Sketches of Successful New Hampshire Men
member of the common council soon after the organization of the city, in
1853, but from that time until 1876 he neither sought nor held any
political office. In this centennial year, however, his party turned
instinctively towards him as its most available candidate for mayor, and
at the nominating caucus he received an almost unanimous nomination. The
nomination was ratified, and Mr. Williams became the centennial mayor of
Nashua. His administration was characterized by the same prudence,
fidelity, and success that have crowned his business career. He was
nominated for re-election, and the nomination was ratified at the polls
by an increased vote and a largely increased majority. One of the social
events of Mr. Williams's term of service was the visit of President
Hayes and his cabinet to the city, and at the mayor's residence, which
was elaborately decorated for the occasion, Mrs. Hayes held a public
reception, which was attended by a great throng of people from the city
and the surrounding towns.
In his domestic relations Mr. Williams has been one of the most
fortunate and happiest of men. In 1846 he married Eliza A. Weston, a
cultivated christian woman, and a devoted wife and mother, daughter of
Capt. Sutheric Weston, of Antrim, N. H.; both are members of the First
Congregational church, Nashua, Rev. Frederick Alvord, pastor. Three
children have blessed the union. Seth Weston Williams, born April 15,
1849, a graduate of Yale College, class of 1873, and of Bellevue Medical
College, New York. After travel and study in Europe he returned to his
native land, and had just entered on the practice of his profession,
with the brightest prospects of usefulness and eminence, holding a
responsible appointment in Bellevue Hospital, when, on a visit to
Portland, he was attacked with congestion of the brain, which terminated
his promising career at the age of thirty. The other children are
Charles Alden Williams, born August 18, 1851, married October 26, 1881,
Kate N. Piper; he was graduated from the scientific department at
Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., under Dr. William Taylor, in 1870, and
further pursued the same course of study at the school of Technology in
Boston, Mass., and will succeed his father in business; and Mrs. Marian
Williams-Viets, born March 4, 1854, married, November 8, 1878, Herbert
Allen Viets, of Troy, New York.
Feeling in himself the want of an early education, Mr. Williams spared
no pains in bestowing superior advantages upon his children, all of whom
received a liberal education. In 1873 he planned a year's travel abroad
with his family, but the critical condition of business in the country
at that time prevented his leaving home. The plan was carried out,
however, under the care of Dr. Seth Williams, the trip covering the tour
of the Continent, and of the Orient as far east as Damascus.
HON. LEVI WINTER BARTON.
BY REV. J. W. ADAMS.
Ancestral excellence is an invaluable legacy. As a rule, "blood will
tell," and the marked physical, mental, and moral traits of a prominent
family are likely to re-appear in many successive generations. And,
added to this hereditary wealth, comes the inspiration of a noble
example, suggesting the possibility and the desirability of worthy,
helpful living. The subject of this sketch was fortunate in this regard.
In the garnered wealth of a vigorous, talented, and virtuous ancestry,
he has "a goodly heritage."
* * * * *
From an abundance of reliable data, we extract only so much from the
genealogical record as is necessary to the integrity of the direct lines
from a very distant past to the present.
LEVI W. BARTON'S parents were Bezaleel Barton, 2d, and Hannah (Powers)
Barton. Let us glance at the _maternal_ ancestry.
The family of Power (or Le Poer, as formerly written) was of Norman
extraction, and settled in England at the conquest of that kingdom by
the Normans, under William, duke of Normandy, in the person of Power, or
Le Poer, who is recorded in "Battle Abbey" as one of the commanders at
the battle of Hastings, in 1066. Soon after, Sir John Le Poer resided in
Poershayse, Devonshire, England.
In 1172, one of his descendants, Sir Roger Le Poer, went with Earl
Stougbon in his invasion and partial conquest of Ireland, where he
greatly distinguished himself, and received large grants of land. He was
the ancestor of a succession of distinguished men, among whom were Sir
Nicholas Le Poer, who had a summons to parliament, in 1375, as Baron Le
Poer, and Sir Richard, Sir Peter, Sir Eustace, and Sir Arnold Le Poer.
The barony, descending by writ to heirs, female as well as male, is now
held by the Marquis of Waterford. The Earl of Lynn, for a term of one
hundred years, and the Marquis of Waterford, were of that descent,
through Lady Catharine Poer. The family was also a distinguished one in
England, from the Norman conquest down. In 1187, Richard Poer of this
line, high sheriff of Gloucestershire, Eng., was killed defending the
"Lord's Day;" and Sir Henry Le Poer distinguished himself greatly as a
commander under the Duke of Wellington. This remarkable family has
outlived the dynasties of the Conqueror, the Plantaganets, the Tudors,
and the Stuarts, and flourishes yet. Since the time of Queen Elizabeth,
they have returned to their early orthography of Power; and finally, in
America, have added the "s," making it Powers.
Walter Powers, the ancestor of all the Powers families of Croydon, N.
H., was born in 1639. He came to Salem, Mass., in 1654. He married,
January 11, 1660, Trial, daughter of Deacon Ralph Shepherd. They moved
to Nashoba, and he died there in 1708. The town, in 1715, was
incorporated by the name of Littleton (Mass.).
Of the nine children of Walter and Trial Powers, the eldest, William,
was born in 1661, and married, 1688, Mary Bank.
Of the nine children of William and Mary (Bank) Powers, William, 2d, was
b. 1691, in Nashoba, and m., 1713, Lydia Perham.
Of the four children of William, 2d, and Lydia (Perham) Powers, Lemuel
was b. in 1714, and m. Thankful Leland, of Grafton, Mass., daughter of
Capt. James Leland. All except the eldest of their children settled in
Croydon. N. H.; and two of his sons served Croydon as soldiers in the
Revolution. Although not an "original grantee of Croydon," he owned
"proprietors' rights" at an early day, and often attended "proprietors'"
meetings at the inn of his brother-in-law, Lieut. Phinehas Leland, as
moderator. He died in Northbridge, Mass., 1792.
Of the ten children of Lieut. Lemuel and Thankful (Leland) Powers,
Ezekiel was b. in Grafton, Mass., March 16, 1745, and m., Jan. 28, 1767,
Hannah Hall of Uxbridge, Mass., who was daughter of Lieut. Edward and
Lydia (Brown) Hall. Levi W. Barton was her great-grandson. They came to
Croydon in 1767. He was a prominent citizen, and held here many offices
of trust. He was a man of industry and indomitable energy. He d. in
Croydon, Nov. 11, 1808. His widow d. Oct. 21, 1835.
Of the seven children of Ezekiel and Hannah (Hall) Powers, Ezekiel, 2d
(the first male child born in Croydon), was b. May 2, 1771. He m.
Susannah Rice, Jan. 18, 1790.
Of the six children of Ezekiel, 2d, and Susannah (Rice) Powers, Hannah
(mother of Levi W.) was b. Feb. 20, 1795, and m. Bezaleel Barton.
Edward Hall (the earliest ancestor of Lieut. Edward Hall, who settled in
Croydon about 1774) was at Duxbury, Mass., in 1637, and d. at Rehoboth,
Nov. 27, 1671. The direct line by generations is: 1st, Edward; 2d,
Benjamin; 3d, Edward; 4th, Lieut. Edward, b. in Wrentham, Mass., July
18, 1727; went with his father in 1740 to Uxbridge, where he held
commissions under the king of Great Britain. He m., Aug. 17, 1747, Lydia
Brown. About 1774 they came to Croydon, N. H., where he was moderator,
March, 1775, tax-collector and constable, 1778, and selectman, 1784,
1785, and 1786. He d. in Croydon, Dec. 28, 1807. His widow d. Aug. 10,
1819. 5th, Hannah, b. Oct. 1, 1749, who m. Ezekiel Powers and settled in
Croydon. At this point the Hall unites with the Powers genealogy, and
the last-named persons were great-grandparents of Levi W. Barton.
The Bartons are of English descent. Without undertaking to be precise as
to the details of kinship, we are able to identify the following as
among their earliest ancestry in New England. Marmaduke Barton was in
Salem, Mass., as early as 1638. Edward was in Salem in 1640. Rufus fled
from the persecution of the Dutch at Manhattan, N. Y., and settled in
Portsmouth, R. I., in 1640, and died 1648.
Mrs. Eliza Barton testified in an important case at Piscataqua, N. H.,
in 1656. Edward, undoubtedly the one living in Salem in 1640, and
husband of Eliza Barton, came to Exeter, N. H., in 1657, and died at
Cape Porpoise, Jan., 1671. Benjamin Barton of Warwick, son of Rufus
Barton, m., June 9, 1669, Susannah Everton. Edward Barton, son of Edward
of Exeter, took the freeman's oath in 1674. Doctor John Barton (probably
son of Doctor James Barton) m., April 20, 1676, Lydia Roberts of Salem,
Mass.
James Barton, b. in 1643, came to Boston, Mass., before 1670. He d. in
Weston, Mass., in 1729. Samuel Barton (probably son of Doctor James
Barton) was b. in 1666. He testified in a witch case (in favor of the
witch, be it said to his credit) in Salem, Mass., in 1691. Stephen
Barton was at Bristol (then in Mass.) in 1690. Col. William Barton, b.
in Providence, in 1747,--who with a small body of men crossed
Narragansett bay on the night of July 20, 1777, passed, unnoticed, three
British vessels, landed, reached the quarters of the English general,
Prescott, and captured him, and for which, history informs us, he
received from congress the gift of a sword, a commission as colonel, and
a tract of land in Vermont,--was a descendant of Samuel Barton and
Hannah his wife, ancestors of the Bartons of Croydon. They were living
in Framingham, Mass., as early as 1690, and moved to Oxford, Mass., in
1716, where his will was proved Sept. 23, 1738. Of their eight children,
Samuel was b. in Framingham, Oct. 8, 1691; and in., May 23, 1715,
Elizabeth Bellows.
Of the children of Samuel and Elizabeth (Bellows) Barton, Bezaleel was
b. July 20, 1722, and m., April 30, 1747, Phebe Carlton, a lady noted
for her beauty.
Of the children of Bezaleel and Phebe (Carlton) Barton, were Phebe (one
of whose grand-daughters was the wife of Dr. Judson), Bezaleel,
Benjamin, and Peter who was b. at Sutton. Mass., Sept. 3, 1763, and went
with his parents to Royalston. Mass., in 1764, where he m. Hepsibeth
Baker, Nov. 12, 1789. Bezaleel Barton and his sons, Bezaleel, Benjamin,
and Peter, served Royalston as soldiers in the Revolution. Bezaleel,
senior, was killed at the battle of Bunker Hill.
Peter and Hepsibeth (Baker) Barton came to Croydon, N. H., in 1793,
where he resided until 1824, when he removed to Sunapee, where he d.
Sept. 24, 1825. He was chosen selectman of Croydon from 1801 to 1805,
inclusive. He shared largely the confidence of the public, and was noted
for his strict integrity. Of his thirteen children born in Croydon,
Bezaleel, 2d, was b. July, 1794, and m. Hannah Powers, daughter of
Ezekiel Powers, at which point the Barton and Powers genealogies unite.
* * * * *
Of the children of Bezaleel Barton, 2d, and Hannah (Powers) Barton, Levi
Winter was b. March 1, 1818.
The father, a man of marked social qualities, and frank and genial in
his bearing, died before the son had reached his majority, and previous
to this business had taken the father from home, so that most of the
responsibilities of the family rested upon the mother. But it is no idle
pun upon her maiden name to say that she was a _power_ in that