Brentwood, New Hampshire
Encyclopedia
Brentwood is a town in Rockingham County
, New Hampshire
, United States
. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 4,486. Brentwood has been the county seat
of Rockingham County since 1997. It is drained by the Piscassic
, Little
and Exeter
rivers.
s settled the area, Brentwood was home to the Pennacook
Abenaki tribes which farmed, fished and hunted there. Two main foot trails ran through the town, one along the Exeter River, where arrowhead
s and other stone and wooden artifacts have been found. At Pickpocket Dam, this pathway joined with the historic Pentucket Trail leading to Haverhill
, Massachusetts
, or points north.
The town was once a part of Exeter
known as Brentwood Parish. It was named after Brentwood
, Essex
, originally called "Burnt Wood", where, in 1177, King Henry II
granted permission for 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of the king's forest to be cut, burned and cultivated. As early as 1738, residents living in the southwestern portion of Exeter, now Brentwood and Fremont
, petitioned to be set off, but were denied. In 1742, however, permission was granted, and Brentwood was incorporated by Colonial
Governor Benning Wentworth
.
But almost from the beginning, a dispute arose between districts regarding the placement of a meetinghouse. It divided the community. Consequently, Gov. Wentworth, acting without approval of the General Assembly
, in 1744 issued a King's Patent to establish a new town within Brentwood called Keeneborough Parish, named after his friend, Sir Benjamin Keene (1697–1757), English
minister to Spain
. Factions would reconcile in 1750, however, when Keeneborough reunited with Brentwood.
Mills
along the rivers produced lumber
and manufactured goods in the early days, although the community would shift towards the cultivation of agriculture
. It is now predominantly residential.
, the town has a total area of 17 square miles (44 km²), of which 16.8 sq mi (43.5 km²) is land and 0.2 sq mi (0.517997622 km²) is water, comprising 0.94% of the town. The highest point in Brentwood is Great Hill, at 275 feet (83.8 m) above sea level
, whose summit is in the southeast corner of the town. The town is drained by the Exeter River
and its tributaries. Brentwood lies fully within the Piscataqua River
(Coastal) watershed
.
of 2000, there were 3,197 people, 911 households, and 777 families residing in the town. The population density
was 190.1 people per square mile (73.4/km²). There were 920 housing units at an average density of 54.7 per square mile (21.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.47% White, 0.84% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races
, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.
There were 911 households out of which 45.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.0% were married couples
living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.6% were non-families. 10.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $68,971, and the median income for a family was $71,875. Males had a median income of $46,081 versus $33,359 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $22,027. About 3.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Rockingham County, New Hampshire
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 277,359 people, 104,529 households, and 74,320 families residing in the county. The population density was 399 people per square mile . There were 113,023 housing units at an average density of 163 per square mile...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 4,486. Brentwood has been the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Rockingham County since 1997. It is drained by the Piscassic
Piscassic River
The Piscassic River is a 15.3 mile long river located in southeastern New Hampshire in the United States. It is a tributary of the Lamprey River, part of the Great Bay and Piscataqua River watershed leading to the Atlantic Ocean....
, Little
Little River (Brentwood, New Hampshire)
The Little River is a 7.3 mile long river in the towns of Kingston and Brentwood in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, in the United States. It is a tributary of the Exeter River, part of the Great Bay/Piscataqua River watershed in the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
and Exeter
Exeter River
The Exeter River is a -long river located in Rockingham County in southeastern New Hampshire, the United States.It rises in the town of Chester, southeast of Manchester. It follows a winding course east and northeast to Exeter, where it becomes the Squamscott River, a tidal river leading north to...
rivers.
History
Long before EuropeanEuropean ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s settled the area, Brentwood was home to the Pennacook
Pennacook
The Pennacook, also known by the names Merrimack and Pawtucket, were a North American people that primarily inhabited the Merrimack River valley of present-day New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well as portions of southern Maine...
