Town of Temple

Town History

The town of Temple, NH was incorporated 26 Aug 1768, and named for the Hon. John Temple. It is located in the southwestern part of Hillsboro County. Hurd reports that this township embraced several tracts of land granted to individuals by the government of Massachusetts prior to 1740, and the territory was granted by the Masonian proprietors in November, 1750. For a number of years it was called Peterborough Slip, and included the present town of Sharon, and when Temple was incorporated, in 1768, a tier of lots on the west side of Wilton and the easterly portion of Peterborough Slip (or Sliptown) was included. Later, areas from New Ipswich, Peterborough, and Lyndeborough were also annexed into Temple, NH.

The boundary disputes between Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and the various annexations and redrawn boundary lines between the towns in this area, make colonial research quite a challenge. I've learned to be flexible, and search surrounding towns' vital records, histories, etc. One of my Temple, NH, ancestors, Joshua Todd, was reported by one source to have been born in Rowley-Canada. Although I still don't know if that is true, I did discover that Rowley-Canada, was an area that encompassed a small bit of Temple, and parts of Rindge, Jaffrey, and Sharon.

My ancestor, Joshua Todd, was among the first to settle in Temple, arriving about 1758 with his wife & children. Their daughter, Elizabeth Todd married Zebadiah Dinsmore who had relocated from neighboring Hollis, NH with his father, Abraham, about 1764. I discovered that my ancestor, Zebadiah Dinsmore, married Elizabeth Todd, 13 Mar 1777, and the "Alarm" calling Temple men to NY came shortly after. Zebadiah answered that call and marched with Capt. Drury's Company, to serve at Ticonderoga & Saratoga. He appears to have left Temple for this purpose about 2 months after the wedding. Zebadiah again fought during the War of 1812. He died during the War of 1812. --Ann Mensch

Town’s 150th Anniversary

Rainy weather did not cause a postponement of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the town, on Wednesday of this week. The rain put the roads in bad condition, but fully 400 people were in attendance. The morning ball game between Greenville and Temple had to be omitted and the celebration began with a dinner at noon in the town hall, followed by a musical and literary program in the Congregational church in the afternoon, and a concert in the evening, at the town hall, followed by a dance. The church and town hall were handsomely decorated with festoons and the national colors. The interior decorations consisted of potted plants and cut flowers, which were tastefully arranged.

Dinner was served by Sawyer of Winchendon. Old residents, many of whom had not seen each other for years, went over the old days when they were boys and girls together. It was necessary to set three tables to accommodate all. Prominent among the old-timers, and one who had the distinction of being the oldest native of the town present, was Isaiah WHEELER of Greenville. Mr. WHEELER is hale and hearty, though in his 84th year, and was active in the affairs of the day, delivering a brief talk in the afternoon.

Mrs. ---- 89 years of age, was there, too. While she was not born in Temple, she has lived there for a number of years and is the oldest resident. Other prominent “veterans” were M. H. FISKE and James BRAGG, both still residents, the latter a police officer of the day in 1858, when the 100th anniversary was celebrated; J. B. LAWRENCE of Townsend, Mass.; James S. TUTTLE, Jacob KENDALL, N. A. CHILDS and J. Dennis HEALD, who with Mr. WHEELER were members of the centennial committee fifty years ago.

The exercises in the Congregational church, which was taxed to its capacity, were presided over by A. A. SPOFFORD of Lawrence, Mass., president of the committee in charge of the affair.

Mr. SPOFFORD stated briefly the occasion of the celebration. The Temple quartet of Boston followed with a selection, “Hark, the Trumpet.” Prayer was offered by the Rev. H. M. EASTMAN, which was followed by another selection by the quartet. The address of welcome was delivered by D. C. BRAGDON.

The history of the town was assigned to Dr. Joseph A. HILL of Washington, chief of a division in the United States census department. Dr. HILL, though not a native of the town, has lived here the greater part of the time since childhood, and has made a careful research of the records.

Dr. HILL said that it was in October, 1758, that the first settler, a man by the name of Joshua TODD, came over the mountain from Peterboro, to establish a home for himself and family in the southwestern portion of what is now the town of Temple, near Kidder mountain. He probably followed the trail that had been cut through the southwestern corner of the township between Kidder mountain and Temple mountain some years before, for the purpose of moving artillery, troops and supplies at the time of the French and Indian Wars. The section of the country was a vast wilderness.

