New Hampshire Town Histories, Part Two

Sherry L. Gould

The first installment of this four-part series on New Hampshire town histories gave an overview of resources and repositories The three remaining installments will provide detailed information on the published histories of each New Hampshire town. This first installment will include all town names that start with A to F. The next section will include all towns that begin with G to M, and the third part will conclude with the remainder of New Hampshire towns.

The following information on the histories for each town is included: town name; date of original printing/date of subsequent editions; title; genealogies (yes or no); index (primarily yes or no, although if the index is in the reprint and not in the original it is so noted, also if the index is specific [i.e. places, names, etc] rather than a general index the type is listed); author; available from (includes where the volume may be purchased and as much contact information as was possible to obtain — it is imperative that would-be buyers make contact to determine method of payment and any applicable shipping charges in advance of placing an order); cost (this represents the cost of the book and does not include any applicable shipping charges); NEHGS Loan (indicates whether the volume is available for loan to NEHGS members through the circulating library — yes or no); and NEHGS Research Library (indicates whether the volume is available at the NEHGS Research Library in Boston - yes or no).

I used the following methodology to collect the data:

• I began with a list of all towns in New Hampshire.

• Next I looked at William Copeley's Index to Genealogies in New Hampshire Town Histories to identify the towns that have a published history with genealogies. I then searched the New Hampshire Historical Society's Tuck Library catalog online to try to determine which histories Bill had referenced in his index based on their listing as both history and genealogy for the given town. The list was then sent to the Tuck Library for review and a follow up visit finalized the selections.

• I then made contact with town offices, historical societies, and/or libraries in each town to learn about reprints and sales data for the chosen histories.

• Next I went to the Higginson Books website and took information from their online sales page for towns that indicated their histories were not in reprint or not available and towns where I had not been able to reach anyone.

• Finally I searched the NEHGS online catalog and online store to determine which volumes were available to view at their research library in Boston, to borrow through their circulating library service, and to purchase via their online store at www.NewEnglandAncestors.org.

I hope these results are as helpful to the genealogical community as they have been fun to collect!

New Hampshire Town Histories Chart

Town	Date of Orig. Printing/ Reprint	Title	Gens.?	Index?	Author	Available from	Cost	NEHGS Loan?	NEHGS Research Library?	Online?

