The Face of Zora (Drown) Dodge of Piermont New Hampshire (1838-1872)

Zora Drown, later Zora Dodge of Sheffield VT and Piermont NH. The photograph is dated to the years of the Civil War.

She was born Zora Drown in the village of Sheffield in Caledonia County Vermont, the 8th of 12 children born to Amos & Olive (Crouch) Drown. She married George Dodge, a farmer, and moved with him to Piermont in Grafton County, New Hampshire.

Even today that town has a small population, only 790 residents. During the summer, and also during the autumn tourist season, the population swells a bit.

Zora would have lived in Piermont before New Hampshire really even had a tourist season. In 1850 the town had 948 people, a drop of 10% from the year before. By 1860 the town had only gained one person to 949. By 1870 numbers dipped again to 1792 and the census continued its downward trend to 1970 when it saw 475 people.

Her photograph shows young woman, well dressed for the period, with special detailing on her sleeves–not exactly the clothing of a simple farmer’s wife. The writing on the back says ‘Zora Drown,’ and so I suspect it was taken before her marriage, circa 1860-1866, the Civil War years.

After her marriage Zora became part of a simple, farming family. Their wealth was in the soil, the crops, and their homestead. She and George Dodge were only married a year when Zora had her first child, a boy named Frank who would grow up, move west and become politically and socially prominent there.  He is responsible for the tombstone on her grave. She had 3 other children, but her only daughter, Millie, died as an infant.

Zora was in the middle of a household of men. Some of Zora’s siblings also lived in the area, so she was not completely without female relatives. She died at the young age of 34, and was buried in the local cemetery. Zora was a direct descendant of Leonard Drowne of England, Boston MA and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. See her genealogy directly below.

==PARTIAL GENEALOGY OF THE DROWN(E) FAMILY OF VT AND NH==
(This is not a complete genealogy, and only the lines specific to Zora are included here)

Leonard Drowne (1646-1729) & Elizabeth Abbott of England and the American Colonies
Samuel Drowne (1675-1721) & Elizabeth Morrell of Kittery, Maine
Samuel Drowne (1706-1797) & Martha Tibbetts of Boston MA and Rochester, NH
Joseph Drown (c1745-1804) & Mary “Mercy” Priest of Durham NH and Sheffield VT
Enoch Drown (1780->1840) & Mary Bailey of  Eaton, Carroll Co. NH and Sheffield VT

Amos Drown, son of Enoch & Mary (Bailey) Drown b. 17 Nov 1802 Sheffield, Caledonia Co. VT, d. 29 June 1872 Haverhill, Grafton Co. NH; he m. 10 Oct 1829 Haverhill NH to Olive ?”Mary” Crouch, dau of Ephraim & Rebecca (Whittemore) Crouch. She was b. 11 Aug 1812 in NH and d. 11 Oct 1881 in Danbury, Grafton Co. NH.
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Children of Amos & Olive (Crouch) Drown:
1. Richard C. Drown, b 17 Nov 1830 Haverhill NH, d. 5 Nov 1900 Haverhill NH; m. Mina T. Ward
2. Diana Drown, b. abt 1833 Haverhill NH, d. 1 March 1882 Chelsea MA; m. Edward B. Cheever
3. Chester Crouch Drown, b. March 1835 Haverhill MA, m. Alice B. Carleton. In 1900 living in Parachute, Garfield CO, prob. died there.
5. Hiram Drown, b. 1838-1841 Wheelock VT; died 12 Oct 1864 in Washington DC, wounded during the Civil War. Sgt, 6th NH Infantry. Buried Arlington Cemetery.
6. Rebecca Caroline Drown, b. 11 Nov 1839 in Haverhill NH; m. 17 Jan 1860 in Newbury VT to Ezra B. Wallace. He d. 15 Aug 1863 during the Civil War; She m2) 8 March 1867 in Washington, Orange Co. VT to Willian Stetson Jr.
7. Stephen Drown, b 11 June 1841 Grafton Co. NH, d. 28 March 1909 Haverhill NH; m. 28 Nov 1866 Piermont NH to Bell M. Rodiman.
8. +Zora Drown, b. 28 Aug 1838; d. 20 May 1893 VT
9. George Drown, b. c1848, d. 25 Feb 1862 Piermont NH
10. Harriet Drown, b. c1849; d 1885; m. 1871 Canaan NH to Charles C. Taplin
11. Grace Drown, b abt 1854 NH
12. Lizzie E. Drown, b. 9 March 1857 Piermont NH, d. 26 March 1884 Thetford VT, consumption; m. — Look [or Tucker]

Zora Drown, daughter of Amos & Olive (Crouch) Drown, b. 28 Aug 1838 Sheffield, Caledonia Co., VT; m. March 1864 in Piermont NH to George Dodge, son of Croydon & Lydia (Hamlet) Dodge. He was b. 28 Aug 1838 in Bradford Orange VT, and d. 9 Oct 1877 Piermont NH. She d. 1872 prob Piermont NH, buried Cedar Grove Cemetery. He m2d) 7 Feb 1874 in Piermont NH to Betsey “Bettie” Cutting. He, along with his father, was a manufacturer of whetstones.
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TOMBSTONE:
D O D G E
George Dodge 1838-1877
Zora, his wife 1843-1872
Shermie G., their son, 1868-1884
infant Millie
Erected 1926 by their son Frank L. Dodge
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1870 U.S. Census > NH > Grafton > Piermont
Geo Dodge 31 M W married manufacturer whetstones 2500/1000 VT
Zora Dodge 26 F W married keeping house VT
Frank Dodge 5 NH
Geo S Dodge 2 NH
Corydon Dodge 61 M W manufacturer whetstones 5000 700 NH
Chas Dodge 20 M W Peddler Vermont
Geo A Austin 22 laborer NH
Alice M Drown 15 domestic servant NH
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Children of George & Zora (Drown) Dodge:
1. Frank L. Dodge,  b 22 June 1865 Piermont, Grafton Co. NH; m. 15 Apr 1891 in Araphoe Co. CO to Dora Maxwell. Died 1945 prob Colorado. He was a senator from Denver Co 1914-1918 and Postmaster of Denver from 1926-1934. He is buried in Fairmount Cemetery, Denver CO.
2. George “Sherman” Dodge, b. 22 Feb 1868 Piermont NH, d. 1 Oct 1884 Piermont NH, aged 16
3. Millie Dodge
Children of George & Betsey (Cutting) Dodge:
4. Fred Eugene Dodge, b. 30 July 1876 Piermont NH, d. poss Rhode Island.

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