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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
ill
3 1833 01 091 7489
n
ILLUSTRATED HISTORY
OF
^NNEBEC ^UNTY
MAINE
1799
1625
^"
-1892
EDITORS
HEHRY D. KIHGSBURY
SIMEOH L. DEYO
Resident ContriTDutors
JAMES W. BRADBURY
WILLIAM PENN WHITEHOUSE
SAMUEL L. BOARDMAN
WILLIAM B. LAPHAM
HIRAM K. MORREI.L
LENDALL TITCOMB
J. CLAIR MINOT
JAMES M. LARRABEE
HENRY S. WEBSTER
CHARLES E. NASH
JOHN L. STEVENS
HOWARD OWEN
RUFUS M. JONES
ASBURY C. STILPHEN
HARRY H. COCHRANE
GEORGE UNDERWOOD
ORRIN F. SPROUL
ALBION F. WATSON
New York
W. BLAKE & COMPANY
94 Reade St.
1893
V-
Edition Limited to 1600 Prints.
COPYRIGHTED 1892,
H. W. BLAKE & CO.
-4
fA. H. Ritchie.
Engravers, • Hazlett Gilmour.
I A. C. Shipley.
Artist, Frank M. Gilbert.
Printer, J. Henry Probst.
Binders, T. Russell & Son.
1127768
INTRODUCTION.
HISTORY is a record of human experience. Human acts are its
sources, its forces, its substance, its soul. Individual life is its
unit; collective biography its sum total. This book is an effort to
preserve some of the staple facts in the lives of the men and women
of Kennebec county. Those who have attempted such work know
its difficulties; those who have not cannot understand them.
Early local history is, at best, but a collection of memories and tra-
ditions, with an occasional precious bit of written data. Of necessity,
such chains have many missing links. The questioner is so frequently
told that had he but come ten— or twenty — years ago, such and such
an one, now gone, could have told him so much. Those people then
would surely have said the same of their predecessors. So if, for the
printed page, we get what we can when we can, the reader has the
best obtainable.
Happily, both in character and extent, the matter here given
greatly excels the original expectations and plans of the publishers.
In addition to the historical matter, in which they take genuine pride,
they regard as of great importance the genealogical and biographical
matter.
The facts of life and generation are beyond question of superla-
tive worth. There is no more significant tendency of civilization than
the growing attention paid to making more detailed records of family
statistics. Scarcely a New England family of long, vigorous con-
tinuance can be found, some loyal member of which has not — at great
cost of time and often of money— prepared an approximate genealogy.
Every effort at local history puts in imperishable form the priceless
annals of the past. The recollections and experiences taken from
the lips of the aged is so much rescued from oblivion. Every promi-
nent figure in the realms of business, science, art or profession has
IV INTRODUCTION.
passed through the uneventful periods of childhood and youth, often
in some obscure locality; and there is not a town in Kennebec county-
whose pride in having produced and whose interest in watching or
relating the careers of its honored sons and daughters do not still
make its air richer and its sunshine brighter.
While writing these last lines on a winter's day near the close of
the second year of labor on the work in hand, we wish in behalf of
their posterity, whom we have tried to serve, to thank the good people
of Kennebec who have so kindly and faithfully cooperated with us in
every way to make this volume worthy of its title. Besides to twenty
writers whose names these chapters bear, we gladly acknowledge our
obligation to more than twenty hundred who have, in personal inter-
views or in correspondence, or both, done what they could to leave
for coming times this record of their county's past — this monument
to what it is. .
Augusta, Me., c.,^^^>?z^
December, 1892.
^^:^2!f^
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Chapter I.
General View. By Hiram K. Mor-
rell 1
Chapter II.
The Indians of the Kennebec. By
Capt. Charles E. Nash 9
Chapter III.
Sources of Land Titles. By Len-
dall Titcomb, Esq 73
Chapter IV.
Civil History and Institutions 78
Chapter V.
Military History 109
Chapter VI.
Military History (Concluded) 122
Chapter VII.
Industrial Resources 175
Chapter VIII.
Agriculture and Live Stock. By
Samuel L. Boardman 187
Chapter IX.
Travel and Transportation 225
Chapter X.
The Newspaper Press. By Mr.
Howard Owen 238
Chapter XI.
Literature and Literary People.
By Thomas Addison 254
Chapter XII.
The Society of Friends. By Rufus
M. Jones 269
Chapter XIII.
History of the Courts. By Judge
William Penn Whitehouse 297
Chapter XIV.
The Kennebec Bar. By James W.
Bradbury, LL.D 308
Chapter XV.
The Medi^ al Profession 347
Chapter XVI.
Augusta. By Capt. Charles E.Nash. 381
Chapter XVII.
Augusta (Continued) 405
Chapter XVIII.
Augusta (Concluded) 427
Chapter XIX.
Hallowell. By Dr. William B.
Lapham 489
Chapter XX.
Town of Farmingdale. By A. C.
Stilphen, Esq 517
Chapter XXI.
Town of Winslow. By Henry D.
Kingsbury ' 537
Chapter XXII.
City of Waterville. By Henry D.
Kingsbury 568
Chapter XXIII.
City of Waterville (Concluded) ... 580
Chapter XXIV.
The City of Gardiner 601
Chapter XXV.
Town of West Gardiner 668
Chapter XXVI.
Town of Litchfield. By H. D.
Kingsbury 684
Chapter XXVU.
Town of Pittston 712
Chapter XXVIII.
Town of Randolph 738
Chapter XXIX.
Town of Chelsea 749
Chapter XXX.
Town of Monmouth. By Harry H.
Cochrane 764
Chapter XXXI.
Town of Wayne 807
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Chapter XXXII.
Town of Winthrop 826
Chapter XXXIII.
Town of Manchester 875
Chapter XXXIV.
Town of Readfield. By Henry D.
Kingsbury 890
Chapter XXXV.
Town of Mount Vernon 9.S0
Chapter XXXVI.
Town of Fayette. By George Un-
derwood, Esq 953
Chapter XXXVII.
Town of Vienna 974
Chapter XXXVIII.
Town of Rome 988
Chapter XXXIX.
Town of Belgrade. By J. Clair
Minot 993
Chapter XL.
Town of Sidney 10.34
Chapter XLI.
Town of Oakland 1064
Chapter XLII.
Town of \^assalboro 1095
Chapter XLIII.
Town of China 1139
Chapter XLIV.
Town of Windsor 1172
Chapter XLV.
Town of Albion 1194
Chapter XL\'I.
Town of Benton 1218
Chapter XLVII.
Town of Clinton 1243
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Adams, Enoch, M. D 348
Adams, Hermon H 1018
Albion, Map of 1202
Allen, E. C 452
Asylum for Insane 96
Augusta, Settlers' Map 387
Ayer, John 1076
Bailey, Hannah J., Residence 852
Bailey, Moses 853
Barnard, Mrs. Henrietta M., Res.. 648
Barton, Asher H 1331
Barton, Asher H. , Residence 1332
Bassett, Alexander, Residence 1162
Bassett, Jonathan 1163
Bean, Emery O 316
Benson, Benj. Chandler 1079
Besse, Charles K 980
Billings, Oliver 965
Billings Homestead •. 965
Blaine, James G 456
Blaisdell, Elijah 1233
Blake, Fred K., Residence 795
Blake, Henry M 350
Blake Homestead 795
Blake, William P 1081
Bodwell, Joseph R 185
Boutelle, Nathaniel R 351
Boutelle, Timothy 308
Bowman, Sifamai 625
Bradbury, James W 318
Brooks, Samuel S 466
Brown, Frederick 1 909
Brown, Frederick I., Res. and Store. 908
Brown, George 756
Burbank, Silas 852
Burleigh, Edwin C 82
Bussell, John 1124
Butman, James O., Farm Res 910
Cabin, ' ' Uncle Tom's. " 705
Capitol, at Augusta 80
Carleton, Leroy T 324
Carr, Albert C, Residence 855
Carr, Daniel 833
Chelsea, Settlers' Map of 750
China, Sketch Map of 1140
Christ's Church, Gardiner 630
Cobb, Chandler F., Stock Farm. . . 311
Cobbosseecontee Lake 880
Coburn Classical Institute lOO
Colby University 98
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Colcord, John B., Farm Residence. 1335
Collins, Jason 234
Collins, John 672
Comfort Publishing House 443
Cony, Daniel 469
Cony High School 425
Cony, Samuel 468
Copsecook Paper Mills 615
Cornish, Colby C 556
Court House, Augusta 79
Crooker, Leander J 354
Crosby, George H., Residence 1309
Cumston, Charles M 793
Cumston, Charles M., Residence.. 792
Cushnoc, Plan of 1761 387
Dingley, J. B 647
Dodge, Howard W 1260
Doherty, Charles W 434
Druillette's, Fr. Gabriel, Autogr'h. 83
East Winthrop, Village Plan 849
Eaton, Joseph 560
Emerson, Luther D 1084
Fairfax, Settlers' Map 1202
Father Rale's Monument 65
Faught, Albert, Residence 1052
Fifield, Joseph S 883
Fifield. Joseph S. , Farm Res 883
Fogg, Samuel G.. Farm Res 912
Fort Western, Vicinity of 392
Friends' Meeting House, East Vas-
salboro 376
Friends' Meeting House, Winthrop. 293
Gannett & Morse Concern 443
Gardiner High School. . .-. 638
Gardiner Savings Bank 627
Giddings, Wooster P 358
Giddings, Wooster P., Residence.. 358
Giris' Reform School 104
Gott, John M 824
Gower, John 857
Gray, Jo.shua 608
Guptill. D. F 562
Haley, Eben D 180
Hallowell Social Library 502
Hammond, Carlos 1054
Hanscom, David 1237
Hanson, James H 588
Harlow, Henry M 95
Harriman, Benjamin W 914
Harriman, Benj. W., Residence. . . 915
Harvey Homestead 917
Harvey, William, Birthplace 917
Hathaway, Charles F 589
He wins, George E., Residence 472
Hewins Homestead 472
Hewins, Daniel 473
Haynes, J. Manchester 470
High School, Gardiner 638
Hobbs, Josiah S 105
Hodgdon, Elbridge G 1262
Hodges, Albert .564
Hodges, Albert, Residence 564
Hodges, Bamum 564c
Holway, Oscar 474
Hopkins, Myrick 649
Hopkins, Myrick, Homestead 648
Howard, Oakes 860
Hussey, Ben. G., Residence 1114
Hussey, Orrett J., Residence 1128
Industrial School for Girls 104
Insane, Hospital for the 96
Jail, Kennebec County 79
Jewett, Hartley W 532
Jones, Levi 863
Jones Plantation, Plan of 1140
Kendrick, Cyrus 363
Kennebec Court House 79
Kennebec County Jail 79
Kent, Elias H., Residence 968
Kents Hill Seminary 102
Kilbreth, Sullivan 887
Knight, Austin D 513
Ladd, Harvey 919
Lamb, William 1264
Lane, Samuel W 476
Lapham, Eliphalet H 731
Lapham, William B 360
Lawrence, Charles 618
Lawrence, Sherburn 630
Lawrence Homestead 619
Lewis, Allen E 740
Library, Hallowell 503
Lithgow, L. W 439
Longfellow, George A 864
Loring. Henry S 1058
MacDonald, Roderick 920
Maine Wesleyan Seminary 103
Manley, Joseph H 478
Marston, David E 364
Minot, George E 1034
Minot, George E., Residence 1024
Mitchell, Benjamin G 593
Monument, Father Rale's 65
Morrell, Arch 656
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Morrell, Hiram K 262
Morrell, James S 1213
Mt. Pleasant Stock Farm 211
Nason, Charles H 445
Nichols, Thomas B 1130
North, James W 479
Oak Grove Seminary 280
" Oak Hill "— BiUings Homestead.. 96.5
" Oak Trees "—Gov. Williams' Res. 487
Owen, Howard, Cottage 880
Packard, Henry 868
Parsons, David E 366
Rale, Fr. Seb., Autograph of .53
Richardson, Alton 1268
Robbins, George A 1134
Robbins, George A., Residence 1134
Rowell, Eliphalet .514
Sampson, Thomas B 679
Sanborn, Bigelow T 97
Savings Institution, Gardiner 627
Searls, William T 762
Shores, George E 595
Sidney, Sketch Map of 1035
Small, Abner R 1089
Smith, David T 704
Smith, E. H. W 481
Smith, William R 482
Snell, William B 332
Snow, Albion P . . .\ 371
Springer, David S 706
State House, Augusta 80
St. Augustine Church, Augusta 436
St. Joseph's Church, Gardiner 635
St. Mary's Church, Augusta 432
Stevens, Greenlief T 92
Stevens Homestead 1028
Sturgis, Ira I ) 484
Strout, Albion K. P., Residence. . . 373
Taylor, Joseph 1030
Thayer. Frederick C 375
"The Elms"— Res. Geo. H. Crosby. 1209
Thing, Daniel H 949
Thomas, Joseph B 736
Tinkham, Andrew W 804
Titcomb, Samuel 336
Torsey, Henry P 926
Towne, Benjamin F. , Residence . . 567
Trott, Freeman 664
"Uncle Tom's Cabin." 705
Underwood, Joseph H 971
Underwood Homestead 972
\^assalboro, Plan of 1096
Vining, Marcellus 1192
Ware, John 598
Webb, E. F 338
West Gardiner Map 669
Whitehouse, Seth C 486
Whitehouse, William Penn 297
Whitehouse Homestead 1137
Whitmore, Chadbourn W 378
Whitmore, Nathaniel M 342
Whitmore, Stephen 376
Whittier Homestead 984
Williams, Joseph H 487
Williams, Joseph H., Residence. . . 487
Williams, Reuel 310
Williams, Seth 166
Winslow, Map of 538
Winslow, Alfred 1092
Woodbury, John 710
Woods, Jacob S 986
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
CHAPTER I.
GENERAL VIEW.
By Hiram K. Morrell.
Geographical and Astronomical Position. — Rocks. — Fossils. — Clay-beds. — Drain-
age.— Streams. — Ponds. — Hills. — Climate. — Karnes. — Shell Deposits. — Min-
eralogy.— Primitive and Present Forests. — Landscapes. — Game. — Fishes.
THAT portion of south-central Maine now embraced within the
county of Kennebec — lying on either side of the Kennebec
river and almost wholly drained by its tributaries — has an area
of nearly a half million acres. Its southern boundary, thirty miles
from the ocean, is in north latitude, 44°, whence it extends northward
to 44° 31'. It is from twenty to thirty-five miles wide, lying between
meridians 69° 20' and 70° 10', we.st. Its greatest diameter from north-
east to southwest is 48.5 miles. With the ultimate purpose of tracing
the course of human events within this territory, our more immediate
purpose in this chapter is to consider the county as a physical struc-
ture, regardless of its occupancy by man.
The indications of a glacial period are probably as well shown in
this county as anywhere in Maine. Underlying the modified drift
are often found masses of earth and rocks mingled confusedly
together, having neither stratification nor any appearance of having
been deposited in water. These are the glacial drift, or ////. This
drift frequently covers the slopes, and even the summits, of the
greater elevations. It contains bowlders of all diameters up to forty
feet, which have nearly all been brought southward from their native
ledges, and can be traced, in some instances, for a hundred miles,
southward or southeastward. Wherever till occurs, the ledges have
mostly been worn to a rounied form, and, if the rock be hard, it is
covered with long scratches, or striic, in the direction of the course
taken by the bowlders. Geology now refers these to a moving ice-
sheet which spread over this continent from the north, and was of
sufficient thickness to cover even Mount Washington, to within 300
1
2 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
feet of its top. This ice-sheet was so much thicker at the north than
in this latitude that its great weight pressed the ice steadily onward
and outward to the south-southeast. The termination of this ice-sheet
in the Atlantic, southeast of New England, was probably like the
present great ice-wall of the Antarctic continent.
Of Maine as a whole the rocks are both vietaniorpliic {i. c, changed
from the original sandstones, shales, conglomerates and limestones by
the action of heat, water and chemical forces into other kinds of rock
than their first character) slxiA fossi/ifcrous. These metamorphic strati-
fied rocks occur: gneiss, mica schist, talcose schist, steatite, and ser-
pentine, the saccharoid limestone, clay slate, quartz, and conglomer-
ates, jasper, siliceous slate, and hornstone. The unstra'tified rocks are
mostly granite, sienite, protogine, porphyry, and trap or greenstone.
The fossiliferous rocks are Paleozoic, except some marine alluvial
deposits, and represent the Lower Silurian, Upper Silurian, Devon-
ian, and Drift and Alluvium groups. These formations have been
studied but superficially, as yet, by .scientific men; Prof. C. H.
Hitchcock, however, gives this arrangement: Champlain clays, terti-
ary; Glacial drift, till; Lower Carboniferous or Upper Devonian;
Lower Devonian, Oriskany group; Upper Silurian; Silurian and Cam-
brian clay slates; Cambrian and Huronian with Taconic; Montalban;
Laurentian; Granite; Trap and altered slates. The topographical
survey by the government is not yet published, and Prof. W. S.
Bayley, of Colby University, says that not even a nucleus of a repre-
sentative collection of the minerals of the state exists anywhere in it,
although Maine possesses unique minerals unknown elsewhere.
The accepted theory of many geologists, among them Miller,
Lyell and Darwin, is that there was a time during the Pleistocene
period when most of this continent was under water; when the whole
of Kennebec county was submerged; and that millions of immense
icebergs were carried by the currents, bringing large bowlders frozen
firmly to their bottoms. These, passing over the submerged ledge,
ground to impalpable powder that which, precipitated in layers on the
then ocean bottom, formed the clay layers of to-day. The subsequent
gradual elevation of the eastern coast of this continent left above tide
water many of the characteristics of the former ocean bottom, and
now at various depths below the surface layers of marine shells may
be found.
The surface in many sections is of slate of the lower Silurian
formation, which, having been ground «o a fine paste, makes the gray
clay, frequently tinged with oxide of iron and containing fossil marine
shells. Where these clay-beds are deepest the clay is very salt and
sometimes contains water-worn pebbles, on some of which fossil
barnacles have been found. Under the gray clays is the blue clay
deposit, doubtless antedating them by many ages, and formed in part
GENERAL VIEW. 3
from the ocean ooze. These original day deposits are thirty, sixty,
and in places, more than one hundred feet thick, through which the
streams have cut deep channels, leaving the clay hills of irregular
outline.
Of the county as a place of residence it hardly seems necessary
to speak. Those who have always lived in it show, from that fact,
their appreciation of it. Those who have gone from it have either
come back, or intend to, if they can. Those who have been away from
it and returned, think most of it. and the more they have traveled,
the more they appreciate good " Old Kennebec " as a home.
I was born in it and always lived in it except about two j^ears in
Minnesota, aiid then I had a home here. I have been young and now
I am old, yet never have I seen the Kennebecker forsaken, nor his
seed begging bread — and never expect to — unless he is too lazy to
work. I have traveled in twenty-six states, both of the Canadas, New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and I honestly, after mature deliberation,
believe that in no other land can one with honesty and thrift get more
of the good things of life— of all that makes life enjoyable to the hon-
est, intellectual man — than in Kennebec county.
The county is one of the highly favored places of the world as to
its water and drainage systems. The splendid water power at Water-
ville, known as Ticonic (anciently spelled Teconnet) falls, is the head
of navigation for large boats.
The total fall of the Kennebec from the foot of Ticonic falls to
Augusta is 36.6 feet. The dam at Augusta, which is passed by a lock,
makes still water for several miles. Just below Ticonic falls the
Sebasticook river, having drained Winslow, Benton and Clinton, and
many towns in Somerset county, joins the Kennebec near the old Fort
Halifax of 1746. The Messalonskee stream, having drained the lake of
the same name and five towns and several large ponds, at Oakland tum-
bles in a beautiful cascade of forty feet and soon enters the Kennebec,
just below and opposite the mouth of the Sebasticook. , Several large
brooks or streams, which would be called rivers in the western part of
the state, enter the Kennebec between Waterville and Gardiner, where
the Cobbosseecontee — the prettiest, merriest and busiest of streams —
having drained the towns of Wayne, Winthrop, Monmouth, Litchfield
and West Gardiner, in Kennebec county, and several in Androscoggin
and Sagadahoc, after a vexed and troubled journey of a mile over
eight dams, with a fall of 128 feet, laughingly and gleefully enters
placidly the Kennebec.
The Cobbossee is the outlet of Cobbossee Great pond, which re-
ceives also the waters of Aunabessacook and Maranocook ponds. It
also receives the discharge from Lake Tacoma, or " Shorey pond,"
Sand, Buker, Jimmy and Wood ponds, which are nearly on a level, and
known on the map as Purgatory ponds. It is one of the best and most
4 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
available water powers in the state. Worromontogus stream, the out-
let of the pond of the same name — usually abbreviated to " Togus " —
forms the line between Randolph and Pittston, where it forms a valu-
able water power before its entrance into the Kennebec. The south-
ern and eastern portions of Pittston are drained by the Eastern river,
which joins the Kennebec at Dresden, opposite Swan island. Windsor
is drained by the eastern branch of the Sheepscot. The towns in the
extreme west of the county contain sixteen ponds which drain into
the Androscoggin. As a whole, the water that falls on Kennebec
county flows into the ocean through the Kennebec, for it receives all
of the water of the Androscoggin at Merrymeeting bay.
Of course this imperfect sketch of these leading drainage systems
gives but a faint idea of the water system of the county. On Half-
penny's atlas of Kennebec county, some seventy-five named ponds are
laid down, which number of course does not include all. Some of
these ponds, several miles in extent, would be called lakes in other
places. Cobbossee Great pond forms the boundary, in whole or in
part, of five towns; and there are several others nearly as large. I
will not consider the water powers of these ponds and streams, but
their natural beauties and attractions. I know them and love them,
but it will take an abler pen than mine to picture even a small part of
their loveliness. If I cared to tempt the hunter and fisherman — but I
do not — I could tell wondrous tales, and wondrous because they are
true, of the trout, black bass, white perch, pickerel, and many other
kinds of fishes I have seen, which were taken from our beautiful
brooks and ponds: and of the woodcocks, partridges, ducks and other
game that others shot — others I say, for I never fired a gun in my life.
One can hardly go amiss, who seeks for pleasure with the gun or
rod in almost any town in the county. It is the sportsman's paradise.
But to me, and such as I, her ponds and cascades, her placid streams
and murmuring brooks, her ever-verdant fields and forest-clad hills,
have a deeper and nobler attraction than merely as a haunt for the
slayer. If everybody saw the natural beauties of Kennebec county,
as the true lover of nature sees them, and enjoyed them as he enjoys
them, the county would not be large enough for those who would
want to live in it. She has no mountains to awe or weary the trav-
eler and take up the room of better scenery, but she has picturesque
hills and bluffs, overlooking smiling valleys, dotted with lovely vil-
lages; hills from which Mounts Kearsage, Washington and the whole
Presidential range may be seen, as well as Mt. Blue, Mt. Saddleback,
Abraham, Bigelow and others. The views from Oak hill, in Litch-
field, and from Monmouth Ridge and Pease's hill in Monmouth, Cross
hill in Vassalboro, Deer hill in China and Bolton hill in Augusta, are
as fine as one needs to see.
The climate is the best abused thing in Maine, the abuse coming
GENERAL VIEW. 5
mostly from those who do not know what a good climate is. I used
to think that Maine was hardly decent for any man to attempt to live
in; but having spent three winters in Florida, and having sampled
the winter climate of the much bepraised western highlands of
Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, and spent nearly two
years in Minnesota and Iowa, I have come to the conclusion that Ken-
nebec county is the best county for me to live in, summer or winter.
There are some days in dog-days, and perhaps some weather in March
and November, that might be improved, but take it as a whole, one
season with another, Kennebec has as good a climate as any place in
the world; and her sons and daughters, physically, mentally and mor-
ally, will compare favorably with the men and women of any land.
We are too warm in winter, but the climate is not to blame for that.
Maine people keep themselves warmer in the winter than in summer.
We are far enough from the ocean to escape its damp, salt, chilly
air, yet near enough to temper our summer heat with the sea breezes.
For forty years our average annual rainfall, including melted snow,
has been 43.24 inches, which is about '35 per cent, in excess of six
other states west of Maine, where records have been kept. The mean
rainfall in Kennebec county, between May 31st and September 14th,
is 11.11 inches; the winter precipitation is 10.13 inches, and that of
fall and spring 10.50 inches. (3ur rainfall is .so evenly distributed that
the county rarely suffers from excessive storms, or from droughts.
In fine, if one cannot live here to a good old age, he is likely to die
young anywhere, and not necessarily because he is beloved of the
gods either. Octogenarians are common, and centenarians are by
no means rare. But one's life in Kennebec county, be it longer or
shorter, is worth a good deal more than it would be anywhere else.
While the chief industrial wealth of Kennebec county is in her
agriculture and her varied manufactures noticed in subsequent chap-
ters, she also utilizes her di.sadvantages, and her frozen river and her
rocky hills become a source of employment for thousands, of business
and revenue to many, and of general welfare to the whole community.
Her ice business alone probably brings a million dollars a year to the
county, while her granite quarries furnish work for scores of skilled
laborers, and the leading cities of almost every state are proud of
their architectural specimens of the enduring productions of Ken-
nebec.
In general the river banks along the Kennebec are high, the soil
rocky or clayey, there being but few sections of alluvial soil along its
banks, and these of small extent. The surface in Rome, Vienna, Mt.
Vernon and Fayette is broken, the soils rocky and strong. In Wins-
low the soil bordering the Kennebec and vSebasticook rivers is a fine,
deep loam; while the eastern part of the town is ledgy. In Litchfield
and West Gardiner are quite extensive tracts of light, plains land.
6 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Wayne abounds in large extents of blowing sands, soil largely com-
posed of fine sand, not containing sufficient clay or aluminous matter
to give them cohesion, and for years hundreds of acres of these shift-
ing sands have been moved by the winds, covering up other hundreds
of acres of valuable land. Her soils comprise specimens of almost
everything. In the main they are strong rather than deep; in many
sections ledgy, in some very rocky, in a few porous and light. In
places, glacial deposits have formed kames,* horse backs, or ridges of
sand. In others, fields buried in bowlders show where were ancient
moraines of the glacial period.
" Int all the regions which in .some former age were overrun by
glaciers, there are found certain curious ridges of sand, gravel or
pebbles, often in places where no ordinary stream could have flowed.
Because of their remarkable shapes and situations they have always
attracted attention wherever they are found, and hence they have re-
ceived many local names. They are known as kames in Scotland,
eskars in Ireland, aasar in Sweden, and in Maine they are called horse-
backs, whalebacks, hogbacks, ridges, turnpikes, windrows and sad-
dles. A kame often spreads out into a very broad ridge or plain, also
into a series of ridges connected by cross ridges called plains or kame-
plains. They frequently contain conical or rounded depressions called
sinks, hoppers, pounds, kettles, bowls, punch-bowls, potash kettles, and
one at Bryant's pond is known as the ' Basin.' The gravel stones
and pebbles in these formations are more or less washed and rounded,
like tho.se found on the sea beach or in the beds of rapid streams. The
large pebbles are called cobble stones in the Middle states and pumple
stones in the East. Often there are gaps in these ridges, but when
mapped they are plainly seen to be arranged in lines or systems like
the hills in a row of corn."
One of these kames forms both sand hills and plains in Wayne;
marked bluffs or hills of sand in Monmouth; and in Litchfield it forms
what is known as " The Plains." Profe.ssor Stone mentions one kame
as " the eastern Kennebec system, that extends through Mayfield,
Skowhegan, Augusta, South Gardiner and beyond." There is no trace
of it in Gardiner but a singular sugar-loaf shaped hill at South Gardi-
ner. This was noticed;); by Reverend Mr. Bailey, of Pownalboro, over
a hundred years ago, and also a similar one across the river, a short
distance below. He thought they were the work of human hands.
Professor .Stone's theory is that these kames are the old beds of rivers
which ran on the surface of the ice in the glacial period, and formed
by their deposits these various phenomena. His theory, I think, is
generally adopted as the only one which accounts for them.
In Wayne and Monmouth in some places these sands are shifted by
the wind, and beds of simply barren sand occur. At Augusta and
* The Kame theory was developed by George H. Stone, while a professor at
Kents Hill Seminary.
t Prof. George H. Stone, in Maine Farmer.
\ Vide Frontier Missionary.
GENERAL VIEW. 7
Gardiner, along the river banks; in Winthrop and in other towns
marine fossil shells of living species are found, some of which species
are not now found so far south.
A scallop — Pcctcn Is/aiidiats, a shell common to Newfoundland — has
been found at Gardiner. I once bored through 72 feet of clay in
Gardiner and struck what was undoubtedly river gravel. The line of
these fossil shells is as much as 150 feet above the present level of the
sea. These clay hills in many places have deep valleys between,
doubtless eroded in glacial times. In all these river towns there are
also high granite hills and bluffs, with the exception of Waterville,
where the lower Silurian slates outcrop. The oldest and newest
formations lie side by side, with no intermediate ones.
Kennebec county has several kinds of minerals, of which a few
may be mentioned. Litchfield, which is quite a place of pilgrimage
for mineralogists, contains sodalite, cancrinite, elaeolite, zircon, spodu-
mene, muscovite, pyrrhotite, hydronephelite, pyrite, arsenopyrite,
lepidomelane, muscovite, jasper. Hydronephelite is a new mineral
recently determined by F. W. Clarke, curator of the mineralogical
department of the National Museum, Washington. The deep blue
sodalite and brilliant yellow cancrinite of Litchfield and hydronephe-
lite have never been found anywhere else in equally as fine specimens.
A gold mine was opened a few years ago on the east side of Oak hill,
in Litchfield, but it did not enrich its owners, although it is laid down
on the atlas before mentioned.
Monmouth produces actinolite, apatite, elseolite, zircon, staurolite,
plumose mica, beryl, rulite. Pittston contains fine specimens of
graphite and pyrrhotite. Several attempts at mining gold have been
made there, and favorable assays published. In Waterville are found
fine specimens of crystallized pyrite. Winthrop shows fine specimens
of staurolite, pyrite, hornblende, garnet and copperas. Crystallized
quartz, small garnets, tourmaline and traces of iron are common
throughout the county.
Dana, in his System of Mineralogy, says " gold has been found at
Albion." This is doubtless an error into which the elder Dana wa-;
led by Professor Cleaveland, of Brunswick, who was inveigled into
investing by some crooks in a bogus gold mine in Albion.
The original forest was largely of pme. as the gigantic stumps
attest. Our forests are composed of the various species of pine, hem-
lock, spruce, fir, hackmatack and cedar; birch, beech, oak, hornbeam,
ash, elm, poplar, willow, cherry and basswood — in fact of about all the
trees and shrubs of Maine. Her forests are her crowning glory, both
when their leafage is coming out and in autumn, when their gorgeous
coloring is the despair of the artist and the wonder of the world; for
no other part of the earth claims to approach the beauty of the Maine
S HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
woods. The man who has never stood, some lovely October day, on
Oak hill, Monmouth ridge. Pease's hill, or some other hilltop over-
looking- onr beautiful ponds, the mountains towering on our northern
horizon; with the clear blue sky above him, and around hundreds of
forest-clad hills, with all the gorgeous colorings of the rainbow — yes,
with hundreds of tints and shades of colors— has yet to learn what it
is to live, and what a lovely world this is. As the sun sinks slowly in
the west, and gradually, gently and reluctantly draws the mantle of
night over the earth, as though he hated to leave so much beauty,
then one knows what a sunset is. Talk of skies! As Bryant says:
The sunny Italy may boast
The beauteous tints that flush her skies,
And lovely round the Grecian coast
May thy blue pillars rise !
I only know how fair they stand
Above my own beloved land.
Our ponds and streams have economic as well as esthetic excel-
lence. Our ponds teem with good fish, while each week in the spring-
time a new migratory fish makes its appearance. The purity of water
in the Kennebec makes its fish, like its ice, the best of their kind. In
winter the lower Kennebec swarms with smelts that used to come in
millions to Gardiner and Hallowell— and would now if legally pro-
tected; alewives come in early spring; then the .shad, the mackerel,-
the striped bass; then cod, cusk, haddock, halibut and hake, all the
year. Twenty years ago one could hardly look at the river in June
without seeing the sturgeon jumping, but three years of fishing by a
German company almost exterminated them. " Kennebec Salmon,"
always named on the bills in city restaurants, had been practically
extinct for years, until recently some efforts have been made toward
re-stocking the river.
In several of the inland ponds are smelts. In Belgrade pond is a
variety so large that naturalists have given it a special name. Lamprey
and eels are plenty in the Cobbossee — the latter taken by tons — but
the natives seldom eat them.
Thus it would seem that nature has in every way made generous
provision, in the valley of the Kennebec, for the welfare and happi-
ness of man. Of course man here does not live forever, but it is a
proportionately cheerful and pleasant place to die in. Skillful physi-
cians and careful nurses smooth his pillow and ease his pains, till the
grim messenger is almost tired of waiting; and when the inevitable is
passed, genial and liberal clergymen will do the ver}^ best that can be
done for him, and elegant undertakers will make his last ride the
most expensive one he ever had; and when all is done a monument of
Kennebec granite will rear its lordly head above his peaceful grave,
and " after life's fitful fever he sleeps well."
CHAPTER II.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC.
THEIR FIRST WHITE VISITORS.
DuMont and Champlain. — The Popham Colony. -^Captain Gilbert's trip up the
River. — Sebenoa the Sagamore. — Visit to the Indian Village. — Erection of
the Cross of Discovery. — Visit of Biencourt and Father Biard. — Interviews
with the Indians. — First Ceremony of the Mass on the Coast of Maine. — The
French Mission at St. Sauveiir (Mt. Desert) destroyed with Bloodshed.—
The Contest for Acadia begun.— Captain John Smith. — Samoset and Captain
Leverett. — First Sale of Land by Indians.
THE story of the aborigines of Maine blends inseparably with the
history of the struggle that lasted for a century and a half be-
tween France and England for supremacy in the New World.
In the first decade of the 17th century, Henry IV of France and James
I of England, grasped simultaneously as jewels for their respective
crowns, the greater part of North America. Spain, the patron and
the beneficiary of Columbus, had enjoyed exclusively for three gener-
ations the wealth of the western hemisphere, whose productions of
" barbaric pearl or gold " had spoiled the Spaniard to the point of sur-
feit and effeminacy, and made him look lightly on all territory that
was destitute of the glittering ores. Northward from Florida the
latitudes were open to any nation that could maintain itself against
the jealousy of its rivals. The mosses of an hundred years had gath-
ered on Columbus' tomb before the impulse of his mighty achieve-
ment aroused the statesmen of central Europe to schemes of empire
on the continent to which he had shown the way across a chartless
ocean. France took the initiative. Henry vaguely lined out as his own
in 1603, by royal patent, the most of the territory of the present United
States. James asserted a like claim to the same vast tract, with con-
siderably enlarged boundaries. Frenchmen broke ground for coloni-
zation at Passamaquoddy in 1604. Englishmen followed at the mouth
of the Kennebec in 1607. Neither colony was successful, but the two
begin the history of New France and New England, and introduce to
10 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
US the Indians who inhabited the land in the shadow of the untrimmed
forest. The claim of France to Acadia, whose western bound was de-
fined by the Kennebec (where DuMont and Champlain raised the
fleur-dc lis in 1605), and the counter-claim of the English to the Penob-
scot (or actually to the St. George, where Weymouth erected his cross
of discovery the same year), made the territory of future Maine from
its earliest occupation by the whites the prolific source of interna-
tional irritation and intrigue; and the theater of a series of sanguin-
ary conflicts that ended only when New France was expunged from
the map of America by the fall of Quebec in 1759. Ancient Acadia
passed nine times between France and England in the period of 127
years. In this eventful contest — the issue of which left North
America to the English people — the uncivilized red men in their
native wilds were prominent participants — the dupes and victims of
the one side and the other — until the tribes were decimated and one
by one extinguished. It is our present task to study the history of
the famous tribe that dwelt in the valley of the Kennebec.
On Wednesday, the 23d day of September, 1607, Captain Gilbert
and nineteen men embarked in a shallop from the new fort of the
Popham colony, at the mouth of the Kennebec, " to goe for the head
of the river; they sayled all this daye, and the 24th the like untill six
of the clock in the afternoone, when they landed on the river's side,
where they found a champion land [camping ground], and very fer-
tile, where they remayned all that night; in the morning they de-
parted from thence and sayled up the river and came to a flatt low
island where ys a great cataract or downfall of water, which runneth
by both sides of this island very shold and swift. . . They haled
their boat with a strong rope through this downfall perforce, and went
neare a league further up, and here they lay all night; and in the first
of the night there called certain savages on the further side of the
river unto them in broken English; they answered them againe and
parled [talked] long with them, when towards morning they departed.
In the morning there came a canoa unto them, and in her a sagamo
and four salvages, some of those which spoke to them the night be-
fore. The sagamo called his name Sebenoa, and told us how he was
lord of the river Sachadehoc. They entertayned him friendly, and
took him into their boat and presented him with some trifiiing things,
which he accepted; howbeyt, he desired some one of our men to be
put into his canoa as a pawne of his safety, whereupon Captain Gil-
bert sent in a man of his, when presently the canoa rowed away from
them with all the speed they could make up the river. They followed
with the .shallop, having great care that the sagamo should not leape
overbourde. The canoa quickly rowed from them and landed,
and the men made to their howses, being neere a league on the
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. IT
the land from the river's side, and carried our man with them. The
shallop making good waye, at length came to another downfall, which
was soe shallow and soe swift, that by no means could they pass any
further, for which. Captain Gilbert, with nine others, landed and tooke
their fare, the savage sagamo, with them, and went in search after
those other salvages, whose howses, the sagamo told Captain Gilbert,
were not farr off; and after a good tedious march, they came indeed
at length unto those salvages' howses wheere [they] found neere fifty
able men very strong and tall, such as their like before they had not
seene; all newly painted and armed with their bowes and arrowes.
Howbeyt, after that the sagamo had talked with them, they delivered
back againe the man, and used all the rest very friendly, as did ours
the like by them, who .showed them their comodities of beads, knives,
and some copper, of which they seemed very fond; and by waye of
trade, made shew that they would come downe to the boat and there
bring such things as they had to exchange them for ours. Soe Cap-
tain Gilbert departed from them, and within half an howre after he
had gotten to his boat, there came three canoas down unto them, and
in them sixteen salvages, and brought with them some tobacco and
certayne small skynnes, which were of no value; which Captain Gil-
bert perceaving, and that they had nothing else wherewith to trade^
he caused all his men to come abourd, and as he would have put from
the shore; the salvages perceiving so much, subtilely devised how
they might put out the tier in the shallop, by which means they sawe
they should be free from the danger of our men's pieces [firelocks],
and to perform the same, one of the salvages came into the shallop
and taking the fier-brand which one of our company held in his hand
thereby to light the matches, as if he would light a pipe of tobacco,
as sone as he had gotten yt into his hand he presently threw it into
the water and leapt out of the shallop. Captain Gilbert seeing that,
suddenly commanded his men to betake them to their musketts and
the targettiers too, from the head of the boat, and bade one of the men
before, with his target [shield] on his arme, to stepp on the shore for
more fier; the salvages resisted him and would not suffer him to take
any, and some others holding fast the boat roap that the shallop could
not put off. Captain Gilbert caused the musquettiers to present [aim]
their peeces, the which, the salvages seeing, presently let go the boat
rope and betook them to their bowes and arrowes, and ran into the
bushes, nocking their arrowes, but did not shoot, neither did ours at
them. So the shallop departed from them to the further side of the
river, where one of the canoas came unto them, and would have ex-
cused the fault of the others. Captain Gilbert made show as if he
were still friends, and entertayned them kindly and soe left them, re-
turning to the place where he had lodged the night before, and there
12 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
came to an anchor for the night. . . Here they sett up a crosse,
and then returned homeward."*
This graphic and artless account of the earliest recorded visit by
white men to the region above Merrymeeting bay, was apparently
copied with but few changes from Captain Gilbert's log-book, made
by the scribe of the Popham colony, who probably was one of the
party. The facts and circumstances lead irresistibly to the conclusion
that the Kennebec (and not the Andro.scoggin) was the river which
the colonists explored. fThe camping place at the close of the second
day after leaving the fort may have been the plateau where now the
village of Randolph stands, or that other one two miles above in
Chelsea, nearly opposite Loudon hill, in Hallowell. The boatmen
encountered the next day, a few miles above their camping place,
" a flat low island in the midst of a great downfall of water," This
felicitously described the Kennebec at the place where the Augusta
dam now stands, before the peculiar features of the spot were obliter-
ated by the building of that structure (1835-7). The rapid and island
are unmistakable features of identification. The island has disap-
peared by the building of the dam and the rapid has become an arti-
ficial cascade for the uses of civilized industry, yet the transformation
of the river at this place since that early day, has scarcely been greater
than in many other places along its course.
The next camping place was about a league above the island,
where first the natives accosted them, shyly, hallooing in shibboleth
through the darkness. The place was probably the intervale that is
now divided into portions of several farms, near Gilley's point, where
there are still many vestiges of Indian encampments. The next morn-
ing, after exchanging hostages, the explorers continued their journey
until their boat grounded on shallows. This may have been in the
swift water since that day known as Bacon's rips, in the course of
which the river has a natural fall of about thirteen feet. The farthest
point reached by Gilbert in his wood-tramp was a wigwam village
about a league from the river, within the limits of the present town
of Vassalboro, or of Sidney. Night found the party reunited at the
last camping place. There, the next morning (Sunday, September
27), they performed the ceremony of taking possession of the country
* Historic of Travaile into Virginia, by William Strachey, Gent. Maine His-
torical Society's Collections, Vol. Ill, pp. 304-307.
+ The Androscoggin theory was first advanced by able students of Maine
history, but it meets many obstacles in Strachey's account. The Kennebec
theory meets with but few difficulties and harmonizes rationally with the record.
See Remarks on Waymouth's Voyage, by John McKeen, Vol. \, Me. Hist. Soc.
Coll. Rev. WilHam S. Bartlett, same series, Vol. HI, p. 304. Dr. William B.
Lapham in Daily Kennebec journal, December, 1889. For description of the
'■flat low island." see North's History of Augusta, pages 4.)0-4r)8.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. IB
for their king, by erecting in his name the cross of Christianity at the
place where they had twice lodged. Then leaving the sacred emblem
standing as the official vestige of their visit, they departed. It would
be interesting to know precisely the spot where the cross was planted,
and how long it remained as an object of awe to the savages. We
never hear more of Sebenoa; he was the first in the long line of Ken-
nebec chiefs whose names have been preserved in the white man's
annals; his dust, with that of his bedizened warriors who posed so
grandly before their visitors, has long mingled with the mold of the
forest where he reigned, but his peaceful welcome to the white
strangers who earliest set foot on the soil of the capital of Maine, in-
vests his name with a charm that will preserve it while the language
of the race that has supplanted his own is spoken or read.
Captain Popham died before the winter bad passed; and in the
spring, leaving the dismantled fort to be his sepulcher, the homesick
colonists fled back to England. Father Pierre Biard, a Jesuit mis-
sionary, visited the vSagadahoc (Kennebec) three years later (October,
1611): he accompanied an expedition under Biencourt, then vice-
admiral of New France, on a cruise from the eastward along the coast
to the western boundary of Acadia, in quest of food for the French
colony at Port Royal (now Annapolis). The Father says his own rea-
sons for the journey were, first, " to act as spiritual adviser [chaplain]
to Sieur de Biencourt and his crew, and, second, to become acquainted
with and learn the disposition of the natives to receive the gospel."
He gives a few interesting glimpses of scenes on the lower Kennebec
281 years ago. The vessel entered the river by way of Seguin, and
the party eagerly landed to inspect the vacant fort, which they thought
was poorly located, and which Father Biard intimates, with a half-
secular chuckle, redoubtable Frenchmen could have easily taken. He
says the departed Popham colonists treated the natives with cruelty,
and were driven away in retaliation. This was the boastful statement
of the Indians themselves to the willing ears of the French, who were
fain to believe it; but the testimony is too biased and shadowy to be
accepted as true.
After a delay of three days at Popham's fort, by reason of adverse
winds, Biencourt abandoned his purpose of sailing further westward,
and turned the prow of his vessel up the river; after going with the
tide about nine miles, a party of Indians came into view; they be-
longed either to the later named Kennebec or Androscoggin tribe;
Biard calls them Armouchiquoys; he says: " There were twenty-four
people, all warriors, in six canoes; they went through a thousand an-
tics before coming up to us; you would have rightly likened them to
a flock of birds, which wishes to enter a hemp-field, but fears the scare-
crow. This amused us very much, for our people needed time to arm
14 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
themselves and cover the ship. In short, they came and went, they
reconnoitered, they looked sharply at our muskets, our cannon, our
numbers, our everything; and the night coming on, they lodged on
the other bank of the river, if not beyond the range, at least beyond
the sighting of our cannon. All that night there was nothing but
haranguing, singing, dancing; for such is the life of these people when
they assemble together. But since we presumed that probably their
songs and dance were invocations to the devil, and in order to thwart
this accursed tyrant, I made our people sing a few church hymns, such
as the Salve Regitia, the Ave Mari's Stella and others; but being once
in train, and getting to the end of their spiritual .songs, they fell to
singing such others as they knew, and when these gave out they took
to mimicking the dancing and singing of the Armouchiquoys on the
other side of the water; and as Frenchmen are naturally good mimics,
they did it so well that the natives stopped to listen; at which our
people stopped, too; and then the Indians began again. You would
have laughed to see them, for they were like two choirs answering
each other in concert, and you would hardly have known the real
Armouchiquoys from the sham ones." *
Biencourt had impressed into his service at the river St. John two
Maoulin (Etechemin) savages, as interpreters on his journey. He
caused them to be taught a smattering of the French language, and
then used them as a means of conversation between himself and their
fellow-savages along his route. At that time the tribes of New
England spoke a common tongue, which was varied and enlarged by
local dialects. Biencourt's Etechemin captives from the vSt. John
could talk readily with the natives of the Sagadahoc. On the morn-
ing after the singing and dancing, the Frenchmen resumed their
journey up the river; the Indians, in a rabble, accompanied them, and
were soon coaxed to terms of familiarity. They told the strangers
that if they wanted sovn.& piousqiionin (corn) they need not go further
up the river, but by turning to the right, through an arm of the river
that was pointed out, they could in a few hours reach the tent of the
great sachem Meteourmite, whom they themselves would do the
honor to visit at the same time; Biencourt cautiously followed their
guideship; he passed his vessel through the strait that is now spanned
by a highway bridge between Woolwich and Arrowsic, and entered
what Biard calls a lake, but what is now named Pleasant cove (or
Nequasset bay); here he found the water shallow, and he hesitated
about venturing further; but Meteourmite, having been informed of
the approach of the ship, was hastening to meet it; he urged the
Frenchmen to proceed, which they did. Presently their vessel be-
came subject to the sport of the dangerous currents of the Hellgates.
* Pioneers of France in the New WorUI, by Francis Parkman, p. 292.
THE IXDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 15
Biard says: "• We thought we should hardly ever escape alive; in fact,
in two places, some of our people cried out piteously that we were all
lost; but praise to God, they cried out too soon."
Biencourt ptit on his military dress and visited Meteourmite, whom
he found alone in his wigwam, which was surrounded by forty young
braves, "each one having his shield, his bow and his arrows on the
ground before him." The sachem having led the Frenchmen to visit
him by promising to sell them corn, now confessed that his people did
not have any to spare, but that they would barter some skins instead.
Biencourt, with a mind for business, was ready to trade, and a truce
for barter was agreed upon. When the time arrived, Biard says,
'■ our ship's people, in order not to be surprised, had armed and barri-
caded themselves. The savages rushed very eagerly and in a swarm
into our boat, from curiosity (I think), because they did not often see
such a spectacle; our people, seeing that notwithstanding their remon-
strances and threats the savages did not cease entering the procession,
and that there were already more than thirty upon the deck, they
imagined that it was all a clever trick, and that they were intending
to surprise them, and were already lying upon the ground prepared
to shoot. M. Biencourt has often said that it was many times upon
his lips to cry, ' Kill ! Kill f ! ' . . Now the savages themselves,
perceiving the just apprehensions which their people had given our
French, took it upon themselves to retire hastily and brought order
out of confusion." Father Biard says the reason why Biencourt did
not order his men to shoot was because he (Father Biard) was at that
hour upon the land (an island), accompanied by a boy, celebrating the
holy mass; if any savage had been hurt, the priest would have been
massacred. Father Biard says " this consideration was a kindness to
him, and saved the whole party, for if we had begun the attack it is
incredible that one could have escaped the fierce anger and furious
pursuit of the savages along a river that has so many turns and wind-
ings and is so often narrow and perilous." *
Father Biard appeared before the savages twice in the character
of officiating priest. The rude altar improvised by him was the first
one ever erected for the Catholic service on the Kennebec (or Sheep-
scot, near which he seems to have been). He says he " prayed to God
in their [the Indians'] presence, and showed them the images and
tokens of our belief, which they kissed willingly, making the sign of
the cross upon their children, whom they brought to him that he
might bless them, and listening with great attention to all that he
announced to them. The difficulty was that they had an entirely dif-
ferent language, and it was necessary that a savage [one of the St.
John captives] should act as interpreter, who, knowing very little of
* Relation lie la Nouvellc France, \o\. I, Chap. XVII. p. 36.
16 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
the Christian religion, nevertheless acquitted himself with credit
toward the other savages; and to see his face and hear his slow
speech, he personated the Doctor [Biard] with dignity." The natives
seem to have had great admiration for the Father, whose priestly at-
tire and non-combative character made him conspicuous among his
countrymen; speaking of one occasion, he says: " I received the larger
share of the embraces; for as I was without weapons, the most distin-
guished [Indians] forsaking'the soldiers, seized on me with a thousand
protestations of friendship; they led me into the largest of all the
huts, which held at least eighty people; the seats filled, I threw my-
self on my knees, and having made the sign of the cross, recited my
Pater, Ave, Credo, and some prayers; then, at a pause, my hosts, as
though they understood me well, applauded in their way, shouting,
' Ho, ho, ho!' I gave them some crosses and images, making them
understand as much as I could." ■•■ It is not possible to identify pre-
cisely the place where these interviews and proceedings occurred; it
was in the vicinity of the mouth of the Sheepscot and not distant from
the lower Hellgate, which the French at that time called one of the
mouths of the Quinibequi (Kennebec). After sojourning about a
week, Biencourt, finding out that the natives had little surplus food
for themselves and none to sell, hoisted sail for Port Royal.
Two years later (1618) we see Father Biard, with Ennemond Masse
and two other Jesuits, in the retinue of M. de LaSaussaye, on the
island of Mount Desert, planting a mission colony by the name of St.
Sauveur. The settlement was hardly established when Captain Argal,
from the English colony in Virginia, sailed up to the little village and
destroyed it, killing one of the missionaries and two other French-
men. This was the beginning of bloodshed between the English and
French on this continent. Brother Gilbert du Thet was the first
Jesuit martyr. He was buried by his sorrowing black-robed brethren
at the foot of the great cross that stood in the center of the ruined
mission, where in the thin soil, by the surf -washed shore, his dust
.still reposes. Father Masse afterward labored in Canada, where he
died and was buried in the mission church of Saint Michael at Sillery,
in 1646. Father Biard, after many other adventures and perils, finally
returned to France, where he died in 1622. He was the first to lift
the cross before the aborigines of Maine.
The next well-identified visitor to the Kennebec was Captain John
Smith, in 1614, eight years after his life was so gracefully saved, as
he tells us, by Pocahontas. He cruised the coast for peltry, was agree-
able to the Indians, and filled his ship with merchandise that brought
riches in Europe. He found Nahanada (one of Weymouth's returned
captives), '' one of the greatest lords of the country." About this time
* Letter of Father Biard, 1611.
THE INDtAXS OF THE KENNEBEC. 17
Samoset, afterward the benefactor of the Pilgrims, was taken from
his tribe and carried to Europe. He appears to have been a Wawe-
nock. The circumstances of his capture are unknown. His notable
visit to the Plymouth colony was in March, 1621; two years later he
seems to have been at home (as much as a wandering Indian can be)
at Capemanwagan (Southport), whence Captain Christopher Leverett
met him with his family: he showed his liking for Leverett by offer-
ing his new-born son as a perpetual brother in moitcliickc-leganiatch
(friendship) to the son of the Englishman. Leverett describes him as
" a sagamore that hath been found very faithful to the English, and
hath saved the lives of many of our nation, some from starving, others
from killing." * The last glimpse we have of this ideal savage, whose
character ennobles in a degree his humble and benighted race, is when
he joined his fellow-sagamore LTnongoit in deeding to John Brown of
New Harbor (afterward of the Kennebec), a tract of land at Pemaquid,
July 25, 1625. f He had been the first to welcome the Englishmen to
his country, and he was the first to supplement the greeting by sharing
with them his hunting grounds. The deed was acknowledged before
Abraham Shurte, the worthy magistrate of Pemaquid, who fifty-one
years afterward ascended the Kennebec to Teconnet (Winslow) as
peacemaker to the then angry chiefs.
II. EARLY GLIMPSES OF THE ABENAKIS OR KENNEBEC TRIBE.
The English Names of the Maine Tribes. — The French Names of the same
Tribes. — Origin of the Name of the Kennebec River. — The Indians' mode of
Life. — Vestiges of their Villages. — Their Language and the Names derived
from it. — Present Indian Names of Places on the River. — The Plymouth
Trading Post at Cushnoc (Koussinok).
When the aboriginal people of Maine first came into historic
view, we find them grouped by the English into five tribes and
occupying several principal river valleys. The Tarratines dwelt on
the Penobscot; the Wawenocks from Pemaquid to Sagadahoc (Ken-
nebec); the Sohokas (Sacos) from the Saco to the Piscataqua; the
Androscoggins lived on the river that has taken their name; atid the
Canibas (Kennebecs) from Merrymeeting bay to Moosehead lake.
In the beginning of Indian history a personage called the Bashaba
* Leverett' s Voyage into New England. Me. Hist. Soc. Coll.. Vol. II, pp.
87, 93.
\ Ancient Pemaquid, by J. Wingate Thornton. Me. Hist. Soc. Coll., Vol. V.
pp. 188-193. Journal of the Pilgrims, by George B. Cheever, D.D., pp. 41-43.
Bradford says Samoset ' ' became a special instrument sent of God for their [the
Pilgrims'] good beyond their expectation." See Popham Memorial, p. 297.
IS HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
presided on the Penobscot: Champlain (1605) met him there with
Cabahis, a chief of less dignity; Manthoumermer ruled on the
Sheepscot; Marchim on the Androscoggin, and Sasanoa on the vSaga-
dahoc. Champlain's guides, whom he took at the Penobscot, deserted
his vessel at the St. George, " because the savages of the Quinibequy
were their enemies." At Saco Champlain bartered a kidnapped
Penobscot boy " for the products of the country." Three years after-
ward (1608) he was founding Quebec* The English names and
grouping of the tribes differed from those of the French. The early
French visitors used the name Armouchiquoys to designate the na-
tives of Acadia westward of the St. Croix. They soon discarded it for
the more comprehensive name of Abenaquiois (Abenakis) — meaning
people of the east, easterners — which included all the natives between
Nova Scotia and the Connecticut river. This great tribe was divided
by the French into seven sub-tribes, three of which were in the terri-
tory of Maine, namely — the Sokwakiahs or Sacos, the Pentagoets or
Penobscots, and the Narhantsouaks or Norridgewocks (called also
Canibas or Kennebecs). As the French influence declined in Acadia,
the name Abenaquiois lost its wide application, and finally became
limited to the Indians who lived on the Kennebec. It was a common
French soubriquet for a century and a half before its use became
familiar to the English. As gradually the tribes broke up, those sur-
vivors who sought refuge on the Kennebec, and mixed with the
Abenakis, came under the ancient name.
The name borne by the Kennebec river is another enduring trace
of the Frenchman as well as of the Indians. Champlain was the first
(1605) to receive from the Indians the word Quinibequi (or Kinibeki),
which, it seems, they associated with the narrow and sinuous, though
now much traveled, passage between Bath and Sheepscot bay. Then,
as to-day, the water there boiled and eddied as the tides ebbed and
flowed through the ledgy gates. It was a place of danger to the native
navigators in their frail canoes; they had no understanding of the
real causes of the manifestation; they knew nothing of natural laws,
but believed all physical phenomena to be the work of genii or demons
and the expression of their caprices and ever varying moods. In their
mythology they peopled the water, forest and air with gross gods who
ruled fhe world; their name for serpent or monster was Kiiiai-hik, an
Algonquin word that has the same meaning among the kindred Chip-
pewas to-day .f Obviously as given to Champlain it referred to the
mighty dragons that lay coiled in the mysterious depths about the
* Champlain's Exploration of the Coast of Maine in 1605, by Gen. J. Marshall
Brown. Me. Hist. Soc. Coll., Vol. VII.
^Language of the Abanaquies, by C. E. Potter of New Hampshire. Me. Hist.
Soc. Coll., Vol. IV, p. 190. H. R. Schoolcraft's American Indians, part 3, p. 465.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 19
Hellgates; whose angry lashings or restless writhings made the waters
whirl and foam in ceaseless maelstrom. The evil reputation of the
locality yet survives in the word Hockomock (the Indian bad place),
a name borne by a picturesque headland at the upper gate.
Champlain explored to Merrymeeting bay, where he ascertained
that his Ouinibequi came from the northward. Father Biard followed
Champlain's chart, and in speaking of the Ouinibequi, remarks that it
has more than one mouth. The Indians had no geographical desig-
nations, but named spots and places only; they had no name for any
river as a whole, and it is a mistake to suppose that they did more in
the naming of the Kennebec than to furnish from their mythological
vocabulary the word which the French explorer caught from their
lips and wrote upon his map.* The English having named the river
Sagadahoc (from Sunkerdahunk), called it by that name below Merry-
meeting bay for more than a century. Above Merrymeeting Cham-
plain's Quinibequi (with changes in orthography) was never dis-
placed, but became permanent. After the successive wasting by the
Indians of the settlements on the banks of the Sagadahoc, that vener-
able name, as applied to any part of the river, faded out, and by un-
conscious popular selection the one given by Champlain was restored
to its place. Some writers have fancied that the river was named by
Canibas, a chief, whose habitat was on Swan island, but long before
that personage had entered upon his sachemship Quinibequi had been
written indelibly on the French map of Acadia.
The memory of the Abenakis or Kennebec tribe of Indians will
endure as long as the Kennebec shall continue to flow. We get our
first glimpse of these savages in the visit of Captain Gilbert; the pic-
ture is momentary and faint, yet real. Sebenoa and his warriors are
dimly seen in the shadow of their native forest, among their people.
Up to that moment their tribe has no history; it is not for us to know
how long their ancestors had dwelt upon the river, nor to inquire
whether they were of a race that was in the process of evolution from
a lower state, or descending in reversion from a higher. We find
them here, a little branch of the human family, in possession of the
river valley. They gleaned their subsistence from forest and stream.
The river was their highway and its banks their home. Their lives
were spent in seeking the means of existence. They obeyed the mi-
gratory impulse of the seasons like their not yet extinct contempo-
raries, the moose, deer and caribou. In the winter they moved north-
ward to hibernate with the game in the recesses of the upper Kenne-
bec and Moosehead lake. There they kept the wolf from the door by
snaring him in his lair, and chasing through the snows the fiounder-
* Champlain wrote Quinibequy and Quinebeque; Lescarbot wrote Kinibeki;
Jean de Laet wrote Quinibequin; on Dutch map of 1616 it is written Qui-mo-
beguyn.
^V HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ing moose and more helpless deer, and by catching through the ice of
the lakes the gorgeous trout, whose descendants the sportsmen of to-
day delight to capture. In the spring, when the lengthening days had
melted the snow and cleared the rivers, and the nobler game that had
sought the secluded valleys began to disperse to browse on the swell-
ing buds and springing grasses, the Indians, too, would leave their
winter haunts and migrate southward. Trimming with squaw and
papooses their skin-laden canoes to even keel, they glided down the
swollen river toward new supplies of food. They were accustomed
in their migrations to tarry, according to mood or circumstance, for
days or weeks at sundry places — at the mouths of tributary streams
and at the falls where the migrating sea fishes congregated in great
numbers during their passage to their native beds. These fishes — •
the salmon, shad and alewives — have, like the Indian, now disappeared
from the river. These general migrations sometimes extended to the
sea, but usually no further than Merrymeeting bay, where other tribes
assembled, and all had merrymeeting.
The Indians were truly children of the wilderness; they lived close
to nature; the chemistry of food and climate had brought them in
complete rappoj-t with their surroundings. The forest had assimilated
them to itself; they were of its growth, like the pines and ferns. The
harsh conditions of their existence sharpened their senses and intensi-
fied their instincts. Their lives were of the utmost simplicity. Their
weapons were stone-headed clubs and bows and arrows. Their work-
ing tools were of stone, flint and bone; their clothing was the skins of
beasts and plaited grasses and even boughs. As the bee makes its
perfect cell at the first attempt, and the beaver is an accomplished
engineer from its youth, so the Indian, without apprenticeship or
master, fashioned with his flint knife and bone awl the ideal boat —
the bark canoe {agivideii). It was adapted to his needs; without it he
could not have lived his nomadic life — which, amid his environments,
was the only mode of existence possible to him. The trackless forest
on either side, like a hedge, kept him near the river's bank; he must
needs roam for his food and raiment; this his canoe enabled him to
do; it would glide over shallows and shoot rapids, and could be taken
upon his shoulders and carried around dangerous cascades; in it he
traversed lakes and rivers with ease and speed, and in it he made all
of his long journeys, both of peace and war. The white man has
copied its model for three centuries, but has not been able to improve
it. In the winter his snow-shoes (angemaK) were of an importance
equal to that of the canoe in summer; they were the sole means by
which the hunter could pursue the game through the deep snows.
Their fishing and hunting encampments were the nearest approach
to their villages; their dwellings, constructed of poles and bark, were
only huts of shelter, and could not be called houses; they were aban-
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 21
doned when the builders removed to another spot, and soon tumbled
in decay, leaving no trace save that of the fires. But the sites of many
of their principal camps can be identified at the present day, both by
the vestiges of their fires and the debris of their weapon and tool
makers. Flint and stone chippings, with arrow-heads and other arti-
cles in all stages of manufacture, are found mixed with the soil where
their wigwams stood. Unlike the white man's metals, the material
composing these relics defies the corroding power of time, and .some
of the articles are as bright and perfect as when centuries ago they
left the hands of the dusky artisans. The prevailing substance is the
silicious slate or hornstone of Mt. Kineo, from whose rugged cliffs it
was quarried. Many spots where wigwam fires once glowed are yet
marked by burned and crumbling stones and by fragments of the
earthen vessels in which the feasts were cooked. These relic places
abound all along the Kennebec, from Popham beach to Moosehead
lake, but they are almost continuous on the alluvial banks between
Augusta and Waterville, which seems to have been a favorite resort
or metropolis of the tribe. The plow of civilization has been obliter-
ating for five generations these vestiges of a vanished people.
We first see the Indian as the proprietor of all these lakes and
rivers, and hills and meadows; his subjects were the beasts and birds
and fishes; his scepter was the tomahawk, his chariot was the bark
canoe; from Moosehead to the waters of the sea he exerci.sed his sov-
ereignty, and, monarch like, made progress through his forest realm,
levying tribute according to his humble needs. His language had
never been spelled into words and written in books; it was the artless
tongue of the realm of nature. Philologists have written learnedly
upon it, and exhibited specimens of it in dictionaries, but like the
people who spoke it, it eludes domestication, and like them it has
passed away. Many fragments, however, have been saved in the form
of names attached to the rivers, lakes and mountains of our state; they
were caught from the closing lips of a departing race; the nomencla-
ture of the Kennebec valley is greatly enriched by them. In the ab-
sence of geographical names, a river to the Indians was a series of
places where food could be procured at certain moons or in a special
manner; a range of mountains was divided by them into the abodes
of different genii. A river was named only in places or in sections;
we have seen that it fell to the white man to confer upon the Kenne-
bec its name as an hydrographic unity. What our form of expression
makes it convenient to call Indian names were not, in fact, originally
names at all.* They were laconic descriptions of the physical or
*That accomplished Abenakis scholar, Rev. C. M. O'Brien, says: "To
understand Indian names it must always be borne in mind that they rarely, if
ever, gave names to territories large or small, but only to spots."— Letter to
Hon. James P. Baxter, quoted in Trelaivnev Papers, p. 325. Note (Me. Hist.
Soc. Coll.. 3d series. Vol. HI).
22 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
mystical characteristics of the places referred to, which the white man
has softened and changed by his cultured tongue, and converted into
permanent names as his reparation and memorial to the race which he
has driven from the earth.
Among the earliest names derived from the Indian tongue on the
Kennebec, we find Sagadahoc and Sabiiio; they were both associated
with the mouth of the river; Sabino referred to the peninsula where
the Popham colony located. Erascolicgan was the present Georgetown:
Arro7vsic is the ancient name of the island adjoining; other familiar
names in the same region are. IVimiegancc (Bath), Ncquasset (Wool-
wich) and Qiiabacook (Merrymeeting bay). The Indians invariably
designated the mouths of rivers and tributary .streams by mentioning
some characteristic peculiar to each. Thus, Nahiinikcag (in Pittston)
means the place where eels can be caught; Cobbosseecontee (Gardiner),
sturgeon-place; Sebasticook (Winslow) is a comparatively modern
Indian corruption of the French pronunciation of St. John the Bap-
tist's place (or the place where an Indian lived who had been chris-
tened St. John the Baptist). The original meanings of many, and in-
deed of most of the Indian names, have been lost. The best students
of the tongue seldom agree in their analyses and definitions, and
usually confuse more than they explain. Names derived from the
Indians have attached to all the considerable streams that feed the
Kennebec. Beside those already mentioned there are the Worronion-
togus (at Randolph); Kedumcook (Vaughan brook, Hallowell); Cuslicnoc
(Bond brook, Augusta); Magorgooniagoostick (Seven-mile brook, Vassal-
hoxo); Messeclo7iskce (Emerson stream, Waterville); Wesserjinsett (in
Skowhegan); Norridgcwock (Sandy river, at Old Point); Carrabassctt
(at North Anson). Mecseccontee applied to Farmington falls, on the
Sandy river. The Kennebec, falling 1,()5() feet between Moosehead
and the tide at Augusta, is a remarkably swift river, full of rapids
and falls, which the Indian canoeists well knew how to shoot or when
to avoid. All of these places bore appropriate designations, such as
Teconiiet at Waterville, Skozv/ugan at the village of that name, and
Carrattink at Solon. Above Carratunk only a few Indian names sur-
vive. Moxa mountain was named for a modern Indian hunter. At
Moosehead lake, where the shores are rich with relics of the Indians,
Kineo is the only ancient name that remains. Ongueclwnta was the
name of Squaw mountain, when Montressor passed by its massive
slope on his way from Quebec to Fort Halifax, about the year 1760.
This dearth of Indian names in a region where once they must have
been very numerous, is explained by the fact that the river was de-
populated of natives and their local names on its upper waters forgot-
ten, before the white men had pushed their settlements so far inland
as to learn and preserve them.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 23
The next recorded visit by white men to the Kennebec Indians
after Captain Gilbert had erected a cross among them, was by Edward
Winslow and a few others of the Plymouth colony, in the fall of 1625.
During twenty-two years great events had taken place in New Eng-
land— and among them was the landing of the Pilgrims, who, having
founded a settlement, were now struggling for its continuance. At
first they sought among the Indians only a market for their surplus
corn in exchange for peltry, but they found the region .so rich in the
latter commodity that they presently applied for and obtained from
their English patrons a patent or deed of about 450 square miles of
territory in the center and best part of the Kennebec valley. They
established (in 1628) a trading house at Cushnoc (now Augusta), and
there trafficked with the natives for a period of thirty-four years.
Singularly enough during this era of intimate and friendly relation-
ship with the Pilgrim fathers, when the means were excellent for pre-
serving information, the Kennebec tribe is nearly destitute of any
history. The names of its chiefs, the places of its villages, its rela-
tions with neighboring tribes, its grand hunts and councils, and a
thousand incidents illustrating the Indians' mode of life, were consid-
ered too trivial for the white traders to record; perhaps as business
men in the pursuit of gain, they preferred that the public should not
know much about the affairs of the patent. They made no effort
toward ameliorating the hard condition of their Indian wards; they
gave them no teachers, either secular or religious, but looked upon
them much as they did upon the other inhabitants of the wilderness.
When trade ceased to be profitable they abandoned them.
III. FATHER DRUILLETTES AND HIS KENNEBEC MISSION.
The first Mission in Canada.— Father Masse at the Residence of St. Joseph of
Sillery.— Father Druillettes among the Algonquins.— Intercourse between
the Kennebec and St. Lawrence. — St. Lawrence Indian killed on the Kenne-
bec—Treaty between the Algonquins and Abenakis.— The Latter ask for
a Missionary.— Father Druillettes sent to them.— His Visit to Pentagoet.—
Chapel built near Cushnoc and named the Mission of the Assumption.—
Father Druillettes' return to Quebec.
It was left to the people of the French nation, who once dis-
played the symbol of Christianity to the Indians on the lower Ken-
nebec (1611), to undertake the conversion of the Abenakis. The first
missions on the St. Lawrence were begun in 1614, under the patronage
of Champlain; they were reinforced in 1625 by the arrival of three
Jesuits, one of whom was Father Ennemond Mas.se, who was driven
by Argal from St. Sauveur with Father Biard twelve years before.
24 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Quebec was captured by Englishmen in 1629, when Father Masse
was again expelled from the country, with his associates. Three
years later (1632) France by treaty resumed dominion over both
Canada and Acadia; the suspended missions were immediately re-
vived, and a system of evangelizing labor was soon established, under
which in a few years heroic priests had carried the gospel to the na-
tives of every part of New France. Quebec was the central radiating
point. By the shore of the St. Lawrence, about four miles above
Quebec and nearly opposite the mouth of the Chaudiere, there was an
Indian village (called Ka-miskoua-ouangachit'), where the missionaries
built a church; in 1637 Father Masse became a resident pastor there;
two years later (1639) the mission was endowed by a gift of twenty
thousand livres by a converted French courtier, and in honor of its
benefactor was given the name of the Residence of St. Joseph of Sil-
lery. The establishment became the seminary of the missionaries,
for the acquiring of the various Indian languages, preparatory to
their going forth to their fields of labor. To this place came in 1648,
Father Gabriel Druillettes, the first regular missionary to the Kenne-
bec. He first essayed to learn the tongue of the Algonquins or St.
Lawrence tribe, and soon went among them. The smoke of the wig-
wams inflamed his eyes and made him blind; he was led about in his
helplessness by an Indian boy; he implored his neophytes to join him
in offering prayer for his recovery; this they did and his sight was
from that hour restored! He ever after believed that his cure was a
miracle in answer to the prayers of his converts. Weakened by the
sufferings attending his first year's labors, he was given the second
year a less exacting service near the mission of Sillery. The gently-
bred scholar and priest was seasoning and hardening for the wonder-
ful apostolic career that was before him.
There can be no doubt that long before the written history of the
Indians begins there were occasional exchanges of visits between the
natives on the St. Lawrence and those who lived in the valley of the
Kennebec. It is said in the Jesuit Relations that in the year 1637 a
party of Abenakis (Kennebecs) Indians went to Quebec to buy beaver
skins to sell to the English traders; a jealous Montanais (mountaineer)
chief denounced them before the French governor, Montmagny, and
offered to go and shut the rivers against their return to their country.
The governor forbade bloodshed, but allowed the mountaineers to rob
the strangers and send them home. In 1640 an English trader (prob-
ably one of the Plymouth colony's men) accompanied by twenty Ken-
nebecs, undertook the journey from Maine to Quebec. After he had
reached the St. Lawrence, the French governor ordered him to return
immediately; but this he could not do as the rivers were low and some
of the streams were dry; so, without allowing him to visit Quebec, the
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 25
governor sent him down to Tadoussac (at the mouth of the Saguenay)
from whence he was shipped to Europe. The same year an Algon-
quin (St. Lawrence) Indian named Makheabichtichiou, came to the
Kennebec with his family, to escape the reproaches of the missionaries
for his persistency in continuing his heathen practice of polygamy.
In the course of the winter following he was killed by a drunken
Abenakis; while his two widowed wives were journeying back to their
kindred in Canada, one died miserably of grief and famine. Under
the Indian code the tragedy was liable to be avenged on the whole
tribe — to avoid which two chiefs were sent to Canada to announce the
affair with the regret of their people, and to offer satisfaction in the
form of presents to the parents of the deceased. It seems probable
that the ambassadors would have been summarily tomahawked in
retaliation for the deed they had come to excuse, if John Baptist
Etiuechkawat and Christmas Negabamat, two baptized chiefs of Sil-
lery, had not interceded eloquently for them. It was declared that
the murder was not committed by the tribe, which on the contrary
wholly disapproved of it, but that it was the act of an individual san-
nup while frenzied by the English traders' fire-water. Finally the
exasperated tribesmen and bereaved relatives were soothed by words
and gifts, and a treaty of friendship was made between their tribe
and the Abenakis, which was never broken. Thereafter the two
tribes were inseparable allies in peace and war. Father Marault
says in his Histoirc dcs Abenakis, that thenceforth the latter, until their
final emigration to Canada and extinction on the Kennebec, annually
sent envoys to Quebec to renew and celebrate this alliance.
In the fall of 1643 a Christianized St. Lawrence Indian named
Charles Mejachkawat, came from Sillery to the Kennebec, and passed
the winter among the Abenakis. He seems to have been sent pur-
posely to extol on the Kennebec his conception of the gospel which
the missionaries were preaching on the St. Lawrence. His visit
aroused the interest or curiosity of many in the mysterious ceremonies
of baptism and the mass, which he described. During his stay he
visited the English trading house at Cushnoc (Augusta), and there
had occasion to defend his faith with spirited words against the
humorous raillery of the Puritan heretics. He returned to Sillery in
the spring (1641), accompanied by one of the chiefs who, three years
before, had been sent to requite the killing of the refugee. The life
of this chief had been saved with that of his associate, and war averted
by the good offices of the proselytes of Sillery, whom he had prom-
ised in the fullness of his gratitude to join in accepting the religion of
the Black-gowns; he was now going to Sillery to crave baptism. The
rite was duly administered by the priest in the Sillery chapel, Gov-
ernor Montmagny acting as his godfather; the church christened him
26 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
John Baptist, but his Indian name is not recorded. He was the first
Kennebec chief on whom holy water was placed. He started alone
on his journey back to his people, and sad to relate, fell into the hands
of a party of the merciless Iroquiois and was cruelly killed.
The history of the Jesuit missions shows the remarkable fact that
while most tribes received the missionaries with indiiference or
apathy, and some murdered them, the Abenakis asked for them. The
frequent visits between the Kennebec and the St. Lawrence that fol-
lowed the treaty of 1641, brought favorably to the attention of the
Abenakis the meek and peace-loving Black-robes, who, unlike other
white men, did not greedily grasp their beaver, but appeared to be
unselfishly anxious for their comfort and welfare. In the .spring of
1646, several Abenakis returned to the Kennebec from Sillery, full of
enthusiasm which the Fathers' zeal had inspired in them for the
Christian faith. After having visited the families and chiefs of their
tribe, they journeyed back to Sillery, bearing the request of their
people for a missionary. They arrived at Sillery on the 14th of
August; the next day, after participating in the celebration of the
Assumption, they went before an assembly of the Fathers and in the
customary Indian form of proceeding in council, delivered an oration.
They said that their tribe on the Kennebec had been deeply moved
by the kindness of Noel (Christmas) Negabamat; that the treaty of
friendship which had been made would end with this earthly life;
that the bond of faith would continue after death eternally; that they
had been told of the beauties of heaven and the horrors of hell; that
thirty men and six women of their tribe, having already endorsed
the new belief, now begged for a Father to come from Quebec to in-
struct and baptize them, and that the ears of the chiefs and people
would be open to the preaching of the gospel. The record says:
" The Fathers acceded to the pious desire of these good Christians,
and selected Father Gabriel Druillettes to go and establish a mission
on the river Kennebec." "•'"
Father Druillettes accepted the choice of his brethren as the voice
of God, and prepared for his journey; he had little to do to make
ready. Besides the parcels containing the missal and crucifix, his
outfit consisted of only a few articles of priestly apparel, a little box
of medicines and some bread and wine for the mass — made into a
pack that could be slung on the shoulders or laid in the canoe. On
the 29th of August, he started with the Christianized chief Negaba-
mat, and a few Abenakis who were to be his guides. He ascended the
rapid Chaudiere about ninety miles, to its source in Lake Megantic;
from the waters of that lake he followed the trail that led across the
divide through swamp and logan to the waters of the Kennebec; these
*Re/atioiis of the Jesuits in New Fraiiee for the year IQ.'fC.. Chap \\ p. 19.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 27
he descended to the main river, and by the middle of vSeptember
reached the upper village of the Abenakis (probably Nanrantsouack
— now called Old Point, in Norridgewock). Here he seems to have
tarried for a week, and then resumed his journey down the river, call-
ing at the different villages and conferring with the chiefs and people
about their souls' salvation. By the end of September he had pro-
gre.ssed as far as the Plymouth trading post at Cushnoc, where he
called and was kindly received by John Winslow, the agent, who in-
vited him to become his guest. The missionary gladly accepted the
Pilgrim's hospitality, and enjoyed for a few days the comforts of the
trading house, which, though few and humble, were great in contrast
with those found in the huts of the natives. The Father was the first
white man who had ever entered the Kennebec from Canada and ap-
proached the trading house from the north. He was a Frenchman,
and neither he nor Winslow could converse in the language of the
other, but by signs and pantomimes and the spirit of Christian kind-
ness that knows all languages, the host and guest soon became mu-
tually intelligible, and by the help of Indian interpreters were able to
understand each other.
Father Druillettes remained a few days as the distinguished guest
of the Pilgrim trader, and then went back to the cabins of the Indians,
where he found pressing employment in the nursing of the sick, the
baptizing of the dying, and the instructing of the living. In about
two weeks, partly to finish his reconnaissance of the country, but
chiefly to confer with some fellow-missionaries of the Capuchin order
on the Penobscot, Father Druillettes started in a canoe with a native
guide down the river, and went along the sea-coast to Pentagoet (now
Castine), " visiting seven or eight English habitations on the way."
Father Ignace de Paris, the superior at Pentagoet (which was then a
French post), " saluted him lovingly," and approved of the planting of
a Jesuit mission on the Kennebec — which river was then regarded by
Frenchmen as the western boundary of Acadia. Father Druillettes
soon started on his return, encouraged in his heart by the benediction
of his brother missionary, and the courteous treatment given him at
the English habitations, where he again called as a wayfarer for
nightly shelter and rest. At one of these—" Mr. Chaste gave to him
food abundantly for his voyage and some letters for the English at
Kennebec [Cushnoc]. In these he protested that he had seen nothing
in the Father which was not praiseworthy; that he carried nothing to
trade. The savages gave him this testimony: that he labored only
for their instruction; that he came to procure their salvation at the
risk of his life; and that, in a word, he admired his courage." '-^
*Who this kind "Mr. Chaste " was we do not know; we like to believe the
name is a misspelled rendering of Mr. Shurt — good Abraham Shurt of Pemaquid
20 HISTO.RY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
The priest, with his dusky guide, paddled back to the Plymouth
trading- house at Cushnoc; he presented his letters to Winslow, and
then showed his commission as missionary from the Jesuit superior at
Quebec; the commission was in French and the Englishman could
not read it, but with his own hand carefully made a copy to carry to
Plymouth. He then extended to the Father all the kindness in his
power; he consented to the planting of a mission within the Plymouth
jurisdiction, and gave his active assistance to the undertaking. Father
Druillettes then chose for his mission a place near the river a league
above the trading post, in the vicinity of what has since been named
Gilley's point in Augusta; his record says " the savages had there as-
sembled to the number of fifteen large cabins," and that there " they
made for him a little chapel of planks built in their own fashion " [ils
luy bastirent une petite cliapelle de planches, faite d leur mode). He be-
stowed upon this chapel the name selected for it by the Fathers at
Siller}' — The Mission of the Assumption on the Kennebec {La Mission de
I'Assoinption au pays des Abnaquiois).* It v.'as on the anniversary of the
Assumption (August 15) that Father Druillettes arrived in Canada,
and on the same calendar day he had been assigned to the Kennebec
by his brethren, who, in compliment, gave him a name for his mission
to commemorate those events. "It was there that the Father, acquiring
sufficiently their [the Indians'] language, instructed them zealously:
making them listen to the subject that kept him with them, and telling
them of the importance of confessing Him who had created them and
who punished or blessed them according to their deeds." His humble
parishioners appear to have been willing listeners and docile pupils,
for he says: " Seeing that a large part professed to love the good news
of the gospel, he [the missionary] demanded of them three things, as
tokens of their good will and desire to receive the faith of Jesus
Christ. The first was to leave the beverages of Europe [the brandy
of the traders], from which followed much drunkenness among the
savages; secondly, he asked them to live peaceably together and to
put an end to the jealousies and quarrels which were often occurring
between them and members of other tribes; thirdly, he required that
they throw away their Manitous or demons or mysterious charms;
there were few young men who had not some stone or other thing
—whose long life was full of deeds of kindness toward the Indians, and who, if
satisfied that the priest was their real friend, would have written such a letter.
The Father must have met some French and English speaking person by whom,
as interpreter, his character as a missionary could be expressed in English as
certified by "Mr. Chaste." Of the " seven or eight English settlements " along
the route, Pemaquid was the oldest and largest: the others may have been
Pejepscot, Sagadahoc, Sheepscot, Capenewaggen, Damariscotta, New Harbor
and St. George.
* Jesuit Relations for the year 1G],7, Chap. X, p. 52.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 29
which they held as a propitiation to their demon for his kindness in
the chase or the games, or in war; it is given to them by some sor-
cerer [medicine man] or they dream that they found it, or that the
Manitou gave it to them. . . Many who had charms or Manitous
drew them from their pouches — some threw them away and others
brought them to the Father. Some sorcerers or jugglers burned their
drums and other implements of their trade; so that no longer were
heard in their cabins, the yellings, and cries and hubbub which they
made around their sick, because the greater part protested stoutly that
they wanted refuge in God. I say the greater part, but not all; some
never liked the change, so they carried a sick man to be whispered
and chanted over by the.se cheats. But the poor man, being well pre-
pared for heaven, said that if he recovered his health he would hold it
as a gift from Him who alone can give and take away as it pleases
Him. The Father stayed among these fifteen cabins, teaching in
public and private, making the savages pray, vi.siting, consoling and
relieving the sick; with much suffering it is true, but tempered by a
blessing and inspiration from heaven which sweetens the most bitter
trials. God does not yield; He scatters his blessings as well upon the
cross of iron as upon the cross of silver and gold. It is not a small
joy to baptize thirty persons prepared for death and paradise. The
Father had not yet wished to entrust the holy waters to those who
were full of life; he only .scattered them upon the dying, some of
whom recovered, to the surprise of their comrades." *
In the month of January (1647) the Father went with the Indians
on their winter hunt to Moosehead lake, where, " being divided into
many bands, they wage war against deer, elk and beaver, and other
wild beasts;" the Father stayed with one party, " following it in all its
journeys." In the spring, " the chase ended, all the savages reassem-
bled upon the banks of this great lake [Moosehead] at the place where
they had stopped [before the dispersion]. Here the sorcerers lost
credit, for not only those who prayed to God had not encountered
misfortune but the Father and his company had not fallen into the
ambush of the Iroquiois, but instead had been favored with a fortu-
nate chase, and some sick persons separated from the Father, having
had recourse to God in their agonies, had received the blessing of a
sudden return to health." The reassembling of the tribe at the close
of the hunt was at the outlet of the lake and such occasions were cele-
brated by feasting and dancing, until the canoes were ready for the
descent of the river. When Father Druillettes arrived with his com-
pany at the place of the mission house, he found that Winslow had
already reached the trading house three miles below. Winslow had
spent the winter in Plymouth and Boston; he told the missionary that
* Jesuit J^c/atioiis, 1647, Chap. X. pp. o;^-o4.
60 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
he " had shown the letter of Mr. Chate to twenty-four persons of im-
portance in New England, atnong whom were four famous ministers;
and that they all approved his plan, saying boldly that it was a good
and praiseworthy and generous action to instruct the savages, and
that God must be praised for it. ' The gentlemen of the Kennebec
company [the Plymouth colony] charged me,' said Mr. Houinslaud
[Winslow], ' to bring you [Father Druillettes] word that if you wish
for some French to come and build a house [mission establishment]
on the Kennebec river, they will gladly allow it; and that you will
never be molested in your ministry; if you are there,' added he,
' many English will come to visit you;' giving us to understand that
there are some Catholics in these countries. The Father, having no
orders on this proposition, replied to Winslow that he would write to
him soon if the plan was judged practicable." *
Father Druillettes left the Mission of the Assumption on the 20th
of May, 1647, " going to visit all the places where the savages were,
baptizing the sick and thus rescuing those beyond all hope. . .
There were neither small nor great who did not express sorrow at the
departure of their Patriarch " (the name of endearment which the
missionary's neophytes had given him). Thirty Indians accompanied
him to Quebec, where he arrived on the 15th of June " full of health."
The disciples who escorted him besought him to return with them
after eleven days' rest, " but the Jesuit Fathers for sufficient reasons,
did not grant their request, and the savages returned to their country,
afflicted by the refusal."
IV. FATHER DRUILLETTES AS A MISSIONARY AND ENVOY.
The Kennebec Mission Field reopened. — Iroquiois Enemies. — Scene at the
Cushnoc Trading House. — Father Druillettes and Negabamat go to Boston
and Plymouth.— The Father meets the Governors.— He visits John Eliot
and John Endicott. — Resumes Labor in his Mission. — Returns to Quebec. —
Sent back to New England.— Lost in the Forests on the St. John.— Reaches
Nanrantsouak. — Welcomed with Joy.— Visits the four Colonies.— Last Labors
on the Kennebec. — Painful Journey to Quebec.
The next year (1648) the neophytes of the Kennebec went to Que-
bec and repeated their request for the return of Father Druillettes,
but the Jesuit Fathers, thinking that the distant Abenakis could be
sufficiently ministered unto by the Capuchins of Pengbscot, and hav-
itig great need in Canada of all of the missionaries of their own
society, did not yield to the petition. The next year (1649) the .same
request was made with the same result; but in 1650, the persistency
* /fsiat Relatiotis, 1647, Chap. X, p. 56.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 31
and earnestness of the appeals, supported by a letter from Father
Come de Mante of the Pentagoet mission, were sitccessful. Father
Druiliettes was appointed to reopen his Kennebec mission. He left
Quebec (or Sillery) September 1st, accompanied by his faithful disci-
ple and constant companion, Noel Negabamat. On reaching the Ken-
nebec, he visited hastily the several villages, and received the joyful
welcome of his former pupils. On St. Michael's eve (September 29)
he arrived at the Plymouth trading house, at Cushnoc. To his great
pleasure he there met again his foi'mer friend, " the agent, by name
Jehan Winslau [John Winslow], a citizen merchant of Plymouth."
At the time of Father Druiliettes' first labors on the river four
years before, there was a feeling of unrest among the Abenakis arising
from the dread of their enemies, the Mohawks (one of the celebrated
Iroquiois tribes), whose raids from their country beyond the western
highlands had reached even to the Kennebec. Since 1646, six French
missionaries* had been massacred by the Mohawks and their kindred
tribes, and marauding parties were yearly roaming the banks of the
St. Lawrence, with hatchets and knives bought of the Dutch and
English traders on the Hudson. The governor of Canada (D'Alli-
boust), to protect his own people and the far more numerous friendly
natives of his domain, sought to repel the invaders; and he gave to
Father Druiliettes on his departure for the Kennebec, " a letter of
credit to speak on behalf of Sieur d'AUiboust to the governor and
magistrates of said country " (New England). It was therefore in the
dual capacity of missionary and envoy that Father Druiliettes made
his second visit to the Abenakis. The then existing colonies (Ply-
mouth, Massachusetts, New Haven, Connecticut,) had formed (in
1643) a confederation to promote their common interests, and espe-
cially to enable them to deal as a unit with the neighboring Dutch
and French colonies. This confederacy — the embryo of our great
republic— prohibited the individual colony from going to war alone
and from concluding a peace without the consent of the others.
Before 1650, this confederacy had proposed a system of commer-
cial reciprocity between New England and New France. Father
Druiliettes was now instructed to agree on behalf of his government
to the proposed treaty, provided New England would unite with
Canada in keeping the Iroquiois from the war path against the tribes
* They were all of the Society of Jesus. Father Isaac Jogues (killed October
18, 1646) was sent to the Mohawk country at the same time that Father Druil-
iettes was ordered to the Kennebec. The two Fathers received their assign-
ments on the same day. The other victims to Iroquiois cruelty were: Fathers
Antoine Daniel, killed July 4. 1648; Jean de Brebeuf, March 16, 1649; Gabriel
Lallemant, March 17, 1649; Charles Gamier, December 7, 1649; Noel Chobanel,
December 8, \&i^.—Al>ri(fgeJ Relations of the Missions of the Jesuits in New
Fiance. By Father P. F. J. Bressani, 16.53. Montreal, 1853.
32 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
that were friendly to the French. In the light of these facts we can
understand the proceedings at the Kennebec trading house on the
30th of September, 1650. Father Druillettes, with Negabamat and a
throng of Indians who had followed them from the different villages,
met with ceremony the representative of the colony of Plymouth at
the trading house. Negabamat, addressing John Winslow and hand-
ing to him a bundle of beaver skins, said in his mother tongue (the
Algonquin, and interpreted into French for us by the missionary):
" The governor of the river St. Lawrence, by the Father who stands
here, to those of your nation, and I as ally join my word to his; Not
to speak to thee alone, but rather to tell thee to embark my word, that
is to say my present [the beaver skins], to carry it to the governor of
Plymouth." Winslow answered that he would do with the governor
and magistrates all that could be expected from a good friend; where-
upon Negabamat and the other Indians asked that the Father should
go with him (Winslow) to present in person d'Alliboust's letter and
" explain his intentions according to the letter of credit which he had,
and to bear the words of the Christians of Sillery and the catechumens
of the river Kennebec." Winslow replied: " I will lodge him in my
house, and I will treat him as my own brother; for I well know the
good that he [the missionary] does among you, and the life that he
leads there." The record adds: " This he said because he had a par-
ticular zeal for the conversion of the Indians."
Thus accredited by the Kennebec Indians as well as by the Cana-
dian governor, to negotiate against the Iroquiois, the missionary-envoy
started about the 20th of November for Boston; he says: " I left Cous-
sinoc by land, with the said agent [Winslow], inasmuch as the vessel
that was to carry us had some cause for delay in waiting for the In-
dians; and fearing to be surprised by the ice, we were therefore
obliged to go ten leagues, to embark by sea at Marimiten [Merry-
meeting], which the Indians call Nassouac. This was a painful march,
especially to the agent, who is already somewhat in years [born in
1597] and who assured me that he would never have undertaken it if
he had not given his word to Noel " (Negabamat). They embarked
at Tameriskau (Damariscove ?) on the 25th, but the winds and storms
drove them ashore at Cape Ann, from whence " partly by land and
partly by boat," they reached Boston on the 8th of December. The
incidents of this embassy were quite fully recorded by Father Druil-
lettes, '•■■ but it would be apart from the present purpose to recite them
all. He was blandly received by the principal personages of Boston,
* " Narrative of a voyage, made for the Abenaquiois mission and information
acquired of New England and the magistrates of that republic, for assistance
against the Iroquiois. The whole by me, Gabriel Druillettes, of the Society of
Jesus."— Trans, from the original MS. by John Gilmary Shea. Coll. New York
Hist. Society (2d series), Vol. Ill, part 1.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 33
■who, because he was a foreign envoy, did not inflict upon him the
execution which one of their laws made the earthly doom of a Jesuit.
After receiving many courteous attentions and an audience and din-
ner with the governor (Thomas Dudley) and magistrates, he was at
last told that in consequence of the character he had assumed as am-
bassador of the Kennebec Indians, Boston had no interest in the sub-
ject; and he was referred to Plymouth. He then went to Plymouth
(December 21-22), and saw the Pilgrim fathers at their homes. The
Father says: "The governor of the place John Brentford [William
Bradford] received me with courtesy, and appointed the next day for
audience, and then invited me to a dinner of fish which he had pre-
pared on my account, seeing that it was Friday. I met with much
favor at this settlement, for the farmers [lessees of the Plymouth
patent], and among others Captain Thomas Willets, spoke to the gov-
ernor on behalf of my negotiation. . . The governor . . with all
the magistrates, not only consents but presses this affair in favor of
the Abenaquois. The whole colony has no trifling interest in it, be-
cause by its right of seigniory, it annually takes the sixth part of all
that arises from the trade on that river Quinebec; and the governor
himself in particular, who with four
other of the most considerable citi- S*'^'>'i^A' 'iVi>-i^f<^es SecJ-J"-
zens, are as it were, farmers of this
trade, who lose much, losing all hope of the commerce of the Kenne-
bec and Quebec, by means of the Abnaquiois, which will soon infalli-
bly happen, if the Iroquois continues to kill and hunt to death the
Abenaquiois as he has done for some years past."
The sanguine Father returned to Boston, where he wrote to Gov-
ernor d'Alliboust his official report, from which the last few preceding
lines are copied. He had the faith of the enthusiast that the purpose
of his embassy would be accomplished. It was winter and the season
when vessels seldom ventured along the coast; consequently his de-
parture was delayed a few days, during which time he was the guest
of distinguished people, one of whom was John Eliot, the Protestant
Indian apostle, at Roxbury, who hospitably invited him to stay at his
house all winter. On the 5th of January he embarked on " a vessel
clearing for the Kennebec;" bad weather stopped it for a week or
more at Marblehead; the envoy improved the time by going up to
Salem, to see John Endicott, " who," says the Father, " seeing that I
had no money, defrayed my expenses." * On the 24th of January the
bark reached Piscataqua, and on the 7th of February anchored at
Tameriskau. The next day the missionary reached the Kennebec, up
* Which kind act gives us a rare glimpse into the inner nature of the man
who soon after as governor was led by his infuriated zeal for Puritanism, to have
Quakers tortured and put to death.
31 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
which on its frozen and snow covered surface he laboriously tramped
to resume his interrupted labors. From the comforts of guest cham-
bers and the luxuries of governors' tables, he returned unflinchingly
to the squalid huts, and pitiful, uncertain fare of the savages, whom
he had been called to serve. In the spring, on his return to Cushnoc
with the tribe from the winter hunt at Moosehead, he found John
Winslow had returned from Plymouth, bringing the message that " all
the magistrates and the two commissioners of Plymouth have given
their word, and resolved that they must press the other colonies to
join them against the Iroquiois in favor of the Abnaquiois, who are
under the protection of the colony of Plymouth." This cheering re-
sponse to the Father's visit to Plymouth was supplemented by letters
brought to him by Winslow from men in Boston, representing the
common opinion to be that " if the republic will not undertake this
aid against the Iroquiois . . individuals are ready as volunteers for
the expedition." With these hopeful assurances, Father Druillettes,
taking affectionate leave of his neophytes, returned in the month of
June (1651) to Quebec, and reported in person to his government the
apparent result of his embassy.
But so active and malignant was the enemy and so unhappy the
outlook, that after a rest of only fifteen days Father Druillettes and
Negabamat were sent back to the Kennebec, " Negabamat being com-
missioned as before by the Algonquins of the Great River [St. Law-
rence], and the Father by both the governor of Canada and the good
Abenaquiois catechumens." This last trip of Father Druillettes was
exceedingly painful — almost tragical in its beginning and ending — and
bitterly disappointing in its political result. He was accompanied by
one Frenchman (Jean Guerin) and several Abenakis, who had fol-
lowed him to Quebec. In the hope of finding a shorter route than the
usual one up the Chaudiere to Lake Megantic. the guides took one
with which they were not acquainted; " after having rowed and walked
for fifteen days by torrents and through many frightful ways," they
saw with dismay that they had mistaken the river down which they
should have glided, and that instead of being in the country of the
Abenakis they were at Madawaska (on the St. John). But a worse
feature of their condition was food-famine. The provisions taken for
the two weeks' journey to the Kennebec were exhausted; the com-
pany were weak from hunger and unable to perform the labor of
stemming the current of the river which they must ascend before
they could reach the route to their destination. In this dark hour
Father Druillettes piously re.sorted to the resources of his religion; in
the solitude of the immense forest he proceeded to offer the sacrifice
of the holy mass for relief and deliverance. He had just concluded
the ceremony when one of the Indians came running to the spot with
the joyful news that the party had killed three moose. The lives of
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 35
the famishing- wanderers were thereby saved. The Father deemed it
the visible interposition of God as he did the restoration of his eye-
sight seven years before.
After having restored their strength with the miraculously sent
moose meat and preserved by the process of smoking enough to last
until some could be procured in the ordinary way, the party started
to return up river. There were rapids, falls and difficulties number-
less; one of the Indians — an Etechemin from the St. John — attributed
all of the party's bad luck to the presence of the Black-robe; some of
the streams were too low to float the canoes, so the Father prayed for
rain — which came and the water rose; but the ill will and persecu-
tions of the savage compelled the Father to cast off his luggage in
order to lighten the boat, and finally to separate himself from the
party and grope his way in loneliness among rocks and windfalls and
dismal stretches of swamp; be " rose at break of day and traveled till
night without eating; his supper was a little piece of smoked meat
hard as wood, or a small fish if he could catch it, and after having said
his prayers the earth was his bed, his pillow a log." * At last, after
twenty-two or twenty-three days from Quebec, the party reached Nan-
rantsouak (Norridgewock). The chief, Oumamanradock, welcomed
the Father with a salute of musketry, and embraced him, saying: " I
see now that the Great Spirit who rules in heaven has looked upon us
with a kind eye since he has sent us our Patriarch again." The chief
inquired of the attendants if the Father had been well and well treated
on the journey, and when told of the harsh conduct of the Etechemin,
he berated the fellow roundly, saying: " If you were one of my sub-
jects or of my nation, I would make you feel the grief which you have
caused the whole country." The culprit admitted his guilt and con-
fessed— " I am a dog to have treated the Black-gown so badly." The
rec6rd says, " there was no man, woman or child who did not express
to the Father the joy that was felt at his return; there were feasts in
all the cabins: he was taken possession of and carried away with love."
It was probably about this time that " in a great meeting " they
" naturalized and admitted the Father to their nation." Subsequently,
when he was at the village near Cushnoc, an attache of the trading
post, who had entered a wigwam where the priest was conversing, re-
ported to Winslow his employer, that the missionary was declaiming
against the English. This offended Winslow, but the Indians went
to the trading house and declared that the tattler lied— that he did not
understand the Abenakis tongue from which he pretended to quote,
and in their resentment of the injustice done to their missionary,
said: " We have adopted him for our comrade, we love him as the
wisest of our captains, . . and whoever assails him attacks all the
Abenaquiois."
* Jesuit Relations for 1002, Chap. VII, p. 23. > _m ^ Q^^'^OQ
36 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Father Druillettes' third arrival on the Kennebec caused a round
of profound welcome and rejoicing. Friends old and new flocked
from all sides to see him; he made a tour of the " twelve or thirteen
villages which are ranged partly upon the river Kennebec, and partly
upon the coast of Acadia. . . He was everywhere received as an
angel from heaven." The warmth of his reception impressed him,
and in alluding to it he wrote: " If the years have their winter they
have also their spring-time; if these missions have their afifiictions,
they are not deprived of their joys and consolations. I have felt more
than I can express, seeing the gospel-seed which I have sown for four
years, which produced in the ground in so many centuries only briars
and thorns, bring forth fruit worthy of the table of God. . . One
captain [chief] broke my heart; he repeated to me often in public and
private that he loved his children as himself; ' I have lost two of them
since your departure; their death is not my greatest sorrow, but you
had not baptized them; that is what distresses me. It is true that I
have done for them what you recommended me to do, but I do not
know whether I have done well, or if I shall ever see them in heaven;
if you had baptized them I would not grieve for them; I would not be
sorry for their death, on the contrary I would be consoled; at least if
to banish my sorrow you will promise not to think of Quebec for ten
years, and will not depart during that time, you will see that we love
you.' Besides he led me to the graves of his two children, upon which
he had erected two beautiful crosses, painted red, which he came to
salute from time to time in sight of the English at Koussinok [Cush-
noc], where the cemetery of these good people is, because they hold at
this place two great meetings, one in tine spring and the other in the
autumn." * The.se children were probably buried in ground that had
been consecrated for burial purposes by Father Druillettes during one
of his previous visits. Its location was probably near the Mission of
the Assumption. Ancient human skeletons were plowed up by the
early settlers in the vicinity of Gilley's point, where the chapel must
have stood, f
After Father Druillettes had spent several weeks " in instructing
the villages that were farther inland and more remote from the
English, he took with him Noel Negabamat and went down to New
England." This time, besides visiting Boston and Plymouth, they
went to the two other colonies (New Haven and Connecticut), implor-
ing for their people protection from the Iroquiois; but the fervent de-
sire of Plymouth to save the inhabitants of its domain on the Kenne-
bec from the Mohawk hatchet was neutralized by Massachusetts'
indifference and the reluctance of the other colonies toward disturb-
* Jesuit Relations, 1G52, Chap. VII, p. 25.
t This fact was communicated by the late Mrs. Robert Dennison, an aged
lady of North Augusta, who died in the early part of 1892.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 37
ing the relations that existed between themselves and the Dutch in
the territory that is now the state of New York. So the tremendous
and patient labors of the embassy were fruitless. Christian New
England would not be aroused to protect the Christianized Indians of
the Kennebec. Father Druillettes returned with his companion to
the mission field in the depths of the wilderness, where he passed the
dreary winter among his neophytes, destitute of every physical com-
fort, the menial servant of savages, the target of the jealous jugglers'
spite; tramping from village to village at the call of the sick and
dying; always preaching by act and word the sublime gospel of divine
humanity. At the beginning of March (1652) he departed wearily for
Quebec. The hardships of his journey hither were far exceeded by
those of his return. The party started on snow-shoes; we are not told
their route. The time occupied was more than a month. The supplj'
of food gave out, and some of the Indians died of exhaustion. All of
the company expected to perish with hunger and cold. Father Druil-
lettes and Negabamat were without food for six days following the
fasting season of Lent. Finally they were obliged to boil their moc-
casins, and then the Father's gown (camisole) which was made of
moose skin; the snow melting, they boiled the braids of their snow-
shoes. On such frail broth they kept sufficient strength to finally
reach Quebec on Monday after Easter (April 8), " having no more
courage or strength than zeal for the salvation of souls can give to
skeletons." With a pale, thin face, and worn body, the intrepid, de-
vout and half-martyred Druillettes closed his labors with the Indians
of the Kennebec*
V. THE FIRST INDIAN WAR IN MAINE.
English and French irritation in Acadia. — Alienation between the Indians and
the EngHsh.— Afifinity between the Indians and the French.— Phihp's War
reaches to Maine.— Kennebecs disarmed.— Robinhood makes Treaty of
Peace.— Outrageous Affront to the Saco Chief. — War begins at Merrymeet-
ing Bay. — Parley at Teconnet. — Hammond's Fort at Woolwich, and Clark &
Lake's Fort at Arrowsic, captured. — Dreadful Massacres.— Kennebecs return
Captives and ask for Peace. — Treaties of Casco and Portsmouth.
The history of the Indians on the Kennebec is nearly a blank for
a quarter of a century after the retirement of Father Druillettes. The
feeble mission of the Capuchins on the Penobscot was broken up by
the Huguenot Frenchman, La Tour, in his quarrel with his Catholic
* Father Druillettes was born in France in the year 1393. After his retire-
ment from the Kennebec he was constantly with the Montagnais, Kristineaux,
Papinachois, and other tribes. In 1661 he ascended the Saguenay, in the attempt
to reach Hudson's bay. He went West in 1666 with the celebrated Marquette,
and labored at Sault Ste. Mary till 1679, when he returned to Quebec, and there
died on the 8th of April, 1681, after a missionary career of nearly forty years.
ci« HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
countryman, D'Aulnay, and the semi-Christianized tribes of Maine
were left for awhile to revert to their primeval heathenism. The
English traders had for twenty-five years been annoyed by the French
occupation of the country from the Penobscot eastward, and in 1654,
the confederated colonies seized with force and arms all Acadia, dis-
possessing the French and sending- them home or driving them in
their poverty to seek subsistence among the Indians, and frequently
adoption into the tribes. The natives had learned to confide in the
French and distrust the English. The Kennebecs had found out that
the English cared only for their furs; to add to their jealousy they
believed that their missionary had been driven away from them.
They attributed all of their woes to the Englishmen. Mohawk parties
came oftener, spoiling the villages and infesting the hunting grounds.
As the hunters could get but few skins, the traders finally ceased
coming to Cushnoc. In 1661 the Iroquiois war-whoop echoed along
the vSt. Lawrence from Montreal three hundred miles to the mouth of
the Saguenay, carrying dismay to all Canada. A party penetrated to
the Kennebec and surprised a village near the outlet of a lake; all the
people were massacred, save one old chief whom the murderers led
home as a trophy, and afterward tortured to death.* This cruel event
may have given origin to the tradition among the Maine Indians in
after generations, of an Iroquiois victory on the shores of Moosehead
lake. There was no historian to describe for us the Indian battles on
the Kennebec; the only record ever made was the one which was
deftly woven by dusky fingers into symbolic figures on the sacred
wampum belt, that the duty of vengeance might not be forgotten by
warriors yet unborn.
Most of the causes that alienated the Kennebec Indians from the
English were the same that drove the other tribes of New England
into a pitiless war upon the settlements. The French never had war
with their Indian subjects, but kept their loyalty by flattery, charity
and religious ceremonials. The English used no such arts; Puritan-
ism, whatever its triumphs, was a failure with the Indians; it neither
converted nor attracted them; it was too metaphysical for their appre-
hension— they preferred their Manitous and medicine men. On the
contrary, Catholicism with its symbols, and gilded images displayed
by disciplined, skillful and enthusiastic priests of philanthropic lives,
impressed them strongly, and took the place of their own materialistic
heathen superstitions. So the French in their long struggle to hold
Acadia had the natives with them. When the irritations and wrongs
of half a century of English occupation came to be avenged by the
* Histoire des Abeiiakis. By Father J. A. Marault. Sorel, Canada, 1866. At
the time Father Marault wrote his history he had been for nineteen years a mis-
sionary among the Indians at St. Francis, where nearly all of the living descend-
ants of the Kennebec tribe reside.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. B9
Indians there was no bond of religion or humanity to stay the hatchet
and scalping knife. The catastrophe of Philip's war (1675-8) had
long been portending; its immediate exciting cause was the execution
by Plymouth of three of Philip's subjects for having, by Philip's
order and according to Indian law, inflicted the punishment of death
upon an Indian traitor. Philip, as leader, was suppressed in fourteen
months — his head cut off and carried to Plymouth, there to dangle
from a gibbet for twenty years; but the cause to which he had called
his race to rally did not die with him.
The first victim in what has been named King Philip's war was an
Indian who was shot while marauding with his fellows in a settler's
pasture, for food (at Swansey, June 24, 1675). His death was avenged
the same day by the killing of three white persons. Then followed
alarm and consternation throughout the colonies. In a few weeks the
trader-settlers on the lower Kennebec were anxiously astir. Captains
Lake, Patteshall and Wiswell had been appointed by the general
court a committee of safety for " the eastern parts." This committee
met at the house of Captain Patteshall (on the island that for many
years bore his name, but which is now called Lee's island, in Phipps-
burg), and after consulting with the settlers concluded to disarm the
natives.* A party ascended the river for the purpose, and meeting
five Andro-scoggins and seven Kennebecs, persuaded them to surren-
der their guns and knives. During the proceeding, a Kennebec
Indian named Sowen struck at Hosea Mallet, a bystander, and would
have killed him had not the savage been seized; the other Indians
admitted that the assailant deserved death, yet they prayed for his re-
lease, offering a ransom of forty beaver skins and hostages for his
future good behavior. The proposal was accepted and Sowen was
released. The traders then treated the Indians with food and tobacco,
and solemnly promised them protection and favor if they would con-
tinue peaceable. The principal sagamore in the party was Mahoti-
wormet {alias Damarine), called by the English Robinhood, who lived
in Nequasset (Woolwichj. The next day he assembled as many of
his tribe as possible and celebrated the treaty of peace with a great
dance, t
* Williamson's History of Maine, Vol. I, p. 519.
tThis chief, who was a Wawenoc, had been intimate with the English during-
his whole life, and never so far as we know became their enemy. He sold in
1639, to Edward Butman and John Brown (who bought Pemaquid of Samoset
and another), the territory of the present town of Woolwich (then called Nequas-
set); he also sold in 1649, to John Parker, the island of Georgetown (Erascohe-
gan), and to John Richards, the island of Arrowsic; also in 16.58, to John Parker,
2d, the territory that now makes the town of Phippsburg as far south as "Cock's
high head;" and in 1661, to Robert Gutch, the territory now included within the
limits of Bath. The memory of Mahotiwormet is preserved by his English nick-
name in Robinhood's cove, the long arm of Sheepscot bay that nearly severs the
island of Georgeto'wn. Hopegood, the warrior, is said to have been his son.
40 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
The Indians on the Sheepscot were likewise prevailed upon to
yield up their arms, and there seemed to be good reason to hope that
Philip's influence might not reach disastrously to the province of
Maine. But at this critical hour an incident occurred which neutral-
ized all the efforts that had been made to stay the spreading of
Philip's conflagration. A chief of the Sacos, named Squando, had
suffered an outrage that sank deep into his heart. Two rollicking
sailors jocosely threw his little child into the water to see if it could
swim instinctively, like an animal. Though the infant was rescued
alive it soon died. From that moment the grief stricken father be-
came the inveterate enemy of the English; no overtures could reach
him, no gifts placate him. He called the neighboring tribes to war
councils, and being a chief of great influence, war dances began. Set-
tlers from the Merrimac to Pemaquid saw with grave forebodings
the changed behavior and increasing insolence of the Indians. The
first overt act was by a band of twenty Indians, who sacked the house
of Thomas Purchase at the mouth of the Androscoggin, on the 4th or
5th of September (1675). Purchase had lived there and cheated the
Indians for fifty years. A few days later (September 12), the first
Indian massacre in Maine took place — that of Thomas Wakeley and
his family of eight persons at Falmouth on the Presumpscot river.
During the next three months seventy-two other barbarous mur-
ders were committed between Casco and the Piscataqua. This series
of tragedies was mostly the work of the Sacos and Androscoggins.
The traders of Sagadahoc (on the lower Kennebec) were putting forth
their utmost endeavors to prevent the terrible contagion from spread-
ing to their river. They employed the services of their venerable
trading neighbor of Pemaquid, Abraham Shurte, who by his rugged
honesty and kind heart, had won the confidence of the Indians. He
invited some of the sagamores to Pemaquid; they told him their
grievances; they said some of their innocent friends had been treach-
erously seized and sold as slaves under the pretext that they were
conspirators or manslayers. " Yes," added they, " and your people
frightened us away last fall [1675] from our cornfields about Kenne-
bec; you have since withholden powder and shot from us, so that we
have not been able to kill either fowl or venison, and some of our
Indians, too, the last winter, actually perished of hunger." Shurte
assured them that all of their wrongs should be righted if they would
remain friendly. They gave him a wampum belt to denote their de-
sire for peace, and a captive boy to be returned to his family. This
parley was soon followed by an invitation to Mr. Shurte to meet the
sachems of all the tribes in council, to make a general treaty of peace.
The message was borne to Pemaquid by an Indian runner from
Teconnet, where the council was to be held. Shurte fearlessly started
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 41
on his errand, probably sailing in his own boat from Pemaquid along
the coast and into the Kennebec. At Sagadahoc he took council with
the committee of safety, who selected Captain Sylvanus Davis to
accompany him. The two a.scended the river to Teconnet (now
spelled Ticonic) where they found a large number of Indians awaiting
them. Five chiefs were there: Assiminasqua and Wahowa {alias
Hopegood) of the Kennebecs; Madockawando and Mugg of the
Penobscots, and Tarumkin of the Androscoggins; but Squando of the
Sacos was ominously absent.
The commissioners were welcomed by a salute of musketry, and
conducted into the great wigwam where the chiefs were seated, each
attended by his people. Assiminasqua opened the proceedings, say-
ing: " Brothers, keep your arms, they are a badge of honor. Be at
ease. It is not our custom like' the Mohawks to seize the messengers
coming unto us; nay, we never do as your people once did with four-
teen of our Indians, sent to treat with you; taking away their arms
and setting a guard over their heads. We now must tell you, we have
been in deep waters; you told us to come down and give up our arms
and powder or you would kill us, so to keep peace we were forced to
part with our hunting-guns, or to leave both our fort and our corn.
What we did was a great loss; we feel its weight." To this Mr.
Shurte replied: " Our men who have done you wrong are greatly
blamed; if they could be reached by the arm of our rulers they would
be punished. All the Indians know how kindly they have been treated
at Pemaquid. We come now to confirm the peace, especially to treat
with the Anasagunticooks [Androscoggins]. We wish to see Squando
and to hear Tarumkin speak." Tarumkin responded: " I have been
westward, where I found three sagamores wishing for peace; many
Indians are unwilling. I love the clear streams of friendship that
meet and unite. Certainly, I myself, choose the shades of peace. My
heart is true, and I give you my hand in pledge of the truth." Seven
Androscoggins echoed the sentiments of their chief, while Hopegood
and Mugg, representing two other tribes, likewise declared for peace.
But the absence of the childless chief of the Sacos was fatal; no gen-
eral treaty could be made without him. The commissioners were dis-
appointed and anxious, and even suspicious of the fidelity of the
tribes present. The Indians had parted with their guns and knives;
they were unable in their life as hunters to gain their sub.sistence
without them; no substitute by which they could obtain 'food was
given in recompense; they were now pinched with hunger and threat-
ened with starvation; some they declared had thus died already. They
now asked for their weapons that they might legitimately follow the
game of the forest. The cominissioners could not conceal their mis-
trust that the implements might be misused. Madockawando then
42 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
speaking abruptly, said: " Do we not meet here on equal ground?
Where shall we buy powder and shot for our winter's hunting, when
we have eaten up all our corn? Shall we leave Englishmen and turn
to the French? or let our Indians die? We have waited long to hear
you tell us, and now we want Yes, or No." The commissioners could
no longer hide in diplomatic words the unhappy condition of affairs;
they said: " You may have ammunition for necessary use; but you say
yourselves, there are many western Indians [the Sacos] who do not
choo.se peace. Should you let them have the powder we sell you,
what do we better than cut our own throats? This is the best answer
we are allowed to return you, though you wait ten years."* The
chiefs would neither hear more nor talk longer; they rose abruptly
and ended the parley, their flashing eyes announcing to the assembly
the hopeless answer of the English. The commissioners, discomfited,,
withdrew to their boat and embarked for home with painful appre-
hensions.
The condition of the Indians was pitiable. In their destitution
and wretchedness they had vainly asked for the restoration of their
hunting outfits. The alternative of starvation or war was now be-
fore them. If the forests could not be made to furnish them food
should not the plenty of the white man's .settlements? Emis.saries
and refugees from Philip's shattered band — each on.e an incendiary,
and murderer of Englishmen — were deploying eastward and mixing
with the tribes. They recounted by many a lodge fire the deeds of
Philip's warriors and awakened in the hearts of their excited listeners
the wild thoughts of English extermination. The time had come
when the Kennebecs could sit peacefully on their mats no longer.
The pangs of hunger and impending famine made them desperate,
and impelled them to the war path for self-preservation.
A few weeks after the parley at Teconnet some Kennebecs in alli-
ance with some Androscoggins formed their first war party. On the
13th of August (1675) they went forth in cruelty against the trading
fort of Richard Hammond, that stood at the head of Long Reach, just
below the chops or outlet of Merrymeeting bay f (in the present town
of Woolwich). Hammond had aforetime kept a temporary trading
post at Teconnet; the Indians said he had made them drunk and then
cheated them. They ruthlessly killed him and two of his men —
Samuel Smith and John Grant — and took sixteen persons captive,
among them Francis Card and his family. A brave young woman
e-scaped from the bloody scene and fleeing in the darkness of night
across the country to Sheepscot, alarmed that settlement and saved it
* Williamson's History of Maine, Vol. I, pp. 539, 533.
t Problem of Hammond's Fort. By Rev. H. O. Thayer, in Collections of the
Maine Historical Society. Quarterly series No. 3, 1890.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 43
from surprise. After supplying themselves with food and plunder,
and burning the buildings, some of the Indians returned up river
with their captives, while others in the night stole down to Clark &
Lake's trading place on Arrowsic island; they adroitly entered the
fort through the gate behind the sleepy sentinels as they were retir-
ing from their posts at daybreak. The consternation of the inmates
of the garrison, thus aroused from slumber in the early morning, was
indescribable. In their helplessness they could make no resistance
to the fearful onslaught; a few ran out of the fort and escaped. Thirty-
five persons were either killed or captured. Among the slain was
Captain Lake, a member of the committee of safety, and one of the
wealthy proprietors of the establishment. Among the wounded was
Captain Davis, one of the recent peace messengers to Teconnet, who
barely escaped capture and death by hiding in the clefts of the rocks
by the water's edge until the savages had departed. The destruction
of these forts, which was only a small part of the general devastation
that presently marked the entire coast from Piscataqua to Pemaquid,
drove all the English settlers from the Kennebec.
Of the Indians concerned in the sacking of the Nequasset and
Arrowsic forts, there is reason to believe that the Kennebecs were
less fierce and brutal than their fellows; indeed, there is no evidence
that the Kennebecs, like some of their allies, ever tortured a white
captive. This omission of a diabolical superstitious requirement is
traceable to the teaching of Father Druillettes, and the softening in-
fluence of the missionaries with whom the tribe had contact by its
intercourse with Quebec. Many of the unhappy captives who were
led away from the ruins of Sagadahoc, never returned, and their sad
fate can only be conjectured. But in June of the next year (1677) the
Kennebecs sent back a company of twenty, as is shown by a letter
from the chiefs " to the governor of Boston," borne by Mrs. Ham-
mond, the widow of the trader. This unique document, illiterately
written by some captive sitting abjectly among the chiefs who dic-
tated it, is a valuable souvenir of the comparative humanity of the
tribe. The chiefs say they have been careful of the prisoners; that
Mrs. Hammond and the rest " will tell that we have drove away all
the Androscoggin Indians from us, for they will fight and we are not
willing of their company. . . We have not done as the Androscog-
gin Indians who killed all their prisoners. . . We can fight as well
as others, but we are willing to live peaceable; we will not fight with-
out they [the settlers] fight with us first; . . We are willing to trade
with you, as we have done for many years; we pray you send us
such things as we name: powder, cloth, tobacco, liquor, corn, bread —
and send the captives you took at Pemaquid. . . Squando is minded
to cheat you, . . and make you believe that it is Kennebec men
44 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
that have done all this spoil." The names of eleven Indians are
appended: William WoumWood, HenNwedloked, Winakeermit,
Moxus, Essomonosko, Deogenes, Pebemowoveit, Tasset, John, Shyrot,
Mr. Thomas.* These are some of the actors in the Sagadahoc trage-
dies, who were anxious to make it appear that their tribe had not for-
feited all claim to English reconciliation. As a chief had said at
Teconnet, they loved " the clear streams of friendship that meet and
unite;" they had tasted of war and were now anxious for peace; early
in the strife they had mostly withdrawn into the distant forest, and
left their allies to murder and pillage alone. They tardily and reluct-
antly broke with the English, and they were the first to suggest a
return to peace.
A full account of the first Indian war in Maine, covering a period
of about three years, belongs to the general history of the state, and
cannot here be given. It makes a dreadful chapter of surprisals, mas-
sacres and conflagrations, in which nearly three hundred English
people were killed or died in captivity. The region was made deso-
late. The losses and sufferings of the tribes can never be told.
Finally, after a mutual cessation of hostilities for a few months, the
Kennebec sagamores gladly joined with those of the Androscoggin,
Saco and Penobscot, in meeting English commissioners at Casco, to
make a treaty of peace (April 12, 1678). All surviving captives were
restored. It was a day of rejoicing. The settlements that had been
destroyed soon began to revive, and returning prosperity gradually
cheered again the coast of Maine. But the tribes were broken and
their condition changed. The Mohawks had long been the scourge of
the Kennebecs and other tribes, the English had ever refused pro-
tection against them; in the late war they had been employed to kill
and torture by the side of the English; they continued their warfare
in vagrant bands after the treaty of peace. The crippled tribes asso-
ciated these raids with English perfidy. The terror from these
Mohawk parties was finally allayed by the governor of New York
(Edmund Andros) forbidding his friends and allies up the Hudson
from further molesting the conquered subjects of his master's eastern
dukedom of Pemaquid. A second treaty was made at Portsmouth in
1685 (and signed on behalf of the Kennebecs by Hopegood), wherein
for the first time the English agreed to protect the tribes of Maine so
long as they were peaceable, from their Mohawk enemies. Notwith-
standing all outward promises of peace, the Indians' nature, their
mode of life, and the bitter memories of the past, made the treaties
little else than temporary truces. The two races were mutually
repellant.
*Rev. H. O. Thayer in article on Hammond's fort, quoting Mass. Archives,
Vol. XXX: 241, 242.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 45
VI.— THE SECOND AND THIRD INDIAN WARS IN MAINE.
Indian Refugees in Canada.— New Mission established for them.— Fathers
Jacques and Vincent Bigot on the Kennebec and Penobscot. — Castine
inspires the Tribes to avenge his Wrong. — King William's War begtui. —
French Intrigue with the Indians. — Father Rale sent to the Kennebec. —
Bomaseen Imprisoned. — Treaties of Ryswick and Mare-point. — Third Indian
War. — Parley at Casco. — Bounties for Scalps. — Arruawikwabemt Slain. —
Rebekah Taylor rescued by Bomaseen. — Acadia ceded to England.— Treaties
of Utrecht and Portsmouth.
In a few years following the war, the Kennebec refugees, mixing
with the Canada Indians, so overcrowded the Sillery mission, that in
1685 it was removed to the opposite side of the St. Lawrence, a few
miles up the Chaudiere. The new village, composed mostly of
fugitives from the Kennebec, was named the Mission of St. Francis
de Sales, and given to the care of two brothers and Jesuit fathers
named Jacques and Vincent Bigot. The instruction given by Druil-
lettes on the Kennebec a generation before had nearly if not quite
faded out, and the new missionaries, like their predecessor, had to
begin their labors by teaching the mere rudiments of their faith.
But they found their flock of five or six hundred souls altogether
attentive and docile to priestly influence; they endeavored to Christ-
ianize anew the whole tribe; they visited the head-waters of the
Chaudiere and the Kennebec, where many Kennebecs and other Maine
Indians had permanently collected for fishing and hunting, in their
northward hegira from their English neighbors. The two Fathers
extended at different times their wandering labors down the Kennebec
to Nanrantsouak (Indian Old Point), and even as far as Pentagoet
(Castine), where, under the patronage of the half Indianized French-
man, Castine, Father Jacques laid the foundation of a church in 1687.
The two brothers toiled among the Maine Indians for more than
twenty years, principally in the villages of the refugees on the St.
Lawrence.* Their visits to the Kennebec were few and comparatively
brief. It appears that a chapel was built by them at Old Point; they
revived the mission that had been closed for thirty years, and pre-
pared the way for a permanent successor to Father Druillettes, who
finally came in the remarkable person of Father Sebastian Rale.
The first war in Maine had been wholly between the natives and
the Engli.sh; no boundary line of Acadia was involved. The French
were inactive spectators, harmlessly sympathizing, for national reasons,
with the Indians. But ere a decade had passed, events were leading
to a war in which all of the natives of Maine were to be the helpers
of France in a national struggle. The first provocation for trouble
* Relation of Father Jacques Bigot.
46 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
was given as usual by the English. It was the rifling by Governor
Andres of the house of Baron St. Castine at Pentagoet (in the spring
of 1688), under the pretext that the Penobscot was in the king's
province, and that Acadia did not extend westward of the St. Croix.
The haughty governor cared as little for human rights as his royal
master (James II), whom he fancied he was pleasing by the outrage.
The deed brought bitter retribution. Castine was a naturalized tribes-
man, and a personage of unsurpassed eminence among the Penob-
scots.* He easily aroused his followers to war, and in a few months
he led them remorselessly against the English settlements. But
Castine's personal quarrel soon became lost in the greater one between
his king and William III of England. James II had been driven
from his throne (1688); fleeing to France in his distress he received
the aid of Louis XIV. The war that immediately opened extended to
the French and English possessions in America. In Maine history it
has been called King William's or the second Indian war. It was a
series of dreadful massacres and reprisals — largely predatory on the
part of the Indians, who marshalled by French ofScers, issued in
bands from Canada to rob, murder or capture the English. Every
settlement had to be provided with a fortress or defensible place into
which the inhabitants could quickly gather. Such an one was at
Pemaquid, garrisoned by Captain Weems and fifteen men; it was sur-
prised and captured in August, 1689, and the place made desolate;
another at Berwick was attacked on the 28th of March following,
when thirty-four persons were slain and many more than that num-
ber captured; another (Fort Loyal) was at Falmouth (now Portland, on
the site of the Grand Trunk railroad station); the place was attacked
May 26, 1690, by a force of five hundred French and Indians; after
four days the inhabitants were forced to surrender only to be toma-
hawked, and their mutilated bodies left unburied as prey for the wild
beasts. These are only instances of the sufferings that were inflicted
upon the English during a period of ten years. Warriors from all the
tribes participated.
It was the policy of the French, when they saw their ancient Acadia
passing into the possession of the English, to seek to draw into Canada
through the missionaries the discontented natives of Maine. The
Kennebecs had been attracted to St. Francis de Sales. The Sacos
emigrated nearly en masse within one or two years after Philip's war,
and assembled in Canada near the mouth of the St. Francis river,
down which from their deserted Saco they had reached the St. Law-
rence. They were soon gathered into the parish of St. Francis. Their
warriors, like those of the Kennebecs in the Chaudiere village, were
utilized by the French to fight both the troublesome Iroquiois and the
*///j-/(VV of Aidi/ia, by James Hannay. pp. 215-216.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 47
hated English. It. was for this purpose rather than from a sentiment
of philanthropy, that French statesmen and Canadian governors had
sought through the machinery of the church to manipulate the tribes
of Maine. But many families still clung to the Androscoggin and
Kennebec. With the design of collecting these fragments and mak-
ing them useful against the English, the Canadian rulers had encour-
aged the sending of the Fathers Bigot to the Kennebec to reconnoiter
for a new mission.
Thus it was amid the throes of war and for reasons more political
than religious, that Father Rale was sent to the Kennebec to re-
occupy the old mission-field of Druillettes. He came in 1693, by the
well traveled route that had been followed by his predecessor in
1646; he lingered on the way among the wigwams at Lake Megantic
•(from Namesokantik — place where there are many fishes), and the
neighboring waters; in 1695 we find him at Nanrantsouak, which he
■chose for the center of his field of labors. Already schooled in the
arts of savage living, he here drew by the persuasives of a trained
and cultured enthusiast, the remaining families of the shattered tribes
west of the Penobscot. The history of his mission is the remaining
history of the Indians on the Kennebec — who from the location of the
village which he founded, thenceforward bore the Anglicised name
of Norridgewocks. The Kennebec was again a Canadian parish, and
a semi-military outpost of New France. Of the three or four Indian
routes of travel between the St. Lawrence and the Atlantic coast, none
was more direct or easy than the one up the Chaudiere and down
the Kennebec; the portage between the waters of the two rivers was
.sometimes made from an upper tributary of the Chaudiere to one
•of the Penobscot and from thence to Moosehead lake, but usually from
Lake Megantic to the nearest stream that runs into Dead river. It
was by this thoroughfare that the little Catholic village of Nanrant-
souak maintained its communication with the diocese of Quebec. In
war it was often the route of the French captains with their trains of
scarcely more savage and cruel allies. Nanrantsouak was a village
site of great excellence; the circling river, foam-laden from the wild
falls above, almost surrounds it; it is in the midst of hundreds of acres
-of mellow land suitable for corn raising; it was secluded from the
English, while the Sandy river made it accessible from the Andros-
coggin.
The tribal distinctions of the natives of Maine began to dis-
appear during the common cause against the English; soon after
the coming of Father Rale the shreds of the tribes that had lingered
on the Saco and Androscoggin, united with the Kennebecs as the
Wawenocs had done before. The Penobscots, under the lead of the
elder and younger Castine, maintained themselves as a tribe and so
48 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
remain to this day. We do not know the nature or extent of Father
Rale's influence over his people in reference to the war in which he
found them involved. If he exerted any*it may have been in the
direction of peace; for on the 11th of August, 1693 (the year of his
earliest intercourse with the Abenakis), thirteen sagamores appeared
at Pemaquid and offered the submission of their tribes to the English
government; among them were Wassabomet, Ketteramogis, Wenob-
son. and Bomaseen from the Kennebec. The resident Indians were
ready for peace, but the French, on whom the war pressed less sorely,
were not; they ignored the treaty which their allies had made; and as
a part of their endeavor to repossess themiselves of Acadia, which had
been taken from them by Governor Phipps in 1690, they sent a party
against the New England settlements in 1694; as Cotton Mather says:
" What was talked at Quebec in the month of May, must be done at
Oyster river [in New Hampshire] in the month of July." Several
dreadful massacres were committed, and all the settlements were
again filled with horror and fear.
That Bomaseen, the Kennebec chief, was an accomplice in those
deeds was never known; but the public exasperation was so great, and
the possibility of other butcheries so imminent, that the authorities
felt justified in seizing and imprisoning every prominent or doubtful
Indian it could lay hands upon. Bomaseen was seized November 19,
1694, at Pemaquid garrison, whither he had gone with a flag of truce
in apparent confidence that his professions of regret at the recent
tragedies would relieve both himself and tribe from blame. He pro-
tested his innocence, and showed that he felt his arrest to be an act
of perfidy. Cotton Mather says, " he discovered a more than ordi-
nary disturbance of mind; his passions foamed and boiled like the
very waters of the fall of Niagara." The sagamore was immediately
transported to Boston and there put in prison. The injustice of his
treatment — hardly ever questioned by dispassionate Englishmen —
turned his followers back to their French alliance and to a renewal of
the war from which the treaty at Pemaquid a year before had freed
them. The Norridgewock warriors returned to the war path, and two
years later (1696) helped the French to overawe and capture even the
proud Fort William Henry of Pemaquid, whose walls had been the
prison of Bomaseen. The French participation in the war closed
with the treaty of Ryswick in 1697, but the Indians, cherishing new
as well as old resentments, remained in hostility two years longer.
The last to desist from their attacks and acquiesce in a treaty with
the English, were the Kennebecs, whose kidnapped sagamore was
fretting behind prison bars in Boston. But finally, on the 7th of
January, 1799, at Mare point (in Brunswick) Moxus and his lieuten-
ants of the Kennebec, united with the sachems of the other tribes in
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 49
humble submission to King- William III. Bomaseen was then and
there restored to his people, and the latter returned as many of their
English captives as Avere able to make the terrible journey in the cold
and snow of winter from Nanrantsouak to Casco bay. Little had
been accomplished between France and England, for Acadia reverted
by treaty to the former, while the Indians were left in reduced num-
bers and more forlorn and miserable than before.
The treaty of Mare point was a truce, that lasted only until another
war broke out between England and France. So subtle were the re-
lations of France with its allies in the new world that a royal wish
expressed in the Tuilleries could reach the low-browed savages at their
camp fires, and excite them into the frenzy of the war dance. The
exiled James II died September 16, 1701, leaving a son — nicknamed
the Pretender — to be placed by the power of France if possible on the
throne. William III died March 8. 1702; Anne, the Protestant daugh-
ter of James, was given the English crown; she immediately declared
war against France, and asserted sovereignty over Acadia to the St.
Croix. The inevitable result of another war in America followed.
The Indians on the Kennebec were again the supple instruments of
France. Father Rale had lived in companionship with them for ten
years — ministering to their ailments of sickness and wounds, attach-
ing them to his person and faith, and trying ever to better their
earthly condition and save their souls. His influence over them was
great; he followed and yet he led them — sometimes yielding to their
inconstant humors, yet always holding them loyal to France and con-
formable to the wishes of the Canadian governors.
The warlike premonitions that followed the crowning of Queen
Anne, led the governor (Joseph Dudley) of Massachusetts to solicit a
personal conference with the Maine tribes, to renew the last treaty
(of Mare point). The Indians responded with alacrity, and assembled
in large numbers at Casco (now Portland), June 20, 1703, to meet the
governor and his suite. It was agreed with great ceremony that peace
should continue (in the language of Bomaseen) " so long as the sun
and moon shall endure." Moxus and a new chief named Captain
Sam, with Bomaseen, were of the delegation from Nanrantsouak.
Father Rale was present, but stayed in the background until his
identity was accidentally discovered by the governor, who then showed
signs of annoyance that the Indians should have in their interest a
diplomat as watchful and suspicious as himself. But the treaty,
though it was celebrated with more pomp than any .similar one ever
made in Maine, could not long be kept. The pressure of French poli-
tics was too strong for the morally weak Indian to resist. In less than
two months after the treaty was made, the dogs of war were let loose
from Canada, and stealing through Maine with increasing numbers,
4
50 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
they rushed upon the English settlements for booty and scalps. This
was the beginning of Queen Anne's or the third Indian war in Maine.
It was instigated m Canada and carried on by the French with such
aid as their Indian allies would give them.
It was a war of many revolting features. In the winter of 1705,
an English party of 270 men under Colonel Hilton went on snow-
shoes to Nanrantsouak, but the village was deserted. The " large
chapel with a vestry at the end of it," which Father Rale had built for
his people, was set on fire and destroyed. At Casco, in January, 1707,
the same officer with two hundred men, killed four Indians and cap-
tured a squaw and child, whereupon the woman, to save her own life,
conducted the party to a camp of eighteen sleeping Indians, seventeen
of whom they killed. The savages themselves could not have been
guilty of a more wanton stroke of butchery. It was a war of exter-
mination. The government offered a bounty for scalps. In 1710
Colonel Walton with 170 men, surprised a company of Indians on the
clam beds at the mouth of the Kennebec; Arruawikwabemt, a Nor-
ridgewock sachem, was captured; Penhallow says he was " an active,
bold fellow, and one of unbounded spirit; for when they asked several
questions he made no reply, and when they threatened him with
death, he laughed at it with contempt; upon which they delivered
him up unto our friend Indians [Mohawks], who soon became his
executioners."* The French are known to have barbarousl}' surren-
dered English captives to a similar fate. But in the dreadful chapter
of this ten years' war, one act of Indian compassion shines through
the smoke and gloom of ruined settlements, and makes us grateful to
the grim warrior whose heart is shown to have been human and could
be touched with pity for his enemy's suffering child. It was in 1706
that Rebekah Taylor was made captive by a huge savage, who, while
making the journey to Canada to sell her for a French ransom, be-
came enraged at her exhaustion, and untying his girdle from his body
wound it around her neck and hung her to a tree; the weight of the
captive broke the cord; the fiend in his diabolism was again hoisting
his victim to the limb, when Bomaseen, the sachem of the Kennebecs,
came by chance upon the scene, and by overawing the executioner,
prevented the consummation of the tragedy. Rebekah was afterward
returned to her friends, and her own lips related the story of her
deliverance, f
After ten years, England and France settled their dispute by the
treaty of Utrecht (March 30, 1713), in which it was agreed that
" Acadia with its ancient boundaries . . are resigned and made
over to the crown of Great Britain forever." Thus the contest for
* History of the Wars of New England. By Samuel Penhallow, pp. 65-66.
\ Idem, p. 47.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 51
Acadia that was begun with bloodshed at St. Sauveur just one hun-
dred years before (1613) was ended. Four months after the treaty of
Utrecht, the Indians of Maine sent their sachems to Portsmouth,
-where a treaty was made with the provincial government July 13,
1713; it was signed in behalf of the Kennebecs with the respective
totem characters of Warrakansit, Bomaseen and Wedaranaquin.
Moxus was present, but for some reason did not place his hand to the
document.
VII. THE FOURTH INDIAN WAR IN MAINE.
Settlements at Sagadahoc— Pejepscot Land Company.— Conference at Aitow-
sic. — Wiwurna's Anger.— Fort Richmond built.— Father Rale with an Indian
Embassy at Arrowsic— First Attempt to seize Father Rale.— Warriors make
Captures at Merrymeeting. — Captain Sam slain. — Harmon's Massacre. — War
declared.— Arrowsic burned.— Bounty of $1,000 for Father Rale.— Second
Attempt to Capture him.— Mohawks invited.— Skirmish above Fort Rich-
mond.— Third Attempt to Capture Father Rale.
The conquest of Acadia and the treaty of Portsmouth gave confi-
dence to New England that her Indian troubles were ended. As a
result the abandoned frontier settlements were revived and new ones
begun. Nowhere were the happy effects of peace manifested more
strongly than in Maine, where the suffering and desolation had been
the greatest. The lower Kennebec (or Sagadahoc) was perhaps the
first devastated region that rang to the cheery echoes of returning
civilization. The heirs and assigns of early proprietors came to claim
their estates. John Watts, whose wife (as granddaughter of Captain
Lake, .slain in Philip's war) inherited a good part of the island of
Arrowsic, came to the Kennebec in 1714, and settled at a place now
called Butler's cove; he built a fine dwelling and a defensible house
or fort, and by the next year had drawn hither fifteen families. Soon
following the Watts enterprise were various others in the same
region, and in 1716, Georgetown was incorporated. The heirs and
assigns of other land claimants through ancient Indian deeds, organ-
ized themselves into the Pejepscot Company, to grasp with the
strength of a giant's hands their vague heritage on the Androscoggin.
This territory, like that of the lower Kennebec, had suddenly become
of great prospective value by the treaties of Utrecht and Portsmouth.
It was, however, all-important to the land company that the Indians
should be kept peaceable. To learn their temper and test their
amiability the device of a conference between them and the governor
was hit upon.
The suggestion met with official favor, and in the summer of 1717,
■Governor Shute attended by his councilors and other important gen-
52 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tlemen, sailed from Boston to the Kennebec in the royal ship The
Squirrel. The gallant ship, with her colors gaily flying, arrived on
the morning of August 9th opposite the Watts settlement and there
dropped anchor. The Indians were already at their rendezvous on
Patteshall's island. They sent a message asking his excellency when
it would be his pleasure for them to attend him; he replied at three
o'clock that afternoon, " when he would order the Union flag to be
displayed at the tent erected near Mr. Watts, his house," and ordered
a British flag to be delivered to the Indians " for them to wear when
they came, in token of their subjection to his majesty King George " I;
" at the time appointed, the flag being set up, the Indians forthwith
came over, with the British flag in their headmost canoe." Eight
sagamores filed up the bank to the great tent where the governor and
attendants had assembled to receive them. They " made their rever-
ence to the governor, who was pleased to give them his hand." John
Gyles and Samuel Jordan were sv/orn as interpreters; the governor
addressed the interpreters and they repeated his remarks in the
Indian tongue to the sachems. In his opening speech the governor
said that he was glad to find so many of them in health; since the
good treaty of Portsmouth King George had happily ascended the
throne and by his gracious command they were favored with the
present interview; France was at peace with him and desired his
friendship; the Indians were his subjects like the English, and they
must not hearken to any contrary insinuation; they would always find
themselves safest under the government of Great Britain; he would
gladly have them of the same religion as King George and the Eng-
lish, and therefore would immediately give them a Protestant mission-
ary and in a little while a schoolmaster to teach their children; he
naively remarked that the English settlements lately made in the
eastern parts had been promoted partly for the benefit of the Indians,
and that he had given strict orders to the English to be very just and
kind to them; if any wrong was done them it should be reported to
his officers, and he would see that it was redressed; he wished them
to look upon the English government in New England as their great
and safe shelter; he took in his hands two copies of the holy Bible,
one printed in English and the other in the Apostle Eliot's transla-
tion, and gave them to the chiefs for use by their new minister, ]SIr.
Baxter, whenever they desired to be taught.
Wiwurna was the Indian spokesman; he arose from his seat and
responded to the courtly governor in uncultured but appropriate
phrase. His people, he said, " were glad of the opportunity to wait
upon the governor; they ratified all previous treaties; they hoped all
hard thoughts would be laid aside between the English and them-
selves, so that amity might be hearty; but other governors had told
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 53
them that thej' were under no government but their own; they would
be obedient to King George if they liked the terms made to them —
if they were not molested in their lands; if any wrong happened to
them they would not avenge themselves, but apply to the governor
for redress; this place [Arrowsic] was formerly settled and was then
being settled by their permission, but they desired there be no more
settlements made; it was said at Casco treaty [1713] that no more forts
should be made; they would be pleased with King George if there
was never a fort in the eastern parts; they were willing the English
should possess all they have occupied except forts; they did not wish
to change their ministers or their religion; God had already given
them teaching; they did not understand how their lands had been
purchased — what had been alienated was by gift only."
The governor thereupon triumphantly exhibited the so-called deed
of sale of lands on the Kennebec and Androscoggin rivers, made by
six sagamores July 7, 1684, on which the Pejepscot Company based
their claim. The Indians could have as easily understood the docu-
ment if it had been written in Greek; it was, however, to their appre-
hension possessed of a mysterious power which they could not ques-
tion: they knew not how to meet such a form of argument; they were
dazed and dumfounded; the plot to usurp their lands by the use of
dingy papers, and fence them with forts was revealed. The angered
chiefs sprang to their feet, and without obeisance sullenly withdrew
from the audience tent, leaving in disdain their English flag and the
inexorable but discomfited governor. In a few hours they returned
from their camp with a letter to his ex- ^^ /9 .^ m a/7-^^
cellency from Father Rale, that quoted S^e^. ^^i„.^L_ ^^-f
the French king as saying he had not
given to the English by the cession of Acadia any of the Indians' land,
and that he was ready to succor the Indians if their lands were en-
croached upon. It was now the governor's turn to be angry, as he
saw that the sachems had a friend who was able to cope with him in
Indian diplomacy; he scornfully threw' the letter aside and made
preparations to depart for home.
The next morning he had entered into his ship and ordered the
sails to be loosed, when two Indians hastily came alongside in a canoe
and climbed on board; they apologized for the unpleasant behavior
of the sachems, and begged that the parley might be reopened. The
governor said he would grant the request if the sachems would aban-
don " their unreasonable pretensions to the English lands, and com-
plied with what he had said, but not otherwise;" to this condition the
messengers agreed, and asked that the deserted flag be given again
to decorate the Indian embassy. At six o'clock in the evening the
sachems and principal men once more crossed the river from their
54 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
island camp to Arrowsic and sat down in council. Querebennit was
their speaker in place of the too spirited Wiwurna, who had been dis-
gracefully left at camp, in courtesy to the English. The Indians' de-
sire for peace was overmastering; it made them capable of submitting
to any terms which the English might dictate; they did not again
venture to oppose the land scheme or the forts, but yielded in their
hopelessness to such an agreement as the governor was pleased to
have prepared, when " they all readily and without any objection
consented to the whole." * Then all the chief Indians shook hands
with the governor, who made them presents of food and ammunition;
and the young men came over from the island and danced before the
assembly in honor of the occasion.
This so-called treaty of Arrowsic exacted the acknowledgment that
the English might enjoy both the lands which they formerly pos-
sessed, " and all others which they had obtained a right unto " — leav-
ing the English to decide that they were entitled to all territory that
was ever included in pretended sales by debauched and tribeless saga-
mores. The Pejepscot people went resolutely forward to develop
their property; timber cutters, mill builders and settlers flocked
rapidly to Georgetown and the Androscoggin: Robert Temple brought
five ship-loads of people from the north of Ireland to the Kennebec;
settlements multiplied, and each one in fear of the Indians had its
fort or place of possible refuge. In the guise of a trading house for
the accommodation of the Indians, the government built Fort Rich-
mond in 1718-19 (opposite the head of Swan island — the present town
of Perkins); it was really built for the protection of the Pejepscot
frontier. Fort George was built about the same time at Brunswick,
for the same purpose. Before 1720 fifteen public forts and many more
private ones had risen between Kittery and Pemaquid. The Indians
could see in the enterprise of the white men only trouble and distress
for themselves; their game was stampeded, their fishing places
usurped, and their camping grounds plowed over. But the forts were
peculiarly hateful to them; the frowning walls were proof against
their tiny artillery, and the tactics of stealth and ambuscade that ex-
celled in forest warfare, failed utterly before fortifications. Every
new fort, therefore, was to them another menace and exasperation; it
meant additional conquest of their territory.
The treaty of Arrowsic had not been the cordial act of the Indians:
* This submission was signed (August 13) by the following named Kennebec
Indians: Moxus, Bomaseen, Captain Sam, Nagucawen, Summehawis, Wegwaru-
menet, Terramuggus, Nudggumboit, Abissanehraw, Umguinnawas, Awohaway,
Paquaharet and Csesar. It was also signed by Sabatus and Sam Humphries of
the Androscoggins; Lerebenuit, Ohanumbames and Segunki of the Penobscots;
and Adewando and Scawesco of the Peqwakets. Wiwurna's name does not ap-
pear. For treaty entire, see Article XII, Me. Hist. Soc. Coll., pp. 361-37.5.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 55
the land company through the governor had overawed the sachems
and extorted assent to conditions whicli they abhorred. The unhesi-
tating appropriation of the disputed lands, and the blockading of the
rivers above them with forts, were proceedings which the weaker side
could not endure with composttre. There soon began to be signs of
irritation. The government, while claiming the Indians to be .sub-
jects of the king equally with the English, felt called to favor and
protect only the latter; and in 1720 it sent two hundred .soldiers to
guard the frontier of Maine. In May, 1721, as reparation for cattle
killing and other misdeeds by some vagabond Indians, the Kennebecs
promised the English two hundred beaver skins, and gave in hand
four comrades as hostages; the hostages were sent to Boston and kept
as prisoners. It is apparent that Father Rale labored indefatigably
to save to his people the lands which in his view the English had un-
justly seized. One result of his efforts was the awakening in Canada
of a lively interest in his cause. In the summer of 1721, with a Cana-
dian official named Crozen and Father de la Chasse of the Penobscot
mission, he organized a grand embassy- composed of delegations from
the villages of St. Francis, Becancourt, Penobscot and Norridgewock,
to remonstrate with the English, and as Governor Vaudreuil of
Canada said, " dare let them know that they will have to deal with
other tribes than the one at Norridgewock if they continue their en-
croachments."
On the first day of August, the startled inhabitants of Arrowsic
and vicinity beheld approaching with the tide a fleet of ninety canoes
filled with stalwart Indians and two or three pale faces; two of the
latter wore the conspicuous habit of the Jesuits. The French flag
was flying in the foremost canoe. The mysterious flotilla landed on
Patteshall's island, and soon sent a message to the captain of the
Watts garri.son, inviting him to an interview; that officer, through
fear, refused to cro.ss the river, whereupon the Indians launched their
canoes and paddled to Arrowsic, led by Fathers Rale and de la Chasse
and Monsieur Crozen. They respectfully sought the English repre-
sentative, who, with trepidation, came forth from the fort to receive
them. The details of this conference were not preserved. It was an
occasion of great moment, and had been planned with infinite labor
as a last appeal before a resort to arms, yet only a passing record was
made of it. The Indians presented in the names of all the tribes a
manifesto addres.sed to Governor Shute, warning the settlers to re-
move in three weeks, else the warriors would come and kill them,
burn their houses and eat their cattle, adding — " Englishmen have
taken away the lands which the great God gave to our fathers and to
us." The deputation, having thus given according to ancient Indian
custom due notice of war, retired peacefully.
56 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
The writing to the governor, with an account of its delivery at
Georgetown, was immediately forwarded to Boston, where it excited
great alarm. The response was prompt and vigorous. The general
court on August 23d ordered the equipment of three hundred men to
prosecute the eastern Indians for the crime of rebellion; it demanded
that they forthwith deliver to the English Father Rale and any other
Jesuit who might be among them; if the tribes neglected to so purge
themselves, Indians were to be seized indiscriminately and imprisoned
at Boston. Under this order, Castine, the unresisting chief of the
Penobscots, was taken captive soon after his visit to Arrowsic with the
great embassy. It was a time of great public unrest, and many cruel
imprudencies were committed. In November (1721) the general
court resolved upon the removal of Father Rale, who it assumed was
the mainspring of all the portending trouble. In December, after the
streams had frozen over. Colonel Westbrook led a battalion of 230 men
on snow-shoes up the Kennebec to Nanrantsouak, with orders to make
the priest a prisoner. When the party after a laborious journey had
reached the village, the leader was chagrined to find the missionary's
dwelling deserted and the intended captive hiding in the mazes of the
forest. In his hasty flight Father Rale had left his books and papers
and humble treasures unconcealed. These were all summarily seized
and carried away as booty. Among them was the Abenakis diction-
ary in manuscript, which had been compiled with great care and labor
by the industrious Father as an aid in his pastoral work; also the
curious " strong box," divided and subdivided into compartments, in
which the owner kept the sacred emblems of the church while roving
with his people; a letter in French from the Canadian governor, en-
couraging the Norridgewocks in their contest with " those who would
drive them from their native country," was found, and interpreted as
rank treason in him who received it.
This attempt to kidnap Father Rale with the accompanying rob-
bery, was felt by the Indians as a blow on themselves, and a cause for
war. Up to that hour they had committed no like act against the
English. The mischiefs by hungry poachers had been compounded
with beaver skins and hostages still languishing in prison. The tribe
was now bitterly incensed. The government itself, fearing that it
had been hasty, suddenly softened, and tried the policy of pacification.
Luckily no blood had been shed to make such a plan seem hopeless.
So a few weeks after the rifling of Rale's hut, the governor sent a
present to Bomaseen and a proposal to the tribe for a conference; both
were rejected with derision. On the 13lh of June following, sixty
warriors in twenty canoes, descended to Merrymeeting bay, and rang-
ing the northern shore took captive nine English families; after
selecting five of the principal men as indemnities for the four Indians
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 07
held as hostages in Boston, they released the others uninjured. A few
days later, the Norridgewock chief, Captain Sam, with five followers,
boarded a fishing smack off Damariscove, and in revenge for some
English act, lashed the captain and crew to the rigging, and proceeded
to flog them; breaking from their bonds, the fishermen turned furiously
on their tormentors, killing two and pitching one overboard. We
hear no more of Captain Sam's exploits, and he was probably one of
the slain.
Fort St. George (Thomaston) was the next place of hostile demon-
stration. About the first of July Fort George (Brunswick) was at-
tacked, and the village that had risen from the conflict of the Pejep-
scot company, was burned to ashes. Thereupon the elated enemy
went down to Merrymeeting, to enjoy their plunder and celebrate
their success with demoniacal orgies. An English captive — Moses
Eaton of Salisbury — appears to have been on this occasion the
wretched victim of death torture. The raid on Brunswick aroused
the people on the neighboring Kennebec; Captain John Harmon and
thirty-four other soldiers hastily started in boats from one of the gar-
risons to patrol the waters of the Kennebec. While scouting in the
night they saw the gleam of a waning fire near the shore of Merry-
meeting bay; while landing in the darkness to learn its origin they
discovered eleven canoes; then they stumbled upon the recumbent
bodies of about a score of savages who, in their exhaustion from their
revelry, were dead in sleep. "••■ It was easy to slay them all in their
helplessness, and the deed was quickly done. Harmon and his men
carried away the guns of fifteen warriors as trophies of their ten min-
utes' work. They found the mutilated body of Moses Eaton, and gave
it respectful burial. The operations of the Pejepscot proprietors had
incited a similar land enterpri.se on the ancient Muscongus patent,
eastward, and in 1719-20, a fort was built by the Twenty Associates
at Thomaston on the St. George river. The Penobscots looked upon
St. George fort with the same feeling of indignation that the Kenne-
becs did the forts on their own lands. Two or three days after the
burning of Brunswick, a party of two hundred Indians surrounded
Fort St. George; they burned a sloop, killed one man and took six
prisoners.
The conciliatory policy— adopted too late— could not undo the
lamentable effects of earlier intolerance and the attempted capture of
Father Rale. After releasing the four hostages and sending them to
their tribe as possible emissaries of peace, the truth began to dawn
upon the authorities that they had indeed, as prophesied by Vaudreuil
in his letter to Rale, "other tribes than the Norridgewocks to deal
* Tradition says this traged)^ was at Somerset point on Merrymeeting bay,
and the late Mr. John McKeen so locates. Me. Hist. Soc. Coll., Vol. Ill, pp.
313-14.
.58 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
with." All the tribes eastward of the Merrimac had listened to the
story of the Norridgewocks and were developing warriors for their
cause. Many in the St. Francis and Becancourt villages were of the
same blood and naturally looked upon the grievances of the Kenne-
becs as their own. There were many reflective people who believed
that the Indians — especially the Kennebecs — had been maltreated,
and that the prevailing troubles were only the fruitage of injustice
and broken promises. This sentiment had influenced the government
in its later policy, but after the destruction of Pejepscot (Brunswick)
and the outrages at St. George, there seemed to be no reason to hope
longer for reconciliation.
On the 26th of July, 1722, Governor Shute made proclamation,
declaring the eastern Indians (those of Maine, New Brunswick and
Nova Scotia), " with their confederates to be robbers, traitors and
enemies to the King;" the legislature promptly provided money to
pay an army of a thousand men, and elaborated a scale of bounties
for Indian scalps, with a view to equity whether torn off by a duly
enlisted and paid soldier, or by a volunteer civilian. The theater of
war extended from New Hampshire to Nova Scotia; in distributing
its forces the government stationed 25 men at Arrowsic, and 25 at
Richmond fort; 400 were appointed to range by land or water between
the Kennebec and Penobscot; 10 were placed at Maquoit, 20 at North
Yarmouth, 30 at Falmouth (Portland), and 100 at York.
On the morning of the 10th of September, thirteen months after
the great deputation had delivered its message at the Arrowsic garri-
son, a swarm of stranger Indians, estimated to number between four
and five hundred, poured from the eastward upon the shores of George-
town, in hostile array. Fortunately the inhabitants got timely warn-
ing and all safely reached the shelter of the fort; but presently thirty-
seven of their dwellings were in flames, and most of their cattle
slaughtered for food. The accounts say that one Englishman — Samuel
Brookings — was killed in the fort by a bullet shot by an Indian
marksman through a port-hole. A similar body of Indians — and
probably the same one — had appeared before St. George fort August
29th, and beseiged it without success for twelve days. In their dread
of fortifications, they did not assail Arrowsic garrison, but after feast-
ing sufficiently on their plunder, suddenly disappeared in the night;
some paddled up the Kennebec; where, after mortally wounding Cap-
tain Stratton of the province sloop, they menaced Fort Richmond as
they scowlingly passed by it on their way to Norridgewock and Canada.
The settling of the Pejepscot lands was fatally checked by these
Indian forays. The Scotch-Irish immigrants, brought by hundreds in
the ships of Robert Temple, and located on the shores of Merrymeet-
ing bay, took flight to New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, and save
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 59
the forts at Richmond and Brunswick, the region was again a soli-
tude. Father Rale was conceived by the English to be the powerful
genius whose malign influence had brought all the disaster and rum.
The government finally announced a special reward of two hundred
pounds ($1,000) for his body dead or alive. Permission had been given
by the legislature for such an expenditure of money two years before.
The act was in harmony with the stern policy shown in extravagant
rewards for Indian scalps. With the allurements before them of
money and glory, 120 men, led by Captain Harmon, undertook the
enterprise of removing Father Rale in the winter of 1723. The party
started from Fort George (Brunswick) for Nanrantsouak, on the 6th
of February, equipped with arms, rations and snow-shoes — taking as
a measure of secrecy the unfrequented route via the Androscoggin
and Sandy rivers. After accomplishing about half of the journey, the
party was stopped by a thaw that softened the snow and flushed the
rivers, and made further advance impos.sible. The expedition was a
complete failure. The following summer the authorities invited a
delegation of Mohawks to Boston, and tempted them with bribes ($500
a scalp) to fall upon the Indians of Maine, and hunt them down as in
former times; but now the Iroquiois were at peace with their old ene-
mies and concluded as a tribe not to take up the white man's quarrel,
but allowed their young men to sell their services if they so wished.
Only a few entered into public service. Two were assigned to Fort
Richmond, and soon after arriving there were sent by Captain Heath
on a scout with three soldiers under an ensign named Colby. The
party had gone less than a league, when the Mohawks said they
smelt fire, and refused to expose themselves further unless reinforced;
a messenger was hastily sent back to the fort, who returned with thir-
teen men; the whole party presently meeting thirty Indians killed
two and drove the others to their canoes in so much haste that they
left their packs; Colby was slain and two of his men wounded. "•■■ This
skirmish must have occurred in the vicinity of the place that is now
South Gardiner. The two Mohawks were by their first experience
sickened of war, and returned ingloriously to Boston.
The government, worried by the distresses of the people, used
every expedient to annihilate the stealthy and capricious enemy. A
month's seige of Fort St. George (on St. George's river), begun Decem-
ber 5, 1723, provoked the authorities to make another attempt to take
Father Rale. Accordingly a special party was equipped to march to
Nanrantsouak; it was led by Captain Moulton, in mid-winter, on snow-
shoes, up the Kennebec. On reaching the village the soldiers found
the huts empty and the snow untracked. The missionary, aware that
a price had been offered from the public treasury for his head, had
*W\\\\ams,o-a's History of Afaine, Vol. II, p. 133.
W HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
gone with his people for the winter to a safer place. His hut was
again ransacked for trophies, which consisted of a few books and
papers and another letter from the Canadian governor, exhorting him
" to push on the Indians with all zeal against the English." No in-
jury was done to the chapel or dwellings, in the hope that the for-
bearance might be imitated by the owners when making similar in-
cursions.
VIII. FOURTH INDIAN WAR IN MAINE (CONCLUDED).
Indian Assassinations. — Massacre on the St. George. — Fourth Expedition to
Nanrantsouak. — Bomaseen and Family surprised. — Daughter and Father
killed. — The Indian Village surprised.— Massacre of the Inhabitants.— Father
Rale killed at the Mission-cross. — His Burial. — Monument over his Grave. —
Dispersion of his Flock to Canada.— Treaty of Falmouth.— Father DeSirenne
at Nanrantsouak.— The French Monarch's Gift.— Final Extinguishment of
the Mission.
In the spring of 1724 the Indians resumed their warfare with
increased virulence. On the 17th of April they shot William Mitchell
at Scarboro', and led his two boys captives to Nanrantsouak; John
Felt, William Wormwell and Ebenezer Lewis were killed while at
work in a saw mill on the Kennebec. On the 24th of April Captain
Josiah Winslow and seventeen men fell into an Indian ambush on St.
George river, a few miles below their fort, and all except four were
killed. Captain Winslow's death was lamented throughout New Eng-
land. He was a great-grandson of Edward Winslow, who came in
the Mayfloivcr, and the great-grandnephew of John Winslow, whom the
patient reader of these pages has seen as the friend of Father Druillettes
at the Cushnoc trading house; his distinguished lineage, character and
acquirements gave great prominence to the tragedy in which he
bravely perished. This massacre was the burning memory that
nerved the hearts and steeled the sensibilities of men for the aveng-
ing blow that was soon to follow, and which the savages themselves
could not have given with less mercy.
Three expeditions had been sent forth expressly to capture or
slay Father Rale. The errand was still unperformed; it had always
been attempted in the winter, when the snow might show the tracks
of lurking enemies, and the leafless forest could less securely hide the
dreaded ambuscade. It was determined to make a fourth attempt in
the summer time, and brave all increased perils. Thirty persons had
been killed or captured in Maine since early spring; the exigency was
great and popular vengeance could be appeased only by the blood of
Father Rale. Ca,ptain Moulton, who had once been to Nanrantsouak
and knew its topography, was selected to go again; his associate was
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 61
Captain Harmon, whom we saw one night at Somerset point, and later
on a futile march up the Androscoggin; there were two other captains
— Bourne and Beane — and a total force of 208 men. Two or three
decorated Mohawks were welcomed by the company with their free-
lances. Appropriately enough. Fort Richmond, in whose erection
Father Rale had presaged the doom of his flock, was the rendezvous
of the companies on their way to the fated village. The troops em-
barked at the fort landing in seventeen whaleboats, on the 19th of
August, and pulled lu.stily for Teconnet, 36 miles, where they arrived
the next day; there the boats were tethered and forty men detailed
to guard them and the surplus stores.
On the 21st, the main force in light marching order, struck into
the forest by the Indian trail for Nanrantsouak, twenty miles distant.
Before night the advance surprised a solitary family of three persons,
living in fancied security near the site of the present village of South
Norridgewock. There was a crash of musketry in the thicket and an
Indian maiden fell writhing in death agonies on the reddened moss.
The frantic mother fell an easy captive by the side of her dying child.
The father, lithe and fleet-footed, started to carry warning to the dis-
tant village; the soldiers pursued him desperately, for the success of
the expedition now depended on his fall. He finally rushed into the
river at a fording place to cross to the other side, a league below Nan-
rantsouak; he had reached an island-l^dge in the channel, when in
the twilight the keen-eyed marksmen on the shore behind him riddled
his panting body through and through with bullets.* So died Boma-
seen, the noted chief, while trying to escape to his village with the
tidings that would have saved it. By fate he was a savage, unblessed
with the endowments which his Maker gives so freely to men of
another race, but he bravely yielded his humble life for his lowly sub-
jects in their defense of ancestral soil — a cause which enlightened
Christendom always applauds among its own people. The place where
he was killed now bears the name of Bomaseen rips. The widowed
squaw, terrorized by her captors, told them of the condition of Nan-
rantsouak, and of a route by which the village could be reached with
the utmost secrecy.
So little was recorded that related to the details of this expedition,
that it is not known to a certainty where the soldiers crossed the river,
or from what direction they approached the village. It is passing
*Such was the manner of Bomaseen's death according to local tradition.
There does not seem to be any other authority worth following-. Penhallow, in
his history of the Indian wars, makes a geographical jumble; he says nonsensi-
cally that afteV the troops " landed at Ticonic they met with Bomaseen at Bruns-
wick, whom they shot in the river," p. 102. That author was living at the time
and could easily have been more accurate in his statement of fact in spite of his
CDnventional animosity.
■62 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Strange that no personal diary or adequate narrative of a participant
was ever given to the world. The accounts which we have are slight
and vague and even contradictory in some particulars. It is probable
the troops forded the river in the shallow water at the place where the
chief was shot; then leaving the intervale and moving stealthily west-
ward on the high land, a mile or two from the river, they reached a
spot a little after noon on the 22d where they could overlook the vil-
lage of huts that curved like a crescent, conforming to the bending
river, on the plain below. The forces were then prepared for action.
Captain Harmon led off a company in the direction of an imaginary
camp, whose smoke it was fancied could be seen rising in the hazy
distance. Captain Moulton moved his force of one hundred men
directly toward the village; when near it he stationed two detach-
ments in ambush and pushed forward another as a storming party.
As the latter issued from the thickets on the double-quick into the vil-
lage clearing, they saw their first Indian, who, raising the death yell,
sprang for his weapons.
The village, thus startled from its sluggish siesta of a summer
day, was at once in a state of panic; the people rushed out of their
huts in terror and dismay; the warriors seized their guns and fired
them wildly. The soldiers advanced in determined ranks, and when
close upon the bark-walled wigwams and distracted people poured
into them volley after volley indiscriminately. The helpless survivors
scattered for the shelter of the woods, and in their flight encountered
the murderous ambuscades that had been placed to anticipate them.
At the first onset. Father Rale, aroused by the rumult, ran forth from
his dwelling to the place of the village cross, perhaps in the hope that
his efforts might tend to allay the conflict or mitigate its cruelties. A
few terror stricken followers had gathered about him, as if to shield
and to be miraculously shielded by his beloved person, when the
soldiers, catching sight of his priestly dress, and recognizing him as
the person on whom the hate of all New England was concentrated,
raised a hue and cry for his destruction; and selecting his breast as a
target, sent forth a shower of bullets that laid him lifeless by the mis-
sion cross which his own hands had raised.* Seven of his neophytes
* There is another version of the story of the kilHng of Father Rale. It is to
the effect that a son-in-law of Captain Harmon, named Richard Jacques, discov-
ered the missionary firing from a wigwam on the soldiers, whereupon he broke
down the door and shot him dead. If this be true we must conclude that the
Father was not very efficient with a musket, for we are not told that any soldier
was seriously disabled; and we must also conclude that his mutilated body was
considerately dragged out of doors to save cremation when the village was
burned. The truth of the wigwam story was denied at the time. Charlevoix,
History of New France, pp. 130,122; Williamson's History of Maine, pp. 129-132;
Life of Sebastian Rale, by Convers Francis, D.D., pp. 311-322 (in Sparks' Ameri-
can Biography, Vol. VII). As to the scalping of the body, see FenAallow's Indian
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 63
fell beside him; all the others fled from the village and the slaughter-
tempest was over. Thirty Indian men, women and children lay dead,
and half as many more were hobbling into the thickets with wounds.
Not an Englishman had been hurt; one of the Mohawks was killed,
but it may be an open question whether his dusky hue did not make
him the accidental victim of some excited soldier.
The purpose of the expedition had been accomplished; it only re-
mained for the victors to enjoy their triumph and prepare to return
home. Captain Harmon and his men returned before evening from
their barren reconnoissance, and the reassembled companies passed
the night in the village. The next morning, loading themselves with
all the articles of worth (including Father Rale's gray and blood-
stained scalp, which had a high commercial value in Boston, and the
scalps of the other dead), the soldiers started on their return to Fort
Richmond, leaving devastated Nanrantsouak rising in smoke and
crackling flames behind them. They took with them the two Mitchell
boys, who had been captured at Scarboro', and one other rescued pris-
oner. The retirement of the soldiers was noted by the fugitives hid-
ing in the surrounding forest, who soon returned to the ruins to look
for their massacred friends. We are told by Charlevoix that they first
sought the body of their missionary, and prepared it for sepulture
-with pathetic tears and kisses, and that they buried it where the church
altar had stood. The cassock which he had worn was too frayed and
bedraggled for the soldiers to care for; they threw it away, and it was
saved by the Indians and carried to Quebec as a precious relic. The
chapel bell was taken from the ashes by an Indian boy and hid; he
never would reveal the place of its concealment, saying, " May be
Indian want it some time;" and the secret died with him. Many years
after it was accidentally discovered by a woodman in the hollow of an
ancient pine tree.*
The grave of Father Rale was never forgotten — but was always
IVars, p. 103; see £ariy Settlements at Sagadahoc, by John McKeen, in Me. Hist.
Soc. Coll., Vol. Ill, p. 318; Abbot's History of Maine, pp. 313-316; Drake's Book
of the Indians, book III, p. 119; History of Norridgewock, by William Allen. Rev.
Jonathan G«-eenleaf, a Congregational minister of Wells, writing in 1821 (nearly
a century after the death of Father Rale) says of him: " The fact of his having
devoted his superior talents to the instruction of the rude children of the wilder-
ness; consenting to spend his days in the depths of the forest, in unrepining con-
formity to savage customs, and modes of life; enduring such privations, hard-
ships, and fatigues as he did by night and day in the discharge of his mission,
proves him to have been a very superior man, and well entitled to the admira-
tion of sM."— Ecclesiastical Sketches, Maine, 1821, pp. 23;i-4.
* This bell, together with the "strong box" taken by Westbrook in 1721,
and a crucifix found in the soil within a few years by a lad, and preserved by
the Hon. A. R. Bixby of Skowhegan, are now in the rooms of the Maine Histori-
cal Society, Portland.
64 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
kept green — so long as any of the tribe haunted the river. It was
first marked by a wooden cross — perhaps by the one made by Father
Rale himself. When Arnold's army followed in 1775 the old Indian
route to Quebec, his soldiers saw " a priest's grave " among the vestiges
of the Indian village of Nanrantsouak.* In 18B3, under the patronage
of Bishop Fenwick of Boston (an ex-member of the Society of Jesus), the
site of Father Rale's church was purchased of the white man, and a
granite monument erected with great ceremony over his grave. Some
of the descendants of Rale's parishioners were present from Canada.
The shaft was raised just 109 years after the burning of the church.
Even that period of time had not been long enough for all animosity
against the missionary to disappear, and the monument was maliciously
overturned two years later, and again in 1851. It was replaced each
time by the good people of the town of Norridgewock, and still stands
in its harmlessness a mute reminder to the passing generations of a
life of sublime toil, devotion and martyrdom on the banks of the
Kennebec.f
The offense of Father Rale was his constancy to his vows and
loyalty to his people. Had his efforts been less he would not have
been true to his view of pastoral duty. He sought sympathy and
help for his flock where only it could be obtained, not questioning in
his zeal the propriety of the Canadian government's hearty encour-
agement, for which he was denounced as a traitor. After a bounty
had been offered for his head he was urged by Father de la Chasse to
look after his own safety, but he replied, " God has committed this
flock to my care, and I will share its lot, only too happy if I am allowed
to lay down my life for it." He believed the disputed lands had been
taken from the Indians by deception and force (and who does not ?)
and in the visionary cause of his tribe to recover them he serenely met
* Journal of Return J. Meigs, Sept. ii, 1775, to Jan. 1, 1776. Mass. Hist. Soc.
Coll. (1814), Vol. I, second series, p. 331.
t This monument is a gfranite structure of appropriate simplicity. The base
is composed of irregularly shaped ashlar blocks, on which stands a graduated
quadrilateral shaft that towers eighteen feet from the ground, and which is sur-
mounted by an iron cross two feet high. On the southern face of.one of the
blocks is the inscription in Latin, which may be translated as follows: "Rev.
Sebastian Rale, a native of France, a missionary of the Society of Jesus, at first
preaching for awhile to the Illinois and Hurons, afterwards for thirty-four years
to the Abenakis, in faith and charity a true apostle of Christ; undaunted by the
danger of arms, often testifying that he was ready to die for his people; at length
this best of pastors fell amidst arms at the destruction of the village of Nor-
ridgewock and the ruins of his own church, on this spot, on the twenty-third day
of August, A.D. 1724." " Benedict Fenwick, Bishop of Boston, has erected this
monument, and dedicated it to him and his deceased children in Christ, on the
23d of August, A.D. 1833, to the greater glory of God."
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 65
his death."" There were about two hundred persons affiliated with his
mission at the time of its overthrow; three-fourths of them moved
immediately to St. Francis, into which the Abenaki mission, near
the mouth of the Chaudiere had been merged (in the year 1700); the
rest clung to the northern lakes and streams, far inland. Though the
war continued to rage for a year longer, the Nanrantsoiiaks took no
further part in it, and were not repre-
sented at the peace parleys of 1725-6; ri__j
but in July, 1727, forty Kennebecs and ''-^;.\
fifteen Wawenocs, under the sachem }\
Wiwurna, whom we last saw in a pa- ' %
triotic passion at Arrowsic, met the
authorities at Falmouth and ratified a /'
peace — after having pleaded in vain as ,
of yore, for the English to retire their
boundaries from Richmond fort to Ar-
rowsic, and from St. George fort to |
Pemaquid. Thus
closed the fourth .*- , *^
Indian war in ^ ^^^
called Lovewell's _ !•:,;■■ If M
war, from a scalp 7 .„.,"! \ '^■~— — --" "^T fm
hunter's exploit -.'- -.,. ^„ «^- [' kW
and death at Lake ^^'ll^X -^/ . ,^^- - %^r <^
Peqwaket, INIay 8, '^^^^^M^;,^ '^ ,^,.^- ■* ..
1725)-another "S"'...^ ^"^^f^-.- .^
hemorrhage from •'%> "^^i^ -^ ^ ^ ^
the old French ^^ ^ \ '^^^'- '' ' ,
conflict, and '^^''" > ^^^^^^>S^
which was not father rale monument. //>^^^>^^^^
even yet ended. /^
Six years after the death of Father Rale, the mission cross was re-
erected over the ashes of Nanrantsouak, by Father James de Sirenne.f
The King of France had taken notice of the sorrows of the survivors
of the massacre, and ordered Father de la Chasse to cover the body of
* Father Rale was bom in 1658, in France; he came to America in 1689, ar-
riving at Quebec October 1.3th. He studied the Indian languages at Sillery, and
was affiliated for two or three years with the Abenakis on the Chaudiere. In
1693 he went to Illinois, but returned to Quebec in 1694 or '95, to be sent to his
life work on the Kennebec.
t The Catholic Church in Colonial Days, by John G. Shea (New York, 1886),
p. 604. History of the Cath. Miss. Among the Ind. Tribes of the U. S.. by John G.
Shea. p. 152.
5
66 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Father Rale, which in Indian parlance is to condole with them on
their loss. Eight years later (1738) the French monarch gave an out-
fit of plate, vestments and furniture for the mission chapel; perhaps
it was this gracious deed that excited a general movement among
the exiled Kennebecs to return to their old home; but the Canadian
government, to prevent the exodus and to have the fighting men near
at hand in case of need, had Father de vSirenne recalled, and Nanrant-
souak as a mission place was forever abandoned.
IX. THE FIFTH AND SIXTH INDIAN WARS IN MAINE.
England and France again at War. — The Indians join the French. — The Kenne-
bec a Route for War Parties. — English Scalp Hunters scout the Cobbosseecon-
tee and Messalonskee Lakes. — Treaty of Aix la Chapelle. — Fatal Affray at
Wiscasset. — War Party from St. Francis. — Fort Richmond and Georgetown
attacked. — Advent of the Plymouth Land Company. — Protest of Ongewas-
gone. — Forts Shirley, Western and Halifax. — Bounties for St. Francis In-
dians or their Scalps. — Last Skirmish on the Kennebec. — Capture of Quebec,
and Exting^iishment of French Power in America, — Natanis wounded under
Arnold. — Sabatis. — Peerpole carries his Dead Child to Canada for Burial.
The ambitions of European monarchs were to precipitate again
the horrors of war in New England and New France. So sensitive
were the rival colonies to the prevailing politics of their home coun-
tries a thousand leagues distant, that a declaration of war by France
against England in 1744 — generated by a British-Spanish war then
in progress — was presently felt in America, and the next year it de-
veloped into what has been called the fifth Indian war, so far as it
related to Maine. The French and English colonies vied sharply for
the support of the Indians. The French were successful as usual.
It was a wanton and fruitless war, prompted by no loftier impulse on
either side than gratification of national, religious or race antipathy.
It was made notable, however, by the capture, by New England valor,
of the French fortress of Louisbourg (June 17, 1745). The few resi-
dent Kennebec Indians were not early to engage m it, but their river
was the thoroughfare for brigand parties from Canada, and however
innocent, they came under the ban of the government (August 12,
1745), which offered prizes for their scalps ranging from one hundred
to four hundred pounds ($500 to $2,000) apiece. By an odd discrim-
ination the scalps of French leaders and accomplices were rated at
only thirty-eight pounds ($190) apiece. Fort Richmond and Fort
George (at Brunswick) were kept in order; a few hundred men were
employed as scouts in Maine. Parties roamed the forests for scalps
as huntsmen do for furs; there is record of one such party on the
Kennebec.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 67
On thfc 7th of March, 1747, some men under Captain John Gatchell
■started from the Brunswick fort to hunt for Indians; they reached
Richmond fort the first day; the next day they tramped northwesterly
toward the lakes that feed the Cobbosseecontee, where they hoped to
surprise some camps; not finding any tracks at the small ponds (in
Litchfield), they followed the stream up to Great Cobbosseecontee,
where they were also disappointed. With great persistency they
plodded a dozen miles northward to the waters of the Messalonskee;
this lake they scouted in vain. There was not an Indian in all the
region. The dispirited rangers now faced homeward, and emerging
from the forest into the light of the river opening about eight miles
above Cushnoc, they marched on the ice in a blinding snow storm
down to the rapids where Augusta has .since been built. There they
went ashore and bivouacked for the night among the great trees; the
next day (March 17) they reached Richmond fort, with neither scalps
nor other laurels to recompense them for their toilsome outing.* The
vigor and alertness of the government kept the Indians in awe, and
restricted their mischiefs in Maine to a few assassinations and cases of
kidnapping. The treaty of Aix la Chapelle was signed October 7,
1748, by England and France, which restored peace again to their
American colonies. A year later (October 16, 1749), eight Kennebec
Indians with a few others went to Falmouth and renewed their hum-
ble submission to the authorities, f
But so demoralized and fragmentary had the tribes now become,
that this treaty affected few Indians except those who were parties to
it. Irrespon.sible tramps from St. Francis and Becancourt, with old
scores to settle, continued to infest the Kennebec. In a quarrel with
some white men at Wiscasset December 2, 1749, an Indian was
wickedly killed; the guilty parties were arrested but not otherwise
punished. The victim's Indian friends became greatly excited; thir-
teen went to Boston to see the governor, who gave them stately court-
esy and condoning presents. The next spring a party of eighty war-
riors came from St. Francis to settle the affair in the Indian fashion; they
asked the Penobscots to join them, and the people of Maine began to
shudder in dread of some act of savage retaliation. It finally came in
an attack on Fort Richmond (September 11, 1750), when the Indians
killed one man and wounded another and led away fifteen inhabitants
as captives. Two weeks later (September 25), they appeared on
Parker's island in Georgetown; shunning the garrison, they attacked
where the danger was less. In one case they battered down with
their tomahawks the door of a house which the owner— a Mr. Rose —
* History of Brunswick, pp. 58-00. t The names of these Indians were —
Toxus, Magawombee, Harry, Soosephania, Nooktoonas, Nesagunibuit, Peereer,
■Cneas.
68 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
had bolted against them; the man at bay then fled through a window
and running to the sliore rushed into the water to swim across Back
river and Newtown bay, half a mile, to Arrowsic island. The savages
nimbly pursued, and resorting to their canoe, paddled after him; when
they overtook their expected prize, he upset their canoe by a dexter-
ous movement, spilling them into the water and putting them on the
.same footing with himself. Leaving them floundering, Mr. Rose re-
sumed his swim and reached Arrowsic fort.* The Kennebec saga-
mores disavowed these and many other revengeful acts, that followed
as a sequence to the unfortunate Wiscasset affray.
Thirty years had passed since the Pejepscot company made the
land seizure that led to the war in which Father Rale was slain.
During that period Richmond fort had been the outpost of the Eng-
lish frontier. The time had now come when the Plymouth company,
tracing its title to a patent given in 1627 to the Plymouth colony,
wanted all of the lands above Richmond fort. The tribe that had
protested a generation before, had been crushed for its contumacy;
its survivors had nearly all removed to Canada; the few who still lin-
gered by the burial-places of their fathers, had no steadfast and fear-
less Rale to befriend them. So insignificant were they that the Ply-
mouth company began to lot their land without any thought of asking
their leave. Its strong hands built Fort Shirley (nearly opposite Fort
Richmond) in 1751, but in February, 1754, a party of about sixty stal-
wart Indians appeared at Richmond fort with a warning to the Eng-
lish to depart. Governor Shirley in behalf of the settlers, retorted by
detailing six companies of militia for the Kennebec. In April the
general court authorized him to build a new fort as far up the river
as he pleased. In June he made a personal visit to the Kennebec and
decided to locate a fortress at Teconnet for the protection of the Ply-
mouth company's lands.
On the 21st he held a conference (at Falmouth) with forty-two
Kennebec Indians. Ongewasgone, the sagamore, pleaded piteously
for his people, saying: " Here is a river that belongs to us; you have
lately built a new fort [Shirley]; we now only ask that you be content
to go no further up the river; we live wholly by this land, and live
poorly; the Penob.scot Indians hunt on one side of us and the Canada
Indians on the other; so do not turn us off this land; we are willing
for you to have the lands from this fort to the sea." f But the poor
chief was protesting in vain; as in the case of the Arrowsic parley
thirty-seven years before, the will of the white man prevailed. The
Indians signed what was conventionally called a treaty. The bitter-
ness of the cup was lessened by a few presents. Immediately the gov-
* Luther D. Emerson, Oakland, Maine, t Journal of the Rev. Thomas Smith,
pp. 153, 1.54. See Abbot's History of Maine, p. 352.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. by
ernment sent workmen to build Fort Halifax at Teconnet (now Wins-
low), and the Plymouth land proprietors sent others to build Fort
Western at Cushnoc. Five hundred soldiers under General John
Winslow* attended as escort, and some of them went far beyond into
the wilderness to look for a fictitious fort which rumor said the French
were establishing near the sources of the Chaudiere. Fort Halifax
was completed for occupancy in September, and put in command of
William Lithgow. The Indians soon showed their opinion of it by
killing and scalping one of the soldiers, and capturing four others.
This bloody deed prompted the government to send Captain Lithgow
a reinforcement of men and cannon, and to offer a reward of ^110
($550) for every captive St. Francis Indian, or i;'10 ($50) less for his
scalp. Fort Western was armed with twenty men and four cannon,
but it was not attacked.
Thus the advent of the Plymouth company was met with resistance
and bloodshed, as that of the Pejepscot company had been. This was
the opening of the sixth Indian war in Maine, which soon became
part of the greater conflict between France and England that ended
with the fall of Quebec. The Maine tribes having generally trans-
planted themselves, recruited the French ranks in Canada; some of
the warriors were on the flanks at Braddock's de'feat (July 9, 1755);
others were in the no less bloody actions at Crown Point and Fort
William Henry, but a few chose their own war paths, and skulked
fitfully on the outskirts of the Maine settlements. In the spring and
summer of 1755, they shot one Barrett near Teconnet, and two others
near Fort Shirley; a courier was captured while going from Fort
Western to Fort Halifax; John Tufts and Abner Marston were cap-
tured in Dresden. The government at once increased the scalp
bounty to $1,000 and offered $1,250 per captive.
In the summer of 1756, while England and France were moving
with new intensity toward their final combat, the Indians continued
their miserable warfare in iSIaine. On the Kennebec two men were
assassinated at Teconnet; Mr. Preble and his wife were killed at their
home on the northern end of Arrowsic island, opposite Bath, and their
three children taken. One of the latter, an infant, was soon killed
because it was an incumbrance. A young woman named Motherwell
was captured the same day at Harnden's fort (in Woolwich). In the
spring of 1757, a few soldiers went out from Fort Halifax to hunt for
* General Winslow was a brother of Captain Josiah Winslow (slain at St.
George thirty years before), and the officer whom the government detailed in
1755 to enforce its order for the expulsion of the Acadians from Nova Scotia, on
which event Longfellow founded his pathetic and beautiful idyl Evangeline. The
celebrated Winslow family, so prominent in affairs on the Kennebec after the
voyage of Edward in 1635, has left its name to the town (incorp. 1771) of which
Fort Halifax was the nucleus.
70 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
game; as five mysteriously disappeared their comrades supposed that
a party of savages, discovered to be in the neighborhood, had taken
them.- Captain Lithgow hastily sent ten men in a boat down the
river to warn the settlements. While returning to Fort Halifax (May
IS), and when about eight miles above Fort Western (in the vicinity
of Riverside or Lovejoy's ferry), the boat was fired at from the shore
by seventeen lurking Indians. Two men were wounded. The soldiers
returned the volley, killing one of the enemy and wounding another;
they then landed on the shore opposite the Indians, whom they saw
in the distance bear across an open field the body of their fallen com-
rade for burial."" This was the last Indian encounter on the Kenne-
bec; by a strange coincidence it happened near the place where Cap-
tain Gilbert was received by the natives just one hundred and fifty
years before.
England and France were now in the midst of their mighty con-
test for supremacy in America: their respective colonies were the
battle ground, and the prizes at stake. For more than a century —
beginning with the labors of Father Druillettes at Cushnoc in 1646 —
the Kennebec had been an environ of Quebec, and a door to Acadia.
Acadia itself with its shadowy boundary had made the territory of
Maine an uncertain borderland. Five wars — not counting King
Philip's— had been waged against Maine settlements by French-
Canadian intrigues; but the time was near when the terrible alliance
that had desolated so many New England settlements must be dis-
solved. An English heart was beating under a soldier's uniform
whose valor was to thrill all hearts, and determine the political des-
tiny of the western world. In July, 1758, General Wolfe was before
Louisbourg, which capitulated on the 16th; fourteen months later he
led his little army up the heights of Abraham to the mad fight on the
plains above, where he died victorious (September 13, 1759), bequeath-
ing to his countrymen the citadel of Quebec. His blood washed New
France from the map. The flag that had been planted by Champlain
in 1608 (three years after his visit to the Kennebec) was lowered from
its staff, and North America came under the dominion of the English
speaking race. Acadia was no more; its boundary was no longer of
any importance; Forts Halifax, Western and Shirley, on the Kenne-
bec, were needed no more. In the long, painful, tragical contest, the
Kennebec tribe (as well as others) had been annihilated. A few
families continued to live in hermit-like seclusion around the upper
waters of the river, but the young men learned the art of war no more.
When Arnold's army was marching to Quebec, the pioneer party
discovered at a point on the trail near the Dead river, a birch bark
* Letter of William Lithgow to Governor Shirley, May 33, 1757, quoted by
Joseph Williamson in Me. Hist. Soc. Coll., Vol. IX, p. 194.
THE INDIANS OF THE KENNEBEC. 71
map of the streams of the region, which an Indian had posted for the
benefit of his fellows: a score or more of Indians were dwelling m the
vicinity. The intrusion disturbed them, and they flitted undiscovered
within spying distance of the troops for more than a month. Finally,
having divined that the army was the enemy of the English at Que-
bec, they disclosed themselves as friends, and nineteen joined the ex-
pedition as allies. Among them were the noted chiefs — Natanis and
Sabatis. They took part in the assault on Quebec, January 1, 1776.*
Natanis received a musket ball through his wrist. This was the first
time that Indians had fought in the war of the revolution. Thus, to
the last remnant of the Kennebec tribe belongs the distinction of an
alliance with the continental army, and Natanis was the first of his
race to shed blood in the cause of American independence. Sabatis
afterward lived for many years, an errant but amiable life on his
native river— sensible and mild — a friend to the settlers as they were
to him.
One of the last well-remembered Indians lingered with his family
around the upper waters of the Sandy river for many years; this was
Peerpole; he had received baptism, and like a good Catholic went
yearly to Quebec with his humble gifts to receive the blessing of the
church. He would not bury the body of his dead child in the soil of
his lost country, but carried it to Canada for religious rites and deposit
in consecrated ground. + About the year 1797, with his wife and sur-
viving children and precious burden tied on a hand-sled, he wended
his way for the last time northward to the adopted land of his surviv-
ing kindred. The mournful procession symbolizes the extinction of
the red men in the valley of the Kennebec.
* Aicoi/iif of Arnold's Campaign against Quebec, by John Joseph Henry, pp.
74, 7.5. tThe late William Allen of Norridgewock, in Me. Hist. See. Coll., Vol.
IV, p. .31, note.
CHAPTER III.
SOURCES OF LAND TITLES.
Bv Lend.\ll Titcome, Esq.
Indian Occupancy. — Sales of Lands by the Indians. — Claims of Spain and
Portugal. — Counter-claim of France. — The Virginia Charter. — The New-
England Charter.— The Kennebeck or Plymouth Patent. — Trade with the
Indians. — Sale of Plymouth Patent.— Settlement of the Kennebec Purchase.
— Province of Massachusetts Bay. — Maine Separated from Massachusetts
and Admitted into the Union.
WHEN first foreign peoples came to the shores of Maine with
the purpose of occupying the territory, establishing homes
and creating an organized government, they found, of course,
the country occupied by a primeval people whose history was no better
known to themselves than it is to us to-day. It is even probable, with
the concentration of legends of other peoples and drafts from asso-
ciated histories, that the history of the Indian nations could now be
written, giving with greater certainty the story of their ancestry than
the dim traditions which were to them the only record of their past.
The different nations and clans occupied each a separate country, the
natural divisions on the surface of the earth, in the absence of a sur-
veyor's chain and compass, establishing the boundaries of the separate
tribes and nations.
The Indian had no conception of the European idea of exclusive
ownership of land. The tribes and their sachems neither made nor
understood such claims of arbitrary ownership of the lands they occu-
pied. The passing cloud which threw its shadow on his path, and the
running water in which he paddled his canoe, were as much his prop-
erty as the pathless land whereon his wigwam chanced to be. He
neither coveted nor comprehended sole ownership of land. It was to
him a mother whose streams and forests offered to him, as to his
neighbor, food and shelter. No such thing as inheritance by children
from parents was cared for or understood.
They held their lands, if theirs they were, as life tenants in common;
and no matter what were the forms or words of the deeds they signed,
they only signified to the Indian mind the white man's privilege to
occupy the lands as they themselves had occupied them; hence the
SOURCES OF LAND TITLES. 73
trifling consideration named as price in the so-called Indian deeds.
Monquine, son of Mahotiwormet, sagamore, sold for two skins of liquor
and one skin of bread, more than a million acres of land above Gard-
iner. As late as 1761 Samuel Goodwin was authorized to obtain a deed
from the sagamores of the whole territory extending from the Wes-
serunsett river to the ocean on both sides of the Kennebec river, " pro-
vided he could obtain it at an expense of not more than ;f50." Hence
also the fact that the Indian chiefs sold the same lands many times
over and to different parties. In the " Statement of Kennebeck Claims"
— Pamphlet Report of committee made June 15, 1785— after reciting
the history of old Indian deeds the committee say: " From the his-
tory and mode of living amongst the Indians in this country there
can be no great doubt but that they originally held as tenants in com-
mon in a state of nature; and though they have formed themselves
into tribes and clans, yet the members of those tribes still retain a
common and undivided right to the lands of their respective tribes."
The aboriginal occupant of Kennebec county was the Indian tribe
called Canibas. This was a large and important tribe and claimed as
their territory the land extending from the sources of the Kennebec
river to Merrymeeting bay. It may be noted as bearing on the Indian
ideas of ownership of land, that Assiminasqua, a sagamore, in 1653
certified that the region of Teconnet (Waterville) belonged to him
and the wife of Watchogo; while at near the same time the chief sag-
amores, Monquine, Kennebis and Abbagadussett, conveyed to the
English all the lands on the Kennebec river extending from Swan
island to Wesserunsett river, near Skowhegan, as their property.
In the earlier years a verbal grant was asserted by the English as
a sufficient "deed." But subsequently concession was made to the
formalities, and the conveyances from the Indians were made in legal
form without much inquiry whether they were understood by the
native grantors or not. Governor Winslow asserted " that the Eng-
lish did not possess one foot of land in the colony but was fairly ob-
tained by honest purchase from the Indian proprietors." But Andros,
in 1686, boldly condemned the title so obtained from the natives and
declared that " Indian deeds were no better than the scratch of a
bear's paw." Though by a strict rule of right the Indian's deed could
not be held to convey an exclusive ownership, it formed one of the
strands, though a slender one, which the first settlers gathered together
through which they maintained their early dominion over no incon-
siderable portion of the soil of Maine. The thrifty adventurers from
beyond the sea who sought wealth within her boundaries professed
to largely base their rights on the Indian deeds and a prior occupation
and possession.
But the Crown of England is the source to which trace all lines of
title to lands within the county of Kennebec. It was by royal license
74 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
that the first English settlement was made in Maine. The emigrants
came as English subjects and they brought with them English laws.
England planted her colonies here as her subjects, on lands claimed
by her as her territory, and she alone maintained her authority.
In 1493 Spain and Portugal claimed the entire New World which
Columbus had discovered, by virtue of a bull of Pope Alexander VI.
It is said that some seventy years later Spain took fortified possession
of Maine at Pemaquid, but if so her possession was abandoned before
many years.
In 1524, Francis I, king of France, saying he should like to
see the clause in Adam's will which made the American con-
tinent the exclusive possession of his brothers of Spain and Portu-
gal, sent Verrazzano, a navigator, who explored the entire coast
and named the whole country Nciu France. Later King Francis, in
1534 and the following years, through Jacques Ouartier, took actual
possession of Canada, explored the St. Lawrence and " laid the found-
ation of French dominion on this continent."
In 1495, Henry VII, of England, commissioned the Venetian, John
Cabot, and his sons to make discoveries in the Western World, and
under this commission they discovered the Western Continent more
than a year before Columbus saw it; and in 1502 the same king com-
missioned Hugh Eliot and Thomas Ashurst, in his name and for his
u.se, to take possession of the islands and continent of America.
Under the claim made by France the southern limit of New France
was the 40th parallel of north latitude. Below that line was Florida,
claimed by Spain as her territory. These two powers claimed the
whole of North America by right of discovery. But it was a settled
rule of international law that discovery of barbarous countries must
be followed by actual possession to complete the title of any Christian
power. Neither Spain nor France willingly yielded to England's
claim to the new territory. But when Spain complained of an alleged
act of trespass at Jamestown, England replied that all north of 32°
belonged to the Crown of England by right of discovery and actual
possession taken through Sir Walter Raleigh and English colonies.
And when France complained against England's assumed control
north of the 40th north parallel, England replied reciting the discov-
eries by authority of the Crown made by Cabot, and the colonies estab-
lished by her royal charter.
England repeatedly asserted her claim to the lands held by her
colonists, and overruled the claim to the whole country made by
France, and as a result the map shows to-day not Neiv France, but Nczv
England. By the English law the ultimate right to the soil remained
in the Crown and grants made by the Crown were on condition of
fealty and service, and on breach of such condition, the lands reverted
to the Crown. " The newly discovered lands beyond the sea followed
SOURCES OF LAND TITLES. 75-
the same rule. If they were to become English possessions it was
the right of the Sovereign to assign them to his subjects, and the
validity of the titles thus conferred and transmitted has never been
questioned, but stands unimpeached to this day."*
The first transfer of title or English sovereignty was by what is
known as the Virginia charter, which was granted by James I, April
10, 1606, to the Adventurers of London and their associates known as
the first colony, and to the Adventurers of Plymouth and their asso-
ciates known as the second colony, and under this charter a futile at-
tempt was made the following year to plant a colony at the mouth of
the Kennebec river.
On November 3, 1620, King James I granted what is known as the
New England charter to the cottncil of Plymouth in the county of
Devon, successors to the Plymouth company under the charter of
1606. This charter was granted to forty lords, knights and merchants
of England, among whom were the Duke of Lenox, Marquis of Buck-
ingham, Marquis of Hamilton, Earl of Arundel, Earl of Warwick, Sir
Ferdinando Gorges, Francis Popham and Raleigh Gilbert. They
were incorporated as " The Council Established at Plymouth in the
County of Devon for the planting, ruling and governing New Eng-
land in America." This charter granted in fee simple all the North
American continent and islands between the parallels of 40° and 48°
north latitude, " throughout the mainland from sea to sea," excepting
" all places actually possessed by any other Christian prince or
people."
Under the charter of 1606 no permanent colony with an organized
government had been planted in Maine. But its rivers, coast and
harbors had been explored, knowledge of the Indians and their habits
had been acquired, and trading posts and fishing stations had been
established. Gorges and his associates had learned the value of the
fur trade and fisheries, and it was to control these that the Plymouth
company sought and obtained the great New England charter.
On January 13, 1629, a grant was made by the Plymouth council to
the Pilgrim colony, of what has since been known as the Kennebeck or
Plymouth Patent. There was long dispute as to the boundaries of this
patent, but its territory as ultimately settled, extended from the north
line of Woolwich below Swan island on the east side of the river, and
from the north line of Topsham on the west side of the river to a line
a league above the mouth of the Wesserunsett river and fifteen miles
wide on either side of the Kennebec. This patent covered about
1,500,000 acres. With the patent were transferred rights of exclusive
trade, an open passage at all times from the patent to the sea, author-
ity to make all necessary rules and regulations for their protection
and government.
*H. W. Richardson, Introduction, York Deeds.
76 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
A trading post was established at Cushnoc, and some writers say,
at Richmond's landing and at Popham's fort also. For several years
the trade with the Indians was found to be profitable, but it gradually
declined till in 1652 the trade at Kennebec was leased at the small
price of fifty pounds a year, and in 1655 the lease was renewed for
seven years at thirty-five pounds a year — " to be paid in money, moose
or beaver." This rental was reduced after three years to ten pounds
and the next year the trade was abandoned.
Discouraged by meager returns the holders of the Kennebeck or
Plymouth patent sought a purchaser for their patent and on October
27, 1661. it was sold * for four hundred pounds to Antipas Boyes, Ed-
ward Tyng, Thomas Brattle and John Winslow. This transfer, of
course, carried with it whatever apparent shadow of title there was in
the Indian deeds, which from the year 1648, when the whole Kenne-
bec valley was purchased by William Bradford from a chief, had been
collected from different sagamores covering the same territory.
From 1661 till 1749 the title to the lands on the Kennebec lay dor-
mant and no special effort was made to establish settlements on the
land. This was at least partially due to the French and Indian border
wars, which for a series of years diverted attention from the arts of
peace. But in 1749, eighty-eight years after the transfer of the patent,
though the four original purchasers were dead, the proprietors had
greatly increased in numbers and were widely scattered, and knew
very little of the extent or value of their lands. On August 17, 1749,
a number of the proprietors joined in a petition to call a meeting of
the proprietors of the Plymouth company's lands to devise means of
settling or dividing the same " as the major part of the proprietors
shall or may agree." A meeting was called for September 21, 1849, at
Boston, and a number of subsequent meetings were held until in June,
1753, the owners of shares in the patent were incorporated under the
name of" The Proprietors of the Kennebec Purchase from the late
Colony of New Plymouth;" though they were generally known as the
Kennebec company or the Plymouth company.
The new proprietors in 1761 employed Nathan Winslow f to make
a survey and lay out into lots the Kennebec valley on either side of
the river, from Chelsea to Vassalboro inclusive, and offered to each
settler, upon certain conditions, two lots aggregating 250 acres. The
conditions imposed by the proprietors looked to the permanent settle-
ment of the towns and the establishment of churches; for the grantee
* The deed was executed October 15, 1665, and recorded in the York County
Registry in 1719.— [Ed.
t Winslow's map of this survey shows on either side of the river, three ranges
of lots, each one mile deep with eight-rod ways between the ranges. The origi-
nal map is in possession of Governor Joseph H. Williams, of Augusta, and a copy
is on file in the Kennebec County Registry. — [Ed.
SOURCES OF LAND TITLES. 77
was required to build a house of certain size — generally 20 by 20 feet
— and reduce to cultivation five acres of the land in his possession within
three years; also to occupy it himself or by his heirs or assigns seven
years besides the three. Each grantee was also bound to labor two
davs yearly for ten years on the highways and two days every year
on the minister's lot or upon the house of worship.
By reason of these inducements and the advantages which were
held out to settlers the valley was gradually covered with colonists.
In 1762 the lots were rapidly taken, especially around Fort Western at
Cushnoc, and by 1766 nearly all the lots were granted.
Settlements and grants in other sections of the patent continued
as the country's resources attracted settlers until nearly all the Ken-
nebec lands had been reduced to individual ownership, when it was
decided by the owners to close out their scattered possessions. Ac-
cordingly the heirs and successors of the original purchasers met in
Boston in January, 1816, and sold at auction all their remaining rights.
Thomas L. Winthrop was the purchaser and became the owner of the
unsold rangeways, gores and islands throughout the Kennebec pur-
chase. His title deeds appear of record in Somerset County Registry,
Vol. Ill, p. 164, and in Kennebec County Registry, Vol. Ill, p. 64.
It is interesting to trace the intricate historical chain of title which
began in 1620 and has extended unbroken to this generationin, to the
hands of those who to-day hold the parent title from which countless
branches have been derived. Judge James Bridge and Hon. Reuel
Williams, both of Augusta, purchased each, one-fourth interest from
Thomas L. Winthrop, who subsequently sold his remaining half to
Hon. Joseph H. Williams. At the death of Judge Bridge in 1834, his
interest passed to his daughter, Mrs. Daniel Williams, and at the death
of Reuel Williams in 1862, his fourth interest descended to his heirs.
It would not seem necessary in a chapter of this character to recite
the historical facts of the charter of the province of Maine, granted
by Charles I, April 3, 1639, to Sir Ferdinando Gorges, nor the charter
granted by Charles II to the Duke of York in 1664, which was re-
newed ten years later. But perhaps reference should be made to the
charter granted by William and Mary, by which the name of the
province of Massachusetts Bay was given to the consolidated colonies
of Massachusetts Bay and New Plymouth, the province of Maine and
the territory of Nova Scotia. It was this province of Massachusetts
Bay which sent its delegates to continental congress, which adopted
the declaration of independence July 4, 1776, which of course termi-
nated the political sovereignty and authority of England in the United
States. The separation of Maine from her parent Massachusetts was
effected through the consent of the Massachusetts general court by
act of June 19, 1819. and the act of congress admitting Maine into the
Union passed May 3, 1820.
CHAPTER IV.
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS.
The County Erected. — County Buildings. — State House. — State and National
Officers. — State Senators. — State Representatives. — Sheriffs. — Registers. —
Treasurers. — Hospital for Insane. — Educational Institutions. — State Library.
— Arsenal. — Soldiers' Home.
THE territory now included in Kennebec county comprises nearly
all of the original Kennebeck patent, and like it preserves in a
name an allusion to the Kennebec Indians, who first inhabited
the valley. It was within the widely extended boundaries of the old
county of York, which Massachusetts erected in 1658, and became a
part of Lincoln county in 1760. This territory which, until the close
of the revolutionary war, remained largely undeveloped, began then
to furnish evidences of the remarkable resources which have since
placed it among the leading counties of New England. In 1787, Lin-
coln county, whose shire-town was at Dresden, established at Augusta
some public buildings and made it a co-ordinate shire-town.
The demands of a rapidly increasing population soon led to a di-
vision of the great county of Lincoln, and on the 20th of February,
1799, Kennebec county was incorporated as the sixth county in the
district of Maine. It then, embracing nearly six times its present
area, included the whole of Somerset county, which was taken from
it in 1809; four of the towns on the east were made a part of Waldo
county in 1827; five were included in Franklin county in 1838, and
four were set off to Androscoggin county in 1854; so that the Kenne-
bec county of to-day, to whose local history we turn our present atten-
tion, consists of twenty-five towns, four cities and a plantation.
For three years following the establishment of Augusta as a co-
ordinate shire-town, the sessions were held at Fort Western. The first
court house was built by subscription. It was erected on Market
Square, opposite the site of the old Journal office. The frame was
raised September 21, 1790, but as sufficient funds for its completion
could not be secured, the sub.scribers decided to partition off only one
room. In this room the January term of court convened, and notwith-
standing the absence of laths and plastering, it was reported that they
were considerably well accommodated. Augusta, which had not been
separated from its parent town, Hallowell, took from this date the
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS.
79
appellation Hallowell Court House, by which the locality was known
for many years after its incorporation under the name it now bears.
In June, 1 801, the county commenced the erection, on the site of the
present jail, of a second court house, which was completed and occu-
pied by a court March 16, 1802. It was a commodious structure, and
was occupied as a court house thirty years. The third court house
was commenced in the spring- of 1829, upon its present site, which
had been purchased of Nathaniel Hamlen. Robert C. Vose was the
contractor. The building was occupied first by the supreme court in
June, 1830, at which time Judge Mellen, who presided, called the
building a very supe-
iioi one. This build-
ing was enlarged in
1851 The illustration
shows it as again en-
laiged m 1891.
The first jail was
r_*^
erected in 1793, on the comei
of State and Winthrop stieets,
opposite the present court house.
Its walls were constructed of
hewn timber and were not
remarkably secure. Through
these walls, which were two
stories high, small openings
were cut to admit light and air
to the cells. Just at sundown
on the 16th day of March, 1808,
a fire was discovered in the upper story. It spread rapidly over
the dry timbers and soon the entire structure and the adjoining
keeper's hou.se were utterly destroyed. The jailor, Pitt Dilling-
ham, was prepared for such a catastrophe, and under a strong guard,
escorted the prisoners to the house of Lot Hamlin, where they
were again secured without the loss of a man. General John Chan-
dler, who was then high sheriff, immediately erected a temporary
place of confinement near the east end of the court house. Proceed-
ings were immediately instituted for the erection of a stone building
on the old lot, and so expeditiously was the work carried forward that
oO HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
in the following December it was approved and accepted, although
not then completed, and the sheriff was instructed to use it as a jail on
account of its greater security. The brick building which was subse-
quently erected as a keeper's house is still standing. In April an ad-
ditional tax was laid upon the county for its completion. It was much
in advance of the pri.son accommodations of that day and was consid-
ered a very expensive and secure structure. It was two stories high,
the walls being constructed of large blocks of rough hammered stone
fastened together with iron dowels. On May 21, 1857, it was voted
" to proceed at once in the preliminary measures necessary to the
erection " of a building better fitted for the keeping of prisoners, the
old jail built in 1808 being wholly unfit for the purpose. The build-
ing was finished in January, 1859, and opened for public inspection on
February 1st.
State Capitol. — In 1821 a committee composed of members from
both branches of the legislature, which was then convened at the
Portland court house, appointed to select a
^^,^^ place for the next session of that body, re-
commended Hallowell as the most central
point of popula-
tion and repre-
sentation. Al-
^' d^^^P*^^^^^ i.^^S''* though assured
that suitable ac-
commodations
for the several
state depart-
ments would be
piovidedfreeof
expense to the
commonwealth,
a resolve favoring the removal
to that point failed to pass either house. After an acrimonious de-
bate, which was renewed at each session for several years, between
Portland's politicians and the best economists of the state, Weston's
hill, at Augusta, was, by the advice of a committee of three, of which
John Chandler, of Monmouth, was a member, selected for the .site of
the new capitol. The lot was conveyed to the state June 6, 1827; in
the autumn of this year shade trees were set about the grounds and
the work of laying the foundation begun; on the Fourth of July, 1829,
the corner-stone was laid with imposing ceremonies conducted by the
Masonic fraternity, in the presence of the president, vice-president
and chief ju.stice of the United States.
The building, which was designed by Charles Bulfinch, the archi-
tect of the national capitol, was erected at an expense of $138,991.34,
t
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. 81
of which Sll,4GG.7o was furnished by the city of Aug'usta. As ac-
cepted, in 1S32, the capitol consisted of a central building eighty-four
feet in length by fifty-six in width, faced with a high arcade resting
on massive Doric columns. Flanking this are two wings, each thirty-
three feet long, making an aggregate length of 150 feet. The total
height, including the cupola, is 114 feet. In 1832, and again in 1860,
the interior was slightly remodeled to accommodate the increasing
demands of some of the departments. An addition has recently been
made to the main building, which increases the floor space by about
one-third. This annex contains, in addition to apartments for the
better accommodation of officials, the spacious and well arranged room
in which are the valuable collections of books and pamphlets which
compose the State Library.
State and National Officers.— Since the formation of the state
the county has furnished nine governors: Jona G. Hunton of Read-
field, in 1830; Dr. John Hubbard of Hallowell, in IS.oO; Anson P. Mor-
rill, Readfield, 1855; Joseph H. Williams, Augusta, 1857; Lot M. Mor-
rill, Augusta, 1858; vSamuel Cony, Augusta, 1864; Selden Connor,
Augusta, 1876; Joseph R. Bodwell, Hallowell. 1887; and Edwin C.
Burleigh of Augusta, now completing his second term.
The present governor is Hon. Edwin C. Burleigh, of Augusta, now
completing the last year of his second term. He is a native of Aroos-
took county, Me., but his ancestor eight generations back (in 1648)
was Giles Burleigh, of Ipswich, Mass., where the first two or three
generations of the family in America resided. James' and Josiah^
were natives of Ma.ssachusetts, but Thomas' was born in Sandwich,
N. H., where the family name is still preserved in the name of " Bur-
leigh Hill." There Benjamin.' a farmer and merchant, lived and died,
and there his son, Moses, was born in 1781.
This Moses Burleigh, the governor's grandfather, came to Maine
before 1812 and resided until 1830 in Palermo, where he filled various
civil offices and as a militia officer in 1812-16 gained by promotion to
lieutenant colonel, the title by which he was generally known. He
was elected to the Massachusetts legislature; was delegate in 1816 to
the convention framing a constitution for the proposed state of Maine,
and in 1830 he removed with his family to Linneus, Aroostook county,
where he died in 1860. His eldest surviving child, born while they
resided in Palermo, is Hon. Parker P. Burleigh, the governor's father.
Like six generations of his New England progenitors he follows
the peaceful and honorable calling of the farmer, and in the new
garden county of Maine has found agriculture both pleasant and
profitable. He has always been a leading citizen of Linneus, has
served repeatedly in each branch of the legislature, and was for a
long time state land agent. He was educated as a surveyor, and, as
82 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
chairman in 1869 of the Maine commission on the settlement of the
public land, contributed largely to the rapid development of Aroos-
took county.
Such, briefly, are the antecedents of Maine's present executive. He
was born at the family farm house, November 27, 1843, and after the
common schools of Linneus had laid the foundation, he received an
academical education in the academy at Houlton. While yet a boy he
found employment in teaching school and in surveying land. In this
latter occupation he gained a knowledge of the nature and value of
the public lands of Maine, such as not many men posse.ssed, and which
at a later period of his life recommended him to the governor of
Maine as a proper person to fill the responsible position of state land
agent.
He enlisted during the civil war but, not being in sound health
at that time, was rejected by the examining surgeon. For two win-
ters during the war he was clerk in the adjutant general's office. He
was a farmer and land surveyor until 1870, when he entered the state
land office as a clerk, and in 1872 he moved to Bangor. He was state
land agent in 1876, '77 and '78, and was assistant clerk of the house of
representatives for same years. In 1880 he resigned his position as
assistant clerk to accept a position in the office of the treasurer of state.
He removed to Augusta with his family during that time, where he
has since resided. In 1885 he was elected treasurer of the state and
reelected in 1887. In 1888 he was elected governor of the state,
receiving a plurality of 18,048. In 1890 he was reelected governor,
receiving the increased plurality of 18,883.
Thus has Governor Burleigh been recognized by the sovereign
people of his native state, who have seen fit to honor him with their
confidence and esteem. In no other decade since the republic was
founded have the private life and domestic relations of public men
been so keenly scrutinized by their constituents as now; and probably
in no section more than in Puritan New England, and certainly in no
state more than in the Pine Tree state do clean hands and a pure life
count for more to one who aspires to political preferment.
In the person of Governor Burleigh we have, too, the almost per-
fect New England type. How much of his great popularity is due to
his splendid physique and how much to his genial and courteous bear-
ing would puzzle his best friend to say. Born to the inheritance of
those who toil, his sympathies are ever with the humble, and in his
extensive intercourse with his constituents his democratic ideas and
his kindly bearing have given him a home in their hearts more
enviable than office — more honorable than place.
The U. S. Senators from Kennebec county since the state was or-
ganized have been: John Chandler, of Monmouth, 1820, reelected 1823;
Peleg Sprague, Haliowell, 1829; Reuel Williams, Augusta, 1837, re-
^^2:w^^^ (^ /::^^^.€^i
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. bd
■elected 1839: Wyman B. S. Moor, Waterville, 1848; George Evans,
Gardiner, 1841; James W. Bradbury, Augusta, 1847; Lot M. :SIorrill,
Augusta, 1861, and in 1863, 1869 and 1871; James G. Blaine, Augusta,
1876 and 1877.
The Representatives in Congress have been: Joshua Cushman,
Winslow, in 1823; Peleg Sprague, Hallowell, 1825, reelected in 1827;
■George Evans, Gardiner, 1829, reelected for six .successive terms; Gen-
eral Alfred Marshall, China, 1841; Luther Severance, Augusta, 1843,
reelected 1845; John Otis, Hallowell, 1849; Samuel P. Benson, Win-
throp, 1853, reelected 1855; Anson P. Morrill, Readfield, 1861; James
G. Blaine, Augusta, 1863, reelected for the six succeeding terms.
The Secretaries of the State from the county have been: Amos
Nichols, Augusta, 1822; Asaph R. Nichols, Augusta, 1835; Samuel P^
Benson, Winthrop, 1838; Asaph R. Nichols, Augusta, 1839; Philip C.
Johnson, Augusta, 1840; Samuel P. Benson, Winthrop, 1841; Philip C.
Johnson, Augusta, 1842; William B. Hartwell, Augusta, 1845; John G.
Sawyer, Augusta, 1850; Alden Jackson, Augusta, 1854, also in 1857; S.
J. Chadbourne, Augusta, 1880; Joseph O. Smith, Augusta, 1881; Ora-
mandel Smith, Litchfield, 1885.
The State Treasurers from the county have been: Asa Redington,
jun., Augusta, 1835; Daniel Williams, Augusta, Com., 1835; and as treas-
urer in 1840; Samuel Cony, Augusta, 1850; J. A. Sanborn, Readfield,
Com., 1855; William Caldwell, Augusta, 1869; and Charles A. White,
Gardiner, 1879.
Two Attorneys General of Maine have been chosen from the
county: W. B. S. Moor of Waterville, in 1844; and Orville D. Baker of
Augusta, in 1885.
Kennebec has furnished three cabinet officers: James G. Blaine,
secretary of state under Garfield and Harrison; Lot M. Morrill, secre-
tary of the treasury, and Henry Dearborn, secretary of war. Mell-
ville W. Fuller, a native of Augusta, has been appointed associate jus-
tice of the supreme court, and James G. Blaine was speaker of the
house of representatives during the sessions of the 41st, 42d and 43d
Congress.
Under the first apportionment, Kennebec county was entitled to
three senators in the Maine legislature. The apportionment of 1871
reduced the number to two. Those elected from what is now Kenne-
bec county, with residence and years of service have been: Augusta,
Joshua Gage, 1820, '21; Reuel Williams, 1826, '27, '28; William Em-
mons, 1834, '35; Luther Severance, 1836, '37: Richard H. Vose, 1840,
'41; Joseph Baker, 1847; Lot M. Morrill, 1856; Joseph H.Williams,
1857; James A. Bicknell, 1860; John L. Stevens, 1868, '69; J. Man-
chester Haynes, 1878, '79; George E. Weeks, 1883, '85; and Herbert
M. Heath, in 1887, '89. A/biou, Joel Wellington, 1824; Asher Hinds,
1830, '31; Enoch Farnbam, 1834, '35; Thomas Burrill, 1856. Be/grade,
84 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Jacob Alain, 1843; George E. Minot, 1870, 71. Benton, Crosby Hinds,
1865, '66. China, Timothy F. Hanscom, 1842; Alfred Fletcher, 1858,
'59; Ambrcse H. Abbott, 1873, '74. Fayette-, Albert G. French, 1875,
'76. Gardiner, Joshua Lord, 1825; Sanford Kingsbury, 1829, '30; Mer-
rill Clough, 1842; Edward Swan, 1844, '45; Isaac N. Tucker, 1853, '54;
Nathaniel Graves, 1857; John Berry, jun., 1858, '59; Noah Woods, 1862,
'63; Joshua Gray, 1870, '71; Albert M. Spear, 1891. Hallowell, Thomas
Bond, 1822. '23; John T. P. Dumont. 1838, '39, '48, '49; John Otis, 1842;
John Hubbard, 1843; Joseph A. Sanborn, 1864, '65; George W. Per-
kins, 1866, '67. Litchfield, John Neal, 1850, '51, '52; Josiah True, 1864,
'65; John Woodbury, 1876, '77. Momnouth, John Chandler, 1820, '21
(resigned to take a seat in congress); Abraham Morrill, 1822, '23; Jo-
seph Chandler, 1824; Ebenezer Freeman, 1850, '51, '52; William B.
Snell, 1868, '69. Mt. Vernon, Elijah Morse, 1830, '31: Calvin Hopkins,
1860, '61; Moses S. Mayhew, 1879. Pittston, Eliakira Scammon, 1832,
'33. Readfie-ld, Jonathan G. Hunton, 1832, "33; Oliver Bean, 1848, '49;
Henry P. Torsey, 1854, '55; Emery O. Bean, 1856; George A. Russell,
1887. Sidney, Asa Smiley, 1844, '45; Joseph T. Woodward, 1867, '68.
Vassalboro, Joseph Southwick, 1825, '26, '27; Elijah Robinson, 1836, '37;
Oliver Prescott, 1848, '49; Warren Percival, 1861, '62; Thomas S. Lang,
1869, '70. Waterville, Timothy Boutelle, 1820, '21, '32, '33, '38, '39;
Isaac Redington, 1846, '47; Edwin Noyes, 1850; Stephen Stark, 1853,
'54; Josiah H. Drummond, I860; Dennis L. Millikin, 1863, '64; Reuben
Foster, 1871, '72; Edmund F. Webb, 1874, '75; F. E. Heath, 1883, '84;
William T. Haines, 1889, '91. Wayiie, Thomas B. Read, 1866, '67; Jo-
seph S. Berry, 1880, '81. West Waterville, Greenlief T. Stevens, 1877,
'78. Winslow, Joseph Eaton, 1840, '41, '53, '55; David Garland, 1851,
'52; Colby C. Cornish, 1880, '81. Winthrop, Samuel P. Benson, 1836,
'37; David Stanley, 1843; Ezekiel Holmes, 1844, '45; Charles A. Wing,
1858, '59; Peleg F. Pike, 1862, '63; John May, 1872, '73.
The names of Thomas W. Herrick, 1857, William Ayer, 1843,
Daniel Hutchinson, 1831, and Josiah Chapman. 1829, appear as mem-
bers of the senate from Kennebec county; but their respective resi-
dences are not shown by the records in the state archives from which
the foregoing was transcribed.
Of the Presidents of the State Senate six have been residents of
what is now Kennebec county: Richard H. Vose, Augusta, in 1841;
Lot M. Morrill, Augu.sta, 1856; Joseph H. Williams, Augusta, 1857
Reuben Foster, Waterville, 1872; Edmund F. Webb, Waterville, 1875
and J. Manchester Haynes of Augusta, 1879.
The county as it existed when Maine became a state was allotted
twenty-one seats in the state's house of representatives. Belgrade, Dear-
born and Rome made one district; Fayette and Vienna were joined with
Chesterville as a district; Mt. Vernon was classed with New Sharon,
Winslow with Clinton, Pittston with Windsor, and Harlem with
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS.
China. These six districts, and each of the other towns, elected one
representative each year, except Wayne, which elected for four of the
ten years.
The apportionment of 1831 gave the county twenty-four members
for the next decade. Augusta and Hallowell each elected two,Winslow,
Wayne and Windsor were each to elect for five of the ten years, as
was Albion with the unincorporated territory north of it. Dearborn
was joined with Belgrade, Vienna and Rome with Chesterville, and
Mt. Vernon with Fayette, making three districts which elected each
one member. The other towns had each one representative each
year.
The 1841 apportionment gave Kennebec county twenty-two repre-
sentatives. Albion, Albion Gore and Winslow were joined to make one
di.strict; also Clinton and Clinton Gore; Belgrade, Dearborn and Rome:
Mt.Vernon and Vienna; Wayne and Fayette. These five districts each
chose one member every year; Windsor was represented six years of
the ten; Augusta, Hallowell and Gardiner each had two representa-
tives annually and the other towns each one.
For the decade from 1851 the county elected sixteen members.
Vassalboro with Rome; Albion, Benton, Clinton with the Gores; Hal-
lowell with Manchester, and West Gardiner with Farmingdale made
up four districts. Augusta chose two annually, and the others one,
except the smaller towns, which elected for part of the years accord-
ing to their population.
The apportionment of 1861 gave Kennebec thirteen members. Six
districts were made: China, Albion and Clinton Gore with Unity
Plantation; Vassalboro with Windsor; Readfield with Mt. Vernon
and Vienna; Pittston with West Gardiner and Farmingdale; Benton,
Clinton and Winslow; Sidney, Rome and Belgrade. This classifica-
tion was slightly modified in 1871 by joining Winthrop with Wayne
and Fayette; Hallowell with Chelsea, and Manchester to Litchfield
and Monmouth — the county still having thirteen representatives.
The several towns have been represented as follows: Albion, Joel
Wellington, 1820, '21,, '28, '31, '33; Josiah Crosby, 1823, '24; John
Winslow, 1826, '27; Enoch Farnham, 1833; James Stratton, 1835; Ben-
jamin Webb, 1837; Codding Blake, 1839; Thomas Burrill, 1839, '41;
Amasa Taylor, 1841, '42; Scotland Chalmers, 1844; Simeon Skillin
1846; David Hanscom, 1848, '50; Artemas, Libby, 1853; John T. Main
1855; William H. Palmer, 1858; N. E. Murray, 1860; Otis M. Sturte
vant, 1861; H. T. Baker, 1863; Robert Crosby, 1866; Ezra Pray, 1868
'70: Mark Rollins, jun., 1873; Elias C. Fowler, 1876; Ora O. Crosby
1878; George H. Wilson, 1880; George B. Pray, 1887-8. Augusta
Robert C. Vose, 1820, '21; Reuel Williams, 1822, '23, '24, '25, '29, '32
'48; Robert Howard, 1826; John Davis, 1827; Henry W. Fuller, 1828
Luther Severance, 1830, '40, '41, '43, '47; Daniel Williams, 1831; Elihu
86 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Robinson, 1832: William Emmons, 1833; George W. Morton, 1833, '34,
'38, '39, '51, '52, '53; Richard H. Vose, 1834, '35, '38, '39; John Potter,
1835, '36; Loring Gushing, 1836; Robert A. Con^^ 1837, '42; Alfred
Redington, 1837; Benjamin .Swan, 1840, '41; John Arnold, jun., 1842;
Richard F. Perkins, 1844, '45; Gharles Keen, 1846; James W. North,
1849, '53, '74, '75; George W. Stanley, 1850; Lot M. Morrill, 1854;
James A. Thompson, 1854; Edward Fenno, 1855; Samuel Titcomb,
1855, '67, '68, '72, '73; Benjamin A. G. Fuller, 1856; Daniel C. Stan-
wood, 1856; William T. Johnson, 1857, '58, '59, '71; James A. Bicknell,
1857, '58; James G. Blame. 1859. '60, '61, '62; Josiah P. Wyman, I860,
'61, '80, '81, '82; Vassal D. Pinkham, 1862; Joshua S. Turner, 1863, '64;
Samuel Cony, 1863: Joseph H. Williams, 1864, '65, '66, '74; John L,
Stevens, 1865, '66, '67; George E. Brickett, 1868, '69; Alanson B. Far-
well, 1869, '70; Joseph Baker, 1870; John W. Chase, 1871; J. Prescott
Wyman, 1872; George E. Weeks, 1873, '78, '79, '80; Gardiner C. Vose,
1875; George S. Ballard, 1876, '77; J. Manchester Haynes, 1876, '77,
'83, '84; Peleg O. Vickery, 1878, '79; Anson P. Morrill, 1881-2r
Herbert M. Heath, 1883-4, '85-6; Ira H. Randall, 1885-6, '87-8r
Joseph H. Manley, 1887-8, '89-90; John F. Hill, 1889-90, '91-2;
Treby Johnson, 1891-2. Belgrade. Samuel Taylor, 1822; John Chan-
dler, 1824; John Pitts, 1825, '27, '28, '32; John Rockwood, 1829; Anson
P. Morrill, 1834; Richard Mills, 1835; George Smith, 1837; David
Blake, 1838: Ephraim Tibbetts, jun., 1839; Jacob Main, 1840, '51, '52;
Thomas Eldred, 1841; Moses Page, 1842; Reuben H. Yeaton, 1843;
Samuel Frost, 1845; Joseph Taylor, 1847, '53; Levi Guptill, 1849; Ste-
phen Smith, 1855; George Smith, 1857; Warren W. Springer, 1859;
Thomas Rollins, 1861; Thomas Eldred, 1863; John S. Minot, 1866;
Albert Caswell, 1868; Chaslew W. Stewart, 1871; C. Marshall Weston,
1873; David Colder (unseated), 1876; Henry F. D. Wyman (contested),
1876; Albert E. Faught, 1878; William F. Eldred, 1881-2; Hermon
H. Adams, 1889-90. Benton, Orrin Brown, 1844; Daniel H. Brown,
1846; Japheth Winn, 1848; Stewart Hunt, 1854; Daniel H. Brown,
1856; Clark Piper, 1859; Albert C. Hinds, 1864; Asher H. Barton, 1867,
'70; Madison Crowell, 1874; Simeon Skillin, 1876; Asher H. Learned,
1877; Bryant Roundy, 1880; Sprague Holt, 1885-6; Frank W. Gifford,
1891-2. Chelsea, Franklin B. Davis, 1853; Alonzo Tenney, 1857;
Henry D. Doe, 1862; Josiah F. Morrill, 1867; George Brown, 1867; N.
R. Winslow, 1873; Benjamin Tenney, 1876; William W. Hankerson,
1879; William T. Searles, 1885-6; Mark L. Rollins, 1891-2. Clinton,
Herbert Moors, 1820, '21, '23; William Eames, 1822; William Spear-
ing, jun., 1825; Samuel Hudson, 1826; Josiah Hayden, 1827; William
Ames, 1828, '30; David Hunter, 1833; James Lamb, 1834, '35; Charles
Brown, 1836; Shubael Dixon, 1837; Matthias Weeks, 1838, '39, '40, '42;
James Hunter, 1841; Joseph P. Brown, 1843; Richard Wells, 1845, '57;
Francis Low, 1847; Samuel Haines, 1849; Samuel Weymouth, 1851,
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. 87
'52; Jonas Chase, 1853; Samuel Haines, 1855; David L. Hunter, 1859;
William Lamb, 1861; Daniel H. Brown, 1863; Charles Jesett, 1866;
William H. Bigelow, 1869; John F. Lamb, 1871; John Totman, 1873;
William Lamb (unseated), 1875; Alfred W^eymouth, 1879; William G.
Foster, 1883-4; Daniel C^in, 1889-90. China, Robert Fletcher, 1820,
'21, '22. '23, '24; Abishai Benson, 1825, '26; Alfred Marshall, 1827, '28;
John Weeks, 1829, '30; Ebenezer Meigs, 1831, '48; Benjamin Libby,
jun., 1832; Gustavus A. Benson, 1833; Alfred Marshall, 1834; Prince
B. Moores, 1835; Nathaniel .Spratt, 1836; Freeman Shaw, 1837; Tim-
othy F. Hanscomb, 1838; William Mosher, 1839; Corydon Chadwick,
1840: Jonathan Clark, 1841; Samuel Hanscomb, 1842; Charles F. Russ,
1843, '44; Reuben Hamlin, 1845; Jason Chadwick, 1846; James H.
Brainard, 1847; Thomas B. Lincoln, 1849; Samuel Plummer, 1850;
John L. Gray, 1851, '52; Alfred Marshall, 1853; Eli Jones, 1855; Alfred
Fletcher, 1857; Abel Chadwick, 1859; Dana C. Hanson, 1860; Josiah
H. Greely, 1862; Ambrose H. Abbott, 1864, '65; Alfred H. Jones,
1867: George F. Clark, 1871; Eli Jepson, 1872; L. B. Tibbetts, 1874;
John O. Page, 1875; Moses W. Newbert, 1877; Francis Jones. 1879;
Charles F. Achorn, 1881-2; Elijah D. Jepson, 1883-4; John A.
Woodsum, 1889-90. Fanningdalc, Daniel Lancaster, 1856; Gideon C.
McCausland, 1863; Andrew B. McCausland, 1869; Reuben S. Neal,
1873; David Wing, 1879; Levi M. Lancaster, 1885-6; Elisha S.
Newell, 1891-2. Fayette, Samuel Tuck, 1820, '21; Charles Smith,
1823; Merrill Clough, 1826; Ezra Fisk, 1829, '31; Joseph H. Under-
wood, 1833, '35, '38; Abijah Crane, jun., 1841; Isreal Chase, 1843; Jona-
than Tuck, 1846; Howard B. Lovejoy, 1849; Moses Hubbard, 1854;
Asa Hutchenson, 1860; Phineas Libby, 1864; F. A. Chase, 1869; J. H.
Sturtevant, 1873; Albert G. Underwood, 1878; Charles Russell, 1887
-8. Gardiner, Joshua Lord, 1820, '21, '24, '31; Robert H. Gardiner,
1822; James Parker, 1823, '32; Daniel Robinson, 1825; George Evans,
1826, '27, '28, '29; Peter Adams, 1830; Alexander S. Chadwick, 1833,
'84, '35, '36; Parker Sheldon, 1837, '38, '39; Ebenezer F. Deane, 1840,
'41; Edwin Swan, 1842; Philip R. Holmes, 1842; Philip C. Holmes,
1843; Mason Damon, 1844; Silas Holman, 1845; Noah Woods, 1846,
'47; Isaac N. Tucker, 1848, '49; Charles Danforth, 1850, '51, '52, '57;
Robert Thompson, 1853; John Berry, jun., 1854, '55; Charles P. Wal-
ton, 1856; John W. Hanson, 1858; John Webb, 1859, '60; William
Perkins, 1861, '62; Lorenzo Clay, 1863, '64; John S. Moore, 1865; Henry
B. Hoskins, 1866; John Berry, 1867; G. S. Palmer, 1868, '69; D. C.
Palmer, 1870. '71; James Nash, 1872, '73; Nathan O. Mitchell, 1874,
'75; Arthur Berry, 1876: Melvin C. Wadsworth, 1877, 78; William
F. Richards, 1879, '80; David Wentworth, 1881-2, '83-4; Gustavus
Moore, 1885-6, '87-8; Oliver B. Clayson, 1889-90, '91-2. Hallo-
ivell, Peleg Sprague, 1820, '21, '22; William H. Page, 1823, '24, '25,
'27: William Clark, 1826, '28, '29, '30, '32, '33; Charles Dummer, 1831,
88 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
'32; John T. P. Dumont, 1833, '34, '35; S. ^V. Robinson, 1834, '35;
Samuel Wells, 1836, '37; James Atkins. 1838, '39; Henry W. Paine,
1836, '37, '38, '53: John Otis, 1839, '40, '41, '46, '47; Benjamin F. Mel-
vin, 1840, '41; George W. Perkins, jun., 1842, '43, '45, '65; Henry K.
Baker, 1842, '44, '54; Samuel K. Oilman, 1848, '49, '50, '51, '52; Rodney
G. Lincoln, 1855; Henry Reed, 1856; Eliphalet Rowell, 1858, '61, '80,
'81-2; Francis F. Day, 1859; Edward K. Butler, 1863; Charles Dum-
mer, 1865; Ariel Wall, 1866, '71; Isaac F. Thompson, 1868, '70; Wil-
liam Wilson, 1872; John S. Snow, 1874, '75; Joseph R. Bodwell, 1877,
'78; Albert M. Spear, 1883-4, '85-6; Walter F. Marston, 1887-8;
Hiram L. Grindle, 1889-90; George S. Fuller, 1891-^2. Litchfield,
Asa Batcheldor, 1836; Hiram Shorey, 1837; John Neal, 1838, '39;
David W. Perry, 1840; Ebenezer B. Pike, 1841, '42: Rev. William O.
Grant, 1843, '44, '46; Aaron True, 1847, '49; Constant Quinnan, 1850;
John Woodbury, 1854; Mark Getchell, 1855; Benjamin Smith, 1858;
True Woodbury, 1860; Josiah True, 1861, '62; Nathaniel Dennis, 1864;
Charles Howard Robinson, 1866; James Colby, 1868; Oramandel Smith,
1870; Isaac W. Springer, 1872; John Woodbury, 1875; Samuel Smith,
1878; David S. Springer, 1880; James E. Chase, 1883-4; Enoch Ad-
ams, 1887-8. Manchester, William A. Sampson, 1857; H. G. Cole,
1860; Isaac N. Wad,sworth, 1864, '77; Stephen D. Richardson, 1869; I.
Warren Hawkes, 1874; Willis H. Wing, 1889-90. Monmouth, Abra-
ham Morrill, 1820, '21; Benjamin White, jun., 1822, '23, '24, '25, '26,
'27, '28, '29, '30, '31, '32; John Chandler, 1832; Isaac S. Small, 1833, '34;
Ebenezer Freeman, 1835, '36, '37, '46; Otis Norris, 1838, '39; Augus-
tine Blake, 1840; Jedediah B. Prescott, 1841; Henry V. Cumston, 1842;
Joseph Loomis, 1844; John A. Tinkham, 1847; Royal Fogg, 1849; Jona-
than M. Heath, 1851, '52; William G. Brown, 1854; Charles S. Norris,
1855; George H. Andrews, 1857, '59; Abner C. Stockin, 1861; Daniel
F. Ayer, 1863; John B. Fogg. 1865; Ambrose Beal, 1867; Mason J.
Metcalf, 1869; James G. Blossom, 1871; Henry O. Pierce, 1873; Joshua
Cumston, 1876; Seth Martin, 1879; J. H. Norris, 1881-2; Otis W.
Andrews, 1885-6; Josiah L. Orcutt, 1891-2. Mt. Vernon, Nathaniel
Rice, 1820,' '21; Elijah Morse, 1822, '24, '26, '28; David McGaffey, 1830,
'39, '40; John Blake, 1832, '34; Samuel Davis, 1836, '37; James Chap-
man, 1842; Daniel H. Thing, 1844, '63; Daniel Mansion, 1846; William
H. Hartwell, 1848; Edward French, 1850; Stephen S. Robinson, 1853;
Aaron S. Lyford, 1856; Elisha C. Carson, 1859; Washington Blake,
1861; John Walton, 1866; Ezra Kempton, 1869; Calvin Hookins, 1871;
Moses S. Mayhew, 1873; James A. Robinson, 1876; James C. Howland,
1878; Quintin L. Smith, 1881-2; John P. Carson, 1889-90. Oakland,
William Macartney, 1874; Greenlief T. Stevens, 1875; George W.
Goulding, 1879, '80; Albion P. Benjamin, 1885-6; William M. Ayer,
1891-2. Pittston, Thomas Coss, 1820, '21. '23, '25; Eliakim Scammon,
1826, '28, '30, '31, '35, '36, '47; Henry Dearborn, 1832, '39; John Stev-
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. 89
•ens, 1833, '34; Hiram Stevens, 1837, '38: John Blanchard, 1840, '41;
Samuel G. Bailey. 1842; George Williamson, 1843; William Troop,
1844, '45; John Coss, 1848; Samuel Clark, 1849; Benjamin Flitner,
1S,'5(); Benjamin F. Fuller, 1854; Heran T. Clark. 1855; John Blanchsird,
1856; Alphonso H. Clark. 1858; William H. Mooers, 1859, '61; Caleb
Stevens, 1860; John Boynton. 1862; Gideon Barker, 1864; Arnold Good-
speed, 1866; Sumner R. Tibbetts, 1868; Warren R. Lewis, 1870;
Zachariah Flitner, 1872; William Grant, 1874; Sumner Smiley, 1876;
Daniel H. Moody, 1878; G. A. Colburn, 1880; Moses J. Donnell, 1883-4;
Gorham P. H. Jewett, 1887-8. Randolph, Henry P. Closson, 1889-90.
Readfield, Samuel Currier, 1820, '21; John Smith, 1822; Edward Fuller,
1823; Solomon Lombard, 1824, '25; Jere. Page, 1826, '27; James Wil-
liams, 1828, '29; Eliphalet Hoyt, 1830, '31; Oliver Bean, 1832, '33; Jon-
athan G. Hunton, 1834; David F. Sampson, 1835, '36: William Vance,
1837; John O. Craig, 1838; Elisha Prescott, 1839; John Haynes, 1840;
Richard Judkins, 1841: Peter F. Sanborn, 1842; Dudley Haines, 1844;
Timothy O. Howe, 1845; Hiram S. Melvin. 1847; Thomas Pierce, 1848:
Eliab Lyon, 1850; Joshua Packard, 1851, '52; Emery O. Bean, 1852;
Joseph A. Sanborn, 1854; George W. Hunton, 1856; Elisha S. Case,
1858; James R. Batchelder, 1860; Peter F. Sanborn, 1862; H. M. Eaton,
1865; Bradbury H. Thomas, 1868; Gustavus Clark. 1870; John Lam-
bard, 1872; Jos'iah N. Fogg, 1875; George A. Russell, 1877: Benjamin
W. Harrirnan, 1880; Francis A. Robinson. 1883-4; Frederick I.
Brown, 1891-2. Rome, Hosea Spaulding, 1830; Job N. Tuttle, 1832:
Samuel Goodridge, 1836: Thomas Whittier, 1839, '50: Eben Tracy,
1844: Nathaniel Staples, 1847: N. P. Martin, 1857; John T. Fifield,
1864; Eleazer Kelley, 1869: Elbridge Blaisdell, 1874: Thomas S.Golder,
1879; John R. Pre.scott, 1885-6. Sidney, Ambrose Howard, 1820, '21;
Daniel Tiffany, 1822; Samuel Butterfield, 1823, '24, '27, '32, '33; Reuel
Howard, 1825, '26, '2S; Nathaniel Merrill, 1829, '30, "31, '34; Daniel
Tiffany, jun., 1835, '36: Asa Smiley. 1837, '38, '39, '42: John B. Clifford,
1840, '41; George Fields, 1843: Moses Frost, 1845; Moses Trask, 1846;
Silas L.Wait, 1848, '49; Lauriston Guild, 1851, '52; Gideon Wing, 1854;
Paul Hammond, 1856; James Sherman, 1858; John Merrill, 1860; Jo-
seph T. Woodard, 1862: Martin V. B. Chase, 1865, '67; J. S. Gushing,
1870; Jonas Butterfield, 1872: Henry A. Baker, 1875; Nathan W. Tay-
lor. 1877; Gorham Hastings, 1880; Lorin B. Ward, 1883-4; Martin L.
Reynolds, 1887-8. Vassalboro, Samuel Redington, 1820, '21, '28;
Philip Leach, 1822, '23; Joseph R. Abbott, 1824, '25, '26, '34, '35; Elijah
Robinson, 1827, '29, '30, '31, '32; Albert G. Brown, 1833; Moses Taber,
1836, '37, '38: Amos Stickney, 1839, '40; Obed Durrill, 1841, '42; Isaac
Fairfield, 1843, '46; John Moore, 1844, '45; Joseph E. Wing, 1847, '48;
George Cox, 1849; John Homans, 1850, '51, '52; John G. Hall, 1853;
William Merrill, 1854, '55; Hiram Pishon, 1856: Henry Weeks, 1858;
Warren Percival, 1859; Timothy Rowell, 1860; W. H. Gates, 1862; Jo-
90
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
seph B. Low, 1863; Thomas S. Lang, 1865, '66; Orrick Hawes, 1868
'70, '79; Ira D. Sturgis, 1869; James C. Pierce, 1873; George Gifford
1873; Howard G. Abbot, 1874; William P. Thompson, 1876; Isaiah
Gifford, 1877; Nathaniel Butler, 1880; Edwin C. Barrows, 1883-4; W
S. Bradley. 1887-8; Hall C. Burleigh, 1889-90; Reuel C. Burgess,
1891-2. Vienna, Bernard Kimball. 1822; James Chapman, 1825, '28
'34; Benjamin Porter, 1838; Nathaniel Graves, 1841; Joseph Edge
comb, 1846; Thomas C. Norris, 1851, '52, '64; Joshua Little, 1857
Obadiah Whittier, 1867; Henry Dowst, 1874; Saunders Morrill. 1879
Albion G. Whittier. 1885-6. Waterville, Baxter Crowell, 1820, '21,
'22, '23, '24, '32: Timothy Boutelle, 1825, '26, '29, '30, '31; Sylvanus
Cobb, 1827, '28; Jedediah Morrill. 1833, '34; David Combs, 1836; Ne-
hemiah Getchell, 1837; Calvin Gardner, 1838; Wyman B. S. Moor
1839; Erastus O. Wheeler. 1840; Joseph Hitching, 1841; Moses Hans-
com, 1842, '55; William Dorr, 1844, '45; Frederick P. Haviland, 1846
'76 (unseated); Stephen Stark, 1847, '48; Thomas Baker, 1849; Joseph
Percival, 1850, '51, '52; Joshua Nye.'jun., 1853; Joel Harriman, 1854
Jones R. Elden, 1856; Josiah H. Drummond, 1857. '58; James Stack-
pole, 1859; B. C. Benson, 1860; Joseph Percival, 1861; Dennis L. Milli
ken, 1862: John M. Libby. 1863; W. A. P. Dillingham, 1864, '65; Reu
ben Foster, 1866. '67, '70; Edwin P. Blaisdell, 1868, '69; Solyman Heath
1871; Edmund F. Webb, 1872, '73; Nathaniel Meader (contestant)
1876, '77, '83-4; Franklin Smith, 1878; F. E. Heath, 1881-2; Fred
erick C. Thayer, 1885-6; Perham S. Heald, 1887-8, '89-90; Frank
L. Thayer, 1891-2. Wayne, Moses Wing. 1825; Thomas S. Bridg
ham, 1828, '30; Moses Wing, jun., 1833; John Morrison. 1835; Francis
I. Bowles, 1837; Uriah H. Virgin, 1839; James Wing, 1841; Hamilton
Jenkins, 1842; William Lewis, 1844; Benjamin Ridley, 1845; Caleb
Fuller, 1848; Napoleon B. Hunton, 1850; Thomas Silson, 1853; Josiah
Norris, jun., 1856; Arcadius Pettingill, 1858; Josiah Norris, 1860; James
H. Thorne, 1862; George W. Walton, 1867; Matthias Smith, 1872; Jo^
seph S. Berry, 1877; Alfred F. Johnson, 1883-4; Benjamin F. Maxim,
1889-90. West Gardiner, Thaddeus Spear, 1853; Cyrus Bran, 1859;
Asa F. Hutchingson. 1865; George W. Blanchard, 1867; Phineas S..
Hogden. 1871; William H. Merrill, 1875; William P. Haskell, 1877; E..
P. Seavey, 1881-2. Windsor, Joseph Stewart, 1820, '21; William Hil-
ton, 1822; Joseph Merrill, 1824; Charles Currier, 1827, '29; Nathan
Newell, 1832; Gideon Barton, 1834, '36; John B. Swanton. 1838, '40;.
Benjamin W. Farrar, 1842; Henry Perkins, 1843; Stephen F. Pierce,
1845; Asa Heath, 1847; David Bryant, 1849; William S. Hatch, 1851,
'.52; David Clary, 1854; Thomas Hyson, 1856; Stephen Barton. 1858;
Elias Perkins, 1861; Elijah Moody, 1864; Levi Perkins, 1867; Horace
Colburn, 1871; Joel W. Taylor, 1875; Adam L. Stimpson, 1878; James
E. Ashford, 1881-2; Samuel P. Barton, 1885-6. Winslow, Josiah
Hayden, 1824; Joseph Eaton, 1829, '31, '32, '62; Joshua Cushman, 1834;
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. 91
David Garland, 1834, 'SO, '60; Sidney Keith, 1836, 40; Robert Ayer,
1838; William Getcliell, 1844, '48; Thomas J. Hayden, 1846; Robert H.
Drummond, 1854, '58; Isaac W. Britten, 1856; Charles Drummond,
1865; Charles A. Priest, 1868; Colby C. Cornish, 1872; James W.Withee,_
1875 (contestant); Leslie C. Cornish, ]878; Allen P. Varney, 1881-2;
Charles E. Warren, 1887-8. Winthrop, Andrew Wood, 1820, '21, '22,
'23, "30; Thomas Fillebrown, 1824, '27, '29, '31; Nathan Howard, 1825,
'26; Isaac Moore, jun., 1828; Samuel Clark, 1832, '33; Samuel P. Benson,
1834, '35; Dr.Ezekiel Holmes, 1836, '37, '38, '39, '40, '51; Nathan Foster,
1841, '42; Samuel Wood, jun., 1843; Francis Perley, 1845; Thomas C.
Wood, 1847; Francis Fuller, 1849; Ezekiel Bailey, 1853; Benjamin H.
Cushman, 1855; William H. Parlin, 1857; John M. Benjamin, 1859;
Francis E. Webb, 1861, '65; P. C. Bradford, 1863; David Cargill, 1866;
John May, 1868, '70; Dr. Albion P. Snow, 1871; George A. Longfellow.
1874; Amos Wheeler, 1875; Silas T. Floyd, 1876; Elliot Wood, 1879;
Abijah R. Crane, 1880; Reuben T. Jones, 1881-2; Rutillas Alden,
1887-8; John E. Brainard, 1891-2. Unity Plantation, Francis B. Lane,
1869.
The Speakers of the Maine House from Kennebec county have
been: George Evans, Gardiner, in 1829; Benjamin White, Monmouth,
1831; J. H. Drummond, Waterville, 1858; William T. Johnson, Au-
gusta, 1859; James G. Blaine, Augusta, 1861; W. A. P. Dillingham,
Waterville, 1865; Reuben Foster. Waterville, 1870; Edmund F. Webb,
Waterville, 1873; George E. Weeks, Augusta, 1880; J. Manchester
Haynes, Augusta, 1883.
County Officers. — The successive sheriffs of Kennebec county
since the incorporation of Maine, in 1820, have been: Jesse Robinson,
Hallowell. who began serving in 1820; Benjamin White, Monmouth,
in 1832; George W. Stanley, Winthrop, 1834; Gustavus A. Benson, Win-
throp, 1838; Eben F. Bacon, Waterville, 1839; William Dorr. Water-
ville, 1841; James R. Bachelder, Readfield, 1842; Ebenezer Shaw,
China, 1850; Charles N. Bodfish, Gardiner, 1851; John A. Pettingil,
Augusta, 1854; Benjamin H. Gilbreth, Readfield, 1855; John A. Pet-
tingil, Augusta. 1856; Benjamin H. Gilbreth, Readfield, 1857; John
Hatch, China. 1861; Charles Hewins, Augusta, 1867; Asher H. Barton,
Benton, 1871; William H. Libby, Augusta, 1875; George R. Stevens,
Belgrade, 1881; Charles R. McFadden, Augusta, 1885; and Greenlief
T. Stevens, Augusta, since January 1, 1889.
The present sheriff of Kennebec county is Major Greenlief T.
Stevens, of Augusta, now completing his fourth year of faithful and
efficient service. Although educated to a profession and thoroughly
identified with civil affairs, he is best known and probably destined
to be longest remembered by his military career. Facts are the only
fast colors in history. The facts that hold a life like his, fully repre-
sent the actor, without comment or commendation. He comes of
92 HISTORY UF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
patriotic stock. His grandfather, William Stevens, came from Leba-
non, in York county, and settled in Belgrade about the year 1796, and
was a soldier in the revolutionary war. Daniel and Mahala (Smith)
Stevens, daughter of Captain Samuel Smith of Belgrade, where he
was born August 20, 1831, were his parents. A farm life, a happy
home and a country school, supplemented by the advantages of the
Titcomb Belgrade Academy, and of the Litchfield Liberal Institute,
were the good fortune of his childhood and youth. Then he applied
his talents and acquirements for several years to teaching school, a
part of the time in the South.
By that time the purpose of his future was settled and Jie went to
Augusta and read law with Hon. Samuel Titcomb till 1860, when he
obtained admission to the Cumberland bar. Wishing the best possi-
ble equipment, he then took the regular course at the Harvard Law
School, fromi which he graduated in August, 1861, receiving the de-
gree of LL.B.
In the meantime the first cloudburst of the impending] rebellion
had captured Fort Sumter and fired the patriotism of every truly
American heart. Instantly the inherited hero blood of the citizen
dominated over the professional ambitions of the lawyer, and with
his own name at the head of the roll, he recruited at his own expense,
a large number of men for the Fifth Maine Battery, and tendered his
services to Governor Washburn. From the Maine adjutant general's
report it appears that on December 14, 1861, he was commissioned
first lieutenant in that battery, and on January 31, 1862, was mu.stered
into the United States service for three years. In May he joined the
army at Fredericksburg, Va., and served successively under McDowell,
Pope, McClellan, Mead, Grant and Sheridan. At the battle of Fred-
ericksburg he was temporarilj' in command of the Fifth Battery, and
at the battle of Chancellorsville was wounded in the left side by a
fragment of a shell. He was promoted captain, June 21st, and at the
battle of Gettysburg, July 2d, received another wound, a ball passing
through both legs, below the knee. In July, 1864, he was detached
from the army of the Potomac with the Sixth Corps and proceeded to
Washington for its defense. Subsequently joining the army of the
Shenandoah under Sheridan, he was engaged in the three great bat-
tles which resulted in the complete destruction of the rebel army
under Early. On February 14, 1865, he was appointed major by
brevet, to take rank from October 19, 1864, for gallant and meritorious
conduct at the battles of Cold Harbor, Winchester and Cedar Creek.
Major Stevens was mustered out of the United States service with his
battery, at Augusta, Me.. July 6, 1865.
An extract from The Cannoneer in describing the battle of Cedar
Creek, October 19, 1864, under Sheridan, reads:
-^c^^-^^-t^^^^
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. 98
" At the time when Getty's division was fighting in its second
position Stevens, who had apparently been retiring in the interval
between the right of Getty and the left of Wheaton, formed his bat-
tery on the knoll opposite the right flank of Warner's Brigade and
opened a tremendous fire of canister on that part of the enemy's line
which was advancing to envelope Warner. These must have been
Kershaw's troops, but there was another Rebel division coming up
still beyond Kershaw over the ground vacated by our First Division.
This, according to Early's account, was Gordon's division, and one
brigade of it started to charge Stevens' Battery. According to the
best information immediately after the battle or since, there was no
infantry of the First Division within supporting distance of Stevens
at that moment, as that division was then reforming at from one-third
to one-half a mile in his rear. But he stood his ground and repulsed
the charge of Gordon's troops, who did not get more than half way up
the acclivity of the knoll he was holding, and who, according to Gen.
Early's account, ' recoiled in considerable confusion.' "
On a document requesting his promotion General Wright, com-
manding the Sixth Corps, endonsed: " The gallant and important ser-
vices rendered by Captain Stevens of which I was personally cogni-
zant make it my duty to bring his merits before the authorities of his
state and to ask for him at their hands such acknowledgment in the
way of promotion as it is in their power to bestow." General Sheri-
dan endorsed the recommendation as " highly approved."
Describing the great crisis in the battle of Winchester the field
correspondent of the Nezv York IVor/d saxA: " The moment was a fear-
ful one; such a sight rarely occurs more than once in any battle, as
was presented on the open space between two pieces of woodland into
which the cheering enemy poured. The whole line, reckless of bul-
lets, even of the shell of our battery, constantly advanced. Captain
Stevens' battery, the Fifth Maine, posted immediately in their front,
poured its fire unflinchingly into their columns to the last. A staff
officer riding up warned it to the rear, to save it from capture. It did
not move — the men of the battery loading and firing with the regu-
larity and precision of a field day. The foe advanced to a point wnthin
two hundred yards of the muzzles of Captain Stevens' guns." Colonel
C. H. Tompkins, chief of artillery. Sixth Corps, .said: " However try-
ing the circumstances Captain Stevens has always been found equal
to the occasion."
After the war Major Stevens returned to his profession and opened
a law office in West Waterville, now Oakland, where he bad a lucra-
tive practice, being employed in nearly every case in that vicinity.
During the score of years of Mr. Stevens' professional life he has
built up a most enviable reputation, not only for knowledge of the law
but for what is still more important, complete devotion to his clients'
interests. His fellow citizens expressed their respect and confidence
by placing him in the legislature in 1875, where he was a most useful
-94 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
member of the judiciar}' committee. In 1877 he was promoted to the
state senate, serving as chairman of the committee on legal affairs.
He was also a member of the committee on railroads and military
affairs. Reelected to the senate of 1878, he was chairman of the com-
mittee on the judiciary. In 1882 he was commissioned colonel and
assigned to duty as chief of staff First Division Maine Militia, under
Major General Joshua L. Chamberlain. He is a member of the Maine
Gettysburg Commission, and is widely known in Grand Army circles.
He was first elected to the office of sheriff in 1888 and was reelected
in 1890. His administration of the affairs of this important office, and
his management of the criminal department have been characterized
by economy, efficiency and good judgment.
Major Stevens' wife is Mary Ann, daughter of Richard Yeaton, 2d,
a prominent citizen of Belgrade. They have had four children: Jesse;
Don Carlos, a Unitarian minister now located in Fairhaven, Mass.; Ala,
and Rupert — the first and two latter now deceased.
The first deed recorded in this county bears the date 1783. Only
.a few transfers are recorded, however, while Augusta was a half shire-
•town, and until the regular series of dates beginning with 1799. Those
who have served the county in the capacity of registers of deeds are:
Henry Sewall, from June 12, 1799; John Hovey, April 10, 1816; J. R.
Abbott, December 29, 1836; John Richards, January 1, 1842; Alanson
Starks, November 1, 1844; J. A. Richards, January 1, 1858; Archibald
■Clark, January 1, 1868; William M. Stratton, September 23, 1870; P.
M. Fogler, November 12, 1870. The present efficient system of the
-office was largely inaugurated during Major Fogler's long term of
service, and he compiled the elaborate indexes now in use. His suc-
cessor, George R. Smith, of Winthrop, took the office January 1, 1892.
The following have served as treasurers of Kennebec county.
Accompanying their names are the dates on which their respective
terms of office began: Joshua Gage, Augusta, 1810; Daniel Stone,
Augusta, 1832; Daniel Pike, Augusta, 1838, died in office, July 1, 1868;
John Wheeler, of Farmingdale, who was appointed to fill the vacancy,
-served until 1869; Alanson Starks, Augusta, 1869; Mark Rollins, Al-
bion, 1879; and James E. Blanchard, Chelsea, 1889. Mr. Blanchard is
a .son of Edwin H. Blanchard, of Chelsea, where he was born in 18.57.
He was educated there, and in Hallowell Classical School, and Dirigo
Business College. He was elected town clerk of Chelsea in 1879, and
after holding various town offices, was elected county treasurer in
1888.
Asylum for the Insane.— Prior to 1839 Maine had no state pro-
vision for the care of the insane. The several towns provided in
various indifferent ways for such unfortunates as were in indigent
-circumstances, while dangerous lunatics were simply restrained in the
common prisons, which were wholly without means of care or relief.
', /- ' »_ 1
^a/i£^/72<^—
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTION'S. 95
The cardinal motive in building a state asylum was to provide better
■care for such. Now any indigent person within the state may be ad-
mitted upon proper order, and the town in which such person has a
settlement is charged chiefly with, the expense; but a person within
the state not having a settlement may be cared for wholly at the ex-
pense of the state. The attention of the legislature was first called
to the subject in 1830, by Governor Jonathan G. Hunton; but nothing
•definite was done until 1834, when Governor Dunlap urged that a sys-
tematic and suitable provision be made by the state for the relief of
her insane. Petitions to that end and in regard to a location followed
from various parts of the state, and these, with that part of the gov-
ernor's message pertaining to it, were referred to a legislative com-
mittee, which reported in favor of the establishment of such an insti-
tution.
On the 8th of March, 1834, the legislature appropriated $20,000 for
the purpose, upon condition that a like sum should be raised by indi-
vidual donations within one year. Before the time limit was reached
Reuel Williams of Augusta and Benjamin Brown of Vassalboro each
agreed to contribute $10,000 for the purpose. Mr. Brown in his dona-
tion proposed to convey to the state as a site, two hundred acres of
land, lying on the Kennebec river in Vassalboro, and would consent
to a sale of the estate, if advisable to build elsewhere. The legisla-
ture accepted the land, which was sold for $4,000 and the present more
eligible site was selected in Augusta, on the eastern bank of the Ken-
nebec, nearly opposite the state house, for which $3,000 was-paid.
Reuel Williams, who was appointed a commissioner to erect the hos-
pital, sent John B. Lord, of Hallowell, to examine similar institutions,
and the general plan of the asylum at Worce>^ter, Mass., was adopted.
During 1836 contracts were made and materials collected, but in March,
1837, Mr. Williams resigned the office and John H. Hartwell was ap-
pointed, under whose supervision the work was carried on one year.
In March, 1838, a further appropriation of $29,500 was made to complete
the exterior, and Charles Keene was appointed in place of Mr. Hart-
well. In 1840 a further appropriation of $28,000 was made to com-
plete the wings, and on the 14th of October one of the 126 rooms was
•occupied by the first patient.
Dr. Cyrus Knapp, of Winthrop, was appointed superintendent and
physician; Dr. Chauncey Booth, jun., assistant; Henry Winslow, steward,
•and Mrs. Catherine Win.slow, matron. In 1846-7 appropriations of
■$29,400 were made to erect a new wing, which was completed during
1848 and provided for seventy-five additional male patients.
Doctor Knapp resigned early in 1841 and was succeeded in August
by Dr. Isaac Ray, of Eastport, whose first edition of Medical J urispru-
■dence had recently appeared. During his three years here he re-wrote
the work and published the second edition, which became authority
96 HISTORY OF KEXNEBEC COUNTY.
in Europe as well as in America. He was succeeded March 19, 1845,
by Dr. James Bates, the father of Dr. James Bates of Yarmouth, and
formerly a member of congress from Norridgewock. He remained
until after the terrible fire of ISSO. This fire, in which twenty-seven
patients and one attendant lost their lives, occurred on the early morn-
ing of December 4th. The building was immediately repaired and
was occupied before the close of 1850, and Dr. Henry M. Harlow, who
came as assistant to Doctor Bates in June, 1845, was made superintend-
ent June 17, 1851. During that and the following year $49,000 was
appropriated to rebuild and improve the buildings, which were thor-
oughly and safely heated by steam. By 1854 facilities were ample for
250 patients, and the fact that this capacity was often fully taxed, co i-
firms the judgment of its founders.
Doctor Harlow is a native of Westminster, Vt., a graduate from
the Berkshire Medical School of Pittsfield, and before coming to
Augusta had been assistant physician in the Vermont Asylum at Brat-
tleboro. After thirt3'-two years of faithful and appreciated service
to the state and to mankind, he resigned his control of the institution
and is passing his later years in quiet life at his home in Augusta.
His resignation, tendered some time previous, was accepted on the 18th
of April, 1883, on the appointment of his successor. Dr. Bigelow T.
Sanborn, who had been his assistant for more than sixteen years.
Doctor Sanborn was born July 11, 1839, in Standish, Me., his an-
cestors having been substantial residents of Cumberland county since
his grandfather was in the revolutionary war. He received his earlier
education in select and town schools and in Limington Academy, and
subsequently studied medicine in Portland Medical School, but took
his degree from Bowdoin Medical School. When he was first offered
a place in the institution as assistant superintendent it was through
the advice of the medical faculty of Bowdoin, where he had graduated
June 6, 1866,- only ten days before entering here, upon his career now
covering a quarter of a century. After accepting the superintendency
of the asylum in 1883, Doctor Sanborn spent a few months investigat-
ing the workings of similar institutions, thus bringing to the manage-
ment of this, the most modern theories of the schools and the medi-
cal profession, as well as a personal knowledge of the most approved
features in the practical workings of the best asylums.
The accompanying landscape illustration shows the asylum and its
beautiful surroundings in 1892. The view is from the northwest, looking
from the river. The farm of four hundred acres belonging to the state
reaches into the left background of the picture, and also includes some
broad fields sloping west to the river bank, showing models of thrifty
and profitable farming. The two large hospital buildings in the center
background of the view were erected by Doctor Sanborn in 1888 and
1889; in fact less than half of the present equipment of the institution
^a^/i^u/- J. J) eM^U^^^^^^^-^^
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. 97
was in existence when he came here in 1S66, and nearly half of the
buildings have been erected and occupied under his supervision. It is
a great credit to the commonwealth — the existence and efficiency of so
liberal a charity to unfortunate humanity — and it is only just to a
broad-minded, capable public servant to note here that this noble in-
stitution under the liberal provisions of the state has reached its most
important period thus far within the decade marked by the manage-
ment of Dr. Bigelow T. Sanborn.
The first directors -were: Reuel Williams of Augusta, Benjamin
Brown of Vassalboro, and William C. Larrabee. In 1843 these direc-
tors were superseded by four trustees, which number was subse-
quently increased to six, one of whom must be a woman. Kennebec
county has been represented in the board of tru.stees by Dr. Amos
Nourse and Dr. John Hubbard, Hallowell; Hon. J. H. Hartwell, Hon.
J. L. Cutler, Dr. William B. Lapham, Hon. J. H. Manley, George E.
Weeks, J. W. Chase and Mrs. C. A. Quimby, Augusta; Dr. A. P. vSnow,
Winthrop; Hon. Edward Swan and R. H. Gardiner, Gardiner; John
Ware, Waterville; and Mrs. E.J. Torsey. The pay is merely nominal
and the board has included other philanthropic gentlemen, who have
given the institution their attention in sympathy with the generous
purpose of its earlier friends. The trustees in 1891 were: Frederick
Robie, M. D., William H. Hunt, M. D., George E. Weeks, of Augusta;
Mrs. E. J. Torsey, of Kents Hill; Lyndon Oak and R. B. Shepherd.
The resident ofScers are: Bigelow T. Sanborn, M. D., superintendent;
H. B. Hill, AI. D., asst. sup.; George D. Rowe, M. D., second asst.;
Emmer Virginia Baker, M. D., third asst.; P. H. S. Vaughan, M. D.,
fourth asst.; Manning vS. Campbell, steward and treas.; and Alice G.
Twitchell, matron.
Educational Institutions. — Before Maine was a state, Massa-
chusetts had made broad and liberal provisions for popular education,
and from, then until now we find in this county well equipped schools
besides those supported by the several cities and towns. The laws of
Massachusetts provided for elementary English schools in every town
containing sixty families, and a grammar school in every town con-
taining two hundred; when Maine became a state she changed this,
requiring schools in every town, each town to raise annually forty cents
per capita and distribute the same to the districts in proportion to the
pupils in them. In 1825 this school fund averaged $47.75 for each dis-
trict; but from the first the amount actually raised averaged more than
the law required.
In compliance with a petition addressed to the general court, in
which it was stated that no public school existed between Exeter, N.
H., and the eastern boundary of Maine, a tract three hundred miles
broad, and embracing a population of 100,000, an act was passed
98 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
March o, 1791, establishing an academy at Hallowell. The following
June the corporation was endowed with a township of unappropriated
land; four years later the building was completed and the school
opened, with Mr. Woodman as principal. In its years of prosperity,
many who subsequently became eminent in professional vocations
availed themselves of the advantages which this school afforded.
Next to Hallowell Academy, the first school in Maine which em-
braced in its curriculum a complete college preparatory course, was
Monmouth Academy, which was incorporated as a free grammar
school in 1803, and as an academy in 1809. Among the alumni of this
institution, which is treated more exhau.stively in the chapter devoted
to the history of Monmouth, are found some of the leading statesmen
and professional men in the country.
In 1813 the Maine Literary and Theological Institution was incor-
porated, for the education of young men for the Baptist ministry. In
June, 1820, the powers of the school were enlarged, and authority
given to confer the usual university degrees. In the following Feb-
ruary its name was changed to Waterville College. The state of Mas-
sachusetts granted the school about 38,000 acres of land, and in 1829
the college had buildings valued at $14,000, a library of 1,700 volumes
and other permanent property aggregating $29,500. The first build-
ing erected was a house for the president, who instructed the students
in a private house from 1818, when he accepted the position of pro-
fessor in theology, until 1821, when the dormitory now known as South
College was completed. In 1822 Chaplin Hall was begun, and in 1832
and 1837, respectively, two other large buildings were added.
In 1862 Maine granted the institution two half townships of land,
in addition to a former endowment of an annuity of $1,000 for seven
years succeeding its incorporation as a college. A manual labor depart-
ment was established in 1830, with a view to lighten the expenses of
the institution, but after a thorough trial the project was abandoned
and the shops and tools sold.
The munificent gift of $50,000 from Gardiner Colby, of Xewton,
Mass., in 1864, and $100,000 received from other sources, placed the col-
lege on a secure basis, and led to the title Colby University, which it has
borne since January, 1867. In 1871 women were first admitted on equal
terms with young men. There are three academical institutions in
Maine controlled by the trustees of Colby University, from which
pupils are admitted to the college on presentation of a diploma — Heb-
ron Academy, Ricker Institute and Coburn Classical Institute. Jere-
miah Chaplin, D. D., was president from 1822, succeeded by Rufus
Babcock, D. D., in 1833; Robert E. Pattison, D. D., 1836; E. Fay, A. M.,
1841; David N. Sheldon, 1843; R. E. Pattison again, 1854; and James
T. Champlin, 1857 to 1873.
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. 99
The president of Colby University from 1873 to 1882 was Rev.
Henry E. Robins, followed by Rev. G. D. B. Pepper, D. D., who served
until 1889, when he was succeeded by Albion Woodbury Small, Ph. D.,
born May 11, 1854, at Buckfield, Me. He graduated from Portland
High School in 1872, from Colby University in the class of '76, and
three years later from Newton Theological Institute. He went to
Germany in 1879, where he spent one year each at the universities of
Berlin and Leipsic. In the fall of 1881 he began his work at Colby
in the chair of history and political economy, where his abilit}^ as an
educator soon became apparent, and in 1889 he was made president.
He is the youngest president, that Colby has ever had, and the first
graduate of the institution to hold that office. His depth and origi-
nality of thought, and his earnest, straightforward and powerful dic-
tion never fail to command the attention of his listeners, whether in
sermon or lecture.*
Coburn Classical Institute was founded in 1829, a s.Waterville Acad-
emy. Hon. Timothy Boutelle had given a lot for the purpose, and by
the earnest efforts of Dr. Jeremiah Chaplin and others a suitable
building was erected. The school went into operation under the charge
of Henry W. Paine, a senior in Waterville College, now Hon. Henry
W. Paine, LL. D., of Boston. He was assisted by Josiah Hodges,
jun., a fellow student in the college. Robert W. Wood had charge of
the school a part of the term. George I. Chase was principal from
August, 1830, until May, 1831. In August, 1831, Henry Paine, a grad-
uate of Waterville College, took charge of the school, and kept his
place for five years. He was succeeded by Mr. Freeman and he by
Moses Burbank, who stayed but a few months. His successor was
Lorenzo B. Allen. In 1837 Charles R. Train, afterward attorney gen-
eral of Massachusetts, took his place. For the next five years the
•office was filled by several different persons, among whom were
Charles H. Wheeler and Nathaniel B. Rogers, a nephew of Hon.
Timothy Boutelle.
In the winter of 1841-2 the trustees of the college gave up the
charge of the school and it was incorporated and Rev. Dr. Nathaniel
Butler, was put in charge. In 1843 Dr. James H. Hanson took charge
and in September became principal. In 184.'5 another room was fitted
up and Miss Roxana F. Han.scom was employed to teach a department
for girls. When Doctor Hanson took the school there were but five
pupils. In 1853 the 308 pupils demanded another teacher, and George
B. Gow was employed as assistant. Doctor Hanson resigned in 1854,
and Mr. Gow was principal until 1855, after which James T. Bradbury
was principal until 1857, Isaac vS. Hamblen until 1861. Ransom E.
Norton, Randall E. Jones and John W. Lamb were principals succes-
*Doctor Small has accepted the head professorship of social science in Chicago
University. October, 1892.— [Ed.
TOO
ISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUXTV.
sively until 186;"). The trustees then made over their trust to the
trustees of the college. The name was changed to Waterville Classi-
calTnstitute, with a three years' (subsequently four years') collegiate
course for young ladies, and Doctor Hanson was persuaded to return
as principal, which position he still occupies. In 1883 Governor Abner
Coburn gave the school its present elegant building in Waterville,
and the institution has since been known as Coburn Classical Institute.
T " Dr. James H. Hanson, the present principal of the institute,
is a native of China, Me., having been born there June 26, 1816. At
the age of eighteen he left the farm to attend China Academy, where
COBURN CLASSICAL INSTITUTE.
he was fitted for college, and graduated from Colby University in the
class of '42. He began teaching in 1835, and taught each winter until
his graduation. Since that time he has taught continuously, and in
this period of fifty years he has not been absent from the school room
a week altogether from any cause. He became principal of Water-
ville Academy in 1843, continuing until 1854, when he took charge of
the high school of Eastport, Me., and three years later he became
principal of the Portland High School for boys, where he remained
until 1865, then returned to Waterville, and has since been the untir-
ing and energetic principal.
civil. HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. 101
In 1835 the legislature incorporated the Waterville Liberal Insti-
tute, and December 12, 1836, the school was opened under the auspices
of the Universalist society, with fifty-four pupils under Nathaniel M.
Whitmore as principal. In 1850 a female department was added and
the school flourished until 1855, when the growth of Westbrook Sem-
inary sufficiently filled the field. Mr. Whitmore's successors were: T.
G. Kimball, Rev. J. P. Weston, P. L. Chandler, J. H. Withington, T.
W. Herrick, Rev. H. B. Maglathlin, J. M. Palmer, Hon. H. M. Plaisted
and J. W. Butterfield.
In 1815 Judge Cony, of Augusta, erected, entirely at his own ex-
pense, a building for a female seminary. The structure, which stood
on the corner of Cony and Bangor streets, was completed in great
secrecy, and until the seats and desks with which it was furnished
arrived, no one but the judge knew the purpose for which it was
intended. On Christmas day, 1815, he presented the academy to a
board of trustees appointed by himself. In 1818 the institution was
incorporated as Cony Female Academy, when it was further endowed
by its munificent patron. The legislature, in 1827, granted half a
township of state land, and Benjamin Bussey, of Boston, donated a
tract of land in Sidney. On the strength of these endowments, a
commodious brick boarding house and dormitory was erected on the
corner of Bangor and Myrtle streets.
In 1825 the school had fifty girls in attendance. Board was quoted
at $1.25 per week and tuition $20 per annum. The donation of $3,225
by the founder, together with the funds derived from the sale of lands
given by the state, raised the permanent fund of the school $9,985.
At that time the library, also donated, embraced 1,200 volumes. The
school having outgrown its accommodations, in 1844, Bethlehem
church, a structure erected by the Unitarian society in 1827, was pur-
chased and remodeled for its use, the old building being sold for a
private residence. With the growth of Augusta's splendid free school
system, the academy disappears, but the generous founder is remem-
bered in name of the Cony High School of that city.
Through the liberality of Mr. Luther vSampson, of Kents Hill, the
Readfield Religious and Charitable Society was incorporated in 1821.
One of the multifarious designs of this organization was that of estab-
lishing a school, on land donated by Mr. Sampson, for in.struction in
experimental Christianity, theology, literature, and a practical knowl-
edge of agriculture and the mechanic arts. By a new charter, granted
in 1825, the corporation adopted the title Maine Wesleyan Seminary,
and was united with a religious boarding school which had been estab-
lished by Elihu Robinson at Augusta. Mr. Robinson removed to Kents
Hill where, by means of an endowment of $10,000 by Mr. Sampson,
buildings for the school were erected, and assumed the duties of prin-
cipal. Thinking to further the designs of the founders to furnish
102 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
the means of acquiring a liberal education at small cost, a manual
labor department was established, with the usual unhappy result.
In 1841 the institution had almost succumbed to adversity. At
this juncture Dr. Stephen Allen became principal, and under his man-
agement and the indefatigable efforts of his successor, Dr. Henry P.
Torsey, who was elected president in 1844, the institution was relieved
of many of its embarrassments and gradually rose to prominence. It
is now the largest and best equipped academical institution in the
state. In addition to its regular classical and scientific departments,
it supports a female college, founded about 1830, a conservatory of
music, an art department and a commercial college.
The Gardiner Lyceum, founded in 1822, being an important agri-
cultural school, is fully noticed in the chapter on agriculture, and an
account of Oak Grove Seminary, at Vassalboro, will be found in the
chapter on the Society of Friends.
About 1821 an academy was started in a small building at China
village, on the bank of the lake, where the district school house now
stands. John S. Abbott, a popular lawyer; E. P. Lovejoy, a martyr in
the cause of freedom in anti-slavery days; Rev. Henry Paine, Rev.
Hadley Proctor, and others were among the preceptors. A new and
spacious brick academy was subsequently erected at China village, in
which many young men have been fitted for college. Hon. Japheth
C. Washburn procured the charter of this academy, and with his own
hands felled and prepared for hewing the first stick of timber for the
building. The institution was endowed by the state with a grant of
state lands to the value of $10,000. This school stood high in public
estimate as an educational institution for many years. The stock-
holders held their annual elections and meetings until 1887, when the
property was deeded to the school district for educational purposes.
Belgrade Titcomb Academy, founded in 1829, was named in honor
of Samuel Titcomb, through whose efforts, together with those of
John Pitts, its establishment was made possible. The academy build-
ing was a large, two story brick structure, and fromi its situation on
the summit of Belgrade hill commanded one of the grandest views
in Kennebec county. The institution was incorporated, and its man-
agement was in the hands of a board of trustees elected annually.
Here were taught the higher branches, unknown to the common
schools, as well as ancient and modern languages, and students of
both sexes came from many of the neighboring towns. In its most
prosperous days over a hundred pupils were in attendance. A lyceum,
connected with it during its whole existence, formed no unimportant
part of its course. Among its teachers and pupils were many who
have since won high names for themselves. Regular terms of the
academy were held each year until about 1865, when lack of financial
support and the introduction of free high schools in many of the sur-
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. 103
rounding towns were the chief reasons for closing its doors. In June,
1885, the edifice was burned under suspicious circumstances. The
first principal of the academy was William Farmer, and among others
who acted as principals in subsequent years were Thomas Hubbard,
Horace Austin, Charles K. Hutchins, D. F. Goodrich, Milford T. Mer-
chant, Mr. Grant, Mr. Matthews and Mr. Adams. A few bricks in an
open field now mark the spot where once flourished this, the only in-
stitution of higher education ever in that part of the county.
Litchfield Academy was incorporated in 1845. It was endowed by
the state in 1849 with half a township of land in Aroostook county,
and in 1891 with an annuity of $500 for ten years. The building
which is now occupied by the school was erected in 1852. [See
Litchfield.]
Butler's Female Seminary, a private school for young ladies, located
at East Winthrop, was, in its day, one of the most popular and best
patronized educational institutions in Maine. It was founded and
conducted by Rev. Mr. Butler.
The West Gardiner Academy was built and incorporated in 1858.
It was also used as a place of worship by the First Free Baptist Soci-
ety. The building has long since ceased to be used for educational
purposes.
Jenness Towle made provisions by will for a Winthrop Academy,
stipulating that his gift should revert to Bangor Theological Seminary
unless the town made use of the bequest within a limited time. In
1855 the town erected a building for a town hall and academy, using
the bequest, and thus Towle Academy began a period of usefulness,
merging about 1876 in the subsequent period of the present high
school of the town. The first principal was John Walker May, now
of Lewiston.
St. Catherine's Hall was established by members of St. Mark's
parish, Augusta, aided by friends outside of the diocese, in 1868. For
several years prior a small denominational school for girls had been
conducted in a private house on the east side of the river, under the
patronage of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Lambard. At an expense of
$18,000 a large private residence was purchased and remodeled for
the accommodation of the school. But such was the growth of the
institution under its able management that it became necessary to
erect the present beautiful structure on the east side of the river.
Hallowell Classical Institute was organized in 1S73, and the new
buildings erected for its occupancy were dedicated January 14th of
the following year. It was designed for a preparatory school for
Bowdoin College and for a seminary for young ladies, and incidentally
became a local school of higher grade than the regular city schools.
For sixteen years it did good work in its broad field of usefulness,
but want of means proved too great an obstacle to be overcome after
104
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
the summer term in 1889. Its first principal was Rev. Vincent Moses.
His successors were: Rev. Almon W. Burr, 1876-82; Lawrence Rolfe,
A.B., 1883-5, and Rev. Edward Chase, 1886-9.
The Maine Industrial School for Girls was organized at Hallowell
in 1872. The purpose of the institution is to afford girls who are
thrown upon their own resources at an early age the advantages and
influences of home training. The school is convened in a large, well-
planned brick building on the crown of a high hill overlooking the
city, and is supported by appropriations from the state and private
contributions and donations. Since the organization of the institu-
tion between three and four
hundred have found in it an asylum, and
of these a large number, after a short tuition, have been received into
good homes in private families. The board of managers and trus-
tees, of which the governor, secretary of state and superintendent of
common schools are members c.r officio, are appointed by the state.
The Erskine School, at China, was founded in 1883, by Mrs. Sul-
livan Erskine, who purchased at Chadwick's Corners the church build-
ing which, in 1891, was enlarged and fitted for the growing wants of
the school. Here under the principalship of William J. Thompson,
many j'oung people are receiving a serviceable article of real learning.
Professor Thompson was born in Knox county and was educated at
the Castine Normal School. He taught at South Thomaston and in
i.l}6.^PU.
civil. HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. 105
the Searsport High School until 1883, when he came to China as the
first principal of this school, which has flourished under his manage-
ment.
The Dirigo Business College is located at Augusta. The modern
business training school is the result of- a revolution in methods of
preparing for business pursuits, which once were thought to involve
a liberal scientific, if not a classical, course in seminary or college. A
private business school— the first in the interior of Maine — was opened
in Augusta in 1863, by David M. Waitt. He was a good teacher and
the school became popular and useful under his management, and
subsequently the legislature granted it a charter as the Dirigo Busi-
ness College. In May, 1880, Mr. Waitt was succeeded by the present
principal, R. B. Capen, who, with an able corps of teachers, has en-
larged the usefulness and increased the popularity of this college,
whose graduates include many of the younger professional and busi-
ness men in this part of the state. Mr. Capen is a native of Massa-
chusetts, where he was master of the Norwood High School and prin-
cipal of the Dowse Academy in Sherborn.
The Maine State Library was founded in 1839 and its little collec-
tion of 3,349 volumes was under the charge of the secretary of state.
Twenty-two years later, when the collection had reached 11,000 vol-
umes, the office of state librarian was created and George G. Stacy be-
came its first incumbent. His successors have been: Joseph T. Wood-
ward, John D. Myrick, Josiah S. Hobbs and Leonard D. Carver. In
1892, the collection having reached 45,000 volumes, was removed to
the new wing of the capitol building.
In October, 1872, J. S. Hobbs, then of Oxford county, was appointed
state librarian, and in the following January removed to Augusta,
where he resided during the long period of service by which he is
now best known to the people of Kennebec county.
He was born in Chatham, N. H., June 27, 1828, and with his father,
James Hobbs, removed to P'ryeburg, where he was educated, and at
eighteen years of age began teaching for a time, as his father for
nearly thirty years had done. From the Fryeburg schools he at-
tended the Norway Liberal Institute, when Hon. Mark H. Donnell
was principal, and in 1850 took the English prize for prose declama-
tion. Four years later, after reading law under D. R. Hastings, he
was admitted to the bar of Oxford county and began practice in
Waterford in 1855. The son of a whig, who was twice elected to the
state .senate, Mr. Hobbs was active in the organization of the republi-
can party in Oxford county, and in 1857 and 1858 represented his dis-
trict in the legislature. Beginning in January, 1861, he was register
of probate of Oxford county for twelve years and was two years a
trial justice at the county seat.
The efficiency of his .service in the State Library, as well as his
106 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
general bearing in the extensive intercourse with the public, made
his administration popular and must have increased to the state the
usefulness of the institution. In November, 1890, in his sixth term,
he resigned the position and retired to his country place in a beauti-
ful and picturesque spot in Litchfield, where he is enjoying rural
peace and domestic happiness. His wife, Emelin, is a daughter of
Stevens Smith, of Waterford, Oxford county. Me.
L. D. Carver, the present librarian, was educated as a lawyer, but
in 1870 he went West, where he was principal of high schools. Re-
turning to Waterville in 1876, he was admitted to the bar and for six
years was city clerk. He served on the school board and was the
author of the school provisions in the city charter. His military ser-
vice, covering two years and three months,^was with the '2d Maine
Infantry. His wife, Mary C. Low, was the first lady graduate of
Colby, class of '75.
LTnited States Arsenal.— An act passed the United States sen-
ate in 1827, providing for the establishment of an arsenal at Augusta
for the safe storage of arms and munitions for the protection of the
northern and eastern frontier. Beginning with the meager appro-
priation of $15,000, the government, as the advantages of the location
for a general storage depot became more apparent, made further ap-
propriations aggregating $90,000.
On June 14, 1828, the corner-stone of the main building was laid.
This building is one hundred feet long, thirty wide and three stories
high, with a storage capacity of 7,128 muskets. The following year
two magazines, capable of holding 914 barrels of powder, store-houses,
officers' quarters, barracks, stable and shops were erected. These
buildings, nearly all of which are of rough granite, occupy a forty
acre lot, all of which is surrounded by a high iron fence. Fixed am-
munition and war rockets were prepared here during the civil war
and the war with Mexico. Among commanders of this institution
who afterward secured national fame, are General O. O. Howard, of
the United States Army, and Lieutenant Anderson, the hero of Fort
Sumter.
National Soldiers' Home.— As early as 1810 a mineral spring
was discovered in a meadow in the town of Chelsea, which, on account
of the sulphurous odor it emitted, was popularly known as the "Gun-
powder Spring." The water gained more than a local reputation of
healing malignant humors, and was for several years in considerable
demand. The spring and a large tract of surrounding land were pur-
chased in 1858, by Mr. Horace Beals, of Rockland, who, the following
year erected, at an expense of many thousands of dollars, a magnifi-
cently appointed hotel, which he opened in June, 1859, as a fashiona-
ble watering place.
At any. other period than that of the civil war such an enterprise
CIVIL HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS. 107
might have flourished: but under the depressing events which fol-
lowed it proved an utter failure. After two or three years of weak
existence it was closed to the public, and in 1866, after his decease, it
was sold for $50,000 to the United States government for an asylum
for disabled veterans. In 1867 the building had been remodeled and
two hundred ex-soldiers had availed themselves of the refuge thus
afforded. As it was evident that the accommodations would shortly
be insufficient to meet the constantly increasing demand, proceedings
were instituted for the erection of new buildings capable of accom-
modating five hundred men. A brick hospital was soon erected, and
plans for the erection of a large chapel and workshop were beginning
to materialize when the principal building was destroyed by fire.
This casualty, which occurred late in the evening of January 7,
1868, turned the inmates, many of whom were confined to their beds
with sickness, into the piercing frosts of a midwinter's night. The
sick were placed on the snow until they could be removed to private
houses, while those who were able to be carried so long a distance,
were quartered in Waverly Hall, at Augusta. The hospital, which was
not seriously damaged, was hastily prepared for barracks, and earl}' in
the spring three large brick buildings were commenced, each of which
was nearly one hundred feet in length. These were placed contigu-
ous to the hospital, so as to form a hollow square surrounding an ample
courtyard. With these were erected a large amusement hall, work-
shop, barn and a residence for the commanding officers, all of which
were constructed of brick manufactured on the spot. The hall was de-
stroyed by fire in the spring of 1871, at a loss of about $20,000. A
smaller building has been erected to supply its loss. Other structures
for the accommodation of the surgeon, bandmaster and other subor-
dinate officials have recently been erected.
The home is open to all survivors of the civil and Mexican wars,
and the war of 1812, who received an honorable discharge from the
service. Cutler Post, No. 48, a local division of the G. A. R., has been
established by the veterans, and in their cemetery a monument of
granite blocks has been erected, bearing a dedicatory inscription and
dates of the three principal wars succeeding the revolution.
The first deputy governor of the home and commandant was Major
General Edward W. Hincks, of Massachusetts, who held the position
until March 6, 1867, when, at his request, he was relieved and was
succeeded by Colonel Timothy Ingraham, of Massachusetts, who was
soon succeeded by General Charles Everett, of Washington, D. C, who
was shortly followed by Major Nathan Cutler, of Augusta, Me., and he
by Colonel E. A. Ludwick, of New York, who, after a short term of ser-
vice, was succeeded, in 1869, by Brigadier General William S. Tilton,
of Boston. General Luther Stephenson, the present governor of the
home, was born at Hingham, Mass., April 25, 1830. Entering the ser-
108 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
vice in April, 1861, as lieutenant in the Fourth Massachusetts, he was
several times promoted for merit, and by order of General Grant was
brevetted colonel and brigadier general, March 15, 1865, for " gallant
and meritorious services in the campaign against Richmond." He was
appointed governor of the National Home at Togus on the 17th of
April, 1883, and assumed the duties of the position the next day. The
home has increased in numbers since that date from 1,400 to 2,000.
The whole appearance of the buildings and grounds has been
changed and beautified and twenty new structures have been erected.
CHAPTER V.
MILITARY HISTORY.
Revolutionary Period. — War of 1813. — Coast Defense of Maine. — Militia Com-
panies called out. — Officers and Men. — Town Companies. — Treaty of Ghent.
THE peaceful interim of above two decades which followed the
last of the skirmishes referred to in Chapter H, was dissipated
by the call of the minute men of Concord and Lexington — a
call which, although sounding from beyond an almost unbroken
wilderness over one hundred miles in extent, met a prompt response
on the part of the patriots of the Kennebec valley. The smoke had
hardly cleared from Lexington green before bands of scantily
equipped men and boys were pushing their way through the forests,
eager to reach the point of enlistment. Many of the settlers in the
interior of the county had removed from towns adjacent to the scene
of the conflict, and while the oppression to which those who resided
nearer the metropolitan districts were subjected, was not as severely
realized by these men who depended almost entirely on the products
of their own farm and loom for the luxuries as well as the essentials
of life, the impulse of a brother's need moved them to earnest action.
Many farms were abandoned or left to the care of women and minors,
and, in many instances, the latter, catching the inspiration from the
fathers, stealthily left their homes and followed on the tracks of their
seniors.
However obscure and comparatively unimportant may be the
part Kennebec played in the war of the revolution, the influence of
that critical epoch on the subsequent history of this section is con-
siderable. Arnold's ascent of the Kennebec on his expedition against
Quebec changed, to quite an extent, the life of the settlements along
its banks. This expedition, which was embarked at Newburyport,
September 17, 1775, arrived at Pittston, on the Kennebec, the day fol-
lowing. Here the eleven transports of which the fleet consisted were
exchanged for bateaux, which had for. some time been under process
of construction, under the supervision of Major Colburn. The troops,
consisting of eleven hundred men, being transferred to the bateaux,
began the next day their slow and wearisome advance toward the
Canadian frontier. The officers, conspicuous among whom were Bene-
110 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
diet Arnold, Christopher Green, Daniel Morgan, Aaron Burr and
Henry Dearborn, men whose later careers challenged the attention of
nations, remained on their sailing vessel until they reached Augusta.
Here they joined the fleet on the bateaux and proceeded on that dis-
astrous errand, the result of which is familiar to the general reader.
The rare beauty of the valley through which they passed, the
waving meadows, the heavy forest growth, made a lasting impression
which the hardship, the cold and the starvation of the terrible cam-
paign which followed could not efface. The proclamation of peace
which brought as a minor accompaniment to the joyous notes of lib-
erty a siege of famine upon the settlers all along the main thorough-
fare of the Kennebec, through the depredations of famishing regi-
ments of soldiers bound for their homes in the eastern part of the
state, brought, also, many of the members of the Arnold expedition
back as permanent settlers. Among others of them whose names hold
a prominent place in history was General Henry Dearborn, who pur-
chased extensive tracts of land west of the river, and founded a home
near the point where he first landed after entering the Kennebec, to
which he resorted as often as the duties of the high office he held
under the national government permitted, until called by President
Madison to assume the responsibilities of commander-in-chief of the
national forces in the second war with Great Britain.
War of 1812. — The opening of this war found the military condi-
tions of Maine entirely unlike those that existed thirty-seven years
before, when the first call to arms resounded on her pine-clad hills.
In compliance with a law of the commonwealth, every able-bodied
man had, at stated periods, been submitted to instruction at the hands
of a competent drill-master; and well equipped and disciplined regi-
ments took the place of the straggling, unarmed hordes of the conti-
nental minute men. There was not, however, that unanimity of sen-
timent which characterized the patriots who brought the nation
through her birth throes. Although blood as warm for their country's
weal as that which flowed at Lexington coursed through their veins,
there were many who firmly believed that the nation's honor was not
at stake, and that money, not blood, should be the price of England's
depredations on our commerce. The federalists of Kennebec were
especiall}' bitter in their denunciations of the policy of the national
government, and when the intelligence reached Augusta that a formal
declaration of war had been issued, the quick blood of the party imme-
diately responded by hanging President Madison in eftigy, and placing
the Stars and Stripes at half-mast. The national troops quartered in
the city exhibited due respect for their chief executive by military
interference, and but for the action of the civil authorities the episode
must have closed with bloodshed.
In 1814 the British fleet hovered on the coast of Maine; Eastport,
MILITARY HISTORY. Ill
Bangror and other places were seized during tlie summer. The county
■of Kennebec was on the alert, and many companies of men were en-
listed. The Adams, a United States vessel of war, was burned by her
commander to prevent her falling into the enemy's hands, and her
crew retired through the woods from the Penobscot to the Kennebec,
causing an alarm that the enemy were approaching.
On Saturday, September 10th, a special town meeting was held at
Augusta to consider the safety of the towns. A committee consisting
of George Crosby, Joshua Gage, John Davis, Thomas Rice, Pitt Dill-
ingham, William Emmons and Joseph Chandler was appointed, who
reported that the selectmen should be directed " to procure 200 lbs.
of powder at once, and a quantity of materials for tents, camp kettles,
etc." Sunday, the following day, while at meeting. General Sewall re-
ceived a dispatch from the committee of safety at Wiscasset, asking
for a thousand men, as the enemy threatened a landing. Colonel
Stone's and Colonel Sweet's regiments, with the Hallowell Artillery,
marched forthwith in companies for Wiscasset. On the 15th General
Sewall went to a.ssume the command of the troops; but the alarm
proved groundless.
In the Maine adjutant general's office is a record of the officers and
men called into the state service in those trying times. In 1876, by
order of the governor and his council, this manuscript record was
carefully compiled by Z. K. Harmon, of Portland. It is a model of
neatness, the volume containing 420 pages. It appears that the 1st
Brigade, 8th Division, was under command of Major General Henry
Sewall, Augusta: Eben Dutch was major; William K. Page, of Au-
gusta, was aidde-camp; and William Emmons, Augusta, was judge
advocate. The brigadier general was William Gould, Farmington;
the brigadier major was Samuel Howard, Augusta; and the quarter-
master was Jes.se Robinson, of Hallowell.
Lieutenant Colonel Stone's regiment of the 8th Division, 1st Bri-
gade, had the following officers: John Stone, Gardiner, lieutenant
colonel; Reuel Howard, Augusta, major; Henry W. Fuller, Augusta,
major; Enoch Hale, jun., Gardiner, adjutant; Gideon Farrell, Win-
throp, quartermaster; Rufus K. Page, paymaster; Eliphalet Gillett,
Hallowell, chaplain; Ariel Mann, Hallowell, surgeon; Joel R. Ellis,
Hallowell, surgeon's mate; Benjamin Davenport, Winthrop, sergeant
major; James Tarbox, quartermaster sergeant; Roswell Whittemore,
■drum major; and John Wadsworth, fife major.
yiz<^«/rt.— Captain Burbank's company of Lieutenant Colonel
Stone's regiment was raised in Augusta. The officers of the company
were: Benjamin Burbank, captain; Nathan Wood, lieutenant, and
David Church, ensign. Ephraim Dutton, Benjamin Ross, Ebenezer
B. Williams and Philip W. Peck were sergeants; John Hamlen, Wil-
Jiam B. Johnson, Thomas Elmes and Bartlett Lancaster, corporals.
112 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
In this company were thirty-four privates, who served at Wiscasset in
September, 1814.
Another company raised in Augusta for Lieutenant Colonel vStone's
regiment had for captain David Wall and for ensign Charles Sewall.
The non-commissioned officers were: Luther Church, William Fel-
lows, Nathan Stackpole, Elias Stackpole, sergeants; Jeremiah Tolman,
Jesse Babcock, Elisha Bolton, corporals. Thirty-four privates went
out with the.se officers.
Augusta raised still another company for Lieutenant Colonel
Stone's regiment, of which Stephen Jewett was captain, and Oliver
Wyman, lieutenant; and the non-commissioned officers were: Ben-
jamin Swan, William Stone, Timothy Goldthwait, George Hamlen,
sergeants; William Pillsbury, John Goldthwait, Del F. Ballard,
Varanos Pearce, corporals. Newel Stone was musician. The privates
of this company numbered fifty-one.
Albion. — A company was raised for Lieutenant Colonel Albert
Moore's regiment at Albion, of which Joseph Wellington was captain;
Samuel Kidder, lieutenant, and Ebenezer Stratton, ensign. The non-
commissioned officers were: Samuel Libbey, James Chalmer, James
Ski! ling, Charles Stratton, sergeants; Samuel Tarbel, John Jackson,
John Kidder, jun., Samuel Stackpole, jun., corporals. The musicians
were: Benjamin Reed, jun., and Thadeus Broad. The privates num-
bered forty-eight men.
Captain Robinson raised a company in Albion for Lieutenant
Colonel Moore's regiment. The commissioned officers were: Benja-
min Robinson, captain; Thomas Harlow, lieutenant, and Benjamin
Louis, ensign. The non-commissioned officers were: Warren Drake,
Hiram Brackett, Stephen Bragg, Ebenezer Shaw, sergeants; Washing-
ton Drake, Richard Handy, Oliver Baker, Moses Dow, corporals.
Zebulon Morse and Asa Burrell went out as musicians, and twenty-
six privates were enrolled.
A company was drafted from Albion in the autumn of 1814, of
which Joel Wellington was made captain; Washington Heald, lieu-
tenant, and Israel Richardson, ensign. Robert Richardson, Charles
Stratton, William Fames and Samuel Ward were sergeants; Richard
V. Haydon, Nathaniel Merchant, Andrew S. Perkins and Benjamin
Reed, jun., corporals; Odiorne Heald, John Kidder, jun., and Samuel
Gibson,musicians. Eighty-seven privates were sent out in this company.
y^V/orrt^/r.— Belonging to Lieutenant Colonel Sherwin's regiment
was a company of fifty privates raised at Belgrade, with James Minot,
captain; John Fage, lieutenant, and Jesse Fage, ensign. The non-
commissioned officers were: Richard Mills, Lewis Page, Samuel Page,
Lemuel Lombard, sergeants; Charles Lombard, Wentworth Stewart,
Briant Fall, James Black, jun., corporals. The musicians were David
Wyman, Davison Hibbard, David Moshier and Jeremiah Tilton.
MILITARY HISTORY. 113
Belgrade raised another company for Lieutenant Colonel Sherwin's
regiment and the commissioned officers were; Joseph Sylvester, cap-
tain; Levi Bean, lieutenant; Isaac Lord, ensign. The non-commis-
sioned officers were: Daniel Stevens, vSamuel Sinith, John Sylvester,
William Stevens, jun., sergeants; Jonathan H. Hill, Ephraim Tib-
betts,William Wells, Samuel Tucker, corporals. Samuel Littlefield and
Isaac Farnham were enrolled as musicians, with thirty-six privates.
Clinton. — For Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Moore's regiment a com-
pany was raised in Clinton, of which Trial Hall was commissioned
captain; James Gray, lieutenant, and Israel Richardson, ensign. The
non-commissioned officers were: Samuel Haywood, Nathaniel Brown,
John Fitzgerald, William M. Carr, sergeants; William Richardson,
Peter Robinson, David Gray, George Flagg, corporals; Rufus Bartlett,
Samuel Gibson, musicians. Thirty-two privates went out in the
company.
China.— Yov Lieutenant Colonel Moore's regiment a company was
raised in China, for which the commissioned officers were: Daniel
Crowell, captain; Nathaniel Spratt, lieutenant, and Zalmuna Wash-
burn, ensign. Jonathan Thurber, Elisha Clark, Jabish Crowell and
Thomas Ward, jun., were sergeants; Samuel Branch, David Spratt,
Samuel Ward and James Wiggins, corporals; Ephraim Clark 3d and
Jonathan Coe, musicians. Twenty-four privates were enrolled in the
company.
Another larger company was enlisted in China, of which Robert
Fletcher was captain; Nathaniel Bragg, lieutenant, and Caleb Palme-
ter, ensign. John Weeks, John Whitley, William Bradford and Jede-
diah Fairfield were sergeants; Nathaniel Evans, Daniel Fowler,
Daniel Bragg and Ephraim Weeks, corporals; Thomas Burrell and
Timothy Waterhouse, musicians; with fifty privates.
Fayette. — In Lieutenant Colonel Ellis Sweet's regiment was a com-
pany of men, enlisted at Fayette, of which Henry Watson was cap-
tain; Alden Josselyn, lieutenant, and David Knowles 2d, ensign.
Elisha Marston, Richard Hubbard, Thomas Fuller, jun., and Benja-
min J. Winchester were sergeants; James Watson, Moses Hubbard,
David Knowles, 3d, and Moses Sturdevant, corporals; and William
Sturdevant and John D. Josselyn, musicians; with thirty- five privates.
Another company was raised in Fayette, of which the commis-
sioned officers were: John Judkins, captain; Thomas Anderson, lieu-
tenant, and Luther Bumpus, ensign. The non-commissioned officers
were: James McGaffey, 'William Whitten, Levi Fletcher and John
Brown, .sergeants; and Joseph Greely, Edward Griffin, Mo.ses Carson
and Bazaled BuUard, corporals. Musicians were A. Whitten, Squire
Bishop, jun., and James Trask; and the company mustered thirty-
eight privates.
114 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Gardiner. — The field and staff officers of Lieutenant Colonel John
Stone's regiment, 1st Brigade, 8th Division, in service at Wiscasset
and vicinity in the autumn of 1814, were: John Stone, Gardiner, lieu-
tenant colonel; Reuel Howard, Augusta, major: Henry W. Fuller,
Augusta, major; Enoch Hale, jun., Gardiner, adjutant; Gideon Far-
rell, Winthrop, quartermaster; Rufus K. Page, paymaster; Eliphalet
Gillett, Hallowell, chaplain; Ariel Mann, Hallowell, surgeon; Joel R.
Ellis, Hallowell, surgeon's mate; Benjamin Davenport, Winthrop,
sergeant major; James Tarbox, Winthrop, quartermaster sergeant;
Roswell Whittemore, drum major; and John Wadsworth, fife major.
From Gardiner a company went out in Stone's regiment with the
following commissioned officers: Jacob Davis, captain; Ebenezer
Moore, lieutenant; Arthur Plummer. ensign, and William Partridge,
clerk. The non-commissioned officers were not given in the record,
but the company enrolled eighty privates.
Another company was raised at Gardiner with Edward Swan,
captain; Daniel Woodard, lieutenant, and William Norton, ensign.
The non-commissioned officers were: William B. Grant, Thomas Gil-
patrick, Michael Woodard, Arthur Berry, sergeants; Benjamin C.
Lawrence, William Bradstreet, Charles M. Dustin, corporals. The
musicians were: Jonah Perkins, John Palmer, Edward Bourman and
Andrew B. Berry. This company embraced forty-two privates.
Hallowell. — In Lieutenant Colonel Stone's regiment was a large
company from Hallowell, of which William C. Vaughan was captain,
Pettey Vaughan, lieutenant, and William Cobb Wilder, ensign. The
non-commis.sioned officers were: Abisha Handy, Nathaniel Brown, 2d,
Levi Thing, jun., George Carr, sergeants; Benjamin Perry, Charles
Kenney, Joseph Richards, corporals; David Dyer, Zebulon Sawyer,
Samuel Howard, John Moons, musicians. The privates numbered
seventy-three men.
Captain Simeon Morris' company for Stone's regiment was raised at
Hallowell, for which Lsaac Leonard was lieutenant and Stephen Smith
was ensign. James B. Starr, William B. Littlefield, Samuel Merrill
and James Kean were sergeants; Samuel Carr, jun., John Greely,
George Waterhouse and Joshua Carr, corporals; Robert Child, musi-
cian; and there were fifty privates.
Captain Dearborn's company was also raised in Hallowell and was
attached to Lieutenant Colonel Stone's regiment, with Benjamin
Dearborn, captain; Thomas B. Coolidge, lieutenant, and William
Clark, ensign. Isaac Smith, Enoch Marshall, Ebenezer White and
Sheppard H. Norris were sergeants; Ephraim Mayo, Thomas Fille-
brown, jun., John Folsom and Benjamin Plummer, corporals; Seth
Sturtevant, James Batchelder, Elias Webber and Bradley Folsom,
musicians. The company had thirty-seven privates.
A company of artillery was raised in Hallowell, which was attached
MILITARY HISTORY. 115
to jSIajor Joseph Chandler's Battalion of Artillerj'. The officers of the
company were: Samuel G. Ladd, captain; Jedediah Lakeman, lieuten-
ant, and Joseph S. Smith, ensign. Non-commissioned: Abraham
Thurd, Samuel Tinney, Daniel Norcross, David Stickney, sergeants;
Ezekiel Goodall, Richard Dana, William Livermore, jun., Cumwell
Aldrich, corporals. Musicians: John Woods, Levi Johnson, Aaron
Bickford, Harvey Porter and John Dennett. The privates numbered
forty-six.
Hallowell also raised a cavalry company for Major Peter Grant's
Battalion of 1st Brigade, 11th Division. Of this company Thomas
Eastman was captain; Francis Morris, lieutenant, and William Wins-
low, ensign. Henry D. Morrill and Ebenezer Mathews were musi-
cians, and Parsons Smith, clerk. Benjamin Paine, Alvan Hayward
and Jonathan Mathews were sergeants; Samuel Blake, John Savage,
Albert Hayward and Richard Belcher, corporals. The company em-
braced thirty-two privates.
Litchfield. — Colonel Abel Merrill commanded a regiment at Bath,
in which was a company from Litchfield. The commissioned officers
of this company were: Hugh Getchell, captain; William Randall, lieu-
tenant, and Jesse Richardson, ensign. The noncommissioned officers
were: James B. Smith, Cornelius Richardson, Cyrus Burke, sergeants;
Adam Johnson, Isaac Smith, Thomas Springer, William Towns, cor-
porals. John Hodgman, Cornelius Thompson and Isaac ShirtlefE were
musicians, and the company contained fifty-seven privates.
Litchfield also raised a company for Lieutenant Colonel Stone's
regiment. Of this company David C. Burr was captain; Nathaniel
Marston, lieutenant, and Ebenezer Colby, ensign. Andrew Goodwin,
Daniel Herrick, Jesse Tucker and James Parker were sergeants; Wil-
liam Hutchinson, John Sears, Joshua Ritchinson and Daniel Cram,
corporals; and Cypron J. Edwards, David Fuller, William Brown and
James Goodwin, musicians. The privates numbered fifty-seven.
Another company from Litchfield in Lieutenant Colonel John
Stone's regiment had for captain, John Dennis; for lieutenant, Daniel
Stevens; and for ensign, Joseph Jewell. Samuel Hutchinson. Joseph
Wharfif, Israel Hutchinson and William Robinson were sergeants;
Robert Crawford, Ebenezer Harriman, Miser Williams and William
Spear, corporals; John Robbins, James Hutchinson and Elijah Palmer,
musicians; and the company enrolled thirty-eight privates.
A company in Litchfield was drafted from the lOth Division and
mustered into the United States service to garrison the forts on the
coast of eastern Maine. The commis-sioned officers of the company
were: David C. Burr, captain; John Dennis, jun., lieutenant; Benjamin
White, jun., lieutenant; and John A. Neal, ensign. Caleb Goodwin,
Joshua Walker, Andrew Goodwin and William Hutchinson were ser-
geants; William Bailey, Francis Douglass, Hezekiah Richardson and
116 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Moses Stevens, corporals; Joseph Hutchinson and David F. Wey-
mouth, musicians. Fifty privates went out in the company.
Monmo7ith. — A company of thirty-nine, under Captain John A. Tor-
sey, raised in Monmouth, was attached to Lieutenant Colonel Blais-
dell's regiment. Pascal P. Blake was lieutenant and Frederic W.
Dearborn, ensign. The non-commissioned officers were: Martin
Gushing, Jacob Smith, Robert Oilman, Thomas Witherell, sergeants;
John Plummer, Samuel Titus, Josiah Towle, James Merrill, corporals.
Henry Day and John Merrill were musicians.
Another company of fifty-six privates was raised in Monmouth for
the same regiment, with Moses Boynton for captain; Royal Fogg,
lieutenant, and Benjamin Sinclair, ensign. Joseph Prescott, Joseph
B. Allen, Jedediah B. Prescott and John S. Blake were sergeants;
Newell Fogg, Hugh M. Boynton, Ira Towle and George W. Fogg,
corporals; Levi Tozier and John Richardson, musicians.
Joseph Chandler was major of a battalion of artillery attached to
the 1st Brigade, Sth Division. His adjutant was Jonathan G. Hun-
toon, of Readfield, and his quartermaster was John S. Kimball, of Au-
gusta. Monmouth raised a company for this battalion, with the fol-
lowing officers: Samuel Ranlett, captain; Dudly Moody, lieutenant;
Eleazur Smith, lieutenant; Ebenezer Freeman, Jacob Mills, jun.,
Joseph Kelley, James Fairbanks, sergeants; Asa Robbins, jun., Jason
Prescott, Phinehas Kelly, Marcus Gilbert, corporals; Levi Gilbert,
Benjamin Berry, musicians. The company embraced only twenty-
seven privates. This company was subsequently attached to Sher-
win's regiment of militia, with William Talcott and Benjamin Butler
added as sergeants; Peleg B. Fogg, Jesse Fairbanks and John Mar-
shall added as musicians; and twenty privates were added. The com-
pany were at Wiscasset from vSeptember 24 to November 8, 1814.
Mt. Vernon. — In Lieutenant Colonel Ellis Sweet's regiment was a
company raised at Mt. Vernon, and its captain was Timothy Stevens;
lieutenant, George McGaffey; ensign, Ariel Kimball. James Mc-
Gaffey, William Whitten, Levi Fletcher and John Brown were ser-
geants; Joseph Greely, Edward Griffin, Moses Carson, Bazaled Bul-
lock, corporals; Aled Whitten, Squire Bishop, jun., and James Trask,
musicians. Thirty-eight privates belonged to the company.
In the same regiment was another company from Mt. Vernon, of
which Thomas Nickerson was captain; John Stevens, lieutenant, and
John Blake, ensign. The non-commissioned officers were: Joseph
Gilman, Daniel Gordon, Nathan S. Philbrook, Ephraim Nickerson,
sergeants; Walter W. Philbrook, Nathan Smith, Levi French, jun.,
and Bela Gilman, corporals. The musicians were John Stone and
Jes.se Ladd, and the privates numbered thirty-four men.
Pittstoii. — Two companies for Lieutenant Colonel Stone's regiment
were raised in Pittston. The captain of the first was David P. Bailey;
MILITARY HISTORY. 117
lieutenant, John Blanchard; ensign, Jacob Bailey. Joseph Follansbee,
Elihu Lord, Joseph Kidder and George Williamson were sergeants;
William Troop, Nathaniel Brown, George Jewett and Tristram Fol-
som, corporals; James Bailey and Alexander Blanchard, musicians.
The company embraced forty privates. Of the second company,
Jonathan Young was captain; Eli Young, lieutenant, and Dudley
Young, ensign. Jonathan Clark, Leonard Coopey and James Gray,
jun., were sergeants; Henry Banner, Nathaniel Benner, Reuben
Lewis and Frederic Lewis, corporals. The privates numbered
fifty-six.
Readfield. — A company- of militia was drafted from Readfield and
attached to Lieutenant Colonel Ellis Sweet's regiment. The commis-
sioned officers of the company were: John Smith, captain; Samuel
Benjamin, lieutenant, and Eli Adams, ensign. Joseph Gilman, Na-
than S. Philbrick, Joseph Heselton and James McGaffey were ser-
geants; Walter N. Philbrick, Benjamin King, David Huntoon and
Warren Crocker, corporals; Joshua Bartlett, Josiah Bacon, Stephen
Abbott and John M. Shaw, musicians. The privates of the company
numbered fifty-nine.
Another company drafted from Readfield was attached to Lieuten-
ant Colonel Sweet's regiment. Of this company George Waugh was
captain: Alden Josselyn, lieutenant, and Herman Harris, ensign.
Three of the sergeants were Elisha Marston, William Whittier and
Richard Hubbard. The corporals given in the record were Gilman
Bacheler and Samuel Tuck. In this company were thirty-eight pri-
vates. It would seem that the latter company was increased and
partly re-officered, for we find in Sweet's regiment a company of
which George Waugh was captain; Samuel Page, lieutenant; Reuben
Smith, ensign; John Page, William Taylor, Christopher Adle and
Joseph Hutchinson, sergeants; Moses Simmons, Seward Page, Elijah
Clough and Nathan Coy, corporals; Henry Carlton, William Tucker
and Levi Morrill, musicians. In this company were forty-four
privates.
The same regiment received from Readfield still another company,
of which John Smith was the captain; Daniel Carlptell, lieutenant,
and Eli Adams, ensign. James Fillebrown, Lory Bacon, Jethro Hil-
man and James Smith were sergeants; Jacob Turner, David Huntoon,
Jacob Cochran and William Stimpson, corporals; Thomas Pierce,
Charles Pierce and John Turner, musicians. The company also had
forty-five privates.
ie(?wf.— Lieutenant Colonel McGaffey's regiment of militia was at-
tached to the 8th Division and was the oth Regiment. The field and
staff officers from Kennebec county were: David McGaffey, Rome,
lieutenant colonel; Moses Sanborn, Vienna, major; Francis Mayhew,
major; Jonathan Gilbreth, Rome, adjutant.
118 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
A company was raised in Rome for Colonel McGaffey's regiment
and the commissioned officers of the company were: William Hussey,
captain; Robert Hussey, lieutenant, and Ezekiel Page, ensign. The
non-commissioned officers were: Enoch Knight, Samuel Mitchell,
Elijah K. Hussey and Richard Furbush, 2d, .sergeants; Benjamin
White, Rufus Clements, Jonathan Butterfield and Moses Choate, cor-
porals; Elisha Mosher and Samuel Grant, musicians. Twenty-five
privates were enrolled.
Rome raised another company which was in the same regiment,
and in service at Hallowell awaiting orders, in September, 1814. Mat-
thias Lane was captain; Palatiah Leighton, ensign; Peter Beede,
James Colbath, jun., William Blye and Benjamin Folsom, sergeants;
James Wells, Joseph Gordon, John Allen, jun., and Peter Folsom,
corporals; John Jewett and Joseph Jewett, musicians. This company
enrolled eighteen men.
Sidney. — Sidney raised men for Lieutenant Colonel Sherwin's regi-
ment. One company had Richard Smith as captain, Benjamin Saw-
telle as lieutenant, John Robinson, ensign. vSamuel Jones, Paul Ham-
mond, jun., George Woodcock and Edmund Longly, sergeants; Eben-
ezer Irish, jun., Ichabod Pitts, jun., Samuel Smith, jun., and David
Weeks, corporals; Asa Sawtelle and Abial Abbott, musicians. Thirty-
two privates were enrolled.
Another company for Sherwin's regiment had for captain Stephen
Lovejoy; for ensign, Joshua Ellis. The sergeants were: John Tink-
ham, jun., John Sawtelle, jun., Joseph Hastings and Thomas Johnson.
Abial Dinsmore and Jacob Lovejoy were musicians. Thirty-nine pri-
vates enlisted in the company from Sidney.
The third enlisted company from Sidney had for its captain,,
Amasa Lesley; lieutenant, Bethuel Perry; ensign, David Daniels. The
non-commissioned officers were: Ebenezer Perry, John Bragg, jun.,
John Davis, Rufus Emerson, sergeants; Zenos Perry, Robert Packard,
Abel Sawtelle, Woodhouse Boyd, corporals; Francis Smiley, Seth
Perry, musicians. The privates numbered thirty-two.
Men were drafted from Sidney and a company attached to Colonel
Sherwin's regiment, of which company Stephen Lovejoy was captain;
Joseph Warren, lieutenant; Ebenezer Lawrence, ensign; Palmer
Branch, John Bates, Jabez Harlow and Joshua Grant, sergeants; Levi
Meade and Ebenezer Morse, corporals; Winthrope Robinson, musi-
cian. This company embraced eighty men as privates.
Captain Lesley's company, before mentioned, was enlisted; but he
went to Wiscasset late in the autumn of 1814, with a company of
drafted men from Sidney. The commissioned officers were: Captain,
Amasa Lesley; lieutenant, Benjamin Sawtelle; ensign, William Bod-
fish. Elias Doughty, Samuel Page, David GuUifer and John Bragg,
jun., were sergeants; Wentworth Steward, Samuel Jones, Robert
MILITARY HISTORY. 119
Packard and Ebenezer Trask, corporals; Nathaniel Dunn and Richard
Jones, musicians. This company had fifty-two privates.
]"assalboro. — This town raised companies by enlistment. One was
raised for Lieutenant Colonel Moore's regiment, and the commissioned
officers were: Daniel Wyman, captain; Alexander Jackson, lieutenant;
William Tarbell, ensign. Thomas Hawes, Daniel Whitehouse, Zenas
Percival and Roland Frye were sergeants; John Clay, Gersham Clark,
Thomas Whitehouse and Jonathan Smart, corporals; George Webber,
musician. There were twenty-nine privates.
Wing's company, enlisted in Vassalboro, was attached to the same
regiment. The commissioned officers of the company were: Joseph
Wing, captain; Levi Maynard, lieutenant, and Nehemiah Gould, en-
sign. The non-commissioned officers were: Elijah Robinson, Moses
Rollins, vStephen Low, Josiah Priest, .sergeants; Levi Chadbourne,
Amasa Starkey, John Frye, Reuben Priest, corporals. The musicians
were Enoch Marshall and Stephen Townsend. The privates num-
bered fifty-three men.
Still another small company was enlisted for Moore's regiment,
and the captain was Jeremiah Farwell; lieutenant, Aaron Gaslin.
Charles Webber, Eli French, John G. Hall and Elijah Morse were
sergeants; Benjamin Bassett, Nathaniel Merchant and Heman Stur-
ges, corporals; John Lovejoy, musician; and the file of privates num-
bered thirty men.
A company was drafted from Vassalboro, of which Jeremiah Far-
well was commissioned captain; Nathaniel Spratt, lieutenant, and
Nehemiah Gould, ensign. Charles Webber, Amariah Hardin, jun.,
Jabez Crowell and Elijah Morse were sergeants; Rowland Frye,
Samuel Brand. Benjamin Melvin and Thomas Whitehouse, corporals;
Washington Drake and Timothy Waterhouse, musicians. The com-
pany embraced sixty-seven men as privates.
Wayne. — This town enlisted men for a company in Sweet's regi-
ment. Of this company Jacob Haskell was captain; William Burgess,
lieutenant, and Levi Roberts, ensign. The other officers were: Wil-
liam Knight, Jesse Bishop, Eliakim Top, Gustavus Top, sergeants;
Warren Crocker, James Wing, Asa Tapley, James Burgess, corporals.
Joshua Norris was fifer and Asa Top drummer. Twenty-eight men
were enrolled as privates.
Lieutenant Colonel Ellis Sweet's regiment— the 4th in 1st Brigade,
8th Division — was officered in part from Wayne. Colonel Sweet was
a Wayne officer and also Moses Wing, jun., the major of the regiment.
Another small company from Wayne was commanded by Ebenezer
Norris, lieutenant. Amasa Dexter, Seth Billington and Benjamin
Norris were sergeants; Samuel Besse, Allen House, Samuel Wing
and Elisha Besse, corporals; Nathan Sturdevant and Seth Hammond,
musicians. The privates numbered only twenty-seven men.
120 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Watcrvillc. — This town and Vassalboro raised a company that was
assigned to Major Joseph Chandler's Battalion of Artillery. Of this
company Dean Bangs was captain; Lemuel Pullen, lieutenant; Abra-
ham vSmith, ensign; Jabez Dow, Artemus Smith, Levi Moore, jun.,
William McFarland, sergeants; William Marston, Alexander McKech-
nie, Abiel Moore, James Bragg, corporals; Henry Richardson, Reward
Sturdevant, musicians. Twenty privates enlisted in this company.
Lieutenant Colonel Elnathan Sherwin's regiment was in the 8th
Division, 2d Brigade, his being the 1st Regiment. From this regiment
a draft was made, May 24, 1814, to fill up the regiment of Colonel
Ellis Sweet. The officers of the first-named regiment were: Elnathan
Sherwin, Waterville, lieutenant colonel; John Cleveland, Fairfield,
major; Joseph H. Hallett, Waterville, quartermaster; Moses Appleton,
Winslow, surgeon; David Wheeler, Waterville, paymaster; and Jede-
kiah Belknap, Waterville, chaplain.
One of the companies of Lieutenant Colonel vSherwin's regiment
was raised at Waterville, of which Joseph Hitchings was captain;
Samuel Webb, lieutenant; Thomas McFarland, ensign; Josiah
Jacob, jun., Abraham Morrill, Solomon Berry, Calvin L. Gatchell, ser-
geants; Abraham Butts, Pelatiah Soule, Simeon Tozier, 2d, William
Watson, corporals; David Low, Lewis Tozier, musicians. The com-
pany had twenty-nine enlisted privates.
Another company from Waterville contained forty privates for
Sherwin's regiment. The commissioned officers of this company
were: William Pullen, captain; Joseph Warren, lieutenant, and Leon-
ard Comfourth, ensign. Leonard Smith, Reuben Ricker, Isaiah Hal-
lett and John Hallett were sergeants; Samuel Merry, James Gilbert,
Wyman Shorey, and Thomas Stevens, corporals; Dexter Pullen, Isaac
Gage and Asa Bates, musicians.
Winthrop. — This town raised two companies for state defense. The
one attached to Stone's regiment had for captain Asa Fairbanks; lieu-
tenant, Solomon Easty; ensign, Jonathan Whiting. Benjamin Rich-
ard, Wadsworth Foster, John Richards and Oliver Foster were ser-
geants; Eliphalet Stevens, Thomas Stevens, Samuel Chandler and
Columbus Fairbanks, corporals; Beser Snelland Nathan Bishop, musi-
cians. The privates numbered thirty-four men.
The other company was attached to Sweet's regiment. The cap-
tain was Elijah Davenport; lieutenant, Samuel Benjamin; ensign,
Herman Harris. Jabez Bacon, Levi Fairbanks, Joseph Heselton and
Francis Perley were the sergeants; Stephen Sewall, Benjamin King,
Daniel C. Heselton and Caleb Harris, corporals; Waterman Stanley,
Josiah Bacon, jun., Stephen Abbot, Thomas Fuller and Simon Clough,
musicians; and the company contained forty-nine privates.
Windsor.— "Dix-a town raised a company of thirty-three privates for
Colonel Cummings' regiment. The commissioned officers for this
MILITARY HISTORY. lai
company were: Gideon Barton, captain; George Marson, lieutenant;
John Page, ensign. William Bowler, Jacob Jewett, Clement Moody
and Micliael Lane were sergeants; Robert Hutchinson, Luther Pierce,
Walter DockendorfE and Thomas Harriman, corporals; Lot Chadwick
and Joseph Wright, musicians.
IVins/ow. — Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Moore commanded the 3d
Regiment, 2d Brigade, 8th Division of Maine militia in service in 1814,at
Wiscassett. The officers from Kennebec county were; Herbert Moore,
Winslow, lieutenant colonel; Nathan Stanley and Daniel Stevens,
China, majors; Whiting Robinson, Clinton, surgeon's mate; Charles
McFaddin, Vassalboro, paymaster; and Joseph Clark, Clinton, ad-
jutant.
Winslow had a company in Moore's regiment, and its commissioned
officers were: James L. Child, captain; Washington Heald, lieutenant;
William Getchell, ensign. The other officers were: William Harvey,
James Heald, Joel Crosby, Abraham Bean, sergeants; Alvin Blackwell,
Richard V. Hayden, Simeon Heald, Elisha Ellis, corporals. The
privates numbered thirty-eight men.
The adjutant general's office at Augusta also contains a manuscript
record of enlistments in the regular army for 1812-14, carefully ar-
ranged by companies and regiments; but the residences of the officers
and men are not indicated.
By the treaty of Ghent, December 24, 1814, the war ended, and the
news was received in this country February 11, 1815, with great
demonstrations of joy.
CHAPTER VI.
MILITARY HISTORY (Concluded.)
The Civil War. — First Call for Troops. — Response by Kennebec County. — Early
Enlistments. — Call of July 3, 1862. — Bounties. — Enlistments. — Equalization
Bonds. — Peace.— General Seth Williams. — G. A. R. Posts. — Monuments.
WHEN the angry mutterings of the storm that for years had
been gathering over the institutions which held in check the
aggressions of a despotic feudalism culminated, on that
memorable 12th of April, in the crash which dismantled the walls of
Fort Sumter and jarred the foundations of the nation, no section of
the federal territory was more prompt and energetic in rallying to the
protection of the loyal colors than Maine. In twenty-four hours from
the time the despatches from Washington were bulletined, whole com-
panies had reported to their officers, regiments were in readiness for
the roll-call, and impatiently awaited orders to enter the service.
Although 00,000 men were enrolled in the state militia, only 1,200
were, in the language of the adjutant general, "in a condition to re-
spond to calls for ordinary duty within the state," while their uniforms,
equipments and camp equipage were of a character totally unfitted for
service in the field.
Seven days from the issuing of the call from Washington for 75,000
men, the legislature, at a special session convoked by Governor Wash-
burn, passed an act authorizing the organization of ten regiments of
infantry, and the bonding of a loan of one million dollars for their
equipment. Under this act six regiments were mustered into the ser-
vice; and such was the celerity with which they were equipped and
forwarded that we find it recorded that of all the loyal troops who
were actually engaged in the first battle of Bull Run, one fourth, at
least, were sons of the Pine Tree state, and of these as large a ratio
were citizens of Kennebec county. The disastrous result of this en-
gagement led to an immediate call for more troops, accompanying
which aitthority was granted by the war department to organize, in
the maximum, eight new regiments of light infantry. At the close
of the year 1861 Maine had enlisted fifteen regiments of infantry, one
regiment of cavalry, six batteries of light artillery, one company of
sharpshooters and four companies of coast guards. For these various
MILITARY HISTORY. 123
companies, Kennebec county furnished 1,535 enlisted men-, credited
to the towns as follows:
Albion. — James Austin, Albert Bessee, Atwood Crosby p at Rich-
mond July 21 61, Augustine Crosby p at Richmond July 21 61, Rodney
Crosby, Albert D. Foss p at Richmond, Martin Foss p at New Orleans
July 21 61, Lieut. John vS. French 1^: at Rappahannock Station Nov. 7
63, William H. Gifford, Henry S. F. Gerald, Erastus H. Hamilton d at
Ship Island Mar. 23 62, Amaziah F. T. Hussey, Timan N. Hamilton,
James Jameson, Marshall Lawrence, Rufus F. Lancaster, Morrison
Leonard w at Baton Rouge d Aug. 62, William Mayberry, Walter H.
Morrison, James Murdough d at Yorktown 62, John Nade, Gilman S.
Ouinn d Jan. 12 62, James A. Ridlon, John W. Ridlon, Rodolphus
Rider, Daniel Rollins, William B. Robinson, William A. Stackpole,
Warren B. Stinson, Charles Seekins, w July 10 63 and May 20 64, Lieut.
Joseph H. Spencer w at Baton Rouge, William H. Tabor, C. B. Taber,
Atwell M. Wixon w at Chantilly.
Augusta. — Cyrus D. Albee, Lieut. James H. Albee, George Allen d
in 63, James M. Allen, Judson Ames, George W. Annable, Lieut. Hol-
man M. Anderson p at Gum Springs June 20 63, William R. Anderson,
Edward H. Austin, Riley B. Avery, George F. Bachelder w June 1 64,
George E. Bartlett, George M. Bean, Josiah W. Bangs, Algernon S.
Bangs, Capt. Edwin A. Bachelder, C. M. Bachelder, Lieut. Silas C.
Barker, Musician Fenelon G. Barker, Charles Berry, Chap. George
W. Bartlett, Josiah L. Bennett w June 16 64 d May 10 65, Samuel Ben-
nett, Gardiner Beal, C. F. Beal d Feb. 8 63, Homer S. Bean d Nov. 4
62, Samuel Berry, Charles S. Beverley, Sherebiah H. Billington w July
2 64, Thomas G. Billington, Josiah B. Blackman, Wingate W. Brad-
bury, Sumner S. Brick, William H. Brooks, Jeremiah Buckley, George
H. Brick, Eli A. Black d at Fernandina Aug. 14 63, Isaac P. Billington,
William Bushea, John W. Boynton, John H. Breen w and p May 5 64,
Samuel F. Bennett, George W. Bowman k May 12 64, William Bren-
nan, Jacob Bolton, Sumner L. Brick, Isaac C. Brick, William H. Brick,
William H. Brock d April 20 64, Adjt. Edwin Burt, George F. Burgess
d at Fernandina Sept. 21 62, B. C. Bickford, W. A. Brown, Calvin H.
Burden p at Bull Run k July 2 63, William Bolton, Byron Branch,
Nathan H. Call w July 2 63, Francis M. Caswell, Horace Church,
George L. Cromett w March 10 64, Charles Clark, John A. Clark,
Augustus Chadwick, Edgar M. Churchill, Warren B. Chapman w and
p April 8 64, Samuel Cunningham, John F. Chase w July 3 63, Henry
A. Cummmgs, Lemuel A. Cummings, William Campbell, Lieut.
George Cony, George Cowell, William Cahoon, Charles Cunningham,
Surg. Albert S.Clark, Capt. Nathaniel W.Cole, John Code d 63, Henry
*Names transcribed by Captain Thomas Clark, adjutant general's office.
The following abbreviations are used in these lists; k killed, w wounded, d died,
p prisoner.
124 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Clark w July 18 63, Daniel H. Cunningham, L. M.Conway, I. H. Cook,
Charles Clark, Chap. Andrew J. Church, Daniel Chadwick, George
H. Chadwick. Nathaniel G. Church. Leander M. Clark, Amasa L.Cook,
William Clark, Richard Cunningham, Lieut. Rufus T. Crockett, Lieut.
Warren Cox p at Manassas k May 3 63, George Cunningham, Capt.
Robert F. Dyer, David Day, Sylvester Davis, John J. Delmage, Milton
Dellings, Charles S. Delano, Joseph Devine, Henry Day, Caleb Den-
nison, Thomas Dougherty, Sewell Dickinson, Adj. Charles C. Drew p
at Bull Run, William H. Dunn, Alden S. Dudley, Reuel W. Dutton,
Charles F. Emerson, Elisha S. Fargo w at x\ntietam, Edmond Fay,
Charles A. Farnham w Aug. 9 64, Samuel S. Farnham, George L. Fel-
lows p at Bull Run k at Gettysburg July 2 63, George H. Fisher, Ro-
land R. Fletcher, Elias W. Folsom, John Fox, Andrew J. Getchell,
Edwin A. Getchell, William T. Getchell, H. A. Griffith, G. H. Gordon d
from wounds, Samuel Gowell, Edward Gilley, Serg. Frederick Gannett
w July 2 63, Leonard J. Grant, Daniel W. Gage, Samuel H. Gage, Com.
Serg. Lorenzo D. Grafton, William Gordon, Solomon Gordon, Dennis
Getchell, Alonzo H. Getchell, Henry W. Getchell, George W. Gould d
at Carrollton La. Sept. 4 62, Daniel Gordon, Robert Gilley, Marcellus
Gale, Hartwell Hatch w, Elijah S. Horn k Dec. 13 63, Reuel Haskell,
Samuel Hall, Andrew Herrin p at Gettysburg, Richard B. Hussey,
Henry Hutcherson, John Hayes, Otis Haskell, Lieut. Lucius M. S.
Haynes, Albert B. Hall, Hadley O. Hawesw, George Hawes, Elijah K.
Hill, William H. Hersum, Isaac C. Hovey, Henry Hodsdon, George
Ingraham, Horace Ingraham, Thomas F. Ingraham, Henry W. Jones,
John W. Jones p at Bull Run June 1 62 k July 2 63, Thomas C. Jones,
William H. Jones, John A. Keating, Edwin A. Keay, George A. Kim-
ball, Levi W. Keen, Miles H. Keene, Orrin Keene w May 16 64, George
H. Kimball, Capt. William H. Kimball, John H. Larrabee, Aaron
Leighton, L. H. Livermore, William Leighton, Lyman E. Leach,
Edwin Ladd, Col. M. B. Lakeman, John Leighton w at Cold Harbor
June 3 64, Ira B. Lyon, Harvey N. Leighton w at Fair Oaks, William F.
Locke k at Chancellorsville May 3 63, Martin Lord, Abijah S. Lord,
Ira Lovejoy, Otis Ludwick, John McMaster, John McMaster jun. w
July 8 63, Alexander McDavitt, Reuel Merrill, William McDavitt jun.,
William McDonald p at Bull Run, Hos. St. Joseph D. Moore,
Ambrose Marriner, Lieut. Jo.seph H. Metcalf, J. A. Mann, Edward
Murphy, Joseph W. Merchant, Horace A. Manley, Bradford Mc-
Farland, John Mahoney, Jeremiah Murphy, John M.Mosher d Oct. 19
63, William C. Moore, Lieut. Fred A. Morton, Daniel B. Morey, Peter
B. Merry, William E. Mariner d at Yorktown May 13 62, Henry C.
Marston, Henry McMaster, John Morphy, Thomas Murphy d Dec. 13
62, John W. Murphy, James W. McGregor d in service, Charles P.
Morton, William N. Murray, John B. Murray, R. S. McCurdy, F. S.
Morton, Edward E. Myrick, William H. Nason w May 4 63, William
MILITARY HISTORY. 125
Nason d in Maine, Capt. Joseph Noble, Frank Nutting, Amos B.
Nichols, Andrew Nicholas. Augustus Nichols, Lyman C. Neal \v July
2 6B, James Orick, James M. Porter, John Parker w July 30 64, Henry
Parker, John H. Packard, John O. Perry, Frank Perry, Eben
Packard d Mar. 17 63, Allen Partridge, Thomas O. Pease, Henry E.
Patterson d at Carrollton La. Aug. 17 62, Augustus Plummer, Lieut.
Frank C. Peirce, George E. Pond, Horace P. Pike, Mansfield H.
Pettingill, Capt. Edward C. Pierce, Daniel Pease jun., William Place,
Stephen H. Prescott, Asa Piper, N. Byron Phillips, John W. Phinney,
Asbury Pottle, Lieut. A. R. Quinby, Silas Reed, Peter Russell,
John P. Ryan, William Ryan, Charles L. Ray, James Rideout,
Serg. Asa C. Rowe k July 2 63, Emerson Remick d at Yorktown
May 4 62, Capt. Thomas L. Reed, Benjamin A. Ray, Lieut. H. M.
Rines, George N. Rice, Luther A. Robbins, Q. M. Ivory J Robinson,
G. L. Rus.sell, Alfred Savage p July 8 63 and July 18 64, Charles
Stilkey, W. M. Sabin, William Stover, Charles O. Stone, William H.
Spofford, George W. Stone, Edward A. Smart, George E. Stickney,
Stephen M. Scales, Lewis Selbing w and p at Manassas, J. H. Spauld-
ing, E. A. Stewart, Thomas Sawtelle, James Sullivan, Thomas Stevens,
Nathan W. Savage, James F. Snow, William A. Swan, William H.
Stacey, Col. Henry G. Staples, Lieut. William T. Smith, Cyrus A.
Sturdy, Major Greenlief T. Stevens w May 3 and July 2 63, Lieut.
Henry Sewall, Jason Spear, John N. Scott d Nov. 25 63 in New Or-
leans, Capt. Samuel G. Sewall, Enoch Sampson d in rebel prison Aug.
12 64, James Scott, Greenleaf Smart, Harrison R. Stone, Charles E.
Smith, Charles A. Thoms, George H. Thompson p at Manassas w Aug.
81 62, Actor P. Thompson, W. S. Thoms, Caleb Trask, Alfred Trask,
John A. Trufant w at Slaughter Mountain, Arnold P. Thompson, Lieut.
James L. Thompson, Alan.son G. Taylor d at Carrollton La. Oct. 30 62,
George Taylor, William H. Taylor, Aaron C. Varney w Aug. 2 and d
Aug. 22 63, Peleg O. Vickery, Thomas H. Welch p at Bull Run d Dec.
23 62 from wounds received at Fair Oaks, Nathaniel Wentworth,
Frank White, Edwin S. Witherell, Frank Whitney, Lewis Widge,
Elbridge Warren, Randall S. Webb, G. P. Wentworth, C. H. Wagg,
Charles Whittemore, Daniel Williams, Asa Wing, Charles H. White,
Serg. Charles B. Whittemore, John O. Webster, Thaddeus S. Wmg,
George Woods, Orison Wood k at Manassas Aug. 30 62, True Whit-
tier, Capt. Edward P. Wyman, George M. Wyman, Charles O. Wyman,
William A. Young.
Belgrade. — James M. Rockwood, Charles M. Stevens, Albert Aus-
tin, Samuel E. Frost w at Gettysburg July 2 63, Lieut. George S.
Blake p June 20 63, Henry C. Kennison, Roscoe S. Farnham d at Hil-
ton Head June 18 62, John M. Rockwood, Lorenzo H. Wallace, Wil-
liam H. Lord, Charles L. Damrem, Sanford Bartlett k in R.R. collision
June 1 62, Henry Frost, Henry Richard.son p at Cedar Mountain.
126 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Benton. — Reuel W. Brown, Rufus F. Brown, W. Scott Brown d Mar.
1 64, Sumner Emery, William H. Goodale, Lieut. Nathaniel Hanscom
d at Fair Oaks June 16 62, Asher C. Hinds, Nathaniel P. Hudson,
Charles H. Pratt, Charles H. Preston p at Bull Run July 21 61, Chand-
ler Reynolds, George H. Robinson, Joel C. Smiley, John McClusky,
Erastus McKenney, John A. McKinney, Alonzo Wyman, Lorenzo
Wyman, Bowman Wood, Luke B. Williams.
China. — John H. Babcock, Asst. Surg. George E. Brickett, William
V. Cook, Jacob Emery, John Farris, Augustus P. Jackson, Charles H.
Johnson, Ira S. Jones, Capt. James P. Jones, Daniel B. Hanson w May
6 64, Edward P. Hanscom p, Sylvester L. Hatch, Roscoe G. Hamlin,
Western Hallowell, William Holmes d at Columbian Hospital Dec. 29
61, Samuel W. Howes p Mar. 2 d in prison 6.5, John M. Hussey, Al-
vanah Libby, Augustus Libbey, Samuel R. McCurdy, Isaac Morrill w
Aug. 30 62, Charles H. Plummer, George W. Rogers, Charles L. Rob-
tins d at New Orleans May 26 62, G. L. Robinson, George Stewart,
George L. Spaulding p, Charles G. Thwing, Edmund Thombs, Chap.
James A. Varney, Francis P. Ward, Daniel Ward, Joseph F. Winslow
p at Bull Run, George N. Wiggin p at Winchester, Capt. Everett M.
Whitehouse, Capt. Eli H. Webber, George Weymouth, Ora C.
Wyman.
Chelsea. — Andrew J. Bailey w July 2 63, James W. Bailey, Robert
Brawn, William H. Booker, Rinaldo Brown, John H. Cappers, Henry
•Cappers w Oct. 19 64, Charles H. Caniston, Charles J. Dalton p, John
F. Davis d at Baltimore May 26 62, Nathan Durgin, James S. Emerson,
Joseph Irwin, G. H. Kimball, C. M. Kimball w, George W. Kenniston
w at Fair Oaks, Benjamin F. Merrill, Daniel Moulton, John McPike,
Franklin B. Neal, James Robbins, Henry Stevens, Harrison B. San-
born, Joseph H. Stone d of wounds received May 12, Laratius Stevens
d at Newport News Apr. 62, Austin Yelden.
Clinton. — Franklin Bagley, Jonathan Bagley, Oliver Bagley, Wil-
liam Bagley, Justin E. Brown, William Chandler, David Cole, Asbury
Cole, Horace Cole, Patrick Connor, Gardiner L. Eastman, Alpheus R.
Eastman, Sumner Flood, Almason Fly, Adam C. Goodwin w June 27
62, James Gerald, Increase F. Goodwin, John C. Flail, Harrison D.
Hobbs d from wounds July 1 62, Lieut. Alvin S. Hall d of wounds re-
ceived May 6, Philander Hunter p May 2 63, Albert M. Harriman,
Cyrus Hunter, Horace Hunter w and p at Richmond July 21 61 d in
prison from wounds, William Hunter, Melvin Hunter, John Kelley,
Orren Kendall, Augustus Knox, Jesse Kimball w at Drury's Bluff May
16 64, John F. Lamb, Henry W. Livingston, George A. Lewis, Arthur
F. Malcom, Ora M. Nason p at Gettysburg, Horatio N. Reed, Charles
M. Reed, George Ricker, A. Riley Spaulding, James P. .Spaulding,
George Sargent, David Spearin, Dustan Smith, Charles S. Thompson,
MILITARY HISTORY. 127
James Thurston, John Winn, Warren Weymouth, Alonzo Weymouth,
John Weymouth.
Faruiiiigdalc. — Alvin Brann, Eugene D. Burns, Charles E. Carter,
Eugene B. Carter, Joseph L. Colcord, Joseph B. Cannon, Albert J.
Colcord, Edwin A. Colcord k Aug. 30 62, Henry C. Carter w at Manas-
.sas, Benjamin F. Grover k at Chancellorsville May 3 63, Charles J.
Higgins wat Middleburgh Ya. June 19 61, Alvin M. Johnson w at Mid-
dleburgh Va. June 19 61, Franklin Lowell, Henry M. Neal, Reuben S.
Neal p, George W. Rice, William J. Seavey d at Washington, Seth
Sweetland p at Annapolis w at Chantilly, Frank Sweetland, Alonzo
Sweetland, Frank W. Whitney, William A. Winter.
Fayettc.~Q.2c^\. John E. Bryant, Charles E. Clough d July 14, 62,
Edwin R. Crane d at Baton Rouge July 25 62, Otis Conant, Charles L.
Crane w at Chancellorsville May 3 63, Capt. Lewis Chase, Arthur D.
Chase, Stephen Fellov.'s, Stephen H. French, Allen Fisk, Charles H.
K. French, Henry H. Folsom, Lewis C. Gordon, De Forrest M. Gille,
Calvin S. Gordon, William H. Irish, Sylvester Jones, Daniel H. Mor-
rill, Charles F. Palmer p at Winchester, James G. Palmer, George H.
Palmer, Thaxter B. Safford, G. B. Sanborn, Sturdevant, Freeman
C. Thurston d June 2 62, Calvin C. Woodworth.
Gardiner.— ^\\\\2xa. A. Abbott, Peter Adlay, Lieut. George E. At-
wood w, Lieut. George S. Andrews, Eben Andrews, Francis Anne,
Ellis W. Ayer, Thomas O. Brian, Lieut. Thomas A. Brann, Daniel H.
Backus, William C. A. Brown, Michael Burns, Roscoe G. Buck, Joshua
H. Crane, John F. Crawford, Capt. James M. Colson, Lieut. Parlin
Crawford w July 2 63, George B. Douglass, Roswell Dunton, Capt.
Augustus P. Davis, Frederick W. Dahlman, We.stbrook Deane, Horace
W Dale k July 2 63, John C. Dalton p at Fair Oaks w May 3 63, John
S. Dennis w July 2 63, Alexander Fuller, Joseph M. Fuller, Sewell F.
Frost p. Hamden A. Fall, Sylvester S. Fall w Aug. 30 62, Charles H.
Foy w July 2 63. Lincoln Grover, William Garland, J. B. Grover, Lin-
coln Grover, John H. Howe, Horace W. Hildreth, Charles A. Hildreth,
Charles Hodges p, Osgood Hildreth d at Gaines Hill, Phineas B.
Hammond, Lieut. Melvin S. Hutchinson, Leander C. Hinckley d at
Alexandria Apr. 12 61, William Horn, George M. Houghton w, Albion
T. Hutchinson, George H. Hutchinson, Horatio N. Jarvis k in action
Aug. 30 62. Capt. William E. Jarvis, Orison D. Jaquith, Charles H.
Jaquith, Augustus Jack, William Jordan, John S. Kelley, Capt. George S.
Kimball k June 19 63, James W. Kimball, Samuel W. Kimball, Meltiah
W. Lawrence, James M. Larrabee, William Libby, Lieut. Horatio S.
Libby, Hiram L. Lawrence, Charles F. McLond, Joseph Lunt p June 9
63, Parker G. Lunt, Thomas Lunt, James W. McDonald, John C. Meader,
Charles H. Merrill, William Maher, Capt. John S. Moore, Lieut. Gus-
tavus Moore, Joseph C. Morrison p May 2 63, Michael Murray, Bargill
S. Newell, Ingraham Nickerson, Lieut. Thomas L Noyes, Thaddeus
128 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Page, Surg. Gideon S. Palmer, Sidney Patten, James H. Pope, Benja-
min F. Pincin, Almon J. Packard, Nathan E. Quint, Peter Reaves p
May 3 63, John Redman, Luther Ridley, Edwin M. Reed d of wounds
received at Manassas, Hiram H. Ricker, Mellen Ring, Ira Rollins,
Thomas J. Robinson, William H. Robinson, Osgood M. Sampson,
William C. Stewart, David Stevens, David M. Stevens, George H.
Smith d Feb. 13 63, John Sawyer, George F. Spear k July 2 63, Charles
H. Spear, Hiram B. Stevens, George W. Stevens, William H. Sturte-
vant, Eugene A. Smith, Robert A. Stinchfield p at Fair Oaks, Robert
Strickland, William M. Stone, David Strong, Dexter Taylor, William
F. Taylor, Abijah W. Tripp, H. D. Tarbox, Emerson Turner jun., Col.
Isaac N. Tucker, A. B. Wakefield, George Ware, Hiram Wakefield d
Jan. 11 62, William H. Wakefield, James Witham, John Webber,
Frank Williams, Moses S. Wadsworth, Fife Maj. Moses M. Wads-
worth, Lieut. Denola Witham k May 3 63, G. C. Wentworth, James F.
Williams, Nathan Willard, Charles B. Winslow, Capt. Henry P. Wor-
cester, Stephen D. W^akefield, Nathan N. Walker k May 23 64, George
M. Washburn, Orrin H. Weeks, Charles H. Welch, William Weight.
//rr/Zimr//.— Horatio N. Atherton, Henry A. Albee, Henry A. Ar-
thur, Jesse Austin, Elijah Bartes, Plummer Butler, Charles H. Bubier,
Charles M. Bursley p at Manassas May 10 64, Ammi A. Burgess, Martin
V. B. Benman, Sumner H. Bryant d Jan. 8 63, Charles Bancroft w July
2 63 k July 2 63, Albert S. Buswell, William F. Bragg, Hugh Burns,
Erastus B. Burgess, John W. Bryant, Lorenzo Chamberlain, Horace
E. Choate w Aug. 16 64, Daniel Calaghan, James S. Choate, George
F. Chamberlain d Aug 21 63, Joseph D. Carr d at Harrison Landing
July 4 62, Henry S. Currier, Joshua Cunningham, Sewell S. Douglass,
Augustus L. Dunn, John Dunn, George F. Douglass, George H. Dear-
born. Charles M. Dodge, Hazen H. Emerson p May 5 64, William J.
Emerson, Nathaniel Ellery, David H. Ellery, Albert Fly, David
Flavin, James Frank, George A. Francis, Lieut. George S. Fuller, John
P. Greeley, Lieut. Franklin Glazier, Capt. George O. Getchell d May
30 64, William B. Oilman, Capt. C. W. Gardner, Harry W. Gardner,
Edwin S. Goodwin p May 3 63 d at Annapolis 64, Charles C. Oilman k
May 1 64, Orlando Gould, George W. Oilman, Sherburne E. George,
Weston Oilman, James H. Haskell, Joseph S. Haskell, Frank B. Howe,
William W. Heath, William H. Hodges, Reuel M. Heath, James T.
Howard, George W. Hubbard, Joseph E. Howe jun,, Frank B. Howe,
John F. Hobbs, Lieut. John B. Hubbard, Lieut. Hannibal A. Johnson
p July 2, Capt. Gorham S. Johnson, Thomas Keenan, Major Kelley,
James Leighton, William E. Laughton, John H. Lowell, O. jSI. Charles
H. Lincoln, Jackson M. Libbey, Byron Lowell, William E. Mathews,
George O. Morrill w at Chantilly, Charles C. Morrill, Capt. John M.
Nash, George E. Nason, J. Edwin Nye, Capt. George A. Nye, Alonzo
D. Pottle, John A. Paine w July 1 63, George W. Piper w Oct. 19 64,
MILITARY HISTORY. ]29
Charles B. Rogers k July 2 63, Sanford E. Runnells d June 16 62,
George S. Ricker, George O. Russell w at Manassas, Joshua Robinson,
Frank B. Runnells, William F. Richards, Ferdinand S. Richards p
Oct. 62, Lieut. John S. Snow, Joseph W. Swain, Frank E. Sager, Ben-
jamin A. Smith, Lieut. John W. Sanborn, Charles Smith p, Spooner
Simmons, Stephen Simmons, William B. Smith, Richard D. Smith,
Henry A. Swanton, Stephen H. Simmons p at Richmond, Eben S.
Stevens w at Malvern Hill, Charles Tobey, John Tommony, John
Tomony, Thomas E. Wagoner, William White, Reuben A. Went-
worth, Francis H. Weymouth, Noah F. Weeks, George S. Wood-
bridge, William Wiley. Albert T. Wharton, Amos Webber jnn. d at
Georgetown Jan. 14 62, William '\\'illis, Horace F. Woods, Charles H.
Watson, George Webber w at Chancellorsville, Samuel Wannofsky
p June 30 62, Edward Willis.
Litchfield. — Surg. Enoch Adams, George Allen, George A. W. Bliss,
William H. Bosworth, Lieut. James S. Burke, George S. Buker, R.
Franklin Chase, Charles F. Campbell, Charles H. Chick, George H.
Douglass, Edward H. Dunn w at Gaines Hill d Apr. 16 64, Watson
Foster, Alphonso C. Gowell, Emery Gilbert, Frank Gilbert, Lewis E.
Grant, Levi Gordon, w at Manassas, Page F. Grover, John C. Grover d
at New Orleans Nov. 12 63, Charles M. Hattin, John H. Hayden,
George A. Howard, Joseph E. Howard, Bradford T. Howard, William
K. Huntington, G. H. Huntington, Edward L. Knowlton w at Chan-
cellorsville May 3 63, Lieut. J. Edwin Libby d Sept. 16 63, Lieut.
Joseph E. Latham, Benjamin Landers, Thomas H. Lombard p July 23
63, George M. Maxwell k at Fredericksburg May 4 63, Darius Meader,
George Meader, Joseph Meader, John W. Neal k in action June 19 63,
John Potter w May 5 64, Joseph E. Perry, John Perry d Jan. 15 64,
Joseph J. Perry, Cyrus Perry, Warren D. Stuart, Orrin A. True, H.
S. Vining, Jones M. Waire, Hutchinson E. Williams, Thomas S.
Wedge wood.
Manchester. — Isaac L. Brainard d June 29 62 at New Orleans, Her-
bert T. N. Brainard d Mar. 22 62 at Ship Island, Xerxes O. Campbell,
James G. Cummings, Augustus A. Caswell, Greenleaf D. Greely, Seth
D. Gordon, John L. Hatch, Joseph T. Hewins, Elias Howard, Silas F.
Leighton w July 2 63, William H. Lyon w at Manassas, Henry F.
Lyon k at Shepherdstown July 16 62, L. W. Merrill d Nov. 6 62, Wel-
lington Murray d at Fernandina Aug. 22 62, Wellington Murney,
Ira Mason, George B. Safford, Joseph H. Spencer, Thomas Sun, Alton
M. Stackpole, George E. Tums, John H. Varney.
Monmouth. — Nathaniel Billington d at Point Lookout Sept 18 62,
William A. Bowers d Dec. 25 62, Nathaniel Boynton, Lieut. William
H Briggs k May 30 64, William H. H. Brown, John Chick. Capt. Gran-
ville P. Cochrane, Lewis H. Cushman, Asa W. Cummings d at Wash-
9
130 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ington, Warren S. Folsom d 62, Andrew J. Fogg w May 4 63, Frank
M. Follynsbee, Horace C. Frost, Adj. Henry O. Fox w at Fair Oaks,
Otis H. Getchell, Charle.s F. Oilman, John O. A. Oilson, Nathaniel O.
Gilson, Joshua Oray, Valentine R. Orey, Oeorge B. Hall p at Antie-
tam, Francis Hall, Silas E: Hinkley d Oct. 30 63, Charles H. Hinkley,
John B. Hodsdon, George H. Hutchins, John Ingersoll, William H.
Jones, Thompson S. Keenan, Charles K. Keenan, Henry F. Leach,
Harlow Z. Murch, W. Scott Norcross w June 27 62, Capt. Greenleaf K.
Norris, John B. Parsons, Shepard Pease d Aug. 6 62, S. B. Plummet,
Solomon O. Prescott, Josiah T. Smith, George Small, Nathaniel M.
Smith, Joseph S. Taylor, Emeelus S. Tozier, Milburn S. Tozier, Frank
Wardsworth, Edward P. White, Lieut. Spencer F. Wadsworth, Lieut.
John F. Witherell, Elias H. Wadsworth.
Mt. Vcrno)i. — Ansel H. Cram, Roscoe G. Cram, Capt. John P. Car-
son, Samuel Davis, Benjamin F. Griffin, Calvin C. Griffin, George W.
Griffin, F. M. Oilman, John H. Gordon w at Slaughter Mountain, De-
lano Leighton, Otis McOaffey d at Frederick.sburg Nov. 30 62, George
McOaffey, William B. Morse, Daniel S. Norris, George G. Potter, Jo-
siah F\ Pearl d July 6 63, George M. Rollins, Edwin L. Robinson d at
New Orleans June 23 62, Wesley Storer d Jan. 29 62, C. E. Scofield,
Henry Sargent, Leroy H. Tuttle, John R. Teague, Oliver Trask d in
hospital May 10 62, Everard Thing p at Winchester w, O. J. Wells,
Parker Wyman. Coolidge Whitney, Verona AVhittier, T. J. Woods p
at Bull Run, George Whittier, James M. Wright, Charles B. Williams,
George W. Woods, Lorenzo W^eston, Cyrus M. W^illiams.
Pittston. — Walter N. Boynton, Daniel Brookings, John G. Boynton,
Harrison H. Blair d Oct. 16 62, Kendall Bickford, Hiram W. Colburn,
W^illiam Connor, Levi Connor, William Denene, Lewis Gray d Feb.
20 63, vSeth Hunt, Capt. Eben D. Haley w Oct. 19 64, Simeon F. Hunt
■d June 3 62, Rodney C. Harriman, Alexander T. Katon d July 8 62,
Robert A. Morton, Daniel M. Moody w July 2 63, Andrew Nelson,
John L. Newhall, George W. Nichols, Alvin A. Potter, David Potter,
Daniel Plummer, Millen Potter, Thomas A. Richardson, Joseph A.
Shea, Joseph W. Stewart, Calvin R. Sears, Joseph A. Spea, George W.
Thompson, Franklin Trask, Charles L. Ware, C. L. C. Wease.
RcadfiAd.—]dWxi F. Brown d at Hilton Head Dec. 5 61, Charles C.
Brown w July 18 63, Henry G. Blake, Lewis F. Brown d at Little
Washington Va. Aug. 4 62, Lemuel S. Brown, William P. Caldwell k
July 4 62, Benjamin J. Cram, James L. Craig, Lieut Hamlin F. Eaton,
Elias H. Gove, Robert Gordon, Lieut. Dudley L. Haines, John M.
Howes, William H. Howard, Abner Haskell d Jan. 2 63, Lieut. Charles
B. Haskell w at Fair Oaks d June 12 62, Herbert Hunton, Emory L.
Hunton, Samuel Hunton, George W. Handy, George H. Holden, Den-
nis B. Jewett, Lieut. Noah Jewett, Charles R. Kitteridge, Franklin
M. La Croix, George Lyons, Capt. Melville C. Linscott, William H.
MILITARY HISTORY. 131
Linscott, Joseph S. Merrill, David A'. Merrill, Elijah A. Mace, Joseph
S. Morrill, Auburn Merrill, Charles S. Morse. Jacob P. Morrill w at
Fair Oaks, Michael Moran, Hugh S. Newall, Anson B. Perkins, Chris-
topher C. Putnam, Thomas H. B. Pierce, Thomas A. Packard, Oscar
E. Robbins, Bradbury N. Thomas, Zadoc H. Thomas, Henry C. Thomas,
Alvaro S. Whittier, Charles H. Williams, Elbridge G. Wright, George
W. Wright, Hebron M. Wentworth, Cyrus B. Whittier.
Rome. — Arthur Mclntire, Wheelock Moshier, William H. Charles,
Russell Clement, Lafayette Clement, Abram S. Brooks.
Sidney.— Z\i2iX\Q& H. Arnold p at Gettysburg July 2 63, Perry
Arnold. Calvin Bacon, William E. Brown w at Gettysburg, Joseph A.
Clark d in prison June 22 64, Francis O. Dealing, Allen H. Drummond
w Dec. 13 63, William Ellis, Charles T. Ellis, George A. Ellis k at
Chantilly, Henry Field, Ausburn Hutchins, James H. Mathews, -
George W. Nason p May 2 63. Hiram G. Robinson, Greenleaf W.
Robinson p May 2 63, Joel F. Richardson, Charles H. Robinson, John
E. Shaw d at New Orleans Aug. 17 62, Augustus M. Sawtelle, August-
ine P. Smiley w at Bull Run, Henry AV. Sawtelle, John R. Sawtelle,
•Charles W. Smiley, Charles Snell, Allen Smith, James A. Thomas,
■George F. Wixen, William Henry Young.
Unity Plantation. — George Davis, Samuel A. Myrick.
Vassalboro.—Q,\i2iX\&& F. Austin, Albert C. Ballard p at Richmond
July 21 61, Llewellyn Ballard w and p at Richmond July 21 61, Lean-
der Bean, Joab D. Bragg, Lewis Bragg, George E. Burgess, Jefferson
Bragg, William H. Brown d Oct. 24 62, Daniel W. Buzzell, Edmund
P. Buck, Frederick O. Chick. Eugene AV. Cross, Antone Cady, Benja-
min B. Coombs, Alonzo P. Cortland, Daniel Eaton, Jeremiah A. Estes
k Aug. 25 64, James R. Eaton, AVilliam Elliott, Lorenzo Farmington,
George R. Freeman, George L. Freeman d at AVashington Dec. 19 61,
James Farrell, H. P. Fairfield, Frank Forbes p at Bull Run July 21
61 k May 5 64, John E. Fossett w at Chantilly and Gettysburg July 2
63, Edwin P. Getchell, Edwin F. Getchell, A^an T. Gilbert, Alonzo
Hinckley d Sept. 20 62, Thomas E. Home d Apr. 25 62, Orrick H.
Hopkins, James W. Irving, AVilliam H. Irving, Asa AA^. Jaqueth, Ben-
jamin Lamson, John W. Livermore, William AA''. Livermore w July 2
63, Samuel Lisherness, Henry Lyon k in action, Timothy Merrow,
Horace S. Mills w in action, John McCommic, Capt. Richard AV. Mul-
len w at Baton Rouge, George C. Morrow, AVilliam A. Merrill d Feb.
6 62, Cyrus M. Major d Dec. 9 63, Nathaniel Meigs d Nov. 13 62, John
M. Mower, Allen W. Mills, John Morrow, Alamber H. Pray, Isaac C.
Pratt, Benjamin Parker, Nathaniel P. Randall, George S. Rollins d of
wounds received at Fredericksburg, William A. Robinson d Oct. 8 62,
W. J. Rowe, AVilliam B. Shaw d Nov. 1862, George W. Sabins, Tim-
othy Small jun., Edwin Small, Alonzo Stillings, George A. vStillings.
Charles A. Smart w July 2 63, Lieut. Bradford AA^. Smart p at Manas-
132 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
sas, Charles H. Stone, G. W. Seward, Cyrus Southards, James H. Tay-
lor, Nathan P. Taber p at Bull Run July 21 61, Albert Varney k in
action, Orrison Warren, Hermon S. Webber w at Fair Oaks June 4 62
d Aug. 10 62, Elisha T. Weymouth, William Wentworth, Daniel
Weeks, George A. Wills, James W. White, William Weiler, Charles
H. Whitehouse, Eben W. Young p at Richmond.
J"ic;nia.— H. G. Colby, Charles D. Hall, Daniel A. Lord, Jethro
Brown, Marcellus Wells, Thomas Penn Rice, Warren Ladd d Dec. 24
61, Stephen P. Evans, Francis W. Ladd p at Annapolis, Orren B.
Whittier d at New Orleans Nov. 20 62, Henry W. King, George
Lord, Emulus F. Whittier.
JVayue. — Stephen Allen, William H. Bean, Rufus N. Burgess,
Francis Burgoine, James W. Boyle, Franklin Burrell, David Berry,
Charles D. Crosby, Lieut. Archibald Clark w May 17 64, Hermon
N. Dexter, Samuel T. Foss d at Ship Island 62, Darius Harriman,
Lieut. Nelson H. Norris w. Greenwood Norris d July 30 62, William
H. Prince d at Baton Rouge July 30 62, William R. Raymond w July
2 63, Ephraim D. Raymond d in New Orleans 62, George W. Ray-
mond, Lyman E. Richardson w at Bull Run d at Manassas, Capt. Win-
field Smith, John O. Sullivan, AVilliam Stevens.
Waterville. — George T. Benson, George W. Bowman d May 13 62,
James K. Bacon, George Bacon, David Bates w p at Richmond July 21
61 d of wounds, Charles Bacon d Nov. 3 of wounds received Oct. 27
64, Henry W. Barney, Levi Bushier, Thomas Butler, Daniel Black-
stone, Horace Bow, John H. Bacon w July 2 63, William K. Barrett d
at Richmond 62, William H. Bacon, Charles I. Corson, Andrew J.
Cushman, Robert Cochran, Albert Corson d of wounds July 2 63,
James M. Curtis, William H. Clapp, Henry Crowell, Baxter Crowell,
George W. Davis w at Gettysburg, Henry Derocher p June 24 62,
Charles W. Derocher, Lieut. John R. Day p June 20 63, James Dusty,
Hadley P. D3'er, Luther N. Eames, Shepherd Eldridge w at Freder-
icksburg, Charles A. Fenno, Henry N. Fairbanks, Hiram Fish d at
Culpepper Oct. 4 63, Asst. Surg. Frank H. Getchell, John F. Goodwin,
George Geyrough, Serg. Maj. Marshall P. Getchell, Cyrus C. Galusha,
Henry Goulding p May 2 63, David B. Gibbs, David B. Gibbs jun. d
Apr. 1 63, Lieut. Samuel Hamblen, Col. William S. Heath k at Gaines
Hill June 27 62, Lieut. Col. Francis E. Heath, Lieut. Col. Frank S.
Hesseltine, Capt. William A. Hatch, Charles A. Henrickson p at Rich-
mond July 21 61, Adj. Frank W. Haskell, Algernon P. Herrick w at
Chantilly, John S. Hodgdon, Albro Hubbard p, Isaiah H. James,
Charles R. Kendall, George Lashers, George Littlefield, Albert G.
Libbey, Solomon B. Lewis, Edward C. Low, Lieut. Charles AV. Lowe,
Lieut. Edwin C. Lowe, Gott Lubier, Michael McFadden, Capt. George
A. Mclntire, Watson Marston, John N. Messer, George M. Maxham,
Hezekiah O. Nickerson, Sylvanus Nook, Paul Oeward, Lafayette Oli-
MILITARY HISTORY. 133
ver, William Penney, Capt. James H. Plaisted, John H. Plummer,
Nathaniel Parley, Henry P. Perley, Gott Pooler, George Perry w May
20 64, William D. Peavey, Joseph M. Penney d at Waterville Nov. 19
62, Joseph Perry k Aug. 80 62, Peltiah Penney, Peter Preo, Charles
Perry, Edw. S. Percival, Frank D. Pullen, James Perry w at Gettys-
burg July 2 63, Abram Ranco, Moses Renco, Lucius Rankins, James
F. Ricker, Elisha M. Rowe, William Rowe, David Seavey, Charles R.
Shorey, Jacob Shurburne, Major Abner R. Small, Jason K. Stevens,
Frank O. Smiley, Charles W. Thing, Henry A. Thing, John Tallus,
Welcome Thayer, Lieut. Henry E. Tozier w May 20 64, Albert Tozier
d in Waterville, Asa L. Thompson d Dec. 26 62, Levi Vique, Hos. St.
W. W. West, George L. Wheeler k at Chantilly, William W. Wyman
w at Bull Run, Henry White d at Fredericksburg Oct. 20 62, Alvin B.
Woodman, Eugene H. Young.
IVest Gardiner. — Joseph Edwin Babb, Jeremiah C. Bailey, Amos J.
Bachelder, George W. Bailey w July 2 63, Hiram Babb, Lieut. Alfred
G. Brann, Lieut. Cyrus W. Brann, James S. Burns, Charles A. Cooke,
William O. Davis, Stephen S. Emerson, Henry Fairbanks, George E.
Grover, William F. Haines, Adams Johnston p at Bull Riin July 21 61,
William H. Jewett, Seward Merrill. Charles J. McCausland, L. D. Mc-
Kinney, Horace Morrill, Ferdinand A. Nudd, Dexter W. Page, Wil-
liam H. Peacock, Cyrus S. Peacock, Hubbard C. Smith, Daniel S.
Smith, Ari Thompson, Ebenezer Whitney.
Windsor. — Samuel R. Cottle d in service 64, James O. Carroll p at
Manassas, E. B. F. Colby, Albert A. Craig, Francisco Colburn .William
Dockendorff, Byron H. Farrington d at Washington Aug. 22 62, Capt.
John Goldthwait, George Gray, William H. Hewitt, Daniel Hallowell,
S. C. Huntley, Francis J. Lacey, William Lisherness, William B. Mar-
•son, George L. Marson, Melmouth M. Marson d Jan. 22 64, Oakman
W. Marson, Daniel Melvin d at New Orleans Sept. 30 62, George A.
Pollard, Nathan Peva, George H. Pevea, Freeman C. Pera, Harrison
Reed, Seth Rhines, Edward W. Sanborn, Wentworth L. Sampson, Lu-
cius S. vStarkey, David Stevens, Reuel W. Trask, Lieut. Marcellus Vin-
ing w May 12 64.
Winsloiv.—]. Holman Abbott, George A. Baker, Elisha S. Baker,
Daniel Burgess, George H. Bassett, Rial M. Bryant w at Fair Oaks d
June 7 62, George W. Boulter, Charles H. Burgess k June 20 64, Fran-
cis E. Chadwick, Simon McCausland, George C. Drummond, Daniel
H. Elliott, Serg. Maj. Andrew W. Fuller, James E. Fox, Edward F.
Garland, Martin V. Guptill, John L. Hale, Llewellyn E. Hodges, Max-
cey Hamlin. Charles W. Jackins, Assenius Littlefield, George L. Mor-
rill, Isaac Morrill, George P. Morrell, Addison Morrill, Edward B.
Merrill, Frank E. Nelson, Albion Osborn, Asa Pollard d at Yorktown
June 62, Homer Proctor, Henry Pollard, Otis Pollard w July 22 63,
Charles Pillsbury, William Pollard d Dec. 4 62, Hiram S. Pollard,
134 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Rufus Preble k at Antietam, George A. Pollard. George W. Pillsbury
p at New Orleans July 21 61, William T. Prebble, Harri.s C. Quinby,
Amasa Spaulding, Henry Spaulding, Charles E. Smiley, Sharon C.
Taylor, William H. Taylor, Seward A. Wood, Hiram C. Webber d of
wounds Aug. 18 63, Oliver W. Wilson d July 27 62.
Wint/irop. — Andrew P. Bachelder d at Andersonville, Orrin G. Babb,
William H. Burgess k July 2 63, John W. Bussell, George A. Butler p
July 2 63 d Andersonville, Andrew C. Butler, William P. Bailey,
Samuel Ballantine, Weston Burgess, John Bessee, Frank Beal w May
16 64, Rish worth A. Burgess, Franklin S. Briggs, George W. Chandler,
Franklin Buyer, Thomas M. Daniels, Charles H. Dearborn p Ander-
sonville, Stephen H. Day mortally w Sept. 20 63, John Dealy jun. k
June 9 63, AVilliam Durham mortally w Sept. 62, Lieut. William Elder,.
James M. Forsaith, Melville N. Freeman, Thomas R. Forsaith, David
P. Freeman w at Fair Oaks, Warren A. Friend p near Richmond June
29 62, Albert H. Frost k at Gettysburg July 2 63, Calvin B. Green,
David Grant d at New York June 13 62, Edwin Goldthwait, John F.
Ga.slin w at Fair Oaks, Christopher Hammond, James M. Holmes,
Ivory C. Hanson, Capt. Thomas S. Hutchins, Elijah T. Jacobs, Henry
Judkins, Lieut. Bimsley S. Kelley, Lieut. Daniel Lothrop, Solomon A.
Nelke, George Perkins, Daniel W. Philbrook p at Chancellorsville,
Lieut. Henry Penniman w July 2 63, Elias Pullen, Orrin Quint, Capt.
William L. Richmond, James C. Ricker p July 2 63, Sumner H. Stan-
ley, Charles H. Smiley, Joseph H. Sterns, Charles J. Sterns, Patrick H.
Snell, Charles D. Sleeper, Edward F. Towns, Edward K. Thomas k
May 6 64, Stephen A. Thurston, George W. Upton d at Yorktown May
19 62, George W. Williams, A. G. H. Wood w at Gettysburg July 2 63,
William G. Wilson k in action, Andrew Woodbury.
The president's call of July 2, 1862, for 300,000 volunteers chilled
the hearts of men like the clang of a death-knell. The youthful pas-
sion for war that gave the first summons all the joyous peal of the
■wedding chimes had now subsided. The beautiful vista of valient
achievements and brilliant victories which fancy painted had grad-
ually faded away, and, like a dissolving view from the stereoscope,
war, hideous in its vestments of blood and carnage, had taken its
place on the screen. The days of filling state quotas by the impulse
of chivalry were gone. Some inducement must be offered to exchange
the then highly remunerative pursuits of civil life for the dangers of
war. At the special session of the legislature called by Governor
Washburn, to which the attention of the reader has already been
called, a bounty equal to two months' pay was appropriated.
As the novelty of war gradually wore off and men became more
self-conservative, many of the towns offered an additional bounty.
With this last call for volunteers the state promptly offered an increase
of fifteen dollars for enlistments in new regiments, and twenty dol-
MILITARY HISTORY. 135
lars to recruits for regiments already in the field. But even this and
the liberal government bounty failed to arouse enthusiasm sufficient
to insure the completion of some of the local quotas. To meet this
emergency and counteract the effect of the exorbitant bounties offered
by some of the wealthy municipalities in other New England states,
many of the towns followed their example and appropriated sums
reaching, in many instances, four hundred dollars per capita.
The reader can readily apprehend the effect of this measure on
some localities. The quota being based entirely on the population of
the communities, those small towns which had not the accompani-
ment of wealth with a large citizenship were unequally burdened. To
meet and equalize this oppression of the less opulent localities the
legislature of 1868 passed an act authorizing that each town, city and
plantation should receive as a reimbursement from the state one hun-
dred dollars for each man furnished for the military service for a term
of three years, under the call of July 2, 1862, and all subsequent calls,
and in the same proportion for any man furnished for any shorter
period.
A commission of three persons was appointed by the governor to
audit the claims of towns. By this commission certificates were issued
to the towns, duplicates of which were deposited with the state treas-
urer. On presentation of a certificate to the latter functionary by the
treasurers of the municipalities, bonds of the state were issued to the
towns for the amount of their claims in even hundreds of dollars with
a currency payment of all fractional excesses. A loan of $2,827,500
was procured on twenty year bonds of the state bearing six per cent,
semi-annual interest. No town which furnished its quota without
the payment of at least one hundred dollars per capita was entitled to
reimbursement under this act, unless the town appropriated the
amount thus received to the benefit of the soldiers who enlisted, or
were drafted, or, if deceased, to their legal heirs. Thus it became the
duty of the selectmen of the respective towns to file lists of their
citizens' military service under enlistments after July 2, 1862. These
original rolls, by towns, authenticated by the selectmen's signatures,
are among the most reliable documents in the adjutant general's office.
The 3,813 names of enlisted men in the succeeding list aire from those
documents, transcribed for these pages, by Captain Thomas Clark, of
the adjutant general's office.
A/h'ofi.— Moses Atkinson, Lieut. Amos J. Billings d July 28 63,
Howard S. Bessey, Selden E. Brann, David Brown, Albert B. Brown,
Emery Bruce, George Bolton, Charles A. Coleman, James A. Craig,
Luther W. Crosby, Lewis H. Cofran, Seth R. Clark, Persia B. Clifford,
John F. Clifford. Samuel Charlton, James H. Coombs, Isaac N.
Coombs, John E. Copeland, William T. Cressey, Luther Davis, Charles
A. Douglass, William D. Doe, Robert Dingley, John Donnough, Had
136 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ley P. Doe, Martin V. Eldridge, Caleb F. E^tes, Josiah Edwards,
George W. Flood, Charles L, Feldtman, Albert P. Farnham, Charles
G. Fowler, Edward Fox, John M. Gaslin, Henry S. F. Gerald, Joseph C.
Gilman, George W. Gilman, Henry A. Griffith, Charles P. Gove, George
W. Griffith, Adj. Sanford Hanscom, James Hodgkins, Cyrus S. Hamilton
d, Eben Hanely, George F. Hopkins w May 6 64, Lewis E. Hopkins,
Lewis E. Hovey, John M. Hussey, vStafford B. Jones, Charles Keene,Wil-
liam G. Kidder, Joshua Knights, William Leonard w May 6 64, Charles
H. Libby, Rufus F. Lancaster, George W. Longfellow, Albert P. Leavitt,
Isaac H. Libby d June 28 63, Herbert E. Lewis, Samuel Longley,
Davis McDonald, Andrew G. Mudgett, George F. Martin, George
Meader, John Mains, Jeptha C. Murch, Joseph L. Nado, Albert Nor-
ton, Isaac Y. Pierce, George F. Pease, Ezra A. Pray, Allen Parmeter,
Alphonso C. Pray, Lieut. Osborn J. Pierce, George Rutledge, Calvin
Rollins, Benjamin F. Runnels, Daniel Rollins, Simon Spaulding,
Lieut. Joseph H. Spencer, Andrew H. Smiley d in Albion Aug. 19 63,
Erastus M. vShaw, Edwin Staples, Warren B. vStinson, Orrin F. Stinson
d Dec. 15 64, John F. Stackpole, William G. Stratton, Charles Seekins,
Josephus Simpson, Gardiner P. Smiley d Mar. 28 63, E. N. D. Small,
James M. Tyler k near Petersburg Oct. 24 64, Lieut. William H. Tabor,
Charles B. Tabor, A. S. Weed, Algernon Weymouth, Isaac W. Whit-
taker, George M. Wiggin, Eugene Worthens, Orrin T. White, Nathan
S. Winslow d in rebel prison Aug. 13 64, Samuel Wilder, Charles T.
Whitten, Olney Worthens.
Augusta. — Peter Adley, Louis Alexander, Leverett A. Albee, George
Allen w, Judson Ames, Charles Annable w May 12 64, Edward Ander-
son, George W. Andrews, Lieut. William R. Anderson, Lieut. Hol-
man B. Anderson, Charles Arnold, Daniel Anderson, W. F. Applegate,
Edgar Atkins, H. D. Austin, Charles \V. Allen, Charles H. Arnold,
Charles S. Avery paroled p Dec. 7 64, Riley B. Avery, George E. Allen,
Orlando R. Achorn, Roscoe G. Avery, John G. Abbott, John F. Arnold
w Oct. 13 64, Edward Austin d June 13 65, Charles F. Applebee, George
Arbo, Josiah S. Arey jun., Charles M. Batchelder, Byron Branch, Wil-
liam M. Brick, Cyrus Bishop, William Burns, Charles Bushey, Benj.
F. Barrows w and p 64, Amasa M. Bennett, Q. M. George W. Brown,
William W. Bruce, S. H. Billington, Thomas G. Billington, John S.
Brown d in Libby Prison Nov. 63, James D. Brooks w Dec. 13 62,
James Britt, Samuel G. Brannan, Stephen B. Brannan, Joshua E. Black-
well, John H. Babcock, Darius Brooks d of wounds June 18 64, Joseph
Brooks, William A. Brown, William Bolton, George H. Brick, Lieut.
George A. Barton w May 6 64, James E. Bell, Benjamin Backliff, Ed-
ward K. Bacon, Lieut. Silas C. Barker p at Manassas, Isaac D. Billing-
ton, Edward Brady, Chap. Horace L. Bray, Thomas Brennan, Surg.
George E. Brickett, Jesse M. Black, John W. Blomvelt, Walter L.
Boynton, John W. Boynton, Peter R. Breen, Charles L. Brann, John
>riLITARy HISTORY. 137
H. Breene, Capt. Uriah W. Briggs, Col. Edwin Burt, Lieut. William
H. Briggs, Jcseph L. Brown, Joseph Bushey, William Barber, William
Bready, John Buderman, Jonas Bruce, Joseph Bunk, Frank Babbitt,
Charles F. Berry, Samuel Berry, Charles H. Bradbury, William Buck-
man, Hezekiah Bean, George H. Brackett, Isaac Bennett, Charles
Clark, Augustus Chadwick, Charles C. Chagnon, Rodger Connelly d in
rebel prison, Andrew Clark jun., Everett Colson, Richard Cunning-
ham, Ezra G. Ca,swell jun., Thomas Cready, Thomas Clow, John Cun-
ningham. John Canton, William Collins, James P. Capron, Alonzo
Clark, Charles O. Cha.se, Thomas Cole, Anthony Conway, Morris
Cogan, Rowland S. Clark d Feb. 27 63, Charles E. Caswell, David B.
Cole, Albert Call, Lieut. William Campbell, William A. Campbell,
Frank Carlin, Judah A. Chadwick. Elbridge G. Chick, George E. Cham-
berlin d in rebel prison Nov. 11 64, Reuel Chamberlin, Horace Church,
Leander M. Clark, Reuel Clark paroled p, .Stephen R. Clark, Theodore
Clark d in rebel prison Nov. 1 64, George M. Clark, Clinton G.
Clark, James H. Cook. John A. Clark, Llewellyn Clough, Joseph
Cogan, John Connor, Lieut. George Cony, Lucius Cony, Robert A.
Cony jun., Surg. Richard L. Cook, Eugene W. Cross, Robert Cochrane,
Robert Crawford, Lieut. Warren Cox, Charles Cunningham, Maj.
Nathan Cutler, Uriah Cunningham w June 26 64, D. H. Cunningham,
Henry C. Daley, James Davis k May 8 64, David Day, Henry Day,
William H. Day, Serg. Maj. John N. Dennen, George W. Dill d in
hospital Feb. 4 6.^, William H. Dill, Benjamin R. Dingley, Lieut. Ed-
ward P. Donnell, Benjamin Douglass w July 20 64, Thomas Doyle, John
E. Dresden, Edmund M. Dunham, Dan forth Dunton, Capt. Robert T.
Dyer, Sylvester Davis, James F. Doyle, George H. Devine, Thomas
Doyle, John W. Dinsmore, Henry S. Donnell, George W. Dudley,
Henry Dresser, Kneeland A. Darrow, Charles Dickson, William Dwyer,
Peter Donnelly, George Donahoe, John F. Duggan, Frank Edgerty,
Cyrus H. Elems w June 8 64, Charles F. Emerson, Sylvester S. Fall,
Samuel S. P'arnham, Gustavus A. Farrington d Oct. 30 64, Edmund
Fay, George E. Field, Dennis Finnegan, George H. Fisher, Roland R.
Fletcher, Edward Fogler w Aug. 18 64, Henry G. Frizzell, D. FuUock,
Eugen S. Fogg, Miles Frain, Francis J. Folsom, Augustine Fowler,
John Fenney, John Feeny, John Fitzgerald, Patrick Flenning, William
J. P'orbes, Andrew Fox, Alfred F. Gage, Marcellus Gale, Harvey R.
Getchell, Artemus K. Gilley, P. P. Getchell, Lieut. Fred W. Gilbreth,
Merritt Goodwin, Daniel Gordon, Charles H. Gordon d about June 15
64, Solomon Gordon, James R. Gordon, Josiah H. Gordon, William O.
Grady, Leonard J. Grant d Mar. 6 64, Mark C. Grant, Calvin P.Green,
John F. Greeley, Elbridge Gardiner, Edward Grover, John Greene,
Lorenzo W. Hackett, Elisha Heath jun., Otis Haskell, William F. Hus-
sey, Warren C. Harlow, Thomas A. Harvey, Abner Haskell, Hadley
O. Hawes, Charles R. Haynes, John Hayes, Capt. Albion Hersey, Ed-
138 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ward H. Hicks, Charles E. Higgins, Henry Hodsdon, William H>
Holmes, William Holmes, Charles P. Hubbard, George A. Hussey w
July 3 63, Merrill Hussey, John F. Hussey, Capt. Charles K. Hutchins,
Alonzo F. Hill. George H. Heath, Henry W. Hawes d Apr. 9 63, Simon
Higgins, Amos A. Hansom, Greenfield P. Hall, Harvey A. Hovey^
Valentine Holt, Daniel W. Hume, Patrick Hynes, David Haggerty,
James Higgins, Henry Hugh, John Howard, F. H. Hamilton, John
Hogan. Harry Ingraham, Martin Ingraham w June 14 63, Thomas F.
Ingraham, John Jenkins, James Jordan, Lieut. Hannibal A. Johnson,
John Johnson, William J. Johnson, Frank Jones, Llewellyn Jones^
William Jung, William O. Kaherl, John Kavanagh, Stephen Keating,
Edward B. Keene, Isaac Keene, John W. Kenney, Michael Kennedy,
George Kelly, Thomas H. Kimball, William King, Henry G. Kimball
w Aug. 16 64 d Dec. 12 64, Charles N. Kincaid w May 18 64, George
W. Ladd, Frank H. Lailer, Col. Moses B. Lakeman, Nathaniel Lane k
May 6 64, John Larrabee p June 29 64, Cyrus A. Langton, Hampton
W. Leighton w at Gettysburg 63, Thomas Lilley d in rebel prison Nov.
16 64, Robert A. Lishness, Ruel Littlefield, Amasa Lord, Converse
Lowell, Judson A. Lovejoy, Newman B. Lane, Robert Lishness, John
Leighton, John Laughton, Daniel Lane, Martin Lynch, George
C. Lawrence, Nelson G. Libby, Reuel Lambard, Timothy Lucey, Cor-
nelius Lane, William H. Lyon, David S. Lyon, Henry A. Mann, Adj.
Joseph H. Metcalf, Josiah M. Morse, William Morgridge, Hiram C.
Moody, Daniel McGrath, James McGrath, John H. Moore, H. W. Mer-
rill d of disease Mar. 27 65, Francis McBride, Patrick Maloney, Joseph
Meek, Stephen S. Morse, Daniel B. Morey w May 20 64, John McMas-
ter jun., John McMaster, Daniel Mahoney p Oct. 63, James W. Miller,
Melville Merrill, Milford Mahoney, George E. Maloon, Charles J. Mar-
den, Ambrose Marriner, Alfred J. Marston p June 22 d Sept. 12 64,
Benjamin R. Marston, Charles L. Marston, Henry C. Marston, George
T. Mason, Enoch Merrill, Amos Merrill, Florentus R. Merrill, Capt.
Joseph H. Metcalf, Eben McFarland, John H. Miller, Stephen Miller,
Charles Mile, Stephen McKenney, Henry A. McMaster, Wilder Mc-
Mitchell, Charles F. Moore, James Moren, Edward Miner, James Mc-
Grath, James McGann, John Murphy, William Murphy p, Capt. J. D.
My rick, Timothy Mahoney, Thomas Mmton, Fred E. Marshall, Daniel
Murry, Fred Morrison, James Malone, Hugh McKenna, John R.
Meyer, William F. Moody, Capt. William C. Morgan, William N. Mur-
ray d of wounds Apr. 2 65, Eugene Moraney, Oliver Marr, Isaac
Moody w May 6 64, William G. Merrill d of disease 63, Thomas Mur-
phy, Jeremiah Murphy k at Middletown Oct. 19 64, Thomas J. Nary,
Albert H. Norcross, Patrick Naughton, Albert P. Nichols, Lieut. A. J.
Nichols, Charles F. Nichols w June 63 p June 28 64, John W. Nicholas,
Col. Joseph Noble, John B. Nutting, John O'Brien, John O'Neal, Pat-
rick O'Gara, Whitman L. Orcutt, James Orrick, Samuel Orr, Dennis
MILITARY HISTORY. Iciy
O'Brien, Samuel A. Packard, Albert H. Packard, James E. Parker,
Charles B. Patterson, Daniel Pease, Frank W. Peaslee dof disease Mar.
6 65, George Peva, John W. Phinney, Augustus W. Plummer, Charles
M. Phillips d Feb. 19 64, Allen Partridge, Capt. Edward C. Pierce,
Phillip Piper p Oct. 19 64, George E. Pond, Charles H. Powers, Michael
Powers, Joseph Pluskey, Jones F. Pratt, Eben E. Pushor, Nathan E.
Quint, John Rappel, Sewall R. Reeves, Moses Richards, Orlando W.
Richardson w May 16 64, Albert Ricker, James Rideout, Thomas B.
Rideout, Andrew J. Riley, Lieut. George E. Rines, George F. Ray,
Charles C. Rideout d Apr. 13 65, John Rollins, James B. Robbins w
May 19 64, Philander W. Rowell, Franklin Ruffin, William Reed, Jo-
seph Ruggles, Silas H. Runnell, Michael Ryan, Hollis M. Sabine,
Capt. James M. Safford, Omar F. Savage, George Scates, Stephen M.
Scates, Adj. Henry Sewall, Capt. Samuel G. Sewell, Lorenzo D. Shaw,
Thomas Singleton, William B. Small, Augustus C. Smith, Augustus
L. Smith, Charles F. Smith, Corp. George W. Smith, Wilson C. Smith,
Lieut. William T. Smith. William E. Smith d in rebel prison Nov. 64,
Orrin P. Smart w June 6 64, Greenlief Smart, Richard N. Smart, Jo-
seph Snow, James F. Snow, Bt. Maj. G. T. Stevens, Lorenzo D. Stev-
ens, George Stewart, Edward P. Sargent, John F. Short, David W.
Small, John Stewart w July 9 64, Charles O. Stone, George A. Snow,
Edwin F. Stone, Joseph M. Springer, Abraham Stickney, George H.
Smith d at Augusta Maine Aug. 15 63, Homer R. Stratton, Albert M.
Scott, Fred A. Sullivan, Daniel B. Savage, David Stuart, Michael Sul-
livan, Patrick Sullivan, Jacob Sleeper, John Smith, August Smith,
George Taylor, Howard W. Taylor, Richard C. Taylor, William W.
Taylor, Everett Temple, Augustus G. Thomas, Lieut. James L.
Thompson d of wounds June 6 64, Actor P. Thompson, William O.
Tibbetts d of wounds May 1 64, Lauriston G. Trask, Anson T. Tilson,
James R. Tibbetts, Henry Towle, Charles F. Tibbetts, Joseph A. Tur-
ner, Sumner W. Turner, Albion R. R. Twombley, Nicholas Vickolby,
Charles Victor, Theodore C. Van Clasburg, Charles De Villenenoe,
Charles H. Wade, George Wall, Lieut. William H. H. Ware, Jeremiah
Watkins, John O. Webster, Col. James W. Welch, Thomas Welch,
Benjamin Wells, John P. Wells d in rebel prison Jan. 12 65, Eben
Wellman, Benjamin H. Wescott, Charles H. White, Caleb F. Wade,
William A. R. Withee, Andrew P. Webber, William T. C. Wescott,
Philander E. Worthley, Stephen Wing, Oliver P. Webber, Joseph
Whitney, Henry A. Whitney, Eben B. Whitney, Michael Whalen,
Charles Woodman, John L. Watson, George N. White, Frank White,
Oliver Woodbury, Joshua R. Webber d May 28 63, William H. H.
Ware, John Wentworth d at Barrancas Fla. Dec. 10 64, Nathaniel W.
White, True Whittier, Fred A. Wilson, John Wil.son, Albert N. Wil-
liams d July 3 63, Frederick A. Williams, Henry Williamson, Holmes
B. Williamson, Reuel Williams, John Wills, Gilmore S. Wing, Atwell
J4U HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNT V.
M. Wixson p 63, John H. Woodbury, Capt. Edward F. Wyman, Charles
O. Wyman, William C. Young p d Aug. 24 64, David H. Young, A. J.
Zimmerman.
Belgrade— ]ose])\\ A. Ackley, isaac Adams, Charles Allen, Bowman
V. Ames, George E. Andrews, John W. Austin, Thomas J. Austin d
of wounds Oct. 27 64, Theodore Ayer. Charles A. Bailey, Edwin L.
Barker, William B. Bates, Charles M. Bickford, Milford Bickford,
Thomas M. Bickford, William Bickford d Mar. 24 63, George F. Bliss,
Franklin Brann, George H. Boston, George F. Breeden, William
Brooks, Frederick C. Brookings, Franklin L. Bumpus, William Bushee,
James Cavanaugh, Sylvanus W. Chamberlain, Nathaniel F. Clark d in
hospital July 29 65, George Clark, Charles A. Clement, Thomas Crosby,
Asa J. Cummings, Joseph S. Cummings, Charles C. Damren, James C.
Damren, Willard H. Darmen, Charles A. Davis, George Dow, Charles
F. Ellis, Freeman Ellis, George W. Emerson, Amasa T. Fall, Lorenzo
Farnham, Otis B. Faulkingham, Samuel Fitzherbert, Thomas W.
Flint, Daniel L. Folsom, William T. Foss, Sylvester W. Giles, William
Garrett, George Guptill w Oct. 19 64, George Grant, Lieut. Henry W.
Golder, Charles B. Goldsmith, George W. Grose, Henry Grover,
Franklin Grant, John J. Gundlack. Guard Guard, George W. Glidden,
John Hammond jun., John Harris, Rufus H. Hopkins, Ausburn
Hutchins, Levi Higgins, William H. Huskins, Cyrus Huff, Rodna
Flegwood, Charles A. Hinkley, Charles L. Hutchings, P. P. Hutchins,
Henry L Hotchkiss, Henry Huff, Samuel Jobbot, William Joneas,
Silas P. Leighton, James A. Lombard, Allen Leavitt, Charles H. Lit-
tlefield d at Frederick Md. Apr. 25 65, Acel A. Littlefield k June 20 64,
Manselus N. Libby, William H. Leighton, William Mathews, Harthorn
Marston, Edward H. Merchant d in hospital July 18 65, Asal L. Mer-
chant d in hospital July 25 65, Lyman Maxwell p, H. A. Mills, Alex-
ander McDavitt, Michael McLaughlin, George McMullen, Edwin G.
Minot d in hospital Sept. 17 64, Stephen C. Mills, Alphonzo W. Mc-
Kay, George W. Morrill, Ambrose Merrow, Charles B. Moseley, Flor-
ence McCarty, James R. Nickerson, Everet A. Penney, William A.
Parker, Fred B. Philbrick, John Patridge, Greenwood C. Pray, John
W. Pray, Reuben H. Pray, John Putman, Fred E. Patridge, Leonard
H. Pratt, George F. Parks, Gideon Powers, Asst. Surg. Ingraham G.
Richardson, Joel Richardson, Royal Richardson d Aug. 15 63, J. D.
Rhoades, William Rankins, Henry Richardson, Peter W. Swan d Apr.
1 64,' Cathbert E. Stonehouse, Charles Simmons, Henry J. Spaulding,
Edward L. Smith d Oct. 7 64, Aaron Simpson, George B. Stevens, Cy-
rus Shaw, Elijah J. Stevens, Joel Spaulding, Jesse Spaulding, David
Strong, George F. Smith, Arthur Stewart, Ezra W. Trask w May 5 d
Sept. 14 64, William A. Tibbetts, Miles J. Temple, Thomas C. Wadley,
John Worster w at Petersburg June 19 64, Hiram G. Wellman, John
W. Weaver, Charles H. Webber, George Warren, William V. White-
MILITARY HISTORY. 141
house k July 24 64, George D. Wyman, William E. Willey, John M.
Williams, Ruel Williams, A. J. Woodbury, William Wilbur, Thomas
S. Wyman, Alphonzo H. Wadley d of wounds July 2 64, Jotham D.
Young.
Benton.— Oliver Averill, Daniel R. Bartlett, Isaac S. Bicknell, Al-
pheus Brown, James A. Brown, Charles S. Buken, Benjamin F. Buz-
zell, Asbury Cole, Abijah Crosby, John Crowley, Daniel F. Davis,
William L. Davis, Loren Dodge, John E. Dougla.ss, Leander H. Dow
d from injuries May 19 65, George W. Flagg, Gershan Flagg, Stephen
Flood, Daniel S. Foss, James H. Foster, Charles Gage, Alvin Gibson,
Charles Giles, George W. Grace, John Gray, Albert Gray jun., Charles
Goodale, David Goodale d of disease Apr. 28 6a, William H. Goodale,
James Goodale, John M. Goodin, Joseph Conner, Freeman Hansworn,
James F. Hern, Theodore V. Hill, James Henderson, Benjamin Hun-
ter, John H. Hyer, Aaron Johnson, Henry Johnson, Isaac W. Kenner-
son, John F. O. Malloy, Watson D. Marston, David Mason, John O.
Dodge w Oct. 27 64, Frank McGray, S. F. McKenney, John A. McKinney,
William H. Morrill, Richard McVinet, Charles Noble, Henry Noble,
Thomas Pamphay, Noah S. Paul, Lyman Pettigrow, A. R. Preston,
Frank Raneo, Charles B. Reed, Henry M. Reed, Albert Rideout,
George A. Roundy, George F. Runnells, James Ryan, Cyrus Savage,
C. W. Smith, John Smith, Charles H. Spaulding, Charles Spauldiug,
Henry E. Spaulding, William Spaulding, John Spaulding, Hollis
Spearing, Charles Spencer, Charles A. Speneer, Samuel Stacy, John
H. Stephens, Alonzo Sylvester, Gershom F. Tarbell, Isaac Trask,
Orrin S. Usher, Bowman Wood, Daniel Wood, Henry Wood, Ephraim
Win.ship, Lorenzo Wyman.
Chelsea.— Charles E. Ames, Charles M. Bailey k Apr. 6 64, William
H. Bolton, George T. Blanchard, Samuel L. Blanchard, Cyrus Brann,
Daniel C. Brown jun., Rinaldo Brown, Plummer H. Butler, Edwin
Cappers, Rinaldo A. Carr, John M. Chase d Feb. 20 63, Stephen Cobb
w May 27 63, Alfonzo C. Collins, Augustus H. Collins k July 30 64,
Augustus Collins, Frank Condon, Albert Cooper, Frank Cooper,
Uriah Cunningham, David P. Cornish, William A. Drake, James S.
Emerson, George A. Evans, Charles F. French. Stephen H. French,
Arnold L. Foye, William A. Foye, Joseph L. Haskell, James F. Has-
kell, James Hogan, Joseph Irving, Ruel W. Keene. Wilbert W. Ken-
iston, Otis W. Littlefield, Lorin N. Marston, Nathaniel H. Meader,
Andrew Morang w May 12 64, William Morgan, Calvin Morang, Ce-
phas Morang d July 17 63, Simon Morang, James G. Morang, Hiram
Moulton, George H. Neal, Lyman C. Neal, Henry L. Patterson, Isaac
L. Page, Reuben H. Page, John E. Page, George M. Perkins, Augus-
tus H. Pinkham, Solomon H. Preble, Mark L. Rollins, Harrison B.
Sanborn d 64. Charles M. Searls d June 8 63, Henry Stevens, Eben
142 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Tasker, James Wellman d July 7 64, Fred H.White, Henry E. White,
Arad Woodbury d May 17 64, James M. Wright.
China. — Edwin Alley, John L. Allen, John C. Andrews, Joseph E.
Babb, F. S. Barnard, AVilliam Bell, Asst. Surg. David P. Bolster,
•George A. Bosworth, Edmund Bragg, Everett H. Bridgham, John S.
Briggs, Orpheus P. Brann, John Brown, Alonzo Burrill, John Burrill,
Thomas E. Carpenter, Lendell S. Caswell, Gustavus B. Chadwick,
-Charles F. Choate, Stillman Choate, Thomas F. Clark, Osgood Coffran,
Ezekiel L. Cole p Aug. 19 61 d Feb. 2 65, William J. Cole, Elias Colla-
tnore, Elisha Cooley, William B. Coombs. Joseph Coro w at Gettys-
burg 63, Atwell J. Cross, Watson W. Cross, Greenlief P. Curtis, Philip
W. Day, Aaron Davis jun., John D. Davis, Wallace A. E. De Beque,
Addison G. Deering, Adolphus W. Doe, George L. Dow, John Doyle,
James H. Ellis, Orren Emerson, Jacob Emery d Aug. 27 64, Jeremiah
H. Estes, Isaac W. Fairbrother, William H. Fairbrother, Reuben M.
Farrington d 64, John Farris, Alvanna V. Farris d July 24 64, Oscar M.
Fernold, Abisha B. Fletcher, Capt. Alfred Fletcher, Charles B. Fletcher,
Eben L. Fletcher, Edward A. Fletcher, Edwin A. Fletcher, Charles
Fowler, Alden H. Frazier, Oscar S. Frost, James E. Fulton, Frederick G.
Gage, Samuel S. Galligar, Joseph Gelcott jun., Samuel D. Giddings, F.
C. Goodspeed, Charles B. Greeley, Alfred M. Hamlin, Thomas E. Har-
rington, Joseph H. Haskell, Orrin A. Haskell, Oscar H. Haskell,
George S. Hawes, Thomas E. Harrington, Myron C. Harrington, Am-
brose B. Hanson, Quimby H. Hamilton d of disease Apr. 19 63, Ste-
phen Harmon, Sylvester L. Hatch d of disease Sept. 23 65, Sumner
Haskell, Joseph Hatch, J. W. Hall, Samuel C. Haskell, Edwin H.
Hana, Andrew B. Hubbard, George K. Huntington w May 20 64, Fred
E. Hutchinson, George H. Hussy, Charles H. Jackson, Willis J. James,
Charles H. Johnson, Amos Jones, John Jordan, Edwin Kelley, Charles
A. Ketchen d Jan 13 64, Charles Kellran, Amos Keller d Aug. 18 64
in Florida, J. Kempton, James Knichler d Sept. 18 64, Edwin D. Lee,
Aaron Libby, Albanah H. Libby d in rebel prison, Llewellyn Libby,
Moses Libby, Capt. Willard Lincoln, Charles F. Lord, Bartice vS. Luce,
John C. Marston, Orville W. Malcolm, John S. Marsh, James H.
Mathews, Edward A. Maxfield, Frederick Maxfield d at China 63,
Henry W. Maxfield, Dustan McAllister, Charles McCavron jun., Gar-
diner F. McDaniel, Burnam McKeene, Franklin Mitchell, Judson A.
Mitchell d of di.sease Dec. 7 62, William W. Murphy, Winthrop Mur-
ray, James E. Mosher, Charles H. Nelson, Erastus F. Nelson, John
Norris, Thomas Norton, Henry B. Page, Laforest Parmater, James H.
Peavey, George S. Percival, Avery Percival d of disease July 30 63,
William Perham, Franklin A. Perry, Mark Porter, Abraham R. Pow-
ers, Alden H. Priest, Charles Proctor, Lorin Proctor, George H. Ram-
sell, Henry C. Rice, Franklin D. Robbins, John L. Robbins, William
Robbins, Everett Robinson, H. G. Robinson, Timothy Robinson,
MILITARY HISTORY. 143
'Henry A. Rogers, David Savage jun., Orrin L. Seco d Oct. 11 64, John
H. Seekins, Eliab W. Shaw, Appleton W. Shorey p Aug. 19 64 d Feb.
64, Edwin Small, Herbert M. Starbird, Augu.stus H. Starkey d July 64,
Samuel C. Starrett, William H. Squires, Benjamin F. Stetson, Charles
F. Stevens, Charles B. Stuart, Alvin Sylvester, Henry H. Talbott, At-
well A. Taylor, Samuel A. Taylor, Charles H. Temple, Charles E.
Thomas, William L. Toby, William B. Toby, Ambrose E. Trask,
James O. Trask, Charles W. Turner, Elias Tyler w July 2 63 d July 15
63. Charles F. Waite, Orren B. Ward d Aug. 10 64 in New Orleans,
Wilbur N. Ward, George Wentworth, Abner D. Weeks, Albert R.
Ward, Freeman C. Ward. Howard G. Ward, Uriah E. Ward, Thomas
B. Washburn, Richard Welch, George Wentworth, Charles W. Wey-
mouth, E. A. Whitney, John Q. A. Whitley, Andrew D. Wiggins,
James M. Wright, Charles Worthing, William P. Worthing w May 12
64, James Wyman, Lorenzo York, Edwin F. Young.
<r//«/^«.— Albert Ames, Charles Andrews, Moses H. Arthur, Thomas
Armstrong, Benjamin G. Bagley, Franklin Bagley, John H. Balow,
George Barrow, Capt. Charles W. Billings d of wounds July 15 63,
William M. Brown, Leroy T. Blackwell, Edward P. Blood, Alvin
Brann, William Brenney, Charles S. Brimner d 63, John W. Brown,
Rufus N. Brown, Capt. Samuel S. Brown, Jfimes L. Bush, Eben Bur-
ton, Peter Cane, Ezra S. Chase, Francis A. Chamberlin, Edwin J.
Chase, James F. Chaney. John D. Chandler, Charles H. Clark or Card,
George L. Cole, John S. Cleveland, Horace Cole, Patrick Connor k
May 16 64, Jeremiah Conway, James L. Colmer, Patrick Dacey, Oliver
W. Dickey d Mar. 17 63, Enos Dow, Gardiner L. Eastman, Shepard
Eldridge, Freeman Emery, John Flarety d of disease June 24 63,
Henry R. Flood, Francis P. Furber w May 6 64, Oliver P. Gates, James
A. Gardiner, William F. Gerald w 63, Increase F. Goodwin, E. C. Good-
win d Mar. 28 63, Horace Goodwin, Jeremiah Goodwin, John H. Good-
ale, Lieut. Stephen R. Gordon, H. F. Harwood, George W. Hall, Simon
Hall, John C. Hall, Isaac C. Hodgdon, Asa Holt, George W. Holt d
Apr. 11 63, John D. Hoffman, Osgood Howland, Q. M. Albert Hunter,
Melvin Hunter, Charles A. Jaquith, John M. Jewell, James Johnson,
Stephen M. Johnson, Henry P. Jones, Lyman B. Kimball, Jesse Kim-
ball, Samuel Leighton, Amos Leonard w 64, Wilson C. Lewis, Jopa-
than Lewis, Joseph G. Linnell, Francis Low jun., Nelson Mallett, Al-
pheu.st Manson, Alexander McDonald, Albert C. McMaster, John Mor-
rill, John McKenney, Hason McNully, George S. Mullen, Thomas J.
Murphy, Milford Nye, Adelbert L. Orr, Oliver P. Paul, William H.
Pearson, Herbert D. Perkins, Charles C. Pierce, John G. Pierce,
Thomas A. Patter, Samuel D. Prescott, Stephen H. Powell, William
Pre.scott, Michael Quiley, Horatio N. Reed, Ezra R. Reed p June 22
64, John RenchlerrStephen B. Rhodes, Perley H. Richardson, George
Ricker, Joseph F. Rolf, Peter Rudnick k Nov. 12 64, John Ryan, Wil-
144 HISTORY OF KENNEliEC COUNTY.
liam Ryley, Elias D. Rowell, Lieut. Marcus Rowell. Theodore H.
Smith, Albert T. Snow, Franklin Snow, Daniel Y. Sullivan, Oscar Al.
Sabine, Thomas Scanlon, Francis Seede, George E. Snow, Perry Snow,
Albion Spurling, James C. Spaulding, Lewis B. Spaulding, John
Spikes, Merritt Stinson, Era.stus Tarball k May S 64, Calvin Taylor d
Apr. 24 64, James Thurston, Charles F. Tibbetts, John H. Taylor,
John Thompson, Jeremiah Thornton, Daniel Thurston, Charles L.
Totman d of disease Mar. 2 63, John A. Totipan w May 27 63, John F.
Townson, Laforest P. True, Montgomery Tuttle, Norman Vault,
Henry F. Waldren, James W. Waldren, David S. Wardwell, John C.
Walter, Retire W. Webber, Daniel J. Wells, Alfred Weymouth, John
Weymouth, Marshall Weymouth, Osgood Weymouth, Warren We}'-
mouth, George Whitten, Otheo W. Whitten, John W. Willey, Charles
T. Winslow, Henry Young.
Faruiingdale. — James Andrews, Alverdo Averell, Horace W. Baker,
Marcellus Blair, George W. Briggs, Edmund J. Brookings, George
Campbell, Ezekiel Chapman, John Clery, Charles A. Cooke, James S.
Cote, Charles R. Curtis d July 8 64, William H. Curtis w July 1 63,
James R. Dill, Joseph C. Dill, Alfred Douglass, George S. Fogg, Sum-
ner Gardiner, Samuel S. Glidden, Jonathan S. Goodrich, John P.
Greeley, Timothy Higgins, Benjamin S. Hodgdon, John Holmes,
Joel Howe, G. W. Hunt, Charles W. Johnson, Edward Kelley, Joseph
S. Lowell, John A. Lyons, Albert McCausland, Alonzo McCausland,
Moses B. McCausland, Charles Meader, Charles B. Millett, Gustavus
Moore, Henry M. Neal, John H. Pease, J. A. Perkins, Charles T. Rice,
George W. Rice, John G. Robie, George H. Seavey, Reuben Seavey,
Daniel R. Shaw, Joseph E. Sims, Horace L. Smith, Lieut. Emilus N.
D. Small, George H. Stone, Frank Sweetland, William H. Sweetland,
James D. Tibbetts, Samuel L. Tibbetts w, S. C. Thomas, John W.
Waterhouse, Nathan W. Walker, William Wiley.
/rt,,f//,.._Philip C. Adams, C. H. Bacheldor, Osbert L. Basford,
Benjamin F. Bruce, Michael Buckley, Milton W. Burnham, Francis A.
Bryant, Arthur D. Chase, Lieut. Adolphus J. Chapman, Martin V. B.
Clark, Loren S. Clough, Charles L. Crane, Francis A. Crane, Mark F.
Ditson, John F. Dwyer, Isaac Emerson, Samuel H. Fifield w Dec. 13 62
d Dec. 29 63, William H. Fish, H. H. Folsum, Stephen H. French, Asst.
Surg. Albert G. French, Charles H. H. French, Clarence C. Frost, Ste-
phen Fellows, Lovell L. Gardner, Calvin S. Gordon, Lewis C. Gordon,
John C. Gurney, William Hasty, Edgar Hathaway, Charles Hunter,
William H. Irish, Charles L. Jones, Edwin C. Jones p Aug. 19 64,
Moses I. Jones, Sylvester H. Jones, Daniel Lennon, Henry Magan,
John Mangan, Elijah D. Marden, George L. Moore d of wounds May
20 64, Daniel W. Morrill, Timothy Nickoles, Tyler Newton, Albert A.
Palmer, Thomas Powers, William H. Richmond w May 19 64, E. P.
Sanborn, James Scott, Marcus M. Small, James W. Smith, Robert
MILITARY HISTORY. 145
Smith jun., Jnsiah H. Sturtevant, Lewis F. Sturtevant, John H.
Thurber, Edward M. True, Lieut. John H. True, Isaac Warren, Sam-
uel D. Weed, James M. Wiswell, Charles W. Wing.
Gardiner. — John E. Atkins. Capt. Eleazer W. Atwood, Col. George
AL Atwood, Adj. George E. Atwood, Peter Aliff, Lieut. Ellis W. Ayer
k Sept. 9 64, Lieut. Alfred G. Brann, Sanford Brann, Appleton Babb,
Edward Bird, James H. Booker, Mark G. Babb, George A. Bowie, Ros-
coe G. Buck, Daniel Brann d in rebel prison Nov. 1 64, Lieut. Cyrus
W. Brann, George H. Baker, William Brann d in hospital P'eb. 1 64,
James S. Benson, George H. Berry, Charles P. Brann, Lieut. Freder-
ick H. Beecher, Emery H. Brann, S. S. Bennett, Lieut. Thomas A.
Brann w at Fair Oaks, Lanson G. Brann d of disease May 11 64, Dan-
iel Booker, Edward Brush, John W. Bennett, John Burke, Michael
Burnes, Gideon Bowley jun., Edward Brown, Daniel Brooking, Daniel
Black, Emery M. Brann, David R. Campbell. Albert E. Clary, George
W. Church, Cornelius Card, George W. Cheney, John H. Crowell, John
P. Church, George W. Cross, Abiel Cowen, Pell Clason, George Clark,
John Coleman, Patrick H. Cummings, Pell Clason, Albert Dudley,
Charles W. Dill, Charles B. Dexter, Ambrose Dudley. Dorson M. Dale,
Aaron Dudley, John S. Dennis, Frank W. Dirgen, James Delaney,
John Ducott, Ambrose S. Douglass, Silas A. Dixon, Charles E. Deer-
ing, J. W. Douglass, Stephen W. Dana, Charles F. Davis, Robert
Davis w at Gettysburg July 1 63, Charles W. Dill, Thomas Douglass d
Mar. 3 64, Jcseph C. Dill, Albert Dudley, Ruel M. Dunlop, Augustus
Dudley, L C. Dalton, Howard Doyle, Randall Eldridge w Aug. 18 64,
John H. Emerson, Franklin Eastman, Amasa P. Elwell, B. F. Flan-
ders, E. B. Follett, Charles F. Garry, George W. Gardiner, O. M.
Franklin Glazier, Edward Gould, James A. Goodwin, Ichabod Gray,
Nathaniel P. Goodwin, Charles H. Godney, James Gallagham, Benja-
min F. Goodwin, William H. Gardiner, Rufus C. Gerry, Frank Gil-
bert, Fred E. Gowell d Sept. 15 64, William C. Gardiner d Nov. 16 64,
C. F. Gray, William Garland, John Grant, George. H. Hooker, David
Haines, A. M. C. Heath, Ora K. Hinkley, William H. Huntington w
at Gettysburg July 9 63, Israel W. Holbrook, Phineus B. Hammond,
Henry Harrison, Joseph S. Hill, Charles A. Hildreth, Surg. Thadeus
Hildreth, Silas N. Hinkley, James Horn, Warren Hooker, Lieut.
Melvin S. Hutchinson, Albion T. Hutchinson, Ora K. Hinkley, Seth
C. Hutchins, William W. Hutchinson, George H. Harrington, George
N. Houghton, Daniel R. Hodgdon w Feb. 6 64, William Hall, George
Holmes, Charles F. Hutchinson, P. B. Hammond, Charles E. Handy,
Joseph E. Hooker, William R. Hutchins, Andrew Hooker, C. A.
Hooker, Capt. Charles T. Hildreth, William H. Hodges w Feb. 6 64,
George Jackson, Eli.sha James jun., Abram Jordan, Thomas P. Jordon,
William Jordan d Nov. 21 64, Joseph A. Jordan, Stephen E. Johnson
10
146 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Freeman A. Johnson, Major Kelley, George W. Kelley, Edward Kel-
ley, Samuel W. Kimball jun., Henry Kimball, John P. Kirk, Capt.
George S. Kimball, Benjamin C. Kittridge, Alfred W. Knight, John
Lawson, Charles F. Lawrence, Lieut. Horatio S. Libby, William Libby
jun., Benjamin Lincoln, Ivory Littlefield, Frank Lord, William H.
Lunt, Nicholas Maker, Smith R. Morrill, John Montgomery, Amos
Muzzy, Augustus W. McCausland w July 1 63, Albert McFarland w
Dec. 13 62, Asa Moore, John C. Meader, Rufus S. McCurdy, Charles
H. Merrill, John A. Mann, William H. Merrill w June 12 64, Jesse A.
Meader, James S. Morang, James H. Morang, Nicholas Maher, George
Moore, Charles H. Martin w Feb. 6 64, Alfred A. Mann d of wounds
Apr. 22 65, Patrick Mulligan, Peter McCann, George E. Maker, John
Miller, Amasa R. Meader, Benjamin A. Merrill, Ansel L. Meader,
Thomas McNamara d Aug. 15 64, Clark D. Meader, James H. Morang,
Loring C. Marriner, John F. Merrill d Nov. 11 65 in Florida, Mitchell
R. Nobridge p June 25. Ingraham P. Nickerson, Gideon P. Noyes,
Alden Norton, Luther Oliver, Alfred Oliver, James R. Peacock,
Thomas Page, David Page, Charles H. Potter d of wounds June 2 64,
David Potter, Almon'j. Packard, Jacob Patterson, William S. Peacock,
George R. Parsons, Sidney Porter, Lieut. James A. Pray, k June 18 64,
Joseph J. Perry, Leander Potter, Samuel F. Pope, C. W. Price, Lorenzo
Quint, Joseph A. Ricker. Peter Reves, Benjamin F. Ring, Daniel W.
Robinson, James R. Rosignal, John F. Royal, Hiram H. Ricker,
George E. Rhodes, John Ray, William H. Robinson p July 63 w in
action 64, William J. Rowe, Charles M. Stevens, David H. vStevens,
William F. Sherman, Jacob M. Steward, Mandred O. Savage w May 6
64, Everett B. Small, Charles Senaque, William H. Simmons, Capt.
George W. Smith, William C. Stoddard, John Shea, H. W. Smith,
Leander Stanley, David S. Stevens, Calvin W. Smith, George B. Saf-
ford, Benjamin S. Smith, Horace Sturtevant, Martin C. Stephenson,
Merrill Savage, Harrison A. Sturtevant, William H. Stackpole, Charles
L. Swift, Eugeane A. Smith d Aug. 22 64 at New Orleans, James L.
Stoddard, Frank W. Sawyer d Oct. 9 64, Alex. Simpson w May 10 64,
Timothy W. Sheehan, Robert S. Starbird d Aug. 4 63, Benjamin C.
Smith, David S. Stevens, Thomas E. Smith w Apr. 1 65, Naham Spear,
George F. Strong, Charles D. Smith p in 64, William K. Savage,
Charles Sprague k Dec. 13 62, Aaron Stackpole, James O. Smith, Lieut.
Sanford W. Syphers, William F. Swift, Francis A. Taylor, William F.
Taylor, Simeon P. Taylor, George F. Taylor, Abijah W. Tripp, George
W. Taylor, Silas H. Taylor, George W. Tyler, Martin Tyler w June 3
64, Elbridge Thomas, Caleb Taylor p July 30 64, William F. Taylor,
Martin Taylor, John S. Towle, Peter Thorp, Alonzo F. Tinkham,
Charles H. Tabor d at Annapolis Sept. 17 63, Leonard L. Taylor,
Elijah Towsier, Edmund S. Towsier, Emerson Turner jun., David H.
Wakefield, William Wallace, William S. Ward, Charles M. Winslow,
MILITARY HISTOPV. 147
Charles A. Washburn, William B. Webber, Charles H. Welch, Charles
W. Webber, William H. Wilson, William White, Owen Woods, Wil-
liam H. H. Waterhouse, Cyrus K. Witham, Chester Whitney p Sept.
27 64, Thomas B. Whitney, George W. Wakefield, Franklin Williams,
Stephen D. Wakefield, Andrew Ware, William Wallace, George M.
Washburn, Winfield S. Witham, Moses S. Wadsworth, Phineas
Witham, James T. Williams, Wesley Webber, George M. Wentworth,
Warren E. Welch d Jan. 26 65, Joseph W. Welch, Charles O. Wads-
worth w June 24 64. William O. Wakefield, Warren C. Waterhouse,
George E. Webber, John M. Webber.
Hallowell.—CyrviS Allen, Eben P. Allen, Moses H. Arthur, John D.
Bailey, Asa E. Bates, Elijah H. Barter, William C. Bartlett, Josiah
Bean, Rufus Besse, George W. Booker, Albert Borner, Charles M. Bur-
ley, Hugh Burns, Charles A. Brown, Albert S. Buswell, Horace E.
Choate w Aug. 16 64, George L. Crummett, Alvah H. Davis, Winfield
S. Dearborn d of disease June 14 63, George F Douglass, Thad. H.
Fairbanks, Albert Flye, William Flye, William A Forrest, George A.
Francis, Samuel S. George, Owen Getchell, Eugene B. Getchell, Wil-
liam H. Oilman, Edward R. Gould, William C. Gray, Surg. John Q. A.
Hawes, William W. Heath, John R. Holt, Joseph E. Howe, James
H. Howard, George W. Hubbard, Col. Thomas H. Hubbard, Alvin
T. Huntington, Buzzella L. C. Hussey, Horace S. Jackson, Henry
A. Johnson, Lewis E. Kauffer, Morris Kennedy, Thomas Keenan
supposed prisoner, Waldo B. Keen,William H. Libby d in New Or-
leans June 28 64, Thomas C. Littlefield, Michael McCoUer, Edward
Minor, George O. Morrill, Capt. Charles E. Nash, Winslow Niles,
John O. Northy, Darius Nye, Simon C. Paine, Lieut. John A. A.
Packard, Silas Palmer, Thomas L. Palmer, Charles E. Pinkham, Sanford
L. Pinkham, Levi W. Pitts, Ashbury F. Pottle, Ellas N. Remick,
James K. Reynolds, George S. Ricker d Mar. 21 64, Levi Robinson,
John W. Rogers w, George S. Rowell, Lieut. Edwin W. Sanborn,
Lieut. John W. Sanborn w Sept. 19, George E. Shurborn, Augustus H.
Smith k May 5 64, Emery N. Smith, Thomas Smith d in hospital Oct.
12 64, Richard D. Smith, Michael T. Smith, William R. Stackpole,
Nahum R. Stone, Francis B. Swan, Joseph W. Swan, Jeremiah Sulli-
van, Charles H. Thing, William Thurston, Elijah C. Town, Elisha
Towns, Reuben A. Towns, Capt. Orville T. Tuck, Thomas E. Wagon-
er, John W. Welch, Reuben A. Wentworth, George Whitcom d of
wounds June 6 64, Charles H. S. White, George O. White w at Gettys-
burg, Robert A. Witherell, William P. Wood, Samuel Wynoskey,
Dunbar H. Young.
Litchfield.— ChRvl&s H. Adams d Oct. 20 62, Thomas B. Aderton p 64,
d in prison Dec. 12 64, Franklin A. Bailey, G. W. Baker, Lieut. William
C. Barrows, Allen G. Barrows, William Berry, William H. Bosworth,
George W. Brown, William O'Brien jun., Cyrus E. Burke, Morrill
148 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Burke, John S. Buker, James H. Buck, Lieut. Joseph W. Burke, Joseph
Cameron, John C. Chandler, Charles G. Clifford, William W. Cook d
of disease Apr. 1 63, Davis S. Curtis. John H. Davis, George P. Day,
George R. Douglass, Clement H. Douglass, John Dyer, Henry D. Earl,
Dennis Gatchell, Andrew J. Goodwin, Marcellus Goodwin, Amaziah E.
Googins, Levi Gordin, Nathaniel O'Gowell, John D. Gowell, Abiel W.
Hall, David Harmon, Augustus Hatch, Joseph S. Hatch,Wilson M. Hat-
tin, Charles M. Hattin, John Holland jun., Daniel G. Huntington, Fred
E. Hutchinson, Nelson G. Hutchinson d of disease Aug. 14 63, Benjamin
G. Hunter, Lieut. Amos M. Jackson, Joseph E. Jack, Samuel Jackson,
William L. Johnson, Thomas H. Lambert, Joseph E. Latham, Jo.seph
Sawyer, John Lewis, Napoleon D. O. Lord, Daniel McAlister, Josiah A.
Marston, Joseph Y. Maxwell, Joseph H. Maxwell w Apr. 24 64 d July 5
64, Isaac Meader p 64, George Meader, Joseph Meader, Augustus Mer-
rill, David Mitchell d Sept. 11 64, Alexander McNear, Elijah Nickerson,
Jonathan Newell, James O. Nickerson, Edward E. North, Charles E.
Parks, Daniel W. Perry, George S. Perry, Charles W. Potter, John
Potter, Alden H. Powers, James W. Powers, Corrector K. Richardson
k May 6 64, Lorenzo M. Richardson d Apr. 13 65, James Ricker, Daniel
W. Robinson, Andrew S. Robinson, Charles G. Runnells, George E.
Safford, John D. Smith w June 22 64, David G. Smith w May 17 64,
Charles A. Smith, Richard Spear, Col. Isaac W. Starbird, Charles D.
vStarbird w Aug. 14 64, William W. Stevens, James O. Stevens, Joseph
B. Stevens, George N. Thurlow, Orrin A. True, Daniel G. True, Anson
Turner, Jones M. Waire, George D. Wakefield, George S. Wedgewood,
Newton J. Wedgewood, Baptiste Willet jun., William C. Williams,
Henry Wilson, Tom Wolf, Daniel W. Woodbury, William Wyman.
Manchester.— K\or\zo C. Atkins w Oct. 2 64, John H. Avery, Brad-
ford S. Bodge, Elbridge Y. Brainard d June 21 64, Edward A. Bow-
man, James Brazor, William C. Blake, Heman B. Carter d in rebel
prison Jan. 20 64, Alonzo Campbell, Hiram W. Campbell, John B.
Campbell w at Gettysburg 63, Leonard' Dearborn, Joseph L. Dow d
Apr. 26 65, Nathaniel F. Dow, Lieut. Loring Farr, Frank S. Harriman
d Jan. 10 64, John H. Haskell, John Harlor, Joseph T. Hewin, Thomas
Hill, William H. Hock d at home Aug. 10 63, Elias Howard, John F.
Hutchinson, Charles F. King, Voramous Kimball, Charles W. Lincoln,
John P. Lowell d of disease Aug. 7 63, George A. Levering d July 20
63, Byron Lowell, Ira Mason, Thomas Mason, James F. Mears, William
F. Nickerson, Augustus Parsons, Charles W. Sinclair, James Smith,
Joseph A. Spencer, Marshall Thaxter, Jairus Towle, James Wade,
Daniel H. Wheaton, Alden Wright, Marcellus Wells.
Moninojith.—]&m.es H. Allen, Charles W. Ayer, Edwin F. Bailey,
Samuel W. Barker, David Bartlay, Mathias A. Benner, Samuel D.
Blake, Samuel T. Blake d of wounds June 5 64, Lieut. Ara C. Brooks
d Sept. 26 62, Horace Burrill, Michael Burke, John S. Chandler, Wil-
MILITARY HISTORY. 149
Ham B. Chick w May 20 64, James H. Chick, Leander L, Clark, Simon
Clongh, David H. Coburn, William Coburn, Con Collins, Charles H.
Crowell, C. F. Cummings, Alexander H. Day, Charles E. Day d in
Libby Prison Dec. 19 64, Silenus Decker, George E. De Witt d of dis-
ease Nov. 9 64, Almon B. Donnell, Edwin L. Donnell, James E. Dud-
ley, Edward Durgin, Nathaniel J. Emerson, Charles C. Ellis p June 30
64, Stone G. Emerson, Warren Farrar, James S. Field, Lemuel T.
Field d Apr. 23 64, Andrew J. Fogg, Daniel W. Folsom, Alpheus S.
Folsom, George D. Frost d Sept. 64, George W. H. Frost, Horace C.
Frost, Samuel A. Frost, William B. Frost, John Fuller, John F. Fur-
bush, David H. Gilman, William Gray, Joseph D. Greenlief, Alan-son
G. Hall, David S. Hall, George E. Hathane, Willard K. Hathorn, Wil-
liam C. Hannaford, Charles H. Hinklay k May 12 64, Joseph E. How-
ard, John F. Howard, George S. Hutchinson, James Jaquith d Dec. 1
63, John H. Johnson p .Sept. 16 64, Thompson S. Keenan p 64, George
J. Ketcham, Samuel J. King, Philip Kighrigan, George L. Landers,
Lewis Lane, Lyman E. Leach, Benjamin F. Leighton p June 29 64,
Cephas H. Leighton, Charles H. Leighton, George W. Marston, David
T. Moody, Frank G. Moody, Frank S. Mountfort, Charles E. Nason,
Charles A. Norcross, Constant F. Oakman, W^illiam Paddaux, John
Perry, James A. Pettingill d of disease Jan. 12 63, Andrew B. Pink-
ham, Joseph W. Pinkham, Charles E. Plummer w May 5 64, Charles
H. Prescott, James M. Prescott, Herald A. Price, Wilbur F. Priest,
George H. Putney p at Antietam, Edwin G. Randall, Charles A. Reed
d Feb. 17 64, William Regan, Carlton K. Richardson, Edward A. Rich-
ardson, Lieut. James D. Robie, Frank Ronco, James F. Rowe, William
Rowkes, Albert J. Sharp, William H. Shorey d July 4 63, Josiah
Smith, Jeremiah Spelman, Lucias C. Stockin, Lander C. Thompson,
Charles F. Thurston, Jerry E. Thornton, Nathaniel W. Titus, Howard
P. Todd, John F. Tolman, Samuel T. Torsey, Charles E. Towle, Wil-
liam A. Tozier, Francisco W^adsworth, Cyril N. Walker, Thomas
Ward, Peter Wedge, Philip Wedge, Edward P. White w Apr. 1 65,
Edward Wilkes, John A. Wilcox w at Antietam 64, David Wilson d of
disease Mar. 8 63, Samuel F. Wing, Samuel S. Wyman.
Mi. Vernon. — Charles A. Allen, James M. Allen, Jonathan Allen,
Orlando V. Andrews, John Bartlett k Apr. 1 65, Charles P. Bazin,
George W. Bean, Moses T. Bean, George Blake, John D. Blake, James
Bennett, D. C. Bagley, Josiah P. Bradbury, John Bubier, Alvin Butler,
Henry H. Cain, George A.Carson d Nov. 21 64, Almon B. Carr, Gilman
N. Carr, Stephen Carroll, Benjamin J. Cram, Stephen A. Cram, Charles
B. Creighton, Henry A. Davis d May 5 63, Samuel Davis, Heman N.
Dexter, Charles Dolloff, John Doe, Hiram T. Drew, George E. Dudley,
Calvin Dunn, Cornelius Dutton, Jo.seph W. Fogler, Frank M. Furber
d of disea.se Sept. 19 65, Charles H. Gordon, Emery H. Gordon w May
27 63, John H. Gordon, John S. Gordon, Henry S. Gordon, Samuel H.
3 50 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Gordon d of wounds June 30 63, Nelson Gould, Madison F. Glidden,
Benjamin Hamilton, William H. Hantoon, George W. Hanna d Dec.
14 64, Leroy D. Hopkins d Dec. 26 04, Thomas vS. Hopkins, Lieut.
Georg-e C. Hopkins, Frank Hubbard, Samuel G. Hutchinson, William
C. Jackson, William H. Jack.son, Charles N. King, Erastus O. Kelley,
Gancelo King d July 30 63, George E. Knox, John A. King w May 27
63, Edwin L. Ladd, Edson M. Lougee, Nicholas R. Lougee, Delano
Leighton w, Leander S. Leighton d July 18 63, Timothy Leighton,
James E. Linscott, William McGoud, Harthon Marston, William B.
Morse, Stephen Norton jun., Charles Oaks, Melvander Packard, Ben-
jamin F. Paul w 64, Fred B. Philbrick, Dudley O. Philbrick, Maurice
S. Philbrick, Milton P. Philbrick, Lemuel Porter, Orestes H. Porter d
Mar. 8 63, Orville Porter, George Prentice, John Ryan p Apr. 9 65,
George O. Reed, Joshua B. Smith, Henry G. Smith, John Smith, Ar-
thur Smith, Marcellus Smith w May 12 64, Ezra Smith w Sept. 4 64,
James Shaw, Leander Shaw, Richard Shorey, Lloyd H. Snell, Francis
C. Stewart, John M. Stockwell, Emulus D. Small, Hilton H. Sidelinger,
James M.Stevens, George A. Storer d Aug. 24 64, John Swatz, Charles
"h. Smith w May 12 64, Everett Thing, Charles Thompson, John R.
Teague, Walter Vail, Joseph AVard, James Wardwell, Elisha L. Wells,
George Whittier, James L. Whittier, Samuel Whitney, Albert L.Willis,
John Willitt, Charles B. Wyman, Lieut. George W. Woods.
Pittston. — William Allen, Charles Allen, Edmund Allen, Alvin G.
Bailey d June 22 63, Hiram Barker, John Berry, George L. Blair w
July 13 63, William Blair, Eli Blair, John F. Blodgett, George H.
Blodgett, Eben N. Brann, Edward Brown, Eben Brookings w Aug. 16
64, Samuel C. Brookings k July 2 63, John Brookings, Mark C. Cass w
Oct. 19 64, Elisha S. Chase, John L. Clark, William Connor, James S.
Colburn, Isaac Crocker, Benjamin F. Crocker, Llewellyn Crocker,
Roland H. Cutts, John Desmond, William Day d Apr. 19 64, Fred
Dobson, Michael Donovan, E. H. Doyle, Thomas Doyle, John G.
Drake, Edwin Dudley, Lewis H. Dudley, Lewis C. Dudley, William H.
Dudley, Charles E. Fillebrown, O. B. Frank, John Gallagher, Wilbert
H. Oilman, Frederick Goud, Humphrey Grant, John Grant, George
W. Goodwin, Albert Goodwin, Hamilton Goodwin, Joseph H. Good-
win, James A. Hall, William D. Hanover, George T. Haley, Benjamin
B. Hanson, Adj. Charles C. Hinds, Enoch Hollis jun. p Aug. 25 64,
Charles Hunt, Kingsbury Hunt, Lewis Hunt d Dec. 4 64, Reuben
Heseltine, Thomas Hunnewell, Charles A. James, James Jackson, Jo-
sephus James w July 3 63, George W. James jun., Hiram S. James,
Lewis W. James d of disease Apr. 9 63, Charles H. Jones, Albert Jor-
don d of disea.se Mar. 19 63, Joseph C. King, William King d of
wounds June 18 64, William Katon d in New Orleans Oct. 4 64, Howard
Lamson, Lieut. Eugene Leeman, Clarence Leeman, Elbridge Mames
d of disease Dec. 10 62, Alden Mar.son, Charles B. Mansir d at home
MILITARY HISTORY. 151
July 10 64, Alden Marson, Benjamin Marson d of wounds July 11 64,
George H. Martin, Sawyer McLaughlin, Charles W. Moody, Edwin
W. Moody, Leonard Moody, Lucius Moody, Edward Morton, Edward
Mosher d on transport May 23 64, John Moulton, Wesley Murphy d in
hospital Aug. 12 64, William H. Noyes, William W. Paris w June 4
63 p Dec. 18 64, P. W. Parker, William H. Paris, Melvine Parsons,
George W. Palmer, James H. Peacock, Hartley Peasley, Myrick Per-
ham p June 22 64, Ellery Pinkham, Thomas D. Pinkham, William
Pinkham d at Point of Rocks Aug. 13 64, Mellen Potter. David Pottle,
Moses Pottle, Hiram Pratt, Loren A. Pushard, Fred P. Pulsifer, Charles
E. Ramsdell w May 6 64. Sew. D. Ramsdell, Eben Richardson, Brad-
ford H. Reed, Jesse Reed, T. A. Richardson, Capt. Asbury C. Rich-
ards, Daniel W. Robinson, Patrick Ryan, David F. Shea, Lincoln L.
