New Hampshire
History of Chesterfield
Granted in 1735 by Governor Jonathan Belcher of Massachusetts, this town was the site of Fort Number 1, first in the line of forts bordering the Connecticut River.
After the border between Massachusetts and New Hampshire was fixed, the town was incorporated on February 11, 1752 by Governor Benning Wentworth
as Chesterfield, named for Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield.
The first settlers were Moses Smith and William Thomas, who, with their families, came up the Connecticut in canoes, in the fall of 1761.
Their chief subsistence through the winter and spring of their first year in the wilderness consisted of salmon and shad,
of which there was a great abundance in the river, and deer, which were numerous in the forests.
The town contains some of the finest farmland in Cheshire County, yet once was also home to small manufacturing,
notably spinning wheel parts and hand tools.
In 1772, Philip Embury conducted the first Methodist religious services in New Hampshire at the James Robertson farm in Chesterfield, and in 1803,
Francis Asbury preached here. Asbury Church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized for its historic puritan design.
Asbury Church is considered the "Mother Church of Methodism" in New Hampshire, and is the oldest Methodist church in the state.
The town has had continual Methodist Sunday services for over 225 years.
Chesterfield Academy, established in 1794, was for decades one of the most celebrated in the state.
Chesterfield - Town of Chesterfield Home Page
Cemeteries in the Town of Chesterfield - Chesterfield has seventeen cemeteries, many are very old.
Cheshire Co. GenWeb Project - Founded 15 November 1996
This site maintained by: GN Kidder - E-mail - address
Copyright 1996 by Randall Mitton
Copyright 1996-2023 by GN Kidder
NHGenWeb SC:George Kidder
NHGenWeb ASC:Norma Hass
Last Edited 4 April 2024