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An Historical Sketch
TOWN OF DEER ISLE
MAINE
WITH NOTICES OF ITS
SETTLERS AND EARLY INHABITANTS
BY
GEORGE L. HOSMER
^
Z\\t JFort J^ill ^tfBB
SAMUEL USHER
176 TO 184 HIGH STREET
BOSTON, MASS.
LIBRARY of CONGRESS
Two Copies Rec«<ve<l
DEC 12 1905
Copyriftn Entry
cuss ex. XXc. No,
/ ^^99 3
COPY d.
Copyright, 1905,
By Abel Hosmer,
Oakland, California.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Chapter I 5
Introduction. — Discovery. — Settlements. — Mills. —
Marriages.
Chapter II 24
First Settlers. — The Revolution. — Land - Titles. —
Incorporation.
Chapter III 39
Notices of Settlers and Early Inhabitants. — Physicians.
— Men and Vessels Lost at Sea. — A List of Aged
Persons.
Chapter IV 211
Municipal and Miscellaneous, 1 789-1882. — Ecclesiastical.
— Origin of the Names of the Different Localities in the
Town. — Conclusion.
AN HISTORICAL SKETCH
TOWN OF DEER ISLE.
CHAPTER I.
Introduction. — Discovery, — Settlements. —
Mills. — Marriages.
For some years past it has been my purpose to write an
historical sketch of this town, with notices of its settlers
and early inhabitants. When I came here a young man,
nearly half a century ago, there were but few of the early
settlers remaining, the last of whom, Mr. Joseph Sellers,
died in 1844 at the age of ninety-two years. My informa-
tion has been derived from those who were contemporary
with them, and they in their turn have passed away.
Although the means I have had for such a work were
scanty, yet it was all that could be obtained, as I had
nothing but verbal information: but I may reasonably
judge that it is in the main correct. I have thought it
best to preserve it, in order that those who are now living,
and those who may come hereafter, may have some
knowledge of the hardships endured by their ancestors.
The history of the early settlement of any country is a
history of toil, privations, and suffering, and of these
the persons noticed here have had their full share. It
6 Art Historical Sketch of the
was with them a hard struggle for a subsistence, and
had it not been for the seafowl, sea and shellfish, it
could not have been obtained by them, and had those
means been wanting elsewhere, the seacoast could never
have been settled where it was in this State. I have
hopes that what is here written may prove of interest
to the descendants of those whose notices are here, re-
corded. It is, or should be, a matter of interest to every
one, to have some knowledge of the history of his native
place, or of the town in which he resides. In too many
cases it is not felt until the sources from which such in-
formation might have been obtained no longer exist, and
I wish to improve this opportunity for its preservation, for
otherwise it will soon have passed from memory and be
lost beyond recovery.
DISCOVERY.
We have no authentic information by whom, and at
what time, the islands on which this town is situated were
discovered. It has been stated that, in 1556, Andre The-
vit, a Catholic priest, sailed in a French ship along the
entire coast; that he entered Penobscot Bay, where he
spent five days and had numerous conferences with the
natives. The first Englishman who visited this locality
was Martin Pring, who sailed from Bristol in 1603, and
visited Penobscot Bay and islands. Seeing some foxes on
the shore of one island, he named it Fox Island, and that
was the name by which those islands, on which the towns
of North Haven and Vinalhaven are situated, were
formerly known; one as the North, and the other as
the South, Fox Island. He was well pleased with the
scenery of the bay, with the excellence of the fisheries,
and with what animals were seen by them. When he
returned to England, he carried an Indian canoe with
Town of Deer Isle, Maiite. 7
him, but while here saw but few inhabitants. It is prob-
able that he sailed up the bay lying between the towns of
Deer Isle and Isle au Haut on the one side, and the towns
of North Haven and Vinalhaven on the other. From
its height the Isle au Haut would have been a prominent
landmark, as it can be seen about thirty-five miles at sea,
and is the outermost island of any considerable size in
this vicinity. If he sailed up the bay, as we have supposed,
he must have seen Deer Island. We may regard him
as the first Englishman who saw it, if not the first Euro-
pean, for if Thevit had seen the bay and published his
discovery, it seems reasonable to us that he would have
been followed by others of his countrymen and posses-
sion taken.
In 1604 Champlain visited this region, and is said to
have landed upon its shores, but there is little informa-
tion respecting this. In 1605 the bay and islands were
visited by James Rozier. It has been stated that the latter
sailed up the passage now known as Eggemoggin Reach,
between Deer Isle on the one side and the towns of Brook-
lin, Sedgwick, and Brooksville on the other, and that he
anchored near the cape lying at the southwestern ex-
tremity of the town of Brooksville, which bears his name.
If this account be correct, he must have passed very
near Deer Island, as the passage is, in its narrowest part,
not more than half a mile in width. In June of the same
year Weymouth visited the bay and river, but from the
account given us, we believe that he sailed up the western
side, between the towns of Islesborough and Camden,
and anchored opposite the hills now known as Camden
Hills. Here a party of them went on shore and afterward
going, in a pinnace, farther up the bay they reached a part
which, according to their description of it, must have
been near where the citv of Belfast is now situated.
8 An Historical Sketch of the
From the account given us, they appeared to have been as
well pleased with what they saw as was Pring two years
earlier. The intercourse of Weymouth with the natives
was at first friendly, but, unfortunately for his reputation,
he kidnapped five and carried them to England, three
of whom he delivered to Sir Ferdinand Gorges (to whom
the Province of Maine was chartered in 1639), who kept
them in his family three years.
It is not probable that Weymouth went to that part of
the bay in which this town is situated, or, if he did, noth-
ing is said about it, and as the records made of their
discoveries by those early voyagers are very brief, conjec-
ture must supply the vacancy; but we may come to the
conclusion that, at least, Pring and Rozier must have seen
Deer Island. In 161 4 Captain John Smith, of Virginia,
visited this region and reported a settlement as having
been made, but he must have referred to that made by the
French on the island of Mount Desert, as it is said that
was occupied by them as early as 1604. Others came
to it in 1609, and Madame de Guerchville's colony was
there in 16 13, a year before Smith came to this coast.
No English settlement is reported to have been made any-
where in this vicinity, until that of 1626 by Isaac AUerton,
under the direction of the Plymouth Colony, for purposes
of trade, upon the peninsula on which the town of Castine
now stands. This was continued till 1635, when it was
taken possession of by the French. It was retaken in
1654 and retained till 1670, when it was surrendered to
the French, and by them retained most of the time until
1704, when it was captured by Captain Church of the
Plymouth Colony. No other settlement which was perma-
nent, was made by the English anywhere in this neighbor-
hood, until about the year 1760, which was the date of the
settlement of Castine. We have no account of who gave
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 9
this island its name, or when it was given, but it has been
said that deer were found upon it in abundance, and that
it was so called from this circumstance. This is very-
probable, as those animals could easily visit it in the winter
by crossing the Reach on the ice, and they have been known
to cross that passage by swimming. I have been told
that, in one instance, in the early years of the settlement
here, one was seen so coming over by the members of a
family who then resided near the shore, and on its land-
ing was killed by them, and that it was a providential
occurrence, as at the time they were suffering from hunger.
Several have been killed since I have resided here, and
within twenty years past I saw an old one and her young
near the highway about half a mile from the Northwest
Harbor.
SETTLEMENTS.
When the first settlers came here the island was an
unbroken wilderness. No evidences were found indicat-
ing that it had ever been occupied by white men, and
probably but few had ever landed upon its shores. The
Indians had made some parts of it places of residence
for the purpose of obtaining a supply of food from the
clam-flats, and the proofs of their occupancy, in many
instances, also, covering a considerable space, were to be
found wherever those shellfish were in great abundance,
while the depth of the shells in the ground showed that
they must have been centuries in accumulating. When
the land was plowed, the spots upon which they had
built their wigwams were easily discernible. It is prob-
able that the times of these visits were those in which
other food was not so readily procurable. Occasionally
skeletons have been found, and at one time two were
discovered under the roots of a hard-wood tree which had
lo An Historical Sketch of the
grown to a large size, and was in a state of decay when
it was blown over during a storm. One was that of a
person of ordinary size, the other of one who was at least
eight feet in height, and between the ribs of the larger
one was found the head of a dart made of copper. They
lay nearly side by side, and had been probably engaged in
mortal conflict, the larger one fatally wounded by the
smaller, and the smaller falling by the hands of the larger.
This conflict must have happened a long time before
discovery, as they must have lain upon the ground, and
the tree which grew over them would have been a long
time in attaining its growth. They were found nearly
sixty years ago, and a medical man then residing in the
town gathered up the skeleton of the larger one and pre-
served it. Upon putting the bones together, he calculated
that the height of the man was what is above stated.
When the settler came, his first care was to provide a
shelter for his family. A hut, the sides of which were
built of logs, and the roof of bark, unless he had boards,
which he probably had not, as then there were no sawmills
anywhere in the vicinity; a wall of stones laid up for a
fireplace, with a hole in the roof to let out the smoke and
let in the light and air, and a floor, if any it had except
the ground, made of small trees sided with an axe. The
walls were plastered with clay or mud in the spaces be-
tween the logs, or caulked with moss to keep out the cold.
His first habitation was near the shore, as it was more
convenient than farther back from it, causing him less
distance for the transportation of the articles of food.
In the months of May, June, July, and a part of August^
the bark used for roofing could be peeled from the trees;
at other times it was fast to them and could not be ob-
tained for the purpose. When he had opportunity, a
house was built of logs of more convenient size, and if
Toivn oj Deer Isle, Maine. ii
boards could be had, they could be used for roofs and
floors; the chimney of rocks was carried farther up and
topped out with sticks and clay, and a few squares of glass
might be obtained to admit light into his dwelling. This
second class was a great improvement upon the first. In
time that kind of houses gave way to framed ones as
there was opportunity to procure lumber, sawmills having
been erected here, and they in their turn were succeeded
by better ones. In such rude dwellings, as I have in the
first and second places described, were many of their
children bom and families reared. A very few of the
second class were standing fifty years ago, but none now
remain, as boards have taken the place of logs in their
erection. A large portion of the dwelling-houses that
were standing when I first came here are not now, and a
great improvement in that direction has taken place. We
who live in dwellings so convenient, roomy, and elegant,
can hardly conceive, many of us, how they could have lived
in such places as they did, and on such fare as they had ; but
a more healthy and robust generation was produced in
those times than is now with us. Many of them were
remarkable for their physical strength and powers of
endurance.
His next task was to clear his land so that crops might
be raised, and if he arrived in the month of June, it was
the proper time to fell the trees, as that month is the
most suitable for the purpose. A few acres could be cut
down the first summer, and when the trees were down the
limbs could be lopped, as it is termed, so that the brush
could be near the ground. In the first of the fall, when
dry, fires could be set and the limbs burnt. After that,
the trunks were cut into [pieces of proper length to be
moved into piles and burnt. They were set on fire before
the fall rains came, and al)Out all consumed cxcei)t the
12 An Historical Sketch of the
stumps, and the next year he was ready to put in his seed
for such crops as he wished to raise. Usually com was
planted at first, as it could be conveniently grown, and in
fair seasons it grew bountifully, the land being new and
the ashes a powerful stimulant. In those days but few
potatoes were raised, as they were not so highly esteemed
as at present. If grain were sown it had to be stacked,
and afterward it was threshed. No gristmills were here
until some years after the first settlers came. Corn then
was the favorite crop, as it could be prepared for food
by pounding in what was called a samp-mortar. This was
made of a hard-wood log with one end hollowed out for
the use of a heavy pestle, into the bottom of which nails
were thickly driven to enable it to break up the com more
thoroughly. It was then termed samp, and when thus
made ready for boiling, formed a valuable addition to
their other food. It was also a favorite article of food with
the Indians, who raised corn, and thus prepared it, and
oftentimes cooked it with green beans, which dish was
called succotash.
It was a work of years to clear the land for the plow,
as it took a long time for the stumps to rot so that they
could be taken out; but usually when they were dried
sufficiently, they were set on fire, and the roots, when
rotten, could be dug up. As soon as fodder could be
raised, cattle were procured, and a cow was a valuable
animal to them. Sheep were kept as soon as they could
be by them, as their wool was necessary for purposes of
manufacture for clothing; flax was also raised for the
same purpose, and the cloth was durable if not fine. The
implements used in its manufacture are now nearly obso-
lete; the flax- wheel and hand-card are no longer in use,
and the spinning-wheel and hand-loom are soon destined
to follow.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 13
As years passed along, his circumstances improved;
more land was cleared and greater crops raised, and he
could also increase his stock and, consequently, his means
of living. In a few years mills were built to grind his
grain and com. Upon every lot of land were logs suit-
able for lumber, which could be drawn out by oxen to the
shore and towed to the sawmill for manufacture. Cord-
wood could be sold to be carried to Boston or other places
in Massachusetts, and the proceeds exchanged for articles
of necessity. At first, before he was enabled to keep
oxen, it was cut in places convenient to the landings and
drawn on hand-sleds. This was a slow and toilsome
process, but it was better than to waste it by burning
upon the ground, for the little he was paid for it was a
help to him. After he could keep a team, he could chop
and draw it out in the winter in considerable quantities.
Although the price was small, sometimes not exceeding
one dollar per cord for the best hard wood, yet it was
better than nothing. I recollect hearing an old gentleman
say that once he was obliged to sell such wood at the
small price of fifty cents per cord upon the landing, and at
the same time cloth, then known as India cotton, was fifty
cents a yard. In these times perhaps sixty yards of much
better cloth might be purchased with the proceeds of
one cord of such wood.
In those days there were no roads ; the inhabitants lived
near the shore, and in order to visit each other they must
follow that or go in boats. There were footpaths through
the woods in those places where the shore could not be
used as a road, which were marked by trees spotted to
guide the traveler. It was about twenty-six years after
the town was settled before it was incorporated, and until
that time ever\' person, if he needed a road, was obliged
to make it himself. If a farmer had a grist to carry to
14 An Historical Sketch of the
mill, and could not go by water, he was obliged to carry-
it upon his shoulder. I once heard one who was here
quite early say that he had at one time three bushels of
com that he was obliged to carry to the Northwest
Harbor to mill, which was six miles from his house. He
put it into two bags and, starting with one, carried it until
he was tired, laid it down, walked back to the place where
the other was left, took that up and carried it till he was
tired, then rested and started with the other, and in that
way transported his com to, and his meal from, the mill.
He was a perfectly reliable man, and I have no doubt of
the truth of his statement, for he was of large size and
great strength. These little incidents show us what hard-
ships were endured by those who were before us. The
chief article of food upon which they relied at first was
the clams which were then very abundant in the flats in
front of the lots occupied by them, and the seacoast of
New England has abounded with them. It was at times
the chief reliance of the Pilgrims who settled at Plymouth,
without which they would doubtless have perished by
starvation. Although it is not a very nourishing kind of
food if confined to it, nor so palatable as some other
kinds, still there was no fear of the supply being exhausted.
It was considered of so much consequence that, in 1641,
the Colony of Massachusetts passed an ordinance that,
whatever right the owner of land had to the flats left bare
at low water in front of his land, he had no exclusive
right to the shellfish that might be taken from them; nor
had he a right to prevent any one from taking fowl, these
being considered rights which others had in common with
the owners of the land. This is yet the law of our State.
The taking of them for bait for the cod-fisheries has since
been quite an important business, and the quantity that
has been dug from the flats in this town within the last
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 15
fifty years has amounted to many thousand barrels, and
furnished employment for many. At this time they are
put up in cans by the packing companies in their factories
in the town. It needed but little time to enable the settler
to procure what he needed from day to day, as the supply
must be taken at the time of their use, for if kept very
long they became unwholesome. During the months of
May, June, July, and August they were not so suitable
for food as at other times. In the winter and early spring,
when the ice covered the shores, it had to be cut through
to dig them, which made the labor severe.
The seafish at that time were very abundant; a man
could load a small boat in one day. at times. Their boats
were made of a large log of wood hewn into proper shape,
and dug out, and were termed " log canoes." The,y have
long since gone out of use, and their places supplied by
boats of a better kind and much more convenient. A
few of the former kind were to be seen sixty years ago,
but it is a long time since I have seen one. The fish were
at that time much nearer the shore than at present, and
it was but little labor to row out where they were and
take what was wanted. The chief difficulty was in ob-
taining salt. There was no place of trade nearer than
Fort Point, which was the only place until the British
took possession of Bagaduce in 1779, where a market was
opened for what they had to sell, and such goods as they
needed could be purchased. Salt was maniifactured here
by boiling sea-water, of which two per cent, only is salt.
In order to manufacture it, large kettles or iron pans were
set by the shore, the water was pumped up at high water
and led into them by spouts and boiled down. The wood
used for fuel w'as conveniently near in abundance, but
it was a slow process, as about four hundred gallons of
water were necessary to produce one bushel of salt weigh-
1 6 An Historical Sketch of the
ing sixty pounds, — but it was an article they must have.
One man, Mr. Jonathan Eaton, was for several years en-
gaged in the business, and what he made during the summer
he carried up to the towns above Newbury port, on the
Merrimack River, the locality whence he came, and sold
or exchanged it for produce. The price here was never
less than one dollar per bushel, and its quality was about
equal to the Liverpool salt at present.
Other kinds of fish were taken, — the herring in weirs
made by enclosing the mouth of a creek or cove by brush
woven between stakes set or driven into the flats above
low-water mark. The top of the hedge was low enough
to admit them at high water, but upon the ebb of the tide
below the top of it they were detained, and were taken
when the flats were bare; they were salted, the larger ones
in casks, the smaller cured by smoking. In the winter
the frost fish, as they were termed, were taken in consid-
erable quantities at the mouths of brooks, and were accept-
able, as it was not the season of fresh fish of other kinds.
The smelts could be taken in the same way in the spring,
and when lightly salted and cured by drying made a very
palatable article of food.
The other source of supply upon which they relied was
the seafowl, particularly of the duck kind; they were
taken by shooting, netting, and driving. Every one who
could procure a gun and ammunition did so, that enabling
him easily to secure an abundance of them from the
surrounding waters. The practice of netting was by
setting large nets on the flats, fastened to stakes, in such
a manner as to float and rise with the tide horizontally
upon the surface, and when spread covering considerable
space; when the fowl swam near the shore, as is their
practice, and, diving, came up under the nets, they be-
came entangled, and could be taken. Large quanti-
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 17
ties were taken in this way, and when dressed, those not
wanted for present needs were salted for future use.
The feathers were valuable for beds, and were salable,
six full-grown ones furnishing one pound of them. The
other method was styled duck-driving, and as it has not
been practised within the memory of any but the very
oldest of our inhabitants, it will be proper to give a de-
scription of the manner in which they were taken. For
a very few days in the month of August they could not
fly, as they were then shedding their quills, or larger feathers.
The time was well known to the inhabitants in the places
around, in other settlements, and all who could come did so
from Penobscot River, from Penobscot, and around the bay,
in boats. First a circle of boats was formed so as partially
to surround them, and they were also stationed so as to
prevent their taking a wrong direction. Duck Harbor, on the
southwestern part of Isle au Haut, was the place selected to
drive them into, as it was well suited for the purpose, being
narrow and extending half a mile or more into the land.
Beginning at the upper part of the bay, below Eagle Island,
they were driven in for several miles; as this went on,
others were overtaken, and by the time they had reached
the place of destination a large number were included in
the drive. Narrowing the flock as they went along, they
were driven into the mouth of the harbor and up to the
head of it; when the fowls reached the shore they were
taken and killed, and every one engaged in it could have
all he needed.
The water, and not the land, is their element. They
can swim quite rapidly, but when on landing they at-
tempted to walk they could easily be taken. At one time
a very large drive was made, and many, attempting to
walk over the land from the head of the harbor to the
southern shore of the island, perished in the woods, where
1 8 An Historical Sketch of the
their remains were seen for a long time. Such unrestrained
slaughter soon had its effect, and they decreased or
sought other places in which they could be free from this
wholesale destruction. No drive has been made for perhaps
eighty years or more. My informant, the late Captain
David Thurlow, a man well known here in his day, was
present at several of the " drives," and from him I obtained
the information given above. He died in 1857, at the age
of eighty-two years, and they were a common practice
when he was young. From an account given me many
years ago, I judge that wild fowls, when they escape from
danger, often shun the place afterward. Among the early
years of the settlement here the wild geese, going on their
flights toward the north, frequently halted and landed
upon a particular part of the island, near what is called
" Dunham's Point " (the locality of the silver mine which
has been opened here) , and they also did so on their return
in the fall. As this became known persons would lie in
wait for the chance to shoot at them; after it had been
done a few times they landed there no longer, and for
years whenever they passed over that spot, they would rise
so much higher than usual upon approaching it as to be
above the reach of any shot, coming down again when
safely beyond it, to their usual, level.
MILLS.
I have no means of ascertaining the date of the erec-
tion of the first mill here, but I am inclined to think that
it was by Mr. Nathaniel Kent, of Boston, on the site of the
mills afterward occupied by Stephen Holt and Richard
Warren. Messrs. Mark Haskell & Sons also put up a
saw and gristmill at the Northwest Harbor. They pur-
chased the land they occupied there in 1772, of Ezekiel
Marshall, who was here before them; but they did not
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 19
come until a few years after that, and from what information
I have been able to obtain it was not until 1778. In the
notice of them I shall state more fully about them. Jona-
than Greenlaw, who came as early as 1762 or 1763, one
of the family of that name who came shortly after, and,
next to William Eaton, the first settler, gave a deed to
Kent of a tract of land containing a square mile, in con-
sideration of the erection and maintenance of a gristmill.
The date of the deed I have never learned, but, if it ever
was put on record, it must have been done in the records
of the county of Lincoln, in which county we then were,
as Hancock County was not incorporated till 1789. Green-
law had, of course, no title to the land he conveyed, as
the title then was in Massachusetts. The mill was after-
ward occupied by Joseph Tyler, Esq., a native of Dedham,
Massachusetts, who came during the latter part of the
Revolutionary War. A sawmill was built, whether by
Kent or Tyler I do not know. It stood for some years,
occupied by Esquire Tyler, and manufactured boards and
other lumber from the logs which were then standing in
that vicinity. After Tyler moved into another part of the
town, the place was occupied by Stephen Holt, who rebuilt
the gristmill and ran it till 1842. After his removal the
late Hon. Richard Warren built mills there, which were
destroyed by fire. The " Kent Claim," as it was called,
was a subject of litigation for several years. It covered
the land settled by Mr. Joseph Colby, who came here not
far from 1766, and the lawsuit was prolonged for several
years in the courts of Lincoln County. Mr. Colby had
frequently to attend court, and, as the practice was then,
the jurors were chosen and could serve as often as they
were returned, and he was, while his case was in court, a
juryman, as it enabled him to meet his expenses of travel
to and from the shire-town, which was Pownalborough,
20 An Historical Sketch of the
near the towns of Dresden and Wiscasset. He at length
prevailed, and the Kent Claim was reduced to 200 acres,
the lots occupied by Messrs. Joseph and Belcher Tyler.
It afterward passed into the ownership of Mr. Nathaniel
Bishop, of Medford, Massachusetts, and some time not far
from 1820 he contracted to sell the land to Mr. Stephen
Holt, of Andover, Massachusetts, who occupied it till 1842,
when he was ousted by Mr. Bishop for non-payment for the
land, and it afterward passed into the hands of the late
Richard Warren. The saw and gristmill at the Northwest
Harbor stood till about i860. A gristmill was built at the
Reach shore in 1837 by Captain John Torrey which has been
discontinued some ten years or more, and there is now no
saw or gristmill in the town. One of the latter is much
needed, for if there were one a considerable amount of
Sfrain would be raised in the town; but as it has to be
carried out of the town to be ground, the farmers have
nearly discontinued its production. It can be as easily
raised here as in the towns in the vicinity, and might be
with profit. Other sawmills were built: one on Thurlow
Island as early as 1800, or before, by Joseph Colby, Jr., and
David Thurlow, which manufactured a good deal of lumber
in its day. It was destroyed by being blown down in a
violent squall, in the early part of the year 1839. Another
was maintained several years, known as " Crockett's Mill,"
till about thirty years ago. Another was formerly stand-
ing on Stinson's Neck, near the residence of Mr. Josiah C.
Webb, and another on what was known as the Emersons'
Mill Pond, not far from the house of Captain Benjamin
J. Sylvester. It was built about the year 1790, and went
down in 1807.
The first framed dwelling-house in the town was built
by Mr. Ezekiel Morey, who came in 1767. I made inqui-
ries of the oldest people, and they all stated that it was
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 21
standing when they could first remember. The eldest son
of the builder, Mr. Elias Morey, who was born in 1761,
informed me that he was ten years of age when it was
built. That would fix the date at 177 1. It was standing
less than twenty years ago on the spot at present occupied
by the house of Mr. James Jordan, and was known as the
Hallet house. The next oldest now standing is the ell part
of the house formerly occupied by the late Joseph Raynes,
which was put up prior to 1790. It has been repaired
within a few years. The next oldest are the houses oc-
cupied by Mr. Levi Greenlaw and that of the late Mr.
Nathan Eaton. The next is the house built at some time
about the years 1793 or 1794, and occupied by the late
Ignatius Haskell, Esq., which is still in a good state of
preservation. It is at present the property of his grand-
daughter, Mrs. Rebecca Haskell.
MARRIAGES.
The marriages solemnized between parties residing in
the place before the settlement of a minister here in 1773,
must have been at the fort on what is now known as Fort
Point, by the chaplain of the garrison, Dr. William Crawford.
He was the nearest person by whom the ceremony could
be performed, and is said to have been the first one
who married couples according to Protestant forms
on Penobscot River. The fort was named Fort Pownal,
and was built in 1759. He was a surgeon as well as chap-
lain, and served in both capacities under General Wolfe
at Quebec. It was some ten years after the settle-
ment was commenced here, till the establishment of a
church and the employment of a minister, and during the
occupation of Bagaduce by the British, those intending
marriage from this place went there for the purpose, as
there was a chaplain there. At that time there were no
2 2 An Historical Sketch of the
justices of the peace here, for there was no authority to
appoint them, as Massachusetts had no governor during the
war of the Revolution. Afterward the war appointments
were made, and the first ones here were Messrs. Joseph
Tyler, Thomas Stinson, and Ignatius Haskell, Esquires.
The first child bom of white parents here was Mr.
Timothy Billings, in May, 1764. He was born near the
shore, on the lot formerly owned by the late Captain
Jonathan Torrey, and by his descendants at the present
time. His father removed here in 1763 , but did not remain
long. It has been claimed by some that Mr. John Closson
was the first, but it is a mistake. His mother, prior to his
birth, went over to the other side of the Reach, and he was
bom in what is now the town of Sedgwick, March 5, 1764.
The first child bom at the Northwest Harbor, according
to the best information I have, was Joseph Eaton, who set-
tled in Sedgwick, and died there. He was the son of Mr.
Jonathan Eaton, and was born in the latter part of the
year 1767. Near the Southeast Harbor Mr. Thomas
Colby was the first white child bom, in April, 1768, and at
the Southwest Harbor Thomas Small was bom about the
same time.
It is worthy of note that the first children born of Eng-
lish parents in this and the two nearest towns , as originally
incorporated, lived to a great age. Mr. Billings died in
1854, aged ninety; Mr. Reuben Gray, bom in Penobscot,
in the present town of Castine, near the site now occu-
pied by the stores in that place, in May, 1763, died in
1859, aged ninety-six; and Elizabeth Black, born in that
part of Sedgwick now Brooklin, about 1760, died at the
age of nearly one hundred years. At the time of her death
she was Mrs. Freethy.
In another part of this book will be found a record of
all the persons who have lived to the age of ninety years
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 23
and upward, since I came here, in 1835. The oldest died
in 1879, aged ninety-seven, and there is evidence that only-
one other person arrived to so great an age before 1835 —
Mrs. Colby, the wife of Mr. Joseph Colby, in 1833. She
will be further noticed, as she carried the news of the sur-
render of Lord Comwallis to Bagaduce, which was the
first information the officers of the army stationed there
had of the event.
From what has been written we can have some idea of
the condition of those who first came here; it required
courage to face what they did, and resolution to go through
it. We who talk of poverty now should compare our sur-
roundings with theirs. The poorest among us at this day
have means to procure what to them would have been
luxuries. Their food at best was coarse and often scanty,
their clothing would now be considered insufficient to pro-
tect the wearer from the cold. We little consider that we
are enjoying the fruits of their labors, for their hands
cleared the fields we cultivate, and the foundation of our
privileges was laid by them. We can show them no grati-
tude, but we can respect their memories. The worth of
too many is not appreciated until they are gone. There
are many things in life which cannot be understood unless
they come within our experience, and if understood at all,
they are so but imperfectly, which makes it difficult for one
who lives in other times to correctly write the histories of
the past.
I come now to the period of the Revolution, and in
another chapter will give the names of such male inhabi-
tants as were here, according to the best information I
have been able to acquire. It will be a list of such as
were at that time twenty years of age, or nearly, and up-
ward, and the date of their coming, as correctly as I can
from what information I have obtained.
24
An Historical Sketch of the
CHAPTER II.
First Settlers. — The Revolution. — Land-
Titles. — Incorporation.
The year 1775 brought the Revolution, and found the
Island with a number of settlers. The first permanent
settlement was made in 1762 by William Eaton, although
he was not the first who began one. The following is a
list of the persons referred to at the close of the last chapter.
The dates of their coming are as correct as they can now
be made.
Eaton, William, Sr., 1762
Eaton, Eliakim (son), ,,
Eaton, Jeremiah (son),
Eaton, William, Jr. (son), ,,
Greenlaw, Alexander,
Greenlaw, Charles,
Greenlaw, Ebenezer, ,,
Greenlaw, Jonathan, ,,
Greenlaw, William, ,,
Billings, John, 1763
Closson, Nathan, ,,
Torrey, J 'than, about ,,
Torrey, David,
Weed, Benjamin, ,, ,,
Freeze, George, ,, ,,
Freeze, John,
Staples, Joshua, 1764
Staples, Moses,
Linn, Robert, 1765
Pressey, John, Sr., ,,
Pressey, Chase (son), 1765
Pressey, John, Jr. (son), ,,
Richards, Wm., about ,,
Stinson, Thomas, Sr., ,,
Stinson, Thomas, Jr. (son), ,,
Thompson, Thomas, ,,
Trundy, Samuel, ,,
Webb, Samuel, about ,,
Webb, Seth,
Whitmore, Joseph, ,,
Babbidge, William, 1766
Dunham, Elijah, Sr., ,,
Dunham, Elijah, Jr. (son), ,,
Dunham, Joseph (son),
Colby, Joseph, ,, .
Dow, John, 1767
Dow, Nathan,
Eaton, Jonathan, ,,
Hooper, John. ,,
Morev, Ezekiel, ,
Toivii of Peer Isle, Maine.
25
Small, Thomas, 1767
Carman, Levi. 1768
Crockett, Josiah,
Eaton, Theophilus, ,,
Marshall, Ephraim,
Marshall, Ezekiel. ,,
Small, Job,
Bray, Nathaniel, about ,,
Colby, Ambrose, ,, ,, •
Cole, Benjamin, ,, ,,
Nason, Robert, ,,
Haskell, Francis, 1770
Haskell, Abijah (son), ,,
Haskell, Jonathan (son), ,,
Haskell, Mark, Sr.,
1771
I
Saunders, Thomas,
Ray nes, John, Sr., i/^
Raynes, James (nephew), ,,
Raynes, John. Jr. (son), ,,
Raynes, Sam'I (nephew), ,.
Sellers, Charles,
Sellers, Joseph, ,,
Babbidge, Courtney, Sr., 1773
Robbins, Thomas, 1775
Curtis, Lot, date unknown.
Hardy, Peter, Sr., ,, ,,
Howard, Ezra, ,, ,,
Howard,John(son),,
Tuttle, Zebulon, ,,
Sixtv-nine in all.
Most of the persons above named were friendly to the
American cause, but a few were loyalists, or, as they were
then termed, " Tories." Three from this place entered
the army, for which they obtained a pension under the
first act providing one for the soldiers of the Revolutionary
army. Their names were Joseph Whitmore, Samuel Stin-
son. and Courtnc}- Babbidge, Jr. Mr. Whitmore died in
1 84 1, aged eighty-six; Mr. Stinson in 1847, aged eighty-
eight, and Mr. Babbidge not far from the year 1833. in the
town of Vinalhaven, over seventy years of age. After the
war, Mr. Solomon Barbour, Mr. George Gross, and Mr.
James Gibson moved here, where they remained till their
deaths; and later, two others came, Mr. John Harvey, who
died in 1837, aged eighty-six, and Mr. Judah Covillc, who
died in 1843, aged eighty-nine years. Mr. Barl)Our lived,
while he resided here, upon what has been known as the
" Barbour Farm," owned by Ignatius Haskell, Esq., a part
of which has since been owned and occui)icd b\- Mr.
26 Aft Historical Sketch of the
Edwin P. Cole. In 1784 came Mr. Micajah Lunt from
Newbury port, who was in the naval service; he died in
1827 or 1828, and I believe Mr. Barbour died not far from
that time. The wives of all, except Mrs. Harvey, survived
their husbands, and some received pensions. Only one
person ever resided here, to my knowledge, who was in
what is known as the " Old French War," — Mr. Benjamin
Weed, who was among the first that came. He was engaged
in the siege of Louisburg, on the Island of Cape Breton, the
second time an expedition was fitted out from New England
to take it from the French, not far from the time that
Quebec was taken.
In 1779 the British took possession of the peninsula of
Bagaduce, on which the village of Castine now stands, and
commenced the erection of a fort. All the inhabitants
within their reach were required to perform labor upon it
for a certain number of days, which number I never heard,
nor did I ever hear that any compensation was paid for
it. It was called " working out their tour." In my
younger days I used frequently to hear it spoken of by
those who were contemporaries with those of that day.
It was not safe for any one to refuse, unless a reasonable
excuse could be made. The work was hurried on, as the
Americans fitted out an expedition for the purpose of
retaking it, the fleet composing it arriving in about five
weeks after possession was taken, which was in the month of
June. It failed of its object, but it is not within the scope
of this work to give the reasons of its failure or a history of
the expedition. Any one who wishes, may read the His-
tory of Castine, by Dr. Wheeler, which gives an account,
at considerable length. They also required the inhabi-
tants of the settlements around them, and those on the
Penobscot River, to take an oath of allegiance or of neu-
trality. In most cases this was compulsory, and it might
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 27
be by some regarded as not morally binding. It was not
safe for any to refuse this oath, as it would be likely to
render the person refusing an object of suspicion, if not
of persecution or arrest. There were some in other settle-
ments who, rather than take it, abandoned their homes
and moved away, some of whom returned after the peace,
as did William Eaton, the first permanent settler here;
but that was not always so easy to do, for all the settlers
had was here, and they did, no doubt, the best thing they
could under the circumstances. One man named Page,
who lived in what is now the town of Brewer, was notified
to come and take the oath. He refused, and sent an an-
swer to their summons accordingly, and word was sent him
that if he did not come a file of soldiers would be sent to
bum his house. To this he replied: " Come on, for I have
two loaded guns in my house, and two at least who
come will never go back." He was not molested.
Those persons who were loyalists paid frequent visits to
Castine, and were suspected of giving information relative
to the other settlers who might be considered friendly to
the American cause, which obliged them to exercise great
caution in all their conduct. Although they were assured
by the officers that if they gave no cause for suspicion
they would not be molested, yet to be an object of sus-
picion was too often a reason for arrest, and when taken
they might be subjected to such cruel punishments as were
inflicted. I do not remember hearing of any person in this
place being arrested, but some were in other places and
suffered most severely by whipping. One was a Mr.
Williams, of Islesborough ; another, Mr. Nathaniel Carson,
who lived on Cape Rozier. Mr. Jonathan Eaton, of Sedg-
wick, a son of Mr. Theophilus Eaton, of this place, was in-
formed against by a Tory and was arrested in the evening
by a file of soldiers who were guided by the one who gave
28 An Historical Sketch of the
the information. They started to carry him to Castine;
on their way the road led near the top of a high bank by
the shore, which was thickly covered with trees, and on
their arrival there, he, being a powerful man, shook off
those who were on each side of him, jumped down the
bank, and in the darkness escaped. In a few minutes he
returned to his house, took a few things, and went to
Isle au Haut which was then a wilderness, and remained
there all the season, not returning until the danger was
over.
The punishments that were then given might well have
been dreaded. The prisoner was tied up and lashes laid
upon his bare back, sometimes by hundreds, with a whip
styled a " cat-o'-nine-tails," which had nine lashes and in
each lash nine knots. When inflicted in the open air, the
screams of the victims might, in calm weather, be heard
a long distance, for their sufferings were terrible; often a
bullet or something like it was put into their mouths to
prevent them from chewing their tongues in their agony.
A surgeon stood by in such a severe whipping, to pronounce
when it was unsafe to carry it any further; and, if the
whole number had not been laid on, he must, after his
wounds were healed, receive the remainder. We would
not now allow such cruelty, but that was the manner in
which their soldiers were punished for some offenses, and
what Williams, and Carson, and others as unfortunate,
endured. It would have been more merciful to shoot
them at once, for their pain would have been short. At
most, it would have been murder, but such whippings were
worse than murder. The subjects of them ever after felt
the consequences ; the sense of manhood was crushed out of
them, and they became dispirited and morose.
I recollect, some twenty-five years or more ago, making
the acquaintance of an old gentleman who then resided on
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 29
the coast of York County near Wood Island, who had served
many years in the capacity of sailmaker in the British
navy. He was on board the N 01th umber land, the ship
which conveyed Napoleon to St. Helena, and he gave
me a description of his personal appearance which corre-
sponded with what has been written concerning it. He was
the coxswain of the barge which carried him from the ship
to the shore. I asked him concerning the punishments by
whipping, which were said to have been practised then on
board their ships-of-war, and how it was possible in some
cases, that any one could come out of them alive. He
informed me that he once witnessed a punishment of five
hundred lashes given for desertion, which was a crime most
severely punished. The prisoner was sentenced to be
flogged " through the fleet," and the manner of its inflic-
tion was thus: A large boat was used, upon which a plat-
form was laid, and the frame raised to which the prisoner was
lashed. The number of lashes was divided by the number
of ships in the fleet that were there at the time; he was
rowed from ship to ship, and the boatswain's mate of each
administered its quota of lashes. He also informed me
that when any one on board was to be whipped, the sailors
supplied him with brandy in abundance, with which
gunpowder was mixed, so that when the time arrived for
the punishment, he was so far intoxicated as to be hardly
able to stand, and the operation of what was administered
to him enabled him to go through it with little pain
comparatively to what it would have been had he been
sober. What has been written above may be deemed a
digression, but may well be worth remembering as it shows
us what those who were here had to fear, if they were
subjects of arrest.
In 1781 Comwallis surrendered, which virtually ended
the war, and the news of his surrender was carried to
3© An Historical Sketch of the
Castine by a lady of this place, to whom allusion has been
made, — the wife of Mr. Joseph Colby. A neighbor of hers,
Mr. Seth Webb, who has settled on Kimball's Island in the
present town of Isle au Haut, and who also had a residence
here a part of the time, — sometimes his family being at one
and sometimes at the other place, — happened to be at Isle
au Haut when an American vessel anchored in the harbor,
the captain of which had a number of handbills which
were printed for distribution, announcing the event in
its details. One of these he gave Mr. Webb, and he gave
it to Mrs. Colb3^ The inhabitants here were then in the
practice of going to Castine to trade, as while the British
were there it became a place of considerable importance,
and its merchants did, for those times, a large amount of
business. Happening to go the next day, she carried the
handbill with her, starting in the night, as the weather
was favorable, with her two sons to row her up in a boat
so as to enable her to reach that place early in the day, the
distance from her residence by water being about twenty-
five miles. Upon her landing, she was very politely ac-
costed by an ofificer with: " Well, madam, what news this
morning?" Her reply was: " Not much, only there is a
rumor that my Lord Cornwallis has surrendered." He
instantly checked her, saying, " It will not do to bring
such news here." Asking her for her authority, she in-
stantly drew out her paper and handed it to him; on reading
it, he requested her to loan it to him for an hour, promising
to return it, and soon a messenger was sent to request the
lady who brought it to go with him before the officers, who,
after they had read it, said: " We fear the news is too true."
One great cause of annoyance was the practice that
there was of plundering the inhabitants on the seacoast in
this vicinity, by persons who went about for that purpose
in boats which were then styled " shaving-mills." They
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 31
committed their depredations in places where they were
not known. They would land upon the shore, visit the
houses of the inhabitants, and steal whatever they could
lay their hands on, which was a cause of distress to the
persons plundered, as they had but little, and that little
they wanted themselves. It was useless to make any com-
plaint, as there was then no redress to be had. The British,
it is true, held possession here, but it was military posses-
sion. If any one in their service committed such acts,
he was severely punished by whipping upon proof suffi-
cient to procure conviction, for to their honor it must be
said that their officers strictly prohibited plunder of the
inhabitants, and any one who was detected well knew
what were the consequences. It was done by lawless
persons from other places. I recollect hearing an old
gentleman, who, during that period, was a child, say that
upon one time such a boat landed near the house of his
father, and upon the entering of the house by the persons
who came in it, they saw his father's gun standing near
the fireplace, which they took and carried away. His
mother was alone in the house, with the exception of her
little children. Upon his father's return, when he found
his gun was gone, he was enraged, saying that he had
rather parted with a cow, as a gun was necessary for his
procuring a living by shooting fowl and game. The prac-
tice was not confined to the seacoast, for I heard another
old gentleman say that during the war his father was
visited by such people, led by a Tory in the vicinity, who
took his oxen from him and drove them away, and the next
spring he had to dig up his ground with his hoe to put in
the seed. This took place in what is now Brooksville, near
Walker's Pond.
In 1783 peace was proclaimed; the British troops aban-
doned Castinc, and those who were lovalists here went
32 An Historical Sketch of the
with them. They left behind the fruits of twenty years'
toil, which to them was labor lost. Only two, the sons of
one of them, returned, who remained here till death.
They doubtless feared that the results of the prejudice
existing against them here might be to their annoyance, if
not to their injury; but perhaps had they remained and
accepted the situation under the new order of things, it
would have gradually worn away. In a few years they
would have acquired a title to their lands, which were as
valuable for farming purposes as any in the town. Many
other Tories from other parts of the country abandoned
their estates and went into the Provinces. Their posses-
sions, in some cases large, were confiscated, and they lost
all. They were then styled refugees, and many of the
present inhabitants of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
are their descendants. They were rewarded for their loy-
alty by grants of land, but it was in the wilderness of New
Brunswick and among the rocks of Nova Scotia. They
carried with them an intense hatred of the government
here, which has in some degree been transmitted to their
posterity. During the war for the suppression of the great
rebellion a stronger sympathy for the South was nowhere
manifested than there, and in some places and at some
times it was not safe for any one to avow Union senti-
ments.
I have sometimes thought that sufficient charity was not
exercised toward the Tories, for there can be no doubt as to
their sincerity, and we must consider that there are always
two sides to a question. Loyalty was to them a sacred
principle, in which they had been early educated and had
grown up. The injunction of St. Peter, to " honor the
king," coupled as it is with that to " fear God," had to
them great significance, for if the one was binding, as we
must all admit, why was not the other? We can afford
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 33
to be charitable and just in the matter, even if we do not
indorse their principles, for there was another light in
which it might have been viewed that is entitled to con-
sideration. The British government had, within the mem-
ory of the oldest among them, crushed out two rebellions
with great severity, and when the Revolution commenced,
they might well consider that there was no reasonable
prospect of its success. In their opinion it was a contest
between weakness and power, and in the event of its failure
they would have been on the safe side, and what could
those on the other hope for? Had it failed, could we have
reasonably expected that such men as John Hancock and
Samuel Adams would have been permitted to die in their
beds, should the British government have obtained pos-
session of them? Although there were acts of violence
between the Whigs and Tories in other places, I never
learned of any here, as there was too great a dispropor-
tion between them, for the Tories were but few in com-
parison to their opponents, and all they could do was to
carry information to the officers at Castine. The others
were kept in awe in consequence of the fears entertained
of the troops there, who would speedily retaliate if any
injury were inflicted upon their loyal friends. Only one
act of injury ever came to my knowledge, which was that
of the crew of an American privateer upon one of the
Tories here, a member of that family which moved away
at the close of the war, who was either carried or enticed
on board of the vessel, while she lay at anchor not far
from his place of residence. He was forced to go into the
main-top, where he was fired at, not with the intention to
kill, but to see how near the bullets could go and not hit
him, — an act of cruelty and cowardice. His terror while
it was being done was so great as to cause insanity.
34 ^" Historical Sketch of the
LAND-TITLES.
When the settlers first came here it was not altogether
certain to whom the territory belonged. The first grant in
which its description is included was that made by James
the First, in 1620, to the Plymouth Company in England,
as that embraced all the land lying between the 40th and
48th parallels of latitude. Afterwards the Earl of Sterling
had a grant of all the State as far west as Pemaquid, now
in the town of Bristol. It was surrendered in 1686 to the
Province of Massachusetts, and in a few years after con-
ferred on her. In 1783, some twenty years after settle-
ments were begun here, it was secured to her by the treaty
of that year, and that fully established the ownership.
Not far from the year 1788 the General Court of Massachu-
setts passed a resolve granting one hundred acres of land
to each of the persons who had settled on Deer Island and
Sheep, now Jordan's, Island, previous to the first day of
January, 1784; and Messrs. Joseph Tyler and George
Tyler, Esquires, were appointed a committee to cause said
lots of land to be surveyed and allotted to the several
persons entitled to receive them, and were empowered to
give deeds of the same, which lots were to include the im-
provements made by each settler, and the sum of thirty
shillings was required to be paid by each to defray the
expense of the survey. Those persons who had purchased
the right of such as would have been entitled to said lots
were included in the allotments. The deeds of the Messrs.
Tyler that I have seen bear date January i, 1789. The
survey was made by William Tupper, and the lots were
laid out large, actually containing more than one hundred
acres each. Most of the persons named in the list just
given received their allotments, excepting some who had
sold their rights, and their assigns received them, and some
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 35
others who had moved in since 1775, and others who had
become of age and taken up lots. Those persons who are
above described were styled " proprietors," in speaking
of whom, they or their assigns will be meant. Another
class who had lands allotted to them, who had settled after
the first day of Januar\\ 1784, and before a certain date,
were called " young settlers," and had one hundred acres
each upon the payment of one dollar per acre. The Messrs.
Tyler obtained a grant of the remainder of the island,
which gave great dissatisfaction, as the settlers had held
a meeting and chosen a committee to go to the General
Court at Boston for the purpose of purchasing the land
remaining after the settlers' lots had been set off. The
committee appointed were Messrs. Joseph Tyler and
Thomas Thompson. They being unable to attend, Messrs.
George Tyler and Levi Carman were appointed in their
stead, but the latter, being at the time master of a vessel,
was also unable to attend and committed the business
to George Tyler, Esq., who instead of acting for the set-
tlers, obtained a grant in the name of himself and his brother
as above stated. The price was small for the quantity of
land (I am now unable to ascertain it without trouble),
but they failed to pay according to the contract in the
grant, and the proprietors afterward purchased it. They
caused a survey of the most valuable lots and sold them;
the balance, amounting to thirty-four acres for each pro-
prietor, was afterward surveyed in lots of nineteen and
fifteen acres, and each one drew one of each quantity.
The first survey of proprietors' lands was made by Mr.
William Young, not long after the year i8oo, and the second
by a surveyor named Flye in about 181 5; but previous to
this, in 1798, a survey of the settlers' lots was made the
second time by Mr. John Peters, Jr., of Bluehill, who cut
down each settler's lot to one hundred acres e.xactlv, which
36 An Historical Sketch of the
was a deduction from the amount allotted in the survey
made b}'- Tupper, by order of the Messrs. Tyler as a com-
mittee, as named before. In the grant to the Tylers the
" Kent Claim " was made valid, but before the proprietors
obtained theirs, the case of Kent v. Colby had been decided
in favor of Mr. Colby, the defendant.
INCORPORATION.
In January, 1789, the town was incorporated, the act
of incorporation including " Great Deer Island, Little
Deer Island, Isle au Haut, and Sheep Island," but between
Great Deer Island and Isle au Haut were several islands,
some of which had been settled prior to that time. Mer-
chant's Island had been settled in 1772 by Mr. Anthony
Merchant, who came from York in the State of Maine,
then Massachusetts; Kimball's Island was settled as early
as the Revolutionary War by Mr. Seth Webb, whom we
shall notice; but Isle au Haut was not settled till 1792 by
Mr. Peletiah Barter, who came from Baxter's Island in the
present town of Boothbay; Wreck Island was occupied by
Mr. Joseph Colby, Jr., and Thurlow's Island by Mr. David
Thurlow prior to 1800. The inhabitants of all lying be-
tween Deer Island and Isle au Haut had all the privileges
of citizens here; their schools were maintained by the
town; they were considered as gaining a legal settlement
in the town after five years' residence, and such persons
as fell into distress in other towns, by residence upon those
islands were considered as chargeable to this town, and
no question was ever raised, notwithstanding they were
not included in the act of incorporation until after the
late war, when the burdens of taxation were heavy, in
consequence of the large expense incurred. They then —
after substitutes had been put into the army and the quota
of men furnished by the town for their benefit as well as
Toivn of Deer Isle, Maine. 37
that of others — attempted to resist the payment of their
share of taxes, on the ground of not being included in the
act of incorporation, when the amount paid by them for
war purposes was small in proportion to their numbers
in comparison with that paid by the town at large; and
none of them ever entered into the service of the United
States, which they would have been obliged to do, if drafted,
as they would have received no town bounty (which was
not less than one hundred dollars, and at the last call for
troops, in 1864, it was three hundred), had they not been
considered as belonging in the town.
In order to prevent any litigation, the selectmen drew
up a petition to the Legislature, which was acted upon in
1868, and the territorial limits of the town were estab-
lished, embracing those islands, and legalizing the assess-
ment and collection of all taxes otherwise legally assessed
upon their inhabitants. The limits of the town as then
established were as follows: " Beginning at the middle of
the Reach opposite the northwestern end of Little Deer
Island; thence southeasterly by the middle of said passage
to the southeastern end of same, including Conary's,
York's, or White, Islands, and Gibson's Island; thence
southwesterly so as to include Great Spoon Island; thence
to the southwestern extremity of Isle au Haut ; thence up
the Ship Channel northerly to the western end of Great
Deer Island, and thence northerly to the place begun at,
excluding Pickering's, Eaton's, and Pumpkin Islands."
In 1874 the town of Isle au Haut was incorporated, which
included all islands within the above limits, with Mer-
chant's and all islands lying southerly of it.
The grant to the settlers provided that four hundred
acres of land should be reserved for ministerial, and the
same quantity for school. pury)Oses; and when the proprie-
tors had their survey made by John Peters. Jr., the " par-
38 An Historical Sketch of the
sonage lot," so called, was set off in one body near the
Northwest Harbor, of which the first settled minister was
to have one hundred; and the lands allotted for the use of
schools were in separate lots in different places. The first
census taken after incorporation in 1790 found the town
containing 682 inhabitants; the numbers for 1800, 18 10,
and 1820, I have never seen; in 1830 there were 2,217; ^^
1840,2,841; in 1850, 3,037; in 1860,3,592; in 1870, 3,414;
and the number for 1880 was 3,268, besides Isle au Haut,
270. I have, in what has been written, given some idea
of what was the condition of the settlers here up to 1789.
With them things had improved from 1762 till that time,
and they have been going on in that direction since,
and in no other particular so great as in the means of
transportation and communication ; for, instead of the slow
sailing-vessels of those times, which sailed occasionally
from here, we now have some five or six steamers touch-
ing here at least twice each week on their passages each
way. One can start at noon on one day and be in Boston
the next morning, while under the state of things since
my remembrance, it was sometimes a passage of ten days
in a " wood coaster." We can now send by mail for two
cents what in former days cost twenty-five, and in ten
days or less it can be carried from Maine to California;
and we now have the telegraph here. Although the im-
provement has been so great in almost everything, still
we perhaps do not enjoy life better than they did. An
increase of means brings with it one of wants, and as our
incomes increase, so do our expenses.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 39
CHAPTER III.
Notices of Settlers and Early Inhabitants.
Michael Carney. - He was said to have been the first
white man who attempted a settlement in the town. He
was a native of Ireland, and was here as early as 1762, at
least. He made his settlement on what is now the farm
of Mr. George C. Hardy, on the northern shore of the
island The place where his habitation stood is still known,
and was shown to me by Mr. Hardy a few years ago. How
long he remained here is not known, as very few seem to
have heard anvthing about him, and what little is known
is through tradition. How long he came before Mr. Wil-
liam Eaton is not known, but in all probability it was not
long perhaps the same year. He moved from the place
of his settlement to an island lying between Great and
Little Deer Islands, which to this day bears his name; and
from that place he removed, and all traces of him have
been lost. Whether he had a family or not is not known.
William Eaton was the first man who made a perma-
nent settlement here, and it was said to be in 1762. I
have judged that his native place might have been Haver-
hUl Massachusetts, or that vicinity, as he was a cousin
to Theophilus and Jonathan Eaton, who were bom there,
and he was about the age of the first named. He was
married in York, Maine, to a member of the family of Mr.
Eliakim Wardwell of that place, in 1742. I have been
told that her maiden name was Ruth, but the records of
York show that the marriage was between Mr. William
Eaton and Miss Meribah Wardwell. There is a tradition
that before her birth her mother was taken captive by
the Indians, and while in captivity was compelled to
40 An Historical Sketch of the
become the wife of one of the chiefs, and that Mrs. Eaton
was the fruit of their union. Some of her descendants
seem to show the probability of such an origin. Mr. Eaton
was described to me by one of his granddaughters as a
man of a Hght complexion; she was bom in 1776, and
well remembered him.
On the return of peace between the tribe by which she
was held in captivity and the white people, Mrs. Ward well
was delivered up to her husband with her child. She
afterward had children, the youngest of whom, Mr. Daniel
Ward well, settled in the town of Penobscot, where he died
in 1803. He was the father of Colonel Jeremiah Ward-
well, a man of note there, who died in 1825. A sister of
Mrs. Eaton was the mother of Captain Joseph Perkins,
one of the settlers in Castine, who was there in 1779 when
the British took possession of the place. He was one of
the most prominent men of that town till his death in
18 18, and was, with Colonel Ward well, one of the first
board of selectmen in the town of Penobscot, in 1787.
The father of Eliakim Wardwell was Mr. Samuel Ward-
well, who suffered death during the delusion of witchcraft.
He was a resident of Andover, Massachusetts ; his father,
whose name was Thomas Wardwell, was the first of the
family who came over from England. Mr. Eaton, or, as
he was called, Major Eaton, settled on what is now the
Scott farm, near the steamboat landing. He resided there
several years, when he sold out his possession to Mr.
Nathaniel Scott, of what was then the town of Ward, now
Auburn, in the county of Worcester, Massachusetts. He
was the ancestor of all of that name here. His son, Mr.
John Scott, occupied the farm after him. A daughter,
Martha Scott, was the wife of Mr. Asa Green, who came
here from Worcester County, and who will be noticed here-
after.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 41
After the sale of his right to Mr. Scott, Major Eaton
moved to Little Deer Island, where he occupied the farm
that was owned by Mr. Peter Hardy, Jr., at the time of his
death in 1859. What time he moved there I never knew,
nor do I know the time of his death. His farm there,
after he died, passed into the possession of Mr. Benja-
min Weed, his son-in-law. Major Eaton left four sons and
two daughters: Eliakim, who settled on Little Deer Island
and died there; Jeremiah, who settled on the farm since
owned and occupied by the late Captain Amos Howard,
and now by his widow; William, who settled on the lot
now owned and occupied by Mr. William E. Powers and
Mr. Francis M. Holden, dying not far from the year 1841;
and Samuel, whose descendants live in the town of Brook-
lin. His daughters were the wives of Mr. Jonathan Torrev
and Mr. Benjamin Weed.
Greenlaw. — The next persons who came were five by
the name of Greenlaw. They settled on Campbell's Neck,
now the farm of Mr. Samuel W. Campbell, and that of Mr.
William Foster's heirs — in all about five hundred acres.
Their names were Jonathan, Charles, Alexander, Ebenezer,
and William, and whether they were all brothers or not I
do not know. They were natives of Scotland, who had
emigrated from that country- not long before, and were
endeavoring to find a place to settle upon with which they
might be suited. The places they took up were satisfac-
tory and they commenced settlements. After the occu-
pation of Bagaduce by the British in 1779, they made
frequent visits there, as they were zealous loyalists, and
were suspected of carrying information, — a cause of dis-
pleasure to their neighbors, who were almost all friendly to
the American cause. They were the persons before spoken
of as going with the British in 1783 to the Provinces, where
thev settled, and where their descendants still reside.
42 An Historical Sketch of the
Some time after, two of the sons of Jonathan Greenlaw,
Messrs. WilHam and Richard Greenlaw, came back and
remained till their deaths. They were brought back by
the brothers-in-law of Mr. William Greenlaw, — Messrs.
Joseph Whitmore and Captain Seth Hatch, — who went
after them in a vessel.
John Billings. — He was the person who settled the
lot lying southeasterly of, and adjoining that of Mr. Eaton,
on the shore of the Reach. He came here from Boston in
1763, and was the father of Mr. Timothy Billings, noticed
as the first child bom of white parentage in the town.
How many years he resided here is not known, but it
could not have been many, as his name does not appear
among those who were styled proprietors. Whom he sold
his right to we do not know, but at the time of Peters'
survey, in 1798, Mr. Josiah Closson held it. Whether the
precise spot occupied by him can now be pointed out is to
us unknown. From what information we have we should
judge that he removed to Sedgwick. His sons were:
Benjamin, who lived in that town, at what is called Sar-
gentville, on the farm since occupied by his son, Mr.
Nathan Billings; Abel, who lived and died in Sedgwick;
Isaac, and Solomon, both deacons of the Baptist Church,
who lived and died in Brooksville, the former on the place
now occupied by Frederick Billings, Esq., his son; the
latter on the northwest side of Walker's Pond; Timothy,
who occupied the northwestern lot on Little Deer Island,
now owned by Mr. Michael D. Snowman; and Daniel, his
youngest son, who lived on the land now occupied by his
son, Mr. Edward C. Billings. There was another son,
John Billings, who died a young man, and a daughter was
the wife of Mr. Samuel Howard who took up the farm lying
between those of Messrs. Timothy and Daniel Billings,
afterward owned by Captain John Gray.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 43
Nathan Closson. — He settled upon the lot of land
adjoining that of Mr. Billings, on the southeast. He
came, as has been understood, from Connecticut in 1763.
