BENJAMIN PIERCE/PIERCE, CROSS and FARR, Spofford (Chesterfield), NH

In 1834 Joshua Richardson and Oliver Huggins and Ezekiel Pierce built a shop near Lilly Pond in Chesterfield, NH to manufacture bits, augers, and gimlets. Richardson and Huggins operated for a year or two. In about 1837 Huggins and Richardson commenced that same business in a new brick factory in Factory Village in Chesterfield (now known as the village of Spofford) and the original mill was taken over by Ezekiel Pierce, Jr., Charles Cross and Alonzo Farr operating under the name Pierce, Cross and Farr.

In 1853 Benjamin Pierce (it is not clear that Benjamin was directly related to Ezekiel) who has been working for Richardson and Huggins for some time, took the business over. His son entered the business in 1870 and the business was still operating in 1884.