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PHILIP MORRILL - TANNER AND REAL ESTATE INVESTOR

1/20/2018

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Picture
1812 receipt for $2.29 written by Philip Morrill
Philip Morrill is likely a name that has escaped much attention in the research of Windham’s history that has been done in the past one hundred-odd years. In fact, Leonard Morrison mentioned him only twice in his history of the town, and even then it is two brief lines in a section titled “Unassigned Births and Deaths.” There are several Morrills recorded by Morrison in his genealogical index, but they are not given a dedicated section, as are many families, and the list of Morrills fails to include Philip. However, extant records do help us piece together the life of Philip.

Philip Morrill moved to Windham from Pelham in 1805 after purchasing a property from William Davidson and William Shed, both Windham residents, for twenty dollars. His occupation at the time was listed as a tanner, working with leather. For his twenty dollars, Morrill became the owner of one acre of land near Beaver Brook. Two years after relocating to Windham, Morrill and his wife Sally became the proud parents of their first son, Alexis; Alexis’ birth on June 2, 1807 is the first birth in Morrill’s family recorded in Windham.

In August of 1808 Philip purchased two acres of land in West Windham, near Beaver Brook, from William Davidson for the sum of thirty dollars. This land was adjacent to the property already owned by Morrill, and he had now tripled his acreage for just thirty dollars. As neither this property, nor the previous property, had included any buildings, we can surmise Philip had built a home upon the first tract of land before his son had been born. Philip must have fancied himself being a success with real estate as he purchased more land in Windham in 1809. In March of 1809, Philip purchased eight acres of land from William McCoy, although it is not clear if this new tract of land actually bordered Philip’s homestead, or if he was simply expanding his acreage in town. Morrill paid sixty dollars for the land, amounting to just $7.50 per acre, a bargain when compared with the $10 - $15 per acre he had previously paid for land. Although Philip purchased his first tracts of land in Windham to build a home, he seems to have been quite a real estate investor. In 1811 Morrill sold a tract of land in West Windham to Josiah Butler for over $400, a handsome profit.

Flush with cash from his sale of land to Josiah Butler, in 1813 Philip purchased a property, which included two individual lots, in Windham for the princely sum of $395; this land was sold to him by Josiah Butler. It is in the deed for this property that the first mention of Morrill’s house can be found. For $395 Morrill became the owner of one eight acre lot near his homestead, as well as a likely larger tract for which the acreage is not provided in the deed. Shortly after his large land purchase, Morrill continued purchasing land in West Windham, paying William McCoy $54 for just two acres in that part of town. In August of 1813, Philip made his largest real estate transaction yet in Windham. He sold Solomon Hardy four acres of land in West Windham for a staggering $500. 

For Philip Morrill January of 1814 must have been quite a month. Just a week after New Year’s Day of 1814 Morrill purchased approximately ten acres of land from Robert and Betsey Simpson. Unfortunately, Sally Morrill passed away sometime before 1814. Although the birth of her son was recorded in the town records, her death seems to have been overlooked, or at least Morrison could not find the information. However, by 1814 Philip had remarried, and his second wife Mehitable gave birth to the couple’s second son, Lorenzo, on January 27, 1814. Within a week of Lorenzo’s birth Philip was back to dealing in Windham real estate, purchasing a tract of land in the vicinity of Beaver Brook that at the time was commonly called “Commins field.” Morrill spent $170 for another tract of West Windham land just two months later. 

In December of 1814 Philip sold eight acres of land near his home for just over thirty-seven dollars. He continued selling real estate in 1814 and 1815, selling a few hundred dollars worth of land in Windham; Philip also sold a few hundred dollar property in Nottingham. In 1817 Morrill sold off nearly one thousand dollars worth of property in West Windham; the two transactions mark the last time Morrill is recorded as living in Windham.
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SNOW AND WINTER WEATHER IN WINDHAM'S PAST

1/6/2018

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Picture
Mammoth Road in West Windham following a blizzard; circa 1940
In the nearly three hundred years that have passed since Windham's founding, snow and winter weather has remained an unchanged characteristic of Windham's existence. As a heavy winter snowfall and occasional blizzard would be commonplace anywhere in New England throughout history, it should not be a surprise that Windham historian Leonard Morrison devoted a section in his tome on the town's history to snowshoes. Following a significant snow storm it would have been difficult, if not impossible, to travel upon horseback or on foot. When travel was necessary in such conditions many a Windham resident would have found a good pair of snowshoes invaluable. Morrison considered snowshoes such an important artifact from the town's early history that he describes in great detail the construction of a primitive pair:

"They were from two to four feet in length, and from a foot to sixteen inches in width, and one accustomed to their use could travel with them with ease. The snow-shoe was made of a tough piece of maple or ash, about one inch in diameter, and bent in the shape represented, and the ends riveted together. There were cross-pieces, to which and to the bow of the shoe was attached a strong netting of green hide or leather. The toe of the foot was slipped under the loop of the front cross-piece and fastened, while the heel was left free, though sometimes it would be weighted so as to trail in the snow."

Leonard Morrison preserved an interesting story about British soldier John Hughes, who deserted the British Army to join the patriots. After leaving his regiment, which was stationed in Boston, Hughes made his way to Windham where he trekked through the deep snow of winter to the vicinity of Bissell's Camp. It is there that "he was greatly alarmed by the prodigious tracks of some animal upon the snow. He wished he had not come to such a country, where the wild beasts were so enormous. He sighed for the 'flesh-pots of Egypt' [a Biblical reference to pots of meat] found within the English lines. Had he known all, there was no occasion for fear, for the tracks which alarmed him were merely those of a man on snow-shoes."

In these early times, before the advent of snow plows, "all the men and boys rallied to break out the highways," which were blocked by a winter snow. However, Morrison wrote that the proprietors of Londonderry Turnpike would more often than not neglect to clear the road of snow, relying on the road's heavy traffic to pack the snow enough to make the road passable. 

While a team of men may have been able to clear many roadways after a moderate snowfall, there were several significant snow storms and cases of severe winter weather that plagued the town folk of Windham in its first one hundred years of existence. The one of the first "great" snow storm during Windham's existence occurred in October of 1801. In early October came the "Great Muster Storm." Training for the local militia took place in Derry, but when the companies of several towns, including Windham, were called to assemble, not a single company was completely represented on the training field due to a heavy rain. The inclement weather resulted in the dismissal of all the men who had braved the weather to gather for their training, but many were unable to return to their homes by nightfall due to poor road conditions. Major Gage of Pelham, as well as several officers and soldiers, were offered refuge in the home of James Cochran in Windham. By the next morning the rain had turned into sleet and then snow, with strong winds causing significant property damage throughout Windham and surrounding towns.

Another significant snow storm came along in 1816, which has since been referred to as the "Poverty Year" or the "Summer that Never Was." Throughout the nineteenth century Windham's industry was dominated by agriculture and a long period of cold weather meant hardship for many of Windham's farmers. Morrison reported that the corn crop of that year was dismal, but there was a fair amount of apples and potatoes. In June of 1816, snow several inches deep could be found in many parts of the state. 

While the snowfall of the winter of 2017-2018 has not been extensive, when recalling blizzards of the recent past or contemplating future snow storms, it may be helpful to remember what Windham residents of the past faced every winter when it came time for snow to fall.
Picture
Anderson Farm on Mammoth Road (Londonderry-West Windham border) after a snowfall
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    Derek Saffie is an avid Windham historian who enjoys researching and sharing his collection with all those interested in the history of the New England town.
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