Sheldon, Joseph W. Stuart, Joseph F. Silver, O. A. Sibley, Joseph A.
vShea, James L. Small w May 18 64, David Small d of wounds May 13
64, Calvin C. Smith, John H. Sprague, John B. Stevens, George W.
Stevens w July 15 64, John Stewart, Harrison Stewart, A. M. Stilphen,
John W. Tarr, Henry Thompson, James F. Thompson, Jesse M.
Troop, Lieut. Melvin C. Wadsworth, Alphonso R. Warren, Charles
M. Warren, Charles N. Ware, Moses A. Ware, Warren Ware, Auguste
Wagner, Charles E. Webster, Frederick L. Wells, Joseph A. White,
David White, Pary R. Winslow, Albert O. Wood, John Wyman, Lieut.
George T. Yeaton, Benjamin Young w July 3 63.
RcadJicU.—\\\ H. H. Adams d Apr. 18 63, Freeland N. Albee w,
George L. Armstrong, Reuben Atwood, George R. Allen, James
Barnes, Milton A. Bean, Edward Beathan, Benjamin B. Brown, Charles
C. Brown w July 18 d at Hilton Head Dec. 5 61, Samuel E. Brown d
Mar. 18 63, Charles H. Bubier, George B. Bodwell, Walter C. Boying-
ton, Charles H. Chapman d Mar. 19 63, William Coakley, Charles B.
Cobb, Lewis E. Clark, Albanus Clough w June 3 64, Francis D. Clough,
John S. Craig, Edwin H. Cram, Charles S. Crowell, Robert M. Cun-
ningham, Capt. Hiram A. Dalton, Charles L. Davenport, Thomas
Devins, George Diplock, William H. Dunham, J. P. Dudley, Orrin C.
Estes, Elnathan S. Fairbanks d July 7 63, Dudley S. Fogg, Enos
Foster w d Sept. 4 63, Francis J. Folsom, Edwin Freeman, John Gal-
vin, Stillman P. Getchell, John W. Gilman w Sept. 30 64, Martin Cod-
ing, Robert Gordon, Daniel E. Gordon, Joel H. B. Goss, George W.
Graves d of wounds, Charles E. Hall, Charles W. Hamlin, Abba C.
Hicks, Henry Holmes, Jonathan Howe, William H. Hunt, Jefferson
D. Hunton, Emery L. Hunton, William H. Hutchins, George W.
Jackson, Noah Jewett 2d, Dennis B. Jewett, Joseph P. Johnson, Moses
king, Frederick S. Knowlton, James M. Ladd d Mar. 7 63, George M.
Lane, Frank Lancaster, William H. F. Libbey, Samuel Lisherness,
John Little, Daniel H. Lovejoy, Frank Manson, Levi Martin, F. R.
McKeen, William Morrill, Frank J. Norton, Charles E. Palmer
152 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Ansel B. Perkins, Nathan Peva, Charles H. Pbilbrick, Henrj^ Pooler,
John Putman, C. V. Putten, A. A. Robertson, William L. Robbins,
Joseph F. Rogers, Michael Russell, Lieut. George A. Russell, Nahum
Q. Sanborn, Thomas Sawtelle, Gustavus Smith, Lucias Smith, Nathan
Smith, Asa V. Starville, Daniel Sullivan, John B. Tarr, Dexter Taylor,
Silas C. Thomas, H. C. Thomas, Ferdinand Tinker jun., Charles H.
Torrey d Apr. 28 65, James Turner, George H. Waugh, Lewis Web-
ber, Nathan Wentworth, John M. Williams, George R. Williams,
Leonard L. Wing, Thomas J. Woodworth, Eben H. Wing, Horace G.
Yeaton.
Rome. — Benjamin Austin, Arthur E. Charles, Benjamin F. Charles
w at Gettysburg 63, William H. Cook, Lorenzo Cookson, George H.
Cunningham, Moses Cunningham, William Dinnon, Hartley Rasters,
Frederick Z. Eaton, Charles Edwards, James H. Erskine, George Fair-
banks, George E. Fifield, Ebenezer Foss d Jan. 1 63, William H. Foss,
Levi Gorden, John McGraw, Ira Hammon, Charles Hunnan, David
AL Kelley, Otis B. Kelley, John Loftus, Joseph P. Littlefield, Edward
L. Martin d Mar. 3 63, Mark McLaughlin, Abram L Meader, William
H. Merrow, William Meyor, Baxter C. Moshier, Charles R. Moshier,
George Mo.shier jun., Israel Moshier, William Moshier, Abram H.
Mundy, Albert Page, Andrew C. Perkins, Flezekiah S. Perkins, Rob-
ert Perkins, Robert A. Ripley, Edward A. Robbins, Emons Robinson,
John F. Robinson, Isaiah M. Sawtelle, Levi E. Stevens, Samuel I.
Stevens, Charles Taylor, William Thomas, Edward Thompson, Henry
Turner, William H. Ward jun., Moses Warren, Increase E. Watson.
Sidney. — Henry A. Annis, AVilliam A. Arnold, Charles E. Avery w
and p May 5 64, Artemus R. Bacon, Charles H. Bartlett, William H.
Bean w May 27 63, William Bennett, Thomas S. Benson, Hartson M.
Bragg, Austin Bragg, George B. Brown, William M. Burgess, Charles
Butler, Edward Butler, Frank Butler, Alfred L. Burgess d July 4 63,
Ephraim L. Chamberlain, Enoch S. Chase, Lieut. Martin V. B. Chase,
Lorenzo D. Clark d Oct. 8 63, George A. Clark, Franklin L. Connor,
Amasa L. Cook, Benjamin T. Curtis d Aug. 5 63, Jedediah Cronkhite,
Thomas J. Cunningham, Henry C. Davenport d May 6 63, Roscoe G.
Davenport d Feb. 27 63. Charles H. Davis, Andrew Denifer, John
Dexteeter, Benjamin F. Dow, Henry J. Dyer d on transport Oct. 12 64,
Sullivan Ellis, William Ellis, Patrick Falney, Eben M. Field, AlbusT.
Field, Jo.seph F. Field, Eben M. Field, Timothy R. French w June 3
64, Mark Frost, Joseph A. Gray, Horace Hall, Henry A. Hallett, Q. M.
John Ham, Enoch B. Hamlin, Albert H. Hallett, Simon C. Hasting."--,
H. W. D. Hayward, William W. Hersom, Melville Irish, John Kelley,
Harvey M. Leighton, Granville B. Libby, Joseph M. Lincoln, Samuel S.
Longley, Sewall Lovejoy w May 6 64, David Low, David A. Low, John
Mahon, Fred FI. Mann k June 3 64, James S. Marble p May 10 63, Darius
Meader, Daniel McLaughlin, John McLaughlin, John McRay, Winslow
MILITARY HISTORY 153
H. Mclntire d of wounds June 15 61, Charles H. Nason d Aug. 1 64,
Hiram B. Nichols, Thomas M. Packard, David O. Parks, Henry R.
Perkins, Mulford B. Reynolds p June 24 64, William H. Reynolds,
George M. Reynolds w, Asa Robbins d Sept. 22 64, Hiram Robinson,
George W. Rollins, Joseph Royal, Edward B. Sanderson, Charles W.
Sanderson d of wounds June IS 64, Charles E. Sawtelle, Justine A.
Sawtello, Samuel W. Scofield, Charles Sherman d Mar. 24 63, A. B.
Sibley, Augustine Smiley d at Stevensburgh Va. Jan. 5 64, Eben
Springer, George E. Staples, Jeremiah C. Stephens, Daniel Sughire,
Jethro H. Sweat w May 16 64, William H. Stewart, Leavitt Thayer,
James W. Vanwart, Silas N. Wait, George W^hitney, Alexander Wil-
son, Richard W. Withee, Alonzo Wixon d Aug. 27 63, Edward Wixon,
Vernal A. Woodcock, Adj. Joseph T. Woodward.
Unity Plantation. — Orison T. Brown, George W. Flagg, Sicard
Felix, George A. Hanson, Elisha Libby, Joseph McClure, William A.
Powers.
Vassalboro. — Benjamin Adams, Peter Aikin d in hospital Nov. 13
65, George J. Allen, George E. Allen, James U. Atwood, Charles L.
Austin, William A. Austin w Mar. 27 63, Stilman G. Bailey d Nov. 24
62, George Baker, George Baldwin, George W. Barnes, Lieut. Edwin
C. Barrows, Charles Baxter, Isaac F. Bourne, Oliver Brackett, Joseph
O. Bragg, Robert C. Bragg, Lewis Bragg, Jefferson D. Bragg, Robert
C. Brann, Hiram N. Brann, Frederick Bridge, Benjamin Bubier, C. D.
Bubier, Ambrose Burgess d Dec. 26 62, Antome Cady, Michael Cain,
Darius Cain, James R. Carney, Henry F. Chadwick, Samuel Chute,-
Edwin W. Clark, George W. Clififord, Robert Cole, Edmund G. Cole-
man, Charles E. Collins, William E. Cox, Charles S. Crowell, John
Dalton, Albert F. Day, H. G. Dickey, Samuel K. Doe, Lewis B. Doe
accidentally k Jan. 4 63, James R. Eaton, John Emerson, James S.
Emery, William English, Redford M. Estes, John H. Estes w July 2
63. Gustavus K. Estes k Oct. 27 63, William D. Ewes, H. A. Ewes w
July 1 64, George W. Fairfield, Orrin Farnham, Lorenzo Farrington,
Elbridge C. Fassettd July 12 63, Andrew Flanigan, Thomas Flanigan,
John H. Frazier, Charles A. Freeman, John M. Fogg, Willard O. Fogg,
Robert M. Fossett d Oct. 25 62,- Joseph E. Fossett, Norman H. Fossett,
James Footman, George H. Gardner, Henry W. Gardner, Joseph C.
Gardiner, Abraham Gorow, Eliheu Getchell, Van T. Gilbert, Charles
Gibson win action May 27 63, Joseph A. Glazier, E. R. GofT, Lawrence
Griffin, Rishworth Gray, Henry A. Hamilton, Charles L. Hamlin w at
Gettysburg 63, James H. Handy d Apr. 17 63, John Hart, iMichael Har-
mon, Edwin P. Hatch w, Michael J. Hanlin, William P. Hawes, G.
Hayford, Henry Heath, Charles H. Holt, Stephen A. Hoyt p July 1 63,
C. W. Hussey, Isaac Hussey, George H. Hussy k in action May 12 64,
Waterman T. Hutchins, John F. Irving d May 18 63, James W. Irv-
ing, Preston B. Jones, R. F. Jordan, William Keaton, William Keefe,
154 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Robert J. Kitchen d Sept. 30 64, L. R. Lambard, Samuel R. Latte.
Wardman Littlefield, Ezra B. Lord, Prescott M. Lord, George M. Luf-
kins, H. W. Lyon, Lieut. Thomas A. Maxfield, John McCormick w in
head at Manassa.s, William McCormick, Fred E. Mellen, Shepherd H.
Marrow, James McGuin, Horace S. Mills p Apr. 1 65, Albion B. Mills
d of wounds Aug. 7 63, Jacob N. McKay p May 2 63 w, Artemas Mc-
Kay, Robert McMahon, Peter McNalley, Simon Morrison, Charles A.
Morse w 63, Thomas Moody, Alexander Murrey, Daniel Nicholas,
James Nicholas, John Olson. Joseph P. Phillips, James Phillips,
Frank W. Pierce, Greenlief Pillsbury, John T. Pratt, Albert H.
Pratt, Orrin Prebble, H. F. Priest k at Gettysburg July 1 68, Edward
A. Priest d at New Orleans Mar. 7 65, James S. Priest, N. P. Randall,
William Reed, John Regan, F. T. Reynolds, Orson F. Richardson
d Oct. 62, Edward Rice, Reuben F. Robbins, Oliver P. Robbins,
Harlan P. Robbins, Lieut. Henry H. Robbins, Albert F. Roberts,
George W. Sabin, Isaiah C. Sabins, Varnum B. Saulsbury, Charles H.
Savage, Warren Sennett,Warren vSeward p from Aug. 18 64 to Mar. 65,
Charles F. Shaw, Edmund R. Shaw d of wounds Apr. 24 64, G. F.
Shaw, Eugene Shaw, George Shaw, Charles W. Shaw, Walter B. Shaw
w May 12 64, Melville B. Sherman d Apr. 9 63, Charles Simpson, Rob-
bert H. Sinclair, Lieut. Bradford W. Smart, Robert Smart, Sylvester
Smart, Wilbur F. Snow d of wounds June 1 64, W. M. Starkey d Mar.
13 63, AVilliam R. Starkey, Samuel J. Starkey, Alonzo Stillings, Charles
Sullivan, William Sweeney, Frank P. Taber d at Warrenton, William
• F. Taber, Charles F. Tarbell k in action May 27 68, C. W. Taylor, John
Tibbetts p Sept. 16 64, AVilliam W. Tibbetts, C. E. Tobey, Warren H.
Tobey, Jo.siah Totten, AVilliam LTowne, J. M. Underwood, George H.
AValdron d Apr. 15 68, George AA'. AVard, Henry AA'are, Edwin A.War-
ren, A. S. AA'ebber, Gustavus H. AA^ebber w in action 63, A^irgil H.AA^eb-
ber k at Gettysburg July 1 63, Charles E. Webber d Apr. 4 63, Ben-
jamin Weeks, William AVhite, James D. White, Hollis M. White,
Henry W. White, George C. Wentworth, Edwin A. Wentworth, Frank-
lin Wentworth d Feb. 6 64, AA^illiam AA'entworth, George H. AVilley,
Samuel W. Wood, Jacob H. Woodsum w May 27 63, Ed. E. Worth,
Francis Worth d at Washington Jan. 14 64, Benjamin F. Worth w
Aug. 18 64.
Fz>;/;/rt.— Robert Baldwin, George AA^ Barker, Isaac A. Bent, James
H. Bean, Leonard Bean, John Brown, Orlando Brown, Rice Brown,
George W. Briggs, Charles S. Bunker, Jonathan Burgess, Nahum Cole,
Jo.seph O. Colley, Valentine S. Cumner, Almon Cunningham, Edward
E. Davis, Henry E. Dexter p July 1 68, Lendall C. Davis, Emulus M.
Dearborn, Calvin H. C. Dearborn, Henry F. Dowst, John Alanson
Dowst w May 19 64, Selden M. Dowst, vSewall Dolloff, Samuel D. Eaton,
Frank Fairbanks, Josiah M. Fellows, Freeman C. Foss, Asst. Surg.
Stillman P.Getchell, Dennis Grover d Nov. 20 62, Noah Hoyt, Upham
MILITARY HISTORY. 155
A. Hoyt, Isaac M. Hutchins, George R. Ireland. John F.Johnson, Fred
A. H. Jones, Silas R. Kidder, Samuel W. Kimball, Charles W. Kim-
ball, Charles Ladd, Anthony W. Little, George Lord, Arno Little,
Ethan Little, Eugene E. Mooers, John Augustus Morrill, John Morrill,
Nathaniel B. Moulton, Charles L. Nichols, Charles E. Philbrick d in
prison Dec. 28 64, James A. Pettengall, Augustus F. Smart, George A.
Smith w May 6 64, Ephraim M. Tibbetts, Llewellyn Tozier, Daniel
Tozier, Marcellus Wells, Alvah Whittier. Emulus F. Whittier, Fred
M. Whittier, Henry Whittier, Howard Whittier, John Almon Whit-
tier, Perley Whittier, Reuben D. Whittier, Charles H. Wight, Martin
V. B. Williamson, Richard H. Wills, John R. Witham d in hospital
July 3 65.
IVaf^rviUf. —ChcLTles Abear, Manley Allen, George E. Alexander,
Leroy Atkinson, John Avery, Col. Isaac S. Bangs, Charles Bacon, An-
drew J. Basford, John H. Bacon, Alexander Bailey, John W. Barnes,
John H. Bates, William Bates k at Gettysburg July 1 63, Nelson G.
Bartlett, Portal M. Black, John Blair, Charles H. Blackstone, Daniel
Black.stone, Capt. William E. Brooks, George C. Blackstone, William
Blalentine w, Bennett Bickford, Cyrus Bickford, Hiram Billings, Asst.
Surg. Frank Bodfish, Warren Boothby, Henry H.Bowden, Lieut. Mar-
tin T. V. Bowman, Orrin Bracket, Elisha R. Branch, Milton H. Branch,
James Brown, William W. Brown, John Bubier p, Levi Bushy, George
H. Bryant, Charles M. Branch, John G. Calder, Joseph Cary, Henry A.
Chandler, George Chase, Isaac Check, Albert M. Clark, Charles H.
Clark, Selden I. CliiTord, Augustus Campbell, Moses W. Cook w at
Gettysburg July 1 63, Andrew Cookran, Alonzo Copp, Lieut. William
H. Copp, John H. Caruth, Prentice M. Cousins, Levi Coyonette, Carl-
ton Cress, Charles E. Cross, Joseph Cross, Francis M. Cunningham,
Walter L. Cummings, Arba S. Davis, Daniel B. Davis, Octavus A. Davis
p Sept. 16 64 d in prison Nov. 14 64, George H. Dearborn, Thomas
Dearborn, George Delaware, William H. Dewolfe, Henry A. Dore,
Levi A. Dow, George H. Downs, Nelson Drake, Frank Dusty w May
12 64, Hadley P. Dyer w May 27 63, James A. Dyer, Luther Ellis w
June 6 64, Paul Enwan w Apr. 23 64, Stephen Ellis, Sullivan Ellis,
Francis H. Emery, Leander H. Evans, Nathaniel S. Emery, William
H. Farnham, Lieut. C. A. Farrington d of wounds June 27 64, Dennis
M. Foster, Dudley C. Frazier, George B. Frezzille, Henry W. Frost,
Franklin Q. Fuller, Moses H. Gallefer p Sept. 16 64, John Garland w
May 17 63, George Garney, Ezekiel Gerald, Lieut. George C. Getchell,
J. F. Gibbs, George R. Gleason, Russell Gleason, Albert J. Gray, Jo-
seph Greene, Lieut. Alonzo Goff, Daniel F. Goodwin, John F. Good-
win, Lieut. Foster D. Goodrich, George Cormier, Charles W. Mc-
Guyer. William H. Ham d Nov. 25 64, Fred C. Hatch, Joseph H.
Hatch, Wilson Hawes, Thomas G. Herbert, Milford Hersom, Samuel
T. Hersom, William H. Hersom, Albert H. Higgins, George Hill,
156 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Frank E. Hitchings, Hiram Horn w Oct. 10 64, Llewellyn Horn, David
F. Houghton, Lieut. John H. Hubbard w in action May 27 63, Lieut
George W. Hubbard, Henry C. James, Frank Jilcott, George J. Jones
Sidney Keith, John King, John J. Kirby, Sylvanus Knox, William
Knox, Chap. Henry C. Leonard, Capt. Addison W. Lewis, Lieut. Ed
ward C. Leon 2d, David J. Lewis, Henry H. Libby, Charles W
Louden, William Love, Charles W. Low w, William H. Low
Frank B. Lowe, A. M. Lowell, Charles F. Lyford d Dec. 14 62
James M. Lyford p July 1 63, William Henry Macartney, Joseph
Marshall, Daniel E. Martin. Hugh McDonald, Deugald McDonald
Harrison Merchant, Charles W. Merrill, Daniel McNeal, John McGil
vey, Timothy McLaughlin w Feb. 6 64, Daniel Magrath, John Morri
son. Earnest Morton, Francis B. Mosher, Madison Mosher, George
Mayers jun., Charles D. Murphy, Joseph Murrey, Lewis Murrey, George
E. Muzzey, George E. Muzzey, William H. Newland, Frank H. Oliver,
Ezekiel Page, Benjamin Parker, John H. Parker w July 27 64, Orlando
I. Pattee, John M. Peave}', Charles H. Penney, Everett A. Penney, Ira
D. Penney d in rebel prison Jan. 10 65, Williain H. Penney d at New
Orleans Mar. 5 64, James L. Perkins, Howard Perkins, Richard Par-
ley, Charles Perry, George Perry, George Pierce, Lieut. Andrew Pink-
ham, Edwin Plummer, John H. Plummer, Ephraim Pooler, Joseph
Pooler d July 14 64, Andrew H. Porter, John Porter, Edmon E. Pres-
cott, Peter Preo, Alexander W. Pulcifer, Clement Ouimby, George
Ranco, William Rankins, Lorenzo D. Ray, Robert Rey, Joseph Rich-
ards, Moses Ring, John Roderick, David Rowan, Ervin J. Rogers, Ad-
dison H. Rowe, Joseph Sands, Capt. George S. Scammon, Stephen D.
Savage w May 6 64, James A. Sawyer, Edgar Scates w Sept. 30 64 d
June 3 65, William J. Sharp, Resolve Shaw, Alfred .Shepherd, Elbridge
Shepherd, Richard A. Shepherd k at battle of the Wilderness May 6
64, Lieut. Charles R. Shorey, Albert R. Smiley, Charles N. Smiley,
Allen Smith, James T. Smith d Nov. 29 62, John M. Smart, Martin B.
Soule w, Josiah Scule d June 6 65, Cyrus Southards, Nathan F. Spauldin,
Edwin C. Stevens k Aug. 18 64, George E. Stevens, William H. Stev-
ens, William D. Stevens, Capt. William A. Stevens, Charles H. Stew-
art, Nathan M. Sturtevant, Reward A. Sturtevant, Martin Tallows k
Oct. 8 64, Vedar Tashus, Got Teatlip, George Teatlip, Adin B. Thayer
p 64, George S. Thing, David T. Thomas, John P. H. Thomas, James
Thompson, James H. Thorn, Samuel J. Thayer, Albert F. Tozier,
Henry M. Tozier, Capt. Henry E. Tozier k Dec. 10 64, Walter N.
Tozier w Apr. 9 64 d in hands of enemy Apr. 14 64, George C. Tracy,
Alexander Trask, Elbridge Trask, Thomas E. Treson, Levi Vique,
James Wade, N. A. Ware, Andrew P. Watson, James H. Webb, James
B. Welch, Moses A. Welch, David Woodbury, James O. West w May
12 64 d May 23 64, Howard W. Wells w at Fredericksburg, John C,
Willey, George A. Wilson, Henry Wingate, Hiram C. Winslow, An-
MILITARY HISTORY. 157
drew J. Williams, Albert B. Witham, William W. Wyman d of wounds
June 1 63, Hiram Wyman, Hiram R. Wyman, Increase Wyman,
Eugene H. Young.
Wajnie.— Samuel W. Adams, Paschal B. Allen, Thomas J. Bartlett,
Benjamin F. Berry, Square F. Bishop, Josiah M. Bishop d Nov. 2 64,
James Boutin, David L. Boyle, Orison S. Brown, Freeman W. Bun-
nell, James H. Carson, Martin Cassey, James Colkins, Thomas Clark,
Charles M. Connor, Othna Crosby, Francis M. Cumner, Edmund F.
Davis, James Davis, Patrick McDermott, Edward G. Dexter, George
M. Dexter, Henry A. Dexter, Nathan P. Downing, Sidney F. Down-
ing, Lieut. Henry N. Fairbanks w Apr. 28 64, 0. M. O. A. Fillebrown,
John Forrester, Levi F. Foss d Jan. 12 65, William H. H. Foss, Albion
B. Frost, Lieut. Clarence C. Frost, David G. Fro.st, Charles Hall, Lieut.
George W. Hall, Edwin W. Harrington, Michael Hart, Chauncy Hig-
gins, William H. House, F. A. Hutchinson d Dec. 24 64, Seth W. Jen-
nings, William H. Johnson, William Jones, Cyrus Keller, James Kel-
ley, Elijah Knapp, Davis E. Lane, Daniel Lothrop. Charles M. Love-
joy w 64, George G. Luce, John Maguire, Andrew J. Maxim d Nov. 18
62, Benjamin F. Maxim, Daniel H. Maxim, Charles H. McNear, James
Murphy, Solomon A. Nelke, Capt. Grafton Norris, George O. Norris,
Augustus Parlin, Joseph A. Penley, Sewell Pettingill, Adelbert Pratt,
William W. Pratt, Elias H. Raymond, John S. Raymond, John R.
Raymond, Russell F. Reynolds, Charles V. Richards, E. K. Richard-
son, Abington H. Ridley, John P. R. Sleeper, Elhanan Smith, Lieut.
Joseph O. Smith, Orrin A. SnoM% John L. Spear d Dec. 29 64, James B.
Stetson, George S^ Sturtevant, Valmore Sturtevant, William V. Sturte-
vant, Cleveland Swift, Millard F. Thing, Henry W^ Towns, James O.
Trask, John E. Welch, William Wilson, Charles E. Wing, Leonard L.
Wing d in hospital at New Orleans, Llewellyn T. Wing, Lewis H.
Wing k before Petersburg Sept. 11 64, William A. Young w June 2 64.
IVfst Gardu/t-r.—Anhuv B. Andrews, Hiram Babb, Jonathan C.
Bartlett, Charles H. Bailey, John Blanchard jun., Lieut. Alfred G.
Brann, Calvin N. Brann, John E. Brann w May 6 64, David Campbell,
F. A. Chesley, Daniel M. Cole d July 30 63, Charles O. Crosby d Aug.
12 64 at New Orleans, Allen T. C. Crowell, William H. Crosby, R.
Cunningham, James A. Cunningham. Oliver L. Dennison, Charles E.
Dillingham, Charles H. Dill, John Edgecomb, A. K. P. Edwards, Wil-
liam W. Eslar, Benjamin F. Fairbanks, Edwin Fairbanks, William H.
Fairbanks, George S. Fogg, W. Forrest, George W. Fuller, Gustavus
Fuller, Gardiner H. Fuller, George W. Garland, Hannibal George,
Alfred Grover w June 2 63, George E. Grover, Lester Guilford k Feb.
64, Charles E. Howard, David H. Haines, Hiram Haines, William F.
Haines, Robert G. Hildreth d 63, John T. Hatch, William H. Jewett,
Charles O. Knox, August Kuehew, James Marston, George E. McCaus-
land d July 28 63, Charles H. Merrill, F. L. Merrill w 64, M. A. Morse,,
158 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
James A. Mosher, Joseph H. Neal, George W. Newell, George
Newell, vSimon Nudd, William Parker, Dexter W. Page, Jacob Page w
at Antietam, Charles W. Patterson, Solomon E. Peach w 64, Edward
Peacock jun., Solomon Peacock, Thomas A. Pinkham, Augustus B.
Plummer, Ansel L. Potter, Emerald M. Potter, Simeon Potter, John
A. Potter, Rosco H. Potter, George F. Reed, James W. Robinson,
James Robinson, Gardiner Roberts jun., George A. W. Rooker, George
Ross, Alonzo Sampson, Elisha P. Seavey, Hubbard C. Smith, Charles
Small, Lieut. Oliver R. Small, Alvin Spear, Charles A. Spear, Franklin
Spear d Feb. 4 63, John A. Spear, John Spear 2d, John A. Spear,
Joseph M. Spear, Joseph F. Spear w Feb. 6 64, Justin F. Spear, Milton
C. Spear, Richard H. Spear k June 23 64, Gardiner Todd, Joseph Traf-
ton, Edward W. Wakefield d of disease, Tene Wendenburg, A. W.
Whittier, Elbridge E. Whittier, Nickolas Williams.
Wmdsor.— Charles H. Ashford, Homer P. Barton, Charles H. Bar-
ton, Eloin C. Barker d of disease at Alexandria Va., Reuben W.
Brown, Abram Bryant, Frank U. Butler, Charles J. Carroll d July 10
63, Freeman Casey, Abram Choat, Henry B. Coombs, Warren H.
Colby, Decator S. Chapman d May 28 63, Elbridge B. F. Colby, Joseph
Carver, Thomas M. Clark, George G. Colby, George W. Craige, Albert
N. Craige, George W. Chapman k May 6 64, A. C. Davis, William H.
Dearborn d May 8 63, Moses J. Donnell, George F. Doe d of wounds
received Aug. 25 64, Yeaton Dunton, James W. Dackendoff, Laforest
Dunton d Feb. 26 63, George Duval, James M. Evens, Charles E. For-
saith, Stephen L. French, Charles F. French, George H. French,
James Garrity, Maddison T. Glidden, Granville Coding, John W. S.
Gould, Alonzo E. Gove, Elias Gove, Elijah S. Grant, Nathaniel N.
Gray, Capt. John Goldthwait, Daniel Hallowell, John Hallowell jun.,
William Hallowell, David D. Hanson, William H. Harriman w Aug.
23 64, William H. Hilton, Charles A. Hilton, John Hutcherson, Daniel
W. Hutcherson, John B. Hunt, Ira B. Hyson, John F. Hyson, Jeremy
D. Hyson, Daniel L. Jackson, John Johnson, Daniel H. Jones, Benja-
min R. Jones, William G. Keen, James W. Kendall, William Laskey,
Edward H. Leach, Franklin P. Lewis, Marcelous C. Lynn, John Lynch
d Mar. 17 63„ Andrew K. Maguire, Erastus Marr, George L. Marson,
John Martin, Charles H. Maxwell w May 20 64, George W. McDonnel,
Leonard H. Merrill, Melvin A. Merrill, Enoch Merrill, George W.
Merrill k in action May 6 64, Abram Merrill, James F. Merrill, Isaac
N. Marsh, George R. Mitchell, Benjamin H. Moody, Appleton Mer-
rill, John McPherson, Daniel McDickens, Andrew J. Murch, John B.
Murray, James O'Brien, James O'Donnell, William H. Peva w Aug. 16
64, Nathan R. Peavey, Fred C. Perkins, Lieut. Warren H. Pierce, Al-
phonzo Pierce d Nov. 64, Isaiah H. Pierce d of wounds received May
18 64, Everts P. Plummer, David Potter, William F. Proctor, Sumner
B. Proctor, Samuel Reeves, Charles A. Reynolds, Timothy W. Rey-
MILITARY HISTORY. 159
nolds, Roswell Richardson, Jasper Robinson, William Russell, David
O. Sawtell, John Simmons, Rockwell Scribner, William H. Seekins k
May 27 63, Frank Smith, John Smith, James Stanley. Nathaniel W.
Stetson jun., Levi W. Sterns, Joseph A. Stewart, Samuel S. Thompson,
James B. Tobin, Stephen Trask d Sept. 25 63, Ruel W. Trask, John
Tye, Marcelous Vining, Granville B. Warren d Aug. 3 63, Charles
Watson d Oct. 64, Charles O. Watson, L. H. Whitehouse, John Q.
Wentworth, Andrew F. White, James S. Wingate, Lieut. Frederick
D. Wight, Luther Witham, George P. Wyman, Reuben Vining.
U'iHs/ou'.— Ashman Abbott d Apr. 16 63, Edward S. Abbott d Apr.
17 63, Stephen H. iVbbott, Daniel B. Abbott, Albert A. Abbott, Mel-
ville C. Blackwell, Samuel M. Bragg, Joseph Brown, William Brown,
Lemuel Bubier, Eben A. Brook, Daniel Burgess, Charles M. Bryant,
Orin Burgess, Alfred H. Buchard, William Cohoon, Charles A. Cole-
man, George W. Cushman, J. S. Dodge, Alfred T. Dunbar, Benjamin
F. Dunbar d of wounds June 14 63, Capt. Joseph Eaton jun., Albert
Ellis, Henry Ellis, Henry W. Ellis, John R. Flagg.William H. Flagg, D.
French, Lieut. Charles P. Garland, Capt. Joseph P. Garland, Henry W.
Getchell, Adelbert M. Gray, Leonard Goodrich, George E. Gullifer, Wil-
liam Gullifer, Henry A. Hamlin, John Harris, Charles Hollis, Ira D.
Hodges, George W. Hodges d May 3 63, Francis D. Hodges, Josiah D.
Houston. William A. Keag, Albert S. Kelley, Frederick King, Edward
Lynch, Charles E. Low, Sumner Merrill, James Moony, George P.
Morrill, Albert A. Morrill, Isaac Morrill, Addi.son Morrill, Frank E.
Nelson, Oscar W. Nichols d in pri.son, L. W. Packard, Ambro.se H.
Palmer jun., John Palmer k Feb. 4 65, William T. Patridge, George
W. Pillsbury, Hiram S. Pollard, Charles Pillsbury, Albert Plummer,
John R. Pollard, Charles Pollard, George A. Pollard p Oct. 19 64, John
R. Pollard, Homer Proctor, David O. Preast, William T. Preble, John
T. Preble, Albert Plummer, Hanes C. Quimby, Ansel P. Rankin,
Thomas G. Rice, Elmerin W. Richards, Seth M. Richard.son, Alex. A.
Richardson, Edward B. Richardson, Francis E. Robinson d Sept. 16 64,
Zenas M. vShaw, Winthrop Shurland w June 18 64. Winthrop Shurland,
Hollis Simpson, Albert R. Smiley, Ellis Smiley, Charles E. Smiley,
Isaac Sanborn, Albert Southard, Theodore M. Southard, George L.
Spaulding. Henry Spaulding. John W. Storkey. Howard H. Taylor,
AVilliam Taylor k at Gettysburg 63, Richard W. Underwood. John F.
Walker, Charles E. Washborn, John B. Wheeler, Howard R. Wilson,
John S. Wilson d of wounds Nov. 13 64, Albert Withee, Bradley B.
Withee. John Withee. William F. Wood k May 6 64, John P. Wyman.
lVi/i//{ro/>.— Ruel D. Allen, John L. Armstrong w May 6 64, Willard
S. Axtelle w May 5 64, George A. Batchelder d July 20 65, Roswell D.
Bates, Asst. Surg. John F. Bates, William H. Bates, Frank Beal, George
W.Beal, Watson C. Beals. William H. Beny, Samuel D. Besse, William
Bird, Darius Blanchard, Benjamin A. Bragdon, William Breckler,
160 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
Henry F. Bridgham, Franklin S. Briggs d Aug. 3 63 in hospital, James
M. Brown, Sewall M. Bubier, Andrew J. Burgess, Benjamin F. Bur-
gess, Roswell Burgess, Jacob T. Byron, Josiah B. Byron, Joseph H.
Caulfield, Solomon B. Gates, Albert Chandler d of wounds July 1 64,
Charles H. Chandler, Charles W. Chandler, Charles A. Chandler d of
wounds July 2 64, Enoch S. Chase, Samuel G. Chandler w July 2 63,
Edgar U. Churchill, Isaiah M. Cookson, Samuel B. Coombs, Eli N.
Cookson, Josiah L. Cobb, Thomas Connor, Charles E. Cottle, Reuben
H. Crosby w, John F. Cummings d of disease Aug. 4 63, Thomas M.
Daniels, Calvin Dearborn, Charles H. Dearborn, Thomas Dealy,
Harry Dickey, Frank S. Dwyer, John Dyer, Josiah N. Eastman, Lieut.
William Elder, William H. Emery, Joseph W. Esty, David Farr, Mel-
ville N. Freeman, William F. Frost, David P. Freeman, Lieut. John
F. Gaslin, Bethuel P. Gould, Rufus H. Gould, John C. Gaslin, Samuel
M. Gilley, Apollos Hammon d Sept. 29 64 at New Orleans, Samuel
Hanson, William H. House, Joseph A. Hall, Stephen P. Hart, Charles
W. Heaton, AVillard C. Hopkins. George Howard, Henry A. Howard,
John L. Hutch, Samuel Jackson, David D. Jones, John A.Jones, John
W. Jones, Lennan F. Jones, William H. Jones d of disease Apr. 1 64,
Shepherd H. Joy, William DeForest Kelley, John O. Lawrence d,
Henry S. Lane, Edward N. Leavitt, George W. Leavitt, James W.
Leighton, Lewis R. Litchfield, S. W. Lovell, Edwin Ladd, Charles H..
Longfellow. Augustine R. Lord, John E. Lowell, Lieut. Daniel
Lothrop, Nelson H. Martin, Albert Moore jun., George H. Morton,
Alden F. Murch, Roy P. Moody, George W. Nash, Henry O. Nicker-
son, James Nickerson, Owen St. C. O'Brien, Thomas A. Osborn, Ho-
ratio M. Packard, Isaac N. Packard, Thomas M. Packard, Andrew P.
Perkins, Benjamin C. Powers, George Perkins, William H. Pettengill
w May 12 64, John Pettengill, Winfield S. Philbrick, Silas Perry d July
24 64, Elias Pullen, George F. Rankin, James M. Robinson, John Rob-
bins, Jacob Savage, John Shea, Enoch H. Skillings, Benjamin B.
Smith, George L. Smith d at Annapolis Oct. 28 64, Harrison N. Smith
d July 16 65, Frank W. Stanley, Henry H.Stevens, J. Wesley Stevens,
Lorenzo D. Stevens d July 26 6o, Daniel W. Stevens, Capt. E. Lewis
Sturtevant, Hiram H. Stilkey, Newell Sturtevant, Josiah Snell, Aaron
S. Thurston, Stephen A. Thurston, Charles A. Thompson, Gustavus
A. Thompson, Frank B. Towle, Henry F. Tilton, Joseph A. Toby,
Joel W. Toothaker, Charles L. Towle jun. d in service, Edwin F.
Towns, William P. Varney, Isaac W. Wardwell, Dura Weston, Isaac
Watts d Oct. 20 65, Sullivan R. Whitney, Edward P. Whiting, George
W.Williams, George W. Wing, Henry O. Wing, Hubbard R. Wing d
Sept. 1 64, Thomas F. Wing, Henry D. Winter. Elias Wood, Franklin
Wood, George W.Wood, Amaziah Young d Aug. 14 64, John F. Young.
Records had been kept showing the bounties paid by the respective
towns to promote these later enlistments, to employ substitutes and.
MILITARY HISTORY. 1 Cil
to relieve their citizens who were drafted. The total disbursements
for these purposes, and the amounts refunded to the several munici-
palities from the state bonds were as follows:
Albion paid, $21,265.00 received, $8,033.33
Augusta " 100,456.00 " 44,466.07
Belgrade " 43,080.00 " 9,041 .67
Benton " 26,575.72 " 5,775.00
Chelsea " 11,266.05 " 4,441.67
China " 47,735.34 " 12,708.33
Clinton " 40,625.00 " 10,175.00
Farmingdale " 14,966.19 " 3,641.67
Fayette " 16,920.00 " 4,966.67
Gardiner " 65,070.53 " 23,108.33
Hallowell " 16,421 .00 " 7,808.33
Litchfield " 24,860.00 '• 9,158.33
Manchester " 12,330.00 " 3,408.33
Monmouth " 32,950.00 " 9,216.67
Mt. Vernon " 27,650.00 " 9,258.33
Oakland " "
Pittston " 33,939.14 " 11,208.33
Randolph " "
Readfield " 40,003.00 " 8,008.33
Rome " 25,675.00 " 3,666.67
Sidney " 30,039.00 " 8,183.33
Vassalboro " 73,100.00 " 14,750.00
Vienna " 15,557.44 " 4,213.33
Waterville " 68,016.00 " 19,888.33
Wayne " 22,280.00 " 6,091.66
West Gardiner " 22,374.00 " 6,291.67
Windsor " 35,044.00 " 7,925.00
Winslow '• 25,658.00 " 7,375.00
Winthrop " 50,430.00 " 12,350.00
Unity Plantation " 1,850.00 " 291.67
From other sources than Captain Clark's preceding lists we find
some records of soldiers claiming residence in Kennebec county. The
brief record is appended:
A ii^nsta.— Daniel D. Anderson July 18 63, Alden S. Baker w Oct. 19
64, William H. Berry d Aug. 28 64, John F. Brett d July 3 64. Jason
R. Bartlett d in prison 64, Charles F. Bennett k Oct. 19 64, George W.
Bemis d Aug. 63, Brad S. Bodge d of wounds May 8 64, John Bradley
w, Thomas J. Bragg d May 28 64, Joseph Bushea k July 63. Phillips
N. Byron k at Cedar Mt. 62, Henry C. Chandler d Mar. 1 65, Benjamin
F. Colby p Aug. 19 64, Daniel C. Cunningham d Feb. 5 63, Elisha
162 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Cooley w Aug. 18 64, John Curtis d in prison, Lewis E. Clark w
May 20 64, Eugene Cate d Oct. 9 64, William Dewall w June 17 64,
Benjamin Douglas w July 63, Charles A. Davis w Apr. 4 65, Lieut.
James Davidson, Leroy Farrar w June 64, Albert V. French w May 12
64, Seth B. Goodwin p 62, Charles Gannett p July 63, Artemas K. Gil-
ley d July 64, Col. Thomas Hight, Antoine Harrogot w Sept. 64, Rod-
ney C. Harriman d Sept. 64, William H. Hayward k May 16 64, James
A. Jones p 62, Augustus Kachner p, Hiram Kincaid w Sept. 64, Sam-
uel Lisherness d June 64, Virgil G. Lanelle d in pri.son 64, William H.
Lowell d Feb. 65, Thomas B, Lambert p July 63, George ]\IcGraw w
May 10 64, Henry Mullen d Apr. 65, George G. Mills d Nov. 64, Hiram
B. Nichols w Aug. 64, William O. Nichols w Apr. 8 64, John B. Parker
d of wounds May 64, Levi A. Philbrook w May 64, Charles K. Powers
d of wounds July 64, Asa Plummer k May 64, Franklin Perry k May
64, Glenwood C. Pray d Apr. 65, Ezekiel Page w, Lieut. Nathaniel H.
Ricker, William D. Randall w Sept. 64, John Riley k May 64, Charles
W. Richards d Feb. 64, Morrill Rose w May 64, Charles F. Shaw d
Jan. 65, Samuel Stevens w Oct. 64, Edward A. Stewart d May 63,
Henry G. Smith w May 64, Henry Smith p 62, James Shortwell w May
64, William B. Small w June 64, Joseph H.vSpencer d at Andersonville
64, Thomas B. Tolman dof wounds July 64, Henry W. Towns w June
64, Warren D. Trask d 64, Joseph Weaver d Jan. 64, Charles H. War-
ren w, Alonzo S. Weed d in Richmond prison Oct. 63, vStephen Wing
k May 64, Baptiste Willett jun. w 64, Frank Williams w May 64, Capt.
James M. Williams d of wounds June 64.
Albion.— Yr&nV Brown d July 15 63, Chandler Drake d Mar. 62,
Charles Gage w May 64, Lieut. Maxey Hamlin, Warren G. Johnson d
Mar. 62, Edward L. Pray d Mar. 62, Oscar Rollins d Sept. 62, Allen
Shorey d Mar. 63.
Belgrade.— "^Ahridige Bickford w 62, Asa J. Cummings d Mar. 62,
Thomas W. Damon d 64, Elias Freeman d Mar. 24 63, Owen Getchell
d July 64, James A. Lombard w 62, Hiram A. Mills d Oct. 64, Lyman
Maxwell d Nov. 64, William L. Rollins w Oct. 64.
Be?!ton.^A\^)ionzo C. Brown d in hospital 62, Jefferson W. Brown
d Sept. 62, Alvin Gibson p 63, Royale B. Rideout d Oct. 62, James M.
Rideout d Nov. 62, Albert M. Spaulding d Mar. 62.
Chelsea.— y[\\\s O. Chase d Dec. 22 63, Lieut. William O. Tibbetts.
<:/«■««.— Charles W. Allen d Oct. 13 64, Asst. Surg. D. P. Bolster,
Joseph Babin w May 64, John W. Chisam d June 64, William Doe
w 65, Henry A. Hamlin d in prison Aug. 64, William Holmes d Dec.
6], Israel D. Jones d June 63, William F. Priest d Feb. 63, Benjamin
C. Studley p 62, Charles E. Washburn w 64.
Clinton. — George W. Emery d May 65, John Marco k at Fredericks-
burg, John H. Stevens w July 63, Herman P. Sullivan mortally
w Aug. 64, George A. Weymouth k near Richmond Mar. 64, Thomas
MILITARY HISTORY. 163
E. Whitney w d in prison June 04, David H. Whitten d Feb. 65, Elisha
Whitten w 64.
Fartningdalc. — Byron Lowell \v Malvern Hill, William H. Mayo p
Sep:. 64.
Fayette.— ?xa.nQ.\s. J. Folsom w Oct. 64, Charles W. Judkins w 65,
Charles F. Palmer d of wounds May 64.
Gardiner. — George W. Austin w at Gettysburg 63, Arrington Brann
d June 64, Calvin W. Brann d Sept. 64, Lieut. Calvin Boston d July 64
of wounds, George Clough d May 62, Charles A. Douglas w 64, Daniel
Fitzpatrick k June 64, C. W. Gilpatrick d in prison 64, Frank Johnson
w Aug. 64, Charles A. Jordan p 64, Danforth M. Maxcy d Aug. 63,
Barney McGraw p 61, George H. Nason d Aug. 64, Joseph M. Ring d
Dec. 63, Capt. George W. Smith, Capt. Oliver R. Smith, Franklin W.
Swift w 64, John Smith w May 64, James W. Taylor k June 64, George
F. Tyler w 64.
/i^rt/^wr//.— Joseph L. Bailey w Oct. 64, Charles F. Campbell w 64,
James S.Emerson k June 64, Edwin R.Gould k May 63, Lieut. Charles
Glazier, Capt. Samuel L. Gilman, Henry D. Otis d Sept. 64, Joseph
Pinkham d Aug. 64, Lieut. John A. A. Packard, John W. Rodgers d
Jan. 65, Frank Sweetland d 65, George S. Sherborn w July 63,William
F. Sherman d in prison 64.
Litchfield.— Cc^^t. George W. Bartlett, Merton Maxwell d at Alex-
andria Sept. 62, Asst. Surg. Silas C. Thomas.
Manchester. — Josiah H. Mears w 64.
Monmouth. — Loring P. Donnell d Oct. 62, Corp. Lot Sturtevant d of
wounds Apr. 65, Thomas Keenan p Oct. 64.
Mt. Vernon.— Krno Little w Oct. 64, David G. Morrell k May 64.
Pittston.— George H. Blair d July 63, George F. Bliss d July 64, Jo-
seph S. Call k May 64, Lorenzo Cookson w May 64, Reuel M. Heath d
of wounds May 64, Xenophen Heath d Oct. 62, Moses King w May 64,
Warren Maines d of wounds June 64, Warren H. Moores w 64, Lieut.
James G. Rundlette w June 64, Aaron Tucker d April 64.
Readfie/d.— Chap. George C. Crawford, Lewis E. Davis d May 62,
Albert L. Deering w 63, Henry C. Kennison d June 62, Asst. Surg.
Joseph D. Mitchell, Charles H. Robie w May 62, George W. Smith d
Aug. 64.
Rome. — Capt. Hiram AL Campbell, Russell Clement w 62, Frank
Fairbanks d Nov. 62, Lieut. Stephen H. Mosher, Joseph Meader k
Oct. 64.
Sidnej'.—Asst. Surg. John S. Gushing, William H. Farnham Mar.
63, Thomas R. Holt mortally w July 64, William H. Hoxie p May 63.
Vienna. — Joseph O. Colley w, Nathaniel F. Dow d July 62, Ben-
jamin F. GrifSn w Aug. 64.
Vassalboro. — Josiah S. Arey d Aug. 64, A.ndrew J. Burgess d Mar.
65, Jeremiah Estes k Sept. 63, Charles H. Gibson k Sept. 64, Edwin
ibi HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
W. Gould w June (14, Joseph H. Header d of wounds July 64, Timothy
Nicholas w May 64, George E. Pishon d 63, Benjamin Weeks k May
64, Osa C. Wyman p 64.
IVtrvj/c. — Rufus Bessee d June 64, Edward P. Bussey d June 64,
Valentine S. Cumner k June 64, Lieut. Clarence E. Frost, Robinson
Sturtevant w and p 64, Thomas B. Wing d July 64.
WaUrviV/c— Davis P. Arba w Sept. 64, Bickford Bennett d May 64,
William Chapman k in battle 64, Hiram Cochrane d Dec. 63, John G.
Gay d Dec. 64, Lieut. Daniel F. Goodrich, Joseph Jerow d in prison 64,
Moses King p 64. Charles Love w 63, Lieut. Frederick Mason w Apr.
65, Euarde Paulette d of wounds July 64, James B. PoUon w and p '64,
Henry Porter d July 64, Albert Quimby d 64, George Robinson k July
64, William A. Stevens k June 64, Joseph D. Simpson k July 68, Ellis
Stephens k May 63.
IVest Gardiner.— GsLTdiner H. Fuller d Sept. 64, George M. Garland
d Sept. 64, Sanford L. Pinkham d June 64, James H. Peacock d Apr.
64, Michael T. Smith d June 63, George W. Tyler d May 63.
Windsor.— Sylvenus T. Hatch p 64, Elias T. Libby w 64, John
Scales p 64.
PVins/ou'.— William F. Good d at Gettysburg 63, Christopher C.
Sanborn d July 62, Hiram Wixon w Mar. 62, George L. Webber d Dec.
63.
/r'V«///r<?/.— Lieut. Charles B. Fillebrown, Franklin M. La Croix d
Jan. 63, John W. Leavett d Mar. 64, Orrin Perkins d June 6 64, Wil-
liam H. Pettingill w May 64, Capt. Albert H. Packard d of wounds
June 64.
It would not be possible, at the present time, to secure a complete
record, nor, probably, a complete list of the sons of Kennebec who
performed their faithful, honest duty in the days of the nation's need.
Many are known to have served in the navy, in the regular army and
in the regiments of other states. The remaining list in this chapter
includes the names of many of these, whose homes had been in the
towns named.
Albion. — Reuben C. Jaquith, William H. Kidder, Augustus Drake,
Alphonso Crosby, George W. Plummer, Crowell Robinson, Horatio
Robinson, George Stratton.
Augusta. — Edward Boston, Ward Burns, Edwin T. Brick, Charles
Goldthwaite, Benjamin A. Swan, Albert E. Snow, Fred O. Fales,
Charles H. Gowen, J. A. Snow, William H. Davenport, Dana Estes,
Henry T. Hall, George Albee, Henry W. Hersom, Lieut. Horace P.
Pike, George Hamlin, Thomas Jones, Charles F. Moore, David Mc-
Farland, Benjamin F. Rust, Jesse Stover, Charles C. Hartwell, William
Place, William W. Lord, James Newman, David Young, A. A. Whit-
temore, Paymaster Augustus H. Gilman, James McGrath, Henry Pond,
MILITARY HISTORY 165
William E. Tobey, Andrew Williamson, Brig. Gen. Seth Williams,
Joseph Wedge, Charles Savage.
Belgrade. — Frank Abbott, George O. Austin, Charles Knox, Lendall
Yeaton, Cyrus Q. Pray, Calvin Weaver, Robert Damon, James H. Dun-
lap, David Titcomb.
Benton. — Hiram Robinson, Charles Preston, Edward Preston, Abi-
jah Brown,
Chelsea. — John F. Camiston, vSamuel Chase, George Booker, Jerome
Cosben.
China. — Dana H. Maxfield, Daniel Norton, Hiram Robinson, Fran-
cis A. Starkey, Edwin Ward, Frank Ward, Francis P. Ward, Jedediah
F. Trask, Sandford Cotton, Wilder W. Mitchell.
Clinton. — Charles Hobbs, Richard Richardson, Roswell Welch.
Farnmigdale . — James T. Hatch, W^illiam R. Hatch, William H.
Higgins, Timothy Higgins. John E. Lombard, Alonzo M. Neal.
Fayette. — James W. Smith, Isaac M. Wentworth.
Gardiner. — Sewall Mitchell, George Merrill, Benjamin Rollins, Au-
gustus Carleton, George E. Donnell, Mason G. Whiting, Charles E.
McDonald, Charles F. Palmer, Charles R. Lowell, Charles W. Rich-
ardson, George W. Richardson, Nathan Willard, Michael Burns, Oliver
Colburn, Hiram E. Davis, Augustus Dixon, Benjamin Lawrence jun.,
Joseph A. Sturtevant, Horace E. Neal.
Hallowell. — John Edson, Dwight Miner jun.
Litchfield.— YldaX-woW Keyes, John H. Keyes, Sylvanus D. Water-
man, Melville A. Cochrane, Arthur L. Allard, Joseph G. Allard, Wil-
liam Henry Baker, Horace L. Smith, James Woodbury.
Manchester. — Henry Winslow, Charles B. Goldthwaite.
Monmouth. — Henry C. Thurston, Jonathan V. Gove, James R. Nor-
ris. Charles H. Ballou.
Mt. Vernon. — Horace O. Blake, Eugene A. Gilman, Orlando V. An-
drews.
/'///i-/w^.— Alfred G. Hanly, Henry Allen, Franklin H. Cole, William
H. Gray, Samuel Gray jun., George W. Stevens, Albion Still, John
Still, Henry V. Thomas, William Warren, L. A. Albee, David B.
Brookings, John P. Hale, John Handren, David McDonald, Sewell
Ramsdell, Isaac D. Seyburn.
Readfield. — Augustus Hutchinson, Roscoe Luce, Horace A. Ma-
comber, George D. Norton.
Rome. — Henry Perkins, Benjamin Tracy 3d.
Sidney. — Anson B. Barton, Henry Kenney, George Sawtelle, Allen
H. Smith, Charles H. Brown, William L. Kelly, Henry W. Brown,
Thomas F. Sanborn.
Vassalboro. — Amory Webber, George A. Emery, James S. Emery,
Frederick A. Hopkins, Walter Phillips, John B. Elliott, Simon B. El-
ibb HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
liott, John B. Stowe, Henry R. Calder, Zachariah B. vStewart, Eugene-
Whitehouse, Henry W. Worth, Harlow D. Weeks.
Watcrville. — Alonzo Copp, John F. Gibbs, .Samuel Haines, Albert
W. Percival, Henry W. Percival, Benjamin C. Allen, Samuel H. Black-
well, John AV. Emery, Samuel D. Emery, John W. Soule.
fFrtj/w.— Lloyd Clark, Charles A. Hall, William H. Holman, Dan-
iel W. True, Williston Jennings.
West Gardiner. — James Whitney.
Windsor. — George W. Jackson, James Noon jun.
Winslow. — Horatio Morse, Edward Shurtleff.
Wintlirop. — Lennan F. Jones, Charles E. Parlin, George W. Parlin,
Lewis K. Littlefield, Moses B. Sears.
General Seth Williams.— Prominent among the many able offi-
cers who rendered valuable service in the war of the late rebellion,
was Brevet Major General Seth Williams, of Augusta.' He was born
at Augusta March 22, 1822; received a military education at West
Point and graduated July 1, 1842; was made second lieutenant of the
First Artillery in 1844 and first lieutenant of the same regiment in
1847. His first service was in the war with Mexico, where he served
with credit as aid-de-camp on the staff of General Patterson and was
brevetted captain April 18, 1847, " for gallant and meritorious con-
duct at the battle of Cerro Gordo." He was appointed adjutant at
West Point in September, 1850, and served three years, having re-
ceived in August, 1853, the appointment of assistant adjutant general,
with the rank of captain, in the Adjutant General's Department at
Washington, and served in that capacity until the breaking out of
the rebellion. In the West Virginia campaign of General McClellan,
in the early part of the war, Captain Williams served as adjutant gen-
eral on his staff. He returned to Washington in July, 1861, and in
Augu.st following was promoted to the rank of major in the regular
army.
In 1861, when General McClellan succeeded General McDowell,
Major Williams was appointed to the position of adjutant general of
the Army of the Potomac, and on September 23, 1861, was commis-
sioned as brigadier general of volunteers. The duties devolving on
him were arduous, calling for .severe application, yet he filled the
position to the entire satisfaction of the several commanders of that
army through the many eventful battles and campaigns until January
12, 1865, when from failing health, though naturally of a vigorous
constitution, he was relieved from this position and assigned to duty
on the staff of General Grant, as acting inspector general of the armies
operating against Petersburg and Richmond. He was ordered to
Savannah and other places in the South on a tour of inspection, but
returned in season to participate in the closing campaign of the war.
MILITARY HISTORY. 167
and had the honor of conducting in part the negotiations for the sur-
render of General Lee's army.
In recognition of the very able services rendered he received the
following promotion.s in the regular service during the war: Lieuten-
ant colonel, July 17, 1862: brevet brigadier and brevet major general,
both bearing date March 13, 1865. His last special service was upon
the commission which convened in Boston in Januar)', 1866, to inves-
tigate the charges made by the Prussian government in relation to
the enlistment of some of its subjects into our army. His last assign-
ment to duty was on the staff of General Meade, as assistant adjutant
general of the Military Division of the Atlantic. Soon after, indica-
tions of a serious disease became manifest and he was conveyed to
Boston for skillful medical treatment, where he died March 23, 1866,
from inflamation of the brain, after an illness of about four weeks.
The distinguished merits of General Williams as an officer, and
his unblemished private character as a man, are already parts of the
warp and woof of our nation's history. It may be truly said of him:
" A braver soldier never couched lance,
A greater heart did never sway in court."
Though unflinching in the discharge of his official duties — how-
ever disagreeable they might prove to others — in his private charac-
ter, when the cares of the camp were laid aside. General Williams was
one of the most lovable of men. He was possessed of a rare charm of
manner, a delicate and discriminating tact, and a never failing court-
esy that drew all hearts to him, and made him as beloved as he was
respected and admired. There is probably not a Union soldier alive
to-day to whom the name of General Seth Williams is unfamiliar, and
certainly there is not one of his intimates whom death has spared, in
whose memory there is not a dear and sacred niche for the noble
spirit who virtually laid down his life in his country's service.
G. A. R. Posts.— Nineteen Grand Army Posts have been organized
in the county during the last quarter of a century. Nearly all of them
are in a fiourLshing condition, if the ravages made by death in the
ranks of the gallant defenders of our country are taken into consid-
eration. The Posts are mentioned here in their numerical order.
Heath Post, No. 6, of Gardiner, dates from November 15, 1867.
They purchased a vacant church in Gardiner and transformed it into
one of the finest Post buildings in the county. The first commander
was Captain Eben D. Haley. His successors have been: Gustavus
Moore, P. H. Cummings, A. B.Andrews, Giles O. Bailey, S. W.Siphers,
Levi Goodwin, M. C. Wadsworth, John S. Towle, Frank B. Williams,
Edwin A. Libby, William Wiley, A. J. Packard, A. J. Hooker, Charles
O. Wadsworth, George H. Harrington, Edwin C. Teague, Edwin E.
Lewis, James Walker, J. R. Peacock, J. W. P. Johnson and A. W. Mc-
Causland.
168 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Seth Williams Post, No. IS,--" was organized July 20, 1872, in the
armory of the Capital Guards in Augusta, with ihe following named
charter members: Selden Connor, Henry Boyuton, B. B. Murray, jun.,
A. L. Smith, S. J. Gallagher, H. M. Pishon, W. B. Lapham, Charles E.
Nash, George E. Nason, F. M. Drew and John D. Myrick. The name
it adopted was in honor of General Seth Williams, of the United
States army. During the early life of the Post its growth was quite
slow, caused doubtless by the unfortunate ending of the O. O. Howard
Post, which had previously had an organization here; but as the real
principles upon which the order rested became more generally under-
stood the increase became much more rapid, and at the present time
from the small beginning it stands among the largest in membership
of any in the state. John D. Myrick was the first commander, and
the following named comrades have also held the position m succes-
sion: William B. Lapham, Selden Connor, Charles E. Nash, Samuel J.
Gallagher, Arthur L. Brown, R. C. Clement, Henry F. Blanchard, John
E. Fossett, Samuel W. Lane, Lorenzo B. Hill, George Doughty, Wil-
liam A. Swan, John O. Webster, Henry G. Staples, Edmund McMurdie,
Lewis Selbing, William McDavid and Prentiss M. Fogler.
W. S. Heath Post, No. 14, of Waterville, was organized December
29, 1874, with twenty-six charter members. The following is a chron-
ological list of the commanders: F. E. Heath, I. S. Bangs, Atwood
Crosby, G. M. Matthews, Charles Bridges, A. O. Libby, J. G. Stover,
D. P. Stowell, N. S. Emery, George W. Reynolds, S. S. Vose, George
A. Wilson, P. S. Heald and J. L. Merrick.
John B. Hubbard Post, No. 20, of Hallowell, organized October 24,
1877, with fourteen charter members, was named in honor of Captain
Hubbard, who fell at Port Hudson while serving on the staff of Gen-
eral Weitzel. The meetings have been held at Fraternity Hall, Hallo-
well, which was fitted up expressly for its use. Its present member-
ship is fifty-three. The commanders of the Post have been: George
S. Fuller, D. E. Shea, Major E. Rowell, J. W. Bussell, C. A. Brown, J.
L. Chamberlain, D. B. Lowe, W. R. Stackpole, H. O. Hawes and J. D.
Foss.
The Albert H. Frost Post. No. 21, named after a private who was
killed at Gettysburg, was organized at Winthrop June 5, 1879, and
now has seventy-seven members living mostly in the towns of Win-
throp and Wayne. Meetings are held twice each month in the village
of Winthrop. L. T. Carlton, the first commander, has been succeeded
by Alexander G. H. Wood, Franklin Wood, Sewall Pettingill, E. O.
Kelley, F.J. Davis, L. K. Litchfield, Charles E. Wing, George R. Smith
and Thomas Dealy.
The North Vassalboro Post, No. 33, was organized with eighteen
charter members, and named in honor of Richard W. Mullen. The
*Sketch by Major P. M. Fogler.
MILITARY HISTORY. 169
successive commanders have been: Nathan Stanley, Reuel C. Burgess,
John Withee, George H. Ramsdell, E. C. Coombs, Isaac Hussey and
R. C. Burgess. This Post has a membership of forty-two.
Hildreth Post, No. 56, was organized at South Gardiner May 19,
1882, with sixteen charter members. E. E. Lewis was first com-
mander, and has been succeeded by J. A. Ripley, J. H. Lowell, C. L.
Austin and Joseph Burgess. With less than one hundred dollars in
their treasury, the Post built a commodious hall in 1887, that cost over
$2,000. The present membership is twenty.
Billings Post, No. 88, was organized October 9, 1883, at Clinton,
with nineteen charter members. The commanders have been: Alpheus
Rowell, 1883-5 and 1888; James Thurston, 1886: Daniel B. Abbott,
1887: H. F. Waldron, 1889-91. The Post musters at Clinton village
in Centennial Hall. The present membership is twenty-two.
Libby Post, No. 93, was instituted at Litchfield in 1884, with
twenty-four charter members. Captain E. D. Percy was the first com-
mander, and has been succeeded by Alfred T. Jenkins, Herbert M.
Starbird, Joseph S. Hatch. Amaziah E. Googins and A. C. True.
Since its organization sixteen members have been admitted by mus-
ter and two by transfer. The Post has lost one comrade by death,
three by transfer, and two have been dropped from the roll. There
has always existed a spirit of fraternity and harmony among its
worthy members.
Sergeant Wyman Post, No. 97, was instituted at Oakland in Decem-
ber, 1883, with twenty-five charter members. J. Wesley Gilman was
commander two years, and was followed successively by J. M. Rock-
wood, W. H. Macartney, Hiram Wyman, C. W. Shepherd, C. W.
Heney, D. E. Parsons and Abram Bachelder. Twenty of the members
are incorporated by special act of the legislature as " Trustees of Ser-
geant Wyman Post Corporation," who own Memorial Hall, erected by
the citizens in 1870.
James P. Jones Po.st, No. 106, was organized at South China April
23, 1884, with twenty-five charter members. Charles B. Stuart was the
commander for several years, succeeded by Samuel Starrett, Franklin
Goodspeed, Augustus Webber, Sylvanus Haskell and Alvah Austin.
The Post met in the A.O. U. W. Hall until their present commodious
hall was erected. Their building is complete in itself, containing a
large hall, offices, rooms for Sons of Veterans and a Woman's Relief
Corps, and suitable banquet hall.
Vming Post, No. 107, of Windsor, was organized June 2, 1884, and
named in honor of Lieutenant Marcellus Vining. The first commander
was H. A.N. Dutton, who was succeeded by Francisco Colburn, George
E. Stickney, G. L. Marson, Cyrus S. Noyes and Luther B. Jennings.
Amos J. Billings Post, No. 112, is located at China village. It was
■chartered June 17, 1884, with twenty members. The successive com-
1'" HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
manders have been: Llewellyn Libbey, John Motley, B. P. Tilton, J..
W. Brown, Henry C. Rice, Robert C. Brann, A. B. Fletcher and John
Motley.
Joseph W. Lincoln Post, No. 113, of Sidney, was mustered May 24,
1884. with eleven charter members. The commanders have been:
Nathan A. Benson, A. M. Sawtell, Thomas S. Benson, John B. Saw-
tell, Simon C. Hastings, James H. Bean, Silas N. Waite and Gorham
K. Hastings. The Post meets in the Grange Hall, in the building of
which its members contributed considerable labor. The present mem-
bership is twenty-six.
G. K. Norris Post, No. 127, was organized January 6, 1885, with fif-
teen charter members, although more than thirty had signed the ap-
plication for a charter. The commanders have been: Simon Clough,
Henry O. Pierce, Horace C. Frost, Edwin A. Richardson, Sylvanus R.
Simpson, Adelbert C. Sherman, Athan Little. The Post, with a pres-
ent membership of thirty-six, occupies a hall at Monmouth Center,
elegantly fitted for its use by Comrade Simon Clough.
R. H. Spear Post, No. 140, was organized in December, 1885, at
West Gardiner. Its very comfortable hall used to be the old academy
building, and stands near Spear's Corner. The Post has a member-
ship of eighteen veterans, of whom the following have been com-
manders: John A. vSpear, Leander Spear, Edwin Small, Hiram Babb,
Joseph E. Babb and George W. Pelton, who now holds that position.
The Post was named for Sergeant Richard Henry Spear.
Cyrus M. Williams Post, No. 141, was organized at Mt. Vernon
May 27, 1885, with twenty-four charter members. The first com-
mander was Alvin Butler and his successors have been: John Carson,
F. M. Gilman, Levi W. French and F. C. Foss. This Post comprises
the towns of Mt. Vernon, Vienna and Fayette, and has at present
about thirty members, who meet each month in Masonic Hall.
Daniel Brooking Post, No. 142, of Randolph, was organized June 18^
1885, with seventeen charter members, and now numbers forty-six,
who meet at G. A. R. Hall, over Kelly's store. The commanders have
been: Robert vS. Watson, George W. Marston, Eben Brooking, Charles
H. Dunton, A. P. Thompson and William H. Dudley. C. H. Dunton
is adjutant. This Post has an appropriation from the town at the
March town meetings to defray the expenses of Memorial Dav, and
the graves of veterans of Randolph and Pittston receive a tribute of
flowers. The Post decorates 126 graves in the two towns yearly,,
which number includes the soldiers of 1776, 1812 and 1861.
Monuments. — With the surrender of Lee's army, the rebellion
practically closed. The events which intervened between this and
the capture of Jefferson Davis were but the dying struggles of the
confederacy. The return of the boys in blue, the tattered flags, the
MILITARY HISTORY. 171
glad welcome, the tears of joy — these for the poet's pen, not the his-
torian's !
Old Kennebec had borne well her part in the sanguinary struggle,
and of all the regiments from Maine, none returned more heavily
loaded with honors than hers. But, alas ! there were tears that were
not of joy. All along the line of march, on the battle-field and in the
depths of the surging ocean, were scattered the heroes who welded
with their blood the parting bonds of the Union. To their memory,
in many of our larger towns, monuments have been erected by a
grateful people, on which are inscribed the names of these honored
patriots.
Of all these monuments, perhaps the most beautiful is the memo-
rial tablet which has been erected in Memorial Hall, at Waterville, to
immortalize the alumni of Colby University who dropped their books
and grasped the sabre at the nation's first appeal. Surmounting this
tablet of richly veined porphyry is a well executed copy, in pure Car-
rara marble, of Thorwaldsen's " Lion of Lucerne." This beautiful
stone edifice cost $8,000 and is the first structure of its kind dedicated
to the memory of the soldiers of 1861-5. The tablet bears 151 names,
of which 101 were commissioned officers and 23 were privates.
Next to this in point of beauty, and far more imposing, is the
soldiers' monument of Augusta. Its base is triangular. The three
faces are suitably inscribed. The southeast side records that —
IN HONOR
OF HER HEROIC SONS WHO DIED
IN THE
WAR FOR THE UNION
AND TO COMMEND THEIR EXAMPLE
TO SUCCEEDING GENERATIONS
THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED
BY THE
CITY OF AUGU.STA
A. D. 1881.
The west side bears the names of the following officers: Lieut.
Col. Seth Williams U. S. A. and Brevet Maj. Gen. U. S. Vols.; Lieut.
Col. Edwin Burt; Lieut. Col. Harry M. Stinson, aid to Gen. Howard;
Capts. Charles K. Hutchins, Albert H. Packard, James M. Williams;
Chaplain George W. Bartlett; Lieuts. Warren Cox, James L. Thomp-
son, William O. Tibbetts, William Campbell; Quartermasters Ivory J.
Robinson, David S. Stinson; Sergts. Niles A. Hanson, James M. Has-
kell, William F. Locke, Daniel B. Morey, Asa C. Rowe, Alonzo P.
Stinson, Albert N. Williams, John P. Wells, Orison Woods; Corps.
Charles S. Avery, Edward S. Baker, Jason R. Bartlett, William H.
Brock, Daniel Chad wick, George L. Fellows, Daniel W. Hume, George
A. Lovering, George S. Mills, Charles R. Powers, Greenwood C. Pray,
Charles C. Rideout, Samuel E. Remick and William E. Smith.
The names of 120 privates are also inscribed: George Allen, George
W. Andrews, Homer S. Bean, George W. Bemis, William H. Berry,
172 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Isaac D. Billington, James Boyce. John S. Brown, Thomas j. Bragg,
Byron Branch, George F. Burgess, Francis M. Caswell, Miles O. Chase,
G. E. Chamberlain, Theodore Clark, John Code, George Cunningham,
Rodger Connelly, Edward H. Austin, Josiah L, Bennett, Charles F.
Beal, Eli A. Black, Charles F, Bennett, Darius Brooks, Bradford vS.
Bodge, Calvin H. Burden, John E. Britt, Eugene Gate, Jo.seph Bushea,
Rowland S. Clark, John Curtis, Henrv A. Chandler James Davis,
Jesse M, Clark, D, Cunningham, William H, DeWolf, George Dill,
Benjamin Douglass, Danforth Dunton, Gustavus A. Farrington, Ed-
mund Fay, Elisha S. Fargo, Edward Flood, Samuel H. Gage, Charles
H.Gordon, Artemus K. Gilley, Rodney Harriman, Henry W. Hawes,
Elijah L. Horn, John C. Holbrook, Cieorge A. Kimball, Henry G. Kim-
ball, Thomas Lilly, John Leavitt, Ira B. Lvon, William H. Lowell,
Howard W. Merrill, James W. McGregor. William C. Moore, James
W. Miller, William N. Murry, Henry Mullen, John B. Parker,' John
O'Connor, Frank W. Peaslee, Alonzo L. Page, Charles E. Philbrick,
Fred B. Philbrick, S. H. Prescott, Charles M, Phillips, Enoch vSampson,
John Riley, Greenlief Smart, George H. Smith, Alonson G. Taylor, Ed-
ward A. Stewart, Alfred Trask, Warren P. Trask, John O. Wentworth,
Thomas H. Welch, Stephen Wing, Atwell M. Wixon, George H, Gor-
don, William A. Hayward, Leonard J. Grant, Alonzo Iri.sh, James A.
Henderson, Virgil G. Lanelle, John "W. Jones, Samuel Lishness, Na-
thaniel Lane, Alfred J. Marston, Ruel W". Littlefield, AVilliam G. Mer-
rill, William E. Marriner, John M. Mosher, Edward :\Iiner, Thomas
Murphy, Jeremiah Murphy, Eben Packard, William Nason jun.,
Franklin A, Perry, Henry E. Patterson, Noel Byron Phillips, James
Perkins, Samuel Remick, Asa Plummer, John N. vScott, Charles W.
Richards, Joseph H, Spencer, Charles F. Shaw, Fred A. Tiffany,
George W. Stone, Aaron C. Varney, Moses B, Tolman, Alonzo S.
Weed, Joshua R. Webber, William D. Wills, Joseph Weaver and Wil-
liam C. Young.
The monum.ent at Waterville bears the plain, modest inscriptions —
ERECTED BY THE
CITIZENS OF WATERVILLE— 1876.
TO THE MEMORY OF THE
SOLDIERS AND SAILORS OF WATERVILLE
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE REPUBLIC.
The Hallowell monument is a fine, square shaft of granite. Its
west face is inscribed—
IN MEMORY OF THE
SOLDIERS FROM HALLOWELL
WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN THE WAR OF 1861-.5.
1868,
The other faces preserve the names of the patriot dead, with the
company and regiment in which each served: Capt. John B. Hubbard,
Capt. George O. Getchell, Capt. George A. Nye, Lieut. Charles M.
Bursley, Ensign Walter S. Titcomb, Sergt. Henry A. Albee, Sergt.
George L. Chamberlain, Charles Bancroft, Samuel D. Besse, William
H. Booker, Sumner Bryant, Joseph Bushea, William H. Burge.ss,
Western Burgess, Joseph D, Carr, Edwin C. Miner, Charles E. Mor-
MILITARY HISTORY. 173
rill, Alonzo D. Pottle, William F. Richards, George W, Ricker, Charles
B, Rogers, John W. Rogers, Sanford Runnells, Frank B. Runnells,
William F. Sherman, Emerv N. Smith, Augustus Smith, Thomas
Smith, George Whitcomb, Robert A. Witherell, Heman B. Carter,
W^infield S. Dearborn. Sewall Douglass, Hazen H. Emerson, John C.
Edson, Nathaniel Ellery, Sherburn E. George. Charles C. Gilman,
Edward R. Gould, Edwin Goodwin. Thomas Keenan, John Leavitt,
William K. Libbey, Edwin McKenney, and William Matthews.
The Gardiner monument is of Hallowell granite and stands within
an octagonal enclosure of iron, in the city park. Its north face is in
scribed —
IN MEMORY
OF THE
MEN OF GARDINER,
WHO DIED
IN THE WAR OF 1861
THAT THEIR COUNTRY
MIGHT LIVE.
ERECTED BY THE CITY
A, D, 1875.
The other faces bear these 71 names: T. A. Pray, J. M. Ring, G. F.
Spear, C. H. Tabor, G. W. Tyler, J. W. Taylor, G. R. Parsons, F. W.
Sawyer, H. B. Stevens, R. S. Starbird. Denola Whitman, E. M. Reed,
A. O. Wood. G. W. Weeks, W. E. Welch. G. E. Webber, N. W. Walker,
A. F. Tinkham, C. A. Whitney, T. B. Whitnev, James Siphers, Hiram
Wakefield, C. W. Richardson, C. C. Card, H. W. Dale, G. R. Moore,
D. N. Maxcy, William Jordon. A. M. Jordon, A. L. Meader, C. D.
Meader, G. S. Kimball, j. F. Merrill, H. W. Huntington, Oscar Hil-
dreth, J. A. Foye. A. A. Mann, G. H. Smith, C. D. Smith, W. H. Noyes,
C. H. Potter, J. H. Peacock, W. H. Peacock, Charles Sprague, James
McNamara, Thomas McNamara, E. A. Smith. E. W. Ayer, B. A. Babb,
M. G. Babb, G. H. Berry, C. N. Brann, C. W. Brann, Daniel Brann,
G. H. Clough, S. S. Bennett, E. T. Chapman, Calvin Boston, Westbrook
Dean, J. G. Card, William Brann. E. O. Blair, L. G. Brann, F. E. Gow-
ell, H. N. Jarvis, G. E. Donnell, L. C. Hinkley, A. M. C. Heath,
Thomas Douglas, W. W. Hutchinson, and Arrington Brann.
At Oakland a Memorial Hall, valued at $10,000, was erected by
private subscription, and dedicated to the memory of the fallen sol-
diers, by the Memorial Association of that town. Subsequently, by
an act of the legislature, tlie property was conveyed to Sergeant Wy-
man Post, No. 97, G. A. R.
The Winslow monument was authorized by town vote in 1887.
The Lockwood Company donated a site and the town appropriated
$1,000 for the stone. It was furnished by I. S. Bangs, of Waterville,
who cut the statue which surmounts it. In 1892, having been removed
to its present site, it was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies. Its
inscriptions show that it was ''Erected by the town of Winsloiv in mem-
ory of her dead soldiers, 1889."
174 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
The thirty-one names recorded on it are: Ashman Abbott. Edward
Abbott, Joseph Brann, George H. Bassett, Eben Brooks, Charles L.
Crowell, Benjamin F. Dunbar, Capt. Joseph Eaton, Andrew W. Fuller,
Henry W. Getchell, George W. Hodges, Frederick C. Jackins, A. Lit-
tlefield, Asa Pallard, Charles Pollard, William Pollard, John S. Preble,
William T. Preble, John Palmer. Winthrop Shirland, Christopher C.
Sanborn, Henry Spaulding, William Taylor, Howard H. Taylor, Al-
bert E. Withee, William F. Wood, John S. Wilson, D. W. Wilson, H.
C. Webber, George L. Webber, and Lieut. Thomas Green Rice.
CHAPTER VII.
INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES.
Early Trading.— The Beginning of the Lumber Trade.— Kennebec Log Driving
Company.— Steam Towage Company.— The Fish Supply.— Manufacturing.-
Shipbuilding.— The Ice Business.— Captain Eben D. Haley.— The Granite
Industry. — Governor Joseph R. Bodwell.
THE law of compensation is never-failing in its exact adjustment
of natural conditions that, at first sight, are apparently anti-
thetical. Thus, while the early settlers of Kennebec county
doubtless complained of the rigors of its climate, and the harsh, un-
promising aspect of the landscape, seamed as it was with rock and
covered with trackless forests, the great law of compensation was, in
the course of time, to turn these seeming disadvantages into sources
of wealth, prosperity and happiness, and literally to make "the wilder-
ness blossom as the rose." The severe winters produced the ice that
was afterward destined to find a profitable market in states and coun-
tries far removed ; its granite ledges were to furnish inexhaustible
material for the purposes of art and architecture; and its spreading
forests were to supply the timber for thousands of homes, and scores
of vessels, whose flags were to be seen on every sea; while the clear-
ings thus made and constantly increasing with the flight of years
were afterward to become the scenes of varied agricultural pursuits,
noticed in the following chapter.
The first small beginning of the vast and varied commercial rela-
tions of the county with the outer world were laid in the trade in furs,
along the river, with members of the Plymouth colony, soon after 1629.
The first settlers and the Indians purchased the neces.saries of life
with the skins of the otter, beaver and moose. James Howard was
licensed to sell tea and coffee at the Fort in 1763, and Samuel, his
brother, sailed a sloop; and cord-wood, skins, furs, staves, shingles,
salmon and alewives were taken for merchandise, and in turn ex-
changed at a profit for goods to fill the store. The Indians exchanged
their furs with the white man for powder, shot and rum.
The first industry of the settlers was to erect saw mills, and the
lumber business was one of profit. As the lands were cleared the
product of the mills found ready sale, being sent out in large rafts as
^oats, or in vessels; while the many tanneries, of which every town of
176 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
the county had two or more, made market for the hemlock bark, which
was also an article of export.
. The first period of the lumber business began with the operations
of the pioneers, wh'ose chief aim seems often to have been the clear-
ing of the land and the destruction of the forest. Better facilities for
manufacturing and marketing the product checked these wasteful
tendencies and large revenues were derived as the forests disappeared.
The great lumbering interests in this county at the present day belong
to an entirely distinct period and are strictly manufacturing enter-
prises, dealing not with the product of the county, but, at the great
mills along the river, fitting for the markets of the seaboard the prod-
ucts of the vast timber lands around the sources of the Kennebec.
On March 27, 1835, at Sager's Inn, in Gardiner, was organized the
Kennebec Log Driving Company, now the oldest existing transporta-
tion company in the county — simply a cooperative association of lum-
ber dealers to hire their logs run down the river in the best manner,
the actual expense to be paid by pro rata assessment. The estimated
amount of lumber in the logs handled during the year 1891 was
140,846,000 feet, which cost about thirty-five cents per thousand feet
for driving. The company owns a number of booms and dams. D. C.
Palmer, of Gardiner, has held the office of clerk since 1863, his prede-
cessor, Daniel Nutting, having filled that office from the organization
of the company. From twenty-five to one hundred men are employed
by the company during the busy season.
The Steam Towage Company was organized at Gardiner, May 21,
1881, by twenty gentlemen. Abraham Rich, W. H. Ring and Celon
L. E. B. Gooden have been the presidents. The duties of secretary,
treasurer and agent were performed by F. B. Dingley till 1889, and
by W. H. Ring since that time. The company owns the tugboats
Cliarles Laivrcucc and the Stella.
Prior to 180(), the principal products of the county — in addition to
those of lumber and fur — were potash and pitch, though the abundant
supply of fish in the inland ponds, as well as in the Kennebec, was a
reliable food supply for the early settlers, and ultimately became the
basis of one of their important industries. Sturgeon were so plentiful
before the white man came that the Indians had named the vicinity
of Gardiner " Cobbosseecontee " — the place of many sturgeon. Ken-
nebec salmon, always so excellent, and once so plentiful, have now
disappeared; and where thousands of barrels of herring were seined,
as late as 1825, they are now practically extinct.
The various manufacturing enterprises throughout the county have
been so generally the principal interests of the cities and the little
hamlets in which they are found, and their origin is so closely
related to the settlement or growth of those localities, that they have
been regarded and treated as proper branches of the succeeding town
INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES. 177
histories. It may, however, be stated here that the leading enter-
prises in 1820 included 81 saw mills running 91 saws, 63 grist mills
with 107 run of stones, 43 tanneries, 42 carding machines, 29 fulling
mills, 15 spinning machines, 3 distilleries, and 2 cotton and woolen
factories. The combined capital invested in these industries was
§147,000.
The manufacture of paper is an industry of considerable import-
ance, the location of the pulp and paper mills, and their daily capacity
of production being as follows: Augusta Pulp Company, 20,000 lbs.;
Cushnoc Fibre Company, Augusta, 20,000; Hollingsworth & Whitney
Company, Gardiner, 26,000: S. D. Warren & Co., Gardiner, 26,000:
Richards Paper Company, Gardiner, 16,000; Richards Paper Com-
pany, South Gardiner, 20,000; Kennebec Fibre Company, Benton,
16,000 lbs. The Hollingsworth & Whitney Company are erecting a
very large plant at Winslow. From a hint given by Dr. H. H. Hill
to the old paper mill men at Vassalboro that, as wasps made paper from
wood, so might man, grew experiments in that direction which have
led to the present large manufacture of wood pulp.
Shipbuilding was once a great industry of the county. Captain
vSamuel Grant came from Berwick, Me., to Benton, at the close of the
revolution, and furnished the first masts for the frigate Constitiition,
then building at Boston. With his son, Peter, as partner, he estab-
lished, in 1792, a ship-yard at Bowman's point. Farmingdale, and built
a number of vessels. Peter, jun., and his brother, Samuel C, succeeded
to the business at the death of their father, in 1836. Peter, jun.,
retired from the firm some years later, and Samuel C. continued the
business until his death about 1858, when his son, William S., suc-
ceeded him. The latter built his last vessel in 1858. Peter Bradstreet
then became the owner of the Grant ship-yard, and, with his brother
William, built several vessels there.
A once very conspicuous name in the annals of shipbuilding, but
which has now vanished from the county, was that of the Agry family.
Thomas Agry removed from Dresden to Agry's point, in Pittston, in
1774, where he built some of the first vessels constructed above Bath.
His sons, Thomas, John and Divid, also entered the business, and in
the long list of vessels built at Gardiner, Pittston and Hallowell,
from 1784 to 1826, their names, as owners and masters, appear with
surprising frequency. David's name ceases to be seen after 1806, he
having died at sea shortly after.
About 1811 Major AVilliam Livermore, of Augusta, built in front
of the Old South Church, Hallowell, the sloop Primrose, afterward
altered to a schooner. Near this spot. Page & Getchell built the
brig Neptune's Barge about 1817. She sailed from New Orleans to
England with a cargo of cotton. Captain Joseph Atkins, another well-
178 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
known Hallowell shipbuilder, constructed vessels for Isaac Smith;
Simeon Norris built the schooner William //>«rj/ about 1816; and Rob-
inson & Page, about 1823, built the ship Marshal Ney, 3.1 Pierce's yard,
on the Chelsea side of the river.
About 1811 Judge Dummer built the ship Halloi^'cll on the east
side of the river. She was captured by the British, and her bones now
lie at Bermuda. From 1816 to 1825, Captain Isaac Smith built a num-
ber of coasters at Loudon hill, launching his vessels directly off the
shore; and during the same period Abner Lowell, at his wharf in the
lower end of Hallowell (then called Joppa), built a number of vessels
for the West India trade. Prior to this. Captain Shubael West built
two sloops, just south of Lowell's yard; and anterior even to that date.
Captain Larson Butler built, in this neighborhood, a sloop for the
Boston trade.
In 1845, Mason Damon built a schooner at a point north of the
Grant yard, in Farraingdale; and south of Grant's yard, Elbridge G.
Pierce built several whalers and other vessels for New Bedford parties.
At the Grant yard, between 1851 and 1858, clipper barks and ships
were built for the Boston and Galveston line; and also two large ves-
sels, of 1,090 and 1,190 tons, for the Calcutta trade. This yard, the
largest in the county, ran two blacksmith shops for ship-fitting, and
employed from twenty-five to seventy-five men the year round.
Ice. — A staple export of the county is ice, the purity of the Kennebec
being such that its ice has long been established as the standard of
quality. Years before the opening of this now vast industry in Maine
the consumption of ice was small. The first authoritative account of
ice being shipped from the county as an article of merchandise was
previous to 1826, when the brig Orion, of Gardiner, was loaded with
floating ice during the spring, and sailed for Baltimore at the opening
of navigation. This cargo was sold for $700. It is said that several
cargoes were thus put on the market years previous to any attempt
at housing for summer shipment. The Tudors, of Boston, who had
had exclusive control of the ice trade with the British West Indies,
built about that year, on Gardiner's wharf, Gardiner, the first ice
house on the Kennebec.
In 1826 Rufus K. Page, in company with a Mr. Getchell, of Hallo-
well, erected, in Gardiner, a building of 1,500 tons capacity on Trott's
point, now occupied by Captain Eben D. Haley. This house they
filled during the winter, and in the following summer loaded it in
vessels, on account of the Tudors. The speculation proved unprofit-
able, however, and the business was abandoned. In 1831 the Tudors
acquired the building and filled it. At the same time they erected a
house on Long wharf, in Gardiner, which was then just where the
bridge now stands, and in it some 3,000 tons of ice were stored. No
other attempt at housing is recorded until 1848-9, when the Tudors
INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES. 179
again began operations on the river; and W. A. Lawrence, Dr. C. \V.
Wliitmore and Cliarles A. Wiiite, of Gardiner, cut and housed 2,000
tons at South Gardiner, and 2,000 tons at Pittston. Another house
was also filled at Pittston, and one each at Bowman's point. Farming-
dale, and Hallowell. In the aggregate some 10.,000 tons were cut here
that year. The following summer it was loaded, fifty tons being consid-
ered a good day's work. The largest cargo was three hundred tons.
Consignments were made to New Bedford, New York, Washington
and Baltimore, $2.50 per ton being received, but the cost of labor and
slow progress in handling made the profits small.
In 1860 the industry entered upon a new era and grew into a more
permanent form. James L. Cheesman, a New York retailer, began
stacking at Farmingdale, and the following year entered upon exten-
sive operations. Until 1865 he flourished wonderfully. In 1868, how-
ever, reverses compelled him to sell out the Farmingdale plant, and
later, in 1872, the Pittston plant, to the Knickerbocker Ice Company
of Philadelphia, which now exceeds all other companies here in the
quantity of ice handled yearly.
In 1867 the Kennebec Land & Lumber Company built the first
modern ice house at Pittston; and in 1872 such solid corporations as
the Great Falls and Independent Ice Companies, of Washington, D.
C, located in Pittston. Under the firm name of Haynes & De Witt,
J. Manchester Haynes, of Augusta — who has been prominently identi-
fied with the ice industry since 1871— together with Henry A. De
Witt and the late Ira D. Sturges, controlled a large business on the
river; and in 1889, with others, formed a corporation known as the
Haynes & De Witt Ice Company. Improvements in tools and ma-
chinery had taken place gradually since the early beginning of ice
harvesting, and in 1890 Messrs. Shepard and Ballard, of the Knicker-
bocker Ice Company, added to the list an important invention — an
automatic vessel-loading machine— which is now in general use.
The following list, corrected to date, shows the location and storage
capacity of the ice houses on the Kennebec and within the county.
Those on the west side of the river are: Coney & White, 8,000 tons,
Augusta; Kennebec Ice Company (two houses), 25,000 tons, and Knick-
erbocker Ice Company, 12,000 tons, Hallowell; A. Rich Ice Company,
70,000 tons, and Knickerbocker Ice Company, 30,000 tons. Farming-
dale; Morse & Haley, 5,000 tons. Great Falls Ice Company, 30,000, and
Eben D. Haley, 32,000, Gardiner. The houses on the east side of the
river are: Old Orchard (Knickerbocker), 20 000 tons, and Chelsea
houses, 30,000 tons, Chelsea; Randolph (Knickerbocker), 25.000 tons,
Haynes & Lawrence, 13,000, and Centennial Ice Company, 15,000, Ran-
dolph; Morse & Haley, 20,000 tons, Smithtown (Knickerbocker), 65,-
000, Great Falls Ice Company, 30,000, Independent Ice Company, 60,-
•000, Haynes & De Witt Ice Company, 12,000, Consumers' Ice Company
180 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of New York, 35,000, and Clark & Chaplin Ice Company of Portland'
40,000, Pittston. The total capacity of the above houses is 567,000
tons.
In the development of this great industry here, as well as on the
Hudson river and Booth bay, Captain Eben D. Haley, of Gardiner, has
borne a prominent part. His grandfather, Moses Haley, was a house
carpenter of Bath, where he raised a family of four boys and two girls.
Woodbridge, his oldest child, born in 1806, grew up in the same occu-
pation as his father, and married in 1833, Jane Button, of Gray, Me.,
■where, in 1833, their first child, Eben D., was born. The next year
they came to Pittston, where four more children were born to them:
Joseph M., who died when four years old; George T.; Thomas H., now
in the dry goods business in Chicago; and William D.
Shipbuilding was then very active on the Kennebec, at which
Woodbridge Haley worked for several years, mostly on large vessels
for Boston parties, some of them at Sheepscott Bridge. He died at
his home in Pittston in 1863. where his wife still survives him in what
is now Randolph. Here Eben D. passed his boyhood days to the age
of fourteen, when he left home for school, first at Bath, and then at
Gardiner Lyceum. When sixteen years old his school days were ex-
changed for the beginning of a career of business and adventure that
is still at its maximum activity. He first entered the dry goods store
of Field & Reed at Bath, leaving there at the end of one year for a
clerkship in the store of N. K. Chadwick in Gardiner, from whence he
went to Rockland and worked in Wilson & Case's store till he was
twenty-one. Resolved to see something of the great West, he went
to Keokuk, Iowa, where, in 1857, the firm of Ricker & Haley engaged
in the produce and commission business, which extended over a wide
extent of country.
Mr. Haley happened to be in Memphis when Fort Sumter was fired
on, from whence he hastened to St. Louis to meet his partner, arriving
there the night of the riot. They immediately dissolved partnership,
settled their business, and Mr. Haley came home. The day after the
battle of Bull Run he went to Augusta and tendered his services to
his country. In conjunction with John B. Hubbard, son of ex-Gov-
ernor Hubbard, he was active in raising the 1st Maine Battery of
light artillery, which was mustered into service in December, with
Edward W. Thompson captain, John B. Hubbard 1st lieutenant, and
Eben D. Haley 2d lieutenant, with 151 men, five officers and six pieces
of artillery. The first active work of the battery was under General
Butler at New Orleans, where they did patrol service from Alarch till
September, 1862. The 1st Maine then joined General Weitzel's brig-
ade, and was in several sharp fights, one of which was an attack on
the gunboat Cotton, where, by the bursting of a shell. Lieutenant
Haley was severely injured. The battery was made very efficient,
INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES. 181
and at the siege of Fort Hudson it had occasion to show its metal. It
was the first to open fire on the right of the line, Maj' 27, 1863. Lieu-
tenant Haley was in command, and held his advanced position during
the siege with heavy losses of men and horses. The battery was next
at Donaldsonville, where the fire became so hot that Lieutenant Haley
had at one time but one man left out of thirteen, and himself helped to
load and fire the guns. For this heroic conduct he was complimented
by General Weitzel, also for difficult services rendered at the fight of
May 27.
The battery went on the second Red River expedition, but Lieu-
tenant Haley was not with it again till after it had been ordered to
the Shenandoah, where he was promoted to its captaincy. Here he
was in the famous Cedar Creek fight, October 19, 1864, in which the
confederates were victors in the morning, and the Union forces, after
being rallied by General Sheridan, were victors in the afternoon. Cap-
tain Haley was in command of his battery from shortly after three in
the morning till about six, when he received a bullet in his left thigh
that he carries yet. After lying on the field till three o'clock in the
afternoon, he was taken to a room in a house in the corner of which
Colonel, afterward President, Hayes was lying on a wood box, suffer-'
ing from a wound. During the grand review in Shenandoah valley
General Hancock complimented the 1st Maine on its fine appearance
and splendid records. When General Sheridan was in Maine he said
to Governor Cony at Augusta, in the presence of General Chamberlin,
that he remembered with pride the services of the 1st Maine Battery
under its gallant commander. Captain Haley.
In September, 1865, two months after being mustered out of the
service, Captain Haley formed a partnership with Alonzo P. Parsons
and bought the dry goods business of N. K. Chadwick in Gardiner —
the same store he had entered as a clerk in 1852. In 1870 he took the
business alone, and in 1878 he sold it to his brother, George T. Haley.
The same year, in company with Peter Grant and Daniel Glidden, he
put up on Stevens' wharf 2,500 tons of ice — his first move in the busi-
ness that has since taken his entire attention. In 1873 he put up ice
with Johnson Brothers and Captain John Landerkin at South Gardiner.
In 1876 he bought his partners' interest and joined with the Great
Falls Ice Company, of Washington, he owning a half interest. He
also located for them their houses at Green's ledges, two miles from
Gardiner. For some years he had attended to the local business on
the Kennebec of the Independent Ice Company of Washington. In
1879 John Van Raiswick, president of the Great Falls Company, J. H.
Johnson of Washington, C. B. Church, and the Independent Ice Com-
pany, joined with Captain Haley and formed the Maine Ice Company.
The growing necessity for a water shipment, where vessels could load
from the ice houses at any time of the year, demanded immediate at-
182 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tention. Captain Haley had long foreseen this want, and to meet it
had matured a design which he carried at once to a triumphant com-
pletion.
It was no less a plan than to cut off an arm of the sea with a dam,
and then compel the salt water to leave the cove and return to the sea.
By act of the legislature of 1879 permission was given to build a dam
across Campbell's cove in Booth Bay harbor. To make this separat-
ing wall impervious to water, he built two complete dams of timber
cribs filled with stone, one sloping toward the ocean, the other toward
the cove. The faces of each were made of spruce plank fitted water
tight, with their ends driven to the i-ock bottom. When this was
done these dams presented two parallel partition walls of plank eleven
feet apart, and from ten to thirty feet high, according to the depth of
water. Into this sort of water tight compartment gravel was dumped
till the water was all forced out, making a perfect road bed, for the
use of which the town has paid §200 each year for ten years. We have
now arrived at the point where Captain Haley's genius beguiled the
law of gravitation into the pleasing task of compelling the salt water
in the cove to return to its old home.
Near the point of low tide he had put a spout twenty-eight inches
square through both dams and the road way, with an elbow on the
cove side, can-ying that end to the bottom of the cove pond. By the
mere device of opening a gate in the spout at low tide the water from
the pond sought its level on the sea side of the dam, and it could enter
the pipe only at its opening at the bottom of the deepest water. The
result surprised the captain himself, for in fifty-four days the pipe was
discharging only fresh water, with which the streams from the land
had entirely replaced the ocean brine. For original conception and
effectual accomplishment of a work of such intrinsic value, hitherto
unattempted. Captain Haley has exhibited the same kind of masterful
ability by which Captain Eads, in the construction of the. wonderful
jetties at the mouth of the Mississippi river, removed a constant inter-
ruption to navigation. Ice was cut in Campbell's cove in the winter
of 1881-2 and every winter since, the quality being next to river ice.
In 1886 Captain Haley and the Independent Ice Company became the
exclusive owners of the Maine Ice Company. In 1885 he sold his half
interest in the South Gardiner ice houses to the Great Falls Company
and erected new ones there, known as the Haley houses, of which he
is sole owner. He has been for years extending the area of the ice
trade. In 1883 he established a retail trade in Richmond, Va., still
very prosperous. In 1892 Morse & Co., of New York, joined him in
the purchase of large interests in the retail ice trade of New York
city and of storage capacity on the Hudson river, and in the erection
of more .storage room in Pittston, so that they are now able to supply
any shortage of ice in any of the great ice markets.
INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES. 183
Captain Haley has always been an active republican in politics, go.
ing twice as a delegate to presidential conventions. He is one of the
directors of the Gardiner National Bank and of the Kennebec Steam
Towage Company. In 1870 he married Sophie J., daughter of Daniel
Johnson, of South Gardiner. The names of their four children are:
Marion W., Ethel A., Eben R. and John H. This family group make
an unusually happy home, the hospitalities of which are enjoyed by
a large circle of friends.
Granite. — Just when or how the utilization of the granite ledges in
the county was begun cannot be definitely ascertained, for it is a sin-
gular fact that there is no industry of any importance that has re-
ceived so little attention from historical and statistical experts as the
granite industry. It is quite certain, however, that it was not until
the beginning of the present century that an attempt was made to
quarry the mineral that was afterward destined to figure so promi-
ently in the industrial resources of the county. When, in 1797, the
Kennebec bridge was built, stones split from boulders were used for
the piers and abutments; and when, in 1801. Captain William Robin-
son, of Augusta, erected his house, he procured the underpinning in
Massachusetts at great expense.
The first recorded attempt to quarry granite in the county was that
made in 1808 at the Rowell ledge, in Augusta. The venture met with
indifferent success. Some of the top strata were broken off with
" rising wedges " driven under the edge of the sheet until it parted;
but this was a slow and laborious process. The first successful effort
to open and work a ledge in the township was made by Jonathan
Matthews, on the Thwing ledge, in 1825, when he laid the cellar walls
of Arch Row; but he also worked with rising wedges. Powder was
not used for blasting upon ledges until the erection of the state house
was begun, in 1829, and then, at first, with but one hole, by which
large irregular masses were blown out. Afterward two holes, a short
distance apart, were charged, and fired simultaneously, thus opening
long, straight seams, sometimes to the depth of six feet.
Since the introduction of dynamite as a partitive agent in quarry-
ing, better results have been obtained, with less exposure of the men
to accident. With this exception, however, but little improvement
has been made upon the early methods of obtaining granite. Ma-
chinery has been tried in all forms, but, aside from the steam drill, a
valuable time and labor saving invention, nothing has been found
that will adequately perform the work now done by hand. It is true
that, used as a lathe, machinery works somewhat satisfactorily in turn-
ing out columns, but even this does not finish the surface, except
when it is to be polished. In this connection it may be noted that the
first derrick used at any stone works m Augusta was erected east of
Church hill at a quarry then operated by William B. Pierce.
184 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
In 1836 three granite companies were incorporated at Augusta.
One, called the Augusta & New York Granite Company, worked the
Hamlen ledge, situated about two miles from the river b}' way of
Western avenue; another, named the Augusta & Philadelphia Granite
Company, owned the Ballard ledge, a mile and a half from Kennebec
bridge by way of Northern avenue, and of which the Rowell and
Thwing ledges are a continuation; and the third, known as the Au-
gusta Blue Ledge Company, purchased Hall's ledge, two and a half
miles from the bridge, over the North Belfast road.
In 1871 the Hallowell Granite Company was organized, with its
chief stockholder, Governor Joseph Bodwell, as president. The busi-
ness gradually assumed huge proportions, and in 1885 the Hallowell
Granite Works, another stock company, was formed, its executive
being also Governor Bodwell. It is not known how long before these
periods granite was taken from the ledges owned by the companies
mentioned, but it is said that the New Orleans custom house was
built, seventy years ago, of stone quarried from the ledge now oper-
ated by the Hallowell Granite Works. The extensive quarries of the
latter company are two and a half miles from the city of Hallowell,
near the Manchester line. The granite is white, free working and
soft, and can be almost as delicately chiselled as marble. It is said
to be the finest grade of white granite in the state. Aside from their
extensive building operations, the Hallowell Granite Works is the
largest producer of monumental, statuary and ornamental work in
Maine. In almost every city of the country can be seen the handi-
work of its artisans. The New York state capitol at Albany; Equit-
able Life Insurance Building, New York; the monument at Plymouth,
Mass.; soldiers' monument, Boston Common; memorial monuments at
Getty.sburg; and the Augusta soldiers' monument, etc., are from their
works. The works employ, in its numerous departments, from 300 to
400 men; the annual shipment of stone averages 100,000 cubic feet,
and the gross product annually averages over $250,000.
Intellectually, the granite cutters of Kennebec county are on a
level with any other class of mechanics. Instead of the saloon, they
patronize the public library, and they take an active interest in state
and national affairs. The foreign element among the granite cutters
consists chiefly of vScotch, Italian and English. Ninety per cent, of
the other labor is American born.
In 1884 Joseph Archie opened a granite quarry near the Hallowell
works, but just over the Manchester line. He took a partner for a
brief period, the firm being known as the Central Granite Company.
In 1891 Mr. Archie bought out his partner, and since that time has
successfully continued the business alone, employing forty men. The
stone produced is very fine, and is mostly used for statuary and monu-
mental work. The granite is furnished to dealers on order, and is
INDUSTRIAL RESOURCES. 185
shipped to St. Louis, Omaha and many other distant points. The ex-
tension of the .state house at Augusta, in 1891-2, was built of stone from
this quarry.
Ample supplies of granite for building purposes occur in many of
the towns. Ledges have been worked in Fayette and Wayne for
■other purpo-ses. S. B. Norris operated a quarry in Wayne twenty
years ago, which had been formerly worked for building material,
and from which J. Frank Gorden is now obtaining monument ma-
terial.
The name of Governor Joseph Robinson Bod well is indissolubly
linked with the history of Kennebec county as that of the " granite
man " — the man who had larger individual interests in granite quar-
ries than any other man in the L'''nited States, and whose foresight,
energy and shrewd business instinct were the means of building up
the granite business at Hallowell. He was born at Methuen, Mass.,
in 1818 — the tenth in a family of eleven children. He was a lineal
descendant of Henry Bodwell, his first known American ancestor,
who bore a brave and con.spicuous part in the war with the Indian
chief, King Philip. The governor's father, Joseph Bodwell, was
among the most worthy and respected citizens in his community, and
his mother, Mary (How) Bodwell, came of the best New England
stock, and was a superior and cultured woman. His father having,
through unavoidable misfortune, lost his property, Joseph R., to re-
lieve the family of some of its burden, was sent when eight years old
to live with his brother-in-law, Patrick Fleming. When he had at-
tained his sixteenth year his brother-in-law died and Joseph R. was to
a certain degree thrown upon his own resources.
The school of manual labor (farming) in which he had pas.sed the
formative years of his life was precisely the one best calculated to
qualify him for the peculiar successes in business he afterward
achieved. In 1835 he began to learn the shoemaker's trade, and for
three years followed this calling, attending school during the day and
spending the evening and early morning in the making of shoes. In
1838 he purchased jointly with his father a farm in West Methuen,
and aided in its cultivation until the death of the elder Bodwell, in
1848.
In October of this year he married his first wife, Eunice Fox, of
Dracut, Mass. She died December 14, 1857, leaving one daughter,
Persis Mary, born August 26, 1849. On July 25, 1859, Governor Bod-
well married Hannah C, sister of Eunice, the fruit of this union being
Joseph Fox Bodwell, born July 11, 1862.
While cultivating his farm in West Methuen, Governor Bodwell
took the first steps in that special career in which he afterward be-
came so proficient, for while hauling granite from Pelham, N. H., to
Lawrence, Mass., while the Lawrence mills were in course of con
183 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
struction, he became acquainted with all the processes involved in-
quarrying and working granite. In 1852, in company with Hon.
Moses Webster, Governor Bodwell came to Maine and began to work
the granite quarries on Fox island, at the mouth of Penobscot bay.
He began operations with one yoke of oxen, which he drove himself
and shod with his own hands. From this humble beginning sprang:
results of such magnitude that a company was formed, known as the
Bodwell Granite Company, with the hardy pioneer as its president.
In 1866 Governor Bodwell removed his family from Methuen to Hal-
lowell, and from that period to his death, December 15, 1887, the main
record of his business career was the history of the Hallowell Granite
Works.
He never altogether lost his early love for agricultural pursuits,
and soon after he came to Hallowell he purchased in the neighbor-
hood two farms, which he successfully cultivated, one of them, indeed,
becoming one of the best stock farms in New England. He also car-
ried on lumber operations at the head of the Kennebec, was president
of the Bodwell Water Power Company, at Oldtown, Me., and was a
stockholder in several important railroad enterprises.
Governor Bodwell was not a politician in the ordinary meaning of
the term, but he always took a deep interest in public affairs. He
never sought official distinction, but office was sometimes thrust upon
him. Twice he represented his adopted city in the lower branch of
the legislature; for two terms he served as mayor of Hallowell, and
after twice refusing the governorship of Maine he was prevailed upon
in 1886 to take the nomination, and was elected by a very large ma-
jority. His administration, which he did not live to complete, was
honest and efficient.
Governor Bodwell, however, was best known as a business man of
great force of character, unquestioned integrity and untiring industry^
He was possessed of fine social gifts, and endeared himself to all wha
had dealings with him. He was a philanthropist in the true sense of
the word. His heart went out toward his fellow-men, and melted at
the sight of suffering. He was always giving something for the
needy, his Christianity knew no creed, he was every inch a man. The
highest tribute to his worth was the grief at his death, of the men
who knew him best — the men in his employ, who so often profited by
his kindness, and whose fortunes he was always ready and often eager
to advance.
CHAPTER VIII.
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK.
Bv Samuel L. Bo.\rdm.\x.
Pre-historic Agriculture. — Primitive Farming. — Natural Advantages.— Soil. —
General Farm Methods.— Historic Agriculture.— Early Leaders.— Associa-
tions.—Farm Machinery.— Agricultural Schools.— Cattle Breeding.— Short-
horns. — Heref ords. —Jerseys. —Dairying. —Sheep. —Horses. —Stock Farms.
—Driving Associations.— Race Tracks.— Trotters. — Orchards.— Retrospect.
THE agricultural hi,story of the county of Kennebec is one of inci-
dent, importance and influence. Of incident, because of that
romance which attaches to the occupation of a new country by
sturdy pioneers who hew out farms and build homes in the primitive
wilderness; importance, when viewed in the light of modern achieve-
ments and the position of its agriculture to day in one of the best ag-
ricultural states in the Union; and influence, when is taken into ac-
count the part which the historic agriculture of Kennebec has had in
the larger history of the agricultural development and progress of the
nation.
There has been a pre-historic agriculture in the county as there has
been a pre-historic age in htiman achievement of all kinds — a time
before events of marked importance had been established, and before
anything of interest or significance had taken place in its agricultural
development. This was when farms were being made from the for-
ests, the first rude homes established in the openings upon the hills,
when wild animals roamed in their native woods, when fish of the
lakes and rivers contributed to support, when saw mills were being
established, and the occupations of the people had reference mainly
to the support of existence. It was a time of self-dependence: when
the farmers were obliged to look to their farms and the labor of their
hands for everything that contributed to material welfare. The land
supplied everything, and the farm was a small empire. Little was
had by the rural people that the farm did not furnish; oxen for work,
cows for the dairy, sheep for clothing. The first settlers needed a
hardy race of cattle to endure the rugged winters: used to work, for
the labor of clearing land was heavy; and that would also give a fair
amount of milk. The maple furnished molasses and sugar. Butter
188 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and cheese for the family were produced at the farm. The wool
which the sheep furnished for clothing was supplemented by the tow
and linen from the cultivated flax — and the domestic manufacture of
cloth was an art understood in every farm hou.se. Beef, pork, lambs,
and hens were kept as the standard supplies of the family for the long,
cold winters.
As the farms became more improved the orchard formed a part
of all the hill farms and its fruit contributed to the luxury of living:
while the cider mill was soon established in every neighborhood.
The large, framed house, of which there are many fine examples yet
standing, .superseded the log dwelling, and the domestic life of the
early farmers, although books were few and there were no news-
papers, was full of a quiet contentment, a high self-independence,
little idleness and a large amount of dornestic thrift.
As the years sped on changes came. Carding mills and power
looms took the place of hand carding and home weaving. More sup-
plies were purchased for the farms as the market became better fur-
nished. Improved tools and implements made finer and more pro-
ductive culture possible. Farm stock was improved. The conven-
iences and even luxuries of living reached out to all farm homes of
any pretension. The mowing machine upon the farm, the sewing
machine and organ in the house, the diffusion of special intelligence
for farmers through the agricultural press, wrought a complete revo-
lution. Roads were improved; the impetus of visiting and receiving
visits from distant points had its influence upon the farm life. Edu-
cation was esteemed a thing of chief importance. The culture of the
farm, the embellishment of the farm home, the higher social position
of the farmer's family, marked a new era. Old things had passed
away; all things had become new. This picture of the transitions of
the agricultural life from the earliest period of settlement to the pres-
ent, is a mere outline, the shadings and details of which must be filled
in as the more historic structure is completed.
Too far from the sea to have its vegetation retarded by the saline
winds and fogs of an ocean atmosphere, and sufficiently distant from
the mountain ranges to prevent suffering from their cold summits,
this county, most favorably situated in an agricultural point of view,
is one of the best watered sections of Maine. Its beautiful and diver-
sified water surfaces assist in furnishing moisture to the soil and
purity to the atmosphere, while they contribute in no small degree to
the wealth of the county by adding to the charm and beauty of the
landscape — the latter a consideration of no small weight with those
who are attached to the country and have a love for the beauties of
nature.
The'soils of the county present a considerable diversity of char-
acteristics. In the main they may be regarded as of granitic origin,
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 189
Strong rather than deep, productive, retentive of fertilizing elements,
in many sections ledgy, in some very rocky, in a few light or porous.
The county as a whole is a rich grazing section, excellent for the pro-
duction of grass, the hill farms among the best orchard lands in the
state, the lands in the river valleys and in the lower portions between
the hills and ridges, splendid for cultivation.
The towns of Rome, Vienna, Fayette and Mt. Vernon are broken,
their strong, rocky soils comprising excellent grazing lands. In
Winslow the lands near the Kennebec and Sebasticook are of fine,
deep, rich, productive loam. Eastward, part of the town is ledgy.
Wayne, West Gardiner and Litchfield have tracts of light plains, the
former having hundreds of acres of wind-shifted surface. There are,
however, some fine farms, and agricirlture is constantly improving.
Clinton, Benton, Albion, Windsor and Pittston are excellent grazing
towns. China and Vassalboro, east of the Kennebec, and vSidney,
Manchester, Winthrop, Readfield and Monmouth, west of the Kenne-
bec, are without question the garden towns of the county. The
county has less waste, unproductive and unimproved land than any
other section of equal extent in the state. Upon almost every farm
of the usual extent of 150 to 200 acres there is much diversity of soil.
Orcharding has reached a high degree of perfection and is conducted
on a good business system. The pastures are unstirpassed in Maine;
herbage is choice, abundant and nutritious, and cool springs and pure
brooks conduce to the healthfulness of farm animals. The county is
abundantly wooded with large tracts of old forest growth, while in
localities where the original growth has long since been cut off, young
trees have taken their place and have become the most valuable land
in the county. Nearly every farm has its quota of wood land, trees
crown many of our highest hills, fringe the river banks and clothe
the rough and waste places of the farm, affording a beautiful object
in the landscape, furnishing .shelter and protection from cold winds
to stock, growing crops and homesteads, adding wealth to the county,
materially lessening the rigors of winter and contributing to the uni-
formity and healthfulness of the climate.
While in general the agricultural methods of the county may be
regarded as a mixed sy.stem of husbandry, they are less so at the
present time than formerly. In the earlier days each farmer raised
some of all the farm crops and kept all kinds of stock, as each made it
a point to be independent of every other. Now the tendency is
toward the more perfect growing of crops best adapted fur particular
locations, or the raising of certain special lines of stock. Farmers who
have large orchards, or make dairying a specialty, or having a good
grass farm sell hay and purchase commercial fertilizers, or breed a
particular kind of cattle, or fine colts of a fashionable family— give
special effort and attention to these branches. The orchard farmer
190 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
lets another make his butter, and the dairyman purchases his apples
and often his hay of his neighbor. In many locations raising " truck
crops" for our growing cities is becoming a specialty, changing the
character of much of the farming. A farmer obtains more ready cash
now for a few acres of early potatoes put into our manufacturing
towns on the first of July than he obtained twenty years ago from the
marketed crops of his entire farm. Thus the manufacturing towns
and cities have done much to develop the present farm methods of
the county and bring about those specialties in farming which have
everywhere and always been the source of the highest profits and
most successful conditions.
In no section of Maine, and in but few portions of the Eastern
states, has agriculture reached a higher general condition than in
Kennebec county. The farm houses are commodious, often large,
frequently elegant; while the barns are well and properly built, in
many cases clapboarded and painted. The best and most approved
implements and machines are employed; in every town are model
farms of the highest rank, while neatness about the farm houses, the
presence of flowers, shade trees and cultural beadty characterize the
rural districts. There is a larger proportion of thoroughbred and
Jiigh grade stock on our farms than in any other county in Maine,
while in the best bred horses Kennebec county leads all New Eng-
land.
Historic agriculture in Maine had its commencement in the county
of Kennebec. The records of all first things pertaining to its im-
proved agriculture, the importation of thoroughbred stock, improve-
ment of seeds and fruits, organization of agricultural societies, diffu-
sion of information by means of books and journals, invention and
manufacture of improved farm tools and implements, plans for the
industrial and agricultural education of the people — all had their
origin in this county. The early farmers of Kennebec — themselves
from the best families of the Old Colony — were men of intelligence,
anxious for improvement. The soil and natural advantages of the
county were of the best, and the settlers took up their farms that they
might make homes for themselves. They came into the new terri-
tory of the District of Maine for this purpose; they came to stay;
hence whatever promised development of agriculture was eagerly
sought. But in agriculture as in everything else it was the few lead-
ers who, carrying forward plans for improvement, stimulated others
to higher endeavors and organized forces for the development of the
county's resources.
Early Leadek.s. — Foremost among those to whom the agriculture
of Kennebec county owes so much for its early improvement were
Benjamin Vaughan, M.D., LL.D.; his brother, Charles Vaughan; Dr.
. Ezekiel Holmes, Sanford Howard, and the brothers Samuel and Eli-
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 191
jah Wood. Doctor Vaughan was born in England April 30, 1751,
studied at Cambridge and received his medical degree at Edinburgh.
During the American revolution he was a member of parliament, but
on account of his friendship for the American colonies he left his
■country and resided in France. In 1796 he settled in Hallowell upon
a family property derived from his maternal grandfather, Benjamin
Hallowell. His brother, Charles Vaughan, followed him to America
in a few years and also settled upon the same tract of land, which ex-
tended along the river one mile and westward to Cobbosseecontee
■lake — a distance of five miles. This land they improved and kept in
a high state of cultivation, employing a large number of workmen
upon it throughout the year. They had extensive gardens, estab-
lished nurseries, planted orchards, imported stock, seeds, plants, cut-
tings and implements from England, and carried on model farming
on a large scale. They built miles of faced and bank wall upon their
farms, laid out and built roads for the public use, and while they sold
trees and plants from their nurseries, often to the value of a thousand
dollars in a single year, they also freely gave to all who were unable
to buy; sent stock, plants and seeds to leading farmers in the several
new towns for them to propagate or test, and carried on correspond-
-ence with prominent farmers. The apple was not then so highly
esteemed for fruit as it is now, but cider was made in large quanti-
ties. The Vaughans built the largest and most perfect cider mill and
press in New England, employing a skilled mechanic from England
to set up the machinery. In their gardens and orchards were apples,
pears, peaches, cherries, and many kinds of nut-bearing trees. Doctor
Vaughan passed much of his time in studies and investigations, while
his brother Charles had the more immediate care of their large farms,
which, later, were managed by Colonel William O. Vaughan, the doc-
tor's eldest son. Doctor Vaughan was one of the most distinguished
members of the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, es-
tablished in 1792— the second society of its kind formed in the United
States. He wrote extensively and learnedly upon all agricultural sub-
jects, many of his treatises being published in the transactions of this
society, usually with the signature, " A Kennebec Farmer."
Charles Vaughan was born in London June 30, 1759. He was one
of the original corporators and for several years a trustee of the
Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture. He was more
practical, .so to speak, than his distinguished brother, taking the
immediate care of their large estates and the carrying out of their
experiments and farming operations. These were very extensive,
were performed at great cost of care and money, and had for their
object the improvement of the agriculture of the state as much as
they did the business of their owners. No breed of stock or variety
of fruit, vegetable or seed was disseminated until it had been care-
192 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
fully tested and found to be valuable and well adapted to this country.
Benjamin Vaughan died in Hallowell December 8, 1885, and Charles,
on May 15, 1839.
Succeeding the Vaughans, the name of Dr. Ezekiel Holmes, of
Winthrop, must ever occupy a high position. He was born in Kings-
ton, Ma.ss., in 1801, graduated from Brown University in 1821, and
from the Maine Medical School in 1824. His health being inadequate
to the hard service of a country physician's life, he became a teacher
for the next five years in the Gardiner Lyceum. In 1828 he edited for
a single year the Neiv England Farmers and Mechanics Journal. He
was professor of natural science in Waterville College from 1838 to
1837. From its establishment, in 1833, Doctor Holmes ably edited ilie
Maine Fanner until his death — a period of thirty-two years. Before
1840 he advocated the establishment of a board of agriculture, which
was finally done in 1852, he being its first .secretary for three years.
A State Agricultural Society was also incorporated by the legislature
in 1855, largely through the efforts of Doctor Holmes, who drafted its
constitution and was its secretary until his death. In 1838 he made a
survey of Aroostook county for the state board of internal improve-
ment; and in 1861-2 was chief and naturalist of the scientific survey
of Maine, authorized by the legislature. These leading dates in the
active and useful life of Doctor Holmes give but a very imperfect idea
of the great work he accomplished for the agriculture of Maine — the
influence of which is still potent and fruitful. As editor of the Maine
Farmer for more than thirty years, the work of Doctor Holmes was such
that had he done nothing more for Maine agriculture his memory would
forever be held in grateful remembrance. Doctor Holmes was the fir.st
person in Maine to introduce Shorthorns into the state: the first
Southdown and Cotswold sheep, and the first of the Jersey breed of
cattle. The last public act of his life was that of securing from the
legislature in February, 1865 — but a week before his death — an ac
which established the State College of Agriculture and the Mechanic
Arts. The Holmes' Cabinet of Natural History in that college but
inadequately expresses the debt of gratitude which it owes to its illus-
trious benefactor.
Samuel and Elijah Wood, sons of Henry Wood, of Middleboro,
Mass., were among the first settlers of Winthrop— vSamuel settling in
1784, and Elijah a few years afterward. They were among the founders
and incorporators of the Winthrop Agricultural Society — Samuel being
elected its first president. Fie was among the first contributors to the
Maine Farmer, and his articles — always practical, suggestive and use-
ful— were continued for many years. When he first came to Win-
throp Elijah Wood engaged in the manufacture of nails, but afterward
was largely and profitably engaged in farming. He was "chairman
and principal agent " of a committee chosen in 1831-2 by the Win-
A(^.RICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 193
throp Agricultural Society to petition the legislature for funds in car-
rying on its work. He established himself in Augusta during that
winter and entered upon the work of his mission among the legisla-
tors with a zeal becoming the importance of the end sought. The re-
sult was the passage of an act, one provision of which was "the
payment by the treasurer of state to the treasurer of any agricultural
or horticultural society, whenever the treasurer shall apply for the
same, a sum equal to that which said society may have raised and
actually received by subscription or otherwise within the next preced-
ing year" — which, with slight modification, is the substance of the
present statute under which all the agricultural societies in Maine are
beneficiaries of the state.
Sanford Howard came to Hallowell as superintendent of the
Vaughan farms in 1830. He was born in Easton, Mass., in 1805, and,
having been acquainted in Massachusetts with Colonel Samuel Jaques
and the Hon. John Welles — two of the most noted breeders of their
times — he brought with him several individuals of the Shorthorn breed
of cattle from their herds. Having seen, in Massachusetts, the benefits
of agricultural societies to a farming community, Mr. Howard became
anxious that Kennebec county should enjoy like advantages; and he
at once joined efforts with other progressive farmers in the establish-
ment of the Kennebec Agricultural Society, and after removing from
the county in 1837 had an honorable and useful career until his death,
in 1871. For the good he exerted upon the agriculture of Kennebec
county by his residence and work here for a period of seven years, he
will ever be regarded as one of the noble worthies in our earlier agri-
cultural period.
Dr. Sylvester Gardiner has not been mentioned before because his
distinguished efforts in the settlement and development of the Ken-
nebec valley embraced other interests than that of agriculture, which
in a new country must always be given attention, like the building of
mills and bridges, the making of roads and the establishment of
trading houses. He was one of the proprietors of the Kennebec Pur-
chase, and was largely instrumental in shaping its policy and promot-
ing its prosperity. Obtaining thus large tracts of land in Gardiner,
Pittston, Winslow, Pownalborough and other places, he built houses,
cleared farms, erected dams and mills, introduced settlers and often ad-
vanced them means for stocking their farms and becoming established.
In these ways he greatly aided the early farmers and general agri-
culture of the county, and deserves to be regarded as one of its most
eminent benefactors.
Other prominent names are connected with the early agricultural
annals of the county. One of the most distinguished is that of Henry
Dearborn, who was born in North Hampton, N. H., February 23, 1751,
13
194 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and died at Roxbury, Mass., June 6, 1829. General Dearborn was a
representative to the Third and Fourth congresses in 1801-1808, major
general of Maine in 1795, and secretary of war under President Jef-
ferson, 1801-1809. He had extensive farms in Monmouth, where he
lived between 1784 and 1797, and was deeply interested in the im-
provement of agriculture. After he removed to Roxbury, Mass., in
1824, he continued to make annual visits to his farm in this county as
long as health permitted. R. H. Greene, of Winslow; Jesse Robin-
son, of Waterville; Payne Wingate, of Hallowell; Robert Page, of
Readfield; Rev. W. A. P. Dillingham, of Sidney; Nathan Foster, of
Gardiner; Joseph A. Metcalf, of Monmouth, and Steward Foster, Ne-
hemia Pierce, Peleg Benson, David Foster, Samuel Benjamin, Colum-
bus Fairbanks, Samuel P. Benson and John May, of Winthrop, are
names that deserve honorable mention in the agricultural annals of
Kennebec county for their eminent services in the earlier years of its
development.
Associations.— One of the first agencies for carrying on the work
of agricultural improvement which the educated and progressive
farmers of this county made use of, was that of association and organi-
zation. The few leading minds who were foremost in this work de-
sired to extend it, that the benefits resulting from investigation, study
and experiments might be shared by others. To accomplish this it
was necessary to organize and cooperate. The Pennsylvania Society
for Promoting Agriculture was the first agricultural society estab-
lished in the United States; while the first in New England and the
second in all North America, was the Kennebec Agricultural Society,
established through the efforts of the Messrs. Vaughan and other pro-
gressive farmers in 1787, five years previous to the incorporation of
the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture. The objects
of this society were " mutual improvement in agricultural knowledge,
and mutual aid, by the importation of trees, seeds, tools, books, etc."
It was incorporated in 1807, and although it held no exhibitions, it had
frequent meetings for the reading of papers contributed by members,
and for consultation and discussion. This society subsequently dis-
banded, as on February 21, 1818, the Maine Agricultural Society was
incorporated. In 1820 and 1821 the society held cattle shows at Hal-
lowell—the former the first cattle show ever held in the county or
state. This society must also have disbanded, as on February 28, 1829,
the Winthrop Agricultural Society was incorporated, which was reor-
ganized so as to embrace the whole county, April 23, 1832, from which
the present Kennebec County Agricultural Society dates its legal 'ex-
istence.
These early societies at once put themselves into correspondence
with similar organizations in other states, offered prizes for crops, as-
signed " tasks " to its members, and in a variety of ways worked " to
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 195
improve the art of husbandry and to elevate the calling of the hus-
bandman." Some idea of what was accomplished may be obtained by
a few extracts from their records and votes: In 1818 — " that the trus-
tees inquire into the utility of Hotchkins' threshing; machine and pur-
chase one for the use of the society if they think expedient; 1819—
that members make a written statement at the annual meetings re-
specting- the manner of managing their favorite source of profit and
the net gain received from it; that a committee ascertain the number
of barrels of whole and watered cider made m Winthrop the present
year (the first recorded instance of the collection of agricultural sta-
tistics); 1821 — that premiums be given to the farmer raising the most
and best quality of • high red-top ' grass seed; 1822— that $30 be sent
to Malaga or Gibraltar in Spain, to purchase the best quality of
bearded summer wheat for .seed, one peck only to be allowed each
member; that the society subscribe for two copies of the 'publick
paper," published in Boston, called the Nau England Farmer; that the
necessary expense be incurred of a committee in procuring informa-
tion on the relative advantage of Maine compared with other states
and countries in raising fine wool; 1825 — that the secretary obtain in-
formation respecting the quality and usefulness of a kind of sheep
■called ' Smith Island Sheep,' and if deemed expedient that the society
purchase a pair; that .some person make experiments on raising hemp
•on a small scale at the expense of the society; 1830 — that the society
obtain one barrel of winter wheat for seed, from Virginia; that a pre-
mium be offered for the farmer raising the best and largest crop of
•corn, wheat or potatoes at the smallest expense; 1832— that a com-
mittee collect information upon the diseases of sheep in this climate,
with the preventive and cure, the best breeds of sheep and the mode
•of improving them, with such other matter as would be useful in a
treatise on sheep generally; 1834— that a committee report upon the
merits of the Pitts' horse power, just invented; that a premium be
offered to the farmer who may bring into the county twenty of the
best Merino sheep; that ten volumes of the Maine Farmer be offered
in premiums; that this society decidedly disapprove the sale of ardent
spirits on the grounds on the days of their cattle show; 1835 — that
■copies of Davy's Agricultural Chemistry and Farmer's Register be
procured for the use of the society; 1837— that the secretary obtain
information relative to the Gordon drill plow."
When it is remembered that at the early period at which many of
these votes were passed the Kennebec Agricultural Society was the
only one of its kind in Maine, and that there were but very few in the
United States, it shows the far-seeing character and progressive spirit
•of its members in a most favorable and worthy light. Its modern
history is as interesting and full of commendable deeds as the earlier
period. The society has encouraged by liberal premiums the best
kind of farming and the judicious improvement of the live stock of
the county. Early devoted to the large beef breeds of cattle, it was
persistent in its opposition to the Jerseys when first introduced, and
for some years refused to place the breed in its premium schedule.
At its fair in 1863 the report of the committee on this breed said:
196 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
" Your committee deem it a source of gratification to find the exhibi-
tion of Jerseys the present year made up of more individual speci-
mens of high excellence than of any other kind of farm stock upon
the ground." Having held cattle shows in different towns in the
county, frequently to much inconvenience on account of the want of
proper buildings, the society leased grounds at Readfield Corner in
1856, where its fairs have ever since been held. It has good buildings,
including a new grand stand, a half mile track, and maintains the
best county agricultural fairs of any society in Maine. It .still keeps
up the old custom of having an annual address delivered at each fair
and has numbered among its orators some of the most distinguished
men in the state.
The North Kennebec Agricultural Society was incorporated July
31, 1847, and its first exhibition was held in Waterville in October of
that year, its limits extending into Somerset and Waldo counties. The
society purchased fair grounds in 1854, located about a mile below
the city of Waterville, upon which it built a good half mile track.
Between 1855 and 1875 the fairs of this society were largely attended
and among the best of their class in the state. Some of the best cat-
tle and horses in Maine have been owned within its limits, and at
many of its exhibitions the stock upon its show ground has ranked
among the best in New England, notably the J'erseys shown by the
late Dr. N. R. Boutelle, of Waterville, the Holsteins. by Thomas S.
Lang, the Shorthorns of the late Warren Percival and Levi A. Dow,
and the Herefords of Burleigh & Shores. Among other noted breed-
ers and farmers who have contributed largely to the success of the
fairs of this society have been: John D. Lang, Moses Taber, Hall C.
Burleigh, H. G. Abbott, W. H. Pearson, Moses A. Getchell and J. S.
Hawes, of Vassalboro; George E. Shores, H. Percival, R. R. Drum-
mond, Joseph Percival, Samuel Doolittle, Henry Taylor, N. R. Bou-
telle, Ephraim Maxham and J. F. Hallett, Waterville; Rev. W. A. P.
Dillingham, Sidney; A. J. Libby and W. P. Blake, Oakland; B. C.
Paine, Clark Drummond and Ira E. Getchell, Winslow; G. G. Hans-
comb, Albion; and Joseph Taylor, Belgrade. Annual exhibitions are
still held by the society.
On March 26, 1853, an act of incorporation was granted the South
Kennebec Agricultural Society, with headquarters at Gardiner, the
late Nathan Foster being its first president. Fairs were held by this
society for seven years, when its charter was surrendered, and on
March 17, 1860, an act of incorporation was given the Kennebec Union
Agricultural and Horticultural Society, which embraced the same ter-
ritory as that of the former society. Having held its fairs at Oakland
Park, Gardiner, and Meadow Park, West Gardiner, with varying suc-
cess till the year 1877, its active career as a society ceased. ' In its
earlier years among its most staunch supporters and largest exhibi-
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 197
tors were: Daniel Lancaster, William S. Grant and Alden Rice, Farm-
ingdale; J. M. Carpenter, Pittston; S. G. Otis and Samuel Currier,
Hallowell; Joseph Wharff, Litchfield; and Nathan Foster, R. H. Gar-
diner and Henry Butman, Gardiner.
The Eastern Kennebec Agricultural Society was incorporated
March 24 and organized April 4, 1868. The society at once purchased
a lot of sixteen acres of land in China, upon which a half mile track
was built, and its first exhibition was held October 20-22 of that year.
In 1869 the society built an exhibition hall, 40 by 60 feet, upon its
park: one exhibitor showed twenty head of cattle, there were forty
horses on the grounds, and an address was delivered by Thomas S.
Lang. In 1873 the secretary reported a great improvement in the
stock and general farming in the towns of China, Windsor, Vassal-
boro and Albion, through the influence of its fairs. The society held
seven fairs, the last in 1874, when in consequence of insufficient re-
ceipts, due to unfavorable weather at the date of its fairs, the pre-
miums could not be paid in full, and unpaid expenses accumulating,
it was deemed prudent to close up its affairs. The final meeting was
held December 27, 1877, and the real estate and other property of the
society were sold. Its largest exhibitors were: W^arren Percival, J. S.
Hawes and Thomas S. Lang, Vassalboro; C. B. Wellington, Albion;
Horace Colburn, Windsor, and J. R. Grossman and Alfred H. Jones,
China. Its successive presidents were Isaac Hamilton, Ambrose H.
Abbott and H. B. Williams.
The South Kennebec Agricultural Association, consisting of the
towns of Chelsea, Windsor, Pittston and Whitefield, was organized
March 24, 1888. In June of that year, having leased land for exhibi-
tion grounds and raised money for the purpose by subscription, it
built a half mile track at South Windsor Corner. Its first fair was
held October 3-4, 1888. Officers and friends of this society secured
the incorporation of the South Kennebec Agricultural Society by the
legislature February 15, 1889, and the society was organized April
20, 1889, George Brown being the first president. Its limits, as de-
fined by the act of incorporation, were: " The southern part of Ken-
nebec county and the towns of Whitefield, Jefferson and Somerville
in Lincoln county." On the day of the organization of this society
the local, unincorporated society transferred to the new society all its
leases and property. An exhibition hall was built upon the grounds
in the summer of 1889, and its annual fairs have been successful in
the highest degree.
Other societies which have been more than local in their influence
and usefulness are the Kennebec Farmers' and Stockbreeders' Asso-
ciation, which has held fairs at Meadow Park, West Gardiner, organ-
ized in 1889; and the Pittston Agricultural and Trotting Park Associa-
tion, which was also organized in 1889. The former holds its fairs at
198 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Meadow Park (MerriU's), and the latter owns a park of 17i acres at
East Pittston, in the beautiful valley of Eastern river. Upon both are
good half mile tracks. The exhibitions of these societies have been
well supported.
The Pittston and Chelsea Farmers' Union was organized Decem-
ber 2, 1882, and held annual fairs at Chelsea Grange Hall till merged
into the South Kennebec Agricultural Society, March 2, 1889. It also
held meetings for the discussion of farm subjects.
In many towns local agricultural societies holding town fairs have
existed for many years. One of the oldest of these town societies is
that at Litchfield, which was organized in 1859, and held its first fair
in that year. About 1870 Harvey Springer built a half mile track on
his land at Litchfield Plains, and offered the use of track and adjoin-
ing grounds for fair purposes to the society, free, on condition that
they erect an exhibition hall on the grounds for fair purposes. By
special act of the legislature the town appropriated $500 for this pur-
pose, and fairs have been held there uninterruptedly from 1859 to
1890, inclusive. For a few years after occupying the new grounds
there were races in connection with the fairs, but for several years
past there has been no trotting at the exhibition. The Litchfield town
fairs have been among the most celebrated local fairs in the state.
One of the next oldest local organizations is the Monmouth Farmers'
and Mechahics' Club, organized in the winter of 1871-2, which has
held annual fairs that have been among the best in the state. Other
towns that have maintained annual fairs are: Sidney, Belgrade, Pitts-
ton, Chelsea, Albion, China and Vassalboro. The following named
Granges have also held excellent Grange fairs: Capital, Augusta;
Cushnoc, Riverside; Oak Grove, Vassalboro. All these societies have
exerted an important influence upon the improvement and develop-
ment of the agricultural operations and practices of the Kennebec
valley.
The State Agricultural Society, incorporated in 1855, was in reality
a product of Kennebec county, and held fairs at Gardiner in 1855, and
in Augusta in 1858, 1859 and 1872. The state board of agriculture,
organized in 1852, has always held its annual meetings at Augusta;
and in recent years farmers' institutes have been held at leading points
in the county two or three times each year. From the meetings of the
Maine Pomological and Horticultural Society, organized in 1847, the
farmers and orchardists of Kennebec county derived great benefit; as
well as from the meetings for discussion and annual exhibitions of the
State Pomological Society, organized at Winthrop, in 1873. The Maine
Dairymen's Association, organized in Augusta in 1874, had for its
earliest and most earnest advocates the leading dairymen in the
county, and its headquarters were here for many years. Farmers of
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 199
Kennebec county have had a great share in the organization and
management of these bodies.
In 1869 the state board of agriculture recommended to the county
societies that a portion of the state bounty be expended in the work
of forming farmers' clubs in the several towns within their jurisdic-
tion. Under this recommendation many such clubs were organized
in the rural communities throughout the county, which held meetings
for discussion, local fairs and farmers' festivals. They were produc-
tive of great good, but have given place to the Granges of Patrons of
Husbandry. This order was introduced into the county in 1874, Mon-
mouth Grange, the thirty-ninth Grange formed in the state, having
been organized October 3, 1874, with eighteen charter members, as
the first Grange instituted in the county; Mark Getchell, master; M. H.
Butler, secretary. This Grange now has a membership of fifty. There
are now twenty Granges in the county, with a total membership in
1891 of 1,492. Eight of these Granges own their own halls. The
Pomona Grange of Kennebec County was organized at Winthrop,
January, 1879, and holds monthly meetings at the halls of the different
subordinate Granges in the county. This order, admitting women to
all the privileges of membership, has been productive of a good work
in elevating the social position of the farmer's family, and carrying
to a higher standard the practical, educational and business methods
of the farmers themselves.
Farm Machinery. — The spirit of inquiry, investigation and desire
for improvement manifested by the early farmers of the county in
those lines of farm work relating to stock, grains, fruits and better
methods of husbandry, led equally to early efforts for obtaining better
tools and machines with which to perform the work of the farm in a
more rapid and less laborious manner.
Threshing grain by the hand flail being one of the hardest parts
of farm work, the threshing machine was one of the first things to
be studied out. Mr. Jacob Pope, of Hallowell. was the first person to
introduce such a machine to the notice of farmers, his efforts in the
way of invention having been commenced in 1826. The Pope ma-
chine went by hand, and by turning a crank a series of mallets or
swingles came over upon a table on which the heads of the grain had
been placed by the man tending it, and thus the grain was pounded
out. It threshed the grain well, but it was found to be harder work
to turn the crank than to swing the flail. Mr. Balon, of Livermore,
soon after the Pope machine was made, got up an improvement upon
it, which consisted of a cylinder, operated by horse power, which was
attached to an old cider mill sweep, the gearing being very simple
and the horse going round in a circle. This was abandoned, and
Samuel Lane, of Leeds, probably acting upon Mr. Balon's idea, set
about making an endless chain one-horse power with a cylinder hav-
200 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
ing high gearing. This was regarded as verv successful when com-
pleted, in 1833. The Lane machine had no sooner become successful
than the brothers, Hiram and John A. Pitts, of Winthrop, conceived
the idea of making a wider endless chain of wood and mounting two
horses upon it, thus doubling the power and the speed. At the same
time that the Messrs. Pitts were at work upon their machine, Mr.
Luther Whitman, of Winthrop, was also experimenting in the same
direction. Each of these parties got several patents, and much litiga-
tion followed as to the priority of their inventions. Mr.Whitman com-
menced working upon his idea of a thresher in 1832, and completed it
in 1834, essentially similar to the Pitts machine. The brothers Pitts and
Mr. Whitman also worked upon the idea of combining the horse power
thresher with the separator and winnower, and both accomplished the
results sought. While it has been generally conceded that the Pitts
combined machine was the original machine, it has also been admitted
that Mr. Whitman was the first to use the uninterrupted rod as in use
at the present day, with slight changes, and Mr. Whitman also in-
vented in 1838 the reversible tooth for threshing machines, the same
tooth that is in use to this day. It is also claimed that the first per-
fect thresher, with a straw-carrier attachment and winnowing machine
combined ever made in the world, was made by Luther Whitman, at
Winthrop, in the year 1834. Mr. Whitman was born in Bridgewater,
Mass., in 1802, and after his success in inventing the threshing ma-
chine established a factory for their construction at Winthrop, where
he was in business till his death, January 26, 1881. The horse power
thresher and separator of to-day is virtually the Pitts- Whitman ma-
chine, and from Kennebec county it has gone into almost every state
in the Union.
In 1827 Mr. Moses B. Bliss, of Pittston, invented a " movable hay
press," and in 1828 Mr. Samuel Lane, of Hallowell, invented a corn-
sheller, which consisted of a cog or spur-wheeled cylinder, from
which all the standard hand-power corn-shellers now in use have
descended.
Previous to 1840 the hand tools of the farm, of iron or steel, like
forks, scythes, sickles, axes and hoes, were made by hand by the vil-
lage blacksmith, but were heavy, bungling affairs. In 1841 Mr. Jacob
Pope, of Hallowell, commenced the manufacture of the first polished
spring steel hay and manure forks ever made in Maine, continuing
the busine.ss down to about 1870, his goods having a high reputation.
Elias Plimpton commenced the manufacture of hoes by machinery at
Litchfield in 1820, coming from Walpole, Mass., being the first person
to make hoes by machinery in this state. In 1845 Plimpton &
Sons began the manufacture of manure and hay forks in connection
with hoes, which his sons still continue. The manufacture of scythes
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 201
by machinery was first commenced in this county at North Wayne,
in 1840, by the late R. B. Dunn.
Agricultural Schools. — To Kennebec county belongs the honor
of having- established the first institution in North America devoted
to technical agricultural and industrial education, the personal honor
of which is due to the first Robert Hallowell Gardiner, of Gardiner.
In a petition to the legislature of Maine in 1821, asking for a grant of
one thousand dollars for aid in establishing an institution " to give
mechanics and farmers such a scientific education as would enable
them to become skilled in their professions," this distinguished and
far-seeing philanthropist said: " It is an object of very great impor-
tance to any state * * * that its artisans should possess an edu-
cation adapted to make them skillful and able to improve the ad-
vantages which nature has .so lavishly bestowed upon them. ■■ * *
The recent improvements in chemistry which give the knowledge of
the nature of fertile and barren soils and the best mode of improving
them, render the importance of a scientific education' to her farmers
much greater than at any other period." This, copied from the peti-
tion written by Mr. Gardiner, shows the idea which he had of the
class of college or school so much needed in his time for giving a
" liberal " education to farmers, and foreshadows exactly the colleges
of agriculture and the mechanic arts now existing in all the states,
under the endowment of the Morrill Land Grant bill of 1862; and Mr.
Gardiner in pleading with the state to establish such a school, was
actually a whole generation in advance of his time, as it was not till
more than forty years later that these colleges were established under
the patronage of the general government.
Mr. Gardiner succeeded in obtaining a yearly grant of $1,000 from
the state, and the " Gardiner Lyceum " was incorporated in 1821. A
stone building for its use was erected in 1822, and on January 1, 182B,
the Lyceum was formally opened to pupils. Rev. Benjamin Hale,
born in Newbury, Mass., November 23, 1797, and once a tutor in Bow-
doin College, being president of the Lyceum from 1823 to 1827. After
leaving Gardiner, Mr. Hale was professor of chemistry in Dartmouth
College from 1827 to 1835, and from 1836 to 1858 president of Geneva
College, New York. He died July 15, 1863. The course of study at
the Lyceum was arranged for two years, and there were twenty stu-
dents the first year. The courses may be generally described as a
chemical, and a mechanical one. The former comprised lectures on
the principles of chemical science, on agricultural chemistry, on dye-
ing, bleaching, pottery, porcelain, cements and tanning. The latter
■course embraced lectures on mechanical principles, dynamics, hydro-
statics, hydraulics and carpentry. Later a course in mineralogy was
included. In 1824 Dr. Ezekiel Holmes was engaged as " permanent
professor in agriculture," and in connection with this professorship
the trustees undertook the management of a practical farm in connec-
202 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tion with the Lyceum, where experiments in agriculture were tried.
where the students were allowed to work to diminish the expense of
board, and "to give the future agriculturist the knowledge of those
principles of science upon which his future success depends, and an
opportunity to see them reduced to practice." In order to accommo-
date those students whose business during the summer months made
it impossible for them to join the regular cla.sses, winter classes were
established in surveying, navigation, chemistry, carpentry and civil
architecture. These "winter classes" corresponded to the "short
courses " in special branches now given at some of our agricultural
colleges.
This outline shows the general scope and character of the institu-
tion. After Mr. Hale's resignation of the office of president the Ly-
ceum was severally in charge of Edmund L. Gushing, Dr. Ezekiel
Holmes, Mr. Whitman and Jason Winnett, as presidents or principals.
Its classes were well kept up for many years, at one time the scholars
numbering fifty-three. The Lyceum had a good library and creditable
collections, and the students were encouraged to make collections of
specimens illustrating the geology and flora of the section, which were
deposited in the museum. Finally the .state withdrew its yearly ap-
propriations, and for two or three years subsequently it was main-
tained almost entirely at the expense of Mr. Gardiner himself. The
property of the Lyceum, after having remained unused in the hands
of the trustees for several years, was sold to the city of Gardiner in
1857, and the building occupied as a high school. The proceeds were
divided pro rata among the original stockholders, and the first agri-
cultural and industrial college in the United States ceased to exist.
Cattle.— As cattle are the real basis of successful agriculture, the
farmers of the province of Maine had their cows and oxen as soon as
they had homes. The so-called " natives " or " old red cattle of New
England "—about which so much has been written in agricultural lit-
erature— were a mixture of the Devons, brought over by the Pilgrims
of Plymouth; some "black cattle" brought by trading ship-masters
from the West Indies or the Spanish Main; the Danish cattle brought
to Piscataqua by Captain John Mason in 1631, " for the purpose of
furnishing milk to the fishermen," and the importation made by Dr.
Benjamin Vaughan and his brother, Charles, of Hallowell, in 1791-2.
This importation marks the commencement of improved stock breed-
ing in this county, and consisted of two bulls and two cows, which ar-
rived in Hallowell in November, 1791. These cattle were selected
with great care, the bulls — from the celebrated Smithfield market, were
of the Longhorn or Bakewell breed; the cows from the London dairies,,
which were supplied mostly from animals of the Holderness or York-
shire breed. The instructions given their London agent by the
Messrs. Vaughan are interesting, and show how particular they were-
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 203'
to obtain animals specially adapted to a new country. Points were
to be observed which would fit the draft stock for a hilly country, and
they were also to select animals well fitted for the dairy, and were " to-
look to the quality rather than the quantity of the milk." Great stress
was laid on their having full hindquarters for the ascent of hills, and
full forequarters and prominent briskets for the descent.
How well the breed proved for draft purposes was shown at the
first cattle show held in Hallowell in 1821, where their descendants
were on exhibition. A yoke of oxen, girting an inch or two over
seven feet, drew with ease a cart loaded with stone weighing 7,200
pounds; and a yoke of bulls, girting six feet and two inches, drew for
ten rods " with perfect ease " a drag loaded with stone which weighed
3,800 pounds. A calf of one of these cows was presented to Hon.
Christopher Gore, of Massachusetts, and became the progenitor of the
celebrated "Gore breed " of cattle so famous for years in that state..
These Longhorn and Holderness cattle of the Vaughan importation
were very long-lived, and their descendants were hardy and vigorous.
Many of the cows continued to breed till eighteen years old, and the
oxen proved great workers. The Vaughans used the males of their
herds in a way to benefit the early settlers in this county and the ad-
jacent territory as much as possible. Hence they were not only kept
on their extensive farms at Hallowell, but were sent to prominent
farmers in other Kennebec county towns, in the Sandy river valley
and other parts, and were frequently changed. By this course their
progeny soon became numerous. The Vaughans continued to breed
from descendants of their first importation until about 1820.
In Coggeshall's Americmi Privateers and Letters of Marque (page
47), it is said that the brig "Peter Waldo, irora. Newcastle, England,
for Halifax, with a full cargo of Briti.sh manufactures, clearing the
captors $100,000, was sent into Portland in August, 1812, by the Teaser
of New York." In this vessel was a Methodist minister and his fam-
ily bringing their effects to the British Provinces, and they had among
them a bull and cow of the Holderness breed. As all the goods cap-
tured were sold, these cattle were among them, and descendants of
them, known as the " Prize " stock, soon found their way to Sidney
and Va.ssalboro. The late John D. Lang, of Vassalboro, some years-
since, gave the writer a very interesting account of this breed, which,
may be found in the Agriculture of Maine for 1874, p. 247.
Durhams or Shorthorns. — The earlier importations of cattle into-
this country, after systematic efforts had been undertaken in their
breeding by leading farmers of Massachusetts, were of the Durham,
afterward more popularly called the Shorthorn breed. The first in-
dividual of this breed ever brought into Kennebec county was a bull
known as " Young Coelebs "—said to have been a half blood— bred by
Colonel Samuel Jaques, of Charlestown, Mass., and brought to Hal-
204 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
lowell in 1825 by General Jesse Robinson — a gentleman very active
in the promotion of Agriculture and the improvement of stock in his
day. After a few years this bull was sold to John Kezar, of Win-
throp, and acquired much celebrity in the western part of the county
as the " Kezar bull." Splendid stock descended from him, both in
oxen and cows, but as he was pure white many farmers objected, as
white has never been a popular color for cattle. In 1826 the white bull
•" Hercules," bred by Samuel Lee, of Massachusetts, was brought by
General Henry Dearborn to Pittston, where he was kept for several
years and afterward was taken to Winthrop. This same year a bull
called " Jupiter," also bred by Colonel Jaques, was brought to Hal-
lowell by John Davis. He was kept in that town, also in Readfield,
Winthrop and Wayne, and left choice stock in each, the good influ-
ence of which was apparent for nearly half a century.
What is believed to have been the first thoroughbred Durham
brought into the state was the imported bull " Denton," presented by
Stephen Williams, Esq., of Northboro, Alass., to the late Dr. Ezekiel
Holmes, then of Gardiner, where he arrived in November, 1827. The
animals introduced before " Denton " were half-bloods. He was im-
ported by Mr. Williams, through the agency of his brother, then
residing in London, and arrived in Boston November 5, 1817. Mr.
Williams kept " Denton " until the fall of 1827, when he was pre-
sented to his friend, Doctor Holmes, of Gardiner. He was kept in
1828 in Gardiner, and in 1829 was carried to Doctor Holmes' farm in
Starks, where he died from old age in 1830. The change made in the
character of the neat cattle of Kennebec county by the introduction of
this animal was remarkable. Writing of him in 1855, Doctor Holmes
said he might justly be regarded as one of the patriarchs of the New
England Shorthorns, and the chief source of this improved blood
found in so large a proportion in the early herds of Kennebec county,
and, in fact, of the whole state — for his calves were widely dissemi-
nated throughout Maine and have done a great deal to give this
county the high reputation it has had for its choice herds of Short-
horns.
In 1828 Colonel R. H. Greene, of Winslow, introduced into that
town two bulls known as " Tasso " and " Banquo," imported from
England by John Hare Powell, of Virginia. These finely bred ani-
mals were kept in Winslow three years, and subsequently one of
them in Winthrop one year, and one in Augusta one year, leaving
fine stock in each town. Colonel Greene, between 1828 and 1834, also
brought several animals of the Shorthorn breed from New York, some
of which were imported, among them the bull " Young Fitz Favorite,"
an animal of mttch good reputation; an imported animal having been
brought to New York by Robert B. Minturn from the herd of Mr.
Ashcroft, one of the leading cattle breeders of the West of England;
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 205
the bull " Young Comet." by the celebrated bull " Wye Comet," and
also the bull " Fairfield," purchased of E. P. Prentice, of Albany, N. Y.
Robert Cornforth and Thomas Pierce, of Readfield — farmers who were
foremost in Western Kennebec in the improvement of the breeds of
cattle— each introduced Shorthorns into that town in 1829 and 1830.
Mr. Cornforth introduced the bull " Turk." and Mr. Pierce kept the
bulls " Uranus '" and " Gold-finder," both by " Young Denton." Their
history is recorded in glowing language in our early agricultural an-
nals, and they deserve mention in any history of the live stock industry
of Kennebec county. They gave an impress to the high character of
the early herds of the county, traces of which are very plainly evi-
dent down to the present day.
" Denton," " Young Coelebs," " Fitz Favorite," " Banquo," " Comet,"
" Foljambe " and " Wye Comet " were all recorded in the early vol-
umes of the English Shorthorn Herd Book, establishing beyond all
question the purity of the thoroughblood of these early animals, the
progeny of which formed the basis of the neat cattle of Kennebec
county. Moreover, at this early date the cattle of this county had ac-
quired so high a reputation that animals had been sent to Massachu-
setts and even as far west as Ohio; nearly every town in this county pos-
sessed thoroughbred animals, and they had also been widely dissemi-
nated in Somerset, Waldo, Penobscot, Franklin and York counties.
With the breeding of Shorthorns, as well as others, there was a
period between 1835 and 1850 when interest seemed to lessen. The
earlier breeders had died or given up active efforts through advanc-
ing age, and the younger farmers had not then felt that impetus in
the business which was developed later. The character of the stock
had been kept up to a high standard, there were good cross-breeds all
over the county, and it was not till deterioration became evident in
the leading herds that younger farmers took up the responsibility of
obtaining high priced registered stock from abroad, or improving the
best of that which remained. Prominent farmers who gave much
effort to stock improvement between 1835 and 1853 were: Oakes How-
ard, Winthrop; R. H. Greene and Isaac W. Britton, Winslow; Sulli-
van Kilbreth and Samuel Currier, Hallowell; Allen Lambard, Au-
gusta; Joseph H. Underwood, Sewall N. Watson and Francis Hub-
bard, Fayette; Josiah N. Fogg, S. H. Richard.son and Colonel D. Craig,
Readfield; Amos Rollins, Belgrade; John F. Hunnewell, China; Har-
rison Jaquith, Albion; Josiah Morrill and Isaiah Marston, Waterville,
and Luther and Bradford Sawtell-, Sidney.
In 1859 Warren Percival of Cross' Hill, Vassalboro, commenced
the building up of a herd of thoroughbred Shorthorns by purchasing
animals of William S. Grant, of Farmingdale. Subsequently Mr. Per-
cival, at different dates, purchased animals of Paoli Lathrop, Augustus
Whitman'and other breeders in Massachusetts, George Butts, of Man-
■206 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
lius, N. Y., and others. In breeding he aimed at great perfection in
symmetry, hardy constitution 'and high milking qualities, and for
many years was the foremost breeder of this class of stock in Maine.
At one time his herd consisted of 125 animals, although sixty head
was about the average number kept while he was engaged in his
largest farming operations. His yearly sales extended throughout
New England and the Provinces. His first appearance in the Ameri-
can Shortliorn Herd Book as a registered breeder, was in volume V, for
1860, and for the next seventeen volumes Mr. Percival's name appears
among those of the great American breeders of this class of stock,
with the pedigrees of a large number of finely bred animals — in vol-
ume IX, for 1870, twenty-seven being recorded, his herd then being
at the height of its popularity. Mr. Percival was an important figure
in Maine agriculture for many years. His death occurred July 17,
1877, upon the homestead where he was born March 27, 1819.
John D. Lang, of Vassalboro, was one of the earlier breeders of
Shorthorns, having bred from the old stock. But in 1860, in connec-
tion with his son, Thomas S. Lang, they imported animals into that
town from the herds of Paoli Lathrop, of Massachusetts, and Samuel
Thorne, of New York, and bred with a good deal of spirit. In 1864
they exhibited a herd of thirty-two head of thoroughbred Shorthorns
at the fair of the North Kennebec Agricultural Society, but soon after
disposed of their animals to give attention to another class of stock.
Henry Taylor, a Boston business man, who established a stock farm
in Waterville in 1866, bred Shorthorns for five or six years, bringing
to that town animals from the celebrated herd of R. A. Alexander, of
Lexington, Ky. His operations were discontinued about 1870. Levi
A. Dow, of Waterville, commenced breeding Shorthorns in 1868, his
name appearing in nearly every volume of the American Herd Book
as a leading breeder of this stock from that year to the year 1882.
His first purchases were from the herds of Paoli Lathrop and H. G.
White, of Massachusetts, and later from those of home breeders.
Samuel G. Otis, of Hallowell, was quite extensively engaged in breed-
ing Shorthorns between the years 1872 and 1881. His foundation ani-
mals were obtained of Jonathan Talcott, Rome. N. Y., and others from
Warren Percival and breeders in Massachusetts. At one time Mr.
Otis' herd numbered fully twenty individuals. The great herds of
this breed formerly kept in the county have been greatly reduced or
entirely broken up— the Jerseys having superseded them as dairy
animals and the Herefords taken their places for work and beef.
Herefords. — One of the first animals of this breed introduced into
Kennebec county was the bull "Young Sir Isaac," brought to Hallo-
well in 1880 bv Sanford Howard, superintendent of the Vaughan
farms. He was by imported " Admiral," sent with other stock as a
pre.sent to the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture, by
AGRICILTURF. AND LIVE STOCK. 207
Admiral Sir Isaac Coffin, of the British Navy — his dam being by the
Hereford bull, "Sir Isaac." also presented to the same society by Ad-
miral Coffin. In 1844, J. Wingate Haines of Hallowell, brought into
that town the bull " Albany," purchased of Erastus Corning and Wil-
liam H. Sotham, of Albany, N. Y., from their noted importation of
English Herefords brought to this country in 1841. This beautiful
bull laid the foundation for the magnificent working oxen for which
the towns of Hallowell, Winthrop, Fayette and Wayne were formerly
noted.
Joseph H. Underwood, one of the most prominent farmers and
breeders this county has ever had, was born in Amherst, N. H., in
1783, and when he became of age settled in Fayette. He gave early
attention to the improvement of neat cattle, and obtained descendants
of the first Herefords brought into the county, but about 1852 pur-
chased of Captain E. Pendleton, an old shipmaster of Searsport, a bull
and cow of this breed brought over in one of his ships from England.
In 1859 he purchased the celebrated bull " Cronkhill 2d," of the
Messrs. Clarke, of Springfield, Mass., and in 1865 introduced into his
herd a celebrated bull, " Wellington Hero," from the herd of Freder-
ick William Stone, of Guelph, Ontario, and subsequently other ani-
mals were purchased of Mr. Stone. After the death of Mr. Under-
wood, November 8, 1867, his sons, G. & G. Underwood, continued to
carry on the farming and breeding operations of their father jointly
till 1875, when they dis.solved. During these years the herd was kept
up by purchases from Mr. vStone, Hall C. Burleigh of Vassalboro, H.
A. Holmes of Oxford, and Mr. Gibb of Compton, P. Q. When they
dissolved Gilbert Underwood retained the herd of cattle, and now has
a choice family of thirty fine animals. Another son of J. H. Under-
wood—Albert G. Underwood of Fayette— has a herd of fourteen thor-
oughbred and registered animals. The Underwood Herefords are
now the oldest herds of this breed in the county.
In 1869 G. E. Shores, of Waterville, and Hall C. Burleigh, then of
Fairfield, purchased the entire herd of thoroughbred Herefords be-
longing to Hon. M. H. Cochrane, of Hillhurst, Compton, P. 0., then
and for a long time previous regarded as the most famous herd of
Herefords on the continent. It was a bold purchase, and gave the
county high fame as the home of the best Herefords at that time in
the United States. The celebrated individuals of this purchase were
the bull " Compton Lad," and the Verbena family of cows and heifers.
After three years' breeding the herd bad so much increased that a di-
vision was made and for years formed two distinguished herds under
the separate management of each owner. Mr. Shores sold his entire
herd to William P. Blake of West Waterville, in 1875, who continued
:to breed for many years, finally disposing of his interest to his son,
208 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Fred E. Blake, of Fairview Farm, Sidney, who now has a small herd
of this breed.
Important as have been the importations of animals of this breed
into the county in the past, and valuable as they have been as indi-
viduals and as herds, all efforts of breeders are comparatively limited
beside the great operations in cattle importing by the firm of Burleigh
& Bod well, the members of which were Hall C. Burleigh of Vassalboro,
and Joseph R. Bodwell, of Hallowell. This partnership was formed
in 1879, and was dissolved by the death of ex-Governor Bodwell, De-
cember lii, 1887. During the continuance of this firm Mr. Burleigh
made five visits to England for the purpose of selecting breeding
animals, bringing home large consignments each time; in addition to
which he made eight different importations from Great Britain, aside
from importations made from Canada. In 1879 seventy-seven head
were imported: in 1880-81. eighty-five head; in 1882 two consignments
were made, one of eighty and one of fifty head; in 1883 Mr. Burleigh
chartered the steamship Texas and brought over for his firm the
largest lot of Hereford .stock ever brought to this country by one firm,
numbering two hundred head, and in 1884 another importation of sev-
enty animals was made. The total number brought to Maine by this
firm was over 800, and while a considerable number were retained in
their own home herds at Vassalboro and Hallowell, and some in other
towns in the county and state, by far the larger part were shipped
West and South.
In 1881 Mr. Burleigh made the tour of the grand Western circuit
of the great inter-state fairs, taking with him a herd of magnificent
animals from his Vassalboro farm, which won everywhere m all clas.ses
in which they were shown. Again, in 1883, Mr. Burleigh exhibited
at the great fairs at Kansas City, Chicago and New Orleans. At these
fairs Mr. Burleigh won first prizes and sweepstakes on animals of his
own breeding; and also the champion gold shield for the best animal
of any sex, breed or age, exhibited by the breeder, on the heifer
" Burleigh's Pride," a cross-bred Hereford and Polled Angus, two years
old, weighing 1,820 pounds.
The exhibition of these cattle at the great fairs of the West in
1881 and 1883 brought Maine into high prominence as a cattle raising
state, and gave this county a reputation which has been a great aid to
our agriculture. Mr. Burleigh's herd is still kept up to a high point,
both in numbers and excellence, and in 1891 he won fifteen first prizes,
eleven second prizes and one third prize at the Maine State Fair. His
son, Thomas G. Burleigh, is also interested in breeding on his own
account. About 1876 Mr. J. S. Hawes, of South Vassalboro, started in
the breeding of thoroughbred and grade Herefords and built up a large
herd, sending a considerable number of breeding animals West. His
operations were continued till 1879, when he removed to Kansas, tak-
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 209
ing many of his best animals with him, where he engaged in ranche
cattle breeding on a very large scale. Other leading breeders of this
class of stock in the county are: M. M. Bailey, Winthrop; Edgar E.
Robinson, Mt. Vernon; and G. W. Billings, E. H. Kent and the Me.ssrs.
Gile, Fayette. These gentlemen all have thoroughbred and registered
animals, while high grades and cross-breds are widely disseminated,
especially in towns in the western part of the county.
/erscjfs.— The date of the introduction and systematic breeding of
this breed of cattle in Kennebec county, marks the first step toward
special lines of farming and breeding, upon which all subsequent im-
provement has been based. Previous to this the agriculture of the
county was general. Farmers endeavored to make their farms self-
maintaining, grew those crops that were largely needed and consumed
upon the farm, and bred cattle adapted to general purposes. Work
was the one chief object m keeping cattle — hence to raise good work-
ing oxen was the first requisite. A cow that brought a good calf and
gave sufficient milk for family use was the one that was kept. There
had been little thought up to this date of breeding a special cow
adapted to dairy production, and making prime butter to sell. But
with the introduction of the Jersey breed of cattle a complete trans-
formation in Kennebec agriculture took place. It was the beginning
of specialties in farming, and specialties in farming mark the modern
from the old style methods, introduce new ideas, create diversity and
insure larger returns.
This date was the year 1855. In that year Dr. Ezekiel Holmes
brought the bull " Butter Boy," and in 1856 the cow " Pansy 3d," into
Winthrop. Both animals were purchased of Samuel Henshaw, of Bos-
ton— the latter imported by ^Ir. Henshaw, the former from imported
stock. It is probable that two or three years earlier than this William
S. Grant, of Farmingdale, had brought to that town the bull "Old
Duke," also obtained from Mr. Henshaw, but this animal acquired
nothing like the reputation accorded to those brought to the county
by Doctor Holmes. The amount of ridicule which this patient phi-
lanthropist endured for having brought these animals into this county
and for championing their merits through the columns of the Maine
Farmer, was something enormous. Believing in their adaptability to
the new agriculture of the county, he had the courage to bring these
small, delicate Jerseys into the very heart of that county which for
fifty years had prided itself upon its magnificent Durhams and Here-
fords, and farmers generally looked upon him as the visionary advo-
cate of a breed of cattle unsuited to the county and destined to ruin
its stock interests. But despite this opposition Doctor Holmes con-
stantly urged their merits and value to our farmers. Their recogni-
tion, however, was very slow, and it was several years after their first
14
210 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
introduction before the trustees of the State Agricultural Societj' could
be induced to otfer premiums for them, as it did for other breeds of
cattle. When this action had been taken their success appeared as-
sured, and they became rapidly disseminated.
The fame of many cows among the " foundation " animals of this
breed in the county was very great, among them being the celebrated
cows "Pansy 3d," "Jessie Pansy," "Buttercup," owned by W. H.
Chisam of Augusta, " Lilly," " Fancy 2d," " Victoria Pansy," owned
by the late C. S. Robbins of Winthrop, " Lucy," owned by P. H. Snell
of Winthrop, and many others. The famous cows made from 11 to
17^ pounds of butter per week, established the reputation of the Jer-
seys as the great butter yielding breed, opened a new' era for the agri-
culture of the county and state, and made their owners independent.
The celebrity of " AA'inthrop Jerseys " rapidly increased, and the
animals became widely disseminated. The Jersey breeders of Win-
throp organized the Winthrop Jersey Cattle Association, March 7,
1870, and the breed had attained such large numbers in Waterville
that a Jensey Stock Club was formed in that town in 1868, and at a
town show of this class exclusively, held that year, over forty splendid
cows were shown. In fifteen years after the first Jerseys were intro-
duced they had spread all over Maine, large numbers had been sent to
Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, and in 1872 a car load
of fifteen Winthrop Jerseys was sent to Denver, Colorado. The town
association of Winthrop breeders became the Maine vState Jersey Cat-
tle Association, and was incorporated by the legislature in 1875. Its
present membership is believed to be larger than that of any other
Jersey cattle association in the country. It has published five volumes
of its Herd i-W/-— 1876, 1880, 1883, 1886 and 1889. These volumes re-
cord a total of 724 bulls and 2,008 cows and heifers. Among the early
herds of the Winthrop or Maine State Jerseys were those of Lloyd H.
Snell, E. Holmes & Son, N. R. Pike & Son, and P. H. Snell, Winthrop;
Samuel Guild and W. H. Chisam, Augusta; and William Dyer and Jo-
seph Percival, Waterville.
Mr. Percival introduced the first Jerseys into Waterville in 1863,
and for many years his herd was the best in town and bred with great
purity. L. H. vSnell, of AVinthrop, owned at one time a famous but not
large herd of this breed, one of the foundation animals being the cel-
ebrated cow " Victoria Pansy" (No. 12, Maine Herd Book), which was
afterward sold to Mr. Cyrus S. Robbins, of Winthrop, who founded
the Robbinsdale herd in 1858, which, since Mr. Robbins' death. May 14,
1880, has been maintained by his widow, and is now one of the most
celebrated herds of this strain of Jerseys in Maine. It numbers four-
teen animals and has been a high prize winning herd at our state
fairs for many years. Silas T. Floyd, of Winthrop, has a choice herd
of ten Maine Jerseys, having a private butter dairy which has a high
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 211
reputation. He started with the Holmes stock, and his herd has at
different times embraced some of the best animals of that celebrated
importation. A. C. & E. P. True, Litchfield, have an old and fine herd,
which embraces both Maine State and American Cattle Club Jerseys.
The Trues have bred with care, and their animals have won high
prizes at our state fairs. Other breeders of Maine Jerseys are: Willis
Cobb, Samuel Greeley, F. M. Woodward and M. B. Hewett, Winthrop;
C. B. Preble, Litchfield; J. Henry Moore, West Winthrop, and E. H.
Leavitt, East Winthrop. Dr. J. W. North, Nordheim farm, Augusta,
formerly was largely engaged in breeding American Cattle Club
Jerseys.
While the Maine registered Jerseys have been more widely dis-
seminated throughout the county than those of the American Cattle
Club Registry, valuable and extensive herds of the last named have
been kept in the county. In 1SG5 the late Dr. N. R. Boutelle, of
Waterville, commenced to breed Jerseys of the Holmes-Henshaw im-
portation, but in 1867 changed to American registered animals. His
first purchases of this family were made of C. Wellington, Lexington,
Mass., in 1867. In 1869 he purchased breeding animals of Colonel G. E.
Waring, jun., of Newport, R. I., and F. E. Bowditch, of Framingham,
and in 1870 made a choice purchase from the noted herd of Thomas
Motley, of Jamacia Plains, Mass. In 1871 Doctor Boutelle purchased
a fine band of six breeding animals from the great herd of S. Sheldon
Stevens, of Montreal. From the foundation thus laid Doctor Boutelle
bred animals of great value and beauty, and by maintaining the in-
troduction of new blood in later years, from the best sources, built up
the finest herd of American registered Jerseys ever owned in the state
for their time. In 1872, the late General W. S. Tilton, then governor
of the National Soldiers' Home, started a herd of Jerseys of the Ameri-
can registry by the purchase of foundation animals from Benjamin E.
Bates and Thomas Motley, of Massachusetts, subsequently purchasing
a reinforcement of new blood from such noted herds as those of R. L.
Maitland and John S. Barstow, of New York. In 1874 and 1875 Gen-
eral Tilton imported animals direct from the Isle of Jersey, and the
Togus herd at that date consisted of twenty animals, and was one of
the finest in New England.
At present the largest breeder of American Jerseys in the county,
as well as the state, is Chandler F. Cobb, of Mt. Pleasant Farm, South
Vassalboro, whose herd consists of sixty choice, fashionably bred ani-
mals. The leading animals in the herd are " Sir Florian," 11,578, im-
ported by T. S. Cooper, Chambersburg, Penn.. and " Fancy's Harry
7th," 24,386. His herd embraces noted individuals of the celebrated
Regina, Nobie and Pogis families, and aside from his own breeding
Mr. Cobb is making constant additions of new blood. His animals
.are among the great prize winners of Maine, and the product of his
212 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
celebrated dairy has a high reputation. His stock farm is the old
Hawes property, on a commanding- elevation in one of the most
sightly and picturesque spots in Kennebec county.
Other breeds of cattle have at different dates been imported into
the county. The Devons were first brought in 1859 by Allen Lam-
bard, of Augusta, by the purchase of four individuals from the herd
of Joseph Burnett, of Southboro, Mass. In 1860 he also purchased
from the herd of S. C. Wainwright, of Rhinebeck, N. Y., then the
most famous herd of this breed in America, a pair of animals, and with
this foundation built up a large and fine herd. Sewell B. Page, of
Winthrop, bred the Devons extensively between 1865 and 1880. In
1855 and 1866 John D. Lang, of Vassalboro, Timothy Boutelle and
Joseph Percival, of Waterville, and Hiram Pope, of West Gardiner,
each brought in individuals of the Ayrshire breed from the herd of
John P. Gushing, Watertown, Mass. There are many full blood and
grade Ayrshires now scattered through the larger dairy herds of the
county. The first specimens of Dutch cattle, afterward called the
Holstein, and now known as the Holstein-Friesian, were brought into
the county by Thomas S. Lang, of Vassalboro, in 1864, being imported
animals from the very celebrated herd of Winthrop W. Ghenery, of
Belmont, Mass. General W. S. Tilton, while governor of the National
Soldiers' Home, Togus, obtained a bull of this breed of Mr. Ghenery,
and in 1871 made an extensive importation himself from East Fries-
land. During General Tilton's governorship of the Home it had a
very extensive herd of imported and thoroughbred HoLsteins, which
herd has been kept up to the present time, and is now the largest and
finest of this breed in the county. Grades are to be found in many
towns, and some thoroughbred animals are also kept by a few of the
leading farmers, Reuben Russell, of Readfield, being one of the best
known breeders of this class of stock at present.
In 1880-81 ten Polled Aberdeen-Angus cattle were imported by
Burleigh & Bodwell, the second importation of this breed ever made
into the United States. In 1882, and again in 1883-4, other importations
were made. The animals were mostly sold to go west for bi^eeding
purposes. In 1883 this firm imported a herd of thoroughbred Sussex
cattle, the second largest importation of this breed ever made into the
United States, and another lot was iinported in 1886. Mr. Burleigh
has continued to breed this class of cattle to the present time; and
both he and his son, Thomas G. Burleigh, have herds of Sussex cattle.
They have also been disseminated into other towns in the county to a
limited extent.
Dairying. — Naturally following the change in the cattle husbandry
of the county, which took place when the general dissemination of the
Jerseys had displaced the breeds of cattle formerly raised for working
oxen and beef animals, and the increased attention paid to dairying,
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 213
came the introduction of associated effort or cooperation in dairy-
practice. It did not come, however, until a period of twenty years
had passed since the introduction of the Jerseys, during which time
those keeping large herds of this choice breed had established a high
reputation for private dairy butter, which commanded the best
markets and the fancy prices. But handling the milk of large herds
of cows in the old way made very heavy work in the household, and
the day of the cheese factory was hailed with joy, as emancipating the
women of the farm home from the drudgery of the milk pan and churn.
Farmers were slow to change, however, from the private methods to
the factory system of handling milk. The Winthrop Dairy Associa-
tion was not organized till April, 1874, and the China Cheese Factory
Company in March, 1874, these being the first associations of the kind
in the county. In 1875 the "Winthrop factory made 47,000 pounds of
cheese, and in 1878. 60,000 pounds. In 1881 the Winthrop company
put in butter making apparatusintotlieir factory, and have since made
both butter and cheese, although there have been some years when it
did not operate. For one or two winters the cream obtained was sent
to the Forest City Creamery, Portland. W^hen the average at the
cheese factories of the county required a fraction above ten pounds
of milk for a pound of cheese, the Winthrop factory averaged for a
season of one hundred days a pound of cheese from eight pounds and
seven ounces of milk. In the seasons of 1890 and 1891 many farmers
in Winthrop, Fayette and Mt. A'ernon sent their cream to the cream-
ery at Livermore Falls. In the summer of 1892 the Aroostook Con-
densed Milk Company erected a very elaborate "plant at Winthrop.
The first cheese factory in Monmouth was established in 1881 by
the Monmouth Dairying Association. This factory was burned with
all the machinery in February, 1889; but a new building was imme-
diately erected and operated in June following by the Monmouth
Dairying Company, which manufactures both butter and cheese. The
average make for the season of 1891 was 2,800 pounds of cheese, and
1,400 pounds of butter per week.
The Fayette Cooperative Creamery was organized in 1889 and
built a factory at North Fayette. During the season of 1891 it made
an average of 1,000 pounds of butter a week. Although owned by a
stock company, this factory is leased by Mr. J. H. True, who buys the
cream of farmers and m,anufactures butter on his own account. The
product has a high reputation, and the factory has given its patrons
great satisfaction.
The East Pittston Creamery Association was formed in 1890, and
a factory built costing $2,000, now leased by E. E. Hanley, who used
the cream of 120 cows in 1891, making 600 pounds of butter per week.
The price paid farmers for the year was 7i cents per inch of cream
between April and September, and Si cents per inch between Septem-
914 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ber and April. This factory is well fitted for handling the cream of
five hundred cows.
A creamery association was organized at Waterville in November,
1891, for the purpose of making creamery butter, the enterprise hav-
ing been started largely through the efforts of E. L. Bradford, of
Turner, and R. W. Dunn, of Waterville. A creamery was erected at
Vassalboro in 1892 and began operations in June.
Instead of five there should be in the county a score of successful
creameries. The cows, the pasture, the skill, the capital and the
markets are all awaiting the complete development of this great in-
dustry.
Sheep. — Kennebec county has never been so distinctively devoted
to sheep husbandry as the counties of Somerset and Franklin. Farm-
ers have always made cattle and horses the specialties in stock lines
rather than sheep, while the number of cities and large towns in the
county, with their vast number of predatory dogs, has rendered it a
matter of great risk to keep large flocks of sheep unless in pastures
very near the homestead. In hillside pastures remote from the dwell-
ing, the losses to flocks from roving dogs have always been great and
have actually driven many farmers out of the business of sheep hus-
bandry. Yet English sheep were imported into the county as early
as 1828, and the old Kennebec Agricultural Society early gave atten-
tion to the importance of the subject and urged it systematically upon
the notice of farmers. In June, 1832, the society voted to " choose a
committee to collect information upon the diseases to which sheep
are subject in this climate, with the prevention and cure; the best
breeds of sheep and the mode of improving them, with such matter as
would be useful in a treatise upon sheep generally, should the society
deem it expedient to publish a work upon this subject." The result
of this action was the publication, in 1835, of The Northern Shepherd,
written by Dr. E. Holmes. It is a small 12mo. volume of 131 pages,
printed at Winthrop, by William Noyes, and is the first distinctively
agricultural treatise ever published in Maine.
Doctor Holmes had introduced individuals of the Dishleys or Bake-
well breed into Winthrop in 1828, from the celebrated flock of Ste-
phen Williams, of Northboro, Mass., who had himself imported them
from England. In 1830 others of the same breed were brought into
Hallowell by Charles Vaughan and Sanford Howard, and also in 1835
by Reuben H. Green, of Winslow. Charles Vaughan brought some
pure bred Southdowns into Hallowejl in 1834, being the first of this
breed ever introduced into the state. In 1844 Doctor Holmes brought
into Winthrop a Cotswold buck — the first specimen of this breed ever
brought into Maine. About 1842 several farmers m towns in the
western part of the county united in purchasing in Vermont a num-
ber of the Vermont Merinos from the flock of the eminent breeder.
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 215
S. W. Jewett, crossing them upon their own flocks to much advantage.
The Langs, of Yassalboro. were early and continuous importers and
improvers of sheep, having always the best flocks of Southdowns and
Cotswolds. In 1853 Moses Taber, of Vassalboro, obtained individuals
of the Spanish Merino breed from G. S. Marsh and Eben Bridge, of
Pomfret, Vt., eminent breeders in that state; from whom Ephraim
Maxham, of Waterville, al.so obtained the celebrated buck " Green
Mountain Boy " the same year. In ISoS Rev. W. A. P. Dillingham
introduced the Oxford Downs and Southdowns upon his farm in Sid-
ney; H. C. Burleigh introduced into Waterville fine specimens of
Southdowns the same year, and a few years later specimens of the
same breed were introduced into Wayne by W. B. Frost; into Au-
gusta by Allen Lambard; into Readfield by Samuel G. Fogg, and into
Vienna by Obadiah Whittier. At about the same date the Cotswolds
were introduced in Vassalboro by Hon. Warren Percival, and into
Waterville by his brother, Joseph Percival.
One of the finest, if, indeed, it may not rightfully be called the
very finest, flocks of Southdowns ever kept in the county was that of
the late Dr. N. R. Boutelle, of Waterville, who for many years de-
voted a great deal of attention to the breeding of this class of sheep.
He was a leading exhibitor and high prize winner at state and New
England fairs from 1865 to the time of his death, his interest in the
breeding of stock never having left him, and it was carried on with
a great deal of intelligence and enthusiasm throughout all these years.
Other leading farmers who have made a specialty of sheep husbandry
have been: N. R. Gates and H. G. Abbott, of Vassalboro; the late Ira
D. Sturgis, of Augusta; C. B. Wellington and O. O. Crosby, of Albion,
and C. K. Sawtelle, of Sidney.
Horses. — The first historic mention of efforts at improving the
breeds of horses of Maine was m March, 1819, when the Kennebec
Agricultural Society voted to raise a committee to confer with the
trustees of the Maine Agricultural Society to offer a liberal premium
for bringing " a good stock " horse into the county; "for," says the
resolution, " it is with deep concern we can but notice the almost
total silence and neglect in relation to a noble race of animals— the
horse." From that day Kennebec county has been the home of some
of the most distinguished performers upon the American turf, and
held for one year the crown of the world's record for the fastest stallion
time.
The foundation of the magnificent horses of Kennebec county rests
in the blood of " Imported Messenger," of whom so great an authority
as John H. Wallace says: " He founded a race of trotters that have no
superiors in'the Union; a race that all the world recognizes as among
the fastest and best that this country has ever produced." " AVin-
throp " or " Maine ^Messenger " was purchased in Paris, Oneida county
216 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
N. Y., and brought to Winthrop by Alvin Ilayward— probably after
the premium provided for in 1819. The testimony is clear that " Win-
throp Messenger " was a son of '• Imported Messenger," brought from
England to New York in 1791. Those who saw " Winthrop Messen-
ger " say he was " a large, white, muscular horse, with a clumsy head,
but well proportioned body and legs." His colts were superior road-
sters, very many of them exceedingly fast trotters, posse.ssing great
endurance. " Winthrop Messenger " was kept in Kennebec and Som-
erset counties, and died at Anson in 1834. Between 1820 and 1850 his
descendants became famous and were sought after from all parts of
the country. Farmers sold their best colts, which were carried to
other states, where they were trained to the early trotting courses.
Sanford Howard, who was better informed on the horses of
America than most writers of his time, said in 1852: " Maine has, un-
til within a few years, furnished nearly all the trotting stock of any
note in the country." And Maine, for thirty years preceding that date,
meant Kennebec county, so far as its horse breeding and agricultural
interests were in question. Among the famous descendants of old
" Messenger " which gave renown to Maine and to the breed, are
many whose names are famous in the annals of the American turf.
The famous mare, " Fanny Pullen," was bred by Sullivan Pullen, Au-
gusta, about 1825, and at Harlem, in 1835, made the unparalleled time
of 2.33. She was the dam of the incomparable " Trustee," the first
horse in America to trot twenty miles inside of one hour (Long Island,
October 20, 1848).
A celebrated horse, " Quicksilver," was brought to Winthrop in
lS18^by James Pullen, and there was for a time much rivalry between
the Messenger and Quicksilver stock. The Quicksilvers were hand-
some, good moving, spirited horses, but lacked endurance. " To
Winthrop Messenger," says Thompson in his History of Maine Horses,
" Maine is more largely indebted for whatever speed she may possess
than to any other source."
The Drew family was founded in 1842, but the Drews have never
been so prominent in Kennebec county as have other families.
" General McClellan," one of the most famous stallions of this family,
was owned by George M. Robinson, of Augusta, between 1 861 and 1865.
He got a record of 2.26, was sold to Boston parties and finally went to
California. The original Eaton horse, founder of the Eaton stock,
was owned by William Beale, of Winthrop, from 1854 to 1859, and the
breed has always been in good repute throughout Maine. One of the
most celebrated of his descendants was " vShepherd F. Knapp," who
was taken to France, where he trotted famous races at the Bois de
Boulogne. Another celebrated Eaton horse was "Shepherd Knapp,
Jr.," purchased m 1866 by George M. Delaney, of Augusta, for $3,250,
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 217
deemed at the time a ver}^ high price. He was sold afterward to go
to Boston, where he made his best record, 2.27|, June 17, 1880.
" Winthrop Morrill " (formerly called "Slasher" and " Winthrop
Boy"), the founder of the celebrated Morrill family of horses, was
brought to Waterville by Asher Savage in 1862, and in 1863 bought
by Jackson & Rounds, of Winthrop. In 1871 he was sold and taken
to Boston. In 1866 Obadiah Whittier, of Vienna, brought to that town
the stallion " Cadmus," bred by Daniel McMillan, of Xenia, Ohio. He
was afterward owned by Means & Butler, of Augusta. The thorough-
bred stallion " Annfield " was brought to Vassalboro, in 1868, by
Thomas S. Lang, who purchased him of the Nova Scotia government.
Three years later he was sold and taken to Oxford county. The Fear-
naughts were introduced into this county by E. L. Norcross, of Man-
chester, who formed a partnership with B. S. Wright, of Boston, and
established a horse breeding farm in Manchester in 1866. Among the
noted members of this family were " Carenaught," "Manchester,"
"Emery Fearnaught," "Young Fearnaught," and " Fearnaught, Jr."
In 1859 Thomas S. Lang, of Vassalboro, began a breeding stud
which soon took high rank among the most noted in the country.
This was maintained for many years and brought Kennebec county
into great prominence. The first purchase by Mr. Lang consisted of
the stallions "General Knox," "Bucephalus," "Black Hawk Tele-
graph," " Grey Fox " and the finely bred brood mare " Priscilla."
Within a year or two after this first purchase Mr. Lang bought the
stallions "Sharon," "Ned Davis" and "Trenton." Subsequently he
purchased the stallions known as the " Palmer Horse " and " Gideon,"
145, by Rysdyk's Hambletonian, 10. Mr. Lang sold " General Knox"
in 1871 for $10,000. He was one of the most remarkable horses ever
owned in Maine, and has done more toward improving our stock of
horses, bringing the state into prominence as a horse breeding state
and causing more money to come to Maine from other states for the
purchase of fine horses than any other single horse ever owned here.
Mr. Lang deserves remembrance as one who builded better than he
knew when his breeding operations were being carried on.
Sunnyside Farm, Waterville, home of the stallion " Nelson," was
established by Charles Horace Nelson, in 1882. Mr. Nelson's stud
consists of eight leading horses, including " Nelson," 2.10; " Dictator
Chief," 2.2U: " Red Hawk," 8,508; "Wilkes," 8,571; " Jedwood," 5,166;
and finely bred trotting stock to the number of seventy-five individ-
uals. The stallion " NeLson " is now ten years old. His records are;
Two 3'ear old, 2.50; three year old, 2.26f ; five year old, 2.21^; Bangor,
Maine, September 10, 1890, 2.15^; Kankakee, 111., September 27, 1890,
2.12; Kankakee, 111., September 29, 1890, 2.11i; Terre Haut, Ind., Oc-
tober 9, 1890, 2.11i; Cambridge City, Ind., October 21, 1890, 2.10|.
This last, the champion trotting stallion record of the world, he held
218 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
until his performance at Grand Rapids, Mich., September, 1891, when
he lowered his record to 2.10.
In 1890 Mountain Farm, devoted to the breeding of trotting stock,
was established at Waterville by Appleton Webb, and for the brief
time it has been under Mr. Webb's management has won high repu-
tation. Mr. Webb has now about thirty fancy bred trotters, the lead-
ing individuals being " Pickering," by Rysdyk's Hambletonian;
"Resolute" (record at five years, 2.26i); "Mountaineer," "Judge
Rolfe," and "Appleton," by "Nelson;" and mares by "Nelson,"
" Young Rolfe," "Rockefeller" and "Gideon."
Many single individuals of great speed or high value to the im-
provement of the horse stock of the county have been bred or owned
at different periods in the various towns in the county, among the
most prominent of which have been the following: Emperor, bred by
Lemuel Pullen,AVaterville, about 1827; Young Warrior, bred by James
Pullen, Hallowell, in 1828; James G. Blaine, bred by James Blanch-
ard, Pittston, in 1866; Col. Lakeman, bred by George M. Robinson,
Augusta, in 1861; Independence, bred by Captain Joshua Wing, Win-
throp, in 1832; Pelham, owned by B. Esmond, Gardiner, in 1837; Phil
Sheridan, bred by Daniel Fawsett, Windsor, in 1860; Whirlpool, bred
by Moses Stacy, Benton, in 1867; Troublesome, bred by William Pen-
niman, Readfield, in 18i")9; Young Ethan Allen, bred by Eliab L. Eaton,
Manchester, in 1860; Carlotta, bred by W. A. P. Dillingham, Sidney,
in 1857: Sultan, a thoroughbred stallion, brought to Augusta by Gen-
eral William S. Tilton,in 1875; Lancaster, brought to Augusta in 1873,
by Allen Lambard; Black Pilot, owned by Major John T. Richards, of
Gardiner, in 1875; Beacon, owned by Wright & Norcross, Manchester,
in 1873; Victor, bred by Dr. F. A. Roberts, Vassalboro; Zac Tajdor,
bred by Doctor Saflford, West Gardiner, in 1841; Susie Owen, bred by
C. H. Nelson, Waterville, in 1877; Pilot Knox, owned by John H. May,
Augusta, in 1883; Independence, bred by Frank Taylor, South Vassal-
boro, and owned by W. E. Potter, Augusta, in 1871; Constellation,
brought from Lexington, Ky,, in 1878, by General W. S. Tilton,
Augusta; Glenarm, bred by General W. S. Tilton, Augusta; Gilbreth
Knox, bred by Samuel Guild, Augusta, in 1862; Echo, bred by Andrew
H. Rice, Oakland, about 1872: Captain Pulley, 2,985, an imported Per-
cheron, brought to Waterville in 1883, by Blaisdell & Folsom; and
Arrival, 2.24-J-, brought to Gardiner in 1889, by A. J. Libby.
The leading horse breeding farms now in the county besides those
already mentioned in detail are: Highmoor Farm, Monmouth; Enter-
prise Farm, Augusta; Elmwood Farm, Augusta; Randolph Stock Farm,
Randolph; Pine Grove Farm, Hallowell; and Pine Tree Stock Farm,
Farmingdale.
Kennebec Tzvo-T/nrty List. — The list below embraces the name,
breeder's name, and time of each horse bred in Kennebec county that
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 219
had a record of 2.30 or better to the close of the season of 1891.
Horses not bred here, and about whose pedigree there is any question,
are not included:
NAME. BREEDER. TIME.
Arthur John Judkins, Waterville 2.28^
Arthur T Mr. Palmer, South China 2.30
Artist C. H. Nelson, Waterville 2.29
Aubine C. H. Nelson, Waterville 2.19^
Baby Boy Emmons Williams, Readfield 2.30
Bay Chas. B. Oilman, Waterville 2.27^
Ben Morrill Harrison Ames, Winthrop 2.27
Centurion F. G. Richards. Gardiner 2.27^
Ed. Getchell A. J. Crowell, AVinthrop .2.27"
Gilbreth ;Knox Samuel Guild, Augusta 2.26f
Glenarm W. S. Tilton , Togus, Augusta 2.23*
Glengarry Isaac Downing, East Monmouth 2.27
Honest Harry Mr. Wood, Winthrop 2.22^
Hudson Elijah Brimmer, Clinton 2.29
Independence Joshua Wing, Winthrop 2.28
Independence [Potter's]. Frank Taylor, South Vassalboro 2.21^
lolanthe John C. Mullen, North A^assalboro 2.30
James G. Blaine James Blanchard, Pittston 2.28f
John S. Heald John Libby, Gardiner 2.27i
J. G. Morrill John F. Young, Winthrop 2.29
Knox Boy I. J. Carr, Gardiner 2.23*
Lady Maud Thomas S. Lang, Vassalboro 2.18^
Medora C. H. Nelson, Waterville 2.20i
Molly Mitchell J. S. Cooper, Pittston 2.26^
Nellie M Foster Brown, Waterville 2.28i
Nelson C. H. Nelson, Waterville 2.10
Pelham ■ B. Esmond, Gardiner 2.28
Pemberton E. L. Norcross, Manchester 2.29^
Sam Curtis Newton Packard, Winthrop 2.28
Startle A. C. Marston, Waterville 2.26^
Susie Owen... C. H. NeLson, Waterville 2.26
Tinnie B John Libby, Gardiner 2.27i
Tom Rolfe Wright & Norcross, Manchester 2.22i
Victor F. A. Roberts, Vassalboro 2.23
The great interest in horse breeding in this county has led to the
formation of several local trotting associations and the building of
many private and society tracks. Agricultural societies in Readfield,
Waterville, Windsor, Pittston and West Gardiner, maintain public
tracks. Tracks were built at Monmouth in 1871; at Litchfield in 1870;
at China in 1868; and at Gardiner, Oakland Park, in 1855. These
tracks have since been abandoned. The track at Augusta, now under
220 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
control of the Capital Driving Park Association, dates back to 1858,
and has been maintained to the present time with but few intermis-
sions, although under management of different individuals and asso-
ciations. Six private tracks have been built in the county at different
times, four of which are now maintained, viz.: H. C. Nelson, Water-
ville; Appleton Webb, Waterville; A. J. Libby, Farmingdale: W. H.
Merrill, Meadow Park, West Gardiner. The abandoned private tracks
are those built by the late George M. Robinson, Augusta, in 1872; and
by the late Allen Lambard, Augusta, about 1873.
An act, framed by General William S. Tilton, and approved Feb-
ruary 26, 1873, " for the better preservation of horse records," required
the registry of stallions and their pedigrees to be recorded at the
registry of deeds, and a certificate of such registry issued to the owner
of the horse recorded.
Orchards. — Kennebec county— the natural home of the apple tree
— is pre-eminently the fruit-growing section of Maine. While other
counties located contiguously have similar natural advantages, Kenne-
bec exceeds all other counties in the state in the number and size of
its apple orchards, the good methods given to the business of growing
and handling the fruit by farmers and the high results obtained. The
natural drainage is excellent on most farms, or at least on those por-
tions set with orchards. The climate produces a highly colored, good
sized, firm fleshed apple that will bear trans-Atlantic shipment.*
For the first systematic improvement of the fruits of Kennebec
county we must go back to 1797, when Mr. John Hesketh came over
to this country as the head gardener of the Vaughan farms and to
have charge of their extensive gardens, nurseries and hot-houses. To
his skill more, perhaps, than to the knowledge of Doctor Vaughan
himself, are the farmers of Kennebec county indebted for the choice
varieties of fruits that were disseminated from the Vaughan gardens,
some of which are esteemed varieties in cultivation at the present
day.
The fruit propagated at the Vaughan farms was largely dissemi-
nated in the leading agricultural towns in the county at that time —
Hallowell, Winthrop, Monmouth, Readfield, Pittston and Vassalboro.
The early settlers of these towns brought apple seeds with them from
the Old Colony, whence they came, or had them sent after they had
provided a place to plant them. Writing in 1847, Major Elijah Wood
says that when he came to Winthrop in 1788, there were a number of
farmers who had "beginnings of orchards," and upon the farm of
Squire Bishop was an orchard in a " bearing state," the trees of which
came from apple seed obtained from " Rehoboth, Mass.," and planted
in a nursery in that town. Ichabod How brought choice seeds from
♦Notwithstanding the recent ravages of the new orchard pest, trxpcta potnon-
alis, new orchards are continually being set.
AGRICULTURE AND LIVE STOCK. 221
Ipswich, Mass., planted out the first orchard and made the first cider
ever made in Winthrop, by pounding the apples and pressing them in
a cheese press. The fir.st grafting in Winthrop was done by Elijah
Wood, who brought the Rhode Island Greening and High-top Sweet-
ing from the Old Colony and grafted them into trees in David Foster's
orchard about 1792. " Winthrop became celebrated for its cider of
good quality," says Major Wood, " and the first owners of orchards
had a ready sale for all their apples at about 67 cents per bushel."
Isaac Smith, who settled in Monmouth in 1795, coming from Middle-
borough, Mass., brought with him seed selected from the hardiest and
best fruit, and planted a nursery in that town. Among the varieties
of apples known to have been introduced from England by the
Vaughans were the Ribston Pippin and King Sweeting; while Hallo-
well is to-day famous for its magnificent cherries, the direct product
of those imported by the A^aughans, and so famous in their own time.
The Pearmain was the principal winter apple, all the others being
manufactured into cider.
The late Alfred Smith, of Monmouth, writing in 1877. said: " The
pioneer farmers of Winthrop were very little versed in the art of
grafting or budding trees, and it was thought to require as much skill
to set a scion and have it grow as to amputate an arm or leg." The
farmers who raised large quantities of apples made them into cider,
which was a universal beverage, " put in " with a winter's supply of
necessaries by the well-to-do people, as much as was pork or home
made butter and cheese. Mr. Smith said that cider sold at from " six
to eight dollars per barrel," a market for it being found in the newer
towns in Franklin and Somerset counties. When cider was the most
profitable product of the orchard there was no inducement to " en-
graft " orchards or seek the best table fruits — hence it is not strange
that the first farmers reared up trees without a thought for quality or
merit of fruit.
The state owes more to the late Dr. Ezekiel Holmes for his efforts
in the improvement of our own varieties of apples than to any other
man who ever lived in Maine. In 1847 he organized the Maine Pomo-
logical Society, which did the first work in classifying our Maine
fruits, properly describing them, and bringing them to the attention of
pomologists in other states. When S. W. Cole published his American
Fruit Book, in 1849, he made special acknowledgments to Doctor
Holmes for great assistance, and catalogued ten varieties of apples
that originated in Maine, five of which were Winthrop seedlings.
Later lists in the transactions of the Maine State Pomological Society
embrace eleven apples and one pear which originated in this county.
Winthrop contributes six varieties, viz.: Fairbanks, originated on the
farm of Elijah Fairbanks; Winthrop Greening, originated on the farm
of Ichabod How, introduced by Jacob Nelson; Winthrop Pearmain
a;i2 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and Everlasting, originated by Colonel John Fairbanks: vStanle}''s
Winter Sweet, originated on the farm of J. L. Stanley, and Moses
Wood, originated by Moses Wood. Other native apples of this county
are: Bailey's Golden Sweet, originated by Paul Bailey, Sidney; Litch-
field Pippin, originated upon the farm of William Hutchins, Litch-
field; Smith's Favorite, originated by Isaac Smith, Monmouth; and
Starkey, originated by J. W. Starkey, Vassalboro. The Nickerson
pear was originated by Hiram S. Nickerson, Readfield.
Many other good varieties of lesser note have been raised by Ken-
nebec county orchardists, and several small fruits have also been
originated here, among them the 0.sborn strawberry, a seedling much
esteemed in the Waterville and Augusta markets, brought out by the
late Charles Osborn, of Vassalboro. The growing of small fruits is re-
ceiving increased attention, especially in towns which command the
markets of the cities and large villages.
There are several localities in the count}- especiall}' favorable to
the cranberry and where the Cultivation of this fruit might be ex-
tended to a profitable degree. Many persons grow them to a limited
extent, while among the larger growers were formerly D. E. Manter,
Sidney; and at present the Ware Brothers, Pittston, the late B. F.
Butler, Mt. Vernon, and Eben Wellman, Augusta. The small cran-
berry beds of the late Mr. Fuller are kept in excellent condition b}^
members of his family and yield very fine fruit. The Ware Brothers
raised about 250 bushels in 1891. Mr. Wellman has the most exten-
sive cranberry beds in the county and gives almost his entire time to
the crop, having commenced their culture in a small way in 1878, but
devoting increased attention to their systematic culture during the
past seven years. His cranberry farm is located in the eastern part
of Augusta and the beds embrace an area of seven acres, all cut into a
uniform size of two rods in width by forty rods in length — the soil
being a deep, rich, vegetable mold or muck. Between and around
each and all the beds a canal is cut, into which water is conducted
from a reservoir of six acres in extent, the canals being arranged with
a series of gates so that the water can be let in over one or all of the
beds as is desired. By leaving the gates open at night the beds are
all covered with water before morning of sufficient depth to protect
the berries from frost in the fall of the year, while in the spring the
same method is employed to prevent the attacks of injurious insects.
Mr. Wellman 's crop in 1891 was 170 barrels, the variety grown being
the Cherry, and they have a high reputation in the leading markets.
Among the largest orchards and most intelligent, progressive fruit
growers in the county are: W. P. Atherton, Hallowell, 2,000 trees; J.
Pope & Son, Manchester, 1,500 trees; D. M. Marston, Monmouth, 1,200
trees; Rev. J. R. Day, Monmouth, 2,600 trees; George W. Waugh,
Monmouth, 1,200 trees; Miss L. L. Taylor, Belgrade; C. M. Weston,
AGRICl'LTURK AND LIVE STOCK. 223
Belgrade, 2,000 apple trees, 400 pear trees: George A. Longfellow.
Winthrop; Oakes Howard, Winthrop: J. M. Pike, Wayne, 3,000 trees
J. C. Sanford, Readfield; J. H. Smiley, Vassalboro; the Cook Brothers
Vassalboro, 3,000 trees; J. Wesley Taylor, Winslow; George W. Fogg
Monmouth, 1,000 trees; J. Colby Dudley, Readfield; J. O. Butman
Readfield; George H. Pope, East Vassalboro: The Oaklands Orchard
heirs of Robert Hallowell Gardiner estate, Gardiner; and Albert R
Ward, China, 700 trees.
The estimate of apple buyers and shippers is that upon an average
90,000 barrels of choice commercial apples are annually shipped from
the towns in Kennebec county to the great markets, one-fourth of
which are sent abroad.
An effort was made by the State Pomological Society in 1876 to
collect information regarding the nurseries of the county and the
number of trees in stock, with a view to keeping at home much of the
money paid out to foreign nurserymen and at the same time obtain-
ing a tree better adapted to this soil and climate. There were found
six nursery firms then in the county, with the following number of
trees in stock: A. Smith & Son, Monmouth, 3,000; H. B. Williams,
South China, 3,000; N. R. Pike, Winthrop, 10,000; Charles I. Perley,
Vassalboro, 20,000; J. A. Varney & Son, North Vassalboro, 40,000:
Bowman Brothers, Sidney, 75,000; a total of 151,000 trees.
Other intelligent, active and progressive pomologists of the county,
held in grateful veneration for their services to this branch of our
rural economy, are: Joseph Taylor, of Belgrade, a leading orchardist
and large exhibitor of fruits at state fairs, who died in July, 1882,
aged 78 years; Alfred Smith, of Monmouth, who died February 19,
1885, aged 77 years, a large orchardist and well known writer on
pomological subjects for the agricultural press; and Hon. Robert Hal-
lowell Gardiner, owner of the celebrated estate " The Oaklands," and
of its famous orchard of Bellflowers, in Gardiner, a life member and
for four years president of the State Pomological Society, who died
September 12, 1886, aged 77 years.
Conclusion.— This glimpse of what the farmers of Kennebec
county have accomplished during the past century in the special
lines for " the improvement of agriculture and bettering the condi-
tion of the husbandman," presupposes that in other directions equal
intelligence and progressive views have been employed and as high
results obtained.
All the cereals, fruits and vegetables known to the agriculture of
this latitude are here rai.sed to perfection. Hay, the great staple crop,
yields upon our farms more than the average ton to the acre which
the agricultural department credits the state with producing. In
early times the county raised its own wheat, and even exported it;
and now wherever wheat is sown it produces an average yield higher
22i HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
than that of the wheat growing states of the West. Indian corn is
the glory of the farm as a cereal. One hundred bushels of shelled
corn to the acre have been many times raised as a premium crop,
while the average is but little above one hundred bushels of ears to
the acre.
Sweet corn has for many years been a specialty. Packing factories
have been established at Winthrop, Wayne, Fayette, Monmouth, Vas-
salboro, Belgrade, Oakland, West Gardiner and Hallowell. The crop
yields about $50 per acre, leaving the stalks for winter fodder. The
use of ensilaged corn fodder is successfully employed, especially by
milk producing farmers, who, living in the vicinity of our cities, are
known to be among the best and most prosperous farmers in the
county, paying great attention to their herds and keeping their farms
in the most fertile condition. In fact, in all lines of rural economy
the farmers of Kennebec county have made husbandry a business and
a study, the successful results of which are apparent all over our beau-
tiful hills and through our lovely valleys, in every town and district,
where comfortable homes and well tilled farms speak of industry,
economy and independence.
CHAPTER IX.
TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION.
Early Methods of Travel.— Stage Routes.— Water Routes and Steamboats.—
Captain Jason Collins. — Railroads.
IN THE present day of rapid steam and electric transportation by
land and water, when the people and products of towns and cities
removed from one another by the length and breadth of the state
are transferred in the course of a single day, it is hard to adequately
appreciate the almost insuperable obstacles that lay in the way of
intercourse between the early settlements. The river was of course
the main thoroughfare, whenever practicable, and in the warmer
months was traversed by bateaux, shallops and other primitive craft,
while in the winter rude sledges were employed in conveying stores
and family goods upon its frozen surface. The means of communica-
tion with the county from the earlier settlements to the westward
were many-fold more difficult, and days and weeks were consumed in
toilsomely driving ox-teams, loaded with the lares and penates of the
household, through a wilderness to which the early guides were the
blazed and spotted trees, commemorative of a still earlier migration of
hardy pioneers.
In 1754 the first military road in the state was made between Forts
Western and Halifax. This was done by order of Governor Shirley,
who at the same time made arrangements for the transmission of ex-
presses by whale boats from Fort Halifax to Portland in twenty hours,
returning in twenty-four. The military road being impassable in
winter, owing to the depth of snow, barrels of provisions and other
stores were carried from the lower to the upper fort on hand sleds.
This occasioned Captain Hunter to say to the governor that he had
been obliged to give the men who had hauled the sleds large quanti-
ties of rum, without which it would have been impossible to have
done anything. Thus it seems that in those days, long before the use
of steam power, rictn power was used — the active spirit of progress.
The rude vehicles used at that time made transportation doubly
slow and tedious. Augusta was the center of cart lines to the towns
up the river, and the roads, even in the early part of the nineteenth
15
226 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
century, were little better than rough clearings through the forests.
Over these primitive " thoroughfares " Major Thomas Beck ran a
truck team for goods to Bath, during the winter; and as late as about
the winter of 1836, Samuel C. Grant, who owned the cotton (now a
woolen) mill at Gardiner, sent his son, William S., to Wiscasset with
a rude sled, on which was a bale of cloth to be shipped to Boston.
Prior to 1790 the only mode of individual travel was by foot or on
horseback. The first wheel carriage was a venerable chaise, already
outlawed by fashion in Boston. It was brought to Gardiner about
1790, by Mr. Hallowell, and was called by its owner " the parish
chaise," for the appropriate reason that the entire parish borrowed it.
When General Dearborn returned from congress the first time, he
brought a Philadelphia wagon, which was the wonder of the inhabit-
ants, though there was not more than a mile of road on which it
could be run.
As may be readily imagined, the transmission of the mails in the
early days was conducted in the most primitive manner. About 1790
the first mail was carried on horseback to Gardiner, from Portland,
through Monmouth and Winthrop, and it is chronicled that " the road
was very much improved about this time." The next mail was car-
ried in 1794, from Portland, via Wiscasset to Augusta. In 1795 Ben-
jamin Allen, the first postmaster of Winthrop, and Matthew Blossom,
of Monmouth, took the contract to carry the mail once a week on
horseback between those places. In 1803 Jacob Loud, the second post-
master at Pittston, carried the mail from Wiscasset to Gardiner on
horseback and from Gardiner to Augusta in a canoe. Early in the
present century, however, the stage, usually carrying the mail, began
to make its appearance in the county. The first stages were rude and
torturing conveyances, and in speed and comfort bore about the same
relation to the Concord coach of later days that that vehicle now bears
to the railway passenger coach.
Stage Routes.— The first stage came to Augusta in 1806, and the
first to Gardiner in 1811. Both started from Brunswick. Colonel T.
S. Estabrook, of the latter town, ran the x\ugusta stage, making bi-
weekly trips. From thirteen to twenty-three hours were required for
the transit, the route being the same over which Colonel Estabrook
had carried the mail on horseback, in 1802, for the first time. Peter
Gilman, who still carried the mail from Augusta to Norridgewock, in-
formed the public, in June, 1806, that " he leaves Norridgewock with
a stage on Monday and Thursday at six o'clock in the morning and
arrives at Hallowell the evening of the same day at seven." Truly a
wonderful performance !
In 1807 John and Meshach Blake and Levi Moody began running
the first line of stages from Hallowell to Portland, via Augusta, Mon-
mouth and New Gloucester. They left Hallowell at 4 a. m., and ar-
TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION. 227
rived in Portland at 7 P. M. In 1810 the western stage left Augusta
early in the morning, in season for passengers to breakfast at Bruns-
wick, dine at Freeport and reach Portland in the evening. Leaving
Portland early the next day, breakfast was taken at Kennebunk, din-
ner at Portsmouth and the night was spent at Newburyport. The
following morning it left Newburyport at two o'clock, arrived at
Salem about daylight and reached Boston early in the forenoon. In
1812 Peter Gilman contracted to carry a weekly mail from Augusta to
Bangor, via Vassalboro and China, at which places fresh relays of
from four to six horses were in waiting. Previous to this, Colonel
Moses Burleigh, grandfather of the governor, conveyed the first car-
riage mail between Augusta and Bangor. In 1810 John Homan, Vas-
salboro, carried a weekly mail on horseback from Augusta eastward,
and afterward, in 1815, drove a bi-weekly stage over the .same route.
In 1827 an hourly stage between Augusta and Gardiner was at-
tempted by Smith L. Gale, of the former town; and William E. Robin-
son, of Hallowell, began running a coach once in two hours between
that town and Gardiner. The first venture was not a success, and it
was not until 1834 that the enterprise became permanent. At that
time David Landers, father of William J. Landers, began hourly trips
between the two places, and continued the business until the opening
of the Maine Central railroad.
About 1830 Solomon Brown was an old mail contractor between
Augusta and Freeport, connecting at the latter place with Kennebec
and Portland stages. This was called the Union Line. It was sold in
1848, to Crowell & Baker. From 1850 to 1854 Joshua Strout was the
stage proprietor, and Thomas Holmes was one of his drivers. The
route was afterward sold to Addison Townsend, and lastly to Vas.sal
D. Pinkham, the latter only running from Augusta to Little River.
It was not until shortly before 1840 that mail coaching entered
upon its palmiest days, and four and six horse teams, crowded with
passengers, ran daily between Portland and Augusta, passing through
Litchfield and West Gardiner.
Of more importance than the railroad to the community now was
the old stage line for the transmission^of mail and passengers between
Augusta and Bangor. It was the direct through line. Leaving either
town at 7 a. m. each day, the place of destination was reached in early
evening. The old thoroughbrace coaches were first in use, but about
1849 the Concord coaches were adopted. A change of horses was made
at Vassalboro after a short, sharp drive from Augusta, then again at
China, then Unity, and every few miles until Bangor was reached.
The same horses were changed and driven back by the .same driver
the next day on his return trip. Seventeen horses were kept at Vas-
salboro, and this was an average number for each station. The pres-
ent large barn of^the Vassalboro Hotelfwas then the stage barn. Shaw
SJb HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
& Billings, of Bangor, were the proprietors. They perfected the busi-
ness, and the older residents well remember the richly caparisoned
coaches and the two or three spans of well matched horses to each
coach.
The drivers were men of note in those days, and he who could
dexterously handle six horses and safely make the schedule time,
was a greater personage than the proprietor and, in his own opinion
at least, held a superior position to that of the chief magistrate. Many
will remember John Deering and his two brothers, Jabe Sawings,
Libby, Bennett, Hale Freeman, Crowell, Isaac Holmes of Augusta,
David Crockett, and Benjamin Mitchell, the crack of whose whips was
familiar all along the line, as the rocking, heavily-laden coaches wound
their way through shady vale and over lofty hill.
Water Routes and Steamboats. — During the development of
the facilities for transportation by land, a like progress was being made
on the river. Waterways, the world over, were the first thorough-
fares, and rivers are the oldest highways. The Kennebec afforded the
Indians an open passage from the Sebasticock to the sea, before
Columbus was born or Caesar had crossed the Rubicon. Equally ser-
viceable was the river to the pioneer — its shining way with undeviat-
ing flow, his one sure path, by sunless day or starless night. Its
buoyant bosom was his highway of exploration, and from its friendly
banks diverged the tree-blazed roads that led to his clearing and his
home. At once a producer and a consumer, the river was his natural
avenue of commerce, and the vehicles and methods that were first in
use are matters of curious interest. The settlers had little time or
skill to construct bark canoes such as the Indians made, and when
made they were too frail for lasting service, so the " dug out " was the
primitive boat, and after saw mills were running flat bottomed boats
of various kinds came into universal use. Of these, the bateau, a long,
narrow boat, is the principal survivor, being still the log driver's
favorite.
But there was one kind of river craft — indispensable in its day,
that has become extinct, known as the " long boat " — built from 60 to
95 feet in length, IS to 20 feet wide, especially designed for transport-
ing heavy freight, but fitted also with comfortable cabins for passen-
gers, including lodging and meals. Each boat had two masts that
could be lowered going under bridges, with square sails, main and
wing, above which was the top-gallant-royal sail. The peculiarity of
these boats was, that they went down the river with the current, but
could return only with a good southerly wind, for which they must
wait — sometimes indefinitely.
Some of these carried over one hundred tons. Mathews & Oilman
built the Eagle at Waterville, in 1826, and loaded her with wheat in
charge of Walter Getchell as supercargo, who sold it at the various
TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION. ^'^y
landings " down river " for from sixty to eighty cents per bushel, dis-
posing of the last at Bath, where he took on a return cargo of one hun-
dred hogsheads of salt.
These boats could and did go through the rapids at Augusta before
the dam was built there, and with a good wind they had no trouble in
returning to Waterville with full loads. Occasionally, however, they
met with mishaps, and sometimes they were wrecked. This was the
fate of the Eagle. On a return trip, with a full load of merchan-
dise and a light wind, oxen were employed, as was often the case, to
pull her up the Old Coon rapids. By some cessation of the towage,
the current swung the boat athwart a rock with such force that it
broke completely in two, dumping its cargo of molasses, sugar, rum,
hardware and dry goods into the river, whence the damaged packages
were recovered when quiet water was reached; but the poor Eagle was
a dead bird. A like misfortune befel the Kite, built by William and
Walter Getchell. With a load of 700 bushels of potatoes she was
twisted and dashed broad.side against a pier of the Augusta bridge-
boat and potatoes a total loss.
As early as 1796 George Crosby, of Hallowell, ran the Keiinebec
Packet, Captain Samuel Patterson, master, between that place and Bos-
ton; and before that time, but in the same year. Captain Patterson re-
ported the fourth trip of the. sloop Courier, the settlement of accounts
naming as owners George Crosby, John Sheppard, David Cutler, John
Molloy , Edmund Freeman and Chandler Robbins. Other packets that
were irregularly run, later on, from Augusta and Hallowell, were the
Catharine, owned by Thomas Norris, which was dismasted in 1814 on
a trip to Boston, and the Kennebec Trader, commanded by Captain Carr,
who lost his mate, Elisha Nye, overboard in the same storm. The
channel not being deep enough for these vessels to reach Waterville,
the " long boats "' previously mentioned were employed at Augusta to
convey consignments from them to points above.
In 1824 the Traders' Line, plying between Augusta and Boston,
was established. It comprised the schooners Actress, Captain G. O.
West; Sidney, Captain G. A. Dickman; and Emerald, Captain P. B.
Lewis. It is said that their accommodations secured " comfort and
convenience to passengers." The first regular line of passenger
packets, with the time advertised, between Hallowell and Boston, was
started about 1831. One of the captains was Andrew Brown. In 1845
two lines of packets were started froin Hallowell to Boston, and were
to leave from Augusta when the river channel had been deepened.
Flagg's Line was composed of the schooners Gazelle, Captain Elisha
Springer; the Van Buren, Captain T. R. Pool; Advent, Captain Soule;
and Jane, Captain T. S. Ingraham. The Union Line contained the
schooners Somerset, Captain Hinckley; the M'aterville, Captain W. H.
Heath; Harriet Ann, Captain William Reed, jun., and Consul, Captain
230 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
A. L. Gove. Other old captains on the Kennebec in those days were:
Major Thomas Beck, Charles H. Beck, Jo. Beck, George W. Perry,
Tillinghast Springer (son of Job and brother of Elisha), Jacob Britt,
Joshua Bowler, Samuel Gill, jun., Gustavus Dickman and Samuel and
Alfred Beale.
During the era of the packet boats steam was of course being grad-
ually used for locomotion, both on land and water; and long before
passenger sailing craft ceased running on the river, the steamboat, in
a crude and ungainly form, began to ruffle the surface of the beautiful
stream. The first of these vessels was fitted up from an open scow at
Alna, by its owner, Jonathan Alorgan, a lawyer. In it he paid Gardi-
ner a visit in 1819, tying up at Gay's wharf. Captain Morgan came by
way of Wiscasset, and his queer craft drew crowds wherever it made
a landing. Another steamer, called the Experivicjit, made her ap-
pearance on the river soon after Attorney Morgan had produced his
pioneer boat.
The year 1823 is memorable as the date of the building of the
steamer Waterville at Bath, by Captain Samuel Porter, and the open-
ing of the first steam route from Bath to Augusta the same season, by
this boat, under command of Captain E. K. Bryant. Captain Porter
bought in New York, the same season, the steamer Patent, which he
put on the route from Portland to Boston, advertising to make the run
in \1\ hours. The next year (1824-) the Patent ran from Boston to
Bath, where she connected with the Waterville for Augusta. In 1826
the Patent, Captain Harry Kimball, opened the first through route
from Gardiner to Portland. The Waterville was laid off that season,
and the small steamer, Experiment, ran from Bath to Augusta. For
the next three years the Patent held and made popular the Gardiner
and Portland route. In 1830 the Patent did not run above Bath, at
which place she connected with the Waterville for Augusta; and in
1831 no steamer ran regularly on the river above Bath.
The village of Gardiner was a center of great activity in 1832. A
boat that became noted, the stern-wheel steamer Tieonic, was built
where the public library building now stands, and completed in May,
for a Mr. Blanchard, of Springfield, Mass., at a cost of $8,000. On the
first day of June she made the historic trip to Waterville, whose citi-"
zens received her with manifestations of the wildest joy. This stanch
little steamer, under the command, successively, of Captains J. Flitner,
S. Smith and Nathan Faunce, ran regularly from Gardiner to Water-
ville until interrupted by the river dam at Augusta in 1835. The dam
company made the lock so short that the Tieonic could not pass. After
this the Tieonic was the only regular boat, for a time, between Gardi-
ner and Bath. There was, however, a petite little steamer called the
Tom Thumb, that made irregular trips on the river. In 1835 the
TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION. 231
steamer McDonougJi, Captain Nathaniel Kimball, was put on the route
from Hallowell to Portland, but was taken off in 1836.
In the spring of 1836 a stock company was formed in Gardiner, and
bought a steamer to rim between Gardiner and Boston. Nathaniel
Kimball, Parker Sheldon and Henry Bowman were chosen directors
and at once purchased the steamer Nczv England, a fast boat built for
Long Island sound travel, and opened the new route from Gardiner to
Boston about the first of June, making two round trips per week, Cap-
tain Nathaniel Kimball commander, and Captain Solomon Blanchard
pilot — " fare $4 and found." The Nciv England was an elegant boat
in those times, 170 feet long and of over three hundred tons burden.
The Teutonic connected with her at Gardiner for upper towns.
In 1837 the McDonongli, Captain Andrew Brown, was again run on
the Kennebec, from Hallowell to Portland, but the next year her
place was taken by the little steamer Clifton, Captain William Bryan.
The Neiv England made the Gardiner and Boston route so popular
and profitable that an opposition movement had culminated in the
construction of the Augusta. It was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt,
and was advertised as about ready to run from Hallowell to Boston
when, on the morning of June 1, 1838, while on a regular trip, the
N CIV England QoWiA&d. with the schooner Curlciv,o'S. Boon island, re-
ceiving injuries from which she sunk, having barely time to transfer
her passengers to the schooner. Parker Sheldon and Captain Kim-
ball went at once to Norwich, Conn., and chartered the new steamer
Huntress, and put her in the place of the wrecked boat. Competition
on the Kennebec route now became active. Cornelius Vanderbilt, of
New York, put on the W. C. Peck, Captain A. Brown, as an opposition
boat, running from Hallowell to Boston. This boat not proving fast
enough, Captain Brown was transferred to the new steamer Augusta,
which was substituted in her place.
But the Augusta was not fast enough to compete with the Huntress,
and Commodore Vanderbilt sent on a steamer bearing his own name,
which arrived here September 3d, under Captain Brown. Competition
became intense and a trial of speed was inevitable. The Vanderbilt
sent a challenge one day at Boston, which the Huntress accepted and
won the race, arriving at Gardiner the next morning about a mile
ahead, after a most exciting night. The warmth of public feeling
over such contests in those days can hardly be understood in our rail-
road era. At the close of the season the Huntress was re-chartered for
the next season. Commodore Vanderbilt, beaten at racing, changed
the game and won. He bought the Huntress, subject to the lease, and
notified the Kennebec company that he should run her, paying them,
of course, what damages the courts should award; or he would sell
them the boat for $10,000 more than he had given for her and forever
232 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
leave the route. The offer was accepted, the money paid, and there
was no more opposition for several years.
In 1841 a new era began in the transportation of passengers to and
from Boston. The steamer Jolin W. Richmond, Captain Kimball, was
placed on the route by night twice a week, and the Huntress, Captain
Thomas G. Jewett, was on the route by day twice a week. The steamer
J\L Y. Beach went three times a week to Portsmouth, where she con-
nected with the Eastern railroad, This .schedule was continued
through the season. In 1842 the Ricluitond cut down the fare to two
dollars. The Huntress then combined with the railroad line, via Port-
land, with fare one dollar to Boston — the lowest yet seen. In June,
1842, the steamer Telegrapli was put on as an opposition boat, with fare
one dollar; and July 10th the steamer Splendid was commissioned,
with the cry " No opposition, fare one dollar, or as low as any other
boat on the route." She was followed, July 28th, by the Riclnnond,
advertising " fares to Boston, until further notice, twenty-five cents."
The Richmond was burned at her dock in Hallowell Sunday night,
September 3d. She was valued at $37,000 and was owned by Rufus
K. Page and Captain Kimball, who, within a week, replaced her with
the Penobscot, a larger boat than any that had preceded her. During
the season of 1844 the Penobscot ran on the all water route from
Hallowell to Boston; the Telegraph first and then the Huntress run-
ning four trips per week from Hallowell, connecting with the railroad
at Bath.
In the spring of 184,'5 the People's Line, a stock company, was or-
ganized, with William Bradstreet, Samuel Watts, John Jewett, Green-
lief White, E. W. Farley, B. C. Bailey and Henry Weeks, directors.
The citizens of the Kennebec valley bought the stock readily, and the
People's Line placed the new steamer/^/;;/ Marshall, Captain Andrew
Brown, in opposition to the Penobscot. After June the elegant Kenne-
bec took the Marsiiall's place, and a small steamer was run in connec-
tion with her between Hallowell and Waterville, to compete with the
Water Witch and Balloon, which ran to the Marshall.
The season of 1846 opened briskly, the fare to Boston being only
twenty-five cents. The Kennebec was the regular line steamer, while
the People's Line put on the John Marshall, Captain Brown, and the
Charter Oak, Captain Davis Blanchard. The steamers Flushing and
Bellinghani formed a line between Augusta and Bath, a boat leaving
each of these places every morning. Before summer came the two
lines were consolidated, the John Marshall was sold, and the Kennebec
and Charter Oak ran on alternate days the balance of the season.
In the spring of 1848 the Huntress resumed her trips from Hallo-
well to Portland, the Charter Oak and Kennebec running alternately
to Boston. Several small steamers ran on the river to Waterville,
often racing in their fierce competition. These hazardous practices
TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION. ^ 233
•culminated in May this year, by the Halifax bursting her boiler while
passing through the Augusta lock, and killing six people.
The season of 1849 was marked by the advent of the new steamer
Ocean, Captain Sanford. She took the outside route to Boston and
held it several years. July 4th the railroad was finished to Bath, to
which city the Huntress made daily trips in connection with the cars.
In 1851 the steamer T. F. Sccor connected with the railroad at Bath,
and, later, at Richmond. During the spring of 1854 Richard Dono-
van was made captain of the Ocean, and commanded her till November
24th, when she was run into by the Cunard steamer Canada, off Deer
island, Boston harbor, and burned to the water's edge.
In 1855 and 1856 the steamer Governor, Captain James Collins, ran
from Hallowell to Boston, and the T. F. Secor, Captain Donovan, from
Augusta to Portland, tri-weekly. The new steamer Eastern Queen,
Captain James Collins, was put on in the spring of 1857, and ran that
year and the next. She was partially burned at Wiscasset, in March,
1859, and the State of Maine filled her place during repairs. In 1861
the steamer Union ran daily between Augusta and Bath, connecting
with the T. F. Secor for Portland. The Union was afterward sold to
the government and was taken to Fortress Monroe, where she was
noted for her speed.
In 1865 parties in Bath bought the steamer Daniel Webster, Captain
William Roix, and placed her on the route from Gardiner to Boston,
in opposition to the Eastern Queen, which, since the death of Captain
James Collins in 1861, had been commanded by his cousin. Captain
Jasofi Collins. This last named steamer ran from Hallowell to Boston
from 1866 to 1870, when she was sold. Previous to this, in 1866, the
new steamer Star of the East, was placed on the Boston route, under
the command of Captain Collins, who ran her until the spring of 1889,
when he was transferred to the palatial new steamer Kennebec, of the
same line.
Captain Jason Collins, the genial and popular commander of this
fine vessel, is a resident of Gardiner, and from his long connection
with lines of travel and transportation, must have a place in this chap-
ter. He was born at Bowman's Point, and is the only surviving son
in a family of nine children. His father, James Collins, came to what
is now Farmingdale when he was a young man, married Elizabeth
Tyler, and passed his life in rural pursuits. Jason grew up on the
home farm to the age of fourteen, when he shipped as cook with his
father's brother, Captain John Collins, in the coasting schooner, Hope.
The next year he again went to sea with his Uncle John, this time as
a sailor before the mast, in the Adventure, bound for Mexico and sev-
eral South American ports. After this trip he was on the brig Corin-
thian, with Captain Sampson, in the coastwise trade. His next voyage
234 • HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
was to Europe in the ship Powliattan, commanded by Captain Thomp-
son.
In 1836 our young sailor became a fireman on the steamer Nnv
England, Captain Nathaniel Kirnball, holding that position until the
vessel was wrecked off Portsmouth, June 1, 1838. He was then made
assistant engineer of VaelHiintress, and four years later was promoted
to the responsible position of chief engineer of this, the fastest steam-
boat ever on the Kennebec river. In 1850 he went to California as
chief engineer of the steamship Independence, and ran on a Pacific coast
route until she was wrecked, February 16, 1853, on Marietta island,
Lower California. Returning home he was first engineer on Atlantic
coast .steamers until the summer of 1861, when he succeeded his cousin.
Captain James Collins, in command of the coast steamer, Eastern
Queen, in which capacity he was eight months with Burnside's expe-
dition in North Carolina. The next year (1862) he commanded the
same boat at New Orleans, under General Banks, getting thereby a
practical knowledge of the naval operations of the great war. Four
years later he was assigned to the splendid steamer, Star of the East,
of 1,400 tons burden, in which responsible position he faithfully .served
his company and the public, for twenty-four years.
Upon the completion of the Kennebec, in the construction of which
he had been the active man on the building committee, he assumed
the duties of his present position. The details of making, as well as
of running a boat are familiar to him, having superintended the build-
ing of several. He has long been an owner in the Kennebec Steam-
boat Company, and is one of its directors.
Jason Collins married Louise, daughter of Nathaniel Kinneston, of
Farmingdale. Their children have been: Anna Augusta, Louise
Blanche, who died at the age of nineteen; Delia H., Eugenia and Wal-
lace J., who was educated at Bowdoin College, graduating in 1883.
Choosing the medical profession, he entered that department of Bow-
doin, receiving his degree in 1886. He is now practicing at Monte-
video, Minn.
Captain Collins has been fond of mechanics and machinery from
his boyhood, and wisely chose a calling in which his talent has always
had stimulus and opportunity. His practical ability and sound judg-
ment brought him to the presidency of the Boothbay Steamboat Com-
pany, also to a directorship in the Merchants' Bank of Gardiner.
Captain Collins' life has been useful as well as active. Few men have
as many acquaintances as he, and fewer still as many friends.
Besides the passenger steamers on the Kennebec, there were also
numerous steam tugboats employed in towing sailing craft up and
down the river, but only brief mention can be made of two of the
earliest specimens of these craft. The first was th.& Jefferson, built to
ply on Lake Jefferson. About the year 1838 Captain Wyman Morse
iQUi^cnA^^Xytr^^y^^ toAd
TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION. 235-
purchased this boat, moved her overland to tide water, and launched
and brought her up the Kennebec, where she became the first regular
towboat on the river, and the nucleus of the fleet of powerful steamers
owned a generation later by the Knickerbocker Steam Towage Com-
pany, in which his son, Captain B. W. Morse, was a large owner and
also the business manager. This company owned the barge Yosemite,
that was so well known as a pleasure boat on the river in the seventies.
The other of the pioneer towboats was that owned by Ebenezer
Beard, who came to Pittston in 1843, and contracted with Deacon Fo-
linsbee to build him a sixty-four ton towboat. When completed, he
took the vessel to Kimball's wharf, where he placed in it two small
steam engines attached to two screw propellers of an improved model,
invented by himself. This craft, the first screw propeller ever seen
on the county's waters, was called the Experiment.
Railroads.— Turning from the use of steam power on the river to
its employment on the rail, it is found that the county was somewhat
backward in sustaining the march of improvement in that direction.
In 1836 the Kennebec & Portland Railroad Company was chartered,
with authority to construct a road from Portland to Augusta. Noth-
ing further was done, however, until 1845, when the time to build was
extended ten years. In the same year charters were given to the An-
droscoggin & Kennebec railroad, which was to enter the county at
Monmouth and pass through Winthrop, Readfield and Belgrade, to
Waterville, and to the Penobscot & Kennebec railroad, which was to
start from Augusta, cross the river, and run along its eastern bank
through Vassalboro and Winslow. meeting the Androscoggin road at
Waterville, and running thence through Benton and Clinton, toward
Bangor. Among the early promoters of this extension from Augusta
were John D. Lang and Eben Frye, of Vassalboro, and Joseph Eaton,
of Winslow.
On July 4, 1849, the Androscoggin & Kennebec railroad, known as
the " back route," entered Winthrop, and on October 8th following,
the road was completed to Readfield. During this month a daily stage
line was started from Augusta to connect, as now, with the railroad at
Winthrop. On November 27th the railroad was opened to Waterville,.
the event being celebrated by a grand jubilee.
During this time the Portland & Kennebec railroad, afterward
tnown as the " main line," was slowly progressing along the west
bank of the river, and in the spring of 1850 meetings were held at
Augusta, and at other towns, to assist in pushing forward the read.
At length the first train entered Gardiner, November 10, 1851, amid
general rejoicing. On the 15th of the following month the first loco-
motive entered Augusta, followed on the 29th by the first train of cars;
and on the morning of the 30th the first train of cars left Augusta for
Portland.
■236 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
These two pioneer roads, and the Penobscot & Kennebec extension
from Augusta to Waterville and eastward, are now embraced in the
Maine Central system. From Leeds Junction, which lies in three
counties, another branch of the Maine Central runs to Farmington,
touching the corner of Monmouth, thence following the western
boundary of Wayne, and thence running, within a few miles, the en-
tire length of the western line of Fayette.
The Somerset Railroad Company was conceived, planned and its
construction begun by Reuben B. Dunn and Joel Gray. It was their
original intention that this road should be a branch of the Maine Cen-
tral, of which Mr. Dunn was then president. The work of building
the roadbed was begun in 1868, but in less than three years, and be-
fore a rail had been laid, the control of the Maine Central passed into
other hands, and the new management refused to countenance the en-
terprise. At this crisis, John Ayer, one of the directors of the strug-
gling company, took the lead in the direction of its affairs, and to his
■energy and financial ability the existence of the road is undoubtedly
due. Trains began running to Norridgewock in 1873, and the line,
forty-one miles long, was subsequently completed to Bingham. The
Toad was sold, in 1883, on the first mortgage, and reorganized as the
Somerset railway. Joel Gray was the first president, F. W. Hill, of
Exeter, Me., the second; and John Ayer has been president since
1872. George A. Fletcher, the first treasurer, was succeeded in 1874
by Major Abner R. Small. The superintendent is W. M. Ayer, of
•Oakland
The Kennebec Central Railroad Company was chartered Septem-
ber 12, 1889, with a capital stock of $15,000, afterward increased to
-$50,000. It is five miles long, running from Randolph to Togus, has
a two-foot gauge, and was opened for business August 1, 1890. The
first eleven months' operation showed total receipts, $13,242; expenses,
$8,392. This money was earned with two engines, four passenger,
two box and six flat cars — the total rolling stock of the road, costing
$18,200. The road bed, with land damages and terminal facilities,
■ cost $12,000 per mile — as much as the average cost of a good many
standard gauge roads. The nine directors are: H. W. Jewett, David
Dennis, Weston Lewis, E. D. Haley, A. C. Stilphen, J. S. Maxcy, J.
B. Dingley and S. N. Maxcy, of Gardiner, and Franklin Stevens, of
Randolph. Weston Lewis is president; P. H. Winslow, treasurer and
general ticket agent; F. A. Lawton, superintendent; H. S. Webster,
clerk, and A. C. Stilphen, attorney and auditor.
Electricity, which is fast superseding horse power on the street
railways of cities and suburban towns, has as yet been employed in
the county for that purpose in but two instances. In 1890 the Augusta,
Hallowell & Gardiner Electric Street Railroad Company was incor-
porated, with a capital, authorized by charter, of $150,000. The length
TRAVEL AND TRANSPORTATION. 237
of the line is seven iniles, and the road is reported to be earning a
substantial income. The officers are: President, J. Manchester
Haynes, Augusta; superintendent, E. K. Day, Hallowell; treasurer,
George E. Macomber, Augusta; clerk of corporation, Henry G. Stap-
les, Augusta.
The Waterville and Fairfield Power & Light Company, opened in
July, 1892, the electric road running north from Waterville, on what
had been operated as a horse car line since 1888.
CHAPTER X.
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS.
Bv Mr. Howard Owen.
-Newspapers of Hallowell and Augusta. — The Press of Gardiner. — Waterville
Press. — Newspapers of Oakland and Winthrop. — Journalistic Ventures at
China, Vassalboro and Clinton.
AUGUSTA has long been the center of the newspaper business in
the county, and as far as the number is concerned, the news-
papers started here have been legion. We shall not attempt in
this chapter to mention the multitude of publications of world wide
circulation, issuing from the extensive publishing establishments of
The Allen Publishing Company, of Vickery & Hill, and of the more
recently established house of the Gannett & Morse concern. These
belong more especially to the commercial and manufacturing indus-
tries of the city and will have attention in another chapter of this
work.
Several ephemeral newspapers have been started here of the
" Jonah's Gourd " variety, such as the Ajigtista Courier, the Liberal Re-
publican, an anti-temperance periodical — not living long enough to es-
tablish for themselves a place in history.
The first newspaper in Kennebec county was started in Hallowell
— then called " The Hook " — August 4, 1794, nearly a century ago.
It was published by Howard S. Robinson and called the Eastern Star.
It had the life of a yearling, and was succeeded in 1795 by The Toesiji,
published by Wait & Baker, of the Falmouth Gazette. In September,
1796, it was transferred to Benjamin Poor. This paper was also short-
lived, being discontinued in 1797.
The American Advocate, a democratic-republican newspaper, was
begun at Hallowell in the year 1810, and was published first by Na-
thaniel Cheever, father of the late Rev. Dr. George B. Cheever, of
New York; then by S. K. Gilman, who published it for six years and
sold to Calvin Spaulding, who in turn disposed of the establishment
to Sylvanus W. Robinson and Henry K. Baker, the latter gentleman
so long judge of probate and still residing in Hallowell. In 1835 the
paper was united with the Free Press and called the Free Press and Ad-
vocate. It was sold to the Kennebec Journal in 1836. The Free Press,
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. 239
published by Anson G. Herrick and edited by Richard D. Rice, was a
violent anti-Masonic paper. There was at that time great prejudice
against the institution of Masonry, and during its brief career the
paper had an immense circulation. In the meantime a paper called
the Banner of Light was published for a year or two.
The Genius of Temperance, a paper of small size, devoted to the
cause of temperance, was established in Hallowell m January, 1828;
printed semi-monthly by Glazier & Co., for P. Crandall, editor and
proprietor. It continued about two years, and then died for want of
patronage.
The Liberty Standard, printed at the Halhnvell Gazette office, was
commenced about 1840 and published in Hallowell by the anti-
slavery martyr. Rev. J. C. Lovejoy. It was devoted to the cause of
negro emancipation, Mr. Lovejoy, the editor, wielding a very vigor-
ous and aggressive pen. Rev. Austin Willey afterward conducted the
paper with great ability. Its name was finally changed to Free Soil
Republican, the free soil party having become a factor in politics. It
was a failure as a business enterprise, and died after a precarious ex-
istence of about seven years. It was printed by Newman & Rowell.
For a year or two during the war of the rebellion a paper called
the Kennebec Courier, was published at Hallowell, by T. W. Newman.
It was afterward removed to Bath, where it sickened and died.
A paper with the heavenly title of the Northern Light, was pub-
lished in Hallowell for a few months, by J. W. May and A. C. Currier.
The Hallowell Gazette, federal in politics, was established by Eze-
kiel Goodale and James Burton, jun., in January, 1814, and was pub-
lished until 1827.
September 28, 1839, the Maine Cultivator and Weekly Gazette was
established in Hallowell, by T. W. Newman and R. G. Lincoln. For
two years its editor was Rev. William A. Drew, afterward of the
Gospel Banner. It was devoted primarily to agriculture and the me-
chanic arts, though later it became more of a local organ. It received
a fair support from the people of Hallowell and surrounding towns.
Newman & Lincoln continued the publication of the paper until
March, 1842; T. W. Newman from that date until September, 1843;
T. W. & G. E. Newman to September, 1845; T. W. Newman and E.
Rowell from September, 1845, to June, 1852; E. Rowell and H. L.
Wing to June, 1854; E. Rowell to November, 1859; E. Rowell and
Charles E. Nash (later of the Kennebec Journal) to June, 1862; E.
Rowell to June, 1865; Charles E. Nash to September, 1869, and Henry
Chase from that time until it was discontinued, December 9, 1871. In
1850 the headings of the paper were transposed to Halloivell Gazette
and Maine Cultivator; and at the beginning of the fifteenth volume,
in September, 1853, the second heading was dropped, retaining only
the Hallowell Gazette. Some time after Mr. Chase became publisher,
240 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
the character of the paper was entirely changed from a local to a story
paper, and it was called the Saturday Gazette. Mr. Chase tried to imi-
tate E. C. Allen, but failed. Major E. Rowell, so long identified with
the paper, continues a much respected citizen of Hallowell.
The Saturday Gazette died on the hands of Mr. Chase, December 9,
1871. Hallowell had no paper from that time until December 22,
1877, when the present Hallozvell Register was established. Its proprie-
tor and editor, W. F. Marston, not only conducts the paper, but has in
connection a commercial job printing office. The Register is a spicy
local paper, filling well its rather limited field. While non-partisan,
it has republican leanings.
The first paper established in that part of Hallowell which is now
Augusta, was the Kennebec Intelligencer, published by Peter Edes, than
whom no one was more respected by the members of the craft. It
was established November 14, 1795, and was a little affair, the dimen-
sions being only eleven by sixteen inches. Political action at that
time found expression through the federal and republican parties, the
federalists in this section of the country being in the majority. The
Intelligencer was changed to the Kennebec Gazette in 1800, and in 1810
became the Herald of Liberty. Under this name it was published
until 1815, when it was discontinued on the removal of its proprietor
to Bangor.
A non-partisan paper, " far removed from party turmoil," the
Augusta Patriot, was started March 7, 1817, by James Burton, jun.,
but it died in a year or two for want of patronage.
The Kennebec Joiirnal grew out of the dominant political sentiment
which afterward became crystalized in what was known as the whig
party. In the fall of 1823, two young men, journeymen printers, came
from Washington, D. C, and started the paper. Their names were
Luther Severance and Russell Eaton. The Tufts hand press on which
it was to be printed was set up at what was called the Branch brick
block, at the corner of Bridge and Water streets, where the first num-
ber of the Journal was struck off, January 8, 1823. The size of the
subscription list at that time did not seem to be taken at all into ac-
count by the publishers. Indeed, they thought they were doing a big
business if their list of subscribers numbered four or five hundred.
Advertising was also at a discount; and we have known a publisher
who in those early days received but forty-two cents a week for a half
column "ad," taking his pay " in country produce at market prices."
So the Journal's upward progress was from the smallest possible
beginning. Luther Severance, whose name is to-day a tower of
strength in the county, stood at the editorial helm, and gained a great
reputation among the rank and file of the party for the clear and com-
prehensive style in which he clothed his editorials. Like Horace
Greeley, he was able to go to the case and put into type an elaborate.
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. 241
unwritten editorial. In 1829 Mr. Severance was called to represent
his party in the legislature, in 1835-6 in the state senate, in 1839-40
again in the house, and in 1843 and 1845 in the national house of rep-
resentatives. Beginning in 1850, he was for three years United States
commissioner to the Sandwich Islands. But his labors were nearly
ended. Stricken with a hopeless cancerous disease, he reached his home
in Augusta on the 12th of April, 1854, and died on the 2oth of Janu-
ary, 1855, at the age of fifty-seven years. During his last sickness, and
as a means of diverting his attention from his intense physical suffer-
ing, Mr. Severance, under the heading of "Brief Mention," weekly
contributed articles full of wisdom and suggestive thought to the
columns of his favorite paper.
In the early .stages of the JonriiaFs career, the two young men
struggled on, doing most of their own work, with the help of two
apprentices. Mr. Eaton had special charge of the mechanical and
business departments of the paper, and here were laid deep and broad
those busine.ss principles that ripened so successfully after he became
connected with the Farmer. Full of years, and highly respected by
his fellow citizens, Mr. Eaton went to his rest some two years since.
In June, 1833, Mr. Eaton retired from the /i3«r«rf/, leaving Mr. Sev-
erance the sole proprietor and manager until the beginning of 1839,
when he sold half the concern to John Dorr, who had been engaged
at Belfast in the publication of the Waldo Patriot. Mr. Dorr brought
business tact and shrewdness to the performance of his tasks, and the
paper entered upon the high road to success. Mr. Dorr continued as
clerk and bookkeper in the office under subsequent administrations.
In 1850 the /£72/r«fl/ passed into the hands of William H. Wheeler and
William H. Simpson, and was edited by Mr. Wheeler, who afterward
sold his half to his partner, Simpson, and removed to Bangor, where
he engaged with John H. Lynde in the publication of the Wliig and
Courier. Simpson sold the paper in the fall of 1854, to James G. Blaine
and Joseph Baker. A stock company was formed, new material pur-
chased, and the paper attained to a new prominence under the able
and vigorous management of Mr. Blaine, who also contributed to the
editorial department of the paper long after he had severed his busi-
ness connection with it. The Maine liquor law now became the lead-
ing issue in politics, and after a short ownership Mr. Baker sold his
interest to John L. Stevens, who became one of the most profound
political thinkers and vigorous writers in the state. Mr. Stevens is at
present United States minister to the Sandwich Islands, having served
in similar capacities at Montevideo and at Stockholm.
In 1857 Mr. Blaine was succeeded by John S. Sayward, who came
from the Bangor Whig. During a portion of the war of the rebellion
a daily leaflet, containing the telegraphic news from Washington and
10
242 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
the seat of operations, was issued from this office; and this was the
beginning that led to the thought of establishing a permanent daily,
which appeared later. In May, 1868, Owen & Nash bought Mr.
Sayward's interest, and the January following the other half interest
in the paper was sold to Alden vSprague, of \\iQ Rockland Free Press.
Howard Owen had for fifteen years served in various capacities in the
Journal office, and Charles E. Nash was of the Hallowell Gazette. The
new firm was known as Sprague, Owen & Nash, Mr. Sprague being
the political editor, Mr. Owen the local editor, and Mr. Nash having
charge of the business affairs. Several times enlarged, the paper was
again enlarged by the new firm, and \.\iQ Daily Kennebec Journal started
on the first of January, 1870.
In August, 1879, the partnership was abolished by the sale of Owen
and Nash's half to Charles A. Sprague, and the office was conducted
under the firm name of Sprague & Son. They attained to the entire
ownership of the paper by the purchase of all the floating stock, and
sold the entire concern in April, 1887, to C. B. Burleigh and Charles
Flynt, by whom the paper has since been conducted. The new firm
enlarged the paper and greatly improved the plant. With a large and
able corps of editors and correspondents, with excellent arrangements
for obtaining the telegraphic and other news, the Daily Journal has
taken its place among the leading dailies of the state, while the
weekly, enlarged and improved, has attained a large state circulation.
The adherents of the once despi.sed faith of Universalism, of which
Hosea Ballou was the pioneer preacher in this country, felt the need
of an official organ in the state, where afterward they gained a per-
manent foothold. Accordingly, a weekly religious newspaper, called
the Gospel Banner, devoted mainly to advocating the doctrine of the
salvation of the entire human race, was established July 25, 1835, with
Rev. William A. Drew, editor and proprietor. He was assisted by two
associate editors, Rev. Calvin Gardiner and Rev. George Bates. Arthur
W. Berry became in some way interested in the paper, and printed it
in 1839. It, however, soon returned to the proprietorship of Mr. Drew,
who, in 1843, sold it to Joseph A. Homan (who retired from active
business pursuits several years since, and remains one of the respected
and honored citizens of Augusta), and his brother-in-law, James S.
Manley, long since deceased. The firm of Homan & Manley pub-
lished the paper until January, 1859, when they purchased the Maine
Farmer, and sold the Banner to James A. Bicknell and Rev. R. A.
Ballou. Mr. Drew, after long and able service, retired from the editor-
ship of the paper in October, 1854, when he was succeeded by Rev. J.
W. Hanson, who becam.e editor and part owner. Mr. Hanson, in 1859,
was succeeded by Mr. Ballou, who was the editor of the paper until it
was sold, in 1864, to Rev. George W. Quinby, whose vigor and interest
in the work was not only equal to the editorial tasks imposed, but also
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. 243
to the exacting business demands. He was not only an editor, but an
able author and an aggressive preacher, and was honored by Tuffts'
College, with the degree of D.D. After a brief sickness, Doctor Quin-
by died in Augusta on the 10th of January, 1884.
The Baiiin-r was purchased on the 14th of July, 1888, by Rev. Isaac
J. Mead and George W. Vickery, Mr. Mead having charge of the edi-
torial columns, and Mr. Vickery of the business department. A strong
pressure being made upon his time elsewhere, Mr. Vickery sold his
interest February 14, 1889, to B. A. Mead, and the paper has since been
published by The B. A. Mead Company. It was changed to a quarto,
and enlarged October 9, 1890.
The Kennebec Journal being at that time the undoubted leader of
the press in this section, an effort was made in 1827 to establish an
opposition paper which should advocate the claims of General Jackson
for the presidency. Accordingly, the Maine Patriot and State Gazette
appeared on the 31st of October, 1827, published by James Dickman,
and under the editorship of Aurelius V. Chandler. In May, 1829, the
paper was sold to Harlow Spaulding, by whom it was published, Mr.
Chandler continuing the editor. Mr. Chandler went South to recruit
his health, and died at Charleston, S. C, December 31, 1830, at the
age of twenty-three. James W. Bradbury took his place in the edi-
torial chair, but relinquished it July 1, 1831. The following Decem-
ber the paper was absorbed by The Age, a new paper of similar politi-
cal proclivities, and the Patriot ceased to exist.
After the removal of the state capital to Augusta, The Age was es-
tablished, December 23, 1831, by Ira Berry & Co., Frank O. J. Smith,
a brilliant lawyer and able journalist from Portland, being its editor.
One of the earlier incidents of its career was a libel suit growing out
of one of Mr. Smith's caustic and personal items, charging a promi-
nent citizen of Belgrade with being a deserter from the army in the
war of 1812, and that he was tried, convicted and sentenced to be shot.
The publisher of The Age was arrested and tried on a criminal libel.
The trial, which excited the most intense interest, lasted a week. The
result was the sustaining the paper in its charges, and this gave the
concern a great boom and influence among its political adherents.
The paper also had the state patronage. Mr. Smith was chosen to a
seat in congress, and retired from the paper August 10, 1832, when
George Robinson, a law student, became the editor, and continued in
that capacity several years. In 1834 Berry & Co. sold the paper to
William J. Condon, who had been connected with the Saeo Democrat.
He continued the publication of the paper for about a year, when
William R. Smith, who came from Wiscasset, and who was at that
timejworking at the printer's case in the office, bought a quarter in-
terest, forming a partnership with Robinson, who continued to edit
the paper. Mr. Smith was a printer almost from birth, having entered
244 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
a newspaper office as an apprentice wlien eight years old. Mr. Ira
Berry, formerly of The Age, died in Portland in September, 1891, at
the great age of ninety years.
Mr. Robinson died in February, 1840, Smith having previously
bought another quarter interest from him. During this period was
begun at The Age office the publication of a tri-weekly, during the ses-
sions of ihe legislature, reporting the proceedings, and afterward giv-
ing the telegraphic news. Later, the Keimebec Journal eniereA upon
the publication of a tri-weekly, on alternate days with The Age, the
two forming a daily paper — the first time the citizens of Augusta were
favored with such an institution.
At the death of Mr. Robinson, George Melville Weston', son of the
late Chief Justice Nathan Weston, became associated with Mr. Smith,
and conducted the editorial department of The Age. The paper was
conducted by this firm until August 5, 1844, when it was sold to Rich-
ard D. Rice, a printer by trade, who afterward rose to the exalted
position of justice on the supreme bench. Mr. Rice edited the paper,
controlling its politics in the interests of the democratic party, until
May, 1848, when he returned to the profession of law, and the paper
was purchased by William T. Johnson (who afterward became cashier
of the Granite National Bank). He associated himself with Daniel T,
Pike, who became its editor. Mr. Pike, who wielded a forceful and
facetious pen, now retired from the profession, whose ranks he graced
for more than twenty years, is enjoying a green old age in our
midst. Messrs. Johnson & Pike conducted the paper until May,
1856, when they were succeeded by Benjamin A. G. and Melville W.
Fuller (now the honored chief justice of the United States supreme
court), who after a number of years disposed of the establishment to
Daniel T. Pike, and he in turn to Elias G. Hedge and others. They
sold to Gilman vSmith, of Augusta, a journeyman printer, and the old
and influential y^^r, which had so long and so safely sailed the politi-
cal seas, died upon his hands during the war of the rebellion.
Upon the ruins of The Age rose the Maine Standard, in 1867, a
democratic sheet, published by Thaddeus A. Chick, a well known and
accomplished practical printer, and Isaac W. Reed. The paper was
sold in 1868, to Eben F. Pillsbury, the noted political leader and pol-
ished lawyer, several times the nominee of the democratic party for gov-
ernor, though never elected. Mr. Pillsbury, who had formerly edited
the Franklin Patriot, at Farmington, edited the Standard, and associ-
ated with him was L. B. Brown, of Starks, now of New Hampshire;
and at one time, on the editorial force, was Horace :M. Jordan, of
Westbrook, now of Boston.
The paper was bought in January, 1881, by Manley T. Pike & Co.,
who dropped its name soon after the purchase, and called it The Neiv
Age, the name which it has since borne. These proprietors published
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. 245
the paper two years and a half, when, in July, 1883, it was sold to
Harris M. Plaisted and Charles B. Morton. General Plaisted, who
had been the democratic governor of Maine the two preceding years,
was the political editor, and for some time Charles B. Chick was con-
nected with the local department. In December, 1889, Mr. Morton's
portion was purchased by a son of the senior proprietor, Frederick
W. Plaisted, and the paper has since been published by H. M. Plais-
ted & Son. The paper was enlarged and changed to a quarto at the
beginning of the 2,'5th volume, March 6, 1891. Tlie Nczv Age has a large
and increasing patronage, being the leading democratic paper of cen-
tral Maine.
The Maine Farmer grew out of the necessities of the time, and was
founded to meet the demands of a more progressive agriculture. Its
"birth really grew out of the establishment of the Kennebec Agricul-
tural Society, in 1832. It was started in Winthrop, January 21, 1833,
bearing the name of the Kennebec Farmer, the publishers being Wil-
liam Noyes & Co., and the editor Dr. Ezekiel Holmes. It was printed
in quarto form, and the size of the printed page was 7| by 8-| inches.
After eight numbers of the paper had been issued, the name which
was first deemed appropriate was adopted, that of the Maine Farmer,
adding as the motto for its field of operations, "and journal of the
useful arts,"' devoting itself not only to the interests of the farmer,
but also the mechanic. The first four volumes were published in
Winthrop, when the paper was moved to Hallowell, but in 1838 was
purchased by Marcian Seavy, and moved back to Winthrop. vSeavy
sold out the next year to Noyes and Benjamin F. Robbins, the latter
remaining in the firm but two years. In 1844 Russell Eaton, a former
publisher of the AV««ci^(Y/ci«r«rt/, purchased the /v7r;«<r, moved it to
Augusta, changed its form to that of a folio, which it has since re-
tained, enlarged the paper, and improved it in every respect. Mr.
Eaton made another enlargement in 1847. In 1860 and 1870 other en-
largements were made, the last in 1883, representing its present size,
31i by 46i inches.
In 1858, after publishing the paper fourteen years, Mr. Eaton sold
out to Joseph A. Homan and James S. Manley, former proprietors of
the Gospel Banner. Special attention was now paid to a compilation
of the general news, making the Farmer a complete family paper, that
department being edited by Mr. Homan. On account of failing
health, in 1861, Mr. Manley sold his half interest to William S. Bad-
ger, the present senior proprietor and manager of the paper, who has
become a veteran in the service, being the oldest newepaper man in
continuous service in the state. In 1878 Mr. Homan retired, selling
his interest to Joseph H. Manley, the present junior proprietor.
Doctor Holmes continued his position as agricultural editor until
February, 1866, at which time Dr. N. T. True, of Bethel, took his
246 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
place, continuing four years. Samuel L. Boardman, now employed on
the editorial force of the Kennebec Journal, was agricultural editor of
the Farmer from March, 1869, to March, 1879. He had previously
served as assistant in this department. Dr. William B. Lapham, the
well known historian and necrologist, who had been employed as gen-
eral news editor since 1872, became agricultural editor in 1879, which
relation he continued until November, 1883, when the charge was as-
sumed by Z. A. Gilbert, of Greene, secretary of the board of agricul-
ture, who is at this time the agricultural editor. Howard Owen has
served as general news editor since 1881, and Dr. G. M. Twitchell has
charge of the horse and poultry departments. The paper has^or forty
years had an extensive circulation, easily maintaining, against all at-
tempted competition, its position as the exponent of the interests of
the intelligent and progressive farmers of the state. Comparing the
paper at the present time with its earlier efforts, shows to a demon-
stration the great advances which have been made in the special field
of practical thought to which, through all these years, it has devoted
itself.
The Co7iy Student is a monthly periodical, started in Augusta in
1887, and published each year, during the school term, from Septem-
ber to June, inclusive, managed and edited by a corps of editors and
publishers selected by and from the students in the Cony High
School. It is " devoted to the interests of the members of the Cony
High School," and contains original essays, poems, sketches, notes
and gossip. It has several times been enlarged, until now it is a cov-
ered periodical of twelve pages.
The Home Mission Echo, a monthly paper issued under the auspices
of the Woman's American Baptist Home Mis,sion Society, has been
issued in Augusta about five years. It ably champions the cause of
missions in the home field, and has a circulation of some 9,000 copies.
Its editor and publisher is the well known writer, Anna Sargent Hunt.
The Home Farm was started in Augusta by Samuel L. Boardman,
November 13, 1880. It was designed as a purely agricultural and
home paper. It contained eight pages, five 18-inch columns to the
page. In the beginning of volume IV, November 15, 1883, it was en-
larged to six columns to a page, making a neat, well made up journal.
It was removed to Waterville and the name changed to Eastern
Farmer. The first number under the new name appeared September
30, 1887. During the time it was published, Henry A. Hall, Asa R.
Boardman, the editor's brother, and George F. Patch were at different
times connected with the paper as publishers or business managers.
Samuel L. Boardman was chief owner and editor until its discontinu-
ance in April, 1888.
A little sheet, called the Musical Monitor, published by R. M. Man-
THE NEWSPAPER I'KESS. 247
sur, was removed from North Vienna to Augusta. It was principally
devoted to advertising.
In 1840 there was published in Augusta for a little while, a bright
and crisp little temperance paper called TIic WasJiingtonian, growing
out of the Washingtonian movement that swept like a tidal wave over
the country. When the wave subsided the paper died. It was pub-
lished at The Age office by Henry Green, a journeyman printer, who
had been interested in the reform movement. The articles in the
paper were all written by " Washingtonians."
Drew's Rural Intelligencer was a weekly newspaper, devoted to the
wants and pleasures of rural life, designed to make home pleasant and
happy. It embraced departments in agriculture, horticulture, me-
chanic arts, education and general intelligence. It was established
and conducted by Rev. William A. Drew, who but a few months' pre-
viously had laid down the editorial pen on the Gospel Banner. He was
assisted by an able corps of contributors. Mr. Drew had no printing
office of his own; the type setting was done at the Kennebec Journal
office, and the press work at the office of The Age. It was a four-
column quarto of eight pages, enclosed with a tasty border. The
paper aimed to devote itself more especially to the interests of the
home. It was started January 6, 1855, and continued to be published
at Augusta until September, 1857, when it was purchased by R. B.
Caldwell, of Gardiner, and removed to that city, Mr. Drew continuing
to edit it. It was is.sued until 1859, when it ceased to exist as a dis-
tinctive publication.
The history of the pre.ss in Gardiner is rather an uneventful one,
although during the years that have passed quite a large number of
journalistic enterprises have been launched on the community, flour-
ished for a season, and finally gone the way of all the living. The
advent of the newspaper in Gardiner dates back to October 24, 1824,
when appeared the first number of the Eastern Chronicle, published
and edited by the late Hon. Parker Sheldon, Gardiner's second mayor.
January 25, 1827, the Chronicle was merged with the Intelligencer, and
Rev. William A. Drew, spoken of elsewhere in these sketches, as-
sumed the editorial management. A monthly magazine known as the
New England Farmer, and Mechanics' Jonrnal, was also started in 1828,
by Mr. Sheldon, and twelve numbers, with plates, were issued. It was
edited by Dr. Ezekiel Holmes, afterward of the Maine Farmer. The next
journalistic enterprise was the Gardiner Spectator, which began publi-
cation in December, 1839, Alonzo Bartlett, editor and proprietor. In
July, 1840, Dr. Gideon S. Palmer, a former well known Gardiner phy-
sician, who died in Washington, D. C, in December, 1891, assumed
the management, but after a brief time was succeeded by his brother,
the late Judge William Palmer, and it continued under his manage-
ment until September 24, 1841, when it peacefully expired. From its
248 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ashes, however, arose the Gardiner Ledger, which existed about thirteen
months, when that, too, went the way of its predecessor.
In 1842 the now popular Yankee Blade was moved from Waterville
to Gardiner, and published by William Mathews and Moses Stevens.
It was located there four years, when it was moved to Boston, its
present home. The Cold Water Fountain and Washingtonian Journal,
published in the interests of the temperance cause, was started June
24, 1844, under the manag-ement of the late General Geoi^ge M. At-
wood, who was prominent in military circles. He commanded the
24th Regiment, Maine volunteers, and died a few years ago in Boston.
He was succeeded in the management of the. Fountain by H.W. Jewell
& Co., then by H. L. Weston and F. Yates in 1849, who were soon suc-
ceeded by Weston & Morrell, and they in January, 1851, by H. K.
Morrell and A. M. C. Heath, who in 1853 sold it to Portland parties,
and it was moved to that city. The afterward noted humorist, Arte-
mus Ward, worked for Morrell & Heath as an apprentice on the
FoH)itaiu.
David's Sling was the suggestive title of a little publication, the
first number appearing February 1, 1845. Its mission was to diffuse
the peculiar religious views of James A. Clay and Isaac Rowell, but
after nine months " life's fitful fever ended." The Star of the Fast
and Fastcrn Light, by H. W. Jewell, and the Busybody, by Thomas H.
Hoskins, were published in 1845-6. The first number of the Lieor-
rigible appeared July 1, 1848, edited and published by W. E. S. Whitman
(Toby Candor), now of Augusta. Only four issues are accounted for,
but it was succeeded by a smaller sheet known as the Nettle, which
was also short-lived. But this versatile newspaper man has amply
demonstrated that as " great oaks from little acorns grow," so great
correspondents sometimes spring from small beginnings.
The Gardiner Advertiser made its first appearance February 9, 1850,
published by Richard B. Caldwell, father of a former editor of the
Kennebee Reporter. After the second number the name was changed to
the Kennebec Transcript, and Sedgwick L. Plummer assumed the editorial
management. In 1856 Mr. Caldwell purchased Drezv's Rural Intelli-
gencer, and removing it from Augusta, united the two under the name
of the Maine Rural. Brock & Cheeney, and later Brock & Hacker, pub-
lished it. A daily, called the Daily Rural, was issued a few months in
1859, but the offices were burned in 1860, and the papers discontinued.
James Burns issued six numbers of a radical political sheet, known as
the Despatch, in November and December. 1858. The publication of
the Northern Home Journal ^a.s commenced January 1, 1854, A. M. C.
Heath, editor and proprietor. In 1858 the name of the paper was
changed to Gardiner Home Journal. Mr. Heath conducted the paper
until August, 1862, when he enlisted in the Sixteenth Maine, and the
management of the Journal passed into the hands of H. K. Morrell.
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. 249
Mr. Heath, while gallantly fighting- with his regiment before Freder-
icksburg, December 13, 1862, fell mortally wounded. November 1,
1864, Mr. Morrell became the sole proprietor of x\vq Journal, and con-
tinued to control its pages exactly twenty years, when he relinquished
editorial cares and sold the office to his son, E. W. Morrell, who, as
editor and proprietor, still conducts the paper with ability.
The Kennebec Reporter was established in 1866, by Giles O. Bailey
and James F. Brown. After a few months, Mr. Brown retiring, Rich-
ard B. Caldwell purchased his interest. G. O. Bailey & Co., with Mr.
Bailey as editor, continued its management until August 10, 1871,
when Mr. Bailey sold his interest to his partner. In 1880 William J.
Landers became associated with Mr. Caldwell in the management of
the paper, and this firm continued its publication until May, 1888,
when Mr. Caldwell retired, and the present management, the Reporter
Publishing Company, assumed control, Mr. Landers having charge of
its columns.
In May, 1889, the Gardiner Daily Neios sprung into existence, pub-
lished by Thomas W. Schurman & Co., with Mr. Schurman in the
editorial chair. In the summer of 1891 Mr. Schurman purchased his
partner's interest, and is now sole proprietor of the paper.
The history of the press in Waterville dates from May, 1823, when
the first i-ssue of the Waterville Intelligeneer appeared, published and
edited by William Hastings, the pioneer among Waterville journal-
ists. The Intelligencer dragged along an uncertain existence until De-
cember, 1828, when it became The]Vatchnian,yN\W\ Hastings continuing
as editor and publisher for about one year, when it was suspended for
lack of support.
The next attempt in Waterville journalism was made in June,
1831, when John Burleigh began the publication of Tiie Times. It took
about two years to demonstrate the failure of The Times venture, when
that sheet passed out of existence. Mr. Burleigh, however, was not
discouraged, and in 1834 he began the publication of the Walervillc
Journal, and continued the same for one year. The demise of this
paper was followed by a long lapse of time, during which no one was
ambitious or courageous enough to again take the field, and until
1842 Waterville was unrepresented by any sheet whatever. In that
year Daniel R. Wing and William Mathews started The Watervillo-
nian. From that year dated Mr. Wing's almost uninterrupted career as
a newspaper man until his death. He was an antiquarian, and his
local sketches, frequently published, made a valuable feature of the
papers with which he was connected. The fame which Mr. Mathews
has since attained in the field of literature needs no comment.
At the close of the first volume of The Watervillonian its name was
changed to the Yankee Blade. In 1844 its publishers had become dis-
couraged with the lack of support the Blade had been able to secure in
250 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Waterville, and the paper was transferred to Gardiner, and a little
more than two years after was removed to Boston, where it was finally
merged in the Olive Branch.
The Union was the next on the scene in Waterville, its first issue
appearing in April, 1847, under the management of C. F. Hathaway,
who published Tlic Union about four months, when he induced Eph-
raim Maxham, who had enjoyed journalistic experience in Massa-
chusetts and New Hampshire, to take charge of the sheet, revised and
re-christened as the Eastern. Mail. Mr. Maxham was not only a ready
and concise writer, who always chose to keep his paper a clean, in-
dependent, local journal, but also a practical printer, and under his
experienced hands the Eastern JAnVbegan a vigorous growth. Daniel
R. Wing became a partner with Mr. Maxham, July 26, 1849, and the
firm of Maxham & Wing from that date played an important part in
the history and development of Waterville. The title of the paper
was changed to the more distinctive local name of the Waterville Mail,
September 4, 1863. Daniel R. Wing, the junior editor, died Decem-
ber 2, 1885. Mr. Maxham stood at his post, although stricken down
by illness, until January 1, 1886, when the Mail was purchased by
Charles G. Wing and Daniel F. Wing, who took the firm name of
Wing & Wing.
From the Mail office September 30, 1887, was issued the Eastern
Farmer, formerly the Home Farm (begun at Augusta), and Burleigh,
Wing & Co. appeared as the name of the new firm. This paper was
a financial incubus to the concern. The publication of the Eastern
Farmer was continued up to April, 1888, when the paper was discon-
tinued, and the remains of its subscription list transferred to the
Lcwiston Journal. Hall C. Burleigh at the same time retired from the
firm, which again appeared as Wing & Wing, publishers of the Mail
alone. They introduced many modern improvements in the Mail
office and in the paper, making it one of the best local papers in the
state from a typographical point of view. They also enlarged it and
made it an interesting weekly visitor to all its readers. The junior
partner, Daniel F. Wing, died March 21, 1891, and Charles G. Wing
continued the publication of the paper until April 17, 1891, when it
was purchased by H. C. Prince, of Buckfield, and E. T. Wyman, of
Sidney, Me., the present proprietors. Mr. Wyman graduated from
Colby University in the class of 1890, and was an editor on the Waterville
Sentinel until he went to the Mail. Mr. Prince was also formerly a
student at Colby, but left college to go West, where he was in business
for several years.
The Waterville Sentinel was first published by E. O. Robinson in
1880. It was afterward purchased by J. D. Maxfield, who in turn sold
to Otis M. and L. A. Moore, of Augusta, in 1884. In the following-
year O. M. Moore bought his brother's interest, and .sold one-half of
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. 25T
the paper to A. W. Hall, of Rockland. Mr. Hall's father, Hon. O. G.
Hall, now judge of the superior court for Kennebec county, purchased
Moore's half in the summer of 1886, since which time the paper has
been published by O. G. Hall & Son. The firm has lately beenjknown
as the Sentinel Publishing Company.
The Kennebec Democrat was established in Waterville by Benjamin
Bunker,* who issued its first number February 2, 1887. It is a nine-
column folio. While professedly a democratic sheet, it exercises the
privilege of a free lance. The characteristic of the sheet is the origi-
nal cuts by the editor, and the peculiar pungency of its political para-
graphs. The paper is known as " Ben. Bunker's Democrat."
The first newspaper in Oakland— then known by the name of West
Waterville— was started in 187.5, bearing the name of the West
Waterville Union. The office was well equipped for a general printing
business, a newspaper seemed to be needed, and with the right person
at the head of affairs at the time, a permanent and substantial living
would have been assured. But there was a flippancy and a filthiness
about the sheet at first that led everybody to mistrust the future, and
the thing died unlamented. This paper was published by Daniel
Rowe and Casper Hooper.
In the meantime Mr. I. J. Thayer, a life-long resident of Oakland,
was running a small job office, and in 1882 the community was glad-
dened by the announcement of Mr. Thayer that he proposed to issue
a monthly paper, the Oakland Observer, the name of the town having
meanwhile been changed. The .sheet was an unassuming one, the
size being fifteen by twenty inches. For a time the Observer was ob-
served each month, then it would lapse; and when, for instance, the
August number reached the firesides of Oakland on Thanksgiving
day, its early death would be looked for with an absolute certainty.
In March, 1887, the proprietor entered into an arrangement with the
proprietor of the Madison Bulletin to print and publish the Observer.
which was enlarged to 26 by 40, "patent" outside, and this arrange-
ment was continued until June, 1888. During that time there was
nothing in the paper but " locals." The paper came regularly to hand,
and had a small subscription list. The Bulletin man engaged Mr. J.
Wesley Gilman as manager and editor, in June, 1888. Mr. Oilman
wielded a graceful and facile pen; and as he had resided in the town
for thirty years and been identified with its business interests, he
knew, presumably, the wants of the community. In the fall of 1888 the
Observer was printed in the county of Kennebec; advertisements were
secured and the subscription list increased, and in a larger sense than
ever before Oakland had a new.spaper which reflected the stability, the
*In 1880 he established the Pine Tree State at Fairfield, and published it for
two years, and then bought the Fairfield Journal and conducted it as an inde-
pendent paper until 1886.— [Ed.
■252 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
prominence, the enterprise of the town. Under this arrangement the
Observer continued until 1890, when pressure of other affairs, together
with previous engagements, obliged Mr. Oilman to sever his connec-
tion with the paper.
About this time Mr. George T. Benson made an arrangement with
Mr. E. P. Mayo, of the Fairfield Journal, to print and publish the Oak-
land Enterprise. Outside of the local happenings, the "comings and
goings," it in no sense represents the people of Oakland, but is, per-
haps, better than no paper.
The first newspaper published in Winthrop was the Winthrop
Gazette, published by William H. Moody, and started in the spring of
1866. Mr. Moody was at that time principal of Towle Academy, and
was afterward mail agent on the Maine Central railroad. He was a
graduate of Colby University. After a brief period the paper was re-
moved to Mechanic Falls, and its name changed to the Mechanic Falls
Herald. After a sickly existence of a few years in its adopted home,
the paper died.
The next venture in journalism was the Winthrop Bulletin, pub-
lished by W. B. Berry & Son, and first edited by Rev. D. H. Sherman,
then principal of Towle Academy. The first issue was dated Septem-
ber 19, 1867. The .size of the sheet was 21 by 30 inches. Mr. Sher-
man's connection with the paper was extremely brief. Shortly after,
the elder Berry sold out to his son, and went to Camden, starting the
Herald at that place. He died in Massachusetts about two years ago.
His son, A. N. Berry, conducted the paper until February, 1869, when
he discontinued it. The Bulletin was a good local paper, and never
ought to have been allowed to die. Its latest publisher, Mr. A. N.
Berry, is now doing a good business in Boston as a label printer,
under the firm name of J. N. Allen & Berry.
The first copy of the Winthrop Budget, a paper which is now pub-
lished, was issued in January, 1881, and was dated the 8th of the
month. . It was started by E. O. Kelly, of Winthrop, who recently
deceased in that town. It carried a "patent outside," and was com-
posed of twenty columns. The present publisher, John A. Stanley,
purchased the paper August 22, 1882, issuing the first number August
26th. It was continued as a " patent " until February, 1885, when Mr.
Stanley decided to print the entire paper in Winthrop, and has done
so ever since. The first issue in August, 1889, was enlarged to its
present size, 21 by 30 inches, six columns to a page. The paper is
non-partisan, is devoted principally to local happenings, and has a
good circulation.
At East Winthrop, in the same town. The Winthrop Alonthly News,
with " local news in full, stories, poetry, wit, humor, &c.," was started
in October, 1875. Although a little sheet, all its matter was original;
the stories, editorials, news items, and even advertisements, were
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS. 253'
written by the editor, who was a printer as well as editor almost from
infancy. Mr. Packard also published another little amateur paper
called the Enterprise, and in October, 1880, he started the Wintlirop
Banner as a monthlj', printing it on an old " Novelty " press. The
Banner has had a varying existence, but has steadily gained until it is
now a weekly sheet 18 by 24 inches, and the publishers are contem-
plating another enlargement in the near future. The present circula-
tion is 800. In December, 1889, Mr. Packard formed a partnership in
the business with J. E. Snow, of Winthrop. Besides the Banner, the
firm print for Mrs. Hannah J. Bailey the Pacific Banner and the Acorn,
two monthly papers, having a circulation of from twelve hundred to
fifteen hundred each. A well equipped job printing office is con-
nected with the establishment.
The West Gardiner Observer was issued semi-monthly in 1889, by E.
E. Peacock, a young man in that town. After a suspension of two
years he began " Vol. II " as a weekly, his printing being done at the
Wintlirop Banner office.
TIic Orb was the name of a paper published at China, by Japheth
C. Washburn. Vol. I, No. 1, was issued December 5, 1833 — a clean,
newsy and well scissored quarto. The second volume was begun De-
cember 6, 1834, and was completed. Although the subscription price
was two dollars a year, its publication was discontinued at the close
of the second year, and no further attempt was made at journalism in
that town. The advertising and job work of that day were very light
in that purely agricultural town.
The only paper ever attempted at Vassalboro is the Kennebec ]~allcy
News, started at Getchell's Corner in August, 1891, by the Kennebec
Valley News Company, Samuel A. Burleigh, editor. It is published
weekly, at one dollar per year.
The Clinton Advertiser, the smallest paper in the county, was started
in Clinton, June, 1886, by B. T. Foster & Co., editors and publishers.
It is published weekly; terms, fifty cents per year. No other paper
was ever started in Clinton.
CHAPTER XI.
LITERATURE AND LITERARY PEOPLE.
THE list of persons, natives or at some time residents of Kennebec
county, who have in one way or another contributed to the
literature of the nineteenth century is remarkably long and
varied. It comprises poets, humorists, novelists, essayists, historians,
philosophers, moralists and scientists of both sexes and all ages, whose
work ranges from the level of ordinary merit to heights of superior
attainment. The personality of several writers of note still resident
in the county might well be treated at length; and such singularly in-
teresting work as that of the Hon. James W. North should receive
more than passing attention; but to treat in extenso the personalities
and published productions of the entire company of authors named in
this chapter would require a volume in itself, and would be obviously
beyond the present purpose. It has, therefore, been deemed advisa-
ble to do little more than enumerate in their alphabetical succession
the names of the writers, and briefly indicate, wherever possible, the
general character of their efforts.
Though numbers of professional men of literary tastes have con-
tributed excellent special matter to the pages of various periodicals,
and though there are many general works devoted to the state, or New
England, in which Kennebec county is incidentally treated — both
open practically endless avenues of statistical research upon which it
is impracticable here to enter; consequently, only those who have con-
tributed to what may be classed as the general literature of the day
are mentioned m the succeeding pages.
Editors whose line of literary effort has been confined solely to the
columns of the press have received notice in the preceding chapter:
but in this connection it should be remarked that the majority of the
authors here catalogued essayed their first flights up the thorny slopes
of Parnassus through the friendly aid of the editors of the local press,
to whom is due, in large measure, the credit of producing, either di-
rectly or indirectly, nearly all of the county's prominent poets and
story writers, as well as those of humbler attainments.
The well known Rollo and Lucy books, the Illustrated History series.
LITERATURE AND UTERARY PEOPLE. 255
and History of Maine, were from the facile pen of Rev. Jacob Abbott,
a native of Hallowell, who was graduated from Bowdoin in 1820.
A popular Yassalboro writer is Howard G. Abbott, who is a cor-
respondent for several newspapers.
An early poet favorably known was Josiah Andrews, born in
Augusta in 1799. One of his poems. To Augusta, appears in Tlie Pcets
of Maine, published at Portland in 1888.
Mrs. Frederick (Wimple) Allen, wife of the distinguished attorney,
possessed superior intellectual abilities, richly developed by education
and culture. She enjoyed scientific research, geology being her
special delight. She was one of the first to find marine fossil shells of
extinct species in this region. Her collection was recognized as of
great value by Agassiz, Silliman and other scientists with whom she
was in frequent correspondence. Her longest literary production was
a poem entitled, A Poetical Geognosy.
Samuel Lane Boardman'-, the editor of the Daily Kennebec Journal,
was born at Skowkegan, Me., March 30, 1836. He early developed a
taste and ability for literary work, and in 1861 became editor of the
Maine Farmer. For more than seventeen years he filled this import-
ant position, becoming undoubtedly the foremost writer in Maine
upon agriculture and kindred topics. Within that period he published
— in 1867 — History and Natural History of Kennebec County, Maine, 8vo.,
200 pp.; and while secretary of the Maine State Board of Agriculture
(1872-1877), he published six volumes on Agriculture of Maine; and in
1885-6 issued two volumes on Pomology of Maine. He has published
a genealogy of the Boardman family (1876), besides numerous pam-
phlets and lectures on historical, literary, agricultural and scientific
subjects. He was editor of the American Cultivator, Boston, 1878, and
from 1880 to 1888, editor and proprietor of The Home Farm. Mr.
Boardman is also vice-president of the Kennebec Natural History and
Antiquarian Society; resident member of the Maine Historical Society,
and of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society, Boston; and
corresponding member of the Vermont and Wisconsin Historical So-
cieties, and of the American Entomological Society, Philadelphia.
Ira Berry, born in 1801, started The Age at Augusta in 1831, and
published the Gospel Banner in 1839. His poems. The Androscoggin, and
Spring, are among the best specimens of his verse. His son, Stephen,
born in Augusta in 1833, is also the author of several pleasing poems.
Two brothers are seldom made bishops, but the exception is found
in the case of the Rt. Rev. George, and Rt. Rev. Alexander, sons of
*This family name first appears in New England in 1634, when William
Boardman was a citizen of Cambridge. Mass. One of his descendants, also
named William, was born at Stratham, N. H., in 1754, and in 1816 his son, Sam-
uel L., born 1781, removed to Maine, when his son, Charles F. Boardman. the
■editor's father, was ten years of age.
256 . HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Hon. Thoma.s Burgess, of Rhode Island. Rev. George was conse-
crated bishop of Maine m 1847, becoming also rector of Christ church,
at Gardiner. A volume of his poems was published after his death,
in 1866. Rev. Alexander, first bishop of Ouincy, Mass., was rector of
St. Mark's, Augusta, 1843-1864. He is the author of many printed
sermons, carols and hymns.
Many poems and short stories for newspapers and magazines were
written by Josiah D. Bangs, at one time a resident of Augusta, and
later, in 1843, a New York journalist. His wife, Pauline, a native of
Augusta, furnished a few poems for the Ktr>i>i6'6ec /oierna/ a.s early as
1831. Later she wrote regularly for the Philadelphia Saturday Courier,
under the pseudonyms of " Ella" and " Pauline."
The Address delivered by Rev. Doctor Bosworth at the dedication
of Memorial Hall, Colby University, was published at Waterville in
1869.
Benjamin Bunker, of Waterville, the democratic editor, was born
in North Anson, Me., in 1837, and has been a resident of this county
since 1887. He founded The Pine Tree State at Fairfield, in 1880, and
in 1888 published, under the title Bunker s Text-Book of Politieal Deviltry,
a humorous criticism upon Maine politics and politicians. The "Jack-
knife" illustrations by the author is its mechanical characteristic.
Samuel P. Benson's Historic Address, delivered at the Winthrop
Centennial celebration in 1871, was afterward published in pamphlet
form.
John M. Benjamin, of Winthrop, a careful, methodical collector of
local history, has long been engaged in preserving the earliest data
relating to that town. His unpublished manuscript is doubtless the
best literature in existence on the pioneer period of Winthrop before
1800.
Clarence B. Burleigh, of Augusta, son of Governor Edwin C. Bur-
leigh, is the author of a pleasing story, The Smugglers of Chestnut, illus-
trated, published by E. E. Knowles & Co., 1891.
Maine's most distinguished adopted son, Hon. James G. Blaine, of
Augusta, is the author of the brilliant and instructive book. Twenty
Years of Congress, published in 1884. His life and work are mentioned
at length in the chapter on Augusta.
Judge H. K. Baker, of Hallowell, author of Maine Justice, has also
written a valuable and interesting volume on Hymnology, issued dur-
ing the summer of 1892 from the press of Charles E. Nash, Augusta.
A number of interesting articles in Harper's Magazine have been
contributed by Horatio Bridge, of Augusta, who was a classmate and
life-long intimate friend of Nathaniel Hawthorne. His recent Harper
articles are in relation to Mr. Hawthorne.
A ready writer, and frequent correspondent of Maine papers, is H.
J. Brookings, of Gardiner, now a resident of Washington, D. C.
LITERATURE AND LITERARY PEOPLE. 257
Hannah J. Bailey, of Winthrop — a well known Christian reformer
and philanthropist, is a daughter of David Johnston, a Friend minister,
of Cornwall, N. Y. After the death of her husband, Moses Bailey,
she wrote and published an appreciative biography of him in a volume
aptly entitled Reminiscences of a Christian Life. She is now chiefly en-
gaged in literary work incident to her official position in the W. C. T. U.,
as world's superintendent of its department of Peace and Arbitration,
editing two monthly publications and devoting great intellectual and
material resources to the uplifting of mankind.
Colonel Henry Boynton, of Augusta, is a compiler of historical
works. He issued The World's Greatest Conflict in 1891.
Eight interesting volumes from the pen of Rev. Henry T. Cheever,
of Hallowell, bear title as follows: The Whale and his Captors; Island
World of the Pacific; Life in the Sandivich Islands; Life of Captain
Conger; Memoir of Nathaniel Cheever, IStiO; Memoir of Rev. Walter Col-
ton; Voices of Nature; and Pulpit and Pew, 1852.
A pleasing writer of poems and short stories for the magazines is
Gertrude M. Cannon, of Augusta.
Eunice H. W. Cobb, of Hallowell, wrote hymns and occasional
poems, and obituary lines that comforted many in affliction. She was
the wife of Rev. Sylvanus Cobb, D.D., and the mother of Sylvanus
Cobb, jun., of Boston, the gifted story writer.
Emma M. Cass, of Hallowell, has gained recognition as a writer
both of prose and verse. Her little poem. My Neighbors, is especially
pleasing.
Harry H. Cochrane, of Monmouth, grandson of Dr. James Coch-
rane, jun., has. among other things, given close attention to historical
and antiquarian subjects. The chapter on Monmouth in this volume
is an abridgment of his very elaborate manuscript History of Mon-
mouth and Wales, which is soon to be published.
Alexander C. Currier was an early literary light of Hallowell. He
achieved the distinction of having one of his anonymous fugitive
newspaper poems quoted by William Cullen Bryant in his Library of
Poetry and Song.
J. T. Champlin, D.D., a former president of Colby, was the author
of a number of valuable text-books and pamphlets, a|Rong them being:
A Discourse on the Death of President Harrison, published in 1841; De-
mosthenes on the Crown, 1843: Knhners Elementary Latin Grammar,
1845; Text-book of Intellectual Philosophy, 1860; and Lessons on Political
Economy, 1868.
Golden Gems, a pretty booklet of poems, handsomely illustrated, is
from the pen of Mrs. Maria Southwick Colburn, a daughter of Jacob
Southwick, of Vassalboro. Mrs. Colburn now lives in Oakland, Cal.
An expressive poem. Dominie M' Lauren, is from the pen of Rev.
17
258 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Edgar F. Davis, pastor of the Congregational church at Gardiner from
1881 to 1889.
• Rev. William A. Drew, of Augusta, was the author of a volume of
Foreign Travels (1851), published by Homan & Manley, and numerous
sermons and addresses.
John T. P. Du Mont, who died prior to 1856, was locally famous as
a literary man and wit. He was an orator of considerable ability, and
a valued contributor to the local press.
A pleasing volume of Poems bears upon its title page, as author,
the name of Mrs. Mattie B. Dunn, of Waterville.
Charles F. Dunn, a graduate of Harvard College, possessed an
excellent gift of poetry, as shown in his published writings; but he
was buried on a farm in Litchfield during most of his life, and his
talents never received their full development.
A brilliant writer of sea letters was Captain John H. Drew, of
Farmingdale. He was well and delightfully known to readers of the
Boston Journal ?iS, " Kennebecker." He died in 1891.
Olive E. Dana, of Augusta, has written several poems of merit for
various periodicals. One, The Magi, is illustrative of her best ability.
Other poems from her pen are embraced in TIic Poets of America, is-
sued in 1891 by the American Publishing Association, of Chicago.
Henry Weld Fuller, jun., was born in Augusta in 1810. He was a
graduate of Bowdoin, and later became the law partner of his father,
Hon. Henry Weld Fuller. The Victim, a fine poem from his pen, ap-
pears in The Poets of Maine.
Benjamin A. G. Fuller, born in Augusta in 1818, was an occasional
contributor to genealogical and other magazines. He was also the
author of several poems.
Melville W. Fuller, of Augusta, chief justice of the U. S. supreme
court, is a man of cultivated literary tastes, as shown m numerous
published poems.
The verses of Oscar F. Frost, of Monmouth, have appeared in manj'
of the leading metropolitan periodicals. His short poem, Brush Awaj
the Tears. Alollic, which appeared in the Boston Post soon after Presi-
dent Garfield was assassinated, was set to music by a leading publish-
ing house.
R. H. Gardiner was the author of a History of Gardiner. The vol-
ume may be found in the Maine Historical Society's collection.
Rev. Eliphalet Gillett, D.D., of Hallowell, was the author of many
published sermons, ranging in date from 1795 to 1823; and also author
of Reports of the Maine Missionary Society, 1807 to 1849 (except 1836),
and A List of the Ministers of Maine, 1840.
William B. Glazier, who was born in Hallowell, is now a forgotten
poet, but one who, in his day, contributed many pleasing verses to
LITERATURE AND LITERARY PEOPLE. 259
periodical literature. A volume of his poems was published by Mas-
ters & Co., previous to 1872.
Several volumes of poems have been written by F. Glazier, of Hal-
lowell.
Mrs. Eleanor (Allen) Gay, daughter of Mrs. Frederick Allen, and
wife of Doctor Gay, of Gardiner, was a woman of rich mental gifts,
and a writer of much literary merit. She published a volume entitled
Tlie Siege of Agrigentum.
An Obituary Record of Graduates of Colby University, from 1822 to
1870, was compiled by Charles E. Hamlin, and published (66 pp., 8vo.)
at Waterville in 1870. Mr. Hamlin is also the author of an interesting
Catalogue of Birds found in the vicinity of Waterville.
J. H. Hanson, LL.D., principal of Coburn Classical Institute, has
contributed much to the educational literature of the day, having an-
notated and published TJie Preparatory Latin Prose Book; Cicero's Select
Orations; CcBsar's Commeiitarics; and (in association with Prof. W. J.
Rolfe, of Cambridge, Mass.,) the Hand-Book of Latin Poetry and Selec-
tions from Ovid and Virgil.
The literary labors of the late Dr. Ezekiel Holmes, of Winthrop,
author of The Northern Shepherd, are referred to at some length at
page 192.
Mrs. Anne A. Hall, of Augusta, wrote many sweet poems of home
life, among them The Little Child's Belief and The Nursery. She died
in Spain in 1865.
Mrs. Caroline N. Hobart, of Augusta, was the author of Lines on
Visiting the Old Ladies Home, Childhood's Faith and other short poems.
Amos L. Hinds, town clerk of Benton, is the author of a beautiful
legendary poem, of considerable length, entitled Uncle Stephen.
On the Assabet, a local poem, by Dora B. Hunter, of Waterville, ap-
peared in the Portland Transcript some years ago and received de-
served recognition. Miss Hunter is also a contribator to the Congrc-
gationalist. Christian Union and other papers.
Ode to the Snow, Good-bye, and the The Men of Auld Lang Syne, (the
latter sung at the Augusta Centennial celebration, July 4, 1854), are
from the pen of Joseph A. Homan, the retired editor and publisher,
of Augusta.
Mrs. Anna Sargent Hunt, of Augusta, editor of the Home Mission
Echo, has been a very prolific writer, both of prose and verse. Alpine
Calls is one of her best poems.
In 1852 Rev. J. W. Hanson, then pastor of the Universalist church
in Gardiner, published, in 343 pages, a local history of the old town of
Pittston, in which is preserved much valuable information. The
work, now out of print, is, in fact, the best authority extant on the
early families of Gardiner, West Gardiner, Pittston, Farmingdale and
260 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Randolph. Mr. Hanson wa.s also author of the Histjry of Norridge-
wock and Canaan, Me., and the History of Danvcrs, Mass.
A profound student of ancient and modern languages, and a noted
Shakespearian scholar, is Prof. Henry Johnson, a native of Gardiner
and member of the faculty of Bowdoin College. He is at work on a
variorum edition of Shakespeare, (portions of which have been already
published), which is intended to give an exact account of all the varia-
tions of early copies of the great poet, even to the least in spelling or
punctuation.
Clara R. Jones, of Winslow, is the author of Spinning and other
poems.
The poetic contributions of Cathie L. Jewett, of Augusta, have ap-
peared in many periodicals, and she has also achieved success in the
line of story writing.
The Life of Eli and Sybil Jones was written in 1888, by Rufus M.
Jones, now principal of Oak Grove Seminary. It is a graphic and
moving narration of the struggles of these early missionaries, the first
ever sent abroad by the Friends. Mr. Jones is also the author of the
chapter in the present work, on The Society of Friends.
Rev. Sylvester Judd, once pastor of the Unitarian society of
Augusta, was an author of national reputation. A graduate of Yale,
and the divinity school at Cambridge, he was an accomplished scholar,
. a deep thinker, and the master of an elegant and forceful literary
style. He was the author of Margaret, A Tale of the Real and Ideal;
Philo, an Evangeliad; Riehard Edney, and several volumes of sermons
and lectures. His Life and Character, by Miss Arethusa Hall, was pub-
lished in 1854, the year of his death.
Dr. William B. Lapham*, of Augusta, is a well known author of
local histories and genealogies. He has written the following town
histories: Woodstock, published in 1882; Paris, 1884; Norzvay, 1886;
Runiford, 1890; Bethel, 1892— all of Oxford county, Me. He is also the
author of the synoptical history of Kennebec county, and its cities
and towns, which prefaces the Atlas of Kennebec County, published in
1879, by Caldwell & Halfpenny; and he has compiled the well known
Bradbury Genealogy, and eight smaller genealogies of from 20 to 72
pages each. Doctor Lapham is chairman of the committee on publi-
cation, of the Maine Historical Society. Though his natural taste is
for genealogical and historical matters, he has by no means confined
his pen to this line of work. He began writing for the local papers in
Oxford county, and wrote also for the Portland Transcript. He was
editor of the Maine Fanner from 1871 to 1885; he issued the Maine
Genealogist and Biographer — a quarterly — from 1875 to 1878; and he
edited the Farm and Hearth two years.
His style is clear and concise, without any effort at display, but
*By H. K.' Morrell, Esq., of Gardiner.
(jU^Mf^l^cJ|;ila^
LITERATURE AND LITERARY PEOPLE. 261
never dull or uninteresting. He ha.s occasionally "dropped into poetry,"
like Mr. Wegg, and has very rarely taken a turn at political sarcasm.
His pen, though usually as smooth as the stylus of Virgil, can be pro-
voked to criticism, and is then pointed enough to satisfy any opponent.
He has a sharp sense of fitness, and feels keenly what he thinks is
unfairness. His works are such as will always live, so long as the
sons of Maine take a pride in its history. He once remarked that he
did not take much interest in a man till he had been dead a century
or two. This was, of course, a joke, but it indicates the true anti-
quarian, of which he is a good specimen. Charles IX said, as he
kicked over the massacred body of Coligny, " There is nothing so sweet
as the smell of a dead enemy." Doctor Lapham would not go so far
as that, but there is an odor of sanctity to old books and old heroes
and pioneers very refreshing to his nostrils. May he live to write the
obituary and history of all of us— for he will " nothing extenuate, nor
set down aught in malice."
Elijah P. Lovejoy, son of the late Rev. Daniel Lovejoy, of Albion,
graduated from Waterville College in 1826. He was shot by a mob in
Alton, 111., in 1837, for writing against slavery in the newspaper he
had established in that place. His poems. The Little Star, and To My
MotJier, appear in Tlie Poets of Maine.
Henry C. Leonard, editor of the Gospel Banner during Mr. Homan's
proprietorship, was a man of fine poetic instincts, instanced in The Old
Chief and Christinas Eve.
Prof. J. R. Loomis, of Colby, is the author of a volume on the Ele-
ments of Physiology.
Mrs. M. V. F. Livingston, of Augusta, is a constant writer for cur-
rent periodicals, and is also the author of several remarkable books —
one of them, Fra Lippo Lippi, having attained a wide circulation.
Harriet S. Morgridge, of Hallowell, is widely known by her series of
Mother Goose Sonnets, published in St. Nicholas in 1889. Miss xMor-
gridge is also the author of many fugitive pieces, in prose and verse,
that have appeared from time to time in various periodicals.
John W. May, formerly of Winthrop, is the author of a stirring
poem first read at the Winthrop Centennial celebration in 1871, and
afterward published. He also published in 1884, a unique volume of
legal and local reminiscences, entitled Inside the Bar.
A very talented writer of verses, Hannah A. Moore, of Benton, was
introduced to the literary world by N. P. Willis, and her poems found
favor with Longfellow, Bryant and other celebrated authors. Almost
Miss Moore's first publisher was Ephraim Maxham, of the Waterville
Mail.
HiRAM K. MORRELL, of Gardiner, whose antecedents are noticed
at page 658, is perhaps as distinctively a literary- man in tastes, habits
and accomplishments as any non-professional resident of the county.
262 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
His relations to the local press are noticed in the preceding chapter,
and while editor of his own paper he did much of the literar}^ work
by which he is now well known in Maine.
His school days were passed in Gardiner, where he had not only such
chances of learning as every poor man's son may secure, but also re-
ceived some help in a private school kept by Frederick A. Sawyer,
who took a great interest in the boy. He also studied Latin with
Judge Snell, then teaching in the public schools. He learned the
brickmaker's trade with his father, and, about 1857, was in partner-
ship with him for a year. Possessing a natural taste for literature, it
was not surprising that he soon drifted into newspaper work, where
he has made a reputation for himself of which any journalist might
be protid.
During his long editorial career Mr. Morrell was regarded as
among the ablest newspaper writers in the state; and his innate hu-
mor and waggishness (a prominent trait of the Morrells of this gen-
eration) served him in good stead as a paragrapher, there being but
few who could equal him in this difficult form of composition. In the
discussion of topics of the time he wielded a ready and intelligent
pen. He could be very sarcastic when he chose and sympathetic
when he thought the occasion required it.
Though retired from the active duties of the newspaper office,
whenever he now takes up the pen he handles it with all his old-time
facility and vigor. His education is varied, and he is able to write
instructively upon a great variety of topics. He has ever been a
close student of nature in all her varied forms. He is something of a
botanist, an intelligent mineralogist, and in several other departments
of natural history he is well versed. He has been a champion of tem-
perance from his boyhood, and no man in Maine has written more or
better upon this subject. He joined the Sons of Temperance October
8, 1845, and is now the senior member of the order. He was for nine-
teen j'ears grand scribe of Maine — the longest recorded service in
that office. In 1862 he joined the National Division.
For many years he was librarian, treasurer and collector of the
old Mechanics' Association of Gardiner, which later became the Gar-
diner Public Library, of which he has been a director from the start;
and his labors in behalf of the institution have been very valuable to
the city. His latest literary work will be found in the initial chapter
of this volume. Honest, open-handed and open-hearted, a hater of all
forms of hypocrisy, of an intensely sympathetic nature, and an unos-
tentatious friend of the needy, Mr. Morrell commands the love, ad-
miration and respect of all who knoiv him.
Henry A. Morrell, now of Pittsfield, Me., but a native of Gardiner
(see page 658), is a versatile and interesting newspaper correspondent.
He is well known under the pseudonym of "Juniper," the signature
J^ /(". y^l^n^r^^^
LITERAIURE AND [.ITERAKV PEOPLE. 263
he gave to a very readable series of articles in the Gardiner Home Jour-
nal, which he wrote while making an extended tour through the woods
of Maine, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. His brother, William
Morrell, of Gardiner, has more than a local reputation as one of the
most witty writers in Maine.
Dora May Morrell, of Gardiner, mentioned at page 658, after a very
successful career as a teacher, devoted herself entirely to her pen.
She is considered a very able and entertaining writer of short sketches,
and for the past year has been literary editor of the Massac/nisetts
Ploughman, of Boston.
By far the most elaborate, careful and valuable volume of local
history that has been written by any author of Kennebec county, is
Hon. James W. North's History of Augusta, issued from the press of
Sprague, Owen & Nash. This remarkable work is a monument to its
author that will outlast any of stone or bronze that might be erected
to his memory. It is a most accurate, painstaking and minute record
of the persons and events, the customs and manners, the sayings and
doings of the long procession of years from the earliest settlement on
the Kennebec down to the year 1870, when the volume was published.
The infinite care, labor and anxiety attendant upon the undertaking
can be approximately appreciated only by the student who thought-
fully peruses its 990 teeming pages. It is filled with curious, as well
as historical information, confined not only to the locality of Augusta
itself, but extending far to the north, south and west of that historic
spot. Interesting as literature, and valuable as history, it is destined
to perpetuate its author's name through generations to come.
Captain Charles E. Nash, of Augusta, publisher of the Maine
Farmers' Almanac, is a careful, concise writer. His style may fairly be
judged from his Indians of the Kennebec, which appears as Chapter II.
of this volume. Except while editing newspapers (see page 239), he
has not made writing his business, but cultivates as a pastime his love
for historical research.
Emma Huntington Nason, of Augusta, a daughter of Samuel W.
Huntington, of Hallowell, is a well known contributor to some of the
best periodicals. At an early age she gave evidence of literary talent,
and soon after leaving school she published anonymously several
short poems and stories in the Portland Transcript. The first article
appearing under her own name was written in 1874 and was published
in the Atlantic Monthly. This poem, The Tower, attracted general at-
tention. It was followed by other poems of acknowledged merit and
numerous ballads and stories for children, which have since made
their author familiarly known to the readers of our higher class of
juvenile literature. In 1888 D. Lothrop Company issued her first pub-
lished volume— If 7«V(' Sails, a collection of poems and ballads for
young people. This book, which her publishers issued as a Christmas
264 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
publication, was elegantly illustrated by some of the ablest artists.
It was well received, and is now one of their leading publications.
It contains several ballads which have been widely reprinted. Among
them The Bravest Boy in Town, The Mission Tcaparty, and Off for Boy-
land have found their way into various collections for declamation
and recitation. At the dedication of the Hallowell Library in her
native city, March 9, 1880, she read an original poem, which was pub-
lished in a souvenir volume by Hoyt, Fogg & Donham, of Portland.
The work of her pen, already before the public, gives brilliant promise
for her literary future.
Howard Owen, the well-known editor, author and lecturer, was
born in Brunswick, Me., in 1835. He was educated in the public
schools and learned the printer's trade in the offices of the Lczciston
Jouriial and Brnnsivick Telegraph. At Brunswick he printed and
edited the first youth's temperance paper ever published in Maine.
He has written a number of poems, one, Wanted to be an Editor, ap-
pearing, in 1888, in The Poets of Maine; and he was the originator and
author of Biographical Sketches of Members of the Senate and House of
Representatives of Maine. He has been in the lecture field for many
years, giving numerous lectures, most of them in a humorous vein.
He has also delivered quite a number of Memorial Day orations. In
1879 Colby University conferred on Mr. Owen the degree of A.M.
The preceding chapter in this volume is by Mr. Owen.
Rev. A. L. Park, many years pastor of the Congregational church
of Gardiner, but now of Lafonia, Cal., has had much correspondence
in Maine papers.
A bright and favorite writer of juvenile stories and humorous
sketches is Manley H. Pike, of Augusta, son of Hon. Daniel T. Pike.
The period of his literary production covers now but about seven
years. He has contributed to Golden Days, but now writes solely for
the Youth's Companion, so far as juvenile tales are concerned. In
humorous writing he has been a constant contributor to Puck, and his
sketches which have appeared in that periodical are now to be issued
in book form by the publishers of Puck. Mr. Pike has also at times
contributed humorous matter to Life, Harper's Bazar, Harper's Monthly
and the Century.
By vote of the Maine Historical Society in November, 1802, John
A. Poor was appointed to deliver a eulogy upon the character and a
memoir of the life and public services of Hon. Reuel Williams, of
Augusta, then ju.st deceased. This memoir, ably and elegantly writ-
ten, was read at a special meeting of the Historical Society in Au-
gusta in February, 1863, and in the following year was published by
H. O. Houghton & Co. for private circulation.
A series of twenty-nine interesting historical sketches, by W. Har-
rison Parlin, that first made their appearance in The Banner, published
LITERATURE AND LITERARY PEOPLE. 265
in East Winthrop, were afterward, at the urgent request of many
friends, incorporated into book form, and issued, in 1891, under the
title, Rcmuiisccnces of East Winthrop.
Heaven Our Home: the Cliristian Doctrine of the Resurrection, by Rev.
George W. Quinby, was issued in 1876 from the Gospel Banner office,
Augusta. Mr. Quinby also edited a volume of Sermons and Prayers by
Fifteen Universalist Clergymen, 350 pp., 12mo., published by S. H.
Colesworthy.
Artiong the published works of Prof. Charles F. Richardson, a na-
tive of Hallowell, are: A Primer of American Literature and The Col-
lege Book, 1878, and a volume of religious poems. The Cross, 1879.
Dr. Joseph Ricker, of Augusta, a graduate of Colby, and in point
of service the oldest member of the university's board of trustees, was
born in 1814. An extract from a Commencement Ode from his pen ap-
pears in The Poets of Maine.
Daniel Robinson, a resident of West Gardiner from 1812 to 1864,
was a school teacher and a man of unusual intellectual gifts. Astron-
omy v/as his favorite study, and at an early age he was considered an
adept in the science. He was the editor of several standard school
books, but his widest reputation rests upon his connection with the
Maine Partners' Almanac (founded by Rev. Moses Springer, of Gardi-
ner, in 1818), of which Mr. Robinson was editor from 1821 to 1864.
He died in 1866, in his ninetieth year.
The Star of Bethlehem and Dreaming are two poems by Edward L.
Rideout, who was born in Benton in 1841 and now resides in Read-
field. Mr. Rideout is a contributor to several periodicals.
Mrs. Salvina R. Reed, the daughter of Josiah Richardson, of Mon-
mouth, was for many years one of Maine's popular verse writers.
She married Daniel Reed, the son of one of the early settlers of Lewis-
ton. She now resides in Auburn.
Laura E. Richards, whose work as a writer covers, as yet, but little
more than a decade, was first known to her readers by her book. Five
lUiee in a Mouse-Trap, published by Estes & Lauriat in 1880. In My
Nursery, the Toto Books and others which followed have now a fixed
place with popular publications for children. Among her books not
designed for juvenile readers, but often portraying the ever fasci-
nating child character, are: Crr//«/«/rt;«<rt;-j', perhaps the best known
of this class; Queen Hildegarde and Hildegardes Holiday, the latter pub-
lished in 1891. Mrs. Richards has resided in Gardiner since her mar-
riage with Henry Richards, of that city. Her father was Dr. Samuel
G. Howe, the philanthropist; her mother, Julia Ward Howe, the author
and poet.
Some very pleasing poetical sketches have been written by Dr. A.
T. Schunian, of Gardiner. His prose writings are also marked by
grace of diction and fine literary insight.
266 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
A well-known writer of books, and an editor of the Yoiitlis Coiii-
pauiou, is Edward Stanwood. a native of Augusta.
Rev. Albion W. Small (noticed at page 99), late president of Colby
University, is author of the following works: The Bulletin of the French
Revolution, published in 1887; The Grnvth of American Nationality,
1888: The Dynamics of Social Progress, 1889; Introduction to the History
of European Civilization, 1889; vend Introduction to the Science of Sociology,
1890.
Rev. David N. Sheldon, president of Waterville College from 1843
to 1853, was the author of a volume of sermons. Sin and Redemption,
published by a New York house in 1856. At the time of the compila-
tion of these sermons Mr. Sheldon was a Baptist, but some years after
his resignation of the college presidency he associated himself with
the Unitarian church.
Major-A. R. Small, of Oakland, is the author of The Sixteenth Maine
Regiment in the War of the Rebellion, a book of 323 pages. Of this his-
tory General James A. Hall says: " The faithfulness with which you
have produced the record, and the completeness of the tabulations,
give the work a value not often found m such productions. The bio-
graphical allusions, the personal reminiscences, and the delineations
of camp, march, bivouac and battle are so correctly drawn that I pre-
dict for it the highest place among regimental histories." Major
Small is also a veteran and valued newspaper correspondent and the
author of an exhaustive History of lilessahviskee Lodge, of West Water-
ville, Me., from its organization to the year 1870.
Miss Caroline D. Swan, of Gardiner, is known to discriminating
readers as a valued contributor to standard newspapers and maga-
zines. The productions of her pen sometimes take the form of prose,
but oftener of poetry, among the latter being The Fire-Fly's Song and
Sea Fogs, which have been extensively copied.
Our national hymn, America, and the missionary hymn. The Morn-
ing Light is Breaking, were written by Samuel Francis Smith, pastor
of the First Baptist Church at Waterville from 1834 to 1842.
Nathaniel F. Sawyer, at one time a resident of Gardiner, was a
writer of great originality, both of prose and poetry. He died of con-
sumption in 1845.
A young author of Augu.sta, who died in 1882, was Arthur M.
Stacy. From the age of fourteen he was a contributor to various
papers and juvenile magazines. A volume of his verses, T/ic Miser's
Dream and Other Poems, and a story in book form, Edii>ard Earle, a
Romance, have been published.
Captain Henry Sewall, of Augusta, an officer in the revolutionary
army, left a remarkably interesting diary, in manuscript, of the stir-
ring events of 1776-1783. It was published in the Historical Magazine
August, 1871.
LITERATURE AND LITERARY PEOPLE. 267
The History of Winthrop. 1764-185.'5, was written by Rev. David
Thurston, a graduate of Hanover and pastor of the Winthrop Con-
gregational Church from 1807 to 18!54. It was published by Brown
Thurston, of Portland, in 18.o5. Mr. Thurston was also the author of
Letters from a Father to his So// a/t Apprc/iticc and other pamphlets of
moral tone.
Rev. Daniel Tappan, born in 1798, and at one time pastor of the
Congregational church at Winthrop, was the author of several poems
and numerous addresses.
Rev. Benjamin Tappan, D.D., for many years pastor of the South
Parish church, of Augusta, was a ready writer, though plain in style.
He died in 1863, at the age of seventy-five, leaving a number of pub-
lished volumes of sermons on a variety of practical themes.
The chapter on Tlie Town of Fayette in this work is from the pen
of George Underwood, of Fayette. Mr. Underwood is also an occa-
sional contributor to several newspapers.
The literary work of Dr. Benjamin Vaughan, LL.D., of Hallowell,
author of numerous articles on surgery, and a well-known writer on
agriculture, is referred to at length in the chapter on Agriculture and
Live Stock, page 19] .
Me/ital Beauty, -AxidL other poems of a devotional nature, were written
by Richard H. Vose, for many years a resident of Augusta.
Miss Kate Vannah, of Gardiner, has for a series of years thrown
some of the impressions she has received from people and events into
that omnipresent mirror of the times — the modern newspaper. Her
writings seem to be the irrepressible overflow of mental activity.
Her ideas take the mould of prose or poetry, as best adapted to their
expression, with equal facility. She has published one volume of
poems — Verses — and another is ready for the press. With marked
musical talent and careful training she has found an inviting field
in composing and publishing songs.
At the death of the gifted Rev. Sylvester Judd, Robert C.Waterston,
a native of Kennebunk, was called to Augusta to take charge of the
vacant pastorate. He was author of a number of fine hymns and
poems, and memoirs of Charles vSprague, George Sumner, William
Cullen Bryant and George B. Emerson.
Some spirited anti-slavery poems were, in years gone by, written
for the Maine Far//ier by Mrs. Thankful P. N. Williamson, of Augusta.
She was born in 1819.
During Prof. W. F. Watson's senior year at Colby University he
published a volume of miscellaneous and college poems entitled The
Children of the Stc/i.
William E. S. Whitman, the well-known " Toby Candor " of the
Bosto// Jour//al, besides having been the regular correspondent of sev-
i!bS • HISTORY OF KEXNEBEC COUNTY.
eral daily papers, has written Maine in the War and several other
books. He was the only son of Dr. C. S. Whitman, of Gardiner.
Judge Henry S. Webster, of Gardiner, in addition to widely recog-
nized professional and business qualifications, has also a distinct liter-
ary reputation as an earnest student and thinker and as a strong and
accomplished writer. The public know him chiefly in the prose col-
umns of various newspapers, but his friends know that the finest coin-
age of his heart and brain come through the mint of verse.
Samuel Wood, of Winthrop, a valbed contributor to the Maine
Farmer, is mentioned in the chapter on Agriculture and Live Stock,
page 192.
At the age of sixteen Julia May Williamson, of Augusta, published
a volume of her poems for circulation among her friends; and a sec-
ond volume, published in 1878, was well received. A third volume,
recently issued, is entitled Star of Hope and Other Songs. Miss Wil-
liamson is in her twenty-third year; her noui de guerre is "Lura Bell."
In 1813 a book was published by J. C. Washburn, of China, under
the following explanatory title: " The Parish Harmony, or Fairfax
Collection of Musick, containing a Concise Introduction to the grounds
of Musick, and a variety of Psalm Tunes suitable to be used in Divine
vService, together with Anthems, by Japheth Coombs Washburn."
Nathan Weston, a former chief justice of the supreme court of
Maine, and long an honored resident of Augusta, was the author of
an eloquent oration in 1854, at the centennial celebration of the erec-
tion of Fort Western. It was published by William H. Simpson, Au-
gusta.
In 1887 S. H. Whitney, of Vassalboro, published a cursory sketch
of 122 pages, entitled Early History of Kennebec Valley.
Oscar E. Young, of Fayette, is the author of a book of poems and
is also a contributor to the columns of the Chicat^o Sun.
CHAPTER XII.
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS.
BY RUFUS JI. JONES, Principal of Oak Grove Seminary.
David Sands. — First Meeting.— George Fox. — Vassalboro Meeting. — Oak Grove
Seminary.— China Monthly Meeting.— Fairfield Quarterly Meeting.— Litch-
field Preparative.— Winthrop Preparative.— Manchester Preparative.— Sid-
ney Preparative.
NO man is more intimately and essentially connected, by his life and
labors, with the rise and growth of the Society of Friends in Ken-
nebec county than David Sands, a Friend minister from Cornwall,
Orange county, N. Y. In the year 1775 David Sands, then thirty years
of age and nine years a member of the Society of Friends, came to
New England to attend the yearly meeting at Newport, R. I. Again
in 1777, he felt called to more extended labors throughout the towns
and villages of New England, and he came with a minute from his
own meeting for that service. In his journal we find the following
passage:
" We had many meetings, although passmg through a wilderness
country. I trust they were to the encouragement of many seeking
minds. We were invited to the house of Remington Hobbie; he re-
ceived us kindly, and we had two meetings at his house, one on First
day, where were many of the town's people; this place is called Vas-
salborough, on the Kennebec River; and another in the evening at a
Friend's hou,se. These meetings were much to my comfort, feeling
the overshadowing of our Divine Master. We next proceeded up the
river for two days, through great fatigue and suffering, haying to
travel part of the way on foot, to a Friend's house, who received us
kindly, there being no other Friend's house within forty-five miles.
We had a meeting among a poor people, newly settled, but to our
mutual comfort and satisfaction, witnessing the Divine Presence to
be underneath for our support."
This is the first of his four visits to the towns of Kennebec county,
and this account shows the true state of this region at the time. The
country was only just beginning to be settled. If there were any
Friends, there was not more than one famijy in a settlement. Each
visit of David Sands was attended with striking success, showing that
he possessed peculiar gifts and ability for missionary work among
these Maine pioneers. Hardly a meeting was begun in the county a
270 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
century ago which did not owe almost the possibility of its existence
more or less directly to his influence, and a very large number of the
prominent Friends in these early meetings were convinced by his
preaching or through his personal efforts. It would be safe to say
that the position Friends have held here and the work they have been
able to do, is in great measure owing to the zeal and faithfulness of
this true and devoted Christian apostle. Nearly twenty years from
his first visit he made a final journey through the county, of which
he wrote:
" I proceeded towards the eastward on horseback "•■ * * on our
course toward Kennebec, where we arrived 5th month, 9th. 1795, and
found things greatly altered since my first visit, there being now a
pretty large monthly meeting where there was not a Friend's face to
be seen when I first visited the country; but rather a hard, warlike
people, addicted to many vices, but now a solid good behaved body of
Friends."*
The first meeting for worship established by the Society of Friends
in this county was at Vassalboro, on the east side of the Kennebec
river, in the year 17S0. Members of this society were among the
pioneer settlers of the towns of China and Vassalboro, and as the set-
tlers increased many embraced the peculiar views of the so-called
Quakers. These early Friends were men and women of great strength
of character; their lives were their strongest arguments in favor of
the views which they promulgated and, though few in number, they
at once made their influence felt. They lacked the broad culture of
the schools and colleges, nor had they gained the intellectual skill
which long study gives; but they had keen judgment, prompt decision,
unwavering faith in God, and they looked constantly to him for guid-
ance. The solitary life in their new homes, where the forests were
just yielding to give place to fields and pastures, was well suited to
this people, and they were in many respects peculiarly adapted for the
only kind of life possible in this county in the last quarter of the last
century. For a better understanding of these Friends themselves, their
fitness for their condition and surroundings, and their influence espec-
ially on the early life of this county, it will be necessary to take a
hasty glance at the rise and growth of the society, and to consider the
character of its founder, George Fox, for he is the proper exponent of
Quakerism.
He was born in 1625, and began his active career in about the year
1649, closing his eventful life, with those words of triumph, "I am
•clear,'! am clear," in the year 1690. For centuries the truths declared
to men among the hills of Judea had been unknown to the people; the
signification of the Incartiation was completely lost to them, symbols
*This Journal [New York: Collins & Bro., 269 Pearl street] is highly inter-
esting not only to Friends but to all who love to read the simple record of a good
■man's life.
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 271
were taken for the things symbolized, mechanical performances took
the place of vital communion with a loving Father as revealed
by the vSon; but the rise of modern Protestantism, and the fear-
ful struggles of the century which followed Luther's first protests
belong to general history. The unrest which was so noticeable in
the first half of the sixteenth century goes to show that the people
were not yet satisfied with the religious condition of the country any
more than with the political. Numerous characters and various
societies came forward at this time, each with its own peculiar con-
ception of the relation which exists between this world and the next;
between the human creature and the Creator.
The feeling that outward signs of religion are empty and that the
relation between God and man is in the highest degree a personal
matter came, at a very early age, with great force, into the heart of
George Fox. He had sat on the knee of a mother who came from the
stock of martyrs, and he inherited a fearlessness which never left him
when the " voice within " bade him stand in his place. His father,
who was the " Righteous Christer," taught him by his life and words
that there is no crown on earth or in Heaven to be compared with a
'crown of righteousness." He possessed a tender but strong nature
which could be satisfied by what was genuine alone. Let us see by
looking a little farther at the experience of George Fox what being a
*' Quaker "* means.
He went to keep sheep for a shoemaker, and his work as shoe-
maker and shepherd combined went on until he was twenty, and
might have continued through his life, had not He who appeared to
Saul on his way to Damascus, appeared no less certainly, though dif-
ferently, to him. Carlyle says: " Perhaps the most remarkable inci-
dent in modern history is not the Diet of Worms, still less the battle
of Austerlitz, Waterloo, Peterloo, or any other battle; but George
Fox's making himself a suit of leather. This man, the first of the
Quakers, and by trade a shoemaker, was one of those to whom, under
ruder or purer forms, the Divine idea of the Universe is pleased to
manifest itself, and across all the hulls of ignorance and earthly
degradation, shine through in unspeakable awefulness, unspeakable
beauty in their souls; who therefore are rightly accounted Prophets,
God-pos.sessed, or even God's, as in some periods it has chanced."
No man ever instituted a more earnest search for the truth; far and
near besought for a teacher who could really teach him; he was ready
to listen on his knees to such an one when he found him, but though
he traveled as far as London he could find no man who could lift a jot
of the weight from his burdened heart. The answers he received
would have completely discouraged a less earnest youth, but he was
on a quest he could not abandon: " Be sure they sleep not whom God
* At first a nickname started by George Fox's telling a magistrate to " Quake
at the word of the Lord."
272 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
needs." At length, when all his hope in men was gone, and as he tells
us, "When I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could tell what
to do; then O 1 then, I heard a voice which said: ' There is one, even
Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition.' "
He had always heard a dead Christ preached in the churches, but
he sought a Christ who could teach him and act upon him so as to
change his life^ only a living Christ could do that. Doctrines about
Christ and what He has done for man are not Christ himself; and at
length Fox reached the great truths, as Kingsley says, " That Christ
must be a living person, and He must act directly on the most inward,
central personality of him, George Fox;" or again in his own words,
"Christ it was who had enlightened me, that gave me his light to !e-
lieve in, and gave me hope which is in Himself, revealed Himself m
me, and gave me His spirit and gave me His grace, which I found
sufficient in the deeps and in weakness."
He and the early Friends were orthodox in regard to the atone-
ment, but this has sometimes been overlooked, owing to the emphasis
which they put on the spiritual Christ who is the Light within, the
constant guest of the soul. Their characterizing peculiarities were,
then, obedience at all times to the voice within, the maintenance of a
life in full harmony with their profession, protestation against all
shams and formality, the use of " thee " and " thou " to show the
equality of all men,"'- and their refusal to doff" the hat to so-called
social superiors. Still, farther, they declared the incompatibility
of war with perfect Christianity; oaths, even in courts of justice,
they utterly refused; in regard to the two sacraments, baptism and
the Lord's supper, they held that " they were temporary ordinances,
intended for the transition period, while the infant church was ham-
pered by its Jewish swaddling clothes, but unneces.sary and unsuitable
in 2. purely spiritual religion^ Men and women were equal in the sight
of God and " the gift for the ministry " was conferred upon both by
the Head of the church. It was wrong for a minister to receive pay-
ment for preaching the Gospel, whether from the state or from the
congregation. vSilent communion was an essential part of their wor-
ship and it was believed that the true voice could be best heard at
such seasons.
To note these distinguishing points in belief, life and conduct,
taken with the successful efforts of George Fox to gain light and per-
fect peace, will help the reader to form a just conception of the
Friends of Kennebec county, who were the inheritors of the princi-
ples and practices of the men who so aroused and influenced the
world a hundred years before them. We do not need to speak of the
fearful persecution which attended their labors; suffice it to say that
*The use of " you," the plural to superiors, and " thou," the singular to in-
feriors, was very common then, as it still is, in Germany.
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 273
in central Maine they were allowed peacefully to pursue their manner
of life, and no remonstrance was raised against their tenets. Here, as
in England, the Friends marked out no creed, but contented them-
selves with the life and words of the Lord as recorded by the holy
men who received the revelation, and they strove to be in their meas-
ure reproductions of Christ. The following words used by a recent
writer on the " Quakers " very nearly express their views at all the
different epochs of their existence:
" Christianity is a life; the true life of man; the life of the spirit
reigning over all the lusts of the flesh. * * * Christianit}', we call
it, because first in Jesus, the Christ, this life was manifested in its
highest perfection. * * * Our creeds and theologies are human
conceptions of what the Christian life is; but the Christian life was
before them all, is independent of them all, and probably no one of
them is a perfectly true and adequate description of the reality.
Their diversities, their mutations, prove that they are imperfect.
Christianity is the life which Christ lived, which lives in us now by
His Spirit."
Such, then, was the belief and such, in a measure, the life of the
little company which met m Vassalboro, on the hill side overlooking
the Kennebec valley, in the year 1780. The history of the Friends in
this county can never be adequately written, since from their first ap-
pearance until the present time they have done, their work in a quiet,
unobtrusive way, leaving behind them little more record of their
trials and triumphs than nature does of her unobserved workings in
the forests; but this fact does not make their existence here unim-
portant, and no careful observer will consider it to have been so.
In 1779 John Taber and family moved from Sandwich, Mass., to-
gether with Bartholomew and Rebecca Taber, brother and sister, and
established themselves in Vassalboro, being the first Friends to settle
in this locality, excepting Jethro Gardner, who lived on Cross hill.
They soon held a meeting at John Taber's house. In 1780 Jacob
Taber, aged eighty-one, father of the above mentioned John Taber,
together with Peleg Delano and their families, settled in Vassalboro.
About two years later Moses Sleeper joined this little group of Friends.
In the 3d month of 1786 Stephen Hussey and Rebecca Taber were
married at the house of John Taber, this being the first marriage in
this meeting. The same year Joseph Howland moved hither from
Pembroke and brought the first removal certificate which was placed
upon the records of the meeting.
Friends Meeting House at Vassalboro was built from 178.) to 1786,
only one half being finished, and the little company met one, if not
two, winters without any fire, meeting holding sometimes three
hours. The meeting house at Vassalboro was rebuilt about fifty years
ago. In 1787 Joshua Frye moved to Vassalboro. In 10th month,
274 HISTORY OF KENXEBEC COUNTY.
1788, Joseph Rowland and Sarah Taber, and Pelatiah Hussey and Lydia
Taber were married, being the first married in the new meeting
house. It then being the custom to request for membership, verbally
and in person, Anstrus Hobble, Levi Robinson and wife, John Get-
chell, John Baxter and wife, with Ephraim Clark and George Fish,
of Harlem, went up to Falmouth in 1782 to request the " care of
Friends," i.e., the rights of membership.
In most other parts of the land opposition brought out the char-
acter of the Friends more distinctly and their lives became a part of
written history; here they were allowed to worship God unhindered,
and the leaven which they became in the various communities was a
constantly active, though often unnoticed, force.
Remington Hobble was at first undoubtedly the strongest and
most influential member of the little society at Vassalboro. He was
a magistrate in the place and inhabited a spacious house built like the
old English homes, with a front hall so large that a " yoke of oxen
with cart attached could be driven in the front door, up the hall and
turned around in it," as the neighbors said. When David Sands and
his companion were in Vassalboro holding their first meetings.
Remington Hobble said to his wife: " I hear these Quakers are decent,
respectable looking men; I believe I shall invite them to my hou.se,
as they must be but poorly accommodated where they are." She
agreed and they were invited. When they came they were shown
into the common room or kitchen. After being seated, they re-
mained in perfect silence. Remington Hobble being entirely unac-
quainted with the manners of Friends, was at a loss to account for
their remarkable conduct, and attributed it to displeasure at being
invited into his kitchen. He at once had a fire made in his parlor,
saying to his wife: " I believe these Quakers are not pleased with
their reception; we will see how they like the other room." He in-
vited them in, but the same solemn silence continued, at which he
became almost vexed, and thought to himself, " they are certainly
fools or take me to be one."
As these thoughts were passing in his mind, David Sands turned
and fixed his eye full in his face and in the most solemn manner said:
" Art thou willing to be a fool?" when he paused and again repeated,
" Art thou willing to become a fool for Christ's sake?" He continued
with such power that Remington Hobbie could not withstand it, and
in a short time he was fully convinced of Friends' principles and prac-
tices. He was ever after a most intimate friend of David Sands and
often his colaborer. " His gift for the ministry was acknowledged,"
and for many years he preached the Gospel acceptably. In the affairs
of the church he was a " weighty man."
Moses Starkey was another strong pillar in this Vassalboro meet-
ing, and he, too, was convinced under the preaching of David Sands,
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 275
in the following remarkable manner. He was a carpenter by trade,
and if not a rough man, he was at least one who was unconcerned
about spiritual things. As he was one day riding along the newly
made road, he was asked by a neighbor passing by if he was going to
hear the Quaker preach? To whom he replied that he had not thought
of doing so. A little farther on, the road divided, one branch going
by the meeting house, where David Sands was to have his meeting,
the other going to where the village now is. It came into his head
to let his horse take whichever road he would, and if he should go by
the meeting house, to go in. The horse took the road leading to the
meeting house. Moses Starkey went in and sat down by the door.
As he entered David Sands was preaching. He stopped in the midst
of his discourse and looking at the new comer said: " So thee left it
to thy horse, did thee. It would have been well if thee had left it to
thy horse years ago;" and thereupon he continued his former line of
thought with wonderful power. Moses Starkey was so deeply stirred
that his conversion .soon followed; he became a Friend and was ap-
pointed to the station of minister in due time, sitting for many years
at the head of the meeting.
John D. Lang was born in 1789 in Gardiner, Me., where he lived
until he was six years of age. He went to school only about three
months, and so was forced to educate himself. While still a young
boy he worked in the wool carding mill at Fryeburg. He worked
much of the time with his Bible open before him, and thus early in
life he became acquainted with the teaching of the Scriptures. In
1820 he was married to Ann Elmira Stackpole, and about a year later
they both joined the Society of Friends. They began their married
life in North Berwick, and at about the age of thirty his gift as a min-
ister of the Gospel was recognized by the Friends' meeting in that
place. In the year 1840, in company with Samuel Taylor, he visited
the Indian tribes west of the Mississippi, and they made an exhaustive
report of their travels and the condition of these Indians to the yearly
meeting of Friends for New England, and when U. S. Grant became
president he appointed John D. Lang commissioner to the Indians.
In 1846 John D. Lang came to Vassalboro and gained possession of
the Vassalboro Woolen Mills, which owe much of their prosperity to
him, he having formerly owned and managed the woolen mill at North
Berwick, in company with William Hill. For the remainder of his
life he resided at Vassalboro, near the Kennebec river, where he had
a beautiful home and entertained many friends. He sat for nearly
thirty years at the head of the meeting at Vassalboro, and for many
years occupied the same position at the yearly meeting of Friends at
Newport, R. I. He died in 1879.
In four years from their first assembling for worship in Vassalboro,
a. preparative meeting was held there, and in 1787 a monthly meeting
276 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
was established in that place. This meeting included all the Friends
in this county, there being no meeting nearer than Durham, Me. The
system of their meetings was as follows: As soon as a family or two
settled m a place they held meetings for worship on the Sabbath and
in the middle of the week. As the number of Friends increased a
meeting for transacting the business affairs of this little branch of the
society was held, called the preparative meeting. The members of
two or more preparative meetings in easy access of each other met
together once in the month, a week after the several preparative
meetings, for the transacting of further business. This was called
the monthly meeting. Again, two or more monthly meetings joined
to make a quarterly meeting, and, finally, all the quarterly meetings
of New England were subordinate to the yearly meeting, then held
annually 'at Newport, R. I. This system applies to the present time,
except that the yearly meeting is held every other year at Portland,
Me., and the alternate years at Newport, R. I. The chief settlement
of Friends was on the eastern bank of tlie Kennebec river; but in a
few years a " goodly number " gathered in the easterly part of the
town near the outlet of China lake.
An early writer says: " Toward the close of the year 1797 it was
found expedient to establish a meeting for worship there. In the
summer following, i.e., in 1798, a meeting house was built there. It
was called the ' East Pond meeting," to distinguish it from the River
meeting." Two years later a preparative meeting was granted them
and the Vassalboro monthly meeting was held there half the time.
Thomas B. Nichols, a minister of the gospel, for many years occu-
pied an active and prominent place in this meeting, not only being a
man of weighty counsel, but possessing as well a gift for the ministry.
His influential life and his gospel labors made him well known
throughout New England yearly meeting.
Anna Gates, granddaughter of Benjamin Worth, was one of the
" endowed women " of the East Vassalboro meeting. She was brought
closely under the power of the Divine Life while still quite young,
and through faithfulness to the Master, whom she loved, she became
of great service to Him in the community, by her words of truth and
her practical Christian life. Besides her work in New England she
took a message of the gospel to the yearly meetings of New York and
Baltimore, closing her earthly life in 1865.
Sarah W. Newlin, the daughter of Elijah Winslow, was born in
China, 5th mo. 27, 1826. She was married to Henry Goddard in 1847. A
great change in her life was wrought by a message which Benjamin
Jones, a minister among Friends, felt called to deliver to her person-
ally. Her gift in the ministry was acknowledged by Va.ssalboro
monthly meeting in 1872. The next year she went on a religious visit
to Canada, attending the yearly meetings and all the meetings of
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 277
Friends in Canada. In 1876 she attended Ohio and Iowa yearlj- meet-
ings, working for nine months in the latter state, holding meetings,
visiting families, jails, prisons and reformatory institutions, and ac-
complishing great results. Her first husband having died in 1875,
she was married in 1883 to Jehu Newlin. Since her last marriage
she, in company with her husband, also a minister, visited England,
Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany,
France and the Holy Land, in all of which countries much service for
the Master was accomplished. S,he has attended all the yearly meet-
ings of Friends on the American Continent, working throughout the
territory which such meetings cover, while she has been a faithful
messenger of the Gospel in her own community, exerting a wide in-
fluence by both life and work. Her membership until her second
marriage was at East Vassalboro meeting.
The well known red brick meeting house at East Vassalboro was
built sixty years ago and remained unchanged until 1891, when the
inside was entirely remodeled. It is now a very convenient and at-
tractive place of worship. Vassalboro monthly meeting is now held
in it every month and the quarterly meeting twice in the year. Be-
sides those already mentioned, Charles B. Gates, Rachel B. Nichols,
William Gates and Eliza P. Pierce have been prominent among its
members. This meeting has recently risen in importance by a large
addition of new members.
Prior to the year 1795 Salem quarterly meeting included all Friends
east of Boston. In 1781, about the time Friends began to settle in
Kennebec county, to accommodate the members in Maine, the Salem
quarterly meeting met once during the year in Falmouth, Me.
Thither the Friends in this county traveled on foot and on horseback
to attend this meeting and to hear the gospel messages from the min-
isters who were generally in attendance. In the year 1795 the yearly
meeting divided Salem quarterly meeting and established Falmouth
quarterly meeting, which was held circular, viz., at Falmouth, Vassal-
boro, Durham and Windham, including all the meetings of Friends in
Maine, except those at Berwick and Eliot, who found it more con-
venient to remain attached to Salem. From this date Vassalboro
meeting held a prominent position and received visits from the gospel
messengers coming from the other states and from England.
Vassalboro quarterly meeting proper was established in 1813, and
then included the monthly meetings of Vassalboro, Sidney, Leeds and
China, with the smaller meetings in their boundaries. It was held
four times a year at the " River meeting house," viz., in the 2d, 5tb,
9th and 11th months.
The provision of Article VII, Section 5, of the State Constitution,
exempting Friends from military duty, was .secured largely through
278 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
the efforts of the Vassalboro quarterly meeting. On the meeting-
records is spread tlie report of its committee:
" The object of our appointment, it seems, was to use our endeavor
to have our rights and privileges as a society secured in said conven-
tion, more especially as respects military requisitions, and finding
many members of the convention, who upon the principles of impar-
tiality, were not willing to give any sect or society the preference in
point of privileges, and who thought it but right and just that all of
every denomination should be involved and equally liable to perform
military duty, or pay an equivalent, we found it incumbent to urge
the justice, and, on gospel principles, the necessity of exempting all
who were principled against war.
" When we found that to urge so general an exemption was of no
avail, we then confined ourselves to the narrow limits of our society,
on behalf of whom we plead that we as a religious society had found
it incumbent to bear our testimony against war, and that the society
had for almost two centuries, amidst severe persecutions and suffer-
ings, supported the same with a firmness and constancy from which,
under the guardianship of superintending goodness, no penalties in-
flicted by human policy, however severe, had been able to turn us; a
testimony and faithfulness to that testimony unexampled by any so-
ciety on the earth; that while we were engaged, as one general peace
society, in support of this all important testimony, it would entail
great hardship and suffering on our society, and on our young men in
particular, to impose such military requisition, from which we had
been in great measure exempt under the then existing laws. After
much labor and care on the part of your committee, with the aid of
faithful and zealous advocates not of our profession m the convention,
a clause is inserted in the new constitution by which Friends may be
exempt from military duty.
" Now, on our part, we can say with gratitude that the success our
cause met with was not owing merely to human exertions, but to the
interference of the hand of Providence, as a member of the conven-
tion said, ' the hand of Providence is in it.' "
The report is a long one, and the committee go on to say that the
statement was made in the convention, as an argument against their
plea, that " many shelter themselves under your name and yet in
their external appearance afford no evidence of their scruples as to
military duty, and though nominally of your religious body, there are
some among you and especially young men who so nearly assimilate
with us in dress and address and in their deportment generally, that
you ought to turn them out, that we may enroll them in our ranks.
' Your members,' said they, ' ought to certify by their appearance to
whom they belong,' from which we are led to infer that, though the
constitution makes provision for our exemption from military requisi-
tion, yet the enjoyment of this privilege depends principally, if not
wholly, on our demeaning ourselves in accordance to our high and
holy purposes."
Oak Grove Seminary.— It is to the honor of the Society of Friends
in Kennebec county that its members e.spoused so zealously the cause
of education. Although the early Friends here were unlettered in
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 279
large degree, and perhaps partly for this very reason, they resolved
that their children and those of future generations should be wisely
and carefully taught. The grove of oak trees crowning the top of the
hill to the northeast of the village at Vassalboro was chosen as the
location of the school which these Friends founded thirty-four years
ago. There are few more striking landscape views in the state. The
eye follows the winding Kennebec through its beautiful course among
farms and forests until it reaches Augusta, and far beyond the city,
to where the horizon is skirted with hills. The noted peaks in the
range of western Maine mountains are prominent in the northwest,
while Mt. Washington and Mt. Adams are visible over the western
hilltops. The position could not fail to be a constantly inspiring
influence; then, too, only a few rods from this spot the first Friends'
meeting in the county had been held in 1780, and a large body
of Friends still assembled there for worship. Furthermore, this
was a center to a large community in which the children had no
educational advantages beyond the ordinary town school; and, finally,
in or near this neighborhood lived men who had hearts large enough
to use their means in laying the foundation to an institution, the good
work of which had only begun in their life time.
■ About the year 1850 John D. Lang and Ebenezer Frye, of Vassal-
boro, Samuel Taylor, of Fairfield, and Alden Sampson and Alton
Pope, of Manchester, all prominent members of the Society of
Friends, advocated the establishment of a school where the children
of Kennebec county might receive careful training, cultivating influ-
ence, religious impression and broad teaching. To secure its estab-
lishment they individually gave $1,000. William Hobbie (grandson
of Benjamin Hobbie), a vigorous spirited man and a natural teacher,
was the first principal, but the school in these first years not being a
financial success, it was closed.
In 1856 Eli Jones, the Friend minister and missionary, whose
home was in the town of China, advocated that an effort be made to
open the school; $15,000 being necessary to secure the success of the
new undertaking, he became chairman of a committee to raise that
amount, which was nearly all subscribed by six hundred Friends in
the state. Eli Jones was made principal for the first year and had a
large and successful school. A large part of the children of Friends
in the county had the benefits of a longer or shorter period at the
Oak Grove Seminary, as it was named, and here they have been
helped to become good citizens and to lead noble and valuable lives.
In 1880 a fire destroyed the academy building, necessitating the
close of the school. Five years later a large building for school pur-
poses was constructed joining the boarding house on the south side
of the road. In the autumn of 1887, as a large school had just begun,
the entire structure was burned down by an incendiary. In this time
aSO HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of discouragement friends were not wanting and the present set of
buildings was raised, Charles M. Bailey, of Winthrop, paying for
their construction in order that all other funds might be used as a
permanent fund, which has now reached $2U,000. Besides the princi-
pals already named, it has been under the instruction and care of Al-
bert K. Smiley, Augustine Jones, Elijah Cook, Franklin Paige, Rich-
ard M. Jones, Edward H. Cook, Charles H. Jones and Rufus M. Jones,
some others serving for a short period.
The seminary is now owned and managed by New England Yearly
Meeting of Friend.s. Originally the Friends aimed at having " select
schools " where their children might be taught by themselves; to-day
their two schools in New England are open to all who are suitable to
be admitted, and the seminary last year enrolled 131 students.
All such institutions have an inner history which no one can write
and an influence no one can measure. Perhaps no other one thing
which the friends of Kennebec county have started into existence has
accomplished so much good or has in it so much possibility of future
blessing, not only to this county, but to the state at large, as Oak
Grove Seminary; and so long as it stands it will be a noble monument
to the memory of the faithful and generous men who wrought for it
in its infancy, who mourned for its reverses, and who lifted it from its
ashes to its present condition of usefulness.
China Monthly Meeting.— No Friends' meeting house was built
in China or Harlem before the year 1807, but there had been scattered
families of Friends in the town ever since 1774. So long as they had
no common place for worship, they made their own homes sanctuaries,
and from the rude house in the gloom of the forest, many an earnest
cry went up to the loving Father. If there could be no gathering of
the faithful, there was the beautiful possibility of individual soul-
communion, and though there was no visible temple except the over-
arching trees, centuries old, yet to each one of these spiritually-minded
men and women came the inspired words, " Ye, yourselves, are Tem-
ples of the living God." It seems never to have occurred to them that
future generations would care to know what they were doing and suf-
fering and striving for; at all events, they have given us no record of
their life history. We are able to judge of them only by what we
know from results that they must have achieved, and by the influence
of their sturdy lives on the generation which succeeded them and in-
herited many of their strong qualities.
Miriam Clark, wife of Jonathan Clark, sen., the flrst settler of the
town, and mother of the four Clark brothers, was a member of the
Society of Friends, as were also two of her sons, Andrew and Ephraim
Clark; the other two, as well as the father, not being members. One
daughter, Jerusha, took the faith of her mother, and married a Friend
from England by the name of George Fish, who was lost at sea while
OAK GROVE SEMINARY, VASSALBORO, ME.
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 281
on a voyage to England to revisit his native home. His widow, dying
many years later, was the first Friend buried in the grave yard adjoin-
ing the " Pond meeting house." Of the four Clark brothers, the two
Friends chose the eastern, and the other two the western side of the
lake. The nearest meeting they could attend was at Durham, about
forty miles away, until the meeting was begun at Vassalboro, in 1780;
this would require a walk of about ten miles.
Twenty-one years subsequently, in 1795, David Braley and family
settled about one mile from the head of the lake, on its east side,
making them about five miles north of the Clark Friends. Some
time during the next year their daughter, Olive Braley, became the
wife of Ephraim Clark. Anna, the wife of David Braley, was a
woman of great piety and an accredited ministerof the society. After
the meeting was begun at East Vassalboro in 1797, these Friends could
easily and regularly attend, as the whole journey could be made by
boat in summer and across the ice in winter.
The next year (1798) Benjamin Worth came from Nantucket and
settled near the Clarks, on the lot now owned by Benjamin Fry. He
was an able gospel minister, and his labors did much toward strength-
ening the brethren and arousing the community. Soon after came
Lemuel Hawkes, a man of precious memory, settling on the lot after-
ward owned by Bowdoin Haskell, about two miles from the south end
of the lake. In his house the first regular Friends' meeting in town
was held, and meetings continued here until 1807; hence the Friends'
meeting in China dates from 1802.
Abel Jones left his home in Durham in 1803, and joined this little
band of Friends on the east shore of China lake. Two years later
Jedediah Jepson and his son, John, and daughter, Susanna, came
hither from Berwick. They rode on horseback a distance of 115 miles,
bringing their few household treasures in saddle bags. The father,
Jedediah, was a well approved minister and a scholar for his time, so
that now the meeting, though still quite small, had three members on
whom the " gift of ministration " had been conferred. Jedediah
Jepson chose the lot subsequently owned by the late Cyrenus K.
Evans, for his new home, and in the year following^ his daughter.
Susanna, was married to Abel Jones. The marriage took place at one
of the regular meetings, in the house of Lemuel Hawkes, and was the
first marriage in the town according to regulations of Friends.*
* The marriage was conducted as follows: After a religious meeting or some
time during the meeting, the bride and groom arose and taking hands said the
ceremony, "In the presence of the Lord and before this assembly, I take thee,
Susanna Jepson, to be my wife, promising to be unto thee a faithful and loving
husband, until it shall please the Lord by death to separate us." She saying in
return, "In the presence of the Lord and before this assembly, I take thee, Abel
Jones, to be my husband, promising to be unto thee a faithful and loving wife,
until it shall please the Lord by death to separate us." It was concluded by the
reading of the certificate and the signing of the proper names.
282 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
The first meeting house erected in town, and which stands on its
original site, was the well known Pond meeting house, situated on the
east shore of the lake, about three miles from the north end. This
was erected in 1807, on a piece of land purchased of Jedediah Jepson.
The society records of 2d month, 1807, say: " This meeting concludes
to build a meeting hou.se in Harlem, 30x40 feet, and 10 feet posts; and
apportions the expense of building said house to the property of each
individual member of this meeting." " Reuben Fairfield, James
Meader, Isaac Hussey and Jedediah Jepson are appointed to go for-
ward in building said house in a way as to them may appear best, and
report as the occasion may require."
The writer remembers having seen, as a boy, a set of wagon wheels
which must have gone over 10,000 miles in making the journey back
and forth between a Friend's house and this meeting house, a distance ,
of a little over two miles. This house was used for meetings a few
years before it was wholly finished. The building was originally
heated by a wood fire in the potash kettle described elsewhere; fur-
thermore, the seats were not models of comfort. The society has since
erected houses at Dirigo, West China and South China. The house at
Dirigo was built and meetings were held there continuously until the
house at South China was erected in 1885, on the site of a former Bap-
tist church which had been burned. The West China house, now a
venerable structure, is still used for meetings.
The first meeting for business held in this town by Friends was a
preparative meeting held 9th month, 1809. In 1813 they were per-
mitted by the quarterly meeting to hold a monthly meeting in con-
nection with Friends in Fairfax (now Albion). Since, in 1813, China
monthly meeting was established, 939 of these monthly meetings have
been held, and only in one instance has the meeting failed to be held,
then owing to impas.sable roads. The only way to form an idea of
Friends in this meeting will be for us to call up some of the best
known of the individual members who have made their lives useful
in the community, who have been tools in the hands of the Supreme
Worker, and have done something which has built itself into other
lives. In making special mention of a few, we must not forget that
all the faithful, active members of this society have lived to some
purpose, and thoi:gh we make no definite record of them, we believe
"they were a part of the divine power against evil, widening the
skirts of light and making the struggle with darkness narrower."
Let us remark here that at this time the Friends in Kennebec
county were with very few exceptions ignorant, so far as book educa-
tion is concerned. They were unlettered men and women, with no
opportunities for culture. The Bible was in many cases their one
book. The heroes of faith pictured forth in the Old Testament, were
the only heroes they ever heard about. David and Isaiah were their
poets. This same book furnished their only history and ethics; it was
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 283'
the child's reading book and spelling book. But with all their days
devoted to stubborn toil, with all the scarcity of books and difficulty
they had in reading, yet these people in this wilderness grew refined,
took on a culture and a grace, as they were faithful to the " Spirit of
Truth." Many will bear witness that tho.se who centered their
thoughts on the things that are pure and lovely, and honest and of
good report — with what there is of virtue and praise — became decid-
edly possessed of a courtesy and nobility which stamped them as be-
longing within a circle where an unseen influence ennobles and refines
the life. This power of moulding lives and raising the whole indi-
vidual out of the realm of the ordinary is an almost essential charac-
teristic of genuine Quakerism, and some exemplars of this truth will
occur to those who have had familiar intercourse among Friends in
their various communities through the county. We should be far
from claiming that all enrolled members of this society show this; it
only applies to those who have divclt in the " Spirit of Truth and
Love," to use one of their most expressive phrases. Nor is it by
any means confined to this society, being true of genuine Christianity
everywhere.
Among the most important members of China monthly meeting,
in its early history, and by the favor of long lives, even down to the
last half of this century, were the two brothers, James and Elisha
Jones, with their cousin, Stephen Jones, all of whom came into the
town from Durham. Elisha was an approved minister, Stephen was
a man of .shrewd and careful judgment, looked to not only in his own
home meetings, but of great influence in the yearly meeting assem-
bly, as it met at Newport. He was a man of " ancient dignity," slow
of speech, but with a clear mind to perceive and set forth the suitable
line of action. He, as well as his two cousins, was marked by spotless
integrity, and they made their lives felt widely in the country. Per-
haps three men who were nearer the ideal of the old time Friend could
not be found in the state.
James Jones was known among Friends throughout the United
States as a minister of the gospel. He was especially marked by his
power of prophecy. Nearly all who remember the man remember
how on some particular occasion he saw the condition of some one in
the meeting, or how he marked out the course in which the Lord
would lead some one present. In fact his friends and acquaintances
looked almost as trustingly for the fulfilment of his words of foresight
as though they had be^n recorded on the same page as those of
Isaiah. He made at least three religious visits to Friends as far as
Iowa, going in his own carriage. Some think that he accomplished
this journey no less than six times. He also visited Friends in North
Carolina, Canada, Europe, and in various other remote regions. He
generally drove his own horse to Newport and back at the time of the
234 HISTORY OF KE.VXEBEC COUNTY.
yearly meeting. Nothing gives .stronger evidence of the efficiency of
his preaching than the influence it had on the young.
Benjamin Worth was, as has been said, a man univensally loved,
and a strong preacher of the gospel. He was a great friend of the
children, and he was accounted a prophet in the community. There
are some still living who heard him say in a public meeting shortly
before the "cold year," that the time was soon coming when the chil-
dren would cry for bread and the fathers and mothers would have
none to give them, a state of things which was literally realized; for
in the year 181G there was a frost in every month, and a snow storm
covered up the fallen apple blossoms the 12th day of sixth month.
Corn ripened in this vicinity in only one field, on the slope of the hill
behind the house where Edward H. Cook of Vassalboro now lives.
Many such utterances, followed by evident fulfilment, made his neigh-
bors have faith in his word as prophetic. He lived to a good old age,
and was taken from his work here very much lamented and missed by
those among whom he had lived and labored. He was at first settled
in Harlem, but later he was a member of the meeting at East Vassal-
boro, and the larger part of his service as minister was in the latter
meeting.
The writer, when very young, used to count to see if he could find
in China, as Abraham could not in Sodom, ten righteous persons, so
that he might rest sure that no fire" and brimstone would be poured
down there for its destruction. The list generally began with Desire
Abbot, a sweet and gentle woman, who seemed to be a saint dwelling
on the earth. She still lives in the memory of many, as a soul ripened
in the sunshine of God's love. Peace Jones is another who has made
many lives richer by her presence and work in the world, and though
happily still among us, she should be spoken of among those who
have been the saving salt in the community. Even as a child, as she
sat one day near the back seat of the old meeting house in Albion, she
longed to be as good as those who sat on the high seats and seemed
never to have temptations; as these longings were in her heart, a good
Friend arose and said: " There are some here yearning to have their
lives like those who seem to have reached a greater perfection. Let
me tell such ones that if they give their lives wholly to the Lord and
follow His will fully they will come to experience the life they are
yearning for." The little girl knew in her heart that the speaker had
been " led to feel out her condition," and she believed his words,
which .she has certainly verified. It is safe to say that few women in
the same sphere of life have reached a fuller Christian experience or
have been the cause of more blessing to others. She has always
obeyed the voice when it has called her to labor in more remote places,
having gone for religious service to Ohio, Iowa, Nova Scotia, and many
times throughout New England.
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 285
No Other Friend born in the county has made such a wide reputa-
tion as Eli Jones. He was born in 1807, being the son of Abel and
Susanna Jones, before mentioned. He received a fairly good educa-
tion for the time and locality, but this was finely supplemented by a
life of careful reading and keen observation. In 1833 he married
Sybil Jones, of Brunswick, a woman wonderfully gifted for the work
she was to perform, though of slight physical health. She possessed
in large degree a poetic soul, and she was blessed with a beautiul,
melodious voice and a flow of suitable words to give utterance to the
thought which seemed to come to her by inspiration. For forty years
they worked together, at home and m foreign fields, striving to show
to as many as possible the meaning of the full gospel of Christ. Their
first long journey was in 1850, to Liberia, which they made in a sail-
ing packet. They spent a number of months along the coast preach-
ing to and teaching the colonists of that young republic. The next
year after their return from this visit, 1852, they made an extended
missionary journey to England, Ireland, France, Germany, Switzer-
land and Norway. Everywhere they found eager listeners, and this
visit was greatly blessed.
In 1854 Eli Jones was in the legislature at Augusta, where he did
much work for the cause of temperance, and being appointed to the
ofifice of major general, he delivered a speech in declining it which
for its wit and eloquence is deservedly famous. In 1865 Sybil Jones,
in obedience to a direct call, visited Washington to work among the
soldiers in the hospitals, and in the work she carried a message of
love to no less than 30,000 of these suffering and dying men. In 1867
Eli and Sybil Jones were liberated by China monthly meeting and
Vassalboro quarterly meeting for religious work in England, France
and the Holy Land. One of the results of this visit was the founding
of two Friends' missions in the Holy Land, one on Mount Lebanon, the
other, called the " Eli and Sybil Jones Mission," at Ramallah, near
Jerusalem. Sybil Jones, after a life of continual activity, in which her
spiritual power made itself remarkably felt in all parts of the world,
was called to the kingdom of peace and joy in 1873. Eli Jones con-
tinued to labor for the spread of the gospel, for the missions, for the
causes of temperance, education and peace until 1890, dying at his
home on the 4th of second month. His life was one of great value to
the world. No better example of Friends, as George Fox intended
them to be, have appeared in New England than Eli and Sybil Jones.
Alfred H. Jones, born in China, Me., 6th mo. 12, 1825, was educated
in the public schools of China and Vassalboro, and in Waterville
Classical Institute. After finishing his course of study he taught for
eight years in Maine and four years in Ohio, returning to Maine in
1854. He has in many ways taken active pan in the affairs of the
town. He was a birthright member of the Society of Friends, and in
■386 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
1858 his gift as a minister was acknowledged. In 1868 he was chosen
superintendent of the Freedmen's schools and other mission work in
Virginia and North Carolina, under the Friends' Freedmen's Aid
Association, of Philadelphia, holding this responsible position until
he resigned in 1880. Since that time he has devoted himself mostly
to the ministry, doing the larger part of his service in his own meet-
ing in West China. He was clerk of the meeting for ministry and
■oversight for New England from 1881 to 1892, besides holding various
other clerkships in the subordinate meetings.
China monthly meeting has produced a number of Friends who
have become well known as educators; among the number, Augustine
Jones, LL.B., principal of Friends' Boarding .School, Providence, R. I.;
Richard M. Jones, LL.D., head master of the William Penn Charter
School, Philadelphia, Pa.; Stephen A. Jones, Ph.B., president of Ne-
vada State University; Wilmot R. Jones, A.B., principal of Stamford,
Conn., High School; Rufus M. Jones, A.M., principal of Oak Grove
Seminary, Vassalboro, Me.; Charles R. Jacob, A.B., professor of mod-
ern languages in Friends' Boarding School; Arthur W. Jones, profes-
sor of Latin in Penn College, Iowa. William Jacob and his wife, S.
Narcissa Jacob, also Frank E. Jones, all ministers in this society, have
labored faithfully here and elsewhere to extend the blessing of the
gospel.
Toward the close of 1810 a meeting for worship was established in
Fairfax (now Albion) and two years afterward a preparative meeting
was held at the same place. In a little more than a year after this,
Vassalboro monthly meeting, to which the Friends in Fairfax had
hitherto belonged, was divided and a new one established called Har-
lem monthly meeting, which was to be held one-third of the time in
F'airfax. A meeting house was built at this place, which is still stand-
ing, one of the quaintest and most unadorned of the many meeting
houses in the state.
The most noteworthy member of this meeting was John Warren,
a minister. He was a man entirely original and sui gciii-ris, and he
was undoubtedly endowed with a gift for the ministry. While living
on the Maine coast as a young man, and concerned only with the
things of this world, he had been told by a traveling Friend that he
had a mission in the world. " John, thou must preach," were the
words spoken to him. and he lived to feel the necessity laid upon him
for service. He traveled much in the United States, and went on one
religious visit to the British Isles.
There are many anecdotes told of him, a few of which may be re-
lated, as bearing on the character of the man. At one time one of his
neighbors, of a very irritable nature, became angry with him and said
many hard things against him. John Warren listened quietly and
then said: " Is that all thou canst say? If thou knewest John Warren
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 287
as well as I do thou couldst say much more than that against him."
At another time, being greatly troubled by one of his neighbor's cows,
which had many times gotten into his field, he went to see the neigh-
bor, somewhat vexed, though not " unscripturally angry," and said
with emphasis: " If thee doesn't take care of thy cow I shall— I shall."
" Well," said the man, " what will you do?" " I shall drive her home
again!" During one of his visits at a certain place he appointed a
meeting, through which he sat in perfect silence. As he was coming
out he overheard a young man say to another, " That beats the Devil."
John Warren turned to him and said, " That is what it was designed
to do." It is related that on his return from England John Warren
returned a portion of the money furnished him from the yearly meet-
ing's treasury for his expenses, which was spoken of as a wonderful
thing, never having happened before or since. While John Warren
lived the meeting was in a flourishing condition; after his death it
began slowly to decline, and at present the house is unused, there be-
ing no Friends in the community.
Fairfield Quarterly MEETiSG.—Litc/iJie/d Preparative.— \r\ the
latter part of the last century a meeting of Friends was begun in the
township of Leeds. As this is now not a part of Kennebec county,
we shall not go into any detailed history of the society there, though
this meeting gave its name to the monthly meeting which included
many subordinate meetings which were in the county.
Joseph Sampson was probably the first member of the society
there, he having been a soldier in the revolutionary war, but was
brought over to the society of peace loving Friends through the ef-
forts of David Sands. Before the end of the last century a large
meeting had been formed, composed of sturdy, hard-working men and
women, extremely zealous for their tenets. Perhaps a little too stern
sometimes in " dealing " with unfaithful members. The intent of
their hearts was right, they believed greatly in righteousness, and the
records show that here as well as elsewhere in the county those who
yearned for a life in harmony with the Divine Spirit became pure,
true, noble and graceful men and women.
Until 1813 Leeds Friends made a part of Durham monthly meet-
ing; after that time they were joined with the Friends in Litchfield
and Winthrop. In 1803 a religious meeting was commenced in Litch-
field; this was at first made up of a few families who met for worship
in a school house near the south end of the lake. The most influen-
tial member of this meeting seems to have been Moses Wadsworth, a
man of beautiful life and Christian character, a recognized minister.
He was for sixteen years clerk of Leeds monthly meeting. Noah Farr
was another very worthy member of the meeting. There was no
organized meeting until 1812, when a preparative meeting was estab-
lished, and on the 20th of second month a new monthly meeting was
288 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
begun covering a large region, and including many Friends. The
records of this first monthly meeting show the following extract from
the quarterly meeting held at Windham second month, 1813: '• We,
your committee to consider the proposal from Durham for setting up
a new monthly meeting at Leeds, are of the opinion that it will be
best for Lewiston, Leeds, Litchfield, Winthrop and Wilton * to be set
off and denominated Leeds monthly meeting." The name of this
monthly meeting has often been changed, as we shall see.
In 1812 a proposition had been made in the Litchfield preparative
meeting to build a meeting house on the farm of Noah Farr, near the
south end of the lake, but in the 5th month, 1813, the following re-
port was accepted in the monthly meeting: " The committee ap-
pointed to visit Friends in Litchfield respecting building a meeting
house report that they think best to build one near the place where
they now meet (in the school house) twenty-six x thirty-six and ten
feet posts." Later we find that they received " a donation of $lo().00
from Friends toward building the house," and " the Treasurer is di-
rected to pay $7.42 for the land."
This house was on the spot where the West Gardiner Friends
meeting house now stands. The Friends in these meetings during
the early part of the century were much disturbed by the tendency
manifested by some members to chose wives outside the limits of the
society. As a Friend in their eyes was no longer a Friend if he did
not in every particular conform to " the good order of the society,"
they were often hasty in dropping from membership some who with
different treatment might have become valuable members, though
they not unwisely saw that in order to maintain their good name, and
to keep their principles unchanged through generations, they must
purge themselves of all who loved the world more than the faith of
their fathers. The following is a record often appearing:
•' This may inform Friends that A — W — has so far deviated from
the good order of Friends as to keep company with a young woman
not of our society, and going to training as a spectator, and is not in
the use of plain language or dress, for all of which he has been labored
with, without the desired effect."
Th.e military training v^a.s another constant temptation, especially
to the younger Friends, and any violation of Friends' testimony against
war was " dealt with " vigorously. One Friend, who had served in
the revolutionary war, as had a number of Friends before becoming
members, was " disowned " for receiving a pension from the govern-
ment for his services. Again, it is recorded that a certain Friend
" has deviated from the good order of Friends in apparel and conver-
sation, and he sayeth that if called upon he thinks he should bear
* There was originally a large body of Friends at Wilton, in Franklin county,
though there has been no meeting there in many years.
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 289
arms. For these causes he ha,s been labored with to no satisfaction."
The early records also show that a great efifort was made to keep
the members of this society free from the use of intoxicating liquors,
and that, too, when there was no general sentiment against their use;
and it is certain that their example has had much to do in forming
the present sentiment in the state. At the very beginning of the
century we find members were disowned not only for drunkenness,
but for the use of liquors. Still farther, the little details of every day
life were looked after with minuteness, and none were allowed to
stand before the world as Friends if their public life did not stamp
them as worthy of the name.
This meeting in Litchfield has continued uninterrupted since its
start in 1803. The meeting is now called West Gardiner preparative
meeting, making one of the subordinate meetings of Winthrop
monthly meeting, which is held in West Gardiner, in second, fifth,
eighth and eleventh months. David J. Douglas now resides within
the limits of this meeting. As chairman of the committee on gospel
work for New England yearly meeting, his field of work is through-
out the yearly meeting. He has for many years been an earnest and
active minister of the gospel.
Winthrop Preparative Meeting. — A statement in the journal of
David Sands probably gives us the earliest recorded reference to the
rise of Friends in Winthrop, where is now one of the most flourishing
meetings in New England. In the year 1777 he wrote: " We went to
a new settlement called Winthrop, where we had divers meetings.
Here were several convincements, and many that appeared seeking the
right way." So far as we know there was not a single Friend in this
township before David Sands' visit, and it is directly to his preaching
and influence that we trace the convincement of all the original mem-
bers of this meeting. A number of the most prominent men who
were brought to adopt the principles and practices of Friends through
the work of David Sands had served in the revolutionary war. Among
these was Stewart Foster, whose father had received from the gov-
ernment a large tract of land on condition that he would settle in the
township with his family, which he did. During the war Stewart
Foster had been taken prisoner and was confined on board an English
prison ship. One dark night he and another prisoner jumped over-
board and swam to the shore, and so escaped in safety to their own
homes. After his return to Winthrop he settled on the farm now
owned by Hannah J. Bailey, where he reared a large family of boys
and girls. After his convincement he continued through his long
life to be a faithful Friend and a steady attendant of the meeting.
Another convinced member and former soldier was John Whiting,
who lived not far from the so-called Snell school house. He was a
19
290 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
very genial, cheerful man, much loved and respected in the neighbor-
hood. He was a good example of a gentle, sweet Christian, and
though he lived to be old, he was considered " very young for such
an old man." He was chosen to act as clerk during the first year of
Leeds monthly meeting in 1813, and was always a strong man in con-
ducting business.
Ezra Briggs was one of the first Friends in Winthrop. A Friend
minister, doubtless David Sands, came to his house one day and had
a " religious opportunity " with his family. The service over, the
minister started on his way, but had not gone far before he came back
and said, " Ezra, it is high time thee requested and became a Friend;"
this advice was followed and for the rest of his life Ezra Briggs was
an active Friend. He acted as clerk at the first session of Leeds
monthly meeting, was appointed an elder, and was prominent in all
the business of the meeting.
We find from the journal of Joseph Hoag, the famous preacher
and traveller from Vermont, that he visited Winthrop in the summer
of 1802. He makes the following entry under the date of 7th mo.,
25th: " After a meeting at Leeds we rode to Winthrop; here we found
a little company of goodly Friends among rigid Presbyterians. We
had a large and favored meeting here."
In these days, when such harmony prevails among different sects,
it will do no harm to call to mind an anecdote which the oldest may
still remember. The Presbyterians above referred to were building
a church or, as Friends would have said, a " steple house " in Win-
throp. The men sent out to invite the neighbors to the "raising"
were strictly charged to ask no " Quakers." The day came for the
raising, and sad to relate, for lack of men or for some reason the frame
fell back and killed three men. The Friends rejoiced that they had
received no invitation. The next day an effort was again made to
raise the frame which had so disastrously fallen, when a part of it once
more fell, very nearly killing another man. As superstition still lin-
gered in the minds of some, it would not be strange if the Friends
drew their own conclusions.
The first regular meeting for worship was established in Winthrop
in 1793; nine years later, in 1802, a preparative meeting was started,
being subordinate to the Sidney monthly meeting, which was also be-
gun that year, Stewart Foster being the first representative from Win-
throp to Sidney monthly meeting. Six years later the meeting became
very small and came near dying out. Sidney monthly meeting
records for third month, 1808, have the following entry: " The com-
mittee to visit the meeting at Winthrop report that they have visited
that meeting and think Friends there are not in a capacity to hold a
preparative meeting to the reputation of society, which the meeting
accepts, and after due consideration thereon discontinues said pre-
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 291
parative meeting." The Friends at Winthrop continued to attend the
Sidney monthly meeting until 1813, when they were included in the
new monthly meeting held at Leeds and Litchfield.
About this time the Friends at Winthrop began to increase in num-
bers, and the meeting, which seemed likely to have a short existence.
showed signs of strength and vigor, so that in the year 1816 it seemed
best to grant them a preparative meeting, this time .subordinate to
Leeds monthly meeting, on whose records is the following minute: "8th
mo. 16th, 1816. Friends at Winthrop sent a few lines to this meeting
requesting the liberty to hold a preparative meeting at that place, which
after consideration this meeting concludes for them to hold on 4th day
of the week. Paul Collins, Moses Wadsworth and Joseph Sampson
were appointed to attend the opening of this meeting."
This was the turning point in the history of this meeting. Since
the above date the course of the meetings has been a progressive one.
Three times it has been necessary to replace the meeting house by a
larger one, and the present large meeting room is filled on the Sab-
bath. The first Friends' meeting house in Winthrop stood on a piece
of land owned by Stewart Foster, nearly opposite the location of the
present meeting house. This was a very small house. It was warmed
by the old-fashioned " potash kettle," as were all the early meeting
houses. A framework of brick was built up about two feet in circu-
lar form; in the front of the brick work was a door to receive wood,
in the back an opening to apply a smoke funnel; over this brick work
a large iron kettle was turned, bottom up, which served as cover for
the " stove." Those who desired had " foot warmers," or bricks or
soapstones for their respective seats. A partition was arranged
fastened to a beam in the ceiling by hinges, so that the whole parti-
tion could swing up and be fastened, making the whole house into one
room, while the same partition could be let down when the men and
women Friends desired separate rooms for business meetings. Some
still living remember the stuffed arm chair near the stove, in which
the wife of Stewart Foster used to sit.
This house was sold and has since been used as a blacksmith's
shop. The house which was built to take its place was across the
road, where the present house stands, and was larger than the former
one, being about twenty-four by thirty. One Friend thought the
house was too large, but it was not very long before this was sold for
a dwelling house, and a still larger one raised on the same spot; and
this last in its turn gave place to the present imposing and still more
spacious one, which was built in 1888, as it appears in the illustration
on page 292.
This meeting has been in a growing condition throughout nearly
its whole history. Though it has raised up few who were specially
endowed with a gift for the ministry, yet it has always had a goodly
number of y strong, active, spiritual members. Reuben Jones, whose
ZVZ HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
home was in Wilton, after living in Leeds for a few years, moved to
Wmthrop in 1839. He was a minister of considerable strength and
for fully thirty years he sat at the head of this meeting and frequently
preached to the people. No less than 412 ministers from other meet-
ings have attended the meeting at Winthrop and have stirred the
hearts of Friends there by their messages of love, often borne from
lands far away.
In the year 1873 a general meeting was held in Winthrop, at
which time the spirit of the Lord was abundantly poured out. Fully
three thousand people attended the meetings in one day and many
souls were brought from darkness to light. This is certainly one of
the most memorable dates in the history of the meeting, and since
this time the meeting has almost constantly grown in size and in life.
Charles M. Jones and Harriet Jones were the only ministers living
within its limits until 1887. During that year Jesse McPhearson,
from North Carolina, settled with his family at Winthrop, where he
has ever since resided, giving his whole time to the work.
While Winthrop meeting has not produced many ministers, it has
had a good number of influential men and women, such as Friends
call " weighty members." Prominent among these have been Charles
M. Bailey, who has been very useful in evangelizing work and has
largely assisted the cause of education. Moses Bailey, for many years
clerk of the quarterly meeting, was a splendid example of a strong,
pure hearted, earnest Christian, one who adorned the name " Quaker."
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 293
Hannah J. Bailey, wife of the latter, has exerted a wide Christian
influence, filling important positions in her own religious society, as
well as in other organizations, using her means freely for the advance-
ment of good causes, and showing herself a broad minded Christian
woman.
Levi Jones has, through his long and busy life, been very active
in the affairs of the church, and has illustrated the Quaker idea of a
business man.
Here, as in all the other meetings of the county, there has been
work done which no pen can record, an influence has gone out which
no human eye can measure, and lives have been lived here the worth
of which only the-Divine F'ather knows. To a casual observer there
would seem to have been a decided change in views and methods
during the hundred years of this meeting's existence, and so there
has in appearance, but in heart, in purpose and in hope there has
been little or no change. The fathers wrought in their way; the chil-
dren work for the same end differently, but as sincerely.
. Manchester Preparative Meeting. — In 1832 a new preparative
meeting was established in what is now the town of Manchester,
though it was then a part of Hallowell. This meeting has at various
times been called Hallowell, Kennebec and Manchester preparative
meeting. There had been Friends in this region for a number of
years before the meeting was begun. These Friends had been a part
of Litchfield preparative meeting. Paine Wingate, one of the first
to settle northeast of the lake, had married a wife from among
Friends, and it was not long before he found himself of her views
and became an active Friend. Proctor Sampson, a son of Joseph
Sampson, the first member of Leeds meeting, brought his young
bride to this shore of the lake and made the second Friends' family.
Jacob Pope came about the same time and gradually others came,
while still others joined the society, being convinced that their neigh-
bors' faith was the true one, from the life and character of the persons
professing it.
These Friends felt the need of a house where they could hold a
meeting of their own, and so avoid the long ride to Litchfield twice in
the week, and in 1838 they became numerous enough to have a meet-
ing established in their midst. During that year a meeting house
was built, where, though changed, it still stands on the summit of the
high hill at the northeast end of the lake. (Nearly all the Friends'
meeting houses in the county have been on or near the bank of some
body of water.) The committee to build this house reported that
they contracted to have it built for $985, and we find from the records
that these Friends had much difficulty in raising this amount at that
time. There was no minister in this meeting for many years. Week
after week the Friends here, as in all the early meetings, met together
294 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
to worship. They did not listen with critical ear to the nicely turned
sentences of some teacher humanely wise, but
" Lowly before the unseen Presence knelt
Each waiting heart, till haply some one felt
On his moved lips the seal of silence melt.
" Or, without spoken words, low breathings stole,
Of a diviner life from soul to soul.
Baptizing in one tender thought the whole."
Some here as elsewhere may have thought of business or other things
of this world, but the ideal was a glorious one and was attained by
many a true, sensitive soul, all open to the divine touch.
For many years Paine Wingate, a good, upright man, sat at the
head of this meeting. Like Winthrop meeting, this has received
messages from a great number of ministers from other places, and
though there have been few of its members especially endowed with
a gift for the ministry, there have been many raised up whose lives
have been influential in a more or less extended degree. Alden
Sampson was for many years a prominent member of this meeting.
Widely known as a business man, he was also a man whose influence
was far reaching in the line of religious activities, giving of his means
and his energy for bettering the world. I. Warren Hawkes has for
some years held an active place in the work of the society here and
he is a minister approved by the church, being a man of deep piety
and sincerity.
In 1839 Leeds monthly meeting was changed in name to Litch-
field, and still later it has been changed to Winthrop monthly meet-
ing. In the year 1841 Vassalboro quarterly meeting was divided, and
from the meetings at Litchfield (now West Gardiner), Leeds, Hallo-
well (now Manchester), Winthrop, Sidney, Belgrade, Fairfield and
Saint Albans, a new quarterly meeting was established called Fair-
field quarterly meeting. This meeting has had the following clerks:
Samuel Taylor, jun., 1841-2; Sage Richardson, 1842-64; Alden Samp-
son, 1864-7; Moses Bailey, 1867-81; I. Warren Hawkes, since 1881.
Sidney Preparative Meeting.— The Friends' meeting was begun
in Sidney in 1795, the preparative meeting being granted them in
1800; a monthly meeting was established in 1802, called Sidney
monthly meeting. This was for the accommodation of Friends in
Sidney and Fairfield, being held alternately at each place. Phineas,
Jeremiah and Obed Buttler, with their respective families, were the
earliest Friends in Sidney, they being Friends when they moved into
the town. Then a number of families came there from Sandwich,
Mass., among them Isaac Hoxie and family, Benjamin Wing, Adam
and Stephen Wing, also John Wing Kelley, and their families.
Most of the money for the first meeting house was raised in Sand-
THE SOCIETY OF FRIENDS. 295
wich. the heads of the various families in the town doing all the car-
penter work themselves. This house stood until 1S55, when it was
torn down and built over into a new one. Edward Dillingham was
another useful member in the early days of the meeting; he finally
moved to Saint Albans. Deborah Buttler was an acknowledged min-
ister, while Daniel Purington generally had a message for the meet-
ing, though he was not an appointed minister. Samuel Pope was an
elder of prominence in somewhat later times, and Mary Alice Gifford,
a highly gifted and endowed minister of the gospel, a woman of great
faith and of unblemished life, lived in this meeting during the pres-
ent generation, until she felt her place of labor to be in Newport,
R. I., where she spent the remainder of her valuable life, which ended
in the spring of 1889. The Friends in Sidney have been few in num-
ber, but a meeting has always been held there since it was first begun
in 1795. Sidney monthly meeting includes the Friends in Fairfield
and is still held, as at first, alternately at each place.
In 1801 a meeting for worship was begun in Belgrade. Calvin
Stewart and Samuel Stewart, with their families, were the earliest
Friends in the town; Eleazar Burbank, a revolutionary soldier, was
another of the first Friends in this meeting, but he was afterward
dropped from the society for- receiving a military pension from the
government. Samuel Taylor was the first minister in this meeting;
he was a very good man and a good preacher of the gospel, having
had a deep Christian experience, and he had the approval of all who
knew him in daily life, or who heard his words of love. The Friends
who lived in Belgrade had no separate meeting for business, but were
joined with those who lived in Sidney. This meeting was always
small, and gradually decreased in size until it was closed in 1879; its
members having died or moved into other places.
A meeting for worship was begun in the city of Augusta, 8th
month, 1SS8, and another in Hallowell the same year, both of which
are now under the care of Winthrop monthly meeting, and though
small in numbers they are in a flourishing condition. The meeting
at Hallowell is about to construct a commodious meeting house.
More than a hundred years have passed since the members of the
Society of Friends began to organize themselves in this county. They
were then very few in number, comprising only one distinct monthly
meeting in the county and only one preparative meeting was estab-
lished before this century began. At the present date there are two
quarterly meetings, composed of seven monthly meetings, which in
turn are composed of fourteen preparative meetings, enrolling a mem-
bership of 1,033, most of whom live in Kennebec county. It is cer-
tain that the Friend of to-day is, in appearance at least, unlike the
Friend of one hundred years ago, and it is a question whether the
heads of the first families here would recognize that they were among
Jsyb HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
their own people could they return to the meeting houses where they
so faithfully worshipped a century ago. The onward movement of
the years has brought change everywhere, and the Friend who seemed
a century ago so unmindful of the transitions going on about him has
been swept on by the wave, which now at its flood has left nothing
unstirred. The question still remains, have the members of this so-
ciety been true or untrue to the legacies of the fathers? and while
the outward, the externals, have in a measure felt the touch of time,
have they guarded as their dearest and truest possession the spirit of
truth bequeathed by those who gained it at so dear a price? We have
no right to speak here more than our own opinion, and that is that
the " live members," to use an expression which carries its own mean-
ing, are to-day, as they always have been, seeking to hear and obey
the true Voice, are seeking to have their lives shaped and moulded
by the ever living Christ, who stands as their Redeemer, their Saviour
and their constant Teacher. They have the faith and the hope and
the love which characterized their predecessors —
' ' And if the outward has gone, in glory and power
The Spirit surviveth the things of an hour."
^.^^^
298 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
been the first legal tribunal constituted by authority which existed in
Maine. It assumed jurisdiction over the whole province, not only of
the rights of parties, but of matters of government. Actions of tres-
pass, slander, incontinency, and for drunkenness and " rash speech "
were frequently brought, and generally tried by a jury of six or more
persons. This tribunal was of a primitive character and the pro-
cedure marked by great directness and simplicity. Among the crim-
inal records we find, March 25, 1636: " John Wolton is by order of
court to make a pair of stocks by the last of April or pay 40s. 8d. in
money. Also he is fined 5s. 8d. for being drunk."
In 1639 Sir Ferdinando obtained a charter which conferred upon
him unlimited powers of government, and named his territory the
" Province of Maine." Thomas Gorges, a lawyer educated at the Inns
of Court, and the first and only one (unless we except Thomas Mor-
ton, who was driven out of Massachusetts in 1645) who resided in
Maine for the first hundred years after its settlement, was appointed
deputy governor, with six councillors. They compo.sed not only the
executive council for the province, but a court for the trial of all
criminal offenses and for the settlement of all controversies between
party and party. They also had probate jurisdiction. The first ses-
sion of this court, held June 25, 1640, has a record of administration
on the estate of Richard Williams, being the first granted in Maine.
There was also a complaint in the nature of a bill in equity relating
to the title to a thousand clapboards. Besides this court and an in-
ferior court in each section of the province, commissioners correspond-
ing to the modern trial justices were appointed in each town for the
trial of small causes, with jurisdiction limited to forty shillings, from
whose decision an appeal lay to the higher court. But as a result of
the controversy which raged among the rival claimants to authority
over the province, the administration of the law continued to be un-
certain and feeble until in 1677 Massachusetts purchased all the inter-
est of Gorges in the province of Maine for i^l,250.
It should be observed here that under the colonial charter of
Massachusetts prior to 1692 there was in Massachusetts no supreme
or superior court properly so-called. The jurisdiction and powers
which were subsequently conferred upon that court had been exer-
cised under the charter of 1628 by the governor or deputy governor
and his councillors or " assistants," who constituted the upper branch
of the " Great and General Court." They at first assumed unlimited
jurisdiction, including all matters of divorce and the settlement of
estates, and subsequently exercised appellate jurisdiction over all
matters from the county courts.
It must not be overlooked, however, that the province of Pema-
quid had been under a different jurisdiction. Although as early as
HISTORY OF THE COURTS. 299
1630, the year that Boston was founded, this province is said to have
had a population of five hundred persons and Pemaquid " City " to
have been a port of entry with paved streets; yet for a period of
twenty years from that time there seems to have been a weak govern-
ment and a very inefficient administration of the laws. Abraham
Shurt was agent of the proprietors and chief magistrate of the colony;
but there appears to be no record of the enactment of laws or the
establishment of courts. To Shurt's skill as a scrivener, however, is
attributed the concise formula for the acknowledgment of deeds
which is still in use in this state and Massachusetts.
In 1673 Pemaquid province became an appendage of the colony of
New York under the Duke of York, and was represented in its gen-
eral assembly. On the 24th of June, 1680, it was ordered by the coun-
cil sitting in New York " that a person be appointed to go from here
to Pemaquid for holding courts;" and June 26th: " Sagadahoc magis-
trates and officers to continue, the courts to try only for forty shillings
instead of for five pounds as formerly." A " court of sessions " was
also established " to act according to law and former practice."
The inhabitants on the Kennebec, however, had meanwhile been
under the dominion of the Plymouth colony by virtue of a charter
granted to William Bradford in 1620, and by him assigned to the
Plymouth colony in 1640; but the settlers were few and scattered and
no regular government was established until the Duke of York took
possession. But in 1686 the duke, now James II, transferred to Massa-
chusetts all his interest in the port and county of Pemaquid; and in
1691 the new charter was granted to Massachusetts, which united
with the old Bay colony that of Plymouth and the whole territory of
Maine.
A new era was now inaugurated in the history of these provinces.
Under the new charter of 1691 an act " setting forth general privi-
leges " was promptly passed by the general court of Massachusetts,
comprising the familiar doctrines of Magna Charta, and the cardinal
principles afterward enunciated in the Declaration of Independence
and her own bill of rights. Courts were also promptly established
substantially the same as they existed for the next fifty years. There
were justices of the peace for the trial of small cases, the quarter ses-
sions corresponding to our court of county commissioners, the inferior
court of common pleas and the superior court. The governor and coun-
cil were by the new charter made a court of probate.
The superior court of the province consisted of a chief justice and
four associate justices, namely, William Stoughton, C.J., Thomas Dan-
forth. Wait Winthrop, John Richards and Samuel Sewall, none of
whom had been educated as lawyers. Two sessions of this court
were held in the several counties each year, except that all causes
300 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
arising in Maine prior to 1699 were tried in Boston and Charlestown.
Thereafter one term was granted to the state of Maine until 1760,
when the counties of Cumberland and Lincoln were established. At
that time Lincoln included the territory of the Kennebec patent, and
the proprietary company erected buildings for the new county at
Pownalborough, now Dresden. The old court house has been con-
verted into a dwelling house and is still in a good state of preserva-
tion, a conspicuous object of historic interest to all those passing
up and down the river. The first term of the superior court held in
Lincoln county was in 1786, and the first term at Hallowell, now Au-
gusta, commenced July 8, 1794, in a church prepared for the occasion,
the court house in Market Square erected in 1790 being insufficient in
size for the accommodation of this court. It was held by Judges Rob-
ert Treat Paine and Sumner and Dawes. They were attended by
three sheriffs wearing cocked hats and carrying swords, each with his
long white staff of office, and they were accompanied by such cele-
brated lawyers as Theophilus Parsons and Nathan Dane. Judge
Weston relates that having no bell to summon the court, the judges
" moved by beat of drum in a procession not a little imposing, pre-
ceded by their officers and followed by the bar." It was an important
event, which caused " the elite " of the surrounding country to as-
semble.
After the organization of Kennebec county in 1799, Augusta,
which had been set off from Hallowell two years before, became the
shire town of the new county, and July 16th of that year a term of the
superior court of Massachusetts was held there by Judges Paine,
Bradley and Dawes, and thereafter regularly each year. At the
famous trial of the Malta Indians, charged with the murder of Paul
Chadwick, the court was held at Augusta November 16, 1809, by four
judges — Sedgwick, vSewall, Thatcher and Parker.
Supreme Judicial Court. — The constitution of 1780 changed the
title of the superior court to that of the Supreme Judicial Court, but
with the same powers and jurisdiction as its predecessor and with the
same number of judges. Those first appointed by the new govern-
ment were William Cushing, Nathaniel P. Sargent, James Sullivan,
Daniel Sewall and Jedediah Foster. At first all jury trials were had
in the presence of not less than three members of the court, but the
nisi prius system was gradually introduced, under which the law terms
only were held by a majority of the judges and the trial terms by a
single judge, except in capital cases. Until 1792 the judges appeared
on the bench in robes and wigs, the robes being of black silk in the
summer and of scarlet cloth in the winter.
The records of this court were kept in Boston until 1797, when
they were transferred to the custody of the clerks of the common
HISTORY OF THE COURTS. 301
pleas of the several counties, except those of Lincoln, Hancock and
Washington in Maine. Jonathan Bowman, jun., was appointed by the
court clerk for this county, his residence to be at Pownalborough.
When Maine became a separate state, in 1820, it was provided in
the constitution that the "judicial power of the state shall be vested
in a supreme judicial court and such other courts as the legislature
shall from time to time establish." By act of June 24, 1820, a supreme
judicial court was established, consisting of a chief justice and two
associate justices, any two of whom should be a court and have cog-
nizance of all civil actions between party and party which might be
legally tried before them by original writ, writ of error, or otherwise,
and of all capital crimes and other offences and misdemeanors which
might be legally prosecuted before them. They also had general
superintendence of all courts of inferior jurisdiction, with power to
issue writs of error, certiorari, mandamus, prohibition and quo warranto,
and to exercise its jurisdiction agreeably to the common law of the
state not inconsistent with the constitution or any statute. They also
had jurisdiction as a court of equity of specific classes of cases where
the parties did not have a plain and adequate remedy at law. It was
also made the supreme court of probate.
By the act of 1823 and subsequent amendments this court was re-
quired to be holden annually by a majority of the justices in each of
the twelve counties, the term of Kennebec to be held at Augusta in
May; and an additional term for jury trials was to be held by one of
the justices in each of the counties except Franklin, Piscataquis,
Washington and Hancock; that for Kennebec to be held on the first
Tuesday of October. Capital cases were to be tried by a majority of
the court. In 1847 the number of judges of this court was increased
to four, and in 1852 to seven.
As now constituted, the supreme judicial court of Maine consists
of a chief justice and seven associate justices, appointed by the gov-
ernor for a term of seven years, whose jurisdiction extends over the
whole state. The general jurisdiction and powers are substantially
the same as when first established, with the exceptions to be hereinafter
noted. In 1874 the equity powers of this court were enlarged, and in
1881 the procedure in equity was definitely prescribed and greatly sim-
plified. The court now has full equity jurisdiction, according to the
usage and practice of courts of equity, and is always open in each
county for the transaction of equity business. When sitting as a court
of law to determine questions arising in suits at law or in equity, the
court is composed of five or more justices who hear and determine
such questions by the concurrence of five members; and in any civil
action in which there is a subsisting verdict, if a majority of the
justices do not concur in granting a new trial judgment must be ren-
302 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
dered on the verdict. For the purposes of the law courts this state is
divided into three districts, the western, middle and eastern, and the
annual sessions of the law court are held at Portland on the third
Tuesday of July, at Augusta on the fourth Tuesday of May, and at
Bangor on the third Tuesday of June. For the trial of civil actions
or persons accused of offences two or more sessions of the court are
annually held by one justice in each county, the terms for Kennebec
being holden on the first Tuesday of March and the third Tuesday of
October of each year. Although no general code of civil procedure
has been adopted in this state, the rules of common law pleadings
have been so far abrogated or modified, and in the administration of
the law such liberality is exercised respecting amendments to declara-
tions and pleas, that the substance of right is never sacrificed to the
science of statement.
In the supreme judicial court the following from Kennebec county
have been justices: Nathan Weston, of Augusta, appointed in 1820,
and chief justice 1834-41; Richard D. Rice, Augusta, 1852-63; Seth
May, Winthrop, 1855-62; Charles Danforth, Gardiner, 1864-90; Arte-
mas Libbey, Augusta, 1875-90, being reappointed in the latter year;
and William Penn Whitehouse, Augusta, appointed in 1890. Samuel
Wells, of Portland, who was appointed in 1847, and resigned in 1854,
practiced at one time his profession in Hallowell.
Reporter of Decisions. — This office was established in 1820, and
the decisions of the supreme judicial court, sitting as a " Law Court "
from that time to 1893 have been published in eighty-four volumes
of " Maine Reports." The reporter is appointed by the governor, and
is to be a person " learned in the law." It is made his duty to publish
at least one volume yearly, and he is entitled to the profits of the
work. The names of the two reporters from this county, with their
respective terms of service, are: Asa Redington, Augusta, 1850-54,
who published volumes 31 to 35; and Solyman Heath, Waterville,
1854-56, who published volumes 36 to 40.
Court of Common Pleas.— Reference has already been made to
the "inferior court of common pleas," organized for each county un-
der the province charter of 1692. This court was composed of four
justices in each county, three of whom to be a quorum for the trial of
all civil actions of whatsoever nature, the party " cast" in this court
to have the liberty of a new trial on appeal or writ of error to the
superior court by giving recognizance to prosecute the appeal with
effect and abide the order of court. The judges were to be substan-
tial persons, but practically were not learned in the law. Indeed,
there seems to be no evidence that prior to the beginning of the pres-
ent century any member of this court in Maine was an educated law-
yer. Prior to 1736 no term of this court was held east of Wells; after
HISTORY OF THE COURTS. 303
that time one was held annually in June at Falmouth, now Portland,
William Pepperell, afterward Sir William, being then chief justice.
When the coutity of Lincoln was organized, in 1760, one term of this
court was held for that county at Pownalborough, now Dresden. Un-
der the Massachusetts constitution of 1782 this court was continited
with all its jurisdiction and powers, and in 1786 provision was made
for an additional term in Lincoln county, to be held annually at Hallo-
well, now Augusta. In North's History of Augusta, it is said: " The
first term was held on the second Tuesday of January, 1787, at the
Fort Weston settlement in Ballard's tavern, by William Lithgow,
James Howard and Nathaniel Thwing. These with Thomas Rice
were the four persons commissioned as judges of the Court of Common
Pleas. Judge Howard died in May following, and Joseph North was
appointed in his place. At that time no lawyer resided on the river
above Pownalborough. In the following year William Lithgow, Jr.,
removed to town and opened an office in Fort Weston." At the time
of the organization of Kennebec county the judges of this court were
Joseph North and Daniel Cony, of Augusta, and Nathaniel Dummer
and Chandler Robbins, of Hallowell.
In 1804 the number of justices was reduced to three for each
•county, and in 1811, under the administration of Governor Gerry, the
old system, which had existed for 112 years, was superseded by the
" circuit court of common pleas," with a chief justice and two asso-
ciates for each of the three circuits in Maine. For the second circuit,
embracing Lincoln, Kennebec and Somerset, Governor Gerry appointed
Nathan Weston, of Augusta, chief justice, Benjamin Ames and Eben-
ezer Thatcher, associates. In 1814, Josiah Stebbins, and in 1821 San-
ford Kingsbury were judges in this court. This court continued until
1822, when a " court of common pleas" was established, consisting of
a chief justice and two associates, with jurisdiction extending over the
entire state, the terms to be held by a single judge, who received a
salary instead of fees for compensation. The justices first appointed
for this court were Ezekiel Whitman, of Portland, chief justice, and
Samuel E. Smith, of Wiscasset, and David Perham, of Bangor, asso-
ciates. In 1833 John Ruggles, of Thomaston, and in 1837 Asa Red-
ington, of Augusta, became judges of this court. In 1839 the court
of common pleas was superseded by the establishment of a district
court comprising the counties of Lincoln, Kennebec and Somerset, in
each of which three terms of this court were annually held by one of
the justices. It had original and exclusive jurisdiction of all civil
actions where the debt or damage demanded did not exceed two hun-
dred dollars, and concurrent jurisdiction above that sum. It had also
jurisdiction of all crimes and misdemeanors previously cognizable by
the court of common pleas. The aggrieved party could carry his
•cau^e forward by appeal or on exceptions to the supreme judicial court,
3U4 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
held by a single justice, by giving recognizance to the adverse party
to prosecute his appeal and pay the intervening damages and costs.
Judge Redington,of the court of common pleas, was appointed judge
of the district court for the middle district, and continued on the
bench until 1847, when he was succeeded by Richard D. Rice, of
Augusta, who served until 1852, when this court was abolished, and he
was transferred to the bench of the supreme court.
Thus this intermediate system of courts which had existed for 150
years under different names, and with slightly varying jurisdiction
and powers, had become so inefficient in its practical operation that it
could no longer endure. The facility with which appeals could be
taken to the supreme court was its fatal defect. Two trials were
thus granted to parties almost as a matter of course, when one would
ordinarily have answered the same purpose. It was therefore abol-
ished by act of the legislature of 1852, and all its duties and powers,
including appeals from justices of the peace, transferred to the
supreme court, the number of judges of that court being increased to
seven.
But under the great accumulation of small cases resulting from
this change, the docket of the supreme court in the larger counties
soon became crowded and unwieldy, and as a consequence suitors
were unreasonably delayed. A demand for a more prompt adminis-
tration of justice was heard; and in 1878, in pursuance of the example
in Cumberland county ten years before, an act was procured estab-
lishing a superior court for Kennebec county, which obviated the ob-
jection to the old system of common pleas and the district court by
giving to the jury trial the same legal effect it had in the supreme
court. The act provided for five terms of this court to be holden at
Augusta, but by amendment in 1889 provision was made for holding
two terms in the city of Waterville. William P. Whitehouse, of Au-
gusta, was appointed judge of this court in February, 1878, for the
term of seven years, and served by re-appointment until April 15,
1890, when he resigned to accept an appointment on the bench of the
supreme court. Oliver G. Hall, of Waterville, was appointed to fill
the vacancy occasioned by the promotion of Judge Whitehouse. After
the establishment of this court its jurisdiction was enlarged by suc-
cessive amendments to embrace all civil matters except real actions,
complaints for fiowage, and proceedings in equity, including libels
for divorce, and exclusive original and appellate jurisdiction of all
criminal matters, including capital cases. By act of 1891 the jurisdic-
tion was restricted to cases where the damages demanded do not ex-
ceed $500, and in trials upon indictments for murder one of the judges
of the supreme court must preside. All appeals from municipal and
police courts and trial justices in civil and criminal cases, are cogniz-
HISTORY OF THE COURTS. -HJO
able by this court. The clerk of the supreme court is also clerk of
the superior court.
Court of Sessions; County Commissioners. — Prior to the prov-
ince charter of 1691 the county court of Massachusetts, held by the
magistrates living in the different counties, combined the principal
duties of the superior, inferior and probate courts which were subse-
quently organized, the general court or court of assistants retaining
original appellate jurisdiction in certain cases. Under the province
charter " a court of General Sessions of the Peace " was established,
to be held in each county by the justices of the peace of the same
county, empowered to hear and determine all matters relating to the
" conservation of the peace and the punishment of offenders." to lay
out highways, to superintend houses of correction, and to have charge
of the prudential and financial affairs of the county. In 1804 all its
criminal jurisdiction was transferred to the court of common pleas,
and in 1807 the court was reorganized so as to have a fixed number
of judges instead of an indefinite assembly of justices of the peace.
The number of judges in Kennebec was .six, besides the chief justice.
In 1808 the name was changed to the " court of sessions." In 1819 it
was made to consist of a chief justice and two associate justices. In
Maine the court of sessions continued to exist until 1831, when it was
superseded by the present court of county commissioners, composed
in each county of three persons elected by the people. Its records
are kept by the clerk of the supreme court. The names of the several
Kennebec county commissioners, with the year in which their terms
respectively commenced, are as follows: William Read, Barzillai Gan-
nett, Thomas Fillebrown and Charles Hayden, 1807; Samuel Titcomb.
James Parker and Ithamar Spauldiug, 1808: Ashur Spatildin, 1809:
Ariel Mann and Solomon Bates, 1811; Nathan Cutler, 1812; Nathan
Weston, Josiah Stebbins, Ebenezer Thatcher, Samuel Wood and Sam-
uel Moody, circuit court of common pleas. 1814; vSamuel Redington,
court of sessions, 1819; Charles Hayden, Samuel Moody and Ariel
Mann (the latter of Hallowell), 1820; James Cochran, Monmouth, 1821;
Samuel Redington and Charles Morse, 1822; Asa Redington, jun.,
and Asaph R. Nichols, of Augusta, 1831; Edward Fuller, Readfield,
1833; Benjamin Wales, Hallowell, 1835; John Russ, 1836; J. B. Swan-
ton, Hallowell, 1838; Joseph Stuart and Stillman Howard, 1839; Wil-
liam Clark, Hallowell, David Garland, Winslow, and Levitt Lothrop,
1841: Benjamin Cook and David Coombs, 1843; John S. Blake, 1844;
Moses B. Bliss, Pittston, 1845; Daniel Marston, Monmouth, 1847;
Thomas Eldred, Belgrade, 1849; Moses Taber, Vassalboro, 1850; Wel-
lington Hunton, Readfield, 1853; John B. Clifford, Clinton, 1855; Sam-
uel Wood, Augusta, John Merrill and William C. Barton, Windsor,
1856; Nathaniel Graves, Vienna, 1859; Ezekiel Hubbard, Hallowell,
306 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
1860; Nathaniel Chase, Sidney, 1861; Asbury Young, Pittston, 1865;
Mark Rollins, jun., Albion, 1867; Orrick Hawes, Vas.salboro, 1873;
Daniel H. Thing, Mount Vernon, 1874; Reuben S. Neal, Farmingdale,
1875; E. G. Hodgdon, Clinton, 1876; George H. Andrews, Monmouth,
1880; Horace Colburn, Windsor, 1881; Japheth M. Winn, Clinton,
1882; C. M. Weston, Belgrade, 1883; James M. Carpenter, Pittston,
1885; Charles Wentworth, Clinton, 1889; and John S. Hamilton, Hal-
lowell, 1891, and Samuel Smith, Litchfield, elected in 1892 to succeed
G. H. Andrews. The board in 1892 consisted of George H. Andrews,
chairman, Charles Wentworth and John S. Hamilton.
The clerks of courts since 1799, have been: John Tucker, Edmund
P. Hayman, Joseph Chandler, John Davis, Robert C. Vose, William
Woart, John A. Chandler, William M. Stratton, A. C. Otis, and the
present incumbent, W. S. Choate. Mr. Stratton served as assistant to
Mr. Chandler for a period of ten years, succeeding him as clerk in 1844,
and continued to occupy the place by successive elections until 1881.
Probate Court. — It has been noticed that under the Massachu-
setts colonial charter of 1628 the " general court," composed of the
governor and deputy governor and the " assistants," exercised juris-
diction in matters of probate until 1639, when it was transferred to
the county courts. The general court assumed jurisdiction in Maine
in all matters relating to the administration of estates until 1691. By
the province charter of that year probate jurisdiction was conferred
on the governor and council, but being authorized to delegate their
power they appointed judges of probate in each county. In March,
1784, the Massachusetts legislature passed the first probate act. This
established a court of probate in the several counties, to be held by
some able and learned person in each county to be appointed judge,
from whose decision an appeal lay to the .supreme court. As thus
constituted this important court, through which passes all the estates
in the community once in about thirty years, was continued with
essentially the same jurisdiction and power by act of the Maine legis-
lature of 1821. In 1853 the office of both judge and register was made
elective, with a tenure of four years.
" Each judge may take the probate of wills and grant letters testa-
mentary or of administration on estates of all deceased persons who
at the time of their death were inhabitants or residents of his county,
or who, not being residents of the state, died leaving estate to be ad-
ministered in his county, or whose estate is afterward found therein;
also on the estate of any person confined to the state prison under
sentence of death or imprisonment for life, and has jurisdiction of all
matters relating to the settlement of such estates. He may grant
leave to adopt children, change the names of persons, appoint guar-
dians for minors and others according to law, and has jurisdiction as
to persons under guardianship." The probate judge is also judge of
the court of insolvency.
HISTORY OF THE COURTS. 307
Since the organization of Kennebec county, the judges of this
court, and their first year of service, have been as follows: James
Bridge, Augusta, 1799; Daniel Cony, Augusta, 1804; Ariel Mann, Hal-
lowell; H. W. Fuller, Augusta, 1828; Williams Emmons, Hallowell;
Daniel Williams, Augusta; Henry K. Baker, Hallowell; Emery O. Bean,
Readfield, 1881; Henry S. Webster, Gardiner, 1885; and Greenlief T.
Stevens, Augusta, 1893.
The registers of probate have been: Chandler Robbins, Hallo-
well, 1799; Williams Emmons, Hallowell; and E. T. Bridge, George
Robinson, Joseph J. Eveleth, J. S. Turner, Francis Davis, William
R. Smith, Joseph Burton, Charles Hewins and Howard Owen, of
Augusta.
Municipal Courts. — In the county of Kennebec are four munic-
ipal courts, one in each of the four cities — Hallowell, Gardiner,
Augusta and Waterville — established in the order named. Originally
the judgeship of these courts was an elective office, filled by vote of
the people, but since 1876 it has been an appointive office, filled by the
appointment of the governor and council, the term being four years.
The court at Hallowell was established in 1835, with Samuel K. Gil-
man as judge, elected February 19th of that year. His successors
have been: Benjamin Wales, March 9, 1852; Samuel K. Gilman, Jan-
uary 3, 1854; Austin D. Knight, March 15, 1876; Mahlon S. Spear,
April 24, 1888, and Eliphalet Rowell, March 29, 1892. Of the Gardi-
ner court, the judges have been: George W. Bacheldor, January 14,
1850; William Palmer, May 11, 1852; Edmund A. Chadwick, March 4,
1872; Henry Farrington, July 1, 1881; and James M. Larrabee since
July 24, 1885. At Augusta Judge Benjamin A. G. Fuller opened the
municipal court May 7, 1850, and has been succeeded by George S.
Millikin, February 21, 1854; Samuel Titcomb, October 17, 1857; H. W.
True, February 20, 1878; and Albert G. Andrews, since March 16,
1882. The Waterville police court was opened in 1880 by Horace W.
Stewart, appointed judge April 21st of that year. On the 29th of
March, 1892, his successor, W. C. Philbrook, was appointed.
The jurisdiction and powers of these four courts, as originally con-
stituted, were substantially the same, comprising for the most part
matters previously cognizable by justices of the peace; but by act of
1891 the municipal court of Waterville was invested with jurisdiction
concurrent with the superior court in all civil actions wherein the
debt or damages demanded, exclusive of costs, did not exceed one
hundred dollars; provided, however, that any action in which the debt
or damages demanded exceed twenty dollars may be removed to the
superior court on motion of the defendant under certain conditions
prescribed in the act. Its jurisdiction in criminal matters was also
greatly enlarged.
CHAPTER XIV.
THE KENNEBEC BAR.
Bv Hon. James W. Bradbury, LL. D.
MY acquaintance with the Kennebec Bar commenced sixty-one
years ago. In April, 1830, I opened my office in Augusta.
The new granite court house had just been completed, and
the May term of the law court was held in it by Chief Justice Mellen
and his two associate justices, Weston and Parris. This was my first
opportunity of seeing any considerable number of the members of the
Kennebec bar, or of hearing any of them in the argument of their
causes. The Kennebec bar was at that time one of marked ability.
Many of the members were eminent in their profession, several
achieved national distinction, and all left an honorable record upon
which their descendants and surviving friends can look with pleasure
and pride. They have all passed away. I do not recall a .single one
of the whole number, then so active and prominent, now surviving:
yet they left a character that is fresh in the memory of all. To name
them is to bring the individuality of most of them distinctly to
mind. Without an opportunity of refreshing my memory by refer-
ence to records, I will undertake to recall them. There were in
WaterviUe, Timothy Boutelle, Samuel Wells and James Stackpole; in
Augusta, Reuel Williams, Daniel Williams, Henry W. Fuller, Williams
Emmons, John Potter, Richard H. Vose and Frederick A. Fuller, the
father of the present chief justice of the United States; in Hallowell,
Peleg Sprague, Sylvanus W. Robinson, John Otis, William Clark and
Mr. Warren; in Gardiner, Frederick Allen, George Evans, Eben F.
Dean and S. S. Warren; in Winslow, Thomas Rice; and in China,
Jacob Smith.
Timothy Boutelle, born at Leominster, Mass., November 10, 1777,
was a son of Colonel Timothy and Rachel (Lincoln) Boutelle, and a
lineal descendant of James Boutelle, who came from England to
Salem, Massachusetts, in 1635, and died there in 1651. Timothy
graduated from Harvard in 1800, read law with Abijah Bigelow in his
native town, and on being admitted to the bar, in 1804, came to
WaterviUe. where he practiced until his death, November 12, 1855.
In 1811 he married Helen, daughter of Judge Rogers. Of their large
y
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 309
family, one daughter was the wife of Edwin Noyes, a prominent
Waterville lawyer, and one son was well known as Dr. N. R. Boutelle,
of Waterville. Timothy Boutelle was presidential elector in 1816,
life member of the board of trustees of Waterville College from 1821,
and in 1839 received the degree of LL. D. from that institution. He
was president of Waterville bank for over twenty years, from its or-
ganization in 1814, and was president of the Androscoggin & Ken-
nebec Railroad Company the first three years of its existence.
Mr. Boutelle was an acute and discriminating lawyer. In his early
practice he refrained from public life. When the question of separa-
tion came up, he gave his influence in favor of making Maine an in-
dependent state, and after it was accomplished he was the first of the
senators from the Kennebec senatorial district. He .served six years
in the senate and six in the house, and was an influential and im-
portant member. In his incursions into public life he did not abandon
his profession. As a citizen he took a deep and active interest in
everything he deemed calculated to promote the prosperity and im-
provement of the beautiful town he had chosen for his residence, and
continued this interest unabated up to his death.
Reuel Williams was a man whose strong common sense and great
business ability would have enabled him to attain eminence in any
community. After a common school and academic education, he read
law with Judge Bridge, who was the attorney of the "Proprietors of the
Kennebec Purchase," and upon his admission to the bar the judge
took him into partnership. In a few years the judge, who was an
eminent lawyer, retired from the firm- to attend to his own large pri-
vate estate and left the legal business in the hands of Mr. Williams.
As agent and attorney for the proprietors of the unsold part of so
large a tract of land, the business of the office was immense. Numer-
ous conflicts with settlers, squatters and adverse claimants, and ques-
tions of unsettled boundaries were constantly arising.
The questions of law applicable to these cases, all relating to real
estate, were so thoroughly examined by Mr. Williams, and became so
familiar to him that he, by common consent, was regarded as standing
at the head of the bar in that department of the law. His arguments,
whether before the jury or court, were concise, plain, strong and calcu-
lated to impress. They were an appeal to the reason by a strong mind,
without any attempt at oratorical display. His manner was calm and
self-possessed. Williams, in public life, attained a reputation that
was national. He served with distinction in the house and senate of
the state, and in the senate of the United States; was offered a place
in his cabinet by President Van Buren, and filled with distinction
several important public commissions. As a citizen he stands pre-
eminent. He may be regarded in some sense as the founder of the
Hospital for the Insane in Augusta. He started the enterprise by a
310 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
donation of $10,000 at a time when that sum was equal to four times
the amount now. It was the first public donation of any considerable
amount by any of the citizens.
Daniel Williams, his brother, who became a partner in his office
business, was a lawyer of good standing, and continued in the law
office until he retired from active practice. He was judge of probate
for several years, state treasurer, member of the legislature and mayor
of Augusta.
Frederick Allen settled in Gardiner in 1808. He was a lawyer
who loved and was devoted to his profession, and early rose to a lead-
ing position at the bar of this county; his practice extended into Lin-
coln, where he first settled, and Somerset counties. He was a close
student, and had at command all of the law that was applicable to the
case in hand. He did not rely upon the graces of oratory, but ably
presented the law and the facts with perspicuity and strength,
and with a perseverance in trial after trial that seemed determined
never to be beaten. He was sometimes so absorbed in his studies as
to be quite absent-minded; and it is said he has been known to rise in
the night and go to his office to consult a book upon which his mind
had been dwelling.
George Evans, of Gardiner, was a native of Hallowell. He gradu-
ated at Bowdoin College in 1815, and at the close of his legal studies
with Mr. Allen, settled in Farmingdale. He was a man of signal
ability. The country has produced few men who surpassed him in
native intellectual power. His mind was of the Websterian order.
When he made a great effort it was difficult to see how anything
could be added to his side of the question or more forcefully presented.
The subject would be exhausted. The speaker would be forgotten in
the thought of the argument. Mr. Evans was twelve years in con-
gress— six in the house of representatives and six in the senate — and
by his marked ability, acquired a national reputation. At the close
of his public career he returned to the practice of the profession that
his abilities and genius have honored.
Henry W. Paine was born in Winslow in 1810. His father was
Lemuel Paine, of Massachusetts, who removed to Winslow and prac-
tised law there in partnership with General Ripley, the hero of Lundy's
Lane in the war of 1812; and his mother was Jane Warren, a niece of
General Joseph Warren, who fell at Bunker Hill. Mr. Paine graduated
from Waterville College (now Colby University) in 1830, with the
highest honors of his class, and was a tutor in the college for a year.
Upon admission to the bar, he commenced practice at Hallowell in 1834,
and pursued it there with signal success for twenty years, when he
removed to Cambridge, Mass., and opened an office in Boston. He
was three years in the legislature and five years county attorney, and
before he left the state he was offered a seat on the bench of the
/UcuJ
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 311
supreme judicial court, but declined the honor. From 1849 to 18<)2,
he was a member of the board of trustees of Waterville College. In
1851 he was elected a member of the Maine Historical Society, and in
1854 his Alma Mater conferred upon him the degree of doctor of
laws. During his successful career at the bar he was often called
upon to act as referee.
In 1863 and 1864 Mr. Paine was nominated by the democratic
party as a candidate for the office of governor. With much reluctance
he accepted the nomination, and he did not regret the defeat which
he expected. Upon the resignation of Chief Justice Bigelow, of
Massachusetts, in 1867, the office was offered by Governor Bullock to
Mr. Paine, who declined to accept it. For ten years, from 1872, he
was lecturer on the law of real property at the law school of the
Boston University, and was so thorough a master of his subject that
he lectured extemporaneously with great credit to himself and profit
to the class. It is an honor to Kennebec that she can count among
her native children three so able lawyers as Reuel Williams, George
Evans and Henry W. Paine.
George Melville Weston, the third son of Judge Nathan Weston,
was born in Augusta in 1816. His mother was Paulina B., daughter of
Daniel Cony. He was graduated at Bowdoin College in 1834, studied
law, was admitted to the bar in 1887, and practiced in Augusta five
years. In 1840 he became editor of The Age for four years, when he
was succeeded by Richard D. Rice. In 1846 he removed to Bangor,
and was for several years in business there, in the meanwhile con-
tributing largely to various newspapers. He soon established a
reputation as a political writer of great ability. While at Augusta in
1839 he was appointed county attorney. In 1855 he received the ap-
pointment of commissioner to prosecute the claims of the state upon
the United States for compensation for lands ceded to fulfill national
obligations under the Ashburton treaty of 1842. While in Washing-
ton as commissioner he became editor of the National Republiean, a free
soil paper published in that city. He also published a political work
on the progress of slavery in the United States. He subsequently
turned his attention and pen to financial subjects. He died at Wash-
ington February 10, 1887, leaving two children: Paulina C. (Mrs.
Robert D. Smith) and Melville M., a lawyer in Boston.
Mr. Sprague was also a man of national reputation. He came to
Kennebec county in 1815 and opened an office at Augusta, but soon
moved to Hallowell. The style of speaking of the leading members
of the bar, as I have said, was a calm and forcible appeal to the judg-
ment of the court or jury, without any attempt at oratorical display.
Mr. Sprague added to a cultivated mind, well grounded in the princi-
ples of the law, a good voice and a graceful presence: and he intro-
duced a style of elocution of a more showy and declamatory kind. He
312 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
arg-ued with eloquence and with a good deal of action and rhetorical
display. He was a very pleasing and popular speaker. Everything
he said, even to the making of a motion in court, was said with ele-
gance and finish. He never forgot himself. When he had closed one
of his appeals the natural exclamation would be, " What an eloquent
orator ! " Mr. Sprague was elected to the United States senate in
1829, where he served with distinction until his resignation in 1835,
when he removed to Boston. In 1841 he was appointed judge of the
district court of the United States. Notwithstanding his almost total
loss of sight, he filled this high office with great ability and accept-
ance until his death.
Mr. Wells began the practice of his profession at Waterville in
1825. He subsequently moved to Hallowell, and, after several years'
practice there, settled in Portland, and received the appointment of
justice of the supreme court of the state. He filled that station with
honor, was elected governor in 1855, and, upon the close of his ser-
vice in that high office, moved to Boston and continued the practice
of his profession in that city to the close of his life. At the bar he
showed himself to be an able lawyer and good advocate. He always
did justice to his case, and long held a position among the leading
lawyers of the state.
Mr. Vose was born in Augusta November 8, 1803, graduated at
Bowdoin College in 1822, studied his profeesion in Worcester, prac-
ticed law there for a year and then removed to his native city and
opened an office there in 1828. He soon made himself prominent as an
agreeable speaker and a popular advocate with the jury. His style of
speaking was earnest and impassioned, accompanied with a good deal
of appropriate action to give his argument effect. With the jury he
was a dangerous antagonist, especially when he had the close — draw-
ing away the attention of the jury from the material points in a cause
by his learned and impassioned appeals. He was county attorney for
several years. He was a representative to the legislature for three
years, and senator in 1840-1, during which time he was president of
that honorable body. But he adhered to his profession, and retained
an extensive and valuable business to the close of his life in 1864.
Judge Emmons, a son of Rev. Nathaniel Emmons, was born
in 1783, studied law with Judge Wilde in Hallowell, commenced
practice in Augusta in 1811, and formed a copartnership with Benja-
min Whitwell in 1812. He was well read in his profession, and a pru-
dent and safe counsellor. He had ample learning and a logical mind,
well cultivated. He argued with clearness and point, but not in a
manner especially taking with a jury. He was an honorable prac-
titioner, held a good rank at the bar, and filled with credit the office
of judge of probate from 1841 to 1848.
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 313
I have thus far named particularly onlj- those members of the bar
with whom I had come in personal contact in the trial of causes. I
would like to speak of the rest, but I can only add that they all left an
honorable record like that, for instance, of Hiram Belcher, whose in-
tegrity, and candor, and fair mode of arguing his cases to the court
or the jury, gave him a high standing and great success in his profes-
sional life. He was born in 1790. studied with Wilde & 'Bond, of
Hallowell, and was admitted to the bar in 1812. He died in 1857.
I would like also to say something of the other names that were
added to the list of attorneys after I came to Augusta. There were
Wyman B. S. Moore, of Waterville, who had one of the most ener-
getic minds that, in my long life, I have chanced to meet; and had he
stuck to his profession he had the ability to make himself one of the
ablest lawyers in New England: Joseph Baker, of Augusta, who at-
tained a good standing in the very front rank of his profession;
Richard D. Rice, who as printer, merchant, lawyer, judge, president
and manager of railroads, succeeded in all. A man of great ability,
he had a mind of originality and acted upon his own conclusions.
There were also Edwin Noyes, one of the ablest railroad lawyers I
have ever met; and Lot M. Morrill, who left the practice of law early
to enter upon a distinguished career of public life; but not before he
had become one of the most eloquent jury lawyers we have had at
the bar.
I have thus briefly presented the honorable record of some of the
men now deceased who aimed to raise the standard of the profession,
and to secure the confidence and respect of the community. It is an
honorable profession. History records the services it has rendered in
the establishment of law in the place of force. In all the great con-
tests for human liberty its members have stood in the front ranks, and
left a character of which the bar may be justly proud. It is a useful
profession, essential to the well being of every community and to the
protection of life, liberty, and the blessings of civilized society. With-
out law civilization is impossible. Brute force would have absolute
rule, and the weak would have no defense against the strong. But the
law, to accomplish its mission, must be justly administered. To secure
this just administration we need not only learned and upright judges,
but also an able and honorable bar. The causes of the feeble and the
ignorant, as well as of the influential and intelligent, need to be pre-
pared and presented, the facts collected and arranged, and the princi-
ples of law involved considered and discussed, in order to arrive at a
just decision. Here is the field for the bar — to aid the court in ad-
ministering justice between man and man, and between the state and
those charged with a violation of the laws; in fine, to maintain the
authority of law that means to society protection against violence,
anarchy and barbarism. It may justly be written that the deceased
B14 HISTORY OF KENNEBfX COUXTV.
members of the bar referred to have left a fair record. It is for their
successors to preserve it untarnished.*
Augustus Alden, of Middleboro, Mass., a graduate of Dartmouth,
came to Winthrop from Augusta, but was more at home in religious
than in legal work. He removed to Hallowell and died there subse-
quent to 1810.
Frederick Allen, born December 22, 1780, at Martha's Vineyard,
was the youngest son of Jonathan Allen, who was a graduate of Har-
vard in 1757. Mr. Allen began the study of law with his brother,
Homer, at Barnstable, Mass., and later with Judge Benjamin Whit-
man, of Boston. In 1805 he began the practice of law at Waldoboro,
Me., and three years later he came to Gardiner, where he was a
prominent lawyer until within a few years of his death, September
28, 1865. His wife was Hannah B., daughter of Colonel Oliver Whip-
ple, who was a graduate of Harvard in 1770. Their children were:
Frederick, who died when he was about to graduate from Harvard;
Charles Edward, of Boston, a graduate of Bowdoin Law School: Han-
nah F., who lives in Farmingdale; Margaret (Mrs. Prof. Romeo Elton),
deceased; Eleanor (Mrs. Dr. Martin Gay), deceased, and Augustus O.,
who was a graduate of Bowdoin Law School, and practiced in Boston
until his death.
A. G. Andrews, judge of the municipal court of Augusta since 1882^
was born at Freedom, N. H., in 1841. He studied law in 1865 with
Hon. C. R. Ayer, of Cornish, Me., and was admitted to the bar of
York county in 1867. He first came to Augusta in 1879 as a member
of the legislature, and was subsequently a year with John H. Potter.
Judge Andrews spent some fifteen years as a teacher m the common
schools and academies.
Charles L. Andrews, a son of George H. Andrews, was born m
Monmouth in 1864. He graduated from Coburn Classical Institute in
1881, read law for three years with A. M. Spear at Hallowell, and was
admitted to the bar in October, 1885. After one year's clerkship with
E. W. Whitehouse, he practiced a while at Winthrop, and is now
partner with his brother-in-law, Mayor Spear, of Gardiner.
Joseph E. Badger, son of William S. Badger, of the Jlahie Fanner^
read law with S. & L. Titcomb, was admitted in 1879, and practiced
in Augusta until 1883, when he went to Minneapolis, where he re-
mained until 1891.
Kenry K. Baker, treasurer of the Hallowell Savings Bank, was
born at Skowhegan, in 1806, and received there the foundation of his
education. He perfected himself in the art of printing, and at the
age of twenty years became the editor of the HalhnvcU Gazette, and
afterward of the Free Press and Advocate. Preferring the profession
* Mr. Bradbury's manuscript ends here ; but we are under obligation to him
for much that is of interest in several of the following paragraphs. — [Ed.
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 315
of law to that of journalism, he read with Judge Samuel Wells, and
was admitted to the bar in 1840. He served in the legislature three
terms, was clerk of the house in 1855, and in the latter year was ap-
pointed judge of probate for Kennebec county by Governor Anson
P. Morrill, and held the position for nearly twenty-six years.
Joseph Baker was born at Bloomfield, now Skowhegan, June 23,
1812, and died at Augusta, November 29, 1883. After preparing for
college, partly at China Academy, he entered Bowdoin at the age of
twenty, and graduated in the class of '36. He then came to Augusta
as assistant principal in the high school and completed there the
study of law with Williams & McCobb, and Vose & Lancaster. After
his admission, in August, 1839, he opened an office in Augusta, and
nine years later became the law partner of Sewall Lancaster. Aside
from the short interval as editor and publisher, noticed at page 241,
his life was devoted to the practice of law. He was a member of both
branches of the city government, was in the state senate in 1847, and
in the house of representatives in 1870. For four years he was city
solicitor, and he served also as county attorney. Spaulding, in vol-
ume seventy-nine of the Maine Reports, pays a high tribute to Mr.
Baker's political and professional character, and says that his profes-
sion was his pride, and that he became the leader of the bar of Ken-
nebec county.
Orville D. Baker, son of Joseph, was born in Augusta in 1847. He
was graduated from Augusta High School in 1864, and from Bowdoin
College with the class of '68. He then traveled in Europe, studying
language, until November, 1870. He read law with his father and
was admitted to the bar in March, 1872. He took the full course at
Harvard Law School, graduating there in June, 1872. He served four
years as attorney general, being elected in 1885, and reelected in 1887.
He is well known as an orator through his literary and political
addresses.
Judge Emery Oliver Bean has been an ative and often a promi-
nent figure in the legal and judicial forces of Kennebec county and
central Maine almost half a century. He comes of pure New Eng-
land blood. Joshua Bean, his great-grandfather, in the fourth Ameri-
can generation from Scotch ancestry, was born in Brentwood, N. H.,
in 1741. He married Mary Bean, and came to Hallowell in 1780, and
to Readfield in 1784, where he died in 1814. Elisha, the oldest of
their fourteen children, was born in Brentwood, September 10, 1764,
married Olive Shepard, who was born in Epping, N. H., May 16, 1765.
They had nine children. Oliver, their fifth child, was born in Read-
field, November 15, 1797. He married Patience Nickerson, of Chat-
ham, Mass. She died in February. 1869, and he in June of the same
year.
Of their five children, Richard Nicker.son Bean, the oldest, died in
316 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
infancy. The second child, Emery Oliver, was born in Readfield,
September 10, 1819, and the third. Nelson Shepard, was born Decem-
ber 24, 1824, and died June 12, 1843. The fourth child, Philura Ann
(Mrs. Joel Howard, of Presque Isle), was born February 25, 1828, and
the youngest, Everline Marilla (Mrs. Stephen W. Caldwell, of Caribou,
Me.), was born October 1, 1829. Joshua, Elisha and Oliver Bean were
all land owners and farmers, and each built and operated early saw,
grist or bark mills in Readfield.
Emery O. was born near the head of Lake Maranacook, then known
as Chandler's pond. Like most Maine farmer boys, he was nurtured
in a good home, with plenty of work and the limited advantages of
the district school. In his case these were supplemented with a term
or two at Kents Hill and a few terms at Monmouth Academy. With
a natural bent for legal pursuits he entered the law office of Timothy
O. Howe, of Readfield, where he spent many months in the same
rooms, pouring over the same volumes, from which Mr. Howe had
acquired the rare equipment that carried him so far and so high. In
1843, at the age of twenty-four, he was admitted to the bar and went
from the office of his noted preceptor to Hallowell, where he had the
great good fortune to spend the opening year of his practice with
that consummate master of his profession, Henry W. Paine, now of
Boston. The next year he returned to his native town and opened
an office. The fact that his old preceptor made him his partner the
year following is significant. The firm of Howe & Bean continued
until 1848, when Mr. Howe removed to the West.
For the next twenty-eight years Judge Bean remained in the same
office alone, working hard, with a constantly growing practice and
reputation. In the meantime his son, Fred Emery Beane,had grown
to manhood. Had adopted his father's profession, had been admitted
to the bar, and in 1876 father and son became partners, opening an
office in Readfield, which was occupied by the firm until the fall of
1878. Fred Emery then opened an office in Hallowell, where he still
resides, and of which city he has served as mayor. In 1878 the firm
of Bean & Beane opened an office in Hallowell, and, in 1890, one in
Gardiner, and now prosecute their legal business in the three places, the
senior partner remaining m Readfield. The court records show the
name of Emery O. Bean and the firm name of Bean & Beane, to have
been entered in a greater number of cases than any other attorneys
now living in Kennebec county. Here closes the record of the forty-
ninth year of Judge Bean's legal career.
He married Elizabeth Hunton, daughter of Colonel John O.Craig,
of Readfield, October 8, 1844. She was born in Readfield, April 18,
1818, and died January 22, 1892. Large-brained and large-hearted,
cordial, cultured, devoted to her family, her friends, and to all human
duties, Mrs. Bean was a most womanly woman, whose departure was
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 317
everybody's loss. Nelson Shepard Bean, the older of their two chil-
dren, now a resident of Maiden, Mass., with business in Boston, was
born July 18, 1845. Fred Emery Beane, the younger son, was born
May 14, 1853.
In politics Judge Bean was first a whig, and was by that party
elected to the state legislature in 1851. Again in 1856 he served his
fellow citizens— this time as state .senator— and in 1879 Governor Gar-
celon appointed him one of the trustees of the Maine State College
of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, in which capacity he served for
the term of seven years. In 1880 he was elected judge of the pro-
bate and insolvency court of Kennebec county, by a plurality of 600,
holding the office four years. Viewed from any standpoint this was
a remarkable event for a democrat to receive such a public approval
in a county with from 2,000 to 3,000 republican majority. No appeal
from Judge Bean's decisions in probate matters was ever sustained
by the supreme court of probate, and only one in insolvency proceed-
ings. He is a leading member of the Universalist church of Read-
field, in which faith his father was also a staunch and life-long
believer.
Judge Bean's characteristics as a lawyer have been a cool, dispas-
sionate judgment, plain common sense, devotion and diligent loyalty
to his client, and thorough hard work for the mastery of the matter
in hand. In all the kindly relations of acquaintance, neighbor and
friend, the genial and manly elements that constitute the truest bond
of human intercourse are conspicuous ingredients in his character.
Alexander Belcher came from Northfield, Mass., and practiced
law in Winthrop from 1807 till his death in 1854.
Samuel Page Benson, son of Dr. Peleg Benson, of Winthrop,
graduated at Bowdoin College in 1825. He and his brother, Gustavus,
studied law in China with Abisha Benson, their uncle. Samuel P.
opened an office in his native town in 1829, and became prominent in
the political field. He was secretary of state in 1838 and 1841; and
in 1853 and 1855 represented the Kennebec district in congress.
R. W. Black was born, in Waldo county in 1840. The study of
law, which he early began, was interrupted by his entering the army;
but at the close of the war he resumed his studies with Sewall Lancas-
ter, and was admitted in 1866. His business relations with Mr. Lan-
caster continued until the latter's death.
Henry F. Blanchard was born at Rumford, Me., April 26, 1838. He
studied law with McCunn & Moncrief, New York city, and afterward
with W. W. Bolster, then of Dixfield, now of Auburn, Me. He was
admitted to the bar of Oxford county in 1859, and was in the practice
of his profession at Rumford Point at the outbreak of the rebellion.
After the war, in which he served, he located at Augusta, and since
318 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
1874 has been a member of the firm of Weeks & Blanchard in that
city.
Thomas Bond was graduated from Harvard in 1801, studied law
with Samuel S. Wilde at Hallowell, and was received by him into
partnership at the time he was admitted to practice. Their connec-
tion in business continued until 1815, when Mr. Wilde was appointed
to the supreme bench. Mr. Bond died suddenly in 1827.
George K. Boutelle, son of Dr. Nathaniel R., and grandson of
Timothy Boutelle (page 308), was born in Waterville in 1857, gradu-
ated from Harvard University in 1878 and from Harvard Law School
in 1882. He read law with E. F. Webb and was admitted to the bar
in 1888, in which year he opened his present office in Waterville. He
is secretary for Maine of the Harvard Law School Association, and in
1891 was elected a director of the Ticonic National Bank, with which
his father and grandfather had been for so long a period connected.
In October, 1891, he married May Wheelock, granddaughter of Judge
Seth May.
Thomas Bowman, of Augusta, son of Jonathan Bowman, was born
in May, 1774, graduated at Harvard in 1794, read law with Judge
Bridge, and was admitted to the bar in 1797. He married Sally How-
ard and lived and died in Fort Western.
James Ware Bradbury, LL.D.,* was born at Parsonsfield, July 10,
1802. He is the son of Dr. James Bradbury, a successful practitioner
in Parsonsfield for more than forty years, and of his wife, Ann, daugh-
ter of Samuel Moulton, of Newbury, Mass. He is a lineal descendant
in the seventh generation from Thomas Bradbury, who came from
Essex county, England, in the first half of the seventeenth century,
as the agent of Sir Ferdinando Gorges, proprietor of the territory now
comprising the state of Maine.
James W. Bradbury attended the common schools of Parsonsfield,
the academies at Saco, Limerick and Effingham, and finished his
preparatory course under the tutorship of Preceptor Nason, at Gor-
ham. In the autumn of 1822 he entered Bowdoin College one year in
advance, and graduated with the famous* class of 1825, among his
classmates being Nathaniel Hawthorne, John S. C. Abbott, Henry W.
Longfellow and George B. Cheever. Mr. Bradbury and two others
are the sole survivors of the class.
Soon after graduating Mr. Bradbury came to the Kennebec and
became preceptor of Hallowell Academy, which position he retained
for one year, when he resigned to commence the study of law, read-
ing first with Rufus Mclntire, of Parsonsfield, and then with Ethan
and John Shepley, of Saco. Having completed the necessary course
of study, and while waiting for admission to the bar, he opened a
school in Effingham, N. H., for the training of teachers; it being
* By the Editor.
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 319
among the first, if not the very first attempt at a normal school in
New England.
He was admitted to the bar in 1830 and located at Augusta. In
connection with his legal practice he became for one year editor of
the Mame Patriot, a democratic paper then published in the town. In
1833 he formed a law partnership with Horatio Bridge. His subse-
quent law partners were Lot M. Morrill, J. M. Meserve and Richard
D. Rice, Mr. Bradbury in each case being the senior partner.
In 1835 Governor Dunlap appointed him attorney for Kennebec
county, a trust which he faithfully discharged for four years. He
has always been a democrat, and in 1846 was elected to the United
States senate for the term of six years, from March 4, 1847. He was
placed upon the committees on printing, claims, and the judiciary. In
his duties upon the latter his legal knowledge soon gave him promi-
nence, and he was continued upon it to the end of his term. He ad-
vocated the compromise measures offered in the senate by Mr. Clay
July 24, 1850, and in 1852 he made the leading argument in favor of
the French Spoliation bill.
He was the originator of the movement which led to the establish-
ment of the court of claims, and introduced and advocated the meas-
ure to indemnify Maine and Massachusetts for land conveyed to set-
tlers under the treaty of Washington. He also secured the passage
of a bill for the payment to the state of Maine of interest on money
advanced for expenses incurred in the eastern boundary troubles, and
it was through his efforts that the first appropriation was made for
improving the navigation of the Kennebec river.
At the expiration of his term he resumed the practice of the law
at Augusta. He is a railway director, a bank director, the head of
the board of management of Bowdoin College, and a member of the
standing committee of the Maine Historical Society. He has been a
resident of the state for three generations and of Kennebec county
for two. He has outlived all his contemporaries and early business
associates, and is still in the enjoyment of fairly good health. He has
long been a communicant of the Congregational church. He married,
November 25, 1834, Eliza Ann, daughter of Captain Thomas West-
brook and Abigail (Page) Smith, of Augesta. The father of Mrs.
Bradbury came from Dover, N. H., to Augusta in 1805, and was a suc-
cessful merchant. He was related to the Westbrooks, Waldrons and
other noted New Hampshire families, and remotely to Mr. Bradbury,
through Elizabeth Bradbury,daughterof Thomas, the immigrant. Mrs.
Bradbury was a woman of great energy of character and of remark-
able executive ability. She died very suddenly, January 29, 1879,
greatly mourned, and by none more sincerely than by the poor, to
whom she had been a true friend and benefactor. Of their four sons,
all of whom grew to manhood, only one remains, and he, with a
320 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
granddaughter, constitutes the sum total of Mr. Bradbury's descend-
ants.
Ebenezer Bradish, a graduate of Harvard, came to Hallowell and
began practice in 1795 or 1796. About 1800 he removed to the West.
Newell W. Brainerd read law with E. F. Webb, was admitted to
the bar in 1886, and in that year began practice in Fairfield, opening,
a few months later, an office in Clinton also, where he continued in
practice until November, 1890, when he removed to Skowhegan, and
the following month assumed the duties of clerk of courts.
Judge James Bridge, of Augusta, eldest son of Edmund Bridge,
was born in 1765, graduated at Harvard in 1787, studied law with
Judge Parsons, established himself at Augusta in 1790, and was made
the first judge of probate of Kennebec county. He resigned this
office in 1804. In 1820 he was appointed one of the joint commission-
ers of Massachusetts and Maine " to adjust the personal concerns of
the two states." He died in 1834.
Horatio Bridge, third son of Judge Bridge, was born in 1806. He
graduated from Bowdoin in 1825, studied law, and began practice in
Augusta, but soon removed to Skowhegan, where he practiced awhile,
and then resumed practice in Augusta.
Edmund T. Bridge, eldest son of Judge Bridge, was born in 1799.
He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1818, studied law at Augusta,
with Judge Fuller, and became his law partner. He was an active
democratic politician; edited the Maine Patriot and Tlic Age for a num-
ber of years, and was the most influential promoter of the enterprise
of building the Kennebec dam, by which he at first made, and after-
ward lost, a fortune. He was a writer of ability, and possessed rare
business talents. He died in 1854.
Nathan Bridge was born in 1775, studied law with his brother,
James, in Augusta, was admitted to the bar in 1798, and settled in
Gardiner, being the first lawyer there. He died in 1827.
Simon S. Brown, son of Luke and Polly (Oilman) Brown, was born in
Clinton July 6, 1833. He fitted for college under Dr. J. H. Hanson, at
Waterville Academy, and entered Waterville College in 1854, from
which institution he was graduated in 1858, among the first in his
class. He was admitted to the bar in 1859, and began practice at
Fairfield in 1864. He removed to W^aterville in 1881: was elected
member of governor's council in 1879, and served as member of the
board of education for several years, both in Fairfield and Waterville.
At the organization of the city of Waterville, in 1888, he was elected
a member of the board of aldermen, of which board he has been
chairman continuously to the present time. He has an extensive
practice, embracing nearly all the counties of the state. He was a
member of the democratic national nominating conventions in 1880
and in 1884; and has been for seven years a member of the democratic
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 321
State committee, and for four years its chairman. He was elected
representative in 1892.
Daniel Campbell, a graduate of Dartmouth in the class of 1801,
practiced in Readfield, 1808-1818, and then came to Winthrop. In
1824 he abandoned his profession, and entered the Congregational
ministry.
John A. Chandler, born May 19, 1792, a son of General John Chand-
ler [see page 770], was a lawyer, and in 1832 became clerk of the courts.
He died at Norridgewock in 1842.
