Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
Amherst is the shire town. Hillsborough has Merrimack county on the N., Rockingham on the E., the state of Massachusetts on the S., and Cheshire county on the W. The surface of this county is generally uneven, though there are but few lofty mountains. Lyndeborough mountain in the township of Lyndeborough, the Unconoonock in Goffstown, Crotched in Francestown and Society Land, are of considerable altitude.
This section of New Hampshire is well watered. The noble and majestic Merrimack passes its southeastern border. At Nashua, the Nashua, a beautiful stream from Massachusetts, discharges its waters into the Merrimack. North of the Nashua, the Souhegan and Piscataquog, streams of much value and consequence to the manufacturing interests, discharge themselves into the Merrimack; the former in the township of Merrimack, the latter in Bedford. Part of a large collection of water, denominated a lake, the Massabesick, on the E. boundary of Manchester. Besides these there are numerous other ponds, interspersed through the whole extent of the territory. Some of the largest of these are Gregg's pond, in Antrim, Pleasant pond, in Francestown, Babboosuck poind, in Amherst, and Potanipo, in Brookline. There are several mineral springs which have been found servicable in cutaneous afflictions, but no one has yet acquired general celebrity. Minerals have been found in various places, but not in great abundance.
This county possesses many advantages for manufacturing establishments, and it is gratifying to find that many of its citizens are turning their attention to this branch of national and individual wealth.
The settlement of this county was made at Nashua, lately Dunstable, some years before the war with king Philip, in 1675. It was constituted a county by an act of the General Assembly, 19 March, 1771. It received its name from the Earl of Hillsborough, one of the privy council of George III. The population, in 1775, was 13,132; in 1790, 25,536; in 1800, 31,260; in 1810, 34,410; in 1820, 35,761; and in 1830, 37,762. In 1837, there were 45,511 sheep in this county.