He died not many years after that, but the date is to us
unknown. His widow was entitled to a settler's right,
which was occupied by her son, Mr. John Closson. Their
children were: John, Josiah, and Nehemiah, who will be
noticed. One of the daughters was the wife of Mr. Benja-
min Billings, of Sedgwick; another was Mrs. Long, mother
of the late Mr. Joel Long, who lived in East Bluehill, and
owned a sawmill there, and another was the wife of Mr.
John Carter, of Sedgwick.
It was the family of Mr. Closson who captured the deer
which was seen swimming across the Reach, of which an
account has been before given. His son, Mr. John Closson,
whose first wife was a Miss Tobin, and his second a Miss
Snow, remained upon the place until his death in March,
1854, aged ninety years. His sons by the former were:
Captain John Closson, who lived in Bluehill and died there,
and Mr. Isaac Closson, who resided in Searsport; and by
his last wife the present Franklin Closson, Esq. His daugh-
ters were the wives of Mr. Ephraim Crockett, Captain
Jonathan Bray, Mr. John Saunders, and Mr. Isaac Bray,
and another married in Boston. They are all now dead,
with the exception of the last, who was living a few years
ago. Mr. Josiah Closson remained here some years, and
his wife was a sister of the first wife of Mr. John Closson,
He sold his farm to Captain Jonathan Torrey and removed
to Sedgwick, where he died. One of his sons was Mr.
Ephraim Closson, who traded near the meetinghouse in
North Sedgwick, where he died several years ago. The
youngest son of Mr. Nathan Closson was Deacon Nehemiah
Closson, who filled that office for many years in the First
Congregational Church here. He was a man much re-
44 An Historical Sketch of the
spected, and was considered a true Christian. By trade he
was a blacksmith, and many years ago had a shop situated
between the place now occupied by the house of Mr. Wil-
liam H. H. Spofford and the Masonic Building, but which
was afterwards removed and placed near his house. This
house, where he died not far from thirty years ago, is still
standing beside that of Dr. F. B. Ferguson. His wife was
Miss Sophia Johnson, who survived him several years,
d3'-ing at the age of ninety-one years, as did the wife of
Mr. John Closson, who died in 1862 at the same age. The
son of Deacon Closson was Mr. George C. Closson, who
removed from this town to the town of Fairfield, Somerset
County, in this State, nearly forty years ago. His daugh-
ters were the wives of Mr. Joshua Chatto; of a Mr. Carter,
in Bluehill, or Brooklin; of Captain John C. Bray, and
afterward of Mr. Samuel Candage, of Bluehill; and the
youngest, of Mr. Carruth, of Boston.
Thomas Thompson. — He settled upon the land adjoin-
ing that of Mr, Closson on the southeast. He removed
here from Massachusetts not far from the year 1765. He
was a man of a great deal of energy, and in his time was
one of the most prominent and enterprising citizens of
the town, and one of its selectmen. He was of small stat-
ure, but he possessed a great share of courage, being per-
fectly fearless, was very active in what he undertook, and
what he lacked in size he made up in what is generally
termed " pluck."
He was the owner of more than one allotment of land —
about three hundred acres — as appears by the plan of
Peters' survey. His death took place not far from the
year 1824, at the age of more than eighty years. His wife,
a very worthy woman, the sister of Mr. William Foster,
died at the age of ninety-one. They were the parents of
the late Mr. Adam Thompson, whose family consisted of
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 45
nine sons and five daughters, all of whom lived to the age
of manhood and womanhood. They were the late Messrs.
John, Solomon, Adam, Jr., and Edward B. Thompson,
and Captains Dudley and Hiram Thompson, with others
who are now deceased. Another son of Mr. Thomas Thomp-
son was Captain John Thompson, who was in his day an
enterprising master-mariner, and who died in Philadelphia ;
and another, who was named Thomas, died when a young
man. The daughters were the wives of Major Nathan Low,
Mr. Joseph Sellers, a Mr. Hazen, who lived in Bridgton,
Cumberland County, Mr. Nathaniel Kennison, of Sedg-
wick, Colonel Edward Barnes, of Boston, and Mr. John
Howard, Jr.
Staples. — The occupant of the land adjoining that of
Mr. Thompson on the southeast was a man named Sta-
ples. His widow, Mrs. Mercy Staples, with Joshua and
Moses Staples, seems to have been here very early, not far
from 1764. In all probability the sons above named were
then quite young. Mr. Joshua Staples, in whose name the
lot appears on the Peters' plan, married a daughter of
Mr. John Raynes, Sr., and had one daughter, Jane Staples,
the wife of Mr. Elias Morey, Jr., who lived and died on
Swan's Island. Mr. Moses Staples moved to Swan's
Island, where he died in 1845, aged over ninety years.
Mrs. Mercy Staples herself had a settler's right, since
known as the " Granny Lot," she having been called
" Granny Staples." She had a deed from the Tylers, and
it passed from her to her son-in-law, Mr. Thomas Conary,
by whom it was conveyed to the late Pearl Spofford, Esq.,
and is now held by his heirs. The lot set off to Joshua
Staples afterward became the property of Mayor Nathan
Low, and is now held by his heirs.
There was another son of Mrs. Staples who must at that
time have arrived at manhood, — the father of Mr. Samuel
46 An Historical Sketch of the
Staples, who died at Green's Landing in 1841, aged seventy-
three years. He had a younger son also, named William,
and two daughters, — one the wife of Mr. Stephen Babbidge,
and the other the wife of Mr. Timothy Saunders. He was
impressed on board of an English ship-of-war during the
Revolution, when that iniquity was practised. He was
never heard of after that, and probably died while in the
service. His wife afterwards married a Mr. Hutchinson,
of Sedgwick, by whom she had two sons and one daughter.
The sons were Rev. David Hutchinson, a presiding elder
in the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the western part of
the State, and Mr. Timothy Hutchinson, who lived here
many years and died on Little Deer Island ; and the daughter
was Susan, the wife of Captain Benjamin Gray, of Penobscot.
Robert Linn was the occupant of the lot adjoining the
Staples lot on the south. Of him we know comparatively
little, for he left no descendants here. He came in 1765,
and probably lived a number of years on his lot, but at
some time he conveyed his property to Joseph Tyler, Esq.,
for his support. Mr. Tyler lived many years upon it and
died there, as will be stated more particularly when we
notice him among the inhabitants of that part of the town
where he first had his residence. The farm is now occu-
pied by Mr. James Tyler, and upon it are large quantities
of marble. The Marble Company some years ago purchased
the right on the property of Mr. Tyler, erected a large
building upon the premises, and put in machinery, but it
proved a failure and was abandoned after some two or three
years of operation. Whether it is of value or not we can-
not say, but there are large quantities of it in the vicinity.
Jonathan Torrey. — He was the settler nearest to Mr.
Linn on the southeast, but not on the adjoining lot, for
that was afterward the property of Mr. Thompson. Mr.
Torrey lived about three fourths of a mile from Mr. Linn.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 47
He came from Falmouth, Maine, which then embraced
the city of Portland and the present towns of Deering,
Westbrodk, and Falmouth. There are persons of that
name now in the town of Deering. He came in about
the year 1763, and in 1767 married a daughter of Mr.
William Eaton, and after her death married a Mrs.
Robinson, a daughter of the Mrs. Mercy Staples before
spoken of. Another person named David Torrey was
here, who had a settler's right, but did not stop many years,
as no separate lot was assigned him. He was perhaps a
brother of the subject of this sketch. In all probability
he assigned his right to Jonathan Torrey, as he had a two-
hundred-acre lot. Mr. Jonathan Torrey lost his life by the
capsizing of a boat near Cape Rozier, when returning
home from Castine. His oldest son, David, was in the
boat, and, being more vigorous, was able to keep upon
its bottom, and for a while kept his father upon it with
him; as the water was cold, Mr. Torrey became chilled,
fell off, and was drowned, but David was soon after res-
cued. It has been stated that a certain man belonging
to the town, who is now dead, passed them when they
were both upon the bottom of the boat, but made no effort
to save them, and afterward admitted that he saw them.
By his first wife Mr. Torrey had five sons. David (bom in
1768), who left no children and whose widow died in 1879
at the age of ninety-seven years. Another was William
who married a daughter of Mr. Ambrose Colby; after his
death she became the wife of Mr. Amos Gordon. Their
children were Mr. Hezekiah Torrey, who was the represen-
tative from this town in 1822 ; Mr. William Torrey, formerly
well known here, who died on his passage to California
around Cape Horn; and Eliza, who was the first wife of
John P. Johnson, Esq. A third son was Captain Jonathan
Torrey who was boni in 1774 and died in 1848, of smallpox.
48 An Historical Sketch of the
He was the father of the present Mr. David and of Cap-
tains William and Belcher T. Torrey. Another of the sons
was Mr. Daniel Torrey, who was the father of the late
Captains Samuel, Daniel S., George W., Davis H., and
Francis H. Torrey, and of Mr. John Torrey, who lived and
died on Newbury Neck in the town of Surry. One of his
daughters who was formerly the wife of Mr. Johnson, is
now the widow of the late Captain Jeremiah Hatch. The
fifth brother was the late Captain John Torrey, who left
no children. By his second marriage Mr. Torrey had
four sons: James, the father of Messrs. Amos, James,
the late Charles S., and Henry Torrey, and of one
daughter, who was the first wife of Mr. George C. Hardy.
His other sons were Mr. Levi Torrey, who lived and died
on Swan's Island; Deacon Asa Torrey, who died in Ells-
worth, and the late Captain Ebenezer Torrey, the father
of Mr. Nelson Torrey, and of the wife of Franklin Closson,
Esq. By the first marriage there were three daughters,
who were the wives of Nathan Haskell, Esq., Mr. Jonathan
Eaton, and Mr. Nathaniel Webster who removed to Cape
Elizabeth. Two of the daughters were afflicted with
insanity — Mrs. Haskell and Mrs. Webster — and what
was very singular, the one was rational while the other
was insane. A part of the time one would be afflicted,
and, when she recovered, the other would be taken insane.
The real estate of Mr. Torrey is still owned and occupied
by his descendants; the larger part was owned by the
late Captain Daniel S. Torrey, and is now owned by
members of his family.
William Foster was the nearest settler to Mr. Torrey
on the southeast. He came, as we have understood,
from Dedham, Massachusetts, and was by trade a black-
smith. In those days that trade was employed in the
manufacture of many articles that are now by machinery
Toivn of Deer Isle, Maine. 49
made a specialty. Axes, both broad and narrow, and other
edge-tools, hoes, pitchforks, ox-chains, and plow-irons, — for
those were the days of the clumsy wooden plows, which
have long since gone out of use, — and other articles which
were rudely manufactured in comparison with those of our
day. Of him Deacon Nehemiah Closson learned his trade,
at which he wrought almost all his days. Mr. Foster set-
tled upon a part of the land formerly occupied by the
Greenlaw family; whether he came here before they left
or not is unknown to us, but as he had a two-hundred-
acre lot it is probable that he purchased the rights of one
of them at least, which with his own would entitle him to
that quantity. Both he and his wife died here many years
ago, leaving a large family, for they were the parents of
thirteen children, as I have understood. Only two of his
sons remained, who both died here, — Messrs. William and
Samuel H. Foster, the former the father of Mr. George
Foster, and the latter of Mr. William 11. and Charles H.
S. Foster, and of two daughters, one the present wife of
Mr. Admiral G. Sawyer, and the other a Mrs. Smith, now
residing in Boston. Mr. Foster, Sr., had one daughter,
who was the wife of Captain John Howard, Jr., who died
about fifty years ago of a cancer. Another was the wife
of Mr. David J. Waters, who published a newspaper in
Castine about the year 1800. After his death she married
a Mr. Stephen Kidder, not a resident here, by whom she
had a daughter. Upon his death, she removed to this
town, and for many years kept a boarding-house in
what was known as " the Aaron Haskell house," near
that occupied by the late William S. Green, Esq. She
afterwards married Mr. Samuel Obear, of Sedgwick, and
they went to live at Lowell, Massachusetts, where Mrs.
Susan Maclntire, the daughter above mentioned, re-
sided, and where she remained until her death. The real
50 An Historical Sketch of the
estate of Mr. Foster is now only in part occupied by his
descendants.
John Campbell. — He was the occupant of the lot
adjoining that of Mr. Foster on the south. He was a
large landed proprietor, owning one lot of two hundred
acres, another known as the Campbell's Neck lot of seventy-
seven, and the island near, known as Campbell's Island,
of eighty-eight acres. It is probable that he purchased
the rights of some of the Greenlaw family, as he would of
his own right be entitled to but one hundred acres. He
was a native of Argyleshire in Scotland, and born, accord-
ing to the inscription on his gravestone, about the year
1730, as he died in 1820 aged ninety years, as is there
stated. He served for several years on board an Eng-
lish ship-of-war, but before his coming here resided in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The name of his wife was
Mary Blunt. After the commencement of the Revolu-
tionary War he wished to remain neutral, alleging that the
struggle with such a power as Great Britain would be vain,
as the Americans were too weak to be successful in the
contest with her; but those were times when neutrality
was not tolerated, and as he became an object of suspicion
from such a desire he prudently removed from that place.
Whether he came here directly after leaving there is to
us unknown, nor is the time of his coming, but it was
probably during the latter part of the war, for the Green-
laws left in 1783, and it must have been prior to their leav-
ing if he purchased the rights of any of them. He remained
here till his death. There has been some doubt as to his
age, some considering that he was over one hundred years
of age from his stating that he had known of two rebellions
in his time, one of which was in 1745. If he meant that
the other was that of 17 15, he must have been much
older than ninety years, but it is probable that one which
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 51
he styled a rebellion was the Revolution. It is to be
presumed that his family knew more than others about
the matter, and that the date of his birth was what is
above stated. He left three sons, Messrs. Robert, George,
and James Campbell, and two daughters, one was the
wife of Captain Peter Hardy, Jr., and the other was first
the wife of Mr. Dudley Carlton, of Sedgwick, and afterward
of Mr. Frederick Carman. Captain George Campbell was
a resident of Newburyport, Massachusetts, at the time of
his death, in 1828, at the age of forty-eight years, and the
time of the death of Mr. James Campbell is to us unknown.
Mrs. Hardy died not far from 1841, and Mrs. Carman in
1874, aged ninety years. Captain Robert Campbell was
the occupant of the larger part of his father's estate. He
died in 1866, at the age of ninety-two years. He was the
father of the present Mr. vSamuel W. Campbell and of a
daughter, Mrs. Mary Foss, who died in Dubuque, in the
State of Iowa. He was for many years a master-mariner,
and, we believe, sailed from Newburyport, where he married
his wife. He made several voyages to the West Indies,
and after he quitted that business resided the remainder
of his life upon his farm. There were not many vears'
difference in the death of himself and that of his wife,
and she was over eighty years of age at her death. They
had another son. Captain Robert Campbell, Jr., who re-
sided near New York, and who died many years ago. His
son, Mr. Samuel W. Campbell, now owns and occupies his
real estate.
Thomas Stinson, Esq., was the first settler on what is
known as Stinson's Neck. He came from Woolwich,
Maine, in 1765. He used to say that he might have se-
cured a far more valuable claim than the one he did, for
the most desirable parts of the island, later, were not then
taken up; but the place he selected was ver}'- convenient
52 An Historical Sketch of the
for the procuring of seafowl and fish, both sea and shell,
much more so than on some other parts. That was a great
object with them, for the time it required to put the land
in order to obtain crops was long, and in the meantime
a supply must be had which could be procured as it
was needed. In the vicinity of his residence was a very
convenient place to take fowl by netting, the process of
which has before been explained; the method was far
preferable to the taking of them by shooting, for when
shot at many times they became more shy and avoided
the place where it was done. He was a man of piety, and
was one of the deacons of the church when first estab-
lished here in 1773, and it has been said of him that the
first religious meeting that ever assembled in the town,
was held by him. Its occasion was the regret of his wife,
expressed one Sabbath day, that they could not have the
privilege of attending one as in the place they came from,
and he answered that she might have it on the next Sab-
bath day, and accordingly when the day came he took
his wife and family with him to the place where a large
tree stood near his house, and under its shade he performed
the services usual on such occasions, reading a sermon.
He was one of the first persons, as before mentioned, who
held the commission of a justice of the peace here. In his
day he was considered a man of integrity, and had con-
siderable influence. His sons were: Thomas, Samuel,
William, and John. One of his daughters was the wife
of Mr. Thomas Robbins, Jr., and the mother of the late
Mr. William G. Robbins, and of the wives of the late Mr.
Richard Greenlaw, 2d, and Captain Asa Richardson, who
is now, in 1881, living at the age of eighty-six years. An-
other daughter was the wife of Mr. George Adams, and
the mother of the wife of Mr. Henry W. Hallett who died
here nearly forty years ago, and also the mother of the
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 53
present Mrs. Saunders, the widow of the late Mr. Asa
Saunders. The real estate of Mr. Stinson passed into the
hands of his son, the late Mr. John Stinson, and is now the
property of Mr. Hardy Lane.
His son, Mr. Thomas Stinsox, Jr., will be noticed in
another place.
Samuel Stinsox settled upon the lot adjoining that of
his father. His birth took place not far from the year
1758, and he enlisted in the military service during the
war of the Revolution. It has been told of him that when
placed as a sentn^ at one time, he was ordered, if he heard
or saw anything that was suspicious, to challenge by saying,
" Who goes there? " three times, and if no answer was
made to fire, and that while on duty one night he had
occasion to challenge; instead of saying it three different
times, he said, " Who goes there three times? " and upon
receiving no answer fired. After his term of service had
expired he returned home, married Miss Hannah Babbidge,
and settled upon the lot he occupied till his death, which
took place not far from the year 1847. He was an upright
and reliable man, and for fifty years a church member. His
sons were: James, Thomas, Samuel. Aaron, and Simon.
All, with the exception of Thomas, remained here. His
daughters were the wives of Mr. George Freeze, of Ells-
worth, of Mr. Solomon Crockett, of Prospect, and of Mr.
Josiah Barbour, of this town.
William Stinson took up a lot of land lying south
of that of his brother Samuel, and occupied it till his death,
in 1848, or about that time. His first wife was a Miss
York, by whom he had his family; after her death he
married a Miss Polly Calef, and when she died he married
the widow of Mr. William Webb. He was one of the
deacons of the Congregational Church for many years, and
when I first came here, he, with his colleague, Deacon
54 An Historical Sketch of the
Closson, used to occupy the deacons' seat, as it was called,
in front of, and below, the high, old-fashioned pulpit in the
meetinghouse that was burnt down, which stood on the
spot now occupied by the present one. He was a man of
dignified appearance, and had a good share of what is called
" common sense," the most valuable of all kinds of sense.
He represented the town in 1825 in the Legislature at
Portland, and through all his long life was much respected.
The men of those days were more rigid than men are now
in doctrinal matters, but as a general thing they were as
much so in their integrity. The sons of Mr. Stinson were
the late Benjamin Stinson, Esq., of Swan's Island, and the
present Mr. William Stinson. The daughters were the
former wife of Mr. Josiah Barbour; of the late Captain
John Toothaker; of Mr. John Buckminster, and afterward
of Mr. Moses S. Finney; of Captain Jeremiah Hooper, of
North Haven; of Mr. Solomon York, of Brooklin, and of
Mr. Seth Whitmore, of Trenton. The real estate of Mr.
Stinson is now owned and occupied by Mr. Johnson Billings.
John Stinson was the youngest son, and his wife was
Miss Isabel Dyer, of Castine, now Brooksville, on Cape
Rozier. After her death he married the widow of Mr.
Thomas Trundy. He lived on his father's farm until
about thirty years ago, when it was sold to Mr. Lane, the
present occupant. Mr. Stinson died in Rockland, where
he removed after the sale of the place. He was a man of
good reputation, and was more communicative than either
of his brothers, who were rather taciturn, particularly Mr.
William Stinson. He was for many years a church mem-
ber, and took much interest in that direction. His sons
were John, Thomas, David, and George W., of all whom
removed from this town. The daughters were the wives
of Messrs. James and Ebenezer Joyce, and Alexander
Staples, all of Swan's Island, and Mrs. Staples afterward
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 55
became the wife of Mr. Joseph Small. By his second mar-
riage Mr. Stinson had a son, now living near Boston, at the
time of whose birth the father was about seventy-six years
of age.
Thomas Conary was the first settler of what is known
as Black Island, lying in the Reach, or, as it is sometimes
called, Conary 's Island, which, as before stated, was included
within the limits of the town by the Act of Legislature of
1868. As has been understood, Mr. Conary was a native
of Ireland. He was a very witty person, and in former
years I used to hear of many of his droll and comical expres-
sions. His first wife was the daughter, by adoption, of
the ancestor of the Limebumer family, now living in
Brooksville. Mr. Limebumer emigrated from Scotland
before the Revolutionary War, and with him came, besides
his own family, two children, a son and a daughter adopted
by him. The son was Cunningham Limebumer who
died at an advanced age, not far from 1825, in Brooks-
ville, and the daughter, Mrs. Conary, was, I believe, a
sister by birth to him. After her death he married a daugh-
ter of Mercy Staples, the sister of Messrs. Joshua and Moses
Staples, and by both marriages had ten sons, one of whom
made this town his permanent residence — Mr. Thomas
Conar)^ Jr., who died at an advanced age. His other sons
settled in towns in this vicinity, and all of the name in this
and other towns near us are the descendants of Mr. Conary,
Sr. He had three daughters of whom I have had knowl-
edge. One was the wife of Mr. Robinson Crockett, Jr.,
who lived in this town many years, afterward removing
to Brooksville, where he died; another was the wife of
Mr. Ebenezer Marks, of Brooksville, and another of the
late Mr. Amaziah Roberts, of Sedgwick.
Benjamin York was the person who settled the island
now in the limits of the town, known as White, or York's
56 An Historical Sketch of the
Island, in the Reach. There is another island known as.
York's Island lying easterly of, and near, Isle au Haut,
and within the limits of that town. About Captain York,
as he was called, or whence he came, but little is known to
us. A son of his was the father of the late Mr. Rufus
York who was drowned in Crockett's Cove, in the spring
of 1844. He was on board a vessel loaded with wood to
be carried to Rockland, which took fire from the funnel
above the fireplace in the night, and when discovered the
deck load was on fire, and the flames swept everything on
the deck. With him were his son Samuel S. York and
Mr. Benjamin Cole. His son was the first who discovered
the fire and first on deck. He was delayed in helping his
father up the gangway and was badly burned, as were
they all. Mr. York was lame, and when they jumped
overboard to swim to shore, which was but a short dis-
tance from the vessel, he became chilled and sank,
but the other two gained the shore. Samuel was unable
to walk; as his father's house was near, he crept to it and
got in, but lived only a day or two. Mr. Cole was not so
badly injured as to be unable to walk, and helped Samuel
to reach his home, but his injuries were so severe as to
impair his health so that he lived but two or three years.
The body of Mr. York was found and buried a few days
after the occurrence. Another brother of the family was
Mr. Benjamin York, who left town nearly fifty 3^ears ago.
One of the sisters was the wife of Mr. Richard Crockett,
and mother of the present Captain Levi B. Crockett;
another was the wife of Mr. Ephraim Crockett, a brother
to her sister's husband. Captain York, the subject of
this notice, had other sons, whose descendants reside at
Naskeag Point, in the town of Brooklin, and all of the
name in this vicinity are descendants of his. A daughter
of his was the wife of Deacon William Stinson, before
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 57
noticed, but of the rest of the family, little is known. Cap-
tain York, for his last wife, married the widow of a Mr.
Richardson, of Falmouth. Maine, who was the father of
Captain Asa Richardson, now living here at the age of
eighty-four years. She must have been much younger
than her last husband.
Thomas Robbins, Jr., was the settler upon the point
of Greenlaw's Neck, from which the bar runs to Stinson's
Neck. He was the son of another person of the same
name, who will be noticed; and in the notice of Thomas
Stinson, Esq., his wife and children are there named.
Of him but little is known, and but one of his sons remained
here, — Mr. William G. Robbins, who sold his property
to the present occupant, Mr. William Smith, not long
after i860, and removed to the town of Addison, Maine,
where he died. Another brother, Mr. James Robbins,
removed East when a young man, and of him nothing is
known.
Thomas Warren settled on what is known as Warren's,
or Freeze's Island, now owned and occupied by the widow
of Mr. Billings P. Hardy. It appears, from what informa-
tion we have had, that he claimed a " settler's right,"
but that it was disputed on the ground, doubtless, that
he had not made a settlement in season to be entitled
to one. His wife was the daughter of Mr. George Freeze,
and by her he had three children: one was the late Hon.
Richard Warren, well known to us all, who died in 1865
at the age of seventy-nine. He represented the town in
the Legislature in 1823 and in 1835; he was State senator
in 1844 and 1845; '^^^ several times one of the selectmen,
and was for many years engaged in trade and in the fish-
ing business. His wife, a most excellent woman, died
in 1 86 1, much lamented. She was the daughter of Mr.
Samuel Trundv, Sr. Another son was William Warren,
58 An Historical SkcicJt of the
who died when a young man. and a daughter, Mary War-
ren, was the wife of a Mr. Spencer, who lived in a town
on the Penobscot River, above Bangor. Mr. Thomas War-
ren was drowned by falling out of a log canoe, and after his
death his widow married Mr. William Ring, who occupied
the island on which Mr. Warren settled and the land nearest
to it on Greenlaw's Neck, wiiich is still known as " Ring
Town," and is now o\\nied by the heirs of the late Pearl
Spofford. Esq. Mr. Ring afterward removed to the town
of Ellsworth, where both he and his wife died.
Elijah Toothaker settled on the lot still known as the
" Toothaker Place." He was one of those known as
" young settlers." and the lot was surveyed to him as
appears by Peters' plan made in 1798. Where he came
from I never knew*, but he had a brother who lived in the
towni of Phillips, in Franklin County, named John Tooth-
aker wiiose descendants now live there, and another by
the name of Joseph who lived for some time on Swan's
Island. The wife of Mr. Toothaker was named Elizabeth
Daggett. He was drowTied not far from 18 10. while com-
ing from the mainland, by accidentally falling overboard.
His oldest son, the late Captain John Toothaker, aged
about sixteen years, was with him, and came home with
the boat. Mr. Toothaker left four sons: John, for many
years a master-mariner, dying in 1841, aged forty-eight
years; Elijah, who was lost at sea, being knocked over-
board by the main boom of the schooner Cliarlcs of Cas-
tine; Ebenezer, a blacksmith by trade, who lived in the
town of Holden, at Gilmore's Comer; and Captain Thomas
D. Toothaker, who removed to Belfast, and was lost at
sea. The daughters were the wives of Mr. Isaac Hard-
ing, of Sedgwnck; Mr. Benjamin Smith, of Swan's Island;
Mr. William G. Robbins. of this towni, and a Mr. Full who
resided in some town near Bangor. After the death of
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 59
Mr. Toothakcr, his widow married Captain Belcher Tyler.
She was five times a widow. Her third husband was Mr.
Thomas Stinson, 2d; the fourth was Mr. Samuel Jordan,
of Sedgwick; the fifth was Mr. Dominicus Carman, of this
town, she having as many husbands as the woman of
Samaria.
William Greenlaw was the first settler near what is
called " Fish Creek." He was the son of the Mr. Jonathan
Greenlaw mentioned before, who went with the British to
New Brunswick in 1783. As has been before stated, the
two brothers, William and Richard, returned here. The
wife of Mr. Greenlaw was Miss Rebecca Babbidge, a daugh-
ter of Mr. William Babbidge, and at the time of their mar-
riage there was no person qualified to solemnize marriages
nearer than Bagaduce, where the chaplain to the garrison
ofificiated. The person who performed the duties of chap-
lain, as well as surgeon there, was Dr. John Calef, a refugee
from Ipswich, Massachusetts, in which State he was bom.
When the troops evacuated the place, he went with them
into the Province of New Brunswick, where he lived the
remainder of his days. Mr. Greenlaw was married in
1780; he and Mr. Joseph Whitmore, with their intended
wives, who were sisters, went there for that purpose, and
were both joined in marriage on the same day. Mr. Green-
law and wife were the parents of ten sons and one daugh-
ter who lived to manhood and womanhood. The eldest
of the sons was William, who was lost at sea on a whal-
ing voyage when a young man. The second son was the
late Captain John Greenlaw, a capable and intelligent
master-mariner, who died in 1870, at the age of eighty-seven
years, after having lived with his wife in wedlock sixty-si.\
years. He was the father of the present Captain Jeremiah
H., Ebenezer, and William Greenlaw. Another son was
Mr, James Greenlaw, who was drowned not far from 1830,
6o An Historical Sketch of the
leaving a family. Another was Captain Jonathan Green-
law who removed to Eastport, out of which place he sailed
many years. Another was the late Captain Richard Green-
law, the father of the present Mr. Thomas R. Greenlaw.
Another was Thomas Greenlaw, who was drowned when
a young man. Another was Mr. Ebenezer Greenlaw, the
father of the present Mr. Eben Greenlaw, 2d. Another
was the late Captain Walter Greenlaw, well known in his
day, who died at sea in about the year 1847. Another is
the present Mr. Levi Greenlaw, the sole survivor, at the
age of seventy-nine years in 1882; and the other was the
late Mr. William Greenlaw. The daughter was the wife
of Mr. Daniel G. Copp, who removed from this place to
Castine. He was by trade a ship carpenter and joiner,
and from Castine he removed to the city of Ellsworth,
where he died.
About this family there was one singularity: of the ten
sons there were five who could use no food or drink in
which there was anything sweet, it operating upon them as
an emetic; while upon the remaining five it had no such
effect. Mr. Greenlaw was one of whom every one who
knew him spoke in praise, as a quiet, honest, and upright
man. The land occupied by him was not a part of that
taken up by his father and uncles, as that passed into
other hands; but as he was here so early, he was entitled
to a settler's right, and the place is still the property of
his descendants.
Nathaniel Scott was the person who purchased the
settler's right of Major William Eaton. As I have under-
stood, Mr. Eaton left the place while the British had pos-
session of Bagaduce, in order that he might escape the
necessity of taking the oath of allegiance or neutrality.
He went to the town of York, the place from which he
came here, but after peace was proclaimed returned, and
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 6i
it was probably not many years after that he sold his
right to Mr. Scott, who came here with a family. His
son, John Scott, was married before he came, as was his
daughter, Martha, to Mr, Asa Green. There was a son
of the name of William Scott who purchased the lot at
the Northwest Harbor, on which the house known as
the " Green House " now stands, and erected a house upon
it. It has since been much improved, and is now a large
and elegant house. The house that was standing fifty
years ago was built by William Scott, after which he died,
and Mr. Green and wife came here from Worcester County,
Massachusetts, and occupied it till their death. Ignatius
Haskell, Esq., had a claim upon it, which he sold to Mr.
Asa Green, and afterward it was transferred to his son,
the late William S. Green. The time of Mr. Green's re-
moval I do not know exactly, but it was prior to 1800,
as the land was sold to William Scott previous to Peters'
survey, and he died not long after his purchase. Mr.
Nathaniel Scott died not long after 1790, and Mr. John
Scott occupied the farm till his death, which took place
not far from 1830. Mr. John Scott and wife were the
parents of eight sons and three daughters. The sons were:
John, who died a young man; James, who died a young
man also; Clark, about whom I never knew anything;
Enos who, with his brother Eben, removed to Lubec;
William, who resided in Boston some years ago; the pres-
ent Mr. Levi Scott, and the late Mr. Leonard Scott. The
daughters were the wives of Mr. Joseph Clifton and Cap-
tain Enoch P. Hazen, and one, Lucinda, died unmarried.
The estate is now occupied by the widow of Mr. Leonard
Scott, and by Captain William Torrey, John Weed, and
William P, Scott. Whether Mr. William Scott is still
living is not to us known. Mrs. Hazen, with her husband,
removed to Brooklin, where he died, and after his death
62 An Historical Sketch of the
she went to reside with one of her daughters in Massa-
chusetts. Mrs. Clifton lived to be very aged, leaving three
daughters; one, the wife of Captain William Torrey;
another the wife of Mr. Thomas Lowe, and another, married,
living in Massachusetts.
Asa Green, the son-in-law of Mr, Nathaniel Scott,
died in 1838, aged over eighty years, and his wife survived
him. He was for many years elected constable, and was
in former years a deputy sheriff. He was elected, in 18 19,
with Ignatius Haskell, Esq., a delegate to frame the
constitution of the State. Their children were John, a mas-
ter-mariner, who was, with his brother, Asa Green, Fred-
erick Spofford, Esq., Abner Babbidge, and Amps Angell,
a son of Dr. David Angell, wrecked on the Green Islands
in February, 1818, in the schooner Shakespeare, returning
from Boston, and all perished. Another son was the late
Captain William S. Green who was well known to us for
many years. He was in 1842, 1859, and in 1863, a repre-
sentative to the State Legislature, and died in 1870 at
the age of sixty-five years, leaving a widow who is still
living (1882), three sons: Martin, now dead, Thomas B.,
and John W., and a daughter, Mrs. Kettletas. Another
son of Mr. Asa Green was Thomas Green, the father of
the present Mr. Asa Green. The daughters of Asa Green,
Sr., were Frances, the wife of Mr. Joseph Small; Mary, the
wife of Mr. Thomas Haskell, and afterward the wife of
Mr. Thomas Dow, Jr., Roxanna, the wife of Captain Fran-
cis Haskell, who was lost in the schooner Commodore Perry
(on board of which were his son and son-in-law), on Long
Ledge, off Mount Desert, November 26, 1845. Another
daughter was the wife of the late John R. Haskell, and the
mother of the present Captain Sylvanus G. Haskell. She
afterward married Mr. Moses C. Angell, who removed
to Boston, where he died a few years ago, and where his
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 63
widow still resides. The property of Captain William S.
Green was, after his death, occupied by Martin V. B. Green,
and is now by Mrs. Kettletas, with whom her mother
resides.
Peter Hardy was the settler upon the lot adjoining
that of William Eaton on the southwest. He was a native
of the county of Worcester, Massachusetts. His wife
was a daughter of Deacon Francis Haskell, but whether
they were married here, or before they came here, is to me
unknown. His son, Peter Hardy, Jr., the eldest of the
family, was bom in February, 1770, and it is probable
that the marriage was before they came here, as his father-
in-law did not come till 1770, according to the best in-
formation that we have. The land he settled upon was
the place occupied by Michael Carney, but Carney had
gone before Mr. Hardy came. He was for several years
a coroner, and he and his wife died upon the same day,
in 183 1, and were buried in one grave, having lived to-
gether in wedlock over sixty years. There have been but
three other instances that have come to my knowledge
where both husband and wife occupied the same grave.
One was in 1826, of Mr. Jeremiah Pressey and wife; another
in 1832-33, of Mr. James Babbidge and wife, who were
drowned in attempting to pass through the flood-gates
at Holt's milldam, and the other was that of Captain Joseph
Raynes and wife, in 1859.
Mr. Hardy and wife were the parents of three sons: the
late Captain Peter Hardy, who died in 1863 at the age of
ninety-three years; Mr. Jonathan Hardy, who lived and
died upon Little Deer Island; and another named Silas,
who, when a young man, was lost at sea. One daughter
of the family was the wife of a Mr. Wooster, and was the
mother of five children at two births, the last being but
thirteen months after the first. Another daughter was
64 . An Historical Sketch of the
the wife of a Mr. Adams in Massachusetts. Another
was the wife of Captain Jonathan Haskell, 3d, who died
in 1873, aged ninety-four years. Another married Captain
Jonathan Haskell, Jr., who was known as " Long Metre," as
he was a very tall man. The youngest was the wife of Mr,
Oliver Lane, Jr., the father of the present Mr. Hardy Lane.
Captain Peter Hardy, Jr.'s wife was Miss Sarah Camp-
bell, daughter of Mr. John Campbell. They had the fol-
lowing-named sons: Peter, who lived on Little Deer Island,
and died there in 1859, aged sixty-one years; Silas, who
formerly traded on Swan's Island, and who was a master-
mariner, and died in Australia a number of years ago.
John, who lived in Newburyport, and is now dead; Fran-
cis, who formerly was a master-mariner, but who now
resides in Massachusetts; George C. Hardy, a well-known
citizen, who has been one of the selectmen in former years,
and who owns and occupies the farm settled by his grand-
father; and another, now dead. There was one daughter,
now the widow of Mr. John Thompson. Captain Hardy
was for many years a master-mariner. He was a man
of enterprise, and accumulated quite a property for those
days; was a member of the Legislature in 1834 and in
1839, and was for some years one of the selectmen.
The family of Mr. Jonathan Hardy, whose wife was a
Miss Putnam, of Newburyport, was Silas L., who lived on
Little Deer Island and died there not far from 1861; Jona-
than, who lived there many years, and afterward removed
to Winterport, where he died a few years ago; Joseph P.,
who moved to Winterport, where he was well known for
several years, and afterward removed to the State of Illi-
nois, where he is probably now living; Billings P., who
moved to Frankfort, but afterward returned and pur-
chased Freeze's Island, where he resided till his death.
Another son was Captain Abijah W. Hardy, who resides
Toivn of Deer Isle, Maine. 65
in Winterport. The daughters were the wives of Major
Nathan Low, Joshua Haskell, and Mr. Henry Harris.
Jeremi.\h Eaton was the first settler upon the farm
adjoining that of Mr. Hardy upon the southwest. He
was the son of Major William Eaton, and his wife was a
daughter of Captain Mark and a sister of Ignatius Haskell,
Esq. She survived him, and her second marriage was
with Mr. John Howard, who will be noticed. She had
no children, and Mr. Eaton adopted two brothers, the
children of Eleanor Bray, afterward the wife of Mr. Perry
and the mother of the present Mr. Eli Perry. The chil-
dren took his name, and were known as Mr. Asa B. Eaton
and Edward Eaton. He bequeathed his property after
his wife's decease to them, but they did not receive it.
It became the property of Ignatius Haskell, Esq., and
afterward that of Thomas Adams, Esq., of Castine, by
whom it was sold to the late Captain Amos Howard, and
it is now occupied by his widow. Asa B. Eaton, one of
the adopted sons, married Miss Mercy Raynes, daughter
of William and sister of the late Captain Johnson Raynes.
Three of their children only lived to grow up. One, the
present Captain William R. Eaton, who resided for many
years here, in 1867 removed to Wakefield, Massachu-
setts, and now resides in Newburyport. He has been for
many years an enterprising master-mariner. Another
son was the late Mr, Nathan H. Eaton, and a daughter now
dead was the wife of a Mr. Dexter, in Boston. Mr. Eaton
died at sea in 185 1, and his wife survived him not many
years. The other brother, Mr. Edward Eaton, married a
daughter of Mr. Chase Pressey, by whom he had one son,
Hiram Eaton, who went from here about forty years ago,
and two daughters, now dead, one of whom married in
Boston. Both Edward Eaton and his wife died more
than fifty years ago.
66 An Historical Sketch of the
John Howard was the settler upon the lot southwest-
erly of that of Mr. Jeremiah Eaton, though not adjoining,
as the land now occupied by Mr. Albion K. Haskell, which
was first purchased by Mr. John Scott, Jr., and afterward
by the late Captain Ignatius Haskell, Jr., lies between.
Mr. Howard was three times married. His first wife
was a daughter of Mr. John Pressey, Jr., and their chil-
dren were John, Joshua C, Michael, Thomas, and Amos
Howard, none of whom is now living. His daughters
by his first wife were the wife of Captain William Eaton,
the son of William Eaton, Jr., — and afterward the wife
of Mr. Nathaniel Ingalls, — and the others were the wives of
the late Mr. vSamuel H. Foster, Pepperell Tyler, and Andrew
Tyler; and all, with the exception of the present widow of
the last named, are now dead. Mrs. Foster died in
1 88 1, at nearly eighty-nine years of age. Mr. Howard
for his second wife married the widow of Mr. Jeremiah
Eaton, and after her death married Mrs. Mary C. Small,
of Newbury port, Massachusetts, who was many years
younger than himself. By her he had one daughter, Mary
A., who was the wife of Captain Edmund S. Raynes, of
this town, now residing in Newburyport. She is now
dead. Mr. John Howard, Jr., married first, a daughter of
Mr. Thomas Thompson, and by her had one son. Captain
Thomas Howard, now a resident of Newburyport. After
her death he married Susan, the daughter of Mr. William
Foster, by whom he had six sons and two daughters. One
of the sons only remained here, the late Mr. Stephen
K. Howard. Three, William, Charles, and John, died
when young men. Oliver now resides in Gloucester,
Massachusetts, and the place of residence of the other,
Darius, is to us unknown. Of his daughters, one was the
wife of Mr. Rufus H. Moulton, a master ship -carpenter,
who lived for many years in Brooklin, and afterward
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 67
removed to Massachusetts; the other was the wife of
Mr. Pettingill, in Newburyport. Captain Joshua C. How-
ard, the second son, married Lydia, the daughter of Joseph
Tyler, Esq., by whom he had two sons, one of whom was
drowned when a child. The other, Mr. Joseph T. How-
ard, lived in Newburyport, where he died not many years
ago. His daughters were the wives of Mr. Michael H.
Pressey, of this town, a Mr. Short, in Newburyport, and
the youngest was the wife of Captain John J. Raynes,
now of Hyde Park, Massachusetts. Captain Howard who
was very skillful as a pilot, serving in that capacity on
board of one of the first steamers navigating the waters in
this vicinity, in 1827, and afterward upon the revenue-
boat Veto at Castine, came to his death from the
effects of arsenic. While serving on board the Veto, a
revenue-cutter, whose duty was inspection, went to Cas-
tine and procured his services as pilot to Bangor. Her
captain being a harsh man, a conspiracy was formed
by the cook and others to poison him, and while at
Bangor arsenic was procured, with which the captain
and those who sat at the table with him were poisoned.
The dose was so large that it operated speedily; death
did not immediately take place, but all died not long after.
Captain Howard survived them all, living some six months
after the occurrence, which took place in the year 1832.
The next brother, Michael Howard, married a daughter of
Mr. Chase Pressey, and both are now dead. They occupied
the house near that of Mr. Samuel Pickering, and of the fam-
ily but two remain: Charles, who went into Massachusetts,
and a daughter who now occupies the house of her father.
The other brothers, Messrs. Thomas and Amos Howard,
died but a few years ago, and were well known to us here.
William E.\tok, Jr., settled the lot adjoining that of
Mr. Howard on the southwest, and his wife was a daughter
68 An Historical Sketch of the
of Deacon Francis Haskell. Their sons were William,
Jeremiah, and Samuel, all now dead. The daughters
were the wives of Dr. Moody Powers; Mr. Amasa Holden,
who came from Men don, Massachusetts, and was for many-
years a school-teacher; a Mr. Knight, of Newbury port;
Mr. John Short, of the same place, who removed from
here to Castine, and afterward to Bangor, where he died;
Captain Ignatius Haskell, Jr.; another was first the wife
of Mr. Avery Small, and after that of Mr. William Green-
law; and one, Esther, died unmarried. They all, with
the exception of Mrs. Greenlaw, are now dead. The farm
of Mr. Eaton is now owned by two of his grandsons, Mr.
William E. Powers and Mr. Francis M. Holden. The wife
of Mr, Eaton died in 1836, and he died not far from the year
1 84 1. Captain William Eaton, his son, married Abigail
Howard, the daughter of Mr. John Howard. Their son,
the present William Eaton, is a pilot in the revenue service,
and resides in Portland; their daughters were the wives
of Captain Daniel S. Torrey, Mr. William Low, Captain
Francis H. Torrey, and Mr. John Weed, of whom the Mrs.
Torreys are living. Captain Eaton was lost in the latter
part of the year 1830, on board the sloop Huntress of Cas-
tine, Captain John Greenlaw, Jr. He acted as pilot on a
trip from that place to New York, and on their return
was lost. Besides the two above named there were on
board Mr. William Buckminster and Joseph Conar}^ who
acted as cook. Mr. Jeremiah Eaton, the next brother,
married and lived near the bar on Little Deer Island. He
was drowned in 1834, leaving a widow and family, of whom
but three are now living. The other brother, Samuel
Eaton, was lost at sea when a young man.
Abijah Haskell, a son of Deacon Francis Haskell,
settled the lot adjoining that of Mr. Eaton on the south-
west, and his wife was a daughter of Mr. Benjamin Cole,
Town of Deer Isle, Maine, ^9
Sr. Their sons were Jonathan Haskell, 3rd, Abijah,
Francis, and Joshua Haskell. One of the daughters was
first the wife of Captain Benjamin S. Haskell, who was
lost in the schooner Lingiin, about 1822. She afterward
became the wife of Doctor Abiel Reed, by whom she had
one son, the present Captain William H. Reed, now resid-
ing in Portland, and a daughter, who was the wife of Mr.
Levi Marshall, Jr. Another was the wife of Mr. Ezekiel
Marshall, and another that of Mr. Thomas Dow. Captain
Jonathan Haskell, 3d, married a daughter of Mr. Peter
Hardy, by whom he had two daughters, — one the widow of
the late Edward Y. Haskell, and the mother of the present
Captain Caleb W., George D., Albert L., and Edwin L.
Haskell; the other the widow of the late Captain Dud-
ley Thompson. Captain Haskell died in 1873, aged ninety-
four years. Mr. Abijah Haskell, the next eldest brother,
married a sister of Mrs. Jonathan Haskell; he lived on
Little Deer Island, where he died at the age of ninety-one
years. His wife survived him not long, and they lived
together in wedlock sixty-five years. Captain Francis
Haskell, the next brother, was lost as has been stated,
in 1845, on board the schooner Comynodore Perry. Joshua,
the youngest, died about two years ago. The estate of
Mr. Abijah Haskell is still owned and occupied by his
descendants.
Nathan Haskell, Esq., settled the lot lying south-
westerly of the land of Mr. Abijah Haskell, though not
adjoining it, and he came here, I judge, prior to 1784, or
about that year. He first married a daughter of Captain
Mark Haskell, by whom he had one daughter, who became
the wife of Rev. Wigglesworth Dale. After her death he
married Miss Lucy Torrey, daughter of Mr. Jonathan Tor-
rey. She was the mother of the late Mr. Edward Y. Has-
kell and of the wife of Mr. Peter Powers, the mother of
70 An Historical Sketch of the
Nathan H. Powers, now of Orland. Mr. Haskell at his
death left a widow who survived him several years. He
was a man of intelligence ; was for many years a justice of
the peace, and filled offices in the town, and was also a dea-
con in the Congregational Church. His real estate was,
after his death, owned and occupied by his son, whose widow
now lives on it.
Caleb Haskell, a brother of Nathan Haskell, occupied
the lot adjoining that of the last-named on the southwest.
His wife was not a native of this town, and none of his
family after his death remained here, except a daughter,
who was the first wife of Mr. Jesse Niles, a carpenter, who
came not long after 1800, from New Hampshire, and who
occupied the farm for many years. It was sold in about
the year 1840, and is now owned and occupied by Mr. Wil-
liam H. Thompson. None of the family of Mr. Niles by
his first wife is now living, but after her death, which took
place in 1835, he married a daughter of Mr. Naylor Small,
by whom he had a family.
Nathan Dow settled on the lot of land adjoining that
of Mr. Caleb Haskell on the southwest. A part of his farm
bordered upon the Northwest Harbor, and embraced what
is now known as Dow's Point, on the northeast side of
the entrance to the harbor. He was the second person
who permanently settled in that part of the island, Mr.
John Pressey having taken up a lot on the southwest side
of the entrance, opposite the land occupied by Mr. Dow.
He came in the fall of 1767, and, I presume, came from
the town of Brunswick, Maine, or that vicinity, as he was
a neighbor of Mr, Theophilus Eaton who came here from
that place, then better known as New Meadows River,
which runs up into that town. He died here, leaving two
sons, John and Nathan Dow, and two daughters, who were
married. The elder, Diana, was the wife of Mr. Jonathan
Toi(j}i of Deer Isle, Maine. 71
Eaton, who will be noticed, and who came with Mr. Dow.
The other was the wife of Mr. Josiah Crockett, who was
well known here in his time. Mr. John Dow, his son,
married a daughter of Mr. Thomas Saunders, and was the
father of the late Mr. Thomas Dow, Mr. Stephen Dow
who was drowned over fifty years ago, Mr. Samuel Dow
who settled on Mount Desert Island, Ephraim Dow who
removed there about forty years ago, and Mr. William T.
Dow who removed from here to Tinker's Island. One
daughter was the wife of Mr. William Staples, a son of
the man who was said to have been impressed on board
a British ship-of-war during the Revolution. Another was
the wife of the late Joseph C. Stinson, Esq. ; another married
Captain John Kempton, of Isle au Haut, and another
married Captain Jacob Carlton, who for many years re-
sided in the same place, and afterward removed to Winter-
port, where he died. Captain Carlton represented this
town in the Legislature in 1838. Of Nathan Dow, Jr., I
knew but little. He left three sons: one, the present Mr.
Nathan Dow, who is now (1881) aged eighty-nine years;
Joshua, and Ephraim Dow, who have been dead some years.
The land of Mr. Nathan Dow, Sr., was mostly occupied
by his son Nathan after his decease, and after the death
of Nathan, Jr., the three sons of his just named came into
possession. Part of it is now owned by the heirs of the
late Martin V. B. Green, and the residue by the descend-
ants of the original owner.
Theophilus Eaton settled upon the lot of land adjoin-
ing that of Mr. Dow on the southeast, and bordered by
the waters of the Northwest Harbor. He was a cousin
of Major William Eaton, the first permanent settler, and
was bom in Haverhill, Massachusetts, in the year 1720,
and came here in 1768. From Haverhill he removed to
the town of Sandown, New Hampshire, and from that
72 An Historical Sketch of the
place to Brunswick, and from the latter place here. The
occasion of his coming was this: A daughter of his, Judith
Eaton, married Mr. Edward Howard who afterward lived
and died in Brooksville. Mr. Howard came here and com-
menced a settlement. His wife was taken sick, and he
went to Brunswick to bring her mother here to take care
of her daughter during her sickness. Mrs. Howard died,
and after that Mr. Eaton came here in a boat to take his
wife home. This was in 1767. Mr. Howard, after the
death of his wife, gave his mother-in-law all his rights to
land here, as a compensation for her services. Mr. Eaton
was pleased with the location, and the next spring, 1768,
came here with his family, and remained till his death in
1793. The wife of Mr. Eaton was Miss Abigail Fellows;
she died in 1824, at the residence of her son, James Eaton,
in the town of Prospect, aged one hundred and two
years and eight months. His sons were: Moses, who
lived on what is now the place occupied as a village, in
the town of Sedgwick; Jonathan, whom we have noticed
as making his escape when arrested to be carried to Baga-
duce; Ebenezer, who was for many years a minister of
the gospel on the island of Mount Desert, and James, who
occupied his father's place after his death, and to whom
the lot was laid out on Peters' plan, but who later sold
it to Captain Jonathan Haskell. The daughters who sur-
vived him were, one, the wife of Mr. Harding, in Sedgwick;
another was the wife of Mr. Solomon Billings, who lived
on the northwest side of what is known as Walker's Pond,
in Brooksville, and another was the wife of Captain John
Raynes of this place. She died in 1850, at the age of
ninety-one years. Mr. Eaton was one of the earlier select-
men of the town, and was a man much respected. The
farm occupied by Mr. Eaton was afterward in part occupied
bv the late Captain John Torrey, and a part of his posses-
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 73
sion is the property of his adopted daughter, the widow of
the late Mr. Joshua Pressey, 2d.
Levi Carman was the person who settled on the lot
lying on the southeast of that of Mr. Eaton. He came,
as appears by the best information now to be had, in,
or about, the year 1768, but from what place is not known.
He was a master-mariner, and was engaged in the coasting
trade. From the fact that he was chosen one of the com-
mittee to obtain a grant of the lands remaining on the
island after the settlers had had their lots assigned them,
it must have been that he was a man of intelligence and
character. The time of his death was before 1798, as on
Peters' plan the lot he occupied, containing two hundred
acres, was assigned to the " Widow Carman " ; and of him
but little has been learned. His widow died in 1835,
aged ninety-one years. One son was Mr. Dominicus
Carman, who lived near what is known as Carman's Rock,
a large granite bowlder by the side of the highway leading
to the steamboat-landing, about one mile from the North-
west Harbor, and was considered a skillful doctor of cattle,
to which he paid considerable attention. His wife was
a daughter of Mr. Ezra Howard, w^ho will be noticed. They
had one son who lived to manhood, the late Mr. Thomas
Carman, the father of Michael P., Edwin, and Abner P.
Carman. One of the daughters married Mr. Samuel Saun-
ders; one married Mr. James Jarvis; another married
Mr. Francis Haskell; and there was another who went
from here many years ago. After the death of his wife,
he married Mrs. Elizabeth Jordan, the lady before noticed,
who was five times a widow. He was born in 1766 and
died not far from 1850. Another son was Mr. John Carman,
who died many years ago. His wife was a Miss Choate,
a native of Essex County, Massachusetts, and a sister of
Mr. George G. Choate, who lived here manv vears before
74 ^w Historical Sketch of the
his removal to Blueliill, where he died, and who is well
remembered by older people among us for his wit. Mr.
John Carman and wife were the parents of three sons and
six daughters. The sons were the present Mr. Levi and
Mr. Frederick Carman, and John Carman, who died when
a young man. The daughters were the wives of Mr. John
Ferguson, who, at the time of his marriage, lived in Mas-
sachusetts; of the late Mr. Solomon Haskell, of this town;
of the late Jonathan E. Webb, Esq.; of Mr. James Clough,
of Bluehill; of Dr. Charles N. Briggs, a dentist, a native
of Rhode Island; and of a Mr. Trowbridge. With one or
two exceptions they are now dead. The widow of Mr.
Carman married Mr. Jeremiah Stover who came here
from Penobscot, whom she survived, and died not far from
1852, at an advanced age. One of the daughters of Mr.
Levi Carman, Sr., was the wife of Captain Francis Marshall
and mother of the late Levi Marshall, and the other the
wife of Mr. Naylor Small. The land settled by him is still
mostly occupied by his descendants; that of Dominicus
Carman, by his grandson, Mr. Tristram Haskell, to whom
descended also his grandfather's skill as a cattle-doctor.
Mark Haskell was the first settler who occupied the
lot adjoining that of Mr. Carman on the southeast. He
came when quite advanced in years, not far from the year
1768, from what was then known as Sandy Bay, in the
town of Rockport, Massachusetts, and some of his sons
came at the same time and occupied the premises with
him. He was the father of Captain Mark and Deacon
Francis Haskell, who came afterward. He resided here
several years, but prior to his death he made a contract
with Ignatius Haskell, Esq., his grandson, for his support,
and in consideration conveyed to him his right as a set-
tler. Not long after he went on a visit to his friends in
Massachusetts, where he died, and his right, by virtue of
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 75
his own occupancy, and that of some of his sons, became,
upon a division of the land, the property of his grandson,
by whom it was owned at the time of his death. The lot
contained two hundred and fifty acres, running about
two miles, in a northeast direction from the Northwest
Harbor, and a part of it is known as the " Rye Field " lot.
Francis Haskell, a son of the person before named,
was the settler upon the land adjoining on the southeast.
He came from Newburyport in 1770 with his family, and
but few of his children were bom after he came here.
When the church was organized, in 1773, he was one of
the deacons. The time of his death is unknown to us,
but it was prior to the survey of the island, as his lot was
assigned to his two sons, Jonathan and Tristram Haskell
(two hundred acres). He left four sons, namely: Francis,
who removed to South Thomaston and lived on what is
known as Ash Point, and died there not far from 1841,
over ninety years of age; Jonathan, who lived here till
his death; Abijah, before noticed, and Tristram. Of the
daughters, one was the wife of Mr. Peter Hardy, Sr. ; one,
of Mr. William Eaton, Jr.; another married Captain Eph-
raim Marshall; another was the wife of Deacon Joshua
Haskell; another, of Mr. Prescott Powers, and the other,
wife of Captain Francis Marshall. His land was owned
and occupied by his two sons during their lives, and is
now chiefly owned by their descendants.
EzEKiEL Marshall was the settler upon the lot of land
adjoining that of Mr. Francis Haskell on the southeast.
He came about the year 1768. He was a connection
of the Haskell family, as I have understood, by marriage.
There appears to have been an Ephraim Marshall also
(presumably a brother), who came about the same time,
but did not remain; and as Mr. Ezekiel Marshall had a
two-hundred-acre lot, it is probable that one hundred
76 An Historical Sketch of the
acres were by virtue of Ephraim's right assigned to him.
His lot took in what has since become the most valuable
land in that vicinity; in 1772 he sold Mark Haskell,
Jr., and his sons, Ignatius and Solomon, what has been
since known as Haskell's Point, on which the stores stand
at the Northwest Harbor, and which remained the property
of Ignatius Haskell till his death. This sale was seventeen
years prior to the allotment of the land in the town by
the Tylers, till which no individual had a title. The pur-
chase was some years before Messrs. Mark Haskell & Sons
removed here and commenced business. Mr. Marshall
must have died prior to the survey, as the lot is described
as belonging to the " Heirs of Ezekiel Marshall." His
sons were Ephraim, Solomon, Joshua, and Francis; and
one of the daughters was the wife of Mr. Aaron S. Haskell.
Jonathan Haskell, the son of Francis, remained here
till his death in 1830, at the age of seventy-five years.
His wife was Miss Dorothy Shute, a daughter of the man
of that name who settled upon Sandy Point, now in the
town of Stockton. She survived him about twenty years,
when his real estate was divided among his heirs. Their
children were Benjamin S., Jonathan, Jr., known as " Long
Metre," Thomas, Francis, and David, and all are now
dead. The daughters were the wives of Messrs. Daniel
Torrey, John Torrey, Levi Marshall, and Chase Pressey,
and they are all dead also. Captain Haskell was for many
years an enterprising master-mariner and accumulated
considerable property. His sons also followed the sea for
many years. His son, the late Captain David Haskell,
resided on, and occupied his father's premises till the
death of his mother, and after a division of the property
retained the buildings and land around them till his death
in 1878. They are now occupied by his son and youngest
daughter.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 77
Tristram Haskell, the youngest son of Francis Has-
kell, remained upon the lot he was entitled to as heir of
his father (which was assigned to him), till his death,
which took place not far from the year i860, when he was
about ninety years of age. His first wife was Miss Martha
Merchant (a daughter of Mr. Anthony Merchant who in
1772, settled Merchant's Island, now within the limits of
the town of Isle au Haut), by whom he had six sons and
two daughters. The sons were: Francis, who was drowned
in Boston Harbor, in 1838, the father of the present
Messrs. Tristram and Davis Haskell; Davis, who lived
on the road leading from the Northwest Harbor to the
steamboat-landing, about two miles from the harbor;
Tristram, Jr., who lived on what is known as Beech Hill,
about one mile from the harbor; Peter, who lived on Little
Deer Isle; John R., the father of the present Captain Syl-
vanus G. Haskell, and Joshua P., who died in 1880, aged
seventy-seven years. The last named was for some time
in the British navy, and was present at the battle of
Navarino, in 1824, in which a complete victory was ob-
tained by the British fleet over the Turks, in the war
which secured the independence of the Greeks. For
many years he resided at Liverpool, England. Of the
daughters, one was the wife of the late Mr. James Stin-
son; the other married in Massachusetts. His first wife
died in 1803, and Captain Haskell married Miss Betsey
Barton, by whom he had four sons and four daughters.
