Bachelder was an eighth-generation descendant of the Rev.
Stephen Bachiler, who settled at
Hampton, New Hampshire in 1632. Nahum was the oldest child of William A. and Adeline (Shaw) Bachelder. His boyhood was passed upon the family farm in East Andover, and his early education was at
Franklin Academy and the
New Hampton Institute. After a brief experience in teaching, Bachelder devoted himself to practical
agriculture, gaining success as a market gardener and dairyman. In 1877 he joined Highland
Grange at
East Andover and later became its Master. In 1883 he was chosen secretary of the state Grange and filled that position for eight years, being then promoted to the office of Master. Bachelder served for two terms as a member of the executive committee of the National Grange and was also a national lecturer and served on the legislative committee. In 1887 Bachelder was elected as successor to James O. Adams as Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture. He was also responsible for the office of Commissioner of Immigration, which was established in 1889 and later merged into the State Board of Agriculture. He was an official of the state Cattle Commission since its organization, the work of which included keeping the
livestock of the state free from contagious diseases. He was secretary of the Grange State Fair at
Tilton and, later, of the state fair at
Concord. Bachelder assisted Governor
Frank W. Rollins in the establishment of
Old Home Weeks in New Hampshire. Bachelder received the
honorary degree of
Master of Arts from
Dartmouth College in 1891. He was a member of the University and Wonolancet clubs of Concord, the Derryfield Club of
Manchester, and of the Kearsarge lodge, A. F. and A. M. He attended the
Congregational Church. He was married on June 30, 1887, to Mary A. Putney of
Dunbarton. They had two children, Ruth, born May 22, 1891, and Henry, born March 17, 1895. In addition to their farm estate at East Andover they maintained a winter home in the city of Concord. He was the author of
Gems of the Granite State, a souvenir picture book of the summer resorts in New Hampshire. ==References==