Ashland History:
Ashland was originally part of the Town of Holderness. The township of Holderness was granted by the royal governor to a group of proprietors in 1751. But because of the French and Indian Wars, the proprietors were unable to settle the township in the time required by the grant. So the township was regranted under the name of New Holderness in 1761. (The "New" was dropped from the name in 1816.) Factories spurred the growth of a village along the river. In 1849, the Boston, Concord and Montreal Railroad connected the village to national markets. Commerce flourished in the village, as stores were established to serve the mill workers. The village developed its own institutions. The interest of the industrial and commercial villagers diverged from those of the farmers in the rest of the town. So, in 1868, the southwest corner of Holderness was incorporated as the new town of Ashland.
For more history on the town of Ashland:
http://www.nh.searchroots.com/documents/grafton/History_Ashland_NH.txt
Visit the town of Ashland's homepage for more local information:
http://ashland.nh.gov
Town Reports:
Click on the following link to the University of New Hampshire's Library to view the Town of Ashland's older Annual Reports:
http://www.library.unh.edu/digital/islandora/solr/search/%2520/1/category%3ANH%5C%20Cities%5C%20%2526%5C%20Towns~slsh~Ashland%2A~/dismax
Town Reports from 2012 to present are available on the Town of Ashland’s website:
ashlandnh.org/forms-and-documents/#Town%20Reports
Historical Newspapers at the Ashland Town Library
Plymouth Record:
1888-1897, 1899-1910, 1912-1915, 1917-1919, 1923 & 1924, 1926-1928, 1930-1934
Ashland Item:
1891-1893, 1896-1899
Newspapers are available for use inside the library. Because of the fragile paper and bindings of the old newspapers, we are unable to put them in the copier.
Genealogy
The Ashland Town Library has Heritage Quest Online available. Please inquire at the library for a user name and password.
Ashland Genealogy Society
Bob Hicks PO Box 116 Ashland, NH 03217 rbhicks.geo@yahoo.com
Records are kept at the Ashland Town Library for use inside the library. Contact the Genealogy Society for assistance.
Ashland Historical Society
David Ruell PO Box 175, Ashland, NH 03217 davidruell@gmail.com
Ashland Town Library 41 Main Street P.O. Box 660 Ashland, NH 03217 603-968-7928