Windham NH HIstory

WINDHAM IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR - GENERAL GEORGE REID

4/30/2016

George Reid was born in 1733 in Londonderry, NH; his parents, James and Mary Reid were among the earliest settlers of Londonderry. James Reid was a college graduate, likely one of just a handful of such educated men in the Nutfield region. Despite James' formal education, he operated a farm upon which George worked as a child. In 1765 George married Mary Woodburn, and the newly married couple settled in Londonderry. Mary was well regarded for her beauty as well as her homemaking skills; the latter proved to be invaluable when she ran the family farm and household for the duration of her husband's military service. General John Stark remarked once that if there was a woman fit to serve as the governor of New Hampshire, it would have to be Mary Reid. When the Battle of Bunker Hill broke out on June 17, 1775, George was captain of a company of minutemen, which included nine Windham men:
   Lieutenant Abraham Reid
   Alexander Brown
   James Gilmore
   Allen Hopkins
   John Hopkins
   Ebenezer McIlvain
   Thomas Wilson
   William Clyde
   David Gregg

Portrait of General George Reid - Courtesy of www.seacoastnh.com

On that fateful summer day, these men, along with men from Londonderry, marched to Medford where they joined American colonial forces already fighting one of the first battles of the Revolutionary War. For his bravery in that particular battle, on January 1, 1776 Reid was appointed as a captain in the Fifth Regiment of Foot, which was under the command of General John Stark. Captain Reid's military tactics and skills paved the way for him to rapidly rise through the ranks. The following year he was appointed to the rank of lieutenant colonel, and was appointed as colonel of the second New Hampshire regiment in 1778. Reid participated in many of the most important battles of the Revolutionary War, including:
   Battle of Long Island
   Battle of White Plains
   Battle of Trenton
   Battle of Brandywine
   Battle of Germantown
   Battle of Saratoga
   Battle of Stillwater
During the harsh winter of 1777, Reid chose to stay with the troops at Valley Forge, even after several of the other officers left to return home. In 1779, he joined Sullivan's Expedition, a military campaign against the "Six Nations" of the Iroquois Confederacy that had sided with sided with the British. Reid also served as the commander of the First New Hampshire Regiment from April of 1783, until the unit was dissolved the same year following the end of the Revolutionary War. At the conclusion of the war, George Reid gained the notable distinction of being one of the longest serving officers in the Continental Army. In 1785, he received his final military appointment, being commissioned as brigadier-general in charge of New Hampshire's troops. The following year he was appointed as the justice of the peace of Rockingham County. When the Exeter Rebellion, also known as the "Paper Money Riot" broke out later that year, General Reid commanded a small company of soldiers sent to Exeter to put down the uprising. The lack of paper money in the region made repayment of debt difficult for many farmers and this was the source of the rebellion. Following his brief service during the Exeter Rebellion, Reid received anonymous letters containing death threats, as well as threats to burn down his homestead, for his role in putting down the rebellion. The latter threat was almost carried out one night as a mob surrounded his house, threatening to burn it to the ground. However, Reid was able to calm the mob, and convinced them to let himself and his home be. In 1791, Reid was appointed as the sheriff of Rockingham County. Following this appointment, he permanently returned home to his wife and children. General George Reid died in 1815, at the age of 83.

1805 document signed by General George Reid as the town clerk of Londonderry

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THE "LONDONDERRY TIMES"

4/23/2016

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The "Londonderry Times" was published once a year in Londonderry, NH by the Levee Fair Association. The newspaper did not just focus on current events, but also dedicated several articles to discussing the history of Nutfield. First published in 1864, the newspaper was published until the late 1870s, and possibly even after. Each issue contained many anecdotes about life in Nutfield; how many of Windham's early settlers would have lived. It is from the Londonderry Times that the Derry News often acquired historical information. The issue below gives a brief account of the hunting season in 1867. The columnist writes that, "in this and neighboring towns the past season, all kinds of game have been very abundant, except partridges. It is supposed that the latter have been mostly destroyed by foxes, which have been unusually numerous. Their depredations were not confined to the woods, but many poultry yards suffered." Foxes were one of the most hunted animals in Windham, likely by those whose livestock was jeopardized by the animal. There is also a mention of the hedgehogs, which once populated the Nutfield region. While Morrison wrote that the last hedgehog in Windham was killed in about 1800, they were likely in the are for at least a few more decades. According to the author of the hunting article, the last sighting of a hedgehog came in the 1830s when one was killed in Londonderry. Wolves were also a once common animal that has now virtually disappeared from the area. There is a record of Margaret Dinsmoor being attacked, but ultimately left uninjured, by a wolf in 1775. Other game animals that still remain quite common in Windham include deer, rabbit, and squirrels. Many of such animals have been hunted by the inhabitants of Windham for nearly three hundred years.

