Timothy Walker, of Concord, from July 5, 1776, to January 20, 1777. Benjamin Barker, of Stratham, from July 5, 1776, to April 15, 1777. Matthew Patten, of Bedford, from July 5, 1776, to January 20, 1777. Nathaniel S. Prentice, of Alstead, from July 5, 1776, to January 20, 1777. Otis Baker, of Dover, from July 5, 1776, to January 20, 1777. John Smith, of Durham, from July 5, 1776, to January 20, 1777 ; and from April 15, 1777 to June 20, 1777; and from January 31, 1781, to December 27, 1781. Samuel Cutts, of Portsmouth, from September 24, 1776, to December 14, 1776. Nicholas Gilman, of Exeter, from January 20, 1777, to April 7, 1779. George Gaines, of Portsmouth, from January 20, 1777, to January 31, 1781; and from autumn 1782, to January 2, 1783. Thomas Odiorne, of Exeter, from January 20, 1777, to January 5, 1779. Levi Dearborn, of North-Hampton, from January 20, 1777, to April 15, 1777. Nathaniel Peabody, of Atkinson, from January 20, 1777, to August 27, 1776; and from January 5, 1779, to April 7, 1779. John Wentworth, jr. of Dover, from January 20, 1777, to April 15, 1777; and from June 20, 1777, to May 28, 1778. John M'Clary, of Epsom, from April 15, 1777, to May 28, 1778; and from August 26, 1778, to January 20, 1780; and from January 31, 1781, to January 2, 1783. Ebenezer Potter, of 1777. from April 15, 1777, to June 20, Jonathan Lovewell, of Dunstable, from June 20, 1777, to January 5, 1779. Benjamin Giles, of Newport, from June 20, 1777; did not attend. Jonathan Blanchard, of Dunstable, from January 6, 1778; did not attend. Thomas Bartlett, of Nottingham, from May 28, 1778, to January. 5, 1779. John Calfe, of Hampstead, from May 28, 1778, to June 5, 1779; and from January 22, 1780, to May 29, 1784. Samuel Gilman, of New-Market, from May 28, 1778, to April 7, 1779. Hercules Mooney, of from May 28, 1778, to August 26, 1778; and from January 5, 1779, to April 7, 1779. Samuel Philbrick, of Weare, from May 28, 1778, to January 5, 1779. Samuel Hobart, of Hollis, from April 7, 1779, to May 20, 1780. John T. Gilman, of Exeter, from January, 31, 1781, to December, 1781. Ephraim Robinson, of Exeter, from January 1782, to January 2, 1783. Joseph Gilman, of Exeter, from January, 8, 1784, to May 29, 1784. Biographical Notice of Major Richard Waldron. [From the Grafton Journal, lately published at Plymouth, N. H.] Major WALDRON was a native of Somersetshire, Eng., and was born about the year 1609. At the age of twenty-six he came to this country with, his brother William, and settled at Dover. The first settlers of New-Hampshire were neither distinguished for lite rature or religion. They were patient, hardy, enterprising men. An unvarnished account of their sufferings, their dangers, and exploits, would appear to us like the tales of romance. But such an account is not preserved. They had not leisure, if they had ability, to write history. They were much more conversant with the axe, the fire-lock, and the sword than with books and the pen. It was often their business to fight and conquer a savage enemy; but very seldom to give any other or more durable history of their engagements than what they gave to their children and neighbors around those very firesides which they had fearlessly exposed their lives to protect and defend. Their children were educated as, under such circumstances, might be expected-not for exhibition, but usefulness. Scholars were less wanted, and less regarded, than soldiers. The most enterprising and the bravest man was the most popular and the most respected. Waldron was enterprising and brave. About the year 162, he was elected a representative from Dover to the General Court, of which he con tinued a member for twenty-five years successively, and was sometime Speaker of the House, in Boston, where the Assemblies of the two united Provinces were holden. In those days, the militia had something more to do than meet twice a year, show their arms, drink rum and disperse. Waldron was early at the head of the military establishment, with the rank of Major. His command, to be sure, was not very extensive. There was one foot company in each town, besides a company of artillery at the fort, and one troop of horse. The authority of the commander was almost unlimited. The eastern Indians looked upon him as the great warrior of the country, whose friendship was safety; and in the war of 1675, having made with him a treaty of peace, supposed they had nothing more to fear from that quarter. They had no idea that killing a few, whites at a distance from Dover, and burning their dwellings, was any infringement of their treaty with Waldron, so long as they made no attack upon him or his immediate