Dr. HILL gave a very interesting description necessarily imaginative, of Joshua TODD’s early experience as a pioneer of this section. Continuing, he said that the HEALD brothers, Peter and Ephraim, came to Temple and settled in the north part of the town about as early as Joshua TODD. “Tradition and the history of the town has given to Joshua TODD the distinction of being the first settler,” said Dr. HILL, “and I am satisfied to let the matter rest there.”

Fifteen years after the arrival of Joshua TODD the town had a population of 400 or more than it has today. Ten years after the first settlement, people who had settled in this region, found themselves sufficiently numerous and of enough importance to be incorporated as a town. Continuing, Dr. HILL said:

The oldest Temple family represented in this town, today, appears to be the HEALD family. The brothers, Peter and Ephraim HEALD, were among the first settlers. Peter HEALD settled on lot No. 5, range 8, of this township, 150 years ago, and the farm which he cleared has remained in possession of the HEALD family ever since, being now owned by Brooks M. HEALD, the great grandson of Peter.

Only two other Temple farms have remained in possession of the same family from the earliest settlement. One is the HOWARD farm, which was settled by Samuel HOWARD in 1769, and is now owned by Joseph HOWARD. The other is the farm now owned by William W. COLBURN. Elias COLBURN, the great-great-grandfather of the present owner, settled on that farm in 1773. His first dwelling — so tradition says — was a log house, which he soon after replaced by a frame house, some of which, I believe, is still standing, forming a part of the present COLBURN house.

The COLBURN farm has the distinction of being the only one of these three farms which has passed into the possession of the fifth generation, the other two being owned, at present, by representatives of the first generation only.”

Dr. HILL described the town as it was on the occasion of its centennial celebration. He also dwelt on the Temple soldiers, of whom George D. FELT had the distinction of being the first man to enlist from this town.

Dr. HILL was followed by Samuel M. CHILDS of Boston, formerly assistant corporation counsel of that city, a descendant of one of the old families of the town, who presented to the town several historical documents which had been in his family for years. They were suitably framed.

Mr. CHILDS was followed by the Temple quartet, which sang “Old Folks at Home.” Three-minute speeches followed by several of the prominent people present, and an original poem was read by Mr. BRAGDON. Another selection by the quartet brought the afternoon’s exercises to a close.

Ashby’s band, of Ashby, assisted in the musical program.

In the evening at the town hall, a concert program was given by Wright’s Ashby orchestra, assisted by the Temple quartet, and L. C. PARKER and P. F. BAKER as soloists.

The expenses of the celebration were defrayed by popular contribution, and of the $442 pledged, $135 has been received.

The several committees who were in charge of the affair were:

President, A. A. SPOFFORD, Lawrence, Mass.; secretary and treasurer, H. W. HAYWARD; reception committee, Mr. and Mrs. C. E. ROCKWOOD, Mr. and Mrs. E. W. DAVIDSON, Mr. and Mrs. Jacob KENDALL, Mr. and Mrs. A. A. SPOFFORD, Mr. and Mrs. D. C. BRAGDON, Mr. and Mrs. A. F. ROCKWOOD, Rev. and Mrs. H. M. EASTMAN, Senator and Mrs. H. O. HADLEY, Dr. and Mrs. Henry M. FISKE, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. COBURN, Brig. Gen. James MILLER, Mr. and Mrs. E. G. DUMAS, Mr. and Mrs. F. E. BRANHALL, Martin H. FISKE, James S. TUTTLE, Honorary reception committee, N. A. CHILDS, Isaiah WHEELER, J. Dennis HEALD, members of the centennial committee 50 years ago, and James BRAGG, who was police officer of the day in 1858.

The town of Temple is noted for its scenery and its farms, as well as for its patriotism, which is kept in memory by three fine monuments of its soldiers of 1776, 1812, and 1862. Its first chief fame, however, is in the fact that the first glass making industry in the United States was begun here. In 1780 Robert HOWES of Boston came to Temple to carry out a project which he had long conceived but found impracticable under English rule, that of making glass in America. He selected a site on the north side of Kidder mountain near its base, secure from British forces, and his glass blowers were Hessians and Waldeckers, soldiers who had deserted from the British army. The site of the manufactory is about two miles from the town over an old untrodden road. The stone work about the ovens and the foundations of the buildings are all that now remain.