Acworth	1869 1988	History of Acworth, with the Proceedings of the Centennial Anniversary, Genealogical Records & Register of Farms.	Y	N	John Leverett Merrill	NEHGS Online Store; Acworth Silsby Free Library, PO Box 179 Acworth, NH 03601 603-835-2150	$30-39	Y	Y (call number: F44/A1 /M5/1869)	N
Albany	1976	The United States bicentennial, 1976: Albany's recollections	Y	N	A. Bernard Perry	Town of Albany, 1972-A NH Route 16, Albany, NH 03818 603-447-6038	$12	N	N	N
Alexandria	1982 2002	A little history of a small town: Alexandria, New Hampshire	N	N	Bernard F. Shattuck	Alexandria Historical Society Ruth Herron Worfield Circle, Bristol, NH 03222	$10	N	N	N
Allenstown		Currently in Progress								N
Alstead	1992	Alstead through the years: 1763-1990	N	Y	Helen H. Frink	Town Clerk PO Box 65 Alstead, NH 03602 603-835-2242 or email	$30	N	N	N
Alton	1960 1965 1996?	The history of Alton	Y	Y	Barton McLain Griffin	Alton Town Office Main St, PO Box 659 Alton, NH 03809 603 875-2161	$8	N	Y	N
Amherst	1883 1972 1987	History of the town of Amherst, Hillsborough county, New Hampshire	Y	Y (separate volume)	Daniel Franklin Secomb	NEHGS Online Store	$97	Y	Y (call number F44/A5 /S4/1883)	N
Andover	1910 1979 2001	History of the town of Andover, New Hampshire, 1751-1906	Y	Y	John Robie Eastman and George Edwin Emery	NEHGS Online Store; Andover Historical Society PO Box 167 Andover NH 03216	$48-50	Y	Y (call number F44/A6 /E2/1910)	N
Antrim	1880 1987	History of the town of Antrim, New Hampshire, from its earliest settlement to June 27, 1877...	Y	Y	Warren Robert Cochrane	NEHGS Online Store	$131	Y	Y (call number F44/A7 /C6/1880)	N
Ashland		No town history exists
Atkinson	1976 1999	Atkinson then and now	N	Y	based on the collections of Louise Noyes Barnum	Atkinson Historical Society P.O. Box 863 Atkinson, NH 03811 603-362-9939	$30	N	N	N
Atkinson	2000	Legends of the Pond: Stories of Big Island Pond, Atkinson, Derry, and Hampstead	N	Y	Alfred E. Kayworth	amazon.com	$11	N	N	N
Auburn (see Chester)	1970	Auburn, New Hampshire	Y	Family Names	Carl Cheswell Forsaith	Town Clerk P.O. Box 309 Auburn, NH 03032 603-483-5052	$10	N	N	N
Barnstead	1872 1990	History of Barnstead [N.H.] from its first settlement in 1727 to 1872.	Y	N	Jeremiah Peabody Jewett and Robert Boodey Caverly	NEHGS Online Store; Oscar Foss Memorial Library PO Box 219 Center Barnstead, NH 03225	$15-50	Y	Y (call number F44/B2 /J5/1872)	N
Barrington	1966	History of Barrington, N.H.	Y	Y	Morton H. Wiggin	Barrington Historical Society Barrington, NH 03225	$18	N	Y (call number F44/B22 /W5/1966)	N
Bartlett	1990	Bartlett, New Hampshire : in the valley of the Saco	Y	N	Aileen M. Carroll	Bartlett Public Library PO Box 366 Bartlett, NH 03812 603-374-2755	$22	Y	Y	N
Bath	1965 1998	Historical notes of Bath, New Hampshire, 1765-1965	Y	N	Edwin Chamberlin and Stearns Morse	NEHGS Online Store; Town of Bath PO Box 88 Bath, NH 03740 603-747-454	$10-21	N	Y	N
Bedford	1903 1997	History of Bedford, New Hampshire, from 1737...	Y	N	Town History Committee	NEHGS Online Store	$109.50	Y	Y	N
Bedford	1972	History of Bedford, N.H., 1737 - 1971	Y	Y	Town History Committee	Bedford Town Office 4 N. Amherst Street Bedford, NH 03110 603-472-542; Bedford Public Library 3 Meetinghouse Road Bedford, NH 03110 603-472-2300	$25	N	Y	N
Bedford	1851 1993	History of Bedford, New Hampshire...	Y	Y	Peter P. Woodbury, Thomas Savage, William Patten	NEHGS Online Store	$39.50	Y	Y	N
Belmont (see Gilmanton)	1969	Reminiscences of a New Hampshire town : the Belmont centennial, 1869 - 1969	N	Y	Wallace P. Rhodes	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	N	N