The sons were the late Captain William Haskell, George
W., John and one who died in childhood. The daugh-
ters were the wives of Captain Adam Thompson, Jr., Mr.
Frederick S. Pressey, Mr. Frederick Eaton, and Mr. Edwin
B. Spofford. Of the above none of the first family are now
living, and of the last, Captain John Haskell and the four
sisters. After the death of his second wife, in 1835, Caji-
78 An Historical Sketch of the
tain Haskell married his third wife, a Mrs, Gray, daugh-
ter of Mr, Benjamin Weed. He died in, or near, the
year i860, aged about ninety. For many years he was
a master-mariner, but, being troubled with deafness, was
obliged to abandon the sea.
Ephraim Marshall was the eldest of the sons of Mr.
Ezekiel Marshall, who has been mentioned, and his wife
was a daughter of Mr. Francis Haskell. They had two
sons, Ephraim and Ezekiel, and four daughters, all of
whom are now dead. He lived on the southern side of the
road leading toward the Reach, not far from the place
occupied by the house — now burnt down — built and
occupied by Captain David P, Marshall, who removed from
this place a few years ago. Another son of Mr. Ezekiel
Marshall, Sr., was Joshua, the father of the present Mr, Eze-
kiel Marshall, the oldest man now among us, bom in 1790,
Another was Mr. Solomon Marshall, who lived on the
southwest side of the Northwest Harbor, and left one son,
Mark Marshall, and two daughters, Mrs. Hanson and
Mrs. Murray, all of whom are now dead. Captain Francis
Marshall was the youngest son. His first wife, who lived
with him but a few years, was, as we have mentioned, a
daughter of Mr. Levi Carman. He afterward married
Miss Abigail Haskell, the daughter o,f Deacon Francis
Haskell, by whom he had two sons who survived him,
Elias D. and the late Francis Marshall, and three daugh-
ters, one of whom was the wife of Thomas Lamson, Esq., of
Boston. The present Hon. Edwin D. Lamson, of Rich-
mond, Maine, is a son of hers. Another daughter, Hannah,
who lived here, remained unmarried, and the other was
Mrs. Joy, who resided in Boston. Of the family only one,
Elias D. Marshall, is now living.
Mark Haskell, the second of the name, came here
with his family in 1778, having some six years before pur-
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 79
chased the land they occupied of Ezekiel Marshall. He
was bom in 1723, and his wife was Miss Abigail Bray, a
sister of the first man of the name who came here. They
had quite a large family, some of whom died in childhood.
The survivors were Ignatius, Solomon, Joshua, and Ed-
ward, and three daughters, one the wife of Mr. Jeremiah
Eaton, another, wife of Nathan Haskell, Esq., both of
whom have been noticed, and another, wife of Mr. Elijah
Dunham, Jr. He was a native of what was then known as
Sandy Bay, in the present town of Rockport, Massachu-
setts, but afterward removed to Newburyport, from which
place he came here and commenced business with his two
sons. They built a saw and gristmill, which was a great
convenience to the inhabitants, and the former of profit
to the owners, as there were then logs in abundance to be
manufactured into lumber. They also built houses and a
store. The saw and gristmills stood until about twenty-
five years ago, and were then the property of John P. John-
son, Esq. Mr. Haskell took his two eldest sons, Ignatius
and Solomon, into partnership, and the firm was known as
" Messrs. Mark Haskell & Sons." They built several vessels,
brigs and schooners, and one ship of about four hundred
tons, which was a large one for those days. They accu-
mulated, for the times, a large property, owning here at one
time more than one thousand acres of land. Solomon, the
junior copartner, removed to Newburyport, and did busi-
ness there many years, in which his father and brother had
an interest. After the death of their father, which
took place in 18 10, the copartnership was dissolved, but
Solomon, who remained there till his death, in 1828, had
a considerable interest in the real estate here with his
brother. At the time of his death he was a deacon in the
church, of which the then well-known Rev. Mr. Milton was
pastor.
8o An Historical Sketch of the
Ignatius Haskell, Esq., after the death of his father,
did the business here, in trading and building vessels, for
several years, and for the times and locality it was quite
extensive. He was a man who had a large share of
business capacity, and for a long time was the foremost
man in the community, and had great influence, own-
ing a large property, and taking great interest in the affairs
of the town and church. He built a meeting-house at his
own expense, not far from the year 1800, selling the
pews to those who were disposed to purchase. He was
one of the earliest justices of the peace here, was often
one of the selectmen, and was, in 1819, a delegate to Port-
land with Asa Green, before named, to the convention
which framed the State constitution. He retained his
faculties in a remarkable degree till the time of his death,
1842, at the age of ninety-one years. His wife was Miss
Mary Stickney, of Newburyport, by whom he had four
sons and five daughters. The sons were Aaron S., Mark,
Ignatius, Jr., and Solomon, all of whom are still well re-
membered. The daughters were the wives of Mr. John
Foster, Dr. David Angell, Mr. Jonathan L. Stevens, of
Castine, Hezekiah Rowell, Esq. (who resided here a long
time, then removed to Castine, but after some years
returned), and the youngest was the wife of Dr. Theophi-
lus Doe, of Brewer. After the death of his wife, Mr. Has-
kell married the widow of Moses Gross, whose maiden name
was Martha Pritchard, bom in Boston, in 1773. At the
time of his death he left the largest property of any one
in the town, a large portion of which was real estate, and
most of which has now passed into other hands. His
house, which he built not far from the year 1793, is now
the property of his granddaughter, the widow of the late
Captain William Haskell.
Ezra Howard was the settler upon the lot of land
Tmvn of Deer Isle, Maine. 8i
adjoining that of Mr. Ezekiel Marshall and that purchased
of him by Mark Haskell on the southeast. He came
early, but the exact year is to us unknown, nor have we
ever known from what place he removed here. He had
three sons and four daughters, of whom we have had
knowledge : one was the Mr. John Howard we have already
noticed; another was Mr. Michael Howard, who lived and
died at what is known as " Fisk Creek," the father of the
late Mr. Samuel and the present Mr. Thomas V. Howard,
and one named Benjamin who, in 1812, removed from
here to Newbur^^port where he died. One daughter was
the wife of Mr. Chase Pressey; another was the wife of
Mr. Paul Pressey; another, that of Mr. Dominicus Car-
man, and the other, the wife of Mr. James Parker, v/ho
once lived here and who was the father of John H. Parker,
Esq., a former resident of the town of Mount Desert. After
the death of his wife, Mr. Howard married a Mrs. Johnson,
whose two daughters by her former husband, were the
wives of Deacon Nehemiah Closson and the first wife of
Mr. George G. Choate. The year of the death of Mr.
Howard is not to us known. His estate passed by pur-
chase from his heirs to Ignatius Haskell, Esq.; and with
the exception of a house-lot none of it was owned bv his
descendants after his death.
Ambrose Colby was the occupant of the lot lying on
the southeast of that of Mr. Howard. He came from the
vicinity of Newburyport not far from 1768, and after he
came he married a daughter of Mr. John Pressev. He
died about the year 1800; his wife survived him until
1844, and was at the time of her death aged ninetv-two
years. He built a large house opposite the present Con-
gregational church, upon the site now occupied bv the
house of Mr. Frederick H. Gross. It was afterward for many
years the home of Mr. Amos Gordon, who married a
82 An Historical Sketch of the
daughter of Mr. Colby. He left two sons, Messrs. Heze-
kiah and Ambrose Colby, and the daughter already referred
to, who was first the wife of Mr. William Torrey, by whom
she had two sons, Hezekiah and William Torrey, and a
daughter, the first wife of John P. Johnson, Esq. Heze-
kiah Torrey was, in 1822, the representative of this town
to the Legislature, and afterward removed to Belfast, where
he died in 1824, much esteemed. The other son, Mr.
William Torrey, died on his passage to California, not far
from the year 1850, and was at the time of his death over
fifty years of age. By her second marriage she had two
sons and two daughters who survived her: Mr. Ambrose
C. Gordon, who died in 1880, and Captain John Gordon,
who died in Bluehill, to which place he had removed. The
two daughters were the wives of Mr. Levi Carman and
Captain Joseph W. Pressey, and both are now dead. Mr.
Gordon, the husband of the daughter of Mr. Colby, came
here from Biddeford, Maine, where his relatives still re-
side. He died several years ago, and none of that name
are left in the town.
The lot of land adjoining that of Mr. Colby on the south-
east was what is still known as the " parsonage lot." It
contained originally four hundred acres, and was granted
by the General Court of Massachusetts to the first religious
society and the first settled minister. Rev. Peter Powers,
the first settled minister, became proprietor of that part
of the land, and settled upon the southeastern side of the
lot; after his death, in 1800, it passed into the hands of
his son, Mr. Prescott Powers, and the farm of Mr. Levi
Greenlaw is a part of it. More will be said of the Rev.
Mr. Powers in the part of this work in which the religious
societies in the town are noticed.
Nathaniel Bray and Robert Nason were the settlers
upon the lot of land containing, according to Peters' plan
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 83
of the town, over two hundred and fifty acres, which
adjoined the parsonage lot on the southeast. They both
came here not far from 1768, and were, we believe, con-
nected by marriage; Mr. Bray was also a brother of the
wife of Captain Mark Haskell. He settled upon the west-
em part of the lot, and was the father of Nathaniel and
William Bray, and his daughters were the wives of Mr.
Benjamin Cole, who occupied the lot of land adjoining
that of Deacon Joshua Haskell; of Mr. Willaby Nason;
of Mr. Edward Howard, of Brooksville; of Mr. Peter
Perry, and of Mr. Ezekiel Morey, Jr.
Mr. Nason occupied the eastern part of the lot, which
was the farm since owned by Mr. Ezekiel Marshall. Of
him but little is known. One of his sons, Mr. Willaby
Nason, lived here a number of years, and afterward re-
moved to the town of Knox, in Waldo County, where
he died. A daughter of Mr. Nason, Sr., was the wife of
Mr. Nathaniel Bray, Jr., and mother of Messrs. Robert,
Jonathan, Nathaniel, John N., Daniel, Willaby N., and
Isaac Bray, and of three daughters who married Jeremiah
and Andrew Gray, and Mr. David Campbell who removed
to the British provinces. Mrs. Bray died several vears
ago, and all her children are now dead. Four of her sons
died very suddenly, as have some of her grandchildren.
On the western side of the Northwest Harbor the first
settlement was made by Mr. John Pressey, not long after
the first made in the town, as early perhaps as 1765.
He came from Salisbury, Massachusetts, or some place in
that vicinity, as that was the residence of his wife, whose
maiden name was Chase — one of the "Chase heirs"
about whom much was said not far from the year 1845.
He must have been past middle age at the time of his com-
ing, and the time of his death is not to us known. His
house was near the shore, and his remains lie not far from
84 ' An Historical Sketch of the
the edge of the bank. His sons were John, Jr., Chase, and
Paul Pressey. One of his daughters was the Mrs. Colby
lately mentioned, and another was the wife of Mr. Nathan
Johnson and mother of John P. Johnson, Esq., who is now
(1881) eighty-four years of age. The name was originally
" Percy," as appeared from what is known as a coat-of-
arms which was kept in the family many years.
John Pressey, Jr., settled upon the lot of land adjoin-
ing that of his father on the southwest, and, we should
judge, had a family at the time of his removal. His death
was caused by a tree falling upon him while chopping, but
the time of its occurrence is not to us known. His son
was John Pressey, 3d, the father of Mr. Henry Pressey
who was lost in 1849 or 1850, in the schooner Tamerlane,
Captain John G. Green, master. His daughters were the
wives of Mr. John Howard, before noticed; of Mr. Joseph
Webster, of North Haven, and of Mr. Michael Howard,
the son of Mr. Ezra Howard. Another, named Mercy,
was never married. She lived for many years as house-
keeper with Mr. Nathan Crockett who, at his death, made
provision for her support.
The farm of Mr. John Pressey, Jr., was divided; one part
of it is now the property of Mr. Aaron D. Pickering, and
the remainder was that of Mr. Jonathan Pressey at the
time of his death.
Thomas Saunders, who came here from Amesbury in
the State of Massachusetts, settled upon the lot of land
lying westerly of, and adjoining, that of Mr. John Pressey,
Jr. His wife was Miss Hephzibah Chase, of Salisbury,
Massachusetts, and they were married in Hampton, New
Hampshire, in 1755. In 1757 they moved to Amesbury,
and came here in 177 1. His wife and that of Mr. John
Pressey, Sr., were sisters. Mr. Saunders was drowned near
the mouth of the Northwest Harbor in June, 1786, while
Toiun of Deer Isle, Maine. 85
engaged in towing some logs which were to be used in
making pumps for the purpose of pumping salt water
for the manufacture of salt. He left two sons, Messrs.
James and Timothy Saunders, and two daughters, one the
wife of Mr. John Dow; another, that of Mr. Thomas
Small, Jr. His farm passed into the hands of his sons,
who occupied it till they died. It now is the property
of their descendants. The wife of Mr. James Saunders
was Susan Webb, a daughter of Mr. Seth Webb, one of
the early settlers; that of Mr. Timothy Saunders was
Ann Staples, the daughter of the person of that name
before noticed as having been impressed into the British
service during the war of the Revolution.
The sons of Mr. James Saunders were the late Thomas
and Captain James Saunders. One of the daughters was
the wife of the late Mr. Crowell H. Sylvester. Another
was first the wife of Mr. Joseph Whitmore, Jr., and after-
wards of Dr. Robert Young who made the treatment of
cancers a specialty. After his death she married Mr.
Jonah Dodge of Brooklin, Maine, and, lastly, Mr. Syl-
vester, the husband of her late sister, whom she also sur-
vived. Another married Mr. John Averill, of Castine, and
afterwards Mr. Josiah B. Woods, of that place. Another
married Captain Henry Lufkin, Jr.; another. Captain
Joseph R. Lufkin; another, Mr. Benjamin Lufkin, and
one, Mary, remained unmarried. All are now dead with
the exception of the widow of Captain J. R. Lufkin, who
is now (1882) eighty-one years of age.
The sons of Mr. Timothy Saunders were Samuel,
John, Asa, and Timothy; the daughters were the wives
of Messrs. Thomas, Ezra, and Joshua Pressey, and Captain
David Haskell. All the family are now dead.
Jonathan' Eaton, a native of Haverhill. Massachu-
setts, was the settler upon the lot of land adjoinincr that
86 An Historical Sketch of the
of Mr. Saunders on the west. He was the youngest brother
of Mr. Theophilus Eaton, and was born in 1746. His
father dying in his childhood, he was brought up by his
eldest brother Theophilus. His wife was Miss Diana
Dow, a daughter of Mr. Nathan Dow, with whom he came
here in 1767, having previously married; and in the year
of his removal his eldest son was born here. He was a
man of enterprise and, as has been stated, was engaged
in the business of boiling salt. He died in 1805, at the
age of fifty-nine years. His children were: Joseph, who
lived and died in Sedgwick; Jonathan; John, who was
drowned in 1814, while engaged with Mr. Joseph Whit-
more, Jr., and a Mr. Brown, of Vinalhaven, in taking a
cow across the bay to Vinalhaven in a boat. Their bodies
were never found, but that of the cow came ashore on
what is called Sellers's Point. Another son was the late
Mr. Nathan Eaton, who occupied the homestead of his
father. Another was James Eaton, who removed to the
town of Prospect, where he lived till his death. The
daughters were the wives of Mr. Joseph Weed, Mr. Wil-
liam Weed, and Mr. Samuel Webb. The house built by
Mr. Eaton is still standing, and has recently been thor-
oughly repaired. It is now more than ninety years old,
and still occupied by his descendants.
Elijah Dunham, Sr., with his sons Elijah and Joseph
Dunham, occupied the lot westerly of that of Mr. Eaton,
on what is still known as Dunham's Point, upon which is
located the silver mine which is being operated. Mr.
Dunham was twice married. By his first wife he had the
two sons mentioned, and a daughter, the wife of Mr. Sam-
uel Pickering and mother of the late Captain Samuel and
Mr. Daniel Pickering. Mr. Pickering settled what is
known as Pickering's Island, lying northwesterly of Deer
Island, which is not included within the territorial limits
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 87
of the town. By his last wife Mr. Dunham had one son,
the late Mr. Elisha H. Dunham, and two daughters. 'He
did not remain long on the lot taken up by him, and it
came into the possession of Messrs. Mark Haskell & Sons,
and was the property of Ignatius Haskell, Esq., at his
death. Mr. Dunham lived upon several other lots of
land. He died in this town at an advanced age. His
son Elijah Dunham, Jr., was three times married: his first
wife was the daughter of Captain Mark Haskell, by whom he
had one son and three daughters; his second was the
mother of Mr. George G. Choate, and his third was Miss
Polly Morey, a daughter of Mr. Elias Morey. He died in
1852, at the age of ninety years.
Mr. Joseph Dunham married the widow of Mr. Charles
Chatto, and died not long after the year 1830. The lot
taken up by them is now owned principally by Mr. Ebene-
zer J. Eaton.
Chase Pressey, a son of Mr. John Pressey, Sr., settled
the lot of land adjoining that of his father upon the south-
east. His wife was the daughter of Mr. Ezra Howard,
who was one of the early settlers near the Northwest Har-
bor. Mr. Pressey died not far from the year 1830, and
his widow in 1841. His sons were Thomas, Jonathan,
Ezra, Joshua, and Jeremiah. His daughters were the
wives of Messrs. Michael Ready, Nathan Eaton, Edward
B. Eaton and Michael Howard, Jr. His farm, as also
that of his father, is principally owned and occupied by
his descendants.
Paul Pressey, a brother of the last-named settler,
occupied the lot adjoining on the southeast. It was taken
up early by Mr. Lot Curtis, and his right was acquired by
Mr. Pressey. His wife was a daughter of Mr. Ezra How-
ard, and their children were Pearl S., Elbridge G., Calvin,
the wife of Mr. David Sawyer, Jr., and a daughter who lived
88 An Historical Sketch of the
in Boston. His sons remained here, with the exception
of Elbridge, who removed to Castine, where he was Hving
a few years since, the sole survivor of the family. His
land, which is still known as " the Paul Pressey lot,"
passed, principally, into the hands of the late Pearl
Spofford, Esq., and a large portion of it is now owned
by the Hon. C. A. Spofford.
John Hooper was the settler who occupied the lot
adjoining that of Paul Pressey on the southeast, but upon
Peters' plan, it stands in the name of William Hooper,
who probably acquired a right to the lot through John
Hooper. William Hooper, who was known as Captain
Hooper, removed to the town of Brooklin, where his de-
scendants still reside, but none of that name remain here.
A part of his farm passed into the possession of Mr. Na-
than Johnson, who was here prior to 1784, and was the
estate occupied by his son, the late Mr. Daniel Johnson,
and now by his son and daughter. The other part of the
Hooper lot was purchased by Mr. John Whitmore, and
by him sold to Captain Richard Greenlaw. It is now
owned and occupied by Captain Thomas R. Greenlaw.
Nathan Johnson came here, as stated above, prior
to 1784, but there seems to have been no settler's right
assigned him, probably because he had not taken up a lot.
He was for many years a school-teacher, and was known
as " Master Johnson." His wife was the youngest daugh-
ter of Mr. John Pressey, Sr. Their sons were Daniel and
John P. One of their daughters was the wife of Captain
Joseph Raynes; one, the wife of Mr. Ebenezer Greenlaw
and formerly of Mr. Abner Babbidge who was lost in the
schooner Shakespeare, Captain John Green, master, in 18 18.
Another daughter, Lucy, married quite late in life, and
another, Mary, died unmarried. Mr. Johnson died soon
after 1800, and his widow survived him not many years.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 89
EzEKiEL MoREY was onc of the very early settlers.
He came here about 1767, from New Meadows River, in
the vicinity of Brunswick, Maine. From what informa-
tion I have been able to gain, he built the first framed
house in the town. Mr. Morey was twice married, and
had a large family, thirteen children surviving him. The
time of his death I have not learned. After his death the
principal part of his farm, a large and valuable one, passed
by purchase from his heirs, into the hands of the late Heze-
kiah Rowell, Esq., who built a house upon it, which was
afterward purchased by the late Joseph Sellers, 3d, and
is now the estate of his two deceased sons, George W. and
Mark H. Sellers, the lot they own containing some six
acres. The residue Mr. Rowell sold to various persons,
who have built upon their respective lots. His sons who
survived him were Elias, Ezekiel, Isaac, Joseph, and
James. The daughters were the wives of Mr. Charles
Sellers, of this town; a Mr. Calderwood, of Vinalhaven;
two were the wives of a Mr. Wooster, of the same place;
one of a Mr. Edson ; one of a Mr. Sweet ; one of a Mr. Day,
who resided on the island of Mount Desert, and the young-
est of the late Mr. Joseph Noyes, of this town, a native
of Atkinson, New Hampshire, who came in 1804, and
died not far from 1850. Mrs. Noyes survived her hus-
band a few years. She was a lady held in much respect,
a sincere Christian, and beloved by all who knew her.
The children of Mr. Noyes, with one exception, have
removed from this town, and the land and buildings he
occupied are now owned by Mr. William C. Gray. All
the above sons and daughters, except Mr. Elias Morey,
Mrs. Sellers, and Mrs. Noyes removed from this place;
Ezekiel and Isaac to the town of Hope, Maine, and after-
ward to the State of Ohio; Joseph lived and died in Cas-
tine. and James lived in the town of Levant, not far from
go An Historical Sketch of the
Bangor. Mr. Elias Morey died not far from the year
1844; Mrs. Sellers in 1832, aged eighty-three. Mr. Morey,
the father, was very tall of stature, being nearly seven
feet in height, and a very worthy man.
William Babbidge was the first settler upon the lot of
land adjoining that of Mr. Morey on the east. He came
very early — prior to 1770 — and was a brother to Mr.
Courtney Babbidge, St., who came some years after and
resided near the Southeast Harbor. He afterward sold
out his right to Mr. Joshua Haskell, a brother of Ig-
natius Haskell, Esq., and took up another lot of land,
on what is known as Babbidge's Neck, which was a few
years ago occupied by Mr. Seth Hatch and the late Cap-
tain John Greenlaw, but which subsequently became the
property of Mr. Hatch's son, the late Captain Jeremiah
Hatch. Mr. Babbidge left no son, but had five daughters,
who were the wives of Mr. William Greenlaw, Mr. Samuel
Stinson, Mr. Joseph Whitmore, Mr. Seth Hatch, and Mr.
Samuel Staples. After the death of her husband Mrs.
Babbidge became the wife of Mr. Thomas Robbins, Sr.
Joshua Haskell, the resident of the land taken up by
Mr. Babbidge, came when a young man not twenty years
old with his father. Captain Mark Haskell. His wife was
a daughter of Deacon Francis Haskell, before noticed.
He was for many years a deacon in the Congregational
Church, and was known as " Deacon Joshua." His sons
were : Joshua, who for many years tended the gristmill at
the Northwest Harbor; Thomas, a master ship-carpenter;
Mark, who died when a young man; Edward, who died
not far from the year 1862, and Ignatius, the father of the
present Captain George C. Haskell. One of his daughters
was the wife of Mr. Jonathan Webster who removed to Cas-
tine, where she died not far from 1824; another, wife of
Mr. Samuel Noyes who was a brother of Mr. Joseph Noyes,
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 91
and came with him here. He was a noted shipwright
for many years, and was well known as " Master Noyes,"
here and in Castine, where he lived a long time and died.
Another was the wife of Mr. Joseph Sellers, 3d, who died
here, and the youngest, who is still living, married John
Turner, Esq., of Isle au Haut. The others are all now
dead. Deacon Haskell, at the time of his death, which
took place not long after the year 1830, owned a large and
valuable farm, which came into the possession of his heirs.
He was a man much respected by all who knew him, be-
ing considered an upright man. His widow survived him
till 1842.
BEXJ.A.MIN Cole was the settler upon the lot of land
adjoining that of Joshua Haskell. He came early, be-
tween the years 1767 and 1770. About him but little is
known, nor do we know from what place he came here.
He had one son of the same name, Benjamin, who came
with him, and occupied a lot of land that he took up.
They both had settlers' rights, one of them being located
near Fish Creek, and the farm now occupied by Mr. Joseph
S. Greenlaw is a part of it. The remainder is now in the
possession of Mr. Benjamin Cole, the great-grandson of
the first named. The time of the death of Mr. Cole is not
to us known. His daughter was the wife of Mr. Abijah
Haskell, a son of Deacon Francis Haskell, and we have
no knowledge of any more of the family, if any there were.
His son Benjamin married a daughter of Nathaniel Bray,
Sr., and their sons were: Benjamin, the father of the pres-
ent Mr. Enos Cole; Joseph, who lived near the Town
House; Willard, who lived at Fish Creek, on the farm
now occupied by his son Benjamin; Nathaniel, and one
who died many years ago, of the name of Jonathan. The
daughters were: one, the wife of the late Captain Samuel
Pickering, and another, that of Mr. Willard Bray. Mr.
92 An Historical Sketch of the
Benjamin Cole, Jr., was for many years sexton of the
first parish church in the town, and. after his death Mr.
William Morey officiated in that capacity till the time of
his death. The farm of Mr. Cole, Sr., is now in part owned
by his descendants.
Joshua Emerson, a native of Haverhill, Massachusetts,
was the first settler upon the lot of land lying south of
that taken up by Elijah Dunham, on what is known as
Dunham's Point. He came some time prior to the year
1790, but probably was not here in season to be considered
as entitled to a right by settlement, — prior to 1784, —
and was one of the class styled " young settlers." He
built a sawmill at the outlet of the cove, near the property
now occupied by Captain Benjamin J. Sylvester, that is
still known as " Emerson's Mill Pond." He resided on
the lot taken up by him, which was afterward occupied by
the late Mr. Crowell H. Sylvester, and upon which he (Mr.
Sylvester) lived till his death in 1863. Mr. Emerson con-
veyed his property to Major David Coffin, of Newbury-
port, Massachusetts, who lived several years in Castine,
where he died in 1838. In 1807 Mr. Emerson left his farm
and moved on to a fifty-acre lot, which, in 1795, he had pur-
chased of Ephraim Packard, of Beverly, Massachusetts
(that now occupied by Mr. Samuel Dunham), where he
died in 18 10. His wife was Hannah, the daughter of Mr.
Seth Webb, who will be noticed; she lived upon the farm
till her death in 1838. Their children were: Seth, who died
in 1827; Joshua, who died in 1842; Samuel, who died
not many years ago, in Isleborough, and William, a
young man, whose death was caused by lockjaw, about
the year 1821. The daughters were the wives of Mr.
Daniel Allen, Samuel Allen, Jr., and a Mr. Cummings, of
Tyngsborough, Massachusetts, who left her a widow.
She afterward married a Mr. Edward Alexander. But
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. g^
one only of the family, the wife of Captain Samuel Allen,
is now living.
vSamuel Trundy was the occupant of the lot of land
lying on the south side of Emerson's Mill Pond and at the
head of the Southwest Harbor. He was a native of Cape
Elizabeth, Maine, and came here in 1765, — the first per-
son who made a settlement upon the west side of the island
and southwesterly of the Northwest Harbor, except Mr.
John Pressey and his son John Pressey, Jr. A former
neighbor of his, Mr. Thomas Small, came east intending
to settle in the present town of Bluehill, and on his way
anchoring in the Northwest Harbor, came over to see him,
and was by him persuaded to remain. This was in 1767,
and at that time Mr. Pressey had made his settlement.
Mr. Trundy 's mother came with him and was his house-
keeper for a few years, when her other son, Mr. George
Trundy, came and removed her to his home. Their father
was a native of Holland, and died when a young man, leav-
ing two sons. The wife of Mr. Samuel Trundy was Miss
Ann Carey, and they were the parents of fourteen children,
and grandparents of one hundred and twenty. Eleven
of their children had families. Five of them had twelve
children each; two had eleven each; three, ten each; and
one, eight. Mr. Trundy died in 1805. His widow became
the wife of Mr. James Jordan, who died in 1818; she after-
ward married Mr. Jeremiah Stover, who outlived her,
she dying in 1826. The children of Mr. Trundy were:
Daniel, who died in 1835, in Dover, Maine; Samuel,
who died in Newburyport; Thomas, who died in 1S46,
and John, in 1859, in Rockland. The daughters were
the wives of Messrs. Peletiah Barter, Abner Lane, David
Thurlow, Daniel Crockett, Jonathan Pressey, John
Whitmore, and Hon. Richard Warren, all of whom are now
dead.
94 An Historical Sketch of the
John Raynes, Sr., and his sons John, Johnson, and
William Raynes settled the lot of land lying south of that
of Mr. Trundy. They were natives of York, Maine, and
came here in 1772, in company with two of the same
name, Messrs. Samuel and James Raynes, who were rela-
tives of theirs. Mr. John Raynes, Sr., lived not many
years after he came here. His wife was also a native of
York, and her name before marriage was Abigail Harmon.
Their children were the three sons who came with him
and four daughters, — one the wife of Mr. Anthony Mer-
chant, the person who settled what is known as Merchant's
Island, now included in the limits of the town of Isle au
Haut, who came about the same time. One daughter
was Mrs. Mary Kingsley, who remained in York. An-
other was the wife of Mr. Joshua Staples; another, whose
name was Miriam, remained unmarried. The ancestor
of Mr. Raynes was Francis Raynes, one of the earliest
inhabitants of York, whose name is found in William-
son's History of Maine as one of the persons residing
there in 1653, when the town was incorporated. His son,
John Raynes, Jr., was bom in 1753, and was a master-
mariner for several years. His wife was Sarah, daughter
of Mr. Theophilus Eaton ; they lived as husband and wife
sixty years to a day, being married December 25, 1777,
and he dying the same day in 1837, at the age of eighty-
four years. He was at Bagaduce at the time of the attack
by the Americans upon the British in 1779. His sons
were: William, who died in 1869, at the age of ninety-one
years; John, who removed to Newbury port, but returned
here a few years before his death in 1862; Joseph, who
died in 1859; Benjamin, who died in 1861, and one named
Ebenezer who died in 18 19, in the West Indies, at the
age of twenty-two years. One of the daughters was the
wife of Mr. Daniel Lufkin; another married Mr. Stephen
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 95
Babbidge, and afterward Mr. Otis Oliver, and there were
two who remained unmarried. The wife of Captain John
Raynes survived him till 1850, dying at the age of ninety-
one years, retaining her mind and memory in a remarkable
degree. From her I learned much about the earlier set-
tlers. Two days before she died I saw her, and her health
was then very good for a person of her age. Her death
took place in the month of February, during very cold
weather, which is often fatal in its effect upon persons of
great age. At that time she was the oldest member of the
Congregational Church in the town.
Johnson Raynes, before mentioned, was never mar-
ried. His house stood on land now owned by Captain
H. T. Lufkin, about thirty rods west of the town road,
in the field. His unmarried sister, Miriam, resided with
him till her death. He was said to be a man of superior
intelligence, was a great reader, and had a good deal of
understanding. His brother, William Raynes, married
Miriam Robinson (a sister to the mother of the late Cap-
tain Henry Lufkin who died very suddenly, in 1868).
Their children were Edward and Johnson Raynes, the
latter of whom died in 1873. One of the daughters was
the wife of Mr. Asa B. Eaton, and the mother of Captain
William R. Eaton, formerly of this town, but now of
Newbur\'port. Another was the former wife of Mr. Asa
Saunders, and mother of Captain Ebenezer Saunders, of
this town. Another was the wife of Mr. William Atherton,
of Mt. Desert; another married Mr. Jonathan Pressey,
Jr., and another, named Joanna, remained unmarried.
Mrs. Atherton is, in 1882, the only one of them living.
Mr. William Raynes, some time about tlie year 1790, sold
a part of his land to a Mr. Lufkin, of Gloucester, Massa-
chusetts; upon his death, which occurred soon after the
purchase, it came into the possession of his lirothcr, Mr.
96 An Historical Sketch of the
Benjamin Lufkin, who removed here from Gloucester with
his family, and built a hoiise near that now occupied by
Mr. John T. Brown, where he resided till his death. Both
himself and his wife were members of the church in Glouces-
ter, of which the celebrated Universalist preacher, John
Murray, was pastor, it being the first church of that denomi-
nation in New England. The children of Mr. Lufkin
were: Benjamin, who lived and died in Sedgwick; Henry,
the father of the present Captain Mark H. Lufkin, and
Daniel, who died in 187 1. The daughters were the wives
of Mr. Abraham Babson, who lived near Naskeag Point,
now in the town of Brooklin; Mr. Jonah Dodge, of the
same town; a Mr. McMullen, of Vinalhaven, and Mr.
Edward Raynes, the eldest son of Mr. William Raynes.
Mr. Lufkin was by trade a shoemaker, and before he came
here, in 1790, had a shop in Gloucester which stood near the
site now occupied by the Gloucester House. Those of
the same name in that place at present are relatives of
his descendants.
Samuel Raynes, a nephew of John Raynes, Sr., settled
upon the lot adjoining that of Captain John Raynes on the
south. He did not remain many years upon it, but moved
back to York. His land passed into the hands of Ignatius
Haskell, Esq., by whom it was sold to the late Captain
William Raynes, not far from the year 1800, who a few
years after built a house upon it, which is still standing,
in which he resided till his death. It became the property
of his son, the late A. B. Raynes, who died in Norwich,
Connecticut, in the year 1881, and from him, went to his
son, Mr. Charles H. Raynes, of that place. We have no
knowledge of the time of the death of Samuel Raynes,
nor of his history after his removal to York.
James Raynes, a brother of the subject of the preced-
ing sketch, settled upon the lot of land adjoining that of
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 97
Samuel Raynes on the south. He died not many years
after he came here, and the property fell into the hands
of his sister, Anna Raynes, who conveyed it to Mr. Eben-
ezer Webster, a native of Cape Elizabeth, whose wife
was a sister to the wife of Mr. Job Small. They were the
parents of Andrew, Joseph, John, and Ebenezer Webster;
of Mrs. Anna Small, wife of Cai)tain Ebenezer Small, and
a daughter who removed from here. Mr. Andrew Webster
lived and died in Brooksville. Joseph lived in North
Haven. John was lost at sea in about 18 15. He was a
master-mariner, and at the time of his death the son of
Mr. Nathaniel Bray, noticed before, named Daniel, was
one of the crew of the vessel of which Captain Webster
was master. Captain Ebenezer Webster, Jr., was an
enterprising ship-master, and sailed for many years in the
employ of William Bartlett, Esq., of Newburyport, a
wealthy ship-owner in the early part of the present cen-
tury, and after retiring from the sea resided in Cape Eliza-
beth, where his father lived with him till his death. Mr.
Webster sold the land to Mr. Job Small, Jr., and from
him it was sold to his brother, Michael Small, Esq., and
by him, in 181 7, to Mr. Charles Sellers, one of the early
settlers, whom we shall notice, who resided upon it till
his death; after that it came into the possession of his
son, the late Mr. Joseph Sellers, 2d, and is now owned and
occupied by his sons and widow.
Thom.\s S.m.\ll, who came here in 1767 from Cape Eliz-
abeth, settled upon the lot of land adjoining that of Mr.
James Raynes on the south, doing this, as has been stated,
at the solicitation of Mr. Trundy, there being no other
person in the near vicinity at the time, and as Mr. Small
was an old acquaintance, he was the more desirous of
having him as a neighbor, A settlement had been at-
tempted upon the lot by a man of the name of Martin,
gS An Historical Sketch of the
who had abandoned it, or was abovit to do so. The land
taken up by Mr. Small was one of the most valuable lots
in the town for farming purposes, there being but very
little waste-land upon it. He first settled near the bar
which lies across the mouth of what is known as
Small's Cove, on the land that is now occupied by his
great-grandson, Mr. Enoch Small. He lived upon this
place some sixty years, dying in the year 1827, his wife
dying at nearly the same time, they having lived in
wedlock about sixty-four years. Their eldest child, the
late Mrs. Mary Lunt, was in her fourth year at the time
of the removal here of her parents, and had a very distinct
remembrance of it. She lived until 1859, and died at the
great age of ninety-five years, with her mind and memory
unimpaired till the last. She was one of those who gave
me much information concerning the early settlement
of the town, and I never found any other person of her age
who, in my opinion, retained the mental faculties so clearly.
She was the wife of Mr. Micajah Lunt, of Newburyport,
and the mother of the widow of Mr. Avery Fifield, a native
of Haverhill, New Hampshire, who came here in 1803, or
thereabouts, and who was well known, had many friends,
and took a prominent part in business and town affairs. He
died in the year 1845; Mrs. Fifield died in 1882, at the
age of ninety-six years, having been born February 6,
1786. Mrs. Lunt was an earnest Christian, and in early
life united with the church at the Northwest Harbor.
The sons of Mr. Small were Thomas, Ebenezer, Benjamin,
William, and Joseph; and the daughters, beside Mrs. Lunt,
were the wives of Mr. William Sellers, Mr. Joseph Randall,
the second son of Mr. George G. Choate, Mr. Simon Smith,
and of a Mr. Small in Cape Elizabeth. After the decease of
Mr. Small his property was owned by his son Ebenezer
and others of the family, and is now in the possession of
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 99
Mr. Joseph C. Judkins, Captain H. F. Cole, Enoch Small,
a " young settler "; and Captain H. T. Lufkin. His son,
Thomas Small, Jr., settled upon the lot adjoining on the
south, as a " young settler "; his wife was Miss Anna Stiun-
ders, the daughter of Mr. Thomas Saunders, who has been
mentioned. Their children were: Thomas, who lived and
died in Newbury port; James, who formerly resided on Plum
Island, near that place; Reuben who came to his death by
burning, in 1827; William, and Joel, who now lives in
Islesborough. The daughters were the wives of Mr. Jesse
Stinson, Mr. Charles Barbour, Mr. Hale Powers, and Mr.
John G. Small who now resides in Belfast. The two last-
named daughters, with Joel Small, are now living. Mr. Small,
the father, died in 1846, at the age of seventy-eight years.
The second son of Mr. Thomas Small, Sr., was Captain
Ebenezer Small, a master-mariner, who died in 1827 or
1828; his wife was Miss Ann Webster, the daughter of
Mr. Ebenezer Webster. They were the parents of twelve
children, seven of whom were sons: Ebenezer, John
W., Edward, Benjamin, Avery, Enoch, and Joseph W.
The daughters were the wives of Captain William
B. Hatch, formerly of Pembroke, Maine; of Messrs. Ed-
ward Richardson; Thomas Tyler who removed to Winter-
port and died there; William Tyler who removed to the
same place and was lost at sea, and one, who was the wife
of Mr. Paul Thurlow, is now the only one of the family
that remains here. The wife of Captain Small survived
him several years.
The third son of the family of Mr. Thomas Small, Sr.,
was Benjamin Small, who died in 1827, and at the time
resided at Burnt Cove, on the place afterward owned by
Mr. Avery Fifield, Jr. His wife was Miss Mary Lunt, of
Newbury port, to which place she removed with her family
after the death of her husband.
ICO An Historical Sketch of the
The fourth son of the family was William Small, whose
wife was Lydia, the daughter of Mr. Joseph Colby, Jr. His
death which was caused by a person who represented himself
to be a Thompsonian doctor, occurred not far from the year
1 8 1 4. He was not in good health and consented to put him-
self under the care of this person, going through the process
of steaming to which they subjected their patients, and
the succeeding operation of pouring cold water over him
to such an extent that he died within an hour. The doctor,
finding what was the result of his practice with him, imme-
diately made his escape, and had barely the time to get
away from the island, being followed by the two brothers
of the deceased, who were so much enraged that they
would perhaps have dealt violently with him had they
overtaken him. The only child of Mr. Small was Lydia,
who was afterwards the wife of Mr. Avery Fifield, Jr. His
widow married Mr. Israel Dorr, of Frankfort, and they
remained here until 1844, when they removed to Bucks-
port.
The last son of Mr. Thomas Small's family was Joseph
Small who, when a young man, removed to Newburyport,
where he followed the sea, married, had one son, and, in
1807, died. His widow afterwards became the wife of Mr.
John Howard who has been noticed, and upon his decease
she married Mr. Samuel Small, Sr., after whose death she
removed to Newburyport.
Job Small, a brother of Mr. Thomas Small, settled in
1768 upon the lot of land on the south side of Small's Cove,
not far from the land of his brother. His wife was Miss
Mercy Wescott, daughter of the ancestor of all of that
name in the towns of Castine, Penobscot, and Bluehill.
His name was William, and a son of his of the same name
was the grandfather of the present Captain Joseph Wes-
cott now residing in Castine, who was for many years
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. loi
known as a ship-master, and still lives upon the land taken
up by his grandfather, who was one of the early settlers
there prior to the war of the Revolution. Mr. Small died
early in the present century, and his widow died in 1835
at the age of ninety-six years, — the oldest person in the
town at the time. There are but two instances of greater
longevity among us. The children of Mr. Small were:
Andrew, who died in 1828, aged eighty-four; Samuel, who
died in 1854, aged eighty-six; Job, who lived and died in
the town of Stockton, aged nearly eighty years; Edward,
who died in 1864, aged ninety-four years; Naylor, who
died in 1863, aged ninety-one years, and Michael, who died
in 1837 at the age of fifty-eight years. There was but
one daughter in the family, — Alice, who was the wife of
Captain John Webster, mentioned before; she died in
Portland. The farm of Mr. Small was conveyed by him
to his son, Michael Small, and is now the property of his
son who resides upon it.
Charles Sellers settled upon the lot of land adjoin-
ing that of Mr. Job Small on the west. He was a native
of the town of York, Maine, where his father followed the
sea and died when a young man. His widow, with two
of her sons, Charles and Joseph, came here in 1772. An-
other brother, William, older than the ones we have men-
tioned, remained there for some years, when he came, but
not in season to be entitled to a lot of land as a settler.
Mr. Charles Sellers was bom in 1750, and his wife was
Jerusha, the eldest daughter of Mr. Ezekiel Morey. He
lived upon the farm taken up by him till 181 7, when he
purchased the one taken up by James Raynes, of Michael
Small, Esq., the then owner, who purchased that which Mr.
Sellers occupied, it joining his own, and at his death be-
queathed it to his two youngest sons. It is now the prop-
ertv of Mr. Thomas S. Powers and of the heirs of the
I02 An Historical Sketch of the
late Charles T. Powers. Mr. Sellers lived upon the place
purchased by him till his death in 1834, his wife dying
in 1832. Their children were: John, who lived and died
in Vinalhaven ; Charles, who resided in the Province of New
Brunswick, near the St. Croix River between Eastport
and Calais, and Joseph the youngest son, who re-
mained with him and lived upon the place during his life-
time, after his removal to it, dying in 1865 at the age of
seventy-two years; Martha, the wife of Mr. David Torrey,
who died in 1879 at the age of ninety-seven years; Susan,
the wife of Captain James Torrey, who died in 1875, aged
ninety-one years; Sarah, the wife of Mr. Seth Emerson,
and two daughters who died unmarried.
Joseph Sellers, the brother of Charles, took up the
lot of land adjoining that of his brother on the south.
He was bom in 1752, and at the time of his removal here
he was twenty years of age. His mother lived with him
as a housekeeper, till age and infirmity disqualified her;
he then married the daughter of Thomas Thompson, when
he was forty-eight years of age. They had nine children
— three sons: Joseph, known as Joseph Sellers, 3d, who
traded at the Northwest Harbor for many years, was in-
terested in navigation, and occupied the house in that
vicinity known as the Sellers house, and who died not
far from 1850. Another son was Thomas, and another
William, both of whom are dead. None of the daugh-
ters remained here; the youngest married Captain Thomas
D. Toothaker, who removed to Belfast and died at sea.
Mr. Sellers died in 1844, at the age of ninety-two 3'ears.
His farm passed into the hands of his eldest son, by whose
heirs it was sold. It was the property of Mr. Charles T.
Powers at the time of his death in 1880. Mr. Sellers was
for many years one of the board of selectmen , and was one
of the first chosen in 1789.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 103
JosiAH Crockett was the settler upon the lot of land
adjoining that of Mr. Joseph Sellers on the east, and the
body of water which lies on its eastern side is still called
Crockett's Cove. He removed here from Portland,
then known as Falmouth, or that vicinity, not far from
1768. His wife was a daughter of Mr. Nathan Dow and a
sister to the wife of Mr. Jonathan Eaton. He was a sin-
gular man, and the date of his death is not to us known.
He took up a lot, and when the survey of the town was
made, one of two hundred and twelve acres was assigned
him. Why he had one so large is not known to us. He
had claimed other lots, but no other was run out to him.
He sold one hundred acres to Mr. Ephraim Packard, of
Beverly, Massachusetts, who, in 1795, as we have stated,
sold fifty acres to Mr. Joshua Emerson ; the balance is still
known " as the Packard lot." It was sold for non-payment
of taxes in 1833, and became the property of Mr. Joseph
Sellers, 3d, and is now owned by Captain Stephen B.
Morey. The land owned by Mr. Crockett at the time of
his death came into the possession of his son, Mr. Nathan
Crockett, and is now owned by the heirs of the late Mr.
Edmund S. Stinson. The children of Mr. Crockett were:
Nathan, Ephraim, and Sarah, the last of whom became
the wife of Mr. William Webb, and afterward that of
Deacon William Stinson before noticed.
C.\PTAix RoBiNSOX Crockett, a brother of the person
last noticed, came here in 1785 with a family and remained
here till his death. He was not entitled to a lot of land as
one of the early settlers, but must have been one of those
styled " young settlers." He took up a lot lying east of,
and adjoining, the lot of Mr. Samuel Trundy; the home-
stead of Captain Mark H. Lufkin is a part of it, as is also
that of the late Captain James Saunders. The time of
his death is unknown to us. His children were: Samuel,
104 ^*^ Historical Sketch of the
who the latter part of his life resided in the town of Pros-
pect, died there, and whose widow was the wife of Mr.
Thomas Robbins, Jr., who resided near the bar leading
to Stinson's Neck. Another was Mr. Robinson Crockett,
Jr., whose wife was a daughter of Mr. Thomas Conary,
and who for many years resided on Stinson's Neck, and
tended a sawmill, of which he was part owner, afterwards
removing to Little Deer Island, thence to Brooksville,
where he died not far from 1830, aged over eighty years.
Another was Joseph, whose wife was a sister of the wives
of Mr. Elias Morey, William Raynes, and Captain Henry
Lufkin, and who removed to St. Andrews, in the Province
of New Brunswick. Another was Richard, the father of
the present Captain L. B, Crockett, who for many years
tended a sawmill near what is known as the " Barbour
farm," of which he was a part owner. The other son was
the late Mr. Ephraim Crockett, who for many years lived
on Stinson's Neck, on the farm now owned by Mr. Josiah
C. Webb, and who afterward removed to Rockport, Maine,
— a part of the town of Camden, — where he died. The
daughters were the wives of Messrs. Andrew Small, Sam-
uel Small, David Sawyer, and William Morey, the last the
mother of the present Mr. Levi B. Morey. Captain
Crockett, the subject of this sketch, was, before he came
here, a master-mariner sailing from Falmouth.
James Jordan came to this town, — but from what place
I have been unable to learn, — some time prior to 1790,
though not in season to have a settler's lot laid out to him.
The place of his birth is not known to us. He was, for
many years, in the employment of the Government of Great
Britain, on Sable Island which lies east of the Province of
Nova Scotia, being there for the purpose of giving aid to
the crews of vessels that were wrecked upon the shoals
around it. In those days it was considered a dangerous
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 105
place, as it is a long, low island, not easily discernible on
approach, and there are two dangerous bars, one at the
eastern, and the other at the western end, upon which a
vessel would strike when at considerable distance from
the island. It is in the track of vessels bound from Europe
to Halifax, and to the ports lying adjacent to the Bay of
Fundy. There were huts erected for the accommodation
of those who might be wrecked, and horses which could feed
upon a sort of grass growing there, were kept upon it.
It was his duty while there to ride each day from end
to end of the island, to ascertain whether any one needed
assistance. For their subsistence it was visited from time
to time by persons in the employ of the government, and
supplies left there for such as might need them. How
long he remained there we do not know, but he removed
to some place in this State before he came here. His eld-
est daughter was the wife of a Mr. Grover, who lived and
died in the town of Bowdoinham, in Sagadahoc County.
He lived for a long time on what was then known as
Sheep, but now as Jordan's, Island, which was a part of
the settlers' right of Messrs. James and Timothy Saunders,
from whom it was purchased. Later, he removed to a
lot which he had bought of Mr. Samuel Trundy, whose
widow he afterward married, and there he died of a
cancer on his lip, in 1818, at the age of eighty-six years.
His sons were Ebenezer Jordan, who died in 1839, and Mr.
Samuel Jordan, who lived in Sedgwick. The daughters were
the Mrs. Grover above mentioned, and the wives of Messrs.
Daniel Trundy, James Eaton, the son of Theophilus Eaton,
and Richard Greenlaw. The island occupied by Mr. Jordan
was afterward the property of Mr. Ebenezer Jordan, Sr., and
after his death it became that of his heirs, but it is now unin-
habited, as no one has resided there since the death of the
widow of Mr. Ebenezer Jordan, Jr., which took place in 1879
io6 An Historical Sketch of the
The wife of Mr. Ebenezer Jordan, Sr., was Olive, the
daughter of Mr. WilHam Sellers (a brother of Charles and
Joseph Sellers and the father of Mr. William Sellers, father
of the present Mr. Amos Sellers). The children of the
family were: Benjamin, who went away when a young
man and never returned, nor had his parents knowledge
of his residence, if he were living; Ebenezer Jordan, Jr.,
who died in 1852, at the age of forty-seven years; Sarah,
the wife of Mr. Thomas Saunders; Hannah, the wife of
Mr. John S. Trott, of Castine ; Olive, the wife of Mr. Richard
Brown who came here from Newbur3^port ; Mehitable, the
wife of Captain Richard Greenlaw, and Nancy, wife of Mr.
Aaron D. Pickering.
Andrew Small, the eldest son of Mr. Job Small, took
up the lot adjoining that of his father on the east, as a
"young settler." He was bom in 1764, and his wife was
Hannah, the daughter of Mr. Robinson Crockett. He
was by trade a ship-carpenter, and was a very active,
energetic man, and a good citizen. His sons were: the
late Mr. Joseph Small, who died a few years ago, over
eighty years of age; Captain Benjamin Small, who died
when a young man, and Lemuel, who was drowned when
a young man. The daughters were: Alice, the wife
of Larkin Snow, Esq., of Rockland; Mercy, the wife of
Mr. Jeremiah Pressey, who died the same time her
husband did, and was buried in the same grave with
him; Hannah, the wife of the late Captain John Trundy;
Susan, the wife of Mr. David Conary, and Rebecca,
the wife of Mr. Joel Whitten who removed to Rockland
not far from 1850. The wife of Mr. Small died in 1836,
and he afterward married the widow of Mr. James
Greenlaw, who survived him. The farm he occupied
is now the property of the heirs of the late Mr. Thomas
Small.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 107
Samuel Small settled upon the lot of land lying south-
easterly of, and adjoining, that of the subject of the pre-
ceding notice, having purchased the right in it which
belonged to Mr. Cornelius Brimhall, who claimed to own
it by prior settlement. The first wife of Mr. Small was
Sarah, the daughter of Captain Robinson Crockett. Their
children were the present Mr. Samuel Small, now in his
eighty-fifth year, and the wife of Mr. Rufus York who
was drowned in 1844, in endeavoring to escape from his
vessel which took fire in the night, while lying loaded with
wood in Crockett's Cove. Mr. Small's wife died in 1823, and
he afterward married the widow of Mr. John Howard,
who survived him. He was a very worthy and sensible
man who was much respected ; and for his advantages he
had acquired a good deal of information. For a few years
before his death, in 1854, at the age of eighty-six, his
mind had been failing him. His land passed into the hands
of his son, but is now owned principally by Mr. Josiah C.
Stinson.
MiCAjAH LuNT, a native of Newburyport, came here
not far from the year 1784, but no lot of land was assigned
to him, nor have we knowledge that he ever owned one.
His wife was the Mrs. Mary Lunt before noticed, and his
daughter was the widow of the late Mr. Avery Fifield.
Mr. Lunt was in the naval service of the United States
during the war of the Revolution, and some years after
his death, which took place not far from 1828, his widow
received a pension.
The land lying south of what is known as Long Cove
was first settled by three brothers named Abraham, John,
and Isaac Freeze, no one of whom remained here for
many years. The descendants of the last named still
reside in the city of Ellsworth and in some of the towns
north of it, on the Union River, and now spell their names
io8 An Historical Sketch of the
Frazier which, perhaps, may have been the name origin-
ally. The descendant.? of Abraham Freeze moved up the
Penobscot River; they still reside in the towns north of the
city of Bangor, and retain the name of Freeze. The wife
of John had no children, and when the late Hon. Richard
Warren was, when young, left an orphan (he was a grand-
son of a brother of her husband), she took care of him
till he became able to do something for his own support.
After his marriage he took her to his own home and pro-
vided for her during her life, showing a commendable
gratitude which it is pleasant to remember. The Freeze
brothers sold their rights to Messrs. Mark Haskell & Sons,
to whom rights as settlers had been allotted adjoining their
land, and who, at the time of Peters' survey, had a lot of
about five hundred acres therein one body. Of that about
ninety acres, those now occupied by Mr. Samuel G. Bar-
bour, were sold to Mr. David Sawyer; about one hundred
and fifty acres were set off to Deacon Solomon Haskell,
one of the firm, and the remainder, two hundred and sixty
acres, was at the time of the death of Ignatius Haskell, Esq.,
his property, a part of which land is known as the Barbour
farm.
Nathaniel Robbins settled the lot of land lying south
of, and adjoining, the before-mentioned lot. He came
here from Boston with his father about the year 1775.
His wife was Miss Betsey Colby, a daughter of Mr. Joseph
Colby. Their sons were Tristram T., Thomas, Nathaniel,
and James, the last two of whom are still living. One of
the daughters was the wife of the late Mr. Nathaniel
Thurston, and is still living, aged over ninety years; an-
other, of a Mr. Ackley, of the town of Cutler, and the
other is now the widow of the late Mr. Leonard Judkins.
The time of the death of Mr. Robbins we do not know. His
widow died not far from the year 1850, over eighty years
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 109
of age. The land he settled upon is still owned and occu-
pied by his descendants.
Courtney Babbidge, Sr., and his two sons settled the
lots adjoining that of Mr. Robbins on the south. They
came here from Windham, Maine, in 1773. Mr. Babbidge
does not seem to have had a settler's right assigned to him,
and it is probable that at the time the survey was made,
he was not living, or had removed from here. He was
three times married, and was the father of Messrs. Ste-
phen, Courtney, James and William Babbidge. The
two former will be noticed. James removed to Vinal-
haven, where he lived and died, and William removed to
Windham. The daughters were the two wives of Mr.
Oliver Lane and the wife of Captain Hezekiah Colby, a son
of Mr. Ambrose Colby, Sr. The widow of Mr. Babbidge,
whose maiden name was Staples, married Mr. James
Joyce who lived here for some time, and afterward re-
moved to Swan's Island, where they died, he being the
ancestor of all of the name there and in this town. Mr.
Babbidge was a brother of the Mr. William Babbidge who
has been noticed.
Stephen Babbidge, his eldest son, settled upon the
southern side of the lot taken up by them, and had his
right assigned him there. His wife was Miss Hannah
Staples, a daughter of the man who has been mentioned
as having been impressed by the British. His sons were:
Courtney, who lived for some years near the mouth of
Union River, in the city of Ellsworth, and died there;
Stephen, the father of the present Mr. William Babbidge;
Levi, a master-mariner; John, who died very suddenly, in
1826; Aaron; the late Mr. William Babbidge, 2d, and
James, who, in 1833, was drowned, with his wife and child,
in passing through the flood-gates into the millpond, at
the Southeast Harbor. The daughters were the wives of
no All Uislcndi! Sh-cldi oj the
Mr. \Villi;iiii H.irtcr, ol Isli- ;ni ll.iiil. and Mr. Nathaniel
Robbins, Jr. Mr. Halibid.m', vvlio was lor many years an
invalid, died in iS.|i, ai'.cd t'i,i^lily-tw() years. lie. wa.s
nuii'li respected; in liis day had e()nsideral)le inlhienee
here, .ind aecpiired a. eoniii irt able proju'rly. Alter t he
deat.h of hi,s wile lie niariied her si^;t,er, Mr,s. Saundt-rs, and
alterwarcl, in i.S.^5, nianied tiie wiih)W of Mr. vSLe])htMi Dow,
a dau^ditiT of Mr. VVilliam SelU'rs.
C'oi'irrNicY HamhidcI':, Jr., settled upon tlie northern part
ol the lot, where his rij^ht was assii;iu'<l him. lie was a
soklii'r in tin- war ol' the ReNohil ion, and was, 1 bc-licve,
at the takin;; ol' Cornwallis. lie was I'ortunati' eiioui^ll
t(» kvv\) his wiitten diseliarj^i' lidin the arm\', siu;ned by
(lenerai Knox, which enabled hmi to pro\'e his elaim for
a i)ension. iM'oni tlu" dillienllA' ol the pioof ofserviee re-
cjuired li\' the i\et of Conj'.ress, man\' who were entitled to
pensions were prcNcnted fiom reeeivinj; them. I lis wife
was a (haui;liter of .Mr. Ilezekiah Lane, and his sons were
Conrlnew CaKin, i\bner, VVinthrop, l)ndle\', vStephcn,
and lU'sli'r, b\' his first- wili-; b\' his st-eond, VValti-r and
lieniamin K. None of them settled lu-re, and all, with
tlu' exception of Uester, who resides in Winterpoit, and
Benjamin, residing in New N'ork, -both of whom ai'c
master-mariners,- — are now deacl. 'Plie danjditers were
the wives of Messrs. Thomas, I'Mward, and b'natins lla.s-
kt"ll, ,.;d, Ihrei- brothers, sons of I )eaeon Joshua IlaskeU.
One was the wife of Mr. William |);ivis, a master sliip-
earpenter, wlici i-emo\'ecl tc» the I 'roxiiiee of New Bruns-
wiek. 'riie\' all ;ire dc.id. Aflei' the death of his wife Mr.
