Biographical
Sketches of Some Early Hollis, NH Settlers
I transcribed the following
Biographical Sketches into this format precisely as they were written
by Samuel T. Worcester in his book. In other words, this small
section of his book is quoted word for word, both
for it's obvious genealogical
content, & as a sample of what is found in this wonderful
History.
It contains a wealth of interesting genealogical & historical
information. I did, however, use a highlight color for the names. There is no color difference in
the original work, but I felt it helpful for
visibility on a web page.
Please check your library
for availability of this book, and use the sketches I have transcribed
here as
a quide, to primary records for further
research,
as I have not verified the accuracy of
Worcester's
information on any but my own ancestors, & I know I am not
infallible,
& there may be a typo that I've not seen. Please let my
know
if a mistake is found. Please do not copy my
transcript
of these records to any archive without my knowledge or permission. If
I
make corrections or changes, I would not be able to let you know, &
none
of us want to perpetuate errors.
--Ann Mensch - 1 Jul 1998.
Worcester, Samuel T. History of the Town of
Hollis, New Hampshire From Its First Settlement to the Year 1879 with
many Biographical Sketches of It's Early Settlers, Their Descendants,
& Other Residents. Boston: A. Williams &
Co. 1879. See Lookups
ABBOT,
CAPT. BENJAMIN
was from Andover,
Mass. His name
was on the Hollis Tax Lists in 1750. In 1755 he was Lieutenant in
Capt.
Power's company, Col. Blanchard's regiment, in the expedition to Crown
Point,
and was again in the army in 1757. He was selectman in 1752, '53
and
'54. His son Benjamin was a soldier in the Revolution. Died
January
5, 1776, aet. 46.
ADAMS, WILLIAM
was in West Dunstable in
1738, and signed the petition for the charter of West Dunstable.
Married Mary Spears, May 29, 1744. Was a town officer in
1746. His son William was a soldier at Bunker Hill and
Bennington. Died August 3, 1757, aet.
39.
AMES, ENSIGN STEPHEN
came from Groton, Mass.
Married Jane Robbins in Groton, in 1731. Was in West Dunstable in
1739, selectman in 1747 and 1748, and was a soldier in the French war
in 1757. Representative to the New Hampshire General Court, in
1775, '76 and '77. His sons, Jonathan and David were soldiers in
the Revolution.
BALL, EBENEZER
came from Concord,
Mass. His name was on the Hollis Tax List in 1749, and he was a
soldier in the French war in 1755, in the company of Capt.
Powers. His sons Ebenezer, Nathaniel, William and John were
soldiers in the Revolution.
BAILEY, DANIEL
was from Marlborough,
Mass. Settled
in the part of Hollis known as Monson, about the year 1754.
Himself
and three of his sons, viz. Joel, Andrew and Daniel, Jun., were
Revolutionary
soldiers. Died January 15, 1798, aet. 69.
BARTON, HENRY
was in West Dunstable in
1738 and signed
the petition for the charter. Was Parish Assessor in 1741 and
Collector
in 1743. Died April 20, 1760, aet. 54.
BLANCHARD, BENJAMIN
is supposed to have come
from Dunstable, n. h. He was in West Dunstable, in 1743, and
signed the call to Rev. Mr. Emerson. Married Kezia Hastings Dec.
31, 1744. Was tithing-man in 1747, and selectman in 1750 and 1754.
BLOOD, ELNATHAN
supposed from Groton,
Mass. His
name is on the first tax list for West Dunstable, in 1740.
Married Elizabeth
Boyton in Groton, in 1741. He was a soldier in the French war in
1757,
and selectman in 1773.
BLOOD, JOSIAH
was from Dracut,
Mass. Was in
West Dunstable in 1738 and signed the petition for the charter; was a
soldier
in the Revolution as was also his son Josiah, Jr., and is supposed to
have
died at Ticonderoga in September, 1776.
BLOOD, NATHANIEL
supposed from Groton,
Mass. he
was in West Dunstable in 1738 and signed the petition for the charter,
and
was a soldier in the French war in 1758. Five of his sons, viz.,
Nathaniel,
Francis, Daniel, Timothy and Nathan, were soldiers in the Revolution,
the
last named of whom was killed at Bunker Hill.
BOYNTON, DEA. JOHN
supposed from Newbury,
Mass. Was in West Dunstable in 1743; parish clerk in 1744.
Married Ruth Jewett
of Rowley in 1745. Chosen deacon in 1755, and selectman in 1758,
1761,
and 1762, etc. His sons John and Jacob were soldiers in the
Revolution,
the last of whom was killed at Bunker Hill. Died oct. 29, 1787,
aet.
67.
