The Barnstead reunion, celebrated at Barnstead, N.H., August 30, 1882
sm mmmm '.tf.k ■ v 7 /£\ 4 ^ \ ^mK^^^mmm <r» ■■■I^UMDiU THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES Ex Libris Katharine F. Richmond and Henry C. Fall -BT27 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from Microsoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/barnsteadreunionOOcolbiala — ,353* f /&* THE BARNSTEAD REUNION CKI.KBRATED AT BARNSTEAD, N. H. August 30, 1882, EDITED BY HORACE N. COLBATH, CONCORD, N. H. : PRINTED BY IRA C. EVANS. 1884. At a meeting of the Barnstead Reunion Association, it was — Voted, That the thanks of this Association be presented to the President, Charles Smith George, Esq., for his admirable address of welcome ; to Alonzo Hall Quint, d. d., for his interesting and eloquent oration ; to Laura Garland Carr, and Hanson Caverno Canney, m. d., for pertinent and beauti- ful poems ; to Mrs. Darius Frink, for an appropriate hymn ; and to Hon. J. G. Sinclair, Hon. H. A. Tuttle, Col. E. S. Nutter, Hon. C. M. Murphy, Rev. Frank H. Lyford, Hon. J. P. Jewell, John D. Nutter, Esq., and Howard A. Dodge, Esq., for addresses and responses to sentiments, and that they be requested to furnish a copy of the same for publi- cation. That our thanks are due John B. Garland, Esq., Hon. Henry H. Huse, Rev. S. D. Jewett, Col. James S. Hoitt, Col. Thomas E. Barker, J. C. Scriggins, Esq., and William G. Drew, for congratulatory letters. Voted, That Horace Nutter Colbath be chosen to edit and publish the history of the Barnstead Reunion, held August 30, 1882, including addresses, oration, poems, sen- timents, and letters, and such other matter as he may deem proper. Attest : JOHN EL JENKINS, Recording Secretary. F CONTENTS. Vote of Publication, 2 Editor Appointed, .... 2 Introduction, . . . ... 5 Officers of the Association, 7 Executive Committee, 8 Town Committee, .... 8 Auxiliary Committee, 8 Other Committees, .... 9 Programme, ..... 12 List of Sentiments, .... 13 Address of Welcome, by C. S. George, 15 Poem, by Laura G. Carr,. 22 The Dinner, ..... 26 Poem, by H. C. Canney,. 26 Letter from S. D. Jewett, 28 " "J. C. Scriggins, 30 " William G. Drew,. 32 Address by H. A. Tuttle, 32 " " E. S. Nutter, . . -. 34 u M. B. Y. Edgerly, 36 " C. M. Murphy, 37 " J. P. Newell, 38 u F. H.' Lyford, 41 " J. D. Nutter, 43 " J. H. Kent,. 46 Letter from J. S. Hoitt, 49 1 C66729 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION Letter from T. E. Barker, 50 it a H. H. Huse,. 50 Hymn, by Mrs Darius Frink,. 52 Address by H. A. Dodge, 53 u a J. G. Sine lair, 54 Letter of J. B. Garland,. 57 Biographical Sketch of Enos George, 60 u a ti H. A. Tuttle, 63 a a a E. S. Nutter, 66 u t* a J. G. Sinclair, 68 ti a a M. V. B. Edgerly 71 u u u C. M. Murphy, 74 s " tt a Lewis Clark, 78 u ti a J. P. Newell, 80 a ti u J. H. Kent,. 82 It a it J. R. Hayes, 87 a a a H. C. Canney, 89 a t a George W. Emen *on, 92 ti it u Geo. S. Penderga st, 95 it a tt Harriet P. Dame, 97 tt a a Nancy Pendergas t, 101 tt a a J. D. Nutter, 104 Contributions, ,. • • • 106 Appendix, 107 INTRODUCTION. Bakntstead, New Hampshire, situated in the southwestern part of Belknap county, northeast from Concord twenty miles, and bordering on the counties of Merrimack and Strafford, contains thirty-six square miles of territory. Was char- tered by Gov. Wentworth May 20, 1727. Con- taining, in 1880, 1,317 inhabitants. On the east lie the Blue Hills, on the north are the Alton and Gilmanton mountains, and on the south lies the Catamount, looking down on the valley of the Suncook river as it passes the west- erly boundary of the town. It is a region of hill and valley, of beautiful rivers and ponds, and laughing brooks. A community born and educated amid such scenery, breathing the air of its hills and drink- ing the waters that flow in hundreds of rills down its hillsides, till they form the Suncook, — must love their childhood home. For the past fifty years Barnstead has been sending out her sons and daughters to other parts of the land to find new homes. Its first emigrants found homes in Massachusetts, Vermont, and New York, and afterwards they sought Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin. As new territory was opened, 6 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. they helped swell the mighty stream of emigration that has peopled the great West. To-day they may be found in twenty-eight states and territories. Some of its sons and daughters are looking out on the Pacific, others are in the valley of the Father of Waters or are fanned by the soft winds of the Gulf. Scattered over the land, these emigrants have ever yearned for the home of their fathers, while those who remained around the old hearthstones were eager to once more clasp the hands of loved ones, look once more into long remembered faces, and hear once again the voices that were music to their youthful ears. This was especially true of those who had passed the meridian and were nearing the sunset of life. By a sort of common consent, residents and emigrants seemed ready for a Reunion of the children of old Barnstead. The question has been asked, Where did the idea of this reunion originate? This may be a fitting place for answering that question. During the winter of 1877-78, a few of the sons and daugh- ters of Barnstead residing in Concord, N. H., prominent among whom were Col. E. S. Nutter, J. L. Pickering, Esq., George W. Drew, Esq., Mrs. James R. Hill, and Laura Garland Carr, de- termined to hold a reunion of the sons and daugh- ters of Barnstead living in Concord, with invited guests from the mother town and other places in New Hampshire where Barnstead sons had located. THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. 