Zachariah Chandler: An Outline Sketch of His Life and Public Services
History
Zachariah Chandler: An Outline Sketch of His Life and Public Services
Chandler, Zachariah, 1813-1879; United States -- Politics and government
The first house built on the Chandler farm was on the east side of
the river road, and not far from the present homestead. It was torn
down many years ago, but the cellar was visible until within a
comparatively recent period. The second house was built before the
Revolutionary War, by the grandfather of the Senator, and this is
still standing, though it has been remodeled and modernized. It was
used as a tavern and court-house during that war. In this the second
Zachariah and his wife lived for many years, and in this they and their
daughter Sarah died. During their declining years they were cared for
there by the mother of Rodney M. Rollins, the present occupant and
owner of the place, and the house, with forty acres of land, was willed
to Mrs. Rollins by "Aunt Sarah" previous to her death. This was the
first alienation from the possession of the family of any part of the
Chandler farm. Although the house has been remodeled, it retains many
of its old features, and one apartment at the northwest corner has been
preserved nearly as it was at the time of the Revolution. It is called
the Revolutionary room, and has still in its furniture some of the
chairs that were there a hundred years ago, and among its fixtures an
ancient buffet, carved by hand and unchanged except by paint since 1776.
On the opposite side of the road, fronting the east, and in sight of
the Merrimack, where it takes its broad sweep above Goff's Falls, is
the present Chandler homestead, which was built by Samuel Chandler in
1800, before his marriage. It remains to-day almost precisely as first
constructed, and seems good for half a century more. Its rooms are
large, and the ceilings unusually high for a farm-house of the earlier
times. The front portion contains four large apartments on the lower
floor, and in the rear are the dining-room, the kitchen, the pantry,
and store-rooms. In the second story are five bed-rooms, with closets
and additional store-room, and above these is a spacious attic. Among
the furniture are chairs and chests of drawers of pro-revolutionary
times, one of the ancient four-post bedsteads common a hundred years
ago, and brass andirons which would delight the eyes of a lover of
antique relics. Here still lives the Senator's oldest sister, and here
the family of seven were born.
In the ancient family bible, printed in 1803 and preserved by Mrs. Lee,
is an entry of a birth, of which this is a fac-simile:
[Illustration: Zacharias Chandler
Born Decʳ. 10ᵗʰ 1813]
It will be noticed that the given name is written Zacharias. Mrs. Lee
still speaks of her brother as Zacharias, and his name is also so
printed in the Chandler genealogy in the centennial history of Bedford.
The Senator in his signatures simply used the initial of his first
name, but he ultimately adopted the ancestral Zachariah, and that was
the name which he made famous, and by which he will be known in this
biography.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account