History of Monmouth and Wales

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1401486

GENEALOGY COLLECTION

.ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC

3 1833 01092 9757

;tory of °

MONMOUTHmdWALEE

BY

HARRY H. COCHRANE

Member of the Maine Historical Society

ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR

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fill 6^ yOLUWE ONE

EAST WINTHROP

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1401486

PREFACE

Josephus in his "Antiquities of the Jews" says:
''Those who undertake to write histories, do not, I
perceive, take that trouble on one and the same ac-
count, but for many reasons, and those such as are
very different one from another. For some of them
apply themselves to this part of learning, to show
their great skill in composition, and that they may
therein acquire a reputation for speaking finely. Oth-
ers of them there are who write histories in order to
gratify those that happen to be concerned in them;
and on that account have spared no paine, but rather
gone beyond their own abilities in the performance.
But others there are, who, of necessity and by force,
are driven to write history, because they were concern-
ed in the facts, and so cannot excuse themselves from
committing them to writing, for the advantage of pos-
terity. Nay, there are not a few who are induced to
draw their historical facts out of darkness into light,
and to produce them for the benefit of the public, on
account of the great importance of the facts them-
selves with which they have been concerned."

Had Josephus, in this enumeration, mentioned those
whose love of the haunts and scenes of childhood en-
genders a desire that the events which have been con-

II PREFACK.

nected with those resorts, and have largely contrib-
uted to their formation and development, may be saved
from the oblivion that awaits all oral history, his
list would have been well-nigh complete.

Not far from 1850, my grandfather, Dr. James Coch-
rane, jun., at the solicitation of many of his friends,
prepared and delivered, at different points in the town,
a series of lectures on the early history of Monmouth.
These lectures, while covering but a brief period, ter-
minating at the eighth year after the town's incorpor-
ation, contained an invaluable fnnd of information.

Having in his professional rounds opportunities for
collecting data that few writers of local history enjoy,
and being in himself a perfect hand-book of reminis-
cence, the brief history prepared by him, although
wanting methodical arrangement, possessed manj1-
rare attributes, not least among which was that of
general authenticity.

About ten years ago, while reading the interesting
incidents contained in the manuscript lectures, a de-
sire was awakened to know more of my favorite town's
history. With no conception of what the task involv-
ed, or where it would end, the work was begun. The
proverbial ''oldest inhabitant" was interviewed, and
his store of traditional lore extracted; correspondence
opened with families whose fathers and mothers were
natives of the town; the town records ransacked; the
deeds in the court-house at Wiscasset transcribed; re-
cords in the library of the New England Historico-
Genealogical Society, at Boston, copied; time-stain-
ed diaries and private account books surprised by hav.
ing their musty pages opened to the light of day; old

PREFACE. Ill

newspaper files examined; and, in brief, every availa-
ble sour e of information explored and its contents ap-
propriated.

The reader whose task it is to criticise the arrange-
ment, sneer at the diction and rave at the unavoidable
errors that are presented in this volume lias, and can
have until he gains it by actual exoerience, no idea of
the tremendous amount of labor involved in the produc-
tion of a local history. "Oh, that mine adversary had
written a book!" exclaimed the afflicted patriarch; and
"Oh, that he would compile the annals of his town!"
has been the most malignant desire of the author.

It is not a difficult matter to sit in a tilting chair and
read, "Nathaniel Noname, who has been mentioned
as one of the assessors for the year 1803, removed from
Downeast, N. B., in 1797, and settled on the farm now
owned by Samuel Someone, which he purchased of
Moses Miserly. Many of his posterity have gained a
national reputation, prominent among whom is Peter
Puzzler, the author of Puzzler's New Treatise on Hy-
drostatics," and yet it ma}- have taken the author weeks
to collect the data embraced in these two brief sen-
tences. As these fictitious names cover actual histori-
cal facts, it may be interesting to the reader to learn
how the facts were secured. In the first place, among
the stained and faded papers in the town clerk's hands
was found a record of the town meeting for the }-ear
1803, in which the name of Nathaniel Noname appears
as one of the assessors." No one in the village had any
knowledge of a family by that name. After many
fruitless inquiries, a trip was made around the town
and the name presented to the oldest citizens that could

IV PREFACE.

be found in the different sections, each one of whom
ivas interrogated concerning the family. At last an
old gentleman was found who had some faint recollec-
tion of a Nathaniel Noname who lived on the place
where Mr. Someone now lives, and who had a son who
went to Arkansas. Going to Wiscasset,as nine-tenths
of the deeds given in Kennebec count}- prior to 1799
are recorded there, an instrument dated 1789 was found
which attested the transfer of real estate between Mo-
ses Miserly, of Wales Plantation, and Nathaniel No-
name, of Downeast, N. B. Referring to the assessors'
books, it was discovered that Nathaniel Noname was
taxed for real estate in 1789, but was first assessed for
a poll tax in 1797, which proved that he did not move
into the town until several years after he purchased
his land. Nothing more could be learned of the fami-
ly until a newspaper was accidentally picked up, sev-
eral months later, which contained the obituary of Ne-
hemiah Noname, formerly of Arkansas, in Scandal-
ville, Conn. Thinking that there might be a connect-
ing link here, a letter was addressed to the heirs of
the late Nehemiah Noname, requesting the favor of
a copy of the family records. Soon the informa-
tion came which identified Nehemiah Noname as the
son of Nathaniel Noname, of Monmouth, and giving
among his posterity the name of Peter Puzzler, the
celebrated scientist.

The above is no imaginary presentation. It is an
actual experience of the author's, and is given as one
of many similar instances to arouse in the reader an
appreciation of what has been done.

In preparing this memorial, I have, more and more,

been impressed with the importance of hastening the
work. ^ few years hence, much that is note-worthy,
mum that is of incalculable importance in the line of
histori ■ data, will be forever buried with those who
hold it in trust. Let ten summers sweep over the rip-
ening fields of humanity, let ten autumns bring their
shadows and gloom into the waning intellect, let ten
winters draw their shroud over the fallen relics of oth-
er days, and what human power could gather from the
withered residue the tissue of a comprehensive, authen-
tic history? It would even now be impossible for the
writer to collect some data that was contributed by
aged citizens who have died since the work of compila-
tion was conmenced.

The preparation and publication of this history have
been attended by innumerable difficulties. Although
the papers prepared by my grandfather were intense-
ly interesting, and of inestimable value as a nucleus
for a more extensive historical work, more especially
so since they contained the only transcriptions of the
lost plantation records in existence, they Mere arrang-
ed simply for an evening's entertainment, and consist-
ed of disconnected records, reminiscences, and tradi-
tions which must be connected with long paragraphs
of historical matter to produce a sequential arrange-
ment; and, as the statements concerning the early set-
tlement, purchase of land and titles were taken from
old citizens whose memories were sometimes waning,
it was necessar}^ to verify these traditions, as far as
possible, by the couternpory records, and, in a few in-
stances, correct errors. To insure accuracy, I have se-
cured a copy of every deed given by the land-holders

VI PREF \CK.

in Monmouth and Wales Plantation from 1774 to 1799,
as recorded in the ancient archives at Wiscasset.

Especiall)' has it been difficult to secure complete
and accurate family records. Incredible as it may
seem, there are intelligent, well-educated people in
Monmouth who could not furnish the names of their
grandfathers, when called upon to assist in the prep-
aration of their family histories, and there are scores
who can hardly be forced to believe that anything
stretching so far back toward the brink of infinitude
as a great-grandfather ever had a place in their ances-
try. Anyone with average reasoning powers must
realize how utterly impossible it is for one with no re-
sources from which to draw except the badly-kept
town records and inscriptions on grave-stones to com-
pile complete family records without the assistance of
the families themselves. And yet there will be cap-
tious critics who, after having been appealed to in vain
once and again for assistance in compiling their gen-
ealogies, .vill condemn and execrate the author because
he has not accomplished the labor which no one but
themselves could perform. It has been mj- desire and in-
tention to have the family records accurate and trust-
worthy, but it is not claimed that that this desire has
been fully realized. In the absence of written records,
oral communications have been taken as a substitute,
and the too prevalent desire to make one's grandfath-
er appear a greater hero than "that other old fogy,"
renders it difficult to give a character his true place in
the narrative. The statement of the proud scion cited
by one of my historical correspondents, to the effect
that his "great-grandfather came over in the 'Mayflow--

PREFACE. VII

er1 and fought in the Revolutionary War," was too ob-
vious an incongruity to make it dangerous, unless, as
the correspondent suggests, he ma}- have been a direct
descendant of Methuselah, but less glaring inconsist-
ences ;:ie quite liable to pass unchallenged, unless the
historian is extremely vigilant.

The long delav following the advent of the prospec-
tus which has caused many ( the author included) to
lose faith in the enterprise, can not be attributed to
lack of energy or bad management. The one stroke
of questionable policy is the attempt to publish a work
which will not return one-half the amount it has cost.

As no account of expenditures has been kept, it is
impossible to make even a fairly approximate estimate
of what the cost of compiling and publishing has
bsen; but it is perfectly safe to assert that if even-
copy of the edition should be taken, the net receipts
will not afford anything like an ordinary laborer's pa}'
for the time that has been consumed; and but for an
appropriation of three hundred dollars which was se-
cured from the town through the active efforts of Dr.
H. M. Blake and his associates, it would have been an
extremely difficult matter to complete the work.

As there has been an inclination on the part of some
to question the propriety of this action of the town, it
will be in order to state, in this connection, that it is
customary for towns to make appropriations for such
objects, and in no instance that has come to the writer's
knowledge has the amount of the appropriation been
less than that made in behalf of this enterprise. One
Maine author of a local history received over one thou-
sand dollars in voluntarv contributions.

VIII PREFACE.

But for the failure of the publisher who engaged to
print the book on shares, it would have long since been
placed in the homes of the people; and but. for the
heavy financial obligations that have hung over the
author it would have been issued at a personal risk at
an earlier date-

The History of Monmouth and Wales is now placed
in your hands. Prolonged expectancy has, undoubt
edly, developed many an imaginary paragraph which
a perusal of the pages which follow will dissipate.
Criticise it considerately. Others could have perform-
ed the task far more creditably and acceptably, but who
ventured to assume the burden ?

It is not claimed that ever}' event that has transpir-
ed within the limits of Monmouth and Wales has been
recorded wTithin these pages. The intelligent reader
can not fail to realize the utter impracticability of pre-
paring a history on such a comprehensive basis.
Were it possible to secure the minute data for such a
work, "even the world itself", to use the somewhat hy-
perbolical predication of John the Evangelist, ''could
not contain the books that should be written." To re-
call the cardinal events in the history of Wales Plan-
tation, those events that gradually modelled from a
block of pristine wilderness the sister towns as they
are to-day, has been considered far more important
than to state how man}' times John Smith shingled
his barn, how many assistants he employed, and of
whom he purchased his hammer and nails.

If facts of supreme importance to some individual
reader fail to appear, bear in mind that the writer does
not boast oracular wisdom or the power of divination.

PREFACE. IX

Items for publication have been solicited for a period
of above six years, and if all that is essential does not
appear, it is the fault of those who have withheld the
data which they might have furnished.

To all who by contributions, advocacy, and sympa-
thy, have assisted in this arduous and wearisome task
I would proffer cordial acknowledgements. In addi-
tion to those who have rendered pecuniary aid, many
thanks are due to the officers of the New England
Historico-Genealogical Society, Boston, Mass., and to
the Secretary of State, of Massachusetts, for permis-
sion to examine records and for the use of valuable
ancient documents; to the Register of Deeds of Lin-
coln Count}-, for assistance in tracing land titles; to
Perley Derby, esq., of Salem, Mass., ior genealogical
papers; to Miss Gay and Mrs. H. W. Swanton, of Gar-
diner, Me., for permission to copy a bust of Gen. Dear-
born, and for the use of private family papers; to Mr.
Andrew W. Tinkham, of North Monmouth, vhose
fund of historical knowledge is in exact proportion to
his massive physique, for much invaluable informa-
tion and encouragement; to John C. Fogg, esq., of
Wales, for items concerning early settlers in that town;
to Jacob G. Smith, esq., of East Monmouth and Mr.
Everett Andrews, of West Gardiner, for important con-
tributions; and to Dr. C. M. Cumston, and others
whose names will appear in the body of the work, for
kind council and assistance.

It would be ungrateful to close these introductory
paragraphs without tendering a tribute of affcct:ci ; te
acknowledgement to the memory of Phineas B. Nich-
ols, of East Monmouth, whose reminiscence <x,:u-cc.m-

X PREFACE.

ing the early settlers of that part ot the town afforded
opportunities for much fruitful research. Though not
permitted to enjoy the perusal of the pages which he
anticipated with such great delight, his is the far more
exalted pleasure of reading from the book the seals of
which none but the Lion of the tribe of Judah could
break, the revelation of events which no earthly histo-
rian can unfold. May his mantle fall and abide on
many!

Harry H. Cochrane.
Monmouth, Dec. 5, 1892.

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

CHAPTER I.

THE ABORIGINES.

The sixth decade of the eighteenth century found
the narrow interval between the Androscoggin and
Kennebec rivers an unbroken wilderness. Here and
there, along the shores of the ponds, the monotony of
the vista was, in a measure, relieved by the appearance
of groups of Indian wigwams. Game in abundance
wandered aimlessly through the dense forests, un-
arrested, save by the native huntsman's arrow. Dusky
braves paddled their canoes lazilv among the islands
of the Cobbosee-contee, laved their heated bodies in the
cool waters of the Cochnewagan, and ate their venison
and salmon on the banks of the Anabessacook.

On the southern shore of the Anabessacook, in the
pasture belonging to the Frederick estate, may still

2 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

be seen deep, circular indentations, where their camp
fires glowed more than a century ago. Research has
been rewarded by the discovery, in these cellars, of
many utensils used by the natives in their culinary
employments. Stone implements and instruments of
warfare have also been found in abundance, their form
and nicety of finish — taking into consideration the
difficulties under which they were constructed — giving
evidence of that characteristic perseverance which has
been transmitted to the modern American in painfully
exceptional instances. And, occasionally, a school
child, more fortunate than its envious companions, or
a bather, tarrying for a moment on the warm sand,
finds among the pebbles on the shore a flint arrow-
head, where it has rested ever since the day, away back
in the misty past, when a strong-armed native sent it
whizzing after the bounding caribou, or, perchance, on
a mission of death to some copper-hued enemy.

The glory of the red man is truly "a thing of the
past." A few decaying families, gathering at their
rendezvous at Oldtown in the winter, and scattering in
small groups among the resorts of pleasure - seekers
during the warm months of summer, but weakly rep-
resent the powerful nation whose warriors were once
numbered by thousands.

Originally, the Indians of Maine were divided into
two distinct nations — the Etchekins, who occupied the
lands from the Penobscot eastward, and the Abenaques,
who held the territory between the Penobscot and the
present New Hampshire line. The Abenaques nation
was divided into four tribes ; consisting of the Sokokis,
who lived on the shores of the Saco river ; the Wawe-

THE ABORIGINES. 3

noes, whose grounds were east of Merrymeeting Bay ;
the Canibas, who occupied both sides of the Kennebec
river from Merrymeeting Bay to Moosehead Lake,- and
the Anasagunticooks, who claimed the banks of the
Androscoggin and the section irrigated by the chain of
lakes that unites the waters of the Androscoggin with
those of the Kennebec.

These tribes were sub-divided into clans, one of
which — a branch of the Canibas, — dwelling on the
site now covered by the city of Augusta, was called the
Cushnoc. A strange Indian custom was that of giving
the tribal name to the place occupied as a camping
ground, or, on the contrary, of assuming the words
used to signify some peculiarity of a location as the
name of the tribe. Thus Cushnoc, meaning, "the run-
ning-down-place," became the generic name of all
Indians living in that vicinity. Another of these clans
was the Teconnets. Their home was near the falls of
Teconnet, or Ticonic, at Waterville. Still another, was
that of the Norridgewogs, whose headquarters were at
Norridgewock. This clan possessed greater advan-
tages than any other of the Abenaques nation. In
1698, Father Sabastian Rasle, a French Jesuit priest,
touched with the true missionary spirit, left his home
in France, and with it all that life could promise,
and crossing the ocean, settled among the nativesat
Norridgewock, purposing to teach them the arts of
civilization, and, more particularly, the Jesuit faith.
That he succeeded well in the latter, the tenacity with
which descendents of the tribe have held to the precepts
and principles which were inculcated by him on the
hearts of their fathers demonstrates. In 1724, the

4 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

English settlers, believing that Rasle's influence had
much to do with inciting the Indians to ally themselves
with the French, who were then conducting a bloody
war against the colonies, sent a body of men from Fort
Richmond to capture him. He was surprised and shot
in the door of his wigwam. The story of his death is
touchingly told, though perhaps with poetic freedom,
in Whittier's "Mogg Magone."

The Anasagunticooks were, originally, a powerful
and warlike people. Indeed, they once bore the un-
enviable reputation of being the strongest and most
ferocious of all tribes in New England. As we daily
traverse the paths that were once pressed by their
moccasined feet, and till the lands they once claimed as
their hunting-ground, it will be eminently proper to
give such incidents as history and tradition furnish
concerning the sachems and warriors of this tribe.

At the first appearance of the white man, their
advances were most amicable; and, although much
occurred to weaken their confidence in their new neigh-
bors, their attitude toward them did not radically
change until the opening of King Philip's war, when
the}' became fiercer and more bloodthirsty than the
wolves that howled in the wilderness about them. In
the year 1615, a terrible plague, the terrors of which
Longfellow has vividly portrayed in his "Song of
Hiawatha," broke out among them. From an almost
interminable host, their warriors were reduced to fifteen
hundred in number. Later, wars and other causes
brought them almost to the verge of extinction; so
near it that, in the year 1726, there were only five
Indians in the whole tribe above sixteen years of age.

THE ABORIGINES. 5

Twenty-five years later, they could boast one hundred
and sixty warriors.

The first of their sagamores, whose name history has
preserved, was Chogoandoe, whose signature, resem-
bling a cross between a Chinese character and an
Egyptian hieroglyph struck by lightning, appears ou
an Indian deed bearing the date 1653, and conveying
to Thomas Lake, of Boston, and Mr. Spencer, of
Charlestown, the historic lands east and west of the
Kennebec. Another deed is on record, given by Wo-
rumbo, another sachem of the Anasagunticooks, to
Richard Wharton, July 7, 1684, attesting his title to
the lands formerly held by Thomas Purchase, of
Brunswick. Kankamagus, to whom the English
settlers gave the name "Hawkins," was another of
their chieftains. He had been a sachem of the Penna-
cooks, but joined the Anasagunticooks in, or about,
16S4, living with Worumbo, whom he succeeded.
Philip Will, a young Indian who was born at Cape
Cod, was taken captive by the French, at the seige of
Louisbourg, when he was fourteen years of age, and,
living among this tribe of savages many years, finally
became their chief. He was educated by a Mr.
Crocker, of whose family he was, for a long time, a
member. He measured six feet and three inches in
height, and was finely proportioned. The Anasagun-
ticooks were many times saved from total extinction
by his efforts.

The principal encampment of this tribe was at
Brunswick Falls (by them called Pejepscot) until the
English immigrants forced them farther up the river.
Here they gathered from all points along the banks of

6 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

the Androscoggin and its tributaries to hold their
grand councils ; and here they met other tribes to plan
expeditions of warfare. Jay Point, or Canton, became
their rendezvous after leaving Pejepscot. »Rocomoco
was the name by which it was known to them. This
point possessed great advantages. It was too far back
in the unexplored wilderness to be easily taken by the
white forces ; while, from its position at the head of a
system of lakes, it not only commanded a vast terri-
tory, but held the key to three distinct routes to the
ocean. The first of these was down the Androscoggin
in the direct course to the confluence of the Kennebec ;
thence, through Merrymeeting Bay to the "great
waters." The second, through Dead River into An-
droscoggin Pond ; thence, by a short portage, in what
is now Wayne,* into Wilson Pond; through the con-
necting stream, into Cochnewagan Pond; thence, by
the tributary into Sabattis Pond, and down Sabattis
River, into the lower Androscoggin. The third route
was like the second as far as Wilson Pond; thence
down the Wilson stream into the South, or Anabessa-
cook Pond ; thence, into the Cobbosee-contee ; through
the Cobbosee-contee stream into the Kennebec, and
down the Kennebec to Merrymeeting Bay.

At various points along these routes they had stop-
ping places where they mended their canoes and buried
their furs. One of these was on Norris Island, in
Androscoggin Pond. Another, in the opinion of the
writer's grandfather, Dr. Jas. Cochrane, who gave much
attention to this line of research, was the site already
referred to, on the shore of South Pond. In this h

*The Indian name was Pocasset.

1

><1 ?ro

f

jjs Island, nj
: mucl

•:; this he

THE ABORIGINES. 7

was, probably, mistaken. The depth of the excava-
tions, as well as the great number of relics that have
been exhumed, certainly indicate a permanent dwelling-
place. But still more conclusive evidence exists. When
the first settlers built their cabins at East Monmouth,
they found an Indian cornfield on the shore of South
Pond. The hills were then plainly marked, running
in three long rows, from near the waters edge, south-
ward, to a point two-thirds of the distance to the broM'
of the hill. This field has never been disturbed by
the plough, and close scrutiny will still reveal the
•outline of the rows. A few years ago, the breaking up
plough was put into the soil on the brow of the hill,
about ten rods south-west of this cornfield. When
the sward was overturned, a stone pavement was dis-
covered, covering an area of above four hundred square
feet. This pavement was composed of closely packed,
round stones. It was nearly as level as a house floor,
and was completely covered with a stratum of ashes
underlying a layer of earth several inches in depth.
Undoubtedly, this is where the savages held their
harvest-feasts and powwows. It requires no great
stretch of the imagination to picture the whole tribe of
painted and feathered Anasagunticooks coming in
their canoes, thousands strong, from their villages all
along the banks of the Androscoggin and the sides of
the quiet lakes and streams, to celebrate some import-
ant event at their feasting grounds on the shore of
the Anabessacook. Perhaps they gathered here after
the chase, to celebrate, with barbecue and symposium,
their successful tournament; perhaps, with gory scalps
dangling from their belts, to leap around the glaring

5 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

flames, with fierce yells and wild contortions, in the
horrible jubilation of a war victory.*

At one time the Anasagunticooks, numbering seven
hundred, assembled at Rocomoco, with the intention of
attacking and burning Gosstown.f They glided down
the Androscoggin in their canoes at dead of night.
Before reaching the dangerous rapids of Ameriscoggan
(Lewiston Falls), the chief detatched a brave from the
fleet with the injunction to paddle with all haste to the
highlands above the falls, and there build a signal fire ;
seeing which, the fleet would land, make a portage
around the turbulent waters, and re-embark in the
smooth river below. By a timely intervention of Prov-
idence— or was it by mere chance that Daniel Malcolm,
of Gosstown, a noted Indian-hunter, by them known as
Surgurnumby, i. e., "a very strong man" arrived on the
scene just as the Indian was fanning into a flame the
faint spark that he had produced with steel and flint?
Malcolm's keen perception read in this act the whole
scheme. Creeping up softly, he dispatched the plotting
brave, and, hastily extinguishing the flames, ran to a
high point of land far below the falls, and there raised
a broad, gleaming beacon. The unsuspecting savages
paddled down the river in apparent security. The}-

*This discovery may have an important bearing on the ancient Pema-
quid pavements, concerning which so much speculative history has been
written. Since this chapter was begun, I have been apprised of the ex-
istence of another of these singular structures on the banks of the
Sheepscott. The fact that a deep deposit of loam had formed over the
stones, while a century had failed to accumulate a stratum of sufficient
depth to obliterate the hills in the cornfield, is good evidence in favor
of the theory that this may be a relic of an age anterior to that of the
North American Indian. After all our theorizing is concluded, we can
only place it on the shelf with the monuments of the Mound Builders
and the shell heaps of Newcastle.

tBrunswick. — The Indians called it Pejepscot, the first settlers,
(xosstown.

THE ABORIGINES. 9

saw the light, and, supposing it to be the one their
confederate had built, paddled on into the very jaws of
the rapids. Nearly every brave in the fleet was either
mangled on the rocks or drowned in the current. And
this exploit not only saved the people of Gosstown from
a worse fate than that shared by the savages, but com-
pletely shattered the strength of the Anasagunticooks.
It was their last expedition of warfare.

The Anasagunticooks had a burying ground on
Morris's Island, in Wayne, and another at the head-
waters of the Jocmunyaw stream, in Wales, on the
farm long known as the Capt. Labree place ; now owned
by Mr. Daniel P. Boynton, of Monmouth. A great
number of relics have been exhumed in both of these
places. So far as is known, these were the only
general burying places of the Anasagunticooks, al-
though they must have had others.* The extensive
Indian burying grounds at Winslow, Me., from which
so man}- valuable relics have been taken, belonged to
the Canibas tribe.

Although the eastern Aborigines usually had special
grounds where the bodies of their dead warriors were
interred, it is bv no means an uncommon occurrence to
find one isolated from his fellows — perhaps on account
of some misdemeanor or crime ; perhaps as a mark of
respect, as to a chief. Not many years ago, a massive
Indian skeleton was exhumed at East Monmonth, about
half way between the house now owned by Mr. Frank
Jones and the schoolhouse. James Nichols was the
fortunate discoverer. He was shoveling sand from a

*A few of their graves have been found on the west shore of the
Cochnewagan. in the pasture belonging to the B. F. Marston estate.

IO HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

bank beside the road, when the blade of his shovel
struck the collar bone of the skeleton. By proceeding
carefully, the entire frame was unearthed. It proved to
be that of a giant, measuring almost seven feet and a
half in height. The skull is said to have been as large
as a common iron tea-kettle. The body was buried
with its feet toward the rising sun; and a complete
outfit of implements of warfare, buried at its side, in-
dicated that it was that of a warrior — perhaps a saga-
more. The bones remained on the spot for two or
three years. The schoolboys of that district found in
this relic an infinite source of delight. Every recess
found them with the skull poised on the crown of a
large rock, bombarding it with the arm and leg bones
of the dismembered warrior. If any one ventured to
question their right to indulge in such acts of desecra-
tion, they would pause long enough to ejaculate,
"Shooting Injuns!" and resume' their sport with re-
doubled vigor.

To the Anasagunticooks we are indebted for the
names of many of our beautiful ponds — Cobbossee-con-
tee, Cochnewagan, Anabessacook, Sabattis and x\ndro-
scoggin.

Cobbossee-contee, literally translated, is, "Sturgeon
many" Originally, the ending, "cook" meaning, "place
of" was appended. Thus written, Cobbossee-contee-
cook, it signified, "the place of many Sturgeon" Dr.
James Cochrane, Jr., whose opinions will be frequently
cited in these pages, argues that the word, "Cobbossee,"
signified "Salmon?* Sturgeon were found in the Kenne-
bec in plentitude, but none were known to enter the

THE ABORIGINES. 1 1

narrow waters of the Cobbossee-contee, while they
almost swarmed with salmon.*

In connection with this, a tradition, quoted by J. W.
Hanson, in his history of Gardiner and vicinity, will
not prove uninteresting. "When the first red men
came from the distant and beautiful northwest, to
which the Indian always directed his gaze, and where
he fancied were the Happy Hunting Grounds, a small
clan settled along the Cobossee-contee,f from its source
to its mouth. Scarcely had they pitched their wigwams
when, one day, one of their number, a noted brave,
went down to the shore, and divesting himself of his
clothing, exclaimed, "I am a Sturgeon" or Cabbassa,
and plunged into the Kennebec near the mouth of the
stream. Immediately a large sturgeon was seen frol-
icking among the waves, but though the sanups and
sachems of the tribe looked long and anxiously for the
warrior's return, and though his squaw and pappooses
mourned his absence, he was never seen again. Ever
after, when one of the tribe was asked who he was he
would reply,' I am a sturgeon,' or cabbassa, or, in other
words, a red man from Cabbassaguntiag. Gradually
the hieroglyph of a sturgeon was adopted as their sym-
bol, and was attached to their treaties, or deeds."

Wilson pond received its name from one Wilson, a
hunter, from the town of Topsham, or Brunswick, who

*MS. Lectures, delivered about 1851.

tThe name is spelled in various ways — Cobossee-contee, Cabassee-
contee, Cabassaguntiag, etc. The Indians having no written language,
those who attempted to reduce their words to writing used such charac-
ters as would best convey the pure sound; and, as the Indian dialect is
replete with gutterals that can hardly be expressed with letters, it is not
strange that different writers should use different combinations of
symbols to express them. Cochnewagan is also spelled Caughnewagan,
Cawnewago, etc.

12 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

was caught by Indians and drowned near the islands
at the head of the pond. Another tradition says that
he fell from his boat while intoxicated. The former
version, being the more romantic, has the preference.

Sabattis pond took its name from a celebrated chief
of the Anasagunticooks who bore that appellation.
Sabattis was an Indian of keen intelligence and a
skilful diplomatist. His name may be found often in
the petitions and documents relating to Indian affairs,
on file in the Massachusetts Archives. In 1725, a
trading house was established at Fort Richmond. Two
3'ears later, Sabattis requested the government to keep
stores at Brunswick, saying, "In cold winters and deep
snows, my men, unable to go to Fort Richmond, some-
times suffer."

In 1717, the General Court of Massachusetts voted
to pay seven hundred and fifty dollars, annually, for
missions. Sabattis, ever on the alert to promote the
interests of his tribe, at once presented to that honorable
body a petition, in the name of the praying Indians of
the Anasagunticooks, requesting "that ye Great Gover-
nor and Council would order a small Praying house to
be built near the ffort the English and vs to meet in on
Sabbath days." This petition, dated at Fort George,
Brunswick, Oct. 3, 17 17, was signed by Sabattis and
two of his warriors, and interpreted by John Gyles.
About the 37ear 1757, during the .French war, Sabattis
captured, at Topsham, a man by the name of Daniel
Eaton, who, in company with John Malcolm, was going
to Maquoit for salt hay- Malcolm escaped ; but Eaton
was wounded in the wrist, captured, and carried to
Canada, where Sabattis sold him for four dollars. The

THE ABORIGINES. 1 3

only food the captive had to eat, during the long
journey, was a partridge, which his keeper shot. Of
this, the kind-spirited, but by no means fastidious, chief
reserved only the head and entrails for himself, giving
the more palatable portion to Baton. More than forty
years later, Sabattis again passed through Brunswick.
He visited a store in the village, where quite a crowd
gathered to see the noted old chief, then almost a cen-
tenarian. A lad was sent for Eaton, who left his work
and joined the crowd at the store. He wras immediately
recognized by Sabattis, who seemed pleased to meet
him. Eaton drew up his sleeve and showed the chief
the buckshot that he fired at the time of his capture.
Sabattis appeared to be greatly disturbed by this re-
minder of the days of "auld lang syne," and remarked,
"That long time ago; wrar times too." After a brief
but friendly conversation, the old warrior and his form-
er captive shook hands and parted.

In 1775, Sabattis acted as guide to Benedict Arnold
when he ascended the Kennebec river on his expedition
to Quebec. It is probable that the veteran brave, whom
history would have a frequent visitor to the shores of
the Kennebec, watched with keen interest the building
of Arnold's pontoons, at Pittston, and that the patriotic
ardor that marked his youth, and now again his declin-
ing years, caused him to forget that seventy, or more,
winters had stiffened his limbs when he offered to lead
the party through the mazes of the wilds of northern
Maine.

When they reached the headwaters of the Kennebec,
vSabattis committed the party to the guidance of his
brother, Natahnis, who lived in a lonely cabin, far back

14 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

toward the Canadian frontier. For some reason,
Natahnis left the army, and disappeared in the forest.
Arnold suspected him of treachery, and, after several
days, sent a body of men back through the wilds to his
cabin, to surround it and arrest him as a spy. The
cabin was found to be deserted ; but near at hand, im-
paled on a stake, was a sheet of birch bark, on which
Natahnis had sketched a very accurate map of the route
to Canada, without which Arnold could hardly have
guided his army through the unexplored region of the
Chaudiere. ,

Sabattis died at an age rarely attained by man,
beloved by the remnant of his tribe, and respected by
those who had once been the avowed enemies of the red
man. He was buried, it is supposed, on the mountain
in Wales which bears his name.

How the Cochnewagan received its name can only
be conjectured. There is a tradition among the Indians
that a battle was once fought upon this pond, and that
Cochnewagan means "battle" or "fight." According to
this tradition, the belligerent parties were the tribe
living in this vicinity, and a tribe from Canada. The
Canadian Indians conquered; and ever after, as the
subjugated braves gazed upon the scene of the conflict,
they mournfully exclaimed — "Cochnewagan!"

Drake, who is considered good authority on questions
relating to the aborigines, claims that the true trans-
lation of the word is, u a place of praying Indians." It
is strange that two definitions, which, ethically con-
sidered, are diametrically opposed, should be applied
to this word, since all this occurred before the advent
of church choirs.

p jpK^j

!

THE ABORIGINES. 1 5

Tradition having testified, we will now turn to his-
tory. On the night of the eighth of February, 1690,
an attack was made on the village of Schenectady, on
the Mohawk, fourteen miles above Albany, N. Y. The
enemy consisted of about two hundred French, and a
horde of Caghnawaga Indians, under the command of
D'Aillebout, DeMantel and LeMoyne. Their first de-
sign was against Albany, but having been two-and-
twenty days on their march, they were reduced to such
straights that they had thoughts of surrendering
themselves as prisoners of war. The Indians, there-
fore, acjvised attacking Schenectady. The attack was
made in the dead of night. All the houses were
surprised simultaneously, and before the frenzied in-
mates could rise from their beds, the enemy were in
possession ; and almost instantly, the whole village was
in flames. The outrages committed by the brutal
savages on this occasion, beggar description. Women
were outraged, and their children either dashed in
pieces against the doorposts, or thrown into the flames
before their eyes. Sixty persons were massacred and
about thirty made prisoners. The rest fled, naked,
through the deep snow, in the midst of a terrible
storm. In this flight, twenty-five of the unhappy
fugitives lost their limbs through the severity of the
weather. The enemy pillaged the town and went off
with the plunder, which included about forty of the
best horses. The rest, with all the cattle they could
find, they left slaughtered. As soon as the news
reached Albany, the Mohawk Indians joined a party
of young men from that place, and, pursuing the
murderers and falling upon their rear, killed and

1 6 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

captured nearly thirty of them. How far they pur-
sued them is not known. There is, however, a
tradition among the Mohawk Indians that they pur-
sued them as far as the borders of this pond, and that
the battle fought at this time gave the pond its name.
It will hardly do to give this great credence. It is far
more in accord with reason to fix upon a place upon
the Mohawk river, six miles below Albany, called
Caughnewaga, as the place where the fight occurred
between the retreating fiends and the pursuing aven-
gers— whence the name, Caughnewaga — a fight. But
there is no reason to doubt that the tribe, or clan of
the Anasagunticook tribe, living on the shores of
Cochnewaga pond was the assaulting party at the time
of this outrage. It is generally supposed that the
Caughnewagas who committed this act of brutality
were those who dwelt on the Mohawk river. This,
the bare facts contradict. This tribe was a branch
of the Mohawks, who had, as all historians know,
always been on most amicable terms with the English
settlers, aiding them in their wars against the French
and the Eastern Indians.

The facts in favor of the supposition that the assault-
ing tribe was from the vicinity of Monmouth are these :
the distance from here to the scene of the massacre is
about four hundred miles. An Indian travelling on
snow-shoes at the rate of twenty miles in a day,
would cover the distance in just about the space of
time which authorities claim was consumed on the
journey — twenty-two days. One narrator states that
the Indians came from Canada. The towns of Jay and
Canton were formerly known as "Phipps Canada,"

THE ABORIGINES. 1 7

which appellative became, in the course of time, con-
tracted to simply Canada.* Here was Rocomoco, the
headquarters of the Anasagunticooks, of which the
Cochnewagans were a branch. But most conclusive
of all is the fact, that, so far as is known, no other
locality of the Eastern States bears the name of the
assaulting horde. There is, indeed, in the vicinity oi
the Madawaska settlements, on the northern frontier,
the lingering spark of a tribe called the Cochnewagas ;
but it is composed of descendants of the small tribe of
natives that the first settlers found dwelling on the
shore of this pond, who pushed back into the northern
wilds soon after their domains were invaded. After a
careful examination of all accessible records relating to
this subject, the writer is firm in the conviction that the
tribe which became notorious for this atrocity started
from Phips Canada, having resorted there from the
shores of the Cochnewagan to receive instruction from
the grand sachem, and, journeying westward, met the
French troops from Montreal, 03- preconcerted agree-
ment, and, with them, marched against Schenectady.

The Joemum-aw received its name from an old hun-
ter and trapper by the name of John Munyaw, who
made the banks of that stream his principal resort.
Tradition opens its voluminous pages again with the
claim that Munyaw was a red man. Whether this be
true or not, it is not to be doubted that "Jock" as he
was familiarly called, was a tangible being, and that
the stream perpetuates his memory.

Purgatory Pond, the greater part of which lies with-

*This tract was granted to Capt. Phipps and sixty-three others for
services rendered in the Indian wars.

1 8 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

in the limits of Monmouth, was christened by a party
of hunters who encamped on its shores to pursue their
vocation. The black flies tormented them beyond the
power of endurance, and they finally abandoned their
camp, leaving behind, as a token of their appreciation
of the delights of the locality the name it still bears.

A great deal of romance attaches to the history of
the lakes and streams about us. Much of this is
obviously mythical. From a mass of folk-lore and
history, the foregoing has been carefully selected,
avoiding everything that did not bear well-defined
marks of authenticity.

In closing this chapter, the reader is invited to take a
stroll over the hill that rises from the western rim of
the Cochnewagan, following the old Lewiston road
down from its brow, as far as the farm buildings of
Mr. Kingsbury. Turning abruptly to the right, we
will then follow a wood road leading through the
pasture until we reach the edge of the woodland.
Turning to the right again, we confront the last relic
of the original forest growth. It is a massive white
birch, girding, at least, eight feet, and crowned with a
mass of twisted scrawny limbs that have writhed in
the storms of a hundred winters, and may yet sway in
the breezes of another century ; for the land on which
it stands was sold with the understanding that this
veteran should remain unmolested until the elements
level its proud form. Close scrutiny reveals the fact
that it rises from the centre of a stone fire place, and
that a parallelogram is described around it in traces of
an old log wall.

This decayed wall measures about nine and twelve

THE ABORIGINES. 19

feet on its respective sides, with the stone work and its
superincumbent pile at the southern end.

Sometime during the progress of the Revolutionary
war, a deserter from the American Army came into
the wilderness of Maine to escape the penalty of his
offence. Selecting a spot far from any human habita-
tion, on the side of a densely wooded hill, he built a
cabin of rough logs, covered overhead with hemlock
bark and boughs, and settled down to reflect on his
past life and probable future.

Knowing that he could never with safety return to
his former habitation, he endeavored to supply himself,
as far as possible, with the comforts of life. He soon
ha*d his cabin surrounded by a nourishing orchard, and
was enjoying the prospect of a coming fruitage, when
he heard the sharp ring of a woodman's axe in the
forest, not a gunshot from his home.

Fear of detection and apprehension drove away any
pleasant anticipations that the prospect of meeting
another of his kind may have afforded, and this fear,
it is to be supposed, drove him farther back into the
forest, where again the only sounds that could greet
his ears were the fierce howl of wolves and the blood-
curdling screech of the wild-cat.

Down at the foot of the hill on which his cabin rested,
snuggling under its sturdy sides as if for protection, lay
a tiny sheet of water with a circular border, carved as if
by artifice. Its smooth face, protected from the winds
by the topping hills, was always smiling when the
weary outcast came down to fill his birchen bucket.
If a pencil of sunlight found its way down through the
dense foliage, it was thrown back into his frowning face,

20 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

as if to brighten not only his features but his dreary
life. And when the clouds thickened above it and
darkling shadows spread themselves over its sensitive
surface, it seemed to glance up with sympathy that
caused the lonely recluse to feel that he was not with-
out companionship. Then, too, its mirrored surface
gave him the only sight of humanity that was afforded
him in all his years of solitude.

Is it strange that he should often resort to its mossy
banks ? And is it not fitting that this companion of
his dreary life should still be wedded to his memory ?
That it should ever bear his name in — Bonne}- Pond.

CHAPTER II.

THE FIRST SETTLERS.

Very early in the seventeenth century, Europeans
began to land upon the shores of Maine and to ascend
the rivers, as far as navigable, into the interior. At
first, voyagers were attracted to our shores by the hope
of discovering some mine of precious metals or jewels.
Although neither gold, silver nor diamonds greeted
their eyes, their anticipations of discovering a mine of
wealth were not wholly blasted, for a highly remunera-
tive traffic was established with the natives. But this
traffic, although it brought wealth into the coffers of
the European adventurers, proved in the end highly
disastrous, and brought calamity upon their heads and
the heads of their children.

Vessels loaded with trinkets as gaudy as the autumn
leaves that fell in the New England forests, and pos-
sessing about the same intrinsic value, visited the new
country and returned freighted with furs valued at
thousands of dollars.

It was not long, however, before the natives began to

22 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

realize that they were not receiving an adequate return
for their products and this source of revenue became
unfruitful.

About that time gentlemen of opulence and ability
attempted to found colonies upon the Sagadahoc* and
Kennebec rivers. Although they found no difficulty
in securing the requisite number of volunteers to the
adventurous enterprise, their plans were thwarted and
their hopes unrealized. Unwilling to open the vast
resources that lay ready to reward the willing muscle,
and disappointed in the hope of founding an aristocracy
to be supported on the sinewy backs of the tawny
skinned natives, the indolent malcontents turned the
prows of their shallops towards the east, and set sail
for the mother country.

It was not until the Pilgrim Fathers landed upon the
shores of Plymouth that permanent settlements began
to be founded upon the shores of New England. Soon
after the principle of industry found a footing in Maine ;
but, alas ! it came too late. Scarcely the first harvest
ripened on the rich soil of the Kennebec before the
germ of distrust and hatred, that had been sown in the
hearts of the natives by the early adventurers, burst
into full flower. Speak as we may of the cruelty of the
American Indian, judge him as we may for his atroci-
ties, we must admit that the terrible outrages which
our fathers suffered only instanced the truth of the
proverb, — "The fathers have eaten a sour grape and
the children's teeth are set on edge." It is only
necessary to read a few pages in the early history of

♦That portion of the Kennebec below Merrymeeting Bay was formerly
known as Sagadahoc.

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 23

our state, to become possessed of a sentiment that will
in a measure, palliate the crimes and cruelties of the
savage. Read, for instance, of a Weymouth planting
the emblem of God's love and rnercy upon the shores
of a newly discovered territory, only to turn upon the
wondering and childlike natives, and seizing some of
their number, drag them shrieking to the hold of his
ship, there to be placed in irons and carried far from
friends who loved as we love, and who lamented as we
lament, to be exhibited as curiosities, or sold for money
in a foreign slave mart ; read of a party of officers and
soldiers, supposed to represent not only the economy
but the sentiment of the English government, loading
a cannon with a double charge, and then inducing a
crowd of unsuspecting natives to drag it over the green
with ropes for their entertainment and amusement, and
as a climax to their merriment, touching a flame to the
powder and strewing their innocent victims, mangled,
dead, and dying, from the end of the rope to the
cannon's mouth ; then wonder that the savages, as we
choose to term them, should rise in anger and sup-
posed self-protection to mangle and torture the whole
nation of "pale-faces."

The long series of Indian wars that marked the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, checked all
progress in industrial pursuits, and came near blot-
ting from existence tHe few settlements that had been
commenced.

The first of these was inaugurated in the year 1675,
and was known as King Philip's War, so called from
its great instigator, Pometacom, a noted chieftain of
Massachusetts, to whom the General Court gave, in

24 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

gratification of his request, the English title, King
Philip. This war was opened by the Massachusetts
Indians against the Plymouth colonists. It soon ex-
tended, however, all over New England. Of all the
tribes that were engaged in this campaign, the one on
which our interest centres, the Anasagunticooks, was
the most active. Indeed it was at one time thought
that if this particular tribe could be conciliated a treaty
of peace could easily be effected with the others. The
ravages, of the Anasagunticooks were chiefly directed
against the settlers in the vicinity of Brunswick.
These settlers, among them, notably, one Thomas
Purchase, who kept a trading post, had gained a no-
toriety among the savages for the wrongs and abuses
they had perpetrated. An early writer speaking of the
dealings of these men with the natives, and particular-
ly of Purchase, says, "It was their custom first to
make them (the Indians), or suffer them to make
themselves, drunk with liquors, and then to trade with
them, when the}- may easily be cheated, both in what
they bring to trade, and in the liquor itself, being
one-half or more nothing but spring water, which
made one of the Androscoggin Indians once complain
that he had given a hundred pound for water drawn
out of Mr. P. his well."* This war lasted three years,
and, in that time it was all but impossible for the in-
habitants of Maine to raise enough corn (that being
their principal product) to sustain life. Indians lurked
around every cabin, and, apparently, behind every tree
in the forest. No man could step from his door to

*A hundred pounds of Beaver skins is the evident meaning of the
ambiguous phrase.

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 25

draw a pailful of water with any assurance of a safe
return, nor could he lie down to sleep at night with
anything more than an uncertain hope of having his
head covered by a roof or even a scalp, in the morning.
These days of terror were followed by a period of peace
which lasted just ten years. Then came another war,
more terrible than the first, which lasted eleven years.
This was known as King William's War, in which
the Androscoggin, Kennebec, Saco, and Penobscot
Indians were the assailants and the settlers between
the Piscataqua and Kennebec rivers the principal suf-
ferers. During this outbreak, forts and garrisons
were established at several points on the Kennebec,
Androscoggin, and Piscataqua rivers, manned by
troops from the Massachusetts militia. A treaty of
peace was ratified at Mere Point, in Brunswick, Janu-
ary 7, 1699, between commissioners from Massachusetts
and Sagamores from the several tribes in this vicinity.
Peace lasted about four years, and was followed by
Queen Anne's War which continued from 1703 to 17 13,
and Lovewell's War which commenced in 1722 and
terminated in 1726. Quite a period of peace then en-
sued, in which the settlements flourished and broadened
rapidly. The hopes of permanent peace which the
settlers now commenced to entertain were dissipated
by troubles that arose between England, Spain, and
France in 1739. It was anticipated that the Indians
would join in the contest if it should cross to our
shores, and all possible means were used to conciliate
them; but to no purpose. In 1745, the wave broke
over this region, bringing devastation and ruin to all
within its sweep. This was known as the Fifth

26 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Indian, or Spanish, war. Brunswick, the home of
many of the forefathers of Monmouth families, suffered
much in these years of bloodshed, partly on account of
the ease with which it could be reached from many
points, and partly on account of its being the former
headquarters of the Anasagunticooks, who were ready
to retaliate upon those who had driven them from their
homes. Peace was not declared until 1749, and then
to continue a period of only five years. Then came
the French, or Sixth Indian, war, which was less ter-
rible than the preceeding outbreak only because the
savages had become so reduced in number that they
could do little more than lie in ambush and capture, or
shoot, individuals whose daring had carried them too
far from the outposts of the garrison-houses, or, at
best, antagonize small parties of four or five at a time.

When this war closed, as it did in 1760, the settlers
had little to fear from the red men. Their numbers
had become so thinned by pestilence, starvation, and
the bullet, that to declare war against the English,
would have been the suicide of the race. For the first
time in man}- years a sense of securit}7 was experienced
by the colonists, and industrial pursuits received a
grand impulse.

Thus far the settlers had huddled together in little
groups in the vicinity of the garrison, never daring to
push out beyond the reach of a voice call. But little
was harvested or even planted. To exist was the
ruling ambiton, to really live and enjoy life was hardly-
thought of, much less expected. When the dark could
broke, disclosing the glorious radiations of peace and
security, it was as if a new world had been opened

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 27

before them. In prospect were hope and expectation,
their brightness augmented by contrast with the pall-
like cloud that was just disappearing.

Soon the little clearings around the block-houses
became broad openings, filled with luxuriant, waving
corn, and, ere long, the influx of population made it
necessary to push back into the interior and found new
settlements.

Thomas Gray, an old hunter and trapper, living in
that part of Brunswick known as New Meadows, had,
while on a hunting expedition, discovered the chain of
lakes that encircles Monmonth. He returned to his
neighbors with glowing accounts of the wonderful
section, abounding in fine meadow grass, a product of
considerable importance in those da3'S, and so excited
them that they determined to join him in founding a
settlement on a newly discovered territory. In the
summer, or fall, of 1774, Gray, accompanied by Reuben
Ham, Joseph Allen, Philip Jenkins, and Jonathan
Thompson, all from New Meadows came in to cut and
stack a quantity of blue-joint and fell some trees. The
following winter, as soon as the streams wrere frozen,
Gray and his son James, a lad of fourteen or fifteen
years, drove in the cattle belonging to these men, a
herd of about fifteen head. The difficulty of guiding
such a herd through the forest can be appreciated by
those only who know something of a drover's vexations.
It took but a short time to prepare a home. A few
trees were felled, cut into proper lengths and rolled up
for walls, the top covered with poles and shingled
with evergreen boughs, and the first house ever built
within the limits of Monmouth was read}- for occupants.

28 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

The exact location of this rude shelter is a matter of
speculation, but it stood somewhere on the meadow
south of D. H. Dearborn's. All their provisions as
well as cooking utensils and other necessary articles,
were brought on their backs. It was not long before
their stock of edibles failed, and Gray was obliged to
return to New Meadows for a fresh supply, leaving
James to care for the stock. No enviable position was
that which this brave lad was now compelled to assume.
Fierce wild animals inhabited the woods all around
him, bear tracks could be seen almost any time within
a few rods of the cabin door, and the shrill yawl of the
loupcervier was his nightly lullaby. And never having
read a yellow-covered novel, his experience was shorn
of all the charm of romance.

It was the intention of the father to return immedi-
ately ; but day after day passed, and he did not come.
Inside of a week, the provisions utterly failed, and
James was compelled to resort to his gun as a means
of sustaining life. Partridges and the milk from one
or two farrow cows comprised his diet. A fortnight
passed, and still his father did not appear. By this
time, the dismal hooting of owls and howling of wild
animals had become torture, which was by no means
alleviated by his anxiety for his father. Shouldering
his gun, James started to return to New Meadows,
leaving the cattle to look out for their own interests.
He had made his way along the line of spotted trees
nearly ten miles when, to his great jo}', he met his
father. The old gentleman had contracted a severe
cold on his homeward journey, which ended in a
prolonged attack of sickness. The twain returned

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 29

to their log hut, where they remained the rest of
the winter. The following year, Gray, Ham, Allen,
Jenkins and Thompson moved in with their families.
Gray settled on land now owned by D. H. Dearborn,
and Allen, Jenkins, Ham and Thompson on adjacent
lots farther south.

Two years passed before their families came to join
them. In this short period those hardy pioneers per-
formed as much hard labor as the ordinary farmer of
today does in a life time. The latter groans over the
labor of planting time. What would be his lamenta-
tions if he were compelled to cut down an acre or more
of old growth timber — some of the trees measuring
three and four feet in diameter — cut the logs into
suitable lengths for piling, and roll them up and burn
them before putting his corn and potatoes into the
ground? To be sure, there were compensations. The
soil was so rich that the use of fertilizers was
unnecessary. And in addition to this the labor of
ploughing was dispensed with. A stake, cut to a point
at one end, was plunged into the mellow earth, the seed'
dropped into the hole, a little earth scraped over the
top with the toe of the planter's boot, and his ploughing,
harrowing, and covering were all completed. The first
few years, a large portion of the provisions had to be
procured at Brunswick, Topsham, and Bath, Whether
the crops failed on account of dry weather, or from
what cause, cannot be stated, but it is certain that
these men were often obliged to make their way
through the tangled forest a distance of twenty-five
miles to purchase corn, and then retnrn with it on
their backs. It was no uncommon thing for one of

30 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

them to carry a bushel the whole distance in a day.
Wild meat was abundant. Partridges could be shot
from the door-way, and bears, moose and deer, cap-
tured without difficult)'. When Thomas Gray took
up his lot, there was a family of beavers living in the
meadow south-east of D. H. Dearborn's. They had a
large dam, the remains of which may still be seen.
He set a trap for them, but when, after a few days, he
returned to carry away his beaver, he found neither
game nor trap. After a long and unavailing search,
he cut away the dam, letting the water run out, and
found his trap on the bottom of the brook, with a stout
beaver between its fixed jaws. On the great bog,
between Monmouth and Leeds, beaver-dams were then
abundant.

The first two or three years after the Brunswick
colon)' was established, bears and moose were killed in
large numbers. The last moose killed in this vicinity
was discovered by James Gray, the brave boy of whom
mention has already been made, over in Sabattis
swamp. Gray was out with his dogs after raccoons.
The dogs came across the moose's track and gave the
signal. The hunter followed with his axe — his only
weapon. The deep, soft snow impeded the animal's
progress, and he was soon overtaken. The dogs fleM-
at his head, and held his attention while their master
came up behind on snow shoes, and with two swift,
well dealt blows severed the animal's hamstrings.
Thus disabled, he was easily dispatched.

The intrepidity of these pioneers was remarkable.
Thomas Gray and Reuben Ham were together one day
in the forest near their cabins. Gray was armed with

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 3 1

an old flint-lock gun, and Ham, with an axe. They
had not proceeded far when they encountered a large
bear. Gray immediately brought his flint-lock into
position and pulled the trigger, but the gun was
having one of its frequent spells of indisposition, and
didn't respond to the call. The bear at once turned on
the hunter, who, not a whit alarmed, continued to
advance, still snapping the old flint-lock vigorously.
Bruin rushed on with open jaws and menacing snarl,
until he came near enough to strike Gray a sweeping
blow with his paw. In this emergency, the old man
thrust one of his hands into the animal's mouth, and,
notwithstanding the severe mangling it received,
crowded it far down into the cavernous throat, and
held it there until Ham, coming up behind, plunged
his axe into the bear's back, severidg its spinal column
and killing it almost instantly. Disengaging his lac-
erated hand, and looking at the deep gash in the
animal's back, Gray angrily exclaimed, "There now,
sir! I say you've spoilt that hide." He thought
nothing of his own wounds, although the end of his
thumb was bitten off and the whole hand was so badly
crushed and wounded that he was obliged to go to New
Meadows for surgical aid ; and, ever after, the fingers
were crooked and stiff, and the hand and wrist partially
withered.

At the end of two years, six other families came
from New Meadows. The}' were those of John Welch,
Ichabod Baker, Alexander Thompson, Hugh Mulloy,
John Austin, and Benjaoni Austin. Welch built his
cabin a few rods west of M. L. Getchell's, and took up
nearly two hundred acres of wild land having for its

32 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

northern boundary the rangeway on which Maple
Street was subsequently laid out, and extending as
far south as the northern limit of the land appropri-
ated by Ichabod Baker, who settled on the place latel}-
owned by Ambrose Beale, Esq. Thompson settled on
the lot now known as the "Widow Ann Blake place,"
a few rods north of the Academy ; Mulloy, on the farm
now owned and occupied by Mr. Bickford, south of
Monmouth Centre ; John Austin, on the Blossom
place, and Benjaoni Austin, on the great bog, between
Monmouth and Leeds. Benjaoni Austin was a man
nearly sixty years of age. He asserted, with evident
pride, that his grandfather was a brother to King
Philip, the celebrated chief who figured so conspicu-
ously in the Indian Wars of the seventeenth centur}-.
King Philip's father was the celebrated Massasoit,
King of the Wampanoags or Pockanokets. He was
chief of this tribe when the Pilgrims landed at
Plymouth, and his name is never to be severed from
their history. He had two sons, Wamsutta, afterward
named Alexander, who succeeded his father as head of
the tribe, and Pometacom, alias King Philip, to whom
fell the honor at the death of Alexander, in 1657.

Granting that Austin's statement was true, the
celebrated Wamsutta must have been his grandfather.
"But," says one who had seen his swarthy skin and
straight coal-black hair, "If Wamsutta was not his
grandfather some other Indian certainly was."

Two years later, or about 1781, Peter Hopkins and
Capt. James Blossom came in. Hopkins was an
Englishman. He came from Boston, but probably
stopped in Hallowell, or Augusta, several years before

THE FIRST SETTLERS, 33

coming to this town. In North's History of Augusta
mention is made of one Peter Hopkins, who held no
lands or real estate, but who was elected to the offices
of selectman, highwa}^ surveyor and tythingman in
the year 1771. As his name does not appear on the
tax lists after 1780, it is probable that he settled here
not far from that time. He made a clearing on the
farm now known as the Johnson place, at North
Monmouth, at the head of the road leading from the
brick mill to the county road leading from Monmouth
to Winthrop. Capt. Blossom came from Barnstable,
Cape Cod. He bought out John Austin's claim, and
Austin went over to the great bog and made a clearing
on the farm now owned by John Plummer. The
remains of the stone chimney he built may still be seen,
or, at all events, could be seen not many years ago.
The deed which Blossom took from Austin was about
as large as a man's hand; in which the "aforesaid
Austin" bargained, sold and conveyed "unto said
Blossom" all right, title and interest "in the estate
formerly held by him, excepting the boards on the
roof of his house," the walls of which were built of
logs. This house did not stand on the site occupied
by the present Blossom house ; but beyond the upper
dam, on the north side of Cochnewagan Pond. The
Blossom farm, it will be remembered, embraced all the
land held by the heirs of the late Jacob Shore}-.

In the course of a few months, several other families
moved from New Meadows and joined their old neigh-
bors at the settlement. They were the families of
James Weeks, Nathan Stanley, Zadoc Bishop, Chris-
topher Stevens, Samuel Simmons, William Welch,

34 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Samuel Welch, Edward Welch, Oliver Hall, Timothy
Wight, and John Fish.

Weeks settled on the J. W. Goding farm, about half
way between High street and the residence of Miss
Charlotte Harvey. He subsequently sold his claim
and moved into the edge of Winthrop. From Winthrop
he moved to Lewiston, and afterward exchanged
places with Josiah Straw and moved back to Monmouth.

Stanley settled on the place where Melville M.
Richardson now lives. He sold out to Joel Chandler,
and removed to Winthrop, where many of his descend-
ants now reside.

Zadoc Bishop built his cabin near the Moody stream,
in North Monmouth, about twenty rods south-east of
the south wing of the mill dam. When Gen. Dearborn
built his mill at East Monmouth he backed the water
up until it covered Bishop's farm, almost to his door-
stone. "Hey," said the old man, "they've flowed me
out as they would a musquash," and gathering his
house-hold effects, he made a bee line for the highest
elevation in the town of Leeds, where, like the wise
man of old, he built his house on a rock. Whether
the statement that the old gentleman made a practice
of filing the noses of his sheep, that they might reach
the scanty verdure that grew in the close crevices of
that rock bound hill had any foundation in fact, the
historian of the town must determine. One thing,
however, is certain, — he was not driven from his
strong-hold by the backing up of a mill stream.

Christopher Stevens settled on the corner lot at the
junction of the main road from North Monmouth to
the Centre and High Street, a few rods north of the

1401486

THE FIRST SETTLERS. T>5

residence of B. S. Ellis. It is probable that he re-
moved to Wayne, as the name of Christopher Stevens
appears on the records of that town a few years later.
The exact location of Hall's clearing is not known.
The Welch brothers did not remain here long. One
of them made a clearing at the head of Cochnewagan
pond, near the smelt brook. He had bad luck in
getting "a burn" in the spring, and it was as late as
the twentieth of June before he got his ground ready
for planting. He then procured five or six men and
got his corn in as expeditiously as possible. His niece,
Nellie Welch, afterward the wife of Benjamin Leuzader,
assisted. She dropped and covered eight quarts in one
day, surpassing every man in the crew, and receiving
four shillings and sixpence for her day's work.

Timothy Wight settled on the Bishop place, opposite
Mr. Jesse P. Richardson's, in North Monmouth. A
few years later, he exchanged farms with Caleb Fogg,
who, in the meantime, had settled at the head of
Cochnewagan pond.

Fish settled on the place where Benj. S. Ellis now
lives. He was the first tavern-keeper in the settlement,
and was not, if the reports that have been handed
down the stages of a century may be accredited, a
strictly exemplary citizen. His house was a rendez-
vous for all the tipplers of the place. He purchased
his liquors at Hallowell, and, as his pocket-book never
carried the equivalent of more than two or three quarts
of the ardent at one time, he must have been a valuable
assistant in levelling the highway between the
settlement and Kennebec river. To men accustomed
to a "wee tip o' the finger," his return from the river

36 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

was an event of considerable import. Sometimes they
would gather at his cabin and await his appearance
with jest and legend. But at the first sound of foot-
steps on the underbrush outside, song and story
would find a terminus without call for cadence or
period, and before the weary tapster could poise him-
self for a struggle to retain the prize, his dearty-gotten
"West India" would be gurgling down the throats of
his greedy neighbors — and his own palate not
lubricated with the rare potation.

In selecting lots, these pioneers almost invariably
made choice of land in the vicinity of the meadows.
When Gray and his companions were cutting grass
on the intervales, the summer before they commenced
the settlement, each man chose the land on which he
afterward built his cabin. Gray, Allen, Ham, Jenkins •
and Thompson selected the meadow east of Hobart
Dearborn's. Austin, Welch, M11II03', Blossom and
Baker afterward settled near the meadow east of the .
Centre, and Bishop and Hopkins near the lowlands
irrigated by the Wilson Stream.

The Austins and James Labree, John Austin's
son-in-law, who came through the woods from New
Meadows soon after his wife's relatives settled on the
great bog, following the line of marks that those who ':
had preceded him had made on the forest trees, and
drawing on a hand sled all his worldly possessions,
pitched their tents on the low lands near the Leeds
line.

History affords but catching glimpses of the life of
these hardy settlers. Now we see them hailing their
good neighbor Jenkins with congratulations over the

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 37

birth of a son — the first child born in the settlement;
and again bearing similar greetings when, to the wife
of Jonathan Thompson, the first female child is born.
We see them, too, gathering at one of the little cabins,
with bowed heads and silent expressions of sympathy.
Death, that unavoidable spoiler of earthly happiness,
has found his way through the mazes of the forest
and secured his victim. Such an occasion, bearing
to each its freightage of tender memories, could
not fail to bring together the whole settlement.
And we look back through the gloom of a century,
and watch them with peculiar interest as thej^
gather on the little plot then sanctified as the
home of the dead, but now, alas ! desecrated and
put to a common use, to place in its narrow ten-
ement the first form the dark fiend has torn from
among them — the child of Thomas Gray. The
place where this child was buried was set apart
for, and used many years as, a buryiug ground. In it
rest the remains of Thomas Gray and wife, and many
ethers of the pioneers ; in number between twenty and
thirty. In later years, as settlers began to take up
lots farther north, it became necessary to have a
cemetery more centrally located ; and by consent of
the owner, a plot of land belonging to Gen. Dearborn
was used for this purpose. This burying ground was
in the field on the east side of the road, nearly opposite
the farm buildings of Mr. George L. King, below
Monmouth Center. Not far from one hundred bodies
were buried there. After the cemetery was established
at the Center, in 1799, many of these were taken np
and re-interred in the new ground, but a large number

38 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

still lie iii their first resting place. At Monmouth
Neck, on the south side of the road, opposite the school
house, several persons were buried. These graves,
like those in the other lots, have been ploughed over
time and again, and the bodies lying there — fathers
and mothers of honored families — are fertilizing the
soil and giving vigor to the crops that are marketed
in our village. Who among us can say that he has
not eaten the flesh of man? The negligence on the
part of our citizens that has permitted this desecration
is a burning shame — a disgrace that reflects on every
generation, from the time of our forefathers to this
day.

In 1850, Abial Daley offered to give the primitive
burying ground below Dearborn's Corner to the town,
on condition that that corporation should provide a
suitable fence for enclosing it. If the owners of these
Sacred lots will not relinquish them without compensa-
tion, our town officials should take measures to pur-
chase them, and to erect suitable monuments over the
desecrated graves. The plea that nothing but dust
remains of those who were buried in these unfortunate
localities is an abomination. Fouler than the charnel
prowler, and more despicable than the body-snatcher is
he who not only permits the corpse of his honored
father to be outraged, but sanctions the effacing of that
father's name from the tablet of memory. If we of the
present generation fail in the performance of this act of
civilization, not to say of Christian duty, may the
ploughshare and harrow scatter our bones as widely as
theirs, and may the farmer whistle as cheerily as he reaps
the grain nournished by the decomposition of our ftesh!

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 39

As in all new settlements, the first few years saw an
eager struggle for an existence. The clearings being
small, but little could be raised, and the crops harvested
consisted mainly of corn and potatoes. These coarse
products, with fresh fish and wild meat, formed their
diet.

The ravages of wild animals were a constant source
of annoyance. Sheep and small cattle could not be
raised without much care and very close attention.
Zadoc Bishop, who, as has been stated, lived near
Gordon's Mill, had a sleek two-year-old heifer, which
an edacious member of the bruin family living in
the vicinity regarded with greedy eyes and finally
appropriated. Bishop secured the services of an old
hunter by the name of Howe, from Pondtown,
( Winthrop), and set a trap for the offender. He was
easily captured, and received due reward for his
transgressions. In the southern part of Leeds, five
bears were caught in log traps, in one night. Some
years after Gray's rencounter, a bear was killed on the
meadow east of the Metcalf saw mill, by a spring gun
set by John Welch. As spring guns did not possess
the power of discrimination, they were not always
safe neighbors. Ichabod Billington, one of the first
settlers of Wayne, met with a severe accident from one
of these indiscriminate engines, placed in a cornfield
in the edge of Leeds. Fearing that guns might be
hidden in the field that lay between him and the cabin
he was approaching, and, to avoid all liability of cas-
ualty, he went around the field, walking on the felled
trees. But he had proceeded only a short distance,
when a gun discharged its contents into one of his

40 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

lower limbs, shattering it in a frightful manner. The
wounded man's cries soon brought assistance. He was
carried to the camp, and a messenger was dispatched
with all possible speed for the nearest surgeon, whose
home was no farther distant than North Yarmouth.
When the messenger, who of necessity made the jour-
ney on foot, reached his destination, he found that the
surgeon was not supplied with the necessary appliances
for amputating the limb. After a delay of several
hours, during which an outfit of suitable instruments
was obtained at Portland, the surgeon started for the
scene of the accident. Three days had elapsed in the
meantime, and mortification had settled in the wound.
The limb was amputated in the barbarous manner in
which all surgery was then performed, and, strange to
relate, the victim survived.

Soon after the Blakes settled at East Monmouth,
Dearborn Blake discovered a bear's den in the field
almost directly opposite the place where Mr. B. Frank
Jones now lives. This was in the fall, and the den
was empty. The following spring, Blake happened to
think of his discovery one day, and, accompanied by
his younger brother Pascal, proceeded to the spot to
see if Bruin had used it as a hibernal home. On the
way they fell in with John Torsey, who was clearing
land near his cabin, and persuaded him to join the
party. When they arrived on the ground, Dearborn
Blake fell upon all fours and peered into the hole.
An immense wind-fall, three or four feet in diameter,
lay over it, leaving a close entrance on each side, but
shutting out almost every ray of light. As he bent
into the dark hole his nose touched something cold,

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 41

and he darted back just in season to save his nasal
organ from the jaws of the awakened bear. The
something cold was the tip of Bruin's nose. A mo-
ment later, there were sounds of war under the big
log, and a snarling, yelping cub crawled up into the
daylight only to meet the sharp edge of Torsey's axe,
which, fortunate^, he had not left behind. Another
dashed by and fell into the jaws of Blake's dog.
Torsey had hardly dispatched the cub when the
grinning visage of the maternal bruin appeared over
the top of the log. One well directed blow laid her
quivering on the snow. In the meantime a third
cub crawled out and started for the woods. Pascal
Blake picked up a rotten limb, the only weapon at his
command, and started in pursuit. Torsey, attracted
by the cries of the frightened animal, soon came up
with his axe and dispatched it. In less than four
minutes from the time that Blake and the bear
exchanged greetings by rubbing noses — after the
manner of the Nez Perces Indians — all four of the
bruin family lay writhing in death. Torsey, who, like
his son the doctor, was fond of mathematical quirks,
afterward computed the amount of time that would
have been consumed in killing an acre of bears at the
same ratio of speed.

But little less troublesome than beasts of prey were
the less sizable, but more numerous and voracious,
insects. To prevent being carried off bodily by these
pests, chip fires were built near the cabins every
evening. The smoke of these smouldering piles drove
the insects away, and but for the uncommon nerve of
the settlers, would have driven them away also. The

42 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

great grandfather of the writer, Dr. James Cochrane,
Sr., used to tell of an experience he had with fleas
shortly after he came to the new settlement. He was
called to William Day's, in Leeds, one hot night in
summer. The thick woods shut out every breath of
moving air, and the insects settled down like quails
upon the children of Isreal. He was compelled to
remain all night. The prospect of sacrificing himself
to the appetites of an army of fleas was not pleasant,
but there was no alternative except to provide, as best
he could, for self protection. A large, heavily-built
cupboard stood in one corner of the room. He climbed
to the top of this, and cramped his body into the
position a dog assumes when preparing for a nap.
Mrs. Arnoe, the sick lady's mother, sat in the fireplace
over a pile of smouldering chips. Occasionly she
would rise and shake her skirts, and the crackling
that followed resembled the sound of fire in hemlock
boughs. The old doctor said he thought the rascals
would carry him off.

In 1780, between twenty and thirty families were
scattered about on lands now included in the town of
Monmouth, each of which was represented by one or
more members qualified by the laws of the Common-
wealth to vote. As yet no bonds of unity existed be-
tween the settlers of the separate neighborhoods. To
be sure, their relations were of the most harmonious
nature, but individualism was the ascendant principle.
Concerted action for the moulding of social and politi-
cal institutions may have long been the dream of some
active intellect, but it had not found a place in a dif-
fused sentiment. About this time, however, questions

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 43

arose which required an alliance of forces. All the
settlers who had thus far taken up lots had a vague
idea that they could hold their lands by possession, or,
at all events, by the payment of a nominal sum to the
state. Indeed, the earliest of these supposed that the
lands were absolutely free. This misconception had
its rise in the report that William Vassal, a prominent
proprietor of lands on the Kennebec, had absconded.
Vassal resided at Boston. He was a member of the
Plymouth Company and an honored citizen. At the
commencement of the war of the Revolution, he re-
mained loyal to the crown, and, in company with
Richard Saltonstall, of Haverhill, and three hundred
others, embarked at the evacuation of Boston and re-
turned to England. The Great and General Court of
Massachusetts published a manifesto declaring these
individuals tories and outlaws, subject to the pains of
death without the benefit of clergy, should they return.
Their estates, however, were not confiscated, and, after
the treaty of peace was consummated, they returned to
enjoy their rights in the grants. Whatever may have
been the cause of the reaction of opinion concerning
these estates, it is certain that the pseudonym, Free-
town, which had been applied to the settlement, was
about this time abandoned, and that measures for self-
protection were immediately instituted. Thus drawn
together in a unison of interests, incorporation under
the laws of the Commonwealth was an easy and nat-
ural sequence.

