History of Henniker, (Merrimack County) New Hampshire United States of America

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Biographies:

Parsons Brainard Cogswell, journalist, was born at Henniker, N. H., Jan. 22, 1828. He was educated in the public schools, and in 1847 removed to Concord, N. H., where he entered the office of the Independent Democrat to learn the printing business. Later he changed to the New Hampshire Patriot, with which paper he remained until 1852. In 1864 he founded and became editor of the Daily Monitor. He was prominent in affairs of local importance, and was a member of the Concord board of education for thirty-six years. In 1872 and 1873 he was a representative in the New Hampshire legislature, and was public printer, 1881-85. He served two terms as mayor of the city, and was president of the State historical society. In 1888 President Harrison appointed him U.S. immigrant inspector; Dartmouth college conferred upon him the honorary degree of A.M. in 1885. He is the author of Glints from over the Water (1880). He died in Concord, N. H., Oct. 28, 1895.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Kate Emery Sanborn Jones, librarian, was born at Henniker, N.H., June 24, 1860; daughter of Edward Burr Smith and Caroline Augusta (Emery) Sanborn; granddaughter of Smith and Mary (Burr) Sanborn and of Samuel and Olive (Brown) Emery, and a descendant of John Sanborn, born in England in 1820, who came to Hampton, N.H., in 1632, with his maternal grandfather, the Rev. Stephen Bachilor. She was educated in the public schools of Concord and Franklin, N.H., and was an assistant at the Athen?um, Boston, Mass., 1882-91; classifier and cataloguer at the Mercantile library, St. Louis, Mo., 1891-94; and librarian of the City library, Manchester, N.H., 1894-97. She married Gardner Maynard Jones , June 30, 1897. While assistant to Charles A. Cutter at the Boston Athen?um, she prepared the The Cutter-Sanborn Author Table.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Mrs. H.H.A. (Amy Marcy Cheney) Beach, musical composer, was born at Henniker, N.H., Sept. 5, 1867. She came of a musical family, who carefully fostered the talent displayed almost from her cradle. Her mother was her first teacher. From the time her hands could reach the keyboard of the piano she would find melodious combinations of notes and play the little airs she had heard. Reading music seemed to be instinctive with her, and when a mere child she could read at sight almost anything put before her. She also improvised with remarkable taste, and composed several little airs with odd and pretty accompaniments. At as early an age as was deemed expedient she was placed under the best Boston instructors, and her progress was phenomenal. In 1883 she played in Boston the G-minor concerto of Moscheles, with grand orchestra. She was married in 1885 to Dr. Henry Harris Aubrey Beach, a prominent Boston physician. Mrs. Beach composed a Mass in E-flat, which was performed in 1892 by the Handel and Haydn society, and which has been pronounced one of the grandest musical compositions ever produced by a woman. In 1893 "Festival Jubilate," written for the World's Columbian exposition at Chicago, attracted much favorable comment. During the season of 1895-'96 she played with the Boston symphony orchestra. Among her compositions are a scena and aria, "Eilende Wolken," for contralto, with orchestral accompaniment; cantatas for male and female voices, with and without orchestra, and more than sixty shorter works for piano, violin and one or more voices; a sonata for piano and violin, and the "Gaelic" symphony, performed in 1896 by the Boston symphony orchestra.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

James Willis Patterson, senator, was born in Henniker, N.H., July 2, 1823; son of William and Frances M. (Shepard) Patterson; grandson of Joseph and Susannah (Duncan) Patterson, and a descendant of Alexander Patterson, who came from the north of Ireland in 1721 and settled in Londonderry, N.H. He was graduated from Dartmouth, A.B., 1848, A.M., 1851; taught in Woodstock academy, Conn.; read the elements of law, and on the advice of Beecher began to study theology at New Haven. He was a tutor at Dartmouth, 1852-54; professor of mathematics, 1854-59; professor of astronomy and meteorology, 1859-65, and Willard professor of oratory, 1893. He was school commissioner for Grafton county, N.H., and secretary of the state board of education, 1858-61; was a representative in the New Hampshire legislature, 1862; in the 38th and 39th congresses, 1863-67, and was U.S. senator, 1867-73. With Garfield and Boutwell he secured the passage through the house of the bill establishing the department (afterward the bureau) of education. He was also the author of the bill authorizing consular clerkships and the bill for the establishment of colored schools in the District of Columbia, and was chairman of the committees on retrenchment and reform and the District of Columbia. He was accused of complicity in the Cr?dit Mobilier, and a resolution to expel him from the senate was considered Feb. 27, 1873, but the resolution was not adopted, and after his term expired an investigation showed him to be blameless. He was regent of the Smithsonian Institution, 1863-66; a delegate to the Philadelphia Loyalists' convention, 1866; was again a representative in the state legislature in 1877-78, and state superintendent of public instruction, 1880-93. He delivered the oration at the unveiling of the soldiers' monument at Marietta, Ohio, in 1880. The honorary degree of LL.D. was conferred on him by Iowa college in 1868. He died in Hanover, N.H., May 4, 1893.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor