Packed into the pages of John Scales’ remarkable 1923 Colonial Era History of Dover is an immeasurable wealth of historical and genealogical data. The book was not originally indexed, but the 1989 Heritage Books edition has an every-name index to both the historical and genealogical sections, facilitating easy access to ancestral data.
Historical and Genealogical Data
Want to know about New Hampshire’s earliest settlers, Capt. Millet’s apple tree, passengers on the ship James, Quaker missionaries on Dover Neck, Whittier’s poem on “The Quaker Women”, double entry land grants, or condemnation for wearing long hair? It’s all here.
The book’s historical section contains numerous biographies of early settlers—including Hatevil Nutter—and the separate genealogical section covers 34 families in detail, giving for some their English roots and multi-generations.
Surnames for the Detailed Genealogies
The surnames of those families are: Austin, Church, Clements, Coffin, Cushing, Damme, Dore, Edgerly, Evans, Gage, Guppy, Hall, Hayes, Heard, Hilton, Merrow, Meserve, Nute, Nutter, Otis, Page, Pinkham, Randall, Roberts, Scales, Starbuck, Tibbetts, Tuttle, Twombly, Wallingford,Walderne, Waldron, Watson and Wiggin.
Many of these families spread throughout New Hampshire and Maine at an early date.
Dover’s History
Dover is the oldest continuous settlement in New Hampshire and the seventh oldest in the United States. The permanent settlement occurred in what is now the Dover Neck area. For a few years Dover was an independent colony named Northam. In 1692, Northam became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Dover has always used the Cocheco and Bellamy Rivers to its economic advantage. The first use of the water power of the Cocheco River was in 1642, when a saw mill was built. In the 1700s Dover had an extensive shipbuilding industry. By 1830, the city had become a leading manufacturer of cotton goods in the country, using the river to power several mills.
Dover is also of interest because of the large area it once covered. That includes the present towns of Lee, Madbury, Durham, Somersworth, Newington and Rollingsford, as well as portions of Newmarket and Greenland.
Book Ordering Information
This colonial history of Dover, NH, may be ordered online from Heritage Books, or by mail directed to Heritage Books at 1540 E. Pointer Ridge Pl., Suite 300, Bowie, MD 20716. Maryland residents must pay sales tax and there is a shipping/handling fee. The book lists for $39.50. Heritage also has books giving Dover marriages and deaths, as well as a book on Dover landmarks and a CD titled History of Dover, New Hampshire, Vol. 1.