BOYNTON, JR., JOHN
supposed also from
Newbury. He
was in West Dunstable in 1745. married Lydia jewett of Rowley, in
may
1745. His sons, Isaac and joel, were Revolutionary soldiers.
BOYNTON, JOSHUA
was in West Dunstable in
1745, and a town officer in 1747. Three of his sons, viz.,
Joshua, Jun., Benjamin and Elias, were soldiers in the Revolution.
BROWN, ENSIGN, JOSIAH
came from Salem, Mass., and
was in West Dunstable in 1743, and a town officer in 1747 and
1748. He was an ensign in the French war in 1758. Removed
to Plymouth, N. H., in
1764.
BROWN, JOHN
was also from Salem, and
was in West Dunstable in 1743 and signed the call to Rev. Mr.
Emerson. Married Kezia
Wheeler October 9, 1744. Died May 6, 1776.
BURGE, EPHRAIM
was from Chelmsford,
Mass. Settled
in Hollis about 1760. Was a soldier in Capt. Emerson's company in
1777.
his oldest son Ephraim B., Jun., was for many years a deacon of the
Hollis
church, and his sons, Rev. Josiah B. and Dr. Benjamin B., were
graduates
of Harvard College. (q. v.) Died July 21, 1784, aet. 46.
CONANT, JOSIAH
was from Salem, Mass.
Came to
West Dunstable in 1744. Married Catharine Emerson, February,
1745. His two sons, Josiah, Jun., and Abel, were soldiers in the
Revolution, and
both deacons of the Hollis church. Died December 14, 1756, aet.
44.
COLBURN, LIEUT. ROBERT
came from Billerica, mass.,
was in West Dunstable in 1738, and signed the petition for the
charter. married
Elizabeth Smith in 1747. Settled in the part of Hollis known as
Monson.
His sons, Robert, Benjamin and Nathan, were Revolutionary
soldiers.
Died july 9, 1783, aet. 66.
CUMINGS, ESQ., SAMUEL
was born in Groton, Mass.,
march 6,
1709; married Prudence lawrence of Groton, july 18, 1732. Was in
West
Dunstable in 1739 and signed the second petition for the charter.
He
was the first justice of the peace in Hollis and was chosen town clerk
in
twenty-two years, between 1746 and 1770. He was sergeant in Capt.
Power's
company in the French war in 1755. Two of his sons, Samuel and
Thomas,
were loyalists in the Revolution, and Benjamin, his youngest son, was a
Continental
soldier. Died January 18, 1772, aet. 62.
CUMINGS, JERAHMAEL
was a brother of Samuel
Cumings, and
born in Groton, October 10, 1711. Married Hannah Farwell in 1736;
was
in West Dunstable in 1738, and signed the first petition for the
charter. He was the father of Rev. Henry Cumings, D. D., the
first minister of Billerica, and of Capt. Jotham Cumings, a soldier in
the French war of 1755, and an officer
in the war of the Revolution. Died october 25, 1747, aet. 36.
CUMINGS, DEA. WILLIAM
is supposed to have come
from Groton, and was in West Dunstable in 1744, and chosen Deacon of
the Hollis church in 1745. He was ensign in the French war in
1755, in the company of
Capt. Powers, and all his three sons, Ebenezer, William and philip,
were
soldiers in the Revolution. Died September 9, 1758, aet. 46.
DANFORTH, JONATHAN
came from Billerica, and
was in West Dunstable in 1743, and signed the call to Rev. Mr.
Emerson. He was a
grandson of the noted Massachusetts surveyor of the same name, and was
a
town officer in 1746. Died March 3, 1747, aet. 33.
DINSMORE, THOMAS
came from Bedford, Mass.,
was in West
Dunstable previous to 1736, and was the third settler, and lived on the
farm
in Hollis now owned by John Coburn on the road to Pepperell. Died
December
10, 1748.
[Note
from Ann Mensch (author of this Hollis site) - Thomas Dinsmore's wife
was HANNAH (maiden name possibly Whitaker - per John Whitaker's Will)1.
HANNAH (?) DINSMORE came from Bedford, Mass. with Thomas & their
children. She was given a land grant for 2 lots in New Hampshire
when the boundaries between MA & NH were redrawn in 1749: "Hannah
Dinsmore, Peter Powers, Daniel Emerson, David Nevens, all of
Holles,...& all in
the Province of New
Hampshire,..."2
Hannah's husband, Thomas, had died the previous year. Per their
gravestones: Thomas Dinsmore was born in 1704, & died Dec. 10,
1748. His wife, Hannah, was born in 1706, & died July 23,
1767. They are both buried
next to each other in the Old Churchyard Cemetery in Hollis, NH (dates
per
gravestones photographed & recorded by Ann Mensch in July 1997.)3]
DRURY, ZEDEKIAH
was also from Bedford, and
by trade a blacksmith; was in West Dunstable in 1743, and signed the
call to Mr. Emerson.
