The Board proposes to hold the next reunion in Canterbury, NH, an early and well-known Clough settlement. The thought is that during September, the weather might be more suitable, fewer tourist would be about and it might be easier to find accommodations and facilities for the meeting. See the brief notes on the Cloughs in Canterbury below. More about the reunion in the next bulletin.
CANTERBURY, NH First granted by Lieutenant Governor John Wentworth in 1727, the town was named for William Wake, Archbishop of Canterbury. It was originally a militia timber fort and trading post of Capt. Jeremiah Clough located on a hill near Canterbury Center, where the Pennacook Indians came to trade. The town would be incorporated in 1741. There were several garrison houses or stockades in the area as late as 1758.
Probably the biggest attraction in Canterbury is the Shaker Village, established in 1792. The last resident, Sister Ethel Hudson, died in 1992, and the site is now a museum, founded in 1969. It has been designated a National Historic Landmark for its architectural integrity and significance. It is a few miles away.
A history of Cloughs in Canterbury is found in the society’s ,“The Story of the Family of John Clough of Salisbury” on pages 105-114. [ If you don’t have this book, see below for a chance to buy at a bargain price]. Two sons of Thomas(3) of Salisbury migrated to Canterbury, NH in the mid 1700’s. Jeremiah and Thomas (4) were among the earliest of settlers. Jeremiah became the first selectman in 1738.
NOTES ON THE CLOUGH TAVERN, CANTERBURY, NEW HAMPSHIRE JAMES L. GARVIN NOVEMBER 13, 1997 These notes are an abbreviated record of a brief visit made to the Clough Tavern on November 7, 1997. Lyford’s History of the Town of Canterbury states that the main house was built about1778, and that the wing that is connected to the southeast corner is the original Clough house, said to be the oldest surviving dwelling in town. The Scanlons recalled that the wing is thought to date from about 1740. The interior of the wing was reconfigured as a summer kitchen for the main house, probably in the 1840s or 1850s. The Clough mansion is a large, rectangular, threestory dwelling with a gable roof, two chimneys, and a central hallway. In general size and form, the building is reminiscent of the William Pitt Tavern in Portsmouth. The tavern is most unusual for its ambitious scale, especially within the context of the upper Merrimack River valley where three-story houses are rare. Lyford’s history notes that the building was licensed as a tavern. Lyford also notes that tavern license records were kept only sporadically in Canterbury.
Follow this link for a detailed, 7 page, description of the house.
http://www.nh.gov/nhdhr/publications/documents/cloughtavern_canterbury.pdf