Babbidi;e married the widow of ICphraim St inson, of Vinal-
ha\'en, who had been married twice- before, and who was
formerly well known here-. Ila\inj", sold his farm to his
brother Stei>hen, he renio\'ed to an island at the eastern
entranee of what is known as l'\)\ Island Thoroughfare,
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 1 1 1
where he lived till his death in 1834, and whieh is still
known as Babbidge's Island. He was a man of very
decided political opinions, as was his brother Stephen
also, only that in those opinions they differed ]:)olitically
from each other.
George Freeze, a brother of the persons noticed of
the same name, settled upon the lot east of that of the
Messrs. Babbidge. He came about the same time as did
the others, which was quite early; where they came from
is not known to us; and of him but little is now known.
His children removed from here, and nearly all of their
descendants reside in the towns north of Bangor, on the
river. The only one of his grandchildren who remained
was the late Hon. Richard Warren, a son of the Mr. Thomas
Warren before mentioned, who was born on what is now
known as Freeze's Island, in 1786. Mr. Warren purchased
the farm occupied by Mr. Freeze, upon which he resided
till his death, and it is now owned and occupied by his
son-in-law, Captain Gideon Hatch. He died in 1865, and
has been already noticed.
Joseph Tyler, Esq., settled upon the lot south of
the lands of Messrs. Babbidge and Freeze, which was
included within the limits of the " Kent Claim." As
the deed to Kent by Greenlaw was made valid by a resolve
of the General Court of Massachusetts, Mr. Tyler could not
hold it as a settler. He was the son of a Congregational
minister in Dedham, Massachusetts; his mother was a
niece of Sir William Pcppcrell, and he was born in 1749.
His brothers, Messrs. Belcher and George Tyler, came with
him; the year of their coming is not known, but it was
prior to 1784. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary
army, and his wife was Miss Phebe Fowles. I think I
have understood that he contracted to purchase the claim of
Mr. Kent. Tic rrbuilt the mills upon it, and was for many
112 An Historical Sketch of the
years engaged in sawing lumber. He was a man of a
good education for those times, and the first, or one of the
first, persons holding a commission as justice of the peace
in the town, which was in those days considered an office
of dignity. He, with his brother George, was appointed a
committee to lay out the island into lots to the settlers who
were, by a resolve of the General Court, entitled to them.
A history of the grant made of the remainder of the land
to him and his brother has been given. After a number
of years' residence on the land, he left it, and the sawmill
became of little value, as the best of the lumber had been
cut off in the vicinity. He then moved to the Reach,
upon the farm of Mr. Robert Linn, where he remained
till his death in 1835, ^^ ^^^ ^S^ o^ eighty-six years. His
wife survived him, dying in 1857, at the age of ninety-
three years. They had twelve children. The sons were:
Joseph, Pepperell, Andrew, David, Peter P., James,
Thomas and William, all of whom, except James,
are now dead. The daughters were: Lydia, the wife of
the Captain Joshua C. Howard mentioned before, whose
death was in consequence of poison on board a revenue-
cutter; Sarah, the first wife of Mr. Richard Brown and
mother of Mr. Samuel Brown, now of Newburyport; Phebe,
the wife of Mr. John Raymond, then of Boston, who died
in Gloucester, and Mary, who died unmarried, when a
young woman.
George Tyler, Esq., came early, and was entitled to a
settler's lot if he had complied with the requirements,
but I never heard of his occupying one. His residence
was with his brother, and he was engaged with him in
business. He was also a justice of the peace; was a man
of education, and very capable. His occupation before
he came here was that of a silversmith; he was the first
person who represented the town in the General Court
ToK'H of Deer Isle, Maine. 113
at Boston. He never married. For some years he lived
in Castine, being at one time postmaster there, and later
removed to Boston, where he died. In his day he was
well known here and in the towns around.
Captain Belcher Tyler, a brother of the two last-
named persons, settled upon the lot lying south of the
millpond, which was also within the claim of Mr. Kent.
He was a master-mariner, we suppose, as he was styled
Captain Tyler. His wife was not a resident here before
marriage, and after her death he married Mrs. Elizabeth
Toothaker, the person who was noticed as being five times
a widow and removed to the farm occupied by her former
husband. He resided there till his death, in 1827. Of his
family, all the sons removed from this town to the eastern
part of the State, where their descendants still reside.
Only one of his daughters remained, who was the wife of
Captain Jonathan Torrey, and the mother of Messrs. David,
William, and Belcher T. Torrey. She died a few years
ago at the age of eighty-six years. Another daughter was
the wife of Mr. Carr Thurlow, who resided several years
on the farm of Mr. Aaron Babbidge, and afterward removed
to the town of Cutler, in Washington County. Captain
Tyler was a man of information, and, for those times, had
a good education.
Joseph Colby, Sr., was the settler upon the lot of land
lying south of, and adjoining, that of Captain Tyler. He
had a two-hundred-acre lot set off to him, which was within
the limits of the Kent Claim, about which mention has
been made. In the suit at law referred to in the former
part of this work, I have understood that he claimed, in
addition to his right as an early settler, that Kent had
contracted to sell him the land, and in payment he was to
perform a certain amount of labor upon the mill built by
Kent and upon the dam, which he had performed; but
114 ^^ Historical Sketch of the
upon what ground he held the land we do not know. He
was a native of Newbury, Massachusetts, or some place
in that vicinity, and was bom in 1744. When but eighteen
years old he entered into an engagement of marriage with
Miss Sarah Thurlow, who was eight years his senior; she
purchased his " time," as it was called, of his father or
master, and they were married. He came here very early
— not far from 1766 — and his son Thomas, bom in 1768,
was the first child born of white parents in that part of
the town. Mr. Colby who was a pious and exemplary
man, died in 1828, at the age of eighty-four years. His
wife survived him till 1833, dying at the age of ninety-seven
years. She was the Mrs. Colby before referred to as the
one who carried the news of the surrender of Comwallis
to Bagaduce. Their children were: Joseph and Thomas;
Eunice, wife of Mr. Thomas Stinson, Jr. ; Betsey, wife
of Nathaniel Robbins, Sr. ; Hannah, wife of Mr. Edward
Small, and Sarah, wife of Mr. Leonard Judkins who came
here a year or more prior to 1800, from Salisbury, New
Hampshire, to which place they removed, but after a few
years returned. While at Salisbury, Mrs. Judkins knew
the father of Daniel Webster well, and remembered Daniel.
The son of Mr. Colby, Captain Thomas Colby, is still re-
membered by the older persons among us, from his peculiar
manner of talking, he having been what is called tongue-
tied. He was a master-mariner, and died in 1837, aged
sixty-nine years. His first wife was Miss Patience Norton,
and after her death he married Miss Betsey Thurlow, of
Newbury, and afterward, Mrs. Merchant, widow of Nathan-
iel Merchant. His children were: Joseph, 3d, Tristram,
Thomas J., Anthony, Noah, the wife of Mr. Daniel Luf kin,
and a Mrs. Deering, now living in Winterport, who is in
receipt of a pension for the services of her husband in the
War of 181 2, and is the only one of the family now living.
Toii'H of Deer Isle, Maine. 115
The wife of Joseph Colby, Jr., who settled the lot adjoin-
ing that of his father on the south, was Miss Eunice Thurlow
of Newbury, Massachusetts, a sister of the late Captain
David Thurlow who will be noticed. Mr. Colby was what
was termed a "young settler." He was a man of large
stature and great physical strength, but, like many persons
who possess such, often overtaxed it, and was worn out
sooner in life than many men much weaker physically,
but who, sensible of their deficiency, take better care
to preserve what they do have. They were the parents
of twelve children. The sons were Abner, David T., Ste-
phen, and William R. The daughters were the wives
of the Mr. William Small who died, as before mentioned,
under the practice of a Thompsonian doctor; of Mr. Samuel
Stinson, Jr., Mr. Nathaniel Ware, Mr. Henry Keller, and
Mr. William Thompson. All the family, with the ex-
ception of Mr. Stephen Colby are now dead. Mr. Colby
died in 1833, and his wife survived him several years.
Thomas Stinson, Jr., who settled the lot of land adjoin-
ing that of Mr. Joseph Colby, Jr., on the south, was a child
when he came with his father to Stinson's Neck, in 1765.
His wife, as we have stated, was a daughter of Mr. Joseph
Colby, Sr. ; she was bom in 1763. Their children were:
Joseph C, known as Esquire Stinson, born in 1782 and
died in 1849 or 1850; Thomas, who was for many years
a deacon in the Baptist Church; Jesse, who removed to
Camden and died there or returned just before his death
— the father of the present Mr. Jesse Stinson; Lydia,
the wife of Mr. Jedediah Darling, of Bluehill, who lived till
1880, and died aged ninety-two years, and was the mother
of those of that name there. Another was the wife of
Mr. Gideon Candage, of the same place; another, that of
a Mr. Wright, of Machias, and the others were the wives
of Mr. Joseph C. Small and Mr. John Judkins of this town.
ii6 An Historical Sketch of the
All of the family are now dead. After the death of his
wife, Mr. Stinson married the widow of Mr. Abner Lane,
and after her decease he married the widow of Captain
Belcher Tyler.
Edward Small settled the lot lying south of that of
Mr. Stinson; he was the son of Mr. Job Small and was
bom in 1770; his wife was Hannah, the daughter of Mr.
Joseph Colby, Sr., with whom he lived in wedlock sixty-
six years. She, many years ago practised as midwife, had
a great deal of experience, was very successful and quite
skillful in many kinds of diseases in those days, when the
services of a physician were not so readily obtained as
now. She died in 1859, at the age of eighty-seven years,
her death being caused by a fall upon the ice near her door.
Her husband survived her until 1864, and was, until
he lost his sight a few years before his death, able to per-
form labor upon his farm, retaining his mental faculties
remarkably. With but one exception I consider him the
most active man, for one of his great age, that I have
ever known. He was for some years a member of the board
of selectmen of the town, and was a man of excellent judg-
ment. They were the parents of nine sons, — four of whom
removed from here; one, Mr. Samuel Small, of Machias-
port, is still living; two of the others, Messrs. Ignatius
and William Small, reside here; three others, Messrs.
Joseph E., Thomas, and George W. Small are now dead, —
the latter having been drowned in 1S40. There was one
daughter, the wife of Mr. Alexander Drew, a resident of
Machias, who became a widow and is now dead. The
sons of Mr. Small, Ignatius and William, have several times
been on the board of selectmen. His property is now owned
by the last named, who resides upon it.
Samuel Webb came here with his son, Mr. Seth Webb,
from Windham, Maine, not far from 1765. He was bom
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 117
near the city of London in 1695, and his father was a cap-
tain in the service of Queen Anne. Being left an orphan
when he was quite young, it became necessary for him
to seek some permanent employment. When a boy he
was apprenticed to a ship-master, as was then the custom
there, and while on a voyage to this country, when he
was but seventeen years of age, his master died at some
place in what is now the State of Rhode Island. He then
apprenticed himself to a blacksmith and learned the trade.
He was twice married, and was the father of ten sons.
Many of that name in that State, and in the vicinity of
Salem, Massachusetts, and in the town of Windham, in
this State, and other places, are his descendants. He
is said to have taught the first school within the limits
of the town of Windham. Upon the removal here
of Mr. Seth Webb, he and his last wife came with him.
For many years previous to his death he was subject to
what is known as the " shaking palsy," and died in 1788
at the age of ninety-three years. His remains, with those
of his wife, were buried in the graveyard on the land for-
merly owned by the late Samuel Whitmore, Esq., who
some years ago, pointed out to me the place of their burial.
Seth Webb, the son of the subject of the preceding
notice, settled upon what is now known as " Babbidge
Neck," on the lot of land afterward the property of Mr.
Joseph Whitmore who, when a boy, came here and resided
with him. His wife was Miss Hannah Winship, of Wind-
ham, a daughter of the man of that name mentioned in
Williamson's History of Maine, who was, when away from
his house, scalped by the Indians, and recovered. He
was at the time in company with a man of the name of
Brown, who was killed by them, but Mr. Winship escaped
death in consequence of the savages becoming alarmed
and fleeing, not stopping to strike him upon the head with
ii8 An Historical Sketch of the
a tomahawk, as was their practice, fracturing the skull.
After the scalping he was for some time insensible, and
upon becoming conscious found himself unable to return
home. As it happened, he was lying down by the
edge of a bog, upon which cranberries grew plentifully,
and it was at the time of the year when they are ripe.
Fortunately there was no rain while he remained there,
so he could creep about upon his hands and knees and
procure them to appease his hunger and thirst. As the
weather proved moderate he was enabled to recover, and at
the end of two weeks, returned to his home, much to the
surprise of his family who had given him up for dead. A
physician in the neighborhood informed him that cran-
berries were beneficial to the blood and caused his wound
to heal. He lived for many years, and afterward married
the widow of the Mr. Brown who was with him.
After Mr. Webb settled upon the first land taken up
by him, he gave up his claim to Mr. Whitmore, and took
up a lot near what is now known as Webb's Cove; he also,
a part of the time, resided upon Kimball's Island, now in
the town of Isle au Haut, and was there during the war
of the Revolution. When he left Windham he owned
considerable property, but having a fondness for hunt-
ing, he came East, and was during much of his time engaged
in that pursuit with the Indians, with whom he was on
good terms, and frequently those with whom he asso-
ciated, made his house their home when about here. Among
others who did so was a noted man among them, a chief
named Orono, reputed to be a natural son of one of the
sons of the Baron de Castine. Orono lived to a very
great age, and was said to be one hundred and ten years
old at the time of his death. I have often heard Mr.
Webb's last surviving daughter speak of his being at her
father's house frequently. Mr, Webb hunted much upon
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 119
Union River and its tributaries, and in all probability,
the pond near it, now known as Webb's Pond, and the
brook leading out of it were named for him. The year
before his death he discovered a lead mine on the banks
of that river (at a time when the water was so low that he
could trace it across), and, as I have understood, not
far from its mouth. He brought home a piece weigh-
ing several pounds, and at the time of taking it, marked
the place with his hatchet so as to enable him to find it
on his next visit. He sent a part of it to Boston, where it
was pronounced a good specimen of lead ore, in which was
some silver. It was probably a continuation of one of
the veins of that metal lately discovered in the towns
east of the city of Ellsworth. His daughter, before re-
ferred to, informed me that the family had the piece for
several years, and that it was as large as a man's two fists.
His death, caused by accidental shooting, took place in
1785. At the time he was on Kimball's Island and his
family on this island, and either in launching his canoe,
or in drawing it ashore if it was afloat, his loaded gun
was discharged as it lay in the bow of the canoe, killing
him instantly, his body being found upon the shore. At
the time of his death he was fifty-three years of age. His
wife survived him till 1815; she lies buried in what is
known as the " old burying-ground," not far from the
Town House, and hers is the only gravestone in the yard
as now enclosed. Their children were : Mr. Samuel Webb,
who died in 1837, much respected, at the age of sixty-five
years; and William, who died more than fifty years ago.
One of the daughters was the wife of Mr. James Saunders;
another, the wife of Mr. Francis Kimball, who removed to
Waterville, where his descendants still reside; another
was the wife of Mr. Joshua Emerson; another, the last
survivor, who died in i860, was the wife of Mr. John Eaton;
120 An Historical Sketch of the
another removed to Portland, remaining unmarried, and
another was the wife of Mr. Daniel Moore, of Castine. The
wife of Mr. Samuel Webb was Miss Hannah Eaton, and
they were the parents of the late Jonathan E. Webb, Esq.,
the present Mr. William Webb, and Mr. James L. Webb.
Mr. Samuel Webb represented this town in the Legisla-
ture in 1 83 1, and resided upon the land taken up by his
father near Webb's Cove. After the death of Mr. Seth
Webb, his widow attempted to procure a title to Kim-
ball's Island, but the agent to whom she intrusted her
business did not procure it for her, but did so for himself,
as has been stated by the family.
Captain Edmund Sylvester, a native of Marshfield,
Massachusetts, who previous to his removal was a master-
mariner, came here in 1788, and settled upon the lot of
land lying south of that of Mr. Webb. His wife was Miss
Deborah Cushman, a granddaughter of Josiah Winslow
who died about 1774, a lineal descendant of Edward Wins-
low, one of the first governors of the Plymouth Colony,
and who was himself, I believe, one of the colonial governors
of Massachusetts. He was the owner of a farm at Marsh-
field that was later acquired by Daniel Webster and upon
which he died. Other ancestors of Mrs. Sylvester were
among the Pilgrims who came over in the Mayflower.
After her marriage she persuaded her husband to leave
the sea, saying that she was willing to live anywhere if
he would but remain at home, and he came here and pur-
chased the land settled upon by him. He was one of the
selectmen of the town a few years; was an intelligent and
honorable man, very decided in his opinions, and was from
the time of the establishment of the Baptist Church here
a member till his death in 1828. His wife preceded him
about one month. There were many deaths during that
year from a distemper not then fulh'' understood, which
Touni of Deer Isle, Maine. 121
will be noticed in another place. I have been informed
that about sixty persons died of it, few of those
attacked recovering. At the time of his death he was
sixty-eight, and his wife sixty-four years of age. Their
children were the late Mr. Crowell H., Joseph, Mial, Abiel
and Edmund, sons; Ruth, the wife of Captain William
Raynes, and Salome, the widow of the late Mr. Joseph
Sellers, 2d. The two youngest sons removed to Newbury-
port and died there. Mr. Crowell Sylvester died in 1863,
aged seventy-eight years; Joseph in 1847, aged fifty-six;
Mrs. Raynes in 1852, aged sixty-three years, and Mrs.
Sellers still survives at the present time (1882), aged
eighty-one years. The farm of Captain Sylvester was, in
1842, sold to Mr. Robert Knowlton, whose heirs still own
it, and most of his children now living reside upon it.
George Gross settled a lot of land lying north and
east of Webb's Cove, and easterly of the land of Mr.
Thomas Stinson. He was not one of the first class of
settlers who were here prior to 1784, but must have been
one of those styled " young settlers." The place and date
of his birth is to us unknown, but he came from the town
of Harpswell, in this State, of which place his wife was
a native. Her maiden name was Alexander, and she was
a sister of the late Mr. Ezekiel Alexander and of the wife
of Mr. Solomon Marshall. He was known as " Citizen
Gross." The origin of his receiving that appellation was
this: He at one time lost his house by fire, and applied
to George Tyler, Esq., to write a subscription paper for
the purpose of circulation for his relief, and the paper was
headed thus: " Whereas, Citizen George Gross, of this
town, has lost his house by fire," etc., and ever afterward
he was known thus. He died in 1828, and his wife sur-
vived him a few years. Their children were: Charles,
bom in 1782; James and Nathaniel, l)om in 1789; Betsey,
122 An Historical Sketch of the
the wife of Mr. David Smith, of Swan's Island, and mother
of the present Mr. William Smith, residing in this town;
Lucy, the wife of Mr. David Smith, Jr.; Abigail, the first
wife of the late Mr. Elisha H. Dunham; Jane and Polly
who never married, and Dorothy, the widow of the late
Captain Jeremiah Thurlow. We believe she is now the
only survivor of the family. Mr. Gross, at the time of his
death, was in the receipt of a pension for his Revolutionary
services.
Thomas Buckminster who came here not far from the
year 1790, took up, as a "young settler," a lot of fifty
acres lying on the eastern side of Webb's Cove. He was
bom in the town of Atkinson, New Hampshire, or in that
vicinity, and when young lived in the family of the father
of Mr. Jonathan Webster who came from that place here in
1804. Mr. Buckminster married Miss Rhoda, the daughter
of Mr. Thomas Robbins, and was a very worthy man who
left a good name behind him. He lived upon the lot taken
up by him till his death, which took place not long after
1850, at the age of over eighty years. Their sons were
John, Thomas, Ebenezer, Moody, and William. Their
daughters were the wives of Messrs. Robert Knowlton,
Swansey Gross, Joseph Knowlton, John Judkins, and
Thomas Harvey, and one, named Mary, was never married.
Of the family Ebenezer, Moody and Mary now remain.
Some of the sons were remarkable for their stature, Thomas
being six feet and six and a half inches in height, and
John six feet and six inches. The property of Mr. Buck-
minster is now that of his son, Mr. Ebenezer Buckminster,
with whom his sister Mary resides.
Thomas Robbins settled on the lot of land lying easterly
of the land of Mr. Buckminster. He came from Boston,
or some place in the near vicinity, in 1775, with his family,
and in the earlv vears of the town he was a man of con-
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 123
siderable influence. He for many years held the office of
coroner, and was well known as " Coroner Robbins." He
was twice married, his last wife being the widow of the
Mr. William Babbidgc before noticed, who resided near
him. The date of his death is not to us known. Two of
his sons who resided here were the Messrs. Nathaniel and
Thomas Robbins, Jr., who have been noticed. One of
his daughters was the wife of Mr. Buckminster, and the
other that of Mr. Thomas Stinson, 3d, known as Deacon
Thomas Stinson. The farm of Mr. Robbins came into the
possession of Mr. John Buckminster, by whom it was
occupied till his death, and now is the property of his son,
Mr. William S. Buckminster.
Joseph Whitmore resided upon the northeastern lot
on what is known as Babbidge's Neck, which was laid out
to him in the survey of the island. On this lot Mr. Seth
Webb lived a few years after he came. The birthplace
of Mr. Whitmore is not to us known, but as he came when
a boy in the family of Mr. Seth Webb from Windham,
that was probably his native town. He was bom in 1755,
and his wife was Abigail, the daughter of Mr. William
Babbidge. They went to Bagaduce for the purpose of
having the marriage ceremony performed, which was
done by the chaplain in the British service there, in 1780,
or about that time. Mr. Whitmore was a soldier in the
war of the Revolution, for which he received a pension.
He died in 1841, at the age of eighty-six years, after having
lived in wedlock more than sixty years. His wife sur^'ived
him nearly ten years. Their sons were: John, who died in
the town of Lincoln ville; Joseph, who was drowned in
1 81 4; William, who was drowned when going from Isle au
Haut to Deer Island; Lemuel, who was drowned in Egge-
moggin Reach; Daniel, who lived in the country of Aroos-
took; Samuel, who lived and died here; James, who lived in
124 An Historical Sketch of the
the town of Tremont, and Seth, who lived in the town of
Trenton, near the shore and near the line of the city of
Ellsworth. The daughters were the wives of Mr. Abel
Staples, of Swan's Island; Mr. Jonathan Eaton, of Sedg-
wick, the father of the late Theophilus Eaton, of Sears-
port, and another was the wife of Mr. George York, of
Brooklin. The only one of the family who made this town
his permanent residence was the late Samuel Whitmore,
Esq., who was engaged in trade, doing quite a large busi-
ness for many years. Owning considerable navigation,
most of which was engaged in the fishing business, he
acquired a good property, in addition to the real estate of
his father. His place of business is now occupied by
C. H. S. Webb, Esq. He was, in 1840, the representative
from this town, and for many years prominent in its affairs.
Before his death, in 1862 or 1863, he gave up his business
to his sons, who for a few years carried it on. At this
time but one of his sons, Mr. Seth Whitmore, resides here.
His widow, a daughter of Mr. James Joyce, survived him a
few years, and the house occupied by them is now the prop-
erty of Mr. Lemuel Joyce, a son-in-law of theirs.
William Richards settled the lot adjoining that of
Mr. Whitmore on the west, and it was assigned to him.
He came in the early years of the settlement of the town,
not far from 1765, from where or for how long is unknown.
He removed from here and none of that name remained
after him. He sold out his title to the land, and it fell into
the possession of Mr. Oliver Lane, who came here with his
father in 1784. The wife of Mr. Lane was the eldest
daughter of Mr. Courtney Babbidge, Sr., and the sister
of Messrs. Stephen and Courtney Babbidge, Jr., and by
her he had a family. The sons were: Oliver, the father
of the present Mr. Hardy Lane; Stephen B., who removed
to Hampden not far from 1845, ^.nd Paul T., who remained
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 125
till his death. One of the daughters was the wife of Mr.
Samuel McClintock who came here from Portsmouth, New
Hampshire. He was a school-teacher and was styled
" Master McClintock." Another was the wife of Captain
Abram Colby and afterward of Mr. Timothy Saunders;
another was the wife of Mr. Job Small, the son of Mr.
Edward Small, who removed to Machias, where he died,
and the other married Mr. James Duncan, Jr. All of
the family are now dead. After the death of his wife,
Mr. Lane married another daughter of Mr. Babbidge by
his third wife; he died not far from the year 1840, his
wife surviving him.
Hezekiah L.\ne, the father of the subject of the last
notice, came here from what was then known as Sandy
Bay, now in the town of Rockport, Massachusetts, with
his family and took up a lot of land adjoining that of
Mr. Richards on the southwest. His other sons were
Oliver, John, Abner and Benjamin Lane; the latter was
afflicted with insanity for several years. One of his daugh-
ters was the wife of Mr. Courtney Babbidge, Jr., and
another was the wife of Mr. Robert Douglass, of Isle au
Haut. She was killed by being struck with a fragment of
a rock that her husband was blasting, further particulars
of which will be given in the notice of Mr. Douglass. After
the death of his wife, Mr. Lane married the widow of Mr.
Abram Thurlow, of Newburyport, the mother of the late
Captain David Thurlow and of the wife of Mr. Joseph
Colby, Jr.
C.\PTAiN Benjamin Stockbridge settled upon the lot of
land lying west of that of Mr. Richards, but he was not
of the class who were here prior to 1784. He came from
Gloucester, Massachusetts, and was a ship-master and in
good circumstances. It was said that he commanded the
ship which first carried the American f^ag up the Darda-
126 An Historical Sketch of the
nelles. The exact time of his coming is to us unknown,
but it was prior to the survey of the town by John Peters,
Jr., as his name appears as the occupant of a lot on his
plan. His death took place not far from 1830, at an
advanced age. He was a member of the Baptist Church
here, and when some difficulty occurred between him and
some of his neighbors — members of the same church —
and an examination was made before the church, Captain
Stockbridge read the thirtieth chapter of the book of Job,
beginning with: " But now they that are younger than I
have me in derision, whose fathers I would have disdained
to have set with the dogs of my flock." His family con-
sisted of two sons, Mr. John Stockbridge, who removed
to Swan's Island, and Benjamin, who was lost at sea when
a young man. Mr. John Stockbridge died several years
ago and was the ancestor of all of that name there. One
of his daughters was the wife of Mr. James Duncan, who
came here as early as 1800. Another was the wife of
Captain John Greenlaw who died in 1870, at the age of
eighty-seven years, after having lived with his wife, who
survived him, sixty-six years. Another was the wife of
Mr. Benjamin Lane before mentioned. Another was the
wife of Mr. James Greenlaw, a brother of Captain John
Greenlaw. Another was that of Captain William Grover,
of Isle au Haut, who removed to Islesborough, and an-
other was the wife of Mr. George Grover. Captain Stock-
bridge when young was a man of capacity and energy,
but had become, before his removal here, somewhat
reduced in circumstances.
John Thurston came here in 1784 from the same
place as did Captain Stockbridge, but earlier; they were
relatives, but of him little is known, as he died many
years ago. His sons were John Thurston, Jr., Amos
Thurston, and Solomon Thurston, the latter of whom
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 127
removed from here. Mr. Amos Thurston resided here
till his death, and his wife, Miss Mary Gott, a sister of
the late Captain Isaac Gott, of Tremont, survived him,
dying in 1866, at the age of ninety-one years. They were
the parents of the present Mr. Ambrose Thurston, the
late Mr. Amos Thurston, Jr., the widow of the late Mr.
John W. Small and the wife of Mr. Jesse Stinson. The
others of the family are now dead. Mr. Solomon Thurs-
ton resided while here upon the land now occupied by Mr.
Thomas Gross, who inherited it from his father, the late
Mr. Swansey Gross, and when he went from here, it was to
the town of Vinalhaven. The children of Mr. John Thurs-
ton, Jr., were the late Mr. Nathaniel Thurston and the
wives of the late Captain Isaac Gott, of Tremont, and of a
Mr, Putnam who once resided here, but removed many
years ago. A daughter of Mr. John Thurston, Sr., was
the wife of Mr. David Smith, of Swan's Island, and was the
mother of David, Benjamin, George, and Asa Smith,
all of whom resided on Swan's Island. One was the wife of
the late Benjamin Stinson, Esq., and the mother of the
present Rev. Benjamin F. Stinson. Another of the daugh-
ters was the wife of the late Mr. Anthony Merchant, and
another was the wife of Mr, Benjamin Kent, and after-
ward that of Mr. John Beal, who died here not many years
since. Another daughter of Mr. John Thurston, Sr., was
the wife of a Mr. Gott, and afterwards the wife of Mr. David
Harding, of Sedgwick. Another was the wife of a Mr.
Hooper and the mother of Captain Jeremiah Hooper, of
North Haven.
C-\PT.\iN Seth H.\tch, a native of Marshfield, Massa-
chusetts, settled upon the lot assigned to Mr. William
Babbidge, who, as has been stated, took up his settlement
first upon the land afterward assigned to Deacon Joshua
Haskell, but removed to the neck which was named for him.
128 An Historical Sketch of the
On the plan made by John Peters, Jr., the lot on which
Captain Hatch settled was laid out to him. Captain
Hatch was born not far from 1760 and came here a young
man, but not in season to become a proprietor by settle-
ment prior to 1784. He occupied the western part of the
one hundred acres laid out to Mr. Babbidge, whose daugh-
ter he married, and lived upon the place till his death, in
1844. His wife survived him. Their children were: Cap-
tain William B. Hatch, a master-mariner, who resided in
Pembroke in Washington County; Seth, who removed to
the same place and was in the same vessel with his brother
William, who was master, when they were lost at sea,
never being heard from. Another son was the late Cap-
tain Jeremiah Hatch, and another the present Captain
Gideon Hatch who resides upon the farm of the late
Hon. Richard Warren. The daughters were the wives of
Mr. Tristram T. Robbins, Mr. Simon Stinson, Mr. William
Greenlaw, Jr., and of the late Captain William Warren.
She still survives, the other sisters being dead. The farm
of Captain Hatch became the property of his son Jeremiah,
with whom he resided at the time of his death.
Samuel Staples resided for several years upon the east-
em half of the land of Mr. Babbidge, whose daughter
he married. Some time not far from the year 18 14, he
removed to the town of Charleston in the county of Penob-
scot, or in its vicinity. The cold season of 1816, which
was long remembered, obliged him to remove from that
place, and in a few years he returned here and took up a
lot near Burnt Cove — the one since occupied by the late
Captain Joseph Fifield — and built a house upon it which
is now occupied by Mr. John Horton. Afterward he
removed to a lot of land near the thoroughfare, now oc-
cupied by Mr. Paul Thurlow, where he died in 1841, aged
seventy-three years. His wife survived him several years,
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 129
and at the time of her death resided with a daughter, the
present Mrs. Walter Greenlaw, a widow. Mr. Staples
and wife were the parents of the following children : Sam-
uel who went away when a young man, never returned,
and no tidings were had of him; Thomas, who followed
the sea for many years, visited many parts of the world,
returned in 1845, and died a few years after, and David H.,
for many years a pilot on one of the steamers running
from Bangor to Boston, who died in Belfast. One of the
daughters was first the wife of Mr. Joseph Sylvester and
afterward the wife of the present Mr. Nathaniel Robbins.
She died a few years ago, aged eighty-six years. Another
was the wife of Mr. Aaron Stinson. Another was the wife
of Captain Walter Greenlaw. Another was the wife of Mr.
Joshua Emerson, afterward that of Mr. Elisha H. Dun-
ham. Another was the wife of Mr. William Barbour, of
Verona, and the youngest was the wife of Captain Thomas
D. Toothaker, who lost his brig in the great gale in 1839, in
the harbor of Gloucester, Massachusetts, and Mrs. Tooth-
aker attempting to reach the shore was drowned, while the
crew narrowly escaped, the vessel becoming a complete
wreck. The members of the family who survive are Mrs.
Greenlaw and Mrs. Barbour. The farm Mr. Staples oc-
cupied on Babbidge's Neck became the property of the late
Capain John Greenlaw, upon which he lived till his death.
_Bexj.\min Weed came here among the first settlers not
far from the year 1763; but he did not settle upon Great
Deer Island and of course had no right to a lot of land
upon it when the allotment was made by Joseph and
George Tyler, as their authority extended to no other
parts of the town than Great Deer and Sheep Islands.
Mr. Weed made his settlement upon Little Deer Island
and continued to reside there for many years, but after-
ward exchanged his land for a lot lying near Campbell's
13c An Historical Sketch of the
Neck, with Captain Peter Hardy, then the junior of that
name. Upon the plan of the island the lot purported to
be that of Mr. Hardy. He removed to it and lived there
till his death. His wife was the daughter of William
Eaton, and his family were Joseph, William, Jeremiah,
and John Weed. One of the daughters was the wife of
Mr. Josiah Gray; another, the wife of a Mr. Tuttle, after she
became a widow, also married Mr. Gray who had lost his
wife, and after his death became the third wife of Captain
Tristram Haskell. Another daughter was the wife of a
Mr. Ferrill, who was a resident of Mount Desert. Mr. Weed
has been mentioned as having been engaged in the siege
of Louisburg, but what place he came from here is not
known. After his death the premises occupied by him
became the property of Mr. Josiah Gray, who continued to
reside there till his death; and it was afterward that of
Mr. Silas H. Gray.
Joseph Weed, the son of the subject of the last notice,
settled upon the farm adjoining that of Nathan Haskell,
Esq., on the east. He was a very industrious and prudent
man and a good citizen. He was for many years a col-
lector of taxes. His wife was Miss Judith, daughter of
Mr. Jonathan Eaton, and their children were: John, who
died when a young man; Joseph, now living; Nathan E.,
now dead, and who was for many years a collector of
taxes, and Caleb who was drowned when a young man in
the millpond at the Northwest Harbor. He had shot
some seafowl that were in the pond, and in going to pick
them up in a small leaky float which either filled or cap-
sized, he sunk before he coidd reach the shore. The
daughters of Mr. Weed were the wives of Mr. Nathan
Dow, now living at the age of ninety years, Captain Davis
Haskell, Mr. David Dow, Mr. Amos Weed, and Mr. Daniel
Weed. One died unmarried. Before the death of Mr.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 131
Weed the town obtained possession of his farm, and the
premises were used as a poor-farm until a few years since.
Mr. Weed and his wife both lived to be over eighty years
of age, living in wedlock more than sixty years.
William Weed first settled upon a part of the lot of
land taken up by Mr. John Pressey, Jr. In 1822 he
exchanged his farm with Ignatius Haskell, Esq., for a
tract of land on the south part of the island near what is
now known as Green's Landing, w^hich he occupied during
the remainder of his life. His wife was Mary, the daughter
of Mr. Jonathan Eaton, and their children were Amos,
Daniel, and Levi Weed, and a daughter Eunice, who be-
came the wife of Mr. Joseph Weed, Jr. They are all now
dead. Mr. Weed died in 1844 at the age of seventy-two
years. He was an honest man and a good citizen. His
wife lived till about the year 1850, and was respected by all
who knew her. None of his descendants now own the
real estate left by him, which is the property of Sullivan
Green, Esq., and Mr. Stephen B. Barbour. The buildings
that were upon it are now taken down.
Jeremiah Weed settled upon Little Deer Island on a
lot of land adjoining that of his father. His wife was
Miss Althea Joyce, a daughter of Mr. James Joyce, and
they had a large family, the sons being Jeremiah, James J.,
Ebenezer J., Randolph, who lives in Winterport, and one
son who died young; of the above Randolph is now, in
1882, living. The daughters were the wives of Mr. Benjamin
H. Eaton, Captain Joseph H. Gray, Mr. Samuel Eaton, Mr.
Nelson Haskell, Captain Jonathan Gray and Mr. William
Eaton, of Little Deer Isle, and one married in Boston.
The four first named are now dead. Mr. Weed died several
years before his wife, and she died a few years ago.
John Weed, the youngest brother of the family, was
bom in 1786, and his wife was Miss Betsey Harris, the
132 An Historical Sketch of the
daughter of Mr, Joseph Harris. Their children were
Henry, James, Davis H., Charles and Dyer D. One of
the daughters was the wife of Captain Benjamin Thomp-
son, and two were the wives of Mr. Samuel Torrey. Of
the family at this time John and Mrs. Torrey — now Mrs.
Manchester, of North Haven — are still living. Mrs.
Weed died about the year 1879, and her husband died
several years ago.
JosiAH Gray, who occupied the premises of Mr. Benja-
min Weed, was a native of what is now the town of Brooks-
ville and a brother of the Mr. Christopher Gray who died
in that town in 1866 at the age of one hundred and three
years. They were grandsons of the person of that name
who, in 1760, made the first permanent settlement in what
is now Castine, and the ancestors of almost all of that
name in the towns in this vicinity. Mr. Gray and his wife
were the parents of thirteen children; seven of them were
sons, one of whom was Captain James Gray, a ship-
master, who resided in Boston. Another was Mr. Josiah
Gray, a master ship-builder, who died in Bluehill. Two
removed to Vinalhaven; one went away to sea and
never returned ; and one resides here — the present Mr.
Solomon Gray. Of the daughters, two only remain:
one, the late wife of Mr. Silas H. Gray; the other, the
widow of Mr. Joshua Pressey, 2d. She was the adopted
daughter of the late Captain John Torrey, and came into
possession of his homestead, upon which she now resides.
A man named Gray but of another family, lived for
many years, and died, here — Mr. Jeremiah Gray — whose
wife was Hannah, the daughter of Mr. Nathaniel Bray, Jr.,
and granddaughter of the first of the name who came here.
They were the parents of eleven sons and one daughter
who was the wife of Mr. Enos Cole. One of the sons
died at sea; another moved to New Brunswick, and
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 133
another now lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The
rest remained here, one of whom — Mr. Solomon Gray —
died at New Orleans while in the military service of the
United States. There are but two remaining here at
present. Mr. Gray died several years ago; also his wife,
a worthy Christian woman, much respected.
Rev. Peter Powers came here not far from the year
1785, from Newbury, in the State of Vermont — now
Hanover, New Hampshire. He was a minister of the
Congregational denomination, and was the first settled
pastor of the church here, although the church had been
established several years. He was a zealous patriot in the
Revolutionary times, who for his political opinions incurred
the ill will of the Tories in that vicinity, and because of a
sermon he preached from the text found in the book of
Judges, fifth chapter, twenty-third verse, he was so perse-
cuted by them that he left that place and came here, where
he was pastor of the church till his death in 1800, at the
age of seventy-two years. He was entitled to a grant of
land as the first settled minister here, and his farm was on
the eastern side of what is known as the Parsonage Lot of
four hundred acres. The town, or parish, built a house
upon it, and he resided there during his lifetime. He
had several sons, one of whom was the Rev. Jonathan
Powers, settled in the year 1796 as the first minister in the
town of Penobscot, where he died in 1807. Another son
was Hale Powers who built a sawmill in the present town
of Brooksville on what is known as Horseshoe Creek. An-
other was Mr. Prescott Powers who resided here many
years, whose wife was a daughter of Deacon Francis Has-
kell. He came into possession of the land of his father,
and after residing upon it for several years, removed to
Pond Island, near Swan's Island, and afterward to Blue-
hill, where he died. Onlv one of his familv remained here
134 ^^^ Historical Sketch of the
— the wife of the late Mr. Daniel Johnson. Mr. Powers
was for several years the clerk of this town and was con-
sidered one of the most honorable and upright of men. His
wife died not far from i860, aged about eighty-seven years.
Dr. Moody Powers was the youngest son of Rev.
Peter Powers; he remained here till his death, and was
a practising physician. His wife was Miss Betsey Eaton,
a daughter of William Eaton, Jr., and they had a large
family. The sons were: the present Mr. Hale Powers;
Mr. Jonathan Powers, who removed to the State of Ver-
mont; Peter, who removed to Winterport; William E.,
who resides here, as does his brother, Mr. Samuel E., and
the other, Moody, now lives in the State of Kansas. One
of the daughters was the wife of Captain Amos Howard;
another was the wife of Mr. David Tyler who died very
suddenly in 1836, or about that time; she afterward
removed to Vermont and married there; another was the
wife of John H. Parker, Esq., of Mount Desert, and the
other was the first wife of the late Mr. Henry Weed. Dr.
Powers died not far from 1850, and his wife in 1871, at
the age of ninety-one years.
There were other children in the family of Rev. Peter
Powers, but they did not live here, or if they did, they
did not remain. The farm he received is now owned and
occupied in part by Mr. Levi Greenlaw, but whether the
house now upon it was built for Mr. Powers, or not, we do
not know; but it probably was, as it is very old — one of
the oldest in the town.
Solomon Barbour for many years occupied the farm
lying south of Long Cove, and was ancester of all of the
name in the town. He was a native of Massachusetts, and
his wife was Deborah Faxon, of Braintree in that State,
who, when young, had been for some years in the family
of John Adams, President of the United States. She once
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 135
told me that while she was living with them John Quincy
Adams was an infant, and that she had many a time rocked
him in his cradle. Mr. Barbour came here not far from
1793 with a family, and with him came Miss Betty Bryant,
very well known here sixty years ago and more. She
was for many years a school-teacher and lived to a great
age. Mr. Barbour did not own the farm, but occupied it
under Ignatius Haskell, Esq., the owner, and it is still
known as the Barbour Farm. He resided upon it till his
death. He was by trade a baker; was a soldier in the
Revolutionary War and received a pension till his death,
the exact time of which we do not know, but it was a few
years prior to 1830. His widow received a pension under
the act granting pensions to widows of Revolutionary
soldiers, and lived till 1852, dying at the age of ninety-two
years. They were the parents of five sons. Mr. John
Barbour, born in 1777, who lived on what is known as
Beech Hill. His wife was Miss Jane Gibson who died
before him, he living to the age of eighty-seven years. He
was the father of the late Deacon George Barbour; of the
present Mr. Samuel G. Barbour, still residing in this town;
of Mr. Solomon Barbour of Swan's Island, and of Mr. John
Barbour, Jr., who a few years since removed to Massachu-
setts. Another of the sons of Mr. Solomon Barbour was
Captain Benjamin Barbour, who removed to Newburyport,
sailing out of that port for many years. Another was
the late Mr. Josiah Barbour; another was Mr. Charles Bar-
bour, and another was Mr. Isaiah Barbour, who removed
to Isle au Haut and from there about forty-five years ago
removed to Camden, where he died in 1880, or about that
time. The daughters were the wives of Mr. Adam Thomp-
son and Deacon Stephen Babbidge, known as Stephen
Babbidge, Jr., who after her death married her sister, the
widow Thompson.
136 An Historical Sketch of the
James Gibson was another Revolutionary soldier who
came here from Massachusetts prior to the year 1800. It
seems probable that he might at one time have occupied
an island north of, and near, Stinson's Neck, which is still
known as Gibson's Island, but he resided for some time on
this island, where he died many years ago; but very few
now know anything about him. He had two sons, Samuel
and James, who died at sea when young men. Two of
the daughters married here ; one was the wife of Mr. John
Barbour; the other, the wife of Captain Nathaniel Bray,
Jr., and the mother of the present Captain James G. Bray.
Mr. Gibson was engaged in the battle of Bunker Hill,
and before they came here he resided not far from New-
bury port. I perfectly recollect his widow, who was blind
for many years. She once informed me that when Gen-
eral Washington was on his tour North, he and his escort
passed them while going from Newburyport to Portsmouth.
He was recognized by Mr. Gibson, who had served under
him and who spoke to, and saluted, him. The salute
was returned and the General, finding that he was one
of his soldiers, stopped his company, shook hands, and
conversed with him, seeming pleased to have found again
a fellow-soldier. She said that General Washington was
one of the most noble appearing men she had ever hap-
pened to see.
Richard Greenlaw was the youngest son of Mr. Jona-
than Greenlaw who settled here shortly after William
Eaton. He went when a child to New Brunswick with his
father in 1783, but returned with his brother William. He
was not the owner of any real estate, we think, but resided
upon the farm of his son during the later years of his life.
His wife was Miss Mary Jordan, a daughter of Mr. James
Jordan, and he was by trade a ship-carpenter. Their sons
were: Richard, who removed to the town of Kilmarnock,
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 137
Maine, which is now called Medford; another was the
late Mr. James J. Greenlaw; another was the present Mr.
Joseph S. Greenlaw; another was Mr, Samuel J. Green-
law; another was Mr. William L. Greenlaw, who resides in
Newburyport, and another was Mr. John C. J. Greenlaw,
who died many years ago. The daughters were the wives
of Mr. George Barbour and Mr. Thomas V. Howard ; and
two live in Massachusetts.
William Bray was the youngest son of Mr. Nathaniel
Bray, St., and lived on the farm now owned by Mr. Joshua
Marshall. He was not one of those who settled prior to
1784, but must have been a " young settler." His wife was
the daughter of Mr. Samuel Pickering who lived on Pick-
ering's Island, a sister of the late Captain Samuel Pickering
who lived near the Town House. They had two sons,
John and Willard; and the daughters were the wives of
Mr. Benjamin Cole, father of the present Mr. Enos Cole,
and of the late Mr. Joshua Haskell, father of the present
Messrs. Mark, Guildford D., and Joshua Haskell. Mr.
Bray died not far from the year 1835, ^^^ his wife survived
him. His real estate passed into the hands of Ignatius
Haskell, Esq., and was sold to Mr. Ezekiel Marshall, the
father of the present owner.
Nathan" Low came here from the county of Worcester,
Massachusetts, prior to 1800. He became owner of the
land laid out to Joshua Staples, and afterward of one of
the lots laid out to Mr. Thomas Thompson near Thompson's
Cove and other lands in that vicinity. He was by trade
a tanner, which business he carried on for many years, and
was probably one of the most skillful farmers that ever
lived in the town, engaging extensively in that pursuit.
His wife was the daughter of Mr. Thomas Thompson. She-
died in 1836, and he afterward married Hannah, the
daughter of Mr. Jonathan Hardy, who was some forty
138 An Historical Sketch of the
years younger than himself, and who died in a few years
after her marriage. By his former wife he had three sons:
Mr. Thomas T. Low, now dead; Nathan Low, Jr., who
died a few years ago in consequence of the vessel of which
he was then master having been run into by a steamer
on the easterly route from Portland. Captain Low was
thrown into the water, and being then nearly seventy years
of age, the exposure caused his death shortly after. He
was brought home, but lived only a few days. Another
and the sole surviving son is the present Mr. William Low.
None of the daughters remained here, and whether any
of them are living is not known to us. Mr. Low was a
major in the regiment of the militia to which the com-
panies in this town belonged, and was known as Major
Low. He was one of the selectmen of the town, and was
an influential citizen. He died in 1859, at the age of ninety-
four years. A brother of his in Massachusetts lived to be
about one hundred years old. He acquired quite a large
property, and settled his sons upon farms of which he was
owner. He was a large, portly man, and as an officer in
militia he must have made a fine appearance. I have
been told by one who had seen both that he very much
resembled the father of Daniel Webster.
Am AS A HoLDEN camc here as early as the year 1800,
if not before. He was a native of the town of Mendon,
Massachusetts, and was bom in the ^'■ear 1775. His wife
was Abigail, the daughter of Mr. William Eaton, Jr. She
was bom in 1783. His profession was school-teaching,
which he practised till he was more than seventy years
of age, a greater term of years than it was ever prac-
tised by any other person in this vicinity. He used to
say that he had taught three generations, as he had for
scholars during his later years the grandchildren of those
who were his pupils in his earlier years. His family con-
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 139
sistcd of eleven children. The sons were: Prescott P., a
blockmaker by trade, now residing in Bangor; William E.,
now a resident of the town of Tremont ; the late Samuel E.,
for many years a school-teacher; the present Mr. Fran-
cis M. Holden, and one son, who died young. One of
the daughters was the wife of Mr. Willaby Nason, Jr.,
who removed to Belfast; one, Hannah, died unmarried;
Mary was the wife of Mr. Thomas Howard; Charlotte
was the wife of Mr. Stephen K. Howard, and the two others
married in Massachusetts. Mr. Holden occupied the farm
and house now owned by his son, Mr. Francis M. Holden,
the only survivor of the family here. He died in 1853,
at the age of seventy-eight years, his wife surviving him.
Peter Williams, a man of color, came here early.
He was bom a slave in Virginia, and resided in the family
of Mr. Mark Haskell. He married a woman of color who
was purchased when an infant by Mrs. Haskell. She
was bom in 1752, brought up in the family, and treated
as one of the children. Her name was Phyllis. Her
first husband was a native of the State of Rhode Island,
and was named " Newport Rhodeisland." By that mar-
riage she was the mother of one son, named " Reuben
Rhodeisland," who was an enterprising man, and acquired
considerable property. He was the former owner of the
land and house now occupied by Mr. Eben F. Haskell,
and died in 1827, unmarried. His mother married Mr.
Williams, by whom she had children. They were the
owners of the real estate now occupied by Mr. Oliver van
Meter, formerly of Bangor, a son of the well-known Mr.
Henry van Meter who lived to a very great age. The
son of Mrs. Williams, by her last marriage, died when
a young man, and her daughter Phyllis, in 1828, married
Mr. Sydney Russell whose daughter became the wife of
Mr. Van Meter. Mr. Williams died many years ago, and
I40 An Historical Sketch of the
his wife in 1835, aged eighty-four years. All his life Mr.
Williams professed great attachment for Old Virginia, the
State of his birth.
John Foster, a native of Massachusetts, came here
prior to the year 1800. The lot of land lying south of
that laid out to Jonathan Torrey was once occupied by
him, and on the plan of the island it was allotted to him,
but he must have purchased it as a " young settler." He
was by trade a hatter, and for several years carried on
that business at the Northwest Harbor, near the spot
occupied by the shop of Mr. Israel B. Higgins. He mar-
ried Mary, the eldest daughter of Ignatius Haskell, Esq.,
and they had one son, Mr. Eben B. Foster, who removed
to Boston, and was for several years one of the proprietors
of The Boston Courier. Neither of their two daughters
was married, nor did they remain here. Mr. Foster died
in Boston when a very old man.
James Joyce resided for many years on what it still known
as the Joyce lot, lying north of the farm of Captain
Peter Hardy, Jr., now the property of Mr. John Thomp-
son, but he was probably never its owner, as the lot pur-
ports on the plan to be that of Mr. Thomas Thompson.
Mr. Joyce came early, removing here from the town of
Marshfield, Massachusetts, or that vicinity, and married
the widow of Mr. Courtney Babbidge, Sr. By his mar-
riage with Mrs. Babbidge they had seven children. The
sons were Messrs. James, Ebenezer, and William Joyce, and
the daughters were the wives of Mr. Jeremiah Weed, Captain
Levi Torrey, Mr. John Stockbridge, and Captain Samuel
Whitmore. Of the family Mrs. Torrey only now survives.
The sons removed to Swan's Island, and the two oldest re-
mained there till their deaths ; the other removed here in
1848. Of the daughters, Mrs. Weed and Mrs. Whitmore re-
mained here, and Mrs. Stockbridge died on Swan's Island.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 141
Jesse Niles came here from the State of New Hamp-
shire, not far from the year 1800. He was by trade a
house-carpenter. His wife was a daughter of Deacon
Caleb Haskell, and after the removal of Deacon Haskell,
Mr. Niles occupied his farm till a few years prior to his
death. After the death of his wife, in 1835, he married
Miss Edna, the daughter of Mr. Naylor Small. By his
first marriage he had four sons and two daughters, none
of whom is now living. One of his sons, Mr. Mark A. H.
Niles, was a minister, first a Congregationalist and after-
ward a Unitarian, and was for a short time pastor of the
church of the latter denomination in Belfast, where he
died about the year 1840, a short time after he removed
there. The other sons were John, Jesse, and Arthur.
The daughters married in Massachusetts. None of the
family remained here. By his second marriage Mr. Niles
had two sons, one now dead; the other went from here.
The two daughters remained and married here. After the
death of her husband Mrs. Niles became the wife of Mr.
Levi Greenlaw.
Pearl Spofford, Esq., came here not long after the
year 1800, in company with Mr. Samuel G. Town, with
whom he formed a copartnership in trade. He was a
native of the town of Pelham, New Hampshire, and his
father's residence was not far from the line of the State
of Massachusetts. It was his intention when he came
East to stop at Fox Island Thoroughfare; but when he
came, early in the spring, that passage was closed with
ice, and he came to this place, stopping in the Southwest
Harbor. Finding that this town might be a profitable
place for trade, he concluded to remain. He had his goods
carried to the Northwest Harbor, and for some, time occu-
pied a part of the house of Aaron S. Haskell as a store,
boarding in his family. After some time he dissolved
142 An Historical Sketch of the
his connection with Mr. Town, who removed from here.
He afterward formed a copartnership with his brother,
Mr. Frederick Spofford, who was lost in the schooner
Shakespeare, in 1818. They did an extensive business
for the times, built vessels, and at one time owned a good
deal of navigation here. After the death of the junior
member of the firm, Mr. Spofford continued the business
alone for many years, and the last vessel of his building
was in the year 1835 — ^ t)rig named the Frederick Pearl.
His wife was Miss Sarah Averill, a native of Massachu-
setts, a very worthy lady, esteemed by all who knew her.
She died in 1858. Their children were: the late Freder-
ick P. Spofford, Esq., who died in 1870; the present Hon.
Charles A. Spofford; Edwin B.; George W., who has
been for several years a member of the board of select-
men; and William H. H. Spofford, who has been for sev-
eral years a deputy sheriff. One daughter was Sarah,
the wife of Dr. Amos A. Herrick, of Sedgwick, Maine,
who practised medicine here. Some years afterward he
removed to Sedgwick, where he died, and his widow is
now dead. Eliza, the other daughter, was the wife of
Dr. William F. Collins, who died in 1858, near the time of
the death of Mrs. Spofford. She afterward became the
wife of Hon. George Tolman, who resided here. There
were other children, who died when young. Mr. Spof-
ford died in 1865, aged about eighty-seven 3^ears. He
was for many years the most prominent man in the town,
filling several town offices, was several times representative
to the General Court at Boston, and was the represen-
tative, in 182 1, to the Legislature of this State, and nearly
all his life he took an active part in politics. He was in
former times a Federalist, afterward a Whig, and, after
that party disbanded, became a Republican. He was
postmaster from the first establishment of one here till
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 143
1838, when he was removed on poUtical grounds. In
1 84 1 he was reinstated and held the office till 1845. ^V
the loss of the Shakespeare he suffered pecuniarily to quite
a large amount, as he was the chief owner of the vessel
and her cargo, which consisted of merchandise to be used
in trade here. At his death he was possessor of consid-
erable property, chiefly in real estate, some of which was
quite valuable, and next to Ignatius Haskell, Esq., was
the largest owner of that kind of property in the town.
He was an educated man and very intelligent, and had
a very large share of natural capacity. Had he chosen
the law for a profession he would have taken a high rank
among others in this part of the State, and for a long time
he had a good deal of influence here. He ever took a great
interest in education, and was liberal in the support of the
gospel, though not a professor of religion. He was one of
those men who, whatever matter they may take hold of,
do so in earnest. The house he occupied is now owned by
two of his sons, Messrs. C. A. and George W. Spofford.
The store occupied by him is now taken down; it was
standing near the sail-loft of Mr. S. B. Haskell. The
chief part, or nearly all, of the estate he left is now the
property of his children.
Dr. David Axgell came here as early as 1800, if not
a little before. He was a native of the State of Rhode
Island, and was boni in 1770. His wife was Miss Abigail,
the daughter of Ignatius Haskell, Esq., and they had two
sons — Amos, who was lost in the schooner Shakespeare,
and Moses C. Angell, whose wife was a daughter of Mr.
Asa Green. She was then the widow of Mr. John R.
Haskell, and the mother of the present Sylvanus G. Has-
kell, Esq. By the second marriage she had several chil-
dren. The family removed to Hyde Park near Boston
several years ago, where he died in 1876. The wife of
144 -^^ Historical Sketch of the
Dr. Angell was for many years insane, but quietly so.
The loss of her son affected her very much, as it did her
husband, for he was a young man of promise. Dr. Angell
had for many years quite an extensive practice, in which
he was very successful. He had a good education and
much natural ability and was a great wit; his observa-
tions were often most appropriate. He was also well
informed upon almost every subject and capable of im-
parting a good deal of information, and, when he chose,
his conversation would be very instructive and pleasing.
In the latter part of his life his practice was more limited,
but upon some occasions, when a serious case occurred, his
advice and assistance were sought, as he had had a large
share of experience. In some cases, no doubt, his aid
saved the life of the patient, or at least such was the opin-
ion of those who might be presumed to know. During
the administrations of Presidents Jefferson and Madison,
he was an officer of the customs here, as his political
opinions were those of the then Republican party. In
religion he was rather inclined to be skeptical. He died
in 1843, aged seventy-three years, and his wife died a short
time before him.
Hezekiah Rowell, Esq., a native of Salem, New
Hampshire, came here in the spring of 1804, in company
with Messrs. Jonathan Webster and Joseph and Samuel
Noyes, who were all of that vicinity. Mr. Rowell was by
trade a blacksmith, but he did not work at the business
here. His wife was Sarah, the daughter of Ignatius
Haskell, Esq. She was born in 1789, or about that year.
They had two sons, one dying in infancy; the other, Mr.
Philip R. Rowell, has for many years resided in Mas-
sachusetts. None of the family remained here. Mr.
Rowell was for many years a justice of the peace, and was
for some time in trade here, occupying as a store the
Toivn of Deer Isle, Maine. 145
lower part of the house now owned by Mr. Levi Scott. He
accumulated considerable property. After the death of
Mr. Ezekiel Morey, he purchased his farm, one of
the most valuable ones in the town, from his heirs, and
built a house upon it which is now the property of the
family of the late Mr. Joseph Sellers, 3d. The land was sold
to different individuals, and there are upon the lot which
was the property of Mr. Morey, more dwelling-houses than
upon that of any other of the early settlers. He was a
representative to the General Court at Boston at least
twice prior to 1820. He removed from this town to
Castine, where he resided several years; afterward he
returned, remaining till about 1824, when he returned to
that place, and for several years was in trade there and was
once on the board of selectmen of that town. In about
1844 he returned here, lived a few years, and then removed
to Hampden in this State, where he was a member of the
family of one of his daughters who resided there, and in
that place he died.
Aaron S. Haskell was the eldest son of Ignatius
Haskell, Esq., but as in the previous record there was
little said of these sons, and as they were men of promi-
nence in their day, it is proper to notice them. The one
whose name heads this sketch lived here from the time of
the removal of the family here in 1778, when he was but
three years of age, till his death in 1864, at the age of eighty-
nine years. He was by trade a tanner. The name of his
first wife was Hannah Marshall, a daughter of Mr. Ezekiel
Marshall, one of the early settlers, whom we have noticed.
