The “History of Gilmanton”

• The “History of Gilmanton, New Hampshire” is a comprehensive compilation of facts derived from various sources, including oral and written testimonies, and was written by Daniel Lancaster, with the book being printed by Alfred Prescott in 1845.
• The materials used to compile the history were accumulated over nearly twenty years, and due to circumstances, it was not possible to reference all authorities, with oral and traditionary testimony relied upon only when written documents were unavailable.
• The written authorities used include the Proprietary and Town Records, Prescott’s Sketch of Gilmanton, Farmer’s Genealogical Register, Belknap’s History of New Hampshire, and other notable historical works, with the language of these records sometimes being used to express the course of events in the history.
• The history includes biographical notices, proprietary and civil history, and genealogical history, although the genealogical history is more limited than originally intended due to limited patronage, with many dates of births and marriages omitted and some families not included.
• The author acknowledges that the history is imperfect and contains errors, particularly in dates, with some errors listed in the errata section, and expresses hope that the work will be of interest and value to readers, and that it will inspire a love of their native place in the townsmen.
• A map was prepared to accompany the work, and the author notes that the whole project required a significant amount of labor, with the goal of accomplishing at least one object, which is to cherish a love of the native place in the bosoms of the townsmen.
• The history covers various aspects of Gilmanton’s history, including its settlement, proprietary, civil, literary, ecclesiastical, biographical, genealogical, and miscellaneous history, up to the present time, with the author using a range of sources to provide a comprehensive narrative of the town’s history.

The History Of Gilmanton.pdf

• The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ appears to be an index of a historical text, containing a wide range of information about the history of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, including the names of various individuals and families, such as the Bean, Belknap, and Bell families, who were involved in the town’s settlement and development.
• The index also references various topics, including the construction of block houses, the establishment of churches, such as the Baptists and Congregationalism, and the formation of different villages, like Factory Village and Iron Works Village.
• Additionally, the index mentions important events, such as the delay of settlement of the town, the first division of land, and the perambulation of lines, which were significant in shaping the town’s history and geography.
• The document also includes information about the town’s ecclesiastical history, literary history, and genealogical history, highlighting the contributions of notable individuals, such as ministers, lawyers, and physicians, who played important roles in the town’s development.
• Furthermore, the index references various families, including the Clark, Clifford, and Cogswell families, and provides information about births, deaths, marriages, and other demographic data, which can be useful for understanding the town’s population and social dynamics.
• The index also mentions the town’s employments and products, as well as its local divisions and names, which can provide insight into the town’s economic and cultural development over time.
• Overall, the index suggests that the document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ is a comprehensive history of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, covering a wide range of topics and themes, and providing valuable information about the town’s past and its people.

The History Of Gilmanton.pdf

• The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ appears to be a historical account of Gilmanton, with the provided section serving as an introduction to the town’s proprietary and civil history.
• The introduction describes the scenery of the area before its settlement, with an observer standing on a promontory or an eminence of the Suncook Range seeing only dense forests and deep ravines, with no signs of civilized beings or cultivation of the soil.
• The text then shifts to a different time, when the forests were to be leveled and the soil tilled, with the first explorers and town bounders tracing lines and bounding lots for the Fathers of Gilmanton to settle.
• The view from the summit of Mount Major, the highest peak of the Suncook Range, is described as being vastly different, with the Lake now bearing steamers and long boats instead of the birchen canoe of the savage.
• The document also includes an index of names, places, and topics, such as proprietors, town officers, roads, settlement, and families, including the Quimby, Rand, Richardson, Sanborn, Shepard, Smith, and Wilson families, among others.
• The index also mentions various geographical features, such as Rocky Pond, Shellcamp Pond, Soucook River, and the Suncook Range, as well as historical events and institutions, including the Test Act, the Theological Seminary, and the State Constitution.
• The text provides a comprehensive overview of the history of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, covering its early settlement, proprietary history, and civil history, with a focus on the people, places, and events that shaped the town’s development.
• The town of Gilmanton has undergone a significant transformation over the years, changing from a trackless wilderness to a well-cultivated area with smiling villages, farms, and joyful flocks and herds, with this transformation being verified by the experience of every day and the contrast between what Gilmanton was and what it is now.
• The town of Gilmanton was granted nearly 120 years ago, and the first active operations by settlers commenced more than 80 years ago, with the proceedings of both the proprietors and settlers being recorded and collected from the remaining settlers and early records.

History of Gilmanton

• The History of Gilmanton is divided into several sections, including Proprietary, Civil, Topographical, Literary, Ecclesiastical, Biographical, Genealogical, and Miscellaneous, with the work being preceded by a brief Geographical Description of the town.
• Gilmanton, New Hampshire is situated in Latitude 43° 25' North and Longitude 75° 55" East, with the town being 16 miles from Concord, New Hampshire, 45 miles from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 80 miles from Boston, and 520 miles from the City of Washington, and the original grant being bounded by Lake Winnipisiogee, New Durham Gore, Barnstead, New Hampshire, Canterbury, New Hampshire, and the Winnipisiogee River and Bay.
• The town has a surface that is rocky and hilly, with a chain of eminences called the Suncook Range, which divides the head springs of the Suncook and Soucook Rivers, and the high lands have a rich deep soil, while the low lands have a sandy loam, with the town being covered in various kinds of hard wood and evergreens in its natural state.
• One of the hills in the Suncook Range, called Peaked Hill, is about 450 feet high and offers a view of several objects, including the Unconoonock Mountain, State House in Concord, Mount William III of England, Crotched Mountain, Grand Monadnock, Kearsarge, Ascutney, Cardigan, Moosehillock, White Face Mountain, Mount Washington, and Mount Major, with the Winnipisiogee River forming the boundary on the northwest and affording valuable water privileges at Lake Village, Meredith, New Hampshire Bridge, and Union Bridge.
• The town has two principal streams, the Suncook and the Soucook, with the Suncook River taking its rise in a pond near the summit of one of the Suncook Mountains and falling into another pond called Young’s Pond, which is one mile in length and half a mile in width.
• The town of Gilmanton has several important streams and rivers, including the Soucook River, which rises from Loon, Rocky, and Shellcamp Ponds, and the Suncook River, which receives several streams in its course and furnishes valuable mill privileges, particularly at the Iron Works Village.
• Other notable streams in the town include Great Brook, which falls into the Winnipisiogee River and has a cotton factory in operation at Badger’s Mills, as well as Butler’s Brook and Mill Brook, where the first saw mill and grist mill in the town were erected.

The town of Gilmanton was incorporated

• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire was incorporated in 1727, with a charter signed by Colonial Governor Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet, and was granted as compensation for services rendered in defense of the country to 24 persons with the name of Gilman and 153 others.
• The conditions of the charter required the proprietors to build 70 dwelling houses and settle a family in each, clear three acres of ground for planting, and pay their proportion of town charges within three years, as well as build a meeting-house for public worship and reserve shares for the first minister, parsonage, and school.
• The charter also reserved two rights of land for the Government, including an annual quit-rent of one pound of flax forever and all mast trees growing within the town limits for the King’s Navy, and required the proprietors to pay ten pounds on receiving the charter towards the expense of government.
• The grantees with the name of Gilman included Nicholas Gilman, John Gilman, Peter Gilman, and several others, and the charter was lodged with the Clerk of the Council.
• The town’s history also notes that a surveyor of the woods was appointed by the Crown during King William’s reign to preserve the white pines, and a law was passed in New Hampshire in 1718 to prohibit the cutting of such trees without leave of the surveyor.

The document outlines a grant

• The document outlines a grant given to various beloved subjects of the province of New Hampshire, with the advice and consent of the council, to establish a new plantation, which would be known as Gilmanton, New Hampshire, with the tract of land bounded by specific locations, including the head of the town of Barnstead, New Hampshire, Winipissiokeef Pond, and the River that runs out of said Pond.
• The grant is given to the subjects and their associates, with the condition that they must build seventy dwelling houses, settle a family in each, and clear three acres of ground fit for planting or mowing within three years, and that each proprietor must pay their proportion of the town charges as required.
• The conditions of the grant also include the building of a meeting house for public worship within four years, and that upon default of any proprietor in complying with the conditions, they shall forfeit their share of the lands to the other proprietors.
• The grant reserves a proprietor’s share for the first minister of the Gospel, another for a parsonage, and another for the benefit of a school in the town, provided that the peace with the Indians continues for three years, and if a war breaks out, the term for performance of the conditions shall be allowed after the expiration of the war.
• The proprietors are required to render and pay an annual quit-rent or acknowledgment of one pound of flax in the town on the last Thursday in March, yearly forever, if demanded, and to reserve all the mast trees growing on the land according to acts of Parliament.
• The document notes the variations in the spelling of the word “Winipissiokeef”, with at least 21 different methods of spelling the ancient Indian name of the Lake, including Winncpisseoekgne, Winnopisseag, and Winnepissiokee, among others.
• The document outlines the rules and governance for the town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, granting the inhabitants the right to elect constables, selectmen, and other town officers on the second Tuesday in March every year, in accordance with the laws and usages of the Province of New Hampshire.
• The first town meeting is to be called by Major John Gilman, Capt. John Gilman, and Bartholomew Thing, who are appointed as Selectmen for the town until the second Thursday in March 1728, after which new Selectmen will be chosen.
• The document is signed by Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet, Esqr., the Lieut. Governor and Commander in Chief of the Province of New Hampshire, with the advice of the Council, and is witnessed by Richard Waldron, Clerk of the Council, on the twentieth day of May in the thirteenth year of the reign, Anno Domini 1727.

A note is included

• A note is included to correct an error in the Charter, stating that the language should read “thence North to Winipissiokee Pond” instead of “thence West to Winipissiokee Pond”.
• A schedule of the names of the Proprietors of the town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire is provided, listing over 100 individuals, including Nicholas Gilman, Esq., Philip Connor, John Gilman, Esq., and many others, who are considered the founders and initial inhabitants of the town.
• The document is a historical record of the establishment of the town of Gilmanton, outlining the governance structure and the names of the initial Proprietors, and is part of the larger document titled “The History Of Gilmanton.pdf”.

The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’

• The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ contains a list of 177 proprietors, including 2 governor’s shares and 15 additional shares, with each proprietor receiving 500 acres of land, totaling 215 shares, as outlined in the schedule annexed to the charter of the town of Gilmanton.
• The schedule was certified by Richard Waldron, Clerk of the Council, and includes the names of many persons of distinction in Exeter, New Hampshire, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the surrounding area, such as Nicholas Gilman, Esq., who was a Justice in the Court held at Portsmouth in 1739 and played a significant role in the execution of Sarah Simpson and Penelope Kenny for murder.
• Nicholas Gilman, Esq., was born on December 26, 1672, and married Sarah Clark on June 10, 1697, having six sons, including Samuel, John, Daniel, Nathaniel, Nicholas, and Josiah, and was involved in public life, serving as one of the Justices in the Court held at Portsmouth.
• John Gilman, Esq., was born on January 19, 1676, and married Elizabeth Coffin on June 5, 1698, having seven children, including four sons, Peter, John, Robert, and Samuel, and later married Elizabeth Hale, having four more children, making a total of eleven children.
• Rev. John Odlin was a minister of Exeter, New Hampshire, born in November 1681, graduated from Harvard University College in 1702, married Elizabeth Woodbridge on October 21, 1706, and had four sons, including John, Elisha, Dudley, and Woodbridge, and died in 1754 at the age of 72.
• Other notable proprietors include Samuel Thing, who married Abigail, daughter of Hon. John Gilman, and had descendants who became settlers of the town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, and Rev. Henry Rust, who was born in 1686, graduated from Harvard College in 1707, and was ordained as the first minister of Stratham, New Hampshire in 1718.
• Lieut. Bartholomew Thing was the first Clerk of the Proprietors, holding the office from 1728 until 1737, and was also one of the Committee members who petitioned the Governor and Council for a longer time to settle Gilmanton, while Capt. Jonathan Wadleigh was one of the first Selectmen in 1728 and continued to be elected until 1734.
• Nicholas Dudley, son of Stephen and grandson of Rev. Samuel Dudley of Exeter, New Hampshire, was born on August 27, 1694, married Elizabeth Gordon, and had four children, including Trueworthy, Nicholas, John, and Sarah, with several of his descendants residing in Gilmanton.
• The document provides brief notices of the proprietors, including their birth and death dates, marriages, and occupations, as well as their roles in the establishment and settlement of the town of Gilmanton, with abbreviations used throughout the text, such as “b.” for born, “m.” for married, and “d.” for died, to denote important life events.

The history of Gilmanton includes the story

• The history of Gilmanton, New Hampshire includes the story of Col. Peter Gilman, who was born on February 6, 1704, and went on to command a regiment in the French War in 1755, serve as a Mandamus Councillor, and become a Speaker of the Assembly, although he supported the British cause during the War of the Revolution and died on December 1, 1788, at the age of 84.
• Capt. Eliphalet Coffin was a prominent figure in the town, serving as one of the Selectmen from 1731 to 1735 and holding the position of Moderator in 1733, while Col. Daniel Gilman, the son of Nicholas Gilman, Esq., was born on January 28, 1702, and married twice, first to Mary Lord and then to Abigail Sawyer, having a total of 12 children with his two wives.
• Thomas Webster, the son of Thomas Webster of Hampton, New Hampshire, was one of the first settlers of Kingston, New Hampshire around 1700, and his son Benjamin, born in 1701, is said to have been the first child born in the town of Kingston, becoming a great ancestor of Caleb Webster, a merchant in Gilmanton.
• Rev. Nicholas Gilman, Jr., the son of Nicholas Gilman, Esq., was born on January 18, 1707, graduated from Harvard University College at the age of 17, and was ordained at Durham on March 3, 1742, before dying on April 13, 1748, leaving behind a legacy as a fervent and persuasive preacher.
• Andrew Gilman, the son of Capt. Jeremy Gilman and grandson of Moses Gilman, was born in 1690 and was taken captive by Indians in 1709, but managed to escape and later settled in Gilmanton, where his son Winthrop also lived, and he married twice, first to Joanna Thing and then to Bridgett Hilton, having a total of eight children with his two wives.
• John Folsom, the son of Peter Folsom and Catharine Gilman, was born on March 14, 1709, and worked as a house carpenter, notably helping to erect the meeting-house frame of the first Parish in Exeter, New Hampshire, despite being destitute of education and unable to write, instead keeping his accounts by making notches on a timber with his broad-axe.

The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ discusses

• The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ discusses the history of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, including the descendants of John Folsom, who were among the settlers of the town, and notable figures such as Col. Zbhulon Giddings, who served as town clerk for many years.
• Humphrey Wilson, the son of Dea. Thomas Willson, was born on December 9, 1699, and was the father of Capt. Nathaniel Wilson, an early settler of Gilmanton, and the grandfather of Jeremiah Wilson, Esq., who resided in the town.
• The text also mentions Nicholas Gilman, who was the son of Samuel Gilman and the grandson of Nicholas Gilman, Esq., as well as Rev. John Chiyman, who was born in 1691, graduated from Harvard University College in 1711, and settled in the 2d Church in Beverly in 1715.
• Samuel Gilman, the son of Nicholas Gilman, Esq., and the grandson of Hon. John Gilman, was born on May 1, 1698, and married Abigail Lord, with whom he had three children, including Samuel, Nicholas, and Robert.
• Rev. Ward Clark, the son of Rev. John Clark of Exeter, New Hampshire, was the first settled minister of Kingston, New Hampshire, and made a list of all the families in the town, which is now recorded on the church records of Kingston.
• The text also provides information about the Gilman family, including Nathaniel Gilman, who was born on May 24, 1704, and married Sarah Emery, and Dr. Josiah Gilman, who was born on February 25, 1710, and married Abigail Coffin, and had several children.
• Edward Gilman, Jr., who was born on October 20, 1675, was the surveyor of the Proprietors and drew the first plan of the town, while Theophilus Smith held various offices, including Selectman, Moderator, Clerk, and Treasurer, and married Sarah, the daughter of Dr. Josiah Gilman.
• The document also mentions other notable individuals, including Trueworthy Dudley, Joseph Dudley, and Jeremiah Bean, who were all connected to the early history of Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
• Additionally, the text tells the story of William III of England More, who was captured by Indians and adopted by a Native American mother after killing several of her people, and eventually escaped from captivity after six years.
• The subject of the text returned to Stratham, New Hampshire, where he lived until his death in March 1790 at the age of 63, and a full account of his captivity and sufferings can be found in the New Hampshire Historical Collections, volume III, page 87.

Ebenezer Weare was the son

• Ebenezer Weare was the son of Peter Weare of Hampton, New Hampshire Falls, and the first ancestor of this family was Peter of Newbury, Massachusetts, who was present in Newbury in 1631 and died on October 12, 1653.
• Nathaniel Weare, the son of Peter, was born on November 15, 1631, in Newbury, and later became a freeman in Hampton, New Hampshire, in 1666, serving as a counselor from 1692 until his death on May 13, 1718, at the age of 87.
• To become a freeman, an individual had to be a respectable member of a Congregational Church, and the Freeman’s Oath required them to swear allegiance to the government and uphold its laws and privileges, with the oath including a promise to yield assistance and support to the government and maintain its liberties.
• Meshach Weare, the first president of New Hampshire under the Revolution, was the youngest son of Nathaniel Weare and was born in Hampton in 1714, graduating from Harvard University College in 1735 and going on to serve in various public offices, including Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the State under the temporary Constitution.
• Meshach Weare was chosen President of the State annually during the War and was elected President under the New Constitution in 1784, also being elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1782, before his death on January 25, 1786, at the age of 73.
• Other notable individuals mentioned in the text include Eleazer Russell, who served as Postmaster in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and Sheriff under Governor Belcher, and Captain Henry Sherburne, who was appointed Mandamus Counselor in 1728 and died in 1757, with his ancestors being among the early settlers of Portsmouth.
• The Sherburne family had a long history in New England, with the first Henry Sherburne being born in 1612 and coming to New England before the age of 20, and later generations serving in various public offices, including Captain Samuel Sherburne, who was killed by Indians in 1691, and Henry Sherburne, Esq., who graduated from Harvard College in 1728 and engaged in mercantile business.
• The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ discusses the history of various individuals who played important roles in the town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, including their appointments, achievements, and family backgrounds.

One of the key figures mentioned

• One of the key figures mentioned is Joseph Sherburne, who was appointed as a Counsellor in 1734 and died in 1744, while John Sherburne, the fourth Counsellor of the name, received his appointment in 1774 and continued for only one year before dying in 1797.
• The Wentworth family is also prominently featured, with Elder William III of England Wentworth being one of the first settlers in Exeter, New Hampshire and later becoming the ruling Elder in the Church at Dover, while his descendants, including Sir John Wentworth, 1st Baronet, Lieut. Governor, and Gov. Benning Wentworth, held various important positions and made significant contributions to the region.
• Gov. Benning Wentworth, in particular, had a long and distinguished career, serving as Governor of New Hampshire for 25 years and donating 500 acres of land to Dartmouth College, and his son, John Wentworth, Esq., died at a young age, but his nephew, Gov. John Wentworth, the younger, went on to become Governor of Nova Scotia and received the title of Baronet from George III.
• Other notable individuals mentioned include Philip Connor, who was born in 1701, and Samuel Shute, Esq., who served as Governor of Massachusetts and New Hampshire and was the son of an eminent citizen of London, and played a significant role in the granting of the Charter of Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
• The document provides a comprehensive overview of the lives and achievements of these individuals, highlighting their contributions to the history of Gilmanton and the surrounding region, and offering insights into the social, political, and economic context of the time.

