History Of The City Of Nashua N H From The Earliest Settlement Of Old Dunstable To The Year 1895 With Biographical Sketches Of Early Settlers Their Descendants And Other Residents PDF Download

Excerpt from History of the City of Nashua, N. H: From the Earliest Settlement of Old Dunstable to the Year 1895; With Biographical Sketches of Early Settlers, Their Descendants and Other Residents Very nearly half a century had elapsed since the publication of Fox's "History of Dunstable," and Nashua had grown from a village of six thousand inhabitants or thereabouts, to a city of more than triple that size. No systematic effort at preserving the account of its growth or the events leading to its present condition had been made. The importance of such a work was understood and appreciated by its citizens, but the task was recognized as a formidable one, involving much labor with but little probability of adequate compensation. When, in November, 1894, an outside firm of publishers proposed to undertake the work, Nashuans were reluctant in encouraging the project, feeling that strangers could not prepare the history intelligently and would be inclined to slight those things of most interest and importance, for such portions as would yield a profit. After careful deliberation, the tone of the public sentiment having been ascertained in a measure through means of the press and by interviews with citizens, it was decided to call a meeting of several of the gentlemen who had been interviewed, together with others, in order that some definite and satisfactory plan might be decided upon. The meeting was called and, while there was a variety of opinions as to the method to be pursued in writing the history, there was the greatest unanimity in regard to the desirability and propriety of the work being done. The meeting adjourned without date and without arriving at any definite conclusion, but, notwithstanding the somewhat discouraging tone of the deliberations, the gentlemen engaged in the work were not disheartened but continued to labor assiduously, meeting, day by day, in spite of many obstacles and hindrances, the most encouraging signs of public sympathy and approval. The plan of a continuous narrative was finally dismissed as inexpedient, since it would preclude the possibility of issuing such a work for many years from the date of its commencement. There then seemed to be but one plan to be considered, having, as its exponent and model, the Memorial History of Boston, published in 1885, which has the indorsement and approval of some of the most distinguished scholars and citizens of Massachusetts and of the literary world. Following the general plan of that work, the city's history has been divided in topics, or subjects, which are of sufficient number to include everything of vital importance. Each of these subjects or topics is written by one person, who, having nothing to do with matters other than those which appertain to his own chapter, will, we apprehend, give a correspondingly more lucid, accurate and interesting account of the historical phase of which he writes. That the gentlemen whose names are associated together as editors of the work, perform their labor without compensation is a sufficient guarantee of its probable merit and value as a history, and that it will fulfill all that it promises. All of them are residents of Nashua of years of standing, distinguished among their fellow citizens as men of probity, sound judgment and abundant mental capacities, and the promoters of this work can feel that they have reason to congratulate themselves and the citizens of Nashua upon having been successful in securing a staff of editors so well qualified and peculiarly fitted for the work which each has performed. A prominent feature of the book are the portraits of citizens of Nashua, both of the living and of the dead. In connection with these portraits there are also short biographical sketches. Their value and importance will he more readily seen and appreciated when one considers that they are made a component part of the work not so much f