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No man in New Hampshire, during the past twenty years, has been more prominently known in the politics of the State than he whose name appears above. One of the original organizers of the Republican party in the State, Mr. Rollins has been one of the most active, and, in fact, the leading manager of the party organization, down to the present timecommander-in-chief, as it were, of its forces in all the sharp contests with the opposing or Democratic party. A brief outline of the career of one who has been thus prominent in active politics, and who has also attained high official distinction, cannot fail to be of interest to men of all parties.

The Rollins family is one of the oldest and most numerous in the State. In southeastern New Hampshire the Rollins name has been prominent in the his tory of almost every town. Particularly is this the case in the region about Dover, from the seaboard to Lake Winnipiseogee. Most, if not all, the representatives of the name in this region, and among them the subject of our sketch, are the descendants of James Rollins (or Rawlins, as the name was then and for a

long time subsequently spelled, and is now by some branches of the family), who came to America in 1632, with the first settlers of Ipswich, Mass., and who, ten or twelve years afterward, located in that portion of old Dover known as “Bloody Point," now embraced in the town of Newington, where he died about 1690. From a history of the Rollins family-descendants of this James Rawlinscompiled by John R. Rollins of Lawrence, we find that its representatives suffered their full share in the privations and sacrifices incident to the firm establishment of the colony, and performed generous public service in the early Indian and French wars and the great revolutionary contest. Ichabod, the eldest son of James Rawlins, and from whom Edward H. is a direct descendant, was waylaid and killed by a party of Indians, while on the way from Dover to Oyster River (now Durham), with one John Bunker, May 22, 1707. Thomas, the second son of James, who subsequently became a resident of Exeter, was a member of the famous "dissolved Assembly" of 1683, who took up arms under Edward Gove and endeavored to incite an

insurrection against the tyrannical Cranfield, then Royal Governor. This Edward Gove, who, failing in his object, surrendered at the persuasion of his friends, was the only man in New Hampshire who ever received the sentence of death for high treason, which was pronounced by the renowned Maj. Waldron, Chief Justice of the special court commissioned for the trial. In the bill presented by the grand jury, Gove and eight others, including Thomas Rawlins, were presented for high treason, but we do not learn that any but Gove were tried; certainly he was the only one sentenced, and he was subsequently pardoned and had his estates restored.

Another of the family who fell a victim to Indian malignity was Aaron Rawlins, a son of Thomas above mentioned, who lived on a plantation at the lower falls of the Piscasick (now Newmarket), whose house was attacked by the Indians on the night of August 29, 1723, and he and his eldest daughter were killed, after a valiant defence. His wife and two younger children, a son and daughter, were taken captive and carried to Canada. Mrs. Rawlins was redeemed after a few years. The son was adopted by the Indians and ever after lived with them, while the daughter married a French Canadian.

There were from twenty-five to thirty descendants of James Rawlins, of the fourth and fifth generation, engaged in active service in the patriot cause during the revolutionary war. Some of the more prominent of these were John Rollins of Newmarket, who served at Bunker Hill and throughout the war; Joseph Rollins of Nobleboro, Me., wounded at Bennington, and present at the surrender of Burgoyne; Jotham and Nicholas Rollins of Stratham, the former a Lieutenant at Bunker Hill, and the latter a Captain at Stillwater and Saratoga; and John Rollins of Rochester, who was in the disastrous fight at Hubbardton. This John Rollins settled in Alton, was a prominent citizen, held a Colonel's commission in the militia, and died in 1847, aged 91 years. We find the Rollinses prominent in the early history of Rochester. Edward Rollins, of the third generation

from James, settled early in that town, where he built a large garrison house near the lower end of what is now the main street of Rochester village. He was a leading citizen and selectman. His son Edward was one of the founders and first members of the Methodist church in that place. Another son, Samuel, was a soldier in the Revolution and was present at the capture of Ticonderoga.

Among the first settlers of that portion of Dover which subsequently became Somersworth was Jeremiah Rollins, the only son of Ichabod, heretofore mentioned as slain by the Indians. He was one of the petitioners for the incorporation of Somersworth as a separate parish. He died a few years previous to the Revolution, leaving several daughters, but only one son, Ichabod Rollins, who became an active champion of the Revolutionary cause, was a member of the Conventions at Exeter in April, May and December, 1775, and served as a member of the Committee appointed to prepare a plan of providing ways and means for furnishing troops, and also as a member of the Committee of supplies, the principal labor upon which was performed by himself and Timothy Walker of Concord. He was a member of the Convention which resolved itself into an independent State government, Jan. 5, 1776, and served in the Legislature in October following. He was the first Judge of Probate under the new government, holding the office from 1776 to 1784. He was subsequently a member of the Executive Council, and died in 1800. From this eminent citizen the town of Rollinsford, formed from the portion of Somersworth in which he resided, received its name. He stands midway in the direct line of descent from James Rawlins to Edward H.-the great grandfather of Edward H., and the great grandson of James. He had four sons, of whom James, the third,. was the grandfather of Edward H. John Rollins, the eldest of the sons, was the grandfather of Hon. Daniel G. Rollins, a prominent citizen, who was Judge of Probate for the County of Strafford from 1857 to 1866, and whose son, Edward Ashton Rollins, was Speaker of the N. H. House of Representatives in 1861

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and 1862. Commissioner of Internal Revenue under President Johnson, and is now President of the Centennial Bank at Philadelphia, though still holding his residence in Somersworth.