Bennington (see Hancock)	1989	A pictorial history of Bennington, New Hampshire	N	Y	Bennington Historical Society	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	N	N
Benton	1905	Some things about Coventry - Benton, New Hampshire	Y	Y	William F. Whitcher	NEHGS Online Store	$38.50	Y	Y	N
Berlin		No town history exists
Bethlehem	1883 1998	Early History of the Town of Bethlehem	N	N	Simeon Bolles	NEHGS Online Store	$15	Y	Y	N
Boscawen	1878 1977 1992	The history of Boscawen & Webster, New Hampshire from 1733 to 1878	Y	Y	Charles C. Coffin	NEHGS Online Store	$67	Y	Y	N
Bow	1975	100 acres more or less: the history of the land and people of Bow, New Hampshire.	N	Y	David A. Bundy	Selectman's Office 10 Grandview Road Bow, NH 03304 603-228-1187 ex. 10	$20	Y	Y	N
Bradford	1976	Two hundred plus, 1771-1976: Bradford, New Hampshire, in retrospect	N	Y	Mildred H. Gunscheon	Bradford Historical Society 27 Old Warner Rd Bradford, NH 03221 603-938-5386	$25	N	Y (Oversize F44/B73 /B72/1976)	N
Brentwood	1967 1976	Brentwood's 225 years, 1742–1967	Y	Place index in reprint	Brentwood Historical Society	Brentwood Historical Society 1 Dalton Rd. Brentwood, NH 03833 603-772-6997	$10	N	N	N
Bridgewater	1988	A bicentennial history of Bridgewater, New Hampshire, 1788–1988	N	N	Curran	Ruth Whittier 2 Central St Bristol, NH 03222-3134 603-744-6272	$20	N	N	N
Bridgewater	1998	The Bridgewater advocate, vol. 2, no. 1...	Y	N	Old Home Association, Worthen and Curren	Ruth Whittier (see above)	$25	N	N	N
Bristol	1904	History of the town of Bristol, Grafton County, New Hampshire.	Y	N	Richard W. Musgrove	NEHGS Online Store	$105	Y	Y (F44/B76 /M91/1904 )	N
Brookfield	1999	Our yesterdays : the story of Brookfield, New Hampshire	N	Y	Carolyn D. Chase, John E. Bowker, Ann B. Pinkham	Virginia McGinley Brookfield Town Clerk PO Box 800 Brookfield, NH 03872 603-522-3688	$30	Y	Y (F44/B77 /C43/1999)	N
Brookline	1914	History of Brookline, formerly Raby, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire...	Y	N	Edward E. Parker	NEHGS Online Store; Brookline Town Office P.O. Box 360 Brookline, NH 03033-0360 603-673-8855	$71.50 (NEHGS); contact town office for price	Y	Y (F44/B8 /P4/1914)	N
Cambridge		No town history exists
Campton	1868	The centennial celebration of the town of Campton, N. H., September 12th, 1867.	N	N	Isaac Willey	Campton Historical Society PO Box 160 Campton, NH 03223 or email; Walt Stockwell, Thorton, NH 726-3813	$10	N	Y (F44/C13 /C46/1868)	N
Canaan	1910 1988	The history of Canaan, New Hampshire	Y	Y	William A. and James B. Wallace	NEHGS Online Store; Donna Zani Dunkerton 156 NH-Rte 118 Canaan, NH 03741 603-523-7960	$76-79	Y	Y (F44/C15 /W3/1910)	Y
Candia	1893 1991	History of the town of Candia, Rockingham County, N.H.	Y	Y	Jacob B. Moore and George W. Browne	NEHGS Online Store; Fitz Museum Foundation PO Box 340 Candia, NH 03034 603-483-8189 or email	$55	Y	Y (F44/C2 /M8/1893)	N
Candia	1852 1988	History of Candia: once known as Charmingfare...	Y	Y	Francis B. Eaton	NEHGS Online Store; Fitz Museum Foundation (see above)	$25	Y	Y (F44/C2 /E1/1852)	N
Canterbury	1912 1990	History of the town of Canterbury, New Hampshire, 1727-1912	Y	Y	James O. Lyford	NEHGS Online Store; Pam Jackson PO Box 600 Canterbury, NH 0324-0600 603-783-4493 or email [put "Canterbury History" in subject line]	$95 (2 vols., NEHGS Store); contact Pam Jackson for her price	Y	Y (F44/C23 /L9/1912)	N
Carroll	1972	Carroll, New Hampshire : the first 200 years, 1772 - 1972	N	N	Lehr	John Gardiner Twin Mountain-Bretton Woods PO Box 464 Twin Mountain, NH 03595 603-846-5573 or email	$20	N	N	N