The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ discusses

• The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ discusses the lives of several key figures in the history of New Hampshire, including Gov. Burnet, who succeeded someone in 1728 and died in England on April 15, 1742, at the age of 80.
• Capt. John Downing, a sea captain in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, served as a Counsellor in 1740 and died on September 16, 1745, at the age of 85, while Rev. Jabez Fitch, who was born in April 1672, graduated from Harvard University College in 1694, was ordained at Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1703, and installed in Portsmouth in 1725, before dying on November 22, 1746, in his 75th year.
• Col. Richard Waldron, born in 1650, was a merchant, Counsellor, Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, Judge of Probate, Justice of the Peace, and Colonel of the Militia, and died on November 3, 1730, at the age of 80, while his son Richard Waldron, Jr., born in 1689, graduated from Harvard College in 1712, served as Counsellor, Secretary of the Province, Judge of Probate, and Speaker of the Assembly, before dying in 1753 at the age of 59.
• Theodore Atkinson, one of three individuals with this name, was born in Boston, removed to Portsmouth in 1694, and settled on Great Island, serving as Clerk of the Superior Court, Collector of Customs, Naval Officer, and Sheriff of the Province, before dying on May 6, 1719, while his son Hon. Theodore Atkinson, born on December 20, 1697, graduated from Harvard College in 1718, and went on to hold various offices, including Commissioner to Canada, Colonel of the first Regiment, Collector of Customs, Naval Officer, and Sheriff of the Province.
• Hon. Theodore Atkinson also served as Secretary of the Province, Chief Justice of the Superior Court, and Delegate to the Congress at Albany, New York, before dying on September 22, 1779, at the age of 82, while his son Theodore Atkinson, Jr., educated at Harvard College, was appointed Secretary of the Province, but died on October 28, 1769, at a young age.
• Other notable figures mentioned in the document include George Jaffrey, Esq., born in 1637, who lived in Newbury, Massachusetts, removed to Newcastle, and served as Speaker of the New Hampshire Assembly and Counsellor, before dying in 1706, and his son George Jaffrey, born in 1683, who graduated from Harvard College in 1702, and went on to serve as Counsellor, Treasurer, and Chief Justice of the Superior Court, before dying on May 8, 1749, at the age of 66.
• The history of Gilmanton, New Hampshire involves several key figures, including a merchant who lived in Portsmouth around 1736, married a daughter of Adam Winthrop, Esq. of Boston, and held various positions such as Clerk of the Superior Court, Counsellor, President of the Council, and Treasurer, before passing away on December 25, 1801, at the age of 85.
• Rev. Matthias Plant, an Episcopal Minister in Newburyport, was born in Straffordshire, Great Britain, served as minister and rector of St. Paul’s Church in Newburyport, and died on April 2, 1753, while his wife Lydia Bartlett died on October 8, 1753, at the age of 66, leaving no posterity.
• Richard Wibird, Esq., arrived in the country around 1700 as King’s Poulterer, settled in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, married Mrs. Due of Hampton, New Hampshire, and had three sons, including Richard Wibird, Jr., who graduated from Harvard University College in 1722 and held various positions such as Collector of customs, Counsellor, and Judge of Probate, before dying on September 25, 1765, at the age of 63.
• Other notable figures include Col. Shadrach Walton, who commanded a party of men in resisting the Indians in 1710 and took Port Royal in 1711, and Col. Thomas Westbrooke, who was ordered to surprise Norridgewock and seize upon Sebastian Ralle, a Romish priest, in 1721, and later died in 1736.
• John Ffrost, Esq., was the son of Maj. Charles Ffrost and was born on March 1, 1682, married Mary, the sister of Sir William III of England Pepperell, had 17 children, and held positions such as Counsellor before dying on December 25, 1732, at the age of 51, while his son George Ffrost became a Councillor, Delegate to the Old Congress, and Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas for Strafford County, New Hampshire.
• The original settlers of Gilmanton lived primarily in Exeter, New Hampshire and its vicinity, and the town was settled to a great extent by their descendants, with the early settlers of New Hampshire being divided into four classes: those on the Pascataqua, Scottish settlers at Londonderry, immigrants from Massachusetts, and those who came from Connecticut.

The original settlers of Gilmanton

• The original settlers of Gilmanton, New Hampshire lived primarily in Exeter, New Hampshire and its vicinity, and the town was settled to a great extent by their descendants, with the early settlers of New Hampshire being divided into four classes: those on the Pascataqua, Scottish settlers at Londonderry, immigrants from Massachusetts, and those who came from Connecticut.
• The town of Exeter, from which Gilmanton was settled, was initially inhabited by people from Massachusetts, and as a result, the inhabitants of Gilmanton were influenced by the views, manners, and customs of Massachusetts, which were passed down to their descendants.
• The original population of Gilmanton can be classified as third-class settlers of New Hampshire, and their history reflects the peculiarities of this class, with some early families coming directly from Salisbury, Amesbury, and Haverhill, Massachusetts.
• The settlement of Gilmanton was delayed due to fear of Indian attacks, and it was not until the close of 1761 that a permanent settlement was established, with some individuals visiting the town as hunters in the winter of 1749 and 1750, but soon retiring due to the dangers.
• From 1727 to 1766, a period of nearly 40 years, the town meetings were held in Exeter, New Hampshire, and efforts were made to induce settlers to venture into the wilderness, but the dread of savage cruelties deterred them.

The first meeting of the Proprietors

• The first meeting of the Proprietors was held in Exeter, New Hampshire on March 14, 1728, at the house of Mr. Benjamin Thing, where Major John Gilman was chosen as Moderator, and various other officials were appointed, including Surveyors of land, a tax collector, and a constable.
• A tax of 5 shillings was assessed to each Proprietor to pay for the Charter and towards defraying town charges, and 15 petitioners who were omitted in the Charter were admitted as Proprietors after paying their assessment.
• In 1730, a committee was chosen to petition the Governor and Council to grant a longer time for the settlement of the town, and another committee was appointed to visit Gilmanton, New Hampshire, run the lines, and bound the town according to the Charter.
• The committee was authorized to agree with a Pilot to assist in running the bounds, and the Surveyor was to be paid 12s. per day, while the other persons were to be paid 8s. per day for their services.
• In March 1731, the appointment to run the boundary lines was renewed, and Edward Gilman was selected as Surveyor, with the attendants to be paid 9s. per day, and on July 20, they made their return, affirming that they had visited the town, run the boundary lines, and spotted the trees.
• The Committee, consisting of Edward Oilman, Jethro Pearson, Oliver Smith, and Samuel Connor, was formed to survey the town of Gilmanton, and they employed several assistants, including Wm. Hill, Benjamin Rollins, Samuel Norris, and Nathaniel Thing, to aid in the process.
• The Committee began their survey on June 14th, starting at a beach tree marked B.C.G. at the corner of Barnstead, New Hampshire, Chichester, and Gilmanton, and ran several miles to mark various trees with the letter G, ultimately reaching Winepisockit Pond after 12 days, with an expense of £44 14s for the expedition.
• The Proprietors accepted the Committee’s report and allowed their account, taxing each proprietor 10s, and appointing Barthelomew Thing as Town Treasurer, while also laying out the First Division of 40-acre lots, with Edward Oilman and Barthelomew Thing appointed to draw a plan of the town.
• The plan involved marking out lots for each proprietor, with highways and a broad way, and the Committee, consisting of Joseph Hall, Edward Oilman, and Jethro Pearson, visited the town to lay out the lots, employing three hired men and leaving range ways and highways between the lots.
• The lots were drawn by the proprietors on October 18th, with Capt. Moses Leavitt holding the numbers and ensuring a fair draw, and the Treasurer reported paying £10 for the Charter and collecting a total of £93 5s, with each proprietor being taxed 20s.

In subsequent years, various committees

• In subsequent years, various committees were appointed to clear a path way to Gilmanton, New Hampshire, build a Block House, and examine the soil, but these tasks were not successfully completed until later, with committees formed in 1733, 1734, and 1735, including members such as Edward Gilman, Capt. Nathaniel Ladd, and Moses Leavitt, but ultimately failing to perform the services.
• The Proprietors of Gilmanton held an annual meeting on March 11, 1736, at Captain Samuel Gilman’s house, where they appointed a committee consisting of Moses Leavitt, Nathaniel Gilman, and Jethro Pearson to clear the road to Oilmanton, build block houses, and examine the land on the margin of the Lake.
• The committee employed several men, including Edward Gilman, Jethro Pearson, John Folsom, and Oliver Smith, to work on the project, and they reported that they had cleared a pathway from Epsom, New Hampshire Block House to Oilmanton, built two block houses, and viewed the land on the borders of the lake and the Merrimack River.
• The committee found the land to be a marly, good soil, and fit for settlement, and they recommended the laying out of another division of lots in that part of the town, which was later voted on and approved.
• The expense of the expedition was £94 5s, and the committee’s report led to the proposal that if 20 or more proprietors would settle in the town for five years, clear and break up two acres a year, they would have the privilege of taking their lots together and would be paid £40 5s by each proprietor.
• However, this proposal was not successful, and the proprietors later agreed to petition the General Court for authority to collect taxes and to petition for a longer time to settle the town.
• A second division of 40-acre lots was laid out by a committee that included Jeremy Calf, Benjamin Rollins, and Oliver Smith, who were later joined by several other men, including Colonel John Gilman and Lieutenant Andrew Gilman.
• The committee was empowered to lay out the lots and was allowed 12s per day for their work, and they were also tasked with laying out the road and examining the land on the borders of the Lake.
• The text also references a historical expedition from 1652, where a committee from the General Court of Massachusetts explored the lake and the Merrimack River, and found that the head of the Merrimack River was at Aquedochtan, the outlet of Lake Winnipissiogee.

The area of Gilmanton was first visited

• The area of Gilmanton, New Hampshire was first visited by white men, possibly with Jonathan Ince, and later a committee was formed to survey and settle the land, which included the Minister’s lot, the School lot, and the Parsonage lot.
• The committee, which commenced work on June 20, 1738, with 20 hired men, cleared a way from White Hall to Merrimack River, measuring the distance and dividing into four companies to lay out lots, look out a way to Canterbury, New Hampshire, and build a house for shelter.
• The survey, led by principal Surveyor Edward Gilman and assistant Ensign John Gilman, resulted in the division of 40-acre lots, with five ranges beginning 80 rods east-southeast from the mouth of the River, and each range containing a specific number of lots with designated widths and lengths.
• The Proprietors drew their lots, with Peter Coffin holding the lots to be drawn, and it was agreed that Proprietors who would settle could have their choice of lots together, with 40 shillings yearly paid to them by each Proprietor for their encouragement.
• A tax of 10 shillings more was assessed on the Proprietors to meet expenses, making a total tax of £4, which had been assessed on each Proprietor, but the progress of the settlement was prevented by the French War, which commenced around this time and rendered the situation of the frontier settlements exceedingly dangerous.
• The administration of New Hampshire was initially under the same Governor as Massachusetts, but after the establishment of boundary lines in 1741, the people of New Hampshire petitioned for a separate Governor, which was granted with the appointment of Benning Wentworth of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who received the appointment of Governor and Commander-in-Chief of New Hampshire.

The settlement of Gilmanton was particularly perilous

• The settlement of Gilmanton, New Hampshire was particularly perilous due to its location near Lake Winnepisiogee, which served as a rendezvous for enemy scouting parties and provided them with fishing grounds when game and plunder were scarce, and the adjacent mountains allowed them to observe and track new settlers.
• The area between the Rivers St. Francis in Canada and the Connecticut on the western boundary of New Hampshire had a safe and easy communication route, which the Indians of the St. Francis tribe were familiar with, making it easy for them to travel to the waters of Winnepisiogee and pose a threat to settlers in Gilmanton.
• During the war, settlers in the frontier towns, including those along the line from Rochester to Boscawen, Concord, New Hampshire, Hopkinton, Hillsborough, Keene, and Westmoreland, were in imminent danger from Indian depredations, with frequent attacks, destruction of crops, and killing of livestock, making it difficult for them to venture out and tend to their daily needs.
• A table of depredations during this period lists various attacks on places such as Great Meadow, Upper Ashuelot, Number Four, Hopkinton, Contoocook, and Rochester, highlighting the frequency and severity of the Indian raids.
• In an effort to establish settlement in Gilmanton, the Proprietors proposed that settlers who established themselves within a year would receive 50 acres of land, with the condition that they build a dwelling house, clear and improve land, and continue to settle in the area for six years to receive an additional 100 acres of land.
• The Proprietors also appointed a committee to run and spot the line between Gilmanton and Canterbury, New Hampshire, and proposed that settlers have the privilege of choosing their lots, with each Proprietor paying 20s old tenor to meet the expense, in an attempt to encourage settlement in the area despite the ongoing Indian hostilities.
• Some men did attempt to settle in Gilmanton, New Hampshire during the winter of 1749 and 1750, hunting and fishing, but ultimately withdrew in the spring due to the continued threat of Indian hostilities, and did not return to the area.

The occupancy of the soil in Gilmanton

• The occupancy of the soil in Gilmanton was hindered by a new obstacle, which was John Tufton Mason’s extensive claim on lands in the New Hampshire, including Gilmanton, which he alleged were conveyed to him by the English Government.
• The claim was transferred to the “Masonian Proprietors” in 1746, and as a result, settlers were unwilling to occupy the lands in Gilmanton without an undisputed title, prompting the appointment of Moses Leavitt, Hunking Wentworth, and Dr. Josiah Gilman to negotiate with the Masonian Proprietors.
• On November 1st, these representatives were tasked with requesting the Masonian Proprietors to quit-claim Gilmanton, as they had done with other new towns, in order to resolve the title issue.
• At a meeting of the Proprietors on May 16th, 1750, a committee consisting of John Paife, Lieut. Jonathan Connor, Lieut. Jethro Pearson, Benjamin Morrill, Oliver Smith, Samuel Gilman Jr., and Dr. Josiah Gilman was appointed to clear a cart path from Epsom, New Hampshire to Gilmanton, New Hampshire and build a saw mill for the settlers.
• The Proprietors also agreed to employ a Minister to preach to the settlers once ten families were settled in Gilmanton and offered incentives, including £100 old tenor to the first 20 settlers and two 40-acre lots each, to encourage settlement.
• In 1752, a quit-claim deed was obtained from the Masonian Proprietors, and a committee was appointed to take an exact plan of Gilmanton and lay out the shares, with a new assessment of £205 new tenor on each share to meet the expenses.
• The committee reported that they had laid out two ranges containing 18 lots on the northeast corner of the town, with a total expense of £188 old tenor, and a deed was granted to the Proprietors of Gilmanton, transferring the right, title, and interest of the Masonian Proprietors to the land.

The Governor and Council of the Province

• The Governor and Council of the Province granted land to the Proprietors of Gilmantown in 1727, with an amendment made in 1729, reserving eighteen shares for the grantors, which were to be laid out in the northerly part of the township.
• The reserved shares were to be managed by the Proprietors of Gilmantown at their own expense, with the grantors directing the division and planning of the land, and the Proprietors were required to return an exact plan of the township and the reserved land within ten months.
• The Proprietors were also required to make settlements in the town according to the Charter’s directions within three years, unless an Indian war occurred, in which case the time would be extended, and the reserved shares were exempt from any charges related to the settlement.
• The Masonian Proprietors, including Theodore Atkinson, Mark Hunking Wentworth, and others, were inhabitants of Portsmouth, New Hampshire who purchased shares of Mason’s claim, which was divided into 15 shares of £100 each, with each proprietor holding a certain number of shares.
• John Tufton Mason, a descendant of Captain John Mason, who obtained a grant of land from the Plymouth company in 1621, revived the claim in 1738 and transferred it to the Masonian Proprietors in 1746, who were therefore called the Proprietors of Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
• Many of the Masonian Proprietors were also original Proprietors of Gilmanton, and some, such as Col. Samuel Moore, had notable achievements, including commanding the New Hampshire Regiment in the successful expedition to Louisburg in 1745.
• The Proprietors were required to call a meeting to confirm their vote and transmit an attested copy to the grantors, with George Jaffrey serving as the Proprietors' Clerk, and the document was certified as a true copy of record by him.

The flag of the expedition

• The flag of the expedition led by William III of England Pepperell had the motto “Nil desperandum Christo duce” inscribed on it, which means “Nothing need be despaired of where Christ takes the lead”.
• Col. Nathaniel Meserve, a shipwright from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, played a crucial role in the siege of Louisburg in 1745 and was commander of a regiment of New Hampshire troops at Fort Edward in 1756, where he received an elegant silver bowl from the Earl of Loudon as a token of appreciation for his services.
• Col. Nathaniel Meserve was a man of fine mechanical genius, good moral character, and a handsome fortune, but he died of smallpox in 1758, along with his oldest son, after embarking with 108 carpenters to participate in the second siege of Louisburg.
• George Meserve, son of Col. Nathaniel Meserve, became unpopular in the colony in 1755 due to his role as Distributor of the Stamps under the Stamp Act, while Dr. Thomas Packer, one of the earliest surgeons in Portsmouth, held various positions, including Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, Lieut. Col. in the Militia, and Judge of Probate, until his death in 1728.
• Other notable individuals mentioned include Col. Thomas Wallingford, who was born in Bradford, Massachusetts, in 1697, and became one of the richest men in the province, owning a large amount of real estate in Portsmouth and holding positions such as Colonel in the Militia and Judge of the Superior Court.
• Jotham Odiorne, Joshua Pierce, and Col. John Moffat were also prominent figures, holding positions such as Counsellor, Masonian Proprietor, and Judge of the Superior Court, with Jotham Odiorne dying in Newcastle in 1768 at the age of 73.

The settlement of the town was hindered

• The settlement of the town was hindered by the Second French War, which resumed the Indian war and spread terror through the older settlements, leading to a considerable number of shares being declared forfeited and the General Court being petitioned to sell these shares to pay taxes.
• The peace of 1748 was short-lived, as the French sought to establish a line of forts or military posts from the St. Lawrence to the Mississippi River, which the English objected to, leading to a resort to arms in 1754, as the colonies prepared for war against the hostile Indians, particularly the St. Francis tribe.
• The population of the country had increased significantly, leading to a change in the mode of warfare, with a shift from defensive measures to aggressive movements, and a meeting of Commissioners from the several Colonies was held on June 19, 1754, at Albany, New York to discuss mutual protection and defence.
• The meeting, which included delegates from New Hampshire, such as Theodore Atkinson, Richard Wibird, and Henry Sherburne, who were Proprietors of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, resulted in the signing of the Articles of Union, and although it did not accomplish all that was desired, it gave the Colonies an impression of their strength.
• In the spring of 1755, three expeditions were undertaken against the French forts, including Duquesne, Niagara, and Crown Point, with New Hampshire furnishing 500 men, including a company of Proprietors of Gilmanton under the command of Captain Nathaniel Folsom, who distinguished themselves in a battle on September 8, 1755.
• The New Hampshire Regiment was later reinforced by 300 men under the command of Colonel Peter Gilman, including several Proprietors of Gilmanton, who were known for their scouting skills and were formed into Ranging Companies, known as Rogers' Rangers, under the command of Robert Rogers (British Army officer), John Stark, and William III of England Stark.
• The Ranging Companies, which included several Proprietors of Gilmanton, were put under the pay of the Crown and played a crucial role in the war, performing services such as skirmishing with the enemy, procuring intelligence, and attacking detached parties of Indians, including a successful assault on the St. Francis Indians in 1759.
• The surrender of Quebec City and Montreal in 1760 marked the end of the Indian warfare on the borders of New Hampshire, allowing the Proprietors of Gilmanton to focus on the settlement of the town, and the First or Lower Parish was eventually bounded, with new proposals being made to settlers.

At the annual meeting in 1761

• At the annual meeting in 1761, a committee consisting of Major John Gilman, Captain Jethro Pearson, John Page, Esq., Deacon Ebenezer Bachelder, Samuel Gilman, Jr., Esq., Captain Nathaniel Folsom, Dr. Josiah Gilman, Mr. Elisha Sanborn, and Lieutenant Jonathan Connor was appointed to measure out land for a parish, with the task of dividing the surplus land into 100-acre lots.
• The first 40 settlers of the parish were entitled to two 100-acre lots, one on each side of their 40-acre lots, and the proprietors were required to build a saw mill and a grist mill for the settlers as soon as 10 of them moved into the town, with the condition that the settlers would build houses, clear land, and remain in the town for six years.
• The committee, which was divided into two companies, began their work on May 28th and completed it on July 6th, laying out three ranges of 100-acre lots, with each range having a specific number of lots, and leaving space for roads between the ranges.
• The first company, led by Daniel Sanborn, surveyor, and Jethro Pearson, overseer, divided their range into 22 lots, while the second company, led by John Page, Esq., surveyor, and Elisha Sanborn, overseer, also laid out three ranges of 100-acre lots, with 19 lots in each range, and left space for roads between the ranges.
• The settlers who chose their lots were required to give bonds to the Clerk of the Proprietors that they would settle the land, or cause the same to be settled, and were given two weeks to choose their lots, after which they would lose their first chance if they delayed beyond that time.
• The supplies furnished for the committee’s labor included a barrel of biscuit and 3 quarts of rum, which were recorded as part of the expenses for the work.
• The report of the committee to lay out the 6-mile parish was accepted, and the 100-acre lots were confirmed, allowing individuals to select their lots and give securities, with the clerk authorized to receive bonds from settlers on behalf of the proprietors.
• A schedule of those who gave bonds for settlement was created, including notable individuals such as Thomas Edgerly, who became a proprietor by purchasing forfeited shares and had two sons, Ebenezer and Moses, who moved to Gilmanton, New Hampshire and died in town.
• Other notable proprietors included Capt. John Odlin, Capt. Joseph Badger, who later became Gen. Joseph Badger and was the father of Hon. Joseph Badger and grandfather of Hon. Wm. Badger, the late Governor of New Hampshire, as well as Capt. Jethro Pearson, who was a man of great energy and played a crucial role in the settlement of the town.
• Lieut. Jonathan Connor was also active in preparing the way for the settlement of the town, frequently visiting to aid in running the lots, and was born in Exeter, New Hampshire in 1699, while Dea. Samuel Gilman, Jr. married the widow of Col. Zebulon Giddings and was the father of Arthur Gilman of Newburyport.

