by Muriel Bristol | January 12, 2019
Milton was not yet its own town at the time of the Second Federal Census (1800). It would separate from Rochester in June 1802.
The final seven pages of Rochester’s entry in the Second (1800) Federal Census consisted of those Rochester Northeast Parish households that were shortly to be “set off” as its own town, i.e., shortly to become Milton.
Fortunately, the census enumerator broke this section out separately. It would have been better still had he not alphabetized the list (thus obscuring the geographical relationships within the Northeast Parish).
Note that, despite modern notions regarding constitutional separation of church and state, it was the quality of having “separate ministerial business” that justified creating a separate township. And this separation took place, for that reason, under the US Constitution. Also note that the original meeting-house was both a church and the townhouse. The construction committee financed the building through the sale of church pews, rather than taxation. (And rum, there was also rum).
Rochester’s Northeast Parish, i.e., Milton to be, had 899 residents on Monday, August 4, 1800: 430 males (47.8%) and 459 females (51.2%).
The separate columns are represented here as digits. The first five digits are the number of free white males aged under-10, aged 10-15, aged 16-25, aged 26-44, and 45-and-over. The second five digits are the number of free white females aged under-10, aged 10-15, aged 16-25, aged 26-44, and 45-and-over. The final two digits are the number of all other free persons, and slaves. (New Hampshire had 8 slaves within its borders in 1800; none of them were in the Northeast Parish).
The names of those Rochester residents that petitioned the NH legislature, May 28, 1802, for a separation from Rochester, have been bolded.
The following persons live in a part of Rochester that is proposed to be shortly set of [off] as a separate town, and at present transact their ministerial business separate from this next part of the Town.
- Thomas Appleby, 11010-40010-00
- William Appleby, 10010-00100-00
- Dudley Burnham, 10010-30100-00
- James Berry, 00101-01101-00
- James Berry Jr, 10010-10100-00
- Francis Berry, 20010-20011-00
- William Berry, 10110-00010-00
- Isaac Brackett, 01010-41010-00
- Moses Chamberlain, 01010-01010-00
- David Corsen, 01110-10010-00
- Benjn Corsen, 31010-00100-00
- Joshua Corsen, 10101-31010-00
- Ebener Corsen, 31210-21010-00
- Saml Chapman, 20001-10010-00
- Frederick Cate, 20100-00100-00
- Jeremiah Cook, 10010-10100-00
- Dodavah Copp, 10010-11010-00
- Ephm Drew, 10000-21010-00
- John Downs, 10010-30010-00
- Moses Downs, 30010-21010-00
- Jona Door, 21110-10010-00
- Daniel Door, 10010-11110-00
- Beniah Door, 11010-21010-00
- Nathl Dearborn, 10011-10211-00
- Milis Dairs, 10010-10010-00
- Winthrop Door, 00100-00010-00
- Paul Ellis, 20010-10010-00
- John Fish, 01010-30110-00
- Thomas Furber, 01001-21010-00
- Joseph Dearborn, 10010-10011-00
- John Fifield, 00001-10110-00
- Benjn Foss, 00110-11011-00
- Jeremiah Goodwin, 31001-21101-00
- James Goodwin, 01110-31010-00
- Daniel Grant, 20010-10010-00
- Nathan Grant, 00100-00000-00
- Peter Grant, 00001-00001-00
- James Hayes, 30010-10110-00
- Clement Hayes, 01010-20010-00
- Theodore Ham, 11110-10010-00
- Nichs Harford, 00201-00001-00
- John Hanson, 21001-20010-00
- Joseph Hight, 22001-20310-00
- Jotham Ham, 30010-31010-00
- [Richd] H[orn], 11100-00100-00
- Isaac Hanson, 10010-20010-00
- Daniel Hayes, 12010-12010-00
- Ezekiel Hayes, 30010-00100-00
- Ichd Hayes, 00010-00000-00
- Eleazar Hodgdon, 20010-30010-00
- William Hatch, 10010-30010-00
- Pelatiah Hanscomb, 00300-10201-00
- Shadrach Heard, 10100-00100-00
- Robert Hart, 01100-00201-00
- Paul Jewett, 01101-01201-00
- Gilman Jewett, 00100-10200-00
- Stephen Jenkins Jr, 10100-00010-00
- Stephen Jenkins, 00201-01101-00
- Ebener Jenkins, 00010-20100-00
- Stephen Jennes, 10010-10101-00
- Reubin Jones, 01101-00201-00
- Ebener Jones, 02101-00301-00
- Wm Jones, 01010-10010-00
- Elisha Jennes, 11010-10010-00
- Levi Jones, 00010-00000-00
- Wm W. Lord, 00010-12101-00
- James Merrow, 50010-00100-00
- Richd Monson, 00201-00100-00
- Benjn Miller, 21010-11010-00
- Richard Miller, 00020-11100-00
- Henry Miller, 00100-10100-00
- Robert Mathes, 10010-10010-00
- Wm Mathes, 00100-00000-00
- Bartholomew Miller, 00100-10100-00
- Samuel Nute, 20301-01101-00
- Lt Jotham Nute, 33010-10120-00
- Francis Nute, 20010-10100-00
- Saml Nute Jr, 30100-00100-00
- Capn Saml Nute, 11001-01001-00
- Josiah Nute, 10010-00100-00
- Thomas Nutter, 01010-31010-00
- Jona Pottle, 10100-10010-00
- Thomas Pinkham, 41010-11010-00
- Jona Pinkham, 01010-21010-00
- Nathl Pinkham, 20010-30010-00
- Joseph Perkins, 00100-00000-00
- Beard Plumer, 21201-11210-00
- Joseph Plumer, 02101-01201-00
- Wm Palmer Esqr, 21010-21020-00
- Saml Palmer, 01001-00110-00
- John Palmer, 00010-00010-00
- Otis Pinkham, 10010-11010-00
- Ephm Plumer, 30010-21010-00
- Oliver Peavey, 20010-10010-00
- Henry Rhines, 10100-10010-00
- Shubal Roberts, 00100-00000-00
- Lemuel Ricker, 00211-02201-00
- Elias Ricker, 00100-00000-00
- John Ricker, 10010-20010-00
- Ebener Ricker, 21110-3001-00
- Timothy Ricker, 21010-20110-00
- John Remick, 10101-10101-00
- John Remick Jr, 11010-20110-00
- Tobias Ricker, 00101-32210-00
- Timothy Roberts, 12110-20010-00
- Isaac Staunton, 00100-10010-00
- Benjn Scates, 12001-01201-00
- John Scates, 11110-01100-00
- Dadavah Scates, 20001-01010-00
- John Smith, 30010-00010-00
- Ephm Twombly, 11110-21021-00
- John Twombly, 01001-00201-00
- Saml Twombly, 00101-31101-00
- John Twombly, 10010-10100-00
- Ebenr Twombly, 00010-30110-00
- Ephm Twombly Jr, 21010-11110-00
- Wm Tuttle, 10101-02210-00
- Enoch Varney, 00101-40010-00
- James Varney, 10010-21010-00
- John Varney, 00010-00110-00
- Benjn Varney, 01101-00101-00
- Lemuel Varney, 10010-10010-00
- Aaron Varney, 11010-11010-00
- Edmond Varney, 00010-20010-00
- Richd Walker, 10111-11111-00
- John Wentworth, 20010-02010-00
- Saml J. Wentworth, 21010-11010-00
- James Wentworth, 10001-10001-00
- Stephen Wentworth, 30010-10011-00
- Saml J. Wentworth, 31110-20010-00
- Gershom Wentworth, 00011-00110-00
- Amos Witham, 01011-00001-00
- John Witham, 22010-20010-00
- Josiah Witham, 01010-40010-00
- Caleb Wakeham, 31101-12111-00
- Enoch Wingate, 00001-10101-00
- David Wallingford, 20010-20020-00
- Isaac Worster, 02010-20100-00
- Ephm Wentworth, 10010-20010-00
- Ichd Wentworth, 21010-30010-00
- Enoch Wentworth, 20010-00010-00
- Caleb Wingate, 01010-00210-00
- Stephen Watson, 11010-50010-00
- David Wentworth, 00010-00100-00
- Simon Branon, 00100-00100-00
- John McDuffie, 10001-10010-00
- Wm Griffis, 00001-01001-00
- Philip Door, 00001-00001-00
- Saml Loe, 00001-00021-00
