History of Wolfeboro

Named In Honor of General James Wolfe

Many people know that Wolfeboro is named for General James Wolfe, but fewer can guess why the 24 proprietors or owners of the town, decided on Nov. 14, 1759, to name the town after an English general who never set foot in New England. Do you know why?

The main external threat to the life and happiness of the settlers came from the French and their Indian allies. Removing the French and Indian threat became the highest priority for both the British government and the American colonists. General Wolfe started his military career when he was only 14 years old. After several military failures due to poor judgment in 1759 his victory finally came. The battle of Quebec proved a turning point for him. Amherst went on to take Montreal in the following year, and French power in North America was broken forever. Two months later their gratitude was expressed in the naming of Wolfeboro. His greatness was exaggerated because of his dramatic death during the moment of victory over Quebec.

First Families

First Families of Wolfboro NH

AVERY- Thomas J. AVERY (1805-1898) came from MA in 1835. Married Ann B. COTTON (1807-1889) in 1836. One of their many children was George C.(1839-1924), he married Lucinda F. NUTE.

BICKFORD- Jonathan BICKFORD (1730- 1818) came to No. Wolfeboro in 1785. He married in 1757, Sarah WILMOT (1739- 1823) They had 13 children, 8 grew into adulthood. Jonathan was the 5th generation of Bickfords in America. GG John Bickford (1607-1677) came to America at 16. Thomas (1640-1719) was of Scarborough. John (1670-1757) of Dover Neck and John Jr. (1698-1762) of Dover.

BLAKE- Thomas married Abigail HARDY (1799-1879) daughter of Major Dudley HARDY. Their son Charles F. (1826-1899) married Susan ROBERTS, daughter of Aaron Roberts.

CHAMBERLAIN- Wm. CHAMBERLAIN (1620-1706) was born in England and came to America in 1635. William traces his ancestry to John DeTOQUEVILLE, head Chamberlain to WILLIAM the CONQUERER. He died in Billerica,MA. Following him in line are: Jacob (1657-1712), William (1697-1753), William (1725-1815) and John (1751-1826).John moved to Wolfeboro as an old man. He had 12 sons, born in Brookfield, two of them owned land in No. Brookfield, Ira and Dudley.

DREW- Lemuel DREW was the first of his family in town, in 1810. His father Jedediah (1748-1817) purchased 100 acres adjoining No. Wolfeboro. Jedediah had 6 sons, Lemuel is one of them. Jedediah's brother, Andrew DREW (1758-1854) a Brookfield resident, bought property over the line in the Wolfeboro Addition. Jedediah and Andrew are the sons of Lemuel DREW (1723-1759).

HAINES- John HAYNES was Governor of Massachusetts Bay, 1635. He was of Essex, England. First resided at Cambridge, then moved to CT. and became Governor of the Colony of Connecticut.

An early HAINES was Samuel who was about 58 in July 1663 and about 65 Dec. 1676, dep. that he came on the Angel Gabriel in 1635 with John Cogswell whose servant he had been in England about 9 years, he went with him to Ipswich.

Joshua HAINES (1724-1813) moved to No. Wolfeboro in 1784. GGrandfather was:

Samuel HAINES who came over in 1635, and established himself at Dover Point, returned to England to wed, raised a family in Greenland. Joshua and his sons, Joseph and Jacob, bought land in No. Wolfeboro, 1772 and after. Joshua's wife was a cousin, Mary HAINES. Mary died in 1783/84.There were 8 children. When Joshua moved he was 60 years old. Some of his children came with him: Jacob, Joseph, Matthias, Mehitable and Hannah, Joshua's older sister, Jane, moved with him also.

NUTE- Samuel (1749-1825) married Phebe PINKHAM of Milton. Samuel's ancestor is James NUTE (1612-1690), who came from Tiverton, England about 1648 and died in Dover. Samuel and Phebe had ten children: Stephen (1779-1843) married Anna FURBUSH (1774-1847); Jotham (1778-1817) married Olive TUTTLE (1781-1862). When Jotham died he left 4 children; Nicholas (1781-1862) married Elizabeth Bickford HAYES (1788-1868) in 1808. They had 8 children; Mary married Thomas YOUNG.

Thomas NUTE (1764-1842) came to No. Wolfeboro from Dover about 1793. He married Eunice VARNEY between 1796 and 1803. They had 5 children: James (1804-1895) married Mary NUDD in 1827 and Eleanor NUDD in 1844. The wives were sisters. Mary NUDD was mother to James Jr. (1831-1885) married Sarah BEACHAM (1832-1900) and Mary was also mother to Tom "the terrible" who married Abby L.; the second son of Jesse (1806-1841) who married Hannah GOLDSMITH about 1830 and they had Charles OMAR (1831-1900); the third son is Thomas S. (1809-1880).

SCEGGEL- Benjamin,Jr. (1757-1836) was one of No. Wolfeboro's earliest settlers. Benjamin married Judith CONNOR (1760-1835), of Moultonboro and they had 6 children. Benjamin was the son of Benjamin SCEGGEL Sr., and grandson of Christopher, who moved to New Castle in 1714. Benjamin Jr's son, James (1784-1859) married Temperance BURLEIGH (1785-1867) in 1805.

THURSTON- An early Thurston was John, of Kittery, a blacksmith. He married 15 Aug. 1688 Hannah CAREY. Stephen (abt 1760-1814) married Polly/Molly about 1795. Some of their children: Betsy married ____WHITTLE; Nancy; Charles; and Stephen Jr.

WIGGINS- Thomas was the first of this name, coming in 1630, residing in Piscataqua. He was a widower in 1633. Married 2nd, on one of his trips back, Catherine WHITEING, 11 July 1633, at St. Margaret, New Fish Street, London. Mark WIGGIN (1745-1821), the son of Thomas WIGGIN (1701-1776) and Mary TAYLOR WEARE, was born in Strathem and was the first of his family in No. Wolfeboro, to which he moved in 1792. Mark married Betsy BRACKETT (1748-1812) of Greenland. Eight of his eleven children came to No. Wolfeboro; Mary (1770-1851) married Mark AVERY; Betsy BRACKETT (1774-1861) married James FERNALD of Brookfield and after his death she married Moses THURSTON of No. Wolfeboro; Sally (1776-1864) married George C. COTTON; Nancy (1787-1863) married John DREW; Thomas (1770-1839), twin of Mary, had 3 wives, Eliza THURSTON (1773-1822), Judith BICKFORD (1779-1828) and Mary YOUNG (1779-1865).

WILLAND- Hezekiah WILLAND (1820-1892) was born in Rochester, one of fourteen children, orphaned at eight years old. He came to No. Wolfeboro and his family became one of the foremost families of No. Wolfeboro.

Some other NORTH WOLFEBORO Surnames are: ABBOTT, ADJUTANT, COTTON, DAME, FERNALD, HAYES, JENNESS, LARY, MORGAN, PHILBRICK, RENDALL, SHERBURNE,WHITTLE