7 Such a reunion was held on the evening of Feb- ruary 28, 1878, at the Phenix Hotel, in Concord. There were present from Barnstead, a delegation of sixty citizens, led by the Barnstead Brass Band. Col. E. S. Xutter presided and made the recep- tion address. Laura Garland Carr read an origi- nal poem. Short addresses were made by J. G. Sinclair, Lewis W. Clark, J. Horace Kent, J. P. Newell, and Charles S. George. This, with a supper such as that famous hotel can provide, made the occasion a most enjoyable one. The resident sons of Barnstead returned home feeling that some day the wanderers from the old town should be invited home to the old domain, and here, amid the scenes of childhood, hold a grand family reunion. The subject was talked of from time to time, but, from various causes, no decided action was taken until, at the annual town meeting in March, 1882, it was voted to hold a reunion the coming autumn. Subsequently the following officers were chosen : . PRESIDENT. Charles S. George. VICE-PRESIDENTS. John Walker, John Pendergast, Joseph Jenkins, Caleb Willey, John B. Garland, John L. Nutter, Seth Shackford. THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. RECORDING SECRETARY. John H. Jenkins. CORRESPONDING SECRETARY. Horace N. Colbath. TREASURER. John Franklin Garland. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. John Waldo, Thomas L. Hoitt, Ira L. Berry, Horatio G. Willey, Horace Walker. TOWN COMMITTEE. George A. Hall, Albion P. Nutter, Thomas K. Proctor, Smith W. Locke, Seth Shackford, E. Frank Jones. Lewis Clark, Albert F. Shackford, Charles F. Emerson, Daniel E. Tuttle, Hiram Rand, Frank .S. Jenkins, John Pendergast, Jacob W. Evans. AUXILIARY COMMITTEE. E. S. Nutter, Concord, N. H. ; J. L. Pickering, Concord, N. H. ; H. A. Tuttle, Pittsfield, N. H. ; J. P. Newell, Manchester, N. H. ; C. M. Murphy, Dover, N. H. ; THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. J. Horace Kent, Portsmouth, N. H. ; George S. Pendergast, Boston, Mass. ; x Jos. R. Hayes, Lowell, Mass. ; Geo. F. Knowles, Lynn, Mass. CHAPLAIN. Rev. William 0. Carr. MARSHAL. Timothy Emerson. ASSISTANT MARSHALS. Frank 0. George, Henry 0. Huntress, John Rand. SUPERINTENDENT OP HALLS, TENTS, AND GROUNDS. Dr. George W. Emerson. COMMITTEE TO PREPARE SENTIMENTS. Horace N. Colbath. Charles S. George. COMMITTEE TO ARRANGE PROGRAMME. Dr. George W. Emerson, Horace N. Colbath, Frank S. Jenkins, Thomas L. Hoitt. COMMITTEE ON MUSIC. Charles E. Walker, Thomas L. Hoitt. COMMISSARY. Frank S. Jenkins. QUARTERMASTER. John Waldo. TOAST-MASTER. Rev. John George. 10 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. Thus organized, the work of preparation began. Meetings of committees and sub-committees fol- lowed in rapid succession, until a week before the day of reunion, when officers, committees and cit- izens, uniting, made it their special business. The arrangements as finally made were as fol- lows : The Reunion to be held on Wednesday, August 30, 1882, at 10 o'clock a. m. The President to make the Welcoming Address. Rev. A. H. Quint, d. d., to deliver an Oration. Laura Garland Carr to read a Poem. Dinner, free to all, in the Tent. Speeches, Sentiments, and Responses at the Stand. Music through the day by the Barnstead Brass Band. The oldest band in the United States; or- ganized Feb. 22, 1837. A tent, 78x160 feet, was placed on the grounds of Seth Shackford, Esq., adjoining the Town Hall and Congregational Church, and both these build- ings were opened to the public. The Speaker's Stand was placed between the Hall and Church; fronting it was the Band Stand. Under the direction of the Superintendent, Dr. Emerson, the tent was beautifully decorated with flags, bunting, etc., and tables were arranged in the tent to seat 1,050 persons at one sitting. Such were the measures adopted to welcome home those whose hearts had been throbbing at the thoughts of the reunion. THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. 11 In every part of the town little plans had been laid to bring families and friends together. It was to be the gathering of a great family. The number in attendance was estimated to be five thousand, over half that number having par- taken of the dinner. The best order prevailed. It was a meeting of well-dressed, orderly, and respectable men and women, whom any town might be proud to own as her children. Owing to the prevailing heat and dust, some things were omitted in the reception, and others might have been changed for the better. Yet on the whole, we can say, wrhat every visitor did say, " well done, old Barnstead." We will now conduct the reader through the various services of the occasion. The Reunion itself cannot be written or described. programme:. BALtNSTEAD REUNION, AUGUST 30,1882. At 10 o'clock A. m. — Meeting* of emigrant sons and (laughters, former residents, and present resi- dents, on the grounds. Music by the Barnstead Brass Band. At 11 o'clock a. M. — Exercises to commence at the Stand: 1st. The Chairman of the Executive Committee to call the assemblage to order, state the order of exercises, and introduce the President of the day. 2d. Prayer by the Chaplain. 3d. Music by the Band. 4th. Address of Welcome by the President. 