Of the first citizens' meeting, we have no record. It
was, undoubtedly, held some time in 1780. The earliest
warrant to which we have access reads as follows :

44 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

"A record of the proceedings of Bloomingboro'.

By the desire of a number of inhabitants of Bloomingboro, the
whole are hereby notified to meet at the house of Ichabod
Bakers, on Friday, ye 24th day of August, 1781, at twelve of
the clock, in order to act on the following articles. — First, to
chuse a Moderator ; 2dly, to chuse a Clark ; 3dly, to see if the
inhabitants will think proper to chuse one man to act as Capt.
for the preasant year ; 4thly, to see if the inhabitants will accept
the proposals made to them by the committee of the general
court; 5thly, to act on any other thing that shall be thought
proper by said inhabitants — Signed — Peter Hopkins, Hugh
Mulloy, Christopher Stevens, John Austin, Jeames Weeks, Oliver
Hall, Timothy Wight, Nathan Stanley, James Blossom, William
Welch, Edward Welch, Samuel Welch, and John Fish."

The clerk's record of this meeting reads as follows :

"A town meeting of the inhabitants of the Destrict of Wales,
held on ye 24th day of August, 178 1. — Chose Peter Hopkins
Morderator ; 2dly, Chose Hugh Mulloy, Clark ; 3dly, chose
Peter Hopkins to act as Captain for the preasant year; 4thly,
voted that this Destrict shall be known by the name of Wales,
beginning at the south line of Winthrop, and running southward
eight miles, or thereabouts ; 5thly, voted, that whatever taxes
the Hon'blE General Court shall lay on said Destrict, to be
raised within ourselves; 6thly, voted, that the owners of lots
from Mr. John Welch's lot to Mr. Zadoc Bishop's lot shall clear
across their lots within one month ; 7thly, voted, that every
ratable pole shall work one day on the Highways the preasant
year ; 8thly, voted, that William Welch, Samuel Welch, Edward
Welch, and James Weeks shall be cleared from one days work
on the highways the preasant year."

The ninth article acted on at this meeting, viz :
"Voted that those surveyors on the Highways chosen at the

last meeting, to wit ; — Peter Hopkins, Thomas Gray and John

Hewey shall stand for the preasant year"

is one of the evidences on which we base the supposi-
tion that a meeting was held in 1780.

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 45

Other evidence, pointing to trie same fact, is found in
a receipt given under the hand of the Treasurer of the
Commonwealth.

"Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Treasurer's office, June 24th 1784. No. 6048.

Received of Mr. Ichabod Baker of Wales, Twenty-two pounds,
ten shillings on Oct. 1781 tax. — in full for ditto, committed to
him to collect for the year 1780. Thomas Ivers, Treasurer."

22 — 10. —

The following, differing from the foregoing only in
the order in which the articles were disposed, and
bearing the signature of the clerk, appears to have been
added to the original record :

"Wales, Aug. ye 24th, 1781. At the above said meeting,
voted, as follows, viz: istly that the Destrict wherein we now
reside shall be known by the name of Wales, beginning at the
South line of Winthrop, and running eight miles or thereabouts ;
2dly, voted, that whatever tax or taxes the Hon. Gen. Court
shall think proper to lay on said Destrict we lev}' and raise
within ourselves,

Wales, Aug. ye 24th 1781. Hugh Mulloy, Clark."

The plantation name was changed from Blooming-
boro', to Wales, as a mark of respect for John Welch,
one of the most highly esteemed of the pioneers, whose
ancestors were natives of the country bearing that
name.

The surveyors chosen at this meeting were, for
convenience, selected from the extremities and centre
of the plantation, — Hopkins at the north end, Hewey
at the south, and Gray in the middle. The road
extended from Hopkins' ,near the Winthrop line, to
about one mile below Potter's tavern, in Wales, a
distance of about nine miles on the present highway.

46 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

As the old road was very crooked, the distance must
have been greater, although in the report of the
meeting the distance was approximated at nine miles.

This was the first attempt to construct a highway.
The settlers living on adjoining lots had, previous to
this, cut rough paths from clearing to clearing, but
a line of spotted trees had served as a thoroughfare
from one end of the plantation to the other.

The road constructed this year extended from near
the place where Mr. F. H. Beal's house now stands, to
a point a few rods below Gordon's Mill, in North
Monmouth ; but by a course that deviated considerably
from that of the present highway. The Baker and
Welch cabins both stood nearer the pond than the
buildings that time and fashion have ordained to take
their places. The road took a direct course from
Welch's to the outlet of the pond, crossing the stream
by a bridge that spanned it at the point where the
upper dam is now located. Then bearing to the left,
and sweeping around the border of the pond, it ran
across the Shorey field to a point about half way
between the pond and the Rev. Mr. Cliffords , thence to
the Barrows house, on High Street. Crossing the line
of the modern road at this point, it continued in a
diagonal course to a point half way between the
Academy and Miss Charlotte Harvey's. Then
following a course almost parallel to High Street, and
about fifty rods east of it, for a distance of several rods,
it finally re-entered the course of the new road at Ellis'
Corner, where John Fish, the tavern- keeper, lived.
From Fish's it ran down over the hill, below Gordon's
Mill, to the edge of the stream where Bishop lived.

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 47

This was then the northern terminus ; but a few years
later, it was continued from Bishop's, in a north-east-
erly course, to Robert Withington's, in the Richardson
neighborhood ; and thence followed the line of the new
road to the Winthrop line. The road from Baker's to
the lower part of the plantation crossed the line of the
road now travelled at a point near the Metcalf house ;
thence, a few rods east of the new road, nearly the
whole distance to Dearborn's Corner.

John Hewey, whose name appears as one of the first
highway surveyors, settled at the southernmost point
in the plantation. Whence he came is unknown. As
no mention is made of him after 1781, it is probable
that he removed to Lisbon, where the name has, in
later years, been quite common. A number of other
settlers lived in the lower part of the plantation, so far
from the principal settlement that it is doubtful if they
knew of any of the proceedings relating to the act of
incorporation. First to be mentioned among these was
James Ross, who came from Brunswick in 1778, and
located on the western side of Mount Sabattis, and who
was, without doubt, the first white settler in Wales
proper. Mr. Ross resided on the spot he first selected
as his home until his death. The farm is now occupied
by Mr. Isaac Witherell, who married his grand-
daughter.

Patrick Keenan, who, probably followed Ross in the
order of settlement, settled in the eastern part of the
town not far from 1779. Nothing is known of his
previous history, but his name suggests that he may
have been of Irish extraction. Stephen Gray had
settled not far from Keenan on the east, and Jonathan

48 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Thompson on the line which now divides the towns of
Wales and Monmouth. William Reniick was living
a short distance from the spot where the Baptist
church was afterward erected, and the Weymouth
brothers, Benjamin and Samuel, had started a clearing
on the Watts place, now owned by Mr. Thompson, the
carriage smith.

The next thing following the election of ofhcers was
the apportionment of taxes. Josiah Whittredge was
hired to make the assessments. The labor consumed
about a half day of his time, and he received a bushel
of corn for his services. The correct and methodical
manner in which this service was performed proves
that he was a man of education.

Whence Whittredge came,has long been an unsolved
problem. The manuscript lectures that have served to
throw much light on other questions relating to the
early settlers, refuse to elucidate the gloom that sur-
rounds this character. A few months ago, while
examining the old Lincoln County Records in the
Wiscasset Court-house, papers were found, which show
that Josiah Whittridge, of Danvers, Essex Co., Mass.,
carpenter, purchased, in 1785, a lot of land, consisting
of two hundred acres, "near the Kennebec river, in the
town of Wales;" designated as the westerly half of
lot number twenty-one, in the first range. In 1793,
Josiah Whittridge, of Muskingun,. Ohio Co., Ky., car-
penter, "recovered judgment" against a citizen of East
Monmouth for "one hundred and twenty-seven pounds
and twelve shillings, and four pounds, five shillings
cost." The only inference we can draw from these
records is that Mr. Whittridge came from Danvers,

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 49

Mass., and squatted on lands in the plantation of
Bloomingboro' ; that he subsequently purchased real
estate in the plantation, but soon sold his purchase and
removed to the State of Kentucky.

The third plantation meeting was held on the 22nd
day of April, 1782. It was called by Capt. Peter
Hopkins, who was chosen to act as captain of the
plantation at the meeting of 1781. The notification
issued a few days earlier was a marvelous literary
production:

"Lincoln, is (scilicet) Purfuant to a warrant to me Directed
These are in the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to
will and regain you forthwith to notify and warn all the inhabi-
tants of Wales to meet at the Dwelling house of Joseph Allen in
Said Wales on Monday ye 22d day of April next, at one Clock
in the afternoon — then and their — viz — 1 ly to Chuse a Moderator,
2ly to Chuse a Plantation Clark — 31V to Chuse afsefsors — 4thly to
Chuse a Collector for the preasant year, and anythingEls, that shall
be thought to act upon.

Wales, April ye 4th 1782. Peter Hopkins."

ThE profcedings of a Plantation Meeting held at Mr. Joseph
Allen's in Wales, on Monday ye 22d Day of April, 1782, then and
their acted on the following articles, viz. rly Chose a Moderator.
2dly Chose James Blossom Plantation Clark. 3dly Chose Mr.
Jonathan Thompson, Afsefsor. zj-thly Chose Capt. Peter Hopkins
Afsefsor. 5thly Chose James Blossom Afsefsor. 6thly Chose Mr.
Ichabod Baker Collector. 7thly Chose James Blossom Treasurer
for the ensuing year. Sthly voted, to Raise Eight pound to Defray
Plantation Charges. Sthly to work on the Roads by way of Tax
for each lot to work two days. Real and Personal Estate to be
eftimated according to the Province Law. iothly Chose Mr.
Nathan Stanley Surveyor. iithly Chose Mr. Philip Jenkins an
other surveyor. i2thly voted, Men to have four shillings Pr. Day,
and Oxen two, and eight pence, iithly and lastly voted that those
Lots of Land that are or may be taken up the Preasant year Nobody
apear to Do the Duty on the Road the Surveyor to sell their Pof-

50 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

sestion to do the work and return the overplus if any their be When
Called for by the owners of Sd. lots-
Wales, April ye 22d 1782. James Blossom, Clark.

The Province Law referred to in the foregoing record
dates back as far as the year 1631. The settlement of
Massachusetts was first chartered by King James, as
the "Colony of Massachusetts Bay in New England/'
in the year 1628. In 1691, it was chartered by Wil-
liam and Mary, king and queen of England, Scotland,
France, and Ireland, as the "Province of the Massa-
chusetts Bay in New England.'1 Under the colony
charter, Massachusetts was often rendered "Mattachu-
setts" and "Massatusetts," and under the province
charter all the territories and colonies called, or known,
by the names of "the Colony of Massachusetts Bay,1'
"the Colony of New Plymouth," "the Province of
Maine11 and "Acadia" or "Nova Scotia," as well as
all the land lying between the territories of Nova
Scotia and the Province of Maine, were incorporated
into one province, known as the Province of Massachu-
setts Bay in New England. Provision was made in
the charter for a Governor, Lieutenant-Governor, and
Secretary — all to be appointed by the crown — for the
holding of a "Great and General Court," or assembly
on the last Wednesday of May, annually, and at such
other times as the Governor deemed proper and
advisable, to consist of the Governor and twenty-eight
Councillors, who should be chosen yearly by the Gen-
eral Court, and, in addition, such freeholders as should
be elected to represent the different towns. The
property qualification of a represensative was a free-
hold in land to the value of forty shillings annually, or

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 5 I

other estate to the value of forty pounds sterling. The
councillors were to be chosen as follows: eighteen, at
least, were to be inhabitants, or proprietors of lands
within what was formerly called the Colony of Massa-
chusetts Bay; four, at least, of the Colony of New
Plymouth; three, at least, to the Province of Maine,
and one, at least, to the territory lying between the
"'river of SagadahocM and Novia Scotia. The duties
were to advise and assist the Governor.

The charter imposed upon the Great and General
Court the full power to "make, ordain, and establish all
manner of wholesome and reasonable orders, laws,
statutes, ordinances, directions, and instructions, either
with or without penalties, as should be judged for the
good and welfare of the province, and for the govern-
ment and ordering thereof and lor the necessary
support and defence of the government thereof; such
laws, etc., not being repugnant to the laws of the realm
of England •" and, also, among other duties, "to levy
proportionable and reasonable assessments, rates and
taxes upon the estates and persons of all the proprie-
tors and inhabitants of said province, for the necessary
defence and support of the government of the said
province, and the protection and preservation of the
inhabitants thereof ' The same right to impose and
levy taxes were granted in the first charter, establish-
ing the Colony of Massachusetts Bay. Accordingly,
the Great and General Court of the Colony, in 164 1,
passed an act which provided that every inhabitant
of the colony should contribute to all charges, "both
in church and commonwealth whereof he doth or may
receive benefit." And every such inhabitant as

«J2 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

should not contribute, in proportion to his ability, to
all common charges, both civil and ecclesiastical,
"should be compelled thereto, by assessment and dis-
tress," to be levied bv the constable or other officer of
the town, the lands and estates of all men to be rated
for all town charges where the lands and estates lay,
and their persons at their place of residence.

They also made provision, in acts passed in 165 1
and 1657, for every town to make, from year to year,
a list of the polls, and a true estimation of the value of
all the personal and real estates — polls to be rated at
one shilling and eight pence each, and estates at one
penny a pound ; merchants to be rated by "will and
doom;,, houses and lands of all sort to be rated at an
uequal and indifferent value,"1 according to their worth
in the towns or places where they lay; bulls and cows
ol four years old and upward, at three pounds; heifers
and steers between three and four years old, at fifty
shillings; between two and three years old, at forty
shillings; between one and two, at twenty shillings.
Every ox of four years old and upward, to be rated
at five pounds; every horse and mare of three years
and upward, at five pounds; between two and three, at
three pounds; between one and two, at thirty shillings.
Every sheep above one year old, was rated at ten
shillings; every goat above a year old, at eight shil-
lings, and all swine above one year old, at twenty
shillings each. These acts were approved by the
Provincial government by an act passed by the Great
and General Court, or Assembly of the Province, in
1692, and kept in force by subsequent enactments
until the assembling of the General Court in 175 1. This

THE FIRST SETTLERS.

53

honorable body then passed an aet to enable and em-
power the inhabitants of new plantations within the
province, "enjoined and subjected by law," or that might
thereafter be enjoined and subjected by law, to pay
province and other taxes, to assess, levy and collect
the same. The act was introduced by a preamble
which read: "Whereas there are sundry new planta-
tions in this province, by law enjoined to pay province
and county taxes, that are not empowered to choose
the proper officers to assess, levy and collect the said
taxes.

"Sec. i. Be it enacted, that the freeholders of every
such new plantation be and are hereby required and
empowered to assemble together on the first Monday
of August, at the usual place for holding their public
meetings, ist., to choose a Moderator and Clerk for
said meeting, 2d, to choose three Assessors to make a
valuation of estates and faculties of persons in such
plantations agreeable to law, and to ^assess such taxes
as are, or shall be, set on the inhabitants of such new
plantation, as also a Collector, to levy and collect the
same; the clerk, assessor and collector to be sworn to
the faith ml discharge of their duties.

"Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, that the inhabi-
tants of the above plantations, qualified as by law is
required of voters in town affairs, are hereby empowered
and enjoined, sometime in the month of March, an-
nually, to assemble together, upon due notice given by
the collector, or collectors then in office, pursuant to a
warrant under the hands of the assessors, or the major
part of them, who shall have been last chosen, and
shall, then and there choose a clerk, three assessors.

54 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

and one or more collectors to assess and levy such
province, county and plantation taxes on said inhabi-
tants as they, from time to time, shall be enjoined by
law to pay. Said assessors and collector, or collectors,
being liable to all such penalties for refusing to be
sworn and to serve in said offices, or in case of any
default therein, as the assessors of province and county
taxes for towns are by law liable, or may be subjected
to."

In 1 76 1, the Great and General Court passed anoth-
er act in relation to the levy and collection of taxes in
plantations not incorporated. Section first provided
for the choice of a moderator, clerk, assessors, and
collectors. Section second provided that the assessors
so chosen and sworn should, thereupon, take a list of
all the ratable polls, and a valuation of the estates and
''faculties of the inhabitants of the plantation, for a
rule by which to make assessments, and by which to
judge of the qualification of voters in meetings of the
said inhabitants thereafter to be held until other valu-
ation should be made."

To be a freeholder, and qualified to vote in town or
plantation meetings, every person was obliged by the
law of 1742, which was continued in force, to have a
ratable estate in the town, plantation, or district, in
addition to the poll, amounting to the value of twentv
pounds by the following method of estimation, viz :
real estate to be placed at as much only as the rents
or income thereof would amount to for the space of six
years, were it rented at a reasonable rate; and personal
estate and "faculty" to be estimated according to the
rule of valuation prescribed in the acts from time to

THE FIRST SETTLERS. 55

time framed for apportioning and assessing public
taxes.

Provision was made, in the law of 1761, for the first
plantation meetings to be held at such time and place
as the warrant for calling such meetings specified.
Under this law the first meeting of the inhabitants of
Bloomingboro'' and the following meeting of the voters
of Wales Plantation were both legal, and all business
transacted at these convocations was conformable to
provincial law.

As has been stated, it was supposed that Vassal's
decampment abrogated his claims to the lands in
Wales Plantation; but, fearing that they might be
held ameneable to the other proprietors, the settlers,
in attempted self protection, drafted and signed a com-
pact, of which the following is a copy:

"Know all men by these Preafants, that we, whose names are
hereunto affixt, are jointly and severaly Bound to each other by our
words, our Honors, and the Penal Sum of One Hundred Pounds
Lawful Money to be paid unto a Committee that shall be chofen by
us for that purpose, or to either of them when Demanded, all of us
Belonging to the State of Mafsachufetts Bay, in the County of
Lincoln and inhabitants of the Defrrict of Wales, to which payment
we bind ourselves firmly by these preafants, the same to be convert-
ed to the ufe of thole of us who abide by this Covenant signed with
our names. The condition of this Obligation is such, Firstly, that
no one of us will offer to give, or give any encouragement of giving,
more than three shillings Lawful money pr. acre for the land which
we possess. 2dly, that if said Proprietors do refufe the offer, we
will refer the Cafe to indifferent men, the said men to be chofe
equely by the proprietors, and the body of us. ^dly, that if any one
of us the subfcribers should be taken in law the said subfcribers
shall stand a suit, and the whole of the said subfcribers shall bear
an equell proportionable part of the Colt, according to what land
they pofsefs. 4thly, that no one of us will make a purchafe of any

56 HISTORY OP' .MONMOUTH.

land that is in pofsefsion of any other without his or their Confent.
5thly, for their better Securing this agreement made by us there
shall be a Committee Chofen and impovvered to profecute the with-
in Bond if occafion shall require, and one of said Committee shall
be appointed to keep said Bond and Agreement, and he shall give
Receipt for the Same to the others of said Committee.
(Signed.")

Unfortunately, the date and signatures are missing.
They may have been torn off intentionally. This in-
timidating document produced little effect upon the
land agent for whose perusal it was evidently intended.
Instead of three shillings, the maximum price stipu-
lated in the bond, two and three dollars were paid for
every acre retained by the unfortunate and misinformed
settlers. Had they purchased their lots when they
first settled on them, three shillings per acre would
have been gladly accepted by the proprietors, as it was
not supposed that man}' could be induced to go as far
into the eastern wilds to found homes, and the lands
were considered all but worthless.

In the very heat of the excitement caused by the
prospect of losing their dearly-gotten farms, the
settlers were aggravated by events that brought them
to the verge of starvation. The Revolutionary War
had now closed, and companies of American soldiers
were constantly pouring through the settlements on
their way from Castine (then known as Biggaduce)
and other eastern points, to their homes in New Hamp-
shire and Massachusetts. In all, about two thousand
passed through the settlement. Thev straggled
along in companies of from fifty to sixty men, ragged,
tilth}-, hungry, and insolent. Many of them stopped
at Zadoc Bishop's for refreshments, his being the

THE FIRST SETTLERS.

bJ

first house on the line of their mareh. If they hap-
pened along in the afternoon, they usually forced
themselves upon his hospitality until the next morn-
ing. They were almost famished and cared but little
for shelter if their appetites could only be appeased.

Bishop made the best provision he possibly could for
them. He cooked large kettles full of hasty pudding
and gave them such other food as his scanty larder
afforded. Dissatisfied with their fare, the soldiers
grumbled and swore. They had money to pay for
their meals and nothing was too good for them. It
was not long before Bishop's store of provisions
became decidedly inadequate to the demands upon it.
In this emergency he began to allowance them. His
wife had made a few cheeses, and to save them from
the omnivorous horde concealed them in a haystack.
But the hungry wretches were not long in smelling
them out, and less time in overthrowing them. Before
the last of the two thousand had disappeared the in-
habitants of Wales Plantation were suffering the tor-
ments of a famine; and added to this the more excru-
ciating torture inflicted by an army of vermin which
the filthy stragglers had left as souvenirs. We may
rest assured that the statement of one of the afflicted
hosts to the effect that "the ground fairly moved," was
no exaggeration.

After leaving Bishop's clearing, the soldiers passed by
Welch's and Baker's. Baker had a yoke of steers at
which some of the soldiers tired, frightening them so
thoroughly that the mere pointing of a handspike at
them afterward would cause them to plunge into the
bushes as though driven by dogs.

58 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

The proclamation of peace was an epoch in the his-
tory of Wales Plantation. A new and brighter era
was about to open; an era of toil and hardship, it is
true, but one bearing the marks of progress and richly
freighted with honor to the community.

CHAPTER III.

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN.

Notwithstanding the moth eaten condition of the
adage, "Familiarity breeds contempt,'' the truth with
which it was rilled when it was constructed has not
wholly sifted out.

To the farmers, who, in later years, have tilled the
soil once swept by the battles of Gettysburg and An-
tietam, those historic acres have seemed like plots of
common earth, except that their cultivation has been
less agreeable than that of other fields on account of
the bones and skulls that have occasionally risen be-
fore the plowshare.

By the commonalty of Boston, the Old South Church
is recognized only as "the church that didn't burn in
the big fire."

The greatness of men whom the world honors may
be unrecognized by those who are familiar with their
daily- lives, and a name ever living in the memory of
the perceptive few may find its oblivion in the minds
of those to whom its natural appeals are strongest.

60 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

An ardent admirer of Emerson, visiting Concord for
the first time, inquired of the first person she happened
to meet, the way to the great philosopher's home. The
man whom she had accosted, knew nothing of the
object of her search — had never heard of him.
••What!" exclaimed the lady, in great surprise, "never
heard of Ralph Waldo Emerson? But surely you can
direct me to Walden Pond?" "Waldin Pand? Och!
fath! an ef itsauld Emmysin ye mane, he lives beyant
the hill, yander."

So the writer, on pointing at an ancient house that,
fort-like, guards the junction of two well-traveled
country roads about one mile south of Monmouth
Centre, with the remark, "General Henry Dearborn
once lived in that house, "" was not greatly surprised to
receive from the native he had addressed the replica-
tion, "v\ no was General Dearborn?""

In the rooms of the Chicago Historical Societv,
hangs a well-executed copy of one of Gilbert Stuart's
masterpieces. It represents a man a little past the
prime of life, of noble carriage, firm and dignified in
expression, dressed in the full regalia of an American
Major-General. Accompanying this portrait is a tab-
let, on which is inscribed:

To the Chicago Historical Society.

7V//" undersigned herewith present t<> your Society
a <<>i>;i of Gilbert Stuart's portiait of

MA JO R- ( ; E X /•: R AL II E X RY h K d I R B 0 R X .

Captain of a New Hampshire Regiment in the Bat-
tle of Bunker Hill;

HENR.Y DEARBORh

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN^ 6l

A Soldier through the Revolutionary War from 177s

to 1783;

United States Marshal for the District of Maine
under President Washington;

Secretary of War under President Jefferson ;

Collector of the Port of Boston under President
Madison ;

General-in-Chief of the United States Army under
President Munroe ;

Born in New Hampshire, 1 75 1 ;

Died in Boston Highlands, 1829.

Dated at Chicago, Dec. ,?, 1&'83, upon, the
Eightieth Anniversary of the first occupation of Fort
Dearborn, at Chicago, by Captain Join/ Whistle?'
dud a Company of the First Regiment United
States Infantry.

Wirt Dexter.
Marshall Field, Daniel Goodwin, Jr..

John Creran, W. K. Fairbanks,

E. W. Blatchford, Mark Skinner.

On the occasion of the formal presentation of this
gift to the society, the orator, Daniel Goodwin, Jr.,
prefaced his discourse as follows:

"From the earliest days of recorded history, it has
been a natural impulse of mankind to honor the names
of its heroes and its loved ones, those who had taken a
strong hold upon the popular heart, by giving those
names to the highways of public travel. In this latest
of the great ajjaregrations of human beings, are found
the names of the grand founders and champions of the
United States of America marking and defining the

6l HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

highways thronged day and night by hosts numbered
by hundreds of thousands.

"As you pass from this building, dedicated to his-
tory, where faithful hands are garnering up the records
of the past and present, you will find yourselyes on an
avenue bearing the name of one loyed by Washington,
trusted by Jefferson and honored by Madison and
Monroe ; who not only fought with, but was the hearty
friend of Lafayette and Rochambeau, of Gree n and
Sullivan.

"I haye walked along this great thoroughfare, which
bears his name, for a quarter of a century, and have 1
often asked myself what were the peculiar merits of
this man, whose name keeps pace with my daily steps? 1
When did he liye, what was his work, who were his i
friends, what was his social life, who and what were
his children, how did he die, and where now rest his )
honored bones ? These questions traveled with me
unanswered until I resolved to look up the history of
that first name which marked this spot when it was
known only to the government as "Fort Dearborn," —
a name antedating the birth and infancy of our great
city; a name identified with the Indian massacre of
1 812; a name which has kept pace with the growth of
a frontier post and Indian Station from a yillage to a
city, and now, though but a half-century old, the grand
metropolis of the northwest. A name giyen to one of
its social clubs, as well as that scientific observatory
overlooking our great harbor, and which once in our
own day looked down upon 12,000 rebellious sons
whose forefathers fought by the side of Henry Dear-
born, in the bloody field, or under his banner in the

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 63

war of 1812, — sons who, thank God, have again learned
to keep step to the music of the Union."

Henry Dearborn was born at Hampton, N. II., on
the 23d day of Feb., 1 75 i . His father, Simon Dear-
born, a lineal descendant of Godfrey Dearborn, who
came from Exeter, England, in 1638, was born, it is
supposed, in a garrison at North Hampton, N. H. His
mother was Sarah, daughter of Simon Marston, of
Hampton.

Henry was the youngest of twelve children. He
received as thorough an education as the best schools
of New England afforded. Alter completing a classi-
cal course, he entered upon the study of medicine under
the instruction of Dr. Hall Jackson, of Portsmouth,
who was subsequently a surgeon in the American
army during the Revolutionary War, and who became
one of the most distinguished physicians of New
England. In 1771,011 the 2 2d day of Sept., he was
married to Mary Bartlett, by whom he had two chil-
dren; Sophia, afterwards the wife of Dudley Hobart,
Esq., of Monmouth, and Pamelia Augusta, who mar-
ried Allen Gilman, an attorney of Hallowell.

Three years prior to the opening of the Revolution.
Dr. Dearborn established himself in medical practice
at Nottingham Square, N. H. The days of darkness
which soon followed had already begun to throw out
their gloomy shadows. Dearborn and several other
gentlemen of the village who saw in the wrongs that
were being hurled upon the colonies the omen of a
critical conflict, utilized all their leisure hours in the
study of military tactics. Nor were the hours thus
employed spent in vain. On the morning of the twen-

64 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

tieth of April, 1775, intelligence was received of the
spilling ot blood at Lexington. No useless words
were spoken, no moments spent in unnecessary prepar-
ation. Fifty-five miles lay between the bleeding pa-
triots and their determined sympathizers. Before twen-
ty-four hours had elapsed, young Dearborn and sixty
companions stood before their excited brothers in the city,
of Cambridge, ready to sacrifice their lives in the pro-
tection of national rights.

Several days were spent in Cambridge, but as there
seemed to be no necessity for remaining when there
were no signs of immediate action, they returned to
their homes.

The work of preparing drilled regiments for service
was at once commenced, and Dr. Dearborn, then twen-
ty-four years of age, was appointed captain of one of
the companies in the first New Hampshire regiment,
under Col. John Stark.

Within ten days from the date of his commission, he
joined his regiment at Medford, having in that brief
space of time enlisted a full company.

His company was engaged in two skirmishes for
possession of the stock on Noddle's Island before the
battle of Bunker Hill, as well as in action against an
armed vessel near Winnisimet ferry.

On the morning of that memorable 17th of June,
Stark's regiment, which was stationed at Medford, re-
ceived orders to march. They immediately paraded
in front of the arsenal, where each man received a gill
cup lull of powder, fifteen balls, and a flint. At two
o'clock in the afternoon, the regiment reached Charles-
town. The night before, a redoubt had been thrown

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 6^

up by the Americans on Breed's Hill, and the British
troops were now advancing to take it. Floating- bat-
teries on the Charles and Mystic Rivers were throwing
a heavy tire of chain and bar shot across Charlestown
Neck when they arrived, holding at bay two regiments.
Major McClary advanced and requested the command-
ers to move forward, or to open their lines and permit
Stark's regiment to do so. The lines were promptly
swung right and left, and Dearborn, whose companv
led the regiment, advanced close to the side of Col.
Stark, into a galling cross-fire from the enemy. Dear-
born suggested to the unperturbed Stark, the propriety
of moving more rapidly, to sooner escape the range of
their guns. The brave old officer fixed his eyes on the
young captain and replied, with apparent indifference
to the danger of the whizzing shot, "Dearborn, one
fresh man in action is worth ten fatigued ones," and
continued with the same moderate, measured tread.
The enemy were landing on the shore opposite Copp's
Hill, when Stark and his brave followers arrived at
Bunker Hill. The eccentric commander, calm and
unmoved but a moment ago, was now wrought up to a
frenzy of enthusiasm. Turning to his men with flash-
ing eye, he shouted, "There is the enemy. We must
beat them or Molly Starks lies a widow to-night."'
Giving three cheers, the regiment made a rapid move-
Went towards the rail fence which ran from the left
and to the rear of the redoubt toward Mystic river. In
the action that followed, Capt. Dearborn and his men,
all of whom were practiced shots, did terrible execu-
tion. He stood on the right of the regiment, in plain
view of the whole action. He was armed with a fusee

66 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

and "fired with precision and regularity."

Every school boy has real with quickened blood the
description of this battle. With the scene pictured be-
fore him, he has watched, with bated breath, the steady
march of the trained Britons, bearing upwards, an
overwhelming multitude, against the handful of patri-
ots that rest motionless behind the earthworks. He
hears the whispered order, "Don't tire until you see the
whites of their eyes." And how his blood leaps as the
first volley breaks upon his ear, and he sees the ranks
of the British curl, waver, and finally retreat with precip-
itation from the deadly fire of the patriots! And, alas!
how his heart sinks within him when he sees the brave
Warren fall at his post, and the minute men, with
nothing left for defence but the butts ot their muskets
— their fifteen rounds of ammunition represented by as
many hundreds of dying Britons — driven from then-
earthworks, conquered, and yet conquerors. A more
thrilling and fascinating description of the battle than
the one found in the old school readers, was never
written. But one which was pronounced by leading
scholars, and by military men who participat-
ed in the engagement, the best account of the battle
ever published, was written by Henry Dearborn. It is
to be regretted that its ^reat length excludes it from
this volume, since the reader is taken into the field at
the side of fathers ot' Monmouth families, and sees the
part that they played in that memorable struggle.
Any one of historic turn of mind will find himself
amply repaid for his trouble, if, when in Boston, he
will step into the rooms of the New England Histori-
cal and Genealogical Society, and call for the volume

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 67

containing this narration.

The following September, it was determined to send
a force through the wilderness to attempt the conquest
of Quebec. Dearborn, still a captain, accompanied
this expedition, which was placed in command of Gen-
eral Benedict Arnold. On the 19th of September,
1775, tne troops, numbering eleven hundred, embarked
at Newbury port Mass., and a few hours later entered the
mouth of the Kennebec river. At Pittston, the ancient
Gardinerstown, thev stopped — that being the head of
navigation for large vessels — and constructed a number
of large bateaux. With these they slowly ascended
the Kennebec, landing at Fort Halifax in Winslow,
and at other points for rest. Their course lay up the
Kennebec, to the head of Dead river, and thence over
a carrying place into the Chaudiere. The hardship
endured by this party can hardly be imagined, much
less described. They were often obliged to cut a way
through almost impenetrable thickets, laboring days to
Cover as many miles, without adequate covering for
their bodies, or even food to satisfy the cravings of
hunger; for, in forcing the bateaux through the danger-
ous rapids with which the Kennebec abounds, a large
portion of the supplies was washed away.

Before reaching the open country beyond the Chau-
diere, cold winter came upon them. But encased in
armor of ice, with frozen hands and feet, and tortured
by the pangs of hunger, those brave patriots pressed
toward, incited by a single thought — the glory of lib-
erty. We shudder as we read of the sufferings of the
members of the unfortunate Greeley party, but their
miseries were hardly more extreme than those ot Dear-

68 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

born and his companions of this fruitless expedition.
Certainly the hunger that first craved Dearborn's pet
dog, and afterward attempted to satiate itself with
shaving soap, pomatum, lip salve, and even broth made
from the leather of their boots and cartridge boxes, could
hardly be exceeded by that which called for the sacri-
fice of a human victim.

When they reached the Chaudiere, from cold, ex-
treme hardship, and want of sustenance. Dearborn's
strength failed him, and he was able to walk but a
short distance without wading into the water to invig-
orate and strengthen his limbs. With great difficulty
he reached a poor hut on the Chaudiere, where he told
his men he could accompany them no farther, and
urged them forward to a glorious discharge of then-
duty. Mis company left him with tears in their eyes,
expecting to see him no more. Dearborn was here
seized with a violent fever, and, for many days, not
the slightest hope for his recovery was entertained.
All this time, he was without medicine, and scarcely
had the bare necessities of life. His line constitution
at last surmounted the disease, and, as soon as he was
able to travel, he proceeded to Fort Levi in a sleigh,
crossed over to Wolfs Cove, and made his unexpected
appearance at the head of his company a few clays be-
fore the assault on Quebec.

Those who had not starved, or perished in the ex-
treme cold, arrived before the Heights of Abraham on
the last day of December, 1775.* The unsuccessful
result of the expedition is familiar to all. All who es-
caped death by the bullet were made prisoners of war.

*Ainong the number was the paternal grandfather of Dr. C M. Custom.

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 69

The days that followed were among the darkest of
Dearborn's life. He was daily tantalized with the re-
port that he and other officers were to be sent to Eng-
land in the spring to be tried and hanged as rebel.-.
Added to this was the vexation of being in irons, and
the terrible agony of small-pox, with which nearly all
the prisonsers were afflicted.

However, the following spring, Dearborn and Major
Meigs, one of his superior officers, were released on
parole and forwarded on a war ship to Penobscot bay,
whence they journeyed by land to Portland. Dear-
born was soon exchanged, and appointed major in the
third New Hampshire regiment; and, soon after, in
consideration of his valor at the battle ol Bennington
Heights, where he led the advance corps of infantry,
was appointed lieutenant-colonel.

In the battle of Monmouth, Dearborn's troops acquit-
ted themselves in a manner that extorted from the lips
of Washington, words of high commendation. After
driving the wing of the enemy they were ordered to
attack the main body of the army. Dearborn
went to the commander-in-chief for further orders.
"What troops are these""" inquired Washington, as he
drew near. "Full-blooded Yankees from New Hamp-
shire, sir," was his characteristic reply.* In 1779, Col.
Dearborn accompanied Gen. Sullivan into the interior
of New York, on his expedition against the Indians.
He was an active participant in the battle at Newton.
In 1780 he was with the main army in New Jersey.
One \ ear later, he received the appointment of deputy
quarter-master-general, with the rank of colonel, serv-
ing in that capacity with Washington's army in Virgin-

70 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

ia. He was at the siege of Yorktown, where he was
appointed, through the death of Gen. Scammel, to the
command of the first New Hampshire regiment. In
November of that year, he joined the main army at
Newburg, and remained with it until peace was de-
clared in 1783. One of his biographers, after dwelling
at length on his army life, says in recapitulation, "We
have seen Col. Dearborn in more than eight years of
war, in sickness and in health, in imprisonment, in
victory and defeat, from Bunker Hill to the surrender
of Cornwallis, the same ardent patriot and determined
soldier. In camp, vigilant, circumspect, and intelli-
gent; in action, determined, and always pressing into
close action with the bayonet, as at Saratoga* and at
Monmouth. In camp or action, always receiving the
approbation of his commanders, whether Sullivan.
Gates, or Washington."

In the Boston Public Library is an old, yellow,
weather-beaten mass of paper which is sacredly guard-
ed from the touch of the curious multitude, and onlv
brought forth at the request of the favored few. In
it are recorded accounts of battles, marches, and sieges,
interspersed with war-songs and bits of sentiment; and
here and there a passage too sacred for the eyes of dull
unsympathizing humanity is scratched again and again,
until the words are forever lost. Could we but look
down under these faithful guardians of a life's secrets,
we might know more of one of the noblest hearts
that ever beat in sympathy with American liberty. It
is the diary of Henry Dearborn. Under the date, Dec.

* rhe Adjutant General in speaking of his conduct in this action, says,
'A more vigilant and determined soldier never wore a sword."

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN,

71

1 8th, 1777, he says, "Thanksgiving Day through the
whole eontinent of America, but God knows we have
very little to keep it with, this being the 3d day we
have been without flour or bread, and are living on a
high uneultivated hill, in huts and tents, lying on the
eold ground. Upon the whole I think all we have to
be thankful for, is that we are alive and not in the
grave with so many of our friends. We had for
Thanksgiving breakfast some exceeding poor beef,
which had been broiled, and now warmed in an old
frying pan, in which we were obliged to eat, hav-
ing no plates. I dined, or supped, at Gen. Sullivan's
to-day, and so ended Thanksgiving." This was dated
at Germantown. On the 17th of the following May,
he says, "I dined to-day at Gen. Washington's.1'
Under the date, March 1783, we find these falsely
prophetic words, "Here ends my military life."

Two months later we rind Dearborn again on the
banks of the Kennebec; now seeking a home. The
beauty of this fertile valley had impressed itself upon
his mind, not to be effaced by the nine years that had
elapsed since he sailed up the river with Arnold. Ac-
companied by his body servant, Jeremiah Wakefield,
the father of Henry Wakefield, of Gardiner, whom
many of our citizens know, he, guided by a line of
spotted trees, pushed back through the wilderness four-
teen miles, to the settlement of Wales Plantation,
where he held tracts of land, covering upwards of
5000 acres under deeds from the Kennebec Proprie-
tary, lie found settlers on his land, among them
Hugh Mullov, to whom he gave a note for "fifty
Spanish milled dollars" for the buildings and other

72 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

improvements made on the property. The note was
written on a piece of paper about the size of a man'
hand, and read as follows :

Wide-, Jink 37th, 17S3.
For value received I promise to pn\ Ilu<di Mullo\ tn
sum of fifty Spanish milled dollars, l>\ the fifteenth day of 0<
tober, 1784, with interest until paid.

HENRY DEARBORN."

On the crown of the hill south of the residence of
Mr. Bickford, he erected a house. This was the tirst
house built in the plantation. The New Meadows set-
tlers were all contented to live in rude log cabins, and
doubtless it was considered highly ostentatious in
Dearborn to insist on having the timbers for his dwell-
ing hewed square. Twenty years ago, this building-
was still standing — a low, black, solid structure — a
fitting companion to the block houses built by the
pioneers in the times of Indian warfare. When Mr.
Leonard built the Bickford house, he removed the
heavy timbers from the walls of this old relic, and used
them in framing the ell; the sticks being as sound,
apparently, as they were the day they were hewed.

The incidents of General Dearborn's life in Mon-
mouth could not be related in a book, much less in a
single chapter. A few of our oldest townsmen speak
with pride of the occasion when thev saw the old hero
at some great political gathering, or, perhaps, when he
rode through the street in his elegant coach. He was
very fond of hunting and fishing, and many were the
days he spent wandering around the shores of the
Cochnewagan. In later years, when official duties
bore heavily upon him, he could not forget the scenes

'jp- •

|

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 73

that had delighted and refreshed him in earlier life,
and as often as onee in a year, he might be found, fish-
ing-rod in hand, in his old haunts.

When in his prime, the man that eould stand before
his strength and agility in a wrestling match was not
easily found. Long after middle life he was an expert
at erieket and ball, and before the exposures to which
he subjected himself in his army experience had under-
mined his grand constitution, he never saw the athlete
with whom he feared to contest. When the General
raised his barn, a number of men came from Gardiner
to assist; attracted in part, it may be, by the greatness
of the personage to whom they rendered service, and
still more, it is probable, by the anticipated treat of new
rum and molasses. It was customary at raisings for
all hands to join in a ring wrestle as soon as the last
timber was laid and secured in its place. The moment
a man was thrown he was counted out, and the residue
of the gang would struggle on until but two remained.
Then came a pause for breath, followed by the most
exciting contest of the day — a struggle for the laurels:
and those laurels, when won, could not have brought
more pride to the brow of a Roman gladiator. The
Gardiner crew brought with them this day a burl}'
rowdy, who had, it was claimed, never been thrown in
a wrestling match. The ring was formed, the General,
of course, on account of his high social and official po-
sition, being excluded. One after another found a
resting place for his back and rolled out of the circle,
until only the bully and a wiry little fellow much infe-
rior in weight remained. The Gardiner rough made a
dash at his opponent, and by an unfair movement threw

-_|. HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

him. The General at once forgot his station, and every
thing else but his love of fair play, and, stepping up to I
the exulting bully, he exclaimed, "Now, sir,*if you will
take hold of me and I don't throw you in less than one j
minute, I will give you one hundred acres of the best I
land in Monmouth." No real estate changed hands that
day.

Dearborn's physique was magificent, and his face "a
perfect type of manly beauty." On features differing
but little from those of his superior officer, he wore the
same mild, firm. magnanimous expression that we always
expect to find on representations of Washington.
Among his intimate friends were grouped the greatest
of American statesmen. Lafayette, the devoted friend
of Washington, was attached to Dearborn with the
strongest ties of fellowship. Even Talleyrand and
Louis Phillipe, who afterward became King of France,
when on a visit to this country, left the metropolis
where they were receiving ovation on ovation, and
journeyed far down into the wilds of Maine to
honor him with a visit. It was at this time that Talley-
rand fell into the Cobbossee-contee and was saved by
a little boy holding to him his fishing rod. Imagine
the mighty Talleyrand on the end of a birch pole the
eminent French statesman serving as fish bait!

General Dearborn was. in every 'sense, a gentleman.
With him a man was a man. whether found in the
mansion of the rich or in the most poverty-smitten hut
of the plebeian; and each of the two classes could ex-
pect to be treated by him with equal courtesv. While
he was clearing his farm, and later, while constructing
the old road between Monmouth and Gardiner, he had

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 75

in his employ many common laborers. At meal time-
it was his custom to remain standing beside his chair
until all his men were seated, before taking a place at
the table himself.

In religious preferences he was a Congregationalist;
but true religion he never discountenanced if found in
the hearts of those who favored a different creed.

History, it is true, is wont to cover all defects in her
subjects. and biographers are often guilty of apotheosis;
but waiving all such testimony, and relying wholly
on the evidence of local tradition, we cannot but believe
that General Dearborn was a man of unusual purity
and magnanimity, as well as of great intellectual
force and refinement. Who can say that his noble in-
fluence, buried in the heart of the voung community,
is not felt in the lives of the latest generation? And
those of our townsmen who, going out into broader
fields of action and enterprise, have caused the very
nation to proclaim above us the encomium that once
rang against the walls of Bethlehem-Ephratah — uThou
art not least among the daughters of thy people" —
could they trace through the generations the cause of
their success, would find the origin in Henry Dear-
born's labors for the moral and intellectual up-building
of his towns-people.

As a scholar, he was assiduous and thorough. All
the spare moments of the latter part of his life were
spent in reading the standard literature of his day.
Charles Coffin, in company with one of the most schol-
arly men and greatest physicians of Boston, once visited
him at his home. They found him reading Scott's
"Ivanhoe." Mr. Coffin, in speaking of this visit and

/6 HISTORY or MONMOUTH,

the versatility of his host, says, "A variety of subjects
were started in conversation, and the physician repeat-
edly afterwards expressed his surprise at the correct-
ness and ability with which he entered into every sub-
ject started, declaring that previouslv he had consid-
ered him merely a military character."

Hypocrisy and deceit had no place in his character.
His opinions were never smoothed for the touch of
those who desired to know them. After the close of
the Revolution he met Benedict Arnold at St. Johns.
His former commander was covered with confusion
at the unexpected meeting. He attempted to explain
the cause of his nefarious treachery, and seemed really
distressed at Dearborn's refusal to listen to him, but
was silenced when that gentleman informed him that
he considered his conduct indefensible, and held his
character in such estimation that no excuse or expla-
nation could be made, and as his own opinion was not
to be changed, he wished not to hear him on that sub-
ject. His former affection for Arnold, and respect for
him as an able and courageous officer, lend force to
his unswerving plainness of speech at this time.

Before moving to Maine, Dearborn exchanged some
wild land with the trustees of Phillips' Exeter Academy
for cash. With this he purchased a building-spot in Gar-
diner, near the river's bank, and on it erected a house.*

His time, during the four years following his release
from military service, was alternated between this
home and his farm at Monmouth; the greater part of
the winter being spent in Gardiner.

*The building was taken down to make room for the Gardiner National

Bank, which was built on the same site.

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 77

In 1787, he was elected by the field officers of sever-
al regiments a brigadier-general of the militia, and
boon after, was appointed to the higher position of ma-
jor-general by the Legislature of the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts. Washington, in recognition of his
valued services as an arm)7 officer, appointed him mar-
shal of the District of Maine. He was next honored
by being elected a member of Congress from the Ken-
nebec district. At the expiration of his term of office,
he was re-elected. During his second term, the fa-
mous Jay Treaty question came up for consideration,
and here, by taking sides with the minority, he lost
much of his popularity. In this, we see his indepen-
dence, for he well knew that he acted contrary to the
opinion and wishes of Washington, who believed the
treat}- to be preferred at that time to war with Great
Britain. Dearborn honestly believed the treaty to be
derogatory to the honor of the American people and
government, and preferred war to peace on such con-
ditions. A very great majority of the American peo-
ple were then opposed to the treaty, but Washington
and the requisite majority of the Senate, twenty to ten,
approved it. At this time, people look back with ap-
probation on the course taken by Washington and the
Senate in this affair; but man}- honest and able patri-
ots thought and acted with General Dearborn. In con-
sequence of his vote on this occasion, notwithstanding
his services in the Revolution and his great popularity,
he lost his election in the Kennebec district, and re-
mained a few years in retirement.

The democratic party gained the ascendancy in 1801,
and immediately on the election of Thomas Jefferson

78 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

to the seat of the chief Executive, he appointed Gen-
eral Dearborn to the position of Secretary of War.
When Dearborn resigned his position in the Cabinet,
his department was examined by Timothy Pickering
and James Hillhouse, who were politically antagonis-
tic to him, yet they reported absolute correctness in all
the details of his management. Never seeking a
drominent political position, such was his worth, that
his resignation had scarcely been hied, before he was
appointed to the collectorship of the port of Boston
and Charlestown. This office he held until 181 2.
War with Great Britian was now imminent and the
President began to cast about him for supporters in
the inevitable conflict. The most important position
in the American army — that of Commander-in-Chief —
was now tendered Dearborn in the following letter.

'Washington January 11, 1812.

Dear Sir. — The Congress has just passed an act adding twenty
odd thousand to the military establishment. It provides tor two
major-generals and five brigadiers. The importance of" placing
this, and the forces in view, under the best commander, speaks fur
itself. Our e\es could not but be turned, on such an occasion, to
your qualifications and experience, and I wait for your permission.
only, to name von to the senate for the sen'o ■ major-general.

I hope you will so far suspend all other considerations as not to
withhold it, and that I shall not only be gratified with this informa-
tion as quickly as possible, but with an authority to look for jour
arrival here as soon as you can make it practicable. You will he
sensible of all the value of your co-operation on the spot, in making
the arrangements necessary to repair the loss of time which has
taken place. All the information we receive urges a vigororous
preparation for events. Accept my best respects and most friendly
wishes.

[AMES MADISON."

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 79

The Senate confirmed this nomination by a vote of
twenty-three to nine. In a letter informing Dearborn
of the concurrence of the Senate, President Madison
says, '"In order to afford the public the benefits of your
councils here, it is very important that you be here
without a moment's delay. In the hope of seeing you
very speedily, and with every wish for your happiness,
I tender assurance of my esteem and friendship. " The
morning following the receipt of this communication,
General Dearborn was on his way to Washington.

It is a cause for regret that General Dearborn's
brilliant career — tor, indeed, it was brilliant, although
lack of investigation has led the general public to hold
other opinions concerning it — should be so grossly
stained by the misrepresentations of designing poli-
ticians. In the light of thorough investigation, it is
evident that machinations were on foot from the date
of his appointment, to effect his removal. John Ann-
strong, the newly appointed Secretary of War, aspired
to the presidency. It by any means Dearborn could be
proved incompetent and deposed from his command,
Armstrong would, in virtue of his office, assume his
duties as chief military officer. The leader of a suc-
cessful campaign upon the lakes would stand before
the people as a candidate for the presidency, and this
honor Armstrong desired to be conferred upon himself,
not Dearborn. The election of William Henry Harri-
son, who succeeded from this command to presidential
honors, proved the wonderful prescience of the crafty
secretary. Armstrong had an able assistant in his
brother-in-law. General Lewis, who was one of Dear-
born's chief subordinate officers. The strange conduct

8o HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

of Lewis, in rankly disobeying the orders of his superior
officer, challenges attention, and points to something in
the form of design. On account of the attachment that
had grown out of a long acquaintance. Dearborn hesi-
tated to expose the negligence of Lewis, and suffered
the blame of the unaccountable lack of achievement to
fall upon his own head, little thinking that he was
guarding the interest of a traitor. At length, however,
in the face of outrages which even his magnanimous
nature could not bear, he called the attention of the
Secretary of War to the circumstances which had held
him from action.

The following passage, bearing upon the events in
question, is inserted not only on account of the light
it throw's upon the injured reputation of Dearborn, but
because in it mention is frequently made of General
Chandler, who was also a citizen of Monmouth.

"Upon the success of the first part of the expedition.
General Dearborn sent an express to inform General
Lewis what he had done, and to notify him of his in-
tended arrival with the army at Fort Niagara, at which
port the General arrived a few davs after, where he
learned that General Lewis was at Judge Potter's,
opposite Niagara Falls, fourteen miles from his troops.
Upon further inquiry, to the disappointment and morti-
fication of General Dearborn, he discovered that the
heavy mortars were not fixed on their beds in the fort,
nor the battery cannon, nor the boats to make the de-
scent provided, and General Winder with his brigade
was at Black Rock, more than thirty miles distant from
the mouth of the Niagara where the descent on the
Canadian shore was to be made. * * The

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 8 I

General, thus eireumstaneed, knowing the enemy
would be re-inforced before the boats to be built would
be in readiness to pass over the army, desired Commo-
dore Chauncy to return to Sackett's Harbor, and, in
the interim, bring up General Chandlers brigade.
During this period five batteries were erected above
Fort Niagara, and the boats which had been com-
menced were ordered to be finished with all expedition,
and brought around to Four Mile Creek. The last
was effected on the river, under tire of the enemy's
batteries, without any loss. Immediately on the return
of the fleet with General Chandler's brigade, the Gen-
eral issued an order, which never has been published,
'that on the next day the troops should breakfast at
two o'clock, strike tents at three, and embark at four."

"The situation and position of the country had been
previously obtained by spies, the plan of landing digest-
ed, and the plan of attack determined, which was sub-
mitted to Generals Lewis, Chandler, Winder and Boyd,
and met their full approbation. Excessive fatigue and
exposure to storms had produced a violent fever, which,
ten days previous to the attack on Fort George, had
confined General Dearborn to his bed.

•"The morning after the general order was announced
for the attack. General Lewis called on him, and said
it would be impossible for the army to embark.
General Dearborn, then having some suspicions of the
military character and energy of General Lewis, replied,
the attack should be made as ordered, that he was
prepared, and further delay would not be allowed.
On the morning of the attack, General Dearborn was
mounted upon his horse, by assistance, before four

82 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

o'clock, in opposition to the opinion of his physicians,
and against the remonstrance of the officers of his staff,
lie rode to the place of embarkation — saw the troops
on board the fleet and boats. General Lewis, who had
the immediate command, now first made his appear-
ance, and expressed his great astonishment at the unex-
pected rapidity with which this movement had been
made. This effort had so exhausted General Dearborn,
that he was taken from his horse, led to a boat, and
conveyed on board the Madison. On his way to Four
Mile Creek, Dr. Mann, a hospital surgeon of the army,
meeting General Dearborn, said to him, 'I apprehend
you do not intend to embark with the army." The
general replied, 'apprehend nothing, sir — I go into
battle or perish in the attempt.' From the first dawn
of day, and while the army was embarking, a most
tremendous Are of hot shot and shells from Fort
Niagara and the newly erected batteries, was opened
on Fort George, and continued until the block houses,
barracks and stores were inwrapped in flames, and the
guns silenced.

"The gallant Colonel Scott,"" with a company of
right hundred light troops, composed the advance of
the army, followed by Generals Boyd and Winder, and
the reserve under General Chandler. General .Scott
immediately made good his landing, under a sheet of
tire, while the several regiments in succession formed
the order ol battle from right to left, in a most soldier-
like manner. This landing of the army and escalade
of a bank twenty feet high, similar to a parapet, has
been considered the handsomest military display on the

^General Winfield Scott.

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 83

northern frontier during the war.

"General Dearborn, from his great exertions, added
to his state of health, was unable to support himself
more than fifteen or twenty minutes on his feet at once;
but he was frequently up, watching their movements.
The troops had all landed, (except the reserve) when
General Lewis still remained on board. General
Dearborn, exercising his usual delicacy with him.
merelv suggested to him, whether he ought not to land,
and then retired.

"Within twenty minutes. General Dearborn again
came on deck, and finding General Lewis still on
board, repeated his suggestion for him to land, notwith-
standing which, General Lewis was not on shore until
after the battle. The enemy had now falllen back be-
tween the village of Newark and Fort George. After
General Lewis had landed, an hour and a half passed
away, and four thousand men formed in order of battle,
with a fine train of artillery, were seen standing still,
while the enemy, not more than twelve hundred, were
mancevering for a retreat. At this moment, General
Dearborn, in agony at the delav, sent his D. A., Gen-
eral Beebe, to General Lewis, with orders to move
instantly, surround the enemy, and cut them up. Even
after this order, it was an hour before Generals Boyd.
Chandler and Scott, with all their arguments, could
induce General Lewis to advance — and then only to
the south side of Newark, three-fourths of a mile from
his first position, when the line was again formed, and
continued until the enemy had retreated in the rear of
Fort George, and took the route to Queenstown
Heights. Colonel Scott, however, pursued the retreat-

84 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH,

ins, broken army, without orders, three miles, and
would not desist in his pursuit until tour aids-de-camp j
of General Lewis had been dispatehed to order his
return. Later in the day, the ship Madison moved up
the river in front of Fort George, where General Dear-
born was taken on shore and carried to his quarters,
much exhausted. Meeting with General Lewis, he
expressed his disapprobation of his conduct, and ordered
him to put the army in pursuit of the enemy at live
o'clock the next morning. Instead of this he did not
move until Ave o'clock in the afternoon. Upon his
arrival at Queenstown Heights, he learned that the
enemy had made a rapid movement towards the head
of Lake Ontario, by the Beaver Dam, and sent back
a report to that effect.

"General Dearborn, having on his part neglected
nothing to secure the advantage obtained over the ene-
my— mortified and provoked at the dereliction of duty
in any officer, and unwilling that a broken and discon-
certed army should escape, sent for Commodore Chauncy
and requested him to take part of the army on board
his fleet, and proceed with them to the head of the lake,
while the remainder would march by the lake road, and
thus make certain the capture of the enemy. To this
proposition the Commodore readily agreed. Orders
were in consequence sent to General Lewis to return.
On the following morning, Chauncy called on the Gen-
eral, and informed him, that on reflection, it would be
imprudent in him to delay his return to Sackett\s Har-
bor, as it was of the utmost importance that the new
ship, Gen. Pike, should be got out on the lake with all
possible despatch, while the weak state of that garrison

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 8^

would favor an attack from a much superior force at
Kingston, (which before his return actually took place)
and destroy his new ship, and thus give Sir James Yeo
the command of the lake. To the correctness of these
remarks, and having no command over Com. Chauncy,
General Dearborn was obliged to yield. Thus frus-
trated in his expectation of assistance from the fleet,
he ordered General Chandler's and Winder's brigades
to follow the enemy on the lake road, while ammuni-
tion and provisions were transported in bateaux to the
head of the lake. These brigades marched, and hav-
ing arrived within a few miles of the enemy's camp
late in the afternoon, it was thought most prudent to
wait and make the attack on the following morning-.
But the enemy, from their inferiority in numbers,
thought it most wise to do all they could ever do be-
fore next morning. They attacked these brigades in
the night and carried off Generals Chandler and Win-
der prisoners. How this happened, has never been
satisfactorily explained ;*but the captured generals have
never been accused of too much circumspection on
that occasion.

"The command now devolved on Col. Burns, who
called a council of war. It was determined to send
back to General Dearborn (forty miles distant), inform
him of the event and await his orders. The express
arrived at night. General Dearborn called General
Lewis, Boyd and his subordinates and ordered them to
set out immediately for the army and attack the enemy.
The two latter generals were ready to start instantly:

*General Chandler's account and explanation of this event may he found
in the chapter devoted to his career.

86 HISTORY OP MONMOUTH.

but General Lewis observed that it rained and was
dark, and did not get in readiness until the next day.
The day after these officers departed to join the army.
the British fleet hove in sight, approached to take the
soundings opposite Fort Niagara, and appeared to be
designating a place for landing troops. In consequence
of this General Dearborn recalled the army from Stony
Creek.

"Commodore Chauncv was confident, when he
sailed from the Niagara he should be able to get the
new ship out bv the tenth of June, and that, in the
meantime, the British would not dare to come out on
the lake. They did appear, however, in a few days
after the Commodore's departure, and thereby prevent-
ed the operations against the enemy which were con-
templated. The roads were such, that it was impossi-
ble to transport provision and supplies for the army by
land, while it would have been madness to attempt it
in bateaux bv water, while the British fleet was on the
lake. Thus situated. General Dearborn determined to
await the return of the commodore, repair to Fort
George, and be in readiness to move as soon as the
fleet arrived. An express arrived from Commodore
Chauncv, advising he could not move before the thir-
tieth of June."

General Dearborn's condition now became so critical
that he was compelled to relinquish the immediate
sight of the troops. Disaster after disaster followed.
It seemed as though the officers in command were in-
spired by cowardice or some kindred principle to effect
the overthrow of the American army, and lor all these
events so contrary to what would have occurred had

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. 87

his orders been obeyed, General Dearborn was cen-
sured most severely by press and people. Had that
arch-traitor, General Lewis, been court-martialed, con-
demned, and shot, as he certainly would have been
under a less lenient and forgiving commander, not only
would the campaign of the lakes, have been a series of
brilliant victories, but the years that followed would
have seen General Henry Dearborn at the head of our
civil government. The correspondence which followed
his removal would prove of great interest to the reader
of this volune, and it is with regret that it is laid aside
on account of want of space. General Dearborn re-
peatedly solicited the President and Secretary of War
to order a court-martial and prefer charges against him
that he might have an opportunity to vindicate himself;
but even this was denied him, nor would those mag-
nates in answer to his many letters of inquiry, give any
reason for his removal. He had the comforting as-
surance that he was removed from his high position —
nothing more. Immediately on receiving notice of the
removal of their brave and respected leader, the field
and staff officers of his command, twenty-five in num-
ber, presented an address expressing in most laudatory
terms their approbation of his course of action, and
deep regret at the unexpected and inexplicable orders
that demanded his separation from them. President
Madison, who had been led into error through the
treachery of Armstrong, On learning the facts of the
case, addressed a letter to General Dearborn in which
he said, "I am persuaded that you will not lose in any
respect by the effect of time and truth." So great
was the confidence which the President reposed in

88 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

his integrity and ability that he afterward appointed
him to the position he held in Jefferson's cabinet, that
of Secretary of War. The Senate, less enlightened,
failed to confirm this appointment. The President
then addressed to General Dearborn the following
letter.

Washington', March 4th, 1851.

I)cnr Sir: — Being desirous for the Department of War service
which I thought von could render with peculiar advantage, iiiid
hoping that for a time at least, von might consent to step into thai
Department. I took the liberty, without a previous communicatio .
for which there was no time, to nominate von as successor to Mr.
Monroe, who was called back to the Department of State. I had
not a doubt from all the calculations I could make that the
Senate would concur to my views; and if a doubt had arisen, it
would have been banished by the confidence of the best informed
and best disposed with whom I conferred that the nomination
would be welcomed when it was decided on ; contrary to these con-
fident expectations, an opposition was declared in an extent which
determined me to withdraw my nomination. But, before the mes-
sage arrived, the Senate very unexpectedly had taken up the sub-
ject and proceeded to a decision. They promptly, however, re-
laxed so far as to erase the proceedings from their journal, and in
that mode give effect to the withdrawal. I have thought this ex-
planation due both to me and to yourself. I sincerely and deeply
regret the occasion for it. But to whatever blame I may have sub-
jected myself, I trust you will see in the course taken by me, a
proof of the high value I place on your public, and of the esteem I
feel for your personal, character. Permit me to add, that I have
been not a little consoled for the occurrence to which I have be-
come accessory, by the diffusive expressions to which it has led, of
sentiments such as your best friends have heard with most pleasure.
Accept the assurance of my great respect and sincere regard.

JAMES MADISON.

Major General Dearborn."

A number of the senators visited the President offi-
cially soon after the nomination, when he stated his re-

GEX. HENRY DEAR HORN. 89

Bard for General Dearborn, and the opinion he held
roncerning h\> ability as a military commander, and
related to them the evidence he had secured that much
abuse had been heaped upon an innocent person.
The senators were greatly astonished at these disclos-
ures, and declared that they would have confirmed his
nomination as Secretary of War without hesitation,
and with great pleasure, had these things been revealed
to them previously. So great was the General's love
tor his country, that when the individual who had
caused him such loss of reputation and merited posi-
tion, ordered him to an inferior command, he, instead of
resigning his commission, as an officer seeking self-glo-
rification and less devoted to the interests on his na-
tion would have done, gracefully assumed the duties of
his position, and conducted himself so as to bring honor
and esteem from that which was intended to be an
overwhelming disgrace. After the declaration of
peace. General Dearborn was called to assist the gov-
ernment in reducing the army "to the peace establish-
ment" and to advise in the retention of the most suita-
ble officers; Soon after the close of the war, he was
nominated by his party as candidate for Governor of
Massachusetts. He was opposed and defeated by
General Brooks. In icS2 2, President Monroe, with the
unanimous acquiescence of the Senate, called him to
the office of minister plenipotentiary to the court of
Portugal. During the two years spent in this foreign
field, he won the respect and favor of the king and all
connected with the court of Lisbon.

He returned to his new home in Roxbury, Mass., in
1S24, never to go before the public in an official capacity

OO HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

again. On the sixth of June, 1829, in the seventv
ninth year of his age, he died, and was buried at Bos-
ton Highlands.

Gen. Dearborn was married three times; first at the
age of twenty-one to Mary Bartlett, of New Hamp-
shire, by whom he had two daughters, of whom men-
tion has already been made. His wife died in Octo-
ber, 1778. Two years later he married Dorcas Mar-
ble, a widow, of Ahdover, Mass., by whom he had tw
sons and a daughter. One of these sons was the illus
trious Gen. Henry Alexander Scammel Dearborn
who is known not only as a most efficient militar
commander, but as the projector of three of the great-
est enterprises in which the citizens of Massachusetts
take pride — Bunker Hill Monument, Mount Auburn
Cemetery, and the Massachusetts Horticultural Society.
His second wife died in 181 1. Her descendants by her
rirst husband now live in the city of Gardiner.

At the close of the war of 181 2, Gen. Dearborn retired
to private Hie, as poor as he was the day he commenced
the practice of medicine at Nottingham Square. In
1813 he married Sarah Bowdoin, widow of Hon,
)ames Bowdoin, son of the governor of Massachusetts^
but better known as the munificent patron of the col-
lege which bears his name, and as one of the chief
members of the Plymouth proprietary. Bowdoin died
childless, leaving his vast estates to his wife. She
was a lady of noble character, almost prodigal in her
charities and donations. Her extreme wealth and ac-
complishment gained for her admittance to the highest
society. Gen. Dearborn, after his marriage, left his
home in Maine and resided with her, first at the cele-

GEN. HENRY DEARBORN. yl

prated Bowdoin Mansion, in Boston, afterwards at
Roxburv.

In closing this epitome of the career of our greatest
townsman, it is well to impress again on the mind the
magnificence of his character. This may be done by
relating the following incident:

When the American troops were -stationed on the
borders of the lakes, they were greatly annoyed by
severe thunder storms. In these storms it was difficuk
to find a man brave enough to stand guard over the
powder magazine. Men who were never known to
falter in the face of the enemy would desert their post
when the lightnings were playing around the powder
house, in spite of the severe penalties of a court mar-
tial. When intelligence of this came to the ears of the
commander-in-chief, he, instead of forcing obedience
at the point of the bayonet, waited for an opportunity
to test the power of example. It soon came. Just at
dusk one night, a terrific thunder-storm rolled over the
camp. In the very height of the tempest, Dearborn
was seen to leave his quarters and walk with measured
tread towards the dreaded magazine. When he reached
it, he climbed to the top, wrapped his army blanket
about him, and lay there until morning, the sole guard-
ian of the most dangerous post in the picket line. Af-
ter that, the point was never left unguarded through
the cowardice of the sentry.

CHAPTER IV,

THE EPPING EXODUS.

Never in the history of our country has such a change
taken place as that which followed the close of the
American Revolution. Liberty, absolute and untram-
meled, liberty, such as no nation ever knew before, had
been secured, but it seemed as if this glorious acquisition
had brought absolute ruin as a traveling companion;
and in the midst of their rejoicing, the people were
dejected and miserable. Everything had been sacrificed I
to maintain the struggle against the crown. Noble j
men had closed their shops, and left their farms to the J
care of their wives and children, to give their time to I
their country.

The women at home had spent their time in spinning
and weaving blankets, frocks, and small clothes for the I
men at the front, and had stinted themselves that they I
might send a large portion of the farm products thev 1
succeeded in raising to their starving lathers and I
brothers.

Men who had money, sacrificed it in the purchase of I

THE EFPING EXODUS.

93

muskets and ammunition; and those who did not go
to the front in person, went by proxy in the boots and
hats and saddles that they remained at home to manu-
facture.

When the fathers and brothers returned, they came
empty-handed. They returned to farms that had been
scraped bare, and to wives and mothers and sisters who
had given up everything for their sakes, and brought
nothing in return. Nothing but libertv! And O,
how the word mocked them! Liberty to starve, liberty
to perish, libertv to die! The country was ruined.
Every dollar had been thrown into the hopper and
ground into liberty.

When the faithful soldiers were discharged, thev
were remunerated for the time they had spent in the
service. Each one received a number of slips of thin
paper on which was printed, in rude type, the promise
of the Continental Congress to pay the full face value of
the slips at the expiration of a certain period, in silver
coin. But who was to furnish the coin ? Some of the sol-
diers, enraged at their disappointment and the distressing
forecast, tore their money into shreds and ground it
beneath their heels. No one believed that the govern-
ment would be able to redeem any of this trash, and its
value rapidly depreciated. First it dropped to three
dollars for one, then six for one. In a short time it fell
to one hundred for one, and in another year to five hun-
dredforone. When its value depreciated to such an extent
that five hundred dollars in this currency would pur-
chase only the value of one dollar in silver, Continental
money was pratically out of circulation; and in another
year it passed entirely out of use. The effect on

94 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

business and commerce may be imagined. There
was no money in the country, except here and there
a small pile of silver dollars in the possession of
some old miser, who carefully hoarded it. thinking if
he let it go he would never asrain see anything like it.
and the Continental money which no one would accept
at any value. The farmer who wished to sharpen his
appetite with a quid of tobacco while lie was putting in
his spring crops must go the trader with a promise to
pay in farm produce of some kind when the crops were
gathered; and the trader must purchase his good* of
the wholesale house with notes payable in wool, corn,
wheat, rye, flax, and other farm products. Such a
stagnation had never been known before. There re-
mained but one way to support life, and that was to
raise all the necessaries from the soil. Every man
must raise his own wheat, beans, rye, and potatoes,
grow flax and wool for his wife to manufacture into
clothing, make his sugar and molasses from the sap of
the maple tree, make his hats and boots from materials
raised on the farm, and. in short, live a life entirely
separated from the rest of the world. With no expec-
tation of any future improvement of this condition,
those who lived in well-settled communities began to
cast about for homes in the less populous districts east
of them, where lands, which they might hope would
yield them a bare living, could be secured at small
cost.

With this hasty glance at the conditions that then
existed, we can easily understand why the forests of
central Maine, which had echoed only to the howl of
native denizens, were filled with sounds of ringing steel

THE EPPING EXODUS. 95

and flecked with rolling clouds of smoke from hundreds
of stone chimneys so soon after the close ot the Revo-
lution; and why so many young men and women left
good homes in thickly-settled towns in New Hampshire
and Massachusetts for the uninviting desolation ot the
wilderness.

When General Dearborn returned to his old home
in Epping, New Hampshire, after his first visit to Maine,
he succeeded in enthusing quite a number of his ac-
quaintances, among whom were two of his brothers, to
the idea of emigrating with him to the Kennebec Val-
ley. Those who came first to make homes in the
wilderness were Simon and Benjamin Dearborn, Caleb
Fogg, James Norris, Josiah Brown, Daniel Gilman,
Oilman Moody, and John Chandler.