She had no children and died many years ago. In 1836 he
married a widow who came here from the island of Cape
Breton. Her place of residence there was the town known
as Arachat, not far from Louisburg. She was nearly forty
years his junior in age, and they had a family. Only one
146 An Historical Sketch of the
of her sons by her marriage with Mr. Haskell now remains
here, and one by her former marriage — the present Cap-
tain Dennis Haskell, as he is called. They are both ener-
getic and capable master-mariners. The house built by
Mr. Haskell near the Northwest Harbor is still known as
the Aaron Haskell house, and it is now the property of
Captain John W. Green. After the death of his father,
he had, as a part of his share of his real estate, the land
and house formerly occupied by Dr. John Phillips. He
resided there with his family after his marriage till his
death, his wife dying a few years before him.
Mark Haskell was the second son in the family, and
was bom in 1785. His wife was Miss Hannah Beck
Cross, of Newburyport. She died in 1882, at the age of
ninety-three years, and her bodily and mental powers were
very remarkable for one of her extreme age. Mr. Haskell
went into trade at Castine, in company with his brother-in-
law, Mr. Jonathan L. Stevens, but afterward returned here.
While his health permitted, he was in trade here in the
store owned by him, opposite the Green House. He was
an honest and capable man and was much respected. Pie
had no family, and died not far from the year 1847. His
wife came into possession of his property, a part of which
was the house owned and occupied by his father, after-
ward sold to the late Captain William Haskell and now
the property of his widow. Some years after the death of
her husband, Mrs. Haskell married a Mr, Porter, of Lyme,
New Hampshire, now dead. After his death she returned
here and resided with Mrs. Eben E. Raynes, a daughter
of her sister, Mrs. B. F. Ferguson.
Ignatius Haskell, Jr., the third son of the family,
resided at the northern part of the island, first upon the
farm afterwards the property of Captain Amos Howard, and
later upon that now occupied by his son Mr. Albion K. P.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. i^-j
Haskell. His wife was Sarah, the daughter of Mr.
William Eaton, Jr., l)y whom he had this son and several
daughters, one of whom was a deaf-mute. One of them
was the wife of the late Mr. A. C. Gordon; the other, that
of Captain Oliver Howard, now of Gloucester, Massachu-
setts, the last of whom only is now living. Mrs. Gordon
died in 1878, aged fifty-eight years. Mr. Haskell was,
during the War of 181 2, in command of a company of
the militia; by trade he was a house-carpenter. He died
not many years before 1850; his wife died in 1876, aged
eighty-four years.
Solomon Haskell, the youngest son of the family,
was bom in 1794, and was the first child bom in the Has-
kell house, not long after his parents moved into it. His
wife was Miss Joanna Carman, the daughter of Mr. John
Carman, and sister of the present Mr, Levi Carman.
They had four sons and five daughters, the former being
Messrs. Hezekiah R., Charles S., Eben F., and the late
Philip R. Haskell. One of the daughters was first the
wife of Mr. Nathan E. Weed and now the widow of Cap-
tain William Haskell. Another was the wife of the late
Captain David E. Adams, lost at sea. Another was the
wife of Mr. Samuel E, Powers; another, the wife of Mr.
William Bell, and one died unmarried. Of the above,
Mrs. Powers is not living, and Mrs. Haskell only resides
here. Mr. Haskell was twice representative to the State
Legislature, — in 1826 and 1848. He was for several years
one of the selectmen. He was a prominent man; was
in trade many years, formerly in company with the late
Benjamin F. Ferguson, Esq., and after a dissolution of
the copartnership, was in trade alone. He died in, or
about, 1867, and his widow survived him some ten years.
His son, Mr. Eben F. Haskell, occupies the house and
homestead of his father and is proprietor of the tanyard
148 An Historical Sketch of the
which was his father's property, in which in former years
much more business was done.
Joseph Noyes, mentioned as coming in 1804 with Mr.
Hezekiah Rowell, resided here till his death in 1850, or
about that time. He was a native of Atkinson, New
Hampshire, and was by trade a house and ship joiner and
a very skillful workman. His wife, as we have stated, was
the daughter of Mr. Ezekiel Morey, and survived her hus-
band. Their sons were: Mr. John M. Noyes, who re-
moved to Mount Desert, where he lived many years;
Alexander N., who removed to Castine, and thence to
Massachusetts; Henry A., who removed to Massachusetts;
Joseph, now in Castine; and Albert O., now in the Terri-
tory of Arizona. Of the daughters, one only remains
here — the wife of Mr. Hezekiah R. Haskell. Another
was the wife of Mr. Joshua E. Haskell, a son of Mr. Ed-
ward Haskell, who removed to Fairfield in this State,
where he was accidentally killed. The others married in
other places. Mr. Noyes was a very sensible, capable man,
and filled several town offices. His homestead is now
the property of Mr. William E. Gray.
Rev. Joseph Brown came in 1804, or about that time,
and was settled as pastor over the church here as the
immediate successor of Rev. Peter Powers. He resided
in the house known as the Parsonage, now the property
of Rev. Hiram Houston. He was educated by the well-
known Lady Huntington at the same place of instruction,
and, I think, at about the same time, as Rev. Mr. Milton,
of Newburyport, who in his day was quite celebrated
as a preacher. He was born in England in 1760, or about
that year, and continued here till his death. He was said
to have been a preacher of ability and was a man of edu-
cation. He brought a family, among whom was the late
Rev. Charles M. Brown, well known in this vicinity a few
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. '49
vears aeo who was settled in Tremont, Maine, and re-
^fded there severalyears. but who for many of his last yea^s
after his wife's death, made this town his home. In his
Lmer years he followed the sea, and later became a good
preacher, but was a very smgular man Ano he son
was Philemon; another was Amencus, and another was
Toseph none of whom remained here permanently. A
daughter was a Mrs. Davenport, of Newburyport, and
about the family, except Rev. Charles M. Brown, but
Uttle is known. \n the time of the War of .8.. the sym-
pathies of the Rev. Mr. Brown were very strongly in favor
^f Great Britain, and he carried them into ^e pulp^-
a practice to be condemned, as it is of no benefit to a cause
and productive of much injury to rehg.on. This "lade
him many enemies, and a number m the southern part
of the town, members of the church a^d congregation
dissolved their connection with it and abandoned the
plaee of worship. The result was the formation o a church
of the Baptist order, in what is known now as South Deer
Isle This troubled him to a great degree and had an
injurious effect upon his mind. At last his church and
parish dissolved their connection with him, which so har-
rowed him that he died shortly after, in 1819. His remains
he in the burying-ground near the Town House^ me
which a stone was placed, but it was removed by h.
son several years ago, and where it is now we do not
''"sTmcel Pickering settled what is known as Picker-
ing's Island, not included in our territorial limits, but as
he was in his dav well known here, it seems proper to notice
him Whether' he ever resided in the town we do not
know, but all his family known to us, with but one ex-
ception, did so, and died here. His -'f" J»%^.'^f ^hter
of Mr Elijah Dunham. Sr., and sister to Mr. Elijah Dun-
150 An Historical Sketch of the
ham, Jr., who died in 1842. One of his sons was Mr. Daniel
Pickering who resided on Greenlaw's Neck near the place
now occupied by his son. His wife was Miss Mary Hayden,
of a family who then lived here, but of whom nothing is
now known. He died not far from 1850, his wife dying
a few years earlier. He was the father of the late Mr.
Richard Pickering, of the present Mr. Thomas Pickering,
and of another son who lived in Orland. The daughters
were the wives of Mr. John Bray, son of Mr. William Bray;
of the late Mr. Willard Cole, and of Mr. Nathan Ball.
Captain Samuel Pickering was another son of the
family of the subject of this sketch. His wife was a
daughter of Mr. Benjamin Cole, the second of the name,
upon whose land Captain Pickering settled. His former
place of residence is now the property of the widow of the
late Mr. Mark H. Bray, and the house occupied by him at
the time of his death is now the property of Mr. George
W. Bray, It is near the Town House. Captain Pickering
was a master-mariner, a very active man, and accumulated
property. He died several years ago. His wife survived
him for several years, dying in i860 or about that time.
Their family consisted of two sons and seven daughters,
the sons being the present Messrs. Aaron D. and Timothy
B. Pickering. The latter is a man of business here, owns
considerable navigation, and has been in trade many years.
The daughters were the wives of Mr. Willaby N. Bray;
Mr. William Torrey, before referred to, who died on a
passage to California; Mr. Nathan W. Sawyer; Captain
Robert Kelsey; a Mr. Wilkinson, of Massachusetts; Mr.
David Torrey, 2d, and Captain Dudley Pressey, the lat-
ter of whom only now resides here. The others, with the
exception of Mrs. Wilkinson, are dead.
The daughters of Mr. Samuel Pickering, Sr., were the
wives of Mr. William Bray and of a Mr. Davis. The latter
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 151
did not reside here. The time of the death of Mr. Pickering
we do not know.
David S.\wyer came here not far from the year 1800,
from some place in the vicinity of Newburyport. He was
bom on the day of the Declaration of Independence, July
4, 1776, and was by trade a house and ship joiner. In the
latter business he had a good deal of practice and was a
very good workman. His wife was Miss Rebecca Crock-
ett, the daughter of Mr. Robinson Crockett. Their sons
were Nathan W., Admiral G., Mark H., David and Abel
Sawyer, the first and last of whom are now dead. David
Sawyer, Jr., has for some thirty years resided in Castine,
and Abel, before his death, lived in the town of Sedgwick.
The daughters were the wives of Mr. Ezekiel Marshall,
Mr. Samuel G. Barbour, Captain James G. Bray and the
late Mr. Mark H. Bray, all of whom except Mrs. Marshall
are now (1882) living. The wife of Mr. Sawyer died not
far from the year 1838, and he survived her twenty years
or more. By the death of a brother in Groveland, Mas-
sachusetts, he came into possession of about ten thousand
dollars, which at his death was divided among his children.
He was one of the most remarkable men whom I have
ever met. He had an extraordinary memory, was'a'great
reader, and, retaining what he read as he did, possessed,
of course, a large amount of information. He was a good
mechanic, and an honest man whose word was good, for
whatever he promised he performed.
Avery Fifield, a native of Haverhill, New Hampshire,
came here not long after 1800, and was at the time appren-
ticed to Mr. Jesse Niles, who has been noticed. For sev-
eral years after the end of his term as an apprentice he
worked at the trade of a house-carpenter. His wife was
Miss Sarah, the daughter of Micajah Lunt. She was
bom Februar\' 6, 1786, and is now dead. They had a
152 An Historical Sketch of the
family of twelve children, all but one of whom lived to man-
hood and womanhood. The sons were: the late Captain
Joseph Fifield, who died in 1874; Avery, who died in i86g;
Ebenezer S. ; Thomas S. ; George, a deaf-mute, and John J.
The daughters were the wives of Messrs. William Sweet-
sir; Thomas Small, a son of Mr. Edward Small; Silvious
Simpson; Captain Stephen B. Morey, and Captain Jere-
miah H. Greenlaw, all of whom, with the exception of Mrs.
Simpson, are now living. Mr. Fifield first lived near
Small's Cove, but later purchased a lot of one hun-
dred and sixty acres lying on the south side of Burnt Cove.
He removed there not far from 181 2, at which time there
was not a settlement in that part of the town south of
the residence of Mr. Samuel Small. His first house stood
not far from the spot upon which the house of Captain
Morey now stands. He afterward removed to the place
now occupied by Mr. Thomas F. Fifield, upon which he
built the house now standing. After a few years he went
into the fishing business, owning several vessels, and con-
tinued in it till the time of his death, which took place
in September, 1845, ^-t the age of sixty-two years. He
was a representative to the Legislature in 1836 and 1844,
and had a great deal of influence, especially with those of
his own political party. He was a warm-hearted man,
ready to relieve any one who might be in distress, and was
one of those men who mean w^hat they say.
Captain David Thurlow was a native of Newbury,
in the State of Massachusetts. He was bom in the year
1775, and could well remember the " dark day " in 1780.
While he was still a child, his father, Mr. Abram Thurlow,
was suffocated by going into a deep well which had long
been covered up and disused. He, with a brother of his
wife, a Mr. Boynton, had been soldiers in what is known
as the Old French War, and were both at the second attack
Toivn of Deer Isle, Maine. 153
upon Louisburg. His son, David, came here where he had
an aunt who was the wife of Mr. Joseph Colby, Sr. ; his
sister, also, was here, being the wife of Mr. Joseph Colby, Jr.
The latter had settled first for some years upon what is now
called Thurlow's Island, where he and Mr. Thurlow built
and operated a sawmill. There was an excellent privilege
there, and they manufactured much lumber, as there
were in that vicinity logs conveniently near as well as in
abundance. After a few years Mr. Colby removed, and
Captain Thurlow carried on the business alone, purchas-
ing the interest of Mr. Colby in the island and the mill.
He built several vessels on the island, — about seventeen in
all, I believe: one brig of one hundred and forty tons,
two or more coasting-schooners and fishing-vessels, — and
at one time owned quite a number. Some of them were
of large size for those days and did a good deal of business
for the times, employing many men. He accumulated
an important property, and at one time was one of the
most prosperous men in the town, but in the latter part
of his life became somewhat reduced. His wife was Mercy,
the daughter of Samuel Trundy, and they were the parents
of twelve children. The sons were Jeremiah, Stephen,
David, Caleb S., Moody and Paul Thurlow; the last two
only are now living. The daughters were the wives of
Captain Levi Babbidge, Mr. Aaron Babbidge, Captain
Peter P. Tyler, Captain Nathan Raynes (afterward that
of Mr. Charles Collier, of Charlestown, Massachusetts),
and the present wife of Sullivan Green, Esq. Three of
them are now living. He was a captain in the militia
at the time that station was considered an honor, and
from that circumstance he was always styled Captain
Thurlow. He died in 1857, at the age of eighty-two years.
He and his wife, who died in i860, were ver}' charitable,
and in the days of their prosperity they remembered the
154 -4w Historical Sketch of the
poor, for which their names are still respected. He was
a very observing and sensible man, though without early
advantages of education, possessed a sound judgment,
was one of the selectmen of the town and, in 1829, repre-
sented it in the Legislature.
Rev. Samuel Allen came here not far from 18 10.
He was a native of the town of Columbia, in the county of
Washington, and was, we believe, the first or one of the
first pastors of the Baptist Church here, continuing in
that capacity for several years, often preaching on Isle
au Haut and at other places in this vicinity. He was for
a time quite popular and had many friends, but for some
reason many became dissatisfied, and he ceased to be their
pastor, and for many years he did not preach. He was
bom in 1778. His wife was Miss Lois Look. They had
four sons — George, Daniel, Samuel, and William. George
died at sea, and Daniel married his widow for his second
wife and afterward removed to Levant, near Bangor,
where he purchased a farm, and sailed as master of a ves-
sel out of Bangor. Samuel died some ten years ago. Wil-
liam a few years since moved to Portland. The daughters
were: Hannah, the wife of Mr. Isaac Crockett, and after-
ward of Mr. Samuel W. Emerson; Ann, the wife of Mr.
Reuben Small, whom we mentioned as being burned to
death in 1827, and afterward the wife of Mr. Ward, of
Addison, Maine; Louisa, the wife of Mr. Thomas Crockett
who moved to St. Andrew's, New Brunswick, and Sarah,
the wife of Mr. Levi Scott, only the last of whom resides
here. Mr. Allen died in 1833, at Levant, at the age of
fifty-five years, his wife surviving him more than thirty
years. He was a man of much natural talent, and for
many years was a successful preacher, although his educa-
tion was limited, and if he had had advantages might
have taken a comparatively high rank in his profession.
Town oj Deer Isle, Maine. 155
He lived, while here, at what is known as Allen's Cove,
near Green's Landing.
James Duncan came here as early as 1800, or not long
after. He was a native of Massachusetts, and was bom in
1779. His wife was the eldest daughter of Captain Ben-
jamin Stockbridge, whom we have noticed, and he settled
at what is now known as Green's Landing. There had
then but one person lived there, who was named Grover,
and who left shortly after Mr. Duncan went there, so that
we may consider the latter as its first permanent settler
(although Thurlow's Island near there was occupied before
that time), and, from the south side of Crockett's Cove
by the southern shore of the island as far as Webb's Cove,
his was the only dwelling-house for some time. He was
engaged for a while in the manufacture of salt from sea-
water, the process of which has been described, and also
in chopping wood, and probably did more of that than any
other man in the town ever did. He took up quite an
extensive tract of land, and afterward built another house
about two hundred rods from the shore, where he spent
nearly all the rest of his life. His wife dying, he, after her
death, resided with his children, and died in the family of
his son in Rockland, when nearly ninety years of age. The
children of the family were: James, the son just referred
to, now dead; Mary, the wife of Mr. Robert Barter, who
resided on what is known as Wreck Island, within the limits
of the town as established in 1868; Elizabeth, the wife of
Captain John Barter, of Isle au Haut; Abigail, first the
wife of Mr. John Sellers who was lost in Chaleur Bay with
Captain David Colby, in the schooner Georgiana of Castine,
in 1839, and secondly of Mr. Stephen Colby; and Sarah,
the wife of Mr. Levi Weed who several years ago removed
to Rockland, and later to South Thomaston, where he died
not many years ago. All the daughters arc living except
156 An Historical Sketch of the
the wife of Mr. Colby. Mr. Duncan was for several years
before his death afflicted with shaking palsy, and was always
a hard-working man.
Moses Gross came here not long after 1800 from
Boston, and was by trade a mason. He was known as
Mason Gross, to distinguish him from Mr. George Gross,
who, as has been stated, was known as Citizen Gross, but
they were not relatives. He at one time did considerable
business at his trade in Boston, but becoming somewhat
reduced in circumstances, he moved from that place here.
He was for much of the time employed at his trade here,
doing nearly all the work in his line. He died in 1822,
at Castine, while employed upon a block of brick stores
there. His wife was a native of Boston, and was born
in 1773, about the time of the destruction of the tea in
Boston Harbor. She died here in the family of her daugh-
ter, Mrs. Pressey, in 1862, at the age of eighty-nine years.
After the death of her first husband, she, in 1830, or about
that time, became the wife of Ignatius Haskell, Esq.
The sons of Mr. Gross were: Samuel P., James, Isaac
and the late Mr. Frederick A. Gross. The daughters
were: Margaret, the wife of Mr. John Leman, of Boston,
who, after her death, married her sister Martha; Mary,
the first wife of Captain Jeremiah Thurlow, and Harriet,
the wife of Mr. Sylvanus G. Pressey. Another daughter
never married. Of the family Mrs. Pressey is the sole
survivor. Her son, Mr. Samuel P. Gross, follov/ed the
occupation of his father. James was a master-mariner
and died after a vers^ short illness in 1828. Mr. Frederick
A. Gross died in 1881.
Jonathan Torrey, Jr. In recording the family of
Mr. Jonathan Torrey, I briefly noticed his sons. One
of them, who in his lifetime was as well known as any
other person in the town, is the subject of this sketch.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. i57
He was one with whom I was very well acquainted He
was bom here in 1774. and his wife was Miss Prudence,
daughter of Captain Belcher Tyler. He followed the sea
for manv vears. and for nineteen consecutive years was
master of a vessel employed in the Labrador cod-fishery
the last vear being 1824, as the fisheries then had failed
to the extent that it was no longer a profitable business.
He continued to follow the sea, sometimes m the fishmg
and sometimes in the coasting business, till 1832 or 1833.
when he abandoned it and turned his attention to his
farm which, as we have stated, was the one occupied by
Mr John Billings, adjoining that of William Eaton on
the Reach shore. He was a man of integrity and enter-
prise The time and cause of his death have been stated
in the notice of his father, and his sons mentioned. His
widow outlived him about twenty-five years. The real
estate owned by him is now in the possession of his heirs.
David Torrey was the eldest brother m the family,
and lived for many years near the road leading from the
Northwest Harbor toward the Reach. He was a very
eccentric man, and died in 1858 at the age of ninety years
His wife was Mrs. Martha Robbins, a daughter of Mr.
Charles Sellers, and they had no children. She had three
by her former husband, none of whom remained here.
She has been noticed in the sketch of the family of her
father as dying in 1879. at the great age of nmety-seven
^Taptain John Torrey was another son of Mr. Jona-
than Torrey. Sr., and was for many years a master-manner,
making several voyages in the Labrador fisheries. He
was a capable and intelligent man. His wife was Mis
Dorothy, a daughter of Captain Jonathan Haskell, and
a'^ter'to the wife of his brother Mr. Dan^l Torrey
They had no children, but adopted a daughter of Mr.
158 An Historical Sketch of the
Josiah Gray when she was very young, who took their
name and was afterward the wife of Mr. Joshua Pressey,
2d. She is now a widow, and occupies the homestead
of her adopted father. The other members of the family
of Mr. Torrey, Sr., have, with the exception of Mrs. Eaton,
been dead for several years, and have also been elsewhere
noticed. The limits of this work will preclude many such
further sketches that I should like to make, and the per-
sons who would be the subjects of them are now remem-
bered by but few of the living.
William Raynes, 2d, the eldest son of Captain John
Raynes, was in his day very well known, not only here,
but in other places, as he was for many years a master-
mariner, and throughout his long life maintained an un-
blemished reputation which was well known wherever he
was acquainted. He was bom in September, 1778. His
wife was Miss Ruth, the daughter of Captain Edmund
Sylvester. He followed the sea until sixty years of age,
and resided upon the farm first taken up by Mr. Samuel
Raynes, which was purchased by Ignatius Haskell, Esq.,
from whom it was purchased by Captain Raynes, not
long after 1800. Upon the lot, he built a house which
is now in a state of decay. The children of the marriage
were: William, who died in 1832, aged twenty-three
years; Edmund S., whose first wife was Mary A., the
daughter of Mr. John Howard, and the second a Miss
Small, of Newbury port, in which place he now resides;
George who died in 1836, in New York; Abiel who was
shipwrecked on Martha's Vineyard, in 1846, being one
of the crew of the brig Lincoln of this town. He died
shortly after reaching the shore, and was there buried.
He married Susan, the daughter of Captain Henry Luf-
kin, Jr., a sister of the present Captain H. T. Lufkin.
She afterward became the wife of Mr. Robert Clark, of
Tou,'n of Deer Isle, Maine. 159
Castine, where she is now living. Another son was the
late Mr. Aaron B. Raynes, whose wife was Miss Mary M.,
a daughter of the late Mr. Thomas Sellers, of Bangor, a
son of Mr. William, and a brother to the present Mr. Amos
Sellers. Mr. A. B. Raynes was formerly one of the select-
men, and represented this town in the year 187 1 in the
Legislature. In that year he removed from this place
to the State of Missouri. He afterward came East and
resided in Norwich, Connecticut, where he died in 1881,
at the age of fifty -nine years. Another son is the present
Captain Eben E. Raynes, whose wife was Miss Elizabeth,
daughter of the late Benjamin F. Ferguson, Esq. He
is the only member of the family now residing here. The
youngest son was Mr. Benjamin Raynes, who went from
here in 1854 to California, afterward returning, and who
now resides in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The daughters
were: Susan, the wife of George .L. Hosmer, who died
in 1868; Elizabeth, the wife of Mr. Charles S. Tor-
rey, who died in 1853 ; Caroline, the wife of Mr. Jason
Webb, who died in Gloucester, Massachusetts, in 1857.
Of the family of twelve children but three are now living.
Captain Edmund S. Raynes, the second son, was for
years an active master-mariner, making many voyages
to the East Indies. The date of the death of Captain
Raynes has been stated and also his age. His wife died
in 1852.
Joseph R.wxes was the third son in the family, and
his wife was Betsey, the daughter of Mr. Nathan Johnson.
Two of their sons, Captain John J. and Horatio G. Ravnes,
now reside in Hyde Park, Massachusetts, and one, Nathan
Raynes, resides here. One married daughter, Mrs. Lucas,
is a resident of Methuen, Massachusetts, and the young-
est is the wife of Mr. Bcster B. Haskell. One is single,
and makes the house of her deceased father her residence
i6o An Historical Sketch of the
in summer, while the rest of the time she lives in Boston.
Captain Raynes followed the sea and the fishing business
many years. Both he and his wife died within forty-
eight hours of each other, in April, 1859, and their remains
occupy one grave.
Benjamin Raynes was the youngest son, and his wife
was Miss Sabrina, the daughter of Mr. Joseph Whitmore,
Jr., who, as has been stated, lost his life in 18 14, at the
same time with Mr. John Eaton, by drowning. Their only
son was the late Captain Edmund Raynes. Their eldest
daughter was first the wife of Captain Henry J. Lufkin
who was master of the brig Baron de Castine, of Castine,
and who died on board of her on the coast of Africa, in
i860. She was afterward the wife of Mr. Israel B. Grindle,
of Penobscot, and died in May, 1881. Another was the
first wife of Mr. Edward P. Haskell. Two now remain;
one is the wife of Mr. Alvin B. Saunders, and one is un-
married. In 1846 Captain Raynes, then master of the
brig Lincoln of this town, was wrecked on Martha's Vine-
yard. The brig being heavily loaded with lumber, with
spars on deck, was knocked down, righting after the masts
were cut away, and for four days in the latter part of
November the crew were on deck without food or water,
drenched with sea-water. Two of the crew, William
Adams and Richard Brown, died before the vessel went
on shore; and soon after she struck, the mate, Mr. Benja-
min J. Saimders, in attempting to reach the shore was
drowned, leaving three on board, who, when the tide
had ebbed, reached the land, one of whom, Mr. Abiel
S. Raynes, soon after lay down and died. He had lost
his hat when the brig was knocked down and was more
drenched than the others with salt water. The two
remaining. Captain Raynes and Mr. Charles H. Saun-
ders, attempted to reach a house at about half a mile's
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. i6i
distance from the shore, were seen, and assistance was
rendered them. The exposure and suffering caused Cap-
tain Raynes to become prematurely old, and he died at
sea in 1861, at the age of fifty-eight years, his wife dying
in 1859. He was for several years engaged in the Banks
fisher}', and was master of vessels from Castine in that
pursuit, but for a number of years prior to his death he
was engaged in the coasting business.
Captain Henry Lufkin was a son of the Mr. Benja-
min Lufkin mentioned, who came here from Gloucester,
and was at the time of the removal about fifteen years
of age. He resided here the remainder of his life, and
was master of a vessel in the coasting business many
years. He purchased a farm of Ignatius Haskell, Esq.,
which was a part of the land formerly occupied by Mr.
Robinson Crockett, upon which he lived till his death.
His first wife was Miss Betsey Robinson, and by her he
had two sons — the late Captain Henry Lufkin who died
in 1868, and Captain Joseph R. Lufkin who died in 185 1
— and two daughters. One was the wife of Mr. Timothy
Saunders, and the other was the wife of Captain Ebenezer
Beardsley, then of Boston, but a native of Damariscotta,
Maine. Both of the daughters are now dead. The
second wife of Captain Lufkin, the subject of this notice,
was Miss Betsey Raynes, and by her he had two sons and
two daughters. One son is the present Captain Mark H.
Lufkin, and the other died when a young man in the West
Indies. One of the daughters was the wife of the late
Johnson Raynes; the other died unmarried, and of the
family Captain M. H. Lufkin is the sole survivor. The
death of Captain Lufkin took place in 1839. at the age of
sixty-four years, and that of his wife in 1858. at the age of
seventy-eight years. His real estate is now the pro])crty
of his son, who occupies it.
1 62 An Historical Sketch of the
Daniel Lufkin was a brother of the subject of the
preceding notice. He was born in 1785. His first wife
was Sarah, the daughter of Captain John Raynes. Of
their family three now remain: Mr. Benjamin Lufkin
who resides here; Mr. Theophilus Lufkin, of Castine;
and a daughter, the widow of Mr. Miles Gardiner, of that
town. One son, Mr. Daniel Lufkin, Jr., was drowned
by stepping off a wharf in Bangor several years ago;
he left a family. Two other sons died when young men,
unmarried. The wife of Mr. Lufkin died in 1828. For
his second wife he married Mrs. Patience Snow, the daugh-
ter of Mr. Thomas Colby, by whom he had three sons
and one daughter. One son was drowned; another re-
moved from here, and one, the present Mr. Henry F.
Lufkin, and the daughter, the wife of Mr. Edwin Tyler,
reside here. Mr. Lufkin died in 1871, at the age of eighty-
six years. His wife died a year or two after.
EzEKiEL Alexander came here many years ago from
Harpswell, Maine. He was well known here. Two of his
sisters resided here — one the wife of Mr. George Gross ;
the other that of Mr. Solomon Marshall. The wife of
Mr. Alexander was Polly Eaton, a daughter of Mr. Elia-
kim Eaton, the oldest son of Major William Eaton. She
was bom in 1776. After her marriage she had two daugh-
ters, one of whom married in Massachusetts, and the
other is the well-known Avis Alexander. He died in, or
about, 1850, and was not far from ninety years of age.
His wife was well known as a wandering character, gather-
ing herbs, etc., while she remained able. She afterward
became an inmate of the poorhouse, and died in 1869, at
the age of ninety-three years.
Joseph Clifton came here many years ago and was
well known. He was born in Medford, Massachusetts,
according to his own account, in 1771. His wife was a
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 163
daughter of Mr. John Scott and the widow of Mr. Ebene-
zer Ball. By Mr. Clifton she had three daughters: one is
the present wife of Mr. Thomas Low; another the wife of
Captain William Torre}'' who died in 1881; the other
married in Massachusetts. He was a very singular man,
and for many years did not live with his family, preferring
to roam about, not remaining long in any one place. He
spent considerable time in Winterport and in that vicinity.
By trade he was a shoemaker. When, by reason of age,
he became incapable of labor, he returned here, where he
spent the remainder of his life, dying in 1865, at the age
of ninety-four. His wife died not far from 1870, aged
eighty-five years.
Simon Smith came here not far from 1800. He was
the son of Mr. Abiatha Smith, one of the early settlers of
Isle au Haut, and was bom in Thomaston. His wife was
Miss Lydia, the youngest daughter of Mr. Thomas Small,
Sr., and they had a family of twelve children. Of the
sons the eldest, Simon Smith, died on Isle au Haut, in
1835, of smallpox. The next in age. Captain Benjamin
Smith, was lost at sea while master of a vessel belonging
in Winterport, at w^hich place he resided. The next in
age was the late Mr. Samuel Smith who represented this
town in the Legislature in 1854. Another is the present
Mr. John Smith. One, Chase Smith, died when a young
man. The daughters were the wives of Messrs. William
Webb, James Saunders, 2d, Alexander N. Noyes, Henry
A. Noyes, Paul T. Lane — all of this town. Another was
first the wife of a Mr. Foote and afterward of Joshua
Fuller, Esq., of Thomaston. The other was the wife of
Mr. James Babbidge, 2d, of North Haven, Init now a resi-
dent of Falmouth, Maine. Mr. Smith died a few years
prior to i860, and his wife did not long survive him. The
164 An Historical Sketch of the
farm owned by him was sold by his heirs, and is now the
property of Captain H. T. Lufkin.
William Sellers, Jr., was a native of York, Maine, and
was bom in 1775. He came here early with his father,
Mr. William Sellers, a brother of Messrs. Charles and Jo-
seph Sellers, but he did not acquire a settler's right. He,
and the rest of the family, with the exception of their
father who returned to York and died there, remained
here until their deaths. The wife of Mr. Sellers was Miss
Abigail, daughter of Mr. Thomas Small, Sr., and their
children were: (i) Mr. William Sellers, 3d, who lived not
far from Burnt Cove; (2) Mr. David Sellers who lived on
Stinson's Neck; (3) Mr. Thomas Sellers who died of the
cholera in 1849, in Bangor; (4) Mr. John Sellers who was
lost in Chaleur Bay, in 1839, — one of the crew of the
schooner Georgiana of Castine, Captain David Colby, mas-
ter; and (5 and 6) the present Messrs. Ebenezer S. and Amos
Sellers. Of the two daughters, one was the wife of Mr, John
Conary, and the other that of Mr. William Fife who for-
merly resided on Swan's Island. Of the family two only
now are living. The dates of the deaths of Mr. Sellers and
his wife were not far from 1850. His property is now
owned and occupied by his son, Mr. Amos Sellers. The
brother of Mr. Sellers removed to Brooklin, Maine, many
years ago. The sisters were the wives of Mr. Thomas
Conary, Jr., of Mr. Ebenezer Jordan, of Mr. Stephen Dow
and afterward the third wife of Mr. Stephen Babbidge, and
another was the first wife of Captain James Torrey.
Elias Morey was the eldest son of Mr. Ezekiel Morey,
who came among the earliest settlers. He was bom in
1 761 and remained here till his death, which took place
not far from the year 1845. His wife was a Miss Robin-
son, and was sister to the wives of William Raynes,
senior of the name here, and of Captain Henry Lufkin.
Town of Deer Isle, Maim. 165
They had a family of thirteen children. The sons were:
the late Mr. William Morey, who was the father of the pres-
ent Mr. Levi B. Morey, and whose wife was a daughter
of ]\Ir. Robinson Crockett; another was the late Mr. Elias
Morey, Jr., who died on Swan's Island; another was Charles
Morey' who went away and died when a young man; an-
other was Mr. Ezekiel Morey who died many years ago,
and the other was Mr. Joseph Morey, the father of the
man of the same name, who now lives here. They all are
dead The daughters were the wives of Mr. Joseph Cole,
Hezekiah Robbins, Elijah Dunham, Mark Robbins, and
Abram Holbrook — all of this town; and there were others
who were married in other places. For some years Mr.
Morev resided upon a part of his father's farm, but his
right' was purchased by Deacon Joshua Haskell. After
that he resided the most of the time on Greenlaw's Neck,
where he died a few days after his wife's death.
Naylor Small has been mentioned as one of the sons
of Mr. Job Small. He was bom in 1772. His wife was
the daughter of Mr. Levi Carman, the early settler of that
name. Of his family there was one son, the late Mr. Calvm
Small. Two daughters were the wives of Captain Tristram
Haskell. Jr., and Mr. Charles Walton, of Spruce Head
Island, 'both of whom are now dead; another was the
wife of Ur. Jesse Niles, and the present wife of Mr. Levi
Greenlaw; another, the wife of the late Mr. Frederick
A. Gross, and one died unmarried. Mr. Small died in
1863, at the age of ninety-one years; his wife died a few
years before. His property passed into the hands of his
son, by whom it was occupied till his death.
Michael Small, Esq., was the youngest son of Mr.
Job Small. He was bom in i779- His wife was Miss
Deborah Perkins, of Castine. They had a large family,
mo.t of whom died voung. Three of their sons were: the
1 66 An Historical Sketch of the
present Mr. Michael Small; the late Mr. Frederick Small,
and Mr. Robert P. Small who removed to Gloucester, Mas-
sachusetts, and is now dead. Of two daughters, one is the
wife of Mr. William Small; the other died, unmarried, not
long after the death of her father, which took place in
1837, after a most distressing illness. His wife survived
him about twenty years, residing with her son, Mr. Michael
Small, who owns and occupies a part of the property left
by his father. Mr. Small was for many years a justice
of the peace, an enterprising farmer, and accumulated
considerable property.
Charles Chatto, Michael Ready, and John Finney
came here about the beginning of the present century.
The first was a native of Scotland, the other two of Ireland.
They were in the military service of Great Britain, from
which they had deserted at the time of their coming
here. They were stationed near the river St. Croix,
and, either by swimming or in a boat, came alongside a
vessel belonging here, the master of which was Captain
Ephraim Marshall, who landed them here, where they
remained, two of them, and married. Mr. Chatto married
a Miss Staples; they were the parents of Mr. Joshua
S. Chatto who has resided here and is well known. Mr.
Ready married Lydia, the daughter of Mr. Chase Pressey;
they were the parents of Messrs. Thomas and Jeremiah
Ready, the former of whom resided here until a few years
ago, and the latter went to Boston when a young man.
Mr. Finney married the daughter of Mr. Moses Staples,
of Swan's Island; they were the parents of the late Mr.
Moses S. Finney who came here as early as 1838, from
that place, and remained till his death, a few years prior to
i860. Mr. Finney, or, as he was generally called, Jack
Finney, was a man of small stature, and very excitable.
If he deemed himself insulted, he was ever ready for a com-
Toivn of Deer Isle, Maine. 167
bat, however great the disadvantages to himself might
seem.
George G. Choate came, not far from the beginning
of the present century, from some place in the county of
Essex, in the State of Massachusetts. By trade he was
a house-carpenter. He first married a Miss Johnson, a
daughter of the last wife of Mr. Ezra Howard, and by
her had three daughters, one of whom was the wife of
Mr. Samuel Hall, of this place, but who, many years ago,
removed to Long Island in the town of Bluehill. Another
married Mr. Thomas Haskell, son of Deacon Joshua Has-
kell, a master ship-carpenter, who lived here until a few
years ago, and then removed to Boston, where he died
not long after. He had been married before, and had a
family of eight children, his first wife being a daughter
of Courtney Babbidge, Jr. The remaining daughter of
Mr. Choate by his first marriage was Mary Choate who
resides in Boston. The second wife of Mr. Choate was
Miss Betsey, daughter of Mr. Thomas Small, Sr. They had
two sons. One was the late Mr. Thomas S. Choate who
resided here, but died several years ago. The other was
Mr. John Choate who, when quite a young man, left this
place and went to New Orleans, and before the Rebellion
commanded a steamer on the Mississippi River. Of the
daughters we know nothing, as they did not remain here.
Mr. Choate formerly resided in a house near the Town
House, which, after his removal from here, was purchased
by Jonathan E. Webb, Esq., and moved to the North-
west Harbor. It is now the property of Captain John W.
Green. Not far from 1830 Mr. Choate moved to Bluehill,
where he resided till his death, which took place about i860.
He was a great wit, and many examples of it are well
remembered both in this place and in Bluehill.
i68 An Historical Sketch of the
We have given quite an extended sketch, and notices of
the settlers and early inhabitants. Among them were
many who were not descendants of those first settlers,
but who came here and were prominent in their day in
that part of the town known as Great Deer Island. We
will now notice those persons who were the early settlers
of Little Deer Island. As has been stated, the authority
of Messrs. Joseph and George Tyler to allot lands to settlers
did not extend to Little Deer Island, but was confined to
Great Deer and Sheep Islands, or, as the latter is known,
Jordan's Island. Whether those persons who were there
as settlers prior to 1784 were entitled to their lots of land,
or not, we do not know; but as the same rule was observed
in Township Number Three (which embraced the present
towns of Penobscot, Castine, and a large part of Brooks-
ville), as was on Great Deer Island, we may judge that it
was established by resolve of the General Court of Massa-
chusetts, in other towns in this vicinity. The proprietors
of that island were residents of Massachusetts. Hon.
Thomas L. Winthrop, once lieutenant-governor of the State,
was one of the principal proprietors, if not the only one,
from whom the titles of occupants were derived. It was
surveyed in 1802 by James Peters, of Bluehill, a brother
of John Peters, Jr., by whom the second survey of Great
Deer Island was made, in 1798. At the time of the survey
most of the land was occupied.
Eliakim Eaton, the oldest son of William Eaton, set-
tled on the lot upon the southeast end of the island. His
settlement embraced what is known as Stave Island, now
occupied by his grandson, Mr. Benjamin H. Eaton. His
wife was Miss Mary Bunker. She was a daughter of a
man of that name who, as has been stated, lived to the
extraordinary age of one hundred and ten years; but such
a statement must be received with a great deal of caution,
Toii'n of Deer Isle, Maine. i6y
as there is generally a disposition in such cases to exag-
gerate. If the statement be correct, there has been but
one case in this part of the State of such extraordinary
longevity — that of Mr. Laughlin McDonald, who died in
Belfast, in 182 1, said to be of the same age, and generally
believed to be from the statements made by him of persons
he had seen, who had been dead more than one hundred
years. One of the sons of their marriage who remained
here was the late Mr. Solomon Eaton who died about
the year i860, at an advanced age. Another was Mr.
Isaac Eaton, who married a daughter of Mr. Peter Hardy,
Sr., died when a young man, and whose widow became
the wife of Captain Jonathan Haskell who died in 1873.
Another son is the present Mr. Peter H. Eaton who is about
ninety years of age. Of the daughters, one was the wife
of Mr. Ezekiel Alexander, whom we have before noticed.
A son of hers, before her marriage with him, who went by
the name of Ezekiel A. Clark, was found dead under very
suspicious circumstances in Boston, in 1849. As he was
known to have had several hundred dollars in monev, none
of which was found upon his person, it was presumed that
he had been robbed and murdered. Another daughter was
the wife of Mr. Jeremiah Eaton, She was the mother of
the present Mr. Alfred Eaton. After the death of her
husband, who was drowned in 1834, she became the wife
of Mr. John Gray, in Brooksville. Another daughter was
known as Phebe Eaton. She was the mother of the late
Captain Rufus Benson, who removed to Camden, and was
the master of a bark belonging to that place, which was
seized by the Spanish authorities about the year 1850,
about which considerable was said at the time, it being
the subject of correspondence between the government
of this country and that of Spain at the time that Hon.
Daniel Webster was Secretary of State. Captain Benson
170 Ait Historical Sketch of the
was brought up by Mr. Amos Thurston, of this town, who,
when Rufus was a little child, was in his boat fishing near
Isle au Haut, and being near a ledge, heard a child cry-
ing upon it; he landed there and found him, and he re-
mained in his family till he was twenty-one years of age.
After that he removed to Camden and became an active
master-mariner. He is now dead. His mother, late in
life, became the wife of Mr. Christopher Gray, of Brooks-
ville, the man who lived to be one hundred and three
years of age, but we believe she had been married before.
Another daughter married in Harpswell, Maine; nothing
is known about her. Mr. Eaton died not far from the
year 1800. His widow married Mr. Charles Stewart who
was well known in Sedgwick and Brooksville. She died
between the years 1840 and 1845, ^^ the age of one hun-
dred years, as was supposed. The real estate of Mr. Eaton
was afterwards purchased, with the exception of the
widow's dower, by the late Mr. Abijah Haskell, Jr., who
resided upon it till his death, in 1872.
Solomon Eaton, son of the subject of the preceding
notice, lived and died on the island on which he was bom,
not long after the year 1770. His first wife was a daughter
of Mr. Benjamin Howard, of what is now Brooksville,
and their sons were: the present Messrs. Benjamin H.
and Mark Eaton; the late Solomon Eaton, Jr., of this
town, who died in 1849, ^^^ Mr. John Eaton, of Sedg-
wick, now dead. The only daughter who remained here
was the wife of Mr. Peter H. Haskell, who is now dead.
The second wife of Mr. Eaton was the daughter of Mr.
Daniel Billings, who was some twenty-five years younger
than himself, and they had three sons who were: Mr.
Isaac B. Eaton, of Isle au Haut; Mr. Amos Eaton, and
Mr. Hardy Eaton. They all are dead. After the death
of his second wife, he married a sister of his first wife.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 171
Mrs. Martha Tibbetts, of Brooksvillc, and they both died
near each other, not far from the year i860. The settle-
ment of Mr. Eaton was upon the southwest side of the
island, and his place afterward became the property of the
late Silas L. Hardy, Esq.
Jephtha Benson was the first settler upon the land
adjoining that of Mr. Eliakim Eaton on the northwest.
He came here not far from the year 1800, from one of the
towns in the vicinity of Paris, in the count}^ of Oxford, in
this State, and his descendants still reside there. He was
a Revolutionary soldier, and was born about the year 1757.
He resided several years upon the land he settled, and
then removed to Marshall's Island, lying west of Swan's
Island. He married a Mrs. Ross who was a daughter
of Mr. Thomas Kench who, many years ago, lived near
Buck's Harbor, in Brooksville. Mr. Kench was also a
Revolutionary soldier, and was one of those who accom-
panied Benedict Arnold up the Kennebec River and across
the wilderness to Quebec in 1775, and was engaged in
the attempt to capture that city under General Mont-
gomery. It is said that he was one of the few who reached
the top of the wall, but was obliged to jump down to save
his life. By his wife Mr, Benson had a family, none of
whom ever resided here, but were on Swan's Island a
few years ago. He was dispossessed of Marshall's Island,
in 1835, by Rufus B. Allyn, of Belfast, and afterward
removed to Brooksville, where he died, at the age of ninety-
eight years. His land on Little Deer Island afterward
became the property of the late Silas L. Hardy, Esq.,
by whom it was occupied till his death, in 1859. It is now
the property of his sons.
Jonathan Hardy, before noticed, was the occupant of
the lot of land lying northwest of that of Mr. Benson, and
lived upon it till his death. Some years before that time
172 An Historical Sketch of the
he sold a part of it to his son, Mr. Jonathan Hardy, Jr.,
who removed to Winterport, and it was by him sold to
Mr. James E. Parker who is now the occupant. The
remainder of the lot is the property of the sons of Silas
L. Hardy. His second wife, a Miss Susan Jones, of Cas-
tine, after his death became the third wife of Mr. Timothy
Saunders. She had one daughter after her marriage with
Mr. Hardy, who became the wife of Mr. John Hardy, and
died in the year 1854, on the voyage with her husband
to Washington Territory. Her husband remained there
some time, and afterward returned, sometimes residing
here and sometimes in other places.
Isaac Gray settled the lot of land northwest of that
of Mr. Jonathan Hardy, Jr., on which he resided several
years, but not till some time after 1800. His wife was the
oldest daughter of Mr. Joseph Harris, and they were the
parents of the late Mr. Joseph H. Gray and Messrs. Silas
H. and Oliver B. Gray. One daughter became the second
wife of Mr. George C. Closson, and the other, that of the
late Captain Timothy Parker, of Winterport. Mr. Gray
removed there several years ago and died in that place.
His wife returned and died here in 1876, at the age of
eighty-seven years. The real estate of Mr. Gray is now
the property of his heirs, and is unoccupied.
Joseph Harris was a native of the British Provinces,
and came here very early. His wife was a daughter of
Mr. James Gray, who lived near Walker's Pond, in Brooks-
ville. She was a sister to Mr. Christopher Gray, men-
tioned before, and to Mr. Josiah Gray who has been
noticed. We do not know the exact date of his coming,
but as his oldest daughter was bom in 1789, if he lived
there at that time, he was one of the early settlers. His
lot was that adjoining the one taken up by Mr. Isaac Gray
on the northwest. They had one son, the present Mr.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 173
Henry Harris. The daughters were the wives of Mr.
Isaac Gray ; Mr. John Weed ; Mr. Samuel Pittee who came
here from North Yarmouth, Maine; Mr. John Hutchin-
son who died here not many years ago; and the youngest
was first the wife of Samuel Hutchinson, and afterward
that of Mr. Ebenezer Spinney who came here in 1837
from the town of Eliot, Maine. Mrs. Spinney is the
only one of the daughters remaining, and is now at the
age of eighty years. Mr. Harris died in 1841, at the age
of eighty-six years; his wife died in 1854, at the age of
eighty-nine years.
D.wiEL Billings was the settler upon the lot of land
lying northwest of that of Mr. Harris. He was a brother
of Mr. Timothy Billings, and was bom in this town not
far from the year 1768. His wife was Miss Carter, a
sister of Rev. Edward Carter, a Baptist elder, who many
years ago preached on Cape Rozier, in Brooksville, near
what was known as Bakman's Mills. A sister of the
family was the wife of Mr. Thomas Wasson, a well-known
citizen in Brooksville for many years, who died more than
forty years ago, and who was a Revolutionary soldier, and
grandfather to Thaddeus Shepardson, Esq., of that town.
Mr. Billings and wife had three sons who arrived at man-
hood, and one who died young. They were Daniel Bill-
ings, Esq., who many years lived in Monroe, Waldo County,
and practised law. A few years ago he came here and
purchased what is known as the " Swain Place." He
was afterward appointed a trial justice, for which posi-
tion he was well qualified. He died not many years since
after a short sickness. Another son was the late Mr.
Peter H. Billings who also resided in Monroe. He was
by trade a millwright, and was a very skillful and ingenious
mechanic. He died not far from the year 1850, not quite
forty years of age. The other is the present Mr. Edward
174 -^w Historical Sketch of the
C. Billings who occupies and owns the homestead of his
father. The daughters were the wives of the late Mr.
Peter Hardy, Jr., who died in 1859; Mr. Samuel Howard,
of Brooksville; Mr. Solomon Eaton who has been noticed;
Mr. Peter H. Eaton; Mr. Samuel Gray, of Sedgwick,
and Mr. George Swain. The first four are now dead.
Mr. Billings died at an advanced age several years ago,
his wife dying before him. He left a good reputation.
Samuel Howard, one of the family in Brooksville of
that name, settled upon the land adjoining the lot of Mr.
Billings upon the northwest. His wife was a sister of
Mr, Billings. He lived for several years upon it, and
afterward removed to the town of Montville. His farm
was purchased by Otis Little, Esq., of Castine, who ac-
quired land adjoining it, and had in all about four hun-
dred acres which, a little before 1830, he sold to Captain
John Gray, of Sedgwick, who lived upon it about thirty-
five years, and then removed to the town of Brooksville,
where he died. He had previously sold a part of his land
to Mr. Shadrach Black who occupied it from 1836 till his
death, not long after 1870. His wife was a daughter of
Mrs. Gray by a former husband. Another portion of his
land he sold to his son, the present Mr. Jonathan D. Gray
who, a few years ago, sold it to Mr. John Douglass who
now occupies it. When Captain Gray removed he sold
the remainder of his land to his son Jonathan who occu-
pies it at present. Mr. Black's land is now occupied by
his son.
Timothy Billings who, as we have stated, was the first
child of white parents bom in the town, settled the farm
on the northwestern end of the island. His wife was a
Miss Wells, a relative, doubtless, of those of that name
who lived in what is now the town of Brooklin. She died
many years before him, leaving a family of three sons, of
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 175
whom wc have had knowledge, and two daughters. Two
of the sons were Captain John Billings and Amaziah Bill-
ings, who lived in Sedgwick. Of the daughters, one was
the wife of Mr. James Gray, of Brooksville, and the other
that of Captain Robinson Crockett, Jr., who lived at one
time on Stinson's Neck. The other son of Mr. Billings,
Jeremiah Billings, who remained here and occupied the
farm of his father, died very suddenly, in 1840. After
his death his widow married Mr. John L. Lawry, who
came here in 1841 from some town in the county of Waldo,
and in whose family Mr. Billings, the subject of this notice,
resided till his death, after which the farm was sold, and
the family removed to Winterport, where Mr. Lawry
died. It is now the property of Mr. Michael D. Snow-
man, who removed there from Brooksville. That which
was said of Mr. Daniel Billings, as to character, might be
repeated of his brother.
William Swain was the first settler on the southwest
side of the island, upon the lot of land adjoining that of
Captain Gray on the southeast. He was a native of Scot-
land, and came with the British army to Bagaduce in
1779. He was a master-mariner, and in former years a
man of enterprise. He was at one time worth a very good
property. His wife was a daughter of Mr. Samuel Mat-
thews, of what is now Castine, whose farm, a valuable
one, was afterward owned by Mr. Jonathan Hatch, and
occupied by him at the time of his death. A cove on the
shores of which his place lay is known as Swain's Cove;
but the e.xact time of his coming here is not known. He
did not pay for his property, but the proprietors never
molested him. After his death his son, Mr. George Swain,
made a contract to purchase it, but failed to pay for it, and
did not acquire a title. After the removal of Mr. George
Swain. Mr. Horatio X. Haskell contracted with the owners
176 An Historical Sketch of the
for its purchase, but he also failed to meet his payments.
Afterward it was purchased by Daniel Billings, Esq., who
resided upon it till his death, a few years ago. It is now
owned and occupied by his widow. The time of the death
of the wife of Mr. Swain is not known, but he died about
1835. I^ the family there were, to our knowledge, four
sons, namely, William, Samuel, Walter, and George
Swain. All are now dead. Mr. George Swain removed
to Winterport, where his widow and descendants resided
till the last of our knowledge of them.
Noah Blaster was the first settler upon the land
adjoining that of Mr. Swain upon the southeast. Of him
but yevy little is known either of the place he came from
or the time of his death. He left one son and one daugh-
ter, but of the latter we know nothing. His son was the
late Mr. Samuel Blaster, who died in i860, at the age of
eighty-three, having been born in 1777, and whose wife
was a daughter of Mr. Christopher Gray, of Brooksville.
At the time of her marriage she was the widow of Mr. James
Hendrick, by whom she had two sons, Christopher, now
dead, and the present Mr. Stillman Hendrick who resides
on Little Deer Island; and a daughter, now dead, who
was the wife of Mr. Solomon Eaton, Jr., who died in 1849.
They were the parents of Mr. Isaiah V. Eaton, who died a
soldier in the Union army during the war for the sup-
pression of the Rebellion. Mrs. Blaster died several years
before her husband, by her marriage with whom there
were a number of daughters, and one son, the present
Mr. William Blaster.
Richard Banks settled upon the lot of land lying south-
east of that of Mr. Blaster. He came here from the town
of Hartford, in Oxford County. He brought a part of
his family, and, we believe, married the daughter of Mr,
Blaster after he came here. One of his sons whom he
Town oj Deer Isle, Maine. 177
left behind was the late well-known Silas Banks, who fell
into distress in that town, and, after his father gained a
settlement here, this town was hoi den for his support, and
was obliged to provide for and remove him. He was a
pauper till his death in 1872, or not far from that year.
He was a very witty non compos person, and in some
things possessed a good deal of shrewdness. None of the
other children of Mr. Banks resided here, and in 1835 he
removed to the town of Mount Desert, where he died.
The lot on the southern end of the island is the one
which was occupied by Mr. Benjamin Weed, whom, with
his family, we have noticed. After his exchange with
Captain Peter Hardy, the latter moved upon the lot,
and resided there several years. It was a valuable farm.
When he moved from it, it was occupied by his son, who
was known as Peter Hardy, 3d, and after the death of his
grandfather, in 183 1, as Peter Hardy, Jr. He remained
there till his death, in 1859, at the age of sixty -one years.
His wife was Miss Joan Billings, the eldest daughter of
Mr. Daniel Billings; she died in 1876, at the age of eighty-
two years. Before his death Mr. Hardy bequeathed his
farm to his son, Mr. George W. Hardy. His mother
resided with him till his death, after which she removed
to Babbidge's Neck and resided with her daughter, — now
the wife of Mr. Hiram Gross, — where she remained till
her death. After the death of Mr. George W. Hardy his
widow and children occupied the farm a few years; she
then married and moved away. It is now the property
of Mr. William Blaster.
Abijah Haskell, Jr., has been named as the person
occupying the property of Mr. Eliakim Eaton after his
death. He was a resident of the island over sixty years.
He was a son of Mr. Abijah Haskell who was a son of
Deacon Francis Haskell. They both have been noticed.
178 An Historical Sketch of the
He was bom in 1781. His wife was Miss Susannah Hardy,
a daughter of Mr. Peter Hardy, Sr. By their marriage
they had one son and three daughters. The son is Mr.
Abijah W. Haskell, who now resides in the town of Sedg-
wick. The daughters were the wives of three brothers
of the family of Mr. Jonathan Hardy, — Silas L. who
died in 1849 on the island; she is now dead. Another
was Mr. Jonathan Hardy, Jr., who removed to Winterport,
where he died a few years ago. The other is Mr. Peter
Hardy who now resides in that place. Mr. Haskell died
in 1872, at the age of ninety-one years, and his wife in
1874, at the age of eighty-five. They lived together in
wedlock about sixty-five years.
We have noticed the settlers on Little Deer Island, and
will now take up a sketch of the settlements in that part
of the town which was set off and incorporated as the
town of Isle au Haut, in 1874. The first was made in
1772 on what is known as Merchant's Island. We will
state first what is known about the titles of the lands in
that town, and the islands lying south of Great Deer
Island, now included within the limits of this town. But
few of the settlers on the islands acquired titles to the
land occupied by them until after the separation of the
State of Maine, when both States had a joint ownership
in the public lands in this State, and not long after sales
of the most of them were made at a very reasonable rate.
Thurlow's Island was purchased before the separation by
Joseph Colby, Jr., and David Thurlow, and we think that
Merchant's Island was bought by the occupant, or his son,
Anthony Merchant, Jr. Kimball's Island was purchased
not long after the death of Mr. Seth Webb, in 1785, by
Mr. Solomon Kimball. We think that many of the settlers
on Isle au Haut had also acquired titks. In 1802 a sur\ .y
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 179
was made of the island by Mr. Lathrop Lewis, and the most
of it was divided into lots ; but a portion of over thirteen
hundred acres lying west of the pond on the island was
left in one body, and sold after the separation to the late
George Kimball, Esq. Another of three hundred and
thirty-nine acres, lying near the southwestern point of the
island, was purchased by David Thurlow and parties in
Castine. We have understood that, before the separation,
the late Peletiah Barter was appointed as an agent by
the residents who had taken up lots, to go to Boston and
take measures for the acquirement of titles, and from the
fact that the persons who were in possession of lots at the
time of the sales made by the land agents of both States,
were not disturbed, we judge that they had acquired titles
to their lands. Some of the occupants of islands between
Great Deer Island and Isle au Haut neglected to purchase,
and others bought them, and after the larger part of them
were sold, there remained a number of smaller ones which
were sold to the late Hezekiah Rowell, Esq., as also was
the island known as Hard Head near Eagle Island. He
at one time owned quite an amount of that kind of prop-
erty, and many of the present owners derived their titles
from him or his grantees.
Among others we would name what is now known as
Fog Island, which was formerly known as Cutter's Island,
lying east of the northern part of Isle au Haut, which was
occupied by a man named Cutter who was drowned in
attempting to land some cattle from a gundelo some eighty
years ago or more. With him were a Mr. Sheldon with
his wife, two sons, a daughter, and a colored man named
Hall — none of whom escaped. Mr. Sheldon left one
daughter who became the wife of Mr. John Pressey, 3d,
the son of Mr. John Pressey, Jr., who has been noticed.
Her name was Mar}', and by the marriage he had one son
i8o An Historical Sketch of the
and one daughter of whom we have had knowledge. The
son was Mr. Henry Pressey, who was, in the winter of
1849 and 1850, lost with Captain John G. Green in the
schooner Tamerlane, bound to this place from Boston.
The daughter was the wife of the late Mr. Samuel Howard.
After the death of Mr. Pressey his widow married Mr.
Nathaniel Merchant who then lived on Camp Island, on
the southern side of Deer Island Thoroughfare, upon which
he died a few years prior to 1830. After that she became
the third wife of Mr. Thomas Colby, who died in 1837, and
she then married Mr. Thomas Cooper, of North Haven.
When he died she remained here, supported by that town
till her death, which was about the year 1859, at the age
of eighty-nine 3'ears. The island then called Fog Island,
by which name it is at present known, was, prior to 1830,
occupied by Mr. John Crockett, not a relative of the fami-
lies of that name here, but a half-brother to the first wife
of Mr. John Closson. Not far from the year mentioned,
he was drowned between that island and Isle au Haut
in the sight of his family. His widow afterward became
the wife of Mr. John Gross.