5th. Oration. 6th. Poem. 7th. Dinner, at 2 o'clock p. m., in the Tent. 8th. Sentiments, Responses, and Reading Let- ters at the Stand. List of Sentiments. 1. Old Barnstead — A good town to go from — a better one to return to. 2. A kind remembrance to the sons and daugh- ters of old Barnstead providentially detained from our Reunion. 3. Old Barnstead — Her fair fame a sure pass- port for her sons wherever they go, her principles a guarantee of success. 4. The adopted sons of Barnstead — They have honored her name, and she rejoices in their suc- cess. 5. The emigrant sons and daughters of Barn- stead— Wherever may be their abiding place, or whatever their duties, let them never forget that* they cannot be delinquent without being degen- erate. 6. The town of Barnstead — She loves her hills and beautiful valleys, but feeling the sentiment and borrowing the language of the Roman mother, she points to her children, and exclaims, " These are my jewels." 7. The annual crop produced in Barnstead — judges, clergymen, physicians, merchants, me- chanics and farmers — may the crop increase until 14 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. she has enough for home consumption and a large surplus for exportation. 8. The friends and scenes of our childhood. 9. The soldier sons of Barnstead — The fathers in the Revolution, the sons in 1812, the grandsons in the Rebellion — the love of liberty constrained them. 10. The birthplace of our fathers — Portsmouth and Newington — names as familiar as household words to every child of Barnstead — may peace and prosperity be in their borders. 11. The host of men whose lives have been made better and happier by choosing for wives, daughters of old Barnstead. 12. The social history and reminiscences of old Barnstead. 13. The resident sons and daughters of Barn- stead— May they preserve unsullied its ancient reputation, keep sacred the memory of the fathers, and be always ready to welcome its wandering children to the old domain. RECEPTION. Mr. Waldo, Chairman of the Executive Com- mittee, at 11 o'clock, called the vast concourse of people to order, and announced the President of the day, Charles S. George, Esq. The President introduced Rev. Wm. O. Carr, the Chaplain, who led in prayer — invoking the blessing of their fathers' God to rest upon the children gathered here in their childhood home, and upon the wanderers whose hearts to-day were yearning and whose faces like Hebrew captives were turning toward the home of their fathers. The following address, welcoming our sons and daughters will win the hearty applause of every child of Barnstead. Mr. George is the son of Rev. Enos George, the first settled minister of Barnstead, who was in his day an eloquent orator, and we believe the verdict of those who listened to this address was — the mantle of the father has fallen on the son. Mr. George spoke without notes, substantially as follows : Ladies and Gentlemen : It is customary on occasions likp this for the President, on assuming the chair, to thank the Committee of Arrange- ments for the high honor conferred on him. This on my part would seem to be rather premature. 16 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. Should I succeed in the performance of my duty, it will then be time to return my thanks to the Committee. But failing, then shall I wish the mantle had fallen on some other man. I have not accepted this position with- out some misgivings — a plain farmer as I am — and more especially to-day, as I look upon this vast audience, and reflect for a moment upon the intelligence and criticising ability of those who compose it. And yet 1 am somewhat relieved of this embarrassment, when I reflect for a moment that you know and I know and everybody knows that there is one prominent charac- teristic of the people of Barnstead, that whenever and wherever called upon to perform a duty, whether man or woman, whether in war or peace, they make the effort whether successful or not. And now, as I am a Barnstead man, from the crown of my head to the sole of my foot, I shall make the effort. And right here, let me say, you are expecting a speech of welcome, all full of " welcome." This would be the sheerest nonsense. You know Barn- stead— you know her people, hence you know you are wel- come. Rather, let us talk of this good old town. Let us go back more than a hundred years : let us stand on Blue Hills, there can we see a company of brave, strong pioneers, resting on their weary journey ; they are now in sight of the promised land. Thirty-six square miles of wilderness lie before them, encircled on every side by mountains and hills, with its giant pines and oaks towering far above all the rest of the forest. Magnificent sight ! Truly it held out no allurement to the lazy, the indolent, the shiftless ; and yet how alluring to the strong, the brave, the energetic. They have come from the sea, from the vicinity of Portsmouth, with all that health and vigor that " old ocean " ever gives the dwellers on her shores. THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. 