It was not far from the year 1782, that the settle-
ment, was augmented by the appearance of this party.
At about the same time, Daniel Allen, Peter Lyon,
Josiah Whittredge, Gorden Freas, Nathaniel Smith,
and Nathaniel Brainerd also appeared, coming from
various points. The Dearborns settled on land given
them by the General. Simon Dearborn found John
Fish, the tavern keeper, squatting on his claim. Fish
had no title to the land, but Dearborn, ever just in his
dealings with others, offered him twenty-rive dollars
for the improvements he had made, which, we may
rest assured were very few. Fish refused to sell or
leave the place; accordingly, Dearborn, after every
other course to effect his removal, sued him for dam-
ages and attacked his cattle. On this, the irate vender
of ardent spirits watched his opportunity, and when it
came, drove the cattle through the woods to Mr. Lane's

96 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

).-><.'

in Littleboro' (Leeds) and converted them into "moos
meat." This exploit raised the wrath of the other
settlers and he was promptly expelled from the planta-
tion. He found a home somewhere in the eastern part
of the state.

Benjamin Dearborn settled at "Dearborn's Corner''1
below the Center. He was a shoemaker, as was his
neighbor, Josiah Brown, who settled a few rods south
of him on the Wales road, where the ruins of the chim-
ney he built may still be seen. Mr. Brown was a
young- man not far from twenty-two years of age. He
prepared a log cabin, like those his neighbors had
erected, cleared a portion of his farm, and returned to
New Hampshire for the maiden who had promised to
share his fate. He found that two or three years separ-
ation had not changed her mind. She had been true
to her troth, and did not hesitate to mount the horse-
behind her lover, and ride through the wilderness to the
little cabin in the woods, to be united with him in mar-
riage. It required some courage on the part of a girl
of twenty summers to separate herself from society for
such an isolated home, although her family, the Blakes,
soon made a home near her. Brown was industrious.
and, in this respect, as well as others, his wife found a
good mate, Their extra hours of labor did not always
prove truly economical, however, as an incident will
demonstrate. One night Brown worked on his bench
until the "wee sma' hours''' his wife sitting by his side
to encourage him. Finally they retired and fell into
the arms of Morpheus. And such a hugging as the old god
of slumber gave them! When they awoke everything
seemed turned, end for end. The sun was just rising

THE EPPING EXODUS. 97

on the wrong side of the house ; and — strange phenom-
nion! — he ducked his head and went back into his nest
behind the hills. Could it be possible? They rubbed
their eves in amazement. Astounding truth! They
had slept through the entire day without waking, and
now the shadows of another evening were rapidly ap-
proaching. They arose and prepared a meal — was it
breakfast or supper?

Caleb Fogg settled on the farm now owned by
B. M. Prescott. He was a practical joker of the keen-
est edge, and was at the same time the terror and pet
of the community. His subsequent conversion and
standing as a Christian minister held in check his ex-
uberant spirits, and but for an occasional outburst of
wit and tell-tale twinkle of the eye, no one would have
guessed what he was when he first came to this town.
"Old Howe," a trapper and hunter living in the edge
of Winthrop, suffered much from his irrepressible out-
bursts, and it must have been with intense satisfaction
that the poor old hermit heard of his conversion. Rid-
ing up to the door of Howe's cabin late one dark night.
he banged it until the shingles rattled.

•'Who's thar?" shouted the old man from within.

"I want to see you at once. Don't wait a minute
for your life."

The old man drew the bolt and exposed his shiver-
ing limbs to the night air. Fogg leaned over in the
saddle until his lips nearly touched the trapper's ear,
and whispering, "Do your geese lay?" darted off like a
meteor.

Again he was passing a cabin in the middle of the
night when the spirit came over him. Riding up to

90 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

the door he loudly and urgently requested the aroused
inmates to come out.

"Have you lost a meal bag?" he inquired, as a shag-
gy, unkempt head appeared in the doorway.

"No. Why, have you found one?"

"No I haven't found one yet, but expect every min-
ute that I shall," and putting spurs to his brisk nag, he
disappeared in the darkness.

Mr. Fogg built the house now occupied by B. M.
Prescott, Esq., on High Street. In 1795 he was con-
verted. He was then thirty-four years old. Three
years later he was licensed to exhort, and in 1800 re-
ceived a preacher's license. In 1806 he was received
on trial by the New England Conference, and for twenty
four years continued in the active and arduous service
of a Methodist circuit rider. His was a work of love.
The long and dangerous journeys through the woods on
horseback, in all kinds of weather, to carry the gospel
to the new and sparsely inhabited settlements, bore no
charm to draw him from a comfortable home. Nor
was his salary a considerable inducement. The first
year he received from all sources the sum total of forty
dollars. The second year, two dollars less; the third
year it took a tremendous leap and struck the sky-rak-
ing maximum of forty-eight dollars and fifty cents;
then it fell from the dizzy height to thirty-five, and so
on.

After an active and effective service of twenty-four
years, he located, and preached only occasionally in
adjoining towns, as his undermined health would per-
mit, lie died Sept. 6, 1839.

Fogg was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. He

THE EPPIXG EXODUS.

99

said he never did much mischief there with the excep-
tion ot once stealing a goose.

"Mr. Fogg," says Dr. Allen, in his History of Meth-
odism, "was no common man. He was remarkably
original. He copied no man either in or out of the
pulpit. Shrewdness and wit wrere prominent charac-
teristics. He was a careful student of the Bible, clear
and decided in his convictions, plain and forcible in
his preaching, and severe in his assaults upon what he
believed to be error. He entertained a special abhor-
rence for the harsh points of Calvinistic doctrine cur-
rent in his time, and he would usually in his preaching
take occasion to give some hard thrusts at this, to him.
odious system of theology. In his last sickness, a
Christian brother called to see him, and, in the course
of conversation, asked the following question:

k< 'Brother Fogg, in reviewing your life are you con-
scious of having negleeted any particular duty?'' kI
am not sure,' said the dying man, 'that in mv preach-
ing I have been quite severe enough on Calvinism.'
His closing days were peaceful. "I have peace with
God; all is well" were his last words to his brethren
in the ministry."

Gilman Mood}- made a clearing at the head of Coch-
newagan pond which he exchanged in a short time
with Timothy Wight for the farm now owned by
Mr. Bishop at North Monmouth. He erected the
house Mr. Bishop now occupies not far from 1790.
Mr. Moody seems to have had a mania for making new
clearings. In addition to these two farms, he partially
cleared the places owned by George L. King at the
Center, and Phineas Nichols at East Monmouth, on

IOO HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

both of which he lived for a short time and on the latter
of which he died. He, also, became a member of the
Methodist church and a local preacher. He was or-
dained deacon by Bishop Asbury in 1802, and was re-
ceived into full connection at the General Conference,
at Baltimore, in 1820. He received four appointments,
Norridgewock, 1820; Buxton, 1821 ; Readfield curcuit,
1822; and Poland in 1823.

Daniel Allen settled at the outlet of South Pond,
Peter Lyon on the Greenleaf Smith place, and Gorden
Freas on the farm lately owned by Mrs. Nancy
K. Prescott, near the Academy. Freas was an expert
thresher. He used to go about the settlement thresh-
ing grain for the less dextrous flail wielders. He sold
his possession to Capt. Sewall Prescott and returned to
Xew Hampshire.

Daniel Gilman settled on the place now owned by
Rev. J. E. Pierce. His house stood on the east
side of the road, near the site now covered by Mr. Stew-
art's buildings. He, like many others among the earls-
settlers, lost his clearing, and, at an advanced age, start-
ed anew on land opposite E. K. Prescott's, where he
built a house and spent the remainder of his days. Go-
ing from his house one day for a pailful of water, he
fell dead as he was in the act of stooping at the spring.
He was the progenitor of all the Gilmans in this region.

Nathaniel Smith settled on the M. M. Richardson
place. He removed later to Norris Hill and took up
land which was sold, after his decease, to John Blake,
except a small portion which was purchased by Daniel
Prescott in 1797. Mr. Smith, who will be mentioned
later in another connection, was generally known

Geu. John Chandler.

THE EPPING EXODUS. IOI

among his friends as '"the Doctor. "

John Chandler bought out the claim of James Weeks,
who, as has been stated, had settled on the place now
owned by John W. Goding, near Monmouth Academy.

Chandler's life was an eventful one from the very
first. In 1778, when he was only sixteen years old, he
ran away from his home in Epping, and joined the crew
of a privateer, at Newburyport, Mass. The vessel was
captured by the English, the crew placed on board a
prison-ship and taken to a southern port. Chandler
told the caprain that he would escape, and, although it
seemed impossible for him to execute his threat, grit
and determination overcame all obstacles, and he was
soon a free man. Three others escaped at the same
time. He begged his way back as far as the Middle
States. When he was passing through New Jersey, on
calling at a house to solicit food, he was surprised and
delighted to have the door opened by his own sister,
Mary, the wife of Major James Norris, who subse-
quently settled on the "Swift place" in East Monmouth,
and who was, at that time, stationed in New Jersev as
commander of troops belonging to the army of the
colonies. Chandler rested here for a time, and then
continued his journey toward New Hampshire, his
sister having supplied him with shoes and other articles
necessary for the journey. When he reached home, he
had travelled, on foot, by the route he was compelled
to take, oxer seventeen hundred miles. Two years
had elapsed since he left his home.

My grandfather states that Chandler, James Norris,
and Benj. Dearborn came to Monmouth together,
making their way through the wilderness on foot, but

102 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

this does not agree with statements gathered from other
sources.

An historical article published in the Lewiston
Journal a short time ago, is respons;ble for the state-
ment that he was accompanied by his mother and wife,
and that the entire party crossed the Androscoggin
river on a single log. If this be true the compiler of
the genealogy of the Chandler family is at fault. He-
states that Chandler was married to Mary Whitcher in
Monmouth.

A short time after their arrival in Monmouth,
Chandler, Norris, and Dearborn made a pilgrimage
through the woods and across the Androscoggin to
Turner to buv corn. Money was an article of which
they had onlv an historical knowledge. They had all
abandoned their money-making vocations for the ser-
vice of their country during the Revolutionary war,
and the Continental currency with which they had been
rewarded for their Years of faithful service was now
absolutely worthless. One thousand dollars in this
money would not pay for a bushel of corn.

Nothing remained for them but the aboriginal sys-
tem of bartering. Dearborn had a pair of shoes, Norris
a purse — sad relic of the days of "auld lang syne" —
while Chandler's stupendous fortune consisted of — a
pair of shoe-buckles. In exchange for his shoes. Dear-
born received a peck of corn, while Norris and Chandler
gazed wofully upon the four quarts of kernels each
received for his earthly all. added to a wearisome jour-
ney of twenty-four miles. To surmount such obstacles
as these resolute men had to encounter, and reach such
stations as they subsequently occupied, required courage.

THE EPPING EXODUS. IO3

energy and fortitude such as but few of the present age
possess.

John Chandler and his wife probably labored more
assiduously and suffered more intensely than any other
couple in the settlement. He was a blacksmith — the
rirst one that opened a shop in the plantation — but it
appears as if his trade did not prove highly remunera-
tive, as he was olten obliged to dine on fried sorrel
while clearing his farm, a diet that was, if the statements
of some of his contemporaries may be accredited, un-
broken an entire season, save by occasional donations
of buttermilk from his charitable, but by no means
opulent, neighbors.

It was an auspicious day for Chandler when, by a
clever rotation of the wheel of fortune, he obtained a
cow to ^double" in three years. The owner of the
animal, not being favorably impressed with the appear-
ance of the man with whom he was dealing, refused
to allow it to be taken away without substantial secur-
ity. In this emergency, John Welch, who was more
philanthropic than judicious, offered himself as bonds-
man and was accepted. At the expiration of the lease.
Chandler found himself unable to meet the terms of
the contract, and Welch renewed his obligation to the
owner. This favor he was compelled to repeat again
and again, each time walking through the pathless
forest to the home of the owner in Topsham. When
the leniency of the owner had become exhausted and
a final settlement was demanded, Welch was compelled
to substantiate the bond.

It would be hardly safe to hold Chandler up as an
example for the young; but there are many points in

104 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

his history which the present generation may profitably
consider. Such indomitable energy as he possessed
rarely enters into the character of man. When he
came into the settlement he was not only poverty-
stricken but illiterate in the extreme. All his spare
hours he devoted to study. A travelling pedagogue
was hired by the settlers to furnish instruction in the
rudiments of English, and Chandler took his place be-
side children of six and eight years of age. 1 le learned
buickly, and soon became a very fair penman, and an
intelligent reader and thinker. Meager though his ad-
vantages and acquisitions may, have been, he was not
deficient in sound judgment and tact, qualities
that gave him the ascendency oyer a majority of the
liberally educated men of his day. He must have pos-
sessed a remarkable constitution, else he would have
broken beneath the burden of his labors.

Wherever a dollar is to be found, there we find Chand-
ler. His trade, as has been said, was blacksmithing, but
in addition to this occupation and the diligent labor he
expended on his clearing, we find him digging potatoes
at General Dearborn's for every tenth bushel, and per-
forming such other odd-job labor as it was his good
fortune to secure.

His wife, meanwhile, was none the less industrious.
We find her in the field, piling and "junking" smutty
logs, planting and hoeing corn, haryesting crops, and,
as a grand climax, assisting to shingle the first barn
that her husband raised.

Chandler secured the position of census-taker at the
first enumeration of the inhabitants of the plantation,
and thus earned his rirst money. He afterward opened

THE EPPING EXODUS. 1 05

a tavern, which was but little more than a private house
with the addition of a sign-board and bar-room. How
well he was patronized by the travelling public we
can only surmise. The rapidity with which his coffers
tilled is evidence that he was patronized by some one.

In North's "History of Augusta" we read of persons
journeying to Portland, starting earl}- so as to break-
fast at Chandler's in Monmouth. This enabled them
to reach Portland in the forenoon of the next day.

It was about this time that Chandler's military ca-
reer commenced in the formation of a plantation mili-
tary company of which he was elected ensign. The
other principal officers were Captain Levi Dearborn,
and Lieutenant Jonathan Thompson. The magnifi-
cence of the uniforms worn by these officers on their
initial parade caused them to be known long after as
•'Captain Short Coat, Leftenant Tow Coat and Ensign
No Coat." Little thought the jeering wags that "En-
sign No Coat" would some day ride at the head of a
brigade and assist in the deliberations of the National
Congress.

In a few years, Chandler had accumulated money
enough to open a store. He erected a small building
in the corner opposite his house, in which he traded
several years. He had his goods of one Davis, of
Lisbon, father of the wealthy ivJack" Davis who, in
later years, was a prominent citizen of Webster. His
store was the second one opened in the plantation.
The building stood in the corner opposite Mr. Joshua
Cumston's in the held north of the academy. It was
moved from there to Norris Hill, placed on a site a
few rods north of B. Frank Marston's, and remodelled

106 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

into a dwelling house. Robert Welch resided there
many years. Later, somewhere in the vicinity of 1856,
Mr. Alpheus Huntington purchased this building and
had it removed to Maple Street, at the Center, where
it has since stood as a portion of the dwelling house
now owned by Benson O. Gilman. Just when Chand-
ler closed his career as a village black-smith, it is im-
possible to determine. A memorandum under his own
hand has been found, which places the date subsequent
to 1 791 :

"John Chandler shod Mr. Baker's horse, May 4th, 1 791 , price
o£, is, 4d. (Signed) John Chandler."

A paper bearing a charge for trucking his liquors
from Hallowell has been brought to light. The crook-
edness of the spelling leads us to think that the writer
had become "slued'' by too immediate contact with
his freight:

"June 1st ve 1793. To hailing a barrel of rum from the River,
o£, 2s, od. Hailing sider from river, o£, 2S, Sd."

In General Dearborn, Chandler had a true and valu-
able friend. It was an easy matter for Dearborn to
secure positions of honor and trust for his favorites, and
whenever an office was vacated for a moment, he had
Chandler in his hand ready to jam him into the crevice.
In 1 801, Chandler was elected Councillor and Senator
from Maine in the General Court of Massachusetts.
Two years later he was called to represent the Kennebec
district in Congress. This position he held four years.
In 1808 he succeeded Arthur Lithgow as sheriff of
Kennebec County. In 18 12, he was elected major-
general in the State Militia, and later in the same year

THE EPPING EXODUS. IO7

was appointed brigadier-general of the forces sent to
the northern frontier.

In the chapter devoted to the biography of Gen.
Dearborn, mention was made of Chandler's being cap-
tured at Burlington Heights by British troops under
Gen. St. Vincent. Chandler, and not Winder, as is
generally supposed, was senior officer at this time.

This statement comes from Dr. Wallbridge, of
Charlestown, S. C, surgeon to the army, who was in
the battle. He says, "Gen. Chandler was senior officer
at the head of Lake Ontario when taken prisoner with
Gen. Winder at Stony Creek. They had pitched their
tents on the brow of the hill, with the soldiers spread
out below and on each side. But in the night the
British made a gallant sortie to retrieve their loss of a
few days before, and took prisoners the two generals.
A hard battle ensued. The Yankees maintained their
ground during the night. But as the command fell
upon Col. Wilson of the Artillery, who had never
had general command, the council of war decided
to retreat to Fourteen Mile Creek and await the arrival
of Lewis with re-enforcements." The following expla-
nation of the event by himself reflects more credit on
Chandler than the accounts furnished by some of his
subordinates: "'About an hour before daylight, on the
6th day of June, 1813, the alarm was given. I was
instantly up, and the 25th. which was near me, as well
as the left wing, which was under Winder. Owing to
neglect of front pickets or other causes the British
officers say that they were not hailed until they were
within three hundred yards. I ordered Gen. Winder
to cover the artillery. At this moment I heard a new

108 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

burst of fire from the enemy's left on our right, and not
being able to see anything which took place, I set out
at full speed toward the right to prevent being out-
flanked. I had proceeded but a few yards when my
horse fell under me — by which fall I received severe
injuries. There was a time in which I have no recol-
lection of what passed. But I presume it was not long.
As soon as I recovered I recollected what my object
was, and made my way to the right and gave Smith
what directions I thought proper, to prevent his right
being turned. I was returning toward the center, and
when near the artillery heard men who appeared to be
in confusion; it being the point where I expected the
23d to be formed, I thought it was that regiment. I
approached them, and, as soon as I was near enough, j
saw a body oi men whom I thought to be the 23d in
rear of the artillery, broken. I hobbled in among them
and began to rally them, and directed them to form, but
soon found my mistake; it was the British 49th, wrho
had pushed forward to the head of our column, and
gained the rear of the artillery. I was immediately
disarmed, and conveyed down the column to its rear.
It was not yet day, and the extreme darkness of the
night, to which was added the smoke of the fire, put it
out of our power to see the enemy. This was all that
saved their columns from total destruction, of which
some of their numbers were aware."

At a Fourth of July dinner, the summer preceding
his capture, Gen. Chandler proposed the toast, "Quebec :
May I be within her walls!"' An old Scotchman who
was present remarked, "Ef ye are ye will be there a
prisoner o' war." And he was.

THE EPPING EXODUS. I09

In 1 8 19, he was elected a member of the General
Court of Massachusetts. The same year he held a seat
in the convention which drafted the Constitution of
Maine. He was the first president of the Maine Sen-
ate, and was one of the two first senators sent by Maine
to Congress. When a senator, a rhymster, anticipating
the assembling of the members in Washington, devoted
to him the lines:

"John Chandler will be there.
Tough as steel and bold as Hector."

In 1822, he was placed on the committee that select-
ed Augusta as the seat of government for Maine. After
serving a senatorial term of six years, he was appointed,
by President Jackson, collector of the port of Portland.
This office he held eight years, and then retired to pri-
vate life.

Such a career as Chandler's would furnish abundant
material for one of Alger's "Fame and Fortune" serials.
Men of his stamp are multitudinous in romance, but
rare in history. It is doubtful if, with the exception of
Sir Wm. Phipps, the annals of Maine furnish such an
example of resolution and perseverance. It is true
that he had an able champion in General Dearborn,
and that his promotion was largely due to the latter's
influence; but to no one but John Chandler is due the
credit of rising from the degradation of ignorance,, and
too great praise can not be accorded to one who, in an
age of general illiteracy, cherished aspirations that led
him to subject himself to such humiliating means to
raise himself to a higher level. Had he not exhibited
a purpose to help himself, it is doubtful if he would
have received any assistance from Dearborn, and had

HO HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

he not possessed such a purpose, the intended help
would have proved only a hindrance; for any assist-
ance that checks self-reliance debases rather than
elevates.

Biographers often commit a great error in denying
that their heroes possessed any faults. It is not neces-
sary to parade a man's negative character be lore the
public, but to deny that he had one invariably weakens
one's faith in both the writer and his subject. Such an
error was committed by the author of the greatest <>f
modern political histories, who, in the face of indispu-
table testimony, disclaims the necessity of apologies fold
some of the traits of President Lincoln, and gives the
lie to John G. Holland and other eminent writers, who,
through an intimate association, knew the man's few
faults and sought to palliate them. The result, instead
of adding to the glory ofour honored national hero, only
led the thinking public to inquire how much of the his-
tory was authentic.

Such was the course pursued by the writer of
an article published in the Granite State Month-
ly, in which Gen. Chandler was commended for
his Christian virtues and devotion to his creed. While
it would be a pleasure to ascribe to him this attribute,
it could be done only by sacrificing the confidence of
every citizen whose memory reaches back a half cen-
tury, it was one of Gen. Chandler's faults that he was
notoriously profane, and in two instances, at least, he
received such apt and pointed rebukes for indulging in
this vice that even he himself could not object to their
being published. One winter, disease destroyed many
of his fine sheep. Meeting Esquire Harvey one morn-

THE EPPIXG EXODUS.

ing after the discovery of an additional 1 »ss, he snarled,
"Another sheep has gone to h "

"How fortunate the rich are." mildly responded the
'Squire, "in being able to send their provisions on be-
fore them."

This was not less to the point than the calm remind-
er he rece ved from Sands Wing, a member of the So-
ciety of Friends, \vh > lived 01 Steven's hill. Chandler
ha 1 a lot of lumber at the saw mill at North Nlonm mth
which ha 1 long been in the way of the w >rkmc i, and
which he h id been repeatedly requested to remove. At
last an order came which he could not ignore. Hiring
Wing to accompany him with his ox-team, he went to the
mill, loaded, and was about to leave without giving fur-
ther order-, when the teamster ventured to inquire

where he should 'drive. ''Drive? Drive to h ,'" was

the response.

"Then perhaps thee had better take the goad thyself,"
said the Quaker.

Trenchant as were these thrusts of repartee, thev
were soothing when compared with a lunge he once re-
ceived from John Welch.

A Fourth of |uly celebration wis held in Monmouth,
which was honored by the presence of guests from
Portland and Augusta. At the dinner, over which the
general presided, he called upon John Welch, as a rep-
resentative of the pi< neers, for a toast. Welch, always
modest and retiring, at first refused: but after repeated
solicitations, he slowly arose, and holding aloft his glis-
tening glass, proposed:

"Gen. John Chandler, the president of the day.

J w;is hondsman for hi* first cow and had it to pay."

112 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Probably the storm of laughter that followed was
harder lor the general to faee than all the guns in the
British artillery, but he had too much nerve to allow
himself to appear disconcerted. "Right, right!" he ex-
claimed, "and you never got your pay.,,, He then drew
his wallet and offered to make good Welch's loss; but
that gentleman, as well as all the spectators, considered
the account well squared, and refused to accept any
further remuneration, on the ground that it was out-
lawed.

In my rounds among the people of Monmouth I have
heard much concerning Gen. Chandler; and the pre-
vailing opinion which exists concerning him is that he
was nothing more than an acute economist with self as
the point of convergence of all his plans. Without at-
tempting to den}- that he was shrewd and craft}-,
attributes that would naturally develop in a headstrong,
runaway boy, forced by his own volition to look out
tor personal interests or perish, it is erroneous to
suppose that he was nothing more than an adroit mon-
ey-getter. An examination of accessible records will
reveal the fact that no man in Maine wielded a stronger
influence in political circles than John Chandler. Anv
office at the disposal of the dominant party was open to
him. Gubernatorial honors he refused. The highi r
senatorial honors he accepted.

Like his friend and patron, Gen. Dearborn, he was
always a firm advocate of the ptinciples of democ-
racy; and, extravagant though the statement may seem,
he was, undoubtedly, with the exception of Dearborn,
the ablest politician of his dav in Maine.

THE EPPING EXODUS. II3

Gen. Chandler lived in Monmouth during his politi-
cal career. In 1837 he purchased the residence of his
nephew, Gen. Joseph Chandler, and removed to Au-
gusta. The home in which he lived is the conspicuous
stand on Chandler street, north of the soldier's monu-
ment, recently owned by the late Judge Rice.

He lived only four years after leaving Monmouth,
his decease occurring Sept. 25, 1841, in the eightieth
year of his age.

In closing a brief epitome of his career, a contempo-
rary says:

"Gen. Chandler was noted for his practical common
sense and sound judgment, and was much respected
while in Congress, by his associates, for the sterling
qualities of his mind and character."

Lieutenant James Norris, who possibly accompanied
Chandler from Epping, was born in that place in 1761.
He served in the Revolutionary war until the army
was disbanded, when he returned to his old home, and
married Ruth Dearborn, daughter of Simon Dearborn,
sen., later of Monmouth. They removed to Mon-
mouth soon after Mr. Dearborn. Mr. Norris walked the
entire distance, his wife riding a horse beside him, car-
rying a small child.

As they circled the hill on which they afterward
settled, he turned, with the remark, "Ruth, I like this."
They stopped that night, at Simon Dearborn's. In
the course of conversation the location that struck
them as being so desirable was mentioned. "Why,
Ruth,11 said the host, "your uncle Henry owns that
land.11 After that it did not take long to decide where
to settle.

114 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

After building a log cabin a few rods east of where
the large house now stands, and getting a clearing
started, Mr. Norris went to Pittston and worked in a
saw mill to pay for his land. In 1801 he built the large
house now owned by his grandson, Geo. W. Norris,
Esq.

Mr. Norris was an industrious man. His out-build-
ings were as good as the ones that now stand in their
places, and his farm was walled throughout. Not fifty
rods of stone wall have been laid up on the farm since
his day. A short distance north of his house, he erect-
ed another, for his son-in-law, Jacob Miller, which was
afterward moved to a point near Leeds Junction, where
it is now known as the Charles Hyde Potter place. Mr.
Norris died in 1814, of cold fever.

Joel Chandler followed his brother, the General, toj
Wales Plantation, and purchased Nathan Stanley's
claim; giving notes, and taking a warranty deed of the
land, for which Stanley had paid cash. On the six-
teenth day of October, only a few days after this trans-
action was concluded, Chandler was drowned near the
outlet of South Pond, while engaged in surveying.
His estate made no amends, and Stanley lost his dearly-
earned land.

Joel Chandler left a son, Joseph, who, after his
father's death. lived in the family of the General. He
was an active, enterprising young man, with an insatia-
ble thirst for knowledge. It was his custom to borrow
the best books the scanty libraries of his neighbors
afforded, and go over to the Leeds bog to camp out
weeks at a time, that he might devote himself uninter-
ruptedly to study. A natural and inevitable conse-

Gen. Joseph Chandler.

AGE 115.

THE EPPfNG EXODUS. I 15

quence of his diligent application was a tine education.
He assisted the General greatly in getting what little
education he could boast. In fact, he was, with one
exception, the only teacher his uncle ever had.

After settlers began to people the eastern part of the
town, and Gen. Dearborn had built a mill at the outlet
of South Pond, Joseph Chandler traded there. In 1808,
he was appointed Captain in the U. S. Army, and was
stationed at a fort in Portland harbor. He resigned
his commission in 1809, and returning to Monmouth,
erected a large house a short distance north of the
academy, which has recently been taken down by the
Prescott brothers to make room for the modern struct-
ure in which Mr. John M. Prescott now resides, and
a store near by in which he traded. In 181 1, under
Gerry's administration, he was appointed Clerk of
Courts for Kennebec County. He then sold his prop-
erty in Monmouth and removed to Augusta, where he
spent the remainder of his days, being engaged chiefly
in mercantile pursuits. Soon after he went to Augus-
ta, he compiled and published a reading book, uThe
Young Gentlemen's and Ladies' Museum." This
book was used in the schools when my grandfather
was a boy.

In 181 2 the Kennebec Bank, the first banking insti-
tution in Augusta, was founded with a capital stock of
$100,000. Among its rive corporate members, all of
whom were federalists, in opposition to the Hallowell
Bank, whose members were democrats, we find the
names of John Chandler and Benjamin Dearborn, of
Monmouth. Joseph Chandler was appointed first cash-
ier of this bank. In 1828, he was appointed Major

Il6 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

General of the second division of the militia of Maine,
and in 1830, under Jackson's administration, was ap-
pointed postmaster of the city of Augusta.

Joseph Chandler was, in every respect, an exem-
plary citizen, strictly temperate, moral and indus-
trious. In 1813, fifty citizens of Augusta and Hallo-
well petitioned the Legislature to be incorporated as
''The Union Religious Society in Hallo well and Au-
gusta.'1 Mr. Chandler was elected one of the officers
of this society at its organization. The plan of form-
ing such a religious body was pronounced impractica-
ble, and finally abandoned, but the fact of its concep-
tion is valuable, showing as it did the breadth of
Chandler's religious views and motives. In the midst
of an active and useful life, he was suddenly seized by
the grim messenger. His decease occurred Sept. 12,
1846. He was in New York on business, and was
found in his room at Willard's Hotel, Park Row, with
his clothing and spectacles on. He had not been in
good health for several years.

In 1788,01- thereabouts, Capt. Sewall Prescott and
John Judkins came together from Epping. James
Judkins had been here previously, working for Gen.
Dearborn. He returned to Epping in the fall, re-
mained there through the winter, and on the first of
April, started, in company with his brother and Pres-
cott, to establish a home in Wales Plantation. They
journeyed on foot, with their earthly possessions bound
in bundles and strapped to their backs. The travelling-
was very bad, and their packs weighed about thirtv
pounds each, but, with these hindrances, they made an
average of thirty miles a day through the forest, guided

THE EPPING EXODUS. II7

only by spotted trees.

Prescott took up the claim of Gordon Freas, the
Scotch thresher. Freas had cut a small opening near
the spot where the old gun house used to stand on
High Street, a lew rods south of the ,k01d Fort" on
the opposite side of the street. He was a poor man,
and had not tie slightest prospect of paying for the
land. He gave up his claim to the Captain, and re-
turned to Epping, whence he came. James Judkins
commenced a clearing on the "John Barrows place,'1
south of Monmouth Academy, and his brother, John,
one on the "Donnel place. '" These men fowarded a
year's provision by boat to Hallowell, and thence
through the woods to the settlement, before they
started. Thus fortified, they were able to smile at the
fates the first season, but the next year, to use one of
Capt. Prescott's characteristic expressions, "it was sharp
shearing." They purchased corn at Hallowell, when it
was on sale; and when the supply of corn was exhaust-
ed, they lived on smoked and pickled herring. Her-
ring, corn, and, last but by no means least, rum were
staple commodities in those days.

The statement of Mr. J. Gordin Judkins, whose in-
formation came from an anthoritative source, to the
effect that his father, Jonathan Judkins, cleared the
Barrows place, is apparently contradictor}- to that of"
Dr. James Cochrane, who ascribes the credit ot clear-
ing it to James Judkins. As in both cases the informa-
tion came directly from the settlers themselves, it has
been a difficult matter to determine which was correct.
After studying the matter carefully, I am convinced
that there is no discrepancy here. Mr. Judkins claims

I I S HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

that his father, Jonathan, moved from New Hamp-
shire to Mt. Vernon, and thence to Monmouth. That
he settled on the Barrows place, subsequently on
the place now owned by Mrs. Almira Prescott, and
finally, on the farm on which he died, and on which
his son, Gordin, lived until within a few months. The
records of land transfers deposited at Wiscasset show
that in 1786, James Judkins purchased of Gen. Dear-
born a tract of land in Wales Plantation. He could
not have remained here long, however, as his name
does not appear on the tax lists until 1797, while that
of Jonathan, John, and Robert, their father, who soon
followed them, are found attached to a much earlier
date. The true solution of the problem, undoubtedly,
is this: James Judkins came into the settlement with
his brother, John, and took up the land in question.
He may have returned to New Hampshire for a time,
or he may have pressed on to Mt. Vernon, where his
brother Jonathan had settled. Jonathan came to Mon-
mouth from Mt. Vernon, and settled on the land which
his brother had taken up, and finished clearing it.
James returned in 1797, and took up another farm on
Monmouth Ridge, on which Earl E. Judkins lived
many years.

For a long period following the settlement of the
Dearborns and their contemporaries, every year brought
a stream of immigration from Epping and adjoining-
towns to Wales Plantation, including the Blakes, the
Marstons, Cioughs, Goves, Sinclairs, and others whose
names will be found in coming chapters.

Epping is located in the northern part of Rocking-
ham County, about twelve miles from the Maine line.

THE EPPING EXODUS. I 19

On the north and east lie the towns of Nottingham,
Lee, New Market, and Exeter, and on the south and
west, Brentford, Freemont, Chester, and Raymond.
Still farther to the north-west, are Deerfield, North-
wood, Epson and Chichester, and about twelve miles
south-east on the coast, just off from the Isle of Shoals,
lies Hampton. These names are all familiar to the old
families of Monmouth and Wales. From them came
a large percentage of our ancestors.

Mt. Vernon, a few miles north of us, \\ras also large-
ly settled by families from these points; and no other
town in Maine is so closely related to us by blood-ties
as this. Here we find families bearing the names of
Marston. Gilman, Gove, Blake, Clough and Prescott
whose ancestors came from Epping, and were brothers
and cousins to those of the same name who settled in
Monmouth.

CHAPTER V.

A NEW ADMINISTRATION.

In the two years prior to 1783, the number of fami-
lies in Wales plantation had more than doubled. This
flourishing condition, it is supposed, had been reported
to the State officials. From a clause found in the call
for the first plantation meeting, — "to see if the inhabi-
tants will accept of the proposals made to them by the
Committee of the General Court"' — we infer that such
a committee had visited the plantation, and from a pas-
sage in the records of that meeting, we learn the object
of their visit. It is probable that the committee visited
the settlers to ascertain their condition and financial
standing. Evidences of prosperity and ability to assist
in the liquidation of State liabilities led to the issuing
of a warra. c for levying and collecting a state tax, to
the amount of twenty-two pounds and ten shillings.
This was not a large sum to raise, but in comparison to
the amount we now pay into the state treasury, and con-
sidering the resources of the community, it was an ex-
orbitant quota. Two years elapsed before it was col-

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. 121

lected and turned into the treasury. The number of
acres of land assessed under the conditions of this war-
rant, was 47.922, of which only 10.120 acres were as-
sessed to residents.

Wild land to the extent of 37.802 acres was taxed to
non-resident proprietors.

This tax disturbed the settlers considerably. They
were not prepared for such a burden, and experienced
some difficulty in meeting it.

In addition to this, there were local expenses which
called for an additional tax. The warrant for, and
record of the meeting in which this matter was consid-
ered, are interesting relics:

"A WARRANT FOR PLANTATION MEETING.

To Iciiabod Baker, Collector, Greeting. — These are in
the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to Require you,
as soon as may be, to notify and warn the Freeholders, and other
Inhabitants of the Plantation of Wales Qualified as the Law Di-
rects, to meet together on thirsday, the 20th Day of March Next, at
one o'clock in the afternoon, at the Dwelling House of Mr. Icha-
bod Bakers, in said Wales, then and their to Act on the following
Articles, viz., istlv to Chuse a moderator, 2dl\. to know the minds
of the Town, whither they will Reconsider that vote that was past
Last March, Conserning a Plantation Tax and see what they will
do in Regard to it, 4thly to know the minds of the Town in Re-
gard to High-ways, and to act on anything els they shall then think
Propei. Given under our hands & seals this 28th day of February,
A. D., 17S3.

James Blossom. I As8essors.»
Jonathan Thompson. I

"Pursuant to A Warrant to me Directed, these are to notify all
Inhabitants of the Plantation of Wales to meet Togather on Thirs-
day the 20th Day of March, r 7S3 , atone of the Clock, in the after

122 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH,

Noon, at the House of Ichabod Bakers in sd Wales, then & thire to
act on the Following articles — istlv, To Chuse A Moderator to
Regerlate sd Meeting. 2ndly, to Chuse Town officcers, for the
year 1783 and 1784. 3<ily. to know the minds of the Town,
whether they will reconsider that vote that was past last March
concerning a Town tax, and see what measures they will take
Conserning it. 4thly, to know the Towns mind in Regard to
Highways. Sthly, an<^ Lastly to act on anything els that they shall
think proper. Ichabod Bakek, Colector.

Wales, Feby. ye 28th, A. D. 1783."

"The Proceedings of a Plantation Meeting held at Mr. Ichabod
Bakers in Wales the 20th day of March, 1783.

istly, Chose Capt. Peter Hopkins moderator. ?dly, Chose
James Blossom Plantation Clark. 3<Jly, Chose Mr. Jonathan
Thompson Assessor. 4thly, Chose James Blossom Assessor.
5thly, Chose Samuel Simmons Assessor. 6thly, Chose James
Blossom Treasurer. 7thly, Voted to Raise six pound to Defray
Plantation charges. Sthly, Chose Mr. Philip Jenkins Collector for

1783. 9thly and Lastly, Chose Mr. Thomas Gray Collector for

1784. Afterwards Excepted of Mr. Gray to collect the whole.

James Blossom, Clark.
Wales, March ye 20th, A. D. 1783."

From these records we learn that the officers elected
at the annual meeting of 1783, were to serve two years.
Consequently it is not probable that any business meet-
ing of the tax payers was held in 1784. The sum total
of all that is known of the proceedings for this year is
found in two orders:

"Wales, December ve 8th, 17S4.

Sir: — Please to pay Ichabod Baker nine shillings, four pence and
two farthings out of the Plantation treasure, and his receit shall be
your security tor the same.

Sam' 1. Simmons )

- Assessor:
|ONA. 1 HOMPSON \

'o lames Blossom, treasurer.

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. 1 23

"Wales, February ye 21st, 1785.

Sir -.— Please to pay out of the treasure of this Plantation, unto

Ichahod Baker, one Pound, three shillings and ten Pence, and

charge the same to said Plantation.

per us, Sam'i. Simmons ) » „

1 T ™ } Assessors.

JONA. 1 HOMPSON )

The records of the ensuing year shared the fate of
those of 1784. For some purpose a meeting was held
on the 21st of September, as is shown by a private
memorandum:

"the men that Atend the meeting in Wales, on the
21st of September, 1785 are as Followith viz. Capt.
James Blossom. Jonathan Thompson, Ens. Benjamin
Dearborn, Lieut. Levi Dearborn, John Welch, Daniel
Oilman, Elexander Thompson, Peter Lyon, John
Chandler and Joseph Chandler. "

It is probable that Samuel Simmons, Jonathan
Thompson and Capt. James Blossom were assessors
this year, and that the latter was also treasurer, and
Ichabod Baker collector.

The above memorandum shows that the Epping
Colony was well represented in this meeting. A revo-
lution in local politics was about to take place. Those
who had for four years managed the affairs and borne
the petty honors of the plantation government were,
from this time on, to have little voice in public matters.
The New Hampshire settlers now assumed almost
complete control. They "made up the slate," and
were strong enough to carry it. The New Meadows
pioneers were just about as strong numerically, but
they were not bound together as closely by family ties,
and were more ambitious to secure a competency by
strict attention to their farm work than to worm them-

124 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

selves into the small honors of local affairs. With the
men of Epping, it was different. John Chandler was
born a politician, and he never sold his birthright. No
office that was a stepping-stone to something higher
was beneath his notice; and whatever he wanted, he
generally managed to secure. The men from Epping
were nearly all related by marriage, which added to
the strength of the bonds that would naturally exist
between those who had been neighbors before coming
to the new settlement; and, in addition to this collective
power, were individually influential, on account of the
relationship which existed between them and Gen.
Dearborn, who was highly respected by the pioneers,
both as a supposed wealthy proprietor of land in the
plantation, and as a military hero.

Of the proceedings for the year 1786, we have very
meagre knowledge. From an article in the plantation
warrant for the year 1789, we learn that Joseph Allen
was elected collector. The purport of this article was
k,to see if the Plantation will vote to sink the taxes of
several persons that are taxed in Mr. Allen's tax bills
for 1786, which taxes cannot be collected of said per-
sons.'" It was "voted to sink eight pounds, rive shillings
and five pence, it being several persons' taxes in Mr.
Allen's tax bills for 1786, viz., George Miller, Reuben
Ham, Jr.. Andrew Norris, Mayberry Evans, Gail Coal,
Nathaniel Smith, Holman's heirs, and Mary Thomp-
son, and bear the Committee harmless that was appoint-
ed to lav out the taxes, as by order of the Court, for
not laying out the money as per order of Court, and
free the Committee from all, and any damage on the
account."

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. I 2 K

Richard Thompson came from Brunswick in 1786,
and settled in the north part of Wales. Two years
later, in the month of March, Stephen and John
Andrews removed from the same place and located
near Thompson. Still another year, and Richard and
Tames Labree attached themselves to the same nei^h-
borhood.

John Ham and his four sons, John, Samuel, Clement
and Reuben, came in and took up farms in the west
part of the town, on the Pond road. John settled on
the farm now owned by Joseph Wight, resided there a
short time, then removed to the place now owned by
O. A. Bronson. Clement settled first on the farm
afterwards owned by William Fogg, now by B. S.
Fogg. Reuben settled in the northwest corner of the
town, and was killed by a falling tree about 1803.

The earliest existing assessors' list possesses suffi-
cient interest to warrant its insertion:

NAMES.

ACRES.

NAMES.

ACRES

Daniel Allen,

IOO.

James Blossom,

IOO

Widow Thompson,

150.

John Chandler,

100

John Fish,

200.

Alexander Thompson,

100

Peter Lyon,

IOO.

Caleb Fogg,

100.

fchabod Baker.

H5-

Gorden Freas,

100.

John Welch,

*75-

Nathaniel Smith,

200

Simon Dearborn,

200.

James Norris,

103

do. do.

80.

Timothy Wight,

150.

Gen. Henry Dearborn.

4.426

Zadoc Bishop,

100.

do. do. do.

799-

Thomas Stock in,

60.

Nathaniel Brainerd,

60.

Josiah Brown,

50-

B. Dearborn,

80.

Daniel Gilman,

104.

Josiah Whittredge,

IOO.

Gilman Moody,

10S.

Thomas Gray,

150.

Jonathan Thompson,

150.

Joseph Allen,

150.

Philip Jenkins,

150.

ACRES.

NAMES.

ACRES

I50.

Richard Thompson,

150

ISO.

J. Labree,

150

150.

Stephen Ijrav,

150

ISO.

Patrick Cannon.

150

ISO.

S. Weymouth.

150

I26 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

NAMES.

Reuben Ha in.
John Andrews,
R. Labree,
Joseph Remick,
B. Weymouth,

The annual meeting of Wales Plantation for the year

1787 was held at the house of Ensign Benjamin Dear-
born, on Monday. March 1 1. Major James Norris was
chosen moderator; John Chandler, clerk; Jonathan
Thompson, Levi Dearborn and Ichabod Baker, asses-
sors; Jonathan Thompson, treasurer and collector;
John Chandler, Philip Jenkins and Daniel Allen, sur-
veyors of highways; Gilman Moody, Alexander Thomp-
son and Daniel Allen, surveyors of lumber (this is
the first time that surveyors of lumber were admitted
to the bod\" of town officers) ; Major James Norris.
Lieut. Levi Dearborn and Ensign Benjamin Dearborn,
committee tor fishways; Captain James Blossom, Ben-
jamin Dearborn and Alexander Thompson, committee
to examine accounts against the plantation. At this
meeting it was "voted to raise ten pounds to defray
Plantation charges; voted, to raise thirty pounds to lay
out on the road. Voted, that the above thirty pounds
be laid out at four shillings for a day's work; voted to
choose a Committee to hire Mr. Smith three Sabbaths,
and the same Committee to see what conditions Mr.
Smith will settle in the place upon, and consult Col.
Dearborn, to see on what conditions he will convey the
land he will give to the minister; voted, that Joseph
Allen, Capt. James Blossom and Levi Dearborn be a
committee to agree with Mr. Smith and Col. Dear-
born."

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. I 27

As Mr. Smith did not continue to preach in the plan-
tation, it is evident that satisfactory arrangements were
lot effected with that gentleman and Col. Dearborn.

The second meeting for the year 1787 was held at
Ichabod Baker's house, on Monday, the 20th day of
April. Capt. James Blossom was chosen moderator,
and Levi Dearborn, James Blossom and Ichabod
Jaker, a committee to consult Col. Dearborn in rela-
ion to securing a title to the "burying-place." The
meeting was then adjourned to the 23d of April, 1787.

At the adjourned meeting, held April 23, it was
"voted that Benjamin Dearborn be overseer to keep
the obligation that shall be drawn and signed to fence
and clear the burying-place, and see that the work is
done. Each man subscribes his name, and the meeting
is dissolved. JOHN Chandler, Clerk/'

The burying-place referred to is the one mentioned
on page 37 as being on land nearly opposite George
L. King's, south of Monmouth Center. As has been
stated, many bodies were interred there, and a large
number of them still remain in their first resting place;
among others, the first wife of Robert Withingron.
There is no evidence that Gen. Dearborn ever gave
the plantation any title to this land, nor that the obli-
gation to clear and fence it was ever fulfilled.

The third meeting of the plantation for the year
1787 was duly warned to be held at the house of Capt.
Levi Dearborn, on the 27th day of August, "at two
o'clock in the afternoon, to act on the following articles,
viz., 1 st, to choose a moderator; 2d, To choose three
meet persons to take a valuation of the Plantation,
agreeable to a resolve of the General Court, July 7th,

128 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

1787; 3d, To consider something concerning the ex-
tent and bounds of the Plantation; 4th, To give in
their votes for a separate State."

The warrant was signed by, Levi Dearborn and
Ichabod Baker, assessors, and directed to Jonathan
Thompson, collector. At the appointed time, the vot-
ers of the plantation met and "chose Capt. James Blos-
som, moderator; 2d, Chose Capt. James Blossom, Maj-
or James Norris and John Chandler a Committee to
take the valuation to the order of the Court; 2d, voted
to return as far south as Richard Thompson, and east-
erly, so as to take in the neck; 4th that the article con-
cerning a separate state be referred for the Committee
to get a copy for each man to sign. Yea or Nay." The
meeting was then dissolved.

This was one of the most important meeting in the
history of the plantation. The plantation bounds had
been very loosely defined, and even now the phrase
"easterly so as to take in the neck" seemed to allow
considerable expansion or contraction of the bounds
in that direction.

The article concerning a separate state was in refer-
ence to the separation of the Province of Maine from
Massachusetts, which had, even at that early day, been
agitated.

This 3-ear the first county tax was assessed against
the plantation. Its quota reached the amount of four
pounds, sixteen shillings and nine pence.

The annual meeting for the year 1788 convened, on
the third day of March, at the house of Levi Dearborn.
Capt. James Blossom was chosen moderator; John
Chandler, clerk, and Lieut. Jonathan Thompson, Capt.

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. 129

Levi Dearborn and Major James Norris, assessors. It
was "voted that the office of treasurer be vested in the
assessors." It was also voted to adopt the method of
choosing a collector by "'vendue"', or auction, and that
the man who bid off the collectorship should secure
bonds. Prior to this date, the collectors were elected
in the same manner as the other officials, and no bonds-
men were required. The custom thus inaugurated has
seldom been broken. Oilman Moody bid off the
taxes at one shilling and tenpence on the pound. Capt.
Levi Dearborn was his bondsman. Daniel Oilman and
Nathaniel Smith were elected surveyors of lumber:
Ensign Benj. Dearborn, John Welch and Daniel Allen,
a committee to keep the fish-ways open; and Capt. Levi
Dearborn, John Chandler and Ensign Benj. Dearborn,
a committee to examine the accounts against the plan-
tation. It was voted to raise ten pounds to defray
plantation charges. No surveyors of highways were
chosen; therefore it is to be presumed that the roads
cared for themselves the following twelvemonth.

The annual meeting of 1789 was held at Capt. Levi
Dearborn's, on Monday, April 6th. Lieut. Simon Dear-
born was chosen moderator; John Chandler, clerk;
Capt. Levi Dearborn, Lieut. Simon Dearborn and John
Chandler, assessors. The collectorship was bid off by
Capt. James Blossom, at one shilling and sixpence on
the pound. John Welch was his bondsman. It was
voted to vest the office of treasurer in the assessors.
Capt. Peter Hopkins. Joseph Allen. Capt. Levi Dear-
born. Maj. James Norris and Jongue Booker were elect-
ed surveyors of highways. It was "voted to comply
with the Resolve of Court with reeard to the back

I3O HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

taxes, prior to No. 6; voted, to work out the sum grant-
ed by Court for us to work out on the Roads, at four
shillings pr. day for man, and three for oxen." Capt.
Levi Dearborn, Lieut. Simon Dearborn and John Chan-
dler were elected a committee to expend the money
granted by Court "to be laid out in schooling and
preaching and on roads," and to procure a minister and
school-master; "voted, to raise ten pounds to defray
Plantation Charges the present year." Major James
Norris, Capt. James Blossom and Ensign Benjamin
Dearborn were chosen a committee to examine the
accounts against the plantation. It was, also, "voted,
that the Committee lay before the Meeting next April
the accounts against the Plantation." Daniel Allen
and Capt. Peter Hopkins were chosen surveyors of
lumber; John Welch, Benj. Dearborn and Daniel
Allen, tish committee.

The population must have increased greatly during
the previous fiscal year, as the voting list exhibited a
numerical gain of almost seventy per cent. In voting
for governor, John Hancock received forty-five votes;
for lieut. gov., Adams received the same number; for
senator, Daniel Cony received thirty votes and Samuel
Thompson seventeen.

The second meeting for 1789 was held at Capt.
Levi Dearborn's, on Monday, the 21st of December.
Capt. Peter Hopkins was chosen moderator. It was
"voted, to petition the General Court for incorporation.
Voted, to petition to call the town Wales. Voted, to
reconsider this vote, and petition to call the town Mon-
mouth." This name was selected as a tribute of re-
spect to Gen. Dearborn, whose gallant conduct at the

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. I3I

battle of Monmouth, N. J., won from General Wash-
ington warm commendation, and fixed his name in
inseparable connection with the spot. Simon Dear-
born was selected to forward this petition to the Gen-
eral Court. The meeting was then adjourned, to meet
at the same place the following Monday. The object
of this meeting, in the words of the notification, was
"to make preparations for incorporation by calling to
an account and settling with all the Assessors, Treasur-
ers and Collectors of the Plantation, from the first act as a
Plantation to the annual meeting of 1789, and to settle
with any other officers or persons that have had any of
the money or property of the Plantation committed to
him or them; also to settle with any persons that have
any demands against said Plantation, and adjust the
accounts between all creditors to the Plantation and the
Plantation, in order to know whether the Plantation is
in debt or not. For the accomplishment of this pur-
pose, a Committee shall be chosen, said Committee to
report to this meeting the standing of the Plantation,
and lay before it the accounts the}' have settled." The
collector was also required to "notify all persons that
had any accounts open with the Plantation, or that had
been Assessors, Collectors or Treasurers, or any other
persons concerned in the matter1' to attend this convo-
cation, warning them that if they neglected to attend to
their business at this meeting, they might not expect to
have any accounts allowed thereafter. At the appoint-
ed time, the voters of the plantation assembled at the
place of adjournment. Capt. James Blossom was
placed in the chair, and Ichabod Baker, John Chandler
and Capt. Peter Hopkins were chosen a committee to

17,2 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH,

settle the plantation aeeounts. It was "voted that this
committee be empowered to discharge Thomas Gray
from sixteen pounds, eleven shillings and a penny on
his tax bills, which he paid in orders drawn on him by
the Treasurer.''' The meeting was then adjourned.
The tax payers convened again, a few days later, and
voted not to recall the plantation tax bills committed to
Mr. Allen to collect, and adjourned without further
action. The tax bill in question was the one com-
mitted to Mr. Allen for collection in 17S6. "Allen,"'
says Dr. Jas. Cochrane, in his manuscript history, "was
a very clever man, and too easy for being a smart
collector. " Being naturally tender-hearted and sympa-
thetic, he probably was not inclined to force a settle-
ment with the poor and unfortunate, of whom there
were man)- in the plantation, consequently quite a por-
tion of the bills committed to him for collection
remained unpaid. He was allowed an abatement of
eight pounds, rive shillings and four pence.

The petition to the General Court was presented in
due time, but that august body, instead of granting an
act of incorporation, passed a resolve that the officers
of the plantation should define the bounds of the con-
templated town, make a plan of the same, and take a
valuation of the real and personal estate of the inhabi-
tants. These requirements deferred the incorporation
until the year 1762.

CHAPTER VI.

NEW ADMINISTRATION,— Concluded.

While the settlers in the eenter of the plantation
were talking and thinking of nothing but the incorpor-
ation, there was one man in the territory who eared
but little whether he lived in a town, plantation or
unincorporated wilderness. Sometime while the events
of which I have been writing wrere taking place, Gail
Cole had wormed his way along the narrow water-shed
between the Cobbossee-contee and Annabessaeook,
and, rinding a spot where he fancied he would be eon-
tent to spend the remainder of his days, built a cabin
and began to clear away the heavy forest. It was a
wild and drear)' life. No path had been cut through
from the settled district to that part of the plantation,
and it is doubtful if he knew anything of the men who
were his nearest neighbors on one side. Occasionally
an Indian, attracted by the smoke from his cabin, called
at the door, and by going to Winthrop, which was
probably the only settled point with which he had any
communication, he could catch a more agreeable

134 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

glimpse of humanity. When his house was reach- and
he had his family with him, he was a happy man.
And why should he not be? Had he not the first
ehoice of lots? And with youth and vigor in his favor
what a beautiful home he could prepare for his old age
on that hill overlooking the sparkling Cobbossee-
contee! Alas for his hopes! Ten years more would
find other hands gathering the harvest for which he
had prepared the soil; while the pines which he fan-
cied he would some da)' fell and erect into a commo-
dious dwelling, would silently guard his lonely grave.

Cole was, undoubtedly, the first settler on the Neck,
and with the exception of Daniel Allen and Reuben
Brainerd, who had entered the forest a long distance
below him on the pond, was the only person living
in what we now term East Monmouth. Allen and
Brainerd were professional hunters. The}' built their
log cabins on the shore of the pond, where the re-
mains of stone chimneys may still be seen, but did
not immediately take up lots and begin clearings, as
was the custom of the pioneers. Their purpose was
to gather harvests of furs from the unexplored banks
of the Cobbossee-contee. rather than corn from the
untitled lands. Like all hunters and trappers, they
were sturdy, courageous men, inured to every kind of
hardship, and dauntless in the face of any danger.

Daniel Allen was born in the vicinity of New Vine-
yard, Mass. lie was one of many children, one of
whom married Reuben Brainerd; another. Timothy
Foster of Winthrop; and a third, William Rice, who
cleared, and settled on, the Geo. Macomber farm.
When Daniel was about twelve years old, his father

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. 1 35

moved to Hallowell and took up a farm at the point
now called Manchester Forks. While living there he
became acquainted with Sarah Delano of Winthrop,
whom he married and by whom he had nine children.
As soon as the battle cry from Lexington penetrated
the Maine forests, Daniel and all of his brothers shoul-
dered their flint-locks and marched for the seat of
war. The long and wearisome journey through the
pathless wilderness was made entirely on foot. Al-
though constantly lacing danger in his hunting rounds,
his greatest adventure and most miraculous escape
from death was connected with his army life. The
regiment to which he belonged was one day divided
into sections and ordered to prepare for a drill. It
was known that the enemy were not iar distant, but no
immediate action was expected, and it was with the
utmost sense of security that the officers led their men
into a field, which, from its being flanked on two sides
bv heavy woodland, and bordered on a third by a soft
meadow, would hardly have been chosen for the drill-
ground had it been known that, even then, the British
troops were lying in ambush watching their movements.
All at once, while engaged in their evolutions, they
saw a company of cavalry charging down upon them
from the open space. They immediately assumed a
defensive attitude and awaited, with fixed bayonets,
the result. The horsemen had almost reached them,
when out of the woods rushed a large body of red-
coated infantry. The sight of such an overwhelming
force was too much for American valor, and the over-
powered troops broke ranks, and, confused and frenzied
by the sudden surprise, rushed about excitedly, or

1^6 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

crouched and huddled together, in either case only to
fall on the swords of their exultant antagonists. Allen
made his way toward the meadow brook, which he
leaped at a bound. A horseman just behind was
swinging his sabre and urging his steed alongside for
the fatal blow, when it occurred to the fugitive that his
gun had not been discharged. 'Til never die with a
loaded gun in my hands," said he, and wheeling, he
discharged his musket at his pursuer's breast, killing
him instantly. In speaking of this exciting episode,
Mr. Allen used to say he did not know that he ever
killed a man. He always took deliberate aim, and the
man at whom he aimed always fell, but he could not say
that he killed him. Out of the whole company, or com-
panies engaged in the drill, only Allen and one other es-
caped. It is claimed by some of our citizens that Mr.
Allen never settled permanently in Monmouth; that
his home was always in Winthrop, and that as soon as
game was scarce, he returned to that place, where he
spent the remainder of his days.

While it is undoubtedly true that he returned to East
Winthrop, it is erroneous to suppose that he did not
have a fixed residence in Monmouth. Before me. as I
write, lies a copy of a deed which I found at the Wis-
casset Court-house, giving the bounds of the land he
purchased, and at my right hand are transcriptions of
records which show that he was more than once elected
to office in the plantation — an impossiblity unless he
was a resident and "freeholder" in lands.

His son, Luther Allen, settled on Monmouth Neck,
and at one time had charge of Gen. Dearborn's saw
and grist mills at that place. He married Clarissa

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. 137

Shaw, daughter of John Shaw, who settled on the Til-
lotson Chandler place.

The annual meeting for 1790 was held at the house
pfCapt. Levi Dearborn, on Monday, the 5th day of
April. Capt. Peter Hopkins was chosen moderator;
John Chandler, clerk; Capt. Peter Hopkins, Lieut.;
Simon Dearborn and Ichabod Baker, assessors. Capt.
James Blossom bid off the collection of the taxes, at
one shilling and ten-pence on the pound. Lieut. Simon
Dearborn was his bondsman. Capt. Levi Dearborn
was elected treasurer; Joseph Allen, Benj. Dearborn
and John Chandler were chosen a committee to examine
the accounts, and William Titus, Dearborn Blake and
Daniel Allen were chosen a committee on fish-ways.
Capt. Hopkins was vested with authority to "settle with
Esq. Cony" for assistance received in apportioning the
taxes. "Agreeably to order of Court" it wras "voted
to raise fifteen pounds to defray plantation charges;
voted not to raise any school money ; voted to comply
with the Resolve of Court and raise the bounds of the
town petitioned for to be incorporated by the name
of Monmouth." John Chandler, Daniel Gilman and
Ichabod Baker were accordingly chosen a committee
to "raise" the bounds of the town. It was voted "to
empower the said Committee to employ a surveyor to
raise the bounds; also, take the valuation and make
return thereof to Court; voted to buy a Plantation
book." Previous to this the records had been kept on
sheets of paper stitched loosely together, which ac-
counts for the loss of the valuable records of the years
1785 and 1786. Next it was "voted, that all sledges
within this Plantation be four feet wide, within boards;"

138 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

and following this it was ""voted, To choose a commit-
tee of three men to cut all ox-sledges under that width
to pieces." Levi Dearborn, Gilman Moody and Nath-
aniel Smith were appointed to serve on that committee.
Doubtless the object of this movement against narrow
sledges was to secure a wider road. It is apparent
that uniformity of guage would conduce to a better
condition. of the roads, especially as breaking out the
roads was then an unthought-of occurrence. At the
annual election, thirty .two votes were thrown for John
Hancock, Esq., candidate for governor; rive, for Sam-
uel Adams. For lieut. governor, Samuel Adams re-
ceived thirty votes; For senator, Daniel Cony, Esq.,
received thirty votes, and Samuel Thompson, Esq.,
seven.

Daniel Cony. Esq., the candidate for senator, was
the well-known Doctor and Judge Cony, of Augusta.
He was a man of great executive ability and keen in-
sight; he was an officer in the Continental Army,
where he was conspicuous for his bravery, and after the
declaration of peace, served in many prominent
civil appointments. He represented the towns of Ilal-
lowell and Augusta in the General Court seven years
before the incorporation of Maine as a state; was a
senator in that body, and a member of the Executive
Council; a fudge oi the Court of Common Pleas, and
Judge of Probate for Kennebec County.

After he was appointed Probate Judge, it was his
custom to visit Monmouth once a year to hold a ses-
sion of court at Capt. Prescott's tavern. lie usually
appeared, riding in a chaise drawn bv an old yellow
mare, about the first week in July, when strawberries,

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. 139

of which he was very fond, had commenced to ripen.

Cony's native egoism, a characteristic as prominent
as his long pointed nose, was augmented to an alarm-
ing degree by his association with men of eminence.
The pomposity and ostentation that he assumed made
him an object of ridicule. He considered it a breach
of dignity to speak to a person in ordinary standing.
especially in the presence of others. Once while rid-
ing from Augusta to Waldoboro1 to attend court, he
overtook a poor neighbor who was journeying toward
the same destination. The Judge was in an affable
mood. He chatted and joked with his companion
with evident zest until near the village of Waldoboro'';
then his manner underwent a radical change. Turn-
ing to his companion, he informed him that it was not
in keeping with his station to be seen in company with
a common yeoman, and that he would favor him by
falling to the rear. The man complied, and the judge
assumed his most dignified attitude preparatory to
entering the village. But what was his discomfiture,
and the amusement of the spectators, to hear a voice
from the rear constantly calling, "Be I fur enough be-
hind ye, Judge Cony? Be I fur enough behind?"

A turkev gobbler, for whom official position had no
terrors, attracted by a large, bright-hued bandanna that
graced the Judge's hand as he pompously paced the
length of his veranda, ventured to join him in his prom-
enade.

Ruffling his feather.-, and spreading his tail to
its full extent, he strutted back and forth the walk
in perfect pace with his companion, occasionally arching
his neck and emitting a gobble that denoted complete

I40 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

self-satisfaction. At the completion of two or three
rounds, the Judge turned on the presumptuous gobbler,
and haughtily exclaimed, "Begone vile beast." But the
"vile beast," perhaps realizing that a promenade with
a real U. S. senator was a privilege of infrequent oc-
currence, continued his stately march, and, after futile
attempts to rout him with his cane, the Judge retired
precipitately, vanquished on his own ground.

Mr. North, the author of the admirable history of
Augusta, speaks of seeing him come into church ar-
rayed in a bright colored dressing-gown and gorgeous
smoking cap, and carrying a cane over his shoulder in
such a manner as to show the silver head.

Samuel Thompson, the opposing candidate for sen-
ator in 1790, resided at Little River village in Lisbon.
He was generally know as "Brigadier" Thompson.
He owned the ferry way at Little River, and traded
there. He was a favorite with the settlers who came
from New Meadows. Here is an account between
Ichabod Baker and the "Brigadier":

"Walks, July, ye 10, 1787.
Credits to Bridger thompson.

T

0 one fearridge

July

1 2.

,

i gill of Rum,

Aug.

5'

one fearridge,

one half gill of Rum,

Sept.

1 ,

"

one fearridge,

Nov.

22,

. <.

One half a pound of tea
and one fearridge,
one pint of Rum.

£

s

d

0

0

8

0

0

8

0

0

4

0

0

8

0

0

2

0

0

8

0

0

8

0

2

0

0

0

8

0

0

9

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. I4I

About this time a potash manufactory was estab-
lished by Peter Hopkins. In connection with
this he opened a store. It is uncertain whether the
enterprise was started in 1789 or 1790. As he pur-
chased large quantities of ashes, it is probable that his
object in starting a store was to gain a percentage on
the cost of his purchases, by paying in staple supplies.
An account drawn by Hopkins against Ichabod Baker,
contains the following items:

Ichabod Baker to Poter Hopkins, Dr.

£ s ,1

April 23d yr 1790 to a half a pound of tea 026

to one quart Ruin o 1 6

to two ounces Snuff o o S

(line to one Bushel of corn o 5 o

July 14 to two ounces of Snuff 007

15 to one penknife o 1 6

10. to one bushel of salt 040

Aug. 26 to one gill of Rum 004

Dec. 10 to one quire of Paper 020

to one pair of Spirs o 1 6

"February 23d 1791- this day Reckned and All our acountes

from the dae hereof and found due to Peter Hopkins ten shilling's

and four Pence, this from our hands Ichabod Baker Peter

Hopkins."

•'Wales, December 2Sth ve 1791. A account of Peter Hopkins
to Ichabod Baker to hauling Goods up from River o£" 4s od"

Ashes were then a lawful tender, and were considered
the best of pay. Here is an order and a note establish-
ing the fact:

•'Friend Baker — be please to pay Peter Hopkins ten shilin it
beign for valiur reseaved by me — John Grey. April 3d 1789-
Please to pay Ashes."

"For value received I promise to pay Nathaniel and Jeremiah
Dummer, or the order, Twenty-two bushels and three pecks, good

I42 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

merchantable Ashes, by the first day of February next — also three
bushels more. Ichabod Baker."

Hallovvell, u.th Nov. 1790.

The "potash", where ashes were converted into "pearl-
ash'" and "soda-ash" was an industry of considerable
importance in all the New England towns where, from
burnt timber-land and large, open fireplaces, a vast
amount of ashes accumulated. It did not cease to exist
until within the recollection of generations now living.
The process of manufacturing was simple.

A wooden vat was tilled with ashes, to which a small
quantity of quick-lime had betn added. Water was
poured over this, and the mixture stirred thoroughlv.
After settling a few hours, the liquid was carefully
drawn off and evaporated in large pans until it became
a hard, dry substance. This was potash. When a
sufficient quantity had been evaporated to fill a barrel,
it was melted by heat, and poured into the cask, where
it solidified by cooling, and, in this form, was shipped
to Boston, New York, and other ports, to be used in
the manufacture of soap. A refining process, which
consisted of calcining the crude potash in a reverbera-
torv furnace, then mixing it with water, and, after fil-
tering through straw, evaporating it again to a dry sub-
stance, produced "pearl-ash,"' and a further refining
process, "soda-ash." which was used for making bread,
as saleratus is used by modern cooks. Pearl-ash and
soda-ash had a high commercial value. Not only were
they used in making bread, but in medical practice.
the fine arts, and everywhere that the presence of a
mild alkali was required.

In 1790 Nathan Gove Prescott, of Epping, N. II..

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. 1 43

purchased a tract of land containing about ioo acres of
General Dearborn, in the new Boston district, where he
settled. Mr. Prescott was a brother of Capt. Sewall
Prescott. He married a lady by the name of Wells.

Not far from this time, Asahel Blake came from
Epping, N. H,. on horseback, bringing a bag full of
bricks with which to top out his prospective chimney.
Of Mr. Blake's career very little is known. He
was accompanied bv his son, Asahel Blake, jun.,
who settled on the place where his grand-daughter,
Mrs. Clarence Thompson, now lives. Asahel Blake jun.,
was a farmer and shoe-maker, and probably was the
first tanner in town. His tan vats stood a little north
of his house, near the road, and his bark mill, directly
in front of it. Later it was moved back and to one
side of the house. The old Morrill store that stood
in the corner east of M. M. Richardson's was joined
to it afterwards.

Mr. Blake bears the reputation of being a man of
more than ordinary ability. He, like a majority of the
men of his day, lacked the advantages of a good edu-
cation, but possessed great freedom of speech and a
good insight. Although he fostered characteristics
that won him enemies, yet even those who were at
variance with him were free to confess that nature de-
signed him for a higher calling than that of a tanner.
Said one of his opponents, whose good judgment the
people have attested by placing him more than once on
our board of selectmen, uAsahel Blake's native endow-
dowments ought to have placed him in Congress/' lie
was quite zealous in religious work, and sometimes
entered the pulpit as a lay preacher.

144 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

The first annual meeting for the year i 79 1 . was held
at the house of John Welch, on Monday, the fourth
day of April. Capt. Peter Hopkins was chosen mod-
erator; John Chandler, clerk; and Simon Dearborn,
John Chandler, and Matthias Blossom, assessors. John
Welch bid off the taxes, naming Capt. James Blossom
as his bondsman. Joseph Allen, Benjamin Dearborn,
and Robert Withington were chosen a committee to
examine the accounts against the plantation, and Ben-
jamin Dearborn, Daniel Oilman and Nathaniel Smith,
fish committee. It was "voted that Captain Peter
Hopkins shall settle with Esq. Cony." It will be re-
membered that Hopkins was authorized at a previous
meeting to effect this settlement. "Voted to raise
twelve pounds to defrav plantation charges ;*" "voted
not to raise any money for schooling; "voted not to
raise any money for preaching/'

The second meeting for this year was called to con-
vene at the house of John Welch, on Friday, the 27th
day of May, for the purpose of consulting in relation
to having the plantation incorporated, and to act upon
the question of having the District of Maine incorpo-
rated as a free, separate, and independent State. Si-
mon Dearborn, Esq., was chosen moderator. It was
"voted to appoint a man to get the voice of the inhabi-
tants between Bowdoin and what is petitioned for to
be incorporated into a town by the name of Monmouth,
whether they wish to be incorporated with said Mon-
mouth or not." John Chandler was appointed to visit
and ascertain the minds of the people on this question.
It was furthermore "voted to appoint a committee and
get the voice ot the people of the plantation with re-

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. 1 45

lard to a separate State, and get their yeas and nays
signed to a paper drawn for that purpose," John
Welch was appointed to act as this committee.

The "inhabitants between Bowdoin and what is pe-
titioned for to be incorporated into a town by the name
of Monmouth" were the settlers in what is now Wales.
Bowdon originally comprised, in addition to its present
limits, the entire townships of Webster and Lisbon.
The fact that Monmouth was incorporated without this
territory is a conclusive demonstration of the fact that
"the inhabitants between Bowdoin and what is peti-
tioned for to be incorporated by the name of Mon-
mouth," had too much sense to fall into the trap that
was set for them. They were separated from the
nearest settlement in Monmouth by a belt of solid for-
est not less than three miles in width, at its narrowest
point; had never taken any part, or received any nom-
inations, in the annual meetings, and from the course
that had been pursued in relation to them while the
territory was numbered among the plantations, they
had no reason to expect any recognition as citizens of
Monmouth, except when the tax collector made his
annual rounds.

