Ward Records

Blodgett Street Ward Room, 1931

WARD RECORDS
1846-1914

INTRODUCTION

The Manchester City Archives has a collection of Ward Record Books which represent the electoral history of the City of Manchester in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The record books for Wards Two through Five begin in 1846 and end in 1874. Ward One has two volumes which are dated 1846-1874 and 1874-1914. There are two volumes for Ward Six which are labeled 1846-1874 and 1874-1896. Ward Seven has two volumes dated 1846-1874 and 1876-1914. Finally, Ward Eight, which was created in 1854, has a single volume dated 1854-1874. No other wards are represented in this series of records.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

There are standard features in every ward book. There are transcriptions of the warrant from the State of New Hampshire announcing upcoming elections. The ward number and the location of the polling place are different but the list of positions and amendments, which were listed on the ballot, are the same for each ward book. According to the ward books, an alphabetical list of all qualified voters was placed in the ward meeting location ten days prior to an election. There were no instructions was to what constituted a qualified voter. Ward Clerks were referred to as Town Clerks in the early volumes.

After each election, the results were transcribed in the ward book. Every candidate was listed, and many of them received only one vote. Ballots were referred to as tickets.

Presidential electoral results were votes for state electors, not popular vote counts. In the critical year of 1860, John Sullivan, Ebenezer Stevens, David Gillis, Nathaniel Tolles and David Blaisdell each garnered 274 votes in Ward 1. Their party affiliations were not given.

Scattered throughout the ward record books are notices of the election of petit jurors. Petit Jurors were elected to serve at various courts which met around the State of New Hampshire. The petit juror election usually did not take place in a ward room but at either the home of the Ward Clerk or other private residence. The announcement of the election was to inhabitants and selectmen living in the ward but it appears that the selectmen were the individuals who chose the petit juror.

There are interesting ballot questions listed throughout the volumes which reflect the important issues of the day.

Ballot Question on March 8, 1853:

Is it expedient that the Legislature at its next June session create a new county to be composed of the towns of Weare, New Boston, Goffstown, Bedford, Merrimack, Litchfield, Windham, Londonderry, Derry, Chester, Auburn, Candia and the City of Manchester?
(Note – A 1858 map of Hillsborough County indicates that this ballot measure did not pass as the boundaries for the county go as far west as Peterborough and include many more towns than those listed in this ballot question.)

Ward 1  YES
Ward 2  YES
Ward 3  YES
Ward 4  N/A
Ward 5  YES
Ward 6  YES
Ward 7  1849-1853 election results were not transcribed

Ballot Question on December 14, 1869:

Is it expedient that the City contract with the City Aqueduct Corporation for the purpose of introducing pure water from Massabesic Pond into the City?

Ward 1   NO
Ward 2   NO
Ward 3   NO
Ward 4   NO
Ward 5   YES
Ward 6   NO
Ward 7   NO
Ward 8   NO

Ballot Questions in election of March 13, 1877 (submitted by the New Hampshire Constitutional Convention): We have the results from Wards 1, 6 and 7. All the questions passed in these wards.

1. Do you approve of striking out the word “Protestant” in the Bill of Rights, as proposed in the amended constitution?

2. Do you approve of so amending the Constitution that the General Court shall be authorized to provide for the trial of causes in which the value in controversy does not exceed $100 and title to real estate is not concerned, without the intervention of a jury, as proposed in the amended constitution?

3. Do you approve of the biennial election of Governor, Councillors, Members of the Senate, and House of Representatives, and biennial sessions of the Legislature as proposed by the amended constitution?

4. Do you approve of a House of Representatives based upon population, and constituted and chosen as provided in the amended constitution?

5. Do you approve of a Senate of twenty-four members, to be constituted and chosen as provided in the amended constitution?

6. Do you approve of the election by the people of Registers of Probate, Solicitors, and Sheriffs as provided in the amended constitution?

7. Do you approve of abolishing the religious test as a qualification for office, as proposed in the amended constitution?

8. Do you approve of prohibiting the General Court from authorizing towns or cities to loan or give their money or credit to corporations, as proposed in the amended constitution?

9. Do you approve of changing the time for holding the state election from March to November, as proposed in the amended constitution?