James Rollins, grandfather of Edward H., settled upon the farm in Rollinsford which has since remained the family homestead. He was the father of thirteen children, seven sons and six daughters. Of these Daniel Rollins, the eighth child, born May 30, 1797, who married Mary. eldest daughter of Ebenezer Plummer of Rollinsford, was the father of Edward H. He succeeded to the homestead, but taking the "Maine fever," which was for a time prevalent in this section, sold out, with a view to making his home in that State. He soon repented his action, and, returning, repurchased that portion of the homestead lying east of the highway, and erected a dwelling

opposite the old family mansion, where he lived a life of sturdy industry, rearing a family of six children, four sons and two daughters, and died Jan. 7, 1864.

EDWARD H. ROLLINS was the eldest of the children. He was born Oct. 3, 1824, being now about fifty-three years of age. He lived at home, laboring upon the farm in the summer season, attending the district school in winter, and getting an occasional term's attendance at the South Berwick Academy and Franklin Academy in Dover, until seventeen years of age, when he went to Concord and engaged as druggist's clerk in the well-known apothecary store of John McDaniels. He retained his situation some three or four years, industriously applying himself to the details of the business. He then went to Boston, where he was engaged in similar service until 1847, when, having thoroughly mastered the

business, he returned to Concord and went into trade on his own account, soon building up a large and successful business. After the great fire in 1851, he bought the land and erected what is known as Rollins' Block, north of the Eagle Hotel, one of the stores being occupied by his own business. Of this property he still retains the ownership. In politics Mr. Rollins was originally a Webster Whig, and acted with the Whig party upon becoming a voter. In the Presidential election of 1852, however, like many other New Hampshire men who had never before acted with the Democracy, he cast his vote for the Pierce electoral ticket, and at the subsequent March election he also supported Nathaniel B. Baker, the Democratic candidate for Governor, for whom it may be said he entertained feelings of strong friendship and high personal regard. Up to this time Mr. Rollins had taken no active part in politics, and but for the sharp contest over the slavery question which soon developed, signalized by the repeal of the Missouri Compromise and the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill, he might, perhaps, have continued to this day voting with the Democracy in the elections, and quietly dispensing medicines in the good city of Concord.

Dissatisfied with the course of the Administration, and strongly opposed to the extension of slavery, or any measures rendering its extension possible, (although, by the way, it appears from the family history that his ancestors in colonial times were slave-holders to some extent, even including the Hon. Ichabod Rollins of the Revolutionary era), he acted no farther with the Democratic party, and upon the inception of the American, or so-called Know-Nothing movement, in the winter of 1854-5, he entered into it, attracted somewhat, it may be, by its novelty, and also by the idea that it might be (as it proved) instrnmental in the defeat of the Democracy.

From this time Mr. Rollins was an active politician. He labored effectively in perfecting the new party organization, taking therein the liveliest interest. At the March election he was chosen to the

Legislature from Ward 4, and served effieiently in that body as a member of the Judiciary Committee. The next year witnessed the fusion of the American or Know Nothing organization with the new Republican party, which object Mr. Rollins was largely instrumental in securing. The talent which he had already developed, as a political organizer made his services eminently desirable as a campaign manager, and he was made Chairman of the first State Central Committee of the Republican party, a position which he held continuously until his election to Congress in 1861, and in which, as the Democratic leaders well know, he exhibited a capacity for thorough organization-a mastery of campaign work, in general and in detail, seldom equaled and certainly never surpassed. And here it may be said, as it is generally conceded by well informed men in both parties, that the Republican party owes more, for its repeated and almost continual successes in the closely contested elections of this State, from 1856 to 1877, to the labors of Mr. Rollins than those of any other man.

Re-elected to the Legislature in March, 1856, Mr. Rollins was chosen Speaker of the House, ably discharging the laborious duties of the office, to which he was again elected the following year.

Mr. Rollins was chairman of the New Hampshire delegation in the Republican National Convention at Chicago in 1860, having been chosen a delegate at large in the State Convention, with but a single vote in opposition. In the close contest between the friends of Lincoln and Seward in that Convention the New Hampshire delegation supported Lincoln from the first, and was strongly instrumental in securing his nomination. Here it may be said that Mr. Rollins had become (as he ever remained), an ardent admirer of Lincoln, and it was through his efforts that the services of the latter were secured upon the stump in this State during the previous winter in the series of memorable campaign speeches which won for him the sincere admiration, and secured him the personal support of the New Hampshire Republicans.

In 1861, Mr. Rollins was nominated by

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