He Was Past
Service In The Last War, And Died Here In 1822, At The Age Of 94.
His Monument Stands Upon The Second Bank Of The River, About A
Mile And A Half Above The Falls, And Commands A Prospect Several
Miles Up And Down The Merrimack.
It suggested how much more
impressive in the landscape is the tomb of a hero than the
dwellings of the inglorious living.
Who is most dead, - a hero by
whose monument you stand, or his descendants of whom you have
never heard?
The graves of Pasaconaway and Wannalancet are marked by no
monument on the bank of their native river.
Every town which we passed, if we may believe the Gazetteer, had
been the residence of some great man. But though we knocked at
many doors, and even made particular inquiries, we could not find
that there were any now living. Under the head of Litchfield we
read: -
"The Hon. Wyseman Clagett closed his life in this town."
According to another, "He was a classical scholar, a good
lawyer, a wit, and a poet." We saw his old gray house just
below Great Nesenkeag Brook. - Under the head of Merrimack:
"Hon. Mathew Thornton, one of the signers of the Declaration
of American Independence, resided many years in this town." His
house too we saw from the river. - "Dr. Jonathan Gove, a man
distinguished for his urbanity, his talents and professional
skill, resided in this town [Goffstown]. He was one of the
oldest practitioners of medicine in the county. He was many
years an active member of the legislature." - "Hon. Robert
Means, who died Jan. 24, 1823, at the age of 80, was for a long
period a resident in Amherst. He was a native of Ireland. In
1764 he came to this country, where, by his industry and
application to business, he acquired a large property, and
great respect." - "William Stinson [one of the first settlers of
Dunbarton], born in Ireland, came to Londonderry with his
father. He was much respected and was a useful man. James
Rogers was from Ireland, and father to Major Robert Rogers. He
was shot in the woods, being mistaken for a bear." - "Rev.
Matthew Clark, second minister of Londonderry, was a native of
Ireland, who had in early life been an officer in the army, and
distinguished himself in the defence of the city of
Londonderry, when besieged by the army of King James II. A.
D. 1688-9. He afterwards relinquished a military life for the
clerical profession. He possessed a strong mind, marked by a
considerable degree of eccentricity. He died Jan. 25, 1735,
and was borne to the grave, at his particular request, by his
former companions in arms, of whom there were a considerable
number among the early settlers of this town; several of them
had been made free from taxes throughout the British dominions
by King William, for their bravery in that memorable
siege." - Col. George Reid and Capt. David M'Clary, also
citizens of Londonderry, were "distinguished and brave"
officers.
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