Milton Observer

Milton in the News – 1838

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | December 13, 2018

Some 98 Milton women and 60 Milton Mills women submitted a memorial, i.e., a petition, in opposition to the Congressional “Gag Rule” resolution of December 21, 1837.

The resolution against which the Milton women fought was a cheap parliamentary technique or trick designed to suppress any and all opposition to slavery.

CONGRESS. MEMORIALS AGAINST THE RESOLUTION OF 21ST DECEMBER, 1837. In the House of Representatives, on the 12th March, 1838, Mr. Cushing presented the following memorials, praying the House to rescind the resolution of the 21st December, 1837, viz:

[Extracted from a lengthy list of petitions]

Sarah W. Ricker, and 97 others, women of Milton, N.H.; Mary Goldsmith, and 59 others, women of Milton Mills, N.H. (The Liberator (Boston, MA), June 15, 1838).

These 158 women represented over half (about 58%) of Milton’s adult women, in whom Milton can take great pride.

Previous in sequence: Milton in the News – 1830; next in sequence: Milton in the News – 1839

References:

Town of Milton. (2018, April 16). Board of Selectmen By-Laws. Retrieved from www.miltonnh-us.com/uploads/bos_71_1509444456.pdf

US House of Representatives. (n.d.). The House “Gag Rule.” Retrieved from history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1800-1850/The-House-of-Representatives-instituted-the-“gag-rule”/

Wikipedia. (2018, November 5). Gag Rule. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gag_rule

Milton in the News – 1830

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | December 11, 2018

People who lived to an advanced age were of great interest formerly, as they are now.

DIED. In Milton, N.H., Widow Patience Clements, aged 101 years and 6 months (Middlebury Free Press (Middlebury, VT), July 22, 1830).

Patience Bunker, daughter of John Bunker, married (1st), after 1753, John Twombly, Jr., who died in 1764. (She was his second wife). She married (2nd), circa 1768, John Clements, who died in Dover, NH, May 8, 1776.

“Patience Clements of Dover, widow, quit claim to Andrew Torr of Dover, all right to piece of land where I now live,” being part of her thirds “in the estate of John Twombly late of Dover deceased” 6 June 1792 (Strafford County Deeds, 87:321). (A widow was entitled to a life-estate in one-third of her late husband’s estate).

Other sources say that Patience died “at the house of Jonathan Nute, Esq.,” June 12, 1830. There was no such Milton household at that time, although the household headed by Jotham Nute did have one female, aged over 100 years (the only person in town in that age range), at the time of the Fifth (1830) Federal Census: June 1, 1830. (She died less than two weeks after the enumeration).

Jotham Nute, Esq., was a Revolutionary veteran, who had served with Ralph Farnham and Enoch Wingate. His wife, Sarah (Twombly) Nute, was a daughter of Patience Clements, i.e., the widow Patience ((Bunker) Twombly) Clements died in the Milton household of her daughter and son-in-law.

They must have had some tales to tell around the fireplace.

Previous in sequence: Milton in the News – 1829; next in sequence: Milton in the News – 1838

Joint BOS-Budget Committee Meeting Scheduled (December 11, 2018)

By Muriel Bristol | December 4, 2018

The Milton Board of Selectmen (BOS) have posted their agenda for a joint BOS-Budget Committee meeting to be held Tuesday, December 11, 2018.

The BOS intend to begin their joint BOS-BC meeting at approximately (*) 6:00 PM.

Its agenda is described in the single sentence:

Be advised the Budget Committee & Board of Selectmen will conduct a joint meeting to discuss the Town Budget.

One follow-on meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, December 18, also at 6:00 PM

References:

Town of Milton. (2018, November 30). Joint Budget Committee Meeting Agenda, December 11, 2018. Retrieved from www.miltonnh-us.com/uploads/bos_agendas_850_1411371321.pdf

Milton in the News – 1829

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | December 9, 2018

Several papers reported this Milton news item. Newspapers of the time had their own local news, but also filled column inches with news articles copied from local newspapers of other localities, even quite distant ones. If anything, this practice grew more prevalent after the advent of the telegraph and railroad.