A number of those islands were inhabited. The one
known as Saddle Back, over sixty years ago, was occupied
by Mr. Edward Howard, whom we have mentioned as a
son-in-law of Mr. Theophilus Eaton. Not far from 1820,
when he became a very old man, he removed to Brooks-
ville, where he had children who took care of him, and
died there. Worthy's Island was occupied for some time
by Mr. Charles Gross who failed to pay for it to the
owner, H. Rowell, Esq., and in 1839 he removed from it,
and it was purchased by Sullivan Green, Esq. Russ
Island was the residence, for many years, of Mr. George
Harvey, a soldier of the War of 181 2. He died there, and
the island is now the property of Captain Stephen B.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. i8i
Morey. Mr. John Coombs occupied what is known as
Devil Island, and in 1836 he sold it to Mr. Avery Fifield
and moved to the town of Islesborough. Mr. John Har-
vey, a soldier in the war of the Revolution, occupied Bear
Island for some time, and it was afterward the property of
Captain David Thurlow who also owned several other
islands by purchase from the land agents, and Camp Island,
which was sold him by Robert Merchant. On the one
known as Round Island, Mr. Hezekiah Robbins resided
for several years. Afterward he removed to a small island
at the head of Webb's Cove, connected with Deer Island
by a bar, upon which he died. It is near the property
of Mr. Jack Stinson. Wreck Island was, many years ago,
occupied by Mr. Joseph Colby, Jr., for some time, and for
the last thirty years or more it has been occupied by Mr.
Robert Barter, and by his family since his decease. The
island known as Burnt Island, near Isle au Haut, was for
several years occupied by Mr. Henr\^ Barter, and York's
Island was occupied by Mr, Robert Knowlton, who, in
1842, removed to Deer Island and purchased the Sylvester
farm near Webb's Cove. The two latter islands are within
the territorial limits of the town of Isle au Haut, and the
former ones mentioned are within those of Deer Isle.
Although there were many disadvantages in a residence
upon those islands, still there were advantages which were
of value to the occupants whose chief business was fish-
ing, digging clam-bait, and in later years the taking of
lobsters, — the last of which has been a lucrative employ-
ment to those engaged in it. For those pursuits they
were very convenient, but social and educational advan-
tages must, of course, be limited. The male inhabitants
were skillful in the management of small boats, and they
felt as safe in one as others do in carriages upon the main-
land It is surprising to one who has not that skill how
1 82 An Historical Sketch of the
safely a boat can be managed by a person who has experi-
ence in the matter. Those islands were valuable for keep-
ing sheep; if one was present to take care of them, they
could be kept the year round with but little expense. The
occupant, when but one was on an island, had no neces-
sity for maintaining line fences, which is a serious matter
to those that have to meet it, and so such stock can be
kept upon them with great profit. The late George Kim-
ball, Esq., at one time had about four hundred on Kimball's
Island, and the late Mr. Asa Turner kept about as many
upon Isle au Haut. In both cases the expense of wintering
was very small, which made it a profitable business. The
only drawback was the danger from thieves, who could go
to one of the small islands where sheep were kept and upon
which no person resided, and obtain both wool and mutton
without paying for them. I recollect hearing of an instance
where a small vessel from some place up the bay or river,
anchored in a little harbor on the southwestern end of
Kimball's Island, which lay at some distance from the
house, and, undiscovered, those on board drove up,
butchered, and carried off several. Upon the islands lying
between Deer Isle and Isle au Haut such depredations are
often committed upon those having no inhabitants, by a
worthless class who have opportunities for plunder. Were
it not for that, those islands would be of more value than
they now are,
SETTLERS.
Anthony Merchant, who come from the town of York,
Maine, was the first person who settled within the limits
of the present town of Isle au Haut, and, as has been
understood, he came the same year that his father-in-law
did to Deer Island. It must have been in 1772, and the
island he settled upon has been ever since known as Mer-
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 183
chant's Island. His wife was Miss Abigail Raynes, and
was a daughter of Mr. John Raynes, St., the father of
Messrs. John, Johnson, and William Raynes. Mr. Mer-
chant was a master-mariner and made voyages to the
West Indies. They had three sons and five daughters.
The sons were: Nathaniel who, as has been stated, resided
upon Camp Island; John who removed to Vinalhaven;
and Anthony Merchant, Jr., who lived and died upon the
island settled by his father. Of the daughters one, Abi-
gail, was the wife of Mr. Joseph Arey, of Vinalhaven.
Another, Eleanor, was the wife of Mr. John Smith, of that
town, who lived near what is known as Smith's Harbor, on
the eastern side of the island, and both her husband and
herself lived to a good old age. Another, Miriam, was the
wife of Mr. Henry Barter who will be noticed. Another,
Martha, was the first wife of Captain Tristram Haskell, of
this town, who has been noticed. One, Susan, died un-
married. Mrs. Haskell died not far from the year 1803,
but the others, with the exception of Susan, lived to be
very old. Mr. Merchant was a very quiet man and a good
citizen. The year of his death is not known to us. His
wife died not far from 1833, and was at the time consid-
erably over eighty years of age.
Nathaniel Merchant was the eldest son of the family.
He married in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and had
two sons and two or more daughters. The sons were
the late Mr. Nathaniel Merchant who died, we believe, in
1879, on Isle au Haut, and Mr. Robert Merchant who
resided, after the death of his father, on Camp Island, which
was for many years the residence of the latter. In 1845
he sold it to the late Captain David Thurlow, and since
that time he has been here only a part of the time, as his
wife abandoned him. His present place of residence
we do not know. One of the daughters of the family
184 An Historical Sketch of the
was the wife of Mr. John Gott, Jr., who formerly resided
on Swan's Island. About the rest of the family we have
no knowledge. Mr. Merchant, the subject of this notice,
for his second wife, married the widow of Mr. John Pressey,
Jr., the daughter of the Mr. Sheldon before referred to, who
was drowned near Fog Island. For many years they
resided on Camp Island, where he died not far from the
year 1830, as before stated. His widow has been noticed.
Anthony Merchant, Jr., was the youngest son of the
family and was born in the year 1790, or about that time.
His wife was Miss Eunice Smith, a daughter of Mr. David
Smith, of Swan's Island, who was well known here man}^
years ago. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War,
By his first marriage Mr. Merchant had one son, the late
Mr. David S. Merchant, and one daughter, who became
the wife of Mr. Willard Matthews, who at that time resided
upon Merchant's Island, but after his marriage soon
removed to Belfast, out of which place he sailed as a
master-mariner. After the death of his wife Mr. Merchant
married Mrs. Maria Gross, by whom he had a family, of
which there how remain two sons. One of the sons, Mr.
John Merchant, was drowned a few years since, having
been knocked overboard from a small vessel while sailing
down the bay. The remaining sons have removed from
the' town. One of the daughters is the wife of Mr. James
Childs who has ever since his marriage lived on the island.
The other, the wife of Mr. John Cross, is now dead. Mr.
Merchant was for many years a collector of taxes in what
was then known as the Isle au Haut collection district,
and was a faithful and efficient officer. He died not far
from the year 1865. His widow married a Mr. Clark, of
the town of Brewer, Maine.
Jacob Gross was also a resident of Merchant's Island,
and lived upon the western end of it. He was a brother
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 185
of the Mr. George Gross before noticed, but from what
place he came, or what year he removed here is not to
us known, nor do we know the year of his death. He left
a widow, four sons, and one daughter. The sons were
Messrs. David, Swansey, John, and James Gross. Mr.
David Gross died in 1853; his wife was Miss Parizanda
Merithew, and she died in '1880. They were the parents
of the present Messrs. David and William Gross. Mr.
Swansey Gross married a daughter of Mr. Thomas Buck-
minster, and they are both dead. They were the parents
of Messrs. William B., Hiram, and Thomas B. Gross. The
latter resides upon the homestead of his father. Mr.
John Gross was the third son of the family, and his first
wife, who abandoned him, was a daughter of Mr. James
Robertson. He afterward married the widow of the Mr,
John Crockett whom we have mentioned as residing on Fog
Island and being drowned near there. By that marriage
he had tw^o sons. One was Jacob Gross who was one of
the crew of the schooner Sarah which was lost in 185 1
in the great gale in Chaleur Bay with all on board. The
other son is the present Mr. Edwin Gross. The fourth
son, Mr. James Gross, never married, and for some years
before his death was totally blind. The daughter, Mar\'
Gross, was the wife of Mr, William Matthews, who re-
moved to Merchant's Island from the town of Boothbay,
Maine. He died in the family of his son, Mr. Stinson Mat-
thews, in this town, his widow surviving him a few years.
The next settlement made in the present town of Isle
au Haut was, as has been stated, by Mr. Seth Webb,
whom we have noticed, but the exact date is not to us
known. It has been said that during the ver\^ severe
winter of 1780 he went to the top of the mountain on Isle
au Haut, and from that eminence could see no water for
ice out seaward. If that account be correct, it must have
1 86 An Historical Sketch of the
been the most severe winter ever experienced here since
the first settlement of the town, as in but few winters within
the past fifty years has the ice made to such a degree as to
be sufficiently strong to pass over from Deer Island to Isle
au Haut. After the death of Mr. Webb, Mr. Solomon
Kimball purchased the island now known as Kimball's
Island (the one settled by Mr. Webb), and resided upon it.
Afterward it came into the possession of his son, the late
George Kimball, Esq., who occupied it till his death in
1839. The wife of the latter was Miss Lucretia Amazene,
of Newcastle, New Hampshire, and she died not long after
i860. Mr. Kimball was a man who sustained a good
reputation, and was active and enterprising. He did
considerable business, owning vessels, and was in pos-
session of an extensive property. Besides the island he
occupied, he owned over thirteen hundred acres of land
in one body on Isle au Haut, lying westerly of the pond
on that island. He was, in 1826, representative from this
town to the Legislature, and was for many years a justice
of the peace. One son in the family was George Kim-
ball, Jr., Esq., who removed to Winterport, and in 1850
removed to California, having organized a company which
built a ship of six hundred tons, as we believe, in the town
of Cutler, Maine. With a number of others interested
in the ship he emigrated, and at the last accounts was
living. Another son was Solomon and another William
Kimball — both of whom, we believe, went to California
at the same time. The latter is now dead. Another son
was Mr. Benjamin A. Kimball, who died in 1842, or about
that time, at home. The daughters of the family were
the wives of Mr. Isaiah Barbour, who removed to Camden;
of Mr. Willard Clark, a school-teacher; of the late Captain
Benjamin S. Smith, a son of Mr. Simon Smith, who re-
moved to Winterport and was lost at sea. His widow
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 187
resides at the present time on the homestead of her father
with her two sons. The other daughter of the family
now living is the second wife of Captain Seth Webb, of
this town. Two of the daughters died unmarried.
Peletiah Barter was the person by whom the first
settlement was made on Great Isle au Haut, and it was in
1792. He was a native of the town of Boothbay, Maine,
and resided on what is known as Barter's Island in that
town. He was bom in the year 1772. His wife was Miss
Mary Trundy, the eldest daughter of Mr. Samuel Trundy,
of this town, and they were the parents of ten children.
Two of the sons grew to manhood, — the late Mr. Peletiah
Barter, Jr., and the present Mr. John Barter who now
resides there. His wife was a daughter of Mr. James
Duncan who has been noticed. One of the daughters
was the wife of Mr. David Collins. Another was the wife
of Mr. William Dorr, of Winterport. Another was the
wife of Mr. John S. Merrill, of the same place. Another
was that of Mr. Thomas Littlefield, of Winterport, and
after his death she was the wife of a Mr. Raymond, and
afterward, of Mr. Benajia Merithew, of Islesborough.
The other was first the wife of Mr. Paoli Hews, Jr., of
Belfast; second, of Mr. Elijah Toothaker, and third,
of the present Mr. Abner Bray. All of the family,
with the exception of Mr. John Barter, are now dead.
The wife of Mr. Barter died many years ago, and he never
remarried. He died not far from the year 1852. He
was at one time in possession of quite a large amount
of real estate, none of which is now owned by his
descendants.
Henry Barter came not long after his brother, the
subject of the last notice, and settled upon the lot north-
east of that occupied by him. His wife was Miss Miriam
Merchant, a daughter of Mr. Anthony Merchant. They
1 88 An Historical Sketch of the
had one son, the late Mr. Robert Barter, who for some
years resided on what is known as Wreck Island. He
died there not many years ago. One of the daughters
was the wife of the present Mr. Francis Coombs. Another
was that of Mr. Peletiah Barter, Jr. One died unmar-
ried. Mr. Barter and his wife lived together for many
years, and he had the reputation of being an upright man.
He removed from the land first occupied by him to what
is known as Burnt Island, now the property of Mr. James
Turner, 2d, and both he and his wife died there. After
the death of his parents Mr. Robert Barter, their son, sold
it to Mr. Turner and removed to Wreck Island, which was
included in the purchase made by Hezekiah Rowell, Esq.,
before referred to.
William Barter, a younger brother of the subjects of
the two preceding notices, settled upon the southern part
of the land taken up by Mr. Peletiah Barter. His wife
was Miss Sarah, the daughter of Mr. Stephen Babbidge,
of this town. Their sons were: Mr. William Barter, Jr.,
who removed to Vinalhaven and died there; the late
Stephen Barter, who resided in Isle au Haut; Thomas
Barter, who died many years ago, and the present Mr.
Amos Barter. The daughters were the wives of Mr. Joab
Black, who did not reside there; the late Captain Jona-
than Rich; Daniel L, and Ebenezer D. Carlton; Davis
Collins; and one married in Winterport. At the present
time no one of the family, except Mr. Amos Barter,
resides there. Mr. Barter was for many years engaged
in trade, owned and built vessels, carried on the fishing
business and owned a good deal of property. Both he
and his wife died many years ago.
Captain Samuel Turner was the occupant of the
land lying southerly of that of Mr. Barter. He was the
son of the wife of Mr. Charles Kempton by a former mar-
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 189
riage. He perished at sea in the year 1839, upon the
wreck of a vessel of which he was master, which was en-
gaged in the freighting business, an occupation he followed
for many years. Of the crew but one, Mr. James Hender-
son, survived. He was very well and favorably known in
this vicinity for many years, and at the time of his death
was about fifty-five years of age. He left a widow and
a family. The sons were the present Captain James
Turner, John K. Turner, and Captain William G. Turner,
Two of the daughters resided in Searsport, and one was
the wife of the late Captain Ezra Turner, of Isle au Haut.
Ebexezer Sawyer was one of the early settlers there.
He came, we believe, from Boothbay or from that vicinity,
and was engaged in the fishing business, as were most of
the settlers there. Both he and his wife died in the win-
ter of 1839 and 1840, at an advanced age. The land he
occupied was that adjoining the lot of Captain Turner on
the south. Their sons were: Mr. Paul Sawyer, who
removed to what is now the town of North Haven; Na-
thaniel, a master ship-carpenter, who removed to Isles-
borough; Ebenezer, who, not long after the year 1840,
went to the town of Searsport ; and one who died a young
man. One of the daughters was the wife of Captain
William Yeaton. Another was that of Mr. William Bab-
bidge. Another married Mr. Bickmore, of St. George.
The other married Mr. George Allen, and after his death
she became the wife of his brother, Mr. Daniel Allen,
who removed to Levant, Maine. We believe that all
of the family are now dead. The property occupied by
Mr. Sawyer is now that of Captain James D. Barter.
William Yeaton was the occupant of the lot lying
south of that of Mr. Sawyer, whose daughter he married.
He came here when young, and for some time resided in
the family of George Kimball, Esq. He came from Ports-"
190 An Historical Sketch of the
mouth, New Hampshire, or that vicinity. He and his
wife were the parents of four sons and eight daughters.
Of the family but one now resides there, — the wife of Mr.
Spencer Robertson. In 1842, or about that time, Mr.
Yeaton purchased a farm in Northport, Maine, and re-
moved there, where both he and his wife died. He was
by occupation a fisherman, and was very active and suc-
cessful in his employment.
Charles Kempton was an early settler, and came from
what is the present town of Winterport. He there resided
near what is known as Stubb's Point. The maiden name
of his wife was Stinson, of a family of that name in what
was then the town of Prospect. At the time of his mar-
riage she was a Mrs. Turner, and, as we have stated, was
the mother of Captain Samuel Turner. Their son was
the late Captain John Kempton, who died on Isle au Haut
a few years since. One daughter was the wife of Mr.
Ebenezer Sawyer, Jr. Another was that of Captain The-
ophilus Eaton who is now dead, and their widows now
reside in Searsport. Another died unmarried. The lot
taken up by Mr. Kempton is near what is now known as
Moore's Harbor, named for a Mr. John Moore, of Cas-
tine, who was a fisherman, and who frequently anchored
his vessel there during the time of the Revolution and
afterward. Mr. Kempton died not far from the year 1839,
and his wife survived him a few years.
Chauncey Holmes, who was in his day well known,
was for many years a resident of the island, near Morse's
Harbor. From what place he came, or the time of his
coming, is not known to us. His wife was a Mrs. Crock-
ett, whose maiden name was Rendell, of a family who
resided in Prospect. Her first husband was Mr. Isaac
Crockett, a brother of the Mr. John Crockett mentioned
before, and they formerly lived in Vinalhaven. She had
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 191
a family by her first marriage, but none by that with Mr.
Holmes. He was a singular man and had a good share of
wit. About the year 1843 they, with others on the island,
became converts to Mormonism and removed to Nauvoo,
Illinois, and when the Mormons left that place for the Salt
Lake, Mr. Holmes and his wife and Mr. Robert Douglass,
who will be noticed, went in the company. He, being
very old and infirm, perished on the journey from starva-
tion and fatigue.
Ebenezer Leland, we have understood, was the per-
son who made a settlement on the island next after that of
Mr. Reletiah Barter. He came from the town of Eden,
Maine, and settled near Duck Harbor, mentioned in the
account given of duck-driving. From what I have learned,
I am inclined to the opinion that it was used for that pur-
pose by the Indians before the whites settled this part of
the countr}^ as it was from them that the settlers here
learned of that method of taking ducks. Mr. Leland, not
long after the Revolutionary War, lived in what is now the
town of Brooksville. Whether he came from that place
or not to Isle au Haut is not known, but he was originally
an inhabitant of Eden, of which place his father was one
of the early settlers. In the war of the Revolution he
was a lieutenant in the regular army, and after his dis-
charge happened to be at Bagaduce while the British
were there, and was arrested as a spy. Had he not been
able to produce his written discharge, he might have suf-
fered death. His wife was a Miss Dyer, of Steuben, near
a place known as Dyer's Bay. Of the family, we have
knowledge of three sons and three daughters. The sons
were: the late Mr. Ebenezer Leland, Jr., who died in this
town some twenty-five years ago; Jesse Leland, a nan
compos person; and one who died when a young man.
One daughter was Ursula, the wife of a Mr. Higgin?
192 An Historical Sketch of the
of Eden, and mother of Captain Eben L. Higgins, of that
place, and afterward the wife of a Mr. Salisbury. Another,
Nancy Leland, was never married; and another, Hannah,
was first the wife of Mr. John Harvey, Jr., a soldier
of the War of 18 12, and afterward married a Mr. Daniel
Getchell. She died, as was supposed, in consequence
of violence at his hands, not far from 1868. Mr. Leland
died many years ago; his wife died about the year 1837.
Abiathar Smith went to Isle au Haut from the town
of Thomaston, Maine, not far from the year 1800. He
settled near what is now known as Head Harbor. He
had three sons and one daughter, of whom we have had
information. The sons were: Mr. George Smith, who
will be noticed; Mr. Simon Smith, whom we have men-
tioned; and another, named Abiathar Smith, who removed
from here, and of whom we have no knowledge. The
daughter was the wife of Mr. Elisha Holbrook. The
property of Mr. Smith is now that of Mr. George Smith,
Jr., who is the present occupant. It is one of the most
valuable places on the island.
Calvin Turner came early with his family, and settled
near the northern end of the pond. He formerly resided
in what is now the town of Orland. It has been stated
that he built the first saw and grist mills in that town,
in U773. The exact time of his coming is not known to
us. His wife was a Miss Stinson, a sister of the wife of
Mr. Charles Kempton before noticed. The sons of the
family were: the late Captain Asa Turner, who lived and
died on Isle au Haut; James Turner, who lived in Bucks-
port; John Turner, who removed to the town of Brooklin,
where he died. Another, whose name, we believe, was
Calvin, was lost at sea, and was at the time master of the
vessel on which he was lost. Of the daughters we know
nothing, as none of them remained here. Mr. Turner
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 193
died in 1838, at the age of ninety years. The land he
lived on was afterward occupied by his son, Captain Asa
Turner, who was a man much respected. His wife was
Miss Abigail Smith, of Prospect, and they had a family of
six sons and four daughters. The sons were the present
John Turner, Esq., Ezra, James, 2d, and Isaiah B. Turner
— all of whom, except Ezra, are now living on the island.
One son, Mr. Thomas Turner, was drowned several years
ago near the mouth of Union River, and one died when
young. The daughters were the wives of Mr. Jacob Wil-
son, who removed to Massachusetts; of Mr. Patrick Con-
ley; of Mr. John K. Turner, and of Mr. John Doane, of
the town of Newburg, Maine. Of the daughters but
one, Mrs. Conley, now remains here. A few years ago
Captain Turner removed to the western side of the island
near the Thoroughfare, and his property on the eastern
side of the island is now that of a Mr. Sprowl, formerly of
Bucksport, who is now the owner of a large tract of land
on that side of the island, which is used for pasturage,
and is also the owner of Fog Island. The house of Mr.
Turner is now occupied by Mr. Noah Page, formerly of
Bucksport, who is in the employ of Mr. Sprowl. In 1843
Mr. Turner represented this town in the Legislature.
Elisha Holbrook was the occupant of the lot of land
lying north of that of Captain Turner. He came from
Cape Cod not far from 1800, and married a daughter of
Mr. Abiathar Smith. Their children were: the present
Mr. Abram Holbrook who resides here; one of the name
of Simon who went away many years ago; and another,
Daniel Holbrook, who removed to Vinalhaven and was
killed by falling from a derrick used in hoisting stone, up
which he had gone for the purpose of fixing a tackle or
something of the kind. The daughters were the wives
of Mr. Joseph Morey, and afterward of Mr. Humphrey
194 -^'^ Historical Sketch of the
Webster; of Mr. Samuel Black; of a Mr. Hall, from some
place near Belfast; and another who was brought up in
the family of Captain Samuel Turner. What became of
her is not to us known. The wife of Mr. Holbrook died
nearly sixty years ago, and the family was broken up.
During the latter part of his life he was a public charge.
Daniel Gilbert, a native of Massachusetts, settled
upon the lot north of that occupied by Mr. Holbrook,
which he afterward purchased. His wife was Miss Sarah
Reed, of Boothbay, by whom he had no children. They
adopted a child named Francis Merithew, who was drowned
about the time of the death of Mrs. Gilbert, in 1839.
In 1840 Mr. Gilbert, when fifty-five years of age, mar-
ried a Miss Lois Ellis, who was then sixteen years of age,
by whom he had a family. About the year 1850 he
removed to the western side of the island and purchased
a lot of land which was formerly the property of Mr. Pele-
tiah Barter, and built a house upon it, residing there till
his removal to the town of Bristol, Maine, where he died
in 1876, at the age of ninety-one years.
George Smith, a son of Mr. Abiathar Smith, settled
upon the lot north of that of Mr. Gilbert. He was bom
in 1780, and his wife was Miss Judith Knowlton, a daugh-
ter of Mr. Benjamin Knowlton. One of their sons was the
present Mr. George Smith, of Head Harbor, who alone of
the family now resides here. Another son was Abiathar
Smith, and the other was Joseph Smith — both of whom
removed from here many years ago. One daughter was
the wife of Mr. George Curtis who went there from the
town of Surrey, and afterward returned, where he lived
the last we knew of him. Another was the wife of Mr.
Samuel Coffin who came here from Kennebec County,
or the eastern part of Oxford County, returning after a
few years' residence on the island. Another was the wife
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 105
of Mr. Aaron Merithew, Jr., who went to Vinalhaven.
Another was the wife of Mr. Benjamin Merithew, Jr.,
who removed to Searsport. The youngest was the wife
of Mr. Isaac B. Eaton who resided upon the homestead
of Mr. Smith. He is now dead, his wife dying before
him. Mr. Smith died not far from the year i860, aged
over eighty years, and his wife about ten years after.
Thomas Tyler, a brother of Messrs. Joseph and George
Tyler, settled upon the lot adjoining that of Mr. Smith
on the north. He was for many years a school-teacher,
and was known as Master Tyler. After he became
advanced in years he married Miss Betsey Bagley, of New-
buryport. He died not far from the year 1830. After-
ward his wife returned to Newburyport, where she had
relatives. He formerly lived on Merchant's Island. A
matter of dispute arose between Mr. Merchant and Mr.
Gross relating to the ownership of a small island near
Merchant's Island, and it was referred by them to Master
Tyler. He divided it into three equal portions, assigning
that on the eastern end to Mr. Merchant, that on the
western part to Mr. Gross, reserving the middle part to
himself, giving as a reason that it was proper that their
lands should not join, and if he had the middle part, it
would keep peace between them. Both parties acqui-
esced in his decision. The lot he occupied on Isle au Haut
he had no title to, as he had never purchased it of the
State. Afterward it was acquired by Mr. Hiram Small,
who resided upon it until his death a few years ago.
Robert Douglass was the occupant of the lot adjoin-
ing that of Mr. Tyler upon the north. He was an early
occupant, but what place he came from, or what time he
came, we do not know. He was a brother of Captain
James Douglass, who, fifty years ago, or more, was captain
of the revenue boat at Belfast. His sisters were the^wives
196 An Historical Sketch of the
of Messrs. Thomas and James Cooper and Benjamin Bur-
rage, Esq., of North Haven. By his first wife Mr. Doug-
lass had two sons : Alexander who removed to some town
in Penobscot County, and Robert, a ship-carpenter, who
remained on Isle au Haut till about 1850, when he became
interested in the ship referred to in the notice of George
Kimball, Jr., Esq., and was in the company of emigrants
who removed to California. We do not know whether
he is now living, but probably he is not, as if he were, he
would be a very old man. The lot and buildings he
occupied are now the property of Mr. Francis Coombs,
who resides upon them. One of the daughters of Mr.
Robert Douglass was the wife of Mr. John Rich, and
the other was the wife of Mr. Asa Collins who was lost
in a gale in 1841, in the schooner Forest of Gloucester,
of which Captain Stephen Rich was master. After the
death of his wife Mr. Douglass married Miss Lydia Lane,
a daughter of Mr. Hezekiah Lane, and a sister of Mr.
Oliver Lane, by whom he had one son, Mr. Abner Doug-
lass. His last wife was accidentally killed about the year
1832, by being struck on the head with a piece of stone
which her husband was blasting. At the time of the
Mormon excitement he, with Mr. Holmes and wife, and
others from the towns of Vinalhaven and North Haven,
joined that sect. As has been stated, he perished upon
the journey to the Great Salt Lake. The property owned
by Mr. Douglass is now that of his grandson, Mr. Still-
man Rich, and it is near what is known as Douglass's
Cove. He was a very decided man, and, when his mind
was made up, it remained so. A few years after the death
of his last wife he journeyed to the Southern and Western
States, and on his return expressed the opinion that the
people in the Northern States enjoyed life more than those
of the other sections of the country, and that, notwith-
Toivn of Deer Isle, Maine. 197
standing the greater fertility and natural advantages of
the other States, still in New England better living was
to be found, and more of the real comforts of life.
John Rich occupied the lot of land northerly of that
of Mr. Douglass, and his wife, who was of a prepossess-
ing appearance, was the daughter of Mr. Douglass. One
son of the family was Captain Stephen Rich, who re-
moved to Gloucester, Massachusetts, out of which place
he sailed as master in the fishing business several years.
He was an active and enterprising man, and, as has been
stated, was lost with all his crew in the year 1841. An-
other son was Mr. Jonathan Rich who was an invalid
for many years, and died not far from the year 1864.
Another was Mr. Thomas Rich who was drowned in
1839; and two remaining sons are Mr. Perez Rich, who
removed to Islesborough, and the Mr. Stillman Rich named
before as the occupant of the property of Mr. Douglass.
There was one daughter in the family, who was first the
wife of Mr. Josiah Pierce, of Vinalhaven. They became
converts to Mormonism and removed to Nauvoo, Illinois,
but while there she became disgusted with it and made
her escape. With but little means she returned to her
friends here and was divorced from her husband, afterward
becoming the wife of Mr. Noah Barter, and the mother
of one daughter. She died a few years ago. The exact
time of Mr. Rich's coming here we do not know, but it
was before 18 10. He died shortly before i860, his wife
surviving him a few years.
Benjamin Knowlton was for many years a resident of
Isle au Haut. He was a relative of those of that name
in the town of Northport and in the county of Waldo,
and, we believe, was a native of Massachusetts. When a
young man he went to Nova Scotia, and there married
a Miss Smith. He was there a part of the time, at least.
198 An Historical Sketch of the
if not all, of the Revolutionary period, and some time
after his return took up his residence on Isle au Haut.
His sons were the late Mr. Robert Knowlton, of this town,
and Mr. Joseph Knowlton who removed to Islesborough.
One daughter was the wife of a Mr. Hamilton. She was
the mother of the present Mr. Solomon Hamilton, now
nearly ninety years of age. Another was the wife of
Mr. George Smith; another was the wife of Mr. Aaron
Merithew, and we believe that there was another. Mr.
Knowlton died many years ago, but the date is unknown
to us; his wife died in 1842, at the age of eighty -nine
years. Some years before her death a brother in Nova
Scotia, by his will, left her the income of $6,000, which
she received till her death, and after that the principal
was divided among her children. She resided in the
family of her son, Mr. Robert Knowlton, and removed to
Deer Isle with him a short time before her death. Mr.
Robert Knowlton died in 1876; his wife died a few years
before him.
Benjamin Merithew settled upon a lot of land on the
south part of the island, between Duck and Head Harbors.
His first wife was Miss Frances Atwood, by whom he had
three sons: Mr. Reuben Merithew who removed to Isles-
borough; Benjamin who removed to Searsport; and
Francis, the adopted son of Mr. Daniel Gilbert, who, as
has been stated in the notice of him, was drowned. The
second wife of Mr. Merithew was a Miss Sarah Coombs,
of Vinalhaven, by whom he had a family. At this time
one only of the family resides here — the wife of Mr.
Stinson Matthews. Mr. Merithew was a son of Mr.
Roger Merithew, who many years ago resided upon, and
owned, what is now known as Babbidge's Island in the
town of North Haven. Both he and his wife are now
dead.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 199
Aaron Merithew made a settlement near Moore's
Harbor, where he resided till his death, by drowning,
in 1844. None of his family remained here, and his
property was afterward purchased by the late Mr. Eli
Eaton.
Henry Wilson, Esq., removed to Isle au Haut from
Gloucester, Massachusetts, not far from the year 1820,
and was in trade there several years. He was successful
in his enterprises, accumulating in them a large property.
He built a house, store and wharves, and was for several
years an inspector of fish, in which business he was also
interested. He was one of the selectmen of the town,
and in 1833 was the representative from it in the Legis-
lature. He was a man of ability and intelligence. In
1836 he removed to Ipswich in the State of Massachusetts,
with his family, and in a few years removed to Glouces-
ter. His real estate was purchased by John Turner, Esq.,
by whom it is at present occupied.
John Collins was for many years a resident of the
place, and his wife was a member of the Lanpher family.
Her father, Stephen Lanpher, was one of the early set-
tlers of the town of Bucksport, and his widow died in
1833, at Castine, aged about one hundred years. A daugh-
ter, a Mrs. Gross, died in Orland some years ago, at as
great an age. The sons of Mr. Collins were: David
w^ho died on Isle au Haut, not far from 1863; Asa who
was lost, as has been stated, in 1841 ; James who removed
to Bluehill, and afterward to Castine, where he died; John
who now lives in Castine, and Otis who moved to Blue-
hill, with whom his mother resided. Mr. Collins was by
trade a tailor and was bom on the island of Mount Desert.
During the latter part of the last centur\' and the earlier
part of the present century he resided in Castine. His
death was caused by freezing on a very cold day not long
2 00 An Historical Sketch of the
before the year 1830. He was returning to his home
from the Thoroughfare, and sitting down to rest on the
way, was overcome by the cold and perished.
Captain Jacob Carlton, a native of Frankfort, Maine,
was for a long time a resident. He was a man of energ5^
was engaged in trade, and while there built one barque
and two large schooners, a gristmill, a large store, and
a brick house — the only one in the two towns. In 1838
he was representative to the Legislature. His wife was
Miss Elizabeth Dow, a daughter of Mr. John Dow, who
lias been noticed. Their sons were Messrs. Daniel L.
Carlton who was in trade for several years and removed
to Rockland; Ebenezer D., and Jacob T. Carlton. There
were two daughters, one of whom is now the wife of Cap-
tain Bester Babbidge, of Winterport. In 1839 Captain
Carlton removed to Winterport and purchased a large
and valuable farm on which he lived till his death. At
the last accounts his widow was living, but none of the
family now reside here.
James Robertson, formerly a resident, went there
many years ago. He was a native of Scotland and was,
when a young man, in the British navy, being present
when the Danish fleet was taken in 1802 we believe, by
the British under Lord Nelson, who was the commander
there. He came shortly afterward to this country and
married a Miss Hopkins, and for some time resided in
Castine and afterward went to Isle au Haut. By her he
had one son, the present Mr. Spencer Robertson, and two
daughters: one the wife of Mr. John Gross, and afterward
that of Mr. Anthony Merchant; the other married in
Massachusetts. For his second wife he married a sister
of Mr. Hezekiah Robbins, now deceased, and had a family,
one only of which resides here — the present Mr. James
Robertson. Not far from the year 1830 Mr. Robertson
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 201
removed from here, and for some time lived in Belfast.
In his day he was well known.
John Harvey resided for some time upon an island
between Great Deer Isle and Isle au Haut, but whether
he lived on Isle au Haut, or not, is not known to us. He
was a Revolutionary soldier, a native of South Carolina,
and was born in 1750. In the war he was in the Pennsvl-
vania line under the command of a Colonel Brodhead.
After the war he came to this State, and for several years
resided in Northport, where he mxarried a Miss Knowlton, in
1789, and afterward came here, but returned. In 1836,
when very old and poor, he was chargeable to this town,
and was removed here with his wife. He was unable to
procure a pension for his services, from the difficulty of
proof, as all who were his comrades were probablv dead,
and he was unable to establish his claim. After his death
in 1837, an agent succeeded in procuring it for his heirs;
but, as was charged, he kept it himself. Whether the
charge were true, or not, we have no knowledge. Mr. Har-
vey left two sons who have resided here, and one daugh-
ter. The sons were the late Mr. George Harvey, who
lived on Russ Island, and Mr. John Harvey, who lived
at Duck Harbor, where he resided many years, but re-
moved to the State of New York, and after some time
returned and died here. Both were soldiers in the War
of 1812. The daughter was first the wife of Mr. Daniel
Hamilton; second, that of Elisha Grant, Esq., and third,
that of Mr. Nathan W. Sawyer, of this town, and died,
we believe, in 1879, at the age of seventy years.
Elisha Grant, Esq., removed to Isle au Haut not long
after 1840, and resided at Head Harbor not far from thirtv
years. His death was caused by a cancer. For several
years he was a deputy sheriff in the county of Penobscot,
and was a man of intelligence and capacity. He was
202 An Historical Sketch of the
three times married, his last wife being Mrs. Nanc}^ Ham-
ilton. By his first marriage he had three sons. One was
Mr. Hiram Grant, of Hampden. Another was the present
Mr. David Grant, who resides on the premises occupied by
his father, and the other was Franklin Grant, who died a
young man several years ago. He died about the year
1870, and his remains were by his request taken to Hamp-
den and laid by the side of those of his first wife.
I HAVE now given a sketch of the settlement of the towns
of Deer Isle and Isle au Haut, of the earliest settlers, and
of those of a later date. It has been written entirely
from memory, with the exception of that which relates
to the probable discoverers, and of the information that
was gained from a list of those who were here prior to 1784,
found among the papers of the " Proprietors," which were
in the custody of the late Solomon Haskell, Esq., and
previously in that of his father, Ignatius Haskell, Esq.
Accompanying this list were the dates of their coming and
also a copy of a memorial drawn up by a committee of the
settlers, setting forth the manner in which a grant of the
lands remaining after they had had their lots assigned
them, was obtained, which has been already described.
Under the circumstances these records must, of course,
be imperfect to a greater or less degree; yet I hope that
they may prove of interest, and that it may be a satis-
faction to those who will come after, to have even such
knowledge respecting them as has been obtained. I have
in my lifetime sought to gather whatever information in
regard to them, that I could. It has been a matter of
fear to me, that, when the task of thus preserving it
should be undertaken, my memory might so fail me that
I should be able to do so only in part; but I feel confi-
dent that what has been written is, in the main, correct,
Town oj Deer Isle, Maine. 203
and had it not been attempted by me, perhaps it would
have been by no one, and so much of this been lost to
posterity. In my notices of individuals I have endeav-
ored to treat the memories of those of whom I have written
with candor, not intending to withhold anything to be
said in their favor which was justly due, nor to ascribe
praise undeserved.
The town, as incorporated in 1789, was of great extent,
which was inconvenient to the inhabitants at the extreme
parts of its territory, especially those on Isle au Haut,
as the}'' lived at a distance from the place where the town
meetings and elections were held, and, in order to trans-
act business with the officers of the town, were obliged to
cross a distance of five miles by water besides the travel
by land from the south part of the island to the center,
some six miles. From the northern extreme to the south-
em was about twenty miles in a direct line. The length
of Little Deer Island is about three miles from the south-
western to the southeastern extremities. Great Deer
Island is more than nine miles in length in a direct line
from the northern end to the southern at the Thoroughfare.
Isle au Haut is about five miles in length, besides being
five miles from the nearest part of Great Deer Island.
The incorporation of Isle au Haut into a town was thus
a great convenience to its inhabitants.
After the establishment of the territorial limits of the
town in 1868, it contained about twenty-six thousand
acres, of which the tov.-n of Isle au Haut after its incor-
poration contained nearly seven thousand acres, leaving
now within the limits of this town not far from nineteen
thousand. The town of Isle au Haut contains but little
land capable of cultivation, and its value consists in its
pasturage. It was settled by fishermen because of its
convenience for their purpose, as at that time fish were
204 An Historical Sketch of the
more abundant there than now and could be taken nearer
the shores. With them agriculture was not a considera-
tion; had it been, it would never have been settled. The
town of Deer Isle contains a large proportion of land
that can never be cultivated, especially in the southern
part ; and most of the early settlers, in that part of the town,
depended upon fishing. It has been their chief employ-
ment for a large part of the time since, and in past years
it has been carried on quite extensively. For the twenty
years prior to 1840 Captain David Thurlow was inter-
ested in it, employing many men and owning several
vessels which he sent out to the Labrador shore and
mackerel fisheries. From 1830 till 1845, the late Hon.
Richard Warren; from 1830 until i860, the late Samuel
Whitmore, Esq.; and from 1830 until 1844, the late Mr.
Avery Fifield were all very considerably engaged in carry-
ing on the various branches of this industry, as were
others, also, who followed them, until a later date. The
most business carried on in the town at any time was by
the Messrs. Warren, and Warren & Tolman, in fitting out
vessels, inspecting mackerel, and owning vessels employed
in it, also in furnishing employment to a large number of
men. It was commenced by them in 1845 and carried
on till a few years after 1877. At present most of the
mackerel fishing is carried on b}'' the Messrs. Webb, but
since 1870 the business has declined to almost nothing,
and the many young men who make it an employment
sail out of other places — principally out of Gloucester.
In i860 there were owned by inhabitants of this town
about ten thousand tons of vessels, a very large part of
which were employed in the fisheries.
The northern part of the island is better adapted to
agriculture than the southern, as the proportion of land
incapable of being cultivated is smaller; but there is still
Town oj Deer Isle, Maine. 205
a large share of it which can never be made profitable
for the purpose. In former years more attention was
paid to that pursuit. The soil originally produced large
crops, and had the early settlers been more judicious in
the use of fire in clearing their lands, the soil would have
retained its fertility much longer. It was by them an
object to have the ground as dry as possible when fire was
used, so as to clear it up more effectually; but the conse-
quence was that with the wood the vegetable matter upon
the top of the soil which was necessary to the durability
of its fertility, was destroyed. After the benefit of the
ashes was gone, the soil soon became less fertile and
required heavy manuring. The same mistake was made
elsewhere as well as here, and, had the ground been in
such a state as to prevent too deep a burning, our farms
would have been far more valuable. I recollect hearing
it stated by one that a small farm of a few acres was
cleared without burning the wood upon the ground, and
its fertility was retained much longer than that of the
lands around it. By this we may learn that although fire
is necessary for the clearing of lands, its use should be
prudent and at suitable times.
The chief products of the farms here were, as in other
towns in this vicinity, hay, grain, and potatoes; the latter
to quite an extent, especially prior to 1845, when the
potato-rot first made its appearance. By the statistics
procured by the person who took the census here in 1840,
over thirty-six thousand bushels were returned, but since
the rot commenced the crop has verj' much decreased.
Now it has another enemy — the potato-bug, which came
in 1880. From these two causes the crop will not receive
the attention it otherwise would. The crop of grain has
fallen short very much in comparison with the yield in
former years, from the cause stated in the first part of the
2o6 An Historical Sketch of the
work, but should a gristmill be erected and maintained
here, it would probably increase.
The chief pursuit of the inhabitants in the northern
part of the town is that of following the sea in coasting
and on foreign voyages, but comparatively few as fishermen.
Although it is profitable as a general thing, yet its effects
are visible in the large proportion of widows, many of
whom are those of mariners. At this time, March, 1882,
there are about one hundred out of a population of about
thirty-three hundred. From the nature of their employ-
ment many lives are lost at sea. I have annexed a list
of what vessels have been lost since 18 18, and of the
persons on board who have been preserved in my memory.
In 18 18 the schooner Shakespeare, owned by Messrs. P.
& F. Spofford, was lost, bound from Boston to Deer
Isle; Captain John Green, master; Frederick Spofford,
Esq., passenger; crew, Asa Green, Jr., Abner Babbidge,
and Amos Angell.
In 1822, or about that year, schooner Lingan, of Castine;
Captain Benjamin S. Haskell, master, with his son, and
David Perry, of this town.
In 1830 sloop Huntress, of Castine, bound from New
York to Castine; captain, John Greenlaw, Jr.; Captain
William Eaton, pilot; crew, William Buckminster and
Joseph Conary.
In 1839 Captain Samuel Turner, of Isle au Haut, and
his crew, with the exception of Mr. James Henderson,
who survived and was taken off the wreck. The same
year in a gale in Chaleur Bay, schooner Georgiana, of Cas-
tine; David Colby, master; crew, John Sellers, Henry
Keller, Thomas J. Colby, Mial Sylvester, Israel Dorr, Jr.,
and Joseph Dorr.
In 1845 schooner Commodore Perry, on Long Ledge, near
Mount Desert; William D. Haskell, master; Moses Haskell
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 207
and Francis Haskell, 2d, who belonged here, and Miss
Jane Cole, of this place, a passenger.
In 1846 brig Lincoln, with four men, before referred to,
from Calais with lumber.
In 1849 schooner Tamerlane, of this place; John G.
Green, master; crew, Henry Pressey, Ebenezer Ball,
Joseph H. Davis, and Joseph Haskell, all belonging here.
In 1851, in Chaleur Bay, schooner 5ara/t, of this place;
Captain Levi Knight, master; crew belonging here, Wil-
liam Knight, James Sellers, Amos Babbidge, Stinson
Colby, Albion P. York, and Ephraim Crockett.
The same year the schooner Lion, of Castine; Captain
Enos Pressey, of this town, master; and of the crew
belonging here, George Pressey and Henry McClintock
lost, Joshua Pressey, 2d, saved.
Also the same year schooner Mary Moulton; Captain
Joseph Emerson and his brother, Samuel Emerson, both
of this place; the crew all lost.
In 1875 schooner R. S. Warren, Captain Frederick T.
Pickering, master; crew belonging here, George Picker-
ing, Lewis K. Gray, William E. Thompson, Amazene
Stinson, John H. Morey, and a son of the captain.
In 1879 Captain William Richardson in a vessel owned
by himself; with him were his son and Herbert Greenlaw.
The same year brig Anna N. Torrey; Captain John H.
Bray, master; James Bray, mate.
In 1 88 1 Captain William C. Emerson and his step-son,
when bound to Boston in a vessel loaded with stone.
Several years ago — the exact date to us unknown —
there were lost, in attempting to land, on Fire Island near
Long Island, New York, four of the crew of a brig com-
manded by Captain William H. Reed, of this town. They
were: Cummings M. Torrey, mate; Alfred Simpson,
Warren F. Scott, and Gardiner Weed, seamen.
2o8 An Historical Sketch of the
Of the crew of the schooner Julietta Tilden, lost in 1867,
in Chaleur Bay, were the captain, Benjamin H. Sylvester,
and Everett F. Saunders, residents here. There have
been several persons lost sailing out of other ports at
different times who belonged here.
We have noticed two of the early physicians who prac-
tised here, and it would be proper to extend our notices to
those who came after. About the year 1824 Dr. Abiel
Reed, a native of Newcastle, Maine, came and remained
till his death, which took place not far from the year 1870.
He married the widow of Captain Benjamin S. Haskell,
and they had two children: the son was Captain William
H. Reed, who moved to Portland a few years ago; and
the daughter first married a Mr. Austin, of some town
near {Bangor, and afterward became the wife of Mr.
Levi Marshall, Jr. She is now dead. Dr. Reed was a
man of education, very well informed, and was said to be
well read in his profession; but he did not have much
success in his practice.
After him came a Dr. Abbott, who did not remain long;
but from what place he came, or went to from here, is
not known to us. His leaving town was prior to 1830.
In the year 1830, or about that time, came Dr. John
Phillips from the town of Dixmont, Maine. He was a
native of Massachusetts and remained about ten years,
and while here had considerable practice.
In 1838, or about that time, Dr. Amos A. Herrick, of
Sedgwick, came and practised till about the year 1845.
He was quite successful in his practice, and married Miss
Sarah, daughter of Pearl Spoiford, Esq. He removed to
his native place and died in a few years after.
In 1845 came Dr. Joel Richardson, a native of the
town of Eden, Maine; he remained about four years, then
removed to Rockland, where he practised till a few years
Toii'n of Deer Isle, Maine. 209
ago, removing to the State of Wisconsin. He was a
diligent student and became skillful in his profession.
In 1849 Dr. William F. Collins succeeded Dr. Richard-
son and remained till his death in 1858. He had an
extensive practice, and all who knew him had a favorable
opinion of him as a physician; his death was much re-
gretted here. He married Miss Eliza A. Spofford, the
youngest daughter of Pearl Spofford, Esq.
The general health of the inhabitants of this town has
been as good as that of other towns in this vicinity. In
1828 a disease prevailed here which was very fatal, and,
as has been understood, about sixty persons in the town
died of it. What its exact nature was, is now unknown,
but, as has been stated, of those who were attacked, every
one who was bled (as then was the practice in most dis-
eases) died, and but few recovered.
The longevity in the town w^ill perhaps compare with
that in other towns in the county. The number of per-
sons between 90 and 100 years is 3; those over 80 and
under 90 years, 23 ; those over 70 and under 80 years,
84, — in all, no over 70 years, or about 1 in 30 persons.
The following is a list of those persons, with their ages,
who have since 1833 attained the age of ninety years and
upward, and died in this town:
In 1833, Mrs. Colby, widow of Joseph Colby, aged 97.
,, 1835, Mrs. Small, widow of Job Small, aged 96.
,, 1835, Mrs. Carman, widow of Levi Carman, aged 91.
,, 1836, Mrs. Thompson, widow of Thomas Thompson, aged 91.
,, 1838, Mr. Calvin Turner, aged 90.
„ 1842, Ignatius Haskell, Esq., aged 91.
,, 1842, Mr. Elijah Dunham, aged 90.
,, 1844, Mr. Joseph Sellers, aged 92.
,, 1844, Mrs. Colby, widow of Ambrose Colby, aged 92.
„ 1850, Mrs. Raynes, widow of John Raynes, aged 91.
,, 1852, Mrs. Barbour, widow of Solomon Barbour, aged 92.
2IO An Historical Sketch of the
In 1854, Timothy Billings, aged 90.
,, 1854, John Closson, aged 90.
,, 1857, Mrs. Tyler, widow of Joseph Tyler, Esq., aged 93.
,, 1858, David Torrey, aged 90.
„ 1859, Mrs. Lunt, widow of Micajah Lunt, aged 95.
,, 1859, Major Nathan Low, aged 94.
,, i860, Francis Marshall, aged 92.
,, 1863, Peter Hardy, aged 93.
,, 1863, Naylor Small, aged 91.
,, 1863, or about that time, Mrs. Closson, widow of John Closson,
aged 91.
Mrs. Closson, widow of Nehemiah Closson, aged 91.
,, 1864, Edward Small, aged 94.
,, 1865, Joseph Clifton, aged 94.
,, 1866, Robert Campbell, aged 92.
,, 1866, Mrs. Thurston, widow of Amos Thurston, aged 91.
,, 1869, William Raynes, aged 91.
,, 1869, Mrs. Alexander, widow of Ezekiel Alexander, aged 93.
,, 1871, Mrs. Powers, widow of Dr. Moody Powers, aged 91.
,, 1872, Abijah Haskell, aged 91.
11 1873, Jonathan Haskell, aged 94.
,, 1875, Mrs. Torrey, widow of James Torrey, aged 91.
,, 1875, Mrs. Carman, wife of Frederick Carman, aged 90.
,, 1879, Mrs. Torrey, widow of David Torrey, aged 97.
,, 1882, Mrs. Porter, widow of William Porter, of Lyme, New
Hampshire, aged 93.
,, 1882, Mrs. Sarah Fifield, aged 96.
— In all, thirty-six persons.
Since the above list was compiled:
Mr. Nathaniel Robbins, born, according to entry upon the town
records, March 13, 1799, died January 27, 1902, at the age of one
hundred and two years, ten months and fourteen days, retaining
his faculties until the end. He was a son of Nathaniel and Betsey
(Colby) Robbins.
Mrs. Salome Sellers who, like Mr. Robbins, has lived in three
centuries, is now in her one hundred and sixth year, with no greater
indications of being old than are ordinarily shown by any aged
person. She was born October 15, 1800, and was the daughter of
Captain Edmund and Deborah (Cushman) Sylvester and the wife
of the late Mr. Joseph Sellers.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 211
CHAPTER IV.
Municipal and Miscellaneous.
The act of incorporation was passed January 30, 1789,
and was approved by John Hancock, as governor. By
the act Gabriel Johonnot, Esq., who then resided in
that part of the town of Penobscot now included in the
town of Castine, was authorized to issue his warrant to
some principal inhabitant, directing him to notify the
inhabitants of this town to meet at such time and place
as he might appoint, for the choice of town officers ; and
his warrant was issued March 17, 1789, to George Tyler,
Esq., who issued his notice to the inhabitants to meet
at the meeting-house — which then stood where the
Town House now stands — on Monday, April 6, at nine
of the clock in the forenoon, for the choice of town officers,
and to act upon such other business as might be neces-
ScLvy, and also to give in their votes for a governor, lieu-
tenant-governor, a state senator, and a registrar of deeds.
Pursuant to said notice the inhabitants met at the time
and place appointed and chose Thomas Stinson, Esq.,
moderator. Rev. Peter Powers, town clerk, and five
selectmen, to wit: Thomas Stinson, Esq., Captain Thomas
Robbins, Mr. William Foster, Mr. Nathan Haskell, and
Mr. Joseph Sellers; and Captain Ignatius Haskell, treas-
urer, besides other officers. The Rev. Mr. Powers during
the year resigned the office of town clerk, and Nathan
Haskell, Esq., was chosen, who was elected to said office
till the year 1803.
There was the sum of one hundred pounds voted as sal-
arj' to the minister, according to contract, which contract
212 An Historical Sketch of the
was made by the inhabitants when the call to Mr. Powers
was made, August 23, 1785. There then was an agree-
ment to build him a house thirty-six by twenty feet, of one
story, to be finished in the same manner that houses com-
monly are in country towns.
Also there was the sum of sixty pounds voted to be laid
out upon the roads, and for a man's labor the sum of four
shillings was to be allowed, and three shillings for oxen per
day. George Tyler, Esq., was chosen representative to the
General Court.
1790.
The following-named persons were chosen selectmen:
Thomas Robbins, William Foster, Joseph Sellers, Theoph-
ilus Eaton, and Thomas Stinson. There was also voted
the same sum as the year previous, for the support of
the minister, and the sum of eighty pounds for the pur-
pose of defraying town charges, and eightpence on the
pound as the collector's commission. Also the sum of
twelve shillings to Mr. Benjamin Cole for sweeping and
taking care of the meeting-house. At a meeting held
May 6 it was voted not to choose a representative. In
this and the previous year the controversy respecting the
lands in the town between the settlers and Messrs. Joseph
and George Tyler was often acted upon in the town
meetings. This year the town treasurer was instructed
to repair the meeting-house, to furnish it with glass so
that it might be comfortable, and charge the cost to the
town's account.
1791.
This year Messrs. William Foster, Caleb Haskell, and
Joseph Sellers were chosen selectmen. It was voted not
to choose a representative, and it was also voted to divide
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 213
the town into five school districts. At the same meeting
it was agreed that one school should be kept at the school-
house on Webster's land (now occupied by William R. and
Albert N. Sellers); one at or near the mill at the North-
west Harbor; one at or near Joseph Colby's at Southeast
Harbor; one at or near John Howard's, near the house at
present occupied by Mr. William E. Knight, and the other
near Jonathan Torrey's, at the comer of the road lead-
ing from the Reach to the Northwest Harbor. It was also
voted that the inhabitants upon Stinson's Neck should be
exempted from taxation for the support of schools, and
the sum of thirty-six pounds was raised for the support of
schools. If any district should neglect keeping a school
for the time according to its proportion of the money
raised for one year, such district should forfeit its pro-
portion for the use of the town. The town accepted the
house built for the Rev. Mr. Powers, and voted that it be
made a town charge.
1792.
Messrs. Caleb Haskell, Joseph Sellers, and William
Foster were chosen selectmen, and the sum of forty pounds
was voted for the support of schools. It was also voted
to raise no money for town charges. At a town meet-
ing held on the seventh day of May, it was voted not to
choose a representative, and at the same time it was voted
that all future town meetings be warned by posting up
three notifications, to wit: one at the meeting-house,
one at Haskell's gristmill, and one at Tyler's gristmill.
It was also voted to lay out a new burying-ground, and
the committee chosen for the purpose were Mr. Ezekiel
Morey, Captain fjohn Hooper, and Captain Ignatius
Haskell.
214 -An Historical Sketch of the
1793-
Messrs. William Foster, Caleb Haskell, and Joseph Sel-
lers were elected selectmen, and the sum of fifty pounds
was raised for the support of schools. The sum of fifty
pounds was raised for repair of highways, and thirty
pounds for payment of town charges. In May it was
voted not to choose a representative.
1794.
The town chose as selectmen the persons who were
elected the previous year, and voted to raise one hundred
pounds for the support of schools; also, that Babbidge's
Neck be the sixth school district and that Little Deer
Island be the seventh. In May it was voted not to choose
a representative. At a meeting held September 30, it was
voted to give the men who should voluntarily enlist, a sum
in addition to their monthly pay, to make up their wages
— eight dollars per month — for the time they should be
called into actual service, until they were discharged; three
shillings per day in case they should be called to form a
detachment.
1795-
Messrs. Job Small, Nathan Haskell, and Thomas Thomp-
son were chosen selectmen. The sum of one hundred
pounds was raised for the support of schools, the same
amount for repair of roads, and the sum of thirty-five
pounds to defray town charges. It was also agreed to
consider some proper method to build a meeting-house;
one hundred pounds was raised to be appropriated for
the purpose, and a committee of three, to wit, Messrs.
Ignatius Haskell, Thomas Thompson, and Thomas Small,
was chosen to expend the said sum in providing suitable
Toii'H oj Deer Isle, Maine. 215
timber and other materials for building. No representa-
tive was chosen this year.
1796.
Messrs. Edmund Sylvester, Joseph Sellers, and Thomas
Thompson were chosen selectmen. It was voted to release
the inhabitants of Little Deer Island from working on the
highways; also, to build a pound near the Carr^-ing place,
and stocks near the meeting-house. The sum of $100 was
voted for the purpose ; $333.34 was raised for the repairing
of highways; also. Si 66.6 7 for the support of schools. No
representative was chosen this year.
1797.
Messrs. Edmund Sylvester, Joseph Sellers, and Nathan
Haskell were chosen selectmen, and there was voted the
sum of $100 for town charges; $333.67 for schools, and
the same amount for repairing highways. No representa-
tive was chosen this year. It was voted that no person
not an inhabitant of the town should dig or carry off any
clams from any bank or flats within the limits of the town;
that the sum of fifty cents for each bushel so taken should
be the penalty, one half to the use of the town and the
remainder to the prosecutor. A committee of fourteen
was chosen to see that the said vote should be put into
execution.
1798.
Messrs. Joseph Sellers, Edmund Sylvester, and Nathan
Haskell were chosen selectmen, and no money was voted
for the support of schools. One hundred pounds was
voted for the repairing of highways and Si 00 for the pay-
ment of town charges. This year Captain Ignatius Has-
kell was chosen representative to the General Court. In
November a town meeting was held for the purpose of
2i6 An Historical Sketch of the
agreeing upon some suitable method of supplying the
preaching for the coming winter, as the Rev. Mr. Powers
was unable to fill the pulpit through infirmity and sick-
ness. A committee was chosen, and it was instructed to
apply to Mr. Ebenezer Eaton, if he could be obtained.
1799.
At the annual meeting in April the persons who were
elected the previous year were chosen selectmen. The
sum of three hundred dollars was raised for the support of
preaching. A committee was chosen for the purpose of
providing for the pulpit, and a committee of one from each
school district to provide teachers for the several school
districts. Three hundred dollars was raised for repair of
highways, one hundred dollars for the payment of town
charges, and the same sum for the ptirchase of military
stores. At the meeting in May it was voted not to send
a representative, which vote was reconsidered at a meet-
ing on the twenty-seventh day of the month. The town
agreed to send one on the condition: " That he should
bring no additional expense on the town, and procure two
bondsmen for that purpose." Messrs. Joseph Tyler and
Peter Hardy offered themselves as such for any person
whom the town should chose, and were accepted by the
town. George Tyler, Esq., was elected representative.
This 3^ear there was a controversy between the town
and Mr. Josiah Crockett, who claimed a lot of land sold
by the town to Mr. Ebenezer Webster, for the support of
a pauper. Mr. Crockett had recovered the land at an
action-in-law, and after considerable expense the matter
was settled with the occupant of the land under Mr.
