Leavitts Hill (Deerfield), NH

LEAVITTS HILL is located in the south-western part of Deerfield, New Hampshire. It had its own post office, as seen on the reverse side of this postcard, postmarked June 4th, 1931. I (Steve D.) lucked out on this purchase, as this card was even addressed to a Leavitt (sender unknown). I couldn't identify the location of the photo on front.

This 1909 postcard is titled "Sanborn Store and Residence, Leavitts Hill, N.H.". The building on left housed the local post office, which was in existence from 1886 to 1963, when it was discontinued. It was run by Benjamin Edwin Sanborn (1886-1939), James W. Fife Jr (1939-1962), and Mrs. Phyllis Sanborn (1962-63).

Below is a snip from Google Street View, showing the former store/post office and the home of the Sanborn family. Almost a perfect match up!

The location is also written as "Leavitt's Hill", but the lack of an apostrophe is more fitting, as there were more than one Leavitt who called this part of Deerfield home centuries ago.

On 5 April 1777, Joseph Leavitt, a yeoman of Exeter, NH, purchased 105 acres in the Parish of Deerfield from Eliphalet Merrill [Rockingham County Deeds, vol. 108, pg 190]. The tract of land (with buildings thereon) was located in Lots 4 and 5, in the Second Range (Third Division). As these were 200 acre lots, he did not own the entire area encircled on map below. The southern boundary of the property is given as the "range highway" - not sure if this would have been the original range way the surveyors laid out on the 1732 map, or perhaps the highway that became South Road, which runs through these lots (as does Middle Road).

Joseph willed these 105 acres to his son Dudley Leavitt in 1783, who received it in 1793. On 8 June 1808, he would sell it off to neighbor Moses Barnard [Rock. Deeds, vol. 185, pg 314].

Below is the area of Leavitts Hill from the 1857 map of Rockingham County. Marked (on left) is the Woodman Cemetery, the location of a marker placed by WALF (Western Association of Leavitt Families) in 2000, honoring Joseph Leavitt of Deerfield. The smaller arrow (at right) is the Sanborn residence (as seen on the postcards posted above).

Joseph and son Dudley Leavitt are in the Descendants of Moses Leavitt genealogy. Joshua Leavitt, one of Joseph's other sons, lived a short distance down the range way (he owned land in lot 9). Several other Leavitts from the Desc. of Thomas Leavitt line also lived in Deerfield, but were several ranges over.