Declaration of Independence

By Deborah Jurist, President of the Groton Historical Society

John Trumbull’s painting depicts the committee presenting the draft of the Declaration of Independence to the Continental Congress. Public domain/Architect of the Capitol.

This year we are celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1776. There will be loads of festivities all year long….One of the benefits to us….are cupcakes! 

But as with most of the events we celebrate,  origin stories get simplified to a point that we often lose the real basis for the hoopla. 

Today the Groton Historical Society will obviously not cover the history in depth, but we intend to make a significant scratch on the surface and read the meat of the Declaration itself.  There are copies of the full text here if you want one.  

Why DO we celebrate July 4, 1776 as the birthday of the United States?

The Declaration of Independence doesn’t seem to signify the birth of our nation to me, it signifies the beginning of a WAR that led to the birth of our nation.

The War lasted 8 years 4 months and 15 days and ended on May 12, 1784 after the deaths of more than 25,000 Patriots and 43,000 British soldiers. It occurred during a worldwide epidemic of smallpox which caused the deaths of 130,000 people in the colonies, in fact most of the troops on both sides died of small pox, and the number would have been even higher if George Washington had not required his troops to be inoculated in a move that was bold, but not unprecedented, the British too were inoculated. It is commonly believed we would have lost the war completely if he hadn’t done that because we were so outnumbered.

 The Declaration came in the stage of birth when labour begins and there is no turning back…. The messy part was only just beginning. 

It was a war about ending tyranny and instituting self government, which had never EVER happened before……and the impetus was taxes. 

What we call The French and Indian War, the period from 1754 to 1763,  was actually part of a World War at the time, in which Britain, France, and Spain, were fighting each other over the land on the American continent where the Indians lived. 

 It caused a huge debt for the British Government and they were looking for ways to raise revenue. They decided that the colonies should pay more for their defense, even though we were paying taxes already. Since we had no representatives in the English Government, we had NO say. So, the British imposed a new tax, it was called the Stamp Tax, and it was like a sales tax, so everyone felt it. Everything affected by the tax required a stamp to be affixed to it, like a stamp on a letter. There was a tax on paper and pencils for instance, and of course, tea. This is “Taxation without Representation” It was what we would call a “tipping point” now.

One comment before we  go ahead and start on the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration refers to the rights of  “men” and it is generally assumed that it means white men who owned property, not laborers, or teachers, or preachers who did not own land, and for the most part this is true. However, voting was controlled by the individual colonies,  we weren’t even the United States at that time. 

New Jersey allowed widows and unmarried white women of property to vote, and when Vermont became a state in 1791, the vote was given to ALL men regardless of color or property ownership.

Groton, by the way, was not even chartered until 1789. However, there were 15 Patriots amongst our early settlers who came here from Maine and Massachusetts.. Three of them were Batchelders! Four of them are buried in Groton: Jeremiah Batchelder, Dominicus Gray, Jesse Heath and Edmund Welch…

You can find more information about this in Mr. Glover’s Groton, page 223, 224

The Declaration of Independence 

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that ALL men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.--

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. 

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

These are grievances:

He has refused his Assent to Laws, 

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws 

He has refused to pass other Laws 

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, 

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; 

He has endeavoured to prevent the population to grow in these States; by obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; 

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice,

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, 

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people,

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power,

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For suspending our own Legislatures, 

He has abdicated Government, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, 

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. The Declaration of Independence of 1776 was in many ways a political message to Revolutionaries in the North American colonies and their potential allies in Europe.

But….. somewhat unexpectedly, it also became the center of rallying cries for equality and liberty from its earliest moments, and it has continued to do so to this day.

Piermont's Old Times Remembered by Senior Residents and Friends

By Bernie Marvin

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Seated in the Piermont Old Church Building recently were these folks, and others, who told of their early days in Piermont, attending school, church and raising a little Cain here and there. The program was sponsored by the Piermont Historical Society and they promised another one will be held in the future. Seen left to right are Tim Cole, Suzanne Woodard, Diane Winot, Julie Lamarre, Polly Marvin, Mary Musty, Jim Putnam and Terry Robie. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin

Piermont, NH – Town Moderator Joyce Tompkins sat in the front row at the Old Church Building on Sunday afternoon, February 15, 2026, intently listening as a group of senior residents and friends of the town recalled some of their earlier days in this small former dairy farming town.
They spoke of the times when much attention was devoted to Piermont's local church, village school, and the old dances, town plays, and delightful suppers in a failing old Town Hall that was sold off long ago and is now a classic private residence and business in the center of town.