Webster, of whom he had purchased it. The sum paid by
the town was six hundred dollars.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 217
1800.
This year Messrs. Joseph Tyler, Prescott Powers, and
Edmund Sylvester were chosen selectmen. It was also
voted that when any vote which was of importance should
be called for, it should be by written ballot, and after such
a vote should be declared, it should not be disputed. This
was to apply to all future meetings. The committee form-
erly chosen to supply the pulpit was instructed to engage
the Rev. Mr. Page, if he could be obtained. The sum
of $332, was raised for the support of preaching, $250
for the support of schools, $333.33 for repairing highways;
and $100 for the payment of town charges was voted.
The selectmen were directed to take measures to prevent
the setting of fires in dry times and the carrying firebrands
about so as to expose the property of individuals, by
drafting some orders; to annex fines and penalties for
the breach thereof, and to procure the approbation of
the Court of Sessions to the same, that it might become
a town law. In May it was voted not to send a repre-
sentative; there being 17 votes in favor of, and 36 against,
sending one.
iSoT.
This year Messrs. Joseph Tyler, Jonathan Haskell, and
Prescott Powers w'cre chosen selectmen. The following
sums were voted: S300 for the support of preaching, and
$100 to pay town expenses. There appears not to have
been any sum raised for the repair of highways, only the
town was to furnish two thousand feet of two and one-half
inch plank for the use of the bridge over Tyler's Mill-
stream. It was also voted that each district should
raise its own money to keep its schools and pay its teachers ;
also, that a new valuation l^e taken, and that " no per-
son should use firelight in taking fish within the limits
2i8 An Historical Sketch of the
of the town, under the penalty of thirty dollars for each
barrel so taken." Joseph Tyler, Esq., was this year chosen
representative. At the same meeting, which was held
in May, the sum of two hundred pounds was voted for the
purpose of repairing the highways. In December a meet-
ing was held, and it was voted that the treasurer should
call on Mr. George Tyler's bondsmen to refund the money
which said Mr. George Tyler took out of the treasury at
Boston, with which the town was taxed as " represen-
tative's pay," agreeably to a vote of that meeting at which
he was chosen. By reference to the doings of the meeting
in May, 1799, the matter will be understood.
1802.
This year Messrs. William Foster, Jonathan Eaton, and
Ignatius Haskell were chosen selectmen, and Messrs,
Edmund Sylvester, Caleb Haskell, and David Angell,
assessors. The following sums were voted: $330 for the
support of preaching, $330 for the support of schools,
$150 to defray town charges, $600.67 fo^ repairs of high-
ways; that one half of these sums should be paid in six
months, and the remainder in one year. At the meeting
in May it was voted not to choose a representative.
1803.
This year Messrs. Joseph Tyler, Chase Pressey, and
Jonathan Haskell were chosen selectmen, and Mr. Pres-
cott Powers, town clerk. The following sums were raised:
$333-33 for the support of schools, $666.66 for repairs
of highways. At the meeting in May it was voted not
to send a representative. At the same time the sum of
$100 " was raised for the support of the gospel, $200 for
town use, and $150 to provide a town stock of powder,
Town oj Deer Isle, Maine. 219
lead, flints, kettles, etc.," and it was voted that no man
should carry a firebrand off his own land between sunset
and sunrise, on penalty of five dollars. In July of the
same year the sura of $100 was raised for the support of
the gospel, and $50 in addition for contingent expenses.
The sum of $50 was taken from that which had previously
been raised to procure a stock of powder. At a meeting
held in October it was voted to give Rev. Joseph Brown
a call to settle over them in the ministry and to pay him
$400 yearly as salary. He was to have the use of the
parsonage lot, and the expenses of moving his family and
furniture were to be paid, also to furnish him a residence
until a parsonage house was built. In November it was
voted to build a parsonage house and a bam of the dimen-
sions of thirty by forty feet, said building to be finished
by the first day of November, 1804.
1804.
This year Messrs. Jonathan Haskell, Chase Pressey, and
Joseph Tyler were chosen selectmen. Fifty dollars was
raised for the support of the poor, $300 for town charges,
$421 to pay the salary of the Rev. Mr. Brown and arrear-
ages, $1,000 for the purpose of building the parsonage
house and bam, $600 for repair of highways; and that
each district vote and raise its own school-money. At
the meeting in May it was voted not to send a representa-
tive. In November the sum of $300 was raised for the
purpose of repairing Long Cove Bridge. On August 14,
Rev. Joseph Brown was installed over the church here.
1805.
This year Messrs. Jonathan Haskell, Chase Pressey,
and Prescott Powers were chosen selectmen. The fol-
2 20 An Historical Sketch of the
lowing sums were raised: $700 for town charges, $200
for support of schools, $50 for payment of frame of the
parish barn, and $600 for repairs of highways and bridges.
In May, $160 was raised for the purpose of finishing the
parsonage bam, and $75 for digging a well near the house
on the parsonage lot. A new valuation was voted to be
taken by one of the assessors. It was voted not to send
a representative to the General Court.
1806.
This year Messrs. Jonathan Haskell, Nathan Haskell,
and Chase Pressey were chosen selectmen. There were
voted, in addition to the sum raised for the salary of the
Rev. Mr. Brown, the following sums: $250 to pay up
arrearages, $100 to lay out on the parsonage house, $300
for town charges, $400 for schools, and $600 for repairs
of highways; and, although the warrant contained an
article for the choice of a representative, nothing is shown
by the records that action was taken upon the subject.
1807.
Messrs. Jonathan Haskell, Nathan Haskell, and David
Angell were chosen selectmen. It was voted that there
should be but one constable and that William Young be
constable. The following sums were raised: $400 for
the salary of the Rev. Mr. Brown, $150 for town charges,
$400 for support of schools, and the vote upon the sum
to be raised for repairs of highways was postponed till
the meeting in May; $80 was raised for the support of
the poor. At the meeting in May it was voted not to
send a representative, and it was voted to give a bounty
to destroy crows; the sum of $700 was raised for the
purpose of repairs of highways and bridges. At a sub-
sequent meeting, held on the twenty-eighth of the same
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 221
month, the sum of $300 was \'oted, in addition to the
sum before raised, for repairs of highways, and also S50
additional for town charges.
1S08.
This year Messrs. Jonathan Haskell, Nathan Haskell,
and Pearl Spoftord were chosen selectmen. Besides the
salary of the Rev. Mr. Brown, the following sums were
raised: $50 for the support of the poor, $200 for the sup-
port of schools, $800 for highways and bridges, and $250
for town charges. It was voted that the taxes be paid
into the treasury in quarterly payments; also, to pass
over the petition of James Eaton and others, praying to
be excused from paying the minister's salary. In May
it was voted not to send a representative. This year
Messrs. Hezekiah Lane, James Eaton, and others peti-
tioned the General Court that they might be incorporated
into a religious society, by the name of the First Baptist
Society of Deer Isle ; and at a meeting held on the twenty-
sixth of December the town voted to remonstrate to the
General Court against it, and a committee of three was
appointed to draft the remonstrance.
1809.
On January 1 7 it was voted at a town meeting that the
town disapproves the embargo laws then in force, and a
petition was voted to be made to the General Court for
relief under the said law, for the distressed and em.bar-
rassed situation of the people here. At the annual meet-
ing Messrs. Nathan Haskell, Pearl Spofford, and David
Thurlow were chosen selectmen. It was voted to release
James Eaton and fifteen others from paying their money
toward a minister tax. The usual sum was raised for
22 2 An Historical Sketch of the
the salary of the Rev. Mr. Brown, $200 for town charges,
$250 for schools, and $800 for highways and bridges.
This year Captain Pearl Spofford was chosen representa-
tive.
1810.
This year Messrs. Nathan Haskell, Pearl Spofford, and
Chase Pressey were chosen selectmen. The salary of the
Rev. Mr. Brown was raised, $300 for support of schools,
$100 for arrearages on account of poor, $76 for expense
on the account of poor for this year, $60 to purchase a
stock of powder, $110 due Captain Ignatius Haskell on
account of interest money, $100 for town expenses, and
$500 for highways and bridge. It was also voted to tax
the Baptists with others for minister tax, and allow those
who belonged to that society to receive their part of the
same, to appropriate to their own religious use. Pearl
Spofford, Esq., was chosen representative at the meeting in
May.
1811.
Messrs. Jonathan Haskell, Nathan Haskell, and Pearl
Spofford were chosen selectmen this 3^ear. The following
sums were raised: $420 for salary of the Rev. Mr. Brown
and the Baptist brethren, $600 for highways, $130 for sup-
port of the poor, $400 for schools, $200 for town charges,
and $40 to complete the town's military magazine and to
replace ammunition that might be drawn out on muster
days. In May two representatives were chosen, namicly,
Captain Ignatius Haskell and Pearl Spofford, Esq., and an
additional sum of $276 was raised toward defraying town
charges. A vote was at the same time passed adverse to
setting off the District of Maine into a separate State.
The representatives from this town were instructed to
oppose it.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 223
This year Messrs. Nathan Haskell, Pearl Spofford, and
Joshua Haskell were chosen selectmen. In addition to
the salary of the Rev. Mr. Brown, the following sums were
raised: $400 for schools, $500 for highways and bridges,
$200 for a bridge over Tyler's Millpond. The other votes
relative to the raising of money were deferred till another
meeting, at which the sum of $250 was voted to defray
the expense of the poor and town charges. Pearl Spofford
and Prescott Powers, Esquires, were chosen representatives.
At a meeting held on the eighteenth of July, it was voted
that the selectmen be authorized to petition the govern-
ment of the United States, or some suitable officer of the
United States Army, for one or more companies of United
States soldiers, to be stationed on Deer Isle for defence of
the same. Also that the selectmen be authorized to peti-
tion the Governor and Council of this Commonwealth for
the loan of sixty muskets and four four-pound guns for the
defence of the town, and that the late detachment from
the militia may not be taken away from the town. This
same year at a town meeting held on the fifteenth day of
August, resolutions were passed reflecting strongly upon
the then present administration, and the declaration of
war; but at that time party feelings ran high and led to
acts of indiscretion and violence of language.
1813.
The board of selectmen elected the former year was
re-elected, and $500 was raised for the repair of highways
and bridges, $400 for support of schools, and the usual sum
as salary of the Rev. Mr. Brown. At a meeting in April
several amounts were voted for town purposes. Messrs.
Prescott Powers and Pearl Spofford were chosen represen-
2 24 -'^'^ Historical Sketch of the
tatives, and the vote raising $400 for support of schools
was reconsidered, and no sum was raised for the purpose
at the meeting. A remonstrance was voted against re-
moving the courts from Castine to Buckstown, now
Bucksport.
1814.
At a meeting held on the thirty-first of Januar}', reso-
lutions were passed relative to the late embargo law,
and it was then voted that they be presented to the Gen-
eral Court. At the annual meeting the board of select-
men for 18 1 3 was re-elected, and the following sums were
voted: $400 for minister's salary, and the same amount
for support of schools. At a meeting on the fourth of
April the sum of $100 was voted for town expenses, and
it was voted to build a pound. In May Nathan Haskell
and Frederick Spofford, Esquires, were elected repre-
sentatives. In November a meeting was held, and it
was then voted to make a new assessment of all town
taxes before assessed, leaving out the state tax; also to
indemnify the assessors and collector from all costs and
damages that might hereafter arise on account of not
assessing the county tax and not collecting the state and
county taxes. The town ordered the assessors not to
assess the county tax for 18 14.
In August, this year, the United States frigate Adams
ran upon a ledge near Isle au Haut and the guns on board
v/ith other articles were landed. A tent was erected for
the accommodation of some of her crew who were sick
of the scurvy. She had several prisoners-of-war on board.
Her captain employed the late Mr. Robert Knowlton
and his brother, who had a small vessel that was em-
ployed in fishing, to carry their prisoners to Thomaston,
the part of which is now Rockland. While on their pas-
sage there they made an attempt to take the vessel, but
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 225
Mr. Knowlton and his brother were very resolute and
gave them to understand that it would not be safe for
them to undertake it. They then became quiet and were
carried to their place of destination. The ship was got
off the ledge and went up the river to Hampden, where, a
short time after, she was blown up by her captain — Morris
— in order to prevent her falling into the hands of the
British, who took possession of Castine shortly after she
was taken up the river.
During the latter part of this year, or in the earlier part
of 18 1 5, an English brig loaded with beef, pork, and
salmon, with a deckload of lumber, sailed from Castine for
the West Indies. Her mate was a resident of this town.
While sailing down the bay she was intercepted by an
American privateer who gave chase to and fired upon her.
Finding escape impossible the brig ran into Small's Cove,
and went aground upon the bar at its mouth, the priva-
teer following and continuing firing which was answered
by the brig. After the brig grounded, the privateer an-
chored as near as was safe and, by firing, disabled her.
The noise of the guns attracted many people to the spot,
and soon quite a large crowd was gathered. One of their
number, having a gun, fired at the lieutenant of the priva-
teer, who had gone aloft to look out. The brig was taken
possession of by the officers of the privateer; they gave
the inhabitants permission to take the lumber or other
articles of which her load was composed, and a prize-
master was put on board. During the night a number
of persons assembled with the intention of retaking the
brig and carrying her back to Castine. The prize-master
escaped to the shore and was lost in the woods, and in
the morning went to the house of an inhabitant who did
not sympathize with the enemy, and was carried to a
place of safety. The lieutenant of the privateer was on
2 26 An Historical Sketch of the
board the brig and would have fired into the mob, as it
certainly was, had not some one of the inhabitants taken
what powder there was to be found on board her. She
had guns on board, which, if loaded and discharged into
the crowd, might have done much damage, and at the
time it was fortunate that the powder was carried off. He
heard the names of the persons assembled called over, and
learned by whom they were headed, but the attempt
to retake her was unsuccessful. The next day the brig
was taken off. The captain of the privateer, armed, came
on shore and took the mate who was among others assem-
bled there, and by threats comipelled him. to go with him
on board the privateer which took the prize to Wiscasset,
where she was condemned. Not long after the prize-
master was taken over to Thomaston, but the inhabitants
here were cautious, for fear that what the}^ did might be
the cause of trouble to them from the enemy. The British
at Castine did not thank their sympathizers here for what
they did, as they said " they were able to fight their own
battles." It was said that the captain of the privateer
intended to retaliate upon the persons in the company
whose names he heard called over, by raising a company
of persons engaged in the business of privateering, and
coming here and doing to the individuals whatever damage
he was able, but as peace was soon proclaimed, it was not
done. With all the charity we have, we can see no excuse
for the act of attempt to retake. It was one of the cases
in which political feelings vent themselves in acts not to
be justified, as the practice of privateering was allowed
by all nations at the time. If it had been attempted in
the case of a prize taken by a United States armed vessel,
it must, of course, have been treason, as it would have fallen
within the limits of its definition given in the Constitu-
tion. The act was long remembered to the prejudice of
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 227
those engaged in it. Thirty years afterward one of their
number was a candidate for an office of respectability,
when the charge was brought up. He was interrogated
about it in the public town meeting and admitted it, while
his competitor was one of those who enlisted and served
through the War of 181 2, and was honorably discharged.
This shows us that if any one comes before the people as
a candidate for their suffrages, there is always some one
who remembers his wrongdoings.
1815.
The board of selectmen for 18 14 was re-elected. It was
then voted that the state and county taxes for the year
18 1 4 be assessed and committed forthwith. By the records
of that year we find they were not assessed, and we are
at a loss to discover why. Six hundred dollars were raised
for the highways and to complete the town pound, $400
for the Rev. Mr. Brown, and the same amount for schools.
It was also voted that " no swine should be allowed to go at
large upon the commons or highways in the town with or
without yokes and rings." In May Messrs. Nathan Haskell
and Pearl Spofford, Esquires, were elected representatives.
At a meeting on the third day of April the sum of S300
additional was voted for the support of the poor and for
town charges. At a meeting on the tenth of June it was
voted to choose sixteen men as a committee to assist the
tithingmen of the town to enforce the due observance of
the Sabbath, and for the suppression of intemperance in
said town. The committee was: Messrs. Deacon Joshua
Haskell, William Foster, Benjamih Cole, John Howard,
James Jordan, Chase Pressey, Courtney Babbidge, Nathan
Low, Peter Hardy, Jr., William Greenlaw, William Stin-
son, John Scott, Pelctiah Barter, Elijah Dunham, Thomas
Robbins, and Josei)h Whitmore.
2 28 An Historical Sketch of the
1816.
This year the previous board of selectmen was chosen.
The sum of $300 was voted to defray town charges and
support the poor, $400 for repair of highways and to
finish the pound, $400 for support of schools. In May
Messrs. Pearl Spofford and Prescott Powers, Esquires,
were elected representatives. For a choice of a delegate
to attend a convention to be held in Brunswick in the
month of September, a meeting was held in August, and
Pearl Spofford was chosen. On the question of a separa-
tion of the District of Maine from Massachusetts there
were given: for the separation, none; against it, one
hundred and sixty votes. This year there appears to have
been no salary for the Rev. Mr. Brown.
1817.
This year Messrs. Ignatius Haskell, Jonathan Haskell,
and Frederick Spofford were elected selectmen. It was
voted " that the overseers expose for sale at public auction
the poor of the town to the lowest bidder on the day of
the next annual April meeting." Four hundred dollars was
voted for highways and bridges, and $600 for support of
schools. In May Messrs. Frederick Spofford and Nathan
Haskell, Esquires, were elected representatives, and the
sum of $500 was voted to pay town charges and support
the poor. The vote for the sale of the poor was amended
so as to allow the overseers to dispose of them, and apply
town moneys for their support at their own discretion.
1818.
This year the board of selectmen for the previous year
was elected. Three hundred dollars were voted for repairs
of highways and bridges, and $400 for schools. At a
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 229
meeting in April the sum of $400 was raised for town
charges and for the poor. In May Messrs. Pearl Spofford
and Hezekiah Rowell, Esquires, were elected represen-
tatives, and the latter was chosen to fill the vacancy in
the board of selectmen occasioned by the death of Fred-
erick Spoflford, Esq. Mr. Benjamin Cole was chosen
sexton.
1819.
This year Messrs. Ignatius Haskell, Jonathan Haskell,
and Joseph Noyes were elected selectmen. The sum of
$400 was raised for the support of schools, and $600 for
repair of highways and bridges. In May the sum of $900
was voted for town expenses and support of poor, $200 to
pay the Rev. Mr. Brown for betterments on the parsonage,
and the article for raising money for the support of the
gospel was passed over. Messrs. Pearl Spofford and
Hezekiah Rowell, Esquires, were elected representatives.
In July the question of a separation of Maine from Massa-
chusetts was acted upon, and there were given in the
affirmative twenty, and in the negative eighty-eight votes.
In September a meeting was held for the choice of dele-
gates to attend the convention for the purpose of forming
a State Constitution. Messrs. Ignatius Haskell and Asa
Green were chosen, and the Constitution was voted upon
at a meeting in December. The number of votes in
favor was twenty-two, and in the negative one.
1820.
This year Messrs. Ignatius Haskell, Nathan Haskell,
and Joseph Noyes were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$400 was voted for the support of schools, $600 for high-
ways, and $400 for the support of the poor and the pav-
ment of town charges. At the meeting a committee was
230 An Historical Sketch of the
chosen " to prevent non-residents from digging clams in
the town." It was also voted that the selectmen and clerk
prepare and forward a petition to the First Legislature
praying in behalf of the town, " that the Circuit Courts
of Common Pleas may be abolished, and such courts estab-
lished as a substitute in each town, and such extension
of power given to justices of the peace as the Legislature
shall think fit and proper." Pearl Spofford, Esq., was
elected representative to the Legislature of Maine, and
the votes were as follows: For Pearl Spofford, 92 votes;
for Asa Green, 70; Ignatius Haskell, 7; and Samuel
Allen, 6.
This year Messrs. Pearl Spoft'ord, Stephen Babbidge,
and Richard Warren were elected selectmen. The sum
of $200 was raised for town charges and $600 for the
same purpose for the year previoiis, $400 for the sup-
port of the poor, $300 for support of schools, and $500
for repair of highways and bridges. It was also voted
to sell the poor, at auction, and there follows a list of
such unfortunate persons as were disposed of under this
vote. At the annual election in September Hezekiah
Torrey was elected representative, having 60 votes, to 54
for Asa Green, 2 for Solomon Haskell, and i for Hezekiah
Rowell, Esq., and in the February following five persons
were licensed as retailers of spirits under the law then in
force.
1822.
The board of selectmen for the year previous was chosen.
The sum of $450 was voted for town expenses and sup-
port of poor, $736.80 for schools, and $800 for highways
and bridges. For representative, Richard Warren was
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 231
elected, having 68 votes. Ignatius Haskell, Esq., had 65
votes, and Mark Haskell i.
1823.
This year Messrs. Pearl Spoflford, Richard Warren, and
George Kimball, Esquires, were chosen selectmen. The
sum of $750 was raised to defray town charges, $736.80
for schools, and $1,000 for highways and bridges. At the
annual election in September, Solomon Haskell, Esq.,
was chosen representative, having 96 votes to 51 for
Hezekiah Torrey, Esq.
1824.
This year Messrs. Solomon Haskell, Stephen Babbidge,
and Peter Hardy, Jr., were chosen selectmen. The sum
of S3 50 was voted for town charges, $736.80 for schools,
and $1,000 for highways and bridges. It was voted that
the expense of assessing and collecting taxes, together
with the fees of the treasurer, be taken out of the school-
money. It was also voted to defend the law case of the
town with the town of St. George on account of the Welch
family. At the election in September Deacon William
Stinson was elected representative, having 69 votes to 40
for Stephen Babbidge, 16 for George Kimball, Esq., 2 for
John Foster, and i for Asa Green.
1825.
This year Messrs. Solomon Haskell, Peter Hardy, Jr.,
and Samuel Webb were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$400 was voted for town charges, S736.80 for schools, and
$1,000 for highways and bridges. It was voted to provide
rations for soldiers on the days of inspection and review.
George Kimball, Esq., was elected representative, having
232 An Historical Sketch of the
106 votes. No other person was voted for, as appears by
the records.
1826.
This year Messrs. Solomon Haskell, Samuel Webb, and
Joseph C. Stinson were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$550 was voted for town charges and support of the
poor, $736.80 for schools, and $1,000 for highways and
bridges. It was voted to pay each soldier twenty
cents in cash instead of rations otherwise provided by
law. At the election in September William Webb
was elected representative, having 55 votes to 32 for
David Thurlow, 7 for Stephen Babbidge, and 2 for Edward
Haskell.
1827.
This year Messrs. Joseph C. Stinson, Jonathan E. Webb,
and Stephen Babbidge, Jr., were chosen selectmen. The
following sums were voted: $736.80 for schools, $750 for
town charges and support of poor, and $1,000 for high-
ways and bridges. It was voted not to impose a tax on
dogs, and twenty cents to soldiers on duty once a year.
At the election in September Rev. Abijah Wines was
elected representative, having 62 votes to 11 for Joseph
C. Stinson, 7 for Stephen Babbidge, 7 for David Thurlow,
and I each for Stephen Babbidge, Jr., and Peter Hardy,
Jr. There was an article in the warrant for a town
meeting on the same day, to see if the town would pay a
bounty on foxes, but it did not pass.
This year Messrs. Solomon Haskell, Stephen Bab-
bidge, and Nathan Low were chosen selectmen. The
sum of $700 was voted for town charges and support
of poor, $1,000 for highways and bridges, and $736.80
Toiv)i of Deer Isle, Maine. 233
for schools. Captain David Thurlow was elected repre-
sentative, having 54 votes to 4 for Nathan Low and 2 for
Stephen Babbidge.
1829.
This year Messrs. Nathan Low, Daniel Johnson, and
William Babbidge were chosen selectmen, and the follow-
ing sums were voted: $500 for town charges and support
of the poor, $1,000 for highways and bridges, $736.80 for
schools. It was voted to pass over the article respecting
militia rations, and to have the town orders on interest
taken up by the treasurer. At the annual election in
September John P. Johnson, Esq.. was elected representa-
tive upon the fourth ballot, having 53 votes to 44 for
Michael Small.
1830.
This year the board of selectmen for the previous year
was re-elected, and it was voted that the treasurer issue
warrants against all collectors of taxes prior to 1829,
from whom there were any moneys due, after giving
them sixty days' notice. The collectors for 1829 were
to have three months after they were ordered by the
assessors to pay it in, after which the treasurer was in-
structed to issue his warrant for the payment of what
was then due, and that of the tax for this year one half
was to be paid in six months and the remainder in one
year from the date of the bills. The sum of S600 was
raised for town charges, $1,000 for highways, $736.80
for schools, and it was voted that the overseers of the
poor sell the poor at auction if they see fit. Mr. Samuel
Webb was elected representative, having 120 votes to
50 for Mr. Joseph Noyes, 37 for Solomon Haskell, 7 for
Jonathan Presscy, and 3 for other persons who were
ineligible.
234 ^^ Historical Sketch of the
1831.
This year Messrs. Stephen Babbidge, Jr., WilHam Bab-
bidge, and Asa Turner were chosen selectmen. The fol-
lowing sums were voted: $1,300 for town charges and
support of the poor, $2,000 for highways and bridges, and
$900 for schools. It was voted that the selectmen do not
draw any orders until first knowing that the money was
collected by the collectors and in the treasury, and that
the collectors pay in one fourth of their collection in three
months, one half in six months, and the remainder on
or before the next April; if not, a warrant was to be
issued by the treasurer. Mr. Stephen Babbidge, Jr.,
was chosen representative, having 84 votes; Mr. Joseph
Noyes, 35; Avery Fifield, 22; Peter Hardy, 10; and Edward
Haskell and Mark Haskell i vote each. It was voted that
the annual meetings be held on the first Monday in March
after that time.
This year the celebrated riot took place at the North-
west Harbor, and it is proper that a histor^^ of its cause
and consequences should be given. For some two years
previous there had been in progress a radical reform in
the minds of a large part of the community all over the
country with regard to the use of ardent spirits, as it had
grown to be an alarming evil. To persons who do not
remember those days it would now seem very surprising
that the habit was then so prevalent, involving conse-
quences so serious. Almost every man at that time
made use of spirituous liquors; drinking was the rule,
abstinence the exception. The evils so often portrayed
respecting the degradation, poverty, crime, and distress
caused by it have not been exaggerated, and we all know
that it has been a most fruitful theme. In 1829 public
opinion had become so thoroughly awakened with regard
to it that a movement was begun for its suppression.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 235
Societies for the promotion of temperance were formed
all over the country, and the members were by their
opponents styled " cold water men." No one who used
liquor would admit that he made an immoderate use;
neither was he a drunkard, but only a " moderate drinker,"
and so freely was it then used on almost all occasions,
that, had the liquor then been so injurious as it now is,
a great addition would have been made to the number of
deaths in the community yearly. The practice was in-
dulged in by the clergy as well as the people, and no
class was exempt from it. No doubt a great deal of mis-
directed zeal was put into the work, but it v/as of such
proportions that it called for the efforts of every one who
had the welfare of the community at heart. Man}'- who
had been in the habit of its use abandoned it and became
temperance people for a while at least, and although some
returned to its practice, many held out ever after. Com-
paring the state of public opinion at the present day with
that of those times, a great change has been wrought, as
is visible to any whose recollection enables them to have
a knowledge of those days. Previous to that time the
laws of this State empowered the selectmen, clerks, and
treasurers of towns, to grant licenses to such persons as
they judged proper for the retailing of liquor. The sum
paid for such licenses was put into the town treasury.
The selectmen also had power, if in their judgment any
jjerson was intemperate, to make out a list of such and
post it up in the shops of all persons engaged in retailing
liquor, forbidding the sale of it to the persons named. If
the order was disregarded, the seller laid himself liable to
a fine, and his license to be taken from him. The prac-
tice was styled " posting," and it was considered by those
subjected to it a great disgrace. Within my own recol-
lection I have seen several of these lists put up in such
236 An Historical Sketch of the
places. After the change in pubHc opinion the law of
licenses was repealed, and many abandoned the traffic, but
some still kept on, and it was several years before it
ceased entirely in this town. This year a complaint was
made to a justice of the peace against two persons for
illegal sale, a warrant was granted and arrests made in
each case, and when the day of trial came, a large crowd
of those whose sympathies were upon the side of liquor,
gathered. A drum was beaten and a swivel was fired
during the time of the trial which resulted in the convic-
tion of the persons complained of, who paid their fines
with the costs accrued. After the close of the trial the
complainant and his friends left the place where it was
held (the store of Pearl Spofford, Esq.), and when he went
into the street he was knocked down by one of the rioters,
but his friends surrounded him and conveyed him to a
place of safety, where he remained till night, when he was
escorted home. A warrant was afterward procured for
the arrest of three persons, including one of the persons
convicted of illegal sales, for a participation in the riot,
and they were carried to Castine, where an examination
was had. They were bound over to the court, but at its
term the grand jury failed to find a bill, which might not
have been the case had the occurrence happened a few
years later. For many years the complainant, who
was a very worthy man, was the subject of a very strong
prejudice on the part of those who were not friendly to
temperance.
1832.
This year a meeting was held on the sixth day of Feb-
ruary, at which a committee was chosen to remonstrate to
the Legislature against the removal of the courts from
Castine to Ellsworth, and John P. Johnson, David Angell,
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 237
and Solomon Haskell were chosen, by whom a remon-
strance was drafted. At the annual meeting Messrs.
William Webb, Robert Campbell, and Asa Turner were
chosen selectmen. The following sums were voted:
$1,300 for town charges, $1,000 for highways and bridges,
and S900 for support of schools; and a vote was passed,
authorizing the selectmen to grant licenses for the sale of
liquors, and also one for the limits of the company com-
manded by Captain Ignatius Haskell, 3d. At the election
in September, on the third ballot, Henry Wilson, Esq.,
was elected representative, having 63 votes to 49 for
Robert Campbell and 7 for Asa Turner.
1833-
This year Messrs. William Webb, Peter Hardy, and
Henry Wilson were chosen selectmen. The following
sums were raised: S600 for town charges and support of
the poor, $900 for support of schools, and $1,000 for
repairs of highways and bridges. At the election in
September Captain Peter Hardy was elected representative,
having 76 votes to 54 for Jonathan Pressey and 5 for
H. Wilson.
1834.
The lioard of selectmen for the previous year was elected ;
Si, 000 was the sum voted for town charges and support
of poor, S900 for support of schools, and $1,000 for high-
ways and bridges. At the election in September, on
the fifth ballot, Richard Warren, Esq., was elected repre-
sentative, having 105 votes to 45 for Mr. Andrew Small.
1835-
This year Messrs. William Webb, Joshua Pressey, and
Edward Small were chosen selectmen, and Si, 000 was
238 Alt Historical Sketch of the
voted for payment of town charges and support of poor,
$900 for schools, and $1,000 for highways and bridges.
Avery Fifield, Esq., was elected- representative, having 76
votes to 48 for Richard Warren, Esq., 6 for Jonathan
E. Webb, Esq., 2 for John Turner, Esq., and i for Mr.
Samuel Small, Jr.
1836.
The board of selectmen for the previous year was
chosen; $1,000 was the sum voted for town charges and
support of poor, $900 for schools, and $1,500 for highways
and bridges. The town voted against the sale of ardent
spirits. Joseph C. Stinson, Esq., was chosen representa-
tive, having 84 votes; William S. Green, 40; Samuel
Small, Jr., 13; Jonathan E. Webb, Esq., 16; Peter Hardy,
2, and J. Sellers, 3d, i vote. Upon the question of the
shire town which was before the meeting, there were
given for Castine 145 votes, and for Bluehill i.
1837.
This ^'^ear Messrs. Solomon Haskell, Peter Hard)'', and
Richard Warren were chosen selectmen. The follow-
ing sums were voted: $800 for town charges, $900 for
schools, and $1,000 for highways and bridges. This year
the surplus revenue was divided among the towns in the
State by the Legislature, and it was voted to receive this
town's share. Captain Peter Hardy was chosen to receive
it from the treasurer of the State, and to conform to all
the requirements of the act which shall be obligatory
upon the town; and he was also required to give bonds
for the faithful discharge of his trust. It was also voted
to choose five trustees to manage the said money, and
Messrs. Edward Small, Avery Fifield, Stephen Babbidge,
Pearl Spofford, and Robert Campbell were chosen, who
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 239
were not to loan more than the sum of $300 to any one
person; and the town was authorized to borrow a sum
not over Si, 000 nor less than $700 to be applied for the
payment of the debts of the town, and pay interest on
same, and the interest on said moneys was to be appro-
priated for the support of schools. In May two persons
were chosen trustees in the places of Messrs. vStephen
Babbidge and Robert Campbell, who had declined, and
Messrs. Peter Hardy and Samuel Whitmore were chosen.
At the election in September, upon the third ballot, Cap-
tain Jacob Carlton was elected representative, having
130 votes to 98 for Jonathan E. Webb, Esq., and 16 for
Mr. William S. Green.
1838.
This year Messrs. John P. Johnson, Joseph C. Stinson,
and John Turner, 2d, w^ere chosen selectmen, and $500
was voted for town charges and support of poor, $900 for
schools, and Si, 000 for highways and bridges; also the
sum of S872.76 for the money borrowed from the surplus
fund, and said fund was voted "to be divided among the
inhabitants of the town per capita.'' At the annual elec-
tion Captain Peter Hardy was elected representative,
having 200 votes to 186 for Solomon Haskell, Esq., and
4 for Jonathan E. Webb, Esq.; and at a town meeting
held upon the same day, on the proposition to set ofiE
what is now the tow^n of Isle au Haut into a separate
town, it was passed by a unanimous vote.
1839.
This year Messrs. Solomon Haskell, Richard Warren,
and Joshua Pressey were chosen selectmen, and the sum
of S800 was voted for town charges and support of poor,
S900 for schools, and $1,400 for highways and bridges.
240 An Historical Sketch of the
Samuel Whitmore, Esq., was elected representative upon
the second ballot, having 158 votes to 137 for Jonathan
E. Webb, Esq.
1840.
This year the board of selectmen for the previous year
was elected, and $800 was voted for town charges and sup-
port of the poor, $900 for schools, and $1,000 for highways
and bridges. It was voted to pass a by-law to prevent
any persons from playing ball in the highways. It was
was also voted to hold the persons who took the census
for the distribution of the surplus fund accountable for all
omissions in their respective lists. At the election in
September, Captain William Webb was elected represent-
ative, having 235 votes to 198 for Captain David Haskell,
1841.
This year Messrs. William Webb, William Babbidge,
and George L. Hosmer were elected selectmen; the sum
of $1,250 was voted for town charges, $1,100 for schools,
and $1,000 for highways and bridges. At the election in
September, William S. Green, Esq., was elected represent-
ative, having 173 votes to 128 for S. G. Pressey, David
Haskell, 20, A. A. Herrick, 4, and Samuel Small, i. Upon
the question of reducing the number of representatives
to 151, it was voted. Yes. At a town meeting upon the
same day, it was voted that the town meetings should be
held at the meeting-house near the house of Richard War-
ren, Esq., by 138 in the affirmative to 103 in the negative.
1842.
This year Messrs. Ignatius Small, George L. Hosmer,
and Charles Eaton were chosen selectmen. It was voted
that the selectmen might hire a suitable man to assess
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 241
the taxes. The sum of $1,200 was voted for town charges
and support of the poor, $1,140 for schools, and $2,500
for highways, etc. It was also voted that the overseers
of the poor be instructed to contract with some suitable
person, or persons, for the maintenance of the poor, for
a reasonable compensation for any term of years not
exceeding five, and require bonds for the same. In con-
formity with the said vote, said overseers made a con-
tract with Mr. Edward Small for said support for five
years, for the sum of $485 yearly, he paying no expense of
paupers out of the town and none until their delivery to
him. This year an attempt was made, in consequence of
some alleged mistake in the copy of the warrant for the
meeting, to choose the officers that were by law required
to be chosen at the annual meeting, in the place of
such as had been chosen at the said meeting. A number
of persons assembled at the time and place named for the
purpose, under a warrant from a justice of the peace, the
selectmen having refused to call said meeting. Ofhcers
were then and there chosen, but said officers did not
attempt to act. At the election in September Captain
Asa Turner was elected representative, having 162 votes
to 83 for Jonathan E. Webb, Esq.; Joseph Weed, Jr., 3;
John Turner, i; William S. Green, 2; James Saunders, 2,
and 3 were blanks.
1843-
This year Messrs. Richard Warren, William Webb, and
George L. Hosmer were elected selectmen, and $1,140 was
the sum voted for schools, $1,000 for town expenses,
S350 for payment of surplus fund, and $1,400 for high-
ways. Aver\' Fifield was elected representative, having
91 votes, besides 29 on Isle au Haut, which was organ-
ized so to have the privilege of voting separately for state
2 42 An Historical Sketch of the
and county officers and members of Congress. Samuel
Small, Jr., had 34; David Haskell, 38; Michael H. Pres-
sey, 2, and Crowell H. Sylvester, i vote.
This year Messrs. Joseph Sellers, 3d, Amos A. Herrick,
and Abijah Haskell were elected selectmen; $1,140 was
voted for schools, $1,000 for current expenses, $264 for
payment of money borrowed of the surplus-revenue fund;
and $1,000 for highways and bridges. It was also voted
that the future meetings be held at the Northwest Harbor.
In April a town meeting was held for the purpose of tak-
ing into consideration the building of a Town House. It
was voted to build one, and the sum of $400 was raised
toward the purpose. The next annual election was held
in said house. In September Captain John Gray was
elected representative, having 257 votes to 190 for John
Torrey.
This year Messrs. Peter Hardy, Jr., Levi Weed, and
George L. Hosmer were elected selectmen; $1,140 was
raised for schools, $1,200 for town expenses, and $1,200
for highways, $75 to be used for the repair of the bridge
over Tyler's Milldam. Mr. William Babbidge was elected
representative, having 119 votes; 83 for Mr. Joseph Sellers,
2d; Hale Powers, 11; and Peter Hardy, Jr., and M. H.
Presse5^ i each.
1846.
This year Messrs. Henry A. Noyes, Michael H. Pressey,
and George L. Hosmer were elected selectmen; $1,140
was the sum voted for schools, $1,200 for current ex-
penses, $1,500 for highways and bridges, and $150 for
the Town House. Mr. Samuel Small, Jr., was elected
representative, he having upon the fourth balloting 133
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 243
votes to 50 for Franklin Closson, Esq.; 42 for William
Haskell; 9 for Ambrose C. Gordon ; 5 for William Stinson,
Jr., and i for William S. Green. At a town meeting on
the same day it was voted to choose a new board of trustees
for the surplus-revenue fund, and George L. Hosmer,
Samuel Whitmore, Benjamin F. Ferguson, Edward Small,
and Michael H. Pressey were chosen,
1847.
This year Messrs. George L, Hosmer, Benjamin F.
Ferguson, and Ignatius Small were chosen selectmen;
$1,140 was the sum voted for schools, $1,300 for current
expenses, $1,500 for highways and bridges, and $100 to be
expended upon the Town House. William S. Green was
chosen as a member of the board of trustees of the sur-
plus-revenue fund in place of Michael H. Pressey, who
declined, Solomon Haskell, Esq., was elected representa-
tive, having 83 votes to 79 for John Thompson and 3
for William E. Powers.
This year Messrs. Samuel Small, Jr., Benjamin F. Fer-
guson, and Gideon Hatch were elected selectmen; $1,500
was raised for town charges and support of the poor, the
same amount for highways and bridges, and $1,140 for
schools. In September Charles A. Spofford, Esq., was
elected representative, having 136 votes to 113 for Benja-
min Raynes and 15 for Hale Powers. At a meeting held
the same day a committee of three, to wit, Messrs. Thomas
Saunders, Solomon Haskell, and Pearl Spofford, Esq.,
was chosen to settle with John P. Johnson for a right
of way through his sawmill, and that the town make
all necessar}' repairs in order to make said way safe for
travel.
244 ^^^ Historical Sketch of the
1849.
This year Messrs. Solomon Haskell, Levi Babbidge, and
Franklin Closson were chosen selectmen; $1,600 was
voted for current expenses, $1,140 for schools, and $1,200
for highways and bridges. The wages of men for labor
on the roads was fixed at 125 cents per hour; for boys in
proportion, according to what it was worth; for oxen
from 8 to 12 cents, and plows from 33 cents to $1 per day.
The selectmen were to designate the several school dis-
tricts by numbers, as they had before been known by local
names, and the selectmen were authorized to sell lands
that had become forfeited to the town for non-payment of
taxes. John Turner, Esq., was elected representative,
having 115 votes; Henry Lufkin, 90; Samuel E. Powers,
21, and N. W. Sawyer, 2. On the question of changing the
time of meeting of the Legislature from May to January,
there were 134 votes in the affirmative to 39 in the nega-
tive.
1850.
This year Messrs. Franklin Closson, George L. Hosmer,
and Ignatius Small were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$2,000 was voted for current expenses, $1,140 for schools,
and $1,200 for highways and bridges. Henry A. Noyes,
Esq., was elected representative, having 114 votes to 82
for John Thompson; Samuel E. Powers, 9; William S.
Green, 4; and Albion Haskell, Ignatius Haskell, Wil-
liam H. H. Spofford, and Nathan W. Sawyer, i each.
1851.
This year Messrs. Samuel Small, Franklin Closson, and
Aaron B. Raynes were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$1,700 was voted for current expenses, $1,221 for schools,
and $1,200 for highways and bridges. It was voted to
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 245
give the surveyors of highways warrants of distress, and
the selectmen were instructed to prosecute, in behalf of
the inhabitants of the town, for the sale of intoxicating
liquors contrary to law. This year no representative was
elected, as no election was held in September.
1852.
This year Messrs. William Webb, F. P. Spofford, and
Aaron B. Raynes were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$1,700 was voted for current expenses, $1,215 ^^^ schools,
and $1,000 for highways, which last sum was to be sepa-
rately assessed, and in case any person did not work
out or pay his tax during the municipal year the same
was to be committed to the collector. It was also voted
to instruct the assessors to tax personal property that had
been conveyed as collateral security and held in other
towns, namely, owners of interests in vessels who have the
control and earnings of the same, although they have no
bill of sale. William Webb was elected representative,
having 113 votes to 63 for F. A. S. Colby, 17 for William
E. Powers, 14 for A. C. Gordon, 2 for Franklin Closson,
and I each for Thomas Dow and John Thompson.
1853-
This year Messrs. F. P. Spofford, A. B. Raynes, and
Scth Whitmore were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$1,215 was voted for schools, $1,700 for current expenses,
and $1,000 for highways and bridges. Samuel Smith was
elected representative, having 79 votes; William F. Collins,
74;Thomas T. Low, 32; William Stinson, 14; William Bab-
bidge, I. At a town meeting held on the same day of
the annual election, an article was acted upon relative
to the vote passed the year previous in regard to vessel
246 An Historical Sketch of the
property, but the town instructed the assessors to adhere
to the vote of the previous year.
1854.
This year Messrs. William Webb, F. P. Spofford, and
Aaron Babbidge were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$1,700 was raised for current expenses, $1,525 for the
support of schools, and $1,500 for highways and bridges.
It was voted that the selectmen contract with some person
to vaccinate the inhabitants of the town for the purpose
of protection from the smallpox, and the sum of $25
was voted for the purpose. Captain Benjamin Raynes
was elected representative, having 131 votes to 92 for
Benjamin S. Wood, and 31 for Nathan Low, Jr.
1855-
This year Messrs. Henry A. Noyes, Jeremiah Hatch,
Jr., and Amos Howard were chosen selectmen. The sum
of $1,700 was raised for current expenses, $1,525 for the
support of schools, and $1,000 for repairs of highways and
bridges. It was voted that the poor be kept in the house
on the Weed Farm, now owned by the town, and that the
overseers of the poor be vested with the requisite author-
ity to carry the same into effect. Benjamin F. Stinson,
of Swan's Island, was elected representative, having 162
votes to 134 for Solomon Barbour, and i for David
Pressey.
1856.
This year Messrs. William Webb, Frederick P. SpofiEord,
and Ignatius Small were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$1,525 was voted for schools, $2,800 for current expenses
and support of the poor, and $1,200 for repairs of highways
and bridges. It was voted that if any damage should
happen on the highway in consequence of the negligence
Toivn of Deer Isle, Maine. 247
of the surveyors, the selectmen were instructed to proceed
with them according to law. It was also voted to instruct
the overseers of the poor to make sufficient accommoda-
tions at the poorhouse for the paupers, and to bind out all
paupers that they have a chance to. Charles A. Spofford,
Esq., was elected representative, having 207 votes to 176
for James Turner, 2d, and 17 for Joshua H. Sellers.
1857-
This year Messrs. Franklin Closson, Thomas Warren,
and Benjamin S. Wood were chosen selectmen. The
following sums were voted: $2,500 for current expenses,
$1,525 for schools, $1,200 for repairs of highways and
bridges, and $100 of the sum raised for current expenses
was to be appropriated for the road leading to Babbidge's
Neck, which road was changed to its present location.
Mr. William Babbidge was elected representative, but the
records do not show how many votes were cast for the
several candidates.
1858.
The board of selectmen for the previous year was
re-elected. The following sums were voted: $1,809 ^or
support of schools, $2,500 for current expenses, and
$1,200 for highways and bridges. It was voted to finish a
room in the Town House for the use of the selectmen, etc.
In June there was a meeting to act upon the license law
of 1856. In its favor were 11, and against it 51 votes.
At the election in September William S. Green, Esq.,
was elected representative, having 225 votes to 171 for
T. B. Pickering.
1859.
This year Messrs. George L. Hosmer, Levi B. Crockett,
248 An Historical Sketch of the
and George C. Hardy were chosen selectmen. The follow-
ing sums were voted: $1,809 ^o^ schools, $2,500 for cur-
rent expenses, and $1,200 for highways and bridges,
besides $50 in cash to be expended upon the road from
near the house of William E. Knight to Nathan Low's
house, and $100 for the road leading from land of Samuel
Small toward Green's Landing. At the election in Sep-
tember, Mr. Ebenezer Joyce, of Swan's Island, was elected
representative, having 135 votes to 134 for Franklin
Closson, Esq. It was voted to accept the bridge leading
on to Babbidge's Neck, which had been huilt about thir-
teen years ago by individuals, the greater part by Samuel
Whitmore, Esq., as a public way, and the sum of $125
was voted for repairs of same.
i860.
The board of selectmen for the previous year was
chosen. The following sums were voted: $2,500 for
current expenses, $1,820 for schools, $1,200 for highwaj'^s
and bridges, $100 for the purchase of two iron safes for
the use of the selectmen and treasurer, and $25 in cash
for repair of a road. The use of the town landing on Isle
au Haut was granted to Captain John Kempton. It was
also voted that no abatement of taxes be made to any
person who might neglect to bring in a list of his property
to the assessors according to law, unless he was unable
to do so b}'- absence. Mr. Ignatius Small was elected
representative, having 243 votes to 176 for F. M. Holden,
and 37 for A. C. Gordon.
1861.
This year Messrs. Henry A. Noyes, Ambrose C. Gor-
don, and David T. Warren were elected selectmen. The
sum of $2,154 was voted for schools, $2,500 for current
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 249
expenses, and $1,500 for highways and bridges. On the
eighteenth of May a meeting was held, at which it was
voted that the selectmen and treasurer be instructed to
furnish reasonable and necessary assistance to the families
of such of the volunteers from the town in the service of
the United States as may need it; that they be author-
ized to borrow, upon the credit of the town, a 5um neces-
sary'- for the purpose, not exceeding $2,000, and that a sum
not exceeding $2.50 per month be allowed for each mem-
ber of the families, to commence at the date of the enlist-
ment. In September Thomas Warren, Esq., was elected
representative, having 227 votes to 3 for other persons.
1862.
This year Messrs. George L. Hosmer, Ambrose C. Gor-
don, and John Robbins were elected selectmen. The
following sums were voted: $2,500 for current expenses,
$1,500 for schools, and $1,000 for highways and bridges.
It was voted that the vote of the previous year respecting
aid to families of volunteers, to furnish aid to such as, in
the judgment of the selectmen, needed the same, be passed,
and that the sum so furnished to any one family should not
exceed $10 per month. It was provided further that the
volunteer whose family applies for assistance shall, when
practicable, send to his family the sum of $10 monthly,
and that the town orders for such aid be payable in eight
months from their dates. At a meeting held July 26, it
was voted to pay a bounty of $100 to each volunteer who
might be accepted by the United States, and that the
treasurer be instructed to borrow, upon the credit of the
town, a sum sufficient for such puri)ose and interest; that
any person who might loan money for the purpose, if such
sum should exceed his tax, the excess should be paid with
interest, and a receipt from the treasurer should be evi-
250 An Historical Sketch of the
dence of the sum loaned. On the 30th of August the
town voted that the sum of $100 be paid to each person
who entered the service as a drafted person, or as a sub-
stitute for any person drafted. The selectmen were
instructed to borrow, upon the credit of the town, a sum
sufficient, with interest, for the purpose; and a committee
of three, namely: Charles A. Spofford, Thomas Warren,
and F. M. Holden, was chosen to negotiate for, and pro-
vide, volunteers; also, that the selectmen be instructed
to provide them with means for the purpose. This year
William S. Green, Esq., was elected representative, having
132 votes to 81 for Seth Webb, and i vote each for William
Webb and Henry A. Noyes. At a town meeting on the
day of the September election, the sum of $1,000 was
voted for the payment of expenses incurred for support
of families of volunteers up to the i8th of March, 1862,
and that all orders drawn for said support after said
date be made payable in six months, interest after. The
sum of $2,000 was voted for payment of supplies of the
latter class; also, that the said sums be assessed and
committed to the collectors of taxes and to be paid before
the first day of March, 1863.
1863.
This year Messrs. William Webb, A. C. Gordon, and
Ignatius Small were chosen selectmen. The following
sums were voted: $2,500 for current expenses, $2,156 for
schools, $2,000 for the support of families of volunteers,
$2,000 for the purpose of payment of bounties to volun-
teers and substitutes. The selectmen were instructed to
borrow of citizens of the town a sum in addition, to pay
the money due, borrowed out of town, with interest, and
one year's interest of what was borrowed in the town;
that the sum now raised be assessed as a tax separate from
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 251
the state, county, and town taxes. The sum of $1,000
was raised for highways and bridges. At the election in
September Sullivan Green, Esq., was elected representa-
tive, having 322 votes to 147 for Daniel L. Carlton.
At a town meeting it was voted to pay Si 00 to every
drafted man who might be accepted by the United States.
On the 28th of November a vote was passed to pay a
bounty to each volunteer or drafted man who might
procure a substitute, who should be credited to the
town, or those who might enter the naval service and
be so credited; that the selectmen be authorized to
borrow, upon the credit of the town, on the most favor-
able terms that they might be able; that said bounty
be paid when the person receiving it entered the service
and was placed to the credit of the town. The selectmen
were instructed to call a meeting when they should ascer-
tain what the exigencies of the case might require. At
a town meeting by request of the citizens of the town,
on the thirtieth day of December, it was voted to instruct
the treasurer of the town to borrow, on the most favor-
able terms as to time of payment and interest, the sum
necessary to pay the bounties referred to in the vote
at the last town meeting, on the same conditions of enter-
ing the service and being placed to the credit of the town.
The number was not to exceed the number required of
the town under the last call. A committee of three was
chosen, to wit, Messrs. Sylvanus G. Haskell, town treas-
urer, A. C. Gordon, and F. M. Holden, to procure volun-
teers or substitutes, and the last named were instructed
to borrow money (in case the treasurer should neglect
to do so) in order to carry out the instructions given
said treasurer, and that the town be bound to abide by
their doings in the matter. Also the sum of $50 was
voted to each person not an inhabitant of the town who
252 An Historical Sketch of the
shall enlist and be credited to this town. A vote was
passed giving each drafted man, or his substitute, or volun-
teer, under the last call for three hundred thousand men,
who should be placed to the quota of the town either in
the land or naval service, the sum of $300, not to exceed
the number of said quota. The treasurer was instructed
to borrow a sum sufficient for the purpose. At a meeting
in January, 1864, the milldam was purchased of John P.
Johnson, as a town road, for the sum of $475. It was
voted to build a bridge across the place where the mill
formerly stood. The committee for the purpose was
Messrs. M. H. Lufkin, David Haskell, Nathan Low,
H. T, Lufkin, and A. J. Beck. They were to make a plan
of a permanent bridge, to let the job out to some respon-
sible person, or persons, by contract, and in the mean-
time to cause a temporary bridge to be put up.
1864.
This year Messrs. George L. Hosmer, Charles A. Spof-
ford, and William Torrey were elected selectmen. The
following sums were voted: $2,800 for current expenses,
$2,156 for schools, $1,500 for aid to families of volunteers
and drafted men, $2,500 for interest and for payment of
the town debt, and $1,000 for highways and bridges. A
new valuation was directed to be taken, and there was a
vote directing the selectmen to sell the mill privilege,
remove the stone, and sell the building at auction. A vote
was also passed forbidding the sale of firecrackers, and
for the payment to Daniel W. Low and Mark T. Low
of $100 each as compensation for having put each a substi-
tute into the army for three years, the same being credited
to the quota of the town. On the twentieth day of August
a meeting was held; it was voted to pay $25 for the ex-
pense of recruiting each person entering the land or naval
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 253
service and placed to the credit of the town, or for each
volunteer so entering. The selectmen were to act as
agents in filling the quota, and, if necessary, to appoint
assistants. Benjamin F. Ferguson, Esq., was elected
representative, having 218 votes to 121 for M. H. Lufkin,
On the sixth day of October a town meeting was held.
It was voted to pay to each person entering the service
of the United States, toward filling the quota of the town
under the last call of the President for troops, the sum
of $300, and that notes for said sum be issued by
the selectmen, payable in one year with interest. On the
eighth day of November, it was voted to instruct the
treasurer to hire such a sum of money as might be neces-
sary to pay the notes that had become due, upon demand
of the holders, upon the most favorable terms as to time
and interest. It was also voted to instruct the selectmen
not to give any person a note for a larger sum than was
paid for a substitute.
1865.
The board of selectmen for the previous year was
chosen; $3,600 was the sum raised for current expenses,
$2,157 for schools, $1,000 for highways and bridges, and
S750 for payment of enlisting fees; $100 was voted to
Joel H. Powers and the same to Charles H. Martin for
entering the service as drafted men in 1863. It was
voted to instruct the selectmen and treasurer to issue
bonds for the sum of $300 to each person entitled to the
same, with interest redeemable in fifteen years, with cou-
pons for interest semi-annually at six per cent. Said
bonds were issued in sums of $300 and $100 for those
persons who entered the service under the call in July,
1864, for five hundred thousand men, and the call in
December for three hundred thousand men. In conform-
2 54 -^'^ Historical Sketch of the
ity with said vote the selectmen and treasurer issued
bonds to the amount of $30,000, which were paid to the
persons entitled to receive them. The treasurer " was
instructed to borrow a sufficient sum to pay the notes
given to those entering service by themselves as volun-
teers, or drafted men, or by their substitutes," which
notes were given up by the holders upon the receipt of
the bonds in exchange.
This year closed the war. The total expense of the
town for war purposes was $59,128, or about one fifth of
the value of the property as by the valuation of the
assessors, and one sixth as fixed by the state valuation;
perhaps nearly as much more was paid by private individ-
uals for substitutes; in some cases under the last calls
$600 was paid. It left us with a heavy debt in proportion
to our valuation, which was small in proportion to our
population. By the census of i860 the population was
3,592 — a much larger proportion, compared with our
property, than most other towns in the county. Quite a
large proportion of the debt was paid by exchange of
state for town bonds. The amount received from the
State was $22,400. The whole number of men credited
to the town was 314, at a cost of $208 for each recruit.
The following-named persons, residents here, were either
killed or died in the service:
John S. Gray. John L. Harris.
Charles Gray. Caleb Harris.
Solomon Gray. Isaiah V. Eaton.
George Spaulding. William S. Toothaker.
Alva Emerson. Farnham Haskell.
Harlan P. Powers. Nathaniel Robbins, 2d.
Albion P. Stinson. Otis S. Greenlaw.
Solomon Stinson. Alexander Henderson.
Alfred M. Robbins. John Henderson.
Hezekiah H. Robbins.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 255
In all, nineteen persons. Several others returned with
constitutions seriously impaired.
At a meeting, April 12, an additional sum of $539 was
voted for support of schools, and at one held June 18 it
was voted to issue bonds to such persons as procured
substitutes up to March 5. Another matter was acted
upon which it is proper here to explain. During the early
part of the present year some persons contributed the
sum of $28 each to raise a fund to procure substitutes,
and among them were some who did not pass examination
with the surgeon, while others went into the service or
put in substitutes. Those who were rejected by the sur-
geon applied to the town for repayment on that ground,
and the town at said meeting voted to pay said sum to
such persons as put into the service substitutes or vol-
unteers and had not received back the sum they paid.
Thus they rejected the claims of those who did not pass
examination, as it was not in conformity with any vote
of the town that the sum was raised by the persons, but
was, on their part, a voluntary act. Any one was for-
tunate who escaped with no greater loss; but as usual in
such cases, the persons who were thus relieved of liability
to service could not view it in such a light. At the elec-
tion in September Mr. Ambrose C. Gordon was elected
representative, having 139 votes to 91 for H. T. Carman,
and at a meeting on the same day the sum of Si, 800 was
raised for payment of interest on bonds.
1866.
This year Messrs. William Webb, Thomas S. Fifield, and
John Thompson were chosen selectmen. The sum by law
required was voted for schools, being seventy-five cents
per inhabitant; S6.000 was voted for current expenses and
interest on bonds, 81,700 was raised for the drafted men
256 An Historical Sketch of the
who furnished substitutes or entered the service them-
selves, the sum of $25 each to those persons who had not
received such sum under a former vote for enlistment ex-
penses, provided that each person had received a town note
for $300, and it was not to be paid until said note was
exchanged for a town bond. The same was voted to pay
such persons as had paid commutation money, and $775
was raised for the purpose. At the election in Septem-
ber Captain Levi B. Crockett was elected representative,
having 182 votes to 114 votes for Joseph Saunders.
1867.
This year Messrs. George L. Hosmer, Ignatius Small,
and John Thompson were chosen selectmen. The fol-
lowing sums were voted: $8,000 for current expenses
and interest, $2,696 for schools, for the repair of highways
and bridges the sum of $1,500 in labor and $500 in cash.
At a meeting on June 3, a vote was had upon the act for
the suppression of " drinking-houses and tippling-shops."
Thirty-nine votes were in favor and two in the negative.
Mr. John Stockbridge, of Swan's Island, was elected rep-
resentative, having 152 votes to 74 for William H. Reed.
1868.