About the year 1765 he removed to Temple, N. H.
FARLEY, LIEUT. SAMUEL
came from Bedford, Mass.,
was in West
Dunstable in 1739, and was a petitioner for the charter. Married
Hannah
Brown october 7, 1744. His son Benjamin was a soldier in the
Revolution.
Died November 23, 1797, aet. 79.
FARLEY, LIEUT. BENJAMIN
was also from
Bedford. Was in
West Dunstable in 1738 and a petitioner for the charter and was the
first
inn keeper in West dunstable. he lived first on the farm now
owned
by T. G. Worcester, about one-fourth of a mile south of the
meeting-house. He was parish assessor in 1740 and 7141, and
selectman in 1746. Three of his sons, Ebenezer, Christopher and
Stephen, were Revolutionary soldiers. Died november 23, 1797, in
his 80th year.
FARLEY, JOSEPH
came from Billerica, and
was in West Dunstable in 1743. Killed by the fall of a tree,
november 24, 1762, aet. 49.
FLAGG, ELEAZER
came from Concord, mass.,
and was the second settler in West Dunstable. he lived in the
south-west part of the twon, and during the French war of 1744 his
house was fortified as a guard house. he was parish assessor in
1742. his son John was a soldier in the French war, 1755, and his
son Jonas in that of the Revolution.
Died August 14, 1757, aet. 53.
HARDY,
PHINEAS
came to Hollis from
Bradford, Mass. His name is first on the Hollis tax lists in
1752. He was
a soldier in the garrison at Portsmouth, N. h., in 1776, and his sons,
Phineas,
Thomas, Noah and Jesse, were all soldiers in the army. Died March
7,
1813, aet. 86.
HARRIS,
STEPHEN
was from Littleton, Mass.,
and settled in what is now the north part of Hollis about 1735.
He was a petitioner for the charter of West Dunstable in 1738, and
first treasurer of West Dunstable
in 1740. Died September 20, 1775, aet. 75.
JEWETT, DEA. STEPHEN
is supposed to have come to
Hollis from Rowley, Mass., in 1751, and married Hannah (Farwell)
Cumings, widow of
Ensign Jerahmael Cumings, in 1752. He was chosen selectman in
1766,
deacon of the Hollis church in 1770, and a delegate to the County
Congress
at Amherst in 1774 and 1775. All of his three sons, Stephen,
Jun.,
Noah and Jonathan, were soldiers in the Revolution. Died May 23,
1803,
aet. 75.
KEMP, ZERUBBABEL
was born in Groton, Mass.,
October 12, 1705. Married Abigail Lawrence, in Groton, november
23, 1737. Was in West Dunstable in 1743, and a town officer in
1748.
MCDONALD, JAMES
also came from Groton and
was in West
Dunstable in 1739, and a signer of the second petition for the
charter. he was a town officer in 1748 and a soldier in 1777 in
the company of Capt. Goss. Died April 11, 1801, aet. 83.
NEVINS, WILLIAM
came from Newton, Mass.,
and his name
appears in the first tax list in West Dunstable in 1740. He was
selectman
in 1771 and 1772, and moderator in 1773 and 1774. Five of his
sons,
viz., William, Joseph, Benjamin, john and phineas, were Revolutionary
soldiers.
Died February 15, 1785, aet. 67.
NEVINS, DAVID
was from Bedford, Mass.,
and was in
West Dunstable in 1738 and signed the first petition for the
charter. he was parish collector in 1741. Removed from
Hollis to Plymouth among
the first settlers of Plymouth.
NOYES, DEA. ENOCH
came from Newbury,
Mass. His name first appears on the Hollis tax lists in
1747. He was selectman in 1751, and chosen deacon in 1755.
his two sons, Enoch and Elijah, were soldiers in the Revolution.
Died September 1796, aet. 80.
PATCH, DEA. THOMAS
was from Groton.
Married Anna Gilson in 1741, in Groton. He was in West Dunstable
in 1743, and was
chosen deacon in 1745. His sons, Thomas and David, were soldiers
in
the Revolution. Died may 1, 1754, aet. 40.
POOL, WILLIAM
was from Reading,
Mass. Married Hannah Nichols, at Reading, june 19, 1751, and came
to hollis during the French
war of 1754, his name being first found on the Hollis tax lists in
1758.
He was selectman in 1771. Died in Hollis, October 17, 1795, aet.
70.
His oldest son, William W., was a soldier in the Revolution in 1775,
and
again in 1778. James, the second son, settled in Maine, and
became
a successful merchant. his youngest son, hon. Benjamin pool, born
january
17, 1771, settled in Hollis, and was many times chosen to important
town
offices. he was justice of the peace from 1810 to 1822, and
justice
of the peace and quorum from 1822 till his decease. he was also
representative
to the New Hampshire General Court from 1804 to 1809, and State senator
in
the years 1818, '19, '20 and '21. Beside these three sons, Mr.