The first settlers of the town

• The first settlers of the town included Orlando Weed, who came from Poplin and had a family of 10 children, and Stephen Butler, who built a saw mill but left the town after six years, with his place being purchased by Col. Samuel Greeley.
• Other early settlers included John Madgett, who arrived in town in 1761, Dea. Ebenezer Bachelder, John Bowden, Humphrey Wilson, and the Morrill brothers, Reuben, John, and Ephraim, who were sons of Ezekiel Morrill of Salisbury, Massachusetts.
• The town also had a number of clergymen as proprietors, including 12 individuals, such as Rev. Nicholas Gilman, Rev. John Odlin, and Rev. Nathaniel Gookin, who became proprietors by purchase of forfeited shares, with some of them playing important roles in the town’s history.
• Eliphalet Coffin of Exeter, New Hampshire was married three times, first on January 1, 1741, and had children with each of his wives, including Capt. Nathaniel Gookin of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, Hon. Nathaniel Gookin of North Hampton, New Hampshire, and twin sisters Hannah and Elizabeth, who married Rev. Timothy Upham and Dr. Edmund Chadwick, respectively.
• Rev. Joseph Adams was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, in 1719, graduated from Harvard University College in 1742, was ordained in Stratham, New Hampshire in 1756, and died in 1785 at the age of 66, while Rev. Peter Coffin graduated from Harvard College in 1733 and was ordained in East Kingston, New Hampshire in 1739 as the first and only Congregational Minister in that town.
• Rev. Joseph Whipple was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1701, graduated from Harvard College in 1720, was ordained at Hampton Falls in 1727, and died in 1757 at the age of 55, and Rev. William III of England Parsons will be discussed in the biographical portion of the history.

The town of Gilmanton was laid out

• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire was laid out into lots at several different periods, with the first division consisting of five ranges of 40-acre lots in 1732, the second division consisting of five ranges of 40-acre lots in 1738, and the third division consisting of three ranges of 100-acre lots in 1761.
• The divisions were designed to induce settlers to take up residence in the town, and the lots were given to settlers as home lots, with each settler having a choice of lots, and the surveyor’s returns were later corrected to confirm the parish boundaries.
• The location of the Block Houses is also noted, with the first one being built near the southeast corner of the first division, and subsequent Block Houses being erected near the outlet of the Lake, by Block House Pond, and at Third Camp Meadow, which is now overflowed and made a reservoir by the manufacturing company in town.
• The Block Houses in Gilmanton were rebuilt after the French War ended in 1748, but they were never used as garrisons and eventually fell into decay, making it impossible for the oldest residents to determine their exact location.

The Proprietors of Gilmanton guaranteed

• The Proprietors of Gilmanton, New Hampshire guaranteed the settlers that a saw mill and a grist mill would be erected as soon as ten families were settled in the town, and the work on these mills began immediately after the settlers gave bonds, with the saw mill being erected by Stephen Butler on a stream later named Butler’s Brook.
• The saw mill was paid for in full to Stephen Butler on July 12, 1762, and was later sold by the Proprietors to Josiah Robinson in 1767, along with the 100-acre lot it stood on, for £535, but it proved to be unfortunately located and was eventually abandoned as a mill site.
• The grist mill was erected in the autumn of 1762, with various individuals being paid for their work, including Thomas Piper, James Thurston, and Samuel Connor, and it was put into operation in the spring of 1763, with John Dudley receiving payment for his labor on the mill.
• Prior to the construction of the grist mill, settlers had to carry their grain to Epsom, New Hampshire on their backs, on horses, or on hand sleds, but with the mill in operation, this was no longer necessary, and the mill was later sold to Edward Gilman in 1770.
• The roads in Gilmanton were initially mere horse-paths, but in 1761, arrangements were made to open a cart path from Epsom to the town, with two parties of workers being employed to make the road, including John Page, Orlando Weed, and several other individuals who later became inhabitants of the town.
• From 1761 to 1764, private path ways were made by settlers from the town line to their own lots, and in 1764, the Proprietors laid out a road from the line of Loudon to the grist mill, further improving the town’s infrastructure.
• The road leading from Jeremiah Wilson’s to William III of England Smith’s and Outterson’s Mills was the first cart path made in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, and it was part of the Province Road that connected Portsmouth, New Hampshire to Canada, which was laid out in 1770 by order of the General Court.
• The Proprietors of Gilmanton refused to cover the expenses of making the Province Road, so it was built by Richard Jenness and John McDuffie, agents for the Province, and a tax of £331 9s 5d was imposed on the town, which was then apportioned among the landowners by the Selectmen in 1771.
• The tax was set at 45d per 40-acre lot and 10s 6d per 100-acre lot, and lots whose owners did not pay the tax were sold by the Constable, Ephraim Morrill, to the highest bidder in 1772, with 125 lots being sold to cover the Province Road tax.
• The Peaked Hill Road was laid out in 1772, and the North Road through the town was surveyed in 1775, but these roads were built by the town and will be described in more detail elsewhere in the history.

The origin of local names in Gilmanton

• The origin of local names in Gilmanton, New Hampshire is attributed to a combination of Indian names and names given by the Proprietors, with Indian names such as Winnipissiogee, Suncook, and Soucook River still being used, although their meanings and origins have been lost over time.
• Other local names, such as Loon Pond, Rocky Pond, and Shellcamp Pond, were given due to the characteristics of the locations, such as the presence of loons, rocky soil, or a hollow pine tree used as a shelter by hunters.
• The name “Wears” is derived from the practice of building stone walls in shoal water to facilitate the use of fish nets, with the walls conducting fish into a cage where they could be caught in large numbers.
• The area around the outlet of the Lake in Gilmanton was favorable for hunters and surveyors to build wears, which were improved over time, and the River near the outlet became known as the Wears, with other locations also being used for this purpose, such as Folsom’s Wears near the falls where Lake Village now stands.
• A mountain and stream in the part of Gilmanton now called Gilford, New Hampshire were named Gunstock due to an incident where a group of hunters broke the stock of one of their guns while felling a tree, and the location is now home to Gilford Village.
• In the summer of 1761, several individuals, including Benjamin and John Mudgett, selected their lots, commenced clearing, and built a camp in Gilmanton, with the intention of attempting to pass the winter in the town.
• Benjamin Mudgett and his wife arrived in Gilmanton, New Hampshire on December 26, 1761, after a 12-mile journey on foot from Epsom, New Hampshire, with Mrs. Mudgett becoming exceedingly wearied and at one point feeling that she could go no further, but they eventually reached their camp, which was the first home for a white woman in Gilmanton.
• John Mudgett and his wife joined Benjamin and his wife the next day, and they were later joined by Orlando Weed and his wife, making a total of three families who remained in Gilmanton through the winter, with their nearest neighbors being in Epsom, a day’s journey away.
• The winter of 1762 was very severe, with frequent and deep snows that prevented travel for two months, and the families in Gilmanton must have experienced a dreary and potentially intense situation, with the risk of sickness, fire, or other disasters exacerbating their suffering.
• The arrival of the first family in Gilmanton was previously believed to be on December 27, but a certificate made by Mrs. Hannah Mudgett at the age of 78 confirms that she and her husband Benjamin Mudgett arrived in Gilmanton on the evening of December 26, 1761, making her the first white woman to set foot in the town.

Mrs. Mudgett, the daughter of Joshua Bean

• Mrs. Mudgett, the daughter of Joshua Bean, was born on June 9, 1739, in Brentwood, New Hampshire, and was married to Benjamin Mudgett on December 21, 1761, before arriving in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, where she lived until the inhabitants increased to over 5,000, and later spent her final years in Meredith, New Hampshire with one of her sons, passing away on July 9, 1834, at the age of 95.
• Samuel, the son of Mrs. Mudgett, born on February 15, 1764, was the first male child born in Gilmanton, and there is a tradition that Major Richard Sinkler of Barnstead, New Hampshire attempted to supplant him in receiving a right of land, although this story is of doubtful authority due to the lack of records and the fact that Major Sinkler was an actual settler of Gilmanton.
• In 1762, seven families, including those of Thomas and Jonathan Edgerly, Samuel Gilman, John Kimball, Joseph Smith, Thomas Taylor, Lemuel Rand, and Ithiel Clifford, were added to the settlement, with each family selecting their lots in the lower or first division of 100 acres, and the Mudgetts settling on lot No. 3, second range.
• A meeting of the Proprietors on April 19 determined that the first Parish should extend 6 miles and a half on the Canterbury, New Hampshire line, and appointed a committee, including Joseph Badger, John Gilman, John Dudley, Antipas Gilman, and Samuel Gilman, to lay out the surplus land into 100-acre lots, divide the Masonian shares, and select the Minister’s right and Parsonage, and School lots in each division.
• The committee proceeded to lay out 12 ranges running parallel with the Canterbury line, extending north, and were authorized to select the lots for the Minister, Parsonage, and School, as well as divide the remainder of the township into 100-acre lots, allowing each Proprietor to have two lots.
• The Committee made their return in 1765, accepting the report and the chosen lots, with 20 more proprietors given the liberty to choose their lots in the first parish by providing bonds of settlement, thus moving the settlement forward rapidly.
• Many settlers, including Jeremiah Conner, Capt. Joseph Badger, and his sons William III of England and Joseph, commenced operations and prepared to move their families into town the following season, with Conner clearing land and building a camp, and the Badgers putting in seed and erecting a log house.
• William Badger, however, lost his health due to the fatigues and exposures of the season, went into a decline, and died the following spring, after he and his brother Joseph had performed a remarkable journey to Haverhill, Massachusetts, on foot in a single day, covering a distance of about sixty miles.
• In 1763, Jeremiah Conner and his family moved into town from Exeter, New Hampshire, with his eldest daughter Mary, who later recalled the journey and the challenges they faced, including fording the Suncook River and navigating through deep snow, and Conner settled on lot No. 5, third range of 100 acres.
• The Conner family faced further challenges, including a large yoke of oxen becoming confined in the snow, which had to be fed daily by Mr. Conner, and the spot became known as the “ox pit” in the family for many years.

Other families, including Joshua Bean

• Other families, including Joshua Bean, Jeremiah Richardson, and John Fox, also moved into town during the winter, facing similar challenges, such as traveling on snow shoes, hauling beds and articles on hand sleds, and sometimes sinking deeply into the snow, but persevering and eventually settling in the area.
• The Richardson family, in particular, had a remarkable story, with Mr. Richardson carrying a bushel of corn on his back from Exeter, New Hampshire to Gilmanton, New Hampshire, and the family taking lodgings with Lemuel Rand, where they lived in a single room with another family for nearly two months before being able to erect another house.
• Gilman Lougee, the first tailor, also arrived in the month of March, adding to the growing community of settlers in the area.
• The settlers of Gilmanton, including Mr. Lougee, faced significant challenges due to the deep snows, which made transportation and daily life difficult, forcing them to use hand sleds and snow shoes to get around and transport essential items.
• Despite these challenges, new families arrived in Gilmanton, including Stephen Dudley, Jude Bean, and Samuel Parsons from Exeter, New Hampshire, and Captain Joseph Badger from Haverhill, Massachusetts, who sowed and planted but delayed moving his family until July due to the illness and death of his son William III of England.
• The first framed building in town was erected by Captain Joseph Badger, and at its raising, every man, woman, and child in town attended to take supper with him, marking a significant milestone in the town’s development.
• Reverend William Parsons from South Hampton, New Hampshire arrived in August to preach to the settlers, and his family moved into town on horseback, accompanied by friends, including Reverend Mr. Fogg of Kensington, New Hampshire, who came to see them safely settled.
• Mr. Gould French had a notable experience while transporting furniture into town, as he had to clear his way with an axe and spent the night on top of his load, only to be awakened by horses that had been let loose by the company that had arrived the previous night, but he was able to secure them and continue his journey safely.
• By the end of the year, there were 20 families in town, and in the following year, 1764, the Proprietors laid out a road from the line of Canterbury, New Hampshire to the grist mill, and the settlement continued to grow with the arrival of new families, including Samuel Ladd, Philip Payne, and Richard Sinkler, as well as Captain Simmershec Gilman and two other families who moved in during November.

The settlement of Gilmanton is described

• The settlement of Gilmanton, New Hampshire is described, with key figures such as John Moody and John Sanborn arriving in the area, and Mr. Sanborn settling on lot No. 16, first range of 40 acres, with the help of Lieut. Peter Folsom of New Market.
• Capt. Moody settled on No. 5, of the upper 100 acres, in the first parish, with no neighbors within four miles on the South and none on the North nearer than the Canada line, while Capt. Gilman settled on No. 72, first range of 40 acres, which was later Judge Cogswell’s place.
• The challenges faced by the early settlers are highlighted, including the story of Capt. Gilman’s team being the first to pass with wheels over the new road from the town line to the grist mill, and the incident where the cart was upset, breaking all the crockery they had brought from Exeter, New Hampshire.
• In 1765, Nicholas Gilman arrived with his family from Brentwood, New Hampshire and settled on lot No. 1, third range of lower 100 acres, and was joined by other settlers, including Samuel Morrison, Joseph Philbrook, and Ephraim Morrill, who came from Exeter, New Hampshire and Salisbury.
• The character of the primitive settlers is illustrated through the story of Mr. Morrison, who lost track of the days and mistook the Sabbath for Saturday, and was corrected by his neighbor, Joseph Philbrook, who was the first blacksmith in town and had settled on No. 13, first range of 40 acres.
• The story of Mr. Philbrook’s wife getting lost in the woods on her way to visit Mrs. Morrison, who was ill, is also recounted, highlighting the challenges and dangers faced by the early settlers, including the risk of encountering wild beasts, and her eventual decision to spend the night in the woods, exhausted and frightened.
• The story begins with a woman who, while trying to visit a neighbor, becomes lost in the wilderness and spends the night alone, but finds comfort and sustains her soul through vocal prayer and singing psalms and hymns.
• Her husband, assuming she had stayed with the neighbor, retires for the night, but when she doesn’t return in the morning, he sets out to rescue her, and she is able to find her way home after hearing the sound of his horn.
• This incident had a profound impact on the woman, as evidenced by her ability to recall the details of the event with great interest and minuteness even in her 94th year, just before her death.

This incident had a profound impact

• The woman’s home was located near the residence of Mr. Joseph Lougee, and the spot where she got lost was in the valley near Mill Brook, northeast of the present residence of Capt. Nicholas Gilman.
• In 1767, several important families joined the settlement, including those of Lieut. Jeremiah Cogswell, Thomas Flanders, David Elkins, Abner Evans, David Edgerly, Samuel Avery, and John Gilman, who was the first house-joiner.
• These families settled on various lots, with Lieut. Cogswell on lot No. 1, second range of 100 acres, and John Gilman on the 1st gore, among others.
• The population of the town in 1767 consisted of 45 families, totaling 250 people, with 139 males and 111 females, and the inhabitants had become numerous enough to hold town meetings in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.
• As a result, the Proprietary History will be combined with the Civil History from this point on, with only occasional meetings of the Proprietors being held to manage police affairs and annual business.

A summary of the settlement

• A summary of the settlement by the Proprietors is provided, listing the names of the Selectmen from 1728 to 1739, including Major John Oilman, Capt. John Oilman, and Dea. Thomas Wilson, among others.
• The section of the document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ provides a list of names of individuals who held positions in the town from 1742 to 1769, including Nicholas Pereman, Theophilus Smith, John Oilman, Ezekiel Oilman, and others, with Theophilus Smith being a prominent figure in the early years.
• In 1747, Theophilus Smith, Nathaniel Bartlett, and Ebenezer Light were listed, and this pattern of listing names of individuals in positions of power continues throughout the section, with Samuel Gilman, jr., Nathaniel Bartlett, and Ebenezer Light being notable figures in the mid-1700s.

The first town meeting was notified

• The first town meeting was notified by Joseph Badger, Esq., on July 31, 1766, and was attended by inhabitants of the town, including William III of England Parsons, Jeremiah Conner, and Samuel Oilman, who petitioned for the meeting to be held.
• At the first town meeting, Summershee Gilman was chosen as Moderator, Joseph Badger as Town Clerk, and Joseph Badger, John Sanborn, and Stephen Dudley as Selectmen, and a second town meeting was held on September 15, 1766, to raise funds for road maintenance.
• In the following years, the town continued to grow, with new citizens arriving, including Dr. William Smith, the first physician, who arrived on October 15, 1768, and other notable settlers such as Col. Antipas Gilman, Dudley Young, and Matthias Sawyer.
• The annual town meetings were held, with the first annual meeting taking place on March 12, 1767, at the dwelling house of Orlando Weed, and subsequent meetings being held at various locations, including the dwelling house of Stephen Dudley, where important decisions were made regarding taxation, road maintenance, and the selection of town officials.
• The section also mentions the arrival of other notable citizens, including Ebenezer Page, Capt. Nathaniel Wilson, Eliphalet Gilman, and Andrew Glidden, who became part of the community in the late 1760s, and Dr. William Smith was annually re-elected as Town Clerk for 24 years.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire held a meeting where important measures were adopted, including hiring a school master for 8 months, falling 20 acres of trees on the Parsonage and School lots, raising £100 to defray town charges, and building two school houses, with one located near Lemuel Rand’s house.
• A severe frost in the autumn of the 7th year of the settlement cut off all the crops, and provisions had to be brought in from Exeter, New Hampshire, Concord, New Hampshire, and other places, with individuals like Jeremiah Richardson repeatedly bringing a bushel of corn on his shoulder from Exeter, New Hampshire, a distance of 40 miles.
• In 1770, new citizens, including Edward Scribner Mudgett, John Buzzell, Reuben Allen, Jonathan Clark, and Simeon Hatch, commenced operations and established themselves in the town, and the annual town meeting was held at Jonathan Edgerly’s house, where £20 were raised to defray the expense of the town school.
• The Proprietors held their last meeting in Exeter on June 5, 1770, and voted to hold future meetings in Gilmanton, with Joseph Badger being appointed as the new Clerk, and they also refused to make the “Province Road” through Gilmanton.

The new Clerk, Joseph Badger

• The new Clerk, Joseph Badger, had difficulty obtaining the Records, and a committee was appointed to receive the Books containing the Records from the former Clerk, Dr. Josiah Gilman, and deliver them to Joseph Badger.
• A committee was also chosen to attend the General Court to explain the Plan of the town and Proprietors' books, and to show that the line between Gilmanton, New Hampshire and Barnstead, New Hampshire was plain, with Joseph Badger, John Dudley, and Antipas Gilman being appointed to see that the bounds between the two towns were kept up.
• In 1771, Strafford County, New Hampshire was formed, and the town of Gilmanton, which had previously belonged to Rockingham County, was now part of Strafford County, and new residents, including Samuel and David Fifield, Paine Smith, and John Allen, moved into the town.
• The annual meeting in 1771 was held at Col. Antipas Gilman’s house, where the article to raise funds to hire a Minister was dismissed, as the Proprietors' engagements to furnish preaching had not yet expired, and the town voted to allow the constable 6d. per pound for collecting taxes.
• The town of Gilmanton was assessed a tax of £331 9s 5d on June 1st to pay for the construction of the Province Road, which was ordered by the General Court of the Province, and the Proprietors voted to pay this tax and sell public land to cover the expense, with Ebenezer Smith and Antipas Gilman appointed as a committee to sell the land.
• In 1772, the annual town meeting was held on March 12th at the house of Stephen Dudley, where the article regarding the employment of a minister was dismissed, as it was understood that the Proprietors would hire preaching for the first ten years, and several new inhabitants, including Israel Farrar, Edward Smith, and John Marsh, moved into town.
• The Proprietors appointed Joseph Badger and Ebenezer Smith as agents to prosecute in law the bonds of settlers who did not fulfill their engagement to settle, and the town had now been settled for 10 years, with immigration becoming very rapid and continuing to increase until the commencement of the American Revolutionary War.

In 1773, several new settlers

• In 1773, several new settlers moved into town, including Lieut Peter Folsom, Simeon Copp, Rev Isaac Smith, and Col Samuel Greely, and the town voted to give the range way to those whose land was crossed by the Province Road and the Peaked Hill Road, and a Baptists was gathered in November of that year.
• The year 1774 was significant in the town’s history, with two meeting houses being erected, one for the Congregationalists and one for the Baptists, and a Congregational Church was organized with the Rev Isaac Smith being ordained as its minister, and the town also voted to build a school house at Peaked Hill.
• During this period, the town experienced significant growth and development, with many new inhabitants arriving and the establishment of new churches and infrastructure, including the appointment of Joseph Badger as Treasurer and the designation of Dea Ebenezer Bachelder as the agent to draw numbers for Proprietors who had not drawn, and the entry of lots as Ministerial lots instead of the originally chosen lots.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire held a meeting on April 18, where Benjamin Weeks, Samuel Dudley, David Edgerly, Samuel Hatch, Thomas Mudgett, Orlando Weed, Joseph Bryant, Jeremiah Conner, John Allen, Reuben Allen, and John Weeks were set off to form a separate School District, known as No. 2, which would be taught at Orlando Weed’s on the Broad Road.
• At the annual town meeting on March 9, 1775, it was voted to make and finish the North Road through the town, and the people of Avery Toion, now known as Iron Works Village, would have their part of the school kept among them, while also agreeing to leave out of the Minister tax all persons who could produce a certificate from the Wardens of the Baptist Church.
• The New Hampshire Assembly had chosen a Committee of Correspondence in 1774 to address the common dangers faced by the colonies, which led to the determination to assume a United Government and convene a General Congress of the American Colonies, with the several colonies being called upon to send Representatives to meet in Philadelphia.
• The New Hampshire Assembly, despite being prorogued by Governor Wentworth due to its Revolutionary spirit, came together and invited every town to send deputies to meet in Convention at Exeter, New Hampshire to choose Representatives to the First Congress, with Nathaniel Folsom and John Sullivan (general) being chosen to represent New Hampshire.
• A second Convention of delegates met at Exeter, New Hampshire in January 1775, electing John Sullivan and John Langdon to the Second Continental Congress, and a Committee of Correspondence was appointed to watch over public safety, leading to a third Convention being convened at Exeter in May, where Col. Antipas Oilman was appointed by the town of Gilmanton.

