THE
BUILDING’S SIGNIFICANCE

Haverhill Heritage, Inc. has identified the Wentworth Brown estate as a significant historic resource to save given its prominent location on the Common in historic Haverhill Corner and its placement facing Route 10 on a section of the Connecticut River By-Way. The Wentworth Brown house is highly unique in that it incorporates both an 18th century Georgian structure and a 19th century Federal home. Adding to its demonstrable history is the inclusion of early period barns and stalls connected through internal passages. This style, intact extended large house – small house and barn – connector – large barn model, provides vital clues to the early functioning of the house. Although the original grounds encompassed a much larger acreage than today, substantial stands of mature plantings, including various trees and arborvitae survive, along with evidence of a Colonial Revival-era garden.

The Wentworth Brown home has five primary components. When viewing from the North or Common elevation (viewer’s right to left) they are: a capacious 2-story 1805 Federal dwelling, a 2-story ca. 1790’s (or earlier) small house; a small barn; a 1-story connector housing the privy and hen house; and large barn with second floor loft. All buildings are attached with total length of 183 feet and 10 inches (excluding the porch) creating a very strong linear approach facing the Common. Notable features worthy of preservation include original hardware, elegant cantilevered elliptical stair and stair rail; Rumford fireplaces and mantels throughout, attached privy, built-in hen house and out-buildings. The quality of finish work, wood working and turning, is likely among the highest caliber found in the town. Indeed, survival of the enclosed 3-hole privy and an interior chicken coop or hen house in a project that is accessible to the larger regional and statewide community provides significant educational interpretive possibilities which are vanishing and difficult to find.

THE
PEOPLE & STORIES

Historic evidence points to three individuals who were primarily responsible for the house we see today: Asa Boynton, George Woodward, Esq. and Joseph Bell, Esq.

Their lives reflect the place and times in which they lived during the early 19th century, when Haverhill Corner was the county seat and a center for law, banking, trade and transportation. The home these gentlemen had built provides a visible history of Haverhill Corner’s heyday and serves to enshrine the Corner’s former prestige.

Following their ownership of the house, “The property changed hands throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Subsequent alterations include the addition of a Victorian bay window facing Main Street and the wrap-around porch. During the nineteenth century the house elongated with the addition of two barns and a connecting privy.”[1]

The house was sold to stage proprietor Robert Morse in 1845, sold to John Bean in 1847, deacon of the Congregational church and principal of Haverhill Academy during the time it was run as a ladies’ school in 1849, inherited by Daniel F. Merrill in 1857, headmaster of the Haverhill Academy during the Civil War, sold to Robert Jenkins in 1871, who was in the marble business then a dealer in carriages, sold to Mary S. W. Merrill in 1872, sold to businessman Fred W. Page in 1896, sold to William and Virginia Pfender in 1929 and became their summer home until 1957, sold to Lawrence Miller in 1961, sold to Doctor Gerald and Laurel Lyons in 1977, then sold to Rev. Col. Dr. J. Good Brown and Valerie Wentworth Brown in 1985 who bought the property as their retirement home. Today the house is referred to as the Wentworth-Brown House, having been named after the last long-term year-round owners.

The Rev. Col. Dr. J. Good Brown was a graduate of Yale Divinity School and Yale Graduate School. He was a minister in Connecticut, and he served as a chaplain during World War II. Valerie Wentworth Brown was a Postmaster in Connecticut. An avid gardener, Valerie was responsible for establishing beautiful gardens on the property. She was a lineal descendant of Benning Wentworth, the royal governor who allotted land grants that promoted the first settlements in Haverhill, and she was a descendant of John Wentworth, who signed the charter for Dartmouth College.

