Daniel Waldron
Encyclopedia
Daniel Waldron was the fifth and last generation of his family to hold the substantial Waldron estate in Dover, New Hampshire
. With his bankruptcy Dover realized a new life and economy as a center of textile manufacturing.
and Constance Davis. At the age of three he was designated one
of two co heirs to the majority of the family property in downtown Dover, New Hampshire
, passing over oldest brother William. "By the death of his brother Charles
(in 1791) he became, under the terms of their father's will, sole owner of the bulk of the Dover property."
Daniel's children in turn inherited some of the heirlooms of the family, including Father Rasle
's strongbox, a collection of papers belonging to grandfather Richard Waldron (Secretary)
, and the family portraits.
attained a consular position in Hong Kong
. Another was a major in the U.S. Marines, and another a Catholic priest and principal of a college.
where Daniel remained until 1811. He was
in business in Portsmouth, including overseas trade. Daniel and others made an insurance claim in 1804
after a ship Narcissa was "struck by a squall and took on water. Lost deckload of cattle and cargo ruined. Mate and two sailors
drowned. Drifted forty days."
(near the present Central Ave. bridge) but owner Daniel Waldron would not sell."
This came about after Daniel "mortgaged, by deeds dated 29 April 1811, and 18 Dec. 1815 the falls and all the land on the north side of the river, excepting the small lot then in possession of [his sister] Abigail Boardman ...to the New Hampshire Strafford Bank; the Bank came into possession 31 January 1820, and conveyed the whole to William Payne of Boston 23 April 1821 .... Thus passed out of the Waldron possession the lands lying north of the river and west of Main street, a tract bounded on the south by a line striking from Main Street to the river as the north boundary of the "Horne lot" goes, then following up the river half the way to Whittier's fall till it met the Horne Property, then running a little east of north till it met the John Waldron property, thence east of the road, and so down the road to the west side of the Main street again. This did not include their property on the east of Main street nor south of the river."
, from whom it descended to his son Colonel Richard Waldron
in 1689; who bequeathed it to his son Secretary Richard Waldron
in 1730; from whom it descended in 1753 to his son Thomas Westbrook Waldron
(he purchasing certain rights of his brother George,) who bequeathed it to Daniel Waldron by will proved in 1785.
"The property at the present time [1850-1888] is immensely valuable but its value has been mainly created by the manufacturing establishments erected upon it. When the eyes of some manufacturers were bent upon the water power, they obtained possession of the bulk of the estate, which passed out of the hands of Daniel Waldron 31 January 1820. Upon that day an uninterrupted family ownership of one hundred and seventy-eight years terminated. With the disappearance of an old and illustrious family, the release of a third of our central territory to the use of a new population and the whirl of machinery, old Dover passed away and new Dover began its life."
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
. With his bankruptcy Dover realized a new life and economy as a center of textile manufacturing.
Birth and inheritance
Daniel was born November 9, 1775, the youngest son of Thomas Westbrook WaldronThomas Westbrook Waldron
Thomas Westbrook Waldron, a captain in the 1745 expedition against the Fortress of Louisbourg, afterwards a commissioner at Albany, New York, a Royal councillor in 1782 and later described as a Colonel, abandoned a close friendship with the last royal governor of colonial New Hampshire, John...
and Constance Davis. At the age of three he was designated one
of two co heirs to the majority of the family property in downtown Dover, New Hampshire
Dover, New Hampshire
Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, in the United States of America. The population was 29,987 at the 2010 census, the largest in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
, passing over oldest brother William. "By the death of his brother Charles
(in 1791) he became, under the terms of their father's will, sole owner of the bulk of the Dover property."
Daniel's children in turn inherited some of the heirlooms of the family, including Father Rasle
Sébastien Rale
Sébastien Rale, , , was a Jesuit missionary and lexicographer who worked among the eastern Abenaki people, but became caught up in political and military struggles between New France, New England and the natives, which would claim his life during Dummer's War.-Early years:Born in Pontarlier, France,...
's strongbox, a collection of papers belonging to grandfather Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron was a major opponent of the Wentworth oligarchy in colonial New Hampshire. He supported a continued political subordination of New Hampshire to Massachusetts and opposed moves to separation from this traditional senior partner...
, and the family portraits.
Family
"Daniel married 5 June 1802, Olive Rindge Sheafe, who was born 24 May 1777 and who died Sept 1845". They had nine children, two of whom were in the Wilkes Expedition and enjoyed some favour in Washington, District of Columbia before oneThomas Westbrook Waldron (consul)
]Thomas Westbrook Waldron was a captain's clerk on the Wilkes Expedition, and the first United States consul to Hong Kong. His service to the United States consular service was honoured by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton during a ceremony in 2009...
attained a consular position in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. Another was a major in the U.S. Marines, and another a Catholic priest and principal of a college.
