Cellar Hole Survey Newsletter #10
A Bad Choice
Greetings Canterbury history enthusiasts,
The Question
Why would any family wishing to build a farming homestead choose this rocky and swampy 146 acres of land to settle on?
History
By 1770 most of the tillable land near the Center was occupied and settlers were building their farms further and further out, included in what became to be known as Hackleborough. Much of the land there suitable for building a homestead was already occupied by the early 1780’s. John Moor, an original Proprietor of the town and his wife Hannah were grandparents in 1789, the time their grandson, Revolutionary War soldier Joseph, was settling in Hackleborough with his wife Elizabeth. Many of the elders Hannah’s and John’s children, and their families made good use of the land John helped them settle and some became wealthy. We believe Joseph did not. If their situation were different, Joseph and Elizabeth might have raised their 10 children on better land and been able to prosper. The land was a gift of his father William.
The Site Speaks
The first examination of the site presented a large, 56 foot long house foundation facing east to Foster road, highlighted by one large mound of bricks and flat stone which were the remains of a complex of fireplaces. Because of the large family raised there, we assume the house was two stories tall. Two very large cut granite stones from the foundation, typical of a stoutly built house, had been placed over the well to secure it. Signs of prosperity. A conclusion not upheld as our documentation continued.
Our Physical Findings
While long, the foundation was not wide, and the rooms could not have been large. Long sections of the foundation were poorly built and collapsed or completely missing. The root cellar was very small, occupying barely 10% of the foundation.
Expanding our examination of the site we found only a small barn foundation. The land was indeed poor, with chaotic hummocks of earth and stones throughout, windblown trees, and surrounded by wetlands. We explored several acres near the site, and what astonished us most of all, we found a scant 200 feet of stone walls. This land had never been cultivated. It was never a farm.
The Records
Remarkably, the written records of this property and of the Moore family are generous. Again, possibly the result of the larger Moore family success. Due to having been crafted by a skilled mason, we considered the writing on the matching marble tombstones in the Moore family cemetery on the east side of Foster Road as a reliable part of the history. Partly because of the patriotic service of Joseph, the long life of one of their children, and a family history compiled by a Moore descendent, we know many details of the story. See page 145 of the document about the Joseph Moore family in the link below for many more details.
https://archive.org/details/descendantsofens00moor/page/n405/mode/1up
In The End
We surmise that the wealthy family generously provided means to construct a well built house, but the land could never have been developed into a prosperous homestead. The written records reveal that 4 of their children died young, two of the women married, and four of the women lived out their lives in the house, with daughter Hannah attaining the age of 91 years.
Next month we attempt to unravel the mystery of how a family could get to their house which was 1800 feet from the road.
As before, send your questions, corrections and additions to cellarholesurveys@gmail.com