The Convention took a bold stand

• The Convention took a bold stand, adopting energetic measures for the support of the American cause, resolving to assume the Government of the Colony, voting to raise 9000 men for the Army, and appointing various committees, including a Committee of Supplies for the Army and a Committee of Safety.
• The inhabitants of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, including Lieut. Ebenezer Eastman, volunteered and marched to the rescue after hearing the news of the battle at Lexington, with Eastman commanding a company in the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, and an interesting incident connected to this event was published in a newspaper in 1832, describing the anxious wait of Eastman’s wife and the people of the town during public worship.
• A woman, frantic with grief upon hearing news of a battle, traveled 40 miles on horseback with her infant to her father’s house in Brentwood, New Hampshire, where she confirmed the news but was unsure of her husband’s fate, and then proceeded to Charlestown, New Hampshire, where she found her husband alive and in good health.
• The news of the battle had spread quickly, a distance of at least 90 miles, on the same day it was fought, due to the roaring of cannons being heard from a surprising distance and the public’s feverish state of mind, which led to exaggeration of the events.
• Lieut. Eastman and his men, including Ebenezer Eastman, Joshua Danforth, John Mudgett, Thomas Flanders, and others, were enrolled in Capt. Kinsman’s company on April 23 and discharged on August 1, after serving for 3 months and 16 days.
• Lieut. Eastman’s company was part of the detachment sent to Breed’s Hill to throw up an entrenchment the night before the battle, and some of the men, including Thomas Frohock, worked tirelessly to complete a redoubt, while others, including Lieut. Eastman’s company, were posted with the rest of the N. H. troops under Col. Stark.
• After the retreat, Major Andrew McClary was killed by a cannon ball while crossing Charlestown Neck with Lieut. Eastman, who then returned to the main body of the Army, and a Committee of five, including Ebenezer Page and Dr. William III of England Smith, was chosen to preserve the peace and good order of society.
• The town was later divided into two Militia Companies, and a second census was taken on September 25, 1775, which included settlers such as Benjamin Gilman, Simon Clough, and Jonathan Ross, among others.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire had a population consisting of 238 males under 16 years of age, 151 males from 16 to 50, 16 males above 50, 12 persons who had gone into the Army, 357 females, and 4 negroes and slaves.

In May 1776, Joseph Philbrook

• In May 1776, Joseph Philbrook, a worthy citizen and one of the Selectmen, died, leaving a widow and two children, and was the first individual buried in the graveyard near the First Congregational Meeting House.
• Later in the season, Samuel Gilmanton, James Folsom, and Samuel Dudley died of the “Camp Fever”, a disease that prevailed as an epidemic and swept off several valuable citizens.
• In July 1776, 16 soldiers were enlisted from the town of Gilmanton to reinforce the Northern Army, consisting of Joseph Badger, Jr., Captain, John Parsons, Ensign, and other privates, who went to reinforce the Army in Canada and were out for 3 months and 8 days.
• The soldiers were paid £7 6s each for travelling expenses and £10 5s 6d in advance for their wages, and their service was performed principally at Ticonderoga and Mount Independence in Col. Bedell’s Regiment.
• During the same year, Capt. John Moody enlisted 20 men, joined the Army, and marched under Washington to New York (state), and they were out for 3 months and 8 days.
• A town meeting was held on November 22, 1776, to choose a Representative to the Assembly, and Joseph Badger, Esq., was unanimously chosen, and votes were also cast for two members of the Council.
• At the Assembly, a Constitution or Plan of Government was adopted to continue in force during the War, and Meshech Weare of Hampton, New Hampshire Falls was appointed President of the Province.
• In 1777, the town voted to pay the 16 soldiers enlisted for the Northern Department 8 dollars each, and to expend £30 to purchase ammunition, and also voted to lay out £20 to clear the Parsonage lot and to empower the Selectmen to contract with Jonathan Folsom for improvements on the School lot.

In 1777, the town voted

• A Committee of Safety was chosen, consisting of Dea. Stephen Dudley, Lieut. Jeremiah Cogswell, Capt. Joseph Badger, Lieut. Noah Dow, and Capt. Nathaniel Wilson, and a Committee was also chosen to join the Militia Officers in raising 20 men for the Continental Army.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire obtained 20 men, including Ezekiel Gilman, Thomas Currier, and John Taylor, to serve in the Continental Army for 3 years or during the War, with a tax of £545 Os. 1d. imposed for their enlistment.
• The Committee agreed that those who had previously served in the war would be allowed to have their tax paid if they had done their full proportion in the war, and would receive an order from the Selectmen to the Constable to be freed from paying the soldiers.
• In June, the town chose Dudley Young, Capt. Summersbee Gilman, Ensign John Dudley, Lieut. Samuel Ladd, and Ensign Samuel Fifield to regulate the prices of things in the town, and four regiments of minute men were enlisted from the Militia of the State.
• A company of 35 men from Gilmanton and vicinity, under the command of Capt. Nathaniel Wilson, joined Col. Thomas Stickney’s Regiment and Gen. John Stark’s Brigade to defend the Western frontiers from Burgoyne’s Army, and they fought in the Battle of Bennington, Vermont on August 15, which turned the fortunes of the British Commander.
• The Pay Roll of Capt. Nathaniel Wilson’s Company included names such as Swain, Moses Danford, Enoch Bagley, and Levi Shaw of Gilmanton, and Anthony Potter of Concord, New Hampshire, and many of the officers and soldiers in this battle had previously belonged to Rogers' Rangers.
• The experience and training of the Rangers contributed to the coolness, bravery, and valor exhibited by the New Hampshire troops in battles such as Battle of Bunker Hill and Bennington, and they played a significant role in the American Revolutionary War.
• In 1778, the town chose a Committee to ensure that the families of non-commissioned officers and soldiers absent in the army were supplied with the necessaries of life, and they instructed their Representative to vote for a full and free representation of all the people in the State to meet in Convention to form a permanent plan of Government.
• Col. Joseph Badger was chosen Representative to meet in Convention at Concord to frame a Constitution, and the town voted to keep the school at six places, including Avery town, near Robert Moulton’s, and at Dr. Smith’s, among others.
• The Proprietors of Gilmanton, New Hampshire held a meeting on June 5th, where they voted to allow Moses Morrill to extract iron ore from their common lands for 8 years, provided that his works were operational within 12 months, and they sold him 100 acres of land, lot No. 18, for £180, which was used to aid in finishing the Congregational Meeting House.

In 1779, the town of Gilmanton

• In 1779, the town of Gilmanton had several new inhabitants, including David Weed, Hezekiah Beede, Benjamin and James Huckins, Joseph Meloon, Moses Stevens, John Marsh, and Moses Page, and the town chose Joseph Badger as their Representative to the Assembly, while also selecting two members for the Council.
• The town meeting on March 11, 1779, established Col. Samuel Greely’s school district, raised £600 for highways, and set the daily wage for a man and oxen at £5, and later that year, the town appointed Capt. Nathaniel Wilson and Capt. John Moody to hire soldiers to make up the Continental Battalions.
• In 1780, the town meeting on March 9th raised the highway tax to £24 per single head or poll, fixed the daily wage for a man and oxen at £12, and called for a supply of beef for the Continental Army, which was to be paid for in corn, and also voted to provide five bushels of corn per month to each soldier who went into the present campaign.
• The Proprietors voted on May 10, 1780, to sell lots No. 4 and 6 in the eighth range, except for 5 acres reserved for a mill privilege, and to use the money obtained to build Gilmanton’s part of the bridge over the river at the Wears, and to clear the main road from the bridge to the first Parish, with Ebenezer Smith as the agent to sell the lots.
• The town also experienced a significant influx of new inhabitants in 1779, including Joseph Osgood, Isaac Bachelder, Edward Folsom, Joseph Young, Reuben Perkins, Paul Bickford, Caleb James, and Dr. Jonathan Hill, and Moses Stevens was sued for his taxes for the year 1778.
• A meeting was held on September 20th to appoint Joseph Badger as a delegate to the Convention in Concord, New Hampshire to consider the sinking state of the currency, and the town also raised a tax to hire soldiers, amounting to £757 0s 5d, and later raised another tax to pay those who had already done service, totaling £1119 1s.
• The Continental Money experienced a gradual depreciation, with £100 paper in 1777 being equivalent to £100 silver, and decreasing in value over the subsequent years, as shown in the provided table.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire had a notable event on May 19, known as the “dark day”, which was characterized by an uncommon darkness that lasted from 10 to 11 o'clock in the morning, with fowls going to roost and cattle collecting around the barn-yards, and lights being necessary at dinner and through the afternoon.
• The town voted to give and grant two lots of 100 acres each to the ministry forever, specifically the 13th lot in the 7th range and the 10th lot in the 13th range.

A committee consisting of Ebenezer Smith

• A committee consisting of Ebenezer Smith, Esq., Joseph Badger, Esq., and Col. Antipas Oilman was appointed to lay out the common land yet left unsurveyed, and they presented their report on December 6.
• The town had several settlers in the year 1781, including Samuel Elkins, Edward Fifield, John Swett, Josiah Robinson, Jeremiah Smith, Abiathar Sanborn, Charles Rundlett, and Benjamin French, with Stephen Gale arriving the day before the “dark day”.
• The town voted to raise money to hire the quota of men called for from Gilmanton, New Hampshire in the Continental Army and chose a committee to hire them, with the town raising £1200 lawful money to meet the town expenses and authorizing the Selectmen to provide the beef required to supply the Continental Army.
• The town agreed to choose a delegate to the Convention at Concord, New Hampshire for the purpose of forming a Constitution for the State and voted to hire soldiers needed from Gilmanton to fill up the Continental Army, with those who classed among themselves and furnished soldiers being exempted from any penalty.
• A portion of the militia was called into service in September 1781, consisting of Peter Gilman, Ensign, Nicholas Gilman, 3d Sergeant, Reuben Perkins, Samuel Sibley, John Chase, James Allen, Edward Bean, and Joseph Crosby, who served for two months from September 6 to November 6, 1781.
• The town recorded 8 marriages in the year 1781 and had several new settlers, including Benjamin Woodbridge Dean, Abraham Folsom, George Montgomery, Ezekiel Oilman, Benjamin Stevens, Daniel Evans, Stephen Gilman, Josiah Weeks, Elisha Swett, John Bradbury, Daniel Gale, Samuel Folsom Gilman, and Nathaniel Webster.
• On January 7, 1782, a committee was appointed to examine the Constitution formed by the Convention at Concord, and later, on January 17, the town voted to reject the form of government recommended by this Constitution.
• At the annual town meeting on March 14, it was agreed that Col Ebenezer Smith should be called upon to sell the two lots voted to him by the Proprietors of Gilmanton to build half the bridge over the Winnipissiogee River, above Abraham Folsom’s Mills.
• Following the acknowledgment of the United States' independence by Great Britain, the town voted on June 24 not to furnish further soldiers for the war and decided to leave it to Col Ebenezer Smith and Joseph Roberts to determine the allowance for the men who hired George Montgomery to serve as a Continental soldier.

A list of additional soldiers

• The town also voted to give Ezekiel Gilman £6 yearly during his service in the war and to accept the report of Col Smith, paying his attendance and other expenses, including the payment to George Montgomery.
• A list of additional soldiers who served the town during the war, but whose period of service is not defined, includes Nehemiah Leavitt, Henry Danforth, William III of England Hamblet, James Head, James Horn, George Montgomery, Jonathan Taylor, Jabez James, Joseph Ham, Ammi Choat, John Cotton, Joseph Morrill, Robinson Smith, Benjamin Libbey, and London Daily, a colored man, bringing the total number of men, including officers and soldiers, to 125.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire lost 7 men in the Army during the war, including Joses Moulton, who was killed instantly, and John Dow, who died after taking cold while fording a river, while John Taylor narrowly escaped with injuries.
• The town demonstrated a liberal spirit towards the families of the soldiers, providing for their support and comfort in the absence of their husbands and voting for additional pay for the soldiers in more severe campaigns.
• The expense of the war to the town was significant, with the Continental War tax increasing rapidly due to the depreciation of paper money, causing great distress and embarrassment in the Army and among the people at home.
• Despite the difficulties, the inhabitants of the town submitted to the oppressive taxation cheerfully and unanimously, with many eventually catching the Revolutionary spirit and entering the Army, and although 35 citizens initially dissented from signing the Test Act in 1776, they still expressed their willingness to be assessed to aid in bearing the expense of the war.
• The Association Test Paper was a document signed by 115 citizens, including Joseph Badger, David Fifield, and William Smith, among others, who pledged to oppose the British Fleets and Armies against the United Colonies with arms, at the risk of their lives and fortunes.
• The signers of the document included many prominent citizens of Gilmanton, such as Joshua Gilman, Peter Gilman, and Samuel Gilman, who were willing to take a stand against the British.
• However, 35 citizens, including Samuel Avery, Jonathan Gilman, and Payne Smith, dissented from this affirmation and sent a respectful letter to the Government, declaring that they approved of the Declaration of Independence but had conscientious scruples against defending their country with arms.
• These dissenting citizens were willing to be taxed for the support of the American cause, but could not bring themselves to take up arms, and their letter was signed by men such as John Shepard, Daniel Clough, and Amos Paine.

Following the achievement of American Independence

• Following the achievement of American Independence, the town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire played an active role in the framing of the State Constitution, with Honorable Joseph Badger serving as a delegate to the Convention from start to finish.
• The Convention, which first assembled in June 1781, was organized by choosing Honorable George Atkinson as President and Jonathan M. Sewall as Secretary, and included other leading members such as Judge Pickering, Dr. Cutter, and General Sullivan.
• A Committee of 7 was appointed to prepare the draft of a Constitution, consisting of General Peabody as chairman, Judge Pickering, and other notable figures, who worked to create a wise and stable form of Government for the newly independent state.
• The Convention adjourned after a few days, with the Committee tasked with preparing the draft of a Constitution, and was set to meet again in September to continue the important work of framing the State Constitution.
• The Convention, which included members such as Judge Sewall, Judge Farrar, and the Rev. Mr. Goddard of Swanzey, was tasked with drafting a Form of Government and a Bill of Rights for the state, with Judge Pickering and J. M. Sewall leading the efforts.
• In September, the Convention assembled and agreed on a Constitution, which was then sent to the towns for acceptance or rejection, but the town of Gilmanton voted to reject it on January 11th, along with most other towns in the state.
• Due to numerous objections to the first draft, a second draft was prepared by the same Committee, which was then discussed, amended, and sent out for approval or rejection by the towns, with the town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire eventually voting to accept the second draft with amendments.
• The temporary Plan of Government expired but was revived by vote of the people for one year, until the Constitution could be perfected, and the Convention continued to meet and make alterations and amendments, with the final Constitution being established in October 1783 to take effect on the first Wednesday in June 1784.
• The Constitution was largely indebted to the efforts of Messrs. Pickering and Sewall, but also embodied the combined wisdom of the whole Convention, and it received the approval of a large majority of voters in the state in 1844, with the government being organized at Concord, New Hampshire and accompanied by an annual Election Sermon, which was repeated until 1831.
• A list of preachers who delivered the Election Sermon from 1784 to 1822 is provided, including notable figures such as Samuel M'Clintock, Jeremy Belknap, and Oliver Noble, with their respective texts and places of preaching.

The section from the document

• The section from the document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ provides a list of individuals who delivered discourses, along with their respective titles and locations, from 1823 to 1831, including Daniel Dana, Bennet Tyler, Phinehas Cooke, and others.
• The text also includes a series of biblical references, such as 2 Sam. xxiii. 3, Ex. xviii. 21, and Gen. xii. 2, which appear to be related to the discourses or sermons delivered by the listed individuals.
• The section then shifts to a civil history component, providing biographical notices of members of the Convention, including Hon. John Pickering (judge), LL.D., who was born in 1737, graduated from Harvard University College, and went on to become a distinguished lawyer, delegate to the Convention, and Chief Justice of the Superior Court.
• Another notable figure mentioned is Dr. Ammi R. Cutter, who was born in 1735, graduated from Harvard College at the age of 17, and went on to become a surgeon, serving in the Army and later practicing medicine in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for nearly 60 years.
• The text also mentions Jonathan M. Sewall, Esq., a counselor at law and poet, who was a member of the Convention that framed the Constitution and drafted the Bill of Rights, and Hon. Nathaniel Peabody, who was a delegate to Congress, a Committee member to improve the Military System, and held various public offices, including Representative, Senator, and Counsellor in the State Government.
• The biographical notices highlight the achievements and contributions of these individuals to the formation of the Constitution, the military, and the government, showcasing their dedication to public service and their respective professions.

The text discusses the lives

• The text discusses the lives and achievements of several notable individuals, including Hon. John Sullivan (general), who was a distinguished General during the American Revolutionary War, a Member of Congress, and President of the New Hampshire, and died on January 23, 1795, at the age of 54.
• Gen. Nathaniel Folsom, son of Jonathan Folsom of Exeter, New Hampshire, was born in 1726 and commanded a company at Fort Edward in 1755, where he distinguished himself by a destructive fire upon the enemy, and later held various positions, including Representative to the first Congress and President pro tem of the Convention that framed the Constitution of New Hampshire.
• Hon. Paine Wingate, son of Rev. Paine Wingate of Amesbury, was born on March 14, 1739, and was a member of the State Legislature, a Senator and Representative to Congress, and one of the judges of the Superior Court from 1798 to 1809, and died on March 7, 1838, at the age of 99.
• Hon. Timothy Walker, son of Rev. Timothy Walker of Concord, New Hampshire, was born in 1737, graduated at Harvard University College in 1756, and commanded a Regiment of minute men during the Revolutionary War, and later held various positions, including Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and died on May 5, 1822.
• Hon. Ebenezer Webster, son of Ebenezer Webster, was born in Kingston, New Hampshire in 1739, joined Rogers' Company of Rangers at the age of 18, and later commanded a company at the battle of Bennington, Vermont and was present at the surrender of Burgoyne, and died in 1806 at the age of 67, leaving behind sons, including Hon. Daniel Webster and Hon. Ezekiel Webster.
• The text also mentions other notable individuals and provides information about the town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, including the settlement of accounts with Joseph Badger, Esq. and Capt. John Moody for hiring soldiers and providing beef for the Army, and the authorization to build a pound on the school lot near the Congregational Meeting House.
• Additionally, the town instructed its Representatives to vote for an amendment of the 8th Article of the Constitution, as proposed by Congress, and passed a vote to repair the Province Road through the Lower Parish as far as Josiah Weeks' at the town’s expense.
• The town of Gilmanton underwent various developments and decisions between 1784 and 1787, including the appointment of Antipas Oilman as an agent to oversee repairs and the authorization to pay workmen a daily wage of 35 pence until the end of September and 2 shillings afterwards.

The town of Gilmanton underwent

• In 1784, the town voted to accept the government’s plan with the last amendment, with 23 votes in favor and none against, and several new residents, including Samuel Brown, Abel Hunt, and Simeon Hoyt, moved into the town.
• The town also experienced financial difficulties due to currency depreciation and the challenge of paying war and other taxes, leading to a decision not to raise money for school support that year, and instead, the Constables were tasked with collecting the beef tax from residents who had paid Capt. Hall in beef creatures instead of paying the Selectmen.
• In 1785, a committee was chosen to divide the town into school districts, and the town voted to raise £150 to support the schools, with conditions placed on Dr. Hill and Capt. Summersbee Oilman regarding their orders and Continental money.
• The town accepted the report of the committee to set off the school districts, with 14 districts established, and sundry persons were granted their portion of the school money, while four soldiers were paid for their services in the War.
• New residents, including Stephen Leavitt, Jeremiah Sanborn, and Moses Emerson, settled in the town in 1785, and the Articles in the Warrant to bring in votes for President and Representative to the State Legislature were passed over without action.
• In 1786, the town agreed to repair the bridge over the Suncook River, and a committee was raised to visit the School Districts and make alterations as needed, while Peaslee Badger and Andrew Page suffered loss by fire and had their taxes abated.
• The town also voted to complete the road laid out by Simeon Hoit’s and met on December 4 to discuss the plan proposed by a Committee of the Legislature for the emission of paper money, with 35 votes against and 5 in favor, and agreed to pay a bounty for every grown wolf and whelp caught.
• The selectmen were directed to procure a cow for the use of Abner Evans, and Nathaniel Ladd and his family were supported by the town, while the widow Sarah Gilman had her taxes abated, and new residents, including Daniel Grant, Joseph Clarke, and Dudley Prescott, settled in the town in 1786.
• In 1787, the Selectmen of Gilmanton, New Hampshire were instructed to petition the inhabitants of Pittsfield to alter or turn the road around Catamount, and an article to compensate Lieut. Eastman, John Fox, and Stephen Dudley, Jr. for seven guns taken away from them at Winter Hill in 1775 was voted in the negative, as it was considered the duty of the State to furnish firearms in time of war.

In 1787, the Selectmen of Gilmanton

• The town raised £1 50 for the schools in 1787 and taxed the inhabitants of the upper Parish to support the preaching of Rev. Messrs. Powers and Smith, with the understanding that they would enjoy their preaching in proportion to what they paid.
• In 1788, the town held its annual meeting on March 13th, where it was voted that the Ministers would preach in the upper Parish as the previous year, and that each man would work two days on the road in the summer and one in the winter.
• The town also offered bounties for killing wolves and catamounts, with ten dollars for full-grown wolves, five dollars for whelps' heads, and £9 per head for catamounts if killed within two months, and £6 if killed after that time.
• Col. Joseph Badger, Jr., Col. Joseph Greely, and John Shepart, Esq. were appointed to ascertain the line on the North East side of the School lot and lay out the broad highway near the Meeting House into house lots, with a view to building up a village.
• In 1788, the Committee on House Lots reported that they had laid out the broad highway between the school lot and Lieut. Daniel Gales' lot, and the Report was accepted, with the Selectmen empowered to sell and convey these lots to purchasers at a reasonable price.
• The town granted the petition of School Districts No. 1 and 2 to divide into a third, and Matthias Weeks and John Weeks were paid for killing wolves, with Matthias receiving £12 for killing four wolves and John receiving £6 for killing two wolves.
• On November 29th, 1788, the freemen of the town carried their votes for Representatives to Congress and for Electors of President and Vice-President of United States, with Thomas Cogswell, Esq. receiving 59 votes for Representative and Hon. Joseph Badger receiving 72 votes for Elector.
• Permission was given to Simeon Hoit and Ebenezer Smith to erect a mill or mills on Gunstock Brook, with the provision that they would not cut timber or wood from adjacent lots, and that they would allow the people of that part of the town to saw wood free of expense if they wished to build a meeting house within 15 years.

In 1789, the town meeting agreed

• In 1789, the town meeting agreed that the upper Parish would have preaching as the previous year, and voted to repair the bridge over the Suncook River by calling on different Districts to work in turn, with Ezekiel Hoit authorized to buy rum for the repairs.
• The town also voted to pay a bounty of £3 for every grown wolf and half as much for every whelp, and agreed to divide School Districts No. 6 and No. 10 to form another district.
• The town’s selectmen were authorized to procure a cow for George Dennett and Isaac Marsh, provided they put out a certain number of their children, and the town met on June 22nd to cast votes for Representative to Congress, with 21 votes going to Abiel Foster, Esq.
• In 1790, the town met on March 11th to conduct annual business, agreeing to continue repairing the Suncook Bridge and procuring a barrel of rum to be laid out on the bridge at discretion, and later released Joseph Young from serving as Selectman, appointing Lieut Dudley Thing in his stead.
• The town also appointed a committee, consisting of Thomas Cogswell, Esq, Col Samuel Greely, and Col Joseph Badger, Jr, to devise a plan to detect thieves after Moses Page had his horse stolen, which was the first instance of its kind in the town.
• On December 13th, 1790, the freemen of the town cast their votes for Representatives to Congress, with Jeremiah Smith, Esq, receiving 24 votes, Nicholas Gilman, Esq, receiving 10 votes, Abiel Foster, Esq, receiving 16 votes, and Thomas Cogswell, Esq, receiving 20 votes.
• In 1791, the town voted to loan Moses Page 30 dollars to aid him in recovering his stolen horse and to catch the thief, and agreed to refer the business of building the abutments of Meredith, New Hampshire Bridge to the selectmen, and also made an additional school district out of Districts No 6 and No 10.
• The town chose Col Thomas Cogswell as a delegate to meet in Convention at Concord, New Hampshire to revise the Constitution, which was seven years after the State Constitution was adopted, and proposed changes included erasing the 6th Article of the Bill of Rights and substituting January for June as the time of the annual meeting of the Legislature.
• The Convention, with Hon Samuel Livermore as President and John Calfe as Secretary, met again in February and May 1792, but most of the proposed changes failed, with some slight alterations made, including changing the title of the Chief Magistrate from President to Governor.

The town of Gilmanton held its annual

• The town decided to rebuild the pound and place it near Joseph Huckins', and the settlers mentioned in the records of 1790 and 1791 included Jeduthun Farrar, Philbrick Rand, David Sanborn, Joseph Garmon, David Clough, and Dr Obadiah Parish, while those mentioned in 1791 included Samuel Thurston, Henry Plummer, James Ames, John Tilton, and Dr Silver.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire held its annual town meeting on March 8th, 1792, where it was voted to build a bridge over the Winnipissiogee River at Gipson’s Falls, with the town of Sanbornton, New Hampshire agreeing to build half of it, and the bridge was subsequently called Union Bridge.
• A Committee of 20 was chosen to consider the appropriation of the School Right in the town for the use of a public Academy, and they reported favorably to the object, with a detailed account of their actions found in the Literary History of the town.
• The town also addressed a petition from the upper Parish to be set off into another town, which was referred to a Committee of 12, and granted liberty to the people of Gunstock Parish to saw lumber for their Meeting House at the mill of Simeon Hoit and Ebenezer Smith.
• The town met on November 13th to cast votes for Electors of President and Representatives to Congress, with Joseph Badger, Esq., and Thomas Cogswell, Esq., receiving the most votes, and various individuals were paid for their services, including Dr. Silver, Emerson Porter, Nathaniel Bachelder, Stephen Folsom, and Daniel Evans.
• The annual town meeting in 1793 decided that no person should sell spirituous liquors on public meeting days or Court days within 50 rods of the meeting place, and the Academy was located on its current site, with the votes cast for the Chief Magistrate, now titled Governor, resulting in Josiah Bartlett receiving the most votes.
• The town meeting in 1794 saw the election of John Taylor Gilman as Governor, with other notable elections including Hon. Joseph Badger as Counsellor and Ebenezer Smith as Senator, and the Charter of the Academy was obtained through the efforts of Representatives Joseph Badger, Jr., Esq., and Col. Samuel Greely.
• The town also enacted regulations regarding the sale of spirituous liquors on public days and the building or repairing of school houses, with each citizen required to pay their proportion and the Selectmen tasked with prosecuting offenders, and new names appeared on the town records, including Ezekiel French, Aaron Moses, Noah Marsh, and others in 1792, and True Page, Caleb Marston, Enoch Hunt, and others in 1793 and 1794.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire held a meeting on August 25 to cast votes for Representatives to Congress, with Jeremiah Smith and Abiel Foster each receiving 34 votes, followed by John Prentice with 32 votes, and John S. Sherburne with 25 votes.

The town of Gilmanton held a meeting

• On December 8, the town met again and cast 218 votes for Abiel Foster, and the article to raise money to build the Academy House and Court House was decided in the negative.
• The town records for the year include the names of settlers such as Daniel Hoit, Jonas Flagg, Stephen Swett, Daniel Fitzgerald, Paul Merrill, and Jonathan Lyford.
• In 1795, the annual meeting was held on March 12, where votes were cast for State and County Officers, including John T. Gilman for Governor, Joseph Badger for Counsellor, and Ebenezer Smith for Senator.
• The town agreed to hold the next town meeting in the meeting house by Josiah Weeks' in the upper Parish and voted to pay Matthias Weeks ten dollars each for two wolves he had killed since the bounty was discontinued.
• In 1796, the annual meeting was held on March 11, where votes were cast for Governor, Counsellor, and Senator, and the town voted to raise 1200 dollars for the schools for the ensuing year.
• The town records for 1796 include the names of settlers such as Stephen Moody, Daniel Avery, Peter Dudley, Joseph Richardson, Ezekiel Rowe, Manoah Olidden, Jacob Rowe, Robert Smith, and Enoch Watson.
• In 1797, the town meeting was held for the first time at the Court House in the Academy building, and it was fixed there in future, except for meetings related to meeting houses and Ministers.
• In 1798, the annual meeting appointed gentlemen such as Rev. Isaac Smith, Dr. Daniel Jacobs, and Stephen Moody to examine the schools and ensure that the teachers are well-qualified and the schools are well-regulated.
• In 1799, the town voted to procure a seal standard of weights and measures and instructed the Selectmen to furnish a device or mark to be put upon them, and also voted to pay John Shepard and Ezekiel Hoit for their time and expenses in procuring the President’s Order.
• In 1800, the annual meeting was held, and the same committee was continued for examining schools, with votes cast for Governor, Counsellor, and Senator, and the votes for revising the Constitution of the State were evenly split at 124 for and 124 against.

The town of Gilmanton held its annual

• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire held its annual meeting on March 10, 1801, where a by-law was adopted to prevent travellers and teamsters from being inconvenienced by neat cattle, sheep, and swine on the highways, particularly near Meredith, New Hampshire Bridge, the Academy, and the dwelling houses of Mr. Emerson Porter and Cotton Gilman.
• The by-law stated that from November 20th to March 31st of each year, no neat cattle, sheep, or swine were allowed to roam freely on highways within a third of a mile from these locations, and on Sundays, they were not allowed to roam freely near meeting houses where public worship was held, with exceptions for watering and returning, and violators would be fined one dollar per offence.
• The annual meeting of the town was held on March 11th, where Dudley Leavitt was chosen as a Selectman, but was later excused and replaced by Thomas Cogswell, Esq., and collectors were appointed for each district, including Nathan Morrill, Benjamin Page, Elisha Sanborn, and Benjamin Sanborn.
• In 1803, the town voted against allowing pest houses to be set up within its limits for the inoculation of persons for smallpox, and a proposal to join with the town of Meredith to build a bridge across the Winnipissiogee at the “Upper Wears” was referred to the Selectmen.
• In 1804, the town met on March 13th, where petitions to build bridges over Miles' Brook and the Winnipissiogee at Burleigh’s Mills were referred to the Selectmen, and a proposal to request the Rev. Isaac Smith to perform only one service on each Sabbath during the winter months was dismissed without action.
• The Selectmen were instructed to procure a plan of the town, which was drawn by Samuel Shepard, Esq., to aid in making a map of the state, as per an act of the Legislature of the State passed on December 30th, 1803, with the Map of the State being made by Philip Carrigain, Esq.
• On March 19th, 1805, a Committee consisting of Samuel Greely, Samuel Shepard, Ezekiel Hoit, Dudley Prescott, David Edgerly, and Stephen Moody, Esq., reported and had adopted the By-Laws of the Work House, which outlined the rules and regulations for the House of Correction.

On March 19th, 1805

• The By-Laws stated that the town shall provide a suitable building for the House of Correction, to be used for keeping, correcting, and setting to work all rogues, vagabonds, common beggars, lewd, idle, and disorderly persons, under the immediate direction of a Superintendent chosen by the town.
• The Superintendent’s duties included providing and distributing wholesome food, decent clothing and lodging, and other necessary things to the persons committed to their charge, as well as keeping them employed in useful labor, with the proceeds of their labor going towards the support of the institution or their families.
• The By-Laws also outlined the rules for the governance of the House of Correction, including the hours of employment, punishment for disobedience, and the duty of the Selectmen to visit the house and ensure that the persons confined are properly provided for and that the Superintendent discharges their duty.
• The Committee recommended that, due to the small number of persons to be confined, the town contract with a suitable person to take charge of the lewd and disorderly persons at a stipulated price, to be agreed upon by the Selectmen and the contractor.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire made several decisions and appointments, including choosing a contractor as Superintendent and designating his house as the house of correction, subject to certain regulations, and appointing Moses Peaslee, Elisha Sanborn, David Bean, Jr., and John Follet as Constables, with John Chase as the keeper of the house of correction.
• In 1807, the town adopted an additional rule stating that anyone committed to the house of correction would be liable to pay the cost of arrest and commitment, and the Superintendent would retain the offender in custody until the profits of labor paid the cost of commitment, with the time and price of labor to be judged by the Selectmen.
• The town also authorized the Selectmen to rebuild the Pound using stone and changed its location to a spot southward of William III of England Peaslee’s, where it currently stands, and appointed a committee to sell lots reserved for the Ministry and invest the money to support the Ministry annually.
• In 1808, the town voted against setting off the upper Parish to be united with a part of Meredith, New Hampshire, and Gilmanlon Academy was destroyed by fire, prompting the town to raise $500 towards rebuilding the Academy and preparing it for town use, although this resolution was later reconsidered.
• The town chose a committee to report an Address to the President of United States, which was accepted and put on file, and in 1809, four School Committees were chosen for different collection districts, comprising various notable individuals such as John Ham, Esq., Stephen Moody, Esq., and Rev. Isaac Smith.

The town of Gilmanton made several

• The town’s meetings and decisions were recorded by the town Clerk, with Dudley Leavitt resigning in 1806 and being replaced by Dr. Simon Foster, and the town’s activities included rebuilding the Academy, managing the house of correction, and addressing various administrative and educational matters.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire held a meeting at Prescott at Meredith Bridge Village, where two committees were chosen to appropriate the interest of two lots of land left by the Proprietors for the use of the Ministry, with the goal of distributing the funds in proportion to the taxes paid by different denominations, and the funds were to be split between the Ministry in Gunstock and Tioga.
• In 1810, the town voted to raise $250 for rebuilding the Academy and preparing it for the town’s use, and also voted not to divide the town, despite a petition presented for that purpose, and chose Lieut. David Sanborn as an agent to settle the estate of Nathaniel Ladd, deceased.
• A disinterested committee was appointed in 1811 to describe the boundary lines of Gunstock, which was to be set off as a new town, and the committee reported that the boundary lines would be defined by specific geographic markers, including the 11th and 12th ranges of 100 acres and the line of Alton.
• The town of Gilmanton ultimately failed to consent to setting off Gunstock Parish into a separate town, but did vote not to oppose the application for an act of incorporation, which was successful, and on June 16th, the part of Gilmanton called Gunstock was disannexed and erected into a separate town called Gilford, New Hampshire.
• The conditions of the act of incorporation included a just and proportionate division of town charges and a proportionate responsibility for supporting non-resident paupers, and the town of Gilmanton also experienced an alarming epidemic of Spotted Fever in 1813, which proved fatal in many instances, prompting the town to vote to grant assistance to afflicted families and appoint a Health Committee.
• The town’s civil proceedings from this date forward are considered too recent and too well-known to be minutely recorded as matters of history, and therefore, only the most important facts and events will be included in the historical record.

The town of Gilmanton held a meeting

• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire experienced an outbreak of Spotted Fever in December 1814, which resulted in the deaths of several children, including those from the Sanborn family, with Mr. Jonathan Sanborn losing two children and Mr. Theophilus Sanborn losing two children as well.
• To address the issue of poverty in the town, the Selectmen adopted rules on March 14th, 1815, which included putting up at auction town paupers who had brought themselves or their families to want due to intemperance or other vices, and refusing licenses to taverners and retailers who permitted persons to drink to excess.
• The Selectmen were also given the discretion to put up at auction other town paupers as they saw fit, provided that no person could bid on keeping them unless they were deemed able to provide comfortably for them, and this method of supporting the poor prevailed until 1830.
• In 1830, the town purchased a farm originally owned by Jotham Gilman, which became the home of the poor of Gilmanton, and at the annual town meeting in 1816, it was voted that the Selectmen should refuse licenses to retailers and taverners who permitted persons to drink to excess and prosecute those who sold without a license.
• The town also experienced the death of Reuben Page, one of the Selectmen, from Typhus Fever, and Ezekiel Hoit was chosen to supply his place on the board of Selectmen, while a Visiting Committee was appointed to inspect the schools and report on cases of drunkenness and taverners who encouraged or permitted drunkenness.
• Additionally, the town voted to erect stocks at the House of Correction and detain persons who neglected their lawful employment and misspent their time and earnings at taverns and grog-shops, and a committee was appointed to report cases of drunkenness and taverners who encouraged or permitted drunkenness, with Stephen Moody and Daniel Gale, 2d, also appointed to sell the Parsonage lands.
• On March 9, 1824, a law was passed by the town stating that no horses, mules, or livestock could roam freely within half a mile of the Academy or any stores and taverns, with the exception of allowing animals to go to water, and any violations would result in a penalty of one dollar, although poor individuals could be exempt from this penalty if they obtained permission from the Selectmen.

The town began managing its own

• The town began managing its own civil affairs and assessed a tax for making roads, with the Selectmen laying out highways and rangeways as part of the original town plan, which were marked out between lots and ranges to be occupied or exchanged for adjacent lots.
• A list of roads was laid out, including the road from Samuel Parsons' or Canterbury, New Hampshire line to Gen. Badger’s, which was cut out and used as a winter road in 1762 or 1763, and other roads such as the one from Canterbury line to Jeremiah Conner’s, and from Lemuel Rand’s to the 16th lot, which were all laid out and surveyed at various dates between 1767 and 1788.
• The roads were laid out to accommodate various individuals, including John Fox, Joseph Avery, and Samuel Ladd, and were also connected to other roads, such as the Salem road, the Province road, and the Broad road, with the goal of improving transportation and connectivity within the town.
• The town’s road network continued to expand, with new roads being laid out and surveyed, including roads to Copp’s Ferry, Gunstock Mills, and other locations, demonstrating the town’s efforts to develop its infrastructure and facilitate growth and development.
• The section from the document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ provides a list of road constructions and repairs in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, with specific dates and locations, starting from May 28, 1788, and continuing until 1844, including roads such as Copp’s Ferry to Henry Plummer’s and Ebenezer Stevens' to Mudgett’s road.
• The list of road constructions includes various locations, such as Greely’s Mill to Northfield line, Samuel Clark’s to John Clough’s, and Stephen Chase’s to Israel Farrar’s, with the majority of the constructions taking place in the late 18th century.
• The document also mentions the construction and repair of several bridges in Gilmanton, including Suncook Bridge, which was first built in 1775 and repaired in 1789, Meredith, New Hampshire Bridge, which was first built in 1770 and rebuilt in 1790, and Folsom’s Bridge, which was built in 1782.
• Other bridges mentioned in the document include Union Bridge, which was built in 1792 through a joint effort with Sanbornton, New Hampshire, Wears Bridge, which was built in 1803, and Burleigh Bridge, which was built in 1805, as well as Mosquito Bridge, also known as the New Bridge, which was repaired in 1844.
• The construction of Davis' Bridge, a thirty-rod-long bridge leading to Davis' Island in Lake Winnipissiogee, is also mentioned, although the exact date of its construction is not specified, only that it was erected prior to 1820.
• The road constructions and bridge repairs were often done through the collaboration of nearby towns, such as Sanbornton and Meredith, and were sometimes funded by taxes on adjacent highway districts or by the appropriation of land voted by the Proprietors of the town.

The town of Gilmanton has built

• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire has built several bridges over the Suncook River, including one at the upper part of the Iron Works Village and another above Suncook or Lougee’s Pond, in addition to various bridges over the branches of the Soucook and other mill streams.
• Among the earliest mills erected by the inhabitants was a grist mill built by Joshua Bean, which was situated just below the bridge on a stream near the residence of Mr. Paul Merrill, and Jonathan Clark commenced business as a tanner and currier at the same place in March 1773.
• John Lougee, Jr. put in a fulling mill in connection with Joshua Bean’s grist mill, which was the first fulling mill to operate in the town, and Mr. Lougee also built a large house on Samuel Avery’s lot and opened a store, where he traded for some years.
• Other early mills included one owned by Abner Evans at the Lower Falls on the Suncook, built as early as 1770, and mills built at the Middle Falls and Upper Falls by Benjamin Dow, which were later owned by David Edgerly, Esq.
• The mill of Enoch Bean on the stream was erected before 1773, and the mills on the Suncook River, consisting of saw mills, grist mills, fulling mills, and other machinery, have been kept in operation with little interruption since their construction.
• The Proprietors' grist mill on Mill Brook was purchased by Edward Gilman in 1770, and a saw mill was added to it, with fulling works, clapboard, and shingle machines added later by William III of England Gutterson, and Col. Thomas Cogswell erected a mill on the same stream before 1787.
• Reuben Allen erected a mill on Butler’s Brook around 1780, but it has since gone to decay, and mills were erected on the branches of the Soucook River as early as 1770, including Jones' Mills, Greely’s Mills, and Eastman’s Mills, which have been repaired and continue to operate successfully.
• Other mills mentioned include Fellows' Mills, built around 1790 on Great Brook, which have been owned and improved by Hon. William Badger, and mills built at Meredith, New Hampshire Bridge, which were swept away by a freshet in 1779 and later rebuilt by Col. Samuel Ladd.
• The history of Gilmanton, New Hampshire includes the establishment of various mills, such as those built by Abraham Folsom at Lake Village, which were destroyed by fire but later rebuilt, and the mills erected by Simeon Hoit and Ebenezer Smith at Gilford, New Hampshire Village on Gunstock Brook in 1789.
• By 1800, Gilmanton had a significant number of mills, including 14 grain mills, 11 saw mills, four fulling-mills, three carding machines, one cotton factory, and one iron foundry, indicating a thriving industrial sector.

