Undated photo of Long Pond, now Penacook Lake in Concord NH. Caption: “Long Pond Looking towards West Concord. State Hospital houses on shore were down under from present Daniel Abbott house on Long Pond Drive.” George W. Perry Collection. New Hampshire Historical Society. Colorized.
This story is about the earliest or at least one of the earliest steamships in the Concord, New Hampshire area. I was researching my 2nd great-grand uncle, Thomas B. Tamblyn, who married my 2nd great-grand aunt by blood, Judith Kilborn Tuttle, when I came across a land purchase.
John Ballard, et al. to T.B. Tamblyn, land near Long Pond for $500 — New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette, 25 Aug 1869, page 3
Thinking perhaps Thomas had a need for water power, I researched further, and discovered a newspaper notice about his building a steamer on Long Pond (Now called Penacook Lake, but still showing as Long Pond on most maps).
Undated photographic print of unidentified men and women boating on Long Pond (Penacook Lake) NH. The image is title “Belle of the Lake.”, Concord NH, George W. Perry Collection. NH Historical Society. Colorized.
5 May 1869 New Hampshire Patriot and State Gazette, page 2
THE CONCORD NAVY.–The Long Pond flotilla, so also last year, even upon paper, is looking up. The History of Concord says that the untutored red men once paddled his light canoe upon its cerulean waters. We have no doubt he did, but Mr. T.B. Tamblyn is about to throw the artless aborigine completely in the shade, by putting a steamer upon the once favorite resort of the Penacooks.
Mr. Tamblyn’s steamer is twenty-six feet long, with a width of seven and a half. It was built for the English naval service, and is made in fine style, copper fastened, with elm stays and got up in a most substantial manner. It draws twenty inches of water and has paddle wheels five feet in diameter. The engine is a double or locomotive engine of three and a half horse power, with a three inch cylinder and a stroke of six. It can be run with wood or coal, and it is thought will circumnavigate the pond, a distance of five miles, in half an hour with fifty pounds of steam on. The steering is done by the engineer and is managed so as not to interfere with the seating capacity of the boat. The boiler has a hundred and nineteen inch flues and is three feet by a foot and a half. The smoke stack and engines are so small and compact, that one can walk the entire length of the neat little craft.
The boat is not yet decorated, but the machinery works to a charm, and we may already congratulate the public on this new source of enjoyment. About twenty-five person can be seated at once in it. A boat house 16×30 is being erected at the head of the pond, where persons may take refuge in showers. A canal is to be built to this house and a floating wharf. Every convenience is to be furnished; sail and row boat will also be supplied. When completed, the new steamer will be a very handsome vessel, and we may hope that Long Pond may once more become a favorite resort for holidays.”
Today Penacook Lake [aka Long Pond] is Concord NH’s water supply. In 1951 all recreational activity was prohibited.
===Brief Genealogy of Thomas B. Tamblyn===
Thomas B. Tamblyn was born about 1829 in England, son of William & Grace (Bellamy) Tamblyn. He died 22 February 1879 in Concord NH. He was a roofer and slater by profession. On 29 October 1857 he was naturalized as a U.S. Citizen in the Common Pleas Court of Merrimack County, in Concord NH. The witnesses were William P. Ford and S.B. Marston of Concord NH. He married (probably about 1849) to Judith Kilborn Tuttle, daughter of Jotham Thomas & Abigail “Nabby” (Butler) Tuttle. She was born 15 April 1829 in Boscawen New Hampshire and d. 12 Oct 1898 in Concord NH.
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They had one child, Jotham Thomas Tamblyn, born June 1850 in Concord NH and died 17 Feb 1923 in Boscawen NH at the Merrimack County Poor House. He was buried in Blossom Hill Cemetery, Concord NH. He was single, no known children.
===Brief Genealogy of Judith Kilborn (Tuttle) Tamblyn===
Simon & Isabel (Wells) Tootill/Tuttle
Richard & Anne (Taylor) Tuttle
Jonathan & Anne (Smith) Tuttle
Jotham Tuttle, son of Jotham & Martha (Hall) Tuttle, b 29 March 1729 Medford MA; d. abt 1810 Weare or Goffstown NH. He m. abt 1753 to Molly Worthley, dau of Thomas & Mehitable (Yarrow) Worthley. She was b 12 July 1734 in Litchfield NH and d. abt 1835 in Weare NH, [my 4th great-grandparents]
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Children of Jotham & Molly (Worthley) Tuttle;
1. Thomas Tuttle b 1750
2. Samuel Tuttle, b abt 1751
3. Simon Tuttle b 1760
4. Benjamin Tuttle b 1762
5. Timothy Tuttle 1764-1851
6. Olive Tuttle b 1765
7. Stephen Tuttle 1772-1851
8. +Jotham Thomas Tuttle 1773-1863
Jotham Thomas Tuttle, son of Jotham & Molly (Worthley) Tuttle was born c 1779-1781 in Weare, Hillsborough Co. NH and d. 15 Feb 1863 in Boscawen NH. He married 29 Dec 1803 in Ipswich MA to Abigail “Nabby” Butler. She was b abt 1783 (“of Ipswich MA) and d. 13 Aug 1848 in Boscawen NH. They moved to Boscawen NH about 1806 (their first child Almira was born in MA, their 2nd in NH). They had 9 children, the last dying in infancy. [my 3th great-grandparents]
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Children of Jotham Thomas & Abigail (Butler) Worthley:
1. Almira Tuttle 1805-1888
2. Merari “Merrill” Tuttle 186-1893
3. John Butler Tuttle 1808-1874
4. Elbridge G. Tuttle, 1810-1866
5. Erastus Tuttle 1812-1866
6. William Tuttle 1814-1832
7. Abigail Tuttle 1818-1884 – my 2nd great-grandmother; m. Albert Plummer Kilborn
8. Judith Kilborn Tuttle 1829-1898
9. child Tuttle – unknown
Judith Kilborn Tuttle, daughter of Jotham Thomas & Abigail (Butler) Tuttle was born 15 April 1829 in Boscawen, Merrimack Co. NH and d. 12 October 1898 in Concord NH. She married Thomas B. Tamblyn (see story at top of page.