Center Harbor		No town history exists
Charlestown	1876 1985 2001	History of Charlestown, New Hampshire, the old No. 4.	Y	Y	Henry H. Saunderson	Selectman's Office PO Box 385 Charlestown, NH 03603 603-826-4400	$30	Y	Y (F44/C4 /S2/1876)	N
Chatham		No town history exists
Chester (Auburn)	1926 1987	History of Chester, New Hampshire, including Auburn. A supplement to the History of old Chester	Y	Y	John C. Chase	NEHGS Online Store	$59	Y	Y (F44/C5 /C45/1926)	N
Chester	1860		Y	N	Bell	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	N	N
Chester (Auburn)	1869 2000	History of old Chester from 1719 to 1869	Y	Y	Benjamin Chase	NEHGS Online Store	$74	Y	Y (F44/C5 /C4/1869)	N
Chesterfield	1882 1987	History of Chesterfield, Cheshire county, N.H....	Y	Y	Oran E. Randall	NEHGS Online Store	$57	Y	Y (F44/C6 /R2/1882)	N
Chichester	1977 2001	A history of Chichester...	N	N	Chichester History Committee	Chichester Historical Society 14 Perry Road Chichester, NH 03258 603-798-5825	$10	N	Y (F44/C63 /H57/1977)	N
Claremont	1895 1995	History of the town of Claremont, New Hampshire...	Y	N	Otis F. R. Waite	NEHGS Online Store	$59	Y	Y (F44/C65 /W3/1895)	N
Clarksville		No town history exists								N
Colebrook	1970 1993 (rev. ed.)	Colebrook; a place up back of New Hampshire	N	Y	William H. Gifford	Colebrook Public Library PO Box 58 Colebrook, NH 03576 603-237-4808 or email	$25	N	Y (F44.C68 /G5)	N
Columbia		No town history exists								N
Concord	1865 1987	The history of Concord	Y	Y	Nathaniel Bouton	NEHGS Online Store	$82	Y	Y (RareBook F44/C7 /B8/1856 )	N
Conway	1963	Conway through the years and whither	Y	N	Ruth B. Horne	Unavailable	Unavailable	Y	Y (F44/C73 /H67/1963)	N
Conway	1998	Conway, New Hampshire, 1765-1997	Y	Y	Janet McAllister Hounsel and Ruth Burnham Davis Horne	Conway Historical Society PO Box 1949 Conway, NH 03818 603-447-5551 or email		N	N	N
Cornish	1911? 1975	History of the town of Cornish, New Hampshire...	Y	Y	William H. Child	Cornish Town Clerk PO Box 183 Cornish Flat, NH 03746 603-675-5207 or email	$30	Y	Y (F44/C8 /C5)	N
Croydon	1867 1997	Croyden, 1866: Proceedings at the Centennial Celebration	Y	N	Edmund Wheeler	NEHGS Online Store	$29	Y	Y (F44/C9 /W5/1867)	N
Dalton		No town history exists								N
Danbury	1995	Danbury, New Hampshire 1795-1995 : 200 years of history	N	N	Danbury Bicentennial Committee	Sylvia Hill Danbury Town Clerk 4-A High Street Danbury, NH 03230 603- 768-5448	$15	N	N	N
Danville	1976 1999	The history of Danville, New Hampshire	N	N	Ruth J. Rich	Unavailable	Unavailable	Y	Y (F44/D2 /R53/1999)	N
Deerfield (see Nottingham)	1966		Y	N	Historical Committee	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	N	N
Deerfield	1964	Souvenir book of the Deerfield bicentennial...	Y	N	Wasson	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	N	N
Deering	1977	Welcome home to Deering, New Hampshire	N	Y	Evangeline K. Poling	Unavailable	Unavailable	Y	Y (F44/D425 /P64/1977 )	N
Derry (see Londonderry in next installment)										N
Dixville		No town history exists								N
Dorchester	1972	Dorchester's bicentennial year, 1772 - 1972	N	N	Ashley	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	N	N
Dover	1923 1977 1989 1997	History of Dover, New Hampshire	Y	Y	John Scales	NEHGS Online Store	$55	Y	Y (F44/D7 /S22/1923)	N
Dublin	1920 1997 2001	The history of Dublin, N.H.	Y	Y	Levi Leonard, Josiah Seward, and Charles Mason	NEHGS Online Store	$99	Y	Y (F44/D8 /D82/1920)	N
Dummer	1974 1998	History of Dummer, New Hampshire, 1773-1973	Y	N	Dummer Bicentennial Committee	NEHGS Online Store	$35	N	Y (F44/D86 /D8/1973)	N