One of the pleasantest occurrences of the afternoon, not down on the program, was the presentation to the town by the Bunker Hill Historical society of Boston, of an historical cane made from a plank taken from the deck of the Chicago, the first flagship of the White squadron. The head is made from a piece of wood taken from the warship Minnesota, and is a miniature of the New York, which was Rear Admiral SAMPSON’s flagship. The sides of the cane are made from wood taken from the Wabash. DUPONT’s old flagship; the Somerset, and old English man-of-war, which set fire to Charlestown, in 1775; the Constitution, the old Jamestown, the Marblehead, the Lawrence, which was PERRY’s flagship on Lake Erie in 1813; the Olympia, and the Hartford. The cane is set in a case made of a piece of wood taken from Faneuil hall. On one side are two flags, made from wood taken from old warships and the North bridge at Concord, Mass., where the first commissioned officer of the war was killed, April 19, 1775. Another flag, made of sections of wood from historic places, represents the Union Jack. Inlaid in the case is a small piece of wood from the long bridge ----

Ington, and a piece of stone taken from one on which Isaac DAVIS, who was the first commissioned officer of the Revolution to be killed, fell and bled to death. One of the men who served under DAVIS is buried in this town.

The presentation was made by Abner HOLT of Maynard, Mass., a member of Isaac DAVIS post G. A. R., No. 138. The history of the cane was delivered by Reuben L. REED of South Acton, Mass.

Contributed by Ann Mensch, transcribed from Fitchburg Daily Sentinel, [Fitchburg, Massachusetts], Thursday, August 27, 1908, “Temple, N. H., Town’s 150th Anniversary,” page 10, columns 3-6.

Queries About Temple Ancestors

UPTON, BURNAP, MABER, WYATT, CHASE
As a descendent of Aaron Felt and Tabitha Upton, I am seeking information about the following: John Upton, William Upton, Lydia Burnap, Mary Maber, Mary Wyatt, Thomas Chase and his daughter Rachel Chase. Any information about these ancestors would be welcome. All I have is their names. Thank you. Betty White bwhite@westelcom.com

KIDDER
I would very much like to correspond with anyone who is also researching the family of Joseph and Rebecca Kidder, who lived in Temple during the late 1700's. (Some records show that Rebecca was Miss Chamberlain; some show that she was Mrs. Wilder.) Their children born between 1750 and 1770 were: Wilder, Rebecca, Sibyl, Susannah, Lydia, Molly, Joseph, Calvin, and Rhoda. I am descended from Calvin.

Joseph had joined his brothers, Aaron and Reuben Kidder, to help found the next town, New Ipswich, around 1750. Between them they had almost 30 children (born in New Ipswich). The three brothers had been born in Westford, MA (which was annexed off of Chelmsford, MA). They were great-grandsons of "Ensign James Kidder," the patriarch of the family. Betty Fredericks bbffrrpp@comcast.net

DIVOLL, STILES
John STILES born in Lunenburg,Worcester Co.,Mass, 27 July 1749: married 5 July 1770, Kexiah DIVOLL of Lunenburg, Mass. John and Keziah lived in Temple from 1770-1785. John served in Revolutionary War, marched to Lexington Alarm on 19 April 1775. Also was with Capt Drury's company when they marched to Ticondergoa, NY in 1777. Can anyone tell me more about this family ? Cynthia cyndylou3@earthlink.net

FARNSWORTH, GRANDY, TILTON
There were two Timothy Farnsworths born in Peterboro the same day,17 Sept 1812. One married Elizabeth Grandy. The other Timothy married Fannie Louisa Tilton in Peterboro on 7 Mar 1840/1. One article says they were married in Claremont and one says Peterboro.The marriage date is 17 Mar 1841. One of the women was said to be ggg gdaughter of a Narragansett Indian Chief. No records of parents found. Talk about coincidence!!! My problem is I'm trying to locate the Indian woman in my ancestry. Something doesn't seem right. According to my uncle, that would be the generation of the Indian woman. I'd appreciate any help. Thanks, Nancy Mail to Nancy rmorin@snet.net

BROWN, DICKEY
Looking for origins/ information on Ephraim Brown and wife Sibbel. (Ephraim's family is listed in Blood's family birth records on this site below.) Their daughter Milley b. 1/24/1787 later married Joseph Dickey in Litchfield, Herkimer County, NY. Dick Rich018@aol.com