The town of Gilmanton was divided

• The town of Gilmanton was divided into different parishes, including the Lower Parish, Upper Gilmanton, and Gunstock Parishes, each with its own distinct characteristics and settlements.
• The Lower Parish, also known as Lower Gilmanton, was the first settled area and had a considerable amount of business, with two public houses, a post office, multiple stores, blacksmiths' shops, law offices, and a meeting house.
• The town had several notable residents, including lawyers such as Stephen Moody, John Ham, and Benjamin Emerson, as well as physicians like Dr. Silver, Dr. B. Kelly, and Dr. N. C. Tebbetts, who played important roles in the community.
• Other areas in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, such as East Gilmanton and Iron Works Village, also had significant developments, including the establishment of a court house, a grave-yard, and a public school, as well as trading stores and iron ore operations.
• The Iron Works Village, originally called Avery Town, was a major center for iron ore operations, with the Proprietors of Gilmanton granting Moses Morrill permission to extract ore from the area in 1778, leading to the development of the village.
• The village is situated in the northeastern part of the town, on lot No. 18, 2d range of lower 100 acres, and is a thriving village due to its valuable water privileges.
• In 1780, Noah and Joseph Marsh purchased several acres of land in the center of the village, near the river, and erected a blacksmith’s shop and a dwelling house, which were later sold and changed hands several times.
• Hezekiah Kimball bought the building lot where the blacksmith’s shop first stood and erected a hatter’s shop for his son, Andrew Kimball, who later removed to Dover and experienced a fatal disaster involving a horse team freighted with gunpowder.
• The Iron Works stood on the Middle Falls, and the first grist mill in the place was erected by Abner Evans at the Lower Falls, with other mills being added at various times, including one erected by Benjamin Dow at the Upper Falls.

The village has undergone significant

• The village has undergone significant growth and development, with 30 dwelling houses, three grist mills, two saw mills, four stores, and a tavern in 1820, and a Congregational Meeting House being erected in 1826.
• The village has been home to many merchants, including Cotton and Joseph Oilman, Henry Butler, and Charles Parker, as well as tavern keepers, physicians, and lawyers, such as Jonathan Hill, William III of England Prescott, and James Bell.
• A post office was established in 1818, with Charles Parker as the first postmaster, and the village has continued to grow and develop, with the establishment of a Free Will Meeting House and the growth of the neighborhood known as Lougee Town.
• Lougee Town is a thickly settled neighborhood on the western margin of the pond, named after John Lougee, who moved into the town in 1778 and purchased a lot on the western side of the pond, with his numerous posterity settling in the area.
• Academy Village, also known as Gilmanton, New Hampshire Corner, has been principally built since 1790, with only three dwelling houses in the place at that time, and has since grown and developed, with the establishment of a store, a hatter’s shop, and other businesses.
• The village of Gilmanton experienced significant growth after the location of the Academy in 1793, with inhabitants increasing and various businesses being established, including taverns, stores, and mechanic shops.
• Key figures who contributed to the village’s development include Joseph Young, Esq., who erected a tavern house and store in 1793, and Capt. Samuel B. French, who purchased the place in 1799 and occupied it for about 35 years.
• The Academy played a crucial role in the village’s growth, with a Charter being obtained in 1794, the first Academy Building being erected in 1796, and the town meeting being held at the Academy for the first time in 1797.
• The village’s population and business increased substantially over the years, with 200 inhabitants, 30 dwelling houses, two taverns, four stores, and various mechanic shops being recorded in 1820.

The Academy played a crucial role

• Several prominent merchants traded in the village, including James Pickering, Thomas Burns, Benjamin Swett, and Stephen L. Greely, while physicians such as John F. Williams, Simon Foster, and Dixi Crosby provided medical services.
• The village also had a post office established in 1796, with Dudley Leavitt as the first Postmaster, and later Stephen Moody, Esq., who held the office for 27 years.
• The Factory Village, formerly known as Fellows' Mills, grew rapidly after 1820, with the establishment of a post office in 1823 and the erection of a brick factory building in 1834, and traders such as Charles Lane, Stephen L. Greely, and Asaph Evans contributing to its development.
• Other notable areas in the region include James Town, a school district named after Benjamin James, who settled there in 1780, and Hurricane, a portion of territory that was affected by a furious wind or hurricane many years ago.
• The territory was initially called Hurricane, and the North Western portion of the Upper Parish was later referred to as Tioga, a name supposedly given by Revolutionary soldiers in 1776 due to its resemblance to the Tioga River in Western New York (state).
• The first house in Meredith, New Hampshire Bridge Village was a mill house erected by Colonel Samuel Ladd in 1780, and the village grew with the arrival of Daniel Avery, who opened a store in 1790 and later established a factory, contributing significantly to the village’s development.
• Other notable establishments in the village included a paper manufactory founded by Aaron Martin, an Academy incorporated in 1820, and a term of the Superior Court held in the village around the same time, with the village having about 30 dwelling houses at that time.
• The village also had several traders, including George P. Avery, Woodbury Melcher, and Henry J. French, and a post office was established in 1824 with Horatio G. Prescott as the Postmaster.
• The lawyers who practiced in the village included Timothy Call, Lyman B. Walker, Benjamin Boardman, and John A. Rogers, while the physicians included Dr. Z. Bowman, Dr. J. C. Prescott, Dr. Dixi, Dr. Josiah Crosby, and Dr. Andrew McFarland.
• Lake Village, originally called Folsom’s Falls, was a place of considerable lumbering and manufacturing business, with iron works operating there for a time, and it was where the Steamer Belknap was built in 1832.

Lake Village, originally called

• Gilford, New Hampshire Village contained mills, meeting houses, stores, a post office, and several dwelling houses, and the town officers, including moderators, clerks, and treasurers, were elected annually, with notable officers including Joseph Badger, Summersbee Gilman, and John Shepard.
• The annual meetings of the town officers took place from 1766 to 1829, with various individuals serving as moderators, clerks, and treasurers, including Stephen Dudley, Dr. William III of England Smith, and Benjamin Emerson.
• The section from the document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ appears to be a list of selectmen and representatives for the town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, with the names of individuals serving in these positions from 1766 to 1845.
• The list begins with the selectmen for the years 1766 to 1845, including individuals such as Joseph Badger, John Sanborn, Stephen Dudley, and many others who served in this position over the years.
• The selectmen for the years 1830 to 1839 include Dixi Crosby, Pearson Cogswell, Thomas Cogswell, Ira A. Eastman, and John S. Shannon, among others.
• The list also includes the representatives for the town of Gilmanton from 1794 to 1802, with individuals such as Joseph Badger, Jr., Samuel Greely, Samuel Shepard, and Joseph Young serving in this position during these years.
• Other notable individuals who served as selectmen or representatives for Gilmanton include Ezekiel Hoit, John Shepard, Thomas Cogswell, Jonathan Hill, and Daniel Gale, 3d, among many others.
• The list provides a comprehensive record of the individuals who held public office in Gilmanton during the late 18th and early 19th centuries, offering insight into the town’s history and governance during this period.
• The document also includes some repetition of names and years, which may indicate that the same individuals served in the same positions for multiple years or that there were errors in the recording of the information.
• The provided text appears to be a historical record of the town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, detailing its civil and literary history, including the names of various town officials and school teachers from 1803 to 1845.

The provided text appears

• The civil history section lists the town’s selectmen for each year, including individuals such as Samuel Shepard, Joseph Young, John Smith, and many others, who served in various capacities during this period.
• The literary history section discusses the importance of education in Gilmanton, noting that the town’s fathers recognized its value and made efforts to provide instruction for the town’s children, including hiring teachers and building school houses.
• The first school master in Gilmanton was the Rev. William III of England Parsons, who taught in private houses before school houses were erected and continued to provide educational services even after his ministerial duties had ceased.
• Other individuals, such as Dr. William Smith, also played a role in educating the town’s children, with records showing that they were paid by the town for their teaching services at various times.
• The town received a donation of £50 from the Hon. John Phillips, Esq. of Exeter, New Hampshire in 1776, which was used to hire teachers to instruct the youth, and the town voted to express its thanks to him for this generosity.
• The town was divided into school districts over time, with records showing the establishment of district No. 2 in 1774 and the division of the town into six school districts in 1778, with schools located at various sites, including near Joshua Beau’s Mill and at Dr. Smith’s.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire received a donation from Mr. Phillips, and in return, the clerk was directed to send him a copy of the vote, and during the American Revolutionary War, Rev. Mr. Parsons and Dr. William Smith were paid for teaching schools.
• Hon. John Phillips of Exeter, New Hampshire, LL.D., was a notable figure who was born on December 27, 1711, graduated from Harvard University College in 1735, and later became a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Council of the State, liberally endowing Exeter Academy with a fund of $15,000 in 1781.

The town of Gilmanton had several

• Eliphalet Wood, a celebrated teacher in town, was born on November 10, 1753, and after pursuing a course of preparatory study, he entered Dartmouth College but joined the Army during the Revolutionary War, participating in several battles, including Battle of Bunker Hill and Trenton.
• After the war, Eliphalet Wood engaged in teaching in Gilmanton and London, and he opened a school for private instruction near the Rev. Mr. Smith’s Meeting House, where many young people resorted for education.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire had several school districts, with 14 districts established by 1785, and various teachers, including Dr. Jonathan Hill, Samuel Hidden, and John Nelson, were paid for their services as school masters in different districts.
• Over time, the number of school districts in Gilmanton increased to 33, providing annual instruction to the children of the town from three to nine months in the year, and notable teachers like Dudley Leavitt also made significant contributions to education in the town.
• Eliphalet Wood married Elizabeth Tilton on June 12, 1788, and settled on a farm in Rindge and later in Loudon, leaving behind a wife and seven children at his death on August 1, 1833, at the age of 80, and his son, Henry Wood, graduated from Dartmouth College and became a minister, occupying the editorial charge of the Congregational Journal from January 1, 1841.
• Samuel Hidden, the son of Price Hidden of Rowley, Massachusetts, was born on February 22, 1760, and was raised as a shoe maker, but he later entered the Army in 1777 and served several campaigns before coming to Gilmanton in 1783 to teach schools and study divinity with Reverend Mr. Smith.
• Samuel Hidden graduated from Dartmouth College in 1791, was ordained at Tamworth on September 12, 1792, and married Elizabeth Story Price on November 29, 1792, with whom he had five children, and during his ministry, 503 people were added to the church.
• The town of Gilmanton had a committee to examine the schools and ensure that the teachers were well-qualified and the schools were well-regulated, which had a salutary influence on the town’s education system.
• The early settlers of Gilmanton, New Hampshire desired to provide permanent provision for the instruction of the youth in higher branches of education, leading to the establishment of Gilmanton Academy, with a committee of 20 men chosen on March 8, 1792, to consider the appropriation of the school right for the use of a public academy.

The early settlers of Gilmanton

• The committee’s report, signed by 16 of the 20 men, including Isaac Smith, William III of England Price, and Joseph Young, recommended the establishment of an academy, which was accepted by the town on May 7, 1792, and led to the appropriation of the school right for the benefit and support of the academy.
• The town voted to grant the school right, except for a reserved portion, to the academy on May 7, 1792, and appointed a committee, including Joseph Badger, Ebenezer Smith, and Samuel Greely, to take charge of the school right, open a subscription, and petition the General Court for an act of incorporation.
• The academy’s location was decided on September 2, 1793, to be near Huckins' Brook on Joseph Badger Jr.’s land, and a charter was obtained on June 20, 1794, with the original trustees including Joseph Badger, Isaac Smith, and Simon F. Williams, marking the official establishment of Gilmanton Academy.
• The General Court of the State has received a petition from Joseph Badger and others, a committee on behalf of the town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, requesting the incorporation and establishment of an Academy in Gilmanton, which has been granted due to the importance of encouraging the cultivation of the human mind in early life.
• The Senate and House of Representatives have enacted that an Academy be established at Gilmanton, to be known as Gilmanton Academy, with the goal of promoting the beneficial purpose of education under the direction of a duly formed and incorporated society.
• The Honorable Joseph Badger, Esquire, Reverend Isaac Smith, Reverend Joseph Woodman, Reverend Jedediah Tucker, Reverend Simon Finly Williams, Joseph Badger, Junr., Esquire, Thomas Cogswell, Ebenezer Smith, Joseph Parsons, and Samuel Greely, Esquires, have been nominated and appointed as Trustees and Overseers of the Academy, and have been erected and incorporated into a body politic by the name of the Trustees of Gilmanton Academy.
• The Trustees and their successors have been granted the power to have a common seal, sue and be sued, prosecute and defend in all actions, and pursue judgments to final execution and satisfaction, as well as the authority to elect instructors, officers, and servants of the Academy, and to make rules and by-laws for its good government.
• The Corporation, which shall not exceed ten members and shall not be less than seven, has been given the power to elect and choose new Trustees and Overseers, and to make decisions regarding the governance of the Academy, including the establishment of its location, the times and places of convening the Trustees, and the removal and appointment of members, teachers, and servants.
• The Trustees have been authorized to settle and establish the place of the Academy in Gilmanton, according to the vote of the inhabitants, and to supercede and remove any member or officer of the Corporation as occasion may require, with a majority of the Corporation serving as a quorum for transacting business.

The Trustees have been authorized

• The Board of Trustees and their successors are invested with the power and authority to manage the institution’s estate, including receiving and holding real and personal property, free of rates and taxes, for the use and benefit of the institution, with the ability to sell, dispose of, and convey property as needed.
• The net annual income from real estate is limited to $300, and from personal estate to $3,000, and the corporation has the power to appoint agents or attorneys to act on their behalf, who can be removed at pleasure.
• The preceptor, preceptors, and others employed in instruction and teaching, as well as students, are exempt from poll taxes and military duty, and the institution’s estate is free from taxation, provided that the real estate does not exceed $3,300, beyond which it will be subject to taxation.
• Students are only exempt from taxation and military duty after being enrolled for at least nine months, and the institution’s purpose is to promote virtue, piety, and knowledge of various subjects, including languages, mathematics, and literature.
• The corporation is authorized to hold privileges and immunities, and the Honorable Joseph Badger, Esquire, is appointed to call the first meeting of the corporation and preside over it, where the trustees can establish methods for calling meetings, proceeding, and keeping records.
• The first meeting of the trustees was held on September 23, 1794, where Joseph Badger was chosen President, Joseph Parsons, Esq., as Clerk, and Ebenezer Smith, Esq., as Treasurer, and subsequent meetings and actions were taken to manage the institution’s funds and lands, including the sale or lease of lands and the collection of subscriptions, which ultimately amounted to $5,500 by September 5, 1796.
• The same officers were re-elected, and a Committee consisting of Joseph Badger, Jr., Esq., John Shepard, and Joseph Young, Esqrs., was appointed to collect and appropriate subscriptions for the Academy Building, with the goal of finishing the building as far as subscriptions would allow.
• On August 14, 1797, the Committee was directed to finish the building, and one year’s interest on all the lands sold was appropriated for the same object, while on October 8, 1797, the annual meeting was held, and the same officers were re-elected, with the Constitution of the Academy being adopted.
• A Committee consisting of Rev. Messrs. Smith, Woodman, and Tucker, was appointed to hire a Preceptor, and Peter L. Folsom, A. B., a graduate of Dartmouth College, was employed as the first Preceptor, holding the office for about six years, with tuition set at $1.00 for the term.

Stephen Moody, Esq., was elected

• On February 14, 1798, the Board held a meeting, appointing an Executive Committee and Stephen Moody, Esq., as an agent to collect monies and subscriptions due to the Academy, while on October 3, 1798, it was agreed to inform Rev. Simon F. Williams that his resignation would be acceptable.
• Stephen Moody, Esq., was elected to fill the place of Rev. Simon F. Williams, and was chosen Treasurer, holding the office for 35 years, with the property of the Academy being passed to him, and his receipt taken for the same.
• The salary of the Preceptor was fixed at $300 per annum, and tuition at $1.50 per quarter, with the first Exhibition taking place in April 1804, and Peter L. Folsom resigning his office as Preceptor in the summer of the same year.
• Calvin Selden was appointed Preceptor in the autumn of 1804, and took charge of the school, with William III of England Badger being elected Trustee in place of his grandfather, Gen. Joseph Badger, deceased, and the Exhibition being fixed on the third Tuesday in August 1805.
• A set of rules or by-laws for the school was adopted in 1805, with tuition being raised to $2.00 in 1806, and John Ham, Esq., being elected Trustee in place of Joseph Parsons, deceased, while Thomas Burns, Esq., was chosen a member of the Board in place of Rev. Joseph Woodman, resigned.
• The Academy Building took fire on January 22, 1808, and was entirely consumed, with the Board convening on the first Tuesday in February 1808, and Stephen Moody and Thomas Burns being chosen to solicit subscriptions to rebuild the Academy.
• On February 24, 1808, just four weeks and four days after the fire, the frame of the present Building was erected, with one half a township of land in the County of Coos being granted equally for the use of Atkinson and Gilmanton, New Hampshire Academies in June 1809.
• John Ham, Esq., was appointed agent to lease the new Academy Building to the County for the sessions of the Court, and the Board received $250 from the town towards finishing the Academy, with the thanks of the Board being given to the inhabitants of the town of Gilmanton for their grant.
• The Trustees of the Gilmanton Academy made several decisions and took various actions between 1812 and 1839, including presenting a petition to the Legislature to amend the Charter and enlarge their powers of holding real estate, which was granted, and the Charter was amended by repealing the provision limiting the land belonging to the Academy to 200 acres.

The Trustees of the Gilmanton

• The tuition was raised to $3.00 on October 4, 1814, and the Trustees voted to apply to the County for $200 to finish the North room in the Academy for a jury room on May 22, 1818, and later appropriated $50 towards the same object on October 5, 1818.
• The Trustees elected new members, including Rev. Luke A. Spofford, who was elected in place of Rev. Isaac Smith, deceased, on October 3, 1819, and Stephen L. Greely, Esq., who was elected in place of his father, Col. Samuel Greely, deceased, on November 5, 1825.
• The Academy underwent several improvements, including the purchase of a bell, the painting of the Academy Building, and the purchase of pews in the Congregational Meeting House and the Methodist Chapel for the use of the scholars.
• The Constitution of the Academy required that the principal instructor be of the Protestant Religion, sound in the faith, and have exemplary life and conversation, and that the appointment of instructors be based on qualifications only, without preference of friends or kindred.
• The Academy had a Female Department at different periods and was well patronized by the community, providing useful and sound instruction to many hundreds of youth in Gilmanton, New Hampshire and adjacent towns, and enabling many young men to prepare for College and obtain a liberal education.
• The Trustees purchased various equipment, including an Electrical Machine, a Philosophical, Chemical, and Pneumatical Apparatus, and a Cabinet of Minerals, to aid in the instruction, and employed graduates and a Preceptress to teach the students.
• The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ contains information about various individuals, including Thomas Burns, Esq., Daniel Smith, Esq., and several reverends, such as Peter Lawrence Folsom, Abraham Bodwell, and William III of England Patrick, who were elected or graduated in different years.
• The history of Gilmanton is discussed, including the ordination of Rev. Mr. Woodman in Sanbornton, New Hampshire on November 13, 1771, where a church of seven members was formed, and he preached until his dismissal on November 13, 1806.

The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’

• Rev. Mr. Woodman married the widow Esther Hall of Concord, New Hampshire and had 12 children, including Jeremiah Hall Woodman, Esq., Joseph, Anna, Polly, Esther, John, Aaron, and Charles, many of whom went on to graduate from colleges such as Dartmouth College and pursue careers in law, ministry, and other fields.
• The biography of Rev. Jedediah Tucker is also provided, who was born on March 19, 1761, graduated from Harvard University College in 1782, and settled in Loudon, where he practiced medicine and served as a representative in the General Court until his death on April 28, 1818.
• Additionally, the document mentions Rev. Simon Finley Williams, who was born in New Jersey in 1764, and his family, including his father, Rev. Simon Williams, who was born in Trim, Ireland, and graduated from New Jersey College in 1763, and his siblings, such as Gilbert Tennent, who entered the ministry and was ordained in Line Brook Parish, Ipswich, Massachusetts, in 1788.
• The summary of these individuals' lives provides insight into the history of Gilmanton, New Hampshire and the surrounding areas, including the roles of various reverends, their families, and their contributions to the community, as well as their educational backgrounds and careers.
• Simon Finley, also referred to as Simon F. Williams, was the youngest son in his family and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1785, before being ordained in Methuen, Massachusetts, on December 13, 1786, and later installed in Meredith, New Hampshire.
• The town of Meredith was first settled in 1766 by a man named Eaton, and the first Congregational Church was organized on August 20, 1792, with Rev. Simon F. Williams being installed as its minister on November 28, 1792, with a salary and a house provided for his settlement.
• During his ministry, twenty members were added to the Church, including his wife Polly and himself, but charges were presented against him affecting his Christian character, leading to his request for dismissal on March 2, 1797, and the Church ultimately voting to dissolve the pastoral relation on August 28, 1798.
• After his dismissal, Mr. Williams enlisted as a Chaplain in United States Navy and accompanied Commodore Preble to the East Indies, where he contracted a fatal fever on the Island of Batavia and died on July 3, 1802, with his remains being committed to a watery grave on July 4, 1802.
• Mr. Williams' widow was left with three children, Peter, Polly, and Betsey, and she later married Dea. John Anderson of Windham, while Peter went to sea and eventually entered the Russian service, distinguishing himself and reportedly becoming an Admiral, and the daughters married Dea. William III of England Anderson of Londonderry and Mr. Pollard of Nashua, respectively.