Dunbarton	1860	History of the town of Dunbarton, Merrimack County, New Hampshire...	Y	Y	Caleb Stark	NEHGS Online Store	$37	Y	Y (F44/D9 /S8/1860)	N
Dunbarton	1883 1990 2001	Sketch of Dunbarton, New Hampshire	N	N	Ella Mills	Town Clerk 1011 School Street Dunbarton, NH 03046 603-774-3547	$13	Y	Y (F44/D9 /M6/1902)	N
Dunbarton	1976	Where the winds blow free : Dunbarton, New Hampshire	Y	Y	Alice M. Hadley	Unavailable	Unavailable	Y	Y (F44/D9 /H3/1976)	N
Durham	1913 1985(?) 1999 (?)	History of the town of Durham, New Hampshire	Y	Y	E.S. Stackpole, L. Thompson, W.S. Meserve	NEHGS Online Store; Durham Historic Association c/o Mrs. Donald Sumner 44 Durham Point Road Durham, NH 0384 603 868-2579	$142.00 (2 vols)	Y	Y (F44/D96 /S7/1913 )	N
East Kingston	1976	East Kingston, 1738-1800	N	N	Bicentennial History Committee	Unable to Determine		N	N	N
Easton	1976 2002	Looking back at Easton	Y	N	Ruth W. Towne and Christine M. Jerome	Town Clerk PO Box 741 Franconia, NH 03580 603-823-8017 or email	$8.00	N	N	N
Eaton	1976	Soldiers of Eaton and Madison, 1776-1865	Y	Y	Henney	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	Y (F44/E18 /G4/1976)	N
Eaton	1972	The Eaton records	N	Y	Nella B. Henney	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	Y (F44/E18 /H43/1972)	N
Effingham	1988	Tales of Effingham	Y	Y	Lawrence P. Hall	Billy Taylor, Ye Olde Sale Shoppe 1543 Province Lake Rd Effingham, NH 03882 603-539-7910	$17.50	N	Y (F44/E2 /H3/1988 )	N
Ellsworth	1969	200 years of Ellsworth, New Hampshire, 1769 - 1969	N	N	Aria Cutting Roberts	Unable to Determine		N	N	N
Enfield		Currently in Progress	N	Y	Historical Committee	Enfield Historical Society PO Box 612 Enfield, NH 03748		N	N	N
Epping	1941	History of Epping, New Hampshire, 1741 - 1941	N	N	John J. Tilton	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	N	N
Epsom	1909-10	Early Settlers of Epsom	Y	family names	John M. Moses	online	free	N	N	Y
Errol	1974 1999 (rev. ed.)	Errol on the Androscoggin, 1774 - 1974	Y	N	Errol Bicentennial Committe	L. L. Cote 25 Main St PO Box 190 Errol, NH 03579 603-482-7777	$30	N	N	N
Exeter	1888 1979	History of the town of Exeter, New Hampshire	Y	Y (in reprint)	Charles Henry Bell	NEHGS Online Store; Exeter Historical Society PO Box 94 Exeter, NH 03833 603-778-2335 or email	$58	Y	Y (F44/E9 /B45/1888)	N
Farmington	1997	Farmington, New Hampshire	N	?	Farmington Historical Society	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	N	N
Fitzwilliam	1888 1995 2001	The history of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire from 1752 to 1887	Y	Y	John F. Norton and Joel Whittemore	NEHGS Online Store	$87	Y	Y (F44/F5 /N8/1888)	N
Francestown	1895 1987	History of Francestown, N.H.	Y	Y	Warren R. Cochrane and George K. Wood	NEHGS Online Store	$97	Y	Y (F44/F8 /C6/1895)	N
Franconia	1972	A history of Franconia, New Hampshire	N	N	Sarah Nelson Welch	Selectman's Office PO Box 900 Franconia, NH 03580 603-823-7752 or email	$10	N	N	N
Franklin (see Andover, Northfield, Sanbornton and Salisbury)	1957 1996	History of Franklin	Y	N	Alice M. Shepard	Pauline Feuerstein 801 Central St Franklin, NH 03235 603-934-3849	$30	N	N	N
Franklin	2002	Official History of Franklin, New Hampshire	N	Y	Albert Garneau	Albert Garneau 5 Garneua Road Franklin, NH 03235 603-934-2540	$50	N	N	N
Freedom	1903	Freedom, N. H. old home week	N	N	Charles H. Andrews	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	N	N
Fremont	1998	History of Fremont, New Hampshire	Y	Y	Matthew E. Thomas	Unavailable	Unavailable	N	N	N