On page 38 of the History of Bennington, NH, there is a list of ‘the early settlers’ of the area that is now Bennington. A look at that list shows the names of such large property owners as Dodge, Colby, Huntington, Butler, Fleming, and Whittemore. What do we notice about this list? Of the 40 names, two are most likely of Scottish origin, one is probably French, one is probably German, and the other 36 are English names. They had moved to here from other places in New Hampshire, drawn by the water rushing over the Great Falls of the Contoocook, looking to make their fortunes.
Of course those names were not native to North America, they came from Europe originally. Why? Economic opportunity, personal freedom. But what about the people who’s names were not listed as founding fathers? There were wives, surely, with their own countries of origin. Were there servants or enslaved people? We do not know about them, but the Town History also tells us that there were “Irish laborers” here too.
This is the story of people who left their homes and families and nations of origin to journey to America. Why? For the same economic opportunity and personal freedom that brought the Dodges and the Huntingtons. The data for this paper is taken from Town Reports kept at the Historical Society. We have them going back to 1866, only 24 years after the town was founded. But the reports that survived from 1866 to 1887, do not include vital statistics. From 1888, the town included births, marriages, and deaths in the annual lists and those told where people in the town were born. From those listings, I have put together the story of immigrants who came to Bennington.
1889 is the first year for which we have proof of immigrants arriving in town: two from Scotland, one from Ireland, and three from Germany. At that time Scots were being recruited to work in factories all over New England. In 1890, there is evidence of only one person of foreign birth in Bennington – Arthur Pierce, who went on to own the paper mill, was born in Erzoum, Turkey, even though his family was not Turkish.
From 1891-1895, the pace of immigration picked up. Ten Scots, seven Irish, three Germans might be expected, echoing the 1889 numbers. Scotland and Ireland were still ‘exporting’ citizens, the economies of those countries unable to supply jobs to applicants. The German economy and political situation were also dire, prompting 5 million Germans to enter America during the 1800s. In addition, eight residents of Switzerland moved here as part of an exodus of 89,000 people. At the same time, we see the first Canadians appearing: eight, half from Nova Scotia and the rest not specifying a province. Canada was having tough economic times, too. The factory jobs in New England were more attractive than subsistance farming at home.
In the second half of the 1890s, America’s ‘Guilded Age’, Switzerland topped the list, with 10 new arrivals. Next was Canada: one from Nova Scotia, six from elsewhere. Here is a classic example of a ‘chain migration.’ In 1891, Fred Mallett arrives from Digby, Nova Scotia, followed in 1892 by Eli and his wife. Then two years later, along comes Phillipe Mallett. In 1900, W.F. And Oscar Mallett join them. It was typical for an older brother to migrate first, get a job and a place to live, then send for the next brother, and the next. In the same timespan, an English citizen, five Irish and three more Germans came to town.
The turn of the new century brought prosperity in Bennington, and lots of new immigrants. Canada lead the way with six new residents [two from New Bruswick], with Ireland, Switzerland, and Italy tied at two each in the first five years of 1900. 1903 marks the first arrivals of Italians to Bennington. 1905-1909 shows a sharp uptick in arrivals from Ireland and Canada, with six each. In 1907, we see the first known arrival from Prince Edward Island, Canada. It was a woman, who followed a typical immigration history: her family from Ireland moved to PEI, Canada. Then Miss Muray traveled to Boston, and thence to Bennington. During the early 1900s, Bennington saw citizens from 13 countries, including France, Holland and Denmark.
From 1910 to 1914, there was a boom in immigration from Italy and also Ireland. A familiar name shows up in this time: Joseph Cuddemi, Sr. arrived in 1912. Greek migrants show up in 1910. There was a chain of Swiss migration and a chain of Irish family migration too.
From 1915 to 1919, the Irish are still moving in large numbers followed by Canadians, Italians, and Greeks. But the big influx of Greek immigrants arrives in 1920. They are listed in the Town Reports as having jobs in the paper industry. [Starrett Road was nicknamed “Greek Alley” because of immigrants living in company housing on that street. The name, considered to be an ethnic slur, is not used anymore.] In the 1920s, 24 people are listed with a Greek place of birth. Nine other countries are represented as well. In 1926, Steve Zachos arrived, followed by Costas Zachos in 1929.
War rumors and the Great Depression no doubt suppressed immigration from Europe in the 1930s, or else people were not permitted to travel. Only 35 new citizens from foreign countries arrived in our town during that decade. Among them are Arnie Cernota’s parents, Paul and Mary from Czechslovakia.
Overall, in the first 100 years, Bennington benefitted from the arrival of many new people. Some people say that immigrants are a bad thing. Really? Think how our town would be without the Cuddemis, the Zachoses, the Cernotas, the Clearys, the Cashions, and all the other people who came from diverse nations to make Bennington their home.
The text of this blog had been the topic of a presentation to the historical Society.
The next installment of the Bennington NH Historical Society Blog will be posted on October 17, 2023. If you click the Follow button, all future posts will be sent straight to your inbox every month.
