By the latter half of the 19th century, logging had long been an important industry in Windham. Numerous saw mills had existed in town since shortly after its settlement in 1719. The vast tracts of forest made Windham, and the surrounding area, an ideal location for the lumber industry. The production of Windham's saw mills is evident in the receipt below, which gives an official measurement of over 64,000 feet of pine logs. The 64,075 feet of pines logs were produced at the mill of William H Anderson; the lumber was measured by Francis A Marden before it was sold to Horace D Gregg. Using the average diameter of a pine tree in the Northeast, the lumber would be equivalent to about 1,600,000 board feet. For his services, Marden charged a fee of $9.71.
1867 receipt for Francis Marden's fees for measuring pine logs
Horace D. Gregg was born on July 17, 1842 to parents, William and Abigail Gregg. He lived a rather unremarkable life, save for his service in the Civil War. During the war he belonged to Company H of the of the Fifteenth New Hampshire Regiment. The regiment had been organized in Concord, NH in October of 1862, with the length of service being ten months. Those belonging to the regiment were mustered out of service on August 13, 1863. Gregg died on May 25, 1873.
Francis A. Marden was born in New Boston, NH in 1809, and did not arrive in Windham until 1836, when he became a clerk in Robert Bartley's store at Windham Centre. In 1839 Marden moved to West Windham where he opened his own store, after purchasing an interest in Bartley's store. Aside from running the store, he was also maintained the farm he lived on. While in Windham, Marden was active in politics and served as a selectman and justice of the peace. He was also the postmaster at West Windham for seven years. On May 16, 1843, Marden married Lucy Park, and the couple had four children, who born between 1840 and 1849. In 1869, the Marden family moved to Hudson, and a few years later moved to Nashua.
Francis A. Marden was born in New Boston, NH in 1809, and did not arrive in Windham until 1836, when he became a clerk in Robert Bartley's store at Windham Centre. In 1839 Marden moved to West Windham where he opened his own store, after purchasing an interest in Bartley's store. Aside from running the store, he was also maintained the farm he lived on. While in Windham, Marden was active in politics and served as a selectman and justice of the peace. He was also the postmaster at West Windham for seven years. On May 16, 1843, Marden married Lucy Park, and the couple had four children, who born between 1840 and 1849. In 1869, the Marden family moved to Hudson, and a few years later moved to Nashua.