James Loring Child, born at Augusta, May 31, 1792, attended the
Hallowell Academy; commenced the study of law with Whitwell &
Fuller, and finished with Bridge & Williams. He was admitted to
the bar in 1812, and practiced in Winslow, in partnership with Thomas
Rice until 1816. From 1818 to 1822 he practiced at Augusta, in which
city he resided for thirty years prior to his death, in 1862.
Winfield S. Choate, born in Lincoln county in 1850, studied law
with Artemas Libbey, was admitted to the bar in March, 1872, gradu-
ated at Harvard Law School in June, 1872, and was in practice at Au-
gusta until January, 1889, when he began service in his present posi-
tion as clerk of the courts for this county. He was several terms city
solicitor of Augusta, and August 5, 1889, became lieutenant colonel of
the First Regiment, Maine State Militia.
Fred W. Clair, born November 26, 1866. at Old Town, Me., was
educated in the schools of his native town and Oakland, and gradu-
ated from Coburn Classical Institute in 1886. He read law in the
office of S. S. Brown, and was admitted in 1891. In April of that
year he opened an office in Waterville. He has been city clerk since
March, 1891, and became city solicitor in 1892.
William Clark, a native of Hallowell, practiced law there for many
years. His son, William H., admitted in 1840, practiced there also,
but went to California in 1849.
Oliver Barrett Clason' (Pell', Charle.s°, Jonathan', Jonathan*, Jona-
than', SamueP, Stephen') was born September 28, 1850. He fitted for
college at Monmouth Academy, and graduated from Bates in the class
of '77. He taught school three years, read law with Judge Henry S.
Webster, was admitted in 1881, and has since enjoyed a lucrative prac-
tice in Gardiner. He has been in both branches of the city govern-
ment: was thirteen years on the school board; is one of the trustees
of the State Normal School; president of the board of trustees of Bates
College, and while a member of the legislature introduced, in 1889,
the free text-book bill, and, in 1891, the Australian ballot, which be-
came a law, and by which he is best known. Stephen Clason was
married in Stamford, November 11, 1654. [See page 664].
Lorenzo Clay enjoyed a good practice at Gardiner from his admis-
21
322 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
sion in 1845. His son, Benjamin B. Clay, admitted in 1878, became
his partner.
Samuel Dudley Clay, of Gardiner, admitted in 1863, was a promi-
nent practitioner at the Kennebec bar. He died about the year
1889.
Daniel Cony, mentioned in the chapter on Augusta, was appointed
judge of probate of Kennebec county in 1804, having previously been
a judge of the court of common pleas. He died in 1842, in his
ninetieth year.
Leslie Colby Cornish, of Augusta, is the only son of Hon. Colby
C. Cornish, of Winslow, and was born in that town October 8, 1854.
He was fitted for college at Coburn Classical Institute and graduated
from Colby University in 1875. He was principal of the high school
at Peterboro, N. H., in 1876 and 1877, and a member of the state
house of representatives from his native town in 1877-8. He com-
menced the study of law with Baker & Baker, of Augusta, m August,
1878, and finished his studies at Harvard Law School in 1879-80. In
October, 1880, he was admitted to the Kennebec bar and in October,
1882, formed a partnership with his instructors, under the name of
Baker, Baker & Cornish. He has been a member of both branches
of the city government, a trustee of the Lithgow Library since 1883,
of Colby University since 1889, of the Augusta Savings Bank since
January, 1892, and is secretary and treasurer of the Maine State Bar
Association.
Louis O. Cowan, admitted in 1843, practiced but a short time in
Augusta, and then went to Biddeford, where he published the Bidde-
ford Journal. He died in 1872.
Nathan Cutler was born in 1775, admitted to the Massachusetts bar
in 1801, removed to Maine in 1803, and was a member of the state
senate in 1828-9.
County Attorneys. ^When Maine was made a state, the act pro-
viding for this office made it appointive by the governor and coitncil,
the tenure depending upon the pleasure of the executive. Ebenezer
T. Warren, of Hallowell, was appointed November 24, 1820; Peleg
Sprague, of Hallowell, March 23, 1821 (resigned December 22, 182]);
and Henry W. Fuller, of Augusta, March 30, 1822.
In February, 1824, the tenure of office was made four years, though
it seems the executive power could find means of creating a vacancy
whenever it suited their convenience. Chapter III, of the Laws of
1842, made the office elective, and changed the tenure to three years;
and in March, 1880, the term was again shortened to two years. The
successive incumbents of this important office have included some of
the leading lights of the Kennebec bar. Henry W. Fuller, of Augusta,
was reappointed March 16, 1826; Robert Goodenow, January 18, 1828,
and February 17, 1832; James W. Bradbury, Augusta, January 17,
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 323
1834; Henry W. Paine, Hallowell, March 27, 1838; George M. Weston,
Augusta, January 18, 1839; Henry W. Paine, April 6, 1841; George M.
Weston, January 26, 1842; Henry W. Paine, January 2, 1843, and Jan-
uary 1, 1846; Richard H. Vose, Augusta, January 1, 1849, and January
1, 1853; Sewall Lancaster, Augusta, January 9, 1856; Charles Dan-
forth, Gardiner, January 3, 1859, and January 1, 1862; Lorenzo Clay,
Gardiner, January 1, 1865; Samuel C. Harley, Hallowell, January 1,
1868. Mr. Harley died in office, and William P. Whitehouse, of
Augusta, was appointed October 12, 1869. F. E. Webb, of Winthrop,
was elected that fall, but died before the next January, and Mr. White-
house filled the continued vacancy during 1870. He was elected in
1870 for the full term, beginning with January, 1871, and again for
the term beginning January, 1874. His successors have been: Ed-
mund F. Webb, Waterville, January 1, 1877; Herbert M. Heath,
Augusta, January 1, 1880; William T. Haines, Waterville, January 1,
1883, and January 1, 1885; Leroy T. Carleton, Winthrop, January 1,
1887, January 1, 1889, and January 1, 1891.
The present County Attorney, Leroy T. Carleton, of Winthrop, is a
grandson of Joseph Carleton, who came from New Hampshire to
Byron, Me., prior to 1810, and married. Miss Marston, of Andover,
Me. Joseph's son, Thomas, was born in Byron, in April, 1815, and
reared in Berlin, now a part of Phillips, Me. He married Hannah,
daughter of Esquire William Parker, of French Huguenot extraction.
Esquire Parker was a trial justice, and for many years was counsellor
of the people, and arbiter of their differences, in all that section of
Franklin county. His wife was the daughter of a Freewill Baptist
clergyman, Rev. Mr. Wilbur.
Thomas Carleton died in March, 1882. His son, the subject of
this sketch, was born in Phillips, February 8, 1848. In the intervals
of farm work, for which he received the munificent compensation of
twenty dollars a month, he attended the district schools, and there
imbibed the desire for a more extended education which, by diligent
self-training, he afterward acquired. But the breaking out of the re-
bellion diverted for a time the lad's thirst for the knowledge of books,
and being then of the mature age of fourteen, he determined to ac-
quire a knowledge of the world instead. Stating his age at eighteen
— a patriotic falsehood at which his recording angel must have surely
winked — he enlisted in the 9th Maine Volunteers, and with his gun
and knapsack went to the front. At the expiration of his service
with the 9th, he reenlisted as a veteran in the 32d Maine, his service
with both regiments comprising three and a half years. He was in
thirteen engagements, and was three times wounded — at Cold Har-
bor, Fort Wagner and at the Burnside Mine Explosion, where his
regiment of 300 was engaged and but 27 came out of the fight. He
324 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
was mustered out at the close of the great struggle as a non-commis-
sioned officer.
He then taught school for a time, during which period he fitted
for college under Doctor Torsey, at Kents Hill Seminary. He next
worked three years in the Bailey oilcloth shops, at the same time
reading law with Ezra Kempton at Winthrop. He was admitted to
the bar in 1874, at the August term of the supreme judicial court, and
opened his office in Winthrop, where he has since resided. He mar-
ried Nellie M., daughter of George A. Longfellow [see page 864]. Their
only child, George L., born May 7, 1875, was a student at Kents Hill
in the collegiate preparatory course, but died May 19, 1892, after a
brief illness.
Mr. Carleton was elected county attorney in 1886, and entered
upon the duties of the office in January, 1887. By successive reelec-
tions he has held the position to the present time, and in September,
1892, was again elected for the term ending with December, 1894, the
longest service ever accorded to an incumbent of this office. He is
best known through his administration of this difficult office. The
courage, tact and ability he has displayed have won for him the con-
tinued support of the people. During the last five years 131 different
commitments to jail for violation of the prohibitory law have been
made, and $44,265 has been paid the county treasurer in fines and
costs, as against fifty commitments and $16,161 in fines and costs, for
the same length of time before he was county attorney; and the
salary of the office, which was $600 per annum before Mr. Carleton's
incumbency, has been increased by the state to $1,000. There is no
fiction in figures, no fancy in facts; and his official record speaks for
itself.
Evans A. Carleton read law with his brother, Leroy T., in Win-
throp, and was admitted to the bar in 1891. His home is now in
Helena, Mon.
Charles Danforth, son of Israel and Sally (Wait) Danforth, was
born in Norridgewock August 1, 1815. After attending school at the
academies in Farmington and Bloomfield, he studied law in the office
of John S. Tenney, and was admitted to the bar in 1838. He moved
to Gardiner in 1841, opening an office with Noah Woods, under the
firm name of Danforth & Woods. In 1854 Mr. Woods retired from
legal practice. Mr. Danforth continued alone until 1864, when, on
January 5th of that year, he was appointed to the judicial bench. He
married Julia S., daughter of Deacon William W. Dinsmore, of Nor-
ridgewock, January 11, 1845. Two children were the issue of their
marriage: Edwin, born November, 1845, died September, 1849;
and Frederick, born 1848.
Ebenezer Furbish Deane, born in 1801 at Minot, Me., graduated
C>\^^^^^e^^^ ^^/^/^.^^<^^:V^^^
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 325
from Bowdoin College in 1824, and practiced in Gardiner until his
death, September 22, 1848.
Franklin M. Drew graduated from Bowdoin College in 1858, was
admitted in 1861, removed to Augusta about 1872, where for five years
he was pension agent, and then went to Lewiston, and is now judge
of probate for Androscoggin county.
Everett R. Drummond, son of Clark Drummond, is a native of Win-
slow. He received his education in the district schools of Winslow,
the Vassalboro and Waterville Academies, and Kents Hill Seminary.
He read law with his older brother, Josiah H. Drummond. He prac-
ticed law in Waterville from the time of his admission to the bar
until 1874. He was a partner with his brother for a time, and two
years a member of the law firm of Drummond & Webb. He has been
treasurer of the Waterville Savings Bank since June, 1874, and was
justice of the peace and trial justice for several years. Since 1874 his
law practice has been confined to probate and conveyance business.
He was several years town clerk, one year a member of the city
council, and since 189] member of the board of aldermen. He has
been superintendent of the Methodist Sunday school seventeen years.
His wife was Aubigne M. Bean. Their children are: Viola B., Clark
W., Albert F. and Aubigne.
Josiah H. Drummond, now of Portland, practiced at Waterville
several years after his admission in 1850.
John P. T. Dumont, a leading whig, and for many years a leading
member of the bar, practiced at Hallowell prior to 1836.
David Dunn, now of Poland, Me., was born in. Cornish, Me., in
1811, and was the first lawyer who settled at Oakland.
Larkin Dunton, admitted in 1858, was for a short time partner with
Reuben Foster, of Waterville, but abandoned the law and became a
successful teacher in Boston, and is now at the head of the Boston
Normal School.
Harvey D. Eaton was born September 20, 1862, at North Cornville,
Me. He entered Coburn Classical Institute in 1881, and graduated
from Colby University in the class of '87. He read law one year un-
der a private tutor, and in 1891 received his degree from Harvard,
having taken a three years' course at that university. He was ad-
mitted to the bar in 1889. He began practice at Waterville July,
1891.
Loring Farr, of Augusta, admitted to practice here in 1877, is a son
of Elijah, and grandson of Noah Farr [see page 673], who died in
West Gardiner at the age of ninety-eight. Mr. Farr was in the civil
war, was promoted to finst lieutenant of Company G, 19th Maine, was
wounded at Cold Harbor, was promoted to captain of Company C,
19th Maine, and subsequently became the ranking captain in Han-
cock's Corps.
35^6 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Henry S. Farrington, cashier of the Merchants' National Bank of
Gardiner, was educated as a lawyer in Waldoboro, where he was born
in 1837. Before coming to Gardiner, in 1876, he had practiced in
Lincoln county, where for four years he was county attorney. In 1881
he was appointed judge of the police court of Gardiner, to succeed
William Palmer, but before the expiration of his term became cashier
of the bank, and retired wholly from the practice of law.
George W. Field, son of John L. and Sarah W. Field, was born
October 20, 1856, at St. Albans, Me. He was educated there and at
Bloomfield Academy, and read law with James O. Bradbury, at Hart-
land. He was admitted in 1884, and began practice at Harmony, but
soon came to Oakland, where he is now located. He has been for
three years a member of the school board of the town. His wife is
Hattie A., daughter of George A. Farnum.
Alfred Fletcher was born in China in 1818, read law with Sandford
A. Kingsbury, and practiced in China all his life. He was a graduate
of Bowdoin College, and served two years in the state .senate.
Eugene S. Fogg was born in 1846, read law with Daniel C. Robin-
son, and was admitted in 1878. He now occupies Mr. Robinson's
office at Augusta. He has served one term as city solicitor.
Reuben Foster, born in 1833, in that part of Bethel which is now
Hanover, Me., is a son of Reuben B. and Sarah A. Foster. He fitted
for college at Gould's Academy, Bethel, and at Bridgeton Academy,
and was graduated from Colby University in the class of '55. He
read law with J. H. Drummond, was admitted to the bar in 1858, and
has since practiced law in Waterville. He has served in both branches
of the state legislature. His wife was Dorcas C. Howe. Their only
son, Dana P., a graduate of Colby University, '91, is a student at the
Yale Law School.
Freeman & Freeman came from Milo, Me., to Winthrop, where in
1884 they practiced law about a year.
Henry Weld Fuller, born at Hanover in 1784, studied law with
Benjamin Whitwell, of Augusta, and afterward became his partner.
In 1828 he was appointed judge of probate for Kennebec county, and
held the office until his death in 1841. Frederick A., Judge Fuller's
oldest son, and father of the present chief justice of the United States,
was born in 1806, and died in 1849. Henry Weld, jun., Frederick A.'s
younger brother, was born in 1810, graduated from Bowdoin in 1828,
practiced law in Augusta, and was afterward clerk of the U. S. circuit
court in the Massachusetts district. Benjamin A.G., youngest brother
of Frederick A., graduated from Bowdoin in 1839, and was admitted
to the bar in 1840, establishing his office at Augusta.
W. W. Fuller is remembered as a strong anti-Mason. He was in
full practice in Hallowell in 1825, but afterward removed to the
West.
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 327
Edward Fuller practiced law in Readfield in 1824. He died about
1852.
Asa Gile was born in Mt. Vernon, admitted in 184H, and practiced
until 1865 at Readfield.
Allen Gilman, a sound and discriminating lawyer, was born in
1773, graduated from Dartmouth in 1791, and began practice at Gardi-
ner in 1796. In 1798 he removed to Hallowell, and the following year
left the county.
Samuel K. Gilman was born at Exeter, N. H., May 2, 1796, read
law with Peleg Sprague at Hallowell, and was admitted in 1831. He
was many years police judge at Hallowell.
Samuel P. Glidden was the first lawyer who opened an office in
Readfield, whither he came in 1797, at the age of thirty-six. He died
in 1818.
Anson Morrill Goddard, a son of Judge Charles W. Goddard, of
Portland, was born in Auburn, Me., in 1859. His early life was spent
in Portland, where he attended the high school. He graduated from
Bowdoin College in 1882 and studied law with Judge Samuel Titcomb
and in Harvard Law School, and was admitted in 1884. Since March,
1887, he has been city solicitor of Augusta. In 1889 he was clerk of
the special tax commission.
Josiah H. Greeley, born in 1826, is a grandson of Jacob and son of
Jose Greeley. The latter was in trade at Branch Mills, and married
Anna, daughter of Joseph and Phoebe (Day) Hacker, by whom he had
four children — Josiah H. and three girls — two of whom are deceased.
Josiah H. was admitted to the bar at St. Paul, Minn., in 1856, and in
1867 was admitted to practice in Kennebec county. He was one of
the selectmen of China for several years, and in 1861 was elected to
represent that town in the legislature.
William T. Haines, son of Thomas J. and Maria L. (Eddy)
Haines, was born at Levant, Me., in 1854. After leaving the public
schools of his native town he attended the East Corinth Academy,
and graduated from Orino in 1876 and Albany Law School in 1878.
Two years later he received the degree of LL.B. from the Albany,
N. Y., Law School. He taught school several terms while pursuing
his studies. In May, 1879, he began the practice of law at Oakland,
and in October of the following year he came to Waterville. He
served for four years as county attorney and two terms as state sena-
tor. He was a trustee of the State College of Agriculture and Me-
chanical Arts from 1882 to 1892, and at the present time is an alum-
nus member and secretary of the board. He has been president of
the Kennebec County Mutual Fire Insurance Company since its
organization. He is a member of the executive board and council
for the Waterville Building Association, clerk of the Masonic Build-
ing Association, and clerk and member of the board of managers of
dao HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
the Waterville Safe Deposit Company. His wife was Edith S. Hem-
ingway, and their family consists of two daughters and one son.
Oliver G. Hall was born at South Thomaston in 1834. From the
common schools of that town he continued his education at Kents
Hill and at Bucksport, and when seventeen years of age began teach-
ing in Rockland, in the meantime prosecuting his study of law with
Peter Thacher, of that city. He was admitted to the Knox county
bar in 1860. During the next twenty-five years he held various pub-
lic positions there, among them judge of the police court of Rockland
for seven years. He represented the latter city in the legislature of
1881 and 1883, and was chairman of the special tax commission in
1889. In the autumn of 1886 he removed to Waterville, and in April,
1890, was appointed by Governor Burleigh to succeed William Penn
Whitehouse as judge of the superior court of Kennebec county, and
the following year became a resident of Augusta.
Benjamin F. Hathaway, admitted in 1881, and W. H. Howard were
once lawyers in Winthrop.
Herbert M. Heath, born at Gardiner in 1853, was educated at the
high school there, and was graduated from Bowdoin College in the
class of '72. In 1872 he was principal of Limerick Academy, and then,
until 1876, of Washington Academy. He read law with Judge Dan-
forth, was admitted to the bar in 1876, and immediately began prac-
tice m Augusta. In 1883 he served in the legislative commission on
revision of the statutes, and has been city solicitor, county attorney
and member of each branch of the state legislature. His father, A.
M. C. Heath, is noticed at pages 248-9. His grandfather, Asa, was a
son of Asa Heath, a presiding elder of the Methodist church.
Solyman Heath, born in 1804 at Claremont, Me., was a graduate of
Dartmouth College, and began the practice of law in Belfast, where
he remained until 1851, when he came to Waterville. Here he con-
tinued in practice until his death in June, 1875. He was for some
years reporter of law decisions for Maine. His elder son, William S.,
read law in his office, and was practicing at Rockland when he en-
tered the army in April, 1861, as captain of Company H, 3d Maine. He
was promoted to lieutenant colonel and was killed June 27, 1862.
William S. Heath, brother of Col. F. E. Heath, of Waterville, was
admitted in 1856 and practiced at Waterville. He entered the army
in the civil war, rose to the rank of colonel, and was killed at the bat-
tle of Gaines' Mill. Heath Post, G. A. R., of Waterville, was named
in his honor.
George W. Heselton was born at Gardiner in 1856, graduated from
Amherst College in 1878, studied law with Charles Danforth, was ad-
mitted in 1881, and has since practiced in Gardiner, where he was
city solicitor from 1886 to 1889.
Melvin S. Holway, son of Oscar Holway, of Augusta, was born in
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 6Zi)
1861, graduated from Cony High School in 1878, from Bowdoin Col-
lege in 1882, and took a law course at Harvard and in the office of
Judge William L. Putnam, of Portland. He was admitted in Cum-
berland county in 1885 and has since practiced in Augusta.
Timothy O. Howe, a man of distinguished ability, once a prom-
inent lawyer of Readfield, was candidate for clerk of the courts, and
was defeated by William M. Stratton, whereupon he left the state in
disgust. He subsequently became distinguished as a lawyer and
politician and was postmaster general in Grant's cabinet.
Jonathan G. Hunton, once governor of Maine, was a nephew of
Samuel P. Glidden, and was his successor in business at Readfield,
and married his widow for his second wife. He died in 1851, at the
age of seventy.
Henry L. Hunton, born in Readfield in 1865, is a son of George
C. and Annie (Wood) Hunton, grandson of Samuel, and great-grand-
son of Peter Hunton. He was educated in the schools of his native
town and at Rents Hill Seminary. He taught school two years, read
law with Judge E. O. Bean two years, was admitted in March, 1889,
and that month opened his present law office in Oakland. He mar-
ried Hattie B. Peabody. They have one daughter, Alice A.
Charles F. Johnson, born in 1859 in Winslow, graduated from Co-
burn Classical Institute in 1874, attended Colby two years, and gradu-
ated from Bowdoin College in 187!). He spent seven years in teaching
school and reading law, and was admitted to the bar in 1886, practic-
ing in Waterville until 1890 as partner of S. S. Brown, and since that
time with E. F. Webb. He was the democratic nominee for governor
in 1892.
Charles W. Jones was born in Vassalboro in 1861. His father,
Albion K., was a son of Michael Jones, of Windsor. He was educated
at Oak Grove Seminary and Waterville Classical Institute, read law
with S. & L. Titcomb, was admitted to the bar in October, 1888, and
began practice in Augusta. In 1892 he was appointed chairman of
the board of inspectors of prisons and jails.
Ezra Kempton, of Phillips, Me., was admitted to the bar in Farm-
ington, practiced in Mt. Vernon twenty years, and came to Winthrop,
where for five years he was the leading lawyer, till his death, Christ-
mas day, 1874.
Reuben Kidder was born in 1768, graduated from Dartmouth in
1791, and practiced in Waterville, where he was the first lawyer, from
1795 until 1816, the year prior to his death. He was noted for his wit,
and on the occasion of a political defeat of Levi Woodbury, Mr. Kid-
der proposed this toast: " Levi Woodbury— the rock of New England
■democracy — behold what a stone the builders have rejected!"
Sandford A. Kingsbury practiced law in China as early as 1824.
Thomas Leigh, jun., born in Hallowell in 1862, prepared at Hallo-
330 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
well Classical Institute for Dartmouth College, where he graduated in
1885, and the following year was on the staff of the Boston Post. He
read law with S. & L. Titcomb. was admitted in 1888, and until 1892
was law partner with Charles W. Jones, in Augusta.
Artemas Libbey was born in Waldo county in 1823, but has lived
in Kennebec county since 1825. He read law with Samuel S.Warren,
and was admitted in October, 1844. He served in the state legislature,
and in 1856 was a member of Governor Wells' council. In April,
1875, he was appointed a judge of the supreme judicial court, a position
he has since filled, excepting an interval from April 24, 1882, to Jan-
uary 11, 1883. Arthur Libbey, admitted in 1877, was a son of Judge
Libbey.
General William Lithgow, jun., son of Judge William Lithgow, of
Georgetown, began practice during the revolution, but soon joined
the American forces. At the close of the war he returned to his pro-
fession, and established himself at Augusta, having his office in the
only plastered room in the block-house of Fort Western. He is said
to have been an able advocate, and enjoyed an extensive practice. In
1789 he vk^as appointed the first United States attorney for Maine. He
died unmarried in 1796, at the age of forty-six.
Jeremiah Lothrop, of Leeds, opened a law office in Winthrop in
1828. Afterward he removed to Washington, D. C.
Thomas J. Lynch, born in 1857, was educated in the city .schools
at Augusta, and at Dirigo Business College. He read law, 1883-5,
with Loring Farr, and was admitted in 1885. He was deputy post-
master at Augusta under President Cleveland.
Albert Martin, of Hallowell, graduated at Bowdoin College in
1825, and opened an office in Winthrop in 1827. He died in 1831,
aged twenty-eight.
Forest J. Martin, son of John and Maria (Cook) Martin, was born
in 1867 at Newport, Me. He attended the public schools of Plymouth,
Me., until 1882, when he entered Maine Central Institute, graduating
in 1886. In July of the same year he began the study of law with
John W. Manson, of Pittsfield, Me., continuing with him until October,
1888, when he entered Boston University Law School. He graduated in
June, 1890, receiving the degree of LL. B., and an honorary degree
for high rank in his class, having completed a three years' course
in one and one-half school years. He v/as admitted to the Somerset
bar in 1889, and in July, 1890, began the practice of law at Clinton.
He was married, October 22, 1890, to Clara J., daughter of Alton
Richardson. He was supervisor of schools in 1892, in which year he
was the democratic nominee for judge of probate.
Seth May, born in Winthrop, July 2, 1802, was educated at Mon-
mouth, Litchfield and Hallowell Academies. He read law three years
with Dudley Todd, of Wayne, was admitted in 1831, and practiced in
THE KENNEBEC BAR. Sdl
Winthrop from 1832 until he was appointed to the supreme judicial
bench, in May, 1855. He settled in Auburn in 1863, where he died
September 20, 1881.
John W. May, born in Winthrop, January 21, 1828, graduated from
Bowdoin College in 1852, read law with his father, Judge Seth May,
and was admitted to the bar in 1857. He practiced in Winthrop until
1863, when he removed to Auburn, where he now resides.
George F. North, son of James W., of Augusta, was born in 1840,
studied law, and began practice in his native city about 1863.
Edwin Noyes was born at Kingston, R. I. He graduated from
Brown University, and was for a time tutor in Colby University. He
read law with Timothy Boutelle, and graduated from Harvard Law
School. He practiced law in Waterville with Mr. Boutelle until 1849,
when he became treasurer of the Kennebec & Androscoggin rail-
road, and later, of the Penobscot & Kennebec railroad. He acted as
superintendent of these roads, and, after their consolidation, was
superintendent of the Maine Central until 1876. He died March 29,
1888. His wife was Helen Boutelle; their only son, Lieutenant Bou-
telle Noyes, a graduate of the Annapolis Naval Academy, was killed
at Yokohama.
A. C. Otis, clerk of courts from 1880 to 1888, was a native of Win-
throp, where he read law in Ezra Kempton's office and became a mem-
ber of the bar.
John Otis, born in 1802 at Leeds, Me., was a son of Oliver Otis.
He was a graduate of Bowdoin College, and afterward read law, and
was for many years a member of the Kennebec bar. He was once
elected to congress, and was one of the commissioners to settle the New
England boundary, and held several minor offices. His first marriage
was with Frances Vaughn, and of their seven children only one is
living — John Otis, of Indiana. His second wife was Ellen, daughter
of Samuel C. Grant. Two of their three children are now living —
Samuel G. and Lizzie G.
Jeremiah Perley was born in Newbury, Mass., in 1784, graduated
from Dartmouth in 1803, came to Hallowell in 1804, and was admitted
in 1807.
Nathaniel Perley was born about 1770, graduated from Dartmouth
in 1791, and in 1795 began practice at Hallowell. He was distinguished
for his wit, his jokes, and cutting repartees at the bar. He married
Mary Dunmore and had seven children. He died about 1824.
Arthur L. Perry was admitted in 1875, and has since practiced in
Gardiner.
Warren C. Philbrook, judge of the Waterville municipal court,
was born in 1857 at Sedgewick, Me,, and is a son of Luther G. and
Angelia Philbrook. He acquired his early education in the public
schools of Castine, Me., and at the State Normal School. He fitted
332 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
for college at Coburn Classical Institute, and graduated from Colby
University in 1882. He read law during his vacations, and, after
teaching one year in the Farmington Normal School, he returned to
his studies, reading with E. F. Webb and Reuben Foster, and was
admitted to the bar in March, 1884. In the fall of that year he began
his three years' principalship of the Waterville High School, and at
the close of the school year of 1887 opened a law office in Waterville,
where he has since been. He married Ada, daughter of M. C.
Foster.
Daniel T. Pike, the veteran journalist, was admitted in 1839, and
went to Illinois, where he practiced two years. On his return from
the West he did a small collecting business in Augusta, but soon left
the bar to enter upon an editorial career, by which he is best known.
John Potter was one of the earliest attorneys in Augusta. He
was born at Lebanon, N. H., April 7, 1787, and read law at Portland.
He was brother of Judge Barrett Potter, of Portland, and father of
John F. Potter, who was member of congress when Sumner was as-
saulted by Brooks. Two of his sons are now bankers at Augusta.
John H. Potter, of Whitefield, was a lawyer in Winthrop from
1872 to 1880, when he went to Augusta.
Henry A. Priest was born in 1842, and prior to 1886 was twenty years
in trade at North Vassalboro. He read law in 1873 with W. P. Thomp-
son, was admitted to the Belfast bar in 1874, and practiced at North
Vas.salboro until 1888, when he removed to East Vassalboro.
Thomas Rice, the first lawyer in Winslow, was born March 30,
1763, took first degree at Harvard in 1791, and read law with Timothy
Bigelow. He settled in Winslow in 1795, and died in 1854, having
been a member of the Kennebec bar fifty-nine years.
George Robinson, of Augusta, graduated from Bowdoin in 1831,
studied law with Reuel Williams, was register of probate for Kenne-
bec, and died of consumption in 1840, aged twenty-seven.
Henry Sewall, who died at Augusta in 1845, at the age of ninety-
two, was a captain in the revolutionary army, and in 1789 was ap-
pointed clerk of the district court of Maine. At the organization of
Kennebec county he was chosen register of deeds, and held the office
until 1816.
Frank K. Shaw, born at New Castle, Me., was admitted to the bar
in 1886, and March 29, 1892, was appointed clerk of the municipal
court of Waterville.
Ja,cob Smith, an attorney at China, became later judge of the
municipal court of Bath. He sent James W. Bradbury his first client,
about 1830.
William B. Snell.— Another native of Kennebec whose learning
and life adorned the noble profession of the law, was the late Judge
William B. Snell, a native of Winthrop, who practiced law there a
//(4^c^^^
THE KENNEBEC T5AR. 333'
while after the civil war, but is best known to the country by his dis-
tinguished service as judge of the criminal court of the District of
Columbia. His ancestor, Thomas Snell, came from England and
settled in West Bridgewater, Mass., in 1665. About 1670 he married
Martha, daughter of Arthur Harris. In 1699, his son, Josiah, married
Anna, daughter of Zachariah Alden, of Duxbury, son of John Alden,
of the Mayflo'cver. His son, Josiah, married in 1728, Abigail, daughter
of John Fobes. The son of Josiah, jun., was Elijah (deacon), who
married, in 1764, Susanna, daughter of Seth Howard. Deacon Eli-
jah's son was Elijah (captain), who married, in 1796, Abigail Godfrey,
daughter of Ebenezer Copeland.
Captain Elijah's youngest son was William Bradford. Deacon
Snell sent his son, Elijah, to Maine in the year 1800, to buy land on
which to settle. A purchase was made of two hundred acres in Win-
throp, in that part of the town known as East Winthrop. In 1801,
Elijah, his wife, and three children journeyed by water from Boston
to Hallowell, and occupied the land they had acquired. Subsequently
another one hundred acres was bought, on which was a saw and grist
mill — no small items in those days. Deacon Snell, with his son, John
Elliott, occupied the former, and Elijah took the latter purchase.
On this farm. Captain Elijah's youngest son, William Bradford,
was born July 22, 1821. He was fitted for college at Monmouth Acad-
emy, graduated from Bowdoin College with the first honors of his-
class, in 1845, and was engaged as principal of Monmouth Academy,
where he taught six years; meanwhile reading law under the advice of
Honorable Samuel P. Benson and Judge May, of Winthrop, subse-
quently in the office of Honorable Manlius S. Clark in Boston. In 1847
he married Martha A. Pray, of Monmouth. They had three children.
In 1852 he was admitted to practice at the Kennebec bar, and settled,
in 1853, in Fairfield. He represented that town twice in the legisla-
ture, and was elected attorney for the county in 1857, and again in
1860. In 1862 he raised a company for the 13th Maine, was chosen
its captain, and served until the end of the war.
At the earnest request of leading citizens of his native town, he
resumed the practice of law in Winthrop, with flattering prospects.
In 1865 he was admitted to practice before the supreme court of the
United States, on motion of the Honorable Reverdy Johnson. In 1867
he was elected to the state senate, and reelected in 1868; he was made
chairman of the committee on legal reform, also of committee on
education.
In 1870 President Grant appointed him, for a term of six years,
judge of the police court in Washington, D. C. He accepted, and
organized the first court of its kind in the District; was reappointed
in 1876, and again in 1882. At the end of his third term, he was suc-
ceeded by a democrat. While judge, he lectured, by invitation, on.'
384 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
criminal law before the post graduate class of the law department of
the National University. Introducing him, vice-Chancellor Wedge-
wood said: " He has discharged the duties of his office with such
fidelity and discretion that crime has diminished nearly one-half
since he assumed the duties of his office." He was a member of the
Biological and Anthropological Societies, the Grand Army and Loyal
Legion, a member of the Metropolitan M. E. Church, and one of the
" most useful and esteemed members of its official board;" member of
the board of managers of the Industrial Home .School, a vice-presi-
dent of the Bowdoin Alumni Association, president of Maine Re-
publican Association, also of the Associated Charities of the District
of Columbia. At the National Conference of Charities and Correc-
tions held in Washington June, 1885, Judge Snell prepared and read
one of the best papers on " Reform in the Management of Prisons."
After two days' confinement to the house, he died of heart failure
October 24, 1890. He left a widow and a daughter, who is the wife of
Frederic C. Thayer, M. D., an eminent physician and surgeon in
Waterville. Two of his children died in 1862, during his absence in
the army. The followicg is quoted from resolutions of members of
the District bar: "Called to the bench of the Police Court as its first
judge, peculiarly fitted by temperament and education for the dis-
charge of its laborious duties, he there won our admiration and re-
spect, as well as the gratitude of the entire community. An able
lawyer, having the courage of his convictions, he was at the same
time charitable and gentle. His life is a record of spotless integrity
and honor; the outcome of a Christian character." The resolutions
of the Bowdoin College Alumni of the District recorded the fact that,
"His success in life, whether as a lawyer or a judge, was but the
fairly expected sequence of a college life singularly pure, exceedingly
studious, and true to the highest purpose of the scholar and the man."
Other organizations to which he belonged, also recognized him as an
" able, upright and impartial judge;" and commended his example
of a well-ordered and upright life to the young men, and the com-
munity in which he lived.
Jonathan G. Soule read law with E. F. Webb, was admitted in
1874, and began practice at Waterville, where he ripened into a
trial justice, and also served efficiently on the school board until his
death.
Frank E. Southard was born in 1854, at Exeter, Me. He was two
years at the Maine State College, read law with Baker & Baker at
Augusta, and was admitted in March, 1882.
Albert M. Spear, mayor of Gardiner since March, 1889, was born
in 1852 in Litchfield, where his father, Andrew P., and his grand-
father, Thomas, lived. He was educated there, and at West Gardiner
and Monmouth Academies; also at Waterville Classical Institute. He
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 335
graduated in the class of '75 at Bates College, and taught in Anson Acad-
emy two of the three following years while reading law under A. R.
Savage, the present mayor of Auburn. He was admitted to the bar in
1878, and practiced until 1885 in Hallowell, where he was twice chosen
to the state legislature. Removing to Gardiner, he has continued in
practice there, and is the present state senator from that district.
AI. S. Spear, brother of Albert M., was born at Madison, Me.,
August 9, 1850, and died at Hallowell January 13, 1892. He was edu-
cated at Litchfield and West Gardiner Academies, devoted four years
to teaching, and then turned his .attention to the study of law. After
reading with E. L. McFadden for two and one-half years, he was ad-
mitted in 1881. He practiced law five years in Winthrop, and then
came to Hallowell, where he was judge of the municipal court from
May, 1888, until his death in 1892.
Stephen Stark, born in 1803, at Conway, N. H., was a son of Samuel
Stark. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1827, and after
spending three years iu the study of law, he opened an office at
Clinton, Me., in October. 1830. Seven years later he came to VVater-
ville, where he died in November, 1855.
H. W. Stewart, born in 1852, graduated from Colby University in
1871, and read law in Waterville and Bangor. He was admitted to
the bar in 1875, and was twelve years judge of the Waterville munic-
ipal court.
Asbury C. Stilphen, of Farmingdale and Gardiner, is descended in
this country from Michel Stilphen, a Huguenot refugee, and son of a
French nobleman. Michel married an English lady, and they, with
their children — George, born in 1744, and Cornelius, born in 1747 —
arrived at Boston on the ship Priscil/a, in 1751. They came at once to
Frankfort, now Dresden, and there settled. All of the name in this
section are descended from George, Cornelius having removed to
New Hampshire. George married Mary Ridley, of Pownalborough.
Their eldest son, Francis, was born in 1773, and his son, Francis,
father of Asbury C, was born December 6, 1813. Asbury C. was born
in Dresden March 21, 1842. He attended the district schools, Lincoln
and Monmouth Academies and Maine Wesleyan Seminary, and re-
ceived his classical education under Reverends Edwin W. Murray and
Frederick Gardiner, and Rt. Rev. George Burgess; but failing health
compelled him to forego a college course. He was for three years
(186.1-8) deputy and acting collector of internal revenue for the Third
Maine District, after which he read law with N. M. Whitmore and
Judge Artemas Libbey, and was admitted to practice in 1869. Aug-
ust 6, 1865, he married Annie M., daughter of Alexander S. Chadwick,
and has one daughter, Annie E.
Amos Stoddard, born in 1759, came from Boston to Hallowell about
336 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
1793, and opened the first law office in the town. He was killed in the
war of 1812.
Clarence L. Tanner, city clerk of Augusta [see page 1062], was born
in Sidney in 1865. He was educated at Oak Grove Seminary and
Haverford College, Pennsylvania; read law with Baker, Baker &
Cornish, and was admitted to the bar in 1887. He was clerk with E.
W. Whitehouse until 1891, and has since been his partner.
Samuel Titcomb, late of Augusta, was of the fifth generation in
line of descent from William Titcomb, who emigrated from Eng-
land and settled at Newbury, Mass., in 1635. Samuel Titcomb, of the
fourth remove from William, was born at Kennebunk in 1756. He
was by profession a surveyor, and removed to Hallowell in 1783,
where he was appointed surveyor to the American joint commissioner
charged with defining the boundaries between Maine and the British
provinces in 1784. About 1787 he removed to Augusta, where he was
postmaster (1806-1810). He married Chloe Cummings, of Dedham,,
Mass., and in 1815 removed to Belgrade, where he died, September
18, 1849.
In Belgrade Samuel, the lawyer, was born. July 19, 1820. He was
educated in the common schools of the town and at Titcomb Bel-
grade Academy, founded by his father and John Pitts, of Belgrade.
He completed his early education at Waterville Liberal Institute,
studied law with Richard H. Vose, of Augusta, and was admitted to
the bar in 1842. He then attended Harvard Law School for a year,
graduating in 1843, and at once began practice in Augusta, which he
thenceforth made his home. He served five years as a member of the
common council, one year as a member of the board of aldermen,
several years as city solicitor, and two years as mayor of the city.
He was appointed judge of the municipal court by Governor Joseph
H. Williams in 1858, and was elected to the same office continuously
until 1866. He represented the city in the legislature five years, and
rendered valuable service in the committees on the judiciary, banking,
claims and legal reform.
The confidence of the community was his in a larger measure than
falls to the lot of most men. He had the care and conduct of large
estates, and an immense amount of probate business was committed
to his hands. He was activel)' interested in financial affairs, and for
thirty-three years was one of the trustees of the Augusta Savings
Bank, and for many years a director of the old Freemen's Bank. At
the time of his death, January 13, 1892, he was president of the
Augusta National Bank. Judge Titcomb was an upright man, simple
in his ways of living, helpful and sympathetic to all in need or trouble,
and always pleasant and courteous in his business as well as in his
social relations. His loss was widely felt and genuinely mourned.
February 20, 1845, he married Julia A., daughter of Artemas Kim-.
jjffl,-.'
C/^^^-z-^^
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 337
ball, of Augusta. Mns. Titcomb died in 1889. Their children were:
Everett, born March 28, 1846, died May 9, 1856; and Lendall, born
March 14, 1848, who was his father's law partner from 1872, and is his
successor in business.
Dudley Todd, the first lawyer to settle in Winthrop, was a native
of Rowley, Mass., and a graduate in 1795 of Dartmouth College. In
1801 he was chosen town agent. In 1809 he removed to Portland.
Hilton W. True, who was judge of the municipal court of Augusta
for sixteen years, was born in 1834 at Litchfield, where he attended
the academy, and, after reading with the late Judge Samuel Titcomb,
was admitted in 1858.- After practicing two years in Gardiner, he
located in Augusta.
Gardiner C. Vose was born in 1835, graduated from Bowdoin in
1855, studied law with his father, Hon. Richard H., was admitted to
practice in 1858, and formed a professional connection with his father,
which lasted until the latter's death in 1864. G. C. Vose practiced at
Augusta until his death in 1889.
Frederick A. Waldron, son of James N. and Sarah (Anson) Wal-
dron, was born in 1841 at Buckfield, Me. He spent his boyhood on
the farm of his father and in the district schools of his native town.
At eighteen he began teaching school winters, and fitted for college
at Hebron Academy. He graduated from Colby University in the
class of '68, began reading law in 1870, and was admitted the follow-
ing year. In December, 1871, he opened an office in Waterville, where
he has since been in practice. He married Adelia R. Leech. Their
children are: Lenton Edson and William Linscott.
George Warren, son of General Warren and the celebrated Mercy
Warren, daughter of James Otis, of Barnstable, was one of the lesser
lights of the Kennebec bar, which was extinguished before the open-
ing of the present century. He possessed fine natural talents, but led
a dissipated life, dying at Augusta in penury. He practiced for a
short time in Winslow, which then included Waterville.
Samuel S. Warren, a nephew of General Warren, of Bunker Hill
fame, practiced in Hallowell prior to 1825 until about 1835. He then
removed to China, from there to Albion, whence, about 1844, he re-
moved to Massachusetts.
Ebenezer T. Warren, brother of Samuel S., practiced at Hallowell
about 1824, and afterward became president of a bank in that city.
Zebah Washburn, a son of Zalmunah, was born in Wayne in 1797,
and practiced law in China until he was seventy years old. After
many years of usefulness in the Universalist Society, he became a
local preacher in the Alethodist church, holding that position until his
death in 1888. He was cashier of a bank at China and subsequently
of the Canton Bank at South China.
338 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Lot Myrick Morrill", son of Peaslee' and Nancy (Macomber) Morrill
(Peaslee*, Peter', John', John'), was born in Belgrade, this county, May
3, 1813. He was educated in the common schools, at Waterville Col-
lege, now Colby University, studied law and commenced practice at
Readfield. In 1845 he removed to Augusta, and soon afterward
formed a law partnership with James W. Bradbury and the late Judge
Richard D. Rice. He was a sound lawyer and an able and elo-
quent advocate, and the firm to which he belonged had a large
and lucrative practice. In 1854 he represented Augu.sta in the Maine
legislature. In 1856 he was elected senator for Kennebec county, and
by the senate was chosen president. He had heretofore acted with
the democratic party, but he now became a republican, and as such
was elected governor in ] 858, and was twice reelected. In 1861 he
was elected United States senator to fill out the unexpired term of
Hannibal Hamlin, who had been elected vice-president. In 1863 Mr.
Morrill was reelected for the term of six years. He was a candidate
for reelection in 1869, but was defeated in the caucus by a single vote,
and Hannibal Hamlin resumed his old position in the senate Upon
the death of Senator William Pitt Fessenden, Mr. Morrill was ap-
pointed by the governor to fill out the unexpired term, ending March
3, 1871. On the assembling of the legislature Mr. Morrill was again
elected for the full term of six years. Before this term expired, at
the earnest solicitation of President Grant, Mr. Morrill resigned his
seat in the senate to accept the position of secretary of the treasury.
At the close of his term he returned to Augusta, and in 1877 was ap-
pointed collector of the port of Portland, which position he held until
1882. His health had been failing for some time, due largely to over-
work while holding the portfolio of the United States treasury, and
returning to his home in Augusta, he continued to weaken until Janu-
ary 10, 1883, when he died. Mr. Morrill married Charlotte H., daugh-
ter of William Vance, and besides two sons who died early, he had
four daughters, who survived him. Mr. Morrill was a man of great
ability and of the strictest integrity. During his long and distin-
guished public career he enjoyed the entire confidence of his con-
stituency, whether of his town, county, state or the nation. In Au-
gusta, where he was best known, he never had an enemy, and the
death of no man was ever more sincerely regretted and mourned by
all classes.
Edmund Fuller Webb, second son of Joseph and Sarah (Fuller)
Webb, was born in 1835, in Albion. He was educated in the schools
of his native town and at Freedom, China and Waterville Academies.
He entered Colby University in 1856, and remained there two years,
when he began the study of law in Portland, and was admitted to the
bar of that county in March, 1859. After practicing one year in
Albion, he came to Waterville, where he now lives. In 1867 he was
Hi
C^
I
s.
7. u^^-<'^'^
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 339
admitted to the U. S. district bar, and, in 1876, to practice in the
United States circuit courts; and the same year he was appointed
commissioner of the circuit courts of the United vStates. In 1866 he
received the honorary degree of A. M. from Colby University, and
in 1883 was made trustee of the institution. He was for two terms a
member of the house of representatives, and was its speaker in 1873.
He served two terms as state senator, and the second year was presi-
dent of the senate. He also served three years as county attorney. He
married Abby E. C. Hall October 30, 1860, and has one son, Apple-
ton, who was admitted to the Somerset bar in 1882, and is now a mem-
ber of the firm of Webb, Johnson & Webb, of Waterville.
Francis Everett Webb was admitted in 185o,and practiced at Win-
throp from 1856 until his death, in 1869.
Henry S. Webster, judge of probate, was born in Augusta. Sew-
all Lancaster was his preceptor, and until 1881 Mr. Webster practiced
in Gardiner, where he became well known in his relations to banks
and banking. In 1884 he was elected judge of probate, and in 1888
reelected for the term ending with December, 1892. His wife is Mary
C, daughter of William T. Johnson, the Augusta banker. Their only
child is Martha T.
George E. Weeks, born in 1837, removed to Aiigusta in 1861,
studied law with Joseph Baker, and was admitted in 1863. In 1861
he began the adjustment of war claims and subsequently formed the
firm of Weeks & Blanchard. He served in the lower house of the
legislature four years, was speaker in 1880, and was afterward senator
for four years. He was mayor of Augusta in 1885. Since 1870 Mr.
Weeks has been chiefly interested in the ice business at Augusta,
with the Consumers' Ice Company, of New York.
Nathan Weston, eldest son of Chief Justice Weston, was born
February 28, 1813, graduated from Bowdoin in 1833, studied law with
Reuel Williams, was admitted to the bar in 1836, and then removed to
Penobscot county.
Daniel C. Weston, second son of Judge Weston, was born Febru-
ary 24, 1815, graduated from Bowdoin in 1834, was admitted to the
bar, and practiced in Augusta five years. He afterward studied
theology, and was ordained deacon in the Protestant Episcopal
church in 1851.
Wallace R. White, born in Dixfield, Me., in 1849, is a son of Drury
N.White. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1871, and then
graduated in law at Ann Arbor, Mich. He began practice in Win-
throp, where he remained until 1881, when he went to Idaho as U. S.
district attorney.
William Penn Whitehouse.* — The first of this family to settle
in America was Thomas Whitehouse, who became a citizen of Dover,
♦Birthplace shown at page 1137; portrait at page 397.
340 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
N. H., in 1658, married the daughter of William Pomfret, an early
clerk of that town, and died December 3, 1707. From Thomas was
descended John Roberts Whitehouse, who married Hannah Perci-
val. He was the son of Edmund W. Whitehouse, a peaceful follower
of George Fox: she a descendant of John Percival, of Barnstable,
Mass., and a devout disciple of John Wesley. John R. and Hannah
made their home at South Vassalboro and there raised their family of
seven children. On their own land, two plain, unassuming marble
slabs, within a substantial iron fence, mark their graves and record
the close of their plain, unassuming lives: hers, November 29, 1876, and
his, April 16, 1887.
There on the 9th of April, 1842, was born their youngest child,
William Penn, now known to the bench and bar of Maine as Judge
Whitehouse, of Augusta. His early education was obtained in the
district school and at the China high school, but the scantiness of the
knowledge there acquired served chiefly to develop a desire for larger
intellectual growth. In February, 1859, he began a course of classi-
cal instruction at Waterville Academy, and by close and inces.sant
study was enabled in September of the same year to enter Waterville
College, now Colby University, without conditions. From this insti-
tution he was graduated in 1863, with the first honors of his class;
and three years later he was one of two selected to deliver a master's
oration, on which occasion he received his second degree, that of
A. M.
On leaving college in 1863, he became principal of Vassalboro
Academy; but in December of that year he began the study of law
with Sewall Lancaster, of Augusta, and until December, 1865, con-
tinued his studies at Ellsworth, Me., with Eugene Hale, now United
States senator. He was admitted to the bar in December, 1865, and
began the practice of his profession with Lorenzo Clay, of Gardiner,
with whom he remained one year. In December, 1866, he formed a
law partnership with George Gifford, afterward United States consul
at New Rochelle, France, and now consul at Basel, Switzerland, and
opened an office in Augusta, in which city he still resides. June 24,
1869, he married Evelyn Maria, daughter of Colonel Robert Treat, of
Frankfort, Me. Of their three children only one survives — Robert
Treat Whitehouse, born March 27, 1870.
Reared on a farm, and possessing the plain, practical directness
which such a life inculcates, combined with the discriminating tastes
of the scholar, and the keen, analytical methods of a mind trained to
an exacting profession, Judge Whitehouse speedily won an enviable
standing as a man and a lawyer, and became a prominent figure in
the public life of his adopted city. In 1868 he was elected city solici-
tor, and in October of the following j^ear he was appointed county
attorney, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Samuel C.
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 341
Harley. His efficient and impartial administration of this trust was
so marked that he was subsequently twice elected to the office, serv-
ing in all over seven years. In 1873 he was chairman of " The New
Insane Hospital " commission, and wrote the report, which the state
afterward published. In ISTS he was a powerful advocate of the
effort to secure the abolition of the death penalty, and eight years
later, in a convincing speech before the state judiciary committee, he
opposed the restoration of capital punishment.
His mind, of an eminently judicial order, insisted upon taking
■ cognizance of both sides of the prospective case in its equitable and
legal bearings as it was brought to his knowledge, and his advice
to clients was deemed useful to them even though against their
theory of the proposed action. This trend of mind, though it may
have somewhat militated at first again.st a large practice at the bar,
brought him friends and clients, and success in due time, and quali-
fied him in the highest degree for the grave and important duties of
the bench, to which he was called, when a county court auxiliary to
the supreme judicial court was established in Kennebec in 1878. Al-
though known to the records as the superior court, it was better
known among the people as " Judge Whitehouse's court " and became
in the eleven years of his magistracy a very useful and important
branch of the state's judiciary. The splendid record made by him in
this court, in which he fully justified the wisdom of his selection, was
his best recommendation for appointment in 1890 to the position he
now fills on the bench of the supreme judicial court. In this latter
tribunal he also, by his profound knowledge of the law, wise decis-
ions and independence of character, won not only the confidence of
the general public but the highest respect and esteem of the bar. His
able and scholarly decision handed down from the superior court in
the celebrated Burns " original package '" case is the corner stone
upon which rests the entire fabric of prohibition in Maine.
His father was a birthright Quaker and an abolitionist, his mother
a Methodist, and in logical, or at least chronological, sequence we find
Judge Whitehouse a zealous Unitarian and a staunch supporter of the
cardinal principles of the republican party.
Eugene W. Whitehouse, born in Vassalboro, July 9, 1839, is a son
of Edmund, and grandson of Edmund Whitehouse, whose parents
came from New Hampshire. He was a graduate of Kents Hill Sem-
inary, and entered Yale College in 1860, but the following year he
enlisted as a soldier, serving three years. After the war he read law
with Judge Libbey from 1865 to 1867, and in March of ihe latter year
was admitted to the bar. He opened an office in Augusta in 1868, in
which city he is still in practice.
Nathaniel M. Whitmore', the veteran financier of Gardiner,
and with the exception of James W. Bradbury, the oldest and the
342 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
longest in practice of any lawyer in Kennebec county, was born in
Bowdoinham, Me., October 1, 1812. He comes from primitive New
England stock. Francis Whitmore', his ancestor, born in England in
1621. was a Boston dealer in masts and ship timber for Englsh mar-
kets, and was a member of the old Plymouth Land Company. The
male line of descent is through John", born at Cambridge, Mass., 1654;
John", born in Medford, Mass., 1683; Francis', born there in 1714;
Stephen', born there in 1739; and John', born at Bowdoinham in 1771.
Stephen' was educated at Harvard, married Mary Whittemore in 1763,
and in 1768, while yet a young man, became a farmer on the banks of
the Kennebec, two miles south of the village of Richmond, on a tract
of land owned by Francis'. Here they raised their eleven children:
Stephen, lost at sea in 1787; Samuel and William, twins; Francis,
John, Jonathan W., Benjamin, Betsey, Mary, Sally and Rhoda.
John* bought a farm two miles north of Bowdoin village, and in
1804 married Sarah McClellan, of Richmond. Their nine children
were: Amherst, born in 1805, a trader; Philena, born 1807, died
1892; John, 1809; Hannah S.. 1810, died 1884; Nathaniel M., 1812;
Stephen, May 9, 1814; Sarah M., 1816; Chadboiirn W., 1818, who became
a prominent physician in Gardiner; and Samuel, 1820, a farmer and
investor, whose son, Stephen C. Whitmore, was educated at Kents
Hill, read law with his uncle, Nathaniel M. Whitmore, was admitted
to the bar in 1876, and practiced his profession in Gardiner until
1890.
Nathaniel M. remained at home until thirteen years old, when he
was transferred from the farm and the district school to the Mon-
mouth Academy, where he spent two years in fitting for Bowdoin
College, from which he graduated in 1833. Of that class but five are
living. The same year he went to Boston and began reading law
with Colonel Arthur W. Austin, boarding in Charlestown, near where
Edward Everett then lived, on Bow street. An acquaintance sprang
up which resulted in an unexpected proposition from Mr. Everett to
Nathaniel, offering him either of two positions, for which Mr. Everett
had been requested to select suitable persons. One was for a pro-
fessor of mathematics in William & Mary's College in Virginia, and
the other for an instructor in nautical astronomy and mathematics
for midshipmen, on board United States war and training vessels.
Mr. Whitmore chose the latter, going at once on board the sloop of
war St. Louis, which belonged to the West India squadron under Com-
modore Hanley, and was bound on a trip to the Caribbean sea.
The change was a novel one, and this first introduction into an
entirely new sphere of activities was opportune for a young man who
could profit by its advantages and resist its temptations. But one
year of such life brought the desire for a change from sea to land.
Resigning the position, he took charge of the Monmouth Academy
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 343
for two years, and then accepted the principalship of the Waterville
Liberal Institute, and filled it with signal ability for two years, when
failing health compelled him to seek rest.
He had overworked. Besides the care of regular classes and legiti-
mate duties, he had taken pupils in special courses of study, and every
remaining moment of time that should have been given to rest and
recuperation, had been seized by the one ruling purpose of his ambi-
tion— to be a lawyer. Each spare hour since he left Colonel Austin's
office in Boston had been rigorously occupied in preparatory reading.
The proof of this is at hand. On his way home from Waterville
he stopped at Hallowell and presented himself before the examining
committee, composed of these three eminent lawyers: Judge Wil-
liams Emmons, James W. Bradbury and Judge Samuel Wells. After
thorough examination, a certificate for admission to the bar was
promptly given him.
Three months' rest at home revived the powers that had been
wearied, not wasted, and his active nature demanded employment.
He came to Gardiner in the latter part of 1838, and rented an office in
a building on the corner where Jackson's drug store now stands, in
which George Evans, then in the height of his brilliant career, also
had an office. Across the street was another famous lawyer, Frederick
Allen. More than half a century has rolled away since that time-
almost fifty-four years— and still Mr. Whitmore has the physical vigor
to walk daily to his office, and the mental vigor to attend to the legal
and the financial management of his accumulated possessions. Be-
fore the present generation of lawyers was born, or while they were
yet children, Mr. Whitmore was fighting his legal battles with such
Nestors of the bar as Reuel Williams, Henry W. Paine, and the two
already named. With Mr. Paine he was always very intimate, pro-
fessionally and personally. He assisted Frederick Allen in the last
case he ever tried.
His whole practice has been general; real estate, railroad and mer-
cantile interests have given him his hardest work in the courts, some
of the cases involving parties and having lawyers in other states.
High ambition, with a definite purpose, strong will, self denial and
great industry have been the powers and the methods of his long and
successful life. Naturally thoughtful and discriminating, his thor-
ough education and his varied experience as a teacher have combined
to make him exact and scholarly, with a decided literary taste and
appreciation. The brilliant essays and historical writings of Macauley
are his greatest delight.
With strong social capacities and warm personal attachments, yet
his profession, its successes and its rewards, have been the mistress
of his heart. He has never married. The number of accessions to
the learned professions from Mr. Whitmore's brothers and their sons
344 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
is worthy of record. His brothers, Stephen and Chadbourn, were
leading physicians of Gardiner; Albion S., son of Samuel, is a phy-
sician in Boston, and John Edward, son of John, is a physician in
Buffalo, N. Y. Nathaniel M., 2d, son of Amherst; Stephen C, son of
Samuel; Samuel W., son of John, and Warren S., son of Stephen, have
each read law with, and been admitted to the bar from the office of
their uncle, Nathaniel M. Whitmore, of Gardiner.
Warren vS. Whitmore, son of the late Dr. Stephen Whitmore, of
Gardiner, was born in that city in 1859. After attending the common
school he graduated from Gardiner High School, and entered Bow-
doin. While pursuing the college course he continued the reading of
law under the direction of Nathaniel M. Graduating at Bowdoin in
1880, he finished the next year his law course, and was admitted in
1881. The death of his father at that time left him to settle a con-
siderable estate, and to similar business and office practice in his
native city he has sub.sequently given his chief attention.
Nathaniel M. Whitmore, 2d, a son of Amherst and Mary Jane
(Perry) Whitmore, of Bowdoinham, graduated from Bowdoin College
in 1854. He read law with his uncle, Nathaniel M. Whitmore, in
Gardiner, where he .settled in the practice of his profession. Ambi-
tion, industry and a natural adaptation to his calling soon brought a
large and engrossing legal business. The public schools engaged his
special attention, and his labors in their interest culminated in his
being made their superintendent. He was well fitted by his thorough
college training for the invaluable service he rendered the cause of
education in Gardiner. His professional interests were often sacri-
ficed to this service. In the midst of the most obvious overtasking of
all his powers, he was smitten with typhoid pneumonia, from which
occurred his lamented death, in Gardiner, March 4, 1871, at the age of
thirty-seven years. He had two brothers, George L. and Amherst,
and one sister, Ellen J. Whitmore, now of Brunswick, Me.
Benjamin Whitwell was born in 1772, graduated from Harvard in
1790, and came to Augusta in 1796. Here he practiced in partnership
with Williams Emmons, Henry W. Fuller and John Potter. In 1812
he removed to Boston, and thirteen years later died at sea while re-
turning from Charleston, S. C.
Samuel S. Wilde, born in 1771, graduated from Dartmouth in 1789,
and came to Hallowell in 1799. He removed to Massachusetts on the
separation of Maine in 1820, to continue there the exercise of his office
as judge of the supreme court, to which he had been appointed in
1815. He married Eunice Cobb, and had nine children, five of whom
were born in Hallowell between 1800 and 1809. He died in 1855.
Bion Wilson was born in Thomaston, Me., in 1855, studied law with
James W. Bradbury, was admitted to the bar and practiced in Augusta
until 1884, when he removed to Portland.
THE KENNEBEC BAR. 345
William Woart, once president of the Granite Bank of Augusta,
1840-46, was a lawyer in the last years of his life, being admitted in
1842, and practicing in Augusta about 1860. He married Lucy,
daughter of Charles Williams, in January, 1845.
Joseph T. Woodward, born in Sidney about 184.5, was admitted in
1868. He was state senator, then state librarian, prior to 1872.
In the following alphabetical list of lawyers who are, or who have
been, members of the Kennebec bar, either the date of admission is
mentioned with the name, or the place and time of practice, or the
place only, as can be ascertained; otherwise the name only is given :
Bartlett Allen, Waterville, 1824; Manley T. Abbott, 1855; John G. Ab-
bott, 1873; E. C. Ambrose, 1881; Abisha Benson, China, 1823; Rich-
ard Belcher, Winthrop, 1824; James Bell, 1886; Clifford Belcher, 1841;
Erastus Bartlett, 1843; Thomas J. Burgess, 1846; Silas M. Buck, 1855;
Samuel A. Barker, 1857; Hiram O. Butterfield, 1858; James W. Brad-
bury, jun., 1863; Marcus P. Bestow, 1867; George B. Blodgette, 1868;
Herbert Blake, Oakland and Hallowell, 1878; Edward A. Berry, 1877;
Walker Blaine, 1878; Thomas Bond, jun., and S. Bishop, in practice in
1810; Benjamin C. Coolidge, 1836; Sewall Cram, 1836; Horace S.
Cooley, 1839; Benjamin F. Chandler, Waterville, 1843; Edmund A.
Chadwick, 1844; Paul L. Chandler, Waterville, 1844; Samuel H. Cur-
rier, 1848; Henry Clark, 1852; Isaac Coffin, 1853; Melvin Cunning-
ham, 1856; Hiram Choate, 1870; Charles W. Clement, 1874; Leonard
D. Carver, 1876; John P. Craig, 1851; James Cunningham, 1881; J. W.
Corson, 1886; J. C. Chandler; Charles M. Dustin, Gardiner, 1824;
Charles Dummer, Hallowell, 1824; Jonathan G. Dickerson, 1839; Peter
Dunn, 1842; Henry E. Dyer, 1842; Patrick J. Devine, 1843; Francis J.
Day, 1846; Emery Douglass, 1861; Frederick N. Dow, 1876; Marion
Douglass, 1878; Arthur F. Drinkwater; Gridley T. Estes, 1837; New-
ton Edwards, 1850; Enoch Farnham, Albion, 1824; David H. Foster,
Readfield; David Fales, 1851; Enoch Foster, jun., 1865; Charles H. G.
Frye, Augusta and Vas.salboro, 1869; Horace W. Fuller, 1876; Wilbert
C. Fletcher, 1888; Walter Gould, 1836; Eldridge L. Getchell, Water-
ville, 1839; William Gaslin, jun., 1858; Orrin T. Gray, Waterville,
1860; John C. Gray, 1863; Charles C. Grow, 1863; Daniel F. Goodrich,
1866; Nelson F. Graffam, 1875; Francis B.Greene, 1880; William H.
Gibbs, 1880; H. H. Gurley, practiced in 1810; William B. Glazier,
1850; Charles U. Greeley, Winthrop, 1890; Irving D. Hodsdon, 1887;
Thomas A. Hill, practiced in 1810; Everett Hammons, Clinton, about
1810; Mark P. Hatch, Clinton, about 1875; Lorenzo J. Hallett, 1851;
Horatio D. Hutchinson, 1852; Melville G. Hanscom, 1852; Stetson L.
Hill, 1858; John L. Hunter, 1858; B. B. Hanson, 1859; Thomas H.
Hubbard, 1860; Charles K. Hutchins, 1861; Samuel C. Harley, 1863;
Frank S. Hesseltine, 1865; John E. Hanly, 1872; William G. Hunton,
1878; Emery N. Howard, 1883; Charles Haggerty, 1888; Edward T.
346 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Ingraham, 1847; Henry Johnson, Clinton, 1824; Frank H. Jackson,
Hallowell, 1867; Treby Johnson, Augusta, 1875; Henry Jackson, 1880;
Cyrus Knapp, 1852; William H. Kelly, 1877; Reuben L. Keene,
1841; Ephraim H. Lambert, Hallowell; Philip Leach, Vassalboro,
1824; Rodney G. Lincoln, 1856; William H. Lambert, 1866; Hiram B.
Lawrence, 1868; William A. Lancaster, 1881; Fremont J. C. Little,
Augusta, 1892; Joseph H. Manly, 1863; Denis A. Meaher, 1875; R. M.
Mills, Belgrade; William Matthews, 1840; William S. Marshall, 1841;
George S. Mulliken, 1847; Tristam McFadden, 1858; Alilton M. Mer-
rill, 1845; John D. Myrick, 1865; George J. Moody, 1877; Anson P.
Mills, 1878; Gilbert H. O'Reilly, a tailor, 1843; William O. Otis, 1853;
Lemuel Paine, Winslow, 1824; Ara C. Potten, 1856; Thomas H. B.
Pierce, 1866; Cassius C. Powers, of Augusta, 1871; John O. Page, of
Hallowell, 1845; Appleton H. Plaisted, of Waterville, 1880; George S.
Paine, 1884; Warren Preston, practiced in 1810; Frank L. Plummer,
Waterville, died 1892; Sylvanus W. Robinson; Joshua L. Randall,
1864; Charles R. Rice, 1871; E. W. Ripley, practiced in 1810; Chester
J. Reed, 1846; Nathaniel L. Sawyer, 1841; Isaac W. Springer, 1849;
Greenlief T. Stevens [see page 91]; B. L. Smith, Oakland; Samuel
A. Stinson, 1852; George Harvey Snell, 1853; Ansel Smith, 1855;
Thomas B. Sherman, 1858; Joseph W. Spaulding, 18()5: A. G. Stinch-
field. 1850; Martin B. vSoule, Waterville, 1870; Albion R. Simmons,
1881; Bartlett Tripp, 1867; Herbert R. Tinkham, 1881; Orrin A. Tuell,
Augusta, 1887 (Heather & Tuell); George F. Talbot, 1840; William N.
Titus, 1851; Joseph B. Wells, 1838; William H. Weeks, 1842; Horatio
Woodbury, 1855; Henry Clay Wood, 1856; Eugene L. White, 1857;
Benjamin F. Wright, Waterville, 1886; Matthias Weeks. Clinton, 1824;
Henry A. Wyman, 1848; David T.Wright, Gardiner, ]8.")4; Samuel
W. Whitmore, 1877; William G. Waitt, 1878; Edward L. Whitehouse,
1880; Frank S. Webster, Clinton, about 1885; S. H. Willard, Oakland,
now practicing in Mercer, Somerset county.
CHAPTER XV.
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.
PRACTITIONERS of the art of healing belong to a brotherhood
that is older than history. It was born with transgression and
pain, and is man's effort to mitigate the effects of broken law.
Horace Mann condensed the question and its solution nearly half a
century ago in the following words, that no one has had the temerity
to dispute: " However graciously God may deal with the heart, all our
experience proves that he never pardons stomach, muscles, liver, nor
brain.'" Not till of late has any adequate force of this truth been ac-
knowledged by the profession. To the average patient it is still
among the things he does not know, and so. failing to find absolution
in a dose of medicine, he blames his doctor for failing to perform the
impossible. No other profession has traveled further from its start,
or is still so long a journey from satisfactory results. In no other is
exact knowledge so scarce and in such demand, or assumed knowl-
edge in such over supply. No other field of exploration presents
greater difficulties or offers greater prizes. No profession is more
earnest in its effort and intention to do the very best thing, and no
other fails of its aim half so often. Though still in its empiric stage,
no profession has lain so near the great heart of the world as the
medical. Its members march in step with each generation from the
cradle to the tomb. No other mingles so freely with all classes, or is
so broadly in touch with the pulse of humanity, from its highest to
its lowest types. The duties of no other so often penetrate the inner
sanctuary of the home, and to no other are the most secret facts of
life so often revealed. Men in no other calling are so often appealed
to for gratuitous service, and no others respond so freely or so often.
It is confidently asserted that Kennebec county has fortunately been
served by medical men who have averaged well up in their attain-
ments, while some names have shed light and lustre on their art.
Carroll W. Abbott studied with Dr. George H. Wilson, of Albion,
graduated from Bowdoin College in 1882-3, and soon after began
practice in Albion.
Enoch Adams, of Litchfield, comes of Welsh blood— a race whose
achievements adorn, and whose origin antedates, history.- His ances-
348 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tor, Robert Adams, a tailor, came with his wife, Eleanor, to Ipswich,
Mass., about 1635; thence to Salem, and died in Newbury in 1682.
Their second son, Sergeant Abraham Adams, born in Salem in
1639, married Mary Pettengill, and died in Newbury in 1714. Captain
Abraham Adams, the second son of vSergeant Abraham, was born in
1676 and married Anne Longfellow. Henry, their eighth son, was
born in Newbury in 1722, and married Sarah Emery. Enoch, the
second son of Henry and Sarah, was born in 1752 and married his
first wife, Sally Bragg, in 1778, and his second wife, Lydia Moody, in
1803.
Enoch Adams, the first child by his first wife, was born in 1779, in
Andover, Mass. He married Lucy, daughter of Rev. John Strickland,
in 1807, and removed to Andover, Me., where their son, Dr. Enoch
Adams, was born, May 21, 1829.
He was educated in the schools of his native town and later at
Kents Hill, when that school was rising on its tide of wonderful pros-
perity under that peerless educator, Doctor Torsey. Choosing the
medical profession, he attended lectures first at Bowdoin College and
then at Harvard University, where he graduated from the medical
department in 1851. During the same year he married Mary H. Case
and settled in Litchfield, in medical practice. When the war broke
out he tendered his services as assistant surgeon to the authorities at
Augusta, with no definite result. Some weeks later he was surprised
by the receipt of his appointment from Governor Washburn as sur-
geon of the 14th Maine Regiment, to take effect November 15, 1861.
He reported for duty and served under General Butler in New
Orleans, and went on that fruitless Red River expedition under Gen-
eral Banks. The severe strain of the climate and the exposure of all
the vicissitudes of war produced a large per cent, of sickness in the
army, necessitating constant vigilance and exhausting labor by the
surgeons and their as.sistants. The efifects of overwork and little rest
compelled him to leave the service and attend to his own health.
Returning to Litchfield, he resumed his practice as soon as his
strength would permit.
Between his graduation and the present time lie forty-one years of
successful, unremitting professional work. This long service has
brought him in close relations with the inhabitants of a great sweep
of surrounding country and an intimate acquaintance with his medi-
cal brethren. With both classes he stands high — with the first indis-
pensable. He is an active, zealous Mason, member of Litchfield
Lodge and of Gardiner Chapter. He is also a valued member of the
Maine and of the Kennebec County Medical Associations. He was
selected as the republican representative to the legislature of 1887,
where he served as secretary of the committee charged with investi-
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 349
gating in behalf of the state the causes, nature and remedy of tuber-
culosis in cattle.
Doctor Adams' children are: Enoch C, master of the high school
at Newburyport, Mass.; M. Vinton, M.D., graduate of the medical de-
partment of the Pennsylvania University, of Philadelphia, and now
practicing at Brunswick, Me.; Wendall H., .who graduated in medi-
cine at Bowdoin College and is now practicing at Kingston, Mass.;
M. Lenora, formerly preceptress at Kents Hill, now Mrs. Professor B.
O. Mclntire, of Dickinson College, at Carlisle, Pa.; Hermon H., a
farmer in Belgrade, Me.; Lulu G., teacher of Latin at Kents Hill;
Frank N., at home on the farm, and M. Lena, now a student at Kents
Hill.
Moses Appleton was born in Ipswich, N. H., in 1773, studied medi-
cine at Medford, Mass., with Governor Brooks, graduated from Dart-
mouth in the class of 179L received the degree of M. D. from the
Massachusetts Medical Society in 1796, and the same year began prac-
tice in Waterville, where he died in 1849. He married Ann Clark,
and had five children: Ann L., Samuel, Mary J., George A. and Moses,
who was a lawyer at Bangor.
Daniel R. Bailey, son of Ezekiel, and oldest brother of Charles M.
Bailey, of Winthrop, was born in 1815 and took the degree of M.D. at
Philadelphia. He established a practice in Winthrop in 1838, and in
1849 went to East Winthrop. He died in 1858.
Stephen Barton came in 1774 from Oxford, Mass., to Vassalboro,
where he practiced until 1788, and then returned to Oxford. About
1803 he located in Malta, now Windsor, where he died in 1805.
James M. Bates, born at Norridgewock in 1827, began the study of
medicine in Augusta in 1848, graduated from Jefferson Medical Col-
lege in 1851, and in May of that year began practice at South China,
removing in 1854 to Sidney, where he practiced five years, and then
went to Yarmouth, Me., where he still resides. He was surgeon of
the 13th Maine during the war.
Solomon Bates [see page 960] was a native of Fayette and once
represented the district in congress.
John Thwing Bates, a member of the Maine Medical Association,
graduated from the Medical School of Maine in 1859. He practiced
medicine a year in Winthrop, taking the place of Doctor Snow during
his absence abroad, and then went into the army as assistant surgeon
of the 11th Maine. He died April 11, 1863, at Port Royal, S. C.
Peleg Benson was the only practitioner in Winthrop from 1792
until 1806. He was born in Middleborough, Mass., in 1766, came to
Winthrop in 1792, and married Sally, daughter of Colonel Simon
Page. He died in 1848.
Alden E. Bessey, born in Hebron, Me., in 1838, is a son of Erastus
and Sarah (Smith) Bessey. He studied at Hebron Academy, Kents
350 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Hill Seminary and Colby University, and graduated from Amherst
College. In 1870 he graduated from the Brunswick, Me., Medical
School, and later took a special course at the Post Graduate Medical
School, of New York. In 1870 he opened practice in Wayne, and in
1871 removed to Sidney, where he practiced until 1890, when he came
to Waterville. His first wife, Helen J. Morton, left two sons: Murton
W., now a student at the medical school at Brunswick, and Earl E.
His present wife is Clara A. Forbs. Their daughter is Lenora Bessey.
H. M. Blake, of Monmouth, is the great-grandson of Phineas
Blake,* whose sister was the mother of the illustrious General Henry
Dearborn, who was also a physician. He was born November 29,
1836, on the farm at East Monmouth that has now beeh occupied
by the Blake family of five generations. Doctor Blake received his
early education in Monmouth Academy, and from there went to
Kents Hill, where he fitted for college. In 1858 he entered Wesleyan
University, at Middletown, Conn., and graduated in the class of 1862.
He then taught school in the city of Bath, and later became an in-
structor in Monroe Seminary, Wisconsin. In 1867 he began the study
of medicine in Bowdoin College. From there he went to the Belle-
vue Hospital Medical College, New York, from which institution he
received the degree of M. D. in the spring of 1869. He practiced his
profession at Readfield with marked success until the fall of 1875, when
he removed to Monmouth Center, where he now resides and around
which he has built up a good practice. He is a member of the State
and County Medical Societies, has been a useful trustee of Kents Hill
Seminary since 1874, and for several years served with much ability
on the prudential committee.
D. P. Bolster, secretary of the County Medical Society, was born
in Paris, Me., in 1827, attended Norway High School and Hebron
Academy, studied medicine with Doctors Brickett and Millet, and
graduated in 1852 from Bowdoin Medical College. After three
years in Leeds and Washington, Me., he located in China, Me.,
where he practiced until 1877, when he removed to Augusta, where
he is in general practice. In September, 1862, he was appointed as-
sistant surgeon of the 21st Maine, and after that regiment was mus-
tered out he was again commissioned in the 16th Maine, in which he
served until the close of the war.
Nathaniel R. Boutelle was the son of the eminent lawyer,
Timothy Boutelle, noticed at page 308, who married at Exeter, N. H.,
Helen Rogers, who was born in 1789. Nathaniel R. was born in
-Waterville in 1821, and, after the usual preparatory course, entered
Waterville College in 1839. After spending two years there he was
compelled, by sickness, to retire from his class. In 1843 he began the
study of medicine, and graduated from Jefferson Medical College,
* His family is noticed at page 794 et seq.—\^\i.
A.^MtcOilU
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION.
ar>»
<47. In 1848 he attended clinics at the Pennsyl-
: was a student at the Obstetrical Tn'^tiiule in Phila-
■ > he attended a course of medical icclc.res in that
t( from Jefferson <:>1
e resided until his :
I'rof. George W. K-.
: son, was born in l.sr>:
born in 1857, is nnti<
k'Utelle attended lecn
• to a special call fur
duty at Frederick.-!
-d to Waterville, v
■n gained for him i--
• he state and was i
per valley of the '-
.• breeding of !
: ville. [See ;•
i'lember of th.
• »r, and from
rville, until !.
Viie21st Mci.
came to A,:
lil 1865. I!,
. .trainers m.*
ckett was bo;
r. George E..
: 1885, and i-
irn in 180".
•y in 18-21. •
1 graduater!
'ced practic
edly for r^v
who h
ce in
rricd
f
held. Me., January -j, l«4(), a town notea lor turning out
more aoctors
35a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
than any town of equal population in Maine. His ancestors were
English, and lived in Saco. Silas' and Eleazer Burbank, brothers, the
former his great-grandfather, both served as musicians in the revolu-
tionary war. Silas' had a son, Silas', who settled m Newfield, Me.,
and in turn bestowed his father's honored name on one of his boys,
who thereby became Silas'. The latter settled in Parsonsfield and mar-
ried Mary Burbank, whose father was a younger brother of her hus-
band's grandfather. Their children were: Silas', Thatcher W., Mary
E., Harriet P., Melinda W. and Moses S. By his second wife, Han-
nah L. Bragdon, he had two more children: Annie and Frederic L.
When Silas*, the eldest of these children, was fourteen years old,
his father, who was a farmer, removed from Parsonsfield to Limerick.
Silas was an industrious boy on the farm and a studious boy at school.
At the early age of sixteen he was sufficiently advanced in his studies
to undertake school teaching. So successful was this first venture,
that he taught each winter for the next eight years, wisely adding to
his mental equipment by a term in the Limerick Academy each spring
and fall.
In 1860 the Burbank family moved from Limerick to Strong, Me.
Our young student schoolmaster now decided to be a doctor, and com-
menced the necessary reading at the age of twenty-one with Dr. John
A. Richards, of Strong. After attending medical lectures at Bowdoin
College for two years, he received his degree in June, 1864, and set-
tied the same year in Mt. Vernon. He was a young man then, and
the young doctor. Now, after twenty-eight years' practice, he has
become the old doctor, although not yet an old man. He has proved
a good physician and a good citizen. His wide and successful practice
testifies to the first, and his record to the last.
He has been an active and useful worker in all measures for prog-
ress and reform — a pronounced temperance man — was lodge deputy
in the Good Templar organization, has long stood in the working col-
umn of the Baptist Sabbath school, and for the past twelve years has
been its superintendent. He joined the Baptist church in 1870, is
chairman of the ministerial committee, and for several years has
served as one of its deacons.
Doctor Burbank is a good illustration of the law of heredity. We
have seen that his ancestor, Silas, the soldier, made music for men to
fight and to die by. The Burbank blood has constantly retained the
gift. The doctor was always a singer, and at twenty he became a
teacher of the good, old-fashioned country singing school — peace to
its ashes; it didn't outlive its usefulness. When he came to town he
took charge of the choir and is still its chorister.
Always a republican in politics, he was a member of the school
committee six years, school supervisor two years, town clerk one year,
and member of the board of health for three years. He has taken
^dXi^^'-^6 /9i^i^^^^=c^x.^<^^y^x^
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 353
great interest in Masonic matters, serving for the past twenty years as
secretary of his Lodge. Doctor Burbank is a member of the Kennebec
County Medical Association, and was its president in 1875. With all
his labors by day and by night, he is a hearty, robust man, five feet
eight inches tall, and has attained to General Hancock's renowned
weight of 240 pounds. It takes a good horse to draw him on an
emergency call rapidly over the rugged hills of Mt. Vernon and
adjoining towns. His fidelity and skill have yielded him substantial
rewards.
Dr. Burbank married Jennie B. Pratt, of Strong, February 28,
1864. Their only child George D'., born May 18, 1865, is now in the
employ of the New York Central Railroad Company in S}'racuse,
New York. The doctor's present wife was Hattie D. Morse, of Mt.
Vernon, to whom he was married December 25, 1876.
John Bush was born July 3, 1792, at Boylston, Mass. After gradu-
ating from Bowdoin, he taught at the Wiscasset Academy, and pur-
sued the study of medicine. He then graduated from the medical
department of Bowdoin, and established himself in Vassalboro. Dur-
ing his practice there he married Anne Wayne. He spent several
years in Massachusetts, after which he returned to Vassalboro, where
he remained in active practice until his death, at the age of eighty-
four.
Henry H. Campbell, born at Farmington, Me., in 1820, is a son of
Moses and Abigail (Hancock) Campbell, and grandson of Alexander
Campbell. He studied in Bloomfield Academy, graduated from Dart-
mouth Medical School in 1848, and from Jefferson Medical College,
Philadelphia, the following year. He began practice at Fairfield in
1849, remaining there until January, 1858, when he went to Europe
and spent a year in study at Edinburgh, London and Paris. In De-
cember, 1858, he began practice in Waterville, where he has since
resided. He married Julia A., daughter of Stephen Tobey. Their
children are: Annie J. (wife of Rev. Charles D. Crane) and George
R., a graduate of Colby, '91.
Nelson H. Carey, born in Massachusetts in 1807, practiced in
Wayne, and died in 1877.
Charles B. Gates was born in Vassalboro in 1820 and died in Cali-
fornia in 1888. He graduated from the Vassalboro Academy, studied
medicine, graduated from Jefferson Medical College in 1845, and
practiced two years in Fall River, Mass., where he married Margaret
B. Barker. He soon returned to his native town, where he practiced
until his removal to California in 1886.
F. Chenery, born in 1863, in Livermore, is a son of Michael P.
Chenery. He studied at Livermore and Kents Hill, spent two years
in Boston College of Physicians and Surgeons, and one year in the
354 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
University of the City of New York, Medical Department, where he
was graduated in 1886. Since December of the latter year he has
practiced in Wayne.
vSamuel Louis Clarke, son of Captain Samuel Clarke, of Winthrop,
was a medical graduate of Jefferson College, Philadelphia. He
practiced for a time in his native town, and afterward in Bangor,
Me.
Pell R. Clason, a brother of O. B. Clason [page 321], was born in
Litchfield, July 13, 1855, and prepared for college in Gardiner, where
he was for two years the successful principal of the high school. He
was graduated from Bates College in 1877, and then, while teaching,
began the study of medicine, and was graduated from Bowdoin Medi-
cal School in 1882. He practiced in Gardiner until his untimely
•death, October 31, 1886, at which time he was president of the com-
mon council, and member of the school committee. He left two sons:
Silas O. and Ernest F.
James Cochran, born in Windham, N. H., in 1777, was educated
as a physician, and, after a few years' practice in Limington, he re-
moved, in 1806, to Monmouth, where he practiced successfully for
many years. He died at Rockland, October 10, 1860.
James Cochrane, jun., born in Limington in 1801, was graduated
from Bowdoin Medical School in 1824, and practiced in Brooks, Lis-
bon and Monmouth, Me., until shortly before his death in 1875.
Charles A. Cochrane, born in 1833, in Monmouth, is a son of James
Cochrane, jun., M. D. Charles A. was educated at Monmouth Acad-
emy, and began the study of medicine in 1851 with his father, attend-
ing in the meantime three courses of lectures at Bowdoin Medical
School, from which he graduated in 1856. From the latter year until
November, 1858, he was a partner with Dr. Henry Barrows in Vassal-
boro. Since November, 1858, he has practiced in Winthrop. He was
a member of the Massachusetts Homeopathic State Society, until a
similar organization was perfected in Maine, since which time he has
been a member of the latter, of which he has been secretary and
president. He is also a member of the American Institute of Homeop-
athy. He married, in November, 1859, Caroline Augusta, daughter
of Colonel Rufus Marston, of Monmouth. Their only child is Emma L.
Daniel Cony, son of Deacon Samuel Cony, was educated as a phy-
sician and practiced in Augusta many years.
Louis A. Cook, born at Dixmont, Me., in 1862, graduated in medi-
cine from the University of New York, in 1889, and began practice at
China village.
Leander J. Crooker is the son of Dr. Sebra and Parmelia (Durl-
ing) Crooker, of Brookfield, N. S., who was born in Edgcomb, Me.,
and moved to Nova Scotion when a young man, where he built up a
large practice prior to his death in 1890. Leander J. was born in
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 355
Liverpool, N. S., February 24, 1837. He early evinced a natural apti-
tude for anatomical investigation, and at the age of twelve performed
his first surgical operation — extracting a tooth for an aged Irishman.
Six years later, with the daring of youth, he successfully removed a
tumor from the axillary cavity of Mrs. O'Blenis, of Cornwallis, N. S.,
an operation which the surgeons of the town had refused to under-
take. His parents at first opposed his studying medicine, fearing
that his venturesome disposition would lead him into trouble in his
practice; but innate genius would not be thwarted, and at the age of
eighteen he began his studies under his father's guidance. He opened
an irregular practice in Vassalboro and Belgrade when he was in his
twenty-fir.st year, and so successful was he in the many and varied
difficult operations he performed, that for twelve years he deferred
taking a regular degree of M. D. It seemed as if he were impelled
by some unseen power to operate, and his natural mechanical inge-
nuit}' was a potent factor in his surgical skill. He could goto a black-
smith's and forge out for himself any of the simpler instruments he
required; and his superior inventive ability is illustrated by the fact
that in 1872 he produced an important .surgical instrument, now known
in the profession the world o(?er as Crooker's Spiral Spring Ligater.
His first operation for strangulated hernia was made under diffi-
culties. When but twenty-two years of age, after walking several
miles through the deep snow, which was so drifted that he was com-
pelled to leave his horse, he reached his patient late in the night. By
the light of two tallow candles and the assistance of a neighbor, it
was cut down upon and the bowel returned. Ether was not used in
the operation for the very good reason that he had none with him.
He is not a believer in Lister's full method; he regards perfect clean-
liness in all surgical operations of the greatest importance, and be-
lieves that no operation should be made without a free use of the
most approved antiseptics.
At length, however, the advisability of taking a regular degree
became patent to him, and from Belgrade he went to Boston, where
he attended lectures at the Harvard Medical School. In 1870 he
graduated from the medical department of Dartmouth College, and
began practice in Augusta as a regular physician. He has since
done general surgery, there being scarcely an operation of any nature
that he has not performed, and now, in his fifty-fifth year, he has yet to
lose a case from the effects of the operation, excepting in abdominal
operations, in which he has lost but six out of fifty-seven cases, and
these exceptions were in incurable cases, the operations being simply
a. forlorn hope. He has never rejected an abdominal operation on
account of dangerous symptoms, and his .success in this direction
has been most satisfactory. His consultation cases are numerous,
especially in surgery, and embrace a wide scope of territory, while
65b HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
his office and surgery business at Augusta are of still greater propor-
tions. Doctor Crocker has contributed papers on professional subjects
to various medical journals.
In 1858 Doctor Crocker married Clara B. Tarbell, of Vassalbcro,who
died in 1866. His second wife, whom he married in 1867, was Fannie
A., daughter of James H. Guppy, of Boston. His son, by the latter
marriage, born in 1869, is Leander J., jun., a physician and druggist
at Augusta. He graduated from the Medical School at Dartmouth
1890. Doctor Crocker is an active member of the State and County
Medical Associations, and is a decided friend and promoter of all
judicious public enterprises and improvements.
Atwood Crosby was born in Albion in 1838. He was edu-
cated at Benton Academy and at Coburn Classical Institute. He
entered the army in Company G, 3d Maine, was captured at
Bull Run, and was a prisoner of war eleven months. He was
paroled in June, 1862, and at once began the study of medi-
cine with Dr. N. R. Bcutelle, of Waterville. He attended lec-
tures at Harvard Medical school, and in August, 1864, received the
degree of M. D. from Bowdoin Medical School. He entered the U. S.
navy as surgeon immediately after graduation, and served until the
close of the war. He began private practice at Buckfield in 1865, and
the following year came to Waterville, where he practiced until his
death, January 25, 1888. His second wife and two daughters survive
him.
J. H. Gushing practiced in Sidney up to 1871, being the successor
there of Dr. James M. Bates.
Abiel Daley came to Kennebec county in the first quarter of this
century, and practiced contemporaneously with the senior Doctor
Cochran at Monmouth.
Thomas M. Dillingham was a partner of Dr. James B. Bell at
Augusta about 1877.
F. L. Dixon graduated from Dartmouth Medical vSchool in 1880,
and practiced in Wayne until 1884.
Daniel Driscoll was born in Winthrop, Me., in 1860, educated at
the common schools, read medicine in the Portland School of Medi-
cal Instruction, and graduated from the medical department of Bow-
doin College in 1885. With the exception of four years in Win-
throp, his practice has been in Sidney, where he is settled at Bacon's
Corner. [See page 1058].
J. C. Dunham began practice in Winthrop about 1870, and four
years later went to Lewiston.
M. K. Dwinell, born in 1860, at East Calais, Vt., was educated at
the grammar school of that town, and graduated from the Boston
University, Medical Department, in 1883. In July of that year he
located at North Vassalboro, and in 1892 removed to Waterville.
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 357
Crosby G. Eaton was born in Vienna, read medicine at Waterville,
graduated from Bowdoin Medical College in 1883, and settled in Oak-
land.
Elbridge G. Edgcomb was born in Livermore, Me., in 1814, gradu-
ated from the medical department of Bowdoin College in 1845, and
practiced in Readfield until he left the county, prior to 1866.
John Marshall Eveleth, born in 1828 at Windham, Me., is a son of
John and Rebecca (Merrill) Eveleth, and grandson of Nathaniel Eve-
leth. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1849, and from the
Maine Medical School in 1854. The following year he began private
practice at Poland, Me., where he remained for four years. In Febru-
ary, 1861, he began practice at Mechanics Falls, Me., where he re-
mained until January, 1880, when he came to Hallowell, where he
now resides. He married Lucy Ellen Douglass, of Waterford, Me.
She died in February, 1881, leaving three children: Abbie Lyle,
John A. and Lucy M. His second marriage, in 1883, was with Clara
A. Douglass, sister of his first wife.
Frank P. Fletcher, son of Colonel Robert Fletcher, of China, was
born in that town, and practiced at Weeks Mills the last years of his
life. He was a graduate of Brunswick Medical School, and had prac-
ticed in Hope, Me.
Everett Flood was born in Clinton, graduated in medicine from
Bowdoin College, practiced a year in his native town and went to
Massachusetts.
John L. Fortier, son of Frederic and Esther (Wright) Fortier, was
born in 1863 at St. Sylvester, P. 0. He was educated in the provinces, and
New Hampshire and Vermont, his classical education being largely
acquired under the private tuition of Rev. Father Charland. In 1879
he began the study of medicine with Dr. H. H. Campbell, of Water-
ville, and in 1883 received the degree of M. D. from Brunswick Medi-
cal School. He has practiced in Waterville .since his graduation. In
1889 he opened a drug store on Main street, and in 1891 opened
another on Water .street, in the block which he built in 1890. His wife
was Leonie Martel. Their only child is Leora C.
Abram Frees enjoyed a large general practice at Pishon's Ferry,
Clinton, about 1817.
Archelaus P. Fuller, born in 1799, practiced in Albion for many
years, dying there in 1880.
Sylvester Gardiner, the physician, is noticed at pages 193 and 601.
WoosTER Parker GiDDiNGS,of Gardiner, comes from old England
stock after six generations of New England growth. George Giddings,
his ancestor, left St. Albans, Hertfordshire, Eng., with three servants,
and landed in Bo.ston, April 2, 1635 — settling in Ipswich, Mass.
Thomas Giddings, his grandfather, a skillful ship carpenter, removed
358
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
with his family from Ipswich in 1813, and settled on a farm in China,
Me., where he raised a family of four children.
Thomas, the oldest, born in Ipswich, became a stock dealer, and
was noted for the thrifty management of his farm. He married
Lucinda Starrett, of China, and to them were born three children:
Elizabeth, Samuel and Wooster P.— the latter May 11, 1840. At the
age of fifteen Wooster exchanged the district school and the sur-
roundings of his boyhood for a course of study at New Hampton,
N. H., preparatory for college. In addition to this he devoted con-
siderable time to the development and practice of a natural taste for
sketching, designing and engraving, and acquired great facilitj^ in
the use of pencils and the engraver's tools. This acquisition has been
Residence of W P GIDDINGS M D Gardiner Me
of immense benefit in his profession, enabling him to execute exact
drawings of the natural or morbid appearance of any organ or struc-
ture of the human body — than which no use of the artist's pencil re-
quires more delicate manipulations, or makes more difficult demands.
His anatomical and pathological portfolios are a revelation and a
study to the professional, and a marvel to all.
After the proper course of study he graduated from the medical
department of Harvard College in the class of 1870. His first practice
was in Waltham, Mass., where his time was partially occupied in en-
graving. In 1871 he settled in Ward 25, Boston, whence he came to
Gardiner in 1880.
Since coming to Gardiner Doctor Giddings has easily advanced to
the front rank of his profession in central Maine. He is fortunate
(4^.....^^ %.^
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 359
in that unusual combination and balance of qualities that make their
possessor equally adapted to the art of healing and to the practice of
surgery. He has an active temperament, quick observation, fine per-
ception and that reflection that ultimates in the good judgment of the
practitioner, and he has also a promptness of decision and a certain
understanding and mastery of mechanical operations that is the foun-
dation of successful surgery.
These qualities, animated by that divine principle of growth that
keeps a perpetual student and learner abreast with the freshest fact
and thought, are full explanation of the wide demand for Doctor
Gidding's professional services that has long existed. His thorough
knowledge and peculiar gifts of explanation and illustration to the
satisfaction of courts, and the understanding of juries, bring his ser-
vices in more than frequent demand, as an expert.
He is highly esteemed by his professional brethren, who regard as
of special value the many papers and addres.ses which he has prepared
for meetings of the Maine and the Kennebec County Medical Societies.
He is a member of both, and an ex-president of the latter, and is also
vice-president of the Harvard Alumni Association.
Doctor Giddings married for his first wife, Mary Barton, of Wind-
sor, Me. They had one child, Minnie L. His second wife was
Sarah Peckham, of Boston, by whom he had one child, Harold. His
present wife was Adelaide Clark, of Boston.
I. W. Gilbert, son of John C. and Olive (Brann) Gilbert, and grand-
son of Andrew Gilbert, was born at Litchfield in 1852. He was edu-
cated at Litchfield Academy, and graduated in 1874 from the Maine
Medical School. After practicing five years in Phippsburg, Me., and
a short time in Franklin Alass., he returned to Litchfield. He mar-
ried, in 1874, Sarah E., daughter of Dexter W. and Margaret C.
(Flanders) Smith, granddaughter of Zachariah and Lydia (Plimpton)
Smith, and great-granddaughter of Thomas Smith, jun. They have
two daughters: Lena M. and Emma D.
Matthew S. Goodrich, son of Rev. Joseph B. Goodrich, was born at
Palmyra, Me., in 1860, He was educated in the public schools of his
native town and in Maine Central Institute. He attended Brunswick
Medical School one term, and in 1882 he graduated from the medical
department of the University of New York. In April, 1882, he began
practice at Fairfield, where he continued until October, 1889. He
took a course at the Post Graduate Medical School, of New York, and,
January 1, 1890, opened practice in Waterville, and at the same time
started a hospital, known as "Waterville City Hospital." He is sur-
geon to the Oldtown City Hospital, a member of the Kennebec County
Medical Society and. the Maine Medical Association, and an honorary
member of the Somerset County Medical Society.
6bV HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
David Hale practiced at Fayette Mills, went to Livermore Falls in
1843, and died there in 1868.
Eli S. Hannaford, son of Aaron Hannaford, is a native of Strong,
Me., and a graduate of Brunswick Medical School. He came to Read-
field from Phillips, and practiced until 1891, when he removed to South
Framingham, Mass.
J. Q. A. Hawes graduated from the Maine Medical School in 1853,
practiced in Hallowell, and kept a drug store there several years prior
to his death in 1890.
Gertrude E. Heath, of Gardiner, a daughter of A. M. C. Heath, re-
ceived the degree of M. D. in March, 1883, from Hahnemann Medical
College of Chicago, and has since practiced her profession in Gardi-
ner, in company with Dr. Mrs. Potter.
Jonathan Hicks, the first doctor to settle in ancient Pittston, prac-
ticed from 1772 to 1774. The inhabitants were so healthy, however,
that he returned in disgust to Massachusetts, whence he came.
Hiram H. Hill, the late eminent physician and surgeon, of Au-
gusta, was born in Turner, Me., in 1810. At the age of sixteen he
went to live with Dr. Dexter Baldwin, of Mt. Vernon, and here the de-
sire to become a physician seized him. He attended the village
school, and in his leisure hours devoted himself to the study of
natural philosophy, chemistry and the classics. He began the study
of niedicine in his twenty-second year with Doctor Gage, of Augusta,
and afterward studied with Doctors Amos Nourse and John Hubbard,
of Hallowell. He attended lectures at the University of Pennsyl-
vania, graduated from Bowdoin in 1836, and opened an office in Au-
gusta, where he practiced for over fifty years, becoming, undoubtedly,
the most distinguished physician in the state. His death occurred
December 2, 1889.
J. Fred Hill, son of James P. and Emaline P. (Simpson) Hill, was
born in 1854. He graduated from Coburn Classical Institute in 1878,
and in that and the following year took a partial course at Colby
University, teaching school during the winter. In 1881 he began the
study of medicine under Dr. F. C. Thayer, of Waterville. In the same
year he took one course of lectures at Dartmouth, and in 1885 gradu-
ated from Bowdoin Medical School. He was assistant to Doctor
Thayer from May, 1885, until January, 1888, when they became part-
ners. He is a member of the County, State and American Medical
Associations. He married Angle L., daughter of Moses C. Foster,
and they have one son, Fred T., and a daughter, Margaret F., de-
ceased.
W. Scott Hill, born in Greene, Me., in 1839, studied medicine with
Dr. William Graves, of Sabattus, Me., was in Tufts College in 1863,
and in 1864 entered the navy, serving as surgeon's steward until the
close of the war. He continued the study of medicine at Bellevue
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. dbl
Hospital Medical College, graduating in February, 1867, when he
located in Augusta.
Ezekiel Holmes [see pages 192 and 245], born in Kingston, Mass.,
graduated from Brown University in 1821 and from the medical de-
partment of Bowdoin in 1824. He came to Winthrop in 1832, but did
not practice long, his physical endurance not being equal to the
rugged requirements of a country physican.
Manuel S. Holmes, son of Isaiah, and grandson of Ebenezer
Holmes, was born in West Waterville in 1852. He attended Coburn
Classical Institute, and in 1879 graduated from the medical depart-
ment of Boston University. After practicing three months in Water-
ville, he removed to Oakland. He married Myra E., daughter of Eras-
tus O. W. McKechnie.
George B. Howard, son of Cyrus, was born in Winslow in 1850.
He graduated from Coburn Classical Institute in 1871 and from Colby
University in 1875. He received his degree from the medical depart-
ment of the University of the City of New York in 1879, and prac-
ticed in Waterville until June, 1890, when his health failed.
Charles Hubbard came from Concord, Mass., to Winthrop in 1827,
and after a stay of three years, removed to Lowell, Mass.
John Hubbard, ex-governor of Maine, the eldest son of Dr. John
Hubbard, of Readfield, was born in that town in 1794. He applied
himself so diligently to preparatory studies that he was able to enter
Dartmouth in the third term of the sophomore year, and graduated in
1816. In 1820 he entered the medical department of the University
of Pennsylvania, and two years later received his degree of M. D.
He practiced in Virginia until 1829, when he returned to his native
state, and the following year took up his life residence at Hallowell.
In 1843 he was sent to the state senate and in 1849 was elected gov-
ernor of Maine and reelected the following year. His death occurred
February 6, 1869.
Cyrus Kendrick, of Litchfield, is the son of Cyrus, and the grand-
son of Thomas Kendrick, both of North Brookfield, Mass., where the
latter died at the age of ninety. His son, Cyrus, born in 1789, left
his native town and came to Warren, Me., in 1808, where he fitted
himself for teaching and taught school several years. About 1815 he
came to Gardiner and located on Water street, in the grocery busi-
ness. In this pursuit he continued till 1838, a part of the time being
in partnership with Robert Gould. Mr. Kendrick was one of the
earliest and most active members of the order of Masonry in Gardi-
ner, being a charter member, and the first master of old Herman
Lodge, constituted in 1820. He was also efficient in town affairs,
serving as a selectman and moderator in 1837, as treasurer in 1848 and
1849. and was a justice of the peace for many years.
After retiring from trade he gave his attention to the settlement
362 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of claims and estates, and other matters connected with his office as
civil magistrate, till he retired from business altogether.
Cyrus Kendrick married Sarah Maxc}', of Union, Me., by whom he
had seven children: Joseph, Mary, William, Melina, Cyrus, Thomas,
now a teacher in Sacramento, Cal., and Lucy— all dead but William,
Thomas and Cyrus. Mr. and Mrs. Kendrick lived in Gardiner, where
they were prominent members of the Baptist church, till near the
close of their lives, when they removed to Litchfield, where both died
in 1866.
Cyrus, their fifth child, was born in Gardiner September 6, 1825,
where he grew up, attending its schools, including the old Institute,
till he resolved to be a physician, and entered the medical depart-
ment of Bowdoin College, in which he studied two years. From there
he went to Philadelphia and completed his professional education in
Jefferson Medical College, graduating in March, 1850, in a class of 211,
one of his classmates being the distinguished Dr. S. Weir Mitchell, of
Philadelphia. Returning home to Gardiner he practiced there two years
when he went to Litchfield, where his medical practice has covered
the long period of forty years. Doctor Kendrick is one of only six
survivors of the original members who organized the Maine Medical
Association in 1853. He also belongs to the American Medical Asso-
ciation, whose annual meeting in Wa.shington, in 1884, he participated
in. Like his father, he has been a zealous Free Mason, serving as
master of Morning Star Lodge, of Litchfield, for the ten years suc-
ceeding 1866. In 1880 Doctor Kendrick married Susie P., daughter of
Calvin Howe, of Rumford, Me., and one of a family of thirteen chil-
dren. She was a teacher in the Litchfield Academy, of long experi-
ence and recognized talent. Their children are: Daisy May, Kate H.,
and Cyrus Maxcy Kendrick.
Cyrus Knapp, of Leeds, a medical graduate of Bowdoin College,
located in Winthrop in 1827, and practiced until he went to Augusta,
where he subsequently became superintendent of the insane asylum.
William B. Lapham, born in 1828, graduated from the New York
Medical School in 1856, practiced in New Hampshire and Oxford
county, Me., removed to Augusta in 1871, practiced there one year,
and then abandoned his profession for a special literary career [see
page 260]. He was for eighteen years a member of the Augusta ex-
amining board for invalid pensioners.
D. P. Le Clair, born in St. Germain in 1864, was reared in Lewis-
ton. He studied with Dr. L. J. Martel, of Lewiston, graduated from
the Maine College there in 1885, and in 1889 began practice at
Augusta. Since 1890 he has been a member of the city council, the
first in that board of all the 1,600 French people residing in the city.
C. C. Libby was born March 25, 1847, at Auburn, Ale., where he
received his early schooling. He was later a student at Dartmouth
^^^^e-c^ >^5i-^^^2^^^^ ^^ K77
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. dbd
and Bowdoin Colleges. In 1880 he came to East Pittston. His marri-
age was with Mattie L. Blodgett, of Pittston.
Ariel Mann was born in Wrentham, Mass., May 14, 1777. He
came to Hallowell in 1802, and was known as a very eminent surgeon,
standing at the head of his profession in this section of the country.
In 1810 he married Phebe B., daughter of William Morse. In later
life, his health failing, he abandoned his practice and accepted the
appointment of judge of probate, holding the office several years. He
died March 16, 1828.
Daniel Edward Mars'I'ON, M. D., of Monmouth, was born in what
is now West Gardiner, May 13, 1836. He is in the ninth generation
from William Marston, sen., an English Quaker who was born in
Yorkshire, England, about 1592, and came with his family to Salem,
Mass., in 1634; his two brothers, Robert and John, probably coming
at the same time.
In 1637 he removed to Newbury, and the next year to Winne-
cumet, with his three sons and fifty-two others, where they made the
first organized settlement on a grant of land from the general court
of Massachusetts, and were incorporated into the town of Hamp-
ton, which became subsequently a part of New Hampshire, and Wil-
liam Marston, sen., became the patriarch of this branch of the family.
He was a devout adherent of his religious faith, for which he suffered
congregational persecution. In 1657 he petitioned the court at Hamp-
ton that the fine of ;^15 might be remitted that had been imposed on
him " for keeping a paper and two books, which inculcated Quaker
doctrines." He died in Hampton in 1672, leaving four children by
his first wife, and one by the last.
Thomas Marston", his eldest child, was born in England in 1617,.
and married Mary Estow, of Hampton. He was a capable citizen,
highly esteemed by his fellow-townsmen, who entrusted him with
public business. He died in 1690, the father of nine children. Isaac
Marston", his eldest son, was born in 1648, and married, first, Eliza-
beth Brown, and second, Mrs. Jane (Brackett) Haines. He lived on
Hampton North hill, was made freeman in 1678, and selectman of his
town in 1681.
Caleb Marston', the eldest of his eight children, born 1672, married
Anna Moulton, and settled on the old Hampton homestead, where he
died in 1747, the father of nine children. Isaac Marston', his fourth
child, was born in 1704, and settled in Newmarket, N. H., where he
died in 1784. John Marston", the younger of his two children, was
born in Newmarket in 1748, married Mary Hilton, and died in 1793.
Nathaniel Marston', the fourth of their ten children, was born May
16, 1776, in Newmarket. When a young man he came to Winthrop,.
Me., where he married Eleanor Watson in 1797. In 1806 they re-
moved to West Gardiner, where he was a farmer, a blacksmith and a
ab4 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
prominent man in the town. During- the war of 1812 he went with a
company of state militia, of which he was captain, and joined the
United States forces, serving- fifteen days. For this each man re-
ceived from the government 160 acres of land. He died in 1848, the
father of six children.
Daniel Marston', the eldest, was born January 8, 1798, in Win-
throp. While a young man he tried the sea for a time, then returned
home, and in 1820 married Nancy W. Freeman, of Sacarappa, now
Westbrook city. They first settled in Hallowell, where he engaged
in the retail grocery business. His next move was to West Gardiner,
where he settled as a farmer. He was postmaster there for many
years, was active in public affairs and a zealous captain of the state
militia. At the time of his death, in 1850, he was first selectman of
the new town of West Gardiner, which had recently been a part of
the city of Gardiner. Previous to the incorporation of the new town
of West Gardiner, he was a councilman of the city of Gardiner. His
nine children, of whom seven are living, are noticed on page 681.
Doctor Marston", the subject of this article, was the sixth of his
parents' nine children. He received the training of a farmer's son in
a district school. At the age of sixteen he attended the Litchfield
Academy, then taught school winters, and fitted for college. He read
medicine with Dr. Cyrus Kendrick, of Litchfield, and the late Dr.
Stephen Whitmore, of Gardiner, and was graduated from the Medical
School of Maine, Bowdoin College, in the class of 1859. For the next
year and a half he enjoyed the great advantages of an appointment on
the medical staff of the hospitals on Blackwell's Island, New York, and
received the ad eundem degree March, 1860, of the New York Medical
College on Thirteenth street.
Returning to Maine, Doctor Marston settled in Monmouth in the
fall of 1860, where for more than thirty years he has enjoyed and de-
served a substantial practice. He married, April 28. 1861, Ellen E.
Meserve, of Richmond, Me. Their first children — Edward Pitt and
Ellen Elizabeth, twins — were born July 3, 1862. Edward P'" chose
the medical profession, was educated at Monmouth Academy and
Bates College, and graduated from the medical department of Dart-
mouth College in 1884. He is now in practice with his father in Mon-
mouth, is a member of the Kennebec Medical Association, and was
president of the society in 1890. Nellie Elizabeth took the full course
and graduated at the State Normal School at Gorham. Mary Alice,
the third child, was born in 1867, educated at Kents Hill and Welles-
ley College, and married George M. Norris, now a lawyer in St. Paul,
Minn. Daniel William", their youngest child, born June 3, 1875,
prepared for college at the Coburn Classical Institute, Waterville, but
has been interrupted in his studies by poor health.
In 1862 Doctor Marston volunteered his services as surgeon and
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 365
joined the medical staff of the army of the Potomac. Rapidly failing
health compelled him to leave, after three months' service. One of
these months was on transport steamers, which received the wounded
during the seven days' battles before Richmond; afterward, he served
at Fortress Monroe and in hospitals in Baltimore. He and his son,
Dr. Edward P., are both Masons in the rank of Knights Templar. The
former has served nine years on the Monmouth school committee,
and five years on the local board of health, is a member of the Ken-
nebec Medical Society, was vice-president of the Maine Medical Asso-
ciation in 1883, and is a member of the American Medical Association.
George W. Martin was born in 1834 in Pittsfield, educated at Cor-
renna Academy and Westbrook Seminary, studied medicine at Pitts-
field, and graduated in 1858 from the medical department of the Uni-
versity of New York. He was assistant surgeon of the 6th Maine,
surgeon of the 4th Maine, and of the 2d Maine Veteran Cavalry, and
then became government medical inspector. In 1867 he located in
Augusta, where he is still in practice. In 1873 he was made medical
director of the military forces of Maine, and served till 1879. Robert
J. Martin, his son, was born in Boston in 1864, read with him, and
graduated from the medical department of the University of New
York in 1887, being second in a class of 150. He went to Germany in
1890 to study the Koch method of lung treatment, and was the first
to practice it in Maine.
Thomas L. Meguier, who received his medical degree at Bowdoin
College, came to Wmthrop in 1836, and practiced there until 1848.
William Meigs, born in Easton, N. Y., graduated from the Maine
Medical School at Bowdoin College in 1844, and practiced at Se-
ward's Mills, Vassalboro, for seven or eight years prior to his re-
moval to West Virginia, where he died in 1891. He was a man of
great originality, and the author of several valuable inventions. His
wife, who survives him, was Dulcie M., a sister of Judge Whitehouse.
Paul Merrill graduated from Dartmouth about 1855. He was at
once appointed assistant surgeon at the State Insane Asylum, where
he remained three years, and then went into general practice at
Augusta.
Ebenezer C. Milliken, a graduate of the medical department of
Bowdoin College, was a practitioner in Winthrop from 1835 to 1837,
when he removed to Boston.
Daniel Moody began practice in Clinton about 1862, and was
located there for many years.
G. J. Nelson, a son of Rev. A. J. Nelson, was born in Guilford, Me.,
in 1846, and prepared for college at China and Lincoln Academies,
and at Waterville Classical Institute, entering Colby University in
1871. He was principal of China Academy two years, and of Freedom
Academy one term. He then began the study of medicine with Doc-
^66 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tors Crosby and Wilson, and in 1877 graduated from Bowdoin Medi-
cal Colleg-e, settling- at Weeks Mills, where he practiced until Feb-
ruary, 1892, when he removed to China village.
James W. North, son of the historian, practiced at Weeks Mills
about twelve years ago.
James North, cousin of the historian, was born July 25, 1813. He
graduated from the Bowdoin Medical School in 1841, practiced at Al-
bion about 1850, and then went abroad and practiced dental surgery
one year at Berlin, and seventeen years at Vienna. In October, 1869,
he returned to his native land, and took up his residence in Phila-
delphia.
Charles E. Norton was born in Gardiner, graduated in medicine
from Bowdoin in 1876, practiced awhile in Augusta, and then removed
to Lewiston.
Amos Nourse was partner of Dr. Ariel Mann in Hallowell for
several years. He afterward became professor of obstetrics at Bow-
doin College.
James Deering Nutting, a graduate of the Maine Medical College,
is a native of Otisfield, Me. In the common and high school of the
town, and in the Bridgeton Academy he prepared for the study of
medicine; in 1867, after a period of practice in the Maine Insane
Hospital, he located in Hallowell, where he has since remained in
active practice.
George Carleton Parker, born in Clinton, Me., in 1851, is a son of
Charles J. and Eliza (Roundy) Parker. He attended school at Kents
Hill Seminary and Castine Normal School, and devoted twelve years
to teaching. In 1877 he began the study of medicine under a private
tutor, and, in 1878, entered Brunswick Medical School. Two years
later he graduated from Dartmouth. In November, 1880, he began
practice in Clinton and East Fairfield, and in November, 1890, re-
moved to Winthrop. He took a special course at the New York Post
Graduate Medical School and Hospital in 1890. He married Rose B.,
daughter of Edmund Parkman. Their only son is Ralph B.
David Elkins Parsons is the son of David, who was the eldest
child and only son of Samuel Parsons, who was born in Epping, N.
H., in 1779, and came to Cornville, Me., about 1800, where he died in
1835. David Parsons, born in Cornville, December 16, 1802, was a
farmer and married Beulah Lancaster, of Norridgewock, Me. He
died in Rockford, Iowa, December 28, 1881. His four children were:
Sarah E., Stephen D., Samuel S. and David E., who was born in Corn-
ville December 3,1836. He grew up amid the healthful influences of
a country life, and received the advantages that well-to-do farmers
were able to bestow. When eighteen years old he went to Bloomfield
Academy and fitted for Waterville College, which he entered in 1857,
.and remained one year. The next year he was engaged in teaching
tvTcuM^ ^ foL
"cuMi^ m lj(XA.i-^7^
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 367
in Maryland, and in 1859 went to Schenectady, N. Y., and entered the
junior class in Union College, then under the presidency of the cele-
brated Doctor Nott.
On the breaking out of the civil war in 1861, he left college and
enlisted in Company A, 19th Maine, July 29, 1862, as a private. Turn-
ing all his energies to filling the ranks, he succeeded in enlisting such
a number of men that he was commissioned second lieutenant by
Governor Washburn, August 25th, and went with his regiment to the
defense of Washington, where it was assigned to Gorman's Brigade,
Howard's Division. In this command, the 19th Maine was first under
fire at Charleston, W. Va., and next at Fredericksburg, where several
men were wounded. Under the command of Colonel Heath, this
regiment was conspicuously engaged at Gettysburg, where, facing a
terrific fire, 68 men were killed or mortally wounded, 127 were
wounded, and 4 were missing; a total of 199 out of 404 present.
It is a matter of history, that the greatest percentage of loss in
any brigade, in any one action during the war, occurred at Gettys-
burg in Harrow's Brigade, composed of the 19th Maine, 15th Massachu-
setts, 1st Minnesota, and the S2d New York. These four regiments
went into the action with 1,246 officers and men, of whom they lost
61 per cent, killed and wounded.
In the battle of the Wilderness, Captain Parsons was shot through
the arm, when he was granted a sixty-day furlough and came home.
While returning to his command, he was at the battle in front of
Fort Stevens when Early made his attack on Washington; during the
battle President Lincoln was conspicuous in the fort.
By promotion, he was made first lieutenant of Company A, Novem-
ber 21, 1862, and captain of Company B, June 23, 1863. Captain Parsons
fought with his regiment in all the principal battles of the army of the
Potomac, from the first Fredericksburg to Appomattox, except when
absent wounded. He was again promoted, November, 11, 1864, to be
major of his regiment, serving faithfully to the close of the war, and
was mustered out May 30, 1865. The 19th Regiment went to the
front under the last call by the president for three years' men, who
went without bounty.
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph W.Spaulding,who went out as first lieu-
tenant, and Major Parsons, were the only two men who went out with
the 19th Regiment as commissioned officers, and returned as .such. Of
such a record any one has a right to be proud, and every one has
cause to be grateful. Devoted service in that great war is a fame that
will intensify as time rolls on.
Returning home, Major Parsons read medicine with Dr. John Rob-
bins, of Norridgewock, having chosen and commenced preparing for
this profession while in college. He attended lectures first at Har-
vard University, and completed his course at the medical department
368 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of Bowdoin College, where he graduated in the class of 1866. His
first practice was in Stetson. Me., till 1870; then in Norridgewock, and
since 1874 at Oakland. Doctor Parsons is a member of the Kennebec
County and of the Maine State Medical Associations, and has made
an honorable record as a country practitioner.
He married Clara A. Rogers, of Stetson, Me., February 20, 1864,
David W. Parsons, their only child, is now a student in the Yale Law
School at New Haven. Mrs. Parsons died in 1869, and in 1872 Doctor
Parsons married Belle F. Bixby, of Norridgewock. They have one
child, Mary B. Parsons.
C. F. Perkins was born in 1846. His grandfather was William
Perkins, who came from Wiscasset to Windsor, where his four sons
were born. C. F., son of William, jun., graduated from Bellevue
Medical College in 1885, and practiced in China until 1889, when he
removed to Augusta.
A. P. A. Pichette, son of E. G. Pichette, was born in 1863, at Lew-
isville, P. Q. He was educated at the Seminary of Nicolet, P. Q., at
Laval, Victoria, and at Bishop Universities, Montreal. He received
his medical degree from the Provincial Medical Board in 1888, and
was in practice for one year with his brother, at the same time keep-
ing a drug store at Nicolet, P. O. In July, 1889, he came to Water-
ville.
Samuel Plaisted was born in Gardiner in 1802, graduated from
Brown Medical School at Providence, R. I., and practiced in Water-
ville until his death in 1860. He married Mary J., daughter of Moses
Appleton, and their three children are: Aaron Appleton, J. H. and
Florence. Aaron A. was born March 25, 1831, graduated from Colby
University in 1851, and has been cashier of the Ticonic National
Bank since 1858. He married, in 1856, Emily C. Heath.
Joseph Noyes Pidgin was born in Salisbury, Mass., in 1808, studied
medicine with the late Dr. Jacob Tewksbury, of Oxford, Me., graduated
from the Maine Medical School in 1831, and settled at Litchfield. He
was elected to the legislature by the whig party in 1836, but did not
live to take his seat.
Jesse Pike, father of Daniel T. Pike, Pike, practiced in Litchfield
about 1820.
Albert F. Plimpton [page 703], son of Elias and Nancy (Billings)
Plimpton, was born in Litchfield in 1832, attended school at Litchfield
Academy, read medicine in Gardiner and Boston, and graduated from
the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1859. He practiced in
Pittston, and from 1862 in Gardiner, where, from 1867, he kept a drug
store until his death, August 10, 1892.
Huldah M. Potter, born in Parsonsfield, Me., was the daughter of
John and Huldah (Dalton) McArthur, who came from Boston to Au-
gusta before 1850. Huldah M. attended the public schools of Au-
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 369
gusta, and the boarding school at Gorham, Me. In 1868 she married
Charles F. Potter, of Augusta, who died the same year. A few years
later she decided to become a physician, and, after due preparation,
attended medical lectures at the Boston University, graduating in
1877. In 1879 she came to Gardiner, where her professional abilities
are attested by a large practice. Her partner is Miss Dr. G. E.
Heath.
Nathan G. H. Pulsifer, born in 1824, a son of Dr. Moses R. Pulsi-
fer, was educated in district schools and Gorham Academy, and gradu-
ated from Dartmouth Medical School in 1848. He studied with his
father and Dr. N. C. Harris, and began practice in 1849, in which year
he went to California, via Cape Horn, as surgeon of the ship. Upon
his return he spent one year in study at New York and Philadelphia,
and since January, 1852, has practiced in Waterville. He married
Ann P., daughter of William Moor. They have four children: Nora
P. (Mrs. F. L. Thayer), Cornelia (Mrs. Herbert L. Kelley), William
Moor, M. D., and Ralph H., M. D. Doctor Pulsifer has been devoting
his attention to real estate operations and banking for the past twenty
years.
Ralph H. Pulsifer, born in 1865, was prepared for college at Co-
burn Classical Institute and graduated from Colby Universiiyin 1886.
His medical education was acquired at the Boston Medical School and
Hahnemann College, of Philadelphia. In November, 1890, he began
practice in Waterville.
Epaphras K. Prescott, of Monmouth, was a physician in that
vicinity for many years prior to his death, about 1874.
Oliver Prescott. born in 1791, practiced at Cross Hill, Vassalboro,
prior to his death in 1853.
Frank M. Putnam was born in San Francisco in 1856, reared in
Boston and educated at Burton, Mass., graduated from Dartmouth in
1877, and studied medicine at Portland and Brunswick, Me. He took
a medical course at Harvard, spent two years in Europe, and in 1880
began practice in Gardiner. He resides in Farmingdale, where he
married the daughter of Joseph C. Atkins, and is superintendent of
the town schools.
Asa Quimby was the first doctor who settled in Albion, being in
practice there about 1800.
Samuel Quimby, a tall, spare built, tireless man, noted as a genius
in collecting the last cent from the toiling settlers, was the earliest
physician in Mt. Vernon. He enjoyed riding home on a bag of ashes,
which his poorest patrons could always spare. He saved his money,
and for thirty years either built or owned more than half the grist
mills in that town.
George L. Randall, of Vassalboro, was born in 1815, was educated
24
370 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
in Vassalboro and at Kents Hill, and after teaching twelve terms,
turned his attention to the study of medicine under Dr. Hiram H.
Hill, of Augusta. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1844, and
began general practice at Stetson, Me. Two years later he removed
to Vassalboro, the home of his wife, who is a sister of the late Ira D.
Sturgis. His father, Isaac Randall, came to Vassalboro from Cape
Cod, about 1800, as a school teacher. During his first term his knowl-
edge of medicine became valuable to the community, and he enjoyed
a successful career as a physician until his death in 1820. George
M. Randall, son of Dr. George L. Randall, was born in Vassalboro,
in 1863, graduated at Bowdoin College m 1889 and in 1891 began
practice at Augusta.
Charles Russell was born in Bethel, Me., in 1820, graduated from
the University of Maryland in 1848, and came to Fayette in 1865,
where he died about 1888.
F. A. Roberts was born in Jackson Me., in 1839. At the age of
seventeen he began the study of medicine with Dr. Manter, of Win-
throp. Me. He received the degree of M. D. from Dartmouth in 1860.
In September, 1862, he began practice in China, removed to North
Vassalboro three years later, and in October, 1883, came to Waterville,
where he died May 26, 1892. His grandfather, Jacob Roberts, M. D.,
a Quaker, practiced at North Vassalboro the last fifteen years of his
life.
Whiting Robinson came to Benton about 1812, and practiced there
until his death, about 1853.
A. T. Schuman, son of J. L. Schuman, was born in Damariscotta,
Me. He came to Gardiner when four years of age, and there received
his academic education. He graduated from New York Homeopathic
College, and after four 3'ears in New York city returned to Gardiner,
where he has since practiced.
Arthur A. Shaw was born in Etna, Me., in 1864, graduated from
the Maine Central Institute in 1887, studied with Dr. T. M. Griffin, of
Pittsfield, Me., for one year, and then went to Bowdoin College, gradu-
ating in 1891. In August of the same year he began to practice in
Clinton.
Herbert F. Shaw graduated in medicine from the Boston College
of Physicians and Surgeons in 1883, and settled the same year in Mt.
Vernon.
Charles P. Small, son of Rev. A. K. P. Small, D. D., was born in
1863, graduated from Colby University in 1886, and three years later
from the Maine State Medical School. He spent one year in the
Maine General Hospital at Portland, and one year as second assistant
surgeon at the National Home at Togus. In September, ]891, he be-
gan practice in Waterville, and a year later removed to Chicago.
Issachar Snell was born in Bridgewater, Mass., April 16, 1775. He
w^^..^^
Ill'
University in 1797, studied medicine with
pli, and surgery with V he celebrated Dr. Na-
!in, and settled in his D.'.tive town in 1800,
practice until 180r> wheu lie removed to
!^ of the next year he removed •<> Winthrop.
1 Winthrop, and after his removal U) Augusta
::cd in the active practice of his profession, he
leation. His specialty was .surgery, .n which
xtended reputation and practicv. DociorSnell
hy an accidental overturning of his sulky Octo-
of seventy-four rears.
-Snow, son of Abiezer and Sally CPunnirtn) Snow.,
Mck, Me., March 14, 1826. His mother <lied when
:d. leaving five children, of whom he has been the
!ty years. His father married a .second wife, and
n, four of whom were born withm cm -.ear — a
4, two
1 days
!CtS of
e, de-
X farm
board
P
.', and three more son.s De<
.hood, the other dying when
>> a family to be provided for i'^
ibject of this sketch, at fourteer,
:ome and care for himself. By w ... :. .
ling chores in winter, he was able to
;^et one or two terms of schooling a y .■. ni a pri-
ighteen he was asked to teach adiM ii school,
tation of being difficult to manage. !iis success
his services sought for in similar sch'n.ls in other
.ever had occasion to seek a situati'v: although he
one or two terms a year for severe; years. As a
II the first a strong advocate of sciiool discipline,
■ iinishment; and he very seldotn resorted to it in
ncrthe intervals of teaching he attended the
i.ad nearly completed tht. preparatory studies
in College, ill health made a change necessary.
iT.s of desultory living, having saved ;t few hundred
need the study of medicine, and w.is a private pupil
-ician and surgeon, the late I'rof. E. R. Peaslee,
4 for three terms in the Medical School of
.;ras in the Dartmouth, X. H., Medical School;
■e former in 1854. He received the appointment
inatomy in both schools. He married Matilda B.,
bewail, of Winthrop, Me., and commenced the
ihat town in the fall of 1854. After six busy
- .spent a year in attendance at some of tJK- ^•-'=1
'1 hospitals of this country and Europe.
w fall of 1861, and offered his services to i
372 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ernor to go into the army, in case he should be needed: but, on account
of ill health, did not otherwise desire an appointment. Doctor Snow-
early joined the Maine Medical Association, and soon became one of its
active members: contributing papers on the " Prevailing Diseases of
Kennebec County," "Puerperal Convulsions." " Diphtheria," " Medi-
cal Education," etc., published in its annual transactions. In 1873
he was president of the association, and in his inaugural address,
among other practical subjects, argued in favor of a state board of
health; which the legislature has since established, to the great benefit
of the commonwealth. He has always taken an interest in the Ken-
nebec County Medical Association, of which, at its second annual
meeting, in 1869, he was president. He is also a member of the
American Medical Association, and has served on important com-
mittees in that body.
Outside of his professional work. Doctor Snow has perhaps con-
tributed more to the public good, in his school relations, than in any
other direction. He was on the school board for the Winthrop vil-
lage schools upward of twenty years, more than half that time as
chairman. He generally had the cooperation of teachers, parents and
scholars, m his efforts to improve the schools, and bring them up to
the standard of the best in the state. In 1871 he was a member of the
state legislature, and introduced a bill entitled " An Act to regulate
the qualifications of practitioners in Medicine and Surgery;" which
was referred to the committee on the judiciary, ordered printed, and
then re-committed. The bill excited a great deal of attention, both in
and out of the state house, and was quite generally commented on by
the press of the state, for the most part in favorable terms. After
several hearings, the committee, by a vote of five to four, refused it a
favorable report to the legislature, and then referred it to the next
legislature, where it was killed, and, although several efforts have
since been made to secure the passage of a registration law for this
state, failure has thus far been the result.
In 1879 Doctor Snow was appointed a trustee of the Maine Insane
Hospital, and he has occupied other positions of responsibility and
trust, both as a physician and a citizen. For thirty years he has had
a large practice, for a country place, extending over a wide field; and
during those years he turned his back upon none, serving with the
best abilities and attainments he had, rich and poor alike, in sunshine
and storm, by day and night. In recent years he has been obliged to
relinquish a portion of his work, and sometimes to give it up alto-
gether for a time; having spent one whole winter in California, and
another in Florida, and shorter periods in other places. But for the
most part, he still continues in the active practice of his profession.
Albert Fisk Stanley, fifth child of John and Juliet (Marsh) Stan-
ley, was born in Attleboro, Mass., April 28, 1806. He was descended
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 373
from Matthew Stanley, who came to Lynn, Mass., in 1864. When
Albert F. was eleven years old his father removed to Readfield,
where he bought a farm; and, while doing his share of the farm
work, he obtained what education he could at the district schools, and
in one term at Kents Hill. He began the study of medicine with Dr.
Dexter Baldwin, Mt. Vernon, and obtained a diploma from Bowdoin
Medical School in 1829. In 1831 he began practice at Dixfield, Me.,
and December 1, 1836, married Mahala A. M. Branscomb, of Farm-
ington Falls, who was born June 11,1814, and died at Winthrop,
August 29, 1889. Their eldest child, Juliet M., born July 11,
1838, married, in 1886, the late I. P. Warren, D. D., of Portland.
Mary Malvina, born February 2, 1843, married John Gower, of Win-
throp. In December of the latter year Doctor Stanley removed to
Winthrop, where he resided until his death. Three daughters and
a son were added to his family here, of whom but two are living:
Jane Elizabeth, born January 14, 1845, and John Albert, born Febru-
ary 17, 1847, who is the editor and proprietor of the Winthrop Budget.
Doctor Stanley built up an extensive practice in Winthrop, and dur-
ing the war was one of the large company of volunteer surgeons who
entered the service after the second battle of Bull Run. It was in the
army that he contracted the disease of which he eventually died,
July 10, 1867. He was a member of the Winthrop Congregational
church, and an active, practical Christian, supplementing kind words
with still kinder deeds. His heart was large, his impulses true, and
his sympathies strong. His death was deeply lamented, for he had
been the friend, as well as physician, of a wide circle of families.
Daniel Stevens settled in China in 1808, and practiced there until
his death, in 1841, at the age of fifty-nine.
David P. Stowell, son of Rev. David and Emily C. Stowell, was
born in 1838, at Townsend, Mass. He graduated from Phillips Exeter
Academy in 1857, attended Amherst College one year, taught at Pem-
broke (N. H.) Academy one year, and in 1859 began the study of
medicine, attending lectures at Dartmouth Medical School. He was
graduated from the University of New York in 1862, and served in
the regular army one year as an assistant surgeon. In November,
1863, he was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 8th New Hamp-
shire, and served until June, 1864, in which year he began private
practice at Masonsville, N. H. In August, 1871, he removed to Mer-
cer, Me., where he practiced until August, 1878, when he came to
Waterville. He has been a member of the school board since 1888,
and a member of the city council since 1891. His wife is Sarah E.
Bachelder.
Albion K. P. Strout is the son of Hon. Stephen Strout, of Free-
dom, Me., and the grandson of Stephen Strout, of Limington, Me.,
whose father was Lieutenant Isaac Strout, an officer in the revolu-
374 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tionary army, settled in that town after the war, and filled many of
its official positions. Hon. Stephen Strout, of Freedom, was a civil
engineer for .several years and a commissioner of Waldo county. He
had a natural inclination for scientific investigation, was an early
student of the uses and possibilities of electricity, spending part of
his time giving public lectures on this still wonderful theme, in illus-
trating which he used one of the finest pieces of telegraphic apparatus
ever then shown to the public. One of his electrical machines was
given to Winthrop Academy. He married Julia Gilbert Drake, a
school teacher of large experience. Of their seven children, the first
two — Albion K. P. and Charles O., now of Boston — are the only sur-
vivors. The third child, William G., a lawyer, died in Brooklyn,
N. Y., of lockjaw, to which dread disease his grandfather had also
fallen a victim. Hannibal C., Frank W., Annie and Arthur were the
names of the remaining children.
Albion K. Paris Strout was born in Freedom, October 23, 1848.
After leaving the common school he fitted for college in the academy
in his native town, and then became a student in the Pittsfield and
Westbrook Seminaries, where he advanced his studies to the junior
college year. The civil war was then the all absorbing matter of
interest, and, m 1864, instead of finishing his college course, he en-
listed in Company A, Maine Coast Guard, and was ordered to Wash-
ington, where his detachment was stationed until the close of the
war.
Returning home, he taught school for a while, at the same time
reading medicine, which he had chosen as a profession. Completing
his preliminary reading at Brunswick, he attended lectures, first at
Bowdoin College and then at Dartmouth, where he was graduated in
1872. From there he went to New York city and further enjoyed
the advantages and lectures of Bellevue Hospital, and the College of
Physicians and Surgeons. His first practice was in Albion, Me., in
1873, from thence, during the next year, to his present location in
Gardiner, where he is now in partnership with his son, Fred E. Strout,
M. D. He has been an examining surgeon for pensions four years;
city physician five years; a member of the County Medical Society,
and examining physician for various life insurance companies.
Doctor Strout married, in 1872, Myra E. Libbey, of Albion. Their
children have been: Maud L., who died in 1874; Arthur W. and a
pair of twins, Ray and Ruth.
Charles W. Taggart, born in 1847 in Steuben, Me., is a son of Rev.
John Taggart, jun., a Methodist clergyman, and in consequence Doctor
Taggart's early education was received in thirteen different towns. He
graduated from Bowdoin Medical School in 1873, and in August of
that year began practice in Weld, Me. In April, 1874, he went to
^.
i^
-7^
*
hlCAL PROFESSION.
; iiie, 1870, removed to Winthrop, where
. .1.^ Aife was Nancy M. Meady.
hayer, of French Huguenot extraction, was
. February 7, 1783. He began the practice of
...joro, where his eldest -'jn, Albert, was born
i^raduate of Waterville Cui lege, and practiced
n until his death in 1831? Shortly after the
Thayer removed to Fairfie: ■ here his second
■ Thayer prac-
t in that year
■;n in 1810. Prior to 1836 I).
■ '. Fairfield and in all that section,
Kerville, where he died. May 24, ISTv
merchant in Fairfield, but reus
.il on business there, at tlie corrr
..lauy years. He was a selectman oJ ' '
. ears, and was universally esteemed, li
jr. October, 1836, he marrie'l Susar
. only child, Frederick ■
;al profession in Water'.
•0, 1844.
•.«nded the schools of hi-
•. uf '66, Waterville Colle,
o Union College, Schenec
n months, and then studie
■tny, N. Y., where he als'
i; College from 1865 to L'-
iment of Bowdoin Colle^ u
lionorary degree of A. >-i wa.^ ■
■d to Water-
■f Main and
iterville for
■:h in public
■. Tobey, of
r. nowledged
the latter
he re-
James
ctures of
ard entered
;raduated in
ed upon him
il
i
■,)ractice of his profcs -.on in • '.rville in 1867,
he has risen to a celebrity afined by local
been a pioneer in this comn; :y in difficult sur-
. tiling for cool, conservative j'-)<;ifment, and requir-
•ime the most delicate touch; •■ c-t has for the most
It to follow cautiously where the world's eminent
cessfully led, and inconsequence lus consultation
\s-n to extensive proportior - He- has held many
f honor and responsibil^ ' : 1878 he was presi-
bec County Medical A-s.. .: :..n, in 1884-.') he was
\lumni Association of '.ue medical department of
•n 1885-6 he was a member of the legislature, and
delivered the anniKi! oration before the Maine Medi-
He was president of the Maine Medical Association
derman of Watcrville in 1889: and in 1890 was a
lernational Medical Congress held at Berlin, anc'. s
.Vmerican Medical Association.
376 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
December 2, 1871, Doctor Thayer was united in marriage to
Leonora Snell, daughter of Judge William B. Snell noticed at page
332 ct seq.
Ira Thing, son of Dr. Samuel Thing, was born in Mt. Vernon in
1809. He was in trade in Hallowell for several years, then went to
Cincinnati, studied medicine, received his degree and returned to Mt.
Vernon, where he practiced until his death in 1S65.
William L. Thompson was born in Newbury, Vt., in 1823. He
was educated at Francistown Academy, N. H., and taught four years
at Newburyport. He took medical lectures at Dartmouth, and was
graduated from the Homeopathic Medical College of Pennsylvania in
1857. He located at Dover, N. H., and in December, 1865, began in
Augusta what is now the longest consecutive practice of any Homeop-
athist ever in that city. He was a charter member of the State
Homeopathic Medical Society, and has been its president.
Will S. Thompson, son of William L. Thompson, of Augusta, was
born in 1853 at Newburyport, Mass. He graduated from Bowdoin
College in 1875. He attended medical lectures at Dartmouth, and in
1879 graduated from the Homeopathic College at Cleveland, O.; prac-
ticing since then in Hallowell and Gardiner.
Benjamin L. Tibbetts was born in Parsonsfield, Me., in 1836. He
prepared for college at Limington, Me., and while there began, in
1859, the study of medicine under Dr. vSamuel Bradbury. He took a
medical course at Dartmouth in 1860, another at Bowdoin in 1861, and
in the latter year graduated from Dartmouth and began a practice
cour.se in the Boston Hospital in 1862. The following year he came
to China, succeeding Dr. George E. Brickett, and in 1876 located at
North Vassalboro, associating with him Dr. Charles Mabry, a gradu-
ate of Bowdoin College, in 1879. Doctor Tibbetts died in September,
1892.
Benjamin Vaughan is noticed at page 191.
Michael Walcott, from Attleboro, Mass., was the first regular phy-
sician in Winthrop. Before, and after his stay of less than three
years, there was no physician nearer than the Kennebec river, Dr.
Daniel Cony, of Augusta being the best known.
Mrs. Ward, a remarkable woman, physically and mentally, who
possessed medical skill and great powers of endurance, performed the
duties of a physician and midwife in China prior to 1808, in which
year the first regular doctor settled in the town.
John O. Webster read medicine with George E. Brickett, took one
course of lectures at Bowdoin, and in 1868 graduated from Harvard
University Medical College. He practiced at Lynn, Mass., at Augusta,
and in 1892 removed to California.
Stephen Whit.more, late of Gardiner, brother of Nathaniel M.
[see page 341], was born May 9, 1814, and when a young man began
h<
Jf/.L
THE MEniCAI, PROFESSION. 377
reading medicine with Doctor Tinker, next with Doctor McKeen, of
Brunswick, and lastly with Doctor Hubbard, of Hallowell. Before
liis graduation, which was from the medical department of Bowdoin
College at Brunswick, Stephen enjoyed the advantages of spending
some time with the eminent Doctor Jackson, of Boston, and for a sea-
son the opportunities for medical students for which Philadelphia has
so long been celebrated. His first professional practice was in Jeffer-
son, Me., from whence he came to Gardiner in 1837. Here he found
a. field for the practical use of the knowledge he had gained by so
many years of laborious preparation. Hard work and undue exposure
reduced his vital powers to the point where a severe fever .set in. Be-
fore his recovery warranted an exposure an importunate request from
an old friend tempted him to visit a patient. A severe cold and a re-
lapse ensued that made him a chronic invalid for eleven years, and a
sufferer for life. Prolonged weakness followed, making the slightest
exertion perilous, and ultimate recovery a question of the gravest doubt.
In this dilemma he retired in 1841 to his father's farm in Bowdoinham
and began a fight for existence that lasted one-sixth of all the years
of his life. Nothing but undaunted courage and the daily use of good
judgment and an unconquerable will carried him through.
In 18.')2 he returned to Gardiner and began a career of professional
usefulness and efficiency that triumphed over all previous drawbacks
and resulted in all the attainments of a most successful life. The
growth and extent of his practice were remarkable. It seemed as
though business had been waiting for him through all those eleven
weary years. People appeared to reason that a spirit that had con-
quered disease in its own body must have some strange power over
the diseases of others. His own patients covered a scope of territory
•equaled perhaps by that of none of his contemporaries, with the pos-
sible exception of his brother, Chadbourn, while his reputation sum-
moned him in consultation to all parts of the Kennebec valley. The
marvel is that so frail a body could, for over a quarter of a century,
respond to the exacting requirements of such a tireless mind and im-
perious will.
He married Maria Haskell, of Topsham. They had two children:
Warren S. Whitmore, the lawyer, and Alice Maria, wife of W. T.
Windram, of Boston. Doctor Whitmore was a devout member and a
warden of Christ church in Gardiner. He died February 9, 1880,
from an attack of pneumonia, and his tired body was laid peacefully
at rest in Oak Grove Cemetery.
Chadbourn W. Whit.more, a brother of Nathaniel M. [page 341],
was born in 1819 on the old family homestead in Bowdoinham. The
influences that environed his early life were all of the character pecu-
liar to a quiet agricultural community. He was an active boy at home,
bright at school, but never of a demonstrative nature — quiet, consid-
378 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
erate and reflective. After a few terms at Monmouth Academy his
choice of a profession settled on the medical. He read with Dr. John
Hubbard, of Hallowell, and Prof. James J^IcKean, of Brunswick,
where he attended lectures and graduated in the medical department
of Bowdoin College in the class of 1839.
With an exalted idea of the qualifications a physician should pos-
sess, he supplemented his college course with special observation and
study in the hospitals of Philadelphia, and settled as a practitioner in
Richmond, where he attained a large business. Gardiner, but ten
miles away, brought him so many professional calls that he thought
best to avail himself of its greater opportunities by making that his
home, which he did in 1846.
From this time to his death he gave himself to his profession with
an earnest devotion characteristic of the man. He was fully six feet
tall, of fine proportions, and always po.ssessed a full share of the
energy and ambition for which the Whitmore family were rightly
noted. Night and day he responded to the engrossing demands of a
constantly widening field of labor.
January 1, 1850, he married Harriet E., daughter of Captain
Thomas and Harriet B. (Currier) Sampson, of West Gardiner. When
the late war had grown to be the absorbing business of the nation, he
joined the medical force and was sent to New Orleans, where he had
large experience in the hospitals to which so many soldiers were
driven by that exhausting climate. By order of General Butler he
had charge of enforcing vaccination throughout the city. The doctor
used to say this was the best professional job he ever had — his fees
amounting to several thousand dollars.
After returning to Gardiner he resumed his practice, and was also
United States examining surgeon. But the labors and exposures of
his past life began to sensibly diminish his endurance. He tried work
at the old rapid pace, but had to give it up. Gradually he gave up
general practice, attending only special old friends and an occasional
consultation. The inevitable event occurred March 24, 1884, in
Washington, D. C, whither he had gone with his wife for a change of
climate and for medical advice. Mrs. Whitmore, who survived him,
died November 22, 1891.
Obadiah Williams was the first physician of Waterville. He was
a chief citizen of old Ticonic village until his death in 1799.
Richard Williams began practice in Clinton about 1857; Pitt M.
Whitten was in practice there in 1880; and G. F. Webber, who came
in 1888, still follows his profession there.
George H. Wilson, son of Nehemiah Wilson, of New Hampshire,
was born in Litchfield in 1828, educated at Monmouth and Litchfield
Academies, graduated from Bowdoin in May, 1856, studied with Dr.
THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. 379
G. S. Palmer, of Gardiner, and began practicing in Bath. After spend-
ing six months in Harpswell and two years in Palermo, he removed
in 1859 to Albion, where he has since practiced. His wife, Mary S.
Parsons, of Litchfield, died in 1889. His children are: Georgia, who
married Carroll W. Abbott, M.D., and Charles E. Wilson, of Boston.
Anna (Huston) Winslow, wife of James Winslow, lived in what is
now Randolph, and from their settlement there, in 1763, she practiced
medicine and midwifery. She was widely known as " Granny Wins-
low," and practiced from Bath to Augusta.
Fred E. Withee, son of Elmarien Withee, of Benton, was born at
Vanceboro in 1865. He was educated in the public schools and grad-
uated from Dirigo Business College, Augusta. He studied medicine
with Dr. M. S. Goodrich, and in March, 1892, received his degree from
the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Baltimore. He is a part-
ner of Doctor Goodrich at Waterville.
Warren A. Wright, born in 1837 in Palmyra, Me., attended school
in his native town and at several academies, and began the study of
medicine at Norridgewock with Dr. John Robbins. He graduated
from Harvard in 1862, and in July of that year began practice in
Readfield.
Other physicians who are, or who have been, in practice in Ken-
nebec county, of whom the place, or place and time of practice, or
name only, can be given, are: William Albee, Clinton; Sewall W.
Allen, Oakland; James Bachelder Bell, Augusta, 1879; Dr. Babb, Wa-
terville, early; C. F. Brock, Clinton, 1891; Charles H. Barker, Wayne;
Dr. Bennett, China; James H. Brainard, China, 1822; Dr. Brown, Sid-
ney; Dr. Bowman, Benton, prior to 1816; James Bates, Hiram Bates
and Joseph Bacheller, Fayette; E. E. Brown, Clmton; Dr. Curtis, Mt.
Vernon, who hung himself in 1821: Benjamin Clement, Oakland, 1834;
Samuel Chase, Mt. Vernon; Jcshua Cushman, Winslow, 1823; Dr.
Cook, Waterville, early; Dr. Caswell, James B. Cochrane and George
B. Crane, Fayette; Dr. Chase, V. P. Coolidge, Waterville; Dr. Dow,
Litchfield Corner; Moses Frost, Sidney. 1853; Dr. Fuller, Albert G.
French and Lincoln French, Fayette; A. L. French, W^ayne; A. R.
Fellows, Winthrop; Dr. Goodspeed, China; Dr. Goodwin, Litchfield
Corner; William Guptill, Clinton, about 1850; Seward Garcelon, Ben-
ton, prior to 1865; Timothy F. Hanscom, 1819, Dr. Hatch, prior to
1864, A. J. Hunt, 1860, and F. C. Hall, China, 1886; F. F. Hascony; Dr.
Hale, Albion, about 1825; John Hartwell, Winthrop, 1848 to 1854;
Ambrose Howard, one of the earliest physicians in Sidney; Samuel
Louis; Dr. Lambright, Fayette; George W. Merrill, 1867, A. M. Moore
and G. A. Martin, China, 1879; Elijah Morse, Mt. Vernon; Dr. Mit-
chell, Branch Mills; Byron Mclntire, Clinton, 1891; Bryant Morton;
Dr. Manter, Winthrop, 1857; Joseph H. North, Oakland; Dr. Noyes,
380 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Waterville, early; James Parker, Farmingdale, 1801; Alva Plummer,
Mt. Vernon; D. C. Perkins, Clinton, 1881; Isaac Palmer, Fayette; Dr.
Pierce, Albion, 1859; Lewis M. Palmer (page 703); Lemuel Russell,
Fayette; Willis A. Russell: A. H. Richardson, Benton, since 1868;
Charles Rowell, Clinton, 1867; A. T. Stinson, China; Dr. Safford,
Litchfield; Dr. Smith, Fayette; E. Small, Winthrop, 1844; Dr. Tarbell,
Branch Mills; Dr. Thorndike, Clinton, about 1850; Silas C. Thomas,
Mt. Vernon; L P. Tash, Clinton, 1881; Darius Walker, Mt. Vernon;
Dr. Williams, Branch Mills; Noah Watson, Lewis Watson and Charles
H. Wing-, Fayette; Dr. Waterman; and A. C. Wright, at Pittston.
CHAPTER XVI.
AUGUSTA.
By Capt. Charles E. Nash.
The Ancient Plymouth Trading House.— The Pilgrims who conducted it.— The
first Local Magistrate.— Sale of the Plymouth Patent. — Its Abandonment
and Revival.— Building of Fort Western. — The first Settler at Augusta. —
Lotting of the Land. — Settlement begun.— The first Mills. — Incorporation of
Township of Hallowell.— The first Roads.— The first Preaching.— Eifects of
the War of the Revolution. — John Jones, the Tory. — Arnold's Army en route
to Quebec— Effects of National Independence. — Arrival of new Settlers. —
The first Meeting House and settled Minister. — Division of the Town into
eight School Districts and three Parishes.— The earliest Burial Places.— The
Hallowell Academy. — Rivalry of the Hook and Fort Western Settlements. —
Building of the Kennebec Bridge.— Division of the Old Town into the New
Towns of Hallowell and Harrington.
THE beginning of the city of Augusta was on the plateau that is
now centrally occupied by the remains of Fort Western at the
eastern end of the Kennebec bridge. There, eight years after
the landing from the Mayfloivcr, the Pilgrim fathers built a trading
house for traffic with the Indians. Previously the spot had been the
site of a wigwam village, where the fires had burned a niche in the
forest and laid bare a few roods of the mellow soil which every spring
the squaws, with their rude hoes, worked into productive corn-hills,
and where the young braves found room to practice their rollicking
games of wrestling, running and dancing. The illustrious men who
founded the Plymouth colony came to this place every year for about
a thi'rd C'-' century, bringing in their shallops a variety of commodi-
ties for the Indian market, and enjoying great profit so long as the
supply of beaver skins continued good.
Among these traders we first discern the conspicuous presence of
Edward Winslow, the colony's resolute business leader, who opened
the traffic in 1625, and who appears to have been the projector of the
monopoly that was called the Kennebec patent; his associates in the
trade were some of his noted fellow-pilgrims. Governor Bradford
is recorded to have been on the river in 1634, and so are John Alden
and John Howland. Captain Miles Standish was often here — not in
his military trappings, for the Indians were then petted rather than
S82 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
pestered. John Winslow (the brother of Edward) was a familiar per-
sonage at the trading house, and had charge of it for a series of years
— sometimes as agent for the colony and at others as manager for the
lessees. The second Governor Winslow (Josiah, son of Edward) was
.at one time a partner in farming the patent. Governor Prince was
also one of those early Kennebeckers; he was commissioned by the
•colony in 1654 to organize a local government for the pioneers whom
the industries of fishing and trading had drawn to the shores of an-
■cient Sagadahoc and Merrymeeting bay; he promulgated a series of
ordinances devised for the good order of the little heterogeneous
■community. Captain Constant Southworth was appointed a magis-
trate at Cusenage, as the place of the Plymouth trading house was
then called. His jurisdiction was throughout the patent. His func-
tions were mainly to be a terror to trespassing stranger traders and
to check the sale of demoralizing liquors to the Indians. He was the
first resident officer of the civil law in the territory of the present
Kennebec county. He received his authority from the magistrates
of Plymouth, who had themselves just obtained from Oliver Crom-
well a confirmation of their patent, with permission to take political
possession of the whole river.
There is no spot anywhere along the banks of the Kennebec that
is more interesting in its historical associations than the site of the
ancient Cushnoc trading house. It turns our thoughts back to the
crucial years of the first successful English colony in America, and to
the men that set in motion the forces that were destined to transform
the gloomy wilderness into the mighty New England of to-day. The
ground of Bowman and William streets and of the adjacent lots was
trod many times by the same feet that consecrated Plymouth Rock.
There, was the mutual meeting place of the business men of Plym-
outh and the fur-hunting natives; the latter flocked hither from
their farthest haunts to be tempted by the enticing productions of
civilization. Father Druillettes sometimes accompanied them, and
was occasionally the guest of the hospitable traders.
Of the trading house itself we have no description. It must have
been a log structure, roofed with scantling or bark, and ''jh^^'-d by
windows of oiled paper — for glass was then rare and costly. It was
hedged by a tall and close fence of pickets for retiracy and security.
The workmen seem to have wrought with a view to some permanency,
for we are told by the ex-Indian captive. Captain Bane (now Beane),
that in 1692 — more than thirty years after the withdrawal of the
•traders — the remains of the establishment were still visible among
the new-grown trees and shrubbery.
The magistracy of Captain Southworth continued for a few years
only. We read that in 1655 he went before the governor of Plymouth
and took the oath of office for his distant bailiwick. After this the
records are silent on the subject. The commerce with the natives,
which had long been languishing, was now growing profitless. Soon
after (in 1661), the colony sold the patent to four enterprising business
men (Thomas Brattle, Antipas Boies, Edward Tyng, John Winslow),
who tried to revive the trade, but finally abandoned it — leaving the
river (about 1665) to the repossession of the impoverished natives,
and the wild beasts, their companions.
Thus, for nearly forty years was the intervale plain at the eastern
end of the modern highway bridge, a familiar resort and trading em-
porium of the fur gatherers. They were the forerunners of civiliza-
tion on the Kennebec and remotely the pioneers of Augusta. They
first lifted the axe against the great forest and started the earliest
echoes of human industry that broke the primeval silence of the sav-
age region. Their work was permanent and pervasive in its results.
Their patent — which they prized and operated only for immediate
traffic — invested them with the ownership of the soil, and it duly be-
came the foundation of the present land titles in Kennebec county
and elsewhere. Every valid real estate deed in Augusta to-day has a
tap-root running back to it. The history of Augusta, therefore, be-
gins with the Pilgrim fathers and their trading plant at the ancient
Indian fishing place of Kouissinok (Cushnoc).
After fifty years of contact with the traders, the Kennebec Indians
joined their fellow-tribes in raising the hatchet against the English.
Then began a war of races that lasted with occasional truces for a
period of eighty-five years. This ruined most of the Maine settle-
ments, and delayed the march of civilization up the Kennebec for
three-quarters of a century.
In 1749 some enterprising heirs of the long deceased purchasers
of the Kennebec patent materialized as claimants of the Kennebec
valley, through the deed of 1661 to their ancestors. A good part of
their claim was legally confirmed. They took possession of their
heritage under a long name which for brevity was called the Plym-
outh Company. It was the agency of these proprietors that led
directly to the peopling of the lands of the ancient patent. They
threw open the once guarded door of the fur traders, and started cos-
mically the present family of towns and cities between Topsham
and Madison. A few vengeful Indians still haunted the river on
whose banks the flower of their tribe lay buried. To awe these forest
wanderers and shield the settlers from the perils of their enmity, the
Plymouth Company, as its first act of occupation, built a defen.sive
house in its township of Frankfort, near the garrison of Fort Rich-
mond. The province authorities generally favored the company. In
ihe summer of 1754, Governor Shirley— for whom the new fort had
been named— came to the Kennebec with a military escort of eight
hundred men and laid the corner-stone of Fort Halifax at the mouth
d«4 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of the Sebasticook.* This fortification was to face the wilderness
that stretched unbroken to Quebec, where the French and Indians
still held their councils of hate against New England.
To complete the armament of its territory, the land company itself
proceeded to build a fort at Cushnoc, as auxiliary to Fort Halifax and
for the storage of supplies destined for the upper garrison, as they
were unloaded from the vessels at the head of navigation. The little
army which the governor led to the Kennebec was deployed to scout
and patrol for possible enemies, and to guard the workmen on the
forts, and to swamp a road through the woods from Fort Halifax
down to Cushnoc. A detachment was assigned to the service of the
Plymouth Company for picket duty. Fear of the Indians impelled to
great caution.
Cushnoc was then but a landing place in the midst of a wilderness,
among noisy brooks and cavernous ravines, suited to the stealthy
methods of the dreaded foe, so the land company lodged its employees
at Fort Shirley, while they prepared from the adjacent forest the
materials for the Cushnoc fort. Trees that grew on the land of the
present town of Dresden were cut down and hewn into timbers and
wrought with tenon and mortise under the protecting cannon of Fort
Shirley and the muskets of province soldiers. Then the finished
timbers were launched into the river and towed in rafts up to Cush-
noc, where they were given their allotted places iu the v/alls and
sentry towers of Fort Western. This " strong, defensible magazine"t
consisted of a principal building, one hundred feet long by thirty-two
wide, and two citadel-like blockhouses with projecting upper stories,
and two other buildings of smaller size. There was a court or parade
ground formed jointly by these structures and a line of pickets en-
closing an area of 160 feet by 62. Encompassing all on three sides,
thirty feet distant and opening on the rugged bank of the river, was
another and stouter palisade that frowned imposingly toward the
outer world. The walls of the main house were built of timber
twelve inches square, laid close together in courses. The doors and
windows were of solid plank. The blockhouses (one at the northeast
and the other at the southwest angles of the inner court) were built
also of squared and closely matched timbers. Their summits were
loopholed sentry boxes of hard wood plank.
No sooner was Fort Western erected than the governor armed it
with soldiers and cannon, and constituted it the middle link in the
chain of defenses. By early autumn (1754) the army had accomplished
*This fortification was designed by General John Winslow, a descendant of
Edward, the Pilgrim, and a namesake of Edward's brother, who had kept the
trading house at Cushnoc a century before.
tLetter of Governor Shirley. See Maine Historical Society's Collection, 'Vol.
VIII, p. 217.
AUGUSTA. 385
its errand. Then it returned bloodless to Boston — leaving the Plym-
outh Company in fortified possession of the ancient patent. This
was the final conquest of the Kennebec valley. The raising of Fort
Western was the second colonial occupation of Cushnoc. The brist-
ling fort was the direct successor of the rustic trading house, among
whose debris and mould its foundations were laid.
The company had selected Fort Shirley as its first settlement and
the nucleus of its projected metropolis; it had surveyed the territory
that is now called Dresden Neck, divided it into lots and attracted
thither a few scores of families, principally Germans and French
Huguenots. This was the colony of Frankfort, and it being well
begun, the Plymouth company sought the improvement of its lands
further up the river, and looked upon Fort Western as a good center
for another settlement. It tried to induce worthy yeomen who were
in quest of homes to accept almost gratuitously some of its best lands:
but to its disappointm.ent the popular dread of the dangers of the
wilderness was too great for the immediate success of its scheme.
Then broke out a bloody war between England and France, in which
the Indians, stimulated by their French allies in Canada, resumed
their raids from the Chaudiere down the Kennebec, slaying by assas-
sination both soldiers and settlers, arousing the garrisons and terror-
izing everybody. This stopped all immigration to the wilds of Maine,
and paralyzed the operations of the Plymouth Company
For several years the condition of the few settlers on the river was
dismal and the prospect uncertain. Only when the gates of Quebec
opened to the army of the immortal Wolfe did the valley of the Ken-
nebec become disenthralled from the fatal influences that had for a
century delayed its development. France was now driven from
America. After that momentous event the border forts wer-e not
needed any more. Fort Western, like the others, was dismantled and
its soldiers sent away.
Captain James Howard, the original and only commander of Fort
Western, remained as its keeper, and thereby became the first perma-
nent settler above Frankfort. The principal building of the fort was
utilized as a dwelling. The palisades were soon removed as useless
obstructions, and the block houses were finally torn down as cumber-
ers of the ground, although one of them — the southwestern — was
spared until about the year 1834, and is still remembered in its archi-
tectural grotesqueness by a few aged persons.
On the first glimmering of peace, and, indeed, three years before
the signing of the treaty that confirmed to England the prize which
valor had won at LouislDourg and Quebec, the Plymouth proprietors,
perceiving the prospectively enhanced value of their property, took
courage and resolutely went to work to make it marketable. Their
25
dm HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
first act was to perambulate and parcel the most elig-ible and fertile
portion of their territory into lots for farms and homesteads. By
1761 surveying- parties with compass and chains, having begun at the
present south line of Chelsea, had reached Fort Western and passed
northward beyond the present line of Augusta. All of the land within
three miles of the river had been measured off into lots and marked
by stakes and stones or other monuments, and a copious record, called
the Nathan Winslow plan, was made of the same.* This was the first
artificial division of these lands since the beginning of the world.
Many of the bounds then established are perpetuated to-day in party
fences between estates and in town lines and highways.
It was the liberal policy of the proprietors that any worthy man
should have two lots in fee simple, provided he would become a dona
fide settler and build within five years a comfortable house for him-
self and family. Under the.se conditions the lots next to the river
were speedily taken. By 1762 seven log huts had sprung up, patches
of ground were being cleared, and tillage was begun among the
charred and smoking stumps. Two years later (1764) thirty-seven
lots had been taken within the limits of ancient Hallowell and ten
more occupied.
Captain Howard, the ex-commander of the outpost, was the fore-
most promoter of the settlement. He early accepted three of the
conditional lots for himself and sons, and in 1767 he bought the " fort
tract " of nine hundred acres and became the private owner of the
fort itself. He opened a domestic store for the convenience of his
fellow-settlers, and in partnership with two sons (Samuel and William)
he engaged in mercantile business with the outside world, receiving
goods for the local trade and sending off the garnered products of the
region by the firm's own vessels, like the pilgrim predecessors long
before. He became a public benefactor by erecting a saw mill about
a mile northward from the fort, on the then considerable stream
which thereupon took the name of Howard's (now Riggs') brook. A
year later (1770) he built near the mill a stately dwelling which was
for many years the manor house of the hamlet. He was the next
resident magistrate after Southworth (in 1655), and perhaps his best
remembered act as such was his solemnization (in 1763) of the mar-
riage of his daughter, Margaret, with Captain Samuel Patterson
(grandparents of ex-Mayor Joseph W. Patterson, born July 2, 1809).
This was the first wedding at Cushnoc. Captain Howard's long, busy
and useful life was rounded out by three years of service as a judge
of the court of common pleas, which (since his coming to Fort West-
ern) had been established (in 1760) at Fort Shirley, in Pownalborough
*The part of this plan that refers to the present territory of Augusta is
shown on the following page. Other parts of the Winslow plan are shown at
pages 750, 1,035 and 1,096.
387
388 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
(formerly Frankfort), for the new county of Lincoln. He died May
14, 1787, at the age of eighty-five years. Captain Howard may prop-
erly be called the forefather of Augusta. A part of the fort which he
commanded still remains as a monument to his memory, and is a lin-
gering relic of the transition era when Cushnoc passed from its state
of nature under the red men to the higher sovereignty of the subdu-
ing settlers with their axes and ploughshares.
The event of next greater local consequence after the fall of Que-
bec was the incorporation of the settlement of Fort Western into a
town. The land company, ever diligent in the promotion of its in-
terests, solicited the act, which was passed by the " governor [Thomas
Hutchinson], council and house of representatives," April 26, 1771.
The name of Hallowell was adopted in compliment to a merchant of
Boston, Benjamin Hallowell, a member of the Plymouth Company
and the owner of a 3,200 acre tract about three miles southerly from
the fort, on the west side of the river (now the southerly part of Hal-
lowell).
The bounds of the new town included the present territory of Au-
gusta, Hallowell, Chelsea, and most of Manchester and Farmingdale.
This great tract (65,715 acres) was in its original wildness except at a
spot near the center, where the group of settlers' clearings extended
along the river in the vicinity of Fort Western. Captain Howard
was given the honor of calling the first town meeting, which was held
on the fort premises May 22 (1771), when the voters — about thirty in
number — chose a full board of town officers, among whom were Pease
Clark, James Howard and Jonathan Davenport as selectmen. Among
the first appropriations were " ;^36 for clearing roads " and " .£'16 for
schooling."
Until that time the river had been the great and only avenue for
travel. Excepting the little used military road to Fort Halifax, the
sole avenues for land travel were forest paths that perhaps had been
Indian trails in former times. The first work therefore of the infant
town was to open roads across the lots from house to house. The
earliest town way was little more than a lane cut through the woods
in continuation of the Fort Halifax road southerly. The prompt pro-
vision for schools attests the loyalty of the settlers to the policy of
the Puritan forefathers, who ordained (in 1647) that every town of
fifty houses should provide for the in.struction of its youth.
The next 3'ear (1772) both " schooling and preaching " were classed
as necessities and received an appropriation of £\5. Of the ninety-
six persons who were assessed for taxes in 1772 (to the aggregate sum
of ;^13 19s. -^d.), seventy-five lived along the river within the present
limits of Augusta. The largest individual tax (11 shillings and 3f
pence) was paid by Captain Howard on his stock of goods in the fort
store and vessel. Ezekiel Page was the next wealthiest citizen, as in-
dicated by the tax (7 shillings and 9| pence) on his homestead and
other real estate. The second annual town meeting was held at his
house, which is shown by an old map to have stood on the east side
of the river, nearly opposite the mouth of Kennedy brook (Britt's
gully). He was a religious man — a deacon in church rank — and one
of the most respected as well as substantial of the first planters of an-
cient Hallowell.
By another year (1773), the western side of the river was over-
taking the eastern side in improvements and growth, and began to
contest with it for dignity and honors. The town meeting this year
was held at Moses French's inn, which had just been built on the site
of the present triangular cluster of houses at the inner junction of
Grove and Green streets. John Jones, an attache of the Plymouth
Company, and a professional surveyor, now erected a saw mill at the
lower fall of the then wild and picturesque little river that has .since
been metamorphosed into the now shrunken and jaded stream called
Bond's brook (from Thomas Bond— died 1815— who built the large
brick house at the foot of Gas-house hill — the first brick house in Au-
gusta). This Jones mill was a boon to the builders on the western
side, as the unbridged river flowed between them and the saw mills on
Howard's brook.
Eleven years before (1762), Pease Clark and his son, Peter, had
come from Attleboro with their families and settled on adjoining lots
of land at a place that is now near the center of the densest part of
the present city of Hallowell. Presently other settlers, including five
of Pease Clark's sons, followed the first comers to the place. They
set up a saw mill on the Keduracook (Vaughan stream, from Benja-
min Vaughan, died in 1835), and soon the tiny settlement began to
grow like the older one two miles above. The two settlements were
too infantile for any rivalry such as afterward grew up, and the new
one at the Hook (from Kedumcook) began its career as a loyal suburb
of the parent village two miles above.
The contour of the land and especially the fine alluvial terraces
and water-powers were favoring conditions for the development of a
larger community on the western side of the river than on the east-
ern, and ere a decade had passed after the arrival of the Clarks at the
Hook, the preponderance of population, if not of wealth, had finally
crossed the river. The first child born among the settlers was Elias
Taylor (February 21, 1762); he was named for his father, who lived on
a lot that is a portion of or near the present farm of Joel Spaulding
in Ward Four ^Augusta).
Many of the early settlers were godly men, and imbued with the
doctrines— more or less relaxed— of their puritan ancestry. Among
the privations of their pioneer life, none was less resignedly borne
than the absence of stated public worship; their poverty forbade such
390 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
a' luxury, and meetings for the cultivation of religious grace were
necessarily limited to a few persons, and held at private houses. The
first public religious service in the hamlet, of which there is record,
was held in the fort in the year 1763. It was conducted by Jacob
Bailey, who was an Episcopal frontier missionary, stationed at Frank-
fort (afterward Pownalborough, now Dresden). Mr. Bailey must have
found a welcome and willing hearers in the frontier hamlet, for he
repeated his visit two or three times. The dominant creed was Con-
gregationalism, and any preacher of that communion was sure of a
congregation. John Murray, an eminent preacher in his day, who
was then settled at Boothbay, was once prevailed upon (in 1773) to
come and minister to the Fort Western people. He made the journey
by boat — the only practical mode of traveling at the time — and was
escorted both ways by a committee of citizens, whose expenses {£1
13s. 4d.) were paid by the town. The same year the first resident
minister — John Allen — was hired in connection with Vassalboro, at the
rate of twenty-four shillings a Sunday. He went awaj- in about two
years — his stay being terminated because the town could not fulfil its
agreement with him.
After this, for more than ten years, no engagement was made that
did not prove temporary. Among the candidates and occasional
preachers of that era, may be named: Samuel Thurston (afterward set-
tled at New Castle, and in 1778 removed to Warren, where he died);
Caleb Jewetf, 1777 (a Dartmouth student, settled in Gorham in 1783,
cea.sed preaching in 1800, and died soon after); John Prince, 1780;
Nathaniel Merrill, 1783-4; William Hazlitt; Ezekiel Emerson (settled
at Georgetown, 1765); Seth Noble, 1785 (settled later at Kenduskeag
plantation, and when it was incorporated in 1791, he was selected to
name the new town and gave it the name of his favorite tune, Ban-
gor — one of his great-grandsons, Edwin A. Noble, is now a citizen of
Augusta).
Any historical sketch of ancient Hallowell would be very incom-
plete without some allusion to these early ministers, and the religious
interests which they sought to promote. In those years the main-
tenance of public worship fell upon the town in its corporate capacity,
and the affairs of the Christian church were often incongruously min-
gled with secular and even trivial matters in the proceedings of the
town meetings.* The religious services were often held at the fort,
*During the meeting house controversy, in 1782, when the opposing parties
became warm, it became necessary to take the sense of the meeting by polling
the house, when Deacon Cony (the great-grandfather of Governor Coney) "a
remarkably mild man," led the movement in favor of the measure by calling-
out as he went to one side of the room— "All who are on the Lord's side follow
me," while Edward Savage, who was in the opposition, called out — "All who are
on the devil's side follow me." The deacon had the best company, and carried
the question.— North's History of Augusta, p. 165.
and sometimes at the Great House of Captain James Howard, and
occasionally at Pollard's tavern (where the new opera house stands).
For a dozen years or more after the fort had become private property^
it continued to be a public resort, and seems to have been freely prof-
fered by its owner for all such meetings, religious or secular, as his
fellow-citizens wished to hold. The town resumed its meetings there
in 1774, and generally thereafter accepted its accommodations until
the more spacious meeting house was built eight years later.
Before the arrival of the famous year 1776, the premonitions of
the war of the revolution had been felt in every part of the thirteen
colonies. The Boston massacre (March 5, 1770) had sent a thrill of
horror up the Kennebec; the tea had been thrown overboard (1773);
Paul Revere had taken his midnight ride, and blood had flowed at
Lexington (April 19,1775). These ominous events aroused the sturdy
yeomen of ancient Hallowell to patriotic action. As early as January
25, 1775, they had assembled at the fort in town meeting, in response
to an order of the provincial congress calling for the arming of the
colonies. A strong tory influence, reflected from the powerful Plym-
outh Company (whose members were nearly all tories), was encoun-
tered by the patriots, greatly to their vexation, but it was finally over-
come, and a military company for the revolutionary cause successfully
formed. Some of the officers were: Captains William Howard (son
of James, the pioneer), Daniel Savage, great-grandfather of Daniel
Byron Savage, of Augusta) and James Cox; and Lieutenants Samuel
Howard (brother of William), David Thomas, John Shaw, sen., and
Josiah French. The rolls of those who served under them have not
been preserved. A safety committee, composed of principal citizens,
clothed with much power, was given the charge of all matters con-
nected with the public disorder, including correspondence with the
revolutionary leaders. Among the members of this committee were:
James, William and Samuel Howard (father and sons). Pease Clark,
Ezekiel Page (son of the deacon), Samuel Bullen, Levi Robinson,
Samuel Cony (great-great-grandfather of ex-Mayor Daniel A. Cony,
died 1892), Robert Kennedy (Kennedy brook named after him), Jonas
Clark, Abisha Cowan.
A town of so few inhabitants, however willing, could not give
much aid to the continental cause, and its part in the war was neces-
sarily small and inconspicuous. It suffered much during the period
of the revolution— its growth was retarded and well-nigh suspended.
The tory proprietors abandoned their Kennebec estates, and most of
them fled from the country. Their conduct was specially harmful to
the little frontier town of their founding. So great was the depres-
sion that even the Fourth of July Declaration was not publicly read
to the people. The great land proprietor for whom the town had
been named suffered the confiscation of his abandoned estate within
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
it for his hostility to the patriot cause. The same treatment befel
Sylvester Gardiner and William Vassal, whose names were given re-
spectively to the southern and northern adjoining- towns.
Another loyalist of much less social eminence
was especially obnoxious to the honest patriots
of the town. He was saucy, active and exasper-
ating. His name was John Jones — once before
referred to as the builder of a mill — the first one
on the west side of the river. Jones had at first a
considerable following, and used it to disturb town
meetings and bother the popular party generally.
He was at last denounced by the town as " inim-
ical to the country," and put under i^lOO bonds to
answer in the court at Pownalborough, the accu-
sation. Upon this he ran away to Boston, but
was there locked up in jail. He was smart enough
Ea. Ez.ch^'se, to soon escape to Canada. During the latter years
of the war he took up arms and served as a British
ranger — sallying forth on his raids from Bagaduce
(now Castine). In one of his forays to the Ken-
nebec he cleverly took General Charles Cushing
from his bed at Pownalborough, and without
"'^f-v. allowing him to arrange his toilet, relentlessly
marched him through the wilderness to Baga-
SAetc/i /7?cx-^ oi duce. This was to retaliate upon Cushing the
j'Aju W-/c/n/^ ciT- oppressions of the patriots upon the clerical Jacob
•^-r^l^^^^ Bailey for his irrepressible toryism. As soon as the
•//«^ war was over Jones returned (at first cautiously)
*The above is a reduced /«i- simile of a copy of the only known map of ancient
Hallowell. The original (nine by fifteen inches) appears to have been made by a
person of some skill as a draughtsman — probably a surveyor, and possibly John
Jones, the tory. The evident purpose of the maker was to show the relative
positions of the settlers' houses on both sides of the river between the line of
Howard's (Riggs') brook and the southerly part of the then town in the year
1775. The names of some of the residents are given in full and others only in
part, which fact indicates that the sketch may have been drawn or dictated
from imperfect memory years after the passing of Arnold's army, by some
elderly person who was recalling the size of the village at the time of that
famous event. The lines of the various lots are disregarded, and all of the dis-
tances are more or less distorted ; but a few of the monuments then existing
liave never been moved and assist us to identify to-day the places where many of
houses represented stood. Scanning southerly from Howard brook we first see
indicated James Howard's " Great House," where Arnold lodged ; there was one
lot (50 rods) between it and Daniel Savage's; next is David Thomas' house,
which was the first inn in the hamlet. Three or four lots below was George
Brown, who first appears in the records of 1775, and whose given name, like
those of seven others, the artist apparently did not know ; Brown must have
to the home from which his loyalty to King George had ostracised him.
Under the treaty of peace (1783) he and his once outraged townsmen
been a patriot, for he was summoned in 1777 as a witness in court against the
tory, John Jones. Two or three lots southerly is Fort Western with its four
blockhouses, but the owner's naine, as in the case of the Great House, is signifi-
cantly omitted, as if the modesty of Captain Howard himself is somehow
connected with the sketch. Next below the fort are Seth and Joseph Greeley,
relatives, and their first neighbor below is William McMasters, who was here
before 1773. On the first or second lot southerly is Deacon Ezekiel Page, called
•" Old Mr. Page," to distinguish him from his son on the second lot below. It
was at the house of this " Old Mr. Page " that the town meeting was held in
1773. Between father and son appears Joitatlian Davenport, who may have been
living there temporarily in the year 177.5, but whose true place on the plan was
southerly of Ezekiel, jun., and which is now the northernmost farm in Chelsea.
The following houses were all in the present Chelsea : Adam Couch, who first
appears as a tax-payer in 1773 : Ezekiel Chase (nearly opposite the present Hal-
lowell ferryl had been a settler since 1763, and in 1777 he was chosen to be a
witness against " Black " Jones ; Benjamin White, fence-viewer in 1771, and con-
stable in 1773 ; Obed Hussey, first taxed in 1773 ; Captain James Cox, an original
settler in 1762 ; Deacon Samuel BuUen, an original settler, and a witness to the
toryism of Jones. The five remaining lots between Deacon Bullen's and the
present Randolph line seem to have been tenantless. On the west side of the
river the upper house represented is that of Samuel Chamberlain, of whom there
is no record before 1784; his nearest neighbor was a Bolton, either George or
James, who were in the tax list of 1772. The name of the occupant of the next
house was unknown to the artist. Bond's brook is called Ellis' brook, probably
for John Ellis, who was here in 1773, and who may have succeeded to the John
Jones mill which is plainly indicated astride the stream. The house of Asa
Emerson stood near the present corner of Court and Water streets. He soon
sold out to the father of Chief Justice Weston and went to Waterville (then
Winslow), where his name is borne by Emerson stream. Josiah French's house,
as stated in the text, was where Grove and Green streets now unite. On the
next lot lived Emerson Smith, taxed in 1773, and elected a hog-reeve; next below
him lived Ephraiin Cowan, an original settler, adjoining whom was Robert Ken-
nedy, who owned the brook that took his name. Lieutenant Samuel Howard
owned the lot that now adjoins the Hallowell line. Howard hill (495 feet) was
named for him. Shubael Hinkley, who lived a quarter of a mile below, gave the
name to Hinkley's plains. Deacon Pease Clark, and his son, Peter, lived near
the site of the present Hallowell cotton factory. Below Peter is another name-
less house, and the last one is that of Briggs Hallowell, just north of Kedum-
■cook (Vaughan) stream, and on or near the spot now covered by the power sta-
tion of the Augusta, Hallowell & Gardiner Street Railway Company. The
great elm trees near by are possible relics of the ancient homestead. Briggs
lived on his father's (Benjamin) undivided land and sold lots from the same.
The sketch shows thirty buildings, exclusive of the fort and mill, and affixes
names to twenty-eight of them. There were other dwellings at the time northerly
from Howard's brook, on both sides of the river. The author of the map did not
■consider the stream now called Ballard's brook, opposite Howard's, nor Ken-
nedy's and Kedumcook streams worth indicating. The copy of this long-lost
map was made by Benjamin F. Chandler, and found among the papers of Mar-
cellus A. Chandler (died February 24, 1891), by the Hon. Joseph W. Patterson,
who rescued it for perpetual preservation in these pages.
394 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
seem to have soon become tolerably reconciled, and he thenceforth lived
uneventfully, and ended his days (in 1823) among them, at the age of
eighty years — without descendants. He built a house near the north
bank of the stream, between the river and mill which he had built
before the war. His wife — Ruth Lee, sister of Silas Lee — a woman
of much force of character, survived him until 1886. The last rest-
ing places of the twain are unmarked and forgotten graves in Mt.
Vernon Cemetery. Jones was small and unimpressive in stature,
lithe of limb, flippant of speech, and of a complexion so swarthy that
the word black as an epithet was affixed to him by his countrymen
in the days of their bitterness toward him, and it conveniently dis-
tinguished him from another John Jones who had lot numbered sev-
enteen near the present north line of Chelsea, and who was also iden-
tified with the beginning of the town. This history will mention no
personage with a career more unique and replete with sensation and
romance than that of " Black " Jones, the incorrigible and dauntless
tory of Fort Western in primitive Augusta.
The most memorable war incident connected with the early town
was the passage through it of Benedict Arnold and his men on their
way to Quebec in 1775. Washington had despatched the expedition
across the wilderness with the brief journal of Montressor as its only
guide book. The army had intrepidly begun the march, which, under
the circumstances and from the ignorance concerning the obstacles
that lay in its path, was hardly less herculean than Henry M. Stan-
ley's of recent years across the Dark Continent.
The troops, numbering 1,100, rendezvoused at Fort Western, land-
ing from a fleet of 200 batteaux that had just been built in Reuben Col-
burn's yard at Agry point, two miles below the site of the present
village of Randolph. General Arnold himself arrived on the 21st
(of September) and received with his principal officers the hospitality
of Captain James Howard at the Great House, so-called (burned June
12, 1866). Here he kept his headquarters nine days, preparing his
army with its mass of stores for final embarkation. Some of his
officers later in the war became distinguished, and now occupy firm
places in history.* While the army was halting at Fort Western, a
tragedy occurred — as if foreshadowing the great tragedy which the
expedition itself was to become. On the night of the 23d, as the
outcome of a quarrel in a company mess, John McCormick shot
Reuben Bishop dead. A court martial was assembled, and it sen-
tenced the guilty man to be hung at three o'clock on the 26th; but
General Arnold was led by the circumstances to stay the execution
*Among them were then Majors Return J. Meigs and Timothy Bigelow (for
whom Mt. Bigelow was named); Captains Daniel Morgan and Henry Dearborn
(afterward of Gardiner). Among those present who lived to become distin-
guished in civil life were Cadet Aaron Burr and Private John Joseph Henry.
and refer the case to General Washington, with a recommendation for
mercy.* The body of poor Bishop was interred near the fort burying
ground, and in after years Willow street was laid out over his un-
heeded grave.
By the 30th of September the army had embarked and was stem-
ming the current of the Kennebec on the toilsome way Quebecward,
leaving the hamlet that it had suddenly converted into a military
camp, to return to its normal quietness. Of the dismal fortunes of
the heroic army before it reached the St. Lawrence in the middle of
November, this chapter is not the place to speak. Colonel Roger
Enos, shielding himself by his rank — being second only to Arnold —
abandoned the march midway, and with three companies (Williams',
McCobb's and Scott's) returned ingloriously down the river, undoubt-
edly exciting a great sensation as his ragged flotilla sailed past
Hallowell and the lower settlements.
The burdens of the war were heavy on the town, which contained
only about one hundred polls. It was ordered in 1779 to furnish thir-
teen privates and a sergeant and an officer for the ill fated Bagaduce
(Castine) expedition, some of the shreds of which (including Paul
Revere) fled as fugitives from the Penobscot to the Kennebec, and
called at Fort Western for food and temporary rest. The next year
the town was assessed for six three years' men, and in 1781 for 2,580
pounds of beef, 11 shirts, 11 pairs of shoes and stockings, and 5 blankets,
for the continental army. Being unable to wholly comply promptly
with all of these demands, the town was threatened by the general
court with a fine for its failure. But, most happily and gloriously the
surrender of Cornwallis (October 19, 1781) soon ended the war and
liberated the town from the pending exactions.
The town began to recover from the paralyzing shock of the war
at the first sure dawn of national independence. In 1778 eleven new
and worthy settlers came— one of them Ephraim Ballard, who revived
the silent mill of John Jones, and built a dwelling on the site of (the
present) Glen Cottage, owned by Webber and Gage. Amos Pollard,
who built an inn where the opera house now stands, came the same
year. Samuel Cony, the ancestor of the distinguished Augusta Cony
family, had come with his son, Samuel, the year before, and both had
♦Captain Simeon Thayer, of the expedition, wrote in his jonmal concerning
this affair: "Sept. 24. After Captain Topham and myself went to bed in a
neighbor's [Daniel Savage's] house, some dispute arose in the house [Fort West-
em] between some of our soldiers, on which I got out of bed and ordered them
to lie down and be at rest ; and on going to the door I observed the flash of the
priming of a gun, and called to Captain Topham, who arose hkewise and went
to the door, was fired at, but missed, on which he drew back, and I with Top-
ham went to bed, but the felon, who had fully determined murder in his heart,
came again to the door and lifted the latch, and fired into the room, and killed a
man lying by the fireside."
396 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
settled near the river on the east side, the father on the present insane
hospital land, and the son on the lot next southerly from the fort.^Three
years later (1779) Daniel — who was to become more prominent in the
annals of the town than any other of his generation, — followed his
father and brother (from Shutesbury) and settled alongside them on
land that was incorporated into the hospital farm a few years ago
(under the name of the Tobey farm). The brothers, Asa and Seth
Williams, and their kinsman. Church Williams — also founders of an-
other distinguished Augusta name — came the same year.^Asa settled
on the present Sidney road, in Ward Four, vSeth on the present arsenal
lot, and Church where the main factory building of the Edwards
Manufacturing Company now stands. To these arrivals may be traced
much of the individuality of the town in its whole subsequent career
of development.
The first town road to the Hook was laid out in 1779. It began at
Jones' or Ballard's mill (now Webber & Gage's), and was made prin-
cipally with axes. The present Water street, then covered with trees
and bushes, was laid out in 1784. It began at the mouth of Jones' or
Ballard's (now Bond's) brook, and was two rods wide until it reached
the land of Nathan Weston (father of Chief Justice Weston, born 1782,
died 1872j, at the present Kennebec Journal office lot, where there
was a gully to be bridged. The first bridge across the mouth of
Bond's brook, was built m 1788, and rebuilt more thoroughly in 1794
by Nathaniel Hamlen (great-grandfather of Frederick Hamlen of the
firm of Fowler & Hamlen, Augusta). Water street was widened in
1822 between Bridge street and Market Square to three rods, and in
1829 to fifty feet between Bridge street and Piper's tavern (at foot of
Laurel street). For the first seven years the mode of calling town
meetings was by a personal notice to every voter, but in 1778, a new
departure was made by posting the notification at Howard's grist mill
(on Riggs' brook), at David Thomas' inn (east side of present Howard
street), at Amos Pollard's inn (present opera house's site), and at
Nathan Weston's store (foot of Court street). In 1784 the population
of the town had increased to 682 white persons, and 10 negroes.
There were 187 polls, of which 130 were in the present limits of
Augusta.
The need of a meeting house where the people could conveniently
assemble had at last become a necessity ; and in the spring of 1777 the
voters were notified in the selectmen's warrant to " come to some
conclusion on which side of the river the meeting hou.se should be
built." The widely scattered people being greatly divided on the
question, it was proposed to locate the building near the center of the
town. This was acquiesced in until the choice fell by lot to the east
side of the river (at a point near Pettengill's Corner), when the people
of the other side, including the Hook, rallied in force, and in 1781, by
AUGUSTA. 397
a large majority, located the house " upon the west side of the river,
on the road [the 8-rods rangeway, now Winthrop street] between
Colonel Joseph North's and Asa Emerson's land, down on the inter-
vale by the river." This was in what is now Market Square. The
frame of the building (size 50 by 36 feet, 21 feet posts) was raised in
1782, and first occupied for worship and town meetings the following
year.* Nathaniel Hamlen, grandfather of Lewis B. Hamlen (now in
his ninety-third year), worked for the town upon it, receiving £65 as
his pay. This meeting house was used for twenty-six years, both for
religious services and town meetings. It was superseded (in 1809) by
the South parish meeting house (Parson Tappan's, burned July 11,
1864), which in its turn was succeeded by the present granite church
edifice (dedicated May 26, 1865).
The only regularly settled minister of ancient Hallowell, was Isaac
Foster, who, after having been formally called, was ordained in the
new meeting house, October 11, 1786. His pa.storate was troublous
and brief, by reason of doctrinal bickerings between the Calvin istic
and Armenian schools of belief which composed his heterogeneous
parish. He retired in 1788, leaving the theological elements of the
town in a state of violent ferment. The Armenians were the most
numerous but the Calvinists were strong in elders and church mem-
bers. The arena of conflict was the open town meeting, where opinion,
prejudice and passion found full expression.
There was no attempt to settle another minister for nearly three
years, and there is no record of any public worship in the town during
the interval. In January, 1791 , Thurston Whiting preached ; the next
Sunday Eliphalet Smith preached at the Hook the first recorded ser-
mon at that place; Jacob Emerson, of Sterling (now Fayette), occupied
the pulpit once in the spring. In July and August, Adoniram Judson
preached on trial for settlement. In 1792 David Smith came for three
months as another candidate, and he was succeeded in July, 1793, by
Charles Turner, who stayed until the following March (1794).
The difficulty of happily settling a minister had now increased to
an apparent impossibility. Besides the incompatibilities of beliefs,
the recently accelerated growth of the Hook settlement had enabled
the voters of that precinct to exact that some of the annually raised
preaching money (one-third of the amount raised in 1793) should be
expended in their village. There was beginning to be a poorly con-
cealed jealousy of the upper settlement, which the staunch and stead-
fast Calvinism of the Hook did not tend to abate. The cause of religion
*See Historical Statement at Dedicatory Exercises of the Chapel and Church
Home of the Congregational Church and Society, December 17, 1890. Printed
in Augusta, 1891. See also Reminiscences of Augusta's First Meeting House,
read before the Kennebec Natural History and Antiquarian Society in 1891, by
Mr. Walter D. Stinson.
:396 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and the church seemed to demand a divorce of the irreconcilable dis-
tricts. It was first proposed to divide the territory of the town in
twain, making the Hook parish extend nearly to the south lines of the
present state house and hospitallands. But after further deliberation
the voters chose Nathaniel Dummer (of the Hook), Elias Craig and
Matthew Hayward to petition the legislature to divide the town into
three parishes. The legislature readily complied, and incorporated
.(June 14, 1794) the North, South and Middle parishes of Hallowell.
The lines of these parishes are substantially intact to-day. The South
.parish was the territory of modern Hallowell, before it was deprived
of Chelsea and parts of Manchester and Farmingdale. When ancient
(Hallowell was divided, the two other parishes remained intact, but
from a geographical necessity the name of the original Middle parish
was changed to South — the present South parish of Augusta. The
term " ^'/a' South parish " properly applies to Hallowell and not to the
newer one of Augusta.* A meeting house that is still standing was
built in the North parish in 1832.
The expedient of multiplying parishes resulted in the almost im-
mediate settlement of Daniel Stone as minister of the Middle parish,
and of Eliphalet Gillett at the Hook. Mr. Stone (graduate of Harvard,
1791) preached his first trial sermon in the meeting house, November
9, 1794, and was ordained October 21, 1795. Mr. Gillett preached the
initial sermon of his thirty-two years' pastorate on August 3. 1794.
Mr. Stone closed his pastoral labors in 1809, but continued a resident
of the parish until his death in 1834. The settlement of two accept-
able ministers, one (Parson Gillett) representing the shade of belief
•quite acceptable to the extreme Calvinists (such as Benjamin Petten-
gill, who named Pettengill's Corner, his grandson was mayor in 1852
and 1853, — Henry Sewall, Jason Livermore, Shubael Hinkley, of Hink-
ley's plains); and Parson Stone expounding such truths as wrung
from his censors a slight suspicion of Armenianism, — happily ended
forever the ministerial agitations of the ancient town.
The earliest public burial place in the town was the one connected
with Fort Western. It was located near the river, and westerly of
the present Willow street, near the spot where John Drury's black-
smith shop now stands. Although the land was private property (the
Howards', father and sons), the spot continued to be the common
burial place of the early fort villagers. The Howards consented to
*John (Black) Jones, the regenerated tory, made an elaborate plan of the three
parishes, " drawn by a scale of 200 rods to an inch." He computed that the South
parish contained 24,783 acres, the Middle 22,993, and the North 17,939. The plan
bears in Jones' own handwriting, "Presented by Jno. Jones, Surveyor, to the
Inhabitants of the Middle Parish in Hallowell, 1795." This interesting sou-
venir, time-colored and somewhat worn, is now preserved in the collection of the
Kennebec Natiiral History and Antiquarian Society, where it was placed by the,
Hon. Joseph W. Patterson, in 1891.
AUGUSTA. 399
its use as such, but would not convey any titles to lots. The remains
of such bodies as could be found were removed to Riverside Ceme-
tery, after the land had become useful for a thoroughfare and for
building lots. The removals were made in 1861, at the expense of
the city, by Benjamin Gaslin, the superintendent of burials. About
1790 a burial place was appropriated on the western side of the river.
It was the present lot of Mrs. Jane W. Anthony, on Winthrop street
(corner of Elm). Its use for the purpose was only temporary, for in
1802 Joseph and Hannah North (great-grandparents of Dr. James W.
and Horace North) made a donation to the town of two acres of land
for a parish burying ground, which is the present Mount Vernon
cemetery. The earliest burial place at the Hook is now covered by
the buildings on the west side of Water street, that are occupied as
stores by B. F. Wood and J.W. Cross. Another obsolete burial place at
the Hook was at what is now the southeast corner of the old Williams
Emmons homestead— the angle formed by Summer and Grove streets.
There were family burial places in various neighborhoods of the
widely-scattered settlers. The most of these have been sacredly pre-
served, and a few have grown to be public cemeteries. There are
vestiges of a long abandoned burial place on the William Clark
homestead (now the farm of Anson S. Clark), four miles above the
city, in Ward Seven. It probably, in its wholly neglected state, ex-
hibits better preserved graves of the very earliest settlers than any
other of like character within the limits of ancient Hallowell. Its lo-
cation is on an easterly and gently sloping hillside, about twenty-five
rods from the river. The whole hill is clothed with a second growth
of forest, among which are many large pines ready for the lumber-
man. About a dozen graves are dimly visible, side by side in two
rows, with large trees growing from them*
The mould on them is thick, as if made by the leaf-fall of a cen-
tury. They were originally — at least, .some of them — marked by field
stones. Only two of these are now visible, and they but poorly, ex-
cept to him who searches for them amid the thick shrubbery. Uriah
Clark, the oldest son of Pease Clark, the founder of the Hook,
settled on this farm (lot number 48, and the third from the Vassal-
boro line) in the year 1762. Two of his brothers, Isaac and Jonas,
settled the same year near by, on two lots southerly. This corner of
the town was thereafter continuously occupied. Seven of Uriah's
children died before the present century, and were undoubtedly
buried on the home farm. The late John Cross (the father of John M.
Cross, who lives on the next farm northerly), remembered a funeral
at this burial place about 1816. Uriah Clark died Janury 22, 1814, and
* Since the writer's first visit to this place under the guideship of Mr. John
M. Cross in 1890, these trees have been cut down for firewood, and a second
growth is now (October, 1892) forming over the graves.
400 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
was probably one of the latest occupants of the little hillside lot which
the forest growth of three-quarters of acentury has completely en gulfed.
The first division of the town into school districts was in 1787,
when four were made on each side of the river, and " a committee
appointed in each district to provide schooling, and see that the
money is prudently laid out." The northern one on the east side of
the river extended southerly to a rangeway between lots 37 and 38
(about half a mile northerly from Riggs' brook) : Jonas Clark,
Robert Denison and Beriah Ingraham were appointed the com-
mittee. The next extended southward to a line "that dissects Fort
Western and the fort lot in the center;" Daniel Savage, David
Thomas and George Brown, committee. The next extended from
the fort so as to include two lots (one hundred rods) beyond the
present south line of Augusta; Ezekiel Page, Supply Belcher and
Nathaniel Hersey, committee. The next reached to the present
south line of Chelsea; David Jackson, Elisha Nye and Andrew Good-
win, committee. The river tier of districts on the west side extended
only two miles from the river. The northern one began at the Vas-
salboro (now Sidney) line, and embracing eighteen lots, extended to a
line opposite the mouth of Riggs' brook; Noah Woodward, Benjamin
Brown and Abisha Cowan, committee. The next southerly extended
to the present Hallowell line; Ephraim Ballard (ancestor of George vS.
and E. Herbert Ballard, of Augusta), Nathan Weston and Isaac Sav-
age, 2d, committee. The next extended to the Pittstown (now Gardi-
ner) line; James Carr, Simon Dearborn and Isaac Clark, committee.
The other district embraced the remaining territory of the town west
of the last three; Daniel Stevens, Enoch Page and Benjamin Follelt,
committee. This was two years before the formation of such districts
was provided for by law. Thus promptly the founders of the town
lined off the yet untamed wilderness into educational preserves, for
the benefit of their youth. The sum of i^80 was equally apportioned
to the districts the first year.
In the same direction was the establishing of the Hallowell
Academy. It was the first incorporated institution of learning in the
district of Maine, though one at South Berwick and one at Fryeburg
were a little earlier prepared for the reception of students. Its char-
ter was obtained in 1791, while Daniel Cony was the town's repre-
sentative, and it was endowed by the commonwealth with gifts of
land. Its location at the Hook seems to have been satisfactory to the
other village, where about half of the local trustees lived.* It was
* The following are the names of these trustees : Thomas Rice, Jonathan
Bowman, Dummer Sewall, Nathaniel Thwing, Daniel Cony, "Waterman Thomas,
William Lithgow, jun., Josiah Winship, Alexander McLean, William Brooks,
A.M., Henry Dearborn, Charles Vaughan, Samuel Dutton, Henry Sewall, Ed-
ward Bridge, William Howard, Robert Page, Samuel Nichols, Nathaniel Dum-
mer, James Carr.
opened May 5, 1795, with a dedicatory sermon by " Alden Bradford,
A.M.S.H.S., pastor of the church in Pownalborough," from the text —
" The wilderness and the solitary places shall be glad, and the desert
shall rejoice and blossom as the rose " (Isa. 35: 1). The institution
soon grew into a school of more than local celebrity, graduating ac-
complished students — many who became men of distinction in their
day. Incidentally, it contributed much to the intellectual life of the
local community. The building was burned in 1804, but it was
replaced in 1805 by a better one, which stood until 1839, when it was
succeeded by a brick one. In 1807 a bell was purchased of Paul
Revere for seventy-eight dollars. Among its preceptors were the
future U. S. senator, James W. Bradbury (1825 and 1826). and Gov-
ernor John Hubbard.
The founding of the academy gave an impetus to the ambition
and probably to the growth of the Hook. Before it was set off as a
separate parish there had been an attempt (in 1793) to remove the
office of town clerk to that part of the town, and Henry Sewall of the
other village had escaped defeat by a margin of only eighteen votes.
At the annual meeting held in the meeting house March 16, 1795, the
Hook party brilliantly carried an adjournment to the new academy
building. This was the first and only time that the town held a meet-
ing at the Hook. At this one the strength of the parties was spirit-
edly tested. The result was a decided victory for the upper village.
The rift was now fatally widening. The two parts of the town
were nearly equal in strength. The Hook village contained about
seventy dwelling houses, and was more compact, and at that time
was a trifle the larger. The academy and the new meeting house
(the old South church, built in 1796) were its only public buildings.
The Fort village had a meeting house, court house, jail and post
office,* and therefore a preponderance of the public honors. The
Eastern Star and the Tocsin newspapers had been issued at the Hook,
and the Kennebec Intelligencer (Peter Edes, 1796) at the Fort. These
papers sharply voiced the prevailing feelings of their respective vil-
lages, and exchanged many a witty and telling repartee.
♦James Burton, first postmaster, appointed Aug:ust 12, 1794. His house was
where Meonian Hall now stands. Two of his daughters— Misses Abby and
Eliza— are now living on Chestnut street. He was postmaster for twelve years,
and was removed for party reasons January 1, 1806. His successor was Samuel
Titcomb, father of the late Hon. Samuel Titcomb. The following completes
the list of the postmasters of Augusta since its beginning to the present time :
Nathan Weston, 1810; John Kimball, 1812; Robert C. Vose, 1814 (Daniel Stone and
Asaph R. Nichols, deputies with him); Joseph Chandler, 1830; William Woart,
jun., 1835; Richard F. Perkins, 1841; Daniel C. Weston, 1843; Asaph R, Nichols.
1844; Joseph Burton (son of the first postmater), 1849; William S. Badger, 1853;
James A. Bicknell, 1861; Horace H. Hamlen, 1870; Joseph H. Manley, 1881;
Lemuel B. Fowler, 1885; Joseph H. Manley, 1889; Walter D. Stinson, 1892.
402 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
But the year 1796 saw the inception of an enterprise that was to
settle finally the question of supremacy between the villages and radi-
cally affect the future careers of both. The Kennebec river was a
natural impediment between the two parts of the upper village. Pol-
lard's ferry had been run since 1785, from the foot of Winthrop street
(then called Winthrop road) to the fort landing opposite. Now the
citizens of Fort Western daringly undertook to supplant this ferry
with a bridge. The proposition provoked great consternation at the
Hook. The Fort Western people's petition for a charter was duly
presented to the legislature. The Hook people appointed Charles
Vaughan their agent to resist it. But Daniel Cony being a senator
and James Bridge a member of the house (both Fort Western men of
great influence), the opposition of the Hook and its endeavor to divert
the location of the proposed bridge to that place were of no avail.
The act incorporating the proprietors of the Kennebec bridge was
passed February 8, 1796. The corporators — the foremost men of the
village — were: vSamuel Howard, William Howard, Joseph North,
Daniel Cony, Jedediah Jewett, Samuel Dutton, William Brooks, Mat-
thew Hayward, James Bridge. It was a stipulation in the charter
that the bridge .should be located " between the ferry called Pollard's
ferry [now the town-landing] and the Mill stream [Bond's brook] so
called, which empties into Kennebec river about one hundred rods
north of said ferry."
Subscription books were immediately opened, shares were promptly
taken, and the work of construction pushed forward with great en-
ergy. A Captain Boynton was the architect. On the 9th of Septem-
ber, 1797, the completion of the pier in the channel was celebrated by
" seven discharges of a field piece and three cheers." The super-
structure was two spans supported by rounded arches, braced and
keyed. The work was finished November 21st amid great local re-
joicing, and a corresponding degree of depression at the Hook. Its
cost had been $27,000. It was the first bridge across the Kennebec
and the largest in the district of Maine.* A few public spirited men
* This bridge was never a profitable investment to its builders, who received
no dividend on their stock for the first eight years. It stood until Sunday, June
23, 1816, in the afternoon, when the eastern span fell from weakness and decay.
Mr. Lewis B. Hamlen, now living, saw it fall. After a delay of two years (dur-
ing which time the ferry was restored) a second bridge was built (in 1818), after
the model of the old one, but more elaborate, on the same spot, under contract,
by Benjamin Brown and Ephraim Ballard, jun., for about $10,000. This second
bridge was destroyed by fire on the night of April 2, 1827. Its successor was
built under the superintendence of the same Ephraim Ballard during the follow-
ing summer, and by the 18th of August was open for public travel. This third
bridge was bought by the city of Augusta in 1867 and made free to the public.
It stood until 1890, when it was torn down and replaced by the present iron
bridge at a cost of $59,000. It may be well to preserve permanently in these
pages the rates of toll as posted at the entrance of the three old toll-bridges:
AUGUSTA. 403
had courageously burdened themselves for its erection, but thereby
they had given their village an immense advantage in its lively race
with its gallant neighbor.
The location of the Kennebec bridge at the Fort instead of at the
Hook was intensely disappointing to the people of the latter place,
who had long looked at their sister village with increasing jealousy.
The two sections of the town were now become hopelessly estranged
and ill-feeling began to disturb the smooth running of town business.
Each village manifested a readiness to oppose the other m its pet
schemes, whether they concerned public improvements or the election
of candidates to office. From this state of affairs there seemed to be
no relief save by a division of the town. The sentiment of Fort
Western was favorable toward division; that of the Hook was there-
fore opposed. The original movers for a division were Joseph North,
Matthew Hayward, Stutely Springer, James Burton, James Bridge,
Elias Craig, Gershom North, Theophilus Hamlen, John Springer and
George Crosby— all of the Fort village. The friends of division were
numerous enough at a town meeting held in May, 1796, to appoint
Daniel Cony " agent to prefer the petition to the general court during
its then session." The petition was presented by the town's agent.
Amos Stoddard, of the Hook, was then the town's representative, and
though himself originally opposed to division, he did not seek to de-
feat the proposition. The desired act was passed by the legislature
on the 20th of February, 1797, incorporating the Middle and North
parishes into a town by the name of Harrington.
Thus " after twenty-six years of united struggles, trials and labors,
the town of Hallowell was divided."* The name chosen for the new
" Rates of Toll. Each foot passenger, 2 cents. Each horse and one rider, 13
cents. Each single horse cart, sled or sleigh, 16 cents. Each wheelbarrow,
handcart, and every other vehicle capable of carrying a like weight, 4 cents.
Each team, including cart, sled or sleigh drawn by two beasts, 25 cents. Each
additional beast, 5 cents. Each single horse and chaise, chair or sulkey, 20
cents. Each coach, chariot, phaeton or curricle, 35 cents. Neat cattle, exclu-
sive of those rode on, in carriages, or in teams, each, 4 cents. Sheep and swine,
4 cents." The foregoing rates were painted black upon a white sign board 4x5
feet in size, in well proportioned letters two inches in perpendicular height.
* The History of Augusta, by James W. North, 1870. No historical sketch of
Augusta as a town or city can ever be properly compiled without frequent re-
course to this invaluable work. Mr. North was born February 12, 1810. He was
the son of James North, of Clinton, who was the son of Joseph North, who came
to Fort Western in 1780 and built a house at the present corner of Oak and Water
streets, where the Granite Bank building stands. The grandson pursued a
course of studies at Gardiner Lyceum; studied law with Frederic Allen, of Gar-
diner; was admitted to practice in 1831; practiced first at Clinton (now Benton);
returned to Augusta in 1845; represented the town in the legislature in 1849 and
the city in 1853; was mayor of the city in 1857, 1858, 1859, and again in 1873 and
1874. In 1856 he erected the original Meonian Building on the site of the old
404 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
town was in honor of a favorite courtier and honored minister of
George the Second, Lord Harrington. The once royally commis-
sioned Colonel Dunbar had bestowed the same name sixty-eight years
before to ancient Pemaquid (the present town of Bristol), but at the
end of his brief though brilliant administration in Maine, Massachu-
setts prejudice discarded the name, with others equally eminent
(Townsend and Walpole), which he had given to the towns of his
founding.
The limits of the new town of Harrington embraced nearly two-
thirds of the territory of old Hallowell. Its number of acres was
36,011. It retained about one-half of the valuation and population.
It contained 250 polls, 119 houses, 84 barns, 21 shops, 74 horses, 157
oxen, 307 cows and three-years old cattle, 219 younger cattle, 620 tons
of shipping, 7 saw mills and grist mills, $6,870 worth of stock in trade,
and $3,000 at interest. One year later the population was 1,140.
Burton post office, on Water street. This building was destroyed in the great
conflagration that swept through Water street September 17, 1865. In 1866 he
erected the present Meonian and North's block, and a few years later the struc-
ture which perpetuates his name as Hotel North on the site of the old Franklin
house, which was built by his uncle, Gershom North, many years before. These
buildings are imposing monuments to the memory of their builder and illustra-
tive of him as a progressive and public spirited citizen; but long after they shall
have been leveled to the ground by the elements or by time, his History of Au-
gusta, which to him seemed but a minor incident of his life work, will be his
more enduring monument. He died June 7, 1883, and was buried in Forest
Grove. He married September 23, 1834, Phebe Upton, of Danvers, Mass., and
left three sons: Dr. James W., George F. and Horace North.
CHAPTER XVII.
AUGUSTA (Continued.)
By Capt. Charles E. Nash.
Organization of Town.— Name Changed to Augusta.— Pound, Roads, Court
Houses, Jails, Public Houses. Poor Houses.— The Purrinton Tragedy.- The
Malta War.— Meeting House Changed into Town House.— Cony Female
Academy.— Augusta Union Society. — Celebrations. — Augusta the Seat of
Government.— Public Buildings.— Village Corporation.— Kennebec Dam.—
Manufacturing Companies.— Catastrophe to the Halifax.— First Railroad
Train. — Railroad Bridge. — Cemeteries. — Visits of Distinguished Men.—
Schools.
WILLIAM BROOKS (great-uncle of Samuel S. Brooks, and
great-great-uncle of William Henry Brooks, of Augusta)
issued the warrant for the first town meeting, and Seth Wil-
liams (grandfather of ex-Governor Joseph H. Williams) notified the
voters to assemble at the court house on Monday, the 3d of April
(1797), to organize the town. The ofifice of moderator was appropri-
ately given to Daniel Cony. Henry Sewall was elected town clerk and
William Howard town treasurer : Elias Craig, Seth Williams and Be-
riah Ingraham were elected selectmen and assessors. All of the offices
pertaining to a town at that time were filled.* The sum of $1,250
was raised for highways, $400 for schools, $300 for support of poor
" and other necessary charges."
*The following, added to those in the te.xt, complete the list: fence-viewers,
Barnabas Lambard, Matthew Hayward ; surveyors of highways, David Wall,
jun., Benjamin Pettingill, Isaac Clark, Joseph Blackman, Anthony Bracket,
James Child, Moses Cass, Thomas Densmore, Alpheus Lyon ; surveyors of lum-
ber, Amos Partridge, Theophilus Hamlen, Charles Gill, James Black, Barnabas
Lambard, Elias Craig, Brian Fletcher, Beriah Ingraham, Simeon Paine, Ezra
Ingraham, Isaac Lincoln, Daniel Hartford, Moses Partridge ; tything-men, Asa
WilHams, Ezra Ingraham, Benjamin Pettingill, Theophilus Hamlen; sealers of
leather. Constant Abbot, Josiah Blackman ; measurers of wood, Theophilus
Hamlen, Seth Williams, James Child, Samuel Colman; field-drivers, William
Hewins, Moses Ingraham, Phineas Paine, Simeon Paine, jun.; pound-keepers,
William Usher, George Andros ; inspectors of lime and brick, Henry Sewall,
Daniel Foster ; cullers of hoops and staves, and packers of beef and fish, Will-
iam Usher, Benjamin Wade, Theophilus Hamlen, James Burton ; town agent,
James Bridge ; fish committee, Shubael Pitts, Benjamin Wade, Moses Pollard,
Asa WilHams, Jeremiah Babcock, Charles Gill, Isaac Lincoln.
406 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
The new town now hopefully entered upon its career, unhampered
by any faction inimical to its development. But the name which the
act of incorporation had bestowed upon it proved exceedingly unac-
ceptable to the people. It was discarded as soon as possible. The
reason for its rejection has never been given to the public, — is not
even hinted in the records. The selectmen were summarily ordered
by the town to procure a change, and those officers said in their peti-
tion to the legislature, "that for many reasons which operate in the
minds of your petitioners they are desirous that the name of Harring-
ton may be changed to Augusta," and forbearing to give " a lengthy
detail of reasons," they doubt not the favor " will be granted." The
favor was readily granted, June 9, 1797, changing the name from Har-
rington to Augusta. The migratory fish in the Kennebec were then
common for food and commerce, and the head of the tide, at Cushnoc
rapids, was a seat of industry for catching them. The wits of dis-
gruntled Hallowell graphically corrupted the name Harrington into
Herring-town, which spoiled it for sentimental local use. This fact
rather than any other seems to have led the dignified fathers of the
new town to look for another less susceptible to profane travesty.
Why the substitute name Augusta was selected does not clearly appear
and is not certainly known. Like Harrington it had once been con-
ferred upon an early Maine seaboard town. The Pejepscot Company
began a plant at Small point (now in Phippsburg), about the year
1716, calling it Augusta ; but the Indians destroyed it in 1722, leaving
the place without the need of a name. It is more than probable that
the lost town at Small point suggested the half romantic name that
was permanently adopted and which the satirical neighboring humor-
ists could not successfully ridicule.
Each of the new towns started on its career with the spirit and
vigor of youth. Hallowell retained as its inheritance the name of the
mother town; and being freed from all irksome subjection to the
elder sister, .she prospered phenomenally, and before the end of three
decades had become the commercial metropolis of the Kennebec.
Augusta, being located less favorably for the packet ship trade,
developed differently and more slowly. Both were benefitted by the
act of division. Augusta, no longer embarrassed by Hook opposition,
began at once such local improvements as were desirable.
The first year (1797) a town pound for stray cattle and other va-
grant domestic animals was built "on the west side of the gully, near
the goal on the north side of Winthrop road." This was by the bury-
ing ground (Mrs. Anthony's lot), and where the town house was after-
ward located. The road that is now State street was opened from
Laurel hill as far as the present Western avenue in 1800, and named
Court street, in honor of the new court house that was then being
built on the present jail site (see page 79). The 'bridge across the
AUGUSTA. 407
ravine near by (now filled) was built by vSamuel Titcomb (grandfather
of Lendall Titcomb), at a cost of $112.37. A temporary court house
had previou.sly (in 1790) been built on the " eight-rod rangeway "
(Winthrop street), near the present dwelling site of Peleg Morton.
The terms of court of the preceding two years had been held in Pol-
lard's tavern. As early as 1775 the town had ordered the erection of
public stocks. In 1786 a whipping post was added, and set up on the
site of the present property of Mrs. Ai Staples on Winthrop street.
The erection of such terrors to evil doers was compulsory upon towns
in those years, and a fine was exacted for neglect to establi.sh them.
These fell into disuse after the jail was erected near them in 1793.
In 1798 the road to Sidney on the Belgrade road was laid out;
also Stone street (east side), named in honor of Rev. Daniel Stone.
June 21, 1802, Jonathan Maynard and Lothrop Lewis were appointed
by the commonwealth " to explore and lay out a road four rods wide
in the most direct route the nature of the ground and the accommo-
dations of the public will admit, from the bridge at Augusta to the
town of Bangor, near the head of the tide on the Penobscot, and form
an expense of the cutting, clearing, and making said road." The
committee performed the duty, and on the 26th of February, 1803,
were paid $610.04, " in full for their services and provisions supplied
and money advanced." This was the origin of the highway that is
now called the Bangor road, but more frequently Bangor street (to
Pettengill's Corner).
In 1799 fire wardens were first chosen by the town: Elias Craig,
Theophilus Hamlen, Peter T. Vose, George Crosby (who built the
" old castle" — so named because of its .size^in 1796, and whose name
survives in Crosby street), Samuel Howard, jun., Samuel Cony, 2d.
An engine " for the purpose of extinguishing fires " was bought. The
first company of firemen was organized this year, consisting of The-
ophilus Hamlen, Amos Bond, Lewis Hamlen (grandfather of Freder-
ick), Daniel Hartford, Barnabas Lambard (father of Colonel Thomas
Lambard), John Brooks (father of Samuel S. Brooks, of S. S. Brooks &
Co.), James Child, Perez Hamlen (grandfather of Horace H. Hamlen),
Charles Gill, Joseph North, Samuel Page and Church Williams.
In the year of its incorporation, the town was divided into eight
school districts — two on the east side of the river and six on the west
side. The two former were numbered 1 and 2, — No. 1 comprising the
territory of the South parish on that side of the river, and No. 2 the
adjoining territory of the North parish. No. 3 comprised as much of
the south parish on the west side as extended two miles from the
river; No. 4 comprised as much of the North parish as extended one
mile from the river; Nos. 5 and 6 comprised the remainder of the
South parish westward of No. 3 — along the Hallowell line; No. 7 was
north of No. 6 at the westerly end of the North parish, or in the north-
408 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
western corner of the town ; No. 8 was the remainder of the North
parish between Nos. 7 and 4.
As early as 1796 the first military company was formed, which had
for its captains— Seth Williams, Samuel Cony and Shubael and
Thomas Pitts. In 1806 the Augusta Light Infantry was organized,
with the following named officers : Captain, Solomon Vose ; lieuten-
ants, Amos Partridge (grandfather of Charles K., Frank R. and Allen
Partridge), and Peter T. Vose ; ensign, Joseph Wales ; first sergeant,
Joseph Wales; second sergeant, John Partridge; third sergeant, James
Williams; fourth sergeant, Cyrus Alden; fifer, Stephen Jewett; drum-
mer, Lorain Judkins.
The intelligence of the death of Washington, December 14, 1799,
reached Augusta on New Year's day, following. Ceremonies in
commemoration of the event were held February 22, 1800. The com-
mittee of arrangements were : Henry Sewall,* Peter T. Vose, George
Crosby, Samuel Colman, William Brooks, James Bridge and Benjamin
Whitwell. The latter gentleman, a lawyer, delivered the oration in
the meeting house. The procession marched across the river on the
ice to the sound of muffled drums, and having passed by Fort West-
ern, returned over the bridge. This homage to Fort Western as the
local acropolis was always a feature in the public parades of the
young town. The first court house was built by the citizens of the town
(in 1790). The courts were held in this building for a period of about
twelve years. The next court house was built on the site of the Ken-
nebec jail. It served as a court house for twenty-eight years. Re-
ligious meetings were frequently held in it, and sometimes town
meetings. When abandoned as a court house, it was converted into
a religious chapel, and later into an amusement resort under the
name of Concert Hall. Upon the building of the present jail, it was
removed to the corner of Court and Winthrop streets, and its present
public use is that of a ward room on election days.
The Mansion House was built opposite the new court house in
1803, for the special convenience of guests in attendance at court. It
continued uninterruptedly as a public house until its destruction by
fire on June 11, 1877. It had been repeatedly enlarged and modern-
ized. At the time of the destruction, it was conducted by the late W.
M. Thayer, father of A. W. Thayer, the present landlord of the
* Henry Sewall had been a captain in the war of the revolution, and was
under Washington's immediate command at Valley Forge, in the winter of 1778.
He had received the distinguished honor of an election to the Society of the Cin-
cinnati. According to the rules of that society which are based on the law of
primogeniture, the honor descended to his son, Charles, born 1790, then to his
grandson, Henry, born 1822 (an officer in the Union army), then to his great-
grandson, Harry, born 1848, now a citizen of Augusta. The latter has resigned
the honor in favor of his cousin, Hon. Joseph H. Manley, a collateral descendant,
in whom the right to all of the honors of the celebrated society now resides.
AUGUSTA. 409
Augusta House. The Cushnoc House, burned September 13, 1892,
was built the same year as the Mansion House, by Amos Partridge,
for a store and dwelling, but it was afterward remodeled into a hotel.
Pitt Dillingham was one of its early landlords. It was bought in 1835
by Henry Johnson (father of Robert B. Johnson, Augusta, now a
printer). Among its later landlords were E. P. Norton, T. J. Cox
(about 1840), Henry Lincoln, Orrin Rowe and Jabez and Thomas Bal-
lard. It was finally purchased by the trustees of the Lithgow Library
in view of erecting a fine library building on its site. Amos Pollard's
tavern was bought by Peter T. Vose, in 1797, and enlarged into the
Kennebec House, which was burned October 13, 1862. In 1829 the
the New England House stood on the present site of the railroad
machine shop. The Franklin House was built by Gershom North
(uncle of the late James W. North). It stood on the present site of
Hotel North, and was burned in the great fire of September 17, 1865,
which consumed all of the buildings save four between Bridge street
and Market Square. The Augusta House was built in 1831, by an
association of citizens, for the convenience of members of the legisla-
ture; Thomas Stevens was its first landlord.
In 1805 the town authorized the selectmen to procure a domicile
for the homeless poor, which was done. The nexi year George Reed
was elected the first superintendent of the town's poor house. This
house stood north of Ballard's Corner and immediately south of W.
W. Curtis' residence. A well on the east side of the road and an old
sweet apple tree mark the spot. In 1834 the present poor farm was
bought of Church Williams (father-in-law of Alfred Redington) for
$3,000. The purchasing committee were Reuel Williams, John Potter
(father of the Potter brothers) and James Wade. The house has since
been enlarged and considerably remodeled.
The year 1806 was made melancholy in the annals of the town by
an awful tragedy committed by a maniac. James Purrinton (aged
forty-six) came to Augusta with his wife (aged forty-five) and family
from Bowdoinham in 1805, and occupied the farm on the Belgrade
road that was owned by the late George Cony (who built the Cony
House). Purrinton had eight children: Polly, aged 19 years; James,
aged 17; Martha, 15; Benjamin, 12; Anna, 10; Nathaniel, 8; Nathan, 6;
Louisa, 18 months. On the morning of July 9th, between two and
three o'clock, the maniacal monster stealthily assailed with an axe
every member of his family, and killed instantly all except two —
James (who recovered from his wounds), and Martha, who died July
30th. The maniac then cut his own throat and fell dead in his blood.
The news of the deed spread horror everywhere. Elias Craig, as
coroner, summoned a jury of inquest, consisting of John Eveleth
(foreman), Theophilus Hamlen, James Child, Kendall Nichols, Shu-
bael Pitts, Caleb Heath, Jonathan Perkins, Oliver Pollard, Samuel
410 HISTORY OF KENNFBEC COUNTY.
Bond, Ezekiel Page, Ephraim Ballard, jun. This jury found that
Purrinton " of his malice aforethought " did kill and murder his
wife and children, " and as a felon did voluntarily kill and murder
himself."
The selectmen caused the bodies to be carried to the meeting
house, but that of the suicide was denied admission beyond the porch,
where it was detained with the axe and razor spectacularly displayed
on the coffin. The funeral was held the day after the tragedy,
attended by many hundreds of people from the surrounding country.
A platform was set up in Market Square for the minister. Daniel
Stone oifered prayer and Joshua Taylor (Methodist) preached to the
multitude. The procession was headed by the coroner and his jury,
behind whom were the seven victims' bodies, "supported by bearers
and attended by pall-bearers," and they were followed by the surviv-
ing son (James) and relatives and people. Purrinton 's body was
hauled on a cart behind. The procession marched across the bridge
to Fort Western, and having passed by it returned over the river and
went via Bridge and State streets to the Winthrop road, and from
thence to the burying ground (Mt. Vernon Cemetery), where, in the
northeast corner, and near to the powder house (built in 1805) the
bodies of the mother and her six children were buried side by side in
graves that are unmarked. Purrinton's body, with axe and razor,was
buried between the road-side and the cemetery, but tradition hints
that it was secretly exhumed in the darkness of the following night
for the benefit of science at Bowdoin College.
The young town of Augusta and many others that were located
on the Plymouth Company's lands were many times filled with agita-
tion and panic during the so-called Malta war. Bv 1807 there had
been outrages approximating to bloodshed, committed by lawless
squatters in revenge for being molested in their possession of lands
to which they had no technical title. By 1808 public excitement ran
so high that the "Augusta patrol " — a volunteer organization — was
formed, adopting for its motto ''Custodia est Clypcus" — the watch is
our safety. The association was composed of twentyeight members,
two of whom served nightly, taking their turns every fortnight. Jo-
seph North, Ezekiel Page, Elias Craig, James Bridge and Peter T.
Vose were the standing committee. Henry Sewall and Daniel Cony
began their rounds on the night of January 15, 1808. The prescribed
route was: "Commencing at Burton's inn [Kennebec House], from
thence through Water street into Court [State] street by way of Cap-
tain Joshua Gage's [the residence of the late Ira D. Sturgis] on Grove
street; thence passing the new meeting house [Parson Tappan's] into
Middle [now Laurel] street, to the Mill stream [Bond's brook); thence
passing by Judge Bridge's house [washed away in the freshet of 1839],
down through Mill street near the mills [now Webber and Gage's]
to Kennebec bridge; thence over the bridge through Bridge [now
AUGUSTA. 411
Cony] street; thence to the school house [on Arsenal street], thence
down to the town landing; thence back to said Burton's by way of
Fort Western; thence up Winthrop street, passing Hamlen's [Perham
street] to the court house [where jail now is], and through Whitwell
[now Green] street to said Burton's."
On the 16th of March following,the jail was set on fire and burned.
The prisoners were taken to Lot Hamlen's house (on the lot of Judge
Libbey's residence). The court house was fired by an incendiary the
same night, but saved. Although it was soon discovered that the jail
had been fired by a prisoner, there continued to be great public un-
rest. A temporary jail was erected in the rear of the court house to
hold the prisoners until the new stone jail could be built — which was
ready for occupancy in December, 1808.* The next year, September
8, 1809, Paul Chadwick was killed by assassination in the town of
Malta (now Windsor). The suspected criminals — seven in number —
were captured and brought to Augusta, and lodged in the new stone
jail. On October 3d, about seventy men, some disguised as Indians,
approached the village on the east side of the river, within 150 rods
of the bridge. It was apparently an attempt to release the Malta
prisoners. A spy was caught by the local patrol near what is now the
corner of Cony and Bangor streets. Public excitement was intense.
The court house bell — the only one in town — was rung, alarm guns
were fired, and the Light Infantry turned out under arms. The
streets were lively with panic stricken people. Three hundred
militiamen from the surrounding towns were summoned to the res-
cue.f A cannon was brought from Hallowell by Captain Page and
his men, and trained to sweep the bridge with grape and canister.
Bullets were cast by boys and young women in the meeting house in
the square. But contrary to general expectation, the trial of the
prisoners, which began November 16th and lasted about a week, re-
sulted in an acquittal. This had the effect of mollifying the partisans
of the prisoners, and ending all further danger of bloodshed. The
good people of Augusta were now relieved from the terrible strain
which the Malta war had inflicted on their nerves.
At last the old town meeting house in Market Square had fallen into
disuse and neglect. The new South parish meeting house (dedicated
♦Joseph J. Sager, of Gardiner, was accused of poisoning his wife, October 4,.
1834. He was tried and convicted of murder, and sentenced by Judge Weston
to be executed January 3, 1835. On that day he was led forth from the jail to
his doom, and expiated his crime from a scaffold that had been erected in Win-
throp Street Square, Many thousands of people had assembled on the occasion
from all parts of the state. George W. Stanley was the officiating sheriff. A
part of the gallows still exists as a ghastly relic among the rubbish in the base-
ment of the present court house.
tThere were eight companies, one each from the towns of Augusta, Hal-
lowell, Gardiner, Winthrop, Readfield, Sidney, Vassalboro and Fayette.
412 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
December 20, 1809) had wholly supplanted it as a place of worship.
The court house had been preferred to it as a place for town meetings.
The old building, venerable from its twenty-six years of service, was
finally officially declared to be a nuisance for standing in the range-
way. It was therefore torn down by Jason Livermore in his capacity
of highway surveyor, on the 20th of March, 1810. The timbers were
massive and as sound as ever, and most of the other parts were still
serviceable. The surveyor sold the material to Lewis Hamlen, who
in turn sold it to the town for the sum of $176. The town then bought
of Joseph North for fifty dollars the lot which was already a burial
place and the site of the pound. It was described in the deed as be-
ing on the " Winthrop road near the pound " (now Mrs. Anthony's
lot). On that lot the town reerected the old meeting house as a town
house. The first town meeting was held in it December 25, 1811. It
continued to be the town house until 1848, when the town being
about to become a city sold the building to the late Ai Staples, who
moved it easterly across Elm street, upon the now unoccupied lot
westerly of Charles B. Morton's house, and remodeled it into Win-
throp Hall. The city sold the lot for nine hundred dollars in- 1852.
Mr. Staples remodeled the old town house into Waverly Hall. The
main building was afterward removed to its present location on the
old jail lot, where its early cotemporaries, the stocks and whipping
post,* were erected for the discipline of sinners who did not profit
by the sermons which in their day echoed within its walls.
The year after the removal of the meeting house from Market
Square, Benjamin Whitwell, Bartholomew Nason and Joshua Gage
•erected a block of stores on the north side of the square. A year
later (,1812) a brick building was built by the Kennebec Bank on the
south side of the present court house lot. It was occupied as a bank
until 1816, when it was remodeled into a dwelling house. At one
time it was the post office. It was sold to the county in 1851, when
the present court house, which had been located on its present lot and
built in 1828, was enlarged.
The beneficence of Daniel Cony in founding (1815) the Cony Fe-
male Academy for " for promoting the education of youth, and more
especially females" (as expressed in the act of February 20, 1818, in-
corporating the trustees), gave an impulse and quickening to the in-
tellectual life of the town, and led to the formation of a reading
room and social library association (organized October 1, 1817). It
was organized anew June 2, 1819, under the name of Augusta Union
*April 17, 1786, "a thief was whipped at ye post for stealing clothes from
Ebenezer Farwell." As late as 1796, two men were whipped, one for horse
■stealing, and the other for counterfeiting. Amos Partridge, jailer, stood by
with drawn sword, and Johnson, his deputy, applied the \a.shes."—JVi?rf/t's
History.
AUGUSTA. 413
Society, and incorporated June 20, 1820, " exclusivsly for the improve-
ment of morals and the diffusion of useful knowledge."* It observed
a yearly anniversary, calling upon one of its members for an ad-
dress on the occasion. It collected a large library. A smaller circu-
lating library had been established by William Dewey. The library
of the academy grew to be large and valuable. In time its shelves
received most of the books of the disbanded Union Society. At one
time the academy library numbered 1,200 volumes. Through the
suspension of the work of the academy its library ultimately became
considerably dispersed, but about eight hundred of its books — some
with old and rare imprints, one as early as 1612 — have fallen into the
custody of the Kennebec Natural History and Antiquarian Society,
organized May 7, 1891. The Augusta Lyceum, formed October, 1829,
succeeded the Union Society as the organized exponent of the intelli-
gence of the town. Its life membership fee was forty dollars; yearly
dues fifty cents. It held meetings weekly. Its first officers were: Dr.
E. S. Tappan, president; William Dewey, vice-president; Eben Fuller,
treasurer; E. Caldwell, secretary; P. A. Briusmade, curator. Every
fourth meeting was assigned for debates, which were sometimes bril-
liant and exciting.
The town was favored with a rousing double celebration July 4,
1832. The national republicans and the democrats contested for the
honor of having the most impressive ceremonies. R. H. Vose was the
orator for the republicans, and James W. Bradbury for the demo-
crats. The exercises of the former party were held on the Gage (now
Sturgis) place. Grove street. The democrats had Parson Tappan's
meeting house. The fiftieth anniversary of the declaration of inde-
pendence had been observed by the town in 1826, with great festivity.
The committee of arrangements were: Pitt Dillingham, Joseph
Chandler, R. C. Vose, Daniel Williams. The oration was by Williams
Emmons in Parson Tappan's meeting house, and R. H. Vose read
a poem. The centennial celebration of the erection of Fort Western
was held July 4, 1854. The oration was by Judge Weston, from a
platform covered with an awning over the gateway of the state house
yard. The city promoted the celebration by paying for it to the
amount of $1,659.08. The city council requested of the orator a copy
*The corporators of the Aug:usta Union Society were : Amos Nichols, James
Loring Child, Elias Cobb, Samuel D. Nason, William A. Brooks, Albert A. Dil-
lingham, Benjamin Davis, Mark Nason, Edmund T. Bridge, Daniel Williams,
Artemas Kimball, Henry Gage, George W. Morton, William H. Dillingham,
Rufus C. Vose, Joseph P. Dillingham, Allen Lambard, Eben Fuller, Elias
Craig, jun., Hannibal Dillingham, Luke N. Barton, Moses F. Davis, William
Dewey, Lewis B. Hamlen, Abishai Soule, E. J. Vassal Davis, James Bridge,
jun., Richard H. Vose, George H. Vose, Henry Williams, William Pillsbury,
Asaph Nichols, John Cony Brooks, Charles Keen.
•414 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of his oration for publication, and it was printed by William H.
Simpson in a pamphlet that is now very rare.
The great epochs in the history of Augusta after the building of
.the first Kennebec bridge, and which have immeasurably affected its
business, social, and political life, were the making of it the seat of
government by the new state of Maine, the establishing of the Ken-
nebec Arsenal, and the founding and building of the insane hospital.
The town has been supremely fortunate in the timely enterprise of
'its citizens and the abilities of its public men. Daniel Cony first rep-
resented it in the legislature (1797). His son-in-law, Reuel Williams,
-took the lead in shaping the future of Augusta after the state of
Maine was formed.
On the 24th day of February, 1827, the governor (Enoch Lincoln)
.approved the act of the legislature fixing the permanent seat of gov-
ernment at Augusta on and after January 1, 1832. The corner-stone
of the capitol was laid July 4, 1829, with Masonic ceremonies, the pro-
cession being escorted by the Augusta Light Infantry, under Captain
Rufus C. Vose. Governor Lincoln,* standing on the corner-stone, de-
livered an address; later, an oration was given by Daniel Williams
(brother of Reuel) in Doctor Tappan's meeting house. The granite
used in the edifice was mostly from the quarries in Augusta, the
'larger portion being from the quarry now owned and operated by the
Edwards Manufacturing Company, in Ward Four.f The legislature
•occupied the building for the first time January 4, 1832, when Samuel
Smith was governor, and Robert P. Dunlap president of the senate.
The location of the arsenal at Augusta [see page 106] was a
-sequence to the earlier vote of the legislature locating the state gov-
-ernment. But the locating of the hospital for the insane was deter-
mined solely by the munificent subscriptions of $10,000 each, by
* Governor Lincoln came to Augusta by invitation to deliver an address be-
■fore the students of the Cony Female Academy, on October 5th, following. He
was interrupted during his address by illness. He rapidly grew worse, and died
at the residence of General Samuel Cony, October 8th. He was given the honor
of a state funeral, and his body was entombed in the state house lot, and his
sepulchre is now familiarly known as the " Governor's grave."
t The first successful attempt to open a granite quarry in Augusta was at the
old Thwing ledge, in 1825; this and the old Rowell ledge are connected with what
was once called the Ballard ledge, but which is now the Edwards Manufacturing
jCompany's. When the first bridge was built, the granite used in the pier was
from boulders; the jail of 1808 was likewise built of granite split from boulders.
When the first Kennebec dam was built (1835-7), the ledge on Main Top was
•operated for rough stone, and many blocks from that now long-abandoned
-quarry may still be seen in the northerly section of the canal wall adjacent to
the main wheel-house. The blocks in the colonades of the state house came
..from the Melvin ledge in Hallowell. When Judge Bridge and Benjamin Whit-
well built their houses in the early part of the century, they shipped the granite
.-for the underpinning from Boston.
AUGUSTA. 415
Reuel Williams, of Augusta, and Benjamin Brown, of Vassalboro,
made in the early part of 1835, toward the founding of such an insti-
tution [see page 94].
In the train of these public enterprises came the first faint motions
toward a city form of government. In 1835 (March 10) the Augusta
village corporation was authorized by the legislature to raise money
to maintain a fire department and to ring a bell for the public's benefit.
The territorial limits of this corporation embraced the eleven front
lots (according to the ancient Winslow plan) a mile deep, on both
sides of the river, from the Hallowell line northward. The north line
included Pettengill's Corner. The following composed the first board
of officers: Russell Eato-n, supervisor; William A. Brooks, clerk;
Joseph W. Patterson, treasurer and collector; Daniel Williams, audi-
tor; Reuel Williams, chief engineer; William Pillsbury and William
K. Kittredge, assistant engineers ; Reuel Williams, Charles Keene,
William Pillsbury, Thomas W. Smith, William K. Weston, Lot
Myrick, William L. Wheeler, fire wardens. The first tax was assessed
in 1836 and the last one in 1839.*
It is a remembered saying of William Howard as early as 1785,
that a dam could be built across the Kennebec at Cushnoc island (now
disappeared), but nearly half a century was then to elapse before such
an enterprise would be actually undertaken. The Kennebec Dam
Company was incorporated March 7, 1834, with a capital of $300,000.
At the meeting to accept the charter and organize, Luther Severance
was chairman and Horatio Bridge, secretary; the officers elected were:
Asa Redington, jun., president ; James L. Child, secretary and treas-
urer; Daniel Williams. Allen Lambard, James Bridge, Lot Myrick,
directors ; William Dewey and Edmund T. Bridge, auditors. About
a year later Edmund T. Bridge was made president, who, with James
and Horatio Bridge, were made the directors; Daniel Williams, sec-
retary and treasurer; James and Horatio Bridge, auditors. Soon after
*The following are the names of the members of the engine company ap-
pointed by the selectmen, January 27, 1836 : Russell Eaton, director ; Henry
Winslow, WilHam S. Haskell, sub-directors; Erastus Bartlett, clerk; Russell
Eaton, Sylvanus Caldwell, Charles H. Hamlen, Henry L. Carter, George W.
Jones, L. O. Cowan, George G. Wilder, Charles Hamlen, E. D. Norcross, William
S. Haskell, Daniel C. Stanwood, David Doe, jun.. Henry Winslow, Lemuel S.
Hubbard, William Caldwell, Simeon Keith, Cyril Hartwell, Arthur Blish, John
H. Hartwell, Henry C. Hamlen, Samuel P. Plaisted, Henry Williams, James
Clough, Alvan Fogg, Charles B. Fisher, E. Bartlett, Ansel Blanchard, Moses
Noble, E. P. Norton, P. T. Gillpatrick, John C. Anthony, Micah Safford, Hiram
Safford, George B. Smith, Joshua L. Heath, Ebenezer Packard, jun., Uriah
Huntingdon, John Clifford, Elbridge G. Wyman, Lewis D. Moore, Henry Weeks,
N. W. Wingate, James W. North, G. A. Blake, G. W. Snow, William Wyman,
Henry M. Blunt. Stephen Mayo, Ebenezer H. Farnham, James S. Gate, William
N. Dow, John M. Doe, Benjamin Rust, James F. Weeks, Lewis Wells, Charles
Town, W. T. Johnson, Charles P. Dexter, John W. Morrison. E. G. Brown.
416 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Reuel Williams took the office of president. These were the men
who boldly undertook the never-before tried experiment of damming
the Kennebec. William Boardman* was the engineer, Allen Lam-
bard was appointed agent, and men were set at work in 1835. The
next year James Bridge was appointed agent, and the work continued.
The name of the corporation was changed by an act of March 17, 1837,
to the Kennebec Locks & Canals Company, with authority to increase
its capital to $600,000. The dam was completed September 27, 1837 ;
and the lock (substantially as it is at present) was finished on the 12th
of the following October. The height of the dam was sixteen feet
above ordinary high water. The completion of the enterprise was
celebrated with great joy by a dinner at the Mansion House.
This triumph of engineering skill— great for that day — begins a
new era in the business history of Augusta. It was the realization of
William Howard's dream, and the original predecessor of the present
stupendous plant of the Edwards Manufacturing Company. It was,
not a financial success — but the reverse — to the chief builders. On
the 30th of May, 1839, during an unusual freshet, the pressure of the
water against it was so tremendous that it gave way at the western
end, where the canal and unfinished mills were located. The torrent,
deflected shoreward and quickened by the breach, swept away not
only the unfinished mills, but also a cubic acre or more of land from
a surface area of half a dozen acres. It undermined and bore off the
homesteadf of Judge Bridge, and the house of his son, Edmund T.,
*Whom Nathaniel Hawthorne, when a guest of Horatio Bridge in 1837, de-
scribes as " a plain country squire, with a good figure, but rather a ponderous
brow ; a rough complexion; a gait stiff, and a general rigidity of manner, some-
thing like that of a schoolmaster. He originated in a country town [belonged in
Nashua, N. H.] and is a self-educated man," etc. — Note Book.
tThis was the house at which Hawthorne had been the guest of his college
classmate and chum, Horatio Bridge (now, 1892, a retired naval oflBcer of high
rank in Washington) from July 5 to August 5, 1837. His note-book during the four
weeks of his visit to Augusta, is full of delightful interest to the local reader of
to-day. He gives in prose a poet's description of a stroll up "a large trout
brook" (Bond's brook) which he and his friend took one afternoon — "he [his
friend] fishing for trout, and I [Hawthorne] looking on." They finally came to
" where a dam had been built across the brook many years ago, and was now
gone to ruin, so as to make the spot look more solitary and wilder than if man
had never left vestiges of his work there." "B [his friend] says that there
was formerly a tradition that the Indians used to go up this brook and return,
after a brief absence, with large masses of lead, which they sold to the trading
station in Augusta ; whence there has always been an idea that there is a lead
mine hereabouts." Hawthorne here met for the first time smce graduation his
"classmate and formerly intimate friend," Jonathan Cilley, who was afterward
killed in a duel. The remains of the old dam which the romancer describes,
were probably at the place that is now called Coombs' Mills, where Samuel Cum-
mings had a saw and grist mill as early as 1797, and which forty years later had
probably long been abandoned.
AUGUSTA. 417
near by. The Bridge mansion had stood more than thirty rods from
the original shore, and about a hundred feet above it. So utterly had
the land around and beneath the houses disappeared that their sites
were lost and their true bounds on the new level below never deter-
mined. If the Bridge mansion were to reoccupy its old place in space,
it would be about one hundred feet in the air and some two hundred
feet westerly of the present river bank in the latitude of the wheel-
house at the northerly end of the new factory building.
The work of rebuilding the dam was begun in September, 1840,
under the inspiration of Alfred Redington, by the cooperation of the
old stockholders. It was finished in 1841, at a cost of about $10,000.
In 1842 Samuel Romans built a double saw mill at the east end, and
James Bridge a wood machine shop. In the spring of 1845 the build-
ing of the first cotton factory — of a capacity of 10,000 spindles — was
begun by the Locks & Canals Company, and finished in November
of the next year. This was the era of the building of the old factory
boarding houses— one of which is still standing as a tenement house
on Northern avenue. Six saw mills were built, and Reuel Williams
and Joseph D. Emery built a large flour mill. In 1846 (April 11),
about 150 feet of the dam was again carried away by a freshet; but it
was at once repaired by Samuel Kendall. In 1847 a machine shop
and a kyanizing shop were built. In July, 1847, the Augusta Water
Power Company was incorporated to take the place of the Locks
& Canals Company. On the 2d of September, 1853, the saw mills,
machine shops and flour mills were burned. They were rebuilt in
1855, but before they had been completed, a June freshet (the eleventh
day) carried away one hundred feet of the dam. It cost $20,000 to
repair this new disaster.
The property of the Water Power Company soon thereafter fell
by legal execution to Henry Williams, who, while energetically en-
gaged in improving it, fell sick, and died September 15, 1858. The
property was sold by his administrator to a new corporation by the
name of the Kennebec Company, by whom it was conveyed to the
A. & W. Sprague Manufacturing Company in March, 1867. The city
of Augusta took part in this transaction by loaning its credit in aid
of the purchase to the amount of $250,000. On the 2d of January,
1868, the machine shop and adjacent buildings were burned, making
a loss of about $40,000. After a freshet that began February 17,
1870, it was found that 160 feet of the dam had been swept away.
This was the fourth similar disaster to the structure since it was built
in 1837.
The work of rebuilding the dam in a more elaborate and expen-
sive manner than ever before, was begun in July, 1870, under the en-
gineering supervision of Henry A. De Witt, and the general agency
37
418 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of Ira D. Sturgis. It was finished the same year, and still stands ap-
parently as immovable as when first built.*
On the 23d of May, 1848, the boiler of the little steamer Halifax,
that plied between Augusta and Waterville, exploded while the boat
was passing through the lock at the east end of the dam, killing in-
stantly six persons, including the captain, Charles F. Paine, of Wins-
low, and fatally injuring another. There was at that time great com-
petition by steamboats for business between Augusta and Waterville.
The railroad had not been built, and at one time there were five
boats running between the two towns in connection with the sea
steamers for Boston and other ports.
The completion of the railroad from Portland to Augusta was
aided by a loan of $200,000 by the town, at a meeting held August
27, 1850. The first locomotive steamed into the village December 15,
1851, and stopped at Court street, where it was looked upon by the
curious as a wonderful creature. The first train of cars arrived on
the 29th of the same month, and was greeted by thousands of people
who had assembled to witness the event. Six years later (in 1857) a
railroad bridge had been built across the river, and the track of iron
continued to Waterville. This first bridge was carried away by the
freshet of 1870, when an iron one was immediately put in its place.
This first iron bridge in Augusta was replaced by the present stronger
and better one.
For many years Mt. Vernon Cemetery continued to be the only
public burial place in the village portion of the town. It was small
in size and incapable of being adorned and made attractive by taste
and art. On February 11, 1835, the Forest Grove Cemetery Associa-
tion was incorporated, and was first composed of the following named
citizens: John Eveleth, Benjamin Tappan, Flenry W. Fuller, Thomas
W. Smith, John Means, James L. Child, Bartholomew Nason, Frederick
Wingate, Elias Craig, Jacob Hooper, Greenlief White, Charles Keene,
Mark Nason, Benjamin Swan, William Hunt, John Hilton, William
Norcross. The association bought of Bartholomew Nason three acres
of land nearly opposite the Mt. Vernon Cemetery, and established the
present beautiful cemetery, which is the last resting place of many of
the honored men of the town. Ex-Secretary of State Lot M. Morrill,
and General Seth Williams, the adjutant general of the Army of the
*The Spragues added about 1.5,000 spindles, and made other improvements,
but in 1873 they failed, and the mills were operated under a board of trustees
until 1882, when the property was sold to the Edwards Manufacturing Company.
The directors are Jacob Edwards, Dexter N. Richards, Orlando H. Alford, Isaac
Fenno, William Endicott, J. Manchester Haynes and Joseph H. Manley. Mr.
Richards is president, Mr. Edwards, treasurer, Nathaniel W. Cole, agent, and
Charles B. Johnson, clerk. The mills now run 98,000 spindles. The Spragues
added one building, making two when the property passed out of their hands,
and the Edwards Company have added three.
AUGUSTA. 419
Potomac, lie in lots almost adjoining. St. Mary's Cemetery, adjoining
Forest Grove, easterly, was appropriated as the Catholic burial place
of the town about ten years later. In 1858 the city purchased of the
heirs of Charles Williams about five and three-quarters acres on the
east side of the river, for $575, and established the present River-
side Cemetery. The dust of Reuel Williams reposes in a family tomb
in the northwest corner, amid his loved tumult of the industries of
the Kennebec dam, and where the vibrations of the traffic over the
iron road which his strong aid helped to establish, reach almost
hourly.
The old Mt. Vernon Cemetery having become almost filled with
graves, the city in 1853, bought of Vassal D. Pinkham twelve acres of
land westerly of and contiguous to Mt. Vernon Cemetery. The price
paid was twelve hundred dollars. This was named Mt. Pleasant
Cemetery, and has now in about forty years been nearly all lotted.
The public suburban cemeteries are : Bolton Hill Cemetery, on the
North Belfast road ; Brackett's Corner Cemetery, and the Cottle
Cemetery, on the Belgrade road ; the Townsend Cemetery, on the
Townsend road ; the Mt. Vernon Avenue Cemetery ; the Reed Ceme-
tery, on the Sidney river road. The insane hospital has a cemetery
for the burial of such of its deceased patients as are interred under
its supervision. Adjoining this lot, are two family burial lots — the
Cony and Williams families — whose ancestors were the first settlers
on the hospital and arsenal lands. The North Parish Cemetery,—
called the Lawson yard— in Ward Seven, is under the supervision of
the city. It is on the farm now owned by Horace Doe. In this yard
lies the dust of John Gilley, one of the earliest settlers, who lived to
a great age— reputably to 124 years. Gilley's point received its name
from him.
There are several private burial places on the same road. Begin-
ning with the Uriah Clark lot, referred to a preceding page, and pro-
ceeding southerlj', one next comes to a family lot on the farm owned
by C. M. Daily; next is the family lot of the late James Gilley, on the
farm now owned by Dennis Donovan. This lot, like the Uriah Clark
lot, is unfenced and will soon be obliterated. Next is the Tolman yard,
so-called, on land now owned by Frank Lessor. In this lot sleeps
Samuel Tolman, another of the original settlers, together with some
of his descendants. The lot is on the westerly side of the hill, near
Mr. Lessor's house. Next is the Babcock burial place, unfenced, on
land now owned by J. T. Harwood. Next is the original Riverside
yard, so-named by Jarvis W. Lawson. It is on the farm now owned
by J. W. Dana. Roland Smith and wife, Clark Smith and wife, and the
Isaac Church family are buried here. Next is the Wall and Hewins
yard, on the farm now owned by Luther I. Wall. On the ancient
Uriah Clark farm, now owned by William Clark, was another burial
420 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
place near the present highway. In it were buried Jesse Clark and
his wife, Debie. Jesse was buried in 1842 or 1843, and his wife a few
years earlier. This burial place has been plowed over and ob-
literated.*
Among the world's distinguished men who have honored Augusta
by their presence, and been the guests of its people, may be named
the Bourbons, Louis Phillippe and Tallyrand, who were guests for a
day at the house of Joseph North (on the present site of Granite Bank)
in 1794. The noisy dispute concerning the northeastern boundary
line was the occasion of an official visit by Major General Winfield
Scott to the capital of Maine. He arrived with his suite March 9,
1839, and lodged at the Augusta House. He remained about three
weeks, engaged in composing between Governor Fairfield and Sir
John Harvey, the questions that had led the state of Maine to marshal
troops for the Aroostook border. William R. Smith, then editor of
Tlie Age, was sent for by the general several times, and met him in
his parlor for interviews on the subject of the proof sheets of the
protocol or document that was to announce to the world in the
columns of The Age, the bloodless solution of the " Aroostook war "
controversy.
President Polk visited Augusta in 1847, in response to an invitation
of the legislature and the town to accept the hospitalities of both.
He reached Hallowell in the steamer Huntress, July 3, 1847, and rode
to Augusta in a coach driven by Ambrose Merrill, of Hallowell, who
was an abolitionist of a swarthy complexion, and whom President Polk
ludicrously mistook for a colored servant. Alfred Redington was
marshal, assisted by Fraucis Davis, Daniel C. Weston, Thomas Lam-
bard and W. J. Kilburn, as aids. In the president's suite was James
Buchanan, as secretary of state. The president lodged at the house
of Reuel Williams. President Grant visited Augusta, August 3, 1865,
as the guest of the state, accompanied by his wife and children. A
state dinner was given the party at the Augusta House. President
Grant passed through the city in 1871 (on his way to the opening of
the European & North American railway), and received the greetings
of the people on a platform erected near the railroad, in Market
Square. He again visited the city in 1872, as the guest of Mr. Blaine,
accompanied by his son, Fred, and daughter, Nellie. On the 29th of
October, 1867, General Sheridan visited Augusta as the guest of the
state, and was given a hearty welcome by the citizens. Four hundred
school children, stationed at the southeast junction of Winthrop and
State streets, sang before him, under the direction of Josiah W.
Bangs, the thrilling song (then new) Sheridan's ride. General William
*For the facts connected with this line of old burial places between the Vas-
salboro line and Pettengill's Corner, the writer is indebted to Mr. John M. Cross,
of Augusta.
AUGUSTA. 421
T. Sherman was at one time for a few hours the guest of Mr. Blaine
at his Augusta residence.
The fact was stated in a preceding page that in 1797 the infant
town was divided into eight school districts. These were subse-
quently divided and subdivided as the growth of the town proceeded,
until finally the number had increased to twenty-seven. Numbers 2,
4 and 8, of the original districts remained, though much reduced in
size, until the abolition of all the suburban districts by the city, and
the adoption of the town system for them in 1887. At the town
meeting of 1797, three citizens were elected as a committee in each
district, and seven more as a town committee "to visit schools." This
action was twenty-seven years in advance of statute legislation, and
nearly a quarter of a century before Maine became a state and re-
quired it by law. This practice was continued until 1815, when the
town elected an agent for each district, and fixed the number of the
school committee at five.* In 1803 a new district was carved from
the north side of No. 3, extending northerly from the Hallowell line,
and numbered nine.
The first effort in town to establish a school above the primary
grade was in 1803, when an association of citizens built a grammar
school building of brick at the present corner of Bridge and State
streets (Bridge street did not then extend westerly of State street).
This building was first occupied in the spring of 1804, with a Mr.
Cheney as preceptor. The ownership of a share entitled to the school-
ing of one pupil ; shareholders sometimes let shares to non-owners.
The dead languages were taught. The house was burned in 1807.
which ended the school. It had no successor for twenty-eight years,
and during that period — nearly a generation— the district schools oc-
cupied alone the field of educational work within the town's limits;
but the Hallowell Academy, then in its full vigor, offered the youth
of Augusta ample facilities for obtaining a good education, which
many of them profitably accepted.
In 1835 another attempt was made to establish in town a school
devoted to the higher branches of education, and to prepare students
for college. The legislature, on the 19th of February of that year,
incorporated a number of citizens under the name of the Augusta
Classical School Association. Funds were raised by the sale of shares.
The site of the original high school house was purchased, and a
brick edifice erected thereon; its size was sixty-five by fifty feet, two
stories, with pediment front, supported by four doric columns of
wood— facing eastward. The building and furnishing cost $7,000.
The board of management consisted of Reuel Williams, president:
John Potter, James Hall, Cyrus Briggs, Allen Lambard, Elias Craig,
*An address delivered by Dr. John O. Webster, before Capital Grange,
Augusta, March 26, 1887, printed in the Home Farm newspaper, April 7, 1887.
422 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
jun., James L. Child, directors. The first term of school in this build-
ing began April 18, 1836, under the preceptorship of William H. Al-
len, afterward president of Girard College, and kinsman of the late
Edward C. Allen, of Augusta. His assistants were Joseph Baker
(father of Orville D. Baker), Miss Allen (the president's sister), and
Miss Hannah Lambard (sister of Thomas). After Professor Allen
left, the Misses Taylor— English ladies— taught for awhile, and then
Mr. Woodbury took charge. Each scholar paid six dollars a term as
a tuition fee. It was expected that the tuition fees would be sufficient
to maintain the school, but after a few years of indifferent financial
success, its worthy promoters suffered its doors to be finally closed.
An act was passed by the legislature February 27, 1833, specially
for the town of Augusta — which in effect anticipated the recently
passed general state law that authorizes the abolition of all school
districts, and the placing of the schools under the management
of a central committee or supervisor. The special act referred to
authorized any school district in Augusta to elect annually seven
(since changed to not less than three nor more than five) directors,
who should have all the rights and perform all the duties of school
agents and superintending school committees; with ample authority
to classify and grade the different schools according to the scholars'
attainments, and lay out and expend the school money raised by the
town and assigned to the district as its proportion in the support of
its schools. Any two or more districts in the town were authorized
to consolidate into one district, and have all the benefits of the act.
Those citizens who had procured the passage of the act met many
rebuffs in their efforts to have it made of any effect. The majority
of the people were not yet ready for the proposed innovation, and
the high school as a semi-private enterprise grew up to relieve the
necessity of the hour. But in 1842, after several years of agitation
and deliberation, two districts, Nos. 3 and 9 (originally one), voted to
unite under the provision of the act of 1833, and adopt the name of
the Village School District. The first meeting of the new district
was held in the town house April 6, 1842, when George W. Stanley
was chosen moderator, and Jonas G. Holcomb, clerk. The directors
elected were E. S. Tappan (brother of Parson Tappan), R. D. Rice,
C. C. Whitney, William Pillsbury, John G. Phinney, Moses E. Ham-
len, George W. Morton; they classified the scholars into one high,
two grammar, and six primary schools. There were then 974 scholars
in the district. There was a school house on Laurel street (called the
Piper school house), and another at the corner of Grove street and
Western avenue (this was sold in 1854). The district now built a new
frame house on Perham street, and another on North street. The un-
used building of the Classical School Association was hired for the
new high school.
AUGUSTA. 423
In 1848 the Village School District purchased the Classical School
Association's building for $B,0()0. The same year a wood school house
was built on Kendall street, and another on Chapel street, south of
Green street. In 1850 the present brick school house on Grove street
was built, also another on Crosby street, at a cost of about $3,200
each. In 1853 the present double brick house was built on Kendall
street, at a cost of $2,520, and in 1855 a similar house was built at the
corner of Orchard (now Chestnut) and Winthrop streets, at a cost of
$3,015. In 1869 the old high school building which had descended
from the Classical School Association, was superseded by the present
spacious edifice, which was dedicated August 26, 1870, in the presence
of a large audience. Among those who participated in the exercises
were Joshua L. Chamberlain (then governor), Warren Johnson (state
superintendent of schools), U. S. ex-Senator James W. Bradbury, ex-
Mayor Samuel Titcomb and ex-Mayor James W. North, who was
chairman of the building committee. In 1891, by vote of the district,
this building was named the William R. Smith School, in honor of a
steadfast friend and able promoter of the public schools — Mr. Smith
having had an official connection with the schools of the Village
District from the formation of the district until his resignation as
director in 1890. A large four-room brick school house was built in
1890, at a cost of $10,000, at the corner of Oxford and Franklin streets,
and named the Cushnoc Heights Grammar School. Gustavus A.
Robertson has been the principal of the schools of the Village Dis-
trict since 1868. Charles E. Nash, Rodney B. Capen, George W.
Vickery, are the directors in 1892.
The last term of the high school of the Village District was held
in 1881, when the Cony Free High School was established. The
number of scholars in the Village District in April, 1892, was 2,052 —
about two thirds of the whole number in the city. The school sys-
tem of the Village District, which was adopted in wisdom fifty years
ago, is identical with the modern town system that is so generally
commended by public educators.
In 1882— forty-nine years after the passage of the act enabling
them to do so— three school districts— numbers 1, 20 and 26— lying
contiguously on the east side of the river, united and formed the
present Williams School District, which contained in April, 1892, 581
scholars. Daniel A. Cony, Joseph H. Manley and Eugene W. White-
house made the first board of directors. The scholars were assigned
to grammar, intermediate and primary grades. In 1890 the district
began the building of a fine four-room school house, locating it on
Bangor street at a place called Wedge hill. Its cost and furnishing
was $13,000. The directors and building committee were William H.
Libby, A. M. Wight, W. H. Williams, Joseph H. Manley, Daniel A.
424 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Cony, F. L. Farrington, W. B. Leighton. The building was first
opened for schools in 1892.
The Cony Female Academy was founded by Daniel Cony in 1815.*
The first building was erected that year at the corner of Cony and
Bangor streets. The founder conveyed the building and lot to trus-
tees, in trust, who, on the 18th of February, 1818, were incorporated.
They, with their successors, were made " visitors, trustees and gover-
nors " of the institution. The founder endowed it with ten shares of
the Augusta Bank and other gifts. In 1826 the legislature gave to it
half a township of land, which was sold for $6,000. The same year
the house at the corner of Bangor and Myrtle streets, now the resi-
dence of Harvey Chisam, was built for a students' boarding house.
The same year Samuel Bussey, of Boston, gave to the academy a tract
of landinSidney,whichsoldfor$500. In 1828, the value of its property
amounted to $9,795. The original academy building having become
overcrowded, the then disused Bethlehem church at the junction of
Stone andCony streets (built by the Unitarians in 1827), was purchased
in 1844, and remodeled into a commodious academy building. Among
the later corps of teachers were Jonathan and Newton Edwards, the
Misses Hall and Bailey, Milton Welch, E. V. and D. A. Ingraham and
Mrs. Arthur Berry, in 1856 and 1857.
After nearly fifty years of usefulness, the institution ceased to be
self-supporting, and was closed. The endowments, however, remained,
and by the accumulation of interest had in about twenty years reached
the sum of about $20,000. It was the generous motion of ex-Gover-
nor Joseph H. Williams, a grandson of the founder, and who repre-
sented the trustees of the academy, to propose to devote the idle fund
to the erection of a new institution for educational purposes. The
city of Augusta accepted his proposition, and engaged to maintain a
free high school for the youth of the city, in consideration of the use
of a building suitable for the purpose. Governor Williams thereupon
authorized the appropriation of the academy fund's accumulation to
the building of the present stately edifice on the site of the second
academy building. The old building— once the Bethlehem church —
was removed to its present location on the Fort Western lot at the foot
of Cony street.
The new building was projected in 1879, and completed for occu-
pancy in September, 1881. The name of Cony as applied to the Fe-
*Daniel Cony— ex-officer of the revolution, scholar, physician, legislator,
judge— with his ruling love for the agencies that elevate and refine society, was
to Augusta in its educational beginning, dating from the Hallowell Academy of
179.5, which he helped to establish, what Reuel Williams— the lawyer, senator
and man of aflfairs- was, a generation later, in constraining the location of the
state government, and in inciting and promoting other enterprises of incalculable
influence in shaping the future of his native town.
AUGUSTA. 425
•male Academy, falls appropriately to the new institution.* The Cony
Free High School, which has, in 1892, about 120 students, is conducted
by a mixed board of directors, consisting of the superintending
school committee on the part of the city, a trustee of the Cony Fe-
male Academy and one of the directors of the Village School District.
This board in 1892 consists of George E. Weeks, Winfield S. Choate,
W. H. Harris, Joseph H. Manley, Charles E. Nash.
Since the substitution in 1887 of the town system of management
for the suburban schools of the city, the names given to the different
CONY HIGH SCHOOL, AUGUSTA, ME.
schools in lieu of the formerly distinguishing district numbers, are as
follows: the Bracket School, Jewett, Stone, Leighton, Cony, North
Parish, Fletcher, Howard, Hospital, Church Hill, Hewins, Spaulding,
Bolton Hill, Howe, Stony Brook, Ward Road, Wellman. The number
*The following is a complete list of the principals of the Village District and
Cony Free High Schools, with the year when each was engaged : 1848, George
W. Jewett, 10 weeks, David Fales; 18.50, G. P. Goodwin; 1853, Walter Wells (com-
piler of the Water Power of Maine, 1869); 1853, David Fales, 5 weeks; 1854,
Ephraim C. Cummings, John F. Dean; 1855, Albert A. Scott, 3^ terms, Thomas
K. Noble; 1859, F. A. Waterhouse; 1868, A. W. Jackson, 3d term, W. H. Lam-
bert; 1870, G. L. Farnum; 1872, J. N. Ham; 1875, George B. Files; 1890, J. H.
Parsons; 1893, William A. Hoyt.
426 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of scholars eligible to these schools in April, 1892, was 468. The
total number in the city was 3,101.
The act of the legislature authorizing the town of Augusta to be-
come a city was approved by the governor (John W. Dana) on the 23d
of July, 1849. The voters assembled in town meeting at Winthrop
Hall, on the 31st day of December of the same year, to consider the
question of accepting the provisions of the act. John A. Pettengill
was moderator, and Daniel Pike, town clerk. The number of votes in
favor of becoming a city was 588, and those opposed, 196. The town
accordingly adopted the city form of government, and began its first
municipal year in March, 1850.
CHAPTER XVIII.
AUGUSTA (Concluded.)
Churches.— Secular Organizations. — Banks. — Other Business Enterprises.— Lo-
calities.— Civil Lists.— Personal Paragraphs.
THE Congregational Church Society, of Augusta, has had an ac-
tual existence since 1771, and its records extend back to 1786.
From a handful of members in the latter ye^Lr, it now numbers
over a thousand communicants. It has built three houses of worship,
and a like number of chapels.
In 1771 the inhabitants of the newly incorporated town of Hal-
lowell petitioned the Plymouth Company for a ministerial lot of land,
and a lot for a meeting house. The next year they voted ;^15 " for
schooling and preaching." and in 1773 the town officially invited Rev.
John Murray, of Boothbay, to preach one Sabbath, which he did; and
the same year Rev. John Allen was hired, and preached two years,
being the first resident minister. Those who immediately followed
him, though each preached but a short time, were Reverends Samuel
Thurston and Samuel Spring in 1775, and John Prince in 1780. In
1782 the frame of the first church in Augusta was erected on a lot
nearly in front of E. C. Allen's building in Market Square. The fol-
lowing year the house was first occupied for worship, but it was not
completed until 1795. Here the society worshipped for twenty-six
years, and the building, yet standing, and after several removals, is
now known as the Friends' chapel, on Winthrop street.
Rev. Nathaniel Merrill preached in the new church in 1783^, and
in 1785 Rev. Seth Noble was engaged for sixteen vSabbaths. Rev.
William Hazlitt preached fourteen Sabbaths, and was afterward
hired on probation; Rev. Mr. Kinsman preached occasionally, and
Rev. Ezekiel Emerson, once. October 11, 1786, Rev. Isaac Foster was
ordained, and two years later was dismissed. In 1791 Reverends
Jacob Emerson and Adoniram Judson preached; and Rev. David
Smith officiated for three months the following year. In January,
1793, the church at Chesterville (formed in 1790) was united to the
elder church, and in July of that year. Rev. Charles Turner occupied
the pulpit, remaining until March, 1794. In this year the Middle
parish was formed (which, when Augusta was incorporated in 1797^
became the South parish), and here, in October, a church of fifteea
428 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
members, who had withdrawn from the Hallowell church, was or-
ganized, Rev. Charles Turner officiating for a few months. From
this small beginning has grown the present South Parish Congrega-
tional church. Rev. Daniel Stone began as regular pastor of the
church October 21, ITD.'j, remaining fourteen years. The first South
parish meeting house was begun in July, 1807, and dedicated Decem-
ber 20, 1809. It stood on " that lot of land belonging to Judge North,
near the Grammar School House, on the east side of the street lead-
ing to the Court House," and served the society until July 11, 1864,
when it was burned by lightning. The society immediately took
measures to build a new church; a design was accepted in November,
and the corner-stone of the granite church was laid the following
spring. It was dedicated July 5, 1866.
Rev. Edwin B. Webb succeeded Doctor Tappdn as pastor, and re-
mained until 1860. Alexander McKenzie was the next pastor, and
remained until 1867, when Rev. Joel F. Bingham came and officiated
until 1870. Rev. James H. Ecob then came, and was dismissed at his
own request in 1881. Rev. Henry E. Mott came next, and resigned in
1882. Rev. Arthur F. Skeele was ordained in 1884, and resigned in
1889. Rev. J. S. Williamson, the present pastor, was ordained May
15, 1890. The first and second chapels were built during Doctor Tap-
pan's pastorate.
The pioneer of Methodism in the Kennebec valley was Elder
Jesse Lee, of Virginia, who visited this section in 1793. Augusta was
then within the Readfield circuit, and the third quarterly meeting
was held at the former town in a barn, the sacrament being admin-
istered on the green in front. The first meeting in Augusta to listen
to a sermon in this faith was held in 1800, when Rev. Epaphras Kib-
bey lectured in the hall of the old Thomas house.
In 1802 the town was included in a circuit that extended from
Gardiner to Skowhegan. The preachers who traveled this circuit
were, that year, Reverends Comfort Smith and Aaron Humphrey.
The few attending the Methodist church resided in the north part of
the town, and it was not till 1807 that a class was formed in the vil-
lage, with Elihu Robinson as leader. November 30 and Decem-
ber 1, 1810, a quarterly meeting was held in the old court house,
Zachariah Gibson then being the minister in charge of the circuit.
The society having greatly increased, a station was made here in
1828, with Rev. Daniel B. Randall in charge. The same year steps
were taken to build the edifice still in use, though alterations and re-
pairs have greatly changed its appearance. The successors of D. B.
Randall were: Oliver Beale, 1829; John B. Husted, 1830-1; Elijah
Crooker, 1832; James Warren, 1838; George Webber, 1834; Justin
Spaulding, 1835 (who was sent to South Africa as a missionary, and
the year completed by James Warren); Asbury Caldwell, 1836; Daniel
Fuller, 1837; Ephraim Wiley, 1838, but whose year was filled out by
Benjamin F. Tefft. In this year the class in the north part of the
town was joined with Sidney. In 1839 Joseph Aspenwall preached;
in 1840, Joseph H. Jenne; and in 1841, Albert F. Barnard, under
whose pastorate the society had a great revival, and its membership
was increased by 129 persons. Caleb Fuller preached in 1842-3; Asa-
hel Moore, 1844; Charles W. Morse, 1845; Stephen Allen, 1847-,
Charles F. Allen, 1849; H. M. Blake, 1851; H. B. Abbott, 1853; Ste-
phen Allen in 1855, during whose pastorate the vestry was added to
the church; Joseph Colby, 1856; Aaron Sanderson, 1858; A. J. Church,
1860, who went to the war as chaplain, his place being filled by Will-
iam McK. Bray, until the coming of Charles Munger in 1863. D. B.
Randall preached in 1865; Cyrus A. King in 1867, during whose pas-
torate the church edifice was cut in two and greatly enlarged; Ezekiel
Martin, 1870; and Roscoe Sanderson, 1873, during whose pastorate 102'
persons were received into membership. E. T. Adams was pastor in
1876; W. M. Sterling, 1878; Roscoe Sanderson, 1881; Charles W. Brad-
ley, 1883; G. R. Palmer, 1886; T. F. Jones, 1889; and I. G. Ross, 1890.
The North M. E. Society is in the present Fourth Ward. The first
Methodist class formed in the town was then known as North
Augusta. A class was organized in 1802, and Japheth Beale was-
leader between 1803 and 1810. In 1838 the class was united with the
Sidney charge, and Sabbath worship was held at Bacon's Corner —
now Sidney Centre. The society in North Augusta was organized in
1861, and measures were at once taken to build a house of worship,
which was completed the same year. In 1869 a substantial parsonage
was erected, and in 1881 the church was repaired, and supplied with
an organ. The labors of the pastors have been divided between this
house and the Jewett school house, their names and terms of service
being as follows: William Wyman, 1851; Thomas J. True, 1853; John
Young, 1855; J. S. Cushman, 1856; Nathan Andrews, 1857; True Whit-
tier, 1859; A. C. Trafton, 1861; Nathan Andrews, 1865; J. P. Weeks,
1866; J. M. Howes, 1868; F. E. Emerick, 1869; F. W. Smith, 1871;
R. F. French, 1873; John W. Perrey, 1876; George L. Burbank, 1877;
Thomas Hillman, 1878; John B. Fogg, 1879; C. L. Libbey, 1884; D. L.
Ford, 1886; H. F. Patterson, 1887; W. H. Barber, 1888; H. L. Crockett,
1891; and C. M. Abbott, 1892.
In April, 1825, Christ Church (Unitarian) wasTormed, worshipping
in the court house and Cony Female Academy, the services being led
by various clergymen temporarily engaged. In September, 1825,
Daniel Cony and fifty-two. others petitioned the legislature to divide
the South parish, and January 23, 1826, an act was passed incorporat-
ing the East parish. May 27, l'S27, the frame of the church building
was raised on the corner of Cony and Stone streets, and the edifice
430 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
was dedicated October 18, 1827, as Bethlehem church. In 1828 Rev.
William Ford came, and was settled as pastor, September 9, 1829.
He was succeeded by Rev. Allen Putnam, November 23, 1831. A lot
was purchased at the head of Oak street, and on it a new edifice was
erected, and dedicated October 17, 1833. Mr. Putnam was dismissed
upon his own request in June following, and the society received
occasional supplies until 1836, when Rev. Edward H. Edes accepted
the pastorate. In 1839 he asked for a dismissal, which was granted.
For nine months supplies filled the desk, when a unanimous call
was given to Rev. Sylvester Judd, of Northampton, Mass., who was
installed October 1, 1840. Mr. Judd died suddenly in the night of
January 3-4, 1853, and Rev. Loammi G. Ware, of Boston, succeeded
him, July 26, 1854. He resigned in July, 1857, and was succeeded in
October, 1858, by Rev. George W. Bartlett. June 1, 1860, Rev. Henry
W. Brown was installed, and continued until August, 1866. Rev. S.
Curtis Beach preached two years from August, 1867, and Rev. Wil-
liam A. Cram assumed the pastorate in December, 1869, and was
dismissed by his own request August 16, 1871. Rev. L. E. Beckwith
was the next pastor. He resigned in October, 1874, and in 1875 Rev.
Charles A. Curtis became pastor, being succeeded in 1879 by Rev.
Philip T. Thacher, who held the pastorate until 1889, when Rev.
Richard F. Griffin was called. The present pastor. Rev. J. K. New-
bert, entered upon his duties in July, 1892, and was ordained October
25th. The new church on State street, at the head of Oak, was
dedicated December 18, 1879.
In 1833 the Maine legislature first met in Augusta, and the few
Universalists here, stimulated by the interests of the persons of. this
faith belonging to the legislature, organized a society in 1833, and for
two years meetings were held in Bethlehem church, and in the old
court house. Then a church edifice was erected in 1835, and was
dedicated on Thanksgiving day of that year. The first minister was
Rev. William A. Drew, founder of the Gospel Banner, and after him in
order came Reverends William A. P. Dillingham, Zenas Thompson,
R. A. Ballou, George W. Quimby, Charles R. Moor, Almon Gage,
John W. Hines, William HrDearborn, George W. Whitney, Albert C.
White, John S. Gledhill, Harrison S. Whitman and J. F. Leland. The
present fine brick church on Winthrop street was dedicated
March 5, 1868.
The First Baptist Society was organized with seventeen members,
November 12, 1831. Lemuel Porter, jun., became pastor. His suc-
cessors, with year of their coming, have been: E. N. Harris, 1837;
Thomas Curtis, 1838; P. S. Adams, 1840; Edwin R. Warren, 1841; N.
W. Williams, 1844; Amaziah Kalloch, 1847; George S. G. Spence, 1849;
Asa Dalton, 1851; H. V. Dexter, 1855; Lucius M. S. Haines, September
27, 1860; Charles H. Rowe, 1862; J. Ricker, 1865; A. V. Tilton, 1872;
AUGUSTA. 431
H. W. Tilden, 1875; H. J. White, 1884, and J. M. Wyman, since July,
1879. Services were held in the old court house until their church on
Winthrop street was erected in 1835. In December, 1868, the church
building now in use was completed at a cost of $20,000, on the site of
their old building.
In December, 1846, a warm discussion of the slavery question led
to a split in the church, and the seceding members formed a Second
church, " having for its leading object uncompromising hostility to
the system of slavery." Feeling ran high, the new church was not
" recognized " by the old, and it was voted to withdraw fellowship
from the recusant members. At length, however, through the good
offices of Rev. Amaziah Kalloch, pastor of the First church, harmony
and good feeling were restored on January 8, 1849, and each church
recognized the other " as a church of Christ in Gospel order, and en-
titled to fellowship and communion of the sister churches."
A Freewill Baptist church was organized in 1834, with only seven
members. They met in a room on the first floor of the town hall,
which had been fitted up for the purpose. After about a year, under
the pastorate of Rev. Silas Curtis, the society removed its place of
meeting to the town hall — the upper part of the same building — for
better accommodations. Early in 1836 their numbers had so increased
that they held services in the old court house, where they assembled
until 1838, when they occupied the new court house. Attempts to
erect an edifice of their own had proved unsuccessful. Mr. Curtis
left the pastorate in the fall of 1838, and only occasional preaching
was held for several years. In 1850 Rev. John Stevens was called by
the society, and held his first meeting in Darby Hall. The congrega-
tion increased rapidly. In June, 1852, Rev. O. B. Cheney became pas-
tor, and, in the spring of 1853, a building was commenced, and dedi-
cated November 3d, of the same year. In 1856 Rev. G. W. Bean suc-
ceeded Mr. Cheney until July, 1860, when Rev. Hiram Whitcher was
called, and remained till June, 1861. Rev. Charles F. Penney was
called in June, 1862. In 1866 the edifice was repaired, and in 1868
enlarged. Mr. Penney remained till 1885, when he was succeeded by
J. B. Jordan until February, 1891, when Rev. C. F. Penney again be-
came the pastor. The church edifice is on Bridge street, near State,
and is the original building with many alterations and improvements
added.
Saint Mary's.*— On the eastern side of the Kennebec, about three
miles north of the historic Cushnoc trading post, may be seen, at Gil-
ley's Point, the ancient site of what was once known as the Mission
of the Assumption. Here, upwards of two and a half centuries ago,
at the period of the establishment of this religious mission, there ex-
isted a small settlement of one of the most powerful, yet, at the same
*By Thomas J. Lynch, Esq.
432 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
time, one of the most peaceful tribes that resided within the borders
of our state, called the Abenakis. Prompted by the noblest motives
this tribe of the children of the forest sent a special deputation of
their chiefs to Quebec, in order to obtain, if possible, a missionary,
whom they might retain as their spiritual guide and teacher.
The venerable Superior of the Je.suits, after due deliberation, ap-
pointed, on August 21, 1646, Father Gabriel Druillettes, S. J., who at
once set out with the Indian embassy for the field of his missionary
labors, where he arrived at the close of September of the same year,
and was received with universal joy and thanksgiving. With paternal
care and tenderness, the father received the cordial felicitations of his
spiritual children, who looked upon him with wondering eyes, and as
a messenger of the Most High. To acquire a knowledge of the In-
dian dialect he studiously applied himself and his efforts were rewarded
with the happiest results.
Under his direction, an humble log chapel was soon erected, and
dedicated to the worship of God, under the beautiful title of the Mis-
sion of the Assumption. Important duties called him to Quebec the
following May. With profound sorrow his humble flock saw him de-
part. So numerous were the urgent invitations for his return, that in
1650 he again bent his steps toward his loved Abenakis. After four-
and-twenty days of fatigue and hardship, he reached Norridgewock,
the center of the Abenaki village. All were in motion, and amid a
volley of firearms, the chief embraced the missionary, crying: " I see
well, that the Great Spirit who rules in Heaven deigns to look favor-
ably on us, since He sends us back our patriarch." The forests of
Maine rang with their acclamations of joy and gratitude. They all
exclaimed: " We have thee at last. Thou art our father, our patriarch,
our countryman. Thou livest like us, thou dwellest with us, thou art
an Abenaki like us." Thus did this ancient, noble and warm-hearted
tribe receive their black-gown, the envoy of God.
This time he comes not merely as an humble missionary, but, also,
as the accredited ambassador of the Canadian government to the
New England colonies, and is authorized to propose an alliance for
their mutual protection against the hostile Iroquiois. Unhappily he
found himself unable to effect such a union, although he made two
pilgrimages to the colonial officials at Boston. He continued his
apostolic labors on the Kennebec, until early in the spring of 1652,
when the voice of obedience recalled him to Quebec, and thus closed
his connection with the Mission of the Assumption.
Nothing could exceed the devotedness of the Indians to their mis-
sionary. That his was no less tender and affectionate toward them
we are assured in his own words. Writing to his superior, he says:
" In spite of all that is painful and crucifying to nature in these mis-
sions, there are also great joys and consolations. More plenteous than
. ^k
SLlB iHI,
ffiiairi
\i\
I can express are those I felt to see that the seed of the Gospel which
I had scattered here four years, in land which for so many centuries
had produced only thorns and brambles already bore fruit so worthy
of the Lord."
Father Druillettes had no immediate successor in the pastoral
charge of the new mission. At intervals, it was attended by a series
of the Sons of Loyola, until the tribe of the Abenaki finally disap-
peared from the valley of the Kennebec, to seek a more congenial
home in other parts of the state, or beyond its limits, among kindred
tribes. To their illustrious apostle, Father Druillettes, must be ac-
corded the proud title of pioneer missionary of the Kennebec, and
founder of the first sacred edifice that adorned its banks, and thus be-
came the nucleus of Catholicity in our midst. And, although the
material structure has long since passed away, and its historic site
well-nigh forgotten, yet there .still remains, in its integrity, the faith
of the Abenaki, as taught by the immortal Druillettes.
As a natural sequence to the history of the ancient Mis.sion of the
Assumption, at Cushnoc, is that of St. Mary's of Augusta; the title
slightly altered, the mission exactly the same. The former began
with about 500 souls, the latter now numbers very nearly the same,
and its condition flourishing, as well in its material as spiritual aspect.
The heavenly seed thus sown centuries ago in a soil which till
then had been sterile, but which, since then, having been nurtured by
the toil, tears and even blood of martyrs, has never ceased to be pro-
ductive of choice plants and flowers, the fragrance of which like a
sweet incense has ever been wafted gently.to the Eternal Throne.
Even when, for a long lapse of time, the voice of the Shepherd had
not been heard, and when his visits along the banks of the Kennebec
had been rare and for brief intervals only, even then the piety of the
faithful suffered little or no decline wherever the faith had been once
established.
That sacred temples wherein Divine worship could be held were
scarce, and even unknown, until within more recent times is perfectly
true ; but that those who composed the body of the faithful were
altogether deprived of the means of a supernatural subsistence is
most certainly false. How this was accomplished we can easily learn
from those who are still living in our community, and who remember
well how the Catholics of Augusta and immediate vicinity devised a
way to have their spiritual wants supplied, in the early part of the
century, and how they never considered the circumstance of distance
or inconvenience arising from inclement seasons when it was a ques-
tion of salvation.
There are those who tell how they, in those early times, rather
than fail to be present at the holy sacrifice of the mass on Sundays,
434 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and holidays of obligation, especially on the great solemnities of
Christmas and Easter, deemed it no hardship to travel, even on foot,
to the neighboring stations, and particularly to that of Whitefield; and
how, from this toilsome journey they were sometimes relieved by an
occasional visit from the venerable pastors of that Catholic settle-
ment.
When, in turn, Augusta, in the year 1847 became the seat of an
independent parish,* with a resident pastor. Catholics all along the
Kennebec, and even from the more inland towns, came and were here
ministered unto. As the faithful in these places soon increased in
numbers, they gradually became separate parishes, and received a
duly appointed rector. Even in Augusta, within the past five years,
or to be more precise, at the end of November, 1887, a second parish
was established, by the present bishop of the diocese, Right Rev.
James A. Healy, D.D., with a resident pastor, for the French Cana-
dians, who began to increase so rapidly that a separate church be-
came necessary, and which was forthwith erected on a beautiful site
on Cushnoc heights.
Thus St. Mary's, after having been more or less instrumental in
fostering Catholicity within a large radius, until each congregation
became able to make provision for its own spiritual wants; and after
having materially enlarged and improved her own church, pastoral
residence and cemetery, she finds herself at length, though restricted
to the English-speaking Catholics of the city, free from all indebted-
ness and enjoying in the community a position of high merit and
prosperity. »
The first preaching of the gospel in the Episcopal faith was in
1763, when Rev. Jacob Bailey, a missionary at Pownalborough, came
to Cushhoc by invitation. Occasional services were held by the few
Episcopalians at the old court house. Rev. James C. Richmond,
of Gardiner, officiating. In June, 1840, a meeting was held at the new
court house to establish a Protestant Episcopal church in Augusta.
*In 1836 the number of Catholics in Augusta had so largely increased that a
chapel was needed for their accommodation, and it was decided to purchase the
Bethlehem church, on the east side of the river, which had been vacated by the
Unitarians. The first services in this chapel were performed by Rev. Father
Curtin. In 1845 the present St. Mary's church was erected on State street, and
the Bethlehem church sold to Cony Female Academy. Rev. James O'Reilly as-
sumed charge of the parish in November, 1847, and was the first resident priest.
He was succeeded in 1853 by Rev. Edward Putnam. In February, 1856, the
pastorate devolved on Rev. Charles Egan, who became the second resident
priest in Augusta. In November, 1869, Father Egan was succeeded by Rev.
Michael C. O'Brien, who was rector until May, 1874. Since then the succession
has been as follows : Rev. Eugene M. O'Callaghan, to November, 1875 ; Rev.
Raphael Wi.ssel, O. S. B., to August, 1877; Rev. Daniel J. W. Murphy, to May,
1881 ; Rev, John W. Murphy, to July, 1886, and Rev. Charles W. Doherty, the
present rector.
AUGUSTA. 435
James T. McCobb was chosen moderator, and James Baker, Moses
Noble, Allen Lambard, H. A. Kittridge and Daniel Cony Weston
were chosen vestrymen. The church was called St. Mark's church,
and T. G. Salter was chosen pastor; but ill health prevented him from
complying with his promised acceptance. In August of that year,
Rev. Frederic Freeman, of Cape Cod, was invited, and in October be-
came the settled rector. May 23,1841, a confirmation was held in the
Methodist church building, when Bishop Griswold conferred the rite
upon thirty-six persons. Subscriptions were received for the erection
of a house of worship, the corner stone was laid July 24, and on July
20, of the following year, the church was consecrated. In October,
1843, Rev. Alexander Burgess was invited to the rectorship, Mr.
Freeman having resigned, and was instituted rector July 14, 1844, by
Bishop Henneshaw. In March, 1854, Mr. Burgess decided to remove
to Portland, and in May, 1855, Rev. William E. Armitage became
rector. In 1858 the church building was greatly enlarged. Rev.
Gordon M. Bradley succeeded to the rectorship in 1859, and remained
until 1862, when Rev. J. Geirlow officiated until March, 1864. He
was succeeded, temporarily, by Rev. Mr. Wilkinson and Rev. E.
E. Johnson ; and in 1868 Rev. Samuel Upjohn was settled as rector.
The present edifice of the society, costing $40,000, was consecrated
February 2, 1887. The old building was sold to John W. Fogler, and
he disposed of it to Dr. George W. Martin who, in 1891, erected a fine
residence upon the site. Rev. Walker Gwynne, the present rector,
entered upon his duties January 17, 1884.
In July, 1892, St. Barnabas' chapel, a mission branch of St. Mark's,
was established on the east side, with Rev. W. F. Livingstone in
charge.
St. Mark's Home was originated by Allan Lambard, who gave to
the society a house and lot valued at $7,000, to be occupied and used
as a home for women of whatsoever religious faith. In 1870 an act
was obtained from the legislature constituting the rector, wardens,
and vestrymen of St. Mark's church, and their successors, a body cor-
porate with the necessary powers. The home was opened in Novem-
ber, 1870. Mrs. James W. Bradbury at her death bequeathed to the
home the income from $3,000 for a period of years, with the right to
pay the principal should a sum be added sufficient to constitute a
reasonable endowment. The home now has a fund of $13,000.
The Christian church was organized in Augusta September 1,
1873, with nine members, the leaders in the movement being John
O. Boyes and Mrs. Boyes, Rev. W. P. Jackson, John H. Gates and
Mrs. Martha D. Lock. A chapel was built on Cushnoc heights in 1875,
and enlarged in 1884. The succeesive pastors have been: Reverends
W. P. Jackson, Hiram A. Stratton, Joseph F. Wade, Thomas S. Weeks,
N. S. Chadwick and O. F. Walter. There have also been various sup-
46i5 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
plies for short periods. The last pastor was Rev. Benjamin S. Maben,
whose pastorate closed in 1890. The church edifice is again undergo-
ing repairs, and will then be reopened. The church now has .seventy-
six members.
Saint Augustine church (French Roman Catholic) was organized
in 1888. This second branch of the church in Augusta was necessary
for the many residents of the city who spoke the French language
only, and who wished the services in their own tongue, and who were
previou.sly thus provided by assistant priests of Saint Mary's, until
the establishment of Saint Augustine. The Rev. T. G. Plant was the
first pastor until 1889, when Rev. Arthur A. Hamel, the present pas-
tor, was appointed by the Right Rev. Bishop Healy, of Portland, to
take charge. Father Hamel was ordained in 1884 by Bishop Healy,
and sent to Biddeford as assistant priest. From Biddeford he was
sent to take charge of the churches at Fort Fairfield and Presque Lsle,
and following this he was appomted to take charge at Augusta of
Saint Augustine church. Saint Augustine society erected a large
frame building for worship on Washington street, and the edifice is
second to none in the city in the beauty and richness of its interior
decorations. The building of the edifice has been done principally
since Father Hamel has been in charge. The number of its com-
municants is 1,150. The accompanying illustration shows the church
edifice and the parish residence.
The Y. M. C. A. was organized in April, 1881, and a good library
and reading room are maintained at its quarters on Water street.
H. L. Peabody, the secretary, edits a monthly quarto, and through its
columns the needs, meetings, and general condition of the association
are made known. The presidents have been: Frank H. Beale, 1881-3;
E. E. Davis, 1884-6; H. W. Webber, 1887; James R. Townsend, 1888;
George E. Gay, 1889-91; James R. Townsend, 1892-4.
Secular Organizations.— Bethlehem Lodge, No. 35, of Free
Masons, was instituted July 20, 1821. In the great fire which swept
Water street in 1865, all the Lodge records were destroyed. Two
years later the Grand Lodge records were burned at Portland, thus
destroying everything relating to the doings of Bethlehem Lodge
during its first forty-four years. Since 1843 its masters, as remem-
bered by members now living, have been: Joseph R. Abbott, William
A. Drew, Lory Bacon, Benjamin A. G. Fuller, E. Wills, Jacob Arnold.
George W. Jones, Leonard Goss, Moses E. Hamlen, Daniel C. Stan-
wood, Elias Hedge, George S. Mulliken, Frank Barrows, Fred Ham-
len, Dr. John W. Toward, Stephen Barton, Nathaniel W. Cole,
Samuel W. Lane, Fred A. Crowell, George P. Haskell, John W. Rowe,
Milton M. Stone, Edward F. Beale, Charles H. Brick, Henry F.
Blanchard, John E. Avery, William H. Williams, Treby Johnson,
Ethel H. Jones and W. Scott Choate.
Augusta Lodge of Masons, No. 141, an offshoot of Bethlehem
Lodge, was instituted May 8, 1867, and in 1892, at the expiration of
twenty-five years, it had had in all, 260 members. A history of the Lodge
by Doctor Tappan was printed in 1892. Its masters have been: Fred-
erick Hamlen, Edward Stanwood, Samuel L. Boardman, William H.
Woodbury, Frank R. Partridge, Charles B. Morton, Clement P. Rich-
ards, Edwin C. Dudley, Charles A. Curtis, John D. Myrick, C. H.
Dudley, Edmund McMurdie, Charles C. Hunt, Oscar S. C. Davies, Man-
ning S. Campbell, George D. Rowe.
Trinity Commandery, No. 7, K. T., was organized in Augusta May
2, 1865. Its successive commanders have been: Orlando Currier,
David Cargill, Austin D. Knight, Richard W. Black, James Atkins,
Samuel W. Lane, Charles B. Morton, J. Frank Pierce, Henry F.
Blanchard, John E. Avery, Treby Johnson, Charles K. Tilden and
Edmund McMurdie.
Cushnoc Royal Arch Chapter, No. 43, was organized May 8, 1878,
with forty-eight charter members, mostly from the Chapter at Hal-
lowell. The high priests have been: Dr. John W. Toward, Samuel
W. Lane, Charles B. Morton, Henry F. Blanchard, John W. Rowe,
Frank B. Smith, Treby Johnson, Edwin C. Dudley, Henry A. Heath
and Fred W. Plaisted. James E. Blanchard is the present recorder.
Sabattis Lodge, No. 6, 1. 0. 0. F.,was instituted in December,1843, and
continued about twenty years, when its interest flagged and its charter
was surrendered. Those who served as noble grands were: John G.
Sawyer, William R. Smith, William B. Hartwell, Issachar Snell, jun.,
Benjamin A. G. Fuller, Lewis D. Moor, Joseph Burton, J. Edwin Ladd,
William H. Wheeler, Fred. A. Fuller, John Manley, Thomas J. Bur-
gess, John H. Hartford and Henry Sewall.
Asylum Lodge, No. 70, I. O. O. F., was instituted in Augusta, April
18, 1873, with five charter members. Those who have served as noble
grands are as follows: David Cargill, John W. Toward, Mark Harden,
Josiah S. Hobbs, Rodney B. Capen, Willis B. Leighton, Arthur L.
Brown, Hiram F. Rockwood, Samuel W. Lane, George O. Whipple,
Melville C. Blackwell, J. F. Rice, E. E. Eastman, Charles B. Chick,
George A. Philbrook, Horace Cony, Edwin H. Atkins, Alexander J.
Cameron, Frank L. Pond, Philip A. De Creney, George F. Andrews,
Charles C. Hunt, William H. Reid, Melville Smith, G. Fred Libby.
George H. Clark, Arthur N. J. Lovejoy, Will H. Dunton, Oscar H.
Groves, I. H. Chandler, Alfred D. Weeks, L. W. Mason, George W.
Merrill, H. L. Sherburne, J. F. McCausland and W. C. Miller. The
membership of the Lodge is now 234.
Capital Lodge, No. 288, Knights of Honor, was instituted in Au-
gusta May 16, 1876, with nineteen charter members. The office of
dictator has been successively held by: John W. Rowe, Willis B. Leigh-
ton, Andrew J. Cameron, H. A. B. Chandler, Stephen A. Russell, Sam-
4dB HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
uel W. Lane, Moses S. Moulton, Edmund McMurdie, Rodney B. Capen,
William H. Reid, J. H. Dolliver, J. L. Colcord, Frank W. Kinsman,
Lorenzo B. Hill and Frank L. Farrington.
Highland Lodge, No. 25, A. O. U. W., was instituted in Augusta
December 2, 1884, with twenty-eight charter members. It is really a
fraternal insurance company, doing business upon the Lodge system.
Its membership is now 158. The master workmen have been: Albert
G. Andrews, L. H. Cash, F. W. Ellis, E. G. Bascomb, Charles F. Flynt
and John Erskine.
Cushnoc Council, No. 134, Order of United Friends, was instituted
in Augusta June 15, 1885. The first councillor was W. H. Pierce and
his successors have been: Samuel W. Lane, 1887: Charles C. Bryant,
1889; Dr. Robert J. Martin, 1890; Seth E. Gay. 1891, and John Cough-
lin, 1892.
Calanthe Lodge, No. 34, K. of P., was instituted in Augusta March
16, 1885. Its councillors have been: Frank L. Pond, Fred H. Owen,
J. Maurice Arnold, Arthur A. N. Lovejoy, Thomas M. Rollins,William
F. White, George E. Messer, Frank E. Southard, Wallace N. Malcolm,
Walter N. Foss, Weston Lewis, Edward H. Gardner, George A. Craig,
Fred L. Benn and Frank S. Farnham.
Tribe No. 12, Independent Order of Red Men, was organized in
Augusta, December 24, 1888, with sixty-two charter members. Henry
T. Morse was the first grand sachem, followed by Reuel W. Soule,
Orin A. Tuell, A. E. Hamilton and C. H. Cunningham. Its member-
ship is about one hundred.
Dirigo Council, No. 790, Royal Arcanum, was instituted here Au-
gust 14, 1883. Its officers have since been: D. M. Waitt, regent;
Treby Johnson, treasurer, and Lorenzo B. Hill, secretary.
A society was formed here some fifty years ago, known as the
Benevolent Society. The moving spirit in the organization was Miss
Jane Howard, a maiden lady whose memory is .still fragrant in this
community, by reason of her many deeds of benevolence and charity.
Out of respect to her, the name was changed to Howard Benevolent
Society, and it carried on its good work of clothing the poor until
1883, when it was decided to enlarge its scope, and its name was
changed to The Howard Benevolent Union. Selden Connor was
chosen president, William R. Smith, treasurer, and John S. Gushing,
secretary. The presidents since "have been: George B. Files and Al-
den W. Philbrook; the treasurer, Edwin C. Dudley, and the secreta-
ries, Josiah S. Hobbs and Mrs. Frank H. Beale. It is not sectarian.
Capital Grange, No. 248, P. of H., was instituted in Augusta April
7, 1883, with twenty-eight members. Dr. William B. Lapham was
elected master, and the subsequent masters have been: Samuel L.
Boardman, Byron D. Savage, Charles J. House, Abel D. Russell.
George A. Yeaton and Charles F. Fletcher.
i
M <;USTA. 430
< organized in May, 1888. Henry G.
Tt Ct. Andrews, secretary. The corpora-
■ trotting park adjacent to the state house
i rade was organized in 1887. with Edward
vas succeeded by Ira H. Randall, still in
. been: Charles H Hichborn, Treby John-
Its membership i^ now about one hun-
. to develop the resovn-es of Augusta.
he Augusta Literary and Library Associa-
legislature in 1873, and was organized the
u of fifty gentlemen, residents of Augusta,
.lollars for the purchasi of books. Books
n from time to tir!:e, an^l by gift and pur-
jccame possessed ■ ' ab<"it 3,000 volumes.
■iton,a grandson of olonel William Leigh-
notoriety on the i. -^nnebec, died, and by
■he city of Augusta v.'0,0<><> for the purpose
Public Library. H' Iso made the city, in
which about $15,0(H. .'iditional was realized.
Library Association < -ted to transfer their
brary. Mr. Lithgow
vas probated AugUf^-:
met, and having, tr
hester Haynes, Wil;
., .. i-jstoric and patriotic S
.s forced ,to flee from Enjir^- -
ndfather of Llewellyn W., a:.-
luring the French and Inrt
death occurred June
.Mh, following. The
ehalf of the city, ac-
i 1 R. Smith and Her-
i sh family, and his great-
oppression to Boston, in
bom. William was corn-
war, and at the organiza-
1760-, was appointed jud>:e of the court of common
; was also appointed in 1""^, under the revolutionary
lewellyn W., was the *rcond son of William. He
P-ath, then a part of r— ■ v^etown, in 1763. His wife
i.ardiner, a cek; 'he son of Dr. Syl-
W., second son . .ni in Dresden, Me.,
■ived the educat-,' the youth of those
tided taste for nv- ir'- ■•re, in which, as many
wing, he afterward achieved marked success. He
i;.;-usta in 1839.
V, daughter of T!:..r;!,\s Bowman, of Augusta. May
\iulina P.. dauRiiv.T <.f EHsha Child, of Augu.st.i
! of the old .<c!i'jiil, urbane in inuniievs. K'-'I- ■•'
illy of charaitcr. He was ar
and an ardent supporter of all
'■ns of Augusta have peculiar
! .r his munificent bequest t.
r
f
440 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
bert M. Heath were elected trustees on the part of the city, and James
W. Bradbury on the part of the heirs of Mr. Lithgow. The latter
was elected president of the board, and still holds the office. Rooms
for the accommodation of the library were provided on Water street,
and September 23, 1882, it was opened to the public. The library
now has over 6,000 carefully selected volumes, besides the various
periodicals. A new and elegant library building is soon to be erected
on Winthrop Square, at the corner of State street, for which purpose
more than $10,000 has recently been donated, which, added to the
building fund already in hand, makes about $30,000. The subscribers
to the library who take out books and are charged the nominal sum
of one dollar a year, now number over four hundred, and are steadily
increasing. There is also a reading room connected with the library,
which is well patronized. Miss Julia Clapp has filled the position of
librarian since the rooms were opened in 1882.
Banks.— Prior to 1804 the banks at Wiscasset provided for all this
portion of the valley, but on March 6th of that year, the Augusta and
Hallowell Bank was incorporated. It was intended to benefit both
towns and also the surrounding country. The charter located the
bank at Hallowell, but at the first meeting there was a sharp contest
for -the organization, and Augusta prevailed. James Bridge was
elected president, but served only a short time, if indeed he served at
all. John O. Page was the second president and served during the
existence of the bank. During the hard times preceding the war of
1812, the bank failed, with a large amount in circulation. An effort
was made to hold the stockholders responsible and many suits were
brought for that purpose, but the books of the bank disappeared, and
it was impossible without them, to find out where the stock was held.
Jeremiah Dummer was the first and only cashier.
The Kennebec Bank was incorporated June 23, 1812. Its incorpo-
rators were John Chandler, Benjamin Dearborn, Dr. Ariel Mann, Eben
T. Warren and Joshua Gage. Mr. Warren was the first and only
president, and Joseph Chandler, cashier, succeeded by Jesse Robinson.
Their banking room was in the basement of a brick dwelling then
standing in the southwest corner of the present court house yard,
where the business was transacted until 1816, when the bank was
moved to Hallowell, where it failed May 1, 1826.
The Augusta Bank was chartered January 21, 1814. The
directors chosen were James Bridge, Daniel Cony, John Davis, Ben-
jamin Brown, jun., John Eveleth, Samuel Wood and Thomas W. Smith.
The capital stock was $100,000. James Bridge, the first president, was
succeeded by Daniel Williams in 1834, Thomas W. Smith in 1S41 and
Samuel Cony in 1855. Its cashiers were George Crosby, George W.
Allen and Joseph J. Eveleth. In 1864 the bank surrendered its
charter. In 1848 the bank sold its banking house lot, and
AUGUSTA. 441
the vStanley House was built upon it. The Stanley House
was burned in the great fire in 1865, and the present Cony House
erected upon the same spot. After the funds of the bank had
been put into a vault in the Stanley House, the vault was broken open
in 1849, and $29,500 in specie stolen. The burglars were arrested, and
one of them disclosed where the money had been secreted, under the
speakers' stand in the representatives' hall. The whole amount was
recovered.
The Freeman's bank was chartered March 2, 1833, with a capital
stock, $50,000, subsequently increased to $100,000. The first directors
were Benjamin Dc^vis, John Eveleth, William Dewey, Watson F. Hal-
lett, John Mulliken, George Cox and William H. Kittredge. Ben-
jamin Davis was the first president, and Harlow Spaulding the first
cashier. Watson F. Hallett was the only other president, and the
succeeding cashiers were William Caldwell and Daniel Pike. The
bank reorganized as the Freeman's National Bank, April 9, 1864, with
Watson F. Hallett, John Mulliken, Charles F. Potter, Russell Eaton,
Thomas Lambard and O. C. Whitehouse, as directors. Mr. Hallett
was continued as president until his death ; also Mr. Pike as cashier,
and was succeeded by Ai Brooks, jun., J. L. Adams and Frank H.
Adams. In 1884, the charter having expired, the bank closed up its
affairs. Its fixtures were sold to the new Augusta National Bank.
The Citizens' Bank was chartered January 26, 1833, with a capital
stock of $60,000. The first directors were: John Dole, John Potter,
Reuel Williams, H. W. Fuller, James L. Child, Greenlief White and
Allen Lambard. John Dole was elected president, and Asa Reding-
ton, cashier. The next president was Reuel Williams. In 1841 the
stock of the bank was sold to parties who proposed to operate it in
the West, but the same year the affairs of the bank were wound up
in the hands of receivers.
The State Bank was organized in Augusta June 7, 1854, with
George W. Stanley as president, and William R. Smith as cashier. It
continued to do business until 1864, when it surrendered its charter,
and closed up its affairs.
The First National Bank of Augusta was then organized. Though
having no connection with the State Bank, it was its successor. Its
capital stock was $100,000, subsequently increased to $250,000. Its
first directors were: George W. vStanley, Joseph H. Williams, Peter F.
Sanborn, John L. Cutler and Joseph A. Sanborn. George W. Stanley
was president, and William R. Smith, cashier. The presidents since
have been: Joseph H. Williams, James W. North, Daniel Cony and
O.scar Holway; and cashiers, Israel Boothby, John W. Fogler and
Charles S. Hichborn.
The Granite Bank was incorporated in April, 1836, with a capital
of $100,000. The first directors were: John Chandler, Edmund T.
442 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Bridge, George W. Stanley, Joseph Chandler, Alfred Redington,.
William A. Brooks and Eben Fuller. Mr. Bridge was chosen presi-
dent, and Silas Leonard, cashier. The succeeding presidents have
been: Joseph Chandler, William Woart, jun., and William A. Brooks.
The cashiers: Silas Leonard, 1836; George W. Allen, 1858, and Will-
iam T. Johnson,* 1860. This bank reorganized as the Granite Na-
tional Bank July 11, 1864, with the same capital. William A. Brooks,.
Darius Alden, Benjamin H. Cushman, William Caldwell and James
W. North were elected directors. The presidents have been: William
A. Brooks, Darius Alden, Benjamin H. Cushman, James W. Bradbury
and John W. Chase. Its cashiers have been: William T. Johnson,
who at his death was succeeded by his son, Treby Johnson, October
11, 1881.
The Augusta National Bank was organized November 3, 1884,
with a capital stock of $100,000. Its first board of directors were:
Samuel Titcomb, Elias Milliken, Martin V. B. Chase, Edward C. Allen,
Benjamin F. Parrott, John F. Hill and Samuel B. Glazier. Samuel
Titcomb was chosen president, and at his death was succeeded by
Elias Milliken. Its cashiers have been: Samuel B. Glazier, William
B. Nickles and John R. Gould.
The Augusta Savings Bank, organized in August, 1848, is one of
the largest institiitions for savings in the state. The bank has depos-
itors in forty-three states— the total deposits being $5,626,005.14. It.'i
presidents have been: William A. Brooks, Thomas Lambard and
William S. Badger; and its treasurers, Benjamin A. G. Fuller, Joseph
J. Eveleth, Tobias T. Snow, William R. Smith and Edwin C.
Dudley.
The Kennebec Savings Bank was incorporated March 7, 1870, and
organized March 19th. It was always kept in the rooms of the Free-
man's Bank and Freeman's National Bank, until the latter wound up
its affairs, since which it has had its office with the Augusta National
Bank. Its presidents have been Watson F. Hallett until his death,
Russell Eaton and Martin V. B. Chase. Its treasurers, Joseph L.
Adams, Frank H. Adams, Samuel B. Glazier, Russell Eaton, William
B. Nickles and William G. Boothby.
The Augusta Loan & Building Association was organized June 27,
1887, with a capital stock of $10,000. Edward C. Allen was elected
president, William H. Libby, secretary, and Treby Johnson, treasurer.
The presidents since have been Samuel W. Lane and Thomas J.
^ * William Treby Johnson, son of William and grandson of Thomas Johnson,
of Farmington, married first, Martha Tappan Chase, and second, her sister,
Abby Baker Chase. By his first wife he had seven children, four of whom are
living. About 1830 he came to Augusta, and learned the printers' trade, and
worked in Portland and Bangor as a journeyman, returning to Augusta in 1840,
where, for sixteen years, he was a printer and editor (see page 344).
Lynch. The association has an accumulated capital of $150,179.34,
and holds mortgages on real estate amounting to $149,800.
Other Business Enterprises.— Peleg O. Vickery, after a career
chiefly at Augusta as a practical printer, established in October, 1874,
an office in Waverly Hall building, and commenced the publication
of Vickery' s Fireside Visitor. This met with great public favor and in
March, 1876, he commenced the publication of the Ilhistrated Family
Monthly, which was discontinued in 1885. Happy Hours was begun in
1881, and has a large circulation. Hearth and Home was begun in the
autumn of 1883, under the title of Back-log Sketches, and is now pub-
lished as a sixteen page monthly. Good Stories was commenced in 1890.
In January, 1882, John F. Hill* who had married Mr. Vickery's
daughter, Lizzie G., became a partner in the business, and the firm
became Vickery & Hill, with Mr. Hill the business manager. In 1879
the establishment was removed to the large and convenient building
erected for the purpose, on the northwest corner of the old Mansion
House lot, and which has since been enlarged. About seventy-five
persons are regularly employed, and at busy times, the number is
largely increased. In 1889 the smaller printing presses were taken
out, and a Scott web perfecting press of great capacity substituted,
which does the printing for the entire establishment.
In 1888 William H. Gannett, then of the firm of Gannett & Morse,
began in Augusta, under the business name of The Gannett & Morse
Concern, the publication of Comfort, a literary monthly, the first num-
ber of which appeared in November of that year. It was then an
eight page folio. The first number— an edition of 13,000 copies— was
printed at the Kemiebcc Journal office. This arrangement for composi-
tion and press work was continued until May, 1890, when Mr. Gan-
nett, the sole proprietor, located his printing establishment on Willow
street where the whole work has since been done.
In 1889 the size of the publication was changed to sixteen page
folio, and the circulation has increased phenomenally (exceeding one
million copies each issue in less than three years from the start). The
brick building shown in the preceding plate was erected in 1891 to
meet the requirements of the business, which now furnishes employ-
ment for more than one hundred people. One of the many popular
features of Comfort is the department " Aunt Minerva and her Owls,"
*John Fremont Him (William, i Samuel,5 Isaac, ^ Samuel, 3 Joseph, a John.i of
Dover, N. H.) was born in Elliot, Me., 1855. His mother was Miriam, daughter
of Andrew and Sarah C. (Odiome) Leighton. John F. Hill read medicine, and
graduated at the Maine Medical School, Brunswick, with a course of study
at Long Island Hospital. Brooklyn, N. Y. After practicing his profession awhile
in Augusta he became, and is still, the junior member of the publishing firm of
Vickery & Hill, He was a member of the legislature in 1880, and in 1892 was
elected to the state senate.
444 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
edited by Annie Hayward Farnhara, formerly of Augusta, now resid-
ing in Lock Haven, Pa.
The publishing business which was established at Hallowell by
Ezekiel Goodale, as noticed in the following chapter, became in 1880
the property of Captain Charles E. Nash, who in the following year
removed the establishment to Augusta, and occupied temporarily the
Waverly Hall building. In June, 1883, he located permanently in the
block he had just erected for the purpose near the foot of Oak street.
Among the works bearing his imprint are the last twelve volumes
Maine Reports, the History of Methodism in Maine, several books of
poems and numerous pamphlets, religious, literary and occasional.
There is no better illustration of the law of evolution in trade,
than that furnished during the growth of Augusta in the great business
of clothing the people. After the period when the flax field, the sheep
flock, the home loom and the housewife's needle were the cardinal
elements in the problem, came the palmy days of the old-time tailor.
But that kind of tailoring has had its day; and within a period much
more recent than young men suppose, began the age of ready-made
clothing.
That period was important as furnishing an industrial pursuit,
for it was the custom of city wholesalers to cut the garments in large
quantities, ship their material to their agents in the river towns, and
they, in turn, hired family labor throughout the country to finish the
garments.
Among the early tailors of Augusta were: Benjamin Ross, John
Hill, from London; William Hunt, who afterward manufactured in
large quantities; Virgil H. Huse; William H. Chisam, from 1831 to
1860; John H. and Frank Chisam; Gilbert H. O'Reilley; James Gould;
James Dealey, and William Cobb. Sylvanus Caldwell, Deane Pray
and George Potter early began selling ready-made clothing in
Augusta.
William H. Chisam used to receive cut clothing from Boston, and
employed around Augusta at one time more than 700 women, making
these garments. This method of manufacture has been almost
entirely superseded by the factory with its hundreds of sewing
machines.
Samuel W. Huntington, a well known resident of Hallowell, em-
ployed fifty men in his shops there and nine teams on the road, to
carry on the manufacture of ready-made garments, which were fin-
ished in hundreds of homes in the surrounding country, and before
the great fire of 1865 had a clothing store in Augusta where H. H.
Hamlen's harness store now is. His brother, Benjamin Huntington,
was his partner, and in 1868 his son, Samuel L.,and Charles H. Nason
formed the firm of S. W. Huntington & Co., and did business near
the northwest corner of Bridge and Water streets, and opened branch
(M-..-^^ /I'
263].
jardiner. S. L. Huntington aiv. n,
s: Co., continued at Augusta as n.
r about seven years prior to 1880. They aad.
manufacturing of ready-made, and thus marked
.red another step in the development of the cloth-
.or partners, S. W. and Benjamin Huntington, re-
ihe business was removed to the large double store
, House. In 1880 S. L. Huntington withdrew from
Mr. Nason alone in the management of a large .store.
for putting into execution a long cherished ambi-
,;tly seized. Progressive ideas, with exact details of
irefuUy considered and matured, were at once put to
Special attention to the manufacturing department
onfidence of buyers, which always means an increase
t.his reason his extensive stock of garments is still, as
■* n make.
'expansion of trade compelled his removal, in 1890, to
iious quarters. These were found in the Allen Build-
->..) floors, with an area of 6,000 square f.^et. were fitted
his wants. The unchecked march of his business
he times from its commencement to the present has
•al fruitage of logical thought and ourageous persist-
V, it is a compliment and an honor to Augusta, as well
n, that by the concurrent opinion of constant travel-
:,i; clothier has the finest establishment of its kind in
^Irug .store was established in 1819 by Eben Fuller, and
• 1865, he and his son, Henry L., rebuilt it and con-
• ben Fullers death. Henry L. died a few years later,
I son-in-law of Eben Fuller, carried on the busi-
>taunch New England parentage, his ancestry on both
< being noted for strict integrity, energ>- and public
■rs was killed in the French and Indian war. and others
:.d the war of 1812. His father was Joseph F. Nason^
Jctober27, 1877, whose ancestor, Richard Nason. emi-
Mc. in 1647. His mother, Mary Thompson Welch, was bom
(1 died May 3, 1853. She was descended on the maternal side
- " -ho settled at York, Me., prior to 1707, .md wr.-sc sons,
hased, in 1739, the strip of land at '
Charles H. was born at Hallowell, :>■
.iL uic academy there, and at the Maine ^^ . -
^AU his business career in 1863, as a clerk in the
•. & Barton, Augusta, remaining with them until 1-
became a member of the firm of S. W. Huntin^i. ..
ison married Emma C. Huntington, of Hallowell. [fage
heir only child, Arthur Huntington Nason, was born February 3, 1877..
446 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ness until August 8, 1880, when he sold to Frank W. Kinsman. On
January 1, 1887, Frank R. Partridge,* the present druggist, purchased
the business.
At the southeast corner of Market Square Dr. E. S. Tappan (a
brother of Parson Tappan) and Dr. William S. Craig established, in
January, 1828, what was subsequently known as the Craig drug store.
Here J. E. Ladd, Mr. Cushing, William Black and Charles F. Potter
were successively in trade. In May, 1865, Charles K. Partridgef
bought an interest with Charles F. Potter, for whom he had been
clerk, and shortly before the fire of 1865 purchased Mr. Potter's share.
In the following spring C. K. Partridge located in Granite Hall Block,
where he was again burned out in December, 1890. His brother, Frank
R., was his partner during thirteen years, prior to January, 1887. In
1892, after the Granite Block was rebuilt, he relocated his business at
the same corner.
The City drug store was opened after the fire of 1865, by Frank
W. Kinsman, who was succeeded in 1875 by James E. Devine & Co.
In 1876, Nathaniel R. Howard became Mr. Devine's partner. Two
years later Mr. Howard succeeded the firm, and in the fall of 1880
sold the store to Horace E. Bowditch and O. C. Webster, a regi.stered
pharmacist, who had been his clerk.
Joseph P. Dillingham and Lewis H. Titcomb had an early drug
store where the E. C. Allen block now stands. They moved to cor-
ner of Bridge and Water streets, where Mr. Titcomb and John Dorr
continued in trade. Here Mr. Dorr and William Craig were in busi-
ness, and here Mr. Dorr's adopted son, George W., became a partner,
as J. & G. W. Dorr, druggists. In 1878, James E. Devine bought the
store of Lewis H. Titcomb, and two years later, admitted his former
clerk, John Coughlin, forming the present firm of Devine & Coughlin.
In 1876, Frank W. Kinsman opened the Centennial drug store, and
sold it in 1880 to his son, Fred G. George M. Allen bought this cor-
ner in June, 1883, and after a local fire in 1887 Fred G. Kinsman suc-
ceeded to the business as now.
As early as 1869 Alfred C. Dana had a drug store where C. B. Mur-
phy's business now is on Water street. Mr. Murphy was born in
Pittston in 1862. At the age of thirteen he came to Augusta, and for
a time was office boy with Doctors Brickett and Bolan. About 1882
he became a clerk in the drug store of F. G. Kinsman & Co., and in
1885 bought out the Dana stand of F. H. Gilman & Co.
*Mr. Partridge was the first registered pharmacist in the state to be licensed
after an e.xamination under the present law. Since March, 1889, he has been one
of the three state commissioners of pharmacy.
tCharles K. Partridge, born in Augusta, in 1836, is a son of Reuben Partridge,
who was once a merchant here, and grandson of Amos Partridge, formerly of
Sidney.
AUGUSTA. 447
In May, 1879, the late Charles H. Guppy, and F.W. Kinsman, jun.,
bought of Doctor Crooker, at the northwest corner of State and Win-
throp streets, a drug business, which he had begun two years prior.
In 1881 W. O. Alden, jun., became a partner, and in 1883 Mr. Kins-
man retired, and at Mr. Guppy's death in 1892, his nephew, L. J.
Crooker, jun., succeeded to his interest.
Arthur Tetrault came to Augusta in 1889 and established a new
■drug store at Water street — the first French druggist in the city.
James Devine was the pioneer in supplying Augusta with pure
water. He laid an aqueduct from springs on the hill south of the
city, and for some years supplied a few families. He did not have
much means, and finally the property fell into other hands. The
Augusta Water Company was organized in 1870, the leading spirit in
the movement being Warren Johnson. He built a dam below the
springs, put down aqueducts, and much increased the supply of
water. The directors were: Benjamin H. Cushman, Darius Alden,
Adam Lemont, Charles Milliken, Warren Johnson, Henry S. Osgood
and Alanson B. Farwell. Mr. Cushman was chosen president, and
Mr. Osgood, secretary.
In 1885 the charter was purchased by a new company, whose ob-
ject was to take a water supply from the river. Joseph R. Bodwell
was president of the new company, and Joseph H. Manley, clerk and
treasurer. Mr. Bodwell was succeeded by George P. Wescott, of
Portland. A large reservoir was built upon the hill west of the city,
into which water is pumped from the river above the dam. The com-
pany supplies the city, the insane hospital, and the Kennebec
Arsenal. In 1889 the company purchased the Devine water works,
and continued to supply spring water to the extent of the capacity
of the spring.
In 1847 Samuel Homan purchased a piece of land on the east side
of the river, near the arsenal, and put up a steam saw mill. This was
burned, and in 1862 Ira D. Sturgis bought the place of Henry Smith,
and greatly enlarged the business. Albert Daily, of Providence, R. I.,
was his partner, and subsequently a half interest was sold to A. & W.
Sprague. In 1866 the Kennebec Land & Lumber Company was
organized, purchased the mills and other property, and operated the
mills until October, 1875, when the mills and a large quantity of
their product were burned. Ira D. Sturgis* was president of the com-
*Ira D. Sturgis, born 181.5, died December, 1891, was a son of James, and
grandson of Edward Sturgis, who came from Barnstable, Mass , about 1780,
with his four sons— David, James, Jonathan and Heman — and bought a large
tract included in the 750 acres now comprising the Sturgis farm in Vassalboro.
On this farm are the graves of Indians who lived here and raised corn after Ed-
ward Sturgis came. The first frame house on this farm was burned November
5, 18.39, in which fire James Sturgis lost his life.
448 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
pany, and J. Manchester Haynes, his son-in-law, was treasurer until
1875, when Mr. Haynes was elected president. In 1876 a company
composed of Ira D. Sturgis, Thomas Lambard and Ira H. Randall,.
rebuilt the mills, and operated them until 1889, when the Augusta
Lumber Company was organized, with Ira D. Sturgis (since deceased)
president, Thomas Lambard, clerk and treasurer, and Ira H. Randall,
business manager.
In May, 1847, Orrin Williamson came from Worcester, Mass., with
machinery for a door, sash and blind factory, which he located on the
west end of the dam, where he and his brother, Elias W., operated
it for five or six years. In 1859 Orrin Williamson became a partner
with Josiah P. Wyman in the sash and blind business on Bond brook,
where Mr. Wyman and Lemuel Davenport began the business in
1856. In September, 1865, Mr. Williamson retired, and that business
was continued by Wyman & Son until 1884, when the son, Silas W.
Wyman, John C. Webber and William E. Gage succeeded to the busi-
ness for six years, when the firm became Webber & Gage. The
business gives employment to from thirty to forty people.
While Mr. Williamson was in the firm they were the largest con-
cern of the kind in the Kennebec valley, employing seventy-five men,
and having $60,000 worth of their product in transit to California at
one time. On March 19, 1870, Mr. Williamson succeeded Mark G.
Brooks in the hardware business in Union Block, and since 1872 his
large business in agricultural implements and farmers' supplies has
made the use of an additional store necessary.
O. S. Smiley, a son of the late Hugh Smiley, of Sidney, located on
the west end of the dam some thirty years ago, and in 187] removed
to the east side of the river, built a factory now producing 1,500,000
broom handles for export to Europe, and employs twelve to fifteen
workmen.
Benjamin F. Morse and Josiah P. Wyman once had a carriage
manufactory on Water street, where they made many of the stage
coaches of earlier days. In 1875 Hiram Clark bought the business and
plant, and in 1887, began to manufacture his patent drop axle and de-
livery wagons. In October, 1889, the factory was burned, and he
located on Willow street, where the Allen Lambert car shops had
been, and made his brother, Joseph E. Clark, his partner (firm of Hiram
Clark & Co.). and continues the manufacture of his drop axle wagons,
which they finish, in all parts of the work employing from fifteen to
twenty mechanics. Their father, Joseph, was a son of Thomas Clark,
of Pittston, whose parents were of Wiscasset.
Josiah W. Bangs and Algernon S. Bangs, as Bangs Brothers, located
in Augusta in 1880, on the west end of the dam, manufacturing doors,
sash and blinds. Three years later they moved to the east end of dam,
and made a specialty of window frames. They employ about fifty
AUGUSTA. 449
people and manufacture for Boston and New York wholesale trade.
Their new plant, built especially for the window frame business, was
completed in 1890, equipped with fifty-five horse power steam engine
and electric lights.
In June, 1888, Willis M. Savage, William T. Parks and Frederick
S. Lyman erected buildings on the east end of the dam, and com-
menced the manufacture of ground wood pulp, as the Augusta Pulp
Company. The Cushnoc Fiber Company was organized in 1889, for
the purpose of manufacturing pulp by the sulphite process, and in
February, 1891, the two companies were consolidated. The capital
stock is $100,000, and F. S. Lyman was the first secretary and general
manager. The manufacture of pulp by both processes has been
highly successful, and seventy men find constant employment in the
establishment. August 20, 1892, this company commenced the manu-
facture of manilla paper, the daily output being eight tons, soon to be
doubled. Of ground pulp, the daily output is seven tons, dry weight,
and of fiber sulphite, eight tons. Mr. Lyman is now president and
general manager, and Melvin S. Holway clerk and treasurer.
Localities.— Church Hill, a rural locality, northeast of the busi-
ness center of Augusta, is named for Samuel Church, from Connecti-
cut, who came to Maine about 1780, and to this vicinity in April, 1800.
His wife was Ruby, daughter of Esquire Benjamin Pettengill. Their
oldest child, Luther, was born in 1783, and died in 1826; their seventh
child, Anson, was born at Church Hill, in June, 1800. Pettengill's
Corner is the geographical monument to Benjamin Pettengill ; and
Bolton Hill preserves in a name the most that is remembered of the
first generation of the old family of Boltons.
Civil Lists. — From 1797 until the incorporation of Augusta city,
in 1850, the following named citizens of the town were selectmen.
The first year of each man's service is stated, and the total number of
years he served, if more than one: 1797, Elias Craig, 4; Seth Williams,
15; Beriah Ingraham, 12; 1798, Henry Sewall, 2; Brian Fletcher, The-
ophilus Hamlen; 1800, Benjamin Whitwell; 1802, William Robinson,
2; 1803, Joshua Gage, 7; Nathan Weston; 1805, John Eveleth; 1806,
Lewis Hamlen, 12; 1811, Pitt Dillingham, 6; 1812, Church Williams,
10; 1817, John Davis, Joseph Chandler, Williams Emmons, 2; 1818,
Daniel Stone, 3; 1821, Ephraimi Dutton, 2; 1823, John Potter, 7, Na-
thaniel Robinson, 9; 1828, Daniel Williams, 4, Cyrus Guild, 4; 1832,
George W. Morton, 2, William Thomas, 2; 1833, John A. Pettingill, 6;
1834, William Dewey, 2, Charles Hamlen, 2, Elisha Barrows, 2; 1836,
Watson F. Hallett, Charles Little; 1837, Rufus C. Vose, 2, Joseph W.
Patterson, 4; 1838, Loring Gushing, 9; 1839, Artemas Kimball; 1840,
Ezra L Wall; 1841, Thomas Little, 3, Ephraim Ballard, 9; 1846, Joseph
J. Eveleth; 1847, Robert A. Cony, 3; 1849, Ai Staples.
39
450 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
The successive Town Clerks of Augusta were: Henry Sewall,
elected in 1797; Samuel Coleman, 1801; Henry Sewall, 1806; Jonathan
Bond, 1815; Henry Sewall, 1818; Asaph R. Nichols, 1829; and Daniel
Pike, from 1832 until the incorporation of the city.
Town Treasurers: William Howard, elected in 1797; Samuel How-
ard, 1802; Peter T. Vose, 1803; James Child, 1811; William Dewey,
1824; John Potter, 1836; William K. Weston, 1838; Joseph J. Eveleth,
1839; John A. Pettingill, 1849.
City Officers.— The successive Mayors elected have been: 1850,
Alfred Redington; 1852, John A. Pettingill; 1854, Samuel Cony; 1855,
J. W. Patterson; 1856, Albert G. Dole; 1857, James W. North; 1861,
Sylvanus Caldwell; 1863,William T.Johnson; 1864, Sylvanus Caldwell;
1865, J. W. Patterson; 1866, Sylvanus Caldwell; 1867, J. W. Patterson;
1868, Daniel Williams; 1869, Samuel Titcomb; 1871, J. J. Eveleth;
1874, James W. North; 1875, Daniel A. Cony; 1876, Charles E.Nash;
1880, Peleg O. Vickery; 1883, A. W. Philbrook; 1884, Seth C. White-
house; 1885, George E. Weeks; 1886, George E. Macomber; 1889,
Samuel W. Lane; and since the spring election of 1891. John W.
Chase.*
Presidents of the Council : James W. North was chosen in 1850 ;
Samuel Titcomb, 1851; Edw. T. Ingraham, 1854 (James W. North after
October); Samuel Titcomb, 1855; Melville W. Fuller, 1856 (Ai Staples
after May); Samuel Titcomb, 1857; John H. Hartford, 1858; Edmund
G. Doe, 1860 ; John G. Phinney, 1861 ; Gardiner C. Vose, 1862 ; John
G. Phinney, 1864; James B. Hall, 1865; Joseph H. Manley, 1866; G. P.
Cochrane, 1867; Ai Staples, 1868; George E. Weeks, 1869; James
Bicknell, 1871; George S. Ballard, 1872; Charles E. Nash, 1873; George
S. Ballard, 1874; P. C. Dolliver, 1875; Samuel L. Boardman, 1877
Henry G. Staples, 1886 ; Treby Johnson, 1887 ; James A. Jones, 1888
Leslie A. Dyer, 1889 ; Charles H. Blaisdell, since 1890.
City Clerks : Daniel C. Stanwood, 1850 ; James A. Bicknell, 1855
Asaph R. Nichols, 1856; Edward Fenno, 1857; William Gaslin, jun.
1858; M. Cunningham, 1862 ; Charles E. Hay ward, 1866 ; William P,
Whitehouse, 1867 ; G. P. Cochrane, 1868 ; Joseph Noble, 1869 ; S. P.
Plummer, 1870; L. H. Titcomb, 1871; R. W. Black, 1873; Richard W
Black, 1876; Henry F. Blanchard, 1877 ; W. W. Morse, 1878; H. F
* John Wingate Chase is the son of Amos Chase, of Portland, a descendant
of Lord Towneley, of England, whose son, Aquilla Chase, settled in Ports-
mouth, N. H., where Rev. Stephen Chase, another descendant, afterward lived.
Rev. Benjamin Tappan, of Manchester, Mass., was also in this line of descent.
Mr. Chase came to Augusta in 184.3, and became a printer in The Age office, of
which he was the publisher in 1855-6. For the next twenty-five years he was a
stove and tinware dealer, and was also a coal and grain dealer ten years. From
1885 to 1890 he was steward and treasurer of the Maine Insane Asylum, and
mayor of Augusta in 1891-'3. Mr. Chase in 1858 married Mary A., daughter of
John Dorr, of Augusta. They have one child, Abbie W.
AUGUSTA. 451
Blanchard, 1879; Thomas J. Lynch, 1884; H. F. Blanchard, 1885; Frank
E. Southard, 1887; C. Lincoln Tanner, 1892.
City Treasurers : John A. Pettingill, 1850 ; Watson F. Hallett,
1852; Moses E. Hamlen, 1854; Watson F. Hallett, 1855; Alonzo Gau-
bert, 1856; Joseph W. Patterson, 1857; Thomas Little, 1862; John P.
Deering, 1868 ; Thomas Little, 1869 ; J. S. Turner, 1875 ; Samuel W.
Lane, 1876 ; Guy Turner, 1879 ; C. N. Hamlen, 1890.
The City Solicitors have been : James W. North, elected in 1850 ;
Sewall Lancaster, 1852 ; Samuel Titcomb, 1853 ; Sewall Lancaster,
1854; Samuel Titcomb, 1855; Benjamin A. G. Fuller, 1856; Samuel Tit-
comb, 1857; Joseph Baker, 1858 ; James W. North, 1861 ; Gardiner C.
Vo.se, 1863; Hilton W. True, 1865 ; S. C. Harley, 1866 ; Joseph Baker.
1867 ; J. W. Bradbury, jun., 1868; W. P. Whitehouse, 1869 ; W. Scott
Choate, 1874 ; W. P. Whitehouse, 1877 ; Eben F. Pillsbury, 1878 ; H.
M. Heath, 1879; W. S. Choate. 1880 ; E. S. Fogg, 1884 ; W. S. Choate,
1885; Anson M. Goddard, since 1887.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Edward Charles Allen,* publisher, was born in Readfield,
Me., on the 12th day of June, 1849. His father, James Madison
Allen, was a man of scholarly attainments ; his mother, a woman of
great intelligence, energy of purpose and saintly character. From his
parents he inherited his excellent qualities. His boyhood was
spent on the farm. Before he was a year old his home became,
by act of the legislature, a part of the town of Kennebec, and in
1854 the name was changed to Manchester; thus before he was five
years of age, and without leaving his native hearth, he had been a
resident of three towns. These early changes of his residence may
have foreshadowed tho.se changes in the publication of periodical
literature which he subsequently inaugurated and pushed with such
success that the city of Augusta, his adopted home, became one of the
leading publishing centers of the country, and the name of E. C.
Allen, familiar in every part of the United States and Canada; while
his publications went to regular subscribers in every country of the
world, where English-speaking people were to be found. He was
educated in the common schools and at Kents Hill Seminary.
He began his business career at the age of sixteen, as an advertiser
of books and novelties. In 1868 he went to Augusta and engaged in
the agency and canvassing business ; a believer in the judicious use
of printer's ink, he advertised liberally, and soon had a large number
of sub-agents in his employ. These he managed with consummate
skill and to the mutual profit of all concerned. He conceived the idea
of publishing an illustrated literary paper, and the then entirely novel
plan of offering a premium to subscribers. His first venture was The
*By Samuel W. Lane, Esq., of Augusta.
452 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
People s Literary Companion, a large eight-page monthly sheet, which
was first issued in 1869. In this paper he made his debut not only as
a publisher, but as a writer of fiction. The enormous circulation at-
tained by the paper and the popular favor with which his first novel,
Lillian Ainsley, was received, attest to his success in both fields. He
offered as a premium to subscribers, a fine steel engraving, and so
rapid was the increase of circulation that it became necessary to en-
grave several copies of the steel plate to supply the demand. The
printing office in Augusta, which had contracted to do his press work,
was shortly found inadequate to the task, and he opened a printing
house of his own in 1870, in a rented building. His business soon
outgrew these quarters, and. in 1872, he erected the best appointed
publishing house in Maine, and probably in New England, on the
corner of Water and Winthrop streets, where the business has since
been continued, enlarged and extended in 1880, by the erection of a
six-story building on the opposite corner of Winthrop and Water
streets, and extending through to Commercial street. This building
he thoroughly equipped with every facility for printing books and
periodicals. In 1872 he established in Augusta an electrotype
foundry, which for twenty years was the only one east of Boston. In
1871 he established a branch house for art publishing in Portland,,
which attained a world-wide reputation for fine art publications, es-
pecially in the line of steel engravings, and was the largest art pub-
lishing establishment in the world.
He was fond of travel, but his trips abroad, which were frequent,,
were on matters of business, rarely, if ever, for pleasure; and he
visited the storehouses of European art and literature to obtain the
best treasures for his subscribers. His judgment was excellent and
his selections always seemed to fill a popular demand. He was held
in high esteem, and regarded as a public benefactor. He gave em-
ployment to a large number of persons and was interested in man^
enterprises. To his publishing establishment the Augusta post office
owes its rank as a "first-class" post office, and the city of Augusta is
indebted for its beautiful granite post office building, to the fact that
his enormous transactions through the mails rendered it necessary.*
*He had sixteen large presses, manufactured for his business, in constant
use, and at times running night and day, driven by a 100-horse power Corliss
engine. He employed from 300 to 300 persons in his Augusta and Portland
houses, and his monthly pay roll amounted to from $6,000 to $9,000, averaging
for ten consecutive years $100,000 per year. His annual disbursements amounted
to $900,000. His bills for engravings to illustrate his monthly periodicals
amounted in one year to over $15,000. The popular favor which greeted his
periodicals was marvellous; one of them. Our Home and Fireside Magazine,
attained a circulation of 415,000 copies a month, to paid-in-advance subscribers,
within ten months from its first issue. The combined circulation of his papers
and magazines reached 1,300,000 copies a month. Fifty-five tons of white paper
AUGUSTA. 453
He was the wealthiest man of Augusta and paid the largest per-
sonal tax. He was the largest shareholder and a directer in the Ken-
nebec Steamboat Company, a director in the Augusta National Bank,
president and director of the Augusta Loan & Building Association
from its organization in 1887, a director in the Cushnoc Fiber Com'-
were required each month to print his periodicals, and seven tons of paper a day
were usedin his two houses. In 1886 he had paid S3, 000,000 for white paper, and up
to 1891, nearly §0,000,000. In 1886, the first direct mail to Tasmania was sent out,
and large quantities were sent to Chiiia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand
and the West Indies. He paid for postage on mail to foreign countries $300 per
month. His annual payments of postage were very large, amounting in one year to
over $144,000, and averaged $100,000 for ten years. He paid one three-hundredth
part of the entire postal receipts of the United States. The weight of paper he
sent through the mails in one year was over over 1,600 tons, which is the largest
amount sent out in one year by any publishing house in America, according to
the records of the post office department. His business was not confined to
steel engravings and periodical literature. He was a patron of art, and the works
of the best artists, he purchased and reproduced in engravings and lithographs.
At one time he had employed in his work every lithographic press in Boston, be-
sides others in New York, and he placed with the Riverside Press in 1888 the
largest lithographic order ever given by any one at one time. He was a large
publisher of standard books, of which may be mentioned the Revised Bible, the
Parallel Bible, containing the King James version and the revised version in paral-
lel columns. Several editions of this were published and quickly sold ; one edi-
tion of the Bible consumed twenty-one tons of white paper in printing. The
Universe was an admirable work of 761 pages and had a large sale. The History
of Christianity, Lives of the Presidents, and Daughters of America, were interest-
ing, attractive and successful books. The Life of James A. Garfield reached a
sale of 150,000 copies. He brought out The Life of Gen. Winfield S. Hancock,
and the Life of Gro^ier Cleveland, which were largely circulated as political
campaign books. The Life of James G. Blaine illustrates Mr. Allen's push and
energy. Within thirty days of Mr. Blaine's nomination for the presidency, this
book of 500 pages was placed in type, electrotyped, printed, bound, and placed
in the hands of his agents for sale, the first book of the kind before the public.
Of the life of Blaine 200,000copies were sold. He thoroughly believed in adver-
tising. Probably the largest single order ever placed with an advertising agent
he placed in 1871, amounting to $36,000. He has paid $100,000 in one year for
advertising, and his payments amounted to $75,000 a year on an average. He
employed 50,000 agents and canvassers for his books and periodicals. His daily
mail was very large; one day he received 13,000 letters. This was an exceptional
case; his ordinary daily mail contained from from 1,500 to 3,300 letters. His receipts
aggregated nearly a million dollars a year, and fractions of a dollar were largely
sent in postage stamps, the only fractional currency available for a large class
of people. He saw the need and the convenience to the public of fractional
currency, and he petitioned congress to authorize such an issue of treasury notes.
He advocated his views before a committee of Congress and in March, 1888, the
measure received the approval of the house of representatives by a vote of 167
to 67. The bill was not reached in the senate before the adjournment of con-
gress. He was an unyielding opponent of monopoly and refused to accept the
terms of the "Envelope Trust," and had his envelopes manufactured by hand
and imported from Germany after the organization of the "trust."
■454 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
pany, and for three years president of the Augusta Board of Trade,
declining further election, and was a commissioner on the enlarge-
ment of the Maine state house. He steadily declined political prefer-
ment, but was a delegate to the democratic national convention at St.
Louis in 1888. He was a most assiduous worker and personally
directed his immense business and was familiar with all its details,
even with those which of necessity were entrusted to others for execu-
tion. He died at the Parker House, Boston, Mass., July 28, 1891. His
death filled the whole community with genuine grief. On his twenty-
fourth trip across the Atlantic, returning from Europe where he had
been to escort his mother and sister, he contracted a cold on the
steamer before arriving in New York; it increased in severity and on
arrival in Boston developed into pneumonia, and without sufficient
time to notify his family or friends, terminated fatally. His remains
were laid at rest in Forest Grove Cemetery, August 9, 1891. His
funeral was attended by a concourse of people, such as has never
been accorded to the memory of any person in Kennebec county, or
in the state. The various social and busine.ss associations with which
he was connected adopted resolutions of respect to his memory, among
which the preamble to the resolutions of the Augusta Board of Trade,
presented by one who had known him personally, and had held inti-
mate business relations with him for many years, may be a fitting
close to this sketch, as follows:
" Standing in the shadow of a great public calamity, and in the
gloom of personal bereavement, the Board of Trade offers this ex-
pression of its deep feeling in the loss it has sustained in the death
of its first president, Mr. E. C. Allen. His loss must be felt: can only
be felt. Speech and language are but poverty. Memory is the golden
thread linking all his gifts and excellencies of mind and heart to-
gether. As an organizer of business, as an originator of methods, as
a manager of large interests, as a developer of hidden forces, as a
commander of capital and a leader of labor, he was without a peer.
For twenty years a successful employer of labor, while he enjoyed the
rewards of industry and secured to himself a considerable fortune,
he steadily increased and never reduced under any conditions the
wages of any employee. Original in his plans, they were laid with
the utmost care, and always rapidly and successfully executed. His
pride was his business and the city of Augusta. To Augusta, the
building, now occupied by this Board was the offering of his youth;
across the street uprears the teeming hive of industry, the fruit of his
riper years; opposite behold the beautiful granite post office made
possible by his genius; while on yonder hill the enlarged capitol
stands secured to the future of Augusta, largely through his untiring
efforts as president of the Board of Trade. While these are noble
monuments to his worth, the steady employment given to labor and
the numerous homes which have grown up under the influence of his
energy, testify to the beneficence of his work. The people mourn
him. ' How is the strong staff broken and the beautiful rod.' "
Algernon S. Bangs, born in 1837, and his brother, Josiah W. Bangs,
AUGUSTA. 455
born in 1830, compose the firm of Bangs Brothers. Their father, Josiah
D. Bangs, who came in 1827 from Springfield, Mass., and was clerk
for Major Pope, who was then building the arsenal in Augusta, mar-
ried Paulina A., daughter of John Brooks. This, the only family of
Bangs in Kennebec county, lived in Franklin county until 1849. J. D,
Bangs died in New York, where he was for eleven years connected
with the Trilnuic and other metropolitan papers.
Elisha Barrows once lived in Winthrop. His sons were: John,
Elisha, jun., Micah and Greenleaf. Elisha, jun., born there in 1802,
married Ann M. Clifford, of Sidney, in 1831, and died in Augusta in
1886. He had eight children, seven dying without issue. William E.
Barrows, the only survivor of the eight, was born in 1841, married in
1876 Annie E. Clark, a former teacher in the Augusta schools, and
has five children: William E., jun., Harris C, Eunice E., Annie A.
and Frank E.
Greenleaf Barrows, above mentioned, was born in Winthrop in
1810. He married Lydia R. Robinson, of Vassalboro. Their children
were: Benjamin F., William H., Greenleaf, David R., Martha C,
Emma L., and Ida B. The third son, Greenleaf, born in 1842, is a
farmer at Bolton Hill.
Chandler Beale, born in Sidney in 1816. came to Augusta in 1833,
and for some years following worked as a journeyman house painter
with his father, Japheth Beale. In the fall and winter of 1838 he as-
sisted an elder brother in teaching school at Provincetown, Mass. A
part of 1840-1 he worked at his trade in Charlestown, S. C. In 1865
he established himself in the paint and paper business in Water
street, though earlier he had had an interest in a paint business with
his father. The present firm of C. Beale & Co. was established in
1872. He married in 1843, Amanda A., daughter of the Hon. John
Read, of Strong, Me. Their only son is Herbert L., one son and two
daughters having died.
Major Thomas Beck, of Dover, N. H., came to Belgrade with his
wife, Hannah Linnell, of Madison, Me., and thence to Augusta.
Their sons were: Joseph, Captain Charles H. and Foxwill. Joseph
Beck married Mary A., daughter of James Putnam, of Hallowell (who
was lost at sea on the African coast in 1820), and has five sons living:
Joseph T., Frank P., William F., George H. and James W. Beck,
clothier, of Augusta, in the firm of Townsend & Beck.
Captain Charles H. Beck, a son of Major Thomas Beck, was born
in 1808, and died in June, 1885. He was captain of the Harriet Ann, a
river and coasting boat, about 1840, and commanded the steamer
T. F. Seeker from 1857 to 1862, when his company sold it to the gov-
ernment. He then built the Union, which he sold to the government
about 1864, when he retired. He was married in 1860, to Sarah Dag-
456 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
gett, who survives him. Her father, Captain John Daggett, was an
old whaleman of Martha's Vineyard.
James G. Blaine.* — -We have been requested to contribute to this
volume a sketch of a distinguished citizen of Kennebec. We claim
no special aptness for biographical writing. To give in a few pages
a correct view of a life so large, varied and eventful as that of James
G. Blaine, is beyond our power. We are asked to confine our pen to
a description of his private career, as it has been known to the citi-
zens of this county, among whom he has had his home for so many
years. To attempt to present his private and home life, leaving out
his public doings and experience, would be like trying to put on
paper the drama of Hamlet with Hamlet omitted. It were as impos-
sible as for one to cultivate in a luxuriant garden without stirring the
larger roots and the more prolific plants. For many years Mr.
Blaine's life has been so continuously public as to have had little
which could be called distinctively private. It has been open on all
sides to the world. True, partisan prejudice has often obscured, or
mystified, the real James G. Blaine, and another, largely fictitious,
for years stood before a numerous portion of the public. But
time has asserted its just prerogatives, and the man as he has been,
and grown to be, is now generally understood by his countrymen.
No classic statue in the city park is more open to observation, and
there is no longer reason to be in doubt as to the place he deserves to
occupy in popular, or critical, estimation. Yet, as far as possible, we
will observe the measure placed before us — to confine our sketch to
what his home neighbors know and think of him.
It is fitting to say that he was from a gifted and worthy ancestry.
His grandfather, Ephraim Blaine, held the position of commissionary
general of the revolutionary army, from 1778 to 1783, and during the
terrible winter at Valley Forge, Washington attributed the salvation
of the patriotic army from starvation largely to the earnest and sacri-
ficing efforts of Commissionary Blaine. The high estimation in which
Ephraim Blaine was held by Washington and his immediate military
associates, is well attested by private and ofticial papers still in the pos-
session of his descendants. When the Whiskey Insurrection convulsed
Western Pennsylvania in 1793, President Washington and his distin-
guished secretaries, Hamilton and Knox, on their way to repress the
revolt, halted for days at Middlesex, as the guests of Ephraim Blaine,
and there hearing of the dispersion of the insurgents, returned to
Philadelphia. At the close of the war this tried associate of the
Father of his Country settled at Carlisle, Cumberland valley, where
he died in 1804. His son, Ephraim Lyon Blaine, in 1818 settled in
West Brownsville, in the center of a large tract of land, which in
* By his townsman and former business partner, Hon. John L. Stevens,
United States Minister Resident, Honolulu, Hawaii.— April, 1892.
AUGUSTA. 457
more recent years has become highly valuable. A part of this terri-
tory became the property of his son, James G., by purchase, after he
had become a citizen of Kennebec, as early as 1858, his foresight and
business judgment leading him to believe that it would ultimately
prove to be of great value for its coal, which hope has been more
than realized. Ephraim Lyon Blaine is reputed to have been a great
favorite among his fellow citizens, and one of the most accomplished
and intelligent men in western Pennsylvania. He had great tact in
winning the attachment of all classes of society in which he moved.
His choice for life companion was Maria Gillespie, from a family of
prominence and standing, in Fayette county, western Pennsylvania.
Authentic repute asserts her to have been a person of marked intelli-
gence and spirit, of sincere piety, who possessed strong religious con-
victions, and in life and conversation proved herself a true Christian
woman, of strong character. Of Scotch-Irish ancestry, so intellectu-
ally and morally healthful and vigorous, James G. Blaine was born
Januar}' 31, 1830, in West Brownsville, in the county of Washington,
and thus it is obvious why Pennsylvanians insist that the man who
has so distinguished himself should justly be regarded as their son.
His father being in the receipt of means to give proper education
to the promising boy, James G. received from him his early les.sons,
which were supplemented by study under the direction of his mother
and the teacher of the village school. Some of his time preparatory
to his admission to college was passed at the house of his uncle,
Thomas Ewing, once a distinguished United States senator from
Ohio, and subsequently secretary of the United States treasury.
Probably it was at the home of the Ewings that young Blaine first
got the taste of politics. In 1843 he entered Washington College,
situate not distant from the town of his birth, from which he gradu-
ated in 1847. His four years of college studies were marked by an
earnest determination to make the best use of his opportunities for
culture, and he was a great favorite with his teachers and fellow-
students. His frank and genial presence, his manly bearing, his
spontaneous humor and ready conversation, could not fail to make
him popular with those with whom his college life brought him in
contact. He excelled as a student in mathematics, in the English
branches, and in the ancient classics. He was fond of argument, of
the tough problems of logic, and excelled in his mathematical recita-
tions. He showed the possession of a remarkable memory, especially
of controlling facts and principles. William Ralston Balch, a well-
informed Philadelphia writer, giving account of young Blaine's col-
lege days, says:
" Fond of literature for the delightful insight it gave him into
the companionship of great minds, and the deep vista of other worlds
than were visible from Brownsville, he readily devoured such books
40« HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
as the college library afforded, and the rooms of the various societies
contained. This was a matter of delight to the rapidly expanding
mind of the boy, and the highways and by-ways of Shakespeare, the
fine philosophy of Bacon, the rare pages of Ben Jonson, the lighter
fancies of Oliver Goldsmith, mingled their varied influences with
the greater histories and the more modest story of the young republic.
To the tale of 1770 and the early days of his country's career young
Blaine lent more than a willing ear, and was never tired of the story
of how large a part his grandfather had played in that sad yet glorious
drama. The taste for history, too, founded a solid taste in literature
that has ever since continued to such excellent advantage, and notably
makes brilliant the pages of Tiventy Years of Congress."
James G. Blaine left college with the view of becoming a teacher,
for on his own brain and hand he must now depend for success in
life. He went to Kentucky and became a professor in the Western
Institute, of Blue Lick Springs, which was then numerously attended
by the boys of that state. As an instructor his services at this school
were successful and highly appreciated. In thus honoring the teach-
er's profession he followed the example of Daniel Webster, who
taught at Salisbury Plains and at Fryeburg Academy. William H.
Seward had a like experience in Georgia, and Sarmiento, one of the
few patriotic and noble statesmen of South America, as well as the
lamented Garfield, were for years teachers of youth.
The testimony is ample that Mr. Blaine's years of service as in-
structor in Kentucky and Philadelphia were efficiently and thoroughly
performed. It was during his residence in Kentucky that transpired
what was to have a remarkable influence on the lines of his destiny.
The quer}' may have been sometimes raised, why did so gifted and
promising a young man turn his back on the encouraging opportuni-
ties of the South as well as the state of his birth, and come to Maine?
If the answer has the air of romance, it certainly is not exceptional
in the lives of men. It is said that " Love laughs at locksmiths."
Legend or history attests that two thousand years ago, it caused its
subject to swim the Hellespont. In modern days it scorns the bound-
aries of states and takes little account of climate and material sur-
roundings. It was while teacher Blaine was serving at Blue Lick
Springs that he first met Harriet Stanwood, who was then one of the
instructors at a young ladies' school, at Millersburgh, a few miles dis-
tant from Blue Lick. This young woman from Augusta, Me., was
one of those well educated persons of her sex, who, in those days,
were accustomed to go South and West as teachers. The meeting of
these two persons resulted in an acquaintance and marriage, in 1851,
and the intelligence and devotion of the wife thus chosen have been
a stimulating and supporting force to James G. Blaine in his long,
exciting and successful public career and private life. Considering
that the gifted son of Western Pennsylvania became the husband of
a Kennebec lady so eminently worthy of his choice, it would be super-
AUGUSTA. 459
fluous farther to explain why he came to Maine, instead of being
drawn West by the attractions of its mountains, prairies and mines.
The pro-slavery atmosphere and surroundings of Kentucky were not
congenial to him. Several years later, soon after becoming a jour-
nalist, he wrote:
" Our residence in the South gave us, we hope, the advantage of a
thorough comprehension of slavery in all its aspects and of the views
of the men who sustain it. The anti-slavery sentiments, which, from,
our earliest youth, we imbibed in our native Pennsylvania, were deep-
ened and strengthened by a residence among the slave-holders, and'
nowhere, either on slave soil or on free soil, have we expressed other
feelings than those of decided hostility to the extension of the with-
ering curse."
Turning northward with his young wife, early in 1851, he fol-
lowed a course of law study, in law offices of the neighborhood of his
birth, which he subsequently completed in Philadelphia, while for
two years he was engaged as one of the teachers in the in.stitution of
that city for the instruction of the blind, and where he left a fine
record for his ability and fidelity as an instructor. In that Pennsyl-
vania institution there is .said to be now preserved the first evidence
of Mr. Blaine's literary effort. It is a thick quarto manuscript, bound
and lettered, giving a historical view of the institution from the date
of its foundation to the time of the young teacher's departure. The
methodical character and completeness of this manuscript volume is
said to be very striking and indicates that mastery of details and
thoroughness of statement which have been so signally shown in his
subsequent career. The record is completed with the date of Sep-
tember, 1854, and in November of the same year he became a resident
of Augusta, Me., and one of the editors and owners of the Kennebec
Journal. It was an opportune time for a born journalist to assume his
responsibilities. The political atmosphere was charged with burning
issues. It is difficult for one of this generation adequately to conceive
the condition of things that then existed, how dominant the slave
power was then in the nation, and how hard it was for the majority
to resist it, and how restless and on fire were large numbers to bring
about a new order of affairs. It were impossible for one so intelligent,
so abounding in nervous force and ambition, to have been otherwise
than in sympathy with the new movement for human freedom. To
him inertia and laziness were and have ever been intolerable. There
were reasons inherent in temperament and tastes, as well as in his
range of reading, which led him to be a political editor, and to aid in,
the discussion of the issues that were rapidly taking shape in direc-
tions of tremendous importance.
It was in these circumstances that he connected himself with the
newspaper,which had been twenty years before established by Luther
Severance,whose able pen and honored name had made it well known.
460 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
in and outside of Maine. It was soon after the repeal of the Missouri
Compromise; there were dark and sinister clouds in the political sky
which many failed to see, and there were positive and negative poles
to the national machinery. It certainly was not in the character com-
posite of the young editor to be a negative, or to lull men to sleep
when strong electrical currents were in the air. Opposition to the ex-
tension of slavery, made intense by the recent passage through con-
gress of the Kansas and Nebraska Bill, were just then disrupting the
whig party, recasting more or less the democratic party, and rapidly
preparing the way for uniting all the earnest and determined op-
ponents of slavery in national organization. In Maine the question
of prohibition supplemented the slavery issue in driving a consider-
able proportion of the democratic to the republican ranks, while
causes arising from the same issues carried several thousand whigs to
democratic fellowship. It was thus at a crucial and formative period
in Maine politics that the new editorship of the Kennebec Journal cume
into play as a strong force. The young editor was clear, vigorous and
incisive in his style of writing, and his blows always told. It was
said of an eloquent American divine and a brilliant writer, that he was
accustomed to begin reading a book in the middle and then glance rap-
idly both ways to catch the chief thoughts of the author. Mr. Blaine,
even then, could go through the center of a pile of newspaper ex-
changes and absorb all they contained of real value quicker than any
other editor we ever knew. He has always had a remarkable control
of his resources. His trenchant pen, his bold utterances, the thorough
and able manner with which he discussed pending political questions,
soon made him known to the public, and his personal magnetism, his
frank and open bearing toward those with whom he was brought
into acquaintance and association, rapidly made him friends and sup-
porters.
It was at the beginning of 1855 that the writer of this first saw Mr.
Blaine, at an appointed personal interview. His appearance then is
fresh to our memory as of yesterday. His large, lustrous, expressive
eyes, his striking physiognomy, and his vivacious and nervous man-
ner of expression were a sure index of marked ability and of those
qualities which give one popularity and influence with the people, and
make him a favorite among his associates. In a few hours after that
first meeting we were partners in the ownership and editorial direc-
tion of the newspaper with which he had connected himself two
months before. The legislature was in session. Anson P. Morrill
had just been chosen governor and a new era opened in the political
history of the state. It was a fine opportunity for the talented young
editor, recently from another state, to become acquainted with the
citizens of the county and the state, and well did he improve it. The
ready and rapid manner with which he drew to himself friends and
AUGUSTA. 46r
made his influence felt, shiowed him then a born leader of men. It
was early in the summer of 1856, when he made his first effort at
speech-making in Maine. It was not known that he had gifts in that
direction, and in that regard he then had much modesty and hesita-
tion. But he ventured to go to Litchfield and be one of the speakers
at a town assemblage, chiefly farmers, citizens well informed as to
que.stions then uppermost in the public mind. The history and the
objects of the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, and the outrages
on the free state men of Kansas, were the themes of discussion. The
writer rode with the young editor to the Litchfield meeting, and
heard Mr. Blaine's first political speech in Maine. It greatly pleased
the audience; it captivated the intelligent Kennebec farmers; it was
more than a success. That was the beginning of his high reputation
as a public speaker in Maine, which he has held for so many years.
His editorial labors were given to the Kennebec Journal until the
summer of 1857, when he sold his interests in the paper, and became
the editor of the Portland Advertiser, which for years had been ably
conducted by Henry Carter, though Mr. Blaine continued his resi-
dence in Kennebec. Elected representative from Augusta, he entered
the legislature of 1859. Very soon he showed forensic powers and'
skill in debate which soon gave him leadership in that body, which
had among its members those of legislative experience and ability.
In 1860 he was chosen speaker of the house, by the unanimous voice
of his party, and likewise in 1861. As a debater, a legislator, and as
the presiding officer, he was brilliantly successful, proving himself to
possess those remarkable qualities which, on another and a higher
arena of responsibility, were to be developed into a national reputa-
tion, which, in commanding proportions, he has held so many years,
giving him a popular leadership and a political influence at the present
time without an equal among living Americans. In 1862 he was
unanimously nominated in the republican convention, at Waterville,.
for congress, and was elected by a large majority. Anson P. Morrill,
his predecessor, the large-brained, generous and noble hearted man
he was, preferred not to be reelected, as he wished to give exclusive
attention to important private business, and he also highly appreciated
the brilliant talents and growing reputation of Mr. Blaine thus early
in his great career.
It is not for us to speak here of the remarkable success of Mr.
Blaine during his twenty years of congressional life, in house and
senate, nor of the commanding position he has held as secretary of
state, with the lamented Garfield and in the present administration of
President Harrison. His policy, acts and state papers are before the
world and speak for themselves. Busy as he has been for many years
at Washington, he still cherishes a lively interest in the people of
Kennebec. As to the strong attachment which has so long existed
462 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
between Mr. Blaine and the people of this county, it seems unneces-
sary to speak to those who know him so well and esteem him so
warmly. We are sure he has never regretted that he sought Augusta
for his home. Kennebec has ever been, and still continues to be,
proud of her adopted son. He has always been impressed by the
general intelligence of the people of Kennebec, and often spoken of
it to others. He likes to converse on equal social terms withjthe Ken-
nebec farmers. A thorough American himself, caring nothing for the
society of dudes, democratic in his sympathies and tastes, he readily
makes himself at home with the plain, sensible farmers and mechanics,
as the indefatigable worker and the lover of labor always does. Ken-
nebec has had in her history many distinguished citizens — Peleg
Sprague, George Evans, Reuel Williams, Luther Severance, James W.
Bradbury, Anson P. Morrill, Lot M. Morrill, and a score of others.
But in this honored list of public men there has been none who had
such enduring hold of the people and been regarded with so much
pride and esteem as James G. Blaine. His success and renown at
home and abroad they value as in part their own. He has always
been interested in whatever concerned the prosperity of the county.
He has favored the enterprises calculated to advance its business
interests and growth. His judgment in business affairs has been
highly regarded by his fellow citizens. His financial credit and fidel-
ity to engagements are proverbial. vSimple in his style of living, tem-
perate in his habits, he has not held himself apart from others, but has
favored whatever befits and gives profit, improvement and support
to his neighbors and townsmen.
For years, amid partisan animosities and rivalries, there were
made persistent efforts to discredit his talents, saying he was
■only an astute politician and had not the statesman's qualities. But
this contention was abandoned sometime since. A politician he cer-
tainly has been, as all successful statesmen, who deal with large bodies
of men and public affairs, must be. But his mind does not work in a
single groove. It is large, full-orbed, and well stocked with that which
gives him power in whatever arena he enters. Large experience with
men and books, sleepless industry in the acquisition of facts and their
meaning, in the field of practical knowledge and culture, have broad-
ened him and given him equipoise and strength to accomplish results.
His speeches, state papers, literary addresses, the Garfield eulog.y, his
writings in newspapers and reviews, show him possessed of those in-
tellectual gifts and tastes which have served to make him a distin-
guished statesman, and if fully put in exercise, would have made him
an eminent historian. His Twenty Years of Congress is an indication
of what he might have been in this regard. His astonishing memory
of facts, dates and men, as well as his ready understanding of govern-
ments, peoples and events, fit him clearly to state the laws and le.ssons
of history, for which his lucidity and precision of style seem so well
adapted.
The charge sometimes has been made, that Mr. Blaine gives
his confidence to men of doubtful reputation. The like charge
was made against Webster, Clay, Chase and Grant. It was often made
against so noble a man as Abraham Lincoln. Jefferson, Madison,
Jackson were not without errors of this kind. Even the most perfect
being in the human form that ever had to do with men on earth, had
among his near associates one who betrayed him for thirty pieces of
silver, and another who denied him with lying lips. Go across the
sea and you will hear of the like imputation against the leading states-
men of England, from Chatham to Salisbury. A good natured, kind
hearted knave knows how to make himself agreeable to men of genius,
pressed with grave cares and high responsibilities. Great minds and
generous hearts cannot always be on guard with sharp suspicions
against those who approach or serve them. It would be unreasonable
to expect that the subject of this sketch should be entirely exempt
from the mistakes from which other distinguished public men of this
and other times have not been free. He is far from being naturally
a suspicious or an unforgiving man. He is less resentful toward those
who have unju.stly treated him than the large majority of men. We
have been near him in some of the most trying hours of his life, when
cruel falsehoods were falling thick around him, like icy pebbles in a
storm of hail, and even when minie-balls, loaded with the poison of
malice, were whistling around, aimed by those who meant to strike
him down at whatever cost. When he barely failed of the presidential
nomination in 1876, he was not bitter in denunciation of those, who,
he had reason to believe, had opposed him by unfair methods. When
he lost his election in 1884, as by the weight of a single .straw, under
the peculiar circumstances which transpired in New York in the last
few days of the canvass, and when he was struck in the dark by those
whose support he had the right to expect, he respected himself and
his cause too much to use unseemly and bitter language regarding
those of his opponents who had used against him weapons not allow-
able in honorable political warfare. He made allowance for the excited
passions and the party prejudices of men. He made allowance for
the weakness of human nature, pressed by the temptation to win suc-
cess for their cause at whatever cost, and wrought to the highest ten-
sion by the hope of victory. In these sharp, tremendous trials, his
broad and generous character asserted itself, m a manner to reflect
honor on him as the man and the statesman his countrymen now
esteem him.
Mr. Blaine has passed through severe trials of bereavement and
sorrow. He has seen his trusted friend and associate in great affairs,
the lamented president, shot down at his side by an assassin. The
464 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
common fate of man was not to be reversed for him and those of his
blood. Death suddenly entered his home and flung its dark shadows
across its threshold. He has seen his cherished sons in the pride and
flush of hope and ambition, suddenly taken away by insidious
disease, and a beloved daughter smitten by death, leaving her young
children and beloved husband in their sadness and loss. His manly
form and physical strength have been assailed and weakened by sick
ness and pain. Yet, the force of his mental powers has not abated.
His large and receptive mind has been purified and refined in the
crucible of trial and suffering, and he is still able to touch the thoughts
and feelings of men by the aptness and electricity of his words, as
can no other public man in America. Passing through as stormy, pro-
longed, and eventful a career as Edmund Burke, he has the audacity
and fertility of genius and the remarkable enthusiasm of followers, of
which William E. Gladstone furnishes so splendid an example. Twice
refusing the presidency when it was clearly within his grasp, and it
was earnestly and persistently pressed to his acceptance, he still con-
tinues his duties as a great secretary of state, dealing with numerous
international questions of large importance, exhibiting a sagacity, a
ripeness of powers, a balance of judgment and decision, surprising to
many who formerly opposed him, and with a success more than equal
to his high reputation. When he shall have completed his great
labors at the national capital, it is hoped that he will spend the re-
mainder of his days at his old home in Maine. It is certain that here
he will be respected and beloved by the citizens of Augusta, of Ken-
nebec county, and of the entire state. Here, in the midst of his cher-
ished friends, and the supporting atmosphere of the books and studies
which he so fondly loves, may he pass his closing years, and have the
bright sunset of life befitting his fame, and radiant with the Christian
hope of immortality.
Charles H. Blaisdell was born in 1833, in Sidney, where his father,
David, lived, and where his grandfather, Elijah, a son of David Blais-
dell, settled with his five sons: John, Daniel, Elijah, jun., David and
Hosea, in 1817. Charles H. was ten years at Oakland in the scythe
and axe manufactory, and in 1878 purchased his present farm near
the state muster grounds. He was two years street commissioner;
four years in the city government, being president of the council in
1890 and 1891. He had one sister, Elma L., born 1838, died in child-
hood. His wife is Sarah E., daughter of Erastus O. Wheeler, an old
family of Waterville. Their only child is Cora A., who married Ed-
gar S. Turner, instructor in the science of accounts and business
practice at the Dirigo Business College, Augusta, and their only child
is Erldon M. Turner, born August 16, 1891. Mr. Blaisdell was the first
master of the Masonic Lodge at Oakland; first high priest of the
Chapter; and first M. E. H. P. of the Council.
AUGUSTA. 465
J. Albert Bolton, born in 1829, is the only son of William Bolton,
and a grandson of Savage Bolton, who was the first settler at Bolton
Hill, and built his original log house on what is now the front yard
of Greenleaf Barrow's. J. A. Bolton married Priscilla S. Merrill.
Their only daughter died in infancy; their only son, William A., a
young man of great promise, was graduated at Cony High School,
and Boston Commercial College, and died at the age of twenty-two.
John W. Boj'ington was born in Dresden in 1813, and died in
Augusta in 1887. His father, John, of Windsor, was a son of Peltiah
Boyington, of Mercer, Me., a revolutionary soldier. John W. was
married in 1838 to Militiah, daughter of Charles, and granddaughter
of Charles Glidden, of Jefferson, Me., and soon after settled near
Cooper's Mills, in Windsor. He removed to Augusta in 1852, where
he was a carpenter and farmer. His children are: Charles B., of Ban-
gor; J. Frederick, of Augusta; Alouzo S., of Corinna, Me.; and Ella F.
(Mrs. Clifton Buttrick), of Hudson, N. H.
Samuel S. Brooks was born in Augusta, Me., March 28, 1821, and
has been continuously in business on Water street for over half a
century. He was the youngest son of John Brooks, who came to the
Kennebec from Lincoln, Mass., and settled at Cushnoc (now Augusta)
in 1784. At the age of ten his father moved to Farmington, Franklin
county, and Samuel S. had the opportunity of some schooling at the
village academy, and a good deal of hard work. At the age of fifteen
he came to Augusta, and worked for six years in his brother's (W. A.
Brooks') grocery store, in which he became a partner at the age of
twenty-one.
After two years he succeeded his brother in business, and .soon after
commenced building vessels on the east side of the river, at the wharf
then known as General Cony wharf. The Oriole and barque Ocean Bird
were built and launched there, where now is only a sand bed. He
subsequently built, with Read & Page, of Hallowell, the ship Abbe
Lmigdon, of 1,060 tons measurement, being the largest vessel ever
launched this side of Richmond. This ship cost over $60,000, and
came within twenty-four hours' sail of London with a freight of some
$32,000, when she went ashore in the English channel, and was a total
loss. The vessel and freight were valued at $100,000, and were only
insured for some $10,000, to cover the cost of a two years' outfit. This
was a most serious loss to Mr. Brooks, and the great American con-
flict coming on, he discontinued building vessels.
He was at one time interested in the manufacturing of shovels at
the Kennebec dam, and also in the furniture business both at West
Gardiner and Augusta. Since 1855 he has been largely engaged in
the wholesale and retail hardware business, occupying the Darby
Block until he erected Central Block in 1878, where he now is.
30
466 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
S. S. Brooks was married in 1861, to Mary C, daughter of Thomas
Wadsworth, of Augusta. Albert W., who was educated at Amherst
College, the oldest of their five children, is now in the hardware busi-
ness with his father in Augusta; Samuel C, the second son, was a
graduate of Amherst College and of the Yale Theological School,
from whence he went to Colorado, where he died while doing mis-
sionary work, in 1889; the third son, Percy W., a graduate of Bowdoin
College, in the class of '90, is now a clerk in the banking house of N.
W. Harris & Co., Boston; Florence, the oldest daughter, is traveling
with a party in Egypt, from whence she is a frequent newspaper cor-
respondent; Daisy, the youngest, is a music pupil in Boston.
Mr. Brooks relates that in politics he was originally a democrat.
A short time before the war, his friend. Lot M. Morrill, at that time
also a zealous democrat, made a political speech in Waverly Hall,
Augusta, in the course of which he was hissed for words spoken
against American slavery. After the meeting he came to Mr. Brooks,
and said: " I will not belong to a party that will not tolerate free
speech on a great national question." Mr. Brooks heartily endorsed
his position, and from that day both became active republicans. He
has been active in all benevolent and religious enterprises, and has
never sought office or public position, devoting his time and his at-
tention to business, his church and his home.
Albert J. Burns, born in 1841, is the youngest of the six children
of Samuel G., and grandson of James Burns, who came before 1800
from Gilmanton, N. H., to Farmingdale, where he married Betsey,
daughter of Samuel Greeley. Albert J. married Lucy K. (deceased)
and Mara L.. daughters of Moses and Abigail (Wade) Morrill, and
granddaughters of Samuel and Martha (Knowles) Morrill, who came
from Readfield to Augusta about 1823. He has two children: Ernest
H. and Ray M. Burns.
Harvey Chisam, a son of Stephen and Lois (Webber) Chisam, for-
merly of Whitefield, was born in Alna, in 1809. His early life was
spent in the town of China. At fifteen he learned blacksmithing in
Vassalboro, where he remained until 1830. In 1838 he married
Mahala, daughter of Joshua Downs, of Vassalboro. He had charge of
the state blacksmith shops at Thomaston, five years. He went to
California in 1849, cleared ground, pitched his tent and began business
where the vSan Francisco custom house now stands. Returning to
Augusta in 1851, he bought a grocery store the next year, on Cony
street. After five years in St. Lawrence county, N. Y., in the lumber
business, he again went into business in Augusta, and in 1866 built
the substantial brick store, where ten years later, his two partners,
Daniel A. Cony and Benjamin C. Robinson (both now deceased), suc-
ceeded him. Mr. Chisam was member of the council two years, alder-
man three years, and overseer of the poor for several years.
y/4. 7?^rnM-
AUGUSTA. 467
Alden N. Clark was born in 18B8, at Bolton Hill, where his father,
Andrew Clark, settled. He married Rebecca S., daughter of Daniel
Churchill, of North Plympton, Mass., and has one daughter, Annie E.,
now the wife of James E. Libby. Mr. Clark's farm was cleared by
Walter Bolton, who built the original house on it.
Anson S. Clark, a son of William and Ann (Smith) Clark, was born
in 1835, on the homestead he now owns, and married Annie M. Simp-
son, of Brunswick, Me. Their children are: Nellie L., Blanche E.
(Mrs. Charles H. Smith), Alice S. and Stanley D. Mr. Clark had three
brothers in the civil war — Theodore, who died in Andersonville;
Henry, who was wounded at Charleston, S. C; and Roland S., who died
at Baton Rouge. The others of this family are: Isaac, the oldest
brother, and Delia A., the only sister.
Captain N. W. Cole, agent of the Edwards Manufacturing Com-
pany, was born at Newburyport, Mass., and in 1854 came to Augusta
as overseer of the Kennebec Company's cotton mill. When the
Spragues bought the property in 1867, Captain Cole was made super-
intendent, which relation continued until August, 1882, when the
Edwards Company purchased the mills and made him agent. His
title comes from his civil war service at the head of Company B. 11th
Maine.
The Cony Family.— The progenitor of this family was Deacon
Samuel Cony, who removed from Shutesbury, Mass., to Fort Western
in the spring of 1778.* He was known as " a remarkably mild man "
and a zealous Christian. At the time of his removal to Maine he and
his wife, Rebecca Guild, of Dedham, Mass., were advanced in years
and their children were grown up. He died April 12, 1803, aged
eighty-five, leaving two sons, Samuel and Daniel.
Samuel, the elder son, was an officer in one of the companies at the
military organization of the town of Hallowell under the revolution-
ary government. He was born May 8, 1746, and married, September,
1770, Susanna Johnson, a native of Bridgewater, Mass. He died Sep-
tember 22, 1779.
His brother, Daniel, was born August 3, 1752, studied medicine at
Marlboro, Mass., with Dr. Samuel Curtis, whose niece, Susanna Curtis,
of Sharon, Mass., he married November 14, 1776. At the time of the
battle of Lexington he was living in Shutesbury, Mass., and practicing
his profession there. Soon aftei-, however, he was sent as adjutant of
a regiment of infantry to join General Gates at Saratoga, and was at
the surrender of Burgoyne. Resigning his commission in the army
* In March, 1775, Deacon Samuel was chosen one of the selectmen of Shutes-
bury. His son. Lieutenant Samuel, was chosen town treasurer, and the other
son, Daniel, was chosen town clerk. The sons were reelected in 1776. — Shutes-
bur\ Town Records.
468 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
in 1778, he with his young wife joined his father at Fort Western.*
Here he enjoyed a long and honorable career of usefulne.ss. He
continued the practice of his profession and was on terms of intimacy
and in correspondence with the leading medical men of Massachusetts,
and was a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society. He early
entered public life and was in turn representative, senator and coun-
cillor in the Massachusetts general court. He was also one of the
electors who chose Washington for his second term. Previous to the
separation of Maine from Massachusetts he was judge of the court of
common pleas and judge of probate for Kennebec county. Later he
was a delegate from Augusta to the constitutional convention of the
new state at Portland, and under that constitution was appointed
judge of probate, which office he held till his resignation in 1823, at
the age of seventy-one.
Judge Cony was a man of vigorous intellect, sound judgment and
ready resource, and attained to an influence acquired by but few in
the county. He was deeply interested in education and was instru-
mental in obtaining charters for Hallowell Academy and Bowdoin
College. He also founded and endowed Cony Female Academy in
1815, which institution received his fostering care to the day of his
death, January 21, 1842, at the age of ninety. The academy was a
success from its inception and was incorporated February 10, 1818. In
February, 1826, the legislature granted the corporation a half town-
ship of land, which sold in 1832 for $6,000. A boarding house for
academy students was erected on the corner of Bangor and Myrtle
streets in 1827, and in 1844 Bethlehem church was purchased by the
trustees for $765 and altered into a commodious academy building,
which was used until 1880.
General Samuel, the third son of Lieutenant Cony, was born at
Shutesbury, November 24, 1775. He was a merchant, fir.st at Augusta
and afterward at Wiscasset. During the war of 1812 he returned to
Augusta, where he became captain of a military company. He was
made the first adjutant general of Maine in 1820 and held the office
for ten years. He married his cousin, Susan B., daughter of Judge
Daniel Cony, November 24, 1803, and died at Augusta November 8,
1835.
Governor Samuel, son of General Cony, was born at Augusta Feb-
ruary 27, 1811. His early education was pursued under the patronage
of his grandfather, Judge Cony; and the letters of this aged man to
his young kinsman — some of which are preserved — must have exer-
cised a permanent influence upon him. After two years at Waterville,
he entered the junior class at Brown University and received his
* Deacon Samuel bought lot 21, 'on the Winslow plan of 1761, and came with
his son, Daniel, in 1778. Lieutenant Samuel and his family had preceded them
as early as July, 1777, having bought lots 24 and 25, near Fort Western. — [Eds.
^
'/
^u-^~t^
1
tS^^-Sr^
el Williams and was
:-jn uc ftc. ;• )ldtown. He was a
1835, was chosen a :!i.rtnber of Governor
' in 1840 was appointed judge of probate
'iHce he held for seven \<'ars, until he
Maine in 1847. This o&vv he retained
as state treasurer, when he retiiT.t-d to Au-
iections he held this office for fivo vears, the
ing which time (in 1854) he was als<; ■" -vor of
.id been a democrat from his youtb u;
om his party ^nd in 1860 he support'
'•■ i ii2 the republicans sent hi'
■ inated and elected by tl
I L., ...c by reelection for the thn
iX'belii.'; >. as conspicuous foi '.■- levoti*'
: Union, a;i'! i o s last inaugural .v- ■ ■<, deli\'. • . r.i
■- enabled to ari'.i' nnce the fulfillment of purposi v r oh
ared at the beginning, to support tiie '• a jt
•1 be " floating in unchallenged supp;', t
. boundaries." This was the close of
hich he had won the confidence and ailt. . :, of .
:)y his practical business abilities enhancf ; ai air
' family " died October 5, 1870,
is iwici- lis first wife was M-
.,!:on, whc J7, and his second »
s, who survivfs iiui His eldest daughter, Suj
^eph H. Manley, of Augusta; his eldest son
ted as civil engineer, and now resides in B
•aniel A., was a merchant and banker unt
These three children were the children u'.
iree children by his second wife: Abby S.. who marrn^'d Frank
irgis and died in 1879; Lucy W., now living in Angusta, and
:^ric, who re.sides in Augusta.
ilumbus Cottle, born in New Portland in 1835, can-i to Augusta
fourteen, and for nine years worked for John .\;-nold, and i i
larried his daughter, Hannah C, after having * t- eu six years in
ia in a lumbering business. They have tw , ..hildren: Addic-
f M. Cottle, now a teacher. Mrs. Cottle wis a teacher sever..!
was book-keeper in the Washington mills at Lawrence,
'Me's father was vSamuel Cottle, a teamster, for thirty
igusta and New Portland.
n in 1803, was a son of Samuel Cross, whose fath> -
n Cross Hill, in Vassalboro, who took
■"arm to each of his sons. Samuel raisr
H.
.<.>,■•;;. of
was
;,. ••.-.■ vv.
i H.. 1
s ilic wife
<eph
r ,-^,. was
second
ilv 23,
i..
.fc. He
469a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
teen children, and others of the family left numerous children, but in
1891 the name was extinct in Vassalboro. John Crofs married Betsey
Cole, and in 1840 came to Augusta with his family. He bought the
farm and built the house where his son, J. Melvin Cross, of the Kenne-
bec Journal, now lives. He died in 1878. J. Melvin Cro.ss, born in
1832, married Susan M., daughter of James Dudley. Their children
are: Lillian M. (Mrs. William L. Thompson, of Augusta), and Burton
M. Mr, Cro.ss was engaged in lumbering on the river from 1847 to
1872. He was a member of the city council two years, and alderman
three years.
Sewell B. Cross, a son of the late William Cress, of Cross Hill, was
born in 1837. When eighteen years of age he came to Augusta to
learn the tin and sheet iron business. He remained but a few years
and then went to Biddeford where, in 1860, he went into the tin and
sheet iron busine.ss with a brother. In 1862 he enlisted in the 1st
Maine Cavalry, was discharged in 1865, and returned to Augusta,
where he established an iron and stove business. About 1886 he
opened a grocery store in Water street, and in 1887 removed the busi-
ness to his present store on Northern avenue. In 1861 he married
Sarah E., daughter of Rev. Harvey Mitchell, of Augusta. She died in
1869. His present wife was her sister, Abbie F. Mitchell. A son of
Mr. Cross, Hubert J., is a partner in the grocery business with him.
Henry A. Cummings, born in 1833, is one of the ten children of
Asa and Rebecca (Allen) Cummings, and grandson of Nathaniel Cum-
mings, who lived with his father. Samuel, on the Manchester road,
near the we.st line of Augusta. Mr. Cummings' farm was bought by
his father from Wilson Arnold, who had made a clearing here. Henry
A. served in the 5th Maine Battery, 3^ years from December 4, 1861.
In 1866 he married Helen, daughter of Albert Gray, of Benton. Their
children are: Lillian F., Perley L., George H., Harry L., Ida M., Cora
M., Asa A., Delia L. and Henry S.
Samuel G. Cummings, born in 1828, a son of Samuel, grandson of
Samuel, and great grandson of Samuel Cummings, who resided on
Winthrop street near the Manchester line, married Rosanna E. Leigh-
ton. Mr. Cummings' grandfather, Samuel, owned Coombs mill, and
sold it to Joseph Ladd, after operating it for several years. His
daughter, Eleanor Cummings, married William Stone, who was born
in 1787.
John O. Curtis was born in 1808 in Hanover, Mass., where his
father, Davis C, and his grandfather, Abner Curtis 1752-1838) lived.
He married, in 1833, Orrinda Dodge, of Liberty, Me., and settled there
where five of their seven children were born, before they removed to
Church Hill in 1848. Mrs. Curtis died in 1890, leaving .seven children:
Stillman, in Florida; Jason D., in Iowa; Elzena; Sidney, now deceased,
who was in the civil war; Wellman; Lucy A. (Mrs. H. Frank Bacon),
AUGUSTA. 469b
of Worcester; and Weston Curtis, now in California. Wellman and
his older sister remain at the Augusta home. He married Maria J.,
daughter of Elijah McFarland, and has one son— Arthur G. Curtis.
Patrick Donovan, a substantial farmer on the Bangor road, was
born in Limerick in 1833. In 1848 he and five other children came
with their mother to Boston. In 1857 he was married in Massachu-
setts, came to Augusta, and bought his present farm, which was set-
tled early by James Gilley, who is said to have lived to the age of 120.
Mr. Donovan's children are: John, in the United States service at
Sandy Hook; Emma, Katie and Charles.
George Frank Dudley, born in 1849, is the oldest son of George W.
Dudley. He built his present home in 1884, near where his mother's
father, Clark Smith, lived. His wife, Angle T., is a daughter of Al-
bert Farwell, of Vassalboro. They have one daughter, Maggie D.
Dudley.
Charles F. Fletcher, born at Church Hill in 1846, is a son of Omar,
grandson of Bryan and great-grandson of Brian and Anna (Young)
Fletcher. Bryan Fletcher married in 1781, Amy, daughter of Benja-
min Pettengill, and had eleven children. Charles F., in 1873, began
building in Augusta, and in 1889 formed a partnership with George
C. Robbins, of Sidney, to continue the business of contractors and
builders.
Ziba P. Fletcher, farmer and granite worker, was born in 1820 at
Belfast, Me. His father, Robert, son of David Fletcher, came to Au-
gusta, and lived on the river road. Ziba married in 1854, Caroline F.
Bolton, and they settled where her father, James, in 1835, built Mr.
Fletcher's present residence. She died, leaving two sons: Frank, who
died at twenty-four, and Charles E. Mr. Fletcher married her sister,
Hannah A., in 1860, and had six children: Fannie A., died at the age
of 5 years, 11 months; George E., died at the age of 23 years, 6
months; Mary C, Sarah G.. Lucy M. and Ned B., died at the age of 10
years, 4 months.
Major Prentiss M. Fogler, ex-register of deeds, son of John, and
grandson of Henry Fogler, both of Hope, Me., comes of Dutch ances-
try, who first settled in North Carolina. He enlisted as second lieu-
tenant, Company I, 20th Maine, and before the close of the war came
to Augusta in 1865, and had charge of troops here for four months.
He was promoted from captain to major in 1865, and from 1866 to
1870 was private .secretary to Governor Chamberlain.
Bartlett E. Folsom, son of Stephen Folsom, was born at Starks,
Me., November 12, 1855. February 1, 1878, after clerking for Percival
& Gould and others, he began his present grocery and provision busi-
ness at 49 Cony street. In 1885 he was in the city council, and when
elected alderman in 1886, was the youngest man who had ever repre-
469c HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
sented the Fifth Ward. He was reelected in '87, '88 and '89, being
three years chairman of the committee on accounts.
Daniel E. Foster, a young farmer of Church Hill, born in 1866, is
the only son of T. Danforth Foster, and grandson of Daniel Foster, an
early settler, whose original forest home is included in the present
buildings here. T. D. Foster married Ann Sims, who survives him.
Their only daughter, Carrie E., died at the age of fifteen. Daniel
Foster, great-grandfather of Daniel E., joined the army when his son
Daniel, was five years old, and is supposed to have been killed by the
Indians, as he was never afterward heard of. He married Philena,
daughter of Benjamin Pettengill. Their son, Daniel, was born July 5,
1799, and was married January 7, 1822, to Rebecca Eaton, of Bingham.
Daniel and Rebecca Foster were among the original seventeen mem-
bers of the first Baptist church in Augusta. The former died March
7, 1881, and the latter November 11, 1856. Their children were: Ira
H., born January 8, 1823, died August 23, 1888; T. Danforth, born
March 10, 1825, died December 21, 1871; Lucinda, born September 29,
1827, died same day; Daniel W.,born April 7, 1829; Lydia, born March
12, 1831, died March 20, 1882; George B., born June 14, 1834; John A.,
born November 8, 1839; Albert A., born April 20, 1845.
James E. Fuller, the grocer, succeeded in 1866, his father, John J.
Fuller, deceased, who was in trade on Water street in 1840. and who
had previously run a hotel in Augusta. Marshall Whithead sold
his grocery business in 1870 to James E. Fuller, who uniting it with
his own, added a wholesale department and carried on a prosperous
business until 1891, when with Elmer E. Folsom, formerly his clerk,
and Henry W. Bicknell, he continued wholesale and retail trade as
The James E. Fuller Company.
Benjamin Gardiner, a son of Alexander, and grandson of Chris-
topher Gardiner, was born in Vassalboro in 1831, and married a sister
of J. Albert Bolton. His mother was Mary, a daughter of Reuben
Pinkham, of Sidney. Alexander Gardiner removed with his father
from Nantucket to Vassalboro, about 1810. He lived there until 1845,
when he removed to Augusta, where he died in 1859. He began a
grocery business on Cony street five years before he left Vassalboro,
and was succeeded by his only son, Benjamin, who now carries on an
extensive feed and provision business on the same street.
John N. Gaslin, born in 1844, is the youngest son of William, and
grandson of John Gaslin, who lived and died in Vassalboro on the
farm given to his wife by her father, Mr. Webber. William Gaslin
went west while a young man, but returned to China, and in 1833
built the house and cleared the farm in Augusta, where John N. now
lives. He died here, aged over ninety years. His wife, Jerusha, lived
to be eighty-nine. They had two older sons — William, now Judge
Gaslin, of Alma, Neb.; and Lorenzo Dow Gaslin, who became a sea-
AUGUSTA. 469d
captain and died in Cuba. Mrs. John N. Gaslin was Etta J. Keen.
Their children are Rusha and William.
Alpheus D. Guild' (Cyrus', Cyrus', died 1856; Daniel', died in
Wrentham 1795; John', John', John Guile') was born in 1842. Cyrus
Guild'' came from Wrentham, Mass., before 1801, and settled the farm
where Roscoe E. Penney lives, and later, lived and died where Al-
pheus D. now resides. The latter spent several years in California and
Oregon, and in 1883 married Angle B., daughter of John Dolofif, of
Mt. Vernon.
George L. Guoir, born in 1831, is the only son of Antoine Guoir,
who came to Augusta in 1820, and married Sylvia E., daughter of
Joel Savage. Mr. Guoir's farm was purchased by his grandfather,
Joel Savage, from George Reed. Mrs. George L. Guoir is Maria A.,
daughter of John L. Button, son of John, and grandson of Jonas
Button, an early resident of Augusta. Their only child living is
George E. Guoir. They lost one boy.
Gideon Hallowell, farmer and butcher, was born in 1830 in China,
Me., where his father, Joel, a son of John Hallowell, resided. Gideon
came to Augusta in 1852, and now owns the 200 acres on Church
Hill, where James Savage early made a clearing, and built the first
house. His wife, Rachel, is a daughter of George W. Casewell, of
Windsor.
Isaiah A. Handy', born in 1836, is a son of Addison Handy", who
was born in China, Me., in 1811, and grandson of Richard Handy',
who lived near the China and Albion line before 1810. The Handy
family came from Bourne, Mass., where eight generations have pre-
served their genealogy. Joshua Handy', of Bourne, son of William*
(John', John', Richard Handy'), was probably the brother of Richard
Handy'. Isaiah A.' married Hannah T. Wall, daughter of Elbridge,
and granddaughter of Captain Bavid Wall (1773-1852), and has two
children: Arthur I. and Mary A.
William P. Hanks, born in Va.ssalboro in 1828, is a son of Jacob
Hanks, who removed from Massachusetts to Vermont, thence to the
provinces, and in 1815 to Vassalboro. He was in California, mining,
five j^ears, from 1856 — nearly four years under Table mountain. He
married Ann Maria, daughter of Thomas Whitten. Their children
were: Clara (Mrs. George W. McKenuey), George (deceased), Georgi-
anna (Mrs. C. Elmer Stewart), Elden W., William A. and Harry E.
Mr. Hanks bought in 1862 his present farm, formerly owned by Mr.
Ingraham. E. W. and William A. Hanks, as Hanks Brothers, began
their present grocery business in April, 1888, at Pettengill's Corner.
Erastus Haskell was born in 1815. at Winthrop, in the Winthrop
House, which his father. Captain Barney Haskell, built and occupied
as a residence. He learned his trade in Waterville, and was three
years in the shoe business at East Vassalboro, and Becember 1, 18.40,
470 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
came to Augusta, where he resided until his death in 1891. He was city
assessor three years, and served three years in each of the branches
of the city g-overnment. From 1847 to 1856 James A. Bicknell was
his partner. Mrs. Haskell was Mary C, daughter of Dea. Ebenezer
Bancroft Williams. Their children are: Henry H., Sarah S. (Mrs. C.
W. S. Cobb, of St. Louis) and Frank B. Haskell.
George D. Haskell, the grocer and provision dealer, a grandson of
William Haskell, and son of Alfred T. Haskell, one of seven brothers
who were m the civil war, was born in 1857. He was clerk for Plum-
ber & Haskell five years, and in 1877 was partner with L. T. Jones.
Two years later he began business on Cony street, where Plumber &
Haskell had been, and in May, 1882, he occupied one store which he
now owns, in the Eureka Block, leasing an adjoining store. His wife
is Lena M., daughter of John H. Church' (Luther', Samuel Church').
By right of ability, and of performance, J. Manchester Haynes, of
Augusta, has established a reputation that extends far beyond his
native state. He was born in Waterville, May 12, 1839, the son of
Josiah Milliken Haynes and Bathsheba, his wife. His father was a de-
scendant of Dea. Samuel Haynes. of Dover, N. H., who sailed from
Bristol, England, June 4, 1635, in the ship Angel Gabriel, of 240 tons,
built for Sir Walter Raleigh, which was wrecked at Pemaquid in the
great hurricane of that summer; and his maternal ancestor was Colonel
James Waugh, who held a commission in the war of 1812.
Mr. Haynes' early life was passed on his father's farm, and his
education was acquired at Waterville Academy and at Waterville Col-
lege, from which he was graduated in 1860. He then became the
principal of Lincoln Academy, at Newcastle, Me., which he left in
1863 to read law in New York city, where he was admitted to the bar
in 1865.
At this pivotal period of life, aided by the influence of natural ap-
titude and by special inducements, the attractions of a business career
drew him from the law, to which he has never returned. Sacrificing
by this change hopes and prospects of professional distinction, which
any man might covet, he has attained through other avenues of effort
a business and social position which justifies that step. He was soon
associated with the large operators who formed the Kennebec Land &
Lumber Company, of which he was treasurer from its organization in
1866 to 1875, and then became its president. The early operations of
this company in the ice business are stated on pages 179 and 447. He
was the senior member of the Haynes & DeWitt Ice Company, formed
in 1871 and incorporated in 1889 as a stock company, of which he was
made the president, and is now the chief owner. At Wiscasset he is
a ship builder and an extensive manufacturer of lumber. He is the
president and was the promoter of the Augusta, Hallowell & Gardiner
Electric railroad; is a director and was one of the builders of the Rock-
'■^Zu-c^^U^^^ ^^i^
O^/tA^
AUGUSTA. 471
land & Camden Electric railroad; is the owner and builder of the
Augusta Opera House; is a director of the Edwards Manufacturing
Company, whose large mills are located at Augusta; a director of the
Kennebec Steam Towage Company, and a trustee of the Lithgow
Library.
Thus by his marked ability and unquestioned integrity, Mr.
Haynes has won a position among the foremost business operators
and public men of Maine; and it is but logical to infer that still higher
honors await him. Bringing to the counting-room the tastes and cul-
ture of the lawyer and scholar, he has broadened his mental horizon
and cultivated his keen taste for literature and art by general reading
and European travel.
Mr. Haynes' political record is also one of activity and influence.
He was a member of the legislature of 1876, and in its debates on the
Usury Bill he attracted the favorable attention of capitalists and
political economists by his masterful handling of the questions of sup-
ply and demand. He was reelected in 1877, and was recognized on
all sides as one of the leading members of the house. The next year
he was elected to the state senate, where he took a similar influential
position, and in the debate on the famous contested election case he
made one of the most powerful and eloquent speeches in behalf of
constitutional suffrage ever heard in Maine's capitol.
In 1879 he was returned to the senate and chosen its president in
that critical period when the election had resulted in no choice of
governor by the people, and it seemed not improbable that the presi-
dent of the senate would be required to exercise the office of gover-
nor. Thoughtful men of all parties looked to the senate as the
conservative branch of the legislature for the orderly continuance of
the government under the constitution. Apprehensions were allayed
and confidence secured by the unequivocal and statesmanlike address
of Mr. Haynes on assuming the presidential chair. " This year," he
said, " the introduction of a new theory of public policy has .so far
further divided the people, that a new and unusual duty under the
constitution is imposed on this legislature. It is to be hoped that in
so far as this branch shares in this responsibility its action will be .so
prompt and decisive, its devotion to principle so unswerving, as to
afford at once a test of the strength of the constitution and our rever-
ence for it."
By his familiarity with parliamentary law, through previous legis-
lative experience, and by his elegant address and manly bearing, Mr.
Haynes made one of the most accomplished presiding officers the
senate had known for many years.
In 1882 he was again elected representative to the legislature from
Augusta, and was chosen speaker of that body, where he maintained
the high reputation he had already established in the senate, and in
the debate on the congressional apportionment, he took the floor and
472 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
made a strong- and eloquent speech in support of the bill as reported
by the committee.
He was a delegate to the national convention that nominated Blaine
and Logan in 1884, when he was made a member of the republican
national committee and was a member of the national executive com-
mittee from that time until 1892. As a citizen of Augusta, Mr. Haynes
has always been vigilant in promoting the interest of the people with
reference to all public enterprises and internal improvements; ready
and generous with money and service whenever properly required.
Mr. Haynes made Augusta his permanent residence in 1867, and
the same year married Sarah Elizabeth, daughter of Ira D. Sturgis, of
that city. The names of their four children are: Marion Douglass,
Sturgis (died when one year old), Hope and Muriel.
Fred. L. Hersey, son of Levi P., was born in Hebron, Me., in 1859.
In 1883 he bought the retail shoe business in Augusta which his
father had established in 1879. In 1889 father and son formed the ex-
isting partnership in that business. He is a member of the board of
trade of the city, was in city council in 1888-9, is a member of present
board of alderman, and has been a director of the Augusta Loan and
Building Association since it was chartered, June 16, 1887. Mrs. Her-
sey is Carrie M., daughter of Osgood Morse, of Auburn, Me.
Daniel Hewins, born August 11, 1800, in Augusta, was the young-
est of the six children of William and Matilda Hewins, who came to
this city (then Hallowell) prior to the year 1794, and in September of
that year, while serving as school committee, he received a proposi-
tion from Isaiah Wood, of Fort Western, to teach his school. Some
years after, William Hewins moved to Ohio, where he died.
Daniel's mother died when he was an infant, and he was taken to
live with a family named Matthews; but he was permitted before he
attained his majority to live with his uncle, Amasa Hewins. On May
7, 1826, he married Zeruah, daughter of David and Cynthia Wall, and
g-randdaughter of David and Hannah Wall, who were early settlers
on the farm now owned by Luther I. Wall, where Zeruah was born
November 28, 1800.
Daniel Hewins filled many important positions and places of trust
among his townsmen, especially in the settlement of entangled es-
tates. His business success occupied his time, and to hold office was
not his wish, although often urged. He was elected an alderman of
the city, and was appointed at all times upon the most important
committees. His integrity and ability were a guarantee of success in
every undertaking. His sympathy, politically, was with the demo-
cratic party; and of the Congregational church he was a strong sup-
porter. He was liberal in every good work in the church, in society
and at his home. He died December 23, 1888, at the home of his
.^Z^Z-^^-n^^-CC C^^TOt'f'-t^'^-ief
AUGUSTA. 473
granddaughter, Mrs. Haskell, in this city, and was buried in the
Hewins' Cemetery, on the river road.
Of the three sons and six daughters of Daniel and Zeruah Hewins,
none are now living. The oldest daughter, Avis Pauline, married
John H. Church, and left a daughter, Pauline, now Mrs. George D.
Haskell, and one son, John Church.
George E. Hewins, son of Daniel, was born at the homestead Octo-
ber 3, 1828, and died October 18, 1892. He married Adelaide V.,
daughter of Abel Pierce, and granddaughter of Asa Pierce, one of the
first settlers on Church Hill. The four children of George E. Hewins
are: Georgie E., Daniel A., Scott S. and Frank Hewins — all of whom
are receiving the advantages of the best schools of Augusta. Mr.
Hewins spent his life on his farm, adjoining the homestead farm of
his father. The landscape illustration shows this picturesque section
of rural Augusta at the intersection of the Church Hill and Bangor
roads.
No class of people in America have more cause to be thankful for
the blessing of good ancestry than the descendants of the world-re-
nowned Pilgrim stock that settled Barnstable county, Mass. Devoid
of pretension, sparing of words, their characteristic traits were ear-
nestness of conviction, simplicity of life and integrity of act. These
qualities are the making of the most enduring business reputations.
Of this original Cape Cod stock comes Oscar Holway, of Augusta. He
is the son of Seth Holway, of Fairfield, Me., where he was born in
1834. His grandfather, Gideon Holway, of Sandwich, Mass., came to
Fairfield about 1782.
Oscar Holway began trade in Augusta in 1857 as a grocer. In 1864
he commenced a wholesale flour and grain business, and in 1875 es-
tablished a branch house in Auburn, Me., since which time the firm
of Oscar Holway & Co. has done the largest business of its kind in
Maine.
Besides the care of his private affairs, he is president of the
First National Bank of Augusta, a trustee of the Kennebec Savings
Bank, a trustee of the Auburn Trust Company, a director of the Au-
gusta Water Company, of the Kennebec & Boston Steamboat Com-
pany, of the Old Town Woolen Company, and of the Waverly Woolen
Company, of Pittsfield. Me.
He married in 1859 Olive A. Fowler, of Fairfield, Me. Melvin S.
Holway, the elder of their two children, is now an attorney at law in
Augusta, is the treasurer of the Cushnoc Fiber Company, and a
director in the First National Bank. Charles O. Holway, the younger
son, is a resident of Auburn, and a member of the firm of Oscar Hol-
way & Co.
Joseph A. Homan, noticed at page 245, was born in 1816 at Marble-
head, Mass., and November 29, 1829, became an apprentice on a Boston
474 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
daily. In 1835, with two partners, he started the first penny newspaper
in Boston. In December, 1837, he came to Augusta as compositor on
the Kennebec Journal.
James Madison Humphrey, a farmer at Bolton Hill, son of James
B., grandson of Jesse, and great-grandson of Jesse Humphrey (1748-
1831), of Bristol, Me., was born in 1838. He married Lydia R., sister
of J. Albert Bolton and has two children: Fred M. and Mary E.
James B. Humphrey was born in Bristol, married Elizabeth T. Gay,
of Salem, Me., in 1836, and died in 1888.
William B. Hunt, born m Augusta in 1835, is a son of William and
Hannah (Hodges) Hunt, of Augu.sta. William came from Kings
Nympton, Surrey county, Eng., to Halifax, in 1820, and in 1821 to
Augusta, where he married a daughter of Ezra Hodges, a soldier in
the revolution, and was a tailor by trade, carrying on a business in
Augusta nearly forty years. William B. has made three trips west,
spending twelve years in California and vicinity, chiefly engaged in
mining. He did a boot and shoe business in Augusta about eighteen
years. He was alderman in 1885 and 1891. His wife was Clara A.
Perley, of Fairfield. Their children are: Charles G. and Grace M.
The oldest son, Leon W., died in 1891.
Daniel Knight, a son of Jonathan Knight, of Windham, Me., mar-
ried Sarah Hussey, of Windham, and about 1831 removed to Augusta,
where their son, Orrin J., was born in 1832, and where he and Tamsin
L., their other surviving child, now reside. Their farm, south of the
hospital, was early occupied by the McMaster family. Orrin J. Knight
was formerly engaged in Thomas Lang's ship-yard in Augusta.
Samuel W. Lane was born in Frankfort, Waldo county. Me.,
April 22, 1838, the youngest of the nine children of Urial and Susan
S. (Deane) Lane, who were descended from sterling colonial stock.
His father, an architect by profession, died when he was a small boy.
His mother was a woman whose devout piety ennobled and sweetened
a character of great force and energy. To her training and guidance
he has always attributed every attainment of his life. On the death of
hi,s father the family removed to Hampden, Me., where he was educated
in the common schools and at the Hampden Academy, working ou a
farm and at shoemaking to defray current e.\-penses. Studious and
fond of books, he began teaching school winters, at the age of seven-
teen. Choosing the profession of law, he was admitted to the bar in
Penobscot county, and began practice in Hampden, when deciding on
a collegiate course, he returned to the academy, and was nearly ready
for college when the events of 1861 roused his patriotism, and instead
of going to college, he went to war.
Enlisting as a private in the 1st Maine Cavalry, he spent the win-
ter of 1861-2 in a tent on the state capitol grounds in Augusta. This
proved a cold introduction to the city of his future home, for a disa-
11 if,.
AUGUSTA. 475
bility, followed by his discharge in March of 1862, was the result of
the exposure. With a few weeks of home life came a return of vigor,
and with it the old resolve to march under the flag of his country, and
again he enlisted, this time in the 11th Maine Infantry, in which he
was promoted by regular gradations from the ranks to a captaincy.
He served in Virginia, in North and South Carolina, in Florida, and
in the Department of the Gulf — nearly three years of constant duty —
never absent from his regiment, except when on detached service,
until sent home to be discharged. While at Pensacola he was stricken
with an attack of fever of so virulent a type that the medical director
hastened to send him home. The post surgeon at Augusta adjudged
him a physical wreck, and he was discharged from the service in No-
vember, 1864. But the resources of a hardy constitution again put
him on his feet. In the following February he was able to assist in
the provost marshal's office in Augusta, where he remained till that
office was abolished. The very next day he opened a law office in
Augusta, and was burned out in the great fire of the following Sep-
tember.
This was followed by the greater and far pleasanter event of his
marriage to L'Nora Florentine, daughter of Captain George W. Perry,
a retired sea captain, October 9, 186.5. About this time he began to
pay the penalty of a useful activity in municipal affairs. He was a
member of the school board, of the common council, for many years
auditor of accounts, and for three terms treasurer and collector, refus-
ing a fourth election. Following this, he served the city as alderman
three years, then two years as mayor, declining a third year. While
holding the mayoralty he recommended to the common council an
iron bridge over Kennebec river, in place of the wooden structure
then standing. The suggestion was adopted, and in less than one year
the present iron bridge was ready for the public. In 1868 and in 1869
Mr. Lane was assistant secretary of the state senate, and for the ten
years following he was principal of that office. In the fall of 1892 he
was elected to the next term of the state legislature— and the end is
not yet.
Captain Lane is a member of the Military Order of the Loyal
Legion of the United States. He took an active interest in the Grand
Army of the Republic, and was a charter member of the first Grand
Army Post in Augusta. He was subsequently chosen commander of
Seth Williams Post of the Grand Army, and while holding that posi-
tion organized Seth Williams Ladies' Relief Corps, and founded a
fund of several thousand dollars for the relief of poor and disabled
comrades, their families, widows and orphans. The Department
of Maine chose him as its representative to the national encampment
for several years, and in 1886 as its commander. The chorus of com-
mendation that followed this selection was perhaps most distinctly
476 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
voiced by General Selden Connor, at a supper given Thursday even-
ing, February 25, 1886, by the Ladies' Relief Corps of Augusta to the
comrades of Seth Williams Post, in whose behalf he presented the
new department commander with a rich Grand Army badge. A few
of his earne-st, eloquent periods were: " You are, I am sure, well aware
how loyally and zealously— with a whole heart and every energy— your
comrades urged you at the recent Annual Encampment at Skowhegan
for the high position you now hold. They were not moved to such
action solely by their desire for your personal advancement, but by
the worthier motive that they were thereby promoting the interests
of the Order, that they were olfering the Department a chief who
would bring tried ability and faithfulness to its service. The entire
unanimity with which our choice was ratified by the Encampment.
was an occurrence almost, if not quite, without a precedent in our his-
tory. As an outward and visible token of our congratulations and
thorough confidence that in the conduct of your office you will amply
justify the choice the Grand Army of Maine has made, Seth Williams
Post has procured this golden badge of our Order, and of your rank,
and begs you to accept it. It is because of your loyalty and true ser-
vice that we bring this gift for your acceptance. Long may you wear
it, and may it brighten with new honors in the coming years."
Mr. Lane has long been a zealous Mason, holding many official po-
sitions in the different bodies, being several times the chief officer in
the Lodge, Chapter, Council and Commandery. He has also filled
the presiding chairs in Asylum Lodge and Jephtha Encampment,
I. O. of O. F.
He was editor of Our Voting Folks Illustrated Paper, published by
E. C. Allen & Co., for three years from 1869, and in 1878 became
editor in chief of the various publications issued by that house; still
ret-aining that position with the E. C. Allen & Co. Publishing Corpora-
tion formed in 1892.
The number, the diversity, and the range of the many positions of
public service to which Mr. Lane has been called by his fellow-citizens
have been exceeded only by the fidelity with which he has filled them.
Albert T. Leavitt, born in 1826, is a son of Albert Leavitt, who
came from Auburn, Me., about 1825 and built the first house on the
George A. Prescott place. His father was Jacob Leavitt, of Auburn.
Albert T. married Lydia Ann Brown, who died, leaving ten children:
George A., Hannah M. (Mrs. Captain John H. Haley), Elmer, Inez H.
(Mrs. Thomas Field), Harvey, Augusta (Mrs. Shaw), William W., John
F., Abbie May (Mrs. Ziba Keene), and Llewellyn. Mr. Leavitt's farm
was first occupied by a Mr. Pond, on the Leavitt road, which was
opened before 1858.
Henry M. Leighton, born in 1824, married Martha Page, and re-
sides where her parents, Levi and Mary C. (Hamlen) Page lived; her
grandfather, Levi, was a son of Dea. James Page, who settled near here
and died m 1830. They have two children: Susie H. (Mrs. Roscoe E.
Penney), and Charles S. Leighton. Mr. Leighton's father, Ephraim,
was the son of Ephraim Leighton, who came up the Kennebec with his
father, Benjamin, when there were but three houses in Augusta, and
made their way, by blazed trees, to Mt. Vernon, where the family were
early settlers; thence Ephraim returned to Augusta about 1813.
Benjamin F. Libby was born in Whitefield in 1824. He went to
California in '49, but returned in 1852 and married, settling in Augusta.
He married first, Esther Ann Ware, and second, Olive A., sister of J.
Madison Humphrey. He was five years in the city council. Mr.
Libby's farm was settled by Zebulon Morse, but Edward B. Thorne
built the house about 1841. Mr. Libby's father, Benjamin, was in the
revolution and war of 1812. Mr. Libby's children are: James E.,
Everett W., Frank H., Lotta M., Winslow B. and Daisey — the latter
by second marriage.
William H. Libby, born in Woolwich, Me., in 1832, is a son of Cap-
tain William K. Libby, who followed the sea many years, and about
1842, with his family, came to Augusta. Here William H. attended the
common schools, and worked as a riverman. In 1860 he was elected
a councilman of the city, serving two years, and was appointed to the
police force. In 1861 he was elected city marshal, which position he
filled five years. In 1864 was appointed deputy U. S. marshal for the
district of Maine, holding the appointment till 1877, and since 1865
has been coroner. He was appointed deputy sheriff in 1867, and held
the position until elected sheriff in 1875. He has been three times
elected to this office. In 1883 he was again appointed deputy sheriff,
and has held that position since, excepting two years. From 1872
to 1877 he was alderman of his ward, holding that office five consecu-
tive years; and from 1881 to 1886 was on the board of assessors, serving
four years as chairman.
Thomas Little was born in Bremen, Me., in 1804. He came to
Augusta in 1821 as an apprentice to a joiner, and worked at that
trade until 1835. He was then in the grocery trade at the foot of
Cony street until 1862, when he sold to Chisam & Robinson. His
wife, deceased, was Elizabeth Prince Howard. Their children: Mar-
tha (Mrs. William A. Pidgin, of Lewiston), Thomas H. (deceased),
Elizabeth, Mary A. and Cordelia. His present wife, Elizabeth
Springer, had four children: James S., Rhoda E., Charles O. (de-
ceased) and Frank A. Little. Mr. Little was fourteen years city
treasurer and collector. He was the oldest member of the Congrega-
tional church at the time of his death in 1891.
H. P. Lowell, a son of J. H. Lowell, of Hallowell, was born in that
town in 1865. He was graduated from the Hallowell Classical Acad-
emy in 1883, and in the same year came to Augusta to learn the jew-
elry business, going into the store of Wheeler & Lord. Upon the
478 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
death of Mr. Wheeler in 1887, he purchased his interest, and the firm
became Lord & Lowell, as at present. In 1888 Mr. Lowell married
Bertha, daughter of Rev. Francis Grosvenor, of Kennebunkport, Me.
They have one child, Marguerite G.
Fred D. Lynn, a son of George, and grandson of Nathaniel Lynn,
of Windsor, was born in Windsor in 1843. He married Louisa Bow-
ler, of Waldo county, and has two daughters: Melva E. and Alma B.
He was a soldier with the 1st Maine Cavalry in 1864, and is now farm
superintendent of the Togus Home, which position he has held since
1869, excepting four years. Nathaniel Lynn lived on the North Bel-
fast road, about one-half mile west of Tyler's Corner, on a farm set-
tled by Isaiah Noyes, now known as the Seekings farm.
Joseph H. Manley. — In 1816 Amasa Manley, of Vermont, a son
of Jesse Manley, of Stoughton, Mass., was residing at Putney, Vt., and
was engaged in the jeweler's business, and there, on the 16th of June,
to him and his wife, Lydia French, was born their fifth child — James
Sullivan Manley. Three years later they removed to Maine, where
Amasa had embarked largely in land speculations, and settled at Nor-
ridgewock, where their six younger children were born. He subse-
quently removed to Augusta and bought a farm north of Ballard's
Corners, where he passed the remaining years of his life.
James S. was fitted for college, but his prospects of a college train-
ing and a professional career were sacrificed under the Juggernaut of
his father's unfortunate land speculations. When twenty-three years
old he married Caroline G. Sewall, of Augusta, who survives him.
She is the daughter of Charles and granddaughter of General Henry
Sewall, of revolutionary fame, a Puritan family identified in every
generation with the first interests of New England, and conspicuous
from its first settlement in the affairs of Augusta. Here James S.
Manley passed the active years of his useful life as editor and pub-
lisher, and here he died, December 9, 1861. His children were: Jo-
seph Homan, Abbie and James Sewall.
Joseph H. Manley, the eldest of the three, was born October 13,
1842, while his parents were living a short time at Bangor. When
eleven years old he was put at school for four years in Farmington,
Me., in the " Little Blue School " for boys. Ill health, which had
limited his earlier opportunities, now interrupted the plans for his
collegiate education, but when nineteen he began the study of law in
Boston, and in February, 1863, graduated from the Albany Law
School with the degree of bachelor of laws and was admitted to prac-
tice in that state. The same year, and before he was twenty-one
years old, he returned to Augusta and became the law partner of H.
W. True. In 1865 he was admitted to practice in the United States
district and circuit courts and was appointed a commissioner of the
AUGUSTA. 478a
U. S. district court of Maine. During that and the following year he
was in the Augusta city council, as president in 1866.
From 1869 to 1876 he was in government employ as agent of the
internal revenue department and spent the three following years in
Washington as agent of the Pennsylvania railroad in its relations
with the treasury department. In the spring of 1878 he purchased
his present half interest in the Maine Farmer, on which he worked as
general editor until first appointed by Garfield, in May, 1881, post-
master at Augusta, which position, under two administrations, he
filled for over seven years, until he resigned in August, 1892, to take
at Mr. Harrison's request a position on the republican national execu-
tive committee conducting his canvass for the presidency.
He was a delegate to the republican national conventions of 1880,
1888 and 1892, and for eight years has been chairman of the state
committee of Maine, of which he has been a member since 1881. That
year he was elected a trustee of the Augusta Savings Bank, and is also
a director in the Edwards Manufacturing Company, treasurer of the
Augusta Water Company and of the Augusta Electric Light and
Power Company, and largely identified with the city's progress. In
1887-8 and in 1889-90 Mr. Manley represented Augusta in the state
legislature, and as a factor in the political affairs of the state and of
the nation he is to-day more widely known than any other private
citizen of Maine, with the one illustrious exception of her statesman
son, whom Maine always delights to honor.
In 1866 Mr. Manley married Susan H., daughter of Governor Sam-
uel Cony, and they have four children: Sam.uel Cony Manley, Lucy
Cony Manley, Harriet Manley and Sydney Sewall Manley.
Will C. Miller, of Augusta, is the son of John A., the grand.son of
Charles, and the great-grandson of Joseph Miller, of Union, Me., whose
father was Jesse Miller, of Franklin, Mass. John A. Miller married
Sarah Marston, of Warren. Their children were: Will C. and Francis
F., now of Portland. By his second wife, Laura Rokes, he had one
child, Fessenden W., now of Union, Me. Will C. came to Augusta in
1883, and has been bookkeeper for O. Williamson since 1890. He
married in 1890, Annie G. Robbins, of Augusta. They have one child.
Ruby G.
Henry T. Morse, son of Zebulon Morse, was born in China, Me., in
1832. In 1841 the family removed to Augusta. Before he was of age
Henry went to work at ship carpentry, first upon the ship Sybil. At
twenty he went into the employ of the Somerset railway, helping in
building bridges and stations. Later he went into the Kennebec &
Portland shops at Augusta. He was then engaged in the trucking
business here for about nine years. In 1853 he became a member of
the Augusta fire department. He is now chief of this department and
has been some twenty-one different years, and he has been city mar-
479 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
shal since 1885. His wife was Jane E. Taber, of Augusta. Their
children are Charles H. and Lottie J.
James W. North.— Augusta never had a nobler citizen, nor one
more loyal to its every interest, or who will be longer remembered,
than James W. North. He was uninterruptedly identified with its
history for thirty-seven years. As stated at pages 403-4, he began in
early manhood the practice of law in his native town, where he had a
land inheritance from his parents, both of whom died when he was
two years old. He remained at Benton fourteen years, during which
time be built a dam across the Sebasticook for grist and saw mills.
He found the latter profitable in manufacturing lumber from his own
timber lands. But his ancestral ties finally drew him to Augusta,
where he also owned parcels of inherited land, that had originally be-
longed to his great-grandfather, Gershom Flagg, one of the Plymouth
proprietors. Among these were the site of the present North's Block
and Meonian Building, the Charles H. Blaisdell farm, and the site of
Hotel North. He owned the latter equally with Mrs. Caroline North,
a collateral heir, wife of Benjamin Davis.
Mr. North, when a boy, sustained an injury to one knee which
compelled the somewhat quiet and physically inactive life which
he led, and though not of a strong constitution, his temperate and
regular habits resulted in a comparatively long life.
The lumber used in the first North's Block and Meonian Building
was cut on Mr. North's Benton land, and after being sawed in his
Sebasticook mill, was rafted down the river to Augusta. Hotel North
was built in 1877, jointly by Mr. North and the representative of his
cousin Caroline, and it is still undivided estate. Mr. North's name,
like that of his grandfather, Joseph, occurs many times in the pages
of this book. He was a representative in the legislature when
Augusta was granted a city charter. He was a leading promoter of
the enterprise that first lighted the city with gas in 1853, and he was
the clerk and treasurer of the gas lighting companies from that year
until 1881, when his son, Dr. James W., succeeded him. He was at
one time the president of the First National, and a director of the
Granite National banks, of Augusta. He was ever prompt in encour-
aging and aiding all enterprises that appeared to be for the prosperity
of the city or the welfare of the community. He was an enthusiastic
advocate of a railway between Augusta and West Waterville (now
Oakland) when such a project was under consideration in 1877; and
bad bis sagacious advice been adopted Augusta would now be a rail-
road center, with Wiscasset and the great Canadian Pacific, as two of
the termini. Mr. North's religious affiliation was with the Episcopal
church, in which he was confirmed April 29, 1855, by Bishop Burgess.
Mrs. North, an estimable lady, died September 13, 1876.
The oldest son. Dr. James W. North, was graduated from Bowdoin
(^ylyPU^ ')^^Jh
crr-(n^
47a;<
186U. with Joseph W. Symonds, John Marshall Brown, W. W.
■'■ ' --'■'.. and Thomas B. Reed, as classmates. He then entered
! -dical School, from which he graduated in 1863. He be-
n Gardiner, and was immediately elected city physician.
:. 1864, he was commissioned assistant surgeon of the
■ ut of United States Colored Troops, and served under
' - -d Ord, on the James river. After the war he re-
rst for two years in Augusta, where he was city
md then at Jefferson, Me., where he remained
■, II i^ reiuiu u. Augusta in 1875, when he took the now well-knowu
rdheim Farm in Ward Seven. He was alderman from that ward
iH7-j and 1 ■ ' " from the farm in 1882, to the family
ision on ' his father built in 1848. He was con-
ifd in tbi in 1879, and is now the treasurer of
^^ ark's pansn; ne was lur several years a trustee and the treasurer
>f Catherine's S^;hool, and is at present a director of the First Na-
..--: Bank.
ile married. July 17, 1865, Virginie H. Freer, of Hertford, N. C.
,i,i,.cr ri-,,,. Miter, Martha Jewett (born September 15, 1866), mar-
1887, Dr. W. H. Harris, then of Belfast, who first
n Dixfield. brt moved to Augusta, in 1890, where
i a member of the superintcnd-
' Doctor North has two ■>! .cr
. , , . .,, ,.. , J, 1868, and Roger, now a student.
George F., the second son of Hon. James
vears the superintendent of the gas light
; pril 24, 1865, Ellen Robinson, and died .Sep-
! .neson, William, how of Peoria, 111. The
! 1863, aged twenty-one years. The fourth
lied Ella M. Damon, of Peabody, Mass. He
md stationery business as a member of the
p oc NuriQ, who published Nort/i's History of Augusta. Mr.
retired, and in 1884 Horace .sold the business to Seymour
,>,^uy.
nU* r 25
r North was a man of the utmost probity of character,
>nd punctual in his affairs, and painstaking and scrupulous
k that he undertook, whether it related to his own private
■ the public service of the city which he loved and which
nored by his life and historical labor. [See page 263.]
n, born in Mt. Vernon in 18'a5. is a son of Russell B.
uson of Peter Norton, whose parents were early resi-
iowell, and removed to Readlield, where Peter died, aged
Mr. Norton married Sarah T., daughter of William Rob-
and in 1870 came to Augusta, where
480 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
sively engaged in the hay business, shipping from 3,000 to 4,000 tons
per annum.
Nathaniel Noyes, son of Daniel, grandson of Moses, and great-
grandson of Jonathan Noyes, was born in Jefferson, Me., in 1822. In
1843 he went to Boston to work at carpentering. He went to Califor-
nia m '49. He built his present residence in Augusta in 1876, and has
since operated as carpenter, builder and contractor. His wife was
Louisa, daughter of Freeman Cooper, of Whitefield. Their children
are: Rockland K., Reuel J. and Eva A. (Mrs. Oscar Dunton).
Benjamin F. Parrott, son of Collins Parrott, was born in Gloucester,
Mass., in 1832, came to Augusta in 1847, and was for a time a clerk in
the grocery stores of Benjamin Rusk and John McArthur. Afterward
he was a clerk for Arnold A. Bittues in the corn and flour business.
From 1858 he was in partnership with Henry W. Bradbury in the
flour and grain business thirteen years, when Mr. Bradbury retired
from the business. Another partnership of thirteen years with John
W. Chase followed. In 1886 Mr. Parrott took his son, Arthur F., in
the business, and the firm's name became as now, B. F. Parrott & Co.
The firm, besides its storehouse in Water street, has the old Bridge
mill on Bond brook, where were ground 90,000 bushels of grain in
1891. In 1861 Mr. Parrott married Lizzie H., daughter of William
Hunt, of Augusta. She died in 1891. Mr. Parrott is a democrat, and
has been a member of the state committee of that party, and in 1888
was candidate for presidential elector.
Joseph Wood Patterson was born in Wiscasset July 2, 1809. He
removed to Augusta in 1824 with his father. Captain Samuel Patter-
son. He went to New York in 1830, but in 1831 went to Hallowell,
and was clerk in a grocery store. In the following year he began a
grocery business on Cony street, in Augusta. His wife was Mary
Jane Sawyer, of Hallowell. Of their numerous family, but four sur-
vive: George, Hannah S. (Mrs. Charles C. Peck), Joseph T. and Ed-
ward E., a publisher at Ozark, Mo. Mr. Patterson was selectman of
the town of Augusta, and three years mayor of that city, and in vari-
ous public and private trusts has lived a long and useful life.
William F. Peva, born in 1837, was a son of Ezekiel Peva, and
grandson of Ezekiel Peva, of Windsor. His first wife, Lydia, left one
son, Willis E. Peva. His second marriage was with Annie, daughter
of Miles Pratt, and granddaughter of Seth Jones Pratt, mentioned
below.
Alden W. Philbrook was born in Sidney in 1820, and in Septem-
ber, 1840, came to Augusta as clerk with Nason & Hamlen. In the
spring of 1846 he became their partner, and was in the firm until
1883, when with W. B. Leighton he formed the present dry goods firm
of Philbrook & Leighton.
Horace H. Pierce, born in 1843, is a son of Abel B. Pierce (a
AUGUSTA. 480a
stone cutter) and grandson of Asa Pierce, who died on Church Hill at
the age of eighty-four. His son, Newell, now lives on the same farm.
Horace H. is a farmer and live stock dealer. His first wife, Lydia,
died in 1889, leaving four children: George E., Viola A., Horace A.
and Lee E. In 1891 Mr. Pierce was married to Hattie L. Bean, of
North Jay, Me.
Jonathan B. Pinkham, farmer, is a son of Charles Pinkham, a sol-
dier of 1812, who subsequently came from Bremen, Me., to Augusta,
and married Hannah, daughter of Jonathan, and granddaughter of
Jonathan Ballard, the old surveyor who settled at Ballard's Corners in
Augusta, corner of River and Belgrade roads. Mr. Pinkham was born
in 1821, and married Lucretia C. Button, daughter of John, and
granddaughter of Jonas Button. Their children were named: Martha
M., at home; George B., in Idaho; Mary A., Charles N., William H.
and Clemmie A. Pinkham.
Henry M. Pishon, born in Sidney, Me., May 28, 1833, was educated
in the academies of Vassalboro and Waterville. He was acting en-
sign in the U. S. navy during the civil war from 1868 to 1865, chief
clerk in the Maine state secretary's office from 1869 to 1873, and again
from 1879 to 1880, and was clerk of construction during the building
of the post office and court house in Augusta, Me., and since January
21, 1891, has been chief clerk in the treasurer's office, Eastern Branch
National Home for B. V. S.
Charles Pratt, born in 1823, is a son of Seth Pratt, formerly of
Windsor, who died in Whitefield, and grandson of Seth Jones Pratt,
a revolutionary soldier, who came to Windsor about 1790 from Abing-
ton Mass., and married Hannah Hunt. In 1855 Charles Pratt married
Nancy J. Marson, of Windsor, and came to Augusta. Their children
are: Ida A. (Mrs. Robert A. Cony), Cora A. (Mrs. William M. Tomp-
kins), Flora M. (Mrs. Frank I. Clark) and Charles Edward, a farmer
and machinist.
George A. Prescott, born in 1856, is a son of George H. Prescott,
who as a lad came from Mas.sachusetts to Augusta, where he married
Edith A., daughter of Benjamin Fields. George A. married Clara M.,
a daughter of Isaiah M. Sherman, and until 1890 engaged in milk
farming on Hatch hill. Their children are: Edith Gertrude and Wal-
lace St. C. Prescott. Mr. Sherman's father, George Sherman, formerly
of Taunton, lived in China, Me., from 1800 to 1833, when he removed
to Church Hill.
Ira H. Randall, born in Stetson Me., in 1847, is a son of Br. George
L. Randall, of Vassalboro, whose father, Br. Isaac Randall, came from
Cape Cod, Mass., to Vassalboro. From 1859 to 1864 he carried the
mail at Riverside, Me., and then was at Comer's Commercial College
and as bookkeeper in Boston until 1866, when he came to Augusta as
clerk for Sturgis & Bailey and their successors until, with Ira B. Stur-
480b HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
gis and Thomas Lambard, as equal partners, they formed the Augusta
Lumber Company, of which Mr. Randall is manager. He served four
years as state representative and since 1890 has been president of the
Augusta board of trade. His wife, Adaline AI. Webber, a sister of
John Chandler Webber, of Augusta, died in 188S, leaving two children:
Grace B. and Charlotte A. The present Mrs. Randall is Evangeline
M., daughter of John O. Murray, of Windsor. They have children:
Faith, Katharine M. and an infant son.
William H. Reid, of the firm of Smith & Reid, bookbinders, was
born in St. John, N. B., in 1839. When a boy he learned bookbinding,
and has won an enviable reputation as an expert in that business. He
was married at St. John to Pamela C. Wood, of Worcester, Mass., and
upon his arrival in Augusta, in 1876, he took charge of the bookbind-
ery of Smith & Co. In 1880 he purchased a half interest in that firm,
becoming the active partner. He is a member of the board of asses-
sors, a director in Augusta Loan & Building Association, and has
been a member of the city council.
G. A. Robertson, principal of the Augusta Grammar School, was
born in Bethel, Me., in 1842, was educated at Gould's Academy, Bethel,
and began teaching in 1859. He was principal at Old Town, Searsport
and Andover, and in the spring of 1869 came to Augusta as superin-
tendent of schools. In the following autumn he proposed a uniform
course of study, to cover ten years, for the city schools. To secure
this result, he was elected on the school board in 1871 and served
until the schools were re-graded.
Nathaniel Robinson, born February 13, 1870, the only son of George
M. and Mary Louise (Knowlton) Robinson, and grandson of Captain
Nathaniel Robinson, married Hattie, daughter of Ivory L. Ricker, of
Waterville. Captain Nathaniel Robinson (1779-1870) was one of the
seventeen children of George Robinson, a revolutionary soldier, of
Attleboro (1726-1812), and came with his widowed mother, Zipporah
(Allen) Robinson, to Hallowell, where she died in 1825.
John Saben was born in 1802, in Brookfield, N. H., where his
father, Nathaniel, lived and died. When a lad he went to Nobleboro,
Me., and in 1822 came with his wife, Sally Moody, to the farm in
Augusta where his oldest son, Nathaniel, now lives. Nathaniel Saben,
born in 1821, married Cynthia, daughter of John Merrill, of Windsor,
and has nine children: Sarah E. (Mrs. Alexander Ray), John F.,
Charles F., Ira H., Emma E., Clara A. (Mrs. William H. Frost), Fred
L., Ernest E. and M. Linwood. Of these Charles F., born in 1852,
married Abbie M. Merrill, who died in 1880, leaving one son, C. Wal-
lace Saben.
Lewis Selbing was born in the city of Furth, Bavaria, in 1887, and
came to Augusta in 1859. In 1861 he enlisted in Company B., 3d
Maine. At the battle of Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863, he lost an arm,
•m^^
'pftJ^
AUGUSTA. 481
and was discharged in November following. In 1882 he became clerk
for Weeks & Blanchard, and in 1888 he began his present business as
claim attorney by authority of the pension department.
Bradbury C. Shaw, born in 1851, is a son of Joseph A. Shaw, and
grandson of Bradbury C. Shaw, a sailor from Massachusetts, who mar-
ried Mary, daughter of Savage Bolton, and lived at Bolton Hill. Mrs.
Bradbury C. Shaw is Augusta D., daughter of Albert T. Leavitt, and
has children: Gracie A., Wallace A., Alfred B. and Ralph. Mr. Shaw's
farm is where Benjamin Moore lived and died, on the Thomaston
road in Augusta.
Rev. E. H. W. Smith. — The ancestry of this citizen of Augusta
first appears in Kennebec county in 1804, when his grandparents,
Joshua and Abigail Smith, from Massachusetts, settled in Monmouth.
One of their five children, Eleazer, was born in Middleboro, Mass.,
in 1788, where John and Thomas Smith, from England, had lived, and
where Joshua (1755-1830), the son of one of them, was born. Eleazer
Smith became a substantial man in Monmouth, and married Hannah,
a daughter of Daniel and Sarah (Delano) Allen. Sarah's father, Seth
Delano, from Massachusetts, was an early settler in Readfield. Eleazer
and Hannah Smith had four sons and one daughter, the two survivors
being Eleazer Hartley Wood Smith, the subject of this article, and
his sister, Julia E., now Mrs. John H. Hartford. This son was born in
Monmouth February 3, 1812. He learned the trade of bookbinding
with Harlow Spaulding, of Augusta, before he reached his majority,
and became foreman in the shop. Later he entered into partnership
with George S. Carpenter, in the business of bookbinding and book
selling, and afterward was in the bookbinding business with his
brother-in-law, Mr. Hartford.
Mr. Smith is best known in his native county as a clergyman of
the Methodist Episcopal church. Methodism in Maine was less than
forty years old when, in 1832, he became a member of that denomina-
tion. He was soon made a cla.ss leader, and in 1836 was a licensed ex-
horter; in 1842 a local preacher, and m 1850 he was ordained a deacon;
in 1864 an elder. His principal field of labor has been Augusta and
vicinity. He is well known by his earnest work in camp meetings.
He was a lay delegate to the Maine conference in Bath in 1884.
Politically, Rev. Mr. Smith has been connected with the whig and
republican parties; at an early day was an earnest earnest worker in
the anti-slavery movement. He was at one time chaplain of the
Bethlehem Lodge of Masons, a member of the Chapter and Council,
and is now a Knight Templar. In 1848 he was a member of the Sab-
attis Lodge of Odd Fellows. He has also been connected with various
temperance societies, including the Franklin Division of the Sons of
Temperance.
482 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
His wife, deceased, was Sarah Holmes Haskell, of Livermore.
Their only son, Hartley Eugene Smith, married Sarah Louise Jones,
and has three children: Frank Eugene, born in May, 1860: Mary
Louise, born May, 1862; and Annie Winifred, born in August, 1874.
Their third child, Hartley, born in 1868, died in 1870.
In writing of Rev. Mr. Smith for a church publication. Rev. A. S.
Ladd says: " He has for many years been a local preacher, a promi-
nent business man, and a man of great intelligence." He now resides
in Augusta in the enjoyment of a serene old age, the earthly recom-
pense of a useful and temperate life, and with the material results of
business ability and integrity.
William H. Smith, born in 1820, began in May, 1875, his grocery
business at Pettingill's Corners. He was raised on a farm, and worked
on the river until 1870, and was then on the Augusta police force five
years. His wife was Mary J., daughter of Abel Babcock. Their chil-
dren are: Charles F., Lucy S., Henry C, Ella J. and William Arthur,
an electrical engineer. Mr. Smith's father, Clark Smith, was a son of
Roland Smith, a revolutionary soldier, who lived on the George W.
Dudley farm, and married the daughter of Mr. Clark, its former
owner.
William Robinson Smith, whose career as an editor and publisher
has been noticed at page 243, and with whose long identification with
the banks of this city the careful reader of the preceding pages is al-
ready familiar, was born at Wiscasset, Me., February 24, 1813. His
parents were Dudley and Mary (Robinson) Smith, of Sanbornton, N.
H., who early in the present century removed to Augusta. In his
ninth year he entered the office of John Dorr, publisher of the Lincoln
Intelligencer, and began to learn the art of printing. Though he has
always been a deep student of modern and ancient literature, his
best education was acquired in the printing office, for there he not
only became familiar with general literature, but with men of large
ideas, and practical business sense.
After selling Tlie Age, in Augusta, 1844, Mr. Smith was engaged in
commerce until 1850. That year he was appointed register of probate
for Kennebec county, holding the office until 1854, when the State
Bank was chartered and he was elected its cashier. In 1864 the affairs
of the bank were wound up, and he was chosen cashier of the newly
organized First National Bank, of Augusta. This post he held until
1868, when he voluntarily retired, bearing with him not only the
thanks of the directors, but a very substantial cash honorarium in
recognition of his valuable services. Previous to this event the
Augusta Savings Bank had been organized in 1848, Mr. Smith being
one of the incorporators, of whom he is the only survivor. In 1857 he
was elected treasurer of this bank, and, with the exception of about
C^:,
yu^—L ■/'-\
three years, held the position until August, 1891, when he resigned to
enjoy the surcease from labor he had so richly earned.*
In 1835 Mr. Smith was one of the prime movers in the organiza-
tion of the Village school district, was clerk in the district' until 1845,
and for many years was one of the directors. Since 1851 he has been
a trustee of the Cony Female Academy, and is now president of the
board. It is said that " every child in the city has a better opportunity
for education because Mr. Smith has lived in this community." He
was for many years treasurer of the Forest Grove Cemetery, and he
has filled a like office for the Lithgow Library and the Howard Be-
nevolent Union. On financial questions he has been an acknowledged
authority; and is the author of many of those wise provisions in the
Maine Statutes that carefully guard the great depositories of the
people's wealth.
Mr. Smith married, December 22, 1842, Sarah B. Cochrane, of Ban-
gor, and has had four children, one of whom, a son, died in infancy.
William Fred, born January 24, 1844, is cashier of the American Ex-
press Company, at Portland; George R., born November 11, 1845, is
an invalid; and Helen A. (Mrs. Josiah E. Daniell, of Boston), born
May 4, 1857, died August 24, 1887.
