List of people executed in New Hampshire

Howard Long, the most recent person executed in New Hampshire (1939, 85 years ago)

The following is a list of people executed in New Hampshire. Between 1739 and 1939, during which New Hampshire was first the Province of New Hampshire and then became a U.S. state, 24 people were so punished. The method used was hanging.

Capital punishment in New Hampshire was abolished on May 30, 2019; however, the abolition was not retroactive and one inmate, Michael K. Addison, remains on the state's death row. Should the state carry out his execution, it would be by lethal injection, with hanging as an alternative should lethal injection be ruled unconstitutional or found inefficient, or if the inmate so requested.

List

New Hampshire had public executions through 1868, which were held (after becoming a U.S. state) at county seats.[1] Executions then moved to the state capital, Concord, held at the state prison.

# Name Age Date of execution Location[1][2] Crime Ref.
Province of New Hampshire
1 Sarah Simpson December 27, 1739 Portsmouth feloniously concealing death of infant bastard child
2 Penelope Kenny December 27, 1739 Portsmouth feloniously concealing death of infant bastard child
3 Eliphaz Dow 50 May 8, 1755 Portsmouth murder
4 Ruth Blay 31 December 30, 1768 Portsmouth concealment of an illegitimate stillborn child [3]
State of New Hampshire
5 Elisha Thomas June 3, 1788 Dover (Strafford County) murder [4][5]
6 Thomas Powers 19 July 28, 1796 Haverhill (Grafton County) rape [6][7]
7 Josiah Burnham 63 August 12, 1806 Haverhill (Grafton County) murder [8]
8 Daniel Farmer 28 January 3, 1822 Amherst (Hillsborough County) murder [9][10]
9 Abraham Prescott 18 January 6, 1836 Hopkinton (Merrimack County) rape/murder [11]
10 Andrew Howard July 8, 1846 Dover (Strafford County) robbery/murder [12]
11 Rev. Enos Dudley May 23, 1849 Haverhill (Grafton County) murder [13]
12 Samuel Mills 28 May 6, 1868 Haverhill (Grafton County) robbery/murder [14]
13 Josiah Pike 31 November 9, 1869 Concord murder [15]
14 Franklin B. Evans 67 February 17, 1874 Concord murder [16]
15 Elwin Major 29 January 5, 1877 Concord murder [17]
16 Joseph LaPage 38 March 15, 1878 Concord murder [18]
17 John Pinkham 50 March 14, 1879 Concord murder [19]
18 Joseph Buzzell 42 July 10, 1879 Concord accessory to murder [20]
19 Thomas Samon 36 April 17, 1885 Concord murder [21]
20 James Palmer 21 May 1, 1890 Concord murder [22]
21 Frank Almy 35 May 16, 1893 Concord murder [23]
22 Oscar Comery 34 February 18, 1916 Concord murder [24]
23 Frederick L. Small 51 January 15, 1918 Concord murder [25]
24 Howard Long 33 July 14, 1939 Concord rape/murder [26]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Executions in New Hampshire". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. November 15, 1924. p. 5. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Shea, Lois R. (September 7, 1997). "Execution records in state go back to 1739". The Boston Globe. p. 8. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Ruth Blay Hanged Here in 1768". SeacoastNH.com.
  4. ^ "Portsmouth". The Country Journal and the Poughkeepsie Advertiser. Poughkeepsie, New York. May 20, 1788. p. 2. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Mahoney, William (September 16, 1952). "Strafford County's First Execution Ranks Among the Saddest". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Foster's Daily Democrat. p. 10. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "New Hampshire". Spooner's Vermont Journal. Windsor, Vermont. June 10, 1796. p. 3. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Thomas Powers". Spooner's Vermont Journal. Windsor, Vermont. August 5, 1796. p. 3. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Burnham executed". Weekly Wanderer. Randolph, Vermont. August 18, 1806. p. 3. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Hadley, George (1924). History of the Town of Goffstown, 1733-1820. Vol. 1. Concord, New Hampshire: Rumford Press. pp. 540–542 – via HathiTrust.
  10. ^ "Execution". American Repertory. Burlington, Vermont. January 15, 1822. p. 3. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Public Executions". Vermont Chronicle. Bellows Falls, Vermont. January 21, 1836. p. 3. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Execution of Andrew Howard at Dover". Voice of Freedom. Brandon, Vermont. July 16, 1846. p. 3. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Execution of Enos G. Dudley". Aurora of the Valley. Newbury, Vermont. June 9, 1849. p. 62. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Execution at Haverhill, N.H." The Springfield Daily Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. May 7, 1868. p. 4. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Hanging of Pike at Concord". The Springfield Daily Republican. Springfield, Massachusetts. November 10, 1869. p. 5. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "EVANS HANGED". New York Herald. February 18, 1874. p. 3.
  17. ^ "Execution of Elwin W. Major at Concord". The Boston Globe. January 6, 1877. p. 5. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Justice At Last: Joseph LaPage Expiates His Awful Crimes on the Gallows". Burlington Weekly Free Press. 22 March 1878. p. 1.
  19. ^ "Execution of Pinkham". Boston Evening Transcript. March 14, 1879. p. 8. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Buzzell Hung". The Boston Globe. July 10, 1879. p. 1. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Thomas Samon Expiates His Terrible Crime". The Boston Globe. April 17, 1885. p. 1. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Murderer Palmer Met Death". The Boston Globe. May 1, 1890. p. 8. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Into Eternity". Fall River Globe. Fall River, Massachusetts. May 16, 1893. p. 1. Retrieved October 11, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Comery, Wife Slayer, Hanged at Concord". The Boston Globe. February 18, 1916. p. 3. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Small Hanged for Murder of His Wife". The Boston Globe. January 15, 1918. p. 1. Retrieved October 10, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Donovan, John J. (July 14, 1939). "Howard Long Is Hanged At Concord". The Boston Globe. p. 1. Retrieved October 12, 2024 – via newspapers.com.

Further reading