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SAMUEL F CAMPBELL'S PRIZE COW

8/29/2015

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    Samuel F Campbell was born to parents, Alphonso and Eliza (Johnson) Campbell, in Marlborough, MA on May 21, 1882. Despite being born in Marlborough, Alphonso and Eliza resided in Windham where Samuel was raised and educated. Campbell graduated from Pinkerton Academy with the class of 1902 and went on to graduate from the University of New Hampshire, even though he was forced to return home following the death of his father in 1904. Although his father was a carpenter, he had built a business based on farming and raising stock upon the family's Windham property. Samuel took control of the farm and ran it as his father had; by 1915 it is noted that he had accumulated thirty head of registered Holstein cattle, which were his specialty. Also, it has been recorded that after only running the farm for about ten years, Samuel was the proprietor of the "best stocked" farm in the entire town. According to Rural Oasis, Campbell's cows were, "some of the highest quality cows around. His purebred Holstein cattle were taken by railroad car to fairs and expositions all over New England, including the Rochester Fair and the Eastern States Exposition in Massachusetts". 
Picture
Postcard of Campbell's state champion dairy cow
     One of his prize cows was named Catrina Korndyke Beets, a dairy cow that produced 20,580 pounds of milk in one year, as well as 866 pounds of butter in one year. For her ability Catrina was named the New Hampshire Champion sometime around 1920. That record has since been dwarfed in more recent times by cows that have been able to produce over 72,000 pounds of milk. It is noted in Rural Oasis that Campbell entered a partnership with Sam Pratt of Derry in order to purchase a "prize breeding bull" for the princely sum of $10,000, which would amount to almost a quarter of a million dollars in 2015. Unfortunately, the milk that was being produced by his herd could not pay his expenses and Campbell was forced to sell the entire herd. He then went on to work for the Diamond Match Book Company.
     Campbell was a member of many local organizations, such as the Men's Community Club of West Windham of which he was one of the first directors. Also, he was the chairman of the board of selectmen in town for a couple of years. Not limiting himself to just a couple positions within the town, Samuel served as the chairman of Windham's school board, a member of the town's library committee, and a member of the board of the Windham Presbyterian church. It is recorded in 1915 that, as of that time, Samuel had progressed to the rank of Council in the Masonic Order. Campbell was also the master of the local Grange and a member of the Eastern Star Lodge of Derry. Efforts to find the date of Samuel's death, or the details of the latter portion of his life were to no avail.
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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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