Ensign David Pickings, aged 33, was drowned in Milton, N.H., on the 22 ult. He was on his way to town meeting on skates (Farmer’s Herald (St. Johnsbury, VT), February 23, 1829).

The Latin terms “inst.” or “instant,” to mean “this month,” and “ult.” or “ultima,” to mean “last month,” were commonly used in both handwritten documents and printed publications. Ensign David Pickings drowned on the 22 of January, i.e., last month or “ultima,” from the point of view of a February publication.

The US army changed the name of their junior officer rank from Cornet or Ensign to 2nd Lieutenant in 1800. The rank persists in the navy. The NH militia still retained the older name. It implies in part some degree of responsibility for the company ensign or flag.

Previous in sequence: Milton in the News – 1827; next in sequence: Milton in the News – 1830

Town Clerk Working-to-Rule

By S.D. Plissken | December 6, 2018

At the most recent Milton BOS meeting, the “Financial Policy Regarding Town Deposits” agenda item turned out to be much more involved than simply raising the ceiling on amounts of cash that may be held in town hall.

To set the scene, the Town Clerk had earlier in the year sought to expand the hours of her assistant. This came up during the departmental budget reviews. The BOS seemed about to wave this expansion through, as they usually do with nearly all additional expenses, but stopped at the brink. They appeared to realize finally that they had already spent like drunken sailors. They drew back from downing this last tankard.

At this meeting, the Town Administrator explained that the Town Clerk had notified the BOS, and the Town Treasurer that, due to budgetary constraints, she found herself unable to continue to be the agent and central repository for all of the Town’s financial transactions. She had “involved” the Town Treasurer, who was called to explain the issue.

Chairman Thibeault: Next up, Financial Policy Regarding Town Deposits. Heather?

Administrator Thibodeau: I believe the board got an e-mail about the Town Clerk wished to change the plan of several deposits, and she involved MacKenzie [Campbell], our Treasurer, who is here tonight, and she really wanted him to handle this discussion with the board. So, he’s here to talk about it a little bit more. I’ve also given you and I guess you’ve already gotten that and made copies of the plan that’s in place in our current financial policy. We really need to have a plan as to where go from here. Both MacKenzie and I have looked into this, extensively. We need the board’s directive as to what we need to do. And, so, I would ask that MacKenzie come forward and help us with this discussion. Basically, we have the policy in place is one central depository for the Town now. All departments bring all deposits and that is the Town [process]. And then the Treasurer handles … has handled the deposits from there … how they get to the bank. Our auditor, our attorney, and everybody is in agreement with what needs to happen, but MacKenzie …

Treasurer Campbell: Essentially, the way it is set up right now is that most of the Town monies flow through, in and out, of the Town Clerk’s office. They come into the office through our department heads and our departments. So, monies – deposits – coming in have to go through the Town Clerk, where they are recorded, and set up for transfer, which I check. At that point I transfer that money from an escrow opportunity, from a holding escrow, to a distributary escrow. Some of these escrows you may have heard of, or know off the top of your head, you know, Rec. Revolving, etc. The Town Clerk has since requested to not to perform these duties, saying that it’s beyond her budgetary constraints. Personally, it’s something that I disagree with – moving a depository location. That’s going to yield unnecessary risk, time, money, constraints to the Town. I’ve confirmed this through our financial partners, TD Bank. They’ve suggested as well looking at other Towns. Pretty much every other Town in the State has this flowing through their Clerk’s office.

Thibodeau: Our financial advisor …

Campbell: Our financial advisor is concerned about this move as well. She’d prefer [our not moving this] out of the Clerk’s office, especially where we just have it set it up this year. It’s really full that way, ultimately. Everything is properly recorded the way it is now. And it’s a change I would not suggest moving forward with. The previous policy was enacted by a previous board. So, I don’t know what power we have to change it.