17 How well with the eye they measure the distance from their prospective home and old Portsmouth — the journey of a day. They look back once more on Portsmouth, in their minds the loveliest spot on earth, possessing the beauty of which she never could be robbed, as Nature held it in her grasp. They move on ; they enter this wilderness, the foliage of whose trees was so deep and so dark that scarce one ray of light could penetrate, and here they wander from hill to hill, from valley to valley, seeking a spot whereon to build them a home. Others come, of the same mould of character. The town is surveyed, laid off into lots, but no incorporation until the requirements of the British Crown are complied with — a church must be built and the gospel must be preached. And, by the strength of sinewy arms, logs are reared and locked together, the walls are completed, while bark laid from perline to perline — the roof is finished ; the inside probably equally rude. A committee wait upon the Rev. Dr. Adams, of Newing- ton, N. H., to preach the dedication sermon. On horse- back he comes, — dismounts, — enters this church, — then and there this good old man lifts up his voice in the wil- derness, and with his audience standing, dedicates this rude church to the Triune G-od. And where stood the church ? Go with me, if you please, to Clarktown. Let us turn to the left, around Mr. Hanson's store. Now we travel by Levi Clark's — down the hill — cross the river — a few rods farther and stop, look to the right, over the wall, and there amid those scat- tered boulders stood the first church in Barnstead. Truly, that is hallowed ground ! and ere that spot is lost to all recognition, let a monument of lasting granite be erected to tell future generations whereon stood Barnstead's first sacred edifice, within whose walls, rude though they were, the gospel in its purity was preached, while our fathers 18 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. and our mothers chanted the Songs of David with all the devotion and sincerity of angels. It is said that our an- cestors were a peculiar people, and why not ? Their lot had been cast in the only New England in the world — in the only New Hampshire, and in the only Barnstead then and to-day in all this broad land. They were proverbial for their shrewdness. The words, " Fools settled in Barnstead," never escaped the lips of man. Should they ever, methinks his head would drop upon his breast never more to rise in the heaviness of his guilt. If they did not all possess those literary attainments so essential to the well-being and refinement of society — if they could not correctly classify all the wild flowers of the forest, they did possess a judgment and mathematical ability sufficient to tell how many feet in that old-growth pine or in that " brave old oak." And to obtain such choice lumber for building material, many no doubt were induced to settle here, and year after year this lumber was taken off and transported to Portsmouth, and to-day constitutes the frame and finish of many an old mansion peculiar to that beautiful city. I never walk the streets of Portsmouth, resting my eye on those ancient mansions, without linking them with the early history of Barnstead and with the hardy yeomanry of a generation long since gone. I never look upon her shipping without realizing the fact that many a ship of Barnstead oak and pine has floated down her harbor, and with sails all spread, out upon the u wide waste of waters," riding triumphant and buoyant as the swan in its element. I have intimated that the early settlers were not an edu- cated class of people. This does not imply that no im- provement in mental culture followed. Barnstead has probably sent out and is still sending out more teachers than anv other town of the same number of THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. 19 inhabitants in the state. At one time no less than four male teachers were engaged in Portsmouth, from high school down, and to-day, while we furnish Dover a mayor, we furnish the state with one sixth of her associate judges and one fifth of her high sheriffs ; while its lawyers and doctors are scattered all over the country, from Maine to Georgia and from New Hampshire to California. And, to-day, Barnstead is represented in twenty-eight states and territories and two foreign countries ; and yet as I look out upon this audience, I am reminded that Barn- stead's sons and daughters are not all gone. I see before me sons and daughters of old Barnstead who carry in their veins the blood of old John Adams, the foremost in the forum in the " days that tried men's souls." I see before me sons and daughters who carry in their veins the blood of old John Stark, the hero of Bennington. Others I see who carry in their veins the blood of one who with a little company under the guidance of old John Sullivan, one dark night, went silently down the Piscata- qua river, broke into the fort held by British soldiers, stole the British magazine, returned with it to Durham, and afterwards sent it to Massachusetts, where it was used upon the heights of Bunker Hill. I venture to say no more daring deed was performed in the Revolutionary war, from its incipient stages to the clearing up of the smoke that hung over the city of Yorktown. Our ancestors were fond of fun, of anecdotes, and of long drawn stories ; of tracing their ancestors way back to France, to Scotland, to Ireland, England and Wales. How interesting to-day would be those stories — with what eagerness we would listen to those genealogies, so correctly, so truthfully told. Why ! my friends, I would give more to-day for]|a£col- lection of those old stories and those genealogies than I would for a collection of the choicest literature that ever flowed from the pen of man ; but they are well nigh lost 20 