Henry Pearsons Rolfe was born in Boscawen February 13,1821. His father, Benjamin Rolfe, was also a native of Boscawen. His grandparents, on his father's side, Benjamin and Lydia Pearsons Rolfe, came from Newbury, Mass., immediately after the close of the French War, and settled on the frontier in Boscawen, near the Salisbury line.

His mother, Margaret Searle Rolfe, was the daughter of Rev. Jonathan Searle, the first settled minister of Salisbury. His grandmother, on the maternal side, was the daughter of Jethro Sanborn a sea-captain, of Sandown, who, to feed our suffering soldiers at Valley Forge, gave a large share of his fortune in exchange for depreciated Continental money which became worthless, and for which the government never made any return to him or his heirs. Several thousand dollars of this irredeemable scrip came into the possession of the mother of the subject of this sketch, Margaret Searle.

The mother of Mr. Rolfe and Daniel Webster were both pupils of Master Tappan, and for a time were schoolmates. She graduated from Atkinson Academy when it was in charge of the then famous Professor Vose, and after that was a teacher for nine years. She was teaching in Mr. Webster's school district when he returned from his school in Fryeburg. A friendship sprang up between them, and she loved to rehearse, in later years, to her children, how Webster unfolded to her all his struggles and ambitions and his fixed purpose never to be guilty of an unworthy act.

Mr. Rolfe was raised on a farm, and his parents being poor, his education, till his tenth year, was limited to six months yearly in the district school. From ten to sixteen he was allowed only three months of schooling during the winter terms. The winter of his sixteenth and seventeenth year he spent in the woods with his father, driving a lumber team. From that time till he was twenty years of age he enjoyed only nineteen weeks of schooling,---five at Franklin and fourteen at Salisbury Academy.

Such privileges seem scanty in our day, and yet such were his powers of acquisition that at eighteen we find young Rolfe teaching his first district school, an employment which he followed for nine successive winters with unvarying and ever-growing success.

When nineteen, the family moved to Hill, in this State. In 1841, when twenty years of age, he began his preparation for college at New Hampton. He spent three years in the preparatory course, and entered Dartmouth College in 1844. Being obliged to depend upon his own efforts to secure the necessary means to defray the expense of his education, he taught school during the winters of his preparatory and collegiate courses. For several successive seasons he was employed upon Cape Cod, but during his sophomore and junior years he taught for five months each year at Dartmouth, Mass., and three months of his senior year in the same school.

When in attendance upon the college, Mr. Rolfe »as exceptionally punctual in the discharge of all his duties. During his senior year he was never absent from a recitation, lecture or other exercise. He asked for no excuse, and met every requisition, such a record is unusual in college classes, and perhaps stood alone in his own. Mr. Rolfe's student-life was eminently successful, both in the acquisition of mental discipline and scholarly attainments. In 1848 he graduated from Dartmouth with the highest respect of the faculty and the warmest attachment of his class-mates.

Although compelled to be absent, teaching, five months during the first three years of his collegiate course, upon his graduation he received this special commendation from the president of the institution,---

" DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, July 25,1848.
" Tliis may certify that Mr. Henry P. Rolfe is a graduate of the present year at this college. He is a highly-respected student. . H« course has been remarkably correct and exemplary. It gives me pleasure to commend him as a good scholar and an upright man. He is a well-qualified teacher, and worthy of the confidence and patronage of any who may have occasion for his services.''

After a few weeks of rest he entered the law-office of Hon. Asa Fowler, of Concord, on the 21st of September, and, after two years and a half of study, was admitted to the bar in May, 1851. On admission to the bar he immediately opened an office in Concord, and step by step advanced in professional strength .and standing till, in 1869, he was appointed United States attorney, for the district of New Hampshire by President Grant, and discharged the responsible and exacting duties of the office vigorously, ably and conscientiously for five years.

During the years 1852 and 1853 he was a member of the Board of Education for Concord, and served as chairman of the board the last year. He was also elected as a Democrat to represent the town in the Legislature of 1853. He was again sent to the Legislature as a Republican to represent Ward 5 in the city of Concord, during the stormy years of 1863 and 1864. This was during the period of war, when the government called for the services of its ablest and most trusted citizens.

In 1859 and 1860 he was the Democratic candidate for State Senator from his district, and during the latter was candidate for Presidential elector for the same party on the Douglas ticket.   In 1866 he was appointed postmaster of Concord by Andrew Johnson, but his commission was withheld because he refused to assist in electing Democrats to Congress.

In 1878, Governor Prescott made Mr. Rolfe a member of the commission to take testimony and report to the Legislature what legislation was necessary to protect the citizens in the vicinity of Lake Winnipiseogee against the encroachments of the Lake Company.

An investigation was had and a report made by the commission, and where constant complaint had been made, not a murmur of dissatisfaction has since been heard.

This is no ordinary record and is the evidence of solid merit. Mr. Rolfe has been a patient student, a sound lawyer and a strong advocate. A good cause is safe in his hands, if a suit-at-law can be said to be safe in any hands.

He has often been called to speak before assemblies of his fellow-citizens, political and otherwise. On such occasions he always impresses his hearers with the extent and accuracy of his information, and with his strong and sterling good sense. Mr. Rolfe believes what he says, and says what he believes. His friendships are strong, and he is slow to see faults in those whom he loves.

On the 22d of November, 1853, he married Mary Rebecca Sherburn, daughter of Robert H. Sherburn, of Concord, by whom he has had five children, as follows:
Marshall Potter Rolfe, born September 29, 1854, died August 6,1862.
Margarett Florence, born January 12, 1858, died May 2,1858.
Henrietta Maria, born January 17,1861, died September 22,1862.
Robert Henry, born October 16,1863.
George Hamilton, born December 24,1866.

The fourth child, Robert Henry, is now a graduate of Dartmouth College, class of 1884; and George Hamilton, a lad of eighteen, is pursuing his studies at the Holderness School for Boys, in Holderness, N. H.

In the spring of 1882, Mr. Rolfe nearly lost his life from the kick of a vicious horse. The result of this terrible accident has been the loss of his right eye and a complete prostration of the nervous system, from which he has been slowly recovering. He has not yet regained his former vigor and elasticity, but the original force of his constitution and the sleepless care of his most estimable wife are gradually bringing him back to his professional duties and power. He is resuming his practice, which, at the time of his injury, was quite lucrative.

This brief sketch of life and character has been drawn by an impartial, though friendly hand, and it gives us no ordinary man.

Mr. Rolfe ia a man of large frame and unusual gifts of mind. He has led an active, successful life, but, in the judgment of the writer, haa never yet brought the full strength of his faculties into action. He has a reserve of power which, it is hoped, the future may give him an opportunity to use.