Thibeault: Alright, so, I guess …

Campbell: The power is with them …

Thibeault: I guess I have a question then … if the other board members are alright with that. So, I get our policy … I guess I’m confused between the e-mail I’ve received, from the Town Clerk, and the policy. So, the e-mail – if I understand this correctly, correct me if I’m wrong – we have two issues here. One issue is the actual delegation of the deposits, …

Campbell: Correct.

Thibeault: Which is bringing the money to the bank, …

Campbell: Correct.

Thibeault: And then where the money is going to be deposited and how …

Campbell: We don’t have a problem with taking up more of that … depository … bringing it to the bank. There’s never been an issue there. Simply contact myself and I delegate the authority. Make sure that happens. Today, for example, our deputy took it.

Thibeault: So, in the email, the way I’m reading this, it’s basically say that the Town Clerk no longer wants to do the deposits. It doesn’t say anything about actually taking the money in the office. But, I … obviously, conversations you guys have had with the Town Clerk that’s …

Campbell: She hasn’t identified to me particularly … anything other than actually bringing the money to the bank, which there is an issue.

Selectman Lucier: My interpretation was that was the issue, it wasn’t, it …. so, what … give me the Reader’s Digest version.

Thibodeau: She has indicated that she doesn’t have the staffing or the time to do … to be the central depository for the town and I believe she’s ….

Campbell: Which would encompass both. Both duties.

Thibodeau: Right, both duties. And to do that … and there’s a lot of paperwork involved with that. So, that is what she has indicated to both me and to others, I believe …

Thibeault: So, part of it, essentially, is already resolved – the part of actually bringing the deposits to the bank. That could be … you can resolve that without … fairly quickly without …

Campbell: Yes. And anytime anyone is working that long, we come up with a solution …

Thibeault: And that also isn’t a concern with Town Counsel or anybody else you guys have spoken with.

Thibodeau: We can make sure that person is bonded. His deputy … and somebody he has … it has to be in writing …

Campbell: It has to be a bonded employee.

Thibodeau: It has to be a bonded person, … and it has to be somebody he has delegated to in writing, and we have to have that on file. And eventually that has happened.

Campbell: And we have multiple safeguards in place to make sure that the money will reach the bank, even that night. So, there’s no rush to specifically have it done during the day, as long as we’re following the RSA, which is to deposit the monies once it hits $1,500.

Thibodeau: And we’re following the policies and making sure those things happen.

Thibeault: And that’s in line with our current Town policy, as well.

Campbell: Yes, the one enacted by a previous board.

Thibeault: It follows the RSA.

Thibodeau: Here’s the issue with it as of January 1st. We need make sure we have a place that Town deposits can be deposited to. If it …

Thibeault: Well, I guess I would request that the board … we need to meet with the Town Clerk.

Thibodeau: I can do it. [inaudible]. I need you to request her presence.

Campbell: It needs to be ironed out. Anything that the Town can help towards her department, as a team. We should look at, other things, you know, until the budgetary constraint is resolved. We need to be able to make sure that the money is flowing in and out of that office.

Thibeault: Okay. I’ll make the motion that we, the BOS, request that the Town Clerk be present at the next BOS meeting, so that we can discuss the Town deposits.

Vice-Chairwoman Hutchings: Seconded.

Thibeault: All in favor?

Whole BOS: Aye.

Thibeault: Obviously, I’ll ask MacKenzie to be here …

Campbell: Yes. What’s the next?

Thibodeau: The 17th.

Campbell: Excellent.

As you may see, the BOS is a bit slow to grasp what is happening. Some might say that they are almost gormless.

For those of you that have had some union experience, you will recognize immediately that the Town Clerk is engaging in a Work-to-Rule slowdown: she proposes to perform her job, according to its exact requirements, but to do nothing that might lie outside her job description, such as being the Town’s central depository.

Why might she do this? Aah, the extra “lot of paperwork,” “the staffing,” and her “budget constraints.” Think back. You would not give her the extra hours for her assistant when you reviewed her budget. Now, she feels that those “budget constraints” make it difficult, for she and her part-time assistant to do all the extras that you have “just set up this year.”

