House built by Ezra Smith in 1781.
D-3-1
The house was built by Ezra Smith in 1781. He was a farmer and the pound keeper in Nelson from 1786 until his departure for New York in 1824. The in 1795 the town voted to create a new pound at D-3-2 on Ezra Smith’s property as a convenience for him. Smith sold the place to Dr. Calvin Hubbard and moved to New York State with his son. He managed to return to Nelson and be buried in the Village Cemetery. Hubbard grew more interested in raising sheep than practicing medicine. Hubbard sold the place to Moors Rice in 1836.
It came into the possession of Henry Melville and Thomas J Baker for whom it was an investment, not a home. Nehemiah Rand replaced Calvin Hubbard as Nelson’s physician in 1837. He may have lived here until he built a home on the new village. John Cummings moved here with his family from F-5-6, in about 1841. John was a carpenter who played a major role in the construction of the new village starting in about 1839. The Sentinel reported that he was the person in charge of the erection of the Congregational Church in 1841. He officially bought the farm here in 1843 and sold it soon after to George Granville Hardy who, with his wife Mary (Stevens), raised 6 children. George was a farmer and also a skilled carpenter. No doubt, he played a role in the construction of the village as well.
In 1863 at age forty-five Hardy answered Lincoln’s call for volunteers and joined the 16th NH Regiment. He died of disease in Louisiana leaving his widow with children ages 1 through 12. George’s death left his widow destitute. Her death seven years later left five young orphans ages nineteen to eight.
The place was later acquired by John Dixon about 1874. All we know of John Dixon is that he was born in Ireland and married the widow Elizabeth Carr of Lowell, Massachusetts in Nelson in 1874. Elizabeth had eight children and, probably five moved here with her. They were to have no children of their own. They were the last residents, occupying the place until about 1900.