Robert Stackpole, son of Joseph and Anna (Fletcher) Stackpole,
was born in Saco in 1783, came with his parents to Augusta in 1785,
married Tabatha Babcock, and died in 1861. He built the house where
William B. Hunt now lives, on the river road. He had four sons: Jo-
seph B., Samuel B., George W. and Andrew J. His daughter, Almeda
E., is now the widow of David Cowan. George W. Stackpole married
Mary Jane M., daughter of Benjamin P. Blair, of Pittston, and died in
1889, leaving two sons: George B. and Eugene Stackpole.
Hon. John L. SxEVENS.t—One of the most distinguished citizens
of Kennebec county is John Leavett Stevens, LL.D., who was the son
of Captain John and Charlotte (Lyford) Stevens, of Mt. Vernon, where
he was born August 1, 1820. He was first a scholar and then a teacher
in the common schools; and after graduating at Kents Hill Seminary
he took a course of theological study— aided by Rev. Mr. Gunnison,
then of Hallowell — preparatory to entering the ministry. His first
* On the occasion of his seventy-fifth birthday, Mr. Smith was tendered a
reception at the Winthrop Street Universalist Vestry, more than 300 persons,
representing all religious denominations and many secular organizations, gather-
ing to do him honor, and congratulate him on the auspicious event. The senti-
ment of the public was fully voiced at this time in the eloquent address made by
Joseph A. Homan, who alluded feeUngly to Mr. Smith's intimate association with
the parish for fifty-five years, during which time he had consecrated his money,
labor and love to the cause. At this gathering among Mr. Smith's presents was
one from Asylum Lodge of Odd Fellows, of which he has been a prominent
member since 1843, and is now a past grand representative.
t By Capt. Charles E. Nash.
483 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
pastoral settlement was with the Universalist society of New Sharon
in 1845; from there he was called to Exeter, N. H., but after a year or
two resumed his labors in Maine, first at Norway and later at Bidde-
ford.
Mr. Stevens early enlisted in the anti-slavery cause, and after enter-
ing the ministry, blended his voice from the platform as well as from
the pulpit with those who strove to arouse the public conscience to the
iniquity of slaveholding. The great questions of slavery and prohibi-
tion which had begun to disintegrate the old parties in Maine de-
manded an abler press to expound the principles of the new party
which was forming; and Mr. Stevens, at the solicitation of his life-
long friend, the then Governor Anson P. Morrill, retired from the
pulpit to a wider field of moral usefulness with the pen editorial. He
moved to Augusta in the winter of 1855-6 to become editor and pub-
lisher of the Kouicbcc Journal jointly with James G. Blaine. He con-
tinued to be the chief editor of that paper until 1869.
Mr. Stevens was elected a representative to the legislatures of 1866
and 1867, and a state senator for the years 1868 and 1869. As a mem-
ber of the house in 1867, he introduced a resolve that led directly to
the establishing in 1874, under the patronage of the state, of the In-
dustrial School for Girls at Hallowell. To his philanthropic impulses,
influence and energy was due the inception and founding of that in-
stitution— of which he was one of the original trustees. In 1867 Mr.
Stevens became the leading spirit — ably seconded by the late Ira D.
Sturgis — in the enterprise of inducing the Sprague Manufacturing
Company to bring capital to Augusta to more completely develop and
utilize the power of the Kennebec dam. He conceived and advised
the policy of municipal aid and encouragement under which the
Sprague undertaking has grown into the present great plant of the
Edwards Company.
In 1869 Mr. Stevens was appointed by President Grant to be United
States Minister to Uraguay, whence he sailed with his family and re-
sided at Montevideo, the capital. He resigned that position in 1874,
and returning home, found pastime and rest largely in literary occu-
pation. In 1881 he was appointed by the president to again represent
the United States as its minister at a foreign court — this time to re-
side at Stockholm. He resigned and returned home after about three
years, having in the meantime made an extended tour of Europe. In
1889 he was appointed by President Harrison to be United States
minister resident at Honolulu, where his predecessor in the Kennebec
Journal — Luther Severance — had preceded him as commissioner by
appointment of President Taylor, in 1850.
Mr. Stevens' residence and travels in South America impressed
his fertile and observing mind with the benefits that would accrue to
the United States through enlarged commercial relations with the
AUGUSTA. 483a
states of the Southern continent: and the ideas which he brought home
to his countrymen were in due time formulated under the name of
reciprocity and adopted as the policy of the government, through the
powerful influence of his honored friend and former business partner,
Mr. Blaine, as secretary of state. A grand souvenir of Mr. Stevens'
residence at Stockholm is his careful, thoughtful, and graphically
written History of Gustavus Adolphus — the great Swedish king — a book
of 427 pages, and one of the best prose epics in the world of literature.
Mr. Stevens' residence at the Sandwich Islands is signalized by his
patriotic recommendation to the people of the United States to extend
the folds of their flag over those fair Pacific isles.
Mr. Stevens has been an influential member of many state and
several national conventions of his party, to which he has rendered
great service both as an editor and public speaker. He wields a vigor-
ous, versatile and industrious pen, and has written several exceedingly
valuable essays which have never been published, but have been read
in the lecture hall.
Mr. Stevens was married May 10,1845 (by his fellow-minister. Rev.
William A. Drew) to Mary Lowell, daughter of Captain Daniel and
Dorcas (Lowell) Smith, of Loudon Hill, in Hallowell. There were
born to them: John Howard, Elizabeth, Grace Louise and Nellie
Maria. The first two died in infancy, and were laid in the family lot
in the beautiful Hallowell cemetery. Mr. Stevens has been accom-
panied by his wife and daughters — Grace and Nellie— at each of the
distant legations where he has served. His travels and honors but
intensify his love for his Augusta home, where he fondly hopes to
spend the last years of his life, which has been eminently successful
and a benefaction to his fellow-men.
George E. Stickney, son of Abraham, and grandson of Benjamin
vStickney, was born in Augusta in 1844. October 31, 1861, be enlisted
with Company F, 11th Maine, and was discharged as non-commis-
sioned officer November 18, 1864. He married Delia R., daughter of
Eben Wellman, in 1870, and has three children: Harry H., Herbert
G. and Bertha J. His father was in Company E, 21st Maine.
William Stone, farmer and milkman, born 1822, married in 1847,
Abigail, daughter of Abner Coombs, a millwright, who came in 1832
from Lisbon, and bought of Joseph Ladd the mill now known as
Coombs' mill. Abner Coombs was a son of Joshua Coombs, of West
Bath, Me. Mr. Stone's father, William, born 1787, married Eleanor,
daughter of Samuel Cummings. His father and his grandfather
were each named William Stone. The latter, who came from Stough-
ton, Mass., and died on the Asa D. Townsend farm, was a soldier, as
were his son and grandson, the first and second being officers.
William and Abigail Stone have two daughters: Eleanor (Mrs. Charles
A. Knowles); and Mary A. (Mrs. Edward W. Knowles), of Manckester.
484 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Ira D. Sturgis was born November 20, 1814, in the town of Vas-
salboro, on the farm which his grandfather and father reclaimed from
the wilderness and which Mr. Sturgis owned, greatly enlarged and
improved at the time of his death. His grandfather was Edward
Sturgis, who came to Maine from Barnstable, Mass., before 1790. This
Edward Sturgis was a lineal descendant of Edward Sturgis, the ances-
tor of the family in America, who came from England in 1635 and
settled in Yarmouth, Barnstable county, Mass.
At the age of twenty-one Mr. Sturgis married Rebecca Russell
Goodenow, and by the retirement of his father from business assumed
at that early age the direction of all his father's affairs. By the death
of his father, not long after, the further care of a large family of sis-
ters devolved upon him and was the first necessity which brought
into public notice that extraordinary resolution and business tact
which so prominently characterized his long and varied career.
At the age of thirty he rebuilt the saw mills on the Seven-mile
brook at Riverside, in Vassalboro, and engaged in the manufacture of
long and short lumber, and at another point on the same stream built
a large factory for the manufacture of doors, blinds, sash and boxes.
At this factory were made the first orange and lemon boxes ever ex-
ported from the state of Maine. In this enterprise he was associated
with James Bridge, who is still living in Augusta. Not fully occupied
with these exacting industries, he commenced the building of vessels
on the Kennebec river, near Seven-mile brook, very shortly turning
out from this shipyard a barque, a brig and two schooners.
When the Augusta Water Power Company built a large saw mill on
the dam at Augusta, with gangs and single saws, Mr. Sturgis was in-
vited, in consideration of his experience and reputation for energy and
business capacity, to occupy them; and accordingly he disposed of his
Vassalboro mill properties and entered upon the manufacture of lum-
ber at Augusta, continuing until the dam went out. During the busi-
ness depression of '56 and '57 Mr. Sturgis suffered losses which would
have discouraged a less sanguine and hopeful nature; but with the
indomitable spirit which has made him a picturesque and conspicuous
figure so many years in the busmess history of the state, he soon
established himself in the lumber business with Colonel John God-
dard at St. John, N. B., and for eight years successfully directed one
of the largest lumbering operations ever carried on in that locality.
Mr. Sturgis directed the cutting of the logs for three mills in Aroos-
took county, driving them 250 miles and employing hundreds of men,
horses and oxen.
The English lumber market improving immediately upon the fall
of Sevastopol at the close of Crimean war, Mr. Sturgis, with customary
sagacity, took advantage of this fact, shipping the product of the mills
to England. In 1858 he bought a large tract of land on Nicataugh
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AUGUSTA. 484a
river, in Nova Scotia, and built a large saw mill plant, including mills,
houses and stores. In 1863 Mr. Sturgis sold out his Eastern lumber-
ing interests and returned to Augusta. Without an idle day he
bought the old mill on the site of the Augusta Lumber Company's
present mill, and which had been abandoned for several years as a
profitless enterprise, and iminediately converted it into one of the best
of modern saw mills.
The late Albert Dailey, of Providence, was an associate with Mr.
Sturgis in this enterprise. At that time steam mills on the Kennebec
had proved impracticable on account of the cost of creating steam
power. Mr. Sturgis inaugurated the system of utilizing .sawdust for
fuel and carrying it to the furnaces by a labor saving mechanical de-
vice. In 1867 ex-Governor William Sprague became interested in the
lumber business with Mr. Sturgis and Mr. Dailey. The business was
then enlarged by the construction of the steam saw mill at Pittston,
afterward owned and managed by Putnam & Closson, and was carried
on as a corporation under the name of the Kennebec Land & Lumber
Company. This company, with its extensive timber lands, its two
modern steam saw mills and one water mill at the east end of the
Kennebec dam, was the largest lumbering enterprise ever conducted
on the Kennebec river and was entirely the product of Mr. Sturgis'
energy and skill.
In connection with the saw mill at Pittston Mr. Sturgis built the
first modern improved ice house on the Kennebec river. Up to this
time the ice business had been an intermittent one, depending upon a
failure of the ice crop West and South. Mr. Sturgis resolved to make
the business unintermittent, regular and permanent by establishing
branch houses for the distribution of Kennebec ice each year to con-
sumers in Southern cities; and with the boldness and promptness with
which he executed all his designs, he established houses in Washing-
ton, Norfolk, Savannah and Charleston. At a later period, through
the Haynes & Dewitt Ice Company, whose extensive plant is at Ice-
boro, Mr. Sturgis established ice connections with the cities of Balti-
more and Philadelphia. It was through these undertakings that the
first ice wagons marked with Kennebec ice appeared in Southern
cities. It was at Mr. Sturgis' urgent invitation that Governor William
Sprague first came to Augusta to look over the water power; and it
was Mr. Sturgis' persuasive enthusiasm more than any other influence
that decided Governor Sprague to purchase the power and enlarge the
cotton mill.
When the dam went out in 1870 the A. & W. Sprague Manufactur-
ing Company, discouraged by fear of a repetition of the disaster, seri-
ously contemplated resorting to steam power for the mills then in
existence. Foreseeing how disastrous this would be to the permanent
prosperity of the city, Mr. Sturgis appealed to Governor Sprague with
484b HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
such convincing earnestness and inspired him with such confidence
in the possibility of a permanent reestablishment of the dam that
Governor Sprague decided to build that dam, which, with other manu-
factures, is now driving 100,000 spindles and developing a condition
of prosperity hitherto unknown.
When Mr. Sturgis commenced the lumber business here in 1863
there were very few facilities for handling and holding logs on the
Kennebec river. There were no permanent and safe deposit booms
and every rise of water was watched by millmen with anxiety and
alarm. Not a season passed that some logs did not run to sea. It was
largely through the determined agitation of the subject of river im-
provements by Mr. Sturgis that booms and piers were constructed, so
that the lumberman's floating property is considered as stable and
secure as any other kind of property. He was especially interested
in the establishment of the Five-mile island boom m Vassalboro and
the assorting boom in Hallowell, by which the collection and distribu-
tion of logs among the several mills was revolutionized and greatly
cheapened. The large mills and ice houses at Wiscasset were built
under the direction of Mr. Sturgis.
When the steam mill of the Kennebec Land & Lumber Company
at Augusta was burned Mr. Sturgis acquired the mill site and rebuilt
the mill, with Mr. Lambard and Mr. Randall, under the firm style of
Sturgis, Lambard & Co. This company was subsequently incorporated
as the Augusta Lumber Company and Mr. Sturgis was chosen presi-
dent, which position he held at the time of his death.
In politics Mr. Sturgis was a republican and represented his native
town with conspicuous ability in the legislature of 1869. The last ten
years of Mr. Sturgis' life were chiefly devoted to the management and
improvement of his farm at Vassalboro. During all the temptations
of his business life and the diversions and distractions of his eventful
career, his heart never failed in its loyalty to that home of his child-
hood, where he seemed to be imbued with the very spirit of those an-
cestors who had exhausted their lives in first preparing the acres
which Mr. Sturgis extended and improved until he made it the largest
and best equipped farm in the state.
The issue of Mr. Sturgis' marriage was two sons and two daugh-
ters. The eldest, Angle B., became the wife,of Professor Thurber, of
Boston; Smith, who died at the age of sixteen; Elizabeth, the wife of
J. Manchester Haynes; and Horace R., who was the partner of his
father in his agricultural and other recent enterprise. Mr. Sturgis'
power of physical endurance was phenomenal. He seemed to be tire-
less, or if ever wearied, his strength was renewed with but little rest.
Even at his great age of seventy-seven years his step was as elastic
and his motions as quick as a man of half that age. His mind never
knew fatigue; his spirits never lagged; his courage never faltered; his
AUGUSTA. 485
hope never grew dim. Life had not dispelled any illusions. He was
still a boy, with the faith of a boy.
His nature was most sensitively sympathetic. His temperament
was emotional and responded to the slightest touch. His hatred of
wrong, his kindly human sympathy, often prompted him to fight the
battles of his weaker friends. Mr. Sturgis was a man of very strong
convictions, and he always had the courage of his convictions. His
judgments and opinions were sudden and intuitive, rather than slow
and reflective. His clear mind saw quickly to the end.
Mr. Sturgis possessed in a remarkable degree the quality of social
cheerfulness — a quality which rarely ever failed him in public and
was always present in his family associations. No business cares and
perplexities, no schemes of ambition, no passions, no resentments ever
entered the door of his dwelling. For more than fifty-five years of
married life he wore in his home manner and countenance the same
light of happiness and hope that illuminated his features on his wed-
ding morning. In his march of life there was no weariness. He did
not perish by the wayside. He fell in the middle of the track, still
fronting the future.
Reuel Townsend, who came from Sidney to Augusta in 1832, is
a son of Dodovah, and grandson of Daniel Townsend, who died in
the English service in the French and Indian war. Daniel's father
was at Fort Halifax, and with his family ascended the Kennebec in
a canoe, and suffered many privations as a pioneer, having for a time
to subsist upon acorns and the milk from one young cow. Reuel
Townsend married Hepzibah, daughter of Asa Abbott, of Sidney,
and raised three sons, who became men of families: Howard A., Asa
D. and Theodore B. Townsend. Asa D. married Harriet C, daughter
of Doty and Rachel (Prescott) Richards, December 17, 1861. She died
in 1891.
E. H. Walker was born in Portland, in 1838. Since he began in
life for himself he has always been engaged in railway work, com-
mencing with the Grand Trunk. After remaining in the employ of
that company five years, he came to the Maine Central as station
agent at Vassalboro. In 1870 he came to Augusta for the same com-
pany as ticket agent and as operator in superintendent's office. In
1877 he was made passenger and freight agent at Augusta for this
company. For the last t\yo years he has filled the position of ticket
agent only. In 1860 he married Abbie C. Ingersoll, of Danville Cor-
ners, now a part of Auburn, Me.
Sereno S. Webster' (John 0.\ 1778-1828; Nathan', b. 1747; Nathan',
b. 1715; Nathan', 1678; NathanS 1646, Bradford, Mass.; John", a free-
man of Ipswich in 1635) was born in Salem, Mass., in 1805. He came
to Vassalboro in 1806, with his parents, and in 1845, after a clerkship
of nine years in Washington, married Mary A. Hayes, of Dover, N. H.
486 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Their children are: Helen P., Sereno C. and Otis Webster, the drug-
gist.
George L. Weeks' (James P.', born 1818; Daniel H.^ 1796-1882;
Winthrop', 1770-1856; Jonathan', Jonathan', SamueP, Leonard Weeks')
was born in Vassalboro in 1861, married Hattie J. Whitehouse, daugh-
ter of Everett M., and granddaughter of David W. Whitehouse, and
has one son, Harold E. Weeks.
Eben Wellman, born in 1836, is a son of James, and grandson of
James Wellman, whose father, Jacob, was a son of Abraham, a de-
scendant of one of three brothers who came from England, and set-
tled in Lynn, Mass., in 1625. Eben married Julia O. Ramsdell, of
Randolph. Their children are: Delia R. (Mrs. George E. Stickney),
Joseph H. (of Chelsea), and Jeannettie. Mr. Wellman followed the
sea from the age of fourteen until 1864. He was two years in the U.
S. Navy, signal quartermaster of the L^. S. gunboat, Alabama. His
father, in the 29th Maine, died in Natchez Hospital September 7,
1864.
Benjamin W. White, youngest son of Charles White, was born in
1848. His grandfather, Charles, of Greenfield, Me., was a son of
Charles White, a revolutionary soldier, who came from Peterboro to
Greenfield, and lived to the age of 102. Benjamin's father moved
from Greenfield to Vassalboro in 1836, and to Bolton Hill about 1847.
His farm was settled by Captain Elisha Barrows. Benjamin married
Fannie, daughter of John Frost, of Randolph.
Seth Coleman Whitehouse was born in Vassalboro in 1820. His
father, Daniel Whitehouse, jun., was born in Somersworth, N. H., and
came to Maine about the year 1805, with his parents (Daniel and Mar-
thar), two brothers (Edmund and Thomas), and two sisters (Hannah
and Comfort) — all settling in the same school district in Vassalboro.
Daniel, sen., had served in the revolutionary army in Colonel Poor's
regiment, and received a pension. Six other Whitehouses — near kins-
men— .served in the same war. Two brothers, Thomas and Joseph
Whitehouse, .settled at Dover, N. H., in 1658, and to them goes back
the ancestry of the numerous Whitehouse families of New England.
Daniel, jun., served in the war of 1812, and was given a pension. He
married Merab Coleman, daughter of Owen and Asenath Worth Cole-
man, who removed from Nantucket to Vassalboro in 1800, and settled
on a farm that has ever since continued in 1;he Coleman name, and is
now owned by Edmund G., a grandson. Owen Coleman was of the
fifth generation from Thomas, one of the partners who bought the
island of Nantucket of Thomas Mayhew in 1659 — moving there from
Salisbury in 1660. John Coleman, the son of Thomas, and great-
grandfather of Owen, married Joanna Folger, whose .sister, Abia^
married Josiah, the father of Benjamin Franklin — the latter and,
Owen being related as third cousins.
//Yxt^T^yA
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AUGUSTA. 486a
Seth C, the subject of this sketch, was of a family of nine children,
viz.: Daniel, 3d (who died at the age of twenty), David S., Mary D.,
Owen C, Seth C, Hiempsal, Paul W., Sarah E. and Daniel (now of
Augusta). Seth was considered better adapted to a business career
than to farming, and so he was allowed to leave home at the age of
fifteen, when he entered a store in Vassalboro. After a year he went
to New York, and served two years as clerk in the store of his cousin,
C. C. Dyer. He returned home and took the benefit of several terms
at the Vassalboro Academy, and taught three winter schools. He re-
turned to the city of New York in 1842, and engaged as clerk with W.
E. Lawrence, dry goods merchant, where he continued four years.
His brother, Owen, also served one year in the same store. In 1846
the two brothers came to Augu.sta, and opened a dry goods store, and
did a large and successful business, under the firm name of S. C. &
O. C. Whitehouse. In 1855 their brother, Daniel, was admitted to the
firm. Seth retired from the business in 1865.
Inheriting some of the spirit of enterprise and love of adventure
that was conspicuous in his grandmother's brother. Captain Paul
Worth (who in 1791 made the first voyage from Nantucket around
Cape Horn for whales, returning with success), Seth sailed from Bath,
October 2, 1849, in the bark James A. Thompson, 244 tons. Captain
Macy, for a trip around Cape Horn to California, arriving at San
Francisco in March, 1850. After spending four months in the gold
mines, he started for home via the isthmus, and reached Augusta in
September.
Mr. Whitehouse was married in 1852, to Harriet A., daughter of
Elisha Hallett, jun., whose father came from Yarmouth, Mass., and
settled at Oakland (then West Waterville). Mrs. Whitehouse's father
served in the war of 1812, and her grandfather served in the war of
the revolution. Both received pensions. Mr. and Mrs. Whitehouse
have two children: Edward Lawrence and Harriet Hallett. Edward
is a graduate of Harvard University of the class of '74; he is a mem-
ber of the Kennebec bar; was the supervisor of schools in Augusta in
1880, and is now in the department of state at Washington.
Mr. and Mrs. Whitehou.se became identified with the South Parish
of Augusta in 1846, and have been members of that church since 1855,
and their daughter Harriet since 1876. Mr. Whitehouse cast his first
vote as a member of the whig party, for Henry Clay. He has always
been a republican since the party was formed. He was a member of
the city government as councilman in 1871-2, and as alderman in
1872-3 and 1873-4. He was assessor in 1875-6 and 1876-7. In the
spring of 1884 a large number of his fellow citizens addressed to him
the following communication:
" To Hon. .Seth C. Whitehouse: Dear 52>— The undersigned, re-
publican taxpayers of Augusta, hereby request you to become their
487 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
candidate for mayor at the election March 10, 1884, for the following
reasons:
" I. — We believe the laws against the liquor traffic should be en-
forced as diligently, as sincerely, and as impartially as the other crim-
inal laws; and that tenderness toward the rum interest for the sake of
its political friendship is wicked, and injurious to morals and public
policy, and should be emphatically condemned.
" II. — We believe our municipal government should be conducted
on ' business principles, in a business manner, for business purposes;'
that it should be carefully administered in the interest of the people
by a policy of rational and practical economy and a gradual reduction
of our burdensome city debt. We view with anxiety the fact that the
appropriations are largely overdrawn, and the debt is increasing in-
stead of diminishing at a' time when no considerable public improve-
ments are being made, although the taxable valuation of the city is
not increasing.
" Believing, from your record m the past as a faithful city ofBcer,
that if elected to the office of mayor you would seek to carry out the
policy above indicated, we earnestly ask your consent to be a candi-
date, in an early reply."
Mr. Whitehouse accepted the nomination thus gracefully tendered
and was elected mayor, which office he administered with conscien-
tious fidelity to his platform and the interests of the city.
David W. Whitney, born in 1817, is a grandson of Nathan and son
of Abizah Whitney, who was born in Lisbon in 1794 and located with
his family on Church Hill in 1832. He went to New Orleans in 1846
and died there in 1866. David W. Whitney married Philena, daugh-
ter of Luther Church. vShe died leaving one son, John H., and Mr.
Whitney married Olena, daughter of Isaac Church, and granddaugh-
ter of Samuel and Ruby (Pettengill) Church, and has three children:
Benjamin C, of Salem, Mass.; Edwin W. and Alice M., a teacher.
Charles H. Whitten was born in Augusta in 1835, and carried on a
blacksmith shop in the city for sixteen years prior to October, 1889.
He and his older brother, John F., had a .shop as early as 1856. Their
father was Rufus Whitten.
The Williams Family. — This family name, which must forever
frequently recur in every history of this county, first appears in the
Kennebec valley in 1779, when Captain Seth Williams, of Welsh ex-
traction, emigrated from Stoughton, Mass., to Fort Western. Here
Reuel and Daniel, his afterward two most prominent sons, were born
— Reuel June 2, 1783, and Daniel November 12, 1795. The brothers
studied law and were afterward, for some years, partners in the prac-
tice of their profession.
Daniel was .selectman of the town of Augusta from 1828 to 1832,
inclusive; represented the town in the legislature of 1831; was state
treasurer from 1837 to 1840; was appointed judge of probate for Ken-
nebec in 1848, retaining the office until 1855; and in 1868 was mayor
^ ^^^^^-ife-
AUGUSTA. 487a
of Augusta. He was twice married, his first wife being Mary Saw-
telle, of Norridgewock, who bore him four children: Harriet, who be-
came the wife of Benjamin A. G. Fuller; Seth, whose military career
has been discussed at page 166; Horace, who retains his residence a
portion of each year in Augusta; and Mary (Mrs. Newton Edwards).
His second wife, Hannah, was the youngest daughter of Judge James
Bridge, of Augusta.
Hon. Reuel Williams, the elder of the two brothers, rendered great
service and achieved an honorable distinction as a lawyer [page 309].
For nearly half a century he was one of the most prominent and influ-
ential men of the state. Few, if any, were better acquainted with its
interests and resources, or were more ready to labor to promote the
one and develop the other. Beginning with the year 1822, he served
in the lower branch of the legislature for four successive terms; then
for three years he was returned to the senate, followed immediately,
in 1829, by a return to the house for that year. He was appointed
commissioner of public buildings in 1831; in 1836 he was chosen one
of the electors-at-large of president and vice-president; in 1837 was
sent to the United States senate to fill a vacancy, and in 1839 was
reelected for a full term, but the demands of private business com-
pelled him to resign in 1843. In 1861 he was appointed by Governor
Washburn on a commission to confer with the national government
on the defense of the coast of Maine, and an exposure while in the
execution of this duty doubtless hastened his death, which occurred
July 25, 1862. Mr. Williams received the honorary degree of master
of arts from Harvard in 1815 and from Bowdoin in 1820, to which
that of doctor of laws was added in 1855. He was for thirty-eight
years one of the trustees of the latter college.
The maker of his own large fortune, he acquired industrious and
remarkably correct business habits, and transacted an amount of busi-
ness which few could have performed even in the allotted period of
his long life. Mr. Williams married on November 19, 1807, vSarah
Lowell Cony, daughter of Hon. Daniel Cony, of Augusta. By the
marriage, in 1828, of Mr. Williams' eldest daughter, Sarah B., to James,
son of Judge Bridge, in whose office Mr. Williams began the study of
law, the Bridge, Cony and Williams families were brought into close
relations with one another.
Governor Joseph Hartwell Williams, the only son of Reuel, was
born at Augusta February 15, 1814. At the age of twelve he was sent
to a private school for boys, under Hezekiah Packard, D.D., at Wiscas-
set, Me., and later became a student at the Gardiner Lyceum. In 1829
he entered the Classical Institute at Mount Pleasant, in Amherst,
Mass., where he remained until the fall of 1830, when he was matric-
ulated at Harvard College. He carried off high honors in his class,
and at his graduation, in 1834, entered Dane Law School, at Cam-
4»S HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
bridge, where for two years he enjoyed the instruction of Professors
Joseph Story and Simon Greenleaf. He then returned to Augusta to
complete his law studies in his father's office. He was admitted to
the bar in 1837. In July, 1862, at the death of his father, the cares
attendant upon settling his large estate made it necessary for Gov-
ernor Williams to withdraw from a profession to the attainment of
whose honors he had devoted the best years of his life. It was earlier
in this year that he received from Governor Washburn the nomina-
tion to a seat upon the bench of the supreme judicial court of Maine,
an honor which his private affairs compelled him to regretfully de-
cline.
Until 1854 Governor Williams had supported the policy of the
democratic party, but in that year he ceased to vote with it and ab-
stained from so doing as long as the interests of slavery continued to
shape party issues. In 1856 he was sent by the republicans to the
state senate, of which body he was made the presiding officer. After
six weeks' service, however, it became his constitutional prerogative
to enter upon the discharge of executive functions. Governor Hamlin
having vacated the gubernatorial chair upon his election to the
United States senate. These important duties Governor Williams
performed to the satisfaction of the people for the remainder of the
political year. Declining to become a candidate for nomination to
succeed himself, he returned, at the close of the year 1857, to the con-
genial pursuits of his profession. In 1864, and for two years follow-
ing, he again represented his city in the legislature. During this
period he served on several important committees and also labored
for the creation of a sinking fund to provide for the payment of the
state debt. The bill which he drafted for that purpose became a law
January 28, 1865. In 1873 he was again returned to the legislature,
on the independent ticket. He was one of the first board of directors
of the Maine General Hospital, a trustee of the State Reform School,
and served as treasurer of the board of trustees of Cony Female
Academy from 1851 for forty years.
Governor Williams was married September 26, 1842, to Apphia
Putnam, daughter of the distinguished antiquarian and genealogist,
Sylvester' Judd, of Northampton, Mass. Their only child, Arthur
Lowell, died when less than three years of age.
Mr. Williams has recently had occasion to devote some time to
genealogical researches. To supply some deficiencies in Mr. North's
Historj' of Au£-i(sta, he nndertooli to trace his Cony ancestry to their
English origin. In this he was successful so far as to ascertain the
time and place of birth of the immigrant ancestor— Nathaniel Conny.*
He was born in Godmanchester, in the county of Huntington, Eng-
land, in 1665, and came to America at the close of the seventeenth
* See Co/i/iy Brochure, 1885, printed privately. — [Ed.
■century. He was the son of Samuel Conny and grandson of Robert
Conny, of the municipality in which he was born.
Pursuing- similar inquiries respecting Richard Williams, of Taun-
ton, Mass., the progenitor of Seth Williams, who came to Fort Western
in 1779, Governor Williams was able to find the record evidence of
the birth of Richard in 1606. He was born in Wotton-under-edge, in
the county of Gloucester, England, where his father, William, then
lived. Richard was married in 1632 and came to America with his
wife, Frances, in 1638-9.
Selden B. Worthley, born in 1843, a son of Robert B. Worthley,
who came from Avon, Me., to Augusta in 1848, married Mary E.,
daughter of Alfred Turner and granddaughter of Richard Turner,
and has one son, Blaine S. Worthley. Mr. Worthley lost an arm in a
woolen factory in 1861. He was subsequently three years in Califor-
nia; then fourteen years keeper of the Augusta bridge, and since 1885
has successfully carried on milk farming. His place was formerly
owned by Robert Fletcher and his son. Captain Foxwell Fletcher.
Daniel S. Young, stone contractor and quarryman, was born at
Embden, Me., in 1840. He is a son of David and grandson of Benja-
min Young, of Wiscasset. His parents came to Augusta in 1858. He
learned stone cutting as a business, at which he has been chiefly en-
o^aged. His wife was Elizabeth G. Batson. Their children are: Annie
E., H. May, Leslie S., Frank O., Florence A., Addie C. B. and D.
Stuart.
CHAPTER XIX.
HALLOWELL.
BY DR. William H. Lapham.
Ancient Hallowell. — The Present Town. — Description.— Sketches of the Early-
Settlers. — Industrial Interests. — Post Office.— Societies.— Schools.— Churches.
• —Cemetery. — Civil History. — Personal Paragraphs.
AFTER many of the coast towns had been settled, the settlement
of the interior of Maine was retarded more than a centitry by
the almost constant hostile attitude of the Indians. The pro-
prietors of the Kennebec Purchase, previously known as the Kenne-
bec Patent, made frequent attempts to have their lands situated on
both sides of Kennebec river, settled, but such attempts were for a
long time abortive. Settlers on the lower Kennebec were protected
by Fort Richmond, later by Fort Shirley, and still later by Forts
Western and Halifax. Two of these forts were erected by the Plym-
outh Company in pursuance of their plans for settling their territory,
but the inducement of land for a town in the wilderness, practically
without cost, was not sufficient for persons in the older towns to
jeopardize their lives and the lives of their families.
The fall of Quebec in 1759, and the extinction by treaty of French
power in America two years later, put a new face upon the matter
of settling the interior towns of the state, and within the space of a
few years clearings had been commenced on the Kennebec as far
north as Norridgewock. Fort Western was erected in 1754, and the
commandant became the first settler in what was ancient Hallowell.
Except James Howard and the small garrison at the fort, no other
settlers came until after the conquest of Canada. The town of Hal-
lowell, as originally laid out and established, was one of the largest
in the state, but so much of its territory has been set off to form other
towns, that it is now one of the smallest. The towns set off from Hal-
lowell having been written up separately for this volume, the scope
of this article will be limited to the town of Hallowell as it is at the
present time.
The present town of Hallowell. is bounded east by Kennebec river,
north by Augusta, west by Manchester, and south by Farmingdale.
To distinguish it from the Fort settlement, in early times it was
HALLOWELL. 489
called the " Hook," said to be an abbreviation of Bombahook,* a word
of unknown etymology and significance. The Indians probably had
a small village at this place before the country was visited by white
men. In proof of this, when Dr. Amos Wilder was levelling the land
near the river, and not far from the place where his oilcloth factory
now is, he unearthed a large number of Indian implements of the
usual varieties found on the Kennebec, mixed with the bones of ani-
mals, and imbedded in earth mixed with cinders and ashes. Their
distribution was limited to some six feet in width, and some 200 feet
along the bank of the river.
Hallowell is quite hilly, the land bordering on the Kennebec, more
especially that where the city proper is situated, having a sharp in-
cline toward the river. Outside of the city proper the land is fertile,
quite free from cobbles, and well adapted to purposes of agriculture.
Pine Tree farm, once the property of Governor Bodwell, and Granite
Hill farm, the property of William P. Atherton, are among the best
in the county. Orcharding is a leading industry in some parts of Hal-
lowell, but mixed husbandry is the more common practice. There
has not been that strict attention paid to farming as was formerly the
case, and many once good and productive farms have deteriorated.
This is largely due to removals from the suburbs into the city, and
to emigration from town.
The first settler in Hallowell was Deacon Pease Clark, who came
from Attleboro, Mass., in May, 1762, in a ship belonging to the prov-
ince of the Massachusetts Bay, which came to the Kennebec with sup-
plies for Forts Western and Halifax. What induced Mr. Clark to
seek this particular spot upon which to erect a home is unknown at
this date. The Plymouth proprietors were at this time making vig-
orous efforts to colonize their land on the Kennebec; were making
generous offers to first settlers, and no doubt Mr. Clark heard of them
and thought this a good opportunity to secure land for himself and
his family of stalwart sons. He was put on shore where Water
street now is, with his son, Peter, his wife and one other child, and
there then being no building within the present limits of the city of
Hallowell, they spent their first night under the body of a cart which
they had brought along with them. Clark constructed a camp of
boughs near where the cotton factory now is, and lived there until he
could provide a better home. It is said that his son, Peter, had been
on the Kennebec before; had come here as an officer with men to
guard the workmen on the forts, and it is also said that Deacon Clark
came here to see the country, prior to his moving here. He received
*The Indian name of Hallowell was Medumcook, said to mean "a shallow
place." Bombahook may have been an English corruption of this name, which
was also given to the brook that enters the Kennebec at Hallowell.
33
490 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
a grant of land from the Plymouth Company of one hundred acres,
it being fifty rods wide and a mile long, embracing the central part of
the present city of Hallowell. His son, Peter, had the lot adjoining
his father's on the south, part of the grant to Benjamin Hallowell, of
whom or his assigns, he must have purchased it.
The first clearing made by Clark was near the present city hall,
and here he raised a crop of corn and rye. This season also he erected
a framed house, the timber for which was cut and hewn upon the
spot and the boards floated up from Gardiner, where a saw mill had
just been erected. This house, the first built within the limits of Hal-
lowell, stood on the side hill on Academy street, and was two stories
in front and one in the rear, after a prevailing fashion of those days.
Here he lived for many years, and his house was headquarters for
new settlers as they arrived on their way to their locations. Pease
Clark had six sons, all of whom came to the Kennebec. Uriah was a
cordwainer, and settled on land now in Augusta. Simeon moved to
Belgrade and then to Ohio. David was a joiner; he obtained a lot in
Hallowell, afterward moved to Readfield, but on the death of his
father, moved back to Hallowell. Peter Clark, born in 1735, who came
with his father, married Zerviah Sweatland; he became insane, wan-
dered away into the woods a second time and never returned. Six
years after, in 1803, his remains were found in a thicket and buried
with leaves, nearly two miles from his home. They had five children.
Isaac and Jonas settled on Augusta lands; the former removed to
Hallowell and built the first two story house there, on the spot where
Mark Means' bake-house stood, and this was the first tavern in Hal-
lowell. Jonas was one of the throng which about this time had the
" western fever," and emigrated to Ohio.*
Briggs Hallowell was a resident here at the time of the incorpora-
tion and previously. He was the son of Benjamin Hallowell, a
wealthy merchant of Boston, a Plymouth proprietor, for whom the
town was named. He seems to have been on the Kennebec as early
as 1768, looking after the interests of his father. When in town, his
house stood near Sheppard's point. By his wife, Hannah, he had:
Charles, born March 17, 1771, and George, born March 25, 1774. He
seems to have had a second wife, called Eunice, and to have died be-
fore 1788, for in that year his widow was keeping a house of enter-
tainment, near where the cotton factory now stands. Briggs Hal-
lowell is represented as a humorous man and much given to practical
jokes.
Pelatiah Morrill, born in Berwick, July IS, 1787, came to Hallowell
in 1810, and married Rhoda Mayo, of this town. He was a son of Peas-
lee and Peace Morrill, and an uncle of Hons. Anson P. and Lot M.
Morrill. He was by occupation a shoemaker. They had six children.
^North's Augusta.
HALLOWEI.L. 491
Peter Currier, son of Seth Currier, born in Amesbury, Mass., in 1780,
married Hannah Pecker, and came to Hallowell in 1812. They had
eight children, the last five born here. Joseph Wingate, son of Paine
Wingate, born in Amesbury, Mass., February 29, 1751, married Judith
Carr, and came here in 1798. Their ten children were born between
1777 and 1798. William Wingate, brother of Joseph, married Han-
nah Carr, and came here in 1796. They had five children, only one
of whom was born here. Mrs. Wingate died March 26, 1814.
Samuel Moody, born in Newbury, Mass., February 3, 1765, gradu-
ated at Dartmouth College in 1790, and six years later came here as
preceptor of Hallowell Academy. He married Sarah Sawyer and
had five children. He was always known as Preceptor Moody.
Nathan Moody, brother of Samuel, graduated at Dartmouth College
in 1795, came to Hallowell in 1796, and married Judith Wingate, of
Amesbury, Mass. They had two children. Enoch Moody, brother
of the last two, married Ann Kent, of Newbury, and came to Hal-
lowell in 1802.
Ephraim Lord, born in Ipswich, Mass., August 11, 1771, came to
Hallowell in 1792. He married Salome Dennis, of Litchfield, and his
nine children were born here. Edward Cummings was born in Water-
ford. Ireland, came to Hallowell in 1810, and married Sophia Lemercia,
of Dresden, and had seven children, the first three born in Boston.
Abraham Pray, born in Berwick, September 20, 1753, married Sarah
Clark, of Wells, and had twelve children before coming here in 1802.
He died here in 1844. Ezekiel Goodale, printer, born in Boylston,
Mass., September 24, 1780, came here in October, 1802. He married
Betsey Stone, of Oakham, and had five children, all born here.
Thomas Lakeman, born in Newbury, Mass., August 6, 1767, married
Elizabeth Lord, of Ipswich, and came here in 1794. He had eight
children, born between 1791 and 1809.
John Sewall, jun., was born in York, Me., September 13, 1755, and
came to Hallowell in 1797. He was town clerk for several years, and
it is said to have been through his efforts that the records of Hallowell
families were made and preserved. He was also selectman, and taught
the town school on Temple street for many years. He married
Eunice Emerson, who had had four children by her first marriage. His
only child, Joanna, was born March 9, 1792. Mr. Sewall died Novem-
ber 15, 1827. Moses Sewall, born in York, married Ruth Barrell, of
the same town. He came here in 1787. He had six children and died
March 24, 1798. David Sewall, brother of Moses, married Hannah
Barrell; he settled here in 1784, and had twelve children.
Elisha Nye, born in Sandwich, Mass., April 22, 1745-6, married
Lucy Toby and had three children born in Sandwich. Mrs. Nye died,
and he then married Mehitable Robinson, of Falmouth, Mass., and
had ten more children, the last seven born here. He came here in
492 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
1781. James Cocks, or Cox, was born in Boston in 1734, and died in
Hallowell in 1808. By his wife, who was a Beverage, of Boston, he
had ten children born between 1758 and 1777. Nathaniel Brown was
by occupation a baker, and his was the house now occupied by Hiram
Fuller. He came here from Ipswich, Mass., married Mary L. Parsons,
and had two daughters. George Bartlett, by trade a cooper, lived on
the Augusta road, on the opposite side from the cemetery and a little
below.
Isaac Smith, a native of New Hampshire, a sea captain, was a
resident of Loudon hill. He was also a large shipbuilder and owner.
He died February 1, 1844, aged sixty-one years. His wife was Betsey
Johnson; six children. Abner Lowell was a prominent shipbuilder at
Joppa. His trade was with the West Indies, and he was sole owner of
his ships. He was an active business man, and of the strictest integrity.
He came in 1797, married Hannah Sawyer, and had issue nine. Benja-
min Davenport was a hatter on a large scale. The early Davenports
settled on the east side of the river. He married Mary, daughter of
Briggs Turner, and had seven children. Jonas Childs lost one of his
legs during the war for independence. He was a tailor and also kept
a ferry for foot passengers. Thomas Norris was an early trader here
and owned the schooner Catherine, which plied between this port and
Boston. This vessel was lost on the passage to Boston, and Mr. Nor-
ris, Mr. Ring and Naomi Hovey, who were passengers, were drowned.
Over Mr. Ring's store, the Halloivcll Gazette was first published in 1814,
by Goodale & Burton.
Rufus K. Page once traded in the store now occupied by Leigh &
Wingate. The second brick building in town was known as Perley's
Block; it had three stores on the ground floor. Nathaniel Perley came
here from Boxford in 1794. He married Mary Dummer, and had
seven children. Jesse Locke occupied a house on the corner of Win-
throp and Second streets.
Daniel N. Dole was born in Newbury, Mass., November 22, 1775,
and died in Hallowell, March 9, 1841. He was by trade a goldsmith,
and he also repaired clocks and watches. He married Nacy Gove,
of Edgecomb, and had issue six. Gideon Gilman, son of Eliphalet
Gilman, was a manufacturer of sash and doors in a shop at the
corner of Water and Temple streets. He was the principal glazier
in the town, and was also a surveyor of lumber. He married a
daughter of Benjamin Hilton, and died January 4, 1845, aged seventy-
five years. Ebenezer Bessey, born in Wareham, Mass., found employ-
ment as gardener with Doctor Vaughan. He was among the first to
supply the town with boot-blacking. He married Patience Burgess
and had issue eleven.
David Morgan was a farmer on the Litchfield road. He accom-
panied John Merrick in locating the Canada road, when the entire
HALLOWELL. 493
party came near perishing from hunger. He died January 1, 1844,
aged sixty-five years. Daniel Evans, born May 24, 1767, was the col-
lector of the direct tax in 1816. In his later years he kept a pastry
store. He was the father of Hon. George Evans, the distinguished
advocate. He married Sally Sawyer, and died November 21, 1842,
aged seventy-five years. He had nine children. Joshua Wingate,
born in Amesbury, Mass., March 14, 1747, merchant, postmaster and
man of affairs generally, was the father of Hon. Joshua Wingate, of
Portland. He died October 11, 1844, aged ninety-seven years. He
wore knee breeches and buckles to the time of his death. His wife
was Sarah Carr, and he had seven children.
Robert Sager, born in Yorkshire, England, was a saddle and har-
ness maker; both he and his wife were of English birth. He did an
extensive business in a shop north of Norcross' marble shop. He
died April IS, 1821. They had seven children. David Vass, a manu-
facturer of mirrors, died September 21, 1829, aged thirty-nine years.
John Beeman, born in Northfield, Mass., February 9, 1755, died March
1, 1826, aged seventy-one years. He married Hannah Jennings in
1785. He was by occupation a tanner. His tannery was a few rods
back of Water street and he did a large business. In excavating a
few years ago strata of horns and other refuse were dug up, ten feet
below the surface of the ground. He was a great reader and had a
fine library for that day. Nine children.
Major William Livermore, born in Waltham, Mass., January 9,
1763, came here in 1806 from Jay, Me., and was a merchant. He had
a large trade in lumber. He was the father of Danforth P. Liver-
more, of Hallowell. He married Sarah (Taylor) Jones and died in
Mississippi in August, 1832. Thomas Fillebrown, born in Woburn
October 8, 1763, was a farmer, and moved from here to Winthrop.
His wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Nathaniel Cheever. They had
nine children. Philip Norcross, born in Georgetown July 25, 1763,
lived near the cemetery and engaged in farming. He married Nancy
Hussey and came here in 1787. Ebenezer Mayo was an early brick
mason and lived on Winthrop street, near the railroad crossing. He
reared a family of twelve children. Elias Bond, born in Watertown,
Mass., March 14, 1774, was a hatter and did a large business on Water
street. He came here from Watertown in 1804. He married Mary
Pappoon and had seven children.
Calvin Edson lived on Winthrop street and was a mariner. He
came here from Bridgewater, Mass. His son, Martin, was also a mar-
iner. Shubael and Thomas Hinckley, twin brothers and sons of Shu-
bael Hinckley, born in Brunswick in 1736, came to Hallowell about
1773 and lived where the cemetery now is. They were farmers.
Their posterity, which is large, is widely scattered. The land where
Dr. Amos Wilder's oilcloth factory now stands was named for them
494 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
" Hinckley's point." Nathan Bachelder, born in Loudon, N. H., Oc-
tober 25, 1773, lived southwest of the railroad station, in the house
now occirpied by William Graves. The store built by him, and in
which he did business, is now occupied by the Northern National
Bank. This is said to have been the first brick building erected in
Augusta. He married Nancy Rollins and came here in 1799. He
died June 3, 1850. They had six children born in Hallowell.
Edmund Dana, by occupation a potter, lived on Winthrop street,
on the place now occupied by Justin E. Smith. This man committed
suicide in 1810. He had ten children. Samuel Button lived in a
house which stood north of Doctor Nutting's place. The house has
been removed. By wife, Ruth, he had six children. John Couch, a
farmer and early settler, lived on Winthrop hill. He married Jane
Hinckley and had eight children. He came in 1773. Thomas Agry,
from Barnstable, lived in the house now occupied by Moses W. Farr.
He and his brother, John, who lived in the Doctor Eveleth house, were
largely engaged in .shipping and were men of great enterprise and
business capacity.
Alfred Martin, an early settler, lived on the corner of Winthrop
and Second streets and was a blacksmith. He married Lydia, daughter
of Isaac Clark, of Hallowell. He came here from Connecticut in 1788.
William Morse, jun., was an early trader in company with Eben
White. He came here with his family from Methuen, Mass., in 1793.
His wife was Tryphena Whitten, of Methuen. Daniel Smith lived on
Loudon hill and was a seafaring man. Loudon hill was so called be-
cause the first settlers here came from Loudon, N. H. Mr. Morse died
April 17, 1844, aged eighty-four years. Jacob Smith lived at the lower
part of the village, at a place then and now known as " Joppa." He
had five children. Allen Oilman married Pamelia A. Dearborn, of
Pittston, and had one daughter.
Ezekiel Goodale came here from New Hampshire, in a chaise, ac-
companied by his brother. He kept a book store and was afterward
connected with the publishing house in Hallowell, one of the largest
in the state. He died February 21, 1828, aged forty-seven years.
Thomas Leigh came from Manchester, England, prior to 1800, and
built a large store opposite the present store of Leigh & Wingate.
His brother, Joseph, came a little later, was captured on the passage
by the French and lost all his property. He engaged in business with
his brother, and their chief business was to supply lime to the settlers
on the Kennebec. Both the brothers were seafaring people and com-
manded their own ships.
Dea. James Gow, a native of Scotland, came to Hallowell in 1793,
and married Lucy, daughter of Eliphalet Gilman. He was a tailor,
and after working at that business a few years he engaged in trade.
He died June 2, 1842, aged ninety-six years. He was deacon of the
HALLOWELL. 495
old South church and a good man. Captains vShubael and William
West were engaged in trade and navigation when " Joppa " was the
busiest part of the town. The latter lived at the foot of Heard's lane
and the former on land adjoining. They were packet masters and
plied between Hallowell and Boston. William Dorr, of Roxbury,
Mass., married Jane, daughter of Thaddeus Partridge, and came to
Hallowell in 1788. He had eight children, among whom was John
Dorr, a printer and newspaper publisher.
Nathaniel Dummer, of the Es.sex county, Mass., noted family of
this name, was born at Newbury, Mass., March 9, 1755. He was edu-
cated at Dummer Academy, married Mrs. Mary (Owen) Kilton, and
came to Hallowell in 1789. He engaged in trade, was the first repre-
sentative from Hallowell, was much in town office, and served as a
member of the executive council. He afterward served on the bench
of common pleas. He was a man of good common sen.se and of a
'practical turn of mind. He died September 15,1815. He had sons,
Joseph Owen and Gorham, and two daughters. Joseph O. Dummer
married his cousin, Judith G. Dummer, and had Nathaniel, who set-
tled in Weld, Me., and has descendants there, and Hannah, who mar-
ried and settled in Dixmont. Gorham Dummer married Sarah Ab-
bot, of Concord, N. H.,and died in Hallowell January 1, 1805, leaving
a daughter, Lucy G., who became the wife of Samuel K. Oilman, of
Hallowell. The Dummer name is now extinct in Hallowell, and the
old and elegant mansion was bequeathed by the last representative
of the family to Bowdoin College.
Tristram Locke, born in Hollis October 18, 1771, married Anna
Lord, of Gardiner. He was the son of Caleb and Elizabeth (Dyer)
Locke. They had eight children born in Hallowell between 1795 and
1812. Samuel Locke, brother to Tristram, known as " Master Locke,"
came here as a schoolmaster in 1810. He married Elizabeth, daugh-
ter of Isaac Stanwood and widow of Hale Waite, and had seven chil-
dren, all born in Hallowell.
John Merrick, a prominent and influential man in Hallowell, was
born in London in 1766. After obtaining a first class education he
preached for a time, and then became a tutor in the family of Dr.
Benjamin Vaughan and came with them to Hallov.'ell in 1796. He
returned to England, and having married Rebecca, a sister of Doc-
tor Vaughan, he came back to Hallowell. He surveyed the route to
Canada by way of the Chaudiere in 1810, was cashier of a bank at
Hallowell until 1821, and agent of wild lands in eastern Maine. He
died October 22, 1861, leaving six children. His age was over ninety
years.
Daniel L. Dole, born in Newbury, Mass., November 22, 1775, mar-
ried Nancy Gove, of Edgecomb, and moved to Hallowell. They had
six children, the oldest, Ebenezer G. Dole, being a prominent anti-
496 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
slavery man. Jacob Abbot, jun., born in Wilton, N. H., October 20,
1776, married Betsey, daughter of Joshua and Elizabeth (Chandler)
Abbot, of Concord, N. H., and came to Hallowell in 1800. He was the
father of Jacob and John Stevens Cabot Abbot, the distinguished
authors, the former of whom was born in Hallowell and the latter at
Brunswick. Mr. Abbot had seven children. David Thomas was of
Hallowell and moved here from Georgetown. His first three chil-
dren were born in Georgetown and the last five, the oldest of whom
was born December 15, 1765, in Hallowell. James Burns, born in
Amherst, N. H., August 15, 1771, married Betsey Greeley and came
here in 1800. They had eleven children.
Isaac Lord, born in Berwick, Me., January 1, 1779, married Mary
McGrath, of Kittery, and came here in 1800. They had eleven chil-
dren. Samuel Freeman, born in Sandwich September 21, 1736, mar-
ried first Abigail Dillingham, second Surviah Crocker, and third Mrs.
Rebecca Jackson. He, with his three sons, came here in 1800. Na-
thaniel Colcord came to Hallowell in 1794. He was born in Newmar-
ket, N. H., March 2, 1755, and married Rachel Whidden. Of their
seven children, the last two were born in Hallowell in 1796 and 1799.
Martin Brewster, mariner, came here from Kingston, Mass. His wife
was Sally Drew, and the first of his children born here, was July
26, 1796. ^
John Patrick Egan was born at Kilcullen Bridge, Kildare county,
Ireland, March 17, 1755, married Catherine Fleming, came to this
country in 1793, and to Hallowell in 1797. He died February 19, 1829.
They had seven children, the last three born in Hallowell. Peter Os-
good, born in Tewksbury, Mass., January 5, 1782, married Lucia Drew,
of Kingston, Mass., and came here in 1797. They had four children.
William Winslow married Betsey Oilman, of Loudon, N. H., and
came here in 1811. Of their three children, the youngest only was
born here. James Partridge married Polly Winslow, and had ten
children born here between 1797 and 1816.
Obadiah Harris, the first deacon in Hallowell, born in Wrentham,
Mass., July 7, 1736, married Lois Ellis, of Dedham, and came here in
1785. He died July 5, 1800. Philip Lord, born in Ipswich, Mass.,
December 4, 1774, came to this town ia 1797, and married Abigail
Nye. Their seven children were born here. John Russell, born in
Lyndeborough, N. H., June 21, 1789, married Elizabeth Winslow, of
Industry, and had four children born in this town. Nathan Sweat-
land, born in Attleboro, Mass., November 27, 1754, married Rebecca
Tarr, of Georgetown, and moved here, where he died April 2, 1814.
They had eight children.
James Sherborne, born in Barrington, N. H., December 29, 1776,
married Zerviah Sweatland, of Hallowell, and had six children. Will-
iam Drew, jun., born in Kingston, Mass., May, 1767, married Charity,
HALLOWELL. 497
•daughter of Micah Allen, of Halifax, Mass. The births of three chil-
dren are recorded on Hallowell records, the second of whom was Rev.
William Allen Drew, born December 11, 1798, founder of the Gospel
Banner, and a man of marked ability. Shubael West, born at Martha's
Vineyard August 14, 1772, married Mary Edmondson, and moved to
Hallowell. They had eleven children.
John Hesketh, jun., born in Knowsley, England, married Mar-
o^aret Lyers, of Ford, England, and came to this town in 1798. He
died June 8, 1845. They had ten children, the last eight born in Hal-
lowell. Benjamin F. Melvin, son of Benjamin Melvin, of Readfield,
married Louisa Cram. Samuel Melvin, brother of Benjamin F., mar-
ried Mary Gove, of Readfield. These two families lived in Hallowell,
and the former was a prominent citizen. Nathan Knight married
Lucy Dean, and had seven children. Their eldest son, Austin Dean
Knight, came to Hallowell, and is cashier of the Hallowell National
Bank.
Sarson Butler, born in Edgarton, Martha's Vineyard, October 13,
1761, came to Augusta, and died June 20, 1842. His wife was Susanna
Young. They had ten children. Joseph White was born in Roches-
ter, N. H., married Sally Gardiner, of Boston, and died in Hallowell
October 26, 1798, aged 30, leaving two children. Robert Francis, son
of Jeremiah Francis, born in Creighton, England, married Mary Ben-
nett, of Middleboro, Mass., and died March 3, 1851, leaving four
children. Elisha Nye married Nancy Young, of Hallowell. He was
lost on the passage to Boston December 3, 1813. He had six chil-
dren.
John Hains, born in Exeter, N. H., October 6, 1738, married Mary
Dudley, and came to this town in 1785. He had eleven children (the
last two born here), and died May 6, 1809. Nathaniel Cheever, printer
and stationer, born in Reading, Mass., August 20, 1778, married Char-
lotte Barren, came to Hallowell, and died March 5, 1819. They had
seven children, the second of whom was Rev. George Barrell Cheever,
torn April 17, 1807, member of the famous 1825 class of Bowdoin Col-
lege, and a celebrated preacher. James Norris, born in Chester,
N. H., May 21, 1743, married Mary Towle, and moved here from Ep-
ping, N. H., in 1791. He died February 9, 1809. Of their nine chil-
dren, James, Hannah and Mercy settled at Monmouth, Polly in New
Sharon, and Thomas, Francis and Simeon in Hallowell. Mark died in
the army in April, 1814.
Business Interests.— It may be remarked in passing that soon
after its settlement, Hallowell became the most important place of
business on the Kennebec above Bath, and continued so for many
years. The early settlers therefore who came were generally trades-
tnen, mechanics or manufacturers, and but few of them engaged in
agriculture. Ship-building was carried on to considerable extent, and
498 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
a large trade was carried on between this place and Boston, New
York and the West Indies. In 1820 upwards of 4,000 tons of shipping-
were owned in Hallowell, ships generally of small tonnage and en-
gaged largely in the coasting trade. Hallowell was thus the market
for a large territory, embracing central Kennebec, eastern Oxford and
nearly all of Franklin county, beside some of the present Androscoggin
county towns. Farm products and short lumber were brought to Hal-
lowell as a shipping point in large quantities, and the wharves pre-
sented a busy appearance. At this time this town had strong hopes
of becoming the metropolis of the state, and made efforts to divert
the trade of Coos county and the Canadian towns beyond, from Port-
land to the Kennebec. The building of the Atlantic & St. Lawrence
railroad took away the trade of Oxford county, and destroyed all
hopes of changing the direction of the markets for upper New
Hampshire and Canada; the construction of the railroad to Farming-
ton carried the Franklin county trade into another channel, and the
building of the railroad from Waterville to Lewiston, by way of
Winthrop, still further restricted the trade of Kennebec river towns
and left them little more than a mere local business.
The book publishing business, which was at first started in Hal-
lowell on a small scale, in process of time assumed large proportions.
The founder was Ezekiel Goodale, whose book store stood where Leigh
& Wingate's store now is. Mr. Goodale came here in 1802, and at
this time there was no similar store between Portland and Bangor.
To his business he added a printing office in 1813, which was in a
building at the foot of Academy street. In 1819 he commenced the
publication of the Maine Farmer s Almanac, an annual still i.ssued by
his successor. In 1820 he took in as a partner, his nephew and clerk,
Franklin Glazier. Three years later Andrew Masters and Justin E.
Smith were taken into the firm and the name and style became Mas-
ters, Glazier & Smith. At one time Mr. John Merrick appears to have
been in some way connected with the firm.
In 1857 Mr. Glazier retired from the firm, and from that time to
1880, the business was conducted by Andrew Masters and Danforth P.
Livermore, under the firm name of Masters & Livermore. In 1880
the office, including the Maine Farmer's Ahnaiiae, was sold to Charles
E. Nash, and soon after moved to Augusta. The books bearing the
imprint of these several firms are very numerous, and probably ex-
ceed in number those of any other firm in the state. They printed
the Maine Reports, the Revised Statutes and many other law books,
school books in great variety, town and other histories, volumes of
poems, hundreds of pamphlets, and miscellaneous books of various
kinds. They published Williamson's History of Maine and Perleys-
Digest of debates in the convention that framed the constitution of
the state. They did their work thoroughly as the test of time abund-
HALLOWELL. 499
antly shows. Connected with their establishment was a bindery,
which in the various styles of binding, kept abreast of the times.
One of the lost industries of Hallowell, and a very important one
at the time, was the manufacture of pot and pearl ash. Wood was
the only article of fuel used, and the sale of wood ashes was an im-
portant source of income to farmers and others living in this vicinity.
William Livermore manufactured and shipped very large quantities
of the salts of potash in his day.
The power for propelling machinery in Hallowell is furnished by
Vaughans stream, better known as Bombahook brook. This stream is
naturally small, and in modern times, steam power has been exten-
sively used to supplement its limited capacity. In ancient times the
Vaughans had a brewery and a distillery at Sheppard's point, and also
a cotton mill, but none of these enterprises proved successful. The
cotton factory building was long used by William Stickney and Simon
Page as a whiting mill, and a portion of the building was cut away a
few years ago because it interfered with the road. There was also a
rope walk at Sheppard's point, conducted by Mr. Harlow. There was
a linseed oil factory on Bombahook brook many years ago. Fuller's
and McClinch's foundries now occupy the place. George Fuller
started the foundry business, and now his five sons are continuing the
business and prospering. They also own the whiting mill on the
Litchfield road.
Isaiah McClinch came here from Mt.Vernon and at first established
a blacksmith shop. He then built an iron foundry, in which he did an
extensive business. His son, George B. McClinch, and Mr. William
A. Winter now conduct the business. The latter is now mayor of the
city.
An important industry of Hallowell in the olden time was its
fisheries. Herring, shad and salmon were taken here in immense
quantities, and the nicest salmon sold for from four to six cents per
pound. The fish left the Kennebec at this point many years ago,
when the lumber mills were erected.
The oilcloth works on Hinckley's point were first put in operation
in 1840, by Samuel L. Berry. In 18S2 they were operated by Stickney
& Page, in 1859 by Stickney, Page & Co., in 1868 by Page, Wilder &
Co., and since 1872 by A. Wilder & Co. Since Dr. Amos Wilder be-
came connected with the industry, great additions and improvements
have been made and its products now take very high rank.
The oilcloth factory operated by the four Sampson brothers, Ed-
ward, Henry, E. Pope and Alden, was started in 1840 by their father,
Alden Sampson, who also operated large works in what is now Man-
chester. Associated with him here was Elisha E. Rice, and his
brother, William Sampson. The factory building was burned and re-
built in 1847. It gives employment to forty-five men.
500 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
The tanning business has been an important Hallowell industry.
John Atkins and Phineas S\4'eetser were early engaged in the busi-
ne,ss. Frank Atkins is still engaged in tanning. Archibald Home was
a noted man in this line of work, and was highly prosperous. He lived
on Loudon hill, in the house now occupied by Samuel Walker.
A cotton mill, now idle, was erected at Hallowell in 1846, and with
the exception of four years during the civil war and four other years
since, has furnished employment there to a large number of families.
Among the early promoters were Justin E.Smith, John P. Flagg, Eben
G. Dole, Captain Lawson Watts and C. D. Bachelder. In 1886 the
property passed into the hands of Samuel R. Payson, of Boston, and
since 1887 has been known as the Kennebec River Mill. The
building is a substantial brick, with 15,616 spindles, requiring 200
operatives. The looms have been chiefly run on regular sheetings.
■Charles K. Howe, of Hallowell, became agent in 1890.
A large wire factory was started on Bombahook brook a few years
ago. Rev. H. F. Harding and Simon Page were the movers in the
enterprise, which did not prove a success and was soon closed out.
Benjamin Tenney started the manufacture of sand paper here a
few years ago, and the business is still carried on by him and others
as a corporation. The business has been highly prosperous.
Charles and Elias Milliken built a steam mill on Sheppard's wharf,
and the same is still operated by Elias Milliken & Sons, on an exten-
sive scale.
The number of wharves in Hallowell, many of which are now
going to decay, give some idea of the great amount of business done
here in by-gone days. Beginning at the south end of the city proper
there was Sheppard's, afterward Vaughan's wharf, upon which the
steam lumber mills now stand. Next above is Lowell's wharf, owned
by Abner Lowell. The next was known as West's wharf, and the next,
Clark's. David Sewall owned the next one, and William Livermore
the next. The next above was called Kennebec wharf, owned by the
proprietors of Kennebec Row, and a packet line between here and
Boston. Here also was the town landing. The next was Dummer's
wharf and here was the ferry. Next and last was Wyman's wharf,
which was private property. Lovejoy's, afterward Bachelder's wharf,
has since been built.
The first stone from the Hallowell quarries was taken out by John
Haines in 1815, and was used for millstones. In 1820 the first of the
product of the quarry was shipped and carried out of the state to be
used for cornices of the Quincy Market, in Boston. Much of the ma-
terial for the state house in Augusta was taken from Haines' quarry.
From John Haines the property descended to his son, Jonathan
Haines. In 1828 the property was sold to Winslow Hawkes, Levi
Thing, John Gardiner and John Otis, the last named of whom finally
HALLOWELL. OUl
obtained it, and at his death it was sold to A. G. Stinchfield, who dis-
posed of it to J. R. Bodwell, Charles Wilson and William Wilson.
The southwest quarry was once worked by Dr. John Hubbard and
Samuel Longfellow and was known as the Longfellow quarry. Long-
fellow sold a large tract of land, including the quarry, to Mr. Bod-
well. The Hallowell Granite Company was organized in 1871. This
company and its successor, the Hallowell Granite Works, are noticed
at page 184.
The Hallowell Savings Bank was chartered in April, 1854, and or-
ganized for business on the third of July. The first president, Doc-
tor Hubbard, was succeeded by Andrew Masters, and Justin E. Smith,
who served until six years ago, when Eliphalet Rowell became presi-
dent. The treasurer is the venerable Judge Henry K. Baker, who
has served since the bank was organized. Eliphalet Rowell is now
president and trustee, the other trustees being H. K. Baker, .J. H.
Leigh and Ben Tenney.
The Northern National Bank of Hallowell was chartered as No.
532, on the 13th of October, 1864, with an authorized capital of $100,000.
Alden Sampson, the first president, was succeeded by Simon Page,
who served until 1879, when Justin E. Smith was elected, and served
until January before his death, in April, 1888. Since January, 1888,
James H. Leigh has been the president. When Justin E. Smith be-
came president the cashiership, which he had held from the organiza-
tion of the bank, passed to his brother, George R. Smith. In January,
1890, George A. Safford, who had been clerk in the bank, was made
assistant cashier.
The American National Bank was chartered in 1864, and began
business as No. 624 of the national series, with a capital stock of
$75,000. Austin D. Knight was its president until 1871, when Peter
F. Sanborn was elected. Mr. Sanborn held the office at the time of
his death in 1883, when John Graves was elected president. Mr.
Knight, who had from the first given much attention to the manage-
ment of the bank, succeeded A. H. Howard,. the first cashier, in 1872,
and held that position until the close of 1888, excepting a short inter-
val filled by his nephew, Austin Perry. On the first of January,
1889, Wallace H. Perry became the cashier. He had been formerly
assistant to his uncle. Judge Knight, and has been in the bank since
1887. At the expiration of the charter in 1884, instead of running it
under the same name it became the Hallowell National Bank, No.
3,247, with a capital of $50,000, but with the same officers and essen-
tially the same directors and the business continued at the same loca-
tion.
Post Office.— The first post office here was probably established
in 1794, as Hallowell Hook, with Nathaniel Dummer as postmaster.
James Burton was appointed early in 1795, postmaster at Hallowell.
o02
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
His successors have been: Joshua Wingate, appointed February 16,
1802; Amos Nourse, June 26, 1822; Ichabod Nutter, June 15, 1841;
David H. Goodno, July 23, 1845; Thomas Hovey, May 9, 1849; Francis
J. Day, February 23, 1853; Thomas W. Newman, March 30, 1853;
Thomas Hovey, April 10, 1861; Eliphalet Rowell, July 13, 1866; James
Atkins, jun., March 3, 1879; E. Curtis Stevens, February 24, 1883;
Jacob B. Thomas, April 3, 1883; Orlando Currier, January 16, 1888,
and Danny K. Jewell, April 23, 1889.
HALLOWELL SOCIAL LIBRARY BUILDING.
Societies. — What is now the Hallowell Social Library was estab-
lished at a meeting- of citizens February 5, 1842. Andrew Masters
was chosen president, Edward K. Butler, treasurer, and Henry K.
Baker, secretary and librarian. The library commenced its career of
usefulness with 519 volumes, obtained, part by gift and part by pur-
chase. In 1859 it received a donation from the heirs of John Merrick,
and also from the library of George Merrick. About this time, Charles
Vaughan conveyed to the library a brick store, the rental of which
HALLOWELL. 503
was devoted to the purchase of books, and when the building was
sold, the proceeds were invested as a permanent fund to be devoted
to the increase of the library. In 1878 a Library Building Associa-
tion was organized, and in two years, the fine granite structure was
erected, and dedicated March 9, 1880. The exercises consisted of a
historical sketch, address by Rev. H. V. Emmons, and a poem by
Emma Huntington Nason. Generous donations toward the building
were made by Joseph R. Bodwell,the Messrs. Fuller and others. An-
nie F. Page is the librarian. The library now contains not far from
6,000 volumes, many of them rare and valuable.
Kennebec Lodge, No. 5, Free Masons, was chartered by the Grand
Lodge of Massachusetts in 1796. Nathaniel Dummer was the first
master, and John Stratton the first secretary. The following are the
masters who succeeded Mr. Dummer: Benjamin Page, Samuel Colman,
Jonathan Bond, Elias Bond, Dr. Ariel Mann, Henry W. Fuller, Eben
T. Warren, Jesse Robinson, Peleg Sprague, George Farrell, Amos
Nourse, Samuel K. Gilman, Andrew Masters, Thomas Dennis, E. H.
Lombard,. William Nye, Francis J. Day, Stephen Lord, Greenlief Rob-
inson, Daniel Russell, Thomas W. Newman, James M. Sanborn, B. F.
Warner, James Atkins, jun., James J. Jones, F. H. Weymouth, Or-
lando Currier, John D. Hodgdon, H. L. Grindell, E. W. Whitcomb,
Hadley O. Hawes, Ai C. Harrington, E. Curtis Stevens, A. M. Spear,
Marshall A. Nash, Charles K. Tilden, Silas H. Runnels and Isaiah B.
Hosken.
Jen:salem Royal Arch Chapter, K. T., was chartered January 1,
1820. The following is the succession of high priests: Gideon W. 01-
ney, Lawrence Sprague, James L. Child, Ariel Mann, Eben T.Warren,
Jesse Robinson, Peleg Sprague, Amos Nourse, Samuel K. Gilman,
Stephen Lowell, Andrew Masters, Daniel Wadsworth, Stephen Web-
ber, Leroy Bacon, E. A. Chadwick, C. W. Whitmore, M. F. Marble,
Orlando Currier, Daniel C. Stanwood, Austin D. Knight, David Car-
gill, John W. Toward, B. F. Warner, Samuel W. Lane, John W. Rowe,
James Atkins, jun., Milton M. Stone, James A. Jones, Elhanan W.
Whitcomb, Hiram L. Grindell, Hadley O. Hawes, Charles K. Tilden,
Ezra Curtis Stevens, Ai C. Harrington, Marshall A. Nash.
Alpha Council, No. 3, Royal and Select Masters, was instituted in
Hallowell m 1869. Those who have occupied the chair since are:
David Cargill, John W. Rowe, Samuel W. Lane, James J. Jones,
H. L. Grindell, Hadley O. Hawes, Charles K. Tilden, Marshall A.
Nash and James E. Blanchard.
Sanborn Lodge, No. -93, I. O. O. F., was organized October 5, 1882.
Its noble grands have been: Fred E. Beane, Nelson L. Nj'e, Charles
F. Kilbreth, L. D. Merchant, H. W. Flagg, Mahlon S. Spear, John P.
Jewett, Eugene R. Lewis, Arch Campbell, George A. Winslow, Na-
thaniel Niles, John H. Lord, D. K. Jewell, Edward K. Bacon, Augus-
504 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tus Littlefield, Elbridge E. Lehr, George F. Winter, W. A. Emery
and George A. Steward. The present incumbent of the office is.
Frank E. Greeley. Daniel Hanscom has held the office of treasurer
since the Lodge was organized.
Crescent Lodge, No. 3, A. O. U. W., was chartered at Hallowell
June 19, 1880. The following have served as master workmen: Will
S. Thompson, Reuel K. Marriner, William Crush, Daniel B. Lowe,
William H. Foss, Joseph F. Clement, Albert M. Spear, E. R. Lewis^
Frank Atkins, Fred E. Beane, Charles H. Richards, Charles W. How-
ard and John Leighton.
Granite Lodge, No. 50, K. of P., was instituted at Hallowell in
1885. Those who have served as councillors down to and including
1892, are: Fred E. Beane, William Hosken, Frank C. Atkins, Charles
H. Richards, Edward E. Barker, Herbert L. Heald, John S. Hamilton^
George W. Taylor, Edwin W. Maddox, George White and Remington
D. Capen.
Schools. — The cause of education in Hallowell, as elsewhere in
Maine, has been progressive. Sixty-five years ago there were two
schools in the city proper— one in the old brick school house, torn
down in 1840, and the other in a building opposite the South churchy
now used as a dwelling. Master Locke taught in the brick building,
and the other was for small children. Some years later there was an
attempt at graded schools, and J. C. Lovejoy taught for one season a
school in the South school house. Still later, the town house was.
built, and a school room was fitted up on the first floor. The wealthy
families sent their children to the academy. Mr. John A. Vaughan
opened a female academy where the granite offices now are, which
continued a number of years.
In 1840 a determined effort was made for graded schools, and was
carried through. A school house was built, and with few changes,,
the system of schools then adopted has remained to the present
time. A new high school building was dedicated December 20, 1890,
when remarks were made by Major Eliphalet Rowell, architect A. C.
Currier and others. At one time the high school and cla.ssical academy
were united, and under the tuition of Charles Fish and A. W. Burr,,
the school made good progress; but lack of funds brought the institu-
tion to a close, the academy was shut up, and a new high school build-
ing provided for. Emma O. French is now the first lady superintend-
ent of schools for the city.
Hallowell Academy was chartered in 1791, and with the exception
.of Berwick Academy, which was chartered on the same day, is the
oldest chartered institution of its kind in the state. Twenty trustees
were named in the act, and a majority was required to do business.
With the act of incorporation the academy received an endowment of
land, afterward incorporated by the name of Harmony. A building
HALLOWELL. 505
was erected, and first occupied in 1795. In 1804 the building was
burned, and in 1805 another was built on the same spot. In 1803 over
400 different students had been in attendance, and in 1818 over 800.
In 1807 a bell, purchased of Paul Revere and Son, was hung in the bel-
fry. The academy continued to prosper until schools were graded,
and scholars could be fitted for college in the high school. Then its
patronage fell off as it did from all similar institutions in the state.
The early teachers of Hallowell Academy and years of service are
given below; Woodman, 2; Moody, 8; Kinne, 2; Bailey, 1; Webster,
2; Curtis, 3; Folsom, 1; Emery, 1; Webber, 1; Olcott, 1; Hubbard, 1;
Gurley, 1; Packard, 1; Boutelle and Tenney, 1; Greene, 1; Crosby, 1;
Caldwell, 1; Bradbury, 1; Apthorp, 1; Learned, 2: Lovejoy, 1: Munroe,
1; Goodenow, 2; McKown, 1; Blanchard, 1; Parker, 2; Sawyer, 1. This
brings the institution down to 1838. In 1873 its name was changed
to Hallowell Classical Institute, and it was made a Congregational
school and a feeder for Bowdoin College. This did not prove a success,
and for several years the academy has been closed.
Ecclesiastical. — The Congregational or standmg order, as it was
called, was the first church established in Hallowell. This was March
1, 1791, with twelve members. A church edifice called the "Old
South" was erected on the spot where the granite church now stands,
just before the separation of Augusta from Hallowell. The commit-
tee to build the church consisted of Moses Sewall, Robert Randall and
Jason Livermore. Mr. Livermore was the architect and builder.
This has always been the leading religious society in town. A few
years ago, the church edifice, which was of v/ood, was burned, and the
present fine granite building was erected. Among its ministers have
been: Eliphalet Gillett, George Sheppard, Eli Thurston, Americus
Fuller, Mr. Rogers, Horatio Q. Butterfield, Mr. White and Edward
Chase, the present incumbent.
Mr. Gillett, the first pastor, was ordained August 12, 1795, and dis-
missed May 12, 1827. He was a man of distinguished ability and
many of his discourses were printed in pamphlet form. His successor.
Rev. George Sheppard, was ordained March 5,1828. The first deacons
were: Obadiah Harris, Henry Sewall, James Gow and Ebenezer Dole,
and the latter was also treasurer. Samuel K. Gilman was the first
scribe. The twelve original members were: Benjamin Pettengill,
Obadiah Harris, Henry Sewall, James Gow, Samuel Babcock, Jeremiah
Babcock, Jonathan Davenport, William McMasters, Jason Livermore,
Shubael Hinckley, Molly Page and Keziah McMasters. In 1835 the
whole number admitted had been 332, and the number of members-
in good standing at that time was 207.
The first Methodist sermon preached in the Kennebec valley was
delivered in the Academy building in Hallowell, October 13, 1793, by
506 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Rev. Jesse Lee, of Virginia. Mr. Lee went to Farmington, but re-
turned to Hallowell, and preached here again on the 20th. In 1800
Epaphras Kibby preached by invitation, at Hallowell, in the school
house, on the east side of the river. At this meeting, twin brothers,
Melville B. and Gershom F. Cox, were presented for baptism, and both
became ministers. The " new lights," as they were called, met with
much opposition, and the school house where they held their meetings
was often a.ssaulted by those of the baser sort. Hallowell circuit was
.set off from the circuit of Readfield, in 1802. In 1810, largely through
the influence of Sullivan Kendall, Peter Clark, John Haskell, Gershom
F. Cox and a few others, a small chapel was built on Academy
street, on the lot occupied afterward by the Thomas Hovey house.
In 1826 measures were taken to build a house of worship, a lot was
secured where the church now stands, and in November of this year,
the church was dedicated. There have been various improvements
since that time. Among the pastors here have been: Zachariah Gib-
son, S. Hillman, John Atwell and Henry Butler. The preachers of
this denomination have been: Melville B. Cox, who became the first
foreign missionary of the denomination and who died in Liberia in
1833; his brother, Gershom F. Cox; Comfort L. Haskell, Leonard H.
Bean, Isaac Lord and Josiah Bean.
The first regular effort to found a Baptist church in Hallowell was
made by Rev. Henry Kendall, of Litchfield. Meetings were held in
private houses, and then in a school house, but this was soon refused
him. Meetings were then held in an old building standing where
the soldiers' monument now is and then at the " Democratic Reading
Room," at Niles' Corner. A church was organized in 1807, with three
members, but in September of the same year, it numbered twenty-
one. James Hinckley was the first deacon. They built a church on
Winthrop street, which was burned, and then they purchased the
Unitarian church edifice. Some of the pastors of this church have
been: John Robinson, Winthrop Morse, Daniel Cheesman, Henry
Fitz, Arthur Drinkwater and S. Adlam.
The Unitarians formed a church here in 1823, when Rev. Stevens
Everett came and preached in the academy for about a year, and a
society was formed. This society embraced many of the wealthiest
men in the place, and soon they set about building a church edifice.
This was the same building now owned by the Baptist society, but it
has been much modified. Mr. Everett was succeeded after a few years
by Rev. Henry A. Miles. The society was now in the zenith of its
prosperity, and its meetings were fully attended. Then came Rev.
Jonathan Cole, who had a long pastorship, but during this period great
changes took place. The society was thinned by death and by remov-
als from town, and after Rev. Mr. Squires had occupied the pulpit for
HALI.OWELI.. 507
a year, and others for short periods, the meetings were suspended, and
finally the church edifice was sold to the Baptists.
The Free Baptists early formed a society here and later built a
church edifice on Academy street. The society flourished for a time,
then ran down, and their church was sold and changed to a dwelling
house. After a few years interest in the society was revived and
another building was put up, and meetings have been occasionally
held there. The society has never been very prosperous.
A Universalist society was organized here, but the date is not
known. Among the early ministers were Rev. Nathaniel Gunnison
and Rev. Darius Forbes. They have a good church edifice, erected in
1843, and sustain preaching a large part of the time. For a few years
past they have united either with Augusta or Gardiner in the support
of preaching.
The Church of the Sacred Heart (Roman Catholic) was until re-
cently a mission dependent upon St. Mary's. It is now an independ-
ent parish, with Rev. John P. Nelligan, pastor. Dependent upon this
is the Catholic mission at Togus, which has formerly been supplied
by Father McCarthy, of St. Joseph's, at Gardiner.
Cemetery. — The present fine cemetery in Hallowell, situated on
the Augusta road, and which does great credit to the people of the
town, is but an extension of the old one. The southeastern portion is
what constituted the old burying ground. The first interment here,
as shown by the inscription on the headstone, was in 1800. This stone
was erected in memory of Obadiah Harris, the first deacon of the First
church in Hallowell. Deacon Harris lived on a farm beyond the
quarry. The first hearse was built in 1816, by Mr. Partridge. Moses
Palmer built a tomb here in 1815; Major Page built one in 1826, and
others have since been built by Jo.seph Wingate, Thomas Metcalf,
Isaac Pillsbury and John Dorr. The cemetery now contains many
fine specimens of monumental work, including the shaft erected in
memory of Hallowell's soldiers who fell in the war of the rebellion.
Civil History.— The Selectmen of the town of Hallowell, the first
year, and the number of years each has served, have been: 1771, Pease
Clark, 2, James Howard, Jonathan Davenport, 3; 1772, Peter Hopkins,
Daniel Savage, 11, Samuel Bodcock; 1773, Ezekiel Page, James Cocks,
8; 1774, Benjamin White, 2, Samuel Bullen, 2; 1775, Nathaniel Floyd,
2; 1776, Josiah French, 2; 1778, David Thomas, 2; 1779, Levi Robin-
son; 1780. William Howard, 3, Amos Pollard; 1782, Benjamin Petten-
gill, Isaac Clark, 2, Samuel Dutton; 1784, Ephraim Ballard, 4; 1786,
Daniel Cony, 2, Henry vSewall, 6; 1787, James Carr, 6, Brown Emerson;
1788, James Page; 1789, Joseph North; 1790, Lazarus Goodwin; 1791,
William Brooks, 3; 1793, Elias Craig. 3; 1794, Nathaniel Dummer, 3,
Matthew Hayward, 2; 1795, Joseph Smith, 7; 1796, Seth Williams,
Beriah Ingraham; 1797, Robert Randall, 2, Peter Grant, 4; 1799,
508 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Thomas Fillebrown, 5; 1800, Benjamin Poor; 1801, John Sewall, 12,
Dr. James Parker; 1803, Isaac Pillsbury, Edmund Dana, 3; 1804, Will-
iam Springer, 2; 1807, Samuel Moody, 13; 1810, Nathan Bachelder, 3;
1813, John Agry, 2, Levi Morgan, 5, William H. Page, 2; 1815, Jacob
Abbott, jun., 3, Nathaniel Cheever, 3; 1818, James Clark, 2, William
G. Warren, 8; 1819, Samuel G. Ladd, 3, Benjamin Wales, 4; 1822, John
Merrick, 3, William Clark, 9, John Dunn; 1825, Samuel K. Gilman, 11;
1829, Nathaniel Stevens, William W. Fuller, 2; 1831, John D. Lord,
William Winslow, 3; 1832, James Clark; 1833, James Atkins, 7; 1834,
Aaron H. Davis, 3; 1836, Samuel Locke, 5; 1838, Thomas M. Andrews,
6; 1839, Benjamin F. Melvin, 11; 1841, Ebenezer Freeman; 1844, Jo-
seph D. Lord; 1845, George Carr, 4. For 1850 and 1851 there is no
record.
The Town Clerks were: Jonathan Davenport, elected in 1771;
Daniel Savage, 1773; Daniel Cony, 1785; Joseph North, 1789; Henry
Sewall, 1790; Moses Sewall, 1797; Benjamin Poor, 1798; John Sewall,
1802; Samuel G. Ladd, 1818; John Sewall, 1819; Samuel Locke, 1821;
John Brown, 1832; Silvanus W. Robinson, 1838; Justin E. Smith,
1840; and Thomas Hovey, from 1845, until the city was incorporated
in 1821.
The Mayors, with the year of election of each, have been: Rufus
K. Page, 1852; A. H. Howard, 1855; Jesse Aiken, 1857; Henry Cooper,
1859; Moses B. Lakeman, 1860; Simon Page, 1866; James Atkins, jun.,
1869; John H. Lowell, 1873; Peter F. Sanborn, 1874; John H. Lowell,
1875; John W. Clark, 1876; George S. Fuller, 1878; Joseph R. Bodwell,
1880; James H. Leigh, 1881; James J. Jones, 1883; Joseph R. Bodwell,
1884; Augustine Lord, 1885; J. Warren Fuller, 1887; B. F. Warner,
1889; Eliphalet Rowell, 1890; Fred E. Beane, in 1891; and William A.
Winter in 1892.
City Clerks: Justin E. Smith, 1852; Thomas Hovey, 1855; J. Q. A.
Hawes, 1872; A. H. Davis, 1874; J. Edwin Nye, 1879; D. K. Jewell,
1888; George A. Safford, 1890, and C. F. Kilbreth in 1892.
Treasurers: Peter Atherton, ]852; Ezra S. Smith, 1867; Hiram Ful-
ler, 1869; James H. Leigh, 1876; John Graves, 1880; W. H. Norcross,
1882: G. A. Bullen, 1884, and Charles K. Tilden in 1886.
The Presidents of the Common Council have been: Andrew Ma.s-
ters from 1852; E. K. Butler, 1855; E. Rowell, 1857; D. D. Lakeman,
1859; Austin D. Knight, 1862; D. D. Lakeman, 1864; Mark Johnson,
1865; J. O. A. Hawes, 1866; James H. Leigh, 1867; I. F. Thomp.son,
1869; H. A. Brooks, 1870; J. J. Jones, 1872; A. P. Macomber, 1873; Jus-
tin E. Smith, 1874; Charles B. Johnson, 1875; J. W. Fuller, 1876; A. D.
Niles, 1877; Samuel B. Glazier, ]878; A. D. Niles, 1879; J. J. Jones,
1880; J. B. Thomas, 1881; L F. McClench, 1883; Ai C. Harrington,
1884; C. H. Kilbreth, 1885; M. W. Boyd, 1886; L. H. Grindell, 1887; D..
HALLOWEI-L. ^^^
E. Shea, 1889; L. H. Grindell, 1890; J. R. Gould, 1891, and J. F. Bod-
well in 1892.
At the first meeting after the separation from Augusta m 1797, the
following names were placed in the jury box— indicating who were the
leading men in Hallowell after the separation: John Beeman, Andrew
Goodwin, Elisha Nye, James Cocks, Jason Livermore, David Sewall,
Joseph Smith, Thomas Fillebrown, Chandler Robins, Edmund Green-
leaf, Edmund Dana, Alfred Martin, Peter Grant, Lemuel Tobey, Mar-
tin Brewster, James Hinckley, Isaac Pilsbury, James Springer, John
O. Page, William Springer, John Stratton, Shubael Hinckley, Elipha-
let Gilman, Benjamin Guild, Samuel Norcross, Benjamin Stickney,
Joseph White, Enoch Greely, John Couch, Moses Springer, Philip
Norcross, Abner Lowell, Benjamin Prescott, Levi Morgan, Josiah
Buswell, Harlow Harris, Henry Smith, Moses Palmer, Joseph Glidden,
Gershom Cocks, Rowland Smith, Eben Church, Samuel Bullen, Will-
iam Dorr, Elections Hoyt, Ebenezer Phelps, Thomas Hinckley, Na-
thaniel Shaw, William Morse, Nathaniel Rollins, Benjamin Allen,
Stephen Osgood, Joshua Wingate, jun., Samuel E. Dutton, Daniel
Carr, James Lothrop, Hugh Cocks, Samuel Carr, Nathaniel Colcord,
Joseph Dummer, David Day, James Partridge, George Gardner, James
Gow, Daniel Herd, Nathaniel Kent, Ephraim Lord, Tristram Locke,
Samuel Manning, Shubael West, James Atkins, Nathaniel Tilton, Na-
thaniel Folsom, Gideon Gilman, Moses Carr.
There was ever a rivalry between the people at the Fort settle-
ment (Augusta) and those at the Hook (Hallowell), and for many
years Hallowell took the lead. To show the diflEerence in the business
of the two places in 1821, the next year after Maine became a state,
the following figures are given: Dwelling houses in the village at
Hallowell, 187; in Augusta, 84; population of Hallowell village, 1,942;
of Augusta, 1,000; printing offices, Hallowell, 2; Augusta, none; book-
stores, Hallowell, 3; Augusta, 1; newspapers, Hallowell, 2; Augusta
none; tons shipping, Hallowell, 3,906; Augusta, 105; stock m trade,
Hallowell, $47, 965, Augusta, $10,842; valuation of estates, Hallowell,
$315,000; Augusta, §194,000.
The following is a recapitulation of the names of localities: Hallo-
well was called by the Indians Medumcook, by the early settlers Bom-
bahook, and subsequently, the Hook. The brook now called Vaughan's
brook was early known as Bombahook brook, and for short. Bom
brook. The plain above the cemetery was known as Hinckley's plain,
and the point where Doctor Wilder's oilcloth factory is was known as
Hinckley's point. Sheppard's point, at the lower end of the village,
was so called from John Sheppard, an Englishman, who once owned
it. Joppa was the name given to the lower part of the village. Loudon
hill is on the Gardiner road and Bowman's point was in the present
town of Farmingdale.
510 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
In the early part of this century there was no place in Maine that,
from a business standpoint, stood higher than Hallowell, and socially
and intellectually it had few, if any equals. The Vaughans, the Mer-
ricks, the Moodys, the Sewalls, the Dutnmers and many others, whose
names are omitted for the sake of brevity, were men and women of
education and refinement, and imparted to Hallowell society a char-
acter and tone which gave it a wide celebrity. Business prosperity
enabled them to erect beautiful homes and to elegantly furnish them.
Some of these old mansion houses are still standing, but from most '
of them the glory of other days has departed. Circumstances over
which the people could have no control have diverted the once large
business of Hallowell into other channels and left the city but the
shadow of her former self. This statement is made only in compari-
son, for Hallowell still has many prosperous busine.ss establishments
and many able and energetic business men. The people, also, from
an educational, moral and religious standpoint, are in no respect in-
ferior to the people in the neighboring towns and cities. But Hallo-
well in the early part of the century was the most thriving town on
the Kennebec, and now she is obliged to take a position much lower
down in the scale. The cities of Gardiner and Augusta have pros-
pered, but not at the expense of Hallowell. In later years they have
had the advantage of more capital, to say nothing of superior natural
advantages of situation and water power.
Hallowell has ever been a loyal and patriotic town. A number of
the early settlers left their rude homes and half cleared farms to par-
ticipate in the war for independence. In the second v/ar with Great
Britain, which nearly ruined the commerce of Hallowell, her citizens
enlisted freely to serve on land and sea. Her numerous sailors made
excellent material for the navy, and quite a number who enlisted in
this arm of the service never lived to return. In the late war some
of her best citizens joined the army for the preservation of the Union,
and all the quotas assigned her were promptly and cheerfully filled.
Her record in all respects as a town and city is free from blot or
stain.*
The extension of the railroad to Augusta in 1851 may be said to
mark the decadence of Hallowell as a commercial city, and from that
time the thoughtful people were looking toward manufacturing enter-
prises as the foundation of its future importance. Local capitalists,
in 1886, united to secure a shoe manufactory in the city. At this time
Johnson Brothers (practical shoe men), of Lynn, Mass., were seeking
a new location and additional capital, and were induced to locate here.
The city made generous provisions for tax exemptions. Governor
Bodwell, Emory A. Sanborn, Colonel Livermore, Samuel Currier, jun..
B. F. Warner, J. W. Fuller and others were among the promoters. A
*Dr. Lapham's Hallowell manuscript ends here. — [Ed.
building was erected in 1887 and business began in October of that
year. In 1888 the interests were incorporated, with Emory A. San-
born, president; William C. Johnson, general manager and salesman,
and Richardson M. Johnson, secretary and treasurer. The business
now furnishes employment for seventy-five people, producingjeOO pairs
per day of ladies', misses', and children's medium fine wear.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
William P. Atherton, born in Bath, Me., in 1833, is a son of Peter
and Mary (Copeland) Atherton, who came from Massachusetts to Bath,
and in 1834 to Hallowell, there they bought a farm of Captain Abram
Thing. In 1846 they exchanged farms with Captain Levi Thing, thus
securing the farm where William P. now lives. The house was built
by Jonathan Haines in 1806. Mr. Atherton's brother, Horatio N., a
soldier, discharged in 1861 on account of ill health, was associated
with him in farming and orcharding until his death in 1878. These
orchards (about fifteen acres) yielded 600 barrels of choice apples in
1891, shipped direct to Liverpool. Mrs. W. P. Atherton was Susan
Parsons, of York, Me. Of their six children but three are living:
Charles Warren, assisting his father on the farm; Frank Copeland,
and Mary Sophia Atherton.
Greenlief Clark, born in 1813, son of James and grandson of Peter
Clark, married Martha, daughter of Braddock Hathaway. She died
April 11, 1887. Her only child, Charles G., died in 1865. Mr.
Clark's neice— Mrs. Mattie E. Dunlap— has lived with the family since
1883.
George Albert Clark, brother of Greenlief, was born in 1817, mar-
ried Emma J. Hildreth, daughter of Robert, and granddaughter of
Paul Hildreth, of West Gardiner, and has one son, George Edward
Clark.
Alexander C. Currier, born April 16, 1831, in Readfield, was a son
of Samuel and Eunice Jane (Mace) Currier, grandson of Nathaniel
and Polly (Veasey) Currier, and great-grandson of Greeley Currier, of
Brentwood, N. H. Mr. Currier lived in Hallowell from 1839 until
his death, April 24, 1892, with the exception of the time that his
various mechanical and architectural occupations have taken him to
other states. In the latter years of his life he was draughtsman for
the Hallowell Granite Company. He married Ellen E. Peckham.
Their son, Alger V., began the study of fine arts in Boston in 1883
and in 1885 went to Paris, where, after a three years' course, he dis-
tinguished himself by exhibiting four pictures at the Salon Exhibi-
tion, they being the only ones he oftered for exhibition. He has been
at home since his grandfather's death in 1888, having been engaged
with the care of his estate.
Augustus N. Currier, born December 18, 1832, in Readfield, is
512 ' HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
brother of Alexander C. Currier. He came to live at his present
home in IS.^.^ with his parents, his father having bought the farm of
one hundred acres in 1839, and subsequently built the present resi-
dence near where the buildings of the original settlers (the Vaughans)
was built. Mr. Currier is a farmer, and at the death of his father,
February 26, 1888 he came into possession of his farm of some 600
acres. He married Mary, daughter of Gabriel Dennis. She was born
in Liberty, Me., June 13, 1836. Their sons are; Herbert E., born
November 12, 1862, and Judson Samuel, born May 22, 1866.
John L. French, born in 1809, at Seabrook, Mass., was a son of
Enoch and Sarah (Libby) French, who settled in West Gardiner in
1812. Mr. French was a blacksmith and edge tool manufacturer in
Chelsea from 1830 until a few years before his death, which occurred
in 1884. His wife was Aurelia Littlefield, of Chelsea. Of their
eleven children seven are now living: Caroline (Mrs. Ira Clough),
Julia (Mrs. Nathaniel L. Francis), Susan (Mrs. Austin E. Wallace),
Harriet E., Emma O., Stephen H. and Charles F., who is married and
resides at Santa Rosa, California. The home, which was formerly
the Charles Vaughan farm, is now occupied by Stephen H. and
Emma O.
Judge Austin D. Knight was born March 21, 1823, in Lincolnville,
Me., which was the native place of his father, Nathan Knight, who
was the son of Nathaniel Knight, of Westbrook, Me., whose ancestors
came from England. Nathaniel Knight and his son, Nathan, were
both merchants. Nathan was the seventh son in a family of eight
children, the youngest being a daughter. He married Lucy, daughter
of Samuel Dean, of Lincolnville. They had eight children — six girls
and two boys— only two of whom are now living: Austin D. and one
sister, now Mrs. Captain Ephraim Perry, of Hallowell.
Besides attending common school, Austin was one of a class of
thirteen boys who were placed under the tutorship of Rev. Edward
Freeman, in Camden, Me., who took his pupils through a course of
study so thorough that they were fitted to enter Waterville College
two years in advance. Instead of going to college, Austin read law
and prepared for a professional career. About this time the activities
of trade made the mercantile outlook more promising in the eyes of
our young man, than the legal; and feeling that his general and special
education were good business capital, he dropped the law and became
a merchant. Ship supplies were his specialty, to which he added the
building of ships. Quicklime was then shipped in vessels to many
southern cities, and Mr. Knight became a large jobber in this article.
November 20, 1851, he married Julia A., daughter of Henry Cre-
hore, of Maiden, Mass. After a profitable and honorable following of
the kinds of business described for more than fifteen years, he dis-
posed of his Lincolnville enterprises and came, in 1858, to Hallowell,
:f.. \'M*^
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HALLOWELL. 513
where he bought a small farm and settled down to take a rest. But
his active organization and habits of work demanded occupation. He
discovered that the material was sufficient and concluded that the
■conditions were favorable for a national bank in Hallowell. Among
his friends who entertained the same views was John Graves; and
the movements from which resulted the inauguration of the American
National Bank were the direct result of their wise counsels and united
efforts. Mr. Knight was elected its first president, serving from 1864
to 1871. From 1871 to 1888 he was cashier, with the exception of a
few months, and he became well known as an expert judge of money.
Although nominally retired, he still retains a seat as director of
the bank whose interests have always been the subject of his special
care.
In 1876 he was first elected judge of the municipal court of Hal-
lowell, and his reelections for twelve years attest the public approval
of the impartial manner in which he held the scales of justice,
and administered the duties of this difficult, often thankless, but
always important judicial position. Judge Knight has also served the
city eleven years in its legislative councils, generally as alderman. For
over forty years he has been active and zealous in the ranks of Masonry,
with an extended reputation for knowledge and experience of its
workings, and devotion to its beneficent teachings and provisions. He
was made a master Mason in Camden Lodge in 1848, and since that
time by rapid and regular promotion he has ascended the fascinating
scale of ancient and mystic rites, to the thirty-second degree — the
highest honor but one. He also belongs to the numerous and honor-
able order of Odd Fellows, and has been identified with the temper-
ance movement almost from boyhood, joining the Sons of Temper-
ance in 1846.
Judge Knight has been an extensive traveler. With characteristic
good sense he first became familiar with his own country, visiting
every state but two, making a prolonged .stay in Colorado, California
and New Mexico. Besides a thorough knowledge of the Canadas, he
has traveled leisurely through England, Ireland and Scotland, and
extensively through seven of the nations of the continent, Austria
being the most easterly point. Politically he was a democrat until
the formation of the republican party, to whose interests and faith he
has since been devoted. His successful and honorable career has
been marked by high aims, practical duties, intelligent action and
strict integrity. He has been blessed with a most excellent wife, is
social in his nature, and together they enjoy and dispense the charms
of an attractive and hospitable home to a wide circle of friends.
Colonel D. P. Livermore, born December 20, 1804, at Canton, Me.,
is a son of William and Sarah (Taylor) Livermore, and grandson of
Dea. Elijah Livermore, who was the original settler of Livermore, Me.,
514 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUXTV.
and for whom that town was named. Colonel Livermore came to Hal-
lowell with his parents in 1806. Here he received his education in the
common school and academy. At the age of thirteen he began as
merchant's clerk, and eighteen months later he began the printers"
trade. He was many years the junior partner of the firms of Masters,
Smith & Co., and Masters & Livermore, publishers of Maine Farviers'
Almanac, Maine Reports, etc. He was elected colonel of regiment of
artillery con.sisting of the artillery companies of Hallowell, Waterville,
Readfield and Monmouth. He was manager of the Western Union
Telegraph Company, at Hallowell, from 1850 until 1892. In 1828 he
married Emeline Spaulding, who died in April, 1891. Their five
children were: Emma Francis (deceased), William Danforth deceased),
Sarah M. (deceased), Sarah S. (now Mrs. Charles E. Nash) and Charles .
D., now manager of the Western Union Telegraph office at Portland,
Me.
Abner Lowell built the first brick building still standing in that
part of Hallowell called " Joppa," and kept a store in it. He and his
son, William, about 1825, built the river packet ^//.rrt', which ran in the
Boston passenger service. In 1827 William married Eliza Clark, sister
of Greenlief, George A. and Maria, children of James Clark, and died
at sea in 1831. His only child, Albert Lowell, died unmarried, in 1865.
Major Eliphalet Rowell. — This citizen of Hallowell comes of
sturdy, patriotic New England stock. His grandfather, Eliphalet
Rowell, moved from New Hampshire to Livermore, Me., where his
father, Abijah Rowell, was born in 1795, the only boy in a family of
five children. Eliphalet was born May 28, 1822. His mother's father
was Moses Warren, a revolutionary soldier, who moved from Water-
town, Mass., to the town of Jay, Me., where he died at the age of
seventy-five. Major Rowell well remembers hearing his grandfather
tell about Bunker Hill and other battles he was in.
Both of the major's parents lived to a great age; his father to
eighty-nine years and six months, and his mother to ninety-six years
and two months. Abijah Rowell was a farmer, in which calling his son,
Eliphalet, grew to the age of sixteen, when he left home and went to
Brunswick, Me., and entered the office of Thomas W. Newman, to
learn the printers' trade. In September, 1839, Mr. Newman left
Brunswick and came to Hallowell, and founded the Maine Cultivator
and Hallozvell Gazette. Eliphalet came with him and worked on the
newspaper until 1843, when he took a term of stud}' in the Hallowell
Academy, then taught school two terms in his native town of Liver-
more, working during the summer of 1844 on the Boston Post, his case
being next to that of B. P. Shillaber, who, as " Mrs. Partington," has
since convulsed the world. In 1845 Mr. Rowell returned from Boston
to Hallowell and bought a half interest in the newspaper and printing-
concern of his old employer — Thomas W. Newman. The firm of
£.
HALLOWELL. 515
Newman & Rowell existed until June, 1852, when Hiram L. Wing
bought Mr. Newman's interest and the new firm of publishers and
printers became Rowell & Wing. This continued for two years, when
Mr. Rowell bought his partner's interest and was sole proprietor
to 1859.
At this time Charles E. Nash, a former apprentice, who had grown
up with the business, bought a half interest and Rowell & Nash were
in partnership until June, 1862, when Mr. Nash went into the army
and stayed three years. In 1865 he returned from the war and pur-
chased the entire business of Mr. Rowell, whose continuous connection
as proprietor, in whole or in part, of the Maine Cultivator and Halloivell
Gazette, had lasted through twenty-six consecutive years. The ability,
labor and care required to conduct so able a paper, so long a time, are
worthy of the monument it has erected to their memory.
During the war Mr. Rowell was appointed paymaster in the army^
and was stationed six months in Philadelphia, then at Fortress Mon-
roe until June, 1865, with rank of major. In 1866 he received the ap-
pointment of postmaster at Hallowell, which he retained for the long
period of twelve years.
Major Rowell was elected to the legislature in 1858, and his reelec-
tion in 1861, and again in 1880 and 1881, is the record of approval that
his constituents endorsed upon his services. He has also served
m both branches of the city government, and in 1890 was chosen and
served as mayor of Hallowell. He is now the municipal judge of the
city.
In 1877 he was elected treasurer of the Maine Industrial School for
Girls at Hallowell, and soon became business manager, holding this
office for two years, when he was elected superintendent and treas-
urer, and has since continued to manage with great fidelity and good
judgment the difficult affairs of this worthy institution. Major Row-
ell's financial standing is indicated by the position of president of the
Hallowell Savings Institution, which he has held for the past six
years.
Before the republican party had an existence, Major Rowell was a
whig— since then a staunch republican. In 1844 he joined the First
Baptist church of Hallowell. The records contain the names of but
few persons now alive who were members when he joined — nearly
half a century ago. His activity and zeal in all Bible class, Sunday
school and church work are well known. In temperance reforms and
organizations his position has been always in the foremost ranks. In
a word. Major Rowell has always been a man of strong convictions,
and never lacking the courage to declare them.
He married in 1844, Ellen Frances, daughter of Captain Samuel
Smith, a shipmaster of Hallowell. Their seven children have been:
George S., Edmund P., Lizzie F., Emeline P., Ellen F., William W>
■516 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
■and Lillie P. Of these only two are living: George S. Rowell, editor
of the Portland Daily Advertiser, and William W. Rowell, formerly-
business manager of the Atcburn Gazette, but now in Minneapolis, Min-
nesota.
George R. Smith, born in 1811, at Hallowell, is a son of Stevens
and Nancy (Robinson) Smith, and grandson of Nathaniel vSmith, of
Monmouth, Me. He was for forty-six years a resident of Bangor, but
returned to Hallowell to assist his brother, Justin E., as cashier of the
Northern National Bank, and in February, 1879, became cashier, which
■office he held until January, 1892, when he retired, and returned to
his old home in Bangor. His marriage was with Caroline H. Tarbox.
Their children are: Henry T., of Troy, N. Y.; Fred B., of Chicago,
111.; Julia A., at home; and Mary D. (Mrs. F. H. C. Reynolds).
George F. Wingate is a son of Francis and Martha (Savery)
Wingate, and grandson of Joseph Wingate, who came from Ames-
bury, Mass., and settled in Hallowell. Mr. Wingate began as clerk
with Thomas Leigh in 18,57, and three years later became a partner,
and has since been the junior member of the firm of Leigh & Win-
gate. He married Emma, daughter of James Myers. Their children
are: Mary, Florence M. and Frank 8.
CHAPTER XX.
TOWN OF PARMINGDALE.
A. C. STILPHEN,
Location.-Settlement and Settlers.— Incorporation.-Natural Features.-CiviT
Lists.— Valuation and Appropriations.— Schools.— Present Condition.— Per-
sonal Paragraphs.
THE territory now in Farmingdale was at its settlement included,
in nearly equal parts, in the old towns of Hallowell and Pittston,
afterward Gardiner, and its early history, while cherished as its
own, is also a part of the history of those towns. December 17, 1760,
the proprietors of the Kennebec Purchase granted to Dr. Sylvester
Gardiner great lot No. 20, which began on the westerly side of the
Kennebec river, near the north bank of the Cobbosseecontee. and ex-
tended northerly on the river a distance of one mile at right angles
from the side line and running back from the river northwesterly five
miles, making a tract of five square miles; and on the same day they
granted the next northerly lots. No. 21 to James Pitts and No. 22 to
Benjamin Hallowell. The.se grants were on condition that the grantees
should each " settle a family on his lot within one year unless pre-
vented by a war." Upon these lots were the settlements made which
were later to form the town of Farmingdale.
Doctor Gardiner conveyed the north half of lot No. 20 to Thomas
Hancock, of Boston, January 8, 1761, subject to the settler's condition,
and in compliance with that Mr. Hancock " settled " Jonathan Phil-
brook on the northeasterly corner of the tract on a one hundred acre
lot, having fifty rods frontage on the river and extending northwest
on the line of the tract one mile, upon the then usual condition that
he should clear land and erect a house, and that being done he con-
veyed the lot to Philbrook April 25, 1762. Mr. Pitts, to comply with
the terms of his grant, " settled Job Philbrook on a similar adjoining
lot in the southeast corner of lot No. 21, and conveyed it to Philbrook
April 30, 1762, and thus Jonathan and Job Philbrook became the first
settlers of Farmingdale. The Philbrooks' nearest neighbors were
Pease and Peter Clark, father and son, two miles away on the north,,
and the settlers below the Cobbossee on the south.
518 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Job Philbrook made some improvements on his lot and, December
28, 1765, conveyed it to Joshua Philbrook, who conveyed it, October
29, 1767, to Jonathan Church, of Barrington, N. H., conditioned that
the grantee shall " clear not less than five acres of land within three
years, and shall build a house on same and shall occupy said house by
himself or some other person for seven years," thus showing that the
improvements made by the Philbrooks, though sufficient to confirm
the title, were not extensive.
Jonathan Church, who probably never moved here, had two sons
— Ebenezer and Benjamin. Ebenezej: settled on this lot and became
its owner. He erected a large two story house, which was still stand-
ing within ten years, and of which the cellar still remains, some thirty
or forty rods back from the highway, and in the gully just south of
this he erected a tannery and for years carried on business there as a
tanner. He was the first permanent settler in this town, and became
a prominent and influential man in the later settlement and affairs of
Hallowell and Gardiner. He married Sarah Wmslow, an older sister
of the first white child born in Pittston, and they had thirteen chil-
dren, of whom the eldest daughter. Charity, married Ichabod Plaisted,
the ancestor of the Plaisteds of Gardiner.
Mr. Church died in 1810, and Mr. Plaisted, as administrator, in set-
tling his estate, sold the farm February 23, 1813, and shortly after
that it became the property of William Marshall, a son of Anna Mar-
shall, forming, with the part of the " Pierpont lot " already owned by
him, the farm which he sold March 28, 1834, to Daniel Lancaster. It
is now the well-known " Pine Tree Stock Farm."
The lot which the settler, Jonathan Philbrook, had from Thomas
Hancock, who by the way was the Boston merchant of noble fame and
uncle of John Hancock, was conveyed by Philbrook to Robert Pier-
pont, of Boston, September 23, 1775, by mortgage deed and title after-
ward become absolute in Pierpont, and it was long known as the
" Pierpont Lot."
May 20, 1773, Mr. Pierpont conveyed it by deed of gift to " my
young and beloved kinsman, James Pierpont Fellows, a minor and
son of Gustavus Fellows, of Boston," and later Gustavus Fellows suc-
ceeded his son and by him it was conveyed to Moody Haskell, of Ips-
wich, Mass, November 17, 1800, and the following year Haskell con-
veyed five acres in the southeast corner of the lot to Dr. James Parker,
then owner of adjoining land, and the remainder to William Mar-
shall. There had been several temporary houses and settlers near
the river on this lot, but I fail to find any evidence of a permanent
settler before Mr. Marshall.
Both north and south of these lots was for years after their settle-
ment an unbroken wilderness from the " Hook " to the Cobbosseecon-
TOWN OF FARMINGDAT.E. 519
tee, and in 1787 Mr. Church's and a small house near his were the only
houses between the present pottery lot and Captain Smith's house,
which stood on the northerly corner formed by the intersection of the
Loudon Hill road in Hallowell, where a settlement had then lately
been begun.
The only road then existing between the Cobbossee and Hallowell
was a mere bridle path through the woods and skirting the bank of
the river about where the road now lies from Bridge street, in Gardi-
ner, to the gully just south of the homestead of the late Captain A.
Rich, whence it continued along near the bank over the spot where
Captain Rich's blacksmith shop now stands, over a rude bridge across
the deep gully and then bending westerly around the high gravel
bank and then again near the river near where the railroad lies, till it
reached and crossed the mill brook by another bridge, when it turned
sharply to the west and followed the bank of the brook to the present
location of the road at Atkins' wool shop, which it then followed over
Loudon hill. The present location of this road was established by
the court of general sessions December 10, 1799, and relocated Octo-
ber 5, 1807, and again more elaborately and with a plan December
29, 1823.
The next important road located was that from Loudon hill, fol-
lowing- the high lands in its earlier course and after about a half a
mile keeping the center line of the Pitts tract (No. 21) through to the
Wmthrop pond, while the " old post road " was established some years
later.
Along these three roads the earlier settlers all then sought their
homes and it is fitting that their location should be noted and pre-
served.
The Pitts lot was first generally settled. At about the close of the
revolutionary war, Joshua Bean, of Readfield, and Colonel Samuel
Greeley, of Gilmanton, N. H., purchased the Pitts tract (No. 21) ex-
cepting the church lot, together with land in rear of same to Win-
throp pond, but their title was not fully confirmed till 1799. In the
meantime they had divided the tract between themselves, and had it
surveyed, and a plan of the subdivisions and lots made by Dr. Obediah
Williams, and many of the lots had been bargained to settlers and
entered upon and improved by them. All the lots were conveyed by
the Williams plan, but it was not recorded, and diligent search has
not enabled me to find a copy of it in existence. The descriptions in
the deeds show that the northeasterly corner of the lot, at and im-
mediately south of the mouth of the Mill brook, was divided into some
twenty house lots and small lots of from one to eight acres each, and
that apparently for the accommodation of persons already located on
part of them. Below them were several lots of one hundred acres
520 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
each, being fifty rods in width and extending- back one mile, and the
remainder of the tract was divided, mostly into lots of one hundred
acres each. A large part of these lots were settled several years be-
fore 1799, but few of the settlers had titles prior to that and it is now
impossible to determine the date of settlement.
The northeast corner of the lot was early settled. A dam was built
across the Mill brook and a grist mill, and tradition says a bark mill
and shingle mill were erected and operated by Joseph Smith and Isaac
Pillsbury, who both lived on Loudon hill and beyond the limits of the
town. South of this, near the railroad track, where the cellar still is,
back of Seavey's glue factory, then on the westerly side of the road,
stood a large two story house, for years used as a tavern, built and
kept by Captain Eben Hinkley. Connected with it was a large stable
with stalls for .sixteen horses.
The taverns of those days were hardly what would now be thought
houses of rest and ease. Corn bread, venison, potatoes and fish
then satisfied the healthy stomach, when settled with a nightcap of
rum, and the tired traveler sought his rest in a blanket on the floor,
his feet near the glowing fire and his head pillowed on his saddle.
A large one story house just south of this was the home of the
widow Runnells, who lived there till her death at the age of ninety-
seven years, and gave it to her son, John Runnells.
One hundred acre lot No. 1, lay next north of the church lot and
was settled on by Captain Nathaniel Rollins, who resided there till his
death, February 8, 1826, when he was succeeded by his son, Captain
Enoch W., at whose death February 16, 1863, it descended to his son
Captain William E., and his daughter, Mrs. Lowell, and is now owned
by Captain Henry W. Hall.
The southerly three- fourths of lot No. 2, together with back fifty-
acre lot No. 49, was conveyed to Nathan Sweetland September 19,_
1799. It was subsequently conveyed to Captain Abram Rich, in whose
family it has since remained.
The remaining one-fourth of No. 2 and lot No. 3, with small lot
No. 11, and the east half of back lot No. 26, were conveyed September
19, 1799, to Esquire Enoch Wood, or as he was called, " Squire Wood,"
who was a gentleman of culture and prominence. He had one son
and two daughters. The son, Perley Wood, and the daughters, Maria
and Saphronia, became teachers, giving a notable record to the family
for that period. The cellar of their house still remains on the farm of
Captain A. Rich, on the hill south of the great gully, and on the west-
erly bank of the road.
Back from the river and the front lots the ranges of lots were
divided by the Loudon Hill road, those on the north side being num-
bered from the east from 22 to 36, and on the southerly side from the
west, 37 to 50.
TOWN OF FARMINGDALE. 521
Colonel Greeley did not abandon his old home in Gilmanton, where
he lived till about 1825, but he was still represented in the wilderness
by two sons and a daughter, who were early settlers on this road. vSam-
uel Greeley had lot 47 and other land adjoining, comprising the pres-
ent farms of William Winter, where he lived, and of William C. Horn,
J. P. Carter and E. S. Smith. Gilman Greeley had lot 30, and built a
house there, it being where S. G. Bucknam now lives. In 1811 the
westerly half of the lot, with the buildings, was conveyed to Daniel
BuUen.of Hebron,whose son, John R. Bullen succeeded to its possession
and lived there many years, owning with this lot. No 31 , lying next west.
Betsey Greeley married James Burns, who had bought lot 42, lying
on the south side of the road. Her father afterward gave her the
easterly half of lot 30, formerly occupied by Gilman, and lot 41. Mr.
Burns lived on his lot nearly opposite the present school house lot till
his death, and the place is still owned by his descendants.
On lot No. 43 Benjamin Church, son of Jonathan, built the house
where B. F. Sandford now lives. It was for many years a tavern, and
was the frequent stopping place of travelers from the lower Kennebec
to the Sandy river settlements.
Captain Gideon Colcord bought lot No. 44 in 1803. He came from
New Hampshire, and first lived a few years on Loudon hill. He built
the house where that now owned by William Moody stands, and
known as on the Glazier farm. He afterward bought lot No. 29 and a
fifty-acre lot in rear of No. 44, so that he had a farm of 250 acres. He
married Sarah Marson, of East Pittston, and they had six children.
He was a shipmaster in 1816, and was lost at .sea when his oldest child
was only eleven years old. His youngest child died soon after, and
Mrs. Colcord three years after married Montgomery McCausland, a
son of Andrew McCausland, who was a widower having five children,
and they afterward had five children. There is a tradition that two
other children lived with them, that the schoolmaster boarded there,
and from the house built by Mr. McCausland, eighteen persons at-
tended the district school at the same time.
Of this great family the oldest son, Hiram B. Colcord, alone sur-
vives, a well-preserved gentleman, eighty-seven years old. He says
the first school house stood near where Warren J. Carter now lives,
and was afterward moved down on the corner between the two roads,
near Mr. Bucknam's. It was here he attended school, and "got lots of
lickings there." It was burned some fifty years ago, and the next was
built where the school house now stands.
Orrin Colcord, second son of Gideon, born April 1, 1809, lived on a
part of the old homestead, and died there December 21, 1890. His
widow, who was vSarah Collins, still resides there with her daughter,
Mrs. G. W. Paul.
34
522 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Thomas Davis, or D'Avis, was born in France in 1759, came to this
country in the French service during the revolution, and at the close
of the war remained here, and lived for a time in New Hampshire.
With the Greeleys he came to Hallowell, and settled on lot 40, which
he received from Colonel Greeley in settlement for services rendered
him. He built a house, and in 1796 the farm was conveyed to him,
and was occupied by him till his death, November 16, 1844. He had
three sons, of whom James, the eldest, went as a soldier in the Amer-
ican army in the war of 1812, and never returned.
Jefferson, the youngest son, succeeded his father as owner of the
homestead, which occupies a commanding and beautiful situation,
now more than half a mile from the nearest road, the old road having
been discontinued from Mr. Bucknam's to the " Bog Farm " many
years ago. It is still owned by his children, who make it their home,
while in winter it stands alone, a silent witness of the labors of those
gone before.
Deacon James Hinkley built the house where Warren J. Carter
now resides, and his brother. Captain Thomas Hinkley, that where
R. S. Neal resides. Captain Hinkley afterward bought adjoin-
ing lands till he had a farm of 240 acres, which he sold in 1834 to
Deacon Seavey, who was grandfather of the present owner.
Thomas Burnham Seavey was born in Scarboro, Me., February 26,
1783. He learned the hatter's trade, and began business in Portland,
but soon gave up that business, and by his industry succeeded in
earning his support while attending the academy there, and acquired
a superior education. In 1807 he mairied Keziah Hinkley, of George-
town, and settled on a farm in that town. In 1824 he was appointed
inspector of customs, and keeper o.f the light house at Monhegan. In
1834 he came to Hallowell and bought this large farm, which he car-
ried on till his death, September 2, 1875.
Andrew McCausland was one of the first settlers, and built the
house where E. D. Patterson lives. He was a son of Henry McCaus-
land, who was one of the first party of settlers that came to Pittston
in 1760. This house is said to be first built of those now standing on
that road, having stood there over one hundred years.
John Rice built, prior to 1804, the house now occupied by his
grandson, John H. Rice. July, 1804, Alden Rice was born there, and
it was his home till his death, December 31, 1881. Alden Rice was,
during a large part of his life, a justice of the peace, and till his death
the only postmaster of West Farmingdale.
While the Pitts or Greeley tract was being settled the Bowman
tract or northerly half of No. 20, other than the " Pierpont Lot " re-
mained a wilderness until 1795. Thomas Hancock had bequeathed it
to his nephew, William Bowman, in 1763. Mr. Bowman was a son of
Jonathan Bowman, who was judge of the probate court of Lincoln
TOWN OF FARMINGDALE. 523
county from 1772 to 1804, and clerk of the courts of common pleas and
general sessions for over thirty years, and he conveyed this tract to
his father August 19, 1783. One mile from the west end of the tract
had been sold and became part of the Greeley tract. The remainder
was then known as the Bowman tract, and when subsequently settled
the village was known as Bowman's Point, and this part of the town
still bears that name.
Early in 1795 it was bargained to Peter Grant and associates, and
surveys were made. A monument marking the south line of the
tract and of Hallowell was set by " C. Barker, Surveyor," in June of
that year. It stood at the west line of the road, where the stone monu-
ment still stands, though covered, on the land of William H. Ring,
and about ten feet from the northwest corner of land of D. C. Shep-
herd.
A survey and division into lots was made by William Barker No-
vember 24, 1795, and is that by which all the lots were assigned and
sold. The front, 176 rods, was divided into seventeen lots, extending
back half a mile, the remaining six rods being reserved for roads, and
numbering from the south line from 1 to 17, and the land in the rear
of the half-mile limit was divided into thirty fifty-acre lots, those on
the south side of Bowman street being numbered from the east from
18 to 32, and on the north side from the west 32 to 47.
The sale was not fully completed till April 2, 1796, when the deed
was executed, and for the sum of $5,600 Judge Bowman conveyed the
tract to " Peter Grant, trader; James Parker, physician, and James
Springer, Moses Springer, Joseph Glidden, jr., and Hugh Cox, ship-
wrights." These grantees admitted as associates William Springer,
Augustus Ballard, Samuel Hodgdon, Daniel Norcross and Jeremiah
Wakefield, and the lands were apportioned in fifteen parts, the holder
of each fifteenth having one front lot and two rear lots, making 110
acres each, excepting James Springer, to whom was assigned three
front lots and only two rear lots, he being the holder of two-fifteenths.
Peter Grant was a son of Samuel Grant, a captain in the revolu-
tionary army, and was born at Berwick, Me., in February, 1770. He
came to Gardiner with his father soon after the close of the war, mar-
ried Nancy Barker, daughter of William Barker, of Gardiner, in Sep-
tember, 1791, and had already gained a prominent position as a busi-
ness man in Gardiner before this purchase, and was then only twenty-
six years old. In the allotment he received front lots 9 and 10, and
first built a small house near the river on the south side of No. 9, but
soon after erected the large house, the remains of which, partly
burned, still stand on the north side of No. 10. Here he lived, sur
rounded by his constantly increasing business interests — a merchant
shipbuilder, and engaged in commerce — till his death, June 10, 1836
He was in command of a company and afterward commissioned as
524 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
major in the war of 1812. He was a man of good business ability and
amassed a considerable property.
The Small house was afterward occupied by Henry Melius, who
well deserves a place in history, he having been one of the famed
"Boston Tea Party." He died in February, 1832, aged eighty years.
The house now stands on the east side of the road, on lot 13, and was
the homestead of the late Thomas Aspenwall.
William and Moses Springer, brothers, and James Springer, their
cousin, were of German descent and came to Pittston in 1786. They
were engaged in shipbuilding near Agry's point. They came to Bow-
man's Point in 1795, and William settled on lot No. 8, where he
erected a large two story house on the site of the house now owned
by George E. Warren. He was born November 29, 1754, and was the
oldest of the settlers at Bowman's Point. He was a shipmaster and
was lost at sea. He married Mary Norcross, by whom he had seven
children, and after her death, Betsey Jewett, and had four children,
of whom the youngest, Harriet, who was born July 17, 1816, and mar-
ried William Perry, still survives.
Moses Springer was born October 17, 1767, married Susan Nor-
cross, June 10, 1793, and died October 24, 1832. He received front
lots 1 and 6 and erected his house on the southerly part of lot 7, and a
3i rod strip, and 8^ rods deep, on which it stood, was conveyed to him
by his brother, William. He lived here several years and then built
a house on one of his rear lots, on the south side of Bowman street,
next east of the James Collins place, where he died October 24, 1832,
at the age of sixty-five years. His first house was where Loring C.
Ballard now lives, and the cellar still remains, marking the location
of that on Bowman street.
James Springer married Mary Lemont. He originally held lots 2,
5 and 17, but bought and occupied the house on the east side of the
road on lot 13, it being the same house now occupied by Mrs. Springer,
widow of his son, Benjamin Springer.
Joseph Glidden had front lot 11, and there erected a house and
lived till about 1845. He left no descendants. He sold a house lot
on the south corner of Bowman street to Anna S. Marshall, a widow,
who with her three children, William, Enoch W. and Betsey Marshall,
came here in 1798 in the first chaise owned in the town.
Hugh Cox had lot 12, and there in 1797 erected the large, two story
house which was burnt in 1890. He was born in 1759, came here from
Bristol, November 17, 1835. He married Mary B. Dunbar, of New-
castle, who was born in 1779 and died April 5, 1866. They had seven
children, of whom two still survive: George T. Cox, at the age of
seventyeight, and Mrs. Seidus, eighty-five, and to them I am indebted
for many interesting facts in the history of this section.
The extension of Bowman street from the road to the river was
TOWN OF FARMINGDALE. 525
known as Meeting House lane, and on the north side of it in 1803 a
church was built. It was a large building, but never finished inside.
It fronted on the lane, facing south, having a porch, with doors open-
ing into it on its east and west sides, and stairs leading to a gallery.
Here the Methodist society held its meetings. There was no settled
minister, this being part of a circuit and the minister in charge
being here but little. Twice conferences were held in this building,
one being presided over by Bishop Hedding and the other by Bishop
Fillmore.
A minister named Wells often officiated there. It was the only
Methodist church in this section till 1830, when it was given up and
the materials used for a stable in Hallowell. Mrs. vSeidus remembers
a day in the war of 1812, September 11, 1814, when a service was being
held in the church, a me.s.senger came bringing a report of the ap-
proach of a British force to attack Wiscasset. There was great excite-
ment and hurrying to and fro, the men starting away at once for
Wiscasset, and were there the next morning, but the enemy had not
and did not come.
Next north of Mr. Cox on lot 13, James Lowell built a cottage house,
which stood where Henry Peacock now lives, and on the same lot
Augustus Ballard built the house which is still occupied by his de-
scendants.
All these men were interested in shipbuilding and the shore in
front of their lots was a succession of ship yards from the later Hal-
lowell line to the present location of Grant street.
Samuel Hodgdon had lot 14. He erected the house on the east
side of the road, now owned by Mrs. Springer. He sold a house lot
of one acre on the west side of the road and next to Mr. Ballard's lot,
to Samuel Davis, who built the house now owned by Charles E.
Barker. Mr. Davis lived there a few years and then sold to Jesse
Jewett, who was a man of great influence and was for years sheriff
of the county. Mr. Hodgdon afterward sold to James Springer
and settled on Bowman street on the lot still owned and occupied by
his descendants. He had three sons— John, Jeremiah and Sullivan—
and two daughters — Betsey and Mary.
Dr. James Parker had lots 15 and 16, and built the house now owned
by H. L. Crocker and lived there till 1803, when he bought the lot on
which James A. Jack.son now lives, where he built a house and lived
till his death. He was born in Boston in 1768, came to Pittston about
1790, had been educated as a physician by his father who was himself
a physician, and while skillful and successful in his profession, was
also active and influential as a business man and citizen. He repre-
sented the town in the legislature and also the district in the 13th
congress, 1813-15. He was shrewd and careful in his management
and acquired quite a large property. His wife, an adopted daughter
526 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of General Henry Dearborn, was a woman of remarkable goodness
and charity and beloved by all. Doctor Parker died November 9, 1837,
and Mrs. Parker survived him till 1863.
Nathaniel Kimball bought lot 2 of James Springer and built a
house on the east side of the road in 1800. He was a native of New
Hampshire and came from Pittston, where he had built several dams
and mills which had in succession been swept away by freshets. He
married Sally, daughter of Major Henry Smith, who came from Ger-
many in 1747 and settled in Pittston in 1764. Major Smith served as a
continental soldier in the French war, was at Ticonderoga and saw
Lord Howe fall, and was at Quebec under Wolfe. Mr. and Mrs. Kimball
afterward built a large, two story house about where Mr. Brann's
house now stands which, with a small house now standing near it, was
burned some thirty years later, and these were the only early settlers'
houses burned before the Cox house in 1890. They had six children,
of whom two were residents of Farmingdale after its incorporation:
Nathaniel, who was long and well known as an enterprising steamboat
owner and captain; and Hannah, who married Alexander S. Chad-
wick.
William G. Warren also came here about the year 1800, and built
the house now owned by Gilbert Eastman. He was a prominent man,
and was for many years a vestryman and warden in Christ church, as
were also Doctor Parker and Major Smith. He was grandfather of
George E. Warren.
On the lot and near the house of Doctor Parker, was the first school
house on Bowman's point, and in 1800 the whole number of inhabit-
ants on this tract was 117. This tract was in Hallowell till 1834, when
it was annexed to Gardiner.
South of this old Hallowell line, numbering from north to south,
the front, west of the road, was divided into acre lots five rods in
width, and extending thirty-two rods back, having been surveyed
and plan made by Dudley Hobart in 1803. This plan was afterward
copied into, and made part of, the Solomon Adams plan, by which all
the lands in Gardiner were sold after its date, December 30, 1808.
Samuel Elwell was one of the first purchasers, he having lots 10
and 11, being the same where the houses of Ephraim Hatch and A.
Davenport now stand. He at once built a house on lot 10, and this
was afterward conveyed to Hon. George Evans, whose eminent ability
and long and noble career find a more fitting place in another chap-
ter. No. 11 was conveyed to Captain Nathaniel Kimball, the well
known pioneer in steamboating between Gardiner and Boston.
No. 9, the last home of Dr. James Parker, was sold by Mr.
Gardiner, "subject to the rights of Elizabeth McCausland,
widow of the late Henry McCausland, and their son. Robert Mc-
Causland." These rights were those of occupancy without title, but
TOWN OF FARMINGDALE. 527
the records are also a record of the shrewdness of Doctor Parker,
he having bought them for $20 two weeks before the conveyance
from Mr. Gardiner to him. No. 8 was sold to James Purinton in
1803. and he erected the house thereon, which was afterward the
homestead of Robert Gould, who engaged in shipbuilding in front of
the lot, and where the wharf now is. Mr. Gould was a keen business
man, and was fast acquiring a leading position, when he died of con-
sumption in 1835, thirty-nine years old.
The lots now owned by J. C. Atkins were held by Mr. Gardiner
till 1826, when he sold them to Captain John P. Hunter, who was long
engaged fn the lumber business in Gardiner. The lots next south of
North street, now owned by A. C. vStilphen, were sold in 1827 to
Alexander S. Chadwick, and he erected the house now standing there
in that year. Mr. Chadwick was a son of Dr. Edmund Chadwick, of
Deerfield, N. H., and was born there May 8, 1789. Doctor Chadwick
was descended from Charles Chadwick, who came to Boston in 1630,
and served in the revolutionary war as a surgeon in the American
army. Mr. Chadwick studied medicine with his father until the war
of 1812, when in 1813 he received a commission from President Madi-
son, and was stationed at Fort Erie. In the bloody fight there July 4,
1814, his command of fifty men took fifty-two prisoners, including a
major, and lost thirteen killed and wounded. He received six shots
through his clothing, but was unharmed. He came to Maine in 1816,
and married Hannah, daughter of Nathaniel Kimball, and grand-
daughter of Major Henry Smith. He lived in Frankfort till 1821,
when he removed to Gardiner. He represented the town in the legis-
lature four years, and was selectman of the town six years, and the
justice of the peace before whom most of the minor cases were tried
for many years. He was one of the prime movers and most indefati-
gable workers in the incorporation of Farmingdale, and was one of
the first selectmen of the new town. He died October 18, 1867.
Eighty years ago, in addition to the houses already named, the
house known as the old Vigoreux house, and for many years owned
by that family, stood just north of H. W. Jewett's. It was then occu-
pied by Rev. Aaron Humphrey, who had been a Methodist minister,
and had officiated one year at Christ church, in Gardiner. He then took
orders in the Episcopal church, and was settled as minister of the so-
ciety. It was later the home of Samuel Collins. The house .now
owned by Captain George W. Chase was then owned by Mr. Drew,
who was father of Allen Drew, and grandfather of Captain John H.
Drew, mentioned at page 258.
The present Vigoreux house was then owned by James Bowman
and later by a family named Ramsdell, from whom it acquired the
name which is still applied to it, the Ramsdell house. They were
Quakers and stood high in the esteem of their neighbors. James
528 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Lowell had built a house where Henry Peacock now resides and it
was his home till his death in 1849. He was a shipbuilder and had a
yard on the banks of the river. Enoch Marshall occupied the home-
stead which at his death descended to his .son, Samuel E., who has so
recently left it to join those gone before.
On the further part of Bowman street, the first settlers were vSamuel
Titcomb, who in 1814 came from Yarmouth, Me., and settled on the
farm now owned by S. W. Rice, and F. J. Danforth and Benjamin
Grover, who came from Newry, Oxford County, in 1820, and settled on
the farm still owned by his descendants.
In 1819, Abner Lowell bought of Gideon Oilman the lot which,
with subsequent purchases, constituted the farm so long the home of
his son, Joshua Lowell, and now owned by his grandson, Frank
Lowell.
North street was not as a whole settled so early as the other parts
of the town, and its earliest settlers were descendants of men already
named. Among them were John and Andrew McCausland, grandsons
of Henry McCausland; George Church, grandson of Ebenezer Church;
Jerry Hodgdon, son of Samuel Hodgdon and a man of influence in
the town and for years one of the town fathers; Hiram Lord, son of
Isaac Lord, who had been one of the early settlers on Bowman street;
and the Collins family, of whom mention is elsewhere made.
This then comprises a history of the early settlement of the old
homes included in the present town of Farmingdale, which was incor-
porated June 3, 1852. It borders on the Kennebec river and rises by
easy grades to its highest lands near the old post road and thence
sloping back to the Sanborn and Jamies ponds on the western border,
the only bodies of water in the town. It consists of gently rolling
country, seldom broken by sharp hills or valleys and comprises some
of the best farming lands in the county.
Its incorporation was secured chiefly by the indefatigable efforts of
A. S. Chadwick, Thomas B. Seavey and William S. Grant, aided by an
enthusiastic and almost unanimous support of the people. Mr. Grant
was a grandson of Major Peter Grant and son of Captain Samuel C.
Grant, and established his home in the town and owned the beautiful
homestead now the property of Isaac J. Carr. He was a leader in
every movement for the improvement of the town.
The town is essentially a farming town. The busy blows of the
ship-yard have long since ceased to be heard, and the only manufac-
turing enterprises now conducted in the town are the glue factory of
George H. Seavey and the tannery of Frank Atkins.
Municipal Officers. — The Selectmen, A.ssessors and Overseers of
the Poor of the town from its incorporation, and the number of years
they have held these offices, have been: 1852, Alexander S. Chadwick,
3 years, Thomas B. Seavey, 3, Daniel Lancaster, 5; 1854, Samuel War-
TOWN OF FARMINGDALE. 529
ren, 4; 1855, James Stone, 2, John Graves; 1856, Hiram B. Colcord, 2;
1857, Thomas L. Crocker: 1858, William S. Grant, Jerry Hodgdon, 7,
Alden Rice, 2; 1859, Joshua Lowell, 2: 1860, Sumner Smiley, Isaiah
Stevens, 3; 1861, Philip Larrabee, 2; 1863, Benjamin F. Sandford, 6,
James S. McCausland; 1864, A. B. Collins, 2; 1865, Joseph C. Atkins;
1866, Addison G. Davis, 4, John Baker, 6; 1868, Andrew B. McCaus-
land, 2, William Winter, 3; 1870, Samuel E. Marshall, 2; 1871, Sumner
B. McCausland, 19, R. S. Neal, 2; 1872, George Wheeler, 9; 1873, John
W. Church, 2; 1878, Thomas H. Dow, Zeri S. Parker, 2; 1879, George
H. Seavey, 2; 1880, Carlton Blair, George W. Paul, 2; 1882, Joseph F.
Clement, 3; 1883, Levi M. Lancaster, 4; 1885, Edwin Hanson, J. Frank
Brookings, 2; 1887, William C. Horn, 4, Andrew E. Cunningham; 1891,
Ezra S. Smith, 2.
The Clerks have been: Edmund A. Chadwick, 2 years; George Tar-
box, 2; Sumner B. McCausland, 3: Sumner Smiley, 2; Rev. L. L. Shaw,
1; George Warren, 7; A. B. Collins, 1; John T. Magrath. 1; A. C. Stil-
phen, 2; Thomas S. Paul, 2; and George E. Warren, the present
clerk, 17.
The Treasurers have been; Joshua Lowell, 7 years; Charles W.
McCausland, 1; John Baker, 9; Charles Trafton, 1; Benjamin U. Mc-
Causland, 3; Levi M. Lancaster, 2; Benjamin F. Sandford, 1; Loring
C. Ballard, 1; George Wheeler, 2; James N. Cannon, 1; Ephraim
Hatch, 3; and A. C. Stilphen, the present treasurer, 10 years.
Valuation and Appropriations. — In 1852 the total valuation of
the property in the town, as appraised by the assessors, was $283,878,
and the amount of tax assessed was $2,327.86 on property, and $186
on 186 polls. The appropriations for that year were: For support of
schools, $675; for support of the poor, $400; for town purposes, and
state and county tax, $1,325.
In forty years of town life the valuation has nearly doubled, and
the assessors' inventory and valuation for 1892 is on: Buildings and
lots, $250,435; 6,696i acres tillage, pasture and woodlands, $140,096;
208 horses and colts, $20,050; 314 cattle, $7,166; 32 swine, $172; 121
sheep, $394; household furniture (over $200 each), $4,275; 48 musical
instruments, $3,315; 38 pleasure carriages, $3,020; stock in corpora-
tions, $54,110; vessels, $6,315; money, $17,000; stock in trade, $500;
total valuation, $506,848. The number of polls was 221, and the num-
ber of dogs taxed, 66. •
The appropriations for 1892 were: For common schools, $1,000;
school books, $50; for high school tuition, $200; highways and snow
bills, $2,200; support of poor, $1,000; incidental expenses, $600; fire
department, $400; town debt, $500; discounts, $750; state tax, $1,381.50;
county tax, $502.99.
The tax assessed was on: 66 dogs, $66; 221 polls, $663; $506,848 @
$.016, $8,109.52; total assessment, $8,838.56.
530 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Schools.— The provision made by the town for education of its
children is liberal and judicious, three full terms of school each year
being provided for scholars below the high school grade, the school
houses being above the average, and well furnished and supplied
with globes, maps and text books. The town pays the tuition for all
its children attending the high schools of Gardiner and Hallowell,
and by these provisions every child in the town can be fitted for ad-
mission to any college in the .state without any direct cost to the
parent for tuition or school books.
Present Condition. — The southeasterly part of the town is most
thickly settled, being a suburb of the city of Gardiner, and the street
extending from Gardiner along the bank of the picturesque Kenne-
bec is lined with fine residences, and is claimed to be one of the most
beautiful streets in Maine. Many of the residents here are engaged
in business in Gardiner, and are an important factor in the progress
and enterprise of that busy and growing city.
In addition to their own municipal taxes, Farmingdale citizens
pay annually into the treasury of Gardiner from fifteen hundred to
two thousand dollars, and furnish a not inconsiderable part of the
banking and business capital of that city, and from its broad pastures
and fertile fields come liberal supplies of produce for the markets of
Gardiner and Hallowell.
Great improvements have been made within a few years in the
methods of farming, and the town can now boast of very superior
milk and stock farms. Among the notable herds of cows are those of
Albert H. Averill, Warren J. Carter and Wallace M. Tibbetts, and the
" Pine Tree Stock Farm," under the management of Mr. A. J. Libby,
already ranks as one of the finest horse-breeding farms in the state.
The strength of the town is in its farms and its farmers. They honor
the name of their town.*
personal paragraphs.
James W. Carter, son of Hiram and Virtue (Averill) Carter, and
grandson of Jefferson P. Carter, was born in 1841. He is a stone cut-
ter and farmer, and since 1875 has lived in Farmingdale. He married
Achsah A., daughter of Jacob and Eunice (Carter) Welch, and grand-
daughter of Jacob Welch. Their children are: Hiram J., Eunice A.
(Mrs. E. Crocket), Minnie E. (died 1873) an^j Arthur W. (died 1881).
Joseph F. Clement, born in 1838, at Palmyra, Me., was a son of
Samuel Clement. From 1873 until his death in 1886 he was a farmer
where his widow and family now live. He was several years on the
school committee and held the office of selectman. He was in the late
war in Company A, 14th Maine, and from November, 1864, to Febru-
ary, 1866, he was captain of Company G, 109th U. S. Colored Infantry.
* Mr. Stilphen's responsibility for this chapter ends here.— [Ed.
TOWN OF FARMINGDALE. 531
His first marriage was with Maria C. Keene, who died in 1873, leaving
two children: Charles J. and Carrie M. His second marriage was with
Augusta J. Greene, who has one adopted son.
Charles E. Bearing, born in 1837 in Webster, is a son of John and
Caroline (Perry) Bearing, and grandson of Beacon Samuel and Mary
(Brinkwater) Bearing. In 1887 he moved to Farmingdale. From
1855 until 1887 he was a machinist and since then has been a farmer.
He was in the army from July, 1862, until June, 1866, and was dis-
charged as quartermaster sergeant. He was taken prisoner at Gettys-
burgh July 1, 1863, and was taken to Richmond, Va., and held three
months. He married Emma, daughter of Bea. Bavid A. and So-
phronia (Macomber) White, and granddaughter of Bavid and Mary
White. Their children are: Ernest W. and Marion P., living, and
Albert C, deceased.
Gilbert Eastman, born in South Gardiner, is a son of Samuel and
Eliza (Luce) Eastman, and grandson of Samuel Eastman. He was a
carpenter until 1890, when he opened a music store in Gardiner, firm
of G. & C. L. Eastman. He married Ellen M., daughter of Seth and
Sarah (Stewart) Rines. They had one daughter, Lulie Grace, born
May 28, 1869, died November 10, 1870. Their only son is Charles L.,
who began the study of music when a boy and studied at Kents Hill,
Boston and New York, and is now the junior partner of the above
firm.
William Faunce, born in 1813, was a son of John Faunce, who
came from Ipswich, Mass., to Waterville, Me. Mr. Faunce came to
Hallowell in 1845 and twenty years later he came to Farmingdale.
where he was a farmer until his death in 1890, where his widow and
son now live. He married Lucy, daughter of Timothy B. and Eleanor
(Webb) Haywood. Their children were: Fred B., Ellen H. and John
F., who are deceased, and William, born February 5, 1860, who is now
carrying on the farm of ninety acres.
Thomas Gilpatrick, only survivor of eight children of Robert and
Temperance Gilpatrick, grandson of Charles and great-grandson of
Charles Gilpatrick, was born in 1836. He is a farmer, and since 1877
has owned and occupied the Joshua Carr farm. He married Louisa
H., daughter of William Springer. Their only child is Adelle R.,
who is a teacher in the Hallowell .school.
William A. Hodgdon, born in 1839, is the only survivor of three
children of Jerry and Hannah (Lord) Hodgdon, and grandson of Sam-
uel Hodgdon, who was a shipbuilder during his life at Bowman's
Point. Mr. Hodgdon is a farmer. He married Laura, daughter of
James S. McCausland. They have two children: Myrtle H. and
Jerry L.
Captain Abner M. Jackson, born in Pittston in 1803, was a son of
Captain Benjamin Jack-son. Captain Jackson began going to sea with
532 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
his father when a small boy, and at the early age of eighteen he be-
came captain, which position he continued to fill very successfully
until six years prior to his death, in 1873. His first vessel was the
brig Milton, followed by the Gardiner (which he commanded eight
years in New York and Liverpool mail service), Kekokey, Rainbotv,
Jane H. Glidden, Medalion, Edenhurg and Consolation. His wife, who is
still living, was Lydia W., daughter of Nathaniel Bailey. Their two
sons were: Charles E., who died in 1864, of yellow fever, while on a
voyage as mate of a vessel, and James A. Jackson, born in Pittston
September 12, 1832, a druggist, of Gardiner. He married Lucy D.,
daughter of Robert Thompson, and has had three sons: James R.,
Benjamin W. and Donald, who died young.
H. W. Jewett, of Farmingdale and Gardiner. — This family
name, now so generally dispersed throughout the American states,
first appeared in New England early in 1639, when an English com-
pany of sixty people, with forty others, came to Massachusetts, where
they, with Rev. Ezekiel Rogers, settled in April of that year, and
organized the first church in Rowley. Among the sixty English were
two brothers, Maximilian and Joseph Jewett, who were made freemen
of Rowley within one year, and both became prominent in civil, reli-
gious and business affairs.*
Their parents, Edward and Mary Jewett', were of Bradford, Eng.
Joseph' was born there in 1609, and married Mary Mallinson in 1634.
They had six children, the oldest, Jeremiah', being born in England.
Joseph was again married in 1653, and raised three other children.
Jeremiah married Sarah, daughter of Thomas Dickenson, in 1661,
and resided in Ipswich, but was buried in the Rowley churchyard in
1714. The oldest of his nine children was Jeremiah, jun.*, born in
1662, who, when twenty-five years of age, married Elizabeth Kimball,
and had four daughters and three sons. Only through their youngest
son, Aaron', born 1699, the fifth of the seven, was the family name
transmitted in this line. He married Abigail Perley in 1719, and after
a short residence m Scarboro, Me., returned to Ipswich, where he died
in 1732, leaving three surviving children, of whom Moses, the second
son, was baptized in Ipswich in 1722.
This Moses", the fifth generation in America, married Abigail
Bradstreet in 1741, and was with those patriots of Ipswich who took
an early breakfast or a cold bite on the 19th of April, 1775, and went
up to meet General Gage at Lexington and Concord, and attend to
some imperative public business. He was captain of a troop of horse
which contained four of the nine Jewetts who went into that fight.
He left his gun and a good name to the seventh of his ten chil-
*The printed Historical Collections of the Esse.x Institute (Salem, Mass.,
1885, Vol. XXII.) contains thirty-six pages of valuable data regarding these two
brothers and their descendants, as early famiUes of Rowley.
TOWN OF FARMINGDALE. 533
dren, James Jewett', who was born in ITSS. This James, with his
brother, Moses, removed in 1785 to Newcastle, Me. Five years later
he married Lydia Hilton, of Alna, Me. They were the grandparents
of the subject of this sketch, and passed their married life in Alna,
where their five children were born, and where he and his brother,
Moses, were respected and prosperous citizens.
James Jewett, jun.^ the first of the five, was born in Alna in 1791,
and became a master carpenter, as his father James had been. His
wife, married September 16, 1822, was Mary A. Ayer, of Alna. They
resided at Alna, Me., where four of their children were born: Mary J.,
born June 27, 1823, died in 1859; James, jun., born September 25,
1824, died in 1887; Hartley W.\ born June 11, 1826: and Nancy
Elizabeth (Mrs. Peleg S. Robinson), born September 25, 1829, died in
1875. The family moved to Hallowell in 1832, where, on Shepherd's
Point, Mr. Jewett operated a steam saw mill until its burning two
years later, when they removed to Gardiner, where their only other
child, John Jewett, now the popular conductor of the Jewett train on
the Maine Central, was born in March, 1835, and where the parents
died — he in 1867, after more than thirty years of usefulness as a saw
millwright and carpenter, and she nineteen years later, after an
exemplary Christian life.
Such is the family origin, and such the honorable antecedents of
H. W. Jewett, of Farmingdale, whose lumber manufacturing interests
at Gardiner have now for a third of a century played no inconsider-
able part in the growth and prosperity of that city. From the time
his parents came to Gardiner in June, 1834, until he was seventeen
years old, the village school, for a few winters and fewer summers,
furnished his only opportunity for an education. But it is the day, and
not the schoolmaster, who "is the father of the man," and in this case
it seems that close observation of men and things, and the discipline
of practical life, have fitted a man for business activity and large use-
fulness better than colleges and universities sometimes do.
In 1846, when he first went into the lumber woods as a surveyor,
he had to buy his time of one R. K. Littlefield, with whom he had
begun to learn the millwright trade, and under whom he had helped
build an overshot mill east of Brown's island. Thoroughly familiar,
for ten years,. with handling logs in the river and their delivery to the
Gardiner mills, he began in 1860 upon his own account the purchase
of large quantities of logs on the upper Kennebec, and by rafting
these in smaller lots, found profitable sale to the down-river mills.
Before the present great booms of the log driving company were
built, he had private booms at and above Gardiner, where he collected
logs from the river, and delivered to the owners in Gardiner. He first
called attention to the plan of building the great Brown's Island
boom, and largely through his etTorts the driving company secured
534 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
in the legislature the necessary charter. Buying and handling logs in
quantities occupied his attention until 1863", when he began as a lum-
ber manufacturer on the Cobbosseecontee, the career by which he is
now best known in the lumber markets of the Atlantic states.
Fair weather and smooth sailing furnish no test of capable ship
masters, and only a close battle develops great generalship. In forty
years of business life Mr. Jewett has encountered a full share of re-
verses and disasters. The national panic of 1873, in which he lost
everything save his integrity and his courage, was followed nine
years later by the great fire of 1832, which swept all the lumber mills
from the lower dam in Gardiner, and left him a net loser by at least
$75,000. Courage and integrity were yet his unimpaired resources —
the one prompting him to begin at once the rebuilding of the estab-
lishment, the other giving him all needed credit among those who
knew him; and thus upon the ruins of a fair fortune he again started,
and within the next decade he once more appears among the solid
men of the valley.
His marriage September 3, 1850, was with Harriet A., daughter of
Thomas N. Atkins', a shipbuilder of Farmingdale, who was born on
the south end of .Swan island (James Atkins', of Sandwich, Mass.,
James', John^ and James Atkins', whose first child was born in Sand-
wich in 1790). To them have been born two sons: Charles T., who
died in 1862, and Thomas A. Jewett", born September 23, 1861.
James Jewett, the deceased brother of H. W. Jewett, married
Thankful H., daughter of Thomas N. Atkins, and left one son, Arthur,
now bookkeeper for H. W. Jewett, at Gardiner.
Sumner B. McCausland, born in West Gardiner in 1830, is a son of
Thomas H. (1804-1886) and Rhoda E. (Brann) McCausland (1809-1874).
His grandfather, James, who died in 1826, was a son of James McCaus-
land, who was one of General Washington's body-guard. His grand-
mother was Mary (Berry) McCausland. Sumner B. came to Gardiner
in 1850, learned the carpenters' trade with Sprague & Lord, was in the
employ of W. S. Grant and P. G. Bradstreet several years, and since
1861 has been in the ice business, harvesting and wholesaling. He
has been a resident of Farmingdale since its incorporation, has been
town clerk three years, selectman, assessor and overseer of the poor
nineteen years. His wife, Augusta A., is a daughter of Dr. John A.
and Clarissa (Bodfish) Barnard, late of Livermore. Their children are:
Antonio C, Mary Louise (died in 1873) and Anna Belle.
Daniel C. Mitchell, born in 1828, in Litchfield, is a son of Joshua
and Nancy (Farr) Mitchell, who came from Lewiston to Litchfield in
1805. Mr. Mitchell came from Litchfield to Farmingdale in 1868,
where he is a farmer. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Elias Mer-
rill, and they have one daughter, Ava A.
* See lumber mills of Gardiner city.
TOWN OF FARMINGDALE. 535
Reuben S. Neal, born March 1, 1837, is the oldest of three children
■of Julius and Sarah (Seavey) Neal, and grandson of Joseph Neal. He
followed the sea a few years when a young man, and was mate of a
vessel the last two years. In 1861 he entered the army in Company
C, 1st Maine Cavalry, and served thirty-eight months. He has been a
farmer in Farmingdale since 1864 on his grandfather Seavey's farm.
He has been elected by the republican party to the offices of selectman,
representative and county commissioner.
Elisha S. Newell, son of Ebenezer and Mary (Snow) Newell, was
born in Durham, Me., being the fifth child and third son of a family
of eight children. He left home at the age of twenty-two years — hav-
ing secured a common and high school education — served two years in
a variety store in Durham as clerk, and taught school two winters,
after which he commenced his railroad life. He moved to Portland in
1869 and ran the train known as Jewett train for fourteen years and
never knew what it was to have an accident. In 1884, on account of
impaired health, he was transferred to the Augusta and Gardiner train
and was again, by request, transferred to the yard engine at Gardiner
in 1891. He is now a resident of Farmingdale and although a demo-
crat he was elected to represent the republican district in which tie
lives, in the 65th legislature.
George W. Paul, son of Oliver P. and Mary J. (Neal) Paul, was born
in Saxonville, Mass.. in 1847. He came with his parents to Waldo,
Me., in 1856. He served in the late war from 1863 to 1865, enlist-
ing from Waldo county in Company A, Coast Guards, and afterward
attached to the 81st Wisconsin, serving in the army of the Potomac.
In 1872 he enlisted as a non-commissioned officer in the regular army
and served one year in the Indian troubles on Platte river. Since 1873
he has been a farmer in Farmingdale; previous to that he had been a
stone cutter by trade. He married Lizzie, daughter of Orrin and
Sarah W. (Collins) Colcord. Their children are: Edith M., G. Del-
win and Ray J.
Frank Richardson, born in Whitefield, is a son of Franklin and
Louisa (Bailey) Richardson, and grandson of Smith Richardson. He
and his brother, George M., came from Whitefield to Farmingdale in
1889, and bought the old William Grant farm, where they now live.
Mr. Richardson has been street commissioner of Farmingdale two
years.
Renaldo Robbins, born in Bowdoinham in 1827, is a son of Elias
and Lucinda (Hatch) Robbins, and grandson of Daniel and Elizabeth
(Kendall) Robbins. He came to Farmingdale in 1846, where he is a
carpenter. He married Catherine, daughter of Andrew and Mary H.
(Bates) McCausland, and granddaughter of Henry and Abiah (Stack-
pole) McCausland. Their children are: Fred M., Mary E. and Willis
E., who died.
536 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Benjamin F. Sandford, born in Bowdoinham in 1823, is a son of
Captain Thomas and Esther (Topping) Sandford, and grandson of
John and Mary Sandford. He has taught school twenty-three terms,
and worked twelve years at plastering, in Boston. He came to Farm-
ingdale in 1855, where he is a farmer. He was eight years a mein-
ber of the school board and held the office of selectman seven
years. He married Mary M., daughter of David Thwing, of Bowdoin-
ham. Their children are: Lilla M. (Mrs. N. Niles), George C. and Alice.
They lost four: Laura E., St. Vincent G., James T. and John I. D.
David C. Shepherd was born in 1837, in Delaware, Hunterdon
county, N. J. He was three years in the employ of the Knickerbocker
Ice Company at Philadelphia, Pa., and in 1870 was made general agent
and superintendent of their Maine business and since that time has
lived in Farmingdale. He married Amanda Rudebock, of Hunterdon
county, New Jersey. They have three children.
Ezra S. Smith, born in 1820, is a son of Jonathan and Hannah
(Sleeper) Smith, and grandson of Jonathan Smith. He came from
New Hampshire to Hallowell in 1838, where he lived until 1871, when
he came to Farmingdale, where he is a farmer. He was two years
collector and eight years deputy sheriff at Hallowell and in 1891 was
selectman of Farmingdale. He married Abbie, daughter of William
Jones, and their children are: George E., Lizzie A. and Ellen, who
died.
Captain Samuel Swanton, born in Readfield in 1800, was a son of
William and Lavina (Savage) Swanton, and grandson of William
Swanton, of Bath, Me. Captain Swanton began going to sea when but
fifteen and continued until 1840, several years as master of vessels.
From 1840 until 1855 he was a ship builder at Bath, Me. He died in
Hallowell in 1869. His marriage was with Rachel S. Gordon, of Read-
field. Their children were: Henry A., Annie E., Mary L., Susie J.
(Mrs. R. G. Kimpton) and Charles L. Henry, Mary and Charles are
deceased. Annie E. married Samuel G. Buckman, who was several
years a grocer in Bath, but since 1866 has been a farmer of Farming-
dale. Their children are: Nettie G. (deceased), Annie M. and Charles
S. S.
George E. Warren, born in 1838, is a son of George and Julia T.
(Hutchinson) Warren, and grandson of William G. and Peggy (Marson)
Warren. He has been engaged in the drug business as clerk and pro-
prietor since 1856, and since 1882 has owned and run the present
business on Water street, Gardiner. He married Frances E., daughter
of John Covell, and they have one daughter, Jennie H. Mr. Warren
has been town clerk since 1876, succeeding his father who had held
the office several years.
CHAPTER XXI.
TOWN OF WINSLOW.
Bv Henry D. Kingsbury.
Winslow 125 Years before Incorporation.— Fort Halifax.— Deed of the Town.—
Incorporation.— Town Meetings. — Town Meeting House. — Settlers. — Civil
Lists. — Taxpayers, 1791. — Traders. — Tavern Keepers.— Mills.— Religious
Records.— Christian Society. — Parson Cushman.— Churches.— Post Offices. —
Schools.— Cemeteries. — Personal Paragraphs.
OUR history of Winslow begins with the coming of white men to
its borders. The first character in New England history is
the Indian; the next is the hunter, and the third is usually the
trader. These three classes would be most apt to come together at
the meeting places of nature's highways — the junction of rivers. Such
a place was Ticonic — the name given to the junction of the Sebasti-
cook with the Kennebec river, and to the falls in the latter, just above.
Any human activities spread over a large area in this section inevit-
ably centered here. The Indians used and prized this spot for the
same purposes and reasons that the whites did. It was easy of access,
renowned for fish and game — just the spot for camp and council, for
traffic and recreation. Just when white men and red men first met
here and exchanged their commodities we do not know. The first
trading expedition of any magnitude that ascended the Kennebec was
in charge of Edward Winslow — mark the name.
Whether he brought— 267 years ago— his shallop of corn as far
north as Ticonic, and set his eyes on the land that was destined to
carry his name down to posterity, we do not know. But we do know
that trade soon extended up to this point, for on the plan of a survey
ordered by the Pejepscot proprietors, and made by Joseph Heath in
1719, a building is drawn on the south side of the Sebasticook where
it enters the Kennebec, also these words: " A Trading hou.se built by
Lawson Sept. 10, 1658, as by writing recorded at Plymouth by that
Court." The Indian chief Kennebis in 1649 conveyed to Christopher
Law.son land on the Kennebec up to Ticonic Falls. Lawson assigned
this in 1653 to Clark & Lake.
Richard Hammond, an ancient trader, and Clark & Lake each had
538
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
a trading house at Ticonic in 1675. This was the year King Philip's
war, the first war of the Indians against the whites, broke out. The
next year Hammond and Lake were both killed by the Indians, and
these trading houses of theirs at Ticonic must have been captured by
the savages and used by them for the purposes of war. In King Will-
iam's war the Indians sent captives in 1688 to Ticonic. Major Church,
on his expedition up the Kennebec in 1692, says North drove " In-
dians to their fort at Ticonic." (If this fort was not one of the old
trading houses what was it?)
For the next twenty-five years we hear or know but little about
Ticonic. But during the Spanish war that closed in 1748 the English
£.S£ fhfixile^
4f
and French kept a close eye on the strategic points on the Kennebec.
The first movement for the erection of Fort Halifax was made in
1751, by the Plymouth Company, in a petition to the general court to
remove Fort Richmond further up the Kennebec. When, shortly
after this, current events pointed with certainty to the war of 1755,
both nations were awake to the necessity of possessing Ticonic. In-
formation that the French were building a fort at the headwaters of
the Kennebec aroused Governor Shirley early in 1754 to immediate
action. The general court thought " it to be of absolute necessity that
the French should at all events be prevented from making any settle-
TOWN OF WINSLOW. Ody
ment whatsoever at the River Kennebec or the carrying places at its
head." The house requested the governor to take a voyage in person
and select a point and build a new fort, to which should be transferred
the garrison, artillery and stores from Fort Richmond. For his pro-
tection and efficient action they provided a force of 800 men. April
16, 1754, Governor Shirley addressed a letter to the Plymouth proprie-
tors in which these passages occur:
" The Great and General Assembly of this province having in their
present Session by their Message to me desired that I would order ' A
new Fort to be erected of about 120 feet square as far up the river
Kennebec above Richmond fort as I shall think fit," and whereas the
placing such a fort upon this occasion near Taconnett Falls would con-
tribute more to the defence of the said river and protection of the set-
tlements which already are, or shall hereafter be made upon it, than
erecting a fort at or near Cushnoc— I think proper to acquaint you
that in case you shall forthwith at the expense of your proprietors
cause to be built at or near Cushnoc — as I shall order a house of hewn
timber not less than ten inches thick, 100 feet long and 32 feet wide
and 16 feet high, for the reception of the province's stores with
conveniences for lodging the soldiers, — and build a block house 24
feet square agreeable to a plan exhibited by you to me for that pur-
pose and furnish the same with four cannon carrying ball of four
pounds, I will give orders for erecting a new fort at the charge of the
Government above Tacconnett Falls upon the aforesaid river — and
use my best endeavours to cause the same to be finished with the
utmost expedition."
On the day following the Kennebec Company voted to accept the
governor's proposition and terms and appointed five of their number
as a committee to erect the buildings at Cushnoc " at the charge of
this proprietee." The governor at once ordered the forces provided
by the general court to the Kennebec, where he put them under com-
mand of General John Winslow and joined them in person and
ascended to Ticonic. Here he decided to locate the fort " on a fork
of land formed by the Kennebec and Sebasticook, the latter emptying
into the former about three-fourths of a mile from Taconnett Falls."
His excellent reasons for this location were: " The only known com-
munication which the Penobscots have with the River Kennebec and
'the Norridgewock Indians is through the Sebasticook, which they
cross within ten miles of Taconnett Falls; and their most commodious
passage from Penobscot to Quebec is through the Kennebec to the
River Chaudiere, so that a iovt here cuts off the Penobscots not only
from the Norridgewocks, but also from Quebec; and as it stands at a
convenient distance to make a sudden and easy descent upon their
headquarters is a strong curb upon them as also upon the Norridge-
wocks."
After locating the fort Governor Shirley despatched a body of
soldiers up the Kennebec about seventy-five miles. Finding no French
settlements, he returned to Boston well pleased with his trip. While
at Ticonic " he caused to be erected and picketed in, a redoubt, twenty
540 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
feet square, near the site of the fort oa an eminence overlooking the
country, mounted with two small cannon and a swivel, and garrisoned
with a surgeants guard of twelve men."
By direction of Governor Shirley, and under the personal super-
vision of General John Winslow, Fort Halifax was built with all pos-
sible despatch, during the summer and fall of 1754. At the same time
the Plymouth Company were building its auxiliary at Cushnoc — Fort
Western. Fort Halifax was so nearly completed that on September
3d, Captain William Lithgow, with a garrison of one hundred men,
took possession. The name given this new military fortification was
in honor of the Earl of Halifax, then secretary of state of the kingdom
of Great Britain.
The plan upon which Winslow had been working did not please
Captain Lithgow and he obtained permission to change it. The old
blockhouse now standing was the southwest corner of Lithgow's plan.
From this extended each way a palisade of posts set in the
ground enclosing an area of 117 feet square. At the northeast corner
was another blockhouse twenty feet square. Inside the fort enclosure
was a row of barracks on the east side, eighty feet long, one story
high and twenty feet wide, and on the north side were the officers*
quarters, fort house and armory, supposed to cover a space forty by
eighty feet. The corner stone of the old fort, now deposited in the
state house at Augusta, bears this inscription:
THIS CORNER STONE LAID BY ORDER OF GOVERNOR SHIRLEY, 1754.
The buildings on the north side all appear to have been two stories
high, in the upper rooms of which religious meetings, dancing parties,
town meetings, and various social bodies gathered, because they were
the most commodious, and about the only places where the people
could meet for public purposes.
We have undoubted documentary accounts of the building of the
blockhouses, or redoubts on the hill. In his message to the house of
representatives, October 18, 1754, Governor Shirley says: " To avoid a
surprise I have caused a strong redoubt of twenty feet square in the
second story, and picqueted round, to be erected on that part of the
eminence which overlooks the country round, and mounted with two
small cannon, two pounders and one swivel, and garrisoned with a
sergeant's guard of twelve men. It is large enough to contain five
large cannon and fifty men." General Winslow located it in these
words: "Standing east 16^ degrees, north 61-J- rods," from Fort
Halifax.
Of the location of the other blockhouse and the year of its erec-
tion, the following is definite and conclusive. May 11, 1755, Captain
Lithgow wrote Governor Shirley: " I have begun a redoubt 34 feet
square, two story high, hip roof, watch box on top, to be surrourided
at proper distance with open piquets. This will be cannon proof.
This redoubt will command the eminence, as also the falls. It is
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 541
erected on the highest knowl eastward of the cut path that ascends
the eminence. In this building it will be very necessary that two
pieces of good cannon carrying 14 or 18 pound ball be placed therein."
It was armed with a twelve pound howitzer which the soldiers fired
every morning, and afterward on special occasions.
These official reports give dates and exact dimensions of two re-
doubts on the ''eminence,"' which T. O. Paine says were 635 feet apart.
He also says that the redoubt nearest the Kennebec was 960 feet from
Fort Halifax. This brings it nearer than the one built by General
Winslow, which he says was 61^ rods. They were unquestionably the
" two blockhouses " mentioned by Colonel Montrcssor in 1760. Mrs.
Freeman says there were two blockhouses on the .spot indicated by
Governor Shirley and General Winslow, and Mr. Paine is of the same
opinion, and this would make three outside of Fort Halifax.
One of these blockhouses on one of the hills was once the home
of Ezekiel Pattee and afterward was removed to his farm down the
river. Well preserved cellar walls are still to be seen by digging
where the commander's quarter's stood, inside the palisades. The old
blockhouse now on its first location is truly a venerable relic — the last
of its kind and period in New England. It was repaired and saved
from the elements in 1870 through the efforts of Dr. Atwood Crosby,
A. T. Shirtleff and J. W. Bassett. Since the Lockwood Company came
into possession of the surrounding property they have put a new roof
on it. Who owns the ground no one knows, but the town of Winslow
will honor itself by preserving what is left of old Fort Halifax.
The flat land near Fort Halifax was cleared and cultivated in 1764
by Morris Fling, who built a log hut and was the first farmer in that
vicinity. This flat was called Fling's Interval by the next two gen-
erations. Colonel Lithgow was very gallant while he was in command
of the fort. In the winter time he had his men sweep the ice and
slide the ladies. There used to be an island in the Kennebec just
below Ticonic falls that was used by the officers and their families in
warm weather for pleasure parties. There was a large basswood tree
on it. Sergeant Segar made a bridge over a small .stream and got
Madame Lithgow to go up and see it. The soldiers named the brook
after him, which name it still retains. It was a favorite spot with the
Indians, who camped there as late as 1880. " King David, the hunter
of Clinton," a member of the legislature, met the Indian member
there in 1850.
The present town of Winslow is that part of the original town
lying east of the Kennebec. The Plymouth proprietors were anxious
to give whole townships to any actual settlers upon certain conditions,
which will appear in the deed which follows. The attempt was made
in several other locations, but the Winslow men were the only parties
who succeeded in fulfilling the conditions. This speaks well for the
542 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
men, and for the country; for if the opportunities for getting a start
in life had not been good here, those who tried it would have failed.
It is probable that no finer tract of forest ever waved in Kennebec
valley than that which grew on either bank of the Sebasticook. The
following copy of the first deed will probably meet the eye of the
reader in print for the first time.
" To Gamaliel Bradford of Duxborough, James Otis of Barnstable,
John Winslow of Marshfield, Daniel Howard of Bridgewater, James
Warren of Plymouth, and William Taylor of Bo.ston Esquires, and
to their heirs and assigns forever; a certain tract of land within our
purchase containing 18,200 acres more or less lying on the ea.st side of
Kennebeck river, butted and bounded as follows, viz: beginning
on the east side of Kennebeck river at a hemlock tree standing on the
bank of said river and one rod W. N. W. of a large rock, and two
miles and half a mile on a N. N. E. course from Fort Halifax, and
from said tree to run E. vS. E. five miles to a beech tree marked;
thence to run S. vS. W. five miles and 28 poles to a red oak tree marked;
thence to run W. N.W. to said Kennebeck river; being about six miles
and 236 poles to another red oak tree, standing on the bank of the said
Kennebeck river as the shore lieth five miles and 28 poles to the first
mentioned bounds; but upon conditions following, viz: That within
four years from the date hereof, the above mentioned grantees, their
heirs or as.signs shall have 50 settlers on the premises; 25 of said .set-
tlers to have families, and to build 50 houses not less than 20 feet
square, and seven feet studd each, and that said 50 settlers shall also
within said four years clear and bring to fit for mowing or plowing
five acres of land adjoining to each house; excepting and reserving
out of said 18,200 acres, 600 acres granted by said proprietors to Will-
iam Lithgow, Esq., Sept. 12, 176-1; also re.serving to said proprietor.sthe
right of laying out such roads as shall be necessary for said proprietors'
use; reserving also to the sole use and benefit of said proprietors 400
acres of land adjoining Fort Halifax, and including said fort and butted
and bounded as follows, viz.; beginning at the southwesterly point of
land where Fort Halifax is built, and from there to run northerly up
said Kennebeck river 400 poles, said 400 poles to be measured upon a
straight line; from thence to run over to Sebasticook river, such a
course as to include said 400 acres, between said line and the said
rivers, Sebasticook and Kennebeck." March 12, 1766.
Winslow, whose Indian name was Ticonic, and whose plantation
name was Kingsfield, had the honor of being one of the finst four
towns incorporated in Kennebec county. This occurred April 26,
1771, the town then including what is now Waterville and Oakland,
and the name being in honor of General John Winslow. The first
town meeting was held Thursday, May 23d following, at Fort Hali-
fax. In 1775 it was held at the house of Ezekiel Pattee, who lived in
one of the block redoubts on the hill. In 1776 the people manifested
their patriotism by appointing Timothy Heald, John Tozer and Zimri
Haywood a committee of correspondence. Fort Halifax did not seem
to hold the rascals of that day quite securely enough, for they voted
TOWN OK WINSLOW. 543
in 1774 to pay Lieutenant Heald eight shillings to build a pair of
stocks. In 1787 the dividing line between Winslow and Vassalboro
was run out and established by Ezekiel Pattee and James Stackpole
for the former town, and Captain Denes Getchell for the latter.
In 1782 Jonah Crosby and two others were voted as a committee
to hire " tow " men to serve two years, or during the war in the con-
tinental army. Thus it seems that town bounties have ancient prece-
dents. At the town meeting of 1794, held at the house of George
Warren, a vote was carried to build a meeting house on the east side
of the river. This hou.se was built during the next three years.
Town meeting was held in it the first time in 1797. Another town
meeting was held in 1794 at the house of Arthur Lithgow. This was
the house now owned and occupied by J. W. Bassett, which was built
by the Lithgow family over one hundred years ago. In 1798 the war-
rant for the town meeting recounts as one of the qualifications of
voters, an income from real estate of £3 annually, or the ownership
of real estate of ^60 value. The old town meeting house was used
for town business till 1877, when the present town house was built on
the same lot at a cost of $1,000.
Settlers.— Early settlers on the river road south of the Sebasti-
cook were: Nathan Taylor, Mordecai Blackwell, Captain Timothy
Hale, Hezekiah Stratton, John Flye, Levi Richardson, Captain Wood,
Joseph Wheelwright, David Hutchinson, Manuel Smith, Clark Drum-
mond, Daniel Hayden, Esquire Swan, Francis Dudley, Daniel Spring,
Ezekiel Pattee, Ambrose Howard, Samuel Pattee, John Drummond,
Joshua Cushman, Franklin Dunbar, Charles Drummond and Esquire
Thomas Rice.*
In the central and eastern part of the town lived: Ephraim Wil-
son, Stephen and George x\bbott, Jacob Tilly, Wentworth Ross, vSam-
uel Haywood, Park Smiley, Joseph Hardison, George Nowell and
George, jun., Josiah and Jonas Hamlin, Esquire Brackett, Hamilton
*The following are the names of people who lived and paid taxes in Wins-
low in 1791 ; William Bradford, Edward Blanchard, Charles and John Brann,
Edwin and Daniel Spring, William Chalmer, John Brooks. David and Lieut.
Joseph Cragin, Lietit. Jonah and Ezra Crosby, Nathan, Robinson and Ben-
jamin De.xter, Nathaniel B. Dingley, Francis Dudley, a canoe builder; Ralph
Doyle, Jonathan, Enoch and Jonathan, jun., Fuller, Joseph Farewell, Thomas
S. Farrington, Thomas Gullifer, Gerald FitzGerald. Isaac Gillison, Captain
Zimri, Thomas and William Haywood, Captain Timothy Heald. Josiah and Charles
Hayden, John Hume and John, jun., John Lankester, Arthur Lithgow, Ephraim.
Jonathan and Isaac Osborne, Ezekiel. Benjamin, William and Daniel Pattee,
Asa Phillips, Barton Pollard, Benjamin and James Runnels. John, Benjamin,
Reuben and Simeon Simson, John and Willard Spaulding, William Shanehan.
Manuel Smith, Ephriam and Sheribiah Town, Daniel Spring, Richard Thomas,
Bennett Woods, George Warren, Esq., Ephraim Wilson, Moses, James and
Timothy Wyman, George and James Whidden. Caleb Goodwin and Samuel
Metcalf.
544 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Bean, Luther Lamb, Martin Ward, Jonathan Furber, John Hobbie,
Jabez Jenkins, Jabez Crowell (over 100 years old), Barnum Hodges,
Daniel, John and Amos Richards (brothers), Samuel Branch and Mr.
Gliddon.
Civil Lists. — The Selectmen of Winslow, with dates of first elec-
tion and the number of years of service, have been: 1771, Ezekiel
Pattee, 19, Timothy Heald, 3, John Tozer, 4; 1772, Robert Crosby,
Zimri Haywood, 4; 1773, Joseph Carter; 1774, John McKechnie, 4;
1775, Jonah Crosby, 7, Manuel Smith; 1777, Solomon Parker, 5; 1778,
Ephraim Osborn; 1781, David Webb; 1784, Benjamin Runnels, 3; 1785,
James Stackpole. 9: 1789, Joseph Cragin; 1790, Asa Soule, 5; 1791,
Josiah Hayden, 10; 1792, David Pattee, 2; 1794, Benjamin Chase, Oba-
diah Williams; 1785, Arthur Lithgow, 2; 1796, Daniel Carter; 1797,
Elnathan Sherwin, 5; 1798, Reuben Kidder; 1799, Jonathan Combs, 3;
1800, J. Fairfield; 1802, Thomas Rice, Thomas Smiley, 6; 1803, Charles
Hayden, 11. Ephraim Town, 4; 1804, Mordacai Blackwell, 5, Seth
Swift; 1809, Samuel Paine, 14, Raymond Smith, 9; 1812, Stephen
Crosby, Ambrose Howard, 10; 1813, Timothy Heald; 1814, Francis
Swan; 1815, Joshua Cushman; 1817, Sidney Keith, 4; 1819, William
Stratton, 4, Peter Talbot, 3; 1824, David Garland, 10, Amasa Dingley,
Stephen Abbott; 1825, Jabez Jenkins, 4; 1829, Tufton Simson, 4; 1830,
Luther R. Lamb, Clark Drummond, 6; 1831, Joseph Eaton, 2; 1832,
Joseph Hardison, 2; 1834, George Abbott; 1835, Robert Ayer, 14,
Jonas Hamlin, 4; 1837, William Bassett, 11; 1839, Tufton Simson, 6,
Nathan Stevens, 2; 1840, Jonathan Furber, 4, 1841, Charles Drum-
mond, 2; 1843, Cyrus C. Sanborn; 1844, Edmund Getchell, 2; 1845,
Arnold Palmer; 1846, Isaac W. Bntton, 2; 1847, William E. Drum-
mond; 1848, Charles H. Keith; 1849, Robert Ludwig; 1850, Asher H.
Learned; 1851, Charles Cushman, Philander Soul; 1852, R. R. Drum-
mond, 2; Sullivan Abbott, 3; 1853, Haues L. Crosby, 4; 1854, Simon
Guptill, 4; 1855, Calvin Taylor; 1858, Charles C. Stratton, 2; 1860,
Amasa Dingley, 2; 1862, Colby C. Cornish, 10; Josiah C. Hutchinson,
11, T. J. Hinds, 4; 1866, Charles Hodges, 2; 1868, Silas R. Getchell, 6,
James W. Withee; 1870, George W. Files, 3, Llewellyn E. Hodges, 3;
1871, O. T. Wall, 3; 1872, Charles E. Cushman, 2; 18745 Ira E. Getchell,
2; 1875, C. R. Drummond; James P. Taylor, 7; 1877, Allen P. Varney,
6; 1881, B. Frank Towne, 2; 1883, Charles E. Warren, 6, George W.
Reynolds, 2; 1884, David F. Guptill, 4, George T. Nickerson; 1885,
Sidney K. Fuller, 8; 1887, Stephen Nichols; 1888, H. T. Dunning, 3;
1889, Albert G. Clifford, 3, and Heman S. Garland, 3.
Town Clerks: Ezekiel Pattee was elected clerk in 1771 and in 1782;
Zimri Haywood in 1781; Solomon Parker, 1785; James Stackpole, 1786;
Ezekiel Pattee, 1788; Josiah Hayden, 1792; Asa Redington, 1796; Josiah
Hayden, 1797; Edmund Freeman, 1798; Jeremiah Fairfield, 1800;
Charles Hayden. 1802: Hannibal Keith, 1823; Charles Hayden, 1825;
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 545
David Garland, 1834; Sidney Keith, 1837; David Garland, 1838; Asa
Burnham, 1842; Colby C. Cornish, 1850; Robert Ayer, 1853; C. C. Cor-
nish, 1856; Robert Ayer, 1859; C. C. Cornish, 1863; Charles H. Keith,
1866; B. C. Paine, 1869; Josiah W. Bassett, the present clerk, in 1870.
Treasurers: Ezekiel Pattee also served as town treasurer from 1771
to 1794, except 1781, when Zimri Haywood served. Timothy Heald
succeeded in 1794; Nehemiah Getchell, 1796; Timothy Heald, 1797
James Stackpole, 1798; Timothy Heald, 1799; Asa Redington, 1800
Charles Hayden, 1802; Thomas Rice, 1803; Josiah Hayden, 1804
Charles Hayden, 1806; Herbert Moore, 1807; Thomas Rice, 1810
Josiah Hayden, 1813; Lemuel Paine, 1814; Frederick Paine, 1816
Francis Swan, 1822; Frederick Paine, 1824; Thomas Rice, 1830; Fred
erick Paine, 1831; Nathaniel Garland, 1832; Ambrose Howard, 1834
David Garland, 1835; Ambrose Howard, 1851; Hiram Simpson, 1854
B. C. Paine, 1856; Hiram Simpson, 1857; Hanes L. Crosby, 1860; Jo-
siah C. Hutchinson, 1862; B. C. Paine, 1869; Reuben Moore, 1870; Jo
siah C. Hutchinson, 1872; Llewellyn E. Hodges, 1875; B. Frank
Towne, 1881; Albert Fuller, 1883; James P. Taylor, 1888; George S.
Getchell, 1889, and R. O. Jones, 1892.
George Warren, who came before 1791, was the first lawyer. Gen-
eral Ripley, afterward the hero of the battle of Lundy's Lane, Canada;
Lemuel Paine, the father of Henry W. Paine, and Thomas Rice,
were lawyers who lived and practiced in Winslow between 1790 and
1830. The first two were partners. The oldest inhabitant does not
remember the time when there was a resident doctor in town, except
Doctor Stockbridge — very early — and yet the town has long been
noted for the longevity of its people.
Traders. — The word trader very appropriately applies to the em-
bryo merchant who locates in a forest and buys, or swaps commod-
ities with the original inhabitants. Christopher Lawson in 1653, and
Richard Hammond and Clark & Lake about 1675, are all the names
of this class we know who were located here before 1750. No less a
man than Colonel William Lithgow was a trader in Fort Halifax after
the French and Indian war. We next find Ezekiel Pattee in trade in
the Fort house before the revolution. Here are some of the items
charged to him in account with the Howards, of Augusta, in 1773:
'■ Four brls. rum and one hhd. molasses— ^99, 19, 0; 1 pair blankets
£^%\ 500 20 penny nails, 1,000 8 penny nails £%, 6, 3; creditor by 28
moose skins ^63, 7 brls salmon £%A:, Staves, shingles and rye shipped
per sloop Phcnix i:54. 7, 6." Joel Crosby, also a trader of Winslow,
sent on the same boat 113 barrels alewives, ;^389, 17, to the Howards.
Arthur Lithgow, a .son of Colonel Lithgow, followed his father in
trade, and was the largest tax payer in Winslow in 1791. He moved
to Augusta and was the first sheriff of Kennebec county. Richard
Thomas, another historic penson age, lived and traded in the fort. He
546 HISTORY OF KEXNEBEC COUXTV.
was succeeded by a trader named Brewer. Nathaniel Dingley had a
store in one of the blockhouses belonging to the fort, and William
Pitt used the blockhouse now standing as a fancy store. Mrs. Free-
man remembers his giving her a pair of kid gloves in that place when
she was a girl. On his farm up the river, now owned by Dr. H. H.
Campbell, Benjamin " King" Runnels kept a store for years.
The next was Nathaniel B. Dingley — one of the most active men
of his times — a large farmer, a lumberman and shipbuilder. The
trade of what is now Benton, Clinton, Albion, China and Unity, at
one time came to his store.
Since then the following men have traded in Winslow: Major
Swan, Eaton & Safford, S. & J. Eaton, Robert Ayer, C. C. Cornish,
Ayer Brothers, Hiram Simpson, D. C. & D. B. Paine, Cornish & Bas-
sett, B. C. Paine, J. W. Withee, J. R. Rierson, O. L. Johnson, Simpson
& Spaulding, F. L. Simpson, Nelson Brothers and J. W. Bassett,
who has been in business thirty-five years and is the only trader in
town on the south side of the Sebasticook. On the north side of the
river A. K. Mason has traded since 1888.
Taverns. — Probably the pioneer tavern keeper in old Winslow
was Ezekiel Pattee. His daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Freeman, says he
kept tavern in Fort Halifax and entertained company from Boston
who asked a great many questions about that locality. At one time
Aaron Burr was their guest.
We learn by the town records that at the " inn " of Richard
Thomas a town meeting was held November 3, 1794. He, too, lived
in the fort, till he built the Halifax Hottse in 1798. This house,
which was burned in 1865, stood between the old fort well and the
river.
After Mr. Thomas' death this house was sold to John Richards. who
kept tavern there for a while and sold it to Hiram Simpson, who kept
the last tavern on this side of the river. South of the Sebasticook
Nathaniel Dingley kept tavern at an early day in a house with a brick
front. He was followed by Job Richards, in the same building.
Mills. — The first saw mill in Winslow probably had a grist mill for
a running mate, built at the same time, and quite likely under the
same roof. The mills were built before 1770, and, in the opinion of
Mr. E. A. Paine, at the expense of the Kennebec proprietors, to en-
courage the settlers and induce more to come. The builder was Ben-
jamin Runnels, then living at Pownalboro, who was a soldier in the
revolutionary war, being a blacksmith. He helped forge the chain
that kept the British from going up the Hudson river. In 1778 he
moved to Winslow — was a farmer, trader, lumberman and speculator,
and a representative to the general court, and was buried on land now
belonging to Doctor Campbell.
The next saw mill on this stream was situated about twenty rods
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 547
above and was owned by the Norcross family, who probably built it.
David Garland, who worked in it in 1819, said there were ruins of a
double mill a few rods below — undoubtedly the old proprietors' mill,
built a half century before. Franklin Hayden moved the Norcross
mill a few rods further up stream, in which work he fell and lost his
life on election day in 1840. He was to have been married that same
evening. His brother, Thomas, took the mill after his death. It was
in use till near 1880.
Following this stream up three-fourths of a mile we come to a saw
mill built by Major Josiah Hayden nearly one hundred years ago. In
1822 he bought a grist mill of John Drummond and moved it close to
the side of his saw mill. His son, Thomas J. Hayden, succeeded to the
property and placed in the upper story of the building a grain thresher
and separator that were worn out and have been replaced with better
ones. The grist mill originally had two runs of stones, one of which
has been taken out. This mill property has always remained in the
family, being owned and managed now by W. Vinal Hayden, a grand-
son of the builder.
On the opposite side of the Hayden mill pond is a bed of fine clay.
About seventy-five years ago William Hussey and Ambrose Bruce
built a factory on this dam and established a pottery that became quite
famous. Mr. Hussey was .something of an artist in his line and manu-
factured a variety of earthen ware. Most of the milk pans then in use
by the housewives in this section were his handiwork. His goods
were in great demand. He would make up a hundred dollars worth
and have a good time on the proceeds before making another batch.
Too fond of convivial enjoyments, a business that might have been
largely increased was allowed to decline and finally to collapse.
On the same stream, two miles above, John Getchell built in 1791,
and for years ran, a saw mill on the west side, where the woolen mill
now is. Between 1820 and 1830 a company composed of Joseph South-
wick, Howland, Pruden and Moses Taber, built a hemp mill on the
east side of the stream and distributed seed among the farmers.
Hemp was grown, but its manufacture did not pay. About 1830
Church and William Bassett, from Bridgewater, Mass., bought the
property and made .shingles and barrel staves and put in carding
machines. Church bought his brother out and started a woolen mill.
He sold a part of the power to Wilber, who made shingles and
had a grain thresher and separator. Farming was profitable, Bassett
also had a threshing machine and competition was brisk. The saw
mill burned in 1846. In 1851 Edmund Getchell and his sons, Ira E.
and Leonard, bought one-fourth of the water privilege on the west
side and built a shop in which for fifteen years they made shingles
and did wood working of various kinds, making large lots of spade
handles for gold diggers' use in California. In 1857 John D. Lang,
048 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Henry W., Theodore W. and Charles A. Priest bought the east side
privilege and built a grist mill, and changed the woolen mill into a
shoe peg manufactory. To the latter business Charles A. Priest
turned his entire attention, inventing a machine for cutting shoe pegs
that made him independent of a patent that had monopolized the cut-
ting of these wooden nails for years. His trade extended to Liver-
pool, England, where one firm took 1,000 barrels of pegs a year at
sixty cents a bushel.
A fire in 1865 burned all buildings on the east side. The Priest
brothers then sold the grist mill privilege to John D. Lang, who then
built the present grist mill. Charles A. Priest rebuilt his peg mill
and continued that business till they were no longer used in large
quantities. He now uses the building for a job shop in wood or iron
work. About 1880 Mr. Priest and Charles A. Drummond bought the
grist mill of Mr. Lang, and Albert Cook built the shoddy mill now run
by Cook & Jepson.
Early in the present centur}' John Drummond built, on the brook
that has ever since been called by his name, near the river road, a
grist mill, in which were two runs of stones. This mill was operated
by him till 1822, when he sold it to Major Josiah Hayden, and built a
saw mill in its place. This stream, never large or constant, became
much smaller as the forests were cut off, until it failed to furnish water
enough to run the saw mill with any profit, after about 1840.
Frederick Paine had a plaster mill on Clover brook that did busi-
nes,% from 1820 to 1870.
On the stream running from Mud to Pattee's pond, John Getchell
built and ran a saw mill before 1795. Isaac Dow afterward repaired
it and made shingles there. One half mile below on the same stream
was Alden's saw mill, which ran down and was rebuilt by Esquire
Brackett, who lost his life in it in 1840, by a blow from the saw frame.
John Brimner sawed lumber in it for years, after which shingles were
made there till about 1870.
Ezra Crosby built in 1807 a saw mill on the Wilson stream three
miles from the river. After operating it several years, he sold it to
Ephriam Wilson, who sawed lumber thirty years and sold it to Amos
Foss.
At the mouth of the Pattee stream on the bank of the Sebasticook,
Stephen Crosby in 1780. built and operated a saw mill and a grist mill.
They were worn out before 1830. Joel Earned built the next saw mill
and ran it twenty-five years. About 1845 Zimri Haywood built on the
same dam a plaster mill, grinding Nova Sootia stone brought up the
river on the old fashioned long boats. No plaster was ground after
about 1870. Abijah Crosby then bought the property and put in a
shingle mill. Fred Lancaster and Charles Drake, the present propri-
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 549
etors, bought the property next, and put a circular saw in the mill,
which is one of the few now running in town.
Ebenezer Heald was granted 300 acres of land in Winslow in 1790.
Scon after this he built a saw and a grist mill on the Bog brook, both
of which mills served their day and generation and peacefully passed
away before 1810. Jefferson Hines built a second grist mill there, in
which John Nelson put a shingle machine. The whole establishment
broke camp in the flood of 1832.
Just above, on the same stream, Asher Hines and Thomas Smiley
built a double saw mill that worked its life away for its owners. Their
sons replaced it with a new mill, that had passed its prime when the
freshet of 1832 induced it to retire from business, and it has had no
successor.
The large steam saw mill, built by Edward Ware in 1890, stands on
the historic ground of Fort Point. These premises, which were leased
of the Lockwood Company, include the larger part of the palisade en-
closure of old Fort Halifax. The main building, over 300 feet long,
is fined with all modern appliances for cutting lumber. An engine
of 300 horse power, and the labor of sixty-five men cut nearly a million
feet of lumber per month for eight months of the year, besides about
3,000,000 each, of shingles and lath. This immense output is mostly
dimen.sion lumber for the Boston markets, and is made from logs
floated from the timber sections of the upper Kennebec.
The largest pulp and paper mill in Kennebec county is being built
in Winslow by the Hollingsworth & Whitney Company, on the east
bank of the Kennebec, at a cost of three quarters of a million dollars.
For this purpose sixty acres of land, extending three-fourths of a mile
along the river, were purchased of the Lockwood Company. An im-
mense dam has been thrown across the river at the north end of the
property, and a canal has been dug around it that will transform the
entire purchase into an island. The buildings are about 800 feet long,
requiring in their construction 15,000 cubic yards of solid stone
masonry, and 2,500,000 brick. Two machines of the largest capacity,
making paper 134 inches wide, are already in position. This mill,
combining every modern appliance, will convert into pulp logs con-
taining 6,000,000 feet of lumber per year, from which twenty-four
tons of manilla paper will be manufactured each day.
Good clay for making brick may be found in many places in Wins-
low. Reuben Simpson made brick near the river two miles above
Ticonic falls, for the brick house now standing there, over one hun-
dred years ago. John Jackson made brick on the farm now owned by
Ira Getchell in 1823, and Edmund Getchell made brick near North
Vassalboro from 1845 to 1855. Stephen Abbott made brick near his
house, and in 1826 Williams Bassett made brick on the Hampden
.550 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Keith place, and another yard was in operation fifty years ago, east of
the burying- ground, near the river.
About 1872 Norton & Leavett opened a clay bed on the bank of
the river, near the east end of the bridge, in which were made the
brick for the Lockwood mills a year or two later. In 1873 Carter
opened the present Purinton yard, and made brick till Norton &
Leavett bought him out in 1875. J. P. Norton bought Mr. Leavett's
interest in 1877, and the next year he sold one-half to Horace Purin-
ton, and Norton & Purinton made brick and took building contracts
for ten years. In 1888 Amos E. Purinton bought Mr. Norton out, and
the style of the firm has since been Horace Purinton & Co., who em-
ploy fifteen men, and make 1,500,000 brick yearly.
Indications of tin ore were noticed by Charles Chipman in the ap-
pearance of stone scattered along a brook on J. H. Chaffee's farm
about 1870. Daniel Moor, Doctor Salmon, of Boston, Mr. Chipman,
Thomas Lang, of Vassalboro, and others, investigated and believed
the ore could be found by mining. A company was formed that sunk
a shaft 100 feet or more in the rock. The amount of tin found in-
creased as the shaft went down, but the quantity did not pay ex-
penses. Work was suspended about ten years ago, and has not been
resumed.
The first bridge over the Sebasticook was swept away in 1832. A
company in 1834 built a toll bridge there, of which Leonard and
Joseph Eaton, and Joseph Wood were main owners. The town in
1866 paid $2,500 for the bridge, and made it free.
Churches. — The religious history of W^inslow begins with some
stray records that are of early date and of decided interest. Rev. John
Murray, a noted Congregational clergyman, of Boothbay, held a reli-
gious service in Fort Halifax July 3, 1773, on which occasion he bap-
tized three of Dr. John McKechnie's children. Rev. Jacob Bailey,
the zealous Episcopalian, also held a few services at Fort Halifax in
1773-4. At its annual meeting in 1773 the town voted to hire Deliver-
ance Smith to preach twelve Sundays in that year. No regular
preaching was provided. " 1772 voted to hire one month's preaching
this year." 1775 " Voted not to hire preaching." 1778 " Voted to hire
preaching."
Roman Catholic services were held, according to Mrs. Freeman's
account, among the Indians right after the war, by Juniper Berthune,
a French Catholic priest, who had what she calls a mass house at the
point where the Mile brook enters the Sebasticook. The Indians, six
of whom acted as his body guard, were very much attached to him,
and were most obedient to his commands.
The next recognized religious meeting was twenty years later,
when Jesse Lee preached in Winslow March 9, 1794 — probably in the
fort, as no meeting house had yet been built in town.
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 551
The town meeting of 1793 voted to hold preaching meetings alter-
nately on the east and west sides of the river. September 5, 1794, the
town voted " to hire Joshua Cushman to settle as a religious instructor
and to give him ^110 a year so long as he shall remain our instruc-
tor." The following covenant, rules of admission and articles of faith
were adopted by a vote of the town:
" A Church covenant, or an association for the purpose of promo-
ting Christian Knowledge, Piety and Virtue. First: it is understood
and agreed that all the inhabitants of the town who support and at-
tend upon christian instruction, are, in the general acceptation of the
term Christians, and have an equal right to act in all ministerial or
religious affairs in which their property or consciences are concerned
— nevertheless as all who are christians in a general sense may not be
qualified, or may not feel it their duty to partake of the Lord's Supper,
so called, it is thought advisable to form an association for that pur-
pose, to establish some general rules of admission, to state some gen-
eral articles of faith and to come into general engagements to adorn
the doctrine of God our savior by well ordered lives and conversa-
tion.
" And it is understood and agreed that the persons thus associating
are not in consequence of their association obliged to commune or
partake of the Lord's Supper, but are still left to their own voluntary
choice.
• General rules of admission — Persons wishing to become members
of the association shall subscribe their names to the following articles
of faith and to the following engagements. All persons whether male
or female thus subscribing shall be considered as members of the
association, and be entitled to commune without any other ceremony
or formality whatever.
" Articles of faith founded upon it— Believing those writings called
the Holy Scriptures to be profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for cor-
rection, and for instruction in righteousness, and to contain all the
religious truths necessary to be believed, and all the religious pre-
cepts that are neces.sary to be practiced, in order to eternal salvation,
we adopt them as the rules of our faith and practice.
" Engagements— Sensible that the happiness of man in this life, as
well as in that which is to come, especially depends upon the practice
of piety and virtue, we engage to discountenance impiety, to encour-
age the moral, the social and the Christian virtues, to promote friend-
ship and brotherly love among ourselves, the peace and unity of the
Christii.n Society at large, and endeavor by the grace of God to let
our conversation be as it becometh'the Gospel of Christ."
The first general church committee, appointed at a regular town
. meeting, were: James Stackpole, Ezekiel Pattee, Arthur Lithgow,
Abraham Lander, Jonah Crosby, Benjamin Chase, Zimri Haywood,
Asa Redington, George Warren, Timothy Heald, Ephraim Town,
Solomon Parker, Nathaniel Low, Josiah Hayden, James McKechnie,
David Pattee, John Pierce, Joseph Cragin, Elnathan Sherwin and Ben-
jamin Runnels.
This committee had charge of the ordination services of Mr. Cush-
552 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
man, which were held June 10, 1795, in a huge evergreen bower, sup-
ported by twenty pillars, erected for the purpose on " The Plains," as
the point of land near the fort was then called. It was a notable occa-
sion. Churches from ten localities were represented here by their
pastors and many of their people. The town voted in 1794 to build a
meeting house on the east side of the river, which was so far com-
pleted as to be used for the town meeting in the spring of 1797. It
has been used for religious meetings from that day to this, of which
it has undoubtedly had a greater number within its walls than any
meeting house in Kennebec county. The Methodist meeting house
at East Readfield is a year older, but has had a great many idle years,
while there is no evidence that this venerable house has had a single
one.
After his ordination Mr. Cushman continued to preach to the
Christian Society of Winslow about twenty years. The articles of
faith are probably the most liberal in their wording and charitable in
their spirit of any religious society in Maine of an equally early date.
Mr. Cushman was nominally a Congregationalist* when ordained,
but knowing that his society had adopted a Unitarian platform he did
not hesitate to preach that doctrine. Dissatisfaction gradually en-
sued, and the town paid him $1,200 in 1814 to be released from the old
" religious instructor " contract.
The Congregational Church of Winslow was organized August 27,
1828, in the school house, with a constituency of twenty-nine members.
The first meeting, at which was the ordination of William May as
pastor, was held in the town meeting house. Some of the prominent
members of the early years of the church were: Deacon Peter Talbot,
Frederick Paine, Leprelit Wilmouth and Jonathan Garland, and their
wives; Thomas Rice, Robert R. Drummond, Deacon Edmund Getchell,
Samuel Sewall, Richard Patterson, John W. Drummond, David Patter-
son and Timothy O. Paine.
The pastors from that time to the present have been: William May,
1828 to 1832; Henry C. Jewett, from 1835; John Perham, 1842; Albert
* He was a noted man. Born in 1759, he did valiant service in the revolu-
tionary army, graduated from Harvard College, where he was a classmate with
John Quincy Adams, and entered the ministry at the age of thirty-six. After
serving in both branches of the legislature he was sent to congress, where his
acts met with the approval of his constituents. He was a good scholar, a pol-
ished writer, a ready speaker, and the most competent preacher in all this sec-
tion, with great adaptation for special occasions, such as Thanksgiving and the
Fourth of July. Several of these addresses and sermons were published by re-
quest of leading citizens and obtained wide circulation. This man's history is
unique. His life was without reproach. His personal influence must have been
great, or he never could have secured the adoption at a town meeting of a
formula of religious belief and worship of such exceeding liberality in a Puri-
tanic age. No parallel to this exists in New England. It was the first Unitarian
church in America.
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 553
Cole, 1847; David Shepley, 1851; John Dinsmore, 1862; Gustavus W.
Jones, 1880; and Thomas P. Williams since 1883.
Peter Talbot, chosen in 1828; Thomas L. Garland, 1839; William
Bassett, 1844; Clark H. Keith, 1852, and Cyrus Howard and Edward
M. Patterson, chosen in 1877, have been the deacons of this church.
The present membership is seventy-five, with about eighty attendants
of the Sabbath school.
The old town meeting house, built in 1795, was reseated and
crowned with a steeple in 1830, and received its first coat of paint in
1836. The inside was remodeled in 1852, the steeple was reduced to
the present belfry in 1884, and in 1888 the present arrangements in
the audience room were perfected. This is the oldest meeting house
now in regular use in Kennebec county, and the only one built at
town expense, and still used for church purposes.
Methodists and Free Baptists, about 1829, united in building the
Union meeting house still standing on the river road, a half mile from
the Vassalboro line. Previous to this a Methodist church had been
formed by David Hutchinson, a resident minister; John Fly, class
leader; Charles Hayden, the surveyor; Clark Drummond, William,
Alvin and Franklin Blackwell and others. The exact succcession and
dates of the following pastors are not in the Winslow records — the
names are: J. B. Husted, Daniel B. Randall, O. Bent, E. B. Fletcher,
James Twing, J. Farrington, Sullivan Bray. George Winslow, Luther
P. French, Henry Latham, Caleb Mugford. S. W. Pierce, George
Strout, J. G. Piugree, Henry True, B. M. Mitchell, D. L Staples, Elisha
Chenery, L. C. Dunn, D. P. Thompson, Nathan Webb, D. M. True,
Phinneas Higgins, S. L. Hanscom, Martin Ward, who died here in
1843; David Smith, Charles Browning, R. Bryant, Samuel Ambrose,
M. R. Clough, Jesse Harriman, T. Moore, J. C. Murch, B. F. Sprague.
died here in 1860; Josiah Bean and J. R. Clifford, who, about 1884,
was the last. Since then no regular services have been held in the
old meeting house. This society was so strong that in 1834 it built a
parsonage. Amos Taylor, Nathaniel Doe and C. McFadden were lead-
ing Baptists, and Elder Farewell and D. B. Dewis were early
preachers.
The First Baptist Church of Winslow was organized at the house
of Jonas Hamlin, June 1, 1837. For ten years previous there had
been occasional preaching by Elders Webber, King, Proctor, Bartlett,
Copeland and Knox. Since then, Elders Arnold Palmer, Ephraim
Emery, Zachariah Morton, Atwood, J. V. Tabor, E. S. Fish, A. J.
Nelson, Doctor Butler, L E. Bill, E. C. Stover, Ira Emery, W. P. Palmer,
Dore, N. G. Curtiss and A. R. McDougall have been pastors. The
deacons have been: Joseph Taylor, Ambrose Palmer, Leonard Motley,
Ebenezer Abbott, D. F. Guptill and Horace Coleman. The present
554 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
meeting house was built in 1850 and has been kept in g-ood repair.
The church has fifty-five members.
The Methodist Church in the eastern part of Winslow was organ-
ized at the house of Stephen Abbott, who was the first class leader.
Seth and Nathan Wentworth, John Brown, Barnum Hodges, Joseph
Watson and Scruton Abbott were some of the first members. The
latter, who was born in 1803, is the only one, of the original members
left, to whose good memory we are indebted for this sketch. In 1851
the society built a meeting house in which no regular rervices are
now held. The following is a partial list of preachers who have
labored on this charge: Elders William True, Sullivan Bray, Craw-
ford, Crosby, Bessey, Martin Ward, Hutchinson, Jones, Fletcher,
Phenix, Batchelder. Louis Wentworth in 1860, Josiah Bean, and W.
B. Jackson in 1875.
Post Offices. — The post office at Winslow was established July 1,
1796, with Asa Redington as postmaster. His successors have been:
Nathaniel B. Dingley, appointed 1803; Hezekiah Stratton, 1811; Fred-
erick Paine, 1815; Nathaniel Dingley, 1845; Amasa Dingley, Decem-
ber, 1845; Robert Ayer, 1846; Daniel B. Paine, 1865; Josiah W. Bas-
sett, 1866: Fred L. Simpson, 1885; Josiah W. Bassett, 1889.
A post office was established at Lamb's Corner, in Winslow, April
18, 1891, with Mrs. Lizzie A. Lamb as postmistress.
Schools. — The common schools of Winslow comprise sixteen
districts, with fifteen school houses and eleven schools that were
taught in 1892. There were 604 children who drew $1,400 public
money, to which amount the town added $1,500 by tax, and $250
more for the support of free high schools. The attendance for the
past year has been 247 in the district schools, and eighty pupils in the
two high schools. One of these is at the village of Winslow, and the
other is in the eastern part of the town, near the Baptist church.
John M. Taylor, supervisor of schools, takes an unusual interest in
educational matters, as shown by his work and his reports.
Poor Farm. — The poor of the town were farmed out to the lowest
bidder till 1859, when the town voted $8,200, and bought the Blanch-
ard farm.
Cemeteries. — General Ezekiel Pattee, who died in 1813 at the age
of eighty-two, gave the burying ground on the river road, in which
his body now lies. Near by, also, appear the tombstones of Colonel
Josiah Hayden, who died in 1818, eighty-one years old, and Manuel
Smith, who died in 1821, eighty years old — btth prominent men of
their times. In the Getchell grave yard lie the bodies of David Smiley,
John Tailor and wife, and other early .settlers. Benjamin Runnels
and some other contemporaries were buried on his farm, now owned
by Dr. H. H. Campbell. A similar burial place is to be seen on the
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 555
Brown farm, where some members of the Hale, Newell and other old
families were buried.
One half acre of land bought by the town of David Guptill in 1854,
adjoining a piece consecrated to that use by the McClintock family, in
which were the graves of Abigail Robinson and her mother, consti-
tute the McClintock burying ground. The Drummond burial ground
on the river road was given to the family about 1840, by John Drum-
mond. Lots are now sold to any one for burial purposes. The Crosby
grave yard was accepted and fenced by the town in 1881. On the
William Stratton farm, the Stratton family have a private burial
ground; and on the river road is the Tufton Simpson ground.
The cemetery in the village of Winslow, on the north bank of the
Sebasticook, is probably the oldest in town. A committee was ap-
pointed by the town in 1772 to apply to Dr. Sylvester Gardiner for
land for a burying ground on the Fort farm. Doctor Gardiner un-
doubtedly gave the land now in use, when visited by that committee.
In this yard, beneath a slab of dark slate stone, one side smoothed for
lettering, and the other side just as it was split from the quarry, lies
the body of an eccentric citizen, who composed the following epitaph
with strict injunctions that it should be inscribed on his tombstone
just as written. It has been widely copied by the newspapers:
" Here lies the body of Richard Thomas, An inglishman by birth,
A whig of 76, By occupation a Cooper, Now food for worms. Like an
old rumpuncheon marked numbered and shooked, He will be raised
again and finished by his creator. He died Sept 28, 1824, aged 75,
America my adopted country. My best advice to you is this take care
of your liberties."
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
John L. Abbott (1819-1882) was a farmer and carriage maker. He
was a son of Tilley and Sarah (Libby) Abbott. His wife, who survives
him, was Sarah M., daughter of Jonathan, and granddaughter of John
Ewer, who came to Vassalboro from Cape Cod. The children of Mr.
and Mrs. Abbott were: Adelaide L. (Mrs. Orrin G. Brown), Jonathan
E., Almira P. (Mrs. Purley York) and two who died— Alpheus E. and
Selima P. Jonathan Ewer was twice married: first to Anna P. Snow,
and second to Emma A. Bragg.
Marshall Abbott, born in 1837, is the only son of Scruton, grand-
son of Stephen, and great-grandson of Stephen Abbott, of Berwick, Me.
Stephen, jun. (1774-1841) came to Winslow with three brothers-
Jacob, George and Tilley; and another brother, Benjamin, settled in
Albion. Stephen, jun., married Sarah, daughter of Ephraim and
Eunice (Spencer) Wilson. Mr. Abbott is a farmer, and owns and
occupies with his father a part of the old Abbott homestead. He
married Rebecca M., daughter of David and Amy (Baileyi Burgess,
and granddaughter of Thomas Burgess, of Vassalboro. They have
556 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
five children: Anderson A., Inlus L., Elmer M.. Ella M. and Seth M.
William B. Barton, born in Brooks, Me., in 1825, is a son of Luke
and Olive (Roberts) Barton. He came to Winslow in 1840, where he
was a lumberman and river driver until 1870, since which time he has
been a stone mason and farmer. He married Eliza J., daughter of
Robert and Mercy (Simpson) McCausland, and granddaughter of
Robert McCausland. Their children are: Flora J. (Mrs. G. L. Learned),
Charles H. and Nellie F. (Mrs. L. H. Simpson). Charles H. married
Mary A. Fardy. Mrs. Learned has two children: Frank E. and
Marion L.
Alden Bassett, born in 1847, is the youngest of seven children of
Williams (1806-1877), and grandson of William Bassett. His mother
is Sibyl, daughter of Ambrose Howard. Williams and his brother,
William Church, came from Bridgewater, Mass., to Winslow in 1824.
Mr. Bassett is a farmer on the place where his father settled when he
came to the town, it being the west part of the Hamlin Keith farm.
He married Kate H., daughter of Charles Cook Hayden, and their
children are Arthur A. and Helen H.
James H. Chaffee, farmer, was born in Boston in 1832. His father,
Samuel Chaffee, came to Vassalboro from Boston in 1832, and was a
farmer and mason. Mr. Chaffee, in 1862, bought the General Ezekiel
Pattee farm, which was settled by him as early as 1770. He married
Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Pattee) Furber. Her
maternal grandfather was Benjamin, a son of General Ezekiel Pattee.
Their children are: Samuel H., Mary L. (Mrs. C. W. Pond) and Ben-
jamin F.
Thurston C. Chamberlain, son of William and Hannah (Hu.ston)
Chamberlain, was born in Damariscotta, Me., in 1826. He was a ship-
builder and farmer in his native town until 1860, when he came to
Winslow, where he is a farmer. He married Sarah, daughter of
Charles and Ruth (Howard) Drummond, of Winslow. Their children
are: Annie E. (Mrs. Asa Lowe), Charles D., William W., Henry T.,
George A. and Bert.
Albert G. Clififord, born in Sidney in 1835, is the eldest of three
sons of John B. and Sarah (Tiffany) Clifford. Mr. Clifford's father, a
farmer, removed from Sidney to Benton in 1844, where he died in
1881, aged seventy-seven years. Albert G. is a farmer and sheep and
cattle broker. He came to Winslow in 1887. For nearly a quarter
of a century he held town office in Benton, and has acted in a similar
capacity in Winslow. He married Charlotte H., daughter of Andrew
Richardson. Their children are: Louisa, Howard A., Charlotte, Al-
bert R. and three that died— Fannie D., Mattie H. and Walter A.
Colby C. Cornish. — In the spring of 1838 Colby Coombs Cornish,
then twenty years old, entered the store of Joseph Eaton, in Winslow,
as a clerk. Previous to this he had served a four years' clerkship in
^. ^. ^ .y.^^^^^
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 557
the store of his uncle, Josiah C. Coombs, in Bowdoinham. Up to the
age of sixteen he had lived at home on his father's farm, where he
learned to do very hard work and a good deal of it.
James Cornish, his father, and Cyprian Cornish, his grandfather,
who in early life had been a seafaring man, were both residents of
Bowdoin and both farmers. James Cornish married Mrs. Charity
Coombs Adams, daughter of Captain John Coombs, of Bowdoin. Char-
lotte, their oldest child, now deceased, married Horace Curtis, and
Jane, the third child, married Frederic Curtis, both of Bowdoinham.
William, the next child, is a retired sea captain, living in his native
town: Abraham, the fifth, is a resident of Portland, and David, the next
youngest, is a farmer in Bowdoin; Susan and Rachel, the remaming
children, the latter Mrs. George Small, of Bowdoin, are both dead.
Colby C, the second child, was born September 9, 1818. His
father's family was of English, his mother's of French extraction, and
the strains of their blood that flowed in his veins had, as we have seen,
been flavored and toughened by the waves and winds of the ocean,
and disciplined by the rigors and toils of New England farm life.
Like most country boys of that generation his educational advantages
were limited to the district school, but of these, meager though they
were, he had made the most. One term, which he well remembers,
was taught by Nathaniel M. Whitmore, for many years a prominent
lawyer in Gardiner.
When he entered Mr. Eaton's store at the age of twenty he was a
fine specimen of athletic strength and quickness, and was the victor
in many a wrestling match which furnished the amusement for the
sturdy villagers. He proved equally apt in business and was peculiarly
adapted to the requirements of a succesful trader. So rapidly did he
acquire the methods and practice of his calling and learn the people
and their wants that at the end of four years Mr. Eaton proposed to
change his clerkship into a partnership.
This arrangement was speedily perfected. The name of the new
firm, C. C. Cornish & Co., gives us a clear view of the situation. The
clerk was not only a partner, but the old established business was to
take the name of a young man who came to town a total stranger only
four years before. Here in 1842, just fifty years ago, Mr. Cornish took
the helm of the craft in which he was to do the work. His clerkships
.seem to have been divided into four year periods, and now after four
years of partnership he bought Mr. Eaton's interest and was sole pro-
prietor for the next twenty. In 1866 he took his present son-in-law,
Mr. J. W. Bassett, into partnership, and the firm of Cornish & Bassett
continued until 1881, when he sold to Mr. Bassett the remaining half
of a business that had brought him a handsome competence and had
yielded the higher .satisfactions of a well employed life.
It is natural that such a man in such a community should be asked
658 HISTORV OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
to do some work for the public. In politics Mr. Cornish was originally
a whig, but he became a republican at the formation of that party and
has ever since been an active leader in his section of the county. He
was town clerk for nine years, between 1850 and 1865. In 1862 he
was elected chairman of the board of selectmen and managed the
town's affairs most successfully during the rebellion and the critical
years that followed. It was largely through his influence that the in-
debtedness incurred by the town during the war was almost wholly
paid before the hard times came on. His term of service as chairman
of the board of selectmen covered a period of ten years and as town
agent seventeen years. In 1872 he was elected a member of the house
of representatives and was senator from Kennebec county in 1880,
1881 and 1882, the first being the famous count-out year, when Maine
had two governors and two legislatures at the same time. In 1883 and
1884, during the first half of Governor Robie's administration, he was
a member of the executive council. This record of twenty-five years'
service in the interests of his town and state is simply a prolonged
expression of the confidence and approval of the public.
He has always identified himself with the business as well as the
political interests of the community. He has been trustee of the
Waterville Savings Bank since 1876 and was one of the organizers of
the Merchants' National Bank in Waterville and a director since its
organization in 1875.
Mr. Cornish married Paulina B., daughter of Tufton and Susan
vSimpson, of Winslow, in 1842. Ella S., their oldest child, is now Mrs.
J. W. Bassett, of Winslow, and their son, Leslie C, is a member of
the well known law firm of Baker, Baker & Cornish, of Augusta, Me.
Their second child, Florence M., died when seven years old. Their
home is one of the most attractive in town, being situated on the
banks of the Kennebec river and directly opposite its confluence with
the Sebasticook at old Fort Point. Mr. and Mrs. Cornish still retain
remarkable vigor of mind and body and apparently reap as much en-
joyment from the afternoon of life as from its mid-day.
Hanes L. Crosby, born in 1820, is the youngest of nine children of
Stephen and Abigail (Learned) Crosby and grandson of Jonah and
Lydia Crosby, who came from Ipswich, Mass., to Winslow, and settled
on the farm where Mr. Crosby now lives. Stephen Crosby died in
1834, aged sixty, and his widow, Abigail, died in 1850, aged seventy-
one. Hanes L. married Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin and Joan
(Wheeler) Hinds, of Benton. They had two children: Catherine M.,
who died in 1864, aged eighteen; and Edward S., who is a farmer on
the homestead with his parents. He married Nellie F. Leighton.and
they have eight children: Frank B., Kate E., Edward H., Abbie (de-
cea.sed), Stephen, Mary, Rufus and Ruth.
Stephen Crosby, born in 1818, is the eldest son of Joel and Nancy
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 559
(Osborn) Crosby, grandson of Ezra, and great-grandson of Jonah
Crosby. He is a farmer on the homestead of his father and grand-
father. His first wife was Betsey Jewett. Of their seven children
only two are living: Harriet (Mrs. L. E. Hodges) and Ida (Mrs. Albert
Dickey). His present wife is Marcia A., daughter of John and Rebecca
Plummer.
Rev. Joshua Cushman, born in 1758 or 1759 in Halifax, Mass.,
served in the revolutionary war from April, 1777, until March, 1780.
He graduated from Harvard in 1787, and June 10, 1795, was ordained
in Winslow. He served once as senator and twice as representative
to Boston before Maine was made a state. He was three times elected
representative to congress from this district. In 1828 he was in the
Maine state senate, and in 1833 was elected representative from Win-
slow, and died in office January 27, 1834. He married Lucy, daughter
of Paul Jones. Their only child, Charles, born in 1802, has been a
farmer, and though still occupying the farm where he settled in 1823,
the management of the farm is left to his son. His wife is Jane,
daughter of Charles Hayden. Their children are: Joshua, Charles
Edward, Henry H., George W. and Howard S. Charles Edward mar-
ried Susan L., daughter of William E Drummond, and has one son,
Fred H. Charles E. is a carpenter and farmer and lives on a part of
his father's homestead.
John W. Drummond, son of John and Demaris (Hayden) Drum-
mond, was born in 1807 in Winslow. He is one of eight children:
Clark, Charles, Robert, Mary, Sibyl, John W., William E. and Manuel.
John W.has been a house carpenter and farmer. He married Hannah
C, daughter of Thomas Carlton. They have one adopted daughter,
Mary E. (Mrs. W. H. Hall).
Colonel William E. Drummond, farmer, seventh child of John
Drummond, was born in 1810, and married Sarah W. Burnham, who
died, leaving seven children: Helen, Damaris H., Edward W. (de-
ceased), George C, Susan L., Abbie L. and Annette. His second mar-
riage was with Ruth Hedge. They had three children: Melville H.,
Scott H. and Sadie W. Scott H., born in 1862, is a farmer and milk-
man on his father's place. He married Amy, daughter of Hazen Mc-
Nally, and has one daughter, Ruth H.
Hilliard T. Dunning, a native of Charleston, Me., was twenty-four
years on the Pacific slope in the lumber business, and in 1882 came to
Winslow, where he has been engaged in agriculture. The Ticonic
mineral spring is located on this farm, and in 1887 Mr. Dunning began
carrying water from it to Waterville for drinking purposes, and he is
now (1892; supplying over one hundred families. He married Annie
L., daughter of Winthrop M. and Charlotte (Runnells) Wing.
Joseph Eaton. — Solomon Eaton", of Bowdoin, Me., was a farmer,
merchant and a lumber manufacturer and dealer, with interests in
560 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
lands, boats and the various commerce of the Kennebec. His son,
Joseph", was born in 1800, and seventeen years later came to Winslow,
where his father had long owned a tract of timber land, and was also
the senior partner in the firm of Eaton & Stafford, traders.
Joseph' entered the store and soon mastered its details. Then he
made himself intimately acquainted with all the products of the sur-
rounding country, explored the rivers and river towns and kept a
close eye on the production of lumber, the saw mills and the quality
and quantity of their output. By this time he was ready for the part-
nership with his father, which began soon after he attained his ma-
jority. The firm of Eaton & Stafford was dissolved about 1820, and
the new firm of S. & J. Eaton became thoroughly known throughout
the Kennebec valley.
The transactions of the firm embraced any and all productions of
the country that had a cash value; but instead of sale and purchase,
the business was more an exchange of commodities. In this case the
professional trader must find a market for the article he had bought
to sell and not to use. The river was the only road to the line of
markets beginning with Augusta, and extending to Boston, California
and Europe; and S. & J. Eaton had men in their employ who built
long boats, and the wants of their traffic required and kept in use a
fleet of them on the two rivers. They owned some saw mills and
hired others. One of the former they built on Fifteen-mile stream up
the Sebasticook. Another important point for business, then as now,
was Bangor, where their operations in lumber were heavy.
The management of these complex and widely separated affairs
kept Joseph" incessantly occupied most of the time away from home.
In the midst of these labors his district elected him successively to
the legislatures of 1829-31 and '32, in the sessions of which his large
acquaintance with the state of the country and its wants made him a
useful member. In 1831 and 1834 he was also a selectman of his town.
About this period the partnership with his father ceased, although for
many years the old sign of S. & J. Eaton remained on the store.
In 1840 Mr. Eaton was elected to the state senate, and reelected
the next year, serving with distinction in that body. About this time,
C. C. Cornish became his clerk in the store. He afterward became
his partner, and finally purchased that branch of the business. Mr.
Eaton was especially active in locating and building the railroad from
Augusta to Waterville and Skowhegan. Although constantly a hard
worker, the last fifteen years of his life were particularly laborious.
His business had expanded till it embraced an interest in and a share
in the supervision of the leading enterprises of central Maine. He
was president of the Ticonic Bank from 1855 till his death, August 28,
1865: and he was president of the vSomerset & Kennebec railroad, and
afterward of the Maine Central.
TOWN OF WINSI.OW. 561
In 1853 and in 1855, he was again made a senator, nor was his leg-
islative work completed, for in 1862 he was once more a member of
the house. He was a projector and the largest stockholder in the
company that built, in 1834, the present bridge over the Sebasticook,
on the cost of which the tolls collected for the next thirty-two years
paid large dividends; and he also had investments in several steam-
boats plying on the Kennebec.
Solomon Eaton, and his son, Joseph, both bought and sold land ex-
tensively all their lives, and in settling the estate of the latter, his
holdings of real estate were found to be very large. He was methodi-
cal and rigidly exact m his business methods, an honorable dealer,
considerate of his employees, and a helping friend to the poor. He
exhibited a large social "nature and loved the .society of old acquaint-
ances. His religious belief was entirely with the Universalists, and
his political faith with the republicans.
Joseph Eaton' married Mary Ann Loring, of Norridgewock. Their
children were: Abigail, who died young; Charles, a grain dealer in
Fairfield, and next in business in Roxbury, Mass., and who died in
New Hampshire; Rowland, who went to Boston, where he died
unmarried; Joseph' (settled in Winslow and married Ellen A. Simp-
son, by whom he had two sons— Walter, who died young, and Joseph*,
now living with his mother in Winslow), died in 1869, at the age of
thirty-two; Mary Ann, now Mrs. H. K. Batchelder, of Boston, who has
one child, Frances E. (Mrs. Dr. W. A. Houston), also of Boston; Abbie
F.,who married Lucius Allen, a merchant of Boston, who died in 1892,
and Solomon, a resident of Boston.
Albert E. Ellis, carpenter and builder, born in 1839, is the young-
est of five sons and three daughters of Elisha and Susan (Snell) Ellis,
and grandson of Mordecai Ellis, a native of Cape Cod, Mass., who
came to Winslow in 1799. Mr. Ellis was in the navy the last year of
the late war. He married Hattie, daughter of Erastus Warren. They
have two children: Melvin E. and Jennie F. (Mrs. George G. Runnels).
George W. Files, son of Rev. Allen Files, was born in 1833 in
Wales, Me. He was for five years traveling salesman, and in 1861 he
settled in Benton, and four years later came to Winslow, where he is
a farmer. He was three years supervisor of schools of Benton, and
has served several years in the same capacity in Winslow. He has
taught sixty terms of school. He married Helen A., daughter of
David and Zylphia (Hastings) Smiley. Their two daughters are:
Alice B. and Mary S. (Mrs. Luther White).
Enoch Fuller (1754-1842) was a son of Jonathan Fuller, jun. (1723-
1796). He was a revolutionary soldier, and after that war he came
from Newton, Mass., to Winslow, where he married Lydia Webb.
The eldest of their twelve children was Enoch (1803-1862), who mar-
ried Harriet, daughter of Andrew and Catherine (Richards) Warren.
562 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Their children were: Emily 'deceased\ A.lbert, Andrew W. (who died
in the late war), Samuel W., Sidney K. and Melvin S., who, with his
mother, occupies the homestead of his father and grandfather. Al-
bert, born in 1839, was educated in the district schools and Waterville
Academy. Beginning at the age of eighteen, he has taught forty-nine
terms of school. He was supervisor of schools, and treasurer and col-
lector five years. He is now engaged in stock dealing and meat busi-
ness. His first wife, Mary Wester, left one son, Andrew S. His pres-
ent wife is Mary, daughter of Richard H. Keith. They have two sons:
Norman K. and George R.
Sidney K. Fuller, born in 1849, is a farmer and milkman on a part
of the Captain Timothy Heald farm, which he bought in 1873. His
first wife was Carrie L. Hatch. His second wife, Amanda F. B. War-
ren, left five children: S. Warren, Carrie E., Edith A., Russell J. (de-
ceased) and Eleanor. His present wife is Susie F., daughter of L. E.
Hodges.
George H. Furber, farmer and lumberman, born in 1812, is a son
of Jonathan and Mary (Dimpsey) Furber, and grandson of Benjamin
Furber, of Rochester, N. H. Jonathan came to Winslow in 1800, and
died here in J 850, aged seventy-one years. George H. married Eliza-
beth, daughter of Christopher Coleman. They had six children: Liz-
zie A. (Mrs. Charles H. Lamb), Abbie M., Charles R., and three that
died — Thomas, Horace and Sarah.
William S. Garland, born in 1839, is a son of David and Miranda
(Parsons) Garland, and his paternal line of descent is: Deacon Sam-
uel', Jonathan", Samuel', Jonathan', Peter', John', and Peter Garland",
who was born and died in England. Mr. Garland is a farmer and
market gardener on the place settled in 1819 by his father, and where
the latter died in 1885, aged ninety-one years. He had served in town
office several years, nine years as county commissioner, and several
terms as member of the legislature. Mr. Garland's wife is Lola P.,
daughter of Hiram Murphy. Their only child, Frank S., is a
farmer.
Alfred W. Getchell, carpenter and farmer, born in 1821 in Benton,
is the eldest of six children of Stephen and Phila (Warren) Getchell,
and grandson of Seth Getchell. He went to Massachusetts in 1843,
where he remained until 1861, when he came to Winslow, where he
now lives. His first wife, Sarah Roberts, died, leaving one daughter,
Florence. His present wife is Sarah A., daughter of Samuel Smiley.
Their only son, George S., is a farmer at home. He was census enu-
merator for Winslow in 1890.
David F. Guptill, a farmer, of Winslow, is the son of David, and
the grandson of Nathaniel Guptill, who came from Berwick, Me., to
Belgrade. David married Christiana Littlefield in 1834. Her mother,
Hannah Littlefield, heard the guns of Bunker Hill from her early
^ ^.
JVi>te.—Da.vid F. Guptill's eldest brother, Daniel L. . was drowned in Albion
at the age of twenty-four, and Fannie L., his eldest sister, is deceased. Charjes
H., the third child, has been a resident of Iowa for twenty-four years and is now
a poultry and egg dealer in Keokuk. Mary E., the youngest, married John S.,
son of John Guptill, of Winslow. They live in Greenwood, Minn. David F.
lived four miles from China when he attended the academy there and walked
the distance every day — no storms detained him. With a natural artistic taste,
he became proficient with his pen and has been a teacher of penmanship. He
was converted at the age of twenty-one and has been a steadfast, working mem-
ber of the Baptist church, usually serving in some official capacity — for the past
fifteen years as deacon. His farm of 300 acres is the old paternal homestead.
Always a live republican, abreast with the times, Mr. Guptill has proved a valu-
able citizen, and is now serving his fourth term as a selectman of Winslow.
Hannah Littlefield, the aged grandmother, who died in 1868, was a daughter
of Mr. Penney, who was born in an English garrison. It is one of the traditions
of the family that the boy, when three months old, was so diminutive that he
was actually placed in a quart tankard, without injury or inconvenience. The
contents of that tankard became the father of nineteen children. Three of his
boys were in the thickest of the battle of Bunker Hill and all escaped without a
scratch.
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 563
home in Massachusetts. She lived to be 106 years old, and died at
Mr. Guptill's in 1868. The children of David and Christiana were:
Daniel L., David F., Fannie L., Charles H. and Mary E. David Gup-
till came to Winslow in 1834, and bought the farm where his son re-
sides. David F. Guptill was born February 14, 1836, attended common
school and China Academy, and in 1860 married Phebe H. Sanborn,
of Winslow. Their children are: Ora, died when six years old; Ar-
thur, James U. and a twin brother that died in infancy; Lillian E. and
Eva E.
Charles Cook Hayden, born in 1827, is a son of Daniel and Sarah
(Smith) Hayden, and grandson of Josiah and Silence (Howard) Hay-
den, who were married March 16, 1762, and in 1789 came from Bridge-
water, Mass., to Winslow. Their sons were: Charles, Josiah and
Daniel. Mr. Hayden is a farmer, as were his father and grandfather,
and they both lived and died on the farm where he now lives. He mar-
ried Lorania, daughter of Davis, and granddaughter of Rev. Thomas
Francis. Their children are: Myra, Frank, Kate (Mrs. Alden Bassett)
and Ida, and two sons that died — Charles and Daniel.
William Vinal Hayden is a son of Thomas J. and Clarissa (Huston)
Hayden, and grandson of Josiah Hayden. Mr. Hayden is a farmer
and mill man on the place where his father lived. He has saw, grist
and threshing mills, which were owned and run by his father for
nearly seventy-five years. He married Mary Ann, daughter of Lauris-
ton and Vesta (Reynolds) Withee, and granddaughter of Samuel
Withee. Their children are: Sadie (Mrs. T. L. Spaulding) and William
v., jun.
Albert Hodges. — Barnum Hodges, a native of Attleboro, Mass.,
and a soldier of the war of 1812, came to Vassalboro in 1821. The
following year he came to Winslow and settled in the southeastern part
of the town on the farm where he died in 1873, at the age of eighty-
three years. His wife, Phebe, a daughter of Seth Richardson, bore
him eleven children: Phebe A., Barnum, Ira R., Edmund L., William
H., Susan R. (deceased), Isaac (deceased), Charles, Olive (deceased),
Albert and Edwin.
Albert, the seventh son and tenth child, was born August 8, 1834.
He received his education in the schools of Winslow, China Academy,
and Oak Grove Seminary. The first of the twenty terms of school
which he taught was at the age of nineteen. He settled in 1860 on a
farm in Benton, which he sold five years later. In November, 1865,
he bought the large farm in Winslow which he has since occupied
and managed. In addition to his successful farm operations, he has
been largely interested in cattle and horse business. He began in
1871 to buy cattle for the Brighton market, and for the following four-
teen years was a frequent visitor to that then important beef market,
where his good judgment and genial manner made him a successful
564
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
dealer. He has always been an admirer of a good horse, and since
1880 he has bought and sold many fine animals, paying especial atten-
tion to gentlemen's driving horses.
Though not seeking political preferment he has been a life long
supporter of republican principles and the republican party, having
cast his first presidential vote for John C. Fremont. In religious
matters his sympathy and support have been with the Congregational
society.
He was first married November 25, 1858, to Almira B., daughter of
Jerome Clark, of Sidney. They had one son, George A., born Novem-
J^J&.
!w ^' ^*
'^/.^,*i
Wins/or/ J Me
ber 23. 1861, who died January 27, 1865. Mrs. Hodges was a lady of
rare virtues and high Christian character. She died December 23,
1877. Mr. Hodges' second marriage, which occurred May 28, 1879,
was with Sarah L., daughter of Stephen and Louisa J. (Hobby) Nichols,
and a lineal descendant of Dr. Sylvester Gardiner, who is honorably
noticed in these pages, and of Rev. William Hobby, A. M., who was a
pastor of the first church of Reading (now Wakefield), Mass., where
he died June 18, 1765; and Mrs. Hodges is a worthy representative of
these worthy ancestors. She has one son, Albert Edward Hodges,
born February 10, 1881.
564b HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Barnum Hodges, the oldest son of Barnum and Phebe (Richard-
son) Hodges, was born at Attleboro, Mass.. September 9, 1813, and came
to Maine with the family in 1821. He remained on the homestead
until he was twenty-one, assisting his father to provide the comforts
of a home for the large family. In the fall of 1834 he went out into
the world to make a place for himself. After working three years in
the lumber woods and on a farm, he bought a farm in the eastern part
of his native town, where he resided and was a farmer until 1860. In
the spring of that year he was engaged by the town to carry on their
farm and keep the poor, and in that position he served acceptably for
four years.
In 1864 he bought the seventy acre farm which has been his home
since the following year. Though aspiring to nothing above a quiet
farmer, he has always done, faithfully and well, whatever he has
undertaken, and his long life of honesty, industry and virtue has
given him a warm place in the hearts of his friends and neighbors.
He was married in November, 1837, to Betsey, daughter of Stephen
and Sarah (Wilson) Abbott. She died May 15, 1887. Their four
children, none of whom are living, were: Olive, Martha, Sarah W.
(Mrs. William H. Flagg) and Flavilla. The last two died the same
month — February, 1865. Though bereft of all his family, Mr. Hodges
lives, not without hope of a reuniting. He is a consistent member of
the Benton Methodist Episcopal church.
Edmund L. Hodges, third son of Barnum Hodges, was born in 1818.
He was twelve years in the meat and cattle business, and since 1857
he has owned and occupied the farm where he now lives. His first
wife, Harriet G., was a daughter of Jonas Hamlin. Their children
were: Llewellyn E., Hannah (deceased), George (deceased), Frank,
Barnum (deceased), Susan, Phebe (deceased), Emma and Ella (de-
ceased). His present wife was Mrs. Susan Scribner, a daughter of
Henry Robinson and widow of Charles Scribner. She had five chil-
dren by her first marriage: Charles H. (deceased), Albert A., George
A., Asher M. and Abbie J. They have had two children by this mar-
riage: Carrie M. (deceased) and James A., now a farmer on the home-
stead. His wife is Ida C, daughter of Washington Avery, of Sidney.
They have five children: Percey H., Carrie M., Grover C, Florence E.
and Charity F.
Llewellyn E. Hodges, born in 1840, is the eldest child of Ed-
mund L. and Harriet G. (Hamlin) Hodges, and grandson of Barnum
Hodges. He served in the late war in Company G, 3d Maine, from
May, 1861, to June, 1864, as musician. He bought in 1806 the Thomas
Webber farm, which he has since operated. He married Harriet,
daughter of Stephen Crosby. Their children are: Mabel C, Susie F.,
Stephen, Lucy J., L. Edmund, George, Kate R. and Harvey W.
CtA/hM-^n^
564d HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Ambrose Howard (1776-1859) was a son of Daniel Howard, of
Bridgewater, Mass. He came from his native town to Winslow about
1800 with his brother, Zyphen. He married Ruth, daughter of Solo-
mon Parker, an early settler of Winslow. Their children were: Vesta,
Sibyl, Ruth, Lydia, Hannah, Cyrus, Sidney and Julia. Cyrus, born
in 1815, is a farmer on the place settled by his father. He has carried
milk to Waterville for forty years; he was the first and for some years
the only one to carry milk there. He married Cornelia A. Bassett.
Of their eleven children five are now living: George B., M.D.; Edward
O., a lawyer, of Boston; John F., Mary F. and Kate D. John F., born
in 1854, is a farmer on the old homestead. He married Helen M.
Young. Their children are: Ethel L., Clarence F., Lucia L. and
Carolyn Y.
J. Albert Jenkins, born in 1840, is a son of Jabez (1799-1890) and
grandson of Jabez, who came to Vassalboro from Yarmouth, Me., in
1801. Jabez, jun., came in 1819 from Vassalboro to the homestead of
his father-in-law, John Nichols, a son of David and Phebe Nichols.
Mr. Jenkins is a farmer on the homestead of his father. He married
Abbie P., daughter of Zadoc and Tiley (Snell) Tilton, and grand-
daughter of Gibbs Tilton, of Martha's Vineyard, Mass. They have
one daughter, S. Lizzie.
R. O. Jones, born in 1851, is a son of Weymouth and grandson of
Isaac Jones. His mother is Matilda, a daughter of Zadock Jones.
Weymouth Jones came to Winslow in 1852, where he was a farmer
and lumberman until his death in 1886. Mr. Jones was educated at
the Waterville Institute and at Dirigo Business College. He has
taught eight terms of school. He was first married to Maggie A.,
daughter of David Cornish, who died in 1879, leaving one daughter,
Maggie A. August 26, 1892, he married Annie L., daughter of Thomas
and Emily Worthen, of Albion. The farm now owned by Mr. Jones
was purchased of Smith & Wood in 1812 or 1813, by Esquire Thomas
Rice. In 1831 it was taxed to Colonel R. H.Green, an early and noted
breeder of shorthorn cattle. Weymouth Jones bought the farm in
1856, and it is now owned by R. O. Jones. It is now known as the
Ticonic Stock Farm and is devoted to the breeding of Jerseys, with
special reference to milking qualities.
Peltiah Keay, born in Lebanon, Me., in 1785 and died in 1847, was
a son of Daniel Keay. He came to Winslow in 1821. He married,
first, Hannah Lucas, who left one son, Daniel L. His second wife was
Mary Brock. She left four children: Andrew, Sarah, Mary F. and
Martha. Martha is the only survivor of the family and she owns and
occupies the home farm of 200 acres.
Charles H. Lamb, born in 1829, was a son of Luther R. and Mary
Beal (Brackett) Lamb, who came to Winslow in 1821. Mr. Lamb went
to Boston in 1852 and was engaged in machinery and other manufac-
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 565
ture until 1870, then engaged in business in Oxford county, Me., and
subsequently returned to Winslow, where he died in 1883. His first
wife was Sarah J. Norcross. His second marriage was with Lizzie A.,
daughter of George H. Furber. vSince Mr. Lamb's death she has occu-
pied and managed the homestead farm. She was appointed postmis-
tress at Lamb's Corner, May 20, 1891.
Fred A. Lancaster, son of Henry Lancaster, was born in 1856 in
Albion, removed to Benton in 1877, and later to his present home in
Winslow. In 1885 he and Mr. Drake bought the saw mill one mile
south of Benton Falls, where they put in a board saw and planer and
are cutting about 400,000 feet of lumber annually. He married Susie
S., daughter of Stillman and Susan (Learned) Flagg, and granddaugh-
ter of Gershom Flagg. They have one daughter, Ethel S., born Au-
gust 7, 1887.
Hannibal D.Littlefield.born in 1827, in Belgrade, is a son of Charles
and Betsey (Blanchard) Littlefield, and grandson of Asahel and Han-
nah (Penny) Littlefield, who came to Belgrade from Wells, Me., in
1804. Hannah died in Winslow, January 5, 1868, at the remarkable
age of 106 years and 5 months. Mr. Littlefield came to Winslow in
1855, and he is a farmer. He married, first, Charlotte A. Crowell, who
left one son, Alonzo C. He married, second, Harriet F. Coleman, by
whom he has one son, Charles D. E.
Stephen Nichols, born in 1831, is a son of Stephen (1769-1853), who
came to Vassalboro from Berwick in 1798, and was married three times,
his last wife, the mother of Stephen, being Hannah Pinkham. Mr.
Nichols, in 1861, came from the homestead farm in Vassalboro to his
present home, which was a part of the Remington Hobby farm. He
married Louisa J., daughter of John and Phebe (Cook) Hobby, and
granddaughter of Remington, whose father. Rev. William, was a son
of John Hobby. Remington Hobby married a daughter of Dr. Syl-
vester Gardiner, and settled in Vassalboro in 1771. He was a graduate
of Harvard College, and some years after coming to Vassalboro he
joined the Society of Friends. Mr. Nichols has four children: John
Edward, Sarah Louise, Annie May and William Hobby.
Seth Nickerson is a son of Seth, and grandson of Reuben Nicker-
son, of Cape Cod, whose ancestor was one of the Mayflower pilgrims.
Reuben Nickerson came to Swanville, Me., where his son, Seth, mar-
ried Mary, daughter of Simeon Haines, a revolutionary soldier. Their
children were: Margaret, Aaron, Mehitable, Seth, Simeon, Hannah
and Franklin S., who was colonel of the 14th Maine regiment. Seth
Nickerson was born in 1812, and married in 1836, Flavilla, daughter
of Josiah Priest. He came to Vassalboro in 1837, where he bought
land, built houses and dealt in real estate. For the past fifty years he
565a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
has run an accommodation team through Winslow, between North
Vassalboro and Waterville, and is still hale and hearty.
Lemuel Paine, son of Lemuel Paine, of Foxboro, Mass., graduated
from Bowdoin College in 1803, and was soon after admitted to the bar.
He married Jane Warren, of Foxboro, niece of General Joseph War-
ren. He came to Winslow in 1805, and settled on the place where his
son, Edward A., born in 1816, was a farmer until his death, in 1884.
His wife, who survives him, is Sibyl, daughter of William Stratton, of
this town. Their children are: George S. and Lucy C, who, with
their mother, occupy the homestead. George S. graduated from Colby
in 1871, and in 1874 was admitted to the bar of Michigan, and two
years later he went to Ottawa, 111., where he practiced until 1884, when
he returned to Winslow, where he is a farmer. He married Isa M.
Randall, of Riverside, Me., and their children are: Rosco R., Edward
W. and Mildred S.
Henry W. Pollard, born in 1842, is a son of Levi and Melvina (Rey-
nolds) Pollard, and grandson of Barton Pollard, of Albion. He was
river driver and dam builder until 1869, and since that time has been
a farmer. He served three years in the late war in Company G, 3d
Maine. He married Addie, daughter of Benjamin T. Brown. Their
children are: Fred S., Effie, Florence, Iva, Edith, Belle, Albert, Edwin,
Arthur and Victor. They lost two: Scott and Lena.
George W. Reynolds, born in 1842, is a son of Vose and Lucinda
(Withee) Reynolds, and grandson of Thomas Reynolds, who came
from Brockton, Mass., to Winslow. Mr. Reynolds is a farmer, and for
the last thirteen years has carried on a wholesale and retail meat busi-
ness. In 1887 he built a residence, refrigerator and slaughter house
at Winslow village. His first wife, Ann Spaulding, left two children:
Zana and Selden. His present wife was Mary Lubie,by whom he has
four children: Bertha, Annie, Carrie and George W., jun.
Walter G. Reynolds, born in 1865, is a son of Timothy and Hannah
(Hodges) Reynolds, grandson of Leavett, and great-grandson of Tim-
othy Reynolds. He has for several years been employed in the meat
business, and in 1891 he bought of George W. Reynolds the retail
meat business which he has since run. His wife is Nellie F., daugh-
ter of Rufus Holt.
Jonas B. Shurtleff, son of Benoni vShurtleff, was born in 1805, at
Keene, N. H. He learned the printer's trade when a boy, and in 1826
he went to Beaver, Pa., where he published the Tioga County Patriot
until 1844. He was one term on the governor's council of Pennsyl-
vania, also a member of the governor's statf. In 1847 he came to
Waterville and kept a book store for two years. He then came to
Winslow and bought the Cushman homestead, where he died in 1863.
In 1845 he wrote a cext book. Governmental Instructor, which had a
wide circulation. The last fourteen years of his life he was traveling
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 566
agent for text book publishers. By his first marriage he had seven
children, two of whom are living: John T. and Edward S. His second
wife, Marietta G. Ames, and their two sons — Albert T. and Warren A.
■ — occupy the home place and the boys are farmers and small fruit
raisers. Albert T. is captain of Company H, 2d Regiment, Maine
Volunteer Militia.
Daniel W. Simpson, born in 1841, is a son of Winslow and Hannah
(McCausland) Simpson, grandson of Reuben, and great-grandson of
John Simpson, who came to Winslow about 1790. Mr. Simpson served
three years in the late war in Company K, 1st Massachusetts. He re-
turned to Winslow in the fall of 1864, where he has been farmer and
truckman. He married Georgiana, daughter of Henry Getchell.
Their children are: Hollis A. and Eva L.
John H. Simpson, farmer, born in 1830, is a son of George and
Permelia (Davis) Simpson, grandson of Reuben, and great-grandson
of John Simpson. Mr. Simpson served in Company E, 17th Maine,
from July, 1863, to May, 186n. He married Margaret N. Freeman,
who died leaving seven children: Horace P., Mary L., Annie F., Wal-
ter R. and three that died — Lizzie P., Jessie F. and Howard W. His
present wife is Ruth T. Paine, and they have four children: John H.,
jun., James L., Edgar R. and Ruth F.
Samuel Perry Smiley, born in 1834, is a son of Samuel and Sarah
(Ellis) Smiley, and grandson of Alexander Smiley. His father came
to Winslow from vSidney in 1825. Samuel P. is a carpenter by trade,
and also a farmer. He first married Sarah J. Kates. His present wife
is Laura, daughter of Samuel Greeley, of Belgrade. They have two
children: Cora B. and Frank A. The latter, who is also a carpenter,
married Ella M. Wrigley, of Rolling Dam, N. B., May 13, 1891.
Elmer E. Smith, born in 1861, in Bristol, N. H., is a son of Charles
G. Smith. He lived in Haverhill, Mass., from 1869 until 1886, then
went to Lowell, and in 1888 he came to Winslow, where he is a farmer.
Previous to coming here he had been engaged in manufacturing heels
and inner soles for the shoe manufacturers of Massachusetts. He
married Emma L, daughter of Amos B. Poore, of Haverhill, Mass.
Hezekiah Stratton (.1746-1834) came from Concord, Mass., to Wins-
low in 1768, and settled on the east side of the Sebasticook river,
where he spent the remainder of his life. He married Eunice Hay-
ward, and their son, William (1781-1849), married Abigail May Clark,
and was a farmer on the home place, where he raised twelve childi-en,
four of whom are living: Sibyl i Mrs. Edward A. Paine), Mary (Mrs. Sid-
ney Howard), Charlotte (Mrs. Joseph H. Lunt), and Robert F. Mr.
Lunt is a farmer, and owns and occupies the old homestead. His only
child, Emily J., is now the wife of Guy W. Home, who is a farmer
and milkman. He came to Winslow from Massachusetts in 1885.
They have one son, Robert S. Home.
566a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Elbridge G. Taylor (1808-1888) was a son of Amos, and grandson
of John Taylor, who came from Massachusetts to Vassalboro. Mr.
Taylor married Mary Ann Hayden, and of their ten children, eight
lived to maturity: John M., Lura C, Daniel H., Zenno E., George C,
Jefferson, Fred P. and Frank C. John M., born in 1831, was educated
in the schools of Vassalboro and Oak Grove vSeminary, and has been a
farmer and teacher. He came to Winslow from Vassalboro a few
years ago, and is now supervisor of schools.
James P. Taylor, born in 1833, is the eldest child of Calvin and
Harriet (Priest) Taylor, and grandson of Abraham Taylor, who, with
his brother, Abner, came to Vassalboro from Cape Cod, Mass., where
he had been a fisherman. Mr. Taylor spent several years in Minne-
sota, and in 1866 settled on the farm where he now lives. He married
Helen, daughter of William E. Drummond, and they have two
daughters: Sarah May and Ina S.
B. F. TowNE. — Esquire Ephraim Towne, born at Oxford, Mass.. in
1754, came to Maine with an older brother, Sherabiah Towne. The
former settled in Hallowell, and the latter in Winslow, where he died
in 1784. After the death of Sherabiah, Ephraim came to Winslow,
where he was a farmer until his death in 1837. He was a justice of
the peace and deputy sheriff for many years. His first wife was Lucy
Ballard, by whom he had ten children. His second was Eunice Stack-
pole, who bore him four children, three of whom died young.
Ephraim, one of the children of this second marriage, was born in
1804 on the homestead. He, like his worthy sire, followed the voca-
tion of a farmer, and owned and occupied the homestead where he
died in 1884. His wife, Sarah P. Flagg, bore him eight children:
George S. (deceased), Eliza A. (Mrs. Albion Richardson), Henry (de-
ceased), Albert (deceased), Harriet (Mrs. vSilas A. Plummer), Edwin,
now a merchant of Waterville; Benjamin Franklin and Elmira (Mrs.
Samuel L. Gibson), now deceased.
Benjamin F., the seventh child and youngest son, was born May
29, 1846. He spent his boyhood and youth on the farm, attending the
schools of his native town. On attaining his majority, he turned his
attention to the cai-penter's trade, and followed that vocation until
1876. Since that time he has been a farmer on the homestead, which
has been in the family more than a century. The present set of sub-
stantial and attractive farm buildings shown on the opposite page
have all been erected by Mr. Towne. Since 1887 he has supplied a
milk route in Waterville, and in that connection keeps a twenty-five
cow dairy. He has taken time from his active and successful farm
operations to serve his town three terms as treasurer and collector,
and two as selectman. He was married December 7, 1876, to Lottie
D., daughter of Percival L. Wheeler. Their children are: Charles F.,
Alice E., Delia M. and Marion Wheeler Towne.
TOWN OF WINSLOW. 567
Erastus Warren, born in 1818, is the only surviving son of Andrew
and Catherine (Richards) Warren. He was engaged in running long
boats from Benton Falls to Bath, from 1837 until the railroad was
built. He was collecting logs on the river for some time, and since
that has been getting out timber, moulding ship floors, and building
boats. His first wife, Mary Miller, died, leaving three daughters:
Hattie (Mrs. A. E. Ellis), and two that died— Mary and Clara. His
second wife was Helen Savage, and his present wife is Laura J.
Morrell.
William P. Warren, born in 1850, son of Samuel and Avis (Rey-
nolds) Warren, and grandson of Andrew and Catherine (Richards)
Warren, is a farmer on the Stephen Abbott farm, which he bought
in 1873. He married Augusta, daughter of Henry Dinsmore, of
China. They have one son, Ruy W.
Charles E. Warren, born in Winslow in 1853, is the youngest .son
of Samuel and Avis (Reynolds) Warren, and grandson of Andrew and
Catherine (Richards) Warren. Mr. Warren is a farmer on the farm
which has been the family homestead since 1855. He has represented
his district one term in the legislature, and has been several times
elected selectman. His wife is Flora F.. daughter of Freeman W.
Getchell, of Winslow. Their only child is Etta B.
Charles L. Withee, born in 1856, is a son of Lauriston and Vesta
(Reynolds) Withee, and grandson of Samuel Withee. Mr. Withee is
a farmer, and for several years carried on a retail meat business.
Since 1890 has been in the wholesale meat business. He married Fan-
nie, daughter of Isaac Spencer, and their children are: Blanche, Arthur
and Amy.
CHAPTER XXII.
CITY OF WATERVILLE.
Bv HENRY D. Kingsbury.
Ticonic.—Waterville.— Incorporation.— Prominent Men.— Localities.— Taverns.
—Tax Payers, 1809.— Licenses.— Traders. —Village of Waterville. — Fire
Companies.— Ticonic Village. —Messalonskee Mills. — River Mills.— Lock-
wood Company. — Churches.
OLDER than the finding by white men of the Kennebec river, is
the name Ticonic, which the native American Indians— the
most mysterious race in history — ^had given to the falls in the
river at this point, and to a considerable section of surrounding coun-
try, including the larger part of what is now the city of Waterville.
Who were the very first settlers here, we have no means of knowing.
Clark & Lake had a trading house on this side of the river, between
1650 and 1675, and are the first white men who did business or work
here, of whom any record is left.
The pioneers knew no name but Ticonic for the settlement on the
west bank of the river, and were tenacious of the name long after the
incorporation of the old town of Winslow in 1771, which included the
present city of Waterville. There are strong proofs that the popula-
tion of the west side of the river early exceeded that on the east side.
Perhaps the strongest is that the first doctors, who always choose the
most central point, settled here. Another proof is that very early
saw and grist mills were built by Doctor McKechnie and Asa Emer-
son on the Messalonskee. The third is, that when the names of citi-
tizens in civil or business records begin to appear, the larger part
were clearly westsiders. E. A. Paine gives the population of the
whole town of Winslow in 1791 as 779, of whom about 300, he thinks,
lived on the east side.
The greater portion of the old town lay on the west side of the
Kennebec, and in the nature of things, divided by a river with no
bridge, a separation would in time ensue. The first proposition on
record to divide the town was at the annual meeting of 1795. The
town meeting of 1796 was " held at the dwelling house of Elnathan
Sherwin," to whom was also voted in 1798 £30, for use of his house
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 568
for preaching. This was undoubtedly for several years' use. The
town meeting- house on the west side was built in 1797, and first used
March 5, 1798. It will be noticed that Asa Redington in his warrant
honored the old name, and directed the voters to meet in Ticonic vil-
lage. It would have been excellent taste and sense, if the new town
had been christened Ticonic. The red man's name is more liquid and
flowing than the white man's.
In the year 1791 the following men lived and paid taxes in that
part of Winslow that is now Waterville: Benjamin, James and Ebe-
nezer Chase, John Cool, Joseph Cally, Captain Abraham and his son,
Abraham Copland, Jonathan J. Cool, Nathaniel and Joseph Carter,
James Crommett, James and John Collar, Thomas Cook, James McKim,
Lieutenant Thomas and John McKechnie, Samuel McFarland, John
Hartford, Nathaniel and Jonathan Low, Thomas, jun., John and Will-
iam Lewis, Abraham and Joseph Lander, Solomon and Samuel Parker,
Eleazer, Thomas, Thomas, jun., and Phineas Parker, Jonathan Priest,
John Pierce, Nehemiah A. Parker, Benjamin and John Rose, John
Sarle, Samuel Shores, Jonathan and Asa Soule, Captain James Stack-
pole, Samuel and James Stackpole, jun., William Sennet, Ebenezer
Turner, Ager Stillson, Peleg Tupper, Simeon and Elias Tozer, Isaac
Temple, David Webb and David, jun., William Phillips, grandfather
of G. A. Phillips, David Ware, Jonathan Wright, Micah Ellis, Thomas
Leeman, William Pitt, Ensign W^illiam and Joseph Richardson, and
Hezekiah Stratton.
The act incorporating the town of Waterville, June 23, 1802, pro-
vided that " all that part of the town of Winslow which lies on the
west side of the Kennebec river, as known by its present bounds, be
and is hereby incorporated into a separate town by the name of Water-
ville." It also provided " that the monies assessed for building a
meeting house in the West Pond settlement shall be paid and exclu-
sively appropriated to that purpose and subject to no demand of the
town of Winslow," and that " all future state taxes which may be
levied on the two towns aforesaid previous to a new valuation, shall
be assessed and paid in the proportion of two-fifths to the town of
Winslow, and three-fifths to the town of Waterville."
The warrant for the first town meeting was issued by Asa Reding-
ton, justice of the peace, and directed to Moses Appleton, physician,
requiring him to notify the inhabitants of Waterville to meet in the
public meeting house in Ticonic village on Monday, July 26, 1802, for
the purpose of electing officers for said town. At this first town
meeting Elnathan Sherwin was chosen moderator and first selectman
—the other two selectman being Asa Soule and Ebenezer Bacon.
Abijah Smith was elected town clerk. The August meeting voted to
hold town meetings alternately in the two meeting houses. Voted in
November, " fifty dollars to pay for preaching." 1803. " Voted the
sum of fifty dollars to procure a stock of ammunition for said town."
fi68a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
In 1814 the town built a powder house on the plains, in which traders
were also allowed to store powder.
The selectmen of Waterville while a town, with the dates of their
election and the number of years each served, were: 1802, Elnathan
Sherwin, 2, Asa Soule, 5, Ebenezer Bacon, 11; 18o::3, Abijah vSmith, 3;
1805, Samuel Downing, 10; 1807, Moses Dalton, 9, Ebenezer Sherwin;
1810, Jonathan Combs, 4; 1811, Micah Ellis, 4; 1813, Daniel Wells, 3;
1815, James Hasty, 2, Baxter Crowell, 7; 1819, Asa Redington, 6; 1821,
Captain Nehemiah Getchell, 4. Joseph H. Hallett, 8; 1822, James Stack-
pole, 2; 1823, Richard M. Dorr; 1824, Perley Low, 6; 1826, Alpheus
Lyon, 8, Joseph Warren; 1827, Hall Chase, Benjamin Corson, 3; 1830,
Hiram C. Warren, 3; 1831, William Pearsons, Joseph Hitchings, 8;
1833, Eben T. Bacon, 2, Jonathan Combs, jun., 5; 1834, Ebenezer Bolk-
com, Hiram Crowell, Isaiah Marston; 1837, Isaac Redington, Solomon
Berry; 1S39, Daniel Paine, Sewall Benson, Enos Foster; 1840, Samuel
Appleton, 8, Samuel Doolittle, 9; 1842, Theodore O. Saunders, 4; 1844,
Thomas J. Shores; 1845, Charles Hallett, 7; 1847, Johnson Williams, 2,
Levi Ricker, 2; 1849, Elbridge L. Getchell, 3, Alfred Winslow, 2; 1852,
Charles H. Thayer, 5; 1854, George Wentworth, 4, Llewellyn E.
Crommett, 5; 1858, Joseph Percival. 4, Benjamin Hersom, 3; 1860.
John M. Libby, 7, Noah Boothby, 9; 1864, Charles A. Dow, 2; 1866, Will-
iam H. Hatch, 2, T. W. Herrick; 1868, Samuel Blaisdell; 1869, William
Ballentine; 1870, A. P. Benjamin, 3, George Rice, 2; 1872, Winthrop
Merrill, 5, George E. Shores, 2; 1873, Reuben Foster, 3; 1874, Charles
H. Redington, 5; 1876, Martin Blaisdell, Willard B. Arnold; 1877,
Charles E. Gray; 1878, C. K. Matthews, Charles E. Mitchell, 7, L. E.
Thayer, 4; 1879, S. I. Abbott, 3; 1880, George Jewell, 3; 1883, Fred
Poole, 2; 1884, Nathaniel Meader; 1885, Dean P. Buck. 2, John F. Mer-
rill; 1886, George W. Reynolds, and in 1887, Howard C. Morse.
Abijah Smith was elected town clerk of Waterville in 1802; Thomas
C. Norris in 1809; and Abijah Smith again from 1812 to 1834; Isaac
Redington served till 1837, and Augustus Perkins till 1847; Jones R.
Elden was elected in 1847; John B. Bradbury, 1850; Elbridge L. Get-
chell, 1852; Solyman Heath," 1850; John B. Bradbury, 1861; Everett R.
Drummond, 1862; Leonard D. Carter, 1877; and Sidney M. Heath in
1883.
The .succession of treasurers, with year of election, includes: David
Pattee, 1802; Russell Blackwell, 1816; Dr. Daniel Cook, 1817; Abijah
Smith, 1822; Asa Redington, 1824; Asa Redington, jun., 1825; James
Burleigh, 1826; Asa Redington, 1828; Asa Redington, jun., 1830; James
vStackpole, jun., 1831; Asil Stilson, 1833; James Stackpole, jun., 1834;
Nathaniel D. Crommett, 1835; Augustus Perkins, 1836; Eben F.Bacon,
1838; James Stackpole, jun., 1839; Elbridge L. Getchell, 1843; Oliver
Paine, 1845: Nathaniel Stedman, 1847; Elbridge L. Getchell, 1851; Ira
H. Low, 1856; Charles R. McFadden, 1860; Ira H. Low, 1868; William
CITY OF WATERVILLE. flby
Macartney, 1870; Charles H. Redington, 1873; L. A. Dow, 1874; M. C.
Percival, 1875; Joseph Percival, 1876; John Ware, jun., 1877; Edward
H. Piper, 1878; and Charles F. Johnson, 1887.
No early settler of Waterville was more active or useful, or more
entitled to respectful memory than Dr. John McKechnie. He was an
educated physician, a civil engineer and land surveyor, and possessed
sound practical judgment wherever he was placed. He was a Scotch-
man and came to this country in 1755, to Winslow in 1771, and in 1775
settled on this side of the river. It is well known that he built a saw
and a grist mill on the Messalonskee, near the present water works
building, before 1780. He also built a house and lived in it long
enough to have three children born, and then built a new house in
which his last child was born in 1781, and in which he died in 1782.
He was buried on the south side of Mill street, on the top of an eleva-
tion that descends sharply each way. Doctor McKechnie's wife, who
married David Pattee for her second husband, the first Simon Tozer
and his son, Obadiah, Abraham Morrill's two wives, the elder McGrath,
and many other old settlers were also buried here. The present indi-
cations are that the spot will receive no more attentions as a burial
ground, although it is the oldest in town.
Although the doctor did not make a business of his medical pro-
fession it is said he was physician to iVrnold's army when it was at
Fort Halifax in 1776. He was the first owner of lot No. 103, under
the Plymouth Company. The next settler south of him w;as John
Cool, a revolutionary soldier, on lots 100, 101 and 102. On the north
Dr. Obadiah Williams owned lot 104, Samuel Temple, 105, and John
Tozer lot 106. This was afterward the James L. Wood lot, on a part
of which the Elmwood Hotel stands. Next north were Timothy Bou-
telle, Nathaniel Oilman, George Jackins, James Stackpole, Reuben
Kidder, Captain E. Bacon, Levi Dow, Samuel Emery, N. B. Dingley
and George Clark.
Beginning at the first lots that border on the Kennebec in the
southern part of the town, according to Doctor McKechnie's survey,
the original settlers were: Wellington Hamblin, lot 82; James Crom-
mett, 83; Nathan Lowe, 84 and 85; Isaac Stephens, 86; Edward Blanch-
ard, 87, and after him Deacon Thomas Parker and David Parker,
brothers; Edward Dillingham, 88; Peltiah Soule, 89; Jonathan vSoule,
90; David Webb, 91; Samuel Webb, 92; .Silas and Abijah Wing were
probably the owners of lots 94 and 95; William Colcord and Herbert
Moore, 96; Asa Redington, 97; Reuben Kidder, 98, and Asa Emerson,
99. Other old residents on the river road were: Gilbert Whitman,
Oliver Welch, Sullivan Soule, William Ballentine, Moses Picker, Per-
ley Lowe, Oliver Trafton and Abial Moore.
The memory of Dr. Obadiah Williams is interwoven with the
early history of Waterville. A native of New Hampshire, he was a
569a HISTORY OF KKN.VEBEC COUNTY.
surgeon in the revolutionary army and served at Banker Hill. He
•came here from vSidney in 1792, and the same year built the first frame
house— still in good preservation — on this side of the river. In 1791
he gave the land for the first meeting house, now the City Hall Park,
and was a valuable public spirited citizen. He died in 1799.
A not less prominent character was Dr. Moses Appleton, who
originated in New Ipswich, N. H., graduated at Dartmouth College,
studied medicine and taught school in Boston, and came to Waterville
in 1796. He opened the first drug store in Ticonic village and was
for many years the most noted physician in this section. The doctor
wore his hair hanging down his back in an old fashioned queue, that
came to an untimely end. A colored barber named Decator was
located on Water street, on whom the doctor called one day to have
his hair trimmed and dressed. While in the midst of the operation,
the doctor feeling a sudden apprehension, exclaimed " Look out for
my queue ! ! " Decator gently replied, " You're too late — its gone."
It was a quicker and more painless amputation than the doctor ever
made. His old account book had some curious entries. " Oct. 1797 —
Agreed with Jonathan Clark to doctor his family, and Clark to supply
the Dr. with good shoes and boots for two years." " Jan. 1799— It is
agreed with Jabez Mathews that he pay me at the rate of two cords
■of wood per annum in consideration of being supplied with materials
for curing the itch in his family."
Waterville had one early settler, John Clark, who attended that
most historic tea party that ever met in America, and helped turn the
British tea into Boston harbor. His grandson, George C. Clark, a
youth during the stirring events of the war of 1812, living near where
the college buildings stand, wrote, in 1882, for the Waterville Mail, an
account of the battle of Ticonic Falls with the Indians in 1814, that
never occurred. The town was in a great commotion one morning
over a report that the Canada Indians were close at hand. George
shouldered his gun and went with a motley crowd to meet the foe.
Captain Bangs was in command, the brass cannon was hauled out, a
flag of truce was in readiness to send out in case it was needed, the
advance guard was ferried over the river and ordered to Sebasticook
falls. After a brave march of two miles they met — not the Indians,
but a squad of the crew of the U. S. Frigate John Adams, who had
•come through the woods from the Penobscot river, where they had
burned their ves.sel rather than have it fall into the hands of the Eng-
lish, who were in hot pursuit. They said that when they came in
sight of the settlements the people mistook them for Indians, and
thus started the alarm that spread clear to the Kennebec. The tired
crew, numbering about seventy, were kindly cared for and sent on
their way. In the meantime the heroes of the scare were tenderly
treated, " Simeon Mathews, Jediah Morrill, James Hasty, and others
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 570-
furnishing the tanglc-toc." About this time George went to school in
the old brown school house on the common. Damon was the teacher,
and at the same time George Dana Boardman taught in the new dis-
trict— in Lemuel Dunbar's carpenter shop.
On the south side of Silver street, near what is now Kennebec
street, in early times stood a building used for the manufacture of
whiskey from potatoes, which were so plentiful they could be bought
for ten to fifteen cents per bushel. This distillery was owned and
run by Doctor Appleton, the business being considered as respectable
as any other in those days. After this Nathaniel Gilman operated a
similar distillery on Front street, just north of the Captain .Smith
house. Doctoring whiskey was practiced even in those times when
the juice was so cheap. Juniper berries were used, of which it is said
quantities were to be seen in the loft of Mr. Gilman's old store, corner
of Main and Front street.
After whiskey was no longer made on Silver street, the old house
was fitted up for the tanning business. Elder Jeremiah Powers, a
Free Baptist preacher, lived in the upper part and tanned in the base-
ment. He was very fond of fishing, and was also full of ignorant
superstitious beliefs. One night he was out with Tom Leeman after
salmon. Catching no fish, he laid their bad luck to Aunt Hannah
Cool, saying if they had given her a fish before starting they would
have been all right. Aunt Hannah lived in alow wood colored house
that stood where Walter Getchell lives, on Silver street. Her garden
was full of roots and herbs that she carefully gathered for medicines
— free to all. She had a keen black eye whose glance seemed to pene-
trate the present and the future, her gray locks were brushed back
behind her ears and fastened in a knot, she had a weird and attenuated
look, yet never a truer, more kindly heart beat than hers. She brought
up a homeless orphan and was full of good deeds to the sick and the
sad. And yet this woman was regarded by many as a veritable witch,
in league with the Evil One, and Elder Power's faith was so compre-
hensive that he too believed she could bewitch fish if she disliked the
fisher.
The oldest streets in Waterville are Main, Silver, Front, Water and
Temple. The bog at the corner of Elm and Mill streets was such a
deep bed of mud, that a corduroy bridge had to be kept over it for
years. A frame bridge, twenty feet high, across the Hayden brook
fell some seventy years ago, while two men were cros.sing it. Both
escaped injury.
Silver street received its name in this wise. Nathaniel Gilman and
Simeon Mathews, who were accounted the wealthiest men in town,
both lived on this street, also Isaac Stevens, a well-to-do, jovial carpen-
ter. The latter named it Silver street, saying, facetiously, that Mr._
Gilman, Mr. Mathews and himself controlled more wealth than any
570a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Other three men in town. The first house on this street was built by
Reuben Kidder, and stood where Clarkson's stable does. This house
was afterward purchased by David McFarland and removed to a new
street, on which he set out the beautiful row of elm trees, from which
Elm street took its name. By this wise act he has passed into the
perennial avenues of history. Green and fragrant be his memory!
Moses Dalton built on Water street one of the first frame houses
in the village of Waterville, and the very first brick building. The
latter stood where the Merchants' Bank stands — too soft ground at
that time for a solid foundation. The structure, three stories high,
proved too heavy for its footing, and settled so badly that the upper
story had to be removed. Hezekiah Stratton and Shubael Marston
traded in it.
Edward Estee, before 1820, built the next brick building, where
the Peavy Block now is, and traded in a part of it. .Some of the other
early traders — none of whom were temperance men, for even the
clergy had not then learned that rum drinking was wrong, and all
traders sold it, were: James Stackpole, Asa Redington, Nathaniel Gil-
man, Simeon Mathews, Jediah Morrill, James Hastv, Dr. Daniel Cook,
William Richards, Elah Estee, Deacon George W. Osborne (the first
temperance trader in town), William and Walter Getchell, who burned
out in 1835 and rebuilt in 1837, and Winthrop Watson, a very early
settler, whose store stood on top of the hill near the old ferry.
The records of old taverns are sparse and uncertain. Doctor Will-
iams built the first two-story house on the west side of the river be-
fore 1795, and it was kept as a tavern by Mr. Jackins, Daniel Fairfield,
and later by Colonel Mathews. The tavern known as the Parker
House after 1847, was built and occupied by Dr. Moses Appleton for
his private dwelling. In 1822 it was opened as a tavern by a Mr. Rob-
bins. Major Ebenezer Bolkcom was the next landlord, and after him
Mr. Page, Ora Doolittle, Reuel Howard, William Dorr and Joseph
Freeman.
Captain Coffin, Thomas Kimball, Levi Dow, Moses W^hittaker,
Elisha Howard and Cyrus Williams are the names of old landlords.
The Asa Faunce dwelling house, standing in what is now the
Lockwood Park, and facing directly up Main street, was, sometime in
the 'forties, converted by additions and a second story into a hotel,
and was opened by Brackett & Robinson, as the Waterville House.
Later it was kept by William Brown, who changed the name to The
Continental. After him, Charles Smith & Sons and other landlords
followed, till it degenerated into a tenement house. When the ground
where it stood was being leveled, many human bones indicated the
spot as an old Indian burying ground. Around one skeleton found in
a sitting posture, Fred F. Graves found over 300 copper beads about
CITY OF WATERVII.r.E. 571
the size of a straw, from two to three inches long, and punctured from
end to end.
The first tavern where now stands the Elmwood, was a good-sized
two-story farm house built by James L. Wood. About 1837 Dea. Abial
P. Follensbee opened and kept a temperance hotel there for a year
and a half, when he sold to Ivory Low, and removed to the brick
house on Main street, where W. M. True now lives, and kept a tem-
perance house there for two years. John L. Seavey in 1849 kept the
Woods place, and named it the Elmwood. It was burned in 1864, was
rebuilt in 1878, and kept by O. D. Seavey, then by Doctor Fitzgerald,
James Osborne, Eben Murch, and since 1890 by Mr. Judkins.
To show what was once done in Waterville, a few facts concerning
the Moor family are pertinent. Daniel Moor came here from New
Hampshire in 1798. His sons, March, William and Daniel, began
business in boating and lumbering — then built river steamers by the
dozen. They sent five to California, sold two to Cornelius Vanderbilt,
and one or more in Nova Scotia, besides several used nearer home.
The number of steamers in use on the Kennebec was large. It was
no unusual sight to see a half dozen lying at the wharf at one time,
where the Lockwood mills now stand. In 1848 there were five steam-
ers daily between Waterville and Augusta.
The following is a list of the persons who paid a tax in Waterville
in 1809 greater than the poll tax, which was $1.. '58. This includes those
who lived in what is now Oakland, and as there are some whose loca-
tion then cannot now be fixed, the names are given in one list — being
of general interest: Moses Appleton, $19.30; Ebenezer Bacon, $10.44;
James Burgess, $10.13; Thomas Bates. $7.17: Joshua Bates. $2.52: Con-
stant Bates, $2.25; Job Bates, $5.07; Timothy Boutelle, $8.98: Russell
Blackwell, $3.43: James K. Blair, $2.67: Richard Clifford, $6.86; Jona-
than Combs, $11.11; Thomas Cook, $11.50; Manoah Crowell, $7.39;
James Crommett, $11.24; Hiram Crowell, $9.24; Seth Crowell, $5.42;
Josiah Crowell, $4.83: Moody Crowell, $5.20: Baxter Crowell, $13.70;
Isaac Corson, $21.28; John Cool, $11.03; Wilson Colcord, $7.43; Joseph
Colcord, $4.26; John Crummett, $1.60; Timothy Clement, $1.85; George
Clarke, $15.62; John Corson, $3.83; Jonathan Clarke, $2.73; Samuel
Clarke, $2.00; Samuel Clarke, 2d, $3.00; Ansel Crowell, $7.56: Moses
Dalton, $12.55; Richard M. Dorr, $4.00; Lemuel Dunbar, $4.40; Charles
Dingley, $2.28: Daniel R. Emerson, $10.06: Micah Ellis, $7.93; Asa
Faunce, $5.89; Jeremiah Fairfield, $16.65; Daniel Fairfield, $3.68; Fair-
field & Getchell, $4.72; Elijah Gleason, $8.32; Reuben Gage, $4.23;
Nehemiah Getchell, jun., $5.88: Reuben Gibbs, $6.52; Seth Getchell,
$3.28; Heman Gibbs, $6.52; Nathaniel Oilman, $23.59; David Getchell,
$4.51; Samuel Oilman, $4.31; James Gilbert, $2.96: Ephraim Getchell,
$4.58: Abel Getchell, $2.76; Henry Gage, $2.19; Oilman & Watson,
$9.46; Moses Healy, $4.45; .Solomon Hallett, $9.41; Elisha Hallett,
$9.91; Joseph H. Hallett, $2.63; Isaiah Hallett, $4.11; John Hume, jun.,
$1.74; Jonathan Heywood, $10.17; Reuben Hussey, $810; Samuel
Holmes, $6.10; John Huzzy, $2.18; James Hasty, $10.69; David Huston,
$3.14; (ohn Hart, $4.12; Philip Her.som, $5.21: Heirs of David Hasty,
571a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
$4.48: Benjamin Hersom, $2.60; William Heywood, $2.00; Prince
Henry, $6.44; Timothy B. Heywood, $2.00; Andrew Hersom. $1.92;
Samuel & Joseph Hitchings. $2.10; Frederick Jackins, $7.94; Reuben
Kidder, $19.B1; Jeremiah Kidder, $7.93; Francis Kimball, $4.60; Perley
Low, $4.42; Nathaniel Low, $3.10; Nathaniel Low, jun., $5.17; Amos
Low, $3.29; Thomas Leeman, $4.48; William Lewis, $6.63; Asa Lewis,
$2.67; Widow McFarlane, $3.36; Thomas McFarlane, $3.58; Daniel
Moor, $4.02; Samuel Moor, $4.95; Ebenezer Moor, $3.83; Ebenezer
Moor, jun., $9.93; Nathaniel Merrifield, $5.11; Simeon Mathews, $2.19;
John Mathews, $8.37: Jediah Morrill, $8.16; Abraham Morrill, $3.61;
Josiah Morrill, $2.31; Alexander McKechnie, $5.17: William McKech-
nie, $4.11; John Magrath, $4.65; Isaiah Marston, $8.92; Kenelm Mars-
ton, $4.93; William Marston, $4.22; William Miller, $2.61; Joseph
Mitchell, $10.42; Joseph Marston, $2.63; David Nourse, $6.09; Beria-
min Otis, $3.51; Lemuel Pullen, $2.72; David Pattee, $5.91; Salathiel
Penney, $3.94; Thomas Parker, $8.74; Eleazer Parker, $4.45; Zaccheus
Parker, $6.37: Edward Piper, $2.28; William Phillips, $3.89; Oliver
Pullen, $5.24; William Pullen, $11.60; Jonathan Pullen, $3 15; William
Pullen, 2d, $6.53; James Pullen, $13.97; Dexter Pullen, $3.35; David
Priest, $2.51; Asa Redington, $25.93; Moses Ricker, $3.78; Thomas
Redmgton, $4.73; Joseph Rine, $2.36; Benjamin Rine, $7.46; John
Rose, $6.67; Benjamin Rose, $2.74; George Ricker, $4.37: Levi Ricker,
$3.06; Joseph Ricker, $5.77; Eleazer W. Ripley, $6,83; Asa Soule, $10.60;
Jonathan Soule, $6.92; Jehiel Soule, $1.67; Almond Soule, $2.80;
Michael Soule, $3 69; Benjamin Soule, §1.76; James Stackpole, $23.98;
Jotham Stackpole, $3.05; John Stackpole, $2.(i0; Isaac Stevens, $4.93;
Samuel Shorey, $8.81; Abraham Smith, $2.63; Reuben Shorey, $4.33;
Elnathan Sherwin, $5.15; Artemus Smith, $4.71; Abijah Smith, $7.39;
Eliab Smith, jun., $2.29: Lot Sturtevant, $6.92; Ichabod Smith, $2.26;
George Soule, $2.98; Philander Soule, $6.13; James Shorey, $5.50; Pele-
tiah Soule, $4.49; Heirs of Peleg Tupper, $2.84; Lemuel Tupper, $5.65;
Elias Tozer, $5.25; Simeon Tozer, $7.55; Jed. Thayer, $6.44; Elias
Tozer, jun., $2 77; Lewis Tozer, $2.77; David Webb, jun., $6.54; Samuel
Webb, $6.61; John Webb, $5.97: Bryant Williams, $7.64; Daniel Wells,
$5.46; William Wyman, $6.61; Joseph Warren, $2.22; James L. Wood,
$31.53; David Wheeler, $3.98; Abisha Wmg, $3.43: Ebenezer Watson,
$5.12; William Wat.son, $2.66; George Young, $5.85; David Webb,
$5.97; John Watson, $2.36; and John Wright, $6.16. The whole num-
ber of taxpayers on the list in 1809 was 276. Lawyers and physicians
paid an income tax.
The form of license granted in 1823 was this: " Be it known that
Nathaniel Gilman, Esq., is hereby licensed to sell wine, beer, ale, cider,
brandy, rum and other strong liquors by retail at his store in the town
of Waterville for one year from date. Waterville, Sept. 9, 1823." This
was signed by the three selectmen and the treasurer. Similar licenses
were issued the same year to: John B. Walker & Co., Smith, Ingraham
& Co., Burleigh & Partridge, George W. Osborne, Edmund C. An-
drews, Simeon Mathews, Blackwell & Loring, James Hasty, William
Richards, Daniel Hume, Alden & Allen, Levi Rogers, Jediah Morrill,
Daniel Cook, Johnson, Williams & Co., Shubael Marston, Edward
Esty, jun., John Burleigh, William Phillips, William F. Bachelder,
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 072
Levi Dow, David Page, Samuel Kimball, Hallet & Cornforth, Thomas
B. Dickman, Elisha Hallet, John Partridge and Elah Esty. Lucius
Allen was licensed to sell liquors at his dwelling house, and John
Combs and Luther Ingraham were licensed as " Inholders " — nothing
said about selling liquors. The fee paid in most of the cases was $6.
In 1834 the town first instructed the selectmen not to grant any
licenses and to prosecute all violations of license laws. On the ques-
tion of license they steadily voted no from year to year. At a meeting
of the board in 1841 — " Resolved that Cyrus Williams having applied
for license, this board will grant a license to said Williams to be an
Inuholder in said town during the coming year, without the right to
retail wine, brandy, rum, or any other spirituous, vinous or fermented
intoxicating liquors." 1844 — " Voted that the licensing board be in-
structed to grant a license to one person to sell spirituous liquors for
medical and mechanical purposes, and that the liquors be furnished
by the town; that a record be kept of the quantity sold and to whom,
and no credit be given for any liquor sold." The board were in-
structed to license no one else and to prosecute all who violated the
license laws. William Dyer was duly licensed October 26, 1846, the
first town agent according to the state law in Waterville. Mr. Dyer
declined and Ira H. Low was appointed to fill the vacancy. 1848 —
" Voted to license two persons in the East village and one in the West
village in said town to retail spirituous liquors for medicinal and me-
chanical purposes only." Ira H. Low and William Dyer were licensed
in the former and Samuel Kimball in the latter. 1849 — " Voted to
raise the sum of $300, to defray the expenses of the town for the sup-
pression of the sale of spirituous liquors."
It is a curious reflection that the citizens of Waterville and Wins-
low got along without a bridge over the Kennebec till 1824. During
that year a covered toll bridge was built by a stock company that did
good service till the flood of 1832 washed it away. Another covered
toll bridge was built by private parties, among whom were Jediah
Morrill, Timothy Boutelle, the Redingtons and James Stackpole.
This bridge served the public till, in its turn, a freshet swept it away
in 1869. The county commissioners immediately ordered a new bridge
built by Waterville and Winslow, and appointed G. A. Phillips, agent
of the town of Waterville, to superintend its construction. The work
was pushed so vigorously that a covered structure costing $32,000, and
free to all, was ready for use in less than a year from the loss of the
old one. Mistakes in the construction of this bridge caused its partial
failure in a few years. Its piers were excellent, however, and now
sustain the present iron bridge built by the two towns in 1884, and
costing $40,000.
At the town meeting of March 3, 1823, Johnson Williams, Jediah
572a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
Morrill, Nehemiah Getchell, William Pearson, Hall Chase and Asa
Redington, jun., were selected fire wardens, and Asa Redington, jun.,
Nathaniel Oilman and Abigail Smith, police officers. Daniel Fairfield
and Joseph Warren were elected meeting house keepers. 1847 "Voted
that a night watch shall be established within the East Village till the
next annual meeting. This watch shall consist of fourteen sober, tem-
perate, and moral men. Two out of the fourteen shall, in rotation,
serve each night." 1846. " Voted that the sum not exceeding $100 be
paid out of the treasur}' of the town to defray the expense of vaxinat-
ing said inhabitants."
At a town meeting held Monday, September 13, 1830, the following
was enacted: " Be it ordered by the /(?ze'«— That all that part of the town
included within and bounded by the following limits, viz.: On the
east by Kennebec river, on the north by the north line of river lot
numbered 106— on the west by the mile and half stream so called,
and on the south by the south line of river lot numbered 102, shall
hereafter be called and known in the by-laws and other records and
proceedings of the town by the name of the Village of Waterville."
The police, sanitary and street regulations of the village were
stringent, and sensible rules were made concerning the management
of fires and stoves in private buildings. Some of the restrictions were
curious, and some were impracticable. A fine of one dollar was im-
posed on the owner of any chimney, flue or stove pipe that should
burn out in such a manner that the flames were visible at the upper
end thereof, or that should throw out burning cinders, except where
the roofs of buildings were wet, or covered with snow, and between
the hours of sunrise and noon. No light should be carried into a hay
loft, or other place filled with highly combustible materials, except in
a lantern, and a fine of fifty cents was imposed for smoking a pipe or
cigar on any street or sidewalk, or in stable yard or outhouse — with a
provision that a person might smoke in his own workshop.
The oldest fire company in Waterville was formed about 1810 by
Captain Abijah Smith, Nehemiah Getchell, James Stackpole, Timothy
Boutelle, Russell Blackwell, and others. A hand engine, made by
Stephen Thayer, of Boston, was bought. This was of the most primi-
tive construction. Water had to be brought in pails, and turned into
a tub, from which it was forced by a couple of ordinary pumps through
a leaky hose. One day some one wrote the word " i>V()(?w^r " on the
machine at the time bloomer dresses were being worn by a few dar-
ing women. The joke took the fancy of the boys, and by that name
it was run, retired, and is now remembered. This company and this
engine were all the protection Waterville had for years against fires.
It was .supported by voluntary aid, which in the nature of things, was
in the course of time changed to a general tax. After the usual oppo-
sition, the following legislation was procured:
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 573
"An act to establish the Ticonic Village corporation. Approved
March 24, 1836.
"Beginning .south line lot No. 100, on Dr. McKechnie's plan, we.st
one mile— thence north to south line of lot No. 107— thence east on
-south line of said lot to river— thence south by river to place of be-
ginning—which together with the inhabitants thereon be and the
same is hereby created a body politic and corporate by the name of
The Ticonic Village Corporation.
" Said corporation is hereby invested with the power at any legal
meeting to raise money for the purchase, repair and preservation of
one or more fire engines, hose and other apparatus, and for erecting
and repairing of engine hou.ses, and water cisterns, and organizing
and maintaining an efficient fire department, and also a further sum
not exceeding $50 annually to pay the expenses of ringing one of the
bells of said village. The 'officers of said corporation shall be a super-
visor, and a clerk and treasurer."
It is apparent that this was not a village corporation for any pur-
pose except to compel all property holders to support a fire depart-
ment. The town at its annual meeting in 1835 had voted the sum of
$225 for the purchase of a fire engine. This, with the incorporation
of Ticonic village, caused a general movement for adequate protection
against fires.
Engine Company No. 1, for Ticonic village corporation, was orga-
nized in 1836. The members in 1839 were among the first citizens of
the village: Samuel Appleton, Joseph Hasty, Joseph O. Pearson, Will-
iam Getchell, jun., James Pearson, George Wentworth, John A. Rhodes,
Isaac W. Wheeler, Jonathan Stanley, Llewellyn E. Crommett, David
Shorey, Joseph Percival, Reuel Howard, jun., Arthur Blish, James
Hasty, jun., Walter Getchell, B. K. Scribner, Eben Freeman, William
G. Penny, EliphaletGilman, Elisha Howard, Sumner Percival, William
Golder, Otis Getchell, William H. Pearson, Silas Getchell, Charles H.
Thayer, Philander Soule, Estes W. French, Jarvis Barney, Moses Get-
chell, Dr. Nathaniel R. Boutelle, James S. Read, Wadsworth Chipman,
Lewis Purrington, Edward H. Piper, Hiram P. Cousins, Orea Doolittle,
David Golder, Charles K. White, George H. Esty, Joseph Nudd, Sam-
uel S. Parker, Henry H. Fames, Jo.seph C. Whitman, Eldridge Get-
chell, S. T. Williams, Aaron Healey, William H. Blair, Oliver Paine,
Nathaniel Oilman, jun., Albert Bolkcom and Charles F. Oilman.
This company, with the first Ticonic engine, did admirable work
for nearly twenty years, when a new generation, in 1854, organized
the famous Waterville No. 3, and bought, an engine with which they
won memorable victories over the best fire organizations in central
Maine. They were never defeated in a public contest. The fourth
engine was brought from Pittsfield, Mass., about 1860, where it had*
been used a short time, and was known here as Ticonic No. 1.
Chief engineers of the fire department have been: Samuel Reding-
ton, Samuel Appleton, E. L. Getchell, W. A. Caffrey, W. B. Arnold,
673a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Dr. F. C. Thayer, H. G. Tozer, C. R. Shorey, J. D. Hayden, A. H. Plais-
ted and'W. F. Brown. Simeon Keith was a member of the department
from 1837 to 1887. Hand engines were succeeded by the present
steamer in 1886 and the fire alarm was adopted in 1892.
Mills and Manufactories.— We propose to describe the various
mills and manufactories on the Emerson or Messalonskee stream in
its course through Waterville, beginning with the lower or last privi-
lege before it enters the river. This was probably first utilized by
Silas and Abijah Wing, who constructed a dam, a saw mill and a grist
mill. Samuel and Joseph Hitchings came in 1809, from Boston, and
bought the property of them. Samuel put up another building where
lie made wool carding machines and turned bedstead posts.
Deacon Daniel Wells built a carding and clothing mill on the same
dam, supplied with machinery made by Samuel Hitchings, and ran it
till about 1832, when he changed it to a shingle mill. About 1820 the
old saw mill was rebuilt by Joseph Hitchings, and about 1830 the
grinding and bolting machinery were taken from the grist mill to the
Crommett grist mill on the upper dam. The great freshet of 1832,
the only one ever known to do any damage on this stream, carried all
the buildings on the Hitchings dam away except Deacon Wells' card-
ing mill, which was burned two years later.
The saw mill, which was carried but a little ways by the flood, was
brought back and put in operation, soon after which the Hitchings
brothers sold the dam property to Francis Batchelder, of Boston, who
built another saw mill on the other side of the stream and did for a
few years a large but unprofitable lumber business. The property
was abandoned and the mills rotted down. The site is now owned by
Samuel Hitchings, son of Joseph.
The next privilege above, now owned by Webber & Philbrick, was
the site of one of the earliest saw mills in Waterville, built and owned
by Asa Emerson, from whom the stream took its name. One of the
election notices in 1790 was posted by vote of the town on Emerson's
mill. The old buildings and dam wasted away and the power had
been idle for years till, in 1833, Joseph P. Fairbanks, one of the three
famous scale builders of St. Johnsbury, Vt., and Arba Nelson built the
present dam and began making cast iron plows in December of that
year, under the firm name of Fairbanks, Nelson & Co. The " Co."
comprised Erastus and Nelson Fairbanks, of St. Johnsbury.
After a few years the Waterville Iron Manufacturing Company
•was formed, John Webber and Fred P. Haviland becoming stockhold-
ers and directors. In 1843 these two men bought the entire property
and added stove making. Webber & Haviland continued the business
for the next twenty-eight years. In 1871 a half interest was sold to
Frank B. Webber and C. T. Haviland, sons of the senior partners, and
Webber, Haviland & Co. in turn changed, in 1873, to Webber, Havi-
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 574
land & Philbrick, at which time F. B. Philbrick bought an equal part-
nership with F. B. Webber and C. T. Haviland. The present firm of
Webber & Philbrick was formed in 1882, when C. T. Haviland dis-
posed of his interests to his partners, who have given steady work for
the past ten years to twenty -five men, and are the only concern in the
foundry and general machinery business in Waterville.
The next dam above was built soon after 1850, by Erastus O.
Wheeler. Samuel Appleton, Zebulon Sanger and John Ransted built
a paper mill and made newspaper stock. The Warrens and Monroes,
of Boston, the next owners, made cedar bark paper till they were
burned out. In 1873 Winslow Roberts and A. P. Marston bought the
site and built a large factory, in which they made wooden shanks, used
in the manufacture of boots and shoes, for several years, employing
fifty people. Their works were burned in 1878, rebuilt, and again
destroyed by fire the next year, since which no business has been done
on this dam.
Proceeding up stream we come next to the old carpet factory, built
by Windsor & Barrett for a cotton factory, and run by Gilroy more
than sixty years ago. He made genuine Wiltshire goods, and several
of the first families ordered a carpet in advance to encourage his com-
ing. The only trouble with his carpets was that buyers did not live
long enough to wear them out and need more. After Gilroy, Israel
Johnson made machinery there for woolen mills till William Pearson
& Sons bought the property, put up more buildings and established a
tannery that used 3,000 cords of bark yearly. About 1854 the Pearsons
quit the business and the property stood idle till 1865, when it was
bought by H. S. Ricker & Co., refitted and run till 1874, when Mr.
Ricker became and has continued to be the sole proprietor. Upper
leather made from hides and skins is the special product of this tan-
nery, which employs five men and uses yearly 300 cords of bark.
The next dam above the old carpet mill site is the upper dam, on
which the water company's pumping station is located. Doctor Mc-
Kechnie built a saw mill and a grist mill here on the west side of the
stream, before 1780, that disappeared before the memory of any one
now living. Election notices were posted in 1788 on " Widow Mc-
Kechnie's grist mill." James Crommett built the next dam, and on
the east side of the stream he built a saw mill, a grist mill and a card-
ing and clothing mill. The mills were run by the builder and his
sons, Orrin, Theodore and Llewellyn. The latter ran the grist mill,
which had four runs of stones and two bolts, till about 1842, after
which it stood idle many years. Orrin Crommett, B. P. Manley, James
S. Craig, Hill and Allen operated the carding mill till Fred
Bailey changed it to a grist mill and was succeeded by W. S. B. Run-
nells who was burned out in 1884.
Jerry Furbish, in 1872, bought of William Brown the old gristmill
574a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and half the saw mill, and made sash, doors and blinds till the fire of
1884. He rebuilt and continued business till his death in 1888. Suc-
ceeding him, Bangs Brothers, Mr. Dane and Hayden & Robinson did
various kinds of wood work till 1891, when the present occupant, Al-
bert G. Bowie, architect and builder, took possession. In the various
departments of his business fifty men are employed.
On the same dam Winslow Marston bought, in 1858, of Cushman,
a part of the Pearson tannery, and inade matches till 1890. He was
twice burned out, the last time in 1889. Fuller & Haines now use the
building for a carpenter shop.
The water privilege and land on the west side of the dam were
owned by James Stackpole, who, with Erastus O. and Sumner Wheeler,
built a saw mill, before 1830, that ran many years. This privilege
and half of the dam below were bought, in 1873, by Henry R. Butter-
field. On the latter he built the shovel handle factory he still operates,
in which fifteen men are employed, and 35,000 dozen handles are
made yearly. On the upper dam, he built in 1875 a building in which
B. F. Dow & Co. made furniture. In 1880 the Fiber Ware Company
bought the property, and their works were burned in 1884. Near the
bridge, Mr. Butterfield also erected, in 1875, a large two-story build-
ing, designed for a grist mill, that stood idle till burned in the fire of
1884.
The Maine Water Company, with central offices in Gardiner, built
in 1887, and still own the water works in this city. A powerful pump
forces water from the Messalonskee to a reservoir 2-J- miles distant,
from whence fifteen miles of iron mains distribute it through the
city. The forcing capacity of the pump is 2,000,000 gallons per day,
and 1,200 customers now use about half that amount.
The first effort to use the stupendous power of the Kennebec river
at Waterville for mechanical purposes was made in 1792, when Nehe-
miah Getchell and Asa Redington came from A'assalboro, and con-
structed a dam from the west shore to Rock island and built a saw
mill. Other mills were soon biiilt, logs were easily obtained from the
river, and for the next sixty years this was the manufacturing center,
and its vicinity was the business center of the town.
Redington & Stackpole were the next mill builders after the
pioneers, followed by Nehemiah and William Getchell, sons of ]S[ehe-
miah, from Vassalboro, and the fathers respectively of Eldridge and
Walter Getchell, of this city. The Getchell saw mill was run by the
brothers, William and Walter Getchell, from 1830 to 1870, being burned
in the fire of 1849, rebuilt, and again burned in 1859. They sold in 1868
to General Franklin vSmith, who built a saw and framing mill. He sold
to the Lockwood Company. The following well-remembered men built
or rented saw mills, and were large lumber cutters and dealers here,
during the first half of the present century: John, Samuel and William
CITV OF WATERVIIJ.E. . 575
Kendall, the latter a noted man — inventor of the turbine water wheel
and the circular saw; Isaac Farrer and Zebulon Sanger, and his sons,
William, Samuel and Silas, Asa Redington, Dunlap, Hobson, Parker
Sheldon, Deacon Samuel Doolittle, David Paige, Josiah Morrill, Colonel
Scribner, Colonel Simonds, William and Daniel Moor, French Brothers,
and Jacob and William Wing. The latter made sash and blinds.
Waterville did an immense lumber business until the pine forests
were exhausted.
Moses Dalton built on the river dam very early a grist mill and a
carding mill that were run till they were worn out. Asa Redington
built another grist mill on the same site in 1838, that was successively
operated by Peltiah and William Penny, Gideon Wing and Horace
Tozer. Colonel I. S. Bangs, the next owner, was burned out in 1883,
rebuilt and sold to A. F. F. Merrill and he to W. B. S. Runnels, who
in 1891 resold to Mr. Merrill, the present proprietor.
W. & D. Moor built in the 'forties a long four story building in which
they had gang saws, made iron and steel shovels, and had a plaster
mill and a feed mill. A part of it was used for a storehouse, as they
were also traders and grain dealers. This building was burned in the
great fire of July 15, 1849, and was rebuilt by its owners, who .suffered
the loss of it the second time in the fire of 1859.
The magnificent possibilities that were running to waste in the
Titanic power of Ticonic falls, had long been a matter of deep con-
cern with the thoughtful citizens of Waterville. This feeling materi-
alized in practical form, when G. A. Phillips, soon after the war, as
the originator and representative of a citizens' movement, secured the
option of purchase of property extending three-fourths of a mile on
the west bank of the Kennebec, and a mile and three fourths on the
east bank.
Saturday, February 4, 1866, at a meeting of which Solyman Heath
was chairman, and E. R. Drummond was clerk, the Ticonic Water
Power & Manufacturing Company was organized, with S. Heath,
G. A. Phillips, J. P. Blunt, James Drummond and John P. Richardson
as directors.
"An act to incorporate the Ticonic Water Power and Manufactur-
ing Company. February 6, 1866.
"Section 1. Dennis L. Milliken, N. R. Boutelle, T. W. Herrick,
C. K. Mathews, C. R. McFadden, C. G. Meader, A. A. Plaisted, Na-
thaniel Meader, E. L. Getchell, E. F. Webb, Solyman Heath, G. A.
Phillips, J. W. Philbrick, I. S. Bangs, jun., Samuel Appleton, W. B.
Arnold, E. R. Drummond, James Drummond and John P. Richardson,
with their associates and assigns, are hereby created a corporation,
with ihe power and privileges, and subject to the duties and require-
ments incident to manufacturing corporations.
" Section 2. The corporation is authorized to carry on at the
Ticonic Falls in Waterville and Winslow the manufacture of: Wool,
Wood, Cotton, Iron, Steel, Lumber, Leather, Paper, Flax, Paints, Oils,
575a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Meal, Flour, and other articles necessarily connected therewith, and
purchase, hold and possess estate, real and personal, to an amount not
to exceed one Million Dollars."
The incorporators at once elected G. A. Phillips treasurer, made
assessments on their stock, and proceeded to acquire the water rights
and territory necessary to their plans. Through formidable difficulties
Mr. Phillips proceeded to buy 400 acres of land adjacent to the falls,
costing $80,000. The dam now in use by the Lockwood Company was
built in 1868 at a cost of $40,000. Then ensued several years of inac-
tion, during which R. B. Dunn bought a controlling portion of the
.sfock at thirty cents on a dollar, pledging himself to pay the floating
debt of $50,000, and build a cotton mill. Many citizens assisted in
this consummation for the benefit of Waterville, one of the most
active and efficient being Reuben Foster.
The name of the old company was changed to the Ticonic Com-
pany. Mr. Dunn became the sole owner, paid the debts of the Ticonic
Water Power & Manufacturing Company, and built at a heavy ex-
pen.se what is now cotton mill No. 1. Amos D. Lockwood, of Provi-
dence, R. I., became enlisted in the enterprise and the present Lockwood
Company was formed in 1874. Mr. Dunn received $125,000 stock in
the new company for his entire interest in the Ticonic Company, and
was reimbursed for all his expenditures in building. Mill No. 1 was
completed and began spinning cotton in February, 1876, and made
sheeting till 1882, when the additional buildings now standing were
erected. The capital now invested in this great enterprise is
$1,800,000. The total output of the Lockwood Company for the first
half of 1892 was 8,752,682 yards of cotton cloth, weighing 2,978,000
pounds. To produce these large results 2,100 looms, 90,000 spindles
and the labor of 1,250 people ten hours each week day are required.
From fifty to seventy-five skilled mechanics are constantly employed,
capable of reconstructing any machinery in use. This plant, perfect
and effective as it is, does but imperfect honor to the admirable man,
Amos D. Lockwood, whose name it bears. The grandeur of his character
as a man exceeded even the enviable equipment and adjustment of his
mental gifts. R. B. Dunn was the first president of the Lockwood
Company, succeeded by the present incumbent, J. H. McMullen, of
Portland. Amos D. Lockwood, the first treasurer, was succeeded at
his death in 1882 by the present treasurer, J. W. Danielson, of Provi-
dence, R. I. The very capable agent, S. L Abbott, of Waterville, has
held that position from the start, and his son, W. H. K. Abbott, has
been superintendent since 1883.
Any locality that secures the construction and repair shops of a
great railroad is fortunate. The Maine Central in 1886-7 built the
Waterville shops — 750 feet long and two stories high — filled with all
modern machinery for repairing or making every variety of cars.
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 576
This department, including the painting and upholstering of passenger
tars, employs 125 men. In the engine department 125 out of 149 en-
gines belonging to the road were in the shop during the past year for
repairs. Ninety men are employed in this work.
The earliest brick yard in Waterville that is now remembered, was
at the foot of Sherwin street, owned by Colonel Sherwin and Deacon
Dimond. In it were made the brick for the Moses Dalton and Edward
Estee stores. The next yard belonged to Peter Crabtree Getchell,
who made the brick used in the college buildings, on premises near
there now owned by Arthur Alden. In 1829 Mr. Getchell made the
brick and built the Waterville Academy; Timothy Boutelle gave the
land. George and Stacy Wentworth bought the Getchell yard and
continued the business. In 1886 Norton & Purinton opened a brick
yard in the north part of the town and the next year Amos Purinton
bought Mr. Norton's interest. Smce then Purinton Brothers have
■made 1,500,000 brick in that yard each year. They employ fifteen
men. Proctor & Flood make 600,000 brick per year. Their yard is
near the Fairfield line.
The first tanneries in Waterville were small affairs, but were equal
to the demand for their products. The Sanborn tannery, situated a
little north of Samuel Appleton's, on Main street, and the Powers es-
tablishment on Silver street, were the pioneers. But the largest by
far, and the longest continued tannery ever in town was built by Will-
iam Pearson, who rode into Waterville from Exeter, N. H., one June
day in the cold summer of 1816, through fast falling snow that covered
the ground six inches deep. He located where the Lockwood Mill
stands, and manufactured sole leather there till about 1836, when with
his sons the business was transferred to the Messalonskee. When the
ground was being fitted for the cotton mill, one of the old. vats was
uncovered, in which several sides of leather were found in the pickle
where they had lain over forty years. Upon examination they proved
to be in superb condition, and more than one man declared they made
the most durable shoe soles he ever wore.
John Goodell began in 187:3 the manufacture of cook stoves. In
his employ were Edmund D. Noyes and James P. Goddard, who be-
came his partners in 1879. In 1886 the young men bought Mr. Goodell
out and the new firm of Noyes & Goddard continued the old business
till their works were burned in October, 1892.
Alben Emery began in 1846 pulling wool and tanning sheep skins.
He died in 1873 and the business was continued for several years by
his sons: James H., Alben F. and Albert P. For the past eight years
Albert P. Emery has been sole proprietor, tanning now about 8,000
skins, and handling 75,000 pounds of fleece wool per year.
Churches.— The First Baptist Church in Waterville was consti-
tuted August 27, 1818, at the house of Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin. Twenty
fiTBa HISTORY OF KKXNEBEC COUNTY.
persons presented letters of dismission from other churches— thirteen
of them from the First Baptist church in Sidney. Baptism was first
administered September 6, 1818, and during the sam^e month Rev.
Jeremiah Chaplin, then professor of theology in Maine Literary and
Theological Institution, became the first pastor. A notable event was
the baptism July 16, 1820, by Doctor Chaplin, of George Dana Board-
man, who became a world renowned mis-sionary. In 1823 Stephen
Chapin and Avery Briggs, professors in the college, were made asso-
ciate pastors, which arrangement lasted one year, when Rev. Stephen
Chapin was made sole pastor.
The society erected the present house of worship in 1826 at a cost
of about $4,000, and dedicated it December 6th of the same year. In
1828 Professor Chapin left Waterville, and Hervy Fittz succeeded him
in 1829. He was succeeded in 1881 by Rev. Henry K. Green. Rev.
S. F. Smith, author of the national hymn America, was ordained
in 1834. Rev. D. N. Sheldon succeeded in 1842, but was soon elected
president of the college and was pastor but one year. Forty- four mem-
bers of this church were dismissed by letter in 1844, to form a church
in West Waterville. The same year John C. Stockbridge came to
Waterville and was installed pastor January 8, 1845. He resigned in
1847, and Rev. William Crowell followed in 1849, succeeded in 1852 by
Rev. N. M. Wood, and in 1860 by G. D. B. Pepper, who resigned in
1865. The next year the church substituted vSabbath school exercises
for the morning preaching service. In 1867 B. F. Shaw became pastor
and was succeeded by Henry S. Burrage, January 1, 1870; by S. P.
Merrill in 1874, and in 1879 by the present pastor, W. H. Spencer.
The old meeting house was repaired and reseated in 1846, and
again in 1875, when it was remodeled and enlarged at an expense of
$17,000. The services are largely attended, also the Sabbath school,
which numbers 369. The church membership is 385. The deacons
of this church have been: William Lewis, Thomas Parker, John Par-
tridge, Oliver Welch, Daniel Wells, Nathaniel Russell, Constantine
Bates, Clifford Williams, W. A. F. vStevens, Samuel Scammon, J. W.
Philbrick, David Webb, Charles A. Dow. James H. Hanson, Charles
F. Gardner.
Mr. Allen, in his History of Methodism, says: " The early methodist
itinerants in Maine strangely avoided Waterville." Rev. Ezekiel
Robinson in 1827 was the first preacher, and organized the first class.
In 1832 Martin Ward preached here and formed a class of seven, of
which J. Parker was leader. In 1833 P. P. Morrill, and in 1835 M.
Wight, followed by Asa Heath, ministered to a small band of twenty-
five members, who gave up in discouragement soon after.
In 1843 Waterville was made a mission station, with an appropria-
tion of $25, and Luther P. French was appointed preacher in charge.
Meetings were held in the town hall, class and prayer meetings were
CITY OF WATERVILLE. ^17
held, a Sunday school was started, and thirty-five members joined the
church. S. Allen was the preacher in 1844, Asahel Moore in 184o, and
C. Hunger in 1846. To sustain preaching, $150 was appropriated each
year from the missionary fund, but no church was built. The people
again became discouraged, and the charge was again abandoned. S.
Allen was returned to Waterville in 1851 with an appropriation of
$100, and staid two years. D. Waterhouse came in 1853, and C. Fuller
the next two years.
From this time till 1866 the society was connected with Kendall's
Mills charge, but only got now and then a sermon. In 1859 Hobart
Richardson, a local preacher, established weekly prayer meetings at
his house, and in 1866 he preached at Kendall's Mills and at Water-
ville, as a supply. A. R. Sylvester was appointed this year to Ken-
dall's Mills and Waterville. The next year Waterville was again made
a separate charge, with J. H. Mowers as preacher. In 1868 J. W.
Hathaway was appointed to this mission, with an appropriation of
$200. An active start was at once made toward building a church,
which was broken by Mr. Hathaway's retirement from the ministry.
True Whittier was appointed to the vacancy, but was transferred to
South Carolina soon after. John Allen and students from Kents Hill
ministered until A. S. Ladd was sent here in 1869.
In the meantime a church had been erected and partly finished.
Sunday meetings were held in the town hall, and prayer meetings in
Marston's Block. The first meeting in the vestry was on the second
Sunday in July. At length the church was finished at a cost of $16,-
000, of which R. B. Dunn paid $14,000. After furnishing it, which
cost $5,000, it was dedicated March 23, 1870. A. S. Ladd preached here
three years, leaving a prosperous society, of whom eighty were church
members. A. W. Pottle was appointed in 1872 and in 1881; W. S.
Jones in 1875; Roscoe Sanderson, 1876; Ezekiel Martin, 1878; W. S.
Mclntire, 1883; W. M. Sterling, 1885; G. C. Crawford, 1887; C. I. Mills,
1888; Howard A. Clifford, 1889; L. B. Codding, 1890, and Wilber F.
Berry in 1892.
The First Congregational Church of Waterville was organized at
the house of Captain William Pearson, August 21, 1828, by an ecclesi-
astical council, of which Rev. David Thurston, from Winthrop, Avas
moderator, and Rev. Thomas Adams, scribe. There were twelve
charter members, seven of whom came by letter from other churches,
and five by confession of faith. There was no settled ministry until
1834, when Rev. Thomas Adams was invited to preach, and was in-
stalled as the first pastor September 27, 1836, and served until 1838.
The church building was erected in the autumn of 1835. In Septem-
ber, 1838, Calvin E. Park was installed pastor, and held the office until
April, 1844. Mr. Roswell D. Hitchcock then occupied the pulpit for
nearly a year, and in October, 1846, Richard B. Thurston was settled
577a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
on a salary of $500, one-half of which was paid by the church and
society, and the balance by the Maine Missionary Society. Mr. Thur-
ston resigned in March, 1855. William B. Greene was installed in
November, 1855. Edward Hawes was ordained in 1858 on a salary of
^700, and closed a very useful pastorate by removing- to Philadelphia
in 1864. The pulpit was then supplied a few months by Rev. P. C.
Headly until August, 1866.
Mr. B. A. Robie was settled at a salary of $1,000 by an ordaining
council in March, 1866. He resigned December 18, 1870, giving as his
chief reason, his " inability to find a suitable house to live in, and the
inadequacy of his salary if he could find one." Calvin G. Hill preached
from August, 1871, to April, 1872. In September, 1872, Rev. James
Cameron became acting pastor, and continued until April, 1874, dur-
ing which time the church was repaired and beautified. July 28, 1874,
Mr. John T. Crumrine was ordained and installed, remaining only
until May of the following year. He was followed by Rev. C. D.
Crane July. 1875. In July, 1877, Rev. Ezra N. Smith began his labors,
and though not installed, remained until 1888— salary, $1,000. Rev.
Leavitt H. Hallock, of Portland, was extended a unanimous call at a
salary of $2,000. He commenced work June 1, 1889 (without installa-
tion), and remained until December 1, 1892, when he became pastor
■of the First Congregational church in Tacoma, Washington.
During July and August of 1869 the church was thoroughly re-
paired at a cost of nearly $3,000, and re-dedicated free of debt. At the
first annual church meeting December 31, 1889, the pastor announced
the gift of $500 from a personal friend toward the building of a suit-
able parsonage, provided it should be completed during 1890. The
Mayo lot on Park street was purchased for $3,000, and a parsonage was
erected, and was occupied by the pastor and his family in the autumn
of 1890. The present membership of the church is 222.
The first Universalist minister here was Rev. Thomas Barnes, of
Poland, Me., who was ordained in 1802, the first ordained minister of
the Universalist faith in the state, and he died in 1816. November 20,
1820, Rev. Sylvanus Cobb, of Norway, the second Universalist minis-
ter ordained in Maine, preached in Waterville for the first time, and
-after his ordination, in 1821, settled here, preaching at Waterville and
West Waterville, in the old town meeting houses in both places. The
Eastern Association of Universalists met in Waterville June 25, 1823,
when Rev. Hosea Ballou, of Boston, the great leader of Universalism
in America, was present and preached a sermon of remarkable power.
Jediah Morrill became from that hour a life-long Universalist.
The first Universalist church in Maine was organized by Reverend
Cobb in Waterville, May 28, 1826. It consisted of twenty members;
eleven belonged in Waterville, four in Sidney, four in Fairfield and
one in Winslow. None of the original members are now living. He
CITV OF WATERVILLE. 578
continued his labors here till 1828, when he removed to Maiden, Mass.
After his removal Rev. W. A. Drew, of Augusta, preached a good deal,
and Rev. Dr. J. G. Adams, of Massachusetts, was here as a supply.
In 1831, having matured a plan to erect a church edifice, the society
was formally organized. The original signers to the petition to Tim-
othy Boutelle, requesting him to issue his warrant notifying and call-
ing a meeting for the purpose of organizing a Universalist society in
Waterville, were as follows: James Crommett, Jediah Morrill, Simeon
Mathews, Elah Esty, David Page, Abijah Smith, Moses Healy, Daniel
Moor, Erastus O. Wheeler, Cyrenus C. Wheeler, Alpheus Lyon,
Charles Hayden, jun., David McFarland, Israel S. Savage, Jarvis Bar-
ney, Ebenezer Bolkcom, J. M. Harris, Thomas McFarland, William
Ellis, Alfred J. Crommett, Jacob M. Crooker, Tufton Simpson, Samuel
Kendall and George W. Lincoln. To these were subsequently added
the following names: James W. Ford, William H. Dow, Alexander
McKechnie, Daniel Paine, Sumner Townsend. Fuller G. Cook. Calvin
Gardner, J. P. Harris, R. W. Dorr, Silas Redington, Benjamin P.
Manley, John R. Philbrick, David Wing, Sumner A. Wheeler, Walter
Getchell. This list, as will be readily seen by the old residents of the
town, contains a very large proportion of the prominent citizens at
that time. Only one of the number still remains connected with the
society — Walter Getchell, now about eighty-three years old.
At the first meeting of the new society it was voted to build a
meeting house. There have been different reports in regard to
whether the donor of the lot on which the church stands was James
Crommett or Simeon Mathews. The deed has unfortunately been
lost. At the annual meeting of the society January 28, 1833, the
thanks of the society were voted to Simeon Mathews for his gift of a
part of the meeting house lot, valued at $100; and there is no record
of any one having given any other part. The southern point of the
triangle was bought of Mr. James Crommett for $,50. The house,
raised Jlily 9, 1832, contains sixty pews and cost $4,200. It was dedi-
cated January 1, 1833. Jediah Morrill was the largest contributor to
the building fund and gave the town clock still in use, which cost $350.
He also bore the expense of winding it and keeping it in order.
Rev. Calvin Gardner was pastor from September, 1833, for nearly
twenty years. November 25, 1842, having neglected to hold its meet-
ings regularly, the society was reorganized. After the close of Mr.
Gardner's long pastorate. Rev. W. B. Lovejoy preached one year. The
organ was bought in 1852 and in 1854 the church edifice was thor-
oughly repaired, at an expense of $600. Rev. Henry C. Leonard be-
came pastor in 1854 and continued so till 1861, when he became chap-
lain of the 3d Maine Infantry. In 1861 Rev. W. A. P. Dillingham, of
Sidney, was engaged to supply the pulpit and remained pastor till
near the close of 1864. Rev. Frank Magwin succeeded Mr. Dillingham
578a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
April, 1865, and continued his services till 1868. Rev. Joseph O.
Skinner became pastor in 1869 and served the society till September,
1873. He was the last resident minister. During his pastorate, in
December, 1872, Mr. Jediah Morrill, who had been the acknowledged
leader of the society for more than fifty years, went down to his hon-
■ored grave. He did not forget the cause he loved so well, but put
$3,000 into the hands of trustees of his own selection, to be held as a
iund, " the interest to be used for the support of the Gospel in and by
the Universalist Society." Mrs. Susan L. Hoag, a niece of Mr. Mor-
rill, who had been a member of his family from her childhood till his
death, gave, previous to her death in 1879, $500 to repair the church.
After Mr. Skinner's pastorate Rev. E. M. Grant settled at West
Waterville and preached in 1875 and 1876, when the church was again
closed. Rev. Amory Battles, of Bangor, supplied the desk for one
year, beginning September, 1880. In 1882 Rev. G. G. Hamilton, of
Oakland, was engaged to preach every Sunday for two years. Rev.
R. H. Aldrich, pastor at Fairfield, succeeded Mr. Hamilton in 1884
and supplied the pulpit till 1888. Rev. S. G. Davis, of Fairfield, came
in 1889 and preached till the summer of 1891, when he resigned on
account of failing health and was succeeded by Rev. E. L. Houghton,
the present pastor.
There have been Unitarians in Waterville for many years, but the
first Unitarian sermon in the place was delivered by Rev. D. N. Shel-
don, D.D., then of Bath, June 19, 1859. He preached again on July
10th, of the same year. In 1860 Doctor Sheldon preached ten times,
and in 1861 was engaged to preach on the second Sunday in every
month, with the exception of December. December 14, 1861, the
friends of Unitarianism met at the town hall and finding that money
could be raised for the purpose, invited Doctor Sheldon to preach
regularly after the first of January, 1862. The salary fixed was $900
per annum, and a committee was appointed to convey the invitation.
Doctor Sheldon accepted and became the Unitarian minister of Water-
ville on and after January 1, 1862. The Unitarians were organized as
" The First Unitarian Society of Waterville," July 17, 1863. The first
meetings of the society were held in the town hall. In 1866 the
present edifice was erected and was dedicated vSeptember 4th. The
pews were sold for $2,664. The bell was presented by Alben
Emery, of this city; the clock in the audience room, by J. M. Crooker,
also of Waterville, and the pulpit Bible by Colonel R. H. Greene, of
Winslow. The society also received $2,000 from the American Uni-
tarian Association and a generous purse from a committee of Portland
gentlemen. The clock in the tower was presented by Samuel Apple-
ton, and was put in motion June 23, 1869.
The one person of all others to whom the Unitarian society is in-
debted for favors is Mrs. S. M. Ware, widow of the late John Ware.
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 579
On November 28, 1881, in accordance with certain conditions, she
placed in the gallery a fine organ of the most complete pattern, from
the manufactory of Hook & Hastings. It is an unusually sweet-toned
and valuable instrument.
In the summer of 1888, Mrs. Ware purchased a fine residence in
Waterville, west of the City Park, which she has since generously per-
mitted to be used as a parsonage. She always contributed most gener-
ously for the annual expenses and has always aided largely in all
repairs and pecuniary subscriptions for any purpose. Her greatest gift
to the parish was the Ware Parlors, a unique and beautiful vestry for
chapel and social uses, erected in the summer and autumn of 1889.
The workmanship is of the finest pattern, the elegant frescoing being
done by Strauss Brothers, of Boston. It is a costly and beautiful gift
and will always reflect the kind heart of the donor. This building
was dedicated January 14, 1890; Mrs. Ware presenting the building in
person, all of her children, and a large assemblage of parishioners
and neighbors being present.
There have been five pastors. Rev. David Newton Sheldon, D.D.,
the first pastor, preached his farewell sermon, December 31, 1876.
Doctor Sheldon lived in Waterville, after his resignation, honored and
respected, until his death, October 4, 1889. The second pastor, John
Adams Bellows, was a son of Judge Bellows, of Concord, N. H., and a
graduate of Dartmouth in 1870. He was ordained June 6, 1878. He
closed his pastorate, November 25, 1883. The third pastor was Rev.
Daniel Rowen, who came here from Stoneham, Mass., and was installed
April 30, 1884, and resigned February 12, 1885. The fourth pastor
was Rev. Albert Corydon White. He came here from the Universalist
church in Augusta. He was not installed. His ministry extended
from March 22, 1885, to December 31, 1887. The fifth and present
pastor, Rev. Josiah Lafayette Seward,* began his ministry, without
formal installation, August 1, 1888.
The church in connection with the society was organized, under
Mr. Seward, September 2, 1888, and there have been about seventy-
five members enrolled. During the early part of 1892, a debt of about
.^1,800 was raised. The parish is now in a pro.sperous condition.
The Episcopal form of belief and worship is represented by St.
Mark's Mission, which was formed by ten adults of Waterville in 1876.
Among those most zealous in this movement were J. F. Percival and
the late Judge J. G. Soule. Granger Hall was the first place meetings
were held, and Rev. Edwin F. Small was the first clergyman. In 1878
*He was born in Sullivan, N. H., April 17, 1845, prepared for college at
Phillips Exeter Academy, graduated at Harvard University in 1868 and at the
Harvard Divinity School in 1874. He taught a year in the South, in 1868-69, a
year in Boston, 1869-70, and a year as the principal of the Conant High School in
Jaffrey, N. H., 1870-71. He was ordained in Lowell, Mass., December 31, 1874,
and continued for fourteen years the pastor of the First Unitarian church in that
city. He has received the 33d degree in Freemasonry.
579a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
the society built their present neat chapel at a total cost of about
$2,500. In 1886 the rectory belonging to the society was purchased,
costing $3,000. The mission now numbers eighty-three communi-
cants. It has had a boy choir since 1890, and has a chapter of the
Brotherhood of St. Andrew connected with the church. Through the
efforts of the present rector, there has been established the first in-
dustrial school in the city, in which sewing is taught every Saturday
to about sixty girls. Each one pays a penny a week, or as often as
they attend. Mr. Small, the first rector, was succeeded in 1881 by
John M. Bates to 1883, by L. W. Richardson to 1885, by Mellville Mc-
Laughlin to 1889, and since that time by Rev. James W. Sparks.
Religious services according to the Roman Catholic faith were first
established in Waterville about 1840 as a mission attended from Ban-
gor. The movement grew in interest, and a small chapel was built in
1847 on the plains. No resident pastor, however, was appointed here
till 1857, when Father Nicolyn came. He was succeeded by Father
L'Hiver, Father Picard, and in 1870 by Father D. J. Halde, who in
1871 bought land of John Ware, and built St. Francis de Sales church,
costing $22,000, since which time the sum of $8,000 has been ex-
pended on it. He was succeeded in 1880 by the present pastor, Nar-
cisse Charland, under whose administration the parochial residence,
formerly known as the McCaffrey property, was bought of Mrs. In-
galls in 1886, at a cost of $3,600, to which $1,000 was added in repairs.
The next year Father Charland built the parochial school, which was
completed in 1888, and cost $7,000.
The convent. Order of Sisters Ursulines, costing with furniture,
$8,788, was erected in 1891. It is used as a residence for the sisters, a
boarding house for girls, and has class rooms for recitations. The
parochial school has from 450 to 480 scholars, including twenty-one
boarders in the convent. Although the church seats over 1,100 per-
sons, and has two services each Sabbath morning, it is too small to
accommodate the worshippers from this large and growing parish,
which numbers, including Winslow, over 3,000 souls. In addition to
accumulating and imperative duties at home. Father Charland holds
services monthly at two missions: one at North Vassalboro, in St.
Bridget's church, which was built by Father D. J. Halde in 1874, and
the other in the Memorial Hall at Oakland.
Here is the oldest Sunday school record: " Being desirous of hav-
ing a well-ordered Sunday school in Waterville, we hereby agree to
meet at the old meeting house Sunday, August 10, 1827. Daniel
Cook, Hall Chase, G. W. Osborne, Thomas Kimball, John C. Jewell,
M. P. Norton, T. Boutelle, vShubael Marston, Asa Redmgton, James
Burleigh, Nathaniel Russell, Lemuel Stilson, J. Alden, Daniel Paine,
Jarvis Barney, Russell Ellis, William Pearson, J. M. Haines, S. Scam-
mon, Isaac Dodge, William Hastings, J. M. Moor, W. Loring, Moses
Appleton, James Stackpole, jun., George Stickney."
CHAPTER XXIII.
CITY OF WATERVILLE (Concluded.)
BY HENRY D. Kl
Organizations. — Banks. — Cemeteries. — Post Office. — City Incorporated.— Offi-
cials.—Schools.— Almshouse. — Music. — Personal Paragraphs.
A YOUNG Men's Christian Association was formed in Waterville
soon after 1870. It flourished while a novelty, but lacked
vitality to live as a fixture. Over $1,000 was expended in the
experiment. Its affairs were closed up in 1875, leaving a small bal-
ance in the hands of E. R. Drummond, which was deposited in the
savings bank, and reinvested in the same worthy scheme when the
present association was organized in 1886. C. W. Davis was the
president, and Frank B. Philbrick the next and present. Charles F.
Carpenter and Henry L. Tappan have been the treasurers. Edward
A. Pierce was the first secretary, L. N. Tower the second, and George
A. Mathews has served since February, 1892. The association hold
a public meeting every Sunday afternoon, and keep their pleasant
rooms open every day, in which they have a library of 200 volumes,
42 periodicals, a piano and other attractive features, including a gym-
nasium for the use of the 150 members.
The Masonic Lodges of Maine derive their charters from four dif-
ferent sources. Before the revolution there was a provincial Grand
Lodge in Bo.ston, having jurisdiction over New England, and subordi-
nate to the Grand Lodge of England. Portland Lodge was chartered
by this body. Later, there was another Grand Lodge, having head-
quarters in Boston, claiming jurisdiction over all North America,
subordinate to the Grand Lodge of Scotland. This body chartered
the Warren Lodge, of Machias. After the independence of the LTnited
States, these two grand bodies became one, which was known as the
Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. The first Lodge chartered by this
grand body was the Lincoln Lodge, of Wiscasset, in 1792. Immedi-
ately after Maine became a state there was a Grand Lodge established
for it. The first Lodge which it chartered was Hermon Lodge, of
Gardiner, and Waterville Lodge, chartered June 27, 1820, was its
5S0a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
second, being the thirty-third within the limits of the state, and so
numbered.
Of the charter members Thomas B. Stinchfield, of Clinton, was a
clothier and died there long ago. General William Kendall owned
the whole water privilege at what is now Fairfield village. From him
the village was known for many years as Kendall's Mills. Old guide
posts on the highways still exist, giving the direction and distances to
Kendall's Mills. He was the sheriff of Somerset and the father of
Captain William Kendall, of circular saw notoriety. Dr. Stephen
Thayer was a well known physician. Colonel Ephraim Getchell came
from Berwick. Henry Johnson was a remarkable man. He was of
Clinton, to which place he came from New York about 1808. He was
said to have been concerned in some way with the duel between Burr
and Hamilton, which was the occasion of his coming. Jepthah Ames
was an axe maker. Hezekiah Stratton, jun., was a merchant and the
partner of Jediah Morrill. David Nourse was a lumberman. Colonel
Ellis Burgess kept a public house at West Waterville. Calvin Wing
was a lumberman. Elias Cobb was a law student in the office of Mr.
Boutelle. Major Ebenezer Bolkcom was an old and esteemed citizen.
Nahum Wood was a carpenter, of Winslow.
The first meeting of the Lodge for organization was in the hall of
Thomas Kimball, October 26, 1820. Here the first officers were chosen,
of whom Benjamin Adams was master.
The Masonic fraternity of Waterville have held their meetings in
eight different places. Their first hall was in the public house kept
by Thomas Kimball; after June, 182:3, by Luther Ingraham. It stood
very nearly on the site of the building now used by Mr. Estes for a
shoe store and nearly opposite the old Williams House, of later date.
When the present structure was built the former house was moved
back into the rear of its former location and still stands there. Their
meetings were held here from the date of organization until 1824.
Their second hall was in the Bank House, so called, which stood ex-
actly where the Ticonic Row now stands, in which Redington's furni-
ture store is located. Their first meeting here was July 8, 1824, and
their last March 23, 1831. When Alpheus Lyon built Ticonic Row he
removed this building to the corner of Front and Temple streets,
where it was afterward burned. Their last meeting here was in the
dark days of the anti-Masonic excitement. There was only one other
meeting held for fourteen years, and this was held at the office of Mr.
Lyon May 4, 1837, for the very worthy object of voting to give a re-
spectable brother twenty-two dollars with which to redeem a cow that
had been pledged for the payment of a debt. When the Lodge next
met it was February 22, 1845, in the hall of the Waterville Liberal
Institute, on the corner of Elm and School streets, in a building which
still stands on the same site, converted into a dwelling. While wait-
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 581
ing for the fitting of a new hall the fraternity occupied, from Decem-
ber 16, 1850, to February 3, 1851, the Phenix Hall, in Boutelle's build-
ing, the same room which is now used for the typographical and
printing work of the Waterville Mail. The fifth hall used by the fra-
ternity was owned by Jediah Morrill and was in the upper part of the
building now occupied by Wardwell's store. The first meeting in it
was held February 10, 1851. The fraternity used this room for twenty-
four years. The last meeting of the Lodge here was April 12, 1875.
The Commandery, newly organized, held its last meeting here on
the 25th of March previous. The sixth place of meeting was in the
old Plaisted Building, which occupied the site of the present fine
brick Plaisted Building. The old building has been moved to Charles
street. The fraternity occupied these apartments from 1875 to 1890.
The seventh place of meeting was in Ware's Hall, on the upper floor
of the building next south of that occupied by Wardwell's store.
The eighth and present place of meeting, is the elegant Masonic
Temple on Common street. The first Masonic service in this Temple
was a meeting of the Lodge, March 23, 1891. It happened to be pre-
cisely sixty years to a day since the la.st meeting, March 23, 1831, be-
fore the silence of fourteen years of Masonic darkness, during the
Morgan excitement. As if the fates meant to symbolize the event,
the motor of the electric light works became disabled and the " lights
went out." By the aid of feeble kerosene lights, rudely arranged for
the occasion, the ceremonies of the first meeting in the beautiful hall
were performed in the presence of a great concourse of the brethren.
The consecration of the Temple was on June 13, 1891, just seventy
years to a day from the consecration of the Lodge. An oration was
delivered by Rev. J. L. Seward, of the Unitarian church. There have
been connected with Waterville Lodge, either by having taken one
or more degrees, or by becoming members or honorary members, the
full number of 537 men, the present membership being 198.
The worshipful masters have been: Benjamin Adams, David Shep-
herd, Joseph R. Abbott, Alpheus Lyon, Milford P. Norton, Daniel
Cook, Richard M. Dorr, Samuel Wells, Asil Stinson, Alden Palmer,
Jeremiah Arnold, Thomas W. Herrick, Wadsworth Chipman, Josiah
H. Drummond, Charles M. Morse, Edward G. Meader, Charles R.
McFadden, Willard B. Arnold, Frank W. Knight, Nathaniel Meader,
Jonathan Meader, Isaac S. Bangs, Edmund F. Webb, Charles H. Alden,
Llewellyn E.Crommett, R. Wesley Dunn, Frederick C. Thayer, Frank
A. Smith, Edwin F. Small, Horace W. Stewart, True B. Page, William
H. K. Abbott, Anson O. Libby, Warren C. Philbrook and Andrew L.
McFadden.
At the meeting of the Grand Royal Arch Chapter of Maine for
1892, a dispensation was granted to the Royal Arch Masons of Water-
581a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ville, with H. W. Stewart at the head, to organize a Chapter in this
city, which will be known as Teconnet Chapter.
St. Omer Commandery of Knights Templar, was organized with
sixty charter members, September 27, 1874, and elected officers, George
Wilkins being chosen as eminent commander. The Commandery was
constituted and the officers installed, at the Unitarian church, October
13, 1874. The eminent commanders have been: George Wilkins,
Isaac S. Bangs, Nathaniel Meader, Frederick C. Thayer, Frank A.
Smith, Andrew L. McFadden, Horace W. Stewart, E. L. Veasie, Fred.
A. Lovejoy and W. A. R. Boothby.
Several Masons have received the thirty-second degree and Rev. J.
L. Seward has received the thirty-third degree, in the Supreme Coun-
cil for the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction.
Samaritan Lodge, No. 39, I. O. O. F., instituted in Waterville in
1846, flourished for several years in charge of Amasa Dingley, its
founder, and Solon S. Simons, James Smiley, Henry B. White and
George H. Esty, who were some of the charter members. Eldridge
L. Getchell, Sumner and Joseph Percival, Ephraim Maxham, Doctor
Boutelle and Simeon Keith became early members. About 1854 the
meetings were discontinued, and twenty years later, when Odd Fellow-
ship revived, a new charter, with the old name and number, was
granted, and the officers of the Grand Lodge came here January 14,
1874, and instituted the present Lodge, with eleven charter members.
H. B. White, a charter member of the first Lodge, none of whom are
now living, was the first noble grand in 1874, and has been succeeded
by: E. C. Low, George H. Esty, Joshua Nye, D. M. Black, L. T. Boothby,
H. T. Chamberlain, C. H. Drummond, George S. Dolloff, E. Gilpatrick,
C. W. Gilman, C. H. Jones, Simeon Keith, E. A. Longfellow, W. J.
Maynard, N. J. Norris, J. L. Perkins, F. A. Robbins, W. B. Smiley,
J. E. Scribner, E. N. Small, E. L. Spaulding, W. L Towne, J. L. Towne,
C. R. Tyler, C. H. Williams, E. W. Woodman, M. H. Blackwell, J. M.
Barker, John Dailey and Charles M. Turner. G. H. Esty was the first
secretary and E.G. Low was the first treasurer. Samaritan Lodge has
196 members.
Encampment No. 22 was chartered August 9, 1876; Canton Halifax,
No. 24, was chartered June 5, 1889, and Dorcas Rebekah Degree
Lodge, No. 41, was organized April 25, 1892.
Ticonic Division, No. 13, Sons of Temperance, organized Novem-
ber 27, 1845, was the outcome of the agitation of the evil of rum
drinking, that began to take new and strong hold of public attention
about that time. This order did much to prepare the way for the pro-
hibitory laws that soon followed, and have made the state of Maine con-
spicuous in the battle with alcohol, from that day to this. The names
which follow show who were pioneers in the temperance movement.
The first worthy patriarch of the order here was T. O. Sanders. Eldridge
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 582
L. Getchell held that position in 1846, when , on the 4th of July, a public
lecture was given by Rev. Mr. Judd, of Augusta, and a celebration
was held under the auspices of this order, and the Martha Washing-
ton Banner now in possession of the Sons of Temperance was given
by Mrs. Alfred Burleigh. The painting on this silk banner is still
regarded as of great merit. It was done by a professional artist and
cost $100. Some of the succeeding patriarchs were: W. M. Phillips,
Edward L. Smith, E. H. Piper, R. Perley, Simeon Keith, E. C. Low,
John P. Caffrey, Jones R. Elden and George S. C. Dow. Ticonic
Division was reorganized in 1858 and has maintained an active or-
ganization ever since, constantly doing good work in the temperance
cause. Its present membership is 138.
Waterville Lodge, Good Templars, was organized January 17, 1876,
with F. S. Clay, W. C. T. Samuel Osborn, the colored janitor of Colby
University, has long been one of its most useful members. He is an
officer in the Grand Lodge of Maine. The order is prosperous in
Waterville.
Waterville Lodge, No. 5, A. O. U. W., was instituted March 22, 1881,
with twenty-two charter members. William T. Haines was the first M.
W.; J. W. Garland, by whose efforts the order was established here,
was past M. W., and L. J. Cote was recorder. The presiding chair
has since been filled by: F. D. Nudd, C. P. Toward, C. P Sherman,
A. E. Ellis, C. F. Johnson, O. O. Cross and Edwin Towne. January 1,
1890, Pine Tree Lodge, No. 19, of Fairfield, with thirty-three mem-
bers, was consolicated with Waterville Lodge, which now has 175
members, and is very prosperous.
The Knights of Pythias are well represented in Waterville by
Havelock Lodge, No. 35, which was instituted December 14, 1882, with
nineteen charter members. The following members have filled the
chair of the C. M.: A. H. Plaisted, Frank Redington, Rex. Potter, F.
J. Goodrich, A. C. Crockett, Sidney M. Heath, L. D. Carver, H. P.
Bush. H. M. Stewart, F. A. Lincoln, G. S. Dolloff and S. F. Brann.
Appleton Webb was the first keeper of records and seals. The present
member-ship is ninety-eight.
Commandery, No. 332, U. O. G. C, was instituted in February, 1888,
with twenty-six charter members. Jefferson Wood was the first pre-
siding officer and his successors have been: Herbert Fuller, Lewis P.
Mayo, H. W. Ludwig, Samuel W. Fuller, Mrs. H. M. C. Estes and
Lewis M. Small. This is a temperance organization for mutual insur-
ance and has sixty members, of whom S. A. E.stesis financial recorder.
An organization of Grangers existed in town some years ago, of
which Martin Blaisdell was the first master, and George Ballentine
and Fred. Pooler were leading members. Like their brethren and
sisters in many other towns, this Grange tried their skill in running
a store. Jonathan Garland was the first storekeeper, and James
582a HISTORY of KE>fNEBEC COUNTY.
Drummond the second— the latter in a store built by the order on Elm
street. After an extended experiment, in which it was found a diffi-
cult matter to make the income equal the expenses, the enterprise
passed into a decline, then to its long repose. The organization has
also returned to dust.
The organization of The Woman's Association in 1887, was due to
the efforts of Mrs. S. M. Ware, Mrs. A. E. Bessey, Mrs. S. L. Blaisdell
and Miss Florence Plaisted. Its work consists in keeping a place
where women and girls can come for useful information, and for
special instruction. Night schools are opened through the cold sea-
sons, where needlework, penmanship, music and a variety of useful
arts are taught. A library of 400 volumes has been gathered, from
which 100 books are taken weekly. Religious exercises are held every
Sunday afternoon, which are entirely unsectarian. The presidents
have been: Mrs. S. M. Ware and Mrs. A. E. Bessey. Mrs. vS. W.
Crosby has been the secretary from the first, and Mrs. S. L. Blaisdell
has been the treasurer. This worthy association numbers fifty mem-
bers.
Through the eflForts of Rev. Henry S. Burrage, A. A. Plaisted and
the cooperation of a few spirited ladies, the Waterville Library Asso-
ciation was organized in 1873. Solyman Heath was the first president
and H. S. Burrage was the second. A. A. Plaisted has been secretary
and librarian from the start. The plan of operation is simple. Each
member, of whom there are about thirty, pays three dollars per year,
which is invested in books. This accumulation of 1,500 volumes con-
stitutes the only public library in Waterville.
FiNANCi.\L Organizations. — Waterville Bank was organized
March 14, 1814, with a capital of $50,000. Nathaniel Gilman, Asa
Redington, Thomas Rice, Jonathan Farrar, Daniel Cook, Samuel Red-
ington and Timothy Boutelle were the first directors. Nathaniel Gil-
man was elected president, which office he held till 1831. Asa Red-
ington, jun., was cashier till 1818, Asa Redington till 1826 and Alpheus
Lyon till 1831. During the early part of the latter year the business
of Waterville Bank was closed up, and Ticonic Bank was incorporated
April 1, 1831, with $100,000 capital. Timothy Boutelle was chosen
president and served till 1855, when he was succeeded by Joseph
Eaton till 1865. The cashiers were: Daniel Cook till 1834; Augustus
Perkins till 1850; Sumner Percival, till 1854; E. L. Hoag till 1856; Silas
Redington till 1858; and A. A. Plaisted till 1865, when the bank was
changed to Ticonic National Bank, with $100,000 capital. Joseph
Eaton was president till August, 1865; Solyman Heath till 1875; Sam-
uel Appleton till 1884; Nathaniel R. Boutelle till 1890, when he was
succeeded by Charles K. Mathews, the present president. A. A.
Plaisted has been cashier of the bank since its organization. The de-
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 583
posits of the Ticonic Bank July 12, 1892, were $92,838; surplus, $20,000,
with $1,005 undivided profits.
The second Waterville Bank was chartered about 1851 and went
into operation with a capital of $100,000, managed by Increase S.
Johnson, James Stackpole, T. G. Kimball, C. J. Wingate, Charles
Thayer and Samuel P. Shaw, who was its first president. Augustine
Perkins was the fir.st cashier, Isaac vS. Bangs was the second and
Eldridge L. Getchell was the third and last. In 1865 this bank closed
its business, and the Waterville National Bank was organized, with
Dennis L. Milliken, who had been the second and last president of
the first bank, as president of the new one, and Eldridge L. Getchell,
cashier, and a capital of $125,000. Both banks were organized and
did business in the Ticonic Block till 1877, when the national bank
moved into the Milliken Block, which it had built and owned. The
business of this bank was closed up in 1879 with the same officers first
elected.
The People's Bank of Waterville was organized in 1855 as a state
bank. Paul L. Stevens was the first president, John R. Philbrick was
the next and John Ware was the last. Sumner Percival was the first
cashier, followed by Homer Percival in 1859. In 1865 the People's
National Bank was incorporated, with John Webber, president, and
Homer Percival cashier, who still holds that position. Dr. Nathan G.
H. Pulsifer, who had been a member of the board since 1870, suc-
ceeded Mr. Webber as president. The capital stock is $200,000 and
the deposits are $108,125, with $47,000 surplus fund and undivided
profits.
Waterville Savings Bank was organized May 4, 1869. William
Dyer, the first president, with Moses Lyford, N. G. H. Pulsifer, Ira H.
Low and C. F. Hathaway constituted the board of trustees. Homer
Percival was the first treasurer, M. C. Percival was the second, suc-
ceeded in 1874 by E. R. Drummond, who still fills that office. In 1876
the bank examiner reported the deposits of this bank as amounting
to $427,282.45 and that its assets were only $396,630.50. This was
owing to the general decline in the market value of securities, as the
bank had sustained no other losses. The depositors took a sensible
view of the situation and agreed to a reduction of their credits to 87i
cents on the dollar. With only one day's suspension the bank re-
sumed and has since continued business. In 1877 the bank examiner
reported a surplus of $10,549.48 above liabilities to depositors. Its
deposits in July, 1892, were: $690,302.87, with a reserve fun^d of $33,-
800 and $14,609.85 undivided profits. Reuben Foster has been presi-
dent since 1871, when he succeeded William Dyer.
The Merchants' National Bank of Waterville was organized August
4, 1875, with $100,000 capital, and began doing business January 1,
1876, with the following board of directors: John Ware, George C.
683a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Getchell, Charles M. Barrell, Colby C. Cornish, Gideon Wells, John C.
Manson and John Ware, jun. John Ware, the first president, was
succeeded at his death in 1877 by his son, John, who still holds that
office. The bank has had two cashiers: George H. Ware, till June,
1879, and Horatio D. Bates. The condition of this bank, published
July 12, 1892, showed deposits amounting to $119,259, a surplus fund
of $30,000 and $12,983 undivided profits.
Waterville Loan, Trust & Safe Deposit Company was organized in
1892 under a special charter, with a capital stock of $100,000. The ob-
jects of this institution are to do a general banking business, and to
furnish safe deposit vaults. Two stores in the Masonic Block have been
rented, and 500 boxes are ready for private use. S. C. Libby is presi-
dent: Dr. F. C. Thayer, vice-president; C. G. Carleton, treasurer, and
W. T. Haines is the clerk of this corporation.
The Kennebec Mutual Life Insurance Company was organized in
Waterville in accordance with the terms of a charter granted Febru-
ary 19, 1889. Its existence and many of its characteristic features are
the work of William T. Haines, its projector.
Cemetery. — The oldest burying ground in Waterville occupied
the ground that is now Monument Park. The bodies were removed
to Pine Grove Cemetery, which was dedicated in May, 1850. The orig-
inal plot of ten acres was given by Samuel Appleton; to this the
town and city have added as much more. The lots, which at first sold
from five to ten dollars, now bring from fifteen to one hundred dol-
lars. By judicious care and a few gifts, a fund of $12,000 has accumu-
lated, the income of which, added to current receipts, renders the
association self-sustaining. To the natural attractions of this beautiful
spot, the committee and the community have added many enduring
proofs of tender regard for its silent inhabitants.
Post Office.— The post office at Waterville was established Octo-
ber 3, 1796, with Asa Redington as postmaster. His successors, with
the years of their appointments, have been: Asa Dalton, 1816; Hall
Chase, 1824; Abijah Smith, 1833; Samuel Appleton, 1841; Eldridge L.
Getchell, 1845; Samuel Appleton, 1849; Harrison Barrett, 1853; Jacob
M. Crooker, 1854; William J. Richards, 1855; Eldridge L. Getchell,
1855; Charles R. McFadden, 1861; Willard M. Dunn, 1879; Frank L.
Thayer, 1885; Willard M. Dunn, 1889.
City Incorporation. — The city of Waterville was incorporated in
1888, and included all the population and area of the town of Water-
ville. Reuben Foster was mayor the first year, and Nathaniel Meader
in 1889-90. Edgar L. Jones, the present mayor, was elected in 1891.
Charles F. Johnson was city clerk till 1891, when Fred W. Clair suc-
ceeded him, and still serves. Charles H. Redington was treasurer in
1888, L. E. Thayer in 1889, and Frank L. Thayer since 1890. Wallace
B. Smith was president of the common council till 1891, John J. Reid
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 584
till 1892, when the present incumbent, A. B. Spencer, was elected. S.
S. Brown has been chairman of the board of aldermen since its orga-
nization. The first sewer was put in in 1888, and Main street was
paved in 1891.
Schools. — The earliest record we have of schools is the action of
the town meeting in 1803: " Voted to divide the town into school dis-
tricts, to be called by the following names: No. 1, Ticonic District;
No. 2, Rose's District; No. 3, Ten Lot District; No. 4, Almond Soule's
District; No. 5, Osbourn's District; No. 6, Crowell's District; No. 7,
Tozer's District; No. 8, Low's District; No. 9, Moor's District, and No.
10, Asa Soule's District." Voted — That one person be chosen in each
district as a school agent, to assemble the district, to collect the num-
ber of children between the ages of five and twenty-one, and make
full returns to the .selectmen. In 1805 the school agents were: Nehe-
miah A. Parker, Bryant Williams, Isaiah Masten, Samuel Downing,
Samuel Wade, Baxter Crowell, Alexander McKechnie, Thomas Par-
ker, Samuel Moor, David Wheeler and William Colcord. The town
meeting of 1822 elected as the visiting school committee: Dr. Jere-
miah Chaplin, Avery Briggs, Timothy Boutelle, Asa Redington, jun.,
Moses Appleton and Dr. Benjamin Clement.
" List of parents and number of children of school age in district
No. 1, 1808: William Spaulding, 2: Jere and Daniel Curtes, 3; Benja-
min Woodman, 1: Fred and Christopher Jakins, 1: James L. Wood, 1;
Jonathan Clark, 4; Isaac Temple, 3; Edward Piper, 4; Nicholas Coffin,
2; David Nours, Jediah Morrill, 1; Jere Fairfield, 4; Enoch Plummer,
2; Nathaniel Oilman, 1; Jonathan and William Heywood, 4; Isaac
Stephens, 5; John and James Stackpole, 4; William Phillips, 4; Han-
nah Cool, 1; Reuben Kidder, 3; Moses Appleton, 2; Mrs. Lakin, 5;
George Clarke, 4; Asa Faunce, Abijah Smith, 4; Levi H. Perkins,
Lemuel Dunbar, 1; Moses Dal ton, 2; Charles Dingley, 4; Daniel Moore,
3; Asa Redington, 9; David Getchell, 3; Nehemiah Getchell, jun., 1;
Mrs. Parker, 3; Moses Healey, 1; W. Miller, 3; Mrs. Leeman, 4;
Elnathan Sherwin, 4; Turner Fish, 3; Thomas C. Norris, 2; John
Wright, R. Blackwell, 1; Winthrop Watson, Jere Kidder, Edward
Estee, Samuel King, 4; Sally Taylor, 2; S. Gilman, 2; Samuel Clark, 5;
Christopher Rice, 4; James Crommett, 1; Daniel Loring, 1; Joseph Al-
len, 1; Ebenezer Bacon, 3; T. Williams, 1; James Curtis, 2; Richard
Clifford, 2 — Signed James Stackpole, jun., school agent."
George C. Clark, in the Waterville Mail, April 21, 1882, says: "The
first school I ever attended was in that old brown school house on the
common near old Esquire Smith's and was taught by an old bachelor
—Deacon Damon. The district had been divided and George Dana
Boardman, then in college, taught in the new district, and there being
no school house in the new part his school was held in Lemuel Dun-
bar's carpenter shop. I remember I had the honor of beating the bass
drum on that great day— the first commencement of Waterville Col-
lege. I can remember when Waterville was set off from Winslow,
and when Parson Cushman preached in the three old meeting hou.ses
— the one in West Waterville sometimes called ' God's Barn.' "
f)84a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUXTV.
The schools of the city are managed by a board of education con-
sisting of seven members, who appoint a superintendent of public
instruction. The total school population is 2,225, of whom only 912
attended school the past year. The high school, with 163 pupils, is in
charge of Lincoln Owen and four assistants. Thirty-two teachers are
employed in the other ten schools. The total cost of the school system
for the past year was $17,521.74.
Statistics. — The support of its poor was but a small tax to the
town of Waterville, ninety years ago. In 1811 the sum of $2.59 per
week was paid for the support of five paupers, the contract price rang-
ing from 35 to 65 cents each. The next year twelve persons cost the
town $3.48 per week. " 1837 voted that the poor be sold at auction
for one year which was bid off by Samuel H. Bachelder for §865."
About fifty years ago the contract system was abandoned, and a
town farm of about ninety acres was purchased of Joseph Mitchell
and George W. Bessey. A wood lot in Sidney was also bought later.
The dwelling house on this farm was burned in March, 1890. The
city soon after bought of George K. Boutelle seven acres of land, and
built the present excellent city alms house at a total expense at
$6,444. The cost of the poor department is now over $9,000 per year.
In 1820 the valuation of land in Waterville was $178,394, with
$1,655 taxes and 348 polls. The total valuation in 1833 was $656,418;
taxes, $1,810. The total valuation of Waterville city in 1892 was
$4,576,678, and the tax was 2U mills on a dollar. The population of
the town in 1850 was 3,904; 1860, 4,392; 1870, 4,882, and in 1880, seven
years after the divi.sion of the town, it was 4,672. In 1800 the city of
Waterville had 7,107 inhabitants.
Music. — The earliest instrumental or band music in Waterville vil-
lage was produced by Abel Wheeler, a music teacher, and his two
sons, Erastus O. and Sumner A., with fifes and drums. This martial
band was the best music obtainable at the first college commencement,
and the Wheeler family's stirring strains undoubtedly quickened the
zeal of Missionary Boardman, the first graduate.
A few years later the first Waterville Band was formed, the col-
lege agreeing to give them $100 a year for their services each com-
mencement week. Most of the members of this band belonged to Ten
Lots. Their names were: Asa B. Bates, Anson Bates, Franklin Kim-
ball, Thomas Marston, David B. Gibbs, Isaac Bates, Stephen Jewett
and Reward Sturtevant. This band continued for many years under
the leadership of Alonzo Draper, George Laselle, H. Fales, John B.
Gibbs and others.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Stephen I. Abbott, born in 1822, in Fryeburgh, Me., is a son of Isaac
Abbott. He learned the blacksmith's trade with his father. In 1843
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 585
he went to Saco, where he worked at the machinist's trade until 1858,
then went to Lewiston, where he was two years master mechanic for
the Continental Mills. From 1860 to 1866 he acted in the same
capacity for the Androscoggin Company, and from 1866 to 1871 he
was agent for the Continental Mills. He then went to River Point,
R. I., where he remained until 1875, when he came to Waterville, and
has since been agent for the Lockwood Company. He married Ruth
L. Knight, and they have four children: Amos F., Martha A., Mary
E. and W. H. K.
Julius Alden, son of Daniel, was born in Lebanon, N. H., in 1796
and died in 1880. He married Elizabeth L., daughter of David
Nourse, of Waterville. Of their seven children only two are living:
Charles H. and Arthur J. The latter learned the trade of jeweler
with C. W. Wingate, and in 1860 succeeded him in the business, which
was established in 1841 by C.J. Wingate, father of C. W. Charles H.
Alden learned the printer's trade, and after six years became clerk in
his brother's jewelry store in 1860 and seven years later the firm of
Alden Brothers was formed. This is the oldest jewelry business in
the city. Arthur J. married Ellen, daughter of George and Sophia
(Lovejoy) Wentworth. They have had three sons: Frank W. and
Arthur F., and Edward N. (deceased).
Rev. Ambrose Arnold (1769-1813) married Nabby Arnold, and
their children were: John, Samuel, Edwin, Cyrus, Rebecca, Jeremiah,
Betsey and William. Jeremiah (1802-1860) married Vesta, daughter
of Dea. Paul Bailey. Their children were: Laura E. (Mrs. Reuel
Howard), William (deceased), Lorana (deceased), Willard B., Victoria
and Flora A. (Mrs. Charles F. Barrelle). Jeremiah came from his
native town (Mercer, Me.\ to Sidney with his parents when a small
lad, and in 1887 he moved to Waterville, where he was a mechanic.
Mi.ss Victoria, with her two widowed sisters, occupies the family resi-
dence on Silver street.
Willard B. Arnold, one of the leading merchants of the city, be-
gan in 1852 to learn the tinner's trade, and ten years later he bought
a half interest in the hardware business where he remained in trade
until 1875. Six years years later he again bought the business, and in
1888 sold a part interest to his head salesman, O. G. Springfield. The firm
name is W. B. Arnold & Co. Mr. Arnold has devoted some attention
to western real estate and still has interests in Chicago and Duluth.
He married Mi.ss Furbish, of Waterville. Their only son is Fred J.,
who is a graduate of Coburn Classical Institute, Phillips Exeter
Academy, and the Institute of Technology of Boston. He married
Alleen, daughter of M. C. Foster, and has one daughter.
William Balentine, born in 1817, is a descendant of Samuel Balen-
tine, who was a native of Scotland, and was ^imong the early settlers-
of Waterville. Mr. Balentine married Olive, daughter of Purley and
585a HISTORV OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
Olive (Getchell) Low, and granddaughter of Nathaniel Low, who was
among the early settlers of Waterville. She died leaving three chil-
dren: Edward, George and Walter, who is professor of agriculture at
Maine State College, at Oi-ono. They lost one son. In 1844 Mr. Bal-
entine bought the Jonathan Soule farm, where he now lives with his
son, George. The latter married Celia E., daughter of William and
Olive (Berry) Lewis.
Colonel Isaac Sparrow Bangs' (Isaac S.', Dean', Elkanah', Edward',
Edward', Jonathan", Edward Bangs') was born in Canaan Me., in 183L
Isaac S.' was born in Brewster, Mass., where his ancestors had lived
for five generations. Colonel Bangs was a merchant and broker in
Illinois for a time prior to 1857. He was cashier of a bank in Water-
ville from 1858 until 1861. In 1862 he raised a company of soldiers,
which was mustered into service August 9th of that year as Company
A, 20tb Maine, with Mr. Bangs as captain. March 2, 1863, he was
promoted to lieutenant colonel of 81st U. S. Colored Infantry, and
October 17th of the same year to cojonel of the 10th U. S. Heavy Ar-
tillery, serving until July 19, 1864. March 13, 1865, he received the
brevet rank of brigadier general. He has held the office of depart-
ment commander of the G. A. R. of Maine and junior vice-commander-
in-chief. He is a prominent member of a large granite corporation
with quarries at Norridgewock. He married Miss H. H. Millikin,
daughter of Dennis L. Millikin, of Waterville. Their only son is
Dennis M. Bangs.
Josiah D. Bartlett, born in Poland, Me., in 1824, is a son of John H.
(1789-1878) and grandson of Nathan Bartlett. His mother was Phebe
Burbank. He resided several years in North New Portland, where he
was farmer, deputy sheriff, and three years assistant revenue officer.
In 1880 he came to Waterville, where he is engaged in market garden-
ing on " Wayside Farm." He married Eliza M., daughter of Abraham
Firth. Their children are: Anna F., Martin F., Bessie F., and one
that died, Abraham F.
Thomas J. Bates, born in 1829, in Waterville, is a son of Thomas
(1800-1852), and grandson of Thomas (1756-1846), who was a revolu-
tionary soldier, and in 1783 came from Wareham, Mass., and settled in
Waterville, now Oakland heights. His first wife was Ruth Bessey, his
second Lorana Bates. Thomas J. Bates' mother was Harriet Stillman.
From 1847 until 1865 he followed the trade of a currier. Since 1865
he has been in the grocery business in Waterville, where he has lived
since 1853. He married a daughter of Sumner and Caroline (Tozier)
Wheeler.
John Blaisdell, farmer, born in 1818, is a son of Dummer and Olive
(Trafton) Blaisdell, grandson of David, who was one of nine sons of
Dea. Ebenezer Blaisdell, of York, Me. In 1840 Dummer and his family
came to Waterville. John Blaisdell married Mary A., daughter of
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 586
Joseph and Sally (Blaisdell) Trafton. They have two children: J.
Colby, who lives on the home farm with his parents; and S. Lizzie, who
has been for twenty-one years a milliner in Waterville.
Martin Blaisdell, only son of Hosea and Nancy (Ladd) Blaisdell,
was born in 1845. His grandfather, Elijah Blaisdell, came to Sidney
in 1817 from Waldo county, Me. Hosea came to Waterville in 1866
and bought the Samuel Redington farm, where he died in 1891, aged
eighty years. Mr. Blaisdell has one sister, L. Isabella, and lost one, N.
Roseltha. He is a farmer on the farm where his father lived twenty-
five years. He married Anna, daughter of Samuel Hitchings.
Albert G. Bowie, architect and builder, was born in Gardiner in
1850. His father, Levi Bowie, of Bowdoin, married Mary Ann,
daughter of Thomas Smith, of Litchfield. Their children were: George
A., Abbie E., Albert G., Dean W., William S. and Frank W. Albert
G. Bowie married in 1871, Mary, daughter of Aaron Stackpole, of
West Gardiner. Mr. Bowie removed from Gardiner to Waterville in
1891, where he has been the architect and builder of the Gilman Block,
the Ware Parlors, Canibas Club House, Thayer Block, and in Wins-
low of the Sampson dwelling and Tacconnet Pulp and Paper Mill.
Charles Buck, a native of Westfield, Me., came to Vassalboro with
his father, where he was a teamster for several years, when he moved
to Waterville and there followed the same business. He married
Hannah Pray, and their children were: Julia, Caroline, Adaline, Dean
P., Edmund B., and three that died. Dean P. went to California in
1857, where he was engaged in mining until 1864. He was agent at
Newport, Me., for the Maine Central railroad from 1866 to 1872. He,
with his brother, bought of William Buck in 1872, a grocery business
which they continued eighteen years on upper Main street, when they
purchased " Dirigo market " and consolidated the two at the corner
of Park and Main streets. The firm name is Buck Brothers. Mr. Buck
married Anzie, daughter of John Osborne. Their children are: Jennie,
Lettie, Grace and Jesse.
Charles G. Carleton, son of Willard Carleton. was born in Whitefield,
N. H., in 1835. He came to Waterville in 1855, where he kept a book
and stationery store until 1861, when he went to Rockland and opened
a photograph studio and the following year returned to Waterville
where he continued the business as successor to Mr. Wing until Janu-
ary, 1890. He opened a general variety and music store in 1891, in
Masonic Block. He was deputy under vSheriff Libby four years and
alderman one year. He married Mary C, daughter of William Get-
chell.
Gilbert H. Carpenter, a native of Guilford, Vt., is the youngest of
thirteen children of Cyrus Carpenter. He was educated in schools of
his native town, and three years at Hancock Literary and Scientific In-
stitute, and finished his preparatory course at I^w London, N. H. He
58ba HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
graduated from Colby University in 1851 and the same year began
the music business which he has continued since that time. He mar-
ried Emeline P. Sturgis, of Vassalboro. Their children are: Walter
C. and Carrie I. Walter C. is now of the firm of E. P. Carpenter
Organ Company, of Brattleboro, Vt.
Joshua I. Clifford, son of Richard (1783-1860), and grandson of
Jonathan Clifford, was born in 1815. Richard Clifford came from
Dunbarton, N. H., with his two brothers, John and Israel, all carpen-
ters, and settled in Biddeford, Me. In 1808 Richard married and set-
tled in Waterville. In 1812 he bought the farm where Joshua now
lives. Richard married Dorathea Hill, of Biddeford, and had six
children: Achsah, Richard H. (deceased), Joshua I., Isaac B., Hannah
A. and Martha U.
Elhanan W. Cook, born in 1816, is a farmer on the farm just east
of where his grandfather, Thomas Cook, settled when he came from
Connecticut to Waterville. His first wife was Atlente, daughter of
Asa P. Emerson. She had four children: three sons that have died
and Alice M. (Mrs. Fred M. Shores). His present wife was Mrs. Annie
K. Bowman, a daughter of Daniel and Mary (Hayden) Soule, and
granddaughter of Jonathan Soule, who came with his brother, Asa,
to Waterville in 1791, from Duxbury, Mass. Mrs. Cook has two sons
by her former marriage: Willis E. and Albert E. Bowman.
Hiram P. Cousins, blacksmith, born in 1814, is a son of Jeremiah
M. and Ruth (Bridges) Cousins, grandson of Benjamin, whose father,
with five brothers, came to America from England prior to the French
and Indian war. Mr. Cousins came to Waterville in 1832, where he
followed his trade, excepting ten years, until 1865, when he bought
the farm where he now lives. He ran a shop in connection with
farming for several years. He married Martha, daughter of Moses
and Temperance (Savage) Pierce, and granddaughter of Calvin Pierce.
They have three children: Ira, Horace and Mary A. Horace is a
farmer, and lives on the home place with his parents.
Josiah G. Darrah, son of Henry Darrah, was born in 1843 in Rich-
mond, Me. He has been in mercantile business since he was fiffeen
years of age. In 1866 he brought his fancy goods business from Lewis-
ton to Waterville, where he has since been in trade. Pie has been in
several different stores, and has at different times had dry goods, mil-
linery and fancy goods stores. His business is now crockery and
general fancy goods store. His wife is Annie, daughter of Alfred
Burleigh. Their children are: Mary B., Henry and Susan H.
In May, 1876, John Darveau, jun., a native of vSt. Georges, Canada,
opened a grocery store in Waterville and continued in business
until his death, in July, 1891. His brother, Joseph, had been clerk
for him since 1876, and Henry W. Butler had been his clerk since
1884. In August, 1891, these two clerks bought the business and
CITY OF WATEKVILLE. 587
continued it in the firm name of Darveau & Butler. Mr. Butler is a
son of Moses Butler.
The clothing firm of Dolloff & Dunham was established in 1887 by
George S. Dolloff and Horatio R. Dunham. Mr. Dolloff is a native of
Mt. Vernon, Me., where his parents, Sewell and Elizabeth (Willey)
Dolloff, now live. He came to Waterville in 1884 and was clerk for
three years in the business of which he is now a proprietor. His
wife is Laura F., daughter of Noah Fifield. They have one daughter,
Marion L. Mr. Dunham is a native of Paris, Me. He graduated
from Coburn Classical Institute in 1882 and four years later from
Colby University. He had taught thirteen terms of school before
going into business in July, 1887. His wife is Etta E., daughter of
Paul C. Hodsdon, formerly a merchant of Waterville. They have
one daughter, Miriam R.
J. Frank Elden, son of John Elden, was born in 1838. He came to
Waterville m 1855, as clerk for his brother, E. T. Elden, and in Decem-
ber, 1864, he bought from E. T. Elden & Co., their crockery and carpet
business, added furniture and undertaking, and has continued the
business since that time. He had four brothers: Jones R., Stillman
A., Edward T. and Tristram S. Mr. Elden married Sarah D., daughter
of Stephen Stark, mentioned in legal chapter. They have two sons:
Wallace S. and Alfred O.
Oscar E. Emerson, son of Isaac and Susan (Hurd) Emerson, was
born in Bangor in 1847. He came to Winslow with his father at the
age of five years, and in 1865 he came to Waterville and opened a
small shop for saw filing, etc. His business grew and developed into a
general hardware and house furnishing business. In 1892 he closed
up his business to enable him to devote his undivided attention to the
lumber business in the South, which he is engaged in. He was a
member of the city council in 1888-9. His wife is Agnes W., daughter
of Asa Emerson. Their children are: Elhanan V., Atlentie and Oscar
Fay. Mr. Emerson's mother died in Bangor when he was nine months
old. His father died in 1865, of fever, while serving in the Union
army in Georgia.
Reuben Foster, mentioned at page 326, is the fourth of the eleven
children of Reuben B. and Sarah (Bartlett) Foster, and grandson of
Asa and Anna (Bartlett) Foster, of Newry. He was a member of the
Maine legislature in 1866, '67 and '70, and of the .senate in '71 and '72,
and in '88 was the first mayor of Waterville city.
Mark Gallert, born in 1847 in Prussia, came to America in 1862, and
began business in Waterville. He was a partner of his brother, David,
until 1870, when their business was divided and since that time Mr.
Gallert has carried on a shoe business. He filled one unexpired term as
.selectman, and has been actively interested in the Masonic fraternity.
687a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
His wife is Rebecca, daughter of Jacob Peavey. Their children are:
Jacie D., Sidney, Miriam, Amy and Gordon.
Charles B. Gilman, born in Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1839, is a son of
Nathaniel and Joanna (Boyd) Gilman, and grandson of Nathaniel Gil-
man, who came to Waterville in 1798 from New Hampshire. He was
a commissioned officer in the revolutionary army. Nathaniel, jun.,
was engaged in mercantile business. He made his first visit to Water-
ville when fifteen years old. He built ships here and at Bath, loaded
and sent them to Africa and the West Indies, importing hides, ivory,
etc. He began in the hide and leather business in New York in 1836,
and continued it until 1852. He was the first and only president of
the Ticonic Bank, when it was the Waterville Bank, from 1814 to 1832.
He was reelected, but declined. His first wife was Lydia Watson, and
of his ten children by that marriage, only one is living. Of the seven
children by his second marriage, four are living: Anna K., Charles B.,
Frazier and Theophilus. Nathaniel, jun., died in Waterville, in 1859,
aged eighty-one years. Charles B. lived in Brooklyn from 1869 until
1885, while administrator of his father's estate. His home is now in
Waterville. His wife is Belle F., daughter of William and Hannah
(Hooper) Jaqueth, of Vassalboro.
Martin V. P. Guptill, farmer, born in 1846, is a son of Simon and
Elmira (Foot) Guptill.- They came from Berwick, Me., to Winslow, in
1828. Mrs. Guptill's father, Mr. Foot, is said to have been the first
man to own a wagon in Thorndike, Me., he having built it himself.
Mr. Guptill was in the late war three years in Company G., 9th
Maine. In 1878 he bought his present home. His marriage was with
Sarah, daughter of Hiram and Francis (Flood) Jewett, and grand-
daughter of Joshua Jewett, who came to Benton in 1826, from Am-
herst, N. H. They have two children: Orville J. and Rosco V.
James H. Hanson, LL.D., whose illustrious career as the long time
head of the Coburn Classical Institute has been related at page 99, is
indisputably the most eminent educator now living in this county.
The blood that courses through his veins was purified by trials that
made it not only historic, but heroic. His ancestors, John and Eliza-
beth Han.son, were English, and .settled in Dover, N. H. In Septem-
ber, 1724, thirteen Indians appeared during the absence of the father,
and surprised Mrs. Hanson and her six children — the eldest fourteen
years old, and the youngest only fourteen days. The two children
next older than the babe were killed and scalped before her eyes.
The house was robbed, and the remaining four hurried off to the hor-
rors of an Indian captivity. The two older girls were taken to distant
camps, while Mrs. Hanson was allowed to keep the babe and a little
boy of six years. After five months of this hellLsh existence, the In-
dians took them to a Canadian settlement, and sold the three to the
French. Soon after this Mr. Hanson found them, and redeemed his
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 588
wife and children, except the eldest daughter, the squaw who had her
refusing to give her up, saying she loved the girl, and wanted she
should marry her son.
Mr. Hanson and his family now returned to their old home, reach-
ing it a year and six days from the date of the capture. Two years
later he left home again to reclaim the captive daughter, Sarah — was
taken sick, and died in the wilderness.* This was the furnace in
which an inscrutable Providence ordained that the metal of the Han-
son family should be heated and sublimated, and recast for the gen-
erations that followed. It was endured with a Christian fortitude and
trust, possessed only by heroic souls. The inheritance of such blood
is richer and grander than the birthright to a kingdom.
James Hanson, a farmer of North Berwick, Me., was one of the
descendants of John and Elizabeth, and married a Chadbourne. Their
son, James, married Deborah Clark, of South Berwick, Me., and
came m 1812 to China, Me., where he was a farmer, and was also a
tailor. He was drafted soon after, and went with the force that was
sent to Castine— fortunately not having to fight. Their children
were: Dana, now of China: James H., Mary E., Mrs. Zebulon Coffin,
of Boston, and Hadley Proctor Hanson, also of Boston.
James Hobbs Hanson, the subject of this sketch, married in 1845,
Sarah B., daughter of Kenelm Marston, of Waterville. This union
was broken by Mrs. Hanson's death in 1853. Doctor Hanson's second
marriage was to Mary E., daughter of Benjamin Field, of Sidney, in
1854. Florence P., their eldest child, died when twenty months old.
Sophia M., their second child, is now Mrs. Edward A. Pierce, and
Frank H., the youngest, is a citizen of Zanesville, Ohio, where he is
general secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association.
The names of the five pupils who, as stated, constituted the whole
school when Doctor Hanson assumed control in 1843, were: Elizabeth
Scammon and Caroline Fairfield, both dead; Aaron A. and Hamilton
Plaisted, brothers, both still residents of Waterville, and George B.
Gow, now a Baptist clergyman of Glen's Falls, N. Y.
Without great physical vigor and elastic mental fiber, Doctor Han-
son could not have generated the tireless energy that has been the
motor of his usefulness, and still keeps him in the harness doing a
strong man's work. Like the late Doctor Torsey, and every other emi-
nent educator, there come constantly to his ears strains of music from
a chorus of the voices of former pupils singing that sweet anthem of
reward—" Well done, good and faithful servant: all that we are we
owe, under God, to you." Which, except the mother's cradle song,
can compare with this ? Who can say the teacher's life is barren of
*For this story in Mrs. Hanson's own words, see page 113, Drake's Indian
Captivities.
0»ba HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
rewards? Colby University honored itself when, in 1872, it placed its
highest approval on the brow of its son, and made the master of Co-
burn Classical Institute a Doctor of Laws.
Charles Foster Hathaway is a man of strong, original char-
acter. Descended from Old England stock, with New England
growth, his grandfather, Alanson, his father, Joshua, and his mother,
Rebecca (Foster) Hathaway, were poor, industrious and virtuous in-
habitants of Plymouth, Mass. Charles had scant schooling, for he
went to work in Russell's nail factory in Plymouth at the age of
eleven and at fifteen became a printer with E. Merriam & Co., at West
Brookfield, Mass., and worked for G. & C. Merriam, publishers of
Webster's Dictionary, at Springfield, Mass.
After seven years of life as a printer, Charles F. settled himself in
the neck stock business in Plymouth, and did his work so well that
Daniel Webster and Governor Briggs, of Massachusetts, were custom-
ers for his goods. This fact throws light on all his subsequent career.
He learned at the outset of his business that thorough, honest work
pays the seller as well as the buyer. He sold this business in 1843
and came to Waterville, where he worked a while at his old printer's
trade and started the Waterville Union, which he afterward sold to
Ephraim Maxham.
In the year 1850 he built a shirt factory in Watertown, Mass.,
which he operated four years, with a store in Boston, that he
continued to run till 1864. In 1853 he sold the Watertown business
and established his present manufactory in Waterville, that has grown
with the steadiness of an oak tree from that time to this. This in-
dustry was at first confined to shirts, but since 1874 ladies' underwear
has also been made in large quantities. Modern appliances run by
steam power, combined with the services of from 100 to 150 people,
are unable to supply the demand for these goods. Mr. Hathaway has
the vigor of body and mind of a middle aged man, and is constantly
adding improvements to a business that has long been noted for its
clocklike regularity of movement. His relations with his employees
have always been friendly and honorable.
He was born in 1816, was the second in a family of ten children,
and married in 1840, Temperance Blackwell, of Waterville, who
died January 19, 1888. Mr. Hathaway is a man of unusually earnest
religious convictions, with an abiding sense of the sacredness of life
and its duties. His personal labors among the people on the Plains,
begun in 1857, were the seed from which the present flourishing
branch of the Baptist church has grown. Incessantly observant, with
a warm heart and tender sympathies, Mr. Hathaway is a ready, easy
writer in prose or in verse. There is beauty and pathos in the follow-
ing expression of experience, from his pen:
,^
'Ji^yY&^^^^i!^
a. HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
I've been tossed on the depths The clouds that are darkening,
Of earth's billowy sea, To the Infinite Love,
When no pitying eye And responsive comes back
Seemed looking on me; The sweet voice unto me,
But the depths of my heart " All things work together
Held the treasure untold, For good unto thee!"
More precious to me ^j^^^^ ^^^^^^^ -^ weakness,
Than the finest of gold: ^et the burdens come strong.
The word that was spoken, ^et poverty, sickness,
;; " ^^°'' -lost 1«^<^ "^^' All their trials prolong.
All thmgs work together Let my friends all forsake,
For good unto thee!
Let my foes press on me.
And whene'er my sad heart From sorrow and trial
Is so weary and faint. Unable to fiee.
And no earth ear is open Thy Word shall give joy
To hear its complaint, Though in depths I may be.
Then the voice of its faith " A// things work together
Reacheth up far above For good unto thee!"
Frederick P. Haviland, son of Ebenezer, agd grandson of Benjamin
Haviland, was born in 1808 at Danville, Vt. He learned the trade of
blacksmith and machinist, and in 1832 began work for E. & T. Fair-
banks & Co., scale manufacturers at St. Johnsbury, Vt., and in the fall
of the following year he came to Waterville to assist in the starting
of a plant here by the same parties, and in 1843 he, with Mr. Webber,
became owner of the business and continued in the manufacture of
machinery and plows until 1873, when they sold the business. He
was two years agent for the Dunn Edge Tool Company, three years
president of a copper mining company in New Hampshire, and is now
a director of the People's National Bank. He married Pattie E. Colby,
who left one son, Fred., of Port Huron, Mich. His present wife was
Abigail Chase. They have one son, Charles T., who is a lawyer in
New York.
Josiah D. Hayden, .son of Josiah and Mary G. (Snell) Hayden, was
born in 1837 in Winslow. His father died in 1837, aged twenty-eight
years, leaving three children: Mary O. and Orlando, both deceased, and
Josiah D. Mr. Hayden began to learn the carpenter's trade in Water-
ville in 1854; three years later he went to New Jersey, and after fol-
lowing his trade there one year he went to New Haven, Conn., where
he worked ten years. He came to Waterville in 1869, where he has
since been engaged in contracting and building. He married Emily,
daughter of Josiah G. Hewitt. Their children are: Alice J., J. Irving,
Blanche W., Ethel V., Harold P. and two that died — Lillian and May.
J. Irving is learning the trade with his father.
Perham S. Heald, son of Thomas H. Heald, was born in Solon, Me.,
in 1842, and was educated in the public schools of Norridgewock and
Skowhegan, and at Bloomfield Academy. He served in the late war,
from 1862 until 1865 in Company A., 19th Maine, and was nine months
CITY OF WATERVIIXE. 590
of that time in Andersonville prison. In the fall of 1865 he became a
partner in the tailoring business with E. N. Fletcher, of Waterville,
and two years later succeeded to the business, which was established
in 1834 by James West. Mr. Heald has added to the business ready-
made clothing and men's furnishing goods. He employs seven men
and thirty girls, and his sewing machines are run by electricity. He
has served four years as representative, and is treasurer of the Ken-
nebec Mutual Life Insurance Company. His wife, Mary E., is a
daughter of Dea. David Webb, whose father, David, was one of the
early settlers in the south part of the town. They have one son,
Fred. P.
Samuel Hitchings, born in 1820, is the youngest child and only son
of Samuel (1780-1840) and Margaret (Ward) Hitchings, and grandson
of William Hitchings, who was present and participated in the historic
" Boston tea party." Mr. Hitchings' father and his brother, Joseph,
came to Waterville in 1809, where they were manufacturers for several
years. Mr. Hitchings is a farmer and mechanic. He owns and oc-
cupies the place where his father lived from 1809 until his death in
1840, aged sixty years. He was first married to Celia F., daughter of
Gilbert Whitman, who came to Waterville m 1813 from Bridgewater,
Mass. She had five children: Frank E., Edson F., Anna (Mrs. Martin
Blaisdell), and two that died— S. Kimball and Ezra F. His present
wife is Eliza J., a sister of the first wife.
Orrington C. Holway, born in Bowdoinham, Me., in January, 1836,
and died in Waterville in June, 1892, was a son of Daniel and Free-
love (Hatch) Holway, and grandson of Barnabas Holway, who came
to Fairfield, Me., from Sandwich, Mass. Mr. Holway came from Bow-
doinham to Waterville in 1855, where he was a farmer. He married
Elizabeth S., daughter of Robert Hall, of Vassalboro. Their children
are: Clara M., Ralph O. and Rosco S. M. The widow and three chil-
dren survive him.
John C. Home, son of Alden Home, was bom in 1841, at Fairfield,
Me. He has been several years engaged in buying and shipping gen-
tlemen's driving horses, and has been remarkably successful, having
owned about two thousand horses and never lost biit one. He came
to Waterville in August, 1888, from Oakland, where he had lived
twelve years. His wife is Sarah A., daughter of Seth Fairfield. Their
four children are: Ernest M., George F., Colby M. and Hollie, who died.
Frank B. Hubbard, born in Oakland, is a son of George W. and
Mary E. (Bailey) Hubbard. He was educated in the schools of Oak-
land and two years at Colby, in the class of '84. February 1, 1883, he
entered the Waterville freight ofBce as assistant under E. C. Low, and
at the death of the latter he became freight agent for the Maine Cen-
tral Railroad Company and he still fills that office. His wife was Miss
Smith, of Waterville.
589a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
I've been tossed on the depths The clouds that are darkening,
Of earth's billowy sea, To the Infinite Love,
When no pitying eye And responsive comes back
Seemed looking on me; The sweet voice unto me.
But the depths of my heart " All things work together
Held the treasure untold, For good unto thee!"
More precious to me ^j^g^_ p^^j^^^.^ -^ weakness,
Than the finest of gold: ^et the burdens come strong.
The word that was spoken, ^et poverty, sickness,
• ■ If thou dost love me, ^^ ^^^^-^ ^^j^j^ prolong.
All thmgs work together ^et my friends all forsake.
For good unto thee!" ^et my foes press on me.
And whene'er my sad heart From sorrow and trial
Is so weary and faint, Unable to flee.
And no earth ear is open Thy Word shall give joy
To hear its complaint. Though in depths I may be,
Then the voice of its faith " A// things work together
Reacheth up far above For good unto thee!"
Frederick P. Haviland, son of Ebenezer, and grandson of Benjamin
Haviland, was born in 1808 at Danville, Vt. He learned the trade of
blacksmith and machinist, and in 1832 began work for E. & T. Fair-
banks & Co., scale manufacturers at St. Johnsbury, Vt., and in the fall
of the following year he came to Waterville to assist in the starting
of a plant here by the same parties, and in 1843 he, with Mr. Webber,
became owner of the business and continued in the manufacture of
machinery and plows until 1873, when they sold the business. He
was two years agent for the Dunn Edge Tool Company, three years
president of a copper mining company in New Hampshire, and is now
a director of the People's National Bank. He married Pattie E. Colby,
who left one sou, Fred., of Port Huron, Mich. His present wife was
Abig.iil Chase. They have one son, Charles T., who is a lawyer in
New York.
Josiah D. Hayden, .son of Josiah and Mary G. (Snell) Hayden, was
born in 1837 in Winslow. His father died in 1837, aged twenty-eight
years, leaving three children: Mary O. and Orlando, both deceased, and
Josiah D. Mr. Hayden began to learn the carpenter's trade in Water-
ville in 1854; three years later he went to New Jersey, and after fol-
lowing his trade there one year he went to New Haven, Conn., where
he worked ten years. He came to Waterville in 1869, where he has
since been engaged in contracting and building. He married Emily,
daughter of Josiah G. Hewitt. Their children are: Alice J., J. Irving,
Blanche W., Ethel V., Harold P. and two that died— Lillian and May.
J. Irving is learning the trade with his father.
Perham S. Heald, son of Thomas H. Heald, was born in Solon, Me.,
in 1842, and was educated in the public schools of Norridgewock and
Skowhegan, and at Bloomfield Academy. He served in the late war,
from 1862 until 1865 in Company A., 19th Maine, and was nine months
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 590
of that time in Andersonville prison. In the fall of 1865 he became a
partner in the tailoring- business with E. N. Fletcher, of Waterville,
and two years later succeeded to the business, which was established
in 1834 by James West. Mr. Heald has added to the business ready-
made clothing and men's furnishing goods. He employs seven men
and thirty girls, and his sewing machines are run by electricity. He
has served four years as representative, and is treasurer of the Ken-
nebec Mutual Life Insurance Company. His wife, Mary E., is a
daughter of Dea. David Webb, whose father, David, was one of the
early settlers in the south part of the town. They have one son,
Fred. P.
Samuel Hitchings, born in 1820, is the youngest child and only son
of Samuel (1780-1840) and Margaret (Ward) Hitchings, and grandson
of William Hitchings, who was present and participated in the historic
" Boston tea party." Mr. Hitchings' father and his brother, Joseph,
came to Waterville in 1809, where they were manufacturers for several
years. Mr. Hitchings is a farmer and mechanic. He owns and oc-
cupies the place where his father lived from 1809 until his death in
1840, aged sixty years. He was first married to Celia F., daughter of
Gilbert Whitman, who came to Waterville m 1813 from Bridgewater,
Mass. She had five children: Frank E., Edson F., Anna (Mrs. Martin
Blaisdell), and two that died — S. Kimball and Ezra F. His present
wife is Eliza J., a sister of the first wife.
Orrington C. Holway, born in Bowdoinham, Me., in January, 1836,
and died in Waterville in June, 1892, was a son of Daniel and Free-
love (Hatch) Holway, and grandson of Barnabas Holway, who came '
to Fairfield, Me., from Sandwich, Mass. Mr. Holway came from Bow-
doinham to Waterville in 1855, where he was a farmer. He married
Elizabeth S., daughter of Robert Hall, of Vassalboro. Their children
are: Clara M., Ralph O. and Rosco S. M. The widow and three chil-
dren survive him.
John C. Home, son of Alden Home, was born in 1841, at Fairfield,
Me. He has been several years engaged in buying and shipping gen-
tlemen's driving horses, and has been remarkably successful, having
owned about two thousand horses and never lost but one. He came
to Waterville in August, 1888, from Oakland, where he had lived
twelve years. His wife is Sarah A., daughter of Seth Fairfield. Their
four children are: Ernest M., George F., Colby M. and Hollie, who died.
Frank B. Hubbard, born in Oakland, is a son of George W. and
Mary E. (Bailey) Hubbard. He was educated in the schools of Oak-
land and two years at Colby, in the class of '84. February 1, 1883, he
entered the Waterville freight office as assistant under E. C. Low, and
at the death of the latter he became freight agent for the Maine Cen-
tral Railroad Company and he still fills that office. His wife was Miss
Smith, of Waterville.
590a HISTORV OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
Captain George Jewell, sou of Sergeant Jewell, was born in Mt.
Vernon, Me. He began to run long boats on the Kennebec when a
boy, and from 1848 until 1857 he was commanding the steamer Clinton
between Waterville and Boothbay. In 1858 he bought a livery busi-
ness of C. E. Gray, which was kept at the Elmwood stables. In 1864
he moved the business to Silver street, the Elmwood Hotel having
been burned the previous year. When the Elmwood Hotel was re-
built he opened a stable there, also continuing the one on Silver street.
Marshall D. Johnson, son of Rev. O. H. Johnson, was born in 1841,
at New Portland, Me. He studied dentistry with Doctor Randall, of
Farmington, Me., from 1861 until 1864, when he began practice at
Bethel, Me. In 1870 he moved from Bethel to Skowhegan and in
1879 came from there to Oakland. May 12, 1881, he opened his pres-
ent dental rooms in Waterville. His marriage was with Agnes, daugh-
ter of John Conforth. Their only child is Addie M.
Albion P.Jordan was a native of Brunswick, Me. He was engaged
in photographic work in Brunswick and Bath for twelve years, and in
April, 1890, he came to Waterville, where he worked for C. G. Carleton
until January 1, 1891, when, in company with Mr. Preble, his present
partner, he bought the Carleton photograph business. He married
Miss Atkins, of Brunswick.
Thomas G. Kimball was born in Monmouth, Me., in 1811 and died
in Waterville in 1879. He graduated from Bowdoin in 1838 and re-
ceived the degree of A. M. in 1841. He was principal of the Hal-
lowell High School for a time, then came to Waterville, where for sev-
eral years he was professor of Waterville Liberal Institute, after which
he became a partner of Elah Esty, firm of Esty & Kimball, in mercantile
trade, where Mr. Kimball remained until 1875. His wife was Hannah
R., daughter of Elah and Mary (Redington) Esty. Their children
are: Elah E., of Waterville; Mary R., deceased; Benjamin H., of
Monmouth, and Thomas Wesley.
Christian Knauff was born in Germany in 1841. He served a four-
years' apprenticeship before coming to America, in December, 1860.
He came to Waterville in May, 1863, and after clerking six years, he
opened a business for himself, which became the firm of Knauff
Brothers, April 1, 1877. He married Matilda Susskraut, who died leav-
ing three children: Lizzie Margaret, Emma A. and W. Henry. His
present wife was was Ida Grimm. They have one son, Fred E. F.
August Knauff was born in Germany in 1849. He served a foiir-years'
apprenticeship and one year in the Prussian army, and in May, 1870,
came to America. After clerking in his brother's store in Waterville
until 1877 he became a member of the present firm of Knauff Broth-
ers. His first wife, Nellie M. BuUen, left one son, William A. His
present wife is Mary A. Harttmann. They have one son. Otto Chris-
tian.
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 091
Daniel Libbey, born in Albion in 1831, is the sixth of a family of
seven children of Daniel (1793-1876), who was five years in the regu-
lar army before coming to Albion, where he was a farmer. His
father, Benjamin Libbey, was born in 1758, in Lebanon, Me., where he
died. Mr. Libbey 's mother was Elizabeth Stores. He was nine years
employed in the meat busine.ss in Waterville, after which he was
farmer and stock dealer in Winslow twelve years, and since 1872 he
has resided in Waterville and devoted his time to cattle buying. He
has been a member of the city council since 1891. His wife is Caro-
line M., daughter of Jeremiah Wardwell.
William M. Lincoln, born in 1831, is a son of George W. Lincoln,
who came from Bath to Waterville in 1826, where he followed the
trade of a tailor. He married Olive P. Drummond, and had three
children: George W., William M. and Mary C. William followed the
trade of his father until 1857, with the exception of three years, spent
in mining in California. In 1857 he established a grocery business,
to which were added grain, feed and flour, and he continued in the
same store until 1890, when he gave up the management of the busi-
ness to his partners, Frank A. Lincoln and George A. Kennison, who
continue the business under the firm name of W. M. Lincoln & Co.
He married Delia H. Ireland, and their children are: Cora B., Flor-
ence M. (Mrs. George A. Kennison), Frank A. and Ralph E.
Ira H. Low, son of Ivory and Fannie (Colcord) Low, was born in
Fairfield in 1818. In 1843 he began as a drug clerk for William Dyer,
and after two years he became an owner in a drug store, and has since
continued in that line of business, except for six years. He married
Ellen M., daughter of John Caffrey. Their children are: Mary (Mrs.
L. D. Carver), Fannie and Hortense. They lost four children: Hattie,
Ellen, Sarah and Ira L.
Charles R. McFadden, born in 1820, is a son of Charles and Tem-
perance (Blackwell) McFadden, and grandson of Daniel McFadden,
who came from Georgetown and was among the early settlers of Vas-
salboro. He was three years a merchant at East Vassalboro, and three
years a deputy sheriff. In 1857 he came to Waterville, where he con-
tinued to be deputy sheriff several years. He was high sheriff from
1884 to 1888, postmaster from 1861 to 1879, fourteen years a member
of the republican town committee, and in July, 1890, was appointed
immigrant inspector. He was nine years in the dry goods business
in Waterville, firm of C. R. McFadden & Son. He married Emma
H., daughter of Jacob Butterfield. They had three children: Alice,
Andrew L. and Zaidee, who died.
Paul Marshall, born in 1842, is a son of Horatio and Flora (Baldick)
Marshall, who came to Waterville in 1843 from St. Francis, Canada.
He was a river driver and worked at lumbering until 1870, when he
opened a grocery and provision store on Water street, and has con-
591a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tinned that business since. His first wife, Sarah Lashus, died leaving
two daughters — Emma and Nellie. His present wife was Mary
Beleddo. Their children are: Hattie, Marion, Sadie and Mary L.
He has been a member of the board of aldermen since 1891.
Frederick Trenck Mason, son of Chase P. and Mary J. (Clough)
Mason, was born in Newport, Me., in 1843. He served in the late war
from 1861 to 1865, entering the service in Company B, 11th Maine.
In 1862 he was made second lieutenant of his company and later was
made first lieutenant of Company F, and afterward was brevetted major.
He was wounded April 9, 1865, by the last volley that was fired in the
war in Virginia. He came to Waterville in 1866 and bought of George
W. Pressey the 225 acre farm, where his ranch now is. He married
Sarah J., daughter of Dr. Hiram Collins, of Amesbury, Mass. Their
children are: Frederick T. and Maude (Mrs. William Gulliver.)
J. L. Merrick, son of Hall C. Merrick, was born in 1845 in Troy,
Me., and was educated in the public schools of his native and adjacent
towns. In July, 1862, he entered the army in Company C, 19th Maine,
and served until October, 1864. He spent the next fourteen years in
farming summers and teaching winters, and in 1878 began to handle
nursery stock, and soon after he became a partner in several nursery
farms and he has devoted his whole attention to that business since
1878, sometimes employing as many as sixty agents. He came to
Waterville in 1888, where he is identified with politics and several
social organizations. He married Susan H. Ward, and their children
are: Maude M., Nellie M., Hubert J., Frank L. and Bessie A.
Elwood G. Merrill, son of Edward W. and Rebecca Elizabeth
(Wyman) Merrill, was born January 21, 1860, in Vassalboro, and was
educated in the public and high schools of Windsor and China and at
Dirigo Business College. He taught school from 1879 until 1883, and
in September of that year began to learn the art of photography. He
remained in Augusta until January 1, 1886, when he came to Water-
ville, where he worked in the studio of C. G. Carleton until 1890, when
he opened his present business, and in December, 1891, took posses-
sion of his present commodious parlors. He married Etta M., daugh-
ter of Nathan Hall, and they have one son, Nathan Edward.
John F. Merrill, son of Ezekiel and Pheba V. (Farrington) Merrill,
was born in 1821, at Andover, Me., learned the machinist's trade in
Boston, and after working two years in Portland came to Waterville
in 1851, where for thirty years he was employed at his trade for the
railroad company. His wife was Lucy W. Parker, of Waterville. They
lost their only son, John H., at the age of nine years.
Benjamin G. Mitchell is a representative of the successful farmers
of a generation which is nearly gone. His father, Joseph, was the
only son of Jeremiah, who was born in 1740 and was lost at sea.
Jeremiah married Mary Gunnerson, and their children were: Mary,
592a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Eunice, Sarah, Hannah, Lucy and Joseph, who was born in 1768 and
died in 1861. This Joseph Mitchell came to Watervillel from Old
York, Me., in 1807, and bought a farm of 200 acres, a few of which
were cleared and a small house was built. He brought with him a
young wife, who, before marriage, was Dorathea Blaisdell, of Kittery,
Me. Mary, their eldest child, married Benjamin Williams, of China,
by whom she had four children. Her second husband was John
Penney, of Belgrade. Jeremiah Mitchell, the second child, married
Sarah McNall, and is now, at the age of ninety-six, and she at ninety-
three, living at Gasport, N. Y. They have had four children. Ezra,
the third, lived to be eighty-eight years old and died at Minot, Me.
Joseph, jun., was the fourth. Hannah, the next, married Stephen
Bailey, and is now living in Oakland, eighty-six years old. Theodore,
the sixth, now eighty-three years old, is living in Boston. Elijah was
the seventh.
Benjamin G., the youngest, was born on the 200-acre farm in
Waterville June 3, 1815. After the age of ten years he helped on the
farm summers and only went to school winters, and short terms at
that. Farm work was not the bitter medicine in those times that it is
now. Arrived at manhood he chose for a wife, and married in 1841,
Betsey L., daughter of Rogers and granddaughter of Jonathan Coombs,
of West Waterville. Buying an acre of land adjoining his father's
farm, which had now grown to 280 acres, the young couple began a
career of intelligent industry that has been a prosperous and happy
one. Their children have been: Ellen M., died in 1860, eighteen
years old; Ann E., married Martin B. Soule, and died in W^orthington,
Minn., in 1870, thirty years old; Mary F., died in 1866, twenty-one
years old; Howard R., born in 1850, educated at Colby University,
and for the ministry at Newton Theological Seminary, now preaching
at Dover, Me., married Alice J. Hook, of Clairmount, N. H., and has
two children— Frank H. and Grace A.; and Ira A., who was born in
1855, and married Angelia Cottle, of Waterville. They have four
children: Mildred A., Kittie M., Edith B. and Alton D.
In 1876 Mr. Mitchell left the farm to his son, Ira A., and bought
his present residence in Waterville city. While on the farm he
cleared ninety acres of woodland and drew the wood to the city.
Sheep and oxen were his favorite .stock. Soon after coming to town
he became a partner with Joseph Bates in the grocery business. Two
years later he sold out and bought another grocery, in which he did
business six years. Since then he has m.ade seven trips to the West,
making investments in Iowa and Minnesota. Mr. Mitchell has always
been an earnest republican in politics. He was converted when
thirty-five years old and joined the Sidney and Waterville Free Bap-
tist church, and in 1855, with Charles Trafton, John Blaisdell, John
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 593
Earle and his brothers, Joseph and Elijah, built the church that is
still standing.
Elijah Mitchell, born in 1812, is a farmer near his father's home-
stead. He married Catharine T., daughter of John and Lydia B.
(Trafton) Blaisdell, and granddaughter of Elijah, who was a son of
David Blaisdell. They had two sons, both deceased— John B. and
Charles E.
Joseph Mitchell, jun., the third son of Joseph, born in 1804, was a
farmer until his death a few years ago. His wife was Mehitable
Blaisdell. They had nine children. Joseph, the oldest survivor, is a
farmer on the east part of the farm where he was born in 1832. He
married Mary A. Williams, and their children are: Frank D., Fred,
William and Cora A.
Samuel H. Morrill, born in 1838, at Readfield, was a son of Samuel
and Sarah H. (Hutchinson) Morrill, and grandson of Nathaniel Morrill.
He made three trips to California. He was a farmer in Readfield
until 1875, when he went into the grain and grocery business at Read-
field Depot, where he continued until November, 1890, when he sold
his business there and came to Waterville the following year. He
built a grain store and started business at Waterville in 1891, which
he sold out soon afterward. His wife is Mary Ella, daughter of Henry
Greeley. They have two children — Evie G. and Charles H.
Howard C. Morse, born in 1856, is one of eight children of Com-
fort T. (1822-1870) and Ann R. (Ballentine) Morse, and grandson of
Samuel and Sarah (Taylor) Morse. He was educated in the district
school, Coburn Classical Institute and Dirigo Business College. He
remained on the farm until 1882, then spent one year in Illinois as a
traveling salesman. He was six years in the grocery business in
Waterville, in Dirigo Market, prior to 1890. He was an alderman and
a councilman, one term each, and since 1891 has been assessor. In
1890 he married Phebe E., daughter of William (1813-1892) and Caro-
line (Farnsworth) Marston, granddaughter of William, who was a son
of Isaiah, whose father. Prince, was a son of Benjamin and Lydia
(Goodspeed) Marston, who in 1716 went from Taunton, Mass., to
Barnstable, Mass., where the family have been prominent since that
time.
Augustus Often, born in 1853, in Germany, is a son of Julius Often.
He came to America in 1866, and spent three years in New York,
learning the baker's trade. He was in various kinds of business in
New York and New England until 1883, when he came from Massa-
chusetts to Waterville and bought of A. C. Crocker a small bakery,
which he has enlarged and extended until the business furnishes em-
ployment for eight men and several teams. He married Delia, daugh-
ter of Silas Richardson.
William Percival, born in 1786, in Sandwich, Mass., was a son of
593a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Benjamin and grandson of John Percival. He came to Winslow in
1804, and three years later he moved to Cross Hill, Vassalboro, where
he was a farmer until his death, in 1859. He married Betsey Fair-
field, and they had eight children: Sumner, Clarissa, Saphronia, Jo-
seph, Homer, Warren, Eliza and Harriet Ellen. Joseph, the eldest
survivor, was born in 1813, came to Waterville in 1833, and in 1835, in
company with his brother, started a general store, which he continued
until 1859. Since that time he has been a farmer, giving special at-
tention to the breeding of Jersey stock. In 1835 he married Emeline,
daughter of James and granddaughter of James Gray. Her mother
was Elizabeth, daughter of Dr. Ezekiel Brown. Their children are:
Annie E., Henry H., Frank J. and three that died— Albert W., Willie
C. and Morrell.
Nathan Perry (1803-1883), son of Ebenezer, and grandson of Na-
than Perry, who was a native of Cape Cod, Mass., was a farmer on the
place where his widow now lives. His first wife had one son and two
daughters, one of whom is now living— Julia A. (Mrs. C. A. Mitchell,
of Mechanics' Falls, Me.) His second marriage was with Rachel,
daughter of Obadiah Field, of .Sidney. One of their two daughters
is living— Dora, (Mrs. Augustus M. Sawtelle, of Sidney).
Fred Pooler was born November 26, 1842, at St. George, Province
of Quebec, and came to Waterville with his father, Frederick, in 1848.
He opened a grocery store on Water street November, 1863, where he
has carried on business since that time. He was a member of the
board of aldermen in 1888, and during the three years following was
overseer of the poor. His wife is Sarah Pooler, and their children
are: Mary, Lena, Lucy, Hattie, James E. and Lottie.
Samuel L. Preble was born in Bath, Me., where he received his
education. In 1875 he began photograph work in Bath, and from 1876
until 1885 he worked at the business in Brunswick. He was in Chi-
cago from 1885 until 1891, and while there he studied at the Chicago
Art Institute. He came to Waterville in 1891, where he is a member
of the firm of Preble & Jordan. He married Miss Powers, of Tops-
ham, Me.
The firm of Proctor and Flood was formed in 1889. H. L. Proctor,
a native of Waterville, is a son of Jeremiah G., and grandson of
Joseph Proctor. He has been a mason by trade since 1867, and since
1874 has been a contractor. He has been a member of the city council
since 1889. His wife was Annie Mendum, and they have one daugh-
ter, Lottie J. Alfred Flood is a native of Clinton. He is a son of
John, jun., and Lucinda (Wells) Flood. He began mason work in
1863. He married Jane H., daughter of Samuel Richardson, and their
only daughter is Stella (Mrs. Robert Lambert). They lost two sons.
Since the organization of this firm they have manufactured their own
brick.
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 594
Horace Purinton, son of Amos and Martha J. (Patterson) Purinton,
was born in Bowdoin, Me., in 1850. In 1869 he began to learn the
trade of brick mason. In 1875 he came to Waterville, and the follow-
ing year, in company with Mr. Norton, began contract work. The
firm of Norton & Purinton was succeeded in 1887 by Purinton & Co.
Mr. Purinton has been engaged in brick making in connection with
contract work since 1877, and the firm now owns a yard in Winslow,
capacity one and a half millions; one at Augusta of similar size; one
at Waterville with three millions capacity, and one at Skowhegan
with one million capacity. In 1877 only one million brick were made
in Kennebec county, while in 1892 Purinton & Co. alone will make
about seven millions. Mr. Purinton's wife is Clara M., daughter of
Rev. Nehemiah Preble. Their two children are: Alice M. and Mar-
tha B.
Silas Redington (1793-1876) was a son of Asa Redington, who was
a revolutionary soldier, and soon after the close of that conflict came
from Massachusetts with his brother, Samuel. Asa settled in Water-
ville, and Samuel in Vassalboro. Asa married a Miss Getchell for his
second wife, and their children were: Asa, jun., Samuel, Silas, Will-
iam, Isaac, Emily, Mary and Harriet. Silas was a lumberman and
civil engineer. He married in 1820 a Miss Stevens, who died in 1842,
leaving three children: William Augustus, John H. and Harriet A.
Both sons are deceased. His second wife was Mrs. Caroline M.
Phillips.
Samuel Redington, the second son of Asa, was in the lumber busi-
ness with others until about 1850. He was a prominent Calvinistic
Baptist, and was among the early abolitionists. He married Nancy,
daughter of Asa Parker. Their only son, Charles H., born in 1838,
married Saphronia, daughter of Daniel Day. Their children are:
Harry D., Frank, Myra, Helen, Charles and Mary. Frank is a partner
of his father in the furniture firm of Redington & Co., and has had
the whole charge of the business for several years. His wife is Carrie
M., daughter of M. C. Foster.
George W. Reynolds, born in 1843, in Sidney, is a son of Edwin
and Abigail C. (Smiley) Reynolds, and grandson of Timothy Rey-
nolds, whose father was also named Timothy. He was a farmer in
Sidney until 1873, except three years spent in the army in Company
A, 20th Maine. From J 873 until 1882 he was a farmer in Vassalboro,
and since that time he has lived in Waterville, engaged as a hay
broker. He married Abbie L. daughter of Colonel William E. Drum-
mond, of Winslow, Me. They have three children: Josiah D., Geanie
M. and G. Stanley.
Captain Samuel Richards', father of John*, was an officer in the
revolutionary war. He came from New Hampshire to Winslow. He
was a son of John', and grandson of John Richards'. Albert M. Rich-
594a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ards, born in 1844, is a son of John and Almira (Reynolds) Richards,
and grandson of Captain Samuel Richards. He read law with Reuben
Foster, and was admitted to the bar, but he has never practiced his
profession. His father was a farmer, drover and hotel keeper in
Winslow. Since his death Albert M. has lived in Waterville. He
married Lydia M. Mclntire. Their children are: Ralph W., Jesse A.
and Walter (deceased).
Henry S. Ricker, born in Canaan, Me., in 1823, is a son of Tristram
and Miriam (Nason) Ricker, and grandson of Noah Ricker, of Ber-
wick, Me. He has worked at tanning since a boy, excepting two
years (1851-2) spent in California. In 1855, in company with Mr.
Shepherd, he built a tannery at Clinton. After running it ten years
he bought an interest in the Ticonic tannery at Waterville, and in 1875
bought the interest of his partners, Alessrs. Herrick and Mathews,
and since that time has run the business alone. His wife was Saph-
ronia A. Holt. She left one daughter, Grace (Mrs. E. E. Cousins.)
Reuben O. Robbins, born in Dover, Me., began newspaper work
when a boy. From 1869 to 1880 he was editor and partial owner of
the Dexter Gazette; then in Waterville as editor of the Se?itiiiel; in 1882
he established The Eastern State; served as assistant editor of the Ban-
gor Commercial two years; edited the Piscataquis Observer one year; then
returned to Waterville where he was local writer for the Kennebec
Journal, 1890-1. He married Tryphosa Tassett.'and their children are:
Gertie, Annie and Ellen.
Rev. Henry Allen Sawtelle, son of Hiram and Martha (Allen) Saw-
telle, was born in Sidney in 1832. He prepared for college at Coburn
Classical Institute (then Waterville Academy), graduated from Colby
University (then Waterville College) in 1854, and four years later from
Newton Theological Seminary. He entered the Baptist ministry and
after being settled one year at Limerick, Me., he went to China, where
he spent two years in the mission field. He was settled in San Fran-
cisco, Cal., Chelsea, Mass., Kalamazoo, Mich., and again in San Fran-
cisco, Cal. Resigning his charge in the latter place in the spring of
1885, he returned to Waterville, where he died the following November.
He married in 1855, Elizabeth S., daughter of Dea. Daniel Blaisdell,
who survives him. They have three children: Mary A., Alice E. and
Charles E.
George Eaton Shores belongs to a class of men who stand at the
very sources of national prosperity, but whose ranks in New England
are becoming alarmingly thin — the siiccessful farmer. He is, more-
over, a remarkable specimen of nature's masterpiece — an effective,
enduring human body.
Of the same hardy stuff and stock was his father, James Shores,
who came from Berwick, Me., to Waterville in 1802, and bought a
two hundred acre farm, through which now runs the eastern boundary
'^^ ^r-U^
CITV OF WATERVILI.E. 595
of Oakland. The latter was a joiner by trade, and worked so accept-
ably in Boston that he there became the husband, in 1801, of Hannah
Eaton, who belonged to a most excellent and well known family.
Settling on the farm, they rai.sed three children. Sarah Aria, the
eldest, married, first, William Richards, a lawyer, of Waterville. Her
second husband was Jonathan Coombs. She died in 1852, aged fifty
years.
Thomas J. Shores, the second child, was born in 1809, was a farmer,
and in 1844 one of the selectmen of Waterville. He died in 1846.
George E. Shores, the youngest, was born March 27, 1812. He went
to school when he was a boy, grew up under his father's training, be-
came a farmer, liked it, stiick to it, has given it the intelligent, faith-
ful service of a life-time, for which devotion it has given him pleasant
occupation, a handsome competence and a vigorous, happy old age.
After the death of his mother in 1850, at the age of seventy-five,
and of his father in 1856, at the age of eighty-two, Mr. Shores and his
family were the sole occupants of the old homestead. In 1867, with a
forecast of the undoubted growth of Waterville and the consequent
advance of property in its immediate vicinity, he purchased his pres-
ent farm, located on the attractive elevation north of Waterville, long
known as " Oak Hill." Here he has been quite a real estate dealer,
owning over 150 acres, all of which he has sold, mostly in building
lots, until he has but forty acres left. While diligently cultivating
.the soil, he has for many years given careful attention to stock raising
and breeding. In connection with Hall C. Burleigh, of Vassalboro,
he introduced the Hereford cattle to this part of Kennebec county.
A single pair of yearling steers of that breed brought him the sur-
prising sum of $300. The many first premium certificates he holds
show that his stock came in competition with the finest breeds at the
fairs. He has also handled some horses, selling in 1879 the race horse
" Somerset Knox " for $2,700.
Mr. Shores was first married in 1835, to Sophia, daughter of John
Wyman, of Waterville. Their children were: Eliza E., died at the
age of thirteen; Amasa E., now a farmer on the old homestead; Delia
Aria, died young; Randolph P., married Lizzie Snell (they had one
child, George Eaton vShores, now seventeen years old and living with
his grandfather Shores; his father died in 1878); their fifth child, Ella
M., died when twenty-two years old; Edward G., the next, died in
1892, and Albert D., the youngest, died when a babe. Consumption
was the family scourge that robbed Mr. and Mrs. Shores of their
children, and, insatiate still, bore away the mother in February, 1855.
By his second wife, Eliza, daughter of Zaccheus Parker, of Waterville,
Mr. Shores has had one child, Carrie, who died at the age of seven
years.
With his family he has been connected with the Congregational
595a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
church, and in political faith he has been a life-long democrat, servings
his town in the years 1872 and 1882 as one of the selectmen and the-
city in 1886 as a member of the first common council. The one vaca-
tion of his long, industrious life was taken in 1876, when he spent
three months in California, collecting information and material for
reflection, that he declares is still far from being exhausted.
Amasa E. Shores, the only surviving child of George E., was born
in 1839. He is a farmer and occupies the farm settled in 1808 by his
grandfather. His wife is Martha E., daughter of Charles and Hannah
(Clifford) Tilton, and granddaughter of Jeremiah and Hannah (Mor-
rell) Tilton. They have one son, Harry C, and they lost one daughter,
Carrie L.
Samuel K. Smith, D. D., was born October 17, 1817, in Litchfield,,
Me. He is a son of John, and grandson of Eliphalet Smith, who set-
tled in Litchfield in 1777. He was educated in the academies of Rich-
mond, Monmouth, Hallowell and Waterville, and graduated from
Colby University in 1845. He taught in Townsend (Vermont) Acad-
emy a few months, after which he was tutor at Colby University two
years. He then attended Newton Theological Seminary one year.
He was the owner and editor of Zions Advocate from 1848 until 1850,
when he came to Colby College as professor of rhetoric, Anglo-Saxon
and English literature. He resigned his position as professor of rhet-
oric, logic and English literature, in July, 1892. He was ordained in
1871, and has preached for several churches in this part of Maine._
He married Eliza E., daughter of Joseph R. Abbott, of Augusta, Me.,,
and their children are: George W., William A., Minnie M., Jennie
M. and Bessie E.
Luther H. Soper, son of Luther H. and Almira H. (Welch) Soper,
was born in May, 1852, and was educated in the schools of Old Town,.
Me. At the age of sixteen he began clerking in a dry goods store-
and continued until 1877. The people of Waterville enjoy the ad-
vantages of having very enterprising merchants, who keep stocks in
quantities and qualities usuall)^ found only in much larger cities. In
the various departments of a dry goods store L. H. Soper & Co. enjoy
the distinction of having the largest and most complete establishment,
in the city. Mr. Soper began trade in Waterville in 1877. To meet
an imperative demand for more room he erected in 1890 the handsome
building he now occupies, at an entire expense of $26,000 — $12,000'
being for the site, which adjoins the lot on which the old Bacon tav-
ern stood. Mr. Soper married Carrie E. Wiggin, and they have one
daughter, Lucile.
James K. Soule, born in 1846, is the youngest of twenty-on&
children of Pelatiah Soule, and grandson of Jonathan Soule. His.
mother, Sarah Crommett, was his father's second wife. He attended
Coburn Classical Institute and Hartland Academy. His musical edu-
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 596
cation was acquired under private tutors, excepting two terms at the
Boston Conservatory of Music. He has devoted his attention to the
teaching of music — vocal and instrumental — since 1868, and is now
teaching vocal music for the second year in the public schools of
Waterville. He has served as alderman three terms. His wife was
Clara B. Prescott.
James wStackpole, born at Biddeford, Me., November 14, 1732 (old
style), was a son of John (1708-1796) and Bethiah Stackpole. The
family came to Waterville in 1775. James married Abiel Hill, and
their children were: Hannah, Joseph, Phebe, Samuel, Eunice, Abiel,
Sarah, James, Mary, Elizabeth. John and Jotham H. The latter mar-
ried Susan Getchell, and of their seven children only three are living:
Elizabeth, Julia A. and Charles C. Julia A. was for a number of years
a teacher in the public schools. She now keeps a private school.
Augustus P. Stevens is the son of Isaac Stevens, who came from
Old York, Mass., to Waterville in 1798, and in 1799 bought what is
now the corner of Silver and Oilman streets. He married Ruth Jane,
daughter of Nathaniel Low, and raised a family of four boys and six
girls, of whom Augustus P., born in 1807, is the only survivor. Isaac
Stevens bought, in 1803, the farm on Mill street west, on which his
son still lives, and was for many years, and till his death, in 1832, a
a trader on Main street. Augustus P. Stevens, carpenter and farmer,
married Maria, daughter of Colonel Joseph Holbrook, of Boston. Of
their three children — Marshall R., Mary and Hellen — the latter two
are dead. Mr. Stevens' second wife was Hellen Hastings, and their
children were: Lois L., who married Thomas Smart, a carriage
maker, of Waterville, in 1888; Charles, Herman and Perley A.
Frank L. Thayer, born in 1855, is a son of L. E. and Sarah A.
(Chase) Thayer, and grandson of Dr. Stephen Thayer. He was edu-
cated in Waterville public schools and Coburn Classical Institute.
From 1874 until 1885 he was in a clothing store with his father, and from
August 11, 1885, to September, 1889, he was postmaster at Waterville.
After leaving the post office he was quite extensively engaged in the
real estate business. He was elected representative in 1890, and has
been city treasurer since 1889. In January. 1892, he began a general
insurance business. He has been chairman of democratic city com-
mittee. His wife is Nora P., daughter of N. G. H. Pulsifer, M. D.
They have two sons — Nathan P. and L. Eugene. Away back, from the
beginning of things to about 1820, the northwest corner of Main and
Silver streets was an open common, used for a standing place for loads
of farmers' produce. Reuben Kidder was at one time the reputed
owner, and later, Nathaniel Oilman, whose son-in-law, Milford P. Nor-
ton, put a building on it in which the post office was kept in 1824.
After many changes and a varied history, the present owner, Frank
L. Thayer, purchased the property, and in 1890 erected his commodious
596a HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
block at a cost of $32,000. Of this sum the cost of the ground was one-
half.
Charles E.Tobey.born in 1813, is one of eight children of Stephen
and Sarah N. i Ellis) Tobey, and grandson of .Samuel and MaryTobey.
Mr. Tobey is a cabinet maker by trade and a farmer. He came in 1867
from Fairfield to Waterville, where he has done carpenter work and
farming. He married Louisa E., daughter of Elihu and Hannah
(McKechnie) Lawrence, and granddaughter of James Lawrence. Their
children are: R. A. (Mrs. Rev. R. H. Baker), and four that died—
Rinda, Sullivan C, Charles S., and an infant son.
Edwin Towne, born in 1844 in Winslow, is a son of Ephraim and
Sarah P. (Flagg) Towne. From 1866 to 1871 he worked in Fairfield,
Me., and from 1871 to 1876, in Lowell, Mass. In the latter year he
came to Waterville, where he has since lived. In 1881 he became
half owner in a grocery business, of which he became sole proprietor
a little later. His wife is Lydia A., daughter of John and Matho
(Osborn) Gerald. Their children are: Eva M., Fred H., John G.,
Alva A. and Flora E.
James Trafton, a native of York, Me., married Eunice Parker, and
raised ten children: Eunice, Dolly, Harriet, Joanna, Sarah, Clarissa,
Joseph, James, Oliver C. and Charles. Oliver C. (1798-1873) was a
farmer, and owned and occupied the farm that his father bought
when he came to Waterville, being the south part of the Nathaniel
Low farm. Oliver C. married Mary B. Lewis, and of their five chil-
dren, only two are now living: Ellen (Mrs. G. A. Johnson) and Charles
W. Those deceased were: Olive G., who married John Jackson, of
Bangor; Sophronia A., who married Gilbert Whitman, of Waterville,
and Mary J., who married William Haskell, of Boston, Mass. Charles
W. was born in 183.') on the home farm, where he is now a far.ner.
His wife was Emily R. Oilman, and their five children are: Arthur I.,
Alice M. (Mrs. L. E. Philbrook), Fannie B. (deceased), William H. and
Mary D. Mr. Trafton has been a member of the city council since
1890.
Samuel B. Trafton, born m 1834, is the youngest of four children
of Joseph (1792-1858) and Sally (Blaisdell) Trafton, and grandson of
James Trafton. He is a farmer on the homestead of his father. His
wife is Paulena T., daughter of Dummer and Olive (Trafton) BlaisdelL
They have one daughter, Lillie I.
Sebastian S. Vose, the youngest son of eight children of Rev. Eze-
kiel and Eliza (Farley) Vo.se, was born in Orleans, Mass., in 1838. He
began photograph business in 1861 at Lewi-ston, where he continued
until May, 1862, when he entered the army in Company I, 16th Maine,
serving until June, 1865. In that year he opened a photograph studio
in Canton, and in 1869 removed to Skowhegan, where he remained
until 1879, when he located in Waterville, where he still continues.
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 597
business (firm S. S. Vose & Son). His wife is Sallie E., daughter of
Thomas B. Dunn. Their children are: EUery A. (partner of his
father), Thomas E., Nina G.. Harry S., Arthur G. and four that died—
Julia M., Jennie M., Eva M. and Martha E.
John Ware. — The ancestor of the long-lived race of Ware in this
country was Robert, who had lands granted him in Dedham, Mass.,
February 6, 1642-3. Here, on March 24, 1644-5, he married " Mar-
grett Huntinge," daughter of John Hunting, first ruling elder of the
Dedham church. Margaret, the mother of Robert's ten children, died
in Dedham, August 26, 1670. His second wife, whom he married May
3, 1676, was Hannah, daughter of Thomas Jones, of Dorchester.
" Robert Ware, the Aged," as he was known, died in Dedham, April
19, 1699. His fifth son, Ephraim', born November 5, 1659, married
Hannah Herring, lived in that part of Dedham which afterward be-
came Needham, and died March 26, 1753. Ephraim", oldest son of
Ephraim', was born in Dedham February 14, 1688-9, married Hannah
Parker, of Needham, December 27, 1716, and died March 19, 1774.
Doctor Ephraim, younger son of Ephraim' (born in Needham, January
14, 1725, died in Concord, Me., September 30, 1792), was father of
Abel, whose son John is the subject of this sketch. Abel was born in
Dedham February 28, 1766, married July 14, 1788, Sybil Spaulding, of
Norridgewock (born May 25, 1762, died March 11, 1852), and removed
to Concord, Me., in 1790, where he died in June, 1803.
His youngest son, John, was born in Concord December 5, 1801,
and received his early education in the public schools of that town.
When about fourteen years of age, John went to Norridgewock, and
made his home with a married sister, Mrs. Sarah Fletcher. Here he
received instruction from a private tutor for two years, and at the
same time worked in the store of his uncle, John, where he acquired
the rudiments of a practical business education. In 1817 he went to
Athens, Me., and entered his uncle's branch store in that place. At
the death of his uncle in 1829, he assumed sole charge of the business,
conducting it successfully for twenty-eight years.
January 5, 1842, he married Sarah Maria Scott, formerly of Yar-
mouth, Me., who began teaching school in Athens in 1841. She was
born July 14, 1814, and still survives, passing an honored old age in
Waterville. In Athens all their children were born: John, October 12,
1842; George Homer, July 4, 1844; Henry Scott, April 16, 1846; Frank,
September 12, 1847, died September 19, 1862; Sarah Maria, February
18, 1850, died October 13, 1851; Ella Maria, March 25, 1852; and Ed-
ward, May 14, 1854.
In December, 1857, Mr. Ware removed with his family to Water-
ville, living on Elm street, in the house previously occupied by Zebulon
Sanger. About 1865 he returned to Athens, where he remained eight
years, but in June, 1873, he removed permanently to Waterville, pur-
/)98 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
chasing of Jeremiah Furbish the house on Silver street, now occupied
by his widow. Before leaving Athens in 1857, he had become inter-
ested in the organization of the Androscoggin & Kennebec railroad,
and was elected president of the company in June, 1856, holding the
office, through successive reelections, until 1863, in the latter part of
which year the company was merged with that of the Penobscot &
Kennebec Railroad Company. Shortly before his death, October 8,
1877, he was the projector of the Merchants' National Bank of Water-
ville, was its first president, and held the office at the time of his de-
mise. Mr. Ware was of a kindly, genial disposition, and a remarkably
able financier. He was major of a militia company, and was generally
known as Major Ware.
John, his eldest son, is now president of the Merchants' National
Bank. George, the second son, remained in Athens until 1875, when
he came to Waterville, and in August of that year was made cashier
of the bank founded by his father. He resigned the position in June,
1879, but is still one of the directors of the institution. Edward, the
youngest child of John Ware, was educated in the public schools of
Waterville, at the Eaton Family School four years, at the Franklin
Family School three years, and fitted for college at Portland and Phil-
lips Academy, Andover, Mass. He was assistant cashier of the Mer-
chants' National Bank one year. Since 1879 he has occupied the home
place of his father at Athens. He now owns and operates a saw mill
at Winslow. He married Harriet Prindle Collins, and their five chil-
dren are: John, Edward, jun., Phil T., Dorothea and Henry Hastings.
Edmund Fuller Webb comes from an English ancestry, both
sources of which contain names of historic interest. He is the son of
Joseph, the grandson of Benjamin and the great-grandson of Samuel
Webb, of Boston, who was in the fifth generation from Christopher
Webb, the English emigrant, who was made a freeman of Massachu-
setts colony in 1645. His son, Henry, died in 1660, leaving by will to
Harvard College the ground on which stands the building of Little,
Brown & Co.
Thomas Smith Webb, son of Samuel, established in Bo.ston in 1815
the Handel and Haydn Musical Society and was its first president.
He was grand master of the General Grand Masonic Encampment of
the United States.
The mother of Joseph Webb was Eunice, daughter of Nathaniel
and Hepzibah (Appleton) Day, of Boston, and was of the sixth gener-
ation from Robert Day, who was born in Ipswich, England, in 1604,
came to Boston in 1634, settled in Cambridge, and was made a free-
man in 1635.
The mother of Edmund Fuller Webb was Sarah, daughter of Jona-
than Fuller, and was in the eighth generation from Dr. Samuel Fuller,
who with his brother, Edward, came to Plymouth in the Mayflower in
CITY OF WATERVILLE. 599
1620, and was the first surgeon and physician in the colony. The
name Jonathan Fuller appears in the third generation, and then con-
secutively to and including the eighth. Sarah (Fuller) Webb was born
in Albion July 25, 1809, and died December 20, 1883. Her mother
was Hannah Bradstreet, who was of the seventh generation from
Simon Bradstreet. governor in 1679, under the first charter of Massa-
chusetts colony. Governor Bradstreet was the son of a non-conform-
ist minister, who came to America in 1629. Anne Bradstreet, wife of
the governor, was the daughter of Governor Dudley, and died in
1672.
There is no more powerful prompter to high resolve and noble
act than the consciousness of being an individual conduit in the de-
scent of such ancestral blood. Satisfactory proofs that Edmund Fuller
Webb has not been unmindful of these sacred trusts are recorded on
pag«s 338 and 339, where his portrait appears in the chapter devoted
to the profession to which he belongs. Some further statements of
his connection with the history of his times, that do not there appear,
should be made.
He was a director of the Old Waterville Bank, both before and
after its change in 1865 to the Waterville National Bank. He has
been a director of the Merchants' National Bank from its organization,
and since 1880 he has been its vice-president. He has been a member
of the prudential committee of Colby University since 1877 and for
the past twelve j'ears one of its trustees. He has been a solicitor of
the Maine Central railroad since 1876, and has been the general coun-
sel and a director of the Somerset railway since 1886. He obtained
the charter and promoted the building of the street railroad from
Waterville to Fairfield, and aided in organizing the Waterville Electric
Light and Power Company, and effected the consolidation of these
and the Fairfield Electric Light Company in the present Waterville
and Fairfield Railway and Light Company, of which he is a director.
He also obtained the charter and organized the Waterville Water
Company. With no specialty in his profession, the characteristic feat-
ure of Mr. Webb's work and of his reputation is that he is a business
lawyer, with a practical knowledge of business enterprises and
methods and their relations to the law. Mr. Webb has always been
a steadfast republican, and in 1892 was a delegate-at-large to the
republican national convention in Minneapolis.
John Webber (1810-1882), son of John Webber, of Danville, Vt.,
was a moulder by trade, and was in the employ of the Fairbanks Scales
Company until 1843, when, in company with F. P. Haviland, he
bought of that company their plant in Waterville, and was engaged
in the manufacture of plows and machinery until 1873, when they
sold the business. He was a director of the A. & K. railroad in its
early days, and was for several years president of the People's Na-
600 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tional Bank. He married Sophia G., daughter of Francis and Sophia
(Grant) Bingham, and their children are: Ellen R. (Mrs. Captain H. S.
Blanchard), Eliza (deceased), Frank B. and John N. Frank B. is one
of the present owners of the business of his father, and John N., who
with his mother occupies the homestead, is a member of the hardware
firm of Hanson, Webber & Dunham, and a director of the People's
National Bank.
Elwood T. Wyman, born in Sidney, graduated from Farmington
Normal School in 1884 and from Colby Univensity in 1890. He began
newspaper work while in college, was one year local editor of the
Watervillc Sentinel, and since October, 1890, has been Waterville agent
for the Associated Press. April 17, 1891, in company with Henry C.
Prince, he bought the Watcri'ille Mail, which they own and publish
under the firm name of Prince & Wyman. Mr. Prince is a native of
Buckfield, Me. He attended Hebron Academy and in 1844 graduated
from Coburn Classical Institute. He took one year at Colby, after
which he was four years in the West, prior to 1891.
Alexander R. Yates, a native of Bristol, Me., is a member of the
firm of Yates Brothers & Shattock, commission and African merchants,
of Boston. In 1888 he bought the F. P. Haviland residence, at the
corner of Silver and Grove streets, which is very appropriately named
" Silver Lawn." He spends a large part of his time in Africa looking
after the firm's interests there. When at home he gives special atten-
tion to fine horses.
Ira E. Getchell is the son of Edmund Getchell, of Pownalboro,
who.se father's name was Edmund, and whose grandfather, Dennis
Getchell, came from Massachusetts, and was of Scotch-Irish descent.
Edmund Getchell was born in 1795 and came with his father to Vas-
salboro in 1807, where he became a farmer and lumberman, and mar-
ried Desire Priest. Their children were: Williams, Mary, Leonard
and Ira E., who was born in 1832, and became and has continued to
be a farmer. He also acquired a thorough knowledge of civil engi-
neering, in which profession, with an office in Waterville, he has had
for years a wide practice and reputation. Mr. Getchell has been
president of the North Kennebec Agricultural Society and is a mem-
ber elect to the legislature of 1893-4. He married in 1857, Cornelia,
daughter of Williams Bassett, of Bridgewater, Mass. Their only
child. Will B. Getchell, is a civil engineer, of Augusta.
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE CITY OF GARDINER.
Settlement.— First Comers.— Incorporation as a Town.— Statistics.— Early Mills.
—Present Manufactories.— South Gardiner.— Old Settlers.— Lumber Firms.
— Old Stores.— Civil Officers.— Incorporation of City. — Banks.— Gas Com-
pany.—Water Company.— Churches.— Schools. — Libraries. — Cemetery.—
Lodges.— Societies —Personal Paragraphs.
CITIES, like events, are the results of causes. Gardiner city is the
natural product of the water power of the Cobbos.seecontee
river. It was organized by the laws of nature, and is run by
the force of gravity. Its aggregation of people is due to the opportu-
nities here afforded for employment. Mills and manufactories are the
bee-hives of civilization, and fortunate is that locality which furnishes
the necessary conditions under which men and women can come in
swarms and find work and wages.
Mr. Emer.son has said that " every institution is the lengthened
shadow of one man." With some unimportant modification that re-
mark may apply to this city. If ever a town had a founder, this city
was begotten by Dr. Sylvester Gardiner, many of whose lineaments it
still perpetuates. Industry, economy, order, thrift, thoroughness, de-
spatch, education, morality, were qualities whose .seeds Dr. Sylvester
Gardiner certainly planted wherever he lived.
The history of Gardiner properly commences with the incorpora-
tion of the Proprietors of the Kennebec Purchase, among whom was
Doctor Gardiner, born in Rhode Island in 1707. He chose the medi-
cal profession and settled in Boston, where as a physician and drug-
gist he became rich. The fact that his father and his grandfather
were born and raised in New England would tend to a reasonable
belief that the Engli.sh blood of his great-grandfather. Joseph, had
become fairly Americanized, but after eight years spent in England
and France completing his professional education, he returned home,
socially, politically and religiously, a thorough Englishman. He had
a clear, active mind, exact observation and information, a compre-
602 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
hensive ambition, and a high degree of energy and business talent.
These qualities were recognized and endorsed by his associates, who
made him moderator at all their meetings, and the manager and ex-
ecutive officer of the company.
It had been very difficult to obtain actual .settlers. vSo efficient did
Doctor Gardiner prove in finding and inducing new families to try
the new region, that the very next year he was granted a large part
of what is now the business portion of Gardiner city, including the
famous Cobbosseecontee falls and water privileges. In honor of his
services the locality was named Gardinerston and more land was
granted him till his possessions in 1770 amounted to over 12,000 acres.
His energy is shown by the following list of practical, valuable me-
chanics and others collected at Falmouth, ]\Ie., in 1760, and brought
by water to Gardinerston: Mr. Thomes, a builder of grist mills; Ben-
jamin Fitch, a saw. millwright; James Winslow, a wheelwright, and
Ezra Davis, James and Henry McCausland and William Philbrook —
the last four men bringing their families.
The next spring these men built the Cobbossee grist mill, so long
and so widely known as the only place to get grinding done in all the
Kennebec valley. The same summer they built the Great House,
that for the next fifty years — as a tavern — was the most noted build-
ing in town. Among its first landlords were: James Stackpole, Ben-
jamin Shaw, Pray, Bowman, Randall, Widow Longfellow and E. Mc-
Lellan. The upper part contained a hall where religious meetings
were often held. The building of mills of various kinds — saw mills,
a fulling mill, potash works, brick kiln, stores and many dwellings —
soon followed. Samuel Oldham received one hundred acres of land
as an inducement to build and burn a kiln of brick.
In 1762 Solomon Tibbitts was induced by Doctor Gardiner to bring
his family of nine children to the west side of the river, where they
settled on Plaisted hill. Abiathar Tibbitts, one of the first native
children in town, was born there. Ichabod Plaisted came in 176:3;
Benaiah Door from Lebanon, N. H., .settled on Plaisted hill a year or
two later. Samuel Berry was another early comer. ' His house was
near dam No. 1. Captain Nathaniel Berry, a great hunter, was a
permanent settler; William Everson, the first .schoolmaster, came in
1766; Paul and Stephen Kenney also came in 1766, and Nathaniel
Denbow, James Cox, Peter Hopkins, William Law, Dennis Jenkins
and Abner Marson in 1768. John North was one of the first Irish
settlers. In 1774 his son Joseph purchased the old post office. Joseph
North represented this section in the provincial congress in 1774-5.
He was an able, worthy man.
The revolutionary war came on and Doctor Gardiner's love of
England took him off with the British army. He was a tory and
never returned to enjoy his possessions, but settled after peace was
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 603
declared, in Newport, R. I., where he practiced his profession till his
death in 1786. His real property, which was confiscated, was finally
restored to his heir and grandson, Robert Hallowell, to whom the
doctor willed his Kennebec estate on condition that he should take
the name of Gardiner, which he was allowed to do by act of the legis-
lature in 1802. Robert Hallowell Gardiner was born in England in
1782, and upon arriving at suitable age took possession of his estate.
Eleazar Tarbox came in 1774 and raised seven sons and two daugh-
ters. He married Phebe, daughter of James Stackpole, who kept the
Great House. Andrew Bradstreet and his sons, Joseph and Simon,
came in 1780, engaged in lumbering and soon had a .saw mill and a
store near the upper dam. Captain Samuel Grant, a revolutionary
soldier who fought at Bunker Hill, came to Gardinerston at the close
of the war. He was the father of Peter Grant and died in Clinton
and was buried here. Benjamin Shaw came to Gardiner in 1783 and
was proprietor of the Great House. He settled at New Mills in 1790,
where he had a saw mill and a store.
The Kennebec valley charmed General Henry Dearborn as he was
passing through it during his eight years' service in the revolutionary
war, and in 1785 he purchased land of William Gardiner and made
this village his home till he was appointed secretary of war in 1801,
when he removed to Washington. He represented the Kennebec dis-
trict in congress two terms, and was the most distinguished citizen
who ever lived in Gardiner. There was at that time a whipping post
back of the Great House, to which the general, who acted as a local
magistrate or judge, was obliged to consign many unruly culprits.
In 1785 Doctor Gardiner's son, William, was a noted man here, and
boarded at the Great House. He was a jolly fellow, who cared more
for hunting and fishing than for business. Henry Smith, who became
the noted tavern keeper at " Smithtown," on the east side of the river,
then lived near General Dearborn. R. E. Nason was captain of the
first military company and was succeeded by Major Seth Gay. Wil-
liam Barker, Samuel Norcross, Ezekiel Pollard, William Wilkins, a
school teacher, and Sherebiah Town, the miller, were early settlers.
Simeon Goodwin, an active, able man, then lived at New Mills,
from whence he soon removed to Purgatory, which soon became
known as Goodwin's Mills. Gardiner Williams, Noah Nason, a mill
man, and Nathaniel B. Dingley were also here at that time.
