CHAPTER II.
BENCH AND BAR.

Page 5

At the next term of the Supreme Court after his death the following resolutions were entered upon the records

   �Resolved, That in the recent sudden and untimely death of Anson S. Marshall, Esq. a prominent member of this bar, struck down in the vigor of life and the full possession of all his powers, through the culpable, if not criminal, carelessness of others, we regret the loss of a frank and courteous gentleman, a kind genial associate and companion, a generous and public-spirited citizen and an active, zealous and able lawyer, always untiring in his devotion to the interests of his clients and ever laborious and patient in the practice of his chosen profession.
   "Resolved, That we tender to the family of our deceased brother our sincerest sympathy in the afflictive dispensation which has deprived them of an affectionate husband and indulgent father.
   �Resolved, That these resolutions be presented to the Court, with a request that they be entered upon the records, and their clerk instructed to transmit a copy of them to the family of the deceased.�

Mr. Marshall was married to Mary Jane Corning April 9, 1861. Anson Southard Marshall, Jr., was born March 29, 1863, and is now studying law in the office of Chase & Streeter.

HON. GEORGE WASHINGTON NESMITH, LL.D.^[1] One of the most affable and genial gentlemen of the old school is Judge Nesmith, of Franklin, or, more widely, of New Hampshire. His years sit lightly upon him. An honorable man, a just judge, a kindly neighbor, a good citizen and a ripe scholar, he can calmly sit in his well-appointed library, surrounded by his well-loved books and mementoes of the past, and review a well-spent life, crowned with honors. He is of pure Scotch-Irish descent. In him are united the families of the old Covenanters, the defenders of Londonderry, the hardy pioneers of New England, the heroes of Bunker Hill and the strict Presbyterians; the Nesmiths, the McKeans, the Dinsmores and the Dickeys. He comes of a brave and cultured race.

Genealogy.^[2]1. James Nesmith was born in county Antrim, Ireland, in the alley of the Bann, in the year 1692 about two years after his parents, coming from Scotland, had settled there. In 1714 he married Elizabeth, daughter of James and Janet Cochran McKean, who was his companion for nearly a half a century. James Nesmith was one of the signers of the memorial to Governor Shute, March 26, 1718, one of the proprietors of Londonderry and one of the original sixteen who made the first settlement of that town, April 22, 1719. James Nesmith was a strong man, respected and honored by his associates, and an elder in the church. He died in 1767.

2. James Nesmith, Jr., son of James and Elizabeth McKean Nesmith, was born in Ireland in 1718, shortly before the embarkation of his parents for America. He married Mary Dinsmore, and settled in Londonderry. Although beyond the military age, he took an active part in the struggle for independence, and was present at the battle of Bunker Hill, at the siege at Boston, and at Bennington. He died at home, July 15, 1793.

3. Jonathan Nesmith, son of James and Mary (Dinsmore) Nesmith, was born in Londonderry in August, 1759. At the age of sixteen he commenced to clear a lot in Antrim, and permanently settled there in 1778. He was one of the leading spirits of the town, an elder of the Presbyterian Church from its formation, a selectman for eleven years and a representative four years, commencing with 1796. For fifty years he missed but one communion. He was genial, jolly, good-natured and enjoyed a joke; was very hospitable and benevolent; anxious for the public welfare; stoutly in earnest to maintain the faith of his fathers. He was a man of strong ability, good judgment, irreproachable character and an honor to the town he helped to establish. He married Eleanor, daughter of Adam and Jane (Strahan) Dickey, of Londonderry, and granddaughter of John and Margaret Dickey, of Londonderry, Ireland. She was born January 1, 1761, and died September 17, 1818. He died at the age of eighty-six, October 15, 1845.