In 1 791, Joseph Small and Bartholomew Jackson
settled in the center of the territory now comprised in
the town of Wales. The}- were both from Limington.
Mr. Small took up the farm now owned by Thos. W.
Ham. He had eight sons and five daughters. He was
a prominent man in plantation and town affairs, and
often held places of trust in the gift of his townsmen.
Thirteen years he held the office of plantation clerk
and nineteen, that of town clerk.

I46 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

He was followed in about a year by his lather, Dan-
iel Small, and Ebenezer Small, the former of whom
settled on the lot next to his son's, on the south.
Daniel Small's life had been one of more than ordinary
interest. At the age ol nineteen, while living with his
parents at Castine, he was taken by Indians, and held
in captivity eleven months. He was then sold to a
French Colonel at Quebec and remained there until its
capture by Gen. Wolfe.

Joseph Day, another immigrant of this period, settled
on the Levi Butler farm, near Monmouth Ridge. He
is described as a person of questionable character,
smart and industrious in the extreme, "with a big,short
body, held up on a pair of stilt-like legs, a round red
face, dark eyes and all "tee hee.' " His wife was a
character worthy of more than passing mention. Her
familiarity with the '"black art'" made her a prominent
and much-sought person in the community. And
many were the shekels that rolled into her private ex-
chequer in exchange for her predictions. Young men
and maidens, old men and matrons, love-cracked cranks
and money seeking misers, sought her advice, and
hung with intense expectancy on the slowly drawled.
"Ef nothin' happens more'n we raly specs," that inva-
riably preceded her prognostications. She had lived
with a former husband whose name she found it diffi-
cult to drop even after her marriage to her second and
third consorts; and by his name she was known to the
day of her death. This husband was not less of an
anomaly than his help-mate. In appearance he was
half Indian and half something that scientists have
never been able to classify. On a knoll about thirty

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. 1 47

rods south of the trotting park, the cellar of his cabin
may still be seen. It stood in Phineas Kelly's pasture,
and was as nondescript as its owner. His cow — he
called it a cow, and, as it resembled nothing else in
nature, it was generally conceded that it was, or had
been, one — was the most useful functionary of his house-
hold ; and, indeed, she was as much a member of his
household as his wife and cat. She furnished milk for
the family, she ploughed the garden, she drew limbs
from the neighbors' woods for fuel, and harnessed to a
sled with old ropes and elm-rind thongs, she made as
safe a steed as one would ask to ride after.

Benj. Clough of Deerfield, N. H., was born Oct. 7,
1764. At a very early age he was left alone in the
world by the death of his parents. Although a mere
boy, he enlisted in the American army sometime during
the progress of the Revolution, and faithfully served
his country. The termination of the war brought him
back to his old home. A little later, we find him
starting on a long trip through the wilderness to visit
an uncle in Readfield. It is probable that he was
accompanied by Samuel King, who was coming to
found a home in the edge of Winthrop. A large por-
tion of the route lay through dense forests in which
neither signs of road nor path was to be seen. From
Lewiston to Winthrop was an almost unbroken stretch
of woodland. With the exception ol Zadoc Bishop's,
neither cabin nor clearing appeared in all the twenty
miles that lay between these points. The Epping men
mentioned in the last chapter had not yet appeared.
They skirted the west shore of Cochnewagan, passing
near the spot where Mr. Clough subsequently erected

I48 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

his house. Soon after, darkness fell upon them.
Anxious to gain the settlement, they passed on until
not a mark could be discerned on the trees about them.
There was no alternative. Stretching themselves on
the ground, they slept as well as owls and fear of wild
animals would allow. In the morning, the rirst sound
that greeted their ears was the shrill crow of a rooster
apparently a mile away. Although it came from a
point away irom the line of their journey, it was a wel-
come sound. It probably came from John Welch's, a
mile south-east of the point where Capt. Prescott after-
ward settled, and on the latter spot they evidently
bivouacked. A half hour brought them to Zadoc
Bishop's clearing. Here they breakfasted on parched
corn and milk, and pushed on to their destination. Mr.
Clough soon returned and started a clearing on Norria
Hill. All alone, with no human being within the dis-
tance of a mile, he toiled away through rain and shine,
week in and week out, until he had made an opening
of considerable size. He then returned to New
Hampshire for a wife. On the 13th of March, 1 791,
he married Mary Marston of his native town, and soon
the happy couple struck out on horseback for their
new home. In 1794, he purchased the land, which he
had taken up, of Gen. Dearborn. A portion of his first
house is still standing in the ell of the large house
owned by his grandson, Geo. M. Clough.

Mr. Clough was appointed justice of the peace by
Christopher Gore, Governor of Massachusetts, in
1810. He received later appointments under John
Brooks, in 1817, and Albion K. Parris in 1824."
A document is shown, given under the hand of John

A NEW ADMINISTRATION. 1 49

Chandler, Lieut. Colonel, appointing him sergeant in
the 30th Regiment, Second Brigade and eighth Divis-
ion of the Militia of Massachusetts. He was commis-
sioned ensign of the same company, in 1801, by Gov.
Caleb Strong.

Asa Clough, son of the above, was born March 5,
1793. He received as thorough an education as the
institutions of the town afforded, and devoted a por-
tion of his earl)- life to teaching. He was naturally
very methodical, a characteristic which was of great
benefit to him in his pedagogical pursuits, as well as
in the business transaction of his later life. He married
Mary F. Griffin, the daughter of a sea captain of Mas-
sachusetts. Mr. Clough by diligence and good calcu-
lation, added quite largely to his inherited property. He
was several times commissioned in the militia.

Shortly alter Mr. Clough came from New Hamp-
shire, John Blake settled on the ascent of Norris Hill,
a few rods south of G. W. Fogg's. He, also, was an
Epping man. He served in the Revolutionary War,
and after his discharge from the service, moved to
Hallowell and thence to Monmouth. Later he pur-
chased the farm on which G. B. Pierce Esq., now
lives and moved from the lot on which he first settled.
The "'old Blake house" was for many years a pictur-
esque land mark on Norris Hill.

Mr. Blake was a tanner and currier. He is de-
scribed as a large framed man, robust and round-fav-
ored. He drove the first line of stages that was run
between Augusta and Portland by way of Monmouth.
When lie came to Wales Plantation he was not far
from thirty years of acre. After Gen. McLellan re-

150 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

moved to Bath, he persuaded Blake, who was his most
intimate friend, to settle near him. He subsequently
removed to Gardiner, Me., where he died, Jan. 20. 1848.

Mr. Blake was a man of great moral worth and con-
siderable ability. He was prominently connected with
the M. E. church both in Monmouth and Bath. In the
latter place he was the leading male member, and as-
sisted far beyond his means in building the first M. K.
church edifice that was erected in the city.

The third meeting for 1791 was, like the last meet-
ing of the previous year, deferred untifr the first of the
year following. It was held at John Welch's, Tues-
day March, 20th, 1792. The object of this meeting-
was to choose a committee to settle writh all the col-
lectors and treasurers, and any other persons — debtors
or creditors to the plantation — from the first act of the
plantation to the date of the warrant. This committee
was to report at the following April meeting the stand-
ing of the plantation. Capt. Peter Hopkins was chos-
en moderator, and Lieut. Jonathan Thompson, Ichabod
Baker and Caleb Fogg were appointed to serve as the
committee referred to. This was the last meeting of
the plantation. A new era was about to open. From
the time when the first settlers came in until now, the
name of the plantation had undergone three changes.
It was first known as Freetown, then as Blooming-
boro', later as Wales Plantation, and now it was to re-
ceive its final christening, and be promoted to the rank
of an incorporated town.

CHAPTER VII.

A LEGAL SEPARATION.

On Monday, the second day of April, 1792, an eager
and somewhat excited throng gathered at Monmouth
Center. Two weeks before, John Chandler had walked
down the road with an unusually important tread, with
a paper roll in his hand. When he reached John
Welch's house he stopped, unrolled the paper, fumbled
in his waistcoat pocket a moment, picked out some
sharp pointed brads that he had fashioned on his own
anvil, and with them nailed the paper to the side of the
house. What did it mean ?

Passers-by noticed the glaring white object on John
Welch's house, and drew near to examine it. Horse-
men reined up, and dismounted to satisfy their curiosi-
ty. Resting their hands on their knees and tipping
their chins up toward the hand-shaved shingles, they
read :

Lincoln Ss. To John Chandler of Monmouth, said County,
( Jreeting :

[n the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, You are
required forthwith to notify and warn the Freeholders and other

I52 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

inhabitants of the town of Monmouth qualified to vote in town
affairs to meet at the house of Ichabod Baker, in said town on
Mondav, the second day of April, next, at nine o'clock in the fore-
noon, there and then to act on the following articles, viz : 1 >t To
choose a moderator, 2d To choose a Town Clerk, Select-Men,
Assessors : — Town Treasurer : a Constable, and such other town
officers, as the towns within this Commonwealth are required by
law to choose in the months of March or April annually, 3d To
grant such sum, or sums of mor.ey for the purpose of supporting
Schools, repairing the Highways and other necessary charges
arising within said town the current year, and to act thereon as the
town shall think proper. And you are further required to notify
and warn the Inhabitants of said town, qualified according to the
Constitution to vote for Governor, Lieut. Governor and Senators,
to meet at the place aforesaid, at one o'clock in the afternoon of
said day, for the purpose of giving in their votes for a Governor, a
Lieut. Governor and a Senator, for the counties of Lincoln, Han-
cock and Washington.

Hereof, fail not, and make return of this Warrant, with your
doings, unto myself or to Simon Dearborn of said town, on, or
before the time for holding the first meeting. Given under my
hand and seal, this sixteen day of March, in the year of our Lord,
One thousand, seven hundred and ninety-two and pursuant to an
act of the Legislature passed the 12th day of January 1792, incor-
porating the said town of Monmouth.

Daniel Cony, Jus. Peace, Return.

Persuant to the within Warrant, I have notified the Inhabitants
of said town qualified as therein expressed, to meet at the time and
place, and for the purpose within mentioned.

Imagining ourselves back in 1792, standing about
three rods south of the spot on which the residence of
F. II. Beale now rests, confronting the large, two-
storied house of Ichabod Baker, let us watch our grand-
fathers as they gather in little groups all over the yard
to form plans for this most interesting episode of their
pioneer life.

Over in one corner we find a little knot ol middle
aged men and boys gathered around a deter-

A LEGAL SEPARATION. I53

mined looking fellow in rough dress, who is earnestly
gesticulating with a limp, claw-like hand. We in-
stantly recognize him as Thomas Gray, the hero of the
bear fight. He is urging the claims of the pioneers
over the asserted rights of the Epping usurpers. The
New Meadows men listen to him respectfully, be-
cause they keenly sympathize with him in his antagon-
ism against the new party. Nowhere else do we find
so many gray hairs. Nearly all the groups are made
up of young men under thirty years of age.

A horseman is seen approaching from the north.
The boys who have been listening to Gray's uncombed
oratory, run to meet the new comer, and gather around
him with expectant grins as he dismounts and ties his
nag to a tree. It is Caleb Fogg, and the youngsters
are on the alert to catch the jokes and witticisms that
are always flying broadcast when he is on the field.

A middle-aged man of stately carriage and military
bearing, dismounts, and leaving his horse to the care
of a boy, approaches the house. As he passes along,
the groups of men standing in the way silently open
and salute him with raised hats. This is Major Norris.
the Revolutionary officer, who, next to Gen. Dearborn,
is most greatly esteemed. He is not here to seek
honors for himself. John Chandler is his brother-in-
law, and it may be that he will use his influence^in his
behalf.

Standing somewhat apart from the groups so earnest-
ly engaged in discussing the situation, and taking no
part in the conversation except to acknowledge the
pleasure of a new acquaintance as he is presented to
one and another of the New Meadows settlers, is a

154 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

young man of about twenty-eight years. This is Ben-
jamin Clough who has recently taken up a residence
on Norris Hill.

A little aside from the others, is another young man
whose glossy knees and wax-stained hands mark him
as a shoemaker. He is engaged in conversation with
a firm, sober looking man of a little more than fifty
years, who is inquiring about his wile and children. It
is Josiah Brown and his father-in-law, Phineas Blake.
Near by are Dearborn Blake, now twenty-eight years
old, and Phineas, jun., who although he has paid a poll-
tax four years, will not be old enough to vote until ,
the next annual meeting.

A man a trifle below middle life, has gathered a
small crowd around him, aud is earnestly harangi ng
them in a tone and manner that mark the natural ora-
tor. If his hearers do not agree with him, they listen
willingly, charmed by his rough eloquence. It is Asa-
bel Blake; and near by stands his distant relative, John
Blake, a man of large, noble physique, ten years his
junior, quiet and unassuming, speaking only when
spoken to, and then with a low tone and pleasant smile,
that instantly win him friends.

Another conspicuous figure is that of a man nearly
sixty years of age, dignified in bearing, and of firm,
grave cast of countenance. He moves quietly about,
never seeking to join in the discussions; but wherever
he goes he is followed by men who desire advice and
patronage. This is Esq. Simon Dearborn, Monmouth's
first Justice of the Peace.

But more conspicuous than any of these is the spare
young man, clothed in coarse, ill-fitting garments, who

I

:

3I« /** i

mm

A LEGAL SEPARATION. 1 55

has been dogding about from one group to another.

He button-holes one man, and with a suave smile wins

his attention for a moment, pats another familiarly on

the shoulder, and whispers a word in the ear of a

third. He is scarcely thirty years of age, yet anyone

can see that lie is mowing a wide swarth through the

ranks of those rugged pioneers. Young though he is,

he is getting a firmer hold on the strings that run the

machine than an}- other man in the crowd. It is John

Chandler, the political prodigy, and we shall hear from

him before this day closes.

As the sun rises higher, and the snow begins to Soft-
er o

en and work through the seams of their tallowed boots,
the men begin to turn away from the electioneering
groups, one by one, and to ascend into the loft of Icha-
bod Bakers house. The upper story has never been
finished, and here we find abundant room for the fiftv
or sixty men and boys who have come to attend Mon-
mouth's first town meeting. Behind a rude table, or
bench, sits Capt. Peter Hopkins. On it are an hour-
glass and a dish for the ballots. The sand in the hour-
glass is steadily sifting down into the bottom. At last
all is out. Peter Hopkins has been watching it sharp-
ly. He now rises, turns the glass, and calls the meet-
ing to order.

"Gentlemen of the town of Monmouth (how he must
have swelled up with the importance of the words)
bring in your votes for moderator." Here we must
stop. Thus far we have leaned over the lapse of a
century and watched the founders of our town without
any fear of transgressing the bounds of true history;
but now the imagination of the individual reader must

156 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

picture the proceedings that followed. Jonathan
Thompson was placed in the moderator's chair. Who
would value the price of this book if it contained his
opening speech? The man who would not rise to the
pinnacle of log-cabin oratory on such an occasion must
have been tame-spirited.

Notice the result of the two following ballots — for
town clerk, John Chandler; for first selectman, John
Chandler. John Chandler, a citizen of Wales Planta-
tion only six years; farther down in the ranks ot pov-
erty than any other man between Winthrop and Lis-
bon; so illiterate that he was just learning at the age
of thirty years to write his name — he, the first select-
man of Monmouth ! Oh! the native genius of John
Chandler! What subtle powers, what perseverance,
what prescience! He did not always remain unknown,
and poor, and illiterate. It will not do to say too much
in his praise, for there are many in town who will
shake the head at the recollection of the treatment
their fathers received from his hands. It must be con-
fessed that he was often unfair and treacherous in his
dealings, and these grave faults we will not attempt to
cover; but forgetting, for a moment, if we may, his
failings, we must admit that John Chandler was by
far the smartest man who ever trod the soil of Mon-
mouth; and we may £0 farther and say, or breathed the
air of Maine; for who can cite an historical character
of the past century who has risen from so degraded a
level to so exalted a position?

Lieut. Jonathan Thompson and Capt. Levi Dear-
born were placed beside Chandler, on the board of
selectmen and assessors; Capt. Levi Dearborn was

A LEGAL SEPARATION. 1 57

elected treasurer; and Robert Withington, constable,
to collect for two pence on the pound, with Capt. Peter
Hopkins as his bondsman. Capt. Peter Hopkins, Mat-
thias Blossom, Ichabod Baker and Daniel Allen were
chosen surveyors of the highway; Asahel Blake and
Daniel Allen, surveyors of lumber; Nathaniel Smith
and Ichabod Baker, fence-viewers; Philip Jenkins,
Oilman Moody, Daniel Allen, Daniel Gilman, and John
Arno, fish wardens; Zadoc Bishop and Joseph Allen
tythingmen; Robert Withington, sealer of leather;
John Judkins and Josiah Brown, hog reeves; Simon
Dearborn and Timothy Wight, field-drivers; Capt.
James Blossom, Capt. Peter Hopkins, Daniel Gilman,
Joseph Allen, John Blake, Daniel Allen and Simon
Dearborn, Esq., committee to divide the school dis-
tricts: It was k-voted to excuse Daniel Allen and Daniel
Gilman from serving as Wardens; Chose Robert
Withington, Field-Driver; voted to raise thirty pounds
for support of schools, to be paid in Corn and Grain,
Corn at four shillings, Rye at five shillings, and Wheat
at six shillings the Bushel; voted to raise one hundred
twenty-five pounds for making and repairing High-
ways; voted to reconsider the last vote in the meeting:;

~ ' © 7

\oted to raise one hundred pounds to lay out on high-
ways in work at four shillings per day; voted to raise
fifteen pounds for preaching, to be paid in Corn at four
shillings, Rye, five shillings, Wheat, six shillings per
Bushel; voted to raise six pounds, to defray town
charges." Simon Dearborn, Esq., and Joseph Allen
were chosen a committee to procure a minister.

The record of this meeting possesses great interest.
Hitherto an apathy had rested on the voters. No money

158 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

had been appropriated for repairing the highways, or
for religious or intellectual instruction. New life seemed
now to take possession of them. Spurred into action
by the burden of fresh responsibilities, and perhaps
awakened by the novelty of a change in the local gov-
ernment, measures were advanced which had too long-
remained' in the background; or, if for a moment
brought to the front, had been spurned as unworthy ol
consideration.

According to Williamson* the town was incorporated
the 20th day of January, eight days later than the date
assumed in the warrant.

The boundaries, as given in the act of incorporation,
were as follows : "Beginning at the south-easterly corner
of Winthrop, on the west side of Cobbosseecontee Great
Pond: thence running south-south-west six miles to a
large heap of stones erected for a corner: thence west-
north-west about five miles to the westerly line of Ply-
mouth Patent: thence northerly, on the westerly line
of said Patent about six miles, until it intersects a line
running west-north-west from the south-easterly corner
of Winthrop, aforesaid: thence east-south-east by the
southerly line of Winthrop to the first mentioned bound.""

The valuation for the \ ear 1792 shows the number
of ratable polls to have been seventy-two, while the en-
tire voting list (.numerated only sixty-two. This is ac-
counted for by the fact that every male inhabitant above
sixteen years of age was reckoned as a poll, subject to
taxation, while all voters were required then, as now.
to be at least twenty-one years of age.

There were, according to this appraisement, only ten

^Williamson's History of Maine.

A LEGAL SEPARATION. 1 59

framed houses in town, owned respectively by Peter
Hopkins, Simon Dearborn, Esq., Caleb Fogg, John
Judkins, James Norris, Esq., James Norris, Jr., John
Chandler, John Welch, Ichabod Baker and Gen. Henry
Dearborn. All the other dwellings were log houses.
There were no shops, but several barns, owned by the
following persons: Peter Hopkins, two; Simon Dear-
born, Esq., one; Caleb Fogg, one; Sewall Prescott, one;
John Chandler, one; and Gen. Henry Dearborn, one.

There were two mills, one owned by Thomas
Stockin, at North Monmouth, the other, by Gen.
Henry Dearborn, John Welch and Capt. James Blossom.
Of tillage land there were twenty-two acres; of mow-
ing land, one hundred and thirty-three acres. Gen.
Dearborn owned fourteen acres of the latter; the others
owned from one to fourteen acres each. Of meadow
land there were ten acres; of pasture land, eight and
one-half acres, ten acres of which belonged to Gen.
Dearborn. Many held but one acre of good pasture
ground. The number of acres of wild land taxed to
resident proprietors aggregated rive thousand and fifty-
seven. The smallest amount, forty acres, was
taxed to Robert Smart. Gen. Dearborn held four
hundred and thirty acres, which was the greatest
amount taxed to any individual. Thirteen thousand
two hundred and sixty-nine acres of wild land were
taxed to non-resident proprietors. The sum total of
taxable estates amounted to eighteen thousand five hun-
dred and seventy-two and one-half acres.

There were twenty-two horses of three years and up-
wards; five three-year-old colts, and two yearlings.
Twenty-eight yokes of oxen four years, and above, old;

l6o HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

thirty-eight neat cattle above three years of age; twen-
ty-six two-year-olds and thirty-nine yearlings. There-
were seventy-nine cows. Of these Philip Jenkins owned
six; Joseph Allen, three; Thomas Gray, three; Josiah
Brown, two; William Allen, three; Levi Dear-
born, two; Timothy Wight, two. Thirty-nine of the
settlers had no oxen, and twelve had no cattle of any
description. Philip Jenkins owned the largest stock,
in all sixteen head. Peter Hopkins came next with
thirteen head. The number of swine was sixty-three.
Philip Jenkins had three; Benjamin Kimball, three;
Jonathan Thompson, three; Capt. Levi Dearborn, three.

There were only from fifty-three to fifty-five fami-
lies in the entire town. On Norris Hill there were
eight families: Nathaniel Smith's, Robert Smart's.
Eliphalet Smart's, John Blake's, John Arnoe's, Benj.
Clough's, James Norris, Jr's., and Benj. Kimball's.
John Blake lived where G. Boardman Pierce now lives;
Clough on the farm now owned by his grandson, Geo.
Clough; Kimball where John McCulla now lives.
The Smart's lived at Smart's Corner, on opposite sides
of the road. The houses were long ago destroyed.

In the Richardson neighborhood lived Peter Hop-
kins, Geo. Hopkins, Jonathan Thurston, Robert Well-
ington, Zadoc Bishop, and Timothy Wight. William
Hopkins and Eliphalet Wight had taken up lots in that
neighborhood but were not married. At North Mon-
mouth proper, there was but one family, Nathaniel
Brainerd's, livingat the outlet of Wilson Pond. Thomas
Stockin lived in that neighborhood, but he had no
family except a large white cat. Stockin used to
claim that he kept the cat to wash his dishes, but never

A LEGAL SEPARATION. l6l

laving seen the operation performed we are prone to
doubts. On High Street there were John Chandler,
Caleb Fogg, Simon Dearborn, Simon Dearborn, Jr.,
Matthias Blossom and Abraham Morrill. Capt. Sewall
Preseott was then unmarried. On the road leading
from the Center to North Monmouth, between N. M.
Nichols's and Ellis's Corner, were three families: Robert
Judkins's, Asahel Blake's and Peter Lyon's. John and
Jonathan Judkins had taken up lots, but were unmar-
ried and lived with their father. In East Monmouth
and vicinity were Phineas Blake, Edmund Allen,
Woodward Allen. Daniel Allen, James Norris, Esq..
Gail Cole, Samuel Titus and William Titus — nine fam-
ilies. Nathaniel Norris, another resident in this section
was not married. At the Center were Capt. James
Blossom, Ichabod Baker, John Welch and William
Allen. Allen lived on the land now owned by Dea.
C. B. Bragdon in the back field across the railroad from
the M. E. parsonage. He had as fine a section of land,
and as good prospects, as any of his neighbors, but
relinquished all to gratify his love of strong drink.
For one hundred dollars's worth of rum he gave a
mortgage on a lot that in a few years was sold to
Samuel Brown for one thousand dollars in cash, and
failed to redeem the mortgage. Between Ichabod
Baker's and Dearborn's Corner lived three families:
David Smith's, Daniel Gil man's and Gilman Moody's.
Smith lived in Gen. Dearborn's house and Benj. Dear-
born at Moore's Corner. From his house eastward
toward Gardiner there were the families of Capt. Levi
Dearborn and Joseph Day. Dudley Dearborn also lived
in this vicinity but he had no family. From Dearborn's

1 62 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Corner southward were the families of Alexander
Thompson, William Thompson, Philip Jenkins, Joseph
Allen, Thomas Gray, Benj. Kimball, Josiah Brown,
Lieut. Jonathan Thompson and Thomas Gray, Jr.
From the outlet of South pond, and from Capt. Levi
Dearborn's to Purgatory Mills, including Oak Hill,
where it is now thickly settled, there was practically
no break in the wilderness, for the clearings were small
on all the lots that were taken up.

The second town meeting for the year 1792 was
held at John Welch's house, on Monday, the 7th day
of May, to act on the following articles: 'kist, to choose
a moderator; 2nd, to give in their votes either for, or
against, the separation of Maine from Massachusetts;
3rd, to see if the town will discharge Mr. Allen from a j
certain part of the taxes committed to him to collect,
which he says cannot be collected; 4th, to see if the
town will let hogs run in the woods of said town, or
a part thereof, during the year."" At this meeting Jon-
athan Thompson was chosen moderator. Thirty-sev-
en votes were given in favor of separation; against it,
none. Philip Jenkins, Daniel Gilman and Benjamin
Dearborn were chosen a committee to inspect Mr.
Allen's tax-bills, and discharge him from such part there-
of as they thought proper. The fourth article was dis-
missed, and the meeting dissolved. The hogs were left in
the hands of the hog-reeves, John Judkins and Josiah
Brown. Hogs in these days were professional racers.
They were long-legged, long-nosed, and flat-ribbed,
and were built principally for speed and heavy squeal-
ing. To fatten one was the zenith of the impossible;
to get one in lair condition was almost the work of a

A LEGAL SEPARATION. 1 63

life-time. Noah Sampson, who lived some years later
on the Nathan Randall place, had one of these hogs
bred from the stock of the first settlers. He kept him
year after year in the hope of getting him fat. Samp-
son had neither barn nor pig-pen and the lazy old pork-
er used to occupy his time in rooting about the fields
with two or three hens on his back. In the course of
time he became quite generally known among the
jokers as "Sampson's hen-roost." At last, discouraged
and disheartened, Sampson sold the hog to Capt.
Thomas Kimball. Kimball had better facilities for
fattening the time-honored porker than his former
owner possessed, and by perseverance and an enormous
expenditure of corn and meal, he succeeded in making-
tolerable pork of him. Shortly before old age came to
claim its victim, Kimball plunged the knife into him,
dressed him, and sent him to the Bath market by John
Blue. Pork was then high, and Blue was congratulating
himself that he would get at least ninepence a pound;
but, unfortunately for him, Capt. Judkins happened to
be in Bath at the time,appearing just as Blue was about
to close a bargain. "Godfrey knows," exclaimed the
Captain; "Godfrey knows, Blue! Faithful! You've
got the old Sampson hog here, hain't ye ? Sampson's
hins have roosted on that hog's back years and years to
my sartin knowledge. Faithful!''' Blue's countenance
and the price of pork received a simultaneous fall.

In early years the election of hog-reeves was attend-
ed with much sport, and even more recently when no
duties have been incumbent upon the person honored
with that official position, it has not been without in-
terest. As a rule, recentlv married men were com-

164 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

pelled to serve in that capacity. Sometimes, how-
ever, individuals would be nominated for the office
by persons desiring an opportunity for revenge. And
who can imagine a keener revenge than to watch an
enemy in his frantic and vain efforts to secure a stubborn
porker who has chosen the public highway for a prom-
enade?

Tything-men, also, were officials vested with greater
authority than those elected in recent years at our town
meetings; or, if vested with no greater, they exercised
more. Their duties were to keep people orderly on
the Sabbath; to prevent traveling, laboring, and all
acts inconsistent with a due and respectful observance
of the day. The office generally fell to those who were
religiously inclined — friends of sobriety and morality.
Zadoc Bishop and Joseph Allen, the first tything-men
in Monmouth, were of this character. The)- always
respected the Sabbath, and expected all within their
domain, and especially within reach of the long poles
they carried at all religious gatherings, to follow their
wise and just example.

The sight of one of those grave guardians of the
peace reaching over three or four pews with his badge
of office, to give some frolicsome youth a gentle rap of
admonition, or some indifferent sleeper a poke in the
back, would ruffle the risibles of anyone with as keen
a sense of humor as a tired ox; but woe to the one who
dared to smile! Perhaps it looked a trifle war-like to
see men armed with long poles guarding the entrance
of a church, and it may have been a bit annoying to a
man driving with furious haste for the doctor to have
one of those faithful functionaries catch his horse by

A LEGAL SEPARATION. 1 65

the bridle and set it back on its haunches to inquire
whether he was not desecrating the Sabbath by riding
for pleasure; but, all things considered, it is an open
question if the exit of the tything-man was not a day
for lamentation rather than for rejoicing.

One of the laws of the commonwealth provided that
no person of poor circumstances should enter a town
with the intention of settling without first obtaining the
consent of the selectmen. All who ventured to come
in without consent were warned out by process of law.
In the year 1792 Hannah Abbott, who was afterwards
a charge of the town of Wales, made an attempt to
settle in Monmouth. Below are given copies of the
warrant and return that were issued in this case.
"Lincoln ss. To Robert Withington, Constable for Monmouth,

Greeting: — Yon are in the name of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts directed to warn and give notice unto Hannah
Abbott, late from Greene, in said County of Lincoln, who has
lately come into this town for the purpose of abiding therein, not
having obtained the town's consent, therefore that she depart the
limits thereof with her children, if any she has, within fifteen days,
and of this precept witli your doings thereof you are to make return
into the office of the clerk of the town within twenty days next
coming, that further proceedings may be had in the premises as the
law directs.

Given under our hands and seals at Monmouth, this 27th day
of Aug., 1792. John Chandler, ) Selectmen of

Jona. Thompson. ) Monmouth.

RETURN.

'•Pursuant to the above precept I have notified and warned the
above named Hannah Abbott to depart the limits of said town by
reading the same to her.

ROBERT WITHINGTON, Constable.
We have cause for pride that when Maine began to
make her own laws, this as well as many other unjust

1 66 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

statutes was laid aside. Here, perhaps, was an honora-
ble woman who eould not rind employment in her native
place, and not wishing to become a town charge, came
to Monmouth where there was a better chance for her
to gain a livelihood. To meet her in the highway, and
drive her back as one would head off a wandering ani-
mal, may have been policy, but it is difficult to make
such an act seem compatible with a Christian civiliza-
tion. Yet that is what was done in our own town one
hundred years ago. Thank God that in the midst of
many retrogressions from the firm Christian principles
of our fathers, we do occasionally find some slight
mark of improvement.

A third meeting of the voters of Monmouth was held
at John Welch's, Friday, Nov. 2, 1792. The only
noteworthy matter that came before this meeting was
the question whether or not the town would agree to
let a certain part of the school money of the upper part
of the South district, lav in the treasury, to be expend-
ed in a women's school the following summer. But
no action was taken in relation to this proposition.
There were then only two school districts within the
limits of the town — the North and South districts.
The North district included all the territory north of
the Center; the South, all in the other portion of the
town. The Cochnewagan stream was the line ot
division. Capt. James Blossom and William Allen
living on the north side of the stream were included in
the upper district. For convenience's sake, the)" were
soon transferred to the other. In 1793, the report ot
the committee appointed at the general meeting of the
previous year to divide the districts was accepted.

A LEGAL SEPARATION. 1 67

Under the provisions of this report the two distriets
were to be divided into five — one at East Monmouth,
Daniel Allen, agent; one on Norris Hill, James Norris,
Jr., agent; one at the Center, James Blossom, agent;
one including all the territory from the Center district
to the north line of the town on both roads — the direct
road to Ellis Corner, and the one now known as High
street. This was called the North district, and boasted
the first, and at that time the only, school house in town.
This house was built on the ledge about live rods east
ot the residence of B. S. Ellis. It was destroyed by
tire. Gilman Mood)- was the agent of the district.
The last district provided for was the old South district,
with its limits intact, except for the severing of a small
portion from the north end, which wa^ merged into the
Center district. Philip Jenkins was agent. Several
years passed before other school-houses were built, and,
in the meantime, schools were held in private houses.
The life ot a school boy one hundred years ago was
as unlike that of to-day as anything that can be imag-
ined. The stern discipline, based on an expanded
interpretation of King Soloman's sage advice, the
methods of instruction, the form and furnishings of the
school-room — all are changed. The lad who forgot to
remove his hat when the "master" appeared could
count on an intimate and protracted association with a
birch switch, a far preferable form of punishment to
the "stool, "" which consisted of standing the victim on
"tiptoe" with his knees bent as if sitting on a low stool,
and at the same time not allowing the weight of the
body to rest on his upturned heels. Any one who will
try the experiment will see that this posture can not be

1 68 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

retained rive minutes without causing intense pain; yet
for some trivial offence our grandfathers were some-
times obliged to hold it an hour at a time. The penalty
for spelling "cat"1 with a uk"'or two "t's" was to sit on a
bench in sight of the entire school with a high, conical
paper cap inscribed with the word, D-U-N-C-E, on the
head. The first school-rooms were built with an aisle
through the center, from which a slightly inclined
plane rose to the wall on each side. On these inclined
platforms the benches were placed, running parallel to
the central aisle. At one end was an enormous fire-
place, which was kept roaring and sputtering with a
green wood fire in the winter, and was filled with
fragrant pine boughs in the summer. No books were
used in the early schools. The master prepared all
the lessons on huge sheets ot foolscap, and passed them
around. One of these sheets, which has been carefully-
hoarded by one of the pioneer families, is now before
me. It is embellished with heavily shaded titles.
which resemble the frequently-mentioned autograph of
John Hancock. With many a flourish and a super-
abundance of capitals the following problems are pro-
pounded :

"How many shillings, sixpences, 4 pences, 3 pences, 2 pences,
pence, half pence and farthings, of each a like number will dis-
charge a deht of £335 — 8 — 4?"

"A General of an Armey (confisting of 5000 men) after a very
Sharp engagement, loft 2380 men : hut coming off victorious, he
for their gallant hehnviour gave 1000 guineas to he equally Divided
among them, & the remainder (if any,) to he given to a little errand
hoy : how much did each man receiver"

"In 26 Ells english how many quarters and nails?"

uIn 217 Square yards, 5 feet, how many Square feet, Inches, and
square quarters .:"

A LEGAL SEPARATION. 1 69

"A Farmer agreed with his Servant to thrash all the corn he had.
And the servant was to receive a guinea for every 7 quarters : now,
he thrashed in all 15 loads 1 quarter, and has received of his matter
at different times, by cash and goods 9 guineas; I Demand how the
reckoning stands between them?"

The obsolete terms employed in these examples are
explained by tables from the same sheets:
CLOTH MEASURE.
2J Inches make 1 nail.

4 Nails

1 quarter

of a yard.

4 Quarters "
3

1 ell Flemish

1 yard,
measure.

5
6

" " English
" " French

it

LONG

MEASURE.

3 Barley-corns make
12 Inches

1 inch.
1 foot.

3 Feet
2 Yards

'■

1 yard.
1 fathom.

5* "

40 Rods

tk

1 rod.
1 furlong.

8 Furlongs,
3 Miles
20 Leagues

«

1 mile.
i league.
1 degree.

360 Degrees the circumference of the earth and sea.

DRY MEASURE.

2 Pints make 1 quart.

4 Quarts " 1 gallon.

2 Gallons " 1 peck

4 Pecks " 1 bushel.
8 Bushels " 1 quarter of a load.

5 Quarter or 40 bushels 1 load.

The annual meeting for the year 1793 convened at
the house of John Welch, on Monday, the first day of
April. Simon Dearborn, Esq., was chosen moderator,

s

d

15

1

I 2

0

9

0

18

0"

I70 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

John Chandler, clerk. At this meeting it was "voted
to allow the Selectmen's accounts sums as follows:

£
John Chandler's account, 1

Lieut. Jonathan Thompson's account, 1

Capt. Levi Dearborn's, as Selectman and

Treasurer, 2

Capt. James Blossom as Treasurer for
years past, o

Matthias Blossom, Major James Norris and John
Chandler were elected selectmen and assessors ; Ichabod
Baker, treasurer; Robert Withington, constable. The
custom of selling the collectorship at vendue was again
broken, and it was voted to give Mr. Withington four
pence on the pound for collecting. The following
surveyors of highways were chosen : For the north
district, Simon Dearborn, Esq.; for the Norris Hill
district, John Blake; for the Center, Ichabod Baker;
for the South, Philip Jenkins; for the Neck, Daniel
Allen. The surveyor of the Center district had charge
of the road from Daniel Oilman's, where Rev. J. E.
Pierce now lives, to Morrill's (Ellis's) corner, and
thence back, by way of the Academy; as far as Gen.,
Chandler's. Dearborn's district comprised all the
north part of the town, where there were roads. John
Blake took all Irom the Center to, and over, Norris Hill ;
Philip Jenkins, all south ol Daniel Oilman's, and Daniel
Allen, all the roads in East Monmouth to the YVinthrop
line.

To protect the crops of the more thrifty farmers from
the ravages of cattle which their slack neighbors
allowed to run at large, it was determined at this meet-

A LEGAL SEPARATION. I 7 I

ing that a pound, fort)- feet square, should be erected
on the land of John Welch, and that Welch should
serve as keeper.

James Harvey, James Blossom and Benjamin Clough
were elected a committee to examine accounts against
the town, and to settle with all persons, officers and
committees who had "been entrusted with the town's
or, heretofore, plantation's, money, and to discharge
them, on settlement." "Voted that the Town Treas-
urer be instructed to buy a selectmen's book.''

The chamber of John Welch's house had long been
used as a place of public gathering. It was, of course,
unfinished and unfurnished. At this meeting it was
voted to give him eighteen shillings for the use of his
house the ensuing year, "he fixing the same with floors,
and seats to raise." The sum of one hundred and fifty
pounds was appropriated for the improvement of the
highways. This was to be paid in work. Six shil-
lings per day were to be allowed for labor during
the months of June and Jul}-, and four shillings per day,
from the first day of August to the tenth da)- of
September. "All of said money to be laid out by the
tenth day of September. 1793." "Voted to allow for
plows 4 shillings per day, and carts 2 shillings per day."
"Voted to raise 30 pounds for schooling." "Voted to
accept the road laid out from Benjamin Dearborn's
barn to Winthrop line." This road led from Dear-
born's Corner down through East Monmouth and over
the Neck to Winthrop.

"Voted to raise six pounds in corn at 4 per bushel
to defray town charges for the year." Ichabod Baker
and Caleb Fogg were allowed 4 s. shillings each for one

172 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

day's service on the committee elected the 20th of
March, 1792, "to settle with the treasurer, collectors
and all other persons, creditors or debtors to the plan-
tation of Wales preparatory to acting under the incor-
poration.*" Simon Dearborn and Joseph Allen were
allowed lour shillings each out of the money appropri-
ated to provide for the preaching of the gospel, for
services as "minister committee last year/' Four
shillings were allowed Timothy Wight for services
rendered in laying out a road. The road referred to
lay between Dearborn's corner and the head of
Cochnewagan Pond where Wight had then settled,
having exchanged his clearing at N. Monmouth with
Gilman Moody for this. It was furthermore voted to
exempt Wight from a highway tax until the road lead-
ing to his house was completed and to give him the
portion of his preceding year's tax which he had not
worked out, amounting to about one play and a half.
Capt. James Blossom was also exempted from a high-
way tax "until he has a road laid out, and from last
year's tax." Blossom lived, as has been stated in a
preceding chapter, in the field lying between the "upper
dam'" and Mr. Clifford's. He had a large orchard in
the vicinity of his house, but it is stated that not a
vestige of it remained nearly half a century ago.

Joseph Allen and James Blossom were chosen a
•"minister committee." Ministers were not as plentiful
then as they are to-day, and sometimes the office of
"minister committee" was far from being a sinecure.

The valuation for 1793 showed that nine framed
houses had been erected in the previous fiscal year.
Five barns had also been built, and seven shops.

A LEGAL SEPARATION. 1 73

Another mill had been added to the list of taxable
property. This was the saw mill on the Coehnewagan
stream at the Center. It was built by Ichabod Baker,
William Allen and John Welch, on the site on which
the present mill was afterward erected.

The voting list showed an increase of nine, and
twelve new names had been added to the list of taxable
polls. The number of families had increased from 55
to 62.

The new citizens were Col. Seth Fogg, Abner Bing-
ham, Dudley B. Hobart, James Harvey, John Johnson,
John Morgan, Joseph Hovt, James Brackett and Robert
Niles.

Col. Seth Fogg was the father of Rev. Caleb Fogg.
He could not have been a resident of Monmouth a
considerable length of time, as his name does not ap-
pear on the assessors' list at a slightly later period.

Abner Bingham came from Epping. His wife was
Abigail, daughter of Phineas Blake, sen., who, after
her first husband's decease, married James Nichols.
Bingham lived in a house that stood on the "■heater'''' piece
between Fred K. Blake's and Rufus A. King's, at East
Monmouth. He made a clearing on land now owned
by N. M. Nichols.

John Morgan was the rirst settler in North Mon-
mouth. He took up the place now owned by Henry
Norris, near the Wayne line. His cabin was in towards
the pond several rods farther than the house now occu-
pied by Allen. It is not known when he came into the
town, but it was undoubtedly earlier than 1793, when
his name first appears on the tax-book. He was very
poor, owning nothing but a cow and pig. As he lived

174 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

away in the woods by himself, the town voted, in 1794.
to absolve him from taxation.

Hoyt settled, it is supposed, in the northern part of
the town.

Dudley Bradstreet Hobart, of Exeter, N. H., married
Sophia, eldest daughter of Gen. Henry Dearborn. In
1793, soon after their marriage, they came to Mon-
mouth and settled on the General's farm. Mrs. Hobart,
it is claimed, had, prior to their marriage, made the
journey from Exeter to Maine sixteen times on horse-
back. Mr. Hobart was elected to a place on the board
of selectmen, which shows that he was not lightly- es-
teemed. After a few years he removed to Gardiner,
Me., and engaged in mercantile pursuits. He was
moderator of the first town meeting of Gardiner, a
member of its first board of selectmen and its first
representative to the General Court. In 1804 he was
appointed collector of the port of Bath, in which city
he died in 1806. Mrs. Hobart died May 19, 18 14.
Our citizen, and last representative of the Dear-
born family, Dudley Hobart Dearborn, commonly
known as "Hubbard" Dearborn, was named for Mr.
Hobart. The military tone of the Dearborn blood was
not lost in the veins of the Hobarts. Of eight children
six were sons. Four of these died at an early age.
leaving only two, William and Thomas J. The former
was an artillery officer in the war of 181 2, and was
killed at the battle of Fort George; the latter was col-
onel of an Illinois regiment in the civil war. and ac-
quitted himself in a manner to win distinction. Sophia,
the younger daughter, married Eben Blake, who set-
tled in Winthrop.

A LEGAL SEPARATION.

175

James Harvey came from Nottingham, N. II. He
married a daughter of Robert Judkins, who lived in a
large, two-storied house on the farm now owned by J.
D. Donnell, one mile north of Monmouth Center.
This house was, in later years, moved to the "Blake-
town" road, and cut down to a one-story building. It
was destroyed by tire about twenty years ago, while the
property of James Cullinan.

Mr. Harvey lived, it is supposed, in a part of the
house now owned by Miss Charlotte Harvey, whose
father, John Harvey, Esq., also came from Nottingham,
but was very distantly connected with James Harvey.

Although he remained in town only about five years,
Harvey secured, in that brief period, a grasp on the
hearts of his townsmen that few men gain in a life-
time. Nature had endowed him with attributes that
were calculated to win respect and esteem. He was
above six feet in height, of noble physique, and pos-
sessed of a native grace of manner that was captivating
and blinding. Every honor that could be bestowed by
hi- admirers was lavished upon him. He was elected
second captain of the town militia, and having a decid-
ed military turn, was not long in making his way to the
head of the regiment, with the title of major. His
company was placed on the right of the regiment and
acted as light infantry.

With a blindness unprecedented, the voters, in 1798,
allowed the office of town treasurer and the collector-
ship to fall to Major Harvey; and to add to the tempta-
tion, no bondsmen were required. Too great confidence
in an individual's honor does not always prove an
incentive to honesty. Thus indulged and tempted by

1 76 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

opportunity, Harvey became a defaulter to quite an
extent. Disgraced by his lack of principle, and de-
spised by those who had placed the temptation before
him, he soon left the town, and settled in the town ot
Bradley, in the eastern part of the state, where he died.
Some years later his brother-in-law, John Judkins, vis-
ited his sister at her new home. When he returned to
Monmouth, he remarked that he "had the pleasure of
walking over Major Harvey's grave" during his absence.
This trivial remark was but a voicing of the popular
sentiment toward one who might have remained an
honored citizen and a leader of the masses, but for that
curse of civilized humanity — the love of money.

John Johnson settled first on the "Kincaid farm," in
the Lyon district. He appears to have remained there
but a short time. We next find him living in a log
cabin on the farm now owned by the Ricker heirs, on
Pease hill. This cabin was built, it is supposed, by the
father of "Jeff" Southard, the wealthy ship-builder of
Richmond, Me. Southard moved over the line into
the edge of Litchfield.

Johnson left the Ricker place, and settled on the
farm now owned by Wilbert True, in the Lyon district.
One winter day, while living in this place, he drove
across Cobbosee-contee pond to Manchester, on the ice,
with a load of shingles. Late that evening, John
Plummer, who lived on the farm lately owned by his
son, Joseph, heard a scream from the direction of the
pond, but, as it was not repeated, gave it no attention.
In the morning Johnson's wife, who was greatly alarmed
by his protracted absence, called on Plummer to assist
her in searching for him. Plummer went immediately

A LEGAL SEPARATION. 1 77

to the shore of the pond. Off a little distance from the
land, he could see a pair of mittens; and as he ap-
proached them, he caught sight ot an object at the
mouth of the outlet that proved to be Johnson's horse.
Summoning help, he drew the horse and sled out, and
found the dead man clinging to the shafts with his bare
hands. He had taken a wrong course and driven over
the tender ice near the stream.

CHAPTER VIII.

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE.

The pioneers worked hard, and fared harder. The
women often assisted their husbands in the performance
of out-door tasks. Doubtless, planting and hoeing corn,
junking and piling logs, and harvesting crops were as
distasteful to the ladies of that day (for many of them
were ladies) as they would be to the average female of
to-day. Our grandmothers were, to use a trite aphorism,
"helpmeets as well as help-eats."' If they were obliged
to work hard, they were highly compensated in having
no time to spend in littering their homes with "air-
castles," "scratch-my-backs" and "crazy patchwork."
Blessed period! O, era sublime! The men, too, were
well acquainted, and, unlike some of their posterity, on
the best of terms, with honest toil. Thanks to the
rough condition of the roads, they could not trot horses,
it, indeed, they had any. Nor could they spend their
time in assisting trains to arrive at, and depart from, the
railway station. And being deprived thus of many of
the privileges of the present generation, they had no

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 1 79

way of killing time, but in laboring. It is said that
every deprivation has its compensation. If the lathers
were compelled to deny themselves every indulgence
to secure a competency, the sons can live sumptously
— until the mortgage is foreclosed. If the fathers
worked wearily, with aching limbs, to fell the massive
oak, the son rinds the stump a restful seat while dis-
cussing politics.

With what keen satisfaction would the rugged
pioneer, looking down into the nineteenth century to
see his posterity smoking the fragrant "Colorado Ma-
duro," or masticating imported "fine-cut," have re-
turned to his "cob'" of sweet fern and his quid of slip-
pery elm !

The women of that day did not sit in lounging chairs
and read novels. They were women of the pristine
mold, concerning which God said "It is not good for
man to be alone; I will make him a helpmeet for him."
While they were not at all deficient in the qualities
which mark the true lady, they considered the develop-
ment of muscle by manual labor no discredit, and were
by no means backward in giving exhibitions of their
vigor when put to the test. Dearborn Blake's wife,
Hannah, whose wonderful bravery is mentioned later
in this chapter, was as powerful as she was fearless.
As a clinchino- argument in a discussion which she and
Ruth Torsey, the doctor's mother, were holding with
Phineas Blake, Jr., the women playfully threatened to
deposit his mortal remains in the hog-pen. "You can't
do it," he boastfully exclaimed. The words were
scarcely out of his mouth before he was struggling to
free himself from the iron grip of a pair of resolute

l8o HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

females, and a moment later he wofully picked him-
self out of a bed, soft, indeed, as a king's couch, but in
no other respect bearing the marks ot royalty.

Probably the most marked example ot diligence and
bravery was furnished by Mrs. John Chandler, who
used to walk alone through the forest, in which wild
animals were constantly roving, guided only by a line
of spotted trees, to John Herrick's, in Lewiston, to get
tow to spin on shares.

The settlers at first lived in log houses. Their fur-
niture consisted of a few kitchen chairs, bottomed with
split ash or elm-rind, and a square plain table and bed-
ding. And in many instances the chairs were substi-
tuted by benches hewed from a split log. Nothing
more was needed; nothing more wanted. Utility had
not yet become the slave of ornamentation. Turkish
rugs, plush-covered parlor suits and marble-topped
chamber sets were not known even by name. Neither
was bankruptcy.

Their dress was as plain as their household furnish-
ings. The men wore knee-breeches buckled over long
stockings, and long frocks, except on full dress occasions,
when the frock was exchanged for the continental
"swallow-tail. " The material from which these gar-
ments were made was raised in the field, and was spun
and woven by the good house-wife. After sheep were
introduced into the plantation, woolen cloth was quite
generally worn. And such cloth as it was after it had
passed through the indigo pot and received a final
dressing we unfortunates who have to wear mill- woven
goods know only by tradition! The working clothes
of both men and women were made of coarse tow

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. l8l

cloth, a fabric something like a very closely woven
burlap. The women wore petticoats and loose gowns.
In summer they wore no stockings except on special
occasions. It is said that General Chandler's wife
attended religious meetings without stockings, and her
best suit was simply a loose linen gown and petticoat.
Occasionally an aristocratic dame, or a would-be belle,
indulged in a "print" dress. Calicoes were then but
one grade lower than silks and were sold at a dollar,
and upward, per yard. Home-spun for the kitchen
and calico for the ball-room in 1780. One century
later, Home-spun sits on a brocaded plush patent rocker
and sneers at Calico hanging over the wash-tub. How
tickle is Dame Fashion! It must not be imagined that
our grandmothers had no eye for the beautiful, and that
the garments woven and worn by them were always
plain uncouth affairs. Many of them were adept
weavers, and from coarse material often produced
fabrics that were ornamental, and sometimes artistic.
Daniel Allen's wife once made a linen cloak woven
with alternate fine and coarse threads, which gave it a
ribbed appearance. This served as a best outer gar-
ment many years.

There were dudes in those days. Among them was
Eliphalet Smart, "a very smart feeling Smart," in the
words of the one who began this work. While all his
neighbors were content to wear coarse tow shirt fronts,
Smart strutted around the clearings with a ruffled
bosom. When General Dearborn raised his barn, all
the men in the settlement were invited and quite a
number came from Gardiner. '•Life" Smart, as he
was generally dubbed, appeared, as usual, arrayed in a

1 82 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

profusion of starchy ruffles. If there was anything in
the world the General hated it was ostentation, and to
see this sprig of the backwoods swelling around was
more than his unpretentious nature could stand.

He thought he saw a way to drop him a few degrees
from his loftiness, and was not slow to improve the
opportunity. The day was as warm as the timber was
heavy, and the General ordered the men to remove
their coats that they might work to greater advantage.
Every man in the crowd instantly obeyed except "Life,'''
who tried hard to appear as it he did not hear the order.
The General repeated his words and added. k'I won't
have a man around this frame who won't take his coat
off."

Under the fluffy ruffles of "Life" Smart's shirt-front 1
a terrible struggle took place; but his fondness for the
coming treat of rum and molasses finally conquered his
pride and dignity, and with reluctance he removed his
coat, exhibiting a snowy-white ruffle, starched and
polished with evident care, basted to a black tow shirt
that showed signs of intimacy with the labor of piling
smutty logs.

The shouts of the spectators by no means alleviated
poor "Life's', discomfiture; and a committee appointed
for the purpose of deciding which of the two, the shirt
or its wearer, exhibited the most streaked appearance,
would have awarded one the first preference and
declared the other worth}- of honorable mention.

The means and opportunities of communication with
the outside world, and with friends even at no great
distance, were painfully limited. Occasionally a letter
from loved ones at the old fireside, brought by a new

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 183

immigrant, would gladden the hearts that knew little
of life's joys, and still less frequently an opportunity
would be found to send tidings back to the ever anxious
ones at home. Dr. Cochrane is responsible for the
statement that the following is a copy of the first letter
ever written in, and sent from, the plantation :

-•Wales, April Ye S. 17S6.
These few lines may inform you that I am well, at preasent, and
the rest of the family the same, for which I desire to bless God, hop-
ing they will find you as they left me. We arrived here the iSth of
October, and I like the place and nabours very well, and the family
are very well contanted. We had no news from Barnstable since
we lattit. Since we come here a sade axcident hapnad. As I was
falling a tree near the Houce, Asenath [his wife] was coming to
call me to Diner, and before I saw her was within retch of the tree.
and it fall on her and hirt her vary much and brock he left arm —
but she hath got about again, and in a likely way to dow wall. I
would have you wright back again by Mr. Fuller and other oppor-
tunities. This from your Frinde and Brother,

James Blossom."

The penmanship of this letter was very good. As
there were few opportunities lor correspondence, the
settlers did not provide themselves with writing mate-
rials, nor could they have done so without considerable
trouble, had they used such articles never so frequently.
This communication was written on the back of a
piece of paper which bore this singular narration:

"An account of a Famine in Alexandria, A City in Italy, By a
Letter Dated Sept. ye 15th, 1777. I am sorry to acquaint you with
the news that for 12 months Past, there has been an uncommon
Scarcity of Provisions in this City, insomuch that the Poor hath been
Reduced to the gratest Extremities Imaginable, and the whole Gar-
rison, Consisting of 6000 men, were sent over to Milan. All the
Dogs, anil Cats, that could be found, were eagerly devoured, which
brought on such a sickness, or Rather Plague, among the Inhabi-

184 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

tants, That in A Few weeks, no Lefs than 1200 of them Died, and
many were found lying Dead out of the City with grass, harbs, etc.
in there mouths. Prayers were offered to the Living God and not
to Images three times a day. On the 10th, Instant, the morning ap-
peared very Cloudy, and in a Short time after, it seemed as dark as
night, but it soon Cleared up With a Shower of A small Sort of
Round Grain, Like Cortander seed, which fell so faft that in Lefs
than an hour It was four Inches deep on the Ground : and on Tryal
it was found to make as good Flour as any Wheat in the world,
which timely supply saved the Lives of many Thousands."

Such an accident as the one mentioned in this letter
must have been not only 'ksade" but perilous. A
broken limb is not longed for in these days, when a
physician can be called almost at a moment's notice.
How greatly aggravated the pain and danger must
have been by the absence of all appliances for reduc-
ing the fracture we can easily imagine.

People living in the present era, when the mails
come rolling in several times a day, can little appreci-
ate the joy with which the establishment of the first
regular mail route was hailed by these isolated people.
After the government mail route was established as
far east as Portland, an association was formed by
twenty-six men, living in the vicinity of Monmouth
and Winthrop, to carry the mails between that point
and the Kennebec river. There was then no road east
of North Yarmouth, and the journey as far as that
point was made on foot, snow shoes being used in
winter. The members of the association took turns,
making the trip once in a fortnight. As it was often
impossible, on account of deep snows, to reach a set-
tler's cabin in Lewiston, where the first night was
usually spent, the carrier was always provided with a

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 1 85

hatchet and blanket to use in constructing a shelter for
the night in such an emergency.

In 1794 a mail route was established by the govern-
ment between Portland and Wiscasset, via the Kenne-
bec river. The route lay through Gray, New Glouces-
ter, Greene, Monmouth and Winthrop to Augusta;
thence down the Kennebec to Gardiner, and across to
Wiscasset. Matthias Blossom, of Monmouth, contracted
to carry the mads once a week. The contract was
made the ioth of September, and Blossom made his
first trip the first day of the following October. The
journey was made on horseback. By the first arrange-
ment, the mails left Portland at 6 o'clock, Saturday
evening, arriving at Pittston at 12 o'clock, Monday
noon. Returning, the departure from Pittston was
made the same clay, and the arrival at Portland was
accomplished the following Saturday, at 3 o'clock P.
M. On the 4th day of August, 1795, the time was
changed. By the new table, the departure from Port-
land was made on Wednesday morning, at 6 o'clock,
arriving at Pittston at 6 o'clock Thursday evening.
The return was made immediately, arriving at Port-
land the following Tuesday, at 6 P. M. Both of these
schedules gave Mr. Blossom much time at home. He
brought the mail from Portland to Monmouth. His
boy, James, then took it to Winthrop, where it was
delivered to Joseph Allen, an employe of Blossom,
who carried it to Pittston, and back to Winthrop.
Blossom received for his services the quarterly salary
of $53.13. In addition to this, he realized something
from the sale of newspapers, which he was allowed to
carry for his personal emolument. The mail was car-

I 86 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

ried over this route ten years before any route was
established between Brunswick and Augusta.

In all cases of sickness that could not be treated with
"pennyrial," the settlers were obliged to go to Pond-
town (Winthrop) for an old lady whose knowledge of,
and long experience in administering, roots and herbs
led her to be honored as a veritable M. D.

In the winter, sickness was anticipated with much
dread, as the deep snows and absence of all roads ren-
dered it all but impossible to go from one settlement to
the other, except on snow shoes. Mr. Joseph Allen
was once compelled to go for the old lady in the dead
of winter. He provided himself with a hand sled, on
which he dragged the dispenser of "yarb tea" the en-
tire distance of ten miles. It took him all night t'o
perform this feat of pedestrianism.

The summer months were spent in toiling diligently
from the break of day until dark. But little time was
spent in visiting, for the women were as busy with
their spinning-wheels and looms as their husbands and
fathers were with their axes and hoes. But as soon as
the long evenings of Autumn appeared, the harder tasks
were suspended, and all hands entered heartily into
scenes of pleasure and hilarity.

The ripened corn, bleached by the early frosts, was
brought in from the fields and stacked in the middle of
the barn floor. On each side of the. main floor were
the tie-ups, and above, the mows of fragrant hay and
meadow grass. Pitchforks were stuck into the mows
horizontally, at short distances apart, the entire length of
the floor, and from these the lanterns were suspended.
These lanterns, borrowed from all over the settlement.

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 187

consisted of a tallow i•'dip,, set in the center of a
perforated casing of tin. The light they afforded was
about as brilliant as that of the proverbial white-eyed
bean.

The barest intimation that a "husking" was to be
held on a certain evening, was considered a personal
and urgent invitation to be present. As many as could
find sitting, or even standing, room on the cleanly swept
barn floor, would crowd around the rustling stacks,and
in the midst of a perfect bedlam of laughter, singing
and shouting, not to mention the short, crisp sounds
that occasionally issued from the corner where the
young men and tittering maidens were gathered, the
corn would lose its weather-beaten coat and accumulate
in a huge, conical pile of golden bronze in the corner.
Sometimes a red ear would appear, and then the crispy
sounds referred to would become general. The lucky
possessor, hiding his treasure in his coat sleeve, would
steal cautiously up to his favorite lassie, and, suddenly
presenting the challenge-ear. catch a hearty smack and
be off in quest of another fair damsel before the first
blushing maiden had recovered from her happy and
long-hoped-for surprise. Doubly happy was the maid-
en who caught sight of the red ear in season to run.
She could then dart off into some dark corner and
cover her ruddy face with her hands until two or three
hearty smacks had been stolen from her cheeks before
presenting her lips for a final settlement.

As soon as the last ear was thrown on the apex of
the golden mound, the husks would be cleared away,
the lanterns hung a trifle higher, the singers seated on
a pile of corn stalks in the corner, and sets formed to

1 88 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

"trip the light fantastic toe." During an intermission,
a treat would sometimes be served consisting of brown ,
bread and beans and pumpkin pies, baked to a tempt-
ing brown in the brick ovens, flanked in the later sea-
son with beechnuts and flat English turnips — the pion-
eer's apple. Sometimes the revelry began before the
work of husking was finished, with unhappy results, as
was the case at a husking held in the vicinity of Nor-
ris's Hill. The farmer whose barn was the scene of
the merriment, had raised an unusually large crop of
corn — between three and four hundred bushels in the
ear. In addition to the usual treat, the enterprising
yeoman had provided a large quantity of rum for the
felicitation ot his guests. Had the corn received as
much attention as was paid the tankard and mug, the
owner would have been the richer by many dollars.
Forgetting the main object of the gathering, many of
the men gave themselves up to a perfect carousal.
Others, becoming disgusted with the turn matters had
taken, went to their homes, and a large portion of the
corn was left untouched. It soon heated in the pile
and became utterly worthless. This was only one of
many temperance sermons that were preached in those
days.

The most friendly relations existed between the set-
tlers. In winter they spent a large portion of their
time in visiting. These visits were made in a body.
A man living at one end of the plantation would yoke
his oxen to a sled, and taking on his family, would
drive to his neighbors, and calling at every cabin on
his way. take one family after another until he arrived
at the house where the visit was to be made. Settlers

Mrs. Ruth Norris.

WIFE OF LIEUT. JAS. NORRIS AND NIECE OF GEN. HENRY DEARBORN.

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 1 89

at the other end would do the same, and thus the entire
population would be gathered at one cabin. It was
customary for each family to furnish a portion of the
edibles, making a sort of winter picnic. One would
carry a turkey, another, a spare-rib, another, vegetables,
and so on; and when the donations were all prepared,
it was necessary to issue no second invitation to sur-
round the ''festive board."' After the viands were duly-
discussed, and the supper table cleared away, the
remainder of the evening was spent in playing "Blind
buck and David,'" and other games, and in dancing. They
had no fiddler to inspire the thick tapped cowhides to
action, but quantities of good singers who could per-
form a similar service. Capt. G. K. Norris's mother
was one of the best of these.

At one of these public gatherings several of the men
got outside of the cabin, and while the women were
chattering and laughing over their cooking, arrayed
Caleb Fog"' in the most frightful costume which their
ingenuity and limited resources could supply, fastened
a rope to his body, and, creeping softly up to the ridge-
pole, removed a portion of the covering, and let him
drop into the midst of the startled women. How they
screamed and scattered ! It was a grand joke, and
Fogg enjoyed it hugelv. And so did the women a
moment later; for Mrs. Ruth Norris took in the situa-
tion, and, seizing the first weapon that came to hand,
pounced upon the human scarecrow, as he lay tangled
in the rope and his unmanageable habiliments, and
pounded him until he cried for mercy.

It must not be forgotten that a large portion of the
pioneers were young people. They married and came

I90 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

into the woods to get a start in life, when they were
scarcely out of their "teens," and such boyish pranks
were excusable in young men who had no other form
of amusement and diversion.

Whatever the occasion, or wherever the place, if
there was an opportunity for a practical joke, Caleb
Fogg could be counted in every time. Before his con-
version, it was his custom, in company with others, to
spend quite a portion of his spare time at Chandler's
tavern, which was a general rendezvous for the settlers,
evenings and storm}- days. One evening a number had
gathered, as usual, to chat, smoke and '"tip the flowing
bowl." Chandler had been building a fire-place and
laying a hearth that day, and the floor was covered with
mortar and broken pieces of brick. Among the num-
ber was the lively progenitor of one of our leading
iamilies, whose name will be withheld for the sake of
his posterity of the present generation.

The old gentleman had patronized the tap-room too
liberally, as was his wont. His limbs began to feel the
vigor and elasticity of youth, and the spirit of Terp-
sichore, or other spirits equally as potent, urged him to
action. Calling on his associates to furnish music, he
sprang into the floor and began to dance a spasmodic
breakdown. There was no fiddler to inspire him to
rapidity of motion, but the mellowed loafers were
willing to waste their last breath in performing a simi-
lar service. After the old gentleman became thorough-
ly excited, he was persuaded that he made too much
noise dancing in his shoes, and that the heavy cow-
hides were a clog: to his nimble feet.

'to

If he would only remove his shoes and stockings

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 191

Of course he complied, and then the fiends struck up
one of the liveliest of melodies, and kept the poor
wretch kicking and pattering about on the ragged floor
until he had worn the skin from his feet and tracked
the boards with blood.

Between Chandler's and Sewall Prescott's was a
slough hole, which Fogg, Prescott, Smith and others
passed every evening as the)' returned to their homes.
One evening when they left Chandler's, the humor-
loving rogues planned to get Smith, who was dubbed
"the Doctor," immersed in this puddle. One proposed
that they take turns walking backward. The)- were
all sufficiently felicitated to consider any boyish sport
the wittiest thing imaginable, and the proposal met the
hearty approval of the entire company. One after
another they turned their backs upon their course and
performed their respective allotments. At last "the
Doctor's" turn came. He wheeled and started on the
fulfillment of his part of the contract with all confi-
dence, but had proceeded scarcely a rod when the
ground beneath him seemed to cave into the bowels of
the earth, and he plunged head first into the deep mire.
Oh! how sorry they were! And how singular it was
that they didn't remember that that place was there!

Caleb Fogg was generally near enough to gather a
report of the chief incidents when any mischief was
perpetrated; and it would not be a difficult matter to
convince a few of our older citizens that some of his
boys were "chips of the old block." In the early days
of Methodism, a minister representing that denomina-
tion was living in a part of Mr. Fogg's house. I lis
wife, who was so rigidly religious that she would not

I92 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

allow her lady callers to play with her baby, or cause
it to laugh, was also "spleeny"' to an aggravating
degree. If the boys were at all noisy, she complained
bitterly of the injury to her nervous system. At last
the young rascals determined to test the strength or
her nerves. So one evening they strapped the cow-
bell to the bull and shut the old rooster up in the cellar.
The bull was full of business all night, and a little past
midnight the rooster began to pour forth his morning
melody. As the serenade produced no visible effect
on the good lady's physical condition, the boys decided
that, in her case, noise might possibly be conducive to
strength of nerve, and governed themselves accord-
ingly.

Difficult as it may be to imagine them in a different
role, we must not think that our great-grandmothers
always sat in the corner, with long-drawn faces and
neatly-tied cap-strings, taking snuff. Some of them, at
least, were up to snuff of a different nature. Among
the unclassified inhabitants of East Monmouth was a
love-cracked beggar by the name of Brown. Like all
other mortals whose hearts have been treacherously
toyed with, he had a genius for falling in love with
every new face he met, to the great annoyance of the
objects of his adoration.

Seven girls, whose names will be withheld because
of the shocking effect the disclosure would have on the
nerves of their sedate posterity, got their smoothly-
combed heads together one day, and offered Brown
the heart and hand ol his choice from the group, if he-
would submit to being carried across a bridge, which
was then in process of building, on a rail. Although

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 193

Although the terms were somewhat humiliating, as
well as unique, the smitten simpleton mounted the rail
and allowed them to proeeed. The bridge over which
this ante-bridal tour was conducted, consisted merely
pf the beams, or stringers, on which the covering of
planks or corduroy was to be laid. With daring as
wonderful as their conduct was abominable, the girls
grasped the ends of the pole and cautiously walked out
on the narrow timbers. When they reached the mid-
dle of the stream, at a given signal, all hands dropped
the rail simultaneouslv, and down went the love-sick
boob}7 to cool his passion in the refreshing current of
the stream.

Brown was the butt of many a cruel joke. He rode
a horse that, to all appearance, had been fattened on
sawdust, with an occasional feed of barrel-hoops.
Leaving this attenuated specimen of the genus equus
attached to a hitching post at Hallowell one day, he
was greatly surprised to discover, on his return, that
his steed, which had always exhibited a marked degree
of willingness to stand, had actually moved away.
After a long and diligent search, he finally discovered
a semi-transparent object suspended about fifty feet in
the air from the yard of a vessel that lay at the wharf,
which close scrutiny revealed as the object of his
search.

In the earlv days of the settlement meats of all kinds,
with the exception of wild meats, were high. Even
veal was sold as high as twenty-five cents a pound.
Sometime after the road had been cut from Monmouth
to Greene. General Chandler drove to Sprague's
mill after a load of boards. While he was loading, a

194 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

sow, with a litter of pigs, belonging to Sprague, got in
front of his team, and, in starting, he ran over the
maternal porker, killing her instantly. Sprague de-
manded payment. The General swore that if he must
pay for "'that old sow" he wouldn't lose her, and, true
to his word, he piled her on top of his load, earried her
home and dressed her for the pork barrel.

It was not long, however, before all kinds of domes-
tic meat and produce were as low as they had been
high. As soon as the land was well cleared and
English hay produced in considerable quantities, a
large amount of stock was raised, and as there were no
facilities for taking advantage of anything but the local
market, where the demand was exceedingly limited, the
prices rapidly declined.

If domestic meat was scarce in those days, wild
meat was sufficiently abundant to supply all demands.
Several years after the eastern part of the town was
settled, bears were exceedingly troublesome. One
day, while Phineas Blake and Nathaniel Nichols were
visiting at Captain Kel ley's, they heard cattle bellow-
ing in the woods. Being satisfied that the commotion
was caused by wild animals, they seized a gun and ran
as rapidlv as possible in the direction of the noise.
When they came on the herd, they found a large bear
grappled to the rump of a fine heifer, making a good
meal from her living flesh. Nichols, who considered
himself quite a marksman, said to Blake, ''Here, let me
take the gun." "No. sir," said Blake, "Til shoot him
myself" He raised the gun and fired, but missed his
mark, and the bear escaped unharmed. He always
claimed, when joked about it in after days, that, in the

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. I95

excitement of the moment, he must have shut up the

wrong eye.

One evening a party of hunters treed a bear on

Reuben Brainerd's land, not far from the Cobbosee

Pond. It was so dark they could not take sure aim,

and after firing several shots into the tree with no
■ apparent effect, they retired. The next morning, on

visiting the spot, they found a trail marked by the en-
! trails, of the bear, leading to the shore of the pond.
' Whether Bruin suicided by drowning, to close his

uncomfortable existence, or whether he swam to the

other shore and sought surgical aid, will never be

known.

As late as 18 10 or 18 15, a bear was no uncommon

sight. Some of the oldest people of our own day can
f recall scenes in their lives in which Bruin figured more

or less conspicuously. Mrs. Nancy Prescott, recently
: deceased, stated that as late as 1813, she was standing

near the door of her father's house (where John

McCulla now lives), when a large bear came from the

i woods and crossed the road near where her little sister
and some other children were playing. Not far from
the spot where the children were grouped, was a de-
\ serted house that had been occupied by John Blake.
\ Mrs. Kimball, Mrs. Prescott's mother, was standing in
■■ her doorway at the time, and seeing the danger to
I which her children were exposed, called to them to
I run into the old house. They were not tardy in obey-
I ing her order; and one of them was so terrified that
she crawled into the ash hole.