10. Do you approve of authorizing the General Court to provide that appeals from a Justice of the Peace may be tried by some other court, without the intervention of a jury, as proposed in the amended constitution?

11. Do you approve of authorizing the General Court of increase jurisdiction of Justices of the Peace to one hundred dollars, as proposed in the amended constitution?

12. Do you approve of the proposed amendment prohibiting the removal from office for political reasons?

13. Do you approve of the proposed amendment prohibiting money raised by taxation from being applied to the support of the schools or institutions of any religious sect or denomination, as proposed in the amended constitution?

Ballot Questions in March 12, 1889: Only the ward books of Ward 6 and 7 have the results for these ballot questions but the Inspectors of the Checklist book (1882-1914) gives the results for all wards.

1. Do you approve of changing the time for the meeting of the Legislature from June to January and changing the time when the terms of office of the executive and Legislative departments shall commence?

Ward 1  YES
Ward 2  YES
Ward 3 YES
Ward 4 YES
Ward 5 YES
Ward 6  YES
Ward 7 YES
Ward 8  YES

2. Do you approve of compensating the members of both houses of the Legislature by a fixed salary as proposed in the amendment of the Constitution?

Ward 1  YES
Ward 2  YES
Ward 3 YES
Ward 4  YES
Ward 5  YES (by 1 vote)
Ward 6  YES
Ward 7 YES
Ward 8  YES

3. Do you approve of filling vacancies in the Senate by a new election as proposed in the amended Constitution?

Ward 1  YES
Ward 2  YES
Ward 3 YES
Ward 4  YES
Ward 5  YES
Ward 6  Tied (261 votes yes, 261 votes no)
Ward 7 YES
Ward 8 YES

4. Do you approve of having the Speaker of the House act as Governor in case of vacancies in the offices of Governor and President of the Senate?

Ward 1  YES
Ward 2  YES
Ward 3 YES
Ward 4  YES
Ward 5  YES
Ward 6  YES
Ward 7 YES
Ward 8  YES

5. Do you approve of inserting in the Constitution an article prohibiting the manufacture or sale or keeping for sale, of alcoholic or intoxicating liquor as a beverage?

Ward 1  NO
Ward 2  NO
Ward 3 NO
Ward 4  NO
Ward 5  NO
Ward 6  NO
Ward 7 NO
Ward 8  NO

6. Do you approve of amending Article Six of the Bill of Rights, making the same non-sectarian? (Note – sectarian references were removed in 1968)

Ward 1  NO
Ward 2  NO
Ward 3 YES
Ward 4  YES
Ward 5  YES
Ward 6  NO
Ward 7 NO
Ward 8  YES

7. Do you approve of amending the Constitution with reference to representation in classed towns?

Ward 1  YES
Ward 2  YES
Ward 3 YES
Ward 4  YES
Ward 5  YES
Ward 6  NO
Ward 7 YES
Ward 8  NO

Ballot Questions of March 15, 1903 (amendments to the New Hampshire State Constitution). The results are only from the Ward 7 volume.

1. Do you approve of requiring every person in order to be a voter or eligible for office to be able to read the constitution in the English language and to write, the requirement not to apply to any person who now has the right to vote nor to any person who shall be sixty years of age or upwards, on January 1, 1904. YES

2. Do you approve of the requirements that captains and subalterns in the militia of the state shall before their nominations and appointments, be examined and found duly qualified by an examining board appointed by the governor. YES

3. Do you approve of striking out the words “The commissary-general” from the requirement that the secretary of state and the state treasurer and the commissary general shall be chosen by the legislature? YES

4. Do you approve of empowering the legislature to impose taxes not only upon polls and estates but also upon other classes of property including franchises and property when passing by will or inheritance? YES

5. Do you approve of allowing the legislature to give police courts jurisdiction to try and determine, subject to the respondent’s right to appeal and trial by jury, criminal cases wherein the punishment is less than imprisonment in the state prison? YES

6. Do you approve of amending the Bill of Rights by striking out the word “evangelical” before the word “principles” and inserting the word “Christian” and striking out the word “Protestant” before the words “teachers of piety, religion and morality” and striking out the word “towns” in two places where the legislature is empowered to authorize “towns, parishes and religious societies” to support and maintain teachers of religion and morality; and striking out the words, “and every denomination of Christian” and inserting the words “all religious sects and denominations” where equal protection of the law is assured. NO

7. Do you approve of striking out the word “male” before the word “inhabitant” in the clause which provides that every male inhabitant twenty-one years of age (with certain exceptions) shall have a right to vote; which clause is supplemented by the existing provision that every such person shall be considered an inhabitant for the purpose of electing and being elected to office? NO

8. Do you approve of granting to the general court all just powers possessed by the state to enact laws to prevent the operations within the state of all persons and associations, trusts and corporation who endeavor to raise the price of any articles of commerce or to destroy free and fair competition in the trades and industries through combination, conspiracy, monopoly or any other unfair means? YES

9. Do you approve of amending the provision as to representation in the house of representatives by making 800 inhabitants necessary to the election of one representative and 2400 inhabitants necessary for two representatives and 1600 necessary for each additional representative; with the proviso that a town, ward or place having less than 800 inhabitants may send a representative a proportionate part of the time; or that such towns, wards and places when contiguous, may unite to elect a representative if each town so decides by major vote? YES

10. Do you approve of giving the legislature authority to establish more than one place of public meeting within the limits of each town or ward in the state for the casting of votes and the election of officers under the constitution, and for that purpose to divide any town or ward into voting precincts. YES

WARD DESCRIPTIONS:

The ward boundaries changed frequently during the years covered by the Ward Books as did the voting locations within the wards. Here are some descriptions of each ward during different time periods. The 1846 City Charter outlined the initial ward boundary information (with the exception of Ward 7) for the City of Manchester. The 1869 and 1894 ward boundary descriptions were taken from the Manchester city directories.

WARD 1, 1846-1874

The City of Manchester's first election occurred on August 19, 1846. Ward 1 voters met at the schoolhouse near the Amoskeag Falls Bridge. Charles Stark was elected moderator, Archibald Stark was elected as a member of the School Committee and John Stark Jr. was elected as a selectman.

In 1851-60, voters met at City Hall. In 1861 the voting location was changed to the Police Court Room and in 1870, voting went back to City Hall in a designated Ward Room.

Ward 1 Boundaries, 1846

Shall include all that part of the town now included within the limits of school district No. 1 and so much of school district No. 2 as is situated north of the centre line of Bridge street and east of the centre line of Union street.

WARD 1 Boundaries, 1869

Beginning at Amoskeag Falls Bridge, thence by the Merrimack river in its intersection with Market Street extended, thence by Market Street and Hanover Street to Chestnut, thence by Chestnut to Lowell, thence by Lowell St. to Elm to Amoskeag Falls road, thence by Amoskeag-Falls road to the place of beginning.

WARD 1 Boundaries, 1894

Includes that part of the city bounded west by the Merrimack river, north by the centre line of Brook street, and that line extended west to Merrimack river, east by the centre line of Elm street, and south by the centre line of Market street, and Market street extended to the Merrimack river.

WARD 2, 1846-1874

1846 voters living in Ward 2 voted at the brick schoolhouse located on Lowell Street. In subsequent years, voters met at Merrimack Hall located on Elm Street (1852); railroad depot (1854); Park Hall located in the Ayer's Block on Elm Street (1856) and the room over Abbott and Pettee's Grain Store in the Museum Building which was located on Elm Street between Merrimack Street and Pleasant Street (1862). By 1874, voters were meeting at a Ward Room but the address is not given.

Ward 2 Boundaries, 1846

Includes all that part of the City situated between Elm Street on the east and the Merrimack river on the west, and between the south line of Ward No. 1 on the north and a line from the point where Elm Street intersects the old-river road near the Valley Cemetery due west to the Merrimack river on the south.

Ward 2 Boundaries, 1869 (same as 1846)

Ward 2 Boundaries, 1894

Includes that part of the city bounded on the north by Hooksett, east by the Mammoth road, south by the centre line or Orange street extended to Mammoth road, and the centre line of Orange street to centre line of Elm street, thence on the west by centre line of Elm street to centre line of Brook street, thence on the south by centre line of Brook street, and that line extended across the Merrimack river to Goffstown, thence on the west by Goffstown to Hooksett.

