History of Hollis, NH
A brief early history of Hollis, N.H.
By Joan Tinklepaugh
How the town of Hollis got it’s name.
By Mary Brickley
In 1746, the district of West Dunstable was divided into four townships:
Dunstable, Holles, Merrimack and Monson by order of the Royal Governor, Benning Wentworth. The Secretary of State for the Colonies at that time was the Duke of Newcastle, and his family name was Holles. It was usual for the Governor to name towns chartered by him in honor of his friends and patrons.
Eventually the spelling was changed to Hollis, possibly because Harvard University graduates were aware of “Hollis Hall” there, named after a generous benefactor, Thomas Hollis, a wealthy London merchant. This was sometime after the town was named. There are no families named “Hollis” living in the town or in the past.