Major Seth Gay built the first wharf and General Dearborn e.stab-
lished the ferry, in 1786. He loved to draw a seine near the mouth of
the Cobbosseecontee, where shad, herring, salmon and sturgeon were
more than abundant. Jonathan Winslow loved to tell how he caught
sixteen big salmon one Sunday morning before breakfast. Ebenezer
Byram came from Bridge water to build General Dearborn's house,
which stood where the Library building is. David Young came in
604 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
1781; Leonard Cooper, Jonathan Jewett and Burnham Clark in 1783;
Daniel Jewett in 1785; David and Reuben Moore, Jedediah Jewett,
Dominicus Wakefield in 1787, and David Dunham in 1788.
Within the next five years the new comers were: Ebenezer
Thomas, Abiel Pitts, Joshua Little, Jonathan Moody, Andrew Har-
low, Jonathan Redman, Hubbard Eastman, Seth Fitch, David Blair,
Daniel Evans, Bolton Fish, Samuel Little, Peter Lord, Asa Moore,
Robert Shirley, Timothy Clark, Isaac Hatch, Jere. Dudley, John
Butler, Allen Landers, Charles Witherell, Richard Davis, Elijah
Clarke, Edward and Thomas Palmer and James Pickard.
In 1792 the small pox became epidemic here, but the people de-
cided by vote that inoculation was not expedient. Mr. Hallowell
brought the first wheel chaise to town and General Dearborn brought
the first wagon. In 1806 Rufus Gay paid $135 for a new chaise.
Incorporation. — The legislature was petitioned in 1778 to incor-
porate the plantation of Gardinerston, and in 1779 an act was passed
incorporating it into the town of Pittston. In the year 1803 all the
territory of the old town of Pittston lying on the west side of the Ken-
nebec, with the inhabitants therein, was by act of legislature " incor-
porated into a distinct town by the name of Gardiner." By the pro-
visions of the act Jedediah Jewett was directed to issue his warrant
to some principal inhabitant of said town to notify the people to
assemble for the purpose of choosing town officers, " and to transact
such other matters and things as may be necessary and lawful at such
meeting." The warrant was issued to Dudley B. Hobart, who called
the first town meeting in the old Episcopal meeting house, March 21,
1803. Some of the offices as then designated sound a little queer
now. They elected tythingmen, hog reeves and a fish committee.
April 1st the town voted to raise $800 for highways, $200 for preach-
ing, $500 for schooling and $500 for debts and expenses of the town.*
April 4, 1814, it was " voted not to raise any more money for preach-
ing," and after the next year " tythingmen " were not included in the
list of town officers.
Statistics. — At the time Gardiner was incorporated there were but
one or two houses on Church hill, which was covered with a dense
growth of pines. Water street had but one or two stores, and the
Cobbosseecontee ran most of the way from its sources to the Kenne-
bec, through unbroken forests. In 1820 the town of Gardiner raised
2,576 bushels of corn, 1,056 bushels of wheat, 910 bushels of oats and
239 bushels of peas and beans. There were 162 houses, 195 barns, 86
horses, 315 oxen, 441 cows and 337 swine; 1,485 acres of meadow yielded
* The money raised for preaching was by vote appropriated to the Episcopal
church, but those attending other churches could control the amount of preach-
ing tax paid by them. Ichabod Plaisted attended to the Methodist proportion,
and James Lord and Abraham Cleves to the Baptist claims.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 605
1,500 tons of hay. The average wealth of each person in Gardiner
that year was 60 per cent, above the average of each person in Maine.
In 1830 it was voted to allow the town treasurer but twenty dollars for
his services, and that $1,800 should be raised for town expenses and
supporting the poor, $1,400 for schooling, and $2,500 for roads and
bridges.
The population of Gardiner in 1850, before West Gardiner was set
off, was 6,486. It contained 195 farms, that produced 124 bushels of
wheat, 7,962 bushels of corn, 5,542 bushels of oats, 700 bushels of bar-
ley, 3,900 tons of hay, 2,780 pounds of beeswax and honey, 8,340 pounds
of cheese and 50,000 pounds of butter. There were 988 houses, 300
horses, 600 cows, 326 oxen, 940 sheep and 189 swine. There were
sawed 15.000,000 feet of lumber, 3,500,000 of clapboards, and 12,000,000
shingles. The manufacture of cloth was: 5,000 yards of flannel, 8,000
yards of satinet, and 20,000 yards cassimere; 50,000 sheep skins and
45,600 sides of leather were handled. Some of the other productions
were: 10,500 pairs of boots and shoes, 12,000 baft-els of flour, and 350,-
000 brick. There were nine physicians, one dentist, ten lawyers, two
printing offices, two book stores, three banks, three apothecaries, three
hotels, two jewelers, two hat, cap and fur stores, six livery stables,
four stove and tin stores, one bakery, one harness maker, two furniture
manufactories, one sail loft, two crockery stores, one extensive pottery,
one plaster mill, one grist mill, one woolen factory, two machine shops,
one foundry, one tannery, one paper mill, three ship yards, seven ready
made clothing stores, three eating houses, six boot and shoe stores, six
millinery stores, two carriage factories, twenty-six groceries and five
dry goods stores. There were fifteen up and down saws, three sa.sh,
door and blind makers, thirteen shingle machines, one last maker,
three cabinet makers, nine blacksmiths and two commission mer-
chants.
Early Mills. — When the idle flow of the Cobbosseecontee was
arrested by the hand of industry and the stout form of wooden dam
No. 1 was stretched across its path, the first task assigned to the tur-
bid rambler, undoubtedly, was to turn the crank of an old fashioned
saw mill. The pioneer mill had so much work that a second one was
added, and the two sawed the beams and boards for Cobbossee grist
mill, which was built on the east end of the dam in 1761.
For the next fifty years it can probably be .said with truth, of saw
mills there was no end. Where there was a saw mill is not so much
of a question as where there wasn't one; dam No. 1 had thirteen run-
ning at one time. Two or three generations of saw mills were built,
worn out and replaced with new ones, on ground back of where Bar-
stow & Nickerson's store now stands. Three generations of saw mills
have also flourished on the upper or reservoir dam. The first was
built so early that its successor, built bv General Dearborn and hired
606 HISTORY OF KEXXEBEC COUNTV.
by Joseph Bradstieet before 1790, gave that locality the name of New
Mills, which it still retains.
This upper dam, where nothing stands now but the pump house of
the water company, was a busy place for eighty or ninety years pre-
ceding 1850. Besides the saw mills mentioned, one of which was run
by Rivereus Hooker, there were a foundry (where John Stone made
the first _cast iron plows in this part of Maine), a machine shop and lead
pipe works. Mr. Flagg, of Hallowell, had charge of the forge and
made vessel anchors, also nails that sold at sixteen cents a pound.
There was a long row of low buildings for the storage of charcoal to
use in the different shops. There were lead pipe works, carriage
shops and shingle factories, and a Mr. Wythe had an ashery near by.
Later there was a match factory, in a part of which Reuben Hazleton
had a carriage shop, and another building in which Buffum & Collins
made sash, doors and blinds. These buildings, with a saw mill, were
all destroyed by fire in 1849. The match factory at that time belonged
to A. & C. H. Andrew*.
The lower dam, now No. 1, and the first saw and grist mills, were
probably built in 1760 and 1761, by Dr. Sylvester Gardiner, who estab-
lished the policy that was followed for the next seventy-five years by
his successors, of building and holding the title of all dams, mills, and
of as much adjoining real estate as possible. These mills were rented
to practical men, who accepted the best terms they could get, and did
their best to live and thrive.
The memory of men now alive does not cover much that happened
previous to 1820. In 1822 the present stone dam No. 1 was begun,
and completed the third year after. John Stone, a well remembered
blacksmith who came from Kennebunk to Gardiner, took the job, and
his son John, born in Gardiner in 1806 and still living here in the en-
joyment of good health and a clear mind, worked with his father in
building that dam. About the same time R. H. Gardiner built the
stone mill on the corner of Water and Bridge streets, that is the first
grist mill within the memory of what are now the older inhabitants.
Mr. Stone is about the only person who remembers the old wooden
grist mill, that stood on the opposite corner, on a part of the site now
covered by the brick grist mill. This may have been, and probably
was, the mill to which the first settlers came from so large a territory
previous to 1800. The old wooden mill was run by Daniel Woodward.
He was also a plow maker; that is he made the wood work, and John
Stone, who had machinery in his blacksmith shop, including a trip
hammer run by water power, made the iron part. When the stone
grist mill was ready for use Michael Woodward was the miller for
many years. He was succeeded by Benjamin Johnson, who lost a leg
and had to take up lighter business.
THE CITY OF (lARHIXER. 607
After Johnson, Smith Maxcy, who made millers of four of his five
boys, carried on the stone mill till it was succeeded by the brick mill
in 1844. Hundreds of people are still living who remember him in
both mills. No man had more friends, or better deserved them. A
few will recollect that Benjamin Johnson kept a variety store in the
old stone mill which stood some years after grinding in it was stopped.
The old wooden grist mill was used for a plow factory by John Stone
and Daniel Woodward after the stone mill began grinding. After
that it was removed to where Holmes' works are. The old oakum
mill on dam No. 2 was run by Master Sprague. That was the end of
the street then; very large pines grew in that locality.
Manufactures. — Henry Bowman in 1846 built on dam No. 2 a saw
mill that was owned by the firm of Clay, Dinsmore & Co., composed
of Bradbury T. Dinsmore, of Anson, Richard and William Clay, and
Charles and George Moore. Joshua Gray came to Gardiner in 1844,
and after clerking for this firm less than two years bought George
^foore's interest in the saw mill. Richard Clay died in 1848, the firm
dissolved and Henry T. Clay & Co. bought the business and carried it
on. Mr. Gray soon purchased an interest in what was first an oakum
mill, then a starch mill, and was converted by Frost & Sargent into a
shingle and clapboard mill. Frost & Gray continued this kind of
work five or six years, when John Frost sold his interest to Townsend,
and Gray & Townsend lost the mill by fire. At the same time the
firm of J. Gray & Co., composed of Joshua Gray, John Frost and Brad-
bury T. Dinsmore, leased on the river below the railroad, a steam mill
that was burned after four years' operation.
Before the civil war Gray & Dinsmore bought Islr. Gray's present
mill of Clay & Co., and several years later Mr. Gray bought his part-
ner's interest. In 1870 he also bought dam No. 2, for $22,000, and im-
mediately rebuilt and enlarged the mill, and in 1876 made his son
George a partner, as Joshua Gray & Son. This firm, long known as
one of the leaders in the lumber manufacture, is cutting over five
million feet a year, in which work thirty-five men are steadily em-
ployed.
Mr. Gray has never been allowed to give all his energies to his
private business. His fellow-citizens early perceived that the clear
judgment and unswerving honor constantly apparent in the manage-
ment of his own affairs would be invaluable in the public service. In
1867 they made him a member of the city council, an alderman in
1868, and to fill a vacancy he was the same year made mayor, and
reelected in each of the three ensuing years. While mayor he was
twice chosen to the state senate, serving in 1869 and 1870.
Private corporations, always alert for the best officials obtainable,
have also asked and obtained the benefits of his experience and
counsel. He was one of the original directors of the Oakland Bank
t)U« HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and has been president of the Oakland National Bank since 1871. He
was for years a director of the Kennebec Log Driving Company, part
of the time its president, and has been the only president of the Oak-
land Manufacturing Company. To his long life in Gardiner the atten-
tion of young men may most appropriately and profitably be called.
Patient hard work, sound common sense, unswerving tenacity of pur-
pose, unbending honesty of practice, a genial nature, a smiling face,
a friendly hand, are some of the traits and characteristics of a man
who has commanded the respect and won the kindest consideration
of all whose good fortune it has been to know him. He has always
been a pillar of strength in the republican party and in the Univer-
salist church.
Mr. Gray is the .son of George and Margaret (Dinsmore) Graj', and
the grandson of George Gray, who came from England to Starks, Me.,
where he raised a family. George, born 178.^, died 1868, and Mar-
garet, born 1794, died 1869, were the parents of eleven children:
Joshua, Calvin, William D., Rachael, Edwin, Betsey, Gardner, Re-
becca, Benjamin D., Paulina D. and Albina. Five of these are living.
Joshua, the eldest of the eleven, was born November 14, 1814. On
the 25th of June, 1849, he married Ploma M., daughter of Ephraim
Currier, of Norridgewock, Me., and settled in Gardiner, where Mr.
Gray had already lived five years. Here their children were raised:
George, born November 22, 1850, now in business with his father;
Fred, born May 9, 1852, now living in Indianapolis, la.; Charles H.,
born October 4, ]858, at home, and Harriet C, now Mrs. Benjamin B.
Clay, of Minneapolis, Minn.
Prior to 1834 the Gardiner system of saw mills on dam No. 1, nearest
to the mouth of the Cobbosseecontee, embraced six complete mills
under three separate roofs. James Jewett came here in 1834 and
worked several years for R. H. Gardiner in connection with these mills
and in the erection of new ones. Mr. Gardiner's house was burned in
1836 and subsequently he built four other complete mills under one
roof, on dam No. 1. These ten mills were operated bv tenants: 1 and
2 by N. O. Mitchell; 3, by Day & Preble; 4, Samuel Clay and Shaw &
Cook; 5 and 6, John & Arthur Berry; 7 and 8, Hooker, Libby & Co.,
and 9 and 10 by William Sargent. These ten mills and surroundings
were burned in 1844, at once rebuilt by Mr. Gardiner and occupied by
his former tenants. A second fire in 1860 again destroyed these mills,
which were immediately rebuilt by the occupants, who rented the sites
and power of Mr. Gardiner.
In 1863 H. W. Jewett & Hanscom leased mills 9 and 10 of William
Sargent and hired Hooker, Libby & Co. to saw lumber for them by
the thousand. The next year Mr. Jewett bought the Sargent mill,
and a few years later he bought the Hooker, Libby & Co. mill, and
put m a modern gang of twenty-one saws. Then he traded this large
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 609
mill with Mr. Gardiner for Nos. 1 and 2, then called the Mitchell mill,
and standing on the site where his present lumber business is located.
This he repaired at considerable expense and was doing a fine busi-
ness when it was destroyed by fire August 7, 1882. On the spot occu-
pied by the ruins Mr. Jewett immediately rebuilt at a cost of $30,000,
and had his new mill ready and running in the early spring of 1883,
and its size, equipments and adaptation to a large bu.siness placed it
at once at the head of the lumber cutting establishments of Gardiner.
The aggregate payments for the 832,793 logs used during the ten years
ending with 1891 was $1,045,870.77, exclusive of collecting and hand-
ling. Its annual output of long lumber has been 11,000,000 feet, giv-
ing employment to an average force of more than ninetj' men.
The logs for this immen.se business come from Moosehead lake and
its tributaries. About twenty cargoes of 200,000 feet each of spruce
are sent to New York city — one-third is sold at home and the balance
finds market on the line of the railroads. This eleven million feet is
exclusive of the average annual product of short lumber, including
about 6,000,000 shingles, 4,000,000 laths, a half million clapboards and
as many pickets and slats.
Lincoln Perry was born in Topsham, Me., July 25, 1815, and died
in Gardiner, Me., August 28, 1890. His father, Joseph M. Perry, of
Top.sham, had four sons and four daughters. Joseph and Lincoln set-
tled in Gardiner, John W. in Brunswick, Me., and Bradford .settled
first in Gardiner, afterward in Bo.ston. One daughter, Eliza, married
Henry Foy, of Gardiner, and resided in that place. Lincoln Perry
came to Gardiner in 1831. In 1842 he purchased a mill on dam No. 3
and engaged in the lumber business, afterward owning and operating
two mills on that dam for the manufacture of lumber. He continued
in that business until 1867, when he retired. In the mill purchased
in 1842 had been placed the first planing machine introduced into the
county, which he operated for a while, and which up to that time and
later was the only planing machine in the county. He married Mary
Langdon Reed, of Dresden, Me. They had three children: Mary
Adelia, Arthur L. and Sarah W. Perry. The two former are now liv-
ing and reside in Gardiner. Lincoln Perry served in the city govern-
ment in 1867, '68, '69 and '70. He was a prominent member of the
Congregational church and throughout life one of its most earnest
supporters.
The industry of broom making in Gardiner was started in a build-
ing owned by John Moore and Joseph Perry, on Summer street, on
wing of dam No. 2 in 1866, by Augustus W. McCau.sland, William H.
Moore, and his brother, Gustavus Moore. The next year Mr. McCaus-
land bought his partners both out, and in 1868 bought of Arthur Berry
the broom handle business that was begun, by Thomas Ingalls Noyes
■two years before, and was thus enabled to make the brooms complete
610 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
in one shop. In 1869 A. W. McCausland and William H. Moore be.^an
cutting thin lumber for picture frame backs, and the next year received
George H. Stone into the new firm of Moore, McCausland & Co., which
abandoned the making of brooms, and made broom handles and bed
slats its main products. This firm built the steam mill now used by
the Oakland company, and otherwise enlarged their expenditures, till
needing more capital. The Oakland Manufacturing Company was or-
ganized in 1871, with $25,000 capital stock. In the spring of 1880 the
Joseph Perry machine shop, standing only a few feet from the Oak-
land shops, was burned, and the ground and water rights of the
Perry shop were at once leased of Joshua Gray, and the planing
mill now in use was added to the plant of the Oakland company.
A force of twenty to twenty-five workmen turn out from six to eight
million broom handles yearly, most of which are sent to foreign
markets, and over two million pieces of spring bed and slat work.
Joshua Gray is the president, Albion E. Wing is the treasurer, and
Augustus W. McCausland superintendent of this company.
In 1868 John Kidder Foy and A. K. P. Buffum built a planing mill
en Summer street and made doors, sash and blinds, under the firm
name of Foy & Buffum. In 1870 Sanford N. Maxcy succeeded Mr.
Foy, and the same line of business was carried on for the next fourteen
years by the firm of A. K. P. Buffum & Co. A fire destroyed all of
their works except the east building in 1884, when Mr. Maxcy pur-
chased his partner's half, and operated two years as S. N. Maxcy &
Co. In 1886 the present stock company was organized as The S. N.
Maxcy Manufacturing Company. These mills have always been run
by steam, using now a thirty-five horse power engine, and the steady
services of twenty to twenty-five men.
The manufacture of bed slats for the general market is an indu.stry
that originated here with William H. Moore. The initial experiment
was made in 1868 in a building known as Moore's shop, on Summer
street, and it prospered from the start. In 1880 Mr. Moore moved to
dam No. 3, and bought his present location of Arthur Berry, on which
was the old " Shadagee " saw mill, that was originally built back of
the present post office on Water street, where it stood many years, and
was moved to dam No. 3 by Mr. Gardiner, about 1820. John Moore,
father of William H., was a millwright, and did the work. There was
also a building now used for a mattress factory, that Mr. Berry built
manv years ago for a planing mill. In 1884 an automatic splitting
saw, and in 1888 a machine for cutting excelsior, were invented and
patented by Mr. Moore, each of which is of great utility and value.
In July, 1891, The W. H. Moore Mattress Manufacturing Company
was organized to make a new mattress in which the tips of pine and
fir boughs are used for their hygienic effects. Both branches of Mr.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 611
Moore's business are active, and together they furnish occupation for
twenty-four people.
Captain James Walker engaged in making boxes at dam No. 3 in
1869, where he remained eleven years and then moved to the lower
dam and was burned out in 1882. He was also interested with S. N.
Maxcy in the lumber business. The same year of the fire Captain
Walker resumed box making and located at his present quarters in
one of the Oakland Manufacturing Company's buildings on Summer
street, where he employs from five to fifteen hands.
Some four or five years before the civil war Whitmore & Dorr built
a saw mill on the " Shadagee " dam. Mr. Dorr soon sold his interest
to William Sargent, who in 1863 sold to Robert T. Hayes. Whitmore
& Hayes added a building with a rotary saw, and had just finished
other improvements, when Mr. Whitmore died, in 1865, and his inter-
ests were sold to Mr. Hayes. Joseph C. Atkins, of Farmingdale, sub-
sequently purchased a half interest in this mill, and the firm of R. T.
Hayes & Co. employ twenty men, and cut one million feet of long and
two million feet of short lumber yearly.
On his return from the war in 1866 Melvin C. Wadsworth bought
an interest in the house furniture manufacturing firm of Tibbetts &
Morgan. Three years later he bought out his partners and conducted
the business alone till 1873, when the present firm of Wadsworth
Brothers was formed by the admission of Clarence E. Wadsworth.
The fire of 1882 destroyed their factory, but they rebuilt the next
year on the old site, which they still occupy, employing twelve men
in their shops. This is the only concern of the kind in Gardiner.
Peleg S. Robinson opened in 1861 a general jobbing sash, door and
blind shop, with John F. Merrill, whose interest he purchased in 1863,
and has followed the business ever since, employing six men.
Immediately after the disastrous fire of 1882 — which burned the
sash, door and blind manufactories of Moore & Brown, and of Seabury
& Towle — Granville W. Moore, Daniel B. Brown and Rufus B. Seabury
formed the present firm of Moore, Brown & Co., contractors and build-
ers, and proceeded at once to construct their buildings now in use on
dam No. 1. The main building stands where Moore & Brown's shop
stood, and the building which contains the office is on the spot where
Seabury & Towle's factory was. This, the oldest concern of the kind
in the city, dating from Mr. Seabury 's beginning in 1852. furnished
labor for fifteen to twenty-five men.
The history of the Holmes & Robbins' pioneer machine and iron
working manufactory begins in 1830, when Philip C. Holmes and
Charles A. Robbins began to build grain threshers on the lower dam,
near the present Daily Neivs building, for R. B. Dunn. In a few years
they moved to dam No. 2, just above the old Gardiner woolen mill,
where they built a wooden foundry on the site of their present old
612 HISTORY OF KK.VNEBEC COUXTV.
foundry, and a store-house for patterns, and added mill work and
steam engines to their line of manufactures. This entire establish-
ment was burned in. 1846. Within a single month a brick foundry
■was in complete running order on the site of the old one, and the next
year they built the present brick store-house. In 184S the firm built
the machine shop now in use, and made castings for ship work. Their
forge for making ship shapes stood on dam No. 3, where Foster's axe
factory was and where now the Gardiner Tool Company is located.
This line of work was continued to 1858, when shipbuilding went
down. The old firm was dissolved in 1860 and the new firm of P. C.
Holmes & Co. was formed, by Philip C. and George M. Holmes and
Thomas Wrenn. The latter died in 1866, and in 1873 Philip H.
Holmes was admitted. Philip C. Holmes died in 1882 and the next
year George H., son of George M. Holmes, became a member of the
firm. In 1889 The P. C. Holmes Company was incorporated, with a
capital of $300,000. The Holmes turbine water wheel, invented by
Philip H. Holmes, is a specialty of manufacture; also the fibre graph-
ite, another remarkable invention of Mr. Holmes, which obviates the
use of all lubricants in the running of machinery. George M. Holmes
is the inventor of machinery for placing accurately spaced and planed
gears.
The firm of C. A. Robbins & Sons, iron founders and machinists,
was formed in 1869, by Charles A. and his sons, E. Everett and Albert
A. Robbins. They bought at that time the premises on the corner of
Bridge and High streets, and put up buildings which they u.sed till
they were burned in 1882. The old shops were replaced by new ones
the same year, and the name of the firm was not changed when
Charles A. Robbins died April 9, 1884, nor when E. E. Robbins died
in 1892. The number of employees is fifteen, manufacturing saw and
grist mill machinery, iron and brass castings, shafting and pulleys;
but the principal specialty of the factory is machinery for stowing
and shipping ice.
The making of steel springs and axles in Gardiner is the result of
one of the earliest attempts of its kind in the state of j\Iaine. In 1830
James Williams made steel springs in Readfield, where he continued
their manufacture for thirty-five years. Among his workmen was
Hebron M. Wentworth, who left the shop and served his country
through the civil war. On his return in 1865, he chose this city for
his future home and brought Mr. Williams with him, and continued
the steel spring and axle manufacture on dam No. 3, where it still re-
mains. The next year the shop was burned, and immediately rebuilt,
and David Wentworth became a partner, with firm name of Went-
worth Brothers. Soon after George and Frank Plaisted were admitted
to the new firm of H. Wentworth & Co., which ran .several years, when
the Plaisteds sold to John T. Richards and others. In 1877 a stock
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 613
company was formed, and incorporated as The Wentworth Spring &
Axle Company, which has had fourteen years of continued growth
and prosperity. The annual output is 350 tons of steel springs and
15,000 sets of axles, in the production of which forty-five men are
employed.
The manufacture of axes in Gardiner began in 1881, when Henry
M. Foster came here from Skowhegan and bought of James Walker a
box factory on dam No. 3, which he converted into an axe and ice
tool factory. After running one year The Foster Edge Tool Com-
pany was formed, which after two years was changed to the present
Gardiner Tool Company, of which Fuller Dingley is president and
Henry M. Foster agent. Six men are employed and 1,300 dozen axes
are made annually.
After returning from the war Benjamin S. Smith resumed his
trade of house builder and contractor, which he learned of Tibbetts,
Morgan & Co. In 1883 he rented of J. W. Lash the building he now
owns and occupies on dam No. 1, and in 1887 he bought it. His busi-
ness includes a great variety of wood work for building and finishing
purposes, besides sash, doors and blinds, at which six men find steady
work.
Harvey Scribner came to Gardiner from Casco, Me., in 1854, and in
1856 rented of J. E. Ladd & Co. a new building on dam No. 1, and be-
gan making shafting, pulleys and lumber machinery. In 1872 he
bought the building and did millwright and machine work till Janu- ■
ary, 1890, when he was burned out. One week from that time Mr.
Scribner bought his present factory of Captain Jo.seph Perry, in which
he employs sixteen men.
Captain Joseph Perry came to Gardiner in 1827, and until 1836
worked at house carpentry, and for Holmes & Robbins. He then
hired a building on dam No. 2, near the People's Grist Mill, and
opened a machine shop. In 1846 he bought the shop, which was
burned in 1880. Two years later he was again burned out in a shop
he had rented, but immediately rebuilt on a larger scale than ever —
the best machine shop on the river — and in February, 1890, after fifty-
four years of prosperous business, he sold his plant and retired.
The brick gri.st mill, corner of Water and Bridge streets, on dam
No. 1.. was built by R. H. Gardiner in 1844, and fitted with machinery
and bolts for merchant flouring, as well as for a custom grist mill.
Walter Wrenn, an experienced English miller, had charge of the
flouring department, and Smith Maxcy left the old stone mill to take
the custom department. William Vaughan and Francis Richards
were the financial men of the concern. They were succeeded by
John S. Wilson, John Nutting and Walter Wrenn, who bought grain
and made flour till cheap transportation brought western flour in
ruinous competition with New England manufacture, and the busi-
614 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ness was abandoned in 1868. Bartlett & Dennis were the next occu-
pants of the mill, and in 1871 were succeeded by Barstow & Nicker-
son, who have done custom grinding there for over twenty years.
The Peoples Grist Mill was built in 1860, by John C. Bartlett and
others, who sold it in 1862 to Bartlett & Dennis. Mr. Bartlett died in
1882, and was succeeded in the firm by his son, William M. Bartlett.
This mill is on dam No. 2, Summer street, and up to about 1880 it did
regular merchant flouring, bringing large quantities of western wheat
by railroad and grinding it for the New England trade. Since then
it has been exclusively a grist mill, does roller and stone grinding,
and in its various departments employs ten men.
During the winter of 1886-7, Watkins & Peacock fitted premises
on Water street for grinding grain by steam power, and six months
later transferred the business to the present proprieter, William M.
Wood, who bought the machinery and rented the building. This is
the only steam grist mill in Gardiner.
The first paper mill on the Cobbosseecontee was built about 1806
by R. H. Gardiner, John Savels, Eben Moore and John Stone, under
the firm name of John Savels & Co. It was burned in 1813, and was
rebuilt by the same parties, with the exception of Mr. Stone, who re-
tired from the firm. After a few years George Cox, who came to the
mill as a journeyman " tramp," and had grown by .solid merit to be
managing workman, was taken into the firm under the style of Savels,
• Cox & Co. John Savels died in 1832, and Cox sold to Moses Springer
soon after and went to Vassalboro, where he built a new paper manu-
factory. Mr. Savels' son, William, who was also a preacher, with
Eben Moore and Moses Springer, continued the business for a time,
when Elbridge G. Hooker, Charles P. Walton and John C. Godding
bought an interest. In the meantime R. H. Gardiner, in 1834, built a
brick paper mill on the same dam and rented it to Francis Richards,
who put It in operation at once. Less than two years after this, Henry
B. Hoskins, a clerk in Mr. Gardiner's office, bought the interests of
the several parties in the old paper mill, and Richards & Hoskins con-
solidated the business of the two mills in a partnership that lasted
over twenty years.
Francis Richards died in 1857 and was succeeded by his son, F. G.
Richards. In 1865 Mr. Hoskins withdrew from the businefjs, arid, the
next year F. G. and John T. Richards, brothers, and W. F. Richards,
a clerk, formed the firm of Richards & Co. A fire in 1882 damaged
their works over $50,000, which were rebuilt and enlarged. Soon after
the death of the senior member of the firm in 1884, the present Rich-
ards Paper Company was incorporated. They produce about eight
tons of paper per day and employ some sixty people. In 1888 the
company bought a pulp mill at Skowhegan, and the next year began
the construction of their extensive pulp mills at South Gardiner,
THE CITY OF r.ARDINER.
615
which were completed and in operation in January, 1891. Ten tons
of sulphite pulp are made each day, giving work to eighty hands.
The Copsecook Paper Mills occupy dam No. 6, and are owned by
S. D. Warren & Co., of Boston. This property was purchased and
the first mills were built in 1852 by The Great Falls Company, whose
stockholders were S. Bowman, Charles Swift, I. N. Tucker, Joseph
Perry, Philip Winslow, Lincoln Perry, Charles Bridge, R. K. Little-
field, F. P. Patten, Samuel Hooker, William Libby, Stephen Brown
and H. C. Winslow. Noah Woods and others were afterward inter-
ested in the company, whose capital stock was $32,000. The stock-
holders operated the mill ten years and
then rented, and two vears
COPSECOOK MILLS, GARDINER
later sold, to the present
owners, who ran the business till 1878, when
they enlarged and rebuilt the entire works in the best manner. After
twelve years more of steady use the mills were again rebuilt in 1890,
as shown in this view, and put in the most perfect condition for the
manufacture of book paper. Henry E. Merriam has been the super-
intendent for nearly thirty years.
Stanwood & Tower started the first paper mill on dam No. 5, in the
fall of 1865. It was a one machine mill, making bogus manilla paper
for wrapping. About 1871 the Dillinghams bought in with Stanwood
■& Tower, put in another machine, and as Dillingham & Co. made
bib HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
bogus and No. 1 manilla paper. In the spring of 1876 Ellis A. Hol-
lingsworth and Leonard Whitney bought out Dillingham & Co. and
continued making manilla paper. In November, 1877, Hollingsworth
& Whitney bought of the estate of R. H. Gardiner dams No. 4 and 5,
with land and privileges, and in 1880 began the building of a pulp
mill on dam No. 4, for the manufacture of soda pulp, which was com-
pleted the next spring and called the Aroostook mills. This new mill
began making pulp at once, but was destroyed by fire after running
but a few weeks. It was rebuilt and again in operation the same fall
and continued till April, 1883, when it was shut down and changed
from a pulp mill to a paper mill. In June, 1886, the mill was again
stopped for enlargement and repairs, which were completed and t>e
making of manilla paper was resumed in August. In 1886 the Cob-
bossee mills on dam No. 5 shut down, were entirely rebuilt in less
than six months and again in active operation making manilla paper.
The original founders of these mills both being dead, a new com-
pany was incorporated in 1882, called The Hollingsworth & Whitney
Company. At present the Cobbossee and Aroostook mills at Gardiner
make about fourteen tons of manilla paper per day, which gives work
to one hundred people, and uses water to the amount of 4,000 horse
power. The local manager is F. E. Bo.ston, of Gardiner, who grew up
in the business, and has been superintendent since 1876.
In the year 1810 Robert Hallowell Gardiner leased to the " Gardi-
ner Cotton & W^oolen Factory Company " for a period of ninety-nine
years sufficient water to run their mills located on what is aow dam
No. 2. The directors who signed the agreement were: Simon Brad-
street, Rufus Gay, Ebenezer Byrum, Daniel Woodward, Jeremiah
Wakefield and R. H. Gardiner. This company did business till
1839, and then sold to Philip Winslow, Robert Richardson, Joseph
Perry and I. N. Tucker, who continued under the firm name of Isaac
N. Tucker & Co. for forty-seven years. In 1866 they bought more
land and erected the brick building that is still the Gardiner woolen
mill. Mr. Tucker had been dead several years before the company
was dissolved, and toward the last the works were sometimes idle, with
the exception of wool carding carried on by Mr. Winslow.
In 1889 William C. Jack and M. F. Payne bought the plant, added
new machinery and are now doing business in the firm name of W. C.
Jack & Co. Their specialties are grading woolen rags, and manu-
facturing shoddy, of which the daily product is six hundred pounds.
They operate the Flanders Woolen Company, at Dexter, where about
half the shoddy made here is woven into cloth. Twenty-five people
find employment in the Gardiner mill.
J. Davis Gardiner, James Reynolds, William H. Lord and A. E.
Wing were wagon and carriage makers who preceded those now fol-
lowing that business in Gardiner, of whom P. Henry Gilson, the oldest.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. bl7
began in 1850. He has facilities for doing all the work on a carriage
and employs eight men. Joseph B. Libby beg-an the same business in
the old Reynolds shop on Church .street in 1874, where he has steam
power and keeps seven workmen. In 1860 Albert T. Smith com-
menced the manufacture of carriages and sleighs in the building for-
merly used as a livery stable by A. T. Perkins. Isaac Edwards, Miller
& Atkins, Frank L. McGowan, Larrabee & Hanscom and Augustus
Bailey were also carriage makers. Mr. Smith has iron, paint and fin-
ishing shops, and employs six men.
A Mr. Perkins was one of the first coopers in Gardiner, and had
a shop near the present freight depot of the Maine Central railroad.
Deacon Abel Whitney came to Gardiner in 1848 and opened a cooper
shop, which business he has followed from that time to this. The firm
of Mitchell, Wilson & Co. did a heavy West India trade, sending also
to California large invoices of green and dried apples from (jardiner,
and what sounds stranger still, eggs, requiring large quantities of well
made barrels, which were all furnished by Deacon Whitney.
The Gardiner Shoe Factory Association was the result of a popular
movement to enlarge the manufactures of the city. A fund of over
$8 000 was raised by sub.scription and a stock company was organized
July 27, 1883, with John T. Richards, president; J. S. Maxcy, secretary
and treasurer; J. T. Richards, David Dennis and S. Bowman, directors.
A large building was erected on dam No. 1, corner of Summer street,
and furnished free of rent or taxes to Kimball Brothers, of Lynn, who
did a prosperous manufacturing business for several years, giving
employment to two hundred people, who.se weekly pay roll amounted
to $2,500.
In a little old mill run by water power clay was ground before
1820 and brick were burned where Joshua Gray's saw mill now stands.
David Flagg and a Mr. Hamlin were brick makers of that period.
Later Jesse Lambard had a brick yard back of the present Gardiner
Bank. A Mr. Taylor on Spring street and Ebenezer Morrell (who
was succeeded by Amasa Smith and H. A. Morrell) on Summer street
also had brick yards more than fifty years ago. Arch Morrell, until
his death in 1885, was the principal brick maker in this vicinity, and
during his period he doubtless burned nine-tenths of the brick used
in the city, and shipped immense quantities to Boston. A clay bank
more than seventy feet high extended from the M. E. church to the
foot of vSpring street, and another marked bluff was between Middle
and Spring streets. These were the sources of supply for the various
kilns until the bluffs were literally carried away. Some time before
Mr. Morrell's death, his son, William, managed his extensive business
and succeeded him. For the last twenty years their yards have aver-
aged 700,000 brick annually.
40
618 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
A big tannery stood between dams No. 1 and No. 2, run by Cook
& Nutting. Deacon Fields had a tannery at the head of Summer
street, and Mr. Plaisted had one on Harrison avenue.
South Gardiner.— This was a village in the town before the in-
corporation of the city, and has since retained its local importance.
The post office here was established February 8, 1870, with John T.
Smith as postmaster. John McGrath was appointed in April, 1874, but
did not serve, and Sherburn Lawrence received the appointment the
next month and held it till 1887. Henry R. Sawyer then held the
office for two years, and March 27, 1880, Sherburn Lawrence, the pres-
ent incumbent, was again appointed.
The far reaching influence of first settlers is a subject of unceasing
interest. The kind of men and women they are is a matter that con-
cerns all who come after them. Their traits, their tastes, their habits,
not only descend as an entail of blood to their posterity, but they
become a sort of perpetual endowment for good or for ill to the entire
community.
When David Lawrence, then twenty-six years old, with his bride,
Sarah Eastman, five years younger, came in 1768 from Littleton, Mass.,
to make their life-long home at what is now .South Gardiner, they be-
came the potential cause of a chain of events whose operation was
never more apparent than to-day. The lives of the family they founded
have been largely the history of that locality for over a hundred years.
He bought there 160 acres of land, heavily timbered with the mag-
nificent oak and stately pine of the old Kennebec valley. He built a
house and began clearing the land adjoining the river, running the
timber down to the ship-yards at Bath, and shipping the cord wood to
Boston. We here see the type of his .successors; farmer, dealer, manu-
facturer— a combination of practical, successful enterprise. His first
wife died in 1790. Their children had been: David, born 1769; Eliza-
beth, 1770; Benjamin, 1772; Simeon, 177o, killed by accident when
four years old; Edward, 1778; Lucy, 1780, and another Simeon, 1783.
The last named became a farmer and Edward built a saw mill on the
Nahumkeag stream in Pittston. On March 6, 1791, David married his
second wife, Sarah Clark, who died February 5, 1795, at the birth of
her twin boys, James and William, leaving also two older children,
Charles and Sarah. David's third wife was Hannah Clark, and their
children were: Hannah, born 1796; Isaac, 1797; and Mary, 1801. When
David died there was a feeling in the comm.unity that every one had
sustained a personal loss, only soothed by the reflection that he had
lived a long and useful life and had passed to the satisfactions of the
life beyond.
Charles Lawrence, whose portrait appears here, was the eldest
child of his father's second marriage. Born February 18, 1793, in-
heriting a vigorous constitution both of body and mind, he grew to
- — L^ /i G-^-^'f^^ '^ f^
Oc-y^,
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 619
useful manhood, and regarding his whole career, it is difficult to say
whether he spent the most time on the farm or on the river. Here he
made shingles and staves the year round by the old fashioned process
of " riving " the blocks of pine and spruce which had been felled in
the upper Kennebec valley. He entered heartily into his father's
business, became ma.ster of all its details, but was particularly active
and efficient in the river department. He was one of the earliest
dealers in logs, becoming an expert in estimating their contents and
value. He also went up the river and lumbered on Jerusalem town-
ship, also buying large quantities of logs which he sold to the tide
mills below Bath He built in 1832 for the
log driving company at
LAWRENCE HOMESTEAD; BURNED MARCH 12, 1883.
South Gardiner, one of the
first and largest booms of its kind on the
river. He married Eleanor Morrell, of Winthrop, in February, 1823,
and had eleven children: Dolla M., born 1824; Drusilla, 1825; Samuel
M., 1827; Hiram, 1829; Eleanor, 1831; Sherburn, 1832; Greenlief, 1835;
Laura A., 1839; Georgianna, 1844; Charles, 1846: and Abner, 1849. He
took his father David's place in the old homestead, shown in the ac-
companying cut, paid off the heirs, and aided by his excellent wife
■created for his large family a home that will always remain their
.highest conception of parental forethought and affection.
Here Charles Lawrence lived to the good old age of ninety, when
620 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUXTV.
on the fourth of March. 1883, he passed easily and gently to the better
W9rld. He had been a model of physical health and symmetry, over
six feet tall, of a strong mind and a great heart. In politics he was
first a whig and then a republican. In religious faith he was in full
accord with the Universalist society, to which he belonged. He be-
lieved the best way to serve his God was to help his fellow-men.
His active business life had clo.sed in 1870, but his spirit of enter-
prise had been inherited and imbibed by his sons, who had for years
been his associates and assistants. They were as much at home on
the river as their father had ever been, and with youthful zeal reached
out to new fields with larger plans, involving more comprehensive re-
sults.
Their operations became so large that accumulations of lengths
and sizes of unsalable logs neces.sitated their manufacture into lum-
ber, so in 1870 the five brothers— Sherburn, Samuel M., Hiram, Green-
lief and Charles — erected at South Gardiner the first building of their
present extensive lumber cutting mills. A steam engine of 150 horse
power then put in place still proves sufficient, although the capacity
of the mills has been enlarged in all other directions. Four years
ago, in order to work off the accumulations of slabs and edgings, a
kindling wood department was added that cuts each day a car-load of
10,000 bundles. The year that Lawrence Brothers built their mill
they, with others, made also a little experiment in the ice business
that yielded a good profit. Houses were built in Pittston sufficient to
store 6,000 tons, which was sold the next spring for seven dollars per
ton. In 1876 they built two more ice houses that were used two years
and torn down.
Ten million feet of lumber is cut yearly at their mills. The chief
supply of logs comes from Moosehead lake and Dead river, where
they employ two hundred men and forty teams four months in the
year: cutting from their own lands eight to nine million feet of logs
annually. The balance which they manufacture are bought of other
lumbermen. The Maine Central Railroad Company purchases two
and a half million feet of their product yearly. Besides the help
cutting logs, 110 men find steady employment at the mills at South
Gardiner.
In 1888 this quintuple partnership of brothers was broken by the
death of Samuel M., who was respected and beloved by all who knew
him. With riper experience, as being the oldest member of this
family partnership, vSherburn Lawrence took the guiding oar at the
start and by their common request he has retained it, and is widely
known as the representative member of the firm in all its extended
transactions. A retired editor, himself a native of Gardiner, basing
his conclusions upon a life-long acquaintance, says of Mr. Lawrence:
" Endowed with great common sense and a man of mature judgment
c>2^^
THE CITV OF GARDINER. 621
and mental grasp, yet he impresses men more by the qualities of his
heart. Public spirited and thoroughly modest, he always considers
the interests and feelings of others, especially the poor, and is held in
ideal esteem by those in his employ. I do not believe Sherburn Law-
rence has an enemy."
In 1854 he married Julia, daughter of Jordan Stanford, of South
Gardiner. Their only child, Forest M. Lawrence, born in 1856, died
in ]888. He was a young man of rare activities and qualities of mind
and heart, and his untimely decease was sincerely mourned by an en-
tire community. The ethical bent of his mind is fairly revealed by
the following lines, which he kept posted over his business desk as his
constant reminder:
" The sunshine of life is made up of very little beams that are
bright all the time. To give up something, when giving up will pre-
vent unhappiness; to j'ield, when persisting will chafe and fret others;
to go a little around rather than come against another; to take an ill
look or cross word quietly, rather than resent or return it — these are
the ways in which clouds and storms are kept off and a pleasant and
steady sunshine secured.
Joseph S. and Frederick T. Bradstreet went to South Gardiner in
1876, bought land and built the present steam saw mills driven by en-
gines of 450 horse power, which they operated under the firm name of
Bradstreet Brothers. In 1881 The Bradstreet Lumber Company was
formed, with $100,000 capital. It cuts 15,000,000 feet of spruce dimen-
sions for the New York market each year, employing 110 mill hands.
The logs for this immense business are furnished by Joseph S. and
Frederick T. Bradstreet, from their extensive tracts of timber lands
on the Roach, Moose and Dead rivers.
The first grocery store at South Gardiner was owned by a Mr.
Burke, who sold the business and premises to Jordan Stanford in 1839.
The latter was a boot and shoe manufacturer and dealer in Gardiner
city, and at once built a branch factory in South Gardiner, where he
employed from fifteen to twenty hands several years. Mr. Stanford
continued the store he had bought of Mr. Burke till 1849, when he was
succeeded by C. G. Baxter, Benjamin Stanford, and lastly by his
daughter, Emily Stanford, who built in 1878 the store she now owns
and occupies south of the old Burke store.
The next store at South Gardiner was opened by Lincoln & Aver-
ill, who kept it eight years and were burned out. A year or two later
Beadle & Potter built on the same ground the store they are now run-
ning. F. M. Lawrence built a small store and used it till 1881, when
the large store now operated by his widow was built, and the small
store converted into the present lumber office of Lawrence Brothers.
H. R. Sawyer built a store in 1880, occupied since by A. B. Haley, J.
C. Merriman, by H. R. Sawyer for a post office under Cleveland, and
at present by W. H. Merrell. Mr. Sawyer built the store he now owns
622 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and occupies in 1884, and Judson Hall built his small store near the
G. A. R. Hall, in 1890.
Town Officers. — As the city is the political successor of the old
town of Gardiner, we will here note the chief officials of the town
during the forty-seven years of its existence as such. In 1803 Dudley
B. Hobart was moderator of the first town meeting. During the exist-
ence of Gardiner as a town the following named persons served it as
selectmen, the date showing the first year of service. The number of
years — not always consecutive — are also indicated: Barzillai Gannett,
1803, 6 consecutive years: Dudley B. Hobart, 1803; William Barker, 1803;
William Swan, 1804: Reuben iMoor, 1804; Joshua Lord, 1805; Samuel
Elwell,1805, 1806; Edward Wilson, 1806, 3 years; Stephen Jewett, 1807,
6 years; vSimon Bradstreet, 1809, 3 consecutive years; Jesse Tucker, 1809,
4 years; William G. Warren, 1812, 3 years; Ichabod Plaisted, 1812,
1813; Aaron Haskell, 1812, 21 years; Thomas Gilpatrick, 1814, 9 times;
James Lord, 1814, 5 consecutive years; James Marston, 1815, 4 years;
Rufus Gay, 1817, 1818; Sanford Kingsbury, 1819; Paul Dyer, 1819;
Jacob Davis, 1820, 9 consecutive years; Peter Adams, 1825, 6 consecu-
tive years; Edward Peacock, 1829; William Partridge, 1830, 7 consecu-
tive years; Arthur Plumer, 1831: Benjamin Shaw, 1832; Daniel Merrill,
1833; Benjamin H. Field, 1833; Ansyl Clark, 1835,9 years; E. F. Deane.
1837, 2 years; Cyrus Kindrick, 1837; A. S. Chadwick, 1837, 5 years;
Thomas N. Atkins, 1839; Jordan Libby, 1840, 1841; Ebenezer White,
1842; Elkanah McLellan, 1842; Mason Damon, 1841:5, 5 years; Edward
Swan, 1843; Arthur Plumer, 1844; Charles Danforth, 1845, 4 years;
James G. Donnell, 1845; Phineas Pratt, 1846, 1847; Robert Thompson,
1848; Michael Hildreth, 1848; Isaac N. Tucker, 1849.
The succession of town treasurers was as follows: Rufus Gay, 1803;
Edward Swan, 1819; Rufus Gay, 1834; Thomas Gay, 1837; E. F. Deane,
1838; Michael Hildreth, 1840; E. F. Deane, 1841; Michael Hildreth,
1842; Jason Winnett, 1848; Cyrus Kindrick, 1848, 1849.
The first town clerk was Seth Gay, formerly the clerk of Pittston.
He served until 1839, when Ansyl Clark was elected. Thomas Gay
was clerk in 1841, and John Webb then served as long as Gardiner
was a town.
City's Civil History.— In 1849 the legislature of Maine passed
the act of incorporation by which the town of Gardiner as a body
politic might become the city of Gardiner. The acceptance of the
charter by a vote of the people was a condition precedent. The town
voted on the 26th of November, to accept the charter, and the first
city election was held in March, 1850. As divided by the act of incor-
poration, the city consisted of seven wards, ward 3 being then the pres-
ent town of West Gardiner.
Robert Hallowell Gardiner, in whose honor the city was named,
became its first mayor. The .successive incumbents of the office, each
Tin-: CITY OF r.AKDrxER. 623
serving until the next, have been: Parker Sheldon, first elected in 1851,
resigned April 12, 1852, and Robert Thompson elected April 20, 1852;
Edward Swan, 1853; Noah Woods, 1854; Henry B. Hoskins, 1859;
Noah Woods, 1861; James Nash, 1863; Nathan O. Mitchell, 1865;
George W. Wilcox, 1867, died December 17, 1867, and Joshua Gray
elected December 30, 1867; D. C. Palmer, 1871; H. M. Wentworth,
1874; James B. Dingley, 1876; D. C. Palmer, 1879; Joseph E. Ladd,
1881; William Perkins, 1882; S. Everett Johnson, 1884; Joseph E. Ladd,
1886; John W. Berry, 1887; Albert M. Spear, since March, 1889.
The city treasurers in succession have been: Freeman Trott, first
elected in 1850; Cyrus Kindnck, 1852: Elbridge Berry, 1854; Charles
P. Branch, 1857; I. Wheeler Woodward, 1859; James M. Colson. 1863;
John Berry, 1864; James M. Larrabee, 1865; Henry B. Hoskins, 1869;
and the now venerable Sifamai Bowman, serving continuously since
the city election of 1872.
The city clerkship is an important office, and the good condition of
the records which constitute the political history of the city indicates
that the place has been filled generally by men of ability. John Webb
opened the records as clerk, and was succeeded the next year by
Charles P. Branch, who served eight years consecutively. Charles B.
Clapp served four years, beginning in 1859. Llewellyn Kidder was
clerk for 1868, succeeded by Charles P. Branch for five years. John
Webb was elected in 1869, George H. Ray in 1872, Anthony G. Davis
in 1873, and in 1878 Charles O. Wadsworth, the present efficient in-
cur^bent, began his continuous service. Mr. Wadsworth has collected
and bound the printed reports of the city officers, including the act of
incorporation and city charter, which volumes comprise the best printed
data on the civil history of Gardiner.
The government of the city is vested in the mayor, a board of six
aldermen, and a common council of eighteen, three of whom are
elected from each of the six wards, which boards constitute the cit)-
council. With the exceptions of constables, wardens and ward clerks,
the city council elects or appoints the executive officials of the city.
The last report of Mayor A. M. Spear shows the general condition
of the city to be prosperous and progressive. By an outlay of two
thousand dollars the city hall now furnishes rooms for the liquor
agency, ample conveniences for the police court, the city marshal and
his deputies, and seven secure cells for prisoners. The report of the city
marshal, Edgar E. Norton, for the fiscal year ending March 1, 1892,
shows that of the 439 warrants of arrest served, 330 were for drunken-
ness. The police work is done by two officers on duty by day and two
by night. During the year 1889 the number of warrants issued was
360.
The report of the chief engineer makes the encouraging statement
that the fire department was called out only ten times during the year.
624 HISTORY OF KENXEBEC COUXTV.
and that the total loss in these fires was small. The city owns two
fourth class steamers, two hose wagons, five two wheeled reels, one
hook and ladder truck, three hose pungs, 7,150 feet of 2^ inch rubber
lined hose, and 500 feet of two inch hose. The hook and ladder com-
pany has thirty men. each steamer has fifteen men, and hose companies
1 and 2 have each fifteen men. Besides these the volunteer company
of old firemen furnishes ten men. Steamer No. 2, with fifteen firemen,
is stationed at South Gardiner. Charles M. Drake is chief engineer, at
a salary of $100 a year, and there are two assistant engineers, who re-
ceive $30 each. The cost of the fire department for the year 1891-2
was $3,173.02.
The Liquor Agency, in charge of Andrew J. Hooker, city liquor
agent, handled $6,088.35 worth of goods, on which the city received a
profit of $1,229.05.
The alms-house at New Mills, built of brick, with fourteen acres of
land attached, was purchased of William Bradstreet for $2,200, in 1849,
by the town of Gardiner. Additions and repairs costing $3,000 more
were soon made, since which but little has been expended. George
W. Shepard is the superintendent in charge, and with rooms for forty
boarders he has less than a dozen. The annual poor fund budget is
but a trifle over $3,00 .
Although the upper Kennebec is navigable to smaller craft, Gar-
diner must be regarded as the practical head of navigation, and thus
it enjoys a distinctive and permanent advantage. Favorably situated
for good drainage, the city is a healthy and desirable place of resi-
dence. On the summit of Church hill, neatly enclosed and orna-
mented with trees, is a beautiful park of five acres commanding a
sweeping view of the valley, and constituting one of the many attrac-
tions of the city. Its site, 125 feet above the Kennebec, was given
conditionally in 1824 to the town of Gardiner. It was subsequently
conveyed absolutely to the city of Gardiner by Francis Richards, as
trustee of R. H. Gardiner's estate.
At Gardiner was established January 1, 1795, one of the first four
post offices in the county. It was named Pittston and Barzillai Gan-
nett v/as the postmaster until the office was moved across the river in
May, 1804. September 30, 1804, Mr. Gannett was again commissioned
as the Gardiner postmaster, the office taking at that date the name of
the new town. He kept the office in his store and in the Jewett house
at the foot of Vine street. When Mr. Gannett went to congress in
1809, Seth Gay took the office, May 2d. The names of the postmasters,
with the years of their appointment, since that time have been: Wil-
liam Palmer, 1835; Thomas Gay, 1841; Joseph Merrill, 1845; Lawson
H. Green, 1849; Frederick P. Theobald, 1853; Charles A. White, 1857;
John Berry, 1861; Samuel D. Clay, 1866; John Berry, 1867; Daniel C.
Eleazer W. Atwood. 1890; an..
nt was more that fifty years old
usiness men of Gardiner weiL
" ' • intill814. On Janu-
cliartered the Gardi-
i; lold at Mrs. Lm-jftl-
lo\s March ^Isi. iwi,u« luy, a uoaru m directors was
cons,: t Robert H. ( ..ir.imer.Major Peter Grant, Josh;;. •
Simi • ! ■■ ' ' Vc. The institution was a bank . *
is-siv ..s. with a capital of $60,000. For
oyer pt at par in all the money centers
of the naL i.o, it was changed to the Gardiner
National B iniount of capital and without change
of officers. . been: Peter Grant, Samuel C. Grant,
William B (rrant, Joseph Bradstreet. W. F. Rich-
ards and Is, ishjers have been: Sanford Kingsbury.
Major Edv Adams, James F. Patterson, George F.
Ad-r ■;. F' .-reit L. Smith, and Alvan C. Harlow
:
/mixed January 30, 1855, as a state bank,
1 a capital of $100,000. The directors
, Me., and Joshua Gray, Myrick Hop-
i'.ies Swift, of Gardiner. Noah Woods
';!mai Bowman cashier. The bank Wii.-
ihe Gardiner Block. At the end of tei;
.(.s a state bank, and its managers organ-
' ;ank, with a capital of gSO.OOO. Joshua
. and Sifamai Bowman was again chosen
Lontinued in the Gardiner Block until 1881.
.iiilding was erected at a cost of $8,000. The
uinually, and its stock sells at 16o. The
For twenty-four years Mr. Bowman
.ant.
ity of the above institution emphasizes
I able career of its cashier, who has been
.: j.u(l actual manager, and to-day the city has
ctitly and distinctively a bank man as Sifamai
t here appears.*
in at Litchfield. Me., February 5, 1812. When
e family moved to !7a''. -.vc'l. At the age of
and went to Topsi 'e learned the
In 1834 he engaged lusiness on his
626 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
own account at Topsham, and afterward, in ISSfi, at Gardiner, where
he lias since resided.
When the Oakland Bank was ready to commence business in July,
1855, Mr. Bowman had become well and favorably known in the com-
munity as an upright, industrious, clear-minded, shrewd and careful
business man. The directors judged rightly that they could not bet-
ter promote the interests of the new institution than by selecting him
as its cashier. Nor is it strange that the management of its affairs
was left almost entirely to his judgment. Whether it was the dis-
counting of a note, the obtaining of a settlement with some refractory
and impecunious debtor, or the far more important transaction of
winding up the affairs of the state bank and organizing a national
bank in its stead, reliance was placed upon his tact and ability to see
that everything was done properly and in order. And never was an
institution served more faithfully. Its remarkable and uninterrupted
success is the best commentary that can be made upon the devotion
and capacity of its trusted official. Always at his post, always affable
and discreet, yet with a rare knowledge of human nature which ren-
dered him incapable of being impo.sed on, he placed the bank on a
solid foundation and secured its long and prosperous career.
For the first twenty-four years Mr. Bowman performed his duties
as cashier without any assistance, and during that period, by reason
of sickness and all other causes combined, he was not absent more
than a dozen days from his desk. Yet, with all this strictness of at-
tention to his chosen task, he has always found time for other labors.
Since 1872 he has served as city treasurer. He has always been en-
gaged more or less in business of his own, and by this means has
acquired an amiple competence. At the same time he has been the
adviser and confidant, in matters of business, of a great many per-
sons, who have felt that they could rely implicitly upon the soundness
and fidelity of his advice. Add to this that he has always taken a
deep interest in public affairs, and has never neglected an opportunity
to promote, by word and example, any enterprise calculated to in-
crease the growth and prosperity of his city. The extent of his
private benefactions will never be known except to the grateful
recipients.
He was married in 1835, to Julia T. Hinkley, of Topsham. A
happy union of fifty-six years was terminated by her death in 1891.
A painstaking and affectionate wife and mother, she was no less re-
markable for her intellectual gifts, her bright and active mind, and
her unfailing interest in all that was passing around her. They had
six children, only two of whom reached maturity. Neither is now
living. Miss Fanny Bowman, who died in 1879, was well known for
her accomplishments and literary attainments. The son, Edward H.,
was for several years his father's assistant in the bank. He died in
THE CITY OF GARDINER.
627
1S86. He left two sons who are still living. Let us hope that they
will be spared to perpetuate the honored name of their grandsire.
Previous to 1820 Richard Clay, J. N. Cooper, A. Leonard and E. F.
Deane organized the Franklin Bank in Gardiner, and became its di-
rectors. At the expiration of its charter another bank called by the
same name was organized, of which John Otis of Hallowell, Joseph
Eaton of Winslow, Stephen Young and William Stevens of Pittston,
and E. F. Deane of Gardiner were directors, and Hiram Stevens was
cashier. This
bank discontin-
ued business
previous to ISoO,
and the closing
of its affairs was
involved in long
and tedious liti-
gation.
The history
of the Gardiner
Savings Institu-
tion is interest-
ing. It was in-
corporated June
6, 1834, and was
organized at a
meeting held in
R. H. Gardiner's
office, June 26,
same year. Mr.
Gardiner was
chosen president
and Peter Grant,
Edward Swan,
Arthur Berry,
Enoch Jewett.
Richard Clay,
Dennis Ryan,
Arthur G. Lith-
gow, George Ev-
ans, H. B. Hos-
kins,Henry Bow-
man, Jacob Da-
vis and George Bachelder were chosen trustees, and elected Ansyl Clark,
treasurer. The first semi-annual report recited with evident satisfaction
that the sum of $1,845.50 had been received on deposit, all of which it
628 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
was voted to loan to the town of Gardiner. The j^alary of the treasurer
was about as lucrative as that of the ordinary town clerk in the present
times— he received twenty dollars a year. Mr. Gardiner held the office
of president until his death, in 1864. His successors, with the dates of
their election, have been: Henry B. Hoskins, April 11, 1864; Robert
Thompson, August 1, 1866; William Palmer, July 17, 1872; Robert
Thompson, July 27, 1875; Weston Lewis, April 14, 1888; Isaac J. Carr,
October 1, 1889. The treasurer, Ansyl Clark, was succeeded by H. B.
Hoskins, August 13. 1836; James F. Patterson, July 15, 1840; Jo.'^eph
Adams, July 19, 1843; James F. Patterson, July 21 ,1847; Joseph Adams,
July 17, 1850; H. B. Hoskins, August 1, 1866; Joseph S. Bradstreet,
July 27, 1875; Weston Lewis. July 19, 1876; Henry S. Webster, April
14, 1888. Twenty-seven years after its incorporation the deposits and
profits amounted to a quarter of a million dollars, and yet the bank
never had a public place of business until 1866, the officers attending
to its affairs at their own private offices. In 1891, at a cost of $30,000
they erected their own building, shown on page 627 — the finest structure
in Gardiner — containing the strongest vault and the best safe in the
state of Maine. The deposits in 1892 exceeded two million dollars.
In a room now the private office of A. C. Stilphen in Gardiner, the
■Cobbosseecontee Bank began business in 1853. Later they erected the
building opposite the present Gardiner National Bank. February 23,
1865, this bank became the Cobbossee National Bank. Edward Swan,
Stephen Young, William Bradstreet, James Stone and Stephen J.Young
were presidents, and its cashiers were Joseph Adams (who was Mr.
Swan's son-in-law), Edwards S. Adams, Treby Johnson and Henry S.
Webster. In 1884 the stockholders saw fit to wind up its affairs. The
liquidation gave them 118 per cent.
Under a charter dated July 11, 1884, the Merchants National Bank
of Gardiner, Me., opened its rooms for business in Milliken Block, July
17, 1884, with a capital of $100,000. Charles Danforth, David Dennis,
Edward Robinson, Weston Lewis and Joseph S. Bradstreet composed
the first board of directors. David Dennis was chosen president, Jo-
seph S. Bradstreet vice-president, and Henry Farrington cashier, in
which offices the present is their eighth year of service. At the death
of Judge Charles Danforth in 1890, his son, Frederick, succeeded
him; on Weston Lewis' resignation, in 1889, Harvey Scribner became
a director, and in 1889 Captain Jason Collins succeeded Edward Rob-
inson.
The Maine Trust & Banking Company of Gardiner, Me., is a char-
tered institution that was opened for business August 15, 1889, with
a paid up capital of $100,000. In addition to doing a regular banking
business, this company is an incorporated trustee, and has power by
its charter to execute trusts of every description under appointment
by courts, corporations or individuals, and is authorized to act as agent
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 629
or trustee for the purpose of registering and countersigning bonds of
any legal issue. It makes investment securities an important feature
in its business, and has the first and only safe deposit vaults, with
boxes for individual use, in the county. Its officers from the first have
been: Weston Lewis, president; John F. Hill and Josiah S. Maxcy,
vice-presidents; and John W. Dana, secretary, with a board of twelve
directors.
Gas and Water. — After the usual agitation of a new project, the
Gardiner Gas Company was chartered by act of legisature in 1853,
and F. A. Butman, jun., Josiah Maxcy and S. C. Moore were named as
incorporators, with a capital stock of $35,000. Noah Woods was the
first president, Josiah Maxcy was treasurer and clerk, and F. A. But-
man, jun., Edwin Bailey, H. B. Hoskins and S. Bowman constituted
the board of directors. Only seventy out of five hundred shares of
the stock could be placed in the city, the balance being taken abroad,
and there were but eighty-four consumers of gas during the first year.
Strange and hard to believe is the fact that the people of Gardiner
continued to wend their way in darkness for years after gas was intro-
duced before they adopted it for their streets. In 1887 the gas com-
pany of Gardiner sold their plant to the Kennebec Light & Heat
Company.
By act of legislature the Gardiner Water Power Company was
created a corporation in 1880. The incorporators were: Robert H.
Gardiner, Frederic Gardiner, Francis G. Richards, Richard Sullivan,
John T. Richards, Ellis A. Hollingsworth, Leonard Whitney, vSamuel
D. Warren, Charles Fairchild, Joshua Gray and Henry Richards. The
corporation is authorized to purchase, construct, maintain, repair and
rebuild dams, sluiceways, basins and canals on the Cobbosseecontee
and its tributary waters, for the purpose of holding, storing, regulat-
ing and discharging the flow of water for the benefit of the water
privileges and powers on said stream. John T. Richards was elected
president, Josiah S. Maxcy treasurer and secretary, and Ellis A. Hol-
lingsworth and Josiah Gray the directors.
Ground was broken in the construction of the Gardiner Water
Works June 16, 1885, and they were completed so that the city was
served with water in the following November. The towns of Ran-
dolph and Farmingdale were subsequently connected with the Gardi-
ner system and are also efficiently supplied for fire protection and for
domestic uses. Cobbosseecontee water is pumped from the pond above
the upper dam into the reservoir situated on the Andrews farm, 110
feet above the surface of the Cobbosseecontee and 238 feet above the
surface of the Kennebec river. This elevation proves to be ample to
force water to the highest point in the city. The main pipe leading
from the reservoir is twelve inches in diameter, which with the pres-
sure is capable of supplying a population three times that which is now
■630
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
supplied. Fifty hydrants and fourteen miles of main pipe are in use.
The actual daily consumption is about 300,000 gallons. The capital
stock of the company is $200,000. Weston Lewis has been president
and Josiah S. Maxcy treasurer, from the first, and to their efforts and
management the city is largely indebted for its excellent water sup-
ply. All the details are carefull}- administered by Gustavus Moore,
superintendent.
Ecclesiastical History.— The religious ideas of Doctor Gardiner
and the other early comers took form first in the organization of an
Episcopal church, but Puritanism soon colored the religious trend of
the public mind and that in time was variously modified, so that in
1892 we find eleven distinct
societies maintaining in the
city regular services.
A house of worship was
erected, and St. Ann's Epis-
copal Church was estab-
lished by Dr. Sylvester Gar-
diner, in 1771. The next
summer Rev. Jacob Bailey
came and held the first meet-
ing in the unfinished house,
on the 17th of August. The
revolutionary war came on
and Doctor Gardiner and
Rev. Jacob Bailey both es-
poused the English side so
strongly that they left the
country. Doctor Gardiner
died in 1786, leaving by will
funds to finish the building,
ten acres of land and an
annuity of £'•21 per year " to
the Episcopal minister for
the time being of St. Ann's
Church in the said Gardin-
hed the church, placing thereon a tall
ounted bv a gilt sturgeon, then called a " Cobbossee."
The society or parish was incorporated as the Episcopal Society in
Pittston March '29', 1793, in answer to a petition signed by Jedediah
Jewett, William Barker, Henry Smith, Henry Dearborn, Nathaniel
Bayley, Seth Gav, Barzillai Gannett, Stephen Jewett, Samuel Lang
and Reuben Moore. Rev. Joseph Warren was the first minister. The
pews were arranged in three classes, and it was voted that those who
CHRIST S CHURCH GARDINER
erston. His executors fin
steeple sur
THE CiTV OF GARDINER. 631
sat in the first class should pay four pence, the second three pence,
and the third two pence a Sunday.
The following- August the church was set on fire by a crazy man
and burned, and regular meetings were held in the Great House.
Another building was at once erected and ready for use in April,
1794, when it was voted to give Rev. Joseph Warren £12 " and the
loose contribution money as a salary — and when he shall be married
the parish will add ;^18 more." He was succeeded in 1796 by Rev.
James Bowers, who left in 1802. Rev. vSamuel Haskell became rector
in 1803 and was followed by Aaron Humphrey, formerly a Methodist
preacher. After 1813 there were no regular services in the society
till Rev. Mr. Olney was called in 1817. The name of St. Ann's Church
was changed for legal reasons, in 1818, to Christ's Church. The project
of building a new church found so much favor that the corner stone
of the present attractive church edifice, really one of the most de-
sirable in the state, was laid in May, 1819. The stones, which are of
rare tint, were brought from a farm in Litchfield. The total cost was
only $14,000.
Mr. Olney resigned in 1825, Rev. T. W. Motte succeeded in 1828,
Rev. Isaac Peck in 1830 and Rev. Joel Clap in 1832. The old meeting-
house of 1794, which had for many years been used as a town house,
was burned in 1833. Mr. Clap's pastorate was a prosperous one and
lasted till 1840, when Rev. William Babcock began a most successful
pastorate, and was followed by Rev. George Burgess in 1847. Rever-
end Burgess, after accepting the pastorate of the parish, was made
the finst bishop of Maine and .subsequently served the parish and the
diocese in this dual capacity until his death, April, 1866. Bishop
Burgess was succeeded as rector by John McGrath to 1870, C. S. Lef-
fingwell to 1880, Leverett Bradley to 188.') and Charles L. Wells to
1888, when Allen E. Beeman, the present rector, was installed.
The initial effort toward the formation of a Congregational society
in Gardiner was at a private house, when Rev. Dr. Gillett, secretary
of the Maine Missionary Society, preached to a small gathering one
rainy Sabbath in the spring of 1833. During the summer following
he preached in the old school house on vSummer street several times,
and was followed by Daniel Hunt, of Andover Theological Seminary,
who held services for three months in the old Masonic Hall. A move-
ment to organize a parish was perfected September 28th of the same
year, and Seth Sweetser, a licentiate of Andover, was the next
preacher, holding .services first in the school house, next in the
Masonic Hall and then in the Town Hall.
On the 28th of July, 1835, ten individuals -who had been members
of Congregational churches in other towns were organized into a
church, and during the winter following R. H. Gardiner showed his
interest in the young parish by giving it the present location, on
bH2 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
which after much difficulty a church was completed. The dedicatory
services were held November 23, 1836, and the same day Rev. Seth
Sweetser was installed pastor. Two years later he received a call from
Worcester, Mass., and Aaron C. Adams, of Bangor, succeeded him July
10, 1839. After two years Josiah W. Peet, from Andover Seminary,
received a call and was ordained pastor December 15, 1841. During-
his pastorate the house of worship was much improved by an organ
and new furniture, and a vestry building was erected on a contiguous
lot. In 1848 Mr. Peet was succeeded by W. L. Hyde, a Bangor stu-
dent, who was ordained in May, 1849. Since then the successive pas-
tors have been: Harvey M. Stone, 1857; John W. Dodge, 1860: Austin
L. Park. 1864; Edgar Davis, 1882; and Richard W. Jenkins, who came
in 1884, was installed in 1885, and under whose pastorate the society
has enjoyed spiritual and material prosperity. The next year after
his installation a religious awakening added thirty-five members to
the church, which has continued to grow; the church edifice has been
enlarged and repaired at an expense of over $8,000, and was rededi-
cated April 8, 1890. The present membership numbers 155, with a
large Sabbath school.
Methodism was first preached in Gardiner by Reverends Comfort
C. Smith, of Readfield, and Epaphrus Kibbey. of Massachusetts, in
the summer of 1800. Meetings were held at Bowman's point in 1802,
and a church was built the next year, just north of Peter Grant's
house. It was never finished, but was occasionally used by this society
till about 1830, when it was taken down. The early Methodists in
Gardiner were Moses Springer, sen., Eleazer Crowell, Ichabod Plaisted,
James McCurdy, William Springer, Daniel Plummer, James Miller,
Stephen Robinson, Nathan Sweatland and Harlow Harden. During
the war with Great Britain, in 1812, some members of this society were
such ardent federalists that they found fault with their minister, Sam-
uel Hillman, for upholding his government in his pulpit; they.said it
was " preaching politics." In 1821 the towns of Augusta, Hallowell
and Gardiner were called the Hallowell circuit, containing 314 mem-
bers.
Previous to 1821 the society used the meeting house at Bowman's
point, and the school house near Ichabod Plaisted's, but for the next
two years they worshipped in the old church the Episcopalians had
used. Mr. Richard Clay built the " Yellow meeting house " at his own
expense, and told David Hutchinson, the Methodist minister, that he
" had given the house to the Lord and the key to father Plaisted."
The services of the church were held there from 1822 to 1828, when
the society moved into their new church, which was dedicated the
same year, the eloquent John N. Maffitt preaching the sermon. The
building cost $3,500, and with the addition of occasional repairs, is the
Methodist church on High street, of to-day.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 633
In 1827 Gardiner was made a separate station, and had 159 church
members, with Phineas Crandall pastor. His successors have been:
John Atwell, Stephen Waterhouse, Justin Spaulding, R. E. Scher-
merhorn, Aaron Sanderson, John B. Husted, John W. Atkins, Moses
Hill, Eaton Shaw, Joseph Colby, George Webber, J. C. Aspinwall,
Parker Jaques, Daniel B. Randall, Charles Hunger, Howell B. Abbott,
Charles C. Mason, Charles W. Morse, Pascal E. Brown, W. S. Jones,
John F. Hutchins, George D. Lindsay, Israel Luce, Edward C. Bass,
George W. Hunt, Ammi S. Ladd and F. C. Haddock, the present pas-
tor. The church has a membership of 260 and is in a prosperous con-
dition. Benjamin S. Smith is president of the board of trustees.
The Gardiner Village Baptist Church was organized in 1843. Its
members were Rev. J. W. Lawton, B. H. Field, L. Parsons, E. Shep-
ard, Lucy V. Lawton, Nancy Field, Joan McCurdy, Mary A. Jewett,
Pamelia Duganne, Mary White and Margaret Plaisted. Rev. J. W.
Lawton was the first preacher, Martin Byrne was the second, J. B.
Foster the third, Edwin Dibble the fourth, and M. J. Kelley, who
came in 18.51, was the fifth. The church building was sold in 1880 to
the G. A. R. Post for $1,000, and the society held no regular meetings
for eight years. The ministers who preached in the old church were:
Reverend's E. Nugent, Mr. Tuck, G. P. Mathews, J. M. Follett, F. D.
Blake, C. M. Herring and W. O. Thomas. After the interval of eight
years spoken of, the present beautiful church was erected at a cost of
$10,000, $6,500 of which was furnished by the Baptist convention, who
hold a deed of the property. Rev. C. E. Owen, the present pastor,
came in 1890. This growing church has eighty-three members.
The Gardiner City Freewill Baptist Church was organized in 1826
by A. Bridges and J. Robinson, with Elder S. Robbins as occasional
preacher. After a decline it was reorganized in 1886 by a council
from the Windsor quarterly meeting. There were thirteen members,
and Elder S. W. Perkins preached two j'cars in the Clay meeting-
house. There was no steady pastor or preaching till Elder Hermon
Stinson came in 1841 and staid three years, and was succeeded by
Elder J. Stevens till 1846. The meeting hou.se at the corner of Sum-
mer and Winter streets was built that year, costing $3,100, and was
dedicated December 30th by Elder J. K. Staples, who preached for
two years. Elders C. Phinney, D. Lancaster and P. Folsom each min-
istered to the church for a time. A Sabbath school was commenced
in 1837 that flourished for fifteen years.
From 1852 to 1892 the ministers of this church have been: Daniel
Jackson, Charles E. Blake, Arthur Kavanagh, W. T. Smith, Jason Mar-
riner, Samuel McKeown, S. E. Root, Winfield S. Stockbridge. George
H. Child, Orrin Bartlett, S. C. Frost, B. G. Blaisdell, E. Man.son, B.
Minard, Jeremiah Phillips, G. W. Pierce, C. E. Cook and J. L. Monroe.
41
634 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
About 1870 this church passed through a severe experience of division
and dissension among its members, some forty of them withdrawing
and forming the Brunswick Street Church, which had a short, feeble
existence and then expired. The meeting house of this church has
been raised and turned about, and is being repaired at an expense of
about $7,000. It is one of the most attractive church edifices in Gar-
diner. Charles Bridge commenced these repairs and paid the bills
himself for a time, but received help from unexpected sources.
The writings of Emanuel Swedenborg seem to have been first in-
troduced into Maine by John Savels, of Gardiner, as early as 1812. In
1836 the New Jerusalem Church, with sixteen members, was formed
here, Reverends vSamuel and Henry Worcester being occasional
preachers. They were followed by the Rev. Adonis Howard in 1889,
who was ordained the pastor in 1841, and preached here till poor health
terminated his labors, in 1846. The society built a church on Bruns-
wick street, which was afterward sold to the Freewill Baptists, and
has recently been converted into dwelling apartments. Summer
services are held each year in the Universalist church by Rev.
Julian K. Smyth, of Boston Highlands, John Goddard, of Cincinnati,
and other ministers. Henry B. Hoskins, Alexander S. Chadwick,
William Perkins, Eben F. Byram, Dr. James Parker and wife, and
Gaptain Thomas G. Jewett were among the early members, and Mrs.
Mary W. Swanton, Mrs. Worcester and Miss Dorcas Gay represent the
present.
The doctrine of universal salvation was preached in the old town
house in Gardiner about 1820, by the venerable Hosea Ballou, one of
the ablest men of his times. Barzillai Streeter and Elias Smith also
preached occasionally in the old school house, and Reverends Sylvanus
Cobb, W. A. Drew, Russell Streeter and others preached from time to
time previous to 1835, at which time the first Universalist parish was
formed. The records of the organization were lost, but it is known
that Parker Sheldon, Major Gay, E. McLellan, J. Y. Gray, James Stew-
ard, J. G. Donnell and Silas Andrews were among its supporters. April
29, 1840, it was permanently reorganized with eighteen members.
The church edifice, erected in 1842, cost $6,500, and was dedicated
February 1, 1843. Rev. James P. Weston was the first resident pastor,
the society growing under his ministry, which terminated in 1850.
He was succeeded in November of the same 3'ear b}- Rev. John Wes-
ley Hanson, who wrote his history of Pittston and Gardiner during
his pastorate here, which terminated in 1857. Since then A. R. Ab-
bott, Giles Bailey, L. J. Fletcher, J. M. Paine, William W. Nutting,
who came in 1871, Charles A. Hayden, Walter S. Vail and Joseph S.
Gledhill have been pastors of this church. In 1877 the vestry was
built at a cost of $1,100, and the building has from time to time been
furnished and repaired at a cost of several thousand dollars. Besides
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 635
the Thomas Searls fund of five hundred dollars, the church has over
three hundred dollars in its treasury.
The Church of the Disciples was organized about 1850, largely
through the efforts of Elder George Garraty, who came here from St.
John's, N. B., and preached in the old Clay meeting house five or six
years. He was succeeded by Elders Marquis, Marten and Harney.
Benjamin Marston and Marvel Sprague were the first church officers.
For the past two years this society has had no stated preacher, but
regular meetings are held each Lord's day in the old " Yellow meet-
ing house " on Plaisted hill, that Richard Clay built and " gave to the
Lord " in 1822. This is the oldest house of worship in the city, with
the exception of Christ's Church.
The Advent Church of Gardiner, organized August 23, 1891, with
nineteen members, was the result of a series of tent meetings con-
ducted by Elder H. P. Seavey, of Mt. Vernon. Elder Elisha S. Newell
is the resident licensed preacher, Henry D. Smith and Walter B. Mc-
Causland are deacons, and Elta M. Partridge is the secretary. The
meetings of this society are held in the school house on North street.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Gardiner was built by Rev. Charles
Egan in 1858, then resident pastor of St. Mary's Church in Augusta,
and was the result of a mission he had established here, and labored
in with great zeal and faithfulness. It was dedicated in 1868 by Bishop
Bacon, of Portland. Rev. Father M. C. O'Brien followed Father Egan,
and was succeeded by Rev. Eugene M. O'Callaghan. Rev. Raphael
Wissel, O. S. B., came in 1876, and was the first resident pastor. He
was succeeded in 1880 by Rev. Jeremiah McCarthy, the present pas-
tor. The church is in a flourishing condition, having a property worth
$12,000, and seating room for five hundred people.
A combined movement in 1840 to build a church in South Gardi-
ner, in which Methodists, Free Baptists and Adventists joined with
citizens of no denominational proclivities, resulted in the erection of
the first building for religious worship in that section. For the ensu-
ing forty-five years it was in all respects a genuine union meeting
house. The first two ministers, David Higgins and John Cumner,
were Methodists; George Curtiss and H. F. Wood were Baptists; the
fifth, Sanford K. Partridge, was an Adventist, and the next, C. C.
Cone, was a Methodist, followed by Hagop H. Acterian, a Turk. Mr.
Gushing, Episcopalian, Mr. Harding, Congregationalist, Mr. Bates,
Adventist, and Frederick Newport, Congregationalist.
The Congregational Church at South Gardiner was organized in
1883, with eleven members. Frederick Newport, Jacob Horton and
Alfred L. Skinner were the first three pastors, succeeded by .Silas N.
Adams, the present minister, January 15, 1888. The union house of
worship mentioned above is occupied by the society, and is still owned
by the pewholders. It was repaired and enlarged in 1889 at a cost of
636 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
$2,500, and now presents an inviting appearance. A most commenda-
ble feeling of harmony exists throughout the entire community, with
a certainty of additions in the near future to the present membership
of fifty-five.
The Freewill Baptists built at South Gardiner a small church about
1842. which was sold to J. W. Lawrence in 1877, and converted into
the store he still runs.
The Young Men's Christian Association, with a membership of
153, supports regular religious meetings and publishes a monthly
journal.
Public Schools.* — Very little is known of the introduction of any
system of public education in Gardiner, the records furnishing but
slight information upon the subject. Private schools were established
early in the history of the town, when it was a part of Pittston.
Hanson's history says: " The first teacher was Master Ever.son, one of
the early settlers, who had taught school in Boston, but his methods
not being up with the times, he came to Gardinerston, where he taught
from house to house when he could find employment." Private
schools, an outgrowth of this itinerant system of teaching, were at-
tended only by children whose parents were able to pay tuition.
Free public schools were established about 1784. There is evi-
dence that the expenditure of public money for free education was at
first strongly opposed by the early settlers, for in 1783 the town voted,
" not to pay any schooling;" but in 1785 the selectmen were " appointed
a Comrnity to hire a school master and Fix the Wards; who is to teach
school and Reed a Sermon over every Sunday," and in 1787, " Voted
that i^30 be raised for schooling, to be paid in lumber or anything
that the school Master will Receive." May 16, 1791, the town "voted
to Raise ;^80 for schooling to hire a person to keep school and preach
nine months." It is probable that the town was divided into four
wards or sections, each receiving an equal share of the school and
preaching fund, for in 1792 a vote was passed as follows: " Eastern
River District may lay out the i^20 raised for preaching in schooling."
This district was what is now known as East Pittston.
The fir.st school house in Gardiner, a rude wooden building, with-
out lath, plaster or paint, was above the original stone grist mill that
stood at the corner of Water and Bridge streets, on the lots now occu-
pied by the stores of C. W. Averill, Atkins & Co., and G. N. Johnson;
but earlier than this a man named Hoogs had kept a school in the
southeast room of ]\Ir. Gardiner's house. When Gardiner was incor-
porated in 1803, the only public school house within the present city
limits stood at the corner of Dresden avenue and School street, on the
lot where Augustus Bailey's house now stands. This building was
burned in 1812, and during the following year another was built on
*By James M. Larrabee, secretary of the superintending school committee.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 637
the lot now occupied by the Lincoln Street school house. During- the
erection of the new school house the school was kept in the only brick
building then in Gardiner. This building, still standing, is the tene-
ment house next south of the public library.
There was also a private school held in a building on Dresden
avenue, nearly opposite the old parsonage, erected by individual sub-
scription. Children of the wealthier families attended here, and
among them were Charles and Delia Tudor Stewart, a son and daughter
of Commodore Stewart. Miss Stewart afterward became Mrs. Parnell
and the mother of the late Charles Stewart Parnell, the great Irish
statesman. This building was purchased by the town about 1820 and
used for free school purposes. About 1820 a public school house was
erected at the junction of Highland avenue and Winter street, and was
used until 1840, when a new and larger one was built on Highland
avenue, on the lot now occupied by John D. Stephenson's dwelling.
Among the many teachers who wielded the rod in the old school
house on the triangle were Dr. Gideon S. Palmer, afterward medical
director at Washington, D. C, and Israel W. Woodward, a life-long
resident of Gardiner. The first teacher in the new school house on
the Stephenson lot was a Mr. Martin, of New Gloucester, Me., who
boarded with James Elwell. Mr. Adams, afterward United States
consul to the Chinchi Islands, also taught this school in 1843 or 1844.
Prior to 1825 several other buildings for school purposes were
erected within the town limits. One was on Summer street, known as
No. 10, and another at the north end of the New Mills bridge on land
now owned by A. E. Andrews. In 1825 there were in Gardiner, then
including West Gardiner, twelve districts, with a school population of
941 ; $1,500 was appropriated, and six mills on a dollar assessed for school
purposes. The average school year in each district was twenty-five
weeks. There were no graded schools at that time, and pupils were
cla.ssified according to size, rather than by educational qualification.
But few books were used and without uniformity. Discipline was en-
forced by muscular power, and if the teacher lacked this quality the
chances were that the larger boys of the school would carry him out
■of doors and thereby cause his removal.
Soon after Gardiner city was incorporated it contained eight dis-
tricts. In districts 1 and 2 a graded system was established, each dis-
trict having a grammar and three primary schools. Prior to this a
new building had been erected at the New Mills, and in this district,
No. 3, there was a mixed school. The remaining five districts were
in Ward 6. Each district annually elected a school agent, whose duty
it was to select teachers and provide for the necessities of the school.
In 1860 there were 1,463 children between the ages of 4 and 21
years; $2,700 was appropriated for school purposes, and $574.44 was
received from the state. The schools in the city proper had three
338
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
terms each of twelve weeks, and the rural schools two terms each.
Two male teachers at forty dollars per month, and fifteen female
teachers at three dollars per week, were employed.
In 1861 an order was passed by the city council consolidating the
districts, abolishing agents and putting the entire management of
the schools in the hands of the school committee. This advance
movement was accomplished by the influence of Hon. Noah Woods,
then mayor, and who for many years had been an efficient member of
the superintending school committee in the city. Since that time the
graded system has been perfected; new school buildings erected at a
cost of $30,000; improved methods of teaching adopted, and school
books furnished free to the pupils of the city.
The amount appropriated by the city council for ^. : '• ■
common schools in 1891 was $(3,100, and about $3,700 .. ' ' ,
was received from the state The school year
for the eleven graded schools is thirty six
weeks, divided into thiee terms of twelve i ,
weeks each. The four
rural, or mixed schools
have three terms of
ten weeks each. Five
teachers are employed
in the grammar .schools
three in the intermedi
ate, five in the primary
and four in the rural
vschools. These schools
rank among the best in
the state, and are a
credit to the citizens
who so liberally provide -=-— -- "
for them.
The Gardiner Lyceum, established by R. H. Gardiner in 1822, was
designed in all respects to be a college without dead languages. The
building was of stone and had an excellent cabinet and chemical and
philosophical apparatus. The first principal was Reverend Mr. Hale,
rector of Christ's Church. The patronage of the school was small,
and in 1848 it was established as an academy, with Dr. G. S. Palmer as
principal. Here many of our older citizens were educated. In 1851
the building was transferred to the city and a free high school was then
established, and occupied it until the fall of 1870, when it was burned.
The city hall was fitted up and used for the high school for a year or
more. In 1871 the present high school building, shown in the above cut,
was erected at a cost of $21,000 and dedicated to the use of the school,
with appropriate ceremonies.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 639
The appropriation for high school purposes in ISGO was $850. and
the amount received for tuition $114. Two teachers were employed,
the principal receiving $600 per annum and the assistant $300. The
number of pupils registered was 102. In 1891 the appropriation was
$2,500; $500 was received from the state and $615.31 for tuition. Four
teachers were employed. The principal received a salary of $1,500,
and the three assistants $600, $550 and $500 respectively. The num-
ber of pupils registered was 156. The graduates of this school have
always ranked well in scholarship, and many of them have held prom-
inent positions in the city and state.
Libraries.— Since Doctor Gardiner, in 1786, bequeathed his pri-
vate collection of books for a public library in Gardiner, the com-
munity has been marked by a decided literary taste and habit. After
his death his executors finished a small but suitable building to give
effect to his generous intent.
The Mechanics' Association, organized in 1841, was a positive edu-
cational force in the village, and owned a valuable library which was
the nucleus of the present city library.
Tha Ladies' Library of Gardiner, Farmingdale and Pittston was
established some time in the fifties by Mrs. Bishop Burgess, Miss
Maria Storrs, Miss Hannah Allen, Miss Lucy Nutting, Miss Hannah
Whitmore, Miss Eliza Byram, Miss Fanny Bowman, Miss Lizzie Ad-
ams, Mrs. Seth Moore and others. It contained a selection of choice
volumes and was carefully managed by the ladies, who donated it to
the city after the city had received the Mechanics' Library.
Gardiner Library Association was organized as a corporation Feb-
ruary 14, 1881. A constitution and by-laws were adopted, to which
68 names were signed as members. Leveret Bradley was elected
president; Philip H. Holmes, vice-president; Treby Johnson, treas-
urer, and A. C. Stilphen, secretary. H. K. Morrell, Lizzie Curtis,
Laura E. Richards, Clara I. Robinson and Clara. L. Clark were chosen
directors. The city council was asked to assist in erecting a building,
but declined, and the association proceeded resolutely to the under-
taking. After two years of hard work, in which the ladies bore a con-
spicuous share, the present excellent building was completed at a cost
of $14,000.
The succession of presidents since the first election has been:
Philip H. Holmes, P. H. Winslow, W. J. Landers and E. W. Morrell.
S. C. Whitmore and O. B. Clason preceded the present secretary, C. O.
Wadsworth; and Joshua Gray, John Berry, H. K. Morrell, John T.
Richards, William Palmer, James Nash, W. Perkins, M. C. Wads-
worth, H. S. Webster, J. D. White, P. H. Holmes, Weston Lewis,
S. C. Whitmore, Henry Richards and J. W. Robinson have served as
directors.
640 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Oak Grove Cemetery Association.— The initiatory movement
which resulted in establishing this association was a public meeting held
in Mechanics Hall, Saturday, vSeptember 21, 1844. Isaac N. Tucker was
chairman and H. B. Hoskins was clerk. The incorporation was com-
pleted the 23d, when Parker Sheldon was elected president, Benjamin
Shaw, jun., clerk, and Joseph Adams, treasurer. The succeeding
presidents have been: George M. Atwood, John Berry, John Webb,
Sumner Smiley and James D. White. Ansyl Clark, C. P. Branch, R.
M. Smiley and C. O. Wadsworth have served as clerks. The ceme-
tery is finely situated on the west bank of the Kennebec, 150 feet
above its surface, and south of the public square. It contains twenty
acres, bought at different times from vSimon Bradstreet and his heirs.
The first purchase was five acres, which was dedicated in 1848. The
receiving tomb, one of the best and most appropriately constructed
in the state, was built in 1892 at a cost of $6,000. The taste and good
judgment shown in the arrangement of the grounds and care of the
lots, with their many beautiful and durable monuinents, are alike an
honor to the living and the dead.
Societies and Lodges.— Previous to 1820 the only Masonic Lodges
in the vicinity of Gardiner were Kennebec, at Hallowell, and Temple,
at Winthrop. Belonging to these Lodges there were in 1819 about
twenty-five Master Masons residing in Gardiner, Pittston, and that
part of Hallowell called Bowman's point, now Farmingdale. Twenty-
four of these applied to the Grand Lodge of Maine for a charter to
open a Lodge of Master Masons under the name of Hermon Lodge,
No. 32, F. & A. M. Their request and charter were granted, the lat-
ter bearing date January 23, 1820. Their first meeting was in the
second story of a wooden building on Water street, then owned by
Kindrick & Gould, next east of, and having a staircase in common with,
the Keith House. The charter members were: Gideon W. Olney,
John Stone, William Partridge, Thomas Gilpatrick, John Heseltine,
David Neal, Robert Gould, Cyrus Kindrick, Joseph Y. Gray, Moses
Springer, jun., George Cox, Daniel Nutting, Benjamin Cook, James
Tarbox, R. Whittemore, Freeborn Groves, D. Woodward, James
Capen, I. Wentworth, James Kidder, C. S. Freeman, Benjamin Shaw
and Joshua Lord. The masters for the first fifty years were: Cyrus
Kindrick, Thomas Gilpatrick, David Neal, Moses Springer, Benjamin
Cook, Ezekiel Holmes, J. B. Walton, Stephen Webber, E. A. Chad-
wick, James McCurdy, Thomas Briery, D. C. Palmer, J. M. Colson, J.
M. Larrabee, Thomas S. Foster, Augustus Bailey, J. E. Ladd, Charles
Osgood and James L. Stoddard. The successive masters since 1869
have been: William Grant, James M. Colson, Martin Horn, Sanford
W. Siphers, Henry S. Webster, William J. Landers, George L. Towle,
L. W. Goodspeed, George W. Dow, Samuel W. Cutts. Charles O.
Turner and Daniel H. Sherman.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 641
The higher degrees of Masonry have been conferred in Gardiner
and are now represented here by Chapter, Council and Commandery.
The Maine Commandery, Knights Templar, No. 1, the oldest Com-
mandery in the state, organized in 1806 and chartered in March, 1821,
now has here a membership of 104. Adoniram Council, chartered
May 5, 1869, has now a membership of about 40. Lebanon Chapter,
No. 18, which began work under a dispensation in November, 1864,
was chartered October 4, 1865, and includes in its membership of 140
a large proportion of the active Masons of the city. The official year
begins in October. The succession of high priests, with year of elec-
tion, includes: James M. Larrabee, elected in 1864; Daniel C. Palmer,
1866; Augustus Bailey, 1868; Daniel C. Palmer, 1869; William Grant,
1870; R. R. Williams, 1872; William C. Palmer, 1874; Martin Horn,
1876; Philip H. Winslow, 1879; George W. Gardiner, 1881; Henry S.
Webster, 1882; William J. Landers, 1884; George W. Dow, 1886; An-
syl B. Booker, 1888; and Thomas A. Jewett since October, 1890.
Ionic Lodge, of Free Masons, No. 136, received a charter in May,
1866, which was surrendered in December, 1881.
Kennebec Council, No. 796, Royal Arcanum, is located at Gardiner.
The first regent, G. S. Steward, was succeeded in 1890 by O. M. Blan-
chard, with Walter Robinson, secretary.
Warren Division, No. 2, Sons of Temperance, was chartered by the
National Division of North America, February 4, 1845, and was organ-
ized at Gardiner on the 18th of the same month. The charter mem-
bers were: Reuben M. Smiley, Joel H. Snow, Josiah Maxcy, John
Berry, jun., Isaac N. Tucker, Dr. Gideon S. Palmer and Edmund
Chadwick. R. M. Smiley was its first worthy patriarch; Rev. J. P.
Weston, worthy associate; E. A. Chadwick, recording scribe; G. S.
Palmer, financial scribe. Doctor Palmer, who was the last surviving
charter member, died in Washington, D. C, December 8, 1891. War-
ren Division is the oldest temperance organization in the state, and
has on its constitution the names of a majority of the leading men in
the city in the last forty years. Like all other organizations it has had
its ups and downs, and though not now as prosperous as it has some-
times been, it has on its rolls upward of ninety members. Though
unaggressive in its work, it has always been instrumental of good,
illustrating one of the maxims of the order, " That unwavering fidel-
ity is a better advocate than violent denunciation." The names of
such men as Reuben M. Smiley, Hon. John Berry, Joseph L. Mitchell,
and many other well known citizens who were worthy members of it
till their deaths, are a sufficient guarantee that it is well worthy the
support of all friends of temperance. Ex-Governor Sidney Perham,
of Paris, and that well-known apostle of temperance. Rev. D. B. Ran-
dall, of Portland, are still members of Warren Division. James D.
Moore, who joined Warren Division April 7, 1845, at the time of his
642 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
death was the oldest member of the order and of the Grand Division
in the state.
The Gardiner Reform Club was the parent organization of that
body of temperance workers for twenty years known as the reform
clubs. Its beginning was announced on a little handbill about eight
by twelve inches, saying that there would be a meeting of reformed
drinkers at City Hall, Gardiner, on Friday evening, January 19, 1872-
A cordial invitation was extended to all " occasional drinkers, con-
stant drinkers, hard drinkers, and young men who are tempted to
drink. Come and hear what rum has done for us." This call was
signed by J. K. Osgood, E. A. Chadwick, William^B. Shaw and M. F.
Marbel. This society did a great work for a while, and still holds
regular weekly meetings in this city. J. K. Osgood kept his pledge
till death, and was always a prominent worker in the organization, of
which he was undoubtedly the founder.
Court Robert Emmett, No. 7837, Ancient Order of Forresters of
America, was organized in Gardiner May 7, 1890, with fifty charter
members— Augustus A. Brann, C. R., and Joseph Esmond, S. C. R.
Gardiner Lodge, No. 9, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was
instituted in June, 1874, with fourteen charter members. The first
presiding officer was M. S. Wadsworth. In May, 1885, the Odd Fel-
lows of Gardiner and vicinity organized Evergreen Encampment, No.
45, which has since prospered. June 11, 1886, Canton Evergreen, No.
12, was organized.
Gardiner Lodge, No. 9, Knights of Pythias, was instituted May 29,.
1878, and has always been an honor to the order, having at present
178 active members.
Dirigo Lodge, No. 1, A. O. U. W., instituted in Gardiner. Saturday
night, March 15, 1879, was the introduction of this order in the state
of Maine. There were twenty charter members, of whom William
Wiley was master workman and Gustavus Moore was recorder. The
next Monday night the Lodge held its first regular meeting, when G..
S. Steward was initiated, the first man who joined the order in the
state of Maine. This Lodge is strong and has 260 members. The
successive master workmen have been: William Wiley, Gustavus
Moore, G. S. Steward, Richard Plaisted, Smith R. Morrell, Oscar Mc-
Causland, John S. Towle, E. Clarence H. Smith, W. D. Clifford, J. R.
Peacock, H. L. Edwards, Warren L. Tozier, A. E. Andrews and H. L.
Cocker.
In addition to the above the following orders are represented in
Gardiner city: Branch 1027, Order of the Iron Hall, E. L. Blake, C. J.;
Cobbossee Colony, Pilgrim Fathers, Mrs. H. M. Huntington, governor;
Kennebec Commandery, J. A. Berry, N. C; and Nahumkeag Tribe^
I. O. R. M., C. F. Johnson, sachem.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 643
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Arthur E. Andrews, son of Arthur and Olive (Welch) Andrews,,
and grandson of John Andrews, of Wales, was born in Monmouth in
1831. His maternal grandfather was John Welch, of Monmouth.
Arthur E. came to Gardiner in 1837 with his father, who bought the
farm where he now lives, which was settled in 1803 by Ichabod Went-
worth. Mr. Andrews is a farmer. He was four years street commis-
sioner and six years in city council. He is one of the executive offi-
cers of the State Pomological Society. He married Caroline Neal.
Their children are: Elmer H., Elwin W., Howard E., and one that
died. Greanleaf E.
Captain Eleazer W. Atwood, son of Thompson Atwood, was born
in 1834, and has been a resident of Gardiner since 1845, where he has
been a millwright. He served in the late war from June f), 1862, to
June 5, 1865; was promoted from first lieutenant to captain of Com-
pany B, 16th Maine Volunteers, December 4, 1862. He was a member
of the city council in 1873, 1874 and 1875, and served as chairman of
the committee on paving and sewerage. He has been for eight years
a member of the republican county committee and twenty years a
member of the city committee. He was postmaster at Gardiner from
May, 1890, to May, 1892. He married Lizzie N. Palmer, and has one
son, Willis P.
Amos Y. Bartlett, son of Amos and Sophia (Beane) Bartlett, and
grandson of Isaac Bartlett, was born at Brentwood, N. H., in 1838,
came to South Gardiner in 1870 and bought the farm where he has
since been engaged in farming and market gardening. His first wife,
Angle C. Gove, died in 1872. They had one daughter, Mabel, who
died. His present wife was Martha Purington.
William M. Bartlett, born in Gardiner, September 16, 1855, son of
John C. Bartlett, is the great-grandson of William', and the grandson
of William', of Methuen, Mass., where the house is still standing in
which the latter, one of fifteen children, was born in 1775. He be-
came a school teacher and married Dolly Merrill, of Durham, Me.,
from whence they came on horseback and settled on the Brunswick
road in Gardiner. Their son, John C, born in 1816, married Lydia S.
Robinson, of Durham. In 1849 he went to California. Returning, he
went into business in 1851, with B. F. Johnson. Of their six children,
William M., one of the four now living, married Carrie Atherton in
1882. They have one child, Ralph. John C. Bartlett, who died in
1882, was senior member of the firm of Bartlett & Dennis, in which
William M. now fills his father's place.
Rev. Allen E. Beeman, born in 1855, is the only living child of Fred-
erick D. Beeman, a lawyer of Litchfield, Conn. Both were graduates
of Yale, the father in 1842, the son in 1877. Frederick D, married
644 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Maria A. Brisbane, whose mother was a granddaughter of Alexander
Gillon, who came from Rotterdam to Charleston, S. C, in 1754, where
he became the first commodore of the Ainerican navy, and com-
mander of the ship SojitJi Carolina. Reverend Beeman, after leaving
Yale, studied a year and a half at Oxford. Eng., and then prepared for
the ministry under Bishop Williams at IMiddletown, Conn., was or-
dained in 1880, and came to Gardiner as rector of Christ's Church in
1888. In 1885 he married Sarah C. Carrington, of Farmington, Conn.
They have one child, Charles C.
Joseph Booker, son of Jacob and Sarah (Stevens) Booker, and grand-
son of Eliphalet Booker, was born in 1819. He is a farmer and has
held several city offices. He married Esther, daughter of John K.
and Sarah (Cleaves) Niles. Their only son is Burton E.
Timothy Booker, born in 1822, is a son of James and Hannah
(Huntington) Booker, and grandson of Eliphalet Booker. He is a
farmer. His wife is Lydia A. Booker, sister of Joseph, above. Their
children are: Marilla (Mrs. Alonzo Totman), Cynthia J. (Mrs. C. H.
Williams), Nellie (Mrs. Martin Peacock), and Morrill (deceased).
Abiud Bradley, born in 1812, in Yarmouth, Mass., is a son of Abiud
and Jane (Baxter) Bradley, whose father died on board the prison ship
Jersey in the revolutionary war. Mr. Bradley came from Yarmouth in
1817 to Vassalboro, where he lived until 1851, with the exception of
twelve years when he was in South Carolina in the shoe business. He
was a shoemaker and shoe merchant in Gardiner until 1878. He mar-
ried Susan E. Bee, of South Carolina, who died, leaving four children:
Margaret (Mrs. Robert M. Brown), Susan A. (Mrs. James H. Sewall),
Sarah E. and Jane B. (Mrs. Edwin H. Roberts).
Simon Bradstreet, once governor of Massachusetts, the ancestor of
all who bear this name in New England, was born at Horbling, Eng.,
in 1603. and came to America in 1630 in the Arbela. He married in
England, Anna, daughter of Thomas Dudley. Their son, John Brad-
street, was born in Andover, July 22, 1652, and died in Topsfield, Mass.,
January 17, 1717. He married Sarah, daughter of Rev. William Per-
kins. Their son, John, born in Topsfield, January 30, 1693, married
Rebecca, daughter of John and Sarah (Dickinson) Andrews. Their
son, Andrew, born at Windham, Conn., March 28, 1722, married Mary
Hill, who died in 1771. His second wife, Joanna Hill, died in Gardi-
ner in 1817. He died in Gardiner in 1804. His son, Joseph, born in
Biddeford, Me., January 21, 1765, married Ruth Moore, Their son,
William, was born in Gardiner, January 13, 1793. He was a ship-
builder and owner from 1818 to his death, May 14, 1868. His wife,
Abby J., was a daughter of Major Peter Grant, of Farmingdale, a
noted shipbuilder and owner. William Walter Bradstreet, son of Wil-
liam and Abby J., born in Gardiner in 1817, married Julia S., daughter
of Captain James Tarbox, of Gardinei", and granddaughter of Eleazer
THE CITV OF GARDINER. 645
Tarbox, who came to Gardiner from Biddeford, ]\Ie. Their only sur-
viving child is Alice (Mrs. H. G. White), whose children are Percy G.
and Marion.
Charles Bridge, son of Jeremiah, jun., and Sally (Cox) Bridge, was
born at Bowdoin, Me., in 1832, went to Litchfield in 1836, and in 1839
came to Gardiner, where he was employed in lumber manufacturing
until 1876. He married Nancy, daughter of Samuel Amee. He is a
prominent member and supporter of the Free Baptist church of
Gardiner.
Thomas Burnham, born December 5, 1833, is a son of Thomas and
Elizabeth (Rhodes) Burnham, and grandson of Ebenezer and Abigail
(Libby) Burnham. Mr. Burnham is one of eight children, seven of
whom are living. He is superintendent of the F. G. Richards farm,
where he has been since 1862. He married Mary J., daughter of Gil-
more and Abigail (Troop) Blair. Their only daughter is Emma C.
(Mrs. H. F. Libby), who has two sons.
David C. and Edgar N. Burr, grocers, are the grandsons of David
C. Burr, of Litchfield, a member of the legislature and a man of mark
among the early settlers of that town. William F. Burr, his son, mar-
ried Mary Neal, of West Gardiner, and settled in Gardiner city, where
they became the parents of five children, three girls and two boys.
David C. Burr, the elder of the two sons, was born in 1849, and mar-
ried Caroline, daughter of William Gowell, of Gardiner, in 1880. Ed-
gar N. Burr was born in 1853, and married Anna L., daughter of An-
drew Berry, of Gardiner, in 1882.
Henry Payson Closson, the fourth of the six children of George C.
and Sarah (Howard) Closson, and grandson of Deacon Nehemiah Clos-
son, of Deer Isle, Me., was born in December, 1841. He was brought
up a farmer in his native town, enlisted at the age of twenty in the
16th Maine, was at Antietam, lost his health, and was sent home. The
next year he entered the navy, where he served till the close of the
war. After several years' service as bookkeeper in a lumber business
at Fairfield, he came to Randolph in 1882 and became a member of
the present firm of Putnam & Closson, saw and planing mill proprie-
tors. Henry P. Clo.sson, in 1865, married Ellen U., daughter of Jacob
Weytuouth, of Fairfield, Me. George C. died in 1881.
Sewall B. Collins, engaged in the grocery business in 1882 on Water
street, Gardiner. The first four years he was in partnership with
Mr. Wilkins; from May, 1886, to September. 1890, he was sole owner;
then the business was discontinued until April, 1891, when the firm
of S. B. Collins & Co. was formed, with C. C. Wentworth as partner;
February 15, 1892, Mr. Collins bought out Mr. Wentworth, and has
since continued the business alone.
Samuel W. Cutts, son of Washington Cutts, of Pittston, was born
in 1846. He began in 1862 as engineer of steamboats and continued
■646 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
until 1880, running both stationary and steamer engines. Since 1880
he has been superintendent of the Gardiner Gas & Electric Light
Company's works. He married Ellinette, daughter of William Wat-
son, of Pittston.
Frederick Danforth, son of Judge Charles Danforth, was born in
1848. After leaving the North feridgeton Academy he entered Dart-
mouth College, graduating in the scientific course in 1870. His studies
had all been with special reference to the profession of civil engineer-
ing, upon which he immediately entered, choosing railroad engineer-
ing as a specialty. After an engagement with the European & North
American railway, he established, in 1876, his present office in Gardi-
ner, and in 1891 he was elected a member of the American Society of
Civil Engineers. In 1880 he married Caroline, daughter of Caleb
Stevens, of Randolph. Their four children are: George C, Margaret,
Richard S., and Eleanor.
J. Prescott Davis, the photographer, is a native of Corinth, Me.
He came to Gardiner in January, 1885, as assistant to G. F. Mcintosh,
and in September, 1890, bought the studio which H. H. Cochrane had
■established four years previous.
David Dennis, president of the Merchants National Bank of Gardi-
ner, was born in Litchfield in 1836. From Litchfield Academy he
taught schools, public and private, eight or nine years, and in 1862
came to Gardiner as clerk for Bartlett, Barstow& Co. The same year
he bought out Mr. Nickerson, and two years later Mr. Barstow retired,
and the flour, feed and grain firm became Bartlett & Dennis. Mr.
Dennis married Mr. Bartlett's daughter, Julia S., and has three chil-
dren: Harriet, John B., with Blair & Co., bankers. New York; and
Harry Ray. The firm of Bartlett, Dennis & Co. for three years in-
cluded George N. Johnson and S. N. Maxcy. Mr. Dennis' father, John,
from Ipswich, Mass., settled in Litchfield in 1789, where he married
Harriet, daughter of Joseph Sawyer, and for more than thirty years
■was treasurer of the town.
Fuller Dingley is the son of Parker Dingley, a farmer of Bowdoin-
ham, who married Ruth Bates of the same town, where they had chil-
dren— William, died young; Betsey; second William; Fuller, born in
1832; James B., and Alvin, who was lost at .sea. At the age of seven-
teen Fuller came to Gardiner and learned the carpenter's trade. Later,
while living in Newport, R. I., he enlisted and served under Burnside;
was taken prisoner at Jackson, Miss., in July, 1863, and confined in
Libby, Macon, Charleston and Columbia rebel prisons; was sick; ex-
changed December, 1864, and came to Gardiner in 1865, where he has
been engaged ever since with his brother, James B., in the hardware
trade, under the firm name of Dingley Brothers. Fuller Dingley
married Mary J. Parkinson, and has two children: Fred B. and
Emily G.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 646a
The firm of Dingley Brothers represents the longest established
and the largest coal trade in Gardiner and one of the oldest hardware
houses. James Bates Dingley, its founder, whose portrait appears on
the following page, was born in Bowdoinham August 27, 1834, and
remained on the home farm till the age of seventeen. The next two
years he taught school winters and during summers attended the then
famous Litchfield Liberal Institute. At the age of twenty he came to
Gardiner and entering Seth Wood's hardware store as a clerk he took
up what has proved to be the pursuit of his life. After an experience
of three years in Gardiner, his employer sent him to manage a store
in the same line of trade in Haverhill, Mass., where he remained two
years, when Mr. Wood retired from business. Returning to Gardiner
in 1859, James B. rented the Wood store and embarked in the hard-
ware trade for himself.
In 1865 his brother. Fuller Dingley, returned from the war and
joined in the co-partnership that still exists. Closely observant of the
needs of the community, James B. had decided that the coal trade,
although new, was an inviting field of enterprise. There was no
regular dealer. People who used hard coal joined together and
bought from 200 to 300 tons per year. The new firm bought a stock
and sold about 500 tons the first year. The increase to thirty times
that quantity, which this firm alone now sells yearly, is a surprising
exhibit.
Dingley Brothers, in 1868, established the Gardiner Spring Com-
pany, which they sold in 1870 to the Wentworth Spring Company.
They are now the chief owners of the Gardiner Tool Company, which
makes axes and ice tools. In 1889 the Dingley Hardware Company
was organized, which has charge of that branch of the business,
Dingley Brothers still retaining the coal trade. They own a large
block of real estate, on which stand their store and the extensive
coal sheds that cover the most of what used to be the Grant and the
Bradstreet wharves.
From 1873 to 1878, inclusive, J. B. Dingley was a member of the
city government, the first three years as an alderman and the last
three as mayor. It was during this period that the memorable con-
tests over the paving of Main street and the building of the present
grammar school were fought and won by the friends of improvement.
At that time there was but one good school house in the city, and the
condition of Main street in bad weather cannot be depicted.
Mr. Dingley has always been a republican in politics and a Uni-
versalist in religious belief. His mother died in 1847 and his father
in 1858. He has two grandchildren: Helen O., daughter of John and
Emma (Dingley) Bradley, and James R., son of Sidney and Mabel
(Dingley) Decker.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 647
James B. Dingley, ex-nia3'orof Gardiner, a son of Parker and Ruth
(Batesi Dingley.of Bowdoinham, was born in 1834, the fifth in a family
of six children. He came to Gardiner in 1854, entering Seth Wood's
hardware store as a clerk. In 1839 Mr. Dingley established in the same
store the hardware trade which he and his brother, Fuller, who became
a partner in 1865, still conduct. For over twenty-five years they have
also been coal dealers. In 1858 James B. married Maria McKenny, of
Greene. Their children are: Emma (Mrs. J. A. Bradley, of Worcester,
Mass.), Mabel (Mrs. Sidney Decker), Clara (Mrs. Dr. Ben. Turner), and
Etta, all except the first now residing in Gardiner.
Martin Esmond was born in Ireland, came to Gardiner from Boston
in 1810, and was a merchant on Water street. His wife, Jane, was a
daughter of Richard and Margret (Lowry) Stuart. The children of
Martin Esmond were: John, born in 1818, died at Montreal in 1834,
and Bernard, born in 1820, kept store on Water street until he went
to California in 1850. During the war he was sutler to the 16th Maine
Volunteers. He was married in 1839 to Mary O'Brien. Their children
were: George, Joseph, Elizabeth and John. Elizabeth was married in
1885, to Charles E. Fuller, of Hallowell, and has two children: Tom
Scott and Mary E.
William D. Haley, son of Woodbridge Haley, was born in 1852 at
Pittston. He has been superintendent of the Haley Ice House since
1873; they were at South Gardiner until 1885, since which time they
have owned buildings situated in the town of Richmond. Mr. Haley
has a farm of fifty acres at South Gardiner, where he devotes some
attention to breeding horses. He married Lucinda Lizette, daughter
of James D. Moore. Their two children are: Harry D. and Jose-
phine T.
Frederick D. Harmon, son of Humphrey and Sarah (Murry) Har-
mon, was born in 1838 at Boston, Mass. He came with his parents to
Gardiner in 1841, and settled on the farm where he now lives. He is
a farmer, as was his father. He married Hannah K., daughter of
Michael and Patience (Knox) Hildreth. Their three sons are: Amasa
E., Richard F. and Frederick H.
Andrew J. Hooker, city liquor agent of Gardiner, is a son of
Riverius and Hannah (Chaddock) Hooker, of Gardiner, and grandson
of Riverius Hooker, of Litchfield, Me., who was a descendant of Rev.
Thomas Hooker, the first minister in Hartford, Conn. Andrew J.
Hooker, the fourth of thirteen children, was born in vSouth Lee, Mass.,
in 1837, came to Gardiner in 1849, and married Harriet Knox, of Bow-
doin, in 1859. Their children are: Harry, Fred, Calvin, who died in
1888, at the age of twenty-one, and Gracie. Mr. Hooker served in the
civil war as sergeant of Company I, 24th Maine Volunteers. He was
chief engineer of the Gardiner Fire Department from 1883 to 1888;
648 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
has been in the city council two years, and is now alderman from the
Fourth ward and city liquor agent.
Myrick Hopkins (1800-1891).— For sixty-eight years preceding
his death on the 7th of April, 1891, Myrick Hopkins had been a resi-
dent of Gardiner, and as a business man had been intimately identi-
fied with the material and moral growth of the city. He was of the
seventh generation in direct line of descent from Stephen Hopkins',
the Pilgrim, who came in the Mayflower in 1620. Stephen's son, Giles',
married Catherine Wheldon in 1639, and their son, Stephen', born in
1642, resided in Harwich, Ma.ss., where he married Mary Myrick, and
thus the name Myrick came into the Hopkins family, and frequently
recurs as a Christian name. Joseph Hopkins^ was born in 1684; 'n
1707 he married Mercy Mayo, and their son, Prince Hopkins', born in
1729, married Patience Snow in 1752 or 1753, and raised seven chil-
dren: Seth, Thomas, Sarah, Joseph, Nathaniel, Prince and Elizabeth.
This Prince Hopkins", father of the subject of this sketch, was born
in Harwich, Cape Cod, where four generations of his ancestors had
lived, September 23, 1769, and married Phebe Morse. He followed
the sea as a whaleman until 1804, when, with his wife and five chil-
dren, he came up the Kennebec to Hallowell in a sailing packet,
whence he made his way by the primitive forest road to New Sharon,
and settled on a farm on which they lived— he until his death, July 4,
1864, and she until her death. May 2, 1856. Their ten children— the
generation to which Myrick Hopkins belonged — were: Sally (1794-
1869); Joshua (1797-1879); Myrick; Phebe (1803-1875); Eliza, 1806;
Lewis, 1808; Prince (1810-1882); Seth (1813-1884); George, 1815; and
Betsey, 1818.
Myrick', the fourth of the ten, was born in Brewster, Mass., Sep-
tember 24, 1800; thus he was four years old when with his mother and
younger sister on a single horse, they found their way from the Ken-
nebec to the New Sharon home, thirty miles distant, where in a log
hou.se the next fifteen years of his life were passed. In 1819 he went
to Readfield, Me., and in a shoe shop learned the trade upon which he
depended to get his start in life. In 1823 he came to Gardiner in the
employ of Nutting & Cook, tanners. They did a large business in
green hides and wool, in which the good judgment of jSIr. Hopkins as
their clerk proved very valuable to them. The habits of economy
which he had formed on the farm proved valuable to him, and he soon
found the firm was his debtor to a considerable amount. The firm be-
came insolvent, and in partial settlement with Mr. Hopkins he took
the little office and store which they had built in 1826, and in it he
continued the business on his own account as long as he lived.
As a buyer and shipper of hides and wool he became known to
half the farmers of Kennebec county, and by his undeviating honesty
he set a worthy example, and enjoyed to the close of his life in an un-
E 5
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 649
usual degree the confidence of the business public. Candor, upright-
ness and fairness were foundation principles with him, yet his acquisi-
tions confirm the adage that honesty is the best policy as well as the
best principle; for in the quiet, almost uneventful life he lived he
reached a substantial material result. Nor did he allow his private
business to absorb his whole force. When the city government was
organized, in 1850, he took a seat as alderman; he served as warden
of Christ's Church for many years, and at his death had been a director
of the Oakland Bank for more than twenty years. In securing a rail-
road for Gardiner he was active and useful; he had been a stockholder
in the steamboat line and a director of the Gardiner Bridge Company;
and to the end of his days filled up the full measure of the upright
citizen and useful man.
He was twice married; first to Harriet Mason, whose surviving
son is Augustus Hopkins, and second to Abigail Dodge Alason, who
died in 1888, leaving two daughters — Sophronia M. (Mrs. William
Woodward) and Henrietta M., now the widow of James O. Barnard.
Mrs. Barnard was married in 1869. Her husband died in 1874, leaving
one son, Leonard Myrick Barnard, born August 26, 1870, and now a
promising student in the Boston School of Technology.
Mr. Hopkins was strongly attached to his home, and prized very
highly his home life. He erected his pleasant residence, the Hopkins
Homestead, on Highland avenue, now the home of Mrs. Barnard, in
1859, and here he enjoyed his .serene old age.
William C. Jack is the great-grandson of Andrew Jack, who settled
in Litchfield about 1790, married Fannie Merriman, and had sons: Sam-
uel, Joseph, Andrew and Walter. Samuel had thirteen children. Bar-
zillai, the eldest, married Hannah Denslow, by whom he had one son,
William C, and four daughters. William C, the eldest child, born in
Litchfield in 1882, married Pheba Ann, daughter of John Clay, of Pier-
mont, N. H. They have two children: Flora G., now Mrs. Churchill,
of Newburyport, Mass., and Phillip C, now attending Gardiner school.
Dr. Clarence S. Jackson, born in 1849, is the only son of Elijah and
Elizabeth (Lord) Jackson, and grandson of Elijah Jackson, whose
father, Thomas — a revolutionary soldier — settled in Pittston and mar-
ried Rachel Colburn in 1782. Doctor Jackson married Alice M. Dins-
more, and has one daughter, Gertrude M. He pursued dental studies
and graduated in Lewiston, Me. His first professional work was in
Richmond, 1874 to 1878, when he began in Gardiner his present dental
practice.
William Jewell, born in 1821, is a son of Henry and Nancy (True)
Jewell, and grandson of Captain Henry Jewell. Mr. Jewell's father
was born in Litchfield in 178G, and died there in 1859. He was a lum-
ber merchant and manufacturer in Gardiner and other places for many
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 649
usual degree the confidence of the business ptiblic. Candor, upright-
ness and fairness were foundation principles with him, yet his acquisi-
tions confirm the adage that honesty is the best policy as well as the
best principle; for in the quiet, almost uneventful life he lived he
reached a substantial material result. Nor did he allow his private
business to absorb his whole force. When the city government was
organized, in 1850, he took a seat as alderman; he served as warden
of Christ's Church for many years, and at his death had been a director
of the Oakland Bank for more than twenty years. In securing a rail-
road for Gardiner he was active and useful; he had been a stockholder
in the steamboat line and a director of the Gardiner Bridge Company;
and to the end of his days filled up the full measure of the upright
citizen and useful man.
He was twice married; first to Harriet Mason, whose surviving
son is Augustus Hopkins, and second to Abigail Dodge Mason, who
died in ISSS, leaving two daughters — Sophronia M. (Mrs. William
Woodward) and Henrietta M., now the widow of James O. Barnard.
Mrs. Barnard was married in 1869. Her husband died in 1874, leaving
one son, Leonard Myrick Barnard, born August 26, 1870, and now a
promising student in the Boston School of Technology.
Mr. Hopkins was strongly attached to his home, and prized very
highly his home life. He erected his pleasant residence, the Hopkins
Homestead, on Highland avenue, now the home of Mrs. Barnard, in
1859, and here he enjoyed his serene old age.
William C. Jack is the great-grandson of Andrew Jack, who settled
in Litchfield about 1790, married Fannie Merriman, and had sons: Sam-
uel, Joseph, Andrew and Walter. Samuel had thirteen children. Bar-
zillai, the eldest, married Hannah Denslow, by whom he had one son,
William C, and four daughters. William C, the eldest child, born in
Litchfield in 1832, married Pheba Ann, daughter of John Clay, of Pier-
mont, N. H. They have two children: Flora G., now Mrs. Churchill,
of Newburyport, Mass., and Phillip C, now attending Gardiner school.
Dr. Clarence S. Jackson, born in 1849, is the only son of Elijah and
Elizabeth (Lord) Jackson, and grandson of Elijah Jackson, whose
father, Thomas — a revolutionary soldier — settled in Pittston and mar-
ried Rachel Colburn in 1782. Doctor Jackson married Alice M. Dins-
more, and has one daughter, Gertrude M. He pursued dental studies
and graduated in Lewiston, Me. His first professional work was in
Richmond, 1874 to 1878, when he began in Gardiner his present dental
practice.
William Jewell, born in 1821, is a son of Henry and Nancy (True)
Jewell, and grandson of Captain Henry Jewell. Mr. Jewell's father
was born in Litchfield in 1786, and died there in 1859. He was a lum-
ber merchant and manufacturer in Gardiner and other places for many
42
650 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
years. Mr. Jewell was for several years engaged in teaming in Gardi-
ner, and since 1882 he has kept a livery stable. He married Elmira,
daughter of Captain John Landerkin. Their children are: Clara,
Lenora, Frank (deceased), and Draper C.
Benjamin Johnson is the son of Daniel Johnson, of South Gardi-
ner, whose father, Andrew Johnson, came from New Hampshire.
Daniel married Eliza Waitt and raised a family of ten children. Ben-
jamin went to sea at the age of nineteen, to California in 1850, and
back to Gardiner in 1856, and the same year married Mary A. Harris,
of Winthrop, who died in 1861. They had one child, who died in
February, 1858. In 1881 he married Henrietta Loring, of Gardiner.
In 1857 Mr. Johnson bought the Cobbossee House, and kept it as the
Johnson House for thirty-one years. It is now called Young's Hotel,
after its present proprietor. Mr. Johnson opened the Johnson Hall in
1864, and in 1888 enlarged and refitted it, changing its name to the
Johnson Opera House.
Freeman A. Johnson, born in 1838, is a son of Benjamin and Han-
nah (Robinson) Johnson, and grandson of Andrew Johnson. He
served in the army one year in Company I, 24th Maine Volunteers.
He was then in a variety store in Gardiner until 1873, when he opened
his present ice cream and confectionery store. He married Sarah
Farris. Their children are: Hattie E. and Ben. F. (deceased).
Thompson S. Keenan's father. Luther, and his grandfather, James,
were born in Wales, Me., and his great-grandfather, James Keenan,
was born in Dublin, Ireland, and came to America during the revolu-
tionary war, and settled one of the first farms in the town of Wales.
Luther married Louisa Gray, of Monmouth. vShe died May 15, 1892,
aged 101 years and 21 days. Their children were two boys and
three girls. Thompson S., the second child and first boy, was born
in Brunswick, Me., in 1826, and came to Gardiner in 1844, where he
married Mary E., daughter of Stephen Pallard. Their children were:
Addie, Ida May and Mary Etta. Mr. Keenan was a seafaring man
till 1861, when he enlisted in the navy and served in the gulf squadron.
William J. Landers, manager of the Komcbec Reporter, was born in
Gardiner, Me., October 24, 1849, the youngest son of David and Mar-
garet Landers. His early years were spent in Gardiner, attending the
city schools. Leaving the high school in 1864, he attended Augusta
Commercial College, graduating in 1865. After three years' service
as bookkeeper in the P. C. Holmes Company's office, he went South.
He returned in 1876, in October, 1877, entered the office of the Kenne-
bec Reporter, and has been connected with that publication ever since.
January 3, 1880, he was married to Ella F. Drake, and they have two
children. Mr. Landers has been grand chancellor of the Grand Juris-
diction of Maine, Knights of Pythias, and district deputy grand mas-
THE CITV OF GARDINER. 651
ter of the 11 th Maine Masonic District; he is at present grand general-
issimo of the Grand Commandery of Maine, Knights Templar, presi-
dent of the Kennebec Valley Press Club, recording secretary of the
Maine Press Association, a director of the Gardiner High School and
a director of the Gardiner Public Library.
James M. Larrabee' (Daniel", born 1805: John", born 1769: Philip',
born 1744; John"; Thomas', killed by Indians in Scarboro, 1723; Wil-
liam' married in Maiden, Mass., 1655) was born in Wales, Me., in
1833. He has served in both branches of the Gardiner city council as
president, and since July 28, 1885, has been judge of the police court
of the city. John' settled in Wales before 1794 and raised eleven chil-
dren. Daniel' married Sabrina Ricker, represented Wales in the legis-
lature in 1845 and 1848, and removed to Gardiner in 1856, where they
both died.
J. W. Lash, contractor and builder, was born in Waldoboro in 1845,
but before locating in Gardiner in 1878 he had been largely and suc-
cessfully engaged in building in Massachusetts — residing in Somer-
ville. He has built some of the finest structures in Gardiner, including
the savings bank building, completed in 1891.
Llewellyn Lennan, son of James and Lucy (Hildreth) Lennan, and
grandson of David Lennan, was born in 1836 in Richmond, Me., and
came to Gardiner in 1863, where he is a farmer and wholesale meat
merchant. He married Emeline, daughter of Daniel and Elmira
(Smith) Hildreth. Their children are: James D., Charles H. and two
that died in infancy.
Edwin E. Lewis, son of Horatio N. Lewis, of Cornish, N. H., was born
in 1846. He went into the army in 1865 and fought under General
Sheridan in the Shenandoah valley. He came to Gardiner in 1875
and became a contractor and builder. For the past fifteen years Mr.
Lewis has given his attention entirely to plans and specifications, and
is the recognized authority on architecture in Gardiner. He married
Augusta C. Jackins in 1866. They have one child, Arthur E.
Weston Lewis, president of the Maine Trust & Banking Company
of Gardiner since 1889, was born December 26, 185U, in what is now
Randolph, where his father, Warren R. Lewis, was a farmer and lum-
berman. The latter was a son of Rev. Stephen Lewis, of Jefferson,
Me., who was born at Booth Bay, Me., where the family name fre-
quently occurs. By teaching a portion of the time Weston Lewis com-
pleted the collegiate course of Bowdoin, graduating with the class of
'72. He then taught in the Gardiner High School until the close of
the fall term of 1874. At about this time he became a clerk in the
Gardiner Savings Institution, and from that may be dated his rela-
tions to the banking interests of Gardiner, by which, and through the
presidency of 'the city water company, he is best known locally. His
652 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
home is in Gardiner, where in 1876 he married Eleanor W., daughter
of Charles H. Partridge. Their children are: Carleton, born in 1878,
and Henry, born in 1881. His relation to the Kennebec Central Rail-
road Company and the Maine Water Company, in both of which he is
president, is noticed in another chapter.
Samuel C. McKenney was born in Woolwich, Me., in 1819, and re-
moved in 1823 to Kingfield, Me. He came to Gardiner in 1846 and
engaged in the jewelry business, which he continued until 1864, when
he closed it up for about eighteen months while he was in the army
in Company F, 7th Maine Volunteers. The business was resumed in
1886, and since 1890 the firm has been S. C. McKenney & Son; George
L., who has worked in the business several years, being now the
junior partner.
Baxter Marr, son of Alexander and Keziah E. (Trafton) Marr, was
born in 1826, at Georgetown, Me. He was engaged in the fish busi-
ness in his native town until 1862, when he went to Lewiston. where
he was eight years in mercantile trade, after which he was in busi-
ness in various places until 1888, when he caine to Gardiner and built
his residence on Highland avenue, which was burned in 1891. He
married Emily D., daughter of James Potter. They have one daugh-
ter, Lena L. (Mrs. Fred Littlefield).
Henry E. Merriam was born in Grafton, Mass., in 1838, where his
father, Joseph, and his grandfather, Joseph, were both farmers.
Joseph Merriam, jun., married Mary C. Warren, of Grafton, a sister of
S. D. Warren, the paper manufacturer. Henry E., their youngest
child, left home in 1857 and went into a dry goods store in Boston.
In 1861 he enlisted for nine months and went to New Berne, N. C,
and served under General Foster; then returned home, and in the fall
of 1863 came to Gardiner, where he has been, with the exception of
two years, the agent of S. D. Warren & Co.'s Copsecook paper mill.
In 1868 he married Octave A., daughter of Caleb Hunt, of Chelsea.
Stephen T. Merrill, son of Franklin B. Merrill, was born in Lewis-
ton in 1833. He was a farmer and carpenter in West Gardiner until
1874, since which time he has been superintendent of the Gardiner
farm at the Oaklands. He married Harriet Augusta, daughter of
James Hodgkins. They have two children: vSolon W. and Annie L.
Fred E. Milliken, postmaster, is the grandson of Allison and Jane
(Libby) Milliken, of Scarboro, Me., who came to Gardiner in 1833,
and raised a family of nine children. Their son, William, married
Mary Ann Lyon, by whom he had two children: Fred E., born in
1850, and Fanny E. In 1858 Mr. Milliken engaged in his present
business, and is the oldest boot and shoe dealer in the city. Fred E.
was educated in the public schools of Gardiner, and became, and still
is, a partner with his father in the shoe business.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 653
Arch Morrell and his Descendants. — John Morrell, the com-
mon ancestor of most of the Morrills and Morrells in Kennebec
county, received from the town of Kittery two grants of land in 1668.
These lands, together with a third adjacent grant, made in 1669, were
bounded in part by Birch Point brook. Nicholas Hodgdon, whose
lands were south of these, deeded in 1674 to John Morrell, who had
married his daughter Sarah, seven acres of adjoining land, upon which
Morrell had erected buildings and where he had then resided for
some years. In 1676 John traded all of these lands with Abraham
Conley "" for a farm at " Coole Harbor," and subsequently bought
other tracts and became a large landed proprietor. His dates — birth,
marriage and death— have not been preserved and our knowledge of
his antecedents is purely negative. He may have been a son of Abra-
ham Morrell, who came from England to Cambridge in 1632, but is
not mentioned as such in Savage s Genealogical Dictionary of the Found-
ers of Neiv England. He may have come direct from England as did
many of the early settlers of Kittery and Portsmouth. Whether he
married Sarah Hodgdon before settling in Kittery is uncertain, but
from the first he was prominent in its town affairs, often in town office
and on the jury of inquest. He was a mason by trade, and in deeds
of conveyance was variously called " bricklayer," " mason " and
" plasterer." Dr. William B. Lapham, of Augusta, the genealogist
and historian, records for him children: Nicholas, who luarried in
1695 Sarah Frye, of Kittery; Sarah, who married August 4, 1701,
George Huntress; John;' Edah, married April 27, 1702, Jonathan Na-
son; Hannah, who married John Tidy, and Abraham, f
Of these, John Morrel? was born in 1675, and married, December
16, 1701, Hannah, daughter of Peter Dixon, of Kittery, whence the
name Peter first came into the family. He was a planter and owned
large estates, including areas of Kittery Commons, now North Ber-
wick. His will, dated 1756, was proved May 16, 1763, making his
widow Hannah sole executrix. This will names as his children: John,
born July 30, 1702; Peter, September 16, 1709; Jedediah,' Keziah and
Mary. His sons, Thomas, born August 20, 1705, and Richard, born
September 23, 1713, are not mentioned in the will. His lands in Kit-
tery and Berwick were bequeathed to his three sons, John, Peter and
Jedediah, after providing for his widow and daughter. He beqeathed
his negro Joe to his wife during her life time, then to the son whom
Joe should select as his master. His negro Tobey was given his free-
dom after twenty-four years of age, but should serve the widow while
she lived. These two slaves were buried side by side on the Morrell
homestead at North Berwick.
* See York Deeds, t Abraham Morrell, called "blacksmith." was of Kit-
tery in ITll, when his father deeded him three acres of land, and nothing later
is known of him.
654 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Jedediah Morrell," born August 29, 1711, was thrice married; first,
December 5, 1734, to Elizabeth, daughter of Ronald Jenkins, of Kit-
tery; in 1737 to Anna Dow, of Hampton, N. H., and January 28, 1762,
to Sarah Gould. His first marriage was in the manner of the Friends,
the certificate of which— a quaint and instructive document belonging
now to Morrill Sherbourne, of North Berwick — bears the signatures
of five Morrells among the witnesses, and they each spelled the family
name with an " e." Jedediah's three sons by his second marriage
were: Abraham," born December 26, 1738, married first Elizabeth
Lewis, and second Hannah Nichols; Josiah,' who married Hannah
Webber; and Winthrop,' born December 20, 1744, married Susannah
Lewis. Jedediah's third wife bore two children: John,* who married
Sarah Varney in 1787 and died in 1789; and Peace, named only in her
father's will.
Jedediah MorrelP spent his early married life in Kittery, where is
recorded the birth of his first child. He received by deed from his
father, John, lands in North Berwick now owned in part by his de-
scendant, Morrill Sherbourne,' and built, four miles from North Ber-
wick village, at the mouth of Bonny Beag pond, mills near where his
great-grandson still resides. He practiced with herbs the healing art,
and while operating as farmer, lumberman and trader, he was also
well known as Doctor Morrell, as the curious account book he kept
still shows. His will, made March 18, 1775, was proved the following
year. It bequeathed one-third of his real estate to his wife, Sarah,
during her widowhood, and gave lands and mill property at Doughty's
falls and at Bonny Beag pond to his sons, Abraham and Josiah. To
Winthrop he gave a farm, his " largest fowling piece and my Silver
Watch;" while John was to have the " small fowling piece " and the
'• great pasture " when he was twenty-one. To his daughter, Peace,
he gave his household goods at the death of his wife, Sarah, who was
sole executrix of the will. His son, Abraham, occupied the lands be-
queathed to him until his death and was succeeded by his son, Nahum.
Winthrop operated the mill at Bonny Beag pond when he died, pass-
ing the property to his son, Ephraim.
"Peter Morrell, brother and neighbor of Jedediah," was father of the
Sarah Morrell who was killed and .scalped by Indians within the limits
of North Berwick village.
We have thus particularly sketched the first three generations of
this old family to rescue from oblivion a few of those threads not com-
monly within the knowledge or the written records of the present
generations. Josiah Morrell' married Hannah Webber October 25,
1764, and had one or more daughters and three sons: Ebenezer, Aaron
and Josiah, and perhaps others. His wife probably died before 1797,
for in that year, without her joining in the deed, he sold the lands he
had inherited from his father, the blacksmith shop and tools and " all
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 655
the movables both indoor and out " to his son, Josiab". He died in
Litchfield, at the residence of his grandson, Hiram ^^lorreH", and was
buried in the graveyard at Litchfield Corner, where his grave stone
says he died September IS, 1832, aged 95 years.
When they came to Litchfield in 1824 Josiah' was the head of the
family and the man of affairs. He was born at North Berwick, Sep-
tember 22, 1775, and on April 9, 1798 — the year after his father deeded
him the homestead — he married Sarah Quint, of Berwick, who was
four years his junior. They sold out there in January. 1825, to
Nathaniel Walker, and on June 13, 1825, purchased of William Rob-
inson a farm in Litchfield where Job F. Morrell now lives. They sub-
sequently resided with their son, Hiram, but when their younger son,
Ebenezer, bought the Isaac Shurtleff farm, north of Barnabas Springer's,
they made their home there until Josiah's death, December 29, 1852*.
His widow, after living alone for several years, resided until her death,
November 23, 1868, with her daughter, Mrs. Barnabas Springer.
The five children of Josiah and Sarah Q. Morrell were born at the
ancestral home in North Berwick, and excepting the oldest son. Arch,
who was previously married, came with them to Litchfield, where they
all became heads of substantial families, as noticed in the four suc-
ceeding paragraphs.
Hiram Morrell", a blacksmith and farmer, was born September 22,
1802, and in 1830 married Eleanor Springer, of Litchfield, and had ten
children. He died at Litchfield, January 30, 1885.
Sarah Jane Morrell", born February 13, 1804, married Barnabas
Springer, of Litchfield, and had one son and died March 9, 1874. Mr.
Springer was one of the original abolitionists, and in that movement
and in other reforms of his time was a substantial power for good.
He died August 17, 1880. Barnabas Springer, an early settler of
Litchfield, who was killed while felling a tree, was his father.
Ebenezer Morrell", born March 27, 1808, married Elizabeth Smith
Rogers, of Litchfield, in 1835. She had six children and died in San
Francisco March 16, 1856. He was one of the early pioneers of Cali-
fornia, and now resides in Gilroy, Cal,
Rev. Alexander Hatch Morrell" was born October 10, 1818. He
was general manager of Storer College, Harpers Ferry, Va., and died
at Irvington, N. J., in 1885. His wife, Eliza, was daughter of Thomas
B. Seavey. They had three children.
It is not our purpose in this chapter to trace farther these four
younger children of Josiah and Sarah (Quint) Morrell and their nu-
merous descendants, but to notice somewhat the oldest son. Arch ISIor-
reir, whose business career forms no inconsiderable factor in the local
history of this city. We have noticed his marriage while his parents
still resided at North Berwick. Probably he never resided in Litch-
field, where the others of his father's family were.
*His grave stone at Litchfield Corner says 1853, but the stone is wrong.
656 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Fie was born April 10, 1800, and with an independent spirit which
he probably inherited and which he certainly has transmitted, he
started out to find a place for himself in the world. With five dollars
in hispocket, he walked from South Berwick to Salem, Mass. — seventy
miles — making fifty of the miles in twelve hours, and finally found
employment in a brick yard at ten dollars per month, and after six
months' work there returned home with $62.50. His first employer,
a Mr. Gardiner, had a milk farm, and young Arch had sixteen cows to
milk for his morning and evening diversion. Brick making, as then
done by hand, was very laborious, but he learned the business, and in
later life this knowledge served him a purpose. He went with the
Salem Light Infantry to the reception of General La Fayette in Boston,
in August, 1824, and was always proud of having done so. He was
married in 1822, to Statira Andrews, who was born in Essex, Mass.,
December 3, 1797.
Working a few summers at brickmaking for Mr. Stone in Salem,
he came in 1827 to Gardiner, where David Flagg and Jesse Lambard
were brick makers of that day, and with them Mr. Morrell found em-
ployment until he went into business for himself. His son, Henry A.
Morrell, of Pittsfield, in a series of articles on brick making, written
while his father was living, said: " My father did this same business
for more than fifty years in succession, but the excessive labor has not
brought him to an untimely grave — not yet, and he is eighty-five years
old, and he brought up his three boys to the same trade; the one for-
sook it and for thirty years has been an editor and publisher; but the
other two have, with short alternations as lumbermen, printers and
merchants, settled down to the old business."
In 1840, when there were more than a dozen brick yards in Gardi-
ner, Arch Morrell and Randall Robinson were in company and made
the bricks for the city hall. Arch and his brother, Ebenezer Morrell,
made the bricks for Colonel Stone's building, corner Brunswick and
Water streets. In 1858 he and his son, H. K. ^Morrell, made the bricks
for the Gardiner Gas Works. In 1845 Arch :Morrell made the bricks
for the Holmes & Robbins foundry, and in 184G for their machine
shop— in fact he made fully seven-eighths of all the brick used m
Gardiner prior to his death.
He first lived in a house where now stands the Freewill Baptist
church, on Summer street, and here his son, Hiram Kelly, was born;
but his most permanent home in Gardiner was at the foot of Spring
street, where Michael Hickey's house now stands; until he, in 1837,
built a house on the lot now occupied by his grandson. Herbert A.
Harriman, on vSpring street, and lived in it until it was destroyed in
the great fire of August 4, 1882. He and his wife then boarded until
their deaths with George W. Viney, and were kindly cared for by Mrs.
Viney, who had been an intimate friend of theirs from her childhood.
Mrs. Morrell died February 28, 1888, and Mr. Morrell February 15,
1885, each having attained the age of 85 years.
li
Ay^T^^'^^l^-^-
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 657
Arch Morrell lived in a time when rum drinking was less depre-
cated than now and though he sometimes drank he was not a drunk-
ard. Before the Washingtonian movement, however, he became con-
verted and joined the Freewill Baptist church, and ever after was a
thorough going temperance man.
He was a kind hearted, gentle, loving man. His children all say
they never heard him use a cross word, and he was liberal to a fault.
He never accumulated property to any amount. His father, once
when asked by a grandson; " Did you ever know a rich Morrell?" re-
plied: " No; they always had too much company." Arch Morrell was
no exception. His house was always a free hotel, for every minister,
temperance or abolitionist lecturer, any man who ever worked for him
— in fact for every countryman who came to haul him wood, buy bricks
or for any other purpose. There were no restaurants in those days,
and if there had been it would probably have been the same, for his
latch string was always on the outside. This is no poetical figure, for
in the old house where he first lived in Gardiner, there was actually a
wooden latch and a leather latch string. The same old house had un-
burned bricks in the chimney and white oak beams six by eight in
the garret, and pine timber as much as fifteen inches square in the
second floor.
He was careless about collecting and literally followed the injunc-
tion: " Give to him that asketh of thee, and of him that would borrow
of thee turn not thou away." He trusted anybody, and they paid him,
or let it alone, as best pleased them: and he often lost by .signing notes
for others. All the treasures he ever laid up were those laid up in
heaven; and none of his children ever complained that he left no
others. His good name is a better inheritance to them than great
riches.
" Full many a poor man's blessing went
AVith him beneath the low green tent,
Whose curtain never outward swings."
His ancestors were Quakers, and the peaceful instincts of that sect
always actuated him. His heart was as soft as a woman's, and every
one's sorrows were made his own. He never held office except as a
councilman, and as surveyor of brick and wood, and never wanted
any; for he shrank from publicity.
Physically he was a model man. Few men could do more work in
a day, and still fewer could work more days and nights in succession.
He and his brother, Ebenezer Morrell, once made 40,000 bricks in six
days and put as many more in the kiln — a good week's work for four
men.
Not only morally but literally " his works live after him," for the
fabrics of his make will last while the world stands. They were char-
acteristic of the man — solid, durable and useful rather than gaudy and
658 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
attractive. He did no great deed.s, though he was capable of it, if
circumstances demanded, and he did no mean nor ignoble one.
He and his wife sleep in Oak Grove Cemetery, v.'here some of
their grandchildren sleep beside them. His first born son lies in the
High street bm-ying ground, but his six other children are all living.
These six children of Arch and Statira (Andrews) Morrell, repre-
senting the seventh generation from John of Kittery, are: Mary Jane,
born in Salem June 30, 1823; Hiram Kelly, born in Gardiner Septem-
ber 25, 1827; Henry Albert, born January 23, 1830; Elizabeth An-
drews, born April 26, 1833; William, born January 4, 1836; and Eleanor
Ellen Morrell, born January 20, 1839.
Mary J." married Andrew Jack Harriman in 1843. Their children,
all born in Gardiner, are: George A., December 4, 1844; Francis W.,
February 9, 1846, died November 13, 1863; Helen and Frederick, who
died in infancy; Herbert A., November 27, 1850; Ida Florence, August
24,1852; Alice Marion,October21, 1853, died September 23,1889; Walter
C, October 31 , 1855; Willis E. and Arthur, died young; CharlesW., April
24, 1861; Edward L., May 14, 1863; and Bertha Mabel, October 9, 1866.
Hiram K.' married Lucinda P. Hinkley, daughter of Alanson and
Salome (Hinds) Hinkley, who died in 1861. Their children were:
Ernest W. Morrell,' editor of the Home Journal, who was born Decem-
ber 3, 1851, married Abigail Whitcomb and has four children— Edith
Whitcomb," Benjamin Dodge, Henry Arch and Florence; Dora May,
a successful teacher, author and editor, born May 19, 1855; Florence
A., born in 1857, died in 1864; and Charles A., born May 27, 1861. H.
K. Morrell's second marriage was with Asenath Washburn Haskell,
who died June 15, 1889, leaving one daughter. Lute Blanche, born
August 16, 1866. who in October, 1887, married George Dexter Libby,
of Gardiner, and has one daughter, Blanche Asenath Libby.
Henry Albert Morrell' is a brick maker at Pittsfield. He is a man
of good literary attainments, well known by his nom de plume " Juni-
per." His first wife was Sarah Jane Springer, of Gardiner, his second
wife Marada Jane Mills. Each had three children: Fonetta Augusta
(Mrs. Charles O. Morrell); Mary Everett,who died young; Nellie F. (Mrs.
Nathaniel L. Perkins); Clarence Henry, Effie and Ethel Belle Morrell.*
Elizabeth A. Morrell' married William Henry Wrenn, now fore-
man in the Waltham watch factory, and has had no children.
William Morrell', the brick maker of Gardiner, learned the printer's
trade at thirteen years of age and for twenty years worked at it win-
ters. In 1869 he married Mary O. Ring, of Gardiner, daughter of
Joseph and Sarah (Goodridge) Ring, and had one son, Harry Mellen
Morrell,* who was born February 9, 1869, and died April 25, 1881.
Eleanor Ellen Morrell' married in 1862 Lorenzo Noble, now a fore-
man in the Waltham watch factory. Their children are: Annie F.,
Burton Andrews and Arch Edward.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 659
William H. and Gustavus Moore are the sons of John Moore,
who was born in Vassalboro in ]796, one of thirteen children, and
came to Gardiner in 1811 and learned the millwright trade of his
brother, Ebenezer Moore. He married in 1826, Charity, daughter of
Ichabod Plaisted. Of their eight children five were boys, four of
whom — John S., William H., George R. and Gustavus— enlisted and
fought in the war of the rebellion. George R. died in the hospital at
Vicksburgh. The other three came home, William H. with a bullet
wound through his right lung that disabled him for over a year. John
S. was sent to the legislature in 1864, and the next year went West
and died at Des Moines, la. William H. became a manufacturer, and
married in 1873, Luella J. Wakefield. They have one child, George
Roscoe. Gustavus engaged in the hardware business and for two
years has been superintendent of the Gardiner Water Company. He
was commissioned lieutenant, was several years president of common
council, and was in the legislatures of 1885 and 1887. In 1867 he mar-
ried Adelaide Wiley, of Pittston. Their children are: Gustavus E.,
E. Mabel, Mary I. and Pearl.
Horace K. Newbert, the fourth of the six sons of Andrew and
Lydia (Clark) Newbert, and grand.son of Philip Newbert, whose father
came from Germany and settled in W^aldoboro, Me., was born in
Washington, Me., in 1836. Horace married Elmira A. Lukeforth, of
Washington. The older of their two sons, Fred S., is now in busi-
ness with his father in Gardiner. Willie A. died young. For his
second wife Mr. Newbert married Lucy M. Brown, of Gardiner. In
1866 he brought his family to Pittston, and was a commercial traveler
for over twenty years. From 1875 to 1878 he had a boot and shoe store
in Gardiner; soon after he became for five years a manufacturer of
boots and shoes in Biddeford, Me. He bought of Frank Cox in 1889,
the boot and shoe business in which he is now engaged in Gardiner.
Joseph E. Newell, son of George and Lydia (Edgcomb) Newell, was
born in West Gardiner in 1844. He has been a paper maker by trade.
He married Martha T., daughter of Elbridge and Sabrina (Smith)
Hooker. They have one daughter, Laura A. Mr. Hooker was for
several years a paper maker at Gardiner, and his home was where Mr.
Newell now lives.
Appleton D. Nickerson, son of Daniel N. and Louisa (Gilbert)
Nickerson, was born in Litchfield in 1826, the youngest of seven chil-
dren. In 1855 he came to Gardiner and engaged in the grain, seed
and grocery business, firm of Bartlett, Barstow & Co. In 1S69 the
firm name was changed to Barstow & Nickerson. This is the oldest
grocery house in the city. In 1857 Mr. Nickerson married Clara H.
Barstow, and their only child, Carrie L., is now Mrs. Ben W. Part-
ridge, of Gardiner.
660 HISTORY OF KEXNEBEC COUNTY.
Fred M. Noyes is a son of Manthano Noyesrwho was born in
Brunswick, Me., one of the older of nine children, and married Lydia
Stewart, of China, by whom he had twelve children. He came with
his family to Gardiner, where he died in 1876— seventy years old. His
son Fred M., the tenth child, was born in 1848, and became a drug-
gist, which has been his business in Gardiner for the past twenty-five
years. He married in 1889, Sarah J., daughter of Dexter Whitmore.
Daniel C. Palmer is the son of Elisha Palmer, of Hallowell, for-
merly of Alna, Me., whose father, Simon Palmer, was a revolutionary
soldier from New Hampshire. Elisha married Mary Perkins, of Alna,
where Daniel C, the eldest of their seven children, was born in 1820.
In 1846 he came to Gardiner and worked at his trade as millwright.
He has been a surveyor of lumber over thirty years, and since 1S63
clerk of the Kennebec Log Driving Company. Besides holding
almost every minor city office, Mr. Palmer was elected mayor of Gar-
diner in 1873, and was reelected four times, serving his last term in
1880. He was also a member of the last state board of valuation. Mr.
Palmer's first wife was Elizabeth J. Hanscon, of Hartland. Their
children were: Georgie A., Frederick and Mary E., now Mrs. Albion
G. Bradstreet, of Brooklyn, N. Y. His second wife was Ellen, daugh-
ter of James B. Sawyer, of Gardiner.
Millard F. Payne is a direct descendant from Thomas Payne,
who came with his father, Thomas, from England to Eastham, Mass.,
and married Mary Snow about 1652. Their son, Samuel, married Pa-
tience Freeman, whose son, Joshua, had a son, Timothy D., who
moved from Eastham to Waldoboro, Me. His son, Samuel Payne, of
Richmond, was the father of Samuel Payne, of Litchfield, who mar-
ried Ellen M. Jack. Of their six children Millard F., the only boy,
was born in 1854 and in 1881 married Belle Gould, of Gardiner. Their
children are: Harold Gould and Catharine Bartlett.
Captain Joseph Perry, a retired machinist of Gardiner, son of
Joseph M. and grandson of Jonathan Perry, of Scituate, Mass., who
later lived in Topsham, Me., was born in Topsham May 4, 1811. He
married Olive Gilpatrick, who died leaving children: Clara E. (Mrs.
Plarry A. Leslie) and Anna J. The captain's second wife was Mrs.
Ann M. (Felker) Peterson, of Wiscasset, Me., who left one son — Fred
A. Perry. Captain Perry's military title comes from the bloodless
fields of the Aroostook war, where he commanded the Kennebec
guards.
Robert Pope, of Gardiner, flour and commission merchant, son of
Robert Pope, of Hallowell, is the grandson of Joseph Pope, who was
born in Boston in 1750, and was a watchmaker; he constructed an
■orrery of such merit that Governor Bowdoin, John Hancock and
others procured an act of the legislature granting the right to raise
five hundred pounds by lottery to buy the astronomical curiosity for
THE CITY OF GARDINER. bbl
Harvard College, which was done, and the college still preserves it.
Joseph Pope received £4:S0 3s. for this instrument. Mr. Pope has now
in his house a clock with thirty-one hands, indicating the time in
twenty-four different longitudes, the places of the sun in the zodiac
and the phases of the moon, made by Joseph Pope, who came to Hal-
lowell in 1818 and died there in 1826. Robert Pope was also a watch-
maker. He married Julia C, daughter of James Wingate, postmaster
at Portland, Me. Robert, jun., was born in 1835, went to school in
Hallowell Academy, came to Gardiner and became a machinist. He
married Julia A. Ellis, of Medfield, Mass. Their children are: Robert
W., associated with his father in business, and Seth E.. the latter no\v
in Bowdoin College.
Amos H. Potter, born in 1836, is the only surviving son of Amos
and Hannah (Clark) Potter, of " Pottertown," Litchfield. He married
Adelia E., daughter of Lewis Gowell, of Litchfield, in 1861, and came
to Gardiner in 1868. Their children are: Alphonzo H., Frederick E.
and George E., all living in Gardiner. Maxcy Brothers, in 1878,
started a coal business on Berry's wharf, which two years later they
sold to the Citizens' Coal Company. In 1885 Amos H. Potter bought
the entire interests of this stock concern, and added the coal trade to
a wood business that he had been doing for some years. At the same
time, for the purpose of getting deeper water, he changed from Berry's
to Atkins' wharf, which used to be called the old Gay wharf.
William G. Preble, merchant and undertaker, is the son of A. F.
Preble and the grandson of Abraham Preble, both of Bowdoinham.
The latter, besides being a farmer, was a school teacher, going as far
from home as Brooklyn, N. Y., where he taught several terms. He
was born in 1800 and lived on the home farm to be eighty years old.
A. F. Preble, who was one of nine children, married Almira, daughter
of James W. Grant, of Richmond, Me. Of their four children, Wil-
liam G., the only boy, was born in 1853, and came with his widowed
mother to Gardiner in 1863, where at the age of twelve he went to
work for Uriah Morrison at cabinet making. In 1882 he bought of
James Nash the preinises he now occupies, and three years later an
adjoining house and lot to make room for the wants of his furniture,
carpet and crockery business. In 1887 he married Alice, daughter of
William C. Keene, of Pittston. They have one child, Ethel.
Albert A. Robbins, the machinist, is the only surviving sDn of
Charles A. Robbins, who was born in Winthrop in 1807 and died in
Gardiner in 1884. Charles A. came to Gardiner in 1825, and was one
of the firm of P. C. Holmes & Co. until 1861. After eight years in
Bangor he, with his two sons, E. Everett and Albert A., formed the
firm of C. A. Robbins & Sons. Since the death of Everett, in 1892,
the business continues under Albert A., only surviving member.
662 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Edward Robinson, born in Alna, Me., in 1818, was a ship carpenter
when a young man, and was several j-ears in business in Boston and
New York prior to 1850, when he returned to Alna, where he was en-
gaged in the lumber business and other mercantile trade until 1870,
when he came to Gardiner, where he now lives. He was first select-
man seventeen years, representative from Alna one term, and has held
various city offices in Gardiner. He married Mary E., daughter of
Edward and Mary (Woodbridge) Palmer. Their children are: H.
Dean, Herman E. and Edwin A.
Greenleaf S. Rogers, son of Levi Rogers, of Vassalboro, is in the
sixth generation from Thomas Rogers, who in 1657 planted in Saco
probably the first orchard in Maine. Old Orchard Beach was named
after it. Levi Rogers married Phebe Clark, of China. Greenleaf,
born in 1812, was the oldest of their seven children. Levi went to
Augusta in 1827, and kept the Spencer House, then a house that stood
just north of the present Allen Block; next the Mansion House; and
lastly the Augusta House, where he died. Greenleaf T. Rogers mar-
ried Sarah B., daughter of Elkanah McLellan, of Gardiner. Their
children have been Ellen and George L. Greenleaf came to Gardiner
in 1837 and kept the Cobbossee House eight years, and from 1856 to
1889 was the senior member of the jewelry firm of G. S. & G. L.
Rogers.
Henry R. Sawyer is the son of Ezekiel Sawyer, who was born in
Portland, Me., in 1798, and the grandson of Isaac Sawyer, who was
born in England. Ezekiel came to Gardiner in 1819, and was in the
employ of R. H. Gardiner for twenty years, investing all his earnings
in real estate, till he became one of the largest landholders in town.
He and Rufus K. Page were pioneers in the ice business on the Ken-
nebec. He married Sarah Atkins, by whom he had five children.
Henry R. and his sister, Mrs. Mary A. Moore, both live in South
Gardiner, where Henry R. was born in 1833. He attended the Hobart
High School at Richmond and the Gardiner Academy. He married
Philena W. S. Hathorn. Their children are: Ida L., Hattie C, Ezekiel
J., Harry H. and Jeff S. Mr. Sawyer has been a dealer in wood, hay
and ice, a merchant, a contractor, and an operator in real estate, active
and successful.
Benjamin S. .Smith, second son of Amasa and Eliza M. (Steward)
Smitli, of Moscow, Me., and grandson of Samuel Smith, of Litchfield,
was born in Moscow in 1846. The next year they moved to Gardiner.
In 1864 Benjamin S. enlisted in Stevens' Battery, 5th Maine, and
fought under Grant and then under " Phil " Sheridan. On his return
home he learned the cabinet maker's trade, and five years later began
work in the door, sash and blind business. He has been engaged in
this business for himself for the past nine years. January 2, 1868, he
married Martha, daughter of Dow Clark, of Gardiner.
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 66:^
John D. Stephenson in 1879 bought the school house on Winter
street and remodeled it and started a grocery business in the same
room where he received his primary education, and has continued the
business in the building since that time. Later he bought the inter-
mediate school house lot on Highland avenue, where he built a sub-
stantial residence. Now both his place of business and his home are
on the ground where he received much of the school training that
fitted him for his present success.
Charles Swift, youngest of four children of Lemuel Swift, of Cape
Cod, who came to Brunswick, Me., in 1790, and married Sarah Lufkin,
of Freeport, was born in 1818, and came to Gardiner in 1845. He
married Sarah Jane Rockwood, of Augusta, in 1847, and had two chil-
dren: Mary H. and Charles F. Swift, now of Gardiner. Mr. Swift was
a jeweler, which trade he followed twelve years, and about 1860 con-
ceived and executed the plan of making a line of boxes adapted to
jewelers' and druggists' uses, and successfully carried on the business
for over twenty years.
Free.man Trott. — A man's life is largely an exhibition of the re-
sults that follow an adherence to certain lines of action. While exact
shades of character are difficult to define or depict, individual acts
have a trend toward well defined objects, and in obedience to, or in
disobedience of, established precepts and principles. These reflections
are suggested by a brief review of the life of Freeman Trott, who for
over iifty years was a conspicuous and well known citizen and business
man of Gardiner. A glimpse at a man's ancestry throws wonderful
light on his intellectual and moral features. In this man's case we are
fortunately able to turn back .six leaves in the book of his family
genealogy — each leaf a generation.
Thomas Trott, the ancestor, came from England to Dorchester,
Mass., in 1635, where he turned his attention to farming. Nine years
later he joined the church, which act, by virtue of the peculiar civil
and ecclesiastical polity of the Puritans, gave him the right to vote,
and invested him with all the privileges of full citizenship — that ex-
alted condition being then expressed by the noble term, freeman.
That same year he became an actor and a partner in the greatest event
in life — he married Sarah Proctor. Any one of these acts would indicate
a laudable effort to get on in the world, but to compass them all in
one year must be accepted as evidence of substantial progress. We
know there was then a searching ordeal through which a candidate
must pass before the gateway to church membership was thrown
open. The balance of our acquaintance with Thomas Trott is that he
raised a .son Samuel, and died in Dorchester at the age of eighty-six,
leaving a good farm and what was then called a large estate.
Samuel, who was born in 1660, married Mary Beal, and they had
two boys: Benjamin, born in 1712, who married Joanna Payson, of
664 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Roxbury, and his brother, name not g-iven, who married Waitstill
Payson. The Paysonsseem to have enjoyed a reputation for superior
intellectual attainments which justifies the presumption that the win-
ners of these daughters were young men of good parts. By a request
in his father's will, Benjamin learned a trade, and was a blacksmith
in Boston, where he owned a house. About 1744 he moved to Wool-
wich, Me., with his wife and three sons, Lemuel, Thomas and Ben-
jamin. Lemuel married the daughter of Colonel Thomas Motherell.
His father and mother, Benjamin and Joanna, are buried in the old
South burying ground at Nequasset. Lemuel left a son, Lemuel, who
married Fanny Reed. They had four sons: Lemuel, Converse, Free-
man and Alfred.
Freeman, the subject of this sketch, was born at Woolwich in Jan-
uary, 1810. His father died when about forty years old, leaving a
widow in the responsible and difficult position of looking after the
education and guidance of her sons. This task she performed with a
mother's love and wisdom. Freeman was educated at Kents Hill,
teaching school winters. He came to Gardiner about 1836, and ob-
tained a place in the post office under Judge Palmer. In 1840, at the
age of thirty, he took up the business of his choice, that of a grocery
merchant. Locating on Water street, in Gardiner, he gave his time,
his energies and a mature judgment to the work that was to engross
the activities of a long life. For the next forty-five years, until his
death, May 9, 1885, although the store was rebuilt, the site remained
the same. His career was prosperous and profitable, for it was char-
acterized by honesty and fair dealing.
Successful management of personal affairs is sure of public appre-
ciation. When the city of Gardiner was incorporated in 1850, Mr.
Trott was chosen its first treasurer, and served two years. He also
served as a member of the city council, and was a director in the Cob-
bossee National Bank. He was a supporter of the Methodist church
in Gardiner, of which he was for years a trustee. Lemuel Trott, a
brother of his, was a clergyman in the ^lethodist denomination.
December 17, 1844, Freeman Trott married Julia S., daughter of
Nathaniel and Julia (Springer) Kenniston. Of the two children of
Freeman and Julia Trott, the elder, Charles F., who was born in 1845,
and died in 1877 at Gardiner, was fond of the sea and became first
mate of a vessel that was lost during an earthquake at St. Thomas in
1877. The other child, Lizzie J., is Mrs. O. B. Clason of Gardiner, and
has four children: Julia T., Bertha S., Freeman P. and Charles R.
Clason.
Isaac G. Vannah. the ninth of eleven children, whose parents were
Henry and Betsey (Keene) Vannah, of Nobleboro. Me., was born in
1823. He came to Gardiner in 1846 and engaged in the hardware
trade in 1848 on Bridge street. After two or three changes of loca-
(y^A-t>c^pn^'t^»^^ y^-t^-^^
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 665
tion he bought, in 1863, the block he still occnpies, and next to Amasa
Ring has been continuously in business the longest of any man on
Water street. A curious and significant fact in the hardware trade is
this: when Mr. Vannah began the only tool he sold of American
manufacture was one kind of plane irons, and it now happens that
every article he sells is made in this country except one English make
of the same article — plane irons. Isaac G. Vannah, in 1849, married
Eliza C. Rafter, of Jefferson, Me. They have one child, Letetia Kate.
Charles O. Wadsworth, born in 1839 in Gardiner, is a son of Moses
S. and grandson of the Quaker preacher, Moses Wadsworth, of West
Gardiner. He enlisted in 1862 and lost a leg in front of Petersburg.
After the war he was salesman and bookkeeper at times, and in 1878
was elected city clerk and librarian of the public library of Gardiner,
and was commissioned justice of the peace the same year, which posi-
tions Ije has since continuously held. He married Angie M. Baldwin,
of New Hampshire, and has two children: Mildred B. and Frank C.
Captain James Walker, born in 1834, is the grandson of Captain
Lemuel Walker, a seafaring man born in Kennebunkport, Me., and
the son of Joshua Walker 2d, the youngest of twelve children, who
was born in Litchfield, and Married Hannah S., daughter of Jeremiah
Potter, of Litchfield, and moved to Richmond, Me., in 1850. James
enlisted from Aroostook county in Company E, 15th Maine, served
under General Butler, was at New Orleans and in the Red River cam-
paign, and then under General Sheridan in the Shenandoah valley.
He came home at the close of the war and married Julia, daughter of
Annis Douglas, of Gardiner. They have two children: Charles F. and
Clara E.
Hon. Charles A. White is the son of Eben White, who came from
Winthrop to Hallowell. where he was for years senior member in the
grocery firm of White & Warren, and whose father was Major Benja-
min White — war of 1812. Eben White brought his family to Gardiner
in 1829. being then in government employ under General Jackson.
Charles A. White, born in 1828 in Hallowell, was appointed postmaster
at Gardiner under President Pierce in 1855 and reappointed under
Buchanan; was state treasurer in 1878 and 1879; was again postmaster
in Gardiner under Grover Cleveland, and has served in both branches
of the city government. In 1860 he married Elizabeth R., daughter
of Hon. Thomas Robinson, of Ellsworth, Me. Their children are:
Mary D.,now Mrs. Doctor Dike, of Melrose, Mass.; Bessie F., died 1865:
and Charles R., Harry Eben and Anna E., of Gardiner.
Captain Franklin D. Whitmore is the son of William and Phebe
( Hayden) Whitmore, of Arrowsic, Me., where he was born in 1839.
His father was a teacher and afterward a Congregational minister.
Captain Whitmore has followed the sea since the age of seventeen,
43
666 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
becoming master of the Mary Russell in 1870. He has commanded
several ships, all engaged in the California trade. His present vessel
is the Berlin, of which he is part owner. He came to Gardiner in 1869,
and in 1871 married Mary N., daughter of Judge Palmer, of Gardiner.
Their children are: Mary L., Frank H. and Morton P.
Fred W. Willey was born in Litchfield, Me., June 19, 1857. When
six years of age his parents moved to South Gardiner, Me., where he
has since resided. He received his education in the city schools of
Gardiner and the Commercial College of Augusta, of which he was a
graduate. The most of his life has been spent in the lumber busi-
ness; in the woods in winter and in the lumber yard in summer as
surveyor. He was married to Fannie Foster Crocker, of'Machias, Me.,
Tune 3, 1885. One son is the fruit of their union. His father, J. O.
Willey, was born January 8, 1821, in Durham, N. H., married
Mary H. Johnson, of Gardiner, Me., and had three children: Ida M.,
Fred W. and Abbie P. Willey. His father was a connection of the
Willey family that was buried in the slide of the White mountains.
Robert Williamson was born in Chesterfield county, Va., in 1803,
and in 1829, with his wife, Mary Hunt, of Boston, came to Gardiner,
where they raised their family and where, until his death in 1874, he
was successfully engaged in the clothing business. Their surviving
children are: Mary E. (Mrs. John D. Lovett, of Boston) and Virginia
Williamson, of Gardiner.
Albion E. Wing, son of Leonard Wing, of Wayne, and grandson
of Allen Wing, who came from Cape Cod, was born in 1822. Leonard
Wing married Betsey Ellis, of Wayne, by whom he had six boys and
three girls, Albion E. being the fourth. The latter came to Gardiner
in 1843 and married Mary Jane, daughter of Joshua Burgess, in 1846.
Their only child is Mrs. Augustus W. McCausland. Mr. Wing was a
self-taught mechanic and turned his attention to wagon making when
he first came to Gardiner, working for William H. Lord as a journey-
man. After a partnership in the same business with J. D. Gardiner
of some six years, he built a shop on Church street, now a marble
shop, where he manufactured carriages and sleighs for nearly forty
years, and then sold the business to J. B. Libby. Mr. Wing has been
member of the city council and president of that body, also assessor
and overseer of the poor.
Philip H. Winslow' descended from Kenelin Winslow', who was
born in Drotwich, Eng., in 1599, and came to Salem, Mass., the line of
descent being: Nathaniel', Gilbert', Barnabas', Barnabas', Philip",
whose wife was a Rideout; Philip', who, born in New Gloucester in
1818— the third of nine children — came to Gardiner in 1841, married
Emily Hawks, of Windham, Me., in 1842, had a family of three boys
and two girls, and died in 1888. Philip H. Winslow', born in 1852,
was the youngest of the three boys, only two of whom and one girl
THE CITY OF GARDINER. 667
are living. He married Luella A., daughter of Harvey Scribner, of
Gardiner, in 1873. They have one child, Harvey Philip. Mr. Wins-
low has been in the grocery trade at Gardiner twenty-one j'ears,
making his the oldest grocery house but two in this city.
Frank C. Wise, born in Canton, 1858, is the son of George W.
Wise, who was born in Hallowell, and whose father, Martin W. Wise,
was also a Hallowell man. George W. removed from Hallow^ell to
Auburn and thence to Canton. He was one of four children, and is
probably the only one now living. His brother went to sea and was
never heard from, and the two sisters are dead. George W. Wise
married, first, Eleanor Keith, of Auburn, by whom he had two boys
and one girl, and, second, Orvilla Rolfe, who bore him two sons.
Frank C. Wise came from Norway, Me., to Gardiner, where he bought
the clothing business of Bicknell & Neal, which he still follows. He
married Mary E., daughter of Thomas Berry. Their children are
Ellen M. and Hattie M.
Captain Andrew T. Wyman, born in 1836, is the son of Percy and
grandson of William Wyman, of Phippsburg, whose ancestors came
from .Scotland. Percy Wyman married Mary Tibbetts, of Woolwich.
Captain Wyman married, in 1858, Emily F. Witherspoon (a great-
granddaughter of John Witherspoon, born in Scotland, who was one
of the signers of the declaration of independence), and has one child,
Nellie. They came to Gardiner in 1870 and two years later he became
captain of the steam tug /. T. Hoffman, which he ran for five years
and then took command of the A. F. Kappclla, of which he is part
owner.
CHAPTER XXV.
TOWN OF WEST GARDINER.
Incorporation. — Civil Lists. — Settlers. — Map. — Collins Mills. — Business Enter-
prises.— Stores. — Post Offices. — Lodges. — Schools. — Churches. — Cemeteries.
— Personal Paragraphs.
THE territory which forms the town of West Gardiner formerly
belonged to Gardiner and Litchfield. The larger portion of the
town was within the old Gardinerston plantation, and thus be-
came in 1779 a part of the original Pittston, and was also included in
the town of Gardiner, incorporated in 1803, and comprised the Seventh
ward of Gardiner city in 1850. The part belonging to Gardiner was
10,400 acres, set off and incorporated as West Gardiner August 8, 1850,
the parent city taking no active part in opposing the separation. In
1859 the northern part of Litchfield was annexed, thus somewhat
increasing its area. The town lies west of the city of Gardiner
and south of Augusta; and it is bounded in part, on the south and
east, by the Cobbosseecontee, a considerable stream, which is fed by
ponds in Mt. Vernon. Wayne and Winthrop, and flows into the Ken-
nebec within the limits of the city of Gardiner. On the northeast the
town joins Gardiner, while on the north it joins Farmingdale and
Manchester, and on the west Winthrop, the line passing through the
east side of the great pond that lies between the towns. Litchfield
lies south of the town, and is divided from it in part by the Cobbossee-
contee.
Civil Lists. — The names and years of service of the selectmen of
the town have been as follows: Aaron Haskell, 1850; Abram Milliken,
1850, '51; David Marston, 1850, died during the year, and Daniel Tall-
man filled the vacancy; Thaddeus Spear, 1851, '52, '55, '56, '57, '58; Dan-
iel Fuller, 1851, '59, '60, "61, '65; vSamuel H. Parsons, 1852; Thomas M.
Clark, 1852; Oliver S. Edwards, 1853, '54, '62; Eliakim Norton, 1853,
'54, '59; Cyrus Brann, 1854; Hermon Stinson, 1855, '56, '57; Isaac Farr,
1855, '56; Noah Farr, 1857; Jefferson Brann, 1858; John Hodgkins,
1858; William Farr, 1859, '60, '61, '65; William H. Merrill, 1860, '61,
'62, '63, '64, '70; William Morse, 1862, '63, '64; Samuel P. Stinson,
1863, '64, resigned, succeeded by Alvin Merrill, 1864; Thomas H.
Dow, 1865, '66; George W. Blanchard, 1866, '67; John W. Herrick,
1866, '67, '71, '72, '76; Phineas S. Hodgdon, 1867, '68, "69, '73, '74; David
TOWN OF WEST GARDINER.
Tucker, 1868, '69, 74; Ezekiel Ware, 1868, '69; Elisha P. Seavey,
1870; Jacob Emerson, 1870; Eleazer C. Douglass, 1871, '72, '73, '79;
Thomas H. Dow, 1871, '72; Daniel E. Merrill, 1873 to 1879 inclusive;
Jerry H. Pinkham, 1875; Josiah W. Sprague, 1875; John A. Spear,
1876, '77, '78, 1880 to 1885 inclusive, and 1892; Elijah Farr, 1877 to
1883 inclusive; Nathan J. Knox, 1880 to 1883 inclusive; Alvin W.
Brann, 1884 to 1891 inclusive; Samuel M. Pinkham, 1884; William P.
Haskell, 1885 to 1888 inclusive; Hubbard Goldsmith, jun., 1886 to 1891
inclusive; John Pinkham, 1889 to 1892 inclusive; George E. Lancaster,
The moderators of the annual town meetings, with the date of
first election and number of times each has presided, are as follows:
1850, Daniel Fuller, 6; 1851, Samuel H. Parsons, 4; 1855, John Knox,
2; 1858, Moses T. Wadsworth, 4; 1866, Cyrus Brann, 8; 1871, Phineas
S. Hodgdon; 1874, John W. Herrick, 2; 1877, Charles Hinkley; 1878,
Eleazer C. Douglass; 1880, vSamuel M. Pinkham to 1891, except Daniel
W. Robinson in 1882; John A. Spear, 1892.
The succession of treasurers, with the year of election, includes:
Merrill Hunt, 1850; Cyrus Brann, 1852: Robert H. Douglass, 1855;
670 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Cyrus Brann, 1857; J. L. Spear, ISoD; Samuel P. Stinson, 1862; John
Knox, 1864; William P. Haskell, 1865; Stephen Weston, 1868; George
H. Pope, 1874; Alpheus Spear, 1880; George H. Pope, 1883; Stephen
Weston, 1886; and Baxter M. Small, since 1889.
The service of seven different men as town clerks covers the forty-
two years of the town's history: Oliver S. Edwar.d served until 1862,
excepting 1858, when Lyman K. Littlefield was chosen; George D.
Wakefield was elected in 1862 and 186.3, and iM. W. Farr in 1864; Wil-
liam P. Haskell's long period of uninterrupted service began m 1865.
Settlers.— Preliminary to the sale of lands to the settlers, the en-
tire Cobbosseecontee tract was surveyed and divided into lots, the
numbers of which appear on the original deeds. A plan of these lots,
projected from Solomon Adams' survey of 1808, appears on the pre-
ceding page.
Enoch and Sarah (Libbey) French came in 1811 from Seabrook, N.
H., and settled where their son, George W. French, now lives, at the
Corner, which was named after his father. A part of the old house
is still well preserved. Nathaniel Leighton,- Joseph Roberts and
Nahum Merrill, a brother of Daniel Merrill, all came from Gorham,
Me., about 1810. Mr. Roberts settled at Nudd's Corner, where Clarence
Curtis now lives, and Mr. Leighton settled where Frank vSherburn lives.
Joseph Haskell came to West Gardiner in 1818, from Gloucester, Mass.
He was a sea captain and followed his calling for several years after he
.settled here. Peter Clark came from Hallowell and located where his
grandson, George Clark, lives. James Lord came from Ipswich, Mass.,
and spent the balance of his life on the place where his grandson,
Charles McCausland, lives. His death was tragic — his house was
burned in 1847, and he perished in the flames. Abel French settled
on the cross road from North to High streets, about 1812.
Aaron Wadsworth came from Massachusetts between 1790 and 1800,
and settled where Isaac Wentworth lives. Elias and Benjamin
Howard, from Massachusetts, also lived on land now owned by Mr.
AVentworth. Caleb Towle lived where his son, Orrin, now resides.
Aaron Haskell lived where Miss Irene Collins lives. Daniel Herrick
and John W. Herrick lived on the next farm to Joseph Haskell, where
John W.'s daughter, Mrs. Helen A. Fuller, now resides. The old
house in which Joseph Haskell lived was burned. It stood on the
place now owned by Albert W. De Fratus. Ezekiel Robinson came
in 1802 from Gloucester, Mass., and settled on the farm now owned by
Lambert Perkins, on which his son, Benjamin B. Robinson, lived till
he was eighty years old. Ezekiel was a brother to the widely known
almanac maker, Daniel R. Robinson.
Nathaniel Currier was born in Southampton, N. H., and moved to
Sedgwick, Me., from whence he came to West Gardiner in 1816— that
memorable cold summer when the ground froze and corn and pota-
TOWN OF WEST GARDINER. 671
toes were killed in June and were hoed the first time in July, and
again killed by frost in August. Mrs. Harriet B. Sampson, Mr. Cur-
rier's daughter, now living at the age of 84 with her daughter, Mrs.
Doctor Whitmore, in Gardiner, remembers that a few potatoes were
all the crop her father was able to raise that year. Mrs. Sampson has
vivid recollections of the old times, some of which are as follows.
William Morse came from Bath, Me., and built a house west of the
church on the Hallowell road. William Stevens, father of Moses and
John Stevens, came from up the Kennebec river and settled where
Reuben L. Snow lives.
Captain Chapin Sampson, who came from Boston to West Gardi-
ner about 1800, had some strange adventures in his day. About 1786
he commanded a big ship that was captured on the Mediterranean sea
by an Algerine corsair. He and his crew were stripped of their
clothing and driven through the streets of Algiers as a show, being
the first Americans ever seen there. They were treated with all man-
ner of indignities, thrown in loathsome dungeons, and at the end of
ten days they were sent into the country to labor as slaves. Captain
Chapin and his master soon discovered that they were brother Masons,
and at the risk of his life the overseer proved his loyalty to the order
by helping his slave to escape. Captain Thomas B. Sampson, son of
Captain Chapin, came from Boston in 1826, in which year he was mar-
ried to Harriet B. Currier. He followed the sea as long as his health
would permit. Job Sampson came from Boston to Hallowell and from
thence to West Gardiner. He was a blacksmith and his shop stood in
the hollow west of the Baptist church.
Reuel Rice, son of John Rice, lived where Mrs. Seavey now lives.
The Rices were very early settlers. Joseph Neal was an early settler
and lived in a house sold to Elisha Seavey. Thomas and Julius Neal
were his sons. Thomas lived in the first house beyond the red school
house. Israel Hutchinson lived where Joseph Spear lives. Thomas
Brann, son of Captain John Brann, an old settler, lived where James
W. Small does. Edward Austin lived near where Jonathan Good-
rich lives. C. J. Edwards lived where his son, Ezekiel, lives. Abra-
ham Bachelor came from New Hamp.shire before 1815, and lived on
what is now the George Carter place. He was buried in a vault with
a granite front, which he built on his own farm. Ebenezer Bailey,
from Durham, settled in 1800 near where the Friends' meeting house
stands. He was killed by a falling limb while chopping in the woods.
Moses Wadsworth, who came from Winthrop in 1809, was a carpenter
and the Friend minister. He lived west of the meeting house, near
the pond.
Paul Hildreth, the first settler in Lewiston, came here and settled
in early times near Horseshoe pond, and had sons, Robert and Thad-
deus Hildreth. Hugh Potter, father of Hugh Potter, was an old set-
672 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tier near Spear's Corner; also the Marstons. I.ittlefields and Annis
Spear, from whom the " Corner " took its name. Jerry Wakefield set-
tled on High street, below Nudd's Corner, and John Knox, Chester
Rhoades and John Libby lived near Merrill's Corner.
Collins Mills. — This locality was originally called Cram's Mills.
About 1815 Jacob Cram owned the land on one side of the Cobbossee-
contee and R. H. Gardiner owned that on the other side, the dividing
line being in the center of the stream. Mr. Cram built a wooden dam
and a mill which he operated for a time with such success that Mr.
Gardiner wanted control of the whole. So he objected to the dam
where it rested on his land, and compelled Mr. Cram to remove it.
After a long quarrel the matter was settled by Cram selling his land
and his part of the water right at a low figure to Gardiner — exactly
as the latter had intended from the start. Mr. Gardiner, in 1830, built
a dam and afterward mills, which he sold in 1854 to John Collins, the
present owner. The stone dam is a most substantial structure, and it
has withstood for over half a century the assaults of heavy floods, with
accompanying drift ice. The bridge below the dam was built by Mr.
Collins in 1843.
Paul Collins, father of John Collins, was a native of Ware, N. H.,
from whence he came to Durham, Me., at the age of fourteen, and
then to Manchester, in 1803, where he lived and died. He and his
wife, Mary (Winslow) Collins, were both Quakers and are buried in
the Friends' burial ground. John Collins, Paul's son, came to his
present location and bought for $6,500 one hundred acres of land, on
which were a grist mill, a saw mill and a carding machine. The card-
ing mill was used to make cotton batting and employed four hands.
Mr. Collins operated all three of the mills. In 1860 the saw mill and
the carding mill were burned. The former was at once rebuilt by
Mr. Collins, who also, in 1870, built for George Cowee and Edwin
Morse a furniture manufactory, 40 by 80 feet and five stories high.
Thirty hands were employed in the summer and forty in the winter,
making bedsteads as a specialty. The owners, Cowee & Morse, lived
in Augusta. After a short time Morse sold his interest to Joseph
Miller, of Augusta. vS. S. Brooks, of Augusta, and John Collins then
bought the furniture mill and operated it two years, when Collins sold
to Prentiss M. Fogler, the firm being P. M. Fogler & Co., who operated
it till 1878, when it was burned, together with the new saw mill and
the grist mill. The grist mill had two runs of stone and did a fine
custom business.
Joseph L. Spear built an early store at Collins Mills, and ran it
three or four years, when he sold it to Enoch Dill, who sold it two
years later to Joseph Adams, who ran it two years and changed it into
a dwelling house. Jesse Falls was an early blacksmith, whose shop
.£>^'^z y'Cj'Cr^^/^'/,
Note. — Paul Collins, of Irish descent, was born in Weare, N. H., in 1772, and
died in Manchester, Me., in 1864 — his wife in 1858. Their children were: Ruth,
born in 1801; George H., 1803; Isaac, 1805; Samuel, 1807; Levi, 1809; Ann W.,
1811; Cyrus B., 1814; John, April 17, 1816; and Irene in 1819. John Collins and
Emily Winslow were married in 1851. Frank S. , their eldest child, now a
house builder, living in Boston, was born in 1854 and married Minnie Leavitt,
who died in 1885. His second wife was Nellie Perkins, of West Gardiner. Their
two children are: John L. and Carl R. The second child of John, Alice M., born
in 1857, married in 1882, J. W. Larrabee, of Boston, a shirt manufacturer. They
have two children: Emilie H. and John. Ferdie A., the third child of John, was
bom in 1868 and died when seventeen months old. Jacob Cram built, before
1795, the first mill on the valuable Cobbosseecontee water privilege, which has
so long borne Mr. Collins' name. It is a historic spot. Mr. Collins is a life-long
■democrat and has taken the Portland Argus over fifty years.
TOWN OF WEST GARDINER. 673
stood near the bridge at Collins Mills. Aloses Hawks was a stone-
cutter and fanner and had a blacksmith shop.
As early as 1810 to 1820 bricks were made in a small way in various
parts of Gardiner. Nicholas Pinkham, who came from Durham in
1805, and settled where his son, Jeremiah Pinkham. lives, made the
bricks on his place to build his chimneys. Noah Farr came before
1800 from Harpswell, Me., and settled where Benjamin Hopkins now
lives. He was originally a fisherman. Elijah Goddard came about
1805 and settled where John M. Gove lives. About 1874 Joseph L.
Spear built a saw mill on the Gardiner estate a mile above the mill
dam, and runs it yet.
Business Enterprises. — About 1815 Daniel Winslow built the
first tannery at Cram's Mills, and operated it for twenty-five years.
This was torn down and a larger one built by Archibald Horn, who
bought Mr. Winslow out. The old works were entirely devoted to
tanning leather. Mr. Horn ran the business for thirty years, making
a specialty of tanning sheep-skins. Isaiah Hawks purchased the
plant and in two years sold to Moses Stephens, who ran it nine 3'ears,
and sold to William Horn, a nephew of Archibald Horn, about 1870.
He ran it several years, till he died, when his brothers, Archibald and
Eben, succeeded him, and .still continue the business, under the firm
name of Horn Brothers. In ISSl they erected two buildings, each forty
feet square, and put in a steam boiler and engine, with all the equip-
ments necessary to do a large business. They are tanning about
7,500 dozen sheep-skins a year, using two hundred cords of bark and
the services of four men.
Clarence E. Getchell built a tannery in 1885, 34 by 62, on the ea.st
side of the stream, on land leased of John Collins. His machinery is
run by water, and his works contain all modern appliances for the
most successful operation. His business is confined exclusively to
sheep-skins, of which 120,000, many of them foreign skins, are tanned
annually, requiring the labor of four men and the consumption of
150 cords of bark. The total earnings are $6,000 per year.
George H. Pope began raising corn for Hallowell canning works
in 1886. In 1889 he put in the necessary fixtures and machinery at
his home on Highland avenue, and put up 20,000 cans of corn. In
189(» he put up 28,000 cans of corn and 1,700 cans of pumpkin, which
sold for $2,600. He raises from one-third to one-half of all the corn
he cans on his own farm. Mr. Pope makes his own cans, gives work
to thirty people during the active season, and is the pioneer in the can-
ning business in West Gardiner .
Stores. — The first to engage in the store business at Spear's Cor-
ner was Frank W. Brann, about 1850. After a short time he was suc-
ceeded by Joseph L. Spear, who sold his business to Gardiner Spear
and George D. Wakefield. Their successors have been: Samuel P.
674 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Stinson, J. L. Spear, Josiah F. Marr, Alpheus vSpear. John A. Spear,
Edwin Fairbanks, Wallace O. Spear, A. K. P. Edwards, Charles Cut-
ting, Simon R. Cutting, John C. Babcock and F. W. Brann. The last
store at Spear's Corner was bv W. C. Whitney, who closed the business
in ]890.
Joseph A. Brown, jun., opened the first store in Rip's District about
1876. He retired and was succeeded in 1877 by Charles S. Greene,
who is still engaged in the grocery business. Mr. Greene is a native
of Gardiner, and was born in 1836. His father was drowned off the
mouth of the Kennebec in 1844.
The first store at French's Corner was built and opened by William
P. Haskell in 1865, in which business he still continues, living in a
dwelling house attached to his store. The next store was established
by the Cobbosseecontee Grange in the house of George W. French in
1876, and the last by Frank Towle in 1889, who is located in Grange
Hall.
Post Offices. — The first post office in town was established April
11, 1828, at the house of Aaron Haskell, who was the first postmaster.
His son. Aaron, jun., was appointed March 29, 1832, and held the office
until September 5, 1835, when he was succeeded by Daniel Marston.
The next incumbent was George W. French, appointed March 13,
1844, and succeeded by Daniel Marston, February 2, 1846. John W.
Herrick was appointed September 3,1849, at which time the name was
changed to French's Corner. Francis W. Brann was appointed March
31, 1854, and the name was changed to West Gardiner again. He was
followed by William P. Haskell, May 2, 1854; William D. Marston,
May 14, 1857; William P. Haskell, September 14, 1861; John W. Her-
rick, January 26, 1864; William P. Haskell, November 29, 1865; Albert
W. De Fratus, September 23, 1885; and Frank E. Towle, the present
incumbent. May 13, 1889. This office is on the old post route from
Augusta to Freeport and had a tri-weekly mail until about 1875, when
the mail route was reorganized and a daily mail established from
Augusta to South Litchfield.
Prior to 1857 there was a post office at West Gardiner Center, on
the Gardiner and Lewiston route, with Joseph L. Spear as postmaster.
He held the position for three or four years, and was succeeded by
Moses Rogers, who was appointed by Buchanan. Party feeling ran
high in the neighborhood and it was not long until there appeared to
be no use for a post office or a Democratic postmaster at the Center.
Societies. — The Cobbos.seecontee Grange, P. of H., was organized
February 8, 1875. Jeremiah Pinkham was the first master. In Feb-
ruary, 1876, the Grange established a store in the house of George W.
French, where it was kept eight years, when the profits were found to
be sufficient to build the present Grange Hall, which cost over $1,200.
The store was operated for the Grange by Albert De Fratus till 1888,
TOWN OF WEST GARDINER. 675
then by Lizzie French till the stock was sold to Frank Towle, who
rents the lower floor of the hall. Elijah Farr is the present master of
the Grange, and Mrs. Celia J. Davis is secretary, with thirty-seven
members
The Gardiner Lodge of Good Templars was organized in 1871,
numbering one hundred members, with Herbert Small chief templar.
The Ladies' Library Association at French's Corner was organized
in 1886, through the efforts of Mrs. Lizzie W. Buck and Miss Flora
Goodwin. Fundswere first raised by a ladies' fair, and have been since
maintained by entertainments and quarterly dues. The association
has a circulating library of over one thou.sand volumes, kept at George
W. French's hou.se. The first president of this useful and commend-
able enterprise was Miss Flora Goodwin; and Mrs. Lizzie W. Buck is
now president and secretary.
■ Schools. — West Gardiner contains nine school districts, each hav-
ing two sessions of school per year that average from ten to twelve
weeks each session. The town school committee for 1891 were Al-
pheus Spear, Reuben L. Snow and John A. Spear, and the amount
raised by the town for common schools was $1,500, and $200 for part
support of a high school. The first high school in town was organized
in the town hall in August, 1891, with Roscoe B. Parsons as teacher.
The tuition is free to residents of the town, and the first session with
about thirty pupils, promised well for the future.
Ecclesiastical. — The first church organized within what are now
the limits of West Gardiner held its initial meeting in the school
house at Brown's Corner, December 14, 1815. Elder Levi Young, Wil-
liam Nash,Sewall Brown, Ezekiel Robinson, James Lord. Joseph Rob-
inson and seven others signed articles of agreement under the cor-
porate title of " The First Baptist Church in Gardiner." For the next
twenty years their meetings were held in the Brown's Corner school
house, and in a school house standing near the location of the present
church.
At a meeting held February 4, 1835, at the house of Nathaniel
Currier, preliminary steps were taken to build a meeting house. Abra-
ham Beedle was chosen moderator, and Julius Neal, clerk. An ad-
journed meeting was held only four days later, at which Nathaniel
Currier, Nicholas Hinkley, George Nash, Julius Neal and Benjamin
B. Brown were chosen as building committee. A subscription paper
was circulated and the followiug pledges were given: Nathaniel Cur-
rier, $100; William Morse and James Lord, $60 each; Thomas B.
Sampson, $50; Nathaniel M. Currier, Job Sampson, Braddock Hatha-
way and R. H. Gardiner, $30 each; Reuel Rice, Thomas J. Neal, Ben-
jamin Grover, Nicholas Hinkley, Alden Rice, Lsrael Hutchinson,
Thomas Brann and Edwin Austin, $25 each; Thomas B. Seavey, Abel
French, Abraham Bachelor, Rufus Rice, Moses Stephens, Julius Neal,
676 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Joseph Neal, Benjamin B. Robinson, C. L. Edwards and George Nash
each subscribed " one pew." How much the cash value of " one pew "
was we are not informed, but the same meeting voted " to locate the
said house " on the line between Captain Chapin vSampson and Wil-
liam Morse, sen., on the road leading from Brown's Corner to Hallowell
village, and •' to accept the proposal made by Nicholas Hinkley to
build and complete said hou.se according to the plan before the
society, furnish all of the materials, for the sum of nine hundred dol-
lars." The house was finished'and dedicated in July, 1S36. Benjamin
B. Robinson was chosen clerk and held the office many years.
The pastors have been: Rev. Abraham Beedle, Elder Eliab Cox, Rev.
A. M. Piper, Elder Rufus Chase, Rev. W. O. Grant, Rev. H. Pierce,
Charles Cook, Rev. Asa Gould and Rev. Mr. Chapman. The church
is so much reduced in members and resources that it has become a
mission church and has no regular preaching. William K. Wharffis
the only deacon.
The First Freewill Baptist Church of West Gardiner was organized
October 26, 1826, by Elders Samuel Hathorn and Josiah Farwell, with
fifteen members. Services were held in school houses till 1840, when
a church was built, at a cost of $1,100, on the Litchfield road near
Samuel Grover's. Elder Josiah Keene preached the dedication ser-
mon, and Eldei's Nathaniel Purrington, Mark Getchell and Isaac Frost
took part in the services. In 1842 fifteen members left this church to
join the Second church on High street. About 1887 the White House,
as it was called, was moved to Spear's Corner — a location nearer the
center of the society, where the congregation has grown till it is the
largest in town. The records are kept by Ezekiel Ware.
The Second Freewill Baptist Church of West Gardiner, formerly
called the Center Church, built in 1841, of brick, a house of worship
costing $1,300. It was dedicated November 9th of the same year by
Elders John Stevens, Thomas S. Tyler, Samuel Bush, Barnard Good-
rich, Mark Getchell and Nathaniel Purrington. The society was for-
mally organized January 24, 1842, with sixteen members. The Meth-
odists assisted in building the house, participated in the exercises, and
have always had equal rights in it to hold meetings of theirown, which
they did as long as any members of that faith were left in that vicinity.
Not only the Methodists, but the Baptists have died out, till Rhoda
Sherburn is the only living member of the old church, whose roll used
to contain such names as Deacon John Blanchard, Joseph Cole, Hiram
Pope, Robert C. Towle and Jeremiah Blaisdell, and whose preachers
were Elders Thomas S.Tyler, Samuel Bush, Hiram Sleeper, Cleveland
B. Glidden and others. Rev. Monroe, of the Freewill Baptist
faith, preaches regularly there at present.
September 1, 1876, the Christian denomination organized a society
in this church, with Hiram Pope, George H. Pope and five females as
TOWN OF WKST GARDINER. 677
members. Frank Ward, A. J. Abbott and others have been the
preachers.
Ezekiel Ware says the Second Calvanist Baptist Church was organ-
ized about 1830. The church and society, which had no house, held
meetings in a school house near .Spear's Corner. It has been extinct
for many years. Among the early preachers were Reverends Bedel,
Hooper and Mitchel. Among the teachers were Elias Fairbanks and
James Littlefield. No records of the church are extant.
Grave Yards. — Early there was a burying place — now unmarked
—at Spear's Corner, where some of the first residents were buried. A
few years since the yard was disturbed and the remains of the interred
persons were removed to the yard near Joseph Fairbanks'.
The cemetery on the road from High street to Spear's Corner is in
charge of Sexton John Curtis, who also has charge of the town
hearse, which is free for public use. In case his services are required
to go with it, a proper charge is made.
The grave yard on the Hallowell road west of French's Corner,
was given by R. H. Gardiner. The town has enlarged it and has
charge of it. Lots are free.
The burying ground on High street has been long in use. The
town has had to enlarge it to meet the wants of the public.
The Friends have an ancient grave yard near their meeting house.
On the corner opposite, Cyrus Howard about forty-five years ago took
from his farm a half acre of land and fenced the two front sides with
pickets and the two back sides with stone. The lots— free to such as
wished to bury there — have been largely used. Mr. Howard's re-
mains are there.
There is a burying ground near Merrill's Corner, that has been in
use since the fir.st settlement of the town.
The Tucker family have a private burying ground just in the rear
of the homestead buildings. It was first used in 1846 to bury the re-
mains of Jesse Tucker, sen. The lot, which is small, is surrounded
by a cast iron fence, and the grounds are duly recorded in the county
clerk's office at Augusta.
For half a century the Clough family have deposited their dead in
a private burying ground on a farm now owned by C. O. Clough. It
has a sub.stantial vault and is fenced with stone and iron.
personal paragraphs.
Joseph E. Babb, son of Joseph and Margaret (Davis) Babb, both of
Litchfield, was born in 1839, and is a farmer. He married Armina,
daughter of Joseph Roberts. She died leaving two children: Flora E.
and Annie M. His present wife was Mrs. Martha E. Allen, daughter
of William Grover. Mr. Babb enlisted August 15, 1861, in Company
D, 7th Maine Volunteers, and reenlisted at Brandy Station, Va., in
678 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
December, 1863. He served in the 7th Regiment until September,
1863, when the 5th, 6th and 7th were consolidated as the 1st Maine
Veterans and he was transferred to Company I of the latter regiment.
He was discharged at Washington, D. C, June 28, 1865.
John C. Babcock, son of John Babcock, was born in 1824, at New-
castle. Me. He followed the sea fourteen years, and after farming
fourteen years in Mexico, Me., he came to West Gardiner in 1865 and
bought the Annis Spear place, where he now lives. He married
Harriet, daughter of John Brookins, of Pittston. They have eight
children.
Alvin W. Brann is the ninth child of Moses and Susan (Thompson)
Brann, who came from Berwick, Me., to West Gardiner. Mr. Brann
is a farmer. He was collector of taxes two years and is now (1891)
serving his eighth year as selectman. He married Lovisa J., daugh-
ter of Zebulon Wright, of Lewiston, Me. Their two daughters are:
Nellie F. (Mrs. H. H. Hunt) and Ida Belle.
James H. Buck, only son of Ira and Mary (Na.sh) Buck, was born
in 1837, and is a farmer and wholesale and retail produce dealer. He
married Martha, daughter of Ephraim Wadsworth, granddaughter of
Moses and great-granddaughter of John Wadsworth. She died and
he married her sister, Lizzie Wadsworth.
Charles O. Clough, son of Isaiah and Mary (Haskell) Clough, and
grandson of Josiah Clough, was born in 1820, and is a carpenter and
farmer. He married Vesta A., daughter of David Dyer, of Fall River,
Mass. They have four children: Anna, Hartwell, Willis and Lillian.
Captain John Collins, born in 1816, is a son of Paul and Mary
(Winslow) Collins, grandson of Samuel and Hannah (Dow) Collins,
and great-grandson of Tristram Collins, of Ware, N. H. Paul Collins
settled in Litchfield (now Manchester) in 1803 and John Collins lived
there until 1854, when he removed to his present home in West Gar-
diner, where he has since been a farmer and manufacturer. When
Paul Collins came from New Hampshire, he brought, on horseback,
two hundred apple trees, and set an orchard which is still standing.
John Collins married Emily, daughter of Major Adam Winslow and
granddaughter of Hezekiah Winslow, of West Falmouth, Me. Their
children are: Frank S., Alice M. (Mrs J. W. Larrabee) and one son
that died in infancy.
William H. Curtis, born in 1836, was a .son of John Curtis, who
came from England when twenty years old and settled in Hallowell.
Mr. Curtis was a farmer and speculator; the farm of one hundred
acres where he lived for several years, and where his widow and
youngest son now live, was originally the John Merrill farm. Mr.
Curtis died in 1891. His wife was Marantha A., daughter of John
and Mary (Sawyer) Fogg. Their three children were: Flora (Mrs.
William Parkhurst), J. Frank and Charles T.
TOWN OF WEST GARDINER. 678a
J. Frank Curtis, son of William H. Curtis, was born April 6, 1863.
At the age of fourteen he began to work at the meat business with
his father, and he has made it his principal business since that time.
In 1884 he married Isabell Benner, of West Gardiner.
Thomas M. De Fratis, born in 1843, is a son of Captain De Fratis.
He married Nellie M., daughter of N. J. Benner, of West Gardiner.
He was in the drug business in Monmouth for a time, three years in
confectionery business in Boston, and since 1882 he has been em-
ployed in a soda manufactory in Boston.
Elijah Farr is the son of William and the grandson of Noah Farr,
who came to Harpswell, Me., before 1800, from Cape Cod. William
Farr, an early settler in West Gardiner, was widely known as a prom-
inent member of the Society of Friends. His first wife was Eunice
Briggs, of Winthrop, and their two children were Christina and
Eunice. Eunice Wadsworth, his second wife, was a relative of
General James S. Wadsworth, of Livingston county, who was
killed in the battle of the Wilderness. Their children were: Lydia
Ann, William H., Elijah, Daniel and Sibyl. William Farr was born
in 1798 and died in 1880. Mrs. Farr, born in 1809, now lives with her
son, Elijah. He was born in West Gardiner in 1840, and married
Carrie Wilson, of Lewiston, in 1869. Mrs. Farr died in 1888. Mr.
Farr has, like his father and his grandfather, always been a farmer.
He was one of the selectmen of his town for seven years.
Seward Merrill, born in West Gardiner in 1828, is a son of Daniel
and Lydia (Godfrey) Merrill. He .served in the late war in Company
B, 7th Maine, as teamster for three years. He was a teamster in
Boston for a number of years, and for the last fifteen years he has
been watchman in Hallett, Davis & Co.'s piano manufactory, Boston.
His wife, Angeline, was a daughter of Charles and Catherine Hinck-
ley. She died in 1891.
Daniel Robinson, born April 8, 1777, in Gloucester, Mass., was a
son of Ezekiel Robinson, born November 16, 1738, at Gloucester, Mass.,
and died at Halifax, N. S., a prisoner of war, in 1777. His wife was
Abigail Tarbox, of Gloucester, Mass. Their children were: Polly,
Ezekiel, jun., William T. and Daniel. At the age of four years
Daniel, the youngest child, was adopted by his uncle, of Newbury-
port, whose name he bore. His uncle's wife became his early pre-
ceptress, and from her tuition he attended the public school, high
school, and various seminaries. At the age of twenty he began
teaching school, and continued 'in that vocation until about 1830.
His literary work after that date is noticed at page 265. In 1798 he
married Rebecca, daughter of Major Benjamin Bodge. Of their five
children three are now living: Eunice B., widow of Emerson Tit-
comb; Daniel, now of Boston, and Pamelia G., the widow of Johnson
K. Allen. Mr. Robinson died December 7, 1854.
678b HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Captain ThOiMas B. Sampson was a son of Captain Chapin Samp-
son mentioned at page 671, who commanded vessels in the merchant
service until he retired from the sea and settled on the farm where he
died December 29, 1853, at the ripe age of eighty-six. He married Sarah
Smith, of Boston, and that union was blessed with nine children. The
fourth child and third son of this family was Thomas B., whose por-
trait appears on the opposite page. He was born February 6, 1797, at
Waldoboro, Me. He received the advantages of the common schools
of those times, and at an early age began an apprenticeship to a spar
maker in Boston, where he remained until the beginning of the war
of 1812. Circumstances transpired in 1813 that fired the patriotism
of the young mechanic, and he abandoned the tools of his craft and
at once enlisted in the navy, where he served his country for two years.
Here a taste for a seafaring life was acquired. On being discharged
from the navy he decided to enter the merchant service, and shipped
"before the mast." It was not long, however, before he became a
chief officer, and in 1824 he became master of a vessel. Skillful sea-
manship, good judgment, and superior executive ability character-
ized his career in the European trade, where he operated successfully
as master of vessels for 34 years. In 1858 he sold his vessel property
and retired to his farm to enjoy his well earned and ample competency.
His marriage May 15, 1826, was with Harriet B., the eldest daugh-
ter of Deacon Nathaniel and Sarah (Abbott) Currier. Their four
children, who are all dead, were: Harriet E., the wife of Dr. Chad-
bourn W. Whitmore: Adelia B., William C. and Thomas C, who was
a druggist in Bath, Me., where he died in 1859, leaving a widow,
Charlotte M. (Jackson) Sampson.
In 1826 Captain Sampson bought a farm place in West Gardiner,
Avhich was his home for the remainder of his life, which terminated
August 31, 1873. In the family lot a few rods south of the house
rest his honored ashes, near those of his parents. His widow, who
survives him, still owns the farm, though she has resided in Auburn,,
Me., since the death of her daughter, Mrs. Whitmore, with whom she
lived after her husband's death.
Captain Sampson was much beloved in the community in
which he lived, for his uprightness of character, and was respected
by all who knew him for his firm, just and reliable dealings. His rec-
ord is one of honor, a record of honest labor and duties conscien-
tiously performed. Politically, he was a democrat of the Jeffersonian
type, though the quiet retirement of his home was more congenial
to his tastes than political office or activity in social organizations^
But his heart was too large to embrace his own kin only, and his o-en-
erosity opened his home to the homeless and his purse to the needy. In
his life journey of more than three quarters of a century he left many
a footprint on the sands of time for the benefit of future generations..
WX OF WEST GARlllNKK.
Dorn in 1825, is a son of Cyprai
^ and grandson of Joshua and Maiy iSievt„:;
cd seven years in the revolutionary war. }^t
lo Maine. Mr. Edwards is a farmer on the
ved and near where his grandfather •settled
liardiner. He married Lydia A., daughter of
•■ two daughters are: Inez J. (,Mrs. Geof^e J
n in 1828, is a son of Deacon Daniel Fuller.
.rried Charlotte Augusta, daughter of Ebenezer
had three children: Alberton G., Edith H. and
born in 1842, is a son of Deacon Daniel Fv-.'
the homestead of John W. Herrick. He ii"
laughter of John W. and Susan A. (Freiu
• child: Blanche M. Daniel Herrick and m
1 Gloucester, Mass., to Gardiner and boi;
resides, in the year 1802. He was a cn>
: at work at his trade he was engaged i
tting together materials with which '
> commenced in 1807 and finish. '
1 repair and owned and occupi-
!errick died in 1841, aged Gc
7 years. They had eight
iged 3o years: Captain 1 '
i)teraber 15, 1837, aged 'ii < -o
>rham, November o, 1832, age.
:, aged 18; Mary, October, 1867, .
67. After the death of Danic
farm and lived there until h:'' •'■
rister, and held the ofiict-
; in 1861 and served unt
.im P. Haskell. He was sc
of selectmen and collector • r 'a
...n A. French, and they hi' :I
I.S46; Florence I., b'
' '., born February 1'
28. 1855, died V
I March 20, 1 8' :
mu: to time.
nek his
In 184S
He wa.s
lid re n: ITelc
n in 184'..). i..- the \'
iiie (Lord) Fulle!
.and Lucy (Hodgkins) Fuller. Mr. Fuller is a farmer on the farm
680 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
where his grandfather settled in 1806. when he came from Ipswich,
Mass. He married Mary, daughter of Moses Rogers, and their chil-
dren are: Lewis W. and Marion, and one son that died in infancy.
Hugh Getchell, father of Asa Getchell, came frorn Durham, Mass.,
about 1815 and settled where Thomas Goodwin now lives. Clarence
E. Getchell, son of Asa, married, first, Kate Gordon, by whom he had
three children: Hugh, Fuller J. and Forrest. Hugh was drowned
when seventeen years old, while bathing in the Cobbosseecontee. In
1883 Clarence E. married his second wife, Isabel Bachelor. They
have one child, Lucy.
Hubbard Goldsmith, born in Litchfield in 1814, is a son of Isaac
and Mary (Johnson) Goldsmith. He lived several years in Richmond,
and in 1867 came to Gardiner, where he was a farmer (with the excep-
tion of one year in the livery business) until 1875, when he came to
West Gardiner, where he now resides. He married Helen S., daugh-
ter of Elijah Robinson. She is deceased. Of their twelve children,
eight are living: Hubbard, jun., Charles B., Aarabine, Hettie, William,
Mary M., Wilbur and J. Fred.
Charles S. Greene, son of Levi B. and EleanorS. (Ware) Greene and
grandson of Isaac Greene, was born in 1836, and is a farmer. Since
1877 he has kept a grocery and feed store. He married Judith W.,
daughter of Otis Perry, and their children are: Mary E., Samuel O.
and Hattie L.
William P. Ha.skell, the only surviving child of Joseph and Mary
Haskell, was born in 1828, and has been a merchant at West Gardiner
since 1865. He has been town clerk since 1863 with the exception of
one year, was postmaster twenty years, and has held every office of
the town except school committee. He represented the district in the
legislature in 1877. He married Helen M., daughter of Daniel Burns.
Their children are: Mary F., Clara G., Abbie L. and William P. (de-
ceased).
Samuel Horn, father of Archibald and Eben Horn, was a tanner
by trade. He came from Hallowell and lived in West Gardiner for
about fifty-five years, dying in 1890. Archibald was born in West
Gardiner in 1853, and married Christina Willis in 1883. Eben was
born in West Gardiner in 1855. February 14, 1877, he married Maggie
A. Hayward. They have three children: Erving Hayward, born June
8, 1878; Harry Cliford, and Hallise Leon, born June 20, 1881.
Elijah Jackson, born in Pittston in 1821, is a son of Elijah and
Abigail (Cutts) Jackson, and grandson of Thomas Jackson. Mr. Jack-
son followed the sea from 1839 until 1868, when he came to West
Gardiner, where he is a farmer. He married Elizabeth, daughter of
Rufus and Judith (Lapham) Lord. Their children are: Clarence S., of
Gardiner; Nellie M. and Ettie F.
TOWN OF WEST GARDINER. CSl
Thomas Litnt, born in Gardiner in 1834, is the eldest of nine cliil-
dren of Joseph W. and Mary (Brann) Lunt, grandson of Joseph and
Lydia (Wharf) Lunt, and great-grandson of Captain William Lunt.
Mr. Lunt served in the late war in Company C, 1st Maine Cavalry, from
December, 1861, to December, 1864. Before the war he was a paper
maker, and since then has been a farmer. He married Frances A.,
daughter of Jonathan B. Allard. They have two children: Joseph W.
and Percy Thomas.
James McCausland, son of Jerry and Olive (Cram) McCausland,
and grandson of James and Mary (Berry) McCausland, was born in
1821, and carries on the farm where his father settled in 1814. He is
one of ten children, five of whom are living: Olive C, James, Thomas
C, Nancy H. and Julia A.
William D. Marston is a son of Daniel and Nancy (Freeman) Mars-
ton, and grandson of Nathaniel and Eleanor (Watson) Marston, the
latter of Litchfield, Me. Nathaniel Marston came from New Hamp-
shire to Winthrop, and in 1806 settled in W^est Gardiner. Nancy W.
Freeman, wife of Daniel Marston, was from Westbrook, Me. William
D. is a farmer on the farm where his father lived. He is one of nine
children, seven of whom are living: Gustavus A. (deceased), married
Catharine F. Burr, of Litchfield, Me.; Mary Isabella, married Charles
R. Gilman, of Monmouth, Me.; Eleanor M., married Oliver S. Edwards,
of W>st Gardiner; Charlotte W., married Duncan M. Ross., of Port-
land, Me.; William D., married Olive F. Allen, of Boston, Mass.; Daniel
E., married Ellen E. Merserve, of Richmond, Me.; Ann E., married
James B. Grossman, of Durham, Me.; Emma F., married Nathaniel J.
Benner, of Monmouth, Me.; Abbie T. (deceased), married Daniel Bean,
of Mt. Vernon, Me.
Daniel E. Merrill, son of Daniel and Lydia (Godfrey) Merrill, who
came from Gorham, Me., in 1810, was born in 1833, and lives in the
brick hou.se built by his father in 1850. He was mining in California
from 1857 until March, 1863, when he enlisted in the army, serving
until July, 1865, when he was discharged as sergeant of Company E.,
2d Mass. Cavalry, and has since been a farmer on the old homestead.
He married Ellen S., daughter of Rev. Jairus and Sophia (Cargill)
Fuller, and has two children: Evelyn M. and Alfred R.
Edward S. Norton, the youngest and only survivor of nine chil-
dren of William and Sarah (Bradstreet) Norton, was born in 1818. He
was fifteen years employed as a paper maker, and in 1841 bought the
farm in West Gardiner where he now lives. He married Caroline,
daughter of Solomon Hatch. She died in 1860, leaving three daugh-
ters: Sarah B. (Mrs. James Brann), Julia (Mrs. Eugene Collins), and
Mary (Mrs. M. Roach). Their eldest child, George E., was born Sep-
44
682 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tember 21, 1841, and died October 2, 1845. His second marriage was
with Frances Libby, by whom he has one son, Edward L.
Elijah Pope and Susanna (Capen), his wife, came, in 1816, from
Stoughton, Mass., and settled the farm on which his grandson, George
H. Pope, now lives. From his cellar he dug the clay and made all the
bricks for his large, fine house, which is still in excellent condition.
This has probably never been done in West Gardiner before nor since.
Elijah died in 1864: his wife died in 1881, aged 92. His son, Hiram,
married Dorcas Ann Blanchard, of West Gardiner, and died on the
old homestead in 1886. His son, George Hiram Pope, married Abbie
Issabel Brann, December 24,1874. They have three children: Hiram
F., Clara Belle and Forrest G. Mr. Pope is a farmer and inanufac-
turer, and has been town treasurer twelve years.
Robert D. Rhoades, born in 1829, is a son of Chester and Mercy
(Douglass) Rhoades. Chester Rhoadescame from New Hampshire to
Maine in 1814, and in 1824 .settled in West Gardiner, where he died in
1882, aged 83 years. Robert D. was railroading seven years and since
1855 has been a farmer. He married Almira M., daughter of Joseph
Fuller. Their daughters are: Lizzie A. (Mrs. James F. Booker) and
Myra B. (Mrs. John Cragan.)
James Spear, born in 1800, was a son of Annis and Sarah (Hil-
dreth) Spear. He was a farmer, and until his death in 1871 his home
was where his two youngest children now live. He married Mary
Ann Merrill, and of their twelve children six are now living: Mary
Elizabeth (Mrs. Wright), Melissa (Mrs. Gilman), Leander, Alonzo,
James Abbott and Annette M.
John Spear, 2d, son of John and Mary (Potter) Spear, and grandson
of Israel Spear, was born in 1826. His father was a pensioner of the
war of 1812. Mr. Spear served in the late war from March, 1864, to
July, 1865, in Company I, Blst Maine Volunteers. He married Re-
becca, daughter of David and Sarah (Smith) Bassett, and granddaugh-
ter of David Bassett. Their children are: Flora E., Millard F., Phi-
lossa A., and S. Emeline.
Alpheus Spear, born in 1838, is a .son of Richard and Priscilla(Lunt)
Spear and grandson of Israel Spear. He is a teacher and farmer, and
is now a member of the school committee. He married Elura L.,
daughter of Orlando F. D. Blake and granddaughter of John S. Blake.
John A. Spear, son of Richard and Priscilla (Lunt) Spear, was born
in 1844. He was in his country's service during the civil war. He is
a school teacher and farmer. He served nine years on the board of
selectmen, three years as supervisor of schools and several years as
member of the school committee. He married Lizzie, daughter of
Samuel P. Stinson. Their children are: Bertha and Edward.
Joseph Trafton, the youngest of ten children of Thomas and
Jerusha (Oliver) Trafton and grandson of Jotham Trafton, was born
TOWN OF WEST GARDINER. 683
in 1838, and is a farmer. He served in the late war in Company I,
24th Maine Volunteers. He married Mary E., daughter of Hiram
Haines. Their children are: Fred P., Alice M., Charles E. and
Willie L.
Jesse Tucker, a native of Canton, Mass., and his wife Rebecca
(Fisher) Tucker, came to West Gardiner in 1806 and bought of Julius
Morton, who then kept a store near by, part of the farm where his
grandson, Edgar D. Tucker, now lives. Their ten children were born
here and three daughters are still living. The children were: Lucy
(Mrs. Woodman True), John, Rebecca (Mrs. Daniel Bartlett), Miss
Hannah, Ann (Mrs. Moses True). Miss Jane M., Jesse, jun., David,
Elizabeth (Mrs. Thomas Barber) and Mary (Mrs. George H. Billings).
David Tucker, who died in 1887, married Abigail W. Fuller, who died
in 1861. His second marriage was with Susan Tappan. He was a
farmer on the homestead. He left two children, Angelia and Edgar
D., who married Annie E. Cram, and has two daughters, Florence E.,
and Jessie E. He is a farmer and occupies the homestead with his
sister and two aunts, Hannah and Jane M. Jesse Tucker's parents
were Benjamin and Jane (Babcock) Tucker.
Ezekiel Ware, born in Webster in 1822, is a son of James and Lydia
(Staples) Ware, and grandson of John Ware. Mr. Ware came to West
Gardiner in 1836, where he is a farmer. He married Jane S., daugh-
ter of Charles Smith. Their children are: John A., Georgia A.,
Martha L., Fred J., Jessie M., Frank E. and Irving L.
William H. Williams, son of James and Bethiah (Sparks) Williams,
was born in 1824. His mother was born in Bowdoinham, Me. Mr.
Williams is a farmer. His parents came from Saccarappa to West
■Gardiner in 1806. He married Eliza A., daughter of Samuel Butler.
-She died, leaving two children, James E. and Kate M.
CHAPTER XXVI.
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD.
BV H. D. KINGSHUKV.
Location and Natural Features.— Thrift of the Inhabitants.— The Settlers.— Civil
History.— Purgatory.— Litchfield Plains.— Litchfield Corners.- South Litch-
field.—Saw and Grist Mills. — Brick and Lime. — Cider Mills.— Asheries.— So-
cieties.— Schools. — Churches. — Cemeteries. — Personal Paragraphs.
THE town of Litchfield — many sided and many angled— coa.stitutes
the southwestern extremity of Kennebec county. Its appear-
ance on the map is that of some unfortunate object whose head
lies submerged in Cobbosseecontee pond and whose neck is still being
uncomfortably squeezed between Monmouth on the left and West
Gardiner on the right, which towns, with a touch of Wales on its
lower left flank, form its northern boundary. On the east lie West
Gardiner and Richmond, the latter being separated by the Cobbossee-
contee and its ponds; on the south it rests on the towns of Richmond
and Bowdoin in Sagadahoc, and Wales in Androscoggin county, and
its western neighbors are Wales and Monmouth.
The eastern part of Litchfield is somewhat uneven, the central is
comparatively level, and the western portion is hilly. Oak and Neal
hills are its highest elevations. Its soil has all the varieties of south-
ern and central Maine, from the thin sprinkle of sand and gravel that
in many spots try in vain to conceal its rocky anatomy, to the rich
clay loam and alluvial deposits of its productive plowlands and mead-
ows. The records of nearly a score of once active, but now generally
defunct, saw mills attest the variety and abundance of its primitive
forests.
The number and size and the tasteful and durable structure of its
farm houses and barns, every one created from the prodticts of its for-
ests and its fields, are unmistakable proofs of the sterling qualities
and high character of its permanent settlers and their descendants.
Hundreds of miles of stone walls, made from the scattering and over
plentiful deposits of old, snail paced glaziers, before their farms could
be leveled and cultivated, are the time enduring monuments of their
heroic will and work. Well does the present generation retain the
characteristics of its noble fathers and mothers ! The first proof is
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. 685
their continued vigor and thrift — the persistent power of compelling
the oft-times reluctant soil to yield a living income, and then that ad-
mirable, anti-failure habit of living within it. The next proof is the
fact that they keep in step with modern progress. Underneath and
besides the Litchfield Institute, which was organized forty-six years
ago, and had been preceded by a high school for several years, lie the
common schools, which have always been kept in an efficient condi-
tion in Litchfield, for without them no demand would have existed
for a school that begins where they leave off. Then, when the high-
est of all tests is applied — the moral test — the present is encouraging,
the churches and Sabbath schools being generally well attended and
supported.
Settlers. — The first comers were hunters, one of the most promi-
nent being a man named Wilson. They made selections, built cabins,
marked trees, hunted and fished and awaited the advent of any pros-
pecting settlers to buy their claims. A survey made in 1776, by John
Merrill, of six lots of eighty acres each, is the earliest definite proof
■we have of names, dates and location of settlers. Benjamin Hinckley
had lot No. 1; Eliphalet Smith, 2; Barnabus Baker, 3; Thomas Smith,
4: Benjamin Smith, 5; and Barnabus Baker, jun., had lot No. 6. Ben-
jamin Hinckley and Eliphalet Smith were here in 1774, and Thomas
Smith, on whose lot his great-grandson, David Thurston Smith, now
lives, did not settle here till 1780.
Thomas and Benjamin Smith bought claims of hunters, and it is
believed that many other first comers did the same. When the pro-
prietors of the land, who lived mostly in New York, learned of what
was being done, they sent surveyors to establish lines and boundaries
and make maps of their possessions. The hardy pioneers did not
take kindly to this. Disguised as Indians, they attacked the survey-
ors, drove them from place to place, and made it impossible for them
to do accurate work. But they were determined and plucky, and
managed to take observations from one elevated point to another,
computed distances they were not allowed to measure, established
some land-marks, recorded their work on a map, and returned to their
employers with the story of their hazardous and arduous undertaking.
Then commenced correspondence and negotiations between the
proprietors and the pioneers, partly of a peaceful and partly of a
threatening character. After a time a conference was effected be-
tween the parties and in most cases the differences were adjusted by
the settlers surrendering one-third of their claims and receiving quit-
claim deeds of the remaining two-thirds.
Sumner Clark lives on the farm owned by his father, Samuel Clark,
and by his grandfather, Samuel Clark, who settled and built there
before 1800. Some of the old names in the Ferren school di.strict, in
the southwest part of the town, were: Richard Ferren, John Thurlow,
586 HISTORY OK KENNEBEC COUNTY.
John Lydston, Alexander Gray, Isaac Randall, James Williams, John
Gatchell and Simeon S. Higgins.
On the Earle school house road were: Thomas Alexander, from-
Topsham, Me.; Edward Gove, Eben and Robert Dunlap, from Bruns-
wick, Me.; Joseph Potter, and a brother of his; Jabez Robinson, David
vSpringer, and his two sons, Thomas and David; Adonis Johnson, and
Andrew Springer, and Elisha Nickerson, on a cross road. On Oak
hill were: George Potter, James Marr, Enoch, Isaac and James Dan-
forth, .sons of Isaac Danforth; Joshua and Joseph Mitchell, Solomon
Dennison, James Hutchinson, Levi Day, Isaac and Nathaniel Frost,.
Peleg Campbell, Deacon Moss, Thomas Burke, Thomas Bucher, Es-
quire Shirtliff, Elisha Smith, Samuel K. Smith and Stephen Lemont.
On the Plains road were Cornelius and John Toothaker. John Potter
and James Libby, Jerry and William Potter, lived on the Mill road;
also Joseph and James Williams, Samuel Cook, Robert Stinson, John
Smith and James Adams.
In the Waterman school district, in the southeast part of the town,
some of the early settlers were: Samuel Patten, Sylvanus Waterman,
John Robinson, James Brown, Nathaniel Smith, Timothy Blanchard,
who came in 1791 from Mas.sachusetts; Deacon Morgridge, John Brown,
Samuel Jack and Elisha Hopkins. Barney, Smith and Judah Baker
all lived near the Corners, and all came before 1800; also Moses
Smith, father of Nathan, Samuel, Elisha and Josiah Smith. James
Earl was a large land owner. Captain Joshua Walker had fourteen
children, all alive when the youngest was forty years old. Jabez
Robinson, David Potter and Andrew Springer, three old settlers, were
each killed by falling trees while chopping in the woods.
Civil History.— Litchfield was organized as a town in 1795, be-
fore which it was known as Smithfield Plantation. Town meetings
were held in Daniel Nickerson's house until 1813, then in the North
Litchfield Baptist meeting house until 1840, and in the Free Baptist
meeting house in 1841. The town purchased the site and built the
present town house in 1840, at a cost of $1,100.
In 1860 a town farm of 112 acres was bought, on which to support
the town poor, who had been boarded by the lowest bidder up to this
time. Rev. Isaac Frost was particularly active in this humane move,
which met strong opposition. At present there are but five inmates
of this house. The total annual expense for town poor is $250 more
than the proceeds of the farm. Reuel W. Cunningham is employed
by the town to manage the concern at a yearly salary of $250.
The original area of Litchfield has been reduced three times since
its organization by additions to other towns. November 4, 1816, the
town voted to set off the entire neck lying east of the Cobbosseecontee
pond. In 1827, when the town of Wales was erected, a detachment
TOWN OF LflCllFIELn. 687
was taken from Litchfield, and in 1859 all that part of West Gardiner
lying west of the Cobbosseecontee was also taken from Litchfield.
The affairs of the town have been well managed by a board con-
sisting, from the first, of three selectmen, chosen annually. For the
most part those chosen have been the otherwise prominent men of
th3ir time. The following have served the number of years, not
always consecutive, indicated after their respective names, the date of
first election being given:* 1795, James Shirtliff and Thomas Morg-
ridge, each 2, and John Neal 29; 1796, John Dennis 3, and Nathaniel
Berry 1; 1797, Abijah Richardson 2; 1798, John Smith, jun., 25; 1800,
Thomas Smith 8; 1806, Sewall Brown 2; 1808, Sylvanus Waterman 7;
1809, Edward Gower 5; 1812, John Pike 3; 1813, William Robinson 23;
1816, David C. Burr 11; 1827, Samuel Hyde 2; 1829, John Robinson 2;
1829, Hiram Shorey 7; 1830, Martin Metcalf 2, and Elias Plimpton 4;
1833, Ephraim Wadsworth; 1834, William Farr 2; 1835, Asa Bachelder
4; 1837, L. Y. Daley 3; 1838. Thomas Springer 3, and Joseph Williams
3; 1844, Josiah True 11; 1845, James Alexander 2, and Hugh Wood-
bury; 1847, Samuel Patten 2, and John Woodbury 8; 1849, Smith
Baker 3: 1850, David True; 1851, William Buker; 1852, True Woodbury
5, and Daniel Adams; 1853, Isaac Frost 6; 1856, Isaac Starbird 4; 1858,
Nathaniel Dennis 7; 1859, Charles H. Robinson 4: 1861, John Hancock
2; 1862, Thomas Holmes 12, and Samuel W. Libby; 1864, James Colby
3; 1867, David S. Springer 8; 1868, Benjamin W. Berry 3; 1870, William
G. Williams 2; 1872, John Patten 2, and John L. Allen; 1874, Samuel
Smith 9, and Melvin Tibbitts 4; 1878, M. S. H. Rogers 7, and William
G. Webber 5; 1880, William S. Snow; 1881, Charles A. Metcalf; 1882,
Elisha N. Baker and Charles B. Preble, each 2; 1884, Reuel W. Cun-
ningham 2, and George A. Emerson 4; 1886, John Purington 4; 1887,
Samuel Williams 2; 1888, Stillman H. Ring; 1890, E. P. Springer
3 years; and in 1892, Samuel Smith and Frank N. Adams.
The town clerks in succession, with year of election, have been:
John Neal, jun., 1795; James Shirtliff, 1802; John Neal, 1803; John
Smith, 1808; John Neal, 1809; John Smith, 1810; Sylvanus Waterman,
1812; John Smith, 1814; John Neal, 1815; David C. Burr, 1817; John
Neal, 1824; David C. Burr, 1825; Asa Bachelder, 1826; Elias Plimpton,
1832; Asa Bachelder, 1833; Elias Plimpton, 1834; Asa Bachelder, 1837;
William O. Grant, 1839: Constant Quinnam, 1847; William O. Grant,
1849: Isaac W. Springer, 1852; William G. Williams, 1860; G. C.
Waterman, 1863; Isaac W. Springer, 1870; William G. Williams,
1874; Charles A. Metcalf, 1876;- Gardiner Roberts, jun., 1880; and
William F. Adams, since 1885.
The succe.ssive treasurers have been: John Dennis, elected in
1795; Abijah Richardson, 1797; Jabez Robin.son, 1806; Thomas Morg-
* The names in these lists are from the records, by William F. Adams, town
clerk.
b«8 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ridge, 1810; John Neal, 1811; John Dennis, jun.. 1815; William Bart-
lett, 1831; John Smith, 1835; John Dennis, 184 ); C. Toothaker, 1844;
John Neal, 1845; John Dennis, 1846; Nathaniel Dennis, 1857; John
Hancock, 1864; N. Dennis, 1865; Thomas Holmes, 1873; N. Dennis,
1875, and David S. Springer, since 1882.
Purgatory.— That early settled locality, so long called Purgatory,
seems to have received its name from a humorous incident that oc-
curred in August, 1776, when William Gardiner and a party of his
friends came to this locality to inspect the old dam, timbers and plank
from which are still to be seen a rod above the present dam. The
next day, on their return to Gardiner, some one asked where they had
spent the previous, night, and Mr. Gardiner replied, "in pergatory —
the mosquitoes and black flies were so thick we couldn't get a wink of
sleep." The reply was repeated and laughed over by the people of
the surrounding country, till they refused to call it by any name but
Purgatory. Preachers and map makers have tried Pleasant A^alley,
North Litchfield and Litchfield P. O., but the old name is indelible.
General Dearborn gave the water rights to the first settlers; but
who built the first grist mill and saw mill, and when, is not known.
Simeon Goodwin came before 1800, and the property was known as
"Goodwin's Mills" for the next three-quarters of a century. William
Gay, of Gardiner, told Warren Plimpton that his father. Esquire Seth
Gay, owned an" interest in the old grist mill, and that in 1805, when
he was a small boy, he often came from Gardiner on horseback, when the
road was by marked trees, after a two bushel bag of toll grain. There
is a report that an early settler by the name of West once owned the
mills. Simeon Goodwin was succeeded by his son, Andrew Goodwin,
Daniel Bartlett and Deacon Dennis, as mill proprietors. Andrew
Goodwin's interest descended to his son, Andrew J., who bought his
partners' interests, and ran the mills till about 1870, when he sold
the property to Jesse Bartlett and Merrill True. The latter now
owns the grist mill, and Andrew Bartlett owns the saw mill. The
grist mill has one run of stones taken from a granite boulder near the
Colby bridge by Simeon Goodwin, over one hundred years ago.
Elias Plimpton came in 1820 from Walpole, Mass., to this noted
water privilege, bought property, built shops, put in a triphammer,
and began making hoes and axes, and doing general blacksmithing.
He drew his manufactured goods by wagon to Portland and Bangor.
In 1845 he began making forks, and since then potato diggers have
been made in large quantities. Upon his death he was succeeded by
his sons, A.Warren and George Plimpton, who had been his partners,
and they continue the business under the old firm name, E. Plimpton
& Sons, giving work to twenty-five men. Their tools have such a
sterling reputation that they have never been able to make as many
goods as they could sell. This manufactory is the largest in Litch-
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. 689
field. Durinof war times this firm bought of John Robey his landed
rights at the upper dam, which they have just rebuilt and raised, ad-
ding greatly to the reservoir capacity of the pond, which includes the
Purgatory ponds for a distance of over six miles. The water com-
pany at Gardiner joins with them in this wise provision against a
scarcity of water.
David Sawyer built before 1800 a tannery where Asa Getchell's
stable stands. It was torn down in 1834 by Doctor Pidgeon. Esquire
Burr owned it at one time. A fulling mill and carding machine were
built in 1814, by a company which intended to start a woolen factor}'.
Mr. Adams operated it for a while as a carding mill. It was sold and
moved to Monmouth over forty years ago, and made into part of the
present Ames shovel factory. Moses Glass ran the ashery and made
potash there in 1820. About fifty years ago the shingle factory now
run by Alfred D. Bartlett was started by Jesse Tucker, and com-
pleted by Daniel Bartlett, who made shingles several years and sold
out to Andrew Goodwin. Alfred D. Bartlett bought the mill in 1888,
and has run it since that time. He had operated the mill sometime
previous to 1888 in company with another young man.
Captain David C. Burr was the first storekeeper at Purgatory and
was located in a building near the grist mill. He was followed by
Benjamin Babb and he by Rufus Blake. Mr. Blake was burned out
and he went into Freeman's hat shop, where he sold goods till he
builc a new store. This was also burned after he had occupied it a
few years, and he left the place. Other storekeepers have been:
Pease & True, Ebenezer Kelley, Rufus Howard, Hiram Allen, Daniel
Bartlett, Mr. Hyde, John Arnold, Granville Baker, Eli Merriman and
Safford Brothers. In 1890 Mr. Merriman was burned out with a heavy
stock of goods and suffered a large loss. He immediately moved to
his present location, which he owned and where he is still in business.
Loring G. Dunn built the store he now occupies in 1882, where he
keeps a large variety of goods. Up to about the time Mr. Blake went
out of business the merchants all kept and sold large quantities of
liquors. Since then Purgatory has been strictly a temperance place.
The Union Hall Association at Purgatory was formed about 1875.
The Reform Club had brought more people together than any build-
ing in the place could accommodate. Such crowds were a damage to
the school house and larger quarters became a necessity. A subscrip-
tion paper for funds to build a public hall was circulated, and almost
every citizen pledged money, work or material. In a few weeks
the building was up and finished on the outside, and a floor laid.
Then a series of entertainments to raise further funds were held,
which were generally successful, over two hundred dollars being col-
lected in a single night. So the present fine, commodious hall was
.soon completed at a total cost of about $1,500. A stock company was
byO HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
formed, each member being- credited with the amount he or she had
contributed. The hall is free to meeting.s of public interest, but a
charge is made in all uses for individual benefit, and its earnings keep
it in good repair. Frank Adams, Fred Baker and Augustus Goodwin
are the present managing officers, and Doctor Adams is secretary
and treasurer.
John Glass, father of Moses Glass and grandfather of Sewell S.
Glass, came to Goodwin's Mills when there were no roads and blazed
trees were the only guides. He was a revolutionary soldier and lived
on a road now abandoned. Moses Glass lived back of Plimpton's shop.
Thomas True, father of the twins, Thomas and David, and of Benja-
jamin True, lived where David Grain resides. David Tappan's home
was where the Plimptons live. He came here befoi-e 1800, and so did
David Sawyer, shoemaker and tanner, who lived near the present
mill.
David C. Burr was a prominent man in early times. He was a
farmer, ran the ashery, bought the first wagon owned in town, and
was a member of the legislature. He died about 1825. James Jewell
was a harness maker; George R. Freeman was a farmer and a hatter,
and William Parks was a wool carder and cloth dresser. They all
lived near the mill. David Getchell lived where Augustus Goodwin
does. James Parker, farmer, lived where Charles Goodwin does. He
was a zealous Baptist. He went west about 1835. Richard Davis
lived where his grandson, David Wilson, now resides. Mr. Davis, in
addition to farming, often loaded and unloaded boats, and sometimes
engaged in the coasting trade.
Elijah Galusha lived on the Woodbury road, where John Goodwin
does. Elijah was a great trapper, which paid very well in those days
when wild game was plenty. True Woodbury, father of David and
Joseph, was the pioneer from whom the road took its name. He took
his farm in its wild state and was noted as a large landholder. The
old homestead was where Simeon Goodwin lives, and is still in the
possession of his descendants, tlugh Woodbury was another original
settler, who cleared up the farm where his son, Benjamin Woodbury,.
lives. Simeon Goodwin also lived on the Woodbury road where his
son, Simeon, jun., now lives. Nathaniel Nevins lived where Milbert
Woodbury now resides.
Litchfield post office, the oldest in town, was established October
1, 1805, at the house of Jonathan Clark, the first postmaster. He was
succeeded by William Cleaves October 1, 1810, who kept the office in
the house where W. F. Adams, the town clerk, now lives. He was
succeeded by Newcomb W. Stevens July 1, 1813; Asa Bachelder Feb-
ruary 11, 1831; Augustus Bachelder September 18, 1846: Thomas J.
Foster October 28, 1846. and December 5, 1 853, by Moses True; Freeman
P. Crowell, 1865; Curtis L. Irving March, 1868; Granville W. Baker^
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. 691
April, 1868: and Eli Merriman, the present postmaster, in March,
1873. Froin 1813 to 1846 the ofBce was kept at True's Corners, when
through the efforts of Elias Plimpton and others, it was removed tO'
Purg-atory, where it still remains.
Litchfield Plains. — The central part of the town, called Litch-
field Plains, from its comparatively level surface, also known as Pot-
tertown, has a sandy soil, easily worked and well adapted to garden-
ing and fruit culture, particularly apple orchards. It has been settled
over one hundred years. In 1802 Saul Cook, Noah Powers, James
Springer, Moses Smith and Captain Jewell were living on the plains.
In 1832 the school districts now known as numbers 12 and 15 were
one, and the school house standing where the present Baptist church
stands, was burned. At that time Jerry and Harvey Springer, Daniel
Nickerson and Andrew Baker lived at the west end. On the north
road were Deacon Bartlett and Walter Merriman, and on the Corners
road Gould Jewell and Robert Ashford.
Who built what is known as the old Libby grist mill, no one seems
to know. James Libby, who came in 1823, bought it of Esdras Nick-
erson, and ran it till the freshet of 1825 destroyed it. The next year
James Libby, Moses Dennet and James Earl rebuilt it. After oper-
ating it many years, they sold it to Joseph Williams, who a few years
later sold it to Jeremiah Varney. Varney & Son ran it till the dam
was washed away, which they rebuilt. The mill has not been in opera-
tion since about 1880. Irving Varney still owns the water privilege.
About 1827 William Small built a fulling mill below the bridge.
A carding mill above the bridge, owned by Esquire John Neal, and
run by Joseph Clifford, had been carried away by the freshet of 1825.
Another had been built by Potter & Ashford on Spring brook, which
Mr. Small bought of them and ran in connection with his fulling mill,
coloring and dressing cloth for several years. This mill came back
into Potter & Ashford's hands, and was bought by Joseph Williams
in 1840. In 1850 W. G. Williams built a new mill on Spring brook,
and put in carding and fulling machinery. After three or four years
they dropped the fulling business, but continued the carding works
till 1886. The old Small building was used for- a time for a tannery
by a Mr. Heath, who had sons, Charles, John and Edward. He had a
bark mill run by horse power.
Ezra H. Daws, afterward a preacher, built a dam and shop where
the old original carding machine had stood, made shingles, had a trip-
hammer and did blacksmithing. He sold to Abiel Daily, who con-
verted it into a pill box and match factory, and about 1860 vSamuel
Libby owned it, then Joseph Williams, and afterward David Potter,
who made shingles there. Then Jonathan Rideout bought it, built a
two story building, moved the dam down stream and sold to Henry
Bosworth. He sold to William Knight, who put in a grist mill, oper-
692 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUN'l V.
ated it a short time and sold to James Bartlett, who ran it till 1866,
■when its active career closed.
Jeremiah Potter built, about 1810, a saw mill which he used sev-
eral years, and then allowed to stand idle till 1853, when Daniel W.
Perry purchased the property and rebuilt the mill. After that Uriah
Gray, John Whitten, Deacon William Chase, George H. Jack, Abiel
L. Small, Lorin J. Ayer and John Hutchinson owned interests in the
property at different times, till Ayer bought all claims and is now the
owner. The mill stands back of Deacon Chase's residence, and is
leased and operated by George M. Rogers.
Jeremiah and Amos Potter were among the earliest business men
on the Plains. The settlement was named after them. They built
more than half the houses still standing there, and the stream that
drove so many mills bids fair to carry their names far into the future,
for it is only known as Potter's brook.
William Potter owned a grist mill that was carried away by the
great freshet of 1825. The original builder and owner is not known.
Amos Potter, son of William, rebuilt the grist mill and ran it twenty
or thirty years, and his sons, William and Henry, continued the busi-
ness till about 1870. This mill and the Libby mill each had a separ-
ate run of stone, and the requisite bolts to make wheat flour, as the
farmers then raised wheat for home consumption. Below the Potter
grist mill stood a saw mill owned by William Spear. Frank C. Wy-
man has a wood shop and a blacksmith shop on his farm, in which he
makes from six to ten new wagons, sleds and carts during the winter
time each year.
At Litchfield Plains the storekeepers have traded as follows: Jerry
Potter, Lendall Adams, Purinton & Berry, Jesse Hatch, Conforth,
John Perry, William F. Adams, Jonathan Hunt, Wilson M. Hatten,
William Chase, Alden B. Jack, A. E. Brown and James A. Chase.
Nearly all these men traded in an old store built by Jerry Potter north
of the saw mill. Joseph Williams kept a store between 1850 and 1860
in a building opposite W. Gee William's present residence on the
corners.
Litchfield Plains post office was established in 1871. Eben Tooth-
aker was appointed postmaster, and opened the office at iiis house,
where he has retained the position ever since, with the exception of
during a part of President Cleveland's administration, when, in 1887,
James A. Chase was appointed. Mr. Toothaker again received the
appointment in 1889.
Litchfield Corners is, in many respects, one of the most attrac-
tive portions of the town. The surface is agreeable and rolling, and
possesses productive mixtures of soil. The fact that the skirmish line
of civilization, the capricious but discerning hunters, paid this section
such decided attentions, and that their judgment was confirmed by the
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. by.:?
intelli^^ent men bearing the name with which common usage so soon
christened the entire plantation, is indisputable evidence of its primitive
superiority. These earnest men and women came to stay, and their
descendants have honored their memory by perpetuating their virtues.
By the character and permanence of its moral, educational and secular
institutions and associations, it enjoyed many intellectual and social
privileges. These varied attractions have made it a central resort for
business and trade, and a desirable place of residence.
Litchfield Corners has had one, and sometimes two, hotels since
about 1850. Their proprietors have been: Smith Baker, Alden Baker,'
James Chase, David Billings, Dexter Smith (1861 to 18G4), William
Metcalf, Daniel Campbell, George W. Earle, for eleven years, Elisha
Baker, and Dexter Smith, who is at present engaged in the business.
The storekeepers at Litchfield Corners, as near as the succession
can be traced, have been: Reuben Lowell, Joseph Williams, James
Walker, Lorenzo Dailey, David Billings, Isaac Starbird, Solomon
Brown, Smith Baker & Sons, Union store, Earle & Holmes, William &
Thomas Babb, J. H. &T. Holmes, Alden B. Jack, James E. Chase, Syl-
vester Stewart and James W. Starbird, whose store is in the oldest store
building at the Corners. It used to-be in old times the headquarters
of the liquor traffic.
Litchfield Corners post office was established in January, 1842.
Its postmasters, with dates of appointment, have been: William Rob-
inson, 1842; Isaac Starbird, 1856; Thomas Holmes, 1856; Alden Jack,
1857; Isaac Starbird, 1861; James E. Chase, 1873; Thomas Holmes,
1885, and James E. Chase again, in 1889.
South Litchfield post office was established October 23, 1856,
with Augustus L. Bachelder first postmaster. Moses True was ap-
pointed in 1863, and Charles A. Metcalf in 1889.
Saw and Grist Mills. — About the year 1815 Andrew Jack, Rob-
ert Patten and Charles Robinson built a saw mill in the southeast part
of the town. Since that time the following men have had proprietary
interests in it: Nathan Rogers, William Perry, Warren Smith, Samuel
Jack, Charles H. Robinson, Samuel Patten, Samuel Odiorne, James
Briery, Joseph S. Hatch, David W. Perry, Daniel W. Perry and Bar-
net Thorn. Shingles have been made in the mill for about thirty
years, and a grist mill which has not been used for fifty yeai-s was
once in the same building. A. D. Cornish bought the mill recently of
the Robinson estate, and runs it now.
About 1790 Samuel Clark built and ran a grist mill on his farm.
Before his death, in 1843, his son, Samuel Clark, tore the old mill down
and built a larger one, putting in two run of .stones and bolts for mak-
ing flour, and operated it during his life. The second Samuel was suc-
ceeded by his son, Sumner Clark, who in turn operated the mill for a
time and is still on the old farm. A little below the grist mill Dennis
'694 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
G. Getchell and Richard F. Ferren built a shingle mill, which they
operated a few years. A half mile still further down the stream John
Thurlow and David Ware made a dam and a saw mill on land now
owned by James Carville. About 1835 this mill was destroyed by fire.
Much interest and mystery have been associated with this mill and its
surroundings. It was here that one William Wilkins, a cooper, was
employed at his trade, and when he disappeared one spring night cir-
•cumstances pointed strongly to two men, who were generally believed
to have murdered him, and later burned the mill to effectually cover
their crime.
Brick and Lime. — The bricks of which chimneys and the many
substantial, well preserved brick houses in Litchfield have been made
were mostly of home manufacture. From 1810 to 1820 bricks were
made on the Hatch farm, on Robert Ashford's farm, and the John
Toothaker farm. The Libbys made bricks near the Potter saw mill,
and about 1840 bricks were made on Asa Spear's farm, also by Hiram
Morrell, on Gideon White's farm. About 1832 bricks were made at
Purgatory, on the west bank of the creek, by Moses Glass, John Neal
and John Bolden. Simeon Goodwin also established a brick kiln at
Purgatory, the only one in town still in operation.
Lime was also burned a little before war times on the old David
Ware farm, where there is a ledge of lime rock. Rufus Godfrey now
owns the place,
Cider Mills and Asheries.— Among the cider mill men were:
William Payne, Captain Henry Jewell, Aaron and Woodman True,
Thomas True, Captain Samuel Patten, Amos Potter, David Ware and
Benjamin Sanborn, who had mills in town. Amaziah Goggins oper-
ates a mill built and run by Levi Herriman, forty years ago, and Frank
C. Wyman has recently put steam power in his cider mill, where for
• each of the past fourteen years he has ground from seven to eight
thousand bushels of apples, making a total of over ten thousand bar-
rels of cider. He has two large tanks for vinegar, holding together
fifteen thousand gallons.
Not many years ago the " ash peddler " was a familiar personage.
He drove a stout pair of horses on a wagon with a big box, and car-
ried a limited assortment of groceries and notions, with which he paid
,for any ashes he might buy, at the rate of from eight to twelve cents
per bu.shel. These were taken to asheries and made into potash, for
which there was always a cash market. Jerry Potter, Isaac -Starbird,
Josiah Nickerson, Smith Baker & Sons and Hatherton Earl each made
potash, and there was another ashery on the George Ricker farm.
Societies. — The history of Ma.sonry in Litchfield begins with
Morning Star Lodge, No. 41, chartered July 13, 1822. The first officers
-of the Lodge — John Neal, W. M.; Captain John Dennis, S. W.; David
■C. Burr, J, W.; John Smith, secretary; J. W. Watson, treasurer, and
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. 695
Edward Gove, tjder— were publicly installed in the Baptist church.
About 1830 meetings were discontinued and the charter was surren-
dered. At a meeting held November 14, 1867, over Isaac Starbird's
■store, the old charter of Morning Star Lodge was restored and officers
were duly installed. The four living members of the old Lodge —
William O. Grant, John Randall, Andrew Goodwin and Joseph C.
Barstow — joined in the new movement. Since then the Lodge has
been prosperous, now owning their Masonic Hall, which cost $2,000,
and having a membership of 112.
A Lodge of Good Templars was chartered here October 17, 1887,
with fifteen members. Meetings were held for two years in Stuart's
Hall, since then in lower Masonic Hall. The present membership is
about one hundred. Samuel Clark is W. C. T.
Litchfield Grange, No. 127, was organized in 1875, with fifteen
members. It became quite prosperous, numbering as high as 150
members. A store was kept in Moses True's house, managed by the
Grange, with Lucy A. True as selling agent. After about ten years it
w;is discontinued. John Woodbury was the first master of the organ-
ization, Daniel M. Emerson was the next, and Samuel Smith was the
third. The present membership is one hundred, with E. M. Pinkham,
master, and A. C. True, secretary.
The agricultural fairs, noticed in Chapter VIII, that have for the
past quarter of a century given Litchfield such a wide celebrity, grew
from the Town Farmers' Club, which was formed in 1857 by a general
movement of the most active farmers of that time, among whom were
Thomas H. Springer, John and Benjamin Woodbury, Woodman and
Aaron True. John Patten and Josiah True. The first annual exhi-
bitions were held in the yard about the town house.
The Litchfield Fire Insurance Company was incorporated in 1873,
with Isaac Smith, president; Daniel L. Smith, secretary, and Dr. Cyrus
Kindrick, treasurer. The first policy was issued in 1874, and the num-
ber now in force is 204, representing a total insurance of $200,000.
The losses incurred have been less than $5,000. The present officers
are: Thomas Holmes, president; Dr. Cyrus Kindrick, treasurer, and
James W. Starbird, secretary.
Education. — There had been a high school established by Isaac
Smith, Smith Baker, Solomon Brown and David Billings (of which
Benjamin Smith was the first teacher) at Litchfield Corners for seven
years previous to 1845, when, by act of the legislature, Litchfield
Academy was incorporated. The high school had been located over
Starbird's store, but the new school was opened in the upper story of
the Congregational meeting house, and there continued till the present
academy was built, in 1852, costing about $2,000. The summer ses-
sion of the legislature of 1849 passed the following: " Resolved that
the Land agent of this State is hereby authorized and directed to con-
oyO HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
vey to the trustees of the Litchfield Academy, one half township of
land situated in the county of Aroostook, " etc. The land was not lo-
cated, but was sold by the trustees for $5,650. A part of this money
was used in building and for necessary expenses. In 1891 the leg-
islature granted this school an annual appropriation of $500, for ten
years. The first teacher was Joseph Stacy. Timothy Davis was the
first president, and David Billings, secretary. The present officers
are: M. S. H. Rogers, president; Asa P. Smith, secretary, and David
S. Springer, treasurer.
When the Litchfield Academy was established, some of the sup-
porters of the old high school were so much displeased because it was
not located north of the Corners, that they withdrew from the new
school, and organized the Liberal Institute, which held its sessions
over the Starbird store till funds were raised by stibscription and a
building was erected in 1851 for its use. The Liberal In.stitute was
kept in existence till about 1870. William Robinson, David Billings
and George Potter were prominent in its inception and support. The
school building was finally sold. to the Masonic fraternity, and is now
known as Masonic Hall.
There are fifteen school districts in Litchfield. The schools are in
good condition, and are doing good work.
Churches.— The following is an extract from the venerable
records, now in possession of Charles A. Metcalf, of the Baptist church
at what was then known as Litchfield, now South Litchfield:
" Being requested by the brethren of the branch of the first Church
of Christ in Litchfield in order to assist them into a separate church, —
Met with them on Thursday the 19th of July A. D. 1798 at Brother
James Pierce's, in said Litchfield, examined each particular member
of those who were to be embodyed, and found them sound in the Faith
of the Gospel and gave them fellowship as one branch of the Baptist
Church. Signed Job Macomber, of Bowdoinham."
"The members embodyed are as follows: John Neal, Joshua Rich-
ardson, Joel Richardson, John Waymouth, Joshua Waymouth, James
Pierce, Nathan Stevens, Andrew Tibbets, Bartholomew Taylor,
Ebeneezer Moon, Betsey Harrimon, Polly Waymouth and Polly
Hutchinson."
Prior to the opening of the records above quoted, a Baptist church
was organized in 1791, with twenty-one members, with William Stin-
son as pastor, who continued as a pastor in Litchfield for thirty years.
This primitive preacher was ordained in a barn in the northern part
of the town. After 1822, this older church had no pastor, and ten
years later it disappears from the records of the association.*
The Congregational Church of Litchfield Corners was organized
June 6, 1811, in the small Congregational meeting house that was
afterward moved to Bowdoin for a school house. These are the names
* Joshua Millet's Baptists of Maine, 184.5.
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. tU 7
of the eleven original members: Benjamin Smith, Thomas Smith,
Elkana'h Baker, Samuel Smith, Mehitable Baker, Hannah Smith,
Elizabeth Smith, Desire Springer, Elizabeth Smith, jun., Rebecca
Hutchinson and Mary Smith. Benjamin and Thomas Smith were the
first deacons. The society built a meeting house across the road from
the one now in use, and worshiped there till 1845, when it was moved
to the present .site, remodeled into a two story building — the lower
part for church purposes, the upper part for the Litchfield Academy —
and so used till 1862, when the building was taken down and the pres-
ent church built on the same foundation, at a cost of $2,000. Rev.
David Thurston preached the dedication sermon. The pastors have
been : Reverends D. Lovejoy ; David Starret, 1828 ; Thomas N. Lord,
1836; Timothy Davis, 1837; Benjamin Smith, 1852, died 1858; David
Thurston, died 1865, 86 years old; Josiah Taylor Hawes, now 94 years
old, probably the oldest Congregational minister in Maine.
It appears from the records of the Freewill Baptist Church at
Litchfield Plains, that it was organized by Rev. Josiah Farewell and
Rev. Samuel Hathorn, a committee appointed by the Bowdoin quar-
terly conference for that purpose, October 11, 1826, with the following
members: Samuel Cook, Andrew Baker, Daniel Nickerson, Dea. Cor-
nelius Toothaker, Robert Ash ford, Robert Stinson, Sally Ashford,
Hannah Toothaker, Andrew Baker, jun., Mary Cleaves, Lydia Smith,
Mary Knight, and Robert Patten, jun., as clerk. Meetings were held
in the barns of C. Toothaker and Robert Ashford, and in the Hall
school house until their meeting house was built in 1837. The names
of the ministers of this church are: Reverends Samuel Hathorn, Hale
Sweet, Barnard Goodrich, Nathaniel Purinton, Homer Gatchell, Robert
Stin.son, Constant Quinnan, Mark Gatchell, Stephen Purinton, Nehe-
miah Preble, Ezekiel G, Page and since 1883 Edwin Marson. Deacon
William Chase has held his office since 1840.
The West Litchfield Freewill Baptist Church was organized in
1875, with forty members, some of whom were: Sumner Clark, Deacon
William Varney, Deacon Ferdinand Tracy, Elder William Cunning-
ham, Ensign Danforth and William Frost and their wives. In 1877
the society built the present church, at a cost of $1,000. Elders Wil-
liam Cunningham, Mark Gatchell, Bowie and Joseph Nicker-
son have been the preachers. At present the church has twenty
members.
The Calvinistic Baptist Church at Litchfield Corners was organ-
ized some years before the war. and held meetings in the Liberal
Institute building. Prominent among the leading members were:
Isaac Starbird, David Billings and Benjamin Jackson, with their
wives. Elders Lawrence, and John Jackson were preachers. At
a meeting held September 5, 1863, it was voted to dissolve the church
45
698 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
organization by giving eacii member a letter of recommendation to
any sister church of the same faith.
Cemeteries. — The cemetery at Litchfield Plains, the largest in
town, was used to some extent as a burying ground previous to 1800.
Early in the present century Cornelius Toothaker and others bought
land of Daniel Nickerson, making the first enlargement of the old
plot. A few years after, Robert Ashford and Esquire Joseph Barstow
made another addition. About 1860 Dea. William Chase bought ad-
joining ground of Cornelius Toothaker and James Hopkins did the
same. M. Toothaker's daughter afterward sold some lots from her fath-
er's estate. Steps were soon after taken, in obedience to public senti-
ment, to organize a burial association to take charge of these grounds.
The Litchfield Plains Cemetery Association was incorporated August
1. 1871. Purchases of land for enlargement were made in 1874 and in
1883. John Purinton is president of the association; M. S. H. Rogers,
secretary and treasurer, and William F. Adams, sexton.
The cemetery lying between Purgatory and the South Litchfield post
office contains the venerable dust of such persons as Aaron True, born
in 1758; Hon. John Neal, born in 1790; Andrew Goodwin, born in
1793; John Magoon, born 1781: William Bartlett, born 1775, and Elias
Plimpton, born in 1794. Esquire David C. Burr and Elias Plimpton
in 1826 built a receiving tomb, that it still in po.ssession of the Plimp-
ton family.
The burying ground at Litchfield Corners is probably still older,
as in its sacred bosom were deposited the honored remains of Benja-
min Smith, who was born in 1754; Deacon Thomas Smith, born 1744;
Deacon Isaac Smith, born 1795; David Springer, born 1763; Josiah
Morrell and his son Josiah; Smith Baker, born 1760, and Rev. Thomas
Ayer, born 1797.
The Grant burying ground, near John A. Lapham's, contains the
remains of many original settlers and their families. A few of them
are: Captain John Dennis and wife, Woodman Watson and wife,
Joseph Lord and wife, Arthur Neal and wife. Major David Neal, Smith
Emerson and wife, Edward Smith and wife, Levi Harriman and his
son, Levi, and their wives. Many have been buried there with noth-
ing to designate the lots.
In 1839 Isaac Randall and Richard Ferren gave the land for the
burying ground on the Sabattus road. Isaac and .Harvey Randall,
sons of Isaac Randall, both of whom died of an epidemic the same
day, in early manhood, were the first interments in the new ground.
personal paragraphs.
Rev. Smith Baker, whose father, grandfather and gi'eat-grandfather
were all residents and all but the latter natives of Litchfield, was a
student in the old Litchfield Academy, then graduated at Bangor,
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. W^
from whence he went forth to face the trying duties of manhood. He
is now one of the most powerful Congregational preachers in the
great West, standing at the head of his denomination in Minneapolis,
a city where only the most capable men can be leaders in any busi-
ness or profession.
Granville W. Baker, son of Andrew and Betsey (Damon") Baker,
was born in 1825. He kept a store at Purgatory several years pre-
vious to 1866, when he sold it to Eli Merriman. He was a mason by
trade, but after the war was several years employed in the Plimpton
handle shop. He was postmaster from 1868 until 1873. He was bugler
in the army from January, 1864, to June, 1865. He enlisted in the 1st
D. C. Cavalry and was later transferred to the 1st Maine Cavalry,
Company M. He married Ann M., daughter of James and Abigail
(Davis) Hutchinson and granddaughter of Nehemiah Hutchinson.
His wife and two sons survive him: Fred E. and Everett B.
William Bartlett was born in Haverhill, Mass., in 1775, removed to
Durham, Me., and in 1810 came to Gardiner. In 1821 he bought the
Bowman farm of one hundred acres and came to Litchfield, where he
died in 1860. He married Dorothea M., daughter of Roger Merrill,
died in 1880. Of their fifteen children there are five now living:
Daniel, Priscilla (Mrs. M. B. Gilman), James, Alice and Dorothea
(Mrs. George Stockham). Alice now occupies the homestead, and has
charge of the farm. Her sister, Elizabeth M., died in December,
1891.
James A. Chase, son of Deacon William, grandson of Nathaniel,
and great-grandson of Judah Chase, was born in 1842. Nathaniel
•Chase was born in Brunswick in 1770. William was born in Bruns-
wick in 1807 and married, first, Mary J. Alexander, of Litchfield, in
1834. Their children were: Alonzo M., Sarah A., William E., Nancy
J., James A., Llewellyn and Olivia H. Mr. Chase married Mrs. Eliza-
beth Maxwell, of Litchfield, for his second wife, in 1886. He has
been a deacon of the Baptist church for over fifty years. James A.
Chase was first married to Lizzie J. Parsons, who died in 1877. His
present wife was Mary E. Small, of Bowdoinham.
James E. Chase, born in Bowdoin in 1838, is a son of James and
Louisa (White) Chase, grandson of James and great-grandson of Isaac
Chase. He was a farmer and school teacher until November 19, 1863,
when he succeeded George Sawyer in the store at Litchfield Corners,
where he has since remained. He has been postmaster since Septem-
ber 2, 1873, except from March 19, 1888, until August, 1889. He mar-
ried Junietta M., daughter of Enoch and Lydia (Shurburn) Miller.
George F. Chick is a son of Charles and Eliza A. (Mathews) Chick,
grandson of Jotham, and great-grandson of John Chick, who came
from Kennebunk to Litchfield and settled on the farm where Mr.
■Chick now lives with his mother.
700 rilSTORV OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Melville A. Cochrane was born and studied in Litchfield, gradu-
ated at Bowdoin, and is now colonel of the 6th Infantry, in the regu-
lar army.
Ebenezer D. Crane, born in 1799 and died in 1886, was a hoe and
fork maker. He learned the trade in Walpole, Mass., and came to
Litchfield in 1820, where he worked for the Plimpton Company for
the remainder of his active life. His wife was Joanna B., daughter
of Thomas True. They had seven children, four of whom are living:
Henry, Laura M., Susan and Amanda (Mrs. G. W. Horton). The
three that died were: George W., Julia T. and an infant.
Reiiel W. Cunningham, son of Daniel, jun., and grandson of Rev.
Daniel Cunningham, who came from Wiscasset, Me., was born in
Litchfield. Daniel Cunningham, jun., married for his second wife,
Martha Neal, by whom he had seven children, Reuel and William
being the only ones now living. Reuel W. Cunningham and Emma
F. Williams were married in 1863, and have two children— Mattie A.
and Willie E. Mr. Cunningham's grandfather and his great-grand-
father were both preachers in the denomination of Calvinistic Bap-
tists. The former preached many years ago at South Litchfield and
the latter in Bowdoin, Me. Mr. Cunningham has for three years past
been in charge of the Litchfield town farm.
Arington Douglas, born in 1836, is a son of Zebulon and Hannah C.
(Johnson) Douglas, grandson of Francis and great-grandson of Zebu-
lon Douglas. Mr. Douglas is a farmer. His only brother, Clement
H., served in the late war and died at Andersonville. Mr. Douglas
married Melvina, daughter of Warren and Mary (Nickerson) Smith.
Their children are: Clement W. and Nellie (Mrs. G. A. Hamlin).
Edmund Dow, born in Bowdoin in 1826, is a son of Edmund and
Nellie (Clark) Dow. Edmund Dow, sen., came from Concord, N. H.,
and practiced medicine for several years in Bowdoin and Litchfield,
and died in Bowdoin in 1834. Mr. Dow is the youngest of eleven chil-
dren, two of whom are now living. He came in 1875 to the farm
where he now lives, which was the Doctor Waterman farm of ninety
acres. He married Sarah, daughter of Joseph Tarr, and has two sons:
Edmund F. and Frank G. Mr. Dow has kept the town farms of
Litchfield, Richmond and Gardiner for one, five and eight years, re-
spectively.
Loring F. Dunn, born in 1860, was one of fourteen children of
Charles F. and Mary (Goodwin) Dunn, and grandson of William Dunn,
who was a druggist and apothecary in Boston, and in 1799 received a
commission from John Adams as surgeon in the U. S. Navy. This
document is still preserved in the family. Charles F. was a graduate
of Harvard, and after going to sea four years, came to Litchfield in
1841, where he was a farmer until his death in 1883. Loring F. has
been a merchant at Litchfield since 1883.
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. 701
Hartley W. Glidden was born in 1811, in Somerville, Me. He was
a farmer and speculator for several years in Cornville, Me., and in
1877 came to Litchfield and bought the Goodwin farm, near the mills at
Purgatory, where he died in 1888. His first wife was Lydia Smith:
his second, Lydia Ney. and his third wife, who survives him, was Helen
M., daughter of Benjamin and Ruth (Ballard) Johnston, and grand-
daughter of Benjamin Johnston, sen. They have four children: Edith
M., Estelle F., Homer C. and Ruth H.
John Godfrey and his wife, Lydia (Simmons) Godfrey, came to this
country from England in 1831. David, one of their sons, born in 1824,
came from Nashua, N. H., to Litchfield, in 1875, where he has since
been a farmer. His wife is Hepzibah, daughter of William Seaman.
Their living children are: Eliza, May, Emma, William Rufus, George
and Hepzibah. Nellie and Lottie J. are deceased. William Rufus is
a farmer near his father; he married Hattie E., daughter of Simeon
Higgins, and has one son, Harold E. George married Sarah E. Mur-
ry and has three sons: Frank G., Elmo A. and Eddie.
William F. Haines, born in Ripley, Me., in 1844, is a son of Hiram
and Eliza (Dill) Haines. He removed to West Gardiner in 1855, with
his parents. In September, 1861, he enlisted in Company A, 9th Maine
volunteers, serving until July, 1865. From that time until 1890 he
lived in Gardiner, and excepting seven years, when he worked at
paper making, he was engaged in teaming and trucking. He sold his
business there in July, 1890, and bought the George A. Emmerson farm
in Litchfield, where he now resides. He married Mary E., daughter
of Henry and Mary F. (Stone) Meader, and granddaughter of Henry
Meader. Their children are: Mary L., Eliza A., Cora E., Edward F.,
Almira A., Edwin A., Aura E. and Walter E.
Charles T. Hall, born in 1830, is a son of Luther and Eliza (Greeley)
Hall, and grandson of Timothy and Abby (Springer) Hall. Timothy
came to Litchfield when a young man and settled near where Charles
T. now lives. Mr. Hall worked in the ship-yard at Bath, Me., for fif-
teen years, then moved to Litchfield in May, 1867. From there he
went to Massachusetts to work on the Old Colony railroad. In June,
1873, he bought the farm on which his father lived, and has since re-
sided there. He married Rachel P., daughter of Samuel Coombs, of
Brunswick, Me. Their children are: W^illiam L., Frank A., Henry T.
and an adopted daughter, Mary E. Merrill. Frank A. died at Fox-
borough, Mass., May 28, 1873, aged eighteen years.
Wilson M. Hatten, born in 1823 in Stafford, Conn., is a son of Wil-
liam M. and Thankful (Mitchell) Hatten, and grandson of Benjamin
Hatten. He came to Litchfield in 1854, where he is a farmer. In
1873 he bought the Potter farm, where he now lives. He served in
the late war from February to September, 1865, in Company K, 14th
702 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Maine volunteers. His first wife, Achsah Holden, left one son at her
death. His second wife was Marcia Crawford.
Henry Huntington, born in Monmouth in 1824, is a son of Timothy
and Abigail (Hall) Huntington, and grandson of Benjamin and Judith
(Collin.s) Huntington, whose father was among the first settlers of
Litchfield. Mr. Huntington is a farmer. He .spent twenty years in
California prior to 1871. He married Mrs. Martha A. Davis, daughter
of David and Eleanor (Marston) True, and granddaughter of Aaron
True. Her first husband was John Davis, a son of John Davis. He
died in 1872, leaving four children: William E., Fred W., J. Frank (de-
ceased), and Nellie M.
Joseph E. Jack, born in Plymouth, Me., in 1844, is the only son of
Joseph and Jane (Libby) Jack, grandson of Joseph and Mary (Gray)
Jack, and great-grandson of Andrew Jack. He came to Litchfield in
1850, where he has been a carpenter and farmer. He served in the
late war one year in Company F, 24th Maine volunteers. His first
marriage was with Alice, daughter of vSamuel Mitchell. His present
wife was Fannie E. Sprague.
Isaac F. Lapham, son of John A. Lapham, was burn in Bethel in
1833, and married Eliza R., daughter of Rev. David Ricker, of Wood-
stock, Me. Their children are: Addie L. and Ernest M. Addie L.
married E. T. Packard, son of Marlboro and Mary A. Packard, and
they have three children. Ernest married Effie B., daughter of James
True. Mr. Lapham came from Augusta to Litchfield in 1876, and in
company with his son-in-law bought the Jacob Emmerson farm, where
they carry on the farming, nursery and market gardening business.
Ernest M., with Mr. Packard, now runs the farm.
Nathaniel B. Merchant, son of Captain Jabez and Juda (Bennett)
Merchant, was born in 1823 at New Gloucester, Me., came to Gardiner
in 1860, and five years later to Litchfield, where he is a farmer. He
married Angle C. Stowell, who died in 1886, leaving no issue.
Eli Merriman, son of Robert and Clarisa (Douglas) Merriman, and
grandson of Walter Merriman, was born in Bowdoin in 1834. He is
a carpenter by trade. He served in Company F, 24th Maine volun-
teers, from August, 1862, one year. In January, 1864, he went to New
Hampshire, where he was engaged in the clothing business until
August, 1866, when he came to Litchfield, where he has since been a
merchant. He has been postmaster since April, 1873. He married
Almeda, daughter of Daniel Gilman, and their children are: Viola,.
James D., Clara D. and Abbie.
Charles A. Metcalf, born in 1848, is the eldest of three children
of Lorenzo and Mary J. (Weston) Metcalf, and a grandson of Martin
and Eliza (Walker) Metcalf, who came from Berry, Mass., to Litch-
field, where Martin died in 1868, aged 71 years. Mr. Metcalf has
filled the offices of selectman, town clerk and justice; and May 4, 1889^
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. 7Urf
was appointed postmaster at South Litchfield to succeed Moses True,
who was the successor of Augustus Batchelder, the first incumbent of
that office. Mr. Metcalf is a farmer on the land which John True
cleared from the forest. He was married in 1885 to Lucy A., daugh-
ter of Moses and Ann (Tucker) True, and granddaughter of John and
Sally (West) True.
Walden Otis, born in Fairfield in 1827, is a son of Abram W. and
Lydia (Hussey) Otis, and grandson of Hezekiah Otis. He came to
Litchfield in 1871 from Lewiston, and bought the Rev. William O.
Grant farm of one Ijundred acres, where he has since lived. He mar-
ried Lucinda, daughter of John Rowe. vShe died in 1887, leaving one
son, Albion P., who married Margaret E. Butler, and has one daugh-
ter, Edith M.
Eliphalet Palmer, born in 1807 and died in 1879, was one of nine
children of Marlbury and Martha (Smith) Palmer, who came from
Scituate, Mass., to Litchfield in 1790. Mr. Palmer's wife was Lucy P.,
daughter of Thomas and Mary (Knowlton) Lord, and granddaughter
of James Lord. Their children were: Emily P., Thomas M. (de-
ceased), Frederick E., Granville H. and Lewis M., M. D., who was a
graduate of Harvard in 1881. Granville H. was born in 1841, and
is a farmer on the farm where Marlbury settled in 1790. He mar-
ried Eliza, daughter of Erastus B. and Sarah H. (Goddard) Delano.
Their children are: Lewis E. and Mary O.
Captain Ezekiel Drummond Percy, descended from the Earl of
Northumberland, England, was born at Phippsburgh, Me., August IB,
1830. He went to sea when twelve years old, and became master of
the ship Co2iraiii. in 1851— Cuba to Hamburg. During the war he
was attached to Admiral Farragut's squadron, and was first lieutenant
of the ship Huntsvillc, that took Daniel Sickle to Aspinwall. In 1868
Captain Percy went to Japan, where he was attached to the navy de-
partment of that nation, as teacher of gunnery and navigation. He
was in Japan thirteen years. In 1888 he bought the LTnion Hotel at
Cundy's Harbor, Me., and changed the name to Cliff House, which he
still keeps. He married, June 16, 1864, L. O., daughter of Doctor
William Cochran. They have one child, S. Lettie.
A. Warren Plimpton', born in 1825, is the eldest of four children of
Elias' and Nancy (Billings) Plimpton, whose ancestors were: Asa ',
James", John', John", Sergeant John", John Plimpton'. Air.
Plimpton has two brothers and one sister: Dr. Albert, of Gardiner,
George and Maria. Mr. Plimpton is the senior member of the firm of
E. Plimpton & Sons, which was established in 1820, when Elias Plimp-
ton came to Litchfield from Walpole, Mass. He was first married to
Harriet E., daughter of Daniel Fuller. She died, leaving one son,
Warren O. His present wife was Abbie, daughter of Daniel Oilman.
Warren O. Plimpton graduated from Bowdoin College in 1882, and
704 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
from the College of Physicians and Surgeons. N:ew York, in 1888. He
is now practicing medicine and lecturing in sui^^cry in the University
College of Medicine, New York city.
John Purinton, born in 1841 in Bowdoin,is a son of Abel and Mary
(Raymond) Purinton, grandson of Abiezer, and great-grandson of Rev.
Humphrey Purinton. He was educated in the schools of Bowdoin
and at the Litchfield Academy. He taught school eight winters, was
thirteen years in the mercantile trade in Richmond, and since 1876
has been a farmer in Litchfield, on a part of the Captain Robert Pat-
ten farm. He served five years as a justice and four years as select-
man, two of which helwas chairman of that board. He married Mary,
daughter of John and Caroline Patten, and granddaughter of Captain
Robert Patten. Their children are: Eugene E., John Elmer and
Frank W. They lost one, Ernest H.-
Asa P. Smith lives on the old homestead where his father, Zacha-
riah B. Smith, who was born on the next farm north, lived and died.
Thomas Smith, Asa's grandfather, came to Litchfield from Nova
Scotia, v/hither his father, Thomas, son of John Smith, removed from
Cape Cod. Asa P.Smith was married first, to Nancy Shorey, of Litch-
field, in 1855. She died in 1866. Their only child, Lillian L., gradu-
ated at Hallowell Classical Institute, and is now teaching in Bismarck,
North Dakota. Mr. vSmith's second marriage was in 1868, with
Anna P. Sylvester, of Bowdoin. They have one child, Warren R.
Smith, a graduate of Bowdoin College at the age of twenty, with the
highest honors of his class; who is now pursuing a scientific course of
study at Clark's University, Worcester, Mass.
David Thurston Smith is in the fourth generation from one of
several pioneers by the same name, for whom the area of the present
town of Litchfield was first called vSmithfield. His farm was settled
by his great-grandfather, Thomas Smith, who was born in Chatham,
Mass., and lived in Nova Scotia before coming to Maine. The earliest
record we have of him in Smithfield is on a survey of six adjacent
lots, made by John Merrill, " at the request of Benjamin Hinckley,
Eliphalet Smith and others," on which Thomas Smith had lot No. 4.
Here he brought his family in 1780, one of whom was his son, Thomas,
then ten years old, whose son, David, was the father of David Thurston
Smith. Both the Thomases were deacons in the church in their day,
and were men of genuine qualities. The second Thomas was a man
of genial nature, made friends of all, especially the children, was
physically robust and active, was a great hunter, killed two bears, en-
joyed relating his experiences, and in his later years was familiarly
and affectionately known as " Uncle Tom."
David Smith was born in " Uncle Tom's Cabin " in 1805, grew up
a farmer, and married, first, Susan Springer. Their children were:
Daniel L , Alden B., Sophronia A., David Thurston and Benjamin F.
Cj^a^c^^.
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD.
70S
His second wife's name was Martha J. White, and their children were:
Susan S., Bertha A., Mary E. and Thomas F. His third wife was Mrs.
Sarah Owen, his fourth was Miss Elizabeth Smith, and his last and
still surviving wife was Mrs. Mary Baker.
David Thurston Smith, the fourth child by his father's first mar-
riage, was born in 1836, and grew up on the old homestead. At the
age of fifteen he was converted, and united with the church six years
later. When seventeen years old he joined the Watchman's Club, a
temperance order, whose object was to procure the passage of prohib-
itory laws, and signed the pledge which he has never broken. At the
age of twenty-two he went to Massachusetts, where he worked mostly
in or near Boston, part of the time in a store, and then as an officer in
the House of Correction. In 1863 he was drafted and entered the
army in Company K, 11th Maine, which fought under General Butler
at the battle of Bermuda Hundred, where he received a gun shot in
his right leg, from which he has never recovered. Mr. Smith re-
ceived his discharge June 1, 1865, returned to Litchfield and resumed
farming.
Just before
going into the
army he mar-
ried Annie M.
Kent, of Fa-
yette, Me., who
died in 1872.
In 1877 he mar-
ried his present
wife, Ladora J.
Malcolm, of
Phipp.sburgh,
Me. Mr. Smith
was superin-
tendent of the
Sabbath school
of the Congre-
gational church at Litchfield twelve consecutive years, and has long
been a deacon in the same church. He is a charter member of the G.
A. R. Post, and in politics has always acted with the republican party.
The accompanying cut represents the old house built by the pioneer
Thomas in 1782, in which all the Smiths named in this sketch have
spent part of their lives. It is unoccupied, but its owner considers it
a privilege and a pleasure to preserve the walls within which he was
born, and to keep renewed the roof that covers a spot radiant with
so many precious memories.
Three representatives of the Smiths of Litchfield became. eminent
UNCLE TOM S CABIN
706 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
as ministers: Rev. Thomas Smith, who died in 1861, at Brewer. Me.;
Rev. Benjamin Smith, who died while pastor of the Litchfield Congre-
gational Church, and Rev. Charles B. Smith, now living in Maiden,
Mass.
George W. Smith is a son of Isaac Smith, whose father, Benjamin
Smith, probably came from Cape Cod. Isaac Smith, who died in 1877,
at the age of eighty-two, had twelve children, of whom the following
are living: Jane, wife of David S. Springer: Mary, widow of David
Smith: Almira, now Mrs. \V. H. Smith; Lydia, now Mrs. L. S. Larra-
bee; Hannah D. and George W. All of the persons named, except
Benjamin Smith, were born in Litchfield. George W. was brought
up on the old homestead as a farmer, but as a matter of preference
became a wood worker and carver, in Lewiston, and has done some-
thing in sculpture. He made some years ago a marble bust of Mo-
zart, a plaster bust of his father, Isaac Smith, that is the admiration of
all who knew the original; a medallion of Rev. J. T. Hawes; and he
carved in wood a strikingly correct bust of Charles Sumner, and one
of Doctor Hill, of Lewiston. The clay of which his father's bust is
modeled was taken from the clay bed that furnished the brick of
which the house he owns in Litchfield was built.
Oramandel Smith, born December 2, 1842, in Aroostook county,
Me., is a son of Daniel D. and Lucy (Williams) Smith, and grandson
of John, whose father, Eliphalet Smith, was among the early settlers
of Litchfield. Mr. Smith came to Litchfield in 1852, where he was
educated in the common schools and Litchfield Academy, and at the
Classical Institute of Waterville, leaving there at the age of twenty.
He began teaching at the age of seventeen and continued twelve
winters. He was eleven years sxipervisor or a member of the school
committee. He represented his district in the legislature in 1870 and
in June of that year received the appointment of Deputy U. S. Mar-
shall to take the census in Litchfield. He was assistant clerk of the
House in 1874 and. 1875, and was promoted to clerk in 1876, which
position he held until 1885, except 1879. In April, 1883, he was ap-
pointed state insurance commissioner, which office he resigned in
September of the following year. He was elected secretary of state
in 1885, which position he filled with credit to himself for six years.
In January, 1891, he was chosen a member of the governor's coun-
cil. He was married in May, 1875, to Jennie R., daughter of William
C. Smith.
David S. Springer.— The thorough New England quality of the
stock from which David Smith Springer comes is seen by a single
glance at his ancestry. His grandfather, David Springer, came from
Cape Cod, Mass., to Bowdoinham, Me., and from thence settled in
Litchfield. Thomas vSpringer, David's son, the father of David S..
Springer, married Elizabeth, daughter of the second Thomas Smith,
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. 707
of Litchfield, whose ancestors were also natives of Cape Cod. The
children of Thomas and Elizabeth Springer were: George W., David
S. and Sophronia, who died young.
David S. was born December 3, 1822, in Litchfield, where he
passed his boyhood days on his father's farm, treading the familiar
old path, monotonous at times, but always invigorating and safe, as it
alternates from the winter school, with the inevitable morning and
evening chores, to the tiresome routine of the summer's farm work.
After the district school came several terms at the Litchfield Academy,
and then David S., in 1844, found a wife in the person of Jane M.,
daughter of Isaac Smith, whose father, Benjamin Smith, came to Litch-
field in 1781, and was a brother of the first Thomas Smith, who was
the grandfather of David S. Springer's mother. David and Jane have
had one child, Isaac T.
Mr. Springer has not been permitted to pass the whole of his time
or to devote the whole of his energies to agricultural pursuits,
although farming has been his life-long avocation. He was chosen
one of the selectmen of Litchfield in 1867 and was reelected each of
•the following two years. In 1871 he was again elected a selectmen,
also in 1872, '73, '75 and '76. For a long term of years he held some
one of the minor offices of the town. In 1882 he was elected town
treasurer, in which office he is now serving his eleventh year. In 1879
he was elected to the legislature and belonged to the famous and
never-to-be-forgotten "count out" session. In t'ne course of his
duties Mr. Springer served on the agricultural and the leave of ab-
sence committees. Now, at the well rounded age of three score and
ten, he is in the enjoyment of good health, the society of his excel-
lent wife in a pleasant and happy home, and has the priceless con-
sciousness of having passed an honorable and useful life.
Thomas Harvey Springer, born in 1808, was a son of James and Bet-
sey (Collins) vSpringer and grandson of David Springer, who came
from Bowdoinham and was one of the first settlers in Litchfield. Mr.
Springer was a farmer and died in 1880. He married Sarah Hunting-
ton, sister of Henry Huntington. She survives him. Of their eight
children three are living: Luetta A., James P. and Emlem P., who,
with his mother, occupies the farm of his father and grandfather.
Isaac Starbird, born in Bowdoin in 1799, was a son of Moses Star-
bird, who was for many years a merchant at Bowdoin. Mr. Starbird
came to Litchfield Corners in 1837 and bought the store of Lorenzo
Dailey, who was the successor of William Robinson, Esq. He con-
tinued in mercantile trade from November of that year until his death
in 1883. His son, James W., who had been a partner in the business
since 1867, has continued the business since that time in the same firm
name— Isaac Starbird & Son. Isaac Starbird was postmaster from
1861 to 1873. He married Sarah, daughter of Moses Dennett. His
708 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
children were: Charles D., deceased: Isaac W., M.D., who graduated
at Bowdoin College, went into the late war as captain, was promoted
to the rank of colonel, and is now practicing medicine in Boston:
James Wilbur, Herbert M. and Margaret E. (Mrs. Samuel Woodard);
and Eugene C, by second wife. James W. married Barbara E.,
daughter of Melvin P. and granddaughter of Esquire William Robin-
son. They have one daughter, Angle S.
Herbert M. Starbird, son of Isaac and Sarah (Dennett) Starbird,
was born October 2, 1847. He served in the late war in Company M,
D. C. Cavalry, from March to September of 1864, when he was trans-
ferred to Company D, 1st Maine Cavalry, serving until August, 1865,
when he was discharged as sergeant. He married Annie F., only
daughter of Melvin Harri.son and Betsey M. (Adams) True, and grand-
daughter of Daniel True, who married Sally (West), widow of John
True. Mr. Starbird is a farmer and with his father-in-law owns and
occupies the Batchelder tavern, which Mr. True bought in 1867, when
he returned from Massachusetts, where he had lived since 1831.
Henry Taylor, who has for the last twenty years been identified
with the schools of Litchfield and vicinity both as an officer and a
teacher, is a native of Virginia and was two years in the Union army
before coming to Maine. He was a pupil in the schools of Gardiner
and Richmond prior to 1867 and a student at Yarmouth Academy
prior to 1872, when he began teaching. His wife, Maryetta T., is a
daughter of Samuel and Maryetta (Thompson) Goodwin. Their chil-
dren are: Henry W., Carleton L., Amy I., and Walter G., deceased.
George Nelson Thurlow, born in 1834, is the eighth child of John
and Sally (Flagg) Thurlow and a grandson of John Thurlow, who
came from Berwick, Me., to Litchfield about 1804, and settled near
where Mr. Thurlow now lives. His father was Stephen Thurlow.
George N. is a farmer, as were his father and grandfather. He served
the last two years of the civil war, first in Company F, 7th Maine
Volunteers, and later in the 1st Maine Veterans. His wife, Emma W.,
is a daughter of James and Julia A. (Aldrich) Morse, and granddaugh-
ter of James Morse. Their children are: George A. and Harry H.
Eben Toothakerwas brought by his parents, Cornelius and Hannah
(Gray) Toothaker, when less than six months old, to Litchfield, from
Harpswell, Me., in 1817, he being the third of eleven children. When
grown he learned the ship carpenter's trade and worked in Richmond
and Bowdoinham. In 1844 he married Martha O. Williams, of Bow-
doinham, by whom he had three boys and one girl, Mary, now the wife
of John Hutchinson. His son, Fonzo J. Toothaker, married Mary
Schroder, of Chicago. Eben Toothaker built in ISoO, the house in
which he has since lived. He has always been an active republican,
and has been postmaster twenty-one years, keeping the office in his
house at Litchfield Plains.
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. Tn9
Jesse T. True is a son of Woodman True, who died in 1867, and
grandson of Aaron True, who came to Litchfield from Massachusetts.
Woodman True married Lucy Tucker in 1831. They had two chil-
dren— Jesse T. and Helen, who married Jabez Plummer. Jesse T.
was born in Litchfield in 1832, and has always been a farmer. In 1860
he married Elizabeth Cushing, of Freeport, born in 1836. Their chil-
dren are: Fannie W., now a school teacher at Litchfield Corners; Ed-
ward M., who lives in Massachusetts, and Nathan C, at home.
Merrill True, born in 1832, is one of three children of Aaron and
Mary ( Merrill j True, grandson of Aaron and Martha (Woodman) True,
and great-grandson of Thomas True, who lived and died in Salisbury,
Mass., and had five sons and two daughters, who came to Litchfield.
Mr. True is a farmer on the south half of the three hundred acre farm
where his grandfather settled when he came to the town. He married
M. Ellen, daughter of Horace Moore. Their children are: Stanley M.
and Sally H.
Thomas True, son of Thomas and Parmelia (Parker) True, married
Mariam Eaton. Their children were: Bradbury E., Almira, Emery P.
and Albert C. The youngest of these was born in 1843. He served
one year in the late war in Company E, 23d Maine volunteers. He
has taught thirty-four terms of school, has been a member of the
school committee several years, and two years school supervisor. He
is a farmer, and occupies the farm of.'his^father, with his elder brother
and sister, Emery P. and Almira. He married M. Viola, daughter of
Joel Card, of Bowdoinham, Me.
John W. Tucker, born in 1854, is the youngest of three children of
John and Rhoda J. (Jack) Tucker, and grandson of Jesse and Rebecca
(Fisher) Tucker. Mrs. Rhoda J. Tucker died in January, 1886. Mr.
Tucker carries on the farm where his father lived from 1840 until his
death, in 1885. He married Carrie M., daughter of William H. Wood-
bury. Their children are: George, Sarah W., Dexter B., Ralph, Lucena
M., John R., Fred W. and Estelle.
George Webber, a son of George and grandson of Richard Web-
ber, was born in Richmond, Me., in 1811. His father served seven
years in the revolutionary war. His wife, Rebecca (married in 1836),
is a daughter of Benjamin and Margaret (Curtis) Merriman, and grand-
daughter of Walter Merriman, of Harpswell, Me. Their children are:
Reuel S., Adaline C, Rebecca A., Mary E., Sophronia H., Arista,
Thirza E., George F., Pauline S., Nellie E. and Charles H., who mar-
ried Lillian M. Maxwell, and now lives with his parents on the home-
stead farm. He has one son, Milton E.
David G. Wilson, one of four children of Nehemiah and Alice
(Davis) Wilson, was born in 1826. He is a farmer and mechanic. He
married Martha A., daughter of Andrew, and granddaughter of Simeon
■710 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Goodwin, who came from Pittston to Litchfield in 1795. Her mother
■was Margaret Clifford.
Charles H. Waldron. son of Charles D. and Julia A. (Allen) Wal-
■dron, was born in 1841. He has been employed by the E. Plimpton
& Sons Manufacturing Company since 1863, with the exception of the
years 1867, '68 and '69. His wife, Margaret A. Goodwin, is a sister of
Mrs. Wilson, above.
John Woodbury was born in Litchfield, Me., August 10, 1818, and
died on the 25th of February, 1882. Through nearly all his life he
was an influential and useful citizen, always interested for the best
interests of his native town, which he served many years in official
capacity, as appears from the preceding records. His parents were
Hugh Woodbury, born in Danville, Me., in 1780, and Elizabeth (Plum-
mer) Woodbury, born in 1788. They came from Danville to Litchfield
in 1806, and bought 225 acres on the south line of the Sawyer Tract,
where Thomas Davis, a " squatter," had built a log habitation. Here
their ten children were born: William, the eldest, was born in 1812
and died in 1820; Susan, born 1814, died 1886; Abigail, born 1816, died
1825; Hannah, born 1821, died 1851; Mary Ann, born 1824, married
Jesse Davis, of Lisbon, and has two children — Emma and Louisa
Davis; Hugh, born 1822, died 1825: Benjamin, born December 29,
1826; Sarah, born 1829, died 1856; Horatio, the youngest of the ten,
was born in 1831. He read law with Samuel Titcomb, practiced in
Hallowell. Me., also in Kentucky and in Leavenworth, Indiana. He
was a soldier — lieutenant colonel of the 35th Indiana Cavalry — and
died in 1881. Thus Benjamin Woodbury, of Litchfield, and Mrs.
Davis, of Lisbon, are the only survivors of this large family.
The name originated in Cheshire county, England, but the family
records only extend to Hugh Woodbury's father. True Woodbury, who
was born in Massachusetts January 15, 1756, and died in Danville, Me.,
April 28, 1828. As a family, by industry and economy, they acquired
a good property on their farm in Litchfield.
John Woodbury, perhaps the best known of his generation, gave
more careful attention to books. He became a practical surveyor, was
representative from Litchfield in 1854, '57 and '75, and in 1876 was
elected to the state .senate. During his active life no man in Litch-
field was more frequently consulted upon business matters, and such
men as Doctor Kindrick and David Springer say that no man's in-
fluence was more widely felt in the political affairs of the town. He
was never married, and when his usefulness was ended and death fol-
lowed, Litchfield found that men were very scarce who could fill the
place which was once so ably filled by John Woodbury.*
William Wyman, born in South China, May 15, 1823, is a son of
*The fine engraving accompanying this sketch is a fitting tribute to his mem-
ory by his only surviving brother.
TOWN OF LITCHFIELD. 711
Ezekiel and Mary (Libby) Wyman, grandson of Ezekiel and Mary
(Bran) Wyman, and great-grandson of Francis Wyman. Mr. Wyman
was for several years prior to 1860 engaged in the business of tanner
and currier. He came to Litchfield in 1860 from Troy, Me., and has
since been a farmer, excepting one year, during which he served in
the late war with Company F, 24th Maine volunteers. His wife is
Catherine, daughter of Jesse and Esther B. (Work) Young, and grand-
daughter of Solomon Young. Their children are: George A., Mary
E. (deceased), Frank C, Clara E. (deceased), Flora A. (Mrs. S. L.
Gowell), and Etta M.
. Frank C. Wyman, son of William Wyman, was born in the town
of Troy m 1853. In addition to operating his farm, Mr. Wyman is a
wagon maker, at which he works in his own shops in the cold part of
the year. In 1882 he married Thirsa E., daughter of George and Re-
becca Webber. Their children are: Alice E., Jesse L. and Herbert S.
CHAPTER XXVII.
TOWN OF PITTSTON.
Erection of Old Pittston. — Settlement. — Pioneers. — Development. — Villages. —
Chief Localities. — Civil History. — Town Officers. — Churches. — Schools. —
Cemeteries. — Personal Paragraphs.
THE original town of Pittston included Gardiner and West Gar-
diner on the west side of the Kennebec, and Pittston and Ran-
dolph on the east side. In 1670 Alexander Brown settled in
old Pittston, but was killed by Indians in 1676. In 1751 Captain John
North laid out the town in lots, and in 1754 a few settlers made their
appearance. Settlements were made on both sides of the river as
early as 1760, and the entire territory of the four towns was comprised
in the plantation of Gardinerston, so named in honor of Dr. Sylvester
Gardiner, who in 1754 received large tracts within the domain and
later was instrumental in inducing settlers to emigrate thither. In
February, 1779, the territory mentioned, with the exception of lots 5,
6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, on the south edge of the west side, which were joined
to Bowdoinham, was incorporated into a town called Pittston. It was
at first proposed to call the new town Gardiner, but the attitude of
Doctor Gardiner during the revolution debarred him from this honor,
and it was natned for the Pitt family — Hon. John Pitt having, in 1779,
introduced the bill for its incorporation in the legislature.
The first town meeting was held in the inn of Henry Smith, on
the east side of the river (known as Smithtown in the present Pittston),
from which the ferry was run for many years. For twenty-four years
the territory as first incorporated remained a single town, but in 1803
all the tract west of the river was set off to form the then new town
of Gardiner. The region comprised in the present town of Pittston
is the most southern of Kennebec county, east of the river. It is
bounded by the town of Dresden on the south; Alna and Whitefield
on the east; Chelsea and Randolph, the new town more recently
erected from Pittston, on the north; and Kennebec river on the west.
Settlers. — The first settlers made their clearings along the river.
Henry .Smith located in 1764 on the west side of the river, and Au-
gust 5, 1772, he moved to the east side and settled above Agry's point,
opening the first inn of the town. Thomas Agry came to the point
which still bears his name — where the ice houses of the Independent
TOWN OF PITTSTON. 71"
Ice Company stand — in 1774. Here were built the first vessels above
Bath. Seth Soper settled, in 1779, next to Agry, and William and
Moses Springer took up land near Agry's point about the same time.
In 1761, four brothers, Reuben, Jeremiah, Oliver and Benjamin Col-
burn, settled above Agry's, and formed a settlement then known as
Colburntown. Here they built vessels, and where the late Gustavus
A. Colburn resided, Major Colburn, his grandfather, constructed the
bateaux for the Arnold expedition to Quebec, the beautiful growth
of white oaks that covered the bank of the river making it a most
suitable spot for the work. He was assisted in his labors by the
Agrys, Edward Fuller and others, all settlers on the river.
William Barker settled in 1780 and opened an early store near Wil-
liam B. Grant's. He sold four settlers' lots, in 1781, to Eleazar Tar-
box, who, fifty-one years afterward, was buried on the land. Edward
Fuller, about 1760, settled on the farm now occupied by his grandson,
Benjamin F. Fuller. Next north of this Nathaniel Bailey settled in
1762; and later, next north of his lot, Frederick Jackins settled. In 1787
David Mooers settled on the lands of George A. Yeaton. Next south
of Edward Fuller was the clearing of Abner Marson, made in 1768.
Marson was subsequently captured and carried away by the Indians.
Henry Bodge settled early next below Marson's; and below Bodge
lived Dea. Elijah Jackson, who settled in 1781. Hubbard Eastman
settled below, next to Jackson's. On this lot are the Pebble hills,
where a hole eighty feet deep was made in digging for gold. Search
for the precious metal was prosecuted nearly every summer for many
years, but without substantial results.
In 1763 Martin Haley bought one hundred acres ne.xt below East-
man, in the southwestern corner of the town, and here was raised the
first English hay of the town. Up the river Samuel Oakman, a ship-
builder, settled in 1772, and near Smith's Hotel John and Henry No-
ble settled. John Taggart bought a farm, in 1773, of Major Reuben
Colburn; and after the revolutionary war Levi Shepherd settled where
John F. Bragden lives.
The west side of the town, along the Kennebec river, was of
the most importance in those early days. Shipbuilding was carried
on at every available place along the river; a ferry was run from near
Smith's tavern, to the opposite side of the river; and the tavern itself
was the central gathering place for town meetings well into the present
century. On the uplands the early settlers found an abundance of
oak, and in the intervales, pine, from which vessels were made, and of
which large quantities were rafted to other localities. The first saw
mill and the fir.st grist mill stood at the mouth of Nehumkeag creek.
They were owned and run by Edward Lawrence and Franklin Flitner.
714 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
The service of these important mills was continued into and during
the first quarter of the present century.
After the separation, in 1803, the present Pittston increased rapidly
in business and population. The tax list of 1808 will show the resi-
dents of that date, many of them being the descendants of pioneers.
The list included Thomas Freeman, Dennis Gould, Charles Glidden,
Arnold Glidden, Joseph Green, Freeborn Groves, Susannah Hunt,
Betsey Haley, Martin Haley, Nathaniel Haley, Nathaniel Hall, Wil-
liam Hanover, William Hanover, jun., Silas Hunt, Ephraim Hatch,
Jedediah Jewett, Charles Osgood, Samuel Oakman, Esq., Samuel Oak-
man, jun., Robert McKnight, Samuel Marson, Samuel Marson, jun.,
William Moody, Scribner Moody, David Moore, George Marson, Ste-
phen Marson, Abner Marson, Abner Marson, jun., Trustam Mores,
John Law, Jacob Loud, Peleg Loud, Elihu Loud, Samuel Little. James
Laplane, Roger Lapham, Abiathar Kendall, Jonathan Jewett, Daniel
Jewett, Enoch Jewett, Samuel Jones. Benjamin Jackson, Thomas Jack-
son, Christopher Jackins and his son of the same name, James Jack-
ins, Andrew Johnson, James and Levi Johnson, Samuel Cutts, Wil-
liain Stevens, Leonard Cooper, Joseph Colman, Richard Cookson, Isaac
Clark, Burnham Clark, Eldred Crowell, Reuben Colburn, Benjamin
and Joseph Colburn, William Church, Samuel Clark, Richard Calvert,
Thomas Coss, Widow Margaret Colburn, Captain Oliver Colburn,
Jacob Daniells, Ezra Davis, Samuel Davis, James Dudley, Alvan Dim-
mick, Hobart Eastman, Judah Eldred, Micah Eldred, Francis Flitner,
Joseph and Benjamin Flitner, Benjamin Follensbie, Edward Fuller,
Edward Palmer, Samuel Palmer, Jeremiah and James Pickard, Benja-
min Pulsifer, Joseph Pulsifer, jun., Jo.seph, James and David Rawlings,
Stephen Rowe, Obadiah Read, Lsaac Read, Henry Smith, George
Standley, John Stephens, Levi Shepherd, Henry Smith, jun., John,
James and Jeremiah Smith, Seth Soper's heirs, Caleb Stephens and son
Caleb, Daniel Scott, Alexander Troop, John and Robert Taggard, Sam-
uel Thomas, Simeon Town, Benjamin Trask, Jonathan Winslow, David
Young and his son David, Hannah Agry, a widow. Captain David
Agry, Widow Hannah Bailey, Nathaniel Bailey and son Nathaniel,
David Bailey, Henry Bodge, John Barker, Jonathan and William
Blanchard, John Bailey, Nathan Bailey, jun., Peter Benner and Joseph
Blodgett.
In 1803 the poll list bore the names of Henry Adams, Ebenezer
Blodgett, Bisbee Boulton, Rufus Cushman, Daniel Davis, Samuel Dud-
ley, Oliver Foster, John Follensbie, Samuel Follensbie, Daniel Fol-
lensbie, Jedediah Cowin, Simeon Cunningham, John C. Gookin, Wil-
liam Hatch, Seth Hunt, Paul Home, Thomas Mead, Benjamin Mar-
son, David Philbrooks, Samuel Tarbox, Joseph Trask, David and John
White, John Robertson and Mr. Nowal.
These old men, young men and widows of old settlers were scat-
TOWN OF PITTSTON. 715
tered among the hills and valleys of Pittston in 1803, and their de-
scendants occupy many of the lands then assessed. The community
lived near to nature's heart in those bygone days, and obtained the
larger share of their food supply from the virgin soil of the clearings,
from the forests abounding with game, and from waters teeming with
fish. Indeed, fish were so plentiful, especially alewives, in the brook
running from Nehumkeag pond, and in the Togus stream, that fcr
domestic use it was only necessary to shove them out into dishes.
Nehumkeag pond, lying nearly in the center of the town, covers
175 acres, and this, with Joy's pond, in the northeast corner, are the
only ponds of considerable extent in the town. Besides the streams
already mentioned there are Eastman, Bailey, Blair and Follensbie
creeks. These empty into the Kennebec, and were named from the
settlers on their banks, who could not have selected a better site, the
soil being a rich, clayey loam, and well watered. Besides the streams
mentioned, the Eastern river, entering from Whitefield, pa.s.ses
through the eastern part of the town, southerly, and empties into the
Kennebec at Dresden. At the point where this river leaves Pittston
it measures twenty-three rods from bank to bank, and the tides from
the Kennebec set up into Pittston three miles.
The early increase in the wealth of the town was phenomenal. In
1820 the statistics for Pittston showed 446 acres under cultivation,
1,747 of meadow, 1,613 acres of pasture, 2,061 bushels of corn, 870 of
wheat, 222 of oats, 101 of barley, 86 of peas, and 1,511 tons of hay;
the statistics also showed 176 barns. 478 cows, 278 oxen, 116 horses and
251 swine. There were then 633 tons of shipping owned in the town.
Town meetings had been held at the inn of Henry Smith for sev-
eral years, but when the old Congregational church was sold to the
town, in 1820, religious and town meetings were held in that build-
ing. This old church, which stood where the hearse house now
stands, on G. A. Colburn's farm, was begun by Major Colburn and
others in 1788, but the society was unable to finish it, and it was used
by the town as above stated until 1846, when it was again sold, and
tradition says it is now in part doing service as a barn for Mrs. E. H.
Lapham, near Grange Hall. Subsequent to 1846 a town house was
erected at Beech hill, and was used until a few years ago, when it was
sold to George Stanley, upon whose land it stood. In 1884 the town
rented, for one year, the lower part of Grange Hall for a town hall,
and in 1886 the use of Grange Hall for town meetings and selectmen's
office was resumed.
The first few years after Gardiner was separated from Pittston the
latter town maintained its pound in various farm barn-yards. In 1815
it was " voted to use Abiathar Kendall's barn-yard for a pound, and
he be the pound master." In 1818 not only Kendall, but Obadiah
Reed and William Stevens were appointed pound masters, and the
716 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
barn-yards of these men were the legal pounds. Later a pound, sur-
rounded by a .stone fence, was erected, but it has been abandoned for
years. The peculiarities of the Pittston settlers may be inferred from
the vote of the town in 1791, when forty-five votes against and five for
making Maine an independent state were cast. In the same year a
like peculiarity was displayed when, the small pox having broken out
seriously, the town voted that " It was not expedient to inoculate for
the disease." In 1807 the town was again opposed to erecting Maine
into a separate state; and in 1808 the town meeting refused to peti-
tion the president to remove the embargo, but passed resolutions to
uphold the government and the president.
The assistance of the general court was asked, in 1811, to place in
order a bridge over Togus creek, and a township of land was granted
for the purpose. The bridge was repaired and placed in use at an
expense of $18,000.
Active measures were taken relative to the sale of liquor in 1833,
no licenses being granted, and a committee appointed to prosecute
all violations.
The poor of the town have never been numerous and are perhaps
less than in many others of the same population. In 1819 only one —
a poor woman — was the care of the town, and her keeping for a year
was bid off at forty-six cents per week by a farmer. For years the
poor were bid off in like manner; but prior to 1860 the town pur-
chased a farm of sixty-five or seventy acres, of the heirs of Alexander
Troop, on Beech hill, where these unfortunates have been since kept.
North Pittston.— The post-village of North Pittston is beauti-
fully situated in the northeast corner of the town, and was early a
central location for that portion of the community. It was usually
called Colburn's Corners, having been settled by George Colburn, on
the land where James Crowell now resides. Reuben Freeman was
another settler, where John McGlugen lives. John Barker settled
next below, on the land now owned by John Dunn. An old settler
was a Mr. Crowell, where Washington Lawrence recently lived. Cap-
tain Micah Eldredge .settled where Jo.seph Kenny dwells; Dennis
Gould made his clearing on the spot now occupied by Frederick
Gould, and Joseph Kidder settled where George Putman resides.
In olden time Colburn's Corners was a lively center. In the school
house ministers discoursed and singing schools were held. There was
a potash factory where Isaac Green lives, and John Barker had a saw
mill upon a stream there; but nothing is left of either building now.
George Colburn's shoe shop was the first store established, and Gor-
ham Jewett opened the next store. About 1860 Joseph G. Colburn
started a store which, during the war, he disposed of; then Fred P.
Morrill, who had been burned out of a small store in 1888, built and
opened his present store in 1889, in which he keeps the post office.
TOWN OF PITTSTON. 717
Of the Other old enterprises here were the inn of James Crowell, an
early settler, and the shoe shop of Daniel Kelly, another early settler
where James Ware lives.
North and East Pittston possessed shipping advantages that were
in themselves modest and laborious; but the lumber, hay, shingles
and other products found their way to the outside world by hauling
them to the Eastern river, one mile south of East Pittston, where the
tide enabled boats to land and load with goods to be conveyed to
the schooners at the Dresden landing. This carry-way is still used
for the shipment of heavy goods down and up the stream.
April 15, 1850, a post office was established at North Pittston and
Jesse Gould was appointed postmaster. He was succeeded October 18,
1883, by Benjamin B. Hanson, and he, September 25, 1885, by Fred P.
Morrill, who still keeps it in his store.
East Pittston.— In the eastern part of the town is East Pittston,
a considerable post-village. It is pleasantly situated in the valley of
the Eastern river, and enjoys in itself all the comforts of a New Eng-
land village. It was early settled, on account of the fertility of the
soil and superior mill advantages. Among the first dwellers there
were the Dudleys and Burnham Clark, and just below, at the landing,
was the Call family. Harrison Hunt owns the Call's landing farm
now; it is the head of navigation on the Eastern river. The stream
furnished power for mills, and very early the Dudleys had a saw mill
near where the road from Beech hill crosses the stream. This was
called the upper mill, while just below was the middle mill, to which,
on the south side, was added a grist mill by James Cunningham.
Another saw mill, further down, and owned by Obadiah Reed, was
known as the lower mill; and a pail factory, owned by Eliakim Scam-
mon, was on the north side. A box factory, run by Jonathan Young,
was near the middle mill. These mills were in their day run con-
stantly, a ready sale being found for their products; but the bare
rocks in the bed of the stream, and the suggestive sites for power, are
all that remain of the busy past.
Stores sprang up, the first within the remembrance of the oldest of
the present denizens being that of Jonathan Young, built about 1835.
After a few years James Norris purchased the business, took Isaac Reed
as partner, and three years later sold out to Henry Dearborn, whodis-^
posed of the store to the firm of Cate & Alley. Five years later this firm
sold out to Lorenzo S. Clark, who took George W. Mansir as partner.
At the death of Mansir, a score of years after, the business was con-
ducted by Lorenzo S. Clark, until 1889, when he sold to Henry A.
Clark, his son. About 1830 Henry Trundy kept a store where Henry
Knight lives. Thomas Eldredge was an old trader in a building
where now stands the barn of the Rundlett estate. David Crowell
became a partner after a few years. The stores of three-fourths of a
718 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
century ago sold rum, then an important item of trade, and this firm
sold in one winter over fifty hogsheads. The lumbermen of the time
were the principal purchasers. Isaac Reed started a store where
Alonzo McDonald lives, and his "dry goods" was also rum. Just
prior to 1840 strenuous measures were taken by the town to stop the
retail of liquor within its borders, since which time fortunes have not
been made by its sale.
Other branches of business naturally sprang up here, prominent
among which was the manufacture of carriages by Howard Lampson,
in 1850. He was the successor of John Boynton. Lampson sold to
Frederick W. Mansir, in 1870. The factory was then where the store
of E. E. Hanley was later; but in 1875 Mansir erected the present fac-
tory and moved thereto. He has added other buildings as needed,
and all the branches of the sleigh and carriage business find room
here.
Another and new feature of business — the creamery— was insti-
tuted here in 1890, by over one hundred of the farming community.
It was successfully conducted during the season of 1890, and in April,
1891, Edward E. Hanley took the entire control of the business. The
creamery is on Solomon Hopkins' land, and is run by steam power.
William S. Cleaves keeps a general store. He bought the build-
ing now in use as a store in 1871, and put in a stock, which he subse-
quently sold to Edward E. Hanley, who remained in the same store
for two years, and then fitted a building a few rods to the south, into
which he moved. In 1890 he sold the balance of his stock to Cleaves
and went out of the mercantile business. Mr. Cleaves stocked this
store, and continuing also in his former store.
December 9, 1820, a post office was established here, with Jonathan
Young as postmaster. James Norris, jun., succeeded him, April 22,
1832, and William Kendall was appointed in the following March.
Cyrus Rundlett was postmaster from June, 1836, to April, 1846, when
Joel Johnson served until his death, six months later, whereupon
Eliakim Scammon was appointed, keeping the office at his residence,
where Frank Leonard now lives. He was succeeded, April 10, 1855,
by Dr. Harrison vSmall, in the Cyrus Rundlett house, and he, on Au-
gust 7, 1861, by George W. Mansir, jun., who held the office 16* years.
Lorenzo S. Clark was the next postmaster, keeping the office at his
store. Thomas Hanley was appointed January 20, 1886, and the pres-
ent incumbent, Henry A. Clark, was appointed April 4, 1889, and
keeps the office at his store.
The meeting house of the East Parish, Methodist church, is located
here.
Beech Hill is a so-called locality just north of the center of
the town, where the town house one stood, and the old stone pound
is yet to be seen, though in a dilapidated condition. Doors and
TOWN OF PITTSTON. Hi)
even hinges may be removed by the lapse of three-score years; but
the stone fence, four feet thick at the base and tapering up seven feet,
may yet remain for many years to show the characteristics of the an-
cestors of present generations.
Jonathan Jewett was one of the first to start his clearing on Beech
hill, and the settlement was contemporaneous with that of Ebenezer
Byram and Major Seth Gay, who cleared the first farm of the town.
on Togus stream, on the road to the meadows.
Other Localities. — The river road running the length of the town,
is a beautiful drive through a rich, thickly settled district, with many
historic spots on either side. Here was Colburntown, above Smith's
tavern, where Jeremiah, Reuben (who was such an earnest Congrega-
tionalist), Oliver and Benjamin Colburn settled in 1761, also their four
sisters— Lucy, Sarah Elizabeth, Hannah and Rachel Colburn. Below
was Henry Smith's tavern, early and opportune built, where the town
meetings of Old Pittston were held for so many years. The hogs-
heads of rum dealt out there have not been lost in tradition. Still
further below was Agry's point, where Arnold's bateaux were built
for transporting troops and stores up the river; and down along the
street, winding with the river, cluster many other spots of early
interest.
After Randolph was erected another post office, named Pittston,
was established, April 16, 1887, and Edward A. Lapham was appointed
postmaster. He now keeps it at his store, having been reappointed
July 15, 1889. Edward M. Morton was made postmaster in August,
1887, and kept the office nearly two years in his store lower down the
road. Mr. Morton built and started his store in 1883, which he still
continues; and Edward A. Lapham's store is the outgrowth of the
Grange store, the stock of which he purchased in 1887, and removed
to his present building.
On the Nehumkeag stream, besides the grist mill and saw mill
mentioned, James La Plane, an early setter, had a tannery. A ferry
was kept up just below Smith's tavern for many years, and the water
front, over seven miles along the Kennebec, was an important part of
the town. Shipbuilding was extensively carried on at the points
where are now immense ice houses, as more fully appears in a previous
chapter.
In this part of the town is a very flourishing Grange — Pittston, No.
214 — organized March 3, 1876. Meetings were held at East Pittston
for three years, when a suitable hall was erected near J. B. Ripley's
place. Soon after the organization was effected the Grange opened a
store, keeping goods at two places; but v/hen the hall was built, in
1880, a store was established there. The Grange, seventy-six in num-
ber, meets in the hall on the second floor of their building, the town
using the first floor. The presiding officers have been: E. H. Lapham,
720 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
J. M. Carpenter, J. B. Ripley, M. J. Donnell, J. A. Kenney and John
Scott.
Civil Lists. — The first pages of the original town records have
been lost or destroyed. The oldest volume contains the record of the
town meeting of 1782, which was held at the " Dwelling house of
Cap'n Henry Smith, Innholder, June 6th, at 5 o'clock in the after-
noon." Reuben Colburn was the moderator at that and the two fol-
lowing meetings. From then until 1803 six other men, at various
times, were moderators: Samuel Oakman, first in 1784, served 10
times; Henry Dearborn, 1785, served 9 times; Jedediah Jewett, 1791,
12 times; Jeremiah Dudley, 1792, twice; Thomas Agry, in 1794, and
B. Gannett, from 1797 until the separation, in 1803. Let the reader
understand that Pittston then also comprised Randolph, Gardiner and
West Gardiner, and that from 1803 until 1887 Randolph was included
in Pittston, and no confusion need arise from the localities in which
the officers resided.
For the management of its civil affairs three selectmen were annu-
ally elected by the town, and much was left to their discretion. Roads
were laid out and accepted until, in a town five miles by less than
eight in extent there were over fifty miles of public thoroughfares.
Two parishes were formed of the town in 1810, called East parish and
West parish. The best men have been kept in the proper offices, and
Pittston has steadily grown from its primitive condition to a town of
wealth and power.
The Selectmen* and their number of years of service, seldom con-
secutive, have been: Nathaniel Berry, 1781; Henry Smith, 1781;
Benjamin Colburn, 1781; Thomas Agry, 1783; Seth Soper, 1783, 2
years; Samuel Berry, 1783; David Lawrence, 1784; Henry Dearborn,
178o, 4; Samuel Oakman, 1784, 14; Silas Clark, 1785, 3; William Bar-
ker, 1786, 2; Samuel Dudley, 1788, 7; Jedediah Jewett, 1790, 9; David
Young, 1790, 3; Barzillai Gannett, 1793, 7: Peter Grant, 1795; Reuben
Colburn, 1798; John Agry, Reuben Moor and Isaac Clark, 1799, 1800;
Caleb Stevens, jun., 1801, 11; Oliver Currier, 1801; Abiathar Kendall,
1802, 8; David Crowell, 1803, 3; David Agry, 1804, 3; Thomas Eldred,
1806, 4; Thomas Coss, 1808, 13; Eli Young, 1812, 22; Noah Loud, 1815,
1816; Joseph Blish, jun., 1818, 6; George Williamson, 1820, 12; Henry
Dearborn, 1825, 3; Samuel Clark, 1826; William vStevens and John
Blanchard, 1827, 1828; George Jewett, 1829, 11; Charles Loud, 1829, 6;
William Troop and James Harris, 1832; John A. Colburn, 1833; Gideon
Barker, 1836, 3; Benjamin Flitner, 1836, 7; George W. Mansir, 1836,2;
Dudley Young and Moses B. Bliss, 1839, 1840; Moses Harris, 1842;
*Not only are the first pages of the original records lost, but for several
years between 1860 and 1870 there appears to be no official record with the offi-
cers of the town, showing who the selectmen and treasurers were. With that
exception the succeeding lists are complete.
TOWN OF PITTSTON. 721
"Cyrus Rundlett, 1843, 6; John Y. Kendall and Eliakim Scammon, 1844;
John E. Merrill and Joel Johnson, 1845; John Coss, 1846, 9; Benjamin
F. Fuller, 1848, o; Augustus L. Call, 18,^0, 2; Jonathan Clark, 1852, 2;
Georg-e Williamson, 1851, 2; Amos Merrill, 1853; David M. Cunning-
ham, 1853, 2; Benjamin Flitner, 1854, 2; Luther Thomas, 1856; James
M. Merrill, 1856, 2; George W. Mansir, jun., 1856, 2; Abiel V. Good-
win, 1857, 4; Robert Hanley, 1858, 5; Wesley Young, 1859; Alphonso
H. Clark. 1860, 8; Samuel S. Ayer, 1860; Seth Palmer, 1861; Asbury
Young, 1862, 4; James M. Carpenter, 1866; E. H. Lapham, 1871; Wil-
liam Grant, 1871, 2; Eben Day, 1872; John Frost, 1873, 2; John Scott,
1873, 4; Cyrus Rundlett, 1873; Lorenzo S. Clark, 1874, 2; B. Flitner,
1875, 2; C^ H. Dunton. 1876, 3; Daniel Glidden, 1877, 8; D. H. Moody.
1877, 6; A. Williams, 1879; S. A. Jewett. 1880, 4; H. H. Cary, 1883, 3;
Benjamin F. Fuller. 1883, 6; J. R. Goodwin. 1885; Moses J. Donnell,
1885. 4: F. H. Mooers. 1885; J. B. Ripley. 1886, 2; F. G. Sherman, 1886;
Francis Nash, 1887; George W. Palmer, 1888, 2; E. E. Hanley, 1890, 2.
The Treasurers of Pittston, each serving until his successor's elec-
tion, have been: Samuel Oakman, 1783; Henry Smith, 1788; William
Barker, 1789;- Jedediah Jewett, 1797; Seth Gay, 1798; Rufus Gay, 1802;
Samuel Oakman, 1803; David Agry, 1804; Samuel Oakman, 1807;
Daniel Jewett, 1809; Abiathar Kendall, 1812; Eli Young, 1814; Rufus
Gay, 1822; Henry Dearborn, 1830; Stephen Young, 1832; Henry Dear-
born, 1834; Gideon Barker, 1835; William Stevens, 2d. 1836; Alphonso
H. Clark, 1840; Eliakim Scammon. 1844; Benjamin F. Jones, 1847;
A. V. Goodwin, 1860; Gideon Barker. 1866; William Grant, 1867; F. G.
Sherman, 1872; L. W. Goodspeed, 1873; J. R. Goodwin, 1877; L. W.
Goodspeed. 1879; J. R. Goodwin. 1880; John F. Brookings, 1882; L. W.
Goodspeed. 1885; G. P. Jewett, 1886; and H. A. Clark since 1887.
The succession of Clerks begins with William Wilkins, in 1782,
followed by William Barker, in 1783; Thomas Philbrook and Jedediah
Jewett, 1788; William Barker, 1789; Seth Gay, 1791; Barzillai Gan-
nett, 1794; Seth Gay, 1795; Nathaniel Hall, 1803; Benjamin Jackson,
1809; Noah Loud, 1814; Eli Young, 1816; Henry Dearborn, 1825;
Daniel Sewall, 1829; Hiram Stevens, 1833; John Dow, 1838; Lorenzo
S. Clark, 1843; Alphonso H. Clark, 1846; Benjamin S. Jones, 1858;
Lorenzo S. Clark, 1866; B. A. Cox. 1872; William H. Dudley, 1876; L.
S. Clark, 1887; J. B. Ripley, 1889; and Frank M. Lapham since 1891.
Ecclesiastical.— The religion of the Puritans was not deep-
rooted in Pittston. Those of that faith attended at Hallowell, there
being but a few here in 1786. It is said that Major Reuben Colburn
would on Saturdays, if the weather were suitable, take his family in a
•canoe and paddle them down the river to Georgetown, thirty-five
miles away, attending church Sunday and returning Monday. The
■church building of 1788 was allowed to stand after the town finished
it, and was used for meetings. The eastern part of the town did not
723 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
favor any faith except Methodism, and in 1810 the town was divided
by a central line creating two parishes— West and East.
A Congregational society was formed November 12, 1812, in the
East parish, at the house of Major Reuben Colburn, by Isaac Noyes,
Ephraim Hunt, Thomas Jackson, Francis Flitner, Mrs. Jackson, Mrs.
Jackins, Mary Oakman and Sally Oakman. Daniel Kendrick was
ordained the minister, and regular preaching was enjoyed for many
years. About 18B6 the present neat edifice was erected on the Cap-
tain David B. Bailey farm. In 1841 Rev. James McCoUum was
ordained, and continued as pastor till the autumn of 1845. In 1846-
Rev. J. H. Stratton was ordained, remaining until 1849, succeeded by
Rev. Sumner Clarke for two years. Rev. Joshua Gray assumed the
pastorate in the fall of 1851.
In 1883 C. S. Wilder filled the desk. In 1884 it was vacant. Jacob
Horton and W. H. McBride officiated in 1885; Rev. Mr. Thygeson in
1886 and 1887; Daniel Evans completed the season of 1887 and that
of 1888; William H. McBride returned in 1890, succeeding Lyman
Meservis, of 1889. In 1891, during the summer, Rev. Mr. Ferguson
officiated.
The Methodist Episcopal Society of East Pittston was instituted in
1797, by the efforts of Aaron Humphrey, and included members from
Whitefield. The first Methodist preaching in the town was by the
pioneer Jesse Lee, about 1794. He was succeeded by Philip Wager,
Enoch Mudge, Elias Hull and Roger Searls, before the society was
organized. This church, which included David Young, James Norris,
Benjamin Flitner and Burnham Clark among its most efficient early
members, has always been joined in circuit with others in neighbor-
ing towns. Four efficient ministers have been raised from this
society — David Young, jun., John Young, and Eliakim and Cyrus
Scammon. From the organization until 1810 the other ministers
were: John Finegan, Comfort C. Smith, Timothy Merritt, Reuben
Hubbard, Joseph Baker, Daniel Ricker, Samuel Hillman, Allen H.
Cobb, David Carr, James Young, Joel Steele and William Frost.
The ministers to 1820 were: Daniel Wentworth, David Stimpson.
Caleb Fogg, Samuel Hillman, Joshua Nye, Ebenezer F. Newell, John
Wilkinson, John Lewis, Jeremiah Marsh, Henry True, John Briggs„
William McGray and Benjamin Ayer. Ministers to 1830 were: John
Atwell, Philip Ayer, Daniel Wentworth, E. F. Newell, B. Jones, Peter
Burgess, Caleb Fogg, Francis' Drew, William S. Douglass and John
Libby. Those to 1840 were: John Young, Samuel Jewett, James
Thwing, R. J. Ayer and Josiah Higgins. The next decade brought
Reverends Daniel Fuller, S. P. Blake, Sullivan Bray, David Hutchin-
.son, George D. Strout, Mace R. Clough and Daniel Clark. During
the next decade the pastors were: P. P. Morrill, John S. Pingree, Ben-
jamin F. Sprague, R. T. Dixon, Oran Strout and J. D. Brown. During:
TOWN OF PITTSTON. 726'
the sixties the pastors were: Otis F. Jenkins, R. R. Richards, P. Hig-
gins, P. Rowell, C. E. Libbey, John C. Prescott and Albert Prescott. In
the seventies: John Bean, J. W. Perry, M. G. Prescott, Moses D.
Miller, E. H. Boynton and E. H. Tunnicliff. During the eighties:
Orren Tyler, Jacob T.Crosby, Joseph H. Beale, B. B. Byrnes; and, in
1888, Orren Tyler for four years.
In 1871 the church edifice was repaired, and in 1878 the parsonage
was renovated and painted. A Sunday school was organized in 1832.
This society is now joined in circuit with Whitefield. In 1809 a small
church building was erected by subscription, and in 1838 the present
and better one was built by the society, assisted by citizens. The cost
was $2,400, and the building is free to all other denominations when
not in nse.by the Methodists. In 1846 the first church bell of the
town was placed in its tower.
Schools. — Early attention was given to this branch of civilization,
and the town of 1803, when Gardiner was set off, contained nineteen
school houses. As early as 1785 the selectmen were instructed " to
hire a schoolmaster and fix the wards." In 1787 it was voted to raise
^30 for schooling, to be paid in lumber or anything the .schoolmaster
would take. In 1791 i^80 were raised in the old town, of which iJ20
belonged in the Eastern River district. In 1825 the present territory
of Pittston contained eleven districts, which were increased in num-
ber gradually. Ten of these were given limit in 1815, by a committee
appointed for the purpose. The first three districts were on the river
front, running back one and a half miles; the fourth comprised the
territory north of Togus stream; the iifth was where North Pittston
now is; and the others were east of the first three, extending to the
Whitefield line. In 1823 the eleventh district was formed in the
northwest part of the town. Through these years each district elected
its own committee, and all were under a town superintendent, elected
at the annual meetings.
In 1850 an academy was incorporated. Thirty-one enterprising
citizens were the incorporators and subscribers. Dr. H. Small was
the first president and Albert N. Clark first secretary. Tuition began
in the fall of 1850, under G. F. Jackson, A.M., teacher. This institu-
tion flourished until superseded by the free, advanced schools of later
years. The academy building is now used as a high school in the
town system of the last few years.
From the $400 school appropriation of 1803, the amount has in-
creased to five times that sum.
Cemeteries. — Few towns of like area show more cemeteries than
Pittston. This is not to be wondered at when it is known that many
of the first permanent settlers were buried on their own lots, and
these lots have been held by descendants, who have used the same
burial places.
724 HISTORY OF KKN'XEBPX COUNTY.
On the river road, the Cutts burial ground is the most important.
This is held and controlled b}- incorporation. It is well fenced and
kept. The Coss cemetery was oi-iginally a private ground, but land
has been added and deeded in lots until it is an important, well situ-
ated, pretty ground, and is substantially fenced. Near where stood
the old Congregational church is an antiquated and neglected place
of sepulture, overgrown with quite large trees. Tradition cannot fix
the occupants of this ancient ground. There are several private
grounds along the river road. One is on the Benjamin F. Fuller
farm; one on George A. Yeaton's land, formerly the Mooersfarm; one
on Eben Day's farm; and another on the E. M. Morton farm, called
the LaPlane ground. The Haley family were buried on their own
ground, now owned by Frederick Meserve. On Beech hill is an old
ground, surrounded by a stone wall, situated in the forks of the roads.
It and its surroundings are fast growing up to the bush. On the Seth
Soper homestead is an iron-fenced family ground. A slab indicates
that Seth Soper died May 4, 1799, aged 69 years. The cemetery at
East Pittston traces its beauty to an incorporation which existed in
its earlier days; it is near the Methodist church, and presents a pretty
appearance. At North Pittston is a well-kept old town burying
ground, having a stone fence on three sides and an iron one in front.
The individual or family grounds are generally fenced, and sacredly
revered by descendants and by subsequent holders of the land.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Captain George W. Bailey, born in 1826, is a son of Jacob and
Elizabeth (Barker) Bailey, and grandson of Jacob Bailey. He began
going to sea in 1841, and from ISSS until he retired in 1886, he was in
command of vessels. He married Philena, daughter of William
Brown, and their children are: Sarah H. (Mrs. Charles Lawrence),
Augusta (Mrs. A. E. Lewis), and George W., jun., who married Caddie
R. Small.
Captain William O. Basford, born in 1838, in Augusta, is a son of
William P. and Emeline (Colburn) Basford, and grandson of Jacob
Basford, who came from New Hampshire to Augusta. Mr. Basford
has lived in Pittston since 1839. In ISSf) he began a seafaring life in
the foreign trade. He was master of vessels from 1873 until 1886,
since which time he has remained at home.
James K. Bickford, born in Smithfield, Me., in 1844, is the only
child of Isaac and Lucretia (Downs) Bickford, and grandson of Moses
Bickford. He came to Pittston with his parents in 1851, and settled
on a part of the Jackins farm, where he now lives. He married Annie
L., daughter of John Price, and their children, all deceased, were: Lucy
L., Gertrude and an infant son.
TOWN OF PiTTSTON. 725
Harrison D. Blodgett, born in 1855, is a son of Jasper and Mary
E. ffyler) Blodgett, grandson of David and Nancy (Marson) Blodgett,
and great-grandson of Joseph Blodgett. Mr. Blodgett is a farmer, and
is the fourth generation of his family to occupy the home farm. He
married Flora, daughter of John and Maria (Mitchell) Marson. Their
children are: Jessie E., Florence M., Harrison S. and Fred D.
John Blodgett, born in 1833, is a son of Nathaniel and Jane (Choate)
Blodgett, and grandson of Joseph, who, with his brother, Ebenezer,
came from Lexington, Mass., to Pittston. Mr. Blodgett is a farmer.
He married Henrietta, daughter of Daniel Thompson. Their chil-
dren are: Henry, Almeda, Arthur, Chester, Elmer, Walter, Gertrude
and Annie.
Charles E. Bradstreet is one of the nine children of Joseph
and Ruth (Moore) Bradsteet, and grandson of Andrew Bradstreet,
who came to Maine from England. Mr. Bradstreet has been a farmer
on the homestead where his father settled. He died April 3, 1892.
He married Abigail Smith, who died leaving eight children: Charles
E., jun., George W., Delia A., Orlando W., Caroline A., Frederick G.,
Maria A. and Mary E.
Orlando W. Bradstreet, born in 1845, is a son of Charles E. Brad-
street. He followed the sea for twelve j'ears, since which time he has
been a farmer. He married S. Lettie, daughter of Cavalier and Julia
(Alexander) Hondlette, and granddaughter of Lewis Hondlette.
Frederick G. Brad.street, born in 1847, is a son of Charles E. Brad-
street. He is a farmer and is also employed in the ice business. He
married Annie M., daughter of Alexander and Maria (Newell)
Atkins. They have one daughter, Eva M., and lost one son in infancy,
Eugene.
John F. Bragden, born in 1836, is a son of John D. and Elmira
(Shepard) Bragden, and grandson of John Daniel Bragden. Mr.
Bragden followed the sea for fourteen years, and is now a farmer.
He married Mary Sullivan. His children are: John, Susan, Raynold
and Mary.
Eben N. Brande, whose father was captain of militia in 1812, was
in the late war one year in Company I, 24th Maine. He married El-
vira M., daughter of Daniel Butland; her mother was Eliza, daughter
of Abnerand Margaret (Corney) Marson, and granddaughter of Abner
Marson. They have one son, W. Wirt, and lost one, Roscoe W. Mrs.
Brande keeps a small variety store in a part of her residence.
Ebenezer Brookings, son of John and Harriet (Moore) Brookings,
was born in Wiscasset in 1831. John Brookings was a sea captain.
Ebenezer came to Pittston in 1847, where he was engaged in the mer-
cantile business until July, 1863, when he entered the army and served
in Company F, 11th Maine volunteers, until February, 1865. In 1866
he settled where he now lives and engaged in farming and the meat
726 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
business. In 1888 his son, Everett E., succeeded him in the meat
business. He first married Huldah Preble, who died leaving three
•children: Mrs. Augustus Moody, Everett E. and Winfield S. His
present wife was Mrs. Hannah Roberts, daughter of Alexander and
Maria (Newell) Atkins, and granddaughter of Joseph and Jane (Blair)
Atkins.
Samuel J. Brookings, son of Samuel and Fannie (Reed) Brookings,
and grandson of James Brookings, was born in Whitefield in 1843.
He served in the war of the rebellion from September, 1862, to
August, 1863, in Company F, 21st Maine. He is now a farmer in
Pittston, where he has lived since 1871. He married Jennie, daughter
of Ira and Betsey (Richardson) Elkins, and granddaughter of Jonathan
Elkins. They have one daughter, Jessie L.
James M. Carpenter, born in 1813 in Massachusetts, came to Pitts-
ton in 1844. His father, Joseph, was a son of Colonel Thomas Car-
penter, a revolutionary soldier. Before coming to Pittston Mr Car-
penter had been clerk for Brown & Ives, at Lonsdale, R. I., for eleven
years, and made out the first pay roll on the Blackstone river. His
wife, Martha J. R., was a daughter of Henry Bodge, late of Pittston.
Mr. Carpenter bought a farm in the south part of Pittston in 1844,
which he carried on until his death, March 22, 1892. His wife died
the same day. Mr. Carpenter was one of Pittston's most worthy and
well known citizens. He was always interested in town affairs, and
held various town offices for many years. He was county commis-
sioner for several years, and was chairman of the republican town
committee. He served several years on the state board of agricul-
ture, and was prominently connected with local agricultural organi-
zations. From 1836 until his death he represented different insur-
ance companies.
Hosea H. Cary, son of Seth S. and Susanna (Hildreth) Cary, was
born at Topsham, Me., in 1847. He came to East Pittston in 1878 from
Gardiner, where he had lived seven years. He carries on a wholesale
meat business at Ea.s't Pittston, having abandoned the retail part of
the business after the first five years. He married Harriet A. Pray,
and has four children: Susan A., Mary H., Eliphalet P. knd Gilbert G.
Mr. Cary has been selectman of Pittston three years.
C. Wallace Church, son of Charles B. Church, was born in Wash-
ington, D. C, in 1849. In March, 1880, he was appointed paymaster
and agent of the Independent Ice Company, of which his father is
president, and since that time he has lived at Pittston. He married
Laura F., daughter of Franklin Powers. Their children are: Lewis
M. and Charles B.
Lorenzo S. Clark, the only surviving child of Samuel and Mary
.(Clark) Clark, and grand.son of Isaac Clark, was born in 1818. He was
a merchant at East Pittston from 1836 until 1889, when he was sue-
TOWN OF PITTSTON. 727
ceeded by his son, Henry A. He has been four times elected select-
man, and nine times town clerk. His wife is Sarah, daughter of Henry
Dearborn. Their children are: Warren D., Samuel, Henry A., Flor-
ence, Permelia and H. Augustus, who died.
William S. Cleaves, son of Samuel and Eliza (Kies) Cleaves, and
grandson of Samuel Cleaves, was born in 1843. He followed the mer-
cantile business six years at Windsor, and since 1871, with the excep-
tion of two years, has been a merchant at East Pittston. He has lost
two wives, who were sisters — Nellie and Delia Smith. His present
wife was Mrs. Jane Hovey.
Richard H. Colburn is a son of Gustavus and Alzina (Knight) Col-
burn, grandson of David and Hannah (Averill) Colburn, and great-
grandson of Reuben and Elizabeth (Lewis) Colburn. Gustavus Colburn
died in 1886, aged sixty-four years. Richard H. married Idell S., daugh-
ter of Fred S Blackman. July 5, 1763, Jeremiah and Hannah (Varnum)
Colburn came to Pittston and bought 800 acres of land on the eastern
side of the Kennebec river. On May 6, 1765, he sold to his son,
Reuben, 107 acres, on which the latter built the homestead now stand-
ing. About the time of this purchase Reuben married Elizabeth
Lewis. Richard H. now occupies a part of this tract. The house he
lives in is the oldest in Pittston.
Captain James S. Cooper, born in Pittston in 1825, was a son of
Henry and Eleanor (Bailey) Cooper, and grandson of Leonard Cooper.
Captain Cooper followed the sea from 1841 until 1872, after 1851 as
master of vessels. He married Mary G., daughter of Captain George
Carr, of Hallowell. From 1872 until his death. May 5, 1892, Captain
Cooper was engaged in farming and horse breeding.
Washington Cutts, born in 1817, is the youngest son of Samuel and
Catherine (Woodward) Cutts, and grandson of Samuel and Sarah (Hill)
Cutts. Mr. Cutts' father came to Pittston about 1800 and was a black-
smith by trade. Mr. Cutts is a farmer. He married Lettice, daughter
of Nathaniel and Hannah Tibbetts, and granddaughter of Abiather
Tibbetts. Their two sons are Samuel W. and Alvin; they lost one
daughter, Alice.
Moses J. Donnell, son of Rev. Moses and Martha (Cunningham)
Donnell, was born at Wiscasset September 27, 1833. He moved to
Windsor with his parents November 30, 1839, and moved to Pittston
November 24, 1864. He married Ann E., daughter of David and
Susan Bryant, of Windsor.
Henry Dow, born in Wiscasset in 1801, is the oldest man in Pitts-
ton. His father. Thomas, son of Henry Dow, of Haverhill, Mass., a
revolutionary soldier, came to Pittston in 1813, where he died in 1814,
leaving six children. The support of this family fell on this boy of
thirteen years. With heroic will and ceaseless toil Henry and his
noble mother guided the family boat between the awful rocks of
r^b HISTORY OF KKNNEIIPX COUNTY.
Starvation and the almshouse. " One morning, in 1817, with an
empty stomach — not a mouthful in the house for breakfast— I brought
with the ox team a half cord of hemlock bark to the river bank, bor-
rowed a boat, ferried my bark to Gardiner, and sold it to William
Bradstreet for $1.25— just enough to buy a half bushel of corn of Mc-
Clellan, who kept the Great House Tavern— got my little grist ground
at the old wooden mill — hurried back, every step quickened by pangs
of hunger and the thoughts of a famishing family." In 1825 he mar-
ried Hannah Jewett. Their children were: Hannah E., Thomas H.,
Anna D., Ellen A. and George W. The second and last two are still
living.
Captain Andrew J. Erskins, born in 1834, is a son of David and
Betsey (Waltz) Erskins, grandson of Alexander and Bet.sey (Boland)
Erskins, and great-grandson of Captain Robert Erskins, who settled
at Bristol, Me., and took up one thousand acres of land, giving each
of his nine sons a farm from it. Alexander was captain of a company
in the revolutionary war, and in 1812 he had charge of the fort at
Bristol, Me. Captain Erskins began going to sea in 1846 and attained
to master in 1855, which position he continued to hold until 1881, when
he retired. He married Margaret, daughter of George King, of White-
field. They have one daughter, Ella (Mrs. Everett E. Brookings).
On Captain Erskins' lot in Pittston is a mineral spring which Gen-
eral Dearborn used. He walled it as it now is, with curved brick burnt
for the purpose, and over it still stands the spring house which the
general built.
James Farreil, born in 1834, is a son of Thomas and Catherine
(Finity) Farreil, who came from Ireland to Boston, and in 1830 came
to Pittston and settled on the farm where Mr. Farreil now lives. He
married Mary Jane, daughter of Patrick Gilson. Their children are:
Mamie E., Eugene J. and two that died. Mr. Farreil was several
years in the lumber business in California, but since 187(» has been a
farmer at East Pittston.
William O. Foye, son of James and Harriet (Stickney) Foye, and
grandson of Joseph and Polly (Chase) Foye, was born in Pittston in
1865, and is a farmer and milkman. He married Georgia, daughter
of S. Willis Dunton, of Whitefield.
Jonathan Gilman, born in Whitefield in 1815, died March 26, 1892,
was a son of Jonathan and grandson of Peter Gilman. He was a
farmer in Pittston for fifty years; the farm where he lived was owned
for many years prior to his purchase of it by Asa Averill. Mr. Gil-
man married Abigail, daughter of Asa and Abigail (Bickford) Averill,
and granddaughter of David Averill.
Charles C. Goodwin, born in 1838, is a son of Abial and Susan
(Small) Goodwin, and grandson of Samuel Goodwin. Mr. Goodwin
was in the late war in Company C, 19th Maine, from August, 1862,
TOWN OF riTTSTON. 729
until July, 1865. He married Alwilda, daughter of William T. Blair,
and has one daughter, Charlena F.
Fred B. Gould, born in 1853, is the only surviving child of William
and Lydia A. (Moore) Gould, grandson of Dennis and Elizabeth (War-
ren) Gould, and great-grandson of Joseph and Ruth (Renwick) Gould
(or Goold, as then spelled). Mr. Gould now owns the homestead and
occupies the house built by Dennis Gould. He has been a farmer
since 1879, and prior to that he was in business in Gardiner. William
Gould was a tinsmith and tin-ware merchant at Gardiner several years
prior to 1845. Mr. Gould's wife is M. Avesta, daughter of Van Buren
Hathorne.
James Gould, 2d, born in 1833, is the eldest son of James and
Rachel (Rollins) Gould, grandson of Dennis, and great-grandson of
Joseph and Ruth (Renwick) Gould. He drove a team for twelve years
in granite quarries. He is now a farmer. His first wife was Lucie
Moody and his present wife was Cora B. Cunningham. They have
one child, Jennette A.
Edward E. Hanley is a son of Franklin and Catherine (Doyle) Han-
ley. He has had charge of the East Pittston creamery since April,
1891, and previous to that he was a merchant four years. He was
town auditor in 1888 and 1889, and selectman in 1890, '91 and '92. He
has been secretary of the East Pittston Agricultural and Trotting
Association.
George R. Hanley, born in 1833, is a son of Michael and Eftie Han-
ley, and grandson of Patrick Hanley. He is a farmer and carpenter,
and lives on the farm where his father settled when he came to Pitts-
ton. He married Margaret, daughter of Patrick Gilson. They have
two children: George A. and Mary E.
Alfred Hanley, .son of Michael and Effie (Howard) Hanley, was
born in 1836. He is a farmer on the farm formerly owned by Patrick
Gilson. He married Catherine, daughter of Patrick Gilson. They
have two daughters: Gertrude M. and Tesa I.
Van Buren Hathorne, born in 1835 in Dre.sden, is a son of War-
ren and Mary(Bickford) Hathorne, and grandson of John Hawthorne.
He has been a farmer in Pittston since 1868. He married Joanna
L., daughter of Hiram Pottle, and their children are: Maria Avesta
(Mrs. F. B. Gould), Jenette M., Jefferson W. and Herman F.
Thomas B. Heath, son of John Heath, married Miriam C. Pottle,
and of their eight children only two sons are living. Rufus E., born
in 1846, is a farmer, and married Hattie L., daughter of Franklin and
Sarah (Smith) Colburn. Their children are: Charles, Ella, Maud,
Maria, Amy B., Eugene R. and Clarence. The other son is George P.,
born in 1856, married to Nellie, daughter of Joseph E. and Abbie
47
730 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
(Marson) Soper, and granddaughter of Joseph and Susan (Woodward)
Soper. Their children are: Rena M. and Harold R.
Henry W. Hunt, son of Winslow and Mahala (Clark) Hunt, was
born in 1851. He is a blacksmith; he worked six years at East Pitts-
ton, two years at Sagamore, Mass., and is now with the P. C. Holmes
Company, Gardiner. He married Emma L., daughter of Daniel
Thompson. They have three children: Ralph L., Clarence C. and
Florence M.
Samuel A. Jewett, born in 1831, is the eldest .son of Samuel H. and
Mary (Pottle) Jewett, and grandson of Jonathan Jewett, who came
from Londonderry, N. H., to Pittston in 1798, with his five children,
all of whom lived to be over seventy years of age. Mr. Jewett was in
California from 1853 to 1858, engaged in mining. Since that time he
has been a farmer. He is now (1892) serving his fifth term as select-
man. He married Lovina, daughter of Freeman Cooper. Their chil-
dren are: William B. and Carrie A., living, and three daughters de-
ceased— Mary S., Hattie L. and Georgia.
Benjamin H. Knight is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Hodgden)
Knight, and grandson of John Knight. Mr. Knight came to Pittston
in 1864 and settled on a part of the Rev. David Young farm, where he
has since been a farmer. The farm and its duties he has now intrusted
to his son, Alden. Mr. Knight married Sarah, daughter of John
Decker. They have had nine children: Warren R. (died in May,
1892), Benjamin F., Joseph A., Adoniram J., Fred W., Dummer C,
Clara E., Allen and Alden, who married Abbie E., daughter of D. C.
Little, and is now at the home farm caring for his aged parents. He
has one son, Wallace L., born March 31. 1892.
Henry Knight, born in 1829 m Pittston, is a son of Robert and
Mary (Pratt) Knight, grandson of Robert and Betsey (Davis) Knight,
and great-grandson of Robert Knight, of New Hampshire, who was
killed by the Indians about 1780. Mr. Knight is a house and ship car-
penter. He has lived at East Pittston since 1859, where he has been
a farmer and kept a mill; from 1864 until 1887 it was a water mill
and smce the latter date it has been a steam mill. Mr. Knight is a
dispenser of viands and his residence is the nearest approach to a
hotel that East Pittston affords. He married Rose B., daughter of
David H. and Polly (Knight) Howe, the latter a daughter of Robert
and Betsey (Davis) Knight, as above. Their only daughter, Lydia A.,
is now Mrs. Daniel Moore.
William Alonzo Knight, son of William and A.senath (Thompson)
Knight, and grandson of Amos Knight, was born in 1834. He is a
lumberman and lives where his father settled when he came to Pitts-
ton from North Wayne in 1834. He married Sarah J., daughter
of Abner P. McFadden. Their two sons are William W. and
Harry C.
/Uifj- ^ 'Xa^i
't,A2^
TOWN OF riTTSTON. 731
Edward Augustus Laphatn, born in 1835, is the youngest son of
Isaac and Dorcas (Cutts) Lapham, and grandson of Rogers Lapham.
Mr. Lapham is a farmer. He served several years as buying and sell-
ing agent for the Pittston Grange, P. of H., but since 1886 has run a
store of his own. He has been postmaster at Pittston since 1889. He
married Myra &, daughter of James Beedle. Their children are:
Addie L., Frank M. and Isaac N. They lost two: Ivane V. and Alice I.
Frank M. has been town clerk since 1890, and is timekeeper and pay-
master for the Great Falls Ice Company.
Eliphalet H. Lapham, son of James and Hannah (Troupe) Lap-
ham, and grandson of Rogers and Mary (White) Lapham, was born
in 1820 on the old farm south of Smithtown, where lived and died the
three generations mentioned. From the Lapham Family Register we
learn that the parent stock came from England, and that the Pittston
branch has descended from Thomas Lapham, of Massachusetts.
Eliphalet's early life was without incident. He enjoyed the usual
winter schooling only to the age of fourteen. From that time to the
■day of his death farming was the occupation to which he gave exclu-
sively the attention and energies of a vigorous life. He loved and
clung to his calling with such a single purpose that none of the attrac-
tions of public affairs or speculative ventures allured his fancy, or
swerved his feet from the soil his fathers had tilled. Unlike many
farmers, who know and care for little beyond their immediate neigh-
borhood, he was well informed and took an active interest in affairs of
general importance. He early became a life member of the Maine
Agricultural Society, attended its fairs, frequently taking the products
of his farm for exhibition, particularly his cattle, for the excellent
■quality of which he was noted. He took great delight in raising and
training oxen, and derived his principal income from the sales of live
stock. The productive condition of his farm of two hundred acres
bore ample proof of his constant care and hard work. He was an ac-
tive member of the Pittston tGrange, giving the land on which their
hall was built. In politics he was always a democrat and a staunch
temperance man. With his family he attended the Congregational
■church, though not a member.
The termination of his useful life was unusually sad. On the morn-
ing of February 27, 1889, he hitched several yoke of cattle to a heavy
load of logs and started north on the road to Randolph. He was found
an hour later in the road near Smithtown, lying in a dying condition
under the bob-sleds. He was an excellent teamster, and how he fell
under the crushing load must always remain a mystery.
Mr. Lapham, in 1853, married Emeline R. Follansbee, daughter
of Benjamin and Betsey (Kenney) Follansbee. Benjamin Follansbee
and his father, who was also Benjamin, came from Salisbury, Mass.,
to Pittston in 1806, and were shipbuilders at Smithtown. An ice house
732 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
now Stands where their j^ard was located, and the Knickerbocker Ice
Company of Philadelphia owns the old Follansbee house, using it for
a boarding house. Mrs. Lapham, who has no children, still lives in
the old home where for thirty-six years she enjoyed the society and
affection of a worthy man and a devoted husband.
Roger M. Lapham, born in 1838, is a son of Roger and Lucinda
(Brown) Lapham, and grandson of Rogers and Mary (White) Lapham,
who settled where Roger M. now lives. Mr. Lapham is a farmer. He
married Ruth Ella, daughter of Hiram and Elizabeth ( Peasley) Pottle.
Their children are: Sophia M., Elmer W., Roger H. and Elsie.
Washington Lawrence, born in 1812, was a son of Edward and
Abigail (Wells) Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence was a farmer. He died in
1890, since which time the farm (which was formerly owned by Cap-
tain William Crowell) has been carried on by David and Charles, his
.sons. He married in 1837, Hertilla, daughter of Captain William and
Mercy (Parker) Crowell. Their children were: Henry C, David A.
and Charles W., and three that died— George W., Lucy E. and
Hertilla.
Frank M. Little', born in 1855, is a son of Eli' and Mary (Bailey)
Little (Samuer, Joshua', Samuer, David', Joseph' and George Little").
Mr. Little has been employed for several years as a cotton mill opera-
tive; the last three years he was an overseer. He married Belle,
daughter of William and Lizzie (Stilphin) Cheney. They have one
daughter, Eulela M., and lost one, Lela M.
F. Willis Mansir, sou of George W. and Margaret (Brown) Mansir,
and grandson of George W. Mansir, was born in 1852, and has been a
wagon manufacturer at East Pittston since 1871. He married Ida,
daughter of William Reade.
George R. Mansir, son of Charles B. and Martha A. (Murphy) Man-
sir, and grandson of George W. Mansir, was born in 1855. Mr. Mansir
is a farmer and owns the Blair homestead. He was tax collector one
term and is now (1892) filling his fourth term as supervisor of schools.
He has taught five terms of school. He married Hattie E., daughter
of Benjamin Elkins. They have two children: George L. and Mat-
tie L.
Henry S. Marson, born in 1846, is the youngest of four children of
Jacob and Harriet fGlidden) Marson, grand,son of Samuel and Rachel
(Fountain) Marson, and great-grandson of Samuel and Janette (Miller)
Marson, who were among the first settlers of Pittston. Mr. Marson is
a farmer on the farm where his grandfather settled. He married
Fau.stina Houdlett. Mr. Marson has two brothers and one sister:
Isaac R., Amanda PI. and George W. Isaac R. Marson was born in
1833. He was a carpenter twenty years, eight years superintendent
of the Cedar Grove ice houses, and since 1885 has been a farmer. He
TOWN OF PITTSTON. 733
married Helen J., daughter of James P. Wheeler. Their children
are: Henry F., Alpheus M., Mary L. and one that died, Alice, the
eldest.
Captain Joseph A. Marson, born in 1838, is a son of Captain Hiram
and Ann G. (Waitt) Marson, grandson of Stephen, and great-grandson
of Abner Marson. Captain Marson has followed the sea since 1852,
and since 1862 has been in command of vessels. He married R.
Augusta, daughter of George W. Nickels. They have two daughters:
Adelle B. and Annie A. They lost one, Nettie L.
George E. Moody, born in 1840, is one of eleven children of Royal
and Eliza (Nickerson) Moody, and grandson of William and Polly
(Hunt) Moody. Mr. Moody's mother was a daughter of Salathial
Nickerson, of Chatham, Mass. Mr. Moody is a farmer, and since 1887
he has kept a store opposite his house. He married Luetta, daughter
of Eli Little. They have two sons: George A. and Arthur B.
Fred P. Morrell, son of Samuel and Eliza J. (Dorr) Morrell, was
born in 1848, and was a farmer until 1881, since which time he has
been a merchant at North Pittston. Since 1886 he has been post-
master at North Pittston. His first wife, Lucy L. Gould, died, leaving
one son, Walter F. His present wife was Carrie M. Blodgett.
S. Winter Moulton, born in 1843, is a son of Samuel H. and Ellen
(Winter) Moulton, and grandson of Oliver Moulton. He is a farmer;
his house faces Lake Nehumkeag, and he devotes some attention to
summer boarders. He married Abbie, daughter of Gideon Meserve,
and they have two sons: Burton M. and F. Guy.
Francis Nash, born November 20, 1824, is a son of Peter and Mehet-
abel (Blodgett) Nash, and grandson of Peter Nash. He is a farmer,
having bought the farm where he now lives in 1846. He married
Mary E., daughter of Dennit Waymouth. She died leaving four chil-
dren: Fannie W. (Mrs. Charles Bliss), Helen W. (Mrs. Herbert Thomp-
son), Alfred H. and Frank H., deceased. His present wife is Anna,
daughter of William Lamson.
Henry Nash, brother of Francis Nash, was born in 1813, and is a
farmer. His first marriage was with Mrs. Charlotte McMillen,
daughter of Archibald Stuart. She died leaving one daughter,
Octavia, now Mrs. William Rundlett. His present wife was Mary E.
Lamson.
John Nash, born in 1828, is a brother of Francis Nash, and like his
two brothers, is a farmer. He married Hannah Jane, daughter of Jo-
seph Ware, and they have two sons: William W. and Orrington W.
George W. Palmer, son of Lewis and Eliza (Laforce) Palmer, was
born in 1835, and is a blacksmith and farmer. He spent eight years
in Massachusetts, a part of that time being employed as shipsmith for
the government. He married Hannah J., daughter of Reuben Mes-
734 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
erve.and their children are: Hattie E., Reuben L., Georgia M., Arthur
B. and Ernest C.
Seth Palmer is the only survivor of eleven children of Samuel and
Abigail (Pratt) Palmer, and grandson of Samuel Palmer, who was a son
of Samuel Palmer, and came from Rowley, Mass., to Maine. Mr. Palmer
is a farmer on the farm where his father settled in 1800. He married
Lydia A., daughter of Edward and Mary (Woodbridge) Palmer, grand-
daughter of Thomas, and great-granddaughter of Samuel Palmer, as
above. She died October 20, 1891. Their children are: Oscar A., died
June, 1874; Clara E.; Orrie C, died October, 1891; Irwin W., died
March, 1872; Fred W., settled in New Bedford, Masi., and Oakes M.
Franklin Powers, son of Luther, was born at Georgetown, Me., in
1825. He is a ship carpenter by trade, having worked in Maine sev-
eral years, and in Cincinnati, O., for a number of years prior to 1866,
when he came to Pittston and bought a farm of 140 acres. He was
foreman for the Independent Ice Company from 1876 to 1888, and dur-
ing that time all the buildings now owned by the company were built.
His first wife, Sarah B. Pinkham, died, leaving one daughter, Annie.
His second marriage was with Elmira P. Plummer. Their children
are: Melville J., Asbury M., of Boothbav Harbor, and Laura F. (Mrs.
C. W. Church).
Melville J. Powers, son of Franklin and Elmira (Plummer) Powers,
was born in 1857. He has been employed since 1874 by the Independ-
ent Ice Company, and in 1883 he succeeded his father as superintend-
ent of the business. He married Laura E. Goud, of Dresden. They
have had one daughter, Alice F., who died February 28, 1892.
William S. Pulsifer, son of Alfred and Ruby (Moody) Pulsifer, was
born in 1844, and is a farmer. He married Amanda, daughter of
Madison and Martha (Bailey) Balcom. They have one son, Eddie D.
John B. Ripley, son of Joseph and Betsey (Barker) Ripley, was
born in 1831, at Rumford, Me. Mr. Ripley came to Pittston in 1864,
where he has been engaged in farming and carpentering. He was
selectman in 1886, town clerk in 1889 and 1890, and chairman of board
of selectmen in 1891. He married Mary F., daughter of John Went-
worth. They have three children: Arthur C, Ellen F. and George H.
John C. Rollins, born in 1853, is a son of Oliver C. and Sarah Ann
Rollins. He has been employed by the Knickerbocker Ice Company
since 1872. He married Maria F., daughter of J. Warren Vaughn.
They have one son living, Oliver H., and lost one, Arthur.
William Rollins, son of Oliver C. and Sarah Ann (Cutts) Rollins,
and grandson of Joseph Rollins, was born in 1838. He spent six }'ears
in California prior to 1867, and since 1885 has been superintendent of
the Knickerbocker Ice House at Smithtown. He married Sophia J.,
daughter of Roger Lapham, and has one son, George R.
TOWN OF PITTSTON. 735
Alfred L. Stilphin, born in 1848, is a son of Alfred and Mary (Call)
Stilphin, grandson of George and Betsey (McCan) Stilphin, and great-
grandson of George, whose father, Michael Stilphin, came to America
from France at the time the edict of Nantes was revoked. Mr. Stil-
phin followed the sea for two years, spent two years in Boston, and
since then has been a farmer in Pittston. He married Georgia A.,
daughter of Thomas Hayland. Their three sons are: George Fred,
Harry L. and Everett C.
C. C. Stilphin, son of William and Sarah (Pushard) Stilphin, was-
born at Dresden, Me., in 1832. His grandfather was Francis Stilphin.
He was in California from 1855 until 1858. In 1860 he came to
Pittston, where he was a farmer for five years. Since that time
he has been a carriage maker at East Pittston. His first wife,
Eveline M. Crie, died leaving two children: Edgar D. and Ada I.
He married for his second wife, Mrs. Sarah T. Linscott, daughter of
Eli Little.
Captain Joseph B. Thomas.— An important and interesting topic
for consideration in the history of Pittston is the eminent career of
those who, natives of the town, have been best known by their
achievements beyond her borders. Among those men, if not the fore-
most of them, was Captain Joseph Brown Thomas, the facts of whose
life are worthy of statement and of study. He came of Welsh stock,
a people of strong, manly traits. His father, Samuel, and his grand-
father, Samuel, were natives of Biddeford, Me. The former came in
1799 to the Kennebec valley and became a farmer in Pittston, where
Joseph B. Thomas was born June 23, 1811. Here was his home dur-
ing the years of his early manhood. At the age of fourteen he went
to sea, where he was rapidly promoted. While still a young man he
became master of a ship and visited the principal ports of the world.
When the gold excitement of 1849 swept over the country Captain
Thomas saw a great opportunity and seized it.
In command of the ship Thomas Watson, which a dozen years later
became a rebel privateer, he took a cargo to California, the profits
on which were the first of a series of remarkable successes. San
Francisco was booming, and his keen judgment led him to quit
the sea, still retaining an interest in its commerce, and establish
a large shipping and commercial house. From the age of forty, in
the meridian of a vigorous manhood, the next seventeen years
were filled with great undertakings and crowned with gratifying re-
wards.
He was a man of public spirit, never shrinking public duties. He
belonged to the law and order party, and was chairman of the vigi-
lance committee of San Francisco in one of the bitter struggles with
outlaws. During the great civil war he was a co-worker with T. Star
736 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
King in the difficult work of holding- California true to the Union,
and his purse was ever open in aid of the sanitary commission and
other agencies that needed large sums of money. He was prominent
in the board of trade, a bank director, a real estate owner, and be-
longed emphatically to the stalwart band of strong, true men who
gave a right direction to the life of San Francisco at the formative
period of its growth.
In 1866, having satisfied the ideals of a reasonable ambition, Cap-
tain Thomas most suitably laid down business cares and with his
family traveled two years in Europe. Returning to America he pur-
chased the John Wade Damon mansion, in Charlestown, Mass., where
the remaining years of his life were enjoyed.
But he did not retire from business. His mastery and love of ex-
act methods and his wonderful ability in guiding great enterprises
belonged to a nature that must have occupation. He purchased the
Standard Sugar Refinery, of Boston. When the famous sugar trust
was formed he was elected director, and when it was reorganized, in
January, 1891, he was elected its vice-president. It was in returning
from this meeting that he took a cold, resulting in a fatal attack of
pneumonia.
He was married November 5, 1841, to Martha T. Seran, of Phila-
delphia, who still survives him. They had two children, who are his
business successors: Joseph B. Thomas, who was born in 1849, and
Washington B. Thomas, born in 1857.
Captain Thomas' mother was Betsey Brown, one of the family
mentioned at page 756. Captain Thomas was a hearty supporter of
the Methodist Episcopal church and society, whose parsonage on
High street, Charlestown, was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas.
The shock of .sorrow and the words in which it found expres-
sion when the tidings went forth, January 13, 1891, that Captain
Joseph B. Thomas was dead, made it plain that the great public
heart was deeply touched. With singular accord these words bore
one prominent thought— that not only a rich man, but a good man
had gone.
It was something to have amassed so princely a fortune, but a
greater thing to have built up such a character. He loved business
methods, hated shams, was a devoted friend, helpful to the poor, and
was guided by a conscientious love of right. His upright life and
Christian character stand a shining example before the world, over-
shadowing all his other successes.
George P. Thompson was born in 1852, in Pittston, where he now
resides, and is a farmer. His marriage was with Ella A., daughter
of Philip T. Pierce. Their five children are: William F., Ada A.,
Charles P., Harvey and Fannie O.
TOWN OF PIT'ISTON. 737
John Scott, born in 1828, is the only son of John and Thankful
(Eastman) Scott, and grandson of Daniel and Elizabeth (Nelson) Scott,
who came from Rowley, Mass., to Wiscasset, and in 1803 came to
Pittston. Mr. Scott operates the farm which his father and grand-
father both carried on before him. He married Mary C, daughter of
Jonas Emory, of Buxton. Their children are: Eva E. (Mrs. Alvin
Cutts), Fred E., Walter C. and Bert W.
Edward Soper, born in 1825, is a son of Seth and Abigail (Billings)
Soper. He followed the sea from 1840 until 1877, with the exception
of the time he spent in California. Since 1877 he has occupied the
homestead of his father.
Henry N. Soper, youngest son of John and Evaline (Smith)
Soper, and grandson of Seth and Prudy (White) Soper, was born in
1845. He was for ten years engaged in the machinist trade, and has
since been a farmer. He married Almatia, daughter of Jacob W.
Nelson. They have one daughter, Efhe G.
Sanford Stevens, born in 1814, is a son of John and Elizabeth (Han-
over) Stevens, grandson of Caleb and Elizabeth (Wilson) Stevens,
and great-grandson of John Stevens. Mr. Stevens married Catherine,
daughter of Samuel Jewett, and their children were: Maria (Mrs. J.
H. Scammell), Mary (Mrs. F. W. Pitcher), Walter (married Mary
Baker), John S., Kate W. and Edward D., who died. Mr. Stevens is
a farmer.
Daniel Thompson, son of Hugh and Mary (Lawrence) Thompson,
and grandson of James Thompson, was born in 1818, and is a farmer,
owning and occupying the farm where he was born. He married
Nancy, daughter of William and Mary (Hunt) Moody. Their children
are: Daniel A., Henry, Henrietta (Mrs. John Blodgett), Emma L. (Mrs.
Henry Hunt), and Herbert L.
Henry Thompson, son of Daniel Thompson, was born in 1842. He
is a carpenter by trade. He was in Nevada from 1878 to 1885, where
he worked at his trade. He .served in the civil war 11^ months in the
21st Maine. He married Abiah F., daughter of Royal and Eliza
(Nickerson) Moody. They have four children: Henry B., Ernest C,
Mabel A. and Jessie S.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
TOWN OF RANDOLPH.
Incorporation. — First Town Meeting.— Early Inhabitants. — Industrial Interests.
— Post Office.— Civil History. — Education.— Religious Interests.— Ceme-
teries.— Personal Paragraphs.
THIS town was formerly part of Pittston, but a few years ago the
inhabitants expressed the desire to become an independent
municipal body. A destructive fire occurred near the river,
above the bridge, in what was known as the village of Pittston, which
circumstance awakened the citizens of the village to the subject of
being prepared for such occurrences; but the town, outside of the
village, voted against incurring the necessary expense of an extension
of the Gardiner water works across the river for the protection of the
village. This led to petitioning for a separate corporation, which re-
sulted in an act of separation from Pittston. A strip of land fifty rods
wide had been annexed to Pittston from the town of Chelsea ;
but with this exception — embracing lands of Rufus White, John Dow
and George Lyon — the territory incorporated was part of the original
Pittston of 1779.
The act provided that all that part of Pittston lying north of the
south line of Worromontogus streain be incorporated into a separate
town by the name of West Pittston, and that the care and current ex-
penses of the Gardiner and Pittston bridge were to be borne by the
town of West Pittston; but in case of total or partial destrttction, the
liability for rebuilding the bridge was to remain as if no division had
been made.
On the 14th of March, 1887, at the first annual town meeting, the
usual town officers were elected. March 17th, by an act of legislature,
the name West Pittston was changed to Randolph. The body politic
has taken up the burden of self government in every branch; the
Gardiner water works have been extended to Randolph, providing
the village with water for fire and domestic purposes; electric lights
adorn the principal streets; and in many similar respects the village
vies with the neighboring cities across the river.
This was the principal village of Pittston before the separation,
and is now the only one of the town of Randolph. The town is small
TOWN OF RANDOLPH. 739
and uneven, but contains some good farms, of which hay is the prin-
cipal product. The town — practically a rambling village — is remark-
ably picturesque, with its long rows of old elms, well cultivated lawns
and attractive residences. Of the old settlers of Pittston it is very
difficult now to determine who was first on the soil of Randolph: but
Daniel Sewall and George Williamson were here at an early day.
Captain James Bailey, Gideon Barker and John Jewett were old men
on this territory within the memory of the oldest now living. Promi-
nent among those of past generations were Caleb Stevens, James and
Alexander Stevens, and Daniel Jewett, who, while employed by the
•Gardiner estate, transplanted the large elms, at present the pride of
the village.
Industries. — This portion of old Pittston, now Randolph, was
prominent in the business life of the past. Shipbuilding was an early
industry, the particulars of which are found in Chapter VII. Frank-
lin and William Stevens, of the later generations, began building ves-
sels in 1840 where the shoe factory now stands, having four on the
stocks at a time; and as late as 1847 they built ships of 1,400 tons bur-
then. Notable was the White Falcon, which was one of the first ves-
sels sent to the Crimea, as a transport for the- French, during the war
there. Of the later firms were James & Alexander Cooper and Ste-
phen Young. Their yards were near and below the bridge.
About 1850 Franklin vStevens erected a saw mill on the Little
Togus, about where the Kennebec Central railroad strikes the street.
It was built for Door BuUen, who ran it several years, and then sold
the business to Franklin Stevens. When the civil war began Mr.
Stevens sold the machinery at a large price, and the business was dis-
continued.
Near where Putnam & Closson's extensive lumber mills are, Jo.seph
W. Bradbury, Henry Bowman and John Blanchard built, in 1835, a
steam saw mill. After them, Arthur and John Berry, and Clay,
Frost & Co. operated it. In 1860 it was taken down, having stood
idle for .some years. In 1869 Ira D. Sturges, of Augusta, bought the
Williamson farm of over one hundred acres, including the old mill
site, and the Kennebec Land & Lumber Company, which was then
formed, built the present mill, which, after being operated by Bod-
well, Allen & Bodwell, was purchased in 1881 by Lawrence, Putnam
& Co., and in 1882 by the present owners, Putnam & Closson. It is
now a plant of much importance, running a rotary and gang of saws
for long lumber, two lath machines, a shingle machine, and a clap-
board machine, besides the smaller saws and requisite machinery. It
is run by an engine of 200 horse power, with boilers of still greater
capacity. Below and near this large plant the firm of Putnam & Clos-
son have another mill, in which three planers are placed, run by a
sixty horse power engine. This firm employs eighty men in all
740 HISTORY OF KENNEKEC COUNTY.
branches of the business, the logs* being sorted and hauled from the
river near by. The capacity of the saw mill is 80,000 feet of long
lumber daily.
The later industries here are the ice buildings, which were com-
menced about 1860, and. still later, the shoe factory, built in 1888 by a
corporation of the citizens. Littlefield & Co., of Lynn, ran it about one
year and closed; then Qaldwell & Libby, of Lynn, carried it on one
year and discontinued.
On the Togus stream was an old carding and fulling mill, on what
is now Samuel Stevens' farm. It had disappeared before the recollec-
tion of the present generation. There was a saw mill built in 1808,
on the Togus stream, called the Cooper mill; it stood just above the
present mill of Oliver Moulton. A portion of the dam only remains.
Oliver Moulton built a .saw mill in 1864, on the Togus stream, a
short distance above the river road, but it was burned ten years after-
ward. Another mill was at once erected, a little lower down the
stream, and is now leased and run by Henry & Warren Moulton, sons
of Oliver. It contains a rotary saw for long lumber, planers, lath and
shingle mills, and employs twenty-five hands. This mill controls the
stream up to the reservoir at Togus.
L. W. Goodspeed had a store here, which he ran for several years;
and the post office was kept in it the last year of his term. David
Mooers & John Frost were in a store, years ago, where A. E. Lewis
now is. After a few years they dissolved partnership and Mooers
continued the business alone, moving across the street, to where
Goodwin & Drake are. The business was closed out after a few years.
James R. Goodwin, in 1876, started a store where A. E. Lewis is,
and after two years moved to his present site.
After air and water, articles of food rank next as necessities of life.
For this reason the grocery, the market and the feed store always pre-
cede establishments where dry goods, clothing and boots and shoes
are sold. Randolph's inhabitants can much more easily go for the
latter articles to Gardiner or Augusta, than for supplies to meet the
primal, constantly recurring demands for food. It is for such reasons
that the sagacious dealers like Allen E. Lewis bring as varied and as
abundant stocks of eatables to Randolph as can be found in much
larger places.
Mr. Lewis is a son of Captain Alpheus Lewis, who came with his
father. Captain Stephen Lewis, who came from Boothbay to White-
field, Me. Stephen Lewis had six children: Alpheus, Jason, Francis,
Louisa, Osborn and Mary A.— all now dead but Francis and Mary A.
The Lewises were a seafaring family as far back as known. Cap-
tain Alpheus Lewis commanded a vessel, after coming to Whitefield,
till about 1840, when he quit the ocean and became a farmer. He
married Hannah S. Little', daughter of Samuel Little", of Pittston
TOWN OF RANDOLPH. 741
(Joshua', Samuel', Daniel', Joseph', George Little', of England, who
settled in Newbury, Mass, in 1640). The Little family have produced
in America in each generation men eminent in public and private
life. The children of Alpheus and Hannah S. Lewis were: Maria
Louisa, born 1842; Francina A., 1844; Vira E. and Vesta (twins), 1850;
Allen E., February 2, 1853; and Lizzie M., now Mrs. William E. Bailey.
The two eldest sisters are dead.
Allen E. Lewis grew to years of maturity on his father's farm in
Whitefield. Always active in body and mind, he became a butcher as
well as farmer, and was an expert judge of live stock and a thorough
master of all the details of the trade. At the age of twenty-seven he
came to the Kennebec valley in search of a locality that offered free
scope to the energy and desire for work that animated every pulsation
of his blood. After looking the ground carefully over he selected
Randolph (then Pitt.ston). with its river and railroad advantages, but
more particularly because of the fine country lying back of it, from
which our young tradesman saw must come much of the demand for
the articles he proposed to sell. With characteristic good judgment
he selected the corner of Windsor and Main streets, where he still re-
mains, and offered the public a stock of groceries, flour, feed and
meats. At the same time he became a buyer of grain and all kinds
of farm produce, in which articles he has always been an extensive
dealer. He early recognized the fact that honesty makes the most
friends, and that fair dealing pays the large.st profit, and the high
reputation his business methods enjoy, and the substantial compe-
tence they have brought him, are the proofs of his wisdom.
In political matters Mr. Lewis' opinions incline to the democratic
side and in religious matters to the liberal side. The social side of
his nature is strong, finding its highest delights in the society of his
family and the sunny atmosphere of his happy home.
In 1883 he married Augusta L., daughter of Captain George W.
Bailey, of Pittston, and has three children: Bertha E., born in 1884;
Grace W., 1888; and Alice M., 1891.
In 1873 Richard C. Moody engaged in mercantile business in
a building at the west end of the bridge, buying out the
stock of William T. Searls. The business was sold to Orrison V.
Row less than two years after; and he sold to John Campbell, who
had become a partner. Mr. Campbell conducted the store until the
building was burned. About 1876 Mr. Moody again engaged in the
mercantile business with William F. Ladd, in the brick store on the
corner, near his former place, occupying one-half of it. A year after
he bought out Ladd, and also bought the building now the confec-
tionery store of Mr. Towle, and in 1877 removed to it. In 1885 he
erected his present store, in which his wife conducted a millinery and
dry goods business. Five years afterward the health of his wife
742 HISTORY OF KEXNEBEC COUNTY.
caused her to retire,' and Mr. Moody removed to the place, added gro-
ceries to the stock, and has continued there since. Other merchants
here are: A. C. Clark, grocer; J. F. & J. E. Kelly, hardware; Goodwin
& Drake, grocers; J. A. Jackson, drugs; Labaree & Ryan, general mer-
chandise; and Benjamin Lawrence, groceries.
The railroad to Togus, with its several trains daily, thronged with
excursionists, makes the village a busy railroad terminus. The neat
new depot was erected in the autumn of 1890, just south of the west
end of the river bridge. L. W. Goodspeed is agent.
Coopering has been a prominent industry here for over two-score
years. A man named Thompson was engaged in the business in the for-
ties. In 1849 Fuller G. Sherman came to the village and engaged in the
same business in a shop where the south lumber yard is. In 1868 he
built and moved to his present place, where he is assisted by his son.
The Gardiner & Pittston Bridge, opened as a toll bridge October
18, 1853, has no doubt assisted largely in building up the present vil-
lage of Randolph; but since January 1, 1887, when the two towns con-
nected purchased the shares of the bridge and made it free, it is
claimed by some that business has declined.
The business of William Grant was started in 1861 on Windsor
street, where Henry S. Winslow now has a boot and shoe store. About
1864 he moved to the end of the bridge, in the building since burned.
In 1866 he moved to Jewett Block, where, after five years, he closed
up. He went up the street and engaged in the coopering business;
but preferring mercantile life, he altered his shop into a store, and
again put in a stock of groceries. After remaining there five years
he removed to Jewett Block, where he remained five years more, and
then came across the street to his present place of business, two years
ago.
Early in this century a tavern was established on the street opposite
the shoe factory by Samuel Hodgedon, who was afterward succeeded
by John E. Merrill. About forty years ago this hotel was kept by
Asa C. Cross; but was burned during his administration. A long-
period intervened, after which E. R. Marston fitted up a dwelling into
a comfortable hotel, and opened it as the Pittston House. A few years
ago Albert White purchased the property and continued the business
under the name of the Randolph House.
Post Office.— After the separation of Gardiner a post office was
established at Pittston, of which Jacob Loud was appointed the first
postmaster, May 7, 1804. His office was near Smith's Ferry. At the
death of Loud, Henry Dearborn was appointed, July 17, 1820, and re-
moved the office to Togus Bridge. Stephen Young was appointed,
April 4, 18B1, and the office was removed to the village. He was suc-
ceeded, August 19, 1841, by Alphonso H. Clark. Hiram T. Clark was
appointed June 19, 1845; and Samuel S. Colburn June 6, 1849. No-
TOWN OF RANDOLPH. 743
vember 16, 1850, Caleb Stevens was made postmaster, the office being
in a brick store, since burned, near where the Randolph shoe factory
now stands. March 30, 1853, Hiram T. Clark was again appointed.
Stephen Young succeeded him May 16, 1857, keeping the office at the
same place, and later moving to where Goodwin & Drake have a store.
July 9, 1861, Alphonso H. Clark was again appointed and held the of-
fice until January 14, 1878, when he was succeeded by A. C. Clark.
April 19, 1881, Larry W. Goodspeed was appointed, and kept the office
in the store where Labaree & Ryan are, until tie removed it across the
street to its present place. J. R. Goodwin was made postmaster April
29, 1885. March 25, 1887, the name of the office was changed to Ran-
dolph, with Mr. Goodwin still in charge; and June 15, 1889, Edwin W.
Trask, the present postmaster, was appointed.
Civil Hlstory.— Jewett Hall, in the block of that name, has been
used for town meetings, especially the annual meetings, when the at-
tendance is large. In it the first town meeting for the new town of
Randolph was held, March 14, 1887, when G. P. H. Jewett, Charles E.
Clark and Newton Mitchell were chosen selectmen; William H. Dud-
ley, town clerk; and A. C. Clark, treasurer. B. A. Cox was chosen mod-
erator of the meeting. In March. 1888, B. A. Cox was again chosen
moderator, and the same .selectmen, clerk and treasurer were reelected.
In 1889 B. A. Cox was a third time chosen moderator at the annual
March meeting, and W. H. Dudley continued as clerk. B. A. Cox,
Robert Barber and Newton Mitchell were elected selectmen, and J.
R. Goodwin was elected treasurer. In 1890 Charles H. Dunton was
cho.sen moderator, and the old clerk was reelected. The selectmen
were Daniel Glidden, G. W. Howe and D. S. Tasker; J. R. Goodwin
was continued as treasurer. In 1891 Charles H. Dunton was chosen
moderator, the selectmen chosen were Daniel Glidden, D. S. Tasker
and Charles H. Dunton. In 1892 the officers elected were: Selectmen,
B. A. Cox, D. S. Ta.sker and C. H. Dunton; treasurer, J. R. Goodwin;
clerk, W. H. Dudley.
The selectmen have an office in Jewett Block, where the books are
kept in a large, fire-proof safe.
Thus far the new town has no poor house, but to the very few in
need of temporary aid the proper relief is given.
Schools.— In 1887, when Randolph was erected from Pittston, the
territory contained two districts. The two schools were at once
graded and placed under what is known as the town system, with a
competent superintendent, so that at the present day the schools are
not elsewhere excelled in standing and efficiency. There are in the
system two primaries — one up out of the village — one intermediate,
kept in the Engine Hall, and one grammar department, employing
five competent teachers. High school instruction is obtained at Gar-
diner, where, by a mutual arrangement, scholars are sent, securing
744 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
excellent advantages, for which Randolph votes and raises $175
yearly. The appropriation for the schools of the town is $1,000 yearly.
■Charles O. Turner has been the efficient school superintendent since
the formation of the town.
Church.— The Methodist Epi.scopal Society of Pittston village,
now Randolph, became a distinct charge — separated from Augusta
and Gardiner — in 1842. Occasional preaching was held, and the few
Methodists had become greatly strengthened by the moving in of
several strong families. In the spring of 1844 a powerful revival
occurred, and the conference appointed Rev. P. P. Morrill as preacher
in charge. A place for worship was the cherished project of the pas-
tor. Freeman Yates, who had been appointed in 1846. After several
meetings for the purpose, John Blanchard and Smith Cox, in 1847,
undertook the erection of an edifice by their own individual efforts,
and in December, 1847, the church was dedicated, with Rev. Francis
-Soule, pastor. The church has been twice repaired and is kept in a
good state of preservation. A bell was paid for by subscription in
1851 and placed in its belfry. This is the principal place of worship
•of later years in Randolph. The pastors have been, besides those
named: Marcus Wight, Zina H. Blair, Abia Foster, Phineas Higgins,
Daniel Clark, Horace Bray, T. P. Adams, Freeman Chase, Ezra San-
born, George Strout, C. A. Plummer, C. B. Besse, J. N. Marsh, G. A.
Crawford, G. G. Winslow, C. E. Libby, J. W. Price, Howard Clifford,
E. S. Gahan, G. B. Chadwick, J. T. Crosby; and in 1887, Rev. W. W.
Ogier was appointed.
Cemeteries. — The principal burial ground of the town is Maple
Grove Cemetery, controlled by an association of citizens. The act
•creating the association was passed in January, 1868, and the first
officers chosen were: B. A. Cox, president; A. H. Clark, secretary;
Benjamin Flitner, treasurer; Caleb Stevens, Benjamin Clark, William
B. Winslow and E. D. Hardy, trustees or directors. B. A. Cox served
• as president until 1888, when F. Stevens was elected for two years;
then J. R. Goodwin was chosen, in 1890, and has served until the pres-
ent time. A. C. Clark was elected secretary in 1873, and has served
■ since; and F. G. Sherman has been treasurer since 1875. F. Stevens
has been chosen chairman of the directors since the year 1870. Land
was purchased on the river road, a few minutes' walk to the north of
the village, and the requisite expenditures made in beautifying and
laying it out. Additions have been made from time to time, and it is
now a large and beautiful burial place, containing a suitable vault.
Here lies Nathaniel Berry, one of General George Washington's life
guards. He died August 20, 1850, and was buried amid the tolling of
bells and firing of minute guns, and was followed to his grave by a
tnilitary escort and a large procession of military and civic bodies.
Another very old burial place is on the old Blanchard farm, now
TOWN OF RANDOLPH. 745
occupied by James Hayes, a short distance above the Maple Grove
Cemetery, on the river road. It was the family ground of the Blanch-
ards, but lots have been sold to others.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Robert Barber, the youngest of nine children of James and Eliza-
beth (Moore) Barber, was born in 1SB3, at the place where he now
lives, his father having bought the farm in 1830 from William Moore.
James Barber came from England in 1816 and lived in Hallowell and
Gardiner until he bought the place where Robert now live.s. Mr.
Barber married Eunice, daughter of Ezekiel Buzzell. Their children
are: Edith R., Robert, Thomas W., Jesse, Fannie A., Grace M. and
Lillie.
Charles E. Bradstreet, jun., born in 1836, is the eldest son of
Charles E. Bradstreet. He has been employed since 1867 on Gardiner
and Bo.ston steamers, since 1869 as mate. He married Delia A , daugh-
ter of Jonathan L. Reade, of Dresden. Their two sons are: Leslie W.
and Harry W. The ell of his house was formerly the residence of
General Dearborn, who at one time lived in Gardiner.
George W. Eastman, youngest of eleven children of Samuel and
Eliza (Luce) Eastman, and grandson of Hubbard and Sarah (Stevens)
Eastman, was born in 1845. He was engaged in steamboating from
1868 to 1879, since which time he has run a steam tug boat, in which
he is an owner, on the Kennebec. He has lived at Randolph since
1875. He married Mary E., daughter of Captain John Merrill. Their
children are: Mildred E., Amy F. and Howard W., born June 29,
1891.
Daniel Glidden, born in Whitefield in 1821, is a son of Charles and
Ruth Ann (Plummer) Glidden, and grandson of Benjamin Glidden.
Mr. Glidden came to Pittston in 1845. He is a vship carpenter. He
was eight years chairman of the board of selectmen of Pittston and
was selectman of Randolph in 1890 and 1891. His first wife, Joanna
Dudley, died leaving four children: Mary E. and Walter S., living;
and William R. and Warren C, deceased. His present wife was Lizzie
A. Quimby.
James R. Goodwin, born in 1840, is a son of Oliver, grandson of
James and great-grandson of Andrew Goodwin, who came from Bidde-
ford. Me., to Gardiner prior to the revolutionary war. His mother,
Laura, was a daughter of Philip and granddaughter of Samuel Bullen.
Mr. Goodwin was in California from 1860 to 1868, mining and lumber-
ing; since 1876 he has been a merchant at Randolph, and was post-
master from 1885 to 1889. He was chairman of board of selectmen
one term and has been town treasurer of Randolph since 1889, and
was treasurer in Pittston for several years before the town was divided.
He married Octavia, daughter of Israel Hayward. Their children
746 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
are: Grace A.. Alice M. and Philip R. Andrew Goodwin, of Gardiners-
town. Mass. (now Gardiner, Ale.), enlisted July 25, 1775. and served
twenty days as corporal in " A " Company of minute men, under the
command of Oliver Colburn, in Colonel Arnold's regiment. The
original muster roll of this company is at the state house at Boston, in
the office of the secretary of state, Vol. XII, p. 2.
William Grant, born in 1834, is a son of Charles and Abigail (Rol-
lins) Grant, and grandson of Thomas and Elizabeth (Babcock) Grant.
Thomas was a native of Scotland Highlands. Mr. Grant began as a
clerk in 1847 and has been in the mercantile business since that time,
with the exception of two years, and since 1861 has been in trade for
him.self. He was selectman two years and has held other town offices;
he was representative one term. He married Ann Jane, daughter of
Olivef Philbrick.
John F. Gray, son of William and Mary (Farnham) Gray, was born
in Windsor in 1829, and is a ship carpenter by trade. Since 1877 he
has lived in Randolph. Of his ten brothers and sisters only one is.
living — William, of Windsor.
Fred A. Hathaway, son of Sylvanus Hathaway, of Gardiner, was.
born in 1854. Sylvanus married Mary E. Jordan, of Bangor, Me.
Their children were: George E., Sarah, Augusta and Fred A. The
latter married Lillian Moody in 1880, and their children are: Ray M.
and Harry G.
L. W. Hunt, son of Elisha and Mercy M. (Jones) Hunt, and grand-
son of Daniel Hunt, was born in Pittston in 1838. He was in Califor-
nia from 1861 to 1867, and has since been engaged in river driving,
and since 1871 has been a contractor and jobber. He married Hattie
A., daughter of Studson Moore. Their children are: Arthur W., Alice
M., Hattie M., Ethel A. and Lillian.
Emulous F. Marson, born in 1813, is a son of Samuel and Rachel
(Fountain) Marson, and grandson of Samuel Marson. He married
Emily, daughter of Sampson Woods, of Mt. Vernon, Me., and their
only son. Wilder, died in infancy August 1, 1855. Mr. Marson has
been ship carpenter and spar maker since 1833.
Captain Stephen B. Meady,born in 1828, is a son of Alexander and
Charlotte (Brown) Meady, who came from Haverhill, Mass., to Hallo-
well (now Chelsea), where he was a farmer. Mr. Meady began going-
to sea at the age of seventeen, and retired in ISitO. He was master of
vessels for thirty years. He married Susan A., daughter of Captain
Jo.seph C. Bailey, of Pittston. Their children are: Frank H. and
Wilbur S.
Richard C. Moody, born in 1829, son of Richard and Mary (Cooper)
Moody, and grandson of wScribner and Martha (Bailey) Moody, was a
farmer in Whitefield, where he was born, until 1874, when he came to-
Randolph. Since 1876 he has been a merchant here. He married
TOWN OF RAXDOLPII. 747
Hannah F. Wellman, sister of Eben Welhnan, of Augusta. Their
children are: Fred C, Ella F. (Mrs. W. F. Ladd), and M. Lillian, who
married Fred A. Hathaway, and has two sons, Ray M. and H. Guy.
Fred C. married Sophia N., the youngest of the eleven children of
Isaac and Lydia (Home) Page. Their only child is Isa (Mrs. Maning
S. Campbell). Isaac Page settled at Searls Mills, in Chelsea, about
1840.
G. Wilbur Searls, son of Thomas and Malinda D. (Town) Searls,
was born in 1852. He was a farmer on the homestead of his father in
Chelsea until 1883, when he came to Randolph, where he was a mer-
chant until 1889. He was census enumerator for Randolph in 1890.
He married Julia A., daughter of James and Sophia (Davenport) Well-
man, of Augusta. They have one son, Edwin E.
Fuller G.Sherman, only son of Eleazer and Azubah G. ( Hodge)
Sherman, and grandson of Aaron and Polly Sherman, was born in
1823. He came to Pittston in 1849, where he has carried on the cooper
business since that time; he built the shop where he and his son now
work, in 1863. He married Harriet L., datighter of John and Sophia
(Trask) Bradbury, and granddaughter of John Bradbury. She died
leaving three children: Clara A., Daniel H. and George B. Daniel H.
married Caddie Z. Foss, and is a cooper with his father.
Captain Reuben Stevens, born in 1803, was the eldest son of Cap-
tain Reuben and Betsey (Stockley) Stevens, and grandson of Caleb,
whose father, John Stevens, was a resident of Amesbury, Mass. Caleb
Stevens married Elizabeth Wilson in 1768. Captain Reuben Stevens
was master of vessels from 1824 until 1837, when he died of yellow
fever while in port at New Orleans. He married Sarah H., daughter
of William and Sarah (Cutts) Stevens, and granddaughter of Caleb
and Elizabeth (Wilson) Stevens. Their children were: William R.,
who died in 1855, and Sarah E., who married Daniel McDuffie in 1862,
and has one son, William S. Mrs. Stevens is still living with her
daughter. Mrs. McDuffie.
Daniel S. Tasker, born in Readfield in 1847, is a son of Benjamin
and Mahala (Savage) Tasker. He has lived in Randolph since 1874.
He married Delia, daughter of John Davenport, and their children
are: Arthur R. and Lottie M.
Albert White, born in 1841, is a son of George and Eliza (Stevens)
White, and grandson of John White. Mr. White has been engaged
m the livery business in Randolph since March 1, 1875, and is the
proprietor of the Randolph House. He has for several years been
superintendent of the Maple Grove Cemetery Association, and since
April, 1885, he has owned a hearse, which is the only one owned in
the town. Mr. White's wife was Miss Mary Dearing.
Sumner Wallace Whitney, son of Phineas Whitney, was born in
48
748 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Jay, Me., in 1845. He served in the civil war from February, 1864,
until June, 1865, with Company E, 32d Maine. He is a painter by
trade, and since 1873 has lived in Randolph. He married Eliza S.,
daughter of Richard Medcalf. They have two children: Lillian E.
(Mrs. Charles Blair), and Lester A.
Nathaniel R. Winslow, born in 1825, at New Gloucester, Me., is a
son of Philip and Bethiah (Ridout) Winslow, and grandson of Barna-
bas Winslow, who was a soldier in the revolution. Mr. Winslow
bought the Asa White farm in Chelsea in 1853. He .sold this farm in
1889, and came to Randolph to live. He was representative in 1873,
seventeen terms selectman, and twenty-two years moderator of town
meetings in Chelsea. He married Emily M., daughter of Wentworth
and Olive (Kimball) Hayes. Their children were: Otis A., Cora A.
(Mrs. J. H. Blunt), and Ella E. Dunton, who died.
CHAPTER XXIX.
TOWN OF CHELSEA.
Incorporation.— Boundaries.— Town Records.— Old Mills.— Old Stores.— Growth.
— Societies. — Civil History.— Officers. — Schools. — Ecclesiastical.— Cemeter-
ies.— Personal Paragraphs.
THE town of Chelsea was incorporated Augu.st 17, 1850, from the
southern portion of the old town of Hallowell, on the eastern
bank of the Kennebec river. It embraces the lots of the Wins-
low survey shown on the sketch map on page 750, together with ad-
ditional territory extending eastward to the town of Whitefield. The
city of Augusta bounds it on the north and the towns of Randolph
and Pittston bound it on the south. Though this tract of land was
settled contemporaneously with the earliest settled territory along the
river, the adjoining towns were foremost in carrying on lumbering,
then the principal industry of the county.
The act of incorporation was passed by the legislature of 1850, as
Chapter 364 of the Laivs of Maine. It was, among other things, pro-
vided in the act, that the town of Hallowell should pay to the town of
Chelsea — probably in compensation for the loss of certain town prop-
erty on the west side of the river— the sum of $850 annually for the
next ten years; also that a meeting should be called by the selectmen
at the town house in Hallowell on the first Monday of the following
month (September) in order that the inhabitants on the west side of
the river might give in their votes upon the acceptance of the terms
and conditions of the .separation; also that no liabilities should be
incurred by the town of Chelsea prior to March 1, 1851.
At the town meeting referred to the act was adopted and Chelsea
thus became a town. In February, 1851, the warrant was issued for
the first town meeting, to be held March 4, 1851, at the school house
in the Hankerson district. The meeting was called to order by Eben-
ezer Freeman. He was chosen clerk of the town, and John Barker
was cho-sen moderator. The selectmen chosen were F. A. Day, John
M. Davenport and Thomas Searls.
The town held its meetings for many years at the school house
in District No. 2. In 1883, town meeting was held at Grange Hall,
and since then in what is denominated Town Hall. A church had
750
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
been erected many years before on the river road, near J. H. Hi^nt's,
and about 1865 had been removed to the Winslow road, on the east
end of Mr. Hunt's farm. It was tendered to the town for public use,
if the town would repair the building, of which it stood sadly in
need. In 1SS3 the town received the property, and has since held its
meetings there.
The names of a few of the old settlers and proprietors of land in
the territory now Chelsea will be found in the subjoined sketch map.
The town possesses in fair degree all the resources that character-
ize the other farming towns of the county. It is quite hilly, rocky
ledges are frequent, and the northeast slopes are strewn with huge
boulders. That lumbering here was of later date that in the towns
north and south of it is shown by the appearance of the surface of
the land, and by the fact that many of the early saw mills were in use
within the remembrance of its living middle-aged people. The To-
gus stream furnished power for most of the mills.
Old Mills and Stores.— As Togus stream is ascended from the
Randolph line, there was an old saw mill built and run by William
and Robert Moore. Next above was the Searls mill, at the point where
the stream crosses the road near the residence of William T. Searls;
this was built by his father, Thomas Searls, in 1834. A portion of the
wall remains to mark the spot, the mill having been taken down in
1862. Just above the Searls mill was the Douglass saw mill — erected
TOWN OF CHELSEA. 751
by the Douglass ancestors earlier than the Searls mill, and abandoned
when the latter was established. The Gardner mill was next above,
and stood where the road crosses the stream above the present Baker
mill. It was built by Joel Gardner, grandfather of A. P. Gardner; Am-
brose Gardner, his father, ran it till about 1853, when it was sold to
Orrin Emerson, who, after a few years, sold to Warren Lewis, of Pitts-
ton. The mill and privilege were later sold to Oliver Moulton. The
Roberts mill was still further above, and was the scene of much activ-
ity in its day. The present mill, on the stream near H. W. Gaslin's
store, is owned by John F. Baker, although reported as sold to the
government for establishing an electric light plant for the lighting of
the Soldiers' Home. It is an old building, originally a saw mill, then
a grist mill and later a saw mill again.
About 1850 Nathan O. Mitchell built the Jewett mill, so-called
from the name of the person on whose land it stood. This was at Old
Orchard, where the upper ice house, owned by the Knickerbocker Ice
Company, now stands. A dam at the bridge furnished water for the
overshot wheel. It ran two seasons, and was then taken down.
James Brown, father of George Brown, farmer and lumberman,
built a saw mill on Brown's brook, which flows through the Brown
farm and empties into the Kennebec river opposite Brown's island.
This mill was built in 1814, and in 1846 it was rebuilt by John Jewett.
Just below the Brown brook, about twenty rods, is the old Indian
landing used by the Indians as a stopping place in going up and down
the river.
Fifty rods above the Searls and Brown mill, on the Togus, a saw
mill was built about 1799 by Black John Jones. It was burned about
1820 and was -rebuilt by John Jewett about 1843. John Jones, known
as " Black John," the surveyor, was a tory. His adopted son took his
full name and became heir to a good farm on the river road in
Chelsea.
In the northeastern part of the town were several old stores,
patronized by lumbermen. For several years, while lumbering was
at its height, Pickering & Frink, a firm from New Hampshire, con-
ducted one of these stores on land owned by George Woodbury.
They afterward retired from the business and left the town. The old
building was moved down by the river, about 1856, and fitted up as
the dwelling of Bradley Hall. On the corner opposite the school
house, where H. W. Gaslin now is, Samuel Lawton opened a store,
about 1856. After a few years he was succeeded by Benjamin Run-
nell, and he in turn by James H. Covel. In 1885 Henry W. Gaslin
bought the place, added a good dwelling to the store property, and
still continues in general trade.
Industries.— Some vessels were built along the river bank during
the first half of this century, which fact appears among the industries
752 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of the county. About 1850 a man named James Black built a fishing
schooner in his door-yard on the river road, and hauled it to the
Blanchard wharf — later Brown's wharf — where he launched his craft.
Chelsea Heights, in the northwest part of the town, on the river, is
thickly settled. Business began here briskly at an early day. A ferry
was kept by Joseph Haskell, and on the point near by Daniel H.
Weeks opened a general store. Ephraira Rolf has a ferry there now
for foot passengers; it is at the Hallowell road, so called. In this part
of the town Horace Weeks had a store; the site now belongs to John
Bishop. Weeks was, for several years, succeeded by Alden Jackson.
About 1836 a firm, Nute & Durban, built a store just east of the
Jackson store. Durban died after a few years and Nute moved away.
Then Frank A. Day and Alden Jackson formed a copartnership. The
partnership was afterward dissolved, and Day continued the business
for several years alone. The building was burned in 1858, after hav-
ing been remodeled and occupied as a dwelling. A dock was built
near here, in the thirties, by Doctor Brainard; but it soon fell into
disuse.
There are no villages within the limits of the town. The settle-
ment in the eastern territory of the town is called Cooperstown, from
the name of the early settlers of that part. Religious services are
held in the school house of District No. 6.
Togus is a very important center, being the site of the Eastern
Home for D. V. S., of which particulars will be found at page 106.
The Kennebec Central railway crosses the town, extending from
Randolph to Togus, and affording the inhabitants of the town many
facilities.
The Hallowell and East Pittston post offices are .so near that the
Chelseans have been generally well supplied with mail facilities. An
office was opened in 1882 in the town, at Grange Hall, with Stephen
Cobb as postmaster. He was succeeded in 1886 by Freeman Y.
Barker. In 1889 Patrick Hayes, the present incumbent, was appointed.
He also keeps the store. This Grange Hall was built in 1878 by a
stock company. During the autumn of that year the store was run by
the Grange, and in 1884 A. F. P. Collins and Otis Douglass purchased
the stock in trade. Mr. Douglass sold to J. M. Richardson, and, later,
Patrick Hayes purchased the interests of both. The hall over the
store is the place of meeting of the Sons of Temperance and the
Grange.
Societies. — The Lodge of the Sons of Temperance, No. 5, was
organized May 2, 1870, at Togus, by ten charter members. Rev.
George B. Barber, chaplain at the home, was the first W. P. He was
succeeded by G. D. D'Orsay; then by a Mr. Haney. After about three
years the place of meeting was changed to its present neighborhood,
and the successive worthy patriarchs have been: W. T. Searls, Thomas
TOWN OF CHELSEA. 753
Searls, Patrick Hayes, Stephen Cobb, Mrs. Julia A. Farnliam, H. A.
Farnham, E. H. Collins, A. F. P. Collins, Mrs. Minnie J. Libby, Willie
O. Cobb, Edmund Searls, Mrs. Harriet E. Cobb, O. E. Farnham, Maria
E. Collins, Mrs. Annie L. Hayes, Mrs. Julia Barker, Miss Lena Mc-
Kay, Robert McKay, Arthur N. Douglass, Mrs. Nellie Collins, John
E. Meader, Miss Eva Searls, Mrs. Frank Cobb, Miss Katie A. McKay,
W. K. Thompson, Mrs. N. M. Heminway, Miss Florence E. Thomp-
son and Thomas Searls. The Lodge now numbers eighty members.
Chelsea Grange, No. 215, v.'hich meets in the hall, was organized
March 4, 1876, by twenty-nine charter members. For two and a half
years previous to this the society met in the school house. A store
was kept around the neighborhood in different families until the hall
was opened, when the stock was gathered there. The master overseers
of the Grange have been: William T. Searls, A. N. Douglass, Stephen
Cobb, F. Y. Barker, Eugene H. Collins, Hiram A. Farnham and Pat-
rick Hayes. W. T. Searls has acted as presiding officer for much of
the time, and was reelected in 1891 He and F. Y. Barker have
been the acting secretaries most of the time since the organization.
Fifty members now enjoy the social and business advantages of the
order.
The strong temperance element of the town is represented by
Pleasant Lodge, No. 9, 1. O. of G. T. It assembles weekly at the school
house in District No. 9, and contains over thirty active members. The
chief templars since the organization, in 1887, have been: James E.
Blanchard, Henry Clark, William B. Trask, James A. Clough, H. C.
Stevens, John B. Aldrich, Mrs. A. A. Sampson, Frank Stevens, Martin
Nelson and Frank Gilpatrick. The Lodge deputy is L F. Plummer.
Civil History. — From the incorporation of Hallowell until the
erection of Chelsea into a separate municipality the civil history is
inseparable from that of Hallowell, of which the territory was a part.
The citizens of the East side (now Chelsea) were chosen as officers,
and in every way performed their share in the growth and advance-
ment of the whole town. The roads were few and poorly worked in
those early days. A strip of territory fifty rods on the river was
allowed to be set off to Pittston (now Randolph). In 1851, the first
municipal year of Chelsea, $200 was raised for the poor, and more
especial care was given to the laying out of proper burial places. No
pound had been built by the old town on this side of the river, and
none was sufficiently needed to require the expense. For several
years good men, who had suitable yards, were willing to be pound
masters, using their own barn-yards and stables. In 1853 it was voted
that William Littlefield, A. Griffin and Rufus Clark be pound keepers,
and use their own yards and stables. In 1860 the entire eighteen
field drivers were made pound keepers, using their own barn-yards
for the purpose.
754 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
A house for the poor has not been necessary, although in 1867 it
was voted to buy or rent a house, if tlie selectmen thought fit. That
year $950 was voted for the poor, but the custom of letting the keep-
ing to the lowest bidder has prevailed, and is yet in vogue, with satis-
factory results to all concerned. The vote of the town has been for
temperance, and in 1867, when called to vote on an amendment, it de-
cided for the law of 1858, instead of that of 1856. In 1859 the vote
was seven to one against aiding to build with Hallowell the bridge
across the river; and by a consistent, conservative course the town
long ago paid up its war debt, after promptly doing every duty, and
is now in an excellent condition financially. Party politics is no hin-
drance to the good management of town affairs, and the best men are
elected as its officers.
Since the organization of the town the following have been elected
selectmen, the year of election and the number of years of service,
although not always consecutive, being given: F. A. Day for 1851;
John M. Davenport for 1851, and 5 years; Thomas Searls, 1851, 4 years;
F. B. Davis, 1852, 3; Stephen Lawton, 1852; Josiah F. Morrill, 1853, 5;
Alonzo Tenney, 1855, 3; Orrin Emerson, 1856, 6; Adoniram Griffin,
1856, 2; N. R. Winslow, 1857, 16; George Brown, 1858, 4: J. F. Morrill,
1859, 6; John Davis, 1860; H. D. Doe, 1861, 2; John Davenport, 1863,
2; Edwin H. Blanchard, 1865, 2; Charles H. Davenport, 1867, 2; Albert
N. Douglass, 1867, 9; E. F. Longfellow, 1868; William T. Searls, 1869,
16; S. W. Barker, 1870; Alfred Davenport, 1872; William W. Hanker-
son, 1872, 6; Stephen Cobb, 1873, 2; Almon Carson, 1873; Jonathan
Laiton, 1876; J. B. Packard, 1877; James T. Brown, 1878; L. H. Trask,
1879; H. N. Laiton, 188L 2; James E. Blanchard, 1882, 2; J. S. Tenney,
1885, 2; William E. Trask, 1884; A. A. Sampson, 1886, 4; F. C. Header,
1888, 3; C. H. Blanchard, 1889, 2; O. W. Littlefield, 1890; O. F. Cooper,
1892.
The successive Clerks of the town, with the dates of their election,
have been: 1851, Ebenezer Freeman; 1863, Frank W. Barker; 1864,
Stephen Cobb; 1869, Samuel W. Barker; 1871, J. C. Barker; 1876, Ben
Tenney; 1879, J. E. Blanchard; 1880, J. B. Packard; 1884. S. A. Cobb—
Stephen Cobb to fill vacancy; 1885, Otis Littlefield; 1889, Isaac F.
Plummer; and since 1891, C. H. Watson.
The Treasurers, in order of succession, have been: 1851, F. A. Day;
1852, Ebenezer Freeman; 1863, C. H. Davenport; 1864, Thomas Searls;
1867, Samuel W. Barker; 1871, William W. Hankerson; 1875, Stephen
Cobb; 1878, J. L. Gray; 1880, William T. Searls; 1885, J. H. Hunt;
1886, James E. Blanchard; 1887, F. Y. Barker; and since 1890, John
Hale Yeaton.
Schools. — In 1787 one of the .school districts of old Hallowell em-
braced all the territory now included in Chelsea. The growth of the
community led to divisions and subdivisions of this district, and in
TOWN OF CHELSEA. 755
1851 the town of Chelsea re-numbered the districts and appointed a
committee in each. In 1852 divisions and alterations were made in
district limits to better and more equally accommodate all the patrons.
At this time $600 a year was voted for school purposes. In 1860 dis-
tricts 4 and 7 were consolidated into No. 8. Ten years later, in 1870,
the town voted $1,050 for its schools, each district having a competent
officer whose duty it was to maintain the best possible school within
the amount of money apportioned to that district. Since 1890 there
have been nine divisions or districts.
No regular high school is kept, as the few who desire the benefits
of such an institution can obtain much better advantages in adjoining
towns. The school houses are comfortable, and are so located as to
best accommodate the pupils. Uniform text books are purchased by
the town and used in the schools.
Ecclesiastical. — The town contains no separate religious society.
The majority of professed Christians are Meihodists, and are generally
communicants of the church at Randolph. The pastor of the Ran-
dolph church preaches here once in two weeks, and this people are
considered within the Randolph charge. The few Baptists here also
sustain services, and a large and profitable Union Sunday school has
been organized by the two societies here, and regular services are
held.
The old church, now a town house, which stood on the river road
when built, was of great importance in its earliest days. Forty
years ago the audience room would be crowded with listeners at the
stated preachings; but death and removals thinned the ranks. About
1866 the church was moved to its present site, it being hoped that this
step would resuscitate its usefulness; but in 1883 it was given to the
town, if that body would keep it in repair and allow preaching within
its walls, as needed.
Cemeteries. — There are several burying places in the town, four
being in care of the town, and others m care of the families to whom
they belong. One, a town ground, is at Togus, on the road to Ran-
dolph, and is well kept. The government has one for the home,
which is in its care. The Stickney ground is on the Augusta road,
and is well fenced and cared for. The Goodwin yard, on the river
road, is also in care of the town. It is well fenced, but is not used.
An ancient burial place on the land of William Chase, near the river,
indicates the condition into which a family cemetery can fall by
neglect. No fence surrounds it, the brush and trees on its surface
being its only protection from encroachment. The Davenport ground,
on Alfred Davenport's land, contains the remains of the older mem-
bers of the family. It is walled in, and not used by others. The Lit-
tlefield ground, on Horace Littlefield's farm, is a well-kept family yard.
The Trask ground, on the farm of James Trask, is not only a family
756 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
yard, but others have been buried there. It is surrounded by a sub-
stantial wall.
The father of George E. Morrill gave a small plot of ground to the
town for a cemetery, which is in use on the Morrill farm. It is well
cared for. Thomas Searls laid out a small ground on his farm, just be-
yond the residence of W. T. Searls, where himself and deceased mrem-
bers of the family rest. It is situated on a knoll surrounded by a neat
picket fence. It is used by the family only. Across the road from
this cemetery A. N. Douglass has opened a burying ground in whicb
lots can be purchased. It is on high ground, and when fenced prop-
erly will be a pleasant spot.
At the annual town meetings for many years past a sexton, with
care of the hearse, has been appointed.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
George H. Ames, born February 15, 1840, is a son of Asa and Bet-
sey (Hunton) Ames. He was in the quartermaster's department in
the United States army from 1864 until 1865. From 1869 until 1884
he was a marble cutter at Hallowell, and since 1884 has been deputy
sheriff in Chelsea. He married Pamelia A., daughter of George-
Evans, and they have one daughter, Carrie A. (Mrs. Fred A.
Hinckley).
Edwin H. Blanchard is one of Chelsea's enterprising and success-
ful farmers. He married August 7, 1853, Charlotte A., daughter of
James and Martha J. (Coss) Brown, and granddaughter of James and
Hannah (Meady) Brown. Their only son, James E., is mentioned at
page 94.
Eugene A. Brown, born January 30, 1851, is a son of James F. and
Olive (Wells) Brown, grandson of Nathaniel and Nancy (Lyon) Brown^
and great-grandson of Joseph and Charlotte (Tinges) Brown. Mr.
Brown is a farmer in Chelsea, though he devotes some attention tc^
.shoemaking. He married June 18, 1870, Jennie L. Dunton, who is
overseer of the stitching department of the Hallowell shoe factory.
Their children are: Burton, Eugene and Carrie May.
George Brown. — John Brown', born in England in 1715, emi-
grated to America about 1750, and settled in Charlestown, Mass.. where
he was a man of wealth and influence. He was loyal to the British at
the beginning of the revolution, and refused to take any precaution
for the protection of his property from the British invaders, declaring
that the fact of his loyalty to the king would be sufficient protection.
When Charlestown was attacked his house was the first to be de-
stroyed, and with it the family silver and other valuables. He soon
after removed to Nova Scotia, with those of his sons who favored the
Crown, his wife and part of the children remaining in Massachusetts,
but none of the large estate was ever secured to them.
^-iMl-^^ ^^^-^
TOWN OF CHELSEA. 75T
Joseph Brown", one of the sons, was born in Charlestown, Mass.,
in 1754. He married Charlotte Tinges, of Massachusetts, in 1777, and
soon after came to Maine, settling on the east bank of the Kennebec
river, opposite the island that has since borne his name. He was a
successful farmer and lumberman until his death, in 1825.
James Brown^ one of his ten children, was born at the homestead
April 14, 1782, where he died October 27,1858. His business and saw
mill operations in Chelsea are noticed in the earlier pages of this
chapter. His wife, Hannah Meady, bore him nine children: Hannah,
Thomas, James, David, John, George, Lucy, Charlotte and Eliza.
George Brown', the sixth of this family, was born September 30,-
1816, on the farm where he now lives, which has been in the family
for more than a century. The common school education which he
received served to stimulate rather than to satisfy his taste for knowl-
edge. The foundation thus laid has been built upon by a thorough
course of reading, which he has pursued regularly for the past fifty
years. He is thoroughly conversant with the topics of the day, as well
as sacred and profane history, of which he has been a close and criti-
cal student for many years.
Being a farmer, he has always been keenly interested in the im-
provements of agriculture, and has been a prominent factor in various
agricultural organizations. He was the first president of the South
Kennebec Agricultural Society, and is now serving his fourth term in
that position.
He is a republican in politics, and though not a politician, he has
been several times chosen to fill responsible offices in his native town.^
He has been a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church
since 1843, and his habits and character are above reproach.
His first marriage, May 13, 1841. was with Mary A. Thomas, a sister
of Captain J. B. Thomas, mentioned in Chapter XXVH. She died
August 6, 1875, leaving one daughter, Araminta T., now Mrs. Green-
leaf W. Ward, of Vassalboro. Her two children are: Mary Brown and
Josephine Thomas Ward.
Mr. Brown's second marriage, which occurred March 14, 1877, was
with Mrs. Abbie J. Clifford, widow of Captain Edwin W.Clifford. She
is a daughter of Green and Sarah J. (Greeley) Longfellow, of Augusta.
Mrs. Brown is a lady of genial bearing, a broad, well disciplined
mind, and rare courage. She made several sea voyages with Captain
Clifford, who commanded vessels in the merchant service. While on
these voyages she studied navigation as a pastime, and when the ne-
cessity came of putting her knowledge of chart and compass to the
test, her courage was not wanting. During her last sea voyage, which
was on the brig bearing her name, while south of the equator. Cap-
tain Clifford, his mate, steward, and two of his seamen died of yellow
fever. She, the only person left on board who understood navigation.
758 HISTORY OF KF.XNEBEC COUNTY.
assumed command of the vessel on the 10th of April, 1872, and with
the aid of her crew brought it with its valuable cargo, to New York,
her port of destination, arriving on the 12th of May, 1872.
Here, in Chelsea, on the shore of the beautiful Kennebec, Mr.
Brown is passing in rural peace the evening time of an active day,
enjoying with his estimable wife, the well-merited esteem of a wide
circle of intelligent contemporaries.
William S. Chase, born in 1846, son of John and Eliza (Maker)
Chase, and grand,son of Samuel Chase, is a farmer, owning a farm of
what is called the intervale of Chelsea. His first wife, Mary Hum-
phreys, died leaving one daughter, Maud. His present wife was
Abbie Winter. Their children are: Fred, vSamuel E. and William A.
Henry M. Clark, youngest of three sons of Henry and Sarah (Stick-
ney) Clark, and grandson of Thomas Clark, was born in 1854. His
father died in 1859, aged forty-nine years. Mr. Clark is a farmer. He
married Mildreth, daughter of Thomas J. Fitzgerald, and their chil-
dren are: Arobene, Inza and William J. Mr. Clark has two brothers
— George T., of California, and James W., who lives at the home-
stead.
Stephen Cobb, son of Benjamin Cobb, was born in 1830 in Pitts-
field, and died in Chelsea in 1886. He came to Chelsea from his na-
tive town, where he was teacher and farmer, and held various town
offices. He served one year in the late war in Company K, 21.st Maine,
enlisting as orderly sergeant. He married Harriet, sister of William
T. Searls, of Chelsea. Their children were: Stephen A., Charles S.,
William O., George A., Hattie M., Florence E. and three that died.
Alfred Davenport*, born September 22, 1807, is the only surviving
child of Jonathan' and Joanna (Bradbury) Davenport (Jonathan' and
Susanah White Davenport, Ebenezer' and Submit Howe Davenport,
Ebenezer", and Thomas Davenport', who was at Dorchester, Mass., in
1640). Jonathan Davenport' came from Dorchester, Mass., to the
farm where Alfred now lives in 1762, and was the fir.st town clerk of
Hallowell. Mr. Davenport married Almira, daughter of Thomas and
granddaughter of Thomas Kennedy. Her mother, Sally, was a daugh-
ter of Joseph and granddaughter of John Weeks. They have one
adopted daughter, Elizabeth S. (Mrs. F. E. Sager).
Alonzo P. Gardner, born in 1838, is a son of Ambrose and Lucinda
(Howe) Gardner, and grandson of Joel Gardner, who came from Vas-
salboro to Chelsea, where he owned and operated a saw mill which
was afterward owned and run by his son, Ambrose. Mr. Gardner
spent five years in California. Since 1864 he has owned the home-
stead where he now lives. He is a farmer and keeps a livery stable.
He married Frances M., daughter of Jacob Pike, and has one son,
John H.
Henry W. Gaslin, born in 1830 in Vassalboro, is a son of Jacob and
TOWN OF CHELSEA. 759
Ann (Palmer) Gaslin, and grandson of John Gaslin, who came from
Ireland when two years old and was among- the early settlers of Vas-
salboro. Mr. Gaslin was a saw mill operator and farmer until 1865, and
from that time until 1881 he was at sea, mostly as engineer of a steamer
between New York and Savannah. He was a farmer in Chelsea from
1881 until June, 1885, since which time he has kept a store at Togus.
He married Emeline, daughter of Adam and Betsey (Bailey) Hutchin-
son. Their children were: Josephine, and one that died, Hettie.
John L. Gray, son of Benjamin and Alice (Withem) Gray, was born
in Dresden, Me., August 22, 1807. He learned the blacksmith trade
with his father and followed that trade in connection with farming
and cattle driving until 1874. He lived in China from 1840 until 1863,
when he came to Pittston, and in 1874 came to the farm where he now
lives. He was selectman of China two terms, several terms juror at
Augusta and one term juror in the United States circuit court at Port-
land; and was twice chosen to represent his district in the house of
representatives. His book learning was limited, but his practical
knowledge has been demonstrated by the public positions he has held.
His first marriage was with Elizabeth Francis. Their children were:
John C, Lemuel (deceased^ Lydia, Harriet and Dora. John C. is a
lawyer at Oroville, Cal., where he was made judge in 1890. Mr. Gray's
present wife was Margaret Given.
Daniel S. Heath, born in 1847, is a son of Shurbern and Hannah J.
(Clifford) Heath, grandson of David and great-grandson of Asa Heath.
vShurbern Heath was a cooper by trade and came from New Hamp-
shire to Pittston in 1836. Daniel S. was engaged as toll gatherer and
assistant tender on the Gardiner and Pittston bridge from 1865 until
1890. In 1889 he bought the N. R. Winslow farm, where he now
lives.
J. Howard Hunt, born November 28, 1840, is a son of Caleb, grand-
son of Ephraim, and great-grandson of Daniel Hunt, of Wareham,
Mass. His mother, Hannah, was a daughter of Philip Bullen, son of
Samuel Bullen, who in 1763 came from Billerica, Mass., to what is now
Chelsea, and the same year received a deed from the original Ken-
nebec proprietors for the farm where Mr. Hunt now lives. Mr. Hunt
was two years treasurer and collector of the town and has held other
town offices. He married Ann M., daughter of Wentworth Hayes, and
their children are: Millie M., Chauncey W., Marcia H:, Sadie E., Han-
nah B. and Maurice, who died in infancy.
Joseph E. Lewis, born in Bowdoin in 1843, is a son of Thomas
S. Lewis and grandson of Captain Thomas M. Lewis. He served two
years in the late war in Company B, 15th Maine; he enlisted as private
and was discharged as quartermaster sergeant. He was a bookkeeper
in Boston until 1870, and since that time has been a machinist and
engineer. Since June 1, 1887, he has been chief engineer at the
'760 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
National Home, at Togus. He married in Boston, in 1867, Marcella
Rogers, of Windsor, who died June 22, 1892. They had three children:
Ralph, J. Arthur and Byron.
Otis W. Littlefield, born March 19, 1843, is a son of William and
Sarah Louisa (Whitten) Littlefield, grandson of William B. and great-
grandson of Seth Littlefield, who died in 1804, and was buried in the
family cemetery on the farm where he settled when he came to the
town. Mr. Littlefield is engaged in farming and the milk business,
and owns and occupies the Major Stickney farm of 125 acres. He was
one year selectman, four years town clerk and one year auditor of
Chelsea. His wife, Emma J. Turner, died leaving eight children:
Ella A., Louie F., A. Belle, Charles O., Fred W., Harry R., Clara L.
and Lucy E.
Palmer S. Moody, born in 1825, is a son of Richard and Polly
(Cooper) Moody, and grandson of Scribner and Martha (Bailey)
Moody. He is a farmer, and in 1850 settled on the farm where he
now lives. He married Antoinette W., daughter of Benjamin and
Eunice (Fountain) Hall.
Lsaac F. Plummer, born in 1854, at Jefferson, is a son of Isaac and
Lucinda Plummer, and grandson of Benjamin Plummer. He has lived
in Chelsea since 1869, where he is a farmer. He has devoted some
attention to local newspaper correspondence. He served as town clerk
in 1889 and 1890.
John Pope, born in 1823, in Windsor, was a son of Edward and
Hannah (Tibbets) Pope. He was engaged in various kinds of busi-
ness in Windsor, where he lived for several years. In 1883 he came
to Chelsea, where he died in July, 1887. He married in 1846, Mary A.,
daughter of James and Betsey (Johnson) Given, and granddaughter
of David Given. Their two children were: Algie M., who died, and
Lizzie A.
Mark L. Rollins, born in 1843, is one of three sons of Washington
and Hannah (Little) Rollins, and grandson of Nathaniel Rollins, who
was a soldier in the war of 1812. He has devoted his attention to
various business enterprises, including the ice, milk and meat busi-
ness. Since 1889 he has been constable of Chelsea. He was repre-
sentative from his district in 1890 and was appointed deputy sheriff
August 11, 1891. He married Etta S., daughter of Benjamin Flitner,
of Pittston.
Ashford A. Sampson, born in 1844 in Bowdoinham, is a son of
•Cannon and Eleanor (Jack) Sampson. Mr. Sampson was employed
from 1864 until 1884 at the insane hospital at Augusta, fourteen years
of the time as head farmer. Since 1884 he has lived in Chelsea and
is a farmer. He is now one of the board of selectmen. He married
Mary Frazier, of Pictou, N. S. Their children are: Ella M., William
A. and Donald F.
TOWN OF CHELSEA. 761
William T. Searls, whose father's father and whose mother's
father both came from Walpole, N. H., to Wilton, Me., was born Sep-
tember 1, 1833, in Pittston. His father, Thomas Searls, born August
11, 1803, at Wilton, Me., was the second of twelve children. At the
age of twelve years he lost his left leg from the effects of a fever sore.
When he was fourteen years old he came from Wilton to Pittston,
where he learned the tailor's trade, but not liking the business, he
afterward learned shoemaking, and followed that business till 1833,
when he came to what was then East Hallowell, now Chelsea.
April 9, 1829, Thomas Searls married Mary A. Kidder, of Pittston,
by whom he had three boys and three girls. Two boys, the younger
of whom is the William T. of this sketch, and one girl were born in
Pittston. The home of Thomas and his family, the first winter they
spent in East Hallowell, was a camp near the Togus stream. One
Sunday he found a good water power on that stream, and the next
year (1834), in company with Philip Bullen and James Brown, he
built a saw mill there, and each of the three men built a house near
by, all of which are gone now. In 1850 Thomas Searls' first wife died
and the same year he married Malintha D. Towns, by whom he had
one boy and three girls. He was active, observing and intelligent.
He paid considerable attention to Freemasonry, in which he was well
advanced and well informed. He was a strong temperance man.
Such a man usually has a taste for public affairs, and we accordingly
find him a selectman in I8.0I, 1858 and 1860, and moderator of town
meeting in 1857. He was also overseer of the poor in 1861, school
committee in 1863, town collector and treasurer in 1863, 1864 and 1865,
and in 1866 he was again a selectman. His active and useful life
clo.sed in 1877.
Such a father would train his children to habits of industry and
mental growth. William T. went to .school wmters and learned dur-
ing the balance of the year the routine of farm and mill work, till he
was nineteen years of age. Two years later, in 1854, he bought fifty-
four acres of land of his father, and went to work and paid for it.
Later he purchased another farm, cut and sold a great deal of hay,
bought a press and helped his neighbors get their hay ready for
market. This kind of indu.stry and thrift soon paid for the second
farm. Later on, a few years after the decease of his brother, David,
which occurred in 1863, he purchased the farm he left, nearly all of
which is in his possession now.
November 29, I860,, he married Susan R. Tasker, daughter of Ben-
jamin and Mahala (Savage) Tasker, of Readfield, now part of Man-
chester. Their children have been: Susan E., born August 16, 1802,
now a school teacher; Herbert W., born January 31, 1864, died March
€, 1882; Edmund D., born April 13, 1869; Thomas, born July 31, 1871;
-Mary A., born May 25, 1876; Sadie E., born December 13, 1878, and
702 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
died March 7, 1880: and Lettie B., born June 13, 1880. Edmund D.,
Thomas and Mary A. are all at the Kents Hill school.
Successful management of private affairs is one good measure of
ability for public service. In this case there was evidently an adapta-
tion for both. In 1861 Mr. Searls was elected one of the constables
of Chelsea, and held the office sixteen of the ensuing twenty years.
Between 1868 and 1891 he served fifteen years as selectman, overseer
of the poor and assessor, acting as chairman ten of those years. He
was collector of taxes and treasurer for his town five years, and was
chosen moderator from 1886 to 1891. He has been a member of the
board of health since that law was passed and for a while was deputy
sheriff.
Mr. Searls was elected a member of the legislature, where he served
on the insane hospital and on the public printing committees. He has
always been a republican, and since he was twenty years old he has
been an active member and for many years an officer in the Randolph
Methodist Episcopal church. As soon as his age made him eligible
he was made a Mason by Hermon Lodge, Gardiner, to which he still
belongs. When the Chelsea Grange, P. of H., was organized he be-
came its first master, and has been master or secretary nearly every
year since. He has been identified for twenty years with the Sons of
Temperance and was the first citizen of Chelsea to join Soldiers' Di-
vision, No. 5.
This is a partial record of the life of a faithful man, not yet sixty
years old. Mr. and Mrs. Searls have a bright, promising family and a
happy home — the greatest of earthly blessings.
Alden W. vStevens, son of Reuben Stevens, was born in Northfield,
Mass., in 1848. He was in the army three months in 1861, and from
December, 1863, to August, 1866, was in the 57th Massachusetts, Com-
pany F. In July, 1883, he came to the National Home at Togus,
where he was an inmate until March, 1890, when he was discharged.
While at the home he was employed in the treasurer's office one year
and in the post office the balance of his stay there. Since 1890 he has
kept an eating saloon and cigar store one mile north of Togus. He
married in 1890, Harriet, daughter of John Smith, of England. She
came to America in 1872.
James S. Tenney, born in 1851, is a son of Enoch A. and Sarah O.
(White) Tenney and grandson of Samuel Tenney. He is a farmer
and owns the farm that was owned by his mother's father, James
White, and was settled by his father, Benjamin White. Mr. Tenney
was two years selectman of Chelsea. He married Ann Elizabeth
Chapman.
William E. Trask, born in 1837, is a son of Samuel and Alvira
Trask and grandson of Edwin, whose father, Joseph, was a son of
Samuel Trask. Mr. Trask is a farmer, and in 1870 he bought the farm
TOWN OF CHELSEA. 763
of one hundred acres where he now lives. He married M. Ellen,
daughter of James and Martha J. (Coss) Brown, and granddaughter of
James and Hannah (Meady) Brown. Mrs. Trask died March 12, 1890,
leaving three children: Etta A. (Mrs. Samuel Packard), William B.
and Bessie A.
Colonel Ezra C. vStevens, born in Gardiner in 1845, is a son of Ezra A.
and Naomi Stevens. He was educated in the public schools and at
Hallowell Academy. He served seventeen years as chief clerk in the
railway mail service between Boston and Bangor, and four years as
post office inspector, having charge of the First division, which includes
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and the northern section of New
York. He was postmaster at Hallowell and was appointed by Gov-
ernor Marble as municipal judge, but declined to serve ; was private
secretary to Governors Bodwell, Marble and Burleigh; also commis-
sioned by Governor Burleigh as aid-de-camp on his military staff, with
rank of lieutenant colonel. Mr. Stevens has been a resident of Chel-
sea for the past six years, where he is trial justice. He is a republican
and has always taken an active part in politics.
George Woodbury, son of William and Martha (Murry) Woodbury,
was born in Wind.sor in 1824, and has lived in Chelsea since 1840,
where he has been engaged in saw mill work and farming. He was
several years employed by the government running a steam saw mill
on the Togus Home property. He married in 1S50, Emelme, daugh-
ter of John and Jane (Freeman) Dearborn, and granddaughter of
Henry and Permelia (McKnight) Dearborn.
John H. Yeaton, born in Chelsea in 1S2C, is a son of John and Abi-
gail (Rollins) Yeaton, and grandson of Phineas and Pheba Yeaton,
who came from Berwick to Chelsea in 1798. Mr. Yeaton went to Bos-
ton in 1845, where he learned the carpenter's 'trade, and from May,
1859, until he bought the farm where he now lives in 1879, he was
employed at the insane hospital and nearly all the time he had charge
of the carpenter work there. He married Cynthia D. Howe, and their
children are: Frank H., who is a farmer and contractor on the Pacific
coast; George A., who was traveling salesman for several years, but
is now at home helping to run the farm; and Sarah C, deceased.
Joseph Young, born in 1827, is one of eleven children of Thomas
and Rebecca (Kies) Young and grandson of Hezekiah Young, who
was born in England and died in Wiscasset, Me. Mr. Young followed
the sea for six years and from 1850 to 1866 he was gold mining in
California. Since 1867 he has lived in Chelsea, a farmer on a part of
the old Davis farm. He married Catherine, daughter of Joseph H.
Ellis. Their children are: Allen J., Fannie P., William H., Katie M.,
Fred B. and George T. Thomas Young was a soldier in the war of
1812. He came from Damariscotta to Kennebec county in 1828.
49
CHAPTER XXX.
TOWN OF MONMOUTH.
By Harry H. Cochrane.
Land Features. — Ponds. — Indian Names. — Area. — Boundaries.— Surface.— Soil.
— Settlers. — Civil History. — Churches. — Schools. —Villages. — Post Offices. —
Societies. — Military. — Industries. —Personal Paragraphs.
WITH its breastwork of hills guarding every quarter, and its out-
lying moat of ponds and streams, Monmouth, as it appears
on the map, is a strong reminder of one of the baronial fast-
nesses of the days of the Plantagenets. On the north, Mount Pisgah,
catching afoothold on the boundary, springs far above all neighbor-
ing hills, and descends with a long sweep along the Wayne line to the
foot of Berry pond, in Winthrop, nearly four miles from its starting
point. From the crown of this hill the range of view over-reaches
everything in the north and east to Mount Desert, the Camden hills and
Mars hill, and the Haystacks of Aroostook county, except the Dix-
mont mountains. East from Pisgah, a short chain of low hills follows
the northern boundary down to the shore of South pond, where it
meets another range which passes through the center of the town,
swelling up at a point about half its length, and again at its south-
ern terminus, into two prominent hills which respectively bear the
names of Stevens' and Sawyer's. A chain on the east, the highest
points of which are known as Pease and Oak hills, follows the line to
its southern extremity, where it throws off the shoot known as the
Ridge, which, again, clings to the southern boundary. On the west a
high range commanding a grand view of the Oxford hills and White
mountains rises from the rim of the Cochnewagan, and, bearing a little
east of north, gradually descends with a series of bounds until it falls
at the foot of Mount Pi.sgah.
From the northwest to southeast angles, five ponds with their
tributaries form a complete water line; while the first of these, the
Androscoggin, stretches out a long arm which cross-stitches the
entire western boundary, and nearly meets the Jocmunyaw on the
south. Before the days of dams and bridges, the native boatman
could, by carrying his canoe over short portages, aggregating only
about two miles, circumnavigate the town — a distance of more than
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 765
twenty miles. Of these ponds, the one lying next to the Androscog-
gin received the name Wilson, from a white hunter who was drowned
in it by Indians. The next two south are Anabessacook, generally
called South Pond, and the Cobbosseecontee. Concerning the name
of the Cochnewagan, a pond about one and a half miles long by one-
half mile wide near the Center village, there is considerable contro-
versy. Drake, who is considered good authority on questions relating to
the aborigines, claims that the literal translation of the word is, " a place
of praying Indians^' while the natives themselves cling to the inter-
pretation, " a battle, or fight." From abundant evidence, both tra-
ditional and circumstantial, we are led to believe that the celebrated
Cochnewagas who, in 1690, destroyed the town of Schenectady, N. Y.,
once made the shores of this pond their camping ground. The Joc-
munyaw received its name from John — or " Jock," as he was familiarly
known — Munyaw, who made the banks of the stream his principal
resort.
The town of Monmouth embraces an area of nearly twenty-five
square miles. It was originally a part of the Plymouth patent, and
when incorporated as a plantation included the territory now the
town of Wales. It is nearly square, with its northwest, southeast and
southwest angles a trifle acute; although the comparatively recent
sacrifice of a few acres on the north and south to the towns of Win-
throp and Wales has broken the geometrical straightness of the lines.
It is bounded on the north by Winthrop and Wayne, on the east by
Litchfield and the Cobbosseecontee, south by Wales, and on the west
by Greene and Leeds. The surface is generally broken, abounding in
rich, gravelly loam, resting on a sparsely covered granite base, which
crops out frequently in the northeastern part of the town. The soil
is admirably adapted to farming and orcharding, and, in its primeval
state, supported some of the heaviest timber ever grown in Maine.
It is claimed that of all the lots into which the territory was subdi-
vided, not one proved unproductive.
Early Settlers. — Thomas Gray, an old hunter and trapper, liv-
ing in that part of Brunswick known as New Meadows, while on a
hunting expedition discovered the chain of lakes that encircles the
town. He returned to his neighbors with glowing accounts of the
wonderful section abounding in fine meadow grass — a product of con-
siderable importance in those days — and so excited them that they
determined to join him in forming a settlement on the newly discov-
ered territory. In the summer or fall of 1774, Gray, accompanied by
Reuben Ham, Joseph Allen, Philip Jenkins and Jonathan Thompson,
all from New Meadows, came in to cut and stack a quantity of " blue-
joint " and fell some trees. The following winter, as soon as the
streams were frozen, Gray and his son, James, a lad of fourteen or fif-
teen years, drove in the cattle belonging to these men and built a rude
766 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
log hut. This— the first cabin erected between Winthrop and Web-
ster— stood somewhere on the meadow south of D. H. Deai'born's. All
their provisions, as well as cooking- utensils and other necessary arti-
cles, were brought in on their backs. The following spring Gray,
Ham, Allen, Jenkins and Thompson moved in with their families.
Gray settled on land now owned by D. H. Dearborn, and the others on
adjacent lots farther south.
The first few years a large portion of the provisions had to be pro-
cured at Brunswick, Topsham and Bath. When the crops failed these
men were often obliged to make their way through the tangled forest
a distance of twenty-five miles to purcha.se corn, and then return with
it on their backs. It was no uncommon thing for one of them to carry a
bushel the entire distance in a day. Wild meat was abundant. Part-
ridges could be shot from the door-way, and bears, moose and deer
captured without difficulty. When Gray took up his lot, there was a
family of beavers living in the meadow southeast of D. H. Dearborn's.