neighborhood. They had never heard of the sage writers on the law of nations-and if they had, would have valued their scalps much higher than their books-which, it must be confessed, have rather served to make war between diplomatists than to preserve peace between nations. In the next year, (1676,) as a military force from Massachusetts was marching against the eastern Indians, they found on their arrival at Dover, several hundreds of the savages collected there to visit the Major and trade with the people. The Massachusetts men were disposed to destroy them.Waldron was unwilling to attack them, knowing their reliance on his protection; but he was a soldier, and bound to obey the orders of government. In this disagreeable situation, he took the only course which he could devise to discharge his duty to his country, without sacrificing those whom he wished to preserve. This was making prisoners of the Indians, and leaving them to the disposal of the government on his representation of their case. To effect this, was no easy matter; but he did effect it by stratagem. He invited them to a sham fight, and thus surrounded and secured them. They were sent to Boston, where some were hanged, some sold into slavery, and some dismissed. There is no reason to believe, that Waldron was pleased with this disposal of the enemy; but he was unable to prevent it. The Indians laid all the blame at his door, and laid up in their own breasts such a stock of revenge as was never expended till they washed their hands in his blood. Their malignity towards him was undoubtedly increased the next year at Pemaquid, where, in a conference with a company of Indians, on a suspicion of their treacherous designs, (apparently well-founded,) he fell upon them, slew several, put the rest to flight, and secured their arms and provisions. On the separation of this Province from Massachusetts, in 1679, Waldron was named in the royal commission as one of the Council under President Cutts, and with the other gentlemen of the Council reluctantly accepted the appointment. On the organization of the new government, he was nominated by Cutts as Vice President. The President died in the spring of 1681, and Waldron was at the head of the government till the arrival of Cranfield, in October, 1682. Cranfield, by his commission, had authority to suspend any of the Council at his pleasure; and those whom he suspended were declared ineligible to the Assembly. Waldron was again named of the Council in this commission; but the motive for naming him was soon made obvious; for in six days after Cranfield's arrival, he suspended Waldron, and Martyn, and thus excluded them as well from the Assembly as the Council. The Major, before this, had taken an active part against Mason, whose claims were favored by the Governor as well as by those in power in the mother country; and this was probably the cause of his suspension. Cranfield, however, soon found that it would be unsafe thus unprovokedly to wage war against the most popular and influential man in the Province; and on the meeting of the Assembly the next month, he thought it expedient to restore the Major to his seat at the Council board, declaring that he had examined the charges against him and found them insufficient. But when all things were prepared for Mason to commence his suits, Waldron was again suspended and required to take a lease from the Proprietor; and upon refusing to do it, was impleaded by Mason. He protested in open Court against the jury as being interested, and made no defence. Judgment was rendered against him, and he was fined "for mutinous and seditious words."* Many other suits were commenced and terminated in the same way. But Mason, though recovering in law, found it impossible to get and keep possession of the lands.--In attempting to levy one of his executions in Dover, the Sheriff was forcibly resisted and repelled; and afterwards, in his endeavor to arrest some of the rioters in time of publick worship, a young woman knocked him down with her bible, and he was again obliged to retreat without effecting his object. Major Waldron was distinguished not only in his civil and military capacities, but also in the judicial departments. At different periods of his life, he sustained almost every important office in the "At the Quart. Sessions of ye Peace and Goal Dellivery, held at Great Island the 6th of November, 1683, "Richard Waldron, sen. Esqr. being presented for his Mutinous words in court at a Tryall between Robert Mason, Esqr. and the said Waldron, (which words were sworn in Court against him) is Sentenced to pay five pounds in money in a fortnight and fees. Teste, R. CHAMBERLAIN, Prothon." |