History of Londonderry, (Rockingham County) New Hampshire United States of America

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Biographies:

Samuel Bell, governor of New Hampshire, was born at Londonderry, N.H., Feb. 9, 1770; grandson of John Bell, who emigrated from Ireland to New Hampshire in 1722. In 1793 he was graduated at Dartmouth, studied law, and was admitted to the bar in 1796. He was actively interested in politics, his first elective office being that of a member of the state house of representatives in 1804. He served three terms, and was speaker during the last two. In 1809 he was elected a member of the executive council, and later served for three years as judge of the supreme court of New Hampshire (1816-'19). He was governor, 1819-'23, and U.S. senator, 1823-'35. He received the degree LL.D. from Bowdoin in 1821. He died at Chester, N.H., Dec. 23, 1850.

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

Samuel Dinsmoor, governor of New Hampshire, was born in Londonderry, N.H., July 1, 1766; son of William and Elizabeth (Cochran) Dinsmoor. He was graduated at Dartmouth in 1789, taught school for a few years and was admitted to practice in the court of common pleas in 1795. He settled in Keene, N.H., where he helped to organize a light infantry company which he commanded. He rose in rank in the militia to be a major-general. He was appointed postmaster of the town in 1808 and was a representative in the 12th congress, 1811-13, voting in favor of a war with England. He was afterward collector of the direct tax and in 1821 was a member of the executive council. He was unsuccessful candidate for governor of New Hampshire in 1823, was appointed judge of probate for the county of Cheshire in the same year, and was governor of New Hampshire, 1831-34. He was married to Mary Boyd, daughter of Gen. George Reid of Londonderry, N.H. He died in Keene, N.H., March 15, 1835.

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

Joseph McKeen, educator, was born in Londonderry, N.H., Oct. 15, 1757; son of Deacon John, and grandson of James McKeen, Scotch Presbyterians, who immigrated from Londonderry, Ireland, about 1718, and settled in New Hampshire. Joseph was graduated from Dartmouth, A.B., 1774, A.M., 1777, and taught school in his native village, 1774-82. He was a volunteer soldier under Gen. John Sullivan in Rhode Island, 1778; a student at Harvard college, 1783; a teacher at Phillips Andover academy, 1783-84; studied theology, licensed hy the presbytery of Londonderry, and after preaching in Boston a short time He dissolved his connection with the Presbyterian church. In May, 1785, he was ordained pastor of the Congregational church, Lower Beverly, Maas. He resigned the pastorate early in 1802, having been elected the first president of Bowdoin college in July, 1801. He was inaugurated in a pine grove on the campus, there being no building to hold the assemblage, September, 1802, having meantime visited Harvard, Brown, Yale and Williams colleges in company with John Abbot, whom he had selected as professor of ancient languages and classical literature. President McKeen, besides teaching mental and moral philosophy, filled the anticipated chairs of mathematics and of chemistry, mineralogy and natural philosophy, until 1805, when Parker Cleveland was inaugurated as professor of those branches. President McKeen held his first commencement in September, 1806, and he had matriculated forty-four students and given the bachelor's degree to seven besides conferring the bachelor's or master's degree ad eundem on fourteen recent graduates of Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth. He was stricken with painful disease which kept him from his college duties the next school year and ended his life; and he was succeeded by the Rev. Jesse Appleton. He received the honorary degree of D.D. from Dartmouth in 1803. He contributed scientific articles to the Transactions of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and published a few sermons. He died in Brunswick, Maine, July 15, 1807.

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

Arthur Livermore, jurist, was born in Londonderry, N.H., July 26, 1766; son of Samuel and Jane (Browne) Livermore. He worked on his father's farm in Holderness, N.H., 1774-85, receiving a classical education under the tuition of his parents. He studied law with his brother, Edward S. Livermore; was admitted to the bar; settled in practice at Chester, N.H.; was a representative in the general court of New Hampshire, 1794 and 1795, and solicitor for Rockingham county, 1796-98. He returned to Holderness in 1798 and was associate justice of the superior court, 1799-1809; chief justice, 1809-13; associate justice of the supreme court, 1813-16; a Democratic representative in the 15th, 16th and 18th congresses, 1817-21 and 1823-25; judge of the probate for the county of Grafton, 1822-23, and chief justice of the court of common pleas, 1825-32. He was a presidential elector on the John Adams ticket in 1800. He was married to Louise Bliss of Haverhill, Mass. He died at his farm in Campton, N.H., July 1, 1853.

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