They had a large dam, the remains of which may still be seen. He
set a trap for them, but when, after a few days, he returned to carry
away his beaver, he found neither game nor trap. After a long and
unavailing search, he cut a hole in the dam, letting the water out, and
found his trap on the bed of the brook with a stout beaver in its jaws.
On the bog between Monmouth and Leeds beaver-dams were then
abundant. The first two or three years after the Brunswick colony
was established, bears and moose were killed in large numbers. The
last moose killed in this vicinity was discovered by James Gray in
Sabattis swamp. The intrepidity of these pioneers was remarkable.
Thomas Gray carried to the grave a mangled and withered hand — the
result of holding it in a bears throat while Reuben Ham despatched
the animal from behind with an axe.
At the end of two years six other families came from New Meadows.
They were those of John Welch, Ichabod Baker, Alexander Thomp-
son, Hugh Mulloy, John Austin, and Benjaoni Austin. Welch built
his cabin a few rods west of M. L. Getchell's, and took up nearly two
hundred acres of wild land having for its northern boundary the range-
way on which Maple street was subsequently laid out, and extending
as far south as the northern limit of the land appropriated by Ichabod
Baker, who settled on the place now owned by Mrs. Ambrose Beal.
Welch was the lineal ancestor of Prof. Rodney Welch, of the Chicago
Tinies, and Lorettus S. Metcalf, founder and late editor of the Forum.
Thompson settled on the lot now known as the "Widow Ann Blake
place," on High street; Mulloy, on the farm now owned by R. G.
Bickford, south of the Center; John Austin, on the Blossom place,
which included all the land on the west side of Main street, between
Maple street and the town house, and Benjaoni Austin on the "great
bog," near the Leeds line. Benjaoni Austin was a man nearly sixty
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 767
years old. He asserted, with evident pride, that his grandfather was
a brother of the Indian King Philip.
Two years later, or about 1781, Peter Hopkins and Captain James
Blossom came in. Hopkins was an Englishman. He came from Bos-
ton, but probably stopped in Hallowell or Augusta before coming to
this place. He made a clearing on the farm now known as the John-
son place, at North Monmouth, near the Winthrop line. Captain
Blossom came from Barnstable, Cape Cod. He bought John Austin's
claim, and Austin went over to the " great bog '" and made a clearing
on the farm now owned by John Plummer. Blossom's cabin did not,
as many suppose, stand on the site of the "old Blossom house," now
the ell of Brown's Hotel, but beyond the upper dam, north of Cochne-
wagan pond. The Blossom farm embraced all the land now owned
by the heirs of the late Jacob Shorey.
In the course of a few months several other families moved from
New Meadows and joined their old neighbors. They were those of
James Weeks, Nathan Stanley, Zadoc Bishop, Christopher Stevens,
Samuel Simmons, William Welch, Samuel Welch, Edward Welch,
Oliver Hall, Timothy Wight and John Fish. Weeks settled on the J.
W. Coding farm. His cabin stood about half way between High
street and the residence of Miss Charlotte Harvey. He subsequently
sold his claim and moved into the edge of Winthrop. From Winthrop
he removed to Lewiston, and afterward exchanged places with Josiah
Straw and came back to Monmouth. Stanley settled on the place
where M. M. Richardson now lives. He sold his clearing to Joel
Chandler and removed to Winthrop, where many of his descendants
now reside. Zadoc Bishop built his cabin near the Wilson stream,
about twenty rods .southeast of the south wing of Gorden's mill-dam.
When General Dearborn built his mill at East Monmouth, he backed
the water up until it covered Bishop's farm almost to the door-stone.
He then removed to Bishop's hill, in Leeds. Christopher Stevens
settled on the corner lot at the junction of the main road from Win-
throp with the Academy road, a few rods north of the residence of
Benjamin Ellis.
The Welch brothers did not remain here long. One of them made
a clearing at the head of Cochnewagan pond, near the smelt brook.
Timothy Wight settled on the Bishop place, opposite J. P. Richard-
son's, near the Winthrop line. A few years later he exchanged farms
with Caleb Fogg who, in the meantime, had settled at the head of
Cochnewagan pond. Fish settled on the place where Benjamin Ellis
now lives. He was the first tavern keeper in the settlement. His
house was a rendezvous for all the tipplers of the place. He purchased
his liquors at Hallowell, and, as his pocket book never carried the
equivalent of more than two or three quarts of the " ardent " at one
768 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
time, must have been a valuable assistant in leveling the highwa)' be-
tween the settlement and Kennebec river.
In selecting lots these pioneers almost invariably made choice of
land in the vicinity of the meadows. When Gray and his companions
were cutting grass on the intervales, the summer before they started
the settlement, each man selected the land upon which he afterward
built his cabin. Gray, Allen, Ham, Jenkins and Thompson selected
the meadow east of D. H. Dearborn's; Austin, Welch, MuUoy. Blos-
som and Baker afterward settled near the meadow east of tho Center,
and Bishop and Hopkins near the lowlands irrigated by the Wilson
stream. The Austins and James Labree, John Austin's son-in-law,
who came through the woods from New Meadows soon after his wife's
relatives, drawing on a hand-sled all his worldly possessions, pitched
their tents near the Leeds bog.
A terrible disappointment awaited these men. It was commonly
reported that the land was once owned by one of the Vassals, a tory,
of Boston, and had been confiscated during the revolution; so the
early settlers called their new home Freetown. Those who came a
little later supposed that the payment of a few pence per acre to the
commonwealth, to which the estates would, by virtue of the confisca-
tion act, belong, would satisfy all demands. Great was their conster-
nation when the proprietor, who had returned to his estates as soon as
the treaty of peace was signed, demanded excessive payments on ac-
count of improvements that the .settlers themselves had made. They
immediately took action against the unjust claims, and bound them-
selves together by their " words, honors and the penal sum of one
hundred pounds, lawful money," to resist any attempt to recover more
than three shillings, lawful money, per acre for the land. Had they
purchased their lots when they first settled on them, this sum would
have been eagerly accepted by the proprietor; but after protracted
litigation and considerable resistance on the part of the settlers who,
in some instances, attempted to defend their rights by force of arms,
they were forced to succumb to a payment of two or three dollars per
acre.
Soon after the close of the revolutionary war, General Henry Dear-
born, whose renown as secretary of war and commander-in-chief of
the United States army it is necessary to mention only to distinguish
him from his nephew. General Dearborn, whom some of our older
citizens distinctly remember, came to look after the 5,000 acres of
wild land which he had taken in exchange for some property in New
Hampshire. He found, " squatting " on his purchase, Hugh MuUoy,
whom he ejected, after giving his note to the amount of " fifty Span-
ish milled dollars " for the clearing he had made. In this clearing
General Dearborn erected the first building in the settlement that
could, with propriety, be termed a house. It was, like the abodes of
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 7by
all the early inhabitants, built of logs; but the logs were hewed square,
and, in all points, it was far superior to the rude cabins by which it
was surrounded. This building was taken down at a date within the
writer's recollection, and used in framing one of the outbuildings on
the Bickford place.
Not far from 1782, two of General Dearborn's brothers— Simon and
Benjamin— and six neighbors— Caleb Fogg, James Norris, Josiah
Brown, Daniel Oilman, Gilman Moody and John Chandler— came from
Epping, N. H., and took up farms, principally on his land. At about
the same time, Daniel Allen, Peter Lyon, Josiah Whittredge, Gorden
Freas, Nathaniel Smith, Benjamin Stockin and Nathaniel Brainerd
came. Simon Dearborn found John Fish, the tavern keeper, on his
land. Fish refused to accept a reasonable compensation for his im-
provements, and defied Dearborn's claim. After considerable con-
test, in which Fish endeavored to gain by fraud what he could not by
right, he was forcibly expelled. Benjamin Dearborn settled on the
corner that bears his name, below the Center. He was a shoemaker,
as was, also, Josiah Brown, who settled a few rods south of him, on
the Wales road, where the ruins of the chimney he built may still be
.seen. The house was destroyed by fire a few years ago.
Caleb Fogg settled, first, at the head of Cochnewagan pond, and.
later, on the farm now owned and occupied by B. M. Prescott, on High
street. He served many years as an itinerant preacher of the Meth-
odist connection. Of a large' number of descendants, Rev. John B.
Fogg is the only one now living in the town who bears the name.
Daniel Oilman, the progenitor of all of that name now residing in
town, took up the farm now owned by Dea. Daniel Pierce, one mile
south of the Center. The lot then included the land of Mr. Stewart
on the opposite side of the road. Oilman, like many others, lost his
farm, and, at an advanced age, started anew on land opposite E. K
Prescott's, west of the academy, where he spent the remainder of his
days. His house disappeared many years ago. Gilman Moody made
a clearing at the head of Cochnewagan pond, which he exchanged,'
shortly, with Timothy Wight, for the Bishop place at North Mon-
mouth. Moody seems to have had a mania for making new clearings.
In addition to tho.se already mentioned, he partially cleared the farms
owned by George L. King, south of the Center, and that of Phineas
Nichols, at East Monmouth, on both of which he lived for a time, and
on the latter of which he died. He was a local preacher of the Meth-
odist church.
Daniel Allen settled at the outlet of South pond, Peter Lyon on the
Oreenlief .Smith place, on the main road between North Monmouth
and the Center, and Gorden Freas on the place owned by the late Mrs.
Nancy K. Prescott, north of the academy. He sold his possessions to
Captain Bewail Prescott and returned to New Hampshire. Nathaniel
770 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Brainerd and Thomas Stockin settled near the outlet of Wilson pond,
and Nathaniel Smith on the M. M. Richardson place, near Ellis'
Corner, which he purchased of Nathan Stanley. He subsequently
sold out to Abraham Morrill and moved over beyond Norris hill,
where he died. James Norris settled on the place where his grand-
son, George W. Norris, now lives, on Norris hill. He was a commis-
sioned officer in the revolutionary armj^ and married a niece of Gen-
eral Henry Dearborn. Accompanied by his wife, who rode a horse
and carried a small child, he walked the entire distance from Epping.
John Chandler bought James Weeks' claim — the J. W. Coding farm
of to-day — near the academy. It is generally supposed that Chandler
built the first framed house in the settlement, and that it afterward
became the ell of his mansion, which was destroyed by fire in 1880. It
is a well authenticated fact, however, that the first framed house was
built by Alexander Thompson, on or near the spot where the small
yellow house now stands on the " Widow Ann Blake place," to which
previous reference has been made. John Chandler lived in this build-
ing the year after he came from New Hampshire, which gave rise to
the supposition already mentioned. There are six different claimants
to the honor of erecting the first framed house, and, indeed, the ones
raised by Chandler, Josiah Brown. John Welch and Ichabod Baker
came into existence so soon after that it is only fair to mention them.
Welch's and Baker's were raised the same day.
John Chandler's life was an eventful one. When he came into the
settlement, he was not only distressingly poor, but illiterate in the ex-
treme. From a traveling pedagogue he learned to read and write and,
possibly, the rudiments of mathematics. All his spare hours he de-
voted to study, being assisted by his wife, who worked with him in his
blacksmith's shop, in the field clearing and piling smutty logs and in
planting and harvesting. Wherever a dollar was to be found, there
you would find Chandler. He was blacksmith, trader, tavern keeper
and general jobber. In General Dearborn he had an influential friend,
and it was probably as much his influence as Chandler's ability that
placed him, in 1803, among the councillors and senators in the general
court of Massachusetts. In 1815 he represented the Kennebec district
in congress. Next he was appointed high sheriff. In 1812 he became
a major general of the state militia, and, later, the same year, was ap-
pointed brigadier general of the forces sent to the northern frontier.
In 1819 he was a member of the general court, at Boston, and assisted
in drafting the constitution of Maine. He was first president of the
Maine senate, and was one of the two first United States senators
from Maine. His last official appointment was that of collector of the
port of Portland, under President Jackson. He was, unless we except
General Dearborn, the most prominent man in Maine, and beside his
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 771
State and national appointments, he was more than fifty times elected
to public office by the people.
Joel Chandler, the general's brother, soon followed him from
Epping. He was drowned only a few days after his arrival, while en-
gaged in surveying near South pond. His son. Major General Joseph
Chandler, spent the most of his boyhood in the family of his uncle
John. He was fond of books, and spent a large portion of his time in
reading, studying and assisting the general in his studies. He com-
piled a reading book entitled " The Young Gentlemen's and Ladies'
Museum," which was widely used in the public schools. Soon after
General Dearborn built his mill at the outlet of South pond, young
Chandler erected a store there and engaged in trade. Later, he re-
ceived a captain's commission in the United States army and was sta-
tioned at one of the forts in Portland harbor. After leaving the army
he returned to Monmouth and built the house on High street, known
many years as the " Newton Prescott stand," and a store a few rods
farther north. The house was taken down about six years ago to
make room for a modern dwelling. The store was removed to the
Center. In 1811 he was appointed clerk of courts for Kennebec
county and removed to Augusta.
For many years a continual stream of immigration poured from
Epping and adjacent towns. Somewhere near 1788 a trio composed
of Captain Sewall Prescott and James and John Judkins came from
this point. James Judkins had been here prior to that time working
for General Dearborn. He returned to Epping in the fall and re-
mained there until April, when, in company with his brother and
Prescott, he started on foot, bearing on his back a pack of about thirty
pounds weight, containing all his earthly possessions, as did, al.so, the
others. Thus loaded, and hindered by the natural obstacles of the
forest, they managed to cover about thirty miles a day. Prescott took
up the claim of Gorden Freas. The latter, deluded by the free-land
rumor, had cut a small opening near the spot where the old " gun
house " used to stand. He was a poor man and had no prospect of
paying for his farm. He returned to Epping, whence he came. Pres-
cott was a blacksmith. The " Old Fort," which he erected in 1802 for
a tavern, stands very near the spot where he built his first shelter.
James Judkins made a clearing on the John Barrows place. They
took the precaution of shipping a year's supply of provisions to Hal-
lowell before starting from New Hampshire.
After Captain Peter Hopkins and Zadoc Bishop, who, as has been
stated, took up a residence near North Monmouth in 1781, the first
settler in that region was John Morgan, who cleared the Dea. Peter
Blaisdell farm, now the property of Henry Allen. He was followed
by Jeremy Hall, who came from Winthrop, and Thomas Stockin,
from Mt. Vernon. A little earlier than 1790, probably, three other
7/2 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
families came from Mt. Vernon and settled near Stockin at the outlet
of Wilson pond. Nathaniel Brainerd came first, but was soon fol-
lowed by Reuben Brainerd and Robert Hill. Thomas Stockin and
his cat kept a bachelor's hall in a cabin that stood nearly opposite the
upper dam. Hill settled a little farther south. The Brainerds did
not remain in this part of the town more than a year or two.
The eastern part of the town was the last to be settled. The first
men who cut a way into the forest in this section came from Win-
throp and settled on the " Neck." Although Gail Cole was there as
early as 1776, many years passed before he had a successor. Daniel
Allen, the grandfather of L. L. Allen, was the next to take up land.
He was followed by Reuben Brainerd, whose wife was Allen's sister,
as was also the wife of William Read, who settled on the George Ma-
comber place. Nearly all the " Neck " pioneers were from Massachu-
setts and Connecticut. Coming by way of Hallowell, they worked
their way through into this town by degrees. The first few years they
had very little to do with plantation affairs. Their interests were
identical with those of their friends and relatives in Winthrop, and
although they had c'rossed the line they were practically citizens of
that town. It was not until Phineas Blake, sen., settled in East Mon-
mouth that that portion of the town was united, socially, with the
other settlements. He also came from Epping, and was related by
marriage to General Dearborn. He and his sons settled adjacent lots,
gaving rise to the appellation "Blaketown," which was for many years
used to designate that community. John Blake, the ancestor of Rev.
John Blake Fogg, who settled on Norris hill; Asahel Blake, who set-
tled on the place now owned by Clarence Thompson, and Chase Blake,
who took up the Chase Brown farm, in the Lyon district, all came from
Epping, but were only distantly connected. John Torsey, the father
of Henry P. Torsey, LL.D., D.D., settled a few rods east of Phineas
Blake, and, about the same time. Captain William P. Kelly, the ances-
tor of the Winthrop family of that name, settled on the crown of
Stevens' hill. Pie came from Meredith, Conn., dragging his house-
hold effects through the forest on a four-ox team.
About 1810 serious troubles arose between these settlers and the
proprietors of the Plymouth lands. Many of them, after expending
years of hard toil on their lots, were forced to relinquish them to the
lawful, if not rightful, owners, without remuneration for the improve-
ments they had made. Others, who bought their lots of the " squat-
ters " at a fair price, were called upon to pay exorbitant sums for the
lands that were all but worthless before being cleared and cultivated.
Among others, Alexander Thompson was a victim. Unable to pay
the price that was demanded, he left everything — the result of years'
of weary toil — and pushed his way into the forests of the eastern part
of the state to begin life again.
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 773
Being on the border between the rival claims of the Plymouth
patent and the Pejepscot purchase, those who lived in the western
part of the town suffered more severely than the early settlers of other
towns. ]\Iany who succeeded in raising enough to satisfy the greed of
the robbers on one side, were called upon by the other claimants, after
the boundary was established, for another slice, with no redress from
the first party. Thus driven to the wall the poor wretches began to
show their teeth, and the proprietors, after a time, became convinced
that surveying land and expelling squatters was not healthful employ-
ment. Judge Bridge, of Augusta, who with two others purchased the
" Baker right," came to Monmouth to negotiate with his tenants. He
came on a spirited horse and, after a remarkably brief visit, returned
on a jaded pair of legs, his beast having been shot from an ambush.
Civil* History. — A committee appointed by the general court of
Massachusetts visited the settlement in 1780, to learn the condition of
the people and take preparatory steps toward incorporating the terri-
tory as a plantation. At this time between twenty and thirty families
were scattered about on lands now included in the limits of the town,
each of which was represented by one or more members qualified by
the laws of the commonwealth to vote. Bloomingboro' — now Free-
town no longer, since it had been discovered that the land was not to
be appropriated at the " squatters' " option — entered the realm of offi-
cial history in 1781. The following records call for no explanation:
" By the desire of a number of inhabitants of Bloomingboro', the
whole are hereby notified to meet at the house of Ichabod Bakers, on
Friday, ye 24th day of August, 1781, at 12 of the clock, in order to act
on the following articles. — First, to chuse a Moderator; 2dly, to chuse
a Clark; 3dly, to see if the inhabitants will think proper to chuse one
man to act as Capt. for the preasant year; 4thly, to see if the inhabi-
tants will accept the proposals made to them by the committee of the
general court; 5thly, to act on any other thing that shall be thought
proper by said inhabitants — Signed — Peter Hopkins, Hugh Mulloy,
Christopher Stevens, John Austin, Jeames Weeks, Oliver Hall, Tim-
othy Wight, Nathan Stanley, James Blossom, William Welch, Edward
Welch, Samuel Welch and John Fish."
•' Wales, Aug. ye 24th, 1781. At the above said meeting, voted, as
follows, viz: Istly that the Destrict wherein we now reside shall be
known by the name of Wales, beginning at the South line of Win-
throp, and running eight miles or thereabouts; 2dly, voted, that what-
ever tax or taxes the Hon. Gen. Court shall think proper to lay on
said Destrict we levy and raise within ourselves.
" Wales, Aug. ye 24th, 1781. Hugh Mulloy, Clark."
The plantation was incorporated under the name of Wales, as a
mark of respect for John Welch, whose ancestors were natives of the
country bearing that name.
"O HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
work." The town had in charge at this time a large number of indi-
viduals and families who were from year to year set up at public auc-
tion and knocked off to the lowest bidder. Although the matter was
brought up frequently for consideration, another generation held the
reins of local government when the Jackman farm, near the Litchfield
line, was purchased and stocked for that purpose.
The following lists of town officials require no explanation. A
moment's critical examination will reveal the plan of arrangement.
Selectmen and Assessors.— 1122, John Chandler, served 2 years, Lieu-
tenant Jonathan Thompson, Captain Levi Dearborn; 1793, James Nor-
ris, 2 years, Matthias Blossom, 2; 1794, Dudley B. Hobart, 3; 1795, Ich
abod Baker, John Chandler, 9: 1796,Simon Dearborn, 3; 1797, Nathan
iel Norris; 1798, Captain Levi Dearborn; 1799, Robert Withington
William P. Kelley; 1800, Simon Dearborn, 3, Abraham Morrill, 2; 1802
Matthias Blossom, 2, James F. Norris, 2; 1804, David Marston; 1805
Simon Dearborn, jun., 7, Abraham Morrill, Joseph Norris; 1806, Sam
uel Cook, 2, Jotham Thompson, 2; 1808, Thomas Kimball, 4, John
Torsey; 1809, Nathaniel Norris, 2; 1811, Jotham Thompson; 1812
Abraham Morrill, 2, Elijah Gove, Oilman Thurston, 3; 1813, Captain
Jonathan Judkins, 2; 1814, Simon Dearborn, jun.; 1815, Abraham
Morrill, 4, Ebenezer Freeman, 2, John Harvey, 6; 1817, Major Jona-
than Marston, 3; 1819, Ebenezer Freeman, 4; 1820, Nehemiah Pierce,
3; 1821, Captain Thomas Kimball, 2; 1823, John S. Blake, 2, Otis Nor-
ris, 2, Josiah Richardson, 3; 1825, Benjamin White, jun., 3, Ichabod
B. Andrews, 3; 1826, John S. Blake, 2; 1828, John Harvey, Otis Nor-
ris, Amasa Tinkham; 1830, Otis Andrews, Benjamin White. 2, John
Harvey, 11; 1831, Ichabod B. Andrews, 3; 1832, Joseph Loomis, 2;
1834, Ebenezer Freeman, 6, Amasa Tinkham, 3; 1837, John S. Blake,
3; 1840, Levi Fairbanks, Joseph Loomis; 1841, Royal Fogg, 2, Otis
Andrews, 2, David Thurston, 2; 1843, Ebenezer Freeman, John Har-
vey, 2, Alanson Starks, 2; 1844, Joseph Loomis, 8; 1845, Ebenezer
Freeman, 2, William G. Brown, 2; 1846, William H. Boynton; 1847,
John S. Blake, Jonathan Folsom, 2; 1848, Royal Fogg; 1849, David
Thurston, 7, William H. Boynton, 8; 1852, Benjamin Stockin, 3; 1855,
John B. Fogg, Rufus Marston; 1856, Ebenezer Freeman, 3, George
W. King, 5; 1858, George H. Andrews, 4; 1859, J. G. Smith,' 7; 1861,
Andrew W. Tinkham; 1862, J. B. Fogg, 7, Ambrose Beal, 8; 1866, G.
H. Andrews; 1867, J. G. Smith, 3; 1869, J. G. Blossom; 1870, G. H.
Andrews, John O. Oilman, 2, S. R. Simpson, 2: 1871, J. 0. Smith, 3;
1872, O. S. Edwards, 5, H. O. Pierce, 3; 1874, S. O. King, 5; 1875, J. B.
Fogg, 4; 1877, J. R. King; 1878, C. E. Frost, 3; 1879, J. G. Smith, J. O.
Preble, 2; 1880, O. W. Andrews, 10; 1881, J. Cumston, 2, S. R. Simp-
son, 2; 1883, C. E. Frost, 4, Howard Stetson, 4; 1887, D. P. Boynton,
A. W. Tinkham; 1888. C. J. Bragdon, J. P. Richardson; 1889, J. L. Or-
cutt, 3, D. H. Tillson, 3; 1890, H. C. Frost, 2.
TOWX OF MONMOUTH. 777
Treasurers. — 1792, Captain Levi Dearborn; 1793, Ichabod Baker (?);
1794, Ichabod Baker: 1795, James Harvey, 5; 1800, Matthias Blossom,
3; 1803, Abraham Morrill, 2; 1805, Ichabod Baker, 3; 1808, Abraham
Morrill, 4; 1812, Simon Dearborn, jun., 2; 1814, Abraham Mor-
rill; 1815, Simon Dearborn; 1816, Jonathan Jenkins; 1817, Simon
Dearborn, jun., 4; 1821, John Harvey, 2; 1823, Abraham Morrill, 4;
1827, Ebenezer Freeman, 7; 1834. Otis Norris, 6; 1840, Nehemiah
Pierce; 1841, Charles T. Fox, 2; 1843, Joseph Loomis; 1844, Rufus
Marston; 1845, Augustine Blake; 1846, Rufus Marston, 3; 1849, Henry
V. Cumston, 5; 1854, Ebenezer Freeman; 1855, Joseph Basford; 1856,
William K. Dudley, 4; 1860, Isaiah Donnell; 1861, William G. Brown;
1862, C. L. Owen, 2; 1864, William G. Brown, 14; 1878, D. E. Marston:
1879, H. A. Williams, 3; 1882, F. H. Beale, 4; 1886, E. A. Dudley. 5;
1891, F. H. Beale,
Clerks.— 11^2, John Chandler; 1808, Simon Dearborn, jun.; 1810,
James Cochran; 1818, Samuel F. Blossom; 1825, Isaac S. Small; 1831,
Samuel F. Blossom; 1839, Alanson Starks; 1840, Jo.seph Stacy; 1841,
Alanson Starks; 1842, John Arnold, jun.; 1843, Jonathan M. Heath;
1844, William G. Brown; 1845, Rufus A. Rice; 1846, Charles T. Fox;
1855, C. A. Cochrane; 1856, Charles T. Fox; 1858, George H. Andrews;
1874, Ambrose Beal; 1879, C. J. Bragdon.
Churches.— At a plantation meeting held March 12, 1787, it was
voted " to choose a committee to hire Mr. Smith three Sabbaths, and
the same committee to see what conditions Mr. Smith will settle in the
place upon, and consult Col. Dearborn to see on what conditions he will
convey the land he will give to the minister." Four years earlier than
this James Potter, of Litchfield, held a series of meetings in the set-
tlement, but until 1793, when Jesse Lee began his evangelical work in
Maine, nothing had been accomplished in the way of organizing a
church or securing regular preaching. In 1794 Philip Wager, a sub-
ordinate worker whom Mr. Lee had appointed to take charge of the
field, organized here the first Methodist class formed in Maine. The
class consisted of fifteen persons. Of this number history has pre-
served the names of only five — Oilman Moody and wife, Daniel .Smith
and wife, and Nancy Nichols. For many years Monmouth held the
leading position in Maine Methodism.
In 1795 the second Methodist chapel in the province of Maine was
erected on a lot donated by Major Daniel Marston. It stood on the
west side of the road leading from the Center to North Monmouth,
near Ellis Corner. For want of funds the interior was left unfinished;
but on the last'day of May, 1796, the rough shell was dedicated. The
interior was completed in 1836. Seven years later the building was
destroyed by fire. In 1844 a new church was built on the "heater
piece," at the junction of Main and High streets, one-half mile north
of the Center. The site is now covered by the dwelling house of
778 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Wesley Wheeler. In 1866 the building was removed to the Center.
At this time a bell tower and spire were added, the high singers' gal-
lery at the back of the auditorium removed, the long vestibule divided,
and modem arrangements substituted.
In 1802 the New England Conference convened, July 1st, at Cap-
tain Sewall Prescott's tavern, the building on High street, now known
as the "Old Fort." This was the second conference held east of Mas-
sachusetts, and the estimated attendance comprised one-sixth of all
the Methodists of New England. Prescott's tavern was chosen be-
cause it was in the heart of the settlement, and nearer the boarding
places of the ministers than was the "meeting house." The tavern
was a new one, built only the year before. In the second story was
an amu.sement hall running the entire length of the building and occu-
pying one-half of its width. On three sides benches were built into
the wall to accommodate spectators, and the main floor gave ample
room for dancing and other entertainments. In this room was con-
ducted the business of the New England Conference of 1802. On July
4th 3,000 people stood in front of the building and listened to the ser-
mons delivered from the front hall. In 1809 the Conference again
met in Monmouth, Bishop Asbury presiding.
The first pastors were circuit riders, who visited the churches
periodically. The names of many of these have become household
words in Methodist families throughout the continent. Beginning
with Philip Wager, in 1794, we have within the next six years
Enoch Mudge, Asa Hull, Cyrus Stebbins, John Broadhead, Joshua
Taylor, Robert Yallalee, Jesse Stone, and Nathan Emery. Epaphras
Kibby and Comfort C. Smith came in 1800; Asa Heath and Oliver
Beale, 1801; Joseph Snelling and Samuel Hillman, 1802; Joseph
Snelling and Thomas Baker, 1803; Joseph Baker, 1804; Aaron Hum-
phrey, William Goodhue and John Williamson, 1805; Dyer Burge and
Benjamin F. Lambard, 1806; David Batchelder and Henry Martin,
1807; Ebenezer Fairbanks and James Spaulding, 1808; David Kilburn,
1809; Caleb Fogg and E. Hyde, 1810; Zacariah Gibson and T. F. Mor-
ris, 1812; Cyrus Cummings and David Hutchinson, 1813; Samuel Hill-
man, 1814; Daniel Wentworth and E. W. CofHn, 1815; Ebenezer
Newell, 1816; Daniel Wentworth, 1817; Philip Munger, 1819, 1820 and
1822; Aaron Fuller, 1821; Oilman Moody, a.ssistant, 1822; Caleb Fogg,
1823-4; Eleazer Wells, 1825; Benjamin Burnham, 1826; Aaron Sander-
son, 1827.
In 1827 Readfield Circuit, of which this town was a factor, was di-
vided and Monmouth Circuit established. The first settled preacher
was Moses Sanderson. He was followed by O. Bent, 1828 and 1832;
D. Crockett, 1829; D. Clark, 1830; M. Davis, 1831; Mr. Tripp, 1832; D.
Stimpson, 1833; B. Bryant, 1834-5; E. Withey, 1836; John Allen, 1837;
Obadiah Huse, 1838; S. S. Hunt, 1839 (Mr. Hunt was removed and I.
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 779
Downing- supplied the remainder of his term); Richard H. Ford, 1840;
Ezekiel Robinson, 1841; David Hutchinson, 1842; Marcus Wight. 1843;
J. Higgins, 1844-5; B. Foster, 1846-7; Rufus Day, 1848-9; S. P. Blake,
1850: I. Lord, 1851; R. H. Stinchfield, 1852; S. M. Emerson, 1853-4; J.
Mitchell, 1855-6: Dudley B. Holt, 1857-8; E. Martin, 1859-60; W. B.
Bartlett, 1861-2; N. Hobart, 1863-4; J. C. Perry, 1865-6; 'D. B. Randall,
1867; P. Hoyt, 1868-9 (Mr. Hoyt died in 1869, and J. O. Thompson
supplied the balance of his term, and was returned in 1870); E. K.
Colby, 1871-2; F. Grosvenor, 1873-4; D. Waterhouse, 1875-6; R. H.
Kimball, 1877-8; True Whittier, 1879-80; O. S. Pillsbury, 1881-3; G.
D. Holme.s, 18cS4-6; H. Hewett, 18.57-9; J. H. Roberts, 1890-1; F. W.
vSmith, 1892.
The year following the revival under Jes.se Lee an attempt was
made to secure an appropriation from the town to build a church.
Special meetings were called as often during the year 1794 as the laws
of the commonwealth would allow, to consider the expediency of
building a " meeting hou.se " near the center of the town. After a
long .series of decisions the house, 50 by 40 feet, costing ;^200, was
erected in 1795 near the spot now covered by the town house. Five
years passed before it was completed. The "old yellow meeting
house " was first used as a place of public gathering m 1799, when the
town meeting was held in it. In 1800 the committee in charge awoke to
the startling fact that they had built on land to which they had no title.
They applied to the proprietor. Governor Bowdoin, of Boston, and from
his daughter. Lady Temple, received a gift of the lot. The building
was sold for a paltry sum, in 1844, to make room for the town house.
The timbers furnished building material for a barn, and the pew
doors were utilized in the manufacture of ornamental (?) lawn fences.
The First Baptist Church was organized in the eastern part of the
town in 1810. Eighteen members were reported to the Association
that year. Rev. Elias Nelson originated in this church, and from it
received a license to preach. He was ordained pastor in 1814, and
continued in this relation three years. After the close of his pastorate
the church gradually fell away, and in 1822 it was dropped from the
Association as "having no existence," although it then numbered
twenty-four members. In 1827 the Bapti.st church on the Ridge was
organized as the First r;hurch. The membership numbered only
fifteen. The year following they erected their house of worship.
From this time to 1837 they secured preaching a large portion of the
time and enjoyed a steady growth. Rev. S. Hinkley was ordained
evangelist in 1836. In 1838 Rev. J. Ridley became pastor. He re-
mained with the society four years. Other pastors who have officiated
in this church, with dates of pastorate, as near as can be ascertained,
are: William O. Grant, Noah Norton, William Day, Cyrus Case, 1842-
50
780 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
7: John Upton, 1851; A. 11. Piper, 1852-7; Cyrus Case, 1858-61; G. D.
Bailentine, 1861-3; O. B. Walker, 1863-7; H. Hawes, 1867; T. J. Sweet,
1868-72; T. J. Lyons, 1872-3; James Heath, 1875-7; S. Powers, 1878-81;
Erwin Dennet, 1881-5: Robert Scott, 1888-91.
The Freewill Baptist Society of South Monmouth was organized
in the eastern part of the town prior to 1839, when, in connection with
other denominations, it erected the Union church, which will be men-
tioned on another page. The early records of this society are so
loose and desultory that no accurate information can be gleaned from
them. The first settled pastor, in 1853, was Rev. M. L. Getchell. His
successors have been: C. B. Glidden, 1860; J. Fuller, J. Keene, Charles
Bean, Mr. Andrews, Mr. Baird, M. L. Getchell. L. S. Williams, 1889.
The church edifice was erected in or about 1859.
An extensive revival in 1837 resulted in the formation of a new
Baptist church at East ]\lonmouth, with a membership of seven, which
in a few weeks increased to twenty-five. Rev. William Day received
the pastoral charge, which he held until 1840, when he resigned. In
1839 a Union church edifice was erected, in which this society held a
third interest, another third being taken by the Methodists, and the
remaining third by the Freewill Baptists and Christian order in equal
shares. Since the close of Mr. Day's term the church has been with-
out a pastor, and the building, which by the conditions of the com-
pact, was to fall to the .surviving denomination, has been re-dedicated
by the Methodists.
The Monmouth Center Baptist Church was organized in 1842, with
Rev. S. Hinkley, pastor. It has long since ceased to exist.
The Christian Church was organized May 20, 1817, with ten names
enrolled. The pastor, Rev. Jedediah B. Prescott, was a dissenter from
the Methodists, and formerly a class leader in that denomination. He
received no salary, but supported himself and family by mending
shoes from house to house. Quite an extensive revival resulted from
his labors, and soon the Second Christian Church was, for the sake of
convenience, organized in the eastern part of the town. In 1818 the
members of the First church erected a house of worship on land do-
nated by Robert Withington. It stood about where Fred. M. Richard-
son's farm buildings now stand, near North Monmouth. The interior
was not finished until 1825. In the meantime a joiner's bench served
as a pulpit, and rough benches as pews. It was purchased in 1855 by
Rev. Mr. Conant, and remodeled into the dwelling house now occu-
pied by Albertus R. King, at North Monmouth. Mr. Prescott re-
mained with the society, as pastor, until 1835. His dismissal was the
death blow of the organization. Both societies ceased to exist many
years ago.
The Union Church at North Monmouth was built in 1852 by a cor-
poration of twelve members. Under the provisions of the act of in-
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 781
corporation, no ecclesiastical body could assume supremacy of rule;
but each pewholder, of whom there were fifty-two, was invested with
the right to select, for one Sunday in the year, a preacher represent-
ing his denominational tenets, whom he should secure at his own ex-
pense. The pew-holders represented four distinct religious societies
— Methodist, Universalist, Congregationalist and Christian. The
"building was dedicated December 22. 1852, and was re-dedicated about
1860.
The Congregational Church at the Center was organized through
the efforts of Rev. Mr. Conant, in 1853. Services were held in the
town house and Center school house for several months prior to the
erection of the church, which was raised August 5, 1856. As the
records were burned in 1885, it is impossible to secure accurate data.
There have been few settled pastors, but preaching has been obtained
by supply from theological institutions a large portion of the time.
The first pastor was Rev. J. H. Conant. He remained but a short
time after the dedication of the church, which occurred in February,
1857. Among the more prominent of those who supplied the pulpit
for the following thirty years are: Reverends H. S. Loring, Mr. Gould,
1863-5; Mr. Waldron; Mr. Rogers, 1874; A. M. Wiswall, 1877; C. E.
Andrews, 1879; J. B. Carruthers, 1881-3; R. H. Peacock, 1884-7; J. A.
Anderson was installed pastor in 1889, and remained two years. The
church is now supplied by Rev. Mr. Wade.
Schools. — Very .soon after the advent of the first settlers itinerant
pedagogues appeared. In Ichabod Baker's barn, in the chamber of
John Welch's house and from cabin to cabin they taught the rudi-
ments of an education. Some of the adults, as well as the children,
grasped this opportunity to learn to read and write. The first of
these " masters " were Smith and Lyford. Other early teachers were
Crossman, Patch, Kinsley, Lowney and Magner. The last two were
" sons of Erin " and dear lovers of " the ardent." In 1789 the general
court granted the plantation a sum of money " to be laid out in school-
ing and preaching and on roads."
As the records have been lost, it is impossible to determine the
exact date when the two districts — the North and the South — were
formed and the first school house erected; but, undoubtedly, 179U
would not deviate from it to the extent of one year. This house stood
on the ledge, a few rods east of the residence of Benjamin Ellis, near
North Monmouth. It was burned about the opening of the present
century. The two districts had for a divisional line the Cochnewagan
stream. In 1793 the Center district was formed by taking a section
from each of the original districts. For several years after the North
district boasted a school house, the scholars of the South and Center
districts convened in private houses and barns. The first one erected
in the Center stood on the corner now covered by the house of Rufus
782 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
G. King. It was moved to a point nearly opposite the gateway of the
cemetery, about where stands the small brick building used for many
years as the office of the Mutual Insurance Company. Subsequently
it was removed to a spot between the residence of D. P. Boynton and
the house owned by Mrs. Benner. It was purchased by R. G. King
when the new school house was erected, attached to his buildings, and
is now used as a stable.
The first money raised by the town for the support of schools was
£45 appropriated in 1794. Three years later, the town was divided
into four districts — North, South, East and West — and the sum of
$600 raised to be expended in building school hou.ses. The cost of
these buildings exceeded the appropriation by about twenty dollars.
A committee of one for each district was chosen to act as agent and
local supervisor, whose prerogatives were sometimes encroached upon
by the election of a general advisory committee of three. The next
new district was formed at Dearborn's Corner, a mile south of the
Center, in 1805. This infringed on the vSouth district numerically
only, as the money appropriated for that district was not divided, a
sum more than twice as large being privately raised by those who
were interested, for the support of their independent school. After
one year's trial this district was abandoned. Three years later, the
Ridge was set off as a separate district, drawing its quota of money
from the town treasury. This, too, was abandoned after a brief trial.
In 1S03, the East district was practically divided. Although the entire
eastern part of the town was still, nominally, the East district, the
money apportioned to that section was drawn in two orders, one-half
going for the support of a new school in Joseph Chandler's neighbor-
hood. The Bishop district was set off in 1805. A fair conception of
its size may be drawn from the fact that out of the town appropriation
of above $400 its share was $4.65.
In 1820, the selectmen, agreeably to " a vote of the town at the last
annual meeting," numbered the districts as follows: " The district on
Norris Hill, No. 1; the district where Lieut. Royal Fogg lives, No. 2;
where Amasa Tinkham lives, 3; where Simon Dearborn lives, 4; where
the Center meeting house stands, 5; where Peltiah Warren lives, 6;
where Joseph Allen lives, 7; where Calvin Hall lives, 8; where Jona-
than Stevens lives, 9; where Capt. William P. Kelly lives, 10; where
Joseph Norris lives, 11; the di.strict of Arnold's Mills, 12; the district
of Oak Hill, 13; the district of New Boston, 14." Aside from the
change effected by dropping the High Street, Blaketown, New Boston
and Oak Hill districts, these divisions remain practically unchanged.
In 1801, a petition was presented to the general court by ten citizens
of Monmouth calling for aid, in the form of a grant of unappropriated
land, to establish a free grammar school. Subscriptions to the amount
of above $1,500 had been secured for the object,'a large portion of
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 783
which came from the Plymouth Company, Lady Elizabeth Temple,
John Chandler and General Henry Dearborn. The act of incorporation
was passed in 1803, accompanied by a grant of 1,500 acres of wild land,
which was increased to 10,020 acres. A building was erected at once.
In 1809, a new act of incorporation was passed, by which the school
assumed the dignity of an academy. The first principal of whom we
have any knowledge was Ebenezer Herrick, who taught one term in
1810. In 1851, the building was burned under very suspicious cir-
cumstances. A new building of brick soon arose on the ruins, and in
1855 the school was re-opened. As one of the oldest and best college
preparatory schools in the state, it received for many years a liberal
patronage. Members of congress, governors and men of national
fame in the military and literary world have here received their edu-
cation. For a period of several years following 1872 it struggled hard
for an existence, and for a time was abandoned and suffered to go to
decay. A change has been effected in the past three years, and it is
once more in a flourishing state, although its primeval glory has, by
reason of the nearness of denominational schools of greater magni-
tude, forever departed.
Villages. — The first settlement, as has been stated, was on the low
lands near the Wales line. Gradually the center of population worked
northward, until the opening of the present century found quite a vil-
lage clustered about the crown of Academy hill. Here, on the south
corner of the road that leads to Norris hill, was John Chandler's store.
Nearly opposite were his blacksmith shop and tavern. A few rods
north, on the site now covered by the residence of Dr. C. M. Cumston,
stood the blacksmith shop of Jeremiah Chandler. Still faither north,
between E. A. Prescott's and the " Old Fort," stood the square, hip-
roofed store of Joseph Chandler. This building was, like the store of
John Chandler already mentioned,moved to the Center and remodeled
into a dwelling house. Not to mention the intervening dwellings, the
next in order was Captain Prescott's blacksmith shop and tavern.
Down through the hollow and all along the road as far as Ellis Cor-
ner, where the school house stood, buildings were more numerous than
at the present day. At the corner, a store was opened some time be-
tween 1800 and 1802, by A. & J. Pierce. It stood in the field east of
M. M. Richardson's and south of Rev. J. B. Fogg's. In 1804, the
junior partner of the firm sold his share to his brother. A year later,
we find it occupied by Samuel Cook. Then followed the firm of Strat-
ton & Cook. Moses Randlet, the next occupant, gave way to the firm
of Blake & Morrill. The building was moved to North Monmouth
and is now a dwelling owned by Mrs. Lydia King. Another store was
erected a few rods east by Major Marston, and occupied by his son,
Lewis Marston. It was removed and attached to the buildings of Mr.
Clarence Thompson.
/^4 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
The first post office in town was established January 1, 1795, with
John Chandler, postmaster. The mails were brought regularly by
Matthias Blossom, who established the first mail route between Port-
land and Augusta by way of Monmouth. John Chandler's term of
office expired April 1, 1807, when Joseph Chandler became the incum-
bent. The office returned to John Chandler July 1, 1809. Following
him were: John A. Chandler, September 25, 1812; John Chandler, Oc-
tober 7, 1818; John A. Chandler, July 24, 1820; Augustine Blake, Jan-
uary 5, 1833; Isaac N. Prescott, July 30, 1841; Augustine Blake, De-
cember 27, 1842. The office was then transferred to the Center.
In 1807 Joseph Chandler opened a store near the outlet of South
pond, at East Monmouth. The extensive lumber operations of Clark
& Arnold had drawn the center of business to this point, and here it
remained until the rise of industries at the north village. The bulk
of trade has been confined to one store, which has passed through the
hands of several proprietors, and is now occupied by S. H. Jones. A
post office was established May 12, 1832, with Benjamin White, post-
master. The office was discontinued May 30, 1834, and re-established
June 21st of the same year, with David White, as postmaster. Charles
vS. Norris was appointed September 11, 1839; James R. Norris, January
25, 1854; Charles P. Blake, November 11, 1857; Joseph H. Smith, Jan-
uary 29, 1859; Silas Emerson, February 15, 1867; Mrs. Selena Gale,
November 12, 1867; Mark L. Getchell, November 29, 1870; Charles
W. Woodbury, October 8, 1873; vSamuel H. Jones, September 17, 1874.
Not far from 1806 Joseph Chandler opened a store at North Mon-
mouth, in a building that has been removed to the foot of Robinson's
hill and is nov/ occupied as a dwelling by S. H. Folsom. Nearly
twenty-five years later a Mr. Crowell erected and occupied for a short
time as a store the house where R. M. Frost now lives. He was fol-
lowed by a Mr. Gage, who built the house now occupied by Mr. With-
ers. About 1834, Daniel Packard built a small store on what is now the
door yard of George Robinson, in which he traded about seven years.
Near 1845, J. A. Tinkham built the store now occupied by J. W. Foss.
It was first occupied by Samuel King. Following him came Ezra
Whitman, Bailey Jacobs, Jairus Manwell and Artemas Kimball. A
little earlier than 1860 a firm composed of J. A. Tinkham, Seth Fogg,
J. B. Fogg and T. L. Stanton, traded in a building which they erected
for the purpose. At about the same time Sylvester King remodeled
a building which was erected for a boarding house nearly twenty years
before, into the store now occupied by W. F. Miller. It was first used
as a store by Mr. King; subsequently by Benjamin Manwell and G.
W. King, who occupied it about 7 and 24 years respectively, from
1858 to 1889. The store near the Union church, now occupied by
Lindsay & Sanborn, was erected in 1886 by C. A. Libby. John B. Fogg
was the first postmaster. The office was established December 20,
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 785
1849. Fogg was followed by John A. Tinkham, February 16, 1852;
Benjamin Morrill, October 2, 1866; George W. King, May 6, 1865; John
W. Foss, December 15, 1882; David I. Moody, January 18, 1886; Charles
F. Brown, April 12, 1889.
In 1815 the entire territory included in the Center village held but
three dwelling houses, all of which are still standing. They are now
occupied by A. M. Kyle, H. C. Frost and William B. Brown. On the
spot now covered by Woodbury's store stood Daniel Witherell's black-
smith shop. The old Arnold house, now occupied by Andrew B. Pink-
ham, was built not far from 1820, by John Hawes, and half a dozen
rods north, near the site of the moccasin shop, stood his blacksmith
shop. Accompanying the erection of a few dwellings followed a tav-
ern, built by Captain Judkins, near where the railway station now
stands. This building was subsequently removed to the south end
of the village, and is now occupied as a dwelling by D. C. Perry.
A little west of the spot now covered by the freight depot, on the
other side of the .stream, was a tannery built by Captain Judkins. The
stream originally ran in a diagonal course from a point near the
small house back of the Clough store to its point of emergence on the
opposite side of the street. Captain Judkins, to accommodate his busi-
ness, turned it from its course by means of a canal, carrying it south
several rods and across the street at a right angle. Near the tavern
was a potash factory built by General Chandler. This building was
moved back toward the pond and used for a variety of purposes. It
is now occupied by Simon Clough as a dwelling. A little farther down
the .stream, near where Mr. Wadsworth's house now stands, was
another tannery and bark mill, built by Ard Macomber about 1812.
Between the tanneries was a brick yard owned by John Welch, jun.
This covered the ground on which the Edwards & Flaherty store
stood before the fire, and that covered by the new black.smith shop.
The first store opened at the Center was built by Ard Macomber
for Colonel Jesse Pierce. It stood on the corner of Main and Maple
streets. For many years prior to the fire of 1888 it was used for a
hotel. That much quoted individual, "the oldest inhabitant," is
authority for the statement that, in its early days, a barrel of rum per
day often passed out of its doors during the haying season. Among
those who afterward traded in the building were Hiram Allen, Alan-
son Starks, Samuel Brown and Leander Macomber. In or about 1840
Alanson Starks built a store on the now vacant lot. where the store of
Edwards & Flaherty stood before the fire. vSubsequently it was moved
across the railroad and sold to Eben Arnold, by whom it was occupied
as a dry goods and grocery store. Since then it has passed through
several hands and has served a variety of purpo.ses. It is now owned
by Simon Clough. The upper story is used as a Grand Army hall;
the lower is now occupied as a grocery by Plummer & Thompson.
786 HISTORY OF KEXXEBEC COUNTY.
The house south of Brown's hotel, owned by G. W. Norris, was built
for a store, and as such occupied by Josiah Richardson.
On the school house lot a carpenter's shop built by William Frost,
not far from 1840, was remodeled and first used as a store by Hiram
Allen. Ebenezer Blake and a Mr. Elwell occupied it later. The build-
ing was purchased by Daniel Boynton and William Welch and re-
moved to a site near the railroad. Above was a hall used by the Good
Templars and Sons of Temperance. Among those who traded there
were Nelson P. Barker, James Blossom, Hendrick Judkins, Rev. S. O.
Emerson and C. E. Richardson. A little more than twenty years ago
it was again remodeled, and until the fire was used as a dwelling
house by H. A. Williams. On the spot where W. W. Woodbury's
store now stands Daniel Boynton erected a store a little later than
1850. It was for many years occupied by William G. Brown and
others as a store and clothing manufactory, and at the time of the fire,
by W. W. Woodbury. The same year Charles S. Norris erected the
store in which Oilman & Beale traded in 1888. Some of the firms in
trade there were Blake & Judkins, Judkins & Dudley, Daniel Lucas
and C. D. Starbird. As a clothing manufactory it was controlled by
several firms. A few years before the fire a story was added and fitted
for a tenement, while the lower floor was used as a hardware store by
George W., Luther O. & ^1. E. King, A. A. Fillebrown and Rowe &
Morrill.
Another old building was the Blossom & Judkins store, which stood
a little .south of Dr. M. O. Edward's new drug store. Like nearly
every other building in the village, it was remodeled and put to
another use years ago. With one or two exceptions these buildings,
with the Goodwin & Andrews store, which stood about where E. A.
Dudley's new store now stands, and was long occupied by William
Arnold, and more recently by Ambrose Beal and Dudley & Blake; the
store that stood where the meat market now stands, used by Henry S.
Blue as a harness shop, and by C. L. Owen and others as a boot and
shoe store; the drug stores erected by Alpheus Huntington and Watts
& Andrews, all were consumed in the terrible conflagration of April
19, 1888, and the less extensive one of September IS, 1885.
William G. Brown was the first postmaster, after the Monmouth
post office was removed to this village. His commission dates from
June 16, 1849. He was succeeded by: James R. Norns, November 11,
1857; Henry A. Williams, February 24, 1859; John E. Cochrane, April
4, 1861; Henry A. Williams, January 15, 1863; Cyrus L. Owen, April
29, 1863; George H. Andrews, December 22, 1873: Ambrose Beal,
March 9, 1874; Frank H. Bjale, August 5, 1831; Merton O. Eiwards,
July 31, 1885; Edwin A. Dudley, April 9, 1889.
The first trader at South Monmouth was John Meader, who opened
a store in 1834. He was succeeded by Staple Chick, A. Huntington,
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 787
Mr. Smith, W. & B. Witherell, Levi Day in 18.'54, W. Potter, B.Walker,
J. W. Jordan in 1877, Buker Brothers 1884, C. A. Buker 1885, A. F.
Tinkham 1887. At " Hall's Mill," the corner where the residence of
Joshua Stover now stands, was a store occupied by Robert Randall
and others. The first postmaster at South Monmouth was Lafayette
W. Witherell, whose commission bears date December 22, 1856; Bar-
zillai Walker succeeded him April 22, 1858. The office was discon-
tinued January 5, 1871, and reestablished May 8, 1871, with L. W.
Witherell again postmaster. His successors were: Levi Day, April 15,
1872: John W. Jordan, February 7, 1878; Clarence A. Buker, January
16, 1884; L. W. Witherell, June 22, 1887; Algene F. Tinkham, Decem-
ber 6, 1887.
Societies.— The earliest society of which any authentic account
lias been preserved, was a temperence organization which was founded
prior to 188U, through the influence of Nehemiah Pierce. A division
of the Sons of Temperance was organized in 1849. Nine years later
•a society which admitted both sexes was established with a large
■membership. These, like the Good Templars chartered in 1879, were
of comparatively brief duration. The most far-reaching institution in
its influence on the morals of the town was the Reform Club, which
was organized in 1875, and in ten years reached an aggregate mem-
Ijership of above six hundred.
A dispensation was granted Monmouth Lodge, No. 110, A. F. & A.
M., May 21, 1861. The thirteen names that appear on the charter are:
John A. Pettingill, W. M.; A. S. Kimball, S. W.; Richard C. Dodd,
J. W.; Granville P. Cochrane, Greenleaf K. Norris, George H. Billings,
John B. Fogg, Henry A. Williams, William G. Brown, Nathan Ran-
dall, Joseph R. King, Rev. Jedediah B. Prescott and Jonathan Jud-
kins. The annual meeting is held in September. The successive
worthy masters have been: John A. Pettingill, 1861; A. S. Kimball,
1867; Nahum Spear, 1868; S. P. Bamford, 1870; Nahum Spear, 1872;
Charles H. Berry, 1874; Nahum Spear, 1875; Jeremiah Gorden, 1876;
Charles H. Foster, 1878; Daniel P. Boynton, 1882; John C. Kingsbury,
1884; Timothy F. Flaherty, 1886; Edward A. Prescott, 1887; Edwin A.
Dudley, 1890.
Monmouth Lodge, A. O. U. W., was organized April 13, 1885, with
€. C. Richmond, master workman; H. S. Blue, recorder. Mr. Rich-
mond's successors have been: George M. Clough, 1888-9; Fred C. Pike,
1890; J. H. Norris, 1891.
A local division of the United Order of the Golden Cross was insti-
tuted in 1888. The presiding officers have been: A. G. Smith, Henry
Smith, George M. Clough, E. A. Dudley, and George O. Longfellow.
The W. C. T. U. was organized in 1890.
A mutual insurance association, which for a period of many years
-conducted a large business in all parts of the state, was incorporated
788 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
about the middle *of this century as the Monmouth Mutual Fire In-
surance Company.
Military History.— The exact date of organization of the mili-
tary company, whose officers, from the peculiarity of their dress, were
known as Captain Tow-coat, Leftenant Bob-coat and Ensign No-coat^
is not known, but it is probable that it was formed in 1781, when the
military law was passed. A time-stained paper in the hands of the
writer, bearing the date July 4, 1806, shows that the cavalry at this
time consisted of 144 members, with Captain Sewall Prescott, Lieu-
tenants James McLellan and James F. Norris in command. Two foot
companies, A and B, 8d Regiment, 1st Brigade, 2d Division, continued
in regular drill until 1843. Company B, Monmouth Artillery, attached
to the same regiment, was organized in 1795. This company sup-
ported two brass field pieces, one of which was taken by the govern-
ment at the opening of the civil war. The other, secreted for a long
time under a barn, was brought from its hiding place as soon as peace
was declared, to keep people from oversleeping on the great national
holiday. It burst in 1884, in a premature attempt to ratify Blaine's
election to the presidenc)'. The gun house stood a few rods south of
Captain Prescott's tavern, on the opposite side of the street. After
the " Fogg school house " was burned, in 1851, it was remodeled and
used as a school house nearly twenty years. It is now, after a com-
plete renovation, occupied as a dwelling house by L. S. Coding. Dur-
ing the war of 1812 the companies called into service are noticed at
page 116. In 1839 the few who were not suddenly stricken with sci-
atica, heart disease and other disabilities were forced to the seat of
the bloodless Madawaska war.
Industries. — The first intimation of anything in the line of local
manufactories that can be deduced from either authentic record or
tradition begins with the establishment of a " potash " by Captain
Peter Hopkins. About the same time the grist mill that now stands
on the Cochnewagan stream, at the Center, was built by General
Henry Dearborn, John Welch and Captain James Blossom. In recent
years it has been increased in length and apparatus for bolting wheat
added.
A grist mill was built on Wilson stream by Jeremiah Hall not far
from 1780. He sold it, after a short time, to Benjamin Stockin and
Robert Hill, who, in the course of a few years, relinquished his claim
to Stockin. Prior to 1794 a saw mill was built at the Center, by Wil-
liam Allen and Ichabod Baker, one on Wilson stream by Robert Hill
and one at the outlet of South pond by General Henry Dearborn, Na-
thaniel Norris and others. In 1794 a saw mill on Wilson stream was.
taxed to George Hopkins, Caleb Thurston, Dudley Thurston and
Jonathan Thurston. The following year Jeremiah Hall was taxed for
similar property on the same stream. In 1797 Phineas Blake, Phineas.
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 7Sy
Blake, jun., and Dearborn Blake had a saw mill in operation at East
Monmouth.
Isaac Clark, jun., who settled in the eastern part of the town in
1804, was a man of much spirit and enterprise. He built mills on the
Cobbosseecontee stream and started a plant which, but for his prema-
ture death, would undoubtedly have developed into a large manufac-
tory. He built and occupied the house now owned by J. Henry Norris.
Through the enterprise of Captain John Arnold, who succeeded
Mr. Clark as proprietor of the mills at the " East," business all through
the town was accelerated to a pitch unknown either before or since.
Mr. Arnold removed from Connecticut to Hallowell several years be-
fore he came to this town. He drove into the settlement with the first
carriage that ever crossed the town line. The roads were not built
for fancy vehicles, and but for the assistance of farmers with ox-teams
he could never have drawn his chaise through the bog holes. He en-
larged and made extensive repairs on the saw mill, and established in
connection with it a fulling mill and a mill for the manufacture of
linseed oil. Raising flax to supply this mill became an industry of
some importance, but by no means as considerable as the lumber
trade which he built up. From his mill on the Cobbosseecontee he
rafted lumber down to the pond and up to the point now known as
Hammond's Grove, in Manchester, where it was landed and drawn
with teams to Arnold's wharf on the Kennebec, and there loaded on
his ships and carried to Boston and the West Indies. Timber cut on
the banks of the Jocmunyaw was rafted down to the Cobbosseecon-
tee and thence carried to Hallowell overland or through intervening
streams to the Kennebec. His mill was furnished with a gang-saw
arrangement that possessed great advantages over the ordinary saw
then in use.
A few years later Mr. Arnold built a mill on the Cochnewagan
stream a few rods to the right of the bridge that spans it on the road
leading from the Center to East Monmouth. This was not a very suc-
cessful project, as a reservoir could not be constructed with sufficient
head to carry a large wheel without flooding a large tract of valuable
land near the Center. It was very appropriately dubbed " Mud Mill."
This mill was set on fire in later years by men spearing pickerel be-
neath it by torchlight and totally destroyed.
A saw mill was built by Isaac Hall at South Monmouth early in
this century. The location was poorly chosen and the mill was, from
necessity, suffered to go to decay. In 1808 Major Elijah Wood and
Nathan Howard, of Winthrop, built a fulling mill on the Tinkham
brook at North Monmouth. Amasa Tinkham purchased it about three
years later and converted it into a tannery. The business then estab-
lished was conducted by his son, John A. Tinkham, until his decease
790 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
in 1860. Since then it has passed into the hands of Jeremiah Gorden,
S. H. King and Moses Stevens, who now control it.
The mill in this part of the town now used by Mr. Mcllroy in the
manufacture of woolen goods, was erected in 1829. The dam was built
by Levi Fairbanks four years earlier. In 1835 it was used as a peg
factory. Sylvester Fairbanks, about this time, invented a machine
for their manufacture. Prior to this they had been made by hand
throughout the country. Later, Joseph Fairbanks occupied one half
of the building in the manufacture of horse-powers, the other end be-
ing used by Thomas L. Stanton for weaving tape. The tape industry
was started on a small scale by Aaron Stanton. He, for many years,
manufactured this article by hand in a small shop that has been
moved and remodeled into the dwelling house now occupied by Ed.
Donnell. Later, the Mcllroy mill was occupied by George S. Fair-
banks as a heel-iron factory, and, subsequently, was supplied with
machinery for spinning woolen and cotton yarn. The brick mill near
by was built by William H. King, in 1846, for a starch factory. Ma-
chinery for the manufacture of boot webbing was substituted by his
father, Samuel King. The grist mill on Wilson stream, long known
as " Moody's mill," now owned by Jeremiah Gorden, was built by
David Moody in 1834, and for many years operated by him and his
son, Rufus G. Moody. The axe and shovel factory now owned by
Emery, Waterhouse & Co., was established by Spear & Billings about
1846.
In 1841 the mills in this village were destroyed by fire. Catching
accidently in a shingle mill owned by Tinkham, Blaisdell & Pettin-
gill, it spread to a saw mill owned by the same parties, and a webbing
mill owned by Thomas L. Stanton.
Various manufactories have flourished for a brief period in the
eastern part of the town. An oil cloth factory operated by Norris &
Blake, subsequently purchased by the Baileys and moved to Winthrop,
a moccasin boot manufactory established by Charles P. Blake, a
bleachery, and a toy factory have all had their day. Tanneries of
minor importance have existed at different periods in all parts of the
town. At the Center, the only industries of importance that have
ever existed are the moccasin boot and shoe manufactory established
about 1870, by Blake, Judkins & Woodbury, and the one started a
little later by Judkins, Dudley & Co., and now operated by M. L.
Getchell & Co. Nearly half a century ago, a shovel and hoe factory
operated by Mr. Earle was erected by Otis Welch on the Cochnewagan
stream. Later, the building was used in the manufacture of knobs,
and in comparatively recent years, as a sash and blind shop, by Spring-
er, Owen & Co. and others. It was burned in 1880. A mill for grind-
ing salt was built on the same power by the Labree Brothers a little
earlier than 1870. The manufacture of coats for Boston and Provi-
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 791
dence firms has for twenty-five 3'ears furnished employment for a
large number of women. The business was established by R. G. King.
He was followed, on a larger scale, by the firms of Brown & Luce,
Brown, Walker & Co., Starbird & Luce, Luce, King & Woodbury and
others, and it is now conducted by W. W. Woodbury.
The water power furnished by the numerous ponds is sufficient to run
several large manufactories. There are nine powers, any one of which
could, with little expense, be increased to double its present capacity.
Two of these have been utterly abandoned. From the earliest days
until 1860, when the maximum of 1,854 was reached, the population
steadily increased. Since that date it has as steadily decreased to the
present showing — 1,362*.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Henry Allen, born in Monmouth in 1815, is a son of Woodard and
Elsie (Alden) Allen, and the only one living of eleven children. He
married in 1836, Diana, daughter of Aaron and Sabra (Howard) Wads-
worth. They had seven children, now all deceased except Sabra and
Dasia (Mrs. Henry Norris). Mr. Allen bought the farm where he now
lives in 1875. His wife died in 1881, since which time Mr. and Mrs.
Norris have lived with him.
George H. Andrews, son of Ichabod B. and Margaret (Fogg) An-
drews, was born in Monmouth, in 1826. He was for over thirty-five
years engaged in mercantile business. He has filled various town
offices, ably represented his town in the state legislature from 1856
to 1859 inclusive, and has been an efficient member of the board of
county commissioners for thirteen consecutive years. He married
Sarah H. Safford, and they have had six children. The three living
are: Helen F. (Mrs. A. M. Spear, of Gardiner); Charles L., of the law
firm of Spear & Andrews, Gardiner; and Lester M., bookkeeper for
Emerson, Stevens & Co., Oakland.
Otis Andrews, born in Wales, October 7, 1788, bought the farm in
1812 on which he lived till his death, March 13, 1873. He married
Rachel Thompson, of Topsham, Me., February 11, 1813, coming di-
rectly to the farm above mentioned, at which time there was only a
bridle path. This section of the town has always been known as the
" Ridge." There were born to them ten children, two of whom
died in childhood. The others were: Harriet E., Sophia A., Olivia H.,
Maria C, Lydia A., Jane R., Otis W. and Leonard C. The following
are living: Sophia A., now Mrs. Hooker, of Gardiner, Me.; Lydia A.,
now Mrs. Goodwin, of Monmouth; Otis W., who resides on the old
homestead, and Leonard C, who lives on the adjoining farm.
Jabez S. Ballard, born in Augusta, Me., in 1839, is a son of Eph-
raim and Pheba (Sawyer) Ballard, and grandson of Jonathan Ballard.
* Mr. Cochrane's responsibility for this chapter ends here.— [Ed.
792 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
He married Elizabeth, daughter of John O. and Harriet Oilman, and
has one son, Orrin A. Mr. Ballard has been a hotel keeper in Win-
throp and Augusta. He came to his present place in ]\Ionmouth in
1878, where he keeps summer boarders.
Mathias A. Benner, born in Nobleboro, Me., in 1832, is a son of
Nathaniel and Mary (Barstow) Benner. His first wife was Rebecca
J., daughter of Rev. Mark Getchell. She died in 1879. They had three
children: Delbert M., E. Merton and Winetta R., who died in 1878.
His second wife was Amanda B., daughter of Benjamin Potter. ' They
have two children: Percy G. and Winifred A. Mr. Benner came to
Monmouth in 1852, to the farm where he now lives, where he has been
a farmer and speculator.
Ephraim S. Besse, born in Wayne in 1827, is a son of Jonathan and
Acanath (Smith) Besse. He married in 1849, Julia A., daughter of
Ebenezer and Sally (Raymond) Besse, of Wayne. She died in 1865,
leaving eight children: Julia, Bethiah B., Sarah A., Emily A., Augu.sta
A., Ephraim L., George W. and Charles E.; all deceased except Bethiah
B., Emily A. and George W. He married for his second wife Mrs.
Mary A. Williams. He is a hoe forger, and worked for twenty-two
years for Plimpton, of Litchfield: five years for G. H. Billings, Mon-
mouth, and one year for D. B. Lord, West Waterville. Since 1882 he
has been a farmer on the farm where he has lived since 1864.
Charles E. Brown, born in Monmouth in 1856, is one of two sons
of Joseph and Lucinda (Bradford) Brown, and grandson of Abraham
Brown, who came from Massachusetts and had three sons: Charles B.,
George W. and Joseph, who was born on the farm where Charles now
lives, in 1822. Charles E. has one brother, William R. Their mother
died in 1890.
Charles F. Brown, born at Kennebunkport, Me., in January, 1836,
is a son of Warren and Phebe (Hawkins) Brown. He graduated from
commercial college in 1875, was for two years in Washington, D. C,
for the government, and at the same time attended medical lectures.
He was for two years in business at Kennebunkport, Me., and was one
year in Minnesota as bookkeeper. He came to Monmouth in 1881,
where he married Mary E., daughter of Seth Martin, and has one
daughter, Lillian E. He collected taxes in 1888, '89 and '90, was super-
visor of schools in 1889 and 1891, has been deputy .sherifT for three
years, and postmaster since 1889 at North Monmouth. His father was
a lawyer and doctor, but was in the government service in Washing-
ton, D. C, from 1862 until 1877.
Lewis M. Brown is the only son of Chase Brown and Rachel, who
was a daughter of Jonathan Marston, who came from Deerfield, N. H.,
to Monmouth about 1770. Chase Brown came to the farm where Lewis
now lives in 1859, dying there in 1888, since which time Lewis and his
mother have conducted the farm.
i
/'Ui>^ ■ /^-Z, (^6^^-f^f-t^^c
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 793
Charles M. Cumston, LL.D., was born in vScarborough in 1824,
being the son of Henry Van Schaick Cumston and Catharine Mc-
Laughlin. His grandfather, Captain John Cumston, together with
his twin brother, Henry, made the campaign of Quebec under Arnold.
On his mother's side, he is descended from William McLaughlin, an
Ulsterman, who settled in southwestern Maine in the early part of the
last century, and founded a family which has been prominent in
Maine for several generations.
In 1834 Mr. Cumston's father moved to Monmouth, having bought
a portion of the farm on which General John Chandler, the first Uni-
ted States senator from Maine, had lived many years. It was chiefly
through the influence of the general that Monmouth Academy was
founded. In it Mr. Cumston began his classical studies, passing suc-
cessively under the tuition of William V. Jordan, Nathaniel M. Whit-
more, and Nathaniel T. True, three of the finest scholars and most
thorough teachers in New England. From there he went to Water-
ville Institute, and thence to Bowdoin College, where he graduated at
the age of nineteen, in the same class with that distinguished scholar,
the late Dr. John O. Means, his steadfast friend in after life. During
the winters of his college career he taught school at Monmouth and
Litchfield. After graduating, he taught in the towns of Turner and
Gray, and was principal of Alfred Academy in the latter part of 1844
and in 1845. He then went to Massachusetts and taught successively
and successfully at Reading, Woburn, and Salem.
While master of the North Phillips School in Salem, he received a
visit from Thomas Sherwin, who having thoroughly examined his
school and made a careful estimate of his attainments, tendered him
a place in the English High School of Boston, then ranking only
second to West Point in the thoroughness of its instruction and disci-
pline. Here Mr. Cumston passed through the grades of usher, sub-
master and master to the head mastership, thus becoming the .succes-
sor of his friend, Mr. Sherwin, who died in 1869. In 1874, after twenty-
six years of .service in this one school, he withdrew to private life, to
the great regret of its friends and with the highest encomiums from
its committee, the chairman of which was the celebrated Dr. Samuel
K. Lothrop.
Mr. Cumston became noted in Boston for his great skill in teaching
mathematics and French, although he was, besides, a fine scholar and
an excellent instructor in other branches. During his head-master-
ship, his administrative ability was displayed in a most signal manner
in managing a school which was continually increasing in the num-
bers of its pupils and instructors, but which was separated into sev-
eral parts, located in buildings at wide distances from one another.
It was his success in this respect that saved the school, in its identity
and substantial organization, from the attacks of many influential
794 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
persons, who favored a new institution of learning which should lake
the place both of it and the Boston Latin School. Both schools still
exist, now as formerly under one roof, in a building which is one of the
most elegant specimens of school architecture in the United States; a
result which has proved a great consolation to the many hundreds of
well educated Bostonians who have come under the discipline and in-
struction of the one or the other school.
Since his retirement Mr. Cumston has spent much of his time at
his home in Monmouth, where he enjoys a scholarly and a well earned
leisure. It was from his own Alma Mater, Bowdoin, in 1870, that he
received his LL.D.
Phineas Blake and hts Posterity.— Phineas Blake, a near rela-
tive of General Henry Dearborn, mentioned at page 772 as having re-
moved from Epping, N. H., settled in 1786 at East Monmouth, where
he reared a large family. In 1795 his son, Phineas Blake, jun., erected
the barn shown in the accompanying illustration, on the farm where
his great-grandson, Fred K. Blake, now resides.
Phineas Blake, jun., married, October, 1799, Betsey Kimball, by
whom he had four sons— John K., Epaphras Kibby, Henry M. and
Charles P., and three daughters— Amelia W., Almira D. and Betsey.
Of the latter, the youngest died in infancy; Amelia married Rev.
Stillman Norris. a member of the Methodist Episcopal Annual Con-
ference of Iowa, and Almira, Charles S. Norris, one of the town's most
influential citizens. Of the sons, John chose the vocation of a farmer;
Henry M. entered the ministry and became one of the foremost of
Maine's Methodist preachers. He was invariably appointed to city
charges, the last of which was Portland, where he suddenly died, Jan-
uary 16, 1865. Charles P. was connected with several manufacturing
enterprises in Monmouth and Bangor, the most important of which
was the mocassin boot and shoe industry, which he founded in the
former town.
Epaphras Kibby, the second son, to whom this article attaches pre-
eminent consideration because he selected for a home the farm which
has been held by so many successive generations of the family, was
born April 4, 1804. At an early age he was secured by the Wayne
and West Waterville Edge Tool Companies as a general agent. In
this capacity he traveled extensively in the New England states and
Canada. After serving the company about forty years as the nominal
agent, but recognized executive of the corporation, of which Hon. R.
B. Dunn was the strategist, he retired to his farm at East Monmouth,
where he died in 1884, after a life of useful and prolonged activity.
Mr. Blake was a man of great energy and force of character and a
zealous Christian. He married Clarissa True, of Litchfield, by whom
he had two sons: Washington W. and Henry M.
The former, born December 31, 1831, was educated at Monmouth
796 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Academy and Kents Hill. He was a man of marked business ability
and a very ingenious mechanic, and at an early age he engaged in the
manufacture of oilcloth at East Monmouth. He married, December
28, 1859, Kate Sanderson, daughter of Rev. Aaron Sanderson, a promi-
nent member of the Maine General Conference. The same year he
purchased a half interest in a general store at Monmouth Center, and
engaged in trade under the firm name of Norris & Blake. He was
subsequently engaged in trade at Kents Hill, where he held the office
of postmaster. In 1865, on account of failing health, he went to
Florida, where he died February 7, 1866. His daughter, Hattie W.,
born February 16, 1864, married Dr. F. I. Given, a successful practi-
tioner of Hillsborough, N. M.
Dr. Henry M., the second son, a sketch of whose career may be
found in Chapter XV, married, in 1863, Frances C. Pierce, grand-
daughter of Hon. Nehemiah Pierce, a prominent character in Maine's
early history. They have two children, Fred Kibby and Bertha. The
latter was born May 25, 1879. The former, born October 17, 1868,
married, December 20, 1890, Mabel C. Pierce, a fellow-graduate of
Maine Wesleyan Seminary, class of '90, and daughter of Captain H.
O. Pierce, of Monmouth. They have one child, Kenneth, born Oc-
tober 12, 1891, who represents the fifth generation that has resided on
the home place.
George M. Clough, born in Monmouth in 1837, is the youngest son
of Asa and Mary (Griffin) Clough. He was educated at the common
school and Monmouth Academy. At the age of seventeen he left his
father's farm and went to sea; after a whaling voyage of two and a
half years he returned to settle on the old homestead, his present
home, which his grandfather, Benjamin Clough, one of the first set-
tlers, cleared from the wilderness. At the age of twenty-five Mr.
Clough married Elizabeth Mary E. Coding, of Acton, Me. Their chil-
dren were: Emery Augustus, Richard Griffin, Georgie Ella, Mary
Elizabeth, Ruby Lenora and Grace Isabelle.
James Roscoe Day, D. D., the eminent Methodist divine, is a native
and summer resident of Monmouth, where he was born October, 1845.
He was educated at Kents Hill and Bowdoin College, and belonged
to the Maine Methodist Conference from 1871 to 1879. He was sub-
sequently pastor at Nashua N. H.; at Grace church, Boston; St. Paul's
M. E. church. New York; Newburg, N. Y., and is now pastor of the
Calvary M. E. church, in New York city.
Lorettus Sutton Metcalf was born in Monmouth October 17, 1837.
He early became a contributor to periodicals, and at one time was editor
and proprietor of five newspapers near Boston. In 1876 he became con-
nected with The North American Revieiv, and from 1880 to 1885 he per-
formed the editorial duties of that publication. In 1886, he issued the
first number of The Forum, which he founded and several vears edited.
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 797
Levi Day, born in Litchfield in 1823, is a son of Levi and Rebecca
•{Spear) Day, and grandson of Josiah Day, who came from England.
Levi married, in 1853, Susan A., daughter of William and Mary (Hall)
Randall, who died in 1877. Their children were: Elba C, Lizzie E.,
■Cora C. and William E., who is the only survivor. Mr. Day was a
merchant at South Monmouth for twenty-five years, and retired in
1877.
Stilnian W. Donnell, born in Monmouth in 1855, is a son of Isaiah
and Sophia Donnell, grandson of Benjamin, and great-grandson
of Nathaniel Donnell. He lives on the old home farm, where he does
•a large business at manufacturing vinegar. He married in 1878, Nellie
L., daughter of Chase and Cordelia Blake, and they have one son,
Wilbur R.
Benjamin S. Ellis, son of Benjamin Ellis, born in vSouth Carver,
Mass., May 10, 1809, was a descendant of John Ellis, who emigrated
from Wales in 1632, and settled in Sandwich, Mass. In 1836 Benjamin
S. Ellis married Mary Ann, daughter of Captain Peter Storms, of
Antwerp, Belgium, who came to this country in 1802. Mr. Ellis
moved to Monmouth in May, 1837, where he died in September, 1887,
leaving his widow and two children, Benjamin and Mary D., at the
homestead, and Charles C. at Sterling, Neb.
Horace C. Frost, born in 1842, was educated in the district schools
and academy of Monmouth. He served in the late war from April,
1861, until February, 1862, in Company K, 7th Maine, as corporal. He
reenlisted September 10, 1864, in the navy, and served until June,
1865. He married Eva A., daughter of Ferdinand Champion, born in
West Brookfield, Mass. They have two children— Charles A. and
Nina E. He was for fifteen years foreman of the moccasin factory
here, retiring in 1888, and was elected selectman in 1890, which office
he now holds.
Robert L. Oilman, born in Monmouth in 1817, was a son of Robert
and Hannah (Lyon) Gilraan, and grandson of Daniel Oilman, who
<;ame from New Hampshire and settled in Monmouth, on the farm
now owned by Daniel O. Pierce. Robert L. married in 1844, Lucy M.,
daughter of Joseph and Nancy (Hilburn) Ha.skell. They had three
children: Oeorge B., who died in 1887; Emma L. (Mrs. William H.
Flagg), who died in 1882: and Cora L., now Mrs. W. R. Brown, of
Monmouth.
William H. Oilman, born in Monmouth in 1843, is a son of Alvali
and Elizabeth B. (Kelley) Oilman, and grandson of John Oilman, who
came from New Hampshire. William H. married Cora A., daughter
of James H. and Elizabeth A. (Little) Cunningham, and they have
three children: James A., Ethel E. and Frank H. Mr. Oilman lives
on the old Kelley homestead, where he has been a farmer since 1873.
798 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Jeremiah Gordon, born in ]827 in Wayne, is a son of Jonathan and
Sarah (Pettingill) Gordon, grandson of Josiah and Elizabeth (Smith)
Gordon, and great-grandson of Ithiel and Mary (Glidden) Gordon,
whose father, Daniel, was a son of Thomas and grandson of Alex-
ander Gordon, who came from Scotland in ]6o2 and died at Exeter,
N. H., in IGD?. Mr. Gordon was a farmer in Wayne until 1861, when
he bought a tannery property at North Monmouth, where he was a
tanner, butcher and farmer for a time, after which he was in the mer-
cantile trade at North Monmouth and also at the Center, and in 1876
he bought the grist mill property where he has since been. He mar-
ried Lovissa, daughter of Ebenezer and Janette (Pettingill) Ham-
mond, and granddaughter of Sylvanus and Charity (Benson) Ham-
mond. Their children are: J. Russell (deceased), Alna A., married
Hattie T. Hammond, of East Winthrop, September 19, 1885; and Nel-
lie E., who married George H. Hammond, of East Livermore, Febru-
ary 9, 1886, and has one son, Wesley T., born April 9, 1889.
Uriah Gray, born in 1813 in Litchfield, is a son of Alexander Gray^
who was born in Lisbon in 1782, came to Litchfield in 1810 and died
in 1852. He had four sons, Uriah being the only one now living. He
married Thankful B., daughter of Captain Harding Lombard, of
Truro, Mass., and had seven children: Rebecca J. (Mrs. Asa Fisher),
Elmira (Mrs. Samuel W. Huntington), whose husband died in 1876,.
and who now lives with her father; Martha J. (Mrs. Charles F. Clark),
Alexander, and three who died of diphtheria in 1863. Mr. Gray ran a
grist mill in Sabattus for several years and since then has been a
farmer. He came to Monmouth, where he now lives, in 1871.
Warren Hathaway was a son of Braddock Hathaway, who came
from Massachusetts and settled in Wilton, Franklin county, about
1805. He married there and all of his children were born there. He
afterward moved to Hallowell and bought a farm in what is now the
town of Manchester, where he lived until March, 1839, when he moved
to the place in Monmouth where his grandsons, William and Warren
H. Hathaway, now live. Warren Hathaway married Nancy, daugh-
ter of Michael Tappan, of West Gardiner. Their children are: Wil-
liam, Louise (Mrs. Edwin Richardson), Benjamin T. and Warren H.,
who was married in 1877, to Flora, daughter of Josiah and Ann M.
(Howe) Hammond. They have two children— Gertie E. and Ai"-
thur F.
George S. Hutchinson, born in 1833, is a son of Thomas Hutchin-
son, who came from England to Kennebec county. Me., and had two
sons, George S. being the only survivor. He married in 1858, Lucilla
A., one of the eleven children of George and Lucretia (Towle) Folsom,
and granddaughter of Daniel Folsom, who came from Epping, N. H.,
to Monmouth and settled on the farm where Mr. Hutchinson now
lives. They have had four children: Nellie S. and Blanche L. are
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 799
living; Nellie and Willie died young. ^Ir. Hutchinson is a tanner by
trade, but now follows farming.
Henry C. Jacobs, born in 1849 in Winthrop, is a son of Robert and
Nancy (Frost) Jacobs, and grandson of Thomas Jacobs, who came
from England. Henrj' is one of seven children: Albert, Sarah, Ro-
sanna, Henry C, Elijah C, Carrie B. and Anna L. Robert Jacobs died
in 1872 on the old homestead where Henry now lives. Elijah C. lives
with him. Henry married in 1872, Susie, daughter of Thomas Cowan.
He is a tanner by trade and works in the moccasin factory at Mon-
mouth.
Jesse Jeffery, born in 1842, at Kennebunkport, Me., is a son of Wil*
Ham and Abigail (Tarbox) Jeffery and grandson of Eleazer Jeffery. He
enlisted in June. 1861, in Company B, 5th Maine, lost his right arm at
Spottsylvania Court House in May, 1864, and was discharged from ser-
vice in July of the same year. He afterward graduated from the com-
mercial college of Concord, N. H. He read law in Dixfield, Me., from
1870 until 1872, when he was admitted to the bar, and practiced law at
Turner, Me., until 1878, when he came to North Monmouth. In July,
1889, he was appointed special pension examiner, which position he
now holds. He married Lizzie, daughter of John M. Babb, of Mexico,
Oxford county, jNIe. Their children are: George W., Cora D. (de-
ceased July 22, 1890), Purlie E., W. Percy and Ada L.
Otis H. Jewell, born in 1844, is a son of Nelson S. and Dorcas (Ham)
Jewell, and grand.son of Abraham Jewell, whose forefathers came
from England. Otis H. married in 1867, Delia S., adopted daughter
of William H. Hall, of Monmouth, and has one child, Lelia E. He
was a contractor and builder in Cambridge, Mass., for five years, w.as
for ten years master mechanic in the street car shops at Cambridge,
Mass.. and since 1885 has carried on a carriage and general blacksmith
shop at South Monmouth, in connection with the management of his
farm.
vSamuel H. Jones, born in Monmouth in 1836, is a son of John and
Lydia (Perkins) Jones and a grandson of Benjamin Jones, who came
from England about 1795. Samuel is one of eight sons of John, the
only ones now living being: John P., who lives in California; Benja-
min F. and Samuel H., who live at East Monmouth. Samuel H. mar-
ried Helen M., daughter of John and Betsey (Russ) Moody. He has
been postmaster and merchant at East Monmouth since 1874, and also
manages his farm.
Joseph R. King, born April 9, 1826, is the youngest son of Samuel
and Matilda (Rice) King and grandson of Samuel King. He worked
with his father in the tape and webbing mill at North Monmouth un-
til October, 1850, when he bought the business of his father and con-
tinued it until 1880. Since that time the factory has only been run a
51
■800 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUXTV.
small part of the time. ]\lr. King still owns the plant. He married
Emeline T., daughter of Nathaniel Dexter. Their children are: Al-
bertus R., Mary C. (died in infancy), Eva A. and Imogene C. (Mrs. E.
M. Stanton).
Rufus A. King, born in 1838, is a grandson of Samuel King, who
came from Massachusetts, and a son of Benjamin and Olive King, who
had ten children, the only living sons being Benjamin F. and Rufus
A., who married Mary A., daughter of Nathan Houghton. She died
in 1865, leaving three children: Ida O., Edward C. and Lottie ]\I. He
married for his second wife, Viletta Sawyer, who died in 1891, leaving
three children: Blanche S. (Mrs. Charles Macomber), William R. and
Annette. Mr. King was a shoe manufacturer for twenty years. He
came to Monmouth in 1885, where he has since been a farmer.
Howard Lindsay, son of Rosco G. and Eliza (Berry) Lindsay, and
grandson of Howard and Caroline Lindsaj', of Leeds, was born in 1835.
He married in 1880, Alice A. Crockett, in Monmouth, where he has
since lived. He is superintendent of the axe factory at North Mon-
mouth, where he learned his trade several years ago. His father was
in the late war and died in 1864 while in service.
George O. Longfellow, son of John and Hannah A. (Fellows) Long-
fellow, was born June 17, 1855, in Hallowell. His grandfather, Sam-
uel Longfellow, with his wife, Betsey, came to Hallowell, probably
from Rowley, Mass. In 1882 Mr. Longfellow married Nellie P., daugh-
ter of Moses B. and Priscilla (Bartlett) Gilman, and their children are
John G. and Anna B. Mr. Longfellow is now a farmer in Monmouth.
David Marston, born in 1839, is a son of Rufus and Sarah (Pres-
•cott) Marston, and grandson of Jonathan Marston, who came from
Deerfield, N. H., to Monmouth and settled on the farm and built the
house where David now lives. The latter is one of seven children,
two of whom are living. He married Hannah, daughter of William
and Dolly (Hoyt) Gilman, and has two children: Inez A. and Mabel L.
Charles F. JVIerrill, born in Monmouth in 1858, is a son of Joseph
and Dorcas B. (Brown) Merrill, and grandson of William Merrill, of
Durham, Me. Charles F. married Hattie E., daughter of Robert E.
Day, and they have two children: Nellie F. and Harry F. Mr. Mer-
rill is a farmer and owns the farm where his father settled when he
married, and lived until he died in 1864. His mother is now living
with him.
David T. ]\Ioody, born in 1833, is a son of Rufus and Lucy (^Rich-
ardson) Moody, grandson of David and Joanna (Fairbanks) Moody, and
great-grandson of Gilman Moody. He was for twelve years engaged
in brick making, and was for three years prior to January, 1889, post-
master at North Monmouth, Me. He married Lizzie, daughter of
Thomas Owen, of Leeds, and they have children — Charles F. and
Fred E.
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 801
James H. Norris, born November 24, ISoO, is a son of Charles S.
and Almira D. (Blake) Norris, and grandson of James F., born in
1772, who was captain in the war of 1812. He had six sons — Henry,
Hiram, Hannibal, Charles, James R. and Benjamin W. — and two
daughters— Mary A. C. and Amelia F., who is the only one of this
large family now living. Charles S. died in 1872, after having filled
a prominent place in the town and county. He was in the legislature
in 1854-5. He had two sons: Charles P., who died in 1865, and James
H., who in 1875 married M. Louisa, daughter of John C. and Mary
(Small) Fogg. They have three children: Almira L., Burton H. and
Mary E. James H. was a member of the legislature in 1881-2, and is
now a farmer. He had one sister, Almira A., born April 10, 1843, died
September 29, 1853.
Josiah L. Orcutt, born March 7, 1830, in Monmouth, Me., is a son
of Josiah Orcutt, who, in 1806, came from North Bridgewater, Mas-
sachusetts, to Monmouth. His first wife, Naomia Chessman, died in
1819, leaving one child, Naomia C, who m.arried J. P. Hopkins, of
Peru, Me., and died in 1890, aged seventy-one years. In 1820 he mar-
ried Eunice Webb, by whom he had two children: Josiah L. and Eliz-
abeth, who married A. D. King, of Winthrop, and died in 1856. Josiah
L. is a mechanic, but has devoted twenty-five winters to the teaching
of vocal music. He has been for twenty-five years superintendent of
the Methodist Sunday school at North Monmouth, thirty years chor-
ister, and forty years a member of that choir. He has been justice of
the peace and trial justice thirty-three years, and four years selectman,
the last three acting as chairman. He represented his district in the
legislature in 1891. His marriage was with Isabell M., daughter of
Charles Foss. Their only daughter, Ella F. (Mrs. L. C. Berry), died in
1882, leaving three children.
James B. Packard, born in 1859, is a son of Stephen and Louisa B.
Packard, and grandson of Stephen Packard. He began teaching school
when but eighteen years of age, and at intervals since then he has
written articles for the papers and magazines. While a student he
took many prizes as a declaimer and public speaker. In 1880 he mar-
ried Minnie A., daughter of Nathaniel and Lydia (Curtis) Harris.
They now have three children: Winfield F., Harold L. and Florence
G. Mr. Packard came from Paris, Me., to Monmouth in 1873, and has
lived on the farm where he now resides for eleven years.
George B. Pierce, born in Monmouth in 1834, is a son of Daniel
and Caroline (Shorey) Pierce, and grandson of Nehemiah Pierce, who
came to Monmouth in 1808 and died in 1850. George B. married,
in 1860, Mary A., daughter of John and Hepzibah Kingsbury, and had
three children: John C, Payson E. and Merton W. Mr. Pierce has
been a .school teacher, and for three years prior to 1891 was steward at
o02 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Kents Hill. He now lives in Monmouth and clevote.s a part of his
time to farming.
Henry O. Pierce, born in 1830, is a son of Oliver W. Pierce, and
grandson of Nehemiah Pierce, who, in 1808, came from Lebanon,
Connecticut, to Monmouth, where he died in 1850. Oliver remained
on the old homestead until his death, in 1871. Henry O. was for many
years a school teacher, and has since 1881 been secretary of the Mon-
mouth Academy. He was for several years on the board of selectmen,
and in 1871-2 represented his district in the legislature. He was cap-
tain in the late war, in Company H, 49th Wisconsin. He married
Martha E. Storm, and they have six children: John O., Harry R.,
Hattie M., Carrie C, Mabel S. and Helen L.
Sanford K. Plummer, born in Monmouth in 1836, is a son of Jabez
and Abigail (Powers) Plummer. He married, in 1868, Sarah A.,
daughter of Thomas and Marietta McFadden. and has two children:
Ida C. and Z. Mildred. Jabez Plummer was one of the six sons of
John Plummer, who came to Litchfield in early life. Sanford came to
the farm where he now lives in 1884.
Jabez M. Plummer, born in 1841, is a son of Jabez and Abigail
(Powers) Plummer, and grandson of John Plummer, who came from
New Hampshire in early life and settled on Pease hill, in Monmouth.
He is one of eight children, the only survivors being: vSanford K.,
Jabez M., Warren W. and John L. He married in 1874, Helen,
daughter of Woodman True, of Litchfield. She died in April, 1885.
Their only child, Frank M., died in 1878. Mr. Plummer is a farmer
and has always lived at the old homestead where he was born.
Benjamin M. Prescott, born in Monmouth in 1834, is a son of Charles
H. and Nancy (Kimball) Prescott, and grandson of Sewall Prescott,
who came to Monmouth from New Hampshire in 1767, and in 1788
took up the farm where Benjamin M. now lives. The latter married
in 1859, Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin E. and Elizabeth (Russell)
Cleveland. They have three children: Lucy A. (Mrs. B. H. Kimball),
Charles W. and Leslie C.
Jesse P. Richardson, born in Monmouth in 1822, died March
17, 1892, was a son of Thomas and Mary Richardson, who came
from Standish, Me., to Monmouth in 1806, and settled on the farm
where Jesse P. lived. Thomas was a son of David Richard.son. Jesse
married Sarah F., daughter of Amasa and Mehitable (Jacobs) King,
and had four children: Novella F., Ella M., Millard F. and Wilfred A.
Millard F. married in 1875, Emma L., daughter of Francis and Har-
riet Perley, and has one child, Stella L. He now lives on the old
homestead.
Melvin M. Richardson was born in Monmouth in 1847, and is a son
of Benjamin and Clara (Manning) Richardson, and grandson of Jona-
than Richardson, who came from Standish, Me., to Monmouth in 1812.
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. SUd
He married Osca M., daughter of Edwin C. vSimpson. They have two
children — Eva J. and Frank B. Mr. Richardson was collector of taxes
in 1878-9, and is a farmer.
Samuel Robinson, born in 1825, is the eldest of eleven children of
John and Polly (Smith) Robinson, and grandson of Harvey and Sally
Robinson. John Robinson came to Monmouth from New Hampshire
in 1805. Samuel Robinson was engaged in various branches of man-
ufacture at North Monmouth from 1846 until 1887, and since then has
been farming. In 1864 he bought the Elder Prescott place, which was
a part of the General Chandler farm. His first wife was Almira,
daughter of Richard Spear, of West Gardiner. His present wife was
Mrs. Clorinda Wing, daughter of William and Lydia (Jones) Linds-
cott. She had five children by her marriage with John H. Wing: Willis
A., Arthur, Helen M., Lillian and Wesley M.
Albert A. Sawyer, born in 1853, is a son of Harlow H. and Mar-
garet A. (Atwood) Sawyer, who had .seven children; Alton, Augusta
{Mrs. Frank S. Rideout), Albert A., Mary A. (Mrs. J. Hinckley), Ida
M. (who died in 1878), Ruth A. and John Watson. Albert A. has been
school teacher and farmer, having taught school for six winters. Ruth
A. lives with him.
Adelbert C. Sherman, born in 1840, is a son of George C. and Julia
A. (Blake) Sherman, and grandson of Obadiah Sherman, of Massa-
chusetts. He married Maria A., daughter of Daniel and Caroline
(Shorey) Pierce. He enlisted in 1862, in Company F, 11th United
States Infantry, was shot through the right lung at Gettysburg, and
wounded again at Petersburg, after which he was made captain of
Company G, 28th United States colored troops, and still holds the rank
of captain in the United States army.
John Simpson, born in York county, Me., in 1835, son of John and
Mary Simpson, is one of eleven children. The others were: Erastus
B., Edwin C, Susan A., Lydia J., Sylvanus R., Francis M., Mary P.,
Kathleen E., Harriet M. and one infant which died. Mr. Simpson
married in 1860, Almira T., daughter of Moses and Salinda (Cole)
Cooper. They have had four daughters — two pairs of twins — the only
one now living being Susie. Mr. Simpson is a scythe maker by trade,
but has been for the past twenty years a farmer on the David Thurs-
ton farm, which he now owns.
Jacob G. Smith is a son of Jacob and Rebecca (Jackson) Smith, and
was born in Monmouth near where he now lives, in 1815. His father's
children were: Elmira (Mrs. Phillips Rackley), Diantha, who died in
1878; Rebecca A. (Mrs. William H. Woodbury) and Jacob G., who in
1839 married Jane Tilton. She died in 1854, leaving four children:
Edward G., Sarah J. (Mrs. Robert M. Macomber), Charles E. and Mary
A. Tillson. Charles E. died in 1883, leaving one son, Charles F. In
1855 Jacob G. married Martha A. Moody, of Monmouth, who died in
804 HISTORY OF KENXEBEC COUNTY.
1885, leaving three children: Elma J., who died in 1890; Henry L. and
Albert S. Mr. Smith has been selectman for fourteen years, justice
for forty years, and director and president of the Monmouth Mutual
Insurance Company for twenty years.
Nabum Spear, born in 1831 in West Gardiner, son of Richard Spear,
was a carpenter until September 1, 1855, when he came to North Mon-
mouth and was four years in the sleigh and carriage factory of Sam-
uel Robinson. Since then he has carried on a wagon repairing and
manufacturing business. His wife, Mary F., was a daughter of Eben-
ezer Prescott.
Andrew Wood Tinkmam was born in Monmouth November 23,
1823. His mother was Armida, daughter of Andrew Wood, of Win-
throp. His ancestors on both sides were of English stock, the Tink-
hams coming from the valley of the Severn, near the head of Bristol
channel, and making their home in Middleboro, Plymouth county, at
an early day, where in common with the Pilgrims of the Old Colony
they suffered and bore the hardships incident to those times. In 1807
Amasa Tinkham, then about twenty-five years of age, left the paternal
home for the District of Maine, and finally settled in Monmouth (then
almost a wilderness) on the farm now owned and occupied by his son,
where he remained until his death in 1872, at the advanced age of
ninety years. On this farm Andrew W. was born and has alwaj's
made his home, busily engaged in its management and conducting its
operations carefully, wisely and profitably.
Like most farmers' boys of hi^s day, his school education was lim-
ited to a few weeks in. the year in the little district school house, and
and it is not remembered that he attracted particular attention except
in the .studies of geography and history, which he took in as the " ox
drinketh in water." Natural philosophy and geology were also favor-
ites. His school studies have been supplemented by careful and judi-
cious reading continued to the present time, and with a memory re-
markably retentive and a ready command of language, his well stored
facts come forth at call, making him an interesting and instructive
conversationalist.
He has served several terms as selectman of his town, was a trus-
tee of Monmouth Academy several years, and his judgment and in-
tegrity are in such repute that he has often been called to serve as
commissioner and as arbitrator in disputed claims. As evidence of
his honor and his regard for the good name of his family, one fact is
worth a myriad of theories or assertions. His father, in the goodness
of his heart and in his old age, had indorsed paper for others; the
maker failed and he became liable to pay, and payment would impov-
erish him. That no stain might rest on the honored name of his aged
father, the son, although under no legal or moral liability, voluntarily
assumed the debt, some $4,000. For a farmer in his circumstances
TOWN OF MONMOUTH. 805
this was no small undertaking, but the energy, good judgment, econ-
omy and industrious habits inherited from his Pilgrim ancestry, bore
him safely through, and he soon had the satisfaction of paying the
last dollar of principal and interest — an act that established his repu-
tation and proved (as he has often said) the best investment of his
life.
As a farmer he has always been a progressive one, and while culti-
vating the usual crops of the farmers of his section, has made wool
and apples specialties. About twenty-two years ago, alarmed at the
wholesale destruction of our forests, as an experiment, he fenced and
planted about ten acres of worn out pasture land with seed of white
pine, oak, cedar and some other woods, which have now grown to a
beautiful forest, converting what was a dreary waste into a thing of
beauty.
In employing assistance on the farm his rule has been to give
preference to the poor and needy, always bearing in mind the words
of vScripture—" The poor ye always have with you, and if ye will, ye
may do them good."
A fractured leg, the result of an accident some thirty years ago,
has been the cause of great trouble and inconvenience ever since,
seriously interfering with his farming operations; yet notwithstand-
ing this infirmity, he is always serene and happy, living in full faith
that beyond this vale of tears there is a better land, where canes and
crutches are unknown, and where he will range in delight through
Elysian fields of joy.
William B. Tinkham, born in Massachusetts in 1827, is a son of
John and Elizabeth (Ling) Tinkham. He married Olive A., daughter
of Emory Tilson, and has six children: Francisco, a merchant in Mon-
mouth; Herbert R. and Emory A., lawyers in Duluth, Minn.; Carrie
B. (Mrs. Joshua Stover), Willie C. and Geneva. Mr. Tinkham went to
California and on his return in 1853 came to Monmouth and settled on
the farm where he has since lived.
Hiram G. Titus was born in 1834 and died June 25, 1892. He was
a sen of James and Elizabeth (Gould) Titus, and grandson of William
Titus, who came from Massachusetts. James Titus had twelve chil-
dren, of whom the following are living: William F., James H., Cyrus
K., Nathaniel W., Eliza J. and Charles O. Hiram G. married Jose-
phine L., daughter of Phineas B. and Elizabeth (Collins) Nichols.
They had three children: Walter H., Adelbert E. and Hattie E. (Mrs.
Nelson Springer).
Daniel G. Towle, born in Monmouth in 1815, is a son of Benjamin
and Sarah (Kelley) Towle, and grandson of Benjamin Towle, who
came from New Hampshire to Monmouth. Benjamin, jun., had three
sons: Henry W., Daniel G. and Josiah E., who died and left one son,
Charles E., who now lives with Daniel G. The latter married Sarah,
806 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
daughter of Peter and Jerusha Gale. He went to Boston in 1836, and
in 1856 went to Minnesota, wtiere he enlisted in 1861 in Company E,
4th Minnesota, being first sergeant and then captain, which rank he
held until April, 1865, when he was discharged, being disabled by
wounds at Altoona Pass, Ga. Since 1878 he has lived in Monmouth,
where he has been prominent in the G. A. R. Post and also in the Ma-
sonic and Odd Fellows orders.
Wilbert True, born in Litchfield in 1838, is a son of Joseph C. and
Betsey J. (Woodbury) True. He went to California in 1857, returned
in 1861, and in 1862 married Mary B., daughter of Simeon and Mary
A. Williams. They have one daughter, Annie M. He came to Mon-
mouth in 1865 and has since been a farmer.
Alexander L. Walker, born in Litchfield in 1842. is a son of Samuel
and Abigail (Belden) Walker, grandson of Joshua Walker, and great-
grandson of John Walker, who was a native of Kennebunkport, and
married Elizabeth Burbank. They had seven sons and seven daugh-
ters. Their son Joshua, married Sarah Huntington, and had two
sons and two daughters. Alexander L. married Myra, daughter of
Benjamin and Elizabeth Gowen, and they have two children: Irving
E. and Hattie M. He enlisted in the 1st Maine Cavalry in 1861, was
discharged in 1865, and in 1877 came to Monmouth, where he is a
farmer. He has for some years sold agricultural implements.
George H. Waugh, born in Readfield in 1833, is one of eight chil-
dren of Robert and Lydia Waugh, and grandson of Robert Waugh.
He married Laura M. Poole, of Readfield, who died living two chil-
dren: George N. and Samiiel F. His present wife was Anna P., daugh-
ter of Joseph Wood, of Winthrop. He was nine years in California,
returning in 1861. In 1863 he enlisted in Company B, 17th Maine,
served until the close of the war, and has since been a farmer.
CHAPTER XXXI.
TOWN OF WAYNE.
Location and Natural Features.— Settlement and Civil History.— Cemeteries. —
Ecclesiastical.— Educational. — Industrial Interests.— Associations. — Villages.
Personal Paragraphs.
REACHING farther west by nearly two miles than any other sec-
tion of the county, and lapping over the west line of the Ken-
nebec purchase, lies a town which, but for comparatively recent
concessions to and acquisitions from the lands of its neighbors, would
form an almost perfect triangle. It is bounded on the north by Liv-
ermore and Fayette, east by Winthrop, south by Monmouth and west
by Leeds and Androscoggin pond. Pocasset, as this favorite resort
of the red man was termed, is a rough, hilly tract, covered with enor-
mous loose boulders. It is splendidly irrigated and abounds in a light,
natural grass-bearing soil, which at several points merges into tracts
of drift sand. A heavy formation of deep-toned granite under the
thin soil has been quarried in the southern portion of the town for
monumental purposes.
Androscoggin pond, which covers the south half of the western
boundary, comprises nearly six miles of surface. It receives the out-
flow of a long chain of lakes, the most remote of which rises near the
northern boundary of the county. The exit is through a broad chan-
nel into the Androscoggin river. This channel, which is known as
Dead river, has the singular ability of flowing both ways. A rise in
the Androscoggin, resulting from local rains in the White Mountain
range, will set the current back into the pond for days, while quick
rains in central Maine will excite the sluggish water and send it rush-
ing down into the river with the rapidity of a mountain torrent. Near
the upper end of Androscoggin pond are two islands of considerable
size, one of which was used by the Anasagunticook Indians as a burial
place, from which many relics of aboriginal warfare have been ex-
humed. Northeast of this body of water, and connected with it by a
short, sinuous stream, which furnishes motive power to the mills at
Wayne village, is Wing's pond, formerly known as Howe's mill pond,
a large, natural reservoir, about one and a half miles in length, which
receives the outflow of Lovejoy's pond, on the north, the larger por-
tion of which lies in the adjoining towns of Fayette and Readfield.
808 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
East of this chain, and separated from it by a high water-shed, is a
short water system flowing into the Kennebec river. Beginning at
the northeast corner of the town, it follows along the entire length of
the eastern boundary, swelling out into two small ponds — Berry and
Dexter — then empties into Wilson pond.
From the lofty ranges which surround these ponds magnificent
vistas are spread out in every direction. Attracted, doubtless, by this
feature, as well as by the lumbering and agricultural resources of the
territory, a number of prospectors from Cape Cod selected lots here as
early as 1775, on which to found permanent homes.
Settlement and Civil History. — Job Fuller, the pioneer of the
colony of New Sandwich, as the place was called by the settlers, in
memory of their old home. Sandwich, on the coast of Cape Cod, struck
the first tree that fell before the woodman's axe not far from 1773. The
lot on which he settled was, it is supposed, the one lately owned by the
K. B. Pullen heirs, near the head of Wilson pond. His house, which, on
the evidence of contemporary events, may safely be reckoned as the
first framed building in the town, stood a few rods east of the site
covered by the present buildings. It was taken down many years ago.
Fuller had lived in the forest but a short time when other families,
many of them old neighbors, came in and settled around him. Promi-
nent among them were the Wings, the Washburns, Sturtevants, Nor-
rises, Winslows and Jenningses, Asa Lawrence, the Maxims, Isaac
Dexter, Reuben Besse and John Bowles.
With Reuben Wing came his six sons — Moses, Ebenezer, Simeon,
Allen, William and Aaron. Moses became a physician. He settled
on the farm now owned by John Weeks, to whose father, Thomas
Weeks, he sold the clearing, and removed to the lot opposite Dr. C. H.
Barker's at the village. He removed, subsequently, to Phillips, Me.
Ebenezer Wing took up the farm now owned by Ebenezer Norris, on
the Winthrop road; Simeon settled on the farm occupied by his grand-
son, J. M. Wing, west of Wing's pond; Allen on the Riggs farm farther
north, William on the adjoining lot on the west, and Aaron on the
place now owned by James M. Pike. Asa Lawrence probably settled
in the eastern part of the toAvn, near Berry pond. The Norrises set-
tled near the Androscoggin pond, in the south part of the town. There
were four brothers of them — Ephraim, Nathaniel, Wooden and Josiah
— sons of Samuel Norris, who removed from vSandwich, Mass., a few
years later. Ephraim settled on the place now owned by Charles
Norris, Nathaniel on an adjoining lot, Wooden on the farm now occu-
pied by Sewall Pettingill, and Josiah on the farm now owned by his
grandson, Melvin Norris. The Jennings family took up a lot north-
east, a short distance from the head of Wing's pond. The father,
Samuel Jennings, came with three sons — Nathanuel, Samuel, jun.,
and John. Of these, the last two removed, after a short time, ta
TOWN OF WAYNE. i^Oy
Leeds, while Nathaniel remained on the farm which is now owned by
his grandsons, the well known Jennings Brothers. Isaac Dexter set-
tled near the head of Wilson pond, a short distance west of the one
which bears his name; Reuben Besse on the Winthrop road, near
Berry pond, and John Bowles near Job Fuller, on the farm now owned
by M. B. Sylvester.
In the absence of authentic records, it is impossible to accurately
trace the development of the colony through its various stages. As
the fragmental data that can, at this late period, be gathered from the
few remaining aged citizens would, at best, bear marks of partiality
and insufficiency, it may be better to pass over the colonizing period
with light touches. Suffice it to say that during the twenty-five years
which intervened between Job Fuller's advent and the incorporation
of the town, nearly one hundred families had gathered on the beauti-
ful hills which cluster about this vast water system.
All this time the settlement had borne the appellation, New Sand-
wich. February 12, 1798, an act was passed by the general court
which placed Wayne on the li.st of legally incorporated towns. The
name was adopted in honor of General Anthony Wayne, a hero of the
revolution, under whom, it is probable, some of the pioneers of the
new town had fought.
Of the first three years following the town's incorporation we have
no record. The selectmen for the year 1801 v.'ere Isaac Dexter, Moses
Wing and William Wing. Of these, Moses Wing remained in office
until 1808, while William Wing served only two years and Isaac Dex-
ter but one. Their successors were: Ellis Sweet, 1802-3; Ephraim
Norris, 1803-5; Braddock Weeks, 1804-9; Daniel Smith, 1806-8; Jo-
seph Lamson, 1809; Moses Wing, Job Fuller and Benjamin Burgess,
1810; Joseph Lamson, ISll-lS; Moses Wing, jun., 1811-12; Cyrus
Foss, 1811; Aaron Wing, "1812; John Bowles, 1813-15; Ebenezer Besse,
1813; Moses Wing, jun., 1814-15; Moses Wing, 1816; Nathaniel Fair-
banks, 1816; Joshua Bowles, 1816-17; Lemuel Bryant, 1817-18; Allen
Wing, 1818; Cyrus Foss, 1818-19; Joseph Lamson and John Morrison,
1819; Allen Wing, William Burgess and Ephraim Norris, 1820-1;
Lemuel Bryant, Nathaniel Fairbanks and Moses Bean, 1822; Joseph
Lamson, 1823; William Burgess and John Morrison, 1823-6; Asa Foss,
1824-30; Hamilton Jenkins, 1827; Amasa Dexter, 1827-8; Francis
Bowles, 1828; Abijah Crane and James Wing, 1829-30; Francis Bowles,
1831; John Morrison, 1831; Jesse Stevens, 1831-4; Asa Foss, 1832;
George Gorden, 1832-3; Noah Chandler, 1833-4; Leonard Wing, 1834-6;
Asa Foss, 1835; George Smith, 1836-9; Uriah H. Virgin, 1836; Asa
Foss and Jesse Stevens, 1837; Sewall Frost, 1838-9; Leonard Wing,
1838; Nelson H. Carey, 1839-41; George W. Fairbanks and Samuel
W. Frost, 1840; Josiah Norris, jun., and William Lewis, 1841-3; Sewall
Frost, 1842-6; Nelson H. Carey and Joshua Burgess, 1844-9; Tillotson
810 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Lovejoy and R. R. Frohock, 1S4S; David Stevens, 1849-50; Josiah
Norris, jun., 1850-4; Samuel S. Brown, 1850-1; Benjamin Ridley, 1851;
Ephraim Hall and Oilman Buswell, 1852; Tillotson Lovejoy, 1853;
William G. Besse, 1853-6; Thomas B. Read, 1854; Samuel W. Frost
and Emery Foss, 1855-6; Joshua Burgess, 1857; Samuel S. Brown,
1857-9; A. K. P. Burgess, 1857-8; H. J. Ridley, 1858-9; Samuel W.
Frost, 1859; Josiah Norris, 1860; Daniel True, 1860-3; Squire Bishop,
1860-4; A. K. P. Burgess, 1861-2; Thomas B. Read, 1863-5; Richard
Berry, 1864-6; H. J. Ridley, 1865-7; Llewellyn Wing, 1866-7; William
L. G. Clark, 1867; Josiah Norris, 1868-9; George W. Fairbanks, 1868-
72; Sewall Pettingill, 1868-71; John P. Carson, 1870-3; J. C. Stinch-
field, 1872-7; H. J. Ridley, 1873-7; Sears Frost, 1874-8; Sewall Pettin-
gill, 1877; Stillman L. Howard, 1878-9; G. M. True, 1878; Melvin Nor-
ris and James M. Wing, 1879; Joseph S. Berry and J. P. Stevens,
1880-1; William G. Besse, 1880; Benjamin F. Maxim, 1881-5; J. C.
Stinchfield and James M. Wing, 1882-5; Nathaniel B. Frost, 1886-9;
Peleg F. Pike, 1886-90; John M. Weeks, 1886; Sewall Pettingill, 1887
-90; Albert W. Riggs, 1890; William B. Frost. 1891; B. F. Bradford
and George H. Lord, 1891-2; A. H. Briggs, 1892.
The first Town Clerk of whom we have any record was Moses
Wing, who held the office eighteen consecutive years. The next in-
cumbent was Asa Foss, who was elected in 1820. His successors were:
Joshua Bowles, 1822; Zacariah Wing, 1829; Francis Bowles, 1832;
George Smith, 1834; Wellington Hunton, 1841; Bartlett W. Varnum,
1852; Thomas B. Read, 1853; James H. Thorn, 1855; Cyrus B. Swift,
1861; Charles H. Barker, 1865; Cyrus Swift, 1868; Joseph H. Berry,
1870: H. C. Tribou, 1878; W. A. Burgess, 1892.
The successive Treasurers have been: Ebenezer Mason, 1801;
Thomas Atkinson, 1802; Joseph Lamson, 1804; John Bowles, 1809;
Moses Wing, 1810; Allen Wing, 1811; Isaac Dexter, 1813; Ebenezer
Besse, 1815; Joshua Bowles, 1819; Allen Wing, 1820; Joshua Bowles,
1823; Allen Wing, 1829; Humphrey Hight, 1830; Zacariah Wing,
1831; Francis Bowles, 1832; George Smith, 1834; Sumner C. Moulton,
1841; Wellington Hunton, 1847; J. F. Jennings, 1854; Cyrus B. Swift,
1856; Leonard L. Wing, 1857; E. H. Libby, 1858; N. B. Frost, 1859;
C. H. Barker, 1860; Squire Bishop, 1862; W. H. Rollins, 1864; Charles
H. Barker, 1865; W. H. Rollins, 1866; Josiah Norris, 1868; Joseph S.
Berry, 1874; Alfred Johnson, 1877; Joseph S. Berry, 1882; Stillman L.
Howard, 1883; and Charles E. Wing, since 1886.
While Wayne, like her companion towns, throws a mournful glance
into the brilliant past, and laments her depleted population and mori-
bund industries, she has not, like many of the towns of Kennebec, to
deplore run down farms and dismantled buildings, which many of our
Maine towns present. Of her sons and daughters, one of whom is
TOWN OF WAYNE. 811
Annie Louise Gary, Maine's greatest songstress, she may well be
proud.
The season of greatest prosperity which the town has enjoyed, was
the decade erabracing the civil war, when the mills were in full oper-
ation on profitable contracts. Following that period, the value of real
estate has steadily increased in the face of a diminishing population,
until the recent sluggishness in manufacturing operations induced a
sudden fall. From the first the inhabitants of Wayne have been en-
terprising and intelligent. That this is true of the early stock is
demonstrated, in a measure, by the neat, concise and methodical man-
ner in which the contemporaneous public records were kept.
The town institutions have been few. Nothing has been created
for mere ostentation, and everything not of immediate practical utility
has been dispensed with. For more than half a century the annual
and public business meetings were held in private buildings and the
Methodist church. The town house, which has the appearance of a
far older building, was erected not far from 1845 by David and Peter
Fifield. The semi-barbarous custom of selling the town's poor, at
public auction, to the lowest bidder, which has so reluctantly been re-
linquished throughout the state, was in vogue here until not far from
1850, when a farm in the south part of the town, near Androscoggin
pond, was purchased of Benjamin Norris. This was sold and a farm
on Beech hill purchased of Jason Maxim. This, in turn, was substi-
tuted by the farm in the north part of the town now in use, which was
formerly the property of Matthias Smith.
Cemeteries. — The oldest cemetery, probably, is the one in the Syl-
vester district. At a very early date a cemetery was established on
Beech hill, twenty rods north of H. J. Ridley's. The location was
poorly chosen. Little by little the sands sifted away until skeletons
began to appear on the surface. Many bodies were taken up and
placed on the more secure land of the new private cemetery, an eighth
of a mile to the southwest, but many bones were widely scattered.
Another of the early cemeteries was taken from the farm now owned
by A. C. Hayford, in the north part of the town. The one nea:* N.
Davis', at North Wayne, while of early date, was established later than
the last mentioned ground, as was also the one near the Howard Gott
place, in the west part of the town.
Ghurches. — The ecclesiastical history of Wayne begins with the
year 1793, in the early part of which regular social services were es-
tablished by some of the settlers who had been aroused by the exhort-
ations of missionary disciples of the Baptist faith. On the 9th day of
January, 1794, they were, largely through the labors and influence of
Rev. Mr. Potter, organized into a church of eleven members, of which
nine were males. For eight years they had no regular pastor. Itin-
erant preachers, among whom were Elders Potter, Jackson and Gas e
oiZ HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
visited them occasionally, and Thomas Francis, of Leeds, a man of
considerable talent and force of character who had joined them, served
as a lay pastor. In 1798 he was ordained, and in 1800 became pastor
of the church in Leeds. Two years later Rev. William Godding be-
gan a four years' pastorate. His successors have been: Nathan
Thomas, 1817-19; T. B. Robinson, 1831-5: D. P. Bailey, 1836-8: R. C.
Starr, 1841-3. In more recent years the church has been supplied to
quite an extent by students. Among the settled pastors have been:
Reverends Joshua Millet, Samuel Boothby, Carleton Parker, G. S.
Smith, A. Snyder, Erwin Dennet and J. R. Herrick.
Their first house of worship was erected through the united effort
of another denomination. It eventually fell into the entire control of
the Baptists, and was burned on the site where the present edifice
stands, about fifty years ago.
Five days after the Baptist church of Wayne was organized. Rev.
Jesse Lee, the Methodist evangelist, preached to the people of that
place. A class was soon organized by his subordinate, Philip Wager,
which developed into an auxiliary church of the Readfield circuit.
Until 1827, when it was transferred to Monmouth circuit, the pastors
were circuit riders. Their names and the dates of their pastorates are
given in Chapter XXX.
From 1827 to 1841 Wayne was classed with Monmouth, with only
one minister in charge. The names of the ministers during this
period have been mentioned in the preceding chapter.
In 1842 Wayne was set off as a separate charge, with R. H. Stinch-
field, pastor. He was followed by D. F. Ouimby, 1844; C. Fuller, 1845;
P. Munger, 1846; C. C. Whitney, 1847; W. Wyman, 1848; D. B. Ran-
dall, 1849-50; D. Copeland, 1851; R. J. Ayer, 1852; T. Hill, 1853; F. A.
Crofts, 1856; A. C. Trafton, 1860; E. Smith, 1861; W. B. Bartlett, 1863;
J. M. Woodbury, 1865; J. Armstrong, 1868; J. Mitchell, 1869; W. H.
Foster, 1871: E. K. Colby, 1873; Elbridge Gerrv, 1876; Sylvester
Hooper, 1878; W. H. Foster, 1880; J. P. Cole, 1884; 6. H. Stevens, 1885:
D. R. Ford, 1887; J. R. Masterman, 1890. Two of these. Reverends
Caleb Fuller and C. C. Whitney, located in Wayne. The former rep-
resented the town one term in the legislature, and the latter was en-
gaged in business as a druggist.
About 1852, through the labors of Rev. John Stevens, a Freewill
Baptist church was organized at Wayne village. A building was soon
erected for public worship, which has since been purchased by the
town, and without being removed from its original foundation, remod-
eled into the village school house. Mr. Stevens was succeeded as pas-
tor of the church by Reverend Gould. As the doctrinal tenets of the
denomination are nearly identical with those of the Methodist church,
it was not long before the small society became enlarged into the
latter, and the organization ceased to exist.
TOWN OF WAYNE. 813
Schools.* — It appears that there were schools supported by private
■subscription from the time of the first settlement. In 1801 the first
appropriation of $100 was made for the support of schools; in 1806 the
sum of $300 was raised, and in 1810, $400. The first school house
built in town was located in the northwest corner of what is now J. F.
Gordon's farm, near the place where his store shed now stands. It
was u.sed for religious services and town meetings. This part of the
town was first settled in 1773, and here was for years the First school
district. Among the early teachers were Eliza Allen and Moses Wing;
and later, Polly Buswell, who was a most successful teacher. Work,
knitting and plain sewing were mingled with her instructions.
In 1802 the town was divided into school districts "territorially."
Each district contained certain "lots according to Prescott's Plan."
District No. 1 was where No. 3 now is; No. 3 was at North Wayne,
and No. 5 was at Wayne village. Districts 2, 4 and 6 were in the vi-
cinity of the schools now bearing the same numbers. In 1803 W'ayne
appointed Joseph Lamson, Moses Wing and Ebenezer Besse for a select
committee to visit the schools in town, and to " license schoolmasters
and schoolmistresses." In 1804 Job Fuller, Allen Wing, Thomas At-
kinson, Braddock Weeks, Nathan Norris, Nathaniel Atkins and Z.
Washburn were chosen a committee to divide the town into proper
school districts. In 1807 the town was divided into six school districts,
which were numbered and described. Wayne village and vicinity
comprised No. 1, the Norris neighborhood No. 2, the Dexter district
No. 3, Smith's Corner No. 4, North Wayne No. 5, and the Wing neigh-
borhood No. 6. Some of these districts were subsequently divided
and additional districts formed.
In April, 1807, the "First School District raised $150 to build a
school house." This was the first school district tax. The first school
house built in Wayne village was located near where the dwelling
house of Mrs. Sally Norris now stands. In 1883 Wayne adopted the
town plan of managing schools, and in 1884 two free high schools were
established, one at Wayne village, the other at North Wayne. Since
1891 the town has furnished free text books in the public schools.
Wayne has good school houses, and the schools of the town will com-
pare favorably with tho.se of other towns expending annually about
the same money for this purpose.
Industries.— The first mills within the limits of Wayne were, in
all probability, erected at the outlet of Wing's pond prior to 1790.
The dams on which these mills stood differed con.siderably from the
ones which now regulate the water power. Twenty-five feet above
the Main street bridge, with its west abutment about where Swift's
blacksmith shop now stands, was the upper dam, constructed of logs,
as was also the lower dam, which crossed the stream about sixty feet
* Facts furnished by George W. Walton, of Wayne.
814 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
below. On the latter stood a saw mill, erected bj^ Jonathan Howe,
and a grist mill, by Thomas Wing. A law suit between these parties
over the water privilege resulted in Mr. Howe's securing both mills.
The next proprietor of the grist mill of whom we have any knowledge
was Jonathan Norcross, who, in 1802, was taxed for mill property to
the value of $1,000. The next owner was Joshua Winslow, who, in
1817, deeded to Jacob Haskell a portion of the property. Joseph Lam-
son and John Bowles had come into possession of a considerable share,
which they relinguished to Ellis Sweet in 1818. The same year Mr.
Sweet sold three-fourths of the property to Job Fuller, and a short
time later Sweet and Fuller deeded a quarter interest in the property,
including a fulling and carding mill, to Jabez Leadbetter.
The next year Mr. Sweet sold one-sixth of the double mill, as it
was denominated, to Leadbetter. In 1820 we find the property in the
hands of Mr. Leadbetter and Jacob Haskell, the former owning thir-
teen parts, the latter three. It was burned this year, and was probably
rebuilt immediately, as the next year Nathaniel Norris purchased of
Mr. Leadbetter one-half interest in the mill. Isaac Blethen, of Dover,
purchased, in 1830, Leadbetter's remaining interest. It was destroyed
by fire in 1844. Mr. Blethen then sold his interest in the privilege to
Wellington Hunton and Sumner Moulton, who, with Mr. Haskell, re-
built the mill on the present site. The following year the latter trans-
ferred his interest to Nathaniel B. Haskell.
In 1858 Mr. Hunton purchased of j\ir. Moulton's heirs the undivided
half of his share in the property. Two years later he deeded his en-
tire interest to Cyrus B. and Frank Swift. It was again burned in
1863. The ensuing year it was rebuilt by Holman Johnson, who pur-
chased the entire water power. In 1875 Mr. Johnson presented one-
half of the property to his daughter, Mrs. Frances L. Wing, and after
his decease the remaining half was purchased by Charles E. Wing,
the present occupant, whose father, Obed Wing, operated the estab-
lishment for Mr. Johnson.
Among the early proprietors of the saw mill erected by Jonathan
Howe we find the names of Ellis Sweet and Jacob Haskell. In 1816
vSweet sold a quarter interest to Samuel Brown. Four years later
Brown was taxed for the entire property. About this time the mill
was destroyed by fire. Subsequently Isaac Smith held a controlling
interest in it, as did also Amasa Dexter, who probably sold to Peter
and David Fifield, of Fayette. Not far from fifty years ago the prop-
erty was purchased by Josiah and Oliver Norris, by whom a shingle
and clapboard mill was established on the same power. The upper
part of the building was used as a sash and blind factory. It was re-
moved by Mr. Johnson, and a portion is now used as a store house,
opposite the woolen factory. The next proprietors of the saw mill
were Samuel Brown, jun., and William Burgess. The latter relin-
TOWN OF WAVNE. 815
quished his title to Brown, by whom the entire property was sold to
Elias and Jesse Prince. It was purchased, with all the other mill
property, by Holman Johnson, who remodeled the building, moved it
back to a new foundation and furnished it with improved machinery.
It is now controlled by the Wayne Mill Company.
Mr. Johnson, soon after his removal to Wayne from Vermont, in
1856, established a shovel handle manufactory, which was operated by
him and his son, A. F. Johnson, until 1886. The woolen mill, which
was burned in 1892, was erected by Mr. Johnson. After his decease it
was controlled and operated by his sons, under the superintendence of
George Johnson, until 1872, when it was purchased by the Wayne Mill
Company, John Holland, agent. The machine shop was built by Mr.
Johnson in 1866. It was operated by L. W. Fillebrown several years,
as a manufactory of cultivators and shovel handle machinery.
The edge tool industry at North Wayne was established as early
as 1837, by a stock company. The name of the original projector is
unknown. It proved a financial failure. Not far from 1842, R. B.
Dunn purchased all the property of this company and other interests
in contiguous real estate, and two years later organized the North
Wayne vScythe Company, to which he relinquished a controlling in-
terest in the stock. The business was conducted by this company un-
til 1861, when it failed, under the superintendence of J. F. Taylor.
From 1861 to 1862 it was conducted by Mr. Taylor and a Mr. Tewks-
bury, assignees. The opening of the civil war was an opportune
event for the management, and in the short space of twelve months
they established the business on a firm financial basis. A new com-
pany was then organized as the North Wayne Tool Company, which
was controlled by the Ames Brothers, of Boston, proprietors of the
Ames Plough Works. At the end of twelve years the business was
suspended, and until 1880, when the present company was formed, the
works lay idle. The present official organization consists of Joseph
F. Bodwell, president; General C. W. Tilden, secretary and treasurer,
and Williston Jennings, superintendent; Mr. Bodwell succeeding Hon.
J. R. Bodwell, deceased, who was elected to the first position in the
corporation in 1880. The present daily capacity of the works is 20
dozen scythes, 300 axes, 24 dozen hay knives, 48 dozen corn knives or
100 dozen band knives. Forty-five operatives are employed.
The first factory, a building covering 70 by 40 feet, stood on the
west bank of the stream, on the north side of the street. On the same
power were two mills, erected prior to 1820, by Comfort C. Smith,
one of the early pastors of the Methodist church. The saw mill and
the old .scythe factory were connected. The latter was a brick build-
ing, and the former was constructed of wood. The grist mill was on
the east side of the steam. The site on which the brick factory was
816 HISTORY OF KEXXEBEC COUXTY.
erected was formerly covered by a fulling mill, operated early, it is
thought, by a Mr. King. This building was removed, about the time
the factory was built, and remodeled into the main part of the old
North Wayne hotel, by Benjamin Palmer, whose son now occupies it
as a private residence.
After the .suspension of business by the Ames Plough Company
the brick factory was remodeled, and fitted with machinery for manu-
facturing paper, by J. F. Taylor and W. M. Harvey, who conducted
the business under the corporate name of the North Wayne Paper
Company, until about 1882, when the mill was destroyed by fire, to-
gether with the saw mill. Two years later the grist mill on the oppo-
site side of the stream was burned; and a year later an axe factory,
which had been erected east of it, on the same power, by the North
Wayne Tool Company, on land leased of the paper company, was de-
stroyed in the same manner.
Associations. — Asylum Lodge, F. & A. M., received a special com-
munication August 22, 1865. Succeeding Emery Foss as W. M., the
following have held that position: H. J. Ridley, September, 1869; L.
R. Sturtevant, 1870; A. F. Johnson, 1872; Charles E. Wing, 1875; L.
R. Sturtevant, 1877; Thomas Wing, 1881; H. J. Ridley, 1882; L. R.
vSturtevant, 1883; C. W. Crosby, 1884; James M. Pike, 1890; J. M. Gor-
den, 1891.
Wayne Commandery, United Order of the Golden Cross, was or-
ganized March 5, 1885, with fifteen charter members. The noble
commanders have been: A. G. French, two terms; A. L. French, five
terms; Mrs. H. H. Stinchfield, six terms; C. E. Wing, two terms.
Prescott Lodge, No. 6, A. O. U. W., was instituted August 21, 1882.
Past master workmen: F. L. Dixon, P. H. Culhane, J. C. Stinchfield,
W. B. Howard, J.M. Pike, W. B. Frost, S. Pettingill and A. W. Manter.
Financier, E. L. Lincoln.
Villages. — Among the first traders at Wayne village were Lam-
son & Bowles, who traded as early as 1807, in a store which stood
where the brick store now stands. After being occupied as a paint
shop many years, this building was purchased, not far from 1830, by
George Smith, who used it as a store until 1849, when he removed to
a point near where the cheese factory now stands, and erected the
brick store on the lot. It was subsequently taken down by James Tur-
ner and rebuilt as the residence he now occupies. A store was erected
at a very early date by Mr. Howe. As the only person of that name
of whom we can find any trace on the existing records is Jonathan
Howe, the miller, it is easy to presume that the trader and miller were
identical; and it is a question whether he was not the first trader, as
his name disappeared from the tax lists at an early date. Seventy
years ago this building, which stood on the vacant lot opposite the
brick store, was occupied by Farnham & Stanley. Following this firm
TOWN OF WAYNE. 817
came Alfred and Philander jNIorton, of Winthrop. After a few years
they closed out the business -and removed to Hallowell. Joseph H.
Bishop, who purchased the building, removed it to a point north of
the Johnson house, and remodeled it into a dwelling house. Later,
John Dexter changed its location to the lot on which it now stands,
and re-arranged it for a Methodist parsonage.
On the site of E. L. Lincoln's tailoring establishment an early store
was erected, which was occupied, about 1820, by Bowles & Lee. It was
burned while in their hands, not far from 1824. A store was soon
standing on the same lot, built by Lemuel Bartlett. Wellington Hun-
ton, who purchased the building in 1835 of the Bowles heirs, who had
regained possession of the property, was the next occupant. He sold
the business, not far from 1850, to Reed & Besse. A Mr. Weymouth
and Alfred Sawyer were later occupants. The upper part was at this
time used as a milliner's shop, by Miss Maria Fairbanks, and, later,
by Miss Marcena Foss. It was burned in 1863. Mr. Lincoln's store
was built on the same site by Jeremiah Foss, jun., who occupied it as
a shoe store and manufactory several years. W. C. Tribou was a later
occupant.
Wellington Hunton, after .selling this store to Reed & Besse,
erected a building on the lot now covered by the store occupied by
L. K. Cram & Co. In 1857 Mr. Hunton removed to Livermore Falls.
The business was sold to Ebenezer Norris, and was subsequently pur-
chased by James Thorn. The building was destroyed by fire in 1863.
The same year the Cram store was erected by James Moulton, whose
son, Jonathan Moulton, traded in it a large portion of the time until
his decease. J. M. Gott, C. T. Sanborn, J. M. Moulton and W. C. Tri-
bou have each occupied it a short period. Between this building and
the post office is a vacant lot, on which the Wing store rested in the
days when the oldest citizens were boys and girls. Moses Wing, jun.,
was the first trader in this building of whom we have any knowledge.
In 1830 Henry W. Owen was engaged in business there. Later, the
sale of a half interest to Uriah H. Virgin brought in the firm of Owen
& Virgin. Sumner Moulton purchased the stand in 1836. He was
succeeded by his brother, Jonathan. This building shared the fate
of the entire business section of the village in the sweeping conflagra-
tion of July 1, 1863.
On the post office lot a building used by David Smith for a carpen-
ter shop was converted into a dwelling house by Henry W. Owen.
Later, it was removed to the foundation it now covers, near the high
school building, where it is occupied by Samuel Bishop. Holman
Johnson erected a store on the same lot not far from 1856, which was
rented by Rev. C. C. Whitney for a drug and dry goods store. After
the fire of 1863 Mr. Johnson rebuilt on the lot. After about a year's
■occupancy as a general store, he abandoned the business to give his
818 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
entire attention to manufacturing. Barker & Clark, his successors,
yielded to the firm of Sawyer & Clark. ' About 1872 the death of Mr.
Sawyer caused a change in the business, which passed into the hands
of Joseph S. Berry, who conducted it continuously until 1888. After
Mr. Berry's decease, the business was conducted by W. C. Tribou un-
til his recent removal to North Leeds. One side of the store is now
occupied by George W. Besse as a general store, the other by W. E.
Norris as a tin shop and by Gideon S. Smith as a post office. The
" Gary store," as the building occupied by Doctor Gary, the father of
the celebrated vocalist, was called, was built by Amasa and John Dex-
ter, for J. F. Hayes. It stood between the hotel and Mrs. Moulton's,
on the north side of the street. Subsequently, it was moved across to
the lot east of the post office. Charles Allen, Doctor Gary, and, later,
James N. Moulton traded in it while it stood on this lot. It was con-
verted into a carriage shop.
The vacant lot southeast of the post office, on the south side of the
main street, was once covered by a store erected by Bartlett W. \'ar-
num, who occupied it many years. His successors in trade were Arza
Gilmore, Allen Brothers and Pinkham & Frizell. Mr. A^arnum re-
sumed the busmess at a later date. The " Grange " or •' brick " store
was erected in 1849, by " Esquire " George Smith, who occupied it as
a grocery, and something more, until about 1860. It was then pur-
chased by Samuel S. Brown and leased to Ebenezer Norris, jun., who
was proprietor at the time of the conflagration of 1863. The interior
was destroyed by fire in 1870. The Grange purchased it a short time
after it was restored. It was purchased at a later date by Edward
Dexter. The millinery store of Mrs. G. W. Besse was erected on the
site on which the old Moulton store stood before the great conflagra-
tion. This was a large, two-story building, containing two stores, one
of which was occupied for a number of years by the Moultons, the
other by Rev. C. C. Whitney and others.
Among the early industries at the village was the indispensable
" potash," established by John Bodge, the father of the popular con-
ductor on the back route of the Maine Central railroad. The building
stood on the lot now owned by G. M. True, near the upper dam. Mr.
Bodge also conducted the pottery business in a building which occu-
pied the ground now covered by Mr. Folsom's carriage shop. He
afterward moved across the stream and built a factory in front of the
house now occupied by Mrs. Burnham. Another potash was built
eighty years ago, about where the cheese factory stands. It was taken
down and rebuilt as a stable. An early tannery was erected by Alfred
Pinkham, on the place now owned by Samuel Graves. One of the first
brick yards at the village was on land near the residence of James
Turner. When the supply of suitable material was exhausted, the
TOWN OF WAYNE. «iy
location was changed to the opposite side of the street, and, later, to
the place now occupied by Michael Murry.
The first blacksmith shop of which any record or tradition is pre-
served was the Collins Lovejoy shop, which stood on the lot now cov-
ered by Folsom's carriage shop. It was taken down by Mr. Bodge,
who established his pottery on the same ground. This was afterward
taken down and another blacksmith shop built on the foundation, by
Francis Bowles, for Lewis Norris. Alfred Swift, who occupied the shop
after Mr. Norris vacated it, was succeeded in the business by his son,
Cyrus B. Swift, by whom it was moved a few feet, to the place where
it is now occupied by John McKinnon.
The blacksmith shop of A. R. Swift was built in 1849 by Humphrey
Hight, one of the early settlers at the village. The upper part of the
building, which is now used as a dwelling, was finished for a hall, and
used to quite an extent for a private school room. L. W. Fillebrown
purchased the property of Hight. Among those who have more re-
cently made it their place of business are Mr. Keith, Cyrus B. Swift,
Levi Brown and A. R. Swift.
Mr. Hight built another shop a little above the grist mill shed.
This he sold to John Raymond, who converted it into a dwelling,
which was burned at the time of the general conflagration. Mr. Hight
immediately built another shop, which at a later date was raised on a
brick basement and remodeled into the dwelling house owned and re-
cently occupied by J. C. Stinchfield.
Some time in the forties a match factory was established by the
Allen Brothers, about where the shovel handle shop was afterward
built. The same business was prosecuted by this firm in a building
which they erected across the stream, below the saw mill.
A public house was opened at the village by Farnham & Stanley
as early, it is supposed, as 1820. This firm was followed by Alfred
and Philander Morton. The house stood nearly opposite the brick
store. It was clo.sed to the public for many years prior to 1848, when
it was re-opened by Albion Smith. It was again closed after it passed
from Mr. Smith's hands, and was burned in 1863.
The residence of Mrs. Jeremiah Foss was built by Uriah H. Virgin,
not far from 1837, for a tavern. After his decease it was purchased by
Dea. Thomas Wilson, of whom Mr. Foss purchased the property. It
was closed to the public during Mr. Foss' occupancy.
The Stinchfield Hotel was opened by Alpheus Lane, more than
sixty years ago. Mr. Lane sold the establishment to James Moulton,
who was succeeded as proprietor by Jeremiah Foss, and he by Daniel
Foss. After the death of the latter the house was managed by his
widow and the relict of Mr. Moulton. James H. Thorn, Who married
the latter, was the next landlord. After his decease the management
was resumed by the widows Thorn and Foss, of whom the house was
«20 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
purchased by Stillman Howard. The present proprietor, J. C. Stinch-
field, assumed control in 1S90.
The Wayne post office was established September 5, 1809. Moses
Wing, the first postmaster, was followed by Ellis Sweet, 1817; Anson
G. Chandler, 1821; Heiney Bishop, 1821; Henry B. Farnham. 1826;
Charles H. Pierpont, 1827; Alfred "b. Morton, 1829; Henry W. Owen,
1831; Sumner C. Moulton. 1840; James M. Moulton, 1846; Bartlett W.
Varnum, 1848; Wellington Hunton, 1849; Caleb Fuller, 1853; Bartlett
W. Varnum, 1854; Alfred Sawyer, 1863; Joseph S. Berry, 1871; John
C. Stinchfield, 1885; James M. Moulton, 1888; Gideon S. Smith. 1889.
The store occupied by C. W. Crosby at North Wayne was built by
Tillotson Lovejoy for a dwelling house, about fifty-five years ago.
After the last fire it was remodeled by S. A. Nelkie, and occupied by
him two years as a general store. The next trader in this building
was George Besse, who was succeeded by Edward Smith, of whom
Mr. Crosby recently purchased the business. In the early days a
small store was erected, nearly opposite the Crosby store, by Benja-
min Smith. It was taken down about fifty years ago. Another early
building was the store built by the North Wayne Scythe Company,
on the lot nearly opposite the tool company's office, soon after they
located their plant at that village. It was run by the corporation
about twenty years as a general store. In later years it has been
leased to individuals, and at the time of the fire was rented by S. A.
Nelkie. A store built by Williston Jennings for a shoe manufactory
and salesroom, about fourteen years ago, was destroyed at the same
time.
The building which has recently been removed from the north
side of the road, near the school house, to furnish an addition to the
dwelling of Sylvanus Blackwell, was constructed for a carriage shop,
about fifty years ago, by James Lamb.
The first postmaster at North Wayne was Urban L. Hitchcock,
whose commission dates from February 14, 1846. His successors have
been: Josiah F. Taylor, 1852; Williston Jennings, 1884; Frederick E.
Nason, 1886; Charles J. Libby, 1886; Frederick E. Nason, 1887; Wil-
liston Jennings, 1889.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Charles H. Barker is a son of Dr. Charles H. and Mary A. (Small)
Barker, who came from Buxton, Me., to Wayne in 1851, where Doctor
Barker bought the practice of Doctor Cary, and continued to practice
medicine here until his health failed, about 1887, when his son, Charles
H., jun., came to live with him, from Winthrop, where he had carried
on dentistry. Since the father's death in June, 1891, Charles -H., jun.,
has carried on farming and dental work. He married R. Louise,
TOWN OF WAYNE. 821
daughter of A. K. P. Burgess, and they have three children: A. Louise,
Mary A. and Albion C.
Benjamin F. Bradford, born in Livermore, Me., is a son of Henry
Bond and Lydia J. (Norton) Bradford, grandson of Doctor Benjamin,
and great-grandson of Chandler Bradford, of Turner, Me., who was
the seventh in lineal descent from Governor Bradford. He graduated
in 1876, from the College of Pharmacy of Boston, and after three
years' clerking in Lewiston he became a partner in the firm of B. F.
Bradford & Co., and after eight years he sold his business and in Jan-
uary, 1889, came to Wayne, where he had bought the old Gott farm
on Morrison's Heights, and is now a farmer. He was elected first
selectman of Wayne in 1891. His wife was A. Ada Hinckley, of
Lewiston. Their children are: Nina L., Frank H., Joseph H., Robert,
Harry B., Philip L. and a son not named.
William B. Frost, born in 1842, is a son of Nathaniel B. and Julia
A. (Macomber) Frost, and grandson of William and Betsey (Bil-
lington) Frost. Nathaniel Frost came to the farm where he now lives
with William, about 1850. He taught school nineteen terms, and
was miller in Lewiston for twenty years, returning to the farm in 1882.
He was made selectman in 1887, which office he filled until succeeded
by William B., in 1891. The latter married Ellen M. Farington.
Alexander Gordon was born in Scotland, and was a royalist soldier
at the battle of Worcester, England, September 3d, 1651. He came to
Boston in 1652, and died m Exeter, N. H., in 1697. His wife, Mary
Lysson, was born in Marblehead, Mass. Their son, Thomas, born
1678, died 1761, married Elizabeth Harriman, born 1675, died 1720.
Their son, Daniel, was born in 1704, and died in 1786. His wife,
Susanna, was born in 1706, and died in 1786. Their son, Ithiel, died
in 1828, and his wife, Mary Glidden, died in 1819. Their son, Josiah,
born in 1757, married Elizabeth Smith. Their son, Jonathan, was
born in 1786, and in 1808 married Sarah Pettingill, who was born in
1790. Their son, Joseph P., born 1819, died 1876, married Lydia J.
Norris. She died in 1872, aged 48 years, 6 months. Their children
were: Sarah F., born May 23, 1844; J. Benjamin, born May 26, 1845;
Jonathan F., born February 17, 1847; Charlotte E., died in 1860, aged
twelve years; and Willis W., born June 27, 1856. Jonathan F. mar-
ried Mrs. Lena Kent. He is a granite cutter by trade, and came to the
farm where he now resides in 1879. He carries on farming, and has a
granite quarry, from which he cuts and ships granite.
John M. Gott, born in 1848, is a son of Charles and Annie (Wood)
Gott, and grandson of William Gott, who came to Wayne from Greene
in 1815, and settled on Morrison's Heights. Mr. Gott was a merchant
three years, but has followed farming most of his life. He has car-
ried on a corn canning business since 1890. He married Clara, E.,
daughter of Nathaniel Ladd, and their children are: C. Morrette,
822
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
George L., Bertha J., Edith M. and Annie ^I.; and an adopted son,
Charles L.
Charles O. Graves, born in Wayne, December L4, 1858, is a son of
Osgood and Mercy M. (Bishop) Graves, and grandson of Charles
Graves, who died in 1885. Charles O. married Annie F., daughter of
Cyrus Gould, and has one son, Leo. In 1881 Mr. Graves came to the
farm where he now lives, to look after his Grandfather Bishop, who
died June 10, 1883. Mr. Graves succeeded to the farm, his grand-
mother dying in 1885.
Ellis L. Lincoln, born in Leeds, Me., is one of five sons of William
C. and Mahala (Bishop) Lincoln, and grandson of Rufus Lincoln. He
has been a merchant tailor in Wayne since 1882. He married Lillian,
daughter of Orrin Maxim, and has two sons: Lendall and Carlisle.
Since 1889 Norris K. Lincoln, a brother of Ellis L., has kept a boot
and shoe store, also a barber shop, in the same building with Ellis L.
Daniel Manter came to Wayne about 1786, and settled on the farm
where Albert N. Manter now lives. His sons were: Daniel, George
and David (twins). Freeman, Silas, Eliphalet, Elias, Ezra and Eleazar.
Silas stayed on the farm and had two sons: Freeman and Silas Albert,
who married Alice A., daughter of Isaac Pettingill, and remained on
the farm and had seven children: Albert N., Arthur W., Sewall P.,
Charles G., George L., Ellis A. and Flora M. Silas Albert died De-
cember 28, 1875, when Albert N. succeeded him on the farm, where he
now lives with his mother.
Benjamin F. Maxim, born in 1836, is a grandson of Benjamin
Maxim, and son of Seth and Mary (Lewis) Maxim, who had six
sons and five daughters. He married Ann, daughter of Edward and
Roxanna Jones, and they have four children: Nellie M., Fred E., Lewis
P. and Walter D. He enlisted in 1863, in Company B, 17th Maine, and
was made sergeant. He returned to Wayne, where he has been select-
man for five years, and in 1889 was a member of the state legislature.
He was, previous to 1890, trustee of the Kennebec County Agricultural
Society for eight years.
Luther S. Maxim is one of seven children of Ephraim and Ruth
P. (Billington) Maxim, the others being: Leonard H., Olive A. (Mrs.
Charles Norris), Ephraim H., George A., Josiah W. and Mary K. (Mrs.
Grafton Norris). Grafton Norris was captain in Company C, 11th
Maine, in the late war. Mr. Maxim was in busmess in Jersey City for
eight years, and came to the farm where he now lives in 1867. He
married Roxanna P., daughter of Samuel W. Frost. He is a grandson
of Ephraim, and great-grandson of Nathan Maxim.
Samuel Maxim is one of the eight children of Isaac and Harriet
B. Maxim. Those living are: Hiram S., of Kent, England, who is the
inventor of the Maxim gun that has made the name of Maxim famous
throughout the world; Hudson, and Samuel, who married Laura E.,
TOWN OF WAYNE. 8z6
daughter of George Maxim. She died in 1884. leaving three children:
Charles U., Hiram H. and Harriet E. Samuel Maxim was educated
at Kents Hill and has taught school. He is the patentee of several
articles of value. He has lived on the farm where he now resides
since 1872. His mother, who is now living with him, is a daughter of
Levi Stevens.
Charles Norris, farmer and road commissioner, born in Wayne in
1827, is a son of Nathan and Abigail (Howard) Norris, grandson of
Nathan, and great-grandson of Samuel Norris, of Cape Cod, Mass.
Nathan, sen., had three sons: Samuel, Benjamin and Nathan, jun., who
had three sons— Charles, Hiram and Nathan. Charles married Olive
A. Maxim, and has had five children: Emma L. (Mrs. Samuel Libbey),
Frank B., Ruth P., Luther M. and Herbert C. They live on the farm
where Mrs. Norris was born.
Melvin Norris was born in Wayne in 1826, and is the only son of
Ephraim and Temperance (Billington) Norris, grandson of Josiah, and
great-grandson of Samuel Norris, who came from Cape Cod, Mass., to
Wayne in 1787, where he died. Josiah succeeded Samuel on the home
farm, and had four sons: Ephraim, Josiah, John A. and Oliver. He
died in 1857. Ephraim, who died in 1875, on the home farm, left this
farm to his son, Melvin, who married Araminta, daughter of Isaac and
Hannah Pettingill, and bad five children, those now living being:
Josiah E., Henry M., Willie P. and Charles W. The latter married
Martha A., daughter of William Charlesworth, and they have one
daughter, Pearl C, of the sixth generation of the Norris family that
have lived on this farm, where Charles W. lives with his father,
Melvin.
Rocellus C. Norris. born in Livermore in 1843, is a son of Ichabod
C and Fidelia (Wood) Norris, and grandson of Samuel Norris. He
married Lois A., daughter of Jason Pettingill, of Leeds, and they have
five children: Albert R., Irving C, Lora E., Asa G. and Harold M.
He has occupied his present home farm since 1877.
Sewall Pettingill, a farmer of Wayne, born here in 1839, is a son
of Isaac and Hannah (Norris) Pettingill, and grandson of William
Pettingill, who came to Leeds, Me., about 1795. Sewall Pettingill
married, first, Mary H. Sanborn, who died in 1862. He married for
his' .second wife, Emma F., daughter of Jesse Bishop, of Wayne, and
they have three children: Mary E., who is a teacher; Blanche A. and
Olin S. Mr. Pettingill enlisted in 1862, in Company F, 11th Maine,
and served tintil 1865. He has been one of the selectmen of his town
for nine years and a member of the school board for four years.
James M. Pike, born in 1836, is a son of James and Augusta (God-
ding) Pike. He married Almina A., daughter of William Walker, and
they have five children: Florence A., Francis M., Albert J., Mabel C.
and Laura A. Mr. Pike went to California in 1859, where he remained
S-24
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
until 1881, when he came to Wayne and bought the farm where he
now lives. He devotes considerable attention to fruit raising.
Peleg F. Pike, born December 11, 1813, in Fayette, is the eldest of
six children of Benjamin Pike, who came from Amherst, N. H., to
Fayette in 1788, with his father, Zachariah Pike. Mr. Pike was in
mercantile trade in Fayette twelve years, afterward a farmer there
until 1879, when he came to Wayne, where he now lives. He was two
years (1862-3) in the senate, fifteen years first selectman and several
years town treasurer in Fayette. He has been treasurer of Wayne
one year and selectman five years. His first wife, Mary, daughter of
James Cochrane, of Vienna, Me., died leaving seven children: Benja-
min F. (deceased), Lewis, James C, Mary F., Nancy P., Joseph L. (de-
ceased) and Charles S. All now reside in Iowa, except Mary F. His
second wife was Mrs. Marcia A. Lake, daughter of Oliver Fuller, jun.,
of Jay, Me. Their only daughter, Mary L., died.
Captain Matthias Smith, born May 22, 1728, died 1806, came to
Pondtown plantation, now Readfield and Winthrop, with his wife,
Comfort Carpenter, and family, and settled on the farm now owned
by William Harvey. He received his title of captain in the French
and Indian war. His children were: Matthias, 2d, born August 30,
1759, died June 20, 1812; Rev. Comfort C, Charlotte, Cyril, Thomas,
Captain John and Doctor Charles. Matthias, 2d, was born at Pomfret,
Conn., and settled at Readfield, Me., on the farm now owned by Gus-
tavus Smith and Nathaniel Jordan. He married Temperance Blos-
som, who was born October 15, 1761, and died April 27, 1817. Their
children were: James, Carpenter, Samuel, George, John, Captain Ben-
jamin, Oliver, Matthias, Ansel and Harriet. Captain Benjamin Smith
was born at Readfield, December 28, 1796, and died May 20, 1866. He
settled at North Wayne, and was married by Rev. Comfort Smith,
January 25, 1829, to Sarah B. Cresey, who was born October 29, 1806.
Their children were: Elhanan, born December 27,1829; Benjamin F.,
born October 5, 1831; Andrew, born May 2, 1833; Lycurgus, born
January 4, 1835; W^ashington B., born January 28, 1837, died April 12,
1891; Captain Winfield, born January 1, 1839, received his title in the
war of the rebellion; Fairfield, born February 3, 1841; Victoria R.,
born July 16, 1843, married John R. Grindall; and Glorvinia, born
July 8, 1846, married Dr. Chauncy J. Raichard, deceased. Mrs. Raich-
ard and her mother live with Elhanan Smith, in Wayne.
Greengrove M. True, born in 1829, is one of eight children of Dan-
iel and Lydia (Ridley) True. Mr. True is a farmer, and his father
was a farmer and lumberman. He married Julia, daughter of Benja-
min Jones. They have had three children: Fred G., Willie J. and
Alton M. The two last named are deceased.
-yM
/^
"824b HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
John M. Gott, mentioned at page 821, was born in Wayne No-
vember 3, 1848. His mother, Annie (Wood) Gott, was a daughter of
Nathan and Rebecca Wood, whose family came from Kingfield, Me.,
and settled at Norridgwock. His grandfather, William Gott, jun.,
married Rhoda Knapp; his greatgrandfather, William Gott, married
Sally Gamedge. This family, of Scotch ancestry, were among the
original settlers at Cape Ann.
William Gott, jun., came from the vicinity of Lewiston in 1815,
bringing his family with him, and settled in the town of Wayne, on
the place now occupied by Otis Howard, who married one of his
•daughters. He had a family of fourteen children, most of whom grew
to years of maturity, several settling in Wayne and Winthrop. He
was a natural mechanic, of an ingenious turn of mind, but engaged in
farming throughout his life.
Charles Gott was six years of age when his father. located in the
town of Wayne. He remained upon the paternal farm until he was
twenty-nine years of age, then lived in the north part of the town a
few years, but finally settled on Morrison's hill, afterward called
Gott's mountain, at the place now occupied by Frank Bradford. Here
he passed forty years of his life, engaged actively in agricultural pur-
suits and gaining for himself the reputation of a successful and rep-
resentative farmer. He was closely identified with the Free Baptist
church at Wayne village, filling the office of deacon. Near the close
of his life he located at the village of Wayne, where he died, Decem-
ber 14, 1885.
Charles Gott's first wife was Jane Foss, by whom he had children:
Gardner G., Charles S., Elijah, and Howard C. His second wife
was Annie Wood, who died September 24, 1892. Of this union
were born four children: John W., who died in infancy; George H.,
who died at the age of seventeen; John M. and Jennie M., now Mrs.
C. C. Small.
John M. Gott was reared upon his father's farm and received a
good common school education, supplemented by academic training
at Lewiston. At the age of twenty-six he began the mercantile busi-
ness at Wayne village, where he remained for three years. He sub-
sequently removed to his "Cliff Cottage " farm, remaining there nine
years. He then removed to the Leonard Wing place, which he now
owns and occupies. He is now engaged with his sons in carrying on
a successful canning business at Wayne village, and is recognized as
one of the most active and progressive business men of his town. He
has never aspired to public office nor .sought for political prominence,
but takes a decided interest in church affairs at the village, and is a
■deacon in the Baptist church.
TOWN OF WAYNE. 825
Moses B. Sylvester, born in Wayne, is a son of Rev. Bradbury and
Lydia B. Sylvester, and grandson of Harvey vSylvester, who came from
Massachusetts to Leeds and had seven sons. Bradbury had three sons:
Moses B., George W., who died in 1864, and Charles B. His wife
dying in 1864, he married for his second wife Mrs. Matilda Morse, of
Greene, who, since he died in 1889, has lived on the old homestead
farm, with Sylvester, who married Mary J., daughter of Daniel Pierce,
of Monmouth. They have one son, George A.
George W. Walton, son of Nathaniel Walton, who settled in Fay-
ette where G. P. Taylor now resides, and grandson of John Walton,
was born in Wayne in 1835. In 1866 he married Sarah E., eldest
daughter of Dea. Francis Dexter, and has two children: Carrie May,
born in 1867, and Winfred W., born in 1872. Mr. Walton has taught
more than fifty terms of school, also serving on the Wayne school
board for twenty-five years. He represented the town in the state
legislature in 1867 and has been auditor of the accounts of the town
since 1887.
Charles E. Wing', born July 15, 1845, is a son of Obed, jun.', and
Alice H. (Hunton) Wing (Obed*, John', John' and John Wing"). His
father was a cooper until 1845, when he began to run a grist mill and
continued until 1876, when Charles E. succeeded him and has con-
tinued the business since that time. The latter served two years in
the late war in Company M, 2d Maine Cavalry. He married Frances
L. Johnson, and they have one daughter, Alice.
James M. Wing, born in Wayne, is a son of James and Nancy
(Norris) Wing, and grandson of Simeon Wing, who came from Ware-
ham, Mass., to the farm where James now lives. James M. married
Mary A., daughter of Isaac and Mary Boales, of Winthrop, and re-
mained on the old homestead. They have had four children; the only
two now living are Julia M. and Emery M.
CHAPTER XXXII.
TOWN OF WINTHROP.
Pondtown. — Incorporated as Winthrop.— Town Meetings.— First Matters Con-
sidered. — Population and Valuation. — Action to Secure Preaching. —
Churches.— Metcalf Neighborhood.— Mills. — Oil Cloth and other Manufactor-
ies.— Old Settlers.— Town Reports.— Banks.— Post Offices.— Cemeteries. —
Hotels.— Societies.— East Winthrop.— Snell Brook.— Cider Mills.— Centen-
nial.— Civil Officers. — Personal Paragraphs.
OBSCURITY settles with lighter or deeper shade over the early
history of all localities whose age has attained the dignity of
a century. The ownership of real estate may usually be traced
by legal records, but the acts of the owners, when and how they made
improvements, built houses and mills, and started the wheels of in-
du.stry, become matters of great uncertainty. The truth of these re-
flections comes with painful force to the anxious but baffled searcher
after the facts that constitute the earliest history of Winthrop. All
thanks to Parson Thurston for collecting what facts he did, with the
sincerest regret that so many escaped him!
Pondtown was a descriptive name for a domain which had qualities
that gave it an attractive reputation. Its woods and its waters were
alive with native wealth. A hunter named Scott was its first recorded
visitor. He built a cabin beside a pond. That tells the story. Hunt-
ers are men of keen and wide observation, and of practical conclusions,
Scolt was a trapper, and he found beaver by the streams and fish in
the ponds, neither of which thrive without good food and plenty of
it. Land and water and climate must all be propitious, of which the
higher types of game and fish are natural and unerring judges.
Hunters and settlers follow safely where they lead.
Mr. Scott was the first squatter, and he made improvements that in
1764 brought him £30 from Timothy Foster, the fir.st settler, who came
from Attleboro, Mass., and afterward had trouble with Mr. Scott's
creditors, because he took no receipt to show that he had bought and
paid for the hunter's hut. Mr. Foster brought his wife and ten chil-
dren in 1765, and settled on lot No. 8. Squier Bishop took a grant for
lot No. 17, and Eben Bly for lot No. 18, in 1766. The next year Mr.
Bishop brought his wife and six children — the second family of set-
tlers. The names of some of the men to whom other land grants were
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 827
issued, with the number of the lot and the year, were: John Needham,
lot No. 10, 1767; Samuel Needham, No. 13, Abraham Wyman, No. 12,
Nathan Hall, No. 11, and Timothy Foster, jun.. No. 5, in 1769; Na-
thaniel Stanley took lot No. 18, Amos Boynton, No. 29, Peter Hopkins,
No. 9, and Nathaniel Floyd, No. 42, in 1768; Capt. Billy Foster, of the
revolution. No. 7. Jonathan Whiting, No. 101, Jo-seph Baker, No. 213,
and Stephen Jones, No. 14, in 1772.
A petition to the general court of Massachusetts for the incorpora-
of Pondtown Plantation, with the name of the town left blank,
" Dated Kennebeck, 1770," was signed by the following men, whose
names are familiar to all students of the early history of this town
and Readfield: John Chandler, came from New Ipswich, Mass., built
the first mills, settled on lots 25 and 26, now village; James Craigg,
lot 212, an active, energetic man, who built the first saw mill at Read-
field; Moses Ayer, lot 218; Elisha Smith, lot 134; John Blunt, ener-
getic, was a captain of militia; Samuel Frost, lot 79; John Chandler,
jun., son of above John, born 1754; Samuel Stevens, son of Joseph,
born 1751, lot 139; Joseph Greeley, lot 135; Natt C. Emery, lot 28;
Squier Bishop, on lot 55— the second settler and first innholder— came
from Rehoboth, Mass.; Robert Waugh, lot 98; Joseph Chandler, lot
78; James Pullen; Amos Stevens; Benjamin Fairbanks, was fourth set-
tler, born 1746, came from Dedham, Mass., in 1766, lot No. 6; Ste-
phen Pullen, lot 56, third settler; Moses Greeley, from New Hamp-
shire; Uright Brown, lot 64; Jonathan Emery, lot 23, now in Readfield;
Richard Humphry, lot 83; Gideon Lambert, came in 1769 from Mar-
tha's Vineyard, with four children, lot 71, and built the house now
next south of Levi Jones' residence; Ichabod How, lot 72, came in
1769, with four children, from Martha's Vineyard, was a soldier; Seth
Delano, of French origin, name originally De La Noye, lot 4, son of
Zebedee, born 1751; Joseph Stevens, lot 65, born 1720, brought ten
children with him; Joseph Brown, lot 21; Joseph Davenport, lot 91;
and Arthur Dun.
Among the early settlers whose names do not appear on the peti-
tion were: Timothy Foster, Jonathan Whiting, from Wrentham, Mass.,
one of the most prominent in town affairs, was first justice of the
peace; and Zebedee Delano, born 1727, 'died 1804, had seven children,
including Zebedee, jun., who became a Baptist preacher.
Winthrop was incorporated the next year after the date of this
petition, April 26, 1771— the first town, not on navigable waters, in-
corporated in the district of Maine, and probably named in honor of
Governor Thomas L. Winthrop, who owned at least one lot in the
plantation. The first town meeting was held at the house of Squier
Bishop, on May 20th of the same year, Ichabod How, moderator.
One of the most important matters that came before the people at
their early town meetings was the fish grievance. Before the dam
-0-40 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
was built across the Cobbosseecontee at Gardiner various kinds of fish
came every 3'ear from the Kennebec and stocked the numerous ponds
from which the Cobbosseecontee drew its constant water supply. The
loss was most serious, and to many a deprivation of the necessaries of
life. At a town meeting held November 17, 1771, " they chose James
Craigg, Jonathan Whiting and Ichabod How a committee to solicit Dr.
■Gardiner to open a place through or around his mill dam, to let the
fish up for the benefit of the town." The same thing was done several
times, each successive committee visiting Doctor Gardiner with their
requests, but his dams remain yet.
The earliest obtainable valuation roll of the town — for the year
1800 — contains the names of 209 property owners, 194 citizens liable
to poll tax, and shows in the inventory that there were then in town
191 oxen, 409 cows, 88 young cattle three years old, 174 two years
old, and 204 yearlings. There were also 121 horses, 36 two year old
■colts and 30 yearlings; and 252 swine. The town contained 134 houses,
136 barns, and 40 buildings. Seven persons were in trade, with stock
worth $60,000, and eighteen persons had money at interest aggregat-
ing $91,383. Assessing real estate at two per cent, of the full value,
the aggregate was $5,548; the personal estates were assessed at six per
cent, of the true value. The town was said to contain 16,765 acres,
of which 10,352 were unimproved, 3,925 belonged to non-residents,
1,114 were mowing land, 975 pasture, 361i tillage, and 37^ acres of
orchard; $600 was raised for highways, $400 for schools, and $250 for
town charges. The population of Winthrop in 1850 was 2,154; in
1860, 2,338; in 1870, 2,229; in 1880, 2,146. The total valuation of the
town in 1860 was $769,018; in 1870 it was $1,122,839; in 1880, $1,125,337;
and in 1890 it was $1,039,435.
" At a meeting of the town, September, 1808, Dudley Todd, Joseph
Metcalf, Nathaniel Fairbanks and Samuel Wood were appointed to
draft a petition to the President of the United States, to suspend the
operation of the Embargo laws, in part or in whole, as shall be most
conducive to the well being of said states in their present embarrassed
and oppressed condition." The committee acted and sent a petition
to the president. It was not heard from. Winthrop people were
never troubled with mental apathy. Every public question, every re-
form, had to be investigated and stamped with their approval or dis-
approval, as the succeeding brief records will show.
May 2, 1808, Article VII in the town warrant was " To see if said
town will vote that no spirituous liquors should be sold near the meet-
ing on town meeting days." (The first recorded attempt at anti-
liquor laws.)
March 27, 1815, the Winthrop Society for the Promotion of Good
Morals was organized, Samuel Wood, president. They resolved to
TOWN OF WIXTHROP. 829
pledge to the Massachusetts Society for Suppressing Intemperance
their sincere and cordial cooperation. This society was merged into
the Winthrop Sabbath School Union and a new constitution adopted
March 21, 1827.
Dram drinking in stores was becoming an appalling evil, and
March 25, 1816, the standing committee were instructed to take such
measures as their discretion might dictate " to prevent the evils re-
sulting from the present mode of retailing spiritous liquors from the
stores."
In 1827 the Anderson Institution was organized. The constitution
declared: " The object shall be mutual instruction in the sciences as
connected with the mechanic arts and agriculture, and the discussion
of such subjects as are of a practical nature and have a bearing on the
common concerns of life." Thomas J. Lee was president; Pliny Har-
ris, secretary: Samuel Benjamin, treasurer; and Dr. Issachar Snell
and Joseph Fairbanks were directors. Such a list of officers shows
that the best men of the village were in it. Women were also mem-
bers.
April 6, 1830, the town passed a resolution offered by Samuel Wood
" that it is not our duty as a town to tempt men to use ardent spirits
by licensing any one except inn holders to sell it."
In 1832 a debating club, called the Franklin Society, was formed,
and courses of lectures were maintained, in different years, with es-
pecial success and interest in 1852 and 1853.
November 21, 1833, Rev. David Thurston preached his first anti-
slavery sermon— one of the first, in fact, that was preached anywhere
in the North. March 4, 1834, an anti-slavery society was organized
with 107 members, with an anti-.slavery library, and was followed by
female and juvenile anti-slavery societies.
April, 1836, " voted not to license any person to sell ardent spirits
in town the coming year in a less quantity than twenty-eight gal-
lons." October 15, 1841, the Washingtonian vSociety was formed.
In 1844 the anti-slavery men of Winthrop organized the Kennebec
County Liberty Association, taking for their declaration of principles
the words of Washington: " There is but one proper and effectual
mode by which the overthrow of slavery can be accomplished and
that is by legislative authority; and this so far as my suffrage can go
shall not be wanting." Some of those who signed as members were:
Stephen Sewall, Seth May, Benjamin P. Knight, Joseph A. Metcalf,
Samuel Benjamin, B. H. Cu.shman, Eben Shaw, Anson Stanley, James
Roberts, the only colored man in town; Henry Baker, Daniel Carr,
Isaac Dexter, Luke Perkins, Eben Packard, Joseph Williams, Perez
Southworth, Ira B. Davenport, Amos Woodward, Isaac Smith, Ezekiel
Robinson and George W. Carr.
830 HISTORY OF KEN'XEBEC COUNTY.
In October, 1846, the Sons of Temperance, Division No. 44, was
organized here with eighty-eight members, and in 1850 Watchman's
Club, No. 71, was formed, with the declared aim to procure the enact-
ment of more stringent liquor laws.
Religiou.s History. — The town of Winthrop was but three weeks
old when the people took public action to establish religious observ-
ances. At a legal town meeting, held May 27, 1771, John Chandler,
Timothy Foster and Jonathan Whiting were appointed to hire preach-
ing for eight Sabbaths, and to raise ^20 to pay for it. Within the
next four years Thurston Whiting was the only preacher whose name
is recorded. The money to pay the minister was raised by tax, but
in 1776 eight prominent men in town, among them Benjamin Fair-
banks and vStephen Foster, jun., were excused from paying the preach-
ing tax on account of their scruples.
By a vote of the town Jeremiah Shaw was hired to preach, and the
house of Squier Bishop was designated as the place for meetings. It
was also voted to repay Mr. Shaw four shillings that he had paid for
a guide through the woods.
In response to a wide-spread desire for some religious organization,
an ecclesiastical council composed of delegates from churches in
Harpswell, Pownalborough and New Castle, was convened in Win-
throp September 4, 1776, at which a covenant and articles of faith
were subscribed to by twenty-six persons, who were duly declared ta
be a church of Christ. Rev. Jeremiah Shaw was preaching here at
that time and the new church at once gave him a call to its pastorate.
This call was followed by a legal vote of the town offering him £60 a
year and two hundred acres of land, and ^^15 per year additional after
five years' service, all of which he declined. After an occasional ser-
mon from Reverend Emerson and Mr. Whiting, the town offered
Zaccheus Colby i^80 per annum to become their preacher, and his ex-
penses in coming, but he, too, declined.
In 1779, " voted to divide the town into two parishes by an east
and west line." This was the first step toward the ultimate separation
of the town.
The continued efforts to secure regular preaching were finally re-
warded by an agreement with Rev. David Jewett, of Candia, N. H.,
who was installed January 2, 1782, and died February 28, 1783. For
the next seventeen years this church was vacant, with the exception
of occasional sermons by Rev. Ezekiel Emerson and Rev. Samuel
Eaton. In 1786 an unsuccessful offer of £125 a year, to be paid in
corn at four shillings, rye at five shillings per bushel, and beef at
three pence per pound, was made to a Mr. Cram to come and preach.
It was decided to make no effort in 1788 to have preaching, but two
years later it was voted to raise £60 to hire preaching, and " that each
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 831
man who shall wish to be exempted from the above sum shall make
his plea and that the town will vote them clear or not as they shall
think proper." Thirteen men made pleas and were exempted.
A house of public worship, thirty-six by forty feet, on lot No. 57,
was ordered and partly built by the town in 1774. but never finished.
However, this house must have been used, for: — " Voted, November
21, 1782, to move the meeting for public worship from the meeting
house to Mr. Chandler's and Mr. Whiting's the coming winter, every
other Sabbath at each place." In 1781 the town was divided into
" two parts for public worship as the water divides it," and in 1786 it
was decided to build the South meeting house (in what is now Win-
throp), fifty by forty feet. This building was completed in 1794,
when, by vote, the Baptists were invited to use the house two Sab-
baths out of five. There is no record that they accepted this offer,
but it is a pleasure to record the breadth of religious sentiment im-
plied in this invitation; for it indicates a corresponding breadth of in-
telligence and thought in other directions, which the subsequent his-
tory of this town has certainly shown.
Readfield was taken from Winthrop in 1791, and in 1799 the legis-
lature authorized the sale of the minister's lot, and the division of the
proceeds between the two towns for the support of the ministry. The
share Winthrop received— $840.85— was placed at interest. This fund
afterward became for a whole generation the source of much trouble.
In 1797 the town voted not to raise any money for preaching. The
next year it was voted not to hire Jotham vSewall or any other can-
didate to preach, and in 1799 the vote was not to raise any money for
preaching.
An act to incorporate the First Congregational Society in Winthrop
was passed by the general court, January 31, 1800. The ninety incor-
porators were compo.sed largely of those belonging to no chtirch.
The same winter Jonathan Belden, a graduate of Yale, received a call
from the new church and was ordained. At the next town meeting it
was voted to let the Congregational society have the house on con-
dition that the society .should finish the building and keep it in repair for
the use of the town, which had no other place for its public meetings.
For reasons not fully apparent, this society was, by request, dis-
solved by act of legislature in 1806. Rev. Jonathan Belden's health
failed after five years' service, when the church extended a call to Rev.
David Thurston, which was supplemented by the civil authority of the
town and thus recorded: " Voted to give him a call to settle in said
town in the work of a gospel minister, and to give him $400 a year so
long as he shall continue our minister." He was ordained in 1807.
This church instituted a Sabbath school, August 7, 1808, the first in
Maine, and probably the first in New England.
53
832 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Rev. David Thurston served this church the long period of forty-
four years. So thoroughly was he identified with the intellectual and
moral growth of the town for more than a generation, that he became
familiarly and affectionately known as " Father Thurston." The re-
markable fact that in the formation of a Sabbath school he thought
and acted so much in advance of his time, was characteristic of his
entire life. He was a pioneer in the anti-slavery reforms, and to his
activity and zeal as an abolitionist has been attributed the dissatisfac-
tion in the Congregational society that resulted in his resignation, Oc-
tober 15, 1851.
The church was severely exercised by the events which followed
his resignation, several prominent members deeming it a duty to
withdraw, some uniting with the Litchfield Congregational church.
The logic of events vindicated " Father Thurston." His ability was
good, his heart was large and warm, and his loyalty to what he be-
lieved to be right was as unflinching as ever went into the makeup of
a martyr. He preached last in Litchfield, where he died, May 7, 1865.
His successors have been: Reverends Rufus M. Sawyer, 1851; Samuel
D. Bowker, 1860; Thomas K. Noble, 1863; Edward P. Baker, 1865;
Richard W. Jenkins, 1874; Warren F. Bickford, 1876; William F.
Obear, 1871; James B. Hawes, 1885; Perley J. Robinson, 1888, and
Charles W. Porter, 1891.
The present church edifice was built in 1824, and has been remod-
eled and improved from time to time. The vestry in the village, built
in 1860, cost $1,200. The society also own the old Thurston parson-
age, for which they paid $2,000, and another in the village, purchased
of W. E. Whitman, for $3,000.
Daniel Noyes Carr, for nineteen years a deacon in this church, was
born in Newburyport, Mass., June 29, 1789. His father, Richard Carr,
was a shipbuilder, but Daniel's tastes did not incline him to that trade,
and when a young man of about twenty- four, he removed to Winthrop,
and established himself in business as a hatter. He erected and occu-
pied the building next to the present post office, and by his industry
and business tact soon began to lay the foundation of a handsome
competency. On February 16, 1815, Deacon Carr married Mary Joy.
of Winthrop, who was born June 5, 1794. Mrs. Carr was intellectually
a very superior woman, and to her aid and advice her husband attrib-
uted a large share of his success in life.
In 1820, declining to wait for a good cause to become popular, he
led the way that others were soon to follow, and established the first
temperance hotel in the state. This decisive step, taken in the face
of a local sentiment that regarded the use of spirits as almost a family
necessity, well illustrates the character of the man; for once convinced
that a habit or custom was wrong, no earthly power could prevent him
from enrolling himself on the side of the right. He conducted his
( y^j c^^^tU-js^^ k:j) ^c^-^
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 833
hotel on the temperance plan for twenty-nine 3'ears, during which
time many distinguished travellers were his guests, and retired from
business in 1850, when he converted his house of entertainment into
a private residence.
Though a strong abolitionist. Deacon Carr never mingled actively
in politics. The church was his sphere of work, and from 1832, when
he joined the Winthrop Congregational church, to the day of his
death he was an eminently conscientious Christian in his every word
and deed. He was made deacon in 1835, and held the office until 1854,
when, becoming disaffected with the church on account of " Father
Thurston's" dismissal, he resigned. He took letters to the Litchfield
Congregational church, attending that house communion Sundays,
and in the interim worshipping at the Winthrop Methodist church, in
which he was a regular pewholder.
Deacon Carr was a man of active, genial spirit and unusual liber-
ality. His hospitality was boundless, and was extended to rich and
poor alike, with strict impartiality. He might have made more money
than he did had he been less open-handed; but his soul was above
small things, and whoever sought a favor of him, which it was con-
sistent for him to grant, was never denied. He was a constant attend-
ant at church and the weekly prayer meeting, and was always ready
to take a part. Against all forms of lewdness, violence and oppres-
sion his stand was bold and decided, for he was essentially a law-abid-
ing citizen, and walked fearlessly in the sight of his fellow men. He
left an unblemished reputation for fairness and integrity in all his
business dealings, and at his death, February 2, 1862, was sincerely
mourned by the entire community.
His wife survived him until January 14, 1878. Their children
were: Mary A., born December 13, 1815, died November 23, 1826;
Daniel N., born April 15, 1818, died May 15, 1825; Hartford J., born
September 13, 1820, died July 21, 1822; George W., born April 17. 1824.
died May 4, 1849; Sarah B., born June 19, 1826, died March 2, 1885;
Daniel H., born February 2,1829, died July 1, 1831; and Helen A., the
only surviving child, who was born February 3, 1833, and who, as a
consistent and beautiful Christian character, and an ardent and liberal
supporter of the church, follows worthily in the footsteps of her
parents.
Jesse Lee, the first apostle of Methodism in Maine, entered on this
great circuit September 10, 1793, and preached in Winthrop, probably
in the Fairbanks neighborhood, October 21st following. Five years
later Lee brought to this town with him the great Bishop Asbury,
who thus recorded the event in his journal:
" We rode that evening to Winthrop, where meeting was appointed
in the Congregational house. As the day was damp and myself sick.
Brother Lee preached, and the people said it was a good time. I
Od4 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
found father Bishop '•■, at whose house we stayed, his son and wife, ex-
ceedingly kind. This part of the district of Maine is settled with
people from the south of Massachusetts and some from New Hamp-
shire."
No good cause could ask for nobler heralds than these two men.
A Methodist class was formed in 1794, under the labors of Rev. Philip
Wager, in the Fairbanks neighborhood. Nathaniel Bishop and Seth
Delano and their wives were the leading members. For the next
twenty years the Methodists did what they could, but were not able
to sustain regular meetings. During the years 1806, '7 and '8 there
was preaching once in two weeks, in the school house in th esoutheast
part of the town. In 1811 the Massachusetts legislature incorporated
the Methodist Society in the town of Winthrop, which demanded, in
1816, the interest on the ministerial fund toward the support of their
Methodist preacher. The town refused this demand, and in 1819 the
parish sued the town and obtained final judgment. This, however,
did not settle the matter, the general .sentiment of the town being
that the money should never go to any one denomination. After
over ten years of dispute and bad feeling, the town had the good sense
in 1832 to agree on a compromise, by which the interest on the minis-
terial fund has since been applied to the support of common schools.
Through the unremitting efforts of Nathaniel Bishop and a few
others, a movement to build a church in the village was brought to a
successful point in 1825, when the site of the present church was se-
cured, and the corner stone laid June 24th. The frame was put up
at once, but before the roof was on Bishop Soule, who was on his way
to conference, preached there, July 3d. The house was soon com-
pleted. Rev. Stephen Lovell preaching the dedication sermon Novem-
ber 23d, and the next year he was appointed to this church. The class
at that time numbered twenty-one.
During the pastorate of Rev. D. B. Randall, in 1842, the Congre-
gationalists joined with the Methodists in series of union revival
meetings, resulting in large accessions to both churches. A parsonage
was built in 1849. In 1851 the Maine Conference held its twenty-
seventh session in Winthrop. While Rev. J. H. Jenne was in charge,
in 1854, the church building was enlarged, and the next year new
furniture and an organ were purchased. In the fall of 1886, through
the special efforts of the pastor, Rev. C. E. Springer, a fine bell was
placed on the church, in a new tower built for its reception. July 8,
1890, Winthrop was touched by a cyclone that swept this new tower
from the church, landing it on the corner of Chester Shaw's house,
about fifty feet away, fatally injuring Mr. Shaw's mother.
The following ministers have been stationed on this charge from
1826 to 1892: Stephen Lovell, Moses Hill twice, E. Crooker, G. Greeley,
* Nathaniel Bishop, a local preacher.
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 835
D. Fuller, A. Caldwell, C. P. Bragdon, E. Hotchkiss, A. P. Hillman,
Abel Alton, J. Cleaveland, D. B. Randall, E. Robinson, A. F. Barnard,
George Webber twice, Charles W. Morse, Parker Jaques twice, C.
Munger, J. H. Jenne, Stephen Allen twice, C. C. Mason, Ezekiel
Smith, James McMillan, P. E. Brown, F. C. Ayer, A. R. Sylvester,
James Nixon, jun., David Church, G. F. Cobb, C. E. Springer, T. F.
Jones, C. E. Bisbee, O. S. Pillsbury and E. T. Adams.
Liberal theology was first preached in Winthrop by Universalist
ministers, who came occasionally and spoke in school houses. In 1818
Moses Johnson, John Morrill, Jacob Nelson and thirty-eight others
living in the towns of Winthrop, Readfield and Wayne, formed what
they called the Union Society, and legally organized themselves into
a body corporate. A Mr. Mace was their first minister. The number
of members increased so that in 1837 the First Universalist Society of
Winthrop was organized, with Rev. George W. Quinby as preacher.
The neat and commodious church building now standing was built
in 1838, and Rev. Giles Bailey was ordained as pastor in 1830.
Up to 1842 no regular church had been formed, but in June of that
year twelve people perfected a chui-ch organization. In the autumn
of 1842 Mr. Bailey was succeeded by Rev. Frederic Foster for two
years. George W. Bates and D. T. Stevens were the next pastors,
till 1853, when O. H. Johnson began a very successful pastorate of
seven years, followed by Reverends Goff, George W. Quinby, A.
Bosserman, who came in 1872, and S. P. Smith, from 1878 to 1882. In
1887 religious services were resumed in this church under the auspices
of a religious society organized in November of that year, and named
the Church of the Unity. Philip S. Thatcher, of the Unitarian church
of Augusta, was the first preacher, and drew large and attentive au-
diences. He was succeeded by Rev. Charles Burrington, Frank A.
Gilmore, F. L. Pugsley and others, all Unitarians.
In 1791 Elder Potter, a Baptist, preached at East Winthrop a few
times, and created a Baptist sentiment there. The number of fami-
lies inclining to this sect gradually increasing, but not sufficiently to
form a church in Winthrop, they became an important branch of the
Baptist church in Readfield, and so continued for over thirty years.
This state of things could not last. The growth of population, and of
substantial pi'osperity, rendered the demand for a church at East
Winthrop imperative.
In 1823 the Baptists were joined by the community at large, and a
duplicate of the Baptist church on Winthrop street, in Hallowell, was
erected, co.sting $3,000— a large sum for those days. The following
are the names of some of the foremost workers and payers: Benjamin
Perkins, Captain Jonathan Pullen, Colonel Thomas Fillebrown, Luke
Perkins, Jonathan Whiting, Eben, Benjamin and Alden Packard,
William Richards, Isaac Wadsworth, Elder Hoi:ghton, Joel and Moses
836 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
White, Thomas Lancaster, Simeon Gary, Deacon Wood, Eben Blake
and Oliver Wadsworth.
Professor .Stephen Chapin, of Waterville, preached the dedication
sermon, November 19, 1823, and the singing by the choir had been
very carefully prepared. The place had so many excellent singers
that it became a serious question who should have the honor of sitting
at the head of the soprano seat. A committee decided upon Mrs.
Simeon Gary. Years after, her son, Nelson H., married Maria Stock-
bridge, another local celebrity in music, and Louise Gary, the world
renowned singer, was their daughter.
On the 22d of June, 1824, a church was organized, consisting of
thirty members of the Readfield church, whose homes were in Win-
throp. Phineas Bond, a licentiate, preached to 129 members the first
year, and in May, 1825, Elder John Butler, the first pastor, was in-
stalled, and served the church for seven years. He was followed by
Rev. Samuel Fogg, R. Lowe, Rev. Joshua Millett, Rev. John E. Ingra-
ham, 1836; Rev. Daniel E. Burbank, 1839; Franklin Merriam, 1840, and
Rev. Sampson Powers, 1849. C. W. Bradbury was the next preacher,
and in 1858, during the pastorate of his successor,' Rev. Hosea Pierce,
the church was altered to its present form. The pastorate of Rev. A.
Bryant commenced May, 1869, and closed February, 1874; Rev. W. T.
Whitmorse was pastor from May, 1874, to December, 1876; Rev. A. R.
Crane, supply and pastor from December, 1876, to July, 1890; and
Rev. Joseph M. Long commenced his pastorate in December, 1891.
The Gatholics of Winthrop, very few in number, were originally
attended by priests from Augusta, Waterville, Lewiston and Skowhe-
gan. They had no regular pastor until 1886, when E. F. Hurley
formed the society and held services in the town hall. The erection
of St. Francis Xavier Roman Gatholic church, on Lake street, was be-
gun under his supervision in 1887, J. W. Matthieu, of Farmington,
architect and builder, and cost $4,000. The society numbers thirty-five
families — about 235 persons. The present pastor. Rev. N. J. Horan,
came in 1888.
Metcalf Neighborhood. — This locality received its name by the
settlement here in 1789, of Deacon Joseph Metcalf, who built that
year the first cabinet shop in Winthrop, and worked in it, makmg fur-
niture and chairs, for over sixty years. He died on the old place in
1849. The shingles laid by the deacon's own hands on the north side
of the shop roof in 1789, are still a fair protection from the weather,
after an exposure of three years more than a century. The shingles
on the south side of the same roof have been twice renewed. Deacon
Metcalf 's grandson, Joseph L. jSletcalf, resides on the old family farm.
There was, on John Blunt's farm, an old ashery that was run down be-
fore 1790.
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 837
The Metcalf neighborhood, full of historic interest, has the oldest
burial place in Winthrop, about fort}' rods east and a little south of
which Squier Bishop, the second settler in town, with many square
miles of land to select from, built his house and made his home — the
house which became famous as being the first tavern, and in which
was held the first town meeting. Only a short distance from- Deacon
Metcalf's cabinet shop another hardy settler. Colonel Fairbanks, also
entertained travelers in a house that is still standing, and it is very
probable that Talleyrand and the Due D'Orleans, during their trip
through Maine, in 1774, rode one morning from Hallowell and stopped
at the colonel's to breakfast on their way to Portland. In this vicin-
ity is also standing the house in which Livy Morton, grandfather of
the vice-president, lived, and where Levi P. Morton's father, Daniel O.,
was born in 1788.
Three-fourths of a mile north of the burying ground stood the first
church, built in 1774, but never completed, used several years for meet-
ings, and torn down in 1786. This was indeed the most central and
the most important settlement in town for many years.
vSome of the second and third generations of these rugged settlers
were: Benjamin Southworth, Columbus Fairbanks, William Brown,
Lazerus Ramsdell, Captain H. N. Dudley, James Lyon, Joseph Carl-
ton, Ebenezer Morton, Aden Stanley and his sons Morrell and Lem-
uel, Moses H., Joseph A. and Isaac N, Metcalf, Cephas Thomas, John
E. Snell and his brother Elijah, John Kezer, Asa Fairbanks, Alfred
Smith, Benjamin R. Prescott, Gorham and John O. Wing, James B.
Fillebrown, Stephen and James Pullen. Isaac Briggs, John Williams,
William Bearse, Martin Cushing and Austin Alden.
Mills and Manufactories. — The imperative wants of a new
country are something to eat and a place to live. To supply these
demands saw mills and grist mills are almost indispensable. On the
water power between the two ponds in Winthrop village have been
built at least six of these useful lumber mills. The first was built by
John Chandler, where the woolen factory stands, and was running in
1768. Hushai Thomas built the second saw mill, on the third dam. It
had its day, and was all gone before 1820. The next was known as
the Sewall mill, and was built on dam No. 3, belonging to the cotton
company, of which Stephen Sewall was for many years the agent.
This mill stood on the east side of the stream, five or six rods south
of the present old grist mill. Samuel Bonney was connected with it
more or less for fifty years. William C. Fuller and Noah Currier also
ran it. Benjamin Dearborn built on the old Perley canal a .saw mill
which he afterward moved to the Cole dam, No 4. Nathan Howard
and Isaac Bonney bought this mill of Dearborn. Mr. Bonney ran it
till 1834, and three years later Luther Whitman bought it. After the
destructive fire of 1853, in which this mill went with the rest of the
838 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
Whitman buildings, he built, on the east side of the stream, another
saw mill, which was also burned.
The first grist mill in town was built by John Chandler, according
to the terms of his land contract, probably in 1768, and stood facing
the road, on ground where the woolen mill is. It was removed when
the cotton company bought the property, in 1809, and another was
built by John Chandler, jun., on the west side of the stream, about
five rods below where the present brick building, formerly a grist mill,
stands. The third grist mill was built on the Perley canal, and the
fourth, now standing, was built by Captain Samuel Clark and Oren
Shaw. After being operated by various parties, the last being Reuben
Fuller, it was sold by E. Miller Clark to Levi Jones and Philip C. Brad-
ford in 1871. It contained three runs of stones, with bolts for making
flour, which used to be done with profit, but that day had passed.
After doing a large custom and feed business for a little more than
ten years, Levi Jones sold the property to the Winthrop Mills Com-
pany, which needed the water right.
One of the curiosities in the early history of Winthrop was the
canal, which, in 1806, Nathaniel Perley, a lawyer from Hallowell, cut
from the North pond, crossing the street just east of the hotel, bring-
ing water to a grist mill, which he built where dwelling houses now
stand, south of Main street. Benjamin Dearborn was the miller till
the cotton mills company bought the canal property, when the canal
was filled up. The grist mill machinery was taken to Monmouth, and
Mr. Dearborn moved his saw mill to the stream about 1830.
The only grist mill in operation in Winthrop in 1892 belongs to D.
H. & J. W. Maxim, and is only adapted to grinding coarse grain. In
one part of it is machinery for making sash, doors and blinds. The
mill is situated on the west side of the village, and commenced doing
business in December, 1891.
On the lower dam Simeon G. Davis built the only saw mill now
running in town, in which he also has a shingle machine. Before en-
gaging in his present business he was a cooper on Union street. In
1880 he put a small steam craft on Maranacook lake, and in 1882 he
put on a larger boat. In 1891 he had a small boat on Annabessacook
lake.
A fulling mill was built in 1791, by Cyrus Baldwin, who sold it to
Benjamin Allen, by whom it was sold to Liberty Stanley. John Cole
was the next owner, and his son, Hiram Cole, ran it. Then another
son, Morrell Cole, owned it, and sold it to Mr. Merrill, and he sold one-
half of it to Benjamin & Davis, and the other half to Luther Whit-
man. After the fire of 1853, in which it was burned, Mr. Whitman
bought the water right of S. Benjamin & Co.
About seventy years ago, in a building where now stands the stone
blacksmith shop, on the south side of Main street, was a pottery, in
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 839
which Thomas Fuller made plates, jugs, crocks and jars for family
use.
Capitalists from Boston and Hallowell, long familiar with the
noted water power at Winthrop village, bought, in 1809, water rights
and real estate, and incorporated the Winthrop Woolen and Cotton
Manufactory, with Amos Barrett as superintendent. A four story fac-
tory was built of brick, in which machinery was placed as fast as it
was ready, most, if not all, of it being made in the place, and all of it
collected so slowly that five years passed before the mills were ready
for operation. For a time the new enterprise was fairly prosperous,
but for some reason the profits dwindled till at the end of twenty
years the concern was closed and remained idle for seven years, in
charge of Stephen Sewall, the last agent of the old company.
In 1841 Josiah Little, of Newburyport, and Josiah Little, jun., of
Auburn; Ephraim Wood, of Lewiston; Mr. Jones, of Portland, and a
New York city man, bought of the owners in Boston the entire prop-
erty for about $22,000. The purchase included a saw mill on the east
side of the stream, an empty woolen mill on the west side, and a piece
of land that extended up to the street, with a house on it. Seward G.
Lee, a skillful machinist and an esteemed citizen of Winthrop from
that day until his death, came from Massachusetts and put the mills
in complete order for the new company, and remained in charge of
the machinery for several years, the factory producing cotton sheet-
ing most of the time, and employing about ninety people. In 1847
Mr. Lee bought an interest in the business, of Mr. Wood.
During the time Stephen Sewall was in charge of the old com-
pany's property the saw mill and woolen mill were built, the former
being known ever after as the Sewall mill. About 1846 Benjamin
Cushman, Seward G. Lee and John Metcalf rented the woolen mill
and made woolen cloth the first year. Mr. Metcalf sold out to his
partners, and Cushman & Lee bought the saw mill and a house of
Littles, Wood & Co., and afterward rented the woolen mill to Luther
Whitman. Liberty Stanley, the inventor of the shears for shearing
cloth, now universally used, carded wool and fulled and dressed cloth
in the old woolen mill when it was first built. Lee finally sold his in-
terest to David Stanley. In 1850 the firm of Littles, Wood & Co. dis-
solved, Mr. Wood bought his partners' interest and ran the business
alone, making twine, cotton warp and bunch yarn.
Ephraim Wood died in 1865, and that fall Boston capitalists pur-
chased the entire mill property and organized the present Winthrop
Mills Company, with a capital stock of $150,000. The new company
enlarged the building and thoroughly refitted the inside with new
machinery adapted to the manufacture of woolen fabrics. The old
woolen mill was subsequently cut in two pieces in 1882 and moved off
for dwelling houses. In 1882 the present extensive cotton factory
840 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
was built, and dams No. 2 and 3 combined in one to give the requisite
water power.
Philip C. Bradford was the first resident agent for the owners until
about 1871, when John Mcllroy came to Winthrop as the resident agent
for the company, and continued till his death in July. 1891, when he
was succeeded by his son, Ronald C. Mcllroy. The woolen mills turn
out 125,000 pairs of blankets per year. The cotton mills are making
cotton warp, and together the two departments employ 150 people.
When the old cotton company bought the upper dam, Samuel Ben-
jamin owned a water power on one corner of the property, on which
he had a cabinet and repair shop, with some primitive machinery in
it. The new concern purchased this of Mr. Benjamin, but allowed it
to stand for two years after, and employed him to make various fix-
tures and some machinery for the new mill, till the room where it
stood was needed. Mr. Benjamin then built a shop on the north side
of Main street, where for twenty years prior to 1834 he turned his at-
tention to his old trade of cabinet and chair making. In 1834 he made
for J. A. & H. A. Pitts, in this shop, the first practical grain thresher
and separator ever made, and continued making them until the Pitts
brothers left town. In 1838 Mr. Benjamin and Cyrus Davis formed a
partnership, and in 1841 opened a machine shop on the Cole dam,
where they succeeded the Pitts brothers in the manufacture of grain
threshing machinery. Benjamin & Davis dissolved in 1851 and John
M. Benjamin became a partner in the business with his father. S.
Benjamin & Co. were burned out in the fire of 1853. The same year
John M. and his brother, Albion P. Benjamin, built a machine shop
near the railroad, south of the depot, in which, early in 1854, they
continued the manufacture of horse powers, threshers and separators.
This continued till 1862, when they sold the building to C. M. Bailey
for his oilcloth works, and closed up their business.
By far the most important manufacturing industry in town is the
making of oilcloth by C. M. Bailey's Sons & Co. Their works at
Baileyville comprise four very extensive buildings and at Winthrop
village thirteen buildings. Steam to the amount of 240 horse power
and the labor of 200 people are constantly employed, turning out
1,800 pieces per week. The history of the origin and growth of this
business is interesting. Ezekiel Bailey lived at Baileyville and had
four sons — Dr. Daniel, Moses, George and Charles M. The two former
made table oilcloths for several years by hand, and Charles M. trav-
eled and sold them. About 1842 Charles M. bought his father's inter-
est and in company with his brother, Moses, began making floor
cloths. After a while Moses bought out his brother. Charles M., and
ran the factory alone. In 1847 he resold the entire business to his
brother, Charles M., and built a new plant at Baileyville. In 1856
Charles M. Bailey was again burned out at Baileyville, but had pur-
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 841
chased the plant of Robbins & Hayward, who had recently built an
oilcloth factory at Winthrop village. In 1862 these works also were
nearly destroyed by fire. He purchased the large machine shop of
Benjamin & Davis at Winthrop, and as soon as possible added other
buildings and resumed business. From that time to the present en-
largements and improvements of his plant, both at Baileyville and
Winthrop village, have been made almost every year.
In 1870 Moses Bailey's works at Baileyville were burned and re-
built within a year. Before 1880 C. AI. Bailey bought Moses Bailey's
entire plant and operated it till 1891, when it was again consumed by
fire, but workmen were collected to the size of a small army and in
less than three months the buildings were replaced, larger and better
than ever before, and the entire plant was again in active operation.
At Skowhegan C. M. Bailey's vSons & Co. have other works, making
them one of the first, if not the largest, manufacturers of oilcloths in
America.
The manufacture of boots and shoes for the wholesale trade was
once an important industry in Winthrop. Between 1830 and 1840
Joshua Wing, Isaac Nelson, Joshua Trufant and S. Johnson Phil-
brook, all living on the Monmouth road, had shops at their houses,
where they each employed several men making men's boots and
shoes. The most of this work was sold in New England, but Mr.
Nelson used to take some of his goods to New Orleans, which was re-
garded as quite a trip in those days. In the village Charles A. & B. F.
Wing, S. N. Tufts & Co., Israel Matthews & Co. and E. M. Clark made
boots and shoes extensively for those times. The Wing brothers em-
ployed from twenty to thirty hands, and Benjamin F. Wing took their
goods to California after 1849, where also a large part of the products
of the other shops found a ready market. C. A. Wing continued the
longest, but quit in 1889.
For the past twenty years coat making for Boston parties has been
an established industry in Winthrop. The business was undertaken
in 1870, by Henry Penniman, who had been a dry goods and clothing
merchant since 1865. He found it so profitable that in 1874 he closed
out his store goods and built a shop by the pond, and gave his atten-
tion wholly to manufacturing, having in his employ frequently over
one hundred people. Since 1884 his son, Edgar H. Penniman, has
been the proprietor of the manufacturing business, which gives work
to twenty hands. Henry Penniman again became a merchant and
moved into the Packard Block in 1878, the year it was built.
The first manufacture of brick in considerable quantities in Win-
throp was for the old woolen and cotton mill, built between 1809 and
1814. These brick were furnished by Isaac Bonney, father of Samuel
and William Bonney. His kiln, where more than a million brick were
made, stood down by the railroad on land now occupied by the Bailey
842 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
oilcloth buildings. His next brick yard was on land now owned by
Samuel Bonney, near the mill stream, south of the village. Major
Elijah Wood burned and sold a good many kilns of brick a little north
of west from W. H. Keith's house. Charles Nelson burned brick on
the Pond road, on the west side of the pond. At an early day brick
were burned near Francis Perley's. Oakes Howard and Nathan
Cobb burned a kiln for their own use on Howard's land. Two brick
kilns once stood on Deacon John Cumming's land, at East Winthrop.
Amanda Jackson owns land one was on, and William Nason owns
where the other was.
The first tannery in the village of Winthrop was built where the
woolen mill is, by Colonel Fairbanks, before 1800. Captain Samuel
Clark came from Francistown, N. H., in 1803, and built a tannery on
the stream below, which he operated till succeeded by his son, E.
Miller Clark, in 1837, who ran the business forty years and then sold
the property to Bradford and Levi Jones.
Wagon making in Winthrop seems to have been substantially in
the hands of the Stanley family for four generations. Aden Stanley
settled in the eastern part of the town in 1795 and made cart wheels
and cider mill screws, besides his farm work. His sons, Lemuel and
Morrell, became noted wagon and chaise makers. Lemuel and his
son, Sumner H., located in Winthrop village, where they had a shop
for many years. Morrell succeeded to his father's business, rebuilt
the old shop in 1888, and made wagon makers of his sons, Charles and
Henry. In 1877 Henry built another shop just north of the old one,
where he and his son, Albert A., still follow the old trade. Charles
and his son, Oren E., retain the original business founded by Aden
Stanley nearly a hundred years ago.
Always watchful to keep abreast with the times, several enterpris-
farmers in 1875 organized the Winthrop Dairy Association, with a
stock capital of $10,000, and built the butter and cheese factory still in
operation in the northwestern part of the village. J. R. Nelson was
the first president, Rutillus Alden was the second, and for the last
seven years Albert C. Carr has filled that office. A. D. King, Rutillus
Alden, B. W. Chandler and A. C. Carr are directors, Elliott Wood sec-
retary, and George Howard treasurer.
The Portland Packing Company in 1882 leased land at the foot of
the lake and put up their present factory, where they filled 250,000
cans in 1891, employing one hundred hands for about a month. Five
men are kept the remainder of the year making the tin cans.
Old Settlers.— Beginning at the village, on the Portland road,
Gideon Lambert was an old settler, owning the land where the rail-
road depot stands. He was' one of Abercrombie's soldiers, and fought
in the war that preceded the revolution. Ichabod How, afterward a
memberof the continental congress that met at Cambridge, Mass., was
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 843
his neighbor. Deacon Johnson was another, and further along were
Nathan Howard, father of Oakes Howard, a house builder, active in
politics and foremost in matters of public concern; Deacon Joseph
Fairbanks, a Mr. Orcott, Isaac Nelson and Nathan F. Cobb, a mason
by trade.
Major Elijah Wood, who had a store on Main street early, sub.se-
quently built a store opposite William H. Keith's present residence,
about 1815, where he traded for twenty years under a sign reading,
" English and West India Goods," the foremost article of which, in
those days, was rum.
Before 1810 Dr. Peleg Benson, who lived where Moses C. Frost does,
built on what was then known as the Sewall Page, but now called the
Maxwell brook, a cloth dressing mill on the north side of the road, on
what is now the Leonard N. Berry farm. Joseph Fairbanks, in 1814,
had a trip-hammer, run by water, in the same building, with shops
for iron and wood working. After this James Curtis used the build-
ing for a cider mill, grinding the apples by water power. On the
other side of the road Charles Foss had a tannery, and a water wheel
to run his bark mill. John Maxwell continued the tanning business
after Mr. Foss, till 1845. The land now belongs to Willard Maxwell.
There was also an ashery on Doctor Benson's farm.
On the cross road were Captain Barney Haskell, Henry Stanley,
Samuel King, Thomas Jacobs, an English sailor, Samuel Harvey, Wil-
liam Lowell, from Bath, son of Dea. J. K. Lowell; John Lewis, a
stone cutter and a great mathematician; Lafayette Chandler, grandson
of John Chandler, who built mills in the village; Noah Chandler,
Enoch Swift, on lot No. 145, on the top of Pisgah; Barnabas Wing,
Gideon Dexter and John Frost. On the road from Haskell's Corner
were: Richard Humphrey, Jabez Bacon, a great Bible reader; Rial
Stanley, Eli Lake, Mordica Morton, Jonathan Buzzell, Captain John
Fuller, at Fuller's hill, who came from Cape Cod; and the Hazel-
ton family, where Rufus K. Berry lives. In the northwest part of the
town some of the old settlers were: Mr. Fellows, on whose farm a
moose was killed about 1800 (the lot where it was killed is still called
" Moose pasture "); John Fuller, and Freeman Dexter, a carpenter, who
built the Congregational church. Of the next generation were Jona-
than Buzzell and exSheriff William C. Fuller.
Schools. — The attendance in 1891 was as follows: East Winthrop,
35; Winthrop Center, 31; Snell school, 22; Howard school, 12; Mt.
Pisgah, 17; Union school, 13; Kimball district, 15; Maranacook, 9; Vil-
lage district— primary department 68, intermediate 38, grammar 47,
free high school 40. In 1887 the Knight district was consolidated with
the Village district, and in 1890 the Sturtevant district was joined with
a district in Readfield. In 1891 the school committee shortened the
terms of the Village school and lengthened the terms of some of the
044 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
other districts, making them all the uniform time of thirty weeks each.
It is confidently believed the schools of the town of Winthrop have
never been in as satisfactory a condition as now, particularly the high
school, in charge of Professor Frederic W. Plummer.
The number of school children in town who drew public money in
1804, was 685; but in 1891 was only 520. A small family of children
was as rare then as a large one is now. Considering the scarcity of
money, the taxes must have been burdensome a hundred years ago.
In 1792 the school tax was £SS\ in 1794, £60; in 1797, $333; and in
1807 and for several years following it was $700.
Town Reports.— The sixth annual report of Charles A. Wing,
chief engineer of the fire department, shows a mo.st favorable, and in
some respects a remarkable, series of facts. For the past two years
there has been no fire within the village limits requiring the use of
hydrant or hose. The entire department is maintained in a condition
of continual readiness and efticiency, at a cost to the town of less than
$100 a year.
The Winthrop water works were constructed in 1883, as the only
practical way to reduce insurance rates. After fierce agitation the
village raised $1,000 by subscription, and the town voted $3,000, with
which 3,000 feet of four-inch iron pipe was laid, ten hydrants were lo-
cated, a powerful pump was placed in the basement of the woolen fac-
tory, and a thousand feet of hose and two hose carts were purchased.
Since then a hose house, with a drying tower fifty feet high, has been
built, and other necessary fixtures purchased, increasing the total cost
to $5,000, which is an unusually low figure for the results achieved.
To operate this effective fire apparatus, the Payson Tucker Hose Com-
pany was organized in 1883, with twenty-five active, able-bodied mem-
bers, which number is still maintained.
The latest report of the selectmen shows that when it was made
the town farm had but one charity boarder. This farm was purchased
in 1837 of Jesse L. Fairbanks, for $2,100, with money received as Win-
throp's share of surplus revenue divided by the general government
among the different states that year. This step was in keeping with
a growing disapproval of the oft-abused practice of farming out the
unfortunate poor to the lowest bidder. In 1887 the house on the town
farm was burned, necessitating the expenditure of over $3,000 in re-
building.
Banks. — The Winthrop Bank, incorporated in 1824, with a capital
of $50,000, when the only banks in Kennebec county were at Hallo-
well, Augusta and Gardiner, shows the business requirements of that
day. Samuel Wood was president, and Thomas J. Lee was cashier.
Its business was done in the southeast corner room of Dr. A. P.
Snow's present residence. After a short but honorable career, its
owners decided to close its affairs. After redeeming most of its bills
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 845
and settling with its depositors, Samuel Wood became responsible for
the adjustment of the balance of its affairs. Mr. Lee, who was a
teacher and a school book author of some note, opened a school in the
room the bank had used, and attended to all the details of final settle-
ment.
The Bank of Winthrop was incorporated under the state laws in
185B. E. M. Clark, Stephen Sewall, Erastus W. Kelley, David Stan-
ley, Charles M. Bailey, Wellington Hunton, Benjamin Stockin, Ste-
phen Gammon and Otis Hayford were directors; Charles M. Bailey
was president and David Stanley cashier. The capital stock was
S."(.),000, increased to $75,000, and bills were issued. After doing a
prosperous business for about ten years, the directors chose to close
up their business rather than pay the ten per cent, on their circula-
tion then required by act of congress.
The National Bank of Winthrop was organized with Charles M.
Bailey, David Stanley, Ephraim Wood, Philip C. Bradford and Levi
Jones as directors. The doors were opened for business November
28, 1864, with Charles M. Bailey, president, and John M. Benjamin
cashier. That portion of the affairs of the Bank of Winthrop then
unsettled was assumed by the new bank. At the end of twenty years
the charter was renewed. In addition to those named, Moses Bailey,
Francis H. Mclntyre, Charles A. Wing, Reuben T. Jones, George A.
Longfellow and Henry Winslow are, or have been, directors. During
all these years there has been no change in the executive officers of
the bank. Mr. Benjamin's labors have been particularly arduous and
his services eminently satisfactory.
The Winthrop Savings Bank was chartered and began doing bttsi-
ness in February, 1872, in the banking room of the Winthrop Na-
tional Bank. The trustees were: Levi Jones, Charles A. AVing, Moses
Bailey, F. H. Mclntyre and Joseph S. Berry. Levi Jones was presi-
dent and John M. Benjamin was treasurer. This institution was very
prosperous till, on the night of July 22, 1875, the building was entered
by professional burglars, both safes were blown open, and cash and
bonds taken in amounts that ultimately made each bank a loser of
over $10,000. The savings bank closed up its business and paid its
depositors seventy-three cents on a dollar.
Post Offices. — Winthrop village has one of the five post offices
which were e.stablished in the county in 1795. The first postmaster,
Benjamin Allen, was commissioned January 1st. The successive
incumbents have been: Silas Lambert, appointed March 14, 1797;
David W. Pierce, April 17, 1823; George W. Stanley, January 27, 1830;
David Stanley, December 21, 1835: Cyrus Bishop, June 12, 1841; David
Stanley, May 2, 1845; Cyrus Bishop, June 4, 1849; Joseph R. Stanley,
May 16, 1853; Cyrus Bishop, August 7, 1861; Charles Morrill, January
17, 1862; Mary M. Stanley, September 1, 1868; Henry Woodward,
846 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
March 10, 1877; Elliott Wood, March 28, 1881; Henry Penniman, De-
cember 3, 1886; and Charles D. Wood, December 6, 1890.
The Winthrop Centre post office has been in care of Levi Rich-
mond since its establishment, on the 15th of January, 1886.
East Winthrop has had a post office since December 26, 1828, when
David Eastman was made postmaster. Horace Parlin took the office
in June, 1830, and was succeeded in October, 1847, by Azel Perkins,
who kept the office twenty years. Lyman White was succeeded in
1871, by George A. Wadsworth.
Cemeteries. — One of the first provisions of the infant town of
Winthrop was to secure a lot for burial purposes. At an adjourned
town meeting, held one week from its first session, the selectmen re-
ported " A burying place which will best commode the present inhab-
itants lies upon the highway running by Mr. Bishop's, on Mr. Pullen's
lot, bounded southerly on said highway, containing one acre lying in
a square form." This well known ground, sacred to the memory of
so many men and women who founded Winthrop, is the oldest within
its borders. An infant daughter of Stephen Pullen had been buried
on this plot before the town was incorporated. The next ground ac-
cepted by the town was given by John Chandler, and is now the vil-
lage cemetery. The East Winthrop ground must have been in use
very early, from its proximity to the neighborhood that formed the
first Baptist society. The Fairbanks grave yard, near the town farm,
is also the resting place of many pioneers.
Eighty-three years ago Josiah Bacon gave one-half acre of land for
a public burying ground. The town took charge of the lot, which in
process of time was filled. About 1880 a piece, which is also nearly
covered with graves, was taken from the Jonathan L. Stanley estate.
Here the tired bodies of a large number of the best known residents
have been laid in their last earthly repose. Some of them are: Samuel
King, William Lowell, Thomas Jacobs, Jabez Bacon, Rial Stanley, Jo-
seph Fairbanks, Nathan Howard, Nathan T. Cobb, William Buzzell,
Barney Haskell, Nathaniel Kimball and the wife of each.
Hotels. — The Winthrop Hotel was built for a two-story residence
about 1800, by Captain Barney Haskell, since which time it has been
enlarged and remodeled, but the old building is still a part of the
present one. Mrs. Miller owned and kept it after Captain Haskell.
Since then some of its landlords have been: A. M. Shaw, John Lover-
ing, Dakin, Cooledge, Zack Morgan, Sherburn Morrell,
Almaren Bodge, Crosby Shorey, Orrin M. Shaw, Elijah L. Stanton,
W. F. Lovejoy and Richardson & Webb. Joseph Warren Eaton, the
present owner, bought it, and after running it awhile, leased it to
other parties.
Deacon Daniel Carr came to Winthrop about 1814, and .succeeded
Dean Howard in the hotel business until 1849, in the house now owned
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 847
by his daughter, Mrs. Helen C. Flint. Becoming convinced that sell-
ing liquor was wrong, he closed the bar and kept the first temperance
house in Maine. Colonel Fairbanks at one time kept a hotel where
now is L. O. Cobb's hardware store. Joel Chandler kept an early inn
a few rods east of the present town hall.
Societies. — The order of Masonry was planted very early in Win-
throp. The charter issued by the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts
reads that upon petition, " Nathaniel Herrick, Thomas Beckett, Josiah
Dewey, Abisha Benson, Jonathan Judkins, John Harvey, Daniel Cros-
man and Jonathan G. Hunton were constituted and appointed The
Temple Lodge No. 25, September 8, 1817." The Lodge's first meeting
under the new charter, held October 20th following, was presided over
by Nathaniel Herrick, the first master. His successors have been:
David Campbell, 1818; Dr. Issacher Snell, 1819; Abiel Dailey, 1820;
Alexander Belcher. 1822; Lory Bacon, 1824; Isaac Snell, 1825; Jedediah
B. Prescott, 1826; Asa Fairbanks, 1827; W. D. Eastman, 1828; Samuel
Webb, 1829; Asa Fairbanks, 1830. For the next twenty-seven years
there are no records, and probably there were no meetings. David
Cargill was elected chief officer in 1858; Sumner H. Stanley in 1860;
F. E. Webb, 1861; A. P. Snow, 1863; F. E. Webb, 1866; L. P. Moody,
1867; A. R. Sylvester, 1870; P. H. Snell, 1871; Luther Cobb, 1873; El-
liott Wood, 1874; W. E. Whitman, 1876; W. H. Pettingill, 1878; R. C.
Mcllroy, 1879; E. A. Wood, 1881; J. H. Mcllroy, 1883; C. H. Robin-
son, 1884; Elliott Wood, 1885; E. H. Penniman, 1887; F. I. Bishop,
1889; and J. E. Mcllroy, 1891.
The succes.sive high priests of Winthrop Chapter, R. A. M., have
been: D. G. White, from 1873; Dr. C. A. Cochrane, 1877; W. E. Whit-
man, 1883; and Daniel Gordon, since 1886.
The Winthrop Grange, P. of H., No. 209, was chartered February
15, 1876, with thirty-six charter members, and has included in its
membership many of the most progressive and successful farmers of
the town.
Montana Lodge, No. 2, A. O. U. W., was organized May 4, 1880, the
second in Maine, with twenty charter members. Dr. C. W. Taggart
was elected first P. M. W., and E. S. French, M. W., which office has
since been filled by A. Campbell, C. H. Robinson, J. E. Clark, C. C.
Stackpole, L. M. Alley, F. L Bishop, C. F. Tinker, John T. Clough, J.
H. Bates, J. E. Lewis and M. C. Simpson.
Winthrop Commandery, No. 240, Order of the Golden Cross, was
organized June 18, 1883, with fifteen charter members. John A.
Hutchins was the first noble commander, and L. M. Alley was sec-
retary.
Crystal Lodge, No. 94, I. O. of O. F., was instituted November 1,
1882, at Winthrop village, with eight charter members. Henry V.
54
848 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Dudley was the first N. G., and Eugene S. French was secretary. The
Lodge numbers ninety members, and the order is in a flourishing con-
dition.
East Winthrop village was a prosperous settlement seventy years
ago. It was a natural center for several miles of fine farming country,
east, west and north, to come during the week for trade and on the
Sabbath to church. On the southeast the Cobbosseecontee lake dis-
plays a variety of beauties and will always be a permanent attraction
to this locality as a place of residence.
The one attractive spot in the country hamlet was, at that time far
more than now, the country store. W. H. Parlin, who spent his life
at East Winthrop, made the following statement in the Winthrop Ban-
ner, published in that village:
" The sign for country stores at that time was ' W. I. Goods and
Groceries." This meant gin, rum, brandv, sugar and molasses for the
first part, and everything conceivable for the remainder. Ardent
spirits were then used by all, and on all occasions, sacred or secular.
Especially were they thought a necessity at trainings, musters, rais-
ings, in haying time, and when washing sheep."
After Zenas Gary, Joseph Cummings and Jesse Follet were the
store-keepers, succeeded by the Union Store for ten years. Azel
Perkins conducted it for the stockholders, and then bought them out
and continued to trade till his death, five years later. Lyman White,
Mrs. Lyman White after his death, James Keene, George and Arthur
Williams and George A. Wadsworth have been the store-keepers
since.
The oldest industries, inducing people to form a settlement, were
a saw mill, two tan yards and an ashery. all built so early that the
names of their first proprietors are not known. The saw mill stood
at the head of the Mill pond, the ashery and one tan yard were a little
east of the pond and the other tan yard was on the east .side of Twelve
brook. Alonzo and Joseph Wood had a fulling mill in a building
near by, that did business many years.
Brick for local use were made near the pond, and for a short time
before 1830 William Jameson made wool hats in this growing ham-
let. But the greatest industry East Winthrop ever enjoyed was
founded about 1840, by Horace Parlin, who conceived and put in ac-
tive operation the plan of making boots by hand on a large scale. His
two brothers, S. W. and W. H. Parlin, soon joined him, and H. Parlin
& Co. tanned their own stock and made boots at the rate of nearly
a thousand pairs a month for several }'ears, giving employment to
thirty men. The work done here enjoyed an excellent reputation all
over New England, but the perfection of machinery and system in
large boot and shoe manufactories finally drove the hand workers
from the field. The firm dissolved in 1865, after which E. M. Parlin
TOWN OF WINTHROP.
849
and H. M. Packard ran the shops as long as profitable and closed the
business about 1887.
Perhaps the golden age of East Winthrop was when Rev. John
Butler's Female Seminary, noticed at page 103, was drawing to that
village young ladies from the best families throughout the state.
Benjamin Packard, soon after 1820, built a new house, on one
corner of which appeared the sign B. Packard's Tavern, where for
many years he was known as an obliging landlord and his house as
the center of East Winthrop. This building stood where the resi-
dence of Virgil C. Jackson was burned in 1891.
According to Mr. Parlin, the principal edifices in the vicinity in
1825-30 were located approximately as shown on this plan: —
1, Jonathan Pullen; 2, " Blunt House " ; 3, B. Packard's tavern; 4,
church; 5, Josiah Houghton; 6, Z. Gary's store; 7, Rev. J. Butler; 8,
James Pullen; 9, school house; 10, John Cummings; 11, William
Thomas; 12, David Eastman; 13, H. Parlin & Co., boot shop; 14, Wil-
liam Richards; 15, blacksmith shop: 16, Horace Parlin; 17, burying
ground; 18, John Wadsworth; 19, Samuel Richards; 20, James Brain-
ard; 21, Oren Brainard; 22, R. Brainard; 23, tannery; 24, fulling mill;
25, brick yard; 26, " Potash " ; 27, saw mill; 28, J. Matthews; 29, Jona-
than Whiting, 2d; 30, Jonathan Whiting, 3d; 31, Nathaniel Whiting;
32, Eben Packard; 33, Caleb Jackson; 34, Luke Perkins; 35, Moses
White; 36, Nathaniel Lovering; 37, Solomon Easty; 38, Thomas Lan-
caster; 39, Joel White, jun.; 40, Joel White; 41, Joseph Packard; 42,
Alden Packard; 43, Simeon Cary; 44, Enoch Wood; 45, Benjamin
Perkins, Simeon Chase; 46, blacksmith shop; 47, Nathan Foster.
850 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Snell Brook.— On this stream, at or near where Pope's wedge
factory stands, Jedediah Prescott, jun., who came to Winthrop in
1780, bought land and built a grist mill. He also had a saw mill
which, the traditions of that neighborhood say, was built before he
came there. About 1800 Deacon Elijah Snell bought the property
and built the second saw mill, the first being worn out. The grist
mill gradually went down, but the saw mill was run by his brother,
John E. Snell, for many years. About 1850 the saw mill was again
rebuilt, by Bowker & Ramsdell, and kept in operation about fifteen
years.
In 1865 Jacob Pope moved a building from Manchester and set it
on the dam where the old grist and saw mills had stood, fitted it with
a trip-hammer, and began making steel wedges for use in granite
quarries. J. Pope & Son still continue the business, which has been
in successful operation for over twenty-five years. On the other side
of the road, and a little further down the stream, Ezra Briggs, about
1830, built a tannery, which was next used by Daniel Coy for a shin-
gle mill. In 1843 Luther Perkins began the manufacture of hoes
there, which he continued till 1849, when the business was dropped
and the building was used for awhile as a shop.
On the present road from Winthrop village to Wayne, Rufus Berry
built on the Berry brook a saw mill that was run until about 1840.
Colonel Nathaniel Fairbanks built, on his farm in the Metcalf neigh-
borhood, a tannery which he was operating in 1788. On J. H. Moore's
land are the remains of an old lime kiln built and run by Major Eli-
jah Wood. On the west side of Meadow brook, that runs from Kezer
pond, and on the north side of the road, where it crosses the Daniel
Robbins farm, Ezra Briggs had a tannery that had outlived its useful-
ness previous to 1840.
Cider Mills. — Cider mills became plenty in the early part of the
century. Nathaniel Kimball, William Buzzell, Jonathan L. Stanley,
David Fairbanks, Amasa King, Captain Barney Haskell, Jabez Bacon
and Doctor Benson all had cider mills. In the eastern and central
parts of the town Stephen Pullen, Amos Woodward, Aden Stanley,
John Kezer, Welcome Ladd, F. B. Williams, John Martin, Elias Whit-
ing, Deacon John Cummings, Jonathan Whiting, Joel White, Stewart
Foster, Benjamin Fairbanks and Daniel Allen had mills for grinding
the apples raised in their own flourishing orchards, and for extracting
the juice from their neighbors' surplus crops of this staple fruit.
Centennial. — The completion of the first century of the town's
civil life was celebrated May 20, 1871, by suitable public exercises,
participated in by the citizens and their guests. The historical ad-
dress was delivered by Hon. S. P. Benson, and many former residents
of Winthrop honored themselves and the occasion by their presence.
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 851
Civil Lists. — The Selectmen elected at the first town meeting of
Winthrop, May 27, 1771, were: Timothy Foster, who served 3 years;
Ichabod How, who served 7 years; and Jonathan Whiting, who served
6 years. In 1772 John Blunt was first elected and served 1 year; in
1773, Gideon Lambert, served 3 years: in 1774, Joseph Baker, 1 year;
1775, John Chandler, 2, and William Armstrong, 1; 1776, Joseph Stev-
ens, 1; 1777, Stephen Pullen, 1; 1778, Joshua Hall, 1, and Eben Daven-
port, 1; 1779, William Whittier, 2, and James Craig, 1; 1780, Benja-
min Brainard, 4, and Solomon Stanley, 5; 1781, Josiah French, 1, and
Jonathan Sleeper, 1; 1782, James Work, 3, Nathaniel Whittier, jun., 1,
Nathaniel Fairbanks, 9, and Benjamin Fairbanks, 3; 1784, Joshua
Bean, 3; 1786, William Pullen, 1; 1787, Jedediah Prescott, jun., 2, Rob-
ert Page, 1, Philip Allen, 4, Samuel Wood, 15, and John Hubbard, 4;
1789, Amos Stephens, 2; 1791, John Comings, 2, and Jonathan Whit-
ing, jun., 1; 1794, John Wadsworth, 3; 1795, Enoch Wood, 1; 1796,
Elijah Wood, 1; 1797, Charles Harris, 1; 1798, John Kezer, 4, and
Andrew Wood, 7; 1799, Moses Wood, 2; 1800, Joseph Metcalf, 5; 1801,
Silas Lambert, 3, and William Richards, 2; 1802, Elijah Fairbanks, 2;
1803, John May, 14; 1804, Nat. Kimball, 3; 1805, Thomas Eastman, 1;
1806, Isaac Smith, 1; 1807, Dudley Todd, 3, and Hushai Thomas, 4;
1810, Alexander Belcher, 6; 1812, Peter Stanley, 3; 1814, Asa Fair-
banks, 2; 1816, Samuel Holt, 1; 1817, Sylvanus Thomas, 1, and Samuel
Clark, 4: 1818, Daniel Haywood, 1; 1820, Benjamin Perkins, 1, and
Daniel Campbell, 1; 1821, John Morrill, 8; 1823, Wadsworth Foster, 1;
1824, Thomas Fillebrown, 1, and Levi Fairbanks, 3: 1825, Nathaniel
Howard, 1, and David Eastman, 4; 1826, Benjamin Dearborn, 3; 1828,
Francis Perley, 1; 1829, John Richards, 5; 1832, Thurston W. Stephens,
2: 1833, Oren Shaw, 1; 1834, Benjamin Robbins, 2; 1836, Isaac Bon-
ney, 1, Moses White, 1, and Oakes Howard, 11; 1837, Noah Currier, 2;
1838, Moses B. Sears, 6, and Francis Fuller, 13; 1839, Thomas C.Wood,
5; 1840, John Fairbanks, 4; 1843, Samuel Benjamin, 1, and Ezekiel
Bailey, 1: 1844, Samuel P. Benson, 5, and Jonathan L. Stanley, 4; 1848,
Erastus W. Kelley, 2; 1849, James B. Fillebrown, 1: 1852, Zelotes A.
Marrow, 2, and Stephen Gammon, 2: 1854, Moses Bailey, 2, and Joshua
Wing, 2; 1856, Eben Marrow, 3, George A. Longfellow, 11; 1864, Jo-
seph R. Nelson, 3; 1865, Luther Whitman, 1, and Albert C. Carr, 1;
1866, J. E. Brainard, 6; 1869, Reuben T. Jones, 6; 1870, R. E. Fuller,
3, and E. S. Briggs, 4; 1871, F. H. Mclntire, 8; 1873, A. G. Chandler,
4; 1874, S. T. Floyd, 1; 1877, D. G. White, 1, and Martin A. Foster, 1;
1878, Elliott Wood, 9; 1880, Rutillus Alden, 4: 1881, W. H. Parlin, 1;
1882, T. H. White, 4; 1884, Levi Jones, 4, and Henry Penniman, 3;
1887, C. D. Wood, 2; 1888, P. H. Snell, 3; 1889, J. E. Lewis, 1; 1890,
W. H. Keith, 1, and L. O. Cobb, 3; 1891, Fred. C. Robie, 2.
The Town Clerks, each serving until the election of the next, have
been: Jonathan Whiting, first elected in 1771; Ichabod How, 1774;
852 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Josiah Hall, 1776; Ichabod How, 1779; Jonathan Whiting, 1781; James
Work, 1782; Nathaniel Fairbanks, 1784: Jonathan Whiting, 1785; Jed-
ediah Prescott, jun., 1787; John Hubbard, 1789; John Comings, 1791;
Nathaniel Fairbanks, 1792; Samuel Wood, 1798; Moses Wood, 1799;
Joseph Metcalf, 1800; Silas Lambert, 1801; Joseph Tinkham, 1803;
John May, 1805; Samuel Benjamin, 1815; Seth May, 1824; Cyrus
Bishop, 1825; Samuel Wood, jun., 1829; Pliny Harris, 1833; Samuel
Benjamin, 1837; Edward Mitchel, 1838; Cyrus Bishop, 1843; Samuel
Wood, jun., 1846; John M. Benjamin, 1849; Cyrus Bishop, 1862; Lugan
P. Moody, 1870; B. R. Reynolds. 1876; E. O. Kelley, 1877; and E. S.
French since 1891.
The first Treasurer of Winthrop was Jonathan Whiting, whose
successors, with date of first election, have been: John Chandler, 1773;
Stephen Pullen, 1785; N; thaniel Fairbanks, 1786; Samuel Wood, 1788;
Jonathan Whiting, jun., 1789; Benjamin Fairbanks, 1791; John Com-
ings, 1792; Joseph Metcalf, 1793; Benjamin Fairbanks, 1799; Nathan-
iel Fairbanks, 1802; Barney Haskell, 1805; Dean Howard, 1807; Isaac
Bonney, 1824; Albert Haywood, 1828; Alexander Belcher, 1830; Sam-
uel Clark, 1837; Gustavus A. Benson, 1847; Alexander Belcher, 1848;
David vStanley, 1852; Erastus W. Kelley, 1854; David Stanley, 1856;
F. E. Webb, 1863; and John M. Benjamin since 1870.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
John P. Allen, born December 1, 1829, in Augusta, was a son of
Lemuel and Mary (Philbrick) Allen. He was educated in the schools
of Augusta, at Kents Hill and at Hallowell Classical Institute. He
was a farmer in Augusta until his death, in 1870. He married in 1859,
Lydia J., daughter of John and Sarah (Coombs) Jewett, and had four
children: Winfield S., Arthur P., Annie R. (Mrs. M. G. Thompson),
and Isadore R. Mrs. Allen owns a farm in Winthrop, where she has
lived since 1885.
Moses Bailey. — Among the citizens of the town of Winthrop who
have won a place in the memory of their fellow men, and who, by their
exemplary lives and energy and ability for business, have made them-
selves a part of the history of the town, Moses Bailey is prominent
and deserves especial mention. He came of strong English ancestry,
his great-grandfather probably coming from England to Plymouth
county, Mass., during the oppressive reign of the Stuarts, and the
family became settled in Hanover. His grandfather, Jacob Bailey,
came from Massachusetts to Leeds, Me., in the year 1786. Jacob's son,
Ezekiel, married Hannah Robbins, of Winthrop, and settled at Win-
throp, where their second son, Moses, was born, the 18th of December,
1817. In 1828 the wife of Ezekiel Bailey died, after a lingering illness,
and in 1830 he married Mary, the sister of his first wife. Ezekiel
I
^^ yc^ i'
^/^^-^^^
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 853
Bailey lived to the advanced age of eighty years, a man of great vigor
both of mind and body.
Moses Bailey entered Friends Boarding .School at Providence, R. I.,
at the age of sixteen and remained there part of three years, 1834-
1836 inclusive. He was a careful student and these three years of
training in the school were of great value through all his life. After
leaving school he began his business life, working for his father, manu-
facturing oilcloth. When about twenty-one years of age, he with his
brother, Charles M., purchased the business, which was then only in
embryo. By industry, push and good management they improved the
methods of the manufacture and vastly enlarged the business. After
working a few years in company with his brother, he finally sold his
interest to the latter and built an extensive factory at Winthrop Cen-
tre. He was always ready both to oversee every part of the work and
also to perform any part of the labor with his own hands. The work
went on and prospered in this factory until it was destroyed by fire in
1870.
Moses Bailey was married in his twenty-third year, to Betsey Jones,
daughter of Reuben Jones, of Winthrop. Though they began life in
an humble way, they soon found themselves in comfortable circum-
stances, and in 1856 Moses built the large and commodious house,
which has ever since been the family home.
Moses Bailey was a birthright member of the Society of Friends,
and was an exemplary Christian both in faith and life. For twenty-
two years he was clerk of Winthrop monthly meeting, and he was
clerk of Fairfield quarterly meeting for the period of thirteen years,
while by his influence and ability he held a high place in the work of
this society throughout New England. The causes of temperance,
peace and education always had his hearty support. In March, 1867,
his wife died after a long sickness, and in October, 1868, he was mar-
ried to Hannah C. Johnston, daughter of David Johnston, of Platte-
kill, Ulster county, N. Y.
From 1870, when his factory was destroyed by fire, until the
autumn of 1875 he was not closely occupied with business, and not
being in good health he traveled considerably during these years, but
near the close of 1875 he purchased, in Camden, N. J., an oilcloth
factory which he enlarged and improved. In 1871 he, in company with
J. S. Marrett, had opened a carpet store in Portland under the firm
name of Marrett, Bailey & Co. This enterprise, together with the
manufacture of oilcloth in Camden, which work he placed under the
immediate management of his nephew, Lincoln D. Farr, continued to
occupy him until his death, which occurred on the 6th of June, 1882.
He left one son, Moses Melvin, who was born in 1869.
Moses Bailey left a large property and his whole career was at-
tended by prosperity, but he worked hard and faithfully for what
854 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
came to him and his success has helped make many others successful.
He was a quiet, reserved man, but broad minded and liberal, and his
life eminently belongs with the class of lives which makes the world
richer and better.
A. Herbert Bailey, born in 1855, is the eldest son of George, and
grandson of Ezekiel Bailey. He was for ten years clerk in a dry
goods store in Augusta. April 1, 188B, he bought a grocery business
of Charles D. Wood, and in 1885 took as partner his brother, Eugene
M. Bailey, and did business as A. H. Bailey & Co. until March, 1891,
when they were succeeded by Huxford, Webb & Co. Mr. Bailey has
for several years been interested in Western real estate, and is now
devoting all his attention to that business. He married Mary F.,
daughter of Dea. Henry Woodard, and their children are: Sarah W.,
Janette M. and A. Herbert, jun.
Willis C. Bailey, son of George Bailey, was born in 1865. He
worked at the jewelry business three years in Winthrop, for A. E.
Wheeler, and in August, 1889, bought the business, and has since con-
ducted it.
James Baker, born in 1832 at Palmyra, Me., is a son of Oliver C.
and Sabrina Baker. He went to California in 1857, and was mining
there until 1866, excepting seventeen months that he served in the
army in Company I, 7th California. Since 1868 he has lived in Win-
throp, and is a farmer and oilcloth maker. He married Mrs. Clara A.
Whiting, daughter of Zelotes A. Morrow. She had one son by her
former marriage. Will A. Whiting.
Horace M. Bearse, born in Turner, Me., in 1826, is a son of Oren
and Susan (Harlow) Bearse, and grandson of Asa Bearse. He worked
at shoemaking for eight years in Brockton, Mass., and in 1860 came to
Winthrop, where he is a farmer. His wife, Sarah A. Alden, died
leaving five children: Alice T., Jeffie S., Fred H., Susie E. and
Annie L.
Frank I. Bishop, youngest child of Ransom and Harriet B. (Wood)
Bishop, and grandson of Nathaniel Bishop (1766-1854), was born in
1856, and is a carpenter by trade. His father and grandfather were
both traders in Winthrop and Nathaniel kept the Bishop tavern for
several years, and was a prominent member of the early Methodist
church in Winthrop. Mr. Bishop married M. Theresa, daughter of
Lewis Cobb.
John E. Brainard, a farmer at East Winthrop, born in 1823, is a son
of Oren and Sarah (Earl; Brainard, and grandson of Benjamin Brain-
ard, who settled the farm where Mr. Brainard now lives, prior to 1770,
and was the first school teacher in the town. Mr. Brainard was a
school teacher ten terms, and selectman six years, three of which he
was chairman. He has represented his district in the legislature, and
has been a member of the state board of agriculture three years. He
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 855
married Nancy B., daughter of Elias and Marinda (Hale) Whitiug,
and has two sons: Arthur E. and Albion H.
George R. Briggs is the only child of Benjamin P. and Susan (Snell)
Briggs, and grandson of Rowland Briggs, who came from Massa-
chusetts to East Winthrop. Mr. Briggs was a shoemaker until 1885,
and since that time he has been employed as wedge maker by J. Pope
&Son. His father and grandfather were both shoemakers. Mr. Briggs
married Harriet Woodman, of Campello, Mass., and they have two
children: William P. and George Arthur.
Joseph E. Briggs, born in 1840, is a son of Ezra and Pheba (God-
dard) Briggs, and grandson of Ezra Briggs. He was seven years in
the employ of Charles M. Bailey, and from 1867 to 1881 was in com-
pany with Levi Jones manufacturing oilcloth by the yard for the
Bailey Company. January 1, 1881, the firm of C. M. Bailey's Sons &
Co. was formed and Mr. Briggs has since been one of its members.
He has charge of the Winthrop Centre works. He married October
3, 1866, Emma S., daughter of Charles M. Bailey.
Moses Briggs, born in 1813, is a son of Ezra and Mary (Wadsworth)
Briggs, and grandson of William Briggs. Mr. Briggs' father and
some of the sons were tanners and shoemakers. Mr. Briggs was a
blacksmith for many years in Winthrop Centre and other places, and
for the past eighteen years he has been a farmer and fruit grower.
He married Lucy, daughter of David Burr, Esq. She died, leaving
one daughter, Mary W. His second wife was Lavinia, daughter of
Elijah Winslow, and their three children were: E. Winslow, Lucy C.
(Mrs. R. T. Elliott) and Frank E.
Albert C. Carr, of Winthrop, the "apple king" of Kennebec
county, was born in East Readfield in 1828. He was the ninth of
the family of eleven children of Benjamin and Eunice (Lane) Carr.
His grandfather, Benjamin, who was the son of Joseph and Martha
(Sanborn) Carr, came from New Hamp.shire to Readfield in 1779.
Albert learned the shoemaking trade at North Bridgewater, Mass.,
when a young man; and in 18-48, when the gold fever broke out on
the Pacific coast, he started for California, and was, it is claimed, the
first Maine man to start for the mines. After varying success at the
" diggings," he returned East in 1851, and in 1855 came to Winthrop.
The following year he bought the Moses White farm, where he now
resides, and which he has cultivated from that time to this, with the
exception of an interval of three years, from 1857 to 1860, spent again
in California. Mr. Carr is a very large and remarkably successful
dealer in apples, shipping annually to home and foreign markets from
5,000 to 30,000 barrels of the fruit. He has been selectma.n one year,
deputy sheriff four years, tax collector twenty-six years, and trustee
of Monmouth Academy for the last fifteen years.
His deceased wife, Mary A. Watson, bore him seven children,
856 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY. •
three of whom are living: Lestena (Mrs. William H. Lyon, jun., of
Manchester), A. Byron and Laura (Mrs. Fred. A.Jackson of Winthrop).
Mr. Carr's beautiful farm house at East Winthrop is the subject of the
ajcompanying illustration.
Braddock W. Chandler, born in 1827, is one of eleven children of
Lafayette and Sophronia (Weeks) Chandler, and grandson of Joel,
whose father, John Chandler, came to Winthrop in 1767, and built the
first mills at the village. Mr. Chandler is a farmer and cattle broker,
as was his father until his death in 1837, aged forty-five years. He
married vSarah, daughter of Amos vShed. Their children are: Marilla
G. (Mrs. Fred H. Bearce), Willard S. (deceased), Maria E., Sarah M.
aid Gertrude S.
L. Owen Cobb, born October 5, 1847, is the youngest and only sur-
vivor of four children of Leonard and Ada M. (Hodgman) Cobb, and
grandson of Nathan F. and Patty (Stanley) Cobb. He was educated
in the schools of the town and at Monmouth Academy. He began
business in 1865 as clerk for L. P. Moody, and in 1878 bought the busi-
ness from him. He deals in hardware, stoves, builders' and farmers'
supplies and crockery. He is now serving his second year as select-
man. He is chairman of democratic town committee and since 1888
has been a member of the county committee. His wife, S. Lizzie, is a
daughter of Charles E. Smith, of Lowell, Mass.
Willis Cobb, born in 1848, is one of four children of Lewis and
Jerusha (Snell) Cobb, and grandson of Nathan F. Cobb. He is a
farmer and dairyman on the place where his father and grandfather
lived. He married Susie A., daughter of Sewall B. Page, and their
children are: Nathan L. and Edna L.
Charles W. Dillingham, son of Charles K. and Mary (Goodwin).
Dillingham, and grandson of John Dillingham, was born in Turner,
Me., in 1857. Charles K. had three children: Charles W., Frank E.
and Walter S. Originally a shoemaker, he was also a farmer and under--
taker. Charles W. Dillingham came to Winthrop in 1877, since which
time he has been the only undertaker in town, and for the past thirteen
years superintendent of Maple Cemetery. In 1879 he married Effie J.
Place. Their children have been: Fred, who died young, and Rena M.
Henry V. Dudley, born in 1836 in Winthrop, is a son of Captain
Henry M. and Mary (Whittier) Dudley, and grandson of Benjamin
Dudley, who came from Raymond, N. H., to Mt. Vernon. Captain
Henry AL came to Winthrop in 1834, and was a blacksmith and veter-
inary surgeon. Henry V. learned both branches of the business with
hi.s father, and since about 1876 he has carried on a black.smith busi-
ness and done veterinary work here. His present shop was the first
Friends meeting house built in Winthrop. Mr. Dudley married Mary
J. Smith, of Prince Edward's Island. They have one child, Fannie M.
They lost two — Charles S. and Lena J.
f/jll
iOA^y^
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 857
John Gower. — In 1842 William Gower, a native of Franklin
county, Me., married Hester A. Chandler, of Winthrop, and two years
later took up his residence m this town. His farm, still in the pos-
session of the family, is on the western shore of Lake Maranacook,
two miles north of Winthrop village. Here were born his five chil-
dren: Ellen (Mrs. John Doughty), December 30, 1843; John, August
28, 1845: George, May, 1855, who died in infancy; Albert S., May 2,
1859, and Edwin F., March 28, 1863.
John, the subject of this sketch, pa.ssed his boyhood working on his
father's farm, and gleaning in the intervals from labor such learning
as could be acquired in the district school of his native town, and
later in Towle Academy. When he had reached the age of nineteen
he began the real battle of life by teaching for five years in the dis-
trict schools, in high schools out of town, and, for a short time, in
Towle Academy.
In 1869 he embarked in the subscription book business, in which
he was destined to achieve an exceptional and substantial success.
Beginning as a canvasser for A. J. Johnson, of New York, in about
two years' time he had acquired such a thorough comprehension of
the scope of the business that he himself began to employ agents,
whom he ^ent out over the country, and during the following ten years
he was connected with several publishing houses as their general
agent in New England and New York state, handling many thousands
of volumes of Johnson's, Appleton's, and the People's encyclopedias.
In the meantime he had married, in November, 1877, Mary M., daugh-
ter of the late Dr. A. F. Stanley, of Winthrop, a sketch of whose
career is contained in Chapter XV. Shortly after his marriage Mr.
Gower settled upon the Benjamin Stevens place, on the Readfield
road, and here, since that time, he has actively carried on the busi-
ness of farming — a pleasant diversion from the cares of his large book
publishing business. On this farm were born his two children:
Annie B. Gower, December 21, 1879, and Stanley M. Gower, June 25,
1882.
For the last eleven years Mr. Gower has been connected with the
C. A. Nichols Company, publishers, of the city of Springfield, Mass.,
handling their regular sub.scription books in New England, the Mid-
dle States, Canada and the West. His youngest brother, Edwin F., is
his partner in the western business, with headquarters at Ann Arbor,
Mich.
Mr. Gower was appointed a trial justice by Governor Marble No-
vember 22, 1888, and in 1890 was elected school supervisor of Win-
throp for the term of three years. He held aloof from active politics,
however, until the summer of 1892, when he was urged by his friends
to accept a place on the republican ticket as candidate for representa-
tive, and was elected to the legislature of 1893-4 for the towns of
858 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Winthrop, Belgrade and Rome. In the promotion of the temporal
and spiritual welfare of the community in which he lives Mr. Gower
is an earnest and unflagging worker. He has always been associated
with the temperance work in Winthrop, and he is a prominent mem-
ber of the Methodist church, of which for years he has been class
leader, steward and trustee. He has also been superintendent of the
Methodist Sunday school, and in many ways has aided largely in the
advancement of the church society.
Mr. Gower is a Mason and member of Trinity Commandery, of
Augusta.
Silas T. Floyd, born in New Sharon in 1820, is the only survivor,
of a family of four children of Samuel and Annie (Thayer) Floyd, and_
grandson of Nathaniel Floyd. His mother was a lineal descendant in
the seventh generation, from John Alden, the Pilgrim. Mr. Floyd
came to Winthrop in 1821, with his parents, who settled near where
he now lives. He has been a farmer, excepting fifteen years that he
was employed in oilcloth shops. He was two years selectman and one
year representative. He married Margaret, daughter of Enos Chand-
ler, who was in the war of 1812 and was confined eighteen months in
Dartmore Prison, England. Their children have been: Ada M.
(Mrs. Prof. C. E. Smith), Enos F. and Albion C, who died at the age
of seven.
Martin A. Foster, born in 1834, is the youngest of eight children
of Oliver and Lydia (Perkins) Foster, grandson of Stuart, whose
father, Timothy Foster, came from Dedham, Mass.. to what is now
Winthrop in 1764, and the following spring brought his family. The
farm where he settled is now owned by Daniel C. Robbins. Mr.
Foster is a farmer on the place where his maternal grandfather, Ben-
jamin Perkins, settled when he came from Dartmouth, Mass., to Win-
throp in 1800. He married Rosilla, daughter of Ebenezer Morrow.
Their children are: Hattie L., who married Charles Kilbreth; Cora
A'L, who married Edgar Parkman ; Edwin M., John A. and
Lena E.
Eugene S. French, born in Manchester in 1849, is a son of George
W., and grandson of Joseph French. He worked seven years at the
oilcloth business, and since then has been clerk in grocery and meat
stores. He was elected town clerk in 1891 and 1892. He married M.
Carrie, daughter of Charles F. Dunn, of Litchfield. They have one
daughter, Ada M.
Alfred Friend, son of Benjamin Friend, was a farmer in .F^tna,
Me., where he died in 1849. He married Betsey, daughter of Amos.
and granddaughter of William Tucker. They had seven children.
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 859
three of whom are living: John T., Samuel B. and Amos T. Those
that died were: Sarah A., Mary Elizabeth, Warren A. and Daniel W.
Mrs. Friend came to Winthrop in 1854, and bought the farm where
she now lives with her son, Samuel B.
Nathan D. Hamblen, the youngest and only survivor of four chil-
dren of George and Sarah J. (Elder) Hamblen, and grandson of John
Hamblen, was born in 1853, at Windham. Me. Mr. Hamblen is a
farmer at Winthrop Centre, where he has lived since 1855. He mar-
ried Florence I. Nelson, born in Winthrop, Me., in 1854. She is a
daughter of Joseph R. Nelson, and granddaughter of Isaac Nelson,
who came to Winthrop from Byfield, Mass.. and in 1812 married Isabel
Rice. Mrs. Hamblen's mother is Abbie H., daughter of David Hill.
They have two children: Edna A. and George N.
L. P. Hersey, son of Thomas Hersey, was born at Auburn, Me., in
1838. In 1857 he went to Boston and was engaged in shoe manufac-
turing as an employe and owner for several years, then came to Au-
gusta and started a shoe store. He is now an equal partner with his
son, Fred L., in two leading shoe stores in Augusta, having retired
from the active management of the business. He now resides at his
country residence on the shores of Cobbosseecontee lake, and devotes
mo.st of his time to the management of one of the largest farms in
Kennebec county. He owns what is known as the Fuller farm, In-
dian point, the three islands in Cobbosseecontee lake, and all the land
formerly owned by I. A. Carr, from Twelfth brook to Richards pond.
His first wife, Nancy Harlow, died leaving two sons: Henry H. and
Fred L. His present wife was Evelyn P. Wellman. She is a niece
of Hon. William P. Whitehouse. justice of the supreme court of
Maine.
Fred L. Hewins, born in 1850, is one of nine children of John and
Roxanna (Rockwood) Hewins, and grandson of Ebenezer and Zilphia
(Cummings) Hewins. He spent five years in California in a saw mill,
from 1873 to 1876 was in a saw mill in Manchester, and since 1878 has
been a farmer in Winthrop, having bought a part of the Elias Whit-
ing farm. The house in which he lives was built by David T. Whit-
ing in 1855. Mr. Hewins married Malista J., daughter of Tabor Lyon.
Their children are: Georgia A., Ella M. and Violet E.
Oakes Howard is a son of Nathan and Lydia (Copeland) Howard,
who removed from West Bridgewater, Mass., to Winthrop, in 1802,
and settled on a farm on the Monmouth road. Here Oakes was born,
December 21, 1803, and here he still resides, a remarkable example of
hale and vigorous old age. Nathan Howard was by trade a house
painter, and at the early age of fifteen Oakes undertook the manage-
ment of the farm. Success attended the boy's efforts and when, on
reaching his majority, he began working the farm on his own account,
•860 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
lie easily maintained a place in the front rank of the agriculturists
of his native town.
In December, 1828, he married Hannah A., daughter of Nathan F.
Cobb. Of their six children, four are living: Henry C, John R. and
Emily S. (Mrs. Leroy Bishop), who reside in Minnesota; and George,
who is engaged in farming near the homestead in Winthrop. Mr.
Howard's first wife died in 1849, and in 18o2 he married his present
companion, Mrs. Betsey T. Hahn, a daughter of Joseph Tinkham,
formerly a merchant at Winthrop.
Mr. Howard has held a number of town offices at various periods
of his long career. For two years in the " forties " he was constable
and collector, eleven times he was elected selectman, and for eighteen
years he held the commission of justice of the peace. In politics
he was at first with the federalists, but since the close of the rebellion
he has voted with the republican party. He took an active part in the
formation of the Winthrop Agricultural Society, about 1825. This
society, however, was soon merged in the Kennebec County Agricult-
tiral Society, located first at Winthrop and later at Readfield, of which
Mr. Howard was elected president about 1835, and held the office for a
number of years. The annual fairs held by this association served as
an incentive to Mr. Howard's natural love for pomology, and about
1849 he began raising apples for market in a thoroughly scientific
manner. He paid especial attention to the cultivation of the " Bald-
win " and the " Roxbury Russet," for he found that they kept longer
and sold better than any other variety. His fruit growing interests
have never been extensive, but probably no orchardist in Maine has
realized as large profits per acre as Mr. Howard through the series of
years in which he has been engaged.
Fred A. Jackson, born in 1855, youngest son of Samuel Jackson, is
a farmer and also runs a threshing machine and cider mill. He mar-
ried Laura, daughter of Albert C. Carr, and their children are: Elvin
M., Albert G., F. Irving and Ruby Julia.
Virgil C. Jackson, eldest of seven children of Samuel, and a grand-
son of Caleb Jackson, was born in Winthrop in 1846. Caleb Jackson
came to Winthrop from Bridgewater in 1820.' Virgil C. was fourteen
years in a boot and shoe factory, and since 1881 has carried on the
meat business at East Winthrop, as did his father prior to his death in
1890. He married Alice J., daughter of Richard R. Smith, of Hallo-
well. Their children are: Archie A., Thomas C, Mary J., Asa C,
Robert V., Philip R., and one daughter that died — Edna.
Levi Jones. — The early settlers of Kennebec county made work the
first article of their creed, and they taught their children to put their
faith in strict honesty and hard work. Many of these sons are still
alive, and their characteristics are worthy of imitation by the younger
men who are longing for success. Sturdy, resolute, self-centered, up-
^^/SKff^-ae^'i-jf^
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 861
right, and possessed of great capacity for work, they have made wise
use of the native faculties of their minds, even if they could not boast
of the benefits of a modern education.
Levi Jones is a good example of this class of men, and it is be-
lieved that his active life and its influence on other men give him a
place in the history of this town and county. His ancestors were
among the pioneer .settlers of the state. Thomas Jones and Thankful,
his wife, seem to have come from Wales to Hanover, Plymouth
county, Mass., about the year 1690. They are the first of the name
of whom we have any knowledge in Maine, and it is not known in
what year they moved into the state. They were active Friends in
Falmouth monthly meeting. Their particular meeting was held at
Harpswell. Their son, Lemuel, was born in 1730, and was an esteemed
minister of the Society of Friends. He married Wait Estes, the 7th
of March, 1751. Of their twelve children, Edward was the sixth and
was born the 7th of April, 1762. He married Mary Tuttle. Their
second child, Reuben, was born near the line' between Brunswick and
Durham in 1787. He married Lavina, daughter of Abiather and La-
vina Richmond, of Greene, November 29, 1810, and settled in Win-
throp, on a part of the farm now occupied by Daniel Robbins. They
lived there a short time and then moved to Temple, Franklin county
(then a part of Kennebec county). There Levi Jones, their fourth
child and the subject of this sketch, was born September 8, 1816.
Reuben Jones was a tanner and shoemaker. He was a prominent
member of the Society of Friends. He soon moved to Wilton and
afterward to Leeds, and was acknowledged a minister by the meeting
in that place. In later life he moved again to Winthrop, where he
lived until 1868.
Levi Jones lived with and worked for his father until he v/as
twenty-one years of age. A few weeks each year in the common dis-
trict school was all the opportunity he had for an education. On at-
taining his majority he began life for himself, working as a farm
laborer. As he left home for this purpose, with only a very small
bundle of clothes, his father toot him as far as Dudley's Corner and
there left him, saying: " Thee has done well for me and I hope thee
will do well for thyself."
In 1840 he married Cynthia, daughter of Noah and Abigail Farr,
of West Gardiner (then Gardiner), and settled in Winthrop, where he
has lived nearly all the time since.
His work as a farmer lasted only a few years. In the autumn of
1843 he began work in the oilcloth factory of Moses Bailey, and re-
mained there until 1847, when he went to Cape Cod to act as foreman
in an oilcloth factory started there under the control of Jacob Vining.
After a few months he returned to Winthrop to accept the position
of foreman of the Winthrop factory, which position he held until
sm HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
1859. In 1860 he, with his brother, Reuben T. Jones, contracted to
manufacture all the oilcloth produced in the factory of Charles M.
Bailey at Winthrop village, receiving the raw material from^the pro-
prietor and delivering the finished article at so much per yard. Great
success attended this arrangement, and through untiring industry
and strict economy he accumulated a property which placed him
among the wealthy men of the town. It continued until 1869.
Although he had gained a competency, he was not content to re-
tire from active business, but in 1870 purchased the Winthrop grist
mill and engaged in the grain business, continuing therein^until 1883,
when he sold the property to the Winthrop Mills Company. In 1886
his eldest son became of age and, to give him a start in life, he pur-
chased the grocery business of Newland Bishop, at Winthrop village,
in which business he has ever since been engaged with marked suc-
cess. The firm name is now Levi Jones & Son.
His first wife died in 1863, leaving him no children. He was after-
ward married to Mary, daughter of Joseph and Hannah Winslow, of
Winthrop. He has four sons and one daughter by his second wife,
all living at the present time.
He has always been a consistent member of the Society of Friends,
taking a prominent part in the management of the affairs of the
church. He was also an influential member of the Young Men's
Christian Association during its existence in Winthrop, being its
president for six years, and spent much of his time in carrying on the
work of the association.
He has been active in the business affairs of the town, and was for
some years chairman of the board of selectinen and assessors. In
politics he was originally a whig, having cast his first presidential vote
for Harrison and Tyler. Upon the formation of the republican party
he entered its ranks and has steadily continued therein, holding a
leading position, as his advice and counsel were constantly sought.
For over twenty-five years he has been a director of the National
Bank of Winthrop, and the fact that he has been chosen every year a
member of the board appointed to examine its books, shows the esti-
mate which is placed by those who know him upon his honesty and
exactness. He was president of the Winthrop Savings Bank during
all the years of its existence, and wisely managed the closing out
business after the great robbery.
Levi Jones has been a generous man, giving liberally to advance
worthy causes and for the improvement of society, but in a quiet way,
with no desire for public applause. In his mature age he is still an
active man. He has put energy into everything he has undertaken,
and has always mastered the business in which he was for the time
engaged, not only showing ability for general management, but un-
derstanding the minute details. His whole career is marked by faith-
TOWN OF WINTHROP. f63
fulness, energy, uprightness and a just respect for his own opinion,
which has won the respect of those who have known him and dealt
with him. Success has not been thrust upon him, but he has worked
carefully and faithfully and earned it and 'gained it. Many who have
known him have found his advice and counsel wise and profitable, so
that he has made himself a successful man and a useful citizen.
William H. Keith, born in Auburn, Me., in 1832, is a son of Wil-
liam and Beersheba Ann (Prock) Keith. He began shoe cutting when
twenty years old and after four years began manufacturing shoes and
continued until 1874, when his health failed and two years later he
came to Winthrop and bought the Major Elijah Wood farm of 170
acres, where he has since lived. He was one year selectman and four
years a member of the school board. While residing at Auburn he
served as councilman and alderman. He married Serena H. Walker,
and their children are: Florence Adell (Mrs. Ernest Hayford), Walter
E. L., and one infant son that died.
Horace Keyes, born at Souih Berwick, Me., in 1820, was a son of
Samuel and Pheba (Shore)') Keyes and grandson of John Keyes. He
was engaged in railroad work in Massachusetts from 1836 until 1872,
when he came to Winthrop and has since been a farmer. His first
wife, M. Ann Dunton, died leaving two children: Henry C. and Emma
L. His second marriage, with Martha M., daughter of John Jones,
was blessed with two children: H. Arthur and Alice E.
Amasa D. King is the fifth of a family of eight, of Amasa and Me-
hitable (Jacobs) King, and grandson of Samuel and Susanna (Brainard)
King. He is a farmer on the place where his father and grandfather
lived. He married Elizabeth Orcutt, who died leaving two children:
Emma C. (Mrs. George Whiting) and Luella W. (Mrs. Lafayette
Chandler). His present wife was Sarah R., daughter of Ephraim
Sturtevant. Their only child is Harry E. Mr. King's mother, born
in 1798, died in 1892.
Benjamin F. King, born in 1S21, is one of ten children of Ben-
jamin and Olive (Rice) King, and grandson of Samuel and Susanna
(Brainard) King. He is a house joiner and farmer, having a place of
twenty acres, which was a part of the farm of his father. His wife,
who died in 1865, was|]Ann C, daughter of Noah Wing, of Wayne.
Their only child, Olive, now Mrs. Henry P. Joy, lives with her father.
Nelson N. Knight, born at North Wayne in 1825, is a son of Fran-
cis and Martha J. (Norcross) Knight, and grandson of Amos Knight,
who came from Falmouth, Me., to North Wayne prior to 1800. He was
fourteen years in different places building and operating oil and candle
factories, and was the first man to introduce the distillation process
for the manufacture of candles, in Ohio. In 1861 he came to Winthrop
and bought the place]vvhere[he has since been a farmer. He married
Lucy A., daughter of Jesse Bishop. Their children are: Alice M.,
864 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Jessie C. (Mrs. W. E. Moody), Lucy H. (Mrs. G. A. Thomas), and Nel-
lie M. They lost two— George N. and Martha J.
Seaward G. Lee, born in 1817 at Beverly, Mass., is a son of Seaward
Lee. He learned the machinist trade, beginning at the age of seven-
teen, and in 1841 came to Winthrop as superintendent of the cotton
mill, and after a time bought an interest in the business and continued
as superintendent of machinery until 1849, when he went to Califor-
nia, where he spent four and a half years mining, then returned to
Winthrop, where he has since lived. He married first, Eliza A. Water-
house. His present wife was Mrs. Lucy C. Ramsdell, a daughter of
Stephen W. Mitchell.
Lewis K. Litchfield, son of Jacob and Mary Ann (Webb) Litchfield,,
was born in 1831, at Lisbon, Me. He served in the late war— first in
Company B, 1st New Hampshire, from April 29, 1861, for three
months; then one year in the 5th New Hampshire Band. In Novem-
ber, 1863, he reenlisted in Company L 2d Maine Cavalry, and served
until the war closed. He was for five years assistant inspector of
Commander's staff, G. A. R., Department of Maine, and has been five
years secretary of the Kennebec County Grange, P. of H. He mar-
ried Sarah B., daughter of Sewall and Polly Page, died December 4,
1891. Their children are: Charles J., Ida M. and Mary I., who died.
Charles H. Longfellow, born in 1834, is the only son of Greene A.,
grandson of David, and great-grandson of Stephen Longfellow. He
was employed in oilcloth making until 1870, when he bought the farm
where he has since lived. He served in the late war from March,
1864, until the close, in the 1st Maine Battery. He married Emma E.,
daughter of Joseph S. Smith, of Hallowell. Their children are: Car-
rie M. (Mrs. Herbert Healey), C. Everett, Sarah P. (Airs. Fred E. Wil-
liams) and two that died — Lizzie P. and Alton S.
George Adams Longfellow. ^The history of the Longfellow
family in this country dates back more than two centuries. William
Longfellow, the first of the name here, was born in the county of
Hampshire, England, in 1651, came to this country in 1663, and set-
tled in Newbury, Mass., as a merchant. In 1690 he was ensign of a
company that embarked in the expedition of Sir William Phipps
against Quebec and perished by shipwreck off the island of Anticosti,,
in October of that year. His son, Stephen, was the first of six genera-
tions of Stephen Longfellows. Stephen Longfellow, 4th, was the
father of the great poet, Henry W. Longfellow. Stephen Longfel-
low, 2d, had a brother, William, who was the great-grandfather of
George A., the subject of this sketch.
David Longfellow, the father of George A., came from Newbury,
Mass., in 1812, and settled on the farm in Winthrop where he ever
after resided until his death. On this farm was born George A., May
6, 1813, and here he has always lived. His mother's name was Su-
' "^^^^Is
i
/e^ifc.
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 865
sanna Adams, a descendant of Robert Adams, tailor, from Devonshire,
England, who came to Salem, Mass., in 1638, and to Newbury, Mass.,
in 1640, a member of the famous Adams family of Massachusetts.
There were few opportunities afforded the farmers' boys in Mr. Long-
fellow's boyhood days to acquire an education, compared with the
present time. Nevertheless, by attending the district school, a mile
or more from his home, in the winter season, and later Monmouth
Academy, he fitted himself for a teacher and taught very .successfully
for several years. He was engaged for several years selling oilcloths,
when this great industry was yet in its infancy in Winthrop. For
this purpose he traveled extensively throughout the United States.
In November, 1841, he was united in marriage with Eveline
Foster, of Phillips, Me., a woman of great worth and of most beauti-
ful traits of character, the daughter of Isaac Foster, Esq.; and for
more than fifty years now they have walked hand in hand the path-
way of life. The prominent traits in his life and character have been
his great attachment to his family and home, his rugged honesty,
sterling integrity and great industry. His specialty in farming has
been orcharding, in which he has been very successful. " Longfellow
Russets " are noted throughout New England, being much sought
after by dealers and always commanding highest prices. He has
demonstrated that farming pays and has acquired a competence.
Mr. Longfellow has always been honored and respected by every-
body acquainted with him, as few men are honored and respected. Of
a modest, retiring disposition, he has never sought political honors,
and could rarely be prevailed upon to accept them; always a republi-
can since the formation of that party, yet conservative and fair to
those opposed to his political faith. He has been a member of the
legislature and eleven consectutive years one of the selectmen and as-
sessors of his native town. His proudest epitaph will be: " An honest
man."
In his family and domestic relations Mr. Longfellow has been
peculiarly happy and fortunate. Five children have been born to him,
of whom four are living: Henry W., a successful merchant in Boston;
Walter B., a thrifty farmer residing in Farmingdale; Nellie M., wife
of L. T. Carleton, the present county attorney of Kennebec county;
and Alice H., Mrs. George N. Waugh, who with her husband lives on
the old Longfellow homestead. Thus we see him in his declining
years, in his typical New England home, surrounded by his children
and grandchildren, with the love and respect of all, looking back over
a long life, full of good works, and calmly welcoming the lengthening
shadows.
Alexander E. Mank, born in 1822, is the ninth child of a family of
eleven, of Volentine and Mary (Surgus) Mank, and grandson of Peter
55
»bb HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Mank, who came from Germany to Waldoboro, Me., and died there at
the ripe age of 100 years. His wife, Polly, died at the age of 102
years. Mr. Mank was a cooper by trade; he came to Winthrop in
1846 and bought a farm of Levi Jones, where he has since been en-
gaged in agriculture, with the exception of seven years, during which
he worked in oilcloth shops. His first wife, Clarissa J. Newbert, died
leaving two daughters: Lenora (Mrs. R. M. Dexter) and Nellie M.
(Mrs. Josiah Snell); they lost one daughter, Harriet. His second wife,
Mrs. Abbie Richards, was a daughter of Luke and Rebecca (Melendy)
Chandler, and granddaughter of Ebenezer Chandler. Their children
are: Charles R. and an adopted daughter, Katie F. Richards.
John F. Martin, born in Waldoboro, Me., in 1825, is a son of Gabrial
Martin, who was a soldier in Napoleon's army. Gabrial Martin was
taken prisoner by the English and was given the choice of remaining
a prisoner or joining the English army. He chose the latter, but de-
serted at the first opportunity, and finally settled in Waldoboro, Me.
His wife was Catherine Kizer, who was born in Germany. John F.
Martin came to Winthrop in 1833, with his father, and settled on the
Benjamin Fairbanks farm. The house where he now lives was built
in 1777. He married Kate Hammond and they have one son, Harold
E., who married Mae Morrill, of Readfield, and is a farmer near his
father.
John Morrill, born in 1817, is the youngest and only survivor of
eight children of Samuel and Dolly (Blake) Morrill, and grandson of
Samuel Morrill, of Epping, N. H. He was a farmer until 1874, since
which time he has lived in his present home — the Dr. Prescott Water
Cure. He married Saphronia Bolles, who died leaving one daughter,
Emily A. (Mrs. James Carson). His present wife, Melvina, is a
daughter of Nathan Stevens. They have one daughter, Luretta A.
(Mrs. W. F. Fairbanks).
Charles E. Moore, who worked in the meat business in Waterville
for some time, came to Winthrop in September, 1889, where he is now
a farmer. He married for his second wife, Lizzie F., daughter of
Franklin M. and Prudentia F. (Mills) Woodward, and granddaughter
of Amos and Nancy Woodward. They have one son, Stanley A. Mr.
Moore has two children by his first marriage: Charles Albert and
Nancy S.
J. Henry Moore, born in 1847, is a son of Joseph H. and Mary
(Blaisdell) Moore, grandson of George, and great-grandson of George,
whose father, William Moore, came from .England to Maine. Mr.
Moore's father came to Winthrop in 1851, and bought the Levi Fair-
banks farm of one hundred acres, now called Elmwood farm. Mr.
Moore is a farmer and for the last twenty years has carried on a pri-
vate dair}- for butter purposes. He was several years master of the
Winthrop Grange, P. of H., and in January, 1891, was chosen master
TOWN OF WINTHROP. »b7
of the County Grange. He was president of the Kennebec County
Agricultural Society two years. He first married Etta, daughter of
Thomas L. Stanton. She died leaving two children: Annie E. and
Lottie L. His present wife is Stella, daughter of Lemuel Sumner.
They have two children: Mary O. and Elsie L
E. R. Packard, the only child of Simeon and Ruth (Leonard) Pack-
ard, and grandson of Benjamin and Nancy (Richards) Packard, was
born in 1857, and as early as 1865 he began to pay some attention to
■amateur printing, and from that time until 1880 he devoted some
time to the craft. In November of that year he issued the first news-
paper at East Winthrop, and the story of the Banner is told in Chap-
ter X.
Henry Packard.— The history of the Packard family in East
Winthrop dates back to 1804, when Ebenezer Packard came from
Bridgewater, Mass., and selected a piece of forest which he trans-
formed into a home for him.self and his children. All the measure-
ments of his character were fully up to the New England standard
gauge of that day. Besides being a farmer he was a worker in iron,
and turned the rainy days and long winter months to account in his
shop, pounding out hand made nails — the only kind then known.
These were sold to his neighbors and in many an old building they
still do duty. No branch of his industries suffered for want of timely
attention. He made the most of all his advantages, and no neighbors
of his got larger returns from their soil. His judgment was quietly
sought and his advice taken in many a secular matter. In religious
matters he was also earnest and active, serving for many years as
deacon of the Baptist church.
His father and his grandfather each bore the name Ebenezer Pack-
ard, and were among the solid families of old Bridgewater. The
former, who was born there in 1749, married Content Holmes. Their
■eleven children were: Meletiah, Philip, Mary, Sarah, Ebenezer, Syl-
vester, Rhoda, Ansel, Charles, Nancy and Content. Of these Ebenezer
was born November 17, 1783, and died in Winthrop, December 20,
1879. He married Zeruah Phinney in 1806, and their fourteen chil-
dren were: Charles (died young), Charles, Ann, Ebenezer, Nathan T.,
Sullivan, Eraeline, Mary H., Henry F. (died young), Henry, Sarah A.,
Jonathan and Albert (twins), and Albert H.
Henry, the tenth of these children, born in Winthrop, November
19, 1822, received \i\s pro rata share of the attentions and advantages
thatjthe parents of such a family were able to bestow. As he grew
from boyhood^to manhood he attended the common school, the Sun-
day school and the singing school. He became a thorough farmer,
imbibing his father's tastes, learning his methods, and in time taking
his place. Together they planted orchards, built houses and barns,
■and made lasting improvements. He found pleasure and profit in
Bba HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
growing good stock, making a specialty of raising superior horses, in
which line he was widely known. As an example of his thrift, it may
be stated that he bought a farm in 1863, which paid for itself in three
years. Few sons have the life-long advantage of a father's companion-
ship and counsel, as did Henry, and fewer still have valued it as high-
ly, or profited from it as much. From the same paternal source, by
precept and example, he learned the habit of industry, the way of
rectitude, and the principles of right living. That such lives should
be successful is logical and natural. When industry and integrity
fail, gravitation and the sunlight may well be doubted. Henry Pack-
ard went even beyond his father, in untiring application to what he
bad to do. The greatest criticism of those who knew him best, was
that he made himself an incessant slave to hard work, but fortunately
he had one hobby, one avenue of relaxation. He loved music, was a
good singer, and for many winters taught old-fashioned singing
school.
His first wife, Caroline F. Waugh, and their child, Lizzie C, are
deceased. In 1858 he married Mrs. Betsey (Snell) Howard, to whom
was born March 30, 1861, their only child, Sumner Ellsworth. Henry
Packard was the victim of a sunstroke, from the effects of which he
died December 30, 1876. The old homestead, fraught with so many
memories of the past, remains in the posession of his only son. Prob-
ably the material inheritance is of less ultimate importance than the
ancestors' intellectual and moral traits, which seem to have been trans-
mitted, and are being developed in the present generations. Sumner
E. Packard, in November, 1883, married Susie M. Foster, a daughter
of Charles O. Foster, and a descendant of Timothy Foster, the first
settler of Winthrop. Their only child, Harry E., was born October
24, 1884.
Horatio M. Packard, farmer, born in 1840, is the eldest and only
survivor of four children of Horatio R. and Eliza R. (Davenport)
Packard, and grandson of Alden and Persis (Howard) Packard. He
was a tanner and boot and shoe manufacturer in early life. He mar-
ried Mary E., daughter of Silas W. Parlin. Their children are: Edgar
L. (living), and Oscar M. (deceased).
Sewall B. Page, one of eleven children of vSewall and Polly (White)
Page, and grandson of Simon Page, who with his brother, Robert,
came to Winthrop from Kensington, N. H., was born in 1813, and is a
farmer. He married Emily D., daughter of Joseph and Jane (Mace)
Morrill. Their children are: Charles H., Emma J. (Mrs. C. F. Davis),
and Susie A. (Mrs. Willis Cobb).
F. Herbert Parlin, born in 1851, is one of four children of Horace
and Emeline (Packard) Parlin, and grandson of Silas Parlin. He re-
ceived his education in the schools of Winthrop, the Waterville Classi-
cal Institute, in 1873 graduated from Colby, and in 1880 graduated
TOWN OF WINTHROP. boy
from Harvard Law School. He married Nellie M., daughter of Wil-
liam Nye, of Hallowell. Their children are: Gertrude L. and
Horace A.
Henry Penniman, born May 6, 1S34, at Quincy, Mass., is a son of
Stephen, and grandson of Stephen Penniman. He came to Augusta
in May, 1851, and in August of the same year came to Winthrop.
After working four years at shoemaking, he kept a saloon five years.
In April, 1861, he enlisted in Company K, 3d Maine, as orderly ser-
geant, was promoted to second lieutenant, and in the fall of 1862 to
first lieutenant. He was wounded at Fair Oaks and Gettysburg, and
was discharged November 4, 1863. He has been a merchant and
■clothing manufacturer in Winthrop since 1863. He was three years
selectman and was postmaster from January 1, 1887, until January 1,
1891. He married Mary W., daughter of Andrew P. Batchelder.
Their children are: Edgar H., Mabel (Mrs. R. M. Keene), Maggie L.
{Mrs. John Foster), and two that died — Mary and an infant son.
Alanson Perry was born in Wayne in 1825, and is a farmer. In
1854 he bought a farm of sixty acres, and since that time has bought
other lots until he now owns 260 acres. His first marriage was with
Rhoda, daughter of John Perry. She died leaving three children:
George E., John H. and Mary O., who died, His second wife, Ann,
daughter of Jabez Plummer, died leaving one son, Albion S. His
present wife was Mrs. Julia A. Gilman, daughter of Stephen Gordon.
William H. Pettingill, son of Harvey Pettingill, vas born in 1832.
He worked at oilcloth making until August 2, 1862, when he enlisted
in Company K, 3d Maine, but was soon transferred to Company C,
and in 1864 was transferred to Company F, 17th Maine, serving until
June, 1865. Since the war he has been a shoemaker.
Nathaniel R. Pike, born in 1815 in Fayette, is a son of Benjamin,
who came from Amherst, N. H., to Fayette in 1788, with his father,
Zachariah Pike. Mr. Pike was a moulder by trade from the age of
twenty-one until 1870, since which he has been a farmer in Winthrop.
He married Hannah W. Foster and their children are: Charles E., a
dentist; George A., who is a farmer with his father; and Helen F. (Mrs.
P. H.Snell) who died. George A. married Esther Lawrence and their
children are: Emma L., Elsie J., Charles A., Sarah W., and one son
that died, Walter. Charles E. married Sarah A. Lawrence, and has
one child, George L.
Noah Pinkham, one of ten children of Nicholas and Alice (Parker)
Pinkham, was born in Litchfield in 1820. His grandfather, Nicholas
Pinkham, lived in Durham, Me. Mr. Pinkham was a blacksmith in
West Gardiner until 1866, when he came to Winthrop Centre, where
■ he has been a blacksmith and farmer. He married Eunice B., daughter
of William and Eunice (Briggs) Farr. Their children are: Allen W.,
Ada C, Herbert E. and P. Ella.
870 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Avery Pitts came to Winthrop soon after 1800 and built a black-
smith shop where the Congregational vestry stands, where he worked
at his trade the balance of his life. His twin sons, John A. and Hiram
A., became noted machinists. About 1832 Hiram A., patented an end-
less chain horse power, and in 1835 invented and caused to be made
the first grain thresher and separator combined ever in existence.
After a few separators had been made for the Pitts Brothers, John
A. went to Buffalo in 1838 and Hiram A. went to Chicago in 1840.
Prof. Frederic Weston Plummer, son of William and Eliza B.
(Tenney) Plummer, grandson of Thomas J., and great-grandson of
William Plummer, of Auburn. Me., was born March 7, 1867. After
three years in the Edward Little High School at Auburn, he received
the appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point,
to which he was admitted in 1886. He resigned on account of ill
health in 1887 and entered Bates College— graduating in 1891. He
became principal of the Winthrop High .School the same year, and
was married April 12, 1892, to Nellie E. Nowell, of Topsham, Me.
Cyrus S. Robbins, born in 1828, was a son of Benjamin and Sybil
(Foster) Robbins, and grandson of Asa Robbins. Mr. Robbins mar-
ried Mary L., daughter of Hiram and Louisa (Case) Rockwood. Their
seven children are: Annie M. (Mrs. C. E. Wells), M. Alice, Emma F.
(Mrs. Herbert Goddard), Mabel S., Olive L., C. Albert and Margaret
S. Mr. Robbins was a farmer. He died in 1880, and since that time
Mrs. Robbins has carried on the farm of 120 acres. She keeps a herd
of Jersey cows, and devotes her attention to butter making. She has
exhibited the Robbinsdale farm herd and butter at several agricul-
tural fairs and expositions, and has several times carried away the first
premiums.
Jacob B. Robbins is a son of Aquilla and Sarah (Bailey) Robbins,
grandson of Daniel, and great-grandson of Asa Robbins, who came
from Walpole, Mass., to Winthrop. Mr. Robbins married Philena
B. Briggs and had three children: Daniel C, Charles E. and Elbridge
A. Mr. Robbins bought the original Timothy Foster farm in 1847,,
where he and his eldest son, Daniel C, have been farmers. Daniel
C. was born in 1840 and was educated in the schools of the town, at
Kents Hill, Oak Grove Seminary, Vassalboro, and at Waterville. He
has taught sixteen terms of school. He married Emma A., daughter
of Sullivan Kilbreth, of Manchester, and has one daughter, H. Eu-
genia.
Henry Robie is a son of Henry and Mary (Folsom) Robie, who came
from Guilford, N. H., to Monmouth, where Henry, sen., died in 1874.
Mr. Robie was a manufacturer until 1857, when he came to Winthrop
and bought the farm where he has since lived. He married Olive A.,,
daughter of James and Hannah (Stevens) Sanborn. Their two chil-
dren were: James H., who died, and Fred C, who married Nellie A.
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 871
Townsend, of South Orange, N. J., and is a farmer with his father.
He has devoted some attention to teaching and playing band music.
He is a member of the board of selectmen.
Hiram Rockwood, born in 1834, in Readfield, is the only son of
Hiram, and grandson of John Rockwood, who died in Belgrade at the
age of one hundred years. His maternal grandfather was Rev. Isaac
Case. Mr. Rockwood came to Winthrop in 1869 and bought his pres-
ent home — a part of the old Fairbanks farm. He married Ellen F.,
daughter of Leonard Johnson, of Readfield, and their children are:
Nellie F. and Willard H.
Patrick Henry Snell, born in 1832, is the youngest of thirteen chil-
dren of John Elliott and Anna (Follett) Snell, and grandson of Elijah
Snell. He was for twenty years a shoemaker, and has since been a
farmer. He served three years in the late war from June, 1861, in
Company K, 3d Maine. He was selectman three years. His first wife
was Francena, daughter of Sands Bailey. His second wife was Helen
F., daughter of Nathaniel R. Pike, who died leaving one son, John E.
John E. Snow, bdrn in 1858, is the youngest child and only son of
John P. and Elvira S. (Gott) Snow, grandson of Joseph and Rebecca
(Paine) Snow, and great-grandson of Benjamin Snow. He became in-
terested in the Wintlirop Banner in November, 1889. Prior to that he
had been in a Boston printing house two years. Several years ago he
bought a foot power press and did some job work in Winthrop, and
later sold it to Mr. Packard, and the first four numbers of the Winthrop
Banner were printed on it.
John A. Stanley, only son of Albert F. and Mahala A. M. (Brans-
comb) Stanley, and grandson of John Stanley, is the editor and pub-
lisher of the Winthrop Budget, as mentioned in Chapter X. His father
was a graduate of Bowdoin Medical School, and after practicing
twelve years in Dixfield, Me., came to Winthrop in 1843, where he
died in 1867. Mr. Stanley has three sisters living: Juliet M. (Mrs. Dr.
I. P. Warren), Mary M. (Mrs. John Gower) and Jane Elizabeth.
Orrin E. Stanley is the son of Charles, grandson of Morrell, and
great-grandson of Aden Stanley, a revolutionary soldier, who came
from Massachusetts to Winthrop in 1795 and bought the farm on
which have lived, and began the business which all the persons
named have followed — that of wagon making. Aden had one daugh-
ter, Eunice, and two sons, Lemuel and Morrell. The latter, for his
second wife, married Charlotte Gillman, and had children: Henry A.,
Charles, Milton and Polly A. Charles was born in 1826, married Kate
Wing in 1856, and had children: Orrin E., born in 1857; Hattie A.,
Nellie D., Henry M. and Cora H. Orrin E. Stanley married Kate
O'Neal, of Readfield, in 1890.
Charles B. Stanton, farmer, born in 1848, is a son of Thomas L.
and grandson of Aaron Stanton, jun., who was born in Coventry,
872 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
England, and there learned the business of tape and webbing maker.
He was in the British army in the war of 1812 and deserted while in
a New England port, and came to Hallowell, where he married Olive
Moulton, and there began to make machinery from memory for the
manufacture of tape and webbing. After a short time he came to
North Monmouth, where he continued in the manufacture of tape
and webbing until his death in 1837, when his only son succeeded
him and continued the business until about 1875. Charles B. Stanton
married Mittie A., daughter of Hiram and Julia (Dexter) Ladd, and
granddaughter of Simeon Ladd. They have two children: Charles A.
and Etta Blanche.
Charles M. Thomas, born in 1845, is one of seven children of Lloyd
and Elizabeth Thomas, and grandson of Captain Hushai Thomas, who
came to Winthrop from Middleboro, Mass. His maternal grandfather
was Dr. Peleg Benson, who was for many years a physician of Win-
throp. Mr. Thomas is a farmer, as was his father. He married
Abbie, daughter of Captain Amos Wheeler, and their children are:
Charles E., William L., Ray W. and Martha E.
Ferdinand Tinker came to Winthrop in 1868 and became a builder,
contractor and lumber merchant, which he has followed for the past
twenty years. Ferdinand Tinker, his father, was born in Ellsworth,
Me., in 1801, and married Hannah H. Pineo, of Machias, Me. Of their
thirteen children — six boys and seven girls— Ferdinand, the eldest,
was born July 25, 1829, at St. Stephens, N. B. His first wife was El-
mira J. Scofield; they settled in Baring, Me., where he followed his
trade as a millwright. Their four children were:'Georgianna, Abbie,
Charles and Fred V. His second wife was Elvira Snow, and in 1887
he married his third wife, Delphina Woodman, of Roxbury, Mass.
John Jay Tinkham, son of Joseph and Bathiah (Waterman) Tink-
ham, and grandson of John Tinkham, was born in 1811. He was a
farmer until 1881. His farm was one which his father bought in 1812,
and where he lived until 1853, when he moved to the village, where
he died in 1870. John Jay married Mary S., daughter of Eben Blake.
Harrison Warner, born in 1816, in Jay, Me., is a son of Benjamin
and Alice (Austin) Warner. He is a painter and farmer, and has
lived in Winthrop since 1850. He married Julia Jackson, who died
leaving five children, three of whom are now living: Ellen, John and
Frank. He married in 1876, Mary A., daughter of Samuel G. and
Arabella (Haines) Stanley. Her father was a physician, practicing in
Strong, Farmington, Phillips and Weld. He died in 1875, having
been a farmer the last few years of his life. He was a graduate of
Brown LTniversity. Mrs. Warner had taught sixteen terms of school
before her marriage.
David Webster, born in Rome, Me., in 1826, is a son of David and
Mary (Allen) Webster. He was a farmer until 1863, when he came
TOWN OF WINTHROP. 873
to Winthrop, and since that time lias been night watchman in the oil-
cloth works. He married Asenath, daughter of Thomas Tracy, and
their children are: Thomas D., Almena A. and Grace M.
Drewry N. White, farmer, son of James and Nancy (Kenney)
White, came to Winthrop in 1869, from Dixfield, Me., where he was
born in 1822. He married Sarah Wyman, who died leaving ihree
children: Wallace R., Ella A. (Mrs. A. A. Small), and William N. His
present wife was Nancy Bisbee.
Charles F. Whiting, born in 1827, was a son of Jonathan and
Amelia (White) Whiting. He was a farmer until his death in 1878,
and since that time his widow and sons have run the farm. He mar-
ried Sarah M., daughter of Francis and Hannah (Wadsworth) Fuller.
Their children are: Etta A. (Mrs. M. B. Hewitt), Edwin A., G. Walter,
and one that died, Charlie F.
Henry Winslow, born in Falmouth, Me., in 1828, is one of a family
of six, of Joseph and Hannah (Briggs) Winslow. Joseph came to
Winthrop in 1841, where he was a farmer until his death in 1878. Mr.
Winslow's business is that of block maker for the oilcloth works, and
since 1857 he has run a shop and nearly all the time employs a num-
ber of hands at the work. His first marriage was with Mary D.,
daughter of Rev. Isaiah P. Rogers. His present wife was Mrs. Mary
G. Maxfield, daughter of Albert Hussey.
Samuel M. Witham, son of John and Catherine (Moody) Witham,
was born at Bingham, Me., in 1835, and lived in various places in
Maine until 1880, when he came to Winthrop where he is a farmer.
He served in the late war from January, 1863, to July, 1865, in Com-
pany E, 1st Maine Cavalry. His first marriage was with Oria E.
Prentiss, who died leaving one daughter, Mary E. His second mar-
riage was with Sarah M.. daughter of Joel and Lucy (Keene) White,
and granddaughter of Joel White, who came from Dedham, Mass., to
Winthrop in 1784, and settled near where Mr. Witham now lives.
Mr. Witham's mother was a daughter of Samuel Moody, of Ossipee,
N. H.
Charles D. Wood, born in Bath, Me., in 1851, is a son of Captain
James N. Wood. He came to Winthrop in 1875 and the following
year began mercantile trade here, and has continued it since that
time. He sold the grocery department in 1883, and has since done a
grain business alone. He was agent for the American Express Com-
pany here from 1883 until January 1, 1891, and since that date he has
been postmaster. He served two years as selectman, has been six
years chairman of the republican town committee, and four years
chairman of the republican county committee. He married Mary H.
Bird, of Rockland, Me. They have six children.
Elliott Wood, born July 21, 1844, is the only child of Lewis and
_Ann A. (Snell) Wood, and grandson of Elijah and Sarah (Clififord)
874 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Wood. Mr. Wood has been for a few years engaged in mercantile
trade. He has been selectman nine years, six of which he has been
chairman of the board. He was postmaster from March, 1881, until
January, 1887: represented his district in the legislature of 1879; in
1887 and 1888 was a member of the governor's council, and in 1889
was postmaster in the United States Senate, which ofBce he resigned
after one year's service. In August, 1892," he was nominated for state
senator. His wife is Rufina, daughter of Courier Brown. They have
one daughter, Abbie E., and lost one son, Lewis Elliott.
Fred M. Wood, born in 1863, is the only son of John C. and Julia
(Hanscomb) Wood, and grandson of John, who with his father, An-
drew Wood, came from Middleboro, Mass., to Winthrop. Mr. Wood's
father died in 1887, aged fifty-seven years, and since that time he has
carried on the farm. He has four sisters; Florence, Alice, Dora and
Mary. He married Nettie L., daughter of Nathan Kimball, and their
children are: John C, Julia M. and Ruth M.
John G. Yeaton, born in Belgrade in 1846, is a son of John and
Ruth B. (Oilman) Yeaton, and grandson of Jonathan Yeaton. He has
been engaged in oilcloth making and various business enterprises, and
in October, 1883, bought the meat business which he has since run in
connection with other matters. He married Ruth A., daughter of
Frank E. Brainard, and their only child, Edna ^I., died.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
TOWN OF MANCHESTER.
Territory embraced. — Settlers in South. — Saw Mills. — Incorporation Act.^
Change to present Name.— Settlers in Other Parts.— Surface.— Mills and
Tanneries.— Post Office.— Present Village.— Lyon's Mill.— Cider Mills. —
Granite Quarries.— Pleasure Resorts.— Civil History.— Schools.— Ecclesiasti-
cal.— Cemeteries. — Personal Paragraphs.
THE territory embraced within the present town of Manchester,
although more recently incorporated, was settled contempora-
neously with Winthrop, Readfield and other surrounding towns.
Those who settled early followed the trails from the river, by blazed
trees. Joseph Wingate .settled opposite the Friends' meeting house,
on the pond road. His brother, Frederick Wingate, settled below the
meeting house, on the farm of the late R. W. Smart. Alvah Wads-
worth located where Joshua Brown lives, and opposite— where widow
Mary C. Hawks lives — Daniel Haines first settled. Isaac Hawkes set-
tled where I. W. Hawkes lives; and next south, on the Loren Fan-
place, Payne Wingate .settled. vSouth of the last, Elijah Farr made
his settlement, where his son's widow, Sylvia, now resides. Wingate
Haines made his first clearing where Otis Foster is, and Joseph Patti-
son was the settler on the Proctor Sampson farm. The farm just
below, rented by Thomas Douglass, was settled by William Hopkins.
The farm of Willis H. Wing was cleared by Proctor Sampson, but
Daniel Magoon had been permitted to make a clearing and reside there
till a sale was made. Where Mark Osborne lives Jacob Sampson set-
tled, and next south, where E. R. Mayo lives, George Collins located.
Where Christopher C. Bowman resides, Thomas Farr settled. Next
south was the settlement of Ebenezer Bailey — where Thomas Sinclair
lives. Benjamin Howard settled the farm now owned by his son,
Benjamin, and where the outlet house stands was early occupied by
James Pullen. Across the outlet, where Mrs. Meady lives, was the old
settler Job Douglass; and next to his clearing, and opposite on the
road, was the pioneer, Timothy Bailey, accompanied by his son, Isaac.
A man named Sawyer settled next to Bailey, about where Mrs. Bush
lives; and next south was Isaac Haskell — the first on the place. Op-
posite the last, where Fred Spear now owns and lives, Paul Collins was
the first settler, occupying to the present town line of West Gardiner.
876 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
The pond road, along which the foregoing settlers located, was a
chosen part of the town. No mill could be built at the outlet, for Doc-
tor Gardiner, who owned the land, reserved all rights to the north
bank of the outlet stream. It will be remembered that some of the
original lots in Gardiner and Farmingdale were a mile wide, and ex-
tended westerly to Cobbosseecontee great pond. The Vaughn tract
was one of these great lots, and the farm in Manchester now owned
and occupied by Proctor Sampson was taken from the northwest cor-
ner of that tract.
On the road leading to Gardiner, along the outlet, other settlers lo-
cated. The first was Braddock Hathaway, where the buildings were
subsequently burned; opposite him was Asa Benson — a large land-
holder— on the site now occupied by his son's widow, Julia Benson.
On the opposite side, Andrew Hutchinson settled where Charles Nick-
erson is. Israel Hutchinson settled opposite his brother — where Jo-
seph Spear lives.
On the road leading to Hallowell over Meadow hill, and next to
the farm of Willis H. Wing, is the Hopkins farm, settled by David
Mogan; and where George Wadsworth owns, opposite the Hopkins
farm, Samuel Dunn first made his clearing. Where David Douglass
lives was settled by Wingate Haines, who sold out his betterment on
the pond road and started again. Opposite the last, where the Wilder
farm is, Henry Wilder early purchased of a man named Cogswell,
who had made a clearing. Samuel Dunn sold his farm on the pond
road, and settled where Leonard Dearborn lives, and where Lindley
Pinkham lives Noah Pinkham was the first settler.
These settlers of the southern part of the present Manchester being
but a few miles from the mills at Gardiner — which had become a con-
siderable place — were not compelled to undergo such hardships as be-
fell the earlier settlers in the more remote plantations.
The only saw. mnll in the south part of the town was built in 1848
by Proctor Sampson, on the brook that runs through Willis H. Wing's
farm. He ran it a few years, and sold to Sands Wing, who after a
short time sold to Joseph Spear. He took it down and used it in the
erection of a mill down the outlet out of the town.
The town was erected August 12, 1850, from Augusta, Hallowell,
Litchfield, Readfield and Winthrop. The text of the act as passed
was:
" Beginning on the north line of Augusta and on the west line of
a gore at the end of the third mile from Kennebec river, thence south-
erly on the west line of said gore to land of Bethiah Knowles, thence
easterly on the north line of Knowles' land to land of Sewell Longfel-
low, thence to the east line of said gore, thence southerly on the east
line of said Longfellow's to land of William Goldthwait, easterly on
the north line of said Goldthwait to the northeast corner of said Gold-
thwait's land, thence southerly on the east line of said Goldthwait and
TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 877
on the line of land owned by Timothy Goldthwait, jun., to the land of
the late Salmon Rockwood, thence easterly on the south line of said
Rockvvood to said Rockwood's northeast corner, thence southerly to
the northwest corner of land owned by Peter Atherton in Hallowell,
thence southerly to the southwest corner of a piece of land which Dr.
Elias Weld conveyed to Win.slow Hawkes. thence southwesterly until
it strikes Jimmey's stream at the point where it intersects the north
line of the great five-mile lot number twenty-two, as surveyed by
Solomon Adams, thence along said stream to Jimmey's pond, thence
down said pond to the outlet, thence following the outlet of said pond
to Hutchinson's pond, thence S. 22tV'' W. to the south line of Hallowell,
thence westerly on the south line of Hallowell until it strikes Gardi-
ner stream and across said stream to the south line of land owned by
John Collins in Litchfield, thence westerly on the south line of said
Collins' land and by that line extended until it strikes a point in Win-
throp pond due southwest of the S. E. corner of land owned by Fran-
cis Fuller, in Winthrop, thence running due northeast to said south-
east corner of said Fuller's land, thence northerly on the east line of
said Fuller's land, thence by the east line of Capt. Shaw's land to
Richards pond, thence across said pond to the west line of land owned
by Samuel Richards on the north line of said pond, thence northerly
on the west line of land owned by Oren Brainard, and also by the
west line of land formerly owned by James Brainard to land owned
by Elisha Case in Readfield, thence westerly on the south line of said
Case to said Case's southwest corner, thence northerly on said Case's
west line to the land of J. Whiting Winslow, thence northerly on the
west line of said Winslow's land to .said Winslow's northwest corner,
thence easterly to land of the widow Carr, thence northerly on the
west line of said Carr and the west line of land owned by the_ widow
Adams, William Taylor, Joseph Knowles, Eliab Lyon jun.,* Elisha
Prescott, Stephen Hill and William Hill, to the north line of Read-
field, thence easterly on the north line of Readfield to the southwest
corner of Augusta, thence easterly on the north line of Augu.sta to
the bounds first mentioned be and hereby is incorporated into a town
by the name of Kennebec."
The remainder of the act provided for the poor within the limits
of the new town, and placed the town in the representative district
with Readfield and Fayette.
The territory included the post office known as Hallowell Cross
Roads, and after the incorporation of the town as Kennebec, the mail
matter frequently addressed to the town was so miscarried to Kenne-
bunk at the south that the legislature was petitioned to change the
name of the town from Kennebec to Manchester, which was done
April 15, 1854, and in 1856 the post office was changed to the same
name.
The northern portion of the town was not as early settled as those
portions along the pond road in the south, which had belonged to
Hallowell. On the Augusta road, where Frank J. Hewins lives, Eben
Hewins settled. On the Hallowell road, where George H. Kilbreth
lives, Isaac Wadsworth settled. Near by, where Isaac Varney dwells,
878 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
was the first settlement of Samuel Stevens, and just beyond was the
clearing of Colonel Francis Norris — now owned by Mr. Sanborn, and
rented by Josiah Gray.
On the Mt. Vernon road, on the farm now owned by Joseph Fifield,
Nathaniel Levering first se'.tled, and opened a tavern. John Day set-
tled on the Readfield road, where Helen Freeman resides; and next
above, where Albert Daggett lives, John Morrill was the settler.
Where Jacob Pope resides, George Waterhouse made his first clear-
ing. The ancestors of Charles Wing settled the place occupied by
him. On the Winthrop road, where E. L. Eaton lives, William Wins-
low settled; and opposite Eaton's, where Bradford Boynton resides,
Samuel Merrill settled. The L. H. Hammond farm was settled by a
man named Brainard.
This territory was well settled during the first half of the present
century, and many residents were compelled to go several miles to the
surrounding towns to the town meetings. This fact and the objec-
tions of some to being included in the two adjoining cities, then being
chartered, led to a separate municipality of the present form. It is
ten miles long and three wide, the line between it and Winthrop be-
ing the center of Cobbosseecontee great pond. Jimmey pond and
Hutchinson pond are between this town and Farmingdale, while Shed
pond is wholly within the town, near the Readfield line. A broad
valley at the head of Cobbosseecontee great pond stretches across the
town, extending northerly nearly to the Belgrade and Sidney lines.
The eastern edge of the town, along the Augusta, Hallowell and Farm-
ingdale lines, is hilly and broken. The western edge of the town,
along the Readfield line, is high: while the southern border, along the
West Gardiner line, is the lowest land of the town.
No heavy water powers exist, consequently large mills have been
the exception. A small saw mill was built in the Fifield neighbor-
hood, where Edward Bowman lives, and William Thomas operated
the mill; he also put in a small tannery, which was more within the
power of the stream. Samuel Cummings had a saw mill on the brook
on the Frank Hewins farm.
The old post office, established January 1, 1818, as Hallowell Cross
Roads, was kept in the Grinnell tavern by the proprietor, Jesse Rob-
inson, who was appointed the postmaster. He was succeeded in April,
1830, by Samuel Quimby. The succeeding postmasters, with the year
of their appointment, were: September, 1830, Thomas Phillips; Au-
gust, 1834, Lorain M. Judkins; 1838, Jabez Churchill; 1845. Erastus
Shepard Loomis; February, 1853, Abraham L Thing; June, 1853,
Darius Lewis; 1854, Erastus S. Loomis; 1850, Joseph B. Haines; May
28, 1856, the name of the office was changed to Manchester and Wil-
liam A. Sampson was appointed postmaster; 1859, Alden Sampson;
TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 879
1864, Isaac N. Wadsworth; 1868, Elbridge M. Boynton; 1875, Jesse L.
Wood; 1889, George H. Kilbreth; 1890, Augustus M. Bowman.
About 1857 Alden Sampson built and opened a store (now Jesse
L. Woods') and the office was removed there, where it has since been
kept. This one post office has supplied the town.
The old Robinson tavern was only one of three. Thomas Phillips
opened a tavern nearly opposite the present store, but sold it when
he rented the Robinson tavern.
The present village, where the store and office is, was locally
known as Hallowell Forks, before Manchester was incorporated.
John MuUiken settled just east of where the only store stands. Fran-
cis Day was an old settler on the Read field road, opposite the old hotel,
now George C. Grinnell's residence. Samuel Weston came in 1805,
settling where N. C. Weston lives. Where the large two-story tene-
ment house is, oppsite George C. Grinnell's, Daniel Day settled in
1793. Many years ago Alton Pope started a carpet factory, which was
sold to Alden Sampson. This was on the farm of. E. L. Norcross.
Joseph Ham carried on an old tannery with a shoe shop on the vil-
lage brook, near where Noah F. Weeks lives. No industry of any
importance is now carried on in the village, which lies in the broad
slope at the head of Cobbosseecontee great pond, and could at least
be made an attractive summer resort.
In April, 1884, Fred L. Hewins and Lovicount S. Lyon, as partners,
erected a saw mill in the northeast part of the town. The power is
furnished by a forty-five horse power engine, to run circular saw,
planer and shingle machine. Lath, pickets, flooring and boxes are also
manufactured. The mill is cutting about 300,000 feet of lumber as
custom work, and the owner is converting a half million feet of
his own logs into lumber each year. In April, 1886, the firm of
Hewins & Lyon was dissolved, and since that time the business has
been owned and carried on by Mr. Lyon.
There are several good cider mills, for the town has many large
orchards. The cultivation of apple orchards has received especial at-
tention, and with substantial results. Another feature of the farming
is the keeping of good stock.
The granite quarries are an important industry of the town. The
Central Granite Company, Joseph Arche, proprietor, is located in the
east edge of the town, and near the Hallowell Granite Works, both of
which are more particularly mentioned at page 184.
At the head of the pond, and near the village, is the beautiful pine
grove known as Hammond's Grove. In 1879 L. H. Hammond erected
several cottages, allowed others to build, and built a cafe on the
grounds. He kept boats for pleasure, and the lovely spot has grown
into distinction as a healthful summer resort. In the spring of 1891
■Colonel Farrington and others leased the grove conditional to pur-
880 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
chasing, which should lead to the laying out and building up of a
cottage city with a large hotel. Manchester, along the great pond,
includes already some fine resorts, and bids fair to win a prominent
place in the county as a retreat for health and recreation.
Several neat cottages have been erected on the Cobbossee shores
by Augusta gentlemen. The artist's glimpse at this east shore, as
seen from the western or Winthrop side, gives to the reader a hint of
the pretty shore and the rolling lands of the town still eastward.
Civil History.— Since the formation of the town the usual town
meetings, with occasional special meetings, have been regularly held.
The territory of the Hallowell Granite Works was originally incor-
porated in the town of Manchester, but a few years ago the granite
company sought to have it annexed to Hallowell, in order that the
roads might be kept to please the company. This was a measure that
the people of Manchester strenuously opposed; but the interests of
Hallowell prevailed, and the large quarry of the Hallowell Granite
Works was added to the city. In 1852 the sum of $450 was raised and
used in making a town hall over the school house then being built.
In this hall the town meetings have since been held. In 1875 the
town added to the hall a suitable office for the convenience of its offi-
cers. The poor fund voted annually is judiciously distributed; those
whollv dependent on the town have been placed in private families
for keeping. The affairs of the municipality are in good condition,
and care is taken to elect the most conservative and careful to office.
The Selectmen have been as follows (the dates preceding the
names show the years of first election, and if the same man was again
elected the whole number of years of service is indicated): 1850, Eliab
Lyon,. 4, Isaac Wadsworth, 10, and Albert Daggett, 4; 1851, Richard
M. Pinkham; 1852, Henry G. Cole, 3; 1853, Enoch Wood, 11, and
lames M. Allen, 2; 1854, Proctor Sampson, 6; 1855, John Prescott, 4;
TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 881
1858, Paine Wingate, 2: 1859, Carpenter Winslow, 2: 1861, Sullivan
Kilbreth, 7, and Jacob Pope, 5; 1864, William P. Merrill, 3; 1866, Dan-
iel S. Goldthwaite, 3; 1867, Isaiah Jones; 1868, I. Warren Hawkes, 9;
1869, Albert Daggett, jun., 2; 1870, Henry A. Caldwell, 2; 1872, Rob-
ert T. Hopkins, 2: 1873, Hiram S. Young, 3; 1876, Albert Knowles, 4;
1877, Charles S. Pope, 6; 1879, Willis H. Wing, 7; 1881, George H.
Kilbreth, 3; 1882, Edwin Caldwell; 1883, Frank J. Hewins, 8; 1884,
Lindley H. Hammond. 5; 1885. Thomas E. Jackson, 4; 1890, Alfred
W. Hawkes; 1891, Joseph G. Sampson, 2; 1892, O. J. Foster.
The Town Clerks, with date of commencement of each man's ser-
vice, have been: 1850, Isaac N. Wadsworth; 1852, Thomas J. Smith;
1854, Sullivan Kilbreth; 1861, Francis E. Wood; 1863, Jacob B. Thomas;
1865, William P. ^Merrill; 1866, Daniel S. Goldthwaite; 1867, William
P. Merrill; 1870, Charles S. Pope; and since 1871, George H. Kil-
breth.
The Town Treasurers have been: 1850, Jacob Pope; 1851, Thomas
J. Smith; 1854, Asa Morrell; 1860, Isaac Wadsworth; 1861, Asa Mor-
rell; 1866, Jacob Pope; 1867, Proctor Sampson; 1870, William P. Mor-
rell; 1873, Charles F. Hewins; 1875, Charles S. Pope; 1876, Charles F.
Hewins; 1880, Joseph G. Sampson; 1890, James T. Collins; and 1891,
1892, Wallace M. Prescott.
Schools.— The parts of districts of other towns thrown together
by the act of incorporation required immediate attention, and at the
first regular town meeting the town was carefully divided into seven
school districts, which, with the occasional change of a family for
more mutual accommodation, is the present division. Five hundred
dollars was the first sum voted; the amount has been annually in-
creased as circumstances demanded. Since 1874 the office of school
supervisor has been filled in the town, and the result has been bene-
ficial. About this time a high school was instituted, and, since, a free
high school has been supported two terms a year, one at school house
No. 6 and one at the village. This, with the town system of uniform
books, has raised the schools to a high standard.
In 1891, after a trial. Prof. Elijah Cook, A.M., with I. L. Pope, as-
sistant principal, opened the Kennebec Home School for Boys. The
long experience of the teachers, the rural beauty of the village, and
the inducements of the pleasant home should make this a chosen spot
for the education of young men.
Ecclesiastical. — The Friends, who were among the first to estab-
lish public worship in the town, have their meeting house on the
pond road. The Baptist Society of Manchester was organized in 1792,
May 10th, as the Baptist Church of Readfield, with the Rev. Isaac
Case as pastor. The church edifice was built in 1793, near the old
burying ground in Readfield, and in the chapter on Readfield the
bOiJ HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
early history of this society will be found. After it was removed, in
1838, to its present site in Manchester, the society was strong and
prosperous, but for the past few years has not sustained a regular
pastor. Rev. William Smith, during whose pastorate the removal oc-
curred, remained until 1841, and Robert C. Starr preached in 1842,
1843; Lucius Packard filled the desk to 1845, since when supplies have
been employed, except for a few years after 1860, when S. D. Rich-
ardson was settled. Among the supplies were: Rev. Eliphalet Smith,
William Goding, Henry Kendall, Benjamin Cole, Joseph Palmer, John
Benter and William Johnson.
The Union Church is a plain edifice, erected in 1833, in the village.
It was built for the use of all societies, but during the first few
years the Baptists occupied it almost exclusively. Occasional services
only are held there now.
Cemeteries. — A large town cemetery is in use just out of the vil-
lage, on the Augusta road, and is kept in order by the municipality.
The Friends' burying ground is near their church — a little distance in
the rear — on the pond road. A beautiful cemetery, walled in, is in
use by the Baptist church in the west part of the town. Here rest the
ashes of some of the settlers of the town, and especially those of the
northwestern part. Eliab Lyon died in 1849, aged 86. He settled
where W. H. Lyon lives, in 1784. His son, Eliab, born 1797, died 1882;
Sanborn T. Fifield, born 1808, died 1878; Dea. William Thomas died
1855, aged 65 years; Brimsley Caldwell died 1869, aged 82 years; Jon-
athan Knowles died 1871, aged 78 years; and Joseph Knowles died
1874, aged 74 years. On the largest monument in the grounds is
written, " David Sanford, 1806-1849." In the very northwestern cor-
ner of the town, near the Belgrade line, is a small ground, well cared
for but not much used.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Joseph Arche, born in Spain in 1835, spent his life until 1865 in
Cuba, and came f i-om there to the United States. He worked ten years
at Westerly, R. I., from 1875 to 1885 was sculptor for the Hallowell
Granite Company, and in August, 1885, he opened a quarry in Man-
chester, where he cuts both ornamental and monumental work. His
wife was Mary O. Conol. They have one son, John F. Arche.
Martin Caldwell, born in 1843, is one of five children of Henry A.
and Ruth (Smith) Caldwell, and a descendant of Stephen and Abigail
(Low) Caldwell, who came from Ipswich, Mass.. and settled in Man-
chester. Mr. Caldwell spent twelve years in the West, then returned
to the northern part of Maine, where he had been six years, when in
1887 he came back to Manchester, where he is a farmer. He married
Marie, daughter of Luke and ]\Iary (Caldwell) Dinsmore. She and her
parents were born in Anson, Me., and afterward resided at Solon, Me.
TOWN OF .\tANCHESTER. 883
Joseph W. Emery, born in 1849 at Waterville, is a son of Joseph
and Mary (Baldic) Emery. He is a stone cutter by trade, and has
worked for the Hallowell Granite Company since 1869. In 1875 he
bought the Samuel Collins farm at the outlet of Cobbosseecontee lake,
where he has since kept the Lake House as a summer hotel. He mar-
ried Annie M. Tibbets and has one son, Charlie G.
Joseph .S. Fifield.— John Fifield was born in Deerfield, N. H., in
1804. He was a son of Sanborn, and a grandson of Joseph and Eliza-
beth (Sanborn) Fifield. John left New Hampshire in 1826 to seek his
fortune in the Pine Tree state. He came to Augusta, after he was
married to Margaret, a daughter of David Hall, of Chester, N. H.
This union was blessed with four children: Eliza S. (Mrs. Albion
Nutting), Sarah A. (Mrs. H. S. Roberts), Joseph S.. and a deceased
daughter, Mary.
Joseph S., the only son, was born on the home farm in Augusta,
April 9, 18B7. Here he spent his boyhood, attending the public
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schools of that city. At an early age he manifested a natural taste
for business, foreshadowing subsequent success, and at the age of
fourteen he began to buy stock, slaughtering and selling to the local
traders. This early venture proved successful and, with the exception
of three years, has made a part of his large business operations since
that time.
He resided with his parents in Augusta until his father sold his
farm there in 1868. In the fall of that year Mr. Fifield purchased 160
acres of his present home farm in Manchester, of Nathaniel Lovering-
He has added to his farm by subsequent purchases, until he now has
a farm of 300 acres. It is fair to state that his farm operations are
second to none in Manchester. The care, earnestness and persever-
ance which characterized his early beginnings, coupled with that well
directed purpose of more mature years, make his success as a business
man and agriculturist a most natural and rational conclusion.
oS4 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
February 27, 1870, he married Lucy, a daughter of the late Ithiel
Knowles, of Manchester, and granddaughter of Elisha and Margaret
Knowles. To them have been born four children: Alice H., Ida C,
Grace L. and Herbert J. In the meridian of his life, surrounded by
a happy family, he resides in his beautiful country home, in the midst
of one of Maine's prettiest rural communities.
George L. Fifield, born in 1826, is a son of John and Sarah (Gilman)
Fifield, whose children were: Rufus, John A., Eliza, William, Hannah,
Sarah, Mary, George L. and Abbie B. George L. is a farmer, owning
and occupying the homestead of his father. He married Huldah A.,
daughter of Richard H. Gilman, and they have two sons: Fred L. and
John R. Mr. Fifield's grandfather, Joseph Fifield, of New Hamp-
shire, married Elizabeth Sanborn, and their children were: Sanborn,
Joseph, John, Eliza, Elizabeth, Jacob and Tristram.
Marcellus S. Fifield, born in 1849, is one of three children of Hiram
and Sylvina (Whittier) Fifield, grandson of Joseph and Lovina Fifield,
and great-grandson of Joseph and Elizabeth (Sanborn) Fifield. He is
a farmer on the farm where his father and grandfather both lived.
His brother and sister are: Winfield S. and Eliza A., who lives in
Readfield with her mother. He was married to Emily F., daughter of
David C. and Mary Ann (Hunton) Williams, and granddaughter of
Joseph and Mary (Clifford) Williams, who once owned a part of the
present site of Waterville. Their sons are: Hiram D., Harry C,
Charlie B. and Chauncey W.
Sanborn T. Fifield, born 1808. died 1878. was a son of Joseph and
Lovina Fifield, and grandson of Joseph and Elizabeth (Sanborn) Fi-
field. He was a farmer, occupying a part of the farm which was .set-
tled by his father, where Mrs. Fifield now lives. He was married in
1830, to Cyrene, daughter of Tabor and Abigail (Caldwell) Lyon, and
granddaughter of Eliab Lyon.
John Hammond was born March 18, 1801. on the home farm of his
father, John, in Sidney. He spent his early life m his native town,
where he was a farmer. He married Athiel Butler March 1, 1827. She
and her two children died, and March 2, 1845, he married Martha C.
Pinkham, who survives him. In 1856 he came to Manchester, where
lie was a farmer. He died October 7, 1884, and his only son, Lindley
H., owns and with his mother occupies the farm home. Lindley H.
was born in 1849. He is a farmer and the owner of Hammond's
Grove. He held the office of selectman five years, and was a member
of the school board one year. He married Flora, daughter of George
Wadsworth, of East Winthrop. Their two sons are: Herbert L. and
Chester E. Hammond.
John C. Hartung, born in 1828, in Germany, came to America in
1842, with his father, Helman Hartung. They came to Manchester in
1845 and bought the farm where John C. now lives. Mr. Hartung
TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 885
worked several years in the Alden Sampson oilcloth works, but since
they were burned has been a farmer. His father was a locksmith by
trade. John C. married Martha Kerber, and they have four sons:
Herman, Frank, Henry F. and William.
I. Warren Hawkes, son of Isaac and Lucy (Jones) Hawkes, born in
1835 on the the farm where he now resides, received his education at
Oak Grove Seminary and at Friends School, Providence. He served
several years on the board of selectmen of Manchester, was in the
state legislature one term, and has been a school officer for a number
of vears. His time and energy, excepting that necessary for the care
of his own business, have been given for several years to church work
in the Society of Friends. He is secretary of Oak Grove school com-
mittee and a member of the official board of Friends School, Provi-
dence, R. I. He married, March 4, 1863, Sarah A., only daughter of
Proctor Sampson, of Manchester. Their children are: Alfred W., a
granite cutter and farmer; Lucy J. ('Mrs. Prof. Walter S. Meader, of
Providence), and Edgar S., a teacher, who graduated m 1891 from
Farmington Normal School.
Frank J. Hewins, born Febriiaiy 8, 1847, is a son of John and Ro-
sanna (Rockwood) Hewins, and grandson of Ebenezer and Zilphia
(Cummings) Hewins. Mr. Hewins' maternal grandfather, Solomon
Rockwood, son of Solomon Rockwood, of Oxford, Mass., came to Man-
chester in 1800. Mr. Hewins is one of a family of nine children, six
of whom are living: John A., Emma, Harvey G., Sarah, Frank J. and
Fred L. Those deceased were: Harriet, died in 1854; Joseph T., died
in 1889, and Charles F., died in 1885. Frank J., choosing the occupa-
tion of his father and grandfather, is a farmer, and a part of his two
hundred acre farm was owned by his grandfather, Ebenezer Hewins.
In 1891 he served as chairman of the board of selectmen, having been
a member of that board nine previous terms. His wife, Helen M., is
a daughter of Alva Cummings. Their children are: Delia A., Gracie
B. and Gertrude.
Albert Knowles, born in 1824, is a son of Jonathan and Sarah
(Hall) Knowles, and grandson of Jonathan and Mary (Prescott)
Knowles. The elder Jonathan Knowles was a tailor by trade. He
was a revolutionary soldier, and came from New Hampshire to Man-
chester in 1785. Albert Knowles is a farmer on the homestead, which
has been in possession of the family 107 years. His. first wife, Fannie
N., daughter of John Brown, died leaving one son, Alfred M. His
second wife is Margaret, daughter of James Wyman. They have
nine children: Gardiner M., Anna A., Holden H., Lewis W., Roland
F., Arthur W., Gertrude M., Mary L. and Hollis G. Mr. Knowles'
grandfather, Jabez Hall, was a revolutionary soldier. He has three
daughters now (1891) living, whose united ages make 276 years.
John Knowles, born in 1817, is a son of John and Betsey (Powell)
bbb HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Knowles, and grandson of Jonathan and M.irv (Prescott) Knowles.
He is a farmer, owning a farm of 170 acres which was originally set-
tled by Elisha Prescott. He married Sarah A., daughter of James
and Keziah (Benton) Wade. Their children are: John A., Josephine
K., Charles A., Alden W., Stephen H., Abbie E., Saphronia S., Mark
T. and AVilliam S.
Sullivan Kilbreth. — Among the prominent representative agri-
culturists of Manchester, the late Sullivan Kilbreth held an unques-
tioned place. He was born on a farm in Hartford, Me., January 25,
1815, and was the fifth in a family of nine children. His father,
James Kilbreth, a native of Casco, Me., was a son of Daniel Kilbreth.
He married Rebecca Johnson, of Limington, Me., in 1805, and in 1807
removed to Hartford, where he lived, a farmer and a shoemaker, the
balance of his life.
It was here that Sullivan Kilbreth lived during his boyhood and
early manhood. He had the advantages of the common schools of
that time and at an early age he began working, by the month, dur-
ing the summer season and attending school in the winter. In 1836
he came to Manchester, where by his own efforts and energy he
achieved an enviable name and an ample competency. On the 10th
of June, 1844, he married Sarah E., only daughter of Isaac and Re-
becca (Hewins) Wadsworth, and granddaughter of John Wadsworth,
jun., who was a musician in the revolutionary army, and soon after
that war came from Stoughton, Mass., and settled at East Winthrop.
Mr. Kilbreth's four children are: George H., Emma A. (Mrs. D. C.
Robbins), Charles F., an oilcloth manufacturer of Hallowell, and Nel-
lie S. (Mrs. A. E. Brainard).
In 1859 Mr. Kilbreth bought of his father-in-law the farm where
Mr. Wadsworth settled in 1823, and in 1832 he burned the bricks and
built of them the house. Here Mr. Kilbreth passed the remainder of
his life. George H., the eldest son, married j\Iartha, daughter of Wil-
liam Torrence, formerly of Pembroke, Mass., and has one child, Edith
L. Since the death of his father, December 15, 1889, George H. has
owned, and with his family and mother has occupied, the homestead.
Sullivan Kilbreth was an active republican and was several times
elected to the offices of town clerk and selectman. In addition to his
farming*he quarried and cut granite from a ledge on his farm. He
was frequently cho.sen to settle the estates of his friends and neigh-
bors, and his superior executive ability especially fitted him for these
duties, which he always discharged with credit. He was a consistent
member of the East Winthrop Baptist church. In the Kennebec
Agricultural Society he was an honored and useful member and sev-
eral years president and trustee, being an intelligent and useful sup-
porter of the interests of agriculture. In public and private life he
was an unostentatious and genial man, plain in his tastes and domes-
888 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tic in his habits. He had a high character as a business man, and his
firmness, perseverance, honesty and integrity were worthy of emula-
tion.
Edward F. Lyon, born in 1839, is a son of Eliab and Eliza (San-
ford) Lyon, and grandson of Eliab and Rachel (Faught) Lyon. He is
the only survivor of five children, David S., Sarah E., Charles E. and
Catherine R. having died. He is a farmer and stock breeder, and
raises and feeds some very fine steers and other stock. His farm of
three hundred acres was owned by his father and grandfather.
Lovicount S. Lyon, born in IS.If), is a son of Tabor, grandson of
Tabor, and great grandson of Eliab Lyon. He was a farmer until
1884, since which time he has been a lumber manufacturer. He owns
three hundred acres of standing timber. He married Mrs. H. F. Lar-
rabee, daughter of Ambrose Mariner, of Augusta.
William Harrison Lyon, born in 1813, is a son of Tabor and Abi-
gail (Caldwell) Lyon, and grandson of Eliab Lyon, who came from
Roxbury, Mass., to what is now Manchester in 1784. He has been a
farmer, but he has given the management of the farm to his son-in-
law, Mr. Jackson. His first wife was Maria, daughter of William R.
Sanford. She left two children: William H., jun., and Ella A., who
married in 1873, Thomas E. Jackson, son of Samuel and Julia (Hewit)
Jackson, and grandson of Caleb Jackson. The house where the family
now live was built in 1813, near where Eliab Lyon built the first resi-
dence when he settled here. Mr. Jackson was born February 25, 1854.
James Martin, born in Devonshire, England, in 1849, is a son of
John Martin. He is a stone cutter by trade. He came to America in
1872 and one year later to Manchester, where he has been employed
at the Hallowell Granite Works. He married Avis Tremills, and
their children are: William J., Eliza J., ;\lary E., James, Bessie and
one son, James, who died.
Edwin R. Mayo, born in 1842, at Waterville, Me., is a son of Asa
and Penial (Scribner) Mayo, and grandson of Jacob Mayo, whose
father came from Cape Cod, Mass., and was a descendant of Rev. John
Mayo, who settled there about 1650. Mr. Mayo came from Fairfield
to Manchester in 1883, where he is engaged in poultry and fruit rais-
ing. He was in the war of the rebellion for eleven months, in the
21st Maine. He married Mary D. King, of Fairfield, and they have
five ctiildren: Vaughn M., Oscar B., Asa M., Jennie M. and Alice M.
Willard R. Merrill, born in 1836, is a son of William P. and Martha
C. (Averill) Merrill. His father was an adopted son of Samuel and
Abigail (Plummer) Merrill, and held the offices of treasurer, collector
and selectman. Willard R. is a mason by trade, as were his father,
grandfather and great-grandfather. He married Mary Elizabeth At-
kins, and they now live on the farm which was settled m 1778 by
Samuel Cummings, and have the care of his three aged descendants^
TOWN OF MANCHESTER. Bby'
They have three children: Arthur L., Hattie G. and Wiilard Scott.
Mr. Merrill was three years in the war, in the 1st Maine Cavalry.
Benjamin J. Richards, born in 1836, in Frankfort, Me., is a son of
Rev. David and Susan (Ginn) Richards. He began to work for the
Bodwell Granite Company in 1854 at Vinal Haven, and ten years later
was made superintendent of the quarry there and continued until
1876, when he removed to the Hallowell Granite Works, owned by
the same parties, and has been superintendent of the quarries there
since that time. In 1889 he built a neat and substantial residence
near the quarries and just within the limits of Manchester. His first
wife, Ellen Spaulding, died leaving three children. His second mar-
riage was with Ella F. Rose, and they have three children.
Hubbard S. Roberts, born April 30, 1834, is one of nine children
of Jonathan and Ruth (Hall) Roberts, who came from New Hamp-
shire to Augusta, where Jonathan was a farmer until his death in
1837. He was a son of John Roberts. Mr. Roberts has been a farmer
in Manchester since 1869. He married Sarah, daughter of John and
Margaret (Hall) Fifield. Their only child, Mary E. (Mrs. Herbert
Young), died in July, 1884, aged twenty-six years.
Virgil Scribner, born in 1824, in Augusta, is a son of Samuel and
Mehitable (Pierce) Scribner, and grandson of Thomas Scribner. He
came from Augusta to his present home in 1846, where he has since
been engaged in farming and orcharding. The farm, called Hillside
farm, was a part of the original Allen homestead and was later owned
by Jotham Allen. Mr. Scribner's first marriage was with Isadore R.,
daughter of Jotham and Thankful (Longley) Allen. His second mar-
riage was with Mary Catherine Mears.
Reuel W. Smart, farmer, born in 1824 at Vienna, is a son of Rob-
ert and Betsey (Dow) Smart. In February, 1868, he came to Manches-
ter and bought the ninety acre farm known as the Isaiah Jones place.
He married Louisa M., daughter of Stephen Carr, of Vienna. Their
children are: Rosetta, Jessie, Willie T., George W. and Robert R.
Willis H. Wing, born June 19, 1848, in Monmouth, is a son of
Sands and Deborah (Robbins) Wing. His parents, who were mem-
bers of the Society of Friends, came to Manchester in 1857, where his
father was a farmer until his death. Mr. Wing, with his aged mother,
occupies the farm which has been their home for thirty-five years.
He is an active member of the Grange. He served seven years on
the board of selectmen and one term as representative in the state
legislature. He was in the clerk's office of the house of representa-
tives at Washington during the 47th Congress, and during the 51st
Congress was clerk for the committee on public buildings and grounds.
He was secretary of the republican state committee for 1886 and 1888.
He married, November 30, 1871, Sarah E., daughter of James H. and
Mary L. .Sleeper, of East Winthrop.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
TOWN OF READFIELD.
Bv Henrv D. Kingsbury.
Incorporation. — Characteristics. — Early Settlers. — Villages and Post Ofiflces. —
Early Mills.— Woolen Factory.— Tanneries.— Manufactories. — Stores.— Ho-
tels.—Business at the Depot.— Old Mills.— East Readfield.— Mills.— Oilcloth
Works. — Stores. — Ashery. — Union Meeting House Company.— Churches.—
Cemeteries.— Societies.— Schools. —Town Reports. —Population.— Civil Lists.
— Town Meetings. — Personal Paragraphs.
READFIELD is perpetual heir to half of the fictions, traditions,
facts and settlement of old Pondtown, and to a like proportion
of the first twenty years' history of Winthrop, from which she
was taken in 1791. Only in the civil adjustments that spring from
separate organization did her real life become any different after she
became a township. The first significant feature that looms up in her
character seemed to crop out soon after her incorporation. It was the
moral quality and religious tendency of her people. No higher quali-
ties or better tendencies exist than these. Here was built in 1793
one of the earliest Baptist meeting houses in the Kennebec valley,
and in the same town and at the same time flourished a Methodist so-
ciety that marches in the van of its denomination, as having built
their oldest house of worship in the state. These facts are significant.
They indicate a vigor that permeates the entire character. Intellect
is quickened, talent is developed, and the possibilities of genius are
enlarged by such environments. The air of Readfield seems there-
fore to have been charged with a tonic, attractive to the tastes and
conducive to the growth of lawyers and statesmen. Four governors
of Maine, a United States senator and two members of presidential
cabinets she reckons with pride as having been her citizens. More
men have been admitted to the bar who have prepared in a single
law office in Readfield than from any other lawyer's office in Kenne-
bec county.
In 1821 a public spirited farmer at Kents Hill became fired with
educational zeal, and with five associates procured the incorporation
of the Readfield Religious and Charitable Society. Like many other
wise men they builded better than they knew; for only three years
TOWN OF READFIELD. 891
later they changed the name of their child to the Maine Wesleyan
Seminary — the first Methodist institution of learning in the state.
The intellectual and religious life of Readfield has always been
characterized by breadth and liberality. In 1827 representative citi-
zens from every part of the town built of brick a Union meeting
house, at a cost of over $10,000, that for more than fifty years was the
only house for worship in the village at the Corner, and is still owned
by persons of differing religious tenets. Agricultural progress, al-
ways measured by the amount of brain and thought devoted to its
interests, has always been characteristic of its farmers. They were
partners with Winthrop in the formation in 1818, of the first agricul-
tural society in Maine, if not in New England, and one of their num-
ber is the present secretary of that body. The names, and what few
dates are obtainable of the worthy pioneers of Readfield and some of
their descendants, are interesting and suggestive reading.
Settlers. — Of the twenty-seven men who signed the petition,
dated Kennebec, 1770, for the incorporation of Pondtown Plantation,
the eight following were living on territory that is now Readfield:
James Craig, lot No. 212;; Elisha Smith, lot 134; Moses Ayer, lot 213;
Joseph Greeley, lot 135; Watt C. Emery, lot 23, near head of East
cove; Robert Waugh, 1765, lot 98; Moses Greeley and Jonathan Em-
ery. Others who were contemporary with them on Readfield soil,
but whose names do not appear on the petition, were: John Greeley's
sons, John, Samuel and Henry, the last two living near the old town
house; John O. Craig, who had a son, John P.; Mr. Whittier, who
came in 1765 and cleared a farm and sold it to Levi Morrell, and had
sons, Levi, Samuel, David, Jacob and James Whittier; Mr. Hoyt, who
came in 1770 and had sons, Eliphalet, Hubbard and Levi; Captain Job
Shurburne, 1770, and Eliphalet Dudley, who settled Dudley's Plain's
in 1770.
Some of those who came a little later were: John French, in 1785,
who had a son, James; Benjamin Carr, 1785, on lot No. 29, and had
sons, Joseph, Samuel, Benjamin, Aaron and John; and William El-
liott, who came in 1805 and bought of Andrew Blunt the farm on
which his son, David Elliott, still lives; John Hubbard, M.D., came
from New Hampshire in 1784, settled on lot No. 28, and had sons,
Doctor John, who became Governor Hubbard, Cyrus and Greenlief;
the Sanborns, who lived just west of Hubbard's; Jeremiah Brown, who
lost a son in the war of 1812 and whose other son's name was Jacob;
Doctor Sawyer, about 1795; Joseph Hutchinson, 1790, who settled on
lot No. 25, and had sons, Joseph, Eben, Henry and Edmond; Levi
Johnson, who died in 1814, had a son, Levi; Samuel Page, settled on
lot No. 24, had sons, Nathaniel, Simon, Samuel and Madison; Mr.
Richardson, 1799; Jonas Packard, 1800; John Lane, sons, Joshua and
George; Samuel H. Luce; Taber Lyon, 1800, sons, Taber and Harri-
m2 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
son; Daniel Gordon, 1790, sons, William, Daniel and Stephen; Luther
Gordon, sons, Luther, Henry, Joseph and James; David Homes; Ben-
jamin Melvin, 1802, sons, Benjamin, Hiram, Abram and George; Sam-
uel Melvin, brother to Benjamin, sons, John, Samuel, Benjamin,
George and Bradbury; David Sleeper; James Clough, 1800; Captain
Judkins, 1805, son, Charles, and John Coombs.
Three brothers, Nathaniel, William and Thomas Whittier, came
about 1765 from New Hampshire and felled the trees on twenty acres,
and the next spring burned the ground over and planted it without
plowing. The crop was left to the tender mercies of coons and bears,
who did some damage, but enough remained in the fall for a good
yield. This surprised the previous comers, who had plowed the new-
land before planting. One of these brothers carried a bushel and a
half of potatoes on his back from Hallowell to his farm in Readfield.
Rev. Isaac Case came in 1792 and raised ten adult children. His
sons were: Isaac, Ambro.se, William and Elisha. When Elisha was
.seventy years old there were living representatives of five genera-
tions of the Case family. Robert Page, a very early settler, came in
1767, and had sons, Robert and Jere. Joseph, Calvin, Alfred, Daniel,
Martin and Margaret Johnson came from Bridgewater, Mass., with
their mother, and settled in Readfield in 1800. John Dutton had a
son, John, who had sons, John, Reuben, Daniel and Joseph; Shubel
Luce had sons, Shubel, Thomas and Atest; William Macomber had
sons, William, Hatch, Sanders, Calvin, Harvey and Martin; Solomon
Lombard had sons, Ephraim, Daniel, Benjamin, vSolomon and Gor-
ham; Rev. William Hankerson, a revolutionary soldier, had sons,
William and George; Christopher Turner came from England and
built the first frame dwelling in Readfield, now a barn belonging to
William Harvey, on the Lombard road; and Peter Hunton had sons,
George Washington, Wellington, Napoleon B., Lafayette and Louis
B. Hunton.
Villages and Post Offices.— The early mills may have located
the first village at Readfield Corner, although the first saw mill on the
upper dam is over a half mile distant, and the woolen mill is more
than a fourth of a mile from the post office, and is surrounded by a
collection of houses sometimes called Factory village.
The village of Kents Hill is two miles to the v/estward of the
Corner, and was created and is maintained by the wantsof the school.
The settlement at the Depot was created by the railroad, which
ran its first train of cars to this town in 1849.
East Readfield used to be a thriving hamlet when the oilcloth fac-
tory was in operation, but possesses now but few promises of an in-
crease of inhabitants. A post office was established here, with Amos
Stickney as postmaster, March 2, 1827. His successors were: Silas
Leonard, 1828; Abijah Upham, jun.; Joseph A. Sanborn, 1844; David
TOWN OF READFIELD. 893
Bowker, April, 1857; Jacob ilorrill, November, 1857; and Peter F.
Sanborn, 1861, who served until the office was discontinued in Decem-
ber, 1870.
The first post office in Readfield was established April 1, 1798, and
took the name of the town. The succession of postmasters, with dates
of appointment, includes: James Dalton, appointed April 1, 1798;
Samuel P. Gliddens, July 1, 1801; Samuel Currier, August 2, 1803;
James Fillebrown, jun.. May 23, 1829; Timothy O. Howe, June 12,
1841; John Lambert, July 1, 1843; Francis A. Williams, September 16,
1850; Moses Whittier, July 20, 1855; William Turner, March 5, 1857;
Shubael P. Me s, January 18, 1861; Benjamin T. Richards, Novem-
ber 16, 1861; Henry C. Packard, November 21, 1872; Augustus P. Tur-
ner, March 12, 1877; Jere P.Johnson, October 3, 1878; Annie M. Craig,
November 13, 1885: and Emma F. Johnson, who was appointed April
2, 1887.
Readfield Depot post office was established February 19, 1851. and
its postmasters have been: Benjamin F. Melvin, appointed February
19, 1851; Daniel Craig, February 10, 1854; Nelson Pool, August 15,
1861; Samuel H. Morrill September 21, 1885; and Nelson D. Gordon,
appointed August 6, 1889.
The Rents Hill post office was established in 1826 to meet the
wants of the young Methodist school, then only two years old. Its
postmasters have been: Lory Bacon, appointed December 11, 1826;
Dudly Moody, March 21, 1829; David Wheelock, February 13, 1851;
Charles S. Haynes, January 7, 1854; Robert G. Skofield, January 16,
1855; Gustavus Clark, April 4, 1861; John W. Manter, November 19,
1869; Noah Jewett, April 30, 1875; Samuel McNear, September 15,
1885; and Noah Jewett, appointed April 22, 1889.
The offices at Rents Hill and Readfield village are served twice a
day by a stage that carries the mail to and from the Maine Central
depot.
Mills.— On the upper dam about 1770, James Craig built a saw
mill, which at his death became the property of John Bean, together
with a wood lot. This property was purchased by John Bean, jun., and
John O. Craig, who ran the mill awhile and sold it to Dudley Fogg and
David Sampson. The old saw mill had been rebuilt, with a grist mill
and dwelling house added. Mr. Fogg bought his partner's interest,
and kept the mills running till 1855, when his son, Josiah N., became
the owner. He kept the mill in operation about ten years and sold it
to the factory company.
On the upper dam Joel Bean built a fulling mill that was run by
his sons, Philo and Reuben, and afterward by Mayo & Bartlett, who in
1825 were carding wool and coloring and pressing cloth there. Dean
Smith bought the old factory, which did its last work in 1843.
894 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
There was a tannery and a bark mill, built by Joshua Bean before
1815, on the stream that crosses the stage road at the foot of what
used to be called the Cameron hill; they were in operation as late as
1840. The old dam still remains.
The first grist mill in Readfield was built by James Craig before
1790, on the site where the present grist mill stands, on the lower dam.
After many years Dudley Fogg and Luther Sampson became the
owners. Mr. Fogg purchased Mr. Sampson's share, and in 1843 built
the stone dam, and the next year built the present mill. In 1845 his
son, Josiah Fogg, became the owner, and continued to operate the mill
till 1889, when the present owner, William C. Record, purchased the
property. The mill has three runs of stones, sufficient water power,
and has always served a large number of patrons.
As early as 1785 to 1790, Robert Conforth, an Englishman, who had
sons, William, Robert and Leonard, built a mill on Factory dam, where
he made yarn and wove cloth for a term of years. After him a com-
pany in which Thomas Nickerson was main owner and manager,
bought the property and were operating it when the great freshet of
1826 swept away all the dams on the stream. About 1830 cotton yarn
was made in the factory by Thomas Ling. At the same time a Mr.
Stanton hired a room and wove webbing two or three years. His son,
Thomas, went to Monmouth, and made the same kind of goods there.
After this, custom cloth was made, the yarn being spun by machinery
and woven by hand.
Lewis Flanders, who had been an owner and operator, closed out
his interest in 1839, and was succeeded the same year by Josiah Per-
ham, who had bought an interest in the property, of Dudley Fogg.
In addition to making woolen goods, Perham fitted up a shop, where
he made machinery to manufacture woolen goods. He was from
Wilton, where he owned another factory, and after making the ma-
chines necessary for the mills here, he made another set for the Wil-
ton mills, which was just ready for shipment when the fire of 1841
consumed the buildings here with their contents.
Flanders & Sherburn rebuilt the mills in 1842 and rented them to
Wetherbee & Metcalf, who were the first manufacturers here of cloth
for the general market. Perham made cloth for the home market
only. They operated two years[and were .succeeded by Flanders &
Sherburn, who did the same line of work till about 1848, when they
sold the entire plant to Anson P. Morrell. From this time the con-
cern became known as the Readfield Woolen Manufacturing Com-
pany. The new proprietor was just the man for the place. He put
wagons on the road, and sold a class of goods to the merchants that
the wants of the country and village trade demanded, giving the
Readfield cloths a great and widespread reputation.
TOWN OF READFIELD. 895
Dearborn & Mills bought the works about 1870, and continued the
same style of business for several years, when the firm changed to
Mills & Hartwell. A stock company in which they were large owners
was formed in 1880, put in steam power, and operated four years as
the Readfield Woolen Manufacturing Company. In 1884 the plant
was sold to Cowan & Co., who made yarn for about a year, but made
no cloth. The concern was organized on a stock basis, and was desig-
nated the Nawoc Woolen Company. A moderate business was done
the first year, and then ceased entirely, the property since remaining
idle and unproductive.
Joseph Fogg built, just below the grist mill, a fourth dam, for the
benefit of his tannery, about 1815, which business he prosecuted till
the fire of 1841. Abram Bachelder bought the site and ran the tan-
nery till about 1862, then sold it to Charles P. Greeley, who tanned
sheep skins till the close of the war, when Mr. Bachelder became his
partner, and Bachelder & Greeley added a large building to the works,
and did an extensive business in tanning sheep skins. They sold
about 1872, to John Bickford, who continued the same line of work till
1877, when he was burned out.
A most important industry had its beginning in the shop of James
Williams, a skillful blacksmith of Readfield. His skill as a worker in
steel, and a maker of springs for buggies and carriages had long been
known, and he conceived the idea of making them for the trade. The
first springs were produced entirely by hand labor in his little shop at
the Corner. Their merits were recognized by a demand that caused
Mr. Williams to put a trip-hammer in a shop on Factory dam, where
the orders for his goods became larger than the capacity of his water
power. Hebron Wentworth, a son-in-law and partner of Mr. Williams,
moved the works to Gardiner, where they have long been known as
the Wentworth Spring Manufactory. This was the first steel spring
factory in Maine — a business that has since grown to immense propor-
tions.
About 1834 James Williams built a brick shop on Factory dam, put
in a trip-hammer, and made scythes for about three years. He failed
to get the temper right, and had to give it up. The building was torn
down. Sash, doors and blinds were made, and .some cabinet work was
done for six years by James Nichols, in a shop built by him in 1867
near the grist mill, on the lower dam. In 1854 land plaster was
ground in one of the woolen factory mills, for agricultural uses, from
stone brought from Nova Scotia.
The brick for the Union church, which was built in 1827, were
made by Francis Hunt on his land on the Winthrop road, and were
the first made in town so far as known. The brick for Sampson Hall,
which was built in 1859, were made south of the saw mill, about forty
896 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
rods from the upper dam. There was an old brick j^ard on land near the
stream owned by Shepard Bean, where he made brick as early as 1835.
Josiah Fogg- owns the land and made brick there in 1840-41. Just
east of the school house was also another brick kiln run by Samuel
Currier. The brick for the school house, which was built in 1860, were
made in the old Francis Hunt yard on the Winthrop road, by Upham
T. Cram.
Hotels. — The house where Mrs. Lord lives was kept many years
ago as a hotel by Peter Kittridge, and after him by Cromwell Pitts.
Timothy Fogg kept tavern where Mrs. Manter lives. Mr. Gaslin,
Mr. Webster, Ben Barden, John Masher and Reuben Russell were
successive landlords in years gone by on the hill where Mr. Russell
now lives, a half mile north of the Corner. Dudley & Hutchinson
were the landlords away back in the thirties, in the hotel between the
Corner and the Depot. Joseph J. Hutchinson bought his partner's
interest and kept the house from 1840 to 1881, when it was burned.
The present village hotel on the Corner was built by John O. Craig,
who made repairs and built stables in 1836. Mr. Linscott, Mr. Calden,
G. M. Fillebrown, Mr. Mace and George Wing have kept it.
Stores. — The first store at Factory village was built by Dana B.
Fogg near the dam, about 1870. Fogg & Stevens traded in it eight
years, then Fogg & Brown in 1880, Stevens & Brown, 1881, and Fred
I. Brown till 1890, when he built and moved into the store he now
owns and occupies.
Anson P. Morrell built a store on the dam, which he carried on in
connection with his cloth factory some years and sold to Dearborn,
Morrell & Smith. Mr. Smith was a tailor and the new firm manufac-
tured clothing for awhile. A. P. Morrell bought the concern and
■closed the business. J. P. Johnson then rented the building and kept
a store in it for eleven years. Captain Phineas Morrell bought the
stock and his son, Anson, kept it two or three years. In 1886 J. P.
Johnson opened another store near the factory, which he kept for
three years.
Some of the early store-keepers at the corner were: Thonias Smith;
John Smith, who had a store where Merriman's store stands; James
Fillebrown, where Hatch is; Louis Haines, who was burned out in
1882, where McDonald is; Lory Bacon; John Currier, 1882; Jere Page,
1832; John Fisk, 1836; John Lambert, 1885; J. P. Johnson, 1857; U. T.
■Cram, 1856; and Lewis Davis, who built the store Wilson uses for a
harness shop, and traded there till 1862. In 1865 Dr. W. O. Wright
succeeded Lambert & Packard, who opened the first drug store in the
village. John Smith opened a store in 1840, and was succeeded by
his son John, who was burned out in 1856. Daniel Lombard, in the
house now occupied by G. W. Manter as a dwelling, kept a store as
late as 1832.
TOWN OF READFIELD. 897
Lory Bacon, the first postmaster at Kents Hill, was also the first
merchant, Dudley Moody the next, and David Wheelock the third.
Later merchants have been: Gustavus Clark, Clark & Packard, J. W.
Manter, Mrs. Samuel McNear and Noah Jewett.
The first store at Readfield Depot belonged to a Mr. Butler, who
moved it across the road from where the post office now is; Daniel
Craig traded in it and was succeeded by his son, D. W. Craig. Sam-
uel Cole was the next merchant and G. C. Caswell, in 1880, the last.
B. F. Melvin had a store on the west side of the road in 1850. About
1870 Oliver Parsons built the stone house now standing near the rail-
road and did business in it. Since then the successive traders have
been: H. H. Harding, Parsons & Morrell, Samuel H. Morrell, Morrell-
& Gordon and Gordon & Henry. John Parsons, of Augusta, built a
store just south of the stone house, and sold dry goods exclusively for
two years, until it was destroyed by fire about 1870.
On the brook running through the farm now owned by Lewis B.
Hunton, a saw mill was built by Jere Page before 1820. He did a
good work with it for fifteen years and sold the farm and mill to
Francis Hunt, who in 1848 sold it to the present owner. After four
years' use Mr. Hunton rebuilt the mill and sold it in 1854 to David
Bowker. Samuel Wade was the next purchaser, and after about three
years it was burned. On the same brook John Lane, about 1810, built
a mill for grinding flax seed and making linseed oil. The business
was abandoned before 1840 and the building moved away for a stable.
On the small stream, one and a half miles long, at East Readfield,
a grist mill was built by one Carlton as early as 1800. At his death
in 1814 his son, Henry, became its proprietor. In the same building
was a cider mill operated by water power, and Nova Scotia stone was
brought there as late as 1820 to 1825 and ground into plaster, which
found ready sale among the farmers of that day. The old mill site
is now owned by David F. Austin. Near the same brook Mr. Johnson
built a tannery about 1812, which he ran till his death in 1817, when
Peter Sanborn became the owner and did a large business till his
death in 1824. Mr. Sanborn, who came from New Hampshire, was
possessed of business talent and great activity of mind and body.
Upon arriving at a suitable age his sons, Peter F. and Joseph A., in
1834 engaged in the tanning business, ground their bark by water,
and for thirty years made leather that was widely known for its su-
perior qualities. After them a Mr. Horcroft ran the tannery a couple
of years, when he died and had no .successor.
About fifty rods from the old grist mill the oilcloth works that be-
came the high water mark of Readfield prosperity were built in 1845,
by P. F. and J. A. Sanborn, E. S. Case, Abijah Upham and Samuel
Jackson. Steam power and all the necessary appliances for the manu-
facture of floor cloths were put in operation by the new company,
57
ayo HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
which did business for three years, when the Sanborns bought their
partners' interests and two years later built two more buildings, with
general improvements. In 1865 Peter F. Sanborn sold to his brother,
Joseph A., who was sole owner of the works till 1870, when he sold
the entire plant to Charles M. Bailey. In 1877 the largest of the
three buildings was destroyed by fire, and Mr. Bailey at once removed
the machinery and took down the remaining two buildings, each one
hundred feet long. This terminated an industry that employed fifty
people for a period of thirty years, compelling them to seek new em-
ployment or remove to new localities, and extinguished the bright
prospects of a thriving hamlet.
A store was built by Mr. Carlton at East Readfield, in which his
son, Cyrus, was trading as early as 1816. George Gage was there in
1822 and 1823 and Jonathan Atwood for the next twelve years. Then
it was changed into a dwelling. P. F. & J. A. Sanborn kept a store
for several years when they were making oilcloth.
Mr. Carlton also built a large house and kept tavern. His son-in-
law, Silas Leonard, succeeded him for two years, after which Abijah
Upham bought the property and kept a public house till 1845. No
hotel has been kept there since.
Near the oilcloth works at East Readfield Dr. John Hubbard,
father of Governor John Hubbard, had an ashery, abandoned before
1815. E. S. Case made potash at East Readfield and used the leached
ashes on his farm as late as 1868. Colonel Oliver Bean made potash
as late as 1850, on his farm, now owned by E. Morgan, using the refuse
ashes on his land as a fertilizer.
Churches. — The large brick meeting house at Readfield Corner
was probably built in 1827. An extract from the first page of its
records reads: " The undersigned, owners and proprietors of the
Meeting house recently erected at Readfield Corners, hereby repre-
sent that they are desirous of becoming a legal corporation by the
name and style of the Readfield Union Meeting House Company."
The petition, dated June 12, 1828, was addressed to William Fuller, a
justice of the peace, asking him to call a legal meeting at the school
house of district No. 5, to be held July 4, 1828.
On August 23d the incorporation was consummated and a constitu-
tion was adopted, article third reading as follows: " Each religious
sect or denomination, individuals of which are members of this
corporation, shall forever have the right to supply the pulpit in
said house with preaching such portion of the year as shall be equal
to the portion owned in said house from year to year." Each owner
held a deed of one or more pews " with an undisputed right to
occupy the same during all public and private meetings held in the
same by any religious sect or denomination whatever." Article eleven
provided: " No tax shall ever be assessed on the pews in said house
for the support of preaching in the same."
TOWN OF READFIELD. »yy
These provisions show the fairness and wisdom of the founders
and organizers of this most difficult of all co-partnerships— a union
meeting house property. Regular business meetings have been held,
full lists of officers elected, and the equal rights of all members of the
company have been carefully maintained. In 1868 over $8,000 was
raised and expended in needed alterations and repairs on the meeting
house. About the same time Mrs. Asa Gile gave the society, for a
vestry, the old Smith mansion, which was moved to its present loca-
tion on the Union meeting house grounds and fitted up by the Uni-
versalist and Methodist societies.
After a petition and warrant upon which a public meeting was duly
called and held in the school house in district No. 5, September 27,
1823, the First Universalist Society of Readfield was incorporated. By
the records it appears that annual meetings were held, and on March
17, 1828, it was voted " to instruct Captain Oliver Bean to engage Rev.
George Bates to preach half the time for six months, and a fourth of
the time the next six months on condition that he will attend for $6.00
a Sabbath."
The regular business meetings of the society continued to be held
at the .school house in District No. 5, until April 20, 1839, on which
date a meeting was held in the Union meeting house, the last entry in
the records of which reads: " I have returned into the clerk's office of
the town of Readfield a list of the members belonging to said society,
being one hundred and twenty. L. Myrick Morrell, Clerk." All of
the names are copied in the records, and no women's names appear in
the list.
The organization of this society has been carefully preserved from
that time to the present, and religious services have been maintained
in the Union meeting house. Rev. George Bates, the first pastor, was
employed at different times after his first engagement. The follow-
ing list of his successors may not be in regular order of service, but
is as full and exact as has been obtainable: Reverends W. A. Drew,
Calvin Gardner, Zenas Thompson, O. N. Johnson, George W. Quinby,
S. O. Skinner, A. Gunnison, John C. Hinds, Giles Bailey, Costello
Weston, 1870; A. Basserman, 1877; W. S. Whitman and F. T. Crane.
The history of Methodism in Readfield begins with its first intro-
duction in Maine. The New England conference of August 1, 1793,
made but six appointments — the last one reading: " Province of Maine
and Lynn, Jesse Lee." The province of Maine at that time meant
from fifteen to twenty thousand square miles of dense forest, dotted
with settlements connected by roads marked by spotted trees, and in-
habited by 97,000 souls, with not a single member of the Methodist
church among them. The bare attempt to make a mental picture of
this field is enough to stir the dullest imagination, and to surfeit the
wildest. Lee was born and raised in Virginia, was over six feet tall.
900 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of fine proportions, liandsome, and possessed of the ready, eloquent
speecti, wit and fine manners for wtiich Virginians liad so long been
noted. With perfect health and the most ardent religious zeal, he set
foot on the unexplored territory on the sixth day of September, and
preached at Saco, on the tenth, his first sermon in Maine. Passing
from settlement to settlement, he reached Readfield on the nineteenth
and preached the first Methodist sermon ever heard in this town.
Before the month was out he had formed the first circuit, and mak-
ing a journey of exploration with daily preaching, he returned and
met the class in this town, Sunday, November 16th — the second class
in the provmce, the first being in Monmouth. December 12, 1794, he
preached again in Readfield. But the most memorable event occurred
the next year, June 21, 1795, when he came and preached the dedi-
catory sermon of the Readfield meeting house — the first Methodist
church dedicated in Maine. In it the first session of the New Eng-
land Conference was held in 1798. Bishop Francis Asbury, who pre-
sided, made this entry in his diary: " Saturday, August 25, we had to
beat through the woods between Winthrop and Readfield, which are
as bad as the Alleghany mountains and the shades of death." " From
one thousand to eighteen hundred," says Asbury, " attended public
preaching and ordination."
After thirty years of constant use the building became worn and
needed repairs. The society thought best to move it about thirty rods
to the south, and so made an old fashioned "bee." Long timbers
were put under it, to which fifty yoke of cattle were hitched, and with
a pull all together the strong, patient oxen took Jesse Lee's first church
to its present location. The house was repaired at once, and re-dedi-
cated the same year, 1825. In 1857 it was again remodeled and en-
larged, a steeple and bell being added.
The old church has of late years been feeble in membership and
has not been able to sustain preaching all the time. The following
have served one or more years since 1860: Leroy T. Carlton, Charles
Jenness, W. F. Berry, E. R. French, J. W. V. Rich and Professors Frank
Robinson, Chase and Edgar M. Smith, of Kents Hill.
The pastors of Readfield circuit from 1794 until its division in 1827
are mentioned on page 778 of this volume. Some of the appointments
at Readfield since the latter date have been: P. Crandall, 1828; G. G.
Aloore, 1829; Caleb Fogg, 1829; D. Hutchinson, 1831, '34; D. Cope-
land, J. Warren and C. Baker, 1830; D. Greeley, 1833; D. Fuller, 1834;
C. H. Lovejoy, 1835, '36; H. Nickerson, 1835, '38, '43. '60, '63; J. S.
Rice, 1837; E. Streeter, 1839, '42; A. Alton, 1840; J. Milliken, 1841, '43,
'44; S. Ambrose, 1845; S. P. French and J. Lull, 1846; T. Hill, 1849; J.
Cumner, 1851; D. B. Randall, 1852, '55; R. J. Ayer, 1853; C. Mugford,
1854; W. H. Foster, 1855; J. Young, 1856, '59; H. M. Blake, 1860, '61;
T. Gibson, 1861, '62; A. Sanderson, 1864, '66; J. W. Simpson, 1868; J.
R. Masterson, 1870, '71; J. Colbv, 1871, '74.
TOWN OF READFIELD. 901
The formation of the first Methodist class at Rents Hill preceded
the church, which was built by Luther Sampson in 1800, and dedi-
cated the same year by Jesse Lee. Under the preaching of Joseph
Baker, in 1804, there was a good growth in membei'ship. Kents Hill
was then part of Readfield circuit and so remained till 1835, when a
new house of worship was built, and in connection with Readfield
Corner it was made a separate charge. About 1831 Luther Sampson
purchased a lot and built and furnished a double house for the
preacher in charge and for the presiding elder. This house was used
for a parsonage until 1881, when under the pastorate of L. H. Bean it
was sold and a better one purchased. Under the pastorate of S. Allen
in 1865, the church was enlarged at an expense of $1,800.
The Methodists at Readfield Corner for many years worshipped in
the Union meeting house, where they still own several pews, but
about 1875 they gained in numbers and built a neat chapel in which
the preacher in charge at Kents Hill holds services each Sunday.
Some of the appointments at Kents Hill have been: P. C. Rich-
mond, 1831; E. Crooker, 1835; E.Shaw, 1836; E. Robinson, 1839, '68,
'71, '77; C. W. Morse, 1841; Cornelius Stone, 1845; R. H. Stinchfield,
1848; G. Webber, 1847, '51, '58; J. C. Prince, 1852, '53; J. Mitchell,
1857; A. J. Church, 1859; R. C. Bailey, 1865; J. F. Hutchms, 1872; C.
C. Mason, 1875, '77; C. Munger, 1878; L. H. Bean, 1881; J. Lapham,
1882; Cyrus Stone, 1885; C. F. Allen, 1888; and D. B. Holt, the present
pastor, in 1891.
The very year that Readfield became a township, 1791, Parson
Potter, the zealous propagandist of the Baptist faith, began preaching
in East Readfield and East Winthrop. The next spring Rev. Isaac
Case spent some weeks of labor here, and a few months later returned
and, meeting in a barn, organized a church with twenty members, of
which he became pastor. During the fall of the same year he preached
in a neighborhood adjoining Augusta, where a revival added thirty-
five more members to the new church. In 1793 this vigorous young
society built the first Baptist church in this part of the state at East
Readfield.
Elder Case soon after resigned his pastorate here and gave his
whole time to missionary work. The church had no regular preach-
ing for several years. Elder Pillsbury came in 1804, and sixty were
added to the church during his stay of one year. After two years
without a pastor, Rev. Robert Lee was elected to that office in 1807,
and remained eight years. Rev. Josiah Houghton succeeded for seven
years, and in 1824 Orren Tracy, a student from Waterville College,
preached with such power that seventy-seven new members were bap-
tized— more than making good the loss of members who left and joined
the East Winthrop church, which was formed the same year.
After that time the church had for its pastors: Reverends Joseph
902
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Torry, 1826; Robert Low, 1832; William Johnson, 1834, and William
Smith, 1837 to 1841. In order to locate the meeting house more nearly
in the geographical center of the society, it was moved in 1838 and is
now in the town of Manchester, where its subsequent history is given.
It would be difficult to find a church as prolific in forming new churches
as this. Baptist organizations at Mt. Vernon, Belgrade, Hallowell and
Winthrop were all inaugurated by members who left the old mother
church at East Readfield. James Murphy, Samuel Fogg, Thomas
Goldthwait, E. J. White and William Cross, who became Baptist min-
isters, were previously of its members.
The Freewill Baptist Church, composed of thirty-seven members,
was organized May 7, 1839. The church building was erected and
dedicated in 1844. This church had three preachers: B. Hedge, Joseph
Edgcom and S. P. Morse. The society became very much reduced, no
services were held for a series of years, and the town bought the
building for its public business.
Ever since its establishment at Kents Hill, the Maine Wesleyan
Seminary has been a strong factor in the moral, intellectual and social
development of the town of Readfield. It is an institution in which
the community takes a just pride, and its progress from its early days
of struggle to its present era of prosperity and wide-spreading in-
fluence, has been a subject of engrossing attention to all who have
lived within the atmosphere of the school. A brief mention of the
seminary as one of the institutions in the county, has been made at
page 101; but at this point it is befitting that a more extended review
of its history should be given.
The movement which resulted in the incorporation of the seminary,
in December, 1824, was due to the efforts, at first unconsciously di-
vided, of two men — Elihu Robinson, a Methodist class leader of
Augusta, and Luther Sampson, a farmer of Kents Hill. In 1820 the
former established a boarding school at his own home in Augusta, and
in 1821 the latter was one of five incorporators of the Readfield Re-
ligious and Charitable Society, to which he donated the sum of $10,-
000. In 1823 it was specified that part of this gift should be appro-
priated to the purposes of a school at Kents Hill; and in 1824, at the
urgent solicitation of Mr. Sampson, Mr. Robinson removed his school
thither, into a boarding house that had been erected, and assumed the
general management of the institution.
A seminary building was soon put up " in a plain and economical
style," and, as the institution was opened as a manual labor school,
mechanic shops were built, and the students allowed to pay most of
their expenses in labor in them, or on the farm attached to the school.
Though a large attendance resulted from this feature, it brought
financial ruin to the enterprise, the productions of unskilled labor
TOWN OF READFIELD. 903
being necessarily unremnnerative; and after a trial of about twelve
years the system was abandoned.
In the early part of 1825 Mr. Asa H. Thompson, of Industry, was
chosen principal of the school. He died, however, before entering-
upon the duties of his office, and Rev. Henry Cushman filled the posi-
tion for a few months. In September, 1825, Rev. Zenas Caldwell, the
first Methodist from Maine who had graduated from a college (Bow-
doin), was elected principal. Under his direction the school attained
a high degree of success, but failing health caused him to resign in
the fall of 1826, and in December of the same year he died, at the age
of twenty-six.
In 1827 the school was under the charge of Dr. Samuel Stevens, a
graduate of Waterville College; and in the spring term of 1828 Joshua
Randall, a graduate of the same college, acted as principal. In the
fall term of 1828 Merritt Caldwell, of Bowdoin, a brother of Zenas,
was elected principal, and conducted the institution with marked suc-
cess till 1834. During his administration a woman's department,
which afterward grew (in 1860) to the dignity of a college, was estab-
lished under the care of Miss Urania Merritt. During this period
many young men of rare promise were attracted to the school, among
them being: John Johnston, afterward professor of natural science in
Wesleyan University; Rev. Joseph Cummings, president of Wesleyan,
later of Northwestern University; William H. Allen, late president of
Girard College; Bishop D. W. Clark, late bi.shop of the M. E. Church;
and Hon. Timothy O. Howe, late postmaster-general.
Though intellectually the school continued to prosper, its finances
were in a deplorable state, and it became necessary to employ agents
to solicit funds. Among those who acted in this capacity, from 1830
to 1840, were: Reverends Asa Heath, Charles Baker, Gershom F. Cox
and Mr. James Dinsmore. During this time about $16,000 was raised.
In 1834 Mr. Caldwell, having been elected professor of metaphysics
in Dickinson College, Pa., resigned as principal, and the school con-
tinued during the year under the direction of Charles Collins, James
Bell and A. T. Wheelock. In 1835 Rev. William C. Larrabee, princi-
pal of Cazenovia Seminary, N. Y., was elected head of the seminary,
and ably filled the chair until 1840. In this latter year the financial
crisis came, the income of the school having continued to fall below
its expenses. The institution was bankrupt; all its alienable property
was sold for the benefit of its creditors, and still several thousand dol-
lars were left unpaid. Mr. Larrabee was himself heavily involved in
the financial wreck, and accepted a professorship in Asbury Univer-
sity, Ind. Still a brave struggle for life was made by the school. In
1841 Rev. Stephen Allen, of the Troy Conference Academy, Vt., was
elected principal. He remained until 1844, when he resigned to enter
the itinerant service in the Maine Conference.
904 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
In this year Rev. D. B. Randall was appointed agent, and succeeded
in cancelling- the debt of the institution and raising funds for a new-
seminary building. Rev. Henry P. Tor.sey, who had served as assist-
ant during the }'ear 1843, was elected principal, and from the date of
his wise and energetic administration began a new era for the school,
both financially and intellectually. A .sketch of this able teacher's
life may be found in this chapter.
On August 10, 1860, the spacious and elegant .Sampson Hall was
dedicated. The financial credit of the institution was restored, a
broader curriculum of studies was established, the faculty was in-
creased in number, the principal became a president, diplomas, in
classic style, were granted to graduates, and degrees were conferred.
This new departure was followed by a large increase in the number
of students, to accommodate whom the erection of Bearce Hall was
begun. The building was completed in 1871, at a cost of $42,000,
largely contributed by Samuel R. Bearce, late of Lewiston, and Hon.
William Deering, of Chicago. In 1883, in close proximity to Bearce
Hall, a house for the president, Blethen Hall, was erected. A con-
servatory of music and a commercial college were also established
in connection with the institution.
In 1882, after thirty-eight years of remarkable service, Mr. Torsey
was compelled, through failing health, to resign his position as presi-
dent. His mantle fell upon competent shoulders, however, his suc-
cessor, and present head of the school, being Rev. Edgar M. Smith, a
graduate of the seminary and of Wesleyan University.
The school is healthfully and picturesquely located near the head
of Lake Maranacook, and many of its students come from the farms
of the .state. The policy of the institution is conservative progress
and its discipline is strict. Five literary courses of .study, a conserva-
tory of music, an art school, a commercial college and a Normal school
are now offered to patrons.
Cemeteries. — The different parts of the town were settled so
nearly at the same time that there is probably little difference in the
years when the first burying grounds were established. That at the
Corner has had the most interments and has been enlarged by the
town. East Readfield has two and Dudley's Plains and Kents Hill
each have one. Across the road from the present town house was a
ground that was used after 1800, in which the mounds were distinct
over the graves within the memory of men still living. It has been
under cultivation for many years. There are private grounds near
Armstrong's, near G. W. Hunton's and near George Whittier's.
Societies — Masonry had an early planting in Readfield, Lafayette
Lodge, No. 48, being instituted here January 13, 1826. Its charter
members were: Edward Fuller, Franklin Bean, Josiah Whittier, 2d,
Ira S. Chapman, Asahel Brainard, George S. Currier, William C. Fuller
TOWN OF REAUFIELD. 905
and J. S. Fillebrown. The chair of the W. M. was first filled by Lory
Bacon, and for the next six years by Josiah Whittier, 2d, James Wil-
liams, Edward Fuller and Samuel Snell. From the year 1832 to 1849
there is no record. The charter, which had been surrendered, was
reissued May 20, 1850. Josiah Whittier, 2d, was again master, and
was succeeded by J. F. Taylor, George S. Currier, John Vosmus,
Emory O. Bean, Ira S. Chapman, Oliver Parsons and George M. Fille-
brown. From 1880 to 1892 S. J. Hawes, N. D. Gordon, Phineas Mor-
rill, jun., H. O. Nickerson, Joseph Gilman, C. T. Kimball and W. G.
Huntou have been masters. The present membership is eighty-one.
Maranacook Lodge, No. 345, L O. of G. T., was organized October
15, 1884, with thirteen charter members. Lee Yates first filled the
chair as W. C. T., in which the following members have succeeded
him, some of them for several terms: Fred Hunton, Charles Folsom,
A. H. Wilson, Eva Smith, J. W. Hatch, John M. Williams, Harry
Whittier, George C. Hunton, Allen White, Joseph Maswell, E. H.
Hatch, Sidney Stevens, Walter Smith and D. M. French. The pres-
ent membership is sixty-five.
Nawoc Commandery, No. 381, L'nited Order of the Golden Cross,
was instituted February 12, 1889, with thirty-one charter members.
Henry L. Hunton was elected P. N. C, George E. Coleman, N. C, and
Miss Annie Coleman, K. of R. There are thirty-seven members and
the number is increasing.
Readfield Grange, No. 217, P. of H., was organized in February,
1877, with thirty-nine charter members. James O. Butman was the
first master, and H. O. Nickerson, F. L. Gordon, L. C. Luce and M. T.
Mace have been his successors, holding the office from one to four
terms each. The Grange had a cooperative store the first four years,
which was closed out in 1882. Of the present forty-seven members,
only seven belong to the original number.
Readfield Lodge, No. 30, A. O. U. W., was organized April 14, 1885,
with twenty charter members. The master workmen have been:
W. C. vStrong, Fred L Brown, A. H. Yeaton, Eli Merriman, A. H. Wil-
son, C. S. Kimball, L L. Hopkins and W. D. Haines. The Lodge has
sixty-one members and is prosperous.
Schools.— The number of school districts in town is six, in which
there were 278 persons who drew public money in 1891, with an ac-
tual attendance at the different schools of but 143. This is in striking
contrast with such statistics a half century ago, when Readfield had
fourteen school districts. Judge Emery O. Bean and Miss Elizabeth
H. Craig, who afucrward became Mrs. Bean, taught the two depart-
ments in the village school in 1840, then, as now, No. 5, each having
over .seventy scholars — as many as the whole town sent to school in 1891.
Mi.'-s Gertrude L. Stone, an experienced teacher at Kents Hill, was
elected supervisor of schools in 1891, and her administration of this
906 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
important department has proved the wisdom of the choice. There
was a free high school at the village and another at the Depo*-, in dis-
trict No. 14, in 1891 and 1892.
Civil History. — It is a matter worthy of record that the first town
meeting, after Readfield was incorporated, was held in the spring of
1791, at the house of William Whittier, and again in 1793; the second
town meeting convened at Joshua Bean's in 1792, also in 1802; the
fourth at Josiah Mitchell's, 1794, also in 1798 and 1800; and the fifth
at Joseph Hutchinson's in 1795. The record of 1796 cannot be found,
but in 1797 the Methodist meeting house was chosen, and was the
place of the annual meetings fifteen out of the next twenty-seven
years, the last one being held within its walls in 1824. Eight annual
meetings were held in the school house of district No. 5; the first in
1809 and the last in 1823. In 1824 the town voted to build a town
house near Ellis Luce's, in which was transacted the town business
for about fifty years, when the building becoming old, and the loca-
tion not central enough, the site was sold, and the present town house
at the village, formerly the Freewill Baptist church, was bought.
At the first election for the town of Readfield, in 1791, the select-
men chosen were: John Hubbard, who served 9 years; Robert Page,
who served 1 year, and Christopher Turner, who served 1 year. In
1792 John Evans was first elected and served 9 years, and Dudley
Haines, who served 1 year; in 1793, Joshua Bean, 2 years; 1797, James
Cochran, 6, and Mathias Smith, 9; 1799, John Gage, 1; 1800, Samuel
Page, 1; 1802, Enoch Smith, 5; 1803, Abiah Holbrook, 1; 1804, Levi
Johnson, 5; 1805, Luther Sampson, 9, and John Sleeper, 2; 1807, Fran-
cis Fuller, 1; 1811, Daniel Campbell, 3, Eliphalet Hoyt, 10; 1814, John
Smith, 5; 1815, George Waugh, 5; 1817, William Taylor, 2; 1819, Sam-
uel Melvin, 1, and Lory Bacon, 6; 1820, James Fillebrown, 1, and
Henry Carlton, 1; 1821, Eli Adams, 2; 1822, Benjamin Melvin, 3;
1823, John Smith, 3; 1825, Dudley Fogg, 4, and David T. Sampson, 8;
1828, Oliver Bean, 20; 1830, Elisha Prescott, 6; 1831, David Wheelock,
1; 1832, John Haines, 4; 1833, Silas Leonard, 1, and Josiah Whittier,
3; 1835, Asahel Brainard, 3; 1838, Dudley Haines, 7; 1840, Thomas
Pierce, 1; 1841, Peter F. Sanborn, 1: 1842, Elisha S. Case, 24, and Wil-
liam C. Fuller, 4; 1845, Joshua Packard, 2; 1851, Abijah Upham, 1;
1852, John Lambert, 4, G. W. Hunton, 2, and Asa Brainard, 1; 1853,
Joseph A. Sanborn, 3; 1854, David R. Sampson, 7; 1856, David Bowker,
1; 1857, David Elliott, 3, and Charles Kent, 4; 1860, John Lambert, 2,
and Gustavus Clark, 6; 1862, H. O. White, 9; 1864, Alvin Packard, 2;
1870, Milford N. Cottle, 1; 1871, Albion Stevens, 11, George A. Russell,
6, and Samuel Fogg, 3; 1876, H. C. Packard, 1; 1877, W. H. Holmes,
2; 1878, J. B. Lowe, 7; 1879, R. W. Soule, 4; 1883, J. B. Mayhew, 2,
and W. C. Record, 2; 1884, N. D. Gordon, 3; 1885, S. S. Willard, 3;
1886, B. W. Harriman, 3; 1888, F. I. Brown, 4, and David Dudley, 4;
TOWN OF READFIELD. 907
1889, Noah Jewett, 1; 1890, W. G. Hunton, 8; 1892, James O. Butman,
W. T. Mace.
The first town clerk of Readfield was John Hubbard, whose suc-
cessors, with date of first election, have been: John Evans, elected in
1793; Samuel Currier, 1805; John Smith, 1809; Solomon Stanley, 1811;
Edward Fuller, 1812; John Smith, 1813; Edward Fuller, 1814; Jona-
than G. Hunton, 1825; George Smith, 1828; James Williams, 1830;
Lory Bacon, 1836; John Lambert, 1837; Timothy O. Howe, 1840;
Emery O. Bean, 1842; James Williams, jun., 1844; J. B. Fillebrown,
1846; Emery O. Bean. 1849; Asa Gile, 1851; Emery O. Bean, 1858;
Reuben C. Morrell, 1855; John Haynes, 1856; G. M. Fillebrown, 1857;
John Lambert, 1864; B. T. Richards, 1866; F. S. Hartwell, 1873; F. E.
Bean, 1875; W. G. Hunton, 1878; G. W. Manter, 1879; F. L Brown,
1885; and Eli Merriman since 1888.
The first treasurer was Nathaniel Whittier, and his successors,
with date of first election,* have been: Robert Page, 1794; Joseph
Carleton, 1810; Robert Page, 1812; Luther Sampson, 1817; John Smith,
1820; Cromwell Pitts, 1821; James Fillebrown, 1825; John Smith, 1827;
Dudley Fogg, 1829; Lewis Haines, 1830; John Smith, 1833; Dudley
Haines, 1843; Matthew Hay ward, 1844; John Vosmus, 1851; Daniel
Craig, 1856; John Lambert, 1857; Matthew Hayward, 1860; Daniel
Craig, 1864; Moses Whittier, 1868; Gilman Haines, 1870; D. R. Lamp-
son, 1873; J. P. Johnson, 1874; J. B. Lowe, 1877; George W. Manter,
1878; F. A. Robinson, 1879; S. J. Hawes, 1844, and W. A. Lord since
1888.
In 1858 the town bought a farm on which to maintain its poor.
This was sold and another bought in 1861, which was also sold in
1889. The population of Readfield in 1850 was 1,985; in 1860, 1,510;
in 1870, 1,456; in 1880, 1,243. The valuation in 1860 was $505,807;
in 1870, $589,171; in 1880, $499,089; in 1890, $363,728.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
David F. Austin, born in 1819, in Belgrade, is one of thirteen chil-
dren of Nahum and Jane (Farnum) Austin, and grandson of Moses
Austin, who came to Belgrade from Lebanon, Me., in 1789. Mr. Aus-
tin went from his native town to Boston, and held a position as mes-
senger in Tremont Bank from 1849 until 1869, when he came to Read-
field, having bought the old Doctor Hubbard farm of three hundred
acres. He married Mary J., daughter of Nicholas Weaver. She was
born in Belgrade. Their children were: Arthur E., M.D., of Dor-
chester, Mass.; John B., Mary E., and three that died— Carrie, David
and Minnie.
Albert F. Bean, born May 5, 1821, is the fourth child and only son
of Franklin and Sally (Macomber) Bean, and grandson of Joel Bean.
Mr. Bean is a farmer on one hundred and sixty acres of the four hun-
yu» HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
dred acre tract purchased by his g^randfather from the Plymouth Com-
pany. He married Ann J., daughter of Peabody H. Rice. She died
leaving seven children: Emma J. (Mrs. L. G. Lord), Ellen L. (Mrs. C.
I. Eaton), Laura A. (Mrs. S. W. Bennett), Anna (Mrs. A. E. Hanny),
deceased; Edward P., Cora E. (Mrs. Andrew Chandler, jun.) and Myra
L. (Mrs. John A. Larson). His present wife was Bethiah A., daugh-
ter of Enoch Shaw.
Jedediah Bourne was a son of Dea. Rouse and Hannah (Delano)
Bourne, who came from Marshfield, Mass., to Readfield, in 1811, and
bought a part of the Squire Page farm. Mr. Bourne was a farmer,
and since his death in May, 1881, his youngest son, William F., has
carried on the farm, and for the past five years has run a hay press
and bought and sold hay. Jedediah Bourne married Polythea Turner,
and their children were: Mary D., Angela, Jedediah T., Lorenzo P.
(died at the age of four years), Hannah, Lorenzo P., Lucy A. and Wil-
liam F. On the Bourne farm is a vein of slate which was worked
some fifty years ago, and from which many grave stones were made.
Many of these stones may still be seen in the old cemetery at East
Readfield.
Frederic I. Brown, of Readfield, is the son of Lauren Brown
and the grandson of Isaac Brown, who came from Brentwood, N. H.,
about 1800, to Chesterville, Me., where he bought land, built a house,
changed a forest into a farm, and took rank among the most enter-
prising men of his town. His son, Lauren, the second in a family of
eight children, was raised a farmer, succeeded to a portion of the
paternal estate, and married Eliza Ann Stevens. Charlotte M. Brown,
the eldest of their four children, has filled, since its organization in
1872, the difficult and responsible position of first matron of the Maine
Industrial School for Girls, at Hallowell, to whom " is entrusted the
whole care of the inmates, under the advice and direction of the man-
agers and the counsel and assistance of the superintendent." Her
sister, Eliza F. Brown, has for many years been assistant matron.
The third child was Henry S., and the fourth and youngest Frederic
I., who was born in Chesterville December 26, 1850. He grew to ma-
turity surrounded by rural influences and engaged in agricultural
pursuits, which were very pleasantly and profitably interlarded with
a few terms of school at Rents Hill. In 1879 he thought best to ex-
change farming for a trader's calling, and so came to Readfield and
located near the woolen factory as a member of the mercantile firm
of Fogg & Brown. The next year there was a change of partnership
to Stevens & Brown, which lasted one year, since which time Mr.
Brown has been sole proprietor. His business as dealer in meats,
groceries, flour and meal has grown under good management to ample
proportions for a country village, keeping a wagon on the road five
days in the week.
TOWN OF READFIELD. 909
Requiring larger quarters, combined with the advantages of mod-
ern appliances, he erected in 1S90 the large and attractive building
he now occupies, standing about midway between the woolen mills
and the Corner. In connection with other public spirited citizens
Mr. Brown is one of the purchasers of the Readfield Woolen Mills,
which after several years of inaction bid fair through the efforts of
their new owners to enjoy another period of their old time pros-
perity.
In the spring of 1884 Mr. Brown was elected by the republicans
to the office of town clerk, to which he was reelected each of the two
succeeding years. In 1887 he was chosen one of the selectmen of
Readfield, a position from whose duties his townsmen have not yet
been willing he should retire, as he is now in his sixth consecutive
year of service. In the fall of 1890 he was elected to the state legisla-
ture, and served on the State Reform School, engrossed bills and the
councillor apportionment committees. He was married January 19,
1881, to Miss Annie M. French, of Chesterville. The accompanying
view includes a glimpse of their pleasant and attractive home — the
old residence of General Robert Batchelder, a noted citizen, for many
years high sheriff of Kennebec county, who bought it about 1850 and
lived in it till his death.
Henry S. Brown, born in 1846, is a brother of Frederic I. Brown. He
came to Rents Hill in 1888 and bought of W. C. Record the old Kent
farm of two hundred acres, where he is a dairyman and farmer. He
married Caroline E., daughter of William F. Morrell. Their children
are: Nathalia E., Venessa M. and Harold E.
James O. Butman. — One of the most charming sections in the
western part of the county is between Winthrop and Readfield, along
the west shore of Lake Maranacook. Here is many a bit of landscape
worthy of the artist's pencil — glimpses of the placid lake set like a
sapphire in its banks of emerald green; and substantial and inviting
farm houses, suggestive of the general prosperity attendant upon
agricultural pursuits in this highly favored region.
In one of these houses, about a mile south of Readfield Center,
lives James O. Butman, whose success in sheep husbandry and
orcharding has not been paralleled in the town. Mr. Butman was
born in Vassalboro, September 7, 1836. His father, Thomas, removed
to Augusta when James was about eleven years old, and here the boy
attended school until he reached his sixteenth year, when he went to
Lynn, Mass., to learn shoemaking. Having remained in Lynn about
a year, he returned to Augusta, entered the shoe business there, and
followed it successfully for six or seven years. During this time, on
January 2, 1858, he married Ellen F. Hilton, of Augusta, by whom he
has two children. The elder, Lizzie, was born February 11, 1860. On
her twenty-third birthday she married Frank Rollins, a school teacher
■910 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and now professor of natural science in the high school in New Brit-
ain, Conn. They have four children: Ethel, Mabel, Elsie and an
infant son. Mr. Butman's other child is J. Warren, born September
7, 1880.
About two years after his marriage Mr. Butman removed to Detroit,
Me., and was there at the breaking out of the late war. In 186B he
returned to Augusta and bought a small place, but soon sold it and
removed to Readfield, where he purchased the old Johnson farm on
the Winthrop road, where he now resides. Here, besides other farm
products, he sends to market many remarkably fine Baldwins, but it is
in sheep husbandry that he especially excels. He makes a specialty
of raising early lambs, shipping them to the Boston markets. He also
keeps a small herd of high grade Jerseys, which produce an annual
average of three hundred pounds of butter.
Mr. Butman, although a staunch republican in a republican town,
has never aspired to public office, though in 1892 he was elected select-
man, after having for several years previous declined to run. He does
not believe that farming and politics mix well, and certainly the labor
he devotes to farming is productive of more substantial and perma-
nent results than could ever be derived from tilling the stony field of
politics.
George E. Coleman, born in 1862, in Augusta, is a son of Barzillai
and Amy L. (Greenleaf) Coleman, and grandson of Seth, whose father,
Captain Owen Coleman, came to Vassalboro from Nantucket, Mass., in
1800. Mr. Coleman was employed as a printer in Augusta for some
time, and in 1887 came to Readfield, where he is a farmer and fire in-
surance agent. He has been secretary of the Kennebec County Agri-
cultural Society since 1890. His wife is Jennie, daughter of G. C.
Hunton, granddaughter of Samuel, and great-grandaughter of Peter
Hunton.
David Dudley, born in 1832, is one of eleven children of Henry,
grandson of Eliphalet, and great-grandson of Stephen Dudley. Mr.
Dudley's mother, Dorothy, daughter of Eliphalet Maxfield, jun., was
born March 5, 1795, and is now living. Mr. Dudley was twenty years
an oilcloth maker, and has since been a farmer on the original Dud-
ley homestead. He has been selectman four years, and in 1891 was
chairman of the board. He married Mary E. Thompson, and they
have one son, Irving C.
John Colby Dudley", born in 1823, is a son of Samuel' and Mary
{Childs) Dudley, and his line of ancestors were: Eliphalet', Stephen",
James', James', Stephen', Samuel' and Thomas Dudlej'', who came to
America in 1630. Mr. Dudley is a farmer and orchardist, and resides
near where Stephen' settled, in 1780, when he came to Readfield from
Brentwood, N. H. He came from Brentwood when a little boy to
Hallowell, then called the Hook, and came through the woods to Read-
TOWN OF READFIELD. 911
■field by spotted trees. John C. married Mehitable, daughter of John
Dudley, and their children are: Jane C, Martin V. and Amey A.
David Elliott, born in 1808, is a son of William and Abbie (White)
Elliott. William Elliott was born in 1777, came from New Hampshire
to Readfield in 1805, where he died in 1875. David Elliott is a farmer
on the place where he was born, and which his father bought of An-
drew Blunt, when he came to the town. He married in October, 1832,
Sarah S., daughter of Samuel Courier. Their children were: Marilla
M. (iMrs. B. T. Richardson), Abbie (Mrs. David Courier), William S.
■O. and David O. (deceased).
William S. O. Elliott, the only surviving son of David Elliott? was
born in 1845. He is a farmer and speculator, and lives on a part of the
farm settled by his grandfather. He married Annie R., daughter of
Gideon Lambert, and their children are: Fred D. and Guy W.
Benjamin H. Fifield, born in 1823, is a son of Weaver and Roxana
(Curtis) Fifield, grandson of Ebenezerand Mary (Samborn) Fifield, who
•came to Readfield from Kingston, N. H., in 1805, and built their house
in 1806. Mr. Fifield is a farmer on a part of his grandfather's farm.
His first marriage was with Lovina, daughter of Nathan Hall. His
present wife was Rachel A., daughter of Dan. Hill, and granddaughter
•of Jepther Hill. Mr. Fifield is the eldest of nine children: Benjamin
H., Joann M., William E.. Alanson C, Calvin, Lucretia L., Eben, Mary
S. and Harrison, who died April 24, 1879. Calvin and Mary S. occupj'^
the north part of their grandfather's farm and the house that he built
in 1806. All of the family except Benjamin H., Calvin and Mary S.
removed to California many years since.
Josiah N. Fogg, born in 1815, is a son of Dudley Fogg (1782-1855),
who came from Raymond, N. H., to Readfield, where he was a farmer.
His wife was Nancy Gove. Mr. Fogg is a farmer. He owned and
■operated the Readfield grist mill with his father for some years, and he
■owned it from his father's death in 1855 until he sold it in 1888. He
was representative in 1875. He married Hannah W., daughter of Cap-
tain William S. Shaw, of Wiscasset, Me. Their children are: Augustine
N. and Charles H., living; and Dudley S. and Annie L., deceased.
Samuel M. Gove, son of Elias and Betsey (Johnson) Gove, was born
in 1817. He is a farmer, and since 1855 has owned and occupied the
Joseph Greeley homestead. His first wife was Sarah, daughter of
Henry and Mehitable Greeley. Their five children, all deceased,
were: Elias H., Charlotte, Samuel M., Sarah J. and Mary E. Elias H.
was in Company H, 8th Maine, and died in 1863; and Samuel M., jun.,
was in Company H, 20th Maine, and died in 1864. Mr. Gove's present
wife was Elmira, daughter of Joshua and Sarah (Sprowl) Maxwell. Mr.
Gove's eldest daughter married William P. Bailey, March 2, 1863, and
died February 10, 1884, leaving three children: Mary F., Lottie E.and
William M.
TOWN OF READFIELD. 913
Samuel G. Fogg. — North from the Readfield depot on rolling
land overlooking the beautiful Messalonskee, is one of the best culti-
vated farms in Kennebec county. Here Dudley Fogg, a son of Major
Josiah Fogg of Raymond, N. H. (a descendant of Samuel Fogg, of
New Hampshire), settled in 1802, with his wife, Nancy Gove, and
piirchased this farm of 150 acres. The youngest of their eight child-
ren, the present owner of the farm, is Samuel G. Fogg, who was born
in 1823. His first wife was Mary A. Stevens, of Monmouth, who died
leaving one son, George O. His second wife is Ann M., daughter of
Ebenezer Prescott, of Raymond, N. H. Their children were: Nellie
D., Frank P., Chase E., Mary M. and Sarah L. The accompanying
illustration includes a glimpse this homestead and its picturesque
surroundings.
Henry Greeley, son of Henry and Mehitable Greeley, and grand-
son of Joseph Greeley, was born in 1823, and married Nancy, daughter
of Moses Whittier. Their children were: Ella (Mrs. S. H. Morrill),
Charles W., Etta F., died 1852, and O. Preston, died 1860.
Samuel Greeley, born in 1823, is the eldest s.on of Samuel and
Nancy (Taylor) Greeley, and grandson of Joseph Greeley, who with
his two brothers, Samuel and Noah, came to this part of Maine— one
to Hallowell, one to Mt. Vernon, and Joseph settled in Readfield. Mr.
Greeley was eight years in Boston, and aside from that has been a
farmer on the farm where his father lived, it being a part of the Squire
Page farm. He married Harriet, daughter of Gordon Haley, who died
in 1889.
George Guptill was born in 1840 in Belgrade, on the farm which his
grandfather, Nathaniel, settled, and where his father, Nathaniel Gup-
till, v/as born and spent his life. Nathaniel, jun., married Sallie Yea-
ton, of Belgrade, by whom he had ten children. George enlisted in
1863 and served under General Banks on the Red River expedition.
He was next in the Shenandoah Valley and lost his left eye at Cedar
Creek, on the morning that General Sheridan made his celebrated ride
from Winchester. George married first, Matilda Tracy, of Rome, in
1863, and second, Ellen Lord, of Belgrade, in 1876. She died in 1880,
leaving two children: George F. and Earl, since which he has lived
five years in Rome, and since 1889 in Readfield.
Dudley W. Haines, farmer, born in 1834, is a son of Dudley and
Rosanna (Hunton) Haines, and grandson of Captain Dudley and Alice
(Ford) Haines, who came from New Hampshire to Readfield and had
ten children. Mr. Haines married Clara A., daughter of William
Hankerson, and their children are: Emma A. (Mrs. Frank S.AVillard),
Alice E., William D., Celia J. (Mrs. Eli Merriman), and Clyde B.
George W. Handy, born in 1838, in Wayne, is a son of Robert and
Kate W. Handy. He served in the late war from November, 1861, to
November, 1862, in the 4th Maine Battery. His first wife, Jennie W.
914 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Wood, died leaving one son, Bertie A., who since died. He has one
son, Charles A., by his second marriage.
Aaron Hannaford, born in Farmington in 1817, son of Robert and
Keziah (McKinney) Hannaford, came to Kents Hill from his native
town in 1877, where he has since been a farmer on the John Jewett
farm. He married Calista, daughter of Moses Stevens, and their chil-
dren are: Eli S., M. D.; Ellen A., Emma B., Hattie Edna, Filmore A.,
Edwin H. and Howard C, who died.
Benjamin W. Harriman.— If consistency is a jewel, so also is per-
sistency, for the latter quality rightly directly, is the true secret of
success. To this salient characteristic is attributable the substantial
success in life achieved by Benjamin W. Harriman, of Readfield. His
father, James Shepherd Harriman, was born in South Kingston, N. H.>
in 1785. He was a farmer and cooper and a captain of a cavalry com-
pany in his native state. About 1810 he removed from Plaistow, N.
H., to New Sharon, Me., where he was engaged in farming until his
death, in 1843. His first wife, Sarah George, of New Hampshire, died
in New Sharon in 1830, having borne him six children, two of whom,
Abigail and Ira F., are still living. His second wife, Cynthia, daughter
of Daniel Gould, was born in New Sharon in 1806, and died in Gor-
ham. Me., in 1883. They also had six children, all born in New
Sharon: Daniel G.,born in 1833; Benjamin W., 1835; Asa G., 1836, who
died in infancy; Mary E. (Mrs. Henry Leavet), 1837; Hannah A., 1839;
and Ellen A. (Mrs. B. L. Hammon), 1841. The daughters are now all
residing in Gorham.
The elder son, Daniel G., lived on the home farm until he was
seventeen years old. Shortly after reaching his majority he was sent
as delegate to the first republican convention in the county, held at
Strong, August 7, 1854. From 1864 to 1866, inclusive, he held a pro-
fessor's chair in Kents Hill Seminary. Resigning from this institu-
tion, he read law, was admitted to the bar in 1867, removed to Brook-
lyn, N. Y., and since that time has very successfully pursued his pro-
fession in New York city. Being an earnest student of political issues
he was active on the stump in support of the republican ticket in the
campaigns of 1880, '84 and '88, and possessing a mind of keen per-
ceptive quality, and strong logical instincts, he contributed much of
value to the political literature of his party. In 1888 he wrote a pam-
phlet entitled Protection vs. Free Trade, which attained the remarkable
circulation of over 1,250,000 copies. Another pamphlet, American
Tariffs, front Plymouth Rock to McKinley, written in 1892, attained dur-
ing the first two months after its issue a circulation of more than 150,
000 copies.
Benjamin W., the younger son and principal subject of this sketch,
was but eight years old when their father died, and he soon, obliged
to become self-supporting, went to work with the energy that has
0^ ^>.
y^^^
TOWN OF READFIELD.
915
characterized his entire business life. In his leisure hours he gained
such education as could be obtained at the common schools of his na-
tive town; but as in the history of many other successful men, the
world was his best school, and experience his greatest teacher. In
1860 he removed from New Sharon to Kents Hill, and attended the
seminary there in 1861 and 1862. In the latter year his mother
bought the Dudley Moody house, which had long been the only tav-
ern at Kents Hill. In that and the following year Mr. Harriman,
with Gustavus Clark as partner, traded at Kents Hill for eighteen
months. In 1863 Mr. Harriman bought the mail route and express
Residence of BENJAMIN W. HARRIMAN, Kents Hill, Me.
business between Kents Hill and Readfield Depot, and for seventeen
years conducted it with marked success.
In July, 1870, Mr. Harriman married Mary, daughter of Rev.
Parker Jaques, one of the early Methodist preachers of Maine. He
was born in Newburyport, Mass., in 1817. At the age of eighteen he
entered the seminary at Kents Hill to prepare for the ministry, sup-
porting himself while at school. He soon after entered the ministry
and in 1837 received his first appointment, at Dixfield Circuit. He
died March 31, 1885, after forty-six years of itinerant service, during
which he took no vacation. From 1875 to 1881 he served as presiding
916 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
elder. He was a diligent and thorough student, and received from
Bowdoin College the honorary degree of Master of Arts. Mr. Harri-
man is also an earnest and substantial supporter of the Methodist
church.
In 1875 the house bought by Mr. Harriman's mother was burned
and Mr. Harriman purchased the place and built upon it his present
attractive residence, as it appears in the illustration on page 915. By
his persistent attention to bu.siness he has amassed a handsome com-
patency. He has dealt in agricultural implements and carriages since
1880, and at his residence and at Readfield station has supply depots for
various kinds of farming machinery. Probably no man now living in
this section of the country has had business relations with as many
people of these towns as he. Since 1881 he has been engaged in buying
cattle for the Brighton market, shipping by rail to that point as many
as sixty oxen in a single week. For the last ten years he has been a
large buyer of wool, having in one year bought in Readfield and other
places over 50,000 pounds. In connection with his large business in-
terests he has also since 1870 represented at Readfield leading in-
surance companies. Mr. Harriman has held various town offices, and
in 1879 was elected a member of the legislature. He has three sons:
Mearle J., Benjamin W., jun., and Carl R.
William Harvey was born at Readfield June 26, 1841. His pa-
rents were of English and Scotch extraction. His father, William,
was born at North Yarmouth, Me., in 1800, and died at Augusta at the
ripe age of eighty. His mother, Dorathy Ann Smith, was born at
Mt. Vernon in 1823, and died in Readfield in 1889. Mr. Harvey's
early boyhood was passed in Readfield, where he attended the com-
mon schools and later the Maine Wesleyan Seminary. In 1864 he
married Elsie W. Brande, of Readfield, by whom he had four chil-
dren, three of whom are still living: Roscoe W., James E. and Elsie L.
In 1862 Mr. Harvey became interested in the salt industry and has
been engaged in it ever since. From 1867 to 1875 he carried on ex-
tensive lumber operations in Lenoxville and Warwick, P. Q. Since
the latter year he has been connected with various manufacturing en-
terprises in the state. The salt business in which he and his sons are
now engaged is carried on under the name of the Dirigo Salt and
Soda Company. They also are engaged in the manufacture of edge
tools, under the firm name of William Harvey & Sons.
Mr. Harvey lived in Augusta from 1865 to 1883, but since the lat-
ter year has resided in Readfield. He had three brothers: John R.,
Franklin and Winfield S. John R., of Readfield, is the only one living.
John Henderson, son of Thomas Henderson, was born in 1827 in
England. Thomas Henderson was born in the county of Kent, Eng-
land, and died in Pepperell, Mass., in 1842. He was married in Bris-
tol, Eng., to Sarah, daughter of John Philips, keeper of Market House,
Harvey Homestead, half-mile south of Readfield Corner, on Lake Maranacook,
where William Harvey was born June 26, 1841,
Present Residence o'
^ty^'l^-'^^^-^
Readfield Corner, Me.
~y
918 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
at Milford, Milford Haven, Wales. John Henderson came to America
in 1839 and was paper maker and manufacturer at intervals until
1876, since which time he has been a farmer. He bought the Jacob
Graves farm in Readfield in 1864, where he has since lived. He mar-
ried Orinda S., youngest daughter of Franklin and Sally (Macomber)
Bean. Their children are: Frank T., Alice J. and John H.
William H. Hunt, born in 1844, is the youngest of five children of
Noah F. Hunt (1802-1882), who came to Readfield from Kingsfield,
N. H., when a boy, with his parents, Robert and Betsey (Maloon)
Hunt. Mr. Hunt was eleven months in the late war in Company F.,
21st Maine, was one year in California, and has since been a farmer
in Readfield. He married Frances C, daughter of Moses and grand-
daughter of Henry Dudley. They have two children: Warren A. and
Lillian (Mrs. Albert Stevens).
George Washington Hunton, born in 1809, is the eldest of five
sons of Peter, and grandson of Jonathan Hunton. Peter Hunton
came from New Hampshire to Maine when a boy, and died in 1836,
aged sixty-seven years. Mr. Hunton 's maternal grandparents were
Christopher and Catherine (Carlow) Turner. He is a farmer on the
place where Shubael Luce settled in 1789. He was representative in
1856 and was several years selectman. He married Emily A., daugh-
ter of William C. Fuller and granddaughter of Francis Fuller. Their
children were: Nancy, Elizabeth, William G. and Edna, who died.
Henry A. Hutchinson (1808-1865) was the twelfth of a family of
thirteen children of Joseph and Annie (Whittier) Hutchinson. Jo-
seph Hutchinson came to East Readfield from New Hampshire and
settled where Charles A. Mace now lives. Mr. Hutchinson was a me-
chanic. He married Eliza, daughter of Benjamin' Dudley. They had
four children: Sarah E. (deceased), Elmina S. (Mrs. George L. Royall),
who has taught about one hundred terms of school, and has two chil-
dren by a former marriage — Edwin M. and Elizabeth S. Hutchinson;
Mary N., now the widow of Albion Stevens; and Henry A., who has
been station agent at Walnut Hill, Mass., for twenty-three years.
Noah Jewett, born in 1835, is one of four survivors of a family of
eleven children of John and Betsey (Barker) Jewett. He was edu-
cated at Kents Hill. He served fifty-two months in the late war; after
two years' service in Company B, 10th Maine, he was discharged as
sergeant; he reenlisted as second lieutenant in Company B, 2d Cav-
alry, and was twice promoted, leaving the service in 1865 as captain.
He was engaged in mechanical work ten years, and since 1875 has
been a merchant at Kents Hill, where he also did barber work. He
was postmaster from March, 1875, until August, 1885, and was re-
appointed in July, 1889. He married S.arah, daughter of Zelotes
Marrow. They have one child living— vSusie M., now a music teacher
in Auburn and Lewiston— and two that died — Harry and Fannie.
--^^^^^^^
-<^^72:^g>t::^(>
./
TOWN OF READFIELD. 919
Nathaniel Jordan, born in 1818 at Cape Elizabeth, Me., is a son of
Richard and Sarah (McKinney) Jordan. He learned the trade of edged
tool maker, and followed it in different places until 1864, when he
bought a farm in Readfield, where he has since lived. He married
first, Sarah J. Woodbury, who died leaving three children: Etta, Wil-
liam E. and Arthur D. His second wife was Abigail Dresser, and his
present wife is Hannah, sister of Gustavus Smith.
Harvey Ladd, of Readfield and Winthrop, was in the seventh
generation from Daniel Ladd', of England, who took the oath of
supremacy and allegiance to pass to New England in the ship Mary
and John, of London, Robert Sayers, master, March 24, 1633. Daniel
landed and settled in Ipswich, where he bought land, and removed to
Salisbury, and thence to Haverhill, of which town he was one of the
original settlers, and in 1668 one of the selectmen. He was a man of
good social position, which was the highest mark society could bestow
in the days when the vulgar distinctions of wealth were not possible,
because everybody was poor. Daniel Ladd died July 27, 1693, in
Haverhill.
NathanieF, the seventh of his eight children, was born March 10,
1651, in Haverhill, and married Elizabeth Gilman, July 12, 1678,
daughter of Hon. John Gilman, of Exeter, N. H., who was a delegate
to the assembly, speaker of the house, and the founder of a family
that for two hundred years was distinguished in the annals of the
state. Nathaniel died from wounds received in fighting the Indians,
August 11, 1691.
NathanieF, his oldest child, was born in Exeter, April 6, 1697. He
was a farmer and lived in a brick house, and married Mrs. Mercy Hil-
ton for his third wife. Paul', their oldest child, was born in March,
1719, married Martha Folsom, and removed to Epping, N. H., where
he was a well-to-do farmer.
Simeon', their sixth child, boi-n January 15,1757, was a farmer and
married Lizzie Hines, of Nottingham, N. H., where he lived for a
time and removed to Readfield. Simeon, ]un.,° their fourth child, was
born February 23, 1780, and married Mercy, daughter of Nathaniel
Folsom, of Mt. Vernon. She died in 1820, and he married Lydia San-
born. The children by his first wife were: Gorham, Paul, Warren,
Harvey' and Hiram. Simeon Ladd" was a farmer and lived one mile
north of Readfield Corner, where his son Cyrus, by his second wife,
now lives.
Harvey Ladd', whose portrait appears in connection with this family
sketch, was born January 21, 1814. He was brought up on the old
homestead, and with his farming, learned the carpenter's trade of
Joshua Packard, whose daughter, Laura Ann, he married September
30, 1839.
In 1842 he bought and settled on a farm in Winthrop, which was
y^*J HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
his home for over forty years. Here he divided his time between the
arts of husbandry and the art of building, working sturdily at his
trade a part of each year during the whole of his active life. Both
vocations were profitable under his management. He was a thrifty
farmer, a reliable mechanic, a life-long democrat and a good citizen.
Harvey Ladd by his first wife had two children: Harriet E., born
April 21, 1841, who married Greenwood Arnold, of Augusta; and
Laura Frances', born April 21, 1843. She married, December 24, 1874,
Lewis Curtis, son of Atsett Luce, of Readfield. Mr. Ladd lost his
first wife in 1846, and in 1850 he married Rebecca Holmes, who died
about 1860. His house and buildings in Winthrop were burned in
1890, after which his home was with his daughter and her husband,
Lewis Curtis Luce, at whose house in Readfield he died, June 27, 1892.
Kidder R. Linnell, born in Skowhegan in 1840, is a son of Robey
K. and Charlotte G. (Clark) Linnell, and grandson of Sturgis Linnell,
who came from Cape Cod, Mass., to Belgrade, Me., and later removed
to Skowhegan. Mr. Linnell had been a blacksmith at Lowell. Mass.,
for six years, and in 1878 he came to Readfield, where he is a farmer.
He married Ella P., daughter of David Larrabee. They have one
daughter, Ada E.
Joseph B. Low, son of Stephen Low, was born in 1819 in Vassal-
boro, and was a farmer there until 1869, when he came to Readfield,
where he has since lived. He was representative from Vassalboro in
1864, and was several years selectman there; he has been six years on
the board of selectmen in Readfield, and has held the office of town
treasurer. He has been secretary, agent and president of the Kenne-
bec County Agricultural Society. He married Susan A., daughter of
John Simpson. She died in 1891.
John Edward McCormick, son of John and Serena (Dudley) Mc-
Cormick, was born in Gardiner in 1856. His maternal grandfather
was John Dudley, who married a daughter of Abram Brown, who kept
a tavern and was a farmer, being succeeded in 1827 by his son-in-law,
Mr. Dudley. In 1884 Mr. McCormick bought the farm and now occu-
pies it. He married Margaret, daughter of Daniel MacDonald. Their
two sons are: John C. and Daniel A.
Roderick MacDonald was born in Arisaig, Nova Scotia, August
15, 1826, to which place his father, Donald MacDonald, came from the
Highlands of Scotland, and married Margaret MacDonald, who be-
longed to a family of his name, in Arisaig, and there settled as a
farmer. Their eleven children were: Angus, Nancy, Catherine,
Alexander, Mary, Ronald, John, Donald, Roderick, John and Hugh.
Roderick staid at home, faithful on the farm and dilligent at school till
he was fifteen years old, when he began a three and a half years' ap-
prenticeship at the tailor's trade. When this was completed he
aS-o-^T-^ £i.,^<-4^
TOWN OF READFIELD. 921
worked at his trade in Nova Scotia till August, 1849, when he went to
London, Eng., in the schooner London Kate, as steward.
After spending a week in London and a week in Liverpool, he
sailed in the ship Michael Angela, which landed in Boston in October,
1849, after losing thirty emigrant passengers with ship fever during the
gloomy passage. The following winter he worked at tailoring in Bos-
ton, and for the next three years in Lowell, Mass. Two of these years
he was employed by S. H. Hastings, in whose shop he became ac-
quainted with Julia Franklin Bean, also an employee. This acquaint-
ance resulted in their marriage the next year. The new relation was
profitable as well as pleasant — side by side in their vocation, the great
partnership for life was most fitly begun.
After another year's work they came to Readfield. Roderick, in
the meantime had been slowly yielding to an attack of the California
fever, which in its genuine form could only be cured by going there.
Accordingly he hastened to New York, and took passage July 20, 1853,
in the steamer Cortes for Aspinwall. At that time only eight miles of
the isthmus railroad were completed, from the end of which the party
Mr. MacDonald was with easily walked the balance of the distance to
Panama in one day. At the latter place they took the steamer Golden
Grt/^, arriving at San Francisco August 16th. From there a steamer
took them to Sacramento, and another to Marysville, and from thence
a stage to Grass Valley, where Roderick found his brother, Ronald,
who had already been a year on the Pacific coast, working in a mine
at Industry Bar, on Yuba river. Roderick joined him at once, staying
there till the November rains set in, when they found employment in
a deep mine at Grass Valley.
The next summer Roderick again returned to his old job at In-
dustry Bar, and during the following winter he worked in Grass Val-
ley for the Rocky Bar Mining Company, owned largely in Massa-
chusetts. They had rich diggings and made a great deal of money.
An absence of three years from his young wife and his home, and the
very comfortable reward secured for the time thus spent, decided Mr.
MacDonald to return east. So he left the mines in May, 1856, and
reached San Francisco ju.st after the celebrated vigilance committee
had hung a half dozen desperadoes— among them James P. Casey and
the noted gambler, Cory. Mr. MacDonald put up at the What Cheer
House, kept by the proprietor of the since noted Woodward Garden.
In the night he was called on by the vigilance committee, and assisted
them two days and nights in guarding public and private property.
June 5, 1856, he left San Francisco on the Golden Age for Panama,
crossed the Isthmus, and returned to New York in the steamer George
Law.
After a visit at home he worked in Woburn, Mass., for two years,
and in Portland and Thomaston, Me., another two years, at his old
922 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
trade. In July, 1860, he established his present business in Readfield
amid prophecies of starvation and failure. Self-supporting from the
start, his trade has grown to large proportions for a country village.
Moderate prices and sterling quality have made customers who send
back to the home shop from Massachusetts, Connecticut, Chicago,
Kansas, Montana and California, for regular supplies of clothing.
Scotch persistence and honorable dealing have done it.
Roderick MacDonald and Julia F. Bean were married at Nashua,
N. H., July 6, 1852. Three children were born to them: Richard H.,
who died when three months old; Hattie L., born April 7, 1859; and
Julia M., who was born May 22, 1870, and died September 15. 1886.
Mr. MacDonald and his daughter, Hattie L., experienced the great loss
of a faithful wife and a devoted mother by the death of Mrs. Mac-
Donald, August 24, 1892. She was the daughter of Franklin Bean,
whose father, Joel Bean, was born in Readfield, and whose grand-
father, Joshua Bean, all prominent citizens, came from Gilmanton, N.
H., to this section at a very early day.
Charles Ansel Mace, born in 1839, is the only son of Charles and
Martha A. (Dudley) Mace, grandson of Richard, and great-grandson
of Andrew Mace (1757-1845), who lost both hands by the premature
explosion of a cannon at the muster grounds. East Readfield. Mr.
Mace has been a teacher and farmer, and has been for several years a
member of the school board of the town. He married Lucy A. Rich-
ardson, of Monmouth. Their two sons are: Will T. and Burt E. Mr.
Mace owns and occupies the old Joseph Hutchinson farm at East
Readfield.
John W. Manter (1812-1878) was a son of Henry Manter, of In-
dustry, Me. He came to Readfield in 1863, and six years later bought
a mercantile business at Kents Hill, where he was postmaster and
merchant six years. In June, 1875, he bought the business at Read-
field Corner, where, since his death, in 1878, his sons, George W. and
Melville W., have continued. He married Hannah C. West, and their
children were: George W., John W., Melville W.; and two daughters
that died, Juliet W. and H. Ellen.
D. D. Merriman, born at Harpswell, Me., in 1831, is a son of Robert
and grandson of Walter Merriman. In 1850 he began to learn tailor-
ing in Richmond, Me., and was engaged at that trade in various places
in connection with other mercantile business. In June, 1872, he
came to Readfield, where he has since been a merchant, and thirteen
years of that time has manufactured clothing. He married Emeline
M. Perkins, and has two sons: Edward A., now editor and publisher
of The Madison Bulletin, Madison, Me.; and Eli, who is a tailor in
Readfield. Both sons graduated from Westbrook Seminary.
Dudley Moody, born 1789, and died 1865, was a son of Gilman and
Annie (James) Moody. He came to Kents Hill in 1826 from Mon-
TOWN OF READFIELD. 923
mouth, where he had kept store and been a farmer; and he followed
the same vocation here, kept tavern, was several years postmaster, and
was officially connected with the seminary for many j'ears. His wife
was Mary Richardson, and they had four children: Elizabeth J., Mary
Ann, Joseph G. and Harriet A. Only two are now living: Harriet A.,
the widow of Alvin Packard, and Elizabeth J., widow of Rev. Howard
Brooks Abbott, who died in 1876, aged sixty-six years. Mrs. Abbott
now lives at Kents Hill.
George S. Morrill, born in 1837, is the oldest son of Major Jacob
Morrill (1799-1879), and grandson of Captain Levi Morrill, who was a
blacksmith and farmer, as was his son, Jacob. Dea. Levi Morrill,
father of Captain Levi, came from Brentwood, N. H., in 1790, with
three brothers. Mr. Morrill is a farmer, and occupies the homestead
place with his sister, Mary A.
Phineas Morrill, born in 1830 in Brownville, Me., was a son of Cap-
tain Phineas Morrill, who came from Brownville to Readfield in 1847,
and was engaged in manufacturing. Mr. Morrill was three and a half
years in California, was for several years overseer of the woolen mills
here, and after that a farmer and speculator until his death in 1890.
He married Elizabeth W., daughter of Enos, and granddaughter of
Elijah Fairbanks, of Winthrop. Their children are: Mae (Mrs. Harold
E. Martin), Edgar, who died in infancy, and Elmer A.
H. Owen-Nickerson, born in 1833, in Waterville, and died in Read-
field in 1891, was a son of Hiram and Mary J. (Smith) Nickerson, and
grandson of Thomas Nickerson, who came to Maine from Cape Cod,
Mass. Mr. Nickerson was a farmer, was two years a member of the
state board of agriculture, and was several years an officer in the Ken-
nebec County Agricultural Society. The farm where he lived and
where his widow now resides was then Captain Dudley Haines home-
stead. He married Georgia C, daughter of James and Sophronia
(Clough) Packard, and granddaughter of Caleb and Lydia (Ford) Pack-
ard. Their children are: Annie A., Arthur S., Walter A. and James
O., who died in infancy.
William C. Record, born in 1837, in Hallowell, is a son of Isaac and
Martha (Blaisdell) Record. He was in California and Nevada from
18o7 until 1877, mining, excepting the last five years, during which he
was engaged in the lumber business. He bought a farm on Kents
Hill, Readfield, in 1877, and followed farming until 1888, when he
bought the grist mill which he now operates. .He married Mrs. Mal-
vina Currier, daughter of Samuel Dunn. They have one son,
Charles D.
Reuben Russell, born in 1817 in Weld, Me., is a son of Ephraim
and Rebecca (Ireland) Russell. He came from Weld to Readfield in
1845, and after three years in the hotel business, bought the farm
where he now lives. He married Anna M., daughter of Marmaduke
ya4 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Masterman. Their only son, George A., was educated at Kents Hill.
He was one year lieutenant of Company F, 21st Maine. He held the
office of school supervisor, served one term in the house, and one year
in the senate. He was four years postal clerk on the railroad, and
four years at Augusta post office. Since 1887 he has been steward of
Wilbraham Academy, Wilbraham, Mass. He married Lydia A. Mil-
lett, and has one daughter, Lillian F.
Amos A. Sampson, born in Readfield,,is the youngest and only-
survivor of seven children of David F., who was the only son of
Luther Sampson, a revolutionary soldier, who came to Readfield from
Marshfield, Mass., in 1799. Mr. Sampson owns and occupies the farm
where his grandfather settled, and from which he gave the seminary
lot. He married Nancy J., daughter of Mark Stevens. Their chil-
dren are: M. Etta (Mrs. F. L. Russell), Mary R. (died November 3,
.1884), Nellie A. and Lillian A.
Joseph T. Sherburne, born in 1835, is a son of Captain Thomas
and Lovina (Fifield) Sherburne, grandson of Job, and great-grand-
son of John Sherburne, who died in Readfield in 1789, aged sev-
enty-six years, and is buried at Dudleys Plains. Mr. Sherburne is
a farmer on a part of the farm settled by his grandfather. His
first wife, Mary N., daughter of Randall Currier, died leaving two
children: Herbert L. and Maynard C. His second marriage was with
Georgia A., daughter of Nathan Porter. They have one daughter,
Jennie M.
Llewellyn Sherburne, born in 1845, is the only brother of Joseph
T. Sherburne. He owns the old Sherburne homestead and 120 acres
of the original farm. He married Sarah A., daughter of Randall
Currier, and their children are: Hattie L. and Thomas E.
Gustavus Smith, farmer, born in 1829, is one of eleven children
of Carpenter and Reliance (Stone) Smith, and grandson of Matthias
Smith, who came from Martha's Vineyard, Mass., and settled on the
farm where Gustavus now lives. The latter was in California from
1852 until 1856. He married Lydia A., daughter of Gorham Ladd,
who died leaving four children: Eva C, Harry C, Walter G. and
Amy E. Mr. Smith served one year in the civil war.
David Stevens, born in 1806, in Loudon, N. H., was the youngest
of ten children of John and Martha (Marden) Stevens, and grandson
of John Rogers Stevens. Mr. Stevens came from New Hampshire
to Wayne, Me., in 1807, with his parents, and his father died there
in 1829, aged sixty-seven years. He was a farmer in Wayne until
1861, when he came to Readfield, where he now lives. He married
Jeannette Haines, who died in 1890. Their children were: Alfred,
Jeannette F. and Charles H., the only survivor, who is a farmer with
his father. He married Lottie E. French and has children: Nettie B.,
Charlotte E., Mary M., Robert (deceased), and Nellie F.
TOWN OF READFIELD. 925
Zadock H. Thomas, born in 1844, is one of four children of vSeth
and Cynthia (Baker) Thomas, grandson of Nathan and vSally (Wat-
son) Thomas, and great-grandson of Nathan Thomas, of Martha's
Vineyard, Mass. Nathan, jun., came from Massachusetts to Mt. Ver-
non, and his son, Seth, came to Readfield in 1849. Zadock H. served
eleven months in the late war, in Company K, 3d Maine, and his
only brother served in the same regiment and company. He married
Sadie E., daughter of Hiram H. and Charlotte S. (Pierce) Hewitt.
Henry Pierson Torsey, LL.D., D.D., was born at East Monmouth,
Me., August 7, 1819. His father, John Atkinson Torsey, was the third
child of Dr. Gideon Torsey, who came from France as surgeon in the
army during the French and Indian war. Dr. Gideon Torsey married
and settled in Gilmanton, N. H., whence his son, John A., moved with
the New Hampshire colony that settled a large portion of the terri-
tory now comprised in the town of Monmouth.
John A. Torsey was a man of extraordinary character and broad
range of genius. As a mathematician he had few equals. He was
employed by the proprietors of the Kennebec Purchase to run their
lines in the southern extremity of the county at that critical period
when land surveyors and muskets were often intimately associated.
He married a near relative of General Henry Dearborn, of military
fame, and from this union came the subject of this sketch.
As might be expected of one in whose veins flowed the blood of
the Dearborns crossed with the impulsive temperament of John A-
Torsey, he exhibited early signs of great activity. Like his grand-
uncle. General Henry Dearborn, for whom he was named, his boy-
hood was marked with a great fondness for the natural sports of the
day; and unlike any one named in history or tradition, with a greater
love for unusual sports of his own invention. Playing ball, wrestling
and skating were entertaining enough to make him expert at each,
but were rather tame pastimes for a boy who could walk on the ridge-
pole of a house on his hands with his heels in the air, and keep his
feet on the back of a running horse with the ease of a professional
acrobat. However useless these performances may have been, his
knowledge of swimming, skating and wrestling served him many a
good turn in later years. At least four persons have been saved from
drowning by his remarkable agility in the wafer and on ice.
His school life began in the little " Blaketown " district, at East
Monmouth, under the tutelage of that familiar figure in Kennebec
politics, Hon. Alanson Starks. At the age of sixteen he entered on a
course of study at Monmouth Academy, under the tuition of Nathaniel
M. Whitmore, from whom he received his first certificate to teach.
Many have been the times, doubtless, when he has hurled anathemas
at that proud document. Teaching has been to him, in all his years
of success, a constant drag. And no one thing evinces more conclu-
yafa HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
sively that the element of success was inborn than the fact that while
he had gained the reputation (voiced by such men as Rev. Dr. Fulton,
of Tremont Temple, and Rev. Dr. Day, of New York) of being the
greatest teacher of young men in America, that reputation was won
in a vocation that was always distasteful to him in the extreme.
At about the age of seventeen he became converted and united
with the Methodist Episcopal church. He was soon licensed to
preach, and through the influence of friends was led to take a course
at Rents Hill Seminary.
In 1840 he received elder's orders at the hands of Bishop Hedding.
One year later he left Rents Hill to take charge of the Normal de-
partment in East Greenwich Academy. Rev. Dr. Tefft was then its
principal, and under him his college studies were pursued.
In 1842 he returned to the Maine Wesleyan Seminary as assistant
to Dr. Stephen Allen. During the same year Doctor Allen resigned,
and his as.sistant, after much persuasion, reluctantly consented to take
his place. The condition of the school at that time was lamentable.
Only about seventy students were registered; the buildings were all
but worthless, and the interest on a debt of $10,000 was threatening
to crush out its very existence. So hopeless were the prospects of the
institution that the Maine Methodist Conference declined to take it as
a gift. With these conditions and nothing but erudition, tact and
determination to fall back upon, he began. Carefully considered
plans, all the details of which had been previously arranged in his
mind, were at once put in operation. In a few months the attendance
increa.sed to a degree that was as alarming as the other extreme.
Every house on Rents Hill was filled to its greatest capacity, and still
the students came. Stage-load after stage-load came bringing dollars
to the institution and consternation to the overtaxed principal. Soon
every house to the Fayette line was packed to overflowing, and still
they came. Such is the history of the growth of the Maine Wesleyan
Seminary during the first years of Doctor Torsev's superintendency.
Its later history is noticed at page 902.
This institution is largely the embodiment of the genius and in-
domitable energy of Henry P. Torsey. For the meager sum of $500
per annum he did the work of four professors, hearing thirteen classes
and spending a large portion of his nights in chemical and electrical
experiments.
In 1845 Doctor Torsey was married to Emma J., daughter of Rev.
Ezekiel Robinson, a prominent member of the Maine Methodist Con-
ference. In this relation, as in all other affairs, the doctor chose
wisely. Heartily sympathizing with him in all his plans for the de-
velopment of the school, and possessing talents and accomplishments
which enabled her to assume the superintendency of important de-
partment work, Mrs. Torsey 's life, like that of her husband, became
1
'/p. 7c
i^r>s
TOWN OF READFIELD. 927
Utterly merged in the interests of the school, and in thus supplement-
ing her husband's plans and labors she enabled him to accomplish
that which must have remained a tantalizing theory had he depended
on the less efScient and less interested labor of hired auxiliaries. She
was not only the preceptress, but she was also at the head of the de-
partment of art and of the modern languages. Although she retired
from active work in the school room after seventeen years of arduous
service, it was during these years that the institution was lifted from
its insecure position to the first place among the college preparatory
schools of Maine.
Not only was Doctor Torsey fortunate in securing a life companion
whose interests and purposes were identical with his own, but as a re-
sult of uniting with the Robinson family he secured from it two other
able instructors— Rev. F. A. Robinson, Ph.D., a brother of Mrs. Tor-
sey's, who was connected with the institution twenty-seven years, and
Miss Pronie B. Robinson, who served as principal 9f the art depart-
ment from 1845 to 1879. Professor Robinson had charge of mathe-
matics and the ancient languages, and always performed the presi-
dent's duties when Doctor Torsey was sick or absent. He was one of
the three persons who carried the school to its position of usefulness
and power.
At the time of his election to the presidency of the seminary he
was reading law with Judge May. How great might have been the
honors gained in this profession we can only conjecture, but in any
vocation he could not have failed. Doctor Torsey was elected to the
state senate in 1855-6, where, as chairman of the committee on educa-
tion, he and Judge H. K. Baker had much to do with the drafting and
passage of bills which essentially changed the common school laws.
In 1865 he absented himself from the school for a time, on account of
failing health, and accepted the position of supervising treasury
agent for Florida, South Carolina and Georgia, his duties being chiefly
related to freedmen's interests. He had previously declined the ofi&ce
of secretary of Montana territory, and the pledge of promotion, the
second year, to its governorship. Following this was a tender of the
consulship of Valparaiso.
While shut up in a darkened room in Florida, totally blind, he re-
ceived a telegram from Senator Hamlin announcing his appointment
to the consulship of Beirut. Whether either of these positions would
have been accepted, had his physical condition permitted, can only be
guessed.
While discharging the duties of supervising treasury agent he
had opportunities for gaining large wealth that only a man based on
the firmest foundation of principle could have refused. Speculators
were picking gold out of the state treasury in almost unlimited quan-
tities, and thousands of dollars were placed before the superintendent
Va» HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
to secure his connivance. As soon as circumstances would permit
he retired from the service; but such was the estimate of his value
as a public cu,stodian that he was immediately summoned to Washing-
ton and offered $4,000 additional to his salary, if he would return and
take charge of the department. " I cannot do it," said he, firmly;
" there are now thirteen salaried officials in that department, and I
can perform the duties of the whole by working two hours a day."
■" That is not your business," was the rejoinder; " the government
appropriates the salary and demands an incumbent to the office."
" I have a conscience," replied the doctor, " and cannot accept emolu-
ment without service." Six months after he left the government ser-
vice the announcement came: " Your salary for the past six months
awaits your order." It was a temptation $2,500 strong. Without
hesitation a reply went back to the treasury department: " I have dis-
charged no public service in the past six months, no salary is due me,
and I shall accept none." Doctor Torsey brought back from the
South a sum equivalent to a fair teacher's salary. He brought what
was of far greater value — a character unstained in public life.
As a minister of the gospel his promotion would have been rapid
and his fame widespread; but he chose to give this promotion and
fame to others and to teach them how to use both to the glory of God.
It is true he left his work at Kents Hill twice to accept the honors of
the Maine senate; but even here he had a duty to perform, and that
it was well performed the present system of education bears witness.
But if honors have been unsought, they have not been withheld.
Three times he has been elected to represent Maine's largest ecclesi-
astical body at the General Conference; and institutions of learning,
recognizing his merit and the value of his attainments, have confer-
red on him the honorary degrees of LL.D. and D.D.
The secret of his success as a teacher may be concentrated in one
word — love. Every pupil in his charge was compelled to feel that the
power that held him in check bore toward him more the attitude of a
father than of a pedagogue. As a disciplinarian he was strict and
exacting, as a parent should be toward the child in whom his loving
interest centers. His vigilance over those committed to his care, and
the infallible certainty with which he brought to light the hidden
things of darkness and meted out justice to the guilty, smack strongly
of the sen.sational detective stories in which our youth delight to
revel, and have always excited curiosity, and, for that matter, always
will, for here is a subject of methods on which he is provokingly reti-
cent; but the students knew and felt that his rules were only neces-
sary parts of their education — helps to study.
The winter of 1888-9 Doctor and Mrs. Torsey spent in California,
every day of which old Kents Hill students flocked to express with
moist eyes and in grateful tones their belief that to his efforts, more
TOWN OF READFIELD. 929
than to any other influence, they owed the successes and the integrity
of their lives. Over and over they told how his work and his love
had taken the bad out and put the good into them, and they empha-
sized their gratitude by golden presents characteristic of their adopted
state.
Doctor Tor.sey, now in his .seventy-third year, active still and vigor-
ous in intellect, if not in body, is enjoying the fruitage of his life-
work at his pleasant home on Kents Hill, as well as the pains result-
ing from his excessive labors will allow. He rejoices when honors
come to one and another of his 17,000 pupils, and exclaims, with mer-
ited pride, " He is one of my boys."
Thomas J. Townsend, born at Limerick, Me., in 1828, is a son of
William and Sophia (Dowle) Townsend, and grandson of Thoinas
Townsend. He is a farmer, and since 1863 has owned and occupied
the farm which was settled in 1767 by Robert Waugh. He married
Mary J., daughter of Stephen Abbott. Their children are: Herbert
S., Alvin A., Lottie M., Nellie S , and George W., who died.
George Whittier, born in 1824, one of six children of Josiah, 2d,
and Sally (White) Whittier, is a farmer where his father and his ma-
ternal grandfather lived. In his early life he was three years in Cali-
fornia; he has been fifteen years in the meat business, also a carpen-
ter and farmer. He married Sarah, daughter of Calvin, and grand-
daughter of Isaac Porter. Their children are: Horace P., Charles D.,
Henry D. and Mary Ellen.
Sullivan S. Willard, born in 1825, in New Sharon, Me., is a son of
Nathaniel, grandson of Joseph, and great-grandson of Nathaniel Wil-
lard, who was among the early settlers of Industry, Me. His mater-
nal grandsire was Benjamin Savage. Mr. Willard came to Readfield
in 1872, where he is a carpenter and farmer. His wife, Olive A.
Gould, died leaving three children: Frank S., Mellen G. and Angle S.
Josiah Wesley Williams, born in 1853, is the youngest of five chil-
dren of Miles, and grandson of John Williams, who came from Wool-
wich, Me,, to Readfield and bought of Constant Nickerson the place
where Mr. Williams now lives, containing 175 acres. Josiah AV.'s
mother was Abigail Whittier. He married Delia F., daughter of
James H. Dudley, of Hallowell.
Miles Everett Williams, farmer, born in 1850, is a son of Miles and
Abigail (Whittier) Williams. In 1879 he bought the south part of the
SamuelgWhite farm, where he now lives. He married Ellen S., daugh-
ter of Samuel, and granddaughter of Benjamin Joy, of Winthrop.
They have one son, Walter E., and have lost a son and daughter.
CHAPTER XXXV.
TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON.
Washington Plantation. — Settlement. — Characteristics. — Incorporation. — Pio-
neers.— Town House.— Post Offices.— Early Mills.— Traders.— Taverns.— Man-
ufactures.— Societies. — Churches. — Cemeteries. — Villages. — Civil Lists. —
Personal Paragraphs.
MOUNT VERNON, by its early settlers, who began to come about
1774, and were largely from New Hampshire, was first called
Washington Plantation. John Stain, one of the very first,
was born in Germany, and came here from Readfield. Nathaniel,
Caleb and John Dudley, John Stain, Daniel Gordon, Jonah and John
Bean, Nathaniel Ladd, Peltiah Cobb and Reuben Rand are believed
to have been the first men who brought their families, and built their
houses here. The latter two cleared farms on Bowen hill, and raised
corn on land now covered with the second growth maples, some of
them two and a half feet through.
It is said that a party of timber hunters from Lewiston came before
any white man lived here, and camped one night at West Mount
Vernon. Judging they were about that distance from home, they
called that stream Thirty-mile river. The next morning they climbed
the highest point of land in sight to get a better view of the unbroken
forest. One of the party was a Mr. Bowen, and that hill has borne
his name from that day to this. Mount Vernon easily takes rank as
the equal of any of her sister towns, in original wealth of forest,
strength and productiveness of soil, percentage of tillable to total
acres, and of income to outlay.
Like its neighbors, it abounds in ponds of infinite variety of situa-
tion and size, which add so greatly to the charming surprises and
picturesque attractiveness of scenery, for which all the towns in Ken-
nebec county are so justly and so widely celebrated. Long, Parker,
Crotched, Flying, Greely and Moose are its principal ponds, and
Bowen, Currier, Cobbs and McGaffey hills, the latter sometimes called
a mountain, are its highest elevations of land.
The act of incorporation by which Mount Vernon was erected into
the eightieth township in the province of Maine, was completed June
28, 1792. Levi Page was authorized to call the first town meeting,
TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON. 931
which was held in July at the inn of Benjamin Eastman. Solomon
Leighton, John Dudley and Paul Blake were elected as the first board
of selectmen, and at a subsequent election Nathaniel Dudley was
chosen as the first representative to the general court. The first six
town meetings were held at the house of Benjamin Eastman, " In-
holder," and the next two at Stephen Scribner's inn. The area of the
town was 15,000 acres, and its population was about 600. In 1850 its
population was 1,479; in 1860, 1,464; in 1870, 1,252; in 1880, 1.171; and
in 1890 it numbered 940. In 1870 its valuation was $397,034; in 1880,
$893,381; and in 1890 its assessed valuation was $273,283.
It is high praise of any town in Kennebec county to say that the
quality of its early settlers was as good as that of its neighbors.
Mount Vernon claims this and no more. But a record must be made
of the acts of one woman and one man among her pioneers. Mrs.
William Whittier every night put food on her table, a light in her
window, a logon the fire when the weather was cold, and left her door
unbolted with the latch string hanging out — a standing invitation to
any tired, belated settler passing in the dead houi's of the night, to
stop and eat and rest, and go where he chose — the free gift of a grand
woman's great heart.
During the memorable cold season of 1816 Theodore Marston had
corn to sell. To people who came with the money to pay for it he
would say: " You can buy of any one who has it — I must sell my corn
to poor people who have no money; I will trust them;" and he did.
Such men and women are rare. Their deeds illuminate a whole hori-
zon, and ennoble the lives of all subsequent generations.
Some of the earliest and most prominent settlers, the most of them
here before 1800, were: Charles Atkins, a Methodist minister near
Dunn's Corner; Jonathan Prescott, a surveyor; Levi and David French,
Joses Ladd, Solomon Leighton, Theodore Marston, Benjamin and
Nathaniel Philbrick, John R. Robinson, John Stephens, Stephen
Scribner, Phineas Taylor, Deacon Nathan Thomas, Paul Blake,
Samuel Cram, Peter Folsom, John Hovey, Deacon Samuel Thing,
Nathaniel Philbrick, Dr. Samuel Quimby, Noah Greeley, Daniel Thing,
Reuben Hanscomb, Nathaniel Rice, Nicholas D. Robinson, Caleb
Cressey, Reuben Daniels, Samuel S. Oilman and Nathaniel Kent.
The following interesting extracts from the town records are good
history: " October 1. 1799. Voted to build a meeting house by sub-
scription on condition that a spot of ground can be reasonably pur-
chased near Benjamin Eastman's. Voted to choose a committee of
five to oversee said business, and that they shall have nothing for
their services. Voted, committee as follows: Nathaniel Dudley, Paul
Blake, John R. Robinson, Jabez Ladd, Jacob Jewel. Voted, to build
said house 50 by GO, and twenty-three feet posts. Said house shall be
59
932 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
for town business, and the worship of God. Located on south side of
road near Benjamin Eastntan's house."
"Said house shall be for the use of the Baptist society and church
one-half of every month, and the other half, or as much of it as is not
wanted or occupied by other societies." " Voted to raise $250 to build
said frame. Voted Captain William Whittier as chairman of the
building committee."
The building was duly finished in 1800, and for the next thirt}'-
seven years was used for " town business and the worship of God."
It contained fifty-three pews, which Captain Blake sold at auction.
Benjamin Eastman paid $77 for No. 1, Reuben Rand and Moses Bas-
ford each paid $61 for a seat, and three seats were bid off at $31 each,
the lowest price. The sale realized $2,206. A wide, strong gallery
was built on three sides, and on special occasions hundreds of people
would obtain standing room after all the seats were full. Daniel H.
Thing thinks he saw when a boy nearly a thousand people in the
house listening to Judah Prescott, a noted woman preacher.
But the time came when the question of repairing the old house or
building a new one was decided, as these extracts from the records
show: " 1836. Met in the old meeting house. Voted, to build a Town
House. Voted, to locate the Town House at Dudley Lyford's Corner,
which shall be completed on or before the first of March, 1838. Voted,
to raise a committee to petition the Legislature for leave to sell the
old meeting house."
The last town meeting in the old house was held November 25,
1837, and the first meeting in the new town house was held March 12,
1838.
It was more than twenty-five years after the settlement, and nine
years after the incorporation of the town, before its inhabitants, who
must have numbered nearly one thousand, got their first post office.
It was established July 1, 1801, and was named South Mount Vernon,
which shows the locality in which the greatest number of families
then lived. The names of postmasters, with dates of appointment,
were: Benjamin Philbrick, July 1, 1801; Samuel Thing, August 3,
1803; Stephen Wells, July 25, 1823; Nathan Robinson, September 17,
1823; Samuel Thing, January 31, 1831; John Philbrick, June 25,
1833; Darius Robbins, June 14, 1845; Elijah Farnham, May 20, 1847;
and John Stevens, July 20, 1849. This office was discontinued Decem-
ber 22, 1851. In February, 1849, the office was called Mount Vernon
Village for nine days. The first postmasters kept the office at their
houses on " Fat " street, and it is said they could have put a weekly
mail in their hats.
The name and date of the next post office indicate the period
when that locality became the center of business, and demanded rec-
ognition as such. Mount Vernon Village post office was established
February 26, 1828. February 8, 1849, the name of the post office was
TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON. 933
changed to Mount Vernon. Its postmasters have been appointed as
follows: Dexter Baldwin, February 26, 1826; Joshua Wells, December
19, 1838: William H. Hartwell, December 25, 1840; Upham T. Cram,
August 16, 1843; William H. Hartwell, January 26, 1844; Benjamin
Gilbraith, May 27, 1845; Waldo A. Blossom, February 9, 1849; Abner
Small, September 18, 1850; Daniel M. Teague, July 26, 1855; Rufus
M. Mansur, May 28, 1861; Fernando C. Fellows, September 19, 1866;
George McGaffey, April 4, 1883; Charles C. Gilman, June 15, 1885;
and William E. Carson, September 16, 1889.
The third post office, established June 5, 1830, was named East
Mount Vernon. Greenleaf Wing was the first postmaster: and Sam-
uel M. Ingalls, appointed November, 1836; Silas B. Wing, February,
1839; and Stephen Gilman, September, 1844, were his successors.
The office was discontinued in June, 1845. After an interval of forty-
four years it was reestablished in October, 1889, with Fred A. Wing
as postmaster.
AVest Mount Vernon post office was not established till July, 1860,
and was named Walton's Mills till January, 1868. Nathaniel Larra-
bee was appointed postmaster in July, 1860; Andrew J. Smith, De-
cember, 1863; Thomas Scofield, December, 1874; Fred C. Huse, May,
1879; Roswell S. Kent, November, 1880; Orlando Brown, December,
1883; Francis O. Dolloff, Septenxber, 1889; and Daniel Kimball in
May, 1890.
Mount Vernon Center post office was established March 8, 1852,
Hiram S. Bean, postmaster; it was discontinued in June following.
The saw mill built by William Whittier about 1800 was the nu-
cleus, first called " Whichers," around which the village of Mount
Vernon grew. It is said that he brought the first saw on his back
from Gardiner. Perley Morse was the next proprietor, and his suc-
cessors have been: William Hartwell, Benjamin Gilbraith, John Wil-
liams, Aaron Cogswell, Abial and Charles Walker, Welhngton Wood,
and Severy, Filbert & Williams. About 125,000 feet of lumber are
cut each year and 100,000 shingles.
William Whittier also built the grist mill and Perley Morse was
one of the first to run it. Since Mr. Morse, James Maxwell, Benjamin
Gilbraith, Aaron Cogswell, Abial Walker, Charles H. Severy, E. M.
Tracy, H. L. Thompson and Timothy Currier have had control of the
mill, which has three runs of stones, and once did a large business.
Richard Rice built before 1800 a fulling and cloth dressing mill
-where the brick building stands. He was succeeded by his brother,
Nathaniel Rice, whose son, Peabody, in 1829 formed a partnership
with James Hanna, from Providence, and together they built the pres-
ent brick mill and put in cards and a picker. Subsequent owners have
been: John O. Dearborn, Anson P. Morrill, David M. Carson, Gil-
braith, Hartwell & Maxfield (the latter firm sold the cards and picker
984 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and rented power to Newell and George Carpenter, who made pill
boxes there). John Williams & Sons (who in 1855 changed it to a wood
working factory and manufactured carriages), H. A. Comstock and
Wilder Taylor. Charles C. Cilman occupies the brick building and
manufactures picker sticks and levers, used in cotton and woolen mills.
Mr. Cilman originated this industry, the factories formerly making
these articles themselves.
The brick building near the Ladies' Hall was built about 1840, by
Calvin Hopkins and Cilbert Taggart for a potato starch factory.
Mount Vernon has always been a productive potato town. Mrs. Eben
Leighton relates that when she was twelve years old, her father, Ste-
phen Carr, and another man would dig seventy bushels of potatoes
per day, and that she picked them up easily. The starch factory was
next used by Nathan Sanborn for a tannery. For the past eight years
John and George Fairbanks have made shingles and have manufac-
tured shovel, hoe and broom handles, besides sawing large quantities
, of white birch for spools, in the old brick building.
At the foot of the pond, as early as 1800, Nathan Philbrick built a
grist mill that was not used after 1830. On the same ground Joseph
Hopkins built a tannery that he carried on nearly thirty years. Noth-
ing more was done there till Alvin Butler, in 1875, built the saw inill
which he sold to Charles Fairbanks in 1887. The present dam is sixty
years old and is the third one that has been built. Mr. Fairbanks
cuts 200,000 feet of lumber and 100,000 shingles annually. This
stream has long been known by the name of each of these early build-
ers— Philbrick and Hopkins.
The first trader was Samuel Cilman, in a store standing just east
of where Captain Davis now lives, on the hill. Doctor Morse bought
the building and moved it down on the north side of the street, and
kept a store there from 1810 to 1815. It is now the dwelling house of
Charles Webber. Jabez S. Thing was a partner with Doctor Morse
for awhile. Upham T. Cram began as a trader in 1823 and continued
for over twenty years. About 1833 Calvin Hopkins commenced a
very prosperous career as a merchant. He was a strong temperance
man and never kept any liquor for sale. The innovation was so novel
that many said he would fail, but he made money, continuing in trade
till 1875. H. S. Robinson and Sewall Eaton went into trade about
1840, followed by Morrell Carson. In 1849 Moses T. Mayhew began
trade, and in 1860 he was joined by Albion T. Cram for seven years.
In 1867 the firm of Cram & French was established, and seven years
later Mr. Cram purchased his partner's interest and is still in busi-
ness.
From about 1840 to 1864 Dr. Ira Thing kept a store, adding drugs
and medicines. Jabez Thing sold to Marston & Tilton. Rufus M.
Mansur built a store in 1856 and kept it till 1862, when B. F. Butler
TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON. 935
bought it and was succeeded by his son, H. L. Butler, and he by E. M.
Tracy. Ex-Governor A. P. Morrill had a store on the north side of
the street, followed by Dearborn & McGaffey. John M. Fifield was
for a time in trade in the brick store, and George McGaffey was the
last. In 1848 Blake & Leighton traded in U. T. Cram's building and
were closed out by the great fire in 1850. About 1856 Frank Richard-
son built the store where the post office is and kept a merchant tailor
establishment there. F. C. Fellows followed with a tin and kitchen
hardware store till W. E. Fellows, in 1888, set up the first boot and
shoe store in Mount Vernon. Allen Brothers bought of the Mayhew
estate in 1887 the store they now keep, and W. T. Morrill built the
store he trades in in 1891.
The village of Mount Vernon barely escaped total destruction by
a fire that broke out in the hotel stable of Waldo A. Blossom just be-
fore daylight one morning in September, 1850. The hotel, which
stood where Butler's store is. Doctor Thing's store and Lothrop's
tailor shop were burned on that side of the street. Across the street
Doctor Morse's dwelling house and the brick store in which Marston
& Tilton were trading; Jabez Thing's dwelling house; Calvin Hop-
kins' brick store; Upham T. Cram's building, in which Blake & Leigh-
ton were the traders; Captain Small's shoe shop; the old carding ma-
chine in which Moses Mayhew kept a store, and two barns on the
shore of the pond were all burned. The fire was stopped by pulling
down a small tailor shop standing where the post office building,
belonging to William Morrell, is. The total loss was estimated at
$15,000 and Moses Mayhew was the only man insured.
Benjamin Eastman was an "innholder," according to the town
records, in 1796 and 1797, and Stephen Scribner in the two following
years. Benjamin Philbrick succeeded them till his death in 1812,
when his wife, known as " Aunt Betty," continued the old tavern
stand many years. Captain John R. Robinson' kept tavern m 1800,
and was succeeded by Franklin Blunt till 1840, where John P. Carson
now owns. Nathaniel Philbrick and his son, John, were innholders
till 1850. At West Mount Vernon John R. Taylor was the earliest
innkeeper; Peleg B. Otis next, and John Veizie till 1855.
The earliest tavern at or near the village was kept by John Whit-
tier on the first hill east of the pond, where C. H. Severy lives. Jabez
Morse was the first landlord in the village, followed by " Shube "
Vance, William Hartwell, Joshua Wells, H. O. Reed and W. A. Blos-
som. Daniel M. Teague, George H. Wills, Oliver Stevens, Loren F.
Dolloff, David M. Bent, Charles Record, A. H. Wilson, Ora M. Sibley,
John Fairbanks, Moses T. Bean and Eben Leighton comprise most
of the landlords since the fire of 1850.
John Williams, and following him his sons, Charles and Cyrus,
were the first wagon and carriage makers in the village. William
yob HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
M. Tyler was the next, and at the same time Edwin V. Carr, whose
shop stood where it now does — a half mile north, on the Vienna road.
From a small beginning, Mr. Carr has developed a manufactory that
turns out from twelve to fifteen carriages a month— the largest in
Kennebec county.
The harness makers in the village have been: Carlton & Carr,
Benjamin Wells, Charles Morse, A. H. Wilson, and for the last ten
years Jacob A. Rundlette. Josiah Pearl was a cooper in the village,
Oliver Trask had a shop on the Augusta road, and James and Sewell
Dolloff had shops on the Belgrade road.
John Douglas and Josiah Ladd were early blacksmiths. Ethel
Buzzell, Isaiah McClinch, Captain Samuel Davis, Benjamin Leighton
and Harvey Boles were blacksmiths in the village before 1850. Har-
din Morse, Perry, John Coffrin, Charles Oilman, Hiram Comstock,
Fred Allen and George H. Poole have been the later smiths. Joseph
Buzzell made felt hats in early times, that were widely known and
worn.
Brick have been made by Benjamin Dudley at Dunn's Corner, by
Daniel and Steven Wiggins at the foot of the pond for most of the
brick buildings m the village, also in places northeast of the village.
Samuel Davis made brick in the south part of the town, and John R.
Rundlette had a kiln on his farm. The brick for Nathaniel T. Rob-
inson's house were made from a clay bed close by. Abram and
Samuel Smith made brick where Walton stream enters the pond.
Dr. Elijah Morse built a potash near where the Methodist Episco-
pal church stands, that Jabez Thing carried on, and near it, on the
bank of the pond, stood another run by Upham T. Cram. John R.
Taylor had an ashery at West Mount Vernon in 1820. Benjamin B.
Dudley made brick east of Dunn's Corner before 1840.
For its largest public building Mount Vernon is indebted to its
women. In 1880 they organized a sewing circle that in 1883 was
chartered as the Ladies' Hall Club, " for the purpose of building and
owning a building in which shall be a hall for private and public pur-
poses." The very next year they erected the large and commodious
building known far and near as the Ladies' Hall. It cost $2,000 and
was paid for by the profits on fairs, sociables, home talent theatricals,
and many other schemes that the fertile brains and tireless hands of
resolute women never fail to devise and execute. Louise D. Mayhew
was the first president, and her successors have been: Laura McGaffey,
Etta Smith, Hattie E. Hall, Mrs. Lucretia Smith, Hattie Mayhew, Nel-
lie Butler and Mrs. Laura Fellows.
Societies. — Mount Vernon Grange, No. 211, was organized in 1875
with thirty-eight members. This branch of the Patrons of Husbandry
was very prosperous, and soon numbered one hundred members. A
Grange store was established in 1877, and was discontinued after two
TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON. 937
years of unsatisfactory results. Eben Leighton was the first store-
keeper, and E. M. Tracy was the second and last. Daniel H. Thing
was the first master, and is the present secretary. Harrison W. Web-
ber was the first secretary, and Augustus Thomas is the present
master. The regular meetings of its thirty-five members are held
monthly in the Ladies' Hall.
Vernon Valley Lodge, No. 99, F. & A. M.. was chartered May 3,
1860. Moses S. Mayhew was the first master, and his successors have
been: J. J. Wood, Charles B. Williams, Samuel Davis, Dr. Silas Bur-
bank, Daniel H. Thing, Thomas Robinson, Augustus F. Smart, Henry
Graves, Oman F. French, George McGaffey, Everet J. Lowell, Fer-
nando C. Fellows and W. T. Morrill. The present secretary. Doctor
Burbank, has filled that office for twenty years. The Lodge built their
hall in 1866, at a cost of $1,500, in which they hold monthly meetings,
with a membership of one hundred.
The Ancient Order of United Workmen is represented in Mount
Vernon by Lodge No. 31, which was instituted April 27, 1885, with
eleven charter members. Ozro A. Weston was cho.sen the first
master workman, followed by: Charles V. AVells, Charles Dolloff, N.
Cora Leighton, Noah G. Sanborn and W. H. H. Williams. A. P. Cram
has been recorder from the first.
Ecclesiastical.— -On Thursday, the eighth day of August, 1799, at
the house of William Whittier, the following persons were embodied
inco the First Particular Baptist church in the town of Mount Vernon:
John Hovey, Samuel Thing, Nathan Thomas, Joshua Stevens, William
Whittier, John Whittier, Samuel Quimby, Jacob Jewell, Levi Jewell,
Hannah Thing, Anna Hovey, Dorcas Stevens, Rhoda Hutchings,
Elizabeth Thomas, Polly Colbeth, Polly Baker and Ruth Oilman.
John Hovey was the first clerk and Samuel Thing was the fir.st
deacon. Elders Eliphalet vSmith and Isaac Case were the earliest
preachers; Henry Kendall was the next and Peter Moore was pastor
from 1807 to 1815, when he was dismissed for doubting the divinity of
Christ. Arthur Drinkwater followed in 1816, and was a great favorite,
preaching at intervals till after 1840. Reverends William Johnson,
Caleb Clarke, William Bradbury and Walter T. Sargent served the
church between 1821 and 1845. This society worshiped in the old
meeting house erected by the town just south of Moose pond, in 1800,
and in school houses till 1826, when Esquire James Robinson gave a
plot of land near the Robinson burying ground, on which was built
the First Particular Baptist meeting house in Mount Vernon. Elijah
Morse, Dudley Robinson and Daniel Thing were the building com-
mittee. Here the Baptist society had a house for over half a century,
the last sermon being preached by Elder C. E. Young, in July, 1879.
The present Baptist church was built in 1849, by Methodists, Uni-
versalists and Freewill and Calvinistic Baptists, as a union meeting
938 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
house. In 1886 the Calvitiistic Baptists obtained control of the house,
and the improvements made since that time amount to over $3,000.
Since 1843 John Billings, Simpson Powers, W. H. Clark, Charles E.
Young, Joel R. Herrick and Henry M. Heyward have been the min-
isters of this church. The number of members is ninety-eight.
Methodism was planted in the soil of Mount Vernon by its great
apostle, Jesse Lee, who preached the initial sermon October 18, 1793,
probably in the Philbrick school house, near Moose pond. The
preacher spent the night with Stephen vScribner. There is no record
of Methodist meetings again till Eaton Shaw, from Kents Hill, and C.
H. Lovejoy, from Readfield, assisted by several seminary students,
came in 1836 and held meetings in the Baptist church and in the
Philbrick school house.
A Methodist class was formed consisting in part of: John S. Phil-
brick, leader, and Susan, his wife; Franklin and Nancy Blunt, and
their daughter, Charlotte N.; Joshua and Mary Wells; Benjamin S.
Philbrick and his sister, Hannah G.; Rufus and Hannah Rundlette,
and Olive H. C, their daughter; Olive Wells; John and Mary Neal;
Mary Williams; Polly Carson and her children, Samuel G. and Sally.
Only occasional Methodist sermons were heard in town for the
next ten years, some of them by Charles Atkens, a local preacher and
a pioneer settler. In 1847, mainly through the efforts of James F.
Blunt, a two days' meeting was held by Reverends John Allen and
George Webber, in the school house at Thing's Corner, from the im-
petus of which Mount Vernon, in 1848, was connected with Kents
Hill, under the pastoral charge of R. H. Stinchfield.
The Union chapel was built at the village in 1849, the Methodists
taking the lead. In 1881 the Methodists thought best to build a house
of their own. A site was donated by Harrison W. Webber, on which
the present attractive church was dedicated February 25, 1885. The
society is in a prosperous condition, with a church membership of
eighty.
The preachers sent by conference to jSIount Vernon have been as
follows: Rufus H. Stinchfield, 1848; Samuel Ambrose, 1850; and
Joseph Hawkes, 1851. For the next seven years no regular appoint-
ments were made, but the occasional preachers were: Andrew D.
Goodwin, H. M. Eaton, John Mclnnis and John Cumner. In 1858
True Whittier was appointed, and James W. Hathaway, Joseph L.
Morse and James Armstrong were supply preachers till J. R. Master-
man was appointed in 1872. He was succeeded by J. Wesley Smith
in 1874; William F. Marshall, 1876; Oliver S. Pillsbury, 1878; H. B.
Ward well, 1880; O. H. Stevens, 1882; Melvin E. King, 1885; Asbury C.
Trafton, 1887; Hezekiah Chase, 1889; and Elbridge Gerry, 1892. In
1891 William H. Foster and David Church were supplies.
There was a Freewill Baptist church organized in the school house
TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON. ybU
at Dunn's Corner in 1828. Thomas, John, Henry, David, Benjamin
and Anna Dudley, Ephraim Hunt, Isaac and Sarah Porter, Dudley
and Nancy Fogg, Samuel Stain, David and Betsey Basford, Simeon
and Mary Ladd, William Elliott, Peter and Elvira Dunn, John Brown,
John B. Swanton, Samuel Eldridge, Henry Clough, John and Betsey
Wright, Sally Fogg, Sarah Jacobs, Eunice vStevens, Nancy Folsom and
Sarah Porter were the original members.
Elders Thomas Dudley, Samuel Hedge, Hubbard Chandler, James
Young, Scales and Samuel and Elias Hutchins were preachers
before 1846. During that year Elder Buzzell preached in the neigh-
borhood and made a small division in the church. Elders Edgecomb,
Ely, E. G. Page, S. P. Morrell, B. Sylvester, E. N. Berry, Royce,
A. C. Brown, Seth Perkins, George M. Park, Miss Haines, Elder Lewis
and Elder Bates have preached since 1846. The church was built in
1845. The present membership is sixty.
A Christian Church, often called the Christian Band, was organized
in the Bean school house March 24, 1818, with over fifty members.
A few representative names signed to a statement of their principles
and proposed methods were: David McGaffey, David and Simeon
Leighton, John, Benjamin and Andrew Brown, Neal Bean, Caleb
Cressey, Timothy Leighton and Dr. Samuel Quimby, and the wife of
each. Peter Mooers, Josiah and Jonathan Bradley, Levi and Increase
Eldridge, W. M. Ingham, B. P. Reed, Jedediah B. Prescott, Vinal
Thompson, Jacob Tebbetts and Wilson P. Jackson were the ministers
who preached to this society at stated periods in the Bean school
house for the next twenty-seven years.
This church was united and prosperous till 1845, when a few
people, among whom were Levi Fletcher, Samuel S. Robinson and
James Dolloff and their wives, organized a Freewill Baptist society
in the same locality, and demanded the use of the Bean school house
a share of the time. The Christian society could not endure the in-
terruption of their regular services of so many years' standing, which
resulted in the discontinuance of all religious meetings and the dis-
ruption of both churches. Reverend Joseph Edgecomb was the Free-
will Baptist preacher.
Cemeteries.— One of the singular and unaccountable practices of
the early inhabitants was that of establishing so many private burial
places. Every neighborhood had one or more, and a score of fami-
lies buried on their own land— often with nothing but a mound of
earth to mark the spot. The result is that many a pioneer sleeps be-
neath the passing plow and the growing grain. The number of still
visible graveyards is over forty. Of these the town owns but one,
known as the " Potash " ground, at Dunn's Corner. It was bought
from the Gilman Dudley farm about seventy years ago. A private
940 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ground adjoins it, taken from Ober O. Lane's land, and near by is one
taken from Peter Dunn's land.
The names of those interred in each yard would be a valuable
record, but space forbids — the localities can only be designated. There
are graves on lands belonging to C. B. Williams, A. P. Cram, Doctor
Shaw and to Captain Samuel Davis, in Mount Vernon village. The
yards are known as Philbrick, Robinson, Captain Stevens, Hanna,
or Butler yard, Larrabee, Taylor's Mills, Dolloff, Tilton, Blunt, Mars-
ton, Webber, Joseph Hopkins, AVells cemetery. Wells (two yards),
Greely, Locke's Corner, Bean, Currier's Hill, George Fairbanks, Quim-
by, H. A. Ladd, F. B. Dolloff, E. C. Carson, Charles Robinson, Mo.ses
Philbrick, J. H. Stain, Benjamin Dudley, Stephen Cram, Noah Clough,
and Hovey; and on D. H. Thing's land Captain Joseph Philbrick is
buried.
Villages. — The first use of the water power at West Mount Ver-
non was made by Paul Blake and Phineas Taylor, who built a dam
and a saw mill. Mr. Taylor put up a building with a turning shop in
the upper part and a tannery in the basement, and his son, Orren
Taylor, ran it. The saw mill was afterward owned by Doctor Quimby,
Jerry Dunn and Reuben A. Huse. The latter tore down the old mill
and built the shop that Curtis and Amzie Butler bought in 1880, and
in which they now manufacture shingles, barrels, cooper ware, tool
handles and excelsior. On the same dam Ithuel Packard had a black-
smith shop in which was a trip-hammer. In 1840 Amos D. King
built, and ran for years, a carding and fulling mill on the .same
ground. Moses Sanborn bought it and carded wool, but did no more
cloth dressing.
The old stone grist mill, known so long as Taylor's mill, belonged
to Doctor Ouimby in early times, and it is supposed he built it. John
Batchelder, in 1837, was the last man who ground grain in it. From
1850 to 1860 Charles Marston made shovel handles and barrel shocks
there, and R. A. Huse tore it down when he built the Butler mill.
On the next dam above, Samuel S. Smith, in 1855, built a grist mill,
which he sold to his brother, Abram Smith, who ran it ten years.
Isaac Bean had it a year and then, in 1888, Mr. Smith sold it to the
present owner, Thomas U. French, who is making shingles there at
the rate of a half million a year. The stones for grinding are still in
place, and may be used again. On the same dam was a pioneer grist
mill that burned, and was replaced by another that was also burned.
Doctor Quimby owned the first, and may have built it.
The tannery at West Mount Vernon, one of the most important
industries in town, was established by Thomas U. French in 1881,
who bought Moses Sanborn's carding mill and water privilege. The
carding building he moved across the road, and in its place erected
the large tannery buildings now in operation, at a cost of $14,000.
TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON. 941
His business is mostly confined to sheep skins, of which he tans 300
dozen per week, mostly for Boston parties. Doctor Wright, of Read-
field, had for a time an interest in the business. Mr. French employs
four men in his tannery and four in his shingle mill.
Noah Greeley built the first .saw mill on the upper dam at West
Mount Vernon. Mr. Hadley, the next proprietor, sold it to Moses
Walton, Columbus Lane and Samuel French. Mr. Walton bought his
partners out, and his son, John Walton, tore away the old mill and
built the present one in 1857. He also built the red shop, in 1850, in
which Sylvanus Fairbanks and Benjamin Dresser made hand rakes
for one year, and were followed by Timothy Gray, who made pill
boxes for twelve years. John Larrabee, a rake maker, and A. J.
Smith, a box maker, were occupants till about 1885.
In 1888 Charles E. Mclnnis bought the property in company with
John W. Leighton. The next year John W. Mclnnis bought Leigh-
ton's interest, and Mclnnis Brothers now cut large quantities of lum-
ber, besides making clapboards and packing cases. They employ five
men.
John R. Taylor, son of Phineas, the pioneer, was a cooper by trade,
and employed as many as ten men at a time to make fish barrels for
the Portland market. He built a store at West Mount Vernon, and
was the first trader there. After him were: David Morgan,
Goodwin, Henry Folsom, who quit in 1840, and Moses Sanborn. Or-
lando Brown is the present trader on that site. Nathaniel Larrabee
started a store on the other side of the stream, where Fred Hall is
now in trade, and was followed by Abram Smith, Lyman F. Norris
and S. K. Scofield.
At East Mount Vernon, familiarly known as Wing's Mill, on the
outlet of Long pond, a surveyor by the name of Jones, built a log
dam and a saw mill, at an early date. This so excited the owners of
the Chandler saw mill in Belgrade that they came and wreaked their
spite by fixing one end of a heavy lever under the log dam, and then
felling a convenient tree across the other end. The scheme worked
well, and Mr. Jones had to repair his dam and wait for another pond
of water.
The mill privilege next passed into the hands of Greenleaf and
Silas B. Wing, who built another saw mill and a grist mill, which they
operated for years and allowed to run down about 1840. The Wings
also built a large carding and cloth dressing mill that did a prosperous
business. Near by David Austin made axes that were in great
demand among choppers.
The settlement at Dunn's Corner collected around the .grist mill
built by Dr. Samuel Quimby, owned afterward by Benjamin Dudley,
and still in possession of his heirs. The mill continues to do some
grinding. At the foot of the bog Doctor Quimby built a saw mill that
942 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ran till about 1850, and between that and the grist mill, he had a shin-
gle mill that did work for thirty years.
West of this Nathaniel Currier owned and carried on a tannery,
that was discontinued about 1849. Near the tannery stood the card-
ing and cloth dressing mill, built and operated by Amos King. Peter
Dunn came in 1820 and kept the first tavern at the Corner, and Har-
vey Porter, who followed him, was the last. Jefferson Norton was the
first trader, and the builder and operator of an ashery. Mr. Porter
was also his successor in each of these occupations, and the last, mov-
ing to Readfield Depot in 1852.
Some time in the early settlement at Locke's Corner, Emerson Stain
built a saw mill on the stream below the road, that had flourished and
was smitten with age before 1820, but was run a few years after. In
1824 Samuel Locke built a tannery just above the road, with a bark
mill, in which he made leather thirty-one years, and then his son.
John, succeeded him for thirty years more, till afire in 1883 destroyed
the works. The Corner took its name from Samuel Locke's father,
who came from New Hampshire. Just north of the old tannery John
H. Stain makes large quantities of barrel hoops for the seaboard
markets.
In 1850 Samuel and Edwin Kendall built the saw mill which they
still operate, near Dunn's Corner. Near it they lost a shingle mill by
fire in 1865. Once a reality, but now a misty memory, stood Atkin's
grist mill on the same dam.
Civil Lists. — By the reports of the town officers for the year end-
ing February 22, 1891, it appears that it cost $611.23 to support the
poor, S69S for highways, and $I,63L34 for the support of schools.
The number of children who draw public money is 181. The free
book law has been in operation four years, costing the town so far a
little less than $500. The schools are all supplied, and the change is
popular with the best informed citizens.
The Selectmen, with the year of fir.st election and the number of
years of service of each have been: 1795, Nathaniel Dudley, 5, John
Dudley, 10, Benjamin Philbrick, 3; 1796, Paul Blake, 5; 1797, Robert
Blake, John Bean, 2, Nathaniel Oilman; 1798, John Hovey, 15; 1799,
Nathan Thomas, 2; 1808, Samuel Thing, 10; 1808. John R. Robinson;
1810, Elijah Morse, 3; 1811, Nathaniel Gilman, jun., 2; 1812, Nathaniel
D. Robinson; 1814, Lsaac Porter, 7; 1815; Daniel Thing, 4; 1816, David
McGaffey, 9; 1817. John Stevens, 9; 1818, James Robinson, 5; 1821,
Stephen Gilman, 2, Daniel Marston, 9; 1824. John Blake, 12; 1825,
Caleb Dudley, 3; 1826, Samuel Davis, 6; 1831, Franklin Blunt, 2; 1832,
Edward French, 4; 1833, Peabody H. Rice, 3; 1835, John Gilbraith,
Peter Dunn, 2; 1838, James Chapman, 3, Albert G. Gilman, 6; 1839,
Calvin Porter, 6; 1842, George McGaffey, 2, David French, jun., 4:
1844, Elisha C. Carson, 3; 1845, Aaron S. Tyford, 13; 1848, Stephen S.
TOWN' OF MOUNT VERNON. 943
Robinson, 3; 18.")0, Gilbert Taggart, 6, John Phiilbrick, 8; 1852, Samuel
W. Taylor. 2; 1853, Elijali Clough, 3; 1854, John Walton, 3; 1855,
Daniel H. Thing, 16; 1857, Washington Blake, 3; 1860. Albion Stevens,
3; 1861, Alonzo Brown, 3; 1863, Isaac Tucker, 5; 1866, Simeon Leigh-
ton, 3; 1869, James R. Marston, 2, James C. Howland, 4; 1871, J. A.
Robinson, 13; 1872, John Jacobs, 3; 1873, Alfred Weston, 3; 1875, John
B. Wright, 9; 1876, John R. Yeaton, 3; 1878, Rufus F. Fletcher, 2; 1879,
Charles H. McGaffey, 3; 1880, Benjamin S. Philbrick, J. M. Robinson;
1884, O. A. Weston, 3; 1885, E. V. Carr, 5; 1886, C. E. Dunn, 3; 1890,
Hiram Gilman, 3; and in 1892, W. T. Morrill.
The first Town Clerk was Nathaniel Dudley, and his successors,
with dates of election and years of service, have been: 1797, Samuel
Thing, 23; 1807, John Hovey, 5; 1825, Nathan Robinson, 6; 1831, Up-
ham T. Cram, 3; 1834, Samuel Davi.s, 3; 1837, John Stevens, 5; 1842,
Abner Small, 2; 1844, Stephen S. Robinson, 3; 1847, W. H. Hartwell;
1848, A. S. Lyford, 11; 1855, M. S. Mayhew, 7; 1859, Calvin Hopkins, 2;
1861, George McGaffey; 1869, A. P. Cram. 11; 1879, Silas Burbank;
1880, M. S. Philbrick; 1882, H. L. Butler, 10; and in 1892, J. W. Allen.
The Treasurers have been: 1795, Nathaniel Philbrick, jun., 8; 1803,
Samuel Winslow, 2; 1805, Nathan Thomas, 3; 1808, Nicholas D. Rob-
inson, 10; 1812, Daniel Thing, 20; 1813, Samuel Quimby; 1816, John
R. Robinson; 1822, William N. Giles, 2; 1842, Stephen S. Robinson;
1843, John Stephens, 4; 1847, H. S. Bean, 3; 1849, Stephen Ladd, 5;
1855, E. C. Carson, 4; 1859, Alfred Weston, 4; 1863, Albert Stover, 3;
1866, Francis Lyford, 5; 1871, M. S. Mayhew, 8; 1879, James F. Blunt;
1880, Joseph Blake, 3; 1882, A. H. Wilson; 1884, B. S. Philbrick, 2;
1886, W. E. Carson: and in 1887 E. M. Tracy, the present incumbent.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Amzie and Curtis E. Butler are the sons of John and Mary (Soper)
Butler, and the grandsons of John Butler, all of Mount Vernon. The
latter, whosp English ancestors, Winslow by name, settled in Kittery,
Me., received the name of Butler by adoption, and was a Freewill
Baptist minister. His son, John, married Deborah Carr and had chil-
dren: Alvin, Sylvia M., Amzie, born October 25, 1845, and Curtis E.,
born June 20, 1848. Amzie Butler married Henrietta Bishop January
3, 1870. Curtis E. Butler married Annie L. Philbrick May 1, 1877.
Their children have been: Edith M., Alice E., Carroll C, Mildred A.
and Warren A. The Butler brothers are farmers and manufacturers
of lumber.
Edwin V. Carr, born in Vienna in 1849, is the youngest of twelve
children of Stephen and Betsey, and grandson of James Carr. He
married a daughter of James Dutton, of Mount Vernon, and their
children are: Lillian L., Archie B. and Lucy M. He learned the car-
riage trade in Amesbury, Mass., came to Mount Vernon and started a
944 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
shop, and now makes about 150 buggies each year. He was chosen
selectman in 1887 and has since filled that office.
Elisha C. Carson, born in 1807, is one of seven children of James
and Mary (Greeley) Carson. He married Lucy Crain, who died in
1882. Their children were: Elizabeth, who died in 1860; John P.,
George A., who died in 1864; Ella F.-(Mrs. Maurice Philbrick), and
Horace E., who married Ellen B. Robinson, and has one son, Harmon.
Albion P. Cram was born in Mount Vernon m 1838. His father,
Upham T. Cram, came to Mount Vernon in 1823 and was in the mer-
cantile business here until 1850. He then removed to Readfield, Me.,
and was in trade there about ten years, and resided there until his
death in 1880. His wife, who was Nancy D. Smith, of Winthrop, died
in 1871. Albion P. Cram started in trade in Mount Vernon in 1860,
where he has since carried on a general store. He married Susan M.
Fletcher, who died in 1864 and left two children: Melville F. and Nel-
lie A. He afterward married Lora V. Walker, by whom he has five
children: B. Ralph, Charles M., Archer P., Margaret E. and Lora B.
Mr. Cram has always been a republican, was town clerk for ten years
and auditor two years.
Albert Creasy, born in 1826 on the farm where he now lives, is a
son of Caleb and Dorcas (Brown) Creasy, and grandson of Caleb
Crea.sy, who came from New Hampshire. Caleb, jun., had four sons:
Benjamin B., John G., Charles H. and Albert, who married Alma
Spaulding. Their children were: Emily (Mrs. Lewis Gordon), Lizzie
M. and Florence. Mrs. Creasy died October 5, 1891. Mr. Creasy lives
on the old farm, where his father died in 1864.
Peter Dunn, son of Christopher Dunn, came to Mount Vernon in
1800 and had six sons: Joshua, Eldridge G., Peter, Richard, Albion K.
P. and William P., who married Debora, daughter of Albert G. Foster.
They had five children: William F., Clarence E., Ernest E., Peter G.
and Mary L. Since his father's death in 1877 Clarence E. has run the
farm, and in 1887, '88 and '89 was selectman. He lives ^n the farm
where Peter Dunn settled in 1800.
Melzar W. Fish, born in Massachusetts in 1861, is a son of Eben
and Ruth Fish, who had two children: Amy, who died in 1886, and
Melzar W., who in 1884 married Edna, daughter of Edwin and Mary
(Marston) Stevens, and came to the farm where he now lives. His
father died in 1862, and in 1875 his mother married Alfred Weston
and came to Mount Vernon.
Peter FoLsom, born in Mount Vernon in 1810, was the son of Peter
S. and Mary (Lane) Folsom, and grandson of Peter Folsom, who came
to Mount Vernon from New Hampshire, settled on what is called
Folsom hill, and had six sons. Peter S. had four sons: John N., Sam-
uel L., Henry H. and Peter, who married Eunice Dorman. She died
in 1865, leaving four children: Sarah (Mrs. Charles Clough), Philura
TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON. 945
J. (Mrs. Oliver Chesley), Ferdinand and Myra. Mr. Folsom married
for his second wife Mrs. Julia A. Brown-Phillips. He is a farmer and
has lived on his present farm for fifty- three years.
Thomas U. French, born in 1839, is a son of Benjamin F. and Mary
(Upton) French, and grandson of Samuel French. Prior to his com-
ing to Mount Vernon, in 1880, he lived on the farm with his father
in Chesterville, where he dealt in real estate and horses and was
selectman for three years. In 1881 he built the tannery at West
Mount Vernon, having for a partner Doctor Warren A. Wright, and in
1889 he took full charge of the business, employing about eight men.
He also owns a farm and other real estate.
Albert G. Oilman, son of Joseph Oilman, born 1806 and died 1871,
in Mount Vernon, was educated at Kents Hill and was a school
teacher. He served as school committee for several years and held
the office of selectman a number of terms. By his wife, Rachel C,
he had six children: W. F., E. A., Mary F., Annie M., Hiram and
Marcelle J. Hiram was born in 1851 and married Carrie H., daugh-
ter of William F. Eldred, of Belgrade, Me. He is a carriage maker
and house and sign painter by trade. He was appointed deputy
sheriff in 1888, was chairman of the board of selectmen in 1892, and
established a post office at South Mount Vernon in 1892.
Charles C. Oilman, born in 1833, is one of the nine children of
Bela and Catherine (Wheelock) Oilman. His grandfather, Taylor
Oilman, came from Oilmanton, N. H., in 1772, settling in Mount Ver-
non, where his children, six boys and six girls, were born. Of these
Bela Oilman, born in 1795, was the youngest. Charles C. married
Lydia A. Dudley. Their children are Ellen F. and Rose J. Mr. Oil-
man was formerly a machinist and blacksmith. He is now manufac-
turing reclining chairs and weavers' supplies. He was appointed
trial justice in 1881 and re-appointed in 1888.
Jesse Oilman, born in 1816, is a son of Moses and grandson of
Samuel Oilman, who came from New Hampshire to Mount Vernon
about 1765. Jesse married Sarah Beede, of Vienna, and their children
are Lafayette and Florence. Mr. Oilman was a farmer in Vienna
until 1883, when he bought and moved to the farm in Mount Vernon
where he now lives.
Roswell Cordon, born in Mount Vernon in 1835, is a son of Ithial
and Sallie (Smith) Cordon, grandson of Samuel, and great-grandson
of Daniel, whose father, Jonathan, came from England and settled in
Mount Vernon in 1780. Ithial Cordon had eight sons: Elisha, John,
Henry, Albert, Edwin, Moses, Roswell and Oranville. He died in
1878, aged eighty-two. Roswell has been a farmer and wool dealer.
Rozendall H. Jacobs, born in Mount Vernon in 1854, is a son of
Lewis and Ann (Creasey) Jacobs, and grandson of Jesse E. Jacobs,
who came from New Hampshire to Mount Vernon. His sons were:
946 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
John, Jesse, Edward and Lewis, who died in 18(30, leaving two
children: Jennie E. and Rozendall H., who married Alice C, daughter
of Rufus M. Manser. Their children are: Merton R. and Caro E.
Mr. Jacobs is a carpenter and carriage maker. He ran a carriage and
repair shop in Clinton for two 3-ears, and in 1884 he bought the farm
where he now lives.
Roswell S. Kent, born in 1828, is a son of Nathaniel and Polly
(Hunt) Kent, and grandson of Captain Warren Kent. His brothers
and sisters are: William H., of California; Eliza, who died in 1841;
Mary A. (Mrs. Daniel H. Thing); Warren, born October 20, 1825, died
August 3, 1827; and Emily (Mrs. Lyman R. Mace). He married Teresa
A., daughter of Captain John Blake, and their children were: Harry
H.. who died in California in 1882; Millie, died in 1864; Ellis, died in
1861; Lizzie C, Minnie L. and Clarence R. Mr. Kent came to the
farm where he now lives in 1866. He kept the West Mount Vernon
post office for three years. Captain Warren Kent was born December
20, 1764, and died May 28, 1834. His wife. Bethiah Turner, was born
August 20, 1768, and died September 1, 1829. They were married
December 19, 1786. Captain Kent and his brother were the first set-
tlers on Kents Hill.
Abner O. Lane, born in Readfield in 1829, is a son of John and
Sally (Haskell) Lane, and grandson of Samuel Lane, of Chester, N.
H., who came to Readfield in 1797, and had four sons — John, Stephen,
Samuel and ISIanley— and one daughter, Polly. John's children were:
George, Hannah, John, Abner O., Mary, William and Sarah. Abner
O. married Helena E., daughter of Thomas Sherburne. She died
November 20, 1887, leaving one daughter, Georgia E. Mr. Lane is a
stone mason by trade, and devotes part of his time to farming.
William H. Leighton, born in 1836, is a son of Joseph and Polly
(McGaffey) Leighton, grandson of Joseph, and great-grandson of
Smithson Leighton, who came from England. He married for his
first wife Jane M. Trask, who died in 1876. His second wife was Mary
A. McGaffey, who died in 1891. He was for several years engaged in
building and repairing bridges on the New York Central railroad
prior to 1873, when he came and settled in Mount Vernon on the farm
where his father lived from 1850 until his death in 1875.
Charles H. McGaffey, born in Mount Vernon in 1832, is a son of
John B. (1808-1839) and Mary (Dolloff) McGaffey, and grandson of
James McGaffey, who came to Mount Vernon from New Hampshire
with his two brothers, David and George. John B. had two children:
Sarah (Mrs. John R. Manchester, of Augusta), and Charles H. The
latter married Lizzie D. Knowlton, and their children are John B.
and Lora M. Charles H. lives on the old homestead, where his father
settled when he married and lived until his death in 1839. He was one
TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON. 947
of the selectmen of the town for two years prior to ISSS, and is now
a farmer.
Charles E. Mclnnis, born 1854, is the son of John Mclnnis, who
came from Prince Edward's Island to Kents Hill school, where he met
Harriet Davenport, of Winthrop, and married her in 1850. He be-
came a Methodist minister. Their two children were: John W. and
Charles E., who in 1877 married Amanda M. Norris, and lives on the
farm where his grrandfather, Rufus Davenport, who married Anna
Stevens, settled in 1822. Their five children are all dead but Polly
and Solon. Ebenezer Davenport, the pioneer, came from Dorchester,
Mass., to Hallowell, and two years later to Winthrop, where his son,
Elijah, the father of Rufus, was born in 1773.
Benjamin F. Mitchell, born in York county, Me., in 1824, is a son
of James and Olive (Day) Mitchell, and grandson of John Mitchell.
Benjamin F. married Isabelle O., daughter of Benjamin and Charlotte
Folsam, of Vienna. Their children are: Oliver M., Benjamin F.,
Horace E., Oscar R., Josephine A., Georgia E., Archie L. and Gillie
(twins), and Francis A., who died in 1872. Mr. Mitchell lived in Bo.s-
ton, Mass., for five years, where he was night watchman. He then
moved to Rome, Me., and fourteen years later to Belgrade, where he
lived for seventeen years, coming to Mount Vernon to the farm where
he now lives in 1884.
William T. Morrill, born in Vienna in 1850, is a son of Saunders
and Abigail (Johnson) Morrill, and grandson of Daniel Morrill, who
came from New Hampshire to Vienna. Their sons were: Saunders,
William H., Dexter and Oliver. Saunders Morrill had five children:
J. Augustus, who died in the army; Charles E., Levi L., who was
drowned in Mount Vernon pond; Fannie E. and William T., who after
traveling for some fifteen years for a drug compan3^ returned to
Vienna in 1888, and in 1889 sold his farm and moved to Mount Vernon,
where he made sleighs for one winter, and in 1891 built a store and
started in trade. He married in 1891, E. Elizabeth Cummings, of Con-
necticut.
Lemuel Porter, born in 1835, is a son of Nathan and Harriet (Gove)
Porter, and grandson of Captain Isaac Porter, who came from Massa-
chusetts in 1805, and settled in Mount Vernon a little west of where
Lemuel Porter now lives, where he died in 1827. Lemuel Porter mar-
ried Lydia, daughter of Dea. Henry Dudley, and they have one
daughter, Delia H. He was in the war in Company C, 24th Maine.
He came to the farm where he now lives in 1871. He has a sword
that bears the date 1311, left him by his grandfather.
James A. Robinson, born in 1826, is a son of James and Betsey
(Scribner) Robinson, and grandson of Edward Robinson, of New
Hampshire. His father came to Mount Vernon in 1800, and settled
60
948 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
on the farm where he died in 1860, and where James A. now lives-
He had three sons: Stephen S., Edward G. and James A., who married
Elvira, daughter of Jeremy Dunn. They had five children: Ellen B.
(Mrs. Horace Carson), Edward A., Lavina H., Emma E. and Florence
A. Mr. Robinson was selectman sixteen years, and in 1875-6 he rep-
resented his district in the legislature.
Jesse Robinson is a son of James (1805-1887) and Lucinda (Robin-
son) Robinson. James Robinson came to Mount Vernon in early life.
His children were: Jesse, Felicia and Ephraim. Jesse lives on the old
homestead with his maiden sister, he being a bachelor. He has been
prominently connected with the Baptist church for many years. He
is a great grandson of David Robinson, who was one of the first set-
tlers in Brentwood, N. H., and a grandson of Jesse Robinson.
J. Augustus Rundlette was born in 1836 in Mount Vernon, and when
twenty-one he went to Kansas. Returning to Mount Vernon in 1860,
he began harness making at home, and after carrying it on in connec-
tion with farming until 1882, he bought the shop and fixtures of
A. H. Wilson at Mount Vernon village, and has since carried a stock
of general horse goods. His first wife was Sarah M. Anson, who died
in 1885. He married for his second wife, Abbie P., widow of Leroy D.
Hopkins, who had one son, Fred S.
John H. Stain is a son of John and a grandson of Emerson Stain,
whose father, John Stain, was one of the early settlers. He came
from Germany and later returned to that country. On his return to
America he brought with him his mother, brother and sister. They
settled first in Readfield and later in Mount Vernon.
Daniel H. Thing was born in Mount Vernon, July 14, 1822. His
grandfather, John Thing, was a revolutionary soldier, and died at
Washington's winter quarters, at Morristown, N. J., while still serving
in the army. Major Daniel Thing, father of Daniel H., was born at
Brentwood, N. H., June 10, 1772 In 1793 he came to Maine in a sail-
ing vessel, occupying two weeks in reaching his destination. He first
located at Readfield, where he hired out on a farm for six months for
$50. At the end of that time he removed to Mount Vernon, where he
worked as a shoemaker for one winter, and then removed to New
Portland, Me., at which place he found employment in a saw mill for
one year. He subsequently returned to Mount Vernon, conveying his
family in an ox team over the snow, and established himself near the
center of the town on a portion of the present Dolloff farm, passing
the remainder of his life in tilling the soil.
Major Thing was a man of great force of character, and exerted a
wide influence in the town of Mount Vernon. He filled all of the
town offices, served in the legislature in 1843 as an old line whig, and
was a deacon in the Baptist church for many years. He was actively
connected, as early as 1814, with the state militia, and attained the
o2f
f^^j^O^
950 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUXTV.
rank of major. He passed away November 20, 1851, leaving a good
estate to his children.
Major Daniel Thing married April 17, 1797, Mary Whittier (born
April 16, 1782), a daughter of Captain William Whittier, one of the
early settlers of Mount Vernon, and who built the first saw mill at the
village. Mary (Whittier) Thing died April 6, 1814. Two children
were born to the union, both of whom died young and unmarried.
The second wife of Major Daniel Thing was Parthenia B. Foster, born
in Winthrop, Me., May 18, 1792, and married to Major Thing at New
Sharon, January 22, 1816. She was a daughterof Richard Foster and
Clarissa (Harlow) Barton, his wife, the latter of a Windsor family, who
came from Oxford, Mass., at an early day. Samuel Foster, father of
Richard, served as a soldier in the revolutionary war. The children
of Daniel Thing and his second wife, Parthenia, were: Mary W.,born
August 29, 1816, married John Neal, of Vienna, leaving three children
at her death; Hannah, who died in infancy; Hannah D., born January
23, 1820, married Charles Kent, of Kents Hill, leaving two children at
her death; Daniel H., the subject of this sketch; George R., born May
27, 1824; Augustus H., born October 2, 1826; Winchel C, born May
16, 1829. The last three sons died unmarried.
Daniel H. Thing — who had enjoyed only such educational advant-
ages as the district school of the town afforded — went in the fall of
1842 to Bangor, Me., and engaged in the lumber business, returning
to Mount Vernon in 1845 to take charge of his father's farm. About
1872 he was compelled to perform the same duty for his wife's parents
in Windsor, Mr. and Mrs. Kent having also become so advanced in
years as to require the cooperation and assistance of their daughter
and her husband in their farming operations. In 1886 Daniel H.
Thing purchased, near the center of the town, the Bartlett place, which
he has greatly improved, and where he now resides.
He has always occupied a prominent place in public affairs in the
county, and has filled many positions of trust and responsibility. He
was elected first president of the Kennebec County Agricultural So-
ciety. In 1856 he was elected one of the selectmen of Mount Vernon,
and filled that office, at different periods, for sixteen years. He repre-
sented his district in the state legislature in 1868, as the candidate of
the republican party. He also filled the office of county commissioner
for six years, and was the candidate of the greenback party, in fusion
with the democratic party, for congress in the Third Maine district in
1882, making an excellent showing and running ahead of his ticket.
He has administered on many estates, and has been a justice of the
peace for forty years. He has been a member of Vernon Valley Lodge
No. 99, A. F. & A. M., for thirty years, and is a past masterof that or-
ganization.
He has been particularly interested in Grange affairs, was one of
TOWN OF MOUNT VERNON. 951
the organizers and first master of Starling Grange, of Fayette, in
1877, and two years later was elected master of the State Grange,
serving four years. He was also elected lecturer of the State Grange,
and at the request of the executive committee of the National Or-
ganization, lectured in sixteen different states upon Grange matters.
During his entire life,, Mr. Thing has manifested great activity,
and has uniformly attained prominence in whatever direction he has
become interested. He has displayed considerable independence in
political affairs, having first been identified with the republican party,
subsequently with the greenback movement, and is now a consistent
supporter of democratic principles.
He married June 27, 1847, Marianne, daughter of Nathaniel and
Mary (Hunt) Kent, of Kents Hill, the family having originally come
from Marshfield, Mass. Of this union were born two children: Mil-
lard F., who is now engaged in farming at New Sharon, and who when
sixteen years of age, enlisted as a private in one of the Maine regi-
ments at Augusta; and Nathaniel Kent Thing, who located at Breck-
enridge. Col., where he subsequently died, and where his daughter
now resides.
Augustus Thomas, born in Oxford county, Me., in 1827, is a son of
Daniel and Sally Thomas. He had two brothers, Justin and Daniel.
He married Adelia, daughter of Benjamin and Sybil (Foster) Robin-
son, of Winthrop, who died March 16, 1892. Their children are:
Frank A., who lives in California; Fred M. and Flora M., who married
Fred H. Shattuck. Mr. Thomas lived in Peru, Me., for eleven years
after his marriage, and came to Mount Vernon in 18Q^.
Isaac Tucker, born in 1815, is a son of Isaac and Sarah (Smith)
Tucker, and grandson of Isaac, who lived in New Hampshire and had
two sons, Isaac and Stephen. Mr. Tucker came to Maine in 1833 and
was for five years a workman on the arsenal at Augusta. In 1840 he
married Abigail Bartlett, by whom he had four children: Joseph,
Sarah, Thomas and Mary. vShe died in 1847, and he afterward mar-
ried Philina G. Smith, who bore him five children: Lizzie V., Frank,
Josie, Minnie and Henry. He was selectman for several years.
Ozro A. Weston, farmer, born in Mount Vernon in 1850, is a son
of Alfred and Saphronia B. (Watson) Weston, and grandson of
Thomas F., who came from Massachusetts, and had three sons: Alfred,
Simeon and Thomas. The children of Alfred were: Sylvia T., Dura,
Emily A., Lorenzo, Costello, Ro.scoe and Ozro A. The latter married
Nettie W., daughter of James Dill, and their children are: Ro.scoe A.,
Harry O., Charles O. and Gertrude M. Mr.Weston was selectman for
three years prior to 1890. He came to the farm where he now lives in
1878.
Allen F. Williams, born in 1821, is a son of John and Mary Wil-
liams, who settled in Readfield, where John died in 1839. His wife
952 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
died in 1887. Allen F. Williams married Lydia A., daughter of Alvin
and Nancy Courier, and in 1853 moved to Mount Vernon, on the farm
-where he now lives. Their two children are: Estelle (Mrs. Hannibal
H. Bachelor) and Clarence E., who stays on the farm with his father.
Luther Woods and his two sisters are the only survivors of the
eight children of Sampson and Dorathy (Wadleigh) Woods, who came
to Belgrade from New Hampshire in 1806, and in 1817 moved to
Mount Vernon, se.ttling on the Nathan W. Copp farm. Their chil-
dren were: Jacob S. (Sampson, who died young), Dorathy J., Emily,
Luther, Greenlief W., Martin V. and Ellen C. Emily is now living
in Randolph, Me., and Ellen C. resides in Washington, D. C.
Elbridge G. Wright, born in 1819, is one of five sons of John and
Jane Wright, the others being: John, Alden B., Warren and George
W. Their grandfather was John Wright, who came from England
and settled in Woolwich, Me. Elbridge G. Wright married Hannah,
daughter of Amasa Porter, and their children are: James M., Sarah E.,
Martha J. and Isaac P. Mr. Wright came to Mount Vernon in 1835
and worked as a carpenter until 1861, when he enlisted in the 4th M
aine Battery, and in 1864 returned to Mount Vernon, where he has
since lived.
John B. Wright, born in 1822, is the son of John and Jane (Blinn)
Wright, and grandson of John Wright, who came from Massachusetts
in early life, settled in Woolwich, and had three sons: Roland, John
and Daniel. John B. married Betsey Dunn, who died in 1846. He
afterward married Mary A. Whittier and they had two children: La-
forest B. and Josiah W., who died in 1869. Mr. Wright has been a
farmer and drover. He was selectman for nine years prior to 1886,
and a justice for fourteen years. He has lived at his present resi-
dence for fifty-seven years.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
TOWN OF FAYETTE.
By George Underwood, Esq.
Natural Features. — Early Mills. — Settlement and Settlers.— Cemeteries. — Incor-
poration.— Civil Lists. — Churches. — Schools. — Societies. — Business Interests.
Post Offices. — Personal Paragraphs,
FAYETTE, originally Starling Plantation, is located in the north-
westerly part of the county, fifteen miles north of west of
Augusta, and contains about thirty-six square miles. It is
bounded on the north by Chesterville, in Franklin county, and Mt.
Vernon, on the east by Readfield, on the south by Wayne, and on the
west by East Livermore, in Androscoggin county. The surface is
somewhat more broken and hilly than that of her sister towns, but it
compares favorably with any of them for farming purposes, while her
grazing lands excel those of many of them. Her lakes, abounding
with many kinds of fish, are not surpassed in numbers, magnificence
or beauty by those of any town in the county, and probably not by
those of any town in Maine. The picturesque view of the Andros-
coggin valley from the Ridge, the magnificent lake view from Watson
hill, and the extended view from Baldwin hill, are trttly wonder-
ful. The westerly and northerly portions abounded in pine timber,
which long since gave way to the lumberman's axe. There has, how-
ever, sprung up in its place another growth of pine, which is already
being utilized for timber purposes, and is quite abundant. Other por-
tions of the town were generously supplied with hemlock and cedar
and the hard woods indigenous to this region, of which there is now a
large quantity.
There are three water-powers in town — one in the north., one in
the south and one in the east part, besides one partially in the town,
on its western border. These localities were formerly known as
Bacheller's, Fisk's, Underwood's and Smith's mills. At Bacheller's
Mills a saw mill has been in active operation from the settlement of
the town, manufacturing long and short lumber, shingles, etc. At
Fi.sk's Mills Mr. Alden Wing, of Wayne, built and operated a saw
mill and a grist mill between eighty and ninety years ago. This prop-
954 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
erty has passed through several hands in these many years. There
is still at this place a saw mill and an excellent novelty mill.
iVt Underwood's Mills, in early days, there were upon the water-
power, a saw mill, shingle and clapboard mill, grist mill, wool carding
and cloth dressing establishment, and tannery. Subsequently the
North Wayne Scythe Company constructed extensive scythe works
here. In 185? every building on the power was destroyed by fire. A
new scythe shop and tannery were at once erected and put in opera-
tion. The new tannery, however, shared the fate of the old one
within a few years. Later a new saw mill was placed on the site of
the old one, and is now in successful operation. The North Wayne
Company occupied the new shop a few years and then suspended
operations, when the late R. B. Dunn purchased the property. The
Dunn Edge Tool Company operated the works until within a few
years, when the business was again suspended.
At Smith's Mills there was once a saw mill, erected partly in Fay-
ette and partly in East Livermore, the saw holding the line between
the two towns. An officer attempted to serve a process on an opera-
tive in this mill. The fellow was a little too sharp for him. When
an officer from one or the other of the counties appeared, his man was
found at the wrong end of the log to make the service valid, conse-
quently ir required the two to arrest the culprit.
First Settlement and Early Settlers. — Chase Elkms located
in town in 1781 and was the first man who settled here. " He was
the first man who broke the wilderness for cultivation in this town."
Vestiges still remain and mark the spot where this first settler's
shanty stood. The rude hut was located about midway between Oak
hill and Fayette Corner. Asa Wiggin came to the locality now called
Fayette Corner and felled a few trees in 1779, but soon left and did
not come to remain until after Mr. Elkins had made a clearing and a
home. It is a well established fact that Mr. Elkin's son Chase, born
January 7, 1784, was the first white child born in town, in honor of
which Mr. Elkins was awarded a prize. Polly Judkins was the first
female. She was born February 9, 1784.
Among the early settlers were: Benjamin Clifford, William Mor-
rill, Joel Judkins, Nathan Lane, James Bly, James Bamford, Stephen
French, Richards Tilton, Eleazer Goodwin, Enoch Watson, Perley
Dow, Jeremiah Tuck, Cyrus Baldwin, John Judkins, Henry Watson,
Abner Talbot, Benjamin Bodge, Matthew Pettengill, Unight Brown,
Benjamin Pike, John Berry, Abijah Crane, Joseph Anderson, Moses
Judkins, Joshua Walton and Elnathan Wing. This Wing was captain
of a coasting schooner and while he was away on a voyage his wife
heard that the proprietors of Starling Plantation were to have a meet-
ing to dispose of some lots of land. With a child in her arms, she
traveled all the way from East Readfield, about ten miles, following
TOWN OF FAYETTE. 955
a trail by spotted trees. She bought 150 acres of new land, paying
for it a cow and a feather bed. Her husband afterward moved his
family to the locality.
While Elnathan and his sons, Benjamin and Joseph, were felling
trees, one struck and killed him. Benjamin cleared and occupied the
farm. Thomas Wing married Benjamin's daughter and settled on
this farm sixty-two years ago. He is now eighty-one years of age, the
oldest inhabitant in South Fayette. He says that there is not another
person living between Fayette Corner and Wayne village who owns
and lives on the same farm as at the time when he took up his resi-
dence there. On this place was the first stoned-up well and the first
brick chimney in town. The first framed and painted house built in
town is still standing just across the green from the Baptist church at
Fayette Corner, and has been occupied by Eliphalet S. Gordon for
many years. It used to be known as the '• white house."
Among those who followed these early settlers were: James Young,
Turner Swift, Andrew Sturtevant, Ezra Fisk, Scott Wing, James Wat-
son, Francis Hubbard, Joseph H., Thomas and Parker L. Underwood,
John Lovejoy, John Bodge, Elias Craig, William Bussell, Reuben
Ham, Israel Chase, John Hewett, Jeremiah Lane, a Mr. Norcross, Ru-
fus Walton, Samuel Williams, Lewis Stacy, Oilman Bacheller, John
Dane, Asa Hutchinson, Benjamin Palmer, James Lane, Joel Fuller,
Samuel Page, John and Isaac Fellows, Samuel W^alton, Jonathan Per-
kins, William Bamford, Captain True, Jesse, Jeremy, John, Samuel
and Joseph Tuck, Joseph, Noah and Thomas Watson, Montgomery
Morrison, Nathan Raymond, Rufus Davenport, Jacob Stevens and
Harvey and Alden Josselyn. At one time there were nearly or quite
one hundred persons m town by the name of Watson, and the name
of Tuck followed closely upon it. There are but two of the former
and four of the latter name now in town.
In early days and for many years the Corner was the business cen-
ter—the " hub " of all the town. At one time there were three meet-
ing houses — Baptist, Free Baptist and Methodist — three taverns and
five stores in the place. Solomon Bates was the first postmaster and
the first tavern keeper. He was the father of Rev. George Bates, a
prominent Universalist clergyman, and of Di". James Bates, once
superintendent of the Maine Insane Hospital. Daniel Judkins suc-
ceeded Esquire Bates in each position, keeping the tavern and holding
the post office for many years.
Among the store-keepers may be named: Elisha Pettengill, John
A. Page, James LTnderwood, Jesse Aiken, Jotham Crane, John Haines,
Richard Packard, Sullivan True, Dearborn Fellows, David Watson &
Son, Gilman Bacheller and Merrill Smith. For many years there has
been neither store nor tavern at the Corner, and the Free Baptist and
956 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Methodist churches disappeared long ago. However, since the dis-
appearance of these churches a Methodist chapel has been erected.
The main thoroughfare leading through this place was thronged
with teams of horses and oxen, drawing clapboards and shingles from
towns in Franklin and Oxford counties to Hallowell, and bringing
back merchandise for the country trade. Daniel Judkins used to
make the statement that any time when he stepped to the door of his
tavern, summer or winter, night or day, he could hear the rumbling
of wheels, the creaking of axles or the jingling of bells.
The old Baptist meeting house, with its high galleries built on
three sides of the audience room, was torn down and the present one
erected more than seventy years ago. When the Bowdoinham Bap-
tist A.ssociation met here in those days there were booths and shanties
all round the green and along the roadside, where rum and other
refreshments were dispensed to the hungry and thirsty assemblage.
The pious laymen patronized freely and the preachers took generous
drams as a stimulus for their sermons.
The onh' post office in town was maintained here for many years.
This, too, brought the townspeople together once a week, on Saturday
afternoons, to get their mail and glean the news. This office was on
the regular mail route from the Kennebec river to the Androscoggin,
and a four-horse coach brought in the mail.
When the Underwood road was built it changed the current of
travel through the town, and the glory of Fayette Corner departed.
After the building of this road Annis Tilton established on its line, at
North Fayette, a tavern which, under his administration and that of
his .successors, did a flourishing business until the completion of the
Androscoggin railroad, when the patronage ceased and the hotel
business in Fayette has been at a stand.still since that day.
The first merchant who opened a store at Underwood's Mills —
more familiarly known as the "Mills" — was Joseph H. Underwood.
He was in active business in this place more than fifty-five years. He
not only carried on his .store, but for several years was engaged in
wool-carding, cloth-dressing and tanning. His business at one time
was ,so extensive that he had accounts open with more than eight hun-
dred people at the same time. His patronage extended all along the
line from Andover, in Oxford county, to Edgecomb, in Lincoln
county. He was the first to introduce and breed Hereford cattle to
any extent in Maine. Merchants who followed him were: Jesse
Aiken, Samuel Nason, Daniel Hutchinson, Howard B. Lovejoy, Wil-
liam H. Thorn, Dean Smith, N. B. Buxton, Daniel Safford, Andrew
Pinkham, Lowell Sanborn, W. D. Weymouth, G. & M. Nolan, J. S. W.
Hewett, Frank Laughton, Fred A. Wing and Enoch Whittemore.
Deacon Elias Craig owned and operated a grist mill here for many
years. The deacon and Esquire Underwood were both practical jest-
TOWN OF FAYETTE. 957
ers, and many of their mutual jokes have been handed down and have .
afforded amusement even to the present generation. In the earlier
days Henry Craig manufactured hats and John Bodge earthen ware
in this place.
Prominent among the original proprietors of Starling Plantation
was one Esquire Emerson. When his estate was settled many lots
were bought at auction by the early settlers. One Mr. Brown was
also quite a heavy original owner. Nathaniel Oilman Bacheller
bought of Robert Waugh the place on the hill near the Ridge, which
has ever since been known as the Bacheller place. He formerly owned
a farm and mill property in Kensington, N. H. On this farm, in re-
cent years, the Boston & Maine Railroad Company have built a depot,
and the old Bacheller house stands intact. With the proceeds of the
sale of his New Hampshire property Mr. Bacheller bought in Fayette
about 1,500 acres of new land and about 600 in Chestervile. He owned
so much real estate that he bequeathed to each of nine of his children
about 200 acres of land and made ample provision for the maintenance
of two unmarried daughters.
The first settler in the north part of the town was Daniel Bachel-
ler. His wife did not see another white woman for six months after
they moved he^e. Then three women came on snow shoes to visit
her. They were Mrs. Wiggin and Mrs. Judkins, from Fayette Corner,
and Mrs. Davis, from the Ridge. Mr. Bacheller planted orchards in
his clearing, and later he raised two hundred bushels of pears, besides
large lots of apples, and made large quantities of cider.
David Walton was one of the first settlers in the Moose hill region.
Mi\s. Walton was often seen going to church, at Fayette Corner, on
Sundays. At times she would go on horseback, with one child in her
arms and two on the horse behind her. In the summer season she
frequently went on foot, with one child in her arms and leadings
another by the hand. So careful was she of her shoes that she would
often go barefoot until within a short distance of the church.
So steadfast in the faith and so zealous to attend public worship
were the saints in those days that they were determined to overcome
any and all obstacles. Among the early residents there were firm
believers in witchcraft. The wife of John Knowles had the reputa-
tion of being a witch, and having the baleful power of the " evil eye."
When somebody was churning and the butter was "long a com-
ing," it was thought that Mrs. Knowles bewitched the cream. So a
red-hot horseshoe was thrown into the churn. Straightway there was
heard a most unearthly scream, and it was believed that the witch
was so badly burned that she suffered for several days.
Mrs. Harriet Crane, of Fayette Ridge, widow of Abijah Crane,
jun., was born in 1802. She is the oldest person now living in town.
Her father, the late David Fifield, was one of the first settlers on the
958 HISTORY OF KENXliBEC COUNTY.
Ridg-e. She remembers events and relates incidents clearly that oc-
curred in her childhood. Since Mrs. Crane was seventy years old she
has set and sewed seventy patch-work quilts. Some of them contain
from one thousand to two thousand pieces each. These are now the
property of persons residing in several states of the Union. The
aged lady retains her faculties to a remarkable degree and converses
fluently and intelligently on general subjects. She is the mother of
Rev. A. R. Crane, D.D., a prominent Baptist clergyman.
Reuben Crane, son of Abijah Crane, sen., was a man who figured
conspicuously in musical circles, and will long be remembered for his
fine musical talents and for the sweetness and melody of his voice.
For a long time he was the leading instructor of vocal music in this
vicinity. For many years he was the leader of the choir in the Bap-
tist church afthe Corner and the beloved superintendent of its Sab-
bath school.
Frederick A. Chase, nephew of Mr. Crane, inherited the musical
talent of the Crane family to an eminent degree. He, too, has been
a popular teacher of vocal music, and for many years has occupied
the same position in the Baptist choir and Sabbath school that Mr.
Crane held so long. At the age of more than three score and ten
years, he still retains his musical ability and is yet an acknowledged
leader in the service of song. His brother, Mr. wSimeon Chase, at the
age of eighty-five years, does the greater part of the work on his farm,
and still takes a lively interest in the affairs pertaining to the welfare
of his town. At this advanced age he seems to possess a good share
of vitality and apparently a firm hold on life. He is the oldest man
in town.
Cemeteries. — The old burying ground near the Mills is located
about one mile south, on the old road leading to North Wayne. It is
on an eminence commanding a beautiful view of the surrounding
country. It is supposed that the spot was once used, to a limited ex-
tent, bv the Indians for burial purposes. The names of nearly all the
early families in this vicinity are to be found on the tomb-stones in
this lot.
Recently another beautiful spot, more conveniently situated and
nearer the village, has been selected, in which several have already
found their last resting place. At the Corner the cemetery adjoins
the Baptist church grounds. Here, too, may be found the names of
the very early settlers, as well as those of all the generations that
have succeeded them. On Chase Elkins' head-stone m this lot is the
following inscription: " He was the first man who broke the wilder-
ness for cultivation in this town."
A half mile distant from this cemetery Mr. E. H. Kent has a neatly
graded and finely located ground. In it he has allowed others to bury
when preferring to do so. Near the church, at the north, are two
TOWN OF FAYETTE. 959
grounds, also one on the Fellows road. These are conveniently situated
and neatly kept.
Incorporation. — The town was incorporated February 28, 1795,
taking its present name. The first town meeting was held April 13,
1795. Joseph Davis was chosen moderator, " to regulate the meet-
ing;" Eleazer Goodwin, town clerk: Eleazer Goodwin, Benjamin Clif-
ford and Ebenezer Hutchinson, selectmen. Another meeting was
called for the fourth of May, at which Abijah Crane acted as modera-
tor; John Knowles was chosen treasurer; David Knowles, constable;
James Young, Francis Hubbard, Richard Tilton, Abijah Crane, vSam-
uel Bacheller, Stephen Abbott and Joseph Anderson, surveyors of
highways; John Knowles and Stephen Abbott, tythingmen; Asa Wig-
gin, pound keeper (his barn being used for a pound); and Samuel
Smith and Stephen French, hog-reefs.
" Voted that swine should run at large by being yoked and 'rung
according to law. Chose Abijah Crane and Francis Hubbard a com-
mittee to assist the selectmen in dividing the town into districts of
highway and schools. Voted ;^150 to be spent in the repair of high-
ways, and that laborers on the highway shall be allowed four shillings
per day till the last of September. A'oted to lay out £'?,0i in schooling
and £%0 to defray town charges. A'oted that Mr. Daniel Rowell's
house be the public place to put up warrants and advertisements."
In 1790 the plantation contained 166 inhabitants. They steadily
increased until the number reached more than one thousand. The
last few decades show a corresponding decrease. The last census in-
dicates but 649.
Civil Lists. — The names of town clerks from the organization of
the town are: Eleazer Goodwin, Solomon Bates, Joseph H. Under-
wood, John A. Page, Gilman Bacheller, Ezra Fisk, Jotham Crane,
James Underwood, Andrew Sturtevant, Howard B. Lovejoy, A. G.
Underwood, J. H. Sturtevant, T. F. Palmer, Fred A. Wing, J. F. Ste-
vens, J. S. W. Hewett and Lester R. Fellows.
The names of the chairmen of the board of selectmen are: Eleazer
Goodwin, Francis Hubbard, Solomon Bates, Joseph Davis, Ebenezer
Turner, Ezra Fisk, Joseph H. Underwood, Charles Smith, Samuel
Parker, Merrill Clough, Samuel Smith, Henry Craig, Jotham Crane,
John Hewett, Abijah Crane, jun., John S. French, Lewis Chase, Mar-
shall Lane, Peleg F. Pike, J. W. C. Jones, Dr. Noah Watson, F. A.
Chase, Dr. A. G. French, A. G. Underwood, Dr. Charles Russell, J. S.
W. Hewett, Elias H. Kent, George Underwood, Enoch Whittemore
and H. J. Hutchinson.
Superintending school committees: Rev. Mr. Bond, Rev. Arthur
Drinkwater, Ezra Fisk, Joseph H. Underwood, Thomas Anderson, R.
M. Wing, Marshall Lane, F. A. Chase, Dr. A. G. French, S. C. Tuck,
George Underwood, Albion F. Watson, J. H. Sturtevant and Fred A.
Wing. Those who have acted as supervisors of schools: F. A. Chase,
•960 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
A. F. Watson, Jesse T. Parker, W. S. Hodgkins, George Underwood
and Augustus Pease.
Those who represented the town in the legislature before the
separation from Massachusetts were: Solomon Bates, Ezra Fisk, Jo-
seph H. Underwood, Samuel Tuck and Elisha Pettengill.
Joseph H. Underwood was a member of the executive council in
1840, and Doctor Bates, a native of this lown, represented the district
in congress one term.
Churches. — In its early history this town was distinguished for its
religious as well as its educational spirit. There is no record of any
preaching during the first eleven years after the settlement of the
town, but in 1790 Rev. Eliphalet Smith, from Massachusetts, visited
the region. In 1792 a Baptist church was organized, consisting of
twenty-three members, and July 1, 1802, a meeting house was erected
at the Corner. This was taken down and the present one erected in
1887. Rev. Oliver Billings succeeded Mr. Smith in the pastorate, and
served the church forty years, having for associate pastors during
this time Reverends Morton, Houghton and Stevens. Among other
early preachers may be mentioned: Reverends Drinkwater, Bond,
Barrows and Avery; later, Reverends Nugent, Rawson, Weston, Bar-
stow and Whittemore. Among the members of this church who have
served as deacons are: Abijah Crane, Benjamin Palmer, Samuel Tuck,
F. A. Chase, J. H. Sturtevant and Fred W. Small.
A Methodist church was organized in 1827. A house of worship
was erected and services maintained for a series of years. The house
was subsequently moved to East Livermore, but a chapel was after-
ward built and services resumed. About the time of the erection of
the Methodist house, a Free Baptist church was organized, a house
built here and religious services were conducted for several years.
The building was subsequently removed. A union church was erected
about 1825 at North Fayette. This house was consumed by fire in
1832. A new one, with fifty-two pews, was built the same year. Sev-
-eral denominations held an interest in the house, certain Sabbaths in
the year being set apart for each one to hold service. Some individ-
uals had a vSunday or two each.
Among the noted Methodist preachers who have been placed in
■charge here may be mentioned: Reverends Benjamin Foster, D. B.
Randall, " Camp-meeting" John Allen, Copeland, Nickerson, Charles
Munger and W. H. Fester. The Methodists own one-half of the house,
and for many years have occupied it the greater portion of the time.
This house is located at the extreme north part of the town, and ac-
commodates a portion of Chesterville as well as Fayette.
Following is a partial list of the names of those who have entered
the ministry from this town: Oliver Billings, R. Watson, Oilman
TOWN OP' FAYETTE. 961
Bacheller, John Billings, Lowell Porter, George Bates, S. B. Morse, A.
R. Crane, A. E. Woodsnm, A. J. Sturtevant and J. Wesley Smith.
Schools.— The early settlers of the town took a deep interest in
educational matters, and zealously labored to establish schools for the
instruction of the rising generation. These were early established,
and as the population increased the facilities increa.sed in a corres-
ponding degree until every locality had a school house situated suf-
ficiently near to accommodate all. Thus they continued under the old
district system until 1890, when the new and more progressive town
system was adopted. There has been no graded system in Fayette,
but since the passage of the free high school law this town has been
very liberal in its enforcement. It is believed that no town of its size
in Maine can boast of having sent out more teachers and more suc-
cessful ones than Fayette. They have gone into all parts of the coun-
try and into every grade of educational work. It is told by some of
the older residents that when teachers presented themselves for ex-
amination the committee invariably asked the question, " For what is
Fayette noted?" The stereotyped answer being: " For its big oxen
and its schoolma'ams."
In the earlier days it was a usual thing to find from sixty to seventy-
five pupils seated in the same school room, and not a rare occurrence to
see one hundred. To day we often find six and rarely twenty-five.
Organizations. — In the early forties — in Tippecanoe times — there
was in town a temperance society, known as the Washing'tonians.
This society flourished for a series of years, then ceased, though it
left its general influence on the rising generation. At about the same
time another society came into being, and was known as the Martha
Washington Society, a ladies' organization. Its object was the fur-
thering of temperance and charity. This, too, flourished for a time,
accomplishing much good. In the intervening years, similar organi-
zations have sprung up to fulfill their mission and pass away. At
present there exists an order known as the Wide Awake Division of
.Sons of Temperance, which is in excellent working condition. Con-
nected with the temperance work is a fine dramatic club, which fur-
nishes many enjoyable and profitable entertainments. The amount
of good resulting from the workings of these societies, perhaps, is in-
calculable, for it is safe to say that this town is remarkably free from
that terrible vice, intemperance.
A Grange was formed in 1875. Its membership has reached nearly
or quite one hundred. Dr. A. G. French was the prime mover in
this work. Its masters have been: Doctor French, John H. True,
Josiah H. Sturtevant, Cyrus H. Tobin, Joseph F. Stevens, Octavus E.
Stevens and John O. Fellows.
Business Enterprises. — There is a saw mill at Fayette, one at
North Fayette, and one at South Fayette. There are also novelty
962 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
works at South Fayette. The mill at Fayette is now in excellent
condition and is doing- a good business in manufacturino- long lum-
ber, clapboards and shingles. The one at North Fayette has been a
busy one for many years.
A few years since one of our most enterprising farmers conceived
the idea that associated dairying would be a profitable indu.stry to in-
troduce into town, and by perseverance in this direction the object
was accomplished and the factory established at North Fayette. The
presidents of this association have been: The late Dr. Charles Russell,
Osbert L. Basford, Edwin R. French and Enoch Whittemore.
Many of the early settlers were from the fruit-growing regions of
southern New Hampshire and northern Ma.ssachusetts. hence they
early conceived the importance of planting fruit trees. The forest on
many a hilltop and hillside yielded to the apple and the pear orchards,
remnants of which can now be seen in some localities. As these old
orchards failed new ones were planted, and the acreage has been so
increased that the raising of fruit has become a very important indus-
try in the town, from which source a liberal revenue is realized.
Mr. Boardman in Chapter VIII. has noticed the prominence of
Fayette m stock raising. Until recent years this was the banner town
of Maine for fine oxen, but they are now giving place, in a measure,
to the dairy cow.
Timber lands are yielding quite an income in these latter years.
In some localities there is a large amount being cut each year, and
yet there seems to be but little diminution in quantity.
Property appears to be more evenly distributed in this town than
in almost any other within the writer's knowledge. We have no
wealthy aristocrats and there are few who lean upon charity for sup-
port.
Post Offices.— Fayette post office was established April 1, 1804,
with Solomon Bates as postmaster. Daniel Judkins was appointed
April 21, 1822. For forty-.seven years this, the only post office in town,
was located at Fayette Corner. April 2, 1851, it was removed to the
Mills and Howard B. Lovejoy was appointed postmaster to succeed
Daniel Judkins.* Previous to this change the Mills people depended
principally upon the Kents Hill office for their mail, the merchants in
turn sending for and distributing the same to the patrons. Many has
been the time that the writer has been dispatched on honseback or
otherwise for the mail, when it fell to the lot of his father to perform
this office.
* Isaac Randall, 2d, was appointed May 34, 1853; Howard B. Lovejoy, Febru-
ary 28, 1854; Gervis Nolin, April 26, 1869; Wesley D. Weymouth, January 24,
1872; Lowell Sanborn, August 29, 1873; Frank A. Nolin, January 29, 1878; John S.
W. Hewett, April 15, 1878; Fred .4. Wing, March 10, 1881; George Underwood,
July 5, 1887; Edward F. Wyman, March 8, 1892.
TOWN OF FAYETTE. 963
The Fayette Corner office was established as Fayette Ridge, June
24, 1858, in charge of Richard C. Turner. Cyrus B. Judkins was ap-
pointed to succeed him December 14, 1874. The name was changed
to Fayette Corner, January 26, 1875, and he was continued as post-
master.
North Fayette post office was established May 20, 1851, with .Sam-
uel S. Walton in charge. William Irish succeeded April 29, 1859, and
Thomas F. Palmer was appointed May 31, 1865.
Fayette is located five miles distant, and midway between the
Farmington branch and the main stem of the Maine Central railroad,
consequently we labor under the disadvantage of higher transporta-
tion than that of railroad towns. Whenever the contemplated and
already chartered railroad shall be constructed, in all probability it
will pass up the Thirty Mile river, so-called, entering the towns of
Wayne, Fayette, Mt. Vernon and Vienna, touching or going in close
proximity to seven excellent water powers in a distance of fifteen
miles, and then will Fayette be capable of competing with any of her
sister towns in manufacturing.
If the author were writing a volume on Fayette, instead of a single
chapter for a volume of larger scope, it would be a pleasure to treat
more fully the genealogy of the early pioneers and their immediate
successors, and record more fully events in the town's progress, which
the present limit of space prevents. Before closing we would ac-
knowledge the kindness of the aged ladies, Mrs. Harriet Fifield Crane
and Mrs. Elizabeth Elkins Stevens, daughter of Chase Elkins, second
— named in this chapter — for the items of interest gathered from them
and probably not obtainable elsewhere. We would also extend our
thanks to Thomas Wing, Benjamin Bacheller, Reuben Ham and Rev.
A. R. Crane, D.D., for the substantial facts obtained from them; and
we would not forget to mention the name of our fellow townsman, A.
F. Watson, for his ceaseless and untiring efforts in obtaining data for
this work.*
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
George Bamford is a son of Daniel and Orilla Bamford, and grand-
son of William Bamford, who came to the farm where George lives in
early life and died here in 1836, leaving one son, Daniel. The latter
died in 1886 and left seven children: Mary (Mrs. John Fellows), Jane
(Mrs. Jonathan Pike), Augusta, William, James, George and Daniel
E., who owns the old homestead with George. The latter married
Jennie, daughter of John Knowles,and they have two children— John
K. and George M.
Osbert L. Basford, born in 1843, is a son of David and Elizabeth
* Mr. Underwood's responsibility for this chapter ends here.
61
964 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
(Coffin) Basford, and grandson of John Basford, of New Hampshire,
who had four sons. David had two sons: James L., of Boston, and
Osbert L., who married May, daughter of Mark Stevens. Their chil-
dren are: Herman L., died June 18, 1892, and Birdena L. Mr. Basford
came to Fayette in 1861 and in 1862 enlisted m Company E, 24th
Maine. Returning to Fayette, he has since been a farmer and is now
serving his fourth term as selectman. His father died in January,
1891.
Oliver Billings'- was born in Dedham, Mass., May 8, 1800, and
died at Fayette, Me., June 13,1880. He was a son of Elkanah Billings
and Katherine Morse, and a nephew of Oliver Billings, a prominent
Baptist divine. In 1808 his parents removed to Chesterville, Frank-
lin county, Me., where they resided the remainder of their lives. Jan-
uary 31, 1829, Oliver married Cynthia French, of Chesterville, daugh-
ter of Dearborn and Anna French. Mrs. Billings was a person of
strong character and held a high rank among the intelligent and use-
ful women of her time. She died December 2, 1878. Had she lived
a few weeks longer they would have celebrated their golden wedding,
for which preparations were being made. Their children are: Anna
Catharine, Helen Luette, George Weston, Loannas Cyrillo, Azora La-
villa and Linn Leroy. These are all living save Loannas, who died
June 3, 1871.
Mr. Billings remained in Chesterville seven years subsequent to
his marriage. He then purchased the Asa Hutchinson place in Fay-
ette, and resided on the same until March, 1854, when he purchased
the Nathan Burgess farm, located on Oak hill, and there passed the
residue of his life. His occupation was farming, and his thoroughly
tilled acres and the well kept and tidy appearance of the buildings on
the homestead attest the quality of his work and indicate that he was
ever faithful to duty. He, however, in his younger days made quite
a vocation of school teaching. He taught seven successive winters
in Boothbay. He also taught in Mt. Vernon, Chesterville and Fay-
ette.
He was several times called to fill different offices in the gift of
his townsmen. Religiously he was broad and liberal in his views.
Politically he was a whig, believing firmly in the principles laid down
by Clay and Webster. His character was beyond reproach and his
integrity never in question. His carriage was always dignified and
his language courtly and respectful toward persons of all classes.
Henry H. Bodge, born in Fayette in 1829, is a son of Moulton and
Louisa (Lovejoy) Bodge, who had three children: Olive (Mrs. Warren
C. Jones), Sarah (Mrs. J. S. W. Hewett) and Henry H., who married
Charlotte, daughter of Daniel Ormsby. Their children are: Mary
(Mrs. Harry Bamford), Thomas H., of Augusta, and Frank H. Mr.
* Sketch by George Underwood.
966 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Bodge is a grandson of John Bodge, who first started a pottery in Fay-
ette. His father and mother died in 1873, and were both buried at
one time.
Arthur D. Chase, born in Fayette in 1833, is a son of Lewis and
Sally Chase, and grandson of Israel Chase. Lewis Chase was a colo-
nel in the state militia. He was captain of Company H, 14th Maine,
in the civil war. His father, Israel Chase, was one of the first settlers
of Fayette, a man of some note in the early history of the town. He
served as representative in the state legislature. Arthur D. Chase
married Eliza A. E., daughter of Rev. James Smith, of Fayette. She
died leaving one son, Arthur G. M. He married for his second wife,
Abbie A. Stinchfield, and they have four sons: Lewis H., Ralph F.,
Russell M. and Leon G. Mr. Chase went into the war in 1861 in the
14th Maine Infantry and afterward in the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery,
where he served until the close of the war, and has since then
been a farmer.
Frederick A. Chase, born in Fayette in 1819, is a son of Israel and
Betsey Chase, and grandson of Simeon Chase, of Berkeley, Mass. He
married Rachel L., daughter of Andrew Sturtevant, and had three
children: Frederick V., who is a lawyer in Portland ; Mary A., who
married Rev. Ansley E. Woodsum, and Ward B. Mr. Chase has been
a school teacher eight years and has taught music fifty terms. He
was one of the selectmen for thirteen years, was supervisor of schools
for some years, and in 1869-70 he represented his district in the legis-
lature.
Boardman V. Crane, born in 1832, is a son of Reuben and Mary
Crane, and grandson of Abijah Crane, who came to Fayette about
1793 and settled on a farm here. He had four sons. Reuben staid
on the farm and had one son and three daughters: Dulcina M. (Mrs.
Luther D. Emersonj, L. Maria (died May 3, 1887, in Troy, N. Y.), and
Annie J. (Mrs. William Whitman). Boardman V. married Eliza Ryer-
son, and had three children: Gertrude A., Guy C. (who died in 1888)
and Willis B. Mr. Crane is a farmer and lives on the farm settled by
his grandfather. His mother's father was Samuel Tuck.
John O. Fellows, born in 1842, is a son of John and Sally (Page)
Fellows, and grandson of Aaron Fellows. John Fellows died in 1870
and left five children: Nathan P., Henry D., Benjamin P., Elizabeth
N. (Mrs. Abel Barker) and John O., who married Mary, daughter of
Daniel Bamford, and had four children: Laura E., who died in 1878;
Charles A., Nettie M. (Mrs. Mellen Fellows) and George H., who died
in infancy. Mr. Fellows was one of the selectmen in 1888, '89 and '90,
and is a farmer on the farm where his father settled when married.
Lester R. Fellows, born in 1866, is a son of Isaac N. and Lucy A.
(Watson) Fellows, and grandson of Isaac, who came to the farm where
Lester R. now lives about 1800. His only son, Isaac N., died in 1889,
TOWN OF FAYETTE. 967
leaving one son, Lester R., who married Cora B., daughter of Hiram
S. Rice. They have had two children: Harold N., born January 18,
1891, died March 16, 1891; and Lucie A., born July 17, 1892.
Albion F. Gile, born in Mt. Vernon in 1834, is a son of Joseph and
Sarah (Porter) Gile, the latter a daughter of Captain Isaac Porter, of
Cape Cod. Joseph Gile's children were: Isaac P., Edwin T., Albion
F., Charles K. and Caroline A. (Mrs. Seth W. Johnson). Albion F.
married Arabel, daughter of Reuel Palmer. Their children are: El-
mer E., Charles K., Irving B., Anice B., Gertie, Mearl L. and Ethel M.
He came to Fayette in 1850 and is a farmer.
Albion Gordon, farmer, born in Readfield in 1841, is a son of
Stephen and Lovina Gordon, and grandson of Daniel Gordon.
Stephen Gordon's sons were: Harrison, Albion, Daniel, Nelson D.,
Loring and Stephen O. A. Albion married Nettie, daughter of
George Keith, and they have one daughter, Alberta. Mr. Gordon
came to Fayette in 1879, prior to which time he worked in the oil-
cloth factory in Readfield for fourteen years. He has been one of the
selectmen since 1887.
John S. W. Hewett, born in Hallowell, Me., in 183.i, is a son of
John and Betsey (Haines) Hewett, and grandson of John Hewett, who
came from Massachusetts in 1810, and settled in Fayette on the farm
where John S. W. now lives. Mr. Hewett came to Fayette in 1858,
and has been prominently connected with the town as selectman,
treasurer and collector nine years, and one year on the school board.
He was postmaster at Fayette from April, 1878, to March, 1881. He
has also been deputy sheriff for one term. He is now a farmer on the
farm which his grandfather took from the Plymouth Company. He
married Sarah M., daughter of Moulton Bodge. Their children are
Alice M. and Warren S.
Willard S. Hodgkins, born in 1851, is a son of Henry T. and Ann
G. (Stinchfield) Hodgkins, and grandson of True Hodgkins, who came
from New Hampshire and settled in Vienna. Henry Hodgkin's chil-
dren were: Willard S., Everett, Elizabeth, Lemuel B. and Alice H.
Willard S. began teaching school when but sixteen and has taught
nearly every winter since; he was .supervisor of schools for one term.
He came to the farm where he now lives in 1880. He married Au-
gusta, daughter of Ebenezer and Sarah (Bryant) Chase, of Jay, Me.
She was born January 25, 1852. They have an adopted daughter,
Helen B. Hodgkins, born January 10, 1885.
Moses H. Hubbard, born in Fayette in 1839, is a son of Moses and
Betsey (Sweet) Hubbard, and grandson of Francis Hubbard, who had
four sons: John, Mo.ses, Richard and Samuel. Moses settled on the
farm opposite his father's. He had ten children. The two sons were
Moses H. and John, who died in 1887. Moses H. married Elvira,
daughter of Luke Chandler, of Wells. They had two children: Ida
968
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
M., who died in December, 1887, and Milo A., who now lives with his
father, who is a farmer.
Moses T. Jones, born in Fayette in 1833, is one of the three sons of
J. W. C. and Betsey (Tuck) Jones, and grandson of Sylvester Jones,
who came to Fayette in 1802 and settled on the farm where Leonard
Lothrop now lives, and had eight sons and one daughter. J. W. C.
Jones had three sons and five daughters. Those now living are: Re-
becca J. (Mrs. Smith), Ella M. (Mrs. Alger) and Moses T., who mar-
ried .Sophia, daughter of Samuel Judkins. They have two daughters:
Addie M. and Kate T. Mr. Jones was in the late war in the 2d Maine
Battery, and in 1865 he returned and took the farm where he now
lives, where he and his mother were both born, a part of the land
taken by his grandfather Tuck about 1790. His father died in 1885.
He was selectman, collector and treasurer at different times for six-
teen years.
Elias H. Kent. — Charles Kent and two of his brothers came to
Maine prior to 1798, and settled in Readfield on the hill that has since
been known as Kents Hill. Charles, who was a farmer, was the
father of Barker Kent, who was born at Kents Hill in 1793. Barker
Kent married Eliza, a daughter of Francis and Kate (Cofren) Hunt.
Like his father, he was a farmer. He settled in Fayette shortly after
his marriage, and there he passed the remainder of his life.
Elias H. Kent, one of his six sons, was born in 1826. Like most
farmers' sons of that day he passed his boyhood on the farm, receiv-
ing the advantages of the schools of the town. He gave his attention
to agriculture until 1849, when he went to Rocky Point, in the town
of Warwick, R. L, where he had charge of a popular summer resort
until 1881. In 1880 he was chosen to represent his district in the
Rhode Island .state legislature.
He married Amanda M., a daughter of Daniel and Sally (Baldwin)
Judkins. Their only child, Lillian F., died in 1863. In 1880 he
bought the Colonel Lewis Chase farm at Fayette Corner, and in that
and the following year he erected the substantial farm buildings
shown in the accompanying illustration. On returning to his native
town he resumed the vocation of his early manhood and is now classed
with the most thorough and successful farmers of this picturesque
locality.
Leonard C. Lothrop, born in 1821, is one of five sons of Thomas
and Cynthia (Brett) Lothrop, the others being: Osbert, Ebenezer,
Thomas and Rufus. His grandfather was Captain Daniel Lothrop,
of Massachusetts. Leonard C. married Sarah F., daughter of Daniel
and Sarah (Baldwin) Judkins, and has two children: John C, who
married Nettie M., daughter of Reuben and Nancy (Tuck) Crane, and
is a farmer near his father; and Lillian F., who is a school teacher.
Mr. Lothrop has lived on his present farm since 1855.
»oo HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
M., who died in December, 1887, and Milo A., who now lives with his
father, who is a farmer.
Moses T. Jones, born in Fayette in 1833, is one of the three sons of
J. W. C. and Betsey (Tuck) Jones, and grandson of Sylvester Jones,
who came to Fayette in 1802 and settled on the farm where Leonard
Lothrop now lives, and had eight sons and one daughter. J. W. C.
Jones had three sons and five daughters. Those now living are: Re-
becca J. (Mrs. Smith), Ella M. (Mrs. Alger) and Moses T., who mar-
ried Sophia, daughter of Samuel Judkins. They have two daughters:
Addie M. and Kate T. Mr. Jones was in the late war in the 2d Maine
Battery, and in 186/5 he returned and took the farm where he now
lives, where he and his mother were both born, a part of the land
taken by his grandfather Tuck about 1790. His father died in 1885.
He was selectman, collector and treasurer at different times for six-
teen years.
Elias H. Kent. — Charles Kent and two of his brothers came to
Maine prior to 1793, and settled in Readfield on the hill that has since
been known as Kents Hill. Charles, who was a farmer, was the
father of Barker Kent, who was born at Kents Hill in 1793. Barker
Kent married Eliza, a daughter of Francis and Kate (Cofren) Hunt.
Like his father, he was a farmer. He settled in Fayette shortly after
his marriage, and there he passed the remainder of his life.
Elias H. Kent, one of his six sons, was born in 1826. Like most
farmers' sons of that day he passed his boyhood on the farm, receiv-
ing the advantages of the schools of the town. He gave his attention
to agriculture until 1849, when he went to Rocky Point, in the town
of Warwick, R. L, where he had charge of a popular summer resort
until 1881. In 1880 he was chosen to represent his district in the
Rhode Island .state legislature.
He married Amanda M., a daughter of Daniel and Sally (Baldwin)
Judkins. Their only child, Lillian F., died in 1863. In 1880 he
bought the Colonel Lewis Chase farm at Fayette Corner, and in that
and the following year he erected the substantial farm buildings
shown in the accompanying illustration. On returning to his native
town he resumed the vocation of his early manhood and is now classed
with the most thorough and successful farmers of this picturesque
locality.
Leonard C. Lothrop, born in 1821, is one of five sons of Thomas
and Cynthia (Brett) Lothrop, the others being: Osbert, Ebenezer,
Thomas and Rufus. His grandfather was Captain Daniel Lothrop,
of Massachusetts. Leonard C. married Sarah F., daughter of Daniel
and Sarah (Baldwin) Judkins, and has two children: John C, who
married Nettie M., daughter of Reuben and Nancy (Tuck) Crane, and
is a farmer near his father; and Lillian F., who is a school teacher.
Mr. Lothrop has lived on his present farm since 1855.
970 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
in 1863 was made lieutenant of the 80th U. S. C. T., and at the close of
the war was acting regimental quartermaster of the same. He re-
turned to Fayette and held various town offices until 1873, when he
represented his district in the legislature. He has since then been
clerk in the second auditor's office in Washington, and is now postal
clerk in the United States senate.
John H. True, born in 1836, is one of seven sons of Moses F. and
Eleanor (Kyle) True, grandson of Edward, and great-grandson of
Thomas True. Edward True came to Fayette about 1800 and had
eight sons. Moses True's sons were: John H., Edward M., Moses W.,
Charles E., Amos K., William F. and one who died. John H. mar-
ried Helen E., daughter of Cyrus Brown, and they have five chil-
dren: Winnie Ona (Mrs. R. A. Bryant), Cyrus H., Birdie E.(Mrs. Wal-
lace W. Farrington), Katie M. (Mrs. George W. Farrington) and
Charles E. Mr. True was in the late war as first lieutenant in 24th
Maine. He has been a bookkeeper and is now a farmer.
Jesse D. Tuck, born in 1844, is a son of Jonathan and Mahala
(Hilton) Tuck, and grandson of Jesse Tuck, who came to Fayette
about 1795 and settled on the farm where Jesse D. now lives. His
children were: Samuel, Jonathan, Madison, Mary and Nancy. Jona-
than had two children: J. Granville and Jesse D., who married Olive,
daughter of Lot P. Nelson. Their children are: Herbert J. and Mary
E. Jonathan Tuck was selectman in Fayette for several years and
was in the legislature one year. He died in 1868 and his wife died in
1887.
Hon. Joseph Hall Underwood* was born in Amherst, N. H.,
June 13, 1783, and died in Fayette, Me.. November 8, 1867. His
parents were Thomas and Sally (Gage) Underwood. He received such
an education as the common schools and academies afforded at the
time of his youth. He came to Maine in his early manhood, and taught
school in Thomaston, Readfield, Fayette and other towns. He finally
settled in Fayette and commenced his successful mercantile and
business career, which extended through more than fifty-five years.
He was one of the best known business men in Kennebec county.
He was twice married. His first wife, Mary Aiken, of Merrimac,
N. H., was born July 31, 1784, and died July 22, 1822. Her children
were: Joseph Hall Underwood, jun., who died in infancy; Mary
Aiken, Eliza Hall, Joseph Hall, jun., Thomas Parker and Sarah Ann.
His second wife, sister of the first, was Jane Aiken, who survived
him several years. She was born July 14, 1799, and died October 24,
1884. Her children were: Jane Aiken, Albert Gallatin, Henry Clay,
George, Gilbert and Helen. One child of the first wife and four chil-
dren of the second wife are the only present survivors of this large
family. Both wives were women of superior talents and attainments.
*Biographical sketch by Albion F. Watson.
^^^...'^^^^^^....^^.^^^
972 HISTORY OF KEXNEBEC COUNTY.
Mr. Underwood, in his time, was the foremost citizen of Fayette,,
held the most prominent position in society, and always exerted a
powerful influence in public affairs. He was always popular with his
townsmen, and was elected to office many times by their suffrages.
He was a leading whig politician in the state of Maine. He repre-
sented the town of his adoption in the general court of Massa-
chusetts, and afterward served several terms as representative and one
term as senator in the Maine legislature. Still later he was a mem-
ber of Governor Edward Kent's council. He was also a candidate
for presidential elector. Influential men of his party, believing that
the use of his name would add strength to their ticket, urgently so-
licited Mr. Underwood to become a candidate for gubernatorial or
congressional honors, but he respectfully declined, preferring to attend
to his business affairs, rather than to go farther in politics. His keen
sense of justice always led him to espouse the right side of every
moral question. In all his business transactions he was methodical
and exact to a remarkable degree. In personal presence and bearing-
he was ever dignified and gentlemanly.
He possessed a never failing fund of wit and humor, and highly
enjoyed a good joke and a hearty laugh. Every worthy cause, and
every social improvement had his hearty cooperation. He was a firm
friend of education, and a strong patron of institutions of learning.
His tendencies were progressive, and in his views he was broad and
liberal. None rejoiced more than he at the onward march of science,
civilization and true Christianity.
Gilbert Underwood, born in 1835, is a son of Joseph H. and Jane
(Aikin) Underwood. The early ancestors of the Aikin family came
from Scotland to Massachusetts m the 17th century. Mr. Underwood
married Annie, daughter of John A. Holmes, of Readfield, and they
have three children: Joseph H., Emma J. and May H. He is a farmer
and breeder of Hereford cattle. He came to the farm where he now
lives in 1877, having lived for ten years on the old homestead, where
his father died in 1867.
Helen Underwood Goodwin is the youngest child of Joseph H.
Underwood. September 7, 1867, she was married to William H. Good-
win, son of Beniah C. and Martha (Rice) Goodwin. He was born Jan-
uary 26, 1839, at Conway, N. H., and removed to Mercer, Me., with his
parents, about 1850. He received the advantages of the common
schools of his day, and on arriving at man's estate he turned his atten-
tion to mercantile pursuits. In 1865 he became connected with the
hardware firm of Smith, Tibbets & Co., of Portland, and was traveling
salesman for that house until his death, which occurred December 4,
1885. His thorough business habits and genial bearing especially
fitted him for the place he filled in life. His last resting place is in
the Wing family cemetery in Wayne, where an Italian marble shaft
TOWN OF FAYETTE. 973
on a granite base has been erected to his memory by his loving wife.
His kind-hearted generosity made him ever ready with cheering words
and a helping hand to assist the needy and unfortunate.
Mrs. Goodwin appears to have inherited a large share of her father's
executive ability and keen bu.siness foresight. She is the only one of
his large family who was born in the large brick house shown in the
accompanying illustration. The bricks for its construction were
burned on the farm, and during the building of the structure, in 1838,
Mr. Underwood gave his personal attention to the selection of the
bricks used. During his whole after life the care of his neatly kept
home and its surroundings made them an ornament to his adopted
town.
John A. Wing, born in 1829, is one of three sons (Albert, John and
Charles) of Alden and Charity (Stevens) Wing, and a grandson of
Allen Wing, who came to Wayne about 1787. John A. married
Lucretia, daughter of John S. French, of Fayette, and their children
are: Fred A., Albert F., Frank, who died in 1877, and two that died in
infancy. Mr. Wing came to Fayette in 1855, and since his father's
death, in 1871, has lived on the farm where he now resides.
Oscar E. Young, born in 1861, is a son of Chandler W. and Villa
(Tobin) Young, who came to Fayette in 1868, and grandson of Joshua,
who lived in East Livermore. Chandler Young died in 1890 and left
two children: Oscar E. and Kate B. Oscar E. graduated at Kents Hill
in 1881, and has devoted most of his time to writing articles for maga-
zines and papers, more especially the Chicago Sim. He has also written
and published a volume of poems. He married Eva J., daughter of
John Dorsey, of Portland, and lives on the farm his father left, with
his mother. He has one daughter, Ouida Estelle, born June 5, 1892.
Those who have entered the legal profession from Fayette are:
Silas Bates, Samuel Tuck, Parker Tuck, Phillip Stubbs, Enoch Mar-
shall, William Marshall, Oliver Bacheller, David True, Horatio D.
Hutchinson, David F. Crane, Franklin Fisk, Albert Fellows and Wil-
liam Richards.
It is not known who the man was who set the first broken limb or
administered the first dose of calomel in this town. Among the early
physicians was Doctor Caswell. He was followed by Doctors Hale,
Chase, Smith, Fuller, Lambright, Watson, French and Russell.
Those who have entered the medical profession from the town are:
James Bates, Joseph Bacheller, Hiram Bates, Lemuel Russell, Noah
Watson, Isaac Palmer, Lewis Watson, Samuel Chase, Albert G. French,
James B. Cochran, George B. Crane, Willis A. Russell, Charles H.
Wing and Lincoln French.
CHAPTER XXXVII.
TOWN OF VIENNA.
Opposition to Incorporation. — Plantation Names. — First Settlers. — Enlargements.
— Population and Valuation. — Post OflSces and Postmasters. — Traders. —
Good Templars. — Union Hall. — Mills in'^Various Localities. — Manufactures.
— Churches. — Old Yellow Meeting^House. — Cemeteries. — Civil Lists. — Per-
sonal Paragraphs.
VIENNA, the most northwesterly town of Kennebec county, was
incorporated February 20, 1802, Jedidiah Prescott being au-
thorized to call the first meeting. This township, when a plan-
tation, was named Goshen. It was settled about 1786, the titles being
given by Jedidiah Prescott, of Winthrop, and Nathaniel Whittier, of
Readfield, who had purchased it from Massachusetts proprietors, and
it was surveyed by Mr. Prescott in 1792.
In 1800 thirty-five inhabitants of the place — then called Wyman's
plantation — petitioned for incorporation, representing the plantation
to contain sixty ratable polls. Among the signers were Noah Pres-
cott, Joseph Chapman, Timothy White, Abel Whittier and John Carr.
An ineffectual remonstrance was made by several other of the inhab-
itants on the ground that "the petitioners were inhabitants of a place
known to them by the name of Goshen, a tract of land wide from them
by nature's laws," and that Chester was conveniently accessible for
religious and town purposes.
The first settlers were: Joshua Rowland, ^ohn Thompson, Patrick
Gilbraith, Noah Prescott and John and William Allen. Following
the.se were: Arnold Wethren, James and Robert Cofren, Jonathan
■Gordon, Jedidiah, Abel and Nathaniel Whittier, Gideon Wells, Elijah
Bunker, Daniel Matthews, Benjamin Porter, Timothy White, Caleb
Brown and Joshua Moore. At the first town meeting, which was held
April 5, 1802, Noah Prescott was chosen moderator and Daniel Mor-
rell, clerk. The selectmen chosen were: Jacob Graves, James Cofren
and Joshua Moore.
The places of holding the town meetings from that time to the
present have been: In 1802, at the dwelling hou.se of Arnold Wethren;
1803, at house of Elisha Johnson; 1804, at Nathaniel Whittier's, and in
1805, at Moses Sanborn's. For the next nine years it was held in
school houses. From 1815 to 1828 it was held in the " new meeting
TOWN OF VIENNA. 975
house "—evidently the old Methodist church. From 1828 to 1848 it
was entered on the records as being held at " the large meeting
house," which must mean the old "Yellow" meeting house; and from
1848 to 1855 in No. 4 school house. Since that time the model town
house, generously built and presented to his native town by Joseph
M. Whittier, of Boston, has been used.
Vienna has been enlarged by two strips of territory taken from
Rome— the first in 1814 and the last in 1833. It was the one hundred
and thirty-second town incorporated, and had in 1850 a population of
871; 1860, 878; 1870, 740; 1880, 644; and in 1890, 495. Its valuation in
1860 was $151,024; 1870, $200,015; 1880, $167,316; and in 1890 it was
$162,724.
Post Offices. — North Vienna post office, the oldest in town, was
established March 21, 1808, as Vienna. The name was changed to
North Vienna March 20, 1854. Its postmasters, with dates of appoint-
ment, have been: Elisha Johnson, March 21, 1808; Levi Johnson, April,
1825; George K. Porter, July, 1845; Alvan Bradley, March, 1847; Ira
Neal, June, 1852; Amos C. Hodgkins, March, 1853; Sanders Morrill,
March, 1854; Nathaniel Cochran, March, 1862; Henry Dowst, March,
1866; John Hall, October, 1866; Noah G. Cofren, March, 1873; Jacob S.
Graves, April, 1874; Henry Whittier, September, 1885; Walter C.
Pierce, June, 1887; and Henry C. Mason, July, 1889.
Vienna post office was established March 20, 1854, with Rufus W.
Mansur as postmaster. His successors have been: Ira Neal, Novem-
ber, 1856; Hiram S. Abbott, July, 1861; Josiah Morrill, February, 1867;
Henry Dowst, April, 1869; H. C. Whittier, February, 1886; Lewis F.
Gould, July, 1887; and Laforest Dowst, June, 1889.
Mails are brought to the two post offices daily by a stage that leaves
North Vienna each morning, reaching Augusta the same forenoon,
and returning in the afternoon, connecting at Readfield station each
way with trains on the Maine Central.
Stores. — Vienna village has exceptionally pleasant situation and
surroundings. Its local importance was not fully established till in
1854, after a long, determined, bitter fight, it obtained the post office
bearing the name of the town. But the mills had developed a center
of business and North Vienna had to submit to the inevitable.
Captain Samuel Mowers was one of the first traders at, Vienna vil-
lage. Fred Stuart, Daniel Mowers and Lewis Bradley were the next.
Up to this time the traders had sold liquor by the drink in public bars.
But the very day Lewis Bradley began trade he invited his neighbors
to come and take a free drink; then, taking a saw, he cut away the bar
and told them he was done with the liquor traffic. That was about
1837, and was the last store bar in Vienna, although other stores sold
liquor after that. Franklin Dearborn, Nathaniel Mowers, James Al-
len, Gerry Graves, Josiah Morrill. James Scales, James Wright, Daniel
976 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Brown, Rufus Maasur, Byron Jewell and Hiram S. Abbott were suc-
cessive traders till 1866, when Henry Dowst bought Mr. Abbott's stock
and has been in business for twenty-six years. He built his present
store in 1874.
Good Templ.\rs.— The only representative the various secret so-
cieties have in town is Vienna Lodge, No. 88, of Good Templars,
organized in 1887, with twenty charter members. The presiding
officers have been: Lendall C. Davis, Henry Graves, Mrs. E. N. Allen,
E. N. Allen, Alice M. Wait and Nettie Kimball. Guy E. Healey, Nel-
lie Lawton, Charles Dearborn, Arthur Davis and Eugene Wait have
held the office of secretary. The Lodge meets in Union Hall and has
about thirty members.
Union Hall, at the village, built by subscription in 1888, is kept
for miscellaneous public gatherings. As a very proper recognition of
their enterprise in its erection, lady officers are chosen.
Mills. — Probably the first taskmaster the stoutly flowing stream at
Vienna village ever met was Patrick Gilbraith, who laid a dam across
its ancient bed and built a grist mill about 1800, compelling the lusty
vagrant to tread a wheel which should grind the corn and the wheat
of the hard-working settlers. Mr. Gilbraith and his son, Benjamin,
ran the mill till Nathaniel Mooers, from Deerfield, N. H., became its
purchaser in 1819. After many years' service the mill was destroyed
by fire and was rebuilt in 1840 by Mr. Mooers and his son, Jabez S.
In 1847 Timothy Mooers, father of the present proprietor, bought the
property and rented it for the next sixteen years to John Lord.
George H. Mooers has been in possession since 1870, and still does
custom grinding.
On the middle dam stood a carding and fulling mill that was not
tjsed for these purposes after 183(». Josiah Bradley owned it and put
a shingle machine in the building. On the west side of the stream
Josiah and Jonathan Bradley, Jacob Graves and Nathaniel Mooers
built, in 1845, a new saw mill in the place of an old one. The next
year they sold the property to Sewell B. Gordon, who al.so bought the
old fulling mill property a few years later and operated the saw and
shingle mill till about 1870. George H. Wills was the next owner.
In 1872 he tore away the fulling mill building and built a saw mill in
its place. Five years later he sold the dam to Henry Trask, and he in
1888 to Perley Whittier, the present owner, who built works in which
he cuts staves and does all branhes of cooperage. Mr. Whittier and
his father have been the only stave and barrel manufacturers in
Vienna.
The first machinery on the lower dam was a fulling mill, probably
built by Simpson, who had used and abandoned it before 1825.
About 1838 Freeman Brown and Thomas C. Norris built the present
dam, and on the west side of the stream a bark mill, which stood idle
TOWN OF VIENNA. 977
till 1845, when Mr. Norris erected the building now standing on the
•east side, and made shoe pegs in it for the next thirty years. Here
was first used Sylvanus Fairbanks' machine for sharpening pegs both
ways — the first ever invented. Mr. Norris also added a shingle machine
and steam power, for use when water was low. Augustus Smart was
the next owner of the property and William Tyler the next, and he
sold it to James and Henry Trask and Daniel Lawton. Henry Trask
bought the interests of his partners and is now making handles for
hoes, forks and shovels.
On the Cofren brook stood a pioneer grist mill that was active and
useful in its day, but had ground its last grist before 1820. Even tra-
dition has failed to give its builder a name. N. P. Mooers owns the
spot. Another grist mill that served its day and generation, and came
to an honorable dissolution about 1830, was run by the Ladd brook.
Tradition has also neglected to assign a name to its builder or owner.
A saw mill standing on the McGurdy stream, built by Nathaniel
Cochran and Arnold Wethren about 1830, was in operation till de-
stroyed by fire in 1858. Thomas K. Dow was its last proprietor and
J. S. Graves now owns the real estate. Near the graveyard in the
Chesley neighborhood, Sylvanus Fairbanks built, in 186(>, a rake fac-
tory, on the outlet of Beaver pond, and made rake and spade handles
ten years. Mr. Fairbanks, while here, invented the first hollow arbor
for wood turning.
On a brook that ran through his farm in the northwest part of the
town, Lyman Whitlier built, in 1858, a dam and a mill for cutting bar-
rel staves. The business grew to such proportions in nine years that
the water supply became insufficient, and he added steam power.
After his death, in 1869, his son, Perley Whittier, operated the mill
for awhile and then sold the property to his brother, Lyman F.Whit-
tier, and John W. Hall, who continued the various branches of cooper-
ing. Mr. Whittier subsequently bought his partner out and added a
circular saw and a shingle machine to the works. Litigation and
changes in ownership have since succeeded each other, destroying the
business and the value of the property.
Brick were made on Jedidiah Whittier's land and in several other
places in town. About the same time large quantities of lime were
burned in the northwest part of the town by the Curriers.
Wagons and carriages have been built in Vienna village by Henry
Colby, Jacob C. Gordon and Sewell B. Gordon. The blacksmiths have
been: James Robinson, David Wait, Webster, Warren Folsom,
Levi Brown, Charles Tompkins, Jethro Weeks and Samuel Davis.
Churches.— Methodism took strong early root in Vienna. Jesse
Lee preached in Vienna (then Goshen) Monday, December 8, 1794,
-and again on Monday, August 29, 1808, putting up with James Coch-
978 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ran each time. The first cla.s.s was formed by James Wager about
1794, consisting of James Cofren, Elihu Johnson and Jedidiah Whit-
tier and their wives, and Nathaniel Whittier and Daniel Morrell.
Awhile after about half the members of the church, which had be-
come strong, seceded and formed a new church of the order known as
Christian Band.
In 1828 the Maine Conference held its annual session in Vienna,
Bishop Redding presiding— a historic event. No Methodist society
as small and no town as remote and obscure has been thus honored
before or since. The explanation is probably this. Reverend Oliver
Beale, secretary for six consecutive years of the Maine Conference,
had been preaching at Vienna with great success. The church lad
doubled in membership; it had a meeting house built before 1815,
and was the dominant religious organization in town. To encourage
and reward such zeal and growth, the denomination awarded its
great yearly meeting to Vienna.
The " Yellow " meeting hou.se was then in its prime and the daily
sessions of the conference were divided between it and the new house,
which was so much the smaller of the two that it is still remembered
by the name of the " little " church. The old meeting house, which
stood on the old road, about twenty rods south of the east part of the
present Franklin cemetery, was in use till the present church was
built in 1841.
Vienna was probably connected with Livermore from 1805 to 1815,
when it first appears on the minutes, and Isaiah Chandler and E. W.
CofBn were the preachers till 1817, when it was again connected with
Livermore for eight years, and from 1825 to 1830 with Strong circuit,
after which it again appears on the minutes. The appointments were:
Greenleaf Greeley, 1830; James Warren and Dudley Greeley, 1832;
Phillip Ayer, 1833; Aaron P\iller, 1834; Lsaac Downing, 1835; D. B.
Randall and John Cleaveland, 1837; Charles L. Browning and D. B.
Randall, 1838; R. C. Bailey, C. W. Morse and Francis Drew, 1839;
George Child and James Farrington, 1841; Joseph Lull, 1842; Ira T.
Thurston, 1843; Peter Burgess, 1844; S. B. Bracket, 1845; C. C. Mason,
1846; M. E. King, 1886; A. C. Trafton, 1887; Hezekiah Chase, 1889;
and Elbridge Gerry, 1891.
The Free Baptist Church was organized in the red school house,
January 22, 1820, with twent5'-.six members. The present church was
built in 1840, by Baptists and members of the Christian denomination,
who united in calling themselves the Union Chapel Society — a name
they still bear. Their preachers have been: Joseph Briggs, Jonathan
Bradley, T. Libby, Joseph Edgecomb (who preached twenty-sixyears),
vSelden Bean, D. Allen, Brooks, Cam.pbell, Morse, Otis
Andrews, S. P. Morrill, J. H. Bartlett, Lucien C. Graves, Albert C. Brown
and F. Starbird. Deacon Nathaniel Graves, a member of the legisla-
TOWN OF VIENNA. 979
ture and county commissioner several terms, was church clerk for
thirty-five years. The present membership is fifty-seven.
The second house built for religious purposes in Vienna was the
old " Yellow " meeting house, erected on land given by Abel Whit-
tier, by the seceders from the first Methodist society, before 1828, and
possibly before 1820. The house stood one-half mile south of the
Methodist burying ground. It was the largest church ever in town,
and all its appointments were on the same broad gauge as its creed.
The record of the first town meeting held within its walls (1828) reads:
" in the large Meeting House." The architecture of the inside was
quaint, with a decidedly fantastic appearance. A stout, roomy gal-
lery extended on three sides, with " negro " pews in two corners.
The pews below are described as being very high, with doors strong
enough for a stable. The pulpit was a huge drum, ten feet high; en-
tered by a door and mounted by inside winding stairs. Around the
ceiling was a heavy ornate cornice, which, with the pulpit, was painted
a sky blue. This old landmark was removed in 1848.
Cemeteries.— The oldest grave yard in Vienna has long been
known as the Methodist ground. It is situated on land given by Cap-
tain Osgood, and is contiguous to, and just east of, the Franklin Ceme-
tery, and used to front on the old north and south road, now aban-
doned.
William Franklin Whittier, a native of Vienna, now a resident of
California, in 1861 donated the land for the Franklin Cemetery, which
was laid out in 1864. The grounds are handsomely arranged and
neatly kept, and contain many tasteful and durable monuments.
Vienna Cemetery Association was organized in 1890 for the pur-
pose of taking better care of the old burying ground that was origi-
nally laid out on John Bradley's land before 1800. This yard con-
tains more graves than any other in town, and is most beautifully
situated, with cheerful surroundings. All its arrangements indicate
the best of care, and its many white marbles are a credit to any com-
munity. Samuel Davis is president and M. F. Eaton is secretary of
the association.
Two private grounds mark the resting places of the Sevey and
Porter families.
Civil Lists. — The selectmen, with the year of first election and
the number of years of service of each, have been: 1802. Jacob Graves,
13, James Cofren, Joshua Moore, 9; 1803, Noah Prescott; 1804, Robert
Cofren, 3; 1805, Nathaniel Whittier, 15; 1806, Benjamin Porter, 7;
1807, Josiah Bradley, 6; 1808, Joseph Morrill, 2: 1810, James Chapman,
12, Arnold Wethren, Jonathan Bradley, 2; 1817, Ozem Dowst, 17;
1821, John Porter, 2, John Mooers, 2; 1825, John Marden, 3; 1826,
Nathaniel Graves, 21; 1828, Epaphras Johnson, 3; 1881, Levi Johnson,
980 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Andrew Neal, 2; 1832, Levi Greeley; 1835, Moses Brown, 14; 1838, Jo-
siah P. Mooers; 1840, Isaac N. Whittier, 2; 1841, Daniel Brown, 2;
1842, James H. Porter, 14; 1848, Timothy C. Bradley; 1844, Levi
Brown, 3; 1845, Alvan Bradley; 1846, James Sanborn, 4; 1848, Dennis
Gorden, Daniel Tozer; 1849, Thomas C. Norris, 3; 1854, John Berry,
3, Nathan Gilman; 1856, Blake T. Dow, 2, Josiah Brown, 2; 1857, Jo-
siah Morrill, 19; 1858, Gerry Graves, 2: 1859, Sewall Eaton, 3, Thomas
F. Hovey, 2; 1861, Henry Dowst, 7; 1862, Ruel W. Smart, 2; 1867,
Jacob Robie; 1868, Willis P. Brown, 7, Albion G. Whittier, 11; 1870,
Jacob S. Woods; 1871, Allen B. Wing; 1872, Charles K. Besse; 1873,
Henry Graves, 7, William T. Morrill; 1875, A. F. Smart, 3; 1876, M. F.
Eaton, 7; 1879, S. Wesley Carr, 6, Sanders Morrill; 1882, Orman
French, 2; 1883, D. W. Griffin, Charles E. Morrill; 1885, N. G. San-
born, 4; and, 1889, Josephus Brown, 4.
The Town Clerks, with date of first election have been: 1802,
Daniel Morrill; 1807, Jacob Graves; 1810, Nathaniel Whittier; 1821,
James Chapman; 1829, Nathaniel Graves; 1834, Lewis Bradley; 1836,
Jonathan Graves; 1838, Isaac N. Whittier; 1841, Franklin Dearborn;
1842, Jabez S. Mooers; 1848, Josiah P. Mooers; 1852, A. Bradley; 1853,
Thomas C. Norris; 1857, Gerry Graves; 1867, Josiah Morrill; 1869,
Henry Dowst; and since 1889, M. F. Eaton.
The Town Treasurers have been: 1802, Arnold Wethren; 1804,
Gideon Wells; 1805, Elisha Johnson; 1807, Barnard Kimball; 1809,
Nathaniel Morrill; 1810, James Cofren; 1812, Joshua Moores; 1817,
Jacob Graves; 1825, Nathaniel Whittier; 1834, Ozem Dowst; 1836, John
Marden; 1844, James Porter; 1845, Benjamin Porter; 1847, Thomas C.
Norris; 1849, Gerry Graves; 1851, J. P. Mooers; 1852, A. Bradley; 1858,
Nathaniel Graves; 1865, Josiah Morrill; 1867, James Porter; 1868,
Henry Graves; 1877, Jonathan Graves; 1879, S. B. Gorden; and since
1886, E. N. Allen.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Elbridge N. Allen, born in 1854 in New Sharon, is a son of Ben-
jamin F. and Sarah B. (Neal) Allen, and grandson of John Allen, of
Vienna. He came to Vienna in 1864, and since 1875 has run a car-
riage and sleigh shop. In 1879 he began to manufacture burial caskets,
and is also engaged in undertaking and carriage trimming. He has
been town treasurer since 1886, and has served on board of health
since 1889. He married Emma L. Knowlton, and they have one
daughter, Lillian N.
Charles K. Besse.— In the last century Jabez Besse came from
Massachusetts to Wayne and engaged in farming. Here, in 1790, his
son, Edmund P., was born, lived and died. Edmund married Alice,
daughter of Charles Kent, of Kents Hill, Readfield. She was born in
1791 and died in 1875, having borne her husband five children: Mary,
-cs Brown, 14; 18:is ]
|S41, Daniel Brown, 2:
C. Bradley; 1844, Levi
Sanborn, 4; 1848. Dennis
Xunis, 3; 1854, John Berry,
-J, Josiah Brown, 2; 1857, Jo-
S59. Sewall Eaton, 3, Thomas
-^62, Ruel W. Smart, 2; 1867,
Albion G. Whittier, 11; 1870,
1872, Charles K. Besse; 1873
75, A. F. Smart, 3; 1870, V. -
..id:-. Morrill; 1882, ( 'rman
1885, N. G. San.
Mass..
son, }'. ,
daughter oi *
1791 and diec
'on have been: 1802,
'mniel Whittier; 1821,
1. Lewis Bradley; 1836,
I , Franklin Dearborn;
1852, A. Bradley; 1853,
Josiah Morrill; 1869,
\rnold Wethren; 1804,
..rnard Kimball; 1809,
Joshua Moores; 1817,
izem Dowst; 1836, John
: 'Drter; 1847, Thomas C.
1852, A.Bradley; 1858,
r. James Porter; 1868,
B. Gorden; and since
• ron, is a son of Hen-
j, . .son of John Allen, of
4, anil -Since 1875 has run a car-
II to manufacture burial caskets,
i carriage trimming. He has
Ms served on board of health
.uowlton, and they have one
:ury Jabea Besse came from
■'ming. Here, in 1790, his
Edmund married Alice,
idfield. Shewasbori- -
md five children: M.-
982 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Mary Brown, and grandson of Jesse Brown, who came to Vienna
from New Hampshire, and had three sons: John B., Josiah and Willis
P. Mr. Brown is a farmer on the farm where his father died in 1891.
He married Lizzie J. Maddocks, who died December 30, 1888. He
has been selectman since 1889.
Willis P. Brown, born in 1821, is a son of Jesse (1779-1852) and
Sally (Bacheldor) Brown. Their children were: Sally, Abigail, John
B., Josiah and Willis P., who married Sibyl H., daughter of Stephen
Holland. She died in 1889. Their only son, Lewis L., died in 1877.
Mr. Brown worked for several years in Massachusetts, and in 1850
returned to Vienna, where he has since been a farmer. He was select-
man for seven years, and also collector for several years.
Charles W. Cameron, born in 1839, in Southport, Me., is a son of
William R. and Julia A. Cameron, grandson of John, and great-grand-
son of John Cameron, who came from Scotland. He went to sea with
his father when a boy, and followed the sea until 1870, when he moved
to Vienna. He married Roxy Brown, who died in 1877, leaving two
children: Freeman W. and Ruble L. His second wife was Ida E.
Whittier.
Stephen Wesley Carr, born in 1843, is a son of Stephen and Betsey
Carr, and grandson of James Carr. Mr. Carr carried on a carriage and
repair shop on the old homestead for some fifteen years prior to 1883,
when he sold the homestead and bought another farm in Vienna,
which he has since carried on. He married Sarah, widow of his
brother, George W., and daughter of Ira and Sarah (Brown) Sevey,
who came to Vienna from Deerfield, N. H., in 1798. Mr. Carr has
been selectman five years, two years chairman of the board, and road
commissioner one year.
Adin B. Comstock, born in Blackstone, Mass., in 1829, is a son of
Stephen and Olive Comstock, and grandson of Caleb Comstock, who
was born in Oxbridge, Mass. He married Mary B. Sevey, and came
to Vienna in 1855. She died in 1860, leaving three children: Charles
N., who died; Hiram A., who is a blacksmith; and Ira A. In 1873 he
married Mrs. Charlotte Brown. She had one daughter, Edith J. Brown.
Their children are: Ethel M., Elena C, Charles F. and Ella R. He
has lived on his present farm since 1873.
Samuel Davis, born in 1838, is a son of Captain Samuel and Mary
(Stain) Davis, and grandson of Samuel B. Davis, whose father came
from England. Mr. Davis served in the late war, in the 4th Maine
Band, enlisting in 1861. In 1867 he came to Vienna, where he has
since carried on a blacksmith shop. His wife was Lucy CoUey. Their
children are: Edna E. (Mrs. William Carson), and May V.
Henry Dowst, born in Vienna in 1817, is a son of Ozem and Betsey
(Burrill) Dowst, who came from New Hampshire to Vienna about
1810. Henry married Mary J. Blackstone, who died in 1864. Their
TOWN OF VIENNA. y«.i
children were: Dana M., died in the army; Selden M., died in Wash
ington returning from the army; John A,, Henry F. and Laforest. He
married for his second wife, Mary J. Brainard. He was a farmer until
1866, when he started in trade at Vienna, where he has since kept a
general store, in connection with his son, Laforest, who is postmaster
at Vienna. He was on the board of selectmen for some sixteen years
and was town clerk for twenty years. He was in the legislature in
1874.
Jacob S. Graves, son of Joseph, and grandson of Joseph Graves,
was born in Vassalboro in 1830. His father (born 1771) and his grand-
father were natives of Brentwood. The family is descended from
Thomas Graves, who came from Gravesend, England, to New England
in 1630, under contract made in London in 1629 with the New England
Company, as land surveyor, builder of dams, bridges, forts, etc., and
as mineralogist, a contract now in possession of the New England
Historical Society. Jacob S. Graves' maternal grandfather, Jonathan
Carlton, of Newburyport, Mass., served through the revolution and
was at the battle of Bunker Hill. His wife was a daughter of Na-
thaniel Cochrane, a son of James Cochrane, an early settler of Vienna.
Mr. Graves is engaged in farming and has been connected with the
Portland Transcript for thirty-five years.
Woodbury Hall, born in 1832 in Georgetown, Me., is a son of
Thomas O. and Sarah E. Hall, and grandson of John Hall, who had
four sons: William, Thomas, Woodbury and John. Thomas Hall's
sons were: William J., Thomas S., Charles B., George W. and Wood-
bury. The last named married Mary E. Dodge, and their children
are: Etta M., Edgar W., Lizzie C, Fred E., Belle D., Thomas O. and
one that died, Winfield H. Mr. Hall is a ship carpenter by trade.
He worked in the ship-yard at Bath, Me., for fourteen years prior to
1861, when he enlisted in Company D, 3d Maine, and was made first
lieutenant. After being in twenty-two battles he returned to Vienna,
where his father had died in 1863, and has since been a farmer.
William H. Morrell, born in 1823, is one of four sons of Daniel and
Hannah (Courier) Morrell. His brothers were vSaunders, Dexter and
Oliver. His grandfather was Daniel Morrell, who came to Vienna
from Massachusetts in 1795. William H. married Angeline, daughter
of Jonathan, and granddaughter of Jacob Graves, who died in Vienna
in 1843. Their children are: Fred B., who lives in Dakota; Lillian
A., Mabel E. and Eva A., who died in 1873.
Laforest Porter, born in Vienna in 1852, is a son of Benjamin and
Abigail Porter, and grandson of Benjamin Porter, who came to Vienna
in early life. Laforest married Jennie, daughter of Wellington
French, of Mt. Vernon, and they have one daughter, Minnie E. Mr.
Porter lives on the old homestead where his father died in 1868.
Sewall Prescott, born in Vienna in 1825, is a son of Jedidiah (1787-
984 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
1855) and Olive Prescott, and grandson of John Prescott. Jedidiah
had three sons: John C, Jedidiah and Sewall. He married Sarah A.,
daughter of Moses Brown. Their children were: Moses B., who died
in 1890; James L., who lives in Mt. Vernon; Delia A., Nettie E. and
Leslie, who died in infancy. Mr. Prescott lived in Somerset county
after marriage until 1861, when he came to Vienna, where he has since
lived.
The Whittier Family.— In 1638 the British ship Confidence
brought to this country a lad of sixteen, Thomas Whittier, who set-
tled in Massachusetts, and in 1645 married Ruth Green, of Salisbury.
From this marriage sprang the American branch, somewhat numer-
ous in members, of the ancient English family of Whittier. vSome of
the descendants of Thomas removed to New Hampshire, and in 1780
it is recorded that three Whittier brothers came from there to Read-
field, Me., made a clearing, planted a crop of potatoes, and returned
to their native state. The first member of the family, however, who
came to stay, was Nathaniel Whittier, born in Salisbury, Massachu-
setts, February 23, 1743. He married, in 1766, Elizabeth, daughter of
Jedidiah and Hannah Prescott, of Brentwood, New Hampshire, where
Elizabeth was born, January 5, 1745.
Nathaniel, with his brother-in-law, Jedidiah Prescott, jun., pur-
chased the town of Vienna from the commonwealth of Massachusetts,
and disposed of a large amount of the land at a nominal price in order
to further its settlement. He also divided among his sons — Thomas,
Jedidiah, Abel, Nathaniel and Levi — a large tract of land lying in the
northern part of the town where, with the exception of Thomas, they
resided the rest of their lives.
Nathaniel, the father, died at Readfield, April 7, 1795. Nathaniel,
jun., was born there February 26, 1783, and was one of the early set-
tlers of Vienna, removing there soon after his father bought the town.
A part of the land which fell to his .share is still in possession of the
family, the houses shown in the accompanying illustration having
been erected upon it by himself and his brother Abel. October 29,
1804, Nathaniel' married at Mt. Vernon, Me., Nancy, daughter of
James Merrill. She was born in Raymond, New Hampshire, January
22, 1785, and died in Vienna, January 2, 1843. His second wife was
Mrs. Sarah (Bodwell) Jayne, of Augusta. Nathaniel was prominent in
shaping the affairs of his town, and at various times held nearly all
the public offices in its gift. He was an earnest Christian, and a val-
ued member of the Methodist Episcopal church. His death occurred
at Vienna, February 27, 1869. Of his twelve children, but five are now
alive: John, living in Waltham, Mass.; Nathaniel and Cyrus, of New
Sharon, Me.; and Simon and Frank, now residents of California,
Frank being a wealthy merchant in San Francisco.
Abel, an older brother of Nathaniel, of Vienna (son of the original
TOWN OF VIENNA. 985
Nathaniel of that town), was born at Readfield, February 24, 1781, and
married his cousin, Lois Prescott, December 25, 1806. He built the
house north of the church about 1805, and died there August 5, 1829.
The house south of the church was built by his brother, Nathaniel.
Abel's children were: Henry D., b. October 14, 1807, d. April 7, 1876;
Isaac N., b. March 28, 1809, d. October 29, 1847; Mary J., b. September
29, 1810, d. February 10, 1869; Betsey, b. April 21, 1812, d. October 9,
1850; Lois, b. April 23, 1814, d. November 12, 1863; David, b. July 24,
1815, d. October 19, 1869; Harriet (Mrs. Craig, of Waltham, Mass.), b.
October 27, 1816; Hannah (who married her second cousin, George B.
Whittier, of Vienna), b. April 28, 1818; Joanna, b. October 19, 1819, d.
September 23, 1883; Nancy (Mrs. Soper, of Vienna), b. November 30,
1821; Lewis, b. October 10, 1823. d. May 3, 1855; Robert R., b. June 27,
1825, d. March 28, 1886; and Abel C, of Westford, Mass., b. October
23, 1828.
Nancy married, June 6, 1869, Jesse Soper, a prominent and wealthy
farmer of South Chesterville. Me. He died August 31, 1872. Mrs.
Soper, now a remarkably preserved old lady of seventy-one years,
lived in Farmington, Me., for nearly eight years succeeding her
husband's death, and, then, after visiting Massachusetts and other
states, came, in 1889, to live with her nephew, Hiram N. Whittier, in
the house originally built by her uncle, Nathaniel, on land given him
by his father.
Hiram N. Whittier, born in 1847, is a son of George B. and Han-
nah Whittier, who was a daughter of Abel Whittier, of Vienna.
George B. was a son of Nathaniel Whittier, of Mt. Vernon, and they
were both descendants of Thomas Whittier, who came to America in
1638 and died in 1696. Hiram N. married Augusta H., daughter of
Rev. Selden Bean, and their children are: Lilla M., Lucy E. and Laura
A. Mr. Whittier is a farmer and lives on land first settled by Na-
thaniel Whittier.
Perley Whittier, one of six children of Lyman and Judith (Brown)
Whittier, and a grandson of Nathaniel Whittier, married Marinda C.
Landers, of Belgrade. Their children are: Ernest T., Albert L.. Viola
E., Sadie M., Charlie L., Arthur P. and Lottie M. Of Lyman Whittier's
six children, but three are living. Perley was a soldier in the late
war with Company K, 24th Maine, and was under General Banks at
the siege of Port Hudson.
Jacob S. Woods.— When the war of 1812 broke out. Captain Henry
Woods, who, in 1806, had come from Nottingham Square, N. H., to
Belgrade, threw a saddle on his horse, and spurred across country to
join the American forces at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y. In this war he
was killed, leaving a widow, Alice (Fitch), who died in Belgrade in
March, 18B0, and ten children, nine of whom reached years of matu-
rity. Sampson, the youngest son, born May 30, 1794, came to Belgrade
TOWN OF VIENNA. 987
with his parents, and followed farming for a living. He married
Dorothy Wadleigh, who bore him eight children: Jacob S., vSampson,
Dolly Jane, Emily, Luther, Greenleaf W., Martin V. and Ellen C.
Jacob S., the oldest child, and subject of this sketch, was born Oc-
tober 8, 1815, in Mt. Vernon, whither his father removed at the
time of his marriage, and where he resided until his death, August
14, 1865. Jacob S. attended the district schools of his native town
through boyhood, and assisted his father on the farm until he reached
man's estate. He then worked for a number of years in saw mills at
Hallowell and Bath, and in 1851, during the gold excitement on the
Pacific slope, went to California, where he remained several years.
Returning from the West to Mt. Vernon, he lived in that town a short
time, and May 16, 1854, removed to Vienna, settling on a farm he had
purchased of Columbus Hale. For a number of years, at various
times, he was selectman, constable and collector of taxes, but he did
not seek public office, preferring farming to politics, and contented
himself with successfully cultivating the soil until his death, Septem-
ber 22, 1885.
Mr. Woods was twice married, his first wife being a second cousin,
Lovisa Woods, of Mt. Vernon, whom he espoused in 1838, and by
whom he had three children: Herbert, born in 1839; Frederick, 1842;
and Sampson, who died in infancy. Herbert died in 1865, and Fred-
erick is now a wealthy merchant in California. In 1848 Mr. Woods
married his second wife, Margaret .S. Higgins, of Bath, who bore him
two children: Emma, born July 9, 1849, who married True French, of
Mt. Vernon, in September, 1872, with whom she is now living in
Illinois; and Carrie, born October 29, 1856, who married Cordis E.
Bean, of Vienna, in March, 1880, with whom and her mother she is
now living on the old homestead in Vienna.
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
TOWN OF ROME.
Incorporation. — Natural Features.— First Inhabitants. — Population and Valua-
tion.— Schools. — Mills.— Post Office. — Stores. —Religious Matters. — Burial
Places. — Civil Lists. — Personal Paragraphs.
THE town of Rome was incorporated from the plantation of West
Pond, March 6, 1804, as the one hundred and fiftieth town in the
province of Maine. It is situated twenty miles northwest from
Augusta, with which it is connected by a daily stage running to New
Sharon. It has seven times as many hills as the eternal city whose
name it bears, and granite enough to rebuild the old Roman capital.
About one-fourth of its surface is preempted by ponds, the largest two
bearing the suggestive names of Great and Long.
The pioneer settlers came at the close of the revolutionary war, in
which several of them had served. One of these, John Rogers, who
was sergeant of the guard that marched Major Andre to the gallows,
and was in the thick of the fight, and saw Lord Cornwallis surrender
his sword at Yorktown, told his grandson, John Rogers Prescott, who
owns and lives on the original farm, that when he chopped and cleared
his first acre no trees had been cut in all that region, except a few by
hunters.
Joseph Hall, Benjamin Furbush, Stephen Philbrick, Joseph Halbo,
Trip Mosher and Starbird Turner are believed to have been Mr.
Rogers' associates and neighbors — the first settlers. They were a
brave lot of men, and their wives were equally courageous, or they
would never have subdued and possessed the land. The glacier that
halted and squatted on Rome, dumped its deck-load of stone in streaks
— generally leaving the valleys quite free from rocks. With a pre-
dominance of gravel and sand, and a valuable addition of clay, there
are some excellent farms lying between the windrows of stone. The
farmers in the main are comfortable, thrifty and independent. They
raise the usual variety of crops, and grow valuable stock.
When incorporated, the population was about 300; in 1830 it was
830; in 1860 the town had attained its greatest census figure— 864; in
1870, 725; in 1880, 606; and in 1890, 500. The taxed valuation in 1890
was $102,117. The real estate in 1891 was assessed at $66,500, and the
TOWN OF ROME. 989
personal estate at $19,288. The taxes for 1892 amounted to the un-
usual figure of nearly five cents on each dollar of assessment. Dur-
ing the year ending February, 1892, the highways cost $167, and the
support of the poor, $392. The town at one time owned a farm for
its paupers, but this was sold and the old system of contracting for
board with the lowest bidder was resumed. The town, with a school
population of 150, is divided into six districts, in which 118 pupils
attended school in 1891. The amount paid to teachers, and for the
support of school houses in 1891, was $416.90, and for books $202.
The town house, which is situated at the Corner, where the stores and
post office have long been located, was built in 1843.
Fifty years ago, when there was considerable travel on the stage
line from Hallowell and Augusta to Farmington, and a great deal of
teaming over the same roads, Stephen Morrell opened his house and
kept a tavern. He was succeeded by Thomas Whittier, on the New
Sharon road, and he by his son, Charles, at the Corner. George Ab-
bott was the next and the last. A mile northeast. Ivory Blaisdell kept
a tavern where Elbridge Blaisdell lives.
Mills.— The first grist mill in Rome was built before 1820, by Joel
Richardson, son of Joel Richardson, of North Belgrade. Luke Rob-
bins, the next owner, built an addition and put in another run of stone
about 1830. Fifteen years later Isaiah Blanchard bought the property,
and in turn .sold it to Simon Robbins, a son of Luke Robbins. Simon
followed the business till his death in 1865. John Grant was the next
proprietor, and Pardue Brownell was the last. The mill ceased grind-
ing fifteen years ago and is entirely dilapidated.
On the outlet of Allen pond, Thomas Whittier built a saw mill
about 1840. Twenty rods below he put up a shingle mill in 1846, kept
it in operation fifteen years, and then tore it down. In 1865 he sold
the saw mill to Moses French, who put two runs of stone in the build-
ing, and ground grain till his death, in ISSO. Very little grinding
was done after that.
Post Office. — Rome has had but one post office, and that took the
name of the town, January 19, 1830, with Stephen Morrell the first
postmaster. His successors have been: Thomas Whittier, appointed
August, 1837; John T. Fifield, September, 1862; Charles H. Whittier,
February, 1863; Christopher Tracy, October, 1868; Ira B. Tracy, March,
1873; Almond Works, February, 1874; George H. Abbott, April, 1880;
Lizzie A. Abbott, September, 1883; Edward Phillips, January, 1886;
Everett A. Watson, January, 1887; and Manley H. Blaisdell, August,
1889.
Stores. — Simon Robbins kept store merchandise in one corner of
his grist mill and was probably the first trader in Rome. The first
store at the Corner was built by Charles Whittier about 1840. He
traded in it till it burned, when he built another. Amaziah Tracy
990 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and Ira Blaisdell were his successors, and then Christopher Tracy,
who was the second to be burned out. Selden Works built the third
store, and after two years' trade he was the third victim of fire. He
rebuilt at once, and George Abbott was the next trader. Edward
Phillips succeeded him and was the fourth merchant to lose his store
by fire. Everett Watson built the fifth store, which he sold to the
present trader, Manley H. Blaisdell. Ira Blaisdell had a store during
the civil war in what is now Watson's blacksmith shop.
A half mile from the Corner, on the back road to Mercer, Elder
James Tibbetts built and ran a store seven years. Holmes & Blaisdell
kept it next, after which the building was inoved to Ivory Blaisdell's
farm and he there sold goods for ten years. In the northwest part of
the town A. K. P. Dudley is trading in a store which he opened in
1880, and less than a mile from him S. W. Clement has also been in
the same business since 1885.
Religious Interests.— Of ordinary church organization and de-
nominational history Rome has but a limited amount. She has no
church buildings, and has never had any. But from these statements
it must not be thought that she has been wanting in moral convic-
tions and religious gatherings. The older inhabitants tell with satis-
faction of neighborhood prayer meetings held in private houses in
years gone by, where men and women were profoundly affected in
their united worship of God. The first society was organized by the
Free Baptists of the order known as Buzzelites. Lemuel and Asa
Turner, Ivory Blaisdell and Samuel Varney were prominent members.
The present Free Baptist society was organized in 1858, by Elder
Samuel Hutchins, and consisted of the following members: Robert
Hussey, Israel Estes and wife, John Hammond and wife, William
Smith, George Mosher, Ira Foster, Abigail Wentworth, Christopher
Tracy and wife and Daniel Allen and wife. John Hammond and
Ephraim Nolls have been the principal preachers, and the meetings
are held in school houses and in the town house.
Cemeteries in Rome are somewhat numerous, numbering twelve
or more. They are known as the Furbush, Chesley, two on the Daniel
Allen farm, Hayes, Goodrich, Benjamin Fairbanks, Elisha Turner,
Robbins, Lemuel Turner, Rankins, Mo.ses Chute and an old ground
on Ansel W. Richardson's land, that shows no traces of ever having
been used for that purpose.
Civil Lists. — The Selectmen of Rome, with the year of the first
election and the number of years of service of each, have been: 1804,
David McGaffey, 7, John Locke, 6, Samuel Gilman, 9; 1805, Stephen
Philbrick, 2; 1806, Nathan Covel; 1811, Andrew McGaffey, John Gil-
breth, 3, Elias Foster, 3; 1813, Robert Hussey, 4, Ezekiel Page; 1815,
Isaiah Mills, 5: 1816, William Bly, 8, Joseph Knight; 1817, John Phil-
brick, John Colbath, 3; 1818, James Philbrick, Luke Robbins; 1819,
TOWN OF ROME. 991
Richard Furbush, Cyrus Osborn, Christopher Knight: 1820, Samuel
Goodridge, 16; 1822, Hosea Spaulding, 8; 1823, Stephen Morrell, Jona-
than Palmer: 1824, Nathaniel Tuttle, 2: 1826, George Dunn, 4; 1829,
Job N. Tuttle, 5; 1831, no record of meeting: 1834, Thomas Whittier,
10, Nathaniel Morrell, 5; 1836, James L. Varney, 4: 1838, Ansel Rich-
ardson, 2, Benjamin Folsom, 2: 1840, Nathaniel Staples, 2, Jonathan
Prescott, Ebenezer Tracy, 7, John Hersom; 1842, John Towle, 2;
1844, William Bly : 1845, Bainbridge Wade : 1850, Nathan P.
Martin, 7, Thomas Tracy, 4, Benjamin Philbrick, 3: 1853, John T.
Fifield, 7, David Rockward: 1855, Samuel Goodridge: 1856, James
Tibbetts, 3, Hiram Towle, 3: 1857. Benjamin F. Mitchell, 6: 1858, Na-
than P. Marten, 3; 1859, William Hoyt, 2; 1860, Charles H. Whittier
8, Eleazer Kelley, 5: 1862, Christopher Tracy, 7; 1865, Otis Goodwin
Elbridge A. Dutton: 1866, Russel Clement; 1868, R. L. Folsom, 3
1869, John R. Prescott, 6, Elbridge Blaisdell, 6: 1873, A. Tracy, 2
Selden Works; 1874, A. W. Richardson, 2: 1877, William H. Charles
3; 1878, T. S. Golder, 4, George Tracy, 4: 1879, A. K. P. Dudley. 2;
1880, William A. Knight, 5; 1882, Ira B. Tracy, 2, S. W. Clement, 1,
Elbridge M.' Tracy, 2; 1884, William Blaisdell: 1885, John E. Earn-
ham; 1886, E. S. Phillips; 1887, H. W. Maguire, 3; 1888, Benjamin F
Charles, 2, L. G. Marten; 1890, A. H. Colder; 1891, A. P. Dudley, 2
1892, Elbridge Blaisdell.
The Town Clerks, with the years of election, have been: John
Locke, 1804; David McGaffey, 1807; John Gilbreth, 1814; Isaiah Mills,
1815: Richard Furbush, 1819; Elias Foster, 1820; Isaiah Mills, 1821;
Hosea Spaulding, 1823; Samuel Goodridge, 1825; George Dunn, 1829;
Samuel Goodridge, 1830; Job H. Tuttle, 1832; Stephen Morrell, 1833;
Job H. Tuttle, 1834; Stephen Morrell, 1836; Job H. Tuttle, 1837; Ste-
phen Morrell, 1841 ; John Turner, 1842; David Rockward, 1843; Na-
thaniel Morrell, 1845; David Rockward, 1847; N. Morrell, 1848; David
Rockward, 1849; Amaziah Tracy, 1850; David Rockward, 1855; Ira T.
Blaisdell, 1856; Stephen Tracy, 1862; Charles H. Whittier, 1865; Ira B.
Tracy, 1869; Almond Works, 1873; Levi Whitcomb, 1876; George Tracy,
1878; Almond Works, 1879; and H. W. Maguire in 1880— still in office.
The Treasurers have been: David McGaffey, 1804; John Locke, 1806;
Edward Locke, 1807; William Allen, 1808; David McGaffey, 1811; John
Gilbreth, 1814; Isaiah Mills, 1815; William Allen, 1816; Richard Fur-
nish, 1817: Isaiah iMills, 1818; Elias Foster, 1819; John Goodridge, 1821;
Stephen Morrell, 1824; James L. Varney, 1832; Hosea Spaulding, 1836;
Stephen Morrell, 1837; John Turner, 1839; Christopher Knight, 1841:
Moses Blanchard, 1842; Jere Goodridge, 1S43: Eben Tracy, 1844; Otis
Goodwin, 1845; Eben Tracy, 1853; Otis Goodwin, 1854; C. Tracy, 1858;
John Fletcher, 1860; Otis Goodwin, 1869; J. H. Goodwin, 1876: J. B.
Tracy, 1878; J. H. Goodwin, 1879; Manley H. Blaisdell, 1882: and A. H.
Golder since 1891.
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Eli Blaisdell (1807-1882) was a son of Elijah, who settled in Rome
in 1807 and died there in 1845, leaving eight sons. Eli married Pau-
lina, daughter of Asa Turner, and granddaughter of Starbird Turner,
who was a soldier in the revolution and died in Rome in 1838. Their
children were: Stilman, Jeanette, Almeda, Asa H., Sarah, Frank and
Marcia. Asa married Josie Davis and lives with Frank on the old
homestead, where their father settled when he was married. Frank
married Mary Hodgeson and has two daughters: Delma and Carrie.
Albion P. Dudley, born in Rome m 1863, is a son of Albion K. P.
and Margaret (Tuttle) Dudley, who came to Rome in 1862, and had
five children: Asahel M., Uriah T., William P., Albion P. and Ellen
E. Albion P. went to California in 1887, after having been in gro-
cery stores in Augusta and Waterville for two years. He returned
to Rome and is now chairman of the board of selectmen and a mem-
ber of the school committee.
Alanson Farnham, born in 1831, is a son of Halloway and Ann
Farnham. His wife was Charlotte Watson, of Rome. Mr. Farnham
has been for the past twenty-two years connected with the spool mills
at Belgrade Mills. He moved to his present home in 1870, where he
does some farming.
Albert H. Colder, born in Waterville in 1842, is a son of William
Colder, who kept a shoe store for thirty years at Waterville previous
to his coming to Belgrade Mills, where he died in 1875. Albert H.
went to Boston in 1864, where he was in business until 1887, excepting
four years spent in California. He moved to Rome in 1887, where he
is a farmer. He served one year on the board of selectmen and is now
treasurer of the town. His wife was Mildred French, who died in 1886.
Edward L. Richardson, born in 1854, is a son of Ansel W. and
Hannah D. (Barton) Richardson, and grandson of Ansel and Wealthy
Richardson, who were married in 1820. Their children were: Ange-
line F., Laurinda H., Ansel W., Martha A., Rowena W. and Clemen-
tina F. Ansel's father, Joel, was a son of Joel Richardson, who came
from Attleboro, Mass., and settled in Belgrade. Ansel W. Richard-
son's first wife died in 1860, and in 1864 he married Annette Crowell,
of Smithfield. Edward L. married Laura A. Page, of Belgrade, and
has two children: Carroll R. and Irma. His only brother is Henry S.
George S. Tibbetts, born in Berwick, Me., in 1833, is a son of Jesse
and Ruth, and grandson of Ephraim Tibbetts, who had four sons;
Ephraim, vStephen, John and Jesse. Jesse had five sons: Je.sse, George
S., Daniel, Charles and Isaac. George S. married Ellen E. Welts, and
they have one son, Charles H. Mr. Tibbetts came to the farm where
he now lives in 1870. He is a stone mason by trade, though now a
farmer.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
TOWN OF BELGRADE.*
By J. Cl-AIR MINOT.
Location. — Physical Characteristics. — First Settlers. — Incorporation and Early
Events. — Civil and Political History. — Churches. — Societies. — Cemeteries. —
Schools. — Industries and People. — Villages and Post Offices. — Personal
Paragraphs.
THE town of Belgrade is situated in the northwestern part of Ken-
nebec county, bordering on Somerset county, ten miles from
Augusta, with which city it is connected by a stage line. It is
on the Maine Central railroad, sixty-eight miles from Portland, and
about the same distance from Bangor. Whatever advantages other
towns of old Kennebec may have over Belgrade in respect to popula-
tion or prosperity, there are some things in which few can equal it.
Among these are irregularity of shape and amount of water surface
in it and around it. Seven towns border upon it: Smithiield and Oak-
land on the north, Rome and Mt. Vernon on the west, Readfield and
Manchester on the south, and Sidney on the east.
Besides these towns, five large lakes or ponds form part of its
boundary lines and make its outline extremely irregular. McGrath
pond and Richardson pond — otherwise known as Little pond, Ellis
pond, or Rowe pond — lie on the northeast, between Belgrade and
Oakland. A little stream, about a mile long, connects them with
Great pond, which is the largest and most irregular of all, and, while
lying on the north and east boundaries, extends south into the center
of the town. It contains several large islands, among them being
Hoyt's, Oak and Pine. A stream at Belgrade Mills, half a mile long,
flows from Great pond into Long pond, which, for over five miles,
rn^rks the western boundary of the town. This body of water is so
narrow at one place — the " Narrows" — that a bridge has been built con-
necting Belgrade and Rome. From the south extremity of Long
* If there is anything of value and interest to the reader in this brief sketcli
of my native town, the preparation of which has been so pleasant to me, let the
credit be given to the memory of my grandfather, the late John S. Minot, who
possessed a remarkable knowledge of local history, and dictated to me, when a
lad, much of the material contained in this chapter. — J. C. M.
994 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
pond issues Belgrade stream, a sluggish, meandering current, not less
than ten miles in length, for two miles on the line between Belgrade
and Mt. Vernon, then flowing for about the same distance in the lat-
ter town, the rest of its winding course being through the south part
of Belgrade. At last it empties into Messalonskee lake, commonly
called Snow pond, a beautiful sheet of water, for about six miles the
eastern boundary of the town. The north end of this pond is in Oak-
land, and its outlet flows into the Kennebec at Waterville. Thus the
water of all these lakes and streams, after flowing from the northeast-
ern part of Belgrade around the town to very near its starting point,
at last finds its way to the ocean. Many smaller ponds and streams
are within the town, Hamilton pond and vStuart pond in the central
part being among the prettiest by nature.
It is hard to state the exact area of Belgrade. Its greatest meas-
urement, from Smithfield on the north to Manchester on the south, is
fourteen miles; at other places it measures only five or six miles in the
same direction. Its measurement east and west varies from about a
mile at North Belgrade to three miles at other places, and even six
miles at the center. Much of its area, as has been shown, is covered
by water; a large portion is covered by forests.
The surface of the town is uneven. Were it different it would not
be the true New England town that it is. In the northern and west-
ern parts the hills are highest and most prominent, while in the cen-
tral and southern portions the surface is more gently rolling, and level
and low in places. The principal hills are Belgrade, Bickford's, Lord's
and those of the so-called west road. Beautiful and grand indeed,
and hard to excel even in Maine, is the varied and extended land-
scape which stretches away from the observer upon some of these
elevations. The White mountains of New Hampshire and the mount-
ains of northern Maine can be plainly seen on clear days.
First Settlers. — Most of what is now Belgrade was formerly in-
cluded in Washington Plantation, and previous to that was an un-
known part of the great Plymouth grant, with wild beasts and wild
men for inhabitants. The beginning of the change toward civiliza-
tion was not made until 1774. Back of that date nothing is known of
the region now called Belgrade. Even Indian legends and traditions
are lacking, and no aboriginal burial places can be located, though
some have imagined that certain peculiarly shaped mounds are the
work of the red men's hands. Hunters and explorers doubtless passed
through the forests here, but they did not stop and they left no trace
behind them.
Philip Snow, doubtless from Massachusetts, was the first to open
the way to white settlers, and show the trackless wilderness that it
had found its master. For several years he hunted in .Sidney, then
very thinly settled; and in 1774, with a hunter's yearning for new
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 995
grounds, he crossed the large bod}^ of water to the west of that town
and landed on the Belgrade shore. Tradition claims for him the
honor of being the first white man to cross this beautiful lake, and to
this day it is called Snow pond, though its old Indian name, Messa-
lonskee, still clings to it. He landed on the farm now owned by
Damren Brothers, on the Oakland road, about two miles north of Bel-
grade Depot, and not far from the shore of the pond he built a log
hut, the first dwelling place erected in town. Philip Snow brought
no wife or family with him, and came more with the intention of
hunting than of making a permanent home, but with his arrival be-
gins the known history of the town. Mt. Philip, near Belgrade Mills,
was named in honor of his famous hunting exploits in its vicinity,
and that, with Snow pond, will perpetuate his memory here. That
same year, a few months later than Snow, two more settlers came
across the pond and established homes in the forests along its shore,
not far from the hut of the hunter.
Simeon Wyman came with his family from Massachusetts, and
settled on the south slope of Belgrade hill, on the farm now owned by
his descendant, Charles Wyman. This family, which has ever since
been a prominent one in Belgrade, was the first white family in town,
and this farm was the first one to be cleared. Afterward his son,
David, kept a public house there for many years, the old tavern build-
ing being burned in 1875. Shortly after Simeon Wyman began to
found his home, Joel Richardson, an unmarried man, twenty-four
years of age, came from Attleboro, Mass. He came up the east side
of the Kennebec, and with only his axe and gun, crossed Sidney and
Snow pond and settled on the north slope of Belgrade hill, near the
present railroad station. During the revolutionary war, then under
way, the Massachusetts authorities drafted Richardson to serve in the
army. He started for the seat of war, but when he had gone a part
of the distance he met a negro whom he hired to go as a substitute.
The colored man went to the war and Richardson returned to the
farm he was clearing. This is all Belgrade did to free America from
British rule. In 1776 Joel Richardson married Sarah, the daughter of
his neighbor, Simeon Wyman, but no record is known which shows
the exact date or who married them. This was the first couple mar-
ried in the present limits of Belgrade. The first white child born in
town was Simeon, son of Simeon and Thankful Wyman, born April
20, 1775, the day after the Lexington fight. This family had six chil-
dren when they settled here in 1774.
There is a story that these early settlers, during their first summer
here, di.scovered the large intervale now known as Weston's meadow,
a great opening in the forest where grass grew abundantly, and
hauled hay from there, a distance of over four miles, to support their
stock during the long, cold winter that followed. Of course their own
996 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
clearings soon began to be productive. The first horse ever brought
to town belonged to Simeon Wyman, and the night after its arrival
became homesick and swam back across Snow pond to Sidney.
Richardson and Wyman were soon followed by other families, and in
1790, sixteen years after they came, Washington Plantation had a
population of 159 souls. In the case of many of the early settlers the
date of arrival and the place whence they came are unknown or un-
certain.
Caleb Page came from New Hampshire in 1775 and settled on the
north slope of Belgrade hill. He cleared an immense farm and kept
a tavern there, where he died in 1830. James Lombard, the first to
settle near Belgrade depot, came about 1776 from Barnstable, Mass.,
to the farm now owned by C. A. Yeaton. Doctor Williams, about
1780, settled on the farm now owned by Hon. C. M. Weston. A few
years later he sold it to John V. Davis, who came from Augusta.
Abram Page came from New Hampshire in 1784 to the farm of Sam-
uel Spaulding. He died in 1822. Chase Page, his brother, also came
in 1784, from Kensington, N. H., and cleared the farm now owned by
Hon. George E. Minot, about a mile west of the depot. In 1804 he
sold the farm to Captain James Minot, who came with his family from
Concord, Mass. Eleazer Burbank, who came from near Portland,
lived, from 1778 until his death in 1840, on the farm of G. J. Cum-
mings. He was the father of eleven children, some of whom have
won high names for themselves. Elisha Mosher came from Nan-
tucket, Mass., about 1788, and setiled on the place now owned by
James Tibbetts, at the Depot. Samuel Taylor came from Augusta in
1790 to Belgrade hill, and cleared the farm of vSamuel E. Judkins.
He died in 1856. Valentine Rollins came from New Hampshire about
1790 and settled on the farm of Isaac Weaver, where he died. He
had nine children. Benjamin Bisbee, a Baptist minister, came from
Sandwich, Mass., about 1790, to the farm of Joseph Knowles, near the
steam bridge.
Paul Yeaton, a revolutionary soldier, first brought this numerous
family's name to Belgrade from Great Falls, N. H., in 1794, and lived
on the farm of Edwin F. Yeaton until he died in 1856, at the age of
ninety-six years. Four of his eight children are still living, each being
over eighty years of age. His brothers, Philip and Joshua, came soon
after him. Hezekiah Sawtelle came from Groton, Mass., in 1792. In
1785 Samuel, Reuben, David and Benjamin Frost, all brothers, and
John, Moses, Nahum and .Samuel Austin, the first three being brothers,
all came with their families from the western part of Maine. Most of
them settled near the central part of the town. Joseph Greely came
about 1780 and bought the farm of Philip .Snow, who then left town,
and thus the last part of his life is as much of a mystery to the local
historian as the first part is. Greely 's wife was shunned by the super-
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 997
stitious ones of the times, who firmly believed her to be a witch. John
Rockwood came from Oxford, Mass., in ISOO, and settled on the farm
of Albion Rockwood, where he died September 15, 1874, at the age of
one hundred years. He was the father of seventeen children.
Among many other early settlers of the town who came before
1800 were the following, a great part of whom came with their fami-
lies from Massachusetts or New Hampshire; Aaron Page, Simeon
Clark, David Mosber, Ezekiel Page, David Buffington, Joseph Linnell,
Cornelius Tilton, Roberson Mills, Noah Cluff, J. Nudd, Hamilton,
Jonah Davenport, Seth Paine, Samuel Brown, Robert Townsend,
Joseph Sylvester, Samuel Smith, Andrew Kimball, George Penney,
John Crosby, Ezekiel Crowell, Moses Carr, Abraham Wellman, Jacob
Jones, Jonathan and William Stevens, Simon Lord, Anderson Taylor,
David Farnham, Joseph Joiles, Nathaniel Branch, Isaac Page, Daniel
Mosher, Abijah Bickford, Joel Proctor, Amos Page, Jabeth Robinson,
Elisha Bisbee, Jonathan Wyman, Henry Kinney, Ebenezer Oilman,
Caleb Tinkham, John Littlefield, John Abbott, Zachariah Hussey,
John Hersom, Matthew Farnham, Shadrack Rollins, Asa Littlefield,
Moses Tibbetts, Asa Libby, Robert Rowe, James Mills, Edward Mer-
chant, Eliphalet Dudley, David Champney, Joseph Oodey, Nicholas
Lord, Samuel Stuart, Jepiah Hall, Noyes Smith and Samuel Bach-
eldor.
Of course, a large proportion of the present population directly
descended from these first settlers and bear their names, but it is sur-
prising that so many of the old names, so prominent here less than a
century ago, have no representatives now in town.
Incorporation and Early Events.— Before Washington Planta-
tion was organized the territory was surveyed and mapped about 1780,
by Doctor Williams and John Jones, both of whom lived here. In
1796 the population of Washington Plantation was about 250, quite a
town for those days, and the inhabitants began to desire the greater
rights and privileges which their incorporation as a town would grant
them. Accordingly a petition was signed by the citizens and sent to
the general court of Massachusetts, praying that Washington Planta-
tion be incorporated into a town with the name of Belgrade. Why
this name was chosen is uncertain, but it was selected by John V.
Davis, who had traveled in Europe when a young man, and had
been a clerk under the English government in the East Indies. It
is thought to have been named in honor of the city of Belgrade, in
southeastern Europe, but whether Davis ever visited that city, or
what special reason he had for borrowing its name, is unknown.
The petition was received with favor by the general court, and
the incorporation act, after being passed by both branches, was signed
by Samuel Adams, governor of Massachusetts, February 3, 1796, making
yy» HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Belgrade the one hundred and second town in the district of Maine to
be incorporated, and the thirteenth in what is now Kennebec county.
Witham Brooks, who signed himself a " Justis of Peas," was author-
ized by the incorporation act to issue a warrant to some suitable
person iu Belgrade, who should call a meeting of the inhabitants
to effect the town organization and elect officers. He selected John
V. Davis, who, by virtue of this authority, issued a warrant announc-
ing the dwelling house of Joseph Greely as the place, and March 8,
1796, at 10 A. M., as the time of the first town meeting of the new
town of Belgrade.
According to the records and local tradition, this John V. Davis
was the leading man in town at this time and for several years
later. He had come from Massachusetts to Augusta in 1792, and
soon after moved here. x\bout 1800 he moved back to Augusta,
where for over twenty years he was very prominent in political and
business circles, held important city, county and state offices; drew
$10,000 in a lottery, fought a duel, indulged in costly experiments
in breeding fancy stock, built an elegant mansion and surrounded
it with grounds not equalled in the state; then sold this and moved
to a farm in Wayne. In 1830 he was appointed to a clerkship in Wash-
ington, where he served until he died, in 1848, at the age of seventy-
nine. He married a Hallowell lady, and had ten children. He was a
fine scholar and brilliant speaker, shrewd in politics but not always in
business, and was rather haughty and aristocratic, priding himself
greatly on his descent from the noble Vassall family of England. He
wore spectacles, an unusual thing for those times, and to this day he
is spoken of as " Spec " Davis.
At the time and place appointed for the first town meeting about
fifty voters assembled, Belgrade was formally organized as a town and
the first board of officers elected. Five town meetings were held dur-
ing 1796, and at one of these $80 was rai.sed for schools, $600 for high-
ways and $120 for town expenses; at another Abraham Page was
chosen town collector, and two cents for each dollar collected was to
be his pay. Among town officers regularly elected during these early
years were hog reeves and field drivers. Fences seem not to have
been fashionable in those days, and farmers were apt to be careless as
to whether their live stock remained near home or not. Thus arose
the need of these officers and also that of a pound keeper. For a long
time the town pound, an enclosure for stray animals, was located on
Pine plains, so-called, near the old town house, and the pound keeper
was far from being the unimportant officer he is now. Tything men,
who enforced the observance of the vSabbath, were also regularly
chosen. At the present time the need of these officers, except perhaps
in the case of the last named, is not so pressing.
At these early meetings much time was used in discussing whether
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 999
to " except " or " not to except" certain roads which the selectmen
had laid out, and it was many years — as the growth of the town de-
manded—before all the roads that now thread Belgrade were in use.
The question of highways and bridges has never ceased to be an im-
portant and much discussed one, and much of the welfare of the town
still depends upon its thoughtful treatment.
This same year (1796), by consent of the general court of Massa-
chusetts, a small part of Sidney was annexed to Belgrade. The part
thus joined lies between Belgrade hill and the Oakland line. At a
special town meeting called to consider the question of receiving this
tract of land, it was voted by a majority of eight to accept it as part
of the town. Then the voters repented of their decision and, holding
another meeting, voted to reconsider the first vote. But the general
court seemed to have little regard for their likes and dislikes, and
made the town receive the tract, whether it would or not.
Nearly half a century later another acquisition of territory was
made by the annexation of part of Dearborn. This town was situated
northwest of Belgrade, and previous to its incorporation, in 1812, was
known as West Pond Plantation. As it did not thrive much in popu-
lation or industry, it petitioned to the Maine legislature to be annexed
to some of the surrounding towns. In answer to this petition an act
was passed in 1839 annexing the southern half to Belgrade and divid-
ing the rest between Waterville and Smithfield. Thus the name Dear-
born pas.sed from the map. The area of land then gained by this
town is that lying north of the .stream at North Belgrade, and con-
stitutes about one-fifth of the whole town. The population was in-
creased about three hundred, and the size of the town made the same
as it is to-day. This addition of territory also was made in opposition
to the wishes of the inhabitants of Belgrade, and at a special meeting
they vehemently protested against being forced to take upon their
hands the greater part of impoverished and pauper-laden Dearborn.
They instructed their representative in the legislature, Ephraim Tib-
betts, to use every possible means to defeat the measure, but it was
necessary to do something with Dearborn, and the prayer of its inhab-
itants for annexation was granted.
Two years later the inhabitants of a considerable part of Rome
petitioned to the legislature to be set off from that town and joined to
Belgrade, but the legislature was merciful to Belgrade in this case,
and refused to grant what they asked.
For many years after its incorporation the town felt the need of a
public meeting place of some kind. The town meetings were gen-
erally held at dwelling houses, sometimes at Joseph Greely's, at other
times at the house of Samuel Smith, near Rockwood"s Corner, at Joseph
Linnell's house, at the tavern of John Crosby, near the steam bridge,
and m 1811 the election was held at the barn of Wentworth Stuart.
1000 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
In 1806 a motion was made to build a town house, but it was defeated.
It was brought up at every town meeting for several years, but until
1813 did not meet with the favor of the taxpayers. Then it was voted
to raise $200 to build such a structure, and the site selected was near
the burying ground at Pinkham's Corner. Hezekiah Sawtelle, Moses
Carr and Sherebiah Clark were appointed a committee to superintend
its construction. It was first occupied about 1815, but was not entirely
completed until 1834. All town meetings were held there until 1873.
In 1872 a case of small pox appeared in town, and the victim, who was
an Indian visiting here, was carried to the town house, for want of a
better place, and a man hired to take care of him. He soon recovered
and left town, but the town authorities did not like the idea of hold-
ing public meetings in a small pox hospital, so they hired Masonic
Hall, at the Depot, where town meetings and elections have been held
since. The old town house has been repaired and altered, and is now
used for a hearse house.
Until 1849 the town's poor were boarded out to whoever would
take them the cheapest. Several fruitful families have kept up the
supply of persons depending upon the town for support, though at
this time Belgrade is nearer being free from paupers than ever before.
In 1849 the town bought for $700 the farm of Moses White, situated
in the north end of the town, near Great pond, which was used as a
poor farm until 1887, when it was sold by George B. Staples for $800.
A year of the old system of boarding out the paupers was tried again,
but in 1888 the farm of Noah Hersom was bought for $1,000, and is
now used as the town poor farm.
After the revolutionary war nearly every town of any size in the
country maintained one or more militia companies, and about 1800
two were organized in this town. One, known as the East company,
was made up of men from the neighborhood of Belgrade hill and the
Depot; the other, known as the West company, of men from the west-
ern portion of the town. They had four regular meetings each year
for inspection and practice, called " trainings," besides the annual
muster of the brigade, which was usually held at Waterville. When
the second war with England broke out the roll of the two companies
was as follows:
East Company. — Captain, James Minot; lieutenant, John Page; en-
sign, Jesse Page; sergeants, Richard Mills, Lewis Page, Samuel Page
and Lemuel Lombard; corporals, Charles Lombard, Wentworth Stuart,
Beriah Fall and James Block, jun.; musicians, David Wyman, Davi-
son Hubbard, David Mosher and Jeremiah Tilton; and 49 privates.
West Company. — Captain, Joseph vSylvester; lieutenant, Levi Bean;
ensign, Isaac Lord; sergeants, Daniel Stevens, Samuel Smith, John
Sylvester and William Stevens, jun.; corporals, Jonathan H. Hill,
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1001
Ephraim Tibbetts, William Wells and Samuel Tucker; musicians,
Samuel Littlefield and Isaac Farnham; and 36 privates.
During the first part of the war they remained at their peaceful
vocations in Belgrade, but in 1814 were ordered to Augusta. Here
they staid a few weeks, and then, with several other companies, were
ordered to the coast to prevent the British from ascending the Ken-
nebec. They marched to the mouth of the river, to Wiscasset and
several other seaport towns, and finally returned safely home without
having fired a hostile gun. Thus far the war record of Belgrade was
not a very brilliant one, but in the late civil war few small towns did
more for the cause of the Union, as another chapter shows. The or-
ganization of these companies was kept up until about 1845, since
which time no military company has existed here.
The year 1816, which is remembered throughout New England as
the cold season, brought special hardships to the people of Belgrade.
Not even in the days of the first settlers, twenty-five years before,
when hunting and fishing, as well as tilling the soil, were depended
upon to furnish food, and when what few store supplies the settlers
had were brought upon their backs many miles through the woods
from Hallowell and Gardiner, was there more suffering or privation
among the inhabitants. The crops were all failures, and less than
twenty-five bushels of corn were raised in town. Paul Yeaton, who
raised twelve bushels from several acres of land, was regarded as a
wonderfully fortunate man. The snow storm of June 12th drove the
men from the fields, and snow began to fall again in October. The
next spring the price of hay was $20 a ton and higher; wheat, 15 shil-
lings a bushel; potatoes, 4 shillings; and corn, $2. These were ex-
ceedingly high prices for the times, and no less than a score of fami-
lies in town, becoming discouraged and fearing the cold season would
be followed by another like it, moved away. Most of them moved to
Ohio, then regarded as the land of promise. There were twenty-eight
births in town during the cold season.
The summer and fall of 1825 are remembered as the dry season,
and the old inhabitants say that no year this century has been its
equal in this respect. In the early autumn raged the only destructive
forest fire that Belgrade has ever known. It started in the southwest-
ern part of the town, on the Mt. Vernon line, and burned over most
of the region lying between the Wing's mill road and the road run-
ning south from Rockwood's Corner, including what is now known as
" Location," Weston's meadow, and the large tracts of neighboring
forest. Most of the land was wooded, and the fire raged for a week,
laying waste in all four or five hundred acres. The people in the
vicinity fought the fire night and day to protect their lands and
homes, and tried to stop its course by ploughing long strips, and
with difficulty got it under control when it had reached the roads
K^'O^ HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
before mentioned. Many families had their possessions ready for
instant flight, and it was a time of dismay and terror to all this part
of the town.
Civil and Political.— The men who manage the affairs of a town
are generally its most prominent and substantial citizens, and so it is
valuable to preserve the lists of those to whom their fellow townsmen
have committed these responsible trusts. Following is a list of the
clerks, selectmen and treasurers of Belgrade since its incorporation.
With each man's name is the year of his first election and the whole
number of years he served :
ToivnClerks.—YlOiQ^ Benjamin Bisbee, 10: 1806, Moses Carr, 9; ISOS,
Hezekiah Sawtelle, 2; 1817, John Rockwood, 2; 1819, Moses Page, 9;
1828, Joel Spaulding. 10; 1837, Stephen Smith; 1839. John S. Minot, 5;
1842, George Smith; 1845, Ariel Hinkley, 15; 1860, A. H. Wyman;
1861, C. A. Yeaton, 7; 1868, John C. Taylor, 3; 1869, George E. Minot;
1872, James C. Mosher, 20.
Selectmen.— \1^Q^ John V. Davis, Joseph Sylvester, 2, James Lom-
bard, 16; 1797, Simeon Clark, 2, Andrew Kimball, Paul Yeaton, 2;
1798, Joel Richardson, 10; 1799, George Penney, 12; 1802, John Rock-
wood, 15; 1803, Moses Carr, 2; 1807, John Rollins; 1808, John Chand-
ler, 13, Sherebiah Clark, 6; 1809, Seth Paine, 2; 1815, Hezekiah
Sawtelle, 2; 1816, Samuel C. Clark, 3; 1819, Moses Page, 13, Richard
Mills, 4; 1822, Solomon Easty, jun., 11, John Page, 7; 1824, Samuel
Taylor; 1827, Hannibal Dillingham, 2: 1831, Samuel Frost; 1832, Jos-
eph Taylor, 2; 1833, Anson P. Morrill; 1835, Wentworth Stuart, 3;
1837, George Richardson, 4; 18.39, Thomas Eldred, 13; 1842, Jacob
Main, 3, Joseph S. Cummings, 2; 1843, Adam Wilber, 2; 1844, Paul
Yeaton, jun., 2; 1845, Greenlief Wing; 1846, Stephen Smith, Joseph
Stuart, 4; 1847, John S. Minot, George Smith, 6; 1848, James H. Mosher,
11, Rufus K. Stuart; 1849, Isaac Weaver, 3; 1850, Cyrus Weston; 1852,
Joel Richardson, Samuel Kimball; 1853, Andrew Yeaton, 3; 1855, Al-
mond H. Wyman; 1856, Ichabod Smith, Emery Tillson; 1857, Charles
D. Heald, 2, Reuel W. Mosher, 4; 1858, Reuel S. Page, 2; 1859, Samuel
E. Judkins, 4, Hiram Goodwin; 1860, Charles B. Crowell, 3; 1861,
David Rockwood; 1865, David Colder, Gilmon J. Page, 7, James Alex-
ander, 2; 1867, C. A. Yeaton, 8: 1868, Crowell Taylor; 1869, John
Partridge, William H. Hersum; 1870, George H. Ward, 2, Henry W.
Golder; 1872, C. M. Weston, 2, B. F. Mitchell, 4, A. E. Faught, 3;
1873, M. H. Alexander; 1876, Charles H. Wyman, 14; 1877, George W.
Cottle, 4; 1878. Sewell Spaulding, 6; 1879, Samuel Y. Spauldmg, 2;
1880, John C. Taylor; 1884, Edwin F.Yeaton, 4; 1886, George E. Minot,
2, E. H. Mosher, 2; 1888, Joseph Hersum; 1889, Charles H. Hallett, 4.
Treasurers.— \l'd%, Samuel Smith, 5; 1799, Ezekiel Crowell, 2; 1801,
John Crosby, 2; 1803, Ander.son Taylor, 2; 1807, John Rockwood; 1808,
Eleazer Burbank; 1809, Cornelius Tilton, 2; 1811, James Lombard, 2;
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1003
1813, Sherebiah Clark, 3; 1816, Samuel Taylor, 3; 1819, David Wyman;
1820, Wentworth Stuart, 3; 1821, Calvin Stuart; 1822, Samuel Austin,
3; 1825, Samuel Page, 8; 1827, Silas Richardson, 2; 1832, Anson P.
Morrill; 1833. John Hoxie, 2; 1836, John S. Minot, 9; 1841, Charles
Page; 1842, Daniel Stevens; 1843, Stephen Smith; 1844, Andrew Yea-
ton; 1845, Amos Rollins, 1846, George Smith; 1847, Rufus K. Stuart,
2; 1848, David L. Page; 1849, Ariel Hinkley, 6; 1855, Joseph Taylor;
1856, Reuel S. Page; 1858, Rufus Hill; 1860, Albert Caswell, 5; 1861,
Horace Bartlett, 4; 1869, Samuel Whitehouse; 1877, L. W. Bachelder,
15; 1892, John H. Thing.
The fact that many of these officers were reelected so many times
shows both their popularity among their fellow citizens and the effi-
cient and faithful service they rendered the town. For almost a cen-
tury the servants of the town have managed its affairs well, and in
very few cases have any of them been false to their trust. Two only
have so basely betrayed the confidence of their townsmen as to feel
the strong hand of the law, and these two exceptions only prove the
rule of the honesty and ability of Belgrade's town officers. In 1813
Simon Lord, the collector of the town, forged an order on the treasury.
His crime was at once detected, and he served a term of years in the
Massachusetts state prison. The second case was that of Albert Cas-
well, who was a prominent citizen of the town, and for five years had
been town treasurer. At the March election of 1869 he failed to be
reelected, and late the following night a fire broke out in his store at
the Depot. The neighbors rushed in and extinguished it, and were
somewhat surprised to find in the midst of the flames the trunk con-
taining the treasurer's books, which was usually kept in another part
of the building. The books were somewhat damaged, but a careful
examination soon showed that for years he had carried on a systematic
method of defrauding the town out of large sums, and it was at once
thought that he had attempted to burn the building to conceal his
crime. He was unable to make good the deficiency, and his bonds-
men, R. K. Stuart, John Partridge and George Wadleigh, were obliged
to come forward and do it for him. Caswell was indicted, and kept
in jail for a time, but he made over his store and other property to
his bondsmen, so that their loss was small, and he was never brought
to trial. Soon afterward he left town.
In few towns has so strong party feeling been carried into munic-
ipal elections, and party lines so closely drawn there, as has been the
case of Belgrade. The party which has polled the most votes at state
and national elections, when party lines were drawn on the great is-
sues of the day, has, in most cases, controlled the municipal elections.
Previous to 1840 the old federalist and then the whig party cast a
majority of the votes in town, but the annexation of Dearborn in that
year gave the democrats a majority. After that the political fortunes
1004 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
varied. From the organization of the republican party in 1856 it was
the dominant party until about 1878, when the greenback movement
thinned their ranks and again gave the democrats a small majority,
which they have retained most of the time to the present; and to-day
Belgrade is one of the very few towns in Kennebec county where the
republicans are in a minority.
A few score years ago there was rather more political unanimity
in Belgrade than at present. In 1796, when the town voted for the
first time for pre.sident, 25 votes were cast and every one was for
Stephen Longfellow, of Portland, the federalist candidate for elector.
In 1888 141 votes were cast for Harrison and 150 for Cleveland. In
1820, for the election of Maine's first governor, William King received
100 of the 104 votes cast. In 1890 Burleigh, the republican candidate,
received 123 votes, and Thompson, the democratic candidate, 135. At
one presidential election, 1876, there was no vote on account of some
illegality in the warrant.
The vote on the question of Maine's separation from Massachu-
setts at the several times when such vote was taken was as follows;
1796, yeas 24, nays 1; 1807, yeas 68, nays 35; 1816, May 20, yeas 66,
nays 7; 1816, September 2, yeas 62, nays 12; 1819, July 20, yeas 84,
nays 8. At this last vote the separation movement in Maine was sue-
cessful, and the vote for a delegate from Belgrade to the constitu
tional convention at Portland that year was: Rev. Elias Taylor 61
John Chandler 20, Samuel Titcomb 10, John Rockwood 5. The vote
on the adoption of the constitution framed at this convention was
taken December 6th— yeas 28, nays 2. In 1798 a convention was held
at Hallowell in relation to dividing Lincoln county into two counties,
and Samuel Smith was sent as delegate from this town. The vote for
delegate to the Brunswick convention of 1816 was: John Chandler 49
votes, Moses Carr 21.
In 1806 Moses Carr was sent as representative to the general court
of Massachusetts, and was reelected each year until 1813, when Shere-
biah Clark was chosen, receiving 36 votes, with none opposed — the
only instance of the unanimous election of a representative in the his-
tory of the town. He was followed in 1819 by Samuel Titcomb.
Churches. — The inhabitants of Belgrade are called a law-abiding
and God-fearing people, as the world goes, but the strong religious
feeling that pervaded the town in the good old times is lacking to-
day, as it is in nearly all country districts of Maine. Churches and
parish organizations once played an important part in the affairs of
the town, and every Sunday witnessed worship in several churches,
but to-day there is no regular place of public worship open in Bel-
grade. Perhaps this is not due to a total lack of religious interest so
much as to the fact that there are so many different beliefs and creeds
represented in town, and so few belonging to any one of these, that it
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1005
is almost impossible for each to support a church, while the spirit of
union seems to be lacking. Sometimes, however, as was often the
case in the early days, small religious gatherings are held at dwelling
houses, school houses, or some other convenient place. Until 1826 all
religious services in town were held in that way, but since then four
places of public worship have been erected.
The first hou.se of worship was built in 1826-7 at Rockwood's
Corner, and was known as the vSouth meeting house. It stands there
still, a long, white, steeple-less structure, but little occupied of late. It
was built principally by the Baptist denomination, and has always
been called a Baptist church, although members of other denomina-
tions helped in its construction and have worshipped there from time
to time. It was dedicated July 18, 1828. Rev. Elias Taylor first
preached there, and was pastor of the church for many years. He
was followed by Lucius Packard, D. McMaster, Asa W. Cummings, T.
Goldthwait, Z. Morton, Adam Wilson, E. Cox, D. B. Small and J. S.
Cummings, all ordained ministers; while others have occupied its
pulpit temporarily at different times. The membership of the Bap-
tist .society here was 108 in 1831, 80 in 1833, 60 in 1840, 66 in 1844, 52
in 1855, 39 in 1860, and has since decreased so that it is now practically
dead.
Through the efforts of John Pitts and Samuel Titcomb, two
wealthy and influential men who lived near Belgrade hill, a church
was built there in 1827, and dedicated the following year. It was one
of those churches common to the old days, with no fire-place or chance
for stove within it, and worshipping there in cold weather must have
been a strain on the piety of even those good people. It was built by
a union of the Unitarians and Freewill Baptists, and its cost was
about $1,300. William Farmer, who was also principal for a time of
the old Titcomb Academy near by, was its first pastor and preached
there for many years. Samuel Hutchins also occupied its pulpit sev-
eral years, and others from time to time, but the church has had no
other regular pastors. It was occupied more or less regularly until
1885, when the spirit of their fathers seemed to desert the residents
of the Hill, and by special act of the legislature the old church was
torn down and the timbers sold to Benjamin Gleason. He hauled
them to his farm in Oakland and made them.into a barn.
In 1839 the Quakers, or Friends, of whom there were quite a large
number then in town, built a small meeting house in the southwest
corner of the Quaker burying ground, about a mile north of the depot.
They occupied it until 1853, when it was hauled by ox teams a mile
further north, near the farm now owned by Frank Page. Here they
held meetings for several years, but the society gradually died out,
and the structure was sold to Joseph Taylor for a barn. It was burned
in 1880.
1006 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
By the combined efforts of the Adventists and the Methodists a
small church was built at Belgrade Mills in 1870. The greater part
of its cost was contributed by David Colder, one of the most promi-
nent and public spirited men of his day in Belgrade. At present it is
but little used.
The Adventist camp ground at Lakeside has a fame extending far
beyond the limits of Maine, and for a week or two each autumn thou-
sands are attracted here, both by religious zeal and by the beautiful
surroundings of the picturesque spot. It is situated in a hardwood
grove on the western shore of Snow pond, about midway in its length,
and is as charming and romantic a spot as one can desire to find. Not
least among the attractions of the place is a spring of pure water of
unusually beneficial quality, quantities of which are often shipped to
distant places. The line of the Maine Central runs through the
grounds, which are but a short distance from the North Belgrade sta-
tion. Facing the speaker's stand are seats enough for a large multi-
tude, on gently rising ground, so that persons in the rear can easily
hear and see, while back of these, in a semi-circle, are two scores of
cottages, with numerous other buildings and tents. Overhead is a
thick canopy of leafy branches, which furnishes ample protection
against the sun, while in the evening and in stormy weather the
meetings are held in a large canvas pavilion. The Adventists first
began to worship in this beautiful temple of nature on the lake front
in 1880, and since then have made many improvements there. It was
situated on the farm of Frank Hallett, but they secured a lease of it
for a long term of years.
Societies. — Exclusive of religious societies and organizations
quite a number of organized bodies have existed at different times in
Belgrade. Some existed so long ago and were so short lived that
nothing remains of them now but a memory; some have not even left
so much as that, while others are to-day live forces among the people
of the town. The lyceum, declaiming society, singing school arid
temperance club were prominent factors years ago, while the great
orders, of which a few are now represented here, were unknown. In
the days before the famous Maine law, and during the early years of
temperance agitation in the state, the better class of people organized
several societies against, the evils of the liquor traffic. One of these,
called the Belgrade Temperance Society, of which Elias Taylor was
president, and John S. Minot secretary, had 276 members when orga-
nized May 11, 1833, and for several years was a powerful force in the
good work. Another, the Sons of Temperance, was composed
entirely of young men, and had a short life. Recent years have not
entirely removed the need of such societies.
In 1825 some of the citizens saw the good that would arise from
having a library in their midst, and an organization was formed to
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1007
procure books for a circulating library. It was called the Belgrade
Social Library, and John Hoxie, who lived on the place now owned
by Edmund Yeaton, was its librarian. The management was in the
hands of five trustees, elected each year, and those who served in this
capacity during the five years of the library's existence were: John
Pitts, John Rockwood, Samuel Taylor, Moses Page, Cyrus Weston,
Reuben C. Morrill, Charles Page, George Richardson, Hannibal Dil-
lingham, Richard Mills, David Wyman, Silas Richardson, John S.
Minot, Joseph Taylor and Daniel Stevens. In 1868 the library move-
ment was revived, and with money raised by a course of sociables new
books were bought and a new Belgrade Social Library brought into
existence. William Y. Bartlett and Dr. W. W. Springer were in turn
librarians. The books were read and re-read, and finally became
scattered beyond all hope of recall, while, as no money was raised to
buy more, the fate of the library was soon sealed.
Relief Lodge, No. 108, F. & A. M., at Belgrade Depot, was insti-
tuted May 8, 1862. Its charter members were: J. C. Mosher, A. P.
Crooker, I. W. Damon, W. W. Springer, L. B. Weston, G. J. Penney,
David Golder, John W. Greely, S. E. Judkins and C. W. Stuart, of
whom but three are now living. Its masters have been: J. C. Mosher,
A. P. Crooker, C. A. Yeaton, B. F. Mitchell, J. M. Rockwood, Frank
~Yeaton, James Tibbetts and E. C. Taylor. At one time its member-
ship was over one hundred and it was one of the foremost Lodges of
the state, but recently its condition has been less prosperous. Its
early meetings were held in the small hall in the store of R. K. Stuart,
but in 1873 the Lodge built Masonic Hall at the Depot, with rooms on
the second floor for its own meetings and a large hall below, which
has been used for town elections, public meetings and entertainments.
The Iron Clad Reform Club was organized at North Belgrade in
1876, and was one of the temperance organizations which have
existed a few years in town. In 1878 the club built Iron Clad Hall
at that place, and the following members were elected trustees of the
structure: Alpheus Spaulding, Joseph Merrow, Jacob Furbush, Jacob
Willey, Charles Bickford and Milford Bickford. It has been used for
public meetings and entertainments, for the meetings of the Good
Templars' Lodge, and for occasional religious services by the Free-
will Baptists, a denomination which has had a society for many years
in this part of the town.
Belgrade Grange, No. 292, P. of H., was organized September 10,
1887, by Deputy Watson, of Oakland, and received its charter soon
after. Its number of charter members was twenty-six and its total
roll was afterward increased to fifty-six, though it has fewer members
now. Its meetings have been held in Masonic Hall, and its masters
have been C. M. Weston and James Tibbetts.
Cyclone Lodge, No. 344, I. O. G. T., at North Belgrade, was char-
1008 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tered July 29, 1884, and has held regular meetings since then at Iron
Clad Hall. It had twenty charter members, and has since received
about thirty new members. Its chief templars have been: Charles
Hutchins, A. M. Alexander, L. E. Watson, H. M. Merrow, A. P. Wat-
son, Walter Stuart, Edwin Huff, A. M. Branch, A. P. Wyman and
Leslie Hersom.
Cemeteries. — There are four public burial places in Belgrade.
One is situated at North Belgrade, in what was once Dearborn, and is
a very old burying ground, containing the remains of many o/ the
early inhabitants of that part of the town. It is a small plot of ground,
and is situated near the shore of the pond on a low level — too low, in
fact, to be used for such a purpose. It is not much used now.
The Quaker burying ground, as its name indicates, contains only
the remains of members of the denomination of Friends, once a lead-
ing sect of the town. It is a small, three-sided tract of land, and was
formerly a part of the farm of Eleazer Burbank, by whom it was pre-
sented to the Society of Friends, of which he was a member. Their
meeting house once stood in one corner of it. Few burials have been
made here in recent years.
A short distance from this, and on the large tract near Pinkham's
Corner, called Pine plains, are the two burying grounds known re-
spectively as the Old and New cemeteries, which are the largest and
most important of the town. The former lies on the north side of
the road, and originally was just an acre in size, containing 160 lots.
It was first occupied in 1814, and David Farnham is said to have
been the first person buried there. Since then large additions of land
have been made on either side, and now it contains many hundred
graves and has room for but few more. The location is a beautiful
one, while the care it receives adds greatly to the beauty of this popu-
lous but silent city of the dead. Beside the road which runs by is a
tomb of Norridgewock granite built by the town in 1885, at a cost of
$500. Hannah, wife of Asael Littlefield, is buried in this cemetery.
The headstone says she died January 5, 1S6S, aged 106 years and 6
months.
Owing to the crowded condition of this cemetery the town bought
of Vassal D. Pinkham, in 1888, a large tract of land lying across the
road almost directly opposite this. This was enclosed and divided
into lots, and although it is much larger than the old cemetery, it is
fast falling up. It is high and level, and in beauty of location is equal
to the other, while its dry, sandy soil makes it especially adapted to
the uses of a burying ground. In its northeastern corner, near the
road, is a small tract, now overgrown with trees, which contains the
oldest known graves in the town. Many of the old .slate headstones
have crumbled away or become covered in the soil, but quite a num-
ber remain, and on some of these the dates of deaths, several years
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1009
before this century opened, can be deciphered. This little plot was
doubtless the first burial place used by the early settlers, but upon
the occupation of the large cemetery across the road in 1814, many of
the bodies were removed there and burials were no longer made
here.
Schools.— The earliest schools of the town were kept in dwelling
houses, and when Belgrade was incorporated in 1790 a committee of
three— Captain Samuel Smith, Anderson Taylor and Joseph Greely—
was appointed to divide the town into districts. They divided the
town into five districts, and the number has been gradually increased
until now there are eighteen, though schools are not held in all of
them. The town has persistently clung to the district system. The
school houses, with the exception of two more modern ones at the
Depot and Mills, are of the little, old-fashioned kind so common to
New England hills and valleys. In the good old times these used to
be crowded, but there are fewer young people now, and many go away
to higher schools after receiving a start in the little red school house,
so that the average to each school is much smaller than formerly.
The whole number of pupils registered in 1891-2 in the different
schools in town was 470, some districts having three terms, others
two each year, and each district averaging about twenty-one weeks
in all. In 1796 the town raised $80 for support of schools, and in 1892
the grant was $1,500. At times the schools have been under the
charge of a committee and at others under a supervisor, as is now the
case. For the present good standing of the schools, with their more
competent teachers and more beneficial work than formerly, the town
is much indebted to H. F. D. Wyman, who, both as supervisor and
citizen, has taken a keen interest in them for many years. Free high
schools have been held in town, but the need of one to-day is not met.
Titcomb Academy, built on Belgrade hill in 1829, the only institution
of higher education there has been in town, is treated in another
chapter.
Industries and People. — Belgrade always has been and always
will be a farming town. Few other industries except those incidental
to nearly all agricultural communities, have occupied the attention of
the inhabitants. Its resources and advantages for agriculture need
not be dwelt upon here. In this it is prosperous, and there are few
abandoned farms here to-day. Orcharding is carried on quite exten-
sively, and as an apple town it is famous. The best orchards are on
Belgrade hill and in the west part of the town. More or less lumber-
ing is done in its woods each winter. With the exception of the
period when one Morgan operated a slate quarry on the farm of
Albion Rockwood, no mining has been done in town. No newspaper
has been published in Belgrade. Joseph W. Russell, who was at the
Mills in 1844-5, is the only lawyer who has hung out his sign in town.
1010 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and Ward Safford, who has practiced here many years, is the only
dentist the town has had.
Doctor Williams, who was here before the town was incorporated,
was the first physician in this vicinity, and Doctor Hemmenway, who
came before this century opened, practiced here many years. Others
who have practiced medicine in town since then have been: Doctors
Sandborn, Joshua Davis, Aaron Crooker, W. W. Springer for forty
years, L. J. Crooker, George A. Field, Holmes, Burbank, Huntington,
George S. Currier, B. F. Neal and L. E. Reynolds, who came in 1887
from Lubec, and is now the only physician.
The population in 1790 was 159; in 1810,800 (about); in 1820, 1,121;
in 1830, 1,375; in 1840, 1,784; in 1850, 1,722; in 1860, 1,592; in 1870,
1,485; in 1880, 1,321; in 1890, 1,090. In 1890 the valuation was: polls,
361; estates, $471,889. The population was largest just after the an-
nexation of Dearborn, and every census since has seen a large
decrease. The fate of Belgrade is only that of most of the rural dis-
tricts of Maine. The valuation has not fallen away in proportion to the
decrease in population, but is larger than thirty years ago. Many
things have combined to cau.se this decrease in population and retard
the progress of the town. Families are much smaller than a century
or half a century ago, and Belgrade has been known far and wide as
a good town to emigrate from. No town can make advancement
when it is being drained of its very life blood, as a steady stream of
young men and young women go from its homes to neighboring cities
and distant states. They cannot say there is no chance for them here,
for most who have remained behind have been happy and prosperous,
and some have won high names for themselves, but the discontent
and ambition common to young people in all country places have led
them away by the hundreds.
A traveler may drive for miles along the roads of Belgrade and
pass scarcely a single home which has not its representatives in the
cities of Maine, in Massachusetts, or in the West. Belgrade men
have found their way everywhere, and by their brain and muscle have
made many cities and towns far away much richer, though the loss to
their native place cannot be estimated. Many by their lives have won
endearing names in the world, and their fame will make the name of
Belgrade ever a respected one for the sons she has sent forth, as
well as for those who have staid at home to win honor in town and
countv. As examples of the kind of men the outside world has en-
ticed away from Belgrade a few may be mentioned.
The lives and works of Anson P. and Lot M. Morrill belong to the
state and nation, but Belgrade claims a large share of the honor, as
both were born in the north part of the town, the former in June,
1803, the latter in May, 1811. Both were leaders in local politics as
young men, and since they moved away both have been governors of
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1011
Maine and members of congress, and Lot M. has been a member of
the United States senate and secretary of the United States treasury.
No Maine town but Livermore has produced brothers like these.
Horace Austin went from Belgrade to Minnesota about 1853, and
has since been governor of that state, an auditor of the United vStates
treasury, and has held other high offices. The late Judge Titcomb, of
Augusta, was born here in 1820. Charles A. Austin, who went to
Dakota in 1880, has won bright laurels in legislative and legal circles
there. Campbell Bacheldor was a poor boy, but his energy enabled him
to graduate from Colby, and he has since worn the ermine in California.
John S. Case was born on the farm of George Worcester, and went to
school but six weeks in his life, but since he left Belgrade he has been
mayor of Rockland, presidential elector in 1884, representative to the
legislature, and is president of the Rockland National Bank.
George W. Knox, who died in Washington in 1892, at the head of
the greatest private express concern in the country, and who was one
of the wealthiest and most influential men of his adopted city, was
born in Belgrade, July 4, 1829. He was a poor boy, and for many
years before he began to build up his immense express business he
was connected with various railroads, being conductor of the special
train that bore President Lincoln on his famous ride from Baltimore
to Washington. From his resemblance to the martyred president he
was selected as the model of a famous statue of Lincoln in Washing-
ton. In all hisprosperity he was ever loyal to his native town. John F.
Spaulding was born here in 1828, was a Bowdoin graduate of 1853, and
became a celebrated Protestant Episcopal clergyman in Massachusetts
and Pennsylvania. For many years he has held the high position of
bishop of Colorado.
Many other sons of Belgrade, who have strayed away and have
given the town as great cause as these to be proud of them, are equally
deserving of mention, but space forbids.
Villages and Post Offices.— Belgrade has no large villages.
Being strictly an agricultural town, its population is scattered over its
whole area. There are four post offices within its limits: Belgrade,
North Belgrade, Belgrade Mills and Lakeside; while at the Mills and
Depot (Belgrade P. O.) are small villages. From the time Belgrade
was incorporated until 1840 it was the leading thoroughfare of all
travel from the cities along the river to New Portland, Anson, Nor-
ridgewock and other towns in that vicinity. The great amount of
teaming over this route at all times of the year made all business
much brisker along the line, and was the chief support of many a
public house, or tavern, as they were always called.
Stimulated not a little by this travel, the first small village of the
town sprang up at the place where this route crossed Belgrade stream.
On account of the bridge at this point, the village was called, in local
1012 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
parlance, " The Bridge," a name which is still often applied to the
vicinity. Here, at the opening of this century, John Crosby kept a
tavern. He built the large structure now known as the Wyman
House, and was drowned in Snow pond in 1805, while boating some
limestone from the Sidney shore.
Such was the hospitality of the people, and so little stock did a place
need to have in order to be called a store, that it is hard to say who
were all the early tavern keepers and traders. On the premises now
occupied by Taylor & Son, Solomon Hoxie erected a large building,
the basement of which was used for many years as a .store, and the
upper stories as a tavern. He traded for awhile, but died at last a
prisoner for debt. Moses Page was in company with him. Others
who traded here were : Robert Wells, Eri Wells, Palmer Branch and
Adams & Noble. In 1837 it was first used as a tavern, when H. Bur-
gess hung out his sign here. Other landlords who succeeded him
were : Elias Taylor, David Blunt, Smith L. Gale, Edward P. Gilkey
and Alonzo Rogers. In 1855, while owned by Mr. Rogers, the old
tavern was burned.
William Rogers came from Massachusetts, and in 1823 built a house
below the stream, on the place now owned by J. O. Rogers. This was
burned before fairly completed, and the next year he built another,
which still stands, and which he used as a tavern for fifteen years.
William Wyman came from Hallowell in 1828 and occupied the old
house which John Crosby had built. He traded here for many years,
and for half a century was the most eccentric character of the town.
He was father of a large but singularly unfortunate family, four of
whom afterward became insane; and three sons — William, Wallace
and Wellington — were drowned in Snow pond in October, 1859. In
1834 Stephen Page built the house now owned by Reuel Williams,
where he traded for many years. Isaac Weaver kept a store there
afterward, and finally it was occupied by Dr. Joshua Davis, who traded
there until about 1852, and was the last merchant in the little village
around the bridge.
The building of the railroad through Belgrade in 1848-9 was the
cause of many changes, but of none more marked than the disappear-
ance of the old village at the bridge and the growth of a new one a short
distance away, near the track. To this were transferred the business
interests of the town and the gathering places of the country loafers.
On account of the great hill at the Depot and the bog beyond, it was
a hard part of the line to construct, but the straight stretch of track
here is one of the longest on the whole road. The first regular train
ran through here December 6, 1849.
Two stations were established in town : one in the south part, not
far from the bridge, called Belgrade, and one near Belgrade hill, called
North Belgrade, a name which still commonly appears, though, to
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1013
avoid confusion in telegraphing, it has recently been changed to Mes-
salonskee. The first station agent at Belgrade was Lemuel Lombard.
He was followed by George Richardson, the faithful servant of the
road (who was greatly surprised that the trains were to run on rainy
days), Albert Caswell and the present efficient incumbent, J. C.
Mosher. At North Belgrade the agents have been : Charles Richard-
son, James Lowe and Frank H. Judkins.
To distinguish the village which began to grow up around the
station of Belgrade upon the completion of the railroad, from the old
village below at the bridge, it was called the " Depot," and is com-
monly so spoken of now. Before the building of the railroad the tract
had been a large " common," destitute of habitations, but with the chief
highway of the town running through it. Here was soon the leading
village of the town. George Richardson built a hotel here, known as
the Railroad House, in 1851. He was soon followed in its manage-
ment by Leonard & Stuart. Other landlords since them have been:
J. Manter, C. Young, Samuel Whitehouse and Leander Yeaton, who
took possession in 1877 and is still landlord. It has been the principal
hotel of the village, though the so called Miller House, built in 1851,
by Frederick Spencer, has been used at times as a public house and at
other times as a store. Those who have been landlords or merchants
there since Spencer are : A. Kimball, Stephen Worcester, A. J. Mills,
A. K. P. Mace and H. C. Minot.
Solomon Leonard, from Augusta, built a large store and dwelling
near the station in 1850. Two years later Watson Leonard and C. W.
Stuart began to trade there and remained in business fifteen years.
They were followed in 1867 by A. Hammond & Sons, who are still
prominent merchants of the town. In 1854 Rufus Hill built the store
above the hotel and traded there until his death in 1864. Others who
have occupied the store since have been : Samuel Whitehouse, Alex-
ander & Goodwin, Tibbitts & Damren and C. W. Safford.
In 1860 Dr. Aaron Crooker built a large store and dwelling on the
site of the store formerly owned by George Starrett, and burned m
1852. Albert Caswell occupied it in 1863-4, and was followed by
Eldred & Stuart, who traded until 1887, when the old firm was dis-
solved, and R. K. Stuart, Esq., has continued the business alone. In
1887 Lincoln A. Bartlett and Herbert Wadleigh built a large store
and steam grist mill on the east side of the track and established a
prosperous business. In 1891 Mr. Bartlett bought out the interest of
his partner. Among others who have kept stores at the Depot in
past years have been: Tibbetts Brothers, in store now owned by Paul
Hammond; Jared Trask,4n house owned by Charles Stevens; W. Y.
Bartlett, in a building opposite the station, now removed ; and Albert
Caswell, in house afterward burned, on the site of Mrs. Braley's house.
64
1014 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
There are about twenty-five dwelling houses in the village. But few
enterprises outside of the minor industries common to all villages
have been started here, and its chief support has been the railroad.
In 1831 David Tibbetts built a tannery near the house of Hartwell
White, below the stream, which he operated for six years. Edmund
Williams, in 1883, started a brick yard a few rods south of the station,
on the west side of the track. The clay was excellent and the location
as good as could be desired. Soon after three prominent Belgrade
men — George R. Stevens, James Tibbetts and George E. Minot —
went into partnership with him, and did business on an extensive
scale, pressing the bricks by steam and building large sheds and
buildings. In the winter they utilized the steam engine to saw
shingles. For several years the business prospered, and employment
was given to many, but the enterprise was destined to a short life,
and for various reasons the manufacture of bricks was discontinued,
the engine sold and the great sheds torn down.
In 1885 J. C. Taylor & Son established a corn canning factory near
the stream bridge, and each fall do a brisk though not extensive busi-
ness in canning a fine quality of sweet corn. They also can apples.
Besides its railroad connection, the village is on the daily stage
line from Augusta to Belgrade Mills, Rome and New Sharon, now
owned by J. H. Thing. A post office was established at the old village
at the bridge August 24, 1821, with John Hoxie as postmaster. It was
kept in the old tavern there. Robert Wills was appointed nine years
later, and William Rogers in April, 1833. Frederick Spencer, who
kept the office in the new village at the depot, was appointed in May,
1853. His successors have been: William Y. Bartlett, December 18,
1860 ; James Tibbetts, January 24, 1883 ; Edwin C. Taylor, July 20,
1885 ; and Lincoln A. Bartlett, who has been postmaster since April
2, 1889.
Although there has been no public house or store for many years
on Belgrade hill, the same travel that during the first half of the cen-
tury was so important to the southern part of the town, helped not a
little to make this a much busier place than it is now. Besides the
taverns kept by Caleb Page and David Wyman, as mentioned else-
where, Thomas Eldred, who came from East Pittston in 1830, kept a
public house for many years in the large house now owned by William
Eldred. Anson P. Morrill, of national fame, when a young man kept
a small store on the hill, and this being burned, he traded in company
with Sidney Norton in a small building near the forks of the road
there. David Blunt afterward kept tavern in the same building, and
next William Tilton, who hung himself there. Gustavus Clark and
John Sandford were in turn landlords in the same house. Near by
William Wing kept a store, and in turn William Bowman, David Pol-
lard, Samuel Wyman and Sandborn Brothers traded at the same stand.
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1015
The building was hauled further north, and is now the dwelling
house of William Keeler.
Not far from Belgrade hill, and near the Adventist camp ground,
is the station of North Belgrade, on the shore of the lake. There is
no village here, but Charles Richardson has kept a store near the sta-
tion for many years. April 30, 1880, a post office was established here,
with the name of Lakeside, and James Lowe was appointed postmas-
ter. He was succeeded in April, 1886, by Charles Richardson, who held
the office until the appointment of Frank H. Judkins, October 27, 1891.
The stream at North Belgrade which formerly separated Belgrade
from Dearborn has been, and is now, the scene of some manufactur-
ing enterprise, though there can scarcely be said to be a village there.
It is often called Spaulding's Mills. Three dams have been built on
this stream, and two are now used; of the other, known as the old
Butler dam, only a few remains are to be seen. Captain Henry
Richardson, one of the first settlers in this vicinity, is said to have
built the first dam here before this century opened, and to have run a
grist mill, of which his son, Oliver, afterward had charge. Jeremiah
Tilton had a saw mill on this dam, and Holman Johnson owned a
shovel handle factory here. In 1867 John and James Alexander built
a saw and grist mill on this dam, which they ran for several years.
The former met his death while working here. In 187e* Spauldmg
Brothers began to manufacture scythe and axe boxes in this mill, and
a few years ago the name of the firm was changed to Spaulding &
Bickford, who are still doing business here.
Peaslee Morrill, the father of governors and congressmen, was a
trader here for many years, and some of his sons were in business
with him. Esquire Morrill was a prominent and influential man in
this vicinity. Jeremiah Tilton, who built the store now owned by
Joseph Merrow, was also a trader here many years ago. Solomon
Lombard, George Blake, Alexander Brothers and Joseph Merrow have
traded here, but there is now no store in this part of the town.
Where the stream runs into Great pond Jonathan Palmer built a
dam about 1840, and operated a saw mill there, which was afterward
burned. He rebuilt, and after passing through various hands it has
been owned for the past twenty years by John Damren. It was
burned in February, 1889, but Mr. Damren has rebuilt, and is doing
a brisk business sawing lumber and shingles.
Quite a number of cottages have been built by Augusta, Water-
ville and Oakland parties along the shore of the pond, on the farm of
George R. Gleason, and the increasing number of those who come to
this vicinity each season shows that the beauty of scenery here and
the fine chances for fishing are becoming appreciated by others than
the residents of the town.
A post office was established here, under the name of Dearborn,
1016 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
December 23, 1818, with Peaslee Morrill in charge. This is the oldest
of the four offices in town. In March, 1840, the town of Dearborn
having passed from existence, the name of the office was changed to
North Belgrade, and in April of the next year Thomas Eldred became
postmaster. The subsequent appointments have been: Almond H.
Wyman, July, 1845; Hiram Goodwin, March, 1854; Crowell Taylor,
March, 1855; Almond H. Wyman, February, 1859; Jeremiah Tilton,
December, 1861; Lemuel Lombard, January, 1864; James Alexander,
January, 1865; Joseph Merrow. November, 1873, and Edward Rollins,
August, 1886.
At Belgrade Mills we find the second small village of the town.
Ninety years ago this was called Locke's Mills, and later Chandler's
Mills, a name by which it is often known to-day. It is situated on the
short stream connecting Great and Long ponds, and separating Bel-
grade from Rome. It is six miles from the Depot, with which place
there are daily stage connections. John Jones built the first dam
across this stream before this century opened, and about 1800 John
Locke established a grist mill here, the first one in the town. Next
after him John Chandler and John Goodrich ran a saw and grist mill
together, and then dissolved partnership and operated separate mills
for many years. Both were prominent men in town. The grist mill
of Chandler was burned in 1820, but was rebuilt. For the past twenty
years or more Nathaniel Morrill has operated a saw and grist mill on
the same site, but now a grist mill is not so necessary an establish-
ment in a town as in the old days.
Adam Wilbur ran two carding machines and a fulling mill here,
and dressed and colored cloth for many years before his death in 1854.
Then Thomas Golder and George Goodrich began the manufacture of
excelsior in the same building. This being burned, David Golder
built the present excelsior mill in 1871, and soon sold it to Nathaniel
Towle and S. C. Mills, who sold it after a few years to Towle & Austin.
E. W. Towle Is the present owners. Once an extensive business in
tanning was done at the tannery of Whitten & Southwick, which was
burned in 1845. David Golder rebuilt it, and it has passed through
several hands, but is not operated now.
But the leading manufacturing industry of the Mills and of the
town, and the chief support of this little village, is the spool factory of
Henry W. Golder. In 1852 Frank Harnden and J. H. Thompson built
a spool factory here, and soon after sold out to David Golder, who, in
company with several partners at different times, carried on the busi-
ness until his death in 1882. Since then his son, Henry W., has owned
and operated the factory. The old building was burned in 1885, but
a new and better one was quickly erected, and great improvements
made on the dam. From twenty to twenty-five men are employed,
and the business is a credit and benefit to the town.
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1017
The first trader in the little village that began to grow here three-
quarters of a century ago was John Chandler, on the site of the pres-
ent large Golder store, which was afterward built and occupied by
George Robinson. Since Robinson the traders in this store have been:
Robert T. Whitten, Isaac N. Pray, Alfred Leathers, Samuel Lawton,
Farnham & Williams, David Golder, Henry and Thomas Golder, and
the present occupant, Charles H. Kelley. Joseph Chandler built the
stone store in 1838, and traded there many years. Charles D. Heald
and Howard Chandler have since traded there. Others who have traded
at the Mills have been: Joshua Frost, Joshua Lord, Alexander Austin
and Morrison Chandler.
About 1831 Joseph Chandler built the large house now owned by
Mrs. Rollins, which was used for many years as a tavern, among its
landlords being Joseph Rollins, David Rockwood and John Libby.
Hiram Savage kept a tavern here in a building recently remodeled,
and now the handsome residence of Henry W. Golder. Other land-
lords in the same house were: Charles Merrow, Luther Allen, Howard
Maxwell and William Cummings. George H. Foster kept a tavern in
a house afterward burned in 1873. The Mills felt a loss of travel and
trade after the building of the railroad through the south part of the
town, and for a long time no public house was maintained here. A
few years ago, however, the increasing number of summer visitors
encouraged Charles Austin to open a hotel, the Central House, which
has recently been greatly enlarged.
Belgrade Mills is a pretty village and splendidly located, and the
opportunity it offers to a pleasure seeker or a fisherman is hard to
beat, even around Belgrade, famous for its natural scenery and fishing
grounds. Many hundreds of summer visitors come here each season
from outside of the state, and the whole neighborhood, with the
shores and islands of the .surrounding ponds, is literally taken posses-
sion of by them. The number increases each year, so that the place
is winning no mean name as a summer resort, and the benefit to the
town is not to be lightly estimated. A ladies' Village Improvement
Society is doing much to make the place neat and attractive and to
make practical improvements.
Belgrade Mills was made a post office, with Joseph Chandler as
postmaster, January 13, 1829. His successors have been: Robert T.
Whitten, appointed August 12, 1841; Joseph W. Russell, July, 1845
Alexander Austin, October, 1845; George H. Foster, February, 1852
Ezekiel Elliott, December, 1857; Charles D. Heald, September, 1861
David Golder, February, 1867; Henry W. Golder, November, 1882
Thomas 8. Golder, August, 1888; and Charles H. Kelley, appointed
December 17, 1890.*
* Mr. Minot's responsibility for this chapter ends here.— [Ed.
lUlS HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Hermon H. Ada^is, the fifth of the ten children of Dr. Enoch Ad-
ams, of Litchfield, Me., and of Mary (Case) Adams, his wife, was born
in that town August 25, 1856. The earlier years of his life were
passed in Litchfield and his education was completed at Kents Hill.
Soon after leaving- school he married Hattie M., daughter of Crowell
Taylor, of Belgrade, and removed to that town, where he has since
resided. In 1876 he engaged in school teaching at Oakland, and the
following year began farming on Belgrade hill. In 1880 he took up
his residence on the Rollins farm, which he subsequently acquired,
and where he now lives. His first wife died in 1885, leaving one son,
Reuel Smith Adams. He afterward married Effie M., daughter of
Jonathan and Abbie (Martin) Philbrick, of Mt. Vernon. Of this union
were born three children: Mary, who died in infancy; Enoch H. and
Frank C. Adams.
Though still a young man, Mr. Adams has become prominently
identified with the institutions and progressive movements of his sec-
tion. In 1890 he was elected to represent the towns of Winthrop,
Rome and Belgrade in the lower house of the state legislature, where
he served on the committees on engrossed bills and on the State Re-
form School. He is a republican in politics and has always con-
sistently represented the principles and tenets of that party. He has
taken an active interest in the cause of education in the town of Bel-
grade, and for a number of years has served as school commissioner
in that town. By industry and economy he has succeeded in acquir-
ing some of the best farm property in Belgrade, and devotes his time
to farming when not engaged in the performance of public duties.
He is connected in religious matters with the Society of Friends, and
has, by his consistent and earnest course of life, the integrity and
uprightness of his conduct, entitled himself to the respect and esteem
of the entire community.
Moses H. Alexander, born in 1834 and died in 1876, was a son of
John Alexander, who was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1778, and died in
Belgrade in 1880. His wife was Jane Dunlap. Mr. Alexander was
educated in the schools of the town and at Titcomb Academy. He
was a teacher and farmer, and at the time of his death owned the
farm his father bought of John Pitts when he came to the town.
Since Mr. Alexander's death his widow and sons have carried on the
farm. He married in 1862, Adelia M. Cummings, sister of Greenwood
and Warren Cummings, of this town. Their children are: Herbert,
Harry L. and Delia H.; and two that died— Annie P. and Leslie M.
William D. Alexander, eldest brother of Moses H., was born in
1829, and is a farmer near where his father settled. He married Mary
C, daughter of Benjamin and Lucy Leighton, and granddaughter of
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1019
Isaac Leighton. Their children were: Jane and Frank, deceased; and
Frank William.
Charles H. Austin, born in 1844, is the youngest son of Nahum and
Jane Austin. He was a farmer until 1867, since then has been a spool
maker, and has kept the Central House, Belgrade Mills, since 1870.
He married Abbie K., daughter of Mark Lord. They have one daugh-
ter, Jennie.
Horace R. Austin, farmer, born in 1852, is the only surviving child
of Horace and Lovina (Tucker) Austin, and grandson of Samuel and
Annie (Carpenter) Austin. He married Laura A., daughter of Wil-
liam B. Dunlap, and they have one daughter, Edith C.
Samuel Austin, born in 1834, is a son of Samuel and Dorcas (Yea-
ton) Austin. He has been spool maker since 1854. He married Eliza
E., daughter of William and Lois (Farnham) Kelly, and granddaugh-
ter of Seth Kelly. Their two daughters are: Mary L. (Mrs. Jerome
Damren) and Luona Belle (Mrs. F. W. Simmons).
L. Wesley Bachelder, son of John and vSarah T. (Clough) Bachelder,
was born in 1844. He was employed by the Maine Central Railroad
Company from 1860 until 1891, and after 1872 was section superin-
tendent. He was treasurer of the town from 1876 to 1892. He mar-
ried Martha A., daughter of Jacob Clough.
Greenleaf G. Bartlett, born in 1836, is the only survivor of a family
of nine children of Peter D. and Emily (Brown) Bartlett, and grand-
son of Timothy Bartlett, who came from Belfast, Me., to Mt. Vernon.
Mr. Bartlett is a farmer on the place where his father settled in early
life. He married Lizzie, daughter of Daniel Hill. She died leaving
two children — Lincoln A., and a daughter that died. His present
wife is Christina, a sister of his first wife. They have one daughter,
Angie O.
Martin Bickford, born in 1858, is one of eight children of Seth,
grandson of Asa, and great-grandson of William, who with his father,
Benjamin Bickford, came from New Hampshire to this town. Since
1887 Mr. Bickford has been a member of the firm of Spaulding &
Bickford, manufacturers, having been employed in the same shop for
several years previous. He married Marcia E., daughter of Hiram,
and granddaughter of Benjamin Snow. Their children are: Harold
D., Emily L. and Ralph C.
John Brown, born in Vienna in 1819, was the youngest child of
Eliphalet and Abigail (Smith) Brown, who came to Vienna from New
Hampshire in 1800. Mr. Brown followed the sea for fifteen years and
served in the late war twenty-one months; enlisted in the 1st Maine
Heavy Artillery and was transferred to the man-of-war Arizuois. He
married Sophia W., daughter of Nathaniel Neal, and they have two
children: Mary C. and James A.
1020 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Eleazer Burbank, a Quaker, came from Westbrook, Mass., in 1800,
and settled on the farm in Belgrade now owned by Greenwood Cum-
mings. He married Mary Brackett. Silas, one of their eleven chil-
dren, married Lucretia Hersum, and had three children. The
youngest, Mary Arvilla, married Asa Dunn, who died in 1864. Their
children were: Ellen A. (Mrs. Frank P. Spaulding), Alice A., and
Mary Etta (Mrs. Charles S. Hersum). Mrs. Dunn married for her
second husband Sewall Spaulding, who is a farmer and occupies the
farm owned by Mr. Dunn. Mr. Spaulding's former wife was Frances
L. Cottle, who died leaving two sons: Henry B. and Frank P.
Henry P. Chandler, born in 1838, is one of six children of John
and Nancy (Yeaton) Chandler, and grandson of John Chandler. Mr.
Chandler is a farmer on the Ichabod Smith farm. Before buying this
farm he was for twenty years a resident of Blanchard, Me. He mar-
ried Mary E., daughter of Benjamin Blackstone. Their children are:
Ida L., John, Elmer, Myrtie M., C. F., and two sons who died in
infancy.
George W. Cottle, born in Pittston in 1832, is a son of Daniel and
Sarah K. Cottle, and grandson of Ananias Cottle. He came to Bel-
grade in 1854, where he has been a farmer. He now owns a part of
the original Doctor Williams farm. He married Margaret, daughter
of Campbell Wyman. They have one son, Arthur L.
Greenwood J. Cummings, born in Sidney in 1822, is one of ten
children of Joseph S. and Ann P. (Prescott) Cummings, and grand.son
of Eleazer Cummings. He came to Belgrade in 1858, and bought the
Eleazer Burbank farm of 180 acres, where he has since been a farmer.
He married Harriet N., daughter of David and Martha (Page) Mosher,
and granddaughter of Daniel Mosher. Their children are: Vesta C.
(Mrs. A. R. Chase), Arthur R., Charles F., Hattie M. (now a trained
nurse), and Annie B. (Mrs. C. E. Woodman).
Warren P. Cummings, brother of Greenwood J., was born in 1828
in Sidney, came to Belgrade in 1837 with his parents, and in 1850
bought the Moses Page farm, where he now lives, engaged in the
business of farming and butchering. He married Sarah, daughter of
Benjamin and Sally (Taylor) Bowman. Their children are: Ida M.
(Mrs. Manley M. Judkins), Elmer W. (now station agent at South
Gardiner), and Sarah Louisa (deceased). Ida M. and her husband live
with her father, and have two children: Edna L. and Sarah B.
Rev. Joseph S. Cummings, born in 1834, is a son of Seth G. and
Mary A. (vSawtelle) Cummings, and grandson of Eleazer Cummings.
He was educated in the schools of the town and at Kents Hill Semi-
nary. He has taught school twenty-nine winters, devoting the sum-
mers to farming. For the last twenty-five years he has been a Baptist
preacher. He married Amanda J., daughter of John Hersom, and
their children are: John M., Inez, Callie, Joseph (deceased), and Guy.
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1021
George Edward Damren is a son of Samuel R. and Olive A. (Jor-
dan) Damren, and grandson of Joshua Damren, who came to Belgrade
from Hallowell with his two brothers, William and Dustin. Mr.
Damren is a farmer on his father's homestead. He married Alice M.
Dorr, and has one son, Irving H.
James H. Dunlap, born in 1842, is one of eight children of William
B. and Lucy A. (Fifield) Dunlap, and grandson of Ebenezer Dunlap,
of Monmouth. William B. was nine years whale fishing from New
Bedford, Mass., and came from there to Belgrade in 1835. Mr. Dunlap
■was in Boston from 1862 until 1883, when he came back to Belgrade,
where he is a farmer. He married Maggie Cameron.
George A. Farnham, born in 1837, son of David and Sarah (Kelley)
Farnham, and grandson of David Farnham, is a house painter and
farmer. In 1865 he bought the Edward Merchant homestead, where
he has since lived. He married Lydia J., daughter of John and Mary
(Yeaton) Spaulding. Their children are: H. Everett, Elnora, Mary
B., Carrie L., Francis E. and George Bertrand. H. Everett is general
secretary of the Y. M. C. A. of Pennsylvania. The daughters are all
teachers.
Dexter Foster came from Blackstone, Mass., to Belgrade, where he
died in 1816, leaving four sons: Dexter, John, George H. and Herman.
George H. had eight children, of whom the second, George C, married
Mary D. Greenleaf, and was a farmer until his death in 1885. Their
children were: Frank Chester, Elnora, Fred and Edgar L. The oldest
and youngest are living and occupy the homestead with their mother,
and are farmers. Frank C. married Susan E., daughter of William E.
Lord, and they have one daughter, Ethel C.
Henry O. Frost, born in 1844, is a son of AVilliam M. and Dorcas
(Gowell) Frost, and grandson of Samuel Frost, who came to Belgrade
from Lebanon, Me., about 1800. Mr. Frost is a farmer on the farm
where his father has lived for the last fifty years. He married Alice,
daughter of Nathaniel Towle.
B. Frank Gleason, son of Benjamin and Caroline (Mclntire) Glea-
son, was born in 1861. He is a farmer, and since April, 1887, has
owned and occupied the William F. Eldred farm of two hundred
acres at Belgrade hill. He married Lena M., daughter of Henry
Allen and Cornelia (Townsend) Hallett. Their children are: Bessie
E. and Elmo A. B.
Henry W. Colder is the youngest of three children of David and
Elizabeth (Stone) Colder. He was educated in the schools of Augusta,
at Kents Hill Seminary, and at the United States Naval Academy. He
was one year in the late war in the 28th Maine, as lieutenant. From
1864 until his father's death, in 1882, he was the latter's partner in the
spool manufactory at Belgrade Mills. He was three years one of the
firm of Colder Brothers, and since 1885 has owned and run the busi-
1022 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ness alone. Mr. Golder was selectman one year, and postmaster four
years. He married Elvira F., daughter of Joseph Chandler, and their
only child is Maude E. David Golder formerly owned a .saw mill in
Augusta, on the east side of the river, at what was then called Riggs'
brook. He was for several years in the lumber business, on both ends
of the Kennebec dam.
Simon Guptill, born in 1838, is one of three surviving sons of Nat
and Sally (Yeaton) Guptill, and grandson of Nathaniel and Mary
(Libby) Guptill, who came to Belgrade in 1806, and bought of Paul
Yeaton the farm where he had settled twelve years before. Mr. Guptill
now owns and occupies his grandfather's farm, and owns in all 260
acres.
Charles H. Hallett, born in 1843, is the only son of Franklin and
Betsey (Damren; Hallett, grandson of Josiah M., and great-grandson
of Solomon Hallett, who came from Cape Cod, Mass., to Waterville
about 1790. Mr. Hallett is a farmer on the place where his grand-
father settled about 1820; and it is on this farm that the Second Ad-
vent camp ground and the Lakeside mineral springs are located. He
married Josephine T., daughter of David Lowe, and she died leaving
one son, Bertrand D.
Abner Hammond, born in Sidney in 1819, a son of Paul and Cath-
erine (Mason) Hammond, and grandson of Paul Hammond, was a
farmer in Sidney until 1867, when he came to Belgrade Depot, and
the following January began mercantile business, which he still con-
tinues. His first wife, Rebecca L. Nash, died leaving two sons: Paul
and A. Elliott. His present wife was Mrs. Mary A. Yeaton, daughter
of Richard Yeaton. She had two sons by her former marriage: How-
ard L. and George Yeaton.
William H. Hersum, farmer and stone mason, born in 1834, is a
son of James and Tamesen (Blaisdell) Hersum. James came to Bel-
grade in 1821 from Lebanon, Me. William H. married Cynthia,
daughter of Reuben Wentworth, and their children are: James R.,
Charles S., Alice V., William O., Ernest L., Arthur L., Cyrena W. and
Tabor G.
Joseph Hersum, born 1836, died 1889, was a brother of William H.
He was a farmer on the place where his father settled in 1821, and
died in 1850, and the family burying lot is on the farm, near the resi-
dence. Mr. Hersum married Excey, daughter of Reuben Wentworth.
Their children were: Andrew J., born in 1864; Reuben W. and Efiie
L. Andrew J. has run the farm since his father's death.
Harrison Hill, born in 1836, one of six children of Daniel, and
grandson of Joseph Hill, is a farmer on a part of his father's home-
stead. He married Hannah, daughter of Elias Sherburne. She died
leaving one daughter, Etta, who married James Hewett.
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1023
Daniel L. Jones, son of Daniel L. Jones, sen., was born in 1840. He
went to California in 1858. and was engaged in mining there five years,
and three years in Montana. After working five years in a wire shop
in Worcester, Mass., he came to Belgrade, where he has been a farmer.
He married Ella L. Blackmer, of Ma.ssachusetts, who died in 1891.
His present wife was Edith Worthington. Mr. Jones' father was a
native of Leeds, and later removed to Brighton, where he was a trader.
He held various town offices, and was representative to the legislature.
Samuel E. Judkins, born in 1819, is the only son of Elisha and
Sally (Whittier) Judkins. His grandfather was among the early set-
tlers of Readfield. Mr. Judkins came to Belgrade with his parents in
1827. In 1863 he bought the Samuel Taylor farm of one hundred
acres, where he now lives. He has one sister. Nancy Judkins Axtell,
now of Wisconsin. He married Margaret K. Coy, who died leaving
seven children: Amanda, Susia, Viola, Leonia, Frank H., Manley M.
and Stanley L. Only the three last named are living. In 1866 Mr.
Judkins married his present wife, who was Belle Severance. Their
children are: Lizzie A. (deceased), Clara E. and Nettie B.
Frank H. Judkins, son of Samuel E., was born in 1853. He was
in the freight office of the Maine Central railroad at Waterville two
years, and in 1879 became to North Belgrade, where he has since been
the company's agent. Since October 28, 1891, he has been postmaster
of the Lakeside office. He married Ella, daughter of Charles Rich-
ardson, and their children are: Lester F., Nina A. and Forest C.
Charles H. Kelley, born in Rome in 1846, is a son of William and
Eunice (Varnum) Kelley, and grandson of Seth Kelley, who came to
Belgrade from Cape Cod, Mass. Charles H. was clerk in stores at
Belgrade Mills and New Sharon several years, then started a small
store at Belgrade Mills, and in November, 1890, bought of Thomas S.
Colder the store which he has since conducted. He has been post-
master since January 1, 1891, succeeding Thomas S. Colder. He mar-
ried Sylvina, daughter of George Brann.
William E. Lord, born in 1831. was the only child of John and
Susan (Bradbury) Lord, and grandson of William Lord, who died in
New Hampshire. His widow married Wentworth Hayes, and came
to Belgrade in 1790, and bought of a Mr. Hodgden the farm where
Mr. Lord now lives. John Lord's first wife was Hannah Austin, and
they had two sons, John and Nathaniel, both deceased. William E.
is a farmer, butcher and cattle broker. He married Abbie, sister of
George W. Cottle. Their children are: Mary, Susan E., J. Frank,
Laura, William E., jun., Sadie, Alice and Fred.
George E. Minot.— This family is traced to Thomas Minot', sec-
retary to the Abbot of Walden, by whom he was advanced to great
possessions. His son, George', was born August 4, 1594, in vSafron,
Walden, Essex, England. He came to New England among the first
1024
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
settlers of Dorchester, where he was for thirty years a ruling elder in
the church. His sons were: James, John, Stephen and Samuel.
Jamas', the eldest son of John", born September 14, 1653, was grad-
uated at Harvard College in 1675, and located at Concord, Mass., about
1680. He was a minister of the Gospel as well as a physician, and the
epitaph upon his tombstone records at length his many virtues and
great usefulness. Hon. James Minot"", his fifth child, was one of the
most distinguished men of his time and a member of the king's council.
He married Martha Lane in 1716. His eldest son, John", had a son
John', and he a .son, James', who settled in Belgrade, Me., in 1804.
James Minot" located on the place now occupied by George E.
Minot, purchasing the land of Chase Page, and engaged in farming
until his death in 1859, serving meantime as a captain in the state
militia. He married Elizabeth Rogers, of Groton, Mass., and had a
family of ten children, of whom seven attained years of maturity.
MlNOT HOMESTEAD, Belgrade, Me
of GEORGE E. MINOT.
John S. Minot" was born on the old place in Belgrade July 5, 1805,
and passed his entire life there, engaged in tilling the soil and in the
performance of the public duties that were thrust upon him. He re-
ceived an excellent academic education at Bloomfield and at Kents
Hill, and filled many offices of trust and responsibility during his life,
including all the town offices of Belgrade, and represented this dis-
trict in the legislature of 1866. He married in 1835, Olive, daughter
\
~^^^,^^
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1025
of Holmes Tillson, of Sidney, her mother being a member of the well
known Packard family, of Bridgewater, Mass. They had four chil-
dren: George E.'°, Edwin G.'°, and two daughters who died in infancy.
John S. Minot" died January 21, 1890. His widow is still living. Ed-
win G. Minot, born January 17, 1839, enlisted in Company M, 1st
Maine Heavy Artillery, during the late war, was wounded at Peters-
burg, Va., June 18, 1864, and died in hospital September 17, 1864.
George E. Minot'", born October 22, 1836, on the family homestead
in Belgrade, received his academic education at Belgrade Academy
and the Maine Wesleyan Seminary, and has continued to reside
where, in 1804. his grandfather first settled. He has devoted his at-
tention to farming, and has been prominently identified with the
political interests of the republican party in his locality, serving upon
the town and county committees and occupying several positions of
importance. Besides serving as town clerk of Belgrade, as a member
of the school board and selectman, he was a member of the state senate
in 1870 and 1871. In 1876, 1877 and 1878 he served as chief clerk in
the office of the secretary of state, at Augusta, and in 1881, 1882, 1883
and 1884 acted as assistant secretary of the senate. He also filled the
position of messenger in the national house of representatives, 51st
Congress. He was for eight years one of the trustees of the old Ken-
nebec Agricultural Society, the last two years serving as president.
He is a member of Belgrade Grange and of Relief Lodge, A. F. &
A. M., of Belgrade. Mr. Minot married, in*1866, Effie C, daughter of
Daniel and Clara Parcher, of North Leeds. Their children (the elev-
enth generation here traceable) are: George L., engaged in farming
with his father; J. Clair, who is fitting himself for a professional
career, and Blanch S., who resides with her parents.
James C. Mosher, born in 1837, was the only son of James and
Sarah H. (Wellman) Mosher, and grandson of Elisha Mosher, who
came to Belgrade from Dartmouth, Mass. Mr. Mosher began work on
the railroad in Belgrade in 1853, and continued on track work until
1871, when he was made agent for the company at Belgrade, which
position he held until his death, August 2, 1892. He was a charter
member and past master of Relief Lodge, F. & A. M. He married
Mary J., daughter of Edward Merchant. Their children are: Cora A.
(Mrs. A. E. Hammond), Edward H., Lilla M., Eva E., J. Irving,
living at home, and Lindley H., deceased.
David L. Page, born 1816 and died 1885, was a son of Lewis and
Hannah (Churchill) Page, grandson of Abraham and great-grandson
of James Page. Abraham came to Belgrade from Augusta in about
1788, and from New Hampshire in about 1784. David L. married
Aurelia, daughter of Daniel and Sally (Andrews) Parcher. Their
only child is Ellen A., wife of Freeman G. Yeaton.
Gilman J. Page, born in 1828, is the next to the youngest of nine
1026 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
children of Ezekiel (1786-1864), and grandson of Amos Page. His
mother was Sarah Richardson. Mr. Page is a farmer on the place
where his father settled about one hundred 3'ears ago. He has taught
school several winters. He married Alvira G., daughter of Andrew
Yeaton. Their children are : Laura A.. Frank A., Henry J., Edwin
L., Delia E. (deceased), Carrie M., Charles O., Mmella E., Alia R. and
Andrew E.
Frank A. Page, son of Oilman J. Page, was born in 1860. In 1885
he bought the Joseph Taylor farm, near his father, and is a farmer and
orchardist, and also carries on a meat business at Oakland. He mar-
ried Hannah, daughter of Jefferson Hersom, and their children are:
Harold H. and Mabel E.
John Partridge, born in 1821, was a son of Moses and Ruth (Rock-
wood) Partridge. He came to Belgrade in 1851 and was a farmer and
dealer in produce, until his death in 1890. He served about one year
in the 5th Maine Battery, until the war closed. He married Susan R.,
daughter of John and Thankful C. (Moshier) Page, and granddaughter
of Abraham Page, who came to Belgrade in 1801. Their children are:
Frederick E. and Florence I. (Mrs. George W. Colby).
J. Newton Penney is one of six children of John W. and Hannah
(Williams) Penney, grandson of John and Betsey (Taylor) Penney,
and great-grandson of George Penney, who came to Belgrade in 1789
from Wells, Me. Mr. Penjaey is a farmer on the farm of his father
and grandfather, where the family have lived since 1816. He mar-
ried Celia E. White, of Fort P" airfield, Me., and has five children :
John W., Eva E., Harry N., Justin M. and Jessie M.
Joel Richardson, born in 1826, is a son of vStephen and Eliza (Stuart)
Richardson, and grandson of Joel and Elizabeth (Wyman) Richard-
son. Joel, born in 1750 in Attleboro, Mass., came to Belgrade early
and settled on the farm where his grandson, Joel, now lives. The
latter married Mrs. Nellie L. Foster, daughter of Jefferson Blaisdell.
She had one son by her former marriage, William J. Foster.
John Dennis Richardson, born in 1827, is one of ten children of
John and Martha (Adams) Richardson, grandson of Joel' (John', Wil-
liam', Stephen' and Samuel Richard.son'). Mr. Richardson is a farmer
on a part of his grandfather's farm. He married Mary C. Moore.
She died, leaving two sons, Frank M. and Melvin J., two daughters
having died. His present wife was Mrs. Dolly Howe, a daughter of
Lyman Linnell.
Charles Richardson, brother of Joel, was born in 1825, and has
been a merchant at North Belgrade depot since January 1, 1850, hav-
ing built a store there the previous year. He was postmaster at Lake-
side several years. He married Aurinda K. Palmer, who died leaving
eight daughters— Flora (Mrs. A. J. Butterfield), Ella (Mrs. Frank H.
Judkins), Rosie (Mrs. Fred Williams), Clara (Mrs. Ira Otis), Eliza (Mrs.
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1027
Ernest Laselle), Mable (Mrs. E. C. Colbath), Cora (Mrs. J. W. Grant),
Isabell (Mrs. Frank Tilton)— and one son, Charles L. (deceased).
Albion Rockwood, a farmer, born in 1826, is a son of Esquire John
and Esther (Rowe) Rockwood. John came from Worcester county,
Mass., in 1800, and .settled where Mr. Rockwood now lives. He mar-
ried Sarah Jane, an adopted daughter of David Rockwood. Their
children, Wendall D. and Rose E., live in Boston.
Alpheus M. Spaulding, born in 1848, is a son of Joel and Mary A.
(Trask) Spaulding, and grandson of Rev. Joel Spaulding, who came to
Belgrade from Ohio. Mr. Spaulding was a farmer until 1872, then a
merchant here one year, then two years in Richmond, jNIe., and in
1875 he came back to Belgrade, and since that time has been manufac-
turer here, first in company with his brother, and since 1887 with Mar-
tin Bickford. He married Almeda W., daughter of Seth and Adaline
(Higgins) Bickford. They have one son, Dexter H.
Jesse Spaulding, born in 1842, is the youngest of four children of
Parker and Elizabeth (Danforth) Spaulding and grand.son of Jesse
vSpaulding, who died in Massachusetts in 1807. Parker Spaulding (1800-
1862) was a machinist. He came to Belgrade in about ISS.') and bought
the farm where Jesse now lives, and was a farmer from that time until
his death. Jesse Spaulding was in the late war eleven months, in Com-
pany K, 28th Maine. He married Lucretia A., daughter of John G.
Dunn. His second marriage was with Sarah B., daughter of William
O. Day. They have two sons: George and William J.
The Stevens Homeste.\d. — This farm originally contained one
hundred acres or more; other lots adjoining have been added, so that
it now contains about two hundred acres. At one time it produced an
abundance of apples of the best variety of natural fruit, walnuts, chest-
nuts, pears, cherries, damsons and other varieties of small fruit.
Some of the huge old trees, chestnut and walnut reminders of past
generations, are still standing and producing their annual crop.
William Stevens, the grandfather, and Daniel Stevens, the father
of George R., came from Lebanon, Me., and settled on this farm about
the year 1796. William erected his house on the westerly side of the
road about eight rods north of where the barn now stands. The two
extremities of the chimney were made of brick; the balance was built
of sticks or small poles wrapped with straw and plastered inside and
out with clay. Major G. T. Stevens, of Augusta, a grandson of Wil-
liam, says that the first lesson he ever took in gymna-stics was by spin-
ning tip the corner of that old cob-house chimney to the underside of
the roof. The barn seen in the engraving was built in 1807 and re-
modeled in 1849, and the house was built by Daniel Stevens in 1834-5,
and recently modernized by George R., the present occupant.
The Stevens family were among the first settlers in the town of
Lebanon. William was born there and died in Belgrade in 1836, aged
1028 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
eighty-three years. His wife, Molly Ricker, an estimable woman, who
came with him, died in Belgrade in 1825, aged seventy-five years.
They had two sons — Daniel and William — and three daughters —
Dolly, Eunice and Mary. Dolly married Robert Wills; Eunice, Jona-
than Rollins; and Mary, Joshua Yeaton. William, jun., married Susan
Fillebrown, and lived and died in Augusta.
Daniel was born in Lebanon April 30, 1784, and died in Belgrade
August 18, 1867. He married Mahala Smith, a devoted wife and
mother, and daughter of Captain Samuel Smith, of Belgrade, who re-
sided on what is now the Dunlap farm, in a twostory house that stood
upon the easterly side of the road, opposite where the Baptist meeting
house now stands. She was born in Washington Plantation, n( w
Belgrade, on June 14, 1790, married November 12, 1812, and died May
3, 1880, at the age of nearly ninety years. Daniel had, previous to his
marriage, built for himself a house on the homestead some eight rods
south of where the barn now stands. Here he and his young wife, Ma-
hala, commenced their married life. Daniel was a man of excellent
physique (standing six feet and one inch), a good mathematician and
penman. In 1813 he was sergeant and clerk of Captain Joseph Syl-
vester's company of Massachusetts militia. He was not an aspirant
for public favors or political honors, but had served his town in the
capacity of treasurer. Seven children were the offspring of their
marriage: Daniel S., born November 3, 1813, died July 28, 1818; Mary
and Maria, born July 27, 1816 (Mary died August 4, 1816; Maria died
March 1, 1853); Love S., born April 30, 1819, now the wife of Rufus K.
Stuart, of Belgrade; Julia Ann, born May 7, 1821, died May 12, 1840;
George R., born August 31, 1826, and married Dorcas Yeaton, daugh-
ter of Richard Yeaton, 2d; Greenlief T., born August 20, 1831. He
married Mary Ann Yeaton, a sister to his brother's wife, two indus-
trious and economical women. He now resides in Augusta. His per-
sonal history and portrait appear at page 92.
George R., the present owner of the old homestead, is a hard work-
ing, model farmer. In 1864, at the time of our country's greatest
need, he left his family, flocks and herds and enlisted in the 5th Bat-
tery Mounted Artillery, Maine Volunteers, and served one year, until
the close of the war, acting the larger portion of the time as ordnance
sergeant. Artillery Brigade 6th Army Corps. In 1866 he was ap-
pointed a deputy sheriff for Kennebec county, which office he held for
fifteen years, until 1881, when he was elected sheriff of the county, a
position he held four years, during which time he resided at Augusta.
At the close of his official term of service he returned to the old home-
stead in Belgrade.
During the negotiation for the purchase of this farm from Boston
parties, William Stevens, sen., rode on hor.seback twice from Belgrade
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1029
to Boston and return. In those early days this was the best, most
convenient and rapid mode of locomotion.
Rufus K. Stuart, born in 1815, is a son of Wentworth and Nancy
A. (Page) Stuart, and grandson of Samuel Stuart, of Scarboro, Me.
His father came to Belgrade in 1801, and was a farmer. Rufus K.
was a farmer until 1861, and since 1862 has been a merchant at Bel-
grade Depot. He has been justice of the peace and trial justice for
thirty-six years, and has done a considerable probate business. He
married Love S., daughter of Daniel Stevens. They have one daugh-
ter, Mae (Mrs. Bertrand P. Stuart), and one who died, Flora.
Charles W. Stuart, born in 1825, is a son of Wentworth Stuart and
half-brother to Rufus K. Stuart. He is a farmer, and since his father's
death in 1841 has owned and occupied the homestead farm, where his
father settled in 1810. He was fifteen years in mercantile trade with
his brother-in-law, W. V. Leonard. He represented his district in the
legislature in 1872. He married Miranda Parcher, of Leeds, and they
have one son, Bertrand P., who is also a farmer.
Joseph Taylor. — Among the old families of Kennebec county that
have been closely identified with its development is the Taylor family,
of Belgrade hill. It is presumed, as in the case of many of the early set-
tlers of the county, that this family came from Cape Cod. The represent-
ative of the family in the third generation back of Joseph Taylor was
named Elias. He married Maryjohnson. and one of their numerous fam-
ily, Samuel Taylor, born August 22, 1769, settled at Belgrade hill at an
early day, taking up a large tract of land, and here he passed his days
in agricultural pursuits. His wife, Elizabeth, a daughter of Samuel
and Elizabeth Crowell, was born October 7, 1772, and died September
8, 1855. Her husband survived her but eight months. Regarding
this worthy couple, their son Joseph made the following note in his
family Bible: " Having lived in harmony together in wedlock, and in
good esteem among men, sixty-three years, eleven months and twenty-
three days."
This son, Joseph Taylor, was born November 25, 1804. He was
educated in the schools of Belgrade and at Bloomfield Academy, and
in early life located in his native town, on the farm now owned by
Frank Page. On October 22, 1829, he married Phebe, a daughter of
Benjamin and Phebe (Shepard) Bowman, who came from Cape Cod to
Fairfield, Me. She was born March 27, 1805, and died April 16, 1888.
Their children were: Benjamin B., of Fairfield, Me., born November
26, 1830; John C, of Westport, Mass., born July 24, 1832; Joseph
S., of Fairfield, born October 5, 1834; Olney, of Park City, Montana,
born December 14, 1886; Charles H., of Belgrade, born August 5, 1839;
Phebe E. (Mrs. Charles Kimball), of Belgrade, born June 5, 1842, and
65
1030 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Lydia Louise, born June 26, 1850, who, since her father's death, June
28, 1882, has been the owner of the homestead.
Here, at North Belgrade, in the summer of 1857, Mr. Taylor erected
the substantial stone dwelling which was his home the remainder of
his life. Besides being a successful farmer, he took great delight in
the cultivation of fruit trees, and with his own hands set out the mag-
nificent orchard now owned by his daughter, who inherits to a large
extent his executive ability and force of character. She has taken up
his work, and, like him, is known far and wide as an extensive and
successful orchardist.
Joseph Taylor was one of the best known, most influential and
highly respected men of his county. He took great interest in the
cause of educatio'n, served as supervisor of schools forty years, and
taught school forty-three terms. In politics he was a believer in the
old-time democratic principles, and was a recognized leader in the
democratic party throughout his life. He did much by his strength
of character and consistent life toward drawing supporters to that
party. He represented his district in the state legislature in 1847 and
in 1853. He was a consistent member of the Society of Friends, and
was always clad in the humble garments of that sect, uniformly wear-
ing his hat when attending meeting or when present at other public
gatherings. A man of strong religious convictions, a constant reader
of the Bible, of great force of character and of fixed determination, he
was known as a man who never swerved from what he believed to be
the path of duty.
John C. Taylor, born in 1832, is a son of Joseph Taylor. He was a
farmer in Belgrade several years, and now has a corn and fruit can-
ning factory at Belgrade Depot, that he and his son, Edwin C, oper-
ated as J. C. Taylor & Son until the son's death in 1892. Mr. Taylor
now resides at Westport, Mass. He married Celia C, daughter of
Thomas Eldred. She died leaving three children; Edwin C, Frank
E. and Mary. His present wife was Elizabeth A. Slade, of Westport.
Charles H. Taylor, son of Joseph Taylor, was born in 1839. He
was stone workman for the Maine Central Railroad Company for about
twenty years, and since 1876 has been a farmer. He married Lillian
G., daughter of William and Fannie (Mills) Eldred, granddaughter of
Thomas, and great-granddaughter of William Eldred, of Falmouth,
Mass. Their children are: William E. and Fannie L.
James Tibbetts, born in 1854, is the only son of Joseph and Olive
A. Tibbetts, and grandson of Ephraim Tibbetts. He was educated in
the schools of the town and four years at Kents Hill Seminary. He
taught a few terms of school, kept store three years, was three years
postmaster, tax collector six years, and since January 1, 1880, has
been deputy sheriff. His first wife, Florence Clement, left one daugh-
^(//&-J3^A^ ^^'^^ ^C
TOWN OF BELGRADE. iUdi
ter, M. Pearle. His present wife was vSara, daughter of Jonas Harling.
They have one daughter, Marion E.
John Tibbetts, jun., born in 1838, is a son of John and Susan
(Smith) Tibbetts, and grandson of John Tibbetts. He was four years
in the meat business in Boston, but since 1865 has been a farmer,
having that year bought of James Minot 170 acres, where he now
lives. His first wife was Mary C. Wires. His present wife was Inez
E. Tibbetts, by whom he has one daughter, Mabelle, born May 1,
1892.
Eugene W. Towle, born in 1855 m Augusta, is a son of John and
Caroline (White) Towle. He is a manufacturer of excelsior at Bel-
grade Mills. He married Nellie E. Pear.sley, who died leaving one
daughter, Nellie. His second wife was Louesa Farnham. They have
one daughter. Pearl.
Ira B. Tracy, born in 1846, is a son of Christopher and Mary C.
(Kelley) Tracy, grandson of Nathaniel, who came to Rome from Dur-
ham in 1810, and great-grandson of Solomon and Mary (Getchell)
Tracy. Mr. Tracy came to Belgrade Mills from Rome in 1883, and is
a .spool maker here. He was selectman two years and town clerk ten
years in Rome. He has two brothers — Ansel G. and Charles W. He
married Adella Watson, and their children are: Harry L., Minnie O.,
Lillian M. and Maude S.
Hartley S. Wadleigh, farmer, born in 1815, is one of eleven chil-
dren of William and Susan (Gould) Wadleigh, and grandson of Dean
Wadleigh, who came from New Hampshire to Mt. Vernon. Mr.
Wadleigh married Lovina, daughter of Samuel Cram, and their chil-
dren are: Alphonso, who died in the late war; Ellen, Althea, Isaac E.,
Alton M., Frank M. and Emma J.
Howard H. Wadleigh, born in 1828, brother of Hartley S., is a
farmer on the farm where his father lived from April, 1828, until his
death in 1849. His wife survived him nineteen years and died on the
same place. Mr. Wadleigh married Nancy A., daughter of Benjamin
and Sarah (Lord) Austin. Their living children are: William W.,
Herbert L., George W., Henry E. and Edwin E.: and they lost three
— Victoria, Fred F. and Alice.
Thomas C. Wadleigh, born in 1827, another brother of Hartley S.,
is a farmer. He served in the late war eleven months. His first wife,
Clorinda Clifford, died leaving three children: Rosalie, Georgiana and
Melvina. His second wife was Betsey Dunn. Their children are:
Gorham,' Christopher and Lillie.
Gorham B. Wadley, born in Belgrade, is a son of Thomas C. and
Betsey (Dunn) Wadleigh, grandson of William, and great-grandson of
Dean Wadleigh. Mr. Wadley is a farmer, and in 1892 he bought the
hotel and livery business at Readfield Depot. He married Julia,
daughter of Lewis B. and Almira (Hunt) Huntoon, of Readfield.
1082 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
John P. Wellman, born in 1811, is the eldest and only surviving-
child of John and Lydia (Braley) Wellman, and grandson of Abraham
Wellman, who was seven years in revolutionary war, and came to
Belgrade from Lyndeboro, N. H., in 1785. Mr. Wellman is a farmer
and for forty-five years has run a threshing machine. He married
Martha C, daughter of Samuel C. and Nancy (Cowan) Jones, and
granddaughter of James C. Jones. Their children have been: John
A. (deceased), Samuel C, Martha A. (deceased), Mary J., Lydia E. (de-
ceased), William H., Nancy M., Sarah O. (deceased), Justin T. (de-
ceased), Owen R., Eugene F. (deceased), Frank R., John Alphonso
(deceased) and Lonzo L.
C. Marshal Weston, born in 1834, son of Cyrus and Leafy (Wing)
Weston, and grandson of William Weston, is a farmer on the place
settled originally by Doctor Williams and in 1818 by Cyrus Weston.
Mr. Weston has taught several winter terms of school and in addition
to town offices has been representative one term and county commis-
sioner from 1882 to 1888. He married Sarah A., daughter of Isaac
Tucker, and their children are: Joseph P. and Annie L.
Charles H. Wyman, born in 1837, is a son of Almond H. (1814-
1867) and Caroline A. (Smith) Wyman, and grandson of David (1780-
1870), who was the youngest son of Simeon Wyman, who came in
1774 from Woburn, Mass., and was the second man to settle in what
is now Belgrade. Mr. Wj'man is a farmer on a part of the farm set-
tled by his grandfather. He has been selectman since 1876, except
three years, and has been chairman of the board twelve years. He
married Alice B., daughter of William Mills, of Belgrade. Their
children are: Almond P., Charles Prescott, Clinton H., Mary A. and
Ralph B.
Henry F. D. Wyman, born in 1840, brother of Charles H. Wyman,
was educated in the district schools and Belgrade Academy, and is a
teacher and farmer. He has been school supervisor and member of
the school board for fifteen years. He was a member of the state
legislature in 1876. He married Delia A., daughter of Charles B. and
H. Eliza (Merrill) Crowell, granddaughter of Joseph, and great-
granddaughter of Zadock Crowell, who came here from Cape Cod,
Mass. They have had two daughters: Caro E., and one that died,
Myrtie D.
Charles A. Yeaton, born in 1827, is the second son of Reuben H.
(1797-1864) and Hannah (Arnold) Yeaton, and grandson of Paul Yea-
ton, who was born in 1763, at Summersworth, N. H., and came to Bel-
grade about 1784. His children were: Andrew, who died in infancy;
Reuben H., Richard, Paul, Zachariah, Andrew, Henry and Mary.
Mr. Yeaton is a farmer and mechanic. He has been town clerk and
selectman several terms. His first wife, Sarah J. Goodrich, left five
daughters Cora: (Mrs. B. M. Penny), Angle G. (deceased), Orrie J.
TOWN OF BELGRADE. 1033
(Mrs. E. L. Yeaton), Agnes (Mrs. Prince Thing) and Edna (Mrs. J.
H. Thing). His second wife, Amanda Judkins, left one son, Charles
L. Yeaton.
E. F. Yeaton, born in 1845, is a son of Paul and Lydia Ann (Good-
ridge) Yeaton, and grandson of Paul Yeaton. He is a farmer near
where his grandfather settled when he came to Belgrade. His first
wife, Fannie S. Haskell, of New Gloucester, Me., died, leaving one
daughter, Carrie L. The latter has spent two years ;n Europe com-
pleting her musical education, and her future in music promises to be
a brilliant one. His present wife is Lillian M. Powers, of Manches-
ter, Me. Their children are Paul Murray and Donna Lillian. He is
now serving his fourth term as selectman.
CHAPTER XL.
TOWN OF SIDNEY.
Incorporation and Characteristics.— Early Settlers.— Mills and Stores.— Taverns.
—Bacon's Corner.— West Sidney.— Pond Road.— Churches.— Burial Places.—
Town Business.— Post Offices.— Town Officials for One Hundred Years.—
Societies and Organizations. — Personal Paragraphs.
SIDNEY, formerly that part of Vassalboro lying west of the Ken-
nebec river, was named after Sir Philip Sidney, and incorpo-
rated January 30, 1792— the seventy-sixth town in the province
of Maine. No equal area of Kennebec county was settled, or enjoyed
the benefits of township any earlier, or possessed superior attractions
for settlement. After inspecting the adjacent sections on either side,
an observer must have been agreeably impressed, then as now, with
its comparatively level surface and the infrequency of rugged hills
and still more rugged rocks. The soil on the eastern half, that bor-
ders the river, is very favorable for cultivation and the production of
grain and grass, but not as well adapted to fruit trees as the western
half, in which apples are a staple crop.
Like most of the Kennebec valley, Sidney's primeval forests were
noted for the variety and enormous growth of their trees, which kept
its score of early saw mills busy for mere than half a century. The
noble river furnished transportation to market for its surplus forest
and farm products, not enjoyed by more remote sections — one great
secret of its immediate and continued prosperity.
The pioneers came as early as 1760. One of the very first was John
Marsh, whose grant, dated " Boston the 24th day of June, A.D., 1763,"
is still in the possession of his great-grandson, Lieutenant Gorham K.
Hastings, who owns the old farm, that has never been out of the pos-
session of the family. Moses Hastings married Mr. Marsh's only
daughter and succeeded him on the farm. The outlines of a block
.house and stockade are still very distinct on the bluff a few feet south
of Gorham K. Hastings' house. The scattering settlers sometimes
took refuge in it for greater security, but there is no account that they
were ever attacked by the Indians.
Next south of John Marsh was Esquire Abial Lovejoy,a prominent
pioneer. When Massachusetts passed the act freeing the slaves, Mr.
Lovejoy, who owned several, called two of the oldest — Salem and
TOWN OF SIDNEY.
lOR.')
Venus — and offered them their liberty. Salem replied, " You've hrd
all de meat — now pick de bones."
Two miles south of this another grant, from the same source as the
Marsh grant, was given at the same date to Levi Powers, which estab-
lishes him as a pioneer. He sold in 178B to Jethro Gardner, and he
sold in 1791 to Anthony Faught, who came from Germany to avoid
service in the army. His grandsons, Charles and James Faiight, own
the place and have the old grant.
The Winslow survey of 1761 covered three ranges of lots along the
river, as shown by this sketch map. Each lot was one mile long, and
between the ranges were " range ways," reserved for public roads,
although for the most part the highways have been located else-
where.
Early Settlers. — Beginning on the river road at the southern
line of the town, many of the old residents were: Reuel and Samuel
Howard, Peres Hamlen, Reuben Pinkham and his son Reuben, Fred-
erick and Jacob Faught, Deacon Edmond Hayward, David, Elisha
and Luther Reynolds, Barnabus Thayer, Benjamin Dyer and his son
Jonathan, a surveyor; Colonel William and Deacon Paul Bailey, Jere-
miah Thayer and his son Timothy, Benjamin Branch, Eli French, a
blacksmith; John Sawtelle, Samuel and James Hutchinson, Daniel
Thayer, Edwin Arnold, Stephen and William Lovejoy, Dr. Ambrose
Howard, Moses Hastings, Dodivah Townsend, Thadeus Snell, Joseph
Clark, Jesse Scudder, David Doe, Daniel Smiley, David Townsend,
James Hutchinson, Joseph Cobb, Matthew Lincoln, Bethuel Perry,
Levi Moore (whose two sisters married Alexander and William
Smiley, and had thirteen children each), Thomas Avery, John and
Eben Blaisdell, Charles F. Davies, Theodore and Nathaniel Alerrill,
John Bragg, Samuel Springer, Major Brackett, Paul T. Stevens, Flint
Barton (who had thirteen boys). Captain Dean Bangs and Peleg
Delano.
1036 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Mills and Stores. — Most of the early saw mills were built on or
near the river road. The Thayer brook was the most southerly stream
affording water power. On its banks were two saw mills, one built
and operated by John Sawtelle and his son, Milton, then sold to Peter
Sibley, its last owner. The old mill had a long- life, running till 1880.
The other mill was nearer the river and was owned by Willard Bailey
and John vSawtelle, who had a small ship yard, making schooners of
one hundred tons and under — the only boat building done in Sidney.
This mill was abandoned before 1840.
John Marsh built, in 1763, a saw mill and a grist mill on the east
side of the river road, where the Bog brook, since known as the Hast-
ings brook, crosses it. These mills were both carried away by a
freshet and an ice jam in 1774. Thomas Clark, a pioneer, had two
bags of meal in the mill. Despite the warnings of all present, he
brought one bag to a place of safety, and then, saying his family
needed that grist, -rushed back into the mill just as the resistless tor-
rent bore it and him to destruction. Moses Hastings rebuilt them —
the grist mill on the south and the saw mill on the north side of the
stream — and was the proprietor of both for many years. William
Lovejoy, the next owner, sold to Howard & Sawyer, who in 1830 sold
to Asa Smiley and Samuel Clark, and they to Oliver Moulton, fhe
present owner of the site. About 1835 Smiley & Clark built another
grist mill one-fourth of a mile further up the stream, removing the
grinding machinery from the old to the new mill. A shingle machine
was then placed in the old mill, and the lumber and shingle output of
the two mills below the road was heavy. They were both destroyed
by fire about 1860. Plaster was ground in the old grist mill, and
afterward in the new grist mill. The latter was taken down about
1850.
David Buxton, as agent for the Southwicks, of Vassalboro, built,
soon after 1800, on the north bank of Hastings brook and the west
side of the river road, a tannery, which was enlarged in 1886 by Hiram
Pishon. Henry Cutler bought the property in 1844, and it went down
on his hands. The last tanning done there was about 1870.
A half mile above the river road, on the same stream, Alexander
and Joseph Smiley owned a saw mill, on land now belonging to Sum-
ner Clark. When this mill was worn out they built another about one
hundred rods below, that was used till 1868. On the same dam Daniel
Ormsby built a carding and cloth dressing mill, which he sold to Jer-
emiah Robinson, and he to William Macartney. It was not operated
after 1850.
Boots and shoes were made in considerable quantities between
1840 and 1860 in the old tannery, by Dunham & Estes, and later by
Abner Piper. At that time nine dwelling houses were filled with op-
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1037
eratives of the different industries, not one of which remains. The
school district had then 112 children of school age; it now has ten.
The first store on the river road was built here by E. Darwin How-
ard and a Mr. Sawyer, who filled it with a large stock of goods. They
failed, and were succeeded by Stephen Chase about 1830. Samuel
Cutler, who traded there in war times, was the last. The building
was afterward used in the tanning business, and is now one of Gorham
K. Hastings' stables.
Captain James Sherman bought, in 1844, the corner that has long
borne his name, and about 1850 built thereon a store, in which Bar-
nard Marble traded till 1856. For the next thirty years the captain
himself sold goods there. Since 1886 William P. Marble, the present
trader, has owned the premises. Bethuel Perry kept a store, before
1840, where A. S. Davenport's house is. Stephen Springer had a store
on land now owned by his sons, and Jerry Morrell traded near him,
north of the cross road. Both of these had ceased doing business fifty
years ago. A.S. Davenport built the store now run by E. R. Libby, in
1888.
It is a well-known fact that rum was an important and profitable
article sold in the old-time country stores. A store bill made in 1798
and still preserved in Sidney illustrates this fact. The purchaser was
a prominent Methodist, who entertained all the ministers.
Peleg Delano, a pioneer in the north part of the town, built, on a
brook that has ever since been called by his name, a grist mill that
did a good business, and was worn out early in the present century.
About the same time Joshua Davis had, successively, two saw mills on
the same stream, one-fourth of a mile nearer the river, in one of which
he was killed in 1809. After these mills had run down, Peleg Delano
built on the site of his grist mill a saw mill that was used for years,
and then replaced with a new one by his son, Silas Delano, and Ruth-
erford Drummond. William Prescott was the last owner of this
mill, which ran till about 1850. On the brook near the town farm, and
about one fourth of a mile from the river, Levi Moore had a saw mill
that had its day and came to grief about 1810.
Flint Barton, who came here in 1773, built a sawmill on the stream
that has since borne his name. He was a blacksmith, and had in his
shop a trip-hammer that was run by water power. These mills were
succeeded by a grist mill, from which the stones were removed in
1832. In 1859 Albion K. Barton built on the old dam a grist mill that
Paul T. Stevens ran on shares till 1885, when it could pay its way no
longer. Flint Barton built, operated and abandoned an ashery before
1830.
A shingle mill built by William Goff about 1850, on land now
owned by Le Roy Goff, and run for twenty years, was about the last
mill building done in Sidney.
1038 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Taverns. — Chief among the longest to be remembered institutions
of a new country are its taverns. Here flock the neighbors for the
gossip and chat that is always inspired by a sip from the fountain of
destructive cheer that gurgles from behind the bar. Here also they
come in contact with the great outside world, and gaze at its people
and listen to their talk, as stage coach and freight wagon halt for in-
dispensable food and rest. And so the tavern becomes the most pub-
lic place in town, and within its walls meetings of citizens assemble
to do its public business.
This was the case in Sidney when, in 1792, the first town meeting
gathered at the dwelling house of David Smiley, who kept the first
tavern on the river road. It stood across the road and a little north
of Mrs. C. C. Hamlen's new farm house. Mr. Smiley died in 1823, and
was succeeded by Fletcher, whose hostelry was widely known till
about 1850, when the railroad placed most country taverns on the su-
perannuated list. Further south on the river road John and Bradford
Sawtelle each kept a tavern at different times, and still below them
Jonathan Reynolds was a landlord more than fifty years ago.
Bacon's Corner took its name from William Bacon, a farmer,
trader, tavern keeper and general business man. Following him the
storekeepers were: Samuel and Franklin Butterfield, Rufus Daven-
port, Nathan Dillingham, William Purrinton, Gilbert Baker, Alpheus
Hayward, William Gardiner, Frank Somes, and since 1866 Carlos
Hammond, the present merchant.
William Bacon and John Ham were tavern keepers, Seth Robinson
was a blacksmith, wagon maker and painter; William Ham was a
shoemaker, and Libni Kelley was an ingenious jeweller.
Some of the old families in this section have been: Isaac Stedman,
John and Jonathan Matthews, Joshua and William Ellis, Moses Var-
num, Jeremiah Blaisdell, John and Ahasueras Dutton, James Shaw,
who came in 1804; John Linscott, James Faught, John and Abraham
Pinkham, Eben Matthews, Moses and Nathaniel Reynolds and Wil
liam Chamberlin.
On the brook just north of the Centre, Nathan Blackman and Jo-
seph H. Field built, soon after 1820, a saw mill, and twenty-five years
later a grist mill, both of which they operated till about 1855, when
Abial and Alfred Bacon bought the property. A few years later Silas
L. Waite purchased the mills which, after having long been a good
investment, ceased to be profitable about 1880. The site and the old
hulks still belong to the Waite family. Two miles from Bacon's Cor-
ner was an early saw mill run by Mr. Barnard.
Near Bacon's Corner James Ham had, on land now owned by John
F. Bailey, a tannery that was discontinued in 1840, and at West Sid-
ney, contemporary with this, Timothy Woodward owned a tannery
where Lewis Woodward lives. At about the same period an ashery
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1039-
was running at West Sidney, on the farm now the residence of Jona-
than M. Ballard, and another at Bacon's Corner, built and owned by
William Bacon. Eben M. Field traded in a part of what is now Reuel
Field's house in the fifties.
Good brick clay is so abundant in Sidney that wherever brick were
wanted for one or more buildings in times past, when wood for burn-
ing them was always at haad,they were made in that locality. So we
find that they were made on the Marsh-Hastings farm, on the^Lovejoy
farm, on the Faught farm, and in 1860 on the Bailey farm, by Nathaniel
Chase, who took them on a flat boat to the Augusta market. About
ten rods west of Paul T. Stevens' house excellent brick were made
before 1800, and later Daniel Abbott had a tan-yard there.
The early farmers planted orchards and raised apples, built cider
mills and filled their cellars, and sometimes themselves, with the
cheerful juice. Cider mills were more common fifty years ago than
now.
West Sidney had in early times, owing largely to the stage route
from Augusta to Farmington, the largest settlement and the nearest
approach to a village in the town, before or since. It had the earliest
stores and was the trading point for the thrifty farmers on the pond
road, and for bordering sections of Augusta, Readfield and Belgrade.
James Shorey was the first trader, succeeded by: Jeremiah Robin-
son, Stephen A. Page, Nathan Sanders, Enos Cummings, George Hoyt,
E. L. Davis, Joseph F. and B. L. Woodward and Jacob C. Gordon —
the latter and Mrs. Albert Smith being the present traders. Its tav-
erns were kept by John Partridge, Jesse Philbrick, Holmes Tilson,.
and later by his sons, Anson and Jason, Jerry Robinson. Moses Bal-
lard, Jonathan Palmer and Joseph Haines. John F. Bailey kept tav-
ern for twenty-five years where his son, Adelbert H., now lives, south,
of Bacon's Corner. Jerry Robin.son and George Clifford were black-
smiths, and John Hurd was a cooper fifty years ago.
Pond Road. — The first settler on the pond road, and one of the
first in town, was Moses Sawtelle, on the farm Everett Tilson now
owns. It is said that he had grants for three quarter sections of land,
to be paid for in a certain number of pounds, and so many coon skins,
" taken as they run." His seven sons settled near him, and a distant
relative, John Sawtelle, who came about the same time he did and
raised a family on the Pond road. This accounts for the frequency of
the name in Sidney.
Some of the old residents in the western part of the town were:
Deacon William Ward and his father, Timothy Woodward, Richard
Robin.'^on and his sons Joseph and Gideon, Daniel and Asa Wilbur,
Paul and Elijah Hammond, John Jackson, Isaac Cowan, John, Ebenezer
and Asa Trask, Joseph Nash, Ezekiel Farrington, Benjamin Grover,
Nehemiah Longley, Balkam, Samuel Smith, Joseph Abbott.
I(y40 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Jotham Allen, Thomas and Dennis Bowman, Esquire Stephen Jewell,
Japheth Beale, Daniel Tiffany and Willoughby Taylor.
Mrs. Phebe (Sawtelle) Ellis, born in 1797, and a great-granddaughter
of Moses Sawtelle, is the oldest person in town, and the next two are
Paul T. Stevens and Nathan Taylor, each of whom is ninety-one.
Several of the men whose names are given settled and always lived
in the middle part of the town, which has been equally productive as
the two sides. East of the Centre the Bowman Brothers, mentioned
at page 223, have the largest nursery in Kennebec county, making a
specialty and a success of apple tree stock, of which they have a dozen
acres.
Churches. — The first religious organization in Sidney was formed
in the southwest part of the town, in 1791, by the Calvinistic Baptists,
who named their church Second Vassalboro. Asa Wilbur and Lemuel
Jackson, then local preachers, were the leaders. The former became
the pastor in 1796, and in 1808 he represented the town in the general
court of Massachusetts. The church was diminished in 1806, when
nineteen members left to form the Second Bapti.st church, and was
increased by a revival in 1811.
After a thirty-three years' pastorate, Asa Wilbur left the church in
1829 with no minister. In 1843 a new organization was effected by
Joseph and Enos Cummings, Asa, William and David T. Ward, and
Paul Harmon and their wives, Abigail Bean and others. But three
of the original members were living in 1892. The ministers have
been: Elders Case, Powers, Walter Foss, William Ward, William Til-
ley, S. G. Sargent and Enos Cummings. Meetings were held in school
houses till, in 1840, the present church was built. Services were main-
tained a part of each year — usually through the warm weather.
A powerful revival in 1805, under the preaching of Rev. Asa Wil-
bur, resulted in the formation of a second Baptist church, February
7, 1806. The organization was perfected at the house of Benjamin
Dyer, on the river road, and signed by seventeen members: Nathaniel
Reynolds, jun., Edmund Hayward, Asa Williams, Benjamin Dyer,
John Sawtelle, Charles Webber, jun., Henry Babcock, Mary Matthews,
Mary Reynolds, Jemima Dyer, Mercy Matthews, Thankful Faught,
Elizabeth Andrews, Eunice Williams, Abigail Tuttle, Sarah Ingraham
and Susanna Hayward.
Rev. Joseph Palmer in 1809 was the first pastor. He left in 1812,
and Rev. Ezra Going in 1826 came next, succeeded by Lemuel Porter,
a student in Waterville College, in 1831. In January of this year the
old church was dissolved and a new church was formed at John Saw-
telle's house. The movement was in no sense a disagreement, but a
harmonious step for the common good. The names on the new church
roll consisted of eighteen males and twenty females. Asa Williams,
James Smiley and Paul Baile}' were chosen deacons.
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1041
The first meeting house was built in 1821 by John Sawtelle, Dr.
Ambrose Howard, Paul Bailey, James Shaw and Jonathan Matthews,
who furnished the money and sold the pews for their pay. It stood
on John Sawtelle's land, and was used for meetings till the present
church was built. In 1860 Bradford vSawtelle bought the pewholders'
rights and moving it a few rods back from the old spot, converted it
into a barn.
The Baptist meeting house now in use, standing on the river road
three miles north of the old one, and on the corner of the Sawtelle
cross road, was built in 1844, to be nearer the center of the society.
One of the first preachers in the old house was Elder Kane, of Clinton,
succeeded by Elder Bradford. Elders Sumner Estes, Arthur Drink-
water, C. E. Harden and William Tilley have been regular preachers
since. Theological students from Bates College have supplied the
pupit for some years a part of the time. The present supply is George
Hamlen, who has always lived on the river road, and is a Bates
student. The society at one time owned a parsonage, which was sold
after standing empty for a long time.
Methodism was first preached and planted in Sidney by its great
apostle, Jesse Lee, January 29, 1794. This town was first included in
the Readfield circuit, but no preacher's name is recorded who visited
Sidney regularly till 1809, when Ebenezer F. Newell, then in charge
of Hallowell circuit, came here to preach, and became acquainted with
Miss Nancy Butterfield. The itinerant liked the young lady and the
people, and ministered to his double charge with promptness and
manifitst acceptance. In the course of time Ebenezer and Nancy took
matrimonial vows, and Sidney lost them both.
The society built the meeting house still in use at Bacon's Corner
in 1815, and must have prospered, for in 1828 Japheth Beale and Ste
phen Jewett built for the trustees of the Methodist society another
and the largest house of worship ever in town. These trustees were:
Ezekiel Robinson, Japheth Beale, Nathaniel Stedman, Carey Ellis,
Oliver Parsons and Stephen Springer. The builders expected to sell
pews enough to fully repay their investment, but never did.
The year 1845 seems to have been a season of great church enter-
prise in the center of the town. The Universalists built there that
year, and by a combined movement of the other societies the large
Methodist church was moved over a mile to the center, and reopened
as a union meeting house. Stephen Jewett and Moses Frost were act-
ive in the change. The land the house was originally built on is now
a part of George Bowman's nursery farm, and the spot it now occupies
was deeded to the pew owners by Joseph and Thomas J. Grant in
1846, to revert to the original owners when no longer used for religious
purposes. Different denominations used the union house till ab ou
1042 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
1880, since which the Grant heirs have claimed and taken possession
of the church.
Sidney first appears on the minutes in 1829, when E. Robinson
was the preacher in charge, followed by: C. Mugford, 1831; S. P.
Blake, 1832; M. Ward, 1833; M. Wight, 1835; and A. Heath in 1836.
From 1837 to 1845 Sidney and Fairfield were put together; then, after
being a separate charge for two years, it was united to Readfield till
1850, when it again became a separate charge till 1860. For the next
twelve years Sidney and North Augusta were united, and the meet-
ing house and parsonage at Bacon's Corner were used. The parson-
age was burned in 1873, and the same year Sidney disappears from
the minutes.
Some of the preachers in charge from 1837 to 1873 were: Z. Man-
ter, 1844; John Young, 1845; Joseph Gerry, 1846; D. Hutchinson, 1847;
John Allen, 1848; T. Hill, 1850; W. M. Wyman, 1853; T. J. True, 1855;
M. Wight, 1858; T. Whittier, 1859; A. C. Trafton, 1861; J. W. Hatha-
way, 1862-3; Nathan Andrews, 1857 and 1865; Joseph P. Weeks,
1866-7; John M. Howes, 1868; F. E. Emerick, 1869, and A. W. Water-
house, from 1870 to 1873.
Since 1874 the Methodist society in this town has been known on
the minutes as North Sidney, and has been connected with Oakland.
Meetings were held in school houses till 1882, when the present meet-
ing house was erected on Tiffany hill. N. C. Clifford was pastor from
1874 to 1877; F. W. Smith, 1878; J. E. Clark, 1880; M. E. King, 1882;
C. E. Springer, 1884: C. Munger, 1885; W. Carham, 1886; H. Chase,
1887, and A. Hamilton, from 1888 to 1892.
Rev. Henry S. Loring, a Congregationalist, has been preaching in
the old Methodist church at Bacon's Corner for the past year, greatly
to the satisfaction of the people in that section.
The Freewill Baptists, who had a society and preachers for a num-
ber of years previous, reorganized in 1844 with a membership of about
fifty. James Grant and John Bragg were the first deacons. After
meeting in different school houses, they were able in 1852 to build
their meeting house, which stands on the pond road, at the junction
of the cross road running to Bacon's Corner. One of their old-time
preachers was Thomas Tylor. A colored revivalist named Foy was
useful and popular for awhile. Some of the more recent preachers
and pastors have been: Elders JoelSpaulding, Selden Bean, Man-
son, Bates and George Brown. The present membership is
twenty-five, but no regular services have been held for a year past.
A Freewill Baptist church was organized on the banks of a stream
on Esquire Charles Davis' farm, where the society had gathered to
baptize, in June, 1839. Ebenezer Blaisdell (who was the first deacon),
Columbia Bowman, Lydia B. Blaisdell, Nancy Bowman, and William
Joy and wife were some of the foremost members, who numbered
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1043
eleven in all. The society was at first called the Second Sidney, and
the meetings alternated between the Delano and the Bowman school
houses. Daniel B. Lewis was the first preacher, followed by Stephen
Russell for twenty-two years, and later by Stephen Page. This soci-
ety, many of whose members resided in Oakland, built a meeting
house in that town in 1860, where their .services have since been held.
The First Universalist Society of Sidney was organized at the
town hall June 21, 1840, by the following persons: Dodivah Townsend,
Nathan Sawtelle, jun., Sumner Smiley, Albert Mitchell, Samuel Rob-
inson, Silas Kinsley, Sumner Dyer, Newton Reynolds, Asa Heath, Asa
Townsend, Daniel D. Dailey, Silas L. Wait, Orren Tallmann, Mulford
Baker, Beriah Ward, Jonathan Davenport, Abial Abbott, Albert B.
Pishon and Ambrose H. Bartlett. They built their meeting house,
now standing at Sidney Centre, in 1845, and held services regularly
for many years. One of their preachers was W. A. P. Dillingham,
who died here. Meetings are still held most of the time through
the warm weather each year. John H. Field has been church clerk
for the past twenty years.
Although never regularly organized, the Spiritualists have held
numerous public meetings in Sidney, chiefly through the efforts of
Hon. Martin L. Reynolds.
Burial Places. — North Sidney Cemetery was originally a burial
place, six by seven rods in extent, deeded to the Quakers in early
times for £1. In 1873 Paul T. Stevens, Marcellus and Elestus Springer,
Charles and Edmund Merrill, and eight others were incorporated into
the present association, which has enlarged and beautified this attract-
ive and sightly ground overlooking the river, so well adapted for the
uses to which it is dedicated. Near Bacon's Corner is a small public
cemetery containing the Lovejoy tomb. On C. H. Smiley's farm is
a private ground belonging to the Smiley family; on George Barton's
farm is the Barton tomb, and the Sawtelle family ground is on Am-
brose Sawtelle's farm.
The oldest burying ground in Sidney is situated on the bank of
the river, one-fourth of a mile below Hasting's brook, and is known as
the Old Plain. It was established on the Abial Lovejoy farm, and is
thought to hold the remains of over one hundred pioneers. That part
of it that has not been plowed shows plainly the forms of many graves
and has one shattered slate-stone slab, inscribed " Elizabeth Milliner
— 1785." James Sherman afterward owned a part of the Lovejoy
farm, on another part of which he established a family burial place.
A public graveyard still in use was given to school district No. 1 in
early times, by Deacon Edmond Hayward and David Reynolds. Near
No. 3 school house is a neighborhood ground.
The Sawtelle burying ground on the pond road was established by
Moses Sawtelle long before 1800. The ground was enlarged and
1044 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
fenced in 1892. One mile south of this, Nehemiah Longley gave
land for the yard that bears his name. Still another mile south Isaac
Cowan gave the ground known by his name. The Getchell yard, an-
other mile south on the same road, was given by John Jackson. West
Sidney Cemetery was laid out about 1840, on David Bean's land. It
has since been organized as a company. The Tiffany burying ground
was given by the late Judge Samuel Titcomb's father. The Drum-
mond private yard is on Rutherford Drummond's farm, Vang's ground
is on James Minot's farm, and the Bowman family ground is on Isaac
Bowman's farm.
Town Business. — The annual report shows that for the year end-
ing February 10, 1892, the town raised and expended for schools,
$1,500; for highways, $2,000; to defray town charges, $1,200; for memo-
rial day, $25; and for town fair, $25. In 1892 the town voted to change
from the district to the town system in the management of the
schools. The number of districts has been reduced from eighteen to
fourteen, on account of the small number of scholars, of whom there
were 333 in the town who drew public money in 1891. The ferries
over the river at Vassalboro and at Riverside are not self-supporting,
and are in charge of the two towns, who pay deficiencies each year,
Sidney's tax in 1891 being $127.84. The town has for many years
owned a poor farm, where a few indigent persons are kindly provided
for.
The town house at the Centre was ordered to be built at a cost of
$500 by the town meeting of 1825, and was erected and ready for use
the next year. Sidney contains 20,000 acres, of which but a small
proportion is waste land. Her only ponds. Ward and Lilly, have a
small area, leaving a large acreage for cultivation. Her decrease in
valuation and in population for the past forty years has been a less
percentage than that of any rural town in the county. In 1890 her
valuation was $592,123; in 1880, $579,764; in 1870, $649,582; and in
1860 it was $508,912. Her population in 1890 was 1,334; in 1880, 1,396;
in 1870, 1,471; in 1860, 1,784; and in 1850 it was 1,955.
Post Offices. — The post office records, giving dates of establish-
ment and the successive appointments, and the civil lists, telling ex-
actly Avho have been entrusted with official duties for the past one
hundred years, will repay careful reading.
The post office at Sidney was established March 24, 1813, with Ste-
phen Springer postmaster. He was succeeded in August, 1824, by
Crosby Barton; June, 1830, Isaac Fletcher; June, 1844, William Tilley;
January, 1846, Luther Sawtelle; June, 1853, Barnard Marble, jun.; Feb-
ruary, 1856, James Sherman; March, 1860, Henry R. Smiley; August,
1861, James Sherman; July, 1888, William P. Marble; January, 1887,
Simon C. Hastings; and June, 1889, William P. Marble, who keeps the
office in his store.
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1045
A post office was established in North Sidney January 7, 1854, with
John Merrill postmaster. He filled the office until August, 1867, when
Stephen Springer was appointed; June 1, 1883, he was succeeded by
James D. Bragg, and the 2Sth of the same month Theodore D. Mer-
rill was appointed: March, 1887, Emily Merrill, and March, 1888, James
D. Bragg, who keeps the office at his house on the river road.
The post office known as Centre Sidney was established December
6, 1827. The first postmaster, Rufus Davenport, served until July,
1833, when he was succeeded by Moses Frost. The .succeeding post-
masters have been: Elisha Clark, appointed in June, 1837; Daniel L.
Purinton, July, 1846; Charles H. Prescott, April, 1849; Alpheus S. Hay-
ward, November, 1849; John S. Cushing, February, 1860; Jethro
Weeks, October, 1871: Andrew H. Gardner, October, 1871; Charles E.
Tilton, January, 1872; Adelbert H. Bailey, February, 1873; Seth Rob-
inson, March, 1878: and Laura A. Hammond, May, 1883, who keeps
the office in the store of her husband at Bacon's Corner.
Eureka post office, established September 3, 1879, was discontinued
November, 1886. Nathan W. Taylor was the first postmaster. The
office was reestablished March 19, 1887, with the same postmaster, who
served until September 4, 1889, when Charles H. Burgess, who lives
on the middle road, was appointed.
Lakeshore post office, on the pond road, was established April 10,
1891. Martha L. Bacon, the first postmistress, was succeeded in May,
1892, by Moses Z. Sawtelle.
The West Sidney post office, established December 16, 1831, with
Anson Tilson postmaster, was discontinued April 23, 183.'); reestab-
lished September, 1836, and Jesse L. Philbrick appointed postmaster.
His successors have been: David Robinson, June 1838; Calvin M.Saw-
yer, October, 1851; Thomas Cummings, January, 1852; Calvin M. Saw-
yer, October, 1852; David Robinson, December, 1853; the office was
discontinued December, 1856, and reestablished April, 1857, with
David Robinson again in charge; discontinued June, 1861, reestab-
lished February, 1865, with Evander L. Davis as po.stmaster; Renah L.
Woodward succeeded him in May, 1868; office again discontinued Oc-
tober, 1869, reestablished January 5, 1872, with Jacob C. Gordon as
postmaster. This office has had a singular experience, being discon-
tinued four times for want of a proper person to run it. The receipts
were too small for profit and the honor was too small for glory. West
Sidney is one of the few ideal places where the office seeks the man.
Town Officials for One Hundred Years. — The selectmen of
Sidney have been first elected in the years indicated, and the figures
show the terms of service, when more than one: 1792, Flint Barton, 4,
Moses Hastings, 2, Moses Sawtelle; 1793, Samuel Tiffany, 2, Levi
Moore, Benjamin Dyer, 5; 1795, Ichabod Thomas, 5, Nathan Sawtelle,
1046 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
William Smiley; 1796, John Woodcock, 11, Samuel Dinsmore, 4, Tim-
othy Reynolds; 1798, Obadiah Longley, 11, David Reynolds; 1799,
Daniel Tiffany, 7, Silas Hoxie, 10; 1802, David Smiley; 1803, Jonas Saw-
telle, 2; 1805, Ambrose Howard, 11, Isaac Hoxie, 2; 1809, Edmond
Barton, 2; 1810, Elisha Barrows; 1811, Eliphalet Britt; 1812, Peres
Hamlin, Thomas S. Farrington; 1813, Seneca Stanley; 1814, Asa Ab-
bott, 2; 1816, Paul Bailey, 2; 1818, Stephen Springer, 2; 1821, Nathaniel
Dyer; 1822, James Smiley, 4, Nathaniel Merrill, 3; 1825, Bethuel
Perry, 7; 1826, Samuel Butterfield, 8; 1829, James Shaw, 6; 1831, Abial
Abbott; 1832, Paul Hammond, Daniel Tiffany, jun., 5; 1833, Asa
Smiley, 18, William Prescott, 3; 1836, Joseph Hitchins, 2; 1837, Gideon
Wing, 13; 1839, Barnabas D. Howard, 2; 1842, George Longley, John
Merrill, 14; 1845, Elijah Sawtelle; 1850, Charles W. Longley, 2; 1853,
Greenlief Low; 1854, Bradford Sawtelle, 3; 1855, Hosea Blaisdell, Paul
Wing, 6; 1856, Stephen Ward; 1857, James Sherman, 4, Jonas Butter-
field, 10; 1858, T. D. Merrill, 2; 1859, Charles W. Coffin, 5; 1860, Silas
L. Waite; 1861, Benjamin F. Folger, 3; 1862, Elbridge G. Morrison;
1864, William A. Shaw, 12; 1868, Alonzo Davies, 2; 1870, Charles C.
Hamlen, 6; 1871, Lawriston Guild, 3, Greenleaf Barton, 2, Charles H.
Lovejoy, 12; 1873, William A. Tanner, 2; 1876, Henry A. Baker, Jonas
M. Hammond, 4; 1867, Loren B. Ward, 5; 1880, George T. Bowman, 2;
1882, D. R. Townsend, 2; 1883, Martin L. Reynolds, 5, A. T. Clark, 8;
1887, D. H. Goodhue, 2; 1889, Gorham K. Hastings; 1890, Fred E.
Blake, 3; and in 1891, Charles H. Kelley, 2.
The successive town clerks have been: Ichabod Thomas, 1792;
Thomas Smiley, 1794; Ebenezer Bacon, jun., 1796; Ichabod Thomas,
1798; William Goodhue, 1812; Ichabod Thomas, 1813; Daniel Tiffany,
1816; John Woodcock, 1817; Ambrose Howard, 1822; Samuel Butter-
field, 1824; Abial Abbott, 1831; Samuel Butterfield, 1832; Nathaniel
Sherman, 1837; John B. Clifford, 18.39; Daniel S. Purinton, 1841; Asa
S. Townsend, 1846; A. S. Hayward, 1853; E. F. Clark, 1857; E. P. Shaw,
1859; Reuel Field, 1864; J. C.Grant, 1865; J. S. Grant, 1866; T. J. Grant,
1872; J. H. Field, 1873; J. S. Grant, 1880, and Fred E. Blake since
March, 1885.
David Smiley was the first town treasurer; John Woodcock was
elected in 1793; Isaac Cowan m 1796; Ebenezer Bacon, 1798; Ichabod
Thomas, 1799; Flint Barton, 1801; Ichabod Thomas, 1802; Benjamin
Dyer, 1803; Ichabod Thomas, 1804; Benjamin Dyer, 1805; Daniel Tif-
fany, 1812; Isaac Steadman,1820; Daniel Tiffany, 1823; Samuel Butter-
field, 1824; John Woodcock, 1826; Theodore Merrill, 1828; Elisha
Clark, 1840; John Sawtelle, 1841; Paul Hammond, 1842; Elisha Clark,
1845; Paul Hammond, 1847; Frederick R. Sherman, 1857; Carlos
Hammond, 1862; R. D. Smiley, 1864; Carlos Hammond, 1865; Charles
E. Avery, 1869; W. A. Tanner, 1871; F. R.Sherman, 1874; Carlos Ham-
mond, 1875; Howard B. Wyman, 1877; Carlos Hammond, 1880; J. F.
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1047
Warren, 1881; Howard B. Wyman, 1883; Fred E. Blake, 1887; Carlos
Hammond, 1889; Thomas S. Benson, since March, 1891.
Societies and Organizations.— The Sidney Agricultural Fair
was inaugurated by the Grangers in 1885. Two years later the gener-
al public were invited to participate, which they have continued to
do with great zeal from that time to this. Yearly fairs are held at the
town house, whose specially strong points have been in fruit and in
working cattle; seventy-five j^oke of the latter, driven in one continu-
ous line, were shown one year. George F. Bowman has been presi-
dent and Martin L. Reynolds secretary since 1887.
Pleasant Hill Lodge, No. 266, I. O. G. T., was organized December
16, 1884. Theodore W.- Longley was W. C. T.; Mary E. Longley, W.
V. T., and Maud C. Young, secretary. Clinton H. Goodhue is the
present W. C. T. and George W. Manter is secretary. This Lodge,
with about thirty members, bought, repaired and now own their hall.
Juvenile Temple of Good Templars, known as Recruits, No. 13,
was organized June 5, 1886, with twelve charter members, of whom
Merton J. Jackson was C. T. and Susie M. Drummond was secretary.
This society also meets in Good Templars' Hall, which is situated on
Tiffany hill, near the Methodist church.
Rural Lodge, No. 53, F. & A. M., was instituted April 25, 1827.
After a few years, during which time the master's chair was filled by
Ezra Going, Willard Bailey, John F. Bailey and James Shaw, the
charter was surrendered. On the petition of fourteen Masons, half of
them members of the old Lodge, the charter was restored May 7, 1863.
Since then William A. Shaw, Ezra D. Trask, George W. Reynolds,
Charles T. Hamlen, Gorham K. Hastings, Simon C. Hastings and Na-
than A. Benson have been masters of the Lodge. The Masonic hall
at the Centre was built in 1887 and was dedicated in January follow-
ing. It cost $900 and is a credit to the enterprise of Rural Lodge,
which now numbers forty-eight members. The meetings under the
first organization were held in the upper story of Howard & Sawyer's
store, at Hasting's stream, on the river road.
Sidney Grange, No. 194, P. of H., was organized November 24,
1875, with twenty-five charter members. Charles T. Hamlen was the
first master, and his successors have been: Gorham K. Hastings, A.
H. Bailey, A. A. Benson, Ambrose Sawtelle, George Bowman, L. G.
Tilley, B. F. Hussey and William Lovejoy. The Grange own their
capacious hall, and with 160 members are in a healthy, growing con-
dition.
The Joseph W. Lincoln Women's Relief Corps, auxiliary to the
G. A. R., was organized July 29, 1890. Vileda A. Bean, Ellen S. Ben-
son and sixteen other charter members chose Etta Herrin president;
Annie Field, S.V.P.; Dora Sawtelle, J.V.P., and Bemetta L.Benson,
secretary. This organization, so creditable to the women of Sidney, is
1048 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
assiduously raising funds, which, with the labors of its twenty-four
■members, are freely given to the charitable objects of the G. A. R.
Post.
Sidney Mutual Fire Insurance Company was organized in June,
1856. Paul Hammond, Alpheus Hayward and Paul T. Stevens were
its most active founders. Each person gave a note for four per cent,
on the amount for which they were insured and paid four per cent,
of the note to meet current expenses. Losses by fire were paid by
assessment on the notes. Strange as it may seem, there was no loss
by fire for eighteen years. In 1873 Paul Wing had a $2,000 fire, and
then the fires became so frequent that the members tired of meeting
assessments and, after paying all losses, surrendered their charter in
1879.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Frank Abbott, farmer, born in 1853, is a son of John B. and Alice
(Webber) Abbott, grandson of John (1783-1871), and great-grandson
of Joseph Abbott (1743-1833), who came from Lincoln, Mass., to Sid-
ney in 1804, and bought one thousand acres of land on the Pond road,
near where George D. Swift now lives. Mr. Abbott married Olive S.
W., daughter of Samuel Clark.
Dea. Paul Bailey, a native of Connecticut, came to Sidney, where
lie raised six children: Laura, Vesta, Betsey, Eliza, Willard and John
Flavel. The last mentioned was born in 1800, married Aurilla Saw-
telle and had four children, of whom two sons are now living: George
H. and Adelbert H. The latter was in California from 1863 to 1867,
since which time he has been a farmer. Since his father's death in
1880 he has owned and occupied the homestead.
Jonathan M. Ballard, born in Augusta in 1823, is a son of Ephraim
and Augusta (Wall) Ballard, and grandson of Jonathan Ballard. In
September, 1838, he entered the United States navy as an apprentice,
and after four years became mate, and after 1847 he was a gunner.
He was retired November 28, 1885. He has lived in Sidney since
1868. He married Margaretta Blight, of Brooklyn, N. Y., daughter
of John Blight, U. S. N. Their children were: Ephraim, Elizabeth
A., Hattie M., William Y., Harry (deceased) and John B.
Turner A. Barr, born in 1850, in Athens, Me., is a son of Luther
and Abigail (Turner) Barr, and grandson of David Barr. He is a
farmer on the farm which his father bought in 1858 of Enoch Swift,
and where he lived until his death in 1885. Mr. Barr married Laura
A., daughter of Rufus Swift. Their two children are Guy T. and
Florence S.
Flint Barton, born in Sutton, Mass., in 1749, came to Sidney in
1773, where he died in 1833. His wife was Lydia Crosby, and their
twelve sons were: Edmund, Crosby, Amos, Jonah, Otis, Persis, Al-
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1049
fred, Rufus, Franklin, Anson, Dean and Stephen. x\nson, born in
1799, married Rhoda Sisson, and of their thirteen children seven ar^
now living. The fourth, Greenleaf, born in 1831, occupies the home-
stead of his father and a part of the place originally settled by his
grandfather, who was a miller, blacksmith and farmer.
James H. Bean, born in 1833, in Mt. Vernon, is a son of Neal Bean.
He began at sixteen to learn the wagon maker's trade, and he now
carries it on in connection with blacksmithing and farming in Sidnej'.
He has been treasurer of Sidney Grange, P. of H., since its organiza-
tion. He married Vileda A., daughter of Gerry Graves, and their
children are: Emma (Mrs. J. S. Smiley), Flora M. and Blanche E.
Mark'Beane, son of Joseph and Mary (Gowan) Beane, was born in
1834, at Sanford, Me., and came to Sidney in 1862, where he has been
a farmer. He married Laura C., daughter of Joseph and Judith
(Lewis) Smiley, and granddaughter of Alexander Smiley. They have
one daughter, Jennie B., who married Benjamin F. Hussey. Mr.
Hussey, a native of Vassalboro, is a farmer, and since his marriage
has lived with Mr. Beane.
Thomas S. Benson, born in 1842, is a son of Elias T. and Azubah
(Stevens) Benson, and grandson of Nathan Benson. He served in
the late war thirty-four months in Company A, 20th Maine. He lived
eight years in Augusta, and since 1876 he has been a farmer in Sid-
ney. He has been deputy sheriff six years. He married Alice M.,
daughter of John B. and Alice (Webber) Abbott.
Albert H. Black, born in 1840, in McDonough, N. Y., is a son of
John D. and grandson of Edmund Black, who went from Palermo,
Me., to New York state in 1820. Mr. Black came to Sidney in 1863,
where he has been a farmer. For the past sixteen years he has been
engaged in manufacturing cider vinegar, and in 1891 made ten thou-
sand gallons. He is largely engaged in apple culture and some sea-
sons buys large quantities for the market, and also deals in other farm
products. He married Anna N., daughter of Moses Dyer. Their
children are: Cora A. (Mrs. Ernest A. Sibley), Gertrude M., Alberta
F. and Leland A. H.
Fred E. Blake, son of William P. Blake, of Oakland, was born
there March 12, 1851, came to Sidney in 1874, and is a farmer on the
Dodivah Townsend homestead, later owned and occupied by Rev. W.
A. P. Dillingham. He married May, daughter of Wyman Richard-
son, and they have two sons: Cecil E. and Clyde G.
Thomas Bowman came from England with his father,- Thomas,
settled in Massachussets, and later came to Sidney. His children
were : Elias, Dennis, David, Thomas, Abial, Orrin, John, Daniel,
Peggy and Deborah. From these eight sons descended the Bowman
families of this part of the county. Dennis married Jennie Cottle
and had eleven children. David G., their third son, born in 1814,
1050 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
married Caroline, daughter of Winthrop Hig-ht, and they had four
children : Jennie, Winthrop H., M. D., vScott (deceased), and Leslie E.
The last named is a farmer in Sidney. He married Rose, daughter
of John Reynolds, and they have two children : Blanche H. and
Winthrop H. M.
Isaac Bowman, son of Dennis and Jennie (Cottle) Bowman, was
born April 11, ISOS, was a farmer, and owned and occupied the farm
settled by his grandfather, Thomas Bowman, when he came to the
town. It is on this farm that the family burying lot is. Since his
death. May 16, 1890, his widow and eldest son have carried on the
farm. He married Phebe, daughter of Benjamin and Alice (Adams)
Richards. Of their eight children five are now living: Olive, Isaac N.,
Howard R., Henry Augustus and William E.
George F. Bowman, born in 1840, is one of two sons of Dennis and
Sophronia (Richards) Bowman, and grandson of Dennis and Jennie
(Cottle) Bowman. Mr. Bowman is a farmer, and in company with his
brother, Frank, carries on an extensive nursery business. He married
Jennie, daughter of David Bowman, and they have two sons: Fred R.
(a physician) and Arthur W.
Henry Augustus Bowman, farmer, son of Isaac Bowman, was born
in 1847, and married Albina S., daughter of George and Lydia (Wil-
bur) Bowman, and granddaughter of Elias Bowman. Their children
are: Maurice H., Alton, and two that died — Nora and Edna.
Nelson Bowman, son of David and Hannah (Cottle) Bowman, was
born in 1820, and is a farmer on the homestead of his father. He
married Julia, daughter of Thomas and Nancy (Cottle) Bowman.
Their only son, Martin, is deceased.
James D. Bragg, born in 1821, is a son of John and Betsey (Smith)
Bragg, and grandson of John and Molly (Brann) Bragg. Mr. Bragg
is a farmer on the place formerly occupied by his father and grand-
father. He has been postmaster at North Sidney since March, 1888.
He married Mrs. Sarah A. Bragg, daughter of Thomas J. and Abigail
T. (Remmick) Grant, and granddaughter of Joseph Grant. Their
children are : Evan H. and Mary G.
Caleb S. Bragg, son of John and Betsey (Smith) Bragg, born in
Sidney in 1824, went west when young, and has for many years been
an active member of the firm of Van Antwerp, Bragg & Co., the
most extensive publishers of school books in the world. This firm is
now a member of the corporation of publishers known as The Am-
erican Book Company, of which Mr. Bragg is president of the board
of directors.
Silas W. Bragg, born in 1833, is the ninth son of Shubael and
Thankful (Dinsmore; Bragg, and grandson of John Bragg, and is a
farmer on the homestead of his father. His first marriage was with
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1051
Sophronia Bowman, who died leaving four children : Ida, Edward,
Westley and Alvah. His present wife was Belinda Thomas.
Charles H. Burgess, harness maker and farmer, born in 1861, is
the only son of William M. and Abigail H. (Reynolds) Burgess. He
has been postmaster at Eureka since October, 1889, succeeding Nathan
W. Taylor, who had kept the office since it was first established. Mr.
Burgess married Susie B., daughter of Daniel Houghton. Then-
children are : Minnie A., Edna M., William H. and Ina M.
James B. Clark, youngest of seven children of Thomas and Ruth
(Cain) Clark, and grandson of Joseph Clark, was born in 1854, and
owns a part of the farm originally settled by his great-grandfather,
Thomas Clark. He married Hannah, daughter of Abijah Tufts.
Their children are : A. Logan and Clyde.
Thomas Clark, a native of England, came to Sidney from New
Hampshire, and was drowned while yet a young man. His eldest
son, Joseph, married Sally Pillsbury, and their children were: Thomas,
Joseph, Samuel, Jerome, William L., Sally, Almira, John and Samuel.
William L., the only survivor of the family, born in 1818, married
Lucinda, daughter of David Cain. She was born in 1823, and died
leaving four children ; Josephine M. (Mrs. A. B. Elliott), Sewall A.,
George E. and William A. Sewall A. married Emma, daughter of
David S. Whitehouse, and their children are : Amy M., Cecil W. and
Lena C.
Charles S. Cowan, born in 1830, is a son of Alfred and Tryphena
(Stewart) Cowan, and grandson of Isaac Cowan. He went to Iowa in
1856, and four years later to Colorado, where he was engaged in min-
ing until 1866, when he returned to Maine and has since been a
farmer. He married Climena, daughter of Robert and Mary Saw-
telle) Wells.
Frank S. Cowan, farmer, born in 1851, is a son of Marcellus N.
and Mary (Woodcock) Cowan, grandson of Isaac and great-grandson
of Isaac Cowan. He married Clara A., daughter of Dean Swift, and
their children are : Lillian P., F. Eugene, Ella C, Walter M., and two
that died— Minnie M. and Katie S.
Manson W. Cowan, born in 1847, is a son of Marcellus N. and Mary
(Woodcock) Cowan, and is a farmer on the two hundred acre home-
stead of his father and grandfather. He married Delia E., daughter
of Jonas M. Hammond, and their children are: Arthur H., Effie M.,
Willie W., Sadie E. and Amelia A.
Alphonso S. Davenport, born in 1837, is a son of Jonathan and
Lydia (Dyer) Davenport, the former a descendant from Jonathan Dav-
enport, who settled in Chelsea, Me., in 1762, being the fourth in lineal
descent from Thomas Davenport, who came to Dorchester, Mass.,
about 1640. Alphonso S. has lived in Sidney and followed farming,
with the exception of three years spent in Colorado. He married
1052 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Harriet A. daughter of Samuel Cottle. She died in 1884. Their
children were: Lemuel L., Gracie L., Arthur B., Orrin H. and JosieS.
(deceased).
Jovan O. Drummond, born in 1836, is one of three sons of Alber
and Harriet (Taylor) Drummond, grandson of Ruthiford and Re-
becca (Davies) Drummond, and great-grandson of Rev. Ruthiford
Drummond, who came to Phippsburgh, Me., from the North of Ire-
land. Mr. Drummond is a farmer, and in 18G8 bought the old Bacon
farm, where he now lives. He married Climenia W., daughter of
Avery Shorey. Their children are: Ada M. (Mrs. Herbert A. Young),
Arthur T. and Albert M.
Augu.stus N. Dyer is the only surviving son of Moses and Nancy
(Blackman) Dyer, grandson of Jonathan and Lydia (Bacon) Dyer, and
great-grandson of Benjamin Dyer, who came to Sidney from Cape
Elizabeth, and was the first of the name to settle in Sidney. Augus-
tus N. is a farmer and, with his parents, occupies the homestead where
his father was born in 1808. He has two sisters: Mary L. (Mrs. Swift)
and Annie N. (Mrs. Albert H. Black).
Nathaniel Farnham, born in 1745, died May 10, 1844, and his wife,
Betsey, were the parents of Moses Farnham (1792-1873), who married
Martha Shaw, and in 1830 came to Sidney, where he was a farmer. Of
his seven children three only are living: Emeline P., married Henry
Bowman, who died in 1854, leaving one son, Henry C; Horatio, born
in 1832, married Georgiana, daughter of John R. Philbrick, and has
one son, Horace G.; and Josephine, the youngest, married JosiahSoule,
who was three years in the late war in Company A, 20th Maine, and
is now a farmer. Nathaniel Farnham served in the revolutionary war
seven years, and Moses Farnham served in the war of 1812.
The Faught Family. — Philip Faughf, who emigrated to this
country from a point on the Rhine in Germany, landed in Boston in
1751. In 1756 he came to Dresden, Me., where a German colony was
located. Frederick', one of his sons, came to America with the family
and settled on the Kennebec in Sidney, where he spent the remainder
of his life.
Here, in 1786, his son Frederick' was born. He, like his father,
followed the vocation of a farmer. He settled on the " middle road,"
one mile south of Bacon's Corner, where he raised his family and
spent the remainder of his life, which terminated m 1861. He mar-
ried Susan, daughter of Marlborough Packard, of Union, Mass., and
granddaughter of Nathan and Martha D. (.Perkins) Packard. Nathan
was a son of Solomon Packard, born 1689, and grandson of Zaccheus,
whose father, Samuel Packard, came from England with his wife and
settled in Hingham, Mass., in 1638.
The ten children of Frederick and Susan (Packard) Faught were:
two that died in infancv, Marlboro P., Frederic, Luther R., Lemuel
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1053
Porter, Albert, George N., Caroline P. and Frances Ann. Marlboro
P., deceased, was a merchant in Augusta, Me. Frederick, deceased,
was a farmer in his native town. He left an only son, Ray C. Luther
R., at an early age, went to Atlanta, Ga., where he was a successful
manufacturer for several years. The civil war swept away his for-
tunes, and he removed with his family to Philadelphia, Pa., where he
now resides. His business in the latter city has been the manufacture
of car wheels. He has invented many useful devices, among them
the " Faught increase contraction chill," which is regarded by rail-
road men to be one of the most important improvements to rolling
stock made in many years, increasing the safety and strength and de-
creasing the cost of car wheels. Luther R. has two sons: George
Granville Faught, M. D., and Dr. L. Ashley, who is a prominent den-
tist in Philadelphia, where he is a member of several dental and lit-
erary societies, and is a well known contributor to literature on den-
tistry. Lemuel Porter, decea.sed, was a straw goods manufacturer of
Foxboro, Mass. Albert is a farmer and owns and occupies the home-
stead in Sidney, shown in the accompanying illustration. He has two
sons— Herman A. and Frank W.— and four daughters. The two
daughters, unmarried, reside in Foxboro, Mass.
George N., the youngest son, left his native town before attaining
his majority, to seek his fortune in the active business world. He
learned the trade of a tailor in Boston, where he has since followed
the business successfully. He is now located at No. 58 Winter street,
as the senior partner of the tailoring firm of Faught & Hovey. Mr.
Faught, by his untiring energy and unswerving integrity, has gained
for himself an enviable reputation and competency in the city of his
adoption. He now finds time each year to visit Europe, and is often
accompanied by some member of the family as his invited guest. He
has never quite forgotten his native town, and his interest in their
success and development has often been shown in a substantial
manner.
Edward Allen Field, born in 1819, is a son of Obediah and Ruth
(Allen) Field, and grandson of Zachariah Field. He is a farmer on
the place bought of Turner Fish by his father, who died there in
1848, aged fifty-seven years. Mrs. Field is Judith P., daughter of
David G. and granddaughter of Jethro Weeks. Their children were:
David A., Charles A. and Ada W., who died.
Willard A. Field, born in 1837, is a son of George and Ann (Under-
wood) Field, and grandson of Stephen Field, who came to Sidney from
Falmouth, Me., in 1800. Mr. Field is a farmer on the homestead of
his father. He married Ann M., daughter of Calvin and Caroline
(Baker) Reynolds. Their children were: Bennie U. (deceased) and
George W.
1054 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Ozni G. Gardner came to Sidney from Cumberland, Me., in 1P45,
and with his mother settled on the west part of the Smiley farm,
where he is a farmer. His mother, Hannah R., daughter of Ozni
and Mariam i,Hall) Harris, died in 1884, aged eighty years.
Calvin Graves, born in 1838, in Vienna, is a son of Gerry and Mary
(Mooers) Graves, and grandson of Jacob Graves. He was in Califor-
nia from 1860 until 1867, and in the fall of the latter year came to
Sidney and bought the two hundred acre farm where he now lives.
He married Maria, daughter of Timothy Mooers, and granddaughter
of Nathaniel Mooers. Their children are: Eugene G., Charles A.,
Helen M., George M. and Grace A.
Henry Allen Hallett, a farmer of Sidney, born in 1836, is the
youngest of seven children of Solomon and Joanna (Scudder) Hallett,
and grandson of Solomon Hallett. He served nine months in the
late war. He married Annie C, daughter of Nathan S. and Emeline
W. (Crowell) Townsend, and granddaughter of Dodivah Townsend.
She was born in 1834. Their three children are: Martha L., Ella M.
and Percy D.
Charles C. Hamlen, born in 1823, died February 29, 1892, was a
son of Thomas and Barbara (Burgess) Hamlen, and grandson of Cap-
tain Benjamin Hamlen. Thomas Hamlen came to Sidney from Fal-
mouth, Mass., and in 1838 settled on the farm where Charles C.'s
family now reside. Charles C. married Judith A., daughter of Joseph,
and granddaughter of Alexander Smiley. Their children were:
Joseph H., Charles T., Abbie M. (Mrs. Munsey, deceased), George H.,
Elmer L. and Edith A. (deceased).
Carlos Hammond. — The subject of this sketch was born in Sidney
March 17, 1825. His father, Paul Hammond, was a native of Barn-
stable county, Mass., where his father, also named Paul, was one of
the early seafaring men. The family is of English origin, and emi-
grated to this country at an early period. Paul Hammond' married
Anna Davis and had a number of children. Of these Paul Ham-
mond' removed from Barnstable county in early manhood and pur-
chased a farm in the western portion of Sidney. Several other mem-
bers of the family also located in Maine, another one settled at Hud-
son, N. Y., still another in Canada East, while others of the family re-
mained in Barnstable county and " followed the sea."
Paul Hammond, the father of Carlos, passed the whole of a long
and useful life on the old farm in West Sidney, now occupied by his
son, Jonas M. Hammond. Here he engaged in cultivating about two
hundred acres of land and .sustained a reputation in the town as a man
of high character, great earnestness of purpose and of the utmost in-
teo-rity. He filled all the town offices of vSidney and in 1856 repre-
sented his district in the state legiislature. He also served as a jus-
tice of the peace. In religious matters he affiliated with the Calvinist
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1055
Baptist church. He married, on January 6, 1813, Catharine, daughter
of Jonas and Susanna (Dagget) Mason, who came from Massachusetts
at an early day. The fruits of this union were: Abner D., born De-
cember 6, 1815, died October 6, 1816; Isaac A., born August 12, 1816,
residing in Sidney; Abner, born February 25, 1819, residing in Bel-
grade; Susanna A. (Mrs. Enos Cummings), born March 25, 1821, died
October 14, 1847; Lydia F. (Mrs. Jotham Sawtelle), born February 7,
1823, died March 23, 1847; Carlos, the subject of this sketch: Jonas M.,
born April 13, 1827, residing on the old homestead in Sidney, and who
filled the office of selectman in Sidney for several years; Betsey M.,
born August 6, 1829, married Abner Piper, resides at Canton, 111., and
has three sons living. Paul Hammond, the father of this large family
of children, was born January 6, 1788, and died October 22, 1867. His
wife, Catharine, was born August 3, 1788, and died October 3, 1867.
Carlos Hammond, together with his father, Paul, and brother,
Isaac, filled the office of treasurer and collector of the town of Sidney
for about forty years.
Carlos Hammond resided on the paternal farm, attending the dis-
trict school of his neighborhood through his earlier years, which were
attended only by the ordinary experiences of a farmer's boy — hard
work on the farm, with such morsels of knowledge as he was able to
secure at the district school. After coming of age, while he continued
to reside with his parents, he branched out for himself, working on
the neighboring farms during the busy season, engaging in grafting
trees and in any form of legitimate speculation that presented itself.
On February 11, 1866, he married Laura A., daughter of Ithiel
and Lydia (Clark) Gordon. Ithiel Gordon was born in the town of
Readfield, but passed the greater portion of his life in New Sharon,
where he engaged in farmung, and reared a family of eight children,
most of whom still reside in that locality. He was one of the most
highly esteemed and useful citizens of New Sharon. After his mar-
riage Carlos Hammond bought the old Bacon farm at what was long
known as Bacon's Corner, now Centre Sidney, and in the fall of 1866
erected a store at that place, where he has since engaged continuously
in the mercantile business. In connection with this he has continued
to cultivate his farm of about one hundred acres.
Mr. Hammond is known and recognized in vSidney as one of the
most substantial and successful of her citizens. Early imbued with
the principles of the democratic party, he has from early manhood
identified himself with its local councils and has been a recognized
leader in his town. Never seeking for political office, he has never-
theless occupied the responsible position of town treasurer and col-
lector, filling the office with ability and integrity. He commands the
respect and esteem of the citizens of Sidney, and in his declining
1056 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
years is enjoying, with his wife and children, the garnered fruits of
an industrious life.
The children of Carlos and Laura A. Hammond were: William
Arthur, born May 31, 1867; Laura Alice, born May 21, 1869, died Oc-
tober 7, 1887; and Howard Carlos, born March 4, 1879. The two sons
reside with their parents on the home place.
Jonas M. Hammond, born in 1827, is a son of Paul and Catherine
(Mason) Hammond, and grandson of Captain Paul Hammond, who
came to Sidney from Massachusetts and settled the farm where Jonas
M. now lives. The latter married Esther E. Wheeler, who died leav-
ing four children: Susan A. (Mrs. Rufus Beane), Isaac A., Delia E.
(Mrs. Manson W. Cowan) and Jonas M., jun.
Matthew Hastings was a son of Moses and Elizabeth (Marsh)
Hastings. His maternal grandfather was John Marsh, who settled in
Sidney in 1763, where he died in 1802, aged eighty-five years. Mat-
thew Hastings was a resident of Calais, Me., and was collector of cus-
toms, representative and state senator from there. His first wife was
Rebecca Gillmor. Three of their four children are now living: Gor-
ham K., Edgar P. and Anna M. His second wife was Ann Cutter.
Their children now living are: Simon C, Frank P., George O., Jennie
C. and Mary D. Simon C. married Ellen Faught, and is a farmer.
Gorham K. is also a farmer, occupying the homestead of his great-
grandfather Marsh. His first wife was Lucinda Park, who died leav-
ing three daughters: Carrie A., Sadie P. and Grace B. His present
wife is Lydia A., sister of his first wife.
Stephen R. Herrin, son of Samuel and Mahala (Rines) Herrin, was
born in Augusta in 1841. He was one year in the war as attendant to
Doctor Colby, and in December, 1863, he enlisted in the 2d Maine
Cavalry, Company L, and served until December, 1865. He is now a
mechanic and farmer, and has lived on the Chase homestead in Sid-
ney since 1869. He married Etta Watts. Their children are: George
F., Horace E., Annie M. and Jennie M.
Atwood F. Jones, born at Mercer, Me., in 1822, is a son of Na-
thaniel and grandson of Thomas Jones. He came to Sidney in 1849,
and was a farmer and teacher until 1872; since that time he has been
dealer in nursery stock. He married S. Augusta, daughter of Moses
Sawtelle. She died leaving four children: Leslie M., Laforest A.,
Isabelle S. (Mrs. Almond Young) and Lucine A., who keeps house for
her father.
Charles Kelley, born in 1807, and died in 1880, was a son of John
Wing and Content (Hoxie) Kelley, who came to Kennebec county in
1800, at which time their family consisted of four children, to whom
were added six more after settling here. He married Judith, daughter
of Captain Peter Paddack, who came to Sidney from Nantucket, Mass.,
in 1826. Their children are: Mary P., Alexander P., Charles H., Avis
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1057
S., William L., Sophia C. and Eunice B. Mrs. Kelley now lives with
her daughter, Avis S. (Mrs. Gustavus Sawtelle).
Charles H. Kelley, one of seven children of Charles Kelley, was
born in 1834, and is a farmer on the homestead of his father and of
his maternal grandfather, Captain Peter Paddack. He married Har-
riet R., daughter of David Button. She died leaving four children:
Mary L. (Mrs. Arthur H. Smiley), Frank L., Eugenia F. and Bessie M.
Rev. Henry Sewall Loring, A. M. — The subject of this sketch
was born in a log cabin near the banks of the Piscataquis, in the town
of Guilford, Me., February 19, 1819. He was the eighth of the nine
children, and the fourth of the five sons of Bezaleel and Lydia (Has-
kell) Loring, and the great-grandson of Rev. Nicholas Loring, second
pastor of the first Congregational church of North Yarmouth, Me.
From the latter and his brother, Thomas, generally descended all of
those who bear the name of Loring in Maine, and perhaps nearly all
in New England.
Our subject was reared on the humble homestead of his father with
the usual vicissitudes of farm life. His father, a native of North
Yarmouth, Me., moved to Guilford— then called by its plantation
name, Lowtown, after one of its earliest settlers. Elder Low — in the
year 1814, his being the eighteenth family among the new settlers.
For several years the seasons were cold, the crops stinted, and it was
a hard struggle to support so large and growing family as that of
Bezaleel Loring. The year 1816 was remarkable for its snow storms
in June, no roads existed, and the nearest mill, fifteen miles distant,
could only be reached by a line of spotted trees.
Young Loring's mother was a native of New Gloucester, Me., the
daughter of John Haskell, who emigrated from Old Gloucester, Mass.,
at an early day, the family being of Puritan origin. Mrs. Loring was
one of a family of fourteen children. She and her husband early em-
braced and made public confession of the Christian faith. She was
possessed of considerable personal beauty and great dignity, of strong
constitution, and full of all charitableness. She lived to an advanced
age, herself and her twin brother outliving all the rest of their family,
and dying within a brief period of each other, at the age of ninety-
one years.
Amid such surroundings, and born of such parents, young Loring
derived his first experiences in life. His early school advantages were
meager and the lamp by which his evening lessons were prepared was
the pine knots in the large open fireplace of the old home. Having
laid a suitable foundation, he at the age of nineteen was placed in
charge of a school, comprising sixty pupils, within five miles of his
birthplace. About this time his father died, and soon after young
Loring, animated and encouraged by the example of an elder brother,
who was himself preparing for the Gospel ministry, turned his atten-
1058 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tion in the same direction, and having completed his education at
Foxcroft Academy and Bangor Classical School, entered Bowdoin Col-
lege, and was subsequently graduated in the class of 1843. This class
comprised among its forty-eight members a large number of men,
who, in later years, achieved prominence in religious and literary cir-
cles, and was greatly benefitted by the influence, learning and instruc-
tion of the eminent president of the college. Dr. Leonard Woods.
After his graduation Mr. Loring engaged in teaching school at
Brownville, Corinna and Shapleigh, Maine, serving either as super-
visor of schools, or as one of the school committee in almost every
town in which he was located, and being appointed trustee of the
Monson Academy, Maine.
In 1843 he entered Bangor Theological Seminary, completing his
course in 1846. On leaving the seminary, after acting as supply in
another place for a few months, he was called to the church in Am-
herst and Aurora, Me., continuing nine and one-half years, severing
his relation of his own volition, but with great reluctance. After
supplying the churches in Durham and Lisbon Falls, Monmouth
Centre and Monson, in all of which places he had interesting fields of
labor, he was recalled to Amherst and Aurora, remaining this time
seven years, and completing at that place a ministry of sixteen
years, being more than double the length of time that any other
minister has acted as pastor, either before or since, at those places.
He was next called to Phippsburgh, Me., where he enjoyed in the home
of sea captains and their kind families a pleasant and successful pas-
torate of five years, of which he still has many very tender recollec-
tions.
Mr. Loring subsequently took up his residence at Winthrop, Me.,
and afterward moved to Centre Sidney, Me., where he now resides
with his only daughter, the wife of Doctor DriscoU, a practicing physi-
cian, of that place. He still devotes much of his time to pastoral and
Sabbath-school work and enjoys, in his declining years, the realiza-
tion of the fact that he has during his long life done all that he could
for the development and' advancement of mankind, as opportunity
has been afforded him. His life has been characterized by great sin-
gleness of purpose, earnest persistency, untiring effort, and a humble
reliance on the Divine blessing.
Charles H. Lovejoy, farmer, born in 1833, is the eldest .son of Na-
hum and Pheba D. (Miller) Lovejoy, grandson of Frank and Betsey
Lovejoy, and great-grandson of Abial Lovejoy, who was born in 1731,
in England, married Abigail Brown of Massachussets, and in 1778
came to Sidney, where he died in 1810. His father, Hezekiah, was a
son of Christopher and grandson of John Lovejoy. Air. Lovejoy has
held the office of selectman twelve years, and has been messenger in
the state senate since 1878. He married Olive C. Knowles, and has
*v \
T
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1059
three children : Lizzie R. (Mrs. Lindley H. Wyman), Etta E. and
Susie E.
Sewall S. C. Lovejoy, born in 1820, was a son of William and Sophia
(Thatcher) Lovejoy, grandson of Nathaniel and great-grandson of
Abial Lovejoy. He was in the late war in Company A, 7th Maine,
from January, 1864, until its close, although his field service closed at
the Battle of the Wilderne.ss, where he was wounded. He was a far-
mer in Sidney until his death in 1888. He married Pamela, a daugh-
ter of John and Pheba (Burden) Page, and granddaughter of Reuben
Page. Their three children— Clarence F., Ella P. and Julia E.— are
all deceased. Clarence F. left one daughter, Ada P.
Ernest G. Lyon, farmer, born in 1865, is a son of Tabor Lyon. His
mother is Aurelia C, daugter of William Burden.
William P. Marble, born in 1854, is a son of Barnard and Sabra S.
(Baker) Marble, and grandson of Barnard Marble, who was a ship-
builder at East Greenwich, R. L, and from there came to Sidney,
where he was a farmer. William P. was adopted by his uncle, Cap-
tain James Sherman, and lived with him until the latter's death in
1890. He was a partner with Captain Sherman in the mercantile busi-
ness until 1882, when he succeeded to the business which he now car-
ries on. He married Georgia, daughter of Royal Wentworth.
Charles E. Merrill', born in 1831, is a son of John', grandson of
Cutting": his ancestral line was through Edmund', John", DanieP and
Nathaniel Merrill', who came from Salisbury, England, to Newbury,
Mass., in 1633. In 1807 Cutting' came from Falmouth, Mass., to Sidney
and bought of Flint Barton the farm where he spent the remainder of
his life. John MerrilT held the offices of county commissioner, represen-
tative, selectman sixteen years, and postmaster at North Sidney. His
wife was Pamela Baker, and of their five children three are now
living: John H., Charles E. and William. The oldest and youngest are
residents of Des Moines, Iowa, and Charles E. owns and occupies the
homestead of his. grandfather.
Elbridge G. Morrison, born in 1812, is a son of Joseph and Abbie
(Wallace) Morrison, and grandson of William Morrison. In 1844 Mr.
Morrison came to Sidney, where he is a farmer on the place origin-
ally settled by Jonas Sawtelle. He married Amanda, daughter of
Asa C. Sawtelle. She died, leaving two sous: Frank G. and Albert S.
Charles A. Nash, born in 1843, is a son of Solomon, grandson of
Joseph, and great-grandson of Peter Nash, who came to Sidney from
Abington, Mass., in 1810, and died here in 1824, aged eighty-four. He
was a revolutionary soldier, and he bought of Eli Foster the farm
where J. Emery Nash now lives. Charles A. Nash is a mechanic,
though he is now at home caring for his aged parents. He has one
brother, George B., and one si.ster, Olive Nash.
J. Emery Nash, born in 1849, is a son of Jcseph, grandson of Joseph,
1060 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
and great-grandson of Peter Nash. His mother is Catherine, daugh-
ter of John, and granddaughter of Keene Robinson, who came to Sid-
ney from Massachusetts, and settled on the farm where the Friends'
meeting house now stands. Mr. Nash is of the fourth generation of
his family to own the home farm, which he has occupied with his
mother since his father's death in 1866. He has one sister, Lucy N.
Gilbert B. Reynolds, born in 1832, is a son of Calvin [1799-1888),
and grandson of Nathaniel Reynolds. His mother was Carolme,
daughter of Captain Shubael Baker, who came to Sidney from Cape
Cod, Mass. Mr. Reynolds is a farmer on the Lucas Ballard farm,
where he has lived since 1860. He first married Rosalina, daughter
of Lucas Ballard. His second wife was Rose, daughter of Stephen
Bickford.
Mulford B. Reynolds, born in 1843, is a son of Calvin and Caroline
(Baker) Reynolds, and is a farmer on his father's homestead. He
served in the civil war from August, 1862, to July, 1865, in Company
C, 1st Maine Cavalry, and spent about six months in Andersonville
prison. He married Ella F., daughter of Henry M. and Annie (Ken-
ney) Leighton, and their children are: Alonzo C, Caroline M., Irene
M. and E. Mary S.
Stilman S. Reynolds, born in 1818, is a son of Timothy and Sylvina
(Thayer) Reynolds, and grandson of Timothy Reynolds, who, with his
brothers, Nathaniel, Thomas and David, came from Brockton, Mass.
Thomas settled in Winslowand the others in Sidney. Stilman S. Rey-
nolds is a farmer and mechanic, has worked on the river twenty years
and carried the mail eight years from Sidney to Riverside. He mar-
ried Mary, daughter of Israel Folsom, born in Industry, Me. Their
daughter, Alice V., is now Mrs. Fred. W. Costelo.
Oliver C. Robbins, born in 1817, a son of Clark and Feare (Ham-
mond) Robbins, was a butcher, farmer and lumberman. Since his
death, in 1891, his youngest son and widow have carried on the farm.
He married Mary W., daughter of George Weeks, and their children
were: George C, S. Bertha, Laura C. and Edwin E.
Bradford Sawtelle, the only survivor of eleven children of John and
Thankful (^Robbins) Sawtelle, was born in 1811, and is a farmer on a
part of h'is father's homestead. He married Mary A. Snell, who died,
leaving two children: Madison P. and Mary (deceased). His present
wife is Mairy A., daughter of Henry Crawford. Their children are:
Gustavus, John H., vSarah E. (Mrs. W. A. Tanner), Dora M. (Mrs. E.G.
Stores) and Cinnie.
De Merritt L. Sawtelle, born in 1837, is one of ten children of Asa
C. and Elizabeth B. (Abbott) Sawtelle, and grandson of Nathan Saw-
telle. Mr. Sawtelle is a farmer on the homestead of his father and
grandfather, and devotes considerable attention to breeding and
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1061
training horses. He married Ellen A., daughter of Franklin Wood-
cock, and they have one daughter, Addie E.
Luther Sawtelle, one of a numerous family reared by John Saw-
telle, who came to Sidney from Groton, Mass., was born in 1800 and
died in 1872. In 1824 he purchased the farm now known as Pleasant
Plain Farm. The next year he married Vesta, daughter of Ambrose
Howard, of Winslow. They reared seven children, three of whom
are now living : Ambrose, Mary H., widow of the late Daniel H.
Church, of Augusta, and George B., a physician in Maiden, Mass. The
second son, Cyrus H., who died at the age of thirty-four, left three
children, now living. Ambrose, who owns the homestead, married
Mrs. Angelia M. Woodbury, daughter of Reuben Burgess. She left
two sons: George H. Woodbury, a dentist at Leominster, Mass., and
Ralph Howard Sawtelle. Ambro.se Sawtelle married, for his second
wife, Phebe W., daughter of Paul Wing. She has one son, Donald
W., and one daughter, Cora Ethel vSawtelle.
George S. Shaw, farmer, born in Lincoln, Me., in I860, is a son of
H. M. and Cordelia (Smith) Shaw, and grandson of Harrison Shaw.
He married Rose Emma, daughter of James L. Farnum, and they
have one daughter, Helen B.
Paul T. Stevens, born at Topsham, Me., in 1800, is the eldest of
twelve children of Caleb and Sarah (Thomas) Stevens, and grandson
of Bartholamew, whose grandfather was Alexander Stevens. Mr.
Stevens came to Sidney in 1829, and eight years later succeeded Major
Abram Brackett as owner of the farm where he has since lived. His
first wife was Maria H., daughter of Major Abram Brackett, and of
their four children only one is living — Caleb Alton. His present wife
is Mary, daughter of John Richardson, of Belgrade. They have had
three children: Julia A., deceased; Seriah, a physician, and Arthur D.,
a farmer with his father.
Charles L. Swift, farmer, son of Rufus and Nancy B. (Nash) Swift,
was born in 1854. In 1889 he bought the Abram Heath farm, where
he has since lived. He married Mabel Bickford.
George D. Swift, born in 1848, is a son of Dean and Catherine
(Hanson) Swift. Mr. Swift, in 1876, bought the 165 acre farm near
where his father lived. He married Clara A., daughter of Lewis and
Olive R. (Smith) Sawtelle, and granddaughter of Elijah Sawtelle.
They have two sons: Willis E. and Lewis D.
John H. Swift, born in 1852, is one of seven children of Dean and
Catherine (Hanson) Swift, and grandson of Elnathan and Mary (Lord)
Swift. He is a farmer on the two hundred acre farm where his father
lived from 1850 until his death. He married Annie, daughter of
Albert Gray, and their children are: Hattie B., Merton H. and
Ernest B.
67
1062 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Rufus Swift, born in 1816, is a son of Elnathan and Mary (Lord)
Swift, and grandson of Enoch, who came from Massachusetts to Wayne
in 1795, and later to Winthrop. Elnathan, his son, resided there until
1831, when he came to Sidney and bought the farm of one hundred
acres where Rufus now lives. The latter married Rosetta T. Dyer,
who died leaving one son, Norris R. His second wife, Nancy B. Nash,
left three children: Lizzie E. (deceased), Laura (Mrs. Turner A. Barr)
and Charles L. His present wife was Clara E. Jones, and their chil-
dren are: Ina M. (Mrs. Bertelle L. Taylor), Maud N., Eddie L. and
Etta B.
William A. Tanner, son of Gardiner W. and Betsey (Marble) Tan-
ner, was born in Moosup, Conn., in 1842. He came to Sidney in 1849,
where he lived with his uncle and aunt. Captain and Mrs. James Sher-
man. He was several years in a store with Captain Sherman, and
since 1870 he has been a farmer on the farm .settled byAbial Lovejoy '
in 1778. He married Sarah E., daughter of Bradford Sawtelle, and
their children are: Clarence Lincoln, Edwin B. and Storer.
Bertelle L. Taylor, born in 1867, is the younger of two sons of
Nathan W. and Emma (Turner) Taylor, grandson of Nathan and Me-
linda (Blaisdellj Taylor, and great-grandson of Samuel, 'whose father,
John Taylor, came to Vassalboro from Massachusetts. Bertelle L.
occupies, with his grandparents, their homestead, and is a farmer.
He married Ina M., daughter of Rufus Swift, and they have one
daughter, Emma C.
Orlando A. Tolman, born in 1824, is a son of Thomas (1780-1875)
and Olive (Steadman) Tolman, and grandson of Samuel Tolman, who
came from Massachusetts to Augusta in 1762. Thomas Tolman bought
a farm in Sidney in 1807. Orlando A. went to North Vassalboro in
1845, where he was several years engaged in manufacturing, after
which he came to Sidney, where he is engaged in farming. He mar-
ried Maria, daughter of Phineas Shorey. Their children are: Willie
C, Lenora M. and Alton M.
Daniel R. Townsend, born in 18B2, is the youngest of six children
of Daniel and Mary (Bradbury) Townsend and grandson of Dodivah
Townsend. Mr. Townsend is a farmer on the 150 acre farm where
his father died in 1833, aged fifty-one years. He married Climenia,
daughter of Asa Webber. She died leaving one daughter, Climenia.
James F. Warren, son of Ethel and Jeremine (Pool) Warren, was
born in 1836 at Buckfield, Me. His father came to Sidney in 1838, and
in 1842 bought the farm where James F. now lives. The latter mar-
ried Lydia A., a daughter of Jonathan Davenport.
George H. Weeks, born in 1838, is one of four children of George
(1795-1872) and grandson of Joshua Weeks. His mother was Keziah
Baker. Mr. Weeks is a farmer on the place where his father settled
when he came to Sidney from Dartmouth, Mass., in May, 1824. Mrs.
TOWN OF SIDNEY. 1063
Weeks was Ellen B., daughter of Albert Drummond. They have one
son, Eugene C.
Jethro Weeks came from Plymouth, Mass., to Sidney in 17SS or
1789. He married Penalope Gorham, of Norway, Me., and their chil-
dren v/ere: Rebecca, Abigail, Eliza, Polly, Lydia, Freelove, Penalope,
Charles and David G. The latter married Lydia Smith, of Sidney.
Their children were: Levi A., Judith, Electa, Lucinda, Jethro and
Henry. Levi A., the eldest, was born in 1819, married Mary Irene,
daughter of Nathaniel Tibbetts, of Belgrade. Their children are:
Gustavus, Gorham, Lizzie and Delwin L. Delwin L., with his sister
and parents, occupies the farm settled by Jethro more than a century
ago.
George F. Wixson, born in 1841, in Sidney, is a son of James and
Lydia (Rollins) Wixson, and grandson of Shubael Wixson. His father
was born in 1813 and his mother in 1816. They had ten children.
George F. entered the federal army December 2, 1861, serving until
July 28, 1864, in 5th Maine Battery, Light Artillery. Since the war he
has been a farmer. He married Lucy A., daughter of Stephen S.
Mor.se. Their children are: Frank A. and Mabel G.
Beriah L. Woodward, born in 1843, i^ a son of Lemuel H. and
Eunice (Ward) Woodward, grandson of Timothy and Sarah (Mott)
Woodward, and great-grandson of Noah Woodward, who came when
a young man from Taunton, Mass., to Augusta, and later to Sidney,
and settled on the farm where Beriah L. now lives. Mr. Woodward
has one brother, Joseph T., who lives in West Sidney, and a sister,
Lois E., who lives at the old homestead with her brother. Mr. Wood-
ward married Lydia E. Blaisdell, and has two sons: Addison J. and
Walt. Wert.
Howard B. Wyman, born in 1824, is a son of Levi (1781-1860) and
grandson of Jonathan and Margaret (Howard) Wyman, who came to
Sidney from Massachusetts in 1780 and settled just north of Bacon's
Corner. Mr. Wyman's mother was Paulena Bean. He owns and
occupies the farm of Rev. Asa Wilbur, who was a Calvinistic Baptist
preacher. He married Maria Atkinson, who died leaving seven chil-
dren: Ellen Maria (decased), John H., Lindley H., Sadie A. (deceased),
Nellie M. (Mrs. Frank E. Morrison), Elwood T.and Jo.sephine C. His
second wife is Esther, daughter of Zacheus Wing. Their children are:
Mabel N. and Albert E.
CHAPTER XLI.
TOWN OF OAKLAND.
Genealogy. — Water Power. — Natural Features.— Settlers. — Dams. — Mills and
Manufactories. — Traders. — Post Office. — Hotels. — Banks.— Electric Light
Company. — Memorial Hall. — Societies.— Civil History.— Churches. — Ceme-
teries.— Personal Paragraphs.
OAKLAND, like a woman still vigorous after her fifth marriage,
is now known by her sixth family name. When a wild Indian
child her maiden name was Tacconet. Her first batch of white
immigrants, while living under the regime of squatter sovereignty,
aspired to the name of Kingsfield. At length, the Kingsfields, wish-
ing to enjoy the benefits of a more enlarged and definite civil polity,
became incorporated as a town in 1771, with the honored and more
Americanized name of Winslow. After thirty-one years of prosperity
and increase the Winslow children living west of the Kennebec
river, proposed a division of the old homestead, and separate house-
keeping. Effecting a peaceable secession, they were incorporated in
1802, as Waterville, whose territory was enlarged about 1840 by sev-
eral square miles from Dearborn, when that town was divided among
its adjacent neighbors, and ceased to exist.
For more than two generations the Watervillians managed their
affairs with mutual agreement. But when the settlement on the river
grew to be more important, and the manufactories at West Waterville
created another center of activity and trade, questions of taxation
produced a feeling of remonstrance in the western section, until West
Waterville was incorporated as a town in 1873. In 1883, the name
both of the town and of the post office was changed from West Water-
ville to Oakland.
This portion of old Winslow was noted from the first for the
abundance and variety of its forest productions, for the richness of its
soil, the absence of troublesome quantities of stone, and for the favor-
able lay of the land for farming purposes. But the chiefest gift in
Oakland's possession — its pride and its glory — has been and will be its
unrivaled water power. Situated at the gateway of Messalonskee
lake, through it pour the surplus waters of a drainage shed of 185
square miles, one-fourth of whose area is covered by magnificent
reservoir lakes, ponds and connecting streams, and who.se combined
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1065
length is over fifty miles. This outlet, long known as Emerson's
stream, is remarkable for its volume, its constancy and its tempera-
ture. No equal area in Maine furnishes so much surplus water at the
dry seasons; and its flood tide raises the stream but three feet. It
comes from the lake so warm that no ice troubles the water wheels in
the coldest winters. Valuable as these qualities are, the grandest
value is that this ever-flowing stream, compactly held by banks and
a bed of rock, has a fall of nearly one hundred feet in one mile,
which reaches 110 feet in two miles. By general concession this is, of
its magnitude, the finest water power in the state — if not in New
England. Not one-fourth of it is used. At one single plunge the
stream drops forty-four feet — and this amazing power runs utterly to
waste. The opportunity for a city is here, with sure rewards to capi-
tal and enterprise.
Material from which to give names of the earliest settlers of the
Oakland end of old Winslow is exceedingly scant. It is pretty well
established that a company of hunters, some of them from Canada,
were the first comers. Among them were some by the name of Em-
erson, who liked this section so well they staid here ; the outlet of
the lake taking and still retaining their family name.
We are able to give the following list of names of men who lived
in that part of old Winslow that is now Oakland, in 1791 : Ensign
Thomas Bates, David, Moody, Live and Manoah Crowell, Lemuel
Crowell, Asa Emerson, the surveyor and mill builder ; Solomon and
Elisha Hallett, Elijah Smith, Jonathan Combs and John Farrin.
The following were here sixty to ninety years ago : Daniel Emer-
son, Jonathan Combs, Cyrus Wheeler, Baxter and Hiram Crowell,
Watson and Elisha Hallett, Elijah and George Gleason, Benjamin,
Philip and Joseph Hersom, Asa, Peter and John Libby, Samuel, Ben-
jamin and James Witham, Seth and Isaac Gage, Isaiah, Ephraim and
Eben Holmes, Benjamin Corson, Reuben Hersey, Samuel Wade,
Leonard and John Cornforth, Asa and William Lewis, Thomas Cook,
William Wyman, Thomas McFarlin, Benjamin Soule, Dexter and
Sanford Pullen, Eben Moore, James and Reuben Shores, Reuben
Ricker, Michael Ellis, William Marsten, Charles Dingley, and S.
Penney and Seth Getchell — two revolutionary soldiers.
A strip of land on the east side of the Richardson and McGrath
ponds, with the inhabitants thereon, now a part of Oakland, was
transferred as follows: "An act to annex Benjamin Corson and others
to the town of Waterville approved, Feb. 10, 1815. Be it Enacted by
the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Mas-
sachusetts ; that Benjamin Corson, Robert Hussey, Jonathan Nelson,
Samuel Wade, Henry Richardson, 3d, Ebenezer Holmes, Thomas
Gleason, Thomas McGrath, Spencer Taylor, Alvin Thayer, Abner
Young, and Asa Young, with their families and estates, be and are
1066 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
hereby set off from the town of Dearborn, and annexed to the town
of AVaterville."
According to a survey and map made by John Crosby in 1802, the
following persons lived on the lots indicated by number in that part
of Waterville now Oakland: Samuel and Moody Crowell, on lot No.
1; Elisha Hallett, 2; Solomon Heald, .3; Baxter Crowell, 4; Joshua
Morey, 5: Samuel Moray, 6; Jabez Hall, 7; Peltiah Penney, 11; Sam-
uel Avery, 12; Aaron Fall, 13; Nehemiah Penney, 14; John Penney,
15; William Ellis, 16; Joel Richardson, 17; Henry Kenny, also on lot
No. 17: Nathaniel Slake, 18; Daniel Branch, 19; Pearly Merrill, 20;
Robert Damon, 22; Isaac Page, 23; Ezekiel Crowell, 24; Henry and
Otis Richardson, 25; Joel Richardson, 26, and Henry Richardson, jun.,
on lot No. 27.
In 1834, the land where the railroad depot stands was a thicket of
trees, through which ran the town road, but to keep the cows from
straying away, a pair of bars were placed across the road, and who-
ever passed had to open and close them.
Mills and Manufactories.— The first taskmaster that the outlet
of Messalonskee lake ever had was Jonathan Combs. He built a dam,
a saw mill and a grist mill, and compelled it to .saw logs and grind
grain for the early Winslow settlers, before 1800. When the old grist
mill was worn out, Burnham Thomas, in 1836, built another and ran
it nearly twenty years, when a freshet undermined and carried it
bodily away. It was replaced in 1856, by Silas H. and Edwin Bailey,
with the present grist mill, that has been successively the property of*
Joshua Bowman, Blaisdell & Wheeler, and in 1870 of Samuel Blais-
dell, from whose estate the Dustin & Hubbard Manufacturing Com-
pany bought it in 1887. For the last twenty-one years this mill has
been rented and operated by D. F. McLure and is .still in good con-
dition.
The old saw mill was kept in operation over half a century and
run by Jonathan and David Combs, sons of the pioneer. A carding
and fulling mill, also built by their father, was for many years in
charge of Sanford Pullen. About 1850 the saw mill was bought by
the Ellis Saw Company, who sold it to A. B. Bates and son, and they
to Hubbard, Blake & Co. They enlarged the shops and made axes,
scythes, and hatchets till the American Axe Company bought the
property in 1889.
On the other side of the stream is the chair and settee factory
established in Oakland in 1849 by Joseph Bachelder, and now run by
his son, Abram, who employs five men.
Alfred Winslow came to Oakland in 1836 and built on the Combs
dam a tannery, which he ran for twenty-eight years, making upper
leather as a specialty. For several years this leather was manufac-
tured into boots by Mr. Winslow and William Jordan, employing
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1067
twenty-five men. In 1864 Mr. Winslow sold the tannery to Alvin At-
wood, who ran it three years and sold it to Horace Parlin, he to A. J.
Parker, and he to A. J. Libby, who converted it into a shingle and
grist mill. The Dustin & Hubbard Manufacturing Company bought
it in 1887.
Between the Winslow tannery and the grist mill, Lyon, Bragg &
Hubbard built wood working and jobbers' shops, which did a large
business till sold to the Dustin & Hubbard Company.
The Dustin & Hubbard Manufacturing Company was organized in
1887, by Frank E., George A. and W. H. Dustin, John U. and George
W. Hubbard, Austin Bragg, J. B. Newhall and George H. Bryant.
John U. Hubbard was president, George H. Bryant was treasurer, F.
E. Dustin was superintendent and W. H. Greeley was secretary. The
company bought of Hubbard, Bragg & Co. their large shops on the
upper dam, and on the other side of the stream they bought A. J.
Libby 's shingle mill, and Mrs. Samuel Blaisdell's grist mill. Having
thus obtained control of the water power on that dam, they proceeded
to build several large shops and fit them at great expense for manu-
facturing a general line of machinery. After several years of activity
and apparent prosperity, this company met with financial difficulties,
and is now doing but little business.
The next dam below the Combs dam was built about 1850, by
Daniel B. Lord. At that time both sides of the stream were wood
land, and there was no road in that locality. Lord & Graves put up
buildings, and after making axes and hoes for a time, Calvin H.
Davis bought Mr. Graves out, and Lord & Davis carried on the busi-
ness till the property was sold to Sanford Pullen, who sold it to John
U. Hubbard and William P. Blake. In 1865 Hubbard & Blake were
joined by Luther D. Emenson and Charles E. Folsom, forming the
new firm of Hubbard, Blake & Co., which made axes and scythes for
five years. In 1870 this firm was dissolved by the withdrawal of
L. D. Emerson and Charles E. Folsom, when L. D. Emerson, Jo-
seph E. Stevens, William R. Pinkham and George W. Stevens
formed the present Emerson & Stevens Manufacturing Company.
The new company bought property on the west end of the same dam,
erected shops and established the manufacture of scythes and axes,
which they still continue. During the past year they have turned
out 4,000 dozen scythes, and 3,000 dozen axes, employing fifty men,
besides five traveling salesmen.
Hubbard & Blake, with the addition of Cyprian Roy, Charles H.
Blaisdell and Nathaniel Meader, reorganized in 1877, under a charter
obtained in 1875, as the Hubbard & Blake Manufacturing Company.
Nathaniel Meader was president and John LT. Hubbard was treas-
urer. Two years later a part of their works were burned, which they
rebuilt, and continued to make scythes, axes and hatchets, till 1889,
1068 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
when this property, together with a large factory on the upper dam,
which the company had owned for several years, was sold to the
American Axe & Tool Company, and is called No. 16 by that
company.
This company, which was chartered at Newport, Ky., with central
office in New York city, now employs seventy-five men here, who
make 12,000 dozen scythes per year, with Nathaniel Header as
superintendent.
On the same dam, Albion P. Benjamin, in 1863, erected buildings
and began the manufacture of grain threshers, horse powers and
the work of a general repair and machine shop. George S. Allen
joined him in 1867, and now the firm of Benjamin & Allen is one of
the most prominent in Oakland. They give steady work to fifteen
men.
When Leonard Cornforth settled in Oakland, and built the dam
and mills that so long bore his name, is a matter of uncertainty. But
his early coming, and that he built a stone grist mill, a saw mill, a
carding and clothing mill, and was a large land owner, farmer and
trader, are recognized facts. His son, John Cornforth, assisted and
succeeded him in the general and practical management of his
business.
In 1834 Clark Stanley turned bedstead posts and wagon hubs in
the basement of the Cornforth saw mill. There were at the same
time an old bark mill and the ruins of the Nahum Warren tannery,
on ground now occupied by the grinding shop of the Dunn Edge
Tool Company. Holbrook & Richardson put machinery in the little
bark mill and were the first axe makers on the stream.
Passmore, Young & Tafft bought their property and the old fulling
mill and began making scythes in 1849. Hale, Stevens & Thayer
were the next owners and scythe manufacturers. After some changes
Mr. Stevens bought his partners' interests and in 1857 sold to the
Dunn Edge Tool Company.
The Cornforth grist mill was successively the property of Captain
Folger, of Sidney; Silas H. Bailey, John Garland and R. B. Dunn,
who sold it to the tool company. The old saw mill stood on the east
side of the stream, where the axe shop is.
At the head of the falls was an old dam with an unknown builder.
In 1854 Burgess & Atwood put up the frame of a shop there, which
they sold to John U. and Andrew J. Hubbard, and John Matthews,
who finished it, and made scythes four years, and then sold the prop-
erty to the Dunn Edge Tool Company.
The Dunn Edge Tool Company, the most extensive manufac-
turing corporation in Oakland, is a perpetual memorial to its founder,
Reuben B. Dunn, who, in 1857, established and organized the business
that has since attained a world-wide reputation. Beginning in North
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1069
Wayne in 1840, he brought to this town his capital and seventeen
years of invaluable experience. Able capitalists eagerly joined in
the incorporation. The directors in 1857 were: Reuben B. Dunn, N.
G. H. Pulsifer and J. H. Drummond, and m 1864, R. B. Dunn, T. W.
Herrick, and John Ayer. In 1864 R. B. Dunn and John Ayer bought
all interests held by other parties m the Dunn Edge Tool Company,
and became sole owners of this fine water power and the largest
scythe factory in New England. Mr. Ayer, who had been travel-
ing agent for the company, then assumed the onerous duties of
treasurer and general manager, which, with the able assistance
of Major A. R. Small for the past twenty-four years, he still per-
forms. R. B. Dunn, the first president, was succeeded at his death in
1889, by his son, R. W. Dunn. This company has a capacity to make
15,000 dozen scythes and 10,000 dozen axes annually, and employs from
75 to 100 men, five of whom are traveling salesmen.
The first scythe factory on the stream was built in 1836, where the
woolen mill now stands, by Larned & Hale. They inade scythes
for three years, and were succeeded by Samuel and Eusebius Hale,
till Joseph E. Stevens bought E. Hale's interest in 1845. Hale &
Stevens ran eight years, when William Jordan bought Mr. Stevens
out, and Mr. sold Hale to R. B. Dunn, and finally Mr. Jordan sold to
the Dunn Edge Tool Company.
The Cascade Woolen Mill was built in 1883 on land and a water
power leased of the Dunn Edge Tool Company. Its organizers and
board of directors were: R. B. Dunn, J. B. Mayo, Seth M. Milliken,
John Ayer and D. A. Campbell. All-wool dress fabrics for women's
wear have been its specialty, but of late heavy cloakings have been
made to some extent. The treasurer's report of 1892 shows a fund of
undivided profits of $47,000, with a capital stock of $125,000. R. B.
Dunn, the first president, was succeeded at his death by J. B. Mayo, of
Foxcraft, Me., and the first treasurer, Seth M. Milliken, was succeeded
by John Ayer. The mill gives employment to 110 people and its
annual product amounts to $250,000.
One of the first wagon makers in Oakland was a man named Mit-
chell. Benjamin C. Benson, who came here in 1833, began the busi-
ness in 1835 and the next year bought a shop on the tapper dam, of
Baxter Crowell, that was built by Abial Bacon for a store. Here he
made wagons and open carriages till 1880. Sewell Benson, in the
same building, got out last blocks for the Boston market.
H. A. Benson built in 1878 a wagon and repair shop near the upper
•dam, and in 1880 took Edward Wing into the partnership that still
exists.
E. W. Bates came from Oakland Heights to the village in 1882
and opened a box factory on the spot where his present mill stands.
The property was burned in 1890. The next year he erected a saw
1070 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
mill and box factory that is run by steam power and saws 1,000,000
feet of lumber per year and gives work to nine men.
Columbus Marshall built in 1889. his shovel handle factory, a few-
rods southwest of the railroad depot. It is run by steam power and
turns out 30,000 dozen shovel handles yearly, employing ten men.
Cyrus Wheeler, a farmer, an abolitionist and a temperance man,
put up a building on his own land, to have a place where liberty of
speech would be extended to radical thinkers, and named it Liberty
Hall. About 1867 Hamlin & Farr bought Liberty Hall and converted
it into a shirt factory, which for the next ten years gave employment
to one hundred people. Since the shirt factory abandoned it, the
Grangers and others have used it for meetings.
J. O. Jones built in 1881, on the bank of Emerson stream, a can-
ning factory that has been the property of the Portland Canning
Company since 1889. In the busy season each year 150 people are
employed, who fill about 300,000 cans with sweet corn.
Other Business Interests.— Probably the first trader in Oakland
was Leonard Cornforth, in a building near his mills. Israel Wash-
burn, afterward governor, was a clerk in this store for a time. Across
the road Asahel Tilson kept a store at the same time, in a building
now the property of Alonzo Matthews.
Near the Combs dam Baxter Crowell and Kimball & Matthews
had stores. Each of these had an ashery by the side of the pond.
The names of many of the traders who have been located at the
south end of the town are: Madison Crowell, Hallett & Balcom, Cyrus
Wheeler, Elbridge G. Crowell, I. B. Morgan, Daniel Bowman, Mitchell
& Gilman, Charles Arnold, A. J. Libby, Morrison Libby, D. F. Mc-
Lure, Daniel & E. P. Blaisdell and Charles W. Folsom. A. Winslow
& Co. have been in trade in one store for over twenty-five years.
Some of the traders near the railroad depot have been: Burgess
& Atwood, Hatch & Otis, B. F. Otis, O. F. Walker, Blaisdell & Hallett,
Hallett & Leonard, Leonard & Mitchell, Watson V. and Arthur W.
Leonard, H. E. Maines, H. J. Goulding, F. A. Kelley, Blake Brothers,
Mrs. B. F. Frizzell, Miss M. L. James, Mrs. J. Blaisdell and A. C. Tay-
lor. George W. Hubbard, boot and shoe dealer for several years, sold
in 1885 to Albert Swain, who has added furnishing goods. Hobart
Nickerson, a grocer, in 1865 added a stock of drugs. George Gould-
ing bought the business in 1867 and has sold drugs for the past eight
years. W. H. Macartney kept the first book and stationery store, suc-
ceeded by J. B. Emerson, Frank Sawtelle, George L. Hovey, and in
1886 by Everett M. Stacy, who is also American Express agent, and
was telegraph operator till 1892.
The post office of West Waterville was established December 6,
1827, with Elisha Hallett, jun., as postmaster. Harvey Evans was
appointed May, 1832; David Combs, October, 1832; William H. Hatch,
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1071
June, 1841; David Combs, December, 1845; William H. Hatch, No-
vember, 1849; Isaac B. Tozer, January, 1852; William Macartney,
April, 1854; Charles F. Stevens, October, 1862; J. Wesley Oilman,
February, 1877; Charles F. Stevens, October, 1877; George T. Benson,
January, 1882. Name was changed to Oakland March 19, 1883, with
George T. Benson postmaster; William H. Macartney was appointed
February, 1888, and Everett M. Stacy February, 1892.
The oldest tavern now remembered was kept by Richard Dorr in
1832, at the junction of the Belgrade and vSmithfield roads, and was
called the Montgomery House. Stephen Benson bought the place
and kept the last tavern there. Guy T. Hubbard, in 1833, kept a tav-
ern where Mills' livery is, and was succeeded by Clark Stanley. After
the railroad came here, Isaac B. Tozer built a hotel and kept it, and
was station agent at the same time. His successors were: John M.
Libby, Abial Bacon, Lewis Field and William Cunningham. In 1883
Edward Low fitted the house next north for the business, and after
him A. Young and George Danforth were the landlords. Ora M. Sib-
ley reopened the house in 1891 as the Oakland Hotel, the only one in
town, which he runs in connection with his long established livery
business.
Messalonskee National Bank was incorporated in 1875, under the
name of the West Waterville National Bank, which was changed to its
present form in 1884. The first directors were: Samuel Kimball, John
U. Hubbard, Albion P. Benjamin, Luther D. Emerson and Samuel
Blaisdell. The establishment of this bank was largely due to the per-
sonal efforts of Luther D. Emersoia, who has been its president since
1888. Albion P. Benjamin, the first president, held the office for four-
teen years, and George H. Bryant, the first cashier, was succeeded in
1884 by the present incumbent, J. E. Harris. The capital of the bank
is $75,000; surplus, $11,500; undivided profits, §9,300; and it has $18,000
in circulating notes. This bank has been located in the Memorial
Hall building ever since its organization.
Oakland Savings Bank was incorporated in 1869 as the West Water-
ville Savings Bank, and was changed to the present title in 1883.
The first meeting for organization was held at the office of G. T.
Stevens, April 9, 1869, and the doors were opened for business May
7th following. John Ayer was elected president, and has held the
office ever since. Edwin P. Blaisdell was the first secretary and
treasurer, Greenlief T. Stevens was the second, George H. Bryant was
the third, and since 1884 J. E. Harris. John Ayer, A. P. Benjamin,
W. H. Hatch, B. C. Benson and L. D. Emerson constituted the first
board of trustees. In 1871 the deposits were $50,279, and eight per
cent, dividends were paid for several years. Two per cent., paid semi-
annually, is the present rate, with $166,000 deposits, $9,025 reserve
1072 HISTORY OF ^KENNEBEC COUNTY.
fund and $5,000 undivided profits. This bank rented the basement of
Memorial Hall in 1871. where'it is still located.
Oakland Electric Light Company was organized in 1887, with a
capital of $10,000. It now furnishes seven arc and twenty-four incan-
descent street lights, for which it receives $600 per year. Eight arc
and four hundred incandescent lights are furnished to private parties.
The dynamo is located at the factory of Benjamin & Allen, of whom
power is rented. O. E. Crowell was the first president, J. Wesley
Oilman, who is now president, was the first treasurer, and A. R.
Small, F. E. Dustin and O. E. Crowell were the first directors.
Memorial Hall.— At the close of the war the commemoration of
the patriotism of Oakland expressed itself in an unusually practical
and appropriate way. The citizens formed a Soldiers' Monument
Association, which was duly incorporated February 12, 1869. Then,
instead of erecting the usual granite or marble shaft, they built a
Memorial Hall, and dedicated it alike to the brave men, living and dead,
who risked their lives in the great struggle, that the nation might
live. Here the Grand Army men will continue to meet till the last
survivor, having no earthly comrade, shall join "the eternal bivouac
of the dead."
Memorial Hall is neatly and substantially built of stone, with
brick trimmings, and cost $12,000. The town contributed by vote
$1,000 toward its construction, and pays $60 per year for its ijse as a
town house. In 1887 this hall was deeded to Sergeant Wyman
Post, to revert to the town when by the limitations of life they could
no longer use it. The officers of the vSoldiers' Monument Association
at its first formation in 1865 were: William^H. Hatch, president; Ben-
jamin Hersom, vice-president; George W. Hubbard, secretary, and
Alfred Winslow, treasurer. Samuel Kimball, Benjamin C. Benson,
John U. Hubbard, A. P. Benjamin and Asa B. Bates constituted the
board of trustees.
Societies. — Messalonskee Lodge, No. 113, F. & A. M., was insti-
tuted May 16, 1862, with ten charter members. The masters have
been: Charles H. Blaisdell, John U. Hubbard, William Macartney,
Alvin Atwood, George W. Oilman, George F. Benson, Adoniram
J. Parker, J. Wesley Oilman, Charles Rowell, Orestes E. Crowell,
Frank L. Given, Albert F. Bachelder and Horace A. Burrill. Three
of its members have been honored with the appointment of dis-
trict deputy grand master of the 12th district, each serving two
years : William Macartney, Orestes E. Crowell and J. Wesley
Oilman.
Amon Lodge, No. 95, I. O. of O. F., was instituted November 2,
1882, with seven charter members. The chair of noble grand
has been filled by: E. C. Blackwell, A. A. Parker, A. H. Lord, J. M.
Field, C. W. Shepard, J. A. Sawtelle, H. H. Bowden, F. H. Lyford,
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1073
Redington Ellis, F. C. Sawtelle, George Soule, C. D. Cummings, Wel-
lington Ellis, H. Sawtelle, O. F. Emory and C. G. Eaton, M. D. The
Lodge has 139 members.
Bodwell Commandery, No. 410, U. O. G. C. was organized in 1889,
with twenty-three charter members. The "chair of noble commander
has been fiiled by: C. E. Owen, A. H. Swett, Mrs. C. A. Cunningham,
Rev. A. Hamilton, S. H. Skillings and Ora F. Emory. The society
has thirty-eight members here. R. A. Herring is keeper of records.
Crystal Fountain Lodge, No. 118, instituted in 1867, was the first
Good Templar organization in Oakland.
Cascade Lodge, No. 189, was instituted in 1881, with E. M. Foster,
chief templar, and Jeannette Benjamin, secretary. This Lodge was
reorganized in 1891 as Cascade Lodge, No. 383, has ninety-five mem-
bers, and is rapidly increasing.
A Division of the Sons of Temperance existed in this village in
the forties and flourished till near war times. Alfred Winslow and
George W. Hubbard were active members.
Cascade Grange, No. 92, P. of H., was organized January 2, 1875,
with thirteen charter members, and was prosperous from the start.
Within a short time it established a Grange store that ran fifteen
years. It has at present 175 members, who hold their weekly meet-
ings in the old Liberty Hall. The following persons have been
masters: Hiram Cornforth, Henry Morrill, Stephen C. Watson, Justin
A. Sawtelle, Howard A. Sawtelle and Howard W. Wells.
Oakland Lodge, No. 21, A. O. U. W., now having one hundred
members, was instituted in 1884, with eleven charter members. The
chair of master workman has been filled by: James Lowe, George
Winegar, Hiram Wyman, D. E. Parsons, M.D., Frank L. Merrill,
Frank S. Kelley and Albert H. Lord.
Gilman's Band was organized in 1876, by J. Wesley Oilman, under
whose continued leadership it has been in a state of constant and
rare efficiency for sixteen years. In 1881, at Lake Maranacook, it
easily took the first prize in competition with fourteen other bands.
At present it numbers twenty-two performers, who are a credit to
their leader, to themselves and to Oakland.
Civil History.— The Selectmen of Oakland, with dates of first
election and number of years of service, have been: 1873, Albion P.
Benjamin, 2, John M. Libby, 5, George Rice; 1874, Charles E. Mit-
chell, William P. Blake, 8; 1875, Adoniram J. Parker, 8, William
Macartney, 2; 1877, John W. Greely; 1878, Henry J. Morrill; 1880,
Samuel Blaisdell, 2; 1882, Alfred G. Ricker, 8; 1884, J. Wesley Oilman,
6, Stephen C. Watson, 4; 1887, O. E. Crowell, Charles E. Crowell;
1888,'Sewell W. Ward; 1889, William L.Ward, 2; 1891, Erastus W.
3, Charles M. Crowell and Andrew M. Rice.
William Macartney was elected the first town clerk and was sue-
1074 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ceeded in 1880 by Hiram C. Winslow, the present incumbent. Wil-
liam Macartney was elected town treasurer in 1873; Bradford H. Mit-
■chell, 1874; Howard W. Wells, 1877; William M. Ayer, 1878; M. M.
Bartlett, 1879; J. Wesley Oilman, 1881; George H. Bryant, 1884; George
W. Field, 1887; A. D. Libby, 1888; M. L. Damon, 1890; and Samuel T.
Hersum in 1886 and in 1891.
By the annual report of the town officers for the year ending Feb-
ruary 20, 1892, it appears that by a tax of eighteen mills per dollar on
an assessed valuation of $752,246, $3 each on 542 polls, and $1 each
on 126 dogs, Oakland raised the sum of $15,328.43. The appropria-
tions were: For support of poor, $1,100; roads and bridges, $2,500;
snow, $800; common .schools, $2,600; free high school, $850: miscel-
laneous town expenses, $1,100; street lighting, $600; town farm, $500;
Memorial Hall, $300; cemetery, $200; fire company and fire depart-
ment, $175; and for memorial day, $25.
Edwin M. Foster, supervisor of schools, reports that, with the help
of a state appropriation of $1,311.65, the sum of $3,726.23 was actually
■expended for schools. The number of children of school age in town
was 579, of whom 493 attended school.
Oakland is one of the few towns in Kennebec county that is in-
creasing in population. The census of 1880 shows 1,646 inhabitants,
and in 1890 there were 2,055, of whom about 1,500 lived in the village.
Winslow built a town meeting house here about 1800 that was
used for religious and other public gatherings and for town meetings
.till 1841, when it was taken down. The town business is now done
at Memorial Hall.
Churches. — The Free Baptists, the oldest religious organization
in Oakland, date from 1832, when Deacons Levi Ricker and John Corn-
forth, Joshua Gage, Nancy D. Soule and nine others pledged them-
selves to walk the journey of life in the fear of God and with Chris-
tian love. Of these thirteen only Mrs. Nancy (Soule) Shepard is left.
They organized in the old town meeting house, and continued to
meet there till the Union meeting house was built the next year.
When the Universalists bought their pews, in 1859, they moved their
vestry across the road and sold it soon after to the Methodists. They
then proceeded, the same year, to build their present church. The
following is a list of most of their preachers for sixty years: Elders
Samuel Hutchins, Silas Curtiss, Whitney, George W. Bean, Jo-
seph Burgess, Arthur Deering, Erskine, A. H. Morrell, J. N.
Rich, Redland, E. Manson, S. McCowan, Lincoln Given, Edwin
Blake, D. B. Newell, John Roberts and E. W. Churchill.
Methodism was first organized in Oakland by Luther P. French,
who formed a class here in 1843, of which D. B. Ward was leader, and
Thomas Hill, a local preacher, and his wife, Joseph E. vStevens and
Mrs. G. W. Pressey were active members. Ezekiel Robinson, Martin
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1075
Ward, P. P. Merrill, M. Wight and Asa Heath had probably preached
■occasional sermons in this part of the town between 1827 and 1843.
S. Allen in 1844 and 1851; Asahel Moore, in 1845; C. Munger, in 1846;
D. Waterhouse, in 1853; C. Fuller, in 1854-5; J. H. Mooers, in 1867;
and A. S. Ladd, in 1869-70, preached here occasionally. In 1872 N.
C. Clifford was sent to this charge and North Sidney. During his
four years' pastorate Mr. Clifford succeeded in building a $6,000 meet-
ing house, of which sum R. B. Dunn gave $1,600. For the next four
years the society had little to show except their new church, which
was empty most of the time. Rev. M. E. King, in 1880-81, infused a
spirit of life, which began the work of finishing the audience room of
the church. This was completed in 1884 under the administration of
C. Munger. E. C. Springer followed in 1885-6, H. Chase in 1887-8,
and for the next four years Alexander Hamilton. The church now
numbers nearly one hundred members.
Thomas Barnes, who has been called the father of Universalism in
Maine, preached in 1802 the first sermon of this faith ever heard in
Oakland. The town meeting house, which had been built but two
years, was well filled, for preaching by anybody was scarce. A Uni-
versalist conference was held here in 1810, the twelfth annual meeting
of the Eastern Association; and again in 1813. This place was then
called " Back Waterville." The business meeting was held at Joseph
Warren's. Believers in this faith continued to increase. Barzilla
Streeter, W. A. Drew, William Farwell and Sylvanus Cobb held fre-
quent services here.
The Union meeting house was built in 1833, principally by Univer-
salists, and by Calvinistic and Freewill Baptists, and was dedicated in
1834. Joseph Warner, Elisha and Hiram Hallett, and Thomas Cook
were prominent members; also the Crowells, Cornforths, Kimballs
and Matthews. R. W. Byram, in 1839, was the first settled pastor,
and Alfred Winslow was the first Sabbath school superintendent.
Giles Bailey preached here in 1841, followed by James P. Weston, Ira
Washburn of Sidney, and in 1845 by that stalwart Universalist,
Nathaniel Gunnison; in 1846 by J. H. Henry; 1847, J. C. Pattee, and
in 1852 by Amos Hutchins.
The next year a church organization, with forty-eight metnbers,
was perfected, which afterward more than doubled. The Univer-
salists became so strong that during the year 1859 they bought the
■other pew owners' rights in the Union meeting house, on which they
have since expended nearly $3,000 in improvements. W. A. P. Dil-
lingham preached during the civil war, followed by Zenas Thompson
for three years, and by Anson Titus, who wrote a careful history of
the society for the Gospel Banner, that was published in 1876. George
•G. Hamilton, after a pastorate of eight and one-half years, was fol-
1076 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
lowed by T. B. Fisher, and he by the present pastor, Edward G.
Mason.
. The Second Baptist Church of Waterville was organized Septem-
ber 12, 1844, with forty-five members, mostly from the First Baptist
church of Waterville. vSome of the prominent workers were: Asa C.
Bates, Russell C. Benson, K. M. Blackwell, Lewis Tozer, Asa Lewis,
Benjamin Jackson and Nathan Gibbs. In 1846 the society voted to
build a house of worship, and directed the trustees to buy " a lot near
the old meeting house for $45." The house was built in 1847, and
has been enlarged twice since. A. F. Tilton was the first preacher,^
succeeded by N. M. Williams, John Butler and Allen Barrows. James
D. Reid was ordained here in 1853; William Tilley followed in 18.")6;
W. H. Kelton in 1862, Laforest Palmer next, and for nine years Prof.
S. K. Smith of Waterville. F. D. Blake, C. E. Owen, G. W. Hinckley
and E. N. Bartlett have been the last four pastors.
Cemeteries. — Oakland has three public cemeteries. The Upper
Cemetery is the oldest, the first ground for which was given by Bax-
ter Crowell, soon after 1800. This has been enlarged by purchase at
town expense. The Lower Cemetery was established about 1840, by
the purchase of two acres of land. It has since been enlarged, and
now extends to the pond. Lewis' burying ground, which has been in
use from very early times, was originally donated by the family whose
name it bears.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Frank H. Axtell, born in 1853, is a son of Elbridge and Sarah
(Crowell) Axtell, and grandson of Asa Axtell, who came to Belgrade
from New Hampshire. Asa Axtell had eleven sons and one daughter.
Elbridge Axtell came to Oakland in 1857 or 1858, and settled on the
farm where he died in 1889. He had two sons: Charles C. (deceased)
and Frank H., who is a farmer on his father's place. His wife is
Emma, daughter of Ezekiel Page, of Waterville, Me. They have one
son, Herbert E.
John Ayer. — It is not imperative to trace a man's genealogy, to
substantiate his claim to an enviable position earned wholly by him-
self. One must be measured by his success and judged by the com-
munity in which he resides, and by those with whom he comes in
daily contact. To record one's merits so universally acknowledged is
an agreeable task. The lives of such men as John Ayer make history
which their descendants may read with pardonable pride and, closely
studied, give a clear knowledge of the strength which develops com-
munities and states, and of the motive power which controls them
for public good.
John Ayer's boyhood sounded the keynote of a future active life.
A student of men and of literature, an original thinker, a deep
i07e
lowe
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. T
ber 1
chun
Bates
Benjf
build
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John ^
substantia
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munity in
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John Ay'
A student (
iiseni pastor, Edward G.
. ille was organized Septem-
•stly from the First Baptist
, ;nent workers were: Asa C.
i. Lewis Tozer, Asa Lewis,
:n 1846 the society voted to
> trustees to buy " a lot near
i;0use was built in 1847, and
lion was the first preacher.
: and Allen Barrows. James
ra Tilley followed in' I8.16;
t, an<' -■>r nine years Pruf.
. i ! .-, G. W. Hinckley
ic ceiiicteries. The Upper
■r which was given by Bax-
c-n enlrirged by purchase at
estabhshed about 1840, by
s since been enlarged, and
ground, which has been in
N mated by the family whose
• n of Elbridge and Sarah
eU, who came to Belgrade
ven sons and one daughter.
'T 1858, and settled on the
• suns: Charles C. (deceased)
;*ther's place. His wife is
; ville. Me. They have one
<■■ a man's genealogy, to
rned wholly by him-
iudged by the com-
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: knowledged is
.r make history
'.. If pride and, closely
.^ which develops corh-
which controls them
f a future active life.
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1079
tending school a part of the first two years. He continued working
at Wayne until 1862, and the year following he came to Oakland,
where he has since been employed by the Dunn Edge Tool Company
and its predecessors. He is now and has been for some years traveling-
salesman for that corporation. He married in 1855 Harriet A.,
daughter of C. Erskine, of Fayette. Their three daughters are:
Emma C. (Mrs. J. H. Witherell), Lillian M. (Mrs. Benjamin Hinds)
and Edna L.
Benjamin Chandler Benson.— Of the many manufacturers of
Oakland, no one now living has a record of forty-four years of con-
tinuous production except Benjamin C. Benson, who established a
wagon shop, in which he built carriages and sleighs and all styles of
wheeled vehicles, from 1836 to 1880. Although he made it success-
ful, and ultimately the source of a handsome competence, the begin-
ning was slow and hard. There was plenty to do, but no money to
pay with. Mr. Benson was obliged to work as a last-maker a part of
each year to get cash enough to buy the iron for his wagon building.
This kind of combat took an iron will and whalebone muscles.
Let us see where he got these qualities — which money cannot buy,
but which can buy money, or make it. His grandfather, Ichabod
Benson, came from Massachusetts to Livermore, Me., where he was a
farmer. Stephen Benson, his father, was a farmer and a worker in
iron, a blacksmith, a nail maker and a plow maker. He was born in
1777, and in 1800 was married to Rebecca Cummings. Their children
were : Seth E., Rebecca, Sewall, Benjamin C, Russell C, Mary,
Albert, and George B. Three of these eight children are still living:
Rebecca, now Mrs. Teague of Turner; Benjamin C. and George B.,
both of Oakland.
Benjamin Chandler Benson was born in Poland, Me., February 17,
1809. He was named by his uncle. Dr. Benjamin Chandler, whose
wife was .Stephen Benson's sister ; and was adopted by them when he
was nine months old, and taken to their home on Paris hill. The
doctor was a very prominent man in all that section of country. His
medical reputation was high and his practice was very large. He was
a leader in public affairs, being for one or more terms a member of
the legislature. But his labors were exhausting, and he died before
he was fifty years old.
Benjamin C. lived with his foster parents till he was sixteen years
old, becoming greatly attached to them. Among his school fellows
was Hannibal Hamlin. The two boys were warm friends. In the
meantime his father had moved from Poland, where he had a nail
shop, to South Paris, where he did general blacksmithing and a large
business in plow making — from 75 to 100 a year. Only the most
skillful blacksmiths could make good plows. From South Paris he
moved to Livermore, and from there to Buckfield, where he bought a
1080 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
farm, on which he was living when Benjamin C. left Doctor Chand-
ler's at the age of sixteen and came to help his father.
Besides his farm, Stephen Benson had a wagon and blacksmith
shop, in which Benjamin C. worked enough to become familiar with
the manufacture of wagons. Six months before he was of age he
bought his time from his father, giving his note for sixty dollars, and
launched forth into the world for himself. The making of last blocks
for the Boston market was, in those times, one of the few things that
brought ready money. To this branch of trade, Benjamin C. and his
brother, Sewall, bent their energies — first at Gardiner in the early part
of 1833, from whence they removed the same year to West Water-
ville. The next year Sewall managed the last block factory, and
Benjamin C. worked for him till he went into the wagon business for
himself.
In 1837 he took the most important step of his life — he made Lucy
D. Hitchings, of Waterville, his wife. Their children have been :
Eliza M. (Mrs. M. M. Bartlett, of South Berwick, Me.), Elizabeth C.
(Mrs. A. A. Parker, of Oakland), Annie M. (Mrs. E. N. Small, of Water-
ville), Mary K. (Mrs. W. R. Pinkham), and Alice H. (Mrs. C. E. A.
Winslow), both of Oakland. Mr. B. C. Benson lost his wife in 1879.
Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Pinkham live with him at the old homestead,
which dates back to near the beginning of the century, when John
Coombs kept it as a hotel. Ichabod Benson died in 1833 and was
buried in Livermore.
Mr. Benson's activities have extended to matters of public welfare
which interest all good citizens. He was one of the organizers and
has always been a trustee of the Cascade Savings Bank. He was also
one of the incorporators and has always been a director in the Messa-
lonskee National Bank. The Baptist church, of which he is a mem-
ber, has enjoyed his close care and generous support, and for many
years his service as its financial clerk. Entirely without his solicita-
tion, he was elected, in 1860, on the republican ticket, and served one
term in the state legislature.
Edwin C. Benson, son of Russell C. and Abigail (Dunbar) Benson,
was born December 31, 1853. He was temperer in the axe and scythe
works at Oakland for twelve years. In 1889 he bought the old Hallett
homestead, and is now a farmer. He married Carrie E., daughter of
William P. Blake. Their children are John W., Alice A. and Leon C.
Hiram Blake, born in 1815, is one of thirteen children of John and
Deborah (Wade) Blake, and grandson of Nathaniel and Annie (Taylor)
Blake, whose children were : John, Mary, Nancy, William, Nathaniel,
Avadna, David, Jonathan, Sally and Samuel. John died in Sears-
mont. Me., in 1855, aged sixty-five years. Hiram came to Oakland in
1835 and in 1873 bought the old Marsten farm, where five years later
he built his present residence. His wife Nancy (deceased) was a
'#^' /? /^€Ut.
•f OAKLAND.
da
iieir children are : Charles E.. Sumner
.irs. L. D. Davis), Sarah C, Alice E., Lester
erge A. E., who was killed in the late war ;
;e H. and an infant daughter.
.RE is the son of William Blake, of Waterville,
.Nathaniel Blake, of Belgrade. William, one of
raised on the old homestead and trained to his
of f«irming. About 1817 he married Mrs. Martha
' lose house and farm in that town became at
ey raised a iamily, and passed the remainder
A 0 oldest children, Caroline and Emiline, are
lliam P., born June 13, 1825, was the third, and
■h and last. The latter on arriving at manhood
where his ready abilities and his resolute makeup
,)portunity to realize his ambitions. In the midst of
;r as a gold miner, he fell a victim to the climate,
received the usual training of a farmer's son. His
. 1841, leaving l.im at the age of sixteen with the man-
i responsibiliuf - of his business. These duties were
i-rformed for *■' years, when, with a decided preference
ical occupatif'T. >.o entered the scythe factory of Hale &
By close appl'.-;>n under the training of his employer,
Tafft, he learned vi a single year so much of the art of finish-
tbes that he went the next year to Rhode Island and took the
■f work there, by the job. In 1848 he returned to Hale &
:re he remained for twelve years, a competent jobber and
.i^erin the most extensive and important manufacturing
jusine.ss then carried on in town. The constant strain of inten.se ap-
ilicati'jn afifected his health to such an extent that he quit the .scythe
>s in 1860.
■:.r a rest of two years, Mr. Blake and John U. Hubbard formed
. -^f Hubbard & Blake, who were large makers of scythes till
1 the business was changed to a stock company that built
niade axes and hatchets, and sold their plant in 1889 to
xe Company.
Ulake bought the farm of 175 acres, where he still
- Rllis lake on the west, to Messalonskee lake on
or beautiful situation and a productive soil.
;ve much attention to raising thoroughbred
of Hereford cattle and Southdown sheep.
- always been to produce the best possible
■' h the many medals and first class pre-
r.il fairs are proofs. Mr. Blake has also
;'(jserv-ation and increase of fish and
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1081
daughter of James Carson. Their children are: Charles E., Sumner
W., William R., Rose D. (Mrs. L. D. Davis), Sarah C, Alice E., Lester
H. and five who died — Goerge A. E., who was killed in the late war ;
Oliver E., Mary W., Lillie H. and an infant daughter.
William Paris Blake is the son of William Blake, of Waterville,
and the grandson of Nathaniel Blake, of Belgrade. William, one of
nine children, was raised on the old homestead and trained to his
father's occupation of farming. About 1817 he married Mrs. Martha
Nelson, of Waterville, whose house and farm in that town became at
once his home. Here they raised a family, and passed the remainder
of their days. Their two oldest children, Caroline and Emiline, are
both deceased. William P., born June 13, 1825, was the third, and
Albion C. the fourth and last. The latter on arriving at manhood
went to Australia, where his ready abilities and his resolute makeup
found room and opportunity to realize his ambitions. In the midst of
a prosperous career as a gold miner, he fell a victim to the climate,
and died in 1861.
William P. received the usual training of a farmer's son. His
father died in 1841, leaving him at the age of sixteen with the man-
agement and responsibilities of his business. These duties were
faithfully performed for four years, when, with a decided preference
for mechanical occupations, he entered the scythe factory of Hale &
Stevens. By close application under the training of his employer,
Miletus Tafft, he learned in a single year so much of the art of finish-
ing scythes that he went the next year to Rhode Island and took the
same kind of work there, by the job. In 1848 he returned to Hale &
Stevens, where he remained for twelve years, a competent jobber and
a hard worker in the most extensive and important manufacturing
business then carried on in town. The constant strain of intense ap-
plication affected his health to such an extent that he quit the scythe
business in 1860.
After a rest of two years, Mr. Blake and John U. Hubbard formed
the firm of Hubbard & Blake, who were large makers of scythes till
1877, when the business was changed to a stock company that built
more shops, made axes and hatchets, and sold their plant in 1889 to
the American Axe Company.
In 1861 Mr. Blake bought the farm of 175 acres, where he still
lives, extending from Ellis lake on the west, to Messalonskee lake on
the east— widely noted for beautiful situation and a productive soil.
For many years he gave much attention to raising thoroughbred
stock, making a specialty of Hereford cattle and Southdown sheep.
The rule of his life has always been to produce the best possible
results, of the wisdom of which the many medals and first class pre-
miums he has won at agricultural fairs are proofs. Mr. Blake has also
taken an active interest in the preservation and increase of fish and
1082 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
game. He is the president of the North Kennebec Fish and Game
Association, which has recently been organized through the efforts
of Mr. Blake and W. T. Hames.
In 1850 he was united in marriage with Anguilla Hubbard, of
Waterville. Fred E., their oldest child, is a farmer in Sidney, is town
clerk and one of the selectmen. Caroline, the second child, died in
1888. Charles J. and William A., the next two, are traders in Oak-
land ; and Glenni, the fourth, is a farmer with his father. Martha,
now Mrs. D. A. Blai.sdell, of Oakland; Alice, deceased, and Tad L.,
employed on the Old Colony railroad in Massachusetts, complete the
names of their eight children.
Mr. Blake's abilities are recognized, and his services are sought for
in various positions of public trust. He served as selectman for eight
years, and is a director in the Messalonskee National Bank. His
religious sympathies are with the Universalists. He has belonged to
the- Masonic order for thirt}' years, and politically has always been a
staunch republican.
Elias A. Bowman, farmer, born in 1847, is a son of George W. and
Lydia (Wilbur) Bowman, and grandson of Elias, whose father was
Thomas Bowman, jun. Mr. Bowman's maternal grandfather was
Caleb Wilbur', and his ancesters were : Lemuel', Meshach*, Shadrach",
Shadrach', Samuel Wilbur', who with his wife, Ann Bradford, were
admitted as communicants to the First church of Boston December
1, 1033. Mr. Bowman married Ella Newell, who died, leaving one
son, Fred A. His present wife is Ida E., daughter of Nahum H. and
granddaughter of Caleb Wilbur'. Their children are : Frank B.,
Edward H., Sadie A. (deceased), Grace M., George H. and Edith M.
Joshua H. B. Bowman, born in 1824, was the youngest of ten
children of Elias and Martha Bowman, of Sidney. In 1845 he began
to learn the carpenter's trade at Augusta. He afterward went to Ken-
tucky, where he was engaged on mill work until 1863, when he came
to Oakland, where he is still engaged at his trade, having for several
years done the repair work for the Cascade Woolen Mill and Dunn
Edge Tool Company. His first wife was Cynthia Hibbard ; his sec-
ond, Catharine Higden, and his present wife was Mrs. Sophia A.
Richardson. He has one son, Herbert J.
Jackson Cayford, son of John Cayford, was born at Skowhegan in
1829. He was several years a resident of Fairfield, where he ran a
threshing machine and was engaged in various other kinds of busi-
ness as well as farming. He came to Oakland in 1884, where he en-
gaged in the wood and lumber business. He served in the late war
in Company H, 19th Maine, from August, 1863, until November of the
following year. May 18. 1864, he received a wound that caused the
loss of his left arm. He married Lucinda Lewis, who died leaving
^.A6.
/7\jiAy^(r>u
TOWN OF OAKLAND. l>-'oO
for about three years in a store at Quincy. In 1840 he returned home,
and with his father's family removed to Norridgewock, where the
father died, January 6, 1844, leaving upon Luther D., as the only son,
the care of the family, and incidentally in a fatherly relation to sev-
eral children of deceased sisters, who were early left in a condition of
orphanage, and who ever render to " Uncle Luther " a full measure
of gratitude and filial affection.
Soon after the family removed to Norridgewock Luther D. came
to West Waterville, now Oakland, and entered the scythe factory of
S. Hale & Co. This proved to be the business of his life. For three
years his special work was in the grinding department, but daily con-
tact with the other processes brought him an exact knowledge of all
the details of this then rapidly growing industry. In 1844 he engaged
in North Wayne with the scythe manufacturer, R. B. Dunn. This
service continued for twenty-one years. Most of this time he kept
the books for Mr. Dunn, besides keeping an eye on the many points
that needed watchful attention. In 1858 the business was extended
to West Waterville, at which date Mr. Emerson's permanent residence
here commenced.
In 1865 the new firm of Hubbard, Blake & Co. was formed, com-
posed of John U. Hubbard, W. P. Blake, L. D. Emerson and Charles
Folsom, manufacturers of scythes and axes. In 1870, a new firm, com-
posed of L. D. Emerson, Joseph E. Stevens, W. R. Pinkham and
George W. Stevens, was organized as Emerson, Stevens & Co., to
carry on the same business. About 1885 the present organization,
the Emerson & Stevens Manufacturing Company, was formed, and is
now known wherever scythes and axes are used.
Mr. Emerson has completed a half century of honorable and profit-
able devotion to the work of his life, and is still blessed with strength
to continue its successful prosecution. He married in 1855, Dulcina
Minerva, daughter of Dea. Reuben Crane, of Fayette. Their
children are : Alice M., who lives with her parents, and Walter C.
Emerson, a graduate of Colby, and now one of the editors of the
Portland Advertiser. He was recently elected to the Maine legisla-
ture. This progress in life for a young man thirty-two years old is a
creditable record. His wife, Jennette, is a daughter of George Milli-
ken, formerly of Waterville.
Luther D. Emerson started in his political career as a radical
abolitionist. He voted in 1840 for Martin Van Buren and in 1844 for
James G. Birney; for Fremont in 1856, and has been arrayed ever
since in the republican ranks. He holds that the Decalogue should
have a place in politics, and although a strong party man he is not
oblivious to the mistakes of party leaders and sometimes thinks — like
the prophets of old— that he can see disaster and trouble ahead when
1086 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
the leaders depart from the high standard which he believes the party
should maintain.
He has been a director in the Messalonskee National Bank from
its organization, and its president since 1888. He has always been
affiliated with the Congregational church, of which so man}' of his
ancestors were distinguished ministers, and is a member of the Maine
Historical Society, taking a lively interest in the various subjects to
which the labors of that society are devoted. He has a passionate
fondness for the spot and the scenes of his boyhood days, and visits
every year the ruins of the homesteads of his father and grandfather
on the historic island of Arrowsic, where the honored dust of Parson
Emerson reposes in peace close by the site of his long since obliter-
ated church.
Benjamin F. Folger, youngest son of Elisha and Judith (Starbuck)
Folger, was born in Sidney in 1828. His father was master of a
whaling vessel of Nantucket, Mass., and in 182.5 he came to Sidney,
where he was farmer and miller. Mr. Folger is a moulder by trade;
he has been employed at various places and has been in manufactur-
ing business some. He served on the school board and as selectman
in Sidney and has been four years on the school board in Oakland.
Edwin M. Foster, born January 30, 1864, son of Martin A. Foster, of
Winthrop, came to Oakland from Winthrop in 1883. He married Mary,
daughter of John W. Greeley. He has been paymaster and account-
ant of Cascade Woolen Mill since November, 1887, and prior to that
was with the Emerson & Stevens Manufacturing Company. Since
March, 1891, he has been supervisor of schools, and since 1890 a mem-
ber of the republican town committee.
John Wesley Oilman, well known in Maine as a Grand Army man,
was born in 1844 in Belgrade. His parents were Jacob and Deborah
(Ham) Oilman. He was learning the trade of scythe maker in Oak-
land when in August, 1862, he enlisted in Company A, 20th Maine,
and was discharged in June, 186.5. In the fall of that year he returned
to Oakland, where he has since lived, engaging in various business
enterprises. In 1884 he was elected chairman of the board of .select-
men and held the office six consecutive years. He was two years
assistant inspector, and one year chief mustering officer. Department
of Maine, G. A. R., and is at present one of the council of adminis-
tration of that body. He married Sarah B., daughter of Samuel
Kimball. She died in 1890. He was for a time local editor and busi-
ness manager of the Oakland newspaper already spoken of in Chap-
ter X.
Frank L. Given, son of Rev. Lincoln and Lucy A. (Colby) Given,
was born in 1859 at Caribou, Me. He came to Oakland in 1878, where
he has been employed in axe making. From 1882 until 1890 he did
finishing and packing axes for the Dunn Edge Tool Company, and
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1087
since 1890 he has been foreman of their axe shop. He married Florence
A., daughter of Charles and Sarah (Hatch) Smiley. Her maternal
grandparents are William H. and Betsey (Barrows) Hatch.
George W. Goulding, son of Joseph V. and Frances (Hubbard)
Goulding, was born in 1842 at North Wayne. He went to Minnesota
in 1854 and in 1861 enlisted in Company E, 1st Minnesota, served in
that regiment three years, then served one year in the Hancock Vet-
eran Corps, Company E, being discharged as sergeant. Since 1866 he
has been one of Oakland's most active business men. He is a promi-
nent member of the G. A. R. and also of the Masonic fraternity. He
has twice represented his district in the legislature. He married
Pauline Holt, of Skowhegan, and has one daughter.
John W. Greeley, born in Mt. Vernon in 1827, is a son of John and
Susan (Gilman) Greeley, and grandson of Joseph Greeley, of Readfield.
He came from Oakland to Belgrade in 1871 and after five years he
began v/ork for the Dunn Edge Tool Company and has been travel-
ing salesman and inspector of scythes for that company since that
time. He married Martha, daughter of Samuel Bartlett. They have
had eleven children: Evelyn, John (deceased), William (deceased),
Timothy B. (deceased), Horace W., Susie, Arthur S. (deceased), Mary
M., Martha (deceased), Alton (deceased), and Nora B.
Arthur H. Johnson was born in 1827 in Carthage, Me., where he
learned the blacksmith's trade. In 1858 he entered the scythe factory
of R. B. Dunn at North Wayne, and in 1862 came to Oakland, where
he continued thirty years in the employ of the Dunn Edge Tool Com-
pany. He married Lucilla Fairbanks in 1854. Their children were:
George H., Albert A., Lucy F. and Warren F. Albert A. Johnson
was born in 1864 and became a painter. In 1887 he embarked in his
present business — merchant tailoring— and the next year married
Maggie Conley. Their children have been: Warren A., who died in
1891, and Efhe German.
Andrew J. Libby, born in 1834, is the only surviving child of John
M. and Louisa (Witham) Libby, and grandson of John Libby. Of
the various business enterprises in which Mr. Libby has been engaged
farming and stock raising is the principal. He is known as the " Old
Ox King " of the state of Maine. He is vice-president of the National
Bank of Oakland, one of the trustees of the Maine State fair, repre-
sentative for 1891 and 1892, and director of the Somerset Railway.
He married Abbie, daughter of David P. Morrison, and their children
are: Morrison, Andrew D.. Abbie G. and J. Burt — all married.
Morrison Libby, eldest son of Andrew J. Libby, was born in 1859.
He is engaged in a grocery business in the block where his father
formerly kept store. He married Mrs. Julia Farnham, daughter of
Samuel Whitehouse.
Dea. William Macartney was born in 1808 in Boston, Mass., and
1088 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
died at Oakland in 1891. He came to Maine in 1823, where he learned
the clothier's trade. He held various town offices, both in Waterville
and Oakland, and in 1873 represented his district in the legislature.
He married Betsey, daughter of Ichabod Smith. Their six children
were: Mary, Lovisa S., William Henry, and three that died— Caroline
E., Cordelia and Octavia M. William Henry, born in 1836, was a
scythe maker, from 1860 to 1884. He served in the late war one year
in Company B, 21st Maine. He inarried Ellen M., daughter of Joel
Richardson, and their children are: Dwight P. and Mary L. Mr.
Macartney has been chairman of the board of selectmen and post-
master.
Daniel F. McLure, son of Jacob McLure, was born in 1832 at Skow-
hegan. He has been engaged in operating grist mills since 1849. In
1871 he came to Oakland and for fifteen years ran the grist mill for
Samuel Blaisdell. In 1886, in company with George H. Danforth, he
bought the mill and has run it since that time in connection
with the adjoining grocery store. He bought Mr. Danforth's interest
in the business in 1889. Mr. McLure is an active member of the order
of Odd Fellows.
Daniel E. Manter, retired farmer, born in Madison in 1824, is a son
of Daniel (1792-1864) and Lydia (Pratt) Manter, and grandson of David
(1763-1820) who came from Martha's Vineyard, Mass., to Wayne, and
married Keziah Robbms. They had ten children. Mr. Manter lived
in Sidney from 1854 until he came to Oakland in 1887. He married
Saphronia F., daughter of Humphrey and granddaughter of Hum-
phrey Bailey, who came from Massachusetts and settled in Sidney.
Their children are : George W., Alice A., William B. and a daughter
that died in infancy.
Reuben Ricker came to Waterville from Berwick, Me. He mar-
ried Philena Warren and their children were: Reuben, Ira H., Levi,
Philena, Lucy, Sarah, Maria, Harriet, Susan, and Charlotte. Levi,
born in 1802, married Mary Ann McPherson, and their children were:
Eliza J. (Mrs. C. F. Stevens), Henry A., Alfred G., James F., Lottie P.,
William H., Sumner, Levi S. and Erastus. Of these only two are liv-
ing—Eliza J. and Alfred G. Henry A. and Alfred G. occupied the
homestead of their father and since his death in 1862 Alfred G. has
carried on the farm. Henry A. died in March, 1892.
Charles K. Sawtelle, born in 1820, died June 1, 1892, was the eldest
of four children of Captain Nathan and Hannah (Kimball) Sawtelle,
grandson of Nathan, and great-grandson of Moses Sawtelle. He mar-
ried Paulena C. Bangs, who died leaving three children: Georgiana,
Frank and Sylvanus. His second wife was Elizabeth A. Pursey, who
left one son, Henry. His third wife was Mrs. Lizzie C. Lewis, a
daughter of Asa Soule. They had one son, Eugene K. Mrs. Sawtelle
had one daughter by her former marriage, Mary T. Lewis.
:<t#i|
A
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1089
Ora M. Sibley, son of Sumner, grandson of Peter, and great-grand-
son of William Sibley, who came to Pittsfield from England, about
1790, was born at Fairfield, Me., in 1850. Peter Sibley came to Fair-
field in 1830, and to Sidney in 1852. He and his son, Sumner, were
lumbermen on the Kennebec. The latter married Mary L. Eaton.
Ora M., the oldest of their three children, enlisted in the 20th Maine
August 27, 1864, and fought at Hatchers Run and Five Forks. After
the war he lived three years with Doctor Hill, of Augusta. In 1881
he came to Oakland and in 1886 he married Lizzie Melvin. He is a
dealer in horses and the owner of some noted trotters.
Major A. R. Small. — The life of every federal soldier who fought
in the civil war forms a line, longer or shorter, in the most momentous
chapter in the world's history. Who he was and what he did before
he joined the army, his character as a soldier, and what he is since his
discharge, are the questions whose answers reveal the quality of his
metal — whether the ordeal of war wrought it into finer steel or soft-
ened it into worthless scrap.
Major Abner R. Small, of Oakland, son of Abner, and grandson of
William Small, was one of these soldiers. His father was born in
Limington, Me., in 1802, and came to Gardiner about 1824, where he
married Mary A. Randall, of German descent, and settled in business
as a boot and shoe manufacturer. Hampton D., their eldest child, was
born in 1831 and died in 1861; Emilus N., the third son, is now in
business in Waterville; Emma S., their only daughter, developed a
decided artistic talent, and is now superintendent of the department
of drawing and moulding in the public schools of Seattle, Wash.; Ab-
ner R., the second child, was born in Gardiner May 1, 1836.
The next year Mr. Small removed with his family to Mt. Vernon,
where he continued the manufacture of boots and shoes, and was for
several years postmaster. At the age of fifteen Abner R. left home
and attended school in the Gardiner Lyceum. He then entered the
dry goods store of Parks & Bailey, in Gardiner, working there as a
clerk four years. He left there in 1856, and for the next four years
took charge of the North Wayne Scythe Company's store in Fayette.
April 25, 1861, the very month the first echo of rebel cannon
tingled the nerves of every true American, Abner R. Small enlisted
as a private in Company G, 3d Maine Infantry. Before leaving the
state, he was made a sergeant by Captain Hesseltine. This regiment
proceeded to Washington and was present at the inglorious battle of
the first Bull Run— no fault of theirs. It was one of the first three
regiments that crossed the Long Bridge to Alexandria, Va. Sergeant
Small was then detailed to conduct troops from recruiting stations to
the army; in which service he was sergeant major under Major Gardi-
ner, of the Augusta recruiting station. In the spring of 1862 Sergeant
Small was so effective in the work of organizing the 16th Maine regi-
1090 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ment, that Governor Washburn, to whom he reported daily, promptly
recognized and rewarded his services. The adjutant general recapit-
ulates his military career from this point as follows:
" In June, 1862, he was corhmissioned 1st Lieutenant and Adjutant
16th Regiment. In December, 1862, he was assigned to duty as A.
D. C. on the staff of 1st Brig. 2d Div. 1st A. C, and while serving as
such was complimented with well deserved special mention for dis-
tinguished gallantry displayed in the battle of Fredericksburg. In
July, 1863, he was appointed A. A. A. Gen. of the same Brigade, and
again received special notice in general orders for his brave conduct
in the battle of Gettysburg. He also participated in all the battles in
in which his regiment was engaged, until taken and held a prisoner
from August 18, 1864, to February 22, 1865. Thus he was with the
16th regiment from the time of its organization until its muster out
June 5, 1865. It is almost needless to say of Major Small that his rec-
ord is one of sterling honor. His military skill and ardor, his devo-
tion to the best welfare of his regiment, his lofty and unflagging
patriotism, and his conspicuous gallantry, have placed his name on
the roll of the most distinguished officers who aided to put down the
^reat rebellion."
The brave deeds of these heroic men should be saved in the pages
of history.
At the battle of Chancellorsville, May 3, 1863, Adjutant Small was
selected by Colonel Root, commanding 1st Brigade, to execute an
order by General Robinson, commanding 2d Division, to " send an
intelligent officer to the right of your line to ascertain and report
upon the condition of affairs on the Rapidan." Accompanied by a
single orderly. Adjutant Small rode four miles beyond the Union
lines, to a point from which he saw that the enemy had deserted a
large camp, and were rapidly marching to fall upon General Sedg-
wick. Returning, he was amazed to find a hundred of the enemy
with a picket line across the road near a spot where a single rough-
looking native had been seen on the ride out. They had got to run
that gauntlet of death, or be taken prisoners. Putting spurs to their
horses, the first plunge of the fleet steeds alarmed the picket, and
with the words " Halt ! Halt ! " came three shots that passed harm-
lessly by. Dashing across the road, they entered the woods, when
again came the shout " Halt, you damned Yanks ! " Reckless of the
bullets of the rebels, they rode madly on out of range, and soon met
General -Reynolds, the corps commander, and his staff, a mile from the
Union lines, anxiously awaiting their return. Receiving the report
with cordial thanks, he rode rapidly to General Hooker's head-
quarters with the important news secured by Adjutant Small's
reconnoissance.
During the battle of Weldon Railroad, August 18, 1864, a series of
blunders resulted in the capture of over one hundred men of the 16th
Maine, among them Adjutant Small, who for the next six months
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1091
endured the awful privations of rebel prison life. October 31, 1864,
while serving- his country in the Danville, Va., prison, he was com-
missioned major of the 16th Regiment. When Major Small rejoined
his regiment, it was in camp at Black and White Station on the South
Side railroad, where, under his command, it took part in the last
brigade drill. He was also its commander in the famous grand review
in Washington, May 23, 1865.
It is a pleasure to record the return of such a soldier to his home
and to the peaceful pursuits of life. His first business undertaking
was a partnership in the dry goods firm of Otis & Small, which lasted
till 1868, when he assumed the duties of his present position as head
bookkeeper of the Dunn Edge Tool Company. In 1874 he was made
treasurer of the Somerset Railroad, and soon after clerk of the incor-
poration— still filling both places. He is a member of the Baptist
church and was for many years its clerk; and has always been a mem-
ber of the republican party.
Major Small was married in 1865 to Julia M. Fairbanks, of Wayne,
whose death occurred in 1885. His second marriage was to Medora
F. Clark, of Cliftondale, Mass., in 1888. They have one child— Ralph
Hugo Small.
For a notice of Major Small's admirable History of the Sixtcetitit
Regiment, see page 266.
Everett M. Stacy, son of Moses Stacy, was born in Benton. He
graduated from Colby in '81, and after teaching one year and keeping
books three years, in October, 1885, he was made express agent and
telegraph operator at Oakland, and at the same time bought a book
and stationery business, which he still continues. He was made post-
master at Oakland in February, 1892. He married Ella J. Goodell,
of Waterville, and their children are: Harold E., Edward G. and
Owen P.
Albert Swain, born in Skowhegan in 1851, is a son of William and
Adaline (Worthy) Swain, and grandson of Dudley Swain. He was in
business in Clinton from 1877 until 1885, when he came to Oakland
and succeeded George W. Hubbard in the boot and shoe business, to
which he added men's furnishing goods.
Orrin W. Tilton, born in 1831, is the eldest of eight children of
Freeman and Betsey (Witham) Tilton, grandson of Cornelius, and
great-grandson of Cornelius Tilton, who came from Martlia's Vine-
yard, Mass., to Belgrade, and in 1800 bought the farm where Mr. Til-
ton now lives; Thomas Magraw having owned and occupied it sev-
eral years previous to that date. He married Sarah A., daughter of
William, and granddaughter of Willoughby Taylor. They have three
children; Frank E., Cora M. (Mrs. N. B. Goodale) and Daisy G.
Stephen C. Watson, born in 1838, is the eldest son of David and
Harriet S. (Tozier) Watson. David Watson came from Pittsfield, N. H.,
1092 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
to Waterville, where he was a blacksmith. In 1851 he came to West
Waterville (now Oakland), where he was a farmer, and since his death
in 1874 Stephen C, his son, has owned and occupied his farm. Mr.
Watson was four years selectman, two years president and trustee of
the North Kennebec Agricultural Society, and three years a member
of the state board of agriculture. He married Emma, daughter of
Anson and Sarah (Gibbs) Bates, and granddaughter of Constantine
Bates. Their children are: Arthur T., William Henry (deceased) and
Harry B.
Cyrus Wheeler, son of Cyrus Wheeler, who came to Waterville
from Concord, Mass., before 1810, was born in 1827. He was, besides
learning the shoemaker's trade, a clerk in his father's store till the
death of the latter in 1866, and since then has been a farmer. His
father married Mary, daughter of Jonathan Combs, and had four
children. Cyrus Wheeler married, in 1852, Sarah L. Muncy. Their
two children died young. His second wife was Emma H. Muncy,
and his third marriage, in 1869, was to Emma F. Bailey. Their child-
ren have been: Mary E., Cyrus W., Charles H., Bertel and Emma G.
John Wheeler, born in Canaan, Me., May 24, 1799, is a son of Dan-
iel and Mary (Pollard) Wheeler, whose father was a native of Con-
cord, Mass. Mr. Wheeler was lumberman and farmer in Canaan until
1864, when he came to Oakland, where he has since lived. He mar-
ried Margaret R. Hitchings, and only three of her eight children sur-
vive her. Mr. Wheeler was several times elected selectman and once
served as representative while residing in Canaan, and was the first
man to haul a log into Moosehead lake for floating to the lumber
mills.
William H. Wheeler is one of the five children of Erastus O. and
Rufus B. (Marston) Wheeler, and grandson of Abel Wheeler, who
came from Templeton, Mass., to Waterville in 1808. Mr. Wheeler is
a cabinet maker and car builder by trade. He was three years a half
owner in the Oakland grist mill with Charles H. Blaisdell. Since
1883 he has been a furniture dealer and undertaker. He married
Eliza P., daughter of Alfred Winslow. They have two sons: Alfred
W. and Dean E.
Alfred Winslow, born October 16, 1813, is the son of Joseph, and
the grandson of Dea. Nathan Winslow, all of Brewster, Mass. Back
of these in his direct male line were five more Cape Cod generations,
each ancestor bearing the name Kenelm Winslow.
The first Kenelm came from Droitwich, England. His son, Kenelm,
who was born in Marshfield about 1637, settled in Brewster and mar-
ried Mary, daughter of Peter Warden, of Yarmouth. She died in
1688, in her forty-eighth year, and was buried at East Dennis, in the
old Warden cemetery, which was reserved as a burial place by her
TOWN OF OAKLAND. 1093
brother, Samuel Warden. Mr. Winslow married again, died in 1715,
and was buried by the side of his first wife.
He resided in West Brewster, had a large family, and was a
wealthy man of his time. It is recorded that his religious training
differed from that of his neighbors — probably more liberal. He was
a farmer and clothier, owning, with others, a fulling mill on Sauqua-
tuckett river. His eldest son, Kenelm, born in 1667, married Bethial
Hall in 1689, and settled near him.
Joseph Winslow, born in 1772, married Abigail Snow in 1794. The
names of their ten children were: Phebee, Abigail, Joseph and Dean
(twins). Elkanah (a sea captain), Gilbert, Sophronia, Mehitable, Alfred
and John.
Packed into the first sixteen years of Alfred's life were the usual
quantity and variety of a boy's experience — beginning with a pop-
gun and a whistle and ending with the wood-saw and the district
school, interspersed with games, fishing, the first circus and the first
horse race. Then Alfred left home, went to Roxbury, where he
learned the tanners and curriers' trade, and worked at it for seven
years. In those times people believed and acted upon Franklin's wise
saying, that " a trade is an office of profit and honor." In 1836 he
came to Oakland and bought the tannery which he conducted con-
tinuously and profitably for twenty-eight years, adding during a part
of the time quite an extensive manufacture of thick boots. In IS.'je
he engaged in trade and built the store which, in company with his
sons, he still occupies.
Public affairs, of local or of general interest, have always'received
Mr. Winslow's careful attention and, when necessary, his time and
his personal assistance. In 1849 and 1850 he was one of the selectmen
of the town, and a year or two later was appointed a justice of the
peace by Governor Hubbard. The movement to build Memorial Hall
was largely of his conception and received its greatest impetus from
his untiring efforts. He was a solicitor, a collector and the treasurer
of its funds, and was really the managing director in their careful
expenditure until the building was completed and placed on a safe
business basis. Oakland therein builded better than she knew — a
testimonial to the good sense of her citizens, as well as to the memory
of her patriot soldiers.
For the past ten years Mr. Winslow has been a trustee of the sav-
ings bank and for the past fifty years a trustee of the Universalist
church, and most of that time its clerk, and always its steadfast sup-
porter. Politically he was first a democrat and belonged to that por-
tion of the party that believed in free soil and free men — every man
of whom voted for Fremont in 1856 and for Abraham Lincoln in 1860.
Mr. Winslow, in May, 1839, married Eliza C., daughter of Hiram
1094 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Crowell, a lineal descendant of another old Cape Cod family of influ-
ence and stability. Their children were: Hiram C, now a merchant
and town clerk of Oakland; Sarah C. and Abbie S., twins, who both
died at the age of four years; Eliza F., now Mrs. W. H. Wheeler, and
Chester E. A. Winslow, a partner with his father in trade and a direc-
tor in the Messalonskee National Bank. Mrs. Winslow died in 1859,
and the next year Mr. Winslow married Sarah W. Crowell, a sister to
his first wife. Her death occurred in 1867, and in 1868 he married
another sister, Martha M. Crowell, who died February 5, 1892. Now,
at the age of seventy-nine. Mr. Winslow is, as the accompanying por-
trait shows, a remarkably well preserved man. Almost six feet tall,
with corresponding proportions, he has kept his vigor by not overtax-
ing it — a kind of good sense rarely found.
CHAPTER XLII.
TOWN OF VASSALBORO.
Natural Features.— Settlement.— Incorporation. — Winslow's Survey Map.— Early
Town Meetings. — Moderators.— Selectmen. — Clerks.— Treasurers. — Schools.
—Villages and their Local Enterprises. — Post Offices. — Early Settlers. —
Churches.— Burying Grounds.— Personal Paragraphs.
THIS fertile, farming town, next north of Augusta, has the Kenne-
bec river for its western boundary, China for its eastern and
Winslow for its northern. Settlements here commenced as
early as 1760; but for eight years only ten families had become resi-
dents, including all in the present town of Sidney, which was incor-
porated within Vassalboro's first limits. April 26, 1771, it was first
recognized as a corporate body, and January 30, 1792, Sidney, the part
west of the river, was incorporated a town by itself, leaving the pres-
ent Vassalboro.
The three ranges of lots between the river and the gore were sur-
veyed and numbered by Nathan Winslow in 1761. The lots east of
it, shown on the map, page 1096, were surveyed and plotted by
John Jones in 1774, and designated as the fourth and fifth ranges.
These numbers are still generally referred to in deeds. East of the
third range Jones established a new line for the western boundary of
the fourth range, leaving a strip of land of unequal and irregular
width extending across through the town, and referred to in deeds as
the Gore. The principal inlet to Webber pond is in this gore, which
extends over Cross hill to the southward. Northeast of the town
house it is included in the farms of Z. Goddard, Elijah and James
Pope and Frank H. Lewis.
The records of the town from 1771 to the present are in four
leather-bound books, well preserved and beautifully written. The
first half of the first volume records that on May 17, 1771, James How-
ard, justice of the peace by the power in him vested, issued his war-
rant to Matthew Hastings to summon the freeholders to meet at
James Bacon's inn to chose the first officers of the new town. The
town meetings were held for years at inns on either side of the river,
and not until 1795 was it voted to build a Vassalboro town house. In
February of that year one was decided upon, to be thirty b}' forty
1096
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1097
feet, and to be placed near Peter Tallman's, the site, according to tra-
dition, being on the river road, about half way between Vassalboro
Corner and Riverside, on the farm now Stephen Freeman's — then
Samuel Redington's. The present town house is the same building,
having been removed after a vote of September, 1828, " to the land of
John Dutton near the corner made by the intersection of roads lead-
ing by Capt. Ballard's and by Israel Goddard's." Samuel Redington
was appointed to remove the house to its present site, where it was
repaired.
August 11, 1771, it was voted to build two pounds, to be completed
by the following June — one on David Spencer's lot, the other on
James Burnes' — the inhabitants to meet December, 1771, to build
them, and every absent settler was to pay 2s. 6d. lawful money. In
the present century a town pound was built of stone, which is still to
be seen in a dilapidated condition.
In the beginning of the present century the increase of settlers
was marked. In the census of 1800 the population was 1,188, and in
1810 it had reached 2,063. Lumbering and farming were the princi-
pal occupations of the residents, and up to this time no provision had
been made for the care of the town poor. In 1811 a small sum was
voted for this purpose, and in 1812 a house was rented for their use.
In 1813 it was voted to buy of John Roberts a house and two acres of
land for a poor house, which was sold in 1827. In March, 1831, the
annual town meeting voted to purchase a poor farm, now one of the
best farms in town, on the north shore of Webber pond. In 1815 the
keeping of the poor for the year was bid off at seventy-four cents each
per week
According to the custom of those early days a bounty of twenty
cents each was voted for crows' heads in the year 1806, which was
raised to twenty-five cents in the year 1807. The people had the her-
ring industry then to supply them with fish, which swarmed up the
river to Seven-mile brook, and on to the pond. In 1806 the privilege
of the. catch was bid off, reserving to each freeholder what he might
want, if he went in the season and paid fifty cents per barrel. Nathan-
iel Lovejoy purchased the monopoly of Seven-mile brook in 1811 for
$185.
Civil Lists. — Throughout the town records it appears that the
officers were selected for their ability, and to their discretion was
entrusted the most important affairs of the town. " Voted to refer the
subject to the selectmen with full authority," is a common entry. The
moderator of the annual meeting was usually the one deemed the
leading man in town. The moderators before 1800 were : Matthew
Hastings, who served first in 1771; Remington Hobby, 1774; Dennis
Getchell, 1775; Doctor Stephen Barton, 1777; Captain Abial Lovejoy,
1098
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
1782; Doctor Obadiah Williams, 1788; Ebenezer Moore, 1791, and
Reuben Fairfield, 1794.
The selectmen and their years of service, if more than one, are
given in the following list: 1771, Dennis Getchell, 8, Matthew Hast-
ings, 10, Eevi Powers; 1772, Ebenezer Farwell, 2; 1773, Charles Web-
ber, 2; 1774, Daniel Fairfield, 4; 1775, Ebenezer Pattie, 3, Samuel
Devens; 1776, Isaac Farwell, jun., 2: 1777, Remington Hobby; 1778,
Stephen Barton, 2, Joseph Webber; 1779, Nehemiah Getchell,
Abial Lovejoy, 6; 1780, Flint Barton, 3; 1781, Hugh Smiley, 2; 1784,
Captain Samuel Grant, 3; 1785, Thomas Smiley, 4; 1786, Benjamin
Dyer; 1787, Obadiah Williams, 2; 1788, Lieutenant Ebenezer Moore,
6; 1791, Charles Webber, 4; 1792, Reuben Fairfield, 15; 1793, Ebenezer
Farwell; 1795, Daniel McFadden, 2; 1797, Isaiah Crowell,9, John Get-
chell, 4; 1798, Samuel Redington, 3; 1801, Jonathan Carlton, 3; 1802,
Berriah Packard; 1806, Abial Getchell, 12, Moses Starkey, 2, Nathaniel
Percival; 1807, John Roberts; 1808, Philip Colby, 2, Joseph R.Abbott,
10; ]810, Isaac Roberts, 5; 1812, Francis M. Rollins, 3; 1814, John O.
Webster; 1815, Jeremiah Webber, 2; 1817, Joseph Southwick, Ebe-
nezer Meiggs, 2; 1818, Dean Bangs, jun.; 1819, Prince Hawes, Holman
Johnson, 9; 1820, John Roberts, 6; 1821, John Hussey; 1824, Jacob
Southwick, 2; 1826, Elijah Robinson, 5, William Percival, 7; 1828,
Philip Leach; 1829, Amos Stickney, 10; 1833, Isaac Fairfield, 18,
Moses Taber, 5; 1835, John G. Sturgis, 2; 1837, Otis C. Adams, 2, Wil-
liam Taber; 1838, Oliver Prescott, 4; 1840, Oliver Webber; 1841, Oliver
A. Webber, 3; 1842, William A. Hawes, 2; 1843, Jonathan A. Smith,
2, Joseph H. Cole; 1844, Joseph E. Wing, David G. Robinson, 5; 1845,
John Homans, 9; 1849, John Marble, 2; 1850, Hiram Pishon; 1851,
John Goff Hall, 5; 1854, William Merrill, Warren Percival, 5, Howard
G. Abbott; 1857, Jacob Prescott, 2, John R. Whitehouse, 10; 1859,
Joseph B. Low, 6; 1862, Orrick Hawes, 7; 1864, Edward S. Weeks;
1865, William H. Gates. 7; 1868, J. E. Mills, 2; 1870, Joseph H. Allen,
5; 1871, Edward W. Bush, 4; 1872, Henry H. Robbins,4; 1875, Warren
Percival, 2; Isaiah Gilford, 6; 1876, George Howell; 1877, Benjamin
McDonald, Howard Wentworth, 2; 1878, George Reynolds, 3; 1880,
Ezekiel Small; 1881, Greenlief Lowe, 6, Benjamin J. Rackliff, Albert
M. Bradley; 1882, B. C. Nichols, Hartwell Getchell; 1883, W. A.
Evans, 2 years and continuously since 1887; 1884, Joel W. Taylor, 2;
1885, Peter Williams; 1886, Gustavus Hussey, 3; Alexander Hall
since 1887; 1888, Harry T. Drummond, 3; 1892, Reuel C. Burgess.
The Town Clerks, each serving until his successor's election, have
been: John Rogers, who was elected in 1771; Samuel Devens, in
1775; Charles Webber, 1776; Dr. Stephen Barton, 1777; Jedediah Bar-
ton, 1781; Matthew Hastings. 1782; Stephen Barton, 1784; Flint Bar-
ton, 1787; Asa Redington, 1790; Jer. Fairfield, 1792; Jonathan Fair-
field, 1799; Jonathan Carlton, 1802; Benjamin Brown, jun., 1803;
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1099
Jonathan Fairfield, 1806; Joseph R. Abbott, 1809; Abial Getchell,
1817; Joseph R. Abbott, 1824; AmosStickney, 1830; Obed Durrell, 1838;
James Rowe, 1846; William H. Gates, 1865; Edward W. Bush, 1873;
E. Frank Lincoln, 1874; William S. Bradley, 1881; Orrick Hawes, ap-
pointed in 1883 to fill vacancy; William S. Bradley, 1884; A. S. Bradley
made deputy January, 1887; Seth B. Richardson, since March, 1887.
The first Treasurer of the town was Charles Webber, in 1771, who
also served in 1776. The succession of treasurers, with years of elec-
tion follows: John Rogers, 1773; Samuel Devens, 1775; Dr. Stephen
Barton, 1777; Benjamin Hobby, 1778; Captain Abial Lovejoy, 1780;
Captain Samuel Grant, 1781; Ebenezer Farwell, 1782; Samuel Grant,
1783; Nehemiah Getchell, 1785; Flint Barton, 1790; Nehemiah Get-
chell, 1792; Jer. Fairfield, 1795; Samuel Redington, 1798; Reuben
Fairfield, 1801; Jonathan Carlton, sen., 1802; Samuel Redington, 1803;
Benjamin Brown, 1813; Samuel Redington, 1815; Joseph R. Abbott,
1819; Samuel Redington, 1821; Joseph Southwick, 1822; Philip Leach,
1828; Albert G. Brown, 1829; Elijah Robinson, 1830; John Collins,
1832; Thomas Carlton, 1833; Amos Stickney, 1834; Moses Purinton,
1835; William Percival, appointed November, 1836, to complete the
year; Thomas Carlton, 1837; Amos Stickney, 1838; Obed Durrell,
1839; John Romans, 1846; Joseph H. Cole, 1850; James Rowe, 1851;
Joseph H. Cole, 1854; William P. Whitehouse, 1855; James Rowe,
1856; Joseph H. Cole, 1857; William Merrill, 1859; William S. B. Run-
nells, 1863; William H. Gates, 1864; Warren Percival, 1866; Z. Butter-
field, 1867; J. S. Butterfield, 1877; Charles F. Crowell, 1887; George H.
Gates, since March, 1891.
Schools.— The first record of anything pertaining to this impor-
tant element of civilization was made in annual meeting of March,
1790, when the town east of the river was divided into districts, and
an earnest support of the public schools commenced. The nine dis-
tricts of 1790 were located and numbered thus:
1. Beginning at the north line of said town on the river, extend-
ing southwardly as far as the north line of Jacob Taber, jun.'s, lot, in-
cluding the first and second mile.
2. Beginning at north line of Jacob Taber, jun.'s, lot, thence
southerly as far as the north line of Jonathan Low's lot, including the
first and second mile, likewise the third mile from the north line of
the town southwardly as far as the south line of Jacob Taber's lot.
3. Beginningat the last mentioned bounds, extending southwardly
as far as the south line of John Williams' lot, including 1st, 2d and 3d
mile.
4. Beginning at John Williams' .south line, extending southwardly
as far as Jethro Gardner's north line, including the 1st and 2d mile.
5. From Jethro Gardner's north line to the south line of said
town, including the 1st and 2d mile.
6. Beginning at the north line of said town, extending south-
wardly as far as David Dickey's south line, including 4th and 5th mile.
1100 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
7. From David Dickey's south line extending southwardly as far
the south line of Bunker Farwell's lot, including the 4th and 5th
mile.
8. From Bunker Farwell's south line southerly as far as the line .
between lots No. 7 and 8 on the 4th mile, including the 3d, 4th and 5th
miles.
9. From the line between lots 7 and 8 on the 4th mile southwardly
as far as the south line of said town, including the 3d, 4th and 5th
mile.
The committee making the division into districts was composed of
Reuben Fairfield, Charles Webber, Nehemiah Getchell, Daniel
McFadden, Joseph Fellows and John Taber. Teachers were hired
and the schools of the town commenced. Alterations were made in
the bounds of districts as the convenience of the inhabitants de-
manded, and in 1795 another district was formed in the south part.
This year a committee was chosen in open town meeting to obtain
teachers for all districts and pay out the moneys according to the
number of pupils in each. The school interests were closely watched,
and in 1797 the number of schools was reduced to seven, and the $700
raised by the town was disbursed by the selectmen, who also en-
gaged the teachers. In 1798 another division into districts was made,
and a year later $1,000 was raised to build ten school houses. In 1809
districts nine and thirteen were joined, but were to continue two
schools by female teachers, one of whom was to be selected by the
Friends. In 1816 the seventeen schools were visited by a committee
appointed by the town, which custom prevailed several years with
beneficial results. The districts were again changed and re-bounded
in 1828, but not until 1839 was the division of the town made into the
twenty-two districts which are now substantially the same.
Some fifty years ago an academy was established at Getchell's Cor-
ners and flourished a score of years as the Vassalboro Academy. The
building was used for religious as well as secular instruction; but in
1868 it was sold to the Methodist society and remodelled into the
present Methodist church.
From a town committee to hire teachers and visit schools the town
voted a proper person in each district to do the duties for his district.
Later years a town superintendent has been elected, who visits and
cares for the schools. Uniform text books of standard editions are
now the property of the town, and a yearly appropriation for .such books
is made. The districts number twenty-two, and the houses and schools
are in good condition. The superintendent of 1890, F. A. Vinal, was
succeeded in 1891 by Seth B. Richardson. The best school building
in the town is at North Vassalboro. It was built about 1872, contains
three departments, and a large public hall on the second floor. In
1873 an appropriation of $500 was made for a high school at East
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1101
Vassalboro, but the continued success of Oak Grove vSeminary has
superseded the necessity for the high school.
Villages.— The manufacturing and mercantile enterprises of the
town have so generally been known in connection with the post vil-
lages near which they have flourished that their history may well be
grouped with those communities. There are six post hamlets in the
town, known as Vassalboro, North Vassalboro, East Vassalboro, River-
side, Cross Hill and South Vassalboro, besides which are five prom-
inent localities, known as Priest Hill, Taber Hill, Quaker Lane,
Mudgett Hill and Seward's Mills.
Vassalboro.— The early coming and the business prominence of
John Getchell, sen., gave the name of Getchell's Corners, to the post
hamlet now known as Vassalboro, sometimes called Vassalboro Cor-
ners. Of the settlers of this part of the town, John Getchell, with
his several sons, was first. He purchased the lands where the stores
stand, and his sons were scattered above and below, along the river
road. Among the settlers who felled the huge forest trees at and near
the corners were : Stephen Hanson, who was the first blacksmith of
the hamlet and who settled where his son, Henry Hanson, resides;
Abial Getchell, son of John, settled the next lot south, and made his
first clearing and house where the widow Getchell resides, on the street
opposite from Philip Hanson's; John Getchell, jun., settled where
Marshall F. Higgins resides, on the east bank of Southwick brook,
just back of the residence of Isaiah Gifford; Joseph Robinson settled
a portion of Isaiah Gifford's farm, a short distance south of the South-
wick brook, and Levi Robinson next south, where Augustus Rollins
now resides; Samuel Redington, so prominent in the early growth of
the town, settled the Stephen Freeman farm, and the next farm south
was the first home of Thomas Carlton.
John Getchell, sen., kept the first store here on the road east of the
Yates mansion. The present corner store was built early in the cen-
tury as a double store, Joseph R. Abbott selling goods in one and
Daniel Marshall in the other. Samuel Foster succeeded Abbott, while
Jacob Southwick and Prince Hopkins succeeded Marshall. Nichols &
Prescott succeeded Southwick & Hopkins, and made the two stores
into one, and were succeeded by Josiah and E. W. Prescott and Isaiah
Gifford. D. Washburn & Son then kept the store until G. W. Ward
became proprietor, who was joined later by his brother, Frank, in the
firm of Ward Brothers, who were succeeded in 1892 by Orrett J. Hus-
sey & Dodge.
There is the evidence of a dam in the brook back of Isaiah Gif-
ford's residence and garden, tradition telling of an ancient pail fac-
roty there; also an ashery, both of which were the property of Jacob
Southwick. The same man had a plaster mill lower down on the
stream, on the east side of the river road. The large tannery at the
1102 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
mouth of this brook near the river, is well remembered by the olrler
citizens. It was built about 1816 and stood near where an early s.'iw
mill of John Getchell had gone into decay. Prince Hopkins became
partner with Mr. Southwick in the tannery as well as store, and the
business was successfully run till Mr. Southwick's death in 18^5.
Thomas Frye had a small tannery near Philip Hanson's barn, in the
rear of the hotel, and Thomas or Ebenezer Frye had a tannery where
George S. Smiley lives — the house being the old currier's shop.
John Dennett, or Swan & Dennett, had an ancient hat shop in a
building that stood near Masonic Hall, and John Hawks had another
hatter's shop in a building that stood between Mrs Day's present
dwelling and George Smiley's. There was a small building next
south of the present post office building, in which Oliver Brackett
made clocks. After a number of years Thomas Frye sold goods in
the same building.
The Vassalboro post office was established April 1, 1796, with Jere-
miah Fairfield as postmaster. His successors have been: Thomas
Odiorne, October 1, 1798; Lathrop Chase, April 1, 181B; Abial Get-
chell, March 25, 1818; Philip Leach, January 14, 1826; Daniel Marshall,
October 16, 1832; Thomas Frye, April 7, 1842; Goodloe H. Getchell,
September 23, 1845; James W.Sylvester, March 2, 1852; Thomas Frye,
March 15, 1852; Jonathan Snow, March 81, 1854; Hiram Pishon, Feb-
ruary 25, 1863; Edward W. Bush, April 26, 1869; Mary A. Hanson,
June 15, 1885, and Annie W. Gilbert, April 19, 1889.
J. The most important industry of the hamlet at present is a canning
factory, built in 1882 by the Portland Canning Company. The can-
ning of corn and apples is the special feature. The daily capacity is
30,000 cans, and an average of 25,000 cans are put up daily during the
canning season. In 1890 over 6,000 one-gallon cans of apples were
put up here.
The early importance of the little village — then the first above
Augusta — called for a hotel, and the first one in the town was estab-
lished here. The present hotel, George Gibson, proprietor, was
opened to the public as a tavern soon after the war of 1812 by Daniel
Marshall, succeeded by John Hussey, Francis Day, John W. Thomas,
Jonathan Snow, Charles vSimpson, Roscoe Gilbert and the late Samuel
Gibson. This hotel was of much central interest during the stage
days, when daily lines between Augusta and Bangor — both ways —
made their halt and change of horses here. Tradition tells us of an
inn kept by Mr. Leonard in the old house opposite from Henry Han-
son's, and which was burned in 1830. This was probably the house in
which John Getchell had the first store of the place.
Years ago the boot and shoe industry was prominent here. About
1835 Franklin D. Dunham began the manufacture of boots in a build-
ing that stood in front of his present dwelling, and which was burned
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1103
some years after; he removed his business to the building that now
stands next south of the post office, where he continued till 1879 or
1880, a period of forty-five years. He employed sometimes one hun-
dred hands in his manufactory. He turned the business into the
manufacture of brogans prior to and during the civil war. Joseph
Estes had a shoe factory in the building now Grange Hall, where fifty
hands were employed. He carried on business while the Dunham
factory was running. Caleb Nichols opened a shoe factory over his
store, which he ran for several years; and William Tarbell had a fac-
tory in a building that stood on the green next north of the Congre-
gational chapel, and which is now doing service elsewhere as a stable.
These factories, with the large amount of other business, induced
the Southwicks to organize and operate a bank here, called Negeum-
keag bank. The capital was $50,000, and the state reports of Janu-
ary 1, 1829, showed its bills in circulation to be $50,615. It was wound
up about 1840. Dr. Edward Southwick was the president and Amos
Stickney cashier. Its location was in the building now the residence
of Mrs. Day, and after its close the queer old strap, wrought iron .safe
was removed to Burnham, Me., where the Southwicks owned a large
tannery.
Less than thirty years ago there was a steam saw mill, built as a
water mill first, on the river .shore on what was then the Lang farm,
now Hall C. Burleigh's. John D. Lang erected the mill for cutting
the logs of the farm, but after a few years it was abandoned.
After the removal of Vassalboro Lodge, No. 54, to North Vassalboro
a second Lodge of Free Masons was established at Getchell's Corners
January 25, 1872, under a dispensation, with Warren Colby as master.
The charter was granted and the first meeting under it was June 20,
1872, with William Tarbell, W. M. The masters have been: Caleb F.
Graves, George W. Reynolds, Arioch Wentworth, Daniel Rollins,
Charles A. Stillson, Charles W. Jones, William S. Dutton and Charles
L. Gifford. Daniel Rollins has been the secretary since 1881. Nege-
umkeag Lodge, No. 166, as it is designated, owns its hall and numbers
forty-six members.
December 21, 1889, Kennebec Lodge, No. 121, 1. 0. 0. F., commenced
work in Masonic Hall with five charter members, and now has thirty-
one. The noble grands have been: H. M. Coleman, Jabez Dunn, and
E. S. Colbath from January, 1891.
Oak Grove Grange, No. 167, P. of H., which was instituted at North
Vassalboro May 11, 1875, was removed to this village a few years ago.
The masters have been: George Taylor, M. B. F. Carter, M. G. Hus-
sey, E. B. Merrill, Gustavus Hussey (to fill vacancy), and E. H. Cook
in 1881. In April, 1883, a reorganization was made, and O. W. Jones
was elected presiding officer; he was succeeded by Charles W. Jones,
Gustavus Hussey, Nathan F. Hall, Seth B. Richardson, Everard L.
1104 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Priest, Merton A. Robbins and F. C. Drummond. The society meet
in their hall a few rods south of the Congregational chapel, whei-e the
Grange opened a store November, 1889, of which Isaiah Gifford is
manager.
As the outgrowth of a strong temperance feeling a Lodge of Good
Templars is sustained, meeting at Grange Hall.
North Vassalboro.— Of the several post villages within the
limits of the town. North Vassalboro is the most important. The
large woolen mills located here are the principal factors to the busi-
ness of the village. In the broad valley through which the outlet of
China lake hastens to join the waters of the Sebasticook this beauti-
ful village nestles among the noble elms that line its streets. It was
early an important point for settlement, and here the indomitable
John Getchell had a square mile of land, which did not long after
furnish game for the Indians. He had come from Cape Cod, and
with his brother, Dennison Getchell, became the chief man in the
north part of the town. The coming of Dr. Edward South wick from
Danvers, Mass., to North Vassalboro, was an important event. He
purchased of John Getchell the water privilege here, and within the
first two decades of this century had established here what was, in
1820, the largest tannery in New England. This he successfully
managed while his brother, Jacob, had another at Getchell's Corners.
Later, Doctor Southwick secured the assistance of Prince Hopkins,
and seems to have planned to control the tanning business of the
state, and did it to a remarkable degree for that day. His business
was the life of North Vassalboro. West of Jonathan Nowell's house
he had more than an acre covered with sheds for his tan bark, which
he bought from the surrounding towns.
While Friend Southwick was at the zenith of his transitory pros-
perity John D. Lang, from Providence, R. I. — a man, probably, worth
$100,000 — came to the town. His brothers-in-law, Alton Pope and
Peter Morrill Stackpole, had a wool carding and cloth dressing mill
on the dam here, and Friend Lang furnished some needed capital, and
Lang, Stackpole & Pope began the woolen manufacture, which has,
from that day to this, been the chief industrial pursuit here. Their
woolen mill was in successful operation in 1836, on the dam. About
1850 John D. Lang bought the tannery property, and in 1851 the
brick woolen mill was erected. A brick kiln was built, and after the
brick were burned the walls of the mill were built around it. Sam-
ples of cassimere from this mill took the first prize — a gold medal —
at the World's Fair, London, 1851. After the erection of the brick
mill the old mill on the dam was moved a few rods to the street, where
it has since done duty as a dry house and later as a boarding house.
It is now a dwelling and a hall.
Soon after the brick mill was erected Boston parties took shares,
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1105
and the North Vassalboro Woolen Manufacturing Companj^ was
organized before 1856. Mr. Lang was president and his son, Thomas,
was agent. In 1861 the company erected the new mill, 47 by 200 feet,
making the plant, as it still is, the largest woolen mill in New Eng-
land. These two mills — practically one— are on the site of the old
tannery. The last of the tannery buildings were burned after the
1851 part was built. vSince the beginning of the brick mills Lang
and Pope were the only Vassalboro people owning shares in it, and it
is now owned wholly by Boston people.
Several residents here have been prominent in the operation of
the mills. Albert Cook, Joseph White, Warren A. Evans, Dennis
Coughlin, William Reddick and J. C. Evans have been successively
superintendents. Jonathan Nowell has been boss of the dyeing
works forty years, and John C. Mullen for twenty-eight years has had
charge of the wool sorting, succeeding his father, Richard. Ebenezer
Gould was boss carder thirty years. J. C. Evans, the present super-
intendent, was boss weaver when promoted in August, 1890, and his
brother-in-law, Mark R. Shorey, who began as apprentice in 1868, has
been boss weaver since. Levi Webber was for thirty-nine years
master mechanic for the mills.
