Windham, New Hampshire's history began when 500 acres was
ordered by the Legislature of Massachusetts to Rev. Thos. Cobbett, of
Ipswich. What became Windham was a farm was out in 1662, or fifty-seven
years before the Scotch made a settlement in Londonderry, of which Windham
was a part. It is doubtful that any permanent settlements were made until
the advent of the Scotch in 1719. The first settlement in Windham was
southeast of Cobbett's Pond, near the cemetery on the highest elevation of
Copp's Hill. There the first house stood, and the first occupant was John
Waddell, and this was not far from 1720.
It was not all harmony in the town of Londonderry. The town thrived and the
congregation became very large. As the population increased, it began to
diffuse itself into different settlements within the town. As the town grew
there were "many men of many minds." The first disagreements arose over "the
everlasting place-of-the meeting-house question, which has wrought more
plague and alienation in New England than all theological dogmas put
together." Other disagreements arose over land. The farms along the Windham
Range were laid out in 1728 and the land given to fourteen settlers as a
result of a dispute over the original distribution of land in Londonderry.
The petition to Governor Benning Wentworth, praying for the erection of a
new parish, though not dated, was drawn in 1740, and was signed by Thomas
Morrison and forty-eight others. The reasons for presenting the petition
were narrated to be considerable difficulty, unknown to others not in their
circumstances, more especially with respect to their attendance of public
worship. It was stated that all of the petitioners with the exception of
three, were living upwards of seven miles from either of the meetinghouses
in town. From this it will be seen that the early settlers of Londonderry
were church-going people, those asking for a new town of Windham making
their strongest claim on the grounds of living an inconvenient distance from
the earliest houses of worship. The familiar family names of the men that
signed the petition include: Morrison, Dinsmore, Cochran, Campbell, Emerson,
Armstrong, and Park. The charter for Windham was granted January 21, 1741
and "An act for incorporating a new parish in the township of Londonderry in
the Province of New Hampshire," was passed by the General Court February 12,
1742. It was also enacted that Robert Dinsmoor, Joseph Waugh and Robert
Thompson be authorized and appointed to call the first meeting of
inhabitants of the said parish on the 8th day of March following. The first
town meeting was held on March 8, 1742, at which the initial measures were
taken to form the new town of Windham. The selectmen elected at the first
town meeting were Robert Dinsmoor, Joseph Waugh, Robert Thompson, Samuel
Morrison and William Gregg. At the time of its incorporation, Windham
included about one third of the present town of Salem. Soon after Windham
became a town, the cemetery on the plain was laid out. It was the intention
of the Scotch settlers to follow the custom of their homeland and have the "kirk"
or church located as near as possible to the center of town. The plan to
locate the church on the plain was defeated and was erected instead on
Copp's Hill (Cemetery on the Hill). This was unsatisfactory to the citizens
of town farthest away, and there was continual agitation on the subject of
finding the "town's centre." Many residents of the part of town which is now
part of Salem, were of different blood and different faith, and even though
they worshipped with the Scotch Presbyterians in the church on the hill,
there was little in common between the "English Congregationalist" and the
Scotch people. And the English Congregationalists felt they were being
unfairly taxed to support the Presbyterian Church. Since Windham had been
settled by the English, many inhabitants in the southeast portion of Windham
felt that it would be to their advantage to be annexed to Salem. Many of the
people of the northerly and westerly sections of Windham thought they would
benefit from having the English families dis-annexed from Windham, since it
would be more likely that the church would be put in the center of town and
more convenient to them. The two groups voting together brought about the
dismemberment of the town. On the ninth day of January 1752, "to quiet all
strife," the lines were changed. |