The old story, “three brothers from England,” is true as to the ancestors of all, or nearly all of the somewhat numerous family of Osgoods, in America. Their native place, probably, was Andover, England, as it is certain John, one of them, was born there. Coffin’s History of Newbury, page 313, is our authority for this. According to Farmer, the first who came to this country was Christopher, who settled in Ipswich, Mass., in 1635. John, born in Andover, England, July 23, 1595, came also to Ipswich ; the year is not given, but he was Repersentaive of that town in 1639, we think the first the town ever chose. He moved to Andover in 1645, where he died in 1651.
The youngest of the three brothers was William, with whom we have most to do, as he was the ancestor of those who lived in Raymond and other towns in this part of the State. He was born in 1609, came over in 1638, or a little before. Just at that time the town of Salisbury was granted, being then a wilderness. He was one of the proprietors, and was there as early as 1640, being then in the prime of life, 31 years of age.
One of the first requisites of a new place is a saw-mill. Mr. Osgood was the man for this business, being a millwright. He was a carpenter also, and built and owned the first saw-mill on the Powow River, where are now the Salisbury factories at Salisbury and Amesbury village. He died in that place in 1700, aged about 91.
The Osgoods in this section were in the line of descent through his son John, born in 1648. He died at the age of 35, leaving a son William, born in 1673, who lived to the age of 79. He had a son Timothy, born in 1694, died 1731. Timothy had a son Chase, born in Salisbury in 1729. He struck for the frontier, as it then was, moving to Epping, N. H., between 1753 and ‘57. Probably he lived north of what is now West Epping village, as some of his children, who came to this town, were from that part of Epping. He afterwards moved to Loudon, where he died in 1817, aged about 88.
This Chase Osgood had sons who came to Raymond, and were men of enterprise, so this family will be noticed more fully.
Chase Osgood was married, first, to Martha Tucker, second, to Shuah Eastman ; third, to Phebe Stevens. He had a family of twenty children, fifteen of whom lived to mature age, and fourteen had families:
1. Timothy, b. in 1752, in Salisbury, came to Epping with his parents, when young, afterwards to Raymond, and lived opposite the Gove school-house. His wife was Jane Dearborn, of Hampton, daughter of Henry, a distant relative of Gen. Henry Dearborn. She had sisters named Margaret and Love, hence these names given to two of her daughters, Mrs. Brown of Northwood and Mrs. Levi Page of Raymond. Mrs. Page’s name, however, was Lovey.
Timothy Osgood was a farmer and shoe-maker, a man of much energy, a hard worker, and a member of the Congregational church, as was also his wife. He died April 27, 1835.
2. James, b. in 1753, in Salisbury.
3. Ebenezer, b. in 1757, in Epping, as were all of the children that follow. An account of him has been given in the Chapter on Biography. That of his children will be found a little farther along.
4. Enoch, b. 1757
5. John, b. 1762. See account of him in the Chapter on Biography. His children farther on.
6. Chase, b. 1767
7. Samuel, b. 1768.
8. Martha, born 1769, married Daniel Robie, lived where the writer does, died Nov. 25, 1848.
9. Shuah, b. 1771, married Captain Joseph Blake, of Epping, died Jan., 1851.
10. Affia, b. 1774, married Sherburn Blake, Esq., lived in this town and in Exeter, died March 7, 1859.
11. Sarah, b. 1778.
12. Hannah, b. 1781, married Jona. Edgerly, died Feb. 18, 1871.
13. Olive, b. 1784.
14. Edward, b. 1785.
This is a long list, but there were six others, making twenty, as above indicated. We have no account of them ; probably most, or all, died quite young.
Capt. Timothy Osgood, son of the foregoing, and Jane, his wife, had children as follows:
The date of the births of these can not be found, so far as search has been made.
1. Chase, married Elizabeth Cram, lived where Geo. A. Wendell does, and died Oct. 27, 1824. Two daughters live in town, Mrs. John Smith and Widow Welch. Ebenezer, Timothy, Chase and David are dead. Thurston lives in Pennsylvania.
2. Martha, married James Norris, died April 10, 1824.
3. Molly, married Colonel Ebenezer Cram, as his second wife, and died Aug. 13. 1866.
4. Sarah, married John Wason, of Candia.
5. Mehitable, married Levi Cass, of Epsom.
6. Jane, married Colonel Ebenezer Cram. She was his first wife, and mother of Philbrick Cram, now of Barnard, Vt. She died March 3, 1811.
7. Lovey, married Levi Page, and died July 20, 1864. Children named in the Page family.
8. Henry, married, first, Sarah Locke, sister of John Locke, late of this town, second, Caroline Veazey. He lived on the homestead, then in Lowell, and died in California.
