Wilton, New Hampshire
Hillsborough county. This town is bounded S. by Mason and W. by Temple. It is 9 miles W. by S. from Amherst and 37 S. by W. from Concord. Souhegan is the principal river. Its main branch enters this town near the S.W. corner and proceeds in a N.E. course till it forms a junction with several branches running from Lyndeborough and Temple. These flow through the N. part, and are sufficiently large for mill streams. On these streams are some valuable manufactures, and a pleasant village has sprung up within a few years. This town has neither mountains, ponds or swamps. It is in general of strong and excellent soil. Good clay is found in plenty near the streams. There are several quarries of excellent stone for splitting and hewing. The first settlement was made in 1738, by 3 families from Danvers, Mass., 2 by the name of Putnam, and 1 by the name of Dale. Hannah, the daughter of Ephraim Putnam, was the first child born in town. The town was incorporated June 25, 1762, and derived its name from Wilton, an ancient borough in Wiltshire, England. A distressing accident occurred in raising the second meeting house, September 7, 1773. The frame fell, and three men were instantly killed; two died of their wounds soon afterward, and a number of others were badly injured. On July 20, 1804, the same meeting house was struck by lightning and considerably shattered. Population, 1830, 1,039.