4. George Washington Nesmith, son of Jonathan and Eleanor (Dickey) Nesmith, was born in Antrim, October 23, 1800.

Life.--His father�s residence in Antrim was situate a mile from the district school-house, and the distance and his lameness interfered with his early attendance. Miss Katherine Miller, a sister or General James Miller, later wife of John Caldwell, of Antrim, led him through the rudiments as found in Noah Webster�s spelling-book. She was an amiable and kind woman, well calculated to gain the affections of children. The other teachers who helped to mould his character were Miss Lucinda Lawrence, of Ashby, Mass.; Miss Fanny Baldwin, afterwards wife of Dr. Israel Burnham; and Miss Anstress Woodbury, a sister of Hon. Levi Woodbury, who in later years married Hon. Nehemiah Eastman, and who became the early friend and patron of Henry Wilson in his boyhood. In the winter of 1810 he received instruction from J. Miltimore, of West Newbury, Mass.; in 1811, from Joshua Holt, of Greenfield, N. H.; and in 1812, �13 and �14, from Daniel M. Christie, of Antrim, afterwards of Dover, N. H. In early life, in the school-room, Mr. Christie gave evidence of superior ability as an instructor, and ranked as a model schoolmaster. He was an able mathematician, and could lead a class through the intricacies of figures with consummate tact.

In May, 1814, the boy was sent from home and placed at Jaffrey, under the instruction of Henry Cummings. His companions were Luke Woodbury and Samuel Dakin, of Utica, N. Y., the former for many years judge of Probate, while the latter lived to see his five sons take degrees from his own alma mater, Hamilton College. To Rev. John M. Whiton, minister at Antrim, was he chiefly indebted for his progress in the classics and his early preparation to enter Dartmouth College. His course of four years embraced the stormy, threatening period when the Legislature of the State attempted to establish the Dartmouth University, and deprive the trustees of the college of their jurisdiction.

In the class of 1820, with Judge Nesmith, were graduated Hon. Nathan Crosby, of Lowell, Hon. George P. Marsh. Judges Upham and Woodbury, Hon. H. Williams and James W. Parker, and Rev. David Goodwillie, D.D., now of Trumbull County, Ohio, who yet survives.

After graduation he taught school at �the north end of Concord Street� four months, and at the academy at Bradford, Vt., eighteen months�

He commenced the study of the law with Parker Noyes, Esq. (then of Salisbury, N. H.), August 14, 1822. Parker Noyes was the brother-in-law of Hon. Thomas W. Thompson, and his law-partner from A.D. 1801, continuing to 1807, when the firm was dissolved, and Mr. Noyes succeeded to the whole business of the late firm.

He commenced the study of the law under the depressing influence of poor health, but by adopting a rigid system of out-door exercise and manual labor, and strictly adhering to it for nearly two years, he regained his accustomed strength and vigor. The law business of Mr. Noyes was quite extensive, and required more than the ability and strength of one man to attend to it, so that the hearty co-operation of the young law student was duly appreciated and handsomely recompensed. Mr. Nesmith was admitted to the bar in August, 1825, and immediately formed an equal partnership with Mr. Noyes, which continued until the end of one year, when the senior member of the firm withdrew from professional labor, on account of sickness, and surrendered the whole business to Mr. Nesmith. The kindness and liberality of Mr. Noyes to the young lawyer, on the threshold of his business life, has ever been rightly appreciated by the recipient.

The old law-office stood in the lower village of Franklin (then Salisbury, now known as the Webster Place). It was originally built and occupied about 1790, by Thomas W. Thompson. Its situation, near the point where four of the five great counties of the State then cornered, was well selected for legal business. Mr. Thompson was a good lawyer, but not a great advocate. His students acquired good, industrious habits and correct principles. They were Moses Eastman, Daniel Webster, Ezekiel Webster, Daniel Abbot, Jeremiah H. Woodman, Jacob McGaw and Parker Noyes. Ichabod Bartlett, D. C. Atkinson, John A. Harper, Josiah Houghton, Peabody Rogers and William C. Thompson studied with Mr. Noyes. To the last named, Mr. Nesmith owed his invitation to leave his school in Bradford, Vt., and enter the office consecrated to legal lore as a student.

In April, 1829, Mr. Nesmith gave up the office at the lower village and removed to the upper village, where he has ever since resided. The old office is still in existence, reduced from its lofty station, and now doing duty as a neglected back kitchen, the law-tomes being replaced by the more humble pans and kettles.

