Rochester, New Hampshire: Territory to Township by Patrick O. Connelly on The Spotlight Network
Introduction
to
Economic Development in Rochester N.H.
Colonial Period
1722-1799
On May 22,1722, Gov. Samuel Shute chartered the town of Rochester, NH.
The charter was granted to 125 Proprietor/Investors with a responsibility to establish a town and obtain settlers.
The proprietors obtained their property through draws wherein the Proprietor Number they were given and the Property Number were matched.
The 64,000-acre, 10-mile-square property, was divided as follows:
I. Division I, including 125, 60-acre home lots was drawn December 13,14, 1723.
II. Division II, the largest grant, featuring wood lots of 250 acres each was drawn
December 14, 1730.
III. Division III, the northern-most lots of land, was drawn August 28,1753 and
August 18, 1754.
IV. Division iv, mostly remnant lots were drawn November 29,1762,
Rochester N.H. Population I
The Census of 1742
Reports Ratable Estates of Rochester, N.H. Population of approximately 440 taxpayers
Polls 88 Cows 127
Horses 60 Houses 55
Oxen 50 Acres under cultivation 283
Horses 60 Swine 36
In 1742, the top ten ratable estates were held by:
Timothy Roberts John Downing
William Chamberlin Joseph Richards
Joseph Tibbets Paul Tebbets
John Mackafe Aaron Tibbets
James Rogers Eliazer Ham
Once
lots were drawn, the more difficult task was ahead; to lay out [survey] the detail location within the division and record the results on the master record. These notations provided the earliest recorded “deeds” to property in Rochester, N.H..
Growth of town functions III
Town Offices 1780 Town Offices 1790
Selectmen 5 Selectmen 3
Assessors 1 Assessors 2
Constables 2 Constables 2
Surveyors of Highway 16 Surveyors of Highway 25
Tythingmen 6 Tythingmen 5
Hogreeves 2 Surveyor of Boards 4
Field Drivers 4 Hogreeves 2
Fence Viewers 2 Field Drivers 7
Counsellors 2 Fence Viewers 2
Connissioners 2
Lot Layers 3
Surveyor of Staves 1
The proprietorship,
the land management group
From its inception in 1722 until all land had been drawn/assigned, the proprietors were responsible for the township land. This ended with the completion of land distribution and finally, with the presentation of proprietorship records to the town clerk of Rochester in 1785.
The proprietors settled sixty families by 1736 and petitioned the General Court in Portsmouth for authority to form a legal township. Speedily approved, the Proprietorship and Township operated in parallel from 1736 to 1785, when the town assumed sole responsibility. Subsequent to formation in 1736, the town was responsible for the orderly conduct of inhabitants, commoners.
Rochester population II
Census of 1767
Unmarried males 86 Male slaves 3
Married males 142 Female slaves 2
Boys 257 Widows 22
Men 26
Females 166
Total 984
Town
of Rochester, N.H.
Following the record of division drafts.
In this form,
Available after 1762
Rochester N.H. Economic wealth i
The top ten rates indicated the same group in 1749.
These represented a combined acreage under cultivation of 93 acres, of 283.
This represented 32.86% of total acreage.
Timothy Roberts 13 John Downing 8
William Chamberlin 12 Joseph Richards 8
Joseph Tibbets 12 Paul Tebbets 7
Joseph Mackafe 10 Aaron Tibbets 7
James Rogers 10 Eleazer Ham 6
Proprietorship [town] meetings
First proprietor meeting held July 9,1722
Col. Richard Waldron served as moderator,
paul gerrish named town and proprietor clerk, the
committee was named to see that lots were layed out, to determine the location of the training field, and to see that houses required by the charter were erected.
Division I, 60-acre home lots were drawn December 13 and 14, 1723.
The Treaty of Casco Bay ended Dummer’s War, a period of interruption that delayed town development. The second meeting was held April 24, 1727.
