The Portland daily press., 1870-11-19
DAILY PRESS.
ND.
Saturday MOrning, November 10, 1870.
RambIes Absu Port,m..,b

4
Portsmouth Journal There are few places on
this continent SO rich in well authenticated
local history and well preserved traditions OF
the past; afording such abundant material
for the antiquary and historian, as Portsmouth
N. HI. and fortunate is it for the citizens of
that ancient town. as we'll as for its ubiquitous
| sons, and indeed for all persons who take
| kindly interest in preserving the memorials
OF the past that so scholarly and conscientious
gentleman as Mr.. Brewster undertook the
duty of interviewing the Oldest inhabitants
| and "oracles" of the town, of searching musty
| records both public and private, of inspecting
| ancient buildings, famous localities, cid grave
| yards, family paintings and heirlooms, with
view to rescue from oblivion those precious
bits of local history, tradition and description,
which when properly gleaRef xsssg 1.licitously
committed to paper, constitute book Of value
and interest, not only to the descendants of the
"old families named therein, and to the in
| habitants of the town, but to the general read
er who delights to recall the times and man
ners of the past, and become acquainted as far
as possible with the lives and thoughts, the
homes and habits and customs of the early set
tiers of old New England towns.
The first series Of these "Rambles" Is now
out out of print but second edition will prob
ably be issued as soon as a sufficient number
of subscribers are obtained to justify the ex-
pense. The End series was published year
ago by Mr.. Lewis w. Brewster, son Of the
author, and his successor as editor and propr-
etor of the Portsmouth Journal. 1t is prefaced
with brief but comprehensive biographical
skAtnb from fbA 0roo f,yl Of IT
Y. Hackett, distinguished lawyer and politi-
can OF that city, who with Hon. F. o. J.
Smith was law student in the office of Hon.
Ichabod Bartlett in 1922, at which time he be-
came acquaintee with him. Franklin Pierce
and Judge Jonas Cutting of our s. j. Court
were studying law in Portsmouth at the same
timel the former with Levi Woodbury., and
the latter with VIM. Claggett. Immediately
following this sketch is an address delivered
by Mr.. Brewster upon the opening of the new
city rooms in 1864 The many readers of the
PRESS who have occasion to visit Portsmouth
will remember large plain building on the
Parade" so called, the lower story OF which
is divided into stalls and occupied as market
house. The second story was known as Jeffer-
son Hall from 1901 until 1864, when it was re-
AAAoNO-Ou ioh tAO pui pusC VI luTulouluS eultaUt6
apartments for the city governments and the
various offices connected Herewith.
The land upon which this building stands
was purchased. as we learn fromithe Rambles
of John Fisher of London in 1874, for e45O,
and it was stipulated in the deed that the same
shall be FUSED and occupied for public mark
ct place for the town of Portsmouth forever"
The building was erected in 1900. The room
in the second story was called Jefferson Hall
pursuant to q vote of the town in March 1901.
On the 4th Of July 1902 the Republicans of
Portsmouth dined lin the Hall, while their op
ponents, the Federalsts ate humble pie in an
other locality. Until 1S49 when Portsmouth
became city the annual town meetings were
held there, aud upon more than one occasion
its silence has been broken by the eloquence of
Webster, Mason, Woodbury. and Bartlett.
Witho three miles from this buildipgIs obi
ornes tr oint, where as Mr.. Brewster tells us
the first house in New Hampshire was erected.
Here in 1923 the first settlers came, and with
such naturalness does Mr.. Brewster describe
the ruins and landmarks Of the place. that .sne
almost fancied himself looking upon the ruin
GUS foundation of the ancient Manor House 10
eating the site of the blacksmith,s shop, or
gazing reverently upon those early graves
where the rude forefathers of the hamlet
Sleep" The well of the Manor house is still to
be seen and the water gushes from beneath the
ledge on the shore, as cool and sparkling as
when two hundred and fifty years ago the first
settlers of New Hampshire sakeL their thirst
thereat.
Next follows an account of Marquis de
liberal extracts from the Marquis diary, giving
vivid descriptions OF the appearance of the
country in that vicinity and Of informal recep.
tions in the.then" first families of Portsmouth.
Happening into church during service time, he
says ''Mr. Buckminister, q young minister
spoke with great deal of grace, and reasona-
blv enough for a preacher. could not help ad.
miring the address withSwhich he introd uced
politics into his sermon, by comparing the
christians, redeemed by the blood of Jesus
Christ, but still compelled to fight against the
flesh and sin, to the thirteen United States,
who Notwithstanding they have acquired lib
erty and independence, are under the neces-
sity of employing all their force to combat
formidable. e.pswer and to preserve those inval-
able treasures
families such as the Sherburnes, the Langdons,
the Pickerings, the Sheafes, the Cults and 9TH
ers, interspersed with extracts from Probate
and family records, personal incidents, ghost
stories etc., ETC. In these days of alienation
and change it is pleasant to read of venerable
homesteads and broad acres belonging to the
early settlers, continuing in the family name
until the present time and passing BY descent
from generation to generation. In his account
of the Pickering family, Mr.. Brewster speaks
Of James G. Pickering who died in 1862 aged
80 years months and says he was descend
ant in the sixth generation from Hon. John
Pickering, Speaker of the Colonial Assembly
and Kings Attorney General of the Province
of New Hampshire. He lived and died in the
house where he was born and in which his
grandfather was born, and by his death his
homestead farm having descended from father
to son for nearly two hundred years without
deed, passed into the possession of another
generation. Hon. VIM. P. Haines of Bidde-
ing. The description of the Kittery feet, and
of the market women CT Kittery and Eliot are
very captivating, and there must be hundreds
of families on the eastern side of the Piscata-
quis river, familiar with many of the incidents
localities and persons mentioned in the book
VINO would find sufficient in the rambles to be.
guile many winter evening, while anyone in
terested in local history and faithful pictures
of old times and manners in genealogies and
family records would find the book of moro
than ordinary interest.