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. and forgotten, and the lips that uttered them are sealed, and sealed forever. The people of Barnstead were strongly attached to each other — strongly attached to their native soil — and it is this element, transmitted down to the present generation, that has brought you here to-day, my stranger friends. And now let me make a short talk to you, and I am done. To say we are glad to see you, is but a faint expression of our feelings. To shake you by the hand, to recall the scenes of earlier days, gives us a pleasure that vibrates on every artery and permeates every pore of the body. To know you have left your homes hundreds, nay, thou- sands of miles behind, to answer to the summons for this gathering, fills us with profoundest gratitude ; while it binds us together with a tie of ten fold tenacity. You are here from your New England homes, from the far West, from the orange groves of the South, from the British domin- ions, and from the Spanish realms. And to you, sir,* and yours, who have left your northern home to be with us to-day, permit me to say, that as a home subject to a crown worn by one of the loveliest women the world has ever produced — for more than forty-five years has she sat upon England's throne without a blem- ish to mar the purity of her character — sir, for the peace of England and England's dominions, long live Victoria.' And to you, sir,f and yours, who have crossed the ocean to visit once more the home of earlier days, I will say that we do not forget that it was by the generosity and enter- prise of a Ferdinand and Isabella that this great and grow- ing continent was given to the world, well nigh four hun- dred years ago. Sir, may your adopted country ere long return to its former greatness and power, and her people be tempered with the virtues of Alphonzo and his queen. ♦John D. Nutter, Montreal, Ca. f Dr. Albert Warren, Madrid, Spain. THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. 21 To you, sir, and yours, I extend a double welcome, while I wish you, your wife, and little one, a pleasant and safe re- turn to your adopted Spain. My friends, some of you went forth into the world in childhood ; some in maturer years ; but the most of you went forth in that happy period of life when the world looked bright — no clouds intervening between you and prosperity and happiness. It was " In life's morning march," ere the bright, unclouded future had told you the story of its storms and its cares ! And for your success many a prayer was whispered by the parents and friends you left behind. That you have been successful wherever you have wandered or in whatever part of the country or the world you have made your home, is the sincere and ardent hope of those whom you meet here today. And now, proud of my position, I stand here, anjd in be- half of the people of our good old town, greet you all with a welcome in which there is no dissembling, and with a friendship as pure as ever warmed the human heart. We have letters from absent friends, which the Secretary will read to you. And is this all of the reunion ? — your pres- ence and these letters from absent friends ? Is there no mysterious connection between the living and the dead ? Are those "who have gone on before" unconscious of the transactions of this day ? Must we believe that they are asleep to all the concerns and cares of the living ? Ah ! that sleep means oblivion ! Rather let us believe that back from the moment of our creation, onward through the eternal future, there is not one moment lost, not one single link disconnected or broken, in all that endless chain of the soul's immortality. They are here to-day reaching forth the hand in sympathy and friendship from the shadow that veils them from our view ! 2 22 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. It is this fact that makes this reunion complete. We are all here to-day, either mentally, in person, or in sym- pathy, from the North and from the South, from the East and from the West, and from — beyond the river ! A POEM. Written for the Barnstead Reunion, August 30, 1882, BY LAURA GARLAND CARR. Read by Miss Sophia George. [Laura Garland Carr, the daughter of William and Mary Jane (Hall) Garland, was born in Barnstead, June 27, 1835, where her childhood was passed. Her father died in her infancy. Her grandfather, Isaac Garland, was an early settler in Barnstead, and reared a large family of sons and daughters, who in early life were all teachers of the schools in Barnstead and elswhere. He was fond of reading, especially poetry, and some- times wrote verses. He died in 1867, aged ninety- two years, A son, John B. Garland, Esq., owns and occupies the old homestead, to which Mrs. Carr so feelingly refers in some of her poems. Became the wife of K. G. Carr, Esq., of Concord, IN". H., Sept. 27, 1864, where she now resides. Her friends hope some day to see the many poetic gems from her pen gathered together and published in a style befitting their worth. — Editor.] THK BARNSTEAD REUNION. 23 OLD BARNSTEAD. We talk of buried cities found beneath Italian skies, Where homes and streets, hidden for years, from out their ashes rise ; The pleasant thrills that move us, as their relics gather fast, Tell of a strong, magnetic liuk binding us to the past. We need not cross the ocean, friends, nor wander up nor down — We, who have come to middle life — to find a buried town. The world is full of them, to-day ; not quite so famed, we know, Nor covered by Vesuvian fires, so many years ago. 