Asa Boynton: Donated the south common

The story of the property we see today begins with an early town benefactor, Asa Boynton. He was born in Rowley, Massachusetts on March 4th, 1760 and served in the revolutionary war.[2] He married Mary Edmunds of Lynn, Massachusetts then moved to Grafton County, New Hampshire. In a deed dated May 19th, 1790, Asa Boynton donated the south common to the town, and directed that the property “…shall forever hereafter remain a common, & that the same shall never be sold to any person either by myself my heirs executors administrators or assigned…”[3]

The same deed requests that Alden Sprague “…remove off the said common land the incumbrances, viz fences & buildings that are now standing upon it in a reasonable time not exceeding one year from the date hereof.”[4] Preservation Consultant Kimberly Alexander explains that “Given the penchant New Englanders had for moving buildings throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, it is not inconceivable that the earliest part of the house was in fact ‘…remove off said common land…’ to its current site. This would explain the much smaller scale of the structure, its simple trim and moldings, as well as the awkwardness of subsequent building phases.”[5]

In his History of Haverhill, NH, written in 1866, the Rev. John Quincey Bittinger wrote “Asa Boynton was a prominent and influential citizen of Haverhill in the latter part of the last century and the first of the present… He was a selectman in 1802-3-6, and moderator in 1806. He was one of the petitioners for the charter of the Haverhill Academy, and also at a later date, 1805, for the charter of the Cohos turnpike.”[6]

Asa Boynton was licensed to keep a tavern and sell liquor. “Mr. Boynton was among the leading citizens of the town, and in 1804 was, with three exceptions, the largest taxpayer… Shortly after he suffered some financial reverses, and in 1806 he went to Ohio, took up land on the Old French Grant, and located the township of Haverhill, Ohio. He left his family in Haverhill till 1810, when he took them to his new home, the newest Haverhill. They went in wagons, driving some livestock and were six weeks in making the journey.”[7] In Haverhill, Ohio “Mr. Boynton was an industrious and enterprising man and did much to develop the new country and toward furnishing the necessary conveniences for his friends and neighbors.”[8] He and his wife Mary had thirteen children. Asa Boynton died February 21, 1834.

George Woodward, Esquire: Built the “fine mansion house”[9]

On September 3rd, 1805, Asa Boynton sold the property to George Woodward, Esquire, who was born in Hanover, New Hampshire on August 20, 1776. He was the grandson of Rev. Eleazar Wheelock, the founder of Dartmouth College, from which he graduated with honors in 1793. “He began the practice of law in Hanover, was treasurer of Dartmouth College 1803-05, and came to Haverhill about that time as cashier of the Coos Bank. He built the house south of the common… As a lawyer he stood high in his profession.”[10]

“The establishment of the Coos Bank was indicative of the enterprise not only of the men of Grafton County, … but also of the growing wealth and importance of the Connecticut Valley. It indicated also the importance of Haverhill as a business centre. At the time of its incorporation there was no other bank within a hundred miles…[11] The new bank opened for business in 1804 with only an acting cashier until “…George Woodward, a well-known lawyer, who occupied for a residence and also for banking, rooms of the fine mansion house at the south end of the common…”[12] Although it has been noted that “He lived in the Great House at the south end of the common, which also contained the banking rooms.”[13], it is not known today exactly which rooms in the house once served as the Coos Bank.

“Mr. Woodward held the position of cashier for less than ten years when he was succeeded for a brief period by Joseph Bell, who was in turn succeeded by John G. Wright… The bank found itself in financial difficulties in 1818-20 and failed, entailing much disastrous litigation and loss to stockholders… One of the causes of the failure had been an over issue of notes in violation of the charter.”[14] “He suffered financially by the disastrous failure of the Coos Bank, and lost caste socially by his friendship for the Methodists.”[15]

George Woodward had married his first wife Eliza Webster on September 9, 1808, who died on August 4, 1809. He then married her sister, Lydia, who died @ December 1814. He married his third wife, Elizabeth Hallam Leverett of Windsor, Vermont, on December 13, 1815. George Woodward had thee children with his second wife Lydia, and he had three children with his third wife Elizabeth.