1867 issue of the "Londonderry Times"

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ISAAC THOM - WINDHAM'S FIRST DOCTOR

4/16/2016

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Isaac Thom was born in Windham on March 1, 1746 to parents, William Thom and Elizabeth Weir Thom. They emigrated to America from Londonderry, Ireland in 1736; they settled in Windham that same year. Isaac was born and raised upon the family farm at the north end of Cobbett's Pond; the farm William had purchased in 1743. In 1769 Dr. Isaac Thom began practicing medicine, and quickly became very successful as the first regular physician in Windham. That same year he married Persis Sargent of Methuen, MA; together the couple had twelve children, half of which were born in Windham and the other half of which were born in Londonderry. For the thirteen years that he practiced medicine in Windham, he is recorded as having been highly esteemed by all who knew him. Thom was a prominent and influential figure in town, presiding over town meetings and serving as a selectman for brief periods during the 1770s. He was also a member of the committee of safety during the American Revolutionary War. Such committees were formed to "keep watch of and act upon events pertaining to the public welfare." The committees often also had control of the local militia. In 1782 he moved from Windham to Londonderry, purchasing a property that is now in Derry. He continued practicing medicine for over a decade, retiring from his long career in 1795. While a resident of Londonderry, Thom served as the town's postmaster and justice of the peace for several years. Isaac Thom passed away on July 13, 1825, surviving his wife by only a few years.

1805 document signed by Isaac Thom as justice of the peace of Londonderry

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SCHAFFER'S SWISS BELL RINGERS VISIT WINDHAM

4/9/2016

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On Monday December 5, 1881, a crowd assembled at Windham's town hall to attend a performance of Schaffer's Swiss Bell Ringers. The musical troupe, headed by Oscar and Louise Schaffer, toured the East Coast during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Oscar himself was a talented ventriloquist and songwriter. At each performance songbooks containing Oscar's original songs would be distributed to members of the audience for a sing-along. As the same songs were used from show to show, Oscar would then recollect the songbooks at the end of the show, leaving the audience without a single memento of the evening. Louise was the headlining musician of the group and was known for her cornet solos, as well as her skills with the xylophone and banjo. Although Oscar and Louise were often billed as the headlining acts of their shows, their Swiss Bell Ringers eventually became very well known. The bell ringers would perform rather complicated pieces of music by hand ringing individual brass bells. As their popularity increased, they began to tour and give performances on their own, without the acts of Oscar or Louise. The bell ringers were greeted by a large audience in Windham, and according to William Samuel Harris, all "were well pleased with the entertainment."

Windham Town Hall as it would have looked when the bell ringers performed

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SILAS BETTON - LAWYER, POLITICIAN, SHERIFF

4/2/2016

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Silas Betton was born in Windham on August 26, 1767. His father, James Betton, was a well known politician who served as a delegate to the state Congress at Exeter, NH during the American Revolutionary War. On December 26, 1775, James Betton was appointed to a committee that was charged with "[drawing] up a plan for the government of this colony during the present contest with Great Britain." He later became an agent to the Continental Congress. Betton was entrusted with transferring large sums of money that were to be used to pay and outfit soldiers. In 1777 he was tasked with sending a debt certificate in the amount of $171,100 from the Continental Congress to the state of New Hampshire. The amount would be over $3,000,000 in 2015. He eventually married Elizabeth Dickey of Londonderry and the couple had 10 children; the tenth child being Silas Betton.
Silas spent his childhood on the family farm in Windham, and eventually went on to attend Dartmouth College; he graduated in 1787. He began to study law and was admitted to the bar in 1790. That same year he moved to Salem, NH where he started his own law office. It was as a lawyer that Betton signed the document below. The document appears to concern a client of his, Mr. Huse, who settled an action against him. It is also signed by John Dinsmoor, formerly of Windham, who was a justice of the peace at the time.

1798 document signed by Silas Betton

Silas Betton served as a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from 1797 to 1799. He later became a member of the state Senate and served in that capacity from 1801 to 1803. Betton found his life's calling as a politician and was eventually elected on the ticket of the Federalist party to the Eight and Ninth United States Congresses, where he served as a state representative from 1803 to 1807. He resumed practicing law after leaving Congress. However, he later served as member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, again, from 1810 - 1811. From 1813 to 1818, he served as the high sheriff of Rockingham County.
Shortly after he moved to Salem, Betton married Mary Thornton, the daughter of Matthew Thornton, the signer of the Declaration of Independence. Together the couple had seven children, all born in Salem. Silas Betton died on January 22, 1822 at the age of 54. He was interred at the Old Parish Cemetery in Salem. Mary Thornton Betton survived him by over two decades, passing away in either 1845 or 1846.

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WINDHAM IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR - GENERAL GEORGE REID

THE "LONDONDERRY TIMES"

ISAAC THOM - WINDHAM'S FIRST DOCTOR

SCHAFFER'S SWISS BELL RINGERS VISIT WINDHAM

SILAS BETTON - LAWYER, POLITICIAN, SHERIFF

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