About Quizzes

Settlement of New Hampshire

Much of New Hampshire's early history is tied to Massachusetts. From 1641 to 1643, New Hampshire was under the control of the Bay Colony, which had interpreted its own charter to include the southern portions of New Hampshire. The colony received a new royal charter in 1680, under which the king selected a president and council. However, at the time of the Glorious Revolution in England, Massachusetts again regained control from 1689 to 1692, when the colonies were once again separated, but the two retained a single governor. Land disputes and general ill feeling continued to exist between the two colonies until, in 1741, New Hampshire prevailed in disputed land cases and was finally established as an entirely separate entity. In 1719, a new settlement was established by Scots from Londonderry, Ireland, who named their new home in honor of their original town. Warfare against the French and Native Americans in the northern frontier areas of New Hampshire was frequent from 1690 until the peace at the end of the Seven Year's War in 1763. Generally, the Algonquian tribes of New Hampshire supported the French interests, while the Iroquois sided with the British. Both John Stark and Robert Rogers (of Rogers' Rangers) gained fame by protecting British interests in the area. Dartmouth College was established in 1769 by the Reverend Eleazar Wheelock, a Congregational minister from Connecticut. Land for the venture was donated by the royal governor, John Wentworth. The college, to be built in Hanover, was originally designed for the education of Native Americans and was granted a charter from King George III.


See: Founding of New Hampshire and the Massachusetts Bay Colony.