WARD 3, 1846-1874

Temperance House on Elm Street was the 1846 voting location for residents in Ward 3. The voting location switched in 1847 to a Ward Room on Vine Street and in 1848, voters met at the Lowell Street School House (possibly the same school house that Ward 2 voters used in 1846). This ward location continued in 1849 and 1850. By 1872, Ward 3 residents were voting at the City Hotel.

Ward 3 Boundaries, 1846

Shall include all that part of the town situated between the centre line of Union street on the east and Merrimack river on the west, and between the south bound of ward No. 2 on the north and the centre line of Amherst street and of Stark street produced to the river on the south.

Ward 3 Boundaries, 1869

Includes that portion of the City bounded as follows: beginning at the north angle of the City of the Merrimack River, thence by the said river southerly to the north line of the Ray Farm, thence easterly by said line to Elm Street, thence southerly by Elm St. to Lowell St., thence easterly by Lowell St. to Chester original town line, thence northerly by said line to Mammoth road, thence by Mammoth road to Hooksett line, thence by Hooksett line, to the place of beginning.

Ward 3 Boundaries, 1894

Includes that part of the city bounded north by centre line of Orange street, and that line extended to Mammoth road, east by the Mammoth road, south by centre line of Concord street, and that line extended to the Mammoth road, and west by centre line of Elm street.

WARD 4, 1846-1874

Ward Four's voting history began with residents meeting in City Hall to vote in the first City of Manchester election in 1846. The warrant for the 1853 election was posted in the Police Court and in 1858, the warrant was posted at the Torrent Engine Company's house. The schoolhouse, located at the corner of Merrimack and Union, was the ward location in 1859. In 1869, the voters had a ward room but the location is not given in the ward record book.

Ward 4 Boundaries, 1846

Shall include all that part of the town situated between the centre line of Union street on the east and Merrimack river on the west, and between the south bound of Ward No. 3 on the north and the centre line of Hanover and of Market streets produced to the river on the south.

Ward 4 Boundaries, 1869

Includes all that part of the City between Lowell St. on the north and Laurel Street on the south, Chestnut Street on the west and the Wilson road on the east.

Ward 4 Boundaries, 1894

Includes that part of the city bounded north by centre line of Concord street, and that line extended to the Mammoth road, thence on the east by the Mammoth road to centre line of Laurel street extended to Mammoth road, thence on the south by the centre line of Laurel street extended to Mammoth road, thence on the south by the centre line of Laurel street extended to the Mammoth road, and Laurel street to centre line of Chestnut street, thence on the west by centre line of Chestnut street to Manchester street, thence on the south by centre line of Manchester street to centre line of Elm street, thence on the west by centre line of Elm street to centre line of Concord street.

WARD 5, 1846-1874

Ward 5 voters met at the Baptist Meeting House in 1846. In the subsequent elections of 1847 and 1848, the voting location was at Merrimack Hall on Elm Street. The 1848 Warrant, which was posted at the Methodist Meeting House, read as follows (verbatim):

The State of New Hampshire

“To the inhabitants of Ward No. five in the City of Manchester qualified to vote for Senator in said State. You are hereby required to meet at Merrimack Hall Elm Street in said ward on the twenty ninth day of April inst at ten o’clock in the forenoon for the following purpose: To bring in your votes for Mayor."

From 1858 to 1871, the voters of Ward 5 met at the Park Street schoolhouse.

Ward 5 Boundaries, 1846

Shall include all that part of the town situated between the centre line of Union street on the east and Merrimack river on the west, and between the south bound of Ward No. 4 on the north and a line beginning at the centre of Union street, where the same is intersected by Manchester street, thence running west by the centre line of Manchester street to Elm street; thence southerly by the centre of said Elm street to its intersection of Merrimack street; thence westerly by the centre of said Merrimack street produced to Merrimack river on the south.

Ward 5 Boundaries, 1869

Includes all that part of the City situated between Hanover Street on the north and Auburn Street on the south, Chestnut Street on the east and Elm Street on the west.

