The Press., 1906-04-18
Mr.. Fairly also held various town


the meeting house in 1884 the town
showed its confidence in him by ap-
pointing him a committee to provide
rum and sweetening suitable for the
raising, and John Merrick was APP
pointed to furnish the beer, and what
was left after the raising was to go
to the minister. Among the early
settlers of this town the most promi
nent, by virtue of his office and his
learning, was the Rev. Daniel Fuller.
He was ordained at the house of John
Merrick, Sept. II, 1928, and contin-
ued in the work of the ministry here
until his death, which occurred Dec.
6, 1853. His descendants, of whom
there are many now living in this
town, say that his ancestors im1ni-
grated to these shores in the May
flower, but there are some chances of
mistake when we have to rely upon
tradition. The farm where we now
are was set apart to be given to the
first minister who should settle in
Wilmington. But Mr.. Fuller doubt
less preferred to live nearer the cen
ter, and so he sold this place and
bought where George Sparrow now
lives. His salary at first was fifty
pounds, with ten pounds more for his
wood. In 1856 they gave him sos
pounds, but old tenor money had by
that time become almost worth less,
and presume Mr. Fuller didn't con.
slider the amount a sufficient pay for
his services. At any rate there was
difficulty brewing about that time
between the town and minister, W hom
they had before held in very high re-
gard. Daniel Rider in 1871 bought
the farm now owned by Mrs. jerome
Holt, but afterwards lived in some
other locations. He was grandfather
of the late Dea. Rufus and Judge Hi
ram Rider and Mrs. Ralph Holt.
VIM. Glazier, who came from Eng
land with Roger Wolcott, came hither
in 1888. His farm in the north part
of the town contained about 800
acres, a diagram of which is on one
of the old Wilmington land record
books. VIM. Cushman of Lebanon
settled in the north part of this town
in 1886. He was unmistakably
descendant of one of the Plymouth
pilgrims, as was VIM. johnson of Con-
cord, Mass 1897, who has many de-
scendants hereabouts. This town was
very fortunate i'll point of population.
In 1774 Abiel Holt from that part of
Windham which is now the town { f
Hampton came and bought at Will
lington Hollow 435 ARES, which had
for IA years been occupied by Eleazer
Hubbell. This Abiel Holt was de-
scended from Nicholas Holt, who
came from England in | 635, and set
tied first in New bury, then in An
dover. Mass Abiel " as the ancestor
of by far the greatest part of the nu-
merous Hollis who have lived here
The Philemon. Rufus and I4ucien
Holt families we're from the same
quarter and branches of the same
stock. would like to speak of many
more of the early settlers, but my
time and your patience forbid.
would like to say a few words in re-
lation to the schools. This seminary
was established in 1866 Its luca
ton was described to be 'at the part
ing of the roads. from Maj. Wolcott's
road and the road that leads to Steph-
en- Merrick's. At that time the town
was first divided into school distTiJtF,
and though there have been ma ny
changes, the districts are now sub
stantially as they were first formed.
There we're nine in all, and this was,
as now, the eighth. 1t was about
time to improve the school facilities,
for the town voted to perfix the places
for the school houses. For a very
few years previous to this schools had
been kept in the four quarters of the
town. The instruction was confined
probably to the three RS Spelling
was not included in the curriculum,
if we may judge by the manuscripts
which have come down to us. I have
before referred to the first meeting
house. 1t stood south of the meeting
house which was taken down last
year. Though it is less than 80 years
since the first house was demolished,
there are traditions which put it still
further north than the new church
edifice. Put the records point to the
precise location. BY deed of Nov.
81, 1898, Ezekiel Stone, John Fowler
and Susanna Fowler, heirs of John
Stone, one of the original proprietors,
granted the burying ground near the
Center to the Rev. Daniel Fuller and
the rest of the inhabitants of the town
of Wilmington. 1t is an almost uni
versally received tradition that Mr..
Fuller gave the ground to the town,
but his farm was wholly south of
Wolcott's road. There are a great
many other matters of interest re-
lating to the history of this town,
some of which I may know and many
more which I would like to know.
The history of the churches of the
town, for instance, might we'll form
a large chapter, but shall have to
pass it for the present. Besides, most
of you have read the full historical
notes of the Congregational church as
published by Dea. Southwick and the
Rev. Mr.. Cotton, largely taken from
short History of Wilmington, "
written by Charles I. Preston, Esq
formerly of this town, when he was
l 8 years of age, and the other existing
churches have been so recently found
ed that many of you are we'll versed
in the facts concerning them. 1t is,
however, time that all the proveable
facts relating to our towns history
should be gathered together and put
Sp1