A Sketch Of Warner: Historic And Otherwise
vol. XIX no. 6 paragraph 31 (about page 9)
(by Amanda B Harris)
http://www.warner.nh.us/historical_sketch02.htm
(About ½ way down the page)
About 1823 there was a good deal of interest in music, and the Central Musical Society of the state met here for rehearsal, the special pieces give out being from the Bridgewater collection. Ezra Barrett was one of the committee, a man of decided character and public spirit. He had a fine bass voice, and sometimes taught singing schools. He lived where George Upton now does, and had a shop where he carried on an extensive business in making scythesnaths, the steaming and drying of which required such great heat that his neighbors on either side lived in terror of fire. This fear was heightened when on Saturday nights the week's accumulation of shavings was carried across the street and burned in a big bonfire, into which the children leaped with that mad spirit which dares a perilous joy. One night the buildings all went up or down in flames.
Genealogies of Some Old Families of Concord, Massachusetts
C.E. Potter 1887
page 111
http://books.google.com/books?id=9Td7G4YqUiIC&lpg=PA105&ots=ZQihVhGtmq&dq=barrett%20james%20gravestone%20concord%20massachusetts&pg=PA105#v=onepage&q&f=false
(Section Regarding: Ezra Barrett)
Born in Ashby, Mass., settled after his marriage in Warner, NH. He was for many years a deacon in the Congregational church. He was greatly esteemed for his thorough Christian and business integrity, dignified and gentlemanly deportment. He was extensively engaged in the manufacture of various farming implements for the New England market, in use at the time, he having invented the concord scythe snaith, and also a lathe for turning wood by a pattern. He was much interested in common schools, and in improving the construction of their houses. He published a singing book for Sunday-school use. His wife was Rhoda Johnson, daughter of Col. Reuben and Rhoda Johnson. He died in 1843.
Minnesota Society Sons of the American Revolution
Year Book 1889-1895
Holding of the Genealogical Society of Utah
William Henry Grant
page 196
“As relayed by Edward Harris Barrett”
Page 196
Edward H. Barrett – Minneapolis
Manufacturer. Born at Warner, N.H., September 17, 1818. Son of Ezra Barrett and Rhoda Johnson; grandson of Benjamin Barrett and Bridget Lawrence; great-grandson of Benjamin Barrett and Sarah Merriam; great-grandson(2) of Benjamin Barrett and Rebecca Jones; great-grandson(3) of Benjamin Barrett and Lydia Minot; great-grandson(4) of Humphrey Barrett and Mary Potter; great-grandson(5) of Humphrey Barrett, who was born in England, 1592, and Mary, his wife.
Also grandson of William Johnson and Rhoda Spalding.
History of Francestown, New Hampshire
Mills and Manufactures
http://books.google.com/books?id=llGDthBQqTMC&pg=PA421&lpg=PA421&dq=History+of+Francestown,+New+Hampshire+%22ezra+barrett%22&source=bl&ots=E9vg7oXhf7&sig=XiposiwuQ2xGRmDMdanLIMVDPeA&hl=en&ei=Zpm6Taf6GY-C0QGZvu3jBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBYQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
page 398
27. Musical Instrument Shop – This was in a small building which stood a few feet north of where the Bank Building now stands, and the business was carried on by Ezra Barrett. It was in vigorous operation in 1817.
page 421
2. The William Searle House - Stands on north of street a few rods east of the "Old Academy." Was moved to its present locality in 1847 by William Searle who lived and died here. Was formerly "the Musical Instrument Factory of Ezra Barrett, and then stood a few feet north of the Bank Building ("Long Store") on Main Street.