Mr. Nesmith at once took an active part in the affairs of his adopted home, and entered eagerly into the scheme to incorporate the territory from the four towns of Northfield, Sanbornton, Andover and Salisbury into a township, when there would be a community of interest,--the town of Franklin. The first petition was presented in 1824. The following year a viewing committee, consisting of William Plumer, Jr., Caleb Keith and Abel Merrill, examined the territory, and reported favorably in 1826. The Legislature of that year rejected the application on the ground that a majority of the inhabitants within the territory in question were not in favor of the new town. In June, 1828, there was more union and consequently more strength, and the petition was presented under more favorable auspices. Although opposed by the strenuous efforts and influence of three towns, the charter was granted in December, 1828. Judge Nesmith wrote the charter and gave the town its name. The three opposing towns, at the June session, 1829, asked that the several tracts of territory taken from them should be restored. An order of notice was obtained for a hearing of this subject, returnable at June session, 1830. To the Legislature of that year Mr. Nesmith was elected to represent the young town, and advocate the inviolability of its territory. The struggle came on in June. The first hearing was before the committee on towns and parishes, of which Hon. Franklin Pierce was chairman. The committee, by a majority of one, reported adversely to the towns; but their report, after a long and well-contested debate, was rejected by the House by two majority. The territory taken from Northfield was restored to her on a final vote, the matter being settled by the casting vote of the Speaker. Twenty-six years afterwards this disputed territory, with more added, was quietly ceded to Franklin. His first legislative experience was arduous and repulsive to Mr. Nesmith, and by the division of the town he saw his majority fade away. However, he entered into the canvass of 1831 with vigor, and had the satisfaction of being re-elected by a majority of fifty--an increased majority over that of the previous election. Judge Nesmith also represented Franklin in the Legislature in 1832, 1834, 1835, 1836, 1838, 1839, 1844, 1845, 1846, 1847, 1854, 1871 and 1872, and was a member of the Constitutional Convention in 1850 and 1851.

From the first he took advanced grounds on the subject of extending the system of railroads through the State and in granting to them the right of way, which was for a long time bitterly contested. From its organization, in 1845, he has been actively interested in the Northern Railroad, having been a director on every board and for eight years president of the corporation. In 1852 and 1853 he became interested in manufacturing in the village of Franklin, and was an owner and director in the woolen-factory, destroyed by fire in 1858.

December 31, 1889, he was appointed one of the judges of the Supreme Judicial Court, which responsible trust he exercised until October, 1870, when, having reached the age of seventy years, the constitution of the State relieved him from further duty. The last term of court over which he presided he brought to a close on the day before his seventieth birth-day.

In the cause of education, and especially in Dartmouth College, his alma mater, in all its departments, he has ever been deeply interested. Since 1858 he has been a trustee of that venerable institution; since 1870 a trustee of the New Hampshire Agricultural College; since 1877 its president.

For the last fifty years of his life Judge Nesmith has owned and occupied real estate that has required cultivation. He has therefore taken a deep interest in the measures adopted to improve the condition of the agriculture of our State. He has been enrolled among the practical farmers of the State. He lent his aid in organizing our New Hampshire State Agricultural Society in 1850-51, and acted as its president during those years.

In 1871 Dartmouth College conferred upon him the degree of LL.D. The incorporation and establishment of the New Hampshire Orphans� Home, in 1871 (of which institution he has been president since its organization), and its maintenance since, has occupied much of Judge Nesmith�s attention of late years, and he takes a paternal interest in every little orphan received there. He has attended to the purchase of the property and its daily support since, to the employment of the labor necessary for carrying on the farm and the other departments of the institution, disbursing all the money from the treasury.

