Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 2.djvu/395

NEW LONDON CENTENNIAL ADDRESS. 369

In 1843 Joseph Colby, Esq., died. He had passed most of his life in New London, and few men have had a wider or a better influence in the town than he had. He was born in Plaistow, N. H., March 24, 1762, moved to Hopkinton, N. H., about the time he became twenty-one years old, and lived there a few years; while there he was married to Miss Anna Heath, of Hampstead, N. H., Dec. 21, 1785. They moved to New London March 10, 1 786, and at first lived in a log-house on the shore of Pleasant Pond, at the upper end, near where Stephen Sargent now lives, where the Indians had formerly cleared up a few acres of the intervale, to raise their corn and beans. He enlarged this clearing and made a valuable farm. He moved from there and lived at other places in town; built the house on the Elder Seamans' place, opposite where the buildings now stand, which has since been burnt down; then moved on to the road that leads from here directly to the low plains, — where Anthony and the youngest daughter, Mrs. Burpee, were born; and then moved to the farm on Main street, in the year 1800, where he ever after lived, and where he died April 19, 1843.

He was for many years the agent of Jonas Minot, one of the original and the largest of the proprietors of the grant, and in that way he had opportunities for learning more of the situation and value of the land in the different localities than most other men. He dealt largely in real estate in the town. He served the town well in various capacities; for many years as one of the selectmen, and was its first representative to the General Court, and was re-elected every successive year from 1803 to 1816 inclusive. He was early a member of the church, and I think the records will show that he acted on more committees in the church than any other man during the same period of time. He was also a leading magistrate in the town for many years.

In 1846,, of New London, was elected governor of the state. He was a native of this town, the son of Joseph and Anna Colby, born Nov. 13, 1792. He received his education mainly in the common schools of his native town. But he had a wonderful capacity for business, and was always active in matters of a public character. He built the original stone dam at the outlet of Pleasant Pond, and built a grist-mill there, which was a great public benefit. He was largely instrumental in getting the new road laid out and built, and started the line of stages upon it, that for a long time run through from Hanover to Lowell in a day, a distance of 100 miles or more; and he readily lent a helping hand to the enterprise, started by another son of New London, of establishing the business of manufacturing scythes, where the same has been so successfully carried on ever since. He was one of the two men who built the new meeting-house; in fact few men have ever lived a more active life than he did.

He was a friend of education, and of the common school, and for a long time was one of the superintendents of the schools in town, and was among the earlier advocates of the temperance reform. He went through all the grades of military promotion, from captain to major-general, and had represented the town in the legislature in the years 1828, 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, also in 1837, 1838, 1839; and in 1846