- [blank] Demerett, 10001-20010-00
- Widow Smith, 10000-00001-00
- Elizabeth [Sp]encer, 00000-20010-00
- Aaron Wentworth, 00101-01001-00
- John Tanner, 11010-01011-00
- Henry Rollins, 11110-10110-00
- Moses Dorrs, 10100-10010-00
- Lt Elijah Horn, 10010-31010-00
- Mark Miller, 20010-00100-00
Rochester’s Northeast Parish had 158 households with an average 5.7 inhabitants per household. Only 2 households (1.3%) were headed by a female, one of them identified as a widow.
336 (37.4%) of the Northeast Parish’s 899 inhabitants were aged under-10 years of age (158 males and 178 females), 124 (13.8%) were aged 10-15 years (67 males and 57 females), 148 (16.5%) were aged 16-25 years of age (65 males and 83 females), 199 (22.1%) were aged 26-44 (97 males and 102 females), and 82 (9.1%) were aged 45-and-over years of age (43 males and 39 females). All of these were “free white” inhabitants.
The constitutional purpose of the census is to apportion US Representatives. For that a simple head count would do. Some of the awkward breaks into uneven age groups are due to another governmental purpose: attempting to determine the size of military age cohorts.
Of primary interest was the size of the males aged 16-25 years cohort. Those are the minutemen. The males aged 26-44 years cohort was of secondary interest. They formed the bulk of the militia. Males aged 45-and-over were exempt from military service. Militia officers Captain Samuel Nute, Lieutenant Jotham Nute, and Lieutenant Elijah Horn were identified by their militia ranks in this census enumeration.
Note that only 80 (51.3%) of the 156 Northeast Parish’s male householders signed the 1802 separation petition.
24 petitioners were not householders in the Northeast Parish, namely Joseph Berry, Joseph Cook, Wentworth Cook, Ernest Corsen, William Corsen, Abraham Dearborn, Benjamin Dearborn, Gershom Downs, Francis Drew, Nathaniel Gilman, Humphrey Goodwin, Benjamin Higgins, Nathaniel Jewett, Benjamin Jones, John Jones, James McGeoch, Robert McGeoch, Dudley Palmer, Jedediah Ricker, Henry Rollins, Samuel Twombly Jr., Joseph Walker, Josiah Willey, and Obadiah Witham.
Likely, most of these 24 non-householding petitioners resided within the named Northeast Parish households, as column tick marks. If so, the non-householding petitioners and the householder petitioners combined would represent 104 (63.0%) of the approximately 165 Northeast Parish male voters.
Note also that only one man – William Palmer Esqr – is termed Esqr., or Esquire. It is quite clearly written so. The various printed histories that describe Milton’s first town meetings report William Plumer, Esq., as having called the first town meeting (and a William Plumer as being one of the first selectmen chosen at that meeting). One of these things is not like the other. Either the census enumerator or the history typesetter may have made an error.
Previous in sequence: Northeast Parish in the First (1790) Federal Census; next in sequence: Milton in the Third (1810) Federal Census
References:
State of New Hampshire. (1884). Provincial and State Papers (Volume 13). Retrieved from books.google.com/books?id=hYw7AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA349
Wikipedia. (2018, November). 1800 United States Census. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1800_United_States_Census
Milton Observer 