A recently published encyclopedia of Irish history refers to Rev. James MacGregor as being the "Moses of the Scotch-Irish in America." Locally he is known as the leader of the Nutfield colony that has since divided into the towns of Derry, Londonderry and Windham as well as parts of Hudson, Manchester, Salem and Pelham. He is buried in Forest Hill cemetery on East Derry Hill.
The original Nutfield grant of 1718 was for, 144 square miles of virgin forest, streams and ponds. However by the time MacGregor and his 16 families arrived the grant had shrunk to only 114 square miles as Litchfield and Chester claimed some of our grant. This was still quite a pretty good chunk of real estate.
Soon the word got back to Ulster Ireland: the Nutfield colony was a success! Here in the American wilderness was a refuge where Scots could be Scots; here they wouldn't be bothered by the English or Irish. Nutfield was to be a sanctuary of, by and for the Presbyterians of the Kirk of Scotland.
So many Scots followed Pastor MacGregor to the New World that soon the area became over crowded. Home lots, intended for a single family, had to be sub-divided into smaller and smaller farms. With agricultural being the principal occupation, it soon became obvious that something would have to give. Within a decade groups of residents began to leave the Nutfield area to form new towns. The list that follows is of those towns that were settled in large part by these pioneers.
Bedford, N.H. This town was settled in 1737 by a large group from Londonderry and incorporated in 1750 by Major John Goffe. He had been Londonderry's first town clerk and selectman.
Peterborough, N.H. It was settled by large groups of Scotch-Irish in 1749 and incorporated in 1760.Among its first settlers was John Morrison whose son Jonathan had been the first child born in Nutfield.
Cherry Valley, N.Y. This wilderness area 50 miles west of Albany was settled in 1740 and suffered a bloody massacre by the British and their Indian allies in 1778.
New Boston, N.H. was settled in 1736 almost exclusively by expatriates from Londonderry.
Nova Scotia. In 1760 about 30 members of the Archibald, Fisher and Taylor family left Londonderry to found the town of Truro. The farm land they purchased recently had been seized by the British from its original French settlers. In 1761 another Londonderry group founded the town of Londonderry, Nova Scotia.. Other Maritimes towns colonized by our people include Pictou, Stewiacke, Musquodobit and St. Mary's. There are likely other towns in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia that have a Nutfield connection.
Acworth, N.H. The town was settled in 1766 and incorporated in 1772.Among its early settlers were the children of James McKeen who had been Londonderry's first judge.
Antrim, N.H. The town was first settled in the 1771 by members of the Aiken, Hogg and Duncan family of Londonderry.
In addition to these towns I have found a number of other communities with a local connection. Londonderry Vermont was named after our Londonderry. That Green Mountain town also has a village called Derry and is located in Windham County. There is a theory that Stephen King based "Derry, Maine" on our own community.-but I'm not completely convinced. I do know that Manchester, NH's original name was Derryfield.
Thornton N.H. was named after our doctor Mathew Thornton who was later a signer of the Declaration of Independence. The ghost town of Livermore, N.H. was named for local attorney Samuel Livermore. Stark, N.H. was named after our own General John Stark as was Starksborough, Vermont, Stark, NY, Starkville, Mississippi and the Stark Counties in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. I also know there is a pair of craters on the moon named after local men. Let me know if you find any other geographical or political place names with a local connection. I bet there are dozens of other place across America that are named after the Nutfield towns of Derry, Londonderry and Windham. If you find any, please let me know.
ÔÇæÔÇæÔÇæ
Rick Holmes is Derry's town historian. Copies of his last 3 books, Derry Revisited, Nutfield Rambles and The Road to Derry are available at the Derry Museum, 29 West Broadway.