In politics Judge Nesmith was a Whig, and has been a Republican from the organization of the party. For many years he has been a member of the Congregational Church of Franklin, and is a consistent, if not an active, member. As a lawyer, he has the reputation of closing many lawsuits and stopping much litigation. His clients have always reposed the utmost confidence in his judgment. During his connection with the bar of Merrimack County he has been engaged in many heavy lawsuits. Among the students who have studied with him are Hon. Asa P. Cate, Hon. Stephen G. Nash, Hon. Austin F. Pike, Hon. Daniel Barnard, John Bell Bouton, Daniel A. Clark, Walter P. Flanders and Frederick Bartlett. One of the most pleasant reminiscences of his life is his friendship and intimacy with the �Great Expounder,� Daniel Webster.

Friendly relations with Mr. Webster had existed for a number of years. As one of the Whig delegates from this State, delegates from this State, elected for the purpose of nominating a President in 1848, when Zachary Taylor was finally nominated, Judge Nesmith gave his vote for Mr. Webster. He also supported him at the Whig National Convention at Baltimore, in June, 1852, as his favorite candidate for the same office, having cast for him, at the several (fifty) ballotings there made, his vote. About one week�s time was consumed in making a choice at this memorable contest, when General Scott was nominated, and without much chance of an election.

September 26, 1826, he was joined in marriage to Mary M., daughter of Samuel and Annie (Bedel) Brooks, granddaughter of General Timothy Bedel, of Revolutionary fame. Mrs. Nesmith was born in Haverhill, July 8, 1799, and died, much lamented, May 31, 1885. Of their children, but one survives. George Brooks Nesmith, born February 13, 1831, died October 26, 1852, while a member of the junior class of Dartmouth College. Arthur Sidney Nesmith, born March 30, 1833, served the State during the War of the Rebellion in the quartermaster�s department, holding the rank of captain; married Mary E. Moulder, of Washington, D. C.; served as representative in the Legislature for the town of Franklin for the years 1868 and 1869, and died, deeply lamented, August 18, 1877, from the result of disease contracted in the army, leaving two daughters, who still survive, aged, respectively, fifteen and twelve years. Annie Nesmith, born July 24, 1841, resides with her father.

In closing this imperfect sketch of Judge Nesmith�s life, I will quote the summing up of his character in Rev. W. R. Cochrane�s �History of Antrim:� �He is a man of noble principles and honored life enjoying, in his old age, the highest confidence and esteem of men;� a lawyer of sound judgment, of good sense, a safe counselor and an honest man.

As a sequel to the words of Mr. McClintock, we would add that Judge Nesmith has now arrived to a green old age, having nearly reached the age of eighty-five years.

From the experience and lessons of his early life he was taught the benefits of active outdoor exercise.

By the observance of the general rules laid down for preserving good health, and under the power of a kind Providence, be has realized much enjoyment in his latter days. Though Cicero did not die at a very advanced age, yet, in his treatise on old age, he knew how to prescribe correct rules for the aged (page 157),--

   Videtis, ut senectus non mode languida, atque iners non sit, verum etiam sit operosa, et semper agens aliquid."

�You see, that old age not only should not be sluggish and inactive, but also industrious, and always doing something.� No doubt the steady, active employment of all our faculties tends to prolong our lives and give a zest to old age.

Amid the enjoyments of the protracted life of Judge Nesmith, still there have been mingled in his cup many of the trials and sorrows incident to the death of many intimate friends. The loss of these friends and the certain termination allotted to all earthly life now serve as faithful monitors that but a few days at best remain for the accomplishment of life�s work here, and that much diligence is required to perfect it.

HON. ISAAC N. BLODGETT was born in the town of Canaan, November 6, 1838. His father was the late Hon. Caleb Blodgett, a prominent citizen of Grafton County, who served many years in the Legislature, and was also a member of the Senate and of the Executive Council. Hon. Jeremiah Blodgett, of Wentworth, is his uncle. He received a thorough education at the Canaan Academy, read law with Hon. William P. Weeks and Anson S. Marshall, and commenced the practice of his profession at Canaan in December, 1862. In 1867 he removed to Franklin, and was a partner of Hon. Austin F. Pike until March, 1879.

He was four years a member of the House of Representatives from Franklin, taking a leading position upon the Democratic side, and was an active member of the Constitutional Convention of 1876. He has taken strong interest in political affairs, and was chairman of the Democratic State Committee in 1876 and 1877.