Ward 5 Boundaries, 1894

Includes that part of the city bounded as follows: south by centre line of Auburn street from centre line of Beech to centre line of Elm street, thence on the west by centre line of Elm street to centre line of Manchester street, thence on centre line of Manchester street south to centre line of Laurel street, thence on centre line of Laurel street east to centre line of Beech street, thence on centre line of Beech street south to centre line of Auburn street.

WARD 6 1846-1874, 1874-1896

The boundaries for Ward 6 were never clearly described, and the polling locations tended to move around the Ward. In 1846, voters met at the schoolhouse on Manchester Street and in 1852, the ward room was located in the brick schoolhouse on Park Street.

The year 1856 saw voters meeting at the Central Street Chapel but by 1875, they were meeting at a ward room on Elm Street. In 1876, the ward room was on the corner of Spruce and Beech Streets and in 1881, it was located on the corner of Park and Beech Streets. The ward room was located on Lake Avenue in 1893.

Ward 6 Boundaries, 1846

Shall include all that part of the town included between the centre line of Union street on the east and Merrimack river on the west, and between the south bound of ward No. 5 on the north and the centre line of Central street and Granite street on the south.

Ward 6 Boundaries, 1869

Includes all that part of the City east of the Merrimack river not within the limits of any
other Ward.

Ward 6 Boundaries, 1894

Includes that part of the city lying east of the Merrimack river not included in Wards 1, 2,3,4,5 and 7 as constituted by this act.

WARD 7 1846-1874, 1876-1914

Ward 7 had the greatest variety of ward locations. In 1846, Ward seven voters cast their ballots at the Old Town House (on Mammoth Road). In 1847, voters met at the brick schoolhouse on Park Street which may have been used by Ward 6 voters in 1852. By 1854, Ward 7 was across the river with voters meeting at Depot Hall in Piscataquog Village. By 1876, Ward 7 polling location was back near the city center.

In the second volume of Ward 7 records, there is a listing of 1910 Declaration of Candidacy filing fees:

Governor - $100.00
Representative in Congress - $50.00
Councilor - $25.00
State Senator - $10.00
Sheriff - $5.00
County Solicitor - $5.00
County Treasurer - $5.00
Register of Deeds - $5.00
Register of Probate - $5.00
County Commissioners - $5.00
Representative to the General Court - $2.00
Inspector of the Checklist - $1.00
Moderator - $1.00
Delegate to the State Convention – no fee

Ward 7 Boundaries, 1846

There is no description in the City Charter.

Ward 7 Boundaries, 1869

Includes all that part of the City west of Merrimack river which formerly was part of Bedford, and so much of that territory which was formerly part of Goffstown as lies south of the Piscataquog river.

Ward 7 Boundaries, 1894

Includes that part of the city bounded north by the centre line of Market street and that line extended to the Merrimack river, east by the centre line of Elm street, south by the centre line of Cove street and that line extended to the Merrimack river, and west by the Merrimack river.

WARD 8, 1854-1874

Ward 8 was not created until 1854 when parts of Goffstown and Bedford were incorporated into the City of Manchester. The first warrant was posted at the Amoskeag Hotel, and voters met at a schoolhouse located in the ward. The exact location is not given. By 1860, voters were meeting at a ward room but the location is also unknown.

Ward 8 Boundaries, 1869

Includes all the territory west of the Merrimack river formerly belonging to Goffstown and lying north of the Piscataquog river.

Ward 8 Boundaries, 1894

Includes all that part of the city lying west of the Merrimack and Piscataquog rivers, and south of the south line of Conant street from the Merrimack river to the Piscataquaog river

ARRANGEMENT

The records are arranged chronologically by Ward number. Each volume records election events as they occurred, and these events are usually listed in chronological order.

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

The records were surveyed and described by Sally Fellows in October 2011.

ACCESS

The records are open for research without restrictions under the conditions of the access policy of the Archives. Records may be copied for use in administrative, scholarly or personal research. Researchers are responsible for obtaining copyright permission to use the material from the Archivist.

CITATION

The records of the Election Division, Office of City Clerk, City of Manchester, New Hampshire.