Rochester population II
Reported in September 1775
Males less than 16 396
Males 16 to 50 not in army 308
Males over 50 61
Enlisted in army 26
Females 759
Negroes and slaves for life 3
Total 1, 553
In 1777, Rocher’s population was the largest in the county
At 341 polls, estimated population was 1,705 in total.
In 1786, Rochester reported a population nearly double
any other towbn in the county
At 492 polls, estimated population was 2,456 in total.
Prior to Town formation in 1736,
town leadership consisted of:
moderator
clerk
selectmen
fence viewer
deer reeve
committees: to manage the laying out of division I,II
to protect timber on the undivided lots
to prosecute trespassers
to grant leases for mills on the rivers
Rochester population iii
1790 First National Census
Heads of Family 507
Free White Males over 16 728
Free White Males under 16 740
Free White Females 1,383
Slaves 1
Total 2,852
First settled family
In November 1728, Samuel Twombly, a cooper and his brother john, a yeoman, both of Dover deeded to timothy Roberts, husbandman of Dover, two of three parts of their grant in the Town of Rochester.
History records that in December 1728, Roberts became the first settler to move his family into the frontier township of Rochester, N.H.
1795 doomage sources
Doomages for Mills on the Squamanagonick River:
Upper Sawmill
Corn Mill
Lower Sawmill
Doomages for Mills on Norway Plains:
Upper Sawmill
Cushing’s Sawmill
Cushing’s Cornmill
Nathaniel Horn’s Cornmill
McDuiffee and Dame’s Flushing Mill
Garland’s Sawmill
First Town Meeting April 26, 1737
Town Functions
April 26, 1737 Moderator Timothy Roberts
Town Clerk Amos Main
Selectmen Timothy Roberts
Stephen Berry
John Bickford
Commissioner John Jennes
Samuel Twombly
John Allen
Constable John MacFee
Tythingman John Allen
Surveyor of Highways John Layton
Solomon Clarke
Eleazer Ham
Poundkeeper Benjamin Foss
Committee Timothy Roberts
Stephen Berry
John Bickford
1795 Trades represented in rochester
Jacob Hansen Blacksmith Hatevil Knight Stock
Peter Horn Blacksmith Maj, Silvanus S. Pratt Stock
Josiah Wentworth Blacksmith Parker Hopkinson Stock
Caleb Jackson Tanner John Rindge Stock
Jabez Dame Esq Tanner Joshua Lane Stock
Anthony Whitehouse Tanner
Elijah Varney Tanner John Kerr Saddler
Simon Torr Tanner John Odiorne Saddler
Growth of major Town Functions I
Town Meeting March 5, 1739/40 Town Meeting March 12, 1749/50
[March 5, 1740, in current dating] [March 12, 1750 ,in current dating
Town Offices included: Town Offices included: Selectmen 3 Selectmen 5
Assessers 2 Assessors 2
Surveyors of Highways 6 Surveyors of Highways 4
Field Drivers 4 Field Drivers 3
Pound Keeper 3 Tythingman 3
Constable 1
In Their Own Words Vol. II chapter IV
Supplemental Research of Town Functions and Officers
Key Proprietorship Functions and Officers 1722-1785 pp. 414-418
Town Officers and Terms Served 1737-1800 pp. 423-425
Rochester Town Officers 1737-1799 pp. 425-473
Growth of Town functions II
Town Offices 1760 Town Offices 1770
Selectmen 3 Selectmen 3
Assessors 2 Assessors 2
Constables 2 Constables 2
Surveyors of Highway 10 Surveyors of Highway 10
Tythingmen 3 Tythingmen 3
Hogreeves 4 Hogreeves 4
Parish Warden 2 Field Drivers 2
Field Drivers 6 Fence Viewers 6
Fence Viewers 5 Counsellors 5
Now, the time has come
for you to further research according to your interest, and share the fruits of your effort.
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