He was appointed an associate justice of the Supreme Court, November 30, 1880, a position which he still occupies.

In June, 1860, he was united in marriage to Sarah A., daughter of Rev. M. Gerould. They have one child, a daughter, now a member of Wellesley Female College.

E. B. S. SANBORN was born in Canterbury, N. H., August 11,1833. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1855 and read law with Nesmith & Pike, and was admitted to the bar in 1857. He settled in Franklin in 1868, where he has since resided. He has represented the town several terms in the Legislature and is at present one of the railroad commissioners of the State.

AARON WHITTEMORE, Jr., son of Hon. Aaron Whittemore, was born at Pembroke in 1849. He was educated at Pembroke Academy and Harvard Law School, read law with Hon. John M. Shirley, of Andover, admitted to the bar in 1870, at the age of twenty-one, and commenced practice in Pittsfield, where he continued until his death, May 4, 1885. He was a member of the last State Senate and judge-advocate on the staff of Brigadier-General White, commanding New Hampshire National Guard, and was also captain of Weston Guards, of the Third Regiment. He was identified with the best interests of Pittsfield, and was a worthy and highly-respected citizen and lawyer.

JOHN M. SHIRLEY was born in what is now East Tilton November 16, 1831. He was admitted to the bar in 1854, and soon after commenced practice in Andover, where he has since resided. He has associated with him in Andover Mr. George W. Stone, under the firm name of Shirley & Stone; he has also an office in Concord, in partnership with Colonel John H. George, under the firm name of George & Shirley. Mr. Shirley is also deeply interested in historical matters. He is a Democrat in politics.

HON. IRA A. EASTMAN was born at Gilmanton, N. H., January 1, 1809. He was the son of Captain Stephen and Hannah Eastman. He was graduated at Dartmouth College in 1829, at the early age of twenty. He immediately commenced the study of law with the late Judge John Willard, of Troy, N. Y., in which city he commenced the practice of his profession in 1832. His love for his native State and town, however, induced him to return to Gilmanton in 1834, where he continued his practice. He was clerk of the New Hampshire Senate in 1835. As evidence of the esteem and confidence his townsmen reposed in him, they sent him to the Legislature in the years 1836, 1837, 1838, over which body he was the presiding officer the two last years. From 1839 to 1843 he was representative in Congress. He was one of the circuit judges of the Court of Common Pleas from 1844 to 1849, and a judge of the Supreme Judicial Court from 1855 to December 1, 1859, at which time he resigned the office. He had also been one of the justices of the Superior Court of Judicature from 1849 to 1855.

Judge Eastman was a thorough and industrious student, and by his diligence became learned in the law. His attention to his profession always gave him plenty of clients, and he never lacked business while he was in active practice. He was an eminent jurist, as his opinions in many volumes of the New Hampshire Reports abundantly testify. Judge Eastman was trustee of Dartmouth College at the time of his death, and that institution conferred the degree of LL.D. upon him in 1858. He died at Manchester in March, 1881.

AUSTIN F. PIKE, of Franklin, N. H., was born October 16, 1819; received an academic education; studied law and was admitted to the bar of Merrimack County in July, 1845, and has been in active practice since; was a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives in 1850, �51, �52, �65 and �66, and Speaker of the House the last two years; was a member of the New Hampshire Senate in 1857 and �58, and President of the Senate the last year; was chairman of the Republican State Committee in 1858, �59 and �60; was delegate to the Philadelphia Convention which nominated General Fremont in 1856; was elected a Representative to the Forty-third Congress, serving from December 1, 1873, to March 3, 1875, and was elected to the United States Senate as a Republican, to succeed E. H. Rollins, Republican, and took his seat December 3, 1883. Mr. Pike is in practice in Franklin in company with F. N. Parsons

FRANK N. PARSONS, was born September 3, 1854; graduated at Dartmouth College in 1854; read law with Hon. D. Barnard, of Franklin, and G. C. Bartlett, of Derry, N. H., and was admitted to the bar March, 1875. The firm is Pike & Parsons.