The history of Gilmanton is discussed

• The text also mentions Hon. Ebenezer Smith, a son of Daniel Smith of Exeter, New Hampshire, who became a Proprietor of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, an extensive landholder, and an early settler of Meredith, New Hampshire, with his wife Sarah Spiller and their child moving to Meredith around 1768, and two of his sons, Ebenezer and John, settling in the part of the town now known as Gilford, New Hampshire.
• The journey of Judge Smith to his new settlement was accomplished on horseback, with his wife, Mrs. Smith, sitting behind him, and their child in his arms, as well as a little dog in his pocket, and they arrived at their camp on the North West shore of one of the Bays in the Winnipissiogee River.
• Judge Smith was a prominent figure in the community, serving as a Representative and Senator in the State Legislature, President of the Senate, Judge of the County Court, and Judge of Probate, and he was also a father figure to the new settlers of the town for many years.
• Judge Smith had several children, including Ebenezer, Daniel, who was the first male child born in Meredith, John, Washington, and five daughters, some of whom married notable individuals such as Hon. John Mooney, Samuel Kelly, Esq., Col. Ebenezer Lawrence, and Winthrop Dudley of Brentwood, New Hampshire.
• Rev. Abraham Bodwell, son of William III of England Bodwell, was born in Methuen, Massachusetts, and was graduated at Harvard University College in 1805, after which he studied Divinity and was ordained at Sanbornton, New Hampshire, where he served as a minister for many years and had several children, including Sarah Jane, Joseph Conner, Ruth, Ann, Fanny, William, Susan, and Elizabeth.
• Rev. William Patrick, son of John Patrick, was born in Western, Massachusetts, and was graduated at Williams' College in 1799, after which he was ordained in Canterbury, New Hampshire and served as a minister for about 40 years, during which time he was married twice, first to Mary, daughter of Joseph Gerrish of Boscawen, and then to Margaret Mills of Dunbarton.
• Rev. Enoch Corser, son of David Corser, was born in Boscawen and was graduated at Middlebury College in 1811, after which he studied Theology and was ordained in Loudon, where he served as a minister for many years, during which time he experienced many trials and successes, and his son Samuel Bartlett Gerrish Corser graduated at Dartmouth College and became the Preceptor of Holmes Plymouth Academy.
• Francis Cogswell, Esq., son of the late Dr. William Cogswell of Atkinson, was born in Atkinson and was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1822, after preparing for college at Atkinson Academy under the direction of the Hon. John Vose.
• The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ provides information about several individuals, including their educational backgrounds, careers, and accomplishments, such as Rev. Nathaniel Bouton, who was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, and graduated from Yale College in 1821, before becoming a Pastor at the Church in Concord, New Hampshire.

The document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’

• Rev. Nathan Lord, D. D., was born in 1792, graduated from Bowdoin College in 1809, and later became the President of Dartmouth College, a position he still occupied, while Stephen C. Lyford, Esq., was a native of Brookfield, commenced the practice of Law at Meredith, New Hampshire Bridge in 1815, and received an honorary degree of A. M. at Dartmouth College in 1829.
• Other individuals mentioned include Rev. Jonathan Clement, who was born in 1797, graduated from Middlebury College in 1818, and settled in Chester, as well as several Preceptors of Gilmanton, New Hampshire Academy, such as Peter Lawrence Folsom, Calvin Selden, and Samuel Ayers Kimball, who were elected to their positions at various times between 1797 and 1843.
• The document also lists Preceptresses of Gilmanton Academy, including Miss Ann W. Clarke, Miss Mary H. Adams, and Miss Sarah Cynthia Clark, who were appointed to their positions between 1814 and 1843, and provides brief notices of the Preceptors who were not natives or residents of the town.
• Additionally, the document mentions that one individual kept the Academy at Meredith Bridge for two years after taking his degree, then pursued the study of Law, and was admitted to the Bar in 1827, before being appointed Clerk of the Judicial Courts in 1834, and later resigning from his office and giving up his connection with the Law to become an agent and part owner of a Manufacturing establishment in Andover, Massachusetts.
• Calvin Selden was born in Farmington, Connecticut, and graduated from Dartmouth College in 1803, after which he taught at the Academy in Gilmanton from 1804 to 1806, and later became a respected attorney and politician, serving as Representative to the Massachusetts Legislature and Chief Justice of the Court of Sessions.
• Samuel A. Kimball, son of Dea. John Kimball, was born in Concord, New Hampshire, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1806, and practiced law in Dover before returning to his native town, where he continued to practice law.
• Rev. Cyrus Mann, son of John Mann, was born in Orford, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1806, and took charge of the Academy in Gilmanton, where he remained for two years before studying law and later becoming a minister, serving in Westminster and Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• Samuel Fletcher, Esq., was born in Plymouth, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1810, taught at the Academy in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, and later practiced law in Concord, where he became a respected attorney and represented the town in the Legislature.
• John L. Parkhurst, A. M., was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, graduated from Brown University in 1812, and taught at various institutions, including Kimball Union Academy and Gilmanton Academy, before becoming the editor of the Christian Mirror and teaching in Wisconsin.

The individuals mentioned in the text

• Asa E. Foster, A. M., a native of Canterbury, New Hampshire, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1822, taught at the Academy in Gilmanton, and later became Preceptor of an Academy in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he resided.
• William III of England C. Clarke, Esq., son of Greenleaf Clarke, was born in Atkinson, graduated from Dartmouth College in 1832, took charge of the Academy in Gilmanton, and later practiced law in Meredith, New Hampshire and Manchester, where he secured a respectable business and served as Solicitor for the County of Belknap.
• The individuals mentioned in the text, including Calvin Selden, Samuel A. Kimball, Rev. Cyrus Mann, Samuel Fletcher, John L. Parkhurst, Asa E. Foster, and William C. Clarke, all played important roles in the history of Gilmanton, New Hampshire, serving as educators, attorneys, politicians, and ministers, and contributing to the development of the community.
• The section of the document ‘The History Of Gilmanton.pdf’ provides information about several individuals who were associated with Gilmanton Academy, including Lawrence, who was a native of Stanstead, Lower Canada, and graduated from D.C. in 1834, before going on to complete his Theological course at Andover Seminary and being ordained in 1839.
• Rev. Ephraim N. Hidden, the son of Ephraim Hidden of Tamworth, was born on August 28, 1811, and his family was part of a colony of 40 families who settled in Rowley, Massachusetts, bringing with them essential professionals such as a minister, physician, and miller, and establishing a unique settlement pattern with houses and farms laid out in a specific triangular form.
• Other individuals mentioned include Rev. Elliott C. Cogswell, a native of Tamworth, who graduated from Dartmouth College in 1838 and completed his Theological studies in 1842, and Rev. Daniel Tenney, who graduated from D.C. in 1841 and was ordained in Oxford, Ohio, in 1845, as well as Joshua M. Pitman, who graduated from Dartmouth College in 1842 and was Preceptor of Gilford, New Hampshire Academy for one year.
• The section also provides brief notices of the Preceptresses connected with the Academy, including Miss Ann V. Clark, Miss Mary H. Adams, Miss Sarah C. Clark, Miss Mary A. Parker, and Mrs. Sarah T. Hale, all of whom were educated at various academies and went on to teach, marry, and pursue other endeavors, with some becoming associated with prominent individuals and institutions.
• The original design of the founders of Gilmanton Academy, as expressed in the Constitution adopted in 1794, was to provide instruction in Theology to students preparing for the Gospel Ministry, and the Academy has been associated with several Theological Seminaries, including the one in Gilmanton, where some of the individuals mentioned completed their studies.
• The instructors at the Institution were tasked with teaching students the principles of Natural Religion, including the being of God, his perfections, and his universal providence, as well as the doctrines of Revealed Religion, such as the Trinity, the doctrine of Christ, and the necessity of atonement by the blood of Jesus Christ.

The section of the document

• The Institution aimed to provide a Theological Department to fulfill its first and principal end and design, which would require compliance with specific directions, including the teaching of various Christian doctrines, such as repentance, faith, justification, and sanctification.
• In 1833, measures were taken to establish a Theological Department, and Jeremiah Wilson, Esq., was appointed to explore and examine the lands granted by the State to the Institution, with reference to a sale, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Department in August 1835.
• The Rev. Hemaa Rood was appointed Professor of Theology in the new Department, and a prospectus was published, with the Seminary commencing operations in October 1835, and by the end of the first term, seven students had entered, and a library of about 900 volumes had been collected.
• The plan of the Department was later enlarged to take the shape of a Seminary, with the Rev. Aaron Warner being appointed Professor of Sacred Rhetoric in February 1836, and the design of the Seminary was to provide an adequate supply of able and humble Ministers of the gospel for the churches of the State and country.
• The Constitution of the Seminary, adopted at that time, specified that the President and every Professor shall be a Master of Arts, an ordained Minister of the gospel, of the Congregational or Presbyterian order, and sustain the character of a sober, honest, learned, and pious man, with the goal of propagating and defending Orthodox religious beliefs and practices.
• The President and Professors of the Seminary were required to be men of sound and orthodox doctrines, drawn from the Scriptures, as expressed in the Cambridge and Saybrook Platforms, and in the Westminster Assembly’s Catechism, and they had to subscribe to the Creed or Declaration every five years to maintain their positions.
• Professor Warner accepted his appointment on April 27 and commenced his duties on June 1, and the first year of the Seminary closed on August 25, 1836, with 10 students and a library of 1200 volumes.
• The Seminary received donations, including $1000 from the estate of Samuel Stone, Esq., and approximately 1000 volumes were added to the library in 1836 through the munificence of friends in Boston and New York (state).
• An elevated site for the Seminary was secured in 1837, and subscriptions were obtained from different churches for the erection of the Theological building and for the support of the Instructors from 1837 to 1839.

The instructors at the Institution

• Dixi Crosby, M.D., was appointed Lecturer of Anatomy, Physiology, and the Philosophy of Health in 1838, and a plan for a brick building was procured from A.B. Young, Esq., Architect, of Boston, with the ground being broken for the building on April 23, 1839.
• The corner stone of the building was laid on July 16, 1839, with appropriate ceremonies, and the walls of the building were erected and covered by a roof in November of the same year.
• Rev. Isaac Bird was employed as a teacher of Theology in the Seminary in September 1839, and the Seminary building was glazed and rooms were finished for the accommodation of students in 1840.
• The Seminary building was dedicated on August 18, 1841, with appropriate services, and the Ladies' Sewing Circle of the place completed a large and commodious room for a Chapel and finished two additional Lecture rooms.
• However, the embarrassed state of the mercantile affairs throughout the country in 1841 and 1842 caused a pressure in the financial condition of the Seminary, leading to a diminution in the number of students and the resignation of Prof. Warner and Prof. Rood in 1843.
• Rev. William III of England Cogswell, D.D., was appointed President and Professor of Christian Theology in the Seminary on November 22, 1843, replacing the resigned Professors.
• Dr. Cogswell accepted the office on January 11th, 1844, and was inaugurated on February 7th of the same year, immediately entering upon its duties, while Rev. Charles Tenney was ordained as an Evangelist and appointed Instructor of Sacred Rhetoric in the Seminary.
• A Board of Visitors was established on March 21, 1844, to provide a guaranty for the faithful application of donations to the Institution, and its members included Rev. Abraham Burnham, Rev. Jonathan Curtis, and Hon. Ira Allen Eastman, among others.
• Rev. Isaac Bird was appointed Professor of Sacred Literature on July 9th, 1844, and was inaugurated on July 11th, while Dr. Nahum Wight was appointed Lecturer on Anatomy, Physiology, and Health on October 1, 1844, contributing to the growth of the Seminary.

The year 1844 saw significant

• The year 1844 saw significant developments, including the raising of considerable funds, additions to the Library, which now contained between three and four thousand volumes, and the establishment of a Museum with many articles of interest and value.
• The Institution also formed various societies, such as the Society of Inquiry respecting Missions, Rhetorical Society, and Sacred Musical Society, which began to collect libraries in their respective departments, and the regular course of study occupied three years, open to persons of all Protestant denominations.
• The Examining Committee, consisting of clergymen and laymen appointed by the Trustees, annually attended the examination of students and commended the Seminary to the patronage of the Christian community, while the Board of Visitors included notable individuals, such as Rev. Abraham Burnham, who had a long and useful ministry, and Rev. Jonathan Curtis, who had served in various pastoral charges and academic institutions.
• The author of the text discusses several individuals, including a discriminating theologian who has written a Historical Sketch of Epsom, New Hampshire and various sermons and tracts, and his children, such as Sarah B., who married the Rev. S. S. N. Greely of Newmarket, New Hampshire.
• Jonathan Strong, a physician, took his medical degree in 1844, while Thomas Weston Thompson graduated at Dartmouth College in 1844 and is now the Preceptor of the Academy in Greenland.
• Rev. John Kimball Young, the son of Nathaniel and grandson of Timothy Young, was born on March 22, 1802, graduated at Dartmouth College in 1821, and was ordained at Meredith, New Hampshire Bridge in 1831, where he currently resides with his wife, a descendant of the Sheafe family in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
• Rev. John Milton Whiton, the son of Dr. Israel Whiton, was born on August 1, 1785, attended Dartmouth College, and took his bachelor’s degree at Yale College in 1805, before being settled as the pastor of the church in Antrim in 1808.
• Samuel Morril, M.D., the son of Mr. Samuel Morril, was born on July 12, 1779, commenced the practice of medicine at Epsom in 1800, and received the degree of M.D. from Dartmouth College in 1826, while also serving as the first Register of Deeds for Merrimack River County and the second Judge of Probate for the same county.
• Rev. Jonathan McGee was born in 1789, graduated at Williams College in 1814, and completed his theological course at Andover in 1817, before being settled successively in Brattleborough, Vermont, and Nashua and Francestown, New Hampshire.

The author of the text discusses

• The text also lists the faculty of the seminary, including President Rev. William III of England Cogswell, D.D., and various professors, instructors, and lecturers, as well as the alumni of the seminary, including Jeremiah Blake, M.D., Stephen S. N. Greely, A.M., and Abner B. Warner, A.M., among others.
• The alumni list includes individuals from various locations, such as New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine, and provides information on their places of residence and occupation, including pastors, ministers, and physicians.
• The Social Library of Gilmanton, New Hampshire was incorporated in June 1801 and initially contained about 150 volumes, which were kept near Rev. Mr. Smith’s Meeting House before being moved to the Iron Works Village after his death.
• The Gilmanton Academy Social Library was incorporated in June 1815, comprising 160 volumes of well-selected books, primarily for the use and benefit of the students in the Academy.
• A Village Library was also established in the Factory Village, although it was still in its infancy with only about 50 volumes, and a Sabbath School Library was connected to nearly every church and congregation in the town, providing ample reading for children and youth.
• The introduction of printing presses in Gilmanton occurred around 1800, with Mr. Clough establishing the first press, and the publication of the Gilmanton Gazette and Farmer’s Weekly Magazine, edited by Dudley Leavitt, as well as the Rural Museum by Elijah Russell.
• Another press was introduced in 1835 by Alfred Prescott, who published the Sabbath School Advocate, a semi-monthly paper, from 1835 to 1839, and also issued other works such as the Parent’s Magazine, Biblical Journal, and other publications.
• The Parent’s Magazine, published by James Thompson and edited by Rev. Isaac Bird and Mrs. Bird, was commenced in September 1840 but was later removed to Concord, New Hampshire, and the Biblical Journal, published by Prof. Heman Rood, was commenced in January 1842 but discontinued after two years.
• The Proprietors of Gilmanton, New Hampshire made early provisions for the religious instruction of the settlers, reserving land for the first settled Minister and a Parsonage in the original Charter, and voting to raise funds to employ a Minister to preach the Gospel.

The Proprietors of Gilmanton made

• The Rev. William III of England Parsons was engaged as the first Minister, moving into town in August 1763, and was employed annually for the first ten years, preaching in private houses and school houses, with the Proprietors paying for his labors during this period.
• The town eventually established a meeting house and church, with the Proprietors voting to allow the Rev. Mr. Parsons to receive payment for his services, and the town later taking on the responsibility of raising taxes for preaching.
• The town of Gilmanton had selected lots for a parsonage, minister, and school, with some improvements made on these lots in 1770 and 1771, and in 1773, an article was inserted in the town meeting warrant to consider building a meeting house, but it was dismissed without action.
• In the autumn of 1773, Rev. Isaac Smith, who had been preaching at South Hampton, New Hampshire, came to Gilmanton, New Hampshire at the invitation of John Cram, Esq., and preached at a meeting attended by Gen. Joseph Badger, Dr. William Smith, Dea. Stephen Dudley, and Dea. John Sanborn, among others, who invited him to preach in Gilmanton.
• Rev. Isaac Smith preached in Gilmanton for four Sundays and, despite having received a call at South Hampton, New Hampshire, engaged to preach in Gilmanton for a year, starting in May 1774, and held his meetings at Jotham Gilman’s barn during the summer.
• The town voted to build a meeting house on the northwest end of the school lot, with a committee appointed to hire preaching, and Rev. Isaac Smith was employed, but there was opposition to building the meeting house, leading to multiple meetings and votes to confirm the decision.
• A building committee, including Gen. Joseph Badger, Ebenezer Page, Stephen Dudley, Antipas Gilman, and Joseph Badger, Jr., was appointed to oversee the construction of the meeting house, which was to be 60 feet long and 40 feet wide, with a porch at each end.
• The controversy over the meeting house location and construction eventually ceased, and preparations were made for the erection of the meeting house frame, with the members of the Baptists also commencing operations to build their own house of worship.
• The frames of the two houses of worship were raised on the same day, with help obtained from surrounding towns, and while the Baptist House was raised without accident, a circumstance occurred during the raising of the Congregational House that brought the workmen to a solemn pause.

The town of Gilmanton experienced

• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire experienced a remarkable event when Loivell Sanborn fell 25 or 30 feet from the beams above while the frame of a building was being raised, but he escaped unhurt and immediately arose, only to become faint and retire from the building, and he lived to enjoy good health for many years afterwards.
• The raising of the frame was completed without further accident, but the building was not covered until the following season, and Mr. Smith continued to preach at Jotham Gilman’s through the winter.
• On August 8, 1774, the town met at Jotham Gilman’s and voted to set apart Wednesday, the 17th of that month, as a day of fasting and prayer in relation to the settlement of a Minister, and they invited several ministers, including Rev. Mr. Walker of Concord, New Hampshire, Rev. Mr. Stearns of Epping, and Rev. Mr. Porter of New Durham, to be present and give their advice on the subject.
• The town chose Ebenezer Page, John Sanborn, and Dr. William III of England Smith to wait upon the ministers and take their advice after the fast, and a legal meeting of the town was held on August 29, at which it was voted to give Mr. Isaac Smith a call to become the settled Minister of the town, with a salary of £100 per annum and a £100 settlement.
• Rev. Timothy Walker, one of the invited ministers, was a native of Woburn, Massachusetts, graduated at Harvard University College in 1725, and was ordained in Concord in 1730, and he played a significant role in the town’s history, including a successful trip to England to present a petition to the King regarding a controversy between Concord and the town of Bow.
• Rev. Josiah Stearns, another invited minister, was born in Billerica, Massachusetts, in 1732, graduated at Harvard College in 1751, and was ordained at Epping in 1758, and he had a large family with two wives, including several sons who became ministers, and he published several sermons before his death in 1788.
• Rev. Nathaniel Porter, also invited to the meeting, was born in Topsfield, Massachusetts, in 1745, graduated at Harvard College in 1768, and was settled in New Durham, and he later received the degree of D.D. from both Harvard and Dartmouth College Colleges in 1814, a unique honor in Stratford County.
• The Reverend Isaac Smith was called to be the pastor of the Congregational Church in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, and he accepted the call on November 12th, after careful consideration and prayer, to settle with the congregation in the Gospel Ministry.
• The church agreed to pay Reverend Smith a salary of £50 for the first year, increasing by £5 each year until it reached £75, which would be his full salary as long as he remained in the ministry, with the option to reserve three Sabbaths each year to visit his friends.