It sounds as if you “just set up” a great big new stack of Quid for the Town Clerk, but did not provide her with any Quo. Now, if her assistant had those extra hours … Well, you get the picture. Then it might be an entirely different story.

All the BOS needs to do is expand the Town Clerk’s budget, to include those hours, maybe add another insurance policy too, and expand taxes, yet again. And they will. They set this in motion when they “just set up” the extra duties. It is almost as if they cannot help themselves. It is almost as if they were feckless.

Maybe they should review what Ms. McDougall told them about cross-training.

References:

Town of Milton. (2018, December 3). BOS Meeting, December 3, 2018. Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0_0zA8v7go&feature=youtu.be&t=533

Wikipedia. (2018, October 11). Work-to-Rule. Retrieved from //en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work-to-rule

Milton in the News – 1827

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | December 6, 2018

The Federal government established some new Post Road routes between post offices by an act of Congress in early 1827.

The Vermont Republican and American Journal newspaper published as news, in April 1827, the Congressional act that established a Maine route that took in Milton Mills, NH. It ran from Alfred, ME, to Shapleigh, ME, East Parish, to Shapleigh, ME, Emery’s Mills, to Shapleigh, ME, West Parish, to Milton Mills, NH, and finally terminated in Lebanon, ME.

Having established the route, the Federal government would next have put it out to bid. The low bidder would have won a contract to transport the mail to the post offices along the designated route and then return along that same route to the start. This was not a daily affair, but more likely a weekly run at this time. The contracts had generally a two-year term.

(Publick No. 22.) An Act to establish sundry Post Roads. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the following be established as post roads:

[Extracted from a lengthy list of Post Road routes]

IN MAINE. From Bangor, by Dutton, Kirkland, and Blakesburg, to Boyleston Mills; from Freeman, by New Vineyard, to Farmington; from Dixfield to Weld; from Belfast, by Knox, Freedom, and Hussey’s Mills, to Albion from Guilford, by Abbot, and Monson, to Hashelltown; from Winthrop, by Readfield and Bellegrade, to Waterville; from Alfred, by Shapleigh East Parish, Emery’s Mills, Shapleigh West Parish, and Milton Mills, to Lebanon, in place or the present route from Alfred to Lebanon; from Bethel, by Greenwood, to Norway; from East Machias to Cooper; from Augusta by Waterville back meeting-house, and Schowheaganfalls, to Norridgewock (Vermont Republican and American Journal, April 7, 1827).

John Nutter held the office of Milton Mills postmaster at this time.

Previous in sequence: Milton in the News – 1816; next in sequence: Milton in the News – 1829

Skies Over Milton, December Edition

By Peter Forrester | December 6, 2018

Greetings, stargazers!

It will be an exciting month for night skywatchers.

Here are some significant events to look for this month, provided that cloudy weather doesn’t get in the way. I’m sure all you hardy ones won’t mind the cold if it means getting a look at some really important objects in the sky.

First, we have a New Moon on Friday, December 7th. This time of the lunar cycle is an ideal opportunity for stargazers because it means you can see dimmer stars without the greater light of the moon overshadowing them, so to speak. This is the point of the moon’s orbit around the Earth when it is almost directly between the Earth and the Sun, and therefore we see only its unlighted side (when it gets directly between, we get a solar eclipse, either total or partial, these only occur between 2 to 3 times a year).

Second, on Friday, December 14th, we get the peak of the Geminid meteor shower. Shooting stars will be visible each night between Friday, the 7th and Sunday, the 16th, with the largest number (up to 80 per hour) occurring on the peak night. The meteor shower occurs every year when the Earth’s orbit enters debris left by an asteroid, 3200 Phaethon. It is called “Geminid” because the origin of the shooting stars appears to be in the constellation Gemini, located just above the prominent constellation Orion. However, the shooting stars can be seen in any part of the sky. There are usually only a few shooting stars in the early evening, and the best time to see them is around 2 am for you hardcore stargazers!

