Langdon Parsons

History of the Town of Rye, New Hampshire from its Discovery and Settlement to December 31, 1903 Langdon Parsons

First settled in 1623, the "Parish of Rye in New Castle" did not become a township until after the American Revolution. The 1773 census counted a population of 842 inhabitants; by 1886 the count had risen to about 1,000. A manageable size, then, for the author who managed to mention practically everybody who ever lived in Rye! There is a chapter on "Some old Residents and where they lived," a "Record of Town Officers" and a 279-page "Genealogy" covering about 600 family names, plus marriage and death records of those not mentioned in the genealogies. Also included is a history of the Isles of Shoals, the New Hampshire side of which, Star Island mainly, became the town of Gosport in 1715. During the Revolutionary War, Gosport was evacuated and the town never regained its former prominence. After 1876, Gosport as a town was abolished and the southerly half of the Isles of Shoals became part of Rye. The rest of the book covers, among other aspects, town affairs, ecclesiastical history, schools, roads, bridges, inns, taverns, and its development as a summer resort. The narrative is enhanced by a general index, a name index, two maps and more than fifty




(1905, 1992, 2010), 2021, 51/2x81/2, paper, index, 688 pp

photographs and drawings.