By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | February 27, 2019
In this year, we encounter more fires, the appointment of a NH fish commissioner, and a torchlight procession.
Asa Augustus “Augustus” Fox lost his Milton Mills grocery store to a fire. This description contains the additional interesting information that the local Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF) rented his store’s second floor as their meeting hall.
Asa A. Fox, a retail grocer, aged thirty-two years (born NH), headed a Milton (Milton Mills P.O.) household at the time of the Ninth (1870) Federal Census. His household included Hannah H. Fox, keeping house, aged thirty-five years (born ME), Charles D. Fox, at school, aged fourteen years (born NH), and Willie C. Simes, at school, aged seven years (born NH). Asa A. Fox had real estate valued at $3,000 and personal estate valued at $3,800.
NEW ENGLAND BY MAIL. Milton Mills, N.H. The store of Augustus Fox at Milton Mills, was destroyed by fire Tuesday night. Loss $6000; insured in the Home, New York, for $4300. The second story was occupied by the Odd Fellows, who lost everything (Boston Globe, March 9, 1876).
District Deputy Grand Marshal Edward J. Brierly reported the March 8 loss in a letter and followed that with his annual report.
MARCH 9 – Received a letter from D.D.G.M. [District Deputy Grand Marshal] EDWARD J. BRIERLEY that Miltonia Lodge room was burned. Loss about $500. Saved charter and some of the regalias and working books. This is the only Lodge in the State that I have not visited officially, But I learn by Brother BRIERLEY that they continue to meet, and are preparing a new hall. (See D.D.G.M. BRIERLEY’s report ).
MILTONIA LODGE, No. 52, MILTON MILLS. I installed the officers in January and July. Our Lodge has during the past six months labored under unfavorable circumstances, owing to our loss by fire. However, we have met every regular night with fair attendance. By the kindness of Motolinia Lodge, we have done some work. Although we met with quite a loss, we have a better fund in the bank which we shall draw on sparingly as possible in fitting up anew. We are in hopes to occupy our new hall soon and to continue the good work. – Edward J. BRIERLEY, D.D.G.M. (IOOF, 1872-81).
The Democrat officials mentioned were not actually “guillotined,” as such. They were simply replaced in their positions by Republicans.
NEW ENGLAND SPECIALS. More Nominations to Supply the Place of Guillotined Democrats in New Hampshire. [Special Despatch to The Boston Globe]. Concord, N.H., July 25. At a meeting of the Governor and Council today the following nominations were made: Fish Commissioners, Luther Hayes of Milton, Samuel Webber of Manchester, Albina Powers of Grantham; Judge of Probate, Hillsboro County, Henry K. Burnham, Manchester; Special Justice of Police Court of Manchester, Henry W. Tewksbury (Boston Globe, July 26, 1876).
We last encountered Luther Hayes as president of the Strafford County Fair in 1875. The newly-nominated NH Fish Commissioner will be found next busily performing his fishy duties in 1878, 1879, and 1880.
The Milton house in which shoe manufacturer George B. Wentworth had once resided was destroyed by fire in September.
NOTES. Milton, N.H. Yesterday morning a house at Milton Three-Corners, formerly occupied by George B. Wentworth, was burned. Loss $6000 (Boston Globe, September 15, 1876).
George B. Wentworth, shoe manufacturer, aged forty years (born NH), headed a Dover household at the time of the Ninth (1870) Federal Census. His household included Angie [(Leavitt)] Wentworth, keeping house, aged thirty years (born ME), Charles B. Wentworth, attending school, aged eight years (born NH), and Frederick Wentworth, aged two years (born NH). George B. Wentworth had real estate valued at $15,800 and personal estate valued at $48,800.
Wentworth had been born in Rochester, circa 1829-30, son of Beard and Sarah (Roberts) Wentworth. He died in the hospital at Haverhill, MA, January 13, 1888, aged fifty-eight years, from a punctured lung sustained in a train accident at Bradford, MA, January 10, 1888.
The Hayes and Wheeler Battalion No. 1 were Milton Mill’s Republican partisans, advocating the presidential ticket of Rutherford B. Hayes and William A. Wheeler.
New England Special Condensed. The Hayes and Wheeler Battalion No. 1 of Milton Mills, N.H., are arranging for a grand torchlight procession, with speeches, music, etc., on Monday evening October 17 (Boston Globe, October 14, 1876).
The presidential contenders were Democrats Samuel J. Tilden and Thomas A. Hendricks, Republicans Hayes and Wheeler, Greenbacks Peter Cooper and Samuel F. Cary, Prohibitionists Clay Smith and Gideon T. Stewart, and American Nationals James B. Walker and Donald Kirkpatrick.
Democrats Tilden and Patrick won the national popular vote, while Republicans Hayes and Wheeler won the state-based Electoral College vote, and, thus, the election.
Presidents are elected by States, and not by the people directly. The people determine the choice of their State. Otherwise, it would be only a bi-coastal election, of the major Federal Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA), rather than a true national election.
In a national popular vote, New Hampshire would not exist at all, except as a fractional minority part of the Federal Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area.
Previous in sequence: Milton in the News – 1875; next in sequence: Milton in the News – 1877
References:
Find a Grave. (2013, July 31). Asa Augustus Fox. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/114695724
Find a Grave. (2016, December 2). George B. Wentworth. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/173418957/george-b-wentworth
Find a Grave. (2018, March 8). Luther Hayes. Retrieved from www.findagrave.com/memorial/49429209/luther-hayes
I.O.O.F. (1872-81). Journal of Proceedings of the R.W. Grand Lodge of the State of New Hampshire. Retrieved from books.google.com/books?id=GcuVn6tKSTAC&pg=PA709
Wikipedia. (2018, December 16). Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Order_of_Odd_Fellows
Wikipedia. (2018, December 14). 1876 United States Presidential Election. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1876_United_States_presidential_election
YouTube. (1876). For Hayes and Wheeler Too. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH06u6p7UkQ
Milton Observer 