'Tis but the dust that Father Time lets fall in his swift flight — A golden dust — yet holding close its visions from our sight : The playgrounds of our childhood ! Oh, the homes of earliest days ! AVe never more may find them, once we leave their mystic ways. We visit scenes we call the same, and some old trails we find ; But there's a marked change over all, that cannot be defined. It gathers deeper, year by year, till each return gives pain, And memory alone can give the old haunts back again. And so there's much of sadness in our gathering to-day; — For us who went out gay and young, and come back staid and gray ; — And, while this modern Barnstead has its own fair claims, in sooth, Forgive us if we cherish best the old town of our youth. Old Barnstead ! Ah, how vast it was ! It almost filled the world ! Not quite, — for wasn't Tuttle's stage, in all its grandeur, whirled, Once every week, straight through town and off beyond the hills, Where Dover lay, — a strip of land, with a few noisy mills ? That stage ! No palace car we've seen was half so rich and gay ! It had red curtains, you could see more than a mile away. And, when close by Lock's Corner school, at Nutter's store, it paused, What a wild stir of wonderment in our young breasts it caused ! We turned, and stretched our necks, to peer through windows small and high, To catch each crimson flutter in the dust clouds rolling by. And then the school droned slowly on, while fat old bumble-bees Looked in on us with husky boom, then whisked off toward the trees. We followed them with longing eyes, and thought how cool and dense The shadows lay upon the grass, beyond the pasture fence ; And wondered if the worm we saw at recess, on the ledge, Had finished up his jerky job of inching off its edge. 24 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. We heard a chipmunk scold and fret, and knew the very stump Where he was sitting, tail erect, the frisky, saucy hump ! An August-bug, withtlong-drawn whir-r, went slowly sailing by, And happy swallows skimmed and wheeled between us and the sky. And then our eyes went slowly o'er the objects in the room : The pile of hemlock, by the door, already for a broom ; The oak-leaf festoons on the wall ; the long seats, row^by row ; The water-pail, on the front bench, with dusty pools below ; The battered old tin dipper, with its rusty base and brim ; — And here we made a pilgrimage in sudden thirsty whim. Then o'er the teacher's desk we looked, with eager, searching face, Hoping, amid the knots and stains, a new scene we might trace. The rusty old box-stove was gay with fragrant tufts of fern, And all the rambling funnel, in its every crook and turn, Was misty with asparagus, where flies in busy glee Swung up and down, so free and glad, it made us wild to see. Oh, how the time dragged ! Are these months so long as first school days? They are the darkest points I see, way back there in the haze. Ah, now, when every passing hour is full to overflow, The thinking on those taskless times is the best rest we know ! No freed, wild creature from the wood ere sped to its abode More gladly than we bounded home through that long, winding road, With dinner-pails that swung and flashed at every joyous turn, And gleaning lessons all the way that were not hard to learn. Our father's fifty acre farm ! How full of nooks t'was stored ! Oh ! it seemed larger than this town, with regions unexplored. We never saw such bees and birds as joined us at our play, Nor fields so full of sweet wild flowers. You call them weeds to-day. No modern mower er'e was seen through those fair fields to pass, Scaring the merry bobolinks from homes deep in the grass ; Nor one of all the clanking things that these new farms infest Went clattering across those vales, like demons of unrest. A slender pathway, like a thread, now hidden, and now seen, Ran through the line of rustling corn and off across the green, With mazy curves and wayside charms our young feet to beguile, Till, at the wall, another path met it beyond the stile. THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. 25 What pleasant people came and went through those remembered ways ! There was no dearth of uncles, aunts, or cousins, in those days. And oh, the dear old grand-parents, with hearts so warm and true ! So mindful of each childish want in all our noisy crew ! In that old town all things were bright within its ample lines. No bugs were on the roses then, no blight upon the vines. And didn't berries ripen sweet through nine months of the year? Then, oh, the jolly harvest time, with all its added cheer ! There was no empty houses then, beside the roads to rise, Mocking us with the ghostliness of their dull, vacant eyes ; Nor were there strange new faces glancing from familiar nooks, Without a hint of love for us in their cold, curious looks. There were no grave-yards in that town of which we were aware, Only a few old, mossy graves that always had been there, With quaint, dark stones telling us when the sleepers went away. Not one of these cold marble slabs that chill our hearts to-day. Barnstead ! Her fields are rich and green, her meadows fair to see ; Her pasture lands are dotted o'er with cattle, roving free ; Her forests spread their shadows broad in many a sylvan place ; Her hills trail low against the sky in curving lines of grace. On her fair ponds the lilies lie in all their wealth of bloom, While