dunlap, June 26, 1807, and d. March 29, 1835.

3. THOMAS D., b. March 22, 1789; m. Martha Weeks, March 30,
1813; succeeded his father on the homestead. His first wife d.
in 1828, aged 35, and he m. 2d, Nancy Gregg, Feb. 4, 1830. He d.
Sept. 10, 1841, aged 52. The second wife d. Feb. 9, 1856, aged
63. He was known in town as "Capt. Nesmith;" was captain of the
"Antrim Grenadiers," and was often marshal of the day on special
occasions. He was a useful man, and d. in his prime. His
children were:--