The town chose Ebenezer Page

• The church also agreed to provide Reverend Smith with a settlement of £75, with one-third paid in money and the remaining two-thirds in labor and other necessary things to build him a house, which would be paid when the house was built.
• The church appointed a committee, consisting of Stephen Dudley, John Sanborn, and Nathaniel Wilson, to extend the call to Reverend Smith, and another committee, consisting of Capt. Sumnersbee Oilman, Lieut. John Moody, and Lieut. Jeremiah Cogswell, to sell pews in the meeting house.
• General Joseph Badger and Colonel Antipas Oilman were granted the privilege of having pews in the meeting house, provided they built two porches, one on the east and one on the west end of the house, and the church agreed to clear 10 acres on the Parsonage, in addition to the 20 acres already cleared, for Reverend Smith’s use.
• Reverend Smith, in his acceptance letter, expressed his gratitude for the call and his commitment to serving the congregation, and he expected the church to fulfill its promises of temporal support, as he believed that the laborer was worthy of his hire, as stated by the Divine Saviour.
• The author, Isaac Smith, expresses his desire to settle as a minister and requests that the town make provision for his support in case of bodily sickness and infirmity, suggesting that his full salary or a competent part of it be continued during such times.
• Smith prays that he and the people may be enabled to perform their mutual duties justly and faithfully, live together in love and friendship, and promote each other’s greatest good, with the ultimate goal of glorifying God and dwelling together in eternal life through Jesus Christ.
• On November 12, 1774, Smith, along with Capt. Summersbee Gilman, Stephen Dudley, and Lieut. Jeremiah Cogswell, called a council to fix the time for his ordination, which was set for November 30, 1774, and took place at Jotham Gilman’s house.
• The ordination ceremony included a sermon preached by Rev. Mr. McClintock of Greenland, a charge given by Rev. Mr. Walker of Concord, New Hampshire, and the right hand of fellowship given by Rev. Mr. Foster of Canterbury, New Hampshire, with other ministers, including Rev. Mr. Stearns of Epping, Rev. Mr. Belknap of Dover, Rev. Mr. Upham of Deerfield, and Rev. Mr. Woodman of Sanbornton, New Hampshire, participating in the exercises.
• At the same time, a Congregational Church was gathered, consisting of five members, including Isaac Smith, Stephen Dudley, John Sanborn, Ebenezer Page, and Nathaniel Wilson, with Mr. Smith being constituted as the Pastor.

The ministers involved in the ordination

• The ministers involved in the ordination ceremony, including Rev. Mr. McClintock, Rev. Mr. Foster, Rev. Mr. Belknap, Rev. Mr. Upham, and others, are noted for their individual backgrounds, educations, and achievements, with some going on to hold prominent positions in government, academia, and the church.
• During the year 1775, seventeen new members were added to the Church, and £75 was raised to pay Mr. Smith’s salary, with an agreement to exempt from taxation those who attended the Baptists and paid their tax to that Society.
• The meeting house was being constructed, with the broad aisle fixed at six feet and the aisle from the East to the West door at four feet, and the Committee, consisting of John Sanborn, Nathaniel Wilson, and Joseph Philbrook, sold the pews on the lower floor at public auction on December 26, 1774, for £759.
• In 1776, a new Committee was chosen, including Summersbee Oilman, Jeremiah Cogswell, and John Moody, to settle with the Building Committee, and in 1777, they were instructed to lay the floor, build the pulpit, finish the seats of the pews, and make the end doors, with a tax of £75 to be made upon the inhabitants to enable Rev. Mr. Smith to build his house.
• The town voted to lay out £20 to clear the Parsonage, and the Proprietors sold the privilege on lot No. 18 to Moses Morrill, with the Committee also selling the pew ground in the gallery of the meeting house and finishing the seats and pews.
• Rev. Mr. Upham, who was ordained in 1772, had a family, including the Hon. Nathaniel Upham, Gen. Timothy Upham, and Miss Hannah Upham, and he died in 1811, after serving 40 years in the ministry, with his second wife dying a few months later.
• The Church had various members chosen for different roles, including Deacons Stephen Dudley and John Sanborn, who were appointed in 1776, and Gen. Joseph Badger and Dea. Stephen Dudley, who were appointed to sell the pew ground in the gallery and finish the seats and pews.
• The Church voted to admit persons to communion who did not see their way clear to bring their children to the ordinance of Baptism, and the town provided materials and labor to finish the gallery, with Gen. Joseph Badger responsible for finishing the gallery and disposing of the pews, except for those voted to Antipas Gilman.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire had discussions and votes regarding the completion and maintenance of the Congregational Meeting House, with decisions made on raising funds for various repairs and improvements, including the finishing of the gallery, plastering and glazing, and the sale of pews at public auction.

The town of Gilmanton had discussions

• A committee consisting of Stephen Dudley, Summersbee Gilman, and William III of England Price was appointed to finish the gallery and sell the pews, while other committees were formed to oversee the use of funds for repairs and the collection of taxes to support the meeting house.
• The town also made decisions regarding the preaching arrangements in the Upper Parish, with votes to tax the inhabitants and provide preaching in proportion to their payments, and the appointment of ministers such as Rev. Mr. Smith to preach in the Upper Parish.
• Over time, the town experienced changes in its ecclesiastical history, including the formation of other denominations and a shift in the town’s obligation to support the standing order, with proposals made to separate the assessment and collection of the minister’s tax from the town’s other taxes.
• The meeting house underwent various repairs and renovations over the years, including the replacement of shingles and the clapboarding of the building, with a final renovation taking place in 1839, after which the old meeting house was taken down and a new one was built in its place in 1840.
• The new meeting house was dedicated in the autumn of 1840, marking a significant milestone in the town’s ecclesiastical history, with the town having navigated various challenges and changes in its support for the Congregational Church and its ministers, including Rev. Mr. Smith and Rev. Mr. Spofford.
• The town of Gilmanton, New Hampshire made an effort to divide the Ministerial lands among different societies, which initially failed but eventually succeeded, leading to the appointment of a committee to petition for an act of incorporation as a religious society in September 1805, consisting of Col. Samuel Greely, Capt. John Moody, Capt. David Sanborn, Capt. Benjamin Stevens, Dr. William Smith, Col. Joseph Badger, and Lieut. David Sanborn.
• The town voted not to receive an act of incorporation in May 1807, but instead decided that the Selectmen would make the tax as they had done for the Rev. Mr. Smith’s salary, and from 1810 to 1815, no Minister tax was made out, prompting Mr. Smith to commence a suit against the town for his salary.
• The town met in June 1815 to discuss the actions commenced by Isaac Smith, clerk, against the town for the arrearages of his salary and for taxing his property in 1812, and after discussing the same, voted that the Congregational Society, having chosen the Rev. Isaac Smith as their Minister, would have the exclusive right to manage the action brought by him against the town.
• The town chose a committee of three persons, consisting of Thomas Burns, Winslow Page, and William III of England Smith, Jr., to try to make a settlement with the Rev. Isaac Smith for the back arrearages of his salary, and also chose Stephen Moody as an agent to defend the suit commenced by Mr. Smith against the town if the committee did not settle with him.

The town met in June 1815

• The committee succeeded in making a settlement with Mr. Smith, and the Selectmen made the taxes from 1810 to 1815 for the Rev. Isaac Smith’s salary, amounting to $1,402, but the prosecution gave great offence to many, and the town eventually voted to tax the property of Rev. Mr. Smith in future and to dissolve the contract with him as far as his salary was concerned.
• Rev. Mr. Smith relinquished his claim upon the town for the sake of peace and was sustained by voluntary subscription for the remainder of his ministry, and after his death on March 25, 1817, the First Congregational Society obtained an Act of Incorporation and annually made arrangements for the support of preaching in connection with the first church.
• The sermon at the funeral of a minister was preached by the Rev. Josiah Carpenter of Chichester, and the church erected a monument in his memory, testifying to his worth, with 114 people having joined the church, 312 baptisms, 396 marriages, and 1,141 deaths occurring during his ministry.
• A revival of religion commenced in the autumn of 1817, when the church was without a minister, and progressed under the labors of Rev. Jesse Stratton, resulting in the addition of 45 people to the church, including several young individuals, which was a circumstance of deep interest as youths were previously scarce in the church.
• The revival laid a foundation for a deep interest in the occasion of the ordination of Rev. Luke A. Spofford, who was ordained as the successor to the Rev. Mr. Smith on June 9th, 1819, after preaching as a candidate and preparing the way for his settlement by inducing the church to adopt a sound Doctrinal Creed.
• The ordination exercises were led by various ministers, including Rev. Nathaniel Wells, who read the minutes of the council, Rev. Abraham Bodwell, who led the invocation and reading of the scriptures, and Rev. Asa Rand, who delivered the sermon.
• Other ministers who participated in the ordination exercises included Rev. Dr. McFarland, who led the introductory prayer, Rev. Josiah Carpenter, who led the ordaining prayer, Rev. Laban Ainsworth, who gave the charge to the pastor, and Rev. Enoch Corser, who gave the right hand of fellowship.
• The ministers involved in the ordination exercises had notable backgrounds, with Rev. Nathaniel Wells having graduated from Dartmouth College, studied divinity, and served a useful ministry of about 30 years, while Rev. Dr. McFarland received his degree from Yale College and served as a minister in Concord, New Hampshire before his dismissal and death.
• Rev. Asa Rand, who delivered the sermon, was a native of Rindge, graduated from Dartmouth College, and was ordained in Gorham, Maine, before being dismissed and going on to become an editor and author, and Rev. Josiah Carpenter, who led the ordaining prayer, was born in Stafford, Connecticut, and served as a minister in Chichester before his dismissal.

The sermon at the funeral

• The Rev. Mr. Spofford’s ministry with his people continued for about six years, during which time 30 individuals were added to the Church, with most of them being the result of a revival that occurred in the winter and spring of 1823, and he eventually asked for a dismission due to health issues, which was granted by the Church on April 11, 1825.
• The Rev. Daniel Lancaster began supplying the pulpit of the First Church on the first Sabbath in January 1825 and continued for three months, after which the Church voted to extend him a call to become their Pastor, which he initially declined but later accepted on August 21, 1825, and was ordained on September 21, 1825.
• The ordination services for Rev. Daniel Lancaster were performed in a specific order, with the Rev. Mr. Bodwell offering the introductory prayer, Rev. Phinehas Cooke preaching the sermon from I Kings xix. 9, “What dost thou here, Elijah?”, and other ministers participating in the consecrating prayer, charge, right hand of fellowship, and concluding prayer.
• During Rev. Daniel Lancaster’s ministry, the Church experienced significant events, including the dismissal of 25 members to form a new Church at the Academy Village in 1826, a revival in the winter of 1826-27 that brought 40 new members, and another revival in 1831 that added about 35 members to the Church.
• The First Congregational Society was reduced due to the formation of two adjacent churches in town, leading to Rev. Daniel Lancaster’s dismissal in 1832 for lack of support, and since then, the First Church has been without a Pastor, although they have been supplied by other ministers, including Rev. Josiah Prentice, for a year in 1834.
• The text also provides biographical information on various ministers mentioned, including Rev. Laban Ainsworth, Rev. Phinehas Cooke, Rev. Josiah Prentice, and Rev. Abijah Cross, highlighting their birth dates, educational backgrounds, ordinations, and ministerial careers.
• The history of Gilmanton’s ecclesiastical development is marked by significant events, including the settlement of Reverend Heman Rood in Salisbury on March 24th, 1824, and his subsequent resignation on April 1st, 1829, after which he preached at West Haverhill, Massachusetts before being installed there on May 18th, 1831.
• Reverend Enos George, born on June 2nd, 1781, was ordained in Barnstead, New Hampshire on September 26th, 1804, and married Sophia, the daughter of Jonathan Chesley of Durham, on July 10th, 1805, with his son Franklin George graduating from Dartmouth College in 1838 and becoming a physician in Georgia.
• The Centre Church experienced revivals in 1826 and 1837, led by Reverend Francis P. Smith and Reverend Josiah Carpenter, respectively, resulting in the addition of new members to the church, and from that time on, the church was supplied with preaching by members of the Theological Seminary.

The Centre Church experienced

• On March 8th, 1826, a Council was convened in the Academy Village, consisting of Reverend Messrs. Bodwell, Patrick, Norwood, and Lancaster, who organized a new church with 25 persons dismissed from the first church, with Reverend Bodwell preaching the sermon and Reverend Patrick presenting the Articles of Faith and Covenant.
• Reverend Heman Rood was ordained as the pastor of the new church on July 12th, 1826, with various reverends participating in the ordination ceremony, including Reverend Dr. Edwards, who preached the sermon, and the meeting house was dedicated to the service of Almighty God on September 20th, 1827.
• During Reverend Rood’s ministry, 11 new members were received into the church, and the Society was aided financially by the New Hampshire Missionary Society, the Massachusetts Society for the propagation of the gospel, and the firm of Homes and Homer in Boston, before Reverend Rood received a call to settle at New Milford, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and was dismissed by the church on February 15th, 1830.
• The church was subsequently supplied with preaching by Reverend Daniel Lancaster, who preached half of the time from April 1830 to April 1832, and then as a stated supply from August 1832 to December 1835, during which time the church experienced revivals in 1834 and 1836, resulting in the addition of 76 new members, before Reverend Lancaster was installed as pastor on December 16th, 1835.
• The year 1843 began with a season of refreshing, particularly in the Academy, where 13 individuals joined the church, bringing the total number of additions to 243.
• In 1826, a meeting house was erected at the Iron Works Village, and by July 1827, it was dedicated and the pews were sold, with Rev. Mr. Rood preaching the sermon.
• The religious society at Iron Works was formed on July 3, 1829, and on October 30, 1830, 13 individuals from the village, who had received a dismissal from the first church, were organized into a church by Rev. Mr. George, with Rev. Mr. Lancaster expressing the fellowship of the churches.
• In 1831, five individuals were added to the church by profession and three by letter, and Rev. Charles G. SafFord was extended a call to become the pastor, which he accepted, and was ordained on September 28, 1831.
• During Rev. SafFord’s ministry, which lasted for four years and nine months, 56 individuals were added to the church, including 13 males and 43 females, with 16 joining by letter and 40 by profession.

In 1826, a meeting house

• After Rev. SafFord’s dismissal due to ill health in 1836, the church experienced a powerful revival under the leadership of Rev. J. Blake in 1838, resulting in the addition of 62 individuals to the church, including 55 in one day.
• On January 31, 1839, Rev. Stephen S. N. Greely was ordained as the pastor of the church, and his labors were instrumental in establishing and confirming the converts recently added to the church.
• Rev. Greely was dismissed in 1842, and the present pastor, Rev. Rufus Childs, was ordained on November 6, 1844, with various clergy members participating in the ordination ceremony, including Rev. Joseph Lane, Rev. William III of England Cogswell, and Rev. Mr. Bodwell.
• The first Baptists in Gilmanton, New Hampshire was organized on November 16th, 1773, with the assistance of Baptist Churches from Stratham, New Hampshire, Brentwood, New Hampshire, and Epping, and its original members included Orlando Weed, Thomas Edgerly, and Samuel Weeks, among others.
• The church initially had no pastor, so Orlando Weed was appointed as the Standing Moderator, Samuel Weeks as the Clerk, and Thomas Edgerly as the Deacon, and they performed various duties, including baptisms and receiving new members into the church.
• Over the years, the church experienced growth and changes, with notable events including the adoption of articles of faith in 1776, the licensing of Samuel Weeks and Edward Locke to preach in 1777, and the ordination of Samuel Weeks as a preacher in 1780, although he later changed his principles and moved away.
• The church also experienced conflicts, such as Edward Locke’s dissent from the articles of faith in 1779, which led to a council being called to advise on the matter, and the church ultimately deciding that Locke had departed from the true faith and should confess his error.
• In 1784, Dudley Young was appointed to improve his gift with the church, and Elder Walter Powers was invited to preach and later became the church’s pastor, serving for about 20 years until his dismission in 1806.
• The church underwent significant changes in the early 19th century, including a division in 1811, which resulted in the formation of the first and second Baptist Churches, and the decline of the first Baptist Church, which eventually lost its visibility.

The first Baptist Church in Gilmanton

• A new church was formed in 1818 under the labors of Rev. Phinehas Richardson, with six males and 10 females as its initial members, and the church experienced growth over the years, with additions of new members and the appointment of new deacons, including Daniel Clough, John Carlton, and James Gilman.
• Rev. Phinehas Richardson served as the acting pastor of the church for 18 years until his resignation in 1836, and the church continued to grow and develop under the care of its new leaders.
• The church experienced great harmony during the ministry of Mr. Richardson, who was ordained as an Evangelist in Methuen, Massachusetts, in 1817, and 116 members were added to the church during his tenure, before he left and preached in Hollis, where he currently resides.
• In 1838, a significant revival occurred under the leadership of Rev. Hiram D. Hodge, resulting in 30 baptisms and new members in one day, nearly equal to one-third of the church’s former members, and the church has since been supplied by various ministers, including Rev. James A. Boswell, Rev. Bartlett Pease, and currently Rev. Mr. Hodge.
• The old meeting house was replaced with a new one in 1842, measuring 40 by 50 feet, with 52 pews, and was dedicated on November 3, 1842, with a sermon by Rev. A. M. Swain of Gilford, New Hampshire, at a cost of less than $1,500.
• The Methodist Church in Gilmanton, New Hampshire was established with the first class in 1807, having 31 members, and the second class in 1818, with 18 members, with various preachers, including James P. Harvey, Jotham Horton, and Ezekiel Stickney, and a brick meeting house was erected in 1827 at a cost of around $2,500.
• The Methodist Church experienced several revivals and had various preachers, including Eld. Jacob Sanborn, Eld. Zenas Adams, Eld. Samuel Kelly, and Eld. George Storrs, who preached the dedication sermon for the new meeting house, and the church continued to grow with new preachers, such as Nathan Howe, J. Wilbur, and James B. Norris.
• The Freewill Baptists Churches in Gilmanton included one near the Iron Works Village, with Eld. Aaron Buzzell as the first preacher, and another in what is now Gilford, under the watch of Eld. Richard Martin (Irish politician), who seceded from the Calvin Baptist in 1797, and a third church was founded in 1810 by Joseph Young and Peter Clark, with Eld. Peter Clark ordained as their minister.
• The third Freewill Baptist Church experienced several revivals, with 32 members added in 1810, 24 in 1814, and 20 in 1816, and the church continued to grow, with Elder David Moody currently officiating as their minister, and the church adopted the principle of total abstinence from all intoxicating substances in 1843.

The fourth Free Will Baptist Church

• The fourth Free Will Baptist Church was founded on November 6th, 1816, by Elder John Knowles, Simeon Bean, and 16 others, with Elder John Knowles being ordained as an Evangelist on May 30th, 1811, and the church initially having 50 communicants in 1822.
• The church occupied the Province Road meeting house, built in 1792, and after the death of Elder Knowles in July 1837, it was re-organized and had successive labors from Elder Fernald, Elder Tuttle, and Elder Elbridge Knowles.
• A Christian Baptists Society was organized under the supervision of Elder Richard Davis in 1839, with a meeting house erected in the Factory Village in 1840, and their religious teachers included Elders Knight, Allen, and John Gillingham, who is their present Minister.
• A Society of Friends was formed around 1780 by Ezekiel Hoit, Jacob Tucker, Richard Jones, and Gideon Bean, with the number of members usually being about 30, and their house of worship is near the Academy Village.
• A Congregational Society was recently formed in the Upper Parish in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, but it has not yet made arrangements for a separate meeting on the Sabbath, and the Parsonage lands have all been sold, with the money invested as a Parsonage fund, the interest of which is annually divided among the different religious societies.
• The Rev. William III of England Parsons, a son of Rev. Joseph Parsons of Salisbury, Massachusetts, was born on April 21st, 1716, graduated at Harvard University College in 1735, and was settled at South Hampton, New Hampshire in 1743, before becoming a Proprietor of Gilmanton and preaching to the settlers.
• Rev. William Parsons was married to Sarah Burnham on May 16th, 1743, and had six children, and he was a very useful citizen and an exemplary minister of the gospel, who did much to give a right direction to the early movements in regard to religious institutions in town.
• The family of Rev. Joseph Parsons, the father of Rev. William Parsons, consisted of five children, with Rev. Joseph Parsons being born in Northampton, Massachusetts, in 1670, graduating at Harvard College in 1697, and settling in Lebanon, Connecticut, before being installed in Salisbury, Massachusetts, in 1718, and dying in 1739.
• The diary of the Rev. Mr. Parsons, which contained a variety of matters from day to day, would have been valuable in making out the early history of the town, but it, along with his sermons, has probably been destroyed.

A Society of Friends was formed

• The Rev. Mr. Parsons died in January 1796, at the age of 80, and his widow survived him for only one year and one month, passing away in February 1797 at the age of 75, with both of them being buried on their own farm.
• Sarah Parsons, the eldest child of the Rev. Mr. Parsons, was born on April 8th, 1744, at South Hampton, New Hampshire, and she was married to John Smith, 3d, Esq., of Durham, at the age of 22, after which she removed to Durham in 1766.
• John Smith, 3d, Esq., was a man of much respectability and influence, serving as Representative from Durham for ten years, including the period of the Revolution, and as a member of the Committee of Safety during the whole War, until his death on May 24th, 1791, at the age of 54.
• After her husband’s death, Sarah Parsons resided at Portsmouth, New Hampshire for 7 years and became a member of Dr. Buckminster’s church in 1794, before removing her relation to Durham on August 3rd, 1817, and eventually passing away on April 27th, 1838, at the age of 94 years and 19 days.
• Sarah Parsons was distinguished for her intelligence, information, amiableness, strict regard for propriety, submission to Providence, patience under trials, and fortitude in suffering, and she had a remarkable memory, being able to recall who lived in every house in her native town, except for two, shortly before her death.
• The Rev. Isaac Smith, who is mentioned separately, was the son of Lemuel Smith and Martha Coit, born in Sterling, Connecticut, in November 1744, as the fifth son in a family of 11 children, with his father being a farmer of considerable wealth, known to have kept a hundred head of cattle.