9. Betsy, married Josiah Basford, of Chester. Mrs. Moses L. Lovering and Mrs. Hiram Pollard are daughters, also Mrs. Marden of Chester.
10. Lydia, married James Fogg of Deerfield, now in town, a widow.
11. Margaret, married Michael Brown, March 10, 1821, and settled in Northwood, where she now lives, a widow.
Ebenezer Osgood, Esq., brother of the preceding, married Mary Fogg, daughter of Enoch Fogg, about 1782, and settled in Raymond, near where Gilman Folsom lives. Children:
1. Enoch, b. 1783, married Elsey Simpson, of Nottingham, was a farmer and joiner. His wife died, he went from town, married again, lived in the country, then in Danville, last back to town, and died at Simon Page’s, March 10, 1857.
2. James, b. 1785, married Sally Bachelder of Loudon, lived there, was a farmer and wheelwright, died in Hallowell, Me., 1863, and was buried in Loudon.
Ebenezer Osgood’s second marriage was to Anna Fullonton, by Rev. Josiah Stearns of Epping.
3. Bradley, b. 1788, married Mehitable Wood of Boxford, Mass., was a blacksmith, lived last in Dover.
4. Polly, b. 1792, married Gideon Ladd, lived mostly in Loudon.
5. Ira, b. 1799, married Sarah B. Parsons, of Gilmanton, taught school much, settled on the homestead at Loudon Center, where he still resides. Representative 1835, ‘36, Road Commissioner for Merrimack County 1853, ‘54, Postmaster from 1825 to 1865, Justice of the Peace from 1836 down. For years he has been collecting genealogies of the Osgood family in America. From him aid has been had in what is give here of the Osgoods. We hope his work will be published. It will be useful to all of the name, at least, and a monument of his industry and research.
6. Lamila, b. 1801, married J. Kenny, died in Haverhill, Mass. She was born in Raymond.
7. Nancy, b. 1806, in Loudon, to which place the family had moved, married Parish Badger.
8. Ebenezer, b. 1807, married Eleanor Burrows of Lebanon, Me., lives in Milton, is a blacksmith, and was Representative of Milton in 1851, ‘52.
Enoch Osgood, brother of Captain Timothy and Ebenezer, Esq., married Polly Fogg, had ten children, eight of whom were born here. In 1798, he moved to Loudon.
Of John Osgood, another brother, a sufficiently full account is given in the Chapter on Biography. He married Susanna Prescott, daughter of Stephen, who lived where Geo. S. Robie does, and went there to live. Children:
1. Stephen, b. 1785, married Polly Morrill, and lived with his grandfather Prescott, where George S. Robie does. He was a man of great business enterprise, followed farming, made plows, for a time, was in the carriage manufacture, had a blacksmith shop, and in various ways put much in motion. Perhaps in no neighborhood in town was there so much business activity, caused by one man, as in this. He died Aug. 19, 1852. His widow died at her daughter’s, Mrs. Merserve, in Hampton.
2. Betsy, b. 1786, married, first Eliphalet Morrill, second, Rev. Samuel B. Dyer, then of Loudon, afterwards pastor of the Free Baptish church in Deerfield, where he died, Nov. 19, 1846.
3. Susan, b. 1795, married Timothy Tilton, of Carmel, Maine.
4. Lucinda, b. 1799, married John Avery, of Wolfborough.
5. John, b. 1802, died young.
6. Cyrene, b. 1806, married George W. Chamberlain, of Maine.
7. John, b. 1810, lived in Dover, died in 1860.
Only the genealogy of those in this large family of children, can be given, who lived in this section, or not very far away, and so we pass to some of the sisters.
Martha Osgood married Daniel Robie, son of the first Daniel in town. The issue will be found in the account of the Robie family.
Hannah Osgood, sister to the foregoing, married Jonathan Edgerly. After marriage, for a time he drove a stage, and her home was in Loudon. They lived mostly in Epping, where he died. She died in this town Feb. 18, 1871. Children:
1. Sally, b. 1800, in Loudon. She married Thomas Folsum, and settled in this town, where she is still living.
2. Eliza was born in Epping, married Hiram Osgood, a lawyer, lived in Epping, moved to Michigan, where, her husband dying, she married again. She died in that State.
3. Harriet, has lived principally in Epping and this town, working in families that need help, and thus making herself useful.
4. Calvin O., a painter, lived in Dover, and Charlestown, Mass., where he died.
5. Chase went West, lived in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he died. Eliza, first wife of Irvin Folsum, was a daughter. Charles H. Edgerly and Arthur, in town, are sons.
6. Olive O., married J. B. Eaton, lived at Great Falls, Berwick side of the river, afterwards in Epping. He having died, she lived as housekeeper for Doctor N. Bachelder, in Epping, where shie died suddenly, Nov. 7, 1865.
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