Rochester, New Hampshire - Encyclopedia

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES

ROCHESTER, a city of Strafford county, New Hampshire, U.S.A., on the Cochecho and Salmon Falls rivers, about 30 m. E. by N. of Concord. Pop. (1890) 739 6; (1900) 8466, of whom 1651 were foreign-born; (1910 U.S. census) 8868. Area, about 34 sq. m. Rochester is served by four lines of the Boston & Maine railroad. The rivers furnish excellent water-power for various manufactures. Rochester, named in honour of Lawrence Hyde, earl of Rochester, was incorporated as a town by a royal charter in 1722, but no settlement was made here until 1728. From parts of the original town Farmington and Milton were erected in 1798 and 1802 respectively, and in 1846 part of Rochester was annexed to Barrington. It was the birthplace of John Parker Hale. Rochester was chartered as a city in 1891.

See F. McDuffee, History of the Town of Rochester, New Hampshire (Rochester, 1892).