Edward Marden Sr. – Maps & Local Histories

In this post I want to explore the places where I have found Edward. Where are they in relationship to each other? I will also be looking into the history of these locations as they might relate to Edward. Google Maps will help me share this with my readers. Today’s technology is just so cool!

The locations I am interested in are

1. Maidstone, VT
2. Whitefield, NH
3. perhaps Dunstable, MA (out of view on the map below)
4. Northumberland, NH
5. Landaff, NH
6. Lisbon, NH (originally Concord)
7. Lyman, NH

Here they are on a Google Map

Maidstone, VT

• Part of modern day Essex County
• Charter granted in Oct-1761
• Originally considered part of the so called “New Hampshire Grants”
• Settlement began “perhaps” as early as 1770 and certainly by 1772
• Benjamin Whitcomb and Mr. Mardeen among the earliest settlers
• Located on the Connecticut River
• Neighboring towns are Brunswick (Brunswick Springs), Ferdinand, Granby, & Guildhall in Vermont and Stratford, Groveton, & Northumberland in New Hampshire.

Whitefield, NH

• Part of modern day Coös County, originally Grafton County
• Granted in 1774
• Original proprietors mostly from Boston & Charleston, MA and Southern NH
• The name “Edward Mardeen” appears on the original 1774 grant and “Edward Marden” on the 1776 lot assignments
• Settlement did not begin until very early 1800s
• Located on the edge of the White Mountains and 4 miles east of the Connecticut River and the “15 Mile Falls”
• Neighboring towns are Lancaster, Jefferson, Carroll, Bethlehem, & Dalton

Dunstable, MA

• Well established in the 1770s
• Out of view on the above map
• Located on the Merrimack River
• No clear relationship to any of the towns the original proprietors of Whitefield came from. Unclear why is was chosen as a meeting place for them.

Northumberland, NH

• Part of modern day Coös County, originally Grafton County
• Fort Wentworth was built here by Capt. Robert Rogers in 1755
• Granted in 1761
• Originally called Stonington
• Original proprietors nearly all came from Portsmouth, NH and the majority never settled in the town
• Settlement began in Jun-1767
• Early settlers used the old fort as a place of refuge while they built their homes
• Re-granted and renamed Northumberland in 1771
• Thomas Burnside, an early settler, was a Ranger in the recent F&I War
• Population in 1775 was 57
• The old fort was repaired by Capt. Eames in the Spring of 1776 to assist in the protection of the Northern Frontier during the Revolution
• Located on the Connecticut River
• The Ammonoosuc River passes through the town
• Land originally covered with Butternut Trees
• Neighboring towns are Stratford, Stark, & Lancaster in NH and Maidstone & Guildhall in VT
• Edward Marden’s name does not appear in any of the early town records I could find mention of, except the petitions mentioned earlier posts

Landaff, NH

• Part of Grafton County
• Granted originally in 1764
• Re-granted in 1770 to Dartmouth College
• Settlement began about 1770 with perhaps a few earlier
• The Ammonoosuc River lies along a portion of the town border
• Neighboring towns are Lisbon (originally Concord), Easton, Benton, & Bath
• Edward Marden’s name does not appear in any of the early town records I could find mention of, except the as mentioned earlier posts

Concord/Lisbon, NH

• Part of Grafton County
• Granted in 1764 as Concord
• Renamed Chiswick in 1764
• Re-granted in 1768 as Gunthwaite, but later was changed back to Concord
• Some settlement occurred during the war (1775-1783)
• By 1785 there were 40 families and a “respectable contingent of bachelors” settled
• Major Benjamin Whitcomb built his house about 1785
• The 2 overlapping grants caused land title questions for the inhabitants that where not settled for a long time
• Name changed to Lisbon in 1824
• The Ammonoosuc River runs through the town
• Neighboring towns are Littleton, Bethlehem, Franconia, Easton, & Landaff
• Edward Marden’s name does not appear in any of the early town records I could find mention of, except the as mentioned earlier posts

Lyman, NH

• Part of Grafton County
• Granted in 1761
• In 1776 there were 8 inhabitants (apparently only adult males being counted)
• Branches of the Ammonoosuc River run through the town
• Neighboring towns are Littleton, Lisbon, Bath, & Monroe

Most of the above information came from “History of Coös County, New Hampshire by George Drew Merrill, 1888” found at www.archives.org and “Gazetteer of Grafton County, N.H., 1709-1886 by Hamilton Child, 1886” at www.nh.searchroots.com. These resources were supplemented by various minor internet resources such as local town websites.

The most obvious thing I see here is all these towns (except Dunstable, MA) are clustered together along the Connecticut and/or the Ammonoosuc River. They are in the early stages of settlement (except Whitefield which lagged way behind) at the time of the American Revolution.

Does anyone have a tidbit of history they would like to add or see an error?

Canyon Wolf 
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