A bear was killed on the meadow near the saw-mill
• at Monmouth Center by a spring gun set by John

196 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Welch; and one was shot nearly opposite the residence
of B. Frank Jones, at East Monmouth, by Daniel
Allen.

The last bear killed within the limits of Monmouth
was shot one Sunday at the head of the Leeds road,
opposite the town-house. The exact date of this ••pos-
itively last appearance" of Bruin is not known.

Nor were bears the only annoying features of pioneer
life. Many years after the advent of the white man. a
small band of Indians hovered around the ponds and
streams at East Monmouth. A short distance up the
stream from "the mills" is a large rock known as "In-
dian Rock." Not far from this, on the banks of the
stream, were the wigwams of the tribe. Among this
broken tribe was a converted Indian by the name of
Lews, who acted as missionary and spiritual adviser to
his fellows. John Mitchell, a massive brave of bad
repute, was another of this number. Tradition
says that the latter threw one of his squaws ovel
the dam at the mills. Whether this be true or not. it
is quite certain that he cut the throat of another of his
dusky consorts with a knife. Dearborn Blake's wife!
Hannah, was a woman of great courage. John Mitchell
came into her house one day, while she and her neigh-
bors were holding a spinning bee. As he was the onlv
male in attendance, and entered in a state of mild intox-
ication, his presence created considerable consternation
among the timorous ones. Becoming incensed at Mrs.
Blake's refusal to furnish him ockaba ( strong drink ),
he began to disturb the women about their work. Mrs.
Blake, not at all terrified, but considerably irritated,
deliberately ordered him out of the house. lie refused

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. I97

to go. "If you don't go, I will split your head open,"
exclaimed the gritty woman, and, as he still refused to
obey, she seized a long shovel and fairly forced him
from the premises.

The whole tribe of which Mitchell was a member
was for a long time a constant source of annoyance.
Two squaws visited the home of one of the settlers
where there was an infant only a few days old. Before
leaving, one of them asked permission to take the child.
The mother, with no thought of what would follow,
placed it in her arms. The squaw held the squirming
bundle for a moment, and then darted out of the door
and down to a brook that ran near the cabin. Plung-
ing it into the cold water until it was drenched from
head to foot, she returned the child to the frightened
mother with the remark, ,kNeber sick, neber die.*'
Although it received no injury from its unceremonial
baptism, the pledge of mundane immortality was not
fulfilled.

Before dams were built across the streams, salmon,
shad and alewives came up into the Cochnewagan from
the Kennebec river by way of the Cobbosee-contee and
Annabessacook. It has, undoubtedly, been noticed
that at nearly even- annual meeting for several years a
committee was appointed to keep the fish-ways open.
Their appointment, however, ended the fish-way ques-
tion until the next year, when a new set of officers
would be appointed for the same purpose.

About fifteen years before the settlement of Mon-
mouth. Dr. Sylvester Gardiner, one of the wealthiest
and most influential members of the Plymouth Compa-
ny, commenced to found a town on his. Kennebec lands.

I90 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

The lower part of Cobbosee-contee river was selected
as the site on account of the superior water-power
which that stream afforded, and the ease with which
larger vessels of commerce co-'ld land their stores on
the adjacent Kennebec. He built a dam across the
Cobbosee-contee and erected seve*al mills on its banks.
This dam was a source of great annoyance to the in-
habitants of Wales Plantation, as by it th*» salmon and
nlewives that had sported in the upper t»ibutaries of
the Cobbosee-contee were presented from ascending
from the Kennebec. The settlers in Winthrop early
saw the necessity of taking action in relation to pro-
viding means to prevent this infringement on their
rights. In 1 7 7 1 they ehose a committee to wait on Dr.
Gardiner, and request him to open a way through, or
around, his dam, for the passage of fish, but to no pur-
pose. Each vear the matter was agitated at the town
meetmg, and, at times legal action was proposed, and a
committee appointed to prosecute at the expense of the
town. This continued until about the opening of the
new century. A fish committee was appointed each
year in all the towns lying- upon or ab°ut waters Mow-
ing into the Cobbosee-contee, whose duty it was to en-
deavor to procure an unobstructed passage for fish into
the ponds. I am not aware that this question of rights
ever went to the courts, although the law of the Com-
monwealth would have sustained the settlers in a suit;
which is evident from the fact that, in 1806, a petition
was before the General Court to have the Cobbosee
stream exempted from the fish law of the Common-
wealth, which petition the representative to the Gen-
eral Court from the town of Winthrop was instructed

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 1 99

to oppose

Dr. Gardiner did not trouble himself to provide a
way for tish to ascend into the ponds, and, although the
fish-way committee could enforce a compliance to the
demands of the settlers on the local streams, it was to
little purpose, as long as the main stream was closed at
its junction with the river.

"'Smelting time'' was observed in those days very
much as it is now. The seasons of hilarity that are en-
joyed nearly every spring are but repetitions of scents
that were then enacted. Smelts were first discovered
in the tributaries of Cochnewagan Pond by Alexander
Thompson. Shall we not erect a monument to his
memory? He was exploring on the shore of the pond,
when he came upon a brook that was literally black
with Mnall fishes, fie had never seen anything like it.
Those who are familiar with the habits of the Cochne-
wagan smelt — and what person living within a distance
of live miles is not? — can imagine the surprise that the
sight must have caused. Here was an army in solid
rank and file, reaching from bank to bank, and moving
steadily upward with almost the precision of drilled
troops. He caught a few of the strange objects with
his bare hands, and carried them over to his uncle
Thomas Gray's to exhibit them as curiosities. It was
proposed to cook them and try their flavor, but the
women feared that they were poisonous, and refused
to touch them. Finally Gray decided to risk his life
by tasting one. With much dreadful apprehension the
women prepared the fish. He ate it. It reached the
right spot and he duplicated his order.

In vain did his friends endeavor to dissuade him from

200 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

his rashness. He calmly informed them that in the
event of their being noxious they would kill no one but
himself. He ate heartily of them, and rinding himself
alive the next morning, went over to the brook and
caught five or six bushels to salt down. From that day
smelting time has been an annual festival.

In late years, they have been caught in comparative-
ly small quantities, but the earl}- settlers caught them
by cartloads and salted and dried barrels of them at a
time. It is claimed that Gen. Dearborn once ate six
dozen smelts at one meal, with a proportionate allow-
ance of Indian bannock and coffee. He had been off
in the woods exploring, and returned very hungry. He
stopped at John Welch's and called for something to
eat. Mrs. Welch hastily baked a corn cake, of which
the General was very fond, cooked the smelts, and
prepared some strong coffee, and the General pitched
in like a man on a wager. He afterward said he never
ate as good a meal before in all his life. It is claimed
by scientists that the Cochnewagan smelt is, in some
respect, unlike an)' other that swims. At the solicita-
tion of the U. S. Fish Commissioner, the writer caught
a few specimens, packed them in damp moss, and sent
them to the Smithsonian Institute. Commissioner At-
kins is responsible for the statement that they differ
from all others.

A few years after the settlement of the plantation.
John Chandler, of Winthrop, built a grist mill. This
was a great convenience to the inhabitants of Wales,
and saved them long journeys to Gardiner, and Tops-
ham, where they had been obliged to go with their
grists. Some little time elapsed after he commenced

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 201

grinding wheat before he could bolt the flour. He
then procured a hand-bolter. This primitive arrange-
ment was liberally patronized. There was, at the time,
no other grist mill in a region of man}- miles. Col.
Butterfield, and other early settlers of Farmington, visit-
ed this mill twice ever)- winter, drawing their grists
on hand-sleds over the crust. Two or three days
would usually be consumed on the journey, and as
many bushels of grain and flour generally formed a
load. This amount was intended for a year's supply.

Indian corn, pounded by hand in a large mortar,formed
the principal ingredient for bread. The mortar was
often a maple stump, dug out in the center, and the
heavy pestle was sometimes hung on a swaying limb
overhead, the spring of which acted as a sort of balance
wheel to keep up the motion.

Nearly all the pioneers owned one or more cows,
and milk, combined with the broken corn in the form
of hominy. composed a large percentage of the table sup-
plies in summer. Pumpkins were raised in large
quantities, and these, baked, and eaten with milk or
maple syrup and sugar, entered largely into their bill
of fare for winter. The modern pampered and petted
palate would revolt at such fare, but our forefathers
were thankful for even this.

When John Judkins was cutting his clearing, he lived
on pickled flsh and water; and the water was so full
of wrigglers that he could prevent swallowing them
only by brushing them away from his mouth with his
hands.

His was no exceptional experience. Almost every
man who settled in the plantation prior to 1800 had to

202 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

encounter difficulties which one of anything weaker
than an iron nerve, would consider well-nigh insuper-
able.

After the first year, the obstacles were less enormous,
but by no means wholly removed. The ground was
rich and yielded readily to the touch of the husband-
man; but the clearings were small and closely sur-
rounded with dense woods that held the snows until
late in the spring, and kept the soil heavy and clammy.

If the spring happened to be unusually early, and the
frosts somewhat considerate about the date of their ap-
pearance in the fall, the corn crop, which was the main
dependence, was usually good, but it often happened
that nature reversed these conditions.

The year 1787 was especially unproductive, on ac-
count of the intense cold of the summer season. On
the first of July, ice formed an inch thick, and the fourth
of the following month a severe hail-storm mangled
almost everything that the farmers had ventured to
plant.

It was at just about this time that Wales Plantation
received its greatest influx of settlers, and those were
days of actual suffering.

In 1 791 the grasshoppers came to Maine with a view
to settling in the new country; and settle they did, and
not only settled, but demanded a quit-claim deed of all
the tillage land on which they squatted. It was a fear-
ful scourge. They devoured everything that was green
to the very ground, and in many fields not so much as
a bushel of potatoes was raised. The unfortunate
pioneers must have thought that the wrath of the Fates
was upon them. The cold season of 1787 was supple-

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIKE. 20^

merited the next year by a freshet that inundated all the
low lands and swept everything before it; and only three
3'ears later the grasshoppers came. This was apparently
a sufficiency of that kind of fortune; but the crows
were not satisfied with the part they had played in the
tragedy, and in 1802, the}- bore down upon the crops
with such destruction that in some towns near us a
bounty of twelve and a half cents was offered for each
head.

Nor were the inhabitants of Wales Plantation the
only ones who were in straightened circumstances.
When Joseph Bishop moved from Gardiner and settled
in Winthrop, his household effects might have been
represented by a long row of ciphers. He had
no chair, nor so much as a board from which to
construct a seat. He did have a cow, however, and
from her his family got nearly all their living for sev-
eral weeks. Checkerberries were quite plentiful, and
formed quite a relief from a steady milk diet. In the
latter part of the summer the black flies pestered the
cow so badly that she ceased to give milk, and then it was
no easy matter to sustain the union of body and spirit.

It was customary, when intelligence was received
that a cargo of corn had entered the Kennebec, for the
settlers to go after a supply. The roads were in such
condition that it was impossible to drive a team through,
except in winter, when the deep snow and ice covered
the rough places, and all transporting was done either
on horseback or "pick-a-back."

Capt. Sewall Prescott and Caleb Fogg owned in
common an old Canadian horse. Prescott said that
when it became rumored that a vessel had landed at

204 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

the river with corn, either he or Fogg would take the
"kerunck" and start. If the}- failed to get corn, a load
of fish would be substituted; and with this, and a gal-
lon of rum for each owner, they would lade the
weather-beaten animal and return, walking the entire
distance both ways.

The first horse brought into the settlement was
owned by Thomas Gray. lie was wintered the first
year on "blue joint." Doubtless he had as many fine
points about him, the following spring, as Mark Twain's
mule. All the English hay the earl}- settlers used they
purchased at Pondtown, until they got some land
seeded down. None of them were able to buy much
at a time, and the supply was very limited. Their
main dependence was on the meadows.

Mrs. John Welch once said that the first man she saw
with a horse, alter she came into the woods, was Howe,
the hunter and trapper who has been mentioned in a
previous chapter. He was mounted on a relic of
the historical past, with a bridle and strings made of
bark, had a blanket girded about him, after the
manner of the Indians, and, with his strangely equipped
horse, cut a singular figure. Howe had a regular route,
which included all the ponds and streams in this vicin-
ity, and made hunting his sole employment.

Mrs. Welch has the credit of making the first garden.
In it was the first sprig of clover that was grown in the
plantation. Whence it came is an unsolved problem.
Possibly it was dropped by a bird. Suffice it to say
that Mrs. Welch found it, transplanted it in her garden,
and guarded it with jealous care. Notwithstanding her
vigilance, a hired girl at Ichabod Baker's found an op-

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 205

portunity to steal it. She was not permitted to enjoy
her treasure long, however, for Mrs. Welch speedily
traced the theft, and, finding the clover on Baker's
premises, again removed it to her garden, where it was
afterward allowed to grow unmolested.

The first sleigh in the settlement was built by Ensign
Allen, son of Joseph Allen. He sold it to Capt. Sewall
Prescott.

The first carriage was a two-wheeled chaise in which
Capt. Arnold came to town. The roads were then in an
almost impassable state, and men turned out with their
oxen to help the Captain through the slough-holes.
The first carriage mentioned in the tax lists was "Jin-
ral Chandler's shay.'-

The first English hay raised in the settlement was
started from seed purchased of John Gray, of Winthrop.
Gray furnished seed in large quantities. The following
is one of his orders:

"Winthrop, 9 December 17S5.

Mr. [ehabod Baker, Sir. — Please to pay Isaac Bonney Nine shil-
lings lawful money, which is my due, from you, for hay sead. In
so doing you will much oblige your friend and Savant, John Gray."

The first grass that grew by the roadside between J.
W. Goding's and B. M. Prescott's, on High St., was
started from chaff wrhich Capt. Sewall Prescott sowed.

The settlers had no pastures. The cattle, after re-
ceiving a slit in the ear, or some other mark of identity,
were all turned into a common herd and allowed the
freedom of the meadows. Occasionally a member
would stray away from the rest of the flock and become
mingled with the stock of another community on an
adjoining meadow. When the stock was taken up in

206 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

the fall, the truant would be found, at a distance, per-
haps, of several miles from home. In such a case it
was the duty of the one who discovered the stray ani-
mal to enter a description of it on the town records.
As soon as the loss was discovered by the owner, he
would visit the town clerk, and, unless it had fallen a
prey to wild beasts, would easily recover his animal.
It sometimes happened that animals would stray in from
adjoining towns. In such a case, if the owner did not
appear within a limited season, it was the duty of the
town clerk to record a description of the animal at the
county register's office. The following, taken from the
Lincoln folios, at Wiscasset, is a specimen record:

j xo. chandler's letter.
Sir :

These are to inform you that Nath'l Norn's of Monmouth has no-
tified to me that he has found and taken up, within two months
past, one Ox of the following colour and marks, natural and arti-
ficial, viz : red colours with some white in his face and a white spot
on his rump, appears to he nine or ten years old. Artificial marks
are some letters on his horn, but much defaced, and two holes in
his right horn, all of which I have made an entry of as the Law di-
rects. Monmouth, October 15th, 1793.

John Chandler, Clerk.

To Thomas Rice, Esqr.

Rec'd October 24, 1793, and entered and examined

by Thomas Rice, Reg'r.

It was customary (and the custom was concordant
with statute law) to record the different artifices used
to identify ownership in horned cattle and sheep. An
examination of these records of "legalized cruelty." as
one has termed it, affords amusement, even if it excites
indignation.

John Chandler's artificial mark was "a crop off the

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 207

left ear;" Matthias Blossom's was *ka crop off the left
car and a slit in the same;"1 Capt. Blossom's, "a crop
off the right ear;" Ichabod Baker's was "a happeny un-
der the right;"' Simon Dearborn's, "a notch under the
left ear;" James Norris's was k'a swallows-tail cut out of
the right ear;'1 James T. Norris's "a swallows-tail cut
of each ear;" Joseph Norris^s was "a hole cut through
the left ear;" Wm. P. Kelly's, '"a swallows-tail cut in
the end of the left ear;" Capt. Levi Dearborn's was ika
crop off the left ear and a slit in the same;" Samuel
Prescott's kka half-a-crop off the left ear;" James Mc-
Lellan's was "a crop off both ears;" David Marston's,
"a hole punched through both ears." This will suffice
to show how the ears were lacerated and mutilated.

The modern custom of marking sheep with paint is
a mark of civilization. Sheep were first brought into
the town in the fall of 1792, by John Chandler and
Matthias Blossom. The sheep of that period were of
native stock. Their wool was "as coarse as dogs" hair,"
and very little longer. It was nearly twenty vears from
that time before imported sheep were introduced.
Then the Merinos came in. The fever that raged oxer
this new breed of wool-and-mutton-producers was as
contagious as the Asiatic cholera, and the fabulous
prices paid for breeders are not exceeded in this era of
"fads" and fancy specialties. One man paid one hundred
dollars in cash for a young ram, and a few years later
sold the same animal for the cutting of six cords of
wood.

The youth who celebrated Monmouth's centennial
with a game of lawn tennis, while privileged beyond
his ancestors in the variety of pastimes and amusements

2o8 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

that the age supplies, can but desire the resuscitation
of ancient customs, when the vision of an old-fashioned
''raising" plays on his mind. Framing a house means
but little, now that timbers a trifle longer than friction
matches are used instead of the ten inch sticks that
our grandfathers considered necessary. Imagine the
consternation that would seize our ancestors could they
but watch the construction of one of our modern dwell-
ings; and imagine the difficulty of persuading them to
risk their necks beneath a roof supported by a ''bal-
loon" frame. Imagine, on the other hand, a carpenter
of the present day using timbers large enough for the
ribs of Noah's ark, in the construction of a building a
trifle larger than a well-planned bee-hive. Many of us
have assisted in raising barns and other large buildings
requiring heavy frame work, and have thought, while
erecting the sticks, one at a time, and raising the heavy
mortised plate to its position, that we were doing as
our grandfathers did in the days of"auld ling syne/"
when "raising" was a synonym of frolic, and sometimes,
alas! of debauchery. But we have deceived ourselves.
In the ''good old times," the "broadside," as it was
termed, was built upon the ground. Ever}- timber was
mortised into its proper place, and the whole firmly
bound together with hard wood pins. This broadside,
with its intricate net work of braces, must be erected
on the foundation, not one stick at a time, as now, but
with "a long pull, a strong pull and a pull all together."
Often the assembled force would not be sufficient to
bear up the weight of the heavy frame, and occasional-
ly the pick-poles would slip, with serious, and some-
times fatal, results, as was the case when the frame of

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 200,

the old meeting-house at Winthrop fell, killing and in-
juring several men. Onee in place, and firmly pinned,
the frame was read)- for naming. In selecting a person
to perform this service, ready wit and a genius for
rhyming were essential points. Armed with a bottle
of spirits, the rhymster would ascend to the top of the
frame, and stand at one end upon the ridge-pole. An-
other man would take a similar perilous position at the
other end and call out, in strong tones, "Here is a very
fine frame, and what shall we call it?"

The rhymster would then extemporize an encomium,
setting forth, in the rankest of doggerel, the good qual-
ities of the timbers beneath him, emphasizing his last
word by smashing the bottle and baptizing the frame
with its contents. The performance always closed
with a ring-wrestle, in which all, both young and old,
were supposed to join.

Rum was considered not only essential, but absolute-
ly indispensable, and the man who, from conscientious
scruples or illiberal ity, would not furnish it, ran the
chances of having his frame lie on the ground until it
Becayed and fell to pieces.

It has been stated that Chandler built the first framed
house in the settlement, and that it afterward became
the ell of his mansion which was destroyed by fire in
1880. This statement, although generally accepted as
true, is erroneous, as are nearly all the opinions con-
cerning the first framed building.

The same genus of pride that leads the average
American lad to claim that his great-grandfather took
part in the action at Bunker Hill (how thoroughly
would the British have been routed were all these state-

2IO HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

ments true! ), is manifested In the Monmouth citizen, in
the claim that his father, or grandfather, built the first
framed house. To the certain knowledge of the writer,
not less than six of these "first framed" houses were
erected by as many different individuals.

It is fully authenticated that the first framed house
built within the limits of Monmouth and Wales, was
erected by Alexander Thompson, on High St., near the
spot where the small yellow house now stands. John
Chandler lived in this building the year after he came
from New Hampshire, which gave rise to the sugges-
tion already mentioned. The evolution of the state-
ment "Chandler lived in the first framed house," into
"Chandler built the first framed house,''' will be readily
understood by any one who has stopped in town over
night. The building was sold to Reuben Bassford,who
used it for a joiner's shop. Gen. McLellan, and his
partner, Clements, who purchased Bassford's place, used
it for a similar purpose. After McLellan moved to
Bath, Master Patch, the schoolmaster, lived in it, and,
later, it was occupied by Aunt Sukey Smith, a well
known personage of half a century ago. Another oc-
cupant, Mrs. Arnoe, was the widow of John Arnoe, who
settled on the B. F. Marston place, and mother of the
wife of Wm. Day, who lived on the John Keene place
in Leeds. Before her marriage to Arnoe, she was "the
widow Molly Thompson."

In giving this house the "first preference" it is only
fair to make "honorable mention'" of the buildings
erected by Josiah Brown, John Welch and Ichabod
Baker. The Welch and Baker houses were raised the
same day- The first barn was built bv Ichabod Baked

GLIMPSES OP CABIN LIFE. 211

It was moved to the Shackley place, where it now
stands.

From the few private accounts of our forefathers that
have escaped the omnivorous clutch of the junk collect-
or, we glean ample evidence of the systematic manner
in which all their business affairs were transacted.
Nearly every torn and yellowed paper that has fallen
into the hands of the writer, bears items which a ma-
jority of the present generation would consider too
trivial to commit to writing. It may be that we who
despise the day of small things, can find here a partial
solution of the question why the farms which brought
wealth into the coffers of a former generation, bear
nothing but tax-bills and heavy mortgages to the pres-
ent owners.

In the absence of currency, a large portion of the
exchange of value was accomplished by means of
promissory notes, payable in produce. Occasionally a
little specie would be brought in by some outside sale
to oil the wheels of commerce, but generally a purchase
of commodities would result in the issuing of papers of
which these notes against a settler on Norris Hill are
types :

Monmoth, march zzd yer 1799
for valey received I Promis To Pay levi Smart or his orDer seven
tan Dolars by the furst Day of June In the yer 1800 with Intris til

paid

attest E. Smart

What more could the advocate of a phonetic system
of spelling desire?

"febuary 4 1S11 for valey received I Promis to Pay Samuel
hoit or his order nine Dolars the furst of nex January with intrest
as witnes mv hand

2 12 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

The note would generally be liquidated in farm pro-
duce, or some home manufactured article, and if the
article in question was valued above the face of the
note, another note to cover the balance would be issued
by the other party.

This accounts for the fact that of all the papers that
have been discovered among the effects of the pioneers,
fully one-half are promissory notes.

Occasionally the butter would just fit the bread, and
an event of this kind would call forth a paper of which
this was the usual form:

"•Monmouth april 4 day yer 1747 then Recoved and received five
Shilens of John Parsons In ful of all acount to this Dat as witne my

hand

Frequently we find the phrase "from the beginning
of the world unto this day" as in the following, which
has a two-fold interest:

"aprill 5, 17S0.
This day sattled all our a Coumps with Benjamin Dearborn, from
the Beginning of the world to this Day, anil found Due to Mr.
Ic"ab<xl Baker, two shillings and ten pence Lawful money, nn the
Books, as witnefs our hands. Benjamin Dearborn,

Ichabod Baker"

In all business transactions, they were very precise,
and were generally governed by the strictest sense of
honor. Their accounts, notes, orders and receipts
were plainly worded, and, as the}' had no lawyers to
search out, and haggle over, infinitesimal technical dis-
crepancies, but few disagreements occurred. Unless
other articles were to be given in payment, their notes
were generally written to be paid in "Spanish milled*'
dollars, or in "lawful money." Baker's note to Gen.
Dearborn will serve as an example:

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 213

"Wales, June 27, 17S3
For value rec'd. I promise to pay unto Henry Dearborn, or or-
der, the sum of thirty-three Spanish milled dollars, by the 15th day
of October next, with lawful interest until paid.

Ichabod Baker."

Sometimes men who had no means to pay for one
took a eow of some more prosperous neighbor, and
kept it a term of years, turning over to the owner a
heifer, at stated periods, in payment.

Here is a malicious attempt on the fair name of Ben-
jaoni Austin, which probably terminated a transaction
of this kind :

"Wales, April ye S, 1786.

Mr. Banj a ouey afston plese to Daliver Padey Linch Cow to Mr.
Daniel Oilman & youe will oblige me. — John Lamons."

Although the orthography generally took a decided-
ly original turn, their accounts were usually arrayed
as systematically as the ledger of a professional book-
keeper.

'"June 20 yer 1802
Jonathan Marstin Detor
to my oxen three Days 2 00

to myself one Day folen treas 67

nowvember 28 one Days work helping you 50

to my oxen one Day to Plow 67

to tapen and Puten on new heals for David 2^

September 15 1803 to halen out clabboards for you 67

A bill made out by the same person is verv similar
to dozens of others that have passed through the writ-
er's hands:

"April] the 28 yer 1S08
Mr. Seth Bilington Detor

to myself and oxen two Days to haror wich he agread
to giv seventy fiv cents per Day

214 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Nearly all the religious meeting and important gath-
erings were at first held in Iehabod Bakers barn. This
eontinued to be both temple and forum until John
Welch's house was built, when his chamber was used
as a place of public assembly.

The Pondtown people were accustomed to walk out
to attend the Sabbath services. With praiseworthy
economy they would place their shoes and stockings in
their pockets, and travel barefooted. When they
reached the barn, it was an easy matter to slip behind
it and dress their feet. They all wore leather aprons,
made of dressed sheep skins. One of our good old
dames remarked that she "should think them Pondtown
folks might leave their aprons ter home, an' not come
pokin' out here with them things on."

Although the)' were generally men of sound sense
and good judgment, our forefathers were, like all the
people of that day, exceedingly superstitious. There
were exceptions, to be sure, but as a class they believed
in dreams and divinations, and even in ghosts and su-
pernatural manifestations. Nor can we blame them for
these absurdities. It was the result of the teaching of
their fathers, as conscientiously and vigorously incul-
cated on their minds as the truths of the Scriptures.
The terrible tragedies that were enacted at Salem under
the Puritanic rule were the legitimate outcome of a
firm and deep-seated faith — false and ridiculous though
it may have been — and opinions so deeply grounded
and rooted could not be easily overturned. Sullivan,
our own noted and respected historian says: "Nor have
we any reason to doubt whether there was not some ex-
traordinary cause from the state of the atmosphere, or

GLIMPSES OF CAHIN LIFE. 215

from something else, which operated on the nerves of
the judges, and on the people at large, depriving them
in a great measure of their rational faculties/' What-
ever the cause of the hallucination, its taint was strong
and lasting, and we rind the early inhabitants of Wales
Plantation imbued with this delusive faith in witchcraft.

As this history was first projected by my grand-
father, and but for the material he collected, could
not appear in nearly as complete a form, it is only just
that once in the volume he should be allowed to speak
in his own characteristic language; and perhaps no
part of his manuscript is better suited to show his pe-
culiar style than the following account of the reign of
witchcraft in Monmouth:

'•Among the Hogreaves chosen in 1797, I have men-
tioned Aaron . He was the son of , one

of the first settlers. Aaron made a beginning and lived

on the Ridge near where Deacon now lives.

About the year 1811, he left the town and moved off
to the 'Holland Purchase1 in Western New York.
While living here he had the good fortune of becom-
ing an Ensign in the Militia, and ever after went by the

name of Ensign . When he was elected, the news

spread in the settlement forthwith that Aaron was
chosen Ensign, and one of the neighboring women

made a call on Mrs. to congratulate her on the

great honor that had fallen upon her of being an En-
sign's wife. "Yes," said she, "there is some honor in
being an Ensign's wife, but there ain't much profit in

it." She spoke wisely. But Mrs. was not fully

aware, at that time, of the great amount of honor which
wa^ to be showered upon her. in b**ing an Ensign'^

1 6 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

ie,

wife, — for after this the Ensign immortalized his nami
and proved to the world that he was a valiant offi-
cer, whose courage, when put to the test, knew no
fear. With sword in hand he fought witches, and
came out of the fight without a scratch or a scar.
The storv runs in this wise: — There was a girl by the

name of Sarah , who lived down in the settlement

where Allen, Jenkins, Ham, Gray and Thompson lived.
She was a great strapping, corn-fed looking girl; but
she became bewitched, or be-deviled. She carried on
such rigs that the people said she was bewitched. They
sent for all the old ladies, and all the Doctors, but they
couldn't start the witches. They then thought they
would see whether the young men, any of them, could
start the witches. Mr. John Sawyer, the present
Collector of Monmouth, was quite a smart, good-look-
ing young man, and the}- sent for him. He tried it
with the Spirits all one night, and how much longer is
not known, but he couldn't start them. Sarah said,
"John Saw}er wa'n't the fellow she to<~>k him to be."'
She thought he wa'n't much on Witches, anyway. Fi-
nally all the young men in the settlement had a try at
Sarah's Witches, but they hung to her like shoe-maker's
wax, and what to do the people didn't know; they had
tried the old ladies, who were supposed to know every-
thing; they had tried the Doctors; and they had tried
all the young men, and still the witches were torturing
Sarah at no slow rate. 'She would sartin die, — poor
critter, if they couldn't be started.' At last the joyful
news came to them that there was a sure way to drive
off the witches. It was to hang a great kettle <">ver the
fire, fill it with water, get it to boiling, and then for

GLIMPSES OF CABIN LIFE. 21 'j

one person to stand with a live rooster, and another
person with a drawn sword, and as soon as the water
was scalding hot, to chuck the rooster into the kettle,
knd, if he attempted to fly out, for the person with the
sword, on the instant, strike a death-blow, and cut the
rooster's head off, while in the kettle. If this was done,
and the rooster was slain without escaping from the
kettle, the witches would be driven out of the so-d and
body, and all the premises and appurtenances of Sarnh

. She would be clothed and in her right mind,

and as happy, as hnppy as the man — Legion, who had
a herd of devils cast out of him. As soon as this piece
of news was received, the neighborhood was in a fer-
ment. Old men, young men, old ladies and maidens
were on their taps (they that had any, shoe leather
was very scarce in these days) to see the witches start-
ed. They held a sort of meeting to confer upon means
and measures, and it was unanimously resolved that
Ensign should be the sword-holder; another per-
son was selected to hold the old rooster, and, at the
proper time to do the chucking in. On went the ket-
tle; it was quicklv filled with water, and the fire set to
roaring under it. The water was soon scalding hot.
Now was the time, the time of all times, when an old
rooster was to be sacrificed, and the witches made to

flee out of Sarah 's flesh)' domicile. Are you all

reach? Tn with him! Chuck — Kersouse! went the
rooster into the boiling water. The Ensign was ready
to strike the fatal blow. The rooster made his last
•ing to get from the kettle; down came the Ensign's
word, and the rooster was dead. The Ensign per-
>rmed his part with valor; his heart quailed not; no

sni

2l8 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

tear was in his eye; his courage was proved, and it was
the talk of all the old ladies uhow bravely, how nicely
the Ensign acted.'' Whether the witches were started
as quick as it was said they would be, I do not remem-
ber. At any rate, Sarah got rid of her witches, some-
time. She is now 's wife, and is living

down in the town of Plymouth. Some may be disposed
to disbelieve this story, but they need not, for it is an
absolute fact. Every circumstance happened as I have
related it, and I have not made the story so bad as it
really was. Sarah was never bewitched. All that
ailed her was hysterics. The devil was in her, into the
bargain."

There is something noteworthy, if not remarkable, in
the fortune of the pioneers of this vicinity. Almost
without exception, they were miserably poor when they
left their old homes for the rough fields of the wilder-
ness, and, with as few exceptions, they accumulated
a fair property, and were enabled to spend their last
days in comparative comfort. It demonstrates what
energy and perseverance, coupled with economy, can
do.

CHAPTER IX.

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION.

Of all the changes that have accompanied the flight
of an hundred years, none are more marked than those
that have taken place in the growth and development
of religious sentiment and its manner of expression.

Nothing could more aptly illustrate the proverbial
attempt to make a square plug fit a round hole than the
religious economy of one hundred years ago. While
the iron-bound rigidity of the Puritan church had so far
relaxed as to allow the reading of the Scriptures and
singingin connection with the delivery of the Sunday ser-
mon, the minister was still worshipped instead of God.
It is not strange that the solemn-looking individual in
long, straight coat and spectacles, who could speak
words that no one could understand, and who, because
of his ability to read Greek, could tell more about what
Paul meant in certain passages of his epistles than Paul
himself ever knew, should be highly respected, and
even reverenced, in a community made up wholly of
uneducated people. It is but little more than a him-

220 HISTORY OF MOXMOITH.

dred years since there was not a liberally educated per-
son east of Portland, outside of the ministry. The
minister was supposed to know everything, and why
should not omniscience be worshipped ? With his long
face, and longer sermons, the "parson," as he was usu-
ally denominated, was not always an exemplary per-
sonage. The thread-bare joke about the dignified
prelate who imbibed freely, that he might be rilled with
the spirit on the Lord's day, rested on a substantial
foundation. A teetotaler among them was the excep-
tion, rather than the rule. And as long as they could
preserve their equilibrium, and maintain a proper deco-
rum, they saw no harm in taking "a little wine," and a
little brandy, and a little "West India" "for the stom-
ach's sake."

Theirs was an educational, rather than a spiritual.
birthright. They were called to the priestly office by
their earthly, not their heavenly, father. If, at the age
of ten years, a boy exhibited a fondness for books, he
was marked for the ministry. And woe be unto him if
he tried to rub the mark off! If he remonstrated, he
was sternly rebuked; and, if he persistently refused, he
was flogged. If nature had blessed him with spiritual
tendencies, happy was it for both him and the people
over whom he was subsequently settled for life; but if
the carnal nature predominated, fearful was the strug-
gle to accommodate his deportment to the vocation in-
to which he had been driven. Once graduated from
college, and thoroughly drilled in the principles of
orthodoxy, he was prepared to guide sinners in the way
to — the meeting house; and once settled as pastor of a
church, nothing but death could remove him. unless

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 22 1

charges were preferred against him for immoral con-
duct, or he was proved guilty of the more grievous
offence of departing a trifle from the doctrinal grooves
that the Mathers and their followers had carved.

If a man did not like the minister, he could stay at
home one Sunday; but if the offence was repeated, he
was fined. If he got mad, and refused to pay his pro-
portionate part of the preacher's salary, his property
was attached for the amount.

Every voter was taxed for the support of the minis-
ter, and it mattered little to the officials whether he-
met his obligation with pleasure or profanity. Come it
must, and come it did. Of course he did not pay
money, no one did that. He could pay in corn, rye,
buckwheat, potatoes or ashes.

To simmer the facts down, it was forcing a cold, dry,
formal and languid form of religion on the people, at
the point of the bayonet, and occasionally a subject
would be found who did not like to take it in that way-
There were some redeeming features about this kind
of religion. About the only preparation a man needed
to make him a tit subject for admission to the church,
was the ability — gained by long practice — to keep
awake on warm Sundays in July, until the minister had
preached all the sinners to sleep — which he usually
succeeded in doing inside of three hours — and to pre-
serve a calm and saintly expression while his feet were
freezing, in the bitter days of December.

It was on this sort of a religious atmosphere, that a
storm burst, in the closing days of the last century, with
a force that rivalled the days of the Reformation.

Not only in Monmouth, but in the towns surround-

222 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

ing it, also, a religious awakening started, without any
assignable cause. The germs of contagion seemed to
fly in the very air. People who had attended no relig-
ious services in years, suddenly became imbued with a
spirit of scriptural research, which terminated, as sin-
cere study of Goers truth always will, in the conversion
of the individual. It seemed as it a double portion of
the hallowed spirit was being poured upon the people,
in compensation for their lack of opportunity.

The ecclesiastical history of Monmouth is not con-
fined to the archives of the town. Throughout the
state, wherever Methodism has gained a foothold, the
name of Monmouth is a household word. It is to the
Methodists of Maine, what the Cave of the Nativity is
to all Christendom. It is more; it is not only the birth-
place of Maine Methodism, it is the cradle in which it
was rocked.

If religious sentiment was generally at a low ebb in
the closing years of the eighteenth century, it was par-
ticularly so in Monmouth and Wales. In all the nine-
teen years that had passed since the first settlers ap-
peared, no steps had been taken to organize a religious
society, and but little pains had been taken to dissemi-
nate the gospel. Meetings were held occasionally in
private houses and barns, when preachers could be se-
cured; but this was not of frequent occurrence.

In 1783 James Potter, of Litchfield, held a series of
meetings in the settlements, and attempted to awaken a
religious interest. He found the people attentive, but
"disposed to cavil," and no fruit resulted from his
labors; although seed may have been sowed for the
reaping of the Methodists, ten years later.

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 223

Mr. Potter became converted at his home, while
meditating on the wonderful attributes of God. He
first united with the Congregationalists at Harpswell,
that being the nearest church, and subsequently with
the Baptists. His was the last effort to arouse religious
sentiment, except as floating preachers flashed upon the
settlement for a moment, and disappeared, leaving no
fruit, and but little influence toward a coming fruitage.

On the twenty-second day of October, 1793, a re-
markable figure appeared in Monmouth. Riding a
superb, spirited horse, and accompanied by another
animal of similar description, loose, and following like
a well trained clog, he called from house to house,
bearing the announcement of a religious service. He
was a man of unusually striking appearance, above
two hundred and fifty pounds in weight, square built,
with no show of superfluous flesh, and extraordinarily
symmetrical and beautiful both in countenance and
physique. He was dressed in full Continental cos-
tume, knee breeches, triangular hat, long skirted coat,
and waist coat. Strapped to the saddle was a pair of
saddle-bags containing a Bible, hymn book, and a
change of clothing. Occasionally he would stop and
speak to the loose horse following in the rear, when,
with wonderful intelligence, the animal would come to
his side and stand patiently while he dismounted and
removed the trappings from the other, and having re-
ceived its master's cumbersome weight, would start off
at a brisk gallop while its relieved companion would
frisk and caper along behind. Should any one attempt
to divert the loose animal from its course, a savasre

o

showing of teeth and heels would convince him that

224 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

his business was elsewhere. Sometimes, as the won-
dering inmates of a cabin flocked out to watch the
strange horseman and his intelligent travelling compan-
ions until they disappeared in a turn in the road, a
strain of song would come floating back, rendered in a
voice so rich and sonorous that the listeners could
hardly wait until the hour of service to hear more of
the wonderful singer. Such was Jesse Lee, the cir-
cuit rider, the founder of Methodism in New England.

It would be over-reaching the bounds of a local his-
tory to furnish any details concerning the remarkable
career of Jesse Lee. That he was a man of eminent
talents is demonstrated by the fact that a few years
later he was appointed chaplain of the House of Rep-
resentatives at Washington, where, after three years'
service, he was called to a similar position in the Sen-
ate. These honors were tendered in recognition of his
public worth. He never sought, or aspired to any-
thing more honorable than preaching the gospel from
house to house.

In all his travels through Maine. Lee found no re-
gion so promising as the western half of the Kennebec
Valley. There was not a member of the Methodist
church east of the New Hampshire line, and it was
with wonderful faith in the power and promises of
God that he described the limits of a tract extending
from Hallowell to Farmington, and named it Read-
held circuit. The next year Philip Wager was ap-
pointed to take charge of this circuit, in the capacity of
what was termed by the early Methodists a "circuit
rider." It was his duty to visit the various towns and
plantations included in the circuit, converse with the

-n CO

3 K

o Tl

C H^

§ P

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 225

people, teach them the essentials of God's truth and
the principles of Methodism, preach wherever an audi-
ence could be secured, and form classes for mental con-
ference and spiritual admonition wherever he found
converts.

About the first of November, 1794, Wager had the
pleasure of gathering in the first fruits of his labors in
the organization of a class of fifteen members in Mon-
mouth. This was the first permanent foothold that
Methodism gained in Maine. The names of only a few
of the members have been preserved. Gilman Moody
and wife, Phineas Blake and wife, Daniel Smith and
wife and Nancy Nichols are the only ones with whom
history has dealt kindly.

On the 1 2th of November, Jesse Lee again visited the
settlement. He lodged at Simon Dearborn's, and the
next day preached at Peter Hopkin's "tavern. " He
was greatly gratified to find this oasis in the desert the
scene of a revival. To use his own words, as recorded
in his diary, "the Lord moved upon the hearts of many
of the people11 at this meeting. "Bro. Wager,'" said he,
""exhorted with freedom." As was his custom, he met
the recently-organized class, whom he exhorted and
encouraged to continue in the faith. The following-
Saturday, Mr. Lee rode to Readfleld. Thence he
turned towrard the Sand)' River Valley, and across to
the settlements in the upper Kennebec. After an ab-
sence of about five weeks, he returned, and crossed
over to Mr. Lane's in Littleboro (Leeds), where he
held a service at two o'clock, on the 23rd day of De-
cember, preaching from John 1 : 1-3. Mr. Lee's de-
scription of this meeting is a picture of an old-time re-

2 2b HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

vival. "I had," writes he, "a crowded congregation,
and the melting presence of God was among us. Many
of the people could hardly refrain from weeping aloud.
After I had dismissed the people and went into another
room, a man came to speak with me, and burst into
tears. Another came in with tears, and begged that I
would preach again at night. I could not refuse. Some
of the people then went home, but soon returned. One
man, being in deep distress, began to cry aloud to God
to have mercy upon his poor soul, and thus he contin-
ued to cry with all his might, until some of the people
were much frightened. I talked, prayed, and sang;
and while I was singing a visible alteration took place
in his countenance; and I was inclined to think his
soul was set at liberty. He afterward spoke as though
he believed it was so. About this time another man
was seized with trembling, and he began to pray the
Lord to have mere)' upon his soul, and cried aloud for
some time. I then took my text and preached on i Pet.
8: 7 — "Casting all your care upon Him; for he careth
for you." It was not long before another man was
taken with violent trembling and crying, so that my
voice was almost drowned. I was forced to stop, f
then prayed for him, and he became more quiet. I
then went on with my sermon. There was great weep-
ing in every part of the house. It appeared as if the
whole neighborhood was about to turn to God."

Thursday, the 25th, Lee returned to Monmouth. A
large congregation gathered at Capt. Peter Hopkins's
to meet him; as man)-, perhaps, led by a desire to see
and hear the wonderful preacher as by a desire to learn
more of the way to God. It was the day commemo-

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 227

rating the birth of Christ; a day when the most slug-
gish he;irt rould but feel a touch of the joyous solemn-
ity that pervaded the atmosphere; a day of inspiration
and quickening; a day when there came, rippling up
from the great evangelist's soul, a melody more stirring
than the peal of Christmas bells, or the song of a
thousand trained voices. lie selected his text from
Isaiah 9: 6 — "For unto us a child is born; unto us a son
is given/' The beautv of the lines, blending with the
sweet solemnity of the hour, caught and bound the at-
tention of eveiy listener; and, as the orator impressed
upon them the grand interpretation of the prophet's
words, hearts melted down like wax in the hottest
name. There were few dry eyes in the house. Deep-
ly impressed himself with the truth he was uttering, he
wept over his audience like a child, and was compelled
to stop in the middle of his discourse. Philip Wager
followed with a spirited exhortation.

For the first time, the sacrament of the Lord's Supper
was administered. Alter the service was concluded,
Mr. Lee convened with the class members about
building a church, and gave them, on this subject,
some strong advice. He remained in the town, and the
adjoining settlements, until the next Thursday, when
he turned towards the Androscoggin, and departed for
a tour through New Hampshire and the West.

Mr. Lee's advice, in relation to building a church,
will be better understood after reading the records of
the town for the year 1794.

The annual meeting for this year was held at John
Welch's house, on Monday, the 7th day of April.
Simon Dearborn was chosen moderator and John

2 28 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Chandler, clerk. The men elected to serve as select-
men and assessors were Major James N'orris, Matthias
Blossom, and Dudley B. Ilobart. Ichabod Baker was
elected treasurer and Simon Dearborn constable, "tq
collect tor five pence on the pound." John Blake was
his bondsman. ,

One hundred and fifty pounds were voted to be raised
"to lay out on the roads." The sum of nine pounds,
the equivalent of a little more than forty-three and a
half dollars, to be paid in produce, was appropriated
for the support of gospel preaching. This measure
indicated either the weight of the religious interest of
our forefathers, or the attenuated state of the minister's
digestive organ. If the good man had no other means
of support, he could have realized only a portion of
Paul's experience, "I know both how to hunger and to
abound." Forty-five pounds were appropriated for the
support of schools, and fifteen pounds to defray town
charges. Five roads, which had been previously sur-
veyed and constructed, were accepted. The first of
these was a sh^rt road leading from Benjamin Dear-
born's to Timothy Wight's — the now abandoned road
at the head of Cochnewagan pond. Another was a
road from John Arnoe's house (where Miss Maria
Marston now lives) down to the road leading from
Monmouth Center to North Monmouth. This road
was identical with the Clifford, or Blue, road to a point
about half way between Mr. Clifford's and the Fish
place. It then bore to the left, and took an almost
direct course to the B. F. Marston place. The discon-
tinued portion of the road is still plainly marked in the
pasture of the Marston estate. The third was that por-

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 2 20.

tion of the road now called High St., lying between
the junction with the Center road and the Gen. Chandler
place. This road had been used sometime as a high-
way, but hid not been accepted as a town road. The
next was one "beginning about twelve rods northerly
of the school house in the north school district and
running to Stockin's Millyard". This was the road
leading from EHis Corner to Samuel Robinson's via
Rev. J. B Fogg's. The school-house stood on the
ledge in the lower part of the Ellis orchard next to the
pasture. The naked ledge, upon which the building
stood, may be seen as the traveller comes up the hill
from Gordon's mills. This schoolhouse — the first one
in town — was burned. The distance from Ellis's cor-
ner to the company's mills, as given in the report of
the surveyor, was 312 rods. The hill having been cut
down, the distance must be a trifle less now. The last
was the road leading from Geo. Clou^n's to George
Rowell's. All of these roads, as well as all other high-
ways within the lines of Wales Plantation, were sur-
veyed by Jedediah Prescott of Mt. Vernon. lie was
an old and experienced surveyor. After accepting the
roads, the long pending account of Joseph Allen ap-
peared for the last time. It was voted to exempt Mr.
Allen "from collecting the bills committed to him to
collect for 1786.'1 The next act was "to exempt John
Morgan and John Johnson from taxation at present."

Mr. Johnson has been mentioned, in a previous chap-
ter, as being drowned, a few years later, at the outlet
of Cobbosee-contee pond. That he was a man of re-
ligious tendencies is implied by the next clause in the
record — "John Johnson, Simon Dearborn, James Bios-

230 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH-

som, Joseph Allen, Capt. Levi Dearborn. Phineas Blake
and Gilman Moody were chosen a minister committee.'/
The school committee was filled by Daniel Allen, Ben-
jamin Clough, Matthias Blossom, Levi Dearborn and
Joseph Allen.

The assessors' books for this year show that there
were eighteen houses, eighteen barns and seven shops.
John Blake plied the vocation of shoe-maker and
tanner in one of these. John Chandler had two shops:
he traded in one, the other he used for black-smithing.
His smithy stood near the spot where Mrs. O. \Y.
Cumston's house now stands. It is not known just
when Chandler abandoned black-smithing, but proba-
bly it was no1" far from 1798. His brother, Jeremiah,
had then moved in, and it is thought that the General
gave the business up to him. Jeremiah Chandler lived
on the place now owned by Dr. C. M. Cumston. In
1800 he had a shop of his own, which stood on the site
now covered by C. M. Cumston's stable. Unlike his
illustrious brother and esteemed nephew, this member
of the Chandler family did not contribute to the town's
development, and little is known concerning him.
Benj. Dearborn's shoe-making shop was fourth on the
list. Dearborn was the first shoe-maker among the
pioneers. He was soon followed by Josiah Brown.
Peter Hopkins had a shop. Probably this was the potash
which has already been mentioned. Sewall Prescott
built a blacksmith shop this year, which was recorded
in the enumeration. This shop, which stood a little
south of his house, was burned seven years later. Rob-
ert Withington had a shop where he made reeds for
looms. The number of taxable polls for this year was

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 23 I

eighty-three the number of voters seventy-four, repre-
senting sixty-one families.

The seeond meeting lor 1 794 was held at John
Welch's house, on the 29th of September, to act in re-
lation to the address of the convention which set at
Portland, the previous June, to make arrangements for
the separation of Maine from Massachusetts, and to
appoint a delegate to meet the convention at their ad-
journed meeting the October following. Simon Dear-
born acted as moderator, and John Chandler was chosen
the delegate in question. Other business in relation to
roads and building a meeting-house, was passed over.

Almost twenty years had passed since the first set-
tlement of the plantation, and. as yet, no house of wor-
ship had been erected, nor had much been done to
support gospel preaching. Social services were held
at the houses of those most religiouslv inclined, and
services of a more public character were held at
Ichabod Baker's barn and in the chamber of John
Welch's house. The rapidly increasing population and
the growing interest in religious matters made it nec-
essary to provide a more commodious place of wrorship.
A meeting was called December 1st to consider the
expediency of building a meeting-house, building school-
houses in the several districts, to see if the towrn would
make any alteration in the school districts, accept a
road running from Phineas Blake's to the county road
leading to the Center and abate "all, or any part, of Tim-
othy Wight's taxes." Capt. James Blossom was chosen
moderator. The religious element of the plantation,
earnest in their appeals for a suitable audience room,
were doomed to disappointment. Their appeals were

27,2 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

ignored, as was the petition of those who desired better
educational advantages. It was voted to give Mr.
Wight his poll tax, and all the other articles were sim-
ply passed over. But so important a matter was not
to be extinguished without a greater effort. Another
meeting was called, twenty days later, to consider the
propriety of building "a meeting-house in the center of
the town, or as near the center as the land would admit,
also to determine the location ot the center and to see
how much money the town would appropriate for the
purpose of building a meeting house."1 The question
of a division ot the two southern school districts was
also to be considered, as was the acceptance of the
road mentioned in the report of the last meeting.
Another article in the warrant called for a vote in re-
lation to building school-houses in th^ several districts.
After choosing Capt. Levi Dearborn moderator, the
question relating to school-houses was discussed, re-
sulting in a vote not to raise any money for such
purposes.

The other, and more important, matter received
more favorable consideration. It was voted to build a
meeting-house, and to place it "on the west side of lot
No. 27, joining William iVllen's, on the north side of
said lot." It was furthermore "voted to raise the meet-
ing house by the last of June, or the first of Julv, next."
The dimensions decided upon were sixty feet in length
by forty-five in width, the posts to be twenty feet high.
The sum of two hundred pounds was voted to be raised
to defray the expense of building the house, to be paid
in as early as the 25th day of December, 1775. in corn
at three shillings, rye at four shillings and wheat at five

o

3 £

§ *

z £J.
.iOfQ

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 27,1,

shillings per bushel. Simon Dearborn, John Welch,
Oilman Mooch', Joseph Allen, Ichabod Baker, Caleb
Fogg and Daniel Smith were appointed to serve as
building committee. The vote to raise two hundred
pounds was reconsidered, and amended by a decision
to raise thirty pounds in cash, to be paid as early as the
first of the following June ; thirty pounds in produce, at
the rates named in the original vote, and the balance to
be paid as at first stipulated.

After thoroughly discussing the meeting-house pro-
ject, it was "voted to accept the load as laid out from
Phineas Blake's to strike the county road leading from
N. Monmouth to the Center, coming out in the center
of lot No. 28 " This is the road commonly known as
the Blaketown, or East Monmouth, road.

Coming as it did, almost on the verge of a new year,
the decision to build a house for the public worship of
God was, undoubtedly, engendered by the spirit that
prompts the many good resolutions during the holidays.
The result is proof that it emanated from the same
source, for on the 12th of the following month, just
twenty-three days from the date when the plans were
formulated, at a meeting held at John Welch's for the
purpose of seeing if the town would "reconsider the
proceedings of'the last meeting in regard to building a
meeting-house,'" it was "voted to reconsider those pro-
ceedings in every respect." Ensign Benj. Dearborn
acted as moderator at this meeting. Among other
matters to be considered, was one concerning a survey
and plan of the town, which had been ordered by the
General Court at its last session.

In the spring of 1795 the meeting-house question was

234 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

resuscitated. This time it was desired to "see if the
town would agree to build a meeting-house in the cen-
ter of the town, or as near ,the center as the land and
other circumstances wo*1 Id admit." It was "voted not
to act on this article."1 The action of the town on this
matter seems strange and bewildering. It must be
remembered that a large portion of the religious ele-
ment of the town, at this time, was Methodistic in per-
suasion. From the time that Wager formed here the
first Methodist class in the state, conversions and ad-
ditions to the membership of the church were
almost incessant. The religious element, although not
wholly, was largely represented by this denomination.
At the first proposition to build a church, a unity of
purpose existed among the religious people. Indeed,
this sentiment extended in wider circles, and embraced
many who had no denominational preferences, but who
recognized in the overt worship of God, not only a
principle of justice, but a social and political safeguard.
Thus united, it became an easy matter to secure an
appropriation for building a house of worship. All
preliminaries concluded, it is possible that the question
of ownership arose.

It has been claimed, even in recent years, that the
rules of the Methodist Episcopal church require that
all houses of worship erected by members of the de-
nomination and all church property shall be deeded to
the bishop, and that this was the "bone of contention"
that delayed the building of the church.

Those who really believe this to be true, are referred
to the challenge published by the Rev. Peter Cart-
wright, in his autobiography, some thirty-five years

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 235

ago. Such a requirement does not, and never did,
exist. Two union churches have been erected in town
in which the denomination in question was largely in-
terested. Were either of them deeded to the bishop?
It is, perhaps, unnecessary to say more on the subject,
but to show the absurdity of this excuse for the strange
conduct of our grandfathers, I will state that a copy of
the deed conveying to the Methodist society the land
on which its first house of worship was erected, only
one year later, is in my possession, and that it is entire-
ly free from any reference to the bishop, or any other
officials, except the local board of trustees.

It is highly probable that the question of ownership
may have been discussed. The proposition was for
the town to build the church, which it finally did.
This did not imply that it was to be a union church.
It was to be a town institution, controlled by the annual-
ly elected officials. Outside of the recently organized
Methodist society, there was no religious organization
in town, nor, for that matter, in any of the surrounding
towns, and Methodists, in those days, were, if possible.
less highly esteemed by the general public than the
Salvation Army is now. If the boisterous Methodists
were to occupy the house, the conservative and the
irreligious element did not favor its erection, and if
they could not occupy it at least half of the time, the
Methodists were not inclined to put much money into
it.

The third meeting for 1765 was held on Monday, the
14th of September, Maj. James Norris in the chair.
The first act of the voters was to raise four pounds to
defray town charges. The first article to be consid-

236 HISTORY GF MONMOUTH.

ered, as given in the warr int, was in relation to a sur-
vey of the town, which had been recommended, if not
demanded, by the officers of the Commonwealth several
months before. It was voted to "omit taking a survey."'
The inevitable "meeting-house"' question presented
itself, and this time received the attention it deserved.
By a series of votes, it was decided that a building fifty
by forty feet on the ground plan, should be erected at
a cost of two hundred pounds. This amount was to
be paid in as earl)- as the middle of the following
March. The spot chosen for the site of the building
was "on the north side of lot No. 27, by Win. Allen's."1
The exact location was left to the option of the build-
ing committee. This committee consisted of Joseph
Allen, Dudley B. Hobart. John Chandler, Ichabod
Baker and James Harvey. It was note worth v that the
Methodist society was not represented. The money
appropriated for this purpose was to be paid to the
committee, "the committee to be accountable to the
town.1' The three following articles, viz., "to see if
the town would vote any money to purchase their
quota ot ammunition," "to see what the town would do
about building a bridge over Stockin's mill stream,"
and "to see whether the town would vote any money
to lay out on the roads in the winter season," received
no consideration. The assessment for the meeting-
house fund amounted to $692.18. Of this amount
$183.15 was assessed to non-residents. Raising the
balance made an addition of $2.2^ per capita to
the poll tax. A few citations will give an idea of the
extra financial burden that it placed upon the property
holders. Gen. Dearborn's tax for this one object was

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION.

237

$16.01; Peter Hopkins's, $15.29; Philip Jenkins's,
$14.44; Nathaniel Norris's, $1 2.23 ; James Harvey's,
$12.61; Ichabod Baker's, $11.90; John Chandler's,
$11.79; Caleb Fogg's, $1004; Capt. Preseott's, $8.82;
Thomas Stoekin's, $9.19; Robert Hill's, $6.10; Eben
Thurston's, $3.21. This enlargement of the taxes was
felt greviously by some of the poorer inhabitants, and
all the more so when it was reported that the sum ap-
propriated was insufficient to complete the building,
and that the pews, which were to be free, must be sold
to raise the necessary amount.

Five years passed before the house was finished on
the inside. In the meantime, the doors were left open
to the elements and to stragglers. Sheep found it an
excellent protection frojn the burning heat of the sum-
mer sun, and a refuge from the pestering flies. The
attic was inhabited by a colony of bats. It may be
advsiable to remind the reader that bats were very
numerous in newly settled districts one hundred years
|igo, before venturing to record, as a historic fact, the
statement of a veracious citizen, to the effect that he
sometimes vi sited the place in company with other
boys, each of whom would go away with a hat full of
the curious trophies, leaving many untouched.

CHAPTER X.

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION, (Continued).

The year 1795 opened auspiciously for Methodism in
the Kennebec Valley. Philip Wager's labor had been
abundantly rewarded. Returns exhibited a total mem-
bership of three hundred and eighteen in Maine, and
of this aggregate two hundred and thirty-two lived
within the limits of the circuit of which Monmouth
was a part. The work in this field had now become
too great for one man, and with Enoch Mudge, the
new circuit rider, came Elias Hull as a colleague. Far
better would it have been for Methodism in Mon-
mouth if Mr. Wager had been returned ; but such a
thing could not be in those days of perpetual itineracy.
Enoch Mudge was the first native Methodist preacher
in New England. True as steel, and devoted to his
mission, his ministry here must have been eminently
successful, had he not been Banked at every turn by
the bad influence of his associate. Although only
nineteen years old when placed in charge of this cir-
cuit, he had already gained considerable experience in

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 239

other fields, and was possessed of that clearness of
judgment which, a few years later, won him, twice, a
seat in the Legislature of Massachusetts, and member-
ship in the convention which revised the constitution
of the Commonwealth. Of his colleague, Elias Hull,
but little need be said. He apparently cared nothing
for his work, and left the held before the close of the
year, the vacancy being supplied by Aaron Humphrey,
who afterward joined the Episcopalians, and became
the rector of Christ church, Gardiner Me.

In 1796 Cyrus Stebbins, whose name is still borne by
children of Methodist families of that period, took
charge of the circuit, with John Broadhead as an assist-
ant. Mr. Stebbins was a man of only twenty-four
years, but even at that early age was a preacher of
great ability. His sermons, it is claimed by his biog-
rapher, were often remembered for years, and quoted
by able ministers of the next generation. Speaking of
one founded on the text, "These mine enemies, wrhich
would not that I should reign over them, bring hither
and slay them before me," one of those eminent preach-
ers says: "The whole assembly stood appalled at the
declarations of divine wrrath against all ungodliness;
trembling spread throughout their midst, and many
went home to call on God, and prepare for his coming
retribution." Under Mr. Stebbins pastorate, the advice
given by Mr. Lee at his last visit was carried into
effect. Stimulated by the precedent of their Readrield
brethren, who, the year before, had dedicated the first
Methodist church erected in Maine, the Monmouth
Methodists began to cast about for a starting point.

The apparent hostility of a certain faction of the

240 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

townspeople toward them, while it shut them out from i
their scheme of uniting with those of other denomina-
tional preferences in building a meeting-house, and. for
a time, bent their spirits earthward, was, viewed in the
retrospect, a providential dispensation. Like everv
other society that proposes to join in erecting a union
church, theirs was suffering from an attack of delirium.
A union church, in a complete sense, never did, and
probably never will, exist. While true Christians of
any and all names may clasp hands above sectarian
barriers, and trample them in the dust until they are all]
but ground to powder, there is usually, in every church,
some individual, or clique, robed in the garments of
Christ's followers, and armed with the weapons of the;
devil, who will scrape up with zealous care the disap-
pearing particles, heat them at the forge of some petty
controversy, weld them into bars, and rear them so
high that no friendly hand can over-reach them.

Baffled in their attempts to unite, the Methodists be-
gan to plan a house ot their own. The thought of
building a house alone was stupendous and stag-
gering, but impelled by necessity that was strong-
ly tinctured with faith in God, or by faith flavored
with necessity — it matters not which — they grappled
grappled with the task. If the burden the town assumed
in erecting the meeting-house on the common was
considerable, the one these people stooped to lift
was far greater. They were few in number, not abun-
dantly blessed with means, and were already bearing
a proportionate share of the expense of building the
town church, for which, it would appear, no appropri-
ation could be secured until they had decided to build

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 24I

for themselves. On the twenty-eighth day of Oct.
1795, a building lot on the west side of the road near
Ellis's Corner, was donated by Major David Marston,
with the proviso that it should always be used as the
site of a church edifice. Hammers were beating a
lively tattoo on the town church, one mile south of
them, when the workmen began to lay the sills for the
Methodist meeting-house. And all through the autumn
the frosty morning air carried the sound of ringing
steel back and forth like a continuous echo, as work on
the competitive buildings progressed.

For twenty long years the founders of our towns had
lived without a meeting-house, and now they must
build two at once!

On the last day of May, 1796, the building, closed in
and shingled, but unfinished inside, was dedicated by
Jesse Lee, who returned to his favorite field about the
tenth of that month, it is supposed, and remained until
the middle of June. As has already been stated, up to
that date, only one Methodist church had been built in
Maine, and that but one year earlier. Thus, in addition
to the honor of furnishing the state its first organized
Methodist society, Monmouth can claim almost as
great distinction in regard to church edifices.

The following year a change was made in the Maine
district. Jesse Lee, who had so ably discharged the
duties of presiding elder since the introduction of Meth-
odism in this State, was to be the colleague of Bishop
Asbury, in a general supervision of the American
branch of the church. He presided at the conference,
and appointed Joshua Taylor presiding elder of Maine,
with this circuit as his distinctive field of labor, and

242 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Robert Yallalee, a native of England, who had seen
service in a foreign mission field, co-worker.

Under the ministry of these young men, the church
was greatly prospered. In addition to what came in
the form of an enlargement of membership, this con-
ference year was to be a ''season of refreshing" to the
Monmouth church. Jesse Lee was coming again to
visit them in his new and loftier capacity, and with him
was coming that greatest of all Methodists in America,
Francis Asbury, the ''Pioneer Bishop.'1 No child
could look forward to an audience with the President,
or one of the crowned heads of Europe, with greater
expectancy than these fathers and mothers of the
church looked forward to this meeting with their
bishop. In all respects a great man, Bishop Asbury
had, by extensive travel on this and the other conti-
nent, as well as by his precedence in the church and
oratorical gifts, gained a reputation that was not con-
fined to narrow limits. Wherever the new church had
found followers, his name was written with those of
Whitefield and the Wesleys. Born near Birmingham,
England, and converted when but little more than a
child, he entered immediately into ministerial work, and
by his rapturous eloquence magnetized the vast audi-
ences that crowded to hear him. After serving the
church ten years on his native soil, he came to this
country; and now, in the twenty-sixth year of his min-
istry in the American colonies, he is about to visit, for
the first time, his church in Maine, and to conduct the
proceedings of the third New England conference at
Readfield.

It was far into August, 1798, when Asbury, worn

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 243

; with excessive labor, and suffering the intense penalties
of exposure to all kinds of weather, came beating
through the woods, guided by the indefatigable Lee.
In Asbury's journal, under the date Wed., Aug. 22, is
this entry: uWe rode through the woods to the An-
droscoggin river, thence to Lewiston, where our ap-
pointment for preaching had been made at 2 o'clock,
and another at 4 o'clock. No one attending at 2

[o'clock, we came on to Monmouth, Thursday, Aug.
23d. I was at home at Brother Fogg's.* He and his
wife are pious souls. Su^h, with an increase, may they
live and die! I preached in the open meeting-house,
to a congregation of people that heard and felt the
word. My subject, Ephesians, 6: 13, 18 — Wherefore
take unto you the whole armor,' etc. I was raised a

[a small degree above my feeble self, and so were some
of my hearers." Raised above his feeble self, indeed!
No one who found a place in the congregation that
damp, sultry August day, ever forgot the wonderful
eloquence and power of the preacher's words. If he
was raised a small degree above his feeble self, what

[must have been the strength of his discourse! Early
that evening he left Caleb Fogg's, weary, faint and
sick, but urged on, as ever, by an unremitting zeal and
purpose. They reached Winthrop, where an opportu-
nity had been made for an evening service at the Con-
gregational church. Here the bishop's strength utterly
failed, and he was obliged to lay on Lee the duty of
conducting: the service. Resting one day, he pressed
on to Readfield, finding a passage, as he assures us in
his diary, "as bad as the Alleghany Mountains and

* Caleb Fogg.

244 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Shades of Death." Here he rested until the next
Wednesday, when the conference — the first held in
Maine — opened, with hundreds in attendance. At the
close of this conference, which undoubtedly was, as an
able writer has claimed, the most wonderful gathering
that had ever been held in Maine, Bishop Asbury
turned back toward the western states to complete his
annual round of thousands of miles, and the ministers,
nine in number, hastened to their respective fields,
Taylor returning to this circuit, assisted by Jesse Stone-
man.

In 1799, Jonn Broadhead was appointed to the cir-
cuit, with Nathan Emery as co-worker. The field was
not a new one to Mr. Broadhead; he had been here
three years earlier as colleague of Cyrus Stebbins.
Broadhead was a remarkable man. Of his native abil-
ity nothing more need be said than that, notwithstand-
ing the unpopularity of the sect to which he belonged,
he was, after his removal to the State of Massachusetts, \
elected to represent a district in the legislature, placed
in the executive council, and sent to Congress for a
term of four years, and, as a climax, was offered the
nomination for Governor of the Commonwealth, by the
leading party, which he refused. His associate, Na-
than Emery, a youth of nineteen years, was the son of j
the first settler in Minot, Me. The following year
found Epaphras Kibby, for whom Dr. E. K. Prescott, j
E. K. Blake, Capt. E. K. Norris and other descendants
of the primitive Methodists were named, on the circuit,
with Comfort C. Smith, who, six years later, withdrew
from the conference and settled on a farm at North
Wayne, assistant. Mr. Kibby came to this field greatly

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION.

245

depressed in spirits. He was only nineteen years of
age, and separation by so great a distance from his
home in Connecticut, brought about strong symptoms
of that highly disagreeable, but never fatal,, malady —
homesickness. It was Bishop Asbury's custom to send
his young men into this wild field to test their loyalty
and inure them to the hardships of an itinerant life.
If their zeal was unabated at the end of a year's service
here, they could be trusted with any pastorate. Kibby
was converted in his sixteenth year, and was almost
immediately urged into evangelistic work, and now,
after two years' service near home, was sent to the
ordeal for a thorough test of the metal of which he
was composed. Weary, faint and sick at heart, he sat
one day in the high pulpit of the old Center meeting-
house, which was completed that year, and occasionally
occupied by the Methodists, almost ready to give up
the field and return to his home. He had preached
every day in the week except Saturdays; had travelled
alone in the severest weather through almost impene-
trable forests; slept in log cabins, barns, outdoors, any-
where that night found him; had traversed hundreds of
miles of territory, praying and conversing with people
of all classes, and, as yet, could see no favorable result,
or even indications. He was about to preach a funeral
sermon. The mourners were already in their seats, and
the congregation fast assembling. All at once the
spirit of God seemed to descend upon him and the en-
tire congregation. It was a veritable repetition of
Pentecost. A young couple, fashionably attired and
genteel in appearance, entered the room and took seats
near the door. The lady appeared to be mentally dis-

246 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

tressed, and trembled noticeably as she sank into her
seat. "Without an audible expression," says a writer
who recorded the event, "her countenance and demean-
or exhibited unutterable feeling, and the whole audi-
ence seemed to share it." The young minister, a
moment ago discouraged and filled with fearful appre-
hensions, now arose, filled with the power of the spirit.
"As he advanced in his discourse," says the same
writer, "exhibiting the mercy of God, the feeling of
awe, which had hitherto absorbed the assembly, seemed
to change; a glad and grateful emotion spread through
the congregation; a bright and glorious expression
shone in their faces. The lady, with streaming eyes
and overflowing heart, found peace with God, and
seemed transfigured before them. When they arose to
sing, she united with them, and as they were rendering
the last words of one of Charles Wesley's hymns,

'Give joy or grief, give ease or pain,
Take life or friends away,

But let me find them all again,

In that eternal dav,'

said the lady, 'I sung myself away, and should have
fallen, had not some one set me down.'

She then told the people what the Lord had done for
her soul. Her husband, near her, was smitten down
and dropped upon his seat. The presence of God
seemed to overshadow the place, and the assembly was
overwhelmed. * * * The influence of this remarkable
meeting spread like a flame through the town and
neighboring villages." A young man in the congrega-
tion from Hallowell invited Mr. Kibby to preach in his
town, and this led to the establishment of Methodism

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 247

in that place. By this demonstration of the divine
presence ''the sinking heart of the young minister was
established forever."

The lady whose conversion was accomplished by this
remarkable manifestation of spiritual power was Mrs.
Lydia McLellan, a lady who was destined to occupy
a more prominent place in the history of Maine Meth-
odism than any other person of her sex; and the man
who, under the touch of God's hand, exhibited such
signs of weakness, was Gen. James McLellan, the noted
millionaire.

Mr. McLellan was born in Gorham, Me., May 15,
1777. He was the son of Elexander and Margaret
(Johnson) McLellan, and a direct descendant of Hugh
McLellan, the bold Scotchman who settled in Gorham
when it was known as Narragansett No. 7, and whose
name has been made immortal in history and romance
as the hero of the war with the Narragansetts.

He married, Dec. 19, 1797, Lydia Osgood, daughter
of Stephen and Mary Osgood of Tewksbury, Mass..
and settled in Monmouth immediately after his mar-
riage. On the brow of the hill a few rods south-west
of the residence of Mr. Joseph Given, he erected a large
house in which he resided until 1806, when he exchanged
places with Capt. Ephraim Wilcox, of Bath, and re-
moved to that city. He there engaged in West India
trade and ship-building, and amassed a large fortune.
In the war of 181 2, several of his vessels, of which he
built forty-six, were captured by British men-of-war,
involving him in a loss of half a million of dollars.
From this loss he soon rallied, and became one of the
wealthiest and most influential citizens of Bath. He

248 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

was appointed Brigadier-general of the State Militia, a
position well fitting one of his fine physique and digni-
fied bearing. Although not in youth a professed
Christian, he, in later years, when burdened with the
care of a large commercial business, saw that "one
thing was needful," and although raised almost to the
highest eminence of social and military greatness,
sought God as one who recognized the truth of the
teaching "there is no respect of persons'1' with Him.
Said one of his enthusiastic brothers, "General Mc-
Lellan sought God like a little child." He was greatly
assisted in his religious lite by his wife, who, after re-
moving to Bath, remained true to her God and her
elected denomination. She was, with one exception,
the only person in the vicinity adhering to the princi-
ples of Methodism. In company with her faithful
colleague, she conducted class-meetings and social
services with unremitting regularity, in the face of
opposition and apparent barrenness of results. Years
passed before her labors were rewarded in the conver-
sion of a single individual; but the reward came; and
to-day two towering pinnacles resting on the edifices
that her influence founded, attest her fidelity, and point
their slim fingers to the mansion that she now inhabits.
They had eleven children, three of whom were born
in Monmouth, and one of whom (Peter O.) married
the lady who, after his decease, became the wife of
Prof. Packard of Bowdoin College. Another (Hannah
Eliza) married Rev. J. B. Hustead of the Methodist
Conference, a third (Louise H.) Col. Edward Harding
of Bath; and another, Dr. Henry R. Rogers of Dun-
kirk, N. Y. Their youngest daughter, Nancy Osgood,

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 249

married Sylvanus W. Robinson, of Litchfield, and
another died in New Orleans, of cholera. Gen. Mc-
Lellan was a cousin to Rev. Elijah Kellogg, the famous
writer of books and stories for youthful readers.

On Thursday, Aug. 5, 1800, Jesse Lee again visited
Monmouth. At eleven o'clock he preached "at the
house of Mr. Blake," and at the meeting-house at 4
o'clock. "The large congregation," writes he, "was
deeply affected." It is generally supposed that the
Mr. Blake, at whose house he preached, was Phineas
Blake of East Monmouth; but no evidence exists to
prove that it was not John Blake, who lived on Norris
Hill, and who was, also, a zealous Methodist. Admit-
ting that the distance from the church to the eastern part
of the town made it inconvenient for the people of that
settlement to attend regular services, and that the sermon
preached at Mr. Blake's was for their benefit, we have
no very conclusive evidence, when we consider the
fact that in those days people thought nothing of trav-
elling ten miles to hear so noted a preacher as Jesse
Lee. In the opinion of the writer, the service was
held at neither of these places. The old Methodist
meeting-house was never thoroughly finished, and in
bad weather it afforded about as much protection
against the elements as an umbrella frame stripped of
its covering. At such times the people resorted to the
nearest house — that of Asahel Blake, who was another
member of the church and a lay preacher. The infer-
ence to be drawn lrom this record in Lee's journal is
that a shower drove them to seek shelter at Mr. Blake's
in the forenoon, and that the afternoon being clear,they
repaired to the church, only a few steps away.

250 HISTbRY OF MONMOUTH.

The year 1S01 brought Asa Heath and Oliver Beale
to the circuit. As one of these men, in later years, be-
came a permanent citizen of Monmouth, and reared a
family which was for many years connected with the
leading institutions of the town, it is in keeping with
the arrangements and object of this work to devote
here a few paragraphs to a consideration of his career.

Rev. Asa Heath was born in Hillsdale, Columbia
County, New York, Jul)- 31, 1776. He was of English
descent. His parents were members of the Congrega-
tional church, and from them he received a thorough
Christian training. When he was thirteen years old,
he was led, through the influence of a brother who had
been converted under the labors of Freeborn Garrettson,
to give his heart to Christ, and make an open profession
of religion. Three years later, we find him apprenticed
to a blacksmith of Cornwall, Conn. At the age of
twenty-one, he had served his time, acquired a trade,
and was ready to make a start in the world. His mas-
ter, having found him honest, faithful and industrious,
offered him fair wages and good prospects to remain
in his employ. He accepted the proposition, and set-
tled down to his old forge and anvil. But here he was
not to remain. A broader field lay open before him,
and a higher calling was to be given him. After a
long struggle, to repel the conviction that haunted him,
he finally yielded, and, in 1798, committed Himself to
the Conference held that year in New York, on trial.
He was accepted and assigned to the Pomfret circuit.
How little he thought, while journeying towards his
appointment, harassed with a sense of weakness and
fears of failure, that before leaving his first appointment

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 25 1

he would, in God's hands, perform a work worthy of a
life of patient toil. On the 27th of December, 1798,
he spent the Sabbath with Rev. Joseph Mitchell of
Stockboro, Vt., and preached a part of the day. It was
well for him, as it is well for us all, that he could not
fathom the depths of futurity. Had he known the
influence of that sermon, his whole future life might
have been spoiled with pride and self-conceit. A halt
century later the venerable and celebrated Bishop
Heckling arose at the opening of a session of the Maine
Conference, over which he was presiding, and said that
as this was probably the last time he would be called
to preside in the state, he wished to say that he had
always been pleased to visit the Maine Conference, for
it was by one of its venerable members that he was led
to seek Christ; and pointing to Father Heath, he ex-
claimed. "He is the man." As an unconverted man
he had listened to that sermon at Mr. Mitchells, and
had yielded to its influence on his mind.

In 1799 Mr. Heath was appointed to the Kennebec cir-
cuit in Maine. In 1800 he was ordained Deacon, and
appointed to Portland. In 1801 he was assigned work
on the Readfield circuit as auxiliary to Oliver Beale.
He was married this year to Miss Sarah Moore, daughter
of Hugh Moore of Buxton.* In 1802-3 he was appointed
to the Falmouth circuit. In 1804-5 to Scarboro. Here
he remained twelve years as local preacher, only
preaching occasionally. The pay he had received for
his services did not meet the wants of his family,
even while practicing the most rigid economy. Often

Three of Hugh Moore's daughters settled in Monmouth — Jane, who
married Dr. James Cochrane, Sr,, Mary, who married Daniel Boynton, Sr ,
and Sarah, who married Rev Asa Heath.

252 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

the Methodist preachers did not receive one hundred
dollars per annum, for their services. They did not
enter the ministry for the emolument or advantages it
offered. Nothing but love for Christ and pity for the
unsaved led them to abandon every comfort, and sub-
ject themselves to taunts, ridicule and hardships lor
the itinerancy. It was with many misgivings that Mr.
Heath returned for a time to his trade, to support his
family and provide means for their sustenance while he
again engaged in ministerial work. He did not allow
himself any rest in all those years, but, in addition to
his work at the forge, taught district schools and sing-
ing schools, and preached at Portland, Saco, Scarbo-
rough and Buxton. In 181 2 he was chaplain at one of
the forts near Portland. Having secured, by diligent
application to these diversified pursuits, a promise of
support for his family, he made application to the Con-
ference in 1818 for re-admittance. He was received,
after which he was returned to Scarborough, where he
remained until 1823, when he purchased the farm in
Monmouth now owned by Sanford K. Plummer and
again located. After this we find him agent of Maine
Wesleyan Seminary, in 1830; appointed to the Fayette
circuit in 1832; Milburn circuit (now Skowhegan) in
1833; Industry circuit in 1834; Sidney circuit in 1835;
Windsor circuit in 1836; East Hallowell in 1837, and
Gray in 1838. In 1839 he received a superannuated
relation, and retired to his farm in Monmouth. As a
citizen of this town he enjoyed the fullest confidence,
respect and good will of his townsmen.

Mr. Heath was a man of prepossessing appearance.
He was rather short, but symmetrically built, and inclined

v

REV. ASA HEATH.

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 253

to be handsome, and had, when young, a charming voice.
His sermons were models of clear, instructive, logical
thought. He was a Methodist minister of the primitive
type; but, unlike many of his contemporaries, was
quiet and unexcitable. He always wore the broad-
brimmed hat and long cut-a-way coat of the Quaker, a
costume that many of the early Methodists adopted,
and one that was singularly adapted to his unassuming
manner and mild, genial disposition. In the pulpit he
was calm and moderate, but always pointed and con-
vincing. During his last years, having devoted his life
to a nobler purpose than the accumulation of wealth,
he was largely dependent on his children for support.
The loving hearts of his daughters prompted them to
assist by making coats for a wholesale house, at a mere
pittance each, sewing them entirely by hand. The old
gentleman, knowing the temptation to perform the
work hastily under such circumstances, admonished
his daughters to do the work as carefully as though
they were receiving an adequate return for their ser-
vices, saying, "You don't know, girls, what poor man may
buy that coat." He removed from Monmouth to
Standish in 1844, where he died Sept. 1, i860, aged
eighty-four years, sixty of which had been spent in the
ministry. A short time before his death he preached
in the vicinity of his home, with unusual interest. On
returning to his home, he remarked to his family that
he never enjoyed such a day before, and should never
expect to enjoy such another season this side of Heaven,
and that this was probably his last sermon. On the
following Tuesday, he was prostrated by sickness, and
after seventeen days of great suffering, passed away

254 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

with words of rapture upon his lips. "All bright,
shining," were his last words.

He left seven children, one of whom was Jonathan,
who, for many years, was secretary of the Monmouth
Mutual Fire Insurance Company, a sketch of whose
life will appear in another chapter, and another the
grandfather o*~ Hon. H. M. Heath of political fame.

And now we come to the year 1802, a date memo-
rable in the history of the town and the history of
Methodism as well. The New England Conference,
which then embraced, as its name implied, the entire
association between Nova Scotia and New York, came
to Monmouth to hold its annual session. Bishop As-
bury, the pulpit orator of more than national fame, had
for weeks been working his way along, on horseback,
from South Carolina, to attend this assembly of his
young ministers and circuit riders in the Eastern states.
He was joined in Baltimore, it is supposed, by Bishop
Whatcoat, who had been ordained as an assistant to
the rapidly failing "pioneer bishop" only a few months
before. For a long time, preparations had been going
on for the reception of guests. Since the conference
of 1798 the church had been growing in all the Eastern
states, and there was every reason to expect a large
attendance. Capt. Sewall Prescott's house, the build-
ing on High St. now commonly known as the "Old
Fort," was selected as the place of meeting, rather than
the meeting-house, because there were more houses
near it where the preachers could be accommodated,
and more particularly on account of the unfinished con-
dition of the meeting-house. The house was a new
one, built only the year before. In the second story

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 255

was a long hall running the entire length of the build-
ing, and occupying one half of its width. On three
sides benches were built into the wall to accommodate
spectators, and the main floor gave abundant room for
dancing and other amusements. In this room was
conducted the New England Conference of 1802. In
Bishop Asbury's journal we find this entry: ''District
of Maine, Tuesday, June 29, 1802. We stopped at
Falmouth, and within sight of Portland. Although we
rode thirty miles, I was obliged to preach; my subject
was 2 Timothy 4: 7, — T have fought a good fight," etc.
Wednesday, 30th. We had a racking ride of about
forty-five miles to Monmouth; our breakfast we took
at Gray, and dinner with Mr. Bradbury at New Glou-
cester. Thursday, July 1. Our conference continued
three days. We had fifteen members and nine proba-
tioners. The married preachers who came deficient to
our conference received about one hundred and twenty
dollars; the single brethren, about sixty-two dollars,
and the probationers a small donation of about two
dollars each, which came from far. We had three
sermons. The whole of my doing was to read two
letters, exhort a little and examine the deacons. Samuel
Ilillman, John Gove, Gilman Mood}- and Joseph Baker
whom Brother Whatcoat ordained. The business ol
our Conference was concluded in great peace and
order. I can rejoice that by supplies from Baltimore
and New York Conference, added to those of the Dis-
trict of Maine and Boston, we have a goodly number
of faithful, zealous young men. '

Sunday, July 4th opened serene and beautiful. At
an early hour the roads were filled with men, women

256 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

and children, all bending their steps up the hill towards
Capt. Prescott's. Dust-covered horsemen, sometimes
alone, sometimes accompanied by a wife or daughter
sitting on a pillion behind, and clinging with both arms
around the driver, emerged from the woods in all
directions, and came cantering up the rough road with a
pace moderated to the sanctity of the day. Men
dressed in long, straight-cut coats buttoned close to
the throat, and wearing broad brimmed hats, joined the
procession from houses adjacent to the Captain's.
These were the preachers and circuit riders; some of
them having ridden hundreds of miles to be present.
Here and there among the throng appeared a huge,
plain bonnet of the "shaker" species, surmounting, to
the utter obscuration of the wearer's face, a "meekly
folded shawl," or kerchief, and a Quaker-styled dress.
These were the mothers of the church, conservative of
the form and custom, as well as of the spirit, of Meth-
odism. As the morning expanded, and the sun lifted
toward the point of turning, the groups became larger,
and the space between them less, until the road was
well filled with the moving multitude. But for the
unusual quietness of demeanor, and the deep solemnity
that seemed to rest on all, and even to pervade the
inanimate objects of nature, an observer might have
supposed that a Fourth of July celebration was to be
held at Capt. Prescott's new house; and, indeed, it was
such a celebration as the day demands. Far better
were it for our people, our institutions and our country
if the day we celebrate by burning powder and blow-
ing fish-horns could be set apart as a day of national
thanksgiving and praise to Him who gives us our

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 257

liberty amd preserves us in its enjoyment.

Arrived at the house, as many women as could be
accommodated, found seats in the hall and in rooms
! below, while nearly three thousand persons stood out-
| side, intent on hearing the word.

Five sermons were preached during the day; and all
the time the eager thousands, protecting themselves as
■ best the)- could from the penetrating rays of the sun,
j waited to hear and see more of the eloquent preachers.
I How like the sermon on the mount it must have
seemed! The services concluded with a love feast,
\ the administration of the sacrament, and the ordination of
I five elders, Comfort Smith, Epaphras Kibby, Daniel
• Webb, Asa Heath and Reuben Hubbard. Kneeling
. outside the door, in the presence of that large con-
' course, they bent their heads to receive the imposition
; of hands by the venerable Asbury, and aros^ to go from
this "season of refreshing" into the hardships and dan-
gers of new, and in many instances barren, fields, car-
rying into effect the parting prayer of the bishop, "May
ithey open the door of the church of God in discipline,
jand the way to Heaven by preaching the gospel."

To Joseph Snelling and Samuel Hillman was com-
mitted the care of the local circuit. Mr. Snelling was
a native of Boston, and was the first preacher sent out
by the Methodists of that city.

Rev. Samuel Hillman was born at Martha's Vine-
:yard, Mass., in 1769. When nineteen years old, he
removed to Livermore, Me., where he was converted
four years later. His conversion was not the result of
excitement. All alone in the woods, two miles from
any human observer, in the midst of a violent thunder

258 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

storm, he sought and found peace with God.

One year later, Jesse Lee came through the wilder-
ness bringing the truths of the gospel and the tenets of
Methodism. Mr. Hillman heard him preach, recog-
nized the similarity of their experience and faith, and
accepted Methodism as his creed. "He was married
to Miss Jane Norton and removed to Monmouth;
joined the Methodist church, and soon received license
to preach," says Dr. Allen, in his History of Methodism.
The facts are acknowleged, but the sequence ques-
tioned. Mr. Hill man's name does not appear on the
tax list until 1809, and it is not probable that he made
this his permanent home before that time, or that he
removed to this place before receiving a license to
preach.

There are papers in existence which show that he
was licensed as a local preacher in the Methodist
church at a quarterly conference held in Monmouth,
Sept. 9th, 1796, and that his license was renewed in
the same place, June 6th, 1798, and these points have
been presented as proofs that he was a resident of
Monmouth prior to 1809. Admitting that this is good
evidence, a habit of carefully digesting and comparing
data, which if formed at an earlier date, would have
prevented some slight errors from creeping into the
first part of the book, prompts the presentation of the
other side of the argument. In those days it was not
at all unusual for a man to connect himself with a
church several miles distant from his home. It will be
remembered by those who read the last chapter care-
fully, that Mr. Potter of Litchfield, soon after his con-
version, joined the Baptist church at Harpswell, that

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 259

being the nearest organization of the denomination.
Monmouth was the banner town (if the expression is
allowable in this connection) of Maine Methodism, and
it would not be at all singular if Mr. Hillman placed
his name with this society, even while residing at
Livermore, where a Methodist church was not organ-
ized until 1802. This was, undoubtedly, the nearest
point which supported a regular organized society, the
Methodist converts in Leeds having been "spoiled in
the hands of the potter," as Jesse Lee facetiously re-
marked, in referring to their being led into the Baptist
communion through the influence of Rev. Mr. Potter.

It is hardly conceivable that a man could become a
citizen of a town in those days, when the common-
wealth was so eager to secure support that even minors
were taxed after attaining the age of sixteen years,
without having his name placed on the assessors'
books.

While the exact date of his selecting Monmouth as
his home may be of small moment, except to the stu-
dent of history, to whom even trivial events are freight-
ed with intense interest, the fact of his becoming a cit-
izen of this town is a matter of great value, giving to
Monmouth, as it did in his posteiity, her idol son and
eminent representative.

In 1802, as has already been stated, Mr. Hillman
was received on tral at the session of the New Eng-
land conference which convened at Capt. Prescott's,
ordained travelling deacon by Bishop Whatcoat, and
appointed auxiliary to Rev. Joseph Snelling on the
Readfield circuit. Subsequently he was ordained trav-
elling elder by Bishop Asbury. His later appoint-

l6o HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

ments were Hallowell, Bristol, Union, Falmouth and
Scarboro'. In 1809, or earlier, he purchased a farm in
Monmouth, but continued in active itinerant service,
having for his field of labor the same year, Poland, and
for the two following years, Livermore and Hallowell.
His motive for making Monmouth his home durini
these years of itinerancy, evidently, was to secure for
his children the advantages afforded by the academy,
which was then an institution of more than local fame.
In 181 1, the year ol his appointment to the Hallowell
circuit, his name disappears from the Monmouth rec-
ords, and it is probable i"hat he removed his family to
Hallowell. where there was another academy. After
two years of service on the Hallowell circuit, he was
appointed to Pittston, and in 18 14 was returned to the
Readfield circuit. The following year he was appoint-
ed to the Livermore circuit, and in 181 6 he located in
Monmouth, on the farm now known as the '"Kingsbury
place," near the brow of Norris hill, where he remained
until his decease in 1849.

Mr. Hillman was a man of marked ability-, strong,
self-reliant, original and of great depth of character.
He was highly esteemed by his townsmen, and was in
great demand as a preacher, a sermon by "Father
Hillman" being considered an intellectual feast. It is
stated that he preached in this and other towns, after
locating, not far from two hundred funeral sermons.

His intellectual strength was supplemented by a
grand physique and a commanding presence, which
augmented, in no small degree, his popularity. He
was formed much like his grandson, Rev. J. R. Day;
his height — six feet and seven inches — being greater,

d-^ &^^vn/U-&^7

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION.

26l

but holding the same well-moulded proportions. His
sermons were able productions, logical, pointed and
unsparing, and were delivered with absolute freedom
from sensational and oratorical artifice. In fact, utter
disregard of conventionalities was the one thing that
prevented his rising to the level of a pulpit orator.
When he became thoroughly enthusiastic in his dis-
course, nearly every phrase was punctuated by draw-
ing in his breath with a suck, as if to bring into place
an erratic false tooth, and every point that required ad-
ditional force was emphasized by rising on tiptoe, an
attitude which, considering his natural height, attracted
as much attention to the preacher as to the point he
desired to enforce.

He was strong in his decisions and bold in his man-
ner of speech. This boldness was not confined to his
pulpit utterances. Whatever he said, in public or
private, came straight-cut and square-edged. This
trait was not due to a brusque disposition, as some
might be led to suppose, but was a result of his une-
quivocal honesty.

His cogency in argument were transmitted in a
marked degree to his descendant. On one occasion, at
least, he was floored by one of his children.

His son, Samuel, yielding to a boyish impulse, had
thrown a thistle against the bare ankles of a spinster
who was working at her wheel. She complained of
the disrespectful act to the lad's father, who immediately
instituted a court of inquiry. The defendant was
found guilty and ordered to apologize. He attempted
to evade the humiliating obligation by claiming that
he did not know what to sav. The father sjave him a

262 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

form of words which he repeated in a very indifferent
and unsatisfactory manner. ''Samuel," said the punc-
tilious judge, "I am afraid that that is not a very sin-
cere confession." "It is one of your own make, sir,"
was the startling and irresistible reply.

"Mr. Hillman," says Allen's History of Methodism,
"was a decided republican. While preaching on the
Hallowell circuit, in 181 1 and 1812, the people were
divided in politics. The embargo and the declaration
of war with great Britain were subjects of bitter con-
troversy. It was not easy for a preacher of such de-
cided opinions as Mr. Hillman to be silent on the ex-
citing questions of the times. Some of his hearers
were federalists and were not a little offended that
their preacher should meddle with politics. His con-
gregations were considerably thinned by his strong ut-
terances. The Congregationalist minister at Augusta,
being invited to preach before a company of soldiers
quartered at that place, had given great offence by
preaching from thj following words of Scripture, 'This
year shalt thou die, because thou hast rebelled against
the Lord.' The indignant soldiers sent for the Meth-
odist preacher (Mr. Hillman), who cheered on the
band of soldiers, rousing them to the highest pitch of
enthusiasm by a spirited discourse from the words, 'Go
in this thy might, and thou shalt save Isreal from the
hands of the Midianites. Have not I sent thee?'"

Mr. Hillman was strongly attached to the Scriptures,
and the Bible was his constant companion. When he was
well advanced in life he received a fall which frac-
tured a limb. Thus disabled, he improved his time
by studying the Bible, and finished reading it in course

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 263

eight\ -eight times.

Nothing noteworthy is found in the history of the
church until 1809, except the final visit of Jesse Lee in
August, 1808. His journey through the scenes of his
former labors was ua continuous ovation." Arriving at
Monmouth, he preached in the meeting house at half-
past ten, Sunday, Aug. 7. with uncommon power. In
the afternoon he preached again from James 1:12 to a
congregation so large that many were obliged to stand
out doors. In the evening, he met the people at Caleb
Fogg's in a social service. Taking an affectionate leave
at the close of this meeting, he departed never to re-
turn. His mission on Readfield circuit had been wtll
fulfilled. Like Paul parting with the elders at Ephe-
sus, he could say, ''I am pure from the blood of all
men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all
the counsel of God.1'

In 1809 the New England conference again convened
at Monmouth. No account of the proceedings have
been preserved except a few lines in Bishop Asbury's
journal. The bishop was rapidly succumbing to the
inevitable laws of Nature and required a traveling com-
panion to assist him in his work. He savs, "We parsed
through Berwick. Monday morning, and continuing on,
stopped and supped with one Wells. We were here
two years ago. We then prayed earnestly for, and
with, the kind family. It was not a forlorn hope it
seems ; the young woman who waited on us was brought
out last August. We rode on through Kennehunk to
Saco. Lodging in a tavern we were opposed, but per-
sisted in having prayers night and morning. Asa Heath
gave us our breakfast, and we pushed on to New

264 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Gloucester, making about eighty-four miles in two
days. On Thursday we opened our conference and
sat closely at work. Sunday, July 18, I preached to
about three thousand deeply attentive people from
Isaiah 44:23, 'Sing, O ye heavens,' etc. It was an open
f-eason."

In the meantime, t n new preachers had served on
the circuit — Thomas Perry, as associate with Joseph
Snelling, in 1803; Joseph Baker, in 1804; Aaron Hum-
phrey, William Goodhue and John Williamson, 1805;
Dyer Burge and Benj. F. Lambard, 1806; David Batch-
elder and Henry Martin, in 1807, and Ebenezer Fair-
banks with James Spaulding, in 1808. From this time
up to 1827. when Monmouth was set off from Read-
field circuit having Leeds and Wayne as class towns,
we have a list of eighteen preachers. In 1809, David
Kilburn was the p eacher in charge. The next y ar
Caleb Foo-g was placed over the circuit with E.
Hyde, assistant. Zachariah Gibson came in 181 2, with
T. F. Norris for a helper. The next year brought Cy-
rus Cummings to the field, with David Hutchinson as
an auxiliary. David Hutchinson was at this time a re-
markable figure in the church. Fresh from the sea,
which he had followed as captain of a ship, without
any training, he plunged immediately into the work of
the ministry, yielding to a conviction which had followed
him ever sine his conversion two years before. He
was a trifle above thirty years of age, stalwart and com-
manding in manner, a natural consequence of his for-
mer vocation, and the possessor of a clear and logical
mind.

In 1814, Samuel Hillman, formerly a colleague of

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 265

Joseph Snelling, and now a resident of the town, was
placed at the head ot the ci-cuit. Following him, came
Daniel Wentworth, E. W. Coffin and Ebenezer T.
Newell. In 181 7 Daniel Wentworth was returned.
and after him came Philip Munger. Mr. Munger's
home whilt- in town was a small house that stood in
the heater-piece south-east of the residence o* Fred K.
Blake, in the eastern part of the town. Two of his

I sons, Cyrus and Charles C, became able ministers of
the gospel, and John W. is a member of the Cumberland
bar. While living in Monmouth, a servant girl became
enraged at some childish prank of the latter and threw
him into the open fire-p'ace. Although terribly burned,

I he recovered, but has ever since borne the marks of
that terrible moment. As if this unfortunate episode
was not sufficient to keep Monmouth ever fresh in Mr.
Munger's memory, another of his children was killed
during his stay here bv the fall of an < ld-fashioned
clock.

In 1 82 1, Aaron Fuller, who the same year was taken
into the Conference on trial, supplied the circuit. Mr.
Munger had it the next year with Gilman Moody, and
for the next two years Caleb Fogg had the pastoral
charge. Then c;ime successively. Eleazer Wells, 1824;
Benjamin Burnham, 1825 and Aaron Sanderson,
1826.

Aaron Sanderson was a member of a ministerial
family. His lather was Stephen Sanderson, who re-
moved from Littleton, N. H., and settled in 1788, in
Waterford, Me., where Aaron was born, Oct. 4, 1802
Of his seven brothers and sisters, Stephen and Moses
became, like himself, Methodist preachers, and Sarah,

266 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

the wife of a Methodist preacher. Aaron was educated
in the district schools, where, meagre though his ad-
vantages may have been, he secured an education that,
coupled with his strong native genius, gave him eminent
standing among the preachers of his generation. At
the age of sixteen he was converted, and six years later
he received license to preach, Durham circuit being as-
signed as his first pastorate. In 1828, he married Cath-
arine Howard of Winthrop, a lady whose noble charac-
ter and steadfast pietv especially fitted her for the life-
companion of a Christian minister.

Mr. Sanderson was appointed presiding elder of the
Augusta district in 1844, and at the close of a term of
three years, was appointed to a similar position in the
Gardiner district. In 1850 he rented a place in Mon-
mouth to which he removed his family. The next year
he was appointed pastor of Chestnut St. Church. <>f
Portland, and in 1852 was placed at the head of the
Portland district. His subsequent apponitments were
Saco, 1856-7 and Augusta 1858-9. For the three years
following 1864, he presided over the Readfield district,
and from 1867 to 1870, over the Gardiner district.
On being returned to the Gardiner district, he purchased
the Norris stand on Norris Hill and again became a]
resident of MonmouUi. He sold the farm to Geo. \V.
Norris in 1875, his appointments being such that the!
location which had been a very central and desirable
one, was not at all suited to the requirements of his j
work. In 1878, on account of failing health, he re-
ceived a superannuated relation, and removed to Mon-
mouth, where he remained until his decease, which oc-
curred Feb. 9, 1886.

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 267

'•During the last eight years of his life." says Dr.
Allen, in his History of Methodism, "Bro. Sanderson
was unable to take work, and made his home with his
children in Monmouth. His health continued to de-
cline. On the 25th of Oct., 1884, the great sorrow of
his life came to him in the death of his wife; this was
a crushing blow.

The nature of his disease led to seasons of mental
depression, which, however, were succeeded by radiant
hope. His last utterance was a few lines of a favorite
hymn :

'Lord Jesus he our constant guide,

And when the word is given,
Bid death's cold flood its waves divide,

And land us safe in heaven.'

"* * * Bro. Sanderson was of spotless life and con-
versation, popular on every charge and faithful to ev-
ery trust. He had a modest estimate of himself, a high
sense of honor, and a remarkably buoyant and cheer-
ful disposition; a delightful companion and a true
Christian gentleman.

As a preacher he was animated, ready, accurate in
quoting Scriptures and hymns, and apt in illustration,
and remarkable for point and brevity.

He was thoroughly orthodox in doctrine, strongly
conservative in his views of church polity and deeply
interested to aid the enterprises of the church. He
was greatly beloved by his brethren in the Conference,
and by his neighbors."

Mr. Sanderson remained on the circuit only one year
following his appointment in 1826, and the next year
his brother, Moses Sanderson, who was his senior by

268 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

three years was placed in charge.

Moses Sanderson was the lirst settled preacher on
the Monmouth circuit. This circuit, formed in 1827,
included, as has been intimated, the towns ot Wayne
and Leeds. The history of Mr. Sanderson's life is
confined to the Conference minutes, in which we find
him registered first in Monmouth, then in ^ray and
Friendship sucessiyely, and in 1830 transferred to the
New Hampshire Conference. Late in life, he remove!
to Wisconsin. His widow, Jane Randall Sam'erson,
died in Glidden, Iowa, Dec. 30, 1892, at the advance!
age of ninety-one years. A grandson, through whom
the information came, is studying for the ministry, which
demonstrates that the religious vitality of the family is
not yet exhausted.

O. Bent came in 1828, and was returned in 1832. D.
Crockett came in 1829, and was followed by Rev. D.
Clarke whose name appears later in the minutes of
the Past Maine Conference. Rew M. Davis had been
in service at two appointments in Oxford county, be-
fore his pastorate here in 1831. He died four years
later.

Mr. Tripp preached here a portion of the year 1832.
Rev. D. Stimpson came the next year and Rev. B.
Bryant took the charge in 1834. Rew E. Withee.
who came in 1836, was a man of marked genius, broad
versality and unlimited eccentricity. kT don't belieye
in giving; the devil all the best tunes," said he at his
first prayer-meeting, and starting a lively air, he rat-
tled the demi-semi quavers in around the unwilling
syllables of one of Charles Wesley's hymns in a way
that would haye caused that sedate personage to throw

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 269

up his hands in holy horror. It was, without question,
an innovation for which he could claim t^e whole
credit. It amused the young folks, aroused the sleepy
ones, and caused the fathers and the mothers of the
church to shrink and writhe like rushes in the northern
blast. Remonstrances* and rebukes a\ ailed nothing1.

o

Sometimes a good sister on the alert to vindicate the
honor of the old hymnology, would get a chance to
s mdwich old "Turner" or a particular minor in between
-••Id Zip Coon" and "Hail Columbia," but usually
Withee led off, and such a shaking up as those aston-
ished old "pennyrials" got in his hands! If anv one
questioned his allegiance to the institutions and doc-
trines of the church, he soon established it. The plain
costume worn by the primitive Methodists had been
abandoned by the women of the society, and one more
in conformity with the idea of the times substituted.
Mr. Withee proceeded at once to bring them back to
the less agreeable customs of former davs. With the
skill of a professional milliner he constructed bonnets
of the old standard type, and enforced their use. The
old meeting-house still remained in an unfinished state.
The rough beams, festooned with fantastic cobwebs of
many an ancient day, were an eye-sore to the whimsi-
cal pastor. Selecting a rain}- day for the application
of the text, he preached to them from Haggai i : 4 "Is
it time lor you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled houses,
and this house lie waste?' The m<~>nied men of the
congregation flinched a little at this thrust, and they
flinched still more as volley alter volley of untrimmed
oratory came pouring down from the pulpit. The
rain commenced to drp through the leaky roof; mix-

270 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

ing with the dust of the cobwebs, it formed dirty little
puddles on the seats, and played with indiscriminate
fondness on m my a polished shirt-front. "You might
have the droppings ol the sanctuary instead of this dir-
ty water,1' cried the preacher, as his congregation
commenced to huddle up into the dry places He had
taken sure aim. The church was repaired without de-
lay.

It was originally, like the old yellow meeting-house
on the common, a two-storied building. In the lortv
years that had elapsed since it was erected, church
architecture had undergone a marked change. The
high pulpit from which the minister looked down on
the heads of his congregation like a hawk preparing to
descend on a brood of chickens, was no longer consid-
ered an essential feature, and with this removed, there
was no call for the immense height which was a
leading point in the construction of all churches built
in the last century. A cutting-down process, by which
it lost at least one-third of its altitude, reduced the
building to about the proportions of a modern church
structure.

After Mr. Withee, came a man equal ly as eccentric,
though of an entirely different turn — ikCampmeeting
John" Allen — a sketch of whose life it would be super-
fluous to give. He had then just entered on his work in
the Christian ministry. Obadiah Huse followed him with
this as his first pastorate. He was transferred to the
East Maine Conference, and died in 1887. S. S. Hunt
came next. For unknown reasons he was removed,
and Rev. I. Downing supplied the rest of his term
and was retained the following year. Richard H.

A RELIGIOUS REFORMATION. 27 1

Ford was next in turn, and 1840 found Ezekiel Robin-
son the father of Airs. Dr. Torse)- on the charge.

In 1842 David Hutchinson, the sailor prea her, who
came as an auxiliary to Mr. Cummings in 1813, re-
turned, now a venerable man twice honored with the
office of presiding elder, and bearing the culture which
an associ ition of nearly thirty years with educated
people must bring. Marcus Wight took the charge
the next year. He was an honest, blunt preacher,
holding a very modest estimate of his own abilities,
but forcible and fluent, and, above all, thoroughly com-
mitted to his work. The church was destroyed by
tire this year and for the two years following, meet-
ings were held in private houses. Just how the fire
caught will never be known. A singing school was
held in the building the night before it was burned,
and it is supposed by some that a stick of wood, which
for some reason was taken from the stove and placed
under a bench in the back part of the house, committed
the mischief. Rev. J. Higgins came in 1844, and re-
mained two years. In the first year of his pastorate a
new meeting-house was built on the lot now owned by
Mr. Wheeler at the juncture of Main and High
streets. This building was removed in 1866, with
considerable oppos.non or the part of some of the pew
holders, to a site near the Center. Rev. B. Foster, a
preacher of considerable merit, afterward transferred
to the East Maine Conference, 1 eld the pastorate in
1846-7. Me was relieved by Rev. Rufus Day, who
married a daughter of Dr. James Cochran, and who is the
father of Rev. J. W. Dav, for many years presiding el-
der in the East Maine Conference. From the year

272 HISTORY OF .MONMOUTH.

1850, the pastors have been:S. P. Blake, 1850; I.
Lord, 1851; R. H. Stinchtield, 1852-3; S. M. Emerson,!]
1854; J. Mitchell, 1855-6; Dudley B. Holt, 1857-8; I]
E. Martin, 1859-60; W. B. Bartlett, 1861-2; N. Hob-
art, 1863-4; J- C- Perr)'^ 1865-6; D. B. Randall,
1867-8; P. Hoy t, 1869; (Mr. Hoyt died Sept., 1869.) ;|
J. O. Thompson, 1869-70; E. K. Colbv, 1871-2; F. ■
Grosvenor, 1873-4; ^- Waterhouse, 1875-6; R. H. -
Kimball, 1877-8; True Whittier, 1879-80; O. S. Pills- •
bun-, i88i~3;G. D. Holmes, 1884-6; E. Hewitt. 1877- i
8; J. H. Roberts, 1879-91; F. W. Smith, 1892 and W. \
B. Eldridge, 1893.

About 1858, a parsonage was purchased at Mon-
mouth Center. The house now owned by Mrs. Al- ]
mira Prescott having been used as a parsonage sever- ■
al years. Through the effort of Rev. F. Grosvenor a
vestry was erected south of the church in 1874. and !
during the pastorate of Rev. O. S. Pillsbury, the audi- :
torium was frescoed and a fine-toned bell hung in the I
towTer.

m.

FT

CHAPTER XI.

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY

The period from 1793 to the close of the century,
although one of continued growth, was, aside from the
occurrences connected with the religious reformation,
uneventful and devoid of marked historic interest.

New families continued to pour in ; hardly a month
passing without an increase in the number.

On the 28th of April, 1794, Nathaniel Smith sold his
clearing and lands in the vicinity of Ellis Corner to
David Marston of North Hampton, N. H.

The farm on which Mr. Smith made his last clear-
ing is now a portion of the well-known "Dr. Day place."
The house was taken down nearly a half-century
ago, and the one erected by his son, James F. Smith,
to take its place has been destroyed by tire in recent
years. It stood a little south of the farm buildings of
Rev. Dr. Day, on the opposite side of the highway.

Mr. Smith reared a family which, like many others
of the sterling, pioneer stock, has entirely disappeared
from among us. One of his sons, J. Alden Smith, oc-

274 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

cupies the position of Processor of Geology in the State
University of Colorado.

David Marston was a descendant in the fifth genera-
tion of William Marston, who came to America in 1634,
settling in Newbury, and afterwards removing t(
Hampton, N. K., where the generations intervening be-
tween him and the subject of this sketch resided, and
where David was born Sept. 4. 1757. David's father
was captain of a company of the heroes of the Revo-
lution. In 1780 he married Mary Wadleigh of Ep-
ping, N. II., and after the close of the war, worked at
his trade of tanning and shoemaking until he removed
to Monmouth.

Mr. Marston was a man of great energy and consid-
erable ability. In the militia he gained the title of
Major, a title most fitting to a man of his dignitv and
firmness.

When the Methodist society first contemplated build-
ing a church. Major Marston donated a lot to the trus-
tees for a building-spot. In later years, after the struct-
ure erected on this land was burned, it was pro-
posed to build again, nearer the center of the townj
and the old lot was offered for ^ale. "No," said the
Major, "I sold that lot for a meeting-house, that they]
might preach and expound God' Holy Word," and not-
withstanding all attempts to take the land by prescription,
he held it to the last. This incident not only illustrates
his great exactness, but smacks of the eccentricitv that
marked his declining days. He attained the rare age]
of ninety-three years. His last sickness was long and
wearisome; during which his mind wandered back
over the scenes that had deeply impressed themselves

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 275

on his youthful memory, and main- days were spent on
the battle-fields of the Revolution and in wandering over
plains strewed with the mangled corpses of his youth-
ful companions until, at ast, the aged body, racked
and wearied in its attempts to keep pace with the still
vigorous, though aberrant, intellect, sank back into its
final rest. All this time, through weeks and months.
the Major insisted on wearing a soft, white hat for
which he had a particular fancy, day and night, never
suffering it to be r- moved from his head for a moment.
It was his last whim, and those who watched over him
in those days of feebleness never regretted that it was
gratified.

Lewis Marston, son of the above, shortly before his
decease, which occurred in 18 10, when he was but 27
years of age, was engaged in trade at the store which
stood on the ledge south of his father's house He
was h young man of more than ordinary ambition and
ability, as is attested by the fact that when only twenty
one years of age he bad accumulated considerable
property in his own name. The store where he trad-
ed was moved, not far from 1850, to Greenleaf A.
Blake's, and is now one of the buildings owned by
Mr. Thompson.

James and Nathaniel Nichols settled not far from
1794 in the eastern part of the town. They were twin
sons of James Nichols, a veteran of the American Rev-
olution wrho emigrated to this country from the north of
Ireland with the Scotch-Irish Protestants who settled in
New Hampshire. They were, like their father, black-
smiths. Their anvil, an unshapely block of hammered
iron which was brought from Ireland, is now in the pos-

276 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

session of S. O. King, Esq., of Monmouth Centre.

James settled on the farm now owned by Mr. Govvan.
He purchased the land in a wild state and cleared it.
Nathaniel, who was an officer in the Continental Army,
took up and cleared the adjoining farm, now known asi
the "Tillson place." He afterward exchanged farms with
Nathaniel Hawes, who owned and cleared the one now
occupied by Mr. Frank Jones, and later purchased thej
Gowan farm of his brother, who removed to the east-!
ern part of the state. Late in life, Mr. Nichols erected
the brick house which now stands on the place. His
wife was Nancy Blake, daughter of Phineas Blake. She;
was a most devoted and enthusiastic Methodist, whila
her husband was equally as strong an adherent to the
Universalist creed. Strange to say, their children were
equally divided in religious opinion, one half following
the example of the motherland the other half clinginl
to the theological tenets of the father.

Joseph Nichols, a brother of the above, came from
New Hampshire some years later than his brothers,
and settled directly opposite the school-house near Frank
Jones's. His wife was Nancy Bryant of Meredith, N. H.

Another immigrant of the same period was Capt.'
William P. Kelly, who came through from MeredithJ
N. H., dragging his household effects through the cow-
paths on a four-ox-team. His wife rode behind on
horseback, carrying a child in her arms, and following
her was another horse on which were mounted William
and Sarah, their oldest children. They found a hornet
on the crest of Stevens Hill where Mrs. Rhoda A. Pres-
cott now lives. Capt. Kelly was in the Revolutionary
War. He enlisted on a privateer, was captured and

JLj

fiSI in%
m$i « / >

JO V B_

mynmn

w. IP *

tip*

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 2 77

carried to Dartmoor prison, where he was held about
fourteen months. To kill time, he joined a school
which the better educated prisoners instituted, where
he secured nearly all the education he ever boast-
ed. He was Captain of the "foot" company in 1804,
and probably gained his title as commander of this local
military organization. I le was an energetic, industrious
man with a keen eye for business, and owned mills at
East Monmouth which brought him a good revenue.
When Capt Kelly began his clearing on the top of
hill, there was, just below him on the north, a large
farm which was already in a fair state of cultivation.
For eight years Phineas Blake and his sons had been
cutting away the forest and preparing the way for a
settlement in that part of the town. Phineas Blake, in
selecting the spot on which the "George Riley Blake
house" now stands for the location of his home, did a
very curious thing — something that not one of the
pioneers who preceded him had ventured to do — built
his house at the foot of a hill. He was the fp-st of the
New Hampshire colonists who settled in the eastern
part of the town, and undoubtedly his acquaintance
and association with the settlers in the western portion
served to unite them with those on the banks of the
Cohbosee-contee below him, who were all, from
former associations, connected with the people of
Winthrop. Mr. Blake was a tailor and farmer. He
enlisted, Apr. 27, 1758, in Capt. Oilman Somersbee"s
company, under Col. John Hart, for Crown Point, the
seat of Indian warfare, and, after performin signal
service, was discharged Oct. 20th following. His wife
was Ruth Dearborn, daughter of Simon and a sister of

270 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Monmouth's foremost citizen, Gen. Henry Dearborn.

Mr. Blake reared a large family, the youngest of
which was seven years of age when he settled in Mon-
mouth, and he was exceedingly fortunate in having them
all select homes near the old nest. His oldest daugh-
ter, Sally, married Capt. Wm. P. Kelly, who has already
Deen mentioned, with whom she lived in Meredith,
N. H., about nine years before removing to Monmouth.
Dearborn, the oldest son, settled on the farm now owned
by Charles Merrill; Molly married Josiah Brown, and
came to this town one year earlier then the rest of her
father's family; Phineas, jun., settled on the farm now-
owned by his great-grandson, Fred K. Blake; Pascal
remained on the home place; Abigail married Abner
Bingham; Anna, Nathaniel Nichols; and Ruth, John A.
Torsey; all of whom settled within a half-mile of the
paternal roof.

Phineas jun. and Pascal married sisters, Betsey and
Nancy, daughters of Benj. Kimball, and sisters of
Thomas and Benj. Kimball, jun., who settled on the
farms on Norris Hill known as the "Blue place1'' and
"Kimball place" respectively. Benj. Kimball, sen. came
to this towrn about the time that the Blakes took up
their land, and settled near Josiah Brown. All traces
of the house in which he lived have long since disap-
peared.

Phineas Blake ,jun. appears to have been a man of
activity and ability. Before he was of age, he had taken
up and cleared the farm on which his descendants have
since resided and erected the large barn that still stands
as a monument of his youthful energy, and at the early
age of twenty-two he, in company with his father and

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY.

279

brothers owned mills at East Monmouth. He was
one of the members of the first Methodist class organ-
ized in Maine, and ever held both heart and purse open
to the church to his election.

The same year that the Nichols brothers and Capt.
Kelly took up a residence in town, Philip Rowell came
.from Salisbury, Mass., and began clearing1 the farm near
Norris Hill on which his grandson now live1-. He had
purchased the land at an auction sale in Boston, at a
shilling an acre. The purchase included the lot now
owned by Mr. Hamilton. His son Joseph, who ac-
companied him, and who was a man with a tamily,
made the clearing on the latter lot. They boarded
with Benj. Clough. The next season Joseph, who
had been residing in Arm sbury, moved in with his
family, which consisted of a wife and one child.

Joseph Rowell was a young man, a member of the
society of Friends, correct in habits, industrious and
intelligent; qualities that won him a heartv welcome to
the little settlement. His young wife, Mary Coiby,
whom he married in Amesbury and brought with him.
was deprived of looking into the face of another wom-
an for more than six months alter she mov^d to her
new home. The first female she met was Beth^nv
Ilam, an old, roving lady, who biter became a town
charge. Her joy at meeting one of her sex was al-
most unbounded.

Benj. French, a pedagogue whose wonderful attain-
ments in writing "round hand" and "figgerin" won
him the reverential sobriquet of ''doctor,"" was another
ot' the immigrants of 1794. "Doctor" French pur-
chased a portion of the field north west from the tow::

280 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

common, and built a house about where the cheese
factory now stands. His home was surrounded by a
flourishing- orchard, which became decayed with age
and was cut down by Nathaniel Blue after the land
came into his possession.

Although the town had been divided into live school
districts, it would appear from the records that Mr.
French was the only teacher employed in 1794, and
that he spent nearly half of his time with the school in
the cert r district, which convened at the house of
Daniel Oilman, near where Mr. Stewart new lives

The valuation for the year 1795 shows an increase
of seventeen houses and fourteen barns. Among the
many houses that had been built in the preceding year
were those of Thomas Stockins and Robert Hill. The
number of shops however had decreased from seven
to four. Capt. Prescott's blacksmith sh< p was
burned; the fate of the others is not known. Triors
were five mills; one at the outlet of South Pond,
owned by General Dearborn. Nathaniel Norris and
others. This was a saw-mill and grist-mill combined.
At the Center was a saw mill owned by William Allen
and Ichabod Baker, and a grist-mi 1 owned b\ General
Dearborn, John Welch and Capt. Blossom. At the
outlet of Wilson pond stood the saw-mill of Robt.
Hill and the grist-mill of Thomas Stockins.

Another saw-mill was built some time during the
year on the Wilson stream by George Hopkins, Caleb
Thurston, Dudley Thurston and Jonathan Thurston. The
latter owned one-half; Hopkins, one-fourth; and the!
others one-eighth each. This mill stood near the spot
where the shovel and hoe shops were subsequently

(pi<J*<^L~f ^^^^

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 2bl

erected, and was the first mill built on the Wilson
stream below Stockin's. Capt. Hopkin's wife being-
dead, he sold all his property to his son George.
George seems to have been a man of enterprise, for in
addition to assisting in building the above mentioned
mill this y< ar, he enlarged the potash works that his
father had established many years before. In 1795,
John Huse, a joiner, came into town. He lived in
George Hopkins1 house until the )ear following. B}
this time he had a house and shop of his own on the
west side of the road near Hopkin's, and about twen-
tv-nine acres of land. He w is an industrious fellow,
and carried on an extensive business, employing a
number of assistants and apprentices.

The number of voters had increased in 1795 to
eighty-five, a gain of eleven. Only ten had been added
to the number of taxable polls, while the list showed an
addition of fifteen to the number of families. The set-
tlement at North Monmouth had received quite a re-
inforcement. Ebenezer Thurston had settled where
Cyrus E. Towle lives, and Dudley Thurston had made
a beginning near the farm owned by Charles Robinson.
Welcome Bishop had cut a clearing on the farm now
Dwned by James Packard and George F. Bishop; and
Jesse Bishop, one at the junction of the road leading to
Henry Norris's and the Leeds road.

An equal division of the money appropriated for the
support of schools this year among the several districts
seemed unjust to those who lived in districts where a
large portion of the assessments fell, and it was voted at
:he annual meeting that the several districts should "en-
joy the privileges of their own district money". The

252 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

sums of forty-live and one hundred pounds, respective!)-,
were appropriated for the support of the schools and
for improvements on the highways.

It has been stated that all the schools except the one
kept in the North district, were held in private houses.
The following bill shows where the winter term was
held. ''The town of Monmouth to Daniel Oilman, Dr.
To the use of my house to keep school in six weeks,
ten shillings. Daniel Gilman, Monmouth, April i.

The appended certificate from the committee de-
monstrates the fitness of the gentlemen composing it
for the position they held:

"We the Commicy have inspeked the Count and have
found it Rite Ichabod Baker, I

James Harvey."

As many of the farmers were not particularly anxious
to keep their cattle within the limits of their own domains
while the sides of roads afforded superior pasturage, it
was considered expedient to build a pound, where er-
ratic animals could be confined. Accordingly it was
voted at a meeting held at John Welch's on the 6th dav
ot May to build this pound of hewed timber, thirty feet ,
square. It was to be placed on William Allen's lot, and
that gentleman was to act as pound-keeper. To defray!
the cost of building this enclosure, seven pounds nnd ten
shillings were raised.

William Allen, Asahel Blake and Robert Withingtonj
were chosen a committee to keep the fishways openl
or, as the record has it, "a fish committee".

This year saw the death of the old English form ot
reckoning values. Dollars and cents took the place ot

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 283

pounds, shillings and pence as standards of value.

Among the persons who became residents of the town
about this time was William Lowney, a schoolmaster
who plied the birch and performed the other less im-
portant duties of the ancient pedagogue in the public
schools of Monmouth many years. He settled on the

Morrill place,1' where Mr. Smith had been living. Like
nearly all the schoolmasters of those days, he was an
old man; but, unlike some of them, was well educated.
His only drawback to success as a teacher was the
brogue he brought from Erin, unless his extreme little-
ness of stature and general inferiority of appearance
might be added. He was well known as an efficient
leducator throughout this portion of the state. His
brogue, which was quite marked, was the cause of con-
siderable confusion among his pupils. One da}' wiiile
drilling a spelling class he gave out the word "thumb. "
The one to whom the word was given, led astray by the
old gentleman's peculiar and original pronunciation,
promptlv responded, "T-u-m, turn." "Naw, nixt!"

T-o-m." "Naw. The nixt!" "T-e-u-m." uNaw.
naw, an fath ! can't ye sphell turn?" "T-u-m-m."

Naw. The nixt!" "T-o-m-m". "Naw. naw! An fath
ve can't sphell it at all, intoirly." After "turn" had gone
the rounds of the class two or three times, the old gentle-
man became exasperated, and spreading his hands out
before the puzzled class, he yelled "Turn, turn, TUM, —
the turn on ve hand, an fath can't ye sphell turn now.
shure ?" A young upstart among his scholars said, "Won't
you take a jig with me Master Lowney ?" "I swear to
ye I will," was his reply, and suiting the action to the
word he applied the birch vigorously.

284 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Mr. Lowney removed from this town to Belfast in
1804. Among the other early pedagogues were
Masters Smith, Lyford, Grossman, Patch and Kinsley.
Smith and Lyford were the first who taught in town.
Old Master Kinsley was found dead in the road just be-
low Smart's Corner one winter day. He was supposed
to have died in a fit. There was another noted school-
master who lived in town in later years. Like Master
Lowney. he was a son of Hibern a. Master Magner
wore a long-tailed coat, and velvet breeches that fitted
his limbs so closely as to make them appear about as
large as a man's wrist. Like Master Lowney he was
fond of a drop of ''the good crayther'\ At the first
election of artillery officers, held in Capt. Prescott's hall,
Master Magner was at his best. The finest liquors that
could be procured were served as freely as water, and,
by some, drank with a freedom that would put water to
the blush. Master Magner rose to the spirits of the oc-
casion— or was it the spirits that rose ? Under the circum-
stances a toast would be eminently proper; and who
was better qualified to propose it than Master Magner?
Thus soliloquizing, he raised his glass far above his
head proclaiming. "Here the cup goes round an — /"
Alas for human calculation! It was Master Magner's
head, and not the cup. that was going round. lie stag-
gered a little, and before he could regain his perpendic-
ular, found himself lying at the bottom of the steep
stairway leading from the hall, slightly sobered and
considerably injured.

The following article concerning Master Magner,
evidently from the pen of that able writer of historic
sketches, Mr. A. W. Tinkham, of North Monmouth,

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 285

was copied some three or four years ago from the Win-
throp Budget: '* About one hundred years ago the first
John Magner made his appearance in New Hampshire.
Me ran away from Dublin, Ireland, and came in no
small degree of pomp for he was dressed in a white
limn suit with silver buckles and black silk stockings
which reached to the knee. He had with him several
of these suits for a change, all white linen, and as some
of our grand-mothers of the first families have told us,
a half bushel of gold and silver coin. After marrying
the widowed mother of Samuel Harvey, and having
four children of his own, he took both families and
came all the way to Monmouth on horseback. Here
by his smartness in school-teaching he received the ti-
tle of "Master" Magne-, by which mime he was called
until his death. I have been 'old of late that he taught
the first school ever taught in Greene. His only son
that lived — James Magner, settled in Wayne."

This was published in the heat of the excitement
caused by the announcement that a large estate had fal-
len to the Magner heirs of this country. Whatever
may have been the value of the property, none of the
Monmouth heirs have yet seen their shares.

William Getchell came from New Meadows in 1795,
and settled on the iarm now occupied by Cyrus W\-
man, Esq. The house that he erected was purchase by
Wm. H. Potter several years ago and moved to his farm.
where it was occupied by him until his decease. Benja-
min Getchell, a younger brother of William, settled on
that part of the Wm. Henry Potter place which was for
many years owned by William Jordan. He moved to
Wayne years later. He was the father of Hiram and

286 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Alec. Getchell, who reside near Leeds Junction.

William GetchelTs wife was Rebecca Springer.
He reared ten children, the oldest of whom, Sophia,
married Prince Palmer, who came from Xobleboro and
settled on the farm now owned by Barzillai Walker,
Esq., at South Monmouth. His oldest son, Alanson.
who married Pamelia Getchell, sister of Elder Mark
Getchell, took up the farm now owned by John Hinkley.
A fish-peddler by the name of John Bickford afterward
lived on the place. Bickford s wife erected a store on
the spot where Wm. H. Chick's house now stands, in
which she traded several years. The building was
moved to Wales by Andrew Hall and atta* hed to the
buildings now owned by Mr. Seward. Susan, another
child of Wm. Getchell, married Dr. Josiah Burnham of
Lawrence. Mass., who resided and practiced medicine
for a short time in Monmouth.

James Jewell came in 1795 from Fox Island, Me.
He took up the Dr. Dalv farm, near the Wales line, now
owned bv Mr. Caswell. His son. Abraham, who was.
probably, a boy of about eight years when he came to
this part of the State, inherited the property. The
latter married first a Miss Lane; second, Hannah Jen-
kins. After the propertv came into his possession, he
sold it, and, moving across the line into Wales, settled
on the farm now owned bv his son, Nelson Jewell. Esq.

Another immigrant of this period was John Parsons.
or Persons, as we find it on the town records. Where
he first settled is not known. He remained but a short
time on this place before taking- up a new lot beyond
Norris Hill, where he spent the remainder of his days
and reared a familv, all the members of which have

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 28/

found homes in other states. Mr. Parsons was, like
many of his neighbors from New Hampshire, a shoe-
maker. Shoemaking and blaeksmithing were occupa-
tions that furnished large numbers writh employment
before the days of shoe shops and edge-tool manufac-
tories. The papers and private accounts of Mr. Par-
sons which, through the courtesy of Mr. D. P. Boynton,
have been placed in the hands of the writer, have
served to verity dates of considerable importance.
The Parsons house which wras moved and remodelled
by Rev. Dr. Day a few years since, wras not, as many
suppose, the original Parsons house. The old build-
ing stood on the opposite side ( f the highway, near the
well on Highmoor Farm.

The annual meeting for 1796 was held at Ichabod
Baker's, on the 4th of April. Capt. Peter Hopkins
was chosen moderator, and John Chandler elected clerk-
Dudley B. Hobart, John Chandler and Simon Dear-
born, jr., were elected selectmen and assessors, and
Simon Dearborn, collector, "to co'lect for 'our pence on
the pound."

The highway surveyors appointed were Robert With-
ington, John Chandler, Benjamin Clough, James Har-
vey Levi Dearborn, Josiah Biownand William Kelly.

We find surveyors o1' brick mentioned the first time
in the report of this meeting. Another innovation was
a "'general school committee, " consisting of Dudley B.
Hobart, John Chandler and William Lowney, in addi-
tion to whieh was the regular school committee, to
which board James Harvey, William Titus, Joseph
Allen, James Blossom and Benjamin Clough were ap-
pointed. The first act after electing the officers was to

288 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

vote "to pay Mr. Case for preaching two dollars of Town
money, for 1 795/'' Fifty dollars were to be raised to
pay town charges, and the sum of "one hundred sixty-
six dollars and sixty-seven cents, for schooling. No
money was raised to pay for the services of a preacher
for 1796.

It was voted to accept two roads which were
designated as follows: "'one beginning at a maple tree
at the north-west corner of Philip Jenkins" land : thence
E. S. E. 72 rods to Jenkins house.

The western portion of the road leading from the
Warren district to the Ridge was the one herein desig-
nated. It was built for the accomdation of Philip Jen-
kins and Joseph Allen, the former of whom lived on
the north side of the highway, the latter, on the south.

The other road accepted at this meeting began at a
"beech stump"' between Thomas Gray's and George
Leighton's land and ran W. N. W. eighty rods to
whert. Ezekiel and Thomas Arno lived.

Ebenezer Straw removed from Epping to Monmouth
in 1797, arriving, as we learn from his private journal,
on the 14th day of February. He purchased the Gen.
Henry Dearborn place, which has s> veral times been
noticed as the farm recently owned by Mr. Bickford.

Dudley B. Hobart, the General's son-in-law, had been
living on the farm about four years. In 18 16, Mr.
Straw exchanged places with James Weeks, who has
been noticed as the first settler on the J. W. Goding
place, and removed to Lewiston.

Mr. Straw appears to have been a man of great ver-
satality.

Whatever any one wanted his hands and his wife's

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 289

could evidently furnish. His day-book, now before
me, bears charges against nearly all of the first settlers.
Especially members of the Epping colon)-. We find
him working at the cobbler's beneh. manufacturing
Broad-sticks, running a cider-mill, setting a coal-kiln,

O o o

butchering, doctoring, pressing hav, making trousers
land waistcoats, and weaving cloth for the local market.

He had a flourishing orchard, and so'd large quanti-
ties of apples and cider. His was the first cider-mill
in town of wrhich we have any knowledge.

Jerah Swift settled the same year on the Neck, on
the farm owned by H. T. Leach, which had been
taken up and partially cleared by his father-in-law.
His first wife was a daughter of Maj. James Norris;
ihis second was Widow Averill, by whom he had four
children, one of whom wras the wife of John Gale. He
is spoken of as a good citizen.

John A. Torsey, who settled at East Monmouth the
same year, was the son of Dr. Gideon Torse)-, who came
to America from France as surgeon in the arm}- during
the French and Indian war. Dr. Torsey married Re-
becca Morgan, and settled in Gilmanton, N. H. Mrs.
Torsey died Feb. 14,1809, aged seventy-five years, seven
days. They had five children, David, Elizabeth, John
Atkinson, Moses and William. The last was the pro-
genitor of the Winthrop Torseys. John Atkinson, the
subject of this sketch, was born Feb. 7, 1771- At the
age of seventeen he left his home in Gilmanton, N. H.,
and with a travelling companion wralked to the Kennebec
river. He married Ruth Blake, at Monmouth, March
29, 1800. Mr. Torsev wras a man of extraordinary
character and range of genius. Encouraged by oppor-

29O HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

tunities, he might have gained a name among men. un-
less eccentricity, that almost inseparable eompanion of
genius, had proved a barrier to his advancement. As
a mathematician he had few equals. It was his pastime,
his recreation, to wrestle with problems that would have
discouraged one less in love with the study. Pedagog-
ical pursuits would have seemed far more in keeping
with the man than the cobbler's bench, but he chose the
latter. He was a practical land surveyor, and was for a
time in the service of the Plymouth proprietary, runnin
lines. It was during the troublesome period known in
state history as the "Malta war" that he \va< engaged in
this service. The life of a surveyor in those days was
far from pleasant, if not in constant jeopardy. While
surveying a tract of land in Litchfield, h - was tired on
several times by free-booters disguised as Indians
The tirst, second and third shots went wide of the mark.
and Torsey paid them no attention, supposing thev were
intended to intimidate him; but when a bullet whizzed
by at a saucy distance, and lodged in a hard wood stump
just back of him, he gathered his instruments and de-
parted for a more congenial clime. The last years oj
his life he devoted much of his time to writing. It
would be gratifying to be able to decipher the content
of his manuscript, if only to appease curiosity, but. alas!
a system of short-hand devised bvhimself guards faith-
fully the words that were conveyed to paper only to re-
fresh his decaying memory, or to satisfy an impulse for
literary work.

He settled first about opposite the Hiram Titus place
on Monmouth Neck; later on a lot near the Blake
homestead. lie erected a house in what is now the

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 20J

orchard of Rut us A. King, which was subsequently
moved to the brow of the hill several rods eastward,
where it is now occupied by II. II. Thompson. He
spent the last years of his life in the house now owned
by Rufus A. King, which he purchased of Simon Otis.

While Straw, Torsey and Swift were forming new
[acquaintances in their several neighborhoods, another
new comer was adjusting himself to the inconveniences
of forest life near Dearborn's corner.

Josiah Towle. in common with all others of the name
in New England, d» scended from one of three Towle
brothers who c 'me from England early in the eight-
eenth century, and settled in New Hampshire, having
received grants of land from the crown. One of the
brothers, Benjamin, settled in Chichester. He partic-
ipated in the Indian Wars. His son, Benjamin jun.,
came to Monmouth in 1800, and settled on the place
where Frank Rideout lives. He was accompanied by
his wife and seven children. One son, Josiah, as has
already been stated, preceded him by three years, and
settled near Dearborn's Corner, having married Sarah,
daughter of Levi Dearborn. He was the father of nine
children, only one of whom, Elizabeth, who married
Wm. G. Brown, remained in Monmouth.

Another son of Benjamin Towle jun., was Joseph,
who came to Monmouth in 1804 and settled on the so-
called "Pinkham place," on which Mr. Perkins now re-
sides. He returned to New Hampshire after a short
residence in this town.

Benjamin, a third son of Benj. Towle jun., and the
father of our citizen. Capt. Daniel G. Towle, came to
Monmouth in 1800, to work for Capt. Wm. P. Kelley,

292 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

whose daughter, Sarah, he soon married. He remained
with the captain seven years, and of him, in the mean-
time, purchased the farm now known as the Hiram Fos-
ter place. Whi'e clearing the latter place and preparing
his home, it was his custom to work for his father-in-
law from daylight to dark, and then, shouldering his
axe he would walk through the woods to his own lot.
and, all alone in the darkness, entertained by hooting
owls and screeching loupcerviers, toil away far into the
night, felling the heavy pines and piling them for a burn.
Such was the metal of which the pioneers were com-
posed. Is it any wonder that, almost to a man. they
secured a competence?

In 1798 a change was effected by which the town
wras divided into four districts — north, south, east and
west. The west district was to contain all the land
from the north to the south lines of the town, "begin-
ning at the mouth of Intervale Brook at Wilson
Pond, keeping the course of said brook southerlv
to the south side of McLellan's and Clement's land
[now J. M. Given's] ; thence a southerly course to the
west bank of Cochnewagan pond, keeping the bank of
the pond to the south end of said pond; thence a south
course to the south line of the town and to comprehend
all between that line and the west line of the town.
The east district to begin on the east line of the town
on Cobbossee Pond, keeping Cobbossee road to the
crotch ol the road leading to Capt. Dearborn's [Chas.
Moore's] and Ensign Kelley's [ Nathan F. Prescott's |
thence a west course to Intervale stream, thence keeping
the westerly bank ofthe pond to the north line ot the town,
and to comprehend all the land between the last-men-

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 293

tioned line and the north and east lines of the town.
The north and south districts to contain all the rest of
the town, the dividing line between the north and south
districts to be a line run west-north-west and from
the east to the west districts, half way from the north
to the south lines of the town."' At the same time it
was voted to raise six hundred dollars to be expended
in building school-houses.

Hitherto the valuation tax-bills and collector's war-
rants had not been recorded on the town books. See-
ing the necessity of keeping these for future reference,
a vote was taken which resulted in the choice of John
Chandler as engrosser, with instructions to copv all
such papers used since the incorporation of the town
into a book to be provided for that purpose. Capt. Le-
vi Dearborn, John Chandler and Ichabod Baker were
chosen a committee to run the lines and raise the
bounds between the north and south schools districts A
further vote determined that each district "shall have
what money the}" pay towards building school-houses,
and the Proprietors money to be divided equally between
the four districts, to lay out on the school-houses in their
respective districts."

The valuation lists show that seven houses, nine
barns and four shops had been erected since the pre-
vious year. Another "potash'1 had been established at
East Monmouth by Phineas Blake. The taxable polls
now numbeed one hundred fifteen against one hundred
one tor the last year. The voters had increased from
ninetv-three to one hundred two. There were ninety-
eight families in town, an incr< ase of thirteen.

A committee of one was appointed in each of the

294 History of monmouth.

new school-districts, to act as agent and general su-
ervisor. Lt. Simon Dearborn was chosen for the north
district, Wm. P. Kelley for the east, Capt. Levi Dear-
born for the south, and Benjamin Clough for the west.
Orders were issued to the several committees of the
four school-district^ for sums aggregating $620.37, to
be expended in building school-houses. The sums
were disposed of as follows: To the north district.
$24877; south, $179.81; east, $108.32 and west,
$86.47. Incompliance with an order from the Gener-
al Court, issued the previous year, a survey of the
bounds of the town was made in 1798 by a practical
surveyor by the name of Davis, assisted by Capt. James
Harvey and Gilman Moody. This survey could rot hive
been very thorough as the total expense was only nine
dollars and seventeen cents. In addition to this, the sum
of three dollars was drawn by Jedediah Prescott, Esq.,
for assisting in making a plan of the town In 1 79S as
mam' as six or eight new families took up a residence
in the town, and it is a singular fact that of all these
families not a male descendant bearing the name now
remains to represent them. A few years hence but for
the records contained in this history the names of
Loomis, Wick wire, Gove, Starks, Hawes, A*nold, Av-
ery and Johnson would be unknown to the citizens of
Monmouth.

Adna Loomis settled on the farm where George Per-
kins now resides. He came from Connecticut, and it is
supposed that he, Capt. Arnold, Ezekiel Wickwire and
Samuel Avery, Capt. Arnold's son-in-law. who settled
on the farm where G. W. King lately lived, and who,
it would appear from the inscription on the brown, moss-

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 295

covered tablet near the south-west corner of the yard,
was the first person buried in the cemetery at Mon-
mouth Center, all came together.

Capt. John Arnold was born in Connecticut in the
\car 1754. He married, in his native state, it is sup-
posed, a lady by the name of Barrell, who bore him
eight of his ten children. The other two were sons of
the mother of Stephen Sevvall of Winthrop, whom he
married after the decease of his first wife.

I lis title was gained on the seas as commander of mer-
chant ships. By degrees he gained ownership in ves-
sels until, prior to the French Revoluti »n, he became
exceei ingly wealthy. This war resulted in the loss of
his shipping, and blasted the enterprises in which he
was engaged. He then turned his mind toward the
Kennebec Valley. Landing in Hollowell in one of the
closing years of the last century, he came thence to
Monmouth. As earl}- as i<Soi, he was taxed for one-
half of a mid and other property. But it is doubtful if he
made this his permanent residence before 1807. Capt.
Arnold died at the home of his son, Ebenezer, in Mon-
mouth,Sept. 5, i847,at the unusual age of ninety-three
years.

Ezekiel Wickwire was born in Lebanon, Conn., April
4, 1766. His boyhood and youth were spent at sea
with Capt. Arnold. In 1798 he came to Monmouth
and purchased of Gen. Dearborn the farm now owned
by the heirs of the late \Y. II. Tilton. After making a
small clearing and building a house about two rods north
of the spot where the main house now stands, he returned
to his native town for his family, having married. March
19, 1794, Cynthia Torrey of that place, whose father was

296 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

a sea captain. In the fall of 1799 he returned with
his wife and one child, and as his house was not fur-
nished with windows and doors, very essential leatures
in a northern climate, he went to Capt. Arnold's to
spend the winter. After getting his farm well started,
he spent three summers at his trade, butchering. In
1800 his younger brother, Elisha, a lad of sixteen years.
came to live with him. Elisha received from his broth-
er the gift of the Eben Loomis farm. It was then wild
land. He made a clearing and built the house that
still stands. He married Sally, daughter of Timothy
Wight. Later in lite he sold his farm to a Mr. Hunt
and removed to Augusta, where he served as jailor.
From there he removed to Windsor, where he died, in
1840, leaving no children.

The annals of the town furnish few more melancholy
episodes than the brief connec'ion of Samuel Avery
with its history. Of his life before moving to tins
place we have no knowledge. When he came from
Rockwell, Conn., he was a man of only twenty-five
years, vigorous, energetic and active. His young wife,
who accompanied him, was the daughter of Captain
Jnhn Arnold. One mile south of Monmouth Center
thev built what, in those days, was considered a man-
sion, a building that was then far more stately and im-
posing than any other residence that had been erected
in the town. Unless human nature has undergone a
great change in the past century, it is perfectly safe to
say that the young men of the settlement all envied
their new associate. Living in the best residence in
town, the father of two children, the husband of a
young lady whose family was the acknowledged stand-

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THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 297

ard in wealth and social eminence, his was a position to
invite envy. On New Year's Day, 1799, many a young
man would have eagerly exchanged with him his life-
prospects. What followed is told by a simple inscrip-
ton on a brown slab, with a trilobate top, in the village
cemetery:

IN MEMORY OF

MR. SAMUEL AVERY,

WHO DIED

8TH JUNE, 1799,

IN THE 26TH YEAR

OF HIS AGE.

To the left of this time-defaced slab stands another,
of the same peculiar form, on which is inscribed be-
neath the lichens:

IN MEMORY OF TWO

CHILDREN OF SAM'L

& JERUSHA AVERY:

SAMUEL DIED 1ST

MARCH, 1799, AGED

1 YEAR & 11 MONTHS,

SALLY DIED 17TH

FEB. 1799, AGED

S MONTHS & 19 DAYS.