Pool
had eleven daughters, ten of whom lived to adult age, and were all
married,
and most of them became the mothers of large families. he died
April
20, 1836, aet. 65.
POWERS, CAPT. PETER
was the first settler in
Hollis. Was born in Littleton, Mass., and married Anna Keyes of
Chelmsford in 1728. Settled in West Dunstable in 1730. he
was parish committee in 1740 and
held many other important parish and town offices. He was the
first
Captain of the West Dunstable militia, the commander of an expedition
to
explore the Coos country in 1754, and captain of the Hollis company in
the
expedition to Crown point in 1755. Stephen, Whitcomb and Levi,
three
of his sons, were soldiers in the French war in the same company; and
four
of them, viz., Stephen, Francis, nahum and Samson were soldiers in the
Revolution.
Died August 22, 1757, aet. 56.
PROCTOR, MOSES
came from Chelmsford,
Mass. Was
in West Dunstable in 1738, and signed the first petition for the
charter. he settled in the west part of the town on Proctor hill,
which was named for
him. His name is found on the first West Dunstable tax list in
1740,
and he was selectman in 1749. The life of Mr. Proctor is said to
have
been shortened by the bite of a rattlesnake, and he afterwards waged so
successful
a war of extermination against those reptiles that no rattlesnakes have
been
known in Hollis since his death. Died May 21, 1780, aet. 73.
TAYLOR, ABRAHAM
was born in Concord, Mass.,
and came to West Dunstable previously to 1738, and was agent of the
inhabitants with
Capt. Powers in obtaining the charter. in 1740 he gave the land
for
the Hollis meeting-house, burial ground and common. he was parish
assessor
in 1740, '41, '42 and '43. Died june, 1743, aet. 36.
TENNY, WILLIAM
came to hollis from Rowley,
Mass. his name appears first on the hollis tax lists in
1747. he was selectman in 1769 and 1770. his son, Capt.
William Tenny, was a soldier in the
Revolution. Died march 22, 1783, aet. 61.
WHEELER, PETER
is said to have come from
Salem, Mass.,
and settled in the part of Hollis known as Monson. he was a
petitioner
for the charter of West Dunstable in 1738, and his name was on the
first
West Dunstable tax list in 1740. He is said to have been noted in
his
day for his exploits and success in hunting, especially of bears.
He
was a soldier in the French war in 1755, and his sons, Ebenezer and
Lebbeus,
were soldiers in the Revolution. Died March 28, 1772, aet. 67.
WILLOUGHBY, JOHN
came from Billerica.
He was in
West Dunstable in 1745 and was a soldier in the French war, in the
years 1755,
1757, and 1758. his son, John W., Jun., was a captain in the war
of
the Revolution in the regiment of Col. Webster. Died February 2,
1793,
aet. 85.
WORCESTER, REV. FRANCIS
was born in Bradford,
Mass., June 7,
1698. Married Abigail Carleton, of Rowley, in 1720. Was
settled
as a Congregational minister in Sandwich, Mass., for ten years before
coming
to Hollis. Removed to Hollis in 1750. Afterwards preached
as
an evangelist in New Hampshire, but was nto again settled in the
ministry.
He was the author of a small volume of "Meditations" in verse, written
in
his sixtieth year. Also of several moral and religious essays
reprinted
in 1760, entitled "A Bridle for Sinners and a Spur for Saints.'
His
oldest son was Dea. Francis Worcester. His second son, Jesse, was
a
soldier in the French war, was taken prisoner, and died at Montreal, in
1757.
His youngest son was Capt. Noah Worcester. Died October 14, 1783, aet.
85.
WORCESTER, DEA. FRANCIS
was the oldest son of Rev.
Francis Worcester. Born at Bradford, March 30, 1721.
Married Hannah Boynton,
of Newbury, Mass., October 28, 1741. Came to West Dunstable in
1744.
Was chosen deacon of the Hollis church in 1746. he was selectman
in
Hollis six years, moderator of the annual town meeting eleven years,
and
town treasurer twenty years, between 1746 and 1768. In 1768 he
removed
to Plymouth, N. H., and was deacon of the church at Plymouth;
representative
to New Hampshire General Court in 1777 and 1778, and State councillor
in
1780, 1781 and 1783. Died october 19, 1800, aet. 79.
WRIGHT, CAPT. JOSHUA
came from Woburn, Mass.,
was in
West Dunstable in 1739, and signed the second petition for the
charter. he was selectman in 1749 and 1769. A soldier in
the French war in 1760,
and Captain of the Hollis militia company, in 1775, and
previously. His sons, Lemuel and Uriah, were soldiers in the
Revolution. Died August
5, 1776, aet. 60.
CONTACT ANN
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