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The Legend of “Boston” John Clark
“Boston” John Clark was a nineteenth-century New Hampshire builder whose work ranged from house framing and bridge construction to dam building and large-scale hydraulic engineering. Renowned for his physical strength, mechanical intuition, and unconventional intellect, he became a well-known figure in his hometown of Franklin and beyond, shaping some of the region’s most ambitious…
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The Bridge Builder Zadoc Lovell Taft
Zadoc Lovell Taft was a Swanzey carpenter, millwright, mechanic, farmer, and bridge builder, and part of a family with deep colonial roots. The Taft family arrived in the New World in Braintree, Massachusetts, around 1678, when Robert Taft (c. 1640–1725), Zadoc’s great-great grandfather, emigrated from County Louth, Ireland. He would build the original Taft…
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The Bridgewright Captain Charles Richardson
Captain Charles Richardson’s story in America begins with the arrival of Thomas Richardson (1608-1651) in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Along with his two brothers, Ezekiel (1602-1647) and Samuel (1604-1657), and his wife, Mary Baldwin (1612-1670), Thomas came from Hertfordshire, England, sometime around 1635. The Richardsons became some of the original settlers of Woburn, Massachusetts,…
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The Bridgewrights Granger
Part One – Sanford Granger (1796–1882) The Granger story in New Hampshire begins with Eldad Granger (1766-1866) and his wife, Sarah Holmes (1771-1852). Natives of Connecticut, Eldad and Sarah moved north to the Connecticut River Valley and settled in Chesterfield, New Hampshire, shortly after their marriage in 1786. Eldad worked as a mechanic and…
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The Bridgewright Horace Childs
Bridgewright Horace Childs comes from a long line of Puritan Yankee stock. His fourth great-grandfather, William, was one of the earliest settlers of the New World. William arrived from England in 1630 and settled with his family in Watertown, Massachusetts. The family would remain there until Horace’s grandfather, Solomon Childs (1743-1827), and his wife,…
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The Bridgewright Frederick Whitney
Note: This post was updated in June 2024 with new information uncovered by Bill Caswell (June 2024). Frederick Whitney was born in Henniker on October 5, 1806. He was the third of six children born to Eleazer Whitney (1777–1838) and Alice Peabody (1779–1867) and was the only one of his siblings to live to…
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The Bridgewright John C. Briggs
John Clark Briggs was born in Putney, Vermont, on May 28, 1824. Briggs was the last of five children born to Silas S. Briggs (1788-1864) and his wife, Lucy Davidson (1789-1866). Their first child, Silas (1814-1815), died at only fifteen months old. Their only daughter, Lucy Philena (1816-1840), was born in Plymouth, Vermont, and…
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The Bridgewright Dutton Woods
Note: This article was amended in June 2024 after receiving information from Jim Garvin regarding the Main Street/Factory Bridge in Suncook. Dutton Woods was born on October 19, 1809, in Henniker, New Hampshire, the third of ten children born to William L. Woods (1776-1847) and Betsy Dutton (1783-1849). His father, William Learned Woods, was…
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The Loose End in Lancaster
Prior to researching covered bridges, I spent a good amount of time researching genealogy. I’ve traced my Varney ancestors from New Durham and Dover to the West Indies and the Salem Witch Trials, all the way back to 12th-century England. I’ve traced my husband’s Chandler line to John Chandler, who arrived at Jamestown Island…
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The Three Bridges at Hooksett
Note: This article was amended in February 2024, after extensive research proved that the three bridges were not rebuilt in 1868 by the H. Childs & Co. Documents indicate that the bridges were rebuilt between 1888 and 1889 by the Concord Railroad. While this took away the excitement of having a piece of a…
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