Orrin Lathrop
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| Orrin Lathrop | |
| Born | 1833, New Hampshire |
|---|---|
| Died | 1914, Briarmont |
| Family | The Lathrop Family |
| Occupation | Storekeeper |
Orrin Lathrop came west from New Hampshire and opened a store on the mill road in 1862, the first year the new mill cut lumber. He sold the crews flour, coffee, tobacco, boots and axes, most of it on credit against their wages. On payday the company's paymaster, Lyman Thayer, settled each man's account with Lathrop before handing over what was left, so a faller could work a month and take home a few dollars. Orrin did well out of the company and knew it. He depended on Elias Hartwell's payroll as much as any man in camp, and in all his years of dealing with Hartwell he was never known to argue with him where anyone could hear.
He was among the storekeepers and tradesmen who made the camp a town in 1866. Orrin raised most of the money for the chapel, a good share of it from the same men whose accounts he kept.
In February 1911, at seventy-seven, he signed as a witness to Elias Hartwell's will, which leaves the estate to the town, names Hartwell's daughter, Adelaide, and says "I make no gift to any person." He had known Hartwell longer than almost anyone then living in Briarmont.
He died in 1914 and left the store to his daughter Cordelia. The original will is in the Hartwell County Clerk's file at Town Hall, with his signature under Hartwell's.