Elijah Gove settled on the well-known "Henry Day
place. v He wras fourth in a family of sixteen children,
and was born in Nottingham in 1773. He married
Mary Herrick, of Lewiston, whose family was well
known in political circles in the first of this century,
and reared a large family, the members of which will
be noticed in a later connection. Mr. Gove was a re-
spected citizen and was once honored with a place on
the board of selectmen.

Ebenezer Starks took up a residence in the eastern

298 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

part of the town. The traveller on the •'Neck,, road
will notice on the side of the road near the house oc-
cupied by the Misses Tilton a large flat rock. This
was the door stone of Ebenezer Stark's house, and al-
though all other traces of it have been removed, this sol-
itary relic stands today on the identical spot where it
rested when the graded and turnpiked road was noth-
ing more than a cow path through the thicket.

Mr. Starks was the father of Hon. Alanson Starks, an
honored citizen and for many years the treasurer of
Kennebec County.

Ichabod Hawes settled in the New Boston district.
He had two sons, John and Charles. John, who was a
blacksmith, came to Monmouth and built the house near
the moccasin shop, now occupied by Andrew B. Pink-
ham, and a shop which stood where the Grange store
now stands. Just above this shop stood a house built
by Daniel Witherell, a blacksmith, who occupied the
"Cannon shop" that stood on the W. W. Woodbury
store lot some years before Mr. Hawes established in
business here.

William Johnson purchased of George Hopkins, the
Capt. Peter Hopkins place, and Hopkins and Jonathan
Thurston removed to Belfast. John Iluse followed
soon after. Hopkins had an opportunity to become one
of the richest men in Waldo County. He owned a
large property in the heart of Belfast, including one
square which is now the most valuable portion of the
city. But Huse through some means came into pos-
session of all this property and Hopkins died in poverty.
The former soon after his removal to Belfast, opened
a tavern, and shortly after w^as appointed deputy sheriff.

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURA . 299

His large property fell to the noted Williamson family,
a prominent member of which married his daughter.

Among the permanent settlers of Monmouth whose
names first appeared on the tax-list in 1799, were John
Sawver and Samuel Brown.

John Sawyer came from Cumberland count}*. He
was one of five boys, the sons of John Sawyer o* "North
Yarmouth, an extensive ship owner and merchant.

John, jun. followed the seas when a young man.
After his marriage to Mary Hannaford, he settled on a
farm in North Yarmouth. In 1799, or possibly the latter
part of the previous year, he removed to Monmouth,
and settled on the farm north of the Capt. Basford
place. The house in which he lived, which was erect-
ed by a former proprietor (probably Thompson), was
afterwards purchased by Daniel Allen, and removed to
Monmouth Ridge.

After a few years' residence in town, Mr. Sawyer
moved to Durham, Me., where, he remained until his
decease. He had six children ; onl\ one of whom, John,
settled in Monmouth.

John Sawyer, third, who was a lad of seven years
when his father moved to this town, married Philena
Allen, daughter of Joseph Allen of pioneer fame, and
settled on the farm adjoining Washington Warren's on
the north, which he subsequently sold to Samuel Beal.
and removed to the farm now owned by Mr. A. L.
Walker, at North Monmouth. After remaining on this
farm a few y^ars, he sold it to David Moody, and pur-
chased of Capt. John Arnold the place on which his
son, J. Augustus Sawver. now resides.

Samuel Brown was born April 11, 1786. He re-

300 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

moved from Chester, N. H. with his wife, Dorothy Gove,
of Nottingham, and settled first on wild land in the
Lyon district. This farm, now owned by the heirs of"
Chase Brown, he cleared. The work must have proved
congenial, for he had hardly got the place into a good state
of cultivation when he sold it to Chase Blake, who.
married Mrs. Brown's sister, Eleanor, and again struck
his axe into the solid "old growth''' on the Pinkham
farm, now occupied by Mr. Perkins. Even this
did not satisfy his desire for solid manual labor, and he
went over to the Trask farm, Day's corner, and made a
clearing and built the house that now stands there. He
exchanged this place with Andrew Pinkham, who
lived on the Ichabod Baker place. Later he purchased
of General Chandler the farm now owned by his son-
in-law, Dea. C. B. Bragdon.

Mr. Brown was in trade a number of years in the
store, that in course of time evolved into the Cochne-
wagan House. He died April 12, 1876. Nine years
alter Samuel Brown came to Monmouth, his brother,
Abraham, followed him and settled on the farm where
George Gilman lives. He married Mrs. Eleanor Gove
Blake, the widow of Chase Blake. Mr. Blake
lived on the place he purchased of Samuel Brown only
about two \ears, when he was stricken down with a
"cold fever" from the effects of which he died at the
asje of twenty-six, leaving a young wife and two little
girls, Olive and Mary, the latter of whom married True
Woodbury of Litchfield. Mr. Brown settled on the
Blake farm and succeeded in amassing a considerable
property.

Although, as has been stated, the closing years of the

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 30!

century were, in the main, uneventful, some changes
were effected in the routes of travel and transportation,
which added considerably to the convenience of the
citizens of Monmouth.

The new route, opened in 1793, from the Kennebec
river to Portland, by way of Monmouth, was considered
far superior to the old one, which led by way of
Bath. Two days were required to make the journey
by the old way, while "by starting early, so as to
breakfast at Chandler's, in Monmouth, " Portland could
be reached in the forenoon of the next day. The roads
weie still too rough to admit of the use of wheeled ve-
hicles and all journeying was done on horseback. The
old route was inconvenient on account of the many
rivers that ran across it. In 1790, Gen. Dearborn and
Gen. Sewall, of Augusta, in going from that point to
Portland, to attend the district court, "swam the river
at Abbagadasset and crossed the Cathance and Bruns-
wick rivers in a fern- boat."

In 1794, when the mail service was established be-
tween Portland and Wiscasset, the new route by way
of Monmouth was adopted by the government. As is
stated in another chapter, Matthias Blossom, of Mon-
mouth, was the first mail agent between these points.
With a large pouch containing through mail strapped
to the horse's back behind the saddle, and a smaller
one in Iront containing local mail matter, he rode
through the settlements blowing a long tin horn to warn
the people of his approach, and to give those who were
expecting letters time to get their shillings ready; tor
in those da\s a letter might be carried a thousand miles
without the prepayment of postage, and the full

1)02 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

amount — a matter of dollars, sometimes, instead of
cents — collected of the receiver. Letters were not in-
closed in envelopes, but were folded and sealed with
wax, and the rates of postage depended on the number
of sheets and the distance over which they were
carried. For a single sheet, the postage was from six
and one-fourth cents to twenty-rive cents; an additional
sheet, no matter how small and light, doubling the rate.

It is with a keen sense of regret that I now draw to
a close the final chapter of what ma}- be termed the
pioneer period. Whether I have succeeded in interest-
ing the reader or not, the life I have lived during- these
months of intimacy with the founders of our town has
been one of constant infatuation. In visiting the sites
of their log cabins and standing before their stone fire-
places; in poring over their musty account books, and
familiarizing myself with their crude chirograph)-; in
handling the implements with which they gained a liveli-
hood and, surveying the fields that blossomed in re-
sponse to their sturdy blows, I have become one of
them, and, in a large measure forgetful of present sur-
roundings, have dreamilv lived in another age. How-
ever much I may have failed in carrying others with me
into those scenes of the past; however far short of a suc-
cess this work may prove from a literary as well as
financial standpoint, the satisfaction with which I now
survey in the retrospect the months which have been
spent in what a stricter utilitarian, would pronounce a
thankless and wasteful task, is greater than that afford-
ed by the accumulation of gold.

Much that might, and should, have been said con-
cerning these men whom we have learned to respect

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 303

tor their strong, manly self-reliance has, of necessity,
been withheld. Investigation is constantly bringing to
light some fresh and interesting fact, which, if used.
would necessitate either the abandonment of the plan
of arrangement, or a revision and reprint of much that
has already been issued. It may be that the most im-
portant of this matter will be used as an addendum to
the chronological chapters. What, for instance, could
be more interesting than th well-authenticated suppos'-
tion, revealed by recent research, that Samuel Simmons,
the pioneer, mentioned on page ^^, was ihe great grand-
father of Franklin Simmons, the celebrated sculptor
of Florence, Italy.

The eastern part of the town is preeminently rich in
relics of the pioneers. All along the shore of the Cob-
bosee-contee may be found the cellars and fallen stone
chimneys of their log cabins. The native who has spent
his boyhood and early manhood within an hour's walk
of these interesting remnants of another century with-
out having visited them, can hardly spend a half-day
more profitably than by taking a stroll along the rim of
this beautiful lake, beginning at the Winthrop line,
where, at almost his first step, he will stand bef re two
well-preserved cabin cellars in i-he "Benson orchard."
Here William and Samuel Titus, at some time prior to
1790. made their clearings and built their primitive
homes. The Titus brothers were born in England.
Their first settlement on reaching this country was at
Attleboro\ Mass., whence they came to this town by
way of Ilallowell, coming up to "the Forks" by land,
and thence across by boat. William, not far from
; 1796, removed to the place now owned by Robert Ma-

304 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

comber, and Samuel to the one now owned by Mrs.
Rogers, at East Monmouth.

Near the lower end of the pond, at the terminus of an
abandoned road, is a large pasture and wood-lot where
stone fire-places and other well-preserved marks of the
pioneers still stand. It is not easy to believe the state-
ment that almost a hundred years have passed since
smoke ascended from these ash-covered hearths, and but
for the evidence of the massive trees which inter'ace
their gnarled roots around the foundation stones it
would pass for an error. Here were the houses of the
Aliens — Daniel, Woodward and Edmund — the clearings
which they so laborously cut out ot the wilderness now
again covered with a heavy forest growth. Here is
food for reflection over the mutations of time which is
spiced and seasoned when one stands in the foot prints
of those whilom citizens with whom we have become
so well acquainted.

Although space which should be devoted to other
matter cries out against it, it is impossible to draw the
thoughts away from these scenes of the exploits of the
"mighty hunter.''1 Daniel Allen, without rehearsing a
narrative for which our veracious citizen, Jacob G.
Smith, of Monmouth Neck, who heard the story from
the old man's lips, is responsible.

It probablv was a bear that had never heard ol
Allen's wonderful markmanship, possibly a wanderer
from some distant clime, that climbed a tree on the hill
on which the Wm. Woodbury house now stands and
playfully scratched his ear at the unarmed hunter be-
low. Allen's gun was in a crippled condition, and the
stock had been sent away for repairs, but the barrel

THE CLOSE OF A CENTURY. 305

was in a cabin near by. The truth of the adage, "Ne-
cessity is the mother of invention,"' if not the adage it-
self, is older than this anecdote. Allen loaded the
barrel with a heavy charge, grasped it firmly with both
hands, and held it unflinchingly while Woodward
touched it off with a live coal — and killed the bear.

CHAPTER XII.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT

The meeting-house, which was built in 1795, had re\
mained unfinished through all these years. It was first
used as a place of public gathering in 1799, when the
town meetings were held in it. With inexplicable
blindness, the committee selected to make the neces-
sary preparation for, and superintend the construction
of, the house had failed to secure a title to the lot on
which it was placed. On the first day of July, 1800,
an effort was made to effect a purchase. By a vote of
the inhabitants, John Chandler was appointed a com
mittee to purchase a piece of land twenty-five rods
square, beginning at the south-westerly corner of the
northerly half of lot No. 27, if he could get that quan
tity, if not, to purchase as much as possible within the
stated bounds. At the same meeting it was ''voted
that the meeting-house be finished according to the
plan; the lower part of the house to be finished with
pews, the gallery to have one tier of pews around it,
and the rest of the gallery to be finished with seats

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT 307

The house was to be finished to sueh an extent as the
funds accruing from the sale of pews would allow. A
committee of three, consisting of Simon Dearborn, jun.,
John Chandler and Matthias Blossom, was appointed
by special vote to sell the pews at auction, make le-
gal conveyance, and expend the result of the sales in
finishing the house.

Mr. Chandler proceeded immediately to negotiate
for the land. It was a part of the non-resident proprie-
tors' estate and was taxed to James Bowdoin, jun.. of
Boston, who, with his sister, Lady Elizabeth Temple,
owned about one tenth of the entire Plymouth Patent.
Mr. Chandler, in writing to Mr. Bowdoin, stated the
object of the purchase, and received, without delay, a
donation of the land in the name of his sister, Lady
Elizabeth Temple, and the promise of a bell for the
tower if the town could provide a settled pastor.

Mr. Bowdoin descended from Pierre Bowdoin, a
Protestant physician, who fled from his home in
Rochelle, France, with his wife and four children, on
the revocation of the edict of Nantez. He landed at
Falmouth (Portland) in 1688, where he remained until
May 16, 1690, leaving just in season to escape the des-
truction that fell upon that town from the hands of the
Indians, the next day. He took refuge in Boston,
where he remained until his death, which occurred two
years later. Among his children was one son, James,
who became wealthy in mercantile pursuits, and died in
1747, leaving his great acquisitions to two sons, James
and William, fames, born in 1727. and graduated from
college in 1745, became governor of Massachusetts in
1785-6, having served previously as representative to

308 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

the General Court and member of the executive coun-
cil. He had two children, James, jun., the patron
of Bowdoin College, who has already been men-
tioned as proprietor of lands in Monmouth, and
Elizabeth, who married Sir John Temple, consul gen-
eral of Great Britain to the United States, and who has
been mentioned as Lady Temple.

Lady Temple's daughter married Lieut. Gov. Win-
throp of Massachusetts. Of this union came Robert
C. Winthrop, the distinguished statesman of Massachu-
setts, and Elizabeth Temple Winthrop, who married
the Rev. Dr. Tappan, many years the pastor of South
Parish Congregational Church in Augusta.

James Bowdoin, jun., was graduated at Harvard Col-
lege in i 77 i. He read law about one year in the Uni-
versity of Oxford, in England. Later, he traveled
quite extensively through England, Italy and Holland,
returning to this country shortly after the battle of Lex-
ington. He married Sarah Bowdoin, a daughter of his
uncle William, his father's half-brother, and settled in
Boston, where he held prominent positions in the gov-
ernment of the Commonwealth. In 1805 he was ap-
pointed minister plenipotentiary to Madrid. During
his absence he visited, and resided for a term of
months in, Paris, "'where he purchased a large library
of books and a collection of well-arranged minerals
and tine models of crystallography, all of which he af-
terwards presented to Bowdoin College, to which h
had previously donated one thousand acres of land and
$3,500 in other property. Shortly before his death.
which occurred Oct. 1 1, 1811, he deeded 6000 acres in
the town of Lisbon to the college, and in his will be

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT.

309

queathed it a large and valuable collection of paintings
and several articles of philosophical apparatus." He

died, without issue, in the sixtieth year of his age.
I lis widow married Gen. Henry Dearborn, who had
left his home in Maine and settled in Massachusetts.
Mrs. Dearborn, at her decease, also left, to the college
which her husband had patronized, a considerable sum
of money and a collection of family portraits.

Perhaps nothing that has been published concerning
the career of Gen. Dearborn is more interesting than
the romance connected with his marriage with Mrs.
Bowdoin.

Robert Temple, a brother of Sir John Temple, whose
wife, Elizabeth, the daughter of Gov. Bowdoin, was
the Lady Temple who donated the land to Monmouth
for a meeting-house lot, was, during the revolutionary
war, a resident of Medford. Mass. He was a tory, and
was suspected of being in correspondence with the
British in Boston. Gen. John Stark, whose troops
were stationed near Temple's estate, held a vigilant
watch over the movements of the latter, and kept a
guard stationed on his private grounds. On the Nth of
June, 1775, Gen. Dearborn, who had then risen only to
the rank of a captain, was ordered to go with one ser-
geant and twenty men to relieve the guards. From a
line in Dearborn's hand, written across the back oi this
older, which is still preserved in the family, it appears
that this was the first time he ever "mounted guard."
After posting his guards, the young captain, relieved
of his responsibility, threw himself upon a settee, and,
gathering his military cloak about him. indulged in a
nap. Miss Sarah Bowdoin was at the time visiting

3IO HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

her cousin, Margaret Temple, the daughter of the cel-
ebrated tory whose mansion was kept under such strict
surveillance. The young ladies had been out for a
wa'k in the garden, and, as they entered the mansion,
passed the spot where Dearborn lay. One glance at
his handsome features and superb form conquered the
heart of the wealthy heiress. The "splendid young
rebel officer," as she termed him, would never have the
audacity to seek her hand, and Miss Bowdoin, who was.
if the phrase is allowable, "completely mashed,"' det r-
mined to do what, under other circumstances, would
have been considered unwarrantably bold. Opening
her heart to her uncle, who was far from sympathizing
with any project that would involve him in a family
connection with a rebel, she persuaded him to act as
intermediator. Alas for her shattered heart! Dear-
born coolly informed her embassador that, although he
was only twenty-four years old, he had a wife and two
children. Miss Bowdoin drowned her sorrow by
marrying her cousin. Three years later, Mrs. Dear-
born died, and, in the course of time, Dearborn married
again. In 1810 his second wife died, and, one year la-
ter, Mrs. Bowdoin buried her husband. Thirty-six
years had passed since she met her first-love, and the
handsome young rebel had become the stalwart Amer-
ican general of sixty-years, loaded with honors. Who
proposed this time we do not know. Suffice it to say
that, like the lovers in a novel, they were finally united.
Encouraged by this unexpected assistance, the com-
mittee hastened to complete the building. Moses Bas-
ford and James McLellan. who has been mentioned in
connection with the history of the Methodist church,

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 311

contracted to do the finishing, and plans were furnished
by Daniel Rand, an ingenious workman who settled in
1795 at East Monmouth, and who, while living in the
"Pierce house," was accid ntally killed at a shooting
match. The grief of his faithful dog, which could not
be persuaded to leave his master's body, has been
touchingly referred to time and again by our aged cit-
izens.

Basford came from Mt. Vernon. He lived on the
Joseph Given place, which he sold to McLellan and a
Mr. Clements. Clements sold his share to McLellan.

Although the season was well advanced before the
work was begun, it was completed before the first of
September.

On the third day of September, 1800, the pews were
sold at "vendue11 and conveyed by deed to the pur-
chasers. The highest price paid for a choice of seats
was $44.00. It was the bid of Capt. James Norris.
Old Master Lowney offered the next highest price —
$42.00. One other pew, purchased by Wm. P. Kellv,
brought the same price. Major Marston's cost $41.00,
and the others were sold at various prices, terminating
at $11.00. Nearly six years had elapsed since it was
first proposed to build a meeting-house, and six more
were counted with the past before the building was ac-
cepted by the town and the bond which had been taken
from McLellan and Basford by the building committee
released.

The "old vellow meeting-house'1 was for many years
the pride and glory of Monmouth. For miles around
nothing could be found which equaled its statelv ex-
terior. And the interior — what pen can present it as

312 HISTORY OF" MONMOUTH.

it appeared to the wondering and admiring eyes of the
youth of its day, with its broad aisles, through which
the lace and plume-bedecked officers led their harm-
less warriors on muster days; the high pulpit, which
seemed almost like one of the upper rungs of Jacob's
ladder; the huge octagonal sounding-board, suspended
by a chain so slender that the minds of the young were
constantly filled with terror lest it might fall and tele-
scope the parson.

Although the primary object of the builders was to
provide a house for religious gatherings, the building-
was always very appropriately known as the "meeting-
house.," And such meetings as were held there, es-
pecially on election days, when the party that could
supply the greatest quantity of the "ardent" was the
one to which the "doubtful" element gravitated! The
scenes that graced that assembly-room were not always
such as would command our pride, but they were novel
enough to command a place in history. One, at least,
must not be omitted.

It was an election day when politics were running-
very close. A thorough canvass had been made by
both whigs and democrats and it was evident to both
parties that, unless immensely high bids were made for
votes, neither one would be at all sure of a victor)-.
The moderator of that meeting- was a man of great
ability. He prided himself on his strategic powers
and determined that, come what would, his party
should not suffer defeat. As the votes came in he
carefully kept tall)7 and was greatly gratified to discover,
when what he supposed to be the last vote was placed
in the box. that his party was one ahead. As the time

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 313

lor closing- the polls approached, a straggler from the
opposition deposited another vote. This made a tie.
It was a death-blow to victory, but did not bring the
mortification of defeat. Another straggler from the op-
position approached with his ballot. This was too
much. Grabbing the ballot box, the moderator started
d<>wn the broad aisle with the voter and the opposition
at his heels. If he could keep the box out of their
reach until the minute for closing the polls, he would
save his part}-. - Round and round the meeting-house
he ran, his coat'tails fanning the faces of the nimblest
ofLthe opposition. Dodging his pursuer?, he made for
the door, reached it, and was out in the open air, with
a hundred howling men at his back. Panting like a
fox before jhounds, .he ran and leaped and dodged and
twisted, a]l the time holding the treasure hugged close
to his breast.
! It doesn't matter which party won, nor how many

I black eyes and bandaged heads appeared on the streets
the next day. The entire performance was one of the
dignified proceedings that the advocates of a license
law may place to the credit of the days when good

; liquors didn't make men crazy.

Although stealing the ballot-box was not an oft-re-
peated occurrence, scenes in which black eyes figured

kwere the usual accompaniment of election days, if all

•the statements concerning them are to be accredited.
Buving votes was an established custom, some slight
traces of which may remain at the present day. and the
purchasing power of "Old Medford" was so great that
a few dollars judiciouslv expended would sometimes
work marvels. When an individual exchanged his in-

I

314 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

tegrity and manhood for two gallons of "tanglefoot," it
was tacitly agreed that there was to be only one sale in
the transaction; but it sometimes happened that two
were sold instead of one. The complacency with
which one leading politician contemplated a bargain be-
tween himself and an honorable citizen, who, in con-
sideration of an advance payment of a certain equivalent,
agreed to carry a vote for the leading politician, was
slightly jarred when, several weeks after the election,
the honorable citizen pulled the vote out of his vest
pocket and coolly enquired if he had carried that vote
for him about long enough.

Nor were these political wrangles the only scenes ot
debauchery that disturbed the sacred character of the
old yellow meeting-house. Muster days could hardly
be classified as melancholy occasions, and once, at
least, as a result of the combination o*' exuberant
spirits and ardent spirits, a horse was locked into the
sacred edifice, where he was discovered, the next day,
composedly surveying his palatial quarters.

Notwithstanding the manner in which it was abused,
there were many sincere mourners when the old church
was sold to Nehemiah Pierce, in 1844, and taken down
to be rebuilt as a barn; and even now there are those
who carefully keep some souvenir of the building in
the form of a cupboard or closet constructed from its
high pew doors, with the original lead-colored coat
well preserved.

Abraham Morrill, whose name first became identi-
fied with local politics in 1800, held for the ensuing
quarter of a century a leading place in town affairs.
Mr. Morrill was born in Brentwood, N. H., Oct. 1,

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 315

1766, according to the statement of his posterity, who
place his birth tour years earlier than the date inscribed
on his gravestone in the "'Richardson" cemetery. He
married Mary Prescott, the daughter of Nathan Gove
Prescott, who, in 1789, purchased of Gen. Dearborn the
south half of lot No. 37, on High street, which seems
to be identical with the land purchased later by Capt.
Sewall Prescott. The exact date of Mr. Morrill's re-
moval to Monmouth is not known. He was certainly
here as earl}' as 1792, and possibly much earlier. In
1800 he was placed on the board of selectmen ; and from
that date until 1825, there was scarcely a year that did
not find him acting either as selectman, treasurer or
representative to the general court. In 18 10 he was
elected trustee of Monmouth Academy, and, later, pres-
ident of the board. When Mr. Morrill first setted in
Monmouth, he selected a lot near Norris Hill. In
1804, or thereabouts, he moved to the place now owned
by M. M. Richardson, where he spent the remainder
of his days. In 181 7 he established himself in trade
near Ellis Corner, in a building which has already been
mentioned in connection with the buildings erected by
Asahel Blake.

Abraham Morrill has the reputation of having been
a staunch citizen, sound in principle, firm and unwaver-
ing in judgment and quicker in thought than in either
speech or movement. In appearance he was thick set
and firmly moulded, of florid complexion and promi-
nent features. He died Jan. 21, 1845.

During the closing months of the year 1799 and the
opening ones of 1800, the tide of immigration rolled in
with a strong swell. No previous year, and but few

316 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

later ones, brought such numerical prosperity to the
town. Of twenty-two of these families there is not a
male descendant living in town to perpetuate the name.
Some of them belonged to that roving class which
strikes a town only to get a foothold for another spring;
and others, like Ebenezer Delano, who settled near our
famous trout brook and gave it its name, have long
since been forgotten.

Among the permanent settlers who came into town
at this time was Joseph Neal, who purchased the place
now owned by Mr. A. M. Kyle. The land was then
in a wild state. Mr. Neal cleared it, and erected a
house which was taken down many years ago. Later,
he took up a lot on Maple street and placed a house on
it. The lot is the one now covered by the residence
of Wm: K. Dudley, Esq., and the house, after being re-
moved to the lower end of the street and remodeled, is
now occupied by Earl E. Jtidkius. The larches in
front of the Dudley house, that have long been a con-
spicuous feature of Maple street, were set out by Mr.
Neal's sons. Not far from 1823, he moved again; this
time to a farm on the road leading to East Monmouth,
where he built the house now occupied by Mr. Rolfe.
His last years were spent with his son, B. A. Neall at
the Center. 'Mr. Neal was a shoemaker. He had a
shop near his house on the Rolfe place, and another on
the heater-piece between B. A. Neal's and C. L. Owen's;
at the Center. *•'•

Another new resident was John Cushman, who took
up a lot in the Warren district. In the corner near D.
II. Dearborn's, Mr. Cushman had a store, which was
occupied later by Mr. Willard. His son, whom some

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 3 I 7

of our oldest citizens remember as an early occupant of
the H. S. Smith place, in a fit of mental aberration,
raised his hand against his own life. The sad event
was more shocking and terrible to the people of that
generation than it is to those who cannot take up the
evening paper without reading the headlines of a sim-
ilar occurrence; and^he terror and sympathy that the
act inspired were something unknown to those who
have been hardened by the frequency of corresponding
events. The tree to which he attached the rope that
ended his earthly existence is still standing, in the pas-
ture of Rev. J. E. Pierce, and time has hardly obliterated
the initials of his name, which he carved on its trunk
a moment before the act was committed, as a monu-
ment of the event. So far as is known, this was the
first suicide of a Monmouth citizen. Would it had
been the last!

Although the deeds were not given until two years
had passed, it appears from the town records that
Simon Marston, of North Hampton, N. II., took up
the farms on Norris Hill, now owned by his posterity,
in 1800.

Simon Marston was a major in the Revolutionary
army. He served during the entire war period and
witnessed the surrender of Lord Cornwallis at York-
town. His sword, an English blade with a solid silver
hilt, is now in the possession of his great granddaughter.
Miss Ann Maria Marston. The major's sojourn in
Monmouth was brief. His object in coming here was
to make homes for two of his sons. Jonathan and Sim-
on, jun., and when his mission was fulfilled, he returned
to his North Hampton home. The land was a part of

3 18 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

the Temple grant, and the deeds were subseribed by
Lady Elizabeth, the patron of Mo- mouth Academy
and donator of the town common. Simon, jun. took
up a residence on the north half of the lot, the farm
owned by his son, the late B. F. Marston, in 1800. He-
was a man of twenty-nine years, married to Peggy
Ham, of Epping. at the age ofotwenty-five, and the
father of two children. Ann and Daniel, the rest of his
family of ten being natives of Monmouth. Jonathan,
his brother, came one year later. In 1805 he purchased
of his father for $1000 the farm now owned by his
grandson, David Marston.

Jonathan Marston was born Oct. 30, 1777. At the
age of thirty years he married Mary Jane Patten, by
whom he had six children. He was a man of consid-
erable prominence in the community. In 18 17 he was
elected to membership on the board of selectmen, a
position which he held for three successive terms, and
one year later was commissioned colonel of the 3rd
Re<r., 1st Brigade, 2nd Division of Maine Militia. He
was tor fourteen years one of the trustees of Monmouth
Academy, during a portion of which time he served as
treasurer of the institution. Col. Marston was a man
of unqualified integrity, positive and unswerving in his
convictions, and a leading member of the Christian
church, to the support of which he contributed with a
willing heart.

Micah Barrows of Middleboro, or Bridgewater,
Mass., became a resident of Monmouth in 1800. He
had, like a majority of the Massachusetts people who
came to this town, lived a short time in Winthrop,
where it is supposed his oldest child, Deborah Morton.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 319

was born. Mr. Barrows selected one of the most
pleasant h cations in town for his home — the crown of
the hill south of the one on which the academy was
soon placed. The land had been cleared by James and
Jonathan Judkins, the latter of whom, it is supposed,
built the house which still stands as one of the tew ex-
isting monuments of the pioneers. Here Mr. Barrows
and his wife, Lucy Miller, of Middleboro', lived hap-
pily with their three children, Deborah, Anna R. and
John Miller, until 1814, the year that brought bereave-
ment to so many families on account of the ravages of
"cold fever." First their babe, Elizabeth, died, at the
age of three months. Ten weeks later the father fol-
lowed, at the age of forty-five years, and, before the
summer had closed, Deborah, the oldest child, a girl of
fifteen years, was placed in the grave beside them. In
after years the widow married Capt. Kezer, of East
Winthrop. John and Anna, the surviving children,
both became permanent residents of the town. The
latter, born Oct. 23, 1809, became the second wife of
Augustine Blake, Esq.; the former, born March 13,
1811, married Ruth P. Gove, daughter of Elijah Gove,
and settled on his father's farm. With the exception
of a few years1 residence in Massachusetts, where Mr.
Barrows plied his tmde of carpentry on the famous
Pemberton mill and other corporation buildings, the
entire life of this couple was spent in Monmouth.
They never had any children to bind them down to
home duties and much of their time was spent in visit-
ing and caring for the sick. It is doubtful if to any
other couple the people of this community are so deep-
lv indebted for assistance in times of sickness and be-

320 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

reavement as to John and Ruth Barrows. May this
monument to their memory stand when the marbh* that
marks their graves has crumbled to atoms! Mr. Bai>
rows died April 8, 1879, and his wife was placed be-
side him on the 20th of July of the following year.

The year 1801 found but little more than one-third
as many new names on the assessors' books as had
been entered the year before, but the ratio of perma-
nent settlements was considerably larger. The Frosts
of Monmouth are descended from William Frost, a
drummer in the Revolutionary army, who; came to town
this year. As this father of freedom rattled the snares
to inspire his compatriots to action, his blood must have
become surcharged with the ardor of his service, for a
majority of his descendants have been born with a pair
of drumsticks in their hands. Mr. Frost settled at
North Monmouth; just where is not known, nor is it
a matter of great moment, for he could have remained
here but a short time before removing to Winthrop.
He was the father of five children, William, jun., Noah.
Moses, John and Lydia. William married Betsy Bill-
insrton, and removed to Wayne, where his son, Nathan-
iel, and his grandson, William, both of whom have
served on the board of selectmen of that town, now re-
side. Noah also settled in WTayne. His descendants
now reside in Peru, Me. John married Esther Swift,
and settled near Mt. Pisgah, which was then the prop-
erty of his father-in-law. Lydia married a son of Capt.
Peter Hopkins, and moved to Belfast, Me. Moses
married Abigail French, daughter of Josiah French, and
settled on the farm at North Monmouth now owned by
the heirs of the late Mr. Bishop. He was, like many

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 32 I

of his posterity, a house joiner and a man of consider-
able ingenuity. For a time he operated the saw-mill
at North Monmouth for Gen. John Chandler, and in
1814 we rind him taxed for a mill in his own right.
lie suffered the experience of many of his townsmen
in being defrauded of his farm by his employer, and.
when well along in years, settled at the Center, on the
Horace C. Frost place. He had ten children, the
oldest of whom, Betsey, married Dr. Francis Caldwell
and settled in Skowhegan. One of her sons married a
sister of the wife of the late Eben S. Pillsbury, the
prominent political leader. After the decease of his
first wife. Dr. Caldwell married her younger sister,
Rachel. Josiah, the oldest son of William Frost,
married Mahalay Moody, a daughter of Capt. John
Mood}-, of East Monmouth. He and three of his
children were drowned in Cochnegagan pond, by the
capsizing of a sail boat, on the last day of May, 1838.
His two surviving sons, George and Abel H., are now
prominent men in the West. Moses, jun., married
Clarissa, daughter of David Moody, and removed to
Winthrop; Lydia married Simeon Paine and removed
to North Anson; Abel died in Louisiana, while Theo-
dore, Hannah, Isaac and Oliver all settled in Monmouth.
The two latter were, like their father, carpenters; and
on Oliver and his sons, three of whom are drummers,
fell a double portion of the spirit of his grandfather.
Isaac moved to Wales in 1848. and, thirteen vears later,
returned to North Monmouth, where his wife. Mary S..
daughter of Asahel Bl ike, died, in 1862. The follow-
ing year he purchased, of Benj. S. Ellis, the Simon
I) arborn farm, where his son-in-law, Howard Stetson,

322 History of Monmouth.

Esq., now resides. Here he died, Mar. 27, 1876, hav-
ing lived a quiet, unassuming and godly life. Two of
his daughters, Mrs. Joseph Given and Mrs. Howard
Stetson, are still residents of the town. Oliver, the
youngest of Moses Frost's children, married Cornelia
A. Richardson, daughter of Josiah Richardson. That
he was a master of his trade,, much of the neatest joiner
work in town bears silent testimony. He reared a large
family, to which his ingenuity has been transmitted.
Oscar F., the oldest son, to whom more extended notice
will be given later as a literary man, possesses marked
inventive ability, and has secured patents on some of
his devices. He also possesses what is a stronger mark
of his lineage — a passionate fondness tor the snare
drum. His younger brother, William B., to whom
this trait also descended, served in the late war as
drummer-boy.

Daniel Prescott, whose name appears on the town
records for the first time under the date 1801, must
have been a citizen of Monmouth at least three years
prior to that date. He was born in Epping. that incu-
bator of Monmouth families, May 13, 1766, and bore
to Uapt. Sewall Prescott the relationship generally
known as "double** cousin. About ten years before
coming to Maine, he married Molly Towle, and settled
in New Hampshire, where three of his children were
born. On coming to this town, he selected a lot near
the base of Norris Hill, and in th<j shade of the large
willow that swings over the highway a short distance
south of G. Boardman Pierce's, he built his house. "::"
Mr. Prescott was a tailor, and if he was as nimble with
* This house was burned about forty years ago.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 323

the needle as it is claimed he was in every other move-
ment, he must have been in a fair way to break the
record of a modern sewing-machine. His diligence is
spoken of as something remarkable. A neighbor states
that he has seen him sit in a chair to chop wood after
he became too feeble to stand at his work. Of his
eight children, those best known to our citizens were
Solomon and Epaphras Kibbv. Solomon purchased a
farm in the "New Boston"' district, now owned by A. H.
Blake, on which he lived until about i860, when he
went to California to spend the residue of his days.
Epaphras Kibbv Prescott was born in Monmouth,
June 29, 1 801. After a course of study at the town
schools and Monmouth Academy, he applied himself
to the study of medicine, under Dr. James Cochrane,
sen., and was graduated from the medical department
of Bowdoin College Sept. 5, 1827. He immediately
entered on the practice of his profession in his native
town, and two years later married Almira Berry, of
Mi not. About 1843, he purchased of Rev. Jedediah
Prescott the stand now owned by his son, O. K. Pres-
cott, and removed there from the home of his father,
where he had resided. Dr. Prescott always held a
good share of local practice, and, on account of his suc-
cess with fevers and malignant sores, was by many
considered a physician of extraordinary ability. He
was a man of firm judgment, and, in the capacity of
justice of the peace, was often called upon to settle le-
gal questions between his townsmen. Me died Sept.
17, 1876. 1 1 is son, Otis Kibbv Prescott. who resides
on the home place, has read medical works extensive-
ly but has never taken the degrees necessary to become

324 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

an established practitioner. Nathan Prescott, who
came from New Hampshire not more than three years
later than his cousin, Daniel, made himself a home in
the "New Boston'' district. He was a brother of Capt.
Sewall Prescott.

It is supposed that Stephen Prescott, another mem-
ber of this numerous family, and the lather of our lately
deceased citizen, Nathan F. Prescott, was not far be-
hind Daniel and Nathan in rinding the way to Mon-
mouth, although h^ must have been very young at
that time. Two brothers, David and Joseph, accom-
panied him when he came to this state, both of whom
settled in the vicinity of Dexter. Stephen secured
what he considered a good bargain in a lot of land on
Back street, now the west end oi the Cumston farm.
Here he made a clearing and built a house, which was
taken down many years ago. At the age of twenty-
four, he married Mary Leavett, of Buxton. Miss
Leavett was a niece of Moses Boynton, who, with his
brother, Daniel, settled in the western part of the town
a lirtle earlier than 18 10. In [815 Mr. Boynton was
visiting his relatives in Buxton, and Mary returned to
Monmouth with him, riding the entire distance on
horseback, behind her uncle. She became acquainted
with her future husband while on this visit, and married
him one year later.

In about two years alter their marriage they left their
home and went into the house on Norris Hill which
has been mentioned on page 106 as the former store of
John Chandler, having lost the farm through the treach-
ery of the man of whom the land was purchased. This
crushing blow to his youthful hopes ruined Mr. Pres-

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 32^

cott for life. The rest of his days were spent in mov-
ing from plaee to plaee. lie died on the farm now
occupied by Mr. Rolfe.

Mr Prescott was a ship carpenter. lie worked at

his trade in Bath, Pittston and other river towns, and
assisted in constructing the Kennebec dam. Habitual
working in perilous plaees made him perfectly fearless,
and marvelous are the feats of daring which are told of
him. There are many who ean reeall the thrill of ap-
prehension which ran through the crowd that assisted
in raising the steeple of a church at the Centre when
they saw him climb to the pinnacle and stand poised on
one foot. Of his eight children only one, Nathan, re-
mained in Monmouth.

Nathan F. Prescott was born Apr. 21, 1822. In.
early life he began working with his father in a ship-
sard. II<" married Rhoda O. E. Titus, daughter of
Pea. David Titus. In 1854 he purchased of Sands
Wing the Capt. Kelly farm on Stevens Hill, one of the
most beautiful locations in town, on which he resided
until his decease in the summer of 1893.

Mr. TVescott was one of the lew men who have,
through persistent industry and good management,
found farming in Maine a profitable employment. Ho
was quiet and unobtrusive, but was regarded as a man
of sound judgment. William E. Prescott. his only son,
was born May 23, i860, and graduated from Bates Col-
lege in the class ol" "86. After graduating, he taught
several terms in high schools and academics before
learning the drug business, in which he is now engaged.

Gilman Thurston settled, this year, on the place now
owned by YVm. II. Gilman. He afterward exchanged

326 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

fanns with Capt. Wm. P. Kelly, who lived on Stevens
Hill, and still later moved to the Lyon district, where
he died. He remained a bachelor until late in life,
when he married Elizabeth, daughter of Ebenezer
Starks. In 181 2 and 1813 he was elected to the office
of selectman.

John Gilman, son of Daniel Gilman, who came from
New Hampshire with the Epping colonists, was taxed
for the first time this year. He married Mary Straw,
daughter of William Straw, and settled on a lot of wild
land which is now known as the Daniel Whittier place,
in the Lyon district. After partially clearing this farm.
he sold it to Dearborn Blake of Epping, who was al-
ways known as uNewcome'1 Dearborn Blake, to dis-
tinguish him from Dearborn Blake, the son of Phineas,
who had been a resident of the town several years.
Mr. Gilman then purchased of the Sawyers the farm on
which his son. Ah ah Gilman, resided until his dcease.
This farm had been partially cleared by Abial Bedel,
who held a squatter's claim. Mr. Gilman paid him for
this claim, and Bedel removed to the eastern part of the
state, where he subsequently became a minister of con-
siderable note in the Baptist church.

Like his father, Daniel, the pioneer, who has been
mentioned on page ioo, Mr. Gilman had nine children,
of whom all but one of those who reached maturity
settled near him. Daniel William Gilman, his oldest
son. settled on the farm now owned by his son, Henry
Oscar Gilman. This farm was cleared by Jonathan
Hoitt, who came from New Hampshire, and whose
daughter, Dolly, Mr. Gilman married. Mr. Gilman
lived at one time on the Besse place: subsequently in

A DEC ADR OF DEVELOPMENT. 327

Litchfield and Richmond, whence he returned not far
from i860 to the Hoitt farm, where he died, in 1881,
at the age of seventy-six.

John Orin Oilman, the father of Benson Q.,J. Henry
and George E. Oilman, was the second son of John.
He was born Dec. 22, 181 2, seven years later than his
brother, Daniel W., and was married at the age of
twenty-three years to Hannah A., daughter of Eliphalet
Folsom. Alvah, the father of our citizen, William
Henry Oilman; Josiah, who died at the early age of
twenty-nine, and Augustus, who left the farm and en-
gaged in trade at the Center with J. S. Noyes, shortly
before his removal to Lewiston in the seventies, were
the youngest sons of John. Alvah and Augustus both
married daughters of Phineas Kelly. The former was
born Feb. 24, 1815, and the latter, June 2, 1828.

It is doubtful if any other family in town has clung
so closely to Monmouth throughout all its generations
as have the Gilmans. Of fifty-five descendants of
Daniel the pioneer who have reached maturity only
twelve have sought homes outside their native town.
This family dates back in history as far as the year
1066. The name is of Norman derivation and mem-
bers of the family accompanied William the Conquorer
from the Province of Maine, in France, to England.
The first to settle in this country was Edward, who
came to Ilingham. Mass., in 1638. John, his son. set-
tled in Exeter. X. H.. in 1650. He was councillor in
the time when New Hampshire was a British province,
and from him, it is supposed, descended the Gilmans of
Epping, X. II., whence Daniel, the Monmouth settler,
came.

328 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Robert Oilman, another son of Daniel the pioneer,
settee! on the farm now owned by Mr. Davis Emerson.
He afterward moved to the Gilman Thurston plaee and
again to the farm now owned by Mr. March, where he
died, in 1865, at the age of ninety years. His hrst wife
was Lydia Straw. Hannah Lyon and Mrs. Lydia Ilil-
dreth, of Gardiner, his second and third wives, both
preceded him to the border of the river of shadows;
his decease occurring only about ten hours later than
that of the latter. Of his four sons two, Robert and
Charles R., are still respected citizens of this town. *
The latter, born December 26. 1819, married Isabella
Marston and settled on the home place, whence he re-
moved, in 1885, to the Center. Since the decease of
his daughter, Lotta A., who died in 1864. at the age of
seven years, his family has consisted of a son. Charles
William, a manufacturer of straw goods in New York
city, and a daughter, Ella E., the wife of Albert G.
Smith, a professional teacher and local justice of the
peace. Robert married Lucy Haskell and, like nearly
all the other members of the family, settled in the Lyon
district, while William, the oldest brother, left the
haunts of his boyhood and established himself in the
oil business in Boston.

Sometime during the year 1 801, Jonathan Thompson
died. As one of the five who broke a way into the
forest, he had borne a principal part in the hardships of
those brave and rugged pioneers, and watched the
* Since this chapter was written, Charles R. Oilman has died.
On tin- 13th of Novemher, 1893. he was found lying on the floor of
the cellar of his stable (whither he had gone to make some repairs),
in an unconscious condition. His demise, which resulted in a few
hours, was apparently caused by paralysis of the brain.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 329

steady growth of the little settlement, as it developed
first into a plantation, with limited rights and privileges,
and then into a town, vested in all the advantages that
the commonwealth could bestow upon its older and
larger sisters. In the administration of local affairs,
the wheel had been steadied much of the time by his
firm and unerring hand. As assessor and collector of
the plantation, and as selectman of the town, all his
duties had been discharged in a manner to win the re-
spect of his constituents and compeers. Many sincere
mourners followed him to the grave, and many hearts
not bound to his memory by blood ties, were filled with
gloom at this first selection from the ranks of the influ-
ential and respected.

Twenty-six years had passed since the families of
Jonathan Thompson, living on the crown of the hill
which bears his name; Philip Jenkins, on the Cyrus
Titus place; Reuben Ham, on the farm owned by his
descendant, Mrs. Beckler; Thomas Gray, in his cabin-
home on the meadow, and Joseph Allen, on the Bas-
ford place, were, aside from soil, stream and forest, all
there was of Mon mouth and Wales. The reader who
has followed with an}- degree of attentiveness the fore-
going pages cannot fail to look back with interest on
what those years had brought forth ; but what must
have been the retrospect to those four pioneers, whose
minds were drawn to the comparison by the removal
of their companion!

It ma)- be supposed by some that there is reason for
doubt concerning the localization of Joseph Allen. In
my grandfather's manuscript, from which a large por-
tion of the material for the second chapter of this history

330 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

was taken, it is not stated exactly where those who
made the first clearings in the township settled. I have
had no difficulty in locating the other four, but am
doubtful whether, as has been supposed, Allen ever
made a elearing on the Ridge. In fact, there is every
reason to believe that he made his clearing on the Bas-
ford place, now owned by Mr. Richardson.

Reuben Basford, who came from Mt. Vernon in 1810,
married Joseph Allen's daughter, and to him fell the
farm after Mr. Allen's decease. Basford was the father
of Capt. Joseph A. Basford, whose life was spent on
the same farm. There was another Joseph Allen, who
came from New Meadows about three years later than
the pioneer, and. doubtless there are many old citizens
who, in reading the first chapters of this volume, have
identified him with the latter.

Joseph Allen the younger was born in the vicinity of
New Meadows, Feb. 8, 1770. At the age of seven or
eight years he came to Wales plantation to live with
his uncle, Ichabod Baker. He cam* by what was then
a new route. The first of the pioneers had followed
the Androscoggin river as far as Lisbon, and thence a
line of spotted trees, or rangeways. His course lay up
the Kennebec as far as Hallowell, thence across by
way of Manchester and Winthrop ; a course that soon be-
came the established line of communication between
Wales plantation and the outside world. The Revolu-
tionary soldiers mentioned at the close of chapter
second had just passed over it, on their way to the seat
of war, and the fact that he found junks of pork and
other edibles scattered along on the ground demon-
strates that the}' were not pinched with hunger as they

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 33 1

! were on the return. Joseph remained with his uncle
until he reached his majority. He then married Lydia
Billington, of Wayne, and took up the farm on the
Ridge now owned by the Allen heirs, and built a cabin
where Ernest Andrews's house stands. The Ridge was

| then entirely unsettled, a"d Mr. Allen made his way to

; the lot by a line of spotted trees. The house which he
erected a few years later, on the spot where his cabin
stood, was burned about seven years ago.

Joseph Allen had five sons and five daughters. Two
of the daughters, Betsey, who married Andrew Pink-
ham, and Lydia, who married Amos Loomis, settled in
Monmouth. His oldest son, David, a lad of about sev-
enteen years, was drowned while bathing in the mill-
pond at the Center, not tar from 1813. Samuel, the
next eldest boy, removed to Newport, Me.; Joseph to
Lowell. Mass , while Hiram and Daniel remained for

' the most part in the home of their boyhood.

Hiram Allen, who was born April 28, 1802, left the
farm and engagedin trade at Monmouth Center. His
home was the "John Hawes house," now occupied by
Andrew B. Pinkham. He afterward traded in Litch-
field, but returned to Monmouth Center and lived in
the house now owned by Capt. Towle, where he died
July 20, 1872. His widow, whose maiden name was
Mehitable Allen, married Ezra Philbrook. She died
Feb. 23, 1880, aged seventy-two years.

Daniel Allen, the youngest son of Joseph, married
Ann Eaton Littlefield, of Bath, and settled on the
Ridge. He was a deacon of the Baptist church and an
honorable and esteemed citizen. Of his two children,
Walter F., born May 26, 1840, died in early manhood.

332 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

His daughter, Anna Pinkham, married John W. jack-
son, a skillful blacksmith, and settled on the home
place. Mr. Jackson died in 1 891, eight years later than
Dea. Allen, whose decease occurred at the age of sev-
enty-two years.

As near as can be ascertained, the mill on the Wil-
son stream, long known as "Moody's mill," and now-
owned by Jeremiah Gordon, came into existence in
1801. David Moody, the builder, was a son of Rev.
Oilman Mood}-, the pioneer settler and Methodist min-
ister. Mr. Moody, although an active, enterprising,
and, in the true sense of the term, stirring man. was easy-
going and moderate. Open-hearted and frank himself,
he was always read)- to trust others, and was surprised
when he discovered that some men were not equally
ingenuous. An amusing incident is related concerning
his experience as an officer of the law. In 1809 he
succeeded in hardening his heart against his fellow
man sufficiently to take upon himself the vexatious du-
ties of a town constable. Melee Lee, a colored mail
who wandered into town in 1797 and worked about
from place to place, had contracted a debt, and as he
could not, or would not, pay, he must suffer imprison-
ment. Mr. Moody, to whom pertaineH the unpleasant
task of committing the fuliginous culprit to jail, drove
to the place where he was known to be at work. Dis-
mounting at a safe distance, he approached cautiously
from behind, and was almost upon him when Lee be-
came aware of his presence and took k*leg bail."'

t'Oh!,, exclaimed the easy-going official, "I thought
you wrere going to be clever, Lee." And he wras cor-
rect in his surmises; for Lee was far too clever to fall

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 7,1,7,

into his official clutches. The opening years of tin-
present century were numbered in a period of intense
interest in educational matters throughout the District
of Maine.

As far back as 1674 a general penal law was passed
in the Commonwealth requiring every town of fifty
families to employ a teacher to instruct all who desired
to become familiar with the simple accomplishments of
reading and writing. This law also provided for the
establishment of grammar schools, where all of the
studies required in a college-preparatory course should
be taught, in each town of one hune'red families. But
attendance was not compulsory in either case, and, in
the face of this statute, the ratio of illiteracy to erudition
stood as one hundred to one.

In contradistinction to the present era it may be cited
that in the year 1800 the city of Portland could boast
only three natives who had received a classical educa-
tion. And this ratio would, probably, apply to the rest
of the district. At the opening of the present century
only seven grammar schools were supported under the
commonwealth law.

In 1 80 1 a number of our leading citizens presented
the following petition to the General Court:

"Humbly Sheweth Your Petitioners Inhabitants of
the Town of Monmouth, that the Settlement of the
Town of Monmouth commenced in the year of our
Lord 1778 by people who had no doubts on their minds
at that time but what the land on which the)' settled
was states land. Some of the first settlers cut roads
Eighteen or Twenty miles through an entire wilderness
to (lit their families Into said town. And the settle-

334 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

ment of said Town was carried on for a number of
years under man}- disadvantages; we however flatterd
our selves that our Land would be given us by the
State, or at the worst, that it would be purchased at a
Moderate price; we also expected that land would be
Granted for the Support of schools and a Preached
Gospel, which priviledges we viewed of great conse-
quence as a town: but to our Sorrow we rind the land
on which we. settled belonged to Individuals and not to
the State, and we have since been obliged to purchase
our land at a very dear rate: without a foot of land be-
ing given to a settler In said Town for settling thereon,
but what we most lament is that not any land has been
granted In said town for support of schools or a
preached Gospel; priviledges which almost every
Town In this Commonwealth enjoy.

Your Petitioners convinced by the number of Grants
which have been made to support Academis In this
Commonwealth and the laws which have from time to
time been enacts d, that it is the object of the Legisla-
ture to encourage the education of youth and to diffuse
knowledge by every Honorable and Consistent way
and means In their power, beg leave to represent that
a Free Grammar School In said Town of Monmouth
would be of Great publick Utility, not only in said town
of Monmouth but to a Number of Towns around them
who are laboring under man)- difficulties and disadvan-
tages Therefore your wise consideration and grant
such a tract of unappropriated land as you may think
proper for the support of a free Grammar school In
said Town of Monmouth under such directions
and regulations as you In your Wisdom may

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT

335

think best and your petitioners as in duty bound will

Monmouth Jany. 5th 1801

Caleb Fogg

Ichabod Baker

Robert Hill

Eliphalet Smart

Aron Allen

Jonathan holmes

Benj. French

Ansel Blossom

Levi Fairbanks

John Blake

Peter Lyon
Jonathan Judkins
James F. Norris
Matthias Blossom
Nathaniel Smii-h
James Blossom
David Kimball."

ever pray.
(Signed)

Simon Dearborn

James McLellan

Josiah Brown

James Norris, Jr.

Jeremiah Chandler

John Welch

William Brown

Asahel Blake

Ebenezer Straw

John Merrill

Suel Prescott

Robert Withington

David Page

Daniel Smith

Simon Dearborn, Jr

Charles Danielson

Joseph York

In response to this petition, the General Court
granted ten thousand acres of land for the support of
the institution, and a further endowment of $1,500 was
made by Lady Elizabeth Temple and others. Under
this fund, the building was erected in 1803, and occu-
pied directly after its completion. The institution was
first known as Monmouth Free Grammar School. In
1809 it was incorporated as Monmouth Academy.
The first preceptor of whom we have any knowledge
was Ebenezer Merrick, who taught one term in 1810.
The average annual salary of the early instructors
was about $475. In 1819, the salary was raised to

336 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

$500. Three years later, fifty dollars was added to
this amount. In 1836, a change was effected which
gave the preceptor the tuition and the additional sum
of two hundred dollars from the treasury. As circum-
stances existed which would not warrant giving a
larger compensation, in 1846 the tuition only was al-
lowed.

At the time of the incorporation of this institution
there were only three other classical schools in the
state. Beauty and centrality ot location combined with
the thorough competence of the instructors and a well-
chosen curriculum soon gave the school a broad repu-
tation, and attracted pupils from all parts of the state.
Among the prominent men of the state and nation who
received a portion of their education at Monmouth
Academy may be mentioned Hon. S. P. Benson, Hon.
Geo. Evans, Gen. O. O. Howard, Ex-Gov. Selden
Connor and Ex-Gov. Washburne of Illinois.

The following is supposed to be a complete list of
the preceptors:

Ebenezer Herrick, 18 10; John Boutelle, 1 810-12;
James Weston, 1812; John Davis, 1816-18; Joseph
joslyn, 1820-4; Ezra Wilkinson, 1824-6; Henry W.
Paine, 1827-31; Henry A. Jones, 1831; John Baker.
1832; William V. Jordan, 1833-4; Nathaniel M. Whit-
more, 1835-7; Nathaniel T. True, 1837-46; William
B. Snell, 1847-51 ; Milton Welch, 1851 ; Flavius V. Nor-
cross, 1855-6; George W. McLellan, 1856; Abner C.
Stockin, 1858-61; George W. Frost, 1863-4; Nathaniel
T. True, 1864; William B. Snell, 1866-7 ; James Powell,
[868; J. B. Clough, 1868; James Atwood, 1870; John
B. Smith, 1870; F. E. Timberlake, 1S71; A. F. Rich-

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 337

ardson, 1872; Anthony Woodside, 1872; Giles A.
Stuart, 1873; Charles E. Smith, 1875; Nathaniel S.
Melcher, 1876; William II. Ham, 1876; II. M. Pratt,
1877-8; A. M. Spear, 1878; Martin P. judkins, 1879;
C. E. Owen, 1879-80; Wilbur A. Judkins, 1881 ; J. W.
Goff, 1886; S. S. Wright, 18S7; B. M. Avery, 1888;
E. F. Heath, 1891, and E. W. Small, 1893.

The academy building stood very near the road,
quite a distance south-east of the location of the present
one. Some idea of its position may be gained from the
statement that the locust trees from which those that
now grow on the side of the declivity near the south-
eastern corner of the lot sprouted, brushed so close
against the side of the building that those who sat in
the back benches near the windows could pick the
blossoms without rising from their seats.

The external appearance of the building is shown in
the accompanying cut, which was projected from a
sketch by Miss Marcia Ellen Prescott, kindly loaned
by Mrs. Ann M. Coy, and a memory sketch by Mr.
Elias Waterhouse. The interior was furnished with
wooden benches standing parallel to a broad central
aisle and rising one above another on longitudinal plat-
forms to the side walls. At the head of the central
aisle was the teacher's desk — a huge, box-like affair,
sheathed up from the floor on three sides, with three or
four steps on the fourth side leading up to the en-
trance.

The trustees of the school were in man}- instances
chosen from among the opulent rather than the erudite.
One of the foremost of these patrons of education was
noted for his Partingtonian sayings. Shortly before

33$ HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

his death he communicated some of the plans he had
made tor improvements about his premises to his phy-
sician. In his own words he had "been thinkin' of
buildin' a lorenzo onto the front of the house; and
makin' a sister in the suller, and have it fed by an an*
ecdote from the spring on the hill." This same trustee,
while making a speech before the school, proceeded to
draw a comparison between the educational advan-
tages of the day and the time of his youth. "Why,'"
said he, "when I was a youngster we scacely knew that
two and two made six.v The merriment that followed
was not greater than that which was excited when an-
other of the trustees arose in all the dignity of his po-
sition and a hundred and eighty pounds avoirdupois
to urge upon the youth before him the importance of
forming correct moral habits, closing his appeal with
the injunction to ''obey the precepts of this blessed
hook," at the same time bringing his heavy cane down
with a crash upon a copy of Webster's Unabridged
that lay on the desk before him.

The trustees were allowed eight cents a mile for
traveling expenses and one dollar per day for services.

Prior to Nov. 17, 1847, members were elected by
ballot at the annual or semi-annual meeting; and it
was necessary to lodge the nomination (which must
bear the names of at least two of the trustee^) with the
secretary only one month before the election. At the
above date, the article controlling the elections was
amended so as to make it necessary to place the nomi-
nation in the hands of the secretary at least six months
before the election.

The first meeting of the board of trustees of which

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 339

any record exists was, it is supposed, held at John
Chandler's, May 10, 1803. The following officers were
then chosen:

John Chandler, president; J. Belden, vice president;
Matthias Blossom, secretary; J. Boles, treasurer; S.
Howard, J. Boles and J. Belden, "a committee to form a
code of by-laws and report at the next meeting."" A
vote was passed to build a school-house, and a com-
mittee was appointed to procure subscriptions and ex-
pend the amount subscribed. John Chandler, L.
Robins, S. Howard, Ichabod Baker and James Norris
were appointed to fill the committee.

The names of those who have served on the board
of trustees, with all that is known of their respective
terms of office, are supposed to be included in this list:

Rev. Jonathan Belden, elected in 1803; resigned in
1808; Dudley B. Hobart, 1803; John Chandler, 1803-
1828; Matthias Blossom, 1803; Ichabod Baker, 1803;
Joseph Norris, 1803-1823; Luther Robins, 1803-1821;
John Boles, 1803; Seth Howard, 1803-1822; Dr. James
Cochrane, 1809-1832; Abraham Morrill. 1810-1843:
Dr. Issachar Snell, 1810-1822; Benj. Porter, 1810;
Rev. Thomas Francis, 181 2; Simon Dearborn, Esq.,
1 8 15- 184 1 ; Josiah Houghton, 1821; Rev. David
Thurston. 1822; Oliver Ilerrick, 1822; Joseph Norris

(re-elected), 1826; Benj. Alden, 1828; John

Neal, 1828; Arthur Given, 1828; Rev. John Butler,
1828; Hon. Benj. White. 1829; Isaac S. Small, Esq.,
1829; Francis J. Bowles, 183 1 ; John A. Chandler.
Esq., 1 83 1-2: Ichabod B. Andrews, 1833. 1849; John
Andrews, Jr., 1833-1849: John Dennis, 1833; Edward
Fuller, Esq., ; Dr. Alford Pierce, 1831-1860:

34° HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Stillman Howard, Esq., 1834- 1860; Nehemiah Pierce,
Esq., 1834-1849; Asa Bachelder, 1831-1846; Col. Jon-
athan Marston, 183 1- 1849; Hon. Samuel P. Benson,
1837-1876; Hon. Isaac S. Small, 1849; Ebenezer S.
Welch, 1 849-1 851; Jonathan M. Heath, Esq., 1849-
185 1 ; Washington Wilcox, 185 1; Charles T. Fox,
1858, 1875; Augustus Sprague, 1861; G. II. Andrews.
1866; Wm. G. Brown, 1875- 1878; Henry O. Pierce,
1878; Albert C. Carr, 1878; Virgil C. Sprague, Seth
Howard, 1892.

In 1S09, the name of the institution was changed by
act of the General Court to Monmouth Academy, and
arrangements were made this year to build a be'lfry.

In 18 15, the land granted by the General Court was
sold to General John Chandler. This tract contained
10,020 acres. It was situated on the Sebasticook
river in the county of Somerset, and was the westerly
half of Township No. 5, in the second range easterly
of Kennebec river. It was incorporated in 1828 as
Chandlerville, taking its name from its distinguished
owner. In 1844 the name was changed to that which
it still bears — Detroit.

Under the direction of Dr. Nathaniel T. True, who
came to the school in 1837, and inspired by that noble
teacher's energy, the students built a sidewalk running
from the corner north of the academy to the village,
and set out quite a portion of the double row of shade
trees with which it is for some distance lined. During
Dr. True's tutelage the school rose, it may be, to the
zenith of its glory. A catalogue of the institution for
the year 1842, which has fallen into my hands through
the courtesy of Mrs. Davis Emerson, contains much

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT 341

that will be interesting to those who have known it
only in recent years. One hundred and twenty-four
scholars are registered, of whom twenty-two elected
the classical, seventy-one the high English and thirty-
one the general English course. Of the one hundred
and twenty-tour only fifty-seven were residents of Mon-
mouth. The instructors named are Nathaniel T. True,
principal, Albert Thomas and Perez Southworth, as-
sistants. The text books used in the jreneral English
course were: '"The Bible, Hall's Reader's Guide,
Greene's English Grammar, Olney's Geography,
Smith's Arithmetic, Goodrich's History of the U.
States, Parker's Exercises in Composition." The high
English course comprised "Colburn and Smyth's Al-
gebra, Geometry, (Davies' Legendre,) Trigonometry,
Surveying, (Flint's,) Navigation, Lessons in Perspec-
tive, Foster's Book Keeping. (Spring Term.) Rhet-
oric, Critical Examinations in Prose and Poetry,
Comstock's Chemistry. (Full Term, commenced.)
Chemistry continued. Mineralogy and Geology.
(Spring Term.) Smellie's Natural History, Astron-
omy. ( Spring Term.) Lincoln's Botany. (Summer
Term.) Upham's Intellectual Philosophy. Kame's El-
ements of Criticism, French — Longfellow's Grammar,
Hentz's French Reader, Ilistoire des Etas Urn's, Tele-
maque, La Ilenriade, Boileau — Spanish, Italian." The
classical course embraced "Weld's Latin Lessons, An-
drews and Stoddard's Latin Grammar, Andrews' Latin
Reader, Andrews' Latin Exercises, Cornelius Nepos,
or Caesar's Commentaries, Leverett's Latin Lexicon,
Ramshorn's Latin Synonymes, Abbott's Cicero's Select
Orations, Sophocles' Greek Grammar, Anthem's Greek

342 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Exercises, Jacobs" or Felton's Greek Reader, Cooper's
Virgil. AnthorTs Sallust, Greek Testament, Donnegan's
Lexicon. "

The curriculum is given in detail that the reader
may compare it with the course of study prescribed by
our modern classical schools. The classical course
covered three years of three terms each; the spring-
term beginning the first Monday in March, the summer
term the first Monday in June, and the fall term the
first Mondav in September. Courses of lectures on
scientific topics are advertised to be given by the in-
structors, and lectures also ''on various literary subjects
by gentlemen from abroad."

In addition to the time-honored Clionian Society an
organization known as the Acernian Societv was

o

supported, the design of which was to improve in ar-
boriculture. To this society is due the extensive im-
provements to the academy grounds already mentioned.
Students were "required to attend public worship on
the Sabbath," and to participate in alternate weekly ex-
ercises in composition, declamation and elocution.

Probablv many a reader will be struck with the sim-
ilaritv of these regulations and the curriculum to those
of Kent's Hill Seminary, and, without stopping to
think, will conclude that they were borrowed from our
larger neighbor. With as great humility as pride we
must remember that Kent's Hill is, in a sense, the off-
spring of Monmouth Academy, virtually founded,
erected and established bv a native whose methods
were the development of ideas gained within the walls
of the latter; and while the daughter has. it must be
admitted, outgrown the mother, there is scared}' a de-

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 343

partmi nt in the Maine Wesleyan Seminary which had
not its prototype in Monmouth Academy. It was here
that Hie idea of an ait department in connection with a
classical institute had its origin; and if the school of
tine arts under the tuition of Miss Hamlin, a sister of
Hon. Hannibal Hamlin, was a failure, it was only be-
cause the idea was in advance of the times. The up-
per story of the building was finished and furnished for
this school at personal expense and risk by one of the
trustees, but the enterprise was abandoned at the close
of the second term. The school exhibitions, held in
the old yellow meeting-house, with musical selections
by a brass band brought from Brunswick for the oc-
casion, were in nowise inferior to a modern commence-
ment; and it is doubtful if in many respects the school
was inferior to our modern institutes except in the
meagre advantages it afforded for development in the
higher scientific attainments of base ball and lawn
tennis.

On the 21st da)- of September, 185 1, the old academy
building was burned to the ground. It was not gener-
ally supposed that the ''mouse and match" theory ad-
vanced by one interested gentleman was sufficient to
account for the origin of the fire, and adverse opinions
were current when the old '"Fogg school-house " on High
street, to which the school was removed, suffered the
fate of the academy. The principal, Milton Welch,
who had not secured his position without some rivalry
and opposition, was not to be easily defeated. Taking
up quarters in the Centre school-house, he placed a
secret night-guard in the building and prepared to re-
ceive the one who had twice manifested such warm

344 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

friendship with open arms. By turns the young men
and boys took up their vigils until well along toward
winter. At last it became so cold that they were com-
pelled to keep a small fire to prevent freezing. Week
after week they stood inside the windows and strained
their eyes out into the darkness. At last their patience
was rewarded. Late one night a team drove up Maple
street, turned the corner and slowly approached the
school-house. When opposite the building it stopped,
and the occupants of the vehicle gazed cautiously and
critically around.

Apparently dissatisfied with the appearance of a thin
column of smoke that was ascending from the chim-
ney, they whipped up and disappeared; and thus
closed what might have proved an exciting and fruit-
ful episode.

The new building, erected by Owen and Ham. and
first occupied in 1855, though less pretentious, is far
more substantial and symmetrical than the academy ot
historic days; and, standing as it does, at a greater dis-
tance from the street, the general effect is vastly su-
perior; but the eyes that drank in the beauty of the old
in youth can see nothing desirable in the new. A
poem freighted with this sentiment, composed for this
work by Mrs. Salina R. Read, of Auburn, will set many
a heart-string vibrating with its tender memories.

PICTURES OF MEMORY.

OLD MONMOUTH.

With mental vision pictures fair I see,
Limned by the brush of faithful memory.
Mtllowed the tints, but fadeless. Autumn's glow
Floods ripening nature as in long ago.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 345

The lovely lnkelet with its belt of green,

The sunlight glinting on its breast serene.

Bears no white sail upon its waters bright —

A tiny row-boat only meets the sight.

The quaint old church, with square, ungraceful tower,

From which no bell peals forth the passing hour,

O'erlooks the spot where friends beloved repose —

No flowering shrubs a tender care disclose.

Within the church, the long "broad aisle" I see,

Where worshipers, with solemn dignity,

Walk the unmatted floor, with thoughts intent

On the sweet service of the sacrament.

High, midwav 'twixt the vaulted roof and floor,

Is placed the pulpit, where, exactly o'er

The "preacher's" head, a "sounding board" appears,

Causing in childish hearts repeated fears,

Till by our elders told the slender rod

That held the burden was upheld by God.

This gave us peace, for childhood's faith is pure —

Oh, would to heaven, such faith might long endure!

Upon the summit of yon rising ground

Stands Academic Hall. The cheerful sound

Of the familiar bell calls forth the young

To the sweet spot whose praises oft are sung

Bv unfledged poets. 'TVs the very soul

Of proud old Monmouth, famous as the goal

From whence men known in Physics, Law and Art,

Teachers, Divines, go forth to act a part

In life's grand drama. Men of good renown

Date their ambition from this ancient town.

O, precious memory ! The scenes I view

By thy kind aid nought ever can renew.

Around the lake silence no longer reigns;

Of ancient church there's nothing now remains;

The tangled glebe wildness no longer shows;

That sacred spot now "blossoms as the rose."

Where our old seat of learning stood for years

To aged eyes obtrusively appears

346 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Another structure, less imposing. Still,

Its architecture shows progressive skill,

And modern pupils here a fitness find,

Which ancient builders never had designed.

Full well I know the wondrous changes wrought —

The finished aspect by improvement brought

To this old rural town, which, as a guest,

I much admire — but love the vanished best!

The academy stands a mile and a quarter from Mon
mouth Center, on the old stage road from Augusta t
Portland. Only a portion of this once lively highwa
remains. Shorter cuts have been made, and the ol
line, in the main, has been abandoned; but for a shor
distance we may drive over the very course that was
traveled by the fathers of our government in their jour
neys to and from the legislative assemblies, in the day
when Maine was a part of the Commonwealth of Mas
sachusetts.

The rapidity of the steam-car gives it favor in the
heart of the ever-hastening American, but the delights
ot travel were forever lost with the doing away of the
rumbling coach. The pure air, the piping of birds
among the foliage that arched the highway, th** greet-
ings and signals from doorways that occasionally
flashed into view and as quickly disappeared as the
coach, drawn by two or three spans of flying steeds,
dashed around a wooded curve, and the pizzicato crack
of John Blake's ever-swinging whip were charms that
do not greet the traveler in the close apartments of
the monotonously jarring steam-car.

At the verge of the level plain that stretches north-
ward from the Academy, overlooking a long reach ol
undulating woodland, with a hazy outline of the White

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 347

Mountains in the distance, stands the oldest relic of
coach thoroughfare — the old "Prescott Tavern."
Square as a block house, hip-roofed and crowned with
a chimnev large enough for a citv tenement, it would,
but for the new clapboards and modern windows that
replaced the original ones about ten years ago, challenge
the beholder to believe that he had taken a backward
step of nearly one hundred years. Everything about
it is like the historic mansions that we read about but
seldom see. There is the old tap-room, a thing of which
man)- of our younger readers who were born, and have
always lived, under the reign of prohibition never
heard. For their benefit we will explain that it was to
the days of 1800 what the little place behind the screen
in the modern eating house is to the present — the place
where Poland water, Moxie Nerve Food and other
tonics are kept for sale. An interesting feature of this
apartment is the tally of P's and Q^s placed against the
name of a young man who is said to have become one
of Portland's most brilliant legal lights; and if he
drank the amount of alcohol charged to him and came
in contact with a friction match we see no reason why
he should not have been.