Portsmouth
At the death of his father the heirs were taken to Portsmouth, New HampshirePortsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
where Daniel remained until 1811. He was
in business in Portsmouth, including overseas trade. Daniel and others made an insurance claim in 1804
after a ship Narcissa was "struck by a squall and took on water. Lost deckload of cattle and cargo ruined. Mate and two sailors
drowned. Drifted forty days."
Dover
He returned to Dover on 11 November 1811. "Daniel lived in the old house" built by his father. In 1815 he became a Justice of the Peace for Strafford County, New HampshireStrafford County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 112,233 people, 42,581 households, and 27,762 families residing in the county. The population density was 304 people per square mile . There were 45,539 housing units at an average density of 124 per square mile...
Waldron lands ideal for textile milling
One of the enterprises that the Waldron name is not connected to is textile milling. Yet "[t]here were several advantageous physical conditions in Dover that made the goal of manufacturing cloth seem attainable. The town had water power, humidity in the atmosphere, pure water in the streams for bleaching, millsites in close proximity to the sea, an ample population, and a good transportation system in place. [Textile entrepreneurs] W&W (as Williams and Wendell came to be known) initially sought to purchase land at the First Falls of the Cochecho RiverCochecho River
The Cochecho River or Cocheco River is a tributary of the Piscataqua River, 38.3 miles long, in the U.S. state of New Hampshire. It rises in northern Strafford County and runs southeastward, through the town of Farmington and the cities of Rochester and Dover, where it provides hydroelectric power...
(near the present Central Ave. bridge) but owner Daniel Waldron would not sell."
Mortgage and loss of Waldron lands
.... "[But] in 1819, Daniel Waldron went bankrupt, and the land that W&W originally coveted at the First Falls (downtown Dover) suddenly became available."This came about after Daniel "mortgaged, by deeds dated 29 April 1811, and 18 Dec. 1815 the falls and all the land on the north side of the river, excepting the small lot then in possession of [his sister] Abigail Boardman ...to the New Hampshire Strafford Bank; the Bank came into possession 31 January 1820, and conveyed the whole to William Payne of Boston 23 April 1821 .... Thus passed out of the Waldron possession the lands lying north of the river and west of Main street, a tract bounded on the south by a line striking from Main Street to the river as the north boundary of the "Horne lot" goes, then following up the river half the way to Whittier's fall till it met the Horne Property, then running a little east of north till it met the John Waldron property, thence east of the road, and so down the road to the west side of the Main street again. This did not include their property on the east of Main street nor south of the river."
Last holder of the Waldron lands
"Daniel was the last owner of the extensive Waldron real estate in Dover. It probably came into the family in 1642, when the mill privilege in the centre of our city was granted to Major Richard WaldronRichard Waldron
Major Richard Waldron dominated the society and economy of early colonial Dover, New Hampshire and had a substantial presence in greater New Hampshire and in neighbouring Massachusetts...
, from whom it descended to his son Colonel Richard Waldron
Richard Waldron (Colonel)
Richard, son of the Major of the same name, maintained the position of the Waldron family in Dover and colonial New Hampshire through intermarriage with other leading families and inheritance or purchase of many of the positions once held by his father...
in 1689; who bequeathed it to his son Secretary Richard Waldron
Richard Waldron (Secretary)
Richard Waldron was a major opponent of the Wentworth oligarchy in colonial New Hampshire. He supported a continued political subordination of New Hampshire to Massachusetts and opposed moves to separation from this traditional senior partner...
in 1730; from whom it descended in 1753 to his son Thomas Westbrook Waldron
Thomas Westbrook Waldron
Thomas Westbrook Waldron, a captain in the 1745 expedition against the Fortress of Louisbourg, afterwards a commissioner at Albany, New York, a Royal councillor in 1782 and later described as a Colonel, abandoned a close friendship with the last royal governor of colonial New Hampshire, John...
(he purchasing certain rights of his brother George,) who bequeathed it to Daniel Waldron by will proved in 1785.
"The property at the present time [1850-1888] is immensely valuable but its value has been mainly created by the manufacturing establishments erected upon it. When the eyes of some manufacturers were bent upon the water power, they obtained possession of the bulk of the estate, which passed out of the hands of Daniel Waldron 31 January 1820. Upon that day an uninterrupted family ownership of one hundred and seventy-eight years terminated. With the disappearance of an old and illustrious family, the release of a third of our central territory to the use of a new population and the whirl of machinery, old Dover passed away and new Dover began its life."