Editing Rollinsford, New Hampshire (section)

==History==
The area was once within the domain of the Newichawannock [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|people]], an [[Abenaki]] sub-tribe which took its name from the Newichawannock River, meaning "river with many falls", now the [[Salmon Falls River]]. Their village was located at what later was known as Salmon Falls Village and is now Rollinsford. They fished at the falls, stretching nets across the river to catch [[Fish migration|migrating]] [[salmon]] and other species swimming upriver to [[Spawn (biology)|spawn]]. But war and disease, probably [[smallpox]] brought from abroad, decimated the native population.<ref>[http://swim.wellsreserve.org/town.php?town_id=14 Seacoast Watershed Information Manager website]</ref>

Subsequently, settled by about 1630, the land was part of [[Dover, New Hampshire|Dover]], one of the original townships of New Hampshire. The area was first called "Sligo", likely after [[County Sligo]] in [[Ireland]],<ref>Thompson, Mary Pickering (1892). ''Landmarks in Ancient Dover, New Hampshire''[https://books.google.com/books?id=QarkVaNCBvEC&dq=sligo+nh&pg=PA234 , pg 233]</ref> and the name survives on a town road. An historical marker on Sligo Road reads, "Near this place lived David Hamilton of [[Westburn, South Lanarkshire|Westburn]] born in the parish of [[Cambuslang]], Scotland in October 1620; captured by [[Oliver Cromwell]] at the [[Battle of Worcester]], England, September 3, 1651; Brought to America as a prisoner in chains on the "John and Sarah" in the same year; settled near here and married Annah Jaxson of [[Lanark]], Scotland. Killed by Indians on September 28, 1691."

In 1729 the area was established as a [[parish]] called "Summersworth", meaning summer town, because the ministers preached here during the summer. In 1754, it was set off and incorporated as a town by colonial governor [[Benning Wentworth]], although thereafter spelled "Somersworth" due to a clerical error. Since the first settlers' arrival, small communities had developed near various [[sawmill]]s and [[gristmill]]s along the Salmon Falls River, but the center of "Summersworth" was located at Rollinsford Junction.

Beginning in the early 1820s, [[water power]]ed [[textile mills]] were established at the larger falls, and the town was divided between them—Great Falls became [[Somersworth, New Hampshire|Somersworth]], and Salmon Falls became Rollinsford, incorporated in 1849. It was named in honor of the Rollins family, whose ancestor Judge Ichabod Rollins had settled there many generations before and had become the first probate judge for the state.<ref>Lyford, James Otis (1906). ''Life of Edward H. Rollins: A Political Biography''. Boston: D. Estes & Co.[https://books.google.com/books?id=G4_zK4wKOTUC Pg 27]</ref>