About:

THE HERMIT OF MEREDITH WOODS.

Joseph Plummer, the far-famed hermit of Meredith Woods, was born in Londonderry Oct. 28, 1774.  His parents, Jesse and Sally Plummer, soon after his birth came to Sanbornton and settled with six children.  Subsequently they moved into Meredith, but returned after some years and both died in Sanbornton in 1824, the Father being 82 and the Mother 85 years of age at death.  They were always very poor but respectable people, and reared a family of ten children, Moses, Nathaniel, Jesse, Amos, Nathan, Joseph, Stephen, Parker, Sally and Polly, all deceased.  They were all, with the exception of the Hermit, persons of good standing and good property.

Joseph was peculiar from a child; was timid, never played with his brothers and sisters, did not associate with the family, passed most of his time alone, and if a stranger came suddenly upon him when with his family he would dodge under a bed or into some dark corner.  He went to school and acquired the ordinary district school education of his time.

At about the age of 21 years in 1795, he bought seven acres of land at the foot of Meredith Hill and there built a house in the solitary forest in the form of a log hut.  After living in this primitive form for many years he built a new house of larger dimensions, 22 ft. square, near the old one, which later became his shop.  He built a barn some 30 feet square, and had an ox which he used in a cart harnessed as we do a horse, reining him by the horns.

He had another tract of land of about 43 acres, three quarters of a mile from his home lot.  He built his house and barn without help except in raising the barn.  His new house was built of hewn pine timber free from sap, six inches thick and from six to ten inches wide.  These timbers were doweled together, tightened with mortar, and the roof had spars and perlines, the whole roof and walls being covered with shingles.