Wesley John Hobart 1850-1920

Found it in a trunk of the granddaughter of Sarah Hobart (Lawrence).
Sarah was an aunt to Wesley and sister to Wesley's father, Giles C. Hobart.
_____________________________________________________________________

    He went to Columbian, NH in mid winter on the ice of the Connecticut River, equipped with an axe, a gun, and three shillings sixpence. He was one of the first settlers in the North Country. For the first two or three years, until he could buy and clear land, he lived with the Larned family, which consisted of the widow of Abel Larned, the first to settle north of Lancaster, and her two sons.

    He made his pitch on what in the 1900's was known as the Samuel I. Bailey place, and was at the time, the furtherest north of any white man in New Hampshire.

    Abel built a log house in 1794, the year of his marriage. In 1799 it was destroyed by fire, with all of its contents. Abel, his wife, and two children saved only their lives and the clothing they wore. He built a second house, in which they lived until 1823.

    For quite a period, Abel had to travel sixty miles through the forest on horseback, if in summer, or drag a hand sled over the ice on the Connectcut River, if in the winter, to market his produce, have his grain ground, or to purchase supplies. After a few years, the journey was cut to 30 miles; but any considerable amount of marketing required a journey of weeks to Portland or to Portsmouth. Game was plentiful and his rifle supplied fresh meat in abundance.

    He became a carpenter and builder and left his sons to run the farm. In 1823 he built a two story house which was quite pretentious for those days. It was notable for its colonial doorway. Later he moved a few miles north to Columbia Valley with his son, Harvey. He built and conducted a tavern which was the northern terminus of the stage line. The large, rambling, old Hobart Inn was later known as the Carlos D. Luey place. The inn was destroyed by fire around 1920. Abel dealt extensively in land, owned a grist mill, and although for years he cast the only whig vote in town, he eventually held many public offices and was the town's leading citizen.

Their 3 sons:  

Major Roswell Hobart, 1797-?, son of Abel Hobart & Betsey Wallis was the grandfather of VP of the United States under President McKinley, Garrett Hobart. Roswell's son:

Addison Willard Hobart, 1819-?, father of V.P. Garrett. His son:

Garrett Augustus Hobart, 1844-1899

    Was the 24th Vice President of the U. S. under the first term of presidency of William McKinley from March 4, 1897 thru November 21, 1899. McKinley was the 25th president of the USA and was assassinated September 6, 1901 by Lion Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. They were of the republican party. Their administration was distinguished by victory in the Spanish-American War, annexation of Hawaii, and acquistion of the Phillippines.

- At age 16 entered Rutgers College as a sophomore.
- Graduated 3rd in his class at age 19.
- June 7, 1866 licensed to practice law.
- June 1871 became a counselor-at-law.
- In 1872 got his master in chancery.
- Was speaker of both house and senate.
- Was director-of-the-board for 60 corporations.

Garrett's Tomb, Cedar Lawn Cemetary, Paterson, NJ  -  View 1  -  View 2  -  View 3

Harvey Hobart, 1801-?, son of Abel & Betsey & brother to Roswell, was one of the of Colebrook Academy. He ran a saw mill, a grist mill, a general store, and various enterprizes in Columbia, NH. Harvey & Irena had 7 children (I will list one):

    Was known as "The Squire" or "Mills". He represented Columbia, Coos County, NH in the State Legislature. Held practically all town offices. He was moderator of town meetings for decades. He was a close friend of United States Senator William E. Chandler. Was reputed to have been a "power behind the scenes" of Republican politics in the North Country for many years.

Back to The Family of Edmund Hobart