He lived 63 years and 4 months, and died at Litchfield,Dec. 4, 1784.

MATTHEW PAtten.

[The following Notice was sent to us for the N.H. Gazetteer, but was received too late for that work.]

Matthew Patten, Esq. was among the first settlers of Bedford. He was born in Ireland, May, 19, 1719, emigrated to this country in 1728, and came to Souhegan-East, now Bedford, in 1738. In the year 1776 and 1777, he represented that town in the general court. In 1776, he was appointed Judge of Probate in the county of Hillsborough, succeeding Col. Goffe, who was the first after the county was constituted. In 1778, he was a member of the council. He was for a long period a civil magistrate,having been appointed a justice of the peace by Governor Benning Wentworth about the year 1756. Mr. Patten was a man well known and much respected. He died at Bedford, Aug. 27, 1795, aged 76.

GEORGE FROST

Was born at New-Castle, N. H. His ancestors were respectable and early settlers in this state. They came from England about the year 1680. Under the provincial government of New-Hampshire, he held the office of justice of the peace and quorum; and was much esteemed by Benning Wentworth,governor of the province. Though Mr.Frost was in favor with the royal government, he was an early, zealous and constant supporter of the American revolution. He was a delegate from this state in the congress of the United States for the years 1776, 1777, and 1779; one of the first judges of the court of common pleas in the county of Strafford, and for many years chief-justice of that court. He died at Durham, where he lived many years, June 21,1796, aged 77.

JOHN EMERSON.

Rev. John Emerson was the first ordained minister of New-Castle. He was the third of the same name settled in the ministry in New-England. He graduated at Harvard College in 1689, and was settled at New-Castle in 1703.

In 1712, his pastoral relation was dissolved, on account of ill health. He crossed the Atlantic, was handsomely noticed by Queen Anne, regained his health, returned from England to America, and in 1715, was installed the first minister of the south parish in Portsmouth, after the secession of the north society. It is recorded by our historian, that he very providentially escaped with his life, on the memorable 27th of June 1689, when Dover was attacked by the Indians, by declining, though kindly and strongly urged, to lodge at the house of Major Waldron, on the fatal night. He had large additions to his church,after the great earthquake of 1727; and ever after, was careful to cherish a becoming remembrance of that extensively alarming Providence,by preaching an occasional discourse, annually,on the evening of the 29th October. He had the character of an agreeable companion and a faithful preacher of the gospel. He died June 21, 1732, in his 62d year, and was interred in the Cotton buri al yard.

PEARSON THURSTON.

Rev. PEARSON THURSTON was born at Lancaster, Massachusetts, December, 1763. He was graduated at Dartmouth College, 1787; began to preach in Somersworth July, 1791; and was ordained February 1, 1792. He removed from this town, December 2, 1812; and died at Leominster, August 15, 1819. Mr. Thurston in his sentiments was a Hopkinsian.

The house in which Mr. Thurston lived was consumed by fire, January 22, 1812; when the records of the church, the communion vessels, and a social library were destroyed. At present there is no minister settled in Somersworth.

JAMES PIKE.

Rev. James Pike, the first minister settled at Somersworth in this state, was born at Newbury, Massachusetts, March 1st, 1703. He was graduated at Harvard College in 1725, and received his second degree in course. Soon after leaving college he taught a school at Berwick, which was the first grammar school ever taught in that town. He preached his first sermon from Eph. i. 6, 7, October 23, 1726. He began to preach to the people in the N. E. part of Dover

1

(now Somersworth,) August, 27, 1727, and was ordained, October 28, 1730. He preached his last sermon, October 31, 1790; and died March 19, 1792. In 1751, he published a sermon on the Duty of Gospel Ministers as Christ's Ambassadors, from 2 Corinthians v. 20. He preached this sermon before a Convention of ministers at Newington, October 9, 1750. Mr. Pike, in his sentiments was a Calvinist. He was a faithful servant of Christ; and lived in harmony with his people during his ministry.

NICHOLAS PIKE.

NICHOLAS PIKE, Son of Rev. James Pike, was born in Somersworth,October 6,1743. He was graduated at Harvard College, 1766; and took his degree of A. M. in 1796. Hé taught a grammar school, first at York, and afterwards at Newburyport. In 1788, he published a New and Complete System of Arithmetick, composed for the use of the citizens of the United States, 8vo. He was a man of distinguished character and abilities. He was a firm believer in Christianity; and through life a zealous advocate for virtue and religion against profaneness and infidelity. He was charitable to the poor and hospitable to strangers. By his will he endowed the Theological Seminary at Andover with one scholarship. He died at Newburyport, December •,

1819.

NOTICE OF FATHER WELCH, OF Bow.

The oldest native citizen of New Hampshire died at his residence in Bow, on the 5th of April, 1823. SAMuel Welch, distinguished principally for his great age, was born at Kingston, in this state, Sept, 1, 1710.* His grandfather,

*The Editors are indebted to the politeness of the Hon. Levi Bartlett, for the names and births of the children of the father of Mr. Welch, copied from the records of Kingston. It appears from the records, that "Samuel Welch was born 13th Feb. 1711," but this, the late Mr. Welch always affirmed, to be a mistake;-that the time when his father requested the record of his birth to be made, was inserted as the time of his birth itself. This appears very probable, as the next child is recorded to have been born Feb. 17, 1712, only one year after the birth of Saniuel, and between all the others of the family, eight in number, there occurs a period of two or three years.—Mr. Bartlett says " Samuel's father lived about two miles from my house, on the plain, the land I own, which goes by the name of the Welch place. Probably here he was born.”

Philip Welch, was a native of England, and was among the first settlers of Ipswich, Mass. Here Samuel Welch, his father, was born, and removed to Kingston with the first settlers of that place. His occupation was that of a farmer, but he was occasionally in public service. When about 80 years of age, he joined the expedition to Cape Breton, and died soon after his return. The family seem to have possessed the most vigorous constitutions, and were distinguished for longevity. The mother of Welch lived almost a century; a sister to about 100, and a brother until 90 years of age. This old man, who was cotemporary with George I. of Eng land, and Louis XIV. of France; who has seen this country, from a state of servitude, become a great and powerful republic; whose cradle was rocked ere the spirits of Franklin and Washington had descended upon earth;-had he enjoyed the advantages of education, would have been a veteran, whose life we might consult as a volume of history. He was unfortunately placed in circumstances which preclu ded an education. The state of the country, the repeated inroads of the Indians, and the necessities of the people, were all adverse circumstances. Those winged messengers of light and knowledge, newspapers and pamphlets, had not yet reached the distant settlements. Two or three newspapers only were then published in New-England.* Mr. Welch, notwithstanding all these disadvantages, was an interesting old man. His memory was retentive, and his judgment sound. His recollection was not the faintness of evening, when outlines only are discernible; but he had treasured the particulars of almost every important event which fell within the scope of his knowledge. With the transactions of years long past he was familiar; but with recent events, or men of the present generation, he was unacquainted. Of the crowds who visited his lonely retreat during the last five years of his life, he saw few faces with which he was familiar-none who with him could claim the veneration due a patriarch.

About one year since we visited this old man at Bow. We found him sitting in an arm chair, with only one attendant, his wife, an aged person. On approaching him, we trembled lest our intrusion might be unwelcome; but the old man was cheerful, and we enjoyed an hour's conversation. He gave us, in broken accents, such information as we desired respec

*The Boston News-Letter, commenced Apr. 24, 1704; the Boston Gazette, commenced Dec. 18, 1720; and the New-England Courant, began July 17, 1721.

ting his family, and the events of his life. He pursued through life the business of a farmer. His first wife was Eleanor Clough, daughter of John Clough, of Salisbury, Mass., who, he informed us, was much older than himself. Their children were four, one of whom only is living, in some part of the state of Maine. His second wife, now living, was a widow when he married her, of the name of Elliot. Her maiden name was Rachel Sargent, and she was a daughter of William S. of Newtown. At the time of our visit, she was 84 years of age, and had been married to her last husband 28 years. Of course, he was 84 years old, and she 56, when,with buoyant spirits, they became 'one flesh' at the altar of Hymen. We were somewhat diverted with the sprightliness of the good old lady, who, when asked how long she had been married, began to make excuses, and explain the reasons why a blooming matron of 56, became the spouse of a man of fourscore years. "I thought," said she, "when he proposed to marry, that as he could not live long, he ought to live out the rest of his days without seeking another wife; but I had no thoughts then of his being much older than myself, and he did not think himself at that time so old as he was !" However, she "knew him to be a clever

man, and she married him. But, ah me! (said she) he begins to fail, as he grows old, and he nor I shall either of us stand it a great while longer."

The old man was at this time unable to walk,save by holding upon chairs, and exhibited marks of rapidly increasing debility. His mental faculties, however, appeared but little impaired. We asked him several questions:

Q. Were you acquainted with the first ministers of Kings

ton?

A. Yes.-Four were settled in my day; neither of whom had a child that lived.

Q. What was the character of Mr. Clark, the first minister? A. He was a good man.

Q. From whence came he?

A. I don't know. We had a preacher of the name of Choate, from Ipswich, who preached sometime before Clark was settled, in the garrison.

Q. What of Mr. Secombe?

A. Secombe was a good man, from Newbury-a poor man's son-preached with the Indians three years-then settled at Kingston.

Q. Do you remember the Indian depredations at Kings

ton?