This year Messrs. George L. Hosmer, Ignatius Small,
and A. C. Gordon were chosen selectmen. The follow-
ing sums were voted: $4,500 for current expenses, $1,000
toward the town debt, $2,000 for interest, $1,500 in labor
on highways, $100 for purchase of material for bridges,
and $2,696 for schools, and to all persons who paid their
tax before the first day of August, six per cent, discount,
but nothing after that date. George L. Hosmer was
elected representative, having 351 votes to 184 for Stephen
D. Higgins. Upon the amendment to the Constitution
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 257
authorizing " a limited reimbursement of war expenses by
loaning the credit of the State," there were 536 votes in
the affirmative to none in the negative.
1869.
This year Messrs. William Webb, Henry A. Noyes, and
Richard Warren were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$4,000 was voted for support of the poor and payment of
town charges, $2,000 for interest, $3,595 for schools,
$1,500 for highways and bridges, also $1,000 toward pay-
ment of the town debt. It was also voted to purchase the
Town Hall in the Masonic Building for a town house and
selectmen's office, and sell in exchange, as far as it would
go, the present Town House, provided the same could be
done on fair and equitable terms. This vote was not
carried into effect. At the election in September Mr.
Samuel W. Campbell was elected representative, having
140 votes to 52 for James Turner, 2d, 63 for Stephen D.
Higgins, and 20 for Jonathan Eaton. At a meeting
upon the day of the annual election, the vote respecting
the purchase of a part of the Masonic Hall was before it,
and was passed over.
1870.
This year Messrs. George W. Spofford, William Small,
and George C. Hardy were chosen selectmen. The
following sums were voted: $5,000 for current expenses,
$3,592 for schools, $1,200 for interest, $1,000 to be paid
upon the town debt, $200 in cash on a road from Aaron
Babbidge's to William Dunham's, $175 for shingling the
Town House, and $1,500 for highways, but to such persons
as might work out their taxes before July 4, it shouldjbe
credited on the tax, and the balance was to be paid 'in
money. The treasurer was instructed to obtain the
258 ^ An Historical Sketch of the
state bonds and exchange them, according to a previous
vote. Mr. Aaron B. Raynes was elected representa-
tive, having 168 votes to 98 for F. M. Holden, 16 for
John Smith, 2 for Oliver van Meter, and i for C. H. S.
Webb.
1871.
This year the board of selectmen for 1870 was chosen.
The sum of $3,500 was voted for current expenses,
$3,417 for schools, $1,500 in cash for highways, to be
expended under the supervision of commissioners to be
appointed by the selectmen, and $500 for interest; besides,
there was the sum of $200 voted to pay damage to Mr.
Aaron Babbidge, William Dunham, and Serena M. Thurs-
ton, for the road leading from Burnt Cove over their lands
to the Southeast Harbor, and $25 for road damage to
Clara A. Williams at Green's Landing. Mr. Ebenezer
S. Fifield was elected representative, having 165 votes
to 84 for Captain Caleb W. Haskell.
1872.
This year Messrs. George W. Spofford, A. C. Gordon,
and Samuel Judkins were chosen selectmen. The fol-
lowing sums were voted: $4,000 for current expenses,
$4,000 for schools, $1,000 for interest, and $1,500 for
highways, to be expended by the following-named persons
as commissioners: William P. Scott, Andrew S. Trundy,
and Eben Eaton. It was voted to tax dogs one dollar
per head. Mr. John Robbins was elected representative,
having 290 votes to 153 for Mr. William Stinson.
1873-
This year Messrs. William Small, Joseph C. Judkins,
and F. B. Ferguson were chosen selectmen. The sum of
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 259
$3,000 was voted for current expenses, and the sum re-
quired by law for support of schools, $1,000 for interest,
and $1,500 in labor on the highways. It was voted to
empower the selectmen to investigate the sales of lands
belonging to the town and see if any conveyance had been
fraudulently made. The sum of $200 was raised to be
expended on the new road from the granite quarry of
R. Warren & Company to the main road, and $50 to be
expended in filling up the channel on the bar leading to
Little Deer Island. Mr. William Babbidge was elected
representative, having iii votes to 54 for Mr. Hardy
Lane.
1874.
This year Messrs. Joseph Saunders, Levi B. Crockett,
and John Robbins were chosen selectmen. Mr. Saunders
afterward resigned, and his place was filled by Mr. George
W. Spofford. The sum of $2,000 was voted for current
expenses, $2,800 for schools, $1,000 for interest, and
$3,000 in labor for highways, $500 to be reserved for clear-
ing them of snow, and $50 for a road leading from near
the house of John McDonald to the house of Job Goss, 2d.
On the question of building a new jail at Ellsworth the
vote was: Yes, o; No, 148. It was also voted to estab-
lish two high schools, and the sum of $500 was raised for
the purpose. George Tolman, Esq., was elected represent-
ative, having 226 votes to 61 for Samuel Smith, and 26 for
George L. Hosmer.
1875-
This year Messrs. Levi B. Crockett, John Robbins, and
George L. Hosmer were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$3,000 was voted for current expenses, $2,550 for schools,
$500 for high schools, $3,000 in labor on highways, and
the same sum as the i)revious year reserved for clearing
26o An Historical Sketch of the
the roads of snow, $i,ooo for interest, $25 for a road near
Mr. Samuel W. Campbell's, and $50 for filling up the chan-
nel on the bar leading to Little Deer Island. Sylvanus
G. Haskell, Esq., was elected representative, having 296
votes to 81 for David T. Warren, Esq.
1876.
This year Messrs. William Torrey, William Small, and
Martin V. B. Green were chosen selectmen. The sum of
$3,000 was raised for current expenses, $2,500 for schools,
$500 for a high school, $1,200 for interest, and $1,800 for
highways and bridges, and the sums remaining due on the
first day of November were to be committed to the collec-
tors of taxes to be collected the present year. It was
voted to exempt the wharf owned by the Bangor
Machias Steamboat Company from taxation for ten years.
Mr. Martin V. Babbidge, of Swan's Island, was elected
representative, having 268 votes to 173 for A. O. Gross.
1877.
This year the board of selectmen for the previous year
was elected. The follov/ing sums were voted: $2,000
for current expenses, $2,500 for schools, $1,300 for inter-
est, and $1,800 for highways, and for men's labor twenty
cents per hour was voted. It was also voted to allow the
deaf-mutes to draw their school-money for their benefit, to
be educated at Hartford, Connecticut. Captain Seth
Webb was elected representative, having 178 votes to
121 for George M. Warren and 29 for Charles S. Torrey.
Upon the amendment to the Constitution providing that
no person should vote unless he had paid a tax within two
years preceding the election in which he proposes to vote,
the vote stood: Yes, 36; No, in; and with regard to the
provision limiting municipal debts the vote was: Yes, 147.
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 261
1878.
This year Messrs. Martin V. B. Green, A. C. Gordon,
and Moses S. Joyce were chosen selectmen. The follow-
ing sums were voted: $1,000 for current expenses, $2,500
for schools, $1,500 for interest, $1,500 in labor on high-
ways and bridges. Charles A. Russ, Esq., was elected
representative, having 168 votes to 157 for Captain Ben-
jamin G. Barbour.
1879.
This year the selectmen for the previous year were
chosen. The following sums were voted: $2,500, or
what the law requires, for schools, $1,500 for current
expenses, $1,200 for interest, and $1,500 for labor on high-
ways. It was voted to instruct the treasurer to ascertain
on what terms he might be able to fund the town debt
and report at a meeting in September; also, what part of
the same would be taken in this town. One hundred and
fifty dollars were voted as compensation to Mrs. Thomas
Small for injuries received upon the highway ; that in tak-
ing the valuation for the present year, all persons were to
be put under oath. Charles H. S. Webb, Esq., was elected
representative, having 221 votes to 169 for Rodney K.
Witherspoon. Upon the question of biennial sessions of
the Legislature the vote stood 93 yeas to 4 nays.
1880.
This year Messrs. George W. Spofford, Edwin P. Cole,
and A. C. Gordon were elected selectmen. The sum of
$2,000 was raised for current expenses, $2,500 for schools,
$1,000 toward payment of the town debt, $1,200 for
interest, and $2,000 in labor on the highways and bridges.
Upon the question of the debt of the town, as the time
for the payment of the princijjal upon the bonds issued in
262 An Historical Sketch of the
1865 had arrived, it was voted to issue new bonds with
coupons, payable semi-annually, not to exceed five per
cent, for interest. Said bonds were to be of the denomi-
nation of one hundred dollars, payable in ten years from
March 6, 1880, and were to be exchanged for those out-
standing; or, if sold, not to be under their par value. The
sum of $100 was voted to be expended upon the Ocean-
ville bridge; it was also voted to enact a code of by-laws
concerning truants and children between the ages of six
and seventeen years not attending school; also, $50 was
voted to be expended toward filling up the channel at the
northern end of the bar leading on to Little Deer Island.
Captain Seth Webb was elected representative, having
343 votes to 193 for Moses S. Joyce and one for Martin V.
Warren. Upon the question of the election of governor
by a plurality vote, there were in the affirmative 125, to
184 in the negative. Upon the amendment changing the
terms of office of senators and representatives, there were
129 in the affirmative to 168 in the negative.
This year Messrs. George W. Spofford, George H. How-
ard, and George W. Redman were chosen selectmen. The
sum of $2,500 was voted for current expenses, $2,613 for
schools, $1,300 for interest, $200 for repair of the Ocean-
ville (or Babbidge's Neck) bridge, and $30 for repairs of
the road on Greenlaw's Neck. This year no election was
held in September, as the Constitution had been changed.
This year Messrs. George W. Spofford, George H. How-
ard, and W. B. Thurlow were chosen selectmen. The
sum of $2,000 was voted for current expenses, $2,613 for
schools, $900 for interest, $140 for damages and expenses
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 263
of building a road laid out by the county commissioners
at Green's Landing, $29 to compensate Roswell P. Davis
for damage to his horse by a defect in the town road,
and $2,000 in labor on highways. It was also voted to
exempt Preston J. Tarr from taxation upon a gristmill,
to be built by him at the Northwest Harbor, for ten years.
Said Tarr had the previous year purchased the mill privi-
lege and dam on condition of the erection and mainte-
nance of a gristmill, the town retaining the right of way
and the liability of keeping it in repair for such purpose.
ECCLESI.\STICAL.
Many of the early settlers here were religious people,
and several were members of churches in the places whence
they came. They felt the deprivation of their accus-
tomed privileges very sensibly, and as soon as a suffi-
cient number could be gathered together, measures were
taken for the organization of a church. In 1773, upon
the first day of August, according to the early records of
the church, it was gathered by Rev. Oliver Noble. The
church then chose Mr. Thomas Stinson to be their moder-
ator to call the church together and preside till another
be chosen by the brethren. This record was attested by
Oliver Noble, moderator.
At a church meeting August 20, 1773, it was unani-
mously voted that Francis Haskell and Thomas Stinson
should serve as deacons in the newly erected church on
Deer Island as occasion shall serve. Nothing more is
stated in the records with regard to the doings of the
church, nor have we any knowledge whether they had a
pastor or not, until 1785, when a call was given to Rev.
Peter Powers, dated August 23 of the said year. Accord-
264 An Historical Sketch of the
ing to a vote of the church, the said call and answer there-
to were recorded in the records of the town. The vote
referred to was passed October 20, 1791, and the call was
as follows:
" We, the inhabitants of Deer Island, in the county of
Lincoln and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, having been
a number of years destitute of the ordinary means of
grace, are sensible of the supineness, ignorance, etc.,
which prevail among us, and would therefore view it our
indispensable dut}^ to God, ourselves, and our children,
cheerfully and willingly to contribute toward the settle-
ment and support of a gospel minister among us. And
as we are well satisfied with the qualifications of the Rev.
Peter Powers, his wisdom, prudence, etc., we, therefore,
the said inhabitants, do earnestly call and invite him to
settle with us in the office of the ministry; to take upon
him the care of our souls; to be our guide in the way of
the gospel truth; and to be our pastor and teacher in the
Lord. And in consequence promise that honor and obedi-
ence enjoined us in the gospel to them who are set over
us in the Lord. And as it is consistent with the divine
institution that those who labor in the gospel should live
of it, we, therefore, the said inhabitants, hereb}^ covenant
and agree with the Rev. Peter Powers, on his accepting
this our call, and becoming our teacher, then to give
to him, his heirs, and assigns forever one hundred acres
of land on said island, beginning at the easterly line of
that land called the ' parsonage ' and running across half
the front; then running back in concurrence with the
other lines until one hundred acres be included. Also,
to build him a dwelling-house twenty by thirty-four feet,
one-story, and finish the same in such manner as such
buildings are commonly finished in country towns. And
for yearly salary one hundred pounds, namely, eighty
Town of Deer Isle, Maine.
265
pounds in specie at the market price of this place and
twenty pounds in cash. In witness whereof we have
hereunto set our hands this twenty-third day of August,
in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and
eighty-tive.
Francis Haskell.
Thomas Stinson.
Mark Haskell.
George Frees.
John Frees.
Belcher Tyler.
Job Small.
John Pressey.
John Hooper.
Nathaniel Robbins.
John Frees, Jr.
Joseph Colby.
John Pressey, Jr.
Hezekiah Lane.
Stephen Babbidge.
Ignatius Haskell.
Seth Webb.
Thomas Warren.
Elijah Dunham.
Benjamin Cole.
Thomas Haskell.
Joshua Haskell.
Jeremiah Eaton.
Andrew Small.
Benjamin Small.
Job Small, Jr.
Samuel Stinson.
William Stinson.
Thomas Small.
Thomas Small, Jr.
Joseph Whitmorc.
Joseph Dunham.
Tristram Haskell.
Ambrose Con'\'.
Benjamin Rea.
John Closson.
William Raynes.
Josiah Closson.
Johnson Raynes.
John Raynes.
William Babbidge.
Joseph Colby, Jr.
Thomas Colby.
Ezekiel Marshall.
Ezekiel Marshall, Jr.
Solomon Marshall.
Joshua Marshall.
Ezra Howard.
Joseph Cole.
Edward Haskell.
Timothy Saunders.
Nathaniel Merchant.
Rolf Annis.
Benjamin Annis.
Simon Annis.
Samuel Trundy.
Nathaniel Hamblen.
William Eaton.
John Thurston.
Nathan Closson.
Charles Sellers.
Lot Curtis.
Micajah Lunt.
William Whitmorc.
John Howard.
Samuel Pickering.
Abijah Haskell.
Courtney Babbidge.
266 An Historical Sketch of the
William Greenlaw. Francis Haskell, Jr.
Elijah Dunham, Jr. Jonathan Haskell.
Peter Hardy. Ephraim Marshall.
James Saunders. Nathan Haskell.
[answer.]
Deer Island, September 17, 1785.
To the Church of Christ, on Deer Island :
Dearly Beloved in our Lord Jesus Christ, — You have in-
vited and called me to the pastoral oversight of you in the Lord, and
it appearing to be of God, after mature deliberation and prayer, I
now publicly return you my answer in the affirmative. I ask a daily
interest in your prayers for the gracious fulfillment of that great
promise: " Lo, I am with you even to the end of the world." Amen.
To the inhabitants and good people who have concurred with the
church in the call and liberally offered for my support, I thankfully
accept it, and promise through the grace of God to serve you all, the
poor as well as the rich, according to my poor ability. You will, I
trust, strive together with me in your prayers to God for me that I
may be enabled to be faithful unto the death, and present you and
your dear children faultless before the presence of our Lord Jesus
Christ, at his coming, with unspeakable joy. Finally, brethren, be
perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace, and the
God of love and peace shall be with you. So prays your pastor-elect,
PETER POWERS.
The land described in the foregoing offer became the
property of the Rev. Mr. Powers, who occupied it until
his death, when it passed to his son, Mr. Prescott Powers.
Part of it is now the property of Mr. Levi Greenlaw who
lives in the house built for Rev. Mr. Powers, probably
the oldest entire one now standing in the town.
A church covenant and confession of faith were drawn
up and subscribed to by the members of the church. It
shows that a large proportion of the adult population were
members.
May 18, 1786. It was voted that a tax of one shilling
on each communicant be paid for support of the Lord's
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 267
table, and that the sacrament of the Supper be on the
third Sabbaths in March, May, July, September, and
November.
October 20, 1791. It was voted that there be a number
of persons chosen as elders to assist the pastor and church
in church-watch for one year. At a meeting on the third
day of November, Deacon Francis Haskell, Deacon Thomas
Stinson, and brethren James Jordan, Ezekiel Marshall,
Thomas Small, George Frees, John Frees, and Nathan
Haskell were chosen. At the same time Messrs. Caleb
Haskell and Nathan Haskell were chosen deacons.
January 8, 1793. At a meeting of the church the fol-
lowing-named persons were chosen as elders: Thomas
Stinson, Caleb Haskell, Nathan Haskell, Ezekiel Marshall,
George Freeze, James Jordan, Joshua Haskell, and Thomas
Thompson. It was also voted that Caleb Haskell should
assist the pastor in keeping the church records.
Previous to this time there had been difficulties in the
church respecting the immoral conduct of members, and
but little satisfaction was obtained from the persons impli-
cated after the church had done its duty toward them,
which shows us that then, even as now, the practice of
members was not always consistent with their profession.
Several pages of the records are occupied with the history
of the dealings of the church toward them, from which we
incline to the opinion that the church and pastor faith-
fully performed their duties upon the several occasions.
We do not deem it advisable to go into a further examina-
tion of the matter, as it would at this day be productive of
no good, but would be a cause of sorrow to the descend-
ants of the persons dealt with. It may serve as an admo-
nition to all to endeavor to walk worthily, as far as we
may be able, so as to bring no scandal upon the profes-
sion.
268 An Historical Sketch of the
November 25, 1794. It was voted that the church
would not receive any members to communion from other
churches without examination, except such churches
as were known to be sound in the faith. On the tenth of
June, 1795, it was voted to hold their members bound to
attend public worship in ordinary cases when there was no
preaching. At the same time it was voted that this
church do not allow its members to go to law one with
another until their case is laid before the church and
brought to judgment in the church. It was also voted
to assist in gathering a church in Penobscot, and that
the Rev. Mr. Powers assist; and Messrs. Joshua Haskell
and Nathan Haskell were chosen delegates.
November 22, 1798. At a town meeting it was in con-
sideration to see if the town would agree upon some suit-
able method for supplying the town with preaching the
ensuing winter, as the Rev. Mr. Powers was unable to
supply the desk through infirmity and sickness. It was
voted to hire some person for sixteen Sabbaths. A com-
mittee of three was chosen, which was instructed to apply
to Mr. Ebenezer Eaton, if he could be obtained for the
above term, and as reasonably as it could. Messrs. Thomas
Stinson, Ignatius Haskell, and Edmund Sylvester were
the members of said committee.
In April, 1799, at the annual meeting, the sum of $300
was voted for supplying the pulpit for the ensuing year.
A committee was chosen for the purpose, to wit: Messrs.
Thomas Stinson, Joseph Tyler, and Caleb Haskell. At a
meeting held on the fourth of November, said committee
was instructed to apply to Mr. Ebenezer Eaton to preach
through the winter season, unless it could obtain some
other gentleman who may be as agreeable to the unani-
mous wish of the people. It was also voted to choose a
committee of three to wait upon the Rev. Mr. Powers and
Toivn of Deer Isle, Maine. 269
inform him of the wishes of the town, and sec if the same
would be agreeable to his desires, that, if Mr. Eaton
may be obtained, he may minister to the peoyjle and be on
amicable terms with Mr. Powers and not be a means of
disagreement in the association. The committee were
Messrs. Joseph Colby, Courtney Babbidge, and Nathan
Haskell.
In 1800 the Rev. 'Mr. Powers died. A notice of him
has already been given in a former part of this work.
From what we can learn he was a faithful minister, and,
for those days, liberal in his views and charitable toward
others whose opinions were not in exact unison with his
own.
During the preceding years the place of public worship
was in the old meeting-house, as it was called, but at what
time and by whom it was built we have not been able to
learn. It was stan,ding at the time of the incorporation
of the town in 1789, as the first town meeting was held
there. It was used for that purpose for many years, or
until the one was built which occupied the site of the
present one. Neither the town nor church records throw
any light upon the matter, and but very few people now
among us can remember it. It stood upon the spot now
occupied by the Town House and was sometimics used as
a schoolhouse. It was for several years in contempla-
tion to build another, and at a meeting held on the second
Monday of May, it was voted that a new one be built as
near the present one as shall be convenient. At a meet-
ing held March 16, 1793, the former vote respecting the
site of the house was reconsidered, and it was voted that
it should be built on Mr. Ambrose Colby's hill, which was
the spot occupied l)y it till its destruction by fire. At a
town meeting held April 6, 1795, it was voted to con-
sider some proper method to build the house, and the sum
270 An Historical Sketch of the
of one hundred pounds was voted for the purpose, and a
committee of three, to wit, Messrs. Ignatius Haskell,
Thomas Thompson, and Thomas Small, was chosen to
expend the above-named sum in providing suitable timber
and other materials for building. At a meeting held
October 8, the same year, the building committee laid a
plan before it, providing that the dimensions of the house
should be fifty-four by forty-eight feet, which was accepted,
and Messrs. Thomas Robbins and Jonathan Eaton were
added to the committee. As the location formerly agreed
upon was not satisfactory to some of the people, the mat-
ter was acted upon, and there was a majority in favor of
adhering to the vote of March 16, 1793. At the annual
meeting in March, 1796, it was voted that the committee
be renewed and empowered to go on with the building.
In August of the same year it was voted to accept
the proceedings of the committee procuring the frame
and raising it. It was also voted to give the frame, as it
then stood, to any one who had or might subscribe to
finish the same. The records of the town show us no
further in the matter. It was built chiefly by Ignatius
Haskell, Esq. He was the grantor in the deeds by which
the pews were conveyed to purchasers, one of which is on
record in the town records, dated April 18, 1803. He
was a large proprietor, and at his death, in 1841, owned
several pews.
After the death of the Rev. Mr. Powers the church had
no settled pastor for several years, and at a town meeting
held February 4, 1800, it was voted that the committee
for supplying the pulpit wait on the Rev. Mr. Page and
present the thanks of the town for his past services, and
request that he preach five Sabbaths more, as it seems
that he had been employed instead of Mr. Eaton. At a
town meeting held on April 6, 1801, it was voted to raise
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 271
money for the support of preaching. It seems that a Mr.
Johnson had been preaching to them, and in May, at
another meeting, it was voted that the committee should
apply to him to preach a few Sabbaths more, or until they
could procure another candidate. At the annual meeting
held on April 5, 1802, it was voted to give the Rev. Phin-
eas Randall a call to settle with them in the ministry, and
a committee was chosen to make out one and to present
it to him. The committee were Messrs. Caleb, Joshua,
and Nathan Haskell, and instructions were given them to
insert in the call an ofi'er to pay $600 for settlement, to be
paid in two years, and a salar}'^ of $330 yearly, with the
use of the parsonage land as long as he should continue
to be their minister, in which call the church united.
At a meeting of the church. May 10, 1802, it was voted
to follow the rules of discipline laid down by Christ in
Matthew xviii : 15, 16, and 17, and that they understood
said passage as expounded by the Apostle Paul in I Cor-
rinthians v: 11, namely, to keep no company with the ex-
communicated persons, so much as to eat at common table
with them. It was also voted to observe the rules laid
down in II Thessalonians iii: 14, that if any brother refuse
to observe the rules as laid down in the sixth verse, in
not complying with the rules of the church, to note that
brother and keep no company with him. According
to the record, those votes were unanimous, but it seems
that at a meeting on the twentieth of October, 1803,
the two votes referred to were recalled. At the same
meeting it was voted that the church invite the Rev.
Joseph Brown to settle with them in the ministry. The
deacons were instructed to make out a call. On the
thirty-first of the same month the town voted to
give him a call, and to give him a yearly salary of $400
while he supplied the pulpit, j)ayable quarterly, namely.
272 An Historical Sketch of the
$100 at the end of every three months. He was also
to have the use of the parsonage lot during said term,
to be provided with a comfortable house or part of one
till the town should build a parsonage house and barn,
and to defray the charges of bringing his family and
furniture to the town. Messrs. Thomas Stinson, Caleb
Haskell, and Nathan Haskell constituted a committee
for the purpose of waiting upon him and obtaining an
answer. The committee for the supply of the pulpit was
to provide a place of residence until a parsonage house
was built, which was not long after.
The Rev. Mr. Brown appears to have been earnest and
industrious in his calling; but from causes named in the
sketch noticing him, there seems to have been much dis-
satisfaction on the part of several members of the church
— particularly in the southern part of the town — whose
political views did not correspond with those he advocated,
as was charged, in the pulpit. Upon one occasion one
of the members of the church was brought before the
church for " accusing the minister of not preaching the
gospel," which he acknowledged; but not showing repent-
ance for the assertion, he was suspended. Afterward he
was restored. In 181 2 two members, one of whom was
the person suspended, were excommunicated for signing a
paper purporting a withdrawal from the church with
intention to form another society in the town. This was
the first step taken with a view to the formation of a
Baptist Church in the town.
In 18 18 Mr. William Stinson was elected a deacon of
the church, which office he retained till his death, in 1848.
In 1819 the death of the Rev. Mr. Brown took place, and
the family removed from the town.
After the death of the Rev. Mr. Brown the pulpit was
supplied by Rev. Abijah Wines for several years. The
Touti of Deer Isle, Maine. 273
first notice of him, in the records of the church, is June
3, 1824, when he, with his wife, was received into the
church by letters; but probably he had preached here
some time before. In 1829 the question of temperance
began to be agitated, and Mr. Wines took a very active
part. In November of that year the matter was brought
up at a meeting of the church, with the obligations of
members in respect to joining the societies organized for
the suppression of intemperance. Not long after, Mr.
Wines' connection with the church as pastor was dissolved,
as his mind had become impaired in consequence of his
earnestness in the movement, and he removed from
town. His death took place not long after. He was a
man of learning, and we believe at one time a professor
in the theological seminary at Bangor.
In 1832, Rev. Jonathan Adams, a native of Booth-
bay, Maine, moved here from the town of Woolwich.
Maine, and became pastor of the church. He continued
as such about twenty years, at a salary of four hundred
dollars and the use of the parsonage farm. In 1838 an
extensive revival of religion took place, and on August 12
fifty-seven persons were admitted to the church; on Sep-
tember 9 twenty-eight were added, and on November 4
twenty-seven were added. On November 18 twenty -nine
also were added — in all, one hundred and forty-one per-
sons. On February lo, 1839. complaints were made
against three members for imbibing sentiments different
from those of the church and for refusing to make appli-
cation to the church for counsel. Having been cited to
appear before the church, they did so on the twentieth of
the same month, and, as their remarks were not satisfac-
tory' to the church, they were suspended for si.\ months.
They afterward united with the Methodist Church which
was organized a few years after.
2 74 ^^ Historical Sketch of the
In 1852 the Rev. Mr. Adams ceased to be pastor of the
church, and removed to Boothbay, where he preached for
some time. Before his death, which took place a few
years after he removed from that place, we believe he
resided with his son. Rev. Jonathan E. Adams, now secre-
tary of the Maine Missionary Society. The year of his
death is unknown to us. He was an able preacher and
had many friends here. Of his sons only one now remains,
the one alluded to above. In 1846 his son William per-
ished at sea on board the brig Lincoln. Two others.
Captain David E. Adams and Charles Adams, were lost
at sea together in one vessel, and another — Samuel —
died at some place in the Western States. The first three
died several years before their father, and, we believe,
the latter a few years after them.
Mr. Adams was succeeded in the pastoral office by
Rev. William V. Jordan, who did not long remain. After
him Rev. William A. Merrill supplied the pulpit for a
few years. During his ministry the present house of
worship was built and dedicated, in 1858, the one built
about 1800 having been lately burned. Mr. Merrill after-
ward removed to North Deer Isle and was the first pastor
of the church there, where he remained for several years,
and built for his own use the house now owned by Mr.
George W. Holden. The last knowledge we had of him
he resided in the town of Sherman, in the county of Aroos-
took. After Mr. Merrill, Rev. Simeon Waters came here
from Iowa, and preached two years or more. The next
pastor of the church was Rev. Samuel S. Drake, who
preached here till 1867. He, also, was pastor of the church
at North Deer Isle about one year, and afterward removed
to Kittery, Maine.
In 1868 Rev. Hiram Houston became pastor of the
church. He had previously preached in Stockton and in
Towti of Deer Isle, Maine. 275
Orland, and continued as pastor here till 1881, and later
as a resident. He purchased the house and land set off
to the Rev. Mr. Drake on execution in an action aj^ainst
the parish, and made extensive repairs on the house which
was the one occupied by Mr. Brown and those who suc-
ceeded him as pastors of the church. It was built not long
after Mr. Brown became pastor. The church has now
no settled minister, nor do we know the number of its
members. It was formerly one of the largest in point
of membership in the county. Since the revival men-
tioned in 1838 there have been two, one in 1858 and one
in 1867, in both of which numerous additions were made
to the church.
THE BAPTIST CHURCH.
Allusion has been made to the dissatisfaction felt to-
ward the Rev. Mr. Brown. As a result many members
left the Congregational Church, and some time not far
from the year 1813 a Baptist Church was organized, a
branch of which extended to Isle au Haut. We think
that Rev. Samuel Allen was its first pastor, or became so
shortly after its establishment. There was at one time,
not long after, a revival, and an addition was made to its
members. We have no records of the church, nor do we
know of any, nor in whose custody they may be, if any
there are. Mr. Allen preached several years, both here
and at Isle au Haut; but dissatisfaction was felt toward
him on moral grounds, which was, if any cause really
existed, in part due to exaggeration, as is usual in such
cases. While he was pastor quite an extensive reforma-
tion took place, and many became church members. After
some years his connection as pastor was dissolved, and he
ceased to preach. A Mr. Bedell preached for some time,
principally on Isle au Haut, and after him, Elder Samuel
276 Ait Historical Sketch of the
Macomber. As the church and society were small, a suffi-
cient support could not be procured for the preacher, and
for several years there was no preaching, except occa-
sionally, until about 1844, when Rev. Leonard Mayo
became the pastor. He was pastor for some two or three
years, when he removed from this town. At the last
accounts he was residing in the town of Hodgdon, in
Aroostook County. The deacons of the church were
Messrs. Stephen Babbidge, Jr., and Thomas Stinson. A
house of worship was commenced but not finished, which
stood near the site of the present Methodist Church.
Some years after, a house of worship was built on Bab-
bidge's Neck (now Ocean ville), a large proportion of the
cost of which was borne by the late Samuel Whitmore,
Esq. Occasionally the pulpit is supplied, but at present
the church has few members.
METHODIST CHURCH.
The Methodist Society and Church were established in
1842. That year Rev. Hezekiah C. Tilton, an energetic
young man, was sent here by the Methodist Conference,
and he soon succeeded in establishing a church, which was
joined by many persons the first year, as considerable
interest was manifested. The building occupied b}'- the
Baptist Church was occupied by them until 1843, or 1844,
when the Methodist meeting-house was built. Mr. Tilton
remained till 1844, when he was succeeded by Rev. Charles
Andrews, who made a favorable impression while here.
After him came Rev. E. H. Small, another very worthy
man, who made many friends while here. He resided
here in 1845 and 1846 and, we think, in 1847. After
his removal he preached in other places until, through
infirmity, he became unable to preach, except occasion-
ally. For several of the latter years of his life he resided
Town of Deer Isle, Maine. 277
in Winterport. Some years after, a house was built for
the use of the ministers, standing near the house of the
late Mr. Lemuel Small. The society and church have
retrograded, as not much interest has been taken for a
few years, and the house of worship bears marks of dilap-
idation.
CHURCH AT NORTH DEER ISLE.
Not far from the year 1858 a Congregational Church
was established at North Deer Isle, as the members of
that church found it inconvenient to go to the church at
Northwest Harbor on account of the distance. A house
of worship was built and dedicated, and in our notice of
Mr. Merrill it was stated that he was the first pastor. In
that of Mr. Drake, that he also was for a year or more
pastor there, but as the society is small it is unable to
support preaching. There has been some assistance from
the Maine Missionary Society. A Mr. Closson preached
there, sent by it, and later a Rev. Mr. Hart, but at present
there is no preaching there.
FREE-WILL BAPTIST CHURCH.
At West Deer Isle a church of that denomination was
established a few years since, but the society is small and
unable to support preaching. A house of worship has
been built, and most of the time Mr. Lafayette Collins, a
lay preacher, has supplied the pulpit. At present the
society and church are in a low condition, as no interest is
manifested except by very few.
There are no other religious societies in the town, and
occasionally preachers of the denomination known as
" Adventists " have preached here, more particularly in
that part of the town known as Stinson's Neck. A few
years ago there were a number of persons who seemed to
278 An Historical Sketch of the
adhere to their principles, but at this time little or noth-
ing is heard respecting that faith. There are at present
five houses of worship which have been dedicated to the
service of God, but at this time in only two of them is there
public worship maintained, — at the church at the North-
west Harbor, occupied by the First Congregational Society,
and the Methodist House at South Deer Isle. There is a
house of worship in process of erection at Green's Land-
ing, but in all probability it will be a Union Church, as
no one denomination in that vicinity is able to support
preaching. At the present time (1884) Rev. Charles H.
Gates officiates at the Congregational Church and Rev.
Israel Hathaway at the Methodist Church.
Origin of the Names of the Different Localities
IN THE Town.
It ma}^ be of interest to the reader to know how
some localities of the town came by the names assigned
to them, — as we all know the different parts by the
names which have been given them, — but very few have
knowledge why they were so bestowed. On Little Deer
Island there is a very convenient and safe harbor on the
southwestern side known as Swain's Cove, and the farm of
the late Daniel Billings, Esq., adjoins it. It was so named
from Captain William Swain, whom we have noticed as
an early occupant of the land in its vicinity. On Great
Deer Island, about one mile south of its northern extrem-
ity, the harbor known as Thompson's Cove derived its
name from Mr. Thomas Thompson, who lived near it and
was the owner of the lands adjoining.
That body of water known as Webb's Cove was named
for Mr. Webb, before mentioned, who lived near it after
he left the Neck.
Toivn of Deer Isle, Maine. 279
The harbor known as Allen's Cove was named from
Rev. Samuel Allen who resided near it for many years.
The harbor known as Crockett's Cove derived its name
from Mr. Josiah Crockett, as has been mentioned. He
lived for many years near it.
Small's Cove was named from the two brothers of that
name who settled near it. Mr. Thomas Small lived on
the northern, and Mr. Job Small on the southern, side of it.
The harbor known as Burnt Cove derived its name
from a fire which will be mentioned. The late Mr. Aver}^
Fifield, Sr., lived near it for many years prior to his death,
and was for some time the only settler there.
The cove or creek known as Fish Creek derived its name
from the abundance of fish of the herring species which
were taken in weirs by the early settlers in the vicinity.
The part of the town known as Greenlaw's Neck was
probably named from Mr. William Greenlaw, who was an
early settler in that vicinity; but we have no knowledge
of his ever having resided upon the Neck, which we think
was first settled by Mr. Nathaniel Bray.
That part of the town known as Stinson's Neck was
named from its first settler, of whom mention has often
been made — Thomas Stinson, Esq. Several of his de-
scendants now reside there. That part of the island from
Campbell's Neck to the steamboat landing is known as
the Reach shore, as it borders on the passage known as
Eggemoggin Reach, which lies between it and the towns
of Sedgwick and Brooklin.
The tract of land known as Campbell's Neck, and the
island near by, known as Campbell's Island, derived their
name from Mr. John Campbell, who was their owner,
with other lands in the vicinity, and who lived where his
grandson, the present Mr. Samuel W. Campbell, now does.
The land known as Babbidgc's Neck (now Occanville),
28o An Historical Sketch of the
was named from Mr. William Babbidge, who lived upon
the southern part, but was not the first person there.
The earliest was Mr. Seth Webb, who lived upon the land
afterwards occupied by Mr. Joseph Whitmore.
The tract of land lying between Webb's Cove and
Burnt Cove was for many years known as the " Burnt
land," and the origin of the name, as we have been in-
formed, was derived from its having been burnt over by
a fire set by Mr. Joseph Colby, the early settler of that
name. When he came the trees standing upon the tract
had been blown down during a violent gale of wind.
It was said that not many years before a fire had been set
by some person who landed during a very dry time upon
the shore, and, as it was not extinguished, it spread, and,
remaining in the soil, weakened the hold of the roots of
the trees as it spread, so as to render them liable to be
blown down. As Mr. Colby was obliged to turn his cattle
into the woods for pasturage, the trees were so entangled
that it was very difficult for him to find them to drive
home, and he set the fire for the purpose of clearing the
obstructions. It spread all over the surface between the
limits as before named, but since that time a large amount
of wood and timber has grown upon it. That locality is
now known as Green's Landing, named from Sullivan
Green, Esq., the oldest resident now there.
The point known as Dunham's Point, the western ex-
tremity of the island (where mining operations have been
made to a considerable extent), was named from Mr. Elijah
Dunham, its earliest settler. The point of land on the
southwestern side of the entrance to the Northwest Harbor
is known as Pressey's Point, named from Mr. John Pressey,
the first settler who lived near it. Dow's Point, on the
northeastern entrance, was named from Mr. Nathan Dow,
who settled there in 1767.
Toivti of Deer Isle, Maine. 281
The island known as York's Island was named from
Captain Benjamin York, its first settler and owner. The
island known as Conary's Island was named from Mr.
Thomas Conary who has been noticed, and who resided
upon it.
The island known as Gibson's Island was named from
Mr. James Gibson whom we have noticed as a soldier in
the war of the Revolution, who made it his residence for
some time.
The island now known as Thurlow's Island was named
from the late Captain David Thurlow who resided there
for sixty years or more before his death in 1857.
In the town of Isle au Haut, the island known as Mer-
chant's Island was named from Mr. Anthony Merchant,
the first settler in that town. He resided upon it till his
death.
Kimball Island was named from Mr. Solomon Kimball,
who was the purchaser from the State of Massachusetts.
He occupied it after the removal of the family of Mr.
Seth Webb, who died in 1785.
Cutter's Island, or, as it is now known, Fog Island, was
named from a person by the name of Cutter who lived
upon it for many years.
The harbor known as Douglass's Cove was named from
Mr. Robert Douglass who settled near it, living there until
he went thence to Nauvoo, Illinois, as a convert to Mor-
monism.
Head Harbor was named from the Eastern Head, the
southeastern extremity of the island. I have given the
origin of the name of Duck Harbor, in the description of
the mode of " duck driving."
Moore's Harbor, on the western side of the island, was
so named from Captain John Moore, one of the early
settlers of the town of Castinc, whose business in part
282 An Historical Sketch.
was fishing in a small vessel in that vicinity and who
frequently made that harbor an anchoring-place.
Conclusion.
I have now finished my work; I think I have recorded
everything of consequence in earljr events here that has
come to my knowledge. It has taken a wider range than
was anticipated when I began it, and, from causes already
named, it cannot be expected to be in all instances exactly
correct, but I have giv^en the reader the information I
have received. I hope it may be of interest to us who
are now here and those whose birthplace was in this town
but who are not now residents. Here I have passed the
active part of my life, and increasing years admonish me
that I must soon follow those who have gone before. To
my fellow-citizens of the town who have so many times
bestowed upon me marks of their confidence, I tender my
sincere thanks, and to them I dedicate this book.
INDEX.
Ackley, Mr., marriage of, io8.
Adams, George, marriage of, 52.
Adams, Rev. Jonathan, and family,
273-
Adams, U. S. frigate, affair of, inWar
of 1812, 224.
Alexander, Ezekiel, and family, 162.
Allen, Rev. Samuel, and family, 154.
Angell, Dr. David, and family, 143.
Annis, Benjamin, Rolf, and Simon,
265.
Babbidge, Courtney, Sr., and family,
log.
Babbidge, William, and family, 90.
Ball, Ebenezer, marriage of, 163.
Ball, Nathan, marriage of, 150.
Banks, Richard, and family, 176.
Barbour, Solomon, and family, 134.
Barter, Henry, and family, 187.
Barter, Peletiah, and family, 187.
Barter, William, and family, 188.
Benson, Jephtha, and family, 171.
Benson, Rufus, 169.
Billings, Daniel, and family, 173.
Billings, John, and family, 42.
Billings, Timothy, and family, 174.
Black, Shadrach, marriage of, 174.
Blaster, Noah, and family, 176.
Bray, Nathaniel, and family, 82.
Bray, William, and family, 137.
Brimhall, Cornelius, lot of, 107.
Brown, Rev. Joseph, and family,
148, 271.
Brown, Richard, marriage of, 106.
Bryant, Miss Betty, 135.
Buckminster, Thomas, and family.
Bunker, Mr., great age of, 168.
Business, agricultural conditions,
etc., 293.
Calef, Dr. John, s>.
Campbell, David, marriage of, 83.
Campbell, John, and family, 50.
Carlton, Jacob, and family, 200.
Carman, Levi, and family, 73.
Carney, Michael, settlement of, 39.
Census from 1790 to 1880, 38.
Chatto, Charles, and family, 166.
Children bom of white parents, first,
22. ^
Childs, James, 1S4.
Choate, George O., and family, 167.
Church, allotment of land for sup-
port of, 37.
Church, building of, 269.
Church, early records of, 263.
Church, formation of Baptist, 149,
221, 275.
Church, notices of pastors of, 270.
Churches in town, other, 276.
Clarke, Ezekiel A., 169.
Clifton, Joseph, and family, 162.
Closson, Nathan, and family, 43.
Colby, Ambrose, and family, 81.
Colby, Joseph, Jr., and family, 115,
153-
Colby, Joseph, Sr., and family, 113.
Cole, Benjamin, and family, 91.
Collins, John, and family, 199.
Collins, Dr. William F., marriage of,
142.
Conary, Thomas, and family, 55.
Conclusion, 282.
Conley, Patrick, marriage of, 193.
283
284
Index.
Cornwallis, Lord, news of the sur-
render of, carried to Bagaduce,
29.
Coville, Judah, 25.
Crawford, Rev. William, 21.
Crockett, Isaac, marriage of, 190.
Crockett, John, drowning of, 180.
Crockett, Josiah, and family, 103.
Crockett, Robinson, and family, 103.
Cross, John, 184.
Curtis, Lot, settlement of, 87.
Cutter, Mr., drowning of, 179.
Davis, Roswell P., 263.
Discoverers, probable earliest, 6.
Douglass, John, 174.
Douglass, Robert, and family, 195.
Dow, Nathan, and family, 70.
" Duck-driving," description of, 17.
Duncan, James, and family, 155.
Dunham, Elijah, and family, 86.
Eaton, Asa B., and family, 65.
Eaton, Edward, and family, 65.
Eaton, Eliakim, and family, 16S.
Eaton, Jeremiah, and family, 65.
Eaton, Jonathan, and family, 85.
Eaton, Solomon, and family, 170.
Eaton, Theophilus, and family, 71.
Eaton, William, Jr., and family, 67.
Eaton, William, Sr., and family, 39.
Emerson, Joshua, and family, 92.
Extent of town as incorporated in
1789, 203.
Ferguson, Benjamin P., 147.
Fifield, Avery, and family, 151.
Finney, John, and family, 166.
Foster, John, and family, 140.
Foster, William, and family, 48.
Freeze, Abraham, Isaac, and John,
107.
Freeze, George, and family, 1 1 1.
Gibson, James, and family, 136.
Gilbert, Daniel, and family, 194.
Gordon, Amos, and family, 81.
Goss, John, 259.
Grant, Elisha, and family, 201.
Grant of one hundred acres each to
settlers of Deer and Sheep Islands,
34-
Grant to Tyler brothers, 36.
Grants of territory in which Deer
Island was included, 8, 34.
Gray, Isaac, and family, 172.
Gray, Jeremiah, and family, 132.
Gray, Josiah, and family, 132.
Green, Asa, and family, 62.
Green, Sullivan, marriage of, 153.
Greenlaw, Alexander, Charles, Eb-
enezer, Jonathan, and William, 41.
Greenlaw, Richard, and family, 136.
Greenlaw, William, 2d, and family,
59-
Gross, George, and family, 121.
Gross, Jacob, and family, 185.
Gross, Moses, and family, 156.
Grover, George and William, mar-
riages of, 126.
Hallett, Henry W., marriage of, 52.
Hamilton, Solomon, 198.
Hardy, Peter, Jr., and family, 64,
177.
Hardy, Peter, Sr., and family, 63.
Harris, Joseph, and family, 172.
Harvey, John, and family, 201.
Haskell, Aaron S., and family, 145.
Haskell, Abijah, Jr., and family, 177.
Haskell, Abijah, Sr., and famil3% 68.
Haskell, Caleb, and family, 70.
Haskell, Francis, and family, 75,
76, 77-
Haskell, Ignatius, Jr., and family,
146.
Haskell, Ignatius, Sr., and family,
80.
Haskell, Joshua, and family, 90.
Haskell, Mark, Jr., and family, 78.
Haskell, Mark, Sr., and family, 74.
Haskell, Mark, 3d, and family, 146.
Haskell, Nathan, and family, 69.
Haskell, Solomon, and family, 147.
Hatch, Seth, and family, 127.
Index.
285
Hayden family, 150.
Hendrick, James, and family, 176.
Herrick, Dr. Amos A., marriage of,
142.
Holbrook, Elisha, and family, 193.
Holden, Amasa, and family, 138.
Holmes, Channcey, and family, 190.
Holt, Stephen, 18.
Hooper, John and William, 88.
Horton, John, 128.
Hosmer, George L., marriage of, 159.
House, first framed, in town, 20.
Houses, oldest, now in town, 21, 266.
Howard, Edward, 72, 180.
Howard, Ezra, and family, 80.
Howard, John, and family, 66.
Incorporation Act of 1789, 36, 211
Incorporation Act of 1868, 37.
Incorporation of Isle au Haut, 37,
178.
Indian occupancy, evidences of, 9.
Ingalls, Nathaniel, marriage of, 66.
Islands, settlement of other, 36, 178.
Isle au Haut, settlement of, 36, 178.
Johnson, Nathan, and family, 88.
Jordan, James, and family, 104.
Joyce, James, and family, 140.
Judkins, Leonard, marriage of, 114.
Kelsey, Robert, marriage of, 150.
Kempton, Charles-, and family, 190.
Kench, Thomas, military record of,
Kent, Nathaniel, and "Kent Claim,"
18.
Kimball, George, and family, 186.
Knight, Mr., marriage of, 68.
Knowlton, Benjamin, and family,
197.
Knowlton, Robert, and prisoners of
war, 224
Lamson, Thomas, marriage of, 78.
Land-titles and surveys, 34.
Lane, Hezekiah, and family, 125.
Lane, Oliver, and family, 1 24.
Lanpher, Stephen, 199.
Lawry, John L., marriage of, 175.
Leland, Ebenezer, and family, 191.
Limebumer, Cunningham, 55.
Linn, Robert, settlement of, 46.
Little Deer Island, settlement of,
168.
Localities, origin of names of, 278.
Longevity, instances of, 22, 209.
Low, Nathan, and family, 137.
Loyalists among the first settlers, 25.
Loyalists, removal of, at close of war,
31-
Loyalists, cruelty to one of the, 33.
Lufkin, Benjamin, and family, 96.
Lufkin, Daniel, and family, 162.
Lufkin, Henry, and family, 161.
Lunt, Micajah, and family, 107.
Marble Company, the, 46.
Marriages, performance of earliest,
21.
Marshall, Ephraim, and family, 78.
Marshall, Ezekiel, and family, 75.
Matthews, Willard and William,
marriages of , 184, 185.
McClintock, Samuel, marriage of,
125-
McDonald, John, 259.
McDonald, Laughlin, great age of,
169.
Merchant, Anthony, Sr., and family,
182.
Merithew, Aaron, and family, 199.
Merithew, Benjamin, and family,
198.
Mills, 18.
Morey, Elias, and family, 164.
Morey, Ezekiel, and family, 89.
Morey, Stephen B., marriage of, 152.
Municipal records from 1 789 to 1882,
211.
Name, probable origin of, 9.
Nason, Robert, and family, 82.
Niles, Jesse, and family, 70.
Noyes, Joseph, and family, 148.
Noyes, Samuel, marriage of, 90.
286
Index.
Page, Noah, 193.
Parker, James, marriage of, 81.
Parker, James E., 172.
Parsonage lot, 37, 82.
Parsonage lot, building of house on,
219.
Perry, Peter, marriage of, 83.
Physicians, notices of, 208.
Pickering, Samuel, Sr., and family,
149.
Pittee, Samuel, marriage of, 173.
Powers, Rev. Peter, and family, 133.
Powers, Rev. Peter, call of, 264.
Powers, Rev. Peter, farm and house
of, 264, 266.
Pressey, John, Sr., and family, 83,
87.
Pressey, John, 3d, and family, 179.
" Proprietors," 35.
Raynes, Benjamin, and family, 160.
Raynes, James, 96.
Raynes, John, Sr., and familj', 94.
Raynes, Joseph, and family, 159.
Raynes, Samuel, 96.
Raynes, William, 2d, and family,
158.
Rea, Benjamin, 265.
Ready, Michael, and family, i66.
Redman, George W., 262.
Reed, Dr. Abiel, and family, 69, 208.
Revolutionary army, soldiers of, 25.
Revolution, conditions during, 26.
Rhodeisland, Reuben, 139.
Rich, John, and family, 197.
Richards, William, settlement of,
124.
Richardson, Asa, 52, 57.
Ring, William, marriage of, 58.
Robbins, Nathaniel, and family, 108.
Robbins, Thomas, Jr., and family,
57-
Robbins, Thomas, Sr., and family,
122.
Robertson, James, and family, 200.
Rowell, Hezekiah, and family, 144.
Russ, Charles A., 261.
Russell, Sidney, and family, 139.
Salt, early manufacture of, 15.
Saunders, James, and family, 85.
Sawyer, David, and family, 151.
Sawyer, Ebenezer, and family, 189.
Schools, allotment of land for sup-
port of , 37.
Scott, Nathaniel, and family, 60.
Sellers, Charles, and family, 10 1.
Sellers, Joseph, and family, 102.
Sellers, William, Jr., and family, 164.
Settlers, first, and early inhabitants,
notices of, 39.
Settlers, life and hardships of first,
10.
Settlers, list of first, 24.
" Shaving mill," depredations of, 30.
Sheldon, Mr., and family, drowning
of, 179.
Shipwrecks, men and vessels lost by,
206.
Simpson, Silvious, marriage of , 152.
Small, Andrew, and family, 106.
Small, Edward, and family, 1 16.
Small, Job, and family, 100.
Small, Michael, and family, 165.
Small, Naylor, and family, 165.
Small, Thomas, Sr., and family, 97.
Smith, Abiathar, and family, 192,
194.
Smith, David, and family, 127, 184.
Smith, Simon, and family, 163.
Snowman, Michael D., 175.
Spinney, Ebenezer, marriage of, 173.
Spofford, Pearl, and family, 141.
Sprowl, Mr., 193.
Staples, Mrs. Mercy, and family, 45.
Staples, Samuel, and family, 128.
Stinson, Benjamin, and family, 127.
Stinson, Thomas, Jr., and family,
IIS-
Stinson, Thomas, Sr., and family, 51.
Stockbridge, Benjamin, and family,
125-
Index.
287
Swain, William, and family, 173.
Switzer, William, marriage of, 152.
Sylvester, Edmund, and family, 1 20.
Tart, Preston J., 262.
" Temperance riot, the," 234.
Territorial limits of town, 203.
Thompson. Thomas, and family, 44.
Thurlow, Carr, marriage of, 113.
Thurlow, David, and family, 152.
Thurston, John, and family, 126.
Tolman, George, marriage of, 142.
Toothaker, Elijah, and family, 58.
Torrey, David, and family, 157.
Torrey, John, and family, 157.
Torrey, Jonathan, Jr., and family,
156.
Torrey, Jonathan, Sr., and family,
46.
" Tour," working out of, 26.
Trundy, Samuel, and family, 93.
Turner, Calvin, and family, 192.
Turner, Samuel, and family, 188.
Tyler, Belcher, and family, 113.
Tyler, George, 112.
Tyler, Joseph, and family, iii.
Tyler, Thomas, and family, 195.
Van Meter, Oliver, and family, 139.
Walton, Charles, marriage of, 165.
War, Civil, list of men killed in, 254.
Wardwell, Eliakim, and family, 40.
Warren, Richard, and family, 57,
III.
Warren, Thomas, and family, 57.
Webb, Samuel, 116.
Webb, Seth, and family, 117, 185.
Webster, Ebenezer, and family, 97.
Webster, Jonathan, 90, 122.
Webster, Nathaniel, marriage of, 48.
Weed, Benjamin, and family, 129,
177.
Whitmore, Joseph, and family, 123.
Whitten, Joel, marriage of, 106.
Williams, Peter, and family, 139.
Wilson, Henry, and family, 199.
Witherspoon, Rodney K., 261.
Work, resources for this, 202.
Yeaton, William, and family, 189.
York, Benjamin, and family, 55.
" Young settlers," 35.
Young, William, 220.
CONNECTIONS WITH NON-RESIDENT FAMILIES
BY MARRIAGES WITH :
Adams, Mr., 64.
Alexander, Edward, 92.
Alexander, Miss, 120.
Amazene, Lucretia, 186.
Arey, Joseph, 183.
Atwood, Frances, 198.
Austin, Mr., 208.
Avcrill. John, 85.
Babson, Abraham, 96.
Bagley, Betsey, 195.
Barnes, Edward, 45.
Barton, Betsey, 77.
Beal, John, 127.
Bell, William, 147.
Bickmore, Mr., 189.
Billings, Benjamin, 43.
Billings, Solomon, 72.
Black, Joab, 189.
Blunt, Mary, 50.
Briggs, Dr. Charles \., 74.
Bunker, Mary, i68.
Burrage, Benjamin, 196.
Calderwood, Mr., 89.
Calef, Polly, 53.
Candage, Gideon, 115.
Candage, Samuel, 44.
288
Index.
Carey, Ann, 93.
Carlton, Dudley, 51.
Carruth, Mr., 44.
Carter, John, 43.
Carter, Miss, 173.
Carter, Mr., 44.
Chase, Hepzibah, 84.
Chase, Miss, 83.
Clark, Mr., 184.
Clark, Robert, 158.
Clark, Willard, 186.
Clough, James, 74.
Coffin, Samuel, 194.
Collier, Charles, 153.
Coombs, Sarah, 198.
Cooper, James, 196.
Cooper, Thomas, 196.
Copp, Daniel G., 60.
Crockett, Solomon, 53.
Cross, Hannah Beck, 146.
Cummings, Mr., 92.
Curtis, George, 194.
Cushman, Deborah, 120.
Daggett, Elizabeth, 58.
Dale, Rev. Wigglesworth, 69.
Darling, Jedediah, 115.
Davenport, Mr., 149.
Davis, William, no.
Day, Mr., 89.
Deering, Mr., 114.
Dexter, Mr., 65.
Doane, John, 193.
Dodge, Jonah, 96.
Doe, Dr. Theophilus, 80.
Dorr, Israel, 100.
Dorr, William, 187.
Drew, Alexander, 116.
Dyer, Isabel, 54.
Dyer, Miss, 191.
Eaton, Jonathan, 124.
Edson, Mr., 89.
Ellis, Lois, 194.
Faxon, Deborah, 134.
Fellows, Abigail, 72.
Ferguson, John, 74.
Ferrill, Mr., 130.
Fife, William, 164.
Foote, Mr., 163.
Foss, Mr., 51.
Fowles, Phebe, iii
Freeze, George, 53.
Full, Mr., 58.
Fuller, Joshua, 163.
Getchell, Daniel, 192
Gott family, 127.
Gray, John, 169.
Gray, Miss, 172.
Gray, Miss, 176.
Grover, Mr., 105.
Hall, Samuel, 167.
Harding, David, 127.
Harding, Isaac, 58.
Harding, Mr., 72.
Harmon, Abigail, 94.
Hazen, Enoch P., 61
Hazen, Mr., 45.
Hews, Paoli, 187.
Higgins, Mr., 191.
Hooper, Jeremiah, 54.
Hooper, Mr., 127.
Hopkins, Miss, 200.
Howard, Benjamin, 170
Howard, Edward, 83.
Jarvis, James, 73.
Johnson, Miss, 167.
Johnson, Mrs., 81.
Jones, Susan, 172.
Joy, Mr., 78.
Kellar, Henry, 115.
Kennison, Nathaniel, 45
Kent, Benjamin, 127.
Kettletas, Mr., 62.
Kidder, Stephen, 49.
Kimball, Francis, 119.
Kingsley, Mr., 94.
Leman, John, 156.
Littlefield, Thomas, 187
Long, Mr., 43.
Look, Lois, 154.
Lucas, J. P., 159.
Index.
289
Lunt, Mary, 99.
Maclntire, Mr., 49.
Manchester, Mr., 132.
Marks, Ebenezer, 55.
Matthews, Miss, 175.
McMullen, Mr., 96.
Merithew, Benajia, 187.
Merrill, John S., 187.
Moore, Daniel, 120.
Moulton, Rufus H., 66.
Norton, Patience, 114.
Obear, Samuel, 49.
Parker, John H., 134.
Parker, Timothy, 172.
Perkins, Deborah, 165.
Pettingill, Mr., 67.
Pierce, Josiah, 197.
Pritchard, Martha, 80.
Putnam, Miss, 64.
Randall, Joseph, 98.
Raymond, John, 112.
Raymond, Mr., 187.
Reed, Sarah, 194.
Rendell, Miss, 190.
Roberts, Amaziah, 55.
Robinson, the Misses, 95, 104.
Ross, Mrs. (Kench), 171.
Short, Mr., 67, 68.
Shute, Dorothy, 76.
Smith, Abigail, 193.
Smith, John, 183.
Smith, ]\Iiss, 197.
Smith, Mr., 49.
Snow, Larkin, 106.
Spencer, Mr., 58.
Stevens, Jonathan L., 80.
Stewart, Charles, 170.
Stickney, Mary, 80.
Stinson, Miss, 190, 192.
Stover, Jeremiah, 74.
Sweet, Mr., 89.
Thurlow, Betsey, 114.
Tibbetts, Mrs. Martha, 171.
Trott, John S., 106.
Trowbridge, Mr., 74.
Tuttle, Mr., 130.
Ward, Mr., 154.
Ware, Nathaniel, 115.
Waters, David J., 49.
Webster, Joseph, 84.
Wells, Miss, 174.
Wescott, Mercy, 100.
Wilkinson, Mr., 150.
Wilson, Jacob, 193.
Winship, Hannah, 117.
Winslow family, 120.
Woods, Josiah B., 85.
Wooster, Mr., 63, 89.
Wright, Mr., 115.
York, George, 124.
York, Solomon, 54.
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