The historic tales poured forth, some being sprung from memories of the days when the local farmers held cattle drives through the middle of town and headed east to summer grazing grounds out towards Indian Pond Road.
Speakers at this event, organized by the Piermont Historical Society, included Tim Cole, Suzanne Woodard, Diane Winot, Julie Lamarre, Polly Marvin, Mary Musty, Jim Putnam, Terry Robie, Asa Metcalf, and Will Priestly.

All the stories were about old Piermont, including some folks now long gone who had contributed to the town's unique, close feeling of friendship, assistance, and awesome meals. Back then, just about every home had a barn and a shed and a connector building that housed a family dairy and meat-raising effort, a barn full of winter hay and warm, comfortable homes with jelly closets brimming with sweet preserves, jams, and tender pickles that many folks in Piermont still put up each year when growing season rolls around.

In the days of World War 1 and 2 and before, when it was too far to go to Woodsville to shop, the stories told of a robust center of commerce in Piermont that included Gould's Store, the Post Office, the Robins Inn, and Mr. Mellin's delightful candy that included candy canes and lollipops he made in his kitchen on Church Street.
Speakers remembered when Bill Deal's Mother, Eleanor, ran the town library, which was located across Route 10 in the Old Church Building, from the present location. They fondly remembered Reverend Robert Robb and his wife, Barbara, and their sadness when the Robbs moved away.

There were always horses up and down Church Street, all cared for and ridden by Joan Osgood and her students during her 4-H horse camps held in the summer. Julie Lamarre remembered cooking for the Village School kids upstairs in the fire station, then lugging all that food down the stairs, out of the building, and across Route 10 to the school. The school kitchen was out of commission during the major school renovations. The stories continued for more than an hour.

At the conclusion, Town Moderator Tompkins, who is also the Piermont Historical Society Secretary and Program Moderator, said that it "was a lovely event" and that we all have missed the people we have lost over the years, and there was agreement that another event will be scheduled in the future to share more stories.
Piermont Historical Society member Fred Shipman said he was thrilled with the response he had to the program. He said everyone enjoyed the two full hours of stories and memories.

Groton and the Great Depression

By Deborah Jurist

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GROTON - While doing research on the Page Chain Company, I found myself intrigued by what life was like in Groton during the Great Depression.
Sewell Page, owner of the Page Chain Company, died suddenly in 1934, leaving his wife Alice with 2 teenaged boys and one 3 year old girl named Marge. The boys, Russell and Ronald, decided to drop out of school and get jobs in order to provide for their Mother and little sister, thus preventing them from having to become dependents of the town. They were successful, Russell joined the Army Air Force at 16, and Ronald, just 14, began a long career as a successful farmer. His farm has become the central part of Newbury’s Four Corners Farm.
Source: Cindy Orr, Ryegate Postmistress and Sewell Page’s granddaughter

I asked myself the question, what did it mean for Alice Page and her baby to become dependents of the town?

Reading Groton town reports for the years 1931, through 1934, a picture began to form of what life during the Great Depression might have looked like.

We had an “Overseer of the Poor” who was elected at Town Meeting. Listed in the Reports, were the costs of services and goods provided to people who needed them. In other words, Groton citizens raised funds through the collection of taxes to provide for the poor, both those who lived in Groton, and for those who were listed as “Tramps”, transients who arrived by train. .

Many people boarded with families or individuals. People who took others into their homes were paid for this service by the taxpayers. Those who needed help were often in need for multiple years. There were sometimes children with no parents needing care, as well as the elderly, oftentimes people died during the time they were being cared for.

