Thank you, dcr.
I did a bit of online searching and found some interesting info that may be already known to some here but is new to me.
Interesting scanning of ‘Gilford history & genealogy’ (
http://www.nh.searchroots.com/belknap.html) mentions several names that may / may not relate to the names of the summits in the Belknap Range (Major [and Minor, aka Piper], Gunstock [Gunstock Hill?], Rowe, Rand (it also states Gilmanton Mountain is the highest? ..referring to Belknap Mountain?) and a Gove family:
a Benjamin Weeks settling western base of Mt. Major
”Esquire Benjamin Weeks, who came in the lower part of the town in 1768, led a party into the upper section and located at the western base of Mount Major, in 1787, where there afterwards dwelt a large community of that name. He was a large landholder, and successful in business.”
“COLONEL PEASLEE HOYT settled at the base of Mount Major; NATHANIEL on Liberty Hill; SIMEON Jr., ENOCH JR. and THOMAS near Chattleborough Pond.”
“SAMUEL FOSS was early living near Mount Minor.”
Also further down a Plummer family
“HENRY PLUMMER came early to Gilmanton. HENRY JR. settled at the base of Mount Minor, or the Piper Mountain; he was a mason by trade. WILLIAM or BILLY PLUMMER is in the list, and JESSE PLUMMER also lived near the mountain.”
“The PIPER family was settled first in the southeastern part of the town”
“LEVI, JOHN and JETHRO GOSS settled on the north part of Gunstock
Hill,”
“ELIJAH GOVE settled on the west side of Gunstock Hill”
“LIEUTENANT PHILBROOK RAND settled near ABEL HUNT's in 1790, and north of Gunstock Hill, and improved some excellent land. The family still occupy the old homestead, and Simon, his son, has been a prominent citizen. JOSEPH RAND lived awhile at the village, and removed from the town in its first years. The RAND family was not large. GEORGE RAND was once a resident, but emigrated early, and SAMUEL also.”
“The ROWE family is quite extensive and was early settled in the place. EZEKIEL and JACOB came in 1796. JEREMIAH appears soon after, and RICHARD and SAMUEL; also JEREMIAH (2d and 3d), and JOSEPH. They settled in the south aprt of the town, near Liberty and Cotton's Hills. KELLEY ROWE was afterwards a Baptist preacher, though never ordained. BENJAMIN ROWE came from Brentwood in 1816, and worked at the wool-carding business, at the Upper Mill, near Hoyt's saw-mill, and also at the Lower Mill, whither the machinery was improved. He also carried on farming, brick-making and the making of farming implements, as wheels, plows, rakes, etc. He lived to be nearly one hundred years old”
Gilford’s Benjamin Rowe farm house
http://www.gilfordhistoricalsociety..../rowehouse.htm
“WILLIAM SIBLEY early settled near Gunstock Mountain. His father was the first merchant at Gilmanton.”
“The name of SLEEPER is represented by ESQUIRE NEHEMIAH, HENRY, JOSEPH and JONAS. NEHEMIAH ESQ. settled on the lake-shore, near Esquire Evans', and was possessed of a good estate, to which GEORGE, now of Laconia, succeeeded. JOSEPH and HENRY were settled near Wm. Sibley's at the west base of Gunstock Mountain,”
On the ‘Gilmanton history & genealogy’ page:
A ‘Mack’is mentioned, but if that has any connection to Mt. Mack I do not know.
Regarding Durrell Mt. and Durrell Mountain road:
“Mr. Durrell remained in Gilmanton, making additions to his farm until he woned about two thousand five hundred acres, in one body, and gave his name to Durrell's Mountain. An old citizen informs us that Mr. Durrell told him that he had made about forty miles of
stone wall, and to the observer of the work today, it would seem as if this was rather under than over-estimated....”