Warner Historical Organization
http://www.warnerhistorical.org/upton_house.htm
YOU'LL FIND IMAGES OF THE HOME ON WEB SITE
The Upton/Chandler House: A brief History
Built around 1817, this Federal style house was first occupied by Ezra Barrett from about 1817-1845. As one of the very first deacons of the Congregational Church in Warner, he lived there and ran a scythe-snath shop near the house until 1830. During the late 1840s, a Doctor Parsons Whidden lived there and entertained a summer guest, Mary Baker Eddy, in the year 1849. Later, storeowner Erastus Wilkins lived in the large house in 1858, as he operated his stores in Lower Warner and the center of town. In 1884, the house was bought from a Dr. Ames for $2030.00 by George Upton, the town’s tax collector in 1874, 1875, and 1878. In 1910, George Hubbard purchased the interest of his sister Mrs. Farrwell P. Merrick that once belonged to their grandmother, Mrs. Sally Hubbard. At a later time, Mr. Hubbard sold his share of the house to Fred C. Brockway. By 1927 the house was owned jointly by the heirs of George Upton (daughter Annie Upton Cogswell) and Mr. Brockway, who later sold it to Mrs. George Cushing and her son James. The most recent owner, John P.H. Chandler Jr., bought the building in 1949 and rented it to numerous tenants. For years, the house was split down the middle: "tenants had common
rights to use of the front-hall stairway, water in the barn, and a shed in the rear." The attached, two-story barn was torn down in the late 1990s, but the main house remains relatively unchanged since it was built.
In 1998, the Warner Historical Society expressed an interest in purchasing the then unoccupied building to be used for museum and exhibition space. The Chandler Family was contacted and in 2000, they gifted the house to the Society. The Historical Society is now in the process of rehabilitating the house, restoring and preserving the interior for exhibitions of Warner history.
Industries of Warner
The following was recopied from a story written for the
Kearsarge Independent by Mary Bartlett Rowe Flanders about 1939.
http://www.warner.nh.us/old_industries.htm
The people of Warner have been principally engaged in agriculture, but there has always been more or less manufacturing carried on in town and it is an important and growing interest of the people here at the present time. Nathaniel Bean was from Amesbury. He came to Warner about 1775 and settled on Pumpkin Hill. Mr. Bean built the first mills that were erected at the great falls of Waterloo. There was a day when the little village could boast of a tannery, a clothing mill, a trip hammer and a paper mill. Daniel Bean, Jr. carried on the bakery business for a year or two at Waterloo. There was a saw mill and a grist mill there a little later. At Warner village John Ela came up from Derry in 1844 and established the business where the Ela Box shop is now located. There was once an iron foundry at Davisville, also a woolen mill. The tannery business was carried on at Willow Brook. Deacon Ezra Barrett made schythe snaths in the village. David Foster manufactured rakes on Bartlett Brook. There was once a brick yard on Silver Brook and another near Pleasant Pond. There was a grist mill on Willow Brook near A. D. Farnum's, now owned by the Wiggetts. Later the mill was used by Fred Clark for a shingle mill and cider press. John Morgan had a shop on the river at Newmarket where he made wooden bowls, mortars, trays, etc. Earthen ware was manufactured at Dimonds Corner and the corner was at one time quite a business center. W. Scott Davis went into partnership with Samuel Dow and they dealt in wood and lumber for about ten years. In more recent years Tappan Melvin operated a grist mill and a saw mill. The Melvin post office was located in a corner of the mill. The mill finally fell into the hands of Frank Sawtelle, who just recently sold it to parties who will rebuild the dam and establish a business. The building now known as Sawtelle Hall was used as an apple evaporator, employing many men and women. A little farther down the stream John Rodgers made wooden stopples for milk cans. The buildings fell down and there is no trace of them.
For any errors or omissions; I stand corrected.
Mrs. Edward G. Flanders
Historical Sketches of The Town of Warner, New Hampshire
Dr. Moses Long – Originally Published by John B. Moore, 1832
http://www.warner.nh.us/historical_sketches.htm
(About ½ way down)
At present, there are in this town Congregationalists, Baptists, Freewill Baptists, Universalists, Osgoodites, and probably many leave their religion yet to choose.
* The Deacons of the Congregational Church have been as follows:
Elected Died or dismissed
Parmenas Watson 1772 1825
Nehemiah Heath 1772 1816
David Heath a. 1809 dism. to Hopkinton 1831
Isaac Dalton 1816
Reuben Kimball 1831
Ezra Barrett 1831
Rose, thanks for posting these!
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