Abenaki tribes which farmed, fished and hunted there. Two main foot trails ran through the town, one along the Exeter River, where arrowhead
Arrowhead
An arrowhead is a tip, usually sharpened, added to an arrow to make it more deadly or to fulfill some special purpose. Historically arrowheads were made of stone and of organic materials; as human civilization progressed other materials were used...
s and other stone and wooden artifacts have been found. At Pickpocket Dam, this pathway joined with the historic Pentucket Trail leading to Haverhill
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, or points north.
The town was once a part of Exeter
Exeter, New Hampshire
Exeter is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The town's population was 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county offices were moved to neighboring Brentwood...
known as Brentwood Parish. It was named after Brentwood
Brentwood, Essex
Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, originally called "Burnt Wood", where, in 1177, King Henry II
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
granted permission for 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) of the king's forest to be cut, burned and cultivated. As early as 1738, residents living in the southwestern portion of Exeter, now Brentwood and Fremont
Fremont, New Hampshire
Fremont is a town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,283 at the 2010 census. Fremont is crossed by the Rockingham Recreation Trail and NH Route 107.-History:...
, petitioned to be set off, but were denied. In 1742, however, permission was granted, and Brentwood was incorporated by Colonial
Colony
In politics and history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. For colonies in antiquity, city-states would often found their own colonies. Some colonies were historically countries, while others were territories without definite statehood from their inception....
Governor Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth
Benning Wentworth was the colonial governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766.-Biography:The eldest child of the John Wentworth who had been Lieutenant Governor, he was born and died in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Wentworth graduated from Harvard College in 1715...
.
But almost from the beginning, a dispute arose between districts regarding the placement of a meetinghouse. It divided the community. Consequently, Gov. Wentworth, acting without approval of the General Assembly
Legislature
A legislature is a kind of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. In addition to enacting laws, legislatures usually have exclusive authority to raise or lower taxes and adopt the budget and...
, in 1744 issued a King's Patent to establish a new town within Brentwood called Keeneborough Parish, named after his friend, Sir Benjamin Keene (1697–1757), English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
minister to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Factions would reconcile in 1750, however, when Keeneborough reunited with Brentwood.
Mills
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
along the rivers produced lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
and manufactured goods in the early days, although the community would shift towards the cultivation of agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
. It is now predominantly residential.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 17 square miles (44 km²), of which 16.8 sq mi (43.5 km²) is land and 0.2 sq mi (0.517997622 km²) is water, comprising 0.94% of the town. The highest point in Brentwood is Great Hill, at 275 feet (83.8 m) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
, whose summit is in the southeast corner of the town. The town is drained by the Exeter River
Exeter River
The Exeter River is a -long river located in Rockingham County in southeastern New Hampshire, the United States.It rises in the town of Chester, southeast of Manchester. It follows a winding course east and northeast to Exeter, where it becomes the Squamscott River, a tidal river leading north to...
and its tributaries. Brentwood lies fully within the Piscataqua River
Piscataqua River
The Piscataqua River, in the northeastern United States, is a long tidal estuary formed by the confluence of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco rivers...
(Coastal) watershed
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,197 people, 911 households, and 777 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 190.1 people per square mile (73.4/km²). There were 920 housing units at an average density of 54.7 per square mile (21.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.47% White, 0.84% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.88% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.
There were 911 households out of which 45.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.0% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.6% were non-families. 10.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 3.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.22.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 102.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $68,971, and the median income for a family was $71,875. Males had a median income of $46,081 versus $33,359 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $22,027. About 3.3% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Joshua SmithJoshua Smith (minister)Joshua Smith was an early American hymn compiler and Baptist minister in New Hampshire, USA.Smith was born in 1760 and was a Baptist lay minister in New Hampshire. Smith authored Divine Hymns, or Spiritual Songs, a book of hymns first published in either 1784 or 1791 featuring and popularizing...
(1760–1795) author of Divine Hymns, or Spiritual Songs