Just above the old tannery site, easterly and adjoining the street,
is a factory where boxes and cases for shipping goods are made for
the mills, and operated by the same management, with the waste
water from the dam. On this site stood the old grist mill, and adjoin-
ing it was a small woolen mill owned by John D. Lang. These were
destroyed by fire. Across the stream from the grist mill stood the
old North Vassalboro saw mill. This was owned by John D. Lang,
Peter Morrill Stackpole and Alton Pope when it was burned in 1848.
They immediately began rebuilding, and while raising the frame Mr.
Stackpole was killed, November 12, 1848. This new mill which Lang
& Pope completed, was destroyed by fire in 1862.
A house of entertainment was needed in the place when the influx
of strangers was so great, and Prince Hopkins erected the building
now occupied by William Murray as a hotel, and there a Mr. Wilson
kept an inn, succeeded by Prince Hopkins until November, 1866,
when he sold to the present proprietor.
Twenty-two postmasters, beginning with Joses Southwick, March
22, 1828, have been commissioned for North Vassalboro. Elijah Rob-
inson and Joseph Southwick preceded John C. Taber, who was ap-
pointed March 22, 1837. He served six years. His successors have
been: George Pillsbury, jun., January 14, 1843; Henry Weeks, May
1, 1844; Howard C. Keith, May 17, 1848; Henry Weeks, June 8, 1849;
Charles A. Priest, July 1, 1853; Thomas Stackpole, February 10,
• 1855; Seth Nickerson, March 11, 1856; Thomas Stackpole, August 21,
1856; Edward S. Stackpole, March 10, 1857; Henry C. Wing, Septem-
1106 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ber 22, 1S59; Timothy Rowell, July 2, 1861; James A. Varney, Feb-
ruary 1, 1868; George H. Ramsell, December 5, 1877; Josiah P. Burgess,
June 15, 1885; William Murray, October 1, 1887; Charles E. Crowell,
April 12, 1889, and Samuel S. Lightbody, December 26, 1890.
The first store here that tradition mentions was one by John C.
Taber prior to 1831, in what is now called the Daguerrean building.
The next was the tannery store, known as the " old yellow store," on
the present woolen mill property, in the grove. Prior to about 1850
this was the only store here, the tannery owners having operated it
until it passed into the hands of the woolen mill people. Thomas
Snell was running this store in 1837. Hiram Simpson ran it during
the war. The old building — more brown than yellow with the lapse
of years — is now on the opposite side of the street, occupied as a mil-
linery store.
Howard G. Abbott kept a store from 1849 to 1888, in a building
since burned, opposite the Burgess store. The store of R. C. Burgess
on the corner was built by Levi Gardner in 1859. In this store the
same year Benjamin McDonald and Orrick Hawes were partners with
Mr. Gardner a short time, then sold to him. In 1866 R. C. and his
brother, H. R. Burgess, nephews and clerks of Mr. Gardner, became
partners with him. This relation continued eleven years, when these
brothers became sole proprietors under the firm name of Burgess
Brothers until the death of H. R. Burgess in March, 1886, since when
R. C. Burgess has continued the business. In 1877, after the sale to
his nephews, Mr. Gardner opened a grocery store in the company
building on the other corner east. I. P. Burgess, his clerk, succeeded
in this store at the death of Mr. Gardner in 1880, and closed the busi-
ness out in a short time. Since then the store has only been used for
short periods until in 1890, when J. E. Bessey opened a grocery busi-
ness, which he continues.
Henry A. Priest was in a general trade for years where John
Dougherty is. Mr. Dougherty began business in 1882, in the corner
store where Michael Herbert's daughter has a variety store. He suc-
ceeded John M. Cook, who had kept a shoe store there several years.
Mr. Doughei'ty removed to his present place in December, 1890.
Benjamin Homans in 1860 built the corner store where W. E. Hall is.
Homans kept it a time and sold to Wellington & Crowell, who were
succeeded by Mr. Hall in 1891. A little building in rear of and south of
the store of Mr. Bessey was in use as a store for twenty years by Mrs.
Western, and was closed at her death m the spring of 1891.
The first exclusively hardware business was opened in 1880 by
George S. Hawes, on the south side of the street opposite the mill
grove. The drug trade of the place has been in the hands of Samuel S.
Lightbody since the fall of 1888, when he succeeded Freeman A. Libby.
Earlier than 1870 J. Roberts was the druggist and was succeeded by
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1107
Frederick H. Wilson. Charles Nowell, whose father, Jonathan, owns
the building, was the village druggist before Mr. Libby. Hiram
Simpson built, in 1862, the store his son, Albert, now runs.
In March, 1870, Vassalboro Lodge, No. 54, F. &. A. M., which had
met at Getchell's Corners since June, 1827, changed its place of meet-
ing to North Vassalboro by a vote of forty-five to eighteen. Holman
Johnson was the first master and Daniel Marshall the next, under
whose administration the members ceased to regularly meet during
the Morgan excitement. In the 'forties the Lodge work declined
with the interest of the members, and the charter was lost, but in 1853
Abial Getchell and others petitioned for and received a copy of the
original charter and resumed work in June. William Redington was
elected master, the missing charter was found, and the Lodge in July,
1857, joined with Samuel Gibson in the erection of a building of which
the second floor was to be Masonic Hall, and which was dedicated
February 23, 1858. This hall is the Masonic Hall now in use at Get-
■chell's Corners, by the fraternity there. In 1870 a suitable hall was
secured at North Vassalboro, in which stated communications are
held. The successive masters prior to the removal were: E. Small,
John Homans, Joseph E. Wing, William Tarbell, A. M. Bragg, Charles
Blanchard and Peter Williams. Since the removal to North Vassal-
boro the masters have been: B. J. Rackliff, W. A. Evans, J. C. Evans
in 1880 and again in 1890; Henry Ewer, E. C. Coombs, R. C. Burgess
and F. A. Libby.
The Good Templars, organized in 1866 in this village, still retain
their charter but have done little or no work since 1887, when an
order of the Sons of Temperance, now numbering fifty, was organized
with thirty-two members. The worthy patriarchs have been: Samuel
Lee, Dr. Charles Mabray and Samuel McWellyn.
Kennebec Lodge, A. O. U. W., No. 22, was here organized February
4, 1884, with fourteen charter members, and now numbers forty-one.
The master workmen have been: R. C. Burgess, F. A. Vinal, S. S.
Lightbodyand Daniel Clark. Charles E. Crowell has been secretary
since the organization.
East Vassalboro. — The location of this pretty post village is sug-
gested by its name. The outlet of China lake furnishes here a valu-
able water power, and around the nucleus of the mills and manufac-
tories upon it, the village has gradually grown, surrounded by a good
farming country. The proprietors understood the value of this
stream as the outlet of so large a body of water, and probably were
instrumental in the erection of the first saw mill here, a few rods be-
low the village bridge, before this portion of their territory was
settled. This saw mill, or its successor, was subsequently owned by
John Getchell, and in it was cut material for the settlers' first houses,
and immense quantities to raft down the Kennebec. Moses Breed
1108 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
had some relation to the business of this old mill. The site of this mill
is a historic spot where, after the mill had served its day, Moses Dow
built a tannery; here, grinding the bark by horse power, he became a
thrifty tanner and added hat making to his business. A water-wheel
succeeded the old horse at the grinding, and Franklin Dow succeeded
his father, Moses, as the owner. Tanning became profitable and
steam power superseded the water-wheel, and after its destruction by
fire the plant was rebuilt by Franklin Dow before his death in 1848.
That year Caleb Nichols and William H. Gates purchased the busi-
ness. James C. Pierce became a partner with Mr. Gates in 1854 and
they continued until 1873, tanning some 1,500 hides per annum.
Above the village bridge is the reservoir dam controlling the sup-
ply of water for the mills below. On the east end of the dam John
Mower once had a bark mill, while his father, Nathan, had a tannery
on the place where John now resides. On the hill to the eastward
Thomas Sewall also had a tannery. Across the stream fi'om the bark
mill stood Thomas Greenlow's shop, with its four forges and trip-
hammers run by water.
After John Getchell's time, a saw mill appears on a site below the
original one. This was owned by Jacob Butterfield, then by his son,
Henry R. The North Vassalboro Woolen Gompany purchased it,
and in 1890 it passed through S. Williams, of Boston, to Warren
Seward, who had leased it since 1866. The grist mill here was erected
before 1810. Its lower story, of stone, was built by Jabez Dow. The
early owners were some retired ship captains — Gaptains Alley,
Macy, Jerry Growell and others. Zachariah Butterfield was the miller
several years from 1812. Still further down the outlet, but within
East Vassalboro, is another grist mill.
Northwest of Seward's saw mill stood the old-time carding mill,
three stories high. In 1816, after Jeremiah Hacker had owned it,
Thomas Pinkham was engaged here in cloth dressing and wool card-
ing. The building was enlarged, and, after John Gollins, Jesse Dor-
man made satinet here with six looms. The North Vassalboro
Woolen Gompany bought the mill before it was torn down in 1870.
Zachariah Butterfield, the old miller, had a potash works near the
mill, which he ran, and up stream by the lake his son, Zachariah, and
Peter Rollins had two other asheries. On the site of one, in 1876,
Jeremiah S. and Andrew G. Butterfield, by transforming their brother's
old ashery, established their present steam saw mill, adding a planer,
shingle and lath machines.
Tradition says of some of the old residences, that Moses Dow, in
1798, built the house now owned by Benjamin Bryant; the house now
occupied by Richard Bennett was built in 1801 by Amos Stiles; Wil-
liam Getchell built the house opposite the Revere House on the
corner — known now as the Bradley House — and here kept an early
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1109
Store. South of this a house, burned nearly a score of years ago, was
built in 1801 by Nathan Breed. The house opposite the last was built
in 1827 by Francis M. Rollins, who in 1804 had built the house now
occupied by William H. Gates. Doctor Moody the same year built
the house opposite. Nathan Mower came here in 1799 to attend the
store of Nathan Breed, on the corner now occupied by the Revere
House. Webster & Colby kept a store on the corner opposite the
Revere House in 1802. Captain William's house was erected by Wil-
liam Getchell in 1803, and Isaac Hussey settled where Charles E. Col-
lins lives.
This point was a fitting place for the inn keeper, and prior to 1814
John Brackett built one of the best frame buildings then in the town
and opened an inn, which was popular for many years. It stood north
of David M. Wyer's present residence on land he now owns. Prior
to 1824 John Soule kept tavern in the house that stood where the Re-
vere House is. In 1828 Jacob Butterfield added to the size and
changed the shape of the Getchell store and he there ran an inn till
about 1848; then John O. Page succeeded him. In 1858 Albert M.
Bradley erected the Revere House, which has been the hotel since.
The government established the East Vassalboro post office March
26, 1827, with Amos Stickney in charge. After one year John Col-
lins was appointed, and he was succeeded in January, 1841, by John
Hatch, and six months later by Jacob Butterfield. Since then Addi-
son Stinchfield was appointed April 11, 1845: Jeremiah S. Butterfield,
October 7, 1847; Benjamin F. Homans, April 27, 1854; Joseph Bow-
man, May 27. 1854; Benjamin F. Homans, September 27. 1S;'55; Jere-
miah S. Butterfield, April 22, 1861; Charles W. Mower, December 7,
1885; and in April, 1889, Levi C. Barker.
The store of the village is now kept by George H. Gates. The
principal branch is on the northeast of the four corners of the village.
The building was erected about 1824 by David Hamlen; it was sold to
Zachariah Butterfield, jun., in 1845, who fitted it for and opened it as a
store. He sold to Isaac Robinson, he to William H. and Charles B.
Gates, they to Mark L. Simington, he to W. S. B. Runnells and James
E. Gates, they to Webster Lewis and George H. Gates. Then William
H. Gates purchased the interest of Lewis and the firm name was
George H. Gates & Go. Now George H. Gates is sole proprietor and
owns also the store where the post office is. This post office corner
was burned May 6, 1848, and, after several temporary buildings on the
site, was rebuilt in its present shape in 1867, by Zachariah Butterfield.
William A. and Augustus Taber opened a store in what was called
the Union store, now the residence of E. W. Bragg. They sold to
Pope & Sibley, who also bought out Z. Butterfield, jun., where the
post office now is, and continued a few years, removing into the old
70
1110 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Methodist church building to close out their stock by bankrupt sale.
Early in the century John Greenlowe, then living where John Mur-
phy does, obtained letters patent on iron plows, which he manufac-
tured in the shop on the reservoir dam. David Doe made patterns
for Greenlowe and succeeded to the business. Mr. Greenlowe is well
remembered by the citizens of East Vassalboro, not only from the
revolution in the merit of the plow, but from the fact that he set out
the most of the trees that so beautifully shade the streets of the vil-
lage. North of Butterfield's steam mill is an enclosure called the
Baptist burying ground; but not a headstone nor mound gives an out-
ward indication of the fact. Adjacent to this burial place stood the
ancient Baptist church, which was sold for $43 to Ezekiel Small in
1832, and was allowed to decay. The burial ground was neglected
and its use discontinued after the removal of the church edifice, ex-
cept that the portion next to the mill has been used by the colored
people. In the absence of headstones the grand old elms stand senti-
nel over the sleepers.
For several years prior to 1860 a Union Store Company — some
thirty or forty persons — did a large share of the general trade. Will-
iam Taber and his brother bought the business, and about 1865 sold
it to George H. Pope and his brother-in-law, E. R. Sibley.
Riverside. — This poetical name applies to the southwest portion
of the town, embracing one of the prettiest farming districts of the
county. In allusion to Benjamin Brown, the first postmaster and a
prominent citizen, the community and post office was long known as
Brown's Corners. The early settlers on the river front lots from the
Augusta line to Isaiah Hawes' present residence were: William Brown,
Jeremiah and William Farwell, Charles Webber (who came in 1765
and whose daughter, Sarah, was the first white child born in town),
Benjamin Brown, Jacob Faught, Thaddeus and William Snell, Mr.
Fallonsbee, James, Jonathan and Heman Sturgis and their father, Ed-
ward, from Barnstable, Mass., about 1780; James Thatcher, from Cape
Cod, and Isaiah Hawes, also from the Cape. These people lived
on the river road and from south to north in substantially this order,
beginning with William Brown on lot 51 of the first range, where
Wallace Weeks now lives.
I. S. Weeks now owns part of the Farwell place, where stands the
old house erected by Captain Eben Farwell, son of the pioneer. In
the little cemetery opposite lie nearly all the Farwells. Benjamin
Brown kept the tavern in the old house now occupied by D. C. Ellis,
north of Grange Hall, and at the river landing below he, with a Mr.
Gardner, built several small vessels and acquired a very large estate,
which he left for those who proved unable to preserve it. He was
twenty-five years master— from January 18, 1817— in the little post
office which in 1826 did a total business of $33.25. His successors
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1111
were: Josiah B. Wentworth, appointed August 31, 1842; William
Webber, April 8, 1848; George Shaw, March 3l', 1854; Eben Ayers,
September 10, 1856. At this time the office was removed from
Brown's store — now Grange Hall — to its present location. July 17,
1862, George L. Randall was appointed, and in January, 1866, the
name was changed to Riverside. The railway station near by
takes the same name. N. H. Fassett was made postmaster in May,
1892.
Seven-mile brook, in this section of the town, the outlet of Web-
ber pond, has been from the first a useful water power. James T.
Bowdoin built a grist mill west of the road, and in 1812 sold it to
Joseph Stuart. Thomas Carlton was the next owner, succeeded by
Hiram Lovejoy, who sold it in 1827 to Ephraim Jones, at which time
wood carving was also done here. At this time, and for years before,
this was the principal mill between Augustaand Waterville, it having
three runs of stones, and often running day and night. Abiel P.
Fallonsbee owned it for nine years after 1829, when George W. Hall
purchased a one-fourth share, and Augusta parties secured the bal-
ance. Subsequently Thaddeus Snell purchased it. The stream now
flows unhindered through its ruins. Down the stream was the old
Sturgis grist mill, silent and dismantled long ago.
Two paper mills have been operated on this stream. George Cox
and Mr. Talpy built one near the mouth. It was burned in 1841, and
on the site Bridge & Sturgis erected the present three-story machine
shop, where sash, blinds and doors were made for a time, until they
were succeeded by Charles Webber. After the fire Cox & Talpy went
up the stream and purchased of James Robbins and others an old saw
mill and converted it into a paper mill, the ruins of which remain. It
was operated by George Tower and Daniel Stanwood until abandoned
about 1870. This saw mill had been in use by James and George A.
Robbins some dozen years or more. The mill was built by Benja-
min Brown, Captain William Farwell and John Homans, the latter
sawing here several years before it was sold to the Robbins brothers.
The John Gardner tannery of 1830 was near this, and still further up
the stream and near Webber pond was the Coleman saw mill, later
known as the Foster mill.
The saw mill now at the mouth of the brook was built by A. S.
Bigelow and others about 1871, and in 1887 E. L. Baker purchased the
controlling interest. It was the only mill on the stream in operation
in 1892. The following remarkable petition relating to this mill site
was dated October 20, 1766:
" To the Honorable Committee of the Kennebec Company in Bos-
ton. The most of us are able to raise a great part of our bread and
expect soon to raise it all, but we greatly need a grist mill, there
being none nearer than Cobbossecontee, which costs us toti shillings
1112 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
a bushel. Grant us a grist mill on seven mile brook by building the
same or granting the lot to some settler— or the inhabitants will build
the mill themselves, if in your great wisdom and goodness be meet
to grant us the Privilege. ' Signed— Matthew Hastings, Moses Hast-
ings, John Taylor, John Marsh, James Hill, Aaron Healy, James
Bacon, Jonathan Dyer, David Spencer, Bennett Woods, John Stone,
Beriar Door, Isaac Spencer, Richard Burke, Nat. Mary, John Huston,
Moses Spencer, Noah Kidder, Denes Getchell, John Getchell, Nemier
Getchell, James Hutchinson, Thomas Clark, Joseph Clark, Daniel
Bragg, John Sympson, David Strandley, Josiah Butterfield, Samuel
Getchell, Charles Brann, Lewis Fairbrother, Manuell Smith, Philip
Foot, Frederick Foot, Antony Foot, Isaac Farewell, Bunker Fare-
well, Isaac Farewell, Jr., Ebenezer Farewell, Nathan Moor, Collins
Moor, Uriah Clark, David Clark, David Hancock, James Clark, Samuel
Bradock, Charles Webber. Joseph Carter, James Huston, Seth Greele,
Ezekiel Pattee, John White, Charles Jackson, Moses Bickford, and
Daniel Townsend."
The flourishing Grange, Cushnoc, No. 204, P. of H., was organized
January 13, 1876, with thirty-nine charter members. Members of the
society built in 1879 a hall at Riverside, called Liberty Hall, where
they met and prospered; but it was burned to the ground in May,
1885. The loss was considerable, although an insurance of $1,500 was
carried. In the autumn of 1885 the society purchased the old Benja-
min Brown store, added to it, and fitted it for their use. In August,
1886, a store was started by the Grange, occupying the first floor, and
of this store Oliver P. Robbins has the superintendency. The mem-
bers number 115. The masters have been: George W. Reynolds,
Clifford Church, Howard H. Snell, Oliver P. Robbins, J. R. Gardner,
J. A. Eugley, Charles O. Robbins, O. H. Brown, E. C. Getchell, Ira J.
Robbins and W. S. Weeks. Mrs. O. P. Robbins has been secretary
since 1890.
Between Vassalboro and Riverside is the little broom factory of
Edgar S. Forrest. Beginning in 1870, this, until recently, was a regu-
lar business, employing from three to ten people; and from 1872 to
1876 — its palmiest days— produced 3,000 dozens yearly.
Seward's Mills and Cross Hill.— In the south part of the town,
east and south of Webber pond, is a thrifty community, including
Seward's Mills and Cross Hill. Here is the stream connecting Three-
mile and Webber ponds, and furnishing a water power which Giles
Seward first used for mill purposes. Here was the center of a small
business, including a store, saw mill, grist mill and mechanics' shops.
Here Orrison Warren's blacksmith shop stands as the rearguard of
the retreating column of industries. South of Seward's Mills rises
Cross Hill, with its substantial residences and fertile farms. About
1790 Isaac Robbins bought a farm here and married Rebecca Adams,
a cousin of John Quincy Adams. He built west of the road and south
of the cemetery a house, which later became, on another site, part of
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1113
the present residence of Smith Robbins, his grandson. Robert Austin
came in 1808, married Desire, daughter of William Wing, an early
Methodist, and settled the farm where his grandson, Henry H. Austin,
resides. Robert and his brother, Thomas Austin, came from New-
Hampshire. Jethro Gardner came from Nantucket about 1800, and
settled where his great-grandson, Sheldon H. Gardner, now lives.
In the first years of this century William Buswell, of East King-
ston, N. H., came with his wife, and settled the farm where his grand-
son, George H. Bussell, now resides. His deed, dated March 9, 1811,
was given by "William Smith, Yeoman, and Mehitable, his wife.'
Philip Leach, of Getchell's Corner's, drew the deed. Levi Smart and
John Percival witnessed it, and John Getchell was the acknowledging
justice. Nymphas Tobey, whose descendant occupies the place,
owned the farm south of William Buswell.
James Roberts erected a building in which his brother-in-law,
Samuel Bailey, kept a store on the corner near the Methodist church.
James Randall bought it and removed it to near his present residence,
then sold it to Eldridge Austin. After continuing it as a country
store for thirty years Mr. Austin in December, 1885, sold it to George
S. Perkins, who removed it still further north, added to it, and oc-
cupies it now with a thrifty mercantile business — the only one here.
Mr. Perkins' father, William, came from New Hampshire about 1856.
A post office at Mudgett's Hill supplied this community at first;
but May 3, 1860, Samuel F. Bailey was appointed to a new office, called
Cross Hill. Eldridge Austin succeeded him in April, 1863, in the little
store already mentioned. Mrs. Mary A. Randall, as postmistress or
as deputy for Sheldon H. Gardner, has since had the care of the
office.
Seward's Mills post office was established in October, 1853. Ben-
jamin Wing was appointed on the sixth and was succeeded March 6,
1856, by James Rowe. The office was discontinued and Cross Hill
supplied the community until May 3, 1881, when Charles S. Perkins
was commissioned and a new office established as Seaward, Me. Octo-
ber 22, 1883, Elmer E. Randall took the office, and four years later was
succeeded by Flavins J. Ames. The office was discontinued October
30, 1889.
The Seward's Mill store was erected in 1872 by Edward Whiting,
who had sold goods there for a few years previous. Samuel Dearborn
succeeded Whiting, and in 1880 sold to Perkins & Perley. Charles
S. Perkins followed, until 1884, when he sold to E. E. Randall.
South Vassalboro. — In the southeastern corner of the town,
where the outlet of Three-mile pond enters Vassalboro, is a rural
community including some good farms near the China and Augusta
lines. North of the outlet is the C. F. Cobb stock farm, where the
Hawes family were once large land owners, and in a little cemetery on
1114 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
the farm some of them were buried. North of this, on a gentle ele-
vation, is the M. F. Davis farm — the Clark homestead — and A. W.
Pinkham's place; all good farms in a pleasant locality. South of the
outlet, where Charles E. Pierce lives, is the birthplace of Judge Wil-
liam Penn Whitehouse, and within a handsome iron enclosure, near
by, is a little marble slab marked John R. Whitehouse, where the
judge's father sleeps. The Whitehouse family were early settlers
here. Daniel came from Berwick with three sons, Edmund, Daniel, jun.,
Thomas and two daughters, Hannah and Comfort. Edmund had three
sons: John R., William and Edmund, jun., the latter being the father of
E. W. Whitehouse, of Augusta. Daniel, jun., lived and died where
Jonathan Stone now lives, at Mudgett Hill. He was the father of
Seth C. Whitehouse, of Augusta. Benjamin Webber settled where
Hiram P. Taylor lives. The Taylor family are descended from
Samuel Taylor, whose four sons were Asa, Samuel, jun., Amasa and
Charles. Amasa's descendants are chiefly in the town of China.
Southwest of the outlet, on a fertile elevation, a family settled from
which that locality has since been designated as Mudgett Hill. Their
house was on the farm where Albert G. Hawes resides. Thomas
Clark came to Mudgett Hill about 1811, married Sarah Smart and
raised eight children. Their only surviving son, Andrew H. Clark,
occupies the farm, and the residence which was built in 1813. At the
summit of Mudgett hill is the Lampson homestead.
About 1824 Benjamin Hussey, whose father, Isaac, had lived and
died in Freedom, Me., came to Vassalboro and settled on the farm
now owned by Benjamin G. Hussey, his grandson. Here James Cross
had built a house on a two-acre clearing which his father, Benjamin
Cross, had made, when this locality was known as Mudgett Hill, and
was connected with the settlement at Cross Hill by only a foot path.
Here, in 1830, Jeremy M. Hussey was born and still resides. His
wife is Mercy, daughter of Enoch Merrill, of Augusta. Their chil-
dren are: Ella (Mrs. Hiram Pierce), of Windsor; Emma (Mrs. Frank
Pierce), of Augusta; Ida (Mrs. Lott Jones); Orrett J., of Vassalboro;
Benjamin G., Edgar A., bookkeeper with S. S. Brooks, of Augusta,
and Ethel I. The accompanying illustration of the Hussey home-
stead shows the present substantial farm buildings in a view looking
toward the northwest.
A Baptist society here, under Rev. Mr. Trask, was once flourish-
ing. Pelatiah Pierce came to Mudgett Hill about 1820, married Han-
nah Whitehouse, and became the first postmaster here, February 2,
1827, keeping the office at the four corners south of the outlet. John
Whitehouse next had the office, March 21, 1859 — then called South
Vassalboro; John R. Whitehouse was commissioned October 11,
1851; John Whitehouse, December 15, 1882, and Eliza Whitehouse,
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1115
June 28, 1886, and keeps the office at the corner near its original
location.
Early Settlers. — In referring to the landmarks in the preceding
locality histories we have already noticed a large number of the
pioneers of Vassalboro, and stated with more or less precision the
sites of their homes. The list of those who held the chief official
stations in the early days of the town supplies additional names of
early settlers, and at the same time indicates that they were leading
men in public affairs. The location of other settlers not noticed in
the villages, and more at large, along in the first range will be recog-
nized.
Ebenezer Hall settled lot 73, first range — now occupied by his
grandson, Alexander Hall. South of Mr. Hall was Barnabas Hedge,
of Cape Cod, an early settler. He had two sons — Jonathan and
Scotto. The latter settled where Henry M. Sawtelle lives, and Jona-
than was where E. Lincoln Brown lives, on the east side of the road.
South of the Hedges, Nathaniel Lovejoy made his settlement, and
south of him were Isaiah Crowell and Aaron Gaslin. North of Eben-
ezer Hall were Edward Hoyt and Thomas Carlton. The Greenlief
Low farm, north of Getchell's Corners, was settled by a man named
Blanchard, from whom Mr. Low's grandfather purchased. Next
north the lot was settled by Remington Hobby, who was very promi-
nent in civil affairs in the first days of the incorporation of the town.
The seminary is located on a portion of the Hobby purchase. Hall
C. Burleigh's farm was settled by Jacob Taber and was subsequently
owned by John and Elijah Pope, who married two of Friend Taber's
daughters.
The northern part of the town was settled after Getchell's Corners,
John Getchell himself owning the land where North Vassalboro now
stands. Jonas Priest was the first to cut his way from the river to
Priest hill, and there started his homestead where his grandson, Theo-
dore W. Priest, now resides. He came from Groton , Mass., in 177.5 and
in 1792 received a grant of two hundred acres from the proprietors.
His first hut was on the stream which flows through the homestead
farm which he obtained under such conditions as are noticed at page
77. James Johnson soon settled west of Priest, where Miss Johnson
now resides. Enoch Palmer settled where Mrs. Handy, his daughter,
lives. South, up the outlet, Joseph Brann settled, and a man named
Lord settled the place where Hutton lives. William Brann, brother
to Joseph, settled where Jefferson Plummer resides. Between North
Vassalboro and the river, where Charles Robbins resides, Paul Taber
made his settlement in the woods; and across the road, where Thomas
H. Starkey lives, was the first settlement of Moses Sleeper. William
Weeks pitched his tent where Parker C. Gift'ord lives, and Peltiah
Varney settled where Albert Cook lives, up the lane. Where Gideon
1116 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Hobby settled now belongs to the Daniel Ayer estate, and near here
Tobias Varney lived.
The highway extending over the hill northeasterly from the town
house was early known as Quaker lane, in allusion to the numerous
families of Friends who made the earliest settlements upon it. Eben-
ezer Pope, whose brothers, John and Elijah, have already been men-
tioned, built a house in 1806, where his son, Elijah Pope, now lives. He
owned also the present James Pope farm, next north. One of Eben-
ezer's sisters married John Cook, and they settled the Frank H. Lewis
farm, still further north. Another sister married John Cartland, a
Friend minister, and they settled between Ebenezer Pope's and John
Cook's. South of Ebenezer Pope's was the early settlement of the
old Goddard family.
The reader should already understand how generally the first set-
tlers of this town came here from Cape Cod; but about 1827 several
whale captains of Nantucket packed their household goods and came
with their families to Vassalboro, settling along the eastern side of the
town. Among them were: Reuben Weeks, David Wyer, Shubael Cot-
tle, John G. Fitch, Shubael Hussey, Henry Cottle, Joseph Barney,
James Alley, Seth and Daniel Coffin, and Captain Albert Clark.
Between the north village and Priest hill Colonel John Dearborn
settled. His house was west of George Nowell's farm, while east of
him and north of Mr. Priest, Peter Pray had an early home, where
George Taggart lives. South of Priest's Abner Taylor settled, where
some of his descendants reside.
We have noticed the early coming and usefulness of John Getchell.
Undoubtedly he was with the first, and certainly, was the leading
spirit among them. He was a successful hunter — skilled in forest
lore — and went a few miles up the valley with Arnold, in the fall of
1775, which small investment of fact has yielded a handsome return
of fiction in the hands of sensational and superficial writers.
Churches. — The First Baptist Church of Vassalboro was organized
at East Vassalboro June 3, 1788, and until 1801 had a good degree of
prosperity. A second church was organized at Cross Hill in 1808,
with thirty-seven members. Rev. Coker Marble was pastor, but the
church probably held no church property. In 1811 twenty members
were added to the First church, but from 1813 to 1824 the church
became nearly extinct, having in 1820 only forty-three members. The
first meeting house, on Elm street. East Vassalboro, which was sold
about 1832 to Ezeziel Small for $43, stood north of the old grave yard
and south of the outlet landing. The site is now John Warren But-
terfield's garden.
In 1825 a revival took place and twenty members were added,
probably under the pastorate of Rev. Jesse Martin, who remained
with the church until May, 1829, and for a few years the church was
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1117
supplied part of the time with preaching by different ones. October
12, 1839, the two churches met and voted to unite and build a meeting
house near Seward's Mills, which house is now standing. Thirty-three
members from the Second church joined the First, making in all
about seventy members. The new meeting house was dedicated Oc-
tober 22, 1840, and in it was had preaching for a while by Revs. Ellis
and Henry Kendall, followed in 1841 by Rev. E. W. Cressy, who
served the church over two years with good results, the church num-
bering then about 156 members. In 1845 Rev. T. J. Swett was called
as pastor, and left in 1847, after very serious difficulties with the
church, which were settled after many disputes. In 1874 the meeting
house underwent repairs, inside and out, at the expense of $600 to
the several pew owners, under the supervision of John Richardson,
J. C. P'erley, Deacons Thomas Clark and S. L. Marden. The following
ministers have supplied the pulpit since 1845: S. Fogg, Enos Trask,
H. Chipman, F. Merriam, Fred Bicknell, R. Bowler, E. S. Dore, M. J.
Kelly, S. K. Smith, L. B. Gurney, Frederick A. Vinal and W. P.
Palmer.
The North Vassalboro Baptist Society was organized November,
1870, and an edifice erected during the years 1872-3. The pastors
have been: Reverends John Dore, Nathaniel Butler, Samuel Bell, L. P.
Gurney, F. A. Vinal and W. P. Palmer.
Congregationalism was established in Vassalboro soon after 1820,
through the efforts of the Maine Missionary Society. In 1816 a house
of worship was erected near the center of the river front of Vassal-
boro, on the west side of the river road. In 1818 Thomas Adams, who
was appointed by the missionary society, organized the church July
23, and in August was ordained and settled as the pastor. He labored
here many years, and buried his wife in the first grave made in the
cemetery south of the church. Deacons Thatcher, Prince Hawes and
Fallonsbee were among the active officers. The society waned, and
the citizens not members of the Congregational society assisted in
repairing the building, which was known thereafter as the Union
church. The parsonage, which stood north of the church, is now the
residence of Wallace W. Gilbert, but since 1889 the old church has
done duty, on another site, as the barn of Henry M. Sawtelle.
During the decadence of the old Congregational society, and two
years after the retirement of Rev. Thomas Adams, the Congregational
element at Riverside erected there, in 1836, another edifice, which
was consumed by fire February 12, 1885. The edifice now in use at
Riverside was erected in 1887 on the same site. During a few years
this society gave the use of the church to other societies, and the
Methodists held preaching services there until the settlement of Rev.
Fred Chutter in 1880, when the Congregationalists again occupied it.
Rev. Henry Harding became pastor in 1883. He was succeeded by
1118 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Rev. David E. French from 1884 to 1888. Rev. James E. Aikens was
pastor until the spring of 1891, when Rev. ^Ir. Woodrowe assumed
the pastorate for the summer.
Reverend Adams returned to the town in 1SG6 and labored for
four years where in 1829 he had organized the first temperance so-
ciety. When the grandchildren of the old Congregationalists who
had listened to the revered old pastor were building the pretty little
church at Vassalboro they signified their affection for father Adams
by naming it Adams' Memorial Chapel. Regular services are held
here by the pastors who fill the pulpit at Riverside. This younger
society has the communion service which Rev. Mr. Adams used dur-
ing his first pastorate in the town.
There are four Methodist churches in the town. Their records
are very deficient in their early histories, but from conference reports
and tradition of aged members something has been gleaned. It seems
from a pastoral record of ministers that prior to the organization of
the East Maine Conference in 1848, ministers were appointed to travel
in Maine as missionaries, and every town of Kennebec county was
early more or less blessed by the pioneer Jesse Lee, succeeded by
other earnest men for four decades; but no ministers were stationed
in this town until about 1850. Sullivan Bray was pastor at East Vas-
salboro in 1852, and his charge embraced the society at North Vassal-
boro; Otis F. Jenkins was in the same field in 1855, succeeding Cyrus
Phenix, who was pastor through 1853 and 1854. Daniel Clark was at
the same post in 1856, and moved to North Vassalboro in 1857. The
next pastor for these charges was Benjamin B. Byrne, settled at the
North for 1863. Leonard H. Bean was appointed to East Vassalbora
for 1864 and 1866. The society at North Vassalboro used the Union
church until 1875, when they secured an unfinished church building
in Winslow, and removing it, made their present Methodist church.
From the erection of the East Vassalboro church the pastors werei
William J. Clifford, 1875; Daniel vSmith, 1877; Josiah Bean, 1878; John
R. Clifford, 1879; E. H. Tunnicliff, 1881. After the formation of
another Congregational society the Methodists again had settled pas-
tors. William Wood was pastor in 1886; E. H. Hadlock, 1887, until
autumn, when W. Wiggin came to fill the year; W. F. Prince in 1888.
In 1890 the North Vassalboro and Getchell's Corners societies were
joined, W. J. Kelley, pastor, and the East Vassalboro was joined with
China. The Getchell's Corners society purchased and repaired the
old academy building in 1868, which they had occupied for several
years before the transformation. The East Vassalboro Methodists
erected their first edifice near the cemetery. It was removed to the
site of the present church, where it stood some years before it was
again moved and converted into a store.
The Methodists in the southern portion of the town organized
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1119
classes at Riverside, South Vassalboro and Cross Hill, and about 1813
erected the church now standing at Cross Hill. Among the active
Methodists of that period were John Roberts, William and John Per-
cival. Robert Austin, David Hawes, Isaac Robbins, John Stevens,
Richard Turner and Hartwell Gardner. Tradition names among the
early ministers Elder Benjamin Jones, Albert Church in 1839, Charles
Munger, Daniel Fuller in 1842, Barnett M. Mitchell, Ephraim Bryant
and George Pratt. Cyrus Phenix succeeded Sullivan Bray in 1858,
and began the only church records extant.* These records, showing
baptisms and marriages by some of the pastors, furnish incidentally
the only and, no doubt, imperfect list of pastors. It appears that
Cyrus Phenix remained three years, succeeded by Lewis Wentworth
in 1857; Jesse Harriman, 1858; S. Freeman Chase, 1860; F. A. Soule,
1861; James Hartford, 1868; Ephraim Bryant, 1864; Levi L. Shaw and
Eliot B. Fletcher, 1865; Ephraim Bryant, 1870; Theodore Hill, 1871;
Charles E. Springer and E. B. Fletcher, 1872; Abram Plummer, 1873;
Samuel Bickmore, 1875; William J. Clifford, 1876; Charles H. Bray,
son of Sullivan, 1877; Wilbur F. Chase, 1880.
The marriage records name three other officiating clergymen: L.
B. Gates, 1859; M. W. Newbert, 1861; and Thomas Pentacost. In
May, 1860, records of dismissals begin, showing that within a year
twenty-two members were transferred from this church to Weeks'
Mills, in China.
The Catholic church of North Vassalboro is a mission church sup-
plied from Waterville, and Father Charland has for several years
filled the pulpit. A very neat edifice for worship was erected in
1871.
A Union church was erected at North Vassalboro in May, 1851, at
an expense of $800. Beriah Weeks, Timothy Rowell and Levi Web-
ber were the building committee. It was then the only church edifice
there. In 1880, having been several years closed, it was sold for the
benefit of the chief contributors, and is now four tenements.
One other place and kind of worship will not be forgotten so long
as the links of tradition can touch each other — the church and teach-
ings of Charles Webber, who resided on the river road near River-
side, in the house now occupied by Wallace W. Gilbert. Across the
road, on what is known as the James S. Emery place, Mr. Webber
erected a small edifice in the last few years of the last century. Here
he had preaching of his own, and constituted himself the pastor.
What was more conspicuous in this arrangement was the fact that
said Webber could not read, and depended upon his wife for that im-
portant attribute. He could readily grasp the scripture reading of his
* These records were overlooked in 1887 by Rev. W. H. Pilsbury, who says
-in his History of Methodism in Maine that no record prior to 1875 could be found.
—[Ed.
1120 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
wife and give wholesome explanation thereon; and only once was his
knowledge clouded, when his wife read "log" for "lodge" in the
wilderness. His manner of announcing a text was: " If Polly tells
me aright you will find my text, etc." He urged sinners to repent,
often saying that it was as impossible for one to enter heaven as it
was for a shad to climb a tree. His eccentricities and goodness sur-
vive him, as does the old church, which, on another site, is the resi-
dence of Freeman Sturgis.
Cemeteries. — There are several public burial places in the town
East Vassalboro has two — one, the Friends', near their meeting house,
is ancient in use and appearance; the other is near the Methodist
church, and contains several beautiful, costly monuments. Jabez
Lewis rests here, having died in 1843, aged 68 years. David Ham-
len's monument tells of his death in 1862, aged 73 years. Among
other inscriptions are: Stephen Homan, 1846, aged 82 years; Nathan-
iel Robbins, 1841, aged 61; and John Fairfield, 1847, aged 75.
At Riverside is a well-kept cemetery, managed by an incorporation
of citizens. On the west side of the river road, where the old Congre-
gational church stood, is an old town burying ground north of the
present residence of Daniel Rollins.
The Friends have a large burial place in rear of their church, near
the seminary, and this society has considerably used the burying
ground called the Nichols Cemetery, on the farm owned by John
Clifford, on the road to North Vassalboro. Caleb Nichols opened
these grounds many years ago.
At North Vassalboro is a large cemetery, to which lots are being
added by the owner of adjoining land. Much care is bestowed upon
the lots and graves here by the living, and there are some fine monu-
ments. Here, among other aged residents, rest Enoch Plummer, born
1794, died 1885; Amos Childs, born 1760, died 1847; and Joseph H.
Brann, died 1867, aged 85 years. A neglected spot for burial at North
Vassalboro is the Bragg ground, in the rear of S. S. Lightbody's drug
store. It is upon a corner of a triangular piece of land which is said
to have been the unsold portion of the square-mile of land owned by
John Getchell. The visitor will find here in the reeds the headstone
of Joab Bragg, a revolutionary patriot, who died April 9, 1832, aged
75 years.
The Priest burying ground contains some of the oldest graves in
the northeastern part of the town. Many plain field stones, without
inscriptions, seem to have strayed from the surrounding wall to mark
the resting places of the early pioneers; and the lilac, the first flower
of those early days, planted here by loving hands, now grows untrim-
med above them. The oldest dated headstone is to Martha Priest,
who died 1812, aged 83. Jonas Priest died 1831, aged 87; Jonas, jun.,
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1121
died 1856, aged 85; Elisha Burgess died 1886, aged 72, and Mary A.
Burgess in 1875, aged 52; John Dearborn, jun., died 1880, aged 82.
The Cross Hill Cemetery, as originally laid out, contained but one-
fourth of an acre. Here, in 1849, was buried William Cross, aged 79
years; and in 1853 Zebedee Cross, aged 48 years. These two slabs
are the only authentic record in the community of the prominent old
family, now extinct here, which gave name to the locality. Among
the first burials in this ground was Mary Coleman Dyer, in 1813, aged
27 years. Other headstones here tell of Joel Gardner, who died in
1875, aged 97 years; John Palmer, in 1834, aged 84; Samuel Randall,
1838, aged 81; John Gaslin, in 1857, aged 90, and Mary, his wife, in
1837, aged 68; Seth Richardson, 1856, aged 78; Owen Coleman, 1834,
aged 74; Daniel and wife Martha Whitehouse, 1835 and 1837, aged
respectively 80 and 92; Benjamin Runnells, 1834, aged 68; his wife,
Rebecca, 1833, at the age of 67; Gideon Wing, 1842, aged 65; and Dr.
Oliver Prescott, 1853, aged 62.
South of this was an early burying ground where scores of the
pioneers found resting places. This ground was within what was
later known as the Warren Percival farm, and for twenty-five years
now the graves have been obliterated, and only a cultivated field
marks the spot.
There are private grounds upon many of the early settled lots,
which are still used by the successors of the patriarch whose dust is
venerated. Some private cemeteries are upon lands now out of the
family; but the grounds are generally inviolate. Standing at the rail-
road station, Riverside, and looking south you see Mt. Tom, as the
hill is denominated, on whose apex a hundred years ago was an old
building which tradition claims was a missionary post. At the south
of this hill, on the Sturgis farm, sloping to the brook, was an Indian
burial ground, where bones and Indian relics are plentiful.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Oscar A. Abbott, son of William and grandson of George Abbott,
was born in Winslow in 1848. His mother, Harriet, was a daughter
of George and granddaughter of Major Ebenezer Nowell. Mr. Ab-
bott was fifteen years in the employ of the Maine Central, including
eight years as agent at Brunswick, prior to 1887, when he purchased,
on Taber hill, a handsome farm, where the ancestors of the Taber
family settled. Mrs. Abbott is Rose B. Toothaker, of Brunswick,
Me. They have one daughter. Ruby.
The Austin family of this town are descended from Robert Austin,
who, with his brother Thomas, came from New Hampshire. Robert
settled at Cross Hill, married Desiar Wing, daughter of William
Wing, an early Methodist there, and raised five sons: Gideon, Jona-
than, William, Robert, jun., and Eldridge, of whom the second only
1122 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
survives. Henry H. Austin, born 1839, the only s'-.rviving son of
Gideon (1810-1889) and Lucinda (Pinkham) Austin, and grandson of
Robert Austin, married Emeline R. Jones, of Vermont. They have
four children: Carrie (Mrs. Flavins J. Ames), William A., and twins,
Albert H. and Herbert S. He follows his father, Gideon, at the
homestead. Cross Hill, where Robert, in 1808, made the first clearing.
William Alvah Austin, son of William and grandson of Robert, was
born in 1846, married Helen F. Clark, and has three children: Ada L.
(Mrs. Arthur H. Rice), Willis G. and Frank H. William Alvah en-
listed September 10, 1862, in Company D, 21st Maine, reenlisted as a
veteran in Company G, 2d Maine Cavalry, December 5, 1863, and was
honorably discharged June 28, 1865. He has the best manuscript
record of the Vassalboro soldiers which exists in the town.
Henry D. B. Ayer, born in 1857, married Susan E. Clark, of Vas-
salboro. Her father, Emery, was a son of Jonathan and grandson of
Jonathan Clark. Their children are Russell G. and Elton B. Mr.
Ayer was three years supervisor of schools prior to 1877, and has
taught for fifteen years. He is secretary of the board of health.
Edward C. Ballard, born 1849, is the son of John and grandson of
Rufus Ballard. John Ballard purchased of Elisha Gifford the place
which his father, Joseph Gifford, had settled, and where Edward C.
Ballard now resides. Rufus was the son of Jonathan Ballard, who, in
1775, came from Oxford, Mass., to Vassalboro, where he was killed by
a falling tree in 1778. Ephraim Ballard, the surveyor, who came to
Winslow in 1775, and subsequently lived at Augusta, was a brother of
Jonathan.
Caleb Barrows came to Vassalboro from Camden, Me., in the spring
of 1880, and purchased the farm now owned by his oldest child, Hanson
G. Barrows, on the pond road. His other children were: Mary A. (Mrs.
J. C. Chadbourn), deceased; Alonzo M., deceased; Julia D., who died
in infancy, and Edwin C. Caleb's father, Peter Barrows (1755-1841),
who was in the revolutionary war seven years, was the son of Ichabod
Barrows (1724-1783), and grandson of Beniah Barrows, who lived at
Rehoboth, Mass., in 1707, where his oldest son, John, was born.
Edwin C. Barrows, born in 1842, the youngest of the five children
of Caleb Barrows, was educated at Waterville and Bowdoin Colleges,
and in 1863 enlisted, November 19th, in Company B, 2d Maine Cav-
alry. In June, 1865, he was transferred to the 86th U. S. C. T., with
commission of second lieutenant, but acted as adjutant of the regi-
ment until his discharge, April 10, 1866. In September following he
entered the Albany Law School, graduated in June, 1867, was admitted
to the bar, and located in Nebraska City. Practicing there until 1871,
he returned to Vassalboro in 1872, with his wife, Laura Alden. He
was supervisor of schools in 1882, 1888, and has since been selectman
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1123
excepting one year, being chairman since 1887. In 1883 he was elected
representative.
Dea. Gideon Barton, a son of Dea. Gideon (1786-1878), and a grand-
son of Dr. Stephen Barton, was born in Windsor in 1818. He was
one of a family of thirteen children, and as he tells it, they wore out
two log houses in Windsor. When he was nineteen years old he
took his "white bundle " and with a few venturesome " green Kenne-
becers," started for the Penobscot, where he worked ten years. He
then hauled lumber for several years, and was foreman for several
years for Ira D. Sturgis and the Kennebec Land and LumlDer Com-
pany. In 1885 he bought and located on one of the good farms of
North Vassalboro, where he still lives. His wife, Harriet E., is a
daughter of William Percival, of Cape Cod. Their children are:
Russell S., a farmer, on the old homestead in Windsor; Isabel, in Bos-
ton; Alice (Mrs. R. S. Hamilton); Evelyn (Mrs. C. vS. Farnham), Ho-
bart, in California; Hattie (Mrs. Charles E. Crowell); Carrie (Mrs.
James Cavanaugh), and Edith Barton.
John S. Briggs, born in 1848, is the son of George U., and grand-
son of William Briggs, of Augusta. He married Lizzie J., daughter
of Ira and granddaughter of Levi .Smart, and has three children: Ora
L., Delmont S. and Gladys Lefa. Mr. Briggs' farm at Cross Hill was
formerly occupied by Aaron White. Levi Smart was born in 1780, in
New Hampshire, and came to Monmouth, Me., with his father, Rob-
ert, who settled on Smart's hill, on the stage road between Winthrop
and Lewiston, whence Levi removed to Vassalboro, where he died in
1853.
Josiah Brown, born 1829, was the son of George, and grandson of
John Brown, who lived and died east of Cross Hill. George Brown
married Hannah Clark; Josiah Brown married Mary A. C, daughter
of George and Rebecca (Stimpson) Shaw, who in 1853 came from
Gouldsboro to Vassalboro, where he died in 1880. Josiah Brown's
residence, formerly owned by George Tower, was erected by Jerry
Horn and rebuilt by Albert Brown.
Burgess. — The Burgess family of Vassalboro are descended from
Benjamin and Rebecca (Parker) Burgess, who probably came to Vas-
salboro about 1760, although in the Burgess genealogy [E. Burgess,
Dedham, 1865], the birth of their oldest child, Eliza, is noticed as in
Vassalboro in 1756. They subsequently lived in China, where David,
the fifth of their seven children, was born in 1769, and where he lived
and died. David's son, Moody C. Burgess (1810-1887), married a sis-
ter of Levi Gardner. Their son, born 1840, is Reuel C. Burgess, of
North Vassalboro. I. P. Burgess, of North Vassalboro, born in 1850,
is a son of Isaiah, born in China in 1802, and grandson of David.
John Bush, born in Danvers, Mass., in 1826, came in 1831 to Vas-
71
1124 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
salboro with his father, Dr. John Bush, and in 1861, after working at
his trade in other places, located as a tailor at North Vassalboro,
where he built his present shop in I860. Some farming, with what
remains of the tailoring business, constitutes his employment. He
married Harriet M. Noyes, of Bangor, and raised four children. J.
Frank is at Lisbon Falls; Lizzie married William Dinsmore, a shoe
dealer of Waterville, and George S. is employed in the mills at Shoddy
Hollow. -The oldest child, Lillian W., who resides with her father, is
Mrs. Henry F. Rice, and has six children: May and Maud, Gracie,
Leslie, Lulu and Evelina.
The Bussell Family.— Early in the present century, William
Buswell (as the name was then spelled) and Ploomy, his wife, came
to Vassalboro from East Kingston, N. H., and settled on Cross Hill.
He bought a farm, deeded to him March 9, 1811, by " William Smith,
Yeoman, and Mehitable, his wife." William and Ploomy raised seven
children: Betsey L., Ploomy D., John, William, jun., Mary A., Abe-
gail and Celia. All but Betsey died with consumption.
John, the last survivor, whose portrait appears herewith, was born
October 8, 1816, on the old homestead, where he spent the whole of
his life, and where he died, November 27, 1883. He had an active
mind, was well informed and possessed a substantial education. He
economized all his time and talents, farming summers and teaching
school winters — his services in the latter calling being in active
demand for years. June 4, 1846, he was married to Mary J., daughter
of Ambrose White, whose father, John White, was an old resident of
Winthrop, Me. They had four children: George H., John E., Mary
A. and Nellie M. The coincidence of the sudden termination of the
lives of two of these children was striking and sad. John E. fell
dead in the field, October 31, 1878, and Mary A. dropped dead in the
road while on her way to church, March 6, 1881. Nellie M. holds a
responsible position as bookkeeper in Nashua, N. H.
With the exception of teaching school winters, Mr. Bussell was
always a farmer. He loved and followed it with great industry and
good judgment, and by it made and saved a handsome competence.
His son, George H. Bussell, was born on the place settled by his grand-
father over eighty years ago, where his father spent the whole of his
life and where his mother is still spared to him, remarkably bright
and vigorous at the age of seventj'-two. Like his father he has been
a school teacher. Three terms at Oak Grove Seminary and a full
course at Dirigo Business College in Augusta, from which he gradu-
ated in 1875, constituted his preparation for teaching, in addition to
the advantages of a district school. At the age of twenty he taught,
in Whitefield, Lincoln county, Me., his first term, and his last term
was in Montville, Waldo county. Me., in the winter of 1879-80.
f /C/cy^^^
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1125
In Harlem Lodge, No. 39, A. O. U. W., at South China, he holds
the responsible office of financier. He is also a member of Cushnoc
Grange, No. 204, P. of H., and of Lake View Lodge of Good Tem-
plars. He belongs to the First Baptist church of A'assalboro, and has
always been a republican in politics. He married in March, 1886,
Marietta C. Page, of China, Me. Their children are John H. and
William T.
The White family are descendants of Peregrin White, who was
born on board the Mayflower, the first child born of English parents
after the Pilgrims reached the coast of New England.
Andrew C. Butterfield, born in 1825, a son of Zachariah and
Jemima (Shaw) Butterfield, and grandson of John Butterfield, a Scotch-
man who came to GofEstown, N. H., married Zylphia Bryant, and has
two children: Fred Z. and Lizzie. Zachariah Butterfield and his wife,
only daughter of Jacob and MoUie Shaw, of Albion, came to East
Vassalboro about 1810, and he 'tended the grist mill at East Vassal-
boro for John Getchell, who built the mill, also the saw mill.
Jeremiah S. Butterfield, born in 1825, married Eliza F., daughter
of Beriah Weeks, of North Vassalboro, and has three sons: George,
Elmer and Harry. He was postmaster at East Vassalboro for forty-
two years, and with his twin brother, Andrew C, made shovel handles
for Jacob Butterfield and his son, Henry R. Butterfield, and afterward
at Freedom, Waterville and Farmington.
William H. Gates, born in December, 1823, is one of the five children
of Edmund and Anna Gates, who came to East Vassalboro from Gor-
ham, Me. The others are: Dr. Charles B. Gates and Mary A., deceased;
Eliza P. (Mrs. James C. Pierce) and James E. Gates. William H. mar-
ried Etta S., daughter of John Mower. Their children are: George
H., Abbie W., William Willis, in Idaho; John M., Arnold R., deceased,
and Fred L., of Waterville. Mr. Gates has been selectman seven
years, town clerk seven years, and was representative in 1862.
Andrew Home Clark, born in 1821, is a son of Thomas Clark and
grandson of William Clark. He married Saloma Robinson, of Sidney,
and has two children: Adella (Mrs. Horatio G. Dickey), of Boston, and
James S. Clark. Mrs. Dickey has one son, Ralph C. Dickey.
James S. Clark, a substantial young farmer, was born in 1856. His
father, Andrew H. Clark, was the son of Thomas H. Clark, formerly
of South Vassalboro. Mrs. James S. Clark is Carrie, daughter of
Daniel S. Lampson, of Windsor. They have two children: Maude B.
and Scott Lee. The farm, which has one of the finest barns in town,
is east of Riverside.
Chandler F. Cobb, born in Leeds, Me., July 17, 1845, is a son of
Ebenezer, and grandson of Joseph Cobb. His wife, Mary E. Gordon,
born in Leeds, July 6, 1852, is a daughter of William C. Gordon.
Their children, excepting the youngest, were born in Leeds — Bertha
1126 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
S., April 11, 1874; Mary L, July 20, 1875; Blanche G., February 28,
1877; Arthur L., September 6, 1878; Lorania F., February 16, 1880;
Clarence C, born in Vassalboro, March 18, 1889. Mr. Cobb was
deputy sheriff in Androscoggin county, from July, 1873, to January,
1887; and was constable and collector three years.
Charles E. Collins, born in 1834, is a son of John, who was the eld-
est of the fifteen children of Benjamin and Rebecca (Fairfield) Collins.
Benjamin was a soldier in the revolutionary war, and later came to
East Vassalboro, where he taught school and 'tended grist mills.
Charles E. married Ruth H., a daughter of Franklin Dunbar, of Wins-
low. He served as non-commissioned officer in Company D, 21st
Maine, from September, 1862, to April, 1863. His home was bought
by John Collins in 1831, of Paul Hussey, whose father, Isaac, settled
here.
Albert Cook, son of Elijah and grandson of John and Mary (Pope)
Cook, married Eliza F., daughter of Briggs Thomas, and their children
are: Ella (Mrs. Charles W. Waldron) and Annabell. Albert Cook's
farm was purchased by Elijah Cook & Sons in 1857. It was settled by
Peltiah Varney, a Quaker, whose son, Remington Varney, succeeded
him.
Edward H. Cook, brother of Albert, born in 1844, married Annie
L. Hamblin, a daughter of Captain Zenas Hamblin, of Falmouth,
Mass. Their four children are: Edward C, Hattie H., Edith M. and
Annie E. Mr. Cook was graduated from Haverford College in 1868,
and from 1869 to 1878 was principal of Oak Grove Seminary. He was
also supervisor of schools in Vassalboro one year. John M. Cook, of
A^assalboro, born 1834; Elijah, jun., 1832, and George D., 1841, are also
brothers of Albert.
Marcellus F. Davis, born in 1835, is a son of Columbus and Chloe
(Abbott) Davis, and grandson of William Davis, who died in Jackson,
Me. In 1853 Columbus and his family came to South Vassalboro,
where he bought the Joseph Wing farm. Marcellus married Ella S.
Pullen, of Anson, Me., and has one son, Omar P. Davis.
J. C. Evans, born in 1850, a son of Cyrenus K. Evans, late of
China, married Nancy A., daughter of Daniel Priest. Their children
are: Blanche and Maude Evans.
Robert Gardner, a son of William (1774-1855), and grandson of
Jethro Gardner, was born in 1813. He married Melintha, daughter of
Lemuel Stevens, of Hartford, Me., and lived in the house built by his
father about 1816. His two sons were Edward E. and Albert M., of
Boston. Robert Gardner, his wife, and their son, Edward E., died in
February, 1892.
Sheldon H. Gardner, a farmer at Cross Hill, born in 1848, is a son
of Jethro and grandson of William, whose father, Jethro Gardner,
came early from Nantucket to Cross Hill, and built the house where
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1127
Sheldon H. now lives. He was in California in 1863-4; in Montana,
1869-83.
Isaiah Gifford was born in the eastern part of Albion, in 1831. His
father, William (1802-1874), a farmer and blacksmith, married in 1827
Rachel, daughter of Micajah Meader. William's father, Isaiah, also
a blacksmith at Vassalboro and later at " Quaker Hill " in Albion,
married Hannah Hussey, of Albion. The family — always Quakers
until the present generation — came to Maine from Sandwich, Mass.
Mr. Gifford learned the tanner's and currier's trade and worked at it
for Pishon & Ayer at Vassalboro until 1854; then went with them to
their new tannery at East Benton. In 1858 he bought a half interest
in the Vassalboro tannery, where he had learned his trade, and oper-
ated it three years. As merchant, selectman, representative and
deputy sheriff he is probably as widely known as any present resident
of Vassalboro. His wife, Cynthia W. Turner, deceased, left two chil-
dren: Herbert C, born 1857, and Bertha E. (1863-1885). His present
wife, Hattie, is a daughter of Franklin Blackwell, whose parents came
to Winslow from Sandwich, Mass. Herbert C. Gifford married Hattie
Whiting, and has one son, Clinton B., born in 1892.
Alexander Hall, born in 1820, is a son of John Goff, and grandson
of Ebenezer Hall, who came to Vassalboro in 1808 from New Castle,
Me., and bought seventy-three acres of land of Asa Webber, which is
included in Mr. Hall's present farm. Mr. Hall, always a democrat in
politics, has been selectman since March, 1887. His wife, Mary E.,
daughter of George Cox, died, leaving one son, William A. Hall.
Lsaiah Hawes, born in 1827, is the only son in a family of twelve
children of Isaiah and Desire (Collins) Hawes. Isaiah, sen. (1777-
1852), was the son of Eben Hawes, of Yarmouth, Mass., and came to
Vassalboro in 1809. His brother. Prince Hawes, father of Rev.' Josiah
T. Hawes, of Litchfield, came from Yarmouth, Cape Cod, in 1802. The
present Isaiah Hawes married Lucy T. Hatch and has five children:
Edwin A., Delia C, William I. (now in California), Harry P. and Alice
M. Their residence was built by Dea. James Thacher, on the farm
where the original Charles Webber first settled.
Sumner Hunt, who came to Vassalboro in 1888 and purchased the
Moses Taber place, was born in Thorndike, Me., in 1829, where lived
his father Ichabod (1790-1883). His grandfather was Ichabod Hunt,
of Gorham, Me., and his great-grandfather was William Hunt, of Eng-
land. Mr. Hunt is largely interested in the nursery business, having
nurseries in the towns of Benton, Winslow, Pittsfield, Unity and Free-
dom. On his farm is the building — then the house — in which General
Arnold was entertained in 1775, while his soldiers were repairing the
broken bateaux on the Sidney shore.
Orrett J. Hussey, born in 1861, is a son of Jeremy Hussey, men-
tioned at page 1114. He married Mabel, a daughter of Melvin C. and
1128 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Roxanna (Merrill) Appleton, and granddaughter of Joseph Appleton,
who was born in Vermont in 1780, and came from Belgrade to Vas-
salboro about 1815, settling on O. J. Hussey's present farm. They
have three children: Harold O., Anna May and Lenora M. The gen-
eral view in the accompanying plate is. from the elevation northwest
of the buildings and overlooking Webber pond and the hills to the
eastward. In the left background may be seen also the roofs of the
town farm buildings. Mr. Hussey has been engaged in pressing and
shipping hay for several years and in the fall of 1892 purchased with
his cousin, S. E. Dodge, the mercantile business of the Ward Brothers
at Vassalboro.
Charles H. Jepson, of North Vassalboro, one of the proprietors of
the shoddy inills at South Winslow, was born in China, Me., in 1833,
and four years later came with his Quaker father, Jedediah Jepson, to
Vassalboro, where he subsequently learned the carding business in
the old woolen mill, where he began work in 1844. In 1871 he went
to Lisbon Falls, and for eight years was overseer of the card rooms
of the Worumbo Mills. He married Lucy Clark, of China. Their
only daughter, Emma E., is Mrs. Samuel S. Lightbody.
Stephen Lawton, born in 1821, married Mary R. Seward, daugh-
ter of John and granddaughter of Giles Seward, of Seward's Mills,
and has one daughter — Lizzie E. Mrs. Lawton 's onlybrother is John
Seward, of Wheatland, Cal. Mr. Lawton is the son of Jonathan, who
was born in Dartmouth, Mass., and in 1813, while on his way to Read-
field with goods to pay for a farm, was captured with the vessel by
British privateers; he was put into a boat with his wife and two chil-
dren and made his way up the Kennebec, settling in Windsor, where
he became a public man, and where Stephen was born.
Alfred Lee, a dairy farmer, born in 1827, came to Vassalboro with
his father, John (born in Phippsburg), from Edgecomb. He is the
only survivor of a family of seven children, six of whom came with
the parents in 1837. His grandfather, John Lee, came when a lad to
Phippsburg with his father, from England. Mrs. Alfred Lee is Nancy
J. Goodwin, a daughter of Major Benjamin Goodwin, of Dresden.
Their children are: Ada M. (Mrs. Rev. R. M. Peacock); George A.,
who married Immogene Estes, and at his death left one child, Marion
P. Lee; Belle I. (Mrs. C. C. Langley) Clarence, Carrie C. (deceased),
and Herbert H. (deceased).
Frank H. Lewis, born in 1840, is a son of Captain William Lewis
and grandson of Jabez Lewis, of Yarmouth, Mass. The captain went
to sea at fourteen years of age, was master at twenty-two. was in Texas
during the Mexican war, and about 1860 retired to the farm where
his son, Frank H., now lives. The residence was built about 1808 by
John Cook, the settler. Frank H. Lewis was a carpenter and builder
some twenty y^ars prior to 1881, when he succeeded his father on the
^l
A
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. JIVH
homestead farm. His wife is Jennie Ives. They have .six children:
William W., Frank H.,jun., Charles A., Edna C.Linwood P. and Jesse.
Greenleif Low, born in 1817, is a son of Stephen and Anna (Stack-
pole) Low, and grandson of Captain Jonathan Low. He married Ann
R., daughter of the late Asa Smiley, of Sidney, and has two sons: Asa
S. and George G. Captain Jonathan Low came from Marshfield,
Ma.ss., and about 1783 married Blanchard, whose father had
settled south of Remington Hobby's place. Greenlief has been six
years first selectman, and several years school supervisor.
William E. Lowell, son of William, jun., and Jemima (Maxim)
Lowell, of Wayne, and grandson of William Lowell, of Bath, was
born at North Monmouth in 1825. His grandfather, William, removed
from Bath, in 1812, to Winthrop, where he lived and died. William
E., after forty years' residence in Augusta, where he wrought as a
stone-cutter, came in 1885 to Vassalboro, purchasing the farm where
Benjamin Farnham first settled. He was married in 1854, to Mary
H. Cogswell. She died in 1881, and in 1885 he was married to Abbie
R. Leighton, of Augusta. His three children are: Hannah (Mrs.
Charles Bailey), Frank L. and Mary (Mrs. Ellsworth Dow).
Charles J. Marden, who was born in Bangor in 1847, and died
in Vassalboro in 1888, was a soldier in Company F, 14th Maine,
from February 22, to August 28, 1865. His widow, Sarah H., is a
daughter of Harrison and granddaughter of Abner Taylor, from
Cape Cod, who made an early settlement at Priest hill, where Mrs.
Marden was born. Her present brick residence, in the central part
of Vassalboro, was built by the Button family. Mr. Marden left two
daughters: Rose B. and Olive S.
Alvin Marshall, a son of Daniel Marshall, was born in 1808 and
died in 1868. He married Sarah J., daughter of Thomas Sherburne,
of Readfield. They had six daughters, three of whom are living:
Mary E. (Mrs. Nathan Hall, of Waterville), Blanche R. and Alvinna
E. (Mrs. Herbert H. Butterfield). Mr. Marshall was a farmer and very
active in church work as a Methodist class leader.
Alonzo Moores, a son of James and Olive, and grandson of David
Moores, was born in Pittston in 1817. His father's father came from
New Bedford to Pittston. His mother was a daughter of Ansel Tay-
lor, of Yarmouth, Mass. His wife is Sarah N. Chadbourne, of North
Berwick, Me. Their children are: Lewis M. (a clerk in a government
department at Washington), Hannah L., Augusta S., J. Aubert, Nellie
M. and William H.
William Murray, the hotel man at North Vassalboro, is a native of
Montville, Me. His father, Jonathan Murray, who raised eleven chil-
dren, was a house carpenter — a man of great physical force, an ardent
Baptist and Bible student. He was born in 1771 and died instantly
at the age of ninety-five. William Murray has been trial justice
1130 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
since January 7, 1880, and held the postmastership at North Vassal-
boro under President Cleveland. He married Sarah J. McLaughlin,
of Freedom, and has two^'children — Charles E. and Emma B.
Charles C. Nash, house-carpenter and farmer, who was born in
Sidney in 1816, came to Vassalboro in 1847, and now owns on the
river road a part of the place where Nathaniel Doe first settled. He
married Julia A., daughter of Nathan Taylor, of Winslow. Their
adopted daughter, Nettie H., who graduated at Oak Grove Seminary
in 1878, is Mrs. Ora A. Meader.
T. B. Nichols. — A widely respected citizen, and a prominent and
influential member of the Society of Friends was Thomas B., son of
Stephen Nichols, of Vassalboro. He was born on his father's farm in
East Vassalboro, in January, 1813. He received a sound education,
and taught school at intervals for several years in different parts of
Maine and Massachusetts. When a young man, he went to Lynn,
Mass., where he met and married, in 1841, Rachel B., daughter of
David Holder, of Bolton, Mass. The year previous to his marriage
he purchased the farm adjoining his father's, and built the house in
which he lived until his death.
His only son, David H., born in 1842, was a promising young man
who graduated from Haverford College in 1865, and the same year
entered Harvard University, but who, a few weeks after his matricu-
lation, was cut off by a brief fever, in the flower of his young man-
hood.
Ruthanna H., the only daughter of Thomas B. and Rachel B. Nich-
ols, married in 1889, John Franklin Washburn, of Worcester, Mass.,
the only child of John N. Washburn, of China. They, with his
daughters, Alice W. and Nettie G., now occupy the old homestead
with her mother.
Thomas B. Nichols began mercantile life in 1843 as a dealer in
country produce, making eggs a specialty. His business flourished,
and he employed a number of men and teams in collecting the prod-
uce which he bought and shipped to Boston, Providence and other
New England markets. He was distinguished as an honest, upright
man in all his dealings, punctual to his promises, just in the payment
of his debts, and always unselfishly considerate of others in his busi-
ness transactions. He shone more in private than in public life, how-
ever, and was more widely known as a consistent Christian character
than as a merchant. He was a pillar of strength in the Society of
Friends, and his widow, who survives him, still carries on the good
work he began. Their home meeting was at East Vassalboro in the
building shown in the illustration at page 276; and for forty years he
was a minister and earnest, devoted gospel worker, both within and
without his own church. Though a very humble man, he had the
courage of his convictions. He traveled much in New England as a
<y%.irr7^ia^ j3AtcA<^
TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1131
minister, visiting not only his own people, but penal institutions and
the sick and afflicted in all places. In 1866, accompanied by his wife,
he traveled in gospel work in New York, Ohio and Indiana; and in
1868 they labored in Maryland and North Carolina. He also traveled
in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Island, accompanied by Hartwell A.
Jenkins, of China. He was an earnest Sabbath school worker from
early life, having organized and conducted, in 1844, the first Sabbath
school in this vicinity, at the Hobbie school house in Winslow. He
was also a frequent contributor to the papers of his own denomination
as long as his failing strength permitted. The last years of his life
were passed quietly about home. The months of invalidism, in which
health and disease alternated, were calmly spent, with no anxiety for
the future, knowing that the Lord whom he had served with a zeal
according to knowledge " doeth all things well." He entered into
rest December 30, 1889.
His wife, Rachel B. Holder, who still survives him, was born of
Quaker parents, and is a direct descendant from Christopher Holder.
During all her life in this county, she has lifted willing hands and an
earnest voice to promote the best interests of humanity, holding im-
portant positions in the church, and for many years has been an ac-
knowledged minister of the vSociety of Friends.
George Nowell, born in 1818, is a son of George (1777-1868), and
grandson of Major Ebenezer Nowell, who lost an arm in the revolu-
tionary war, and is buried at Berwick, Me. George Nowell, sen., mar-
ried Winifred Parker in 1800, and in 1806 came to Vassalboro. He
later moved to Winslow, where he was a farmer, and where he died.
Of his family of ten children but four survive: George and Jonathan,
and two daughters. George married Mary J., a daughter of Francis
Wyman, in 1849, and settled the same year where he now lives, on
the farm settled by Peter Pray. He was constable and collector many
years, and also served as selectman. Jonathan Nowell, born in 1820,
married Mary J. Wilson, of Topsham, Me., and has one daughter, Liz-
zie, now Mrs. George Homans.
William H. Pearson, born in 1813, is a son of Captain William
Pearson, who came from New Hampshire to Waterville in 1816. The
captain's father was Major Edmund Pearson, of Exeter, N. H. After
a business career at Waterville, William H. came to Vassalboro in
1861. His wife, Hannah P., is a daughter of Edmund Pearson, jun.
Their children are: Ella S., Henrietta M., Mary E. (Mrs. George L.
Bailey), William C. and James H. Pearson. Mr. Pearson has served
the public in various minor offices and is a well known contributor to
agricultural journals.
J. Frank Perkins, born in Dresden in 1847, is the only son of Ed-
win (born in 1815) and Helen (Meservey) Perkins, and grandson of
Zebediah Perkins, of Dresden. Edwin came to Vassalboro in 1860,
n:^-2 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
settling east of Homan Corner, where he was a farmer, and where he
died in 1882. One of his four daughters (all dead), Clara, married
Artemas S. Atherton, and at her death left two sons, D. Frank and
Shirley Atherton.
William Perkins, son of Daniel, and grandson of Jonathan Perkins,
was born at Strafford, N. H., and married Sarah, daughter of Dea.
James Johnson, of South Berwick, Me. In 1856 they came to Vassal-
boro, where William's two sons— Charles S. and George S.— reside.
Charles S. Perkins was born in 1856, married Laura, sister of Seth B.
Richardson, and has one daughter, Grace.
John C. Perley, born in 1821, is a son of Israel Perley, of Winthrop,
who settled at Seward's Mills in 1830. Israel was born in Roxbury,
Mass., where his father, Amos, and grandfather, Francis, lived. Fran-
cis was the grandson of Thomas Perley, the first of the family in
America. Mrs. John C. Perley was Eunice Meiggs. Their children
are: Charles I., Anna M. (Mrs. Dana B. Marden), Carrie (deceased), and
Alice M. (Mrs. Elmer Randall). Charles I. married Clara Richardson
and has four children: Edith C, George A., Fred B. and Anson M.
Perley.
Charles E. Pierce, son of Benjamin, grandson of George, and great-
grandson of Pelatiah Pierce, was born in 1859. He married Minnie
Warren, daughter of Ambrose, and granddaughter of Jared Warren,
and has one son, Benjamin S. Pierce. His farm is the birthplace of
Judge Whitehouse.
James C. Pierce, born in 1819, is a son of Luther (1784-1861), and
grandson of Samuel Pierce, who came from Dedham to Augusta and
later, in 1801, removed to Windsor. Mrs. Pierce is a daughter of Ed-
mund Gates. They have one child, Annie May (Mrs. Henry A.
Priest). Mr. Pierce was engaged in a lumber business, and from 1854
to 1873 was in the tannery with William H. Gates, Vassalboro.
The Pope family here descended from Ebenezer Pope (1780-1834),
son of Elijah Pope, a blacksmith, of Windham, Me. Ebenezer mar-
ried Sarah Chase, of Unity, in 1804, settled in Vassalboro, and raised
seven children: Hezekiah, James, Bethiah (Mrs. Benjamin Goddard),
Hephzibeth (Mrs. Jacob Taber), Phebe (Mrs. Jeremiah Jones, of China),
Esther B. (Mrs. George Taber) and Elijah Pope. Of these, James,
born May 17, 1808, married first, Phebe, daughter of Adam Wing, of
Sidney, and second. Content, daughter of Josiah Winslow, of West-
brook, Me. She left one son, Edward W. Pope, who married Edith
M., daughter of Clarkson Jones, of China, and has one son, Frederick
J. Elijah Pope, born 1825, married Susan Maddocks (deceased). Her
children are: Albert H., Etta and Frank T. Elijah's second wife,
Kate M., daughter of Hallett Crowell, has one son, Ralph M. Pope.
William B. Priest, born in 1816, is a son of Josiah and grandson of
Jonas Priest. He married Hannah, daughter of Amasa, and grand-
.TOWN OF VASSALBORO. 1133
daughter of Samuel Taylor, who settled where Albert J. Priest now
lives. Their children are: Hiram T. (killed at Gettysburg), Gusta,
Alonzo W., Belle and Edward E. Jonas Priest came from Groton,
Mass., and built the first house near Priest hill, by a stream west of
Theodore W. Priest's present residence.
Daniel H. Priest, born in 1816, married Emeline E. Brown, of Wil-
ton, Me. Their children are: Emma L. (Mrs. Alonzo Hamlin), Everett
W., Ida S. (Mrs. Mark R. Shorey), Nancy A. (Mrs. J. C. Evans), Effie
E. (Mrs. Frank H. Upham) and Charles E. Mr. Priest is one of the
four sons of Josiah Priest.
Daniel C. Purinton, a son of Daniel C, came to Vassalboro when
a boy, in 1825, where he lived with his uncle, Joseph Howland, an
early settler. He married Mary Whittum. Their two sons are:
Charles L., born in 1854, who married Zellar Hamlin, and now lives
on the old Pratt place; and Henry W., born in 1855, who married
Minnie M. Pai-ks, of Richmond, N. B., and has one daughter, Jessie.
George M. Richardson', born in 1825, is a descendant from Samuel
Richardson', born in England in 1610, came to Woburn, Mass., about
1635, was leading citizen there until his death in 1658. His sixth
child, Stephen", was born in 1649. Francis' (1680-1755) bought in Attle-
boro in 1714; Seth' (1716-1785) had a son, Seth' (1756-1784), whose son,
Silas" (1791-1877), settled in Winslow about 1822. His wife was Ruth
Cutting, of Attleboro. Their son, George M., married Achsah D.,
daughter of Richard, and granddaughter of Richard Handy, who
came to Albion from Wareham, Mass. Their children are: Clara J.,
Ruth C. (Mrs. C. H. Morse, of Randolph), Lester, George D. and
Everett.
Seth B. Richardson, born in 1856, is a son of John Richardson
(1813-1884), and grandson of Seth Richardson, who came to Vassal-
boro from Attleboro, Mass., about 1799, with his wife, Susanna Bal-
com, and here built the first house on the Richardson farm, the frame
of which was a part of Mr. Richardson's residence until it was burned
in June, 1891. Seth and Susanna Richardson had a large family of
children. He died in 1856, aged seventy-eight. John succeeded to
the homestead and married Hannah Sanborn, deceased. His second
wife was Cynthia Cross. Seth B. married Eliza C. Mosher, daughter
of the late Elisha Mosher, of China. Their children are: A. Gertrude,
Guy M. and James Corey Richardson.
He.man Robbins and his Descendants. — The Robbins family was
well known on Cape Cod for more than a hundred years preceding
the revolutionary war. There Heman Robbins belonged to the ho.st
of seafaring men — a characteristic avocation of the inhabitants of
that stout arm of Massachusetts from that day to this. For several
years before the war many representative families left the Cape and
settled in the Kennebec valley, among whom came Heman and his
1134
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
family — living a short time in what is now Dresden, but settling per-
manently in Vassalboro, on lot 53. of the second range, in 1777, where
he built a log house the same year. He had four sons — Thomas,
Nathan, Isaac and Heman, jun., the latter born in 1776, in Dresden —
and three daughters.
Heman Robbins, jun., married Desire, daughther of James Mathews,
an old revolutionary soldier who served in the navy. They settled
on the old homestead, where they had six children: Stillman, who
lived to be only six years old; George A., James, Isaiah, and two
daughters, Elmira and Rebecca.
George A. Robbins, the eldest survivor of this family, whose por-
trait appears on another page, was born in 1812. On arriving at ma-
ture years he advised his father to make ample provision for the girls.
This he did by giving them the old homestead, where Elmira still
lives, also Rebecca's husband, James A. Eugley. She died some years
ago. To his three sons the old gentleman gave $20 each. In 1840
George A. Robbins bought his present farm of eighty acres, lot 59, in
the second range, on which he erected the same year the comfortable
house still his home. The land was entirely wild, but his industry
and good management soon made it productive and profitable, adding
buildings and modern improvements.
October 26, 1834, Mr. Robbins married a girl of his own age, Ro-
setta, daughter of Andrew Bonney, of China, who came from Win-
throp to Parmenter hill, before Rosetta was born. He was a soldier
^^Sl.
'f < ^. //.^^
' If
suen, but settling per-
:.i range, in 1777, where
:ad four sons — Thomas,
.<)rn in 1776, in Dresden—
>ughther of James Mathews,
in the navy. They settled
-i.v cbilflren: Stillman, who
v.. Ta -. Isaiah, and two
if thi family, whose por-
1812. (")n arriving at ma-
ago.
George -
the seoort'
provision for the girls.
■.•A, where Elmira still
She died some years
'.: $20 each. In 1840
ighty acres, lot 59, in
.ear the comfortable
'lit his industry
ifi table, adding
and good manageinci.. _,
buildings and modern improvements.
October 26, 1834, Mr. Robbins married a girl of his own age, xv^-
setta, daughter of Andrew Bonney, of China, who came from Win-
throp to Parmenter hill, before Rosetta was born. He was a soldier
r ^. ^. //.-
v^y^
TOWN OF VASSALBORO.
1137
"builder of cisterns and large reservoirs. He accurately locates sub-
terranean water courses, and has completed some of the best hydrau-
lic works in the county.
Reuben Weeks was born in 1818 at Nantucket. In 1827 he came
with his father, Captain Reuben Weeks, to Vassalboro. His wife,
Octavia, is a daughter of Moses Bassett, who came from Cape Cod and
settled in Harlem (now China). Their children are: Hattie E., Abbie
B. (Mrs. Albert R. Ward, of China), Ella L. and Frank G. Weeks,
who died, leaving one daughter, Lottie. Captain Reuben Weeks,
in 1813, was captured by privateers and robbed of his ship and cargo
of whale oil.
Daniel Whitehouse, a descendant of Thomas Whitehouse, of Dover,
N. H. (1658), came from Berwick to South Vassalboro when an old
man. His children, some of whom had come previously, were: Ed-
mund, Daniel, jun., Thomas, Hannah and Comfort. Edmund had
children: John R., William, Edmund, jun., Benjamin, Maria, Phebe
and Martha. Daniel, jun., had sons: David S., Seth C, Owen, Paul
and Daniel. Thomas had sons: John and Thomas, jun.
John R. Whitehouse, son of Edmund, and grandson of Daniel
Whitehouse, married Hannah Percival, of Cape Cod, and they lived
and died at South Vassalboro in the homestead shown on this page.
Their children were: Helen Maria (Mrs. Wellman, deceased); Dulcia
Maria, (Mrs. Dr. Meigs) of West Virginia; Hildanus R., of Clinton,
Iowa; John P., of Augusta, Me.; Melissa R., (Mrs. Joseph Cloud) of
Baltimore; Oliver P., deceased, and Judge William Penn Whitehouse,
of Augusta.
1138 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
David M. Wyer, born in 1831, is a son of Shubael, and grandson of
Captain David Wyer, a whaler, of Nantucket, who came to East Vas-
salboro about 1810. He bought the farm where David now lives of
John Brackett, and died at Taber hill. Shubael married Sally, a
daughter of Captain John G. Fitch, a Nantucket whaleman, who came
to East Vassalboro in 1827. David M. married Mary C, daughter of
George G. Clark, whose father, Captain Albert Clark, came from Nan-
tucket to Vassalboro about 1820. Mrs Wyer, at her death, left five
children: Benjamin F., a druggist in Boston; Annie M. (Mrs. John F.
Fletcher), Clara Belle, James C. and Hattie M. The present Mrs.
Wyer is Josephine, a daughter of Jonathan Cross, of Cross Hill.
William A, Yates, born in 1852, is a son of Alexander and Lois E.
(Thompson) Yates, of Bristol, Me., and grandson of William Yates.
He married Ida F., a daughter of B. F. and Lydia C. (Tripp) Bright-
man, and granddaughter of Leonard and Phebe Brightman. They
have two sons: Frank Brightman and Samuel Alexander Yates. Mr.
Yates came in 1815 from Bristol to Vassalboro, where he built his
present elegant residence in 1890.
CHAPTER XLIII.
TOWN OF CHINA.
Jones' Survey. — Map.— Early Settlers. — First Grave. — First Birth. — Incorporated
as Harlem.— China Erected. — Harlem Civil Lists.— China Civil Lists. — Vil-
lages, their Industries and Institutions. — Prominent Localities. — Other Set-
tlers. — Ecclesiastical. — Societies. — Cemeteries. — Schools. — Personal Para-
graphs.
WHEN the Kennebec Purchasers in the fall of 1773 sent John
Jones and Abraham Burrell to survey a plantation east of
Vassalboro and plot it into lots for settlement, they laid the
foundation for the present thrifty town of China. They laid out
32,000 acres, including the waters, into farms of substantially 200
acres each; and to this fifty square miles the proprietors and their
purchasers, alluding to the old surveyor, and not to the first settler,
applied the title of "Jones' Plantation." They finished the survey in
the spring of 1774, and Jones' map as then made was referred to by
lot numbers in the original deeds to the settlers. At Gardiner, where
Mr. Jones, generally known as " Black Jones," had been employed in
other surveys, Ephraim Clark was spending the winter of 1773-4, and
in the following March made a judicious selection of two lots, 39
and 40, nominally of 400 acres, but actually of nearly six hundred, as
the east shore of the lake curved; and that summer built his house
near the water on what is known as the Sumner Hawes farm. Very
soon after — probably the same season — Ephraim Clark's three
brothers, Jonathan, Edmund and Andrew, and a brother-in-law,
George Fish, secured lots in the plantation.
The parents of these pioneers seem to have resided with Ephraim
Clark. Two years after the settlement was made Merriam, the mother
died, and her husband, Jonathan, survived her four years. They were
buried in the orchard by the shore near their residence, and two field
stones now mark the .spot. Ephraim, born July 15, 1751, seems to
have lived a bachelor life. He did not marry until 1795. Olive Braley,
the object of his affections, was born the year he entered the log
cabin, and twenty-two years afterward he brought her home his bride.
They were blessed with the old-fashioned family of six sons and six
daughters, who all lived to maturity. Jonathan, who was born in
73
1140
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY,
ToVW; ^STowes' ■Pto-'TV/ ^;y^^^ SUxr>XcJXoy^
TOWN OF CHINA. 1141
1737, brought Susanna Gardiner, his wife, and settled across the lake
from Ephraim, on the point where Everett E. Clark lives, his land
including- parts of John O. Page's and Sanford K. Clark's places. Ed-
mund took the lot south of Jonathan's, on the west side of the lake.
He married Rachel Cofifin, and their daughter, Anna, born Novem-
ber 20, 1774, was the first girl born in the plantation. She became
Mrs. Peter Pray, of Priest hill. Andrew Clark located on what is now,
substantially, South China village.
Church Clark, a fifth brother, remained at Nantucket and in the
next generation his son, Ephraim, came to the west side of the lake,
near where John B. and Anson P. Morrill live. George Fish settled
on the east side of the lake, where John Jones and Gustavus A.Webber
live. He and Ephraim Clark built on Clark brook, sometimes called
Fish brook, the first saw mill m the town. Mr. Fish died on his pas-
sage to England, and the widow died at their place of residence. Hers
was the first grave opened in the grounds adjoinmg the Friends' meet-
ing house, on the east side of the lake.
Abraham Burrell, who assisted in the survey, located where Levi
A. Jackson lives, and built his first log cabin near the lake shore,
where only some cinnamon roses remain to mark the spot. Michael
Norton settled on the lake shore, on the next farm south of the town
house. His son, Thomas, the first male child born in the plantation,
lived and died on the old homestead. These early settlers were soon
followed by Josiah Ward— the builder of the first frame house in the
town, which stood on the present farm of Benjamin H. Moody. The
Nortons were enterprising settlers, and the vicinity is known as Nor-
ton's Corner to this day. Mr. Burrell erected on his farm in 1790 the
first frame building in the plantation. The "raising" made a red-
letter day in the settlement. From Getchell's Corners on the west,
and Freedom plantation on the north, help came. The broadside of
native oak had reached the most trying position when it was neces-
sary to have more help, and the lady spectators seized the poles and
and pikes, deciding the day. This frame is now a part of Levi A.
Jackson's barn.
While the natural privations of pioneer life were augmented by
the early events of the revolutionary period, the abundance of game
and the enormous supply of fish preserved the life of the settlers.
They were thorough men and courageous women who planted civiliza-
tion here, and for twenty-two years they made interesting history
before they were given the privileges of a town. A few simple rules-
enforced by common consent — was sufficient law for the peaceful and
industrious.
In February, 1796, the plantation was incorporated as the town of
Harlem. It was described in the act as bounded by four straight
lines: On the west by the east line of Vassalboro, on the east by a
1142 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
line eight miles and 180 rods long, six miles distant from and parallel
Avith the west line, and on the north and south by two lines, each six
miles long, extending from the corners of Vassalboro south 68° east.
Ebenezer Farwell was authorized to call the first town meeting,
which was held at the house of Shubael Bragg.
For twenty-two years the territory of Harlem was well governed
by officers elected at annual meetings usually held in the Friends'
meeting house on the pond road, when, in June, 1818, the town of
Harlem was divided, the northern portion being joined with parts of
Lygonia (now Albion) and Winslow, to form the new town of China.
Four years later the remainder of Harlem was annexed to China, and
thus, forty-eight years after the settlement of Jones' plantation, it
took the present name.
The town records of old Harlem are well preserved. They were
carefully written by intelligent clerks and contain a mass of quaint
and curious lore. In them we find that the voters chose their own
company, as is shown by the following order:
" To Edmund Clark,
" Constable of the town of Harlem,
" Greeting:
" You are, in the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
directed to warn and give notice to Boston Ricker and Prince Brown,
with their families and all under their care, who came last from Vas-
salboro for the purpose of residing, NOT having obtained the town's
CONSENT, that they depart the limits thereof within 15 days.
" Given under our hands this 7 day of May, 1798, at Harlem.
" Ichabod Chadwick,
" Abraham Burrell,
" Selectmen."
Among the other interesting items are these:
" 1803. A^oted that geese shall not run on the Common." " 1804.
Voted $55 for a town standard " [of weights and measures]. " Voted
$35 to recruit town magazine." " 1805. Voted Ephraim Clark be
pound ' keeper.' " — and he is reported as holding the office for life.
" March 12, 1798. Voted to pay for the town's stock of powder out of
last year's school money." " March 7, 1800. Voted to pay for run-
ning out town line, out of last year's school money." " May 21, 1804.
Voted to take school money for the year to build school houses.
Harlem Civil Lists. — Although the name Harlem passed into
history with the annexation of 1822, officers were elected until 1828
for settling the affairs of the town. The selectmen of Harlem, with
the year of first election and number of years of service, if more
than one, were: 1796, Abraham Burrell, 6 years, Ephraim Clark, 5,
James Lancaster; 1797, Ichabod Chadwick, 13, Josiah Ward, 3; 1799,
Edmund Clark, 2, James Chadwick, 2; 1803, Jesse Martin; 1804, Ed-
ward Fairfield, 2; 1805, David Doe; 1806, Nathan Stanley, 2; 1807,
Josiah Ward, jun., 10; 1808, Nathaniel Johnson, 10; 1810, Jedediah
TOWN OF CHINA. 1143
Jepson, 3; 1812, Samuel Burrell; 1813, Constant Abbott, 3; 1815, Rob-
ert Fletcher; 1816, Joseph Stuart; 1818, Elisha Clark, 5; 1818, John
Dow; 1819, John Weeks, 10; 1820, Joseph Hacker, 4, and William
Mosher, 6; 1824, Jonathan Dow, 2; 1828, Ebenezer Meiggs.
Excepting the year 1800, when Ephraim Clark was clerk, Edward
Fairfield served from 1796 to 1809; Samuel Burrell was elected in
1810; Constant Abbott in 1813, and John Weeks, 1818 to 1828.
The successive town treasurers for Harlem were: Ephraim Clark,
1796; Abraham Burrell, 1803; Josiah Ward, jun., 1805; Nathaniel
Johnson, 1816; Josiah Ward, 1817; Thomas Giddings, 1818; Silas
Piper, 1820; Henry W. Piper, 1826, and John Weeks for 1828.
China Civil Lists.— The selectmen, with date of first election and
total number of years of service, have been: 1818, Daniel Stevens, 7
years, Nathan Stanley, Robert Fletcher; 1819, Japheth C. Washburn,
3, John Brackett; 1820, Isaac Jones, 2; 1822, Nathaniel Johnson, Jo-
seph Hacker, 2, William Mosher, 4; 1823, Joseph Stuart, 4, Abishia
Benson, 2; 1824, Alfred Marshall, 6; 1825, John Weeks, 8; 1826, Eben-
ezer Meiggs, 5; 1827, Gustavus A. Benson, 2; 1829, Benjamin Libby,
jun., 2, Nathaniel Spratt, 5; 1831, Alexander Hatch, 2; 1832, S. S.
Warren; 1834, Jason Chadwick, 2, Freeman Shaw; 1835, Timothy F.
Hanscom, 2, Edward Breck, 3; 1836, Jonathan Clark, 2; 1838, Corydon
Chadwick, 11, Daniel Crowell, 3; 1839, Elisha Clark, Thomas B. Lin-
coln, 10; 1840, ^amuel Hanscom, Daniel D. Starrett; 1841, Earned
Pullen; 1845, John Estes, 2d, 2; 1848, Lot Jones, 3; 1849, John L.
Gray, 2; 1851, Oliver Hanscom, 2, Alfred Fletcher, 8; 1853, Samuel
Taylor, 3; 1854, Sullivan Erskine; 1855. Edward Emerson, 2, Amos
McLaughlin; 1856, Nathaniel Wiggin; 1857, Alfred H. Jones, 2, John F.
Hunnewell, 2, Josiah H. Greely, 4; 1859, Eli H. Webber, 3; 1862, Thomas
Dinsmore, jun., 2, Daniel Webber, 2: 1864, Ambrose H. Abbott, Nathan
Widlow, 3, John Libby; 1865, Roland Reed, 2; 1867, Alexander Chad-
wick, 5, Caleb Jones, 3, Jabez Lewis, 4; 1868, Gustavus B. Chadwick,
3, Abishia B. Fletcher, 3, Francis Jones, 7; 1871, John S. Hamilton, 2;
1873, Charles E. Dutton, 7; 1876, Dana C. Hanson, 4, Samuel C. Star-
rett, 4, Freeman H. Crowell, 4; 1878, Elihu Hanson, 3, Enos T. Clark;
1879, Theodore M. Jackson, 2; 1883, Theron E. Doe, 4, Henry B. Reed,
4; 1887, James B. Fish, 3; since 1887, Orrin F. Sproul; 1887, John F.
Plummer, 5; 1890, James W. Brown, 2, and in 1892, W. R. Ward and
A. P. Mosher.
Japheth C. Washburn was the first town clerk, succeeded by John
Weeks in 1822; Gustavus A. Benson, 1825; Thomas Burrell, 1827;
Japheth C. Washburn, 1830; James H. Brainard, 1837; Oliver W.
Washburn, 1840; Ambrose H. Abbott, 1851; Edward Emerson, 1865;
F. O. Brainard, 1868; John H. Stevens, 1869; Willis W. Washburn,
1872; Charles B. Stuart, 1878; Willis C. Hawes, 1886; Wilson F. Hawes,
1887, and Willis W. Washburn since 1888.
1144 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Since China was organized its treasurers have been: John Brackett,
5 years; Silas Piper, 3; Benjamin Libby, jun., 2; John Weeks, 1;
Ebenezer Shaw, 3; Freeman Shaw, 2; Samuel Hanscom and Thomas
B. Lincoln, each 1, before 1836; then Daniel Crowell, 3 years;
Reuben Hamlin, 3; Charles A. Russ, 3; Ebenezer Meiggs, from 1845 to
1855; Nelson Russell and Abishia B. Fletcher, each 2; Thomas Dins-
more, jun., 3; James E. Cates and Justus Greely, each 2, during the
civil war; Ambrose H. Abbott, 1866; William Percival, 1867; then Am-
brose H. Abbott, 3; Cyrenus K. Evans, 3; Amasa Taylor, 1; John C.
Tucker, 3; Charles W. Clark, 1; John Taylor, 2; Caleb Jones, 2; Russell
D. Woodman, 1; Edward C. Dudley, 2; Joseph E. Crossman, 1; Elijah
D. Jepson, 4, and Martin Webber.
Villages. — China village is pleasantly situated at the north end of
the lake, and its surrounding landscape presents a variety of hill, val-
ley and water. Its main street, winding along the bank of the inlet,
is picturesque and attractive, suggesting the quiet and happiness of
the wealthy New England village. Among the early settlers here
were John Brackett, Japheth C. Washburn, Deacon Wing and William
Hunnewell.
Early in the present century this post village was of considerable
importance in the business world. One old saw mill, the Deacon
Wing mill, on the inlet to the lake known as Wiggin brook, had, been
worn out and another erected, which was still busy ^ith the logs from
the surrounding country. The want of something to crack corn, or
save a trip down the river to Gardiner, induced Benjamin Dow to
erect, near his half log and half cave house, a primitive grist mill on this
inlet. This mill was of logs, with a hollow log for a penstock; the
gearing was of wood, and the spindle was an old musket barrel. This
mill was run ten years before its destruction by high water. A sec-
ond and better mill was erected which, with a shingle mill, saw mill
and cluster of shops, was burned about 1867.
The first tannery here was by Deacon Griffin, on Wiggin brook,
opposite the present cheese factory building. vSamuel Hanscom built
and run a modern tannery. About 1840 Benjamin Libby. Eben and
Freeman Shaw and others, in a stock company, erected a mill on the
lake shore opposite the Baptist church. Saws, a shingle mill and a
grist mill formed a plant of much importance. It was subsequently
purchased by Gilman Brothers, of Waterville, who converted it into
a tannery, which was burned. William H. Healey rebuilt it and did
the largest business here for years. This was also burned, within the
remembrance of the present generation. Nothing has been erected
there since, except the temporary buildings which Mr. Healey built
to work out the stock of hides after the fire.
In The Orb, a weekly paper published here during the years 1834-
1835: Samuel Hanscom gives notice, October, 1834, of the removal of
TOWN OF CHINA. 1145
his business, and of the large stock of boots and shoes he has for sale;
E. Jones, the tailor, has just received the latest styles from Boston;
Peter Dalton, late of Augusta, has opened a fashionable tailor shop
and can give his customers fits; J. C. Washburn, secretary of the
China Mutual Fire Ins. Co., notifies those concerned of the meeting
for the annual election of officers; Leonard Balkcom gives the public
due warning that his son David has his own time, and he will pay no
debts of David's contracting; Joseph F. Hall will open a writing class
at Academy Hall; Matthews & Co. notice their new goods, groceries,
paints, oilsVnd crockery: Owen & Dwelley brag of their new goods
right from Boston— spring of 1834; Benjamin Webb notifies every-
body to call and pay the notes and accounts due him; Freeman Shaw
notices his new goods in the store where A. B. Fletcher now keeps;
Healey & Oilman notice their new goods in 1835.
The first store here was kept by Japheth C. Washburn. He erected
a building where Ambrose Bartlett now lives, which was burned. He
built another across the street, building subsequently a residence and
store on the site of his first store. His son, Oliver W., suc-
ceeded him in the business. North of Washburn's store General
Alfred Marshall started another, which was subsequently burned.
Estey N. Doe, in 1835, bought out Matthews & Oilman in the store
nearly opposite the present hotel barn. Colonel Robert Fletcher, who
came to China about 1807, built the second village store, and began trade
where A. B. Fletcher's store now is. His successors in the business
have been: Alex. Hatch, M. D.; Freeman Shaw, Oliver W. Washburn,
The Union Store, Dana C. Hanson, John H. Stevens, John Taylor,
Moses W. Newbert and Abishia B. Fletcher. The dry goods of the
old days were heavy items in trade, as was shown by the immense
stock of rum which Colonel Fletcher piled on the floor of his store
and which broke through one night into the cellar. William H.
Healey was for years the chief trader in China. His largest interests,
however, were in the tanning business above mentioned.
The double brick store, now standing, was built by Oeneral Alfred
Marshall, who was succeeded in the north part by his son, Jacob S.
The latter was succeeded by O. W. Washburn, Alfred Marshall, Jacob
Shaw, jun., Hiram P. Weeks, Worthing & Stevens, John H. Stevens,
John Taylor, Philbrook & Rice and Oeorge C. Philbrook. The last
named was succeeded, about 1872, by F. O. Brainard, the present
merchant and postmaster, who had traded here in another building
since September, 1866. The south store of the brick block was occu-
pied many years by Deacon Benjamin Libby, as a harness shop. It
was then occupied by several different tailors and shoemakers until
December, 1866, when Willis W. Washburn opened it as a harness
shop. His successors have been: John E. James, Willis R. Ward and
Theron E. Doe, who has been a merchant there since 1880.
As early as 1840 a brick yard was started by Nathaniel Spratt on
the bank across the stream from the cheese factory, where bricks
1146 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
were made for twenty-five years. Spratt became involved and the
yard fell into the hands of Samuel P. Benson, who sold to Zalmuna
Washburn, brother of Zebah. The dwelling was occupied by Mr.
Washburn, and is now the home of HoUis Broad's widow. Three
brick yards were in operation here at one time. Abraham Talbot, once
a slave, had a yard opposite Mr. P.armenter's house, below Dana C.
Hanson's.
The first post office was in Japheth C. Washburn's store, and he
was appointed postmaster June 25, 1818. At the incorporation of the
original China Mr. Washburn wrote: "My house was in Winslow, my
store across the road was in Albion, and my potash works, 40 rods
south, were in Harlem." Jacob Smith was the second postmaster, and
in December, 1838, was succeeded by Benjamin Libby, jun., who kept
the office in his shop. Oliver W. Washburn, appointed August 12,
1841, was succeeded in February, 1853, by Jacob S. Marshall; Alfred
Marshall was appointed September 4, 1860; Jacob Shaw, June, 1861;
Alfred Fletcher, November, 1864. O. W. Washburn sold his store busi-
ness to H. Wheeler Maxfield, who kept the office as deputy for a time
and was made postmaster November 29, 1865. In April, 1867, F. O.
Brainard was appointed, and has served since, except through the
Cleveland administration, when Theron E. Doe served. After the two
children of J. C. Washburn had ceased their mail carrying from Get-
chell's Corners, Asa Burrell carried it, and there are those living who
well remember the sonorous tin horn which heralded his approach.
Before 1810, and even after the post office was established, the
bringing of mail from Getchell's Corner was a weekly service by Mr.
Washburn, who sent two of his children, Abra L. and O. Wendell, for
it. One of them, the late venerable widow of Thomas Burrell, in 1891
vividly remembered her horseback trips through the way of gates and
bars. The gates remained north and east of the village tintil long after
the government route was established to Bangor. Four daily mails
now supply the office here.
The first tavern here was opened by Japheth C. Washburn about
1812. The house was subsequently burned. General Alfred Marshall
built and first kept the present hotel. He was succeeded by George
Ricker, Luther Lamb, John Hatch, John Hussey, N. D. Coombs, then
his son, then William Crane, James Huntoon and E. G. Davenport.
About 1870 Charles H. Dow became the proprietor, and his widow is
the present landlady.
After 1850 a bank was started here by the Oilman Brothers, the
tanners and merchants, in the house now occupied by Mrs. Foster,
opposite the school house. It had a brief but successful career.
Among the later industries of the village was the erection of a
cheese factory. Cheese making commenced in July, 1874, and 8,000
pounds were made the first season. About 1886 the manufacture was
TOWN OF CHINA. 1147
discontinued. These facts indicate the former importance of this
village, to which may be added that five of the governors of Maine
were educated at the academy here.
On the east bank of the south end of China lake is the busy village
of South China. Among the first settlers here after Andrew Clark
were Thomas Jones, whose cabin was where Philbrook's brick house
is, and Levi Jackson, who built where Frank E. Jones lives. A saw mill
was first erected by the Jones family on the stream known as Jones'
brook, and Joseph Hoxie put up a small tannery, which was subse-
quently purchased, enlarged, equipped with steam, and run by Nelson
Russell. Now bushes cover the spots where these valuable industries
stood.
It was as early as 1833 that Horace Baker kept a large store just
north of the present Jenkins store, and soon after Ebenezer Meiggs,
who in 1846 built the only brick house in this village, started another
store where the post office now is, and Ambrose H. Abbott had still
another where the G. A. R. Hall stands. These were burned in the
great conflagration of April 23, 1872. Then Samuel Stuart rebuilt the
present Jenkins store, opened trade and was succeeded by his son,
Charles B. Stuart. In September, 1888, Elwood H. Jenkins bought
out Stuart and joined the stock with that of his other store, which he
had purchased in 1886 of Alden W. Sweetland & Co., who succeeded
James Savage in the store where C. W. Randall is.
The best store building here stood across the street from the pres-
ent wagon shop of Theodore M. Jackson, who .since 1855 has carried
on the only carriage business here, and Ebenezer Meiggs and Corydon
Chadwick were merchants. This .store was subsequently purchased
by David S. Whitehouse for his son-in-law, Warren Estes. Among
other traders were: Ebenezer Meiggs, jun., E. T. Brown and W. G.
Kingsbury, besides the unsuccessful Union store enterprise.
The Canton Bank here flourished for a short time about 1855. Eli
Jones, Ambrose H. Abbott and Jonathan Clark were among the pro-
moters, with Charles A. Russ as president. The first cashier was
Zebah Washburn, succeeded by his son, Newell.
Meiggs & Chadwick had a shoe factory here before the war. Two
brick yards have been operated, from which brick were shipped up
the lake to the other village.
The South China post office was established May 5, 1828. The let-
ter postage collected the first quarter was thirteen cents, and the
quarter's pay of the postmaster for assorting the mail twice a day and
doing other duties was thirty cents. Silas Piper was the first post-
master, in his grocery store. He was succeeded in 1829 by Francis A.
B. Hussey; 1834, Joseph Stuart; 1842, Ambrose H. Abbott in the
store where the G. A. R. Hall stands. That store was moved and is
now occupied by Hattie Hoxie. The next postmaster was Corydon
1148 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Chadwick, 1853, in a store on the point between the roads opposite
Jackson's shop. The post office was given to John L. Gray in 1857,
who moved it to a house where Gustavus Wyman lives. The next
postmaster was Edwin T. Brown, 1863, in a house near Meiggs' store,
and he was succeeded in 1868 by John F. Wyman, post office in the
store formerly occupied by A. H. Abbott. The office was then moved
to the hotel near the meeting house, and James Savage was post-
master from 1873 to 1876. The house was subsequently burned.
Samuel Stuart was the next postmaster, in his store, succeeded by
Charles B. Stuart in 1879, in the same store, and in December, 1888,
Elwood H. Jenkins was appointed, keeping the office in the same
store.
Being on the mail route from Augusta to Belfast, South China sup-
ported, in the stage coach days, a tavern, kept by Elijah Crowell, who
had built it for a residence. Jefferson Wyman kept another east of
the Friends' meeting house about 1852. Theodore M. Jackson
bought the Crowell house, which burned in 1853. In 1879 J. R.
Grossman kept a public house here. Since 1888 the annual coming
of summer visitors has been increasing, and must become an import-
ant feature of the village. Theodore M. Jackson, who entertains
some of the summer people, keeps open house throughout the year.
Near Three-mile pond, west of South China, where Andrew Web-
ber now lives, Samuel Taylor had a public house on the stage route.
Andrew Furbush married his daughter and continued the business.
After his death his brother, Reuel Furbush, who married his widow,
was landlord as long as it was kept as a public house.
After the original saw mill on Clark's brook, north of South China
village, had passed away, another was built by the Cl.'irks of the next
generation and a brother-in-law, Josiah Braley. Mr. Braley also put
in a grist mill, which served its day and purpose. On the same
brook Nelson Russell had a small tannery. These long since have
been removed, and about 1845 a company erected still another saw
mill. Albert Haskell, Harrison Chadwick, and the three brothers,
Samuel A., George F. and Enos T. Clark, owned shares. This mill
has also served its purpose and passed into the history of the locality.
The village of Weeks Mills is a brisk center in the valley of the
Sheepscot, in the southeast portion of the town. The superior water
power led Major Abner Weeks and his father to locate here, and their
business prominence has given name to the locality. A saw mill and
grist mill early erected by Owen Clark, was later owned and run by
Thomas Giddings, sen., until it was burned. Abraham McLaughlin
built the mill which is now owned and run by Alton Shuman.
Among the industries of the village was a large tannery in the
rear of the present hotel building. Charles A. Russ, John Reed and
A. B. Fletcher purchased this tannery of Mr. Larrabee and continued
TOWN OF CHINA. 1149
it until about 1870. These men had a shoe factory in the building,
that was burned in 1862, on the site of the present store of A. R. Bur-
rill, and in their business employed eighty men. In 1866 J. F. Chad-
wick and John Reed rebuilt the building and opened a general store;
they were succeeded by Abram McLaughlin, who sold to J. F. Chad-
wick, and he to H. S. Gray. In December, 1889, A. R. Burrill, the
present merchant, obtained the goods.
About 1865 Daniel W. Tjder opened a tavern where the present
hotel is. Henry Hamilton had purchased it and run it a few years
when Tyler took it. Alden McLaughlin bought it and ran it till No-
vember, 1887, when Abram McLaughlin, the present landlord, took
possession.
The present store of Frank Percival was built about 1832, by
Charles A. Russ, who opened trade there, and sold to William Perci-
val about 1845. Mr. Percival was in business until his death, when
his son, Frank, who had been a partner since 1866, took the business
alone.
The post office has been in the Percival store most of the time
since it was established in 1838, with Charles A. Russ, postmaster.
William Percival succeeded him in 1846; Albert R. Burrill was ap-
pointed in September, 1885; Alton C. Doe in October, 1885, and in
1889 Frank Percival received his commission. A daily stage route to
Augusta supplies the village with mail.
Chester M. Clark, the village blacksmith at Weeks Mills, is a son
of Jonathan Clark, 2d, grandson of Randall and great-grandson of
Edmund Clark. He was born in 1838. His first wife was a daughter
of William Church, and his second is a daughter of Charles B. Bassett.
Mr. Clark has been at the Mills since 1865, excepting the five years
preceding 1888, in the building which was erected for a wagon shop
by Eben French, who was drowned in the stream while watering his
horse.
On the west branch, a mile above Weeks Mills, where Franklin
Sproul's saw mill is, one of the earliest saw mills in town was built.
William Pullen operated it as early as 1820, and it was an old mill
then. His sons succeeded him long before the present owner. Below
this, in what is now a meadow field, east of Oliver Hammon's, Daniel
Beane built a saw mill which Abel Chadwick next owned. Mr. Ham-
mon bought and repaired it, and in 1845 Ebenezer Frye converted it
into a tannery, which was operated a few years.
Where the western branch of the Sheepscot river enters the town
from Palermo a good water power attracted settlers and here, partially
in each town, is the post village of Branch Mills. Here Thomas
Bragg, of 1799, John Dowe, of 1805, Stephen Jones, Jacob Worthing,
Robert Patten, Thomas Dinsmore (who came from Bowdoinham
in 1813), Isaac Hacker and Joseph Hacker, from Brunswick, were
1150 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
among the early residents. The village post office — Palermo — is just
over this town line. In 1835 Hiram Worthing was postmaster and,
except four years during Cleveland's administration, when Fred
Johnson and Thomas Dinsmore had it, the office has been held by Mr.
Worthing or his son, P. vS. Worthing, the present incumbent. Before
1835 Stephen Harden, Samuel Buffum and Isaac Hacker, in the order
named, were appointed.
Wilder H. Worthing, J. R. B. Dinsmore and Sylvanus B.Jones are
now doing in three stores the mercantile business of the village.
Among the former traders here a Mr. Robinson, Isaac Hacker, Hiram,
David and Charles Worthing, Jose Greely, A. B. Longfellow, Nathan-
iel Lincoln, George F. Frye, Barzillai Harrington, John P. McCurdy,
Bernard Hanscomb, William Coombs, William Lincoln & John O.
Turner, Homer Cole, Benjamin Black, Stephen M. Spiller (of paring
machine fame), Gove & Norton, Ensign L. Worthing, John G. Slater,
Benjamin Nelson, Thomas Dinsmore, jun., Roscoe L. Worthing,
Stacey Whitehouse, Charles F. Acorn and Nowell O. Jones are still
remembered.
The mills here, as the village name implies, were from the first
the chief business. The first one was a saw mill, built north of the
main street. Ephraim Jones, if not the builder, was interested in it
early. Joseph Hacker ran the first grist mill at this site, and with the
same power ran the first carding machine. At his death the property
passed to his son-in-law, Jose Greely, who was succeeded by his son,
Josiah H. Greely, and son-in-law, Thomas Dinsmore. They sold it in
1883 to J. R. B. Dinsmore. On the mill site south of the main street
Jacob Buffum and Robert Patten, about 1829, built a saw mill with an
upright saw — so slow that " up to-day and down to-morrow " was
almost literally true of it. On the same dam, in 1838, was Nathaniel
Johnson's fulling and carding mill. After him came Earned Pullen
and Ara C. Patten, in the same business, and then Nathaniel Lincoln
added a tannery to the plant. His successors were Barzillai Harring-
ton, in 1846, and Wilson Whitten, before it was burned in 1868.
On the ruins William S. Tobey, beginning in 1881, built up his
present thrifty business and equipped the mill with saws, planer,
stave machine, cider mill and lath and threshing machines. A few
rods further down stream Thomas Dinsmore, deceased, built a shingle
and lath mill in 1845. This sufficed until 1852, when he built another
dam fifty rods below, and there his son and surviving partner, Wil-
liam Dinsmore, continued the mill until his death. It then passed
into other hands and was burned in 1882.
Stephen Jones once had a foundry and blacksmith shop, the site
of which has been included in the concentric accretions to the old
village grave yard.
About 1852 Barzillai Harrington was useful in erecting a building
TOWN OF CHINA. 1151
— now Good Templars' Hall — in which a select school, known as the
East China High School, was kept.
The two great lines passing through the town in the old stage
coach days supported the numerous taverns mentioned in the pre-
ceding village histories. The thirsty traveler of those times, entering
the town at Branch Mills, could invigorate himself at the tavern
there, then at Grossman's Gorner on either side of the road, he could
rinse down the dust of two weary miles and prepare himself for three
miles more of the lonesome road, between there and South China,
There, if the tavern dram was not to his taste, he could find good rum
in either store. Well fortified for the next two miles, he could reach
Sam Taylor, whose tavern was supplied with a plenty of what may be
called the spirit of that age. The next town was equally hospitable,
for at the very first he could find Peltiah Pierce at the South Vassal-
boro post office, and Peltiah would not drive a man away thirsty.
Prominent Localities.— In the central portion of the town is
Grossman's Corners, in a good farming community. Josiah Fairfield
settled north of the Corners, where Glarkson Jones lives, and Aaron
Buffum south of the Corners, on RoUin Reed's farm. Ephraim Jones
settled where Edward G. Dudley lives, and Henry B. Reed's farm was
settled by an Estes. The family from whom the locality was named
is now extinct. Here, in a house which Jedediah Fairfield, brother of
Josiah, had built. Bounds Grossman kept a tavern and sold such mer-
chandise as gave his place the name of Grossman's store. He was
more ingenious than thrifty, and when the lower portion of the house
needed repairs he tore it out, letting the upper story down to the
foundation, and lived in the one story for years. On the opposite
corner from Grossman's, in the old stage days, John Priest kept the
Travelers' Home. After him his brother, Otis, and then Case
McAllister were hosts. It was burned about 1835, and rebuilt, and
again destroyed by fire in 1843, and on the ruins the late Eli Jones
built his residence, which is still standing. In Jones' house subse-
quently the bar-room door, saved from the fire, did sober service for
the old Friend. A post office, now discontinued, was established here
in 1860, as Dirigo, with Horatio Nelson as postmaster. He was fol-
lowed by Eli Jones, and he by Matthew F. Hoxie.
North of Branch Mills, on the eastern edge of the town, is Par-
menter hill. Here in 1805 Captain Caleb Parmenter, a blacksmith
from Winthrop, made the first regular .settlement. South of his farm
the Balcom family had lived, where Philip Dinsmore's farm is ; but
it does not appear that they had title to the land. Joseph Parmenter,
brother of Captain Caleb, came later. Their adjoining farms were
purchased of the proprietors by their father, Caleb, who lived and
died in Attleboro, Mass.
A commanding elevation in the southeast corner of the town has
1152 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
been long known as Deer hill. Frederick W. Hammon came here by
blazed trees in 1811, settling where his son, William H., lives. The
same year, William Haskell, jun., came from the pond road, settling
where his son, William, lives. Between the two farms Nathaniel and
David Gray, from Berwick, settled two farms which the late Elbridge
G. Haskell owned, and south of all these Oshea Hatch built, where
his grandson, Joseph, lives. In 1809 Samuel Gray came from Berwick,
settling the farm where his son, John T., lives, raising eleven
children. North of Gray's, on the Dodge farm, Deacon Moses Gray
lived, as an early settler. On the pinnacle, south of John E. Dodge's
residence, Jesse Prentice had a primitive dwelling. North of the
Hammon farm Jonathan Gray settled about 1810.
West of Weeks Mills, on an elevation, now chiefly marked by the
handsome building of the Erskine School, isChadwick's Corner, often
known as Chadwick hill. The name alludes to Ichabod Chadwick, a
Cape Cod man, who, with his sons. Job, Judah and James, settled here
before 1797. Sylvester Hatch, a Baptist deacon from Cape Cod; Cap-
tain William Mosher, from Belgrade; Moses Goodspeed, from Barn-
stable; and Abner Starrett, whose surviving son, Daniel D., born 1802,
remembers them, were also early settlers in this vicinity. A post
oifice was established here, with Silas Piper as postmaster. His son,
Henry, afterward kept it in a house where Abel Chadwick once lived.
This office was discontinued when the Weeks Mills office was estab-
lished.
China Neck, or West China, as it was once called, embraces a fer-
tile farming district west and north of the two branches of China
lake. It was settled later than the farms on the south and east.
David Lewis lived where Jacob S. Randall's farm is, and between that
and the Friends' meeting house were Joshua Hanson, Thomas Jones,
Levi Maynard, Isaac Jones and James Spratt. Between the meeting
house and Ward's Corner were Samuel Morrell, John Page, Samuel
Mitchell and David Spratt. John Page built the first hou.se on the
Hartwell A. Jenkins farm. He was drowned while crossing the lake,
and in 1823 Stephen Jenkins bought the place. Samuel Mitchell came
from Kennebunk. Betsey, his first child, was born here May 31, 1799.
Her brother, Jeremiah, born 1805, survives and remembers the set-
tlers above mentioned. The highway leading to the head of the lake
was then a private road with eleven sets of bars north of Ward's
Corner.
Between 1815 and 1865 two shoe manufactories flourished on the
neck, each employing several men. Josiah Philbrook owned one, and
John and Thomas Pinkham the other.
West of China Neck and extending nearly to the Vassalboro line
is Ward's hill, formerly known as Stanley hill, in allusion to Colonel
Nathan Stanley, who built where Warren S. McCorrison lives, the
TOWN OF CHINA. 1153
first house in tliat section of the town. Abijah Ward and his three
sons — Thomas, Samuel and Abijah, jun. — settled here, Thomas com-
ings before 1784. He married a daughter of Edmund Clark, and
resided nearer China village, where his son, Captain Thomas Ward,
was born in 1790. Samuel settled north of Ward's Corner, where
David S. Patterson lives; and Abijah, jun., settled in the hollow west
of Ward hill, opposite the present residence of Freeman H. Crowell.
With these three brothers the father, Abijah, who came from New
Hampshire, passed his last days, living a third of the year with each.
The Wards of China and Vassalboro are descendants of Abijah in the
fourth and fifth generations. Other early residents in this vicinity
were: Nathaniel Wiggin, Reuben Fairfield, Hezekiah Cloudman,
George McLaughlin, 2d, Enoch Brown, James Lancaster and Jabez
Lewis.
Other Settlers.— After the coming of the pioneers, and contem-
porary with them, several families settled in the town besides those
mentioned as first in the four villages and six prominent localities.
Before the revolution Joseph Evans lived near the pond that still
bears his name. He served in the revolution while his wife and chil-
dren remained here. Near him Caleb Hanson settled in 1802. Deacon
Nathaniel Bragg lived on the pond road, near where he is buried: and
before 1797 Josiah Ward, Thomas Bragg, James Lancaster, Ebenezer
Farwell and Edward Fairfield were residents of the town. A. Mr.
McLaughlin, whose son, Abram, was born here in 178.0, had been a
resident for some time. Lewis Webber settled northwest of South
China, where William F. Mills lives. He had three .sons — John, Syl-
vanus and Ephraim. Jedediah Jepson, a Friend minister, lived near
the town house before 1782; and east of Crossman Corner, about that
time Dr. John Hall settled. Before 1803 Jesse Martin, Samuel Lewis
(son of Rev. Jabez Lewis), James Meader, Jonathan Robinson and
Abel Jones were residents of the town. Benjamin Burgess bought
of David Braley, jun., part of lot 21, in August, 1802. The deed was
witnessed by Abraham Burrell, ju.stice of the peace.
South of Weeks Mills Jonathan Plummer settled about 1823. He
and two brothers — Timothy and Benjamin — moved from Vermont to
Jefferson, Me., where Samuel, one of Jonathan's twelve children, was
born in 1804. Jonathan built the house where Samuel's son, Frank
C. Plummer, lives, and here Samuel died in 1886. Robert Morton
had built an earlier house on the same farm. South of this, where
John F. Plummer lives, Joseph Day first settled, and built a log house
south of the present buildings. The old house where Major Weeks
lived was subsequently enlarged by Captain William Mosher and is
occupied by his grandson, A. P. Mosher.
Ecclesiastical. — The religious views of the citizens are varied.
Aside from the Society of Friends (see page 280), whose faith came
1154 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
with the first settlers, the first to organize was the First Baptist church
of Harlem, in 1797. Rev. Job Chadwick was their first preacher, and he
supplied the church for eight years, and occasionally for several years
afterward. From their record, beginning October 2, 1819, it appears
that the original members were: Deacon Nathaniel Bragg, Samuel
Webb, Isaac Bragg. Michael Norton, Joseph and Nathaniel Evans,
Jonathan Gray, Nathan Thomas, Nathan Bragg, Ezekiel Lancaster,
Abraham Burrell, Thomas Ward, Hannah, Esther and Betsey Burrell,
Betsey Norton, Sarah Webb, Hannah Bragg, Rhoda Haskell, Miriam
Dolton, Mercy Ward, Mary Mitchell, Polly Lancaster, Lydia and Anna
Fairfield, Hannah Andrus, .Susannah Bragg, Roxey Parmenter, Betsey
Boynton, Nancy, Saphronia and Nabby Rowe.
Their meetings, in 1819, were held in a school house near Deacon
Bragg's. Subsequently they built a small church, which is now the
residence of Deacon Bragg's daughter — Mrs. Rowe. The records in
the oldest book close with the first meeting in 1827. The clerks were
faithful men and their record is their best monument. With them the
Bible was more familiar than the spellmg book. A church meeting
in April, 1818, " met acording to an apintment att the Schoolhows
near Dea. Bragg to inquire into reports that wass Circulating in the
world. 1. ly maid Chois of Dea. Nathaniel Bragg moderator. 2. ly
opned the meeting by prayer By Dea. Bragg. 3. ly after hearing B
Weeb's decklration and that he was wronfully accuesed the Church
Voted to hold him Still in Younin."
The old record evinces the zeal of the early Baptists for the purity
of their church as well as charity for the wayward members, but when
doctrinal grounds were encroached upon heroic treatment was resorted
to, as " Voted to withdraw fellowship from Mariam Dolton for leaving
us and Joining the friends."
The society prospered and after the uniting of the towns of China and
Harlem it became the Second church of China and, on lands given by
Ebenezer Meiggs, they erected a brick meeting house at South China.
This served a generation, and on May 10, 1856, they voted to sell it
at auction. On its site a larger wooden building was erected in 1862.
The church took active part in the temperance movement of 1860-70,
and on October 1, 1869, the meeting house was set on fire by a liquor
man and destroyed. The site is now occupied by the Friends' meet-
ing house at South China.
A manuscript preserved by the family of Deacon Enos Clark, and
covering the years from January 1, 1852, to July 20, 1878, appears as
the record of the Second Baptist church in China. Albert H. Clark
was the clerk until May, 1868; Jonathan Clark succeeded him until
May, 1875, when Stephen B. Clark continued the records until their
close. The pastors were: Enos Trask, December 19, 1852; Ira H.
Brown, July, 1854; Daniel Bartlett, October, 1855; William Bowler,
TOWN OF CHINA. llOf)
May, 1857, resigned September, 1862; M. J. Kelley, October, 1864, to
March, 1866. It appears that Rev. Kelley received $600 per annum, of
which the church at Vassalboro paid $70. Out of its proper order
this statement appears in the records of this society: " Rev. William
Bowler was pastor from 1832 to 1849 and six months in 1851. Daniel
Bartlett was pastor in 1850."
A Baptist meeting house was erected in 1814 on a knoll near the
old muster ground to the east of the head of the lake. The site of
the house was then in Fairfax, not far from Dow's primitive grist
mill. In 1822 the building was hauled across to the site where the
present church stands. The society of thirty-nine members was or-
ganized in China May 23, 1801, and included seventeen who had pre-
viously been members of the First Baptist church of Vassalboro.
About 1835 the present church was built and the old edifice taken
down.
In the earliest preserved records of the society, which were badly
kept, the first mention of a pastor is " October, 1805; Elder Jabez Lewis
was dismissed from the pastoral care of the church." " 1806, Brother
Stephen Daxter was licensed to preach the Gospel." In 1812, " Elder
Stephen Dexter was chosen pastor; " in 1817, " Elder Jabez Lewis was
chosen pastor," and in 1823, " Hadley Proctor was ordained pastor."
He remained in charge of the society until 1826. Other early pastors
mentioned without date are William Bartlett and Henry Kendall
From 1840 the successive pastors were: Benjamin F. Shaw, 1840
Lebias Kingman, 1849; William H. Evans, 1852; Hosea Pierce, 1853
William Hurlin, 1856; Adoniram J. Nelson, 1858; E. S. Fish, 1861
Adoniram J. Nelson, 1863; F. A. Vinal, 1866; Eben C. Stover, 1869
Ira Emery, 1871; William P. Palmer, 1874; supplies, 1875; Judson B.
Bryant, 1889, and supplies, 1890-2.
The building is in good repair, and the society owns a comfortable
parsonage near the church edifice. The Sunday school has from
thirt3'-five to forty scholars.
In 1812 a third Baptist church, of twenty-six members, was organ-
ized in Harlem and continued fifteen years; but by advice of the asso-
ciation it united with the second. William Bowler had charge of this
church for many years.
That the Jesse Lee Methodism was here as early as in the adjoining
towns, there is no doubt, but the early records are very deficient. Meet-
ings were held in the school houses until the erection of a church in 1842.
The successive pastors of later years have been: 1866, Moses W. New-
hurst; 1868, Charles B. Besse; 1870, David P. Thompson; 1872, B. C.
Wentworth; 1876, Jacob F. Crosby; 1878, Charles H. Bray, who died
in China in 1879; 1879, William J. Clifford; 1881, J. C. Lamb; 1883,
E. S. Gahan; 1886, William B. Eldridge; 1888, E. A. Glidden; 1890,
73
1156 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
James Byram and Edward Freeman; and in May, 1891, F. W. Brooks.
The records of the East Maine Conference show that Elliot B.
Fletcher was credited to China in 1861; Benjamin C. Wentworth,
1875-7; and Jacob F. Crosby, 1878-9.
The Freewill Baptist Society, of Branch Mills, was organized June
17, 1862, with thirteen members, and the society has supported regu-
lar preaching in the Union church- there for one-half the time for
years past. Rev. A. B. Brown began his pastorate in September, 1890,
preaching every Sunday afternoon.
The Christian Connection was organized May 29, 1859, with forty
members. Preaching at the Union church. Branch Mills, was sup-
ported by them one-fourth of the time for about ten years.
The Adventists occupy the Union church, of Branch Mills; preach-
ing every other Sunday by John Robert Hall.
This Union church was erected in 1861 and dedicated February 28,
1862, to the use of three religious societies. The bell and pipe organ
were obtained by subscription. In 1881 a Union Sunday school was
established for the year round, it having been organized some years
prior, but only for the summer season.
In 1871 the Adventists of Weeks Mills purchased a building which
was moved to near where the Masonic Hall stands, and was converted
into a church. It was burned in 1890 with the Masonic Hall, and in
1891 the society commenced rebuilding on the site.
Several of the Baptist pursuasion in China and Windsor thought
best to form an organization, and on May 16, 1843, met and organized,
chosing James Hutchins clerk, and Abel Chadwick and Jethro Howes
deacons. The society is known as the Weeks Mills and South China
Freewill Baptist church. Occasional preaching was held for the first
four years, and from 1859 Rev. A. P. Tracey was stated pastor for a
few years. In 1866 Rev. W. H. Littlefield was settled as pastor, suc-
ceeded by Reverends F. Cooper, Mr. McKindsley and A. C. Brown.
Besides. these denominational societies in the villages, other com-
munities or neighborhoods have maintained public worship, although
less regularly, in various school houses of the town. The Adventists
kept up an organization for several years at Deer hill, and the Metho-
dists at Chadwick's Corner built a church, which has since been trans-
formed into the Erskine school building.
The Union Camp Meeting Association, of China, organized Sep-
tember 12, 1890, has secured suitable grounds in the northwest portion
of the town, where annual meetings are to be held.
Societies. — While the religious tendencies of the people have
founded, maintained or changed the churches noticed, other societies,
springing from the rural, the social or the literary instincts of the
citizens, have risen and flourished.
On December 27, 1823, a meeting of Free Masons was held at
TOWN OF CHINA. 1157
China village in the hall of Japheth C. Washburn. Holman Johnson
was chosen moderator and Alfred Marshall clerk. Abisha Benson,
Holman Johnson and Robert H. Carey were made a committee to
draft a petition, which eighteen persons signed, to the Grand Lodge
for a charter for a Lodge there, to be called Central Lodge. At a
meeting, May 26, 1824, of Central Lodge a code of by-laws was ac-
cepted. Within six years 148 members were added, but at the com-
mencement of the Morgan excitement its books were closed for
twenty years. In 1849 the charter was renewed and the Lodge has
since flourished. The successive masters have been: 1824, Holman
Johnson; 1825, Abisha Benson; 1826, Japheth C.Washburn; 1827, James
H. Brainard; 1829, Timothy F. Hanscom; * * •• ; 1849, James H.
Brainard; 1850, Thomas B. Lincoln; 1852, Edward Gray; 1853, Thomas
B. Lincoln; 1854, Amasa Taylor, jun.; 1855, Charles Taylor; 1856,
General Alfred Marshall; 1857, Mark Rollins, jun.; 1858, Daniel W.
GrifSn; 1859, George A. Lander; 1860, Thomas B. Lincoln; 1861, Mark
Rollins, jun.; 1862, John Taylor; 1863, Joseph C. Coombs; 1864, Charles
E. Button; 1865, Francis A. Roberts; 1866, Mark Rollins, jun.; 1867,
Edward E. Wiggin; 1869, Charles E. Button; 1872, Willis W. Wash-
burn; 1874, Allen P. Varney; 1876, Lynn W. Rollins; 1878, Ora O.
Crosby; 1880, William S. Hunnewell; 1882, Marshall B. Hammond;
1883, George B. Pray; 1885, Charles A. Brake; 1887, Ralph L. Baker;
1889, Charles W. Jones.
In 1875 Mark Rollins and O. W. Washburn, as a committee, com-
piled a manuscript history of Masonry in China, which volume, now
in possession of Willis W. Washburn, embraces 148 pages of beauti-
fully written history, with personal and biographical sketches of some
of the eminent members of the Lodge.
Bunlap Chapter, No. 12, at China village, commenced work under
dispensation in January, receiving its charter in May, 1861. The
high priests have been: 1861, Augustus Callahan; 1863, Warren Colby;
1865, Mark Rollins; 1867, Charles Taylor; 1869, E. W. McFadden; 1870,
Rufus R. Williams; 1872, ]. Belden Besse; 1873, Nathan Stanley; 1875,
Charles E. Button; 1877, Joseph E. Grossman; 1880, John Taylor; 1882,
Lynn W. Rollins; 1883, Joseph E. Grossman; 1886, Charles E. Button,
and since 1888, Willis W. Washburn.
Keystone Council, No. 9, instituted at China village about 1865,
was continued about twenty years by the Royal Arch Masons.
Bingo Lodge, A. F. & A. M., was instituted at South China, by
dispensation, June 12, 1860. The first meeting under the charter was
May 21, 1861. The successive masters have been: James P. Jones,
1860; E. B. Clark, 1862; J. F. Chadwick, 1866; G. B. Chadwick, 1867;
Joseph B. Grossman, 1869; Chester M. Clark, 1870. The hall in which
meetings were held at South China was burned May 1, 1872. By per-
mission of the Grand Lodge the society changed its place of meeting
1158 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
to Weeks Mills, where the same autumn a beautiful hall was erected,
and dedicated June 12, 1873. This was burned in April, 1890, with
the Advent church near by. In the autumn of the same year the
society erected at Weeks Mills the present neat hall. vSince the re-
moval to Weeks Mills the masters have been: Dr. D. P. Bolster,
Orrin F. Rowe, Hiram S. Gray, Frank C. Plummer, Orrin F. Sproul,
Cornelius A. Merrill, John H. Barton and Robert N. Barton.
The South China Library Association was instituted in 1832. The
preliminar}' meeting was held at the Chadwick school house, January
1st, with Captain William Mosher, moderator, and Joseph Stuart,
clerk. A. H. Abbott was its faithful librarian for thirty years, and the
association prospered. On its twenty-fifth anniversary Samuel Gurney,
of London, donated $96 to its benefit, which gave fresh impetus. The
fire of May 1, 1872, consumed the library of over 500 choice volumes.
Upon its revival the library was made free, and is continued by sub-
scription and donations. The Friends' meeting house, where it is
kept at South China, is open to the public on Sunday and Thursday
of each week. The library has not regained the importance of its
palmy days, but is a factor for good in the community.
At South China, April 28, 1830, the South China Temperance So-
ciety was organized. Ebenezer Meiggs was president, James Merrill,
M. D., was vice-president, and Eli Jones was the secretary. Joseph
Stuart, Jedediah Fairfield, Stephen Jones, Francis A. B. Hussey and
Church Clark were prominent promoters of it. The whole number
of members was 220. On page 44 of its records are the following
statistics of year ending April 28, 1831, which seem to justify the
organization of the society: " No. of inhabitants of China, 2,234; No.
of Polls, 354; gallons of spirits sold at taverns, 572; cost to consumers
at $2 per gallon, $1,144; No. of gallons sold at stores, 2,804; cost to
consumers at 92c. per gallon, $2,589; total gallons sold in China, 3,376;
total cost to consumers, $3,733."
Some years later the Washingtonians had organizations at differ-
ent villages, and in 1859 Lake Division, No. 100, Sons of Temperance,
was instituted at South China, June 20, and existed in working order
till February 27, 1864. Its last record, signed by Eli Jones, as secretary,
says: " Division closed in due form." A similar division of Sons of
Temperance existed at China. One was at Weeks Mills, where a
Lodge of Good Templars, now extinct, once held their Lodge meet-
ings in a hall over Chester M. Clark's shop.
Branch Mills soon after 1850 organized a Lodge of Sons of Tem-
perance, which was dropped a few years ago, when temperance had
become the prevailing sentiment. In December, 1865, a branch of
Good Templars was instituted here, which died in 1869, and in 1874,
April 10, a second Lodge, No. 349, was instituted. Young and mid-
dle-aged are engaged in the work, and the society owns the building
formerly erected by B. Harrington as an academy.
TOWN OF CHINA. 1159
The Patrons of Husbandry have a flourishing Grange here, No.
295, organized December 29, 1887, holding regular meetings on the
first and third Wednesday evenings of each month, in the A. O. U. W.
Hall at South China. The masters of the Grange have been: C. F.
Cobb, E. C. Dudley and I. Lincoln Jones.
Harlem Lodge, No. 39, A. O. U. W., was instituted August 27, 1885,
by thirteen charter members, and the list now comprises seventy-
two. They have a hall of their own, and the master workmen have
been: S. C. Starrett, J. R. Clark and E. Warren. E. W. Jones has
been the recorder since its organization.
Cemeteries. — There are about the town in the so-called villages
several pretty cemeteries, and these have been beautified by corpora-
tions. At China village application for a meeting to form the China
Cemetery Association was made August 22, 1865, and September 13th
the meeting for organization was held. The presidents have been:
Samuel Hanscom, John F. Hunnewell, Jabez Lewis, S. H. Farnsworth,
Abishia B. Fletcher and Charles E. Dutton. The family ground of
the Washburns was pleasantly situated on the knoll near the present
cemetery, and this knoll was selected.embodying that ground. In
1866 it was fenced and has been cared for by the association since.
Theron E. Doe is secretary of the association.
At Branch Mills John Dow, a settler of 1807, gave land for a vil-
lage cemetery, and another piece for a Friends' burying grownd. In
1854 an association then incorporated purchased lands surrounding
these pieces. In October, 1885, sixty lots were added to the south-
ward, and the whole is neatly enclosed.
The Friends have three cemeteries in the town. The first and old-
est is that near their meeting house on the east side of the lake, in
which Mrs. George Fish, daughter of Jonathan Clark, sen., was the
first person buried. Another Friends' cemetery on China Neck con-
tains the families of Isaac Jones, Noah Jones, James Jones, Winslow,
Jenkins and Randall. In the rear of the Friends' meeting house.
South China, is an ancient cemetery. On May 15, 1878, for its better
protection, an association of nine members was formed, adopting by-
laws and incorporating the South China Cemetery Association. The
first officers were George F. Clark, Charles B. Stuart and William
Grossman.
The cemetery at Weeks Mills was formerly under the direction of
a corporation, which after many years was allowed to be dispersed.
Lots on the adjoining lands of Frank Percival are still sold by him,
and the grounds present a clean, regular appearance, with good
fences.
The cemetery at Chadwick's Corners, well fenced and in good
order, contains the ashes of some of the old family whose early com-
ing gave name to the place.
1160 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Throughout the town are family grounds in conspicuous places,
and these are reverently cared for by the descendants who occupy
the farms.
Schools.* — At the first town meeting ever held in Harlem the
town made provision for the support of schools by an appropriation
of money and a choice of the necessary school officers. Very soon
after a school was taught in a house temporarily fitted up for that
purpose and situated on the west side of the road, near Norton's Cor-
ner, and not far from the site of the present town house. The school
was taught by the Rev. Job Chad wick and was no doubt a success, as
he continued to wield the " birch " several terms in succession here.
The town was soon organized into districts and schools were taught
in different parts of the town, making room for Ichabod Hatch, " Old
Master Hatch," as he was designated by the unruly urchins who had
felt the touch of his ferule; William Doe, the dwarf and cripple; Deb-
orah Baker, the first female teacher employed by the town; Miss
Pullen, and many others who came to assist in preparing the minds of
the children of Harlem for lives of future usefulness. Later came
Paul Chadwick, the victim of the ill-starred Malta Indian war; Mr.
McNeil, a foreigner, who first introduced the study of English gram-
mar into a school taught by himself on the east side of the lake and
about three miles from its head; Cornelius Dennison, and vSamuel
Hoyt, all of whom had established reputations as successful teachers.
The advent of numerous settlers with their families, which fre-
quently consisted of ten or a dozen children, had made it necessary
almost every year to make some change in the districts, and in 1814,
there were sixteen districts in the town.
Although in 1805 the town made provisions for building school
houses in five different districts, it is not to be supposed that every
district had its school house, for this was not accomplished until sev-
eral years later. Several of the schools were taught in rooms fitted up
in such private houses in the districts as might be convenient. It was
also the practice in some of the districts to board the teacher "round,"
also to " find the wood round," the money that would otherwise serve
to pay for board and fuel being paid the teacher to extend the length
of the term.
In 1808 a "school collector" for each district was selected, whose
duty it was to collect the assessments made by the town's assessors for
his district and expend the same according to the vote of his district;
but this plan failed to meet the general approval and the town
returned to the present method. Changes in the limits and bound-
aries of the several school districts have been made from time to time.
New districts have been organized until the present number reaches
*By Orrin F. Sproul.
TOWN OF CHINA. 1161
twenty-two, although in two or three, schools are not regularly
taught.
That the schools of old Harlem and later on of China have been
productive of great good and have merited the anxious care and
watchfulness of the earlier settlers of this town, is plainly demon-
strated when we look back to the earlier instructors of our time,
whose education was obtained in these schools, with possibly one or
two terms at the China Academy. Among the most prominent of our
educational workers we find the name of Friend Eli Jones, who was
well known to the people of this town as a teacher and school
officer. Dana C. Hanson, an old teacher, has served in almost every
trusted position in the gift of the town. Thomas AVard was an old-
time instructor, and following down the page still later Joseph W.
Chadwick, a scholar in our schools, next a teacher and later a profes-
sor of Latin; Stephen A. Jones, president of the Nevada State Col-
lege; George F. Mosher, president of Hillsdale College, Mich., and
many others, as scholars and teachers in our .schools, have left them
for higher stations in life, for which the common town school was the
stepping stone.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Joseph H. Allen, born in 1815 in Windham, is a son of Joseph and
Thankful (Win.slow) Allen. Joseph came from Windham to Vassal-
boro prior to ISIO. He then returned to Windham, his native town,
and lived there until 1816, when he moved and settled in Vassalboro.
Isaiah Austin, born in 1835, is a son of Nathaniel Austin, who came
to China from Dover Neck, N. H., where his father, James, lived.
Isaiah married Abbie B., daughter of John Porter, of Wiscasset. Their
children are: Sadie H.. Mabel, who graduated at Providence and died
when twenty-two; Lizzie, Nathaniel, Alden, Margaret, John W. and
Abbie.
Jonathan Bassett. — This is a family name which first appears in
New England in 1621, when William Bassett came in the ship Fortime.
For the next century and a half his descendants were prominent people
on Cape Cod, where representatives of the eighth and ninth genera-
tions still reside. From this progenitor we find in one line: William',
NathanieF, Joseph', Daniel', Daniel', Daniel", and Zenas D. Bassett',
the latter being born in 1786. One Joseph Bassett was selectman of
Yarmouth, Mass., from 1731 to 1739, and in 1776 we find Captain
Jonathan Bassett, of Yarmouth, as a seafaring man, and from him we
can trace that line which is now represented in China, Me., by the
venerable Jonathan Bassett, whose successful life as a farmer indi-
cates that agriculture has been profitable in China, when industry,
sobriety and economy became elements in the problem.
It appears that Captain Jonathan had five children who came to
1162
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Maine: two daughters — Pheba, who married Randall Clark, of China,
and Mary Ann, who married Edmund Thatcher, of Vassalboro; and
three sons — Joseph, who settled in Moscow, Me.; Benjamin, who
lived at Riverside in Vassalboro, and Moses, who came to China in
1799.
This Moses Bassett, in 1802, married Abigail, daughter of Andrew
Clark, one of the original settlers of China, and raised three children:
George, born 1803, died single; Jonathan, born December 21, 1805,
and Octavia, born 1817, now Mrs. Reuben Weeks, of Vassalboro.
Moses died May 5, 1867; his wife, Abigail, December 27, 1863. The
farm they settled is still known as the Bassett place, on the pond road
midway between East Vassalboro and South China.
Here Jonathan, who inherited many traits from his mother — an
energetic, practical woman — passed his early days, and when twenty-
one started via Boston to see the world and make his career. Three
weeks sufficed to satisfy him, and he returned to the farm, which he
worked for his father until he owned one-half of it, and seldom since
then has he been out of sight of China lake.
In November, 18o4, he married Roxana, daughter of Corydon
Chadwick, of China. They had three children: Alexander C. Bassett,
born November 29, 1857; Abbie A., born in December, 1859, and an
infant son, born in July, 1861, who died the following October. The
mother died August 13, 1861. In November, 1865, Mr. Bassett mar-
ried Mary H., daughter of John Webber, of China, and lived with her
d
^■^ d^^A-i&-^^<yj
TOWN OF CHINA. 1163
until her death in February, 1S8S. In January, 1858, Mr._ Bassett
bought the place which is the subject of the accompanying illustra-
tion, and here, with his two children, Alexander C. and Abbie A., he
still remains (1892), enjoying a hale and peaceful old age.
In July, 1888, Alexander C. Bassett married Bertha L., a daughter
of David F. Sanborn, of China.
J. E. Bessey, born in 1850, is a son of Prince Bessey, whose
father was Ephraim Bessey, of Albion. His wife was Joanna Phil-
brick, of Thorndike. They have had six children: Eli Philbrick,
born May 3, 1877; Prince Manter, September 14, 1879; Edith A.,
December 9, 1882; Guy Edward, August 22, 1884; Martha Lewis, June
29, 1888; and Helen Louise, born January 22, 1892, died August 1,
1892. From his residence m China he carried on for eight years or
more a wholesale and retail meat bu.siness before going into business
as noticed in the village of North Vassalboro.
Edmund Bragg, born in 1840, is a son of John, born in 1799, and
grandson of Thomas Bragg, who moved from the "pond road" to
where Edmund now lives prior to 1799. Edmund was a soldier with
Company F, 12th Maine, from February, 1865, to March, 1866.
F. O. Brainard, born in 1831, is a son of Dr. James H. Brainard,
who came from Berry, Mass., to China, where he died April, 1857,
aged sixty-one years. Mrs. F. O. Brainard is Maria, a daughter of
Zebah Washburn. Their children are: Estella M., Walter S., a phy-
sician, of Pemaquid; Newell W. (mentioned in Chapter XIV), and
Helen N. Mr. Brainard went to Wisconsin in 1856, where for ten
years he published the Jackson County Banner, and was then six years
judge of the probate court of that county.
Clark. — At page 1139 we notice the coming of Jonathan and Mirriam
Clark and five of their children to this town. They were born at
Nantucket, but had resided in Nova Scotia for some ten years prior to
their coming to China in 1774. Samuel A. Clark, born in 1827, is a
son of Jonathan and Jane (Burrell) Clark, and grandson of Ephraim
and Olive (Braley) Clark. His wife is Mahala, a sister of Jeremy
Hussey, of Vassalboro. Their children are: Belle (Mrs. David Cates),
and Nellie (Mrs. Franklin H. Jones). Four of Ephraim Clark's six
sons married four of Samuel Burrell's daughters. George F. Clark,
brother of Samuel A., married Olive, sister of Jeremy Hussey, and
has one daughter, Alma E. He was in the Maine legislature in 1871.
William M. Crane, born in 1824, is a son of William Crane, who,
in 1830, with his wife, and three children, Rufus, John L. and William
M., came to China from Warren, Me., where his father, Rufus, lived.
William M. married Mary J., daughter of John W. Jameson, and has
three children: Oscar, who married Abbie Brooks: Edwin, now in
Utah, and Alton Crane, of South Boston. Mr. Crane's farm was set-
tled by Levi Jackson, who built the house.
1164 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Hollis M. Crommett, born in 1846, is a son of Joshua (1805-1890)
and Dorotha (Bartlett) Crommett, and grandson of Joshua Crommett,
who, in 1812, came from Edgecomb to Chadwick's Corner. Joshua,
jun., came to Deer hill in 1831, and was married. His family con-
sisted of four boys and five girls. Hollis M. married Lilla J., daughter
of John G. Slater. Their children are: Archibald M., Jasper L. and
Lawrence K.
Freeman H. Crowell, born in 1825, is a son of Jeremiah (1783-1861)
and Anna Crowell, who were married before coming, in 1806, from
Cape Cod to China. Anna was a daughter of Michael Crowell. Free-
man married Delia, a daughter of Captain William Lewis, of Vassal-
boro. Me. Their children are: Caroline L. and Minerva D. Mr.
Crowell's grandfather was Timothy Crowell, of Cape Cod.
Charles G. Dinsmore, born in 1833, is a son of Thomas Dinsmore,
who came from Bowdoinham to China about 1814. He and his wife,
Eunice, were members of the Society of Friends. Charles G. was in
California and Nevada twenty years, was in trade with his brother,
George, in Austin, Nev., nineteen years, and now resides at Branch
Mills.
John E. Dodge was born in 1828, in Liberty, Me. He married
Sarah J., a sister of Hollis M. Crommett. Their children are: Arabel
G. (Mrs. T.C. Wing), of St. Cloud, Minn.; Orenette C. (Mrs. James H.
Ames), of Unity, Me.; Carrie A., a teacher, and Perley W., at home.
Mr. Dodge went south several winters for live and white oak for ship
spars, the making of which was his principal business prior to 1865.
Theron E. Doe is a son of Estey N. and Harriet Doe, a daughter of
John Brackett, who came from Berwick to China. Mr. Doe was for
six years a clerk for F. O. Brainard prior to 1876.
Edward C. Dudley, born in 1839, the son of William Dudley (1790-
1860) and grandson of Micajah Dudley, of Winthrop, married Jose-
phine, daughter of David S. Whitehouse, of China, and has two sons:
William A. and Edward A. Dudley. William Dudley married Sarah
Davis, of Lewiston, in 1814, and removed to Branch Mills, thence, in
1830, to the farm at Dirigo where Edward C. now lives. Hon. David
Dudley, of Aroostook, the oldest son of William, was born at Branch
Mills. Micajah Dudley, of Winthrop, son of Samuel, was born at
Brentwood, N. H., September 27. 1751. He was of the fifth genera-
tion from Governor Thomas Dudley. Micajah settled in Winthrop
about 1774, and his first child was born there in 1775.
Charles E. Dutton, born in 1839, is a son of Coffran, and grandson
of Jonathan Dutton, who moved from Montville to Vassalboro, and in
1889 lived where Melvin Appleton now resides. In 1851 they moved to
China. Charles E. married Annis W.. daughter of George Barlow, of
Freedom. Their children are: Everett E., Delia S., Arthur J. and
Fannie A. Mr. Dutton was selectman seven years, four years chair-
TOWN OF CHINA. 1165
man of the board and supervisor of schools two years. He has taught
twenty-seven terms of school, nearly all in the town of China.
Judson P. Ellis was born in Belfast, Me., in 1843, and in ISSl came
to China, purchasing- the farm south of Chadwick's Corner, where
Sullivan Erskine had settled some fifty years before. Mr. Ellis mar-
ried Augusta A. Bradford— a descendant of Governor Bradford, and
niece of Mrs. Sullivan Erskine, who founded the Erskine School —
and has one son, Clarence B. Ellis.
Cyrenus K. Evans (1816-1891) was a son of Nathaniel and Anna
(Braley) Evans, and grandson of Joseph Evans, who settled near
Evan's pond, where his wife lived while he served in the revolution-
ary war. C. K. Evans married Asenath, daughter of Thomas, grand-
daughter of Ephraim Clark, and raised three sons and two daughters.
Mr. Evans filled important positions in China, and was twenty-one
years justice of the peace.
Francis C. Goodspeed, born in 1829, is a son of William and Mary
(Crummett) Goodspeed, and grandson of Moses Goodspeed, who came
to China from Barnstable, Mass. Francis C. married Caroline R.,
daughter of Richard Moody, jun., and has three sous; George E..
Judson M. and Frank W. Goodspeed. Moses Goodspeed was descended
from an old family of early settlers on Cape Cod.
John Greenwood Hall, born in 1826, is a son of John and Harriet
(Norton) Hall, and grandson of Dr. John Hall. His mother's father,^
Thomas, was a son of Michael Norton, who early settled by China
pond, west of Norton's Corner. Mrs. John G. Hall is Augusta,
daughter of Ebenezer Robbins. Their children are: John N., Lovina
A., Wrexiville, F. Everett, Hettie B., Fred F. and Bert Hall.
Elder John Robert Hall, Christian minister, was born in New
Brunswick in 1833. He learned the shoemaker's trade and followed it
fifteen years, during most of that time conducting religious meetings.
He has labored in Maine and the provinces of New Brunswick and
Nova Scotia as a minister, looking for the second personal coming of
Christ, yet without sectarian prejudices. His father, Almond G., was
the son of Elijah Hall, of Nobleborough, Me. Mrs. J. R. Hall is
Sarah J., daughter of Nicholas Varney, who settled this farm. They
have two sons: Ellsworth W. and Melvin R. Hall.
Oliver Hammon, son of Frederic W., was born in 1819, and mar-
ried Adeline, daughter of Captain John Weeks, and granddaughter of
Major Abner Weeks. They have four prosperous sons: Myron S.,
Warren L., Clarence L. and Raymon L.
William H. Hammon, born in 1833, is a son of Frederic W. He
married Delia A., daughter of James Pierce, of Windsor, and has
children: Edson L., Clyde W. and Jennie L.
Dana C. Hanson, born in 1812, lives where his father, James Han-
son, from Berwick, settled in 1813, and died in 1832. His wife, Lovinia
1166 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
H., is a daughter of John, and granddaughter of Joseph Coleman, of
Vassalboro. Their only child, L. Emma, is Mrs. Lyman Rouillard.
Mr. Hanson served many years as teacher and school supervisor,
selectman, representative and justice of the peace. His brothers are
H. P. Hanson, of Boston, and James H. Hanson, LL. D., of Water-
ville.
Elihii Hanson, son of Batchelor, and grandson of Caleb Hanson,
was born in 1828, married Minerva, sister of Samuel C. Starrett,
and has three sons: Everard B., of Royalston, Mass.; Harvey R., of
Boston; and Justus G., the supervisor of schools in China. Mr. Han-
son was chairman of the board of selectmen three years and collector
of taxes five years. Caleb Hanson came to China about 1802, from
Sanford, Me., and settled near Evans' pond.
Elbridge G. Haskell, born in 1820, was a son of William, jun.,
whose father, William, came to China from Cape Cod with his wife,
Rhoda Small, and settled north of the Poor farm, on the pond road,
before 1791, where William, jun., was born, in 1794. When nine-
teen years old Elbridge G. went to the Penobscot country lumber-
ing, and in ]867 bought his farm at Deer Hill. His wife was
a daughter of Charles and Rachel (Varnum) Doe, granddaughter
of Nathaniel, and great-granddaughter of Nathaniel Doe. Their
children are: William E., Samuel G., Frank D. and Sarah H., who
married O. O. Stetson, of Augusta, who enlisted at sixteen and lost
the use of one hand in the civil war. Mrs. Haskell, by a former
marriage, had one daughter, Cyrene Gray, now Mrs. Glidden, of
Augusta.
Samuel C. Haskell, born in 1831, is a son of George W. and Eleanor
(Spratt) Haskell, and grandson of William and Rhoda (Small) Haskell.
He worked on the Penobscot at lumbering until 1862, served two years
in the war of the rebellion and is now a farmer. He married, in 1854,
Mary J., daughter of Elihu and Mahala L. (Lancaster) Cole, and
granddaughter of James and Sarah (Hanson) Cole, of Sanford, Me.,
and has six children: Leander E., Alzina, Wilson E. (an attendant at
the Massachusetts Hospital, at Danvers, Mass.), Ulysses S., Everett (of
New Haven, Conn.) and Isabelle.
Sumner Hawes, born in Windsor in 1829, is a son of Thomas
Hawes, jun., who removed to Windsor from Vassalboro, where his
father, Thomas Hawes, of Cape Cod, had settled. Mrs. Sumner Hawes
is Sarah J., Reuben Freeman's daughter, and has twin sons: Willis
C. and Wilson F. Hawes.
Levi A. Jackson, born in 1840, is a son of Levi R. and Permelia
(Webber) Jackson. He married, for his first wife, Diana Haskell, who
died March 13, 1864, leaving two children: Elmer E. and Charles O.
In 1869 Mr. Jackson married Anna M. Chapman, and has one daugh-
TOWN OF CHINA. 1167
ter, Bessie E. Jackson. Mr. Jackson, now a farmer, was for several
years in the Penobscot lumber district.
Elwood H. Jenkins, the South China merchant, is a son of Hart-
well A. Jenkins, and grandson of Stephen Jenkins, who , in 1823, set-
tled on China Neck. Stephen's father, Jabez, came to North Yar-
mouth, Me., from New Hamp.shire, and then to Vassalboro before
Stephen moved to China.
Benjamin Franklin Jepson, born in 1838, is a son of Benjamin,
born in 1809, and grandson of John (born 1782) and Lydia (Runnells)
Jepson, and great-grandson of Jedediah Jepson, born in 1758. B. F.
Jepson married Julia Porter, of Wiscasset, who died July 4, 1889, leav-
ing one son, George E. Jepson, a weaver in North Vassalboro Woolen
Mills. Jedediah Jepson was a Friend minister. He married Margaret
Robinson. The oldest of their ten children was born in 1782, after
they came to China.
Jones. — This family, generally counted with the first settlers of
the town, and always identified with the Society of Friends, descended
from Thomas Jones', whose son, Lemuel', was born in 1730. Lemuel
raised twelve children; the fourth, Stephen', was born in 1766, and
married Eunice Hacker, whose mother, Anne, was a daughter of Jo-
seph Southwick,who was born at Salem, Mass., in 1710. Stephen once
lived on the island of Harpswell, where his eldest son, Stephen
Jones, jun., was born in 1790; but he subsequently removed to Bruns-
wick, Me., where he died. Stephen and Eunice raised twelve children;
the fourth, born in 1792, was Josiah', who in 1814 came from Bruns-
wick, Me., to South China, and before the close of 1815 had built the
house where his son, AVilliam A., resides.
Alfred H. Jones' (Stephen*, Stephen', Lemuel', Thomas') has been
mentioned in Chapter XH. His wife is Mary R., daughter of Isaac Jones*
(Lemuel', LemueP,Thomas'). His mother was Rachel, daughter of Cap-
tain Benjamin Worth, a whale captain at Nantucket before the revo-
lution and later a Friend minister in Vassalboro,where he died. Two
of A. H. Jones' sons— Lindsley S. and Charles W.— were teachers in
the South after the war. His oldest son, Stephen A. Jones, A. M. Ph.
D., a graduate of Dartmouth College and Brown University, is now
president of Nevada State University.
Walter E. Jones, born in 1853, is one of the four children of Ed-
win and Mary Jones, and grandson of Abel Jones, who had twelve
children. Edwin, born in 1828, married Mary, a daughter of Matthew
F. Hoxie. Their children are: Walter E., Alice'M. (Mrs. John Jones),
of Durham; Rufus M. and Herbert W., a jeweler at Lisbon Falls, Me.
Walter E. married Olive A., a daughter of Jacob Wiggin, of Albion,
and has one son, Clarence W. Abel Jones was a direct descendant
from Thomas and Thankful Jones, who came from Wales to Massa-
chusetts in 1690.
1168 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
William A. Jones' (Josiah', Stephen", Lemuel", Thomas') was born
in 1826, and married Mary A., daughter of Daniel Runnells. She
died leaving four sons: Elwood W., a farmer; Frank E., a teacher and
Friend minister; J. Albert, a teacher and farmer, and Arthur Wins-
low Jones, now professor of Latin in Penn College, Iowa. William
A. Jones' present wife is Elizabeth K., daughter of Matthew F. Hoxie.
Josiah Jones' married Comfort Austin, who died leaving five children.
He then married her sister, Mary, and raised three children, of whom
William A. is the eldest.
Leander B. Mitchell, of China Neck, is the only child of Jeremiah
Mitchell residing in this town. His only living brother is A. A. Mitch-
ell, of Bearing, Me. L. B. Mitchell enlisted at Bangor in 1862 and
served during the civil war, in which two of his brothers were also
soldiers. He married Miss Nelson and has three children: Vesta L,
Judson C. and Clara M.
Alvah P. Mosher, born in 1850, is a son of Elisha M. and grandson
of Captain William Mosher. He married Abbie, daughter of Charles,
granddaughter of Allen and great-granddaughter of John Brackett,
an early settler of China village. They have one daughter — Sarah B.
Mosher.
J. Harvey Mosher, the son of Charles W. and grandson of Captain
William Mosher, was born in 1859. He graduated at Oak Grove Sem-
inary with the class of '80, and has since taught a portion of each year,
including one term in the Windsor High School. He was school su-
pervisor of China in 1889-90. His wife, Lizzie, is a daughter of Ben-
jamin H. Moody. They have two children — Fred M. and Ada G.
Mosher.
Rev. A. J. Nelson, born in Livermore in 1818, is a son of Seth Nel-
son, who was born in New Gloucester, Me., in 1793. He was ordained
a minister of the Baptist church in Guilford in 1852; came to China
as pastor in 1866, returned as pastor in 1874, and permanently settled
there in 1878. He is now retired. He married, in 1844, Annis Dun-
ning. Their children are: Dr. G. J. Nelson, Fred S., of Boston, and
Ada M. (Mrs. W. R. Ward). Mr. Nelson taught in Guilford eleven
years, and was supervisor of schools seven years, and was also town
clerk there.
John O. Page, born in 1811, died in 1892, was a son of Reuben Page,
jun., who was born in 1785 in Belgrade, where his father, Reuben, was
an early settler, and coming to China married Rebecca, daughter of
Jonathan Clark. John O., like his father, learned carpentry as a trade.
In 1836 he married Albert Clark's daughter, Sarah J., and has two
children living: Helen F. (wife of Edwin W. Clark, of Waterville)
and Annie M.. Mr. Page made two visits to California, represented
his district one year in the legislature and was deputy sheriff twelve
^ears.
TOWN OF CHINA. 1169
Frank Percival, born in 1845, is the son of William (1810-1890)
and grandson of Captain William Percival, of Cross Hill, who, in
1823, was lost on a ship clearing from Bath with brick, loaded for Bos-
ton. Mrs. Frank Percival is Mary F., daughter of Robert Sproul'
(William', William', William').
John F. Pluinmer, born in 1838, is one of the four sons of Samuel
(1804-1886) and Huldah (Gray) Plummer, and grandson of Jonathan
Plummer. He was six years in the grocery business at Augusta, with
his brother, Stephen P., now deceased: was three vears superintend-
ent of the town farm in China, and since j\Iarch, 1887, has been select-
man five years. Charles H., his younger brother, is a millionaire, of
Saginaw, in the lumber business. The other brothers living are vSam-
uel A. and Frank C.
Henry B. Reed, born in 1832, is a son of Samuel (1800-1879), and
grandson of Samuel and Lydia (Dunton) Reed. The grandfather
died in Woolwich, Me., in 1866, aged ninety-seven years. His son,
Samuel, came to Dirigo in April, 1827, and raised six children. Henry
B. married Josiah Smith's daughter, Emma B., and has one son — Irving
H. Reed. Her grandfather, Moses Smith, came from Wellfleet, Mass.,
and settled in Litchfield, Me.
Rollin Reed, born in 1822, is a son of Robert, who was a son of Rob-
ert and Catherine (Mayers) Reed. He married Keziah, daughter of
Bachelder H. Hanson, and has three children: Clara E. (Mrs. Scott W.
Burnham), Herbert E. and Robert H. Reed, who married Jennie R.
Rideout, of Benton, and has one .son — Buford Reed.
Orrin F. Sproul* (Captain Francis', William', William') was born in
China in 1850. Francis' came from Bristol, Me., to China, in 1845,
where he had, in 1837, purchased a farm of John Perkins. Mr.
Sp:oul was educated in China, and since twenty years of ag'e has
taught in the surrounding schools. When twenty-five years old he
was elected supervisor of schools, and since March, 1887, has been
selectman, now being chairman of the board. He married Carrie A.,
daughter of William H. Sproul, and granddaughter of William SprouT,
once a prominent man of Windsor. Her mother was a descendant of
General Israel Putnam.
Samuel C. Starrett, son of Daniel D. and grandson of Abner Star-
rett, who came from Francistown, N. H., to China in 1814, was born in
1844. He married Emily C, daughter of Charles W. and grand-
daughter of Captain William Mosher, and has seven children: Pres-
ton H., Charles D., Ernest R., Edith E., Pearle A., George and Roy S.
Starrett. Abner was a son of William and grandson of Hugh Star-
rett, who came from wScotland to Dedham.
Simon Strout, born in Freedom in 1822, came to China in 1853, to
the farm where Nathaniel Johnson settled, and where Fisher Johnson
lived and died. Mrs. Strout was Nancy, widow of Fisher Johnson.
1170 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Their children are: Sarah M., widow of Charles Rand, and Eliza (Mrs.
Andrew Hubbard). Mrs. Strout has a son, Alfred F. Johnson, of Cali-
fornia.
William S. Tobey, born in 1842, in Lincoln county, is a son of
Augustus, and grandson of Joseph Tobey, who settled, with his
two brothers, William and Elijah, at the head of Damariscotta pond,
and carried on a tannery and shoe business there. In 1860 William
S. came to China, enlisted February, 1865, in Company F, 12th Maine,
serving until March, 1866, a non-commissioned officer. In 1871 he
married Mary A., daughter of John Northup, of China, and located
on Parmenter hill. In 1871 he bought the place where George Estes
had lived. Mrs. Tobey died, leaving three children: J. Augustus, M.
Walter and Mary H. Mr. Tobey's present wife was Miss Campbell,
of Palermo. Her children are: Eugene S., Lewis B. and James R.
Elbridge Ward, born in 1811, is the son of Captain Thomas Ward,
and grandson of Thomas, son of Abijah Ward. He married Susan,
daughter of Jonathan Nelson, and had two sons and four daughters.
Of these W. Filmore Ward married Delia, daughter of Wilson Ward'
(SamueF, Abijah", Abijah"), and has two sons: Ernest W. and
Arthur N.
Japheth Washburn, .son of Ephraim and Phebe Washburn, was born
in Carver, Mass., in 1746, married Priscilla Coombs, and their son,
Japheth Coombs Washburn, after residing in Wayne, where, in 1803,
his oldest child, the late Mrs. Thomas Burrell, was born, came to
China village, where his next child, Oliver W., was born in 1804.
Theirs, the first frame building erected in China village, was burned
December 6, 1806. Oliver W. married June 14, 1845, Mary Ann Flye,
who was born in Edgecomb, Me., March 6, 1817, and died April 27,
1850. Mr. Washburn married for his second wife Mrs. Lydia (Meigs)
Hamlin, of China, November 25, 1853. She was born in Vassalboro,
Me., February 2, 1824, and died April 1, 1868. Willis Wendell, the
only child of Oliver W. and Mary Ann Washburn, was born March
18, 1846. He was married January 6, 1880, to Edith Elvin Crosby,
daughter of Alphonso and Sarah (Fairfield) Crosby. She was born in
Albion, Me., January 6, 1855, and at the time of her marriage resided
in Manchester, N. H. Their children are: Wendell Crosby, born No-
vember 20, 1880; Thomas Waldo, November 10, 1881; Willis Flye,
July 1, 1885; Edward Elvin, April 13, 1888, and Edith, July 8, 1891.
Andrew Webber, born in 1842, is a son of Daniel, grandson of
John, and great-grandson of Lewis Webber, who was the first of this
family to settle in China. He married Helen, daughter of Joseph,
and granddaughter of William Haskell, who came from Cape Cod
before 1800. Their children are; Adella M., Daniel W. and Lura
Belle. Mr. Webber's farm, the site of Sam Taylor's tavern, was first
TOWN OF CHINA. 1171
owned by two men named Newcomb, and settled by Benjamin Run-
nells.
Martin Webber, brother of Andrew, was born in 1843. He has
been collector and constable since March, 1888, and town treasurer
since March, 1891. His children are: Gertrude A., Ernest M. and
Cony N.
Nathaniel Wiggins lived at the north end of China lake in 1803. in
a log house, before the first frame building was erected there. He had
twenty-five children.
H. B. Williams, in 1860, came from Phillips, Me., where he was
born in 1830, and married Ann F., daughter of Jonathan, and grand-
daughter of Ephraim Clark. They have two children; Elhanan J., a
prosperous engraver, of Waltham, Mass.; and Melissa J., married
Ruel T. Ellis, jun. This place, known as Greenwood farm, in allusion
to rows of evergreens transplanted by Mr. Williams, was settled by
one Caleb Hanson. The cellar wall under the house shows the
" pointing up " of Dea. Nathaniel Bragg, one of the early settlers. Mr.
Williams also owns an attractive park, called Greenwood Park.
CHAPTER XLIV.
TOWN OF WINDSOR.
Form. — Surface. — Ponds. — Settlers.— Malta Incorporated. — Malta War. — Wind-
sor Named. — Later Settlers. — Town Officers. — Mills.— Churches.— Schools. —
Villages. — Post Offices. — Personal Paragraphs.
JOINING Augusta on the east, with two of its sides parallel with
the general course of the Kennebec river, lies a town which, un-
like any other in the county, presents four equal sides and four
right angles. Although this tract of thirty-six square miles contains
seven distinct bodies of water, the entire surface occupied by them
does not exceed a unit of its area. Near the northwestern corner the
square end of Three-mile pond — a name that requires no elucidation
— is driven in from China like a tenon in a mortise. The opposite,
southwestern, angle is artistically balanced by two small ponds snug-
gling under the shelter of Oak hill, an isolated elevation which seems
to have been placed on the corner of the town, like a paper-weight, to
keep it from blowing up. Of these, Longfellow pond, three-fourths
of which lies in the town of Whitefield, has dropped its old name,
which it probably borrowed from some early settler, and transferred
the honor to another family living on contiguous land, by adopting
the modern cognomination, Given's pond. The other, Moody's pond,
received its designation in a similar manner. From it Oak Hill brook
flows into the Meadow stream, which, in turn, empties into the west
branch of Sheepscot river. About half way between this pond and
Three-mile pond, near the western boundary, lies Mud pond, which,
for no other reason than a lack of sand, has allowed its fair waters to
be thus stigmatized.
Almost precisely half way between the western and eastern
boundaries, three-fourths of a mile below Windsor Corner, is a small
body of water now known as Grant pond, but formerly bearing the
surname of Rev. Moses Donnell, once a local Methodist preacher.
Covering, as it does, but little more than an acre of surface, this
aqueous lilliputian would hardly be worthy of mention but for the
fact that it has no perceptible outlet, and, as near as can be ascertained
by soundings, no bottom. Near the northeastern corner are two
ponds, connected by a channel an eighth of a mile in length. The
TOWN OF WINDSOR. 1173
smaller of these is known as Fox pond, because the wild region by
which it is surrounded is a favorite resort of that animal. vSavade
[surveyed] pond, the larger of the two, is the most important pond
wholly within the limits of the town.
The surface of Windsor abounds in low, undulating hills, a feature
which, coupled as it is with a rich clay loam on a basement of granite,
affords excellent facilities for agriculture. The land is generally
arable and productive, the section north and east of Savade pond and
a small tract near the Augusta line being the only exceptions.
The banks of the Sheepscot once abounded in heavy pine and
hemlock, which furnished material for numerous saw mills and tan-
neries. It was on this belt that the spars for the frigate Constitution
— " Old Ironsides," the pride of the American navy— were cut. The
west branch of the Sheepscot, which courses through the town from
north to south, affords the principal water-power. Next in size is the
Barton stream, with Colburn, Savade, Oak Hill, Gully, Colton and
Stuart in its wake.
Settlers.— Probably the first settler in this region was Walter
Dockindoff, who came from Bristol, not far from 1790, and settled on
the farm now owned by Mrs. Trowant, about a mile west of Windsor
Corner, where he set the first orchard in the town. A house which
he erected is now occupied by Mrs. Trowant, and is, in the opinion of
many, the oldest framed building in town. Among other buildings
which claim precedence are: The house erected by Thomas Le Ballis-
ter, at Le Ballister's Corner, which was destroyed by fire in 1818; a
house on Lynn hill, built, probably, by one of the Lynns, and now
occupied by Mr. Merrill; the house in the Maxcy's Mill district, owned
by Mr. Charles Merrill, erected, it is thought, by the McKays; and a
hou.se which stood on the farm of Frank Trask, opposite the one now
occupied by him, built by Joseph Linscott.
Quite an exodus followed Dockindoff from Bristol. In the fore
rank was Thomas Le Ballister, who took up a tract of three hundred
acres in the southeastern part of the town. He found squatters on
his claim, the most notable of whom was a man by the name of Grover.
On the farms now occupied by Mr. Gafney and Philip Lacy he found
the Trask brothers, Edward and Joseph. Edward became a perma-
nent settler. He erected a framed house in the field west of Mr. Gaf-
ney's, one hundred rods from the latter's farm buildings, the cellar of
which ma^ still be seen. Joseph settled on land now owned by Mr.
Lacy. His house stood in the field which is now the property of
James and Frank Ashford, which was originally included in the Lacy
farm. It went to decay as many as sixty or seventy years ago. He
sold his title to John Lacy and removed to his brother Edward's lot,
where he erected a small habitation, which stood opposite the spot
where the residence of Mr. Gafney was afterward placed. This the
1174 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
latter demolished when he came into possession. Joseph enlisted in
the war of 1812 and never returned. Mr. Le Ballister built a log cabin
on the spot where the roads at Le Ballister's Corner intersect. This,
according to the statement of his son, Joseph Le Ballister, who re-
sides on the home place, was in 1793. A short time later, probably
about 1803, he erected a framed dwelling within a few feet of this
primitive abode. The chimney was laid with the first bricks manu-
factured in Windsor. This building was burned in 1818.
Following close in the tracks of Le Ballister came Prince Keene,
John Lynn, Benjamin Hilton, Joseph Hilton, Joseph Liuscott and
Abraham Merrill. Keene, who was Le Ballister's brother-in-law,
settled on the farm where L. A. Howe lives, one mile south of Wind-
sor Corner. He cleared the land and erected the house which Mr.
Howe now occupies. John Lynn was a revolutionary soldier. He
settled in 1803 on the farm now owned by Charles Merrill. He was
born in Boston in August, 1754, and died April 28, 1834. His wife,
Rebecca Anderson, died the same year. They brought eleven chil-
dren to Windsor.
Joseph Hilton, who was one of the early teachers, took up the
farm on which Frank Trask lives. His first house, burned many
years ago, was built on the spot that has lately been laid out for the
Chapman cemetery, south of the Methodist church. Benjamin Hil-
ton, a cousin of Joseph, came from Alna and took up the Jameson
place, on which he erected the house which is still standing. He sold
the property to John W. Jameson, of whom the present owner, J.
Cookson, purchased it. Hilton removed to the place where his grand-
daughter, Mrs. Gowan, lives, near the Methodist church.
Joseph Linscott came from the vicinity of Damariscotta. He took
up the farm on the opposite side of the road from Hilton's and built
the house nearly opposite Mr. Trask's, which has a large body of sup-
porters to the claim of precedence among the old buildings. Abra-
ham Merrill came from Yarmouth, Me., and took up the farm now
owned by his grandson, C. A. Merrill. He was here at a very early
date, and it is a mooted question whether he should not be placed in
direct sequence to Dockindoff.
In 1803 Dr. Stephen Barton settled on the meadow in the western
part of the town. Like all the other settlers he erected a rough log
cabin. Here, two years later, he yielded to the ravages of consump-
tion, and was buried, at his own request, on the spot now marked by
a monument, where he andhis.sonsbivouacked the night they entered
the woods. Of his sons, Gideon and Elijah, the latter remained on
the lot his father had selected, while the former took up the farm on
which his grandson, J. H. Barton, resides.
While Barton was dying on the meadow near the Augusta line,
Andrew Kendall was building his cabin and starting his clearing in
TOWN OF WINDSOR. 1175
the opposite corner of the township. Kendall came from Ireland by
way of Portland, where he became acquainted with William Meagher,
whom the pioneers dubbed " Billy Major." This enterprising specu-
lator claimed to own wild land on Windsor neck, and of him Kendall
purchased the lot on which his descendants now live, near the west
branch of the Sheepscot, south of Maxcy's mill. At about the same
time the McKays settled on lots near Kendall, on the north. McKay
was accompanied by his four sons, Henry, John, Peter and Pat, three
of whom settled near him. He purchased, probably of John Lynn,
the land now comprised in the farm of Charles Merrill. Henry set-
tled on the next lot north of Kendall, now owned by J. Weaver; John
where Mr. McKinley lives: Peter on the' farm owned by .Sewall Albee,
and Pat on the home place.
In 1806 John Lacy, who came from Ireland to Portland, by way of
Newfoundland, in a fishing fleet, purchased Joseph Trask's clearing.
He was induced to settle here by Andrew Kendall, who preceded him.
The same year Jacob Jewell took up the land on which his son, Charles
B., lives. A mile and a half south of this point, on the west branch
of the Sheepscot, about half a mile back from the main road, John
Brann made a clearing and erected a dwelling. This building, which
stood in a southwestern direction from Nathaniel Peva's, disappeared
many years ago.
Among others whose names appear on the early records are: Sam-
uel Pierce, Jonas Proctor, John Bugbee, Joseph Reed, Aaron Choate
and Edward Gove. Pierce, the progenitor of the numerous family of
that name in the north part of the town, came about 1806, and settled
near Lynn hill. Proctor settled in the same part of the town, just
south of William Hallowell's. Bugbee came from Bristol. He set-
tled on the Neck, on the farm now owned by Charles Fletcher. Reed
also came from Bristol and settled near Dockindoff, where his grand-
son, George P. Reed, resides. Choate and Gove were the first settlers
under Vining hill. Gove cleared the land now owned by his grand-
son, George Gove, while Choate took up the farms now owned by
Charles Fletcher and the next lot north, now the property of the
Robert Sproul heirs. It was he who employed Paul Chadwick on that
fated 8th of September, 1809, and it was on this lot that the tragedy
was enacted.
On March 3, 1809, this territory was incorporated as the town of
Malta — a name it bore for eleven years. It was at the very beginning
of this period that events occurred which made the name and terri-
tory memorable in state history. The land troubles, in which the
proprietors of the Kennebec Purchase and the early settlers on their
estates were the principal contestants, culminated, at about this
time, in the unfortunate event known as " the Malta War," in which
Paul Chadwick, of China, employed by Aaron Choate to assist Isaac
1176 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Davis in surveying his lot, in Malta, was murdered by a party of
squatters. As a matter of policy the assassins were acquitted, in the
face of strong evidence of guilt, and the conciliatory measures which
followed arrested an uprising, the extent and importance of which
can be but faintly conjectured.
In 1820 the town was reincorporated as Gerry, in honor of the
statesman, Elbridge Gerry. Two years later, the name it now bears
was placed by a final act of incorporation, at the suggestion of Esquire
Anthony Coombs.
During all these years, a continual influx of population, which was
augmented by the development of anew generation, spread over the
territory, opening new farms and establishing new industries, until
the dawn of the fourth decade from the pristine settlement found
nearly all the valuable land in the hands of permanent proprietors.
Among those who settled at an early date south of Windsor Corner,
were: James Wingate, Eliphalet Rollins, Barnard Cole, Jonathan
Lawton, James Given and Joseph Norris. Wingate came from the
vicinity of Bath. He settled on the farm now owned by his grandson
and namesake, at South Windsor, and erected the unoccupied dwel-
ling nearly opposite the buildings now in use. His brother, Joseph
Wingate, came several years later, and made a home on the next ad-
joining lot south. The first negro that came into the town worked
for Wingate. His name was George Brown. His body lies under
the pines on land owned by Mrs. Townsend. Eliphalet Rollins
purchased, in 1810, the farm on which his grandson, David Rollins,
resides. Cole, a blacksmith from Nantucket, established a home on
the Jonathan Connor farm, where he built the house now in use, and
a shop near by. Given settled on the farm now owned by his son,
David Given, Norris on the one tenanted by John P. Halpin, near
Maxcy's Mills. J. F. Dearborn established himself on the " Widow
Murray place," about a mile west of the Corner.
The first settler on Windsor neck was Joab Harriman. He made
a clearing on the farm now owned by William Gray. His cabin stood
about forty rods south of Gray's buildings. " Squire " Anthony
Coombs, who moved from Harpswell, was one of the first permanent
settlers in this section of the town. He took up the farm on which
Mrs. Julia A. Coombs resides, which had been partially cleared by a
squatter. Jesse Harriman, from Wiscasset, cleared the next lot
north, now the property of Henry Dunton. In 1836, having sold his
farm to John Perkins, he entered the Maine Conference as an itiner-
ant preacher. He died in 1873. Joab Harriman, jun., cleared the
farm lately occupied by Samuel Glidden,and Josiah, his elder brother,
that of Cyrus Jones. The land of M. A. Ware was taken up by John
Hyson : that of G. L. Hall by Benjamin Albee.
Rufus L. Choate came from Connecticut about 1812. In company
TOWN OF WINDSOR. 1177
with Isaac Marsh, he took up the land included in the farms of his
son-in-law, Simeon F. Morton, and Julian Sproul. Later, they divided
the farms, Marsh taking the south lot. The farm of G. and I. Marsh
was probably cleared by Thomas Rines, who sold it to Abraham
Marsh, the father of the present proprietors, and removed to the land
now owned by W. R. Hysler, on which he cut an opening. He re-
moved to Augusta, and settled near the base of the hill that rises from
the business part of the city, which still bears his surname. Isaac
Marsh sold his claim on the south lot to Choate, and removed to the
place now owned by his son, Charles Marsh, which he cleared. The
original Marsh buildings stood north of those now in use. The Choate
buildings were erected on the extreme north line of the lot. The
Moody farm, opposite Simeon Morton's, was cleared by Mark .Stevens;
the Sproul lot, on the east side of the road, by William vSproul, grand-
father of the present owner. His buildings, which stood a little
northeast of where the present stand, were burned July 4, 1880. Moses
Weymouth cleared the F. Reed place; Jonathan Vining the farm
now owned by his son, Daniel Vining, and Thomas Morton the land
of Dennis Trask.
At North Windsor the available lots were nearly all taken up in
1820. The second generation of Pierces had left the paternal abode,
and shaped new homes from the forest. Luther had settled on the
farm now owned by his grandson, Hiram Pierce; Varanus and John,
his brothers, on the farms now occupied by Varanus Pierce, jun., and
Varanus F. Pierce, their respective sons. Jason Pierce lived on the
unoccupied farm north of Varanu.s Pierce, jun., now owned by Hiram
Pierce. John Hallowell lived on the farm where his son, Caleb Hal-
lowell, lives. A few rods north the cellar of his house may still be
seen. William Hallowell settled on the Frank E. Hallowell place, and
erected the present buildings; and Joel Hallowell settled on a lot just
south of Jonas Proctor's. Nehemiah Ward made a home on the farm
which is now the property of S. P. Barton; Abiezer Trask in a log
cabin on the one owned by Horace Pierce. Nathaniel, James and
John Lynn, sons of John Lynn, the pioneer, all settled between Lynn
hill and Windsor Corner; Nathaniel on the farm of Amos Hewett;
James where Charles Hewett lives, and John, jun., on the C. F. Don-
nell place. The farm nearest the town line, in the north, now the
property of J. Studley, was first settled by Eliphalet Morse, of North
Yarmouth, who purchased the wild land of Luther Pierce. Thomas
McCurdie settled in a log house on the Orin Trask place. The build-
ings now standing were put up by Ezekiel Peva, a later pro-
prietor. David Leeman settled where C. A. Merrill lives, and sold
his improvements to the latter's father, Abraham Merrill. James
Peva took up the land lately owned by his son, William Peva, on the
Neck, and Nathan Newell, the Theodore Moody farm.
1178 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Not far from 1820, a number of families removed from Monmouth
and settled near North Windsor. Among them were those of Wil-
liam White, Jonathan White and John Merrill. William White
settled on the place now owned by Daniel Merrill; Jonathan, his
brother, on the one owned by Charles Bailey. He exchanged farms
with his brother, Joseph, and returned to Monmouth. The house
Jonathan built was burned about fifteen years ago. It stood on the
knoll north of the one now occupied by Bailey. Wickwire purchased
the farm now owned by Varanus F. Pierce, whose father occupied
the land on the opposite side of the highway. John Merrill settled
on the farm now owned by his grandson, Nathaniel Merrill. The
place had been partially cleared by P. Jackson, with whom he ex-
changed for his farm in Monmouth.
Civil History. — The first town meeting was held in the house
of Rev. Job Chadwick. From then to 1819, when the annual meeting
convened at the Center school house, they were held at private resi-
dences. For the next five years the school house and Methodist
meeting house were the principal places of meeting. Subsequently,
the annual meetings were held in barns. At a meeting called May
15, 1845, it was "voted to build a town house on the lot offered by
William Haskell, the house to be finished by the first day of June,
1846." This house, which now stands at Windsor Corner, was first
occupied at the annual meeting of 1847.
At the annual meeting of 1815, it was "voted that Joseph Norris'
house, not far from his dwelling, be a house for the poor of this town."
In 1822 it was " voted that John Cottle's old house be a poor house to
put the poor of the town in," and " voted that John Cottle be the
overseer of the poor to keep them employed." April 5, 1830, it was
" voted that the poor be put at auction, to go to the highest bidder."
They were struck off at amounts ranging from sixteen cents to forty-
four cents per week, and this system is still in vogue, although a farm
was at one time owned by the town for the use of the poor.
The Selectmen, the date of each man's first election, and the num-
ber of years he served, if more than one, are as follows: 1809, Benja-
min Duren, Walter Dockindoff, 5; 1810, Prince Keene, 2, John Bugbee
and James Gray; 1811, Joseph Reed, and William Bowler, 3; 1812,
John Lynn, jun., 5, Thomas Melurda, and Bernard Cole; 1813, William
Hilton, 4; 1814, Gideon Barton, 15, Jonathan Lawton, 2; 1818, John
W. Jameson; 1819, F. F. Dearborn; 1820, Joseph Merrill, 4, Isaac Mer-
rill, 2, James Merrill, 1; 1824, Nathan Newell, 7; 1825, Charles Currier,
2; 1827, Anthony Coombs, 11; 1828, vSumner French, Asa Perkins;
1830, William Perkins, 23. Jesse Jewett; 1834, James Lynn, 2; 1835,
James Given, 7; 1836, George Haskell, 2, Danforth P. Livermore; 1838,
William Sproul, 4; 1840, Robert Thompson, 4; 1845, Stephen Barton,
3; 1847, Ambrose Bryant; 1850, Stephen Pierce, 5; 1851, A. S. Coombs,
TOWN OF WINDSOR. 1179
9, Horace Colburn, 6; 1853, B. W. Keene, 2; 1855, J. Sullivan Perkins,
2: 1857, A. L. Stimpson, 6; 1858, J. W. Taylor; 1861, Stephen Pierce, 16,
Samuel P. Barton, Robert Ashford; 1863, Samuel Trowant, 3, David
Bryant, 3; 1866, Charles F. Barker, C. A. Merrill, 9; 1867, John Pope,
9: 1871, David Given, 5; 1876, Adoniram Griffon, Cornelius Merrill, 3;
1879. James Erskins, 2, E. H. Mosher, 2; 1880, Ira D. Perkins, 4; 1883,
Benjamin Albee, 2; 1885, Jasper S. Gray, 2, L. A. Howe; 1886, Ira A.
Perkins, 4, Francisco, 2; 1888, William R. Hysler, 4, C. F. Don-
nell, 2: 1891, Joseph Colburn, 2.
The Clerks of the town have been: Benjamin Duren, 1809; Prince
Keene, 1810; John Lynn, jun., 1812; William Hilton, 1813; John Lynn,
jun., 1814; William Hilton, 1815; Nathan Newell, 1825; J. B. Wanton,
1833; William Perkins, 1841; Asa Heath, 1843; William Perkins, 1851;
Stephen Barton, 1853; William Perkins, 1859; B. W. Keene, 1863; C.
E. Coombs, 1872; A. C. Merrill, 1876; Charles E. Coombs, 1879; Joseph
Colburn, 1883; Charles E. Coombs, 1884; Joseph Colburn, 1887; Charles
E. Coombs, 1889; E. H. Mosher, 1892.
The Treasurers have been: Joseph Linscott, 1810; Eliphalet Rollins,
1811; John Lynn, jun., 1813; William Hilton, 1816; James Lynn, 1822;
J. B. Wanton, 1837; James Lynn, 1840; Ambrose Bryant, 1840; James
Merrill, 1844; Joseph Merrill, 1847; Horace Colburn, 1848; Samuel
Barton, 1849; Horace Colburn, 1850; Thomas Hyson. 1851; Horace
Colburn, 1856; Moses Donnell, 1857; R. Thompson, 1858; Samuel
Wheeler, 1860; R. N. Thompson, 1863; Andrew D. Chapman, 1866; R.
N. Thompson, 1867; Levi Sibley, 1875; James E. Melvin, 1876; Charles
Ashford, 1879; H. D. Murray, 1880; L. A. Howe, 1881; Francisco Col-
burn. 1882; Frank Colburn, 1884; Charles E. Coombs, 1885; David
Given, 1886; Charles E. Coombs, 1887; F. W. Barton, 1891; Herbert
Perkins, 1892.
Cemeteries. — The first general burying ground was established
on Windsor neck, but a few bodies were early interred in undated
graves a short distance above Leonard Hallowell's, on the west side of
the highway. The cemetery known as the Mill Road burying ground,
the principal one in the town, dates back to 1808. The lot, which
originally comprised one-half acre of land, was donated by Joseph
Linscott, whose grave is yet unmarked.
The burying ground on the Twenty-rod road, near Lynn hill, is
the next younger. Sixty years would be a fair approximation to its
age. Dea. William White, who gave the land, was the first person
buried there. The cemetery on Lynn hill was first used as such
about ten years later, in opposition to the one near the Baptist church,
which dates back to the same period. The small and newer cemetery,
near the Methodist church, known as the Chapman burying ground,
is exclusively the property of those who have purchased its lots.
1180 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Industries. — A saw mill— the first in Windsor— was established
at a very early date on the west branch of the Sheepscot, at a point
known as Maxcy's Mills, by Mr. Bowman, of Gardiner. The dam
was built by Cornelius Maguier. It was purchased, about 1805, by
Joseph Linscott, who built a grist mill on the same dam. Both build-
ings were destroyed by fire while his. The grist mill which he
erected on the same foundation, was purchased, not far from 1820, by
Smith Maxcy,* and from that time the place was known as Maxcy's
Mills. Mr. Maxcy sold the business in 1838 to Nicholas Smith, and
removed to Gardiner, where his grandsons are prosperous business
men. Mr. Smith's successor was Harrison Gray, for a few years. In
the meantime Mr. Linscott sold the saw mill. It was operated by
David Bryant and Smith & Pope. It was again burned while in Mr.
Pope's possession. After the fire Mr. Pope sold the privilege to Mr.
Stearns, who rebuilt the mill. It was burned, the third time, while
owned by Anthony C. Merrill, the next occupant. After it was rebult
both mills were operated by Samuel Cookson. Walter Stuart, the
next occupant, was succeeded by the firm of Stuart & Moody, of
which he was the senior member. They are now controlled by Ezra
Moody.
Bowman's mill could have been in operation but a short time.when
a saw mill was built by a corporation a mile and a quarter further up
the stream, at the point generally known as Pope's Mills. A carding
and fulling mill, which was operated about twenty years by Mr.
Wilder, was soon placed on the same power. The entire establish-
ment was purchased, not far from 1820, by William Haskell, who sold
it, about thirty-five years later, to John Pope, by whom a stone for
grinding corn was added. The original saw mill went to decay. The
carding mill was in charge of James Melvin for a long term of years,
under both Haskell and Pope's proprietorship.
In 1822 a saw mill was built on Boston stream by Gideon Barton
and Thomas Gaslin. Gaslin transferred his share to Elijah M. Bar-
ton and he to David Moody. It was operated only about fifteen
years — until the timber land in that section was quite thoroughly
cleared.
The Colburn mill was erected, not far from sixty years ago, by
Nathan Tollman, who occupied it but a short time. He exchanged
the farm on which it stood with John Swanton, for the place now
owned by Nathaniel Jones. Swanton occupied the mill only a short
time, and sold to Horace Colburn, by whose sons the business is now
conducted.
♦Smith Maxcy was born in Union, Me., February 3, 189.5, and died in Gar-
diner, November 14, 1872. His father, Josiah, was from Attleboro, Mass. His
son, Josiah, was born in Windsor in 1820, went to Gardiner in 1838 with the fam-
ily and later became manager of the Gardiner estates. He died in 1878.
TOWN OF WINDSOR. 1181
A saw mill was built on the west branch of the Sheepscot, about
six years later, by Jones Pratt, who, with the assistance of his sons,
operated it ten years.
A saw mill was erected on the brook that flows from Savade pond,
about fifty yeers ago, by Solomon Bruce, who sold the establishment
to James Harriman, and immediately built another, about ten rods
further down the stream. Harriman sold his mill to Harrison Doe,
and he to James Melvin. The Bruce mill was taken down, after a
few years, while Melvin's was allowed to decay.
A saw mill was built about one-fourth of a mile northeast of
South Windsor Corner, on a small tributary of Sheepscot called Gully
brook, by David Bryant, not far from 1850.
A tannery was built on the Belfast road, about a mile east of
Pope's Corner, prior to 1830, by Anthony S. Coombs. The business
was abandoned, after a run of almost twenty years. The next tanning-
establishment of which any knowledge can be secured, was that of
A. L. Stimpson, which stood half a miie from South Windsor Corner,
on land now owned by Mr. Stimpson. It was built in 1848. During
the civil war that gentleman conducted a large and successful busi-
ness in the preparation of shoe leather.
Near 1850 a tannery was established at Pope's Mills by John Doe.
It was purchased by C. E. & G. H. Stimpson, by whom the business
was conducted but a short time. The upper floor of the building was
subsequently fitted up for a dance hall. It was purchased by Isaac
Hilton, who razed and rebuilt it as a barn.
Churches. — Although evangelistic work had been done prior to
that date by itinerant circuit riders, the first church society here dates
from 1814, when Rev. David Young and Rev. Joshua Nye, members
of the New England Methodist Episcopal Conference, opened a side
field in connection with their work on the Bristol and Pittston circuit.
Three years later the town was annexed to the circuit.
In or about 1819 a church was erected on land donated by John
Cottle, about twenty rods north of the residence of A. Rogers, near
Windsor Corner. The building was of the regulation type, with
high box pews, galleries, sounding-board and elevated pulpit. It was
fired by an incendiary, September 6, 1838, and burned to the ground.
The new church was built in 1839, and was dedicated on the 29th of
August. In 1872 a parsonage was erected a few rods north of Wind-
sor Corner, and, in 1884, a chapel was built at Tyler's Corner, an im-
portant division of the field, in the north part of the town.
Among the pastors were: John Briggs and Henry True, in 1817;
W. M. Gray, 1819; John Atwell, 1820; Gorham Greely, 1821; David
Wentworth and O. Williams, 1822; E. F. Newell and Ezekiel Robin-
son, 1823; B. Jones, 1824; William S. Douglass, 1825; Gorham Greely,
1826; Peter Burgess and Francis Drew, 1827; W. S. Douglass, 1828; J.
1182 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Libby and J. Thwing, 1829; Philip Hunger, 1830; C. L. Browning,
1831; A. P. Mayhew, 1832; J. Currier and N. Norris, 1833-4; Aaron
Fuller, 1835; Asa Heath and Jesse Stone, 1836; Samuel Jewett, 1837;
Moses Donnell, 1838-9( Mr. Donnell located in Windsor in 1840); J.
Harrington, 1840-1; D. Hutchinson, 1845; Obadiah Huse, 1848; Phineas
Higgins, 1849; Elisha Chanery, 1858; True P. Adams, 1861; Ephraim
Bryant, 1862; George G. Winslow, 1864; John P. Simonton, 1873; Will-
iam B. Jackson, 1875; A. Plummer, 1878; Wilbur F. Chase, 1879-80;
Thomas R. Pentecost, 1881-2; John W. Collier, 1883; S. Bickmore,
1885-6; E. A. Glidden, 1887; E. S. Skinner. 1888-9; E. S. Gahan, 1890,
and C. M. McLean, 1891.
The " North meeting house," or Union church, on the Neck, was
built in 1827, by Daniel Bean, agent for the Congregational and Free-
will Baptists. Ten years later, the Baptist church at North Windsor
was built, during the pastorate of William Bowler. The society was
organized about seventy years ago, under Elder Lemuel Jackson.
For about fifteen years services were held in the Lynn Hill school
house, and during the long period when the church was without a
settled pastor, the rite of baptism was administered by Nathaniel
Copeland, an itinerant evangelist. Among the early preachers were:
Elder White, Elder Lemuel Rich about 1828; Enos Trask, who came
a year later, and Elder White, not far from 1840. Mr. Trask was re-
turned, and served the church, at intervals, for many years. Elder
Goldthwait came about 1870. The church has been supplied a large
portion of the time.
Schools. — The earliest authentic record which has been pre-
served states that in 1810 the town of Malta was divided into five
school districts. By a comparison of statements of some of the old
residents, the writer is led to infer that the entire territory had pre-
viously been divided into two, or at most, three districts. From north
to south, one district included all the section east of the west branch
of the Sheepscot. It was sub-divided into three districts. The school
house, which was built of logs, stood in the corner near where Charles
Mason lives.
The first school house in town was built at Windsor Corner, about
where the town house now stands. It was destroyed by fire in
February, 1832. The first school building at South Windsor was
erected just north of the corner. The school house which stood
about twenty rods south of this point, a few years later, was burned.
The old school house in the Barton district stood about fifteen rods
west of the forks of the road, near R. P. Barton's. It was moved, about
forty years ago, to the center of the district, and partially recon-
structed. It was burned about three years ago. The one recently
erected stands on the old foundation. The school house now in use
in the Neck is located on the exact spot where the old one stood.
TOWN OF WINDSOR. 1183
which was torn away nearly fifty years ago. The first building
erected for the school in the Pierce, or Hallowell district is still stand-
ing and occupied — a veteran of three-score and ten. Other original
buildings are found in districts .Six, Eight, Ten and Sixteen.
Among the early teachers were William Hilton and Charles Cur-
rier. The first printed school reports were issued in 1851 when, by
vote of the town, 350 copies were distributed two days before the
annual meeting.
In 1867, the upper floor of the town house was furnished with
seats and de.sks, and a high school opened, with Horace Colburn as
teacher. Two terms were held here, annually, for about five years.
In 1878 a free high school was opened in District No. 1, which was
continued five years, one term being held each autumn. The town
is now divided into twelve districts.
Villages. — The first trader at Windsor Corner was Mr. Linscott,
who, at a very early date, occupied a store which stood on the site
now covered by the residence of George E. Cleaves. Subsequently,
but early in the town's history, the store was owned by Nathan
Bachelder, of Hallowell, who employed Robert Williams, familiarly
known as " Square " Williams, and, later, Fred Stuart, as clerks.
This building was taken down many years ago. It was succeeded by
a store which stood on the spot where H. A. N. Button's now stands,
which was occupied, at different periods, by Ambrose Bryant, Stephen
Barton, Nathan White, W. S. & G. E. Cleaves and H. A. N. Button.
It has been occupied by George E. Cleaves, as a clothing manufac-
tory. A store was built, by Mr. Wheeler, on the corner where the
residence of Henry Orcutt is, not far from 1840. It was removed,
after being occupied by Mr. Wheeler a short time. The building in
which Mr. Button now trades was built in 1874, near the place where
Herbert Ware's residence formerly stood, in the vicinity of South
Windsor. It was removed to its present location in 1876. The store
occupied by H. & A. H. Ware was erected by them in 1890.
The first tavern in this part of the town was built and opened by
John Cottle about 1820. The building, burned in 1866, stood on the
site now covered by the house of A. Rogers. About 1861 a public
house was opened, near the Corner, by Robert Thompson. One of
the oldest buildings in this part of the town is the house built by
Captain John Lynn, near where Mr. Rogers now lives.
At South Windsor, formerly Bryant's Corner, a general store was
opened by Cornelius Maguier, as early, probably, as 1820. In 1832
the building was purchased by Bavid Bryant, who traded in it not far
from twenty-five years. His successor, Jeremiah Connor, was the
last occupant. The store which now stands nearly opposite Mrs.
Bryant's was built by Seth Pratt for William Ware, who occupied it
as a tailor's shop and general store, and for a short time before his
1184 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
decease, in 1889, as the post office. He employed quite a force of
seamstresses in the manufacture of sale work for city clothiers. The
store now occupied by H. D. Cooper was built, about 1881, by James
Wingate, of whom Mr. Cooper purchased the business. Prior to its
removal to the present site it was known as the Bryant & Pratt store.
The upper floor was used as a dance hall. Following Mr. Wingate,
Edward Woodward, who removed from Whitefield, occupied it
several years. It was subsequently utilized by William Ware as an
annex, and for a short time prior to September, 1881, when it was
burned, was occupied by Oliver Woodbury as a general store.
Among the old buildings at this point, the unoccupied house
nearly opposite James Wingate's, was erected by Joshua Wingate.
The house now occupied by A. L. Stimpson was built early in this
century by Joseph Merrill. The small house near the store, occupied
by Mrs. Coston, was built by Seth Pratt, about seventy years ago.
The large dwelling house on the corner, now the residence of Mrs.
Bryant, was erected for a hotel by David Bryant, in 1839, and occupied
by him as a public house about twenty years. With the exception of
the tavern opened by Thomas Le Ballister, which antedated it about
four years, this is the only hostelry of any importance which has
ever existed in the south part of the town, although the dwelling
house now owned by George H. Stickney was, for a short time, used
as a hotel by Jacob Jewell and Jesse Wilson. Another old' landmark
is the house now occupied by Domonic Wing, which was built by
Thomas Stickney about 1810.
The blacksmith shop now occupied by Edward Cooper was built,
in 1833, by Sullivan Perkins, by whom it was occupied until within
about two years. A blacksmith shop was built, by Mr. Fogler, about
1832, half a mile north of Windsor Corner, or the north corner of the
road that leads to Joseph Colburn's. The smithies of L. A. Howe and
E. Tyler, at the Corner, are of comparatively recent date.
The (irst postmaster at Windsor Corner was Robert I. Williams,
whose commission was dated July 17, 1822. His successors were:
Richard Turner, appointed March 10, 1822; Ira Heath, March 31, 1829;
Gideon Barker, January 19, 1830; James Merrill, October 24, 1832; Asa
Heath, April 17,1834; Lot Chadwick, May 5, 1838; Robert Hutchinson,
jun., August 7, 1840; Ambrose Bryant, May 18, 1841; Attilius A. Ladd,
February 4, 1842; Alonzo Rogers, December 28, 1843; Ambrose Bryant,
November 11, 1845; Stephen Barton, December 3, 1851; Isaac F.
Thompson, December 7, 1855; John Pope, October 29, 1856; Nathan
N. Wight, February 27, 1862; William S. Cleaves, January 29, 1868;
Hendrick A. N. Dutton, March 14, 1873; Isaac C. Bachelder, October
22, 1885; Mary Bachelder, December 13, 1886; Ira A. Perkins, July 28,
1888; Hendrick A. N. Dutton, February 18, 1889.
The post office at South Windsor was established May 5, 1838. Asa
TOWN OF WINDSOR. 1185
Heath was the first postmaster. His successors were: David Bryant,
December 21, 1838; Robert Pope, April 11, 1839; A.sa Heath, June 10,
1841. The office was discontinued June 8, 1846, and reestablished
May 20, 1847, with John B. Swanton appointee. The subsequent in-
cumbents were: Jeremiah Connor, March 7, 1848; William Ware,
September 16, 1850; Horace C. Wilson, July 11, 1857; Jesse Wilson,
March 20, 1858; Wetherbee Merritt, November 26, 1859; Hartwell
Ware, July 24, 1860; Joseph Marson, October 31, 1860; Mrs. Lydia E.
Marson, December 27, 1870; William Ware, March 17, 1874; Henry D.
Cooper, February 28, 1888.
The first store in the vicinity of Pope's Mills, in the building now
occupied by George Marson, was opened at least sixty-five years ago.
Among the traders who occupied it were Docter Lafkin, Mr. Newbert,
James Abbott and John Pope. Near the year 1855, Thomas Hyson
purchased a dwelling house, formerly tenanted by James Thomp.son,
a short distance north of the Coombs school house, and removed it to
Pope's Mills, where he re-constructed it as a store. Here he traded
about seven years. Joseph Abbott subsequently traded in it about a
year, and Coombs & Melvin occupied it a few months after their
store was burned. In 1862 Anthony S. Coombs and James E. Melvin
erected a store nearly opposite the old Haskell farm, which was
burned about three years later. In 1867, the unoccupied store which
is now standing was erected by them, in which they traded until
1885. Robert Ashford then conducted the business for the estate
about two years. George James traded there about three years, and
was the last occupant.
The house in which George Perkins lives was built by William
Haskell, in 1836, for a tavern. Later proprietors were Harvey Hun-
toon, John Dearborn, Isaac Thompson and John Pope. As early as
1835, William Keene occupied a blacksmith shop which stood near
Emerson Melvin's. A shop which stood in the vicinity of Maxcy's
Mill, and had been occupied by Samuel Tibbetts, was purchased by
Waldo Coombs, in 1867, and removed to a point near the bridge, in
the northwest corner at the junction of roads at Pope's Mills.
The first trader at North Windsor was Andrew Merrill. His store
stood near the spot now covered by the one in which Warren Seek-
ins trades. It was a good-sized building, with a tenement above, in
which he lived. It was taken down and a new one was erected on
the same lot by Tyler & Searles. This firm was followed by A. R.
Burrill, who sold the business to Joseph Longfellow. The building
was burned while Mr. Longfellow occupied it. Four years later the
Seekins store was erected by James Merrill. A small store was opened
in the building that has since been remodeled into the residence of
John W. Boynton, about thirty years ago, by Reuel Robbins. The
1186 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Store, which was beneath the tenement, passed for a by-word as the
" cellar kitchen."
The first blacksmith in this part of the town was Ambrose Bryant.
The shop he occupied was torn down and the one now used by John
Merrill erected on the same foundation.
A post office was established at North Windsor June 23, 1884, in
charge of Albert K. Burrill. James F. Merrill was commissioned
April 16, 1889, and Warren Seekins' October 12, 1889.
A post office was established at West Windsor September 8, 1873,
at the residence of Ira D. Barton, the appointee.
Windsor Grange, P. of H., No. 284, was instituted June 2, 1886.
The masters have been: C. F. Donnell, 1886; Frank Colburn, 1888;
George R. Pierce, 1890; John H. Barton, 1891.
In forty years the population of Windsor has decreased from 1,793
to 853, a loss of more than fifty per cent., while estates have risen to
the extent of only $7,195, from an estimated valuation of $274,000 in
1860.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Benjamin R. Albee, farmer, born in 1834, is a son of Benjamin and
Eliza (Ferington) Albee, and grandson of Benjamin, who came to
Windsor in early life and had three sons. Benjamin, 2d, who died in
1841, had four sons: Sewall, John, Benjamin R. and Leonard, who
died in the army. Benjamin R. married Mary A., daughter of John
Churchill, and their children were: Daniel C, Mary A., John B., Ida,
James A., Benjamin and George, who died in infancy. Mr. Albee
moved to where he now lives in 1857.
James E. Ashford, born in Litchfield in 1827, is a son of Robert
Ashford, who came to Litchfield in 1812, where he died in 1858, leav-
ing three sons: Robert, Anthony C. and James E., who came to
Windsor in 1847 and in 1851 bought the farm where he now lives.
He married Hannah S. Hilton, who died in 1890. Their children
were: James F., a teacher; Anna M., died in 1890; Mary E. (Mrs. Wil-
lard Lash), and George, died in 1873. Mr. Ashford was in the legisla-
ture in 1881-2 and has been a farmer and drover.
Deacon Gideon Barton (1786-1878) was born in Vassalboro, where
his father. Dr. Stephen Barton, settled in 1774, came to Windsor with
his father in 1803, and after the latter's death, in 1805, he married
Sarah Pierce, by whom he had eight sons: Samuel P., born in 1810;
Stephen, 1814-1870; Rufus P., 1816; Gideon, 1818; Reuel, 1820; Sum-
ner, 1822; Theodore, 1824; Benjamin, 1826; and six daughters. Theo-
dore Barton lived on the old homestead and married Mrs. Hannah
(Quimby) McCausland. They had one daughter, Viola, who married
Edward H. Mosher, and they live on the old Barton farm. Mr.
Mosher is a school teacher; was in 1883 supervisor of schools; was for
TOWN OF WINDSOR. 1187
three years in the board of selectmen prior to 1883, and is now chair-
man of the board of selectmen and town clerk.
John H. Barton, born in 1835, is a son of William C. (1808-1889)
and Susan C. Barton, the latter a daughter of Luther Pierce. His
grandfather was Elijah M., who was a son of Dr. Stephen Barton, who
settled in Vassalboro in 1774 and in Windsor in 1803, where he died
in 1805. John H. has taught school several terms and was supervisor
of schools one year. His wife was Ellen Goddard, of China. Their
children were: Stella E., a teacher, and William A., who died in 1890,
aged twenty-seven, after having been for three years principal of the
commercial department at Kents Hill. William C. Barton's daugh-
ters were: Varila, Sarah E., Ella A., Lydia, Belinda and Fannie S.
David Bryant was born in Bristol, Me., in 1803, and died in Wind-
sor in 1878. He was a son of David and Hannah Bryant. He came
to Whitefield with his widowed mother in 1807. He was married in
1880 and came to Windsor, where he spent the remainder of his life.
His children were: Seth P., James G., William H., Hannah V., Ann
E., Julia M., Martha C. and Mary E. His wife was Susan Pratt, who
survives him, living on the old homestead with her daughter, Martha
C. Mr. Bryant was for many years a merchant at vSouth Windsor,
but spent the last years of his life as a farmer.
Horace Colburn, son of Benjamin Colburn, was born in 1812 and
died in 1885. He came to Windsor from Pittston about 1840 and set-
tled on the Swanton farm, where he was a prominent farmer and
public man in town and county affairs, being twice elected county
commissioner, which office he held at his death. He also held various
town offices. He had a large family of children; three sons still live
on the old farm, having divided it and each having separate buildings.
Joseph Colburn married Eliza A., daughter of David Wyman, of
Waterville, and their children were: Fred C; Ida M., who died at the
age of three; Grace A. and Frank S. Mr. Colburn has taught school
winters since he was sixteen years old. He was supervisor of schools
from 1871 to 1886, was three years town clerk and is now on the board
of selectmen.
Francisco Colburn, born in 1839, is a son of Horace Colburn. He
was in the civil war, in the 1st Maine Cavalry, and served until 1864,
when he returned aTid settled on a part of the Colburn homestead,
where he now lives. His wife is Sarah E., daughter of Andrew Chat-
man, of Windsor. Their children are: Francisco, George A., Horace
and Raymond.
Frank Colburn, the youngest son of Horace Colburn, married Liz-
zie E. Donnell and lives on the homestead where his father died. He
is farmer and school teacher, having taught winters since he was
eighteen years old. He was supervisor of schools in 1888 and 1889.
1188 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Nathaniel Colby, son of Nathaniel and Charlotte (Norris) Colby,
and grandson of Nehemiah Colby, of Westport, Me., was born in
Whitefield in 1815, where his father settled after his marriage and
where he died in 18^9, leaving eleven children, the oldest being Na-
thaniel, who married Sarah Choate and had thirteen children, all of
whom lived to mature age except two. Mr. Colby is a carpenter by
trade and worked for .several years at Cooper's Mills. In 1855 he came
to Windsor and bought the farm where he has since lived.
Anthony Coombs came to Windsor in early life and died in 1859,
leaving one son, Anthony S. (1802-1885), whose first wife, Elizabeth,
died in 1859, leaving one son, Anthony A. His second wife was Julia
A. Marsh, who survives him and carries on the farm. She is a daugh-
ter of Abraham Marsh, of Windsor, and granddaughter of Isaac, who
was one of the early settlers of the town.
Fred A. Coombs, born in 1859, is a son of Charles (born 1834) and
Emily (Marson) Coombs, and grandson of Franklin, born in 1799, died
in 1883. Charles Coombs came to Windsor in 1866 and settled on the
farm where he now lives and where his wife died in 1888, leaving one
son, Fred A., who married Mary, daughter of John Taylor, of China,
and lives on the old homestead farm. Charles Coombs was town
clerk for several years.
Rev. Freeman Cooper, born in Whitefield in 1835, is a son of Free-
man and grandson of Moses Cooper, who came to Whitefield as one
of the first settlers. Mr. Cooper has been for many years a minister
of the Free Baptist church. His wife was Clara E. Douglas. Their
two sons are: Henry D. and Leonard F. Henry D. started in trade
at South Windsor in 1887, where he keeps a general store and is now
the postmaster.
Rev. David Cunningham, born in Augusta in 1813, is a son of
William and grandson of David Cunningham. William Cunning-
ham had five sons: Thomas, Samuel, William, Jesse and David, who
married Rosana Wier, who died in 1879, leaving three sons and four
daughters. His second marriage was with Hattie M., daughter of
Samuel H. Jewett, and granddaughter of Jonathan Jewett, one of the
early settlers of Pittston. Mr. Cunningham was for forty years a
minister of the Methodist Episcopal church. He has lived at his
present home for fifty years, and has devoted a part of his time to
farming.
Hendrick A. N. Dutton, born in 1838, is a son of Thomas J. and
Sybil H. (Fish) Dutton, and grandson of Jo.siah Dutton, whose father
came from England. Previous to his, coming to Windsor in 1870,
where he runs a general store and is postmaster, Mr. Dutton lived in
Augusta. In 1861 he enlisted in Company F, 3d Maine, where he
served until 1864. He reenlLsted in April, 1865, in Hancock's Corps
of Veterans, where he served until 1866, when he went to California,
TOWN OF WINDSOR. 1189
•where he spent two years. He married in 1870, Harriet N., daughter
of Samuel Cleaves, and settled on the old Cleaves homestead in Wind-
sor, where he still resides. He has two sons: Athorne N. and
Ralph D.
David Given, born in 1837, is a son of James (1792-1881) and Betsey
(Johnson) Given, and grandson of David, who came to Windsor with
his son, James, in 1810 and settled on the farm where his grandson,
David, now lives. James Given had three sons: Robert, James
and David, who married Sylvia, daughter of Joseph Le Ballister, and
has three children: Harry L., Robert N. and Edith M. Mr. Given
taught school m early life and was supervisor of schools for three
years prior to 1880; he was also one of the board of selectmen for
eight years.
Nathaniel Godding, born in Watertown, Mass., in 1785, married
Eliza Clark, of Rhode Island, in 1810, and moved to Gardiner, Me.,
where he worked many years in the paper mills. He had seven sons
and seven daughters. In 1840 he moved to Windsor, where he died
in May, 1876, and left his son, Granville, on the old homestead. The
latter married Martha, daughter of Rev. Moses Donnell. Their chil-
dren were: Charles, born May 25, 1854, died 1877; Clara L. (Mrs. Rob-
ert Jewell) and May E., who is a teacher. Mr. Godding enlisted in
1861, in Company E, 21st Maine, and since his discharge has been a
farmer. He spent two years mining in California, in the 'fifties.
Sarah E. Haskell is the widow of William A. Haskell and a daugh-
ter of Church Nash, of Nobleboro. William A. Haskell was a son of
William and grandson of Abner Haskell, who was one of the early
settlers in Augusta. Mr. Haskell was in the army, where he lost his
health. He died in 1881. Their children were: Charles E., Lizzie E.,
Allen A., Fred C, Frank V. and Winfield E. They came to Windsor
in 1871 from Augusta, where they had lived since their marriage in
1861.
Lorenzo A. Howe was born in Whitefield m 1848, and is a son of
Isaac B. (1819-1886) and Saphronia fKincaid) Howe, grandson of Mar-
cus, and great-grandson of Marcus Howe. He removed with his par-
ents to Augusta when eight years old, where he lived until 1875,
when he came to Windsor, where he married Lottie, the adopted
daughter of Benjamin Keene, and lives on the old Keene homestead.
They have one daughter, Ethel M. He is a blacksmith and farmer.
Charles B. Jewell, born in 1831, is a son of Jacob and Nancy Jew-
ell. Jacob was born in 1781, came to Windsor in 1806 and died there
in 1876. His first wife was Rebecca Marson, by whom he had two
sons and three daughters. His second wife was Mrs. Nancy L.
Meiggs, by whom he had four sons and one daughter. Charles B. re-
mained on the old homestead farm and married Martha, daughter of
Captain Nicholas Smith, of Windsor, and they had two children:
1190 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Euphemia (Mrs. Charles B. Merrill\ and Robert, who married Clara,
daughter of Granville Godding, and lives on the old homestead with
his father.
Dexter B. Kimball, born in Vienna, is a son of Sewall and Har-
riet A. (Conover) Kimball. His grandfather Kimball came to Vienna
in early life and died there. Previous to his coming to Windsor in
1885 Dexter B. had lived for several years in Augusta, where he worked
in the insane hospital. He married Clara M., daughter of Hartwell
and Julia (White) Ware, granddaughter of Nathan and Mary (Benner)
Ware, and great-granddaughter of Nathan Ware. Her father moved
to Windsor in 1853, and now keeps a store there. Their two daugh-
ters are: Blanche E. and Ina E.
Joseph Le Ballister, born in Malta in 1812, is a son of Thomas and
Hannah (Keene) Le Ballister, and grandson of Charles Le Ballister,
who came from France and died in Windsor in 1815. Thomas Le
Ballister had six sons and four daughters. He died in 1838. Joseph
married Sylvia Stetson, who died m 1882, leaving five children. He
married for his second wife Mrs. Christana Burnheimer, who had one
daughter, Florence L. Mr. Le Ballister's children were: Nancy, John
S., Joseph A., Charles H., Sylvia and Weston.
Orville W. Malcolm, born in China in 1843, is a son of Allen and
Rodema (Chadwick) Malcolm, and grandson of David Malcolm. He
enlisted in the navy in 1864, and in 1865 returned to China, where he
lived until 1882, when he came to Windsor, where he is a farmer and
butcher. He married Paulena C, daughter of Charles Hewitt, of
Windsor, and now lives on the old Hewitt farm, where his wife was
born. They have one son, Harry E. who is a teacher.
Fred Marson (1840-1884) was a son of Edward and Mary (Given)
Marson, and grandson of Captain Edwin Marson. Edward Marson
came to Windsor in 1826, where he died in 1870. He had four sons,
of whom the youngest, Fred, married Lucretia, daughter of Jonathan
and Laura (Vining) Longfellow, and remained on the homestead farm
until his death. He left two daughters: Sadie B. (Mrs. Walton Goud)
and Blanche M. Since her husband's death Mrs. Marson has managed
the farm.
Cornelius A. Merrill, born December 30, 1826, was a son of
Abraham (1796-1857) and grand-son of Abraham Merrill, 1st, who
came from Yarmouth to Windsor about 1794. He had seven sons.
Abraham, jun., had four sons — Abraham, Cornelius A., Edward W.
and Appleton; and three daughters — Roxana, Sarah P. and Eliza-
beth. Cornelius A. remained on the old farm, and married Nancy J.
Caswell, who died in 1883 and left one son, Frank L. He married,
for his second wife, Mrs. Isabella McLaughlin, by whom he had one
daughter, Hattie E. Mr. Merrill held many town offices, was super-
visor,of schools thirteen years and for sixteen years prior to 1892 a
TOWN OF WINDSOR. 1191
selectman and for nine years chairman of the board. He died in
March, 1892.
James F. Merrill, born in 1838, is a son of Enoch and Mary (Hal-
lowell) Merrill. He was in the army with five brothers and they all
lived to return home. He married, for his first wife, Angelet, daugh-
ter of Thomas Pierce. She died in 1884 and left five children:
Delia, Annie, Marcus, Weston and Arthur. He lived in Pittston for
several years prior to his coming to Windsor in 1884. He kept a
store at North Windsor until 1889, when he came to Windsor Corner,
where he keeps a grocery store. His second wife was Mrs. Malissa
Anable, of Windsor. His brothers were: Enoch, jun., Jefferson, Reuel,
Melville and Leonard.
Miles Moody was born in 1830 and is a son of Clement (1800-1858)
and Huldah (Pratt) Moody, and grandson of Richard Moody, one of
the first settlers of Windsor. Miles Moody married Ann E., daugh-
ter of Sullivan Perkins (1808-1891), who came to Windsor in 1830.
where he was a blacksmith for many years and where he died. Mr.
Perkins was converted at an early age and was active in religious
work all. through his after life. Mr. Moody's children are: Hattie E.
(Mrs. Charles E. Welt) and Berton O. Mr. Moody lived on the old
homestead where his father died, until 1888, when he moved to South
Windsor, where he took care of the father and mother of Mrs. Moody.
He is a farmer.
Nathan R. Peva, farmer, is a son of Hiram (1808-1888) and grand-
son of James Peva. Hiram Peva came to Windsor with his father in
early life and married and had four sons — Freeman C, John A.,
George H. and Nathan R. — and four daughters. Nathan R. married
Rebecca Humphreys, and they have one adopted daughter, Maude
Chase. He was in the late war in Company H, 15th Maine, in 1861;
he reenlisted in the 1st Maine Cavalry in 1863 and served until 1865,
when he returned to Windsor.
Charles A. Pierce, born in Windsor, is a son of Thomas J. (1806-
1879) and Rachel Pierce, grandson of Jason (born 1770) and Prudence
(born 1772), and great-grandson of Eliphalet Pierce, who was one
of the early settlers on the Kennebec river. Charles A. Pierce mar-
ried Margaret E. Merrill, and their children are: Charles W., George
T., Frank L., John B., Ellen M. and Lena M. Mr. Pierce came to the
place where he now lives in 1837, where he has been a farmer and
stone mason. He was for several years one of the school committee
and also taught school for several terms.
Reuben B. Pierce, born in 1848, is a son of Varanus F. and Louisa
R. (Merrill) Pierce, grandson of John, and great-grandson of Samuel
Pierce, who was one of the early settlers of Windsor, and from whom
the Pierces of Windsor are descended. He married Mattie C, daugh-
ter of John Meigs, and their children are Maggie M. and Donald R.
liy^ HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
He lives on land first settled by his grandfather. He had two brothers:
Alphonzo, who served in the civil war and was a prisoner at Libby
and afterward at Saulsbury, N. C, and Frank J., of Augusta.
Adam L. Stimpson, born in Bath, Me., in 1812, is a son of Ebenezer
and Susan (Lamont) Stimpson. Previous to his coming to Windsor
in 1847, he had been a tanner and currier in Bath. He also had a
tannery on his farm in Windsor until 1885. He was selectman for
several years prior to 1883. He married Mary E. Collar, who died in
1874, leaving six children: John, Silas, Frederick, Henry, Edgar and
Susan (Mrs. Winslow Jameson, of Virginia). His second wife was
Abigail Given. Mr. Stimpson represented the towns of Windsor and
Vassalboro in the legislature in 1879.
Frank Trask, born in 1840, is a son of John (1808-1878), who came
to Pittston in early life, where he married Betsey E. Marson, and had
four sons: George A., Charles H., Frank and Augustus E. Mr. Trask
learned the painter's trade when a boy. In 1861 he enlisted in Com-
pany C, 3d Maine, and after being discharged in 1863 he went to Cali-
fornia. In 1868 he returned to Windsor and bought the farm where
he now lives. His wife was Orilla A., daughter of Thomas Hyson, of
Windsor. Their children are: Everett E., Lula M. and Clyde E.
Lieutenant Marcellus Vining. — Jonathan Vining came from
Alna, Me., to Windsor about 1805, and settled near the Windsor Neck
cemetery. He was a farmer, and about 1825 he moved to the farm
where he died, November 22, 1855. He married Jane Girrel, and their
children were: Clarissa, Octavia, Sarah, Eulalia, Laura, Mary Jane,
Lucretia, one daughter who died young, and Daniel, who was born
April 27, 1810. Daniel was a farmer and owned and occupied the
homestead until his death, February 10, 1890. He married Sarah
Esterbrooks, of Oldtown, Me.,by whom he had six children: Adaline,
now Mrs. Charles E. Richardson, of Waltham, Mass.; Angeline. now
Mrs Ambrose Webster, also of Waltham; Marcellus; Elnora, deceased;
Reuben, who was a member of Company I, 32d Maine Volunteers,
and was killed in battle June 16, 1864, at Petersburg, Virginia, and
Daniel S.
Daniel Vining's second wife, Eliza Choat, died in December, 1861,
leaving six children: Marcia (Mrs. Coburn), Mary E. (deceased),
Alfreda (Mrs. E. P. Cutler, of Boston, Mass.), Julia (Mrs. W. L. Lin-
ton, of Billings, Montana), Minnie, and Alice L., the wife of Oscar G.
Smart, a native of China, Me., and now a successful sheep raiser at
Martinsdale, Montana. Miss Minnie and Mrs. Coburn own the home-
stead, since the death of their father.
Marcellus Vining, the eldest son of this large family, was born on
the homestead. May 2, 1842, and there spent his boyhood and youth.
On the 25th of January, 1862, he was mustered into the U. S. service
as a private soldier in the 7th Maine Infantry. His ability and cour-
f ^ #^l
LIEUT. MARCELLUS VINING.
TOWN OF WINDSOR. 1193
age soon pointed him out as one especially fitted to fill a more import-
ant place among his comrades. He was made a sergeant of Company
F, 7th Maine Infantry, February 25, 1862, and May 1, 1868, was made
orderly sergeant of the same company. After serving the country
two years under his original enlistment, he again enlisted and was
mustered into the U. S. service January 4, 1864, as sergeant of (reor-
ganized) Company F, 7th Maine Infantry. March 9, 1864, he was pro-
moted to second lieutenant of Company A, 7th Maine, and April 21,
1864, was advanced to first lieutenant of the same company. May
12, 1864, at Spottsylvania, Va., he received a wound, from which he
died seven days later. A captain's commission was on its way from
Washington to him, but too late to give to the brave soldier his richly
earned promotion.
In a letter to his father, telling of the wound which he knew was
fatal, he expressed the thought that it was preferable for him to die
in the defense of his country's flag than live to see it disgraced. His
comrades who returned, showed their appreciation of his worth and
honor, when they organized the G. A. R. post in Windsor, by giving
it his name. (See page 169). The sword which he carried, together
with his life-size portrait and an elegant flag, are the gift of the family
to the Post.
Thus the oft-repeated tale — a bright, promising man with the
blush of youth still on his cheek, willingly laid down his life to pre-
serve that of his country.
Joseph E. Wight, born in 1830, in Augusta, is a son of Joseph and
Mary (Merrill) Wight and grandson of Timothy Wight, who came
from Massachusetts to Monmouth, where he reared a large family of
boys. Joseph Wight was born in 1786, and died in 1869. He had
six sons: Lewis, John H., Joseph E., Nathan, Frederick D. and Amos.
Joseph E. Wight married Lucy J., daughter of Robert and Mary J.
(Allen) Studley, of Windsor. Their children are: Willard A., who is
located in Trinidad, Colorado, where he is superintendent of the gas
and electric light company; Hattie M., married C. F. Turner, of Trini-
dad, Col.; Robert L., on the farm with his father, and Amos B.,
a sheep raiser in Colorado.
CHAPTER XLV.
TOWN OF ALBION.*
Original Settlers. — Incorporation. — Natural Features. — " Puddle Dock " and Poet
Hoxie.— Old Town House.— Early Taverns.— Mills.— Stores.— The Old Elms.
— Churches. — Cemeteries. — Post Offices. — Civil Lists. — Schools. — Town
Farm. — Grange. — Personal Paragraphs.
JUST who was the original settler in the territory now embraced
in the town of Albion cannot be definitely ascertained, but the
weight of evidence seems to point to Rev. Daniel Lovejoy as the one
best entitled to this distinction. Lovejoy was a Congregational min-
ister, who came to Albion prior to 1790, and settled on the west shore
of the pond that bears his name. His house, which still stands, is oc-
cupied by Mrs. Susan Baker. Elder Lovejoy preached in the old
town house as far back as 1815; and in June, 1833, he caused the
greatest sensation the quiet community had ever known by hanging
himself in his barn. His sons, Elijah Parris, Joseph and Owen,
achieved notoriety elsewhere. Elijah went to Alton, 111., where he
established a newspaper, and was mobbed about 1840, for his abolition
sentiments: Joseph went to Massachusetts, entered the ministry, and
created a stir by coming out as an anti-prohibitionist; and Owen was
sent to congress as a member of the Illinois delegation.
In 1790 the town contained but six families, and among these
were the Crosbys, vShoreys, Prays and Libbeys, the three last named
having emigrated here from York county. Robert, the first Crosby
in the town, settled near the foot of the pond, on land, a part of
which is now owned by his grandson, Ora O. Crosby; Samuel Shorey
settled on " Shorey Ridge," on the farm now occupied by his grand-
son, Erastus Shorey; Zebulon Pray took up the farm on which John
Baker now lives; and Deacon Benjamin Libbey, with his son Oliver,
lived on " Libbey hill," in the southern part of the town. Daniel,
son of Samuel Shorey, afterward settled where Gustavus B. Shorey
now lives; and Phineas, brother of Daniel, occupied the farm now
owned by Davis McDonald. About the same time Warren Drake
settled on " Drake hill; " Codding, brother of Warren, took up the
farm occupied now by John Carter; and Washington, a third brother,
*Thanks are due to Mark Rollins, Esq., of Waterville, a native of Albion
(1820_) for kindly revising this chapter, except the personal paragraphs. — [Ed.
TOWN OF ALBION. 1195
settled where his son, Washington, now lives. These three brothers
had thirty-eight children, all born in Albion.
Other original settlers were: Benjamin Webb (father of Joseph,
who was born in 1803, and grandfather of Edmund F.,of Waterville),
who took up the land on which George H. Crosby's mansion now
stands; Deacon John Fall, who lived on the farm at present occupied
by his grandson, George Fall; James Hanscom, who settled on the
west side of the pond on the farm where his son, George, now lives;
Jonathan Cammett, who took up the farm now the property of John
Shay; Gibbs Tilton, who settled the land now owned by Hannibal J.
Drake; Dea. Stephen Hussey, who settled where Tristram Fall
now lives; Dennis Getchell, who located near the Unity line, on the
farm now occupied by Archibald Tozier; Southard Phillips, who
lived on the land now owned by Dennis G. Mudgett; and vSamuel
Stackpole, who lived across the way from Mr. Phillips.
In 1802 this territory was organized as Freetown plantation; and
March 9, 1804, it became by incorporation Fairfax, the one hundred
and fifty-second town in the state. This name was .subsequently
changed to that of Lygonia; and February 25, 1824, was again altered
to Albion.
It is the most easterly town in this county, and is bounded north
'by Benton, Unity Plantation and Unity; east by Freedom, south by
Palermo and China, and west by Winslow. The territory included
within the town is about six miles square, the southern portion of it
being much broken by hills. The prevailing rock is granite, and the
soil in the western part is a clay loam quite easily cultivated. The
■only considerable body of water, Lovejoy pond, lies toward the west-
ern boundary, and is one and a half miles long by one mile wide. Its
overflow forms a branch of Fifteen-mile stream, which crosses the
town from northwest to southeast.
The greater number of the present inhabitants of Albion are
descendants of the original settlers, or of those who followed closely
in their footsteps. Among the latter were Samuel Kidder, who,
about 1800, settled where his grandson, Waldo Kidder, son of Daniel,
now lives; and Captain Samuel Sibley, who about the same time took
up the farm now occupied by his daughter, Mrs. Margaret Stinson.
Coming with them, or soon afterward, were: Captain Edward Taylor,
who lived on the place Bert Skillins now occupies; Deacon Ebenezer
Buxton, who settled where Augustus Libbey formerly lived; Aloses
Robinson, whose farm is now owned by Andrew J. Robinson; John
Frye,who settled on the land now occupied by Holden Chalmers; and
Ephraim Bessey,who lived near Frye, on the farm now owned by his
son, Alfred Bessey.
South Albion has been colloquially known for over seventy-five
jears as " Puddle Dock," a name bestowed on the little mill dam there
1196 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
by an old settler, one Matthew Hoxie, who enjoyed a considerable
reputation as a local wit. A specimen of his powers in this direction
has been handed down to an admiring- posterity. Coming home to-
dinner one day, and finding; his wife absent, he seized a bit of chalk
and wrote over the mantel-piece the following impromptu verse:
" I have a little wife whose name is Salome,
She's always away and never at home :
Sick or well, it makes no odds.
She's in to Reed's, or over to Broad's."
The Broad referred to in this inspired effort was Thaddeus, who.se
father, Josiah, drove the first ox-team and wagon into town from Mas-
sachusetts, about 1804, and settled where Charles Fuller now lives._
Josiah and his sons, Josiah, jun., and Thaddeus, built a saw and grist
mill prior to 1810, just above the bridge where the old dam on the
east branch of Fifteen-mile stream now stands. Josiah, jun., was
also a blacksmith, his shop having stood on the site now occupied by
the school house. The Reed alluded to by Poet Hoxie was Benjamin,
who came to Puddle Dock about 1810-ln, and later set up a black-
smith's shop in competition with Josiah Broad, jun. This shop stood
near the store kept by Zalmumah and Zebah Washburn, who also had
a potash factory below the bridge. This store was near where George
Ryder now lives. The present store, kept by Mr. Ryder, was built
by his uncle, George Ryder, about 1860. Just across the road from it
Benjamin Webb, jun., was in trade, about 1822. He sold out and went
West, and the building was made over into a dwelling, but was after-
ward torn down. The building in which Charles O. Connor traded
at Albion Corner, about 1825, was bought by David B. Fuller, about
1830, and moved down to Puddle Dock, where it stood on the west
side of the stream, near where Martin Witham now lives. Farther
up the stream Ebenezer Stratton built a saw mill, about 1842; it was
operated by David Fisher until about 1862.
Other early settlers at this point were: Alexander Buxton, who,
about 1815, settled where John Swears now lives; Peter vStaples, who
lived east of Buxton, and whose old dwelling was burned about 1872;
and Ebenezer Woodsum, who died in 1831, lived where Charles Ful-
ler now resides.
From 1804 until about 1812 the meetings of the town were
held in barns, or in houses capable of accommodating the voters;
but about the latter year measures were taken to provide a suitable
and permanent structure for public purposes, and soon after a town
house was erected on the old South Albion road, about a mile and a
half south of Albion Corner. In 1825 it was moved down the road,
about a quarter of a mile, near the dwelling of the late Austin Strat-
ton. Here it still stands — the property of Mrs. Hattie Durgin, who-
TOWN OF ALBION. 1197
uses it for a store house — a silent, dingy and shattered witness of the
past, when the secret ballot was a thing undreamed of, and everybody
knew just how everybody else was going to vote. It was superseded
in the fall of 1887 by the present convenient and attractive town
house at the village.
About the time the old town house was built, or shortly afterward,
Mark Rollins came from Stratham, N. H., and settled near the China
line on a farm his son, Mark Rollins, of Waterville, now owns. Not
far east of the settler, Mark Rollins, lived Dea. Daniel Woodsum,
prior to 1815, on land now owned by Leonard Shorey; and some little
distance northwesterly of Rollins, Dea. Jacob Shaw, with five
sons, settled, about 1817, where George B. Pray now lives; the dea-
con's five sons — Ebenezer, Freeman, Jacob, William and Deacon Cy-
rus— taking up farms near by. John Billings came from New Hamp-
shire in 1819, with his son, Sullivan, then eleven years old, and located
near the present residence of Hannibal Drake. John was a shoe-
maker by trade, and Sullivan became a farmer. The latter still sur-
vives, being one of the olde.st inhabitants of the town. Prior to 1819,
Samuel S. Smiley settled where his son, Erastus, now lives. East of
Smiley was Moses Leighton, on the farm now occupied by Charles, ^
grandson of Samuel S. Smiley; and next east to Leighton, on the
Palermo road, was John Bailey. About this time Gibbons McLaugh-
lin was living in a log house on the north side of Fifteen-mile stream,
near Shorey 's saw mill; Joseph Cole settled where^ Charles Littlefield
now lives; and. Cole leaving shortly afterward, Robbert Abbott came,,
and occupied the farm.
Early Taverns, Mills and Stores.— The first stage route from
Augusta to Bangor through Albion was established in 1820 by Bur-
leigh & Arnold, the senior member of the firm being the grandfather
of Governor Edwin C. Burleigh; and among the old drivers who
drew their steaming horses up before the tavern doors were Vassal
D. Pinkham, Billings, Nathaniel Holmes, Calvin Hamlin and Hiram
Reed. Before the coaching days, however, Nathan Haywood, one of
the first settlers, kept, about 1805-10, a tavern across the road from
where Sullivan Billings now lives; and Joel Wellington, another
early settler, kept a public house, about 1817, on the farm now owned
by Stillman Chalmers, about three-quarters of a mile east of Albion
Corner. The house was afterward burned. For a number of years
these two houses were the only places of public entertainment in
town; but soon after the stage route to Bangor was established, John
Wellington, brother of Joel, opened a tavern at the Corner, and con-
ducted it until about 1860, when it was burned. Charles B., son of
John, built on the site of the old tavern, soon after it was destroyed,,
the present and only public house in town, and is still its host.
About the same time that John Wellington went to tavern-keep-
1198 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ing, Ralph Baker also went into the business, and kept an inn at the
corner of the China and Benton roads, on the farm now occupied by
Chester Drake. At a later date Thomas Burrill started a tavern in
the southern part of the town, on the South Belfast road, in the house
now occupied by Chester Terris. This point was then known as
South Albion. Burrill kept the post office here from 1838 until it
was removed to Puddle Dock, the present South Albion, about 1857.
He also ran a shingle mill in connection with his tavern, though he
abandoned the latter business shortly after the close of the war.
William Chalmers, a Scotchman, came to Albion prior to 1800 and
built a grist mill on Fifteen-mile stream, where the present tannery
stands. He also built a carding mill near by, but what became of it
cannot be ascertained. The old grist mill had two run of stones, and
was operated by Scotland, son of William Chalmers, until the site and
privilege were sold to George Rigby, between 1825 and 1830. Mr.
Rigby built the tannery above referred to, but about 1835 it passed to
Joshua Freeman and Theodore Brown, who sold it to Lewis Hopkins.
William H. Healey bought it of Hopkins and he, about 1856, sold it
to Jonathan B. Besse. It is now operated by the latter's heirs.
Early in the present century there was a small tannery on Aaron
French's lot, run by Thomas Bradstreet, father of Samuel H. It was
afterward worked by Nahum French.
About 1812 a saw mill was built by Robert Crosby on a small
stream in what is known as the "Crosby Neighborhood." Robert
ran it until his deatli, about 1832, when his sons, Robert and Luther,
conducted the business until their deaths — Luther's about 1865 and
Robert's in 1876. It was then conducted by the latter's son, Ora O.
Crosby, until 1886, when it was taken down.
One of the oldest buildings around Albion Corner is the carriage
shop directly across the way from Abbott's blacksmith shop. It was
originally built for a store, and stood just north of Llewellyn Libbey's
present store, at what was formerly known as Baker's Corner. In
1879 Daniel Dean, then the proprietor, moved it down to its present
site, and the next year remodeled it into a carriage shop. In 1881 he
sold it to Everett G. Wing, who has since occupied it.
Three-quarters of a mile east of the Corner, where the bridge over
Fifteen-mile stream now stands, Levi Maynard operated a saw mill
and fulling, carding and grist mills about 1817. The carding mill
was afterward bought by Joel and John Wellington and removed to
the outlet of Lovejoy's pond. About 1852 this mill was burned, and
on its site, fifteen years later, Jonathan B. Besse built the present saw
and shingle mill. He sold to Stillman Chalmers about 1880, and the
latter's son, John, now conducts the business. Maynard's other mills
were carried away by a freshet, and in 1827 John Pender erected a
similar set of mills further down the stream, but they were also car-
TOWN OF ALBION. 1199
ried away. Undismayed by the portentous history of former ventures,
two saw mills were erected in 1847 on Pender's old site, one by Ralph
Baker, the other by Samuel Downs; but disaster still attended the
spot, and in 1857 the mills were burned.
Phineas and Daniel Shorey built a saw mill on their land about
1822, and it was operated by them and their sons until the lumber was
all cut away and the mill destroyed by flood. Another mill was built
a mile up the stream about 1867, and is now run by Gustavus B.
Shorey.
About 1827 a saw mill was erected by Vincent Pratt on the east
side of a small confluent of Fifteen-mile stream. The mill was on the
Pratt road leading from Puddle Dock, but was abandoned years ago.
On a small stream in the extreme northern part of the town, on
the road from the Corner to East Benton, Thomas and James Fowler
built a shingle, saw, and lath mill about 1842, and it is still operated
by their sons.
Near his house in the southwestern part of the town, on a brook
emptying into the west branch of Fifteen-Mile stream, Otis Fall built
a saw mill about 1862, and operated it for nearly a score of years,
when he abandoned the bu.siness.
Benjamin F. Abbott built the blacksmith shop north of the pres-
ent town house in 1866, and ran it until 1889, when he retired from
the business, and was succeeded by his son, Charles W. The smithy
south of the town house, at Baker's Corner, was built in 1880, by
Lloyd Wesley Drake, and has been run by him since that time.
The wants of the early settlers were simple, it is true, but they
could not all be supplied from the products of the farm, or the fruits
of the home looms, skillful though the good housewives were in man-
ufacturing homespun cloths and yarns. Three of the then neces-
saries of life could not be raised on any farm in Albion; these were
tobacco, molasses and rum, and to supply these, and other less im-
perative needs. Dr. Asa Ouimby, with a shrewd eye to increasing the
scanty income derived from his practice, built and opened a stoi-e
about 1800 where George Woodes now lives. The history of this
ancient emporium, the first in the town of which tradition gives any
account, has been strange and varied. After dispensing the aforesaid
and other necessaries for about a quarter of a century, the worthy
doctor dispensed with the store also, selling it to George Rigby, who
moved it down the Bangor road to the corner of the short road lead-
ing to his tannery, which he had just built. Here he turned the old
store into a currying shop, and conducted the business until about
1835. When Lewis Hopkins bought the tannery of Rigby 's creditors,
he also purchased the currying shop, and made of it a dwelling.
About 1843 he re-converted it into a store, and thus it remained for
many years. William H. Healey bought it about 1856, and ran it for
1200 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
four or five years. Healey then removing to Boston, Jonathan B.
Besse rented it of him, and conducted the business. Later, Besse pur-
chased the store, changed it again into a dwelling, and moved it to
where Eben Weymouth now lives, the whilom store thus being his
present residence.
Where the hay scales now stand at the Corner, John Wellington
built a store about 1817. When the Universalist church was built in
18;-38, the store stood directly in front of the sanctuary's doors, and,
after some parleying, the older structure was removed to its present
site on the corner at the top of the hill. Here Mr. Wellington kept
the post office for about a decade, and here the waggish Matthew
Hoxie traded for awhile, being succeeded by Zelotes Downs and
others, and, after them, Hezekiah Stratton, who bought it and ran
it until his death, prior to 1873, in which year Charles A. Drake, the
present proprietor, purchased it of Stratton's estate.
Some rods south of this old store, at the corner named for him,
Ralph Baker traded about 1817. Llewellyn Libbey's present store
occupies the site of the old one. Thomas Burrill was Baker's partner
for four or five years, when they dissolved partnership, and Andrew
E. Leighton rented the store, trading there a few years, and then
removing his business to quarters of his own, on the site of Anson
Danforth's present residence. Baker's house being destroyed by fire
soon after this, he moved his store, and converted it into a dwelling.
It is now occupied by Chester Drake. Leighton 's old store had quite
an eventful history. About 1839 he sold it to Richard Bugden. Still-
man Chalmers hired it of the latter until 1846, when he moved
down to a new store he had built just east of his present house.
Chalmers' store was burned in January, 1880, and in the same year
on the same site, he erected a larger store, which was burned in 1888,
and never rebuilt.
Bugden died about the time the first store was built by Chalmer's,
and as administrator of the estate, Chalmers sold the old Leighton
store to Hezekiah Stratton, who moved it down the Bangor road
about a mile, and traded there for ten years. He then removed the
store to near its original site, and sold it to Walter Kidder, who, after
running it several years, sold to Alanson Shepherd, and went to Cali-
fornia. Shepherd used it for a paint shop one summer, after which
he rented it to Tobias Fitzgerald, who traded in it for eighteen
months. Shepherd then sold the building to Fred Brown, who dis-
posed of it to Theodore Perkins, who moved it to the south of Charles
A. Drake's store, and made it over into a stable. The only other
recorded store in Albion, dating back to ante-bellum days, was that
built by Jordan Stinson about 1856, on the Bangor road, where
George Littlefield now lives. When Stinson left town, about 1862,
TOWN OF ALBION. 1201
'the store was sold to George Hopkins, who moved it down back of
Drake's store, where it is now occupied as a dwelling.
The Old Elms. — For a hundred rods west of the Corner the road on
■each side is fringed with a fine row of elms, though those on the north
side are of larger growth than those on the south. And hereby hangs a
tale, whose apparent moral should be rather discouraging to the zealous
prohibitionist. It seems that in 1845, during the grand temperance
agitation in the state, the members of the village Washingtonian
Society challenged the anti-prohibitionists to set out a row of trees,
against a row to be planted by the society, in order that they might
see, in point of development, which side of the hotly-contested ques-
tion Dame Nature herself would espouse. The challenge was ac-
cepted forthwith. The Washingtonians selected the south side of the
street for their experiment in arboriculture, and the anti-teetotalers
the north side; and the way Madame Nature decided is to-day apparent
to the most casual observer.
Religious Societies. — About 1815 Oliver Winslow, a wealthy
and leading Friend in Albion, built the meeting house on what was
then, and still is, known as "Quaker Ridge," in the eastern part of
the town. There were but a few Friends here at that time, but the
society afterward grew to flourishing proportions. The ancient
building still stands, though it is fast falling to decay. Its furniture
was removed in the spring of 1892 to the meeting house in Unity.
In the southern part of the town, a few rods from the China line,
is a dilapidated structure that was once the church home of the Bap-
tist society, organized about 1817. The edifice was built about 1830,
when the membership was about 150. Elder Thomas was the first
pastor, and was succeeded by Elder Stevens and Elder Copeland.
The church was abandoned as a house of worship about 1876. The
records of the society are lost, and what Baptists are left in town
attend service at China village.
The Christian Church was organized by Rev. Samuel Nutt, Janu-
ary 1, 1825, at the house of Robert Crosby, where Leroy Copeland
now lives, with seven members : Robert, Luther, William, Abigail
and Ethelind Crosby, and Franklin and Lovina Barton. The present
membership of the church is about 140. The society worshipped at
the town house for .some years, until their church on the Puddle Dock
road was built, in 1844. Here services were held until 1869, when
they began building a new and attractive edifice at the village. This
church was dedicated January 1, 1870, and the old structure sold to
Hezekiah Stratton, of whom the Church of Christ society purchased
it in 1871.
A Sunday school was organized about 1844 and now numbers some
seventy members. The pastors of the Christian church have been:
. Samuel Nutt, 1825; Mark H. Shepherd, 1830 to 1836; S. S. Nason, 1840;
1202 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Zebulon Manter, 1849: Samuel Bickford, 1855; David Knowlton, 1864:
O. J. Hancock, 1866; B. P. Reed, 1870; H. B. Sawyer, 1873; John W.
Tilton, 1874; E. E. Colburn, 1876; L. M. Smith, 1877; J. C. Brown,
1882; J. W. Card, 1883; C. V. Parsons, 1884; J. W. Card, 1885; D. C.
Herron, 1886; C. V. Parsons, 1887; and A. H. Martin since 1889.
In the early days of Albion the Universalist creed found strong-
supporters among the Strattons, Fowlers, Wellingtons, and some of
the Crosbys; yet it is rather singular that though an edifice was built
in 1838 at the Corner, and still stands, battered and paintless, no steps
were ever taken toward a regular church organization. The building-
was dedicated in 1839, and the Maine General Conference met there
in 1840 — conclusive proof that the church had then a substantial body
of supporters. The building was repaired in 1868, and two years
later a Sunday school was established, with about fifty scholars, which
flourished a few years. In 1888 an effort was made to revive interest
in the church, and only the parish was organized. Among those who
preached here in days gone by were the Reverends McFarland, Miller,
Locke, Baxter and E. P. Fogg; and, occasionally, G. G. Hamilton and
R. H. Aldrich. During the summer of 1892 G. E. Leighton, a young
divinity student, held services in the church and .succeeded in re-
awakening some interest in its behalf.
The Church of Christ Society was organized in 1870, under the
labors of Rev. William Murray, of Haverhill, Mass., with a member-
ship of twenty-two. Two years prior to this, worship was held in the
house of Charles Drake, in the extreme southern part of the town;
but after organization the society held its services in district No. 9
school house, until 1871, when the old meeting house of the Christian
church on the Puddle Dock road was purchased, where worship has
since been held. Elder Charles Drake has been leader of the society
up to the present time, though several of the brethren have occasion-
ally helped him in his labors.
Cemeteries. — Most of the eight burial grounds in Albion are
properly maintained, but some of them bear depressing evidences of
neglect. The most ancient of these cemeteries adjoins the land of
Ralph J. Whittaker. It is thought to have been laid out about 1810.
It is about an acre in extent, and contains the remains of members of
the Crosby, Pray, Woodcock and Curtis families, and of other early
settlers.
The next oldest ground (about 1815) is the Friends' Cemetery on
Quaker hill, though no burials are made here at the present time.
Many of the graves are unmarked, but a few record the names of
men prominent in their day in the afTairs of the society. They are:
James Warren, b. 1765, d. 1852; Joseph Winslow, b. 1774, d. 1851; John
Warren, b. 1775, d. 1849; Ebenezer Varney, b. 1780, d. 1857; Levi
Winslow, b. 1788, d. 1875; James Coombs, b. 1795, d. 1859.
1204 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Franklin, Mass." (a sister of Horace Mann, the noted scholar), who
died in 1859, aged 75. Tristram Fall was buried here in 1876, aged 86;
and here also lie Daniel Libbey, b. 1794, d. 1876, and his two wives,
Elizabeth, b. 1800, d. 1837, and Nancy, b. 1797, d. 1872.
Next north of this ground is a small private lot, neatly fenced
with iron, in which are interred members of the Abbott, Wentworth,
Stackpole and Johnson families.
Post Offices. — The post office at Albion was established March
16, 1825, with Joel Wellington, postmaster. His successors have been:
Ralph Baker, appointed February 24,1831; John Wellington, January
3, 1835; Cornelius H. Kidder, October 2, 1849; Zelotes Downs, Decem-
ber 15, 1851; Artemas Libbey, November 8, 1853; John Wellington,
February 20, 1858; George Lincoln, June 7, 1858; Jourdan F. Stinson,
February 21, 1859; Charles Wellington, April 19, 1859; Jourdan F.
Stinson, April 11, 1860; George M. Webb, August 31, 1861; Daniel S.
Drake, December 15, 1864; George F. Hopkins, February 6, 1867;
Hezekiah Stratton, November 19, 1869; Llewellyn Libbey, August 28,
1873; Charles A. Drake, March 8, 1882; Charles B. Wellington, July
13, 1885, and Charles A. Drake, May 15, 1889.
Thomas Burrill was the first postmaster at South Albion, the office
being established March 5, 1838. His successor was David B. Fuller,
appointed August 3, 1857. On October 10, 1860, the office was discon-
tinued, but sixteen days later was reestablished, with Fuller again the
incumbent. Jacob Taber was appointed July 9, 1861; Thomas Cook-
son, December 6, 1864; Robert E. Rider, January 21, 1867, and George
A. Rider, May 2, 1873.
Civil Lists. — In the following list of selectmen the initial year of
service and total number of times elected (if more than one) are
given: 1802, Stephen Dexter, 2, Joseph Crummett, 2, Abraham Fuller,
3; 1804, Abraham Copeland, 2, Jonathan Fuller, 3, Phineas Farnham;
1805, Daniel Caldwell, 6; 1806, Joseph Cammett, 13, Edward Taylor;
1807, Japheth C. Washburn, 7; 1809, Louis Metcalf, Zalmunah Wash-
burn; 1810, James Crosby; 1811, Oliver Winslow, Daniel Stevens, 5;
1812, Joel Wellington, 11; 1816, John Wellington, 12; 1818, William
B. Shay, 2; 1820, John Winslow, 4, Warren Drake, 2; 1823, William
Goodhue; 1824, Ebenezer Shaw; 1825, Ebenezer Shay and Zimmah
Haywood; 1826, Enoch Farnham, 3, Ralph Baker, 5; 1829, James
Stratton, 2, Daniel Libbey 2; 1831, Jonathan Winslow and Samuel
Libbey; 1832, Alexander Buxton, Amasa Taylor and William Hay-
wood; 1833, Enoch Farnham, 3, Benjamin Webb, 4; 1835, Robert
, Crosby, 13; 1837, Thomas Burrill, 15, Jacob Shaw; 1838, Charles O.
Connor; 1841, James Coombs, 3; 1842, Elisha Cro.sby, 2; 1844, Stephen
Ryder, 10; 1845, Nathan Webb, 2; 1847, David Hanscom, 6, Samuel
Webb; 1848, Jesse Taylor and Enoch C. Farnham; 1849, George W.
Lincoln; 1850, Mark Rollins, jun., 12; 1852, Simeon Skillens and Arte-
TOWN OF ALBION. 1205
mas Libbey; 1854, Daniel Kidder, 3; 1856, Amasa Taylor, jun; 1857.
Samuel Ingraham, Harrison Jaquith, 9; 1858, James Whitaker, 5,
Amasa Hammond, 9; 1859, Otis M. Sturtevant, 2, Joseph L. Libbey, 2;
1861, Daniel S. Drake, 2; 1865, Seneca Shorey, 3; 1869, George M.
Webb and Lorenzo Shorey; 1870, W. Rodney Skillins, 4; 1873, Charles
Drake, 2, Francis Shorey, 2; 1874, Tristram Fall, jun.; 1875, Ralph J.
Whitaker, 3, George B. Pray, 8; 1877, Dennis G. Mudgett, 8; 1879,
Amasa Bacheldor and G. Boardman Wood; 1880, Amasa Hammond,
Ezekiel Chadwick and George W. Littlefield; 1881, W. Brewer Wing
and Charles L. Foss; 1882, John G. Parmenter, 4, J. Wheeler Stratton,
2; 1884, Charles S. Billings, 3, Lendal Taylor, 2; 1885, Everett F.
Crommett; 1887, Ora O. Crosby, 4, G. B. Wood, 2; 1891, R. Leander
Baker; 1892, John H. Whitaker.
The successive clerks have been: in 1802, Daniel Lovejoy; 1805,
Abraham Copeland; 1806, Joseph Cammett; 1809, James Crosby; 1811,
Edward Taylor; 1814, Japheth Wa.shburn; 1815, Jonathan Winslow;
1817, Joel Wellington; 1819, Alexander Buxton; 1820, William Good-
hue; 1823, Zebah Washburn; 1829, Benjamin Webb; 1832, Thomas
Burrill; 1837, Jesse Taylor; 1839, Nathan Webb; 1844, Simeon Skil-
lins; 1853, Jesse Taylor; 1855, Jacob Taber; 1856, W. Rodney Skillins;
18.57, N. B. Buxton; 1859, Hezekiah Stratton: 1861, Perry Gilman;
1863, Bradstreet Fuller; 1864, Ora O. Crosby; 1866, George F. Hop-
kins; 1872, G. W. Kidder; 1878, Charles A. Drake; 1879, Benjamin F.
Abbott; 1881, L. M. Smith; 1886, Fred T. Brown, and 1892, Charles
W. Abbott.
The treasurers of the plantation and town have been: 1802, Daniel
Lovejoy; 1804, Robert Crosby; 1805, Nathan Heywood; 1808, Edward
Taylor; 1811, Joseph Cammett; 1812, Silas Taber; 1813, Daniel Stev-
ens; 1819, Jonah Crosby; 1826, Eben Stratton; 1832, Zimri Heywood
1834, Ralph Baker; 1836, Thomas Bradstreet; 1838, Samuel Libbey
1839, John Winslow; 1841, Benjamin Lewis; 1842, David B. Fuller;
1850, Zelotes Downs; 1852, David Hanscom; 1853, Sumner Hodgkins
1854, George B. Ryder; 1855, Hezekiah Stratton; 1858, George Lin
coin, 1860, Amos Varney; 1861, Joseph A. Ryder; 1864, George Webb
1866, George M. Webb; 1868, Francis Shorey; 1874, Otis M. Meader
1877, Benjamin F. Abbott; 1878, Nathan Davis; 1880, James Whit
aker; 1881, James F. Holmes; 1882, A. H. Hammond; 1882, Houlton
Chalmers.
Schools.— In 1811 there were nine school districts in Albion; in
1882 the number was increased to fourteen; but at the present time,
owing to the decrease of population, the number of districts has been
diminished to eleven, with a total attendance averaging about 250.
The school property is valued at about $3,000, and is kept in good
repair. Uniform text books are furnished by the town. The first
high school was established in 1876, and was held in the hall now
1206 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
owned by the Grange. It was maintained for several years, and then,
no appropriations being made for the purpose, it was discontinued
until 1884, when it was reestablished, and has since received cordial
support. The school is usually held in the fall and spring — in the
former season at No. 10 school house in the Shorey district, and in the
latter season at No. 8 school house, at the village.
Town Farm. — Prior to 1858 the poor of the town were cared for
by individual contract; but, about the year named, the farm on the
Bessey road, three miles south of the Corner, originally taken up by
Solomon Bessey about 1810, was purchased of William Bessey,
nephew of Solomon, and devoted to the maintenance of the public
poor. The farm at first comprised about 160 acres. Some of it was
sold, and, later, other land was added, until now its extent is about
170 acres.
The Grange. — The only secular society now in Albion is Grange
No. 181, Patrons of Husbandry. It was organized July 6, 1875, with
thirtysix charter members. Its first chief officers were: Ora O. Crosby,
master; Otis Meader, overseer; R. G. Baker, lecturer; A. H. Ham-
mond, steward; D. G. Mudgett, treasurer, and J. A. Shay, secretary.
Grange Hall, built by a stock company in 1873, was bought by the
society in 1886, and the lower part fitted up for commercial purposes.
The Grange now numbers about 150 members.
personal paragraphs.
Ashmun R. Abbott, farmer, born in 1863, is a son of David vS. and
Jemima (Tinkham) Abbott, grandson of Benjamin (died 1862) and
great-grandson of Stephen Abbott. David S. Abbott was born in Albion
in 1829, and was a blacksmith. He died in 1888. His two sons were
Stephen W. and Ashmun R., who lives on the homestead. He mar-
ried Lizzie E., daughter of Isaiah Austin, and they have two sons:
Leon D. and Linwood F.
Charles W. Abbott is a son of Benjamin, and grandson of Benja-
min F. Abbott, who came to Albion in 1825, where he died in 1862. Mr,
Abbott is a blacksmith, as were his father and grandfather, and since
his father retired from the business in 1887, he has run a general re-
pair and blacksmith shop at Albion Corner. He is also town clerk.
He married Cordelia, daughter of Eben Libbey, and their only son is
Lloyd B.
George W. Baker, born in 1841, is a son of Hartwell andHepsibah,
and grandson of Ralph Baker (1784-1862), who was one of the early
settlers of Albion, where he kept a store, a post office and hotel for
many years. His father was Samuel Baker. George W. has always
been a farmer in Albion. His wife was Clara L., a daughter of J. L.
Libbey. They have one son, Charles N.
Ralph L. Baker, born in 1837, is a son of Hartwell T. and Hepsi-
TOWN OF ALBION. 120T
bah (Webb) Baker, and grandson of Ralph Baker (1784-1862), who
was deputy sheriff a number of years, and collector and treasurer of
Albion. Ralph married Grace Burrell, and their twelve children
were: Hartwell T., William S., Harrison, Reuel, George, Mary,
Emily, Adaline, Ann B., Charles, Albert and Caroline H. Mr. Baker's
grandfather kept a tavern and ran a saw mill at the " Corner " for a
number of years. Mr. Baker was educated in the schools of the town,
and taught several terms. He was in mercantile trade for a few years,^
and since 1878 he has been a farmer. He married Olive A., daughter
of Jo.seph L. Libbey. Their only son is Everett L. They lost one
daughter, Abbie E. Mr. Baker has served as selectman and member
of the superintending school committee.
Thomas Baker, farmer, born in 1809, is a son of Zachariah, and
grandson of Zachariah Baker. His father settled in Albion in 1808.
Thomas married Rachel H., daughter of Elisha Johnson, and they
have two daughters : Eunice and Martha A. (Mrs. Fred. E. Clark).
Everett B. Besse, farmer, is a son of Jonathan Belden Besse, and a
grandson of Jonathan Besse, of Wayne, who was born in 1775, the
first male child born in Wayne. Jonathan B. was born October 15,
1820, and died March 5, 1892. He owned and operated a tannery in
Albion many years, and in 1890 transferred it to Clinton, where his
son, Frank L., now carries on the business. Everett B. married Jessie,
daughter of Rufus Rowe, of Palermo, Me. Their children are Floyd
Rowe and Carrol Everett. Mr. Besse resides on the old homestead.
Alfred Bessey, born in 1816, is a son of Ephraim (1771-1833) and
Rebecca (Manter) Bessey, and grandson of Jabez Bessey. His wife is
Betsey, daughter of Jesse Handy. They had two sons : Alonzo D.
and Ghoram L., both deceased. Edwin A. Bessey, born in Albion, is
a grandson of Alfred and Betsey (Handy) Bessey. His mother was a
daughter of Alfred and Betsey (Handy) Bessey. Edwin A. has always
lived with the grandparents, and takes the name of Bessey. They
live on the old homestead, where Ephraim Be.ssey settled and died, on
what is known as Bessey ridge.
Harrison B. Bessey, born in 1831, is a son of Ephraim and Betsey
(Wiggins) Bessey, grandson of Ephraim, and great-grandson of Jabez
Bessey. Mr. Bessey has lived on the farm where he now resides since
1852. His wife was Elsie Cook. His two brothers, both deceased,
were Henry and Albert. The latter died in the army.
Pardon T. Bessey, born in 1843, is a son of Prince and Amelia
(Tinkham) Bessey, and grandson of Ephraim Bessey, who came from
Wayne to Albion and settled on what is known as Bessey ridge. Par-
don T. married for his first wife, Isadora E., daughter of Samuel N.
Tilton. She bore him one son, Elmer F. For his second wife he
married landa B., daughter of Caleb Parmenter, and for his third wife
Delia, daughter of F. A. Damond. By her he has five children:
1208 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
George B., Leon M., Bertha E. (Mrs. Thomas J. Shores), Lillian E.
and Emily C.
Charles F. Byther, farmer, born in 1862, is a .son of Martin Byther,
who died in Libby Prison during the war, and Isabel (Whitaker)
Byther. His grandfather was Elisha Byther, who came from England.
Charles F. came to Albion to live when a boy, and in 1883 went to
Montana, where he staid until 1888, when he returned to Albion and
settled on the old Lawyer Farnham place. His wife is Emma J.,
daughter of Hezekiah Stratton. They have one daughter, Gladys S.
Calvin H. Chalmers, farmer, born in 1828, is a son of James and
Joan (Farnham) Chalmers, and grandson of William Chalmers, one of
the early settlers of Albion. Mr. Chalmers married first, Damaris,
daughter of William Crosby. She died in 1872, leaving one .son, Mil-
ton, whose wife was Ina M. Peasley. They have one son, Arthur E.,
and live on the old John Frye farm. Mr. Chalmers married for his
second wife, Sybil Smiley, who died in 1888.
John C. Chalmers, born in 1855, is a son of Stillman and Mary
(Taylor) Chalmers, grandson of James, and great-grandson of William
Chalmers. John C. was a merchant for some time ; he also owned
and run a saw mill on Lovejoy's stream, but is now a farmer. His
wife was Alma, daughter of Noah Barnes. Their children are Dwight
S. and Clarence N. Mr. Chalmers' father was in trade in Albion from
1839 until 1888, most of the time.
Ripley Chalmers, born in 1823, is a son of Scotland and Judith N.
(French) Chalmers, and grandson of William Chalmers, who
came from Scotland to Maine, and to Albion where he built
on the site where the old tannery now stands, a woolen mill,
which he ran for many years, also a grist mill and potash works.
Ripley Chalmers is a farmer on the old homestead of William Chal-
mers. He married a daughter of David Libbey and they have one
daughter, Grace B. Mr. Chalmers has also brought up the children
of his deceased brother, Rodman, who left one son, Merritt L., and
two daughters.
Otis B. Chase, born in Unity in 1834, is a son of Benjamin and
Anna (Stephens) Chase, and grandson of John Chase, who came from
Massachusetts and settled in LTnity. Otis B. came to Albion in 1857,
followed the carpenter trade until 1878, and has since been a farmer.
His first wife was Martha Hillman, who died, leaving two children- —
Everett P. and Anna J. His present wife is Ellen, daughter of
Thomas Worthen.
John E. Copeland, born in 1835, is a son of Rev. Nathaniel and
Eunice (Philbrook) Copeland,who came from Warren, Me., about 1830.
Rev. Nathaniel died in 1850, leaving four sons: William H., Nathaniel,
Oliver and John E., who lived on the homestead until 1888, when he
moved to the old home of his wife, who was Sarah, daughter of
RESIDENCE OF Mr, GEORGE H CROStY, ALEION, ME.
TOWN OF ALBION. 1209
Thomas and Emily Worthen. Their children are: Annie M., Alice
E., John O., Willie N. and Eva E. Mr. Copeland was in the late war
one year in Company G, 24th Maine.
Leroy Copeland, born in Warren, Me., in 1819, is a son of Charles
and grandson of Nathaniel Copeland. When twenty-one years
old he began work as a shipbuilder and followed that trade for thirty
years, excepting the time he served in the army, where he was first
lieutenant in Company G, 21st Maine. He returned to Maine in 1863,
in 1870 moved to China, and in 1877 to Albion, where he is a farmer.
His wife was a daughter of Joseph Copeland. They had one son —
Hilliard L., who died June 16, 1889, aged thirty-seven— and two
daughters — Augusta C. (Mrs. George A. Fletcher), and Angle J. (Mrs.
George A. Cigore, of California).
George Hannibal Crosby, eldest child of Hartwell Broad and
Elizabeth Grant (Buxton) Crosby, was born in Bangor, Me., Septem-
ber 23, 1836. His great-grandfather was Rev. James Crosby, one of
the early settlers of Albion, whose father, John Crosby, of Martha's
Vineyard, Mass., was a lineal descendant of Simon and Ann Crosby,
who came from Lancashire, England, in the ship Susan & Ellyn, with
their infant son, in 1635, and settled m Cambridge, Mass., where he
owned large tracts of land, on one of which was built the famous
" Brattle House; " was selectman in 1636 and '38; died 1639, and left
three sons: Thomas, born 1635, graduated from Harvard College 1653,
settled and preached in Eastham, Mass.; Simon, born 1637, settled in
Billerica, Mass., representative in 1692, '97 and '98; and Joseph, born
1639, settled in Braintree, Mass., representative in 1689.
Rev. James Crosby was born in Martha's Vineyard, 1760, married
Sarah Tilton and settled in Albion in 1783. Here he preached the
gospel on Sundays and attended to his grist mill the remainder of the
week, while his wife was nurse, doctor and friend to all in this then
sparsely settled locality. They are gratefully remembered by some
old survivors at this day. He died in 1845; she died earlier. They
had three sons and three daughters. Their second son, James, jun.,
born in 1792, married Susan, daughter of Josiah Broad, of Holden,
Mass., 1813, settled in Albion and operated in the triple capacity of
mason, carriage maker and farmer. He was a tall, powerful man, a
o-ood mechanic, a staunch friend, a true Free Mason and loyal citizen.
He died February, 1862; his wife died earlier. Their children were:
Hartwell Broad, born 1814, died 1884 in Albion; Harrison Wilder,
torn 1816, died 1891 in Albion; Horace, born 1818, died 1847 at sea;
Hanford, born 1820, died 1877 in Camden; Mara, born 1822, died in
Albion; Hannibal, born 1829, died 1831 in Albion.
Harrison W. remained on the homestead, married Abbie J., daugh-
ter of Alva and Jane (Robinson) Thompson, of Montville, Me. Their
children are: Alice Jane, born September 4, 1864; James H., born
1210 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
1866; Willis W., born 1868; Carrie, born 1871; Robert, born 1874.
His wife, who survives him, with her son, Robert, occupies the home-
stead.
Hartwell B., the eldest (the father of George H.), a builder and
contractor, went to Bangor, and directly after the great fire in St.
John, N. B., in 1841, he went to that city. He had just returned to
Albion, where he and his wife were both born, and built for himself
some mills on the site of his grandfather's old mill when the great
fire of 1848 occurred in St. Johns, Newfoundland. He left his family
in Albion, chartered vessels and loaded them with brick and lime, and
with a large crew of mechanics went to that city to again engage ex-
tensively in building. Three years later he again went to St. John,
N. B., and remained several years. His wife died there, but he re-
turned later to Albion. He amassed a fortune which reverses in his
old age somewhat reduced. He was a fine specimen of manhood^
strong physically and mentally, with large executive ability, great
energy and untiring perseverance; a true " Yankee " and Union demo-
crat, with perfect faith in the ultimate success of the northern arms.
In the meantime his son, George H., was attending the public
schools, and for a time previous to 1850 he attended the China Acad-
emy. He then attended the institute at Waterville, Me., one year,
and afterward spent a year at the Wesleyan Academy, Sackville,
N. B. At the age of eighteen he was fully prepared to enter college,
but at the earnest request of his father to learn the building busi-
ness, he tried it for one year, but it being distasteful to him, he was
placed with the firm of Fleming & Humbert, builders of engines and
general machinery at St. John, N. B. Here he remained until thfr
middle of the second year, when at the time of the Crimean war, he
sailed for Constantinople, visiting at the same time Gibraltar, Malta,
Messina, and Liverpool. vSoon after his return he married, June 23,
1857, Sadie Elizabeth, daughter of Robert and Jane (Disbrow) Ray,
of St. John, and moved to Boston. He found employment at the-
Boston Locomotive Works for one year, and finished his profession.
He was now a journeyman machinist — what he had so long desired.
From this time he was constantly employed studying mechanical
engineering, and gradually advancing into finer grades of work; was.
foreman and instructor in the machine department in the Massachu-
setts State Prison five years, then foreman for the Ashcroft Steam
Gauge Company. In 1873 he was appointed foreman of the American
Steam Gauge Company, and remained until 1875. In 1876, having in
the meantime secured patents for several improvements in pressure
gauges and safety valves, he went into business for himself, and soon
organized the Crosby Steam Gauge & Valve Company, of which he
was a director and superintendent. His improvements in the steam
engine indicator and other instruments of precision, in which he-
TOWN OF ALBION. 1211
made a notable success, have a world-wide reputation until to-day the
model factory in Boston, with its varied and continued improvements
in this special line, stands an honor to the trade. All the navies of
the world have adopted their instruments. Mr. Crosby has secured
over thirty patents— all, except two, are in successful operation.
He was a member of the Somerville common council in 1876-7
of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association until 1889,
and is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
His second marriage occurred in 1886, with Alice J., daughter of
Harrison W. and Abbie J. (Thompson) Crosby, of Albion. Of this
union are three children: Carlotta Hortense, Oman George and How-
ard Broad Crosby.
At the age of fifty Mr. Crosby retired from active business, and
has lately built him a delightful country residence, shown in the ac-
companying plate, in Albion, Me., where, with his magnificent farm
of 250 acres, enclosing lake and stream, abounding with fish and
game, his twenty-two-foot centre-board, splendid scenery and healthy
climate, he cultivates his taste for agricultural pursuits, and fine
horses and cattle. Mr. Crosby was his own designer and architect,
and was several years completing the whole. He considers the cost
as money well spent in creating a " home " for his beloved wife and
children, and a retreat for their children's children in years to come.
He is yet in the prime of life, and is at present working out and per-
fecting some new inventions. He retains his whole financial inter-
ests in the Crosby Company, and is vice-president and director, while
largely interested in another also.
Ora O. Crosby, born in 1834, is the only son of Robert and Rox-
ana (Rackliff) Crosby, and grandson of Robert Crosby. He is a
farmer on the place settled by his father, and where he died in 1876,
aged sixty-eight years. Mr. Crosby was educated in the schools of
the town and in the academies of the adjoining towns. He taught
school ten terms, and served several years on the school board. He
was four years selectman, and one year a member of the state legisla-
ture. He has done plain surveying several years, and in connection
with his farming conducts an egg business which was started by his
father. He married Hannah B., daughter of Samuel N. Tilton, of
Thorndike, Me. They have one son, Charles E.
Nathan Davis, born in 1825, is a son of Robinson D. (1785-1879)
and Polly L. Davis, and grandson of Sylvanus Davis, of Cape Cod.
Robinson D. Davis settled in Albion about 1812, and lived there until
his death. He had six sons: William, John, Henry, Sylvanus, Nathan
and Edward. Nathan married Hannah M., daughter of Ichabod Spen-
cer, and settled on the farm where he now lives. They have three
sons: George E., Frederick A. and Walter L. Mr. Davis was for sev-
eral years treasurer and collector of the town.
1212 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Charles Drake, farmer, is a son of Warren (1785-1865), and grand-
son of Oliver Drake, who had three sons, Warren, Codding and
Washington, that were among the early settlers of Albion. Mr.
Drake went to California in 1851, and spent seven 3'ears there. Re-
turning to Albion, he married Hannah, daughter of George Nash, of
Gardiner, and settled on the homestead of his father.
Charles A. Drake, born in 1849, is a son of Daniel and Mary (Rol-
lins) Drake, and grandson of Warren Drake, who came to Albion with
two brothers, Codding and Washington, and settled on what has been
•called Drake hill. Charles A. staid on the farm until 1873, after which
he was in business with Llewellyn Libbey for eight years in the old
Stratton store. He has been town clerk for several years.
Washington Drake, born in 1829, is one of eight sons of Washing-
ton (1793-1853) and Elizabeth (Langdon) Drake, and grandson of
Oliver Drake. Mr. Drake has been married four times. His second
wife left him three daughters. His third wife left him one son, Os-
born L. His present wife has four sons: Elmer W., Arthur W., Free-
land P. and William L. Mr. Drake lives on the homestead and is a
farmer and cooper.
Bradstreet Fuller, farmer, born in 1832, is a son of Jonathan H.
(1806-1885) and Bathsheba (Bradstreet) Fuller, and grandson of Jona-
than, who was one of the early settlers of Albion. Mr. Fuller went
to California in 1850 and in 1853 returned and settled in Albion. His
wife was Amanda J., daughter of John Bradstreet. Their children
are: Jonathan B., Carrie W. and Hannah.
John C. Gould was born in 1866, and lives on the old homestead,
where his grandfather, John Gould, died in 1891, leaving one daugh-
ter, Olive A., who is a teacher, having taught more than forty terms
of school. She was also supervisor of schools in Albion, being elected
by unanimous vote. She has spent several years in the South, teach-
ing in the freedmen's mission schools. Her father came from Free-
dom to Albion in 1865, where he was a farmer.
Silas Hussey, born in 1811, is a son of David and grandson of Jo-
seph Hussey. David Hussey came from New Hampshire to Maine
when a boy, and in 1809 settled in Albion, where he died in 1863,
leaving eight children. Silas Hussey married Jane, daughter of John
Wellington, and their children are: John W., Walter, Bert, Fred K.,
Isabel, Fannie and Mary. Mr. Hussey came to the farm where he
now lives in 1838, and has been a farmer and speculator in live stock.
He has always been a democrat.
John W. Hussey, born in Albion in 1842, is a son of Silas and Jane
(Wellington) Hussey, and grandson of Daniel, who came to Albion,
where he died. John W. came to the farm where he now lives in
1873, where he has since been a farmer and drover. His first wife,
Mary K., daughter of Alphonso Crosby, died leaving two daughters:
TOWN OF ALBION. 1213
Lucia M., who died in 1888, and Edith A. His present wife is Fanny,
daughter of Alton Goodspeed, of Albion.
Charles H. Johnson, born in 1838, is a son of Elbridge (1810-1886)
and Mary A. (Worth) Johnson, and grandson of Nathaniel, who came
from Massachusetts to China. Elbridge lived in Albion from 1836 to
his death. He settled on the farm where Charles H. now lives. The
latter lived in China until 1884, when be moved to the old home-
stead in Albion. He has been a blacksmith, but now devotes his time
to farming. He married Jane, daughter of Nathaniel W., and grand-
daughter of Nathaniel Stetson. Their children are: Eva M., who is
a teacher, and Warren G.
Waldo B. Kidder is a son of Daniel and Ruby (Read) Kidder,
grandson of Samuel and Rebecca, and great-grandson of John and
Mary Kidder. Samuel Kidder came to Albion about 1805. Daniel
Kidder was for several years one of the selectmen of Albion and had
children: Charles, Walter, Alfred, Henry, Eugene, Mary, D. Eugene,
Caroline, Milton, Clara, Waldo B. and Horace. Waldo B., after
spending several years in Boston and California, married Julia, daugh-
ter of Perry Gilman, of Albion, who was a school teacher. They
have three sons: J. Karlton, Harry W. and Myron D.
Milton R. Kidder, born in Albion in 1848, is a son of Daniel and
Ruby C. (Read) Kidder, and grandson of Samuel Kidder. About
1805 Daniel and Samuel came from Temple, N. H., to Albion and set-
tled in the south part of the town, where Waldo B. Kidder now lives.
Mr. Kidder is a carpenter; he worked at his trade in Massachusetts
and New Hampshire prior to 1874. Since that time he has resided in
Palermo and Albion. His wife is Lydia M., daughter of Nehemiah
Bryant, of Palermo.
Llewellyn Libbey, born in 1841, is a son of John, and grandson of
Ebenezer Libbey, who came from Berwick to Albion, where he died.
Mr. Libbey came to Albion to live in 1849. He enlisted in Company
G, 24th Maine, and later reenlisted in Company D, 9th Maine, where
he served until 1865. After spending some time in the West he went
into business, in 1873, with C. A. Drake, and continued for eight years.
He afterward started the store south of Albion Corner, which he now
runs. He deals quite largely in agricultural implements.
George W. Littlefield, farmer, born in 1835, is the only son of
Ivory and Huldah (Gifford) Littlefield, who came to Albion in 1833.
He married Sarah A., daughter of Samuel Morrill, of Winslow. Their
children were: Charles B., Carrie E., Willette E., Ada F. (died July 9,
1891), and Lillian M. Mr. Littlefield lived in Massachusetts for sev-
eral years, returning to Albion in 1875.
James S. Morrell.— Jedediah Morrell," born March 9, 1787, was
a son of John', grandson of John*, and great-grandson of Peter Mor-
reir (see pages 653-4). He was married March 8, 1810, to Patience
1214 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Bragg, of East Vassalboro. He settled in China, where he was a
farmer for four years; then removed to Waldo, Me., where he resided
until 1825, when he came to East Vassalboro, where he continued
agricultural pursuits until his death, August 19, 1877. The children
of Jedediah and Patience (Bragg) Morrell were: John B., born March
2, 1811, died October 25, 1878; George W., born April 14, 1813; Hiram,
born September 19, 1815, died March 14, 1819; James S., born April
20, 1818; Julia Ann, born January 9, 1821; Sarah E., born June 18,
1824, died January 25, 1879; Patience B., born May 30, 1827, and Re-
becca F., born January 18, 1831.
James S., the fourth child of this family, was born at Waldo, Me.
He came with the family to East Vassalboro at the age of seven, and
there spent his youth and early manhood in farming and lumbering.
In May, 1851, he bought the John Brawn farm of 140 acres in
Albion, which has been his home since that time. He cleared and
improved the farm, erected buildings and planted orchards, and here,
by dint of industry, economy and good business judgment, he has
acquired a competency that might well be envied by some more pre-
tentious.
He has cared neither for political position, nor social organization,
and has yet to take his first steamboat or railroad ride. He is
respected by those who know him best, for his independence of
thought and action, and his simple tastes and habits make him prom-
inent as a quiet farmer.
He was married April 29, 1846, to Mary A., daughter of John and
Dorcas (Baker) Freeman, of East Vassalboro. The four children born
of this union are: Zechariah B., born September 23, 1847, now a mar-
ket gardener at Athol, Mass.; Arietta W., born January 1, 1849, now
Mrs. Van Knowles, of Fort Fairfield, Me.; George A., born July 20,
1851, now a farmer at home, and Jedediah W., born April 28, 1853,
now a farmer at South China.
Dennis G. Mudgett, born in 1841, is a son of Henry (1806-1870)
and Lydia (Getchell) Mudgett, and grandson of Nathaniel Mudgett.
He has spent his life in Albion, excepting fifteen months in the
army. He has taught school some, has been superintending school
committee three years, selectman for eight years, and chairman of
the board for four years. His wife is Helen M., daughter of Joseph
Mitchell. They have one daughter, Eva M.
John G. Parmenter, born in China in 1844, is the son of Thomas
and grandson of Joseph Parmenter, who came from Massachusetts
to China, and settled on Parmenter hill with his brother, Caleb.
Mr. Parmenter removed to Albion in 1852 with his parents. He
served sixteen months in the army in Company F,.7th Maine, and
then, after going on a whaling voyage for thirty-three months, he
returned to Albion, and is a farmer on the old homestead. He mar-
TOWN OF ALBION. 1215
Tied Maria, daughter of John Stinson, of Albion, and their children
-are: Lillie S., Clara M., John S. and Nellie D.
Edwin Rand, son of Stephen and Sophrona Rand, is a farmer in
Unity. He was married March 5, 1868, to Susan C, daughter of
Prince Bes.';ey. Their children are: Willard E., Herbert L., Mertie E.,
Edward B.. Stephen G., Olive V., Arthur G. and Lynn Y.
Emma C. Shores, daughter of Asa L., and granddaughter of John
R. Coombs, married Edward G., son of George Shores, and came to
Albion in 1875. They .settled on the farm where Mrs. Shores now
lives, and where Mr. Shores died March 23, 1892. Their five sons are:
Thomas J., Amasa E., Walter E., Randolph C. and Asa L. Mrs.
Shores carries on the home farm with the help of her sons. Thomas
J. married Bertha, daughter of P. T. Bessey, and has one son, Henry
L. Shores.
Erastus Shorey, born in 1840, is a son of Luther G. and Rebecca,
and grandson of Samuel and Betsey Shorey. He lives on the old
Shorey homestead, and is a farmer. His wife was a daughter of
Alfred Bessey. Their children are: Alonzo, Luther G., Francelia B.
and Ella F. Mr. Shorey also runs a saw mill on the Fifteen-mile
stream, near where he lives. His grandfather built the first mill,
about 1810, near where the present mill stands.
Leonard M. Shorey, farmer, born in 1844, is a son of Benjamin and
Elmira (Moore) Shorey, and grandson of Benjamin Shorey. He served
in Company D, 2d Maine Cavalry, two years. He married Ann,
■daughter of George Bessey, and settled on the old George Bessey
homestead in Albion. His children are : Fannie M., Asher L., Ida
A. and Hattie E.
James W. Stratton, born in Albion, is a son of James and grandson
of Nehemiah Stratton, who came from New Hampshire to Albion,
where he was one of the early settlers. James W. came to the place
where he now lives in 1867. His wife is Sarah B., daughter of Jesse,
and granddaughter of Captain Edward Taylor, one of the early settlers
of Albion. They have two children: Ella (Mrs. R. H. Blake), and
Adelburt M., who lives on the home farm with his father. Mr. Strat-
ton's mother was Rachel, daughter of John Kidder, of Albion.
Joseph Taylor, born in 1826, is one of the thirteen children (nine
sons and four daughters) of Joseph and Mary (Cross) Taylor. His
grandfather, Abraham Taylor, of Vassalboro, had four sons : Joseph,
William, Calvin and Seth. Mr. Taylor went to California in 1850, re-
turning in 1854. In 1857 he married Sarah, a daughter of James
Roberts, and settled on the farm in Albion, where he had previously
built a house and where he has since resided. He has four daughters
and one son.
Charles B. Wellington, born in 1839, is a son of John and Mary
{Winslow) Wellington. John Wellington was one of the early settlers
1216 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
of Albion, where he raised a large family. He was a merchant and
postmaster for several years. Charles B. has also been in trade for
years, but his principal business has been farming and breeding fine
honses. His wife is Helen A., daughter of Dr. Robert E. Ryder. Their
children are : Mary E , Fannie S., Claude R. and LeClaire.
John H. Whitaker, born in 1849, is one of the six sons of James,
and a grandson of Isaac Whitaker. He went to California in 1868,
where he spent four years, and after spending three years at Great
Falls, N. H., came to Albion, where he is a farmer on Quaker hill. He
is now one of the board of selectmen. He married Clara A.,
daughter of John Hussey, jun., of Smithfield. Their children are:
Cora M., Carrie E., John W., Olive R., Charles I. and Florence M.
Gustavus B. Wood, born in Waldo county. Me., in 1837, is a son of
Elisha and Eliza Wood, and grandson of Jason Wood, formerly of Win-
throp, who in 1800 moved to Waldo county, where he died. Mr. Wood
came to Albion in 1862. He married in 1868, Adelia L., daughter of
George Sibley, of Appleton, Me. Their children have been : Anna
A., Elmer B., Alice D., Ellery O., Mina L. and two infants that died.
Mr. Wood has always been a republican, and was for three years,
prior to 1892, on the board of selectmen.
Olney Worthen, born in 1840, is a .son of Thomas and Emily
(Crosby) Worthen, grandson of Jonathan and great-grandson of Isaac
Worthen, a revolutionary soldier. Thomas Worthen had two sons:
Eugene, who died in the army, and Olney, who was also a soldier one
year in Company H, 19th Maine. In 1863 he returned to Albion and
since 1864 has been a farmer where he lives. His wife, Bella, is a
daughter of Heath Murdough, of Albion. They have one son,
Eugene A. Thomas Worthen came to Albion in 1841.
UNITY PLANTATION.
Northeast of Albion is a tract of land comprising about eight square
miles — known as Unity Plantation. The Sebasticook river forms its
northwestern boundary line. While this territory lies within the bounds
of Kennebec county, its post office and railroad accommodations are
in Unity, of the adjoining county. The first family who settled here
was that of Ebenezer Brookings, who came about 1807, and later
those of Aaron Plummer, John C. Decker and Nathaniel Noyes. The
Christian denomination organized a church here in 1852, but after
about 1872 the meetings, which had been held in the school house,
were discontinued. Among the preachers were Rev. Woodbridge
Webb, Rev. Galusha and Rev. Buxton. The principal set-
tlement of the plantation is in the eastern portion, and here is the
only school house. The school has an average attendance of eighteen
pupils.
UNITY PLANTATION. 1217
The officials of the plantation, prior to 1843, are not known. In
that year the board of assessors were William Thomas, 2, Ira Plum-
mer, 3, and Hartley Brookins. In 1844, J. H. Richardson was elected,
serving one year; 1845, Levi Libbey, 2, William S. Davis; 1846, John
C. Decker, 5, Samuel Strong; 1847, James Sylvester, 2, Gideon Rich-
ardson; 1848, Theodore Perkins; 1849, George Brookins, 11, John Vick-
ery; 1850, H. M. Ridlon, 2, William Thomas; 1851, Oliver Libbey, 6,
Joseph Kelley; 1852, Milo Dodge, 4, Eliphalet Lane, 3; 1855, William
Thomas, 4; 1857, George D. Bacon, 6; 1859, Nelson Libbey, 4; 1862,
David C. Libbey, 25; 1863, F. P. Lane, Aaron Perkins, 2; 1864, A. P.
Perkins, 4; 1865, Ed. E. Hall, 3, Franklin Libbey, 7, Gilbert Libbey. 2;
1867, C. H. Means, 2; 1868, F. B. Lane; 1869, George D. Baker; 1873,
J. W. Bacon, 5; 1874, C. N. Decker; 1876, A.Bacon, 15; 1877, S. C.
Libbey; 1879, Ed. York; since 1881 the assessors have been D. C. Lib-
bey, C. H. Means and A. Bacon.
The Clerks, with the year of first election, have been: 1843, Will-
iam Thomas; 1845, Levi Libbey; 1848, James W. Sylvester; 1852,
William Thomas; 1859, George D. Bacon; 1866, F. B. Lane; 1869,
George D. Baker; 1871, J. W. Baker; 1881, A. P. Perkins; 1885, E. E.
York; 1892, S. P. Libbey.
The Treasurers have been: 1843, Ebenezer Brookins; 1849, John
C. Decker; 1851, William Davis; 1852, Eliphalet Lane; 1853, George
Brookins; 1857, George D. Bacon; 1862, Oliver Libbey; 1866, E. E.
Hall; 1868, George Brookins; 1869, Oliver Libbey; 1871, J. W. Bacon;
1873, D. C. Libbey; 1878, Ed. York; 1879, D. C. Libbey; 1880, A. P. .
Perkins; 1882, C. H. Means; 1883, A. P. Perkins; 1885, A. Bacon; 1890,
S. C. Grant; 1892, S. P. Libbey.
• David C. Libbey, born in 1835, is a son of Oliver, and grandson of
Levi Libbey, from Berwick, Me. Oliver Libbey was born in 1809,
came to Unity Plantation in 1832, and died there in 1889. David C,
Amasa, Charles and Ira P. Libbey are his sons. David C, like his
father, is prominently identified with the interests of the plantation,
and — excepting two years — has been chairman of the board of assess-
ors since 1870. His wife is a daughter of Stephen Perkins. Their
children are: Stephen P., Katie M., Charles O. and George R.
CHAPTER XLVI.
TOWN OF BENTON.*
Incorporation.— Natural Features.— Old Settlers.— Curious Documents.— Early-
Doctors, Lawyers and Teachers —Early Taverns, Mills and Stores. — The
Old Herring Fishery. —Old Stage Routes.— Civil History.— Post Offices.—
Schools. —Religious Societies. — Cemeteries. — Personal Paragraphs.
THE first entry in the records of the town now known as Benton is
that of " an act of the State of Maine entitled ' An act to divide the
town of Clinton and to incorporate the town of Sebasticook.' "
This act was approved March 16, 1842. Eight years later, on March
4th, the town voted " that the selectmen report a new name for the
town at our next meeting." The selectmen reported in favor of the
name of Benton, in honor of Thomas H. Benton, a prominent demo-
crat, and author of Thirty Years in the United States Senate. This name
was approved by the legislature, and in the record of the September
town meeting of the same year, Benton first appears as the name of
the town.
Benton is bounded north by Clinton, .northeast and east by Unity
Plantation, south by Winslow and Albion, and west by Fairfield, in
Somerset county. The Kennebec river forms the western line, Sebasti-
cook river passes through the town near the middle, and Fifteen-mile
brook crosses the eastern part. The rock is principally slate, the soil
a clay and slaty loam, and the woods are those common to the state.
The Maine Central railroad runs diagonally throtigh the town from
Benton Station at the southwest corner, to a point near the center of
its northern boundary line.
The territory embraced by the town was part of the Plymouth
patent, and was first settled about 1775. It was almost an unbroken
wilderness, and hunting and fishing were the chief pursuits of the
early settlers. Clearings were made in the forests on the banks of the
Kennebec and Sebasticook rivers, and in the next generation the lands
so reclaimed were enlarged and partially cultivated. They were
handed down to the grandsons of the hardy pioneers for still further
extension and improvement, and to-day no vestige of the primeval
*For much of the information concerning the early settlers of Benton, the
writer of this chapter is indebted to Asher H. Barton, Esq., whose kindness and
courtesy in this regard are hereby gratefully acknowledged.
TOWN OF BENTON. 1219
forest remains, but in its place broad and beautiful acres of rich farm-
ing lands stretch away on every hand as far as the eye can reach.
Agriculture is now the principal occupation of the inhabitants of
Benton. Fifty years and more ago, flourishing saw, grist, carding and
dye mills, were clustered on the banks of the sinuous Sebasticook, at
the upper and lower falls; but the proximity of Fairfield and Water-
ville caused the gradual diversion of most of these channels of indus-
try to those places, and at the present time scarcely a trace of the
sites of the old mills can be discerned. The placid stream now flows
silently through the town to its trysting place with its larger sister,
the Kennebec, broken only by the dam of the Kennebec Fiber Com-
pany, at Benton Falls, which for a moment stays its onward course.
Old Settlers. — The Indian as a denizen of this territory has long
since vanished in the silent past, and the relics found many years ago
at the foot of the hill overlooking Benton Falls are now the only traces
of the original possessors of the soil. The first white settlers of Ben-
ton chose the bank of the Kennebec as their place of abode, that
stream alluring them not only by its abundance of edible fish, but by
the facilities it afforded for communication with the .settlements be-
low. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1775, George Fitz Gerald and
David Gray came from Ireland, and took up land near each other
about a mile north of what is now Benton Station; and several years
later one Gibson settled about two miles north of the station on the
present river road. Previous to 1777, Stephen Goodwin came from
Bowdoinham, Me., and located at what is now Goodwin's Corner.
About 1783 Gershom Flagg came from Lancaster, Mass., and settled
on the west bank of the Sebasticook; and tradition relates that he re-
ceived from the Plymouth Company the grant of a strip of land,
fifteen miles long by half a mile wide, for his .services in the construc-
tion of Fort Halifax. It is further related that Gershom gave a por-
tion of this land to his brother-in-law, Hon. Joseph North, of Augusta,
who had it surveyed for him.
About 1779 Job Roundy removed from Lynn, Mass., to land north
of what is now Benton village, and began clearing the farm at present
occupied in part by his aged son, William, who was born on the place
in 1806. In the neighborhood of 1790, about a mile south of East
Benton, John Denico, Simon Brown and Anderson took upland
on the present lower Albion road; and previous to 1800, Solomon Peck,
a revolutionary pensioner, came from Vermont and began farming, in
a primitive way, on the west bank of the Sebasticook, below what is
now Benton Falls. The.se were among the earliest settlers of whom
any record can be obtained; but from the year 1800 down the list
grows larger.
A curious document still extant ^■" gives " An Inventory of the Real
* In the possession of William K. Lunt, Benton Falls.
1220 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
& personal Estate of the Inhabitants and non-resident Proprietors of
the Town of Clinton, taken by the Assessors of said Town, May 1st,
1800." According to this paper thirty-nine persons (many of whose
names will be hereafter mentioned) were assessed, the total tax on
their real estate being $511.96 and on their personal estate $354.83.
Two old deeds* record the sale by the Plymouth Company of two
lots of 200 acres each to Ebenezer Heald, the first being sold in 1764
and the second in 1766. The first lot was situated near the Winslow
line, and was afterward sold by Heald to Joel Crosby. It is now owned
by Amos L. Hinds, Henry Reed and William K. Lunt, of Benton, and
Hanes L. Crosby, of Winslow. The second lot was situated just
south of the road to Albion, and is now owned by Merritt Reed and
Mrs. Augustin Crosby, daughter of Asher Hinds.
Among the settlers in Benton at the beginning of the present
century were Joseph and James North, the latter the father of the
historian, Hon. James W. The brothers were engaged in trade and
lumbering, but James dying suddenly, February 10, 1812, Joseph
abandoned the business and removed to Augusta. In August, 1812,
Dr. Whiting Robinson came from Albion and bought the David Reed
farm of Timothy, son of Ebenezer Heald. In July, 1816, he bought
of William Fellow the farm north of that then occupied by Dominions
Getchell, where he died about 1853. Getchell conveyed his farm, in
February, 1822, to John Reed, who sold to Benjamin Brown, who sold
to Stephen vStark, who sold to Russell Ellis, who sold to William G.
Forbes, of whose heirs it was purchased by Asher H. Barton in 1853,
and on which he still resides. Next north of this farm lived Doctor
Bowman, who died previous to 1816. A later medical practitioner was
Dr. Stephen Thayer, who came from Fairfield prior to 1836 and was
located for a year or two at what is now Benton village.
The farm now occupied by John O. Fowler, on the east side of the
Sebasticook, was first settled by one Barnes, nearly a century ago.
From him it passed to Abram Wallace, and from the latter to Samuel
Fowler, father of the present owner. Just north of this farm Samuel
Fowler, father of John O., settled early in the century. Across the
river from him lived " Squire " Stinchfield, over eighty years ago.
His son, Captain John H., and Captain Trial Hall, occupied farms in
this vicinity, and in Captain Hall's barn the town of old Clinton held
its meetings for a number of years. Captains Stinchfield and Hall died
of old age about 1840. A part of the latter's farm is now owned by
Henry M. Piper. On the road from Sebasticook river to Clinton town
house were two early farmers — Charles Ames and Isaac Holt. The
former died many years ago; the latter died at a comparatively recent
date, and his son, Sprague, now occupies the farm.
Isaac Spencer's father. Colonel Reed, was an old settler. A roman-
* In the possession of David O. Smiley, Benton Falls.
TOWN OF KENTON. 1221
tic incident is attached to the early history of Joseph Piper, a protege
of Isaac Spencer. When Joseph was a child, early in the present
century, his parents embarked with him in a canoe on the Kennebec
to remove from Anson, in Somerset county, to Ohio. The boat was
capsized in the rapids at Ticonic falls and the father drowned. Joseph,
snugly wrapped in a blanket, was picked up by Isaac Spencer and
taken to live with him; the mother, who was also saved, being unable
to support the boy. Joseph eventually became a successful farmer,
and when he died, some time in the 'fifties, left a large estate, on a
part of which one of his grandsons, Charles, now resides. Previous to
1820 Isaac Spencer built the house called " The Star and Eagle " (from
a curious device which he placed over the front door). It stands about
a mile above the Falls, on the east side of the river, and is now owned
by Asher H. Barton, Sumner Hodgkins and Mrs. Loudon Brown.
In April, 1820, the Reed Spencer farm was deeded to Hobart Rich-
ard.son. In the same year Henry Sleeper and Samuel Hudson bought
of Peter Grant one undivided half of the lot afterward known as the
Ford and Hudson lot. In 1824 Amos Barton deeded the Joseph Hurd
farm to Jonah Crosby. About 1830 Thomas J. Hinds bought the mile
square, and in June, 1833, sold it to Stewart Hunt; and in October,
1831, Johnson and Samuel Lunt conveyed to the Stinchfields house
lots back of the brick store in Benton village.
Still other old settlers in this neighborhood were: Abram Roundy,
brother of Job, who lived on the east side of the Sebasticook and died
between 1850 and 1860; Nathaniel Brown, who lived on the Albion
road and died in the 'fifties; and Moody Brown, who occupied a farm
next east of Nathaniel, and died about the same time that the latter
died. »
Mathias Weeks and Henry Johnson were early lawyers here.
Johnson's office was where the town house now stands. He died some
time in the 'twenties. Weeks had, at different periods, an office both
at the village and at the Falls. He died in the 'sixties. James Stack-
pole was another early practitioner here. He came from Waterville
and afterward returned there. There was also a lawyer named Pres-
ton, who had an office on the east side of the Falls; and later, in the
'thirties, Solyman Heath practiced in the building now occupied by
Mrs. Getchell, opposite what was formerly the old Cony & Barton
store. About 1830 Stephen Stark practiced here; Harvey Evans, Will-
iam Matthews and James W. North practiced previous to 1840; Henry
Clark and Cro.sby Hinds about 1840.
Three early school teachers who labored to " bend the twig as it
should grow " were Healy, who lived where the town house now
stands, and died and was buried in the Kennebec river road cemetery
about 1820; and Darius Rand and Bigelow, who taught some time
in the 'thirties.
1222 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
At East Benton, among the first settlers were: Andrew Spaulding,
who came here about 1823, and took np a farm, part of which is now
occupied by his nephew, John Spaulding, near Roswell Paul's land;
Samuel Spaulding, who in 1831 bought nearly all the tract first set-
tled by Denico, Brown and Anderson; Noah Paul, who came from
Hallowell about 1830, and settled on the lower Albion road on the
farm now occupied by his son, Noah S.; Josiah Hollingsworth and
Solomon Hines, who arrived in the 'thirties, and settled on part of the
Denico, Brown and Anderson tract; and Captain Andrew Richardson,
who about the same time settled half a mile west of William Paul,
on a farm bought of the proprietors, through Reuel Williams, of
Augusta.
At Browns Corner (now generally called Benton Station) lived a
former surgeon in the revolutionary war. Dr. Ezekiel Brown. His
house was at the corner of the road leading to the bridge. He died
about 1820, and was buried on the knoll where the railroad station
now stands. His grandson, Beriah F. Brown, lives on a farm on the
east side of the Sebasticook, on the Unity road. Isaiah Brown also
lived at the station, previous to 1815. He was father of Daniel H., a
large cattle dealer and trader, and of Luke, who also dealt in cattle,
though much less extensively than his brother.
About two miles north of this, on the river road, lived Samuel Gib-
son, who was born previous to 1798. About 1800 Timothy Hud.son
built a house on the site of that now occupied by Sumner Gray; and
James, son of the early settler, David Gray, lived in the house now
owned by the widow of Henry Wyman. The ancient house formerly
occupied by David Gray was removed up the river road a short dis-
tance, and is now the residence of Albert Gray. In this neighborhood
Israel Fox and Abijah Brown were engaged in trade from about 1825
to 1830.
At Goodwin's Corner, the farms now owned by B. P. Reed, James
Warren and Charles A. Goodwin are on the land originally cleared
from the primeval forest by Stephen Goodwin, grandfather of
Charles.
Early Taverns, Stores, Mills, etc.— In 1818 David Reed kept a
tavern at Benton Falls, on the east side of the river, in the house in
which the widow of George W. Reed now lives. Previous to 1823,
Silas Wing kept a tavern where the pulp mill boarding house now
stands. He also kept a tavern, previous to 1831, at Benton village,
on the site of the Crosby Hinds bouse, which was burned about
fifteen years ago. The house owned by the heirs of Loudon Brown,
at the east end of the bridge in Benton village, was opened as a tavern
by Major Joseph Clark, previous to 1830. Passing from his hands, it
■was successively kept by Luke Brown, Daniel H. Brown and Warren
TOWN OF PENTON. 1223
K. Doe. The last named sold it to Loudon Brown, who was the boni-
face until he died, some years ago.
The old Cony & Barton building was run as a tavern by James B.
Farnsworth between 1840 and 1850. James Roberts afterward pur-
chased the house, and kept a tavern there until he died, between 1870
and 1880. There is now no public house in the town.
About 1800 Captain Andrew Richardson established one of the
first saw mills ever built on the east bank of the Sebasticook at the
upper falls (now Benton village). Above this point, however, two saw
mills were built nearly a century ago, back of the farm now owned by
J. O. Fowler. They were owned by Job, Lacy and Abram Roundy,
and others.
About 1810 Jeremiah Hunt followed the tanning business near
Benton Falls, on the west side of the river, at the place where Roy
Bowman now lives. Hunt died previous to 1814 in the Bowman
house, which is said to be over one hundred years old. Henry Clark,
also a tanner, died in the same house about 1821. About 1830 Thomas
J. Hinds bought of the proprietors 640 acres of land on Fifteen-mile
stream, and built a saw mill about two miles from its mouth. He sold
it to Stewart Hunt in 1835, who added a shingle machine to the
mill.
In June, 1835. William Dewey, Harlow Spaulding, William L.
Wheeler, George Perkins and John Mulliken bought three farms, and
all the mills and privileges on the Sebasticook, at a total cost of
$32,000. They sold portions of the property at different times, until,
in 1850, they had parted with all the original purchase.
Between 1820 and 1830 there were two saw mills, a carding, dye,
and grist mill, and a tannery occupying both sides of the river at the
upper falls. Isaac Spencer, sen., and Isaac, jun., owned the saw mills;
Captain John H. Stinchfield, the carding and dye mills, and Martin
Bisbee, the tannery. Afterward Gershom Flagg built and ran a grist
mill at Benton Falls.
In 1824 Herbert Simpson and Ezra Mitchell kept the only black-
smith shop in town, at Benton Falls. Other early blacksmiths in the
town were Noah Boothby and Japheth Wing, who was there about
1830, and after forty or fifty years sold to William Simpson.
About 1840 Jonah and Otis Crosby built a saw and shingle mill on
a small stream in the southea.stern part of the town, and ran it till
they sold to Andrew H. Crosby, who abandoned the business in 1888.
Previous to 1840 Nelson, Jesse and Thomas Norcross built single
saw mills on Fifteen-mile stream. They sold to Joseph Eaton, and
he afterward sold to David Hanscom, who put in a gang of saws
and a planer. About 1855 the mills were burned. Mr. Hanscom
rebuilt them, and about fifteen years later sold to Charles M. Rowe
and John Waldron. Shortly afterward the mills were again burned.
1224 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTV.
and have never been rebuilt. About 1840 Joseph Hurd and Amos
Foss built a mill on the stream below Otis Crosby's, which stood until
the timbers decayed and fell to the ground. In September, 1854,
David Hanscom sold a privilege on Fifteen-mile brook to Hiram
Pishon and Daniel Ayer, who built a tannery there. The latter con-
veyed his interest to Horace Wentworth in 1856; Pishon & Went-
worth conve3'ed to Augustus Hunt in 1865; and the heirs of Hunt
conveyed to Asher H. Barton, who still owns the privilege.
About 1864 a brush block and handle factory was established at
Benton Falls by Crosby & Walker in a building just above the bridge,
on the east side of the river. It was run until about 1874. In the
same building wooden shoe soles were manufactured by Heath &
Crosby from 1879 to 1882, when the business was abandoned. In 1872
a potato planter manufactory was started on the Albion road in a build-
ing now occupied by John Palmer as a carriage shop. The projectors
were Joseph L. True, the inventor, Hanes L. Crosby and John B. and
A. G. Clifford. A few years afterward the business was sold to Ben-
jamin & Allen, of Oakland.
The Kennebec Fiber Company, manufacturing pulp boards, now
carries on the only industry of any magnitude in the town. Their
plant is located at Benton Falls, east side. The first mill was built in
1874, and burned in 1877. The incorporators were: J. W. Wakefield,
of Bath; William P. Frye, of Lewiston; Hannibal Hamlin, of Bangor,
and F. E. Heath, of Waterville. In 1880 the present mill was built;
it was enlarged in 1882, and again in 1888. The present high dam
was built in 1880, just above the old dam. The old dam at Benton
village was bought by the company in the beginning of its career
and demolished. The number of men employed in the pulp mill is
about fifty, and the capacity of the mill is ten tons of wood pulp per
diem. Its present officers are: J. G. Richards, of Gardiner, president,
and F. E. Heath, of Waterville, treasurer.
Major Amos Barton (father of Asher) and Samuel Cony (father of
Governor Samuel) built on the east side of the Falls, about 1808, the
store now occupied by Daniel King as a residence. They sold new
rum and groceries, the principal stock in trade of all the early
stores. About this time Peter Grant, one of the earliest settlers,
kept a store on the west side of the Falls, opposite where the pulp
mill now stands. Previous to 1817 Gershom Flagg built the
store on the east side, now occupied by G. & J. Withee as a
storehouse. In June, 1817, Johnson Lunt hired the Flagg store,
and ran it until June, 1823, when he bought the Cony & Barton store,
diagonally across the road, and made over part of it into a dwelling.
The Flagg store was opened again in 1826, by John Reed, who con-
ducted it for a few months; and afterward Asher Hinds came into
possession. Mr. Lunt ran the Cony & Barton store one year, and
TOWN OF BENTON. 1225
Sewall Prescott kept it the following year. The entire building was
then made over into a dwelling, in which Mr. Lunt kept a public
house for a number of years. In 1824 he built the store across the
road, south from the Coney & Barton building. It is now owned by
Mrs. Getchell. Previous to 1831 Johnson Lunt and his brother, Sam-
uel, built the brick store (the only brick building in town) at Benton
village. Johnson continued in business, at the same time, at his new
store on the east side of the Falls until 1835, when he removed to
Augusta. The brick store is now occupied by S. H. Abbott & Co.
The Stephen Getchell house, on the east side of the Falls, was built
by Sewall Prescott in 1827. It was run by him as a store for about a
year, when it was bought by Samuel Lunt, who sold it, in December,
1829, to Mr. Getchell. This store has been occupied by Hiram Has-
kell, later by Edward Bush, who was succeeded by Edward Bradbury
& Dean Richardson, and is now owned by Abbott & Co. In 1828-9
Samuel Lunt built the house now occupied by George E. Withee; and
in 1832 Johnson Lunt built the shingle shed near the Getchell house,
now finished as a store, and occupied by the Withees. Previous to 1830
Israel Herrin built the present town house at Benton village, and con-
ducted business there until his death, previous to 1836.
About 1828 Thomas B. Stinchfield and Ezra Randall built a store
at Benton village, just north of the Hinds & Barton .store, and traded
there a few years. Jacob Butterfield afterward kept the store, about
1832, and also ran a shovel handle factory on the dam. Later on,
about 1840, Edmund Pearson purchased and kept the store. In 1831
Stewart Hunt and Temple Hinds traded at the Falls, on the east side.
They afterward dissolved partnership, and Hunt kept the store alone
until about 1842.
In April, 1835, Johnson Lunt sold the Cony & Barton building to
Prince Haws; in 1840 Zimri Haywood traded one year at the Falls,
and also ran a long boat on the river. About 1840 James B. Farns-
worth and Briggs Carter traded for two years at the village; and pre-
vious to 1850 William Reed traded in the brick store. He died be-
tween 1850 and 1860.
An industry siii generis was practiced on the Sebasticook previous
to the building of the Augusta dam, in 1836. Herring in countless
thousands, and numbers of shad ran up the river every spring, and
the privilege of taking the fish was sold at auction, by the town, to
the highest bidder. Teams came from a radius of forty miles to ob-
tain the herring, which were thrown into the carts literally by the
shovelful. The townspeople enjoyed the prerogative of a fixed price
for the fish, viz.: twenty-five cents per hundred for alewives, and four
cents apiece for shad.
At Benton Station, David Herrin, father of Israel, kept a store,
previous to 1810. Before 1836 Winthrop Gibson was in trade at the
1226 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
corner of the road to the river; and about ten years afterward. George
O. Brown conducted the business for a short time.
At East Benton the first store was originally built as a smithy by
Benjamin Abbott, but was afterward enlarged and opened as a store
by Hill & Bragdon, about 1878. The business was conducted just six
days, when the building was burned. It stood on the west corner of
the road to Clinton, opposite Hiram B.Robinson's present store. This
latter building was formerly erected by David Hanscom, just south of
the house now occupied by J. O. Peaslee. Mr. Hanscom kept the post
office in it in 1858. The building was bought by Rowe & Hurd, pre-
vious to 1860, and removed to its present site. About 1878 Edwin
Rowe built a store across the road, south, from that now occupied by
Mr. Robinson. It was afterward burned.
Early Transportation. — Previous to 1830, Benjamin Paine con-
veyed the mail on horseback, twice a week, from Winslow, through
Benton to Bangor. It was this worthy's custom to carry a long trum-
pet which, when half a mile away from each post office, he sounded
vigorously, thereby giving warnmg to the postmaster of his approach.
In the 'forties a stage was run for a short time from Vassalboro, through
Benton, to Newport. Previous to the railroad entering Waterville, in
1849, a stage route was established from that place, through Benton
and Unity, to Bangor. The "stage" was a one-horse wagon. It was
driven for four years by a man named Marr, and, after him, for a like
period, by Charles Smith. After the advent of the railroad in Water-
ville, and until it reached Bangor, Shaw & Billings, of the latter place,
ran a four-horse coach over the route. F. M. Hinds now runs a wagon>
carrying the mail (and passengers, if any) from Fairfield, through
Benton, to Albion, twice a day.
About sixty years ago long boats were used on the Sebasticook to
convey goods from Benton to Augusta, Hallowell and Bath, via the
Kennebec river, from Winslow. The boats were loaded with timber
and farm produce, which were exchanged for salt, molasses, rum, etc.
When the small steamers began running on the Kennebec, in 1836, the
long boats gradually disappeared.
Civil History. — The census returns for the last five decades show
the population of Benton to have been as follows: 1850,1,189; 1860,
1,183: 1870, 1,180; 1880, 1,173; 1890, 1,136. The valuation of the town
is thus recorded: 1860, polls 264, estates $175,526; 1870, polls 310,
estates $248,123; 1880, polls 323, estates $376,601; 1890, polls 327, estates
$399,071.
In 1800 the Kennebec river road was laid out in 1835 the Nor-
cross road to East Benton was accepted, and about 1855 the Clinton
road from Ea.st Benton was put through. The Unity road was laid out
in 1810. The road from Hanscom's mills to Albion, on the north side
of Fifteen-mile stream, was laid out between 1850 and 1860; that from
TOWN OF BENTON. 1227
Benton Falls to Albion, called the lower road, was laid out about
1820-3; the Harris road, from Albion lower road to Winslow, was laid
out in 1867: the road from the old Asher Hinds house, on the vSebasti-
cook river road, to the old Smiley house in Winslow, was laid out
previous to 1830; the road from Unity road to Clinton line, near John
Richardson's house, was laid out in 1852; and the road from the Ken-
nebec river road to the east end of Fairfield bridge was laid out in 1847.
The covered bridge between Benton and Fairfield was built in
1848. It was made free in 1873. Bunker's island, between the two
towns, was set off from Benton to Fairfield a few years ago. Previous
to the building of the bridge, Jacob Ames kept a ferry, for teams and
foot passengers, about half a mile north of Benton station. The rail-
road bridge that formerly crossed the river from Fairfield to Benton,
above the covered bridge, was built in 1858-9, and burned in 1873.
The bridge at Benton Falls was built in the fall of 1869. The so-
called artificial bridge at Benton village was built in 1887. At the same
spot, about twenty years ago, stood a covered bridge, which was car-
ried away by a freshet about 1871. A short distance above this bridge
stood another, built in 1850, but it was carried away prior to the build-
ing of the village bridge. A toll bridge was built ju.st below Benton
Falls previous to 1800. It was carried away several times, the last
being about 1871, after which it was never rebuilt.
The town house (formerly Israel Herrin's store) stands in Benton
village just south of the brick store, on the opposite side of the road.
It was purchased by the town for its present purpose, November 6,
1860. Previous to this, town meetings were held in No. 5 school
house, at the Falls.
The poor of the town have never been numerous, and are cared
for by individual contract.
Since the incorporation of the town the selectmen have been as
follows (the number of years of service, when more than one, being
denoted, together with the year of first election): 1842, Daniel H.
Brown, 12, Andrew Richardson, 3, Andrew Grant; 1843, Orrin Brown,
3, Otis Pratt; 1844, James Bradford, 4, Thomas J. Hinds, 3; 1845, Sar-
geant Joy, 3; 1848, William Stacy, 5. Stephen Getchell, 2; 1850,
Timothy Spencer, 4; 1854, Moses Stacy, 4, Clark Piper, 10; 1857, Asher
H. Learned, 3; 1859, Madison Crowell, 2, Albert L. Spencer, 2, Horace
Wentworth, 2; 1861, George O. Brown, 5, Otis Roundy, 5; 1862, Henry
L. Flood; 1863, Ezekiel Brown, 2; 1865, Andrew H. Richardson; 1866,
George W. Files and Simon S. Brown; 1867, A.sher H. Barton, 6, Joseph
C. Brown, 8, Ezekiel Chadwick, 4; 1869, James W. Sylvester, 7, Han-
nibal J. Drake; 1871, Bryant Roundy, 5, Howard W. Dodge; 1872,
John O. Brackett, 2; 1873, Spra,o;ue Holt, 3; 1874, Albert G. Clifford, 4;
1876, Amos L. Hinds; 1877, George W. Spencer, 2; 1879, Charles M.
Row and William Spearin; 1880, Jacob O. Peaslee, 3, Charles A. Good-
1228 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
win: 1881, Benjamin L. Reed; 1884, George E. Withee; 1885, Otis C.
Brown; 1886, Gershotn F. Tarbell, 7; 1887, Stephen H. Abbott, 3, Will-
iam L. Eastman, 3; 1891, James G. Barton; and 1892, James S. War-
ren and Joseph Spencer.
In the following list of those who have acted as town clerk, the
date of the beginning of each man's service is given: 1842, Charles
H. Winn; 1844, John Clark; 1845, Japheth Wmn; 1848, Asher H. Bar-
ton; 1854, Andrew H. Richardson; 1859, Asher H. Barton; 1861, An-
drew H. Richardson; 1862, Asher H. Barton; 1863, Bryant Roundy;
1867, Sprague Holt; 1870, William C. Simpson; 1871, Bryant Roundy;
1873, Fred M. Hinds; 1874, Bryant Roundy, and, since 1880, Amos L.
Hinds.
The office of town treasurer has been filled as follows: 1842, James
W. North; 1843, Hobart Richardson; 1844. Crosby Hinds; 1852, Madi-
son Crowell; 1855, George O. Brown; 1859, Luke Brown; 1862, Isaac
Abbott; 1863, Clark Piper; 1866, Albert G. Clifford; 1868, Bryant
Roundy; 1870, William C. Simpson; 1871, Otis Roundy; 1873, Clark
Piper; 1874, Samuel Hodgkins; 1877, George Lincoln; 1879, Charles
W. Piper; 1881, Andrew H. Richardson, and, since 1884, Charles W.
Piper.
Previous to 1864 two or three farms in Albion, adjoinmg the south-
cast line of Benton, were set off to the latter town.
Post Offices. — July 29, 1811, the post office at what is now Benton
village was established as Clinton, with Gershom Flagg postmaster
The succession to the office was as follows: Sewall Prescott, appointed
May 6, 1826; Johnson Lunt, September 10, 1827; Israel Herrin, Jan
uary 29, 1835; Mathias Weeks, September 18, 1885; Madison Crowell
July 10, 1841. The name of the office was changed to Sebasticook
May 11, 1842, with Crosby Hinds as postmaster. June 21, 1852, the
name was changed to Benton, with Crosby Hinds still the incumbent
He was succeeded, June 17, 1853, by Hobart Richardson, and his sue
cessors have been: Andrew H. Richardson, July 8, 1854; Edward W
Bush, August 7. 1861; Crosby Hinds, April 15, 1862; Edwin Bradbury
October 22, 1883, and Stephen H. Abbott, December 1, 1890.
The post office at East Benton was established August 5, 1858,
with David Hanscom as the first incumbent. Henry M. Robinson
was appointed August 22, I860; David Hanscom, July 16. 1861; Alvin
Rowe, February 1, 1867; Joseph A. Hurd, April 13, 1868; John O.
Brackett, November 19, 1869; Henry M. Robinson, January 24, 1872;
Samuel N. Spaulding, June 9, 1882; Daniel R. Preston, March 22, 1887.
On December 28, 1887, the name of the office was changed to Preston
Corner, with Daniel R. Preston still in charge. He was succeeded by
Hiram B. Robinson, November 20, 1889. The name was again
changed back to East Benton, May 29, 1891, with Hiram B. Robinson
still the postmaster, which position he holds at the present time.
TOWN OF BENION. 122&
The Benton Falls post office was established May 3], 1878. Will-
iam K. Lunt was the first postmaster. The succession has been as
follows: John W. Withee, appointed May 27, 3886; William K. Lunt,
April 4, 1889, and James M. Atwood, July 8, 1891.
At Benton Station, the first postmaster was Blake T. Dow, ap-
pointed January 27, 1888. Seven months later he was succeeded by
James W. Sylvester. *
Schools. — The intellectual status of a community may be gener-
ally premised from its educational facilities, and in this respect Benton
compares favorably with her sister towns. There were nine school
districts at the time of incorporation, and since then another district
has been added. Each contains a comfortable and well appointed
school house, uniform text books are used, and the entire school prop-
erty is valued at about $3,500. Until 1892 a high school was main-
tained in No. 5 school house, at the Falls; but this year no appropria-
tion was made for the purpose, the proximity of Waterville offering
advantages in higher education with which it was useless for Benton
to compete.
No. 5 school house stands on the site of the old Clinton Academy.
This latter building was begun about 1830, by a company of citizens,
who purposed making of it a female seminary. The company, how-
ever, were unable to complete the structure, and accordingly turned it
over to the Methodist society, which finished it, and threw open its
doors to scholars of both sexes. About 1858 the Methodist society
deeded the academy to Hobart Richardson, who deeded it to Daniel
H. Brown; and in July, 1859, Brown deeded it to Asher H. Barton,
Eliza S. Barton, Joseph C. Richardson, William P. Heald, Albert D.
Hinds, Isaac Abbott, Albert Ludwig, George W. Reed and William K.
Lunt. They sold it to district No. 5 in the same month, reserving the
right to hold a high school in it for two terms each year. The build-
ing was destroyed by fire in 1870. It was rebuilt in 1871, and in 1883
an attractive hall was finished off in the upper story.
Societies. — The only secular organization in Benton is an I. O. G.
T. Lodge, which is in a flourishing condition. It was established No-
vember 21, 1891, with L. A. Davis, lodge deputy; J. N. Atwood, chief
templar, and H. A. Spencer, recording secretary. The present officers
are: W. E. Coleman, L.D.; L. A. Davis, C.T., and John Taylor, R.S.
The Lodge meets in No. 5 school house every Thursday evening.
Ecclesiastical. — Early in the century there was no church build-
ing in Benton, services being occasionally held in No. 5 school house
by two old clergymen known as " Parson " Adams and " Parson "
Lovejoy. The only church edifice now in town stands on the east side
of the Sebasticook, on the Winslow and Clinton road, overlooking the
Falls. It was built previous to 1829, by Johnson Lunt, Asher Hinds
and David Reed, the first holding a one-half and the two others holding
3230 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
each a one-quarter interest in the building. Though alway.s belonging
to the Congregationalists, the structure has been used by them in
common with the Bapti.sts, Universalists and Methodists since the
reorganization of the church, July 16, 1858, and pastors of the three
denominations have been at various times called to the charge. The
reorganization alluded to was necessitated by the loss of the old
records, previous to 1858. Under the original organization there was
no settled pastor for a number of years; then Rev. Nelson Bishop was
installed, some time previous to 1845. His successors have been:
Reverends George Tewksbury, 1852-S; James M. Palmer, 1853-5;
Benjamin P. Dodge, 1856-8; F. P. Smith, 1858; Henry M. Vaill, 1859-
60; F. P. Smith, 1860; S. H. Smith, 1860-7: Henry Marden, 1867;
Frank G. Clark, 1868; William S. Brown, 1869-70; Benjamin A. Ro]bie,
1871; F. I. Bailey, 1872; Charles D. Crane, 1873; John Dinsmore, 1873-4;
Charles D. Crane, 1875-6; John Dinsmore, 1876-8; James Heath, July
to October, 1878; Alexander Wiswall, 1878-81; G. N. Jones, 1881-2;
John Dinsmore and A. N. Small, 1883; T. P. Williams, 1883-92.
The Methodist society has begun the building of a chapel at Ben-
ton village, north of the brick store, on the opposite side of the road,
and they hope to have it completed before the present year expires.
At Benton Station religious meetings were held in the district
school house about 1831, but with no settled pastors; and now,
together with the inhabitants of Goodwin's Corner, church is gener-
ally attended at Fairfield.
At East Benton a Sunday school was organized by David Hanscom,
about 1847, but no record of it has been kept. The next Sunday school
was started by a member of the Buzzell family, about 1853. In 1888
a praying band was organized here by H. L. McAllister, of Burnham,
and out of it, a year later, grew the present Sunday school, of which
J. L. Buzzell was the first superintendent. Union church meetings
are held in the school house on Sunday afternoons, conducted by a
clergyman, when one can be secured; otherwise the praying band
leads the service.
Ce.meteries. — There are a number of ancient burying grounds in
Benton. One of the oldest, extending over the Clinton line, opposite
where Mr. Abbott lives, was latterly the farm of Charles and James
Brown, who tilled the soil over the remains of some hundred or more
settlers, names unknown, who had been buried there in early times.
Another ancient cemetery was on the bank of the Kennebec at
Brown's Corner. Up the river road, about half way to Goodwin's
Corner, is a private ground, dating back to revolutionary times, in
which lie interred the ancestors of the Fitz Gerald family. The earliest
legible inscription on the stones records the death, July 4, 1825, of
George Fitz Gerald, aged seventy-.seven. The lot is poorly fenced and
bears a neglected appearance.
_x^^^ /^-/X^^^s^
I.,t
At Goodwin'"?
;r,-. ago I
John Lewi-
iatn Wyma
The oldest
' a neatly fenced private cemetery, of ancient
d as the place of sepulture ')f the Goodwin
.olds the remains of Stephen and Miles, re-
;r and father of Charles A. Goodwin. A few
.- enlarged, and lots in it are now owned by
:,olds, John B. Colquitt, George Shorey, Will-
: rati, and Charles A. and Lafayette Goodwin,
to " Olive, wife of John Lewis, deceased May
(bout a mile above Benton Falls, on the east
v;ts laid out about 1830. It ■, • well fenced and
• Gershom Flagg, who die<i M.iy 6. 18*)2, and
IS now buried here. James North, father of
•lied February 10, 1812, and v is interred in
_;!_•, near the falls. Here Mr .\'"--th erected a
.ind afterward, about 183o-4(^ ;eu the land
ir a cemetery. It
..il place in Bentf^i
I'liRSONAL PAKAORAi
■lorn in Winslow in i i. . ■ -.i oi j-uaea M.
J Abbott. He served six months in the late
h Maine. He lived in Winslow i-.ntil 1872.
'.vIk Since November, 1890, he ha.s been mer-
chan Benton He was three years a me^mber of the
boan ;< nton. His wife was Esther J. <rtJn. Of their
six ch: living: Annie G. and Arthur S
Asii -Tradition says this fami! ahs of Welsh
origin, bu nown. member in ' ! was Samuel
Barton, gi' ifather of Asher . Framingham.
Mass., in I' . year he v liellows, of that
place. In removed fr n to Oxford. Mass.,
where he Ir m- death. i*l mii . -•amuel, was born in
Framinghan i. i7i4 and died in Millbury, Mass., in 1799. His wife
was Ann Fi • ' j"H their son, Flynt, was born in Sutton, Mass., in
1747. Flyr i ydia Crosby and settled in Sidney, Me., i;.
1773. The; mentioned at page Ti'JI, the father of the su".'
ject of this .^... , .jorn in Sidney in 178') and came to Benton
Falls in 1801. Here, in 1817, he married Martha Hinds, who bore him
•V children, of whom the only surviving .son is Asher H.,born Marr-h
year.
n received his education in the common schools of i i
•'- H'- — ' -'■■•■'• '■" »lv- <-tnre of Stew.irt li .of
1, wuc year, ana m tne store ot Fhilander Soule, of Clinton, one
Though he began life without a dollar, he is now, through wise
TOWN OF BENTON. 1231
At Goodwin's Corner a neatly fenced private cemetery, of ancient
date, has been always used as the place of sepulture of the Goodwin
family in Benton. It holds the remains of Stephen and Miles, re-
spectively the grandfather and father of Charles A. Goodwin. A few
years ago the ground was enlarged, and lots in it are now owned by
John Lewis, Rufus Reynolds, John B. Colquitt, George Shorey, Will-
iam Wyman, Mrs. Otis Pratt, and Charles A. and Lafayette Goodwin.
The oldest inscription is to " Olive, wife of John Lewis, deceased May
12, 1832."
The town cemetery, about a mile above Benton Falls, on the east
side of the Sebasticook, was laid out about 1830. It is well fenced and
kept in fairly good order. Gershom Flagg, who died May 6, 1802, and
was buried elsewhere, is now buried here. James North, father of
James W., the historian, died February 10, 1812, and was interred in
ground in Benton village, near the falls. Here Mr. North erected a
monument to his father, and afterward, about 1835-40, deeded the land
to an organization of citizens for a cemetery. It is by far the be.st
kept and most attractive burial place in Benton.
PliRSONAI. PARAGRAPHS.
Stephen H. Abbott, born in Winslow in 1841, is a son of James M.
and grandson of Stephen Abbott. He served six months in the late
war in Company H, 19th Maine. He lived in Winslow until 1872,
when he came to Benton. Since November, 1890, he has been mer-
chant and postmaster at Benton. He was three years a member of the
board of selectmen of Benton. His wife was Esther J. Cain. Of their
six children but two are living: Annie G. and Arthur S.
AsHER H. Barton.— Tradition says this family was of Welsh
origin, but its earliest known member in New England was Samuel
Barton, great-greatgrandfather of Asher, who lived in Framingham,
Mass., in 1690, in which year he married Hannah Bellows, of that
place. In 1716 Samuel removed from Framingham to Oxford, Mass.,
where he lived until his death. Edmund, son of Samuel, was born in
Framingham in 1714 and died in Millbury, Mass., in 1799. His wife
was Ann Flynt, and their son, Flynt, was born in Sutton, Mass., in
1747. Flynt married Lydia Crosby and settled in Sidney, Me., in
1773. Their son, Amos, mentioned at page 1224, the father of the sub-
ject of this sketch, was born m Sidney in 1780 and came to Benton
Falls in 1801. Here, in 1817, he married Martha Hinds, who bore him
six children, of whom the only surviving son is Asher H.. born March
29, 1819.
Mr. Barton received his education in the common schools of Benton
and Clinton Academy. He was clerk in the store of Stewart Hunt, of
Benton, one year, and in the store of Philander Soule, of Clinton, one
year. Though he began life without a dollar, he is now, through wise
1232
HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
foresight and keen business instincts, the possessor of a handsome com-
petency. Though he has always been a farmer, he has not limited his
business to that calling. He taught school several winters after 1840.
From 1847 to 1850 he was engaged in trade at Benton village. From
1850 to 1870 he bought cattle and sheep for the city markets and for
sale to neighboring farmers; and during the last fifty years he has
carried on constantly increasing dealings in real estate. Though he
by no means makes politics a profession, Mr. Barton, probably the
most prominent citizen of Benton, is the acknowledged leader in
shaping its party affairs. With the exception of the offices of treas-
urer and collector he has held, at various times, all the public positions
in the gift of his native town. He was census enumerator for Benton,
Clinton and Clinton Gore in 1850; served in the lower branch of the
legislature in 1867 and 1870, where he was a member of the commit-
tees on legal affairs and financial affairs, and was high sheriff for four
years and deputy sheriff for twenty-nine years, during nearly all of
which time he also held the office of coroner. He has settled many
estates as executor and administrator, and is one of the directors of
the First National Bank of Fairfield.
January 12, 1854, Mr. Barton married Eliza S. Greeley. They have
had six children: Marion, born November 24, 1854, died March 18,
1861; Minerva, born August 16, 1856, died September 9, 1884; Asher
Hinds, born June 21, 1859, died March 18, 1888; James Greeley, born
July 11, 1861; Amos, born July 11, 1865; and Martha, born November
30, 1867.
Elijah Blaisdell.— Elijah Blaisdell, son of David Blaisdell, was a
native of Waldo county. Me. In 1817 he came to Sidney with his
family. Deacon Daniel, one of his sons, came to Sidney on the above
Jt^t^.
I
TOWN OF BENTON. 1233
named date, and was a farmer, tanner and .shoemaker. Later in life
he removed to Oakland, where he died April 25, 1864, aged .seventy-
one years. His first marriage was with Mary Blaisdell, who died, leav-
ing four children — Samuel (deceased), Elijah, Daniel Augustus and
Elizabeth S. His second wife, Salley Tobey, bore him two .sons —
Edwin and Stephen, both deceased.
Elijah, the second son, was born in Sidney, February 1, 1820. and
died in Benton, March 27, 1891. He was a farmer in his native town
until 1843, when he purchased a farm in Fairfield, where he lived about
five years, after which he removed to Clinton, where he continued
agricultural pursuits until 1872, when he sold his farm there. In No-
vember, 1872, he came to Benton, and settled on the farm which was
his home for the remainder of his life, and where his widow now
lives.
He was married June 20, 1843, to Mary Jane, the .second daughter
and third child of Silas Kinsley, a native of Bridgewater, Mass. Mr.
Kinsley came when a young man to Sidney, where he was a farmer
and carpenter. His wife was Leah Merrill, of Sidney. Mr. Blaisdell
was a thorough and successful farmer. The industry, economy and
keen business foresight which marked his success as an agriculturist,
were applied to whatever he undertook. He was a respected citizen,
a firm friend and a kind neighbor. Politically he was a democrat. In
religious matters his sympathy and liberal support were given to the
Baptist society.
D. Augustus Blaisdell, farmer and cattle broker, born in 1830, is a
son of Deacon Daniel and Mary Blaisdell, grandson of Elijah, and
great-grandson of David Blaisdell. He came to Benton in 1868, and
bought of Mr. Foss the old Michaels homestead, where he has since
lived. His wife is Lydia G., daughter of Captain Benjamin F. Huzzey. .
Their four children are: Albert Franklin, S. Elizabeth (Mrs. Wallace
Taylor), Fred E. and Flora E.
Alpheus Brown, born October 20, 1837, followed lumbering and river
driving until September, 1864, when he entered the army in Company
K, 9th Maine, .serving until 1865. From 1866 until 1890, he followed
dam building and has since been a farmer. He married Ruth W.,
daughter of Otis and Emily (Brown) Chadwick, and granddaughter
of Asa Chadwick, who was among the early settlers of Benton.
Luke Brown, born in 1795, was one of the six children of Isaiah
and Abigail Brown. He was a farmer on the farm where his father
settled, near Benton Station. He died in October, 1890. His wife
was Polly Oilman, and their thirteen children were: Rufus, Lydia,
Sibyl, Luke, jun., George O., Abigail, Alvira A., Laona, Joseph C,
Simon S., Orrin, Axa and Vesta — seven of whom are living. Jo.seph
C. is a farmer on the homestead. He and his son have had a milk
78
1234 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
route in Fairfield for fifteen years. He married Almeda B.. daughter
of Owen Gerald. .She died in 1889, leaving three children—Anna B.,
Osro W. and Arthur G.
George O. Brown, the oldest surviving son of Luke, was born July
29, 1823. He was a farmer in Benton in 1870, when he removed to
Fairfield, his present home. He was in the grocery business in Fair-
field from 1870 until 1885, and was eight years deputy sheriff of Somer-
set county. He is now serving as trial justice. His first wife was
Caroline H. Fox, who left four children — Fannie, Paulene, Daniel D.
and Florence. His present wife was Mrs. Louise (Lewis) Woodsum.
Joseph L. Buzzell, born in 1848, is the eleventh of a family of
twelve, of Alexander and Nancy (Witherell) Buzzell. He is a farmer
as was his father. He has taught twenty-one terms of school, and
served seven years as school supervi.sor. His wife, formerly a school
teacher, is Celestia. daughter of Thomas Worthen. Their children are:
Ira W. deceased), Ora O., Louisa O., George L. and Charles I.
John B. Colcord, second son and fourth child of Thomas H. and
Asenath (Pettigrew) Colcord, was born in Fairfield, March 11, 1842.
His grandfather, Wilson Colcord, came to Fairfield from Berwick, Me.
Mr. Colcord remained on his father's farm until he was twenty-one,
and for the next seven years he worked at lumbering and in saw mills.
In 1869 he took possession of the Moses Stacy farm at Benton, which
was originally the Captain Andrew Richardson homestead. The follow-
ing year he bought the farm, which contains 165 acres, and has here
earned a place among Benton's successful farmers. The residence
shown in the accompanying illu.stration was built by him in 1882 on
the same pleasant site selected by Captain Richardson for his home
more than a century ago.
Mr. Colcord was married, April 17, 1867, to Olive Anna, daughter
of Jonathan B. and Celia (Pratt) Thatcher, and granddaughter of
Edmund and Polly (Bassett) Thatcher. They have two children:
Celia Asenath and Everett Stacy. Mr. and Mrs. Colcord celebrated
the twenty-fifth annivensary of their wedding by inviting a large
number of their friends to their pleasant and spacious home, and the
many beautiful and valuable tokens which they presented this hon-
ored couple, show the high esteem in which they are held.
Augustine Crosby, born in 1838, in Albion, is a son of Luther, and
grandson of Robert and Abigail Crosby. He turned his attention to
mechanical work when a young man. After working at contracting
and building in Massachusetts ten years he engaged in the lumber
business in Benton several years. He invented a dredge for gold
dredging, and spent some time operating it. He is now engaged in
saw mill building in the South. He served in the late war in Com-
pany G, 3d Maine. His marriage was with Susan A., daughter of
1238 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
On coming to Benton he bought of Joseph Eaton a tract of timbered
land one mile square, from which came much of the supply for his
mills. About this time he bought another tract of Reuel Williams,
and in 1857 he built on it the farm buildings, and it was his home
until 1867, when he sold to the present owner, J. O. Peaslee.
He served as selectman in Albion and represented that town in the
legislature in 1848 and 1850. He was a good citizen, a valued neigh-
bor and a devoted Christian. He served the Baptist churches of
China, Windsor and Fairfield as deacon, filling the office in the latter
place at the time of his death.
James F. Gerald is a son of James and Sarah J. (Trask) Fitz Ger-
ald, grandson of William (1787-1860), and great-grandson of George
and Eleanor Fitz Gerald. George died in Benton in 1825, aged
seventy-seven. He was a native of Ireland, and came to Benton when
the country was new, and settled on the Kennebec river, on the farm
where the family cemetery now is. The present generation have
dropped the Fitz from the name. James F. followed lumbering and
river driving until fifteen years ago, and since that time has been a
farmer. His wife was Mary L. Wardwell. They have two children:
Gertrude and Florence.
Jackson Fitz Gerald (1815-1874) was a sou of John, and grandson
of George, above mentioned. He followed lumbering and river driv-
ing when a young man, and later in life was a farmer. His wife, who
died July 15, 1892, aged seventy-three, was Miranda, daughter of Sar-
geant Joy. Their children were: Helen (Mrs. Edwin Emery), Frank-
lin and Warren C, who is a farmer and occupies the home place. He
married Lydia Cain, and their children are Edna M. and Leon W.
Frank W. GifTord, son of Thomas and Malinda (Tobey) Gifford,
was born in 1853. He was in the cattle and wholesale meat business
m Benton, from 1876 until 1881, when he went to Nebraska. There
he was general manager for the Kennebec Ranch Company until 1890,
when he returned to Benton. In July, 1891, in company with J. W.
Sylvester, he opened a grocery store; he also handles farm imple-
ments. He represented his district in the legislature in 1891 and in
1892, and was democratic candidate for county sheriff. His wife is
Florence B., daughter of J. W. Sylve.ster.
Stephen Goodwin, a native of Bowdoinham, Me., came to Benton
at an early date, and settled on the farm where his grandson, Charles
A., now lives, at Goodwin's Corner. He had four sons: Daniel, James,
Caleb and Miles. Miles (1776-1845) was twice married. His first wife
bore him three children: Miles, Daniel and Love, all deceased. By
his second wife, Mrs. Betsey (Davis) Pratt, he had five children: George,
Lafayette, Charles A., Moses and Hester A., all deceased except Lafay-
ette and Charles A. The latter was born on the farm where he now
lives, in 1829. He married Mary F., daughter of Thomas Colcord, and
TOWN OF BENTON. 1289
their children are: Horace S., Seldon C. George W., Emma O. (Mrs.
Frank Gage) and Bertha E..
Isaac Holt, born in 1791, in Hillsboro, N. H., was one of thirteen
children of Obadiah and Susannah (Jones) Holt. In 1800 the family
came to Maine and settled in Clinton, where Obadiah died in 1815,
aged fifty-seven years. Isaac, like his father, followed the vocation of
a farmer. He .served in the war of 1812 as clerk of a company. In
18H5 he bought one hundred acres of land and .settled where he spent
the remainder of his life. He died April 2, 1889. His first wife,
Sophia Emery, died leaving eight children, two of whom are now
living. His second wife was Mrs. Lydia (Hopkins) Holt, widow of
Jonathan Holt, a brother of Isaac. She bore him one son, Sprague,
born in 1885, who followed the honorable vocation of his ancestors
and owns and occupies his father's homestead, which has been added
to until it contains 400 acres. He has taken time from his active farm
life to serve his town as clerk and selectman several years and his dis-
trict one term in the legislature. Sprague's first wife was Martha E.
Osborn and his present wife was Martha A. Woodsum. His five chil-
dren are all dead and with their grandparents rest in the family ceme-
tery near the house.
Sargeant Joy was born February 27, 1796, at Berwick, Me., and was
a millwright and farmer. He came to Benton in 1835 and died there
November 4, 1886. He married Lucy Robinson, and their children
were: Miranda, Josiah J., John R. (deceased), Martha A. Benjamin C,
William S. (deceased), and Lucy J. (Mrs. Thomas Powers). The two
surviving sons are farmers and occupy the homestead farm. Josiah
J. married Abigail, daughter of Luke Brown.
Edwin Byron Moore, son of John Moore, a blacksmith, was born
in Canterbury, N. B., February 2, 1846, and learned the trade of black-
smith with his father, and came to Benton in 1865. In April, 1869, he
bought of William C. Simpson the blacksmith business at Benton
which he has carried on since that time. In 1872 he bought of W. H.
Clifford three acres of land with dwelling, carriage house and stable.
In 1884 he bought a farm, which he runs in connection with his busi-
ness. He married Martha C, daughter of William McNally.
Samuel W. Reed was born in 1787 and died in 1876. His parents
died when he was young, and he came in 1794 to Albion, where he
was brought up by his uncle, Mr. Webb. He married Sarah Kidder,
and they had ten children. Appleton W., the third son, was born in
1821, was educated at Kents Hill Seminary, and was ordained a min-
ister in 1843. He has been settled at Stetson, Kittery, Skowhegan,
Garland and Bar Harbor, all in Maine. In the fall of 1883 he came to
Clinton and in 1891 to his present home in Benton. His wife is Al-
meda, daughter of Franklin Barton. Their only son, Charles E., died
in 1888, aged thirty-six years. He was a graduate of the Maine Cen-
1240 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
tral Institute and Orono College. He was for .seven years business
manager of the Detroit Free Press and for two years assistant civil
engineer at Minneapolis, Minn. He left a wife and one daughter.
Rev. Benjamin P. Reed, eldest son of Samuel VV. Reed, was born
April 19, 1817, in Albion, Me., and was educated in the schools of
Albion and at China Academy. In 1840 he entered the ministry and
his labors have been chiefly in the Christian denomination. He has
been settled over churches in Readfield, Fairfield, Athens, Albion,
Millbridge and Lubec, Me. His home has been in Benton since 1869,
with the exception of nine years. His first wife, Ellen Homestead,
left three children: Benjamin Lafonce, Lura B. and Lena B. His
present wife was Mrs. Adaline Hanson, a daughter of Ithamar Long-
ley. His son, Benjamin L., is a farmer and farm implement agent,
and lives with his parents at Goodwin's Corner.
Hiram B. Robinson, born in We.=;ley, Me., in 1839, is a son of Henry
M. and Abigail (Warren) Robinson. He went to Pennsylvania in 1859,
and in April, 1861, entered the army in Company G, 84th Pennsyl-
vania. He reenlisted in Company K, 57th Pennsylvania, and served
to the close of the war. He was in thirty-seven engagements. In
1865 he returned to Benton, where he was a farmer until November,
1889. Since that time he has been merchant and postmaster at East
Benton. His first wife was Lizzie, daughter of Philip Emerson, and
his present wife is Emily E., daughter of Henry Herrick. They have
two children — George M. and Lizzie H.
Bryant Roundy, born April 15, 1836, is one of five survivors of the
ten children of William, who is the only surviving son of Job
Roundy ^1763-1837), who with his two brothers, Abram and Lacy,
came to Benton from Lynn, Mass., in 1779. Mr. Roundy is a farmer
on a part of the. original Trial Hall farm, the place where the first
town meeting of Clinton was held. He has filled various town offices,
and represented his district in the legislature in 1880. He married
Lucinda Pettigrow, and their children are: John H. (deceased), Ed-
ward. Eva S., Henry W., Nellie M. and Bertha A.
Elbridge G. Roundy, born in 1825, is a son of Amos and Pheba
(Burton) Roundy, and grandson of Job Roundy. Fie is a farmer on
the farm which his father cleared from the woods. He has two broth-
ers and three sisters: Allen, Isaac, Fannie, Abbie and Louise. He
married Lucinda, daughter of Arnold Cowan. Mrs. Roundy is dead.
Her children were: Eliza A., Josephine and Isaac A., the two latter
deceased.
Ansel G. Shorey vdeceased), son of Wyman Shorey, was a farmer
and lumberman. He was twice married His first wife left one
daughter, Helen. His second wife, who survives him, was Mary E.,
daughter of Levi Woodsum, who came from Buxton, Me., to Clinton,
in 1824. Her grandfather was Abner Woodsum. Their children are:
TOWN OF BENTON. 1241
George A., Frank and Edwin W. Two other children died — Emily
and Albert. George A. and Edwin W. are farmers together in Benton,
where they have a large and productive farm.
John Spaulding, farmer, born in 1821, is a son of Samuel, and
grandson of Henry Spaulding, who came to Benton from New Hamp-
shire. He served in the late war in Company C, 19th Maine, from
August, 1862, until June 1865. His wife, who is deceased, was Silence
C, daughter of George Flagg. Their children are: Henry E., Cath-
erine W., Olive A. and James F. James F. and his father occupy the
home place together.
Isaac Spencer, who was among the early settlers of Benton, was a
native of Concord, N. H., and his father died in Benton in 1814.
Isaac died here in 1839, aged ninety-five years. His sons were: Isaac,
Reed, Winn, George and Timothy. Colonel Reed (1795-1848) married
Abigail Winn, and their ten children were: Isaac R., John W., Abi-
gail A., Olive J., George W., Mary E., Lura A., Charlotte M., Joseph
and Charles F. Joseph, the ninth child, was born in 1840. He was
for several years river driver, lumberman and dam builder. He is
now a farmer on a part of his father's homestead. He married Pris-
cilla Hodgdon,who died. For his second wife he married Hannah A.,
daughter of Smith Whittier. Their children are: Joseph R., AUston
C, David H. and John W.
Gershom F. Tarbell, born in 1842, is a son of William (1816-1891)
and Eliza (Flood) Tarbell, and grandson of Samuel and Betsey (Baker)
Tarbell. Samuel died in Albion in 1816, and his widow married Ger-
shom Flagg, of Benton. Gershom F. Tarbell was in the late war
three years in Company C, 19th Maine. He has been a farmer since
1871, when he bought his present farm from Madison Crowell. Pre-
vious to that he had been in the mill business. He married Hannah
J., daughter of Lorenzo D. Clark. He has one brother and two sisters
living: Hattie A., Francis E. (Mrs. E. D. Willey) and William W.
James S. Warren, born in Winslow in 1847, is a son of Samuel and
. Avis (Reynolds) Warren. In 1875 he came from Winslow to Benton,
where he is a farmer. Since 1880 he has been agent for the Port-
land Corn Packing Company, at Fairfield; and since 1888 agent for
Williams & Clark's fertilizers. He is at present a member of the
board of selectmen, and has been a member of the republican town
committee for eight years. His wife is Ellen F., daughter of Elisha
and Sarah (Huzzy) Gifford. They have three children.
George E. Withee, born in 1852, is a son of Elmarine and Susan
(Reynolds) Withee. He came to Benton Falls from Winslow in
1870, and worked in the saw mill and Kennebec Fiber Company's
mill until March 12, 1883, when he bought of Leonard Alexander the
general store, where he has since been engaged in business. He is one
of nine children, four of whom are living: Ambrose H., George E., John
1242 }lISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
W. and Fred E., M. D. John W. has been associated in business with
George E. since 1883.
Charles H. Wood is the youngest of ten children of Clarindon and
Susan (Brackett) Wood, and grandson of Richard Wood. He is a
farmer and horse breeder. In 1888 he bought the Francis Howard
farm, where he now lives. He owned the trotting-bred stallion "Gid-
eon " from 1886 until the horse died, in 1890.
William F. Wyman, born in 1824, is one of six sons of Zebedee
and Martha (Osborn) Wyman, and grandson of Francis Wyman, who
was a revolutionary soldier, and died in Vassalboro. Mr. Wyman was
a lumberman and river driver until 1855. Since that time he has been
a farmer, having bought his present home in the year named. He
married Lizzie F., daughter of James C. and Esther C. (Farnhamj
Thompson. Their children are: George L., James T., Celia E., Mattie
E., Frank W., Harry and three that died — Charles O., Prescott R. and
Lillie M.
CHAPTER XLVII.
TOWN OF CLINTON.
Natural Features. — Present Industries. — Incorporation. — Indian Scare of 1813. —
Clinton Village.— Early Settlers.— Taverns.— Stores.— Mills.— Old Stage
Routes. — Churches.— Cemeteries. — Pishon's Ferry.— Noble's Ferry.— Morri-
son's, Decker's and Woodsum's Corners.— Civil History.— Societies.— Per-
sonal Paragraphs.
THIS, the most northeasterly town in Kennebec county, lying be-
tween the Kennebec and Sebasticook rivers, is bounded north
by Canaan, east by Pittsfield, Burnham and Unity Plantation,
south by Benton and west by Fairfield. The surface of the town is
rolling, crossed by several small streams, and is altogether an ideal
farming district. The soil is a clay loam, yielding rich and abundant
crops of hay. The trunk line of the Maine Central railroad runs
through the southeastern portion of the town, having a station at
Clinton village, where most of the present manufacturing industries —
including saw mills, a grist mill, carding mill, tannery, door and sash
factory and a boot and shoe factory— are located. Pishon's Ferry, on
the Kennebec, is the other principal center of business, a number of
saw and grist mills being operated in the neighborhood.
At the time of settlement, about 1775, Clinton was within the
limits of the Plymouth Patent. It was organized into a plantation by
the name of Hancock in or before 1790, at which date the number of
inhabitants was but 278. In the old and musty records of the town
the first entry is the copy of "An Act to Incorporate the Plantation of
Hancock in the County of Lincoln into a Town by the name of Clin-
ton," February 27, 1795. At this time the most thickly populated
portion of Clinton lay in what is now the town of Benton, and it was
here, according to the records, that the first town meeting was held,
April 20, 1795, at the house of Captain Jonathan Philbrook. At this
meeting Ezekiel Brown, jun., was chosen moderator and clerk; Eben-
ezer Heald, treasurer, and Captain Andrew Richardson, John Burrill
and Silas Barron, selectmen and assessors.
On March 6, 1797, a tax of $:^00 was voted for the support of the
eight school districts, nearly all of which lay in what is now Benton,
with a total attendance of 166 scholars: and December 7, 1801, the
1244 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
first record of a " representative to cong^ress " is found, Martin Kins-
ley being chosen.
The Indian Scare.— In 1812 occurred the great " Indian Scare,"
with, as it proved, a laughable result. The American ship Adams be-
ing pursued up the Penobscot by a British cruiser, the crew of the
Adams blew up their vessel, and crossed the country to the headwaters
of the Sebasticook, where they embarked in bateaux, and .sailed down
the river. Rumors of Indian massacres being then prevalent, the in-
habitants of the Maine towns were ready to take alarm at any strange
or unusual sight. Two girls who were crossing a field by the river,
near where Jewett Hunter now lives, descried at a distance the de-
scending bateaux filled with armed men, and, without waiting for a
closer inspection of the strangers, fled to the nearest house with the
cry: " The Indians are coming!"
The alarm spread from house to house, and the people dropped
their occupations, and began fleeing toward Fort Point, in Winslow,
for protection from the supposititious savages. It was past noon when
the scare began, and it was not until nightfall that the true state of
affairs became known, and the settlers began returning to their
homes. It is stated that one young man by the name of Cain, who
was lame, and therefore unable to compete with his neighbors in their
race for the fort, lay hidden all night in a potato trench on his father's
farm. In the meantime the crew of the abandoned ship had left their
boats at Clinton village, and crossed the town to Noble's Ferry, where
they were conveyed over the river to Fairfield, and thence carried to
to Waterville by Isaac Chase. Jonas, son of Isaac, now lives on the
Clinton side of the former ferry, at the advanced age of eighty-five,
and retains a dim memory of the farcical episode, which was talked of
by the fireside for many years after its occurrence. The girls who
gave the false alarm, Jerusha Doe and Polly Richardson, afterward
became Mrs. Michels and Mrs. Bagley, respectively.
Clinton Village. — Among the earliest .settlers at this point were
Asa Brown and a Mr. Grant, who took up farms on the Sebasticook,
about a mile east of the village, previous to 1798; and Jonathan Brown,
who, about the same time, lived in a house on the site of that in which
Charles Jaquith now resides. Previous to 1800, Jesse Baker was pro-
prietor of the farm now owned by Joseph Piper, and he also owned
nearly all the land in the village south of Fifteen-mile line. He died
about twenty.five years ago, nearly eighty years of age. About the
same time that Baker came to Clinton, Moses (or George) Michels set-
tled on land now occupied in part by the cemetery; and some distance
to the eastward, Joseph Doe located at the foot of the " Fifteen-mile
Rips."
Previous to 1812 two brothers, James and Charles Brown, took up
land about a mile southwest of the village. James' farm was that now
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1245
owned by William Brock, and Charles lived just above him, in the
house, still standing, now the home of Goodwin Abbott. The Hun-
ters, David & Martin, came to Clinton from Topsham, Me., about 1815.
David, colloquially known as " King David," because of his masterful
ways, lived where Ira Whitten now resides, opposite the cemetery;
and Martin lived on what is now the Plummer farm. Both were large
farmers and men of great business enterprise, and among the older
people of the community the village is spoken of as " Hunter's Mills."
About 1817 Arthur McNally bought a piece of land from Jonathan
Brown on the bank of the Sebasticook, about a mile from the village.
It adjoined the land now owned by his son, Arthur, who is sixty-six
years old. Previous to 1836 Israel Owen, the first postmaster of the
village, lived on the lot, now vacant, opposite the Clinton House; and
at the " Point," on the farther side of the river, lived Adoniram Sin-
clair, previous to 1840.
Among the earliest physicians were: .Doctor Thorndike, who prac-
ticed here about forty-four years ago; and William Guptill, who came
here about fort3'-three years ago, and who built what is now the Metho-
dist parsonage. Other early practitioners were: Richard Williams, who
lived thirty-five years ago in the house now occupied by Mr. Dutton,
next beyond the Village House; Benjamin Clement, who, about the
same time boarded at the Clinton House, then kept by Alfred Hun-
ter; Pitt M. Whitten, who, about thirty years ago, lived in the house
now occupied by Alfred Roundy; and Daniel Moody, who, from about
1862 down to within a few years, had his office in the house now be-
longing to Morris McNally.
The law was not invoked so frequently among the early settlers as
among their more beligerent descendants, and no record is found of a
law office being established in the town until about seventeen years
ago, when Mark P. Hatch " hung out his shingle" over the store now
occupied by E. E. Merrill, and five years later, when Everett Ham-
mons opened temporarily an office over the present post office.
The oldest living teacher in the town is Sylvester Powell, who was*
born near the village about sixty-five years ago, and who has " taught
around " for the last forty years.
The first tavern at the village was built by Alfred Hunter, about
1834, and is now known as the Clinton House. Hunter kept the tav-
ern until his death, in 1880, after which his widow presided over it
until, in April, 1881, it was purchased by the present proprietor, Cush-
man Brown. About 1836 William Weymouth built the house now
owned by Elbridge G. Hodgdon. It stood at first about a mile above
James Weymouth's present dwelling, on the Bangor road, but its
owner afterward moved it down to the village, added to it a story and
an ell and opened it as a tavern. About 1860 Randolph Goodwin kept
the house for a few years; then Emery Whitten ran it for about four
1246 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
years; and in 1867 Mr. Hodgdon bought it, made extensive internal
alterations in it and has since occupied it as his residence.
About 1860-65 Franklin Hunter kept a tavern for a number of
years in the house now occupied by Stephen A. Robinson. The Vil-
lage House, in Church street, was built by George Snow about 1869.
He conducted business there for a few years and then sold out to Wil-
liam Roundy. In 1879 the present landlord, Arnold F. Worthing,
purchased the property.
About 1833 David Hunter, 1st (" King David "), David, 2d, and
James, his brother, built the first saw mills where the present mills
now stand; and in 1834 David Hunter, 1st, David, 2d, and Jonathan
Brown erected a grist mill on the site of that now in operation. The
former mill site is owned by William Lamb, who, in addition to his
saw mill, has added a factory for the manufacture of croquet sets; and
the latter mill site is the property of Hodgdon & Smith.
At the foot of the dam of these mills, previous to 1836, herring
were caught in large numbers, and the privilege of taking the fish was
sold at auction, after the manner related of the same industry in the
chapter on the town of Benton.
On the island opposite the village was once, in 1836, a shingle ma-
chine owned primarily by E. G. Hodgdon, David Hunter, 1st, and
others, but afterward run by James Spaulding. About 1850 it was
changed into a brush factory, the owners being two Vermont men.
After three or four years they sold to Justin Brown, who for a time
manufactured staves in the building. Brown sold to A. R. Mitchell &
Co., who erected a large building for the manufacture of croquet sets
and brush handles. This firm failed, however, and the factory was set
off to the creditors. vShortly after, about 1875, it was burned, and no
building has since been erected on the island. In 1884 Arthur Mc-
Nally bought the land and the privilege.
Previous to 1836 William Weymouth built the first blacksmith shop
at the village. It stood on the site of the store now owned by E. G.
Hodgdon and occupied by E. E. Merrill.
As early as 1840 a carding mill was built by Billings & Stinchfield,
near the old Hunter grist mill. Billings afterward bought out Stinch-
field and conducted the business until he died, about ten years ago.
Jesse Dorman bought the plant and ran it until 1890, when he sold to
William Lamb, who has run it only occasionally since, the business
having much declined.
The blacksmith shop on Railroad street, near Main street, was built
by Japheth M. Winn in 1843. He ran it until 1869, when he sold to
Rutherford B. Thompson & Henry J. Hussey. They conducted the
business jointly until 1874, when Thompson purchased Hussey 's inter-
est. He ran the shop alone until early in 1892.
Among the first general stores built in the neighborhood was that
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1247
erected by David and Moses Brown, and James and Alpheus Hunter.
It stood on the present farm of James Weymouth and in 1833 was
hauled down to the village center. A part of the old building is now
occupied as a store by Manly Morrison.
About the same time that the above mentioned building was moved
to the village Israel Owen erected a store on the spot where the old
cistern stands, opposite the Clinton House. It was burned about 1843.
The drug store now occupied by Charles Wentworth was opened as a
general store by Nathan Merrill about 1839. He shortly afterward
sold out to Dudley Sinclair.
In 1853 E. G. Hodgdon built a small store on part of the land now
occupied by E. E. Merrill's store, the latter being built by Mr. Hodg-
don in 1866. In 1853-4 Daniel Billings put up a small building oppo-
site Hunter's mills, in which he ran a shoemaker's shop. He sold to
Zimri Hunter, who kept store there until his death, six years ago.
Three important industries in the village of the present time are
the creamery, the tannery and the new shoe factory. The creamery
was built in 1888, largely through the instrumentality of the Patrons
of Husbandry. It is located on Weymouth hill and is owned by a
stock company, of which William Lamb is president and C. H. Greely,
treasurer. The tannery, a large building near the railroad station,
was erected by Jonathan B. Besse & Son in 1890. The works are
operated by steam power and employ fourteen hands. Rus.set linings
only are manufactured, the weekly capacity being 1,000 dozen skins.
In July, 1892, the Clinton Village Manufacturing Association, incor-
porated with a capital of $10,000, began the erection of a large wooden
building, 40 by 100 feet, for the manufacture of boots and .shoes, in
which one hundred hands will be employed. Elbridge G. Hodgdon is
president of the company and Japheth M. Winn, treasurer.
The early settlers of Clinton were a God-fearing people, and a
regular religious society was established soon after the incorporation
of the town. The form of worship observed was that of the Methodist
Episcopal church, which has had an organization in Clinton for over
ninety years. The name of Jonathan Brown is gratefully remem-
bered in the early history of this church. He was the first class leader
in the society, and was ardently devoted to the cause. The charge of
this circuit received the labors of the fathers of the conference, includ-
ing Reverends Daniel B. Randall, James Farrington, Theodore Hill,
Benjamin B. Byrne and others.
The society has an interesting and successful history; it is the old-
est and largest religious organization in the town. September 27,
1866. the erection of the present commodious and attractive edifice in
Church street was begun: it was dedicated in the following year. In
1884 over $3,000 was expended in enlarging and beautifying the build-
ing, erecting a chapel, and buying the present convenient parsonage,
1248 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
which Stands on the society's land. Of this amount, the larger part
was generously contributed by William W. Brown, of Portland, and a
fine memorial window added in remembrance of his parents, Jona-
than and Betsey Brown.
The Sunday school of the church has a membership in excess of
100.
The following have been the regular pastors since a record has
been kept: Reverends Hyram Murthy, 1857; Theodore Hill, 1858;
Jesse Harriman, 1859; B. B. Byrne, 1861; Lewis Wentworth, 1863; H.
P. Blood, 1864; D. M. True, 1867; G. G. Winslow, 1868: C. H. Bray,
1871; J. A. L. Rich, 1873; Sylvanus L. Hanscom, 1875; Pascal E. Brown,
1878; William T. Jewell, 1881; Charles E. Springer, 1882; Jesse R.
Baker, 1883; Justin S. Thompson, 1886, and William L. Brown, 1888.
The first church edifice erected in the village was the Union
church — built about 1847 — which stands across the street opposite the
Methodist church. It was a plain, unpretentious structure. It was
jointly occupied by the Methodists, Congregationalists and Universal-
ists, until the Methodists erected their building, when the Congrega-
tionalists and Universalists occupied the Union church more or less
frequently for many years. Now the building is rarely used, and then
only by the small remainder of the Universalist society. The Congre-
gationalists, as an organized chi:rch body, have disappeared from the
village altogether.
The Freewill Baptist church, organized with fourteen members in
February, 1888, has now a membership of sixty-three. In August,
1888, the corner stone of their present attractive church home was
laid in Western avenue. The building, which cost about $4,000, was
dedicated in August, 1889. The bell was donated by Mrs. Ruth Taft,
of Massachusetts; the chandelier by John F. Lamb, of Auburn, and
the Bible by the late Mrs. Cynthia Brown, all former residents of
Clinton. Rev. Albert D. Dodge, pastor since April, 1888, preaches
ahso at Pi.shon's Ferry. The Sunday school of the church, established
in the spring of 1889, now numbers about ninety scholars. William
Lamb was superintendent the first year, and was succeeded by George
P. Billings.
The village cemetery stands on a slight eminence south of the vil-
lage, and contains some thirty or more monuments, some of them of
very handsome design. The ground is well fenced, and is entered
through a wide portcullis gateway, just south of which is a substan-
tial stone receiving vault. The cemetery was laid out previous to
1833 by an association of citizens, from whom, some years afterward, the
town purchased half of the ground. Enlargements have been made at
various times by the association until the cemetery now covers about
two acres, only one-third of which belongs to the town.
The most interesting monument in the cemetery is that which
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1249
Stands in the northwest corner of the ground, erected in memory of
Betsey (Chase) Low, " the first female white child born in Clinton."
The date of Mrs. Low's birth, probably about 1780-85, is not given,
and is not exactly known by her descendants. Other old inhabitants
of the town who are buried here are: Jesse Baker, b. 1748, d. 1835;
Job Roundy, b. 1763, d. 1837; Sarah, wife of Abner Woodsum, b.
1768, d. 1844; Francis Elder, b. 1775, d. 1854; Jonathan Brown, b. 1779,
d. 1862; Abram Frees, b. 1781, d. 1840; Abigail Hunter (wife of David,
1st), b. 1785, d. 1858; John Hall, b. 1787, d. 1860; James Hunter, b.
1790, d. 1875; Charles Brown, b. 1790, d. 1842; Daniel Greeley, b. 1797,
d. 1879, and Samuel S. Foster, b. 1799, d. 1885.
Pishon's Ferry. — Charles Pishon came to Clinton previous to 1800,
and established the ferry that still bears his name. He died about
fifty years ago at the age of eighty.
On what is now Asa Pratt's farm, south of the ferry, was born
Betsey (Chase) Low. She was mother of Francis, and grandmother
of James, the latter an active farmer, living about a mile south of the
Pratt farm.
Previous to 1790 Samuel Varnam settled at the ferry on the farm
now occupied by Charles Rowe. David Pratt settled, about 1802, on
the farm now owned by Asa Pratt. Abram Frees, an old time physi-
cian, began practice at the Ferry about 1815; and beginning some
years later, an old teacher, Elbridge G. Rideout, instructed the youth
of this and other districts for many years. Another old settler at the
Ferry was John Totman, who died three years ago at the age of eighty-
two.
The first tavern at the Ferry was kept, previous to 1815, by a man
named Burrill, in the house in which William Totman now lives. It
was afterward run for a number of years by the late Gideon Wells,
who came from Vienna in 1800. About this time David Pratt and
Joseph Mills also kept taverns south of the Ferry, on the river road.
Pratt's tavern was in the house now owned by his grandson. Asa;
and Mills' tavern was in the house now owned by Daniel Cain.
About 1815 Benjamin Chase settled at the Ferry and built a saw
and grist mill on Carrabassett stream. He afterward went to Illinois,
where he died, about 1820. His sons, Benjamin and Amos, sold the
property to Benjamin Caford, and after a year or two the latter sold
to Benjamin Reed. About 1827 Reed sold to Milton Philbrook, who
sold the mills to Hiram Burrill, and later George S. Ricker bought
the privilege of the Philbrook heirs. About thirty-five years ago.
when Burrill owned the mills, they were burned. He rebuilt them,
and about twenty years afterward they were again burned. The
present mills were built by Mr. Ricker in 1889.
On the same stream, near these mills, Levi Maynard built a card-
79
1250 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ing mill, about 1832. It stood in the present garden of Israel H.
Richardson. Higher up the stream, an old forge, the remains of
which are still visible, was established by a Mr. PesLvy, previous to
1824. Peavy made iron out of bog ore obtained on the spot. He
failed about 1826, since which time the forge has never been worked.
The store at the Ferry now occupied by William Totman was opened
by his father, John, about 1832. Twenty years later the senior Tot-
man sold the store to the community, and for some time it was con-
ducted on the cooperative plan, but it did not prove a success. At
the time of selling this store, Mr. Totman built another about ten
rods northwest of the old store. About 1872 this building was moved
across the river to East Fairfield, and Mr. Totman repurchased from
the district his former store. A .short distance north of this building
Manly Morrison erected, in 1880, a store, which was burned in 1883.
About 1800 a Baptist church was organized here, but it has never
had an edifice of its own. The society worshipped in District No. 2
school house until the Good Templars' Hall was erected, just north of
the Ferry, about twenty-five years ago, since which time services
have been held in that building. The society has now dwindled
down to about a dozen members, both of its deacons are dead, and its
records are lost.
The Second Freewill Baptist Church of Clinton was organized
May 17, 1874, with about fifty members. Until 1890 the congregation
worshiped on alternate Sundays with the Baptist society in Good
Templars' Hall. In the last named year the erection of a meeting
house was begun, and on November 9th of the same year, the building
was dedicated. It is a modest structure, standing on the bank of the
river overlooking the ferry. The successive pastors have been: Rev-
erends I. N. Bates and Samuel Savage, 1874 (preaching alternately);
I. N. Bates, 1877; Samuel Savage, 1880; Miss Isadore Haynes, 1881;
L. Given. 1882; E. Z. Whitman, 1883; Willard Carr, 1885; E. G. Page,
1887, and Rev. A. D. Dodge, 1890.
A private cemetery, located just south of George Joy's farm, near
the Canaan line, was in use previous to 1800, and the remains of a
number of old settlers, among them those of Isaac Keene, a revolu-
tionary soldier, are here interred. In 1847 the ground was .sub.stan-
tially fenced by James Morrison, John and George Joy and George
Pettigrew. Altogether about one hundred have here found a last
resting place.
Noble's Fekky. — Soon after the revolution, Benjamin Noble came
from Swan island, and settled in Fairfield, where he established a
ferry to Clinton, about two miles south of Pishon's Ferry. It was
abandoned about twenty years ago. Just previous to the revolution,
Deacon Joseph Spearin settled on the farm at present owned by
Jonas Chase. Previous to 1800 James Lamb settled on the farm now
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1251
the property of the widow of George Whitten, about half a mile south
of the old ferry. He was afterward a pensioner of the war of 1812.
James, his son (deceased), was born on the farm about 1800. Francis
Low lived on the farm now occupied by his son, James. He bought
cattle, and drove them on foot to the Brighton, Mass., market, the
trips usually consuming a fortnight. About the same time Mephibo-
sheth Cain, father of Daniel, lived on the river road above Francis
Low's farm.
About 1810 the Spearins, Deacon Joseph, Benjamin and John, built
a saw mill on what is at present known as Jackins' Brook. Only the
site is now visible. In the neighborhood of 1860, in the northern
part of the old Spearin farm. Abijah Parker had a blacksmith shop:
but is not now in existence.
On the farm of Jonas Chase the town has a cemetery, well-fenced,
and maintained in good order. It dates back to revolutionary times,
and was originally the first private burying ground in Clinton, being
owned by the Spearins, Pratts, Kendalls and Chases. The town
bought it about 1833-4, and has since twice enlarged it. It covers
now about three acres. Here, among many other early settlers, lie
buried Gideon Wells, who died October 12, 1816, aged forty-four; and
Amy, wife of Stevens Kendall, who died August 14, 1814, aged twenty-
nine.
Morrison's Cornkr. — Mordecai Moers was the earliest known .set-
tler of Morrison's Corner. He lived on the hill south of the Corner,
and when he died, fifty years ago, was said to have attained the re-
markable age of 105. His son, John, lived in a house on the present
Weymouth farm until about 1850, when he died at the age of eighty-
five. Previous to 1810 John Flood settled on the Ridge road from the
Corner to Canaan. He lived on the farm now owned by Ebenezer
Lewis. The latter's father, John, bought the place of Flood, previous
to 1860. About 1820 James Morrison settled on the farm now owned
by Martin Jewell, and about the same time Samuel Weymouth settled
on the land now occupied by his .son, Alfred. About 1810 a man
named Miller built a saw mill on a brook west of the Corner. It was
abandoned about 1820, and only the site now remains.
James Morrison kept a small store in his house about .sixty years
ago. It was the first opened at the Corner. The next store, which
was burned about twenty-five years ago, was kept by Samuel Wey-
mouth, on the site of that now occupied by Martin Jewell, and in
which the post office is located. This latter store was built in 1885
by Alfred Weymouth and John B. Rowe. Another store, burned
about 1872, was run by George Woodsum, across the road, east from
the post office, on land now owned by Gideon Wells' heirs. A store
was built by Mr. Wells, about 1870, on the site of that formerly occu-
pied by Samuel Weymouth. It was run by Pratt & Hodgdon, but was
1252 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
also burned about 1880. After the civil war Llewellyn Decker kept
a store near where the post office stands; but fifteen years ago he
built his present store on his farm, and closed his former place of
business.
About 1830 a stage was run from Waterville to Canaan, first by
way of Noble's Ferry and Morrison's Corner, and afterward by way
of Pishon's Ferry. It was driven by Captain Joseph Morrison (who,
prior to this, carried the mail on horseback from Waterville to
Canaan), and was run to intersect, at the latter town, the stage route
from Bangor to Skowhegan.
The Freewill Baptist Society at Morrison's Corner was organized
September 22, 1827, and held its first meetings in the district school
house. The records of the society have been very loosely kept, and
only the barest outline of the church's history can be gathered from
them.. The church building, erected in 1850, and dedicated in 1852,
stands just north of the Corner, on the road to Pishon's Ferry. It
was, and still is, a Union church, but is used principally by the Free-
will Baptists. So far as can be gathered, those who have preached in
the church, both of the Methodist and Baptist denominations, are:
Addington, previous to 1851; A. I. Buker, 1851-3 and 1867; Joseph
Spearin, 1853, 1860, 1866; Bush, 1854; D. Lancaster, 1858-9; Au-
gustus Bowman, 1861; Isaac Bates, 1869; Nathan Turner, 1870; S. Sav-
age, 1874-6; and G. W. Cortes, 1878, 1881. Of late years the society
has became somewhat disorganized, and no regular services have
been held in the church.
A neatly fenced private cemetery, now containing some three-score
graves, was laid out a few rods west of the Corner, about fifty years
ago, by Gideon Wells, James Morrison, Samuel Weymouth, Robert
Cain and Joseph Monson.
Decker's Corner.— The father of Stephen Decker settled here
about 1800. Stephen, then a child, came with his father to Clin-
ton, and died in 1873. Stephen's sons, David and Isaac, lived and
died on the old farm. Isaac's son, Elsworth, now occupies the place.
Ebenezer, father of John Lewis, lived on the farm now owned by his
grandson, George H. Moses, father of Samuel Weymouth, lived on
what is now the Roman Pratt farm, prior to 1800. He was about
ninety years old when he died, early in the 'forties. Other old set-
tlers in this neighborhood were: Aaron, Lewis, Abner and James
Eldridge, brothers, who lived on the farm now owned by John Low.
Their father came here from Boston long prior to 1800.
About seventy years ago Stephen Decker kept a store at the Cor-
ner in what is now Henry E. Decker's wagon house, and ten years
later John Weymouth kept a blacksmith shop near by.
Some distance eastward from the Corner Bryant Flye built, about
1832, a small grist mill on the Twelve-mile stream, near what is
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1253
known as the " Horseback road." Shortly afterward Flye sold to A.
Owens. About 1854 Owens took Charles Brimner as a partner, who
soon after bought out Owens' interest, and put in a saw, shingle and
lath machine. About 1860 he built a carriage shop in addition to the
mill. He sold this shop to Austin Larie in 1874, and three years
later went to California, since which time his son, James, has attended
to the business.
Two miles above Brimner's mill Oliver C. Dickey started an up
and down saw mill, about 1842; and about 1854 he built a saw and
shingle mill on the Avery brook on his farm. The former mill is
now rotted down, no trace of it being left; the latter is still run by
Oliver's son, James.
Woodsum'-S Corner. — Abiather Woodsum, for whom the Corner
is named, settled here previous to 1820. He and Daniel Holt and
Grandnief Goodwin kept general stores in the neighborhood about
1840, but they have long ceased to exist— both stores and store-
keepers.
An extensive farmer for those times was Abner True, who lived,
about 1827, near the cemetery on the Morrison's Corner road. The
farm is now occupied by his son, Abner. About half a mile southeast
of this farm George Reynolds lived, prior to 1840, on the land now
owned by his son, John.
A short distance west of the town house, which stands about equi-
distant from Clinton village and Morrison's Corner, is a cemetery
dating prior to 1817. It was at first a private ground, but the town
now controls it. Though fairly fenced, it is within a wilderness of
weeds and bushes, and bears evidence of long-continued neglect. In
this desolate spot lie buried: Johnson Lunt, b. 1763, d. 1830; Abner
True, b. 1777, d. 1838; Abiather Woodsum, b. 1786, d. 1847, and mem-
bers of the Weymouth, Wyman, Wood, Small, Roundy, Brackett and
Holt families.
Civil History.— The following is the list of the selectmen, the
first year of each man's service, and the number of times elected
(when more than one), being given: 1795, Captain Andrew Richard-
son, 7, John Burrill, 4, Silas Barron; 1796, Gershom Flagg, Timothy
Hudson, 3, Joseph Saunders; 1797, Captain Samuel Grant, Ezekiel
Brown, jun., 11; 1798, Jonah Crosby, jun., George Fitz Gerald, Asher
Hinds, 14; 1799, Robert Philbrook, 4; 1802, Jeremiah Hunt, 2; 1803,
Isaiah Brown and James North; 1804, Alfred Hinds; 1807, Ezekiel
Brown, 5, John Bowman, 3; 1809, Haynes Learned; 1811, Joseph
Spearin; 1813, Obadiah North; 1814, Herbert Moore, William Spearin,
10; 1816, William Fames, 5; 1817, Nathaniel Healey and Henry John-
son; 1818, Hobart Richardson, 6, Abijah Brown, 8; 1819, Israel Fox;
1820, John Fitz Gerald; 1824, Thomas Brown, 3; 1825, David Hunter,
10; 1827, Joseph Clarke; 1828, Whiting Robinson, 3; 1829, Stephen
1254 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Decker; 1830, John H. Stinchfield, 11, James Hunter, 4; 1831, James
Smith; 1832, William Ames, 4; 1836, Daniel Wells and Joseph P.
Piper; 1837, Alfred Hunter, Samuel Weymouth, 10; 1838, Richard
Wells, 7: 1840, James W. North and James D. Barrill; 1841, Joab Har-
riman, 3, D. H. Brown; 1842, Francis Low, 4; 1843, Joseph Monson;
1844, Samuel Burrill, 2; 1845. Orrin Smith, 5; 1846, Jesse Baker, 3;
1847, Charles Jewett; 1848, Samuel Haines, 7, Matthew Pratt, 2: 1849,
Sargent Jewell, 3; 1852, Abner True; 1853, Joseph Piper: 1855, Asa
Pratt; 1856, David P. Chase; 1857, Thomas B. Stinchfield, 2, Samuel
Parkman, 2, Moses Dixon, 2; 1859, Parker Piper, 2, Japheth M. Winn,
8, Shepherd Weymouth; 1860, Thomas J. Richardson; 1861, Simon
Woodsum; 1862, Charles W. Billings; 1864, Joseph Spearin, jun., 4;
1866, William Lamb, 3, Alfred L. Brown, 8, William H. Leavitt; 1867.
Benjamin Morrison, Samuel S. Foster and Sewell Brown; 1868, Orrin
B. Holt, 2; 1870, G. W. Farnham and B. F. Chase; 1871, Jonas Chase, 3,
Thomas M. Galusha, 3; 1874, John P. Billings, 4. Howard W. Dodge,
8; 1876, Edmund Parkman, 2; 1878, David Cain; 1879, Alfred Wey-
mouth, 7, Martin Jewell; 1880, Noah M. Prescott, 3; 1882, Edward E.
Piper, Reuel W. Gerald, 5; 1884, Asa Haines, 2; 1885, Sylvester Pow-
ell, George A. Spearin and James E. Stewart; 1887, James L. Wey-
mouth, 2. Willis Cain; 1888, George Higgins; 1889, Manly Morrison,
4, George S. Ricker, 4.
The following have acted as town clerks since the incorporation:
1795, Ezekiel Brown, jun.; 1796, Gershom Flagg: 1797, Ezekiel Brown,
jun.; 1798, Andrew Richardson; 1799, Ezekiel Brown; 1801, Gershom
Flagg; 1809, Ebenezer Heald, jun.; 1813, Jeremiah Hunt; 1815, x\sher
Hinds; 1816, Odiorne Heald; 1817, Nathaniel Healey; 1818, Joseph
Clarke; 1823, Whiting Robinson; 1836, John H. Stinchfield; 1839,
Charles Jewett; 1840, John H. Stinchfield; 1841. Charles Jewett; 1844,
Joseph Monson; 1845, Philander Soule; 1847, Rev. A. Buker; 1848,
John Totman; 1850, John H. Stinchfield; 1855. Jesse Baker; 1857,
Charles W. Billings; 1859, Cornelius H. Kidder; 1861, Albert Hunter:
1863, Cornelius H. Kidder; 1867, William H. Bigelow; 1868, Cornelius
H. Kidder; 1870, Alpheus Rowell; 1871, Elbridge G. Hodgdon; 1874,
Cornelius H. Kidder; 1875, Mark P. Hatch: 1877, Cornelius H. Kid-
der; 1880, Howard W. Dodge, and since 1889, C. C. Hayes.
Treasurers: Ebenezer Heald, 1795; Capt. Andrew Richardson,
1797; Capt. Samuel Grant, 1798: Dennis Getchell, 1801; Capt. Amos
Richardson, 1803; Capt. Samuel Grant, 1804: Capt. Amos Burton, 1808;
Gershom Flagg, 1809: M. Cain, 1825; Gershom Flagg. 1826; David
Hunter, 1831; Robert M. Kimball, 1838; David Hunter, 1839; Philan-
der Soule, 1842; Orrin Smith, 1843; Jesse Baker, 1844; Francis Low,
1846; Zimri Hunter, 1847; Samuel Weymouth, 1849; Charles Jewett,
1850; Charles Joy, 1851; Charles Jewett, 1852: Francis Low, 1855;
Benjamin Morrison, 1857; Oliver C. Dickey, 1862; Benjamin Morrison,
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1205
1862; Japheth M. Winn, 1868; Alfred L. Brown, 1869; Benjamin Mor-
rison, 1871; Japheth M. Winn, 1879; Howard M. Dodge, 1888, Japheth
M. Winn since 1889.
The town house stands on the Morrison's Corner road, a few rods
west of Woodsum's Corner. It is a large and rather dilapidated look-
ing building, erected about 1820. Previous to this the town held its
meetings in Woodsum's store at the Corner.
Prior to the erection of Benton a poor farm, about half a mile west
of Morrison's Corner, was owned by the town. This place was pur-
chased of the town, in 1840, by Matthew Pratt, and until 1867 the
poor were cared for by individual contract. In the latter year the
present poor farm was bought of Adam Goodwin.
The river road from Benton to Canaan was built previous to 1790;
that from Noble's Ferry to Canaan, about 1812; that from Pishon's
Ferry to Morrison's Corner, in 1834, and the road from the last named
point to the town house, about 1842.
About fifty years ago a wooden bridge was built across the Sebasti-
cook at Hunter's Mills, where the iron bridge now stands. It was
erected by Haynes Hunter and Orrin Smith. In 1886 the old bridge
was replaced by the present structure. It is 145 feet long and cost
$6,000. Several miles up the river is an iron bridge 186 feet in length.
It was built in 1891 at a cost of about $6,000, by the towns of Clinton
and Burnham, and the county of Kennebec. Prior to this a wooden
bridge, built about 1812, stood at the spot.
There are in Clinton thirteen school districts, including a high
school, the total value of the school property being about $5,000; and
from a total attendance of 166 scholars in 1800, the number has in-
creased until in 1892 it reached 480. Some of the school buildings are
rather old, but all are in good repair. A free high school, established
in 1874, by an appropriation of $500, is held in the spring and fall,
and located in different districts each year. It is well attended, and
is as profitable in its results as any of the schools in the town.
The population of Clinton, according to the national census, was:
In 1850, 1.743; 1860, 1,803; 1870, 1,766; 1880, 1,665; 1890, 1,518.
Postal Facilities. — About 1816 a man named Oilman carried the
mail on horseback once a week from Winslow, through the eastern
part of Clinton, to Bangor. Twenty years later, when the post office
was established at the village, one Crummett carried the mail twice a
week over the same route, and in the same way. About 1850 a stage
route was established from Augusta to Bangor, passing through
Waterville and Clinton village. The first driver on this route was
Harvey Scribner, followed by Charles Smith and Major Lord.
The Clinton post office was established as East Clinton June 13,
1836, with Israel Owen, as postmaster. Dudley Sinclair was ap-
pointed April 15, 1840; and on August 8th of the same year he was sue-
1256 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
ceeded by Charles Jewett. The name was changed to Clinton July 2,
1842, with the office still in charge of Mr. Jewett. August 26, 1852,
Abijah M. Billings was appointed. He was succeeded by Owen Smith
March 28, 1856; Zimri Hunter, January 21, 1862; Charles Jewett, June
15, 1869; James L. Weymouth, May 4, 1881; Albert Hunter, July 13.
1885; and John M. Jewell, October 7, 1889.
The post office at Morrison's Corner was established November 24,
1891, with Martin Jewell as the incumbent.
The Pishon's Ferry office was established as North Clinton, June
10. 1825, with Abiather Woodsum postmaster. Thomas Galusha was
appointed October 13, 1842. February 6, 1844, the name was changed
to Pishon's Ferry, with John Totman postmaster. The succession
from that time has been: Zebulon Newell, appointed September 24,
1858; Benjamin F. Eaton, September 25. 1861; John Totman, Febru-
ary 20, 1865; George S. Ricker, March 21, 1886; and Willis V. Tot-
man, May 21, 1890.
Societies. — Sebasticook Lodge, No. 146, F. & A. M., was chartered in
May, 1868, with W. A. Albee, W. M.; J. P. Billings, S. W.; and J. A. Mor-
rison, J. W. ' The hall over the store of E. G. Hodgdon was dedicated
as the Lodge room, October 6, 1868, and on the same day the officers
were publicly installed in the Union church. Fifty-nine communica-
tions were held durmg the first year. The Lodge has grown from 58
members in 1873 to 102 on January 1, 1891. The Lodge is in excel-
lent financial condition, and a movement is being made toward the
erection of a hall of its own.
A Lodge of Good Templars was established in 1875, and existed
until 1889.
Pine Tree Lodge, No. 80, I. O. O. F., was instituted in May, 1881.
E. Hammons was first noble grand; S. G. Roundy, vice-grand; and
Manley Decker, secretary. The Lodge now numbers 117 members, and
is in a flourishing condition. It owns a lot on the corner of Railroad
and Main streets, on which it is intended to erect a hall 50 by 80 feet.
Clinton Grange, P. of H., was instituted in March, 1888, with
George S. Stevenson worthy master. He was succeeded, in 1889, by
James E. Stewart, who still holds the office. The Grange started with
some seventy charter members. The order is flourishing, and now
numbers about one hundred.
Centennial Hall, in Church street, was built in 1876 by John P. Bil-
lings. The upper hall is used for exhibition purposes; the lower hall
is now the home of Clinton Grange, to whom the building was sold
in 1890.
PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS.
Daniel B. Abbott, born in Winslow in 1835, is a son of George
(1808-1877) and Lauretta (Wood) Abbott, and grandson of George
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1257
Abbott, who came from Berwick to Winslow, where he died. George'
left two sons — Daniel B. and Albert A. Daniel B. enlisted in Com-
pany H, 19th Maine, and after being mustered out in June, 1865, he
came to Clinton and bought the farm where he now lives. He is a
member of Billings Post, at Clinton, and has been commander and
grand master. His wife was Emily J., daughter of John and Lydia
(Bean) Abbott, of Shapleigh, Me. Their two daughters are: Etta M.,
who is a leading school teacher, and Edith L. (Mrs. H. M. Johnson),
of Pittsfield, Me.
John Abbott, born in 1826, in Waldo county. Me., is the son of
Reuben, and grandson of James Abbott. He married Margaret L.,
daughter of Eli Fish, who survives him and lives on the homestead
in Clinton, where they .settled in 1867, and where Mr. Abbott died,
March 9, 1891, leaving three children: Nathan G., Ervina (Mrs. F. L.
McKenney), and Rosa (Mrs. F. H. Church).
Hamilton M. Bean, born in 1841, in Winslow, is a son of Hamilton
-and Abigail (Roberts) Bean, and grandson of Joshua Bean. He went
to sea at the age of seventeen, and continued in the merchant service
until 1865. He then spent two years in Boston in railroad work, and
in 1867 he came to Clinton, where he was a farmer until 1883, when
he bought his mercantile business of Decker & Prescott. He married
Hannah J., daughter of Abner Bagley. She left three children: Ben-
jamin F., Ida E. and Carrie. His present wife was Clara E. Graves.
They have one son — Ralph C.
Frank L. Besse is a son of Jonathan B. Besse. His mother is a
daughter of Lewis Hopkins, who in 1850 operated a tannery in Albion.
He was succeeded by William H. Healy, who sold out in 1856 to
Jonathan B. Besse and Mr. Breck. They ran it until December, 1858,
and in 1859 Mr. Besse took full charge. Frank L. learned the tan-
ner's trade, and at the age of twenty-five became a partner with his
father. In 1888 they enlarged and repaired the tannery, and in 1890
they removed the business to CImton on account of better facilities
for transportation.
Abijah M. Billings, born in 1797, at Mason, N. H., came to Albion,
Me., in 1815. He was a carder and cloth dresser. He died in Clinton
in September, 1881. He married Rhoda Warner, and their children
-were: William W., Louisa M., Charles W. (who was killed in the late
war), Albert H., John P. and George M., deceased. John P., born in
1828, began to learn the trade of edge tool maker in 1843, at Water-
ville, and continued to work at it until 1851, when he went to Califor-
nia, where he spent fourteen years in mining. Since 1865 he has been
engaged in the manufacture of edge and stone tools m Clinton. His
first wife, Marcia E., daughter of Reuel Flagg, had four children:
George P., Herbert R., Albert A. and Mattie L. His present wife,
Viola J. Staples, has two children— Grace F. and Daniel S.
1258 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Isaac Bingham, born in 1832, is a son of Person and Maria (Keene)
Bingham, who came from Eastport, Me., to Clinton in 1828. Their
ten children were: John D., Mary J., Person, jun., Elizabeth, Isaac.
Herbert N., Ruth, Orena, Charles Henry and Everett W.— all living
except Mary J. In 1854 the family, except John D. and Lsaac, emi-
grated to Illinois. Mr. Bingham was in California from 1852 until
1861. He served two years in the late war in Company P., 1st Maine
Cavalry. He has spent six years in California since the war; during
the rest of the time he has farmed. He owns and occupies the farm
of the late Reuel Flagg. He married Ellen Dorcas, daughter of Zimri
and Emily (Flood) Hunter, and granddaughter of David Hunter.
Their children are: George A., Edgar E. and Francis E.
James Brown, who was a native of Norridgewock, came to Clinton
about 1800, and settled on a farm just north of the present line of
Benton, on the Sebasticook. His father, James, a native of England,
married Nancy Hoadlet, a native of France. They were married
on the voyage to this country. Their son, James, born in 1786,
was a farmer until his death in 1861. He married Mary R. Hunter,
and their children were: James D., William, Lithgow, Lottie, Alfred
L. and Charles P. The oldest and two youngest are living. Alfred
L., born in 1827, is a farmer and butcher. His wife (deceased), Martha
H., was a daughter of one of Clinton's respected citizens, Reuel Flagg.
They had four children: Lottie P. (Mrs. W. W. Bigelow), Georgia H.
(Mrs. H. D. Stuart), Minnie M. and Edward Everett, born April 14.
1865, died July 24, 1869.
Daniel Cain, born in 1823, is a son of Moses and grandson of Ed-
ward Cain, whose wife was Hannah (Rich) Cain. His wife was Betsey
C. Chase. Their children are: Willis I., Oscar H., Charles S., Leslie M.,
Eugene, Daniel E., Hattie M., Josephine A. and Marcellus. Mr. Cain
IS a farmer, and settled on the land where he now lives, in about
1844.
William Cain, born in 1829, is a son of David (1795-1853) and Dolly
(1801-1844) Low Cain, grandson of Edward and Hannah (Rich) Cain,
who had seven sons: Edward, Moses, Joseph, Sumner, Arthur, Robert
and David. William Cain's wife, Ellen F., daughter of Daniel Holt,
died in January, 1891. They had four children: Emily L., who died
in 1879; Mary E. (Mrs. Gibson, Horace, who died in infancy, and
Eugene, who lives on the old homestead with his father, where David
Cain lived in 1828. Mr. Cain has always been a farmer. His mother's
mother, Elizabeth Chase, was the first white girl born in Clinton.
Frank L. Decker, born in 1857, is a son of Isaac (1824-1892) and
Malinda (Leavett) Decker, grandson of Stephen (1789-1873; and great-
grandson of Joshua Decker, who settled at Decker's Corner about
1797. Isaac Decker left four children: Bertha E., Manley, Frank L.
and Henry E. Frank L. married Ida, daughter of Jonas Chase, and
. TOWN OF CLINTON. 1259
lives on the old Chase homestead. His children are: Effie E., Eugene
and Estella. Henry E. is a farmer on the old Decker farm. His wife
was Alfreda, daughter of Howard Wells. They have one daughter,
Carrie P.
Alphonso R. Dickey, born in Clinton in 1842, is a son of Oli-
ver C. (1803-1887) and Paulina (Spaulding) Dickey, and grandson
of William Dickey, of Vassalboro, Me. Oliver C. came to the farm
where Alphonso R. now lives in 1842, and built a saw mill, and in
1854 built the mill that Alphonso R. now owns and runs as a shingle
mill. Mr. Dickey's first wife was Hattie Lahar, who left one son,
Wilbur A. He married for his second wife, Alice, daughter of George
Means, of Clinton. They had three children: Edith M., Lesley A. and
Hattie M., who died in 1876. Oliver Dickey had three sons: Oliver W.,
who died in the army, James A. and Alphonso R.
Howard Winslow Dodge, of Clinton, is the .son of John P. Dodge,
who was born in Bridgton, Me., in 1810, and the grandsori of Caleb A.
Dodge, originally from Massachusetts, who removed, in 1816, with his
family from Bridgton to Burnham, Me., where he was a farmer and
lumberman, was town collector, and died in 1820. John P. Dodge
came to Clinton about 1833 and engaged in farming, which he con-
tinued to follow. He married in 1837, Rosanna Richard.son, of Clinton,
now Benton, and raised three boys: Howard W., Hobart R. and John
O., the latter two now lumbermen in Pennsylvania; and one girl,
Lottie L., now Mrs. George W. Plaisted, of Everett, Mass. Mrs.
Dodge died in 1867, and in 1871 he married, for his second wife, Mrs.
Sarah Libby, of Unity, Me. Mr. Dodge died in 1878.
Howard W. Dodge was born in Benton, February 16, 1838, remain-
ing at home on the farm till he was twenty-one years old, and receiv-
ing the benefits of the neighborhood schools and two terms at Sebas-
ticook Academy. In 1861 and 1862 he worked in a lumber mill in
Oldtown, dislocating his hip the same year, which disabled him for
seven months. The next four years he worked at lumbering for David
Hanscom, of Benton, and the three following years in Williamsport,
Pa., at the same business, for the widely known firm of William E.
Dodge & Co., of New York city.
In 1870 he returned to Benton and bought a farm; took cattle to
Boston market; sold his farm in 1871 and opened a store in Clinton
village, where he traded thirteen months and sold the bu.siness to
John F. Lamb. The next year he dealt in potatoes, and in company
with Sumner Flood bought sheep in Canada for Maine markets. In
1873 he bought a half interest in Zimri Hunter's store. Hunter &
Dodge traded two years, when Nathaniel Jaquith purchased Mr.
Hunter's interest, when the present firm of Dodge & Jaquith was
formed, and has continued the business of a variety 'store.
Mr. Dodge, always a democrat, with a taste for public affairs, had
1260 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
been auditor of accounts, and was one of the selectmen of Benton
when he left that town in 1871. He was elected one of the selectmen
of Clinton in 1874, served four consecutive years, was then successively
moderator, town clerk and treasurer, and is again selectman in the
fourth year of his second consecutive series. His party selected and
ran him for state senator in 1873-4 and for county commissioner in
1888. His interest in national politics took him to Washington in
1885 to witness the inauguration of President Cleveland. He was
made a Master Mason in the Star in the West Lodge, Unity, at the
age of twenty-three, joined Sebasticook Lodge by demit in 1872, and
has since taken the Royal Arch degree at China, and belongs to St.
Omer Commandery of Knights Templar, at Waterville. A life-long
temperance man, he has been a prominent Good Templar for twenty-
five years. No man in Clinton is more frequently engaged in the
settlement of estates, than which there is no more direct proof of
public confidence.
He was treasurer of the Z. Hunter Croquet Factory, of Clinton,
that burned in 1880, and is treasurer of The Bradford Self-closing
Telegraph Key Company, of Clinton.
Mr. Dodge married in 1885, Cora A., daughter of Charles and Olive
Jaquith, of Clinton. The names of their three children are: Charles
E., Lottie M. and Alice O., all of whom were baptized in infancy. Mr.
Dodge was converted in 1869 and joined the Newbury Methodist
Episcopal church in Williamsport, Pa. He has always been active
and liberal in religious work in Clinton, constantly holding the labor-
ing oar in some official capacity in the Methodist church.
Benjamin T. Foster, son of Willis N. Foster, was born at Liver-
more, Me., in 1835. He began to work at sash and blind making in
1852, and eight years later came to Clinton and started a sash and
blind business in the Hunter's mills, which he sold to William Lamb
in 1873. He had made coffins and kept caskets in connection with the
sash and blind business, and in 1876 he opened an undertaking and
general furniture business in Centennial Hall, where he continued
until November, 1890, when the business was removed to the present
commodious store, built for the purpose. He has published the
Clintou Advertiser since 1876. In 1886 Miss H. Etta Pratt became his
partner in business, under the firm name of B. T. Foster & Co.
Rev. Francis P. Furber, born in Winslow in 1825, is a son of Jona-
than and Mary (Dimpsey) Furber, and grandson of Benjamin Furber.
He came to Clinton in 1845, where he has been a farmer and lumber-
man. He served three years in the late war in Company H, 19th
Maine. May 6, 1864, he received a wound which destroyed the use of
one arm. In 1875 he began ministerial work for the Freewill Baptist
society, and was ordained September 27, 1885. He has had regular
appointments for the last seventeen years in Clinton and adjoining
^/V(r/j^7i/7.
'^71/7 J . /f
f
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1261
towns. He came from his farm near Morrison's Corner to his present
home in 1886. He married Dolly, daughter of Captain David and
Dolly (Low) Cain. Their children are: Eliza E. (Mrs. R. M. Pollard),
George W., Jane E. (Mrs. David M. Stuart), Nettie M. (Mrs. Frank
Bucklin), Mary F. (Mrs. Frederick Simon.s), and two that died: Emma
and James.
Ruel W. Gerald, son of Joseph Gerald, was born October 7, 1841,
in Canaan, Me. He came to Clinton with his parents at the age of
four years. He began mechanical work when a lad, and since 1870
has worked in the sash and blind department of William Lamb's saw
mill, with the exception of three years spent at carpenter work. He
has been foreman of the shop since 1876. He married Loantha J.,
daughter of Alanson Noble.
Simon F. Gerald, born in Benton, in 1829, is a son of William and
Mary (Chase) Gerald, and grandson of George F. Gerald, who came
from Ireland and lived in Benton. Mr. Gerald lived in Benton until
1859, when he came to the farm in Clinton where he now lives. He
has been a butcher and farmer. His first wife was Maria Gibson, who
left two daughters— Adra E. and Alma F. He married for his second
wife, Cora White. They have one son, P>ed F., who lives on the old
homestead with his father.
John H. Gibson, born in 1844, is a son of John (1810-71) and Lucy
A. (Moor) Gibson. Lucy was the daughter of Captain John Moor
(1772), and granddaughter of Mordecai Moor, of Massachusetts. Mr.
Gibson's wife was Mary E., daughter of William Cain, and grand-
daughter of Captain David Cain. Their children are: LucyE., Leon
H. and Samuel C. Mr. Gibson worked in the woods for some fifteen
years prior to 1872, when he came to the farm where he now lives.
His grandfather was Samuel Gibson, of New Hampshire.
Daniel E. Greeley, born in 1818, is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth
(Erskins) Greeley, and grandson of Jacob Greeley, of Palermo, Me.
Daniel Greeley came to Clinton in 1833, and died in 1877. He had
eight sons. Daniel E. married Martha, daughter of Nathaniel Winn,
who was one of the early settlers of Clinton. Their children are:
Charles H., Daniel C. and Elvin A. Daniel C. married Caroline T.
Spearin, and lives on the homestead with his father. His children are
Elbert C. and Martha M. Charles H. lives opposite his father's home;
his three sons are George F., Charles A. and Royden K.
Elbridge G. Hodgdon. — No citizen of Clinton has been more
thoroughly or more honorably identified with its history for the past
fifty years, than Elbridge G. Hodgdon. His father, Thomas S., was a
native of Saco, Me., to which town his grandfather, Samuel Hodgdon,
came at an early day. Both were shoemakers, adding farming in a
supplementary way. They were men of wonderful vigor and endur-
ance. Thomas S. had haying to do in Clinton two summers before he
1262 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
moved here from Topsham. The two places are sixty miles apart, and
he walked the entire distance each year in a single day, bringing a
scythe and snath on his shoulder, doing the journey inside of twenty
hours. This priceless endowment of bodily power Elbridge G. in-
herited from his father. He thought nothing of the journey on foot
to Augusta before the railroad came, and has frequently walked forty
miles in a day, but never reached his father's grand feat. Neither has
he squandered his rich fortune, for at the age of sixty-eight his
physical powers still re.spond easily to every demand.
Thomas S. Hodgdon married Lydia Libby, of Saco, and their
children were: David, now of Benton; Elbridge G.: Fannie, now de-
ceased, married William McNelly, of Benton; Frederick, now of
Canaan, Me.; Rufus, of Waterville, Me.; Caroline A., now deceased,
married Thomas Pratt, of Deering, Me.; Emma, who died at the age
of twenty; George L.,of Portland, Me., and Aaron L., now of Montana.
He removed with his family in 1828 from Saco to Lisbon, thence to
Topsham in 1829, and in 1831 to Clinton. Here he continued his trade,
did some farming, won the respect of the community, and died August
18, 1886.
Elbridge G. was born in Saco, June 6, 1824. His early years were
pleasant, but far from idle. He improved the time he spent in the
district school, and it was well he did, for it was all the schooling he
ever got. At the age of fourteen he left home and went to do all sorts
of necessary work about the tavern kept by Parker and Joseph Piper,
in the same building that is still the Clinton village hotel. In 1840 he
went into Philander Soule's store for one year. In 1841 he began
lumbering on the Kennebec, working on long boats during the sum-
mer, and spending the winter in the lumber camps of Moosehead
lake. In 1842 he bought one-third interest in a shingle mill with
David and James Hunter. This proved to be the real commencement
of his business life, for it lasted twelve years. The times were close
and rnoney was seldom seen. Business moved on by traffic and bar-
ter. The firm were obliged to keep most of the articles kept in a
country store, which they exchanged for the cedar logs from which
their shingles were made.
In 1853, Mr. Hodgdon built a store and became a regular trader,
with C. H. Kidder as a partner. The firm of E. G. Hodgdon & Co., in
1854 received the first goods ever brought into town by railroad. The
road was not yet opened for business, but Mr. Hodgdon got the man-
ager of a construction train to bring several wagon loads of merchan-
dise on a flat car. In 1862 Mr. Hodgdon bought his partner's interest,
and conducted the business till 1886. During mo.st of the time he was
in trade, he was also the livery man of the place. When he sold his
store he bought a half interest in the grist mill still run by Hodgdon
& Smith. Few country mills grind as much western grain, or have as
1
ii
i2e'
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y miles apart, and
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. r Elbridge G. in-
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cntly walked forty
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oi sixty-eight his
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f Saco, and their
r.: Fannie, now de-
Frederick, now of
\. now deceased,
died at the age
. uvvof Montana.
Lisbon, thence to
iHtinued bis trade
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t-arly years were
•-' he spent in the
•.11 the schooling he
went to do all sorts
and Joseph Piper,
hotel. In 1840 he
In 1841 he began
- during the sum-
nps of Moosehead
shingle mill with
i^al commencement
: times were close
ny traific and bar-
articles kept in a
log.s from which
a regular trader,
Hodgdon & Co., in
uy railroad. The
■ Ion got the man-
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>artner's interest.
'f the time he was
ma as much western grain, or have
^4^"^^-^^
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1263
large a trade in feed and corn meal. They used to manufacture family
flour, but western mills now do that cheaper and better.
Mr. Hodgdon has served public interests with the same diligence
and efficiency manifested in his own. He was town clerk for four
years, and county commissioner for six years. He has always been a
zealous republican in politics, and in religious matters an earnest
Universalist. The purposes and interests of the Masonic order have
also received his cordial cooperation. His first degree was taken in
1846, since which he has by regular steps become a Knight Templar.
He belongs to that class of men who can always be counted on to do
their full share in enterprises for the general good.
He married in 1848, Rosina, daughter of Samuel Kidder, of Albion.
Their adopted daughter, Mary, married George E. Pennell, a promi-
nent lawver, of Atlantic, Iowa. The names of their four children are:
Iva, Hodgdon, Zinie M. and Delia Pennell.
Alpheus Hunter, born in 1826, is a son of James and Elizabeth
(Libby) Hunter. He went to California in 1849, where he spent four-
teen years, and then returned to Clinton and has since been a farmer,
where he now lives. He married Sylvia, daughter of Samuel Haines,
of Clinton, and has eight children: George H., Henry A., Jennie M.,
Edgar, Blanche, Lillie M., Everett and Walter A.
Jewett Hunter, born December 23, 1819, is the second of a family
of ten, of James (1790-1875) and Elizabeth (Libby) Hunter. James
and his five brothers— David, 2d, Dunning, Eben, Alfred and Rufus —
came from Topsham, Me., to Clinton, where they all settled and
raised families. They had three cousins who came to Kennebec
county about the same time — Martin and David, who settled in Clin-
ton, and John P., who settled in Gardiner. Mr. Hunter has been a
farmer and cattle drover, and he and his son, A. J. Hunter, own
and occupy the two hundred acre farm of his father. He married
Ruth, daughter of Samuel and Sylvia (Woodsum) Haines. Their
children are: Lizzie M.(Mrs. Charles Channing , Samuel H., Alpheus
J. and Lottie M. (Mrs. W. A. Barton).
Nathaniel Jaquith, born at Skowhegan, Me., May 2, 1883, is a son
of David (1803-1887 and Sally (Young) Jaquith, and grandson of An-
drew Jaquith, who came from Massachusetts about 1800, and settled
in Clinton, where he was a blacksmith and farmer. Mr. Jaquith came
to Clinton m 1845, where he was a farmer and mechanic until 1875,
when he bought of Z. Hunter a half interest in the general store now
operated under the firm name of Dodge & Jaquith. He was six years
deputy sheriff and has been constable for many years. He married
Jane, daughter of Eben Berry, of Burnham, Me. Their only daughter,
Carrie E., is the wife of Rev. T. S. Weeks.
Isaac Keene, born in 1845, is a son of Isaac and Sarah (Ney)
Keene, and grandson of Isaac Keene. His wife is Sabrina, daughter
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1265
Uncle Sam, having- a pleasant passage until they reached Aspinwall
on the Isthmus, but while crossing many of the passengers were
taken sick. He never knew what suffering was until this time. Leav-
ing Panama, they ran into Acapulco on Christmas, and on that day
buried seven who died from cholera. Thence they sailed to Sacra-
mento, reaching there January Gth, having buried thirty-seven of the
crew and passengers in fourteen days. Seventy-five were carried to
the hospitals, many of them dying afterward.
He located at Roses' Bar. He only worked at mining one half a
day, but bought a team and did a business haulmg freight from
Marysville, a distance of eighteen miles. That fall he bought a part-
nership with Wilder & Newcomb in a store at Roses' Bar, and in one
at Sucker Flat. In the spring they took an inventory, and found they
had $4,500 worth of goods, which represented just the amount of cash
invested. Wilder had in some way got rich enough to start back east.
William bought out both his partners, and in one month cleared $500.
He then took Shepard Lowe as a partner, and in eighteen months
they had made $9,000, when he sold to Mr. E. R. Noble, bought
claims that summer, and in December following started for home,
where he arrived $7,000 richer than when he left three years before.
On January 16, 1855, he was married to Caroline Spearin, of Ben-
ton, and settled on the old farm which had increased from 40 to 150
acres. Here they lived until 1S66, when they sold the farm for $6,000,
and bought of Zimri Hunter their present residence in Clinton vil-
lage. In 1867 he bought Major Lord's saw and shingle mill, added
the manufacture of doors, sash and blinds, and in 1887 began making
croquet sets, now averaging 12,000 per year, and giving work in the
different departments of his mill to from ten to thirty people. He is
president of the Clinton Dairy Association, has served as selectman,
and in 1861 was a member of the state legislature.
Mindful of the interests of others, and of the general good, Mr.
Lamb has done much for the growth of the village by selling lots,
building houses and making easy terms with purchasers. Politically,
he is a democrat, and his religious affiliations are with the Freewill
Baptists, being the most effective mover in the formation, a few years
ago, of that church in Clinton, and in the building of its handsome
house of worship. His record and his reputation are each such as be-
long only to honorable and valuable citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Lamb
have one child, Helen Eugenia, the wife of Rev. A. D. Dodge, pastor
for the past five years of the Clinton Freewill Baptist church. They
have one child, William Lamb Dodge.
James Low, born in Clinton in 1842, is a son of Francis and Mary
J. (Flood) Low, and grandson of James and Betsey (Chase) Low. At
the age of seventeen, Francis Low bought a part of the land now com-
1266 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
prising the Low homestead, and by his keen business ability became,
one of the leading spirits of the town, filling many responsible posi-
tions. He married in 1832, and left five children: Shepard, Emily
(Mrs. Charles M. Chase), Francis, George and James, who lives on the
old homestead. James' wife was Mary Taylor, who died in 1891, leav-
ing three children— Albert T., Charles E. and Annie F.
Arthur McNally, born in 1825, is a son of Arthur and Sarah (Mal-
colm) McNally, and grandson of Michael and Susan McNally, who
came to this country and settled in Clinton, where they raised nine
children. Mr. McNally bought an interest in the saw mill in 1849,
and has been engaged in the business since that time. He has been
superintendent of the Methodist Sunday .school for nineteen years,
and for eleven years was present at every session. He married
Amanda E., daughter of William Reed. Their children are: Elsie
(deceased), Myra, George R. and Lubert A.
Alpheus McNally (1831-1889) was a .son of Arthur McNally. He
married Mrs. Nancy M. Dixon, daughter of Adoniram Sinclair, who
came from Winslow to Clinton, about 1824, where he reared a large
family, and died in 1865. Mrs. McNally first married Appleton
Dixon, who died, leaving six children: Bert (died November 13, 1833),
Villa (Mrs. Marr), Lizzie (Mrs. Thrasher), Alice G., George E. and Al-
phonso, who lives on the old McNally homestead with his mother,
and is a farmer.
E. E. Merrill, son of Nathan F. Merrill, was born in 1859 at Corinth,
Me. He was educated in the schools of Bangor and Newport, Me.
In 1880 he began to learn the tinsmith trade, and continued to follow
it in various places until October, 1889, when he bought a hardware
and boot and shoe business of Manly Morrison, in Clinton, where he
has since carried on the business, also keeping farm implements. In
March, 1891, he removed his business to its present location, the E.G.
Hodgdon store. He married Jennie, daughter of R. B. Thompson.
They have one daughter— Ethel M.
Manly Morrison, born in 1853, is a son of Benjamin and Lucretia
(Joy) Morrison, who had four children: Sabrina (Mrs. Isaac Keene),
Frank and Wesley, both deceased, and Manly. The latter was a
farmer and school teacher until 1880, when he opened a general
country store at Pishon's Ferry, continuing there six years. In 1886
he began a mercantile business at Clinton, which he sold in October,
1889, to E. E. Merrill. Since 1889 he has been engaged in the sale of
carriages, farm implements, and wire ties for baled hay. He is also
interested in the local real estate and insurance business. In 1888 he
opened vSpring street. His first wife was Eva B. Drake. His present
wife was Manetta M. Brown.
Simon E. Pettigrew, born in 1848, is a son of George (1801-1845)
and Mary (Morrison) Pettigrew, and grandson of John Pettigrew, who
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1267
was born in Kittery, Me., came from Sidney to the farm where Simon
now lives, and died there, leaving five .sons: George, Oilman, Oliver,
William and Lyman. George left two sons: Joseph G. and Simon E.
The latter married Mary A., daughter of George and Patience Dawin.
They have two daughters: Mabel B. and Lettie A.
Joseph Piper, born in 1815, is a son of Joseph P. and Jane (Doe)
Piper. His grandfather was drowned in the Kennebec. Mr. Piper
was engaged in the lumber business until about 1860, and for fifteen
years previous to that had owned the Hunter mills, in company with
others. Since 1860 he has been a farmer and cattle broker. He mar-
ried Charlotte L., daughter of James Brown. She left one son, Ed-
ward E., deceased. His second wife was Elizabeth, daughter of James
Hunter; and his third wife was Mary, daughter of James Hunter. She
left one son, George H., who has been in the employ of the Maine Cen-
tral Railroad Company since 1879, and has been agent at Clinton since
1882. His wife is Eva E., daughter of Charles A. Collins. Edward E.
Piper married Cordelia, daughter of Enoch Snell, of St. Johnsville, N.Y.,
and was a sheep broker and farmer. He died in 1891, aged forty-two.
Silas A. Plummer, born in Lineus, Me., in 1843, is a son of Alfred
and Sarah J. (Brown) Plummer, and grandson of Aaron Plummer,
who was an early settler of Albion, where he died in 184.5. Mr. Plum-
mer was a farmer in Aroostook county until 1871, when he came to
Benton, where he was employed for nine years by the Maine Central
Railroad Company as carpenter. In 1880 he went to Fort Fairfield,
Me., where he was a farmer until 1890, when he came to Clinton,
where he now lives, on the D. L. Hunter farm of two hundred acres.
He married Harriet, daughter of Ephraim and Sarah P. (Flagg)
Town, of Winslow. Their children are: Mabel M. (Mrs. Charles
Drake), Olive I. and Olin B. (deceased).
Leonidas H. Pratt, born in Clinton in 1846, is a son of Holman J.
and Sarah L. (Hunter) Pratt, and grandson of Ebenezer Pratt, who
came from Massachusetts to Benton. Holman Pratt came to Clinton
in early life, and died here in 1882. His sons were: Edgar H. and
Leonidas H., who married Delia, adopted daughter of C. A. Dewey,
of Massachusetts. Their three children are: Arthur E., Leon H. and
Eva I. Mr. Pratt came to his present home in 1884 from the old
homestead at Decker's Corners, and is one of Clinton's best farmers.
Otis Pratt, born in January, 1807, was a son of Ebenezer and Han-
nah (Evans) Pratt. He was a farmer in Benton, where he died in
August, 1882. His wife, who survives him, was Betsey, daughter of
Asa and Betsey (Davis) Pratt, and granddaughter of James Pratt.
They had eleven children: Charles H., Ellen B. (Mrs. Zimri Hunter),
Otis Octavius (deceased), H. Etta, Emma O. (Mrs. E. C. Holbrook),
Clara E. (deceased), Minerva (Mrs. Rev. W. Canham), Annie M., Flora
M. (Mrs. Rev. H. W. Norton), George A. (deceased) and Herbert A.
1268 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
(deceased). H. Etta is a partner of Benjamin T. Foster in the furni-
ture business. Ellen B. was for several years a school teacher. In
1880 she married Zimri Hunter, who died in 1889, aged seventy-six
5'ears. He was a business man and manufacturer at Clinton. His
first wife, Emily Flood, left three children: Mrs. Isaac Bingham, Al-
bert and Mrs. Sargent Jewell.
John Reynolds, born in 1828, is the sixth generation from Samuel',
(Ebenezer°, Benjamin", John', John"). Samuel", with an elder brother,
was driven from his father's residence in Nova Scotia by an attack of
two piratical vessels that sacked and burned the place about 1690 or
1700. He afterward settled in Bradford, Mass., where he reared his
family of nine children. Benjamin' is said to have owned one hun-
dred acres on the present site of Augusta, he being one of the first
settlers of that place. He was drafted into the revolutionary army
about 1776, and served not more than two years. He was a blacksmith
with the army in New York, and was employed in forging the chain
which was thrown across the Hudson to prevent British ships sailing
up that river. He erected the first framed house on the site of
Waterville city, and about 1793 built a small vessel, claimed to be the
first launched on the upper Kennebec, and ran it to Augusta, twenty
miles, without its being rigged. He also built the first mill in Water-
ville, and subsequently the first at Pittsfield. John Runnels' came to
Clinton in 1820, and settled on the farm where John' now lives, and
died there in 1882, leaving two sons: John Reynolds' and Fred W.
Runnels. John staid on the old farm, and married Philena Russel,
daughter of Bassett Roundy, of Benton. She died in 1877, and left
five daughters: Ella, Rose, Hannah, Frances L. and Lena P.
Albion Richardson, son of Israel Richardson, sailed from Bangor
November 6, 1849, for California, where he spent two years in the
gold fields. In 1851 he returned to Clinton, where he was a farmer
and lumberman until 1880, when changed circumstances again in-
duced him to seek another fortune on the Pacific coast, and he spent
five years in Oakland, Cal., returning to Maine in 1885. His first wife,
who died in 1866, was Mary E. Woodman, of Saco, Me. She bore him
four children: Zelma, Flora W., Bertha (deceased) and Anna M. The
oldest and youngest reside in Oakland, Cal. His present wife married
in January, 1870, is Eliza A., daughter of Ephraim Town, of Winslow.
Their only child is Sadie E.
Alton Richardson comes from a stock of remarkable vitality and
vigor. His ancestry handed down to their children the most funda-
mental and fortunate of all possessions — sound bodies, the prerequisite
of sound minds. His father was Israel. H. and his grandfather was
Captain Andrew Richardson, a revolutionary soldier, both of Benton,
and both farmers and lumbermen.
Israel H. was also a surveyor of lumber — an expert in this calling
^^ yfiyyt x/.^«. <fCo
'j^T-y^
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1269
—which kept him much upon the river and made him widely known.
He married Sarah Wells, of Clinton. Their three elder children,
Israel H., jun., Gideon W. and Albion, all reside in Clinton. Sarah A.
married Foster Smiley, and died in California. Mary A. married
Henry Herrick, of Benton, and Lucretia W. died unmarried. Eliza-
beth E. married Arthur B. Woodcock, of Ripley, and died in Clinton.
Sophronia W., now Mrs. Isaac Kimball, of Clinton, and Richard D.
were the younge-st.
Alton, the sixth child, was born June 5, 1828, on the Unity road, in
the southeast part of Clinton. In 1839 this large family suffered the
irreparable loss of the husband and father, by death. Alton remained
with his mother, enjoying limited common school advantages till he
was sixteen years old, when, with the spirit and resolution of manhood,
he hired to Jefferson Hines for ten dollars per month at farm work,
and later had the satisfaction of earning a dollar a day in haying. He
next worked on the Penobscot river for his brother, Albion, where he
became an adept in driving logs and all the hardy craft of a lumber-
man, remaining there in the employ of different parties seven years.
At this period the fascinations of California fired his ambition and
thither he went in 1851, where he plunged into the excitement and
toil of a mining camp. At first he expected no more than to pay his
way, as the snow was six feet deep, and pork, potatoes, flour and beans
cost fifty-five cents a pound— all one price. But at the end of three
months the party sold their treasures and found each man had made
six dollars a day. After this he had the good fortune some days to
take out with his pick and shovel as high as $200 to $300. At the end
of two years, with satisfactory savings of the yellow dust, he returned
to Clinton and in 1854 bought 126 acres of his present 200 acre home-
stead, for $1,500. From that time to this he has been a farmer, a
stock raiser and dealer and a hay merchant.
About 1865 he formed with Gideon Wells a partnership that lasted
twenty-five years, during which Wells & Richardson were at times the
most extensive cattle and hay dealers in Maine, shipping from 100 to
300 cattle per week to Brighton, Mass. In 1872 Mr. Richardson
bought in the provinces 300 head of cattle that he drove over 300
miles to reach home, paying much of the way $26 a ton for the hay
they ate. But he bought them so low that the venture netted $1,300.
The firm did not turn their attention to hay till 1880, since which they
have handled 7,000 tons a year. Since the dissolution of the firm of
Wells & Richardson he has had for his business partners Hon. W. F.
Gleason, of Holbrook, Mass., and A. Frank Blai.sdell. and the firm style
has been Alton Richardson & Co. During the present year they have
extended the field of their purchases of hay to the state of New York,
buying near Geneva several thousand tons, for which they find markets
in the larger cities of New England.
1270 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Mr. Richardson married in 1858, Jane B. Spencer, of Benton. Their
children were: Florence, now Mrs. A. Frank Blaisdell; Alice A., mar-
ried Alpheus J. Hunter; Arthur W., who married Estelle Reed; Clara
J., now the wife of lawyer Forest J. Martin; Martha G. and Alton, jun.
— all residents of Clinton, the latter two being still at home. On Oc-
tober 17, 1874, Mr. Richard.son married his second wife, Mrs. Olive E.
Webber, daughter of Henry Eastman.
David G. Richardson, born m 1840, is a .son of Samuel (1793-1856)
and grandson of Samuel, who in 1797 came from Berwick to Clinton,
where he died, leaving five sons: Samuel, David, John, William and
Joel. Samuel left Charles, Thomas, William and David G., who mar-
ried Ruth Ann Salsbury, of Canaan. Their children are: Lennora,
Theodore, Emogen (deceased) and Ward. Mr. Richardson spent
three years in California. His mother was Rachel Flye.
Tristram A. Ricker, farmer, born in 1828, is a son of Tristram and
and Miriam Ricker, and grandson of Noah Ricker, of Waterboro, Me.
Tristram Ricker came to Canaan in early life. He had three sons:
Henry, Tristram A. and Noah. Tristram A. married Martha, daugh-
ter of Stephen Decker. Their only living son is George S.; they have
lost three sons and three daughters. Mr. Ricker came to his present
farm in Clinton in 1872. He devotes much of his time to building
dams, having had some large contracts in that line. His son, George
S., has run a feed and saw mill at Pishon's Ferry since 1890. It is on
the site of the old Levi Maynard carding mill, built about 1830.
Joseph Frank Rolfe, son of Edwin T. and Mary A. (Hearn) Rolfe,
was born in 1845. In 1848 his parents came to Clinton from Fairfield,
where his father was a farmer. He entered the army in 1863, in Com-
pany I, 2d Maine Cavalry, and served until the war closed. He kept
a livery stable in Clinton for a few years after the war, and since that
has been a speculator and farmer. He married Ida C, daughter of
Daniel H. Brown. They have one daughter, Grace G., and two boys
that died — Herbert and Royden.
Joseph Spearin, born July 25, 1818, is a son of Rev. Joseph and
Lucy (Low) Spearin, and grandson of Dea. Joseph Spearin, who early
came to Clinton with his two brothers, Benjamin and John. Mr.
Spearin is a farmer and cattle dealer. In 1886 he left the farm in the
west part of the town, and came to Clinton village, where he now
lives. Since 1870 he has owned a hardware business, which his son,
George A., has run. He married Abbie, daughter of John and Jennie
(Nelson) Flood. Their children are: Alpheus, George A. and Mary
E. (Mrs. Willis I. Cain).
James E. Stuart, born in 1848, is a son of Aaron and Olive (Rich-
ardson) Stuart, and grandson of Abraham Stuart, who came from Bath,
Me., to Clinton, where he died. He left three sons: David, James and
Aaron (1816-1882), who left two sons, James E. and George. They
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1271
live on the old Stuart farm, and are among the leading farmers of the
town. James E. married Octavia, daughter of Jesse Farrington, of
Burnham. Their two children are: Irving H. and Lottie M. Mr.
Stuart has been one of the leading members of the Clinton Grange
since its organization.
Ruthiford B. Thompson, son of G. W. Thompson, was born at De-
troit, Me., in 1843. He learned the blacksmith's trade with his father,
beginning at the age of fifteen. In 1869, in company with J. H. Hus-
sey, he bought the blacksmith business of J. M. Winn, at Clinton, and
five years later bought Mr. Hussey's interest in the business and con-
tinued it until February, 1892, when he rented the shop. He is now
engaged in selling mowers and horse rakes. His wife is Ellen M.
Whitaker. They have three children: Jennie (Mrs. E. E. Merrill),
Edgar B. and Ralph H.
Abner True, born in Clinton in 1817, is a son of Abner (1777-1838)
and Mary (Merrill) True, who came to Clinton in 1807. At his death,
Abner, sen., left three sons: Abner, Merrill and John. Abner, jun.,
staid on part of the old homestead and reared three sons: Franklin,
of Fort Fairfield, Me.; Horace, who died in California in 1883, and
Abner P., who remains at the old home and is a farmer. Mr. True
served on the board of selectmen in 1852. His daughters were: Elvira
A., Mary L., Lenora S., Bessie B., and Isadore, who died in 1864. His
wife was Dorothy P. Bagley.
Laforest Prescott True, farmer, was born in 1844, and is the son of
John and Joann (Chamberlain) True, and grandson of Abner True.
He went into the army in 1862 in the 20th Maine, where he served
until 1865, being twice wounded. He lived in Clinton for a short time
after the close of war, and then went to Boston, Mass., where he filled
various positions, running as engineer on the railroad for four years
prior to 1889, when he returned to Clinton, and has since lived on part
of the old Abner True homestead.
George E. Webber was born in Clinton in 1844. His grandfather
was Rev. Charles Webber, who died in Winslow about 1840. George
is the son of Loring and Olive (Eastman) Webber. Loring Webber
came to Clinton in early life, where he reared a family of eight chil-
dren: George E., Charles F., Allston, John, Caroline, Lewann, Elvira
and Emma. Mr. Webber went to California in 1862, where he re-
mained until 1884, when he returned to Clinton. He took care of his
parents until their death in 1885, and has since been a farmer.
Burton P. Wells is a son of Royal and Martha B. (Pratt) Wells,
grandson of Daniel, and great-grandson of Gideon, whose father,
Richard Wells, was one of the early settlers of Vienna. Royal is a
farmer, and until 1868 he occupied his father's homestead. Since that
date he has lived at Pishon's Ferry. His children are: Rosa S., Lillian
May (Mrs. Selden Manson), Zena (Mrs. George Barrett), Burton P.,
1272 HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.
Addie F. (Mrs. Arthur Holt) and Suell E. Burton P., who is a farmer
at Clinton, married Clara L., daughter of Ira and Isabel (Cain) Whit-
ten. They lost one son, Royal B. Their daughter, Grace H., was
born November 16, 1892.
Gideon Wells, son of Gideon and Sarah (Mills) Wells, and grand-
son of Richard Wells, was born in Clinton in 1814, and died in
August, 1892. The elder Gideon came to Clinton from Mt. Vernon,
Me., in 1806, and died in 1818, leaving four sons: John, Richard,
Daniel and Gideon. The latter's wife was Sarah Webb. They had
two sons: Tufton S. and Howard R., and eight daughters. Mr. Wells
began early to deal in live stock, and was engaged through life largely
in the drover's business. He was also a farmer.
Charles Wentworth, born in Albion in 1837, is a son of Timothy
(1789-1845) and Abbie (Black) Wentworth. His father came from
North Berwick to Albion in 1816, where he was a successful farmer.
Mr. Wentworth began shoemaking at the age of seventeen. He came
to Clinton March 25, 1858, and began a shoemaking business here;
eight years later he bought the drug business of W. H. Bigelow, and
since that time has been in mercantile trade, in connection with the
real estate and lumber business, in which he has large interests. He
has been county commissioner since 1889. His wife is Carrie R.,
daughter of Major Emory. They have two children: Mary F. (Mrs.
George A. Weymouth) and Robert R.
Mrs. Adeline Weymouth, born October 30, 1817, is a daughter of
Jedediah and Mercy (Wing) Goodwin, who came to Clinton in early
life, and reared a large family. Since the death of her husband, Sar-
geant Weymouth, she has lived on the old homestead, where they
settled in 1863, with her daughter, Justana, they carrying on the
farm. Sargeant Weymouth was born November 17, 1812, and died
February 17, 1890. His children were: Jacob, born January 5, 1835,
died in the army July 7, 1864; Randall, born August 24, 1837; John,
born April 22, 1839; Alonzo, born March 15, 1841, died November 1,
1868; Warren, born August 11, 1844; Osgood, born December 21,
1846; Lenora, born March 6, 1850, died December 21, 1886; Milford,
born July 8, 1852; Eva E., born May 6, 1854, died April 7, 1870; and
Justana, born September 22, 1857. Of these children, Jacob, John,
Alonzo and Warren enlisted in the army in 1861, served three years
and reenlisted for three years more. Osgood served in the Home
Guards at Machiasport, Me., for three months.
Lowell Wight, who is a son of Benjamin (1815-1890) and Sarah A.
Wight, and grandson of Asa Wight, was born in Clinton in 1843,
where Asa Wight settled in early life. Asa had three sons: William,
Joseph and Benjamin. The latter had two sons — Hubbard and
Lowell; and three daughters— Cora, Emily and Mary J. Lowell mar-
ried Nellie, daughter of Jonathan Lewis, of Clinton, and they have
TOWN OF CLINTON. 1273
two children: Emma E. and Everett L. Mr. Wight came to the farm
where he now lives in 1884. He also owns the old Wight homestead.
Japheth M. Winn, son of Japheth (died 1870) and Ann (Simpson)
Winn, and grandson of Nathaniel Winn, was born in 1822, in Ben-
ton. His father was a blacksmith, and came from Wells, Me., to Ben-
ton, where he followed his trade for several years, and died in 1870,
aged seventy-five years. His children were: Abigail A., Olive J.,
Eliza A., Maria A., Francis C, Mary C, Charles H., Japheth M. and
George W., all living except Mary C. and Charles H. Mr. Winn be-
gan to learn the blacksmith's trade with his father at the age of
twelve. In 1843 he came to Clinton, and built the shop where he car-
ried on business, with the exception of a few years, until 1869. He
manufactured edge tools in connection with blacksmithing, for a few
years. He was in mercantile trade for three years after selling out
his shop, and since 1872 has been in the real estate and lumber busi-
ness. He has held several town offices, was one year county commis-
sioner, and is one of the directors of the Merchants' National Bank of
Waterville. His wife is Eleanor, daughter of David Hunter, 2d. They
have lo.st three children: Annie, Mary and Frank.
Simon Woodsum, born in 1838, is the son of Simon (1805-1889) and
Martha (Moore) Woodsum, and grandson of Abner (1772-1856), who
came to Clinton about 1820. From 1855 to 1885 Mr. Woodsum was in
Wisconsin, Minnesota and on the Pacific coast. In the latter year he
returned to Clinton, and now lives on the old Woodsum homestead.
His wife was Martha Gudger, of Wisconsin. Their only living son is
Jay Marshall. They lost four children in infancy.
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