A firsthand account of George Woodward can be found in Arthur Livermore’s Seventy Years Ago, Reminiscences of Haverhill Corner, in which he recorded his impressions of Haverhill Corner while a student at the Haverhill Academy in the 1820s:

“George Woodward was among the most conspicuous figures in Haverhill, and in courtesy of manner, and in winning kindness toward everyone, was held by many to be the model of a gentleman. He had been, and it is my impression that he was, seventy years ago, clerk, or the assistant clerk of the superior court, and at a later date became clerk of common pleas. He lived in the house at the south end of the common, that afterwards became the residence of Mr. Joseph Bell, kept his office there, and eked out a greatly reduced income by taking to board the boys sent from a distance to attend the academy.

In early life he had been in good practice, and also the cashier of Coos bank, whose disastrous failure brought down the cashier and board of directors, and drew upon them all the imputations that commonly dog the steps of misfortune. A good deal of litigation, tending to the damage of their fair fame, followed the break-down of the bank, but Mr. Woodward’s good spirits appeared not to have forsaken him; and according to Mr. Mason, who was his counsel, he was too intent upon psalm singing to bestow proper attention upon his case, at times when such attention was most urgently required, and might most reasonably have been expected…

Mr. Woodward conveyed his family to meeting in a wagon having two seats, and often took me up on a hot summer’s day, with a considerate kindness I cannot forget. I know not through what causes, or by what influences impelled, Mr. Woodward became a Methodist, and taking up his abode in the Noah Davis house, between Mrs. Bliss’ house and the academy, opened its doors to the brethren of that persuasion, with such liberality that he was commonly at his wits end for means to feed and clothe his own family. He could not re-make himself, nor efface the gentleman that he was, but it is to be confessed that his style became in a measure debased, and he left Haverhill a changed man.”[16]

“He was clerk of the Court of Common Pleas from 1817 till he left town, but the salary was small, his family was large, and he eked out what was little more than existence by taking boarders.”[17] George Woodward moved to Lowell, Massachusetts about 1826[18], where he resumed the practice of law. He died in Lowell, Massachusetts on December 5, 1836.

Joseph Bell, Esquire: “Enlarged and embellished it”[19]

On December 17, 1821 George Woodward sold the property to Joseph Bell, who was born in Bedford, New Hampshire on March 21, 1787. He graduated from Dartmouth in 1807, after which he was principal of Haverhill Academy for one year. He studied law, was admitted to the bar and in 1811 began what was to become a very successful law practice in Haverhill. Joseph Bell succeeded George Woodward as cashier of the Coos Bank, and in later years he became the bank president.

While a young lawyer, Joseph Bell became embroiled in a scandal while boarding in the house of Mrs. Dow and her two daughters. The situation “Unfortunately resulted in the formation of expectations on the part of Miss Mary Dow, which were shared by her mother and sister, and in consequent disappointment… During his absence these ladies heard of his engagement to a granddaughter of their old neighbor, Col. Porter, charged him with it on his return, and expelled him from the house, hurling his boxes into the road, and give publicity to grief in every possible manner.”[20]

Miss Mary Dow’s sister “…a more strenuous character, gave expression to her sense of the situation in a different manner, and, as it was said, she induced her sister to consent to a suit at law. That unfortunate measure was attended in the first place with a trial at Haverhill, in which the jury failed to agree, and finally in one at Plymouth, in which a verdict was rendered for the defendant.”[21]

“The boxes and other things which the exasperated ladies had caused to be thrown out of doors, Mr. Bell caused to be taken to the Grafton hotel, kept by Major St. Clair, where he took lodgings, and to which place he brought his wife after marriage. There they abode while the house which had been George Woodward’s was undergoing the required alterations and repairs. They soon took possession of it…”[22] after having “…enlarged and embellished it.”[23]

In his History of Haverhill, N.H., the Rev. John Quincy Bittinger states that Joseph Bell “Was without a doubt Haverhill’s most distinguished lawyer”[24] and described him as follows:

“He was a close and industrious student, and early won a front place at the Grafton county bar, where for a long time he was its admitted leader. Practice became very extensive and lucrative, and reached into the neighboring counties.”[25]

“He was distinguished for the deliberate preparation of his cases… His analysis of facts was keen and exhaustive, and he possessed a wonderfully exact legal language. He was a master of legal principles, and could cite with great promptness the authorities and cases that were pertinent to questions at issue… Hon. Nathaniel Wilson of Orono, Me., who for a short time was in Mr. Bell’s office sums up his standing as a lawyer: ‘As a lawyer he was clear-headed, keen, discriminating, logical and thoroughly read. His influence with the court and with the jury was very marked, and his services were always in demand.’

In manner Mr. Bell was somewhat severe and over-bearing… He was not distinguished for his persuasiveness with a jury, gently and kindly leading them along over the difficulties of the case, but his manner was such as rather to drive the jury before him by main force. As a consequence he was stronger as a lawyer than as an advocate.”[26]

“Mr. Bell carried his imperious manner somewhat into social life but with intimate friends he is said to have been a most agreeable and companionable person. Although he rose from humble circumstances he was a natural-born aristocrat... He was accustomed to walk to church alone, apart from his family, with his hands folded under his coat tails, and gave the impression of a proud and aristocratic man.”[27]

Joseph Bell held several public positions while he lived in Haverhill, including solicitor for Grafton county, he represented the Town in the legislature, and he ran for Congress in 1835. In 1837 Dartmouth College awarded him an honorary L.L.D. degree. In 1842 Joseph Bell moved to practice law in Boston in partnership with Henry F. Durant, founder of Wellesley College. While in Boston he became a member of the legislature of Massachusetts and president of the Senate. He and his wife had five children, all born in Haverhill. He died in Saratoga, New York on July 25, 1851.

[1] Kimberly S. Alexander, Wentworth-Brown House Historic Structures Report & Reuse Proposal. (Haverhill, NH, 2017) 4

[2] Daughters of the American Revolution and the WPA, Revolutionary War Patriots Buried in Ohio. (Ohio SAR, Updated April 2016)

[3] Deed of Sale from Asa Boynton and wife Mary to Alden Sprague, May 19th 1790 (filed June 7th 1790), Grafton County, New Hampshire, Deed Book 9026, page 99. Grafton County Registry of Deeds, North Haverhill, New Hampshire.

[4] Deed of Sale from Asa Boynton and wife Mary to Alden Sprague, May 19th 1790 (filed June 7th 1790)

[5] Alexander, 4

[6] John Quincy Bittinger, History of Haverhill, N.H. (Haverhill, N.H.: Cohos Steam Press, 1888) 102-103

[7] William Whitcher, History of the Town of Haverhill, New Hampshire (Concord, N.H.: Rumford Press, 1919) 484

[8] Nelson W. Evans, A History of Scioto County, Ohio Together with a Pioneer Record of Southern Ohio (Portsmouth, OH: Nelson W. Evans, 1903) 658

[9] Whitcher, 349

[10] Whitcher, 682

[11] Whitcher, 348

[12] Whitcher, 349

[13] Harold K. Davison, Haverhill’s Historic Highlights: Banking in the Coos Region 1804 (Littleton, N.H.: Courier Printing Co., Inc., 1963), 91

[14] Whitcher, 349

[15] Whitcher, 682

[16] Arthur Livermore, Seventy Years Ago Reminiscences of Haverhill Corner (Woodsville, N.H.: News Print, 1902) 28-29

[17] Whitcher, 683

[18] Whitcher, 683

[19] Livermore, 7

[20] Livermore, 10

[21] Livermore, 11

[22] Livermore, 12

[23] Livermore, 7

[24] Bittinger, 262

[25] Bittinger, 263

[26] Bittinger, 264-265

[27] Bittinger, 265

It should be noted that Dr. J. Good Brown wrote A Tribute to Valerie Wentworth, following her death on February 21, 2001. The book provides a loving account of the life they shared while living in Haverhill Corner.