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296 THE GRANITE MONTHLY. meetings twice a month, Sunday evenings, in Opera Hall, and an effort to organize a society will doubtless be made.

Not being a shire town, Littleton has never been such a favorite resort of lawyers as its northern rival — Lancaster. Enough members of the profession have been located here, however, to attend to all legal business arising among the citizens of the town, and a goodly portion of that in adjacent towns. The first legal practitioner in town was Joseph E. Dow, who was here soon after the opening of the present century. He remained several years and removed to Thornton. Elisha Hinds came about 1814, and was in practice here about twenty years, afterward removing to Hinsdale. In 1828 the late Hon. Henry A. Bellows, who subsequently became chief justice of the supreme court, commenced the practice of law in Littleton, where he remained until his removal to Concord in 1850. In 1834, Edmund Carleton, jr., who died in town but a few months since, commenced practice and continued for thirty or forty years until compelled to retire by the infirmities of age. Calvin Ainsworth, jr., a son of Dr. Calvin Ainsworth, the first physician in town, practiced law here from 1837 to 1843. William Burns, now of Lancaster, located here in practice in 1844, and remained until 1846, when he was succeeded by Harry Bingham, an extended biographical notice of whom appears in this number of the. William J. Bellows, who had studied in the office of his brother, the late Henry A. Bellows, was admitted to the bar and commenced practice in company with his brother about the same time, continuing with him until the removal of the latter to Concord, after which he practiced alone for several years, then in company for a time with John Farr, who had studied with him and was admitted to the bar in 1854. This partnership continued about six years. Soon after Mr. Bellows retired from law practice to engage in business, and Mr. Farr continued alone until the admission to the bar of his son, the late Congressman Evarts W. Farr, in 1867, with whom he was in company until he retired from practice in 1872. Previous to his law study and practice, Mr. Farr was for many years engaged in trade, and was also a deputy sheriff from 1840 to 1845. Charles W. Rand came to Littleton in 1847, and settled in legal practice, continuing until his death, about five yenrs ago, at which time he held the office of United States District Attorney for New Hampshire. His brother, ex-Judge Edward D. Rand, of Lisbon, was also here in company with him from 1857 to 1861.

George A. Bingham, a brother of Harry, and a native of Concord, Vt., born April 25, 1826, who had studied law in Lyndon, Vt., in the office of Hon. Thomas Bartlett, and had been four years in partnership with him, came to Littleton in July, 1852, and entered into partnership with his brother. He has remained here since that time, with the exception of a short residence in Bath, and engaged in active practice, except for the time when he occupied a seat upon the bench of the supreme court, from August, 1876, to October, 1880. The partnership with his brother was dissolved in 1870. Since January, 1881, he has had a partner in the person of Edgar Aldrich. Mr. Aldrich is a native of the town of Pittsburgh, born February, 1848. He was educated at Colebrook Academy, studied law with Ira A. Ramsey, at Colebrook, and at the Ann Arbor Law School, Mich., graduating from the latter school in 1868. He was admitted to the bar at Colebrook in August of that year, and commenced practice there. He was appointed solicitor of Coos county in 1872, and again in 1875, and continued practice in Colebrook until he came to Littleton as a partner with Mr. Bingham.

The law firm of Bingham, Mitchells & Batchellor, includes Harry Bingham, John M. Mitchell, Albert S. Batchellor, and William H. Mitchell. John M. Mitchell, who was born at Plymouth, in this state, July 6, 1849, was educated at Derby (Vt.) Academy, and commenced the study of law with Edwards &