HON. EDGAR H. WOODMAN, the present (1885) mayor of the city of Concord, dates his ancestry in this country to Edward Woodman, who arrived at Newbury, Mass., from Malvern, England, in 1635, and from that time to the present the Woodman name has been honorably and prominently identified with the professional and business interests of New England.

Hon. E. H. Woodman, son of John Kimball Woodman and Mary Jane (Drew) Woodman, was born in Gilmanton, N. H., May 6, 1847. He was educated at the Gilmanton and Boscawen Academies, fitting for college at the latter. He finally decided, however, not to enter for a collegiate course, but went to Poughkeepsie and attended Eastman�s Business College, the representative institution of its kind in this country. After receiving the degree of Master of Accounts he came to Concord, and in February, 1866, entered the employ of Colonel C. C. Webster as book-keeper, with whom he remained until July, 1868, when he accepted a position in the adjutant-general�s office, tendered him by Governor Nathaniel Head, then adjutant-general of the State. October 27, 1868, while gunning in Gilmanton, he received an accidental gunshot wound which resulted in the loss of his right arm. He had gone to his native town to cast his first vote, and was taking a vacation for a few days when the accident occurred. Possessed of a good constitution, his arm healed rapidly, and in the following December he returned to this city and spent the winter learning to write with his left hand at the Commercial School in Manchester. In April, 1869, as assistant superintendent of construction and paymaster, he entered upon the work of building the Suncook Valley Railroad, and continued therein until the road was completed, in December of the same year.

January 1, 1870, Mr. Woodman commenced his legal studies in the office of Minot, Tappan & Mugridge, where he remained until 1872, when the treasurer�s office of the Northern Railroad was removed to Boston, and Judge Minot appointed him assistant treasurer of the Boston office. While discharging his duties here he attended law lectures at the Boston University, and, in 1873, was admitted to the New Hampshire bar. He, however, remained in charge of the Boston office of the railroad until its removal to this city, April 1, 1876, and continued therein until April 1, 1878, when the office was again transferred to Boston. He then resigned his position in the treasurer�s office, and at once entered upon the practice of his profession in this city, opening an office in the Board of Trade buildings. July 1, 1879, he removed to his present office in the Governor Hill block, which is the same office in which he commenced the study of law. He brought to the practice of his profession a good knowledge of law, sound judgment, quick perception and an indomitable will, which have borne legitimate fruit in the securing of a good practice, which is constantly increasing.

The citizens of Concord, recognizing his ability and integrity, in 1882, tendered him the nomination for mayor, an honor which came to him unsought and while he was absent from the city. He was elected by a large majority, and re-elected in 1884, and is the present mayor.

Mayor Woodman is a prominent member of the Masonic fraternity; has been recorder of Mount Horeb Commandery since 1877, and was also secretary of Eureka Lodge and Trinity Chapter; secretary of Concord Masonic Association, and is the present treasurer. He is treasurer of the Peterborough and Hillsborough Railroad, and of Saint Paul�s Episcopal parish. He is also a director in the First National Bank and president of the Webster Club. May 6, 1878, he married Georgiana Hodges, of Boston, Mass., and they had one child, George Edgar, who died in infancy. Mrs. Woodman died January 8, 1879.

Genial and courteous by nature, he has won hosts of friends; he is an able and ready speaker, and an executive officer of marked ability.

LYMAN DEWEY STEVENS, a leading member of the Merrimack bar, was born in Piermont, N. H., September 20, 1821. His father, Caleb Stevens, was born in Hampstead, N. H., November 27, 1782, and died March 29, 1870; his mother, Sally Dewey, was born in Piermont, January 2, 1793, and died January 9, 1879.

Mr. Stevens pursued his preparatory studies at Haverhill (N. H.) Academy. He graduated at Dartmouth College in 1843. He then became principal of the Stanstead (C. E.) Academy, where he remained two years, and later assisted Jonathan Tenney, for a short time, as principal of the academy at Pembroke, N. H. While in Stanstead, he decided upon the legal profession as his lifework, and began his studies in the office of E. C. Johnson, Esq., of Derby, Vt. He subsequently continued his studies with Hon. Ira Perley in Concord, N. H., and was admitted to the bar in October, 1847. He at once opened an office in Concord, where he has remained to the present time in the successful practice of his profession.

Mr. Stevens has ever manifested a lively interest in his adopted city, and all measures tending to advance its welfare have found in him an able and fearless advocate. He was elected mayor of Concord in 1868 and re-elected in 1869. During his mayoralty he instituted various reforms and improvements, the most notable being the adoption of the present system of sewage. This was almost the first real and substantial improvement that the people had been called upon to make, and it is not surprising that he met with determined opposition in this needless outlay of expenditure, as many deemed the movement. He paused not, however, to listen to the words of opposition, which, in many instances, were exceedingly severe, but proceeded fearlessly to carry on the improvements which the health and beauty of the city demanded. The wisdom of his course soon became apparent, even to the most strenuous opponent. He is now, and has been for a long series of years, identified with various leading interests of the city. He has been a director in the National State Capital Bank since 1865, and president of the Merrimack County Savings-Bank since its organization. He is also president of the Board of Trade, and a director in the Page Belting Company.

He was appointed by Governor Gilmore to adjust the suspended war-claims of New Hampshire against the United States accruing prior to May, 1863, and also to attend the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, November 19, 1863, as commissioner from New Hampshire.

His interest in charitable objects has led to his appointment as vice-president and treasurer of the New Hampshire Home Missionary Society. He was also a trustee in the Kimball Union Academy and Boscawen Academy. He has served on the school committee, and been a member of the city Board Education.

Politically, Mr. Stevens is a Republican, and has been since the organization of that party. He has been called to various positions within the gift of his townsmen and fellow-citizens. He was city solicitor in 1855 and 1856; a member of the House of Representatives in 1860, �61, �66 and �67, and was elected Senator in 1884. He was one of the Presidential electors in 1872, and was also a member of Governor Bell�s Council.

Mr. Stevens is a member of the South Congregational Church and one of its most active and energetic supporters.

August 21, 1850, he united in marriage with Achsah Pollard, daughter of Captain Theodore French, of Concord, by whom he had two children,--Margaret French and Henry Webster. Mrs. Stevens died July 2, 1863. January 20, 1875, he married Frances Child Brownell, of New Bedford, Mass., and they have two children,--Fanny Brownell, born January 10, 1876, and William Lyman, born April 5, 1880.

The present members of the Merrimack bar are as follows:

John H. Albin.
Benjamin E. Badger.
Bingham & Mitchell (Harry Bingham, John M. Mitchell).
CHASE & STREETER (William M. Chase, Frank S. Streeter).
Warren Clark.
C. E. Clifford.
Charles R. Corning.
Sylvester Dana.
Daniel B. Donavan.
Samuel C. Eastman.
George M. Fletcher.
William L. Foster.
John H. George.
John P. George.
Fred. H. Gould.
S. G. Lane.
Leach & Stevens (E. G. Leach, Henry W. Stevens).
Wells H. Johnson.
Nathaniel E. Martin.
Luther S. Morrill.
A. F. L. Norris.
Henry Robinson.
Henry P. Rolfe.
Charles P. Sanborn.
Harry G. Sargent.
Everett J. Sargent.
Arthur W. Silsby.
Lyman D. Stevens.
Reuben E. Walker.
Edgar H. Woodman.
Willis G. Buxton.
David F. Dudley.
C. E. Carr.
Shirley & Stone.
M. W. Tappan.
A. F. Pike.
Isaac N. Blodgett.
Daniel Barnard.
E. G. Leach.
G. W. Nesmith.
G. R. Stone.
W. M. Barnard.
F. N. Parsons.
J. B. Hazelton.
George S. Blanchard.
A. F. Burbank.
T. H. Thorndike.
A. W. Bartlett.
E. A. Lane.
Samuel Davis.
A. P. Davis.
S. K. Paige.
W. W. Flanders.
Walter C. Harriman.

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