from their banks rings out the clear, wild laughter of the loon ; Her streamlets glide down grassy slopes with merry song and flash ; Her waterfalls leap from her heights with frantic plunge and dash. And though her sons and daughters roam through all the big, round earth, A goodly company still fills the home that gave them birth. And younger ones are coming up to join the thinning band, While peace and plenty, side by side, make glad the pleasant land. Then here's cheer for Barnstead town, just as she stands to-day ; And here's one for her girls and boys, who've never strayed away ; Another for the distant ones, who hold her memory dear; And one more for the wanderers, who've once more gathered here. But when I speak of that old town that has so long been dead, I feel like standing silently, with bowed, uncovered head. 26 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. Notk. It is with sincere regret that the Editor reports his inabil- ity to procure a copy of the Oration of Dr. Quint for publication. Several letters were written him, requesting a copy, but they failed to elicit any response, and reluctantly the book is sent to the printer without it. [Ed.] THE DINNER. On adjourning, at 2 o'clock p. m., from the Stand at which the morning exercises had been held, the company moved to the Dining Tent, where tables were loaded with substantial food and varied del- icacies, prepared by Barnstead's fair daughters for the guests to the family gathering. After dinner a short time was spent in social greetings and renewing old acquaintances and friendships, when the thrilling notes of the Band again called them to the Stand. The President called them to order and intro- duced Dr. H. C. Canney, of Manchester, who read the following Poem: BARNSTEAD. [Written for and read at the Reunion held at Barnstead, N. H., August 30, 1882.] BY DR. H. C. CANNEY. Old Barnstead ! grand and noble town, The fairest gem in a nation's crown, With thy broad fields, thy hills and waters, Thy noble sons and peerless daughters. Thy daughters fair, wherever found, With memories sweet thy name surround ; Thy absent sons, where'er they roam, Still think of thee, old town, as home. THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. 27 Xo skies so fair have they e'er seen, No birds so gay, no fields so green, Xo other waters e'er so bright, As sparkled to their youthful sight. Then life seemed bright as morning's dew, And earth seemed good and pure and true. O, that those dreams were dreams of truth, — Those of our free and buoyant youth. But 'mid this day of festal gladness We will remember, not in sadness, How far from childhood's faith we turned, As we life's bitter lessons learned. Again we view each treasured nook, By rocky height or babbling brook, And they bring back with magic power, Remembrance of youth's fleeting hour. It only seems the other day, We frolicked there in childhood's play, And we forget the flight of years, Life's struggles, triumphs, joys and tears. As here we meet 'mid scenes of yore, And friend greets friend with joy once more ; We join the sport, and not in vain, We dream that we are young again. Though passing time has left its traces Upon the old, familiar faces ; And many to-day we miss among Those dear to us when life was young. Old Barnstead, 'round our natal shrine, The strongest tendrils always twine, 'Round early friends and playmates dear, Now in reunion gathered here. rl hen let joy's merry tones ring out, Ring far and wide in gladsome shout, Till vale and hill shall give reply In echoes sounding to the sky ! 28 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. Long may the old town guard with care That honored station now its share ; And may its truant children all Return at each reunion's call, To pass at least one happy day With those at ho?ne, who wisely stay, To ever keep thy growing fame, — With them 'tis safe — thy honored name. From heaven to earth no bliss descends More pure than greeting childhood's friends ; And may we hope reunions here Will mark with joy each passing year. For they will ever truly be Like islands green in life's drear sea, And grown more dear as years shall glide Adown times ever ebbing tide. Yet 'mid our joys comes thought of pain, We may not all meet here again ; For one by one we journey 'lone Unto the land of the unknown. But through the years of coming time, As pilgrims in an eastern clime Gather at Mecca, their shrine so dear — So may our children gather here. When earth and time no more shall be, I hope and trust, old friends, that we Shall yet a grand reunion hold 'Yond gates of pearl, in streets of gold. After the Poem, the Secretary read the follow- ing letters: LETTER OF REV. S. D. JEWETT, OF MIDDLETOWN, CONN. Middletown, Ct., Aug. 23, 1882. Rev. Wm. 0. Carr, — Dear Sir: I have received the invitation of the Ex. Committee to attend the Reunion at Barnstead Aug. 30. THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. 