The doors leading from the tap-room to the narrow
side hall are double, a fact that is suggestive of the
large puncheons that often found entrance there.
Through this entrance the troops were marched in
double file when they came from the muster-field near
by to wipe the dust from their throats with Capt. Pres-
cott's "West India and Molasses." Then there is the
spacious dining hall, lately used as a summer kitchen
and furnished with the trappings of a former century.

}4& HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Two large front rooms with their massive fireplaces
and long mantles, and finished with jointless hard pine
dadoes nearly two feet in width, are separated by a
small front hall with a steep winding stair-case, at the
top of which a door on the right opens into another
large room, finished, like the one below it, in broad
wainscots and recessed window seats. On the left we
enter a room that is very similar in appearance to each
of the others, except that three of the walls are fur-
nished with bench seats running the full length and
width of the apartment, and that it is frescoed on all
sides with the most inconceivable landscapes that even
tortured the eyes of man. Here we find giant trees,
beside which the wonderful redwoods of California
would have to stand on tip-toe, in close proximity to
houses so infinitesimal that they might be wrapped in
one of the fallen leaves. Broad rivers are here, em-
anating from sources that resemble puddles of milk
left for the cat to lick up. "Such was the artist's
dream of nature," writes one who had better ideas of
euphony than of perspective and congruity in describ-
ing these mural decorations. If this were a dream how
that artist must have suffered with the nightmare!
This was the hall of the olden time. A plain board
partition now divides it in the center, but an open door
shows that it originally ran the full length of the build-
ing. It was in this room that the swains and frolicsome
damsels of four-score years ago used to meet to "trifj
the light fantastic toe;" or, if no fiddler was to be had,
to while the long winter evenings away in such sports
as "Blind man's buff" and tkPuss in the corner."

Such times as those were! With the roaring open

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT.

349

tire on one side, spreading a golden carpet over the
well-scrubbed Moor, its luminations met by the light of
a dozen tallow dips set in stands of polished brass;
hearts lighter than the hot air that rushed and roared
up the black-throated chimney, and cheeks redder than
the "no-narae" apples that sputtered on the clean!}- swept
hearth — with such accompaniments who would not
join the festivities?

This old landmark was built in 1801, by Capt. Sewall
Prescott. rl ne following summer it received a
christening that immortalized it, when Francis Asbury,
the "Pioneer Bishop," sat in the upper hall, at the head of
a handful of Methodist circuit riders, and conducted
the proceedings of the second New England Confer-
ence held in Maine, and a congregation supposed to
represent one-sixth of all the Methodists in New Eng-
land gathered outside the doors to listen to a discourse
from his venerable lips.

The captain's first house stood a little north of the
new building, and at one end of this was his blacksmith
shop. At about two o'clock one morning, soon after
the new house was completid. fire was discovered
coming from the shop. It was but a minute, seeming-
lv, before the whole building was wrapped in flames
and the hot tongues were reaching out toward the new
house. All hands, with the exception of the captain.
were outside in a trice, fighting the demon with wet
blankets and sheets. That worthy official would have
been with them, but, in the excitement of the moment,
while dressing, he had got his vest on wrong side out,
and, in the excitement of the moments following, he
found it no easy matter to get it righted. It he got one

350 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

arm in right the vest was sure to take a half-turn be-
hind his back and bring the other side wrong end up.
If good luck and a helping hand had not come to his
aid, the first who came to view the ruins the next
morning would have found him on the side of the bed
wrestling with that "tarnal weskit."

After the Academy became an educational institu-
tion of considerable importance, Prescott's Tavern be-
came the boarding place of many men who have won
laurels in the political arena. Embryo governors and
senators learned to decline ilmensd>'> and read ^Esop's
Fables within its landscaped walls, and more than one
orator, whose eloquence would now command the at-
tention of a more intelligent audience, bombarded the
helpless images with his furious rhetoric.

Tenantless and dreary, the "old fort" still stands like
a ghost of the festive historic days.

CHAPTER XIII.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT,— Concluded.

The mercantile history of Monmouth dates from
1802, when a store was opened at Ellis Corner by the
firm oi~ A. & J. Pierce. John Pierce, the junior part-
ner, lived near the store, which stood in the Meld south
of the residence of Rev. J. B. Fogg. Business was
conducted by this firm only one year, when Alexander,
the senior partner, purchased his brother's share, and
became sole proprietor. At the end of another year,
he, in turn, sold the business to Samuel Cook, a young
gentleman who had served as clerk from the time it
was established. Mr. Cook was from New Salem.
Mass. In 1807 he removed to Woodstock, Me,, and a
little later to Houlton, of which' he was one of the
pioneers. For his wife, Sarah Houlton, whom he
married before emigrating to Maine, the town of
Houlton evidently was named. William Cook, a son
of Samuel, who was born during the brief residence of
the family in Monmouth, was, before his decease in
1890. the last of the pioneers of Houlton. If ''straws

352 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

show which way the wind blows'", the fact that as
prominent a man as Esquire Abraham Morrill named
his oldest son for Samuel Cook is all the information
we require concerning the character of the latter.

Yankees have been Yankees in all ages since that
peculiar race was invented. Who ever knew one to
develop a new scheme without being flanked by a
dozen imitators? Before the Messrs. Pierce came into
town no one had attempted to start in trade. A little
more than two years later, John Chandler and half-a-
dozen others had erected stores and swung their
shingles to the breeze. John Chandler had his '-shop/'
as it was then called, in the corner north of the acnd-
emv. The peregrinations of this building have been
mentioned in another connection. Joseph Chandler had
a store at the outlet of South pond; Greenleaf R. Nor-
ris and James F. Norris had another in that vicinity,
which they closed after a few months, and Joseph P.
Chandler one at North Monmouth. The building in
which he traded has been moved and remodeled, and
is now serving as a dwelling-house for "Doctor" IT. S.
Folsom.

Those who have read the epitome prepared from
this manuscript for the History of Kennebec County
will notice a slight discrepancy between the dates then
given and the ones I now use. Since compiling the
chapter on Monmouth for that work, an exhaustive
comparison of records has enabled me to furnish more
definite dates. I there stated that Joseph Chandler
opened a store in the eastern part of the town in 1807,
and Joseph P. Chandler one at North Monmouth about
1806. Both of these men began their mercantile ca-

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 353

reer early in 1805. This date is well authentieated.

In 1806 "John Chandler" had given place to ''Chand-
ler & Co.," and the business was conducted under the
name of this firm until 1813, when it fell into the hands
of John Alphonso Chandler, his illustrious father hav-
ing- risen from the rank of a country shop-keeper to
that of a Brigadier General.

In 1806 Samuel Cook received a partner in the per-
son of Shubael C. Stratton, and for one year the name
of Stratton & Cook appeared on the fly-leaf of the led-
ger. At the end of this time Mr. Cook removed to
Aroostook county, and the business passed into the
hands of Moses Ranlet. Mr. Ranlet continued the
business two or three years. The store was then
closed for one year, after which it was re-opened by
John Sullivan Blake. This statement concerning Moses
Ranlet comes from my grandfathers manuscript. It is
generally supposed, however, that Mr. Ranlet's store
stood near Smart's Corner. My grandfather also states
that Peter Hopkins was the first trader in town, and
that he was succeeded by John Chandler; but this is
flatly contradicted by the town records. John Chandler
may possibly have tapped a barrel of rum before A. &
J. Pierce brought any into town; but he was not taxed
as a trader until two years after the name of that firm
appeared on the assessor's books.

In 1806 a singular entry was made on the town
books. Mark Andrews, a personage about whom has
hung well-nigh as great a mystery as enveloped the
character of the ancient high priest of Salem, was
taxed for stock in trade to the value of ten thousand
dollars. Who was Mark Andrews? is a question that

354 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

I have, for years, pressed upon every person from
whom I could hope to gather any information concern-,
ing this perdu nabob. But, although he was evidently
the wealthiest man in town, none of the family bearing
the name in Monmouth and Wales will accept him as
an ancestor, or give him a place in their genealogy.
The most I have been able to learn concerning him is
that his daughter became the wife of Gen. Joseph
Chandler the same year that he settled in Monmouth,
and it is possible that he was engaged in trade with his
son-in-law. Me remained in town only two yearsJ
The following abstract from the history of Androscog-
gin count)- concerning a man who came to Turner in
1780, may have some bearing on the matter: "Mark
Andrews was the first trader in town. lie kept his
goods in his saddle-bags for some years. Me and his
brother, Samuel, who came in 1779, were soon in com-
pany as traders on the farm on Lower street, so long
occupied by Rev. George Bates. In 1786 Mark An-
drews bought lot 76 in first division, and in deed was
called of Berkeley." That this trading spirit found his
way to Monmouth in later vears is not improbable.

In 1808 Ebenezer Blake entered the mercantile
lists, but, like several who had preceded him, fell out
inside of a year. At the close of the decade only two
out of the twelve who had started in business since
1802 were still behind the counter, and these two were
Chandlers.

The spirit of immigration, which had for two or
three years run so high, fell through in 1802 like a
boomed city of the south-west. Between the early
summer of 1801 and that of the year following only

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 355

three new families took up a residence in the heretofore
rapidly growing town. The heads of these families
were John Shaw, Joshua Smith and Ebenezer Briggs.
John Shaw and Joshua Smith came from Middleboro\
Mass., and, after a short residence in Winthrop, settled
on Monmouth Neck; the former, on the Tillotson
Chandler place, which he purchased of the Plymouth
proprietary and cleared, and the latter, on the farm
now owned by George Howard. All the Shaw family
were in the Revolutionary War. There were several
bovs, and all. with the exception of Jacob, went to the
front with their father at the first call. Jacob waited
patiently until he was old enough to be accepted as an
able-bodied man, when he ran away, made his way the
entire distance from Winthrop to the seat of war on
foot, and enlisted, leaving his mother and sisters to run
the farm.

John Shaw was a man of thirty-six years when he
came to Monmouth. Coming at that early age, with a
family of nine children, it would ordinarily be expected
that his name would be perpetuated in the town
through man)' generations; but he had not finished
clearing his farm when all the plans he had made for
his family were suddenly changed. In the prime of
manhood he yielded to the grasp of that power which
laughs at the boasted strength of man. After his de-
cease the greater portion of his family moved back to
their old farm in Middleboro'. on which the grandson
that bears his name now resides, leaving in this town
only one child. Clarissa, the mother of Lorenzo L.
Allen and the two Mrs. Kings.

Joshua Smith, whose sister. Elizabeth, was the wife

356 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

of John Shaw, was but little more fortunate than his
brother-in-law in leaving a name among future genera-
tions of the town, his grandson, Joshua Smith Noyes,
being the only male descendant who has resided among
us in recent years. He did not, like his brother-in-
law, purchase his land in a wild state. John A. Tor-
sey, who had been there before him. had not only got
the land into a good state of cultivation, but had, it is
thought, substituted for the primitive log hut the house
in which Mr. Howard now lives. Mr. Smith, in ad-
dition to carrying on the work of his farm, worked to
quite an extent at his trade of manufacturing spinning-
wheels and flax-wheels. He had a shop opposite his
house furnished with a lathe which was a combination
of hand and foot-power. He was a deacon of the Bap-
tist church which was organized at East Monmouth in
1810, and when that society ceased to exist, as it did in
1824, became one of the first deacons of the Baptist
church at East Winthrop. He was somewhat noted
for his firm convictions and commanding manner, and
the latter attribute, it may be, led to his election to the
captaincy ol one of the local companies of militia only
four years after he became a citizen of the town.
His rlrst wife was Abigail Peccins. She died in 18 14,
and he married Nancy Carr, sister of Dea. Daniel Carr,
of Winthrop. By his first wife he had rive children,
Eleazer, Cyrus, Betsey, Polly and Sabra. The lattcr
married Isaac Clark, jun.; Polly married Otis Norris,
son of Maj. James Norris; Betsey, Samuel Noyes;
Cvrus. Sally Allen, and Eleazer, Hannah Allen, both
daughters of Daniel Allen, of East Monmouth. Elea-
zer moved to Augusta, Me. "Eleazer and Hannah

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. $5 7

Smith had four sons and one daughter, the two surviv-
ors being Eleazer Hartley Wood Smith, the subject of
this article, and his sister, Julia E., now Mrs. John II.
Hartford. This son was born in Monmouth, Feb. 3,
181 2. He learned the trade of bookbinding with Har-
low Spaulding, of Augusta, before he reaehed his
majority, and beeame foreman of the shop. Later he
entered into partnership with George S. Carpenter, in
the business of bookbinding and book selling, and af-
terward was in the bookbinding business with his
brother-in-law, Mr. Hartford.

"Mr. Smith is best known in his native county as a
clergyman of the Methodist Episcopal church. * *

* * His principal field of labor has been Augusta
and vicinity. * * * * In writing of Rev. Mr.
Smith for ^ church publieation, Rev. A. S. Ladd says:
•He has for many years been a local preacher, a prom-
inent business man, and a man of great intelligence.'
He now resides in Augusta, in the enjoyment of a se-
rene old age, the earthly recompense of a temperate
life, and with the natural results of business ability and
integrity. *

Ebenezer Briggs, the other member of the trio of
1S02 settlers, lived for some time in the central part of
the town. Although he must have had an earlier resi-
dence, the first that is known of him he was living in
what was denominated the "plastered house," a some-
what remarkable structure that stood on the "Blaketown
road," about opposite the wood-colored house latch- oc-
cupied by Daniel Potter. This building was plastered
in imitation of stucco work. Later, Mr. Kriggs lived

* Historv of Kennebec County.

35^ HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

in the house that stood on the cheese-factory lot. From
there he removed to North Monmouth. William
Briggs, the only descendant of this family of whom a
large majority of the residents have any knowledge,
distinguished himself at the battle of Bull Run, and for
his valor was promoted first lieutenant. E. K. Blake,
for wh( m he had worked prior to his enlistment, pre-
sented him with a fine sword. He was seven times
wounded, and finally shot through the temples.

Rev. Samuel P. Blake was born in Monmouth
about 1802. His parents, John and Elizabeth Blake,
who have been mentioned as early settlers on the
"Kingsbury place,"' near Norris Hill, removed to Bath
when he was a lad, and, with Lydia, the wife of Gen.
McLellan, founded the Methodist church in that city.
At the age of twenty-eight, Mr. Blake was admitted to
the Maine Conference on trial, and, with the exception
of a rest of four years, which the condition of his health
demanded, he continued in active service until 1862.
when he retired from the ministry and settled in Wor-
cester, Mass. "Mr. Blake,"' says a contemporary, "was
amiable in disposition, modest, unassuming and exem-
plary in deportment, a good man and a faithful min-
ister." He died at Worcester, Sept. 10, 1882. His
wife, Sarah W. McDonald, of Canaan, Me., preceded
him to the spirit land by nearly seventeen years. They
had eight children, one of whom, Elizabeth, married
Wm. T. Skillin, station agent of the Grand Trunk rail-
road at North Yarmouth. Abb)-, another daughter,
married Edmund W. Barton, assistant librarian of the
American Antiquarian Society at Worcester; Lydia
McL. married Lt. Col. Edwin A. Webber of Chicago,

REV. SAMUEL PAINE BLAKE.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 359

111.; Harriet II., Robert Bos worth of Hath. Me., and
John, the only surviving son, resides in North Yar-
mouth. Me.

The year 1803, brought quite an increase in the pop-
ulation. Seventeen new names were recorded on the
tax-books, representing a large class of squatters and
driftwood, and a small number of substantial, perma-
nent residents. One of the number was Jeremiah
Thorn, who lived tor a time in the "French house"
just mentioned as standing on the cheese-factory lot.
lie afterwards moved into the ''old yellow house," as
it was called, which was built by Capt. fudkins near
the spot where N. M. Nichols's buildings now stand.
Mr. Judkins received the land on which it stood from
Capt. Arnold, for building the saw-mill at "mud mills."
Mr. Thorn was a joiner. There was nothing remark-
able about the man, nor was there anything noteworthy
in his career, and it is doubtful it" his name would be
found here were he not the first tenant, so far as we
can learn, of the old yellow house, about which so
much interest clusters. And this poor shell of a build-
ing, too, might have crumbled to atoms and blown to
the quarters of the globe, without a pen being dipped
to defend its history from oblivion, but tor the readiness
with which the inexplicable is accepted as the super-
natural. Several years after Thorn left the place, the
house was opened to the public as a tavern. A tavern,
in those days, implied a tap-room and bar, in the 'main,
with occasional refreshment to a weary traveler, and a
night's lodging, if he could put up with such accommo-
dations as the place afforded. They could be found
scattered all along the stage line at intervals of from

360 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

halt-a-mile to a mile. One evening a youth dressed in
the garb of a sailor came swinging up the path, and
was cordially welcomed at the door by the landlord,
who knew that the money and appetites ot followers of
the sea were, alike, free. He was on his way from
Ilallowell, where he had left his vessel, to his mother's
limine at the head of Cochnewagan pond. Wearied,
and perhaps thirst)', Curdevant, for such was the young
man's name, turned in for a bit of refreshment. Mine
host strained every nerve to do the agreeable. He en-
tertained his guest with many a carefully treasured
story, and urged him to refresh himself with his best
"old Med ford." He was soon joined by a boon com-
panion, and the two drank to the stranger's health and
entertainment, with their choicest jokes and raciest
songs. Hour after hour passed, and still the trio sat in
the reeking bar-room. A man going for the doctor
late that night, as he passed the house, saw three men
engaged in a fierce struggle. One. dressed like a
sailor, was trying to hold his own against the tavern
keeper and his companion. Such sights were too com-
mon in those days of free rum to demand particular at-
tention, even if his errand had not demanded haste.
The widow in the little cottage at the head of the pond
never saw her boy again. She heard nothing of his
appearance at the tavern, and wondered if his ship had
been wrecked on the homeward passage; and so won-
dering and lamenting, died. The tavern-keeper soon
gathered his effects and moved away.

A new family moved into ''the yellow house," but
tmt to stay. Evidently there were too many tenants
for a rent of that size. Sounds were heard in the eel-

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 36 1

tar; they issued from the walls, from the door steps.
Sharp raps were heard on the door when no person
was near, followed by the sound of a hoe scraping be-
neath the foundation, and other noises, too numerous to
describe, but not soothing to timid ears. One family
after another tried in vain to cope with the perturbed
spirit. Mr. Paine, preceptor of the academy in 1827,
was one of the vanquished ones. All went well until
he was called away on business for a dav or two, leav-
ing his wife and children alone. He enoacred Everett
Andrews, then a lad. to do his chores. Andrews per-
formed his duties as quickly as possible, and quitted the
premises as soon as courtesy would allow. He had
just left the house, one evening, when a noise arose
from beneath that, for a moment, completely paralyzed
the inmates of the house with fright. Recovering from
the first shock, Mrs. Paine made a dash for the door,
followed by the screaming children. She was met
there by a racket that sent her reeling back into the
hall. An open window was near, and she fairly threw
her children out, and, jumping through herself, ran for
a place of safety. Andrews, hearing the uproar,
looked back just in time to see the lady and her children
come tumbling from the window. He was then down
about as far as the Macomber house, and if he did not
each Monmouth Center in less than a minute, the fault
lay in the shortness of his legs. On this, a body of men
turned out to la)- the ghost. They took up the door-
stones, removed the foundation and dug in the cellar
for the body of Curdevant. They found hair that was
said to resemble his in color, and bones which were
promptly pronounced sheep bones by the physician to

362 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

whom they were earned. No further discover)- was
made, and no ghosts troubled the peaceful inmates of
the house from that day out.

Jonathan Currier, another resident whose advent was
made in 1803, came from New Hampshire. He
married Deborah Kelley, daughter of Capt. Wm. P.
Kelley. He removed to St. Andrews, but returned
later in life and died here.

The same year, Paul and Gideon Lombard made a
clearing near South pond, and built a house, no traces
of which are now to be seen. A part of the land taken
up by them is included in the John Wood place.

William Bachelder, who came to Monmouth this
year, settled on the D. H. Dearborn place, where he
built a two-story house, which has been remodeled by
Mr. Dearborn into the one he now occupies. He was a
mason by trade.

John Harvey was born in Nottingham, N. II., Dec.
26, 1780. He was the second of a family of eight
children, the rest of whom settled in Nottingham and
adjoining towns. In 1803 he removed to Monmouth.
The following year he purchased the farm on which he
spent the residue of his days, and on which his daugh-
ter, Charlotte A. Harvey, still resides. This farm had
been partially cleared by Major James Harvey, the de-
faulting treasurer of Monmouth, who. although he bore
the same surname and hailed from the same town as
John, was very distantly, if at all, related to him.

On the fourth day of June, 1809, Mr. Harvey was
united in marriage to Asenath Fairbanks, daughter of
Elijah Fairbanks, of Winthrop. They began life to-
gether that day on the farm, where they remained 1111-

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 363

til Mr. Harvey's decease, thirty-six years later.

John Harvey was one of the sterling men of the town.
He held the position of selectman, at different periods,
twenty years, being elected to the office the last time
only one year before his decease; was appointed justice
of the peace in 1822, and served two years as town
treasurer. As he joined the Masonic fraternity before
leaving New Hampshire, it is very probable that the
claim of his relatives to the effect that he was the
first member of the order in town can be substantiated.
When the first lodge of Free Masons was instituted at
Winthrop, his name appeared on the list of charter
members. He died Dec. 20, 1845. Of his three
children, two, Emily H. and Charlotte A., remained on
the farm. Livonia, the oldest child, married Joseph
Kimball and removed to Portland.

Epaphras Kibby Blake was born April 4. 1804. He
was the son of Phineas Blake, jun., and was second in
a family of seven. By inheritance, he received much
that many are denied. First, and most important, of
all, he received from his ancestors the gift of pure,
health}- blood, and a vigorous temperament. Without
this, the intense activity that marked his career could
hardly have been supported. Perhaps, after all, the
Christian example and training of his father should be
placed before this physical endowment; but that could
hardly be termed an inheritance. Next to this came
the advantage of kinship, which was of no inferior
grade. His father's mother was an own sister of Gen.
Henry Dearborn, and her sister, Deborah, married
Jonathan Cilley, of Nottingham, who was of the same
family as Hon. Jonathan Cilley, the member of Con-

,}6q HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

gress whose unfortunate duel with Hon. W. J. Graves
is a matter of national history. Although the follow-
ing of father by son in the Christian life is not a purely
natural sequenee, it was hardly more than natural that
Mr. Blake, when he became interested in matters of su-
preme importance, should turn for religious fellowship
to the Methodist "class" of which, it is supposed, his
father was the first leader. Of his connection with the
church, Rev. Dr. Day speaks thus in Allen's History of
Methodism :

"He was converted when about eighteen years of
age and soon united with the church of which for
sixty-two years lie was one of the most earnest support-
ers, by wise counsel, consistent Christian life, and lib-
eral benevolence. For nearly half a century, he
served his church in nearly all of her lay offices.

"To Mr. Blake's progressive mind and large gener-
osity is due the present admirable church prospects at
Monmouth Center. In fact, there is no feature of
Monmouth Methodism for the past fifty years that does
not bear his imprint. He made his church a constant
study, for his love for her was deep and unwasting.
His constancy was undiminished through physieal ob-
stacles or spiritual dearths. To all pastors he gave the
same loyal support: from his lips never escaping an
unkind criticism or complaint. With what cordial and
hearty cheer were all ministers who sought his ac-
quaintance, welcomed to the old homestead! And the
Methodist preacher to whom he once gave his right
hand had in Mr. Blake a warm friend for life.

•'His was a modest, humble, but burning zeal, the
heart of love, the intensity of joy in his Master's cause,

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 7,6$

no stiff opinions, no attempts to rule, no meddling.
Leading by the force of a great character, an acknowl-
edged wisdom, an undoubted devotion to that which
was pure and of good report; he was always in the
right place at the right time and did things in the right
way.

''Mr. Blake was a man of remarkable ability in pub-
lic speech. Methodism has been a grand arena for the
development of such talent. In richness of thought,
the unction of utterance and the happy timing of his
efforts, he had few superiors among laymen in the en-
tire denomination. An exhortation from Mr. Blake, in
the old times when the brethren of the pe\vrs sometimes
spoke alter the preaching, has redeemed many a poor
sermon and sent the congregation home in a high state
of religious enthusiasm. His wras a remarkable old
age. "His eye was not dim, nor his natural force
abated.'

"His wife, whom he married in 1828. and who pre-
ceded him to the better land in 1878, wras Clarissa
True of Litchfield, a woman well suited to such a man,
and who sympathized with him in all his zeal for the
church."

At an early age, Mr. Blake was secured by the
Wayne and West Waterville Edge Tool companies as
general agent. In this capacity he traveled extensively
in the New England States and Canada. After serving
the company about forty years as the nominal agent,
but recognized executive, of the corporation of wrhich
R. B. Dunn was the strategist, he retired to his farm at
East Monmouth, where he died, in 1884, after a life of

366 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

useful and prolonged activity. * He had two sons, of
whom mention will be made in a future chapter.

It has been stated that Mr. Blake was second in a
family of seven. There were four sons and three
daughters. The youngest of the latter died in infancy.
Amelia married Rev. Elisha Stillman Norris, a member
of the M. E. Conference of Iowa and son of Hon.
Joseph Norris, of Monmouth; and Almha, Charles S
Norris, of East Monmouth. Of the sons, John married
Deliverance Wilcox, and settled near the home place,
where he died in 1838, at the age of thirty-seven
Henry Martin, who was four years younger than Epaph-
ras Kibbv, became prominent in religious circles.

"He was converted in 1829, while a student in Maine
Wesleyan Seminary, at a campmeeting held on the
Seminary grounds. In 1838, he was received, on
trial, in Maine Conference, and appointed to Bartlett
circuit, and continued in the itinerant service till the
day of his death, January 15, 1865. Mr. Blake was a
man of ardent temperament, careful and industrious
habits and great singleness of purpose; he was strictly
upright and wholly consecrated to his work as a minis-
ter; he had a deep sense of his own responsibility and
ot the perilous condition of the impenitent; he was an
uncommonly earnest and faithful minister. Few
preachers can exhibit a more glorious record, or can
point to such a cloud of witnesses of their pastoral fi-
delity. He was a faithful friend and a pleasant com-
panion. He was married in the early part of his

* As the foregoing paragraph was written by the author of this
work for the History of Kennehec County, it is no plagiarism to
introduce it here without the use of quotation marks.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 367

ministry to Miss Lydia Home, of Great Falls. N. II.,
who was always in full sympathy with her husband's
work and labors of love, and who finished her course a
few years in advance of him.

"Mr. Blake was deeply interested in all the benevo-
lent enterprises of the chureh, and was a constant and
generous contributor towards them. He contributed
liberally toward the erection of Sampson Hall, at
Kent's Hill, and was in favor of the largest and most
substantial designs for that building. Great confidence
was reposed in him by his brethren. He served many
years as a trustee of the Conference and of Maine
Wesleyan Seminary, and was twice a delegate to the
General Conference. His love lor the church and its
institutions continued to the last. By his will, written
a few days before his death, besides gifts to other be-
nevolent objects, there was a bequest of thirteen hun-
dred dollars to the Maine Wesleyan Board of Education,
as a fund for the benefit of the Seminary at Kent's Hill.
His wife, at her decease, several years previous, had
given five hundred dollars for the same object. The
few last years of his life were overshadowed by afflic-
tion. The death of his excellent wife left him a mourn-
er; the loss of his books, papers and other personal
effects by fire was severely felt. But he was gracious-
ly sustained, and continued his pastoral work with
unfaltering fidelity to the last day of his life.

"At the Conference of 1864, he was appointed to
Pine Street Church, in Portland; he was the first pas-
tor ot that church, twenty years previously.

"On the morning of January 15, 1865, while on his
way to Pine Street Church to conduct the services ot

368 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

the day. he was seen to fall on the sidewalk: friends
came to his relief but in a tew minutes his earthly life
was ended. 'Faithful unto death," he went to receive
his crown." *

Charles Phineas, the youngest of the children o
Phineas Blake, jun., was born Sept. 22, 1820. In early
life he developed in an eminent degree that vivacity
and keen business instinct which marked the older
members of the family. When a young man his am-
bition led him to the then kWfar West." At Cincinnati
Ohio, he established himself in the pork-packing busi-
ness, which he extended during the winter seasons to
New Orleans. In the former city he formed the ac-
quaintance of Mary J. Sampson, a native of Leeds
Maine, and a lady of singularly pure and noble charac
ter, whom he married. Returning to Maine he entered
the employ of the North Wayne Edge Tool Company
as general agent for the Western States, his brother
Kibbv having control o< all the eastern territory in a
similar capacity. While connected with this corpora-
tion, he made North Wayne his home, but traveled in
ever}- State east of the Mississippi. Becoming wearied
with this constant itinerancy, he returned to his native
town and entered the employ of his brother-in-law.
Charles S. Norris, who was then conducting general
stores at Monmouth Center and East Monmouth. Atter
the decease of Mr. Norris, he settled the estate, sold the
business and turned his attention to the manufacture of
men's boots at East Monmouth. In this enterprise his
brother was interested. Under the firm name of E. K.
& C. P. Blake, the industry evolved, in the course of

* From Allen's History of Methodism.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 369

time, into the manufacture of moccasin boots for lum-
bermen. They purchased their stock of tanners in
J Pawtucket, R. I., and sometimes employed as many as
sixteen men at the bench.

In 1868 Mr. Blake removed to Bangor, where he
entered a firm that was already engaged in the manu-
| facture of moccasin leather and boots. Here he re-
mained until 1870, when he returned to Monmouth
Center, and, taking to himself two partners, Hiram
G. Judkins and William K. Dudley, erected a com-
modious building for the manufacture of the same class
of goods. In founding this industry, Mr. Blake tem-
porarily saved Monmouth Center from sinking into the
state of oblivion toward which it is now apparently
tending. For nearly a quarter of a century this manu-
factory and the one which was afterward erected near
it have been the only substantial hope of the village.
The superior quality of the goods manufactured by Mr.
Blake and his associates brought large orders and con-
sequent activity to the place.

Mr. Blake died Oct. 26, 188 1, leaving two sons, Em-
erson Kibby, who has for many years been a commer-
cial traveler in the employ of Portland and Boston
firms, and Herbert Burbank, who has recently estab-
lished himself as a blacksmith at Monmouth Center.

Another 1804 settler was John Drake, who took up
the place now owned by J. G. Smith, on the Neck.
He was a short, chunky man, conspicuous everywhere
by contrast with the remarkably tall horse that he al-
ways rode. He was supposed to be quite wealthy.
His gold and silver coin were always corroded, a fact
that led his neighbors to believe that he kept a large

1JO HISTORY OF .MONMOUTH.

store of it buried. He sold the farm to George Norn's
and left town.

Abial Bedel, a Calvinist Baptist preacher well-known
among the churches at Litchfield and Gardiner, took
up a temporary residence in Monmouth, this year. He
settled on the Dea. Daniel Whittier place, but did not
purchase the land, holding only a so-called "squatters
claim."

Next to Phineas Blake and Daniel Prescott, the first
tailor who became a resident of this town was one
Simon Otis, whom John A. Tors^y facetiously dubbed
"Simon Magus." Tow frocks and trousers required
little fitting, and our friend of the needle found it policy
to give his attention to another branch of his versatile
attainments — that of brick making. Where he first
settled is not known. We first find him on the Torsey
place, trying the double task of running a brick-,yara
and a family of sixteen children. He removed his
brigade to Harmony, Me.

Calvin Hall came from the mouth of the Kennebec
to Litchfield in 1790. He built the house that stands
on the brow of the hill just beyond the town line, now
owned and used as a summer residence by H. K.
Morrill, Esq., of Gardiner, and known as "Tacoma."
From Litchfield he moved to Monmouth, and settled
near the "city," in 1804. He had seven sons and two
daughters. Mr. Hall was in the expedition that went
up the Chattanooga against the Indians. In the engage-
ment in the woods, he came suddenly on a painted and
leathered warrior, and both parties sprang behind trees
for protection. In this position they remained for some
time, neither daring to move from behind his cover,

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 37 1

and ench watching for a movement on the part of the
other that would expose him to the musket's muzzle.
After waiting some time, Hall devised a stratagem.
Placing his hat on the end of his musket, he cautiously
; moved it out as if he were peering from behind the
! tree. Crack! went the Indian's musket, and with a
leap he came from his ambush and bounded toward
the spot, flourishing his scalping-knife. Crack! went
another musket, and this time the Indian leaped high
into the air, uttered a piercing shriek, and fell at HalTs
feet dead. Looking about for his company, Mr. Hall
discovered that they had retreated and that he was
alone. Guessing at their location, he made a dash
through the thicket, and soon placed himself with them
and out of danger.

Isaac Clark, jun.. settled at East Monmouth in 1804.
His ancestor was Hugh Clark, who settled in Water-
town, Mass., as earl}' as 1640, and removed to Roxbury
in 1657. By his wife, Elizabeth, Hugh Clark had
three children, one of whom was father to the wife of
I Dea. Elijah Livermore, the founder of Livermore,
: Maine, and great-grandfather to the father of the late
j Hon. Hannibal Hamlin. Another son, Uriah, born
June 5, 1644, married Joanna Holbrook, of Braintree.
I His son. Uriah, jun., who was born Oct. 5, 1677,
! married, Nov. 21, 1700, Martha Pease of Cambridge.
' They had two children, one of whom, Dea. Pease Clark,
moved to Maine in the spring of 1762, and was the first
settler within the present limits of Hallowell. He
came on a vessel laden with supplies for forts Western
and Halifax, and was accompanied by his wife and son.
Peter, and the latter's wife and child. At this time

,372

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Hallowell was an unbroken wilderness. They were
set ashore near the spot where the hotel now stands.
It was near night, and, having no time to construct a
shelter, they crawled under a cart-body which they
brought with them. The next day they built a rude
camp of boughs, near the spot where the cotton factory
stands, and commenced making a clearing. Their
land embraced the part now covered by the business
portion of the city. Peter Clark, the son, had visited
the spot before, as lieutenant of one of the forces sent
by Gov. Shirley for the erection of the fort. They
built the first house in Hallowell. Dea. Clark was
moderator of the first town meeting held in Hallowell,
and was chairman of the first board of selectmen. He
was kka pious man, just and honorable in all his deal-
ings. He married, Nov. 2, 1727, Abigail Wedge, by
whom he had eight children, the oldest of whom, Isaac,
born Aug. 5, 1 741, married Alice Philbrook, of Cum-
berland. He settled in Augusta about the same time
his father settled in Hallowell. A few years later, he
removed to the latter place, where he built the rirst
two-story house in town. He held at one time the of-
fice of selectman." He removed to Monmouth in 1805.
In July, 1824, he died, leaving six children. Of these,
Isaac jun., who came to Monmouth one year earlier
than his father, was the fourth in order. He was born
Sept. 5, 1780, and was married to Sabra Smith, daughter
of Deacon Joshua Smith, Sept. 19, 1805, one year after
his settlement in the town. She died, and he married
for a second wife Asenath ** Moody, daughter of Rev.
Gilman Moody. Mr. Clark was a man of much spirit

* Zenie is the name by which ><he was generally known.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 373

and enterprise. He built mills at East Monmouth and
started a plant which, but for his premature death,
would undoubtedly have developed into a large manu-
factory. He possessed almost unlimited business ca-
pacity, and had a mind that leaned toward large
commercial ventures. The large house just across the
bridge from the mill, now owned by Mrs. Norris, was
his mansion, and quite a pretentious one it was con-
sidered in those days. After Mr. Clark's decease, his
large property fell, through a questionable process, into
the hands of a relative in Hallowell, and his son, the
rightful owner, is now a town charge. Mrs. Clark
married for a second husband Jesse S. Robinson. The
frequent recurrence of the name Isaac in this record
necessitates careful reading. Isaac Clark, jun., the now
living member of the family, is third in the order of
Isaacs.

Ebenezer King, who came to Monmouth in 1804,
and settled on the farm on the Neck now owned by
Wm. C. Tinkham, was the son of Benjamin King, the
progenitor of the Monmouth and Winthrop branches of
the King family. Benjamin King was a resident of
New Ipswich, N. H. He entered the continental
arm)' during the war of the Revolution, and was prob-
ably killed in battle, as he was never heard from after-
ward. His wife, Susan Taylor, and six of her seven
children removed to Maine. The oldest of these was
Benjamin, jun., who settled in Ballstown (now White-
field), Me., where he engaged in manufacturing and
mercantile pursuits, and was killed by a falling beam,
while raising a mill. The second, third, fourth and
fifth children were girls. Sarah married and settled in

374 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Mason, N. H.; Elizabeth married a Mr. Huse and
removed to Hope, Me.; Silence married Peter Hop-
kins, of Winthrop, and Mary, a Mr. Floyd, of the same
place. Ebenezer, the sixth of Benjamin King's children,
married Mehitable Robbins. He died in 1815, on the
farm on Monmouth Neck to which, as has already been
stated, he removed in 1804, leaving nine children. Of
this large family, only one made Monmouth a perma-
nent residence. Jason, the second son, was born July
10, 1792. At an early age he opened a general store
at East Monmouth Mills. The building in which he
traded stood east of the bridge, about halfway between
the latter point and the brow of the hill. It was after-
ward remodeled into a blacksmith shop, and occupied
as such by Henry Robie. Still later, it was moved to
a point near the house now occupied by Mr. Ranking*
where it serves as a shed, or carriage house.

After conducting this business about six years, Mr.
King purchased of Abraham Brown the northern por-
tion of the farm now owned by George E. Oilman.
The house which stood on this farm was located about
half-way between the corner and the house now owned
by Mr. Perkins. In 1863, he erected the brick house
in which Mr. Gilman lives. The farm that lay south
of his land was then owned by James Nichols. Mr.
King purchased this, and united it with the one he
bought of Mr. Brown. He subsequently sold the east-
ern portion to Harrison Sawyer. Not far from 1854,
he removed to Monmouth Center, and purchased of
Win. Blondel the farm now owned by his son. S. O.
King, Esq., where he remained until his decease, Sept.
3. 1871.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 375

Mr. King was married three times; first to Pamelia,
daughter of Samuel Marrow, of Winthrop, by whom
he had five children. She died Aug. 13, 1840, and he
married Mrs. Clarissa Shaw Allen, whose daughters,
Delinda and Valina, had become the wives of Mr.
King's sons, Samuel and Rufus. After her decease, he
married Mrs. Sarah Currier Dailey, who survived him.

Mr. King's oldest brother, Amos, married Abigail
Folsom, and removed to Phillips, and, later, to Read-
field and Mt. Vernon, Me., where he engaged in the
clothing and cloth dressing business. Of his other
brothers, Bernard and Zenas removed to Ilallowell.
The former was a miller, the latter a wool merchant.
Two others died in infanc}7. The three sisters will be
mentioned in a later connection.

Jason King had four sons and one daughter. The
latter, Pamelia M., married George S. Stevens, and
died in Monmouth, in 1869. The oldest son, Lewis D.,
married Angeline W., daughter of Ard Macomber, and
settled on the farm opposite the Strout place in Wales.
This farm he exchanged with Wm. Wharff for the
land which lies eastward from Oscar C. True's, in the
Lyon district. The house in which he lived was
moved by Wm. C. Nichols to the Foster place, near
East Monmouth, many years ago. Albert L. King, the
youngest son of Jason, died in Illinois, at the early age
of twenty-six. The other sons, Samuel O. and Rufus
G., are still residents of Monmouth. The former was
born Jan. 30, 1821. At the age of twenty-two, he was
united in marriage with Delinda A. Allen, daughter ot
Luther Allen, of East Monmouth. Prior to this, he
had taught several terms of school in Maine and Rhode

376 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Island. He now purchased a farm and devoted his at-
tention to agriculture. The place on which he settled
is the one now owned by Mr. Watts, near Davis Emer-
son's. He moved from this farm to the B. Frank Jones
place, in East Monmouth, which he purchased of Isaac
Richards. Thence, about 1865, he removed to Mon-
mouth Center, and purchased of George B. Leuzader
the hotel which, before the great conflagration of 1888,
stood on the corner of Main and Maple streets. A few
months later, he purchased of Rev. Rishworth Aver
the farm at North Monmouth now owned by Mrs.
Bishop, where he lived until 1870, when he removed
to his father's farm at Monmouth Center, where he
still resides. About 1873, he purchased the hardware-
business of Simon Clough, and, later, added to his
stock a line of general goods. But a mercantile career
was not in keeping with his temperament and estab-
lished course of life. With the exception of about
sixteen years, during which he devoted a portion of his
time to the manufacture of brick, and a few terms at
the teacher's desk, his entire life had been spent in the
fields, and he returned to his favorite employment af-
ter a short time, although he held an interest in the
business for several years.

Mr. King has served five consecutive years on the
board of selectmen, one year as superintending school
committee, and eight years as superintendent of the
Sunday school of the M. E. church. He is a man o*"
studious habits and an intelligent thinker, modest in his
estimation of his own abilities, and always quiet and
unassuming. He is a leading, though never offensive,
spirit in third party politics, and has several times been

-

to

B

a>

5'

lilt

life

i r

^u

*v

pHk

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 377

run on the county ticket. His oldest son, Rev. Melvin
E. King, is a member of the Maine General Conference
of the M. E. church. Two other sons, George L. and
Luther O., reside in Monmouth. The former married
Ella M., daughter of Jesse Richardson, of North Mon-
mouth; the latter, Lelia E. Mayo, of Carmel, Me.
Both have been numbered among the traders of Mon-
mouth Center.

Rulus G. King was born Oct. 30, 1823. Like his
brother Samuel, his first venture on starting in life for
himself was teaching. After spending several years in
the schools of Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island,
he married and settled on his father's farm. The year
following his marriage, he purchased of his brother
Samuel, the place now owned by Mr. Watts, in the
eastern part of the town. In 1854 he bought the house
now owned b}- David Woodbury, at Monmouth Cen-
ter. This building was erected for, and used as, a
blacksmith shop by Charles Towle. It originally stood
near the Lyon school-house, and was moved and par-
tially remodeled by Mr. Towle. Mr. King sold this
place to Capt. Jack, and moved to the place where Mr.
Perry lives, on Main street. When a young man, he
learned the shoe-maker's trade of Levi Greeley, of East
Monmouth, and worked at the bench one year in Win-
throp. Not far from 1862, he erected a shop on the
corner of Main and Maple streets, which he extended
five years later into the house he now occupies. In
this shop he manufactured boots and shoes for the local
trade, sometimes employing half-a-dozen hands. At
about the same time he began the manufacture of ready-
made clothing for Boston firms. Mr. King was the

378 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

pioneer of this industry in Monmouth. But little work
was done in the shop, but for miles around every
woman that could spare a moment from her housework
was working on coats. Prices were th*?n good, and a
large amount of money was distributed in this and ad-
joining towns through the industry. Coat making was
then performed largely by hand, but Mr. King intro-
duced the Grover and Baker sewing machine, for
which he held the agency, into many homes, and a
new era in the sewing line dawned upon Monmouth.

After a few years he sold his retail boot and shoe
trade to C. L. Owen, and devoted his entire attention
to the sale of sewing machines. With the exception
of a brief period, during which he resumed the manu-
facture of clothing in company with A. A. Luce, under
the firm name of Luce & King, Mr. King has been re-
tired from active business life for several years. He
is a man of great ingenuity, methodical in his habits
and inclined to scholastic attainments. He married,
as has ahead)' been stated, Susan Valina Allen, daugh-
ter of Luther Allen, of East Monmouth. They had
two sons, Alfred A. and Alfred R.. the former of whom
died in childhood, the latter, in early manhood.

Samuel King was the youngest of Benjamin King's
seven children. He was born March 1. 1763. The
death of his father while serving his country has al-
ready been noticed. Samuel must have been quite
young at this time. He was not far from seventeen
years of age when the family removed to Maine. In a
previous chapter * it is stated that he was accompanied
from New Hampshire by Benjamin Clough. Although
* Page 147.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 379

this statement is undoubtedly correct, it is probable that
Mr. King settled in Winthrop at least three years prior
to this event, and had returned to Eppinjg for a visit.
On his first journey to Maine he was accompanied by
his widowed mother. They made the trip on horse-
back, coming by way of Norris Hill. There was then
no clearing in the western or northern part of the town,
with the exception of the small one Bonney, the de-
serter, had cut near the pond which bears his name.
It was only a few months, however, before Capt. Peter
Hopkins made his clearing near the Winthrop line.
Mr. King married, Sept. 28, 1786, Susanna Brainerd, of
Winthrop, and settled on the farm now owned by Amasa
Dorillus King, in the edge of Winthrop. His death,
which resulted from an accident received while un-
loading rails, occurred June 25, 1816. His wife died
April 22, 1814. They had tenchildren, three of whom
died at an early age. Those who reached maturity
were Samuel, Benjamin, Isaac, Amasa, Susanna, Mary
and Sylvester. Amasa settled on the home place, Syl-
vester married Cordelia Stanley and came to North
Monmouth about 1850, and all the others married and
settled in Winthrop, except Samuel, who, at the age of
twenty-four, married Matilda Rice and came to Mon-
mouth. He purchased of John Huse the greater part
of the farm in the northern part o* the town now owned
by his son, Joseph R., and his grandson, Albertus R.
King, and here he spent the remainder of his days.

Mr. King was a man of no ordinary calibre. His
mind turned toward large business projects, and his
ambition was supported by strong executive ability.
In company with his son, William, who possessed

380 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

these traits coupled with great ingenuity, he erected
the brick factory at North Monmouth and engaged in
the manufacture of starch. He subsequently remodeled
the mill and put in machinery for the manufacture of
webbing, an industry which he conducted until 1850,
when he sold the business to his son, Joseph R. King,
Esq.

Mr. King died Feb. 15, 1873. His wife died April

9, 1859. They had six children, two of whom died in
early life. Samuel R. King, the second son, married
Susan E. Morrill and removed to Exeter, Me., and
thence to South Ccrinth, where he now resides.
George W. King, the next oldest son, was born Mar.

10, 1820. At the age of twenty-one, he married Mary
E. Fogg, daughter of Royal Fogg, and settled on the
home place, where he remained until 1862, when it
was purchased by Jeremiah Gordon. He then opened
a general store at North Monmouth, and continued in
trade until within a year of his decease.

Mr. King was one of our most influential townsmen.
He held the office of selectman from 1855 to i860, that
of town agent several years, and, prior to the political
revolution of 1884, had served as postmaster a term of
eighteen years. With one exception, he was, at the
time of his decease, the oldest male native of North
Monmouth. He died Sept. 25, 1890. Two of his
children, Orin F. and Orianna M., live at North Mon-
mouth. The latter married H. Weston Pettingill, and
resides on the homestead. The former married Ann
W. Sylvester. He is an expert painter, and at one
time had charge of the interior painting at the Maine
Insane Asylum. Rosette M. King, another of George

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 381

W. King's children, died in 1869 at the age of twenty-
two; and a fourth, Olivette R., married Daniel W.
Woodbury, formerly of Monmouth, now of Thomaston,
Me.

William H. and Joseph R. King were the youngest
of Samuel King's children. William H. was born
June 4, 1824. He has already been mentioned, in con-
nection with the industries founded by his father, as a
man of marked ability. At the age of twenty-four, he
was married to Jane Stearns of New Hampshire. He
removed to Exeter, Me., and subsequently to New
York, where he engaged in the plumbing business and
gained considerable wealth. In recent years he has
resided in California.

Joseph R. King was born Apr. 9, 1826. At the age
of twenty he received his time and began to work for
his father at sixty cents a day and board. He remained
in his father's employ four years. Then the elements
of character which have made the Kings of Monmouth
a family of successful business men came to the sur-
face. With no capital but pluck and energy, he
purchased of his father the brick factory at North
Monmouth, with its outfit of machinery for manufact-
uring webbing, and began business for himself. Most
men would have hesitated to acknowledge a weakness
of financial base when trying to obtain credit in the
commercial world; but, with characteristic honest)', he
plainly stated to the firm from which he purchased his
stock the fact that he was without resources, and was
doing business on borrowed capital. His honesty and
address procured him credit, and he launched out on a
successful business career. But every man must wade

382 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

through difficulties before establishing himself on a
firm basis, and Mr. King was not exempted. Unfortu-
nately for him, he had friends; and for friendship's
sake he could do no less than indorse paper which,
when it matured, he was called upon to substantiate.
It was a crushing blow to tht young man, standing, as
he was, just on the threshold of active life; but he as-
sumed the burden bravely, and toiled early and late for
years to make good a claim for which he received onlv
twenty-five cents on a dollar.

Mr. King is now one of our wealthiest and most re-
spected citizens. Qjuet and unassuming in manner,
conservative, and never aspiring to leadership in public
affairs, he is, nevertheless, a lender by the power of
his sound judgment and integrity. He has served two
terms on our board of selectmen.

Mr. King was married Dec. 30, 1852, to Emeline T.
Dexter, a native of Winthrop, but a resident, at the
time of her marriage, of East Boston, Mass. They have
had four children, one of whom died in infancy. Al-
bertus R., the only son, succeeded his father in the
webbing manufacturing business. . He married Miss
Ella Ramsdell, and resides at North Monmouth. Eva
A. married Charles Irving Bailey, son of Charles M.
Bailey, of Winthrop. and Imogene C. is the wife of
Edwin M. Stanton, the senior partner of the firm of
Stanton & Glover, jewelers, 37 Hanover St., Boston.

In coming to the year 1805, the first thing that at-
tracts attention is the formation of a new school dis-
trict. Thus far, only four districts had been regularlv
supported — the north, south, east and west. As earl}-
as 1794, attempts were made to set off new districts.

o^^y/'L^yi

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 383

but the ones thus formed were generally supported not
more than a year. In 1794 a new sehool was organized
at the Center, or, rather, at Dearborn's corner, one mile
south of the Center. This encroached on the south
district only in the matter of numbers, as the money set
apart for that school was not divided, a sum more than
twice as large being raised among the voters of the
neighborhood for the support of their independent
school. This school was abandoned at the end of the
first year. In 1797 the Ridge was set off as a separate
district, drawing its quota of school money from the
town treasury. This, too, was abandoned after a brief
trial. The first movement toward a new division,
which had in it the principle of permanency, was in-
augurated in 1802, when the two or three families
living in the Bishop neighborhood were permitted to
retain their school money. This continued until 1805,
when a new arrangement was effected, and the Bishop
district formed. A fair idea of the size of this school
may be gained from the fact that, out of a sum total of
four hundred eight dollars and sixty-one cents, its pro-
portionate part was rive dollars and sixty-five cents.
In 1803 the east district was practically, though not
iominally divided. At this time and in following
years the money appropriated for the support of that
school was drawn in two orders, one half going to de-
fray the expense of a new school in Joseph Chandler's
neighborhood.

Among the new arrivals for 1805 was Elias Stack-
pole, a man of almost superhuman strength, whose
muscular achievements astonished the heroes of the
prize ring for miles around. While working in the

384 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

saw-mill at East Monmouth, it was no uncommon
thing for him to catch a sawed log from the carriage
and carry it to the board pile without any apparent ef-
fort. At a training in Augusta, after the review, a
field officer who was acquainted with him rode up be-
side him and playfully knocked off his hat with his
sword. No sooner did the hat leave the giant's head
than the officer sunk the spurs into his horse's flanks
with an exultant chuckle; but, before the animal could
make the responsive plunge, Stackpole had caught him
by the tail and pulled him back on his haunches. "He
laughs best who laughs last," thought the chagrined
officer, as he half leaped, half tumbled, to the ground,
and ordered the drinks. Stackpole was not a pugilist.
His remarkable strength never made a bully of him.
While he always took pride in exhibiting his ability,
he never sought opportunities to display it. He
married Nancy, daughter of Joshua Smith of Monmouth
Neck.

Nathaniel Marston, of Deerfield, N. H., purchased
one hundred and fifty acres of land at Monmouth Cen-
ter, in 1805, to which he removed either that year or
the first of the one following. He served as town con-
stable in 1807. His brother, Robey Marston, jun., and
son, Daniel, settled at about the same time on a farm
on Back street. Nathaniel subsequently moved to the
eastern part of the state. His grandson, Nathan W.
Marston, has recently accomplished the onerous task
of compiling the genealogy ot the Marston famil}-.

Major Benjamin White was born in Dedham, Mass.,
in 1760. He was a descendant of Peregrine White,
and one of thirteen children. In 1783 he married

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 385

Polly Fales, of Walpole. Soon after, they removed to
Winthrop, Me., and took up a farm in the wilderness.
Their house was built in the heart of the forest, and
was so closely surrounded by evergreens that the good
lady of the house — or cabin, could stand on her door-
step and pick a broom. Man)' were the lonely hours
spent by this estimable lady during the first two years
of her married life. Her only companion, while her
husband was clearing his farm, was a small kitten
which she brought from her old home in Walpole.
After two years, a daughter was born to them, and,
three years later, a son. On the advent of these
troublesome comforts, all loneliness disappeared.

In 1S05, the family removed to the Lyon district, in
Monmouth, and settled on the Sinclair place, where the
remainder of Mr. White's days were spent.

Maj. White held, in an unusual degree, the respect of
the people, and was, in consequence, raised to important
military and civil positions. Perhaps the most impor-
tant one was that of high sheriff of Kennebec county,
at a period when ability and desert were the factors
that won. As incumbent of this office, he was called
upon to discharge the disagreeable duties of hangman
at the execution of Sager, and was saved from the per-
formance of this part by nothing but an attack of sick-
ness. To a man of tender sensibilities, such an
act would have been a terrible ordeal. He possessed
a genial disposition and a great fondness for children,
which was so thoroughly reciprocated that man}- of the
children of the neighborhood would cry after him when
he left them. Mrs. White was a devoted Christian,
and her home was often the scene of sratherino' for the

386 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

praying women of the vicinity, many of whom would
sometimes remain all night in prayer.

Maj. White had four sons and five daughters. Ben-
jamin, jun., will be noticed in a later chapter; Eben
married Mary Durgan, of Walpole, Mass., and settled
in Hallowell, Maine, where he engaged in trade as
senior partner of the firm of White & Warner. He
subsequently removed to Gardiner, where he died, in
1842. He was the father of Ex-State Treasurer, Hon.
Charles A. White. David married, first, Hannah Hoyt.
They settled in East Monmouth. After her decease,
he married Cynthia W^ickwire and removed to the
northern part of the state, where he served in the ca-
pacity of a government official, and thence to Skowhe-
gan, Me., where he held the office of Judge of Probate.
Greenlief married Julia Marston of Hallowell. He was
a wholesale merchant in Augusta, Me. Mary, the old-
est of Major White's daughters, married Maj. James
F. Norris, of East Monmouth; Amelia married Reuben
Brainerd, of Winthrop. They moved to East Mon-
mouth and settled on the hill east of the mills. Lucy
married William Cram, of Litchfield, and Sophronia,
Henry A. Tilton, of Monmouth. She was the mother
of Mrs. Wm. K. Dudley, of this town.

John C. Chandler was another 1805 immigrant. He
was a nephew of Gen. John Chandler and was born in
Sanbornton, N. H., July 20, 1783. He married Majoi
David Marston's daughter, Locady, the first day oi
January, 1806. He built a house near his father-in-
law's, in the field north of the B. S. Ellis stand, and
blacksmith shop near it in which he worked at his
trade. These buildings he sold in later years to John

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 387

Sullivan Blake, and removed to Bath. After about
eight years absence, he returned and purchased the
place now owned by Christopher Hammond, at North
Monmouth, where he died, May 25, 1830. He had
six children, all but one of whom died in early life.
Marv Ann Chandler, the surviving daughter, resides
with B. M. Prescott, Esq., in Monmouth.

The advent of the Tilton family in Monmouth dates
back to 1805, when Josiah Tilton, accompanied by his
wife and child, came from Epping, N. H., and settled
on wild land, now embraced in the farm of Albert A.
Sawyer. His wife was Hannah Blake, a sister of the
wife of Daniel Folsom, and of Joseph Blake, who came
from Epping in 18 10 and settled on the farm at East
Monmouth now owned by Reuben Howard, from
which he moved to the place now owned by Robert
Gilman, in the Lyon district.

Josiah Tilton had only one child, Joseph, who
married, first, Elizabeth Norris, of Epping, and second,
Joannah Emerson, of Litchfield. He lived with his
father until the decease of his first wife. After his
second marriage he removed to the stand now owned
by L. L. Allen, at Monmouth Center, and thence to
Newport, Me. He had four children, two of whom
died at an earl}- age. Mary, the oldest child, married
Wm. WharrT, now of West Gardiner, and Joseph F.,
the next oldest, Julia Towle, daughter of Benj. Towle,
of Monmouth. He now resides in Newport, Me.

Josiah Tilton had a brother by the name of Daniel,
who settled on the farm now owned by E. Page White
some years after Josiah took up the Sawyer farm. The
exact date of his settlement in this town can not be as-

388 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

certained, but it is very probable that he did not live
here more than one year before his decease, which oc-
curred in 18 19. His sons, Noah and Abram, came to
this town in 18 14 and 181 5 respectively, and, as the
father was never taxed in Monmouth, it is probable
that he came in 1818 and died the year following. He
had eight children. The youngest of these, Hannah,
died at the age of fourteen. The others all married
into Monmouth families except Noah, who elected a
life of "single blessedness." He remained in town,
however, after his lather's decease, and plied the voca-
tion of a tailor on the home place. The daughters
were Elizabeth, Mercy and Rachel. The first married
Joseph Blake, the second, Phineas Kelly, and the last,
Clark Wilcox. Abram, who was, next to Noah, the
oldest son, took up the farm now owned by Erhan Lit-
tle. He married Mary French and had one child,
Mary E., who married Hiram G. Judkins. Henry A.,
the third son, remained on the home place with his
brother Noah. He married Sophronia, daughter ofll
Major Benjamin White. They had three daughters,
Mary A., Ann E., and Sarah A. The latter died at the

a«"e of fifteen years. Ann married William K. Dud-
es J

ley, and Mary, Cyrus L. Owen. William Frederick,
the youngest son, married Charlotte, daughter of Eze-
kiel Wickwire, and settled pn the farm of his father-in-
law. He had two children, Harriet O., who married
James O. Preble, of Monmouth Center, and William
Henry, who married Nellie M. Pike, of Salisbury,
Mass., and remained on the home place.

"Dr. Frederick" Tilton was the son of Abraham
Tilton, of Epping, who came to Monmouth in or about

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 389

1845, and settled on the place now owned by Davis
Emerson. Abraham had two children, a daughter, who
married and settled in New Hampshire, and Dr. Fred-
erick. His wife died before he left Epping. The son,
William Frederick, who, to distinguish him from
William Frederick, the son of Daniel Tilton, was al-
ways known as '•Doctor" Frederick, had studied medi-
cine in New Hampshire and taken his degrees at a
medical college. The first time he was called to visit
a patient he fell from his horse and severely injured
his — temper. In that hour his professional career closed.
The fates that had so unceremoniously tampered with
his dignity had no power to induce him to resume his
vocation. He lodged his diploma and saddle-bags in
the garret, hitched his horse to a plow, exchanged his
ruffled shirt for a farmer's frock, and satisfied his de-
sire to mount fame's gilded ladder by running up and
down the ladder that led to the hay mow. He was
married before leaving New Hampshire, and had two
sons, George and Arthur. The entire family removed
to Kansas, with the exception of Abraham, who died
in Monmouth, June 21, 1854.

Another branch of the Monmouth Tiltons sprang
from Josiah Tilton, who settled on the farm now owned
by his grand-daughters, the Misses Tilton, of Mon-
mouth Neck. Mr. Tilton had two sons and two daugh-
ters. Of the latter, Jane married Jacob G. Smith, and
Louise married, first, Phineas Jewell, and second, Cy-
rus Foster. The sons were Josiah and Greeley. The
former married Diantha, daughter of Jacob Smith, and
sister of Jacob G. Smith, of East Monmouth. He had
two children, Martha and Louise. Louise married

390 HISTORY Ob MONMOUTH.

James H. Chick, of Monmouth, and Martha, who is un-
married, resides on the home place. After the death
of their father, his widow married his brother Greeley
From this union came Sarah and Ada. The former
married John S. Chandler, of East Monmouth, and the
latter resides with her sister Martha, on the homestead.
To carry out the ancient custom of having a burying
lot in close proximity to the church, the town voted, at
a meeting held the 29th day of September, 1805, "that
the town do appropriate and relinquish for a Buryin
ground the following part of the land that was given b
Lady Temple, viz: Beginning at the South-east cor-
ner of said piece, then running north 22 1-2 degrees
east, ten rods; thence running west north-west, carry-
ing the width of ten rods so far as that a line parallel
with the Range will run within two rods of the eas
end of the East porch to the meeting house. " It wil
be seen that the whole of this lot lay east of the meet-
ing house. A few were interred in this place befor
any action was taken to have it set apart as a cemeter)
Later, the town voted to change the location to
the present site, on account of the condition of the
low land east of the meeting house. When this re-
moval was effected, it was the intention to use only the
upper part of the lot, and bodies that had been buriec
east of the high land were taken up and reinterred near
the road. But, as this part of the yard has becomi
rilled, a gradual encroachment on the low land ha
been made, until, now, the portion that was discard ct
as unfit for burial purposes has become the most at-
tractive part of the cemetery-
Samuel Avery, who died in 1799, was the first per-

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 39I

son buried in the new yard. (He was son-in-law to
Capt. John Arnold and lived on the Pettingill place.)
Mr. Avery had two children buried on the old lot.

It has been supposed by some persons that the town
acted without right in appropriating a portion of the
land given by Lad}- Temple for such a purpose, and,
occasionally, a local sage is found who knows that the
lot was donated by Lady Temple to be used as a "com-
mon" for military parades, and that a violation of the
conditions under which it was conferred might result
in a forced surrender of the property. This question
has often been discussed under a proposition to enlarge
the cemetery. John Chandler, by whom the land was
secured for the use of the town, was moderator of the
meeting at which it was voted to set apart a portion of
this land for a burying-ground. Had any provisions or
conditions existed in the deed of conveyance, Mr.
Chandler would have known it, and would not have
suffered them to be violated. Our citizens may rest
assured that no forfeiture will be demanded if, in the
course of time, the whole common is included in the
limits of the cemetery.

A stained paper, bearing the date of July 4, 1806,
shows that the cavalry, or troops, at this time, consisted
of one hundred forty-four members. The subjoining
transcript is thought to be accurate. There are, how-
ever, two or three names on the list that are not fa-
miliar to the writer, and these are so hidden in bad
chirography and ingenious spelling as to be almost be-
yond decipherment.

uCapt. Sewall Prescott Nathaniel pettingill

Luta James MLellan Bradford Bowers

392

HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

James F. Norris
Cornet, * John Rendall

SERGANTS.

Jona Judkins
William Moure
Abither Bridge
Cyrus parker

Elisha Keen
Simeon Rowes
Joseph woodard
Joseph Cowin
Samuel Libbey
John Hamilton
Mesech Blake

Elipphlet Dearborn, Musct. Newell prescott

COPERALS.

David Modey.
Henry Jewell
Benjamin pearker.
Icobart Hawes

Samuel Jack
Simon Otis
Josiah Tilton
Benjamin Thompson
Jacob goulder
Johnathan Curier
Henry Cuttler
James Smart
John Page
Enoch Dearborn
David Chandler
John Harvey
John Owine."

Walter Waymouth
Ezra Ames
Oliver Hopkins
John Jenkins
Elijah Gove
John Moodey
Levi Moody
Joshua Tilton

Up to this time the schools had, in the main, been
under the management of district committees, consist-
ing of one member for each school. As in each of
these the committee was vested the authority of school
agent and examining board, the success of the school
depended largely on the ability and tact of their repre-
sentative supervisors. And as popularity had more to
do with the selection of these local potentates than erii
dition, the educational conditions were far from flatter
* Cornet is an obsolete title for standard bearer

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 393

ing. The state of affairs certainly demanded a new
system, and those who were most interested in educa-
tional matters were anxious for its advent. With no
precedent to guide and no experience to instruct, the
zealous advocates of a new departure did precisel}' what
they should not have done — increased the number of
committees instead of diminishing it. Acting on the
idea that"two heads are better than one", we find our
wise forefathers in 1S00 appointing a committee of three
members in nearly all the districts. This innovation
was placed in its shroud at the next annual meeting,
when the old system was resumed.

"Abner P. Hillman was born in Lincolnville, Maine,
July 19, 1806. He was the son of Rev. Samuel Hill-
man, for man}7 years a member of the New England
Conference. Abner was converted under the ministry
of Rev. Moses Donnell, at Wiscasset, in 1829.

uIn 1830, after earnest prayer and strong convictions,
he gave himself up to the work of the ministry ; he re-
ceived license to preach and recommendation to Con-
ference, and was admitted on trial in Maine Conference
the same year; he continued in effective itinerant service
till 1856, when failing health compelled him to retire to
the ranks of the superannuates.

''During his superannuation his home was for some
time at Cape Elizabeth; for several years he served as
chaplain at the State Reform School.

"During the last few years of his life, his home was

in Concord, Massachusetts, where he died, November

19, 1882, in the seventy-seventh year of his life, and

the fifty second year of his ministry.

"Mr. Hillman was tall in person and gentlemanly in

394 H.1STOK.Y oh MONMOUTH.

manners, of superior culture, discriminating mind, keen
sensibilities and kindly affections, and was an aH
preacher, and a prominent minister of the Maine Con-
ference. His widow, Mrs. Alfrida R. Hillman, did not
long survive her husband. She died in Wiscasset, her
native town, September 4, 1884, a worthy woman and
active christian worker."*

Jeremiah Towle was an immigrant of this period. Some
two or three years prior to this date, he had transported
his worldly effects from Grafton, N. H., to Augusta,
Me., in a hay rack drawn by oxen. He was re ( mpanied
on this long journey by his wife and ten children. Why
he settled in Augusta, and why he came thence to Mol
mouth, is not known. Coming into this town by way
of the Neck, he made his first stop at the "Swift pla< el
now owned by H. T. Leech, and then, probably, the
home of Maj. James Norris, who may have teen a for-
mer acquaintance in New Hampshire, and possibly Mr.
Towle's officer in the Revolution. Stopping there a
short time for rest, he doubtless proceeded at once to
the Nathan Randall place, near the academy, which
was to be his future home. Fourteen boys and girls
went out from this family circle; some into the world
of spirits and some into the world of activity. Cyrul
the oldest of the family, went to sea when young, and
no tidings of him ever came back. Several of the daugh-
ters married and settled in Waldo county, and two —
Sally, who married Benson Fogg, and Ann, who mar-
ried Augustine Blake — remained in Monmouth. Roberfl
married Nancy Marston, daughter of Maj. David Mars-
ton of Monmouth, and settled in the north part of the

'Allen's History of Methodism.

A DECADE OF- -DEVELOPMENT. 395

town, where he reared a large family, and Ira married
Sarah Blossom and settled on the farm now owned by
his son, Cyrus E. Towle. One of his daughters married
Abner C. Stoekin, the New England agent of the New
York publishing firm of Harper & Bros., and another,
Charlotte E. Towle, is a teacher of high repute in the
public schools of Lewiston. Jeremiah removed to New
York city and engaged in real estate brokerage. He
became wealthy, and was a man of political influence
even in so large a place as the American metropolis.
From the office of alderman, he rose to a prominent po-
sition in the naval bureau. His son, Stephen, is su-
perintendent of one of the important municipal depart-
ments of New York.

Dr. James Cochrane, sen., was born in Windham,
N. H., about 1777. He was of pure Scotch extraction,
his ancestors being members of the colony which "mi-
grated from Argyleshire, Scotland" and settled in Lon-
donderry, Ireland, in the Province of Ulster, about 1612.
This colony consisted entirely of Protestants who were
subsequently driven to this country through religious
persecutions, and had no connection with the people of
the country- in which they settled; but from their long
residence: in" Ireland they were called Scotch-Irishmen.

Of Dr. Cbchrane's early life but little is known ex-
cept that he studied medicine, and was united in mar-
riage to Jane Moore, daughter of Hugh Moore, of Bux-
ton, Me. He practiced in Limerick, Me., whence he re-
: moved to Monmouth in 1806, and bought of Gen. Jos-
eph Chandler his houses on High street, and the large,
square store which stood on the lot a few rods north of
the site now covered by the residence of John M. Pres-

396 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

cott. In 18 1 2 his cousin, Andrew P. Cochrane, came
to Monmouth and engaged in trade with the doctor.
They dissolved the partnership after a year's trial, An-
drew removing to the eastern part of the state. The
store, which had no successful occupant after Joseph
Chandler left it, was finally sold to Samuel Brown and
moved to the Center, where it now stands — the main
part of the house occupied by Dea. C. B. Bragdon — the
old-fashioned, hip-roof having been replaced by one of
more modern outline.

The doctor easily established a good practice. He
was courteous, suave, easy in manner, and, withy 1, pos-
sessed the advantage of having no professional compet-
itor. His wife was just his opposite — large and un-j
graceful in figure and blunt in manner, she presented
a far from pleasing contrast to his graceful physique
and gentlemanly deportment. She was a devout Chris-
tian, and a member of the Methodist church, which did
not then stand in high repute among the people of cul-
ture, while he was a bitter opposer of religion and suf-
fered much mortification from his wife's choosing to go
with "Aunt Sukey and Aunt Becky", as he facetiously
called them, instead of Mrs. General Chandler and
others who held a higher position in the social world,
but perhaps a lower one in the estimation of the great
Judge of character.

From the first, a warm attachment existed between
him and Gen. Chandler. It is possible that the ties
which bound them in good fellowship would have been
weaker if the general, on the one hand, had been less
opulent, and the doctor, on the other, less influential.
As it was, each served the other faithfully; the one

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 397

canvassing among his patients for votes for the other
and receiving, in return, such honors and remunerative
offices as the other could secure for him from the state.
In 18 10 he was elected town clerk, an office which
he held five consecutive years. The books covering
this period are kept in a neat, legible hand, and show
him to have been a man of more than ordinary learn-
ing for the times. He was the first commissioned trial
justice in town, and, later, was appointed Judge of the
Court of Sessions of Kennebec Count}-. The first case
which came before him in his capacity of trial justice,
and, in fact, the first one ever tried in town, if the
statement of the townsman who furnished this incident
is correct, was that of Blossom & Judkins vs. Hutch-
inson, in which the plaintiffs attempted to recover
judgment against the defendant for stealing a bag of
corn. Mr. Hutchinson lived near the Cochnewagan
stream on the "Blaketown road". He had a large fam-
ily, all the members of which were sick. Being out of
provisions, he went to the plaintiffs to purchase a
bushel of corn on credit. He found that his credit and
the contents of his pocket-book were on an equal stand-
ing. He asked that he might be permitted to work to
pay for it. The gentlemen, who probably did not ful-
ly understand the circumstances, had no way to utilize
his services. He went up stairs and looked at the well-
filled bin of corn. Visions of his bedridden wife and
the pleading eyes of his famishing children floated be-
fore him, and before