Third, occurring about the same time we have the brightest comet flyby of the year. Comet 46P/Wirtanen will pass only about 7.2 million miles away, among the 10 closest approaches by comets to the Earth in modern times. It may be bright enough to see with the naked eye, especially in areas without a lot of light pollution, which I have not generally found to be a problem here in Milton. The comet will not be sharp and contained in a single point like a star, but will be more spread out. The comet will be closest to Earth, and therefore appear the largest, on Sunday, December 16th, between 9:30 and 10 pm on the East Coast. At this time it will pass very near the star cluster the Pleiades.

The comet circles out to near the planet Jupiter and back, orbiting every 5.4 years around the sun (perihelion – closest approach to the Sun is on Wednesday, December 12th), and was first discovered in 1948, by an American astronomer named Carl A Wirtanen. Don’t worry, its orbit is well known by astronomers, and there is no chance of it hitting the Earth! For more information on the campaign to observe the comet, see http://www.wirtanen.astro.umd.edu.

Fourth, we have a Full Moon on Saturday, the 22nd. For your information, the quarter moons occur on Saturday, the 15th (First Quarter), and Saturday, the 29th (Last Quarter).

There are also many events concerning when the Moon is closest to a particular star, or constellation, or when a planet is to be seen nearest to a bright star. For more information of this type, see http://skymaps.com. They publish a free monthly star chart, with 3 versions for different latitudes. I use the one for 40 degrees north of the Equator (Milton is above 43 degrees North). This chart is also useful up to 15 degrees north and south of that line. They also publish versions for the Equator, and for the Southern Hemisphere. On the second page of the sky chart is information about objects that can be seen either with the naked eye, with binoculars, or with a telescope.

Fifth, there is another meteor shower, whose peak night is also on Saturday, the 22nd. This shower has slower-moving meteors (compared to the Geminids earlier in the month) that radiate from a point in Ursa Minor (also known as the Little Dipper). It starts around Monday, the 17th and runs until the 26th of the month. The debris field causing this annual shower is associated with a comet called 8P/Tuttle. Like the other meteor shower, the best time to see it is after midnight, and due to its location it is always visible to the North.

Next in series: Skies over Milton, January Edition

References:

CBS News. (2018, December 5). Brightest comet of the year will zoom near Earth next week). By Caitlin O’Kane. Retrieved from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brightest-comet-of-2018-46p-wirtanen-will-zoom-near-earth-next-week/

Thalassoudis, Kym. (2000-17). Skymaps. Retrieved December 6, 2018 from Skymaps.com.

Wikipedia. (2018, December 6). 46P/Wirtanen. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/46P%2FWirtanen

Wikipedia. (2018, December 6). Geminids. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geminids

Wikipedia. (2018, December 6). New Moon. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_moon.

Wikipedia. (2018, December 6). Perihelion and aphelion. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perihelion_and_aphelion

Wikipedia. (2018, December 6). Ursids. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ursids

Milton Bicentennial Tribute

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | December 5, 2018

Senator Robert C. “Bob” Smith, of New Hampshire, gave the following Milton bicentennial tribute speech in the US Senate, on Wednesday, March 13, 2002.

TRIBUTE TO THE TOWN OF MILTON, NEW HAMPSHIRE

Mr. Smith of New Hampshire. Madam President, I rise today to pay tribute to the citizens of Milton, New Hampshire, on the occasion of the Town’s bicentennial celebration.

The Town of Milton, located in Strafford County, has a rich history in the State of New Hampshire. A petition was submitted in 1794 by the citizens of Rochester to be incorporated as a separate town. On June 11, 1802, the Town of Milton was incorporated.

Milton is located on Milton Three Ponds, an area blessed with an abundance of waterpower which was utilized by different industries including several sawmills and a woolen mill, Miltonia Mills which specialized in fine wool blankets that were used by Admiral Peary on exploratory expeditions. A distillery and five icehouses which supplied ice to Boston, Massachusetts were also located in Milton.

Construction of homes began in Milton during the early 1800’s and the first rural schools, Plummer’s Ridge School #1 and Nute Ridge School #2 were built. Both school buildings remain standing in Milton today. In 1853 [SIC], Lewis Worster Nute, a native of Milton, provided financial support in his will to build a school and library in Milton and a chapel in West Milton.

Today, the Town of Milton, situated in southeastern New Hampshire, has a population of approximately four thousand residents. Teneriffe Mountain overlooks Milton Three Ponds which connects to the Salmon Falls River, offering spectacular scenery year round.

Milton’s municipal government consists of an elected three member Board of Selectmen and numerous other boards and committees. The town’s representatives in the New Hampshire legislature include: Representatives Nancy Johnson and Rodney Woodill and State Senator Carl Johnson. The Town has an excellent on-call Fire Department and Ambulance Corps, along with a well-staffed Police Department and a summer marine patrol.

Each year the townspeople of Milton nominate a “Citizen of the Year.” In 2002, the Fire, Police and Ambulance Corps will be honored as the true heroes in Milton, New Hampshire.

I congratulate the citizens of Milton, New Hampshire, as they celebrate the Town’s bicentennial anniversary and wish them continued success and prosperity in the years to come. It is truly and honor and a privilege to represent the people of the Town of Milton in the United States Senate.

Joint BOS-Budget Committee Meeting Scheduled (December 5, 2018)

By Muriel Bristol | December 4, 2018

The Milton Board of Selectmen (BOS) have posted their agenda for a joint BOS-Budget Committee meeting to be held Wednesday, December 5, 2018.

The BOS intend to begin their joint BOS-BC meeting at approximately (*) 6:00 PM.

Its agenda is described in the single sentence:

Be advised the Budget Committee & Board of Selectmen will conduct a joint meeting to discuss the Town Budget.

Two follow-on meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, December 11, and Tuesday, December 18, also at 6:00 PM.

A series of three joint meetings held in November of last year ran through departmental budgets. The first meeting, that of November 8, 2017, reviewed the departmental budgets or budget items of the Town Administrator, Insurance Benefits, Moderator, Cemetery. Planning & Code, Planning Board, Zoning, Sewer, and Conservation. The second and third meetings reviewed other departmental budgets.

A fourth joint meeting, held December 4, 2018, was the one in which problems with the “recent Tax Assessment” were first mentioned. From the minutes:

BOS questioning how this process occurred without prior knowledge or notice. A current total of 747 properties increasing between 1-14.9% and 1189 properties increasing up more than 15% of a total 2719 total properties. Average change was over 14%.

The BOS of that time consisted of Chairman Rawson and Selectman Thibeault. Despite what is said in their minutes, it emerged later that, in fact, the BOS did have prior knowledge and notice, and had themselves approved the assessment.

That fourth joint BOS-Budget Committee of 2017 dealt also, as Old Business, with the BOS Approval of 2018 Default Budget and the Budget Committee Review And Recommendations of Town Budgets.

References:

Town of Milton. (2018, November 30). Joint Budget Committee Meeting Agenda, December 5, 2018. Retrieved from www.miltonnh-us.com/uploads/bos_agendas_850_1906353652.pdf

Trip to Wildcat Shortened

By Muriel Bristol (Transcriber) | December 3, 2018

Trip to Wildcat Shortened

In late August [1981], the New Hampshire Highway Dept. completed a 14-mile section of new highway extending the Spaulding Turnpike northward to by-pass North Rochester and Milton, N.H. The 14-mile section rejoins NH. 16 about one mile south of the traffic light in Union on the Union-Wakefield by-pass and should save skiers about 15 to 20 minutes in reaching Wildcat, N.H., depending on traffic conditions.

References:

Skiing Magazine. (1982, January). Roundup. Retrieved from books.google.com/books?id=btUXV5bgTxAC&pg=PT10

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