29 Your letter of the 17th came with the request that I lead in the opening prayer. Could I be present I would stand in my lot, and do what I might to add to the interest of the occasion. But I must decline to accept your kind invi- tation. I excuse myself on the score of distance, home duties and age. The first settlers of Barnstead are well remembered by me. Although I have not lately visited my native place bodily, yet I am often there in spirit. Among the dead and living are my kindred. I can now see distinctly the form and face of Esquire Charles Hodgdon, Lef tenant Ben- jamin Nutter, Uncle Lord, Uncle Joseph and 'Deborah Bunker, Deacon Ebenezer Nutter and his wife, riding six miles on horseback to meeting. I have the History of Barnstead and read it with great pleasure, and if it has some irrelevant matter and a super- abundance of poetry, it is what was wanted — a correct his- tory of Barnstead. It need not be said that the pioneers of Barnstead were almost a unit in politics. At one time there were but two Federal votes found in the ballot-box — one of these was thrown out by my father, the other by Uncle Locke of the north part of the town. Your venera- ble predecessor, Rev. Enos George, was earnest and effi- cient to perpetuate the same ratio. If Barnstead has not increased in population as some towns have, it is because so many of her sons have emi- grated. I am surprised to see the catalogue of professional and educated men that Barnstead has sent out. What town of equal population can compare with it in this respect ? I have many pleasant memories of Barnstead Parade. I am now over eighty years old, and have some of the peevish- ness of old age ; but when I remember the follies and mis- chief of early days, my fault-finding is suppressed and I am charitable. 30 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. God bless old Barnstead ! He brought a strong and vigorous colony there, led by a pious servant of his own choice. He has sustained them since, and now permits them to sit in peace and plenty under their own vine and fig tree. This Reunion should be full of gratitude to God, and full of faith in him for the future. Let it close with every voice in a grand chorus, " Praise God from whom all blessings flow." From your aged townsman, S. D. JEWETT. LETTER OF J. C SCRIGGINS, ESQ. Storm Lake, Iowa, Aug 11, 1882. Horace N. Colbath, Esq., — Dear Sir: I received your kind invitation to attend the Reunion of the Sons and Daughters of Barnstead, Aug. 30th. I should be happy to come and see long remembered faces and take one more look over the hills and valleys of my native town, the home 'of my boyhood, before I go to that " bourne from which no traveller returns." But it is impossible. I am all alone, and have cows, horses, and swine to care for and look after as well as farm crops to gather. I cannot write you my feelings, as I am not used to much writing, but I enclose some verses that I found in a paper, that in many, respects truly expresses my own ex- perience : In the home of my childhood, where tall poplars grew, Was a huge kitchen fire-place homely to view, With its old-fashioned crane and its trammels of wire, That swung the " cook-pot " o'er the old kitchen fire. Back-logs were, in winter, piled up to the flue, With fore-sticks of hick'ry, or maple in lieu; Whence bright cheerful flames would leap higher and higher, Till all was aglow 'round the old kitchen fire. THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. 31 In autumn the bacon and shoulders and hams Were hung up to cure in those ample old jambs, And all the home comforts that heart could desire, Were plenty and free 'round that old kitchen fire. When the chores were all done, and the back-log in place We drew round the table, and bowing for " grace," All joined in thanksgiving, pronounced by the sire, For blessings surrounding our old kitchen fire. Oft-times was that kitchen the neighbors' resort For social enjoyment or juvenile sport, And children would cluster around our grandsire To hear his war-tales by the old kitchen fire. The purest enjoyments I ever have known Were those when I mingled at home with my own — With parents and children, and household entire, Assembled around the dear old kitchen fire. One soul was as gentle and sweet as the dove — The bond of our circle, its centre of love, Whose hands though oft weary, seem never to tire Of labors of love 'round the old kitchen fire. As the mother-bird guardeth the nest of her brood, Thus watchful was she for our safety and good ; And often she toiled, after all would retire, Our garments to mend by the old kitchen fire. In search of enjoyment I've roved the world round, 'Along the grave and the festive, and yet I've not found Tn all life's allurements one charm to admire Like the home scenes of yore 'round the old kitchen fire. Thanking you for your kind invitation, I am Your ob't servant, JOSHUA C. SCRIGGINS. 32 THE BARNSTEAD REUNION. LETTER OF WILLIAM G. DREW. Quincy, Plumas Co., California, August 13, 1882. Horace N. Colbath, — Dear Sir : I hereby acknowledge the receipt of your kind invitation to be present at the Barnstead Reunion, with sincere regrets that I cannot be there. Yet I would say to the sons and daughters of Barnstead, Dear Brothers and Sisters, Greeting from one who holds in most affectionate remembrance the home of his child- hood— old Barnstead, in Yankee land. You may be sure, my friends, I am with you in spirit although materially I am three thousand miles away. When I first came to California, I was introduced to a gentleman, a native of New Hampshire, who asked from what part of the state I came. With pride I answered from Barnstead. "A good place to come from," said he, em- phatically. But I, for one, think it is a good place to live in, and a good place to return to ; and truly I hope when you have another Reunion I may be there in person. Wishing you all much pleasure at your Reunion, I am, with respect, yours, <fec, WM. GARLAND DREW. 