Groton paid for hundreds of gallons of milk from Blanchards, JK Whites, and EC Frost. Dozens of cords of wood came from individuals. Taxpayers paid for medical care, trips to the Cottage and Brightlook Hospitals, tobacco, telephone calls, clothes, a stove, moving expenses, legal advice, shoes, grave digging, manure, dental care, and glasses. The Overseer of the Poor was paid for a trip to St. Johnsbury to pick up government issued pork
One family appears over and over again. There seemed to be no father, and at first the mother received financial help for caring for her family. Then the Overseer of the Poor was paid for taking one child to New York, then for taking one to the Barre Sanatorium and eventually for taking the rest of the children “away”..

Tramps were “cared for” by individuals and the taxpayers footed the bill, oftentimes in groups. Once there was a charge for 50, once for 27. It looks like the cost for taking care of one tramp was $.75. The service provided was not defined.

In 1995 a 7th grade student, named Emily Dyer, wrote a paper called “Memories of the Depression”. She interviewed several people who had lived in Groton during the 1930s. Among those people were Norma Hosmer, 89 years old, Evelyn Frost Ricker, 75 years old, Margaret Blanchard Miller, Peggy Smith and Raymond Page, who had been an Overseer of the Poor.

Norma remembered eating lots of parsnips and potatoes, but her Mom also made sour cream cookies and cake with apple frosting. Evelyn Frost’s mother made grape sherbet. Margaret Miller’s Mom made donuts, pies and cakes once a week. Raymond Page, who raised 4 children during the Depression remembered hasty pudding, johnny cake, and milk toast. He mentioned that some people the town had supported, paid the funds back, and some of the transients worked on the roads for $.30 an hour.
In 1932 there were roughly 145 entries for payment to individuals, mostly local men, for work done on the roads.
In 1933 the Civil Works Administration, what we usually refer to as the Civilian Conservation Corps, brought 43 men to Groton who worked on the Westville School, the Hatch Brook Rd. and what they referred to as Ricker Rd.

Mrs. Blanche Miller, recalled the work of Harold Miller, who came from NY to work with the CCC Boys..
In Groton he became a stone mason and helped build fireplaces at Stillwater Campground, and the stone tower and steps to Owl’s Head, dragging the stones up the path by hand. Harold Miller and Margaret Blanchard married in 1935, they were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary the year Emily Dyer wrote her essay.

Local people were skeptical about how the CCC boys would fare in rural Groton. It turned out they did great. Alice Lord Goodine recalled that her husband Henry, the barber, would go to the CCC Camp once a week to give the boys haircuts and the young men often came into Groton, and spent money after they were paid.

In conclusion, there was a clear commitment to taking care of “our own” as well as those who came to town because they were homeless. Groton, being a farming town, probably fared better than many urban areas during the depression because food production was common.

As we face the new needs of our neighbors and those who land here without means, we have an opportunity to carry on the tradition set by Groton during the last century.

Care for the poor expenses. The cost of maintenance of local roads is listed for reference.

Historical Society looking at the rehab and future use of Pierson Hall

By Bernie Marvin

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Chatting with two handsome donkeys, in a field adjacent to the Ladd Street School Museum recently, is Elaine Elliott from Haverhill. The donkeys, left to right. are Daisy and Ed. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin

Haverhill Corner, NH On Saturday, October 18, 2025, as a morning sun began to brighten through the cloud bank that hung over the nearby Connecticut River, donkeys Ed, Daisy, and Flower grazed in a lush field just outside the back door of the historic Ladd Street School.
It was a pretty setting as visitors began to head to the Haverhill Historical Society's 2025 Fall Open House, where, inside the white school building, the society had invited the public to come and enjoy the open house.

Once again, as they had many times in the past, society board members and others welcomed visitors to enjoy refreshments and friendly conversations as they learned about the museum's collection of military, railroad, and town history items.

In a previous report on the Town of Haverhill website, a bit of the Ladd Street School's history is mentioned, along with past work. The report indicates that the Ladd Street School, now standing at the corner of County Road and Dartmouth College Highway, was built in 1849 for School District No. 2 and was one of many Haverhill School Districts located in various sections of the town during the nineteenth century. "Its construction coincided with the demolition of the 1790 meetinghouse of the First Congregational Church, which stood nearby. When the parish purchased the brick meetinghouse on the common in 1829, the church at Ladd Street was gradually abandoned."

During the past 20 years, the Society has made extensive repairs to the foundation, windows, roof, and belfry. With major exterior repairs completed, attention has turned to refurbishing the interior, in the hope that the building -long a vital community symbol - can now also be used for Society and community functions.

The report also indicated that electrical work, painting, and repairs to plaster and the schoolroom's tin ceiling were made possible in large part through The Mildred Page Fund for Public Buildings at Haverhill Corner, administered by the Haverhill Select Board. The Haverhill Historical Society is grateful to the Board--and especially to Mildred Page--for their vision and generosity in helping to restore this precious link with Haverhill's earliest years to much of its former glory.

Haverhill Historical Society President Peter Tice told The Bridge Weekly that the Saturday event was well-attended, and he saw some new names and faces of people who are interested in the Historical Society. "We were also most fortunate to have in attendance lifelong Haverhill resident Gary Elliott, who shared precious information about a military long coat that we have on display that was worn in World War I by Harold Swan of Haverhill."
In a sidebar description of the Swan brothers, Haverhill Historical Society
Board member Russ Brady reported that the Twins, Harold and Herbert Swan, were born in Haverhill. Their family home was the property currently known as 1096 Dartmouth College Highway (the next house North of the Judge McKenna home) on Route 10 in Haverhill.

Brady continued, "Both Harold and Herbert served in World War 1. Harold's uniform is currently on display at Haverhill Historical Society's Ladd Street School Museum. Upon returning from service, Harold resided in Orford, NH. He is buried in the Orford cemetery."
"Herbert returned to Haverhill. He operated a funeral home in Woodsville and also made coffins and furniture. See the link: https://www.rickerfuneral.com/our-history. He owned several properties in town, including the home at the corner of School Street and Route 10 (140 School Street), Haverhill Corner, the former home of Dr. James Brown and his wife, Beverly. Herbert is buried in the Ladd Street Cemetery," Brady wrote.

Tice told The Bridge Weekly, "I think that attracting new people to the Society--whether they want to serve on the Board, volunteer to help with events or routine activities, or simply enjoy the collection and fellowship--should be a high priority."
"I believe that the Society is the people," he continued. "It goes without saying that we are stewards of the collection, the artifacts, and the buildings, but without the people, they're just things; their relationship to the people, to our heritage, to our culture is what gives them life and meaning."
Tice said the Society has two new "almost-official Board members who have been diving into the collection to move forward with the immense job of cataloguing artifacts that was started years ago by the Society and most recently addressed by long-time Board member Maryellen Kirkpatrick. The members are Catherine Bullock and Audra Weber."

He noted they will not only be cataloguing but also coordinating their efforts with other members of the Society to physically reorganize and improve the archiving of the collection that is presently out of routine public view.

"We also were proud to participate in Haverhill History Day, with two large illustrated interpretive posters regarding 19th- and 20th-century fires in Haverhill Corner. We had several Board members present at Pearson Hall to answer (and ask!) questions about Town and Village history, and we were glad to help round out the experiences enjoyed by visitors, Tice said.
He also noted the upcoming work on Pearson Hall. "We have spent much of the Summer engrossed in Pearson Hall, and we are in the process of developing plans for future rehabilitation and usage of the building."

Tice said, "Our immediate and dominant focus has been addressing the roof, which is coming due for replacement, but various members of the Board have put forth several interesting ideas for how the building is to be used and how renovation, maintenance, and operations can be funded," he concluded.

Current Board Members include President Peter Tice; Vice President Russ Brady; Treasurer Micah Weiss, and Secretary Esther Hodges-LeClaire. Other board members include Evelyn Adams, Adam Hodges-LeClaire, Greg Mathieson, and Truman Sloan.

Enjoying an afternoon at the recent Haverhill Historical Society's Open House at the Ladd Street School Museum are, left to right, Phil Szilva, Lady Borton and Truman Sloan, all of Haverhill. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin

A visitor to the recent Haverhill Historical Society's Ladd Street School Museum Open House looks over historic artifacts on display, including an old Woodsville Opera House lighted sign. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin

Haverhill Historical Society Board members, left to right, Russ Brady and Greg Mathieson prepare refreshments prior to holding their Open House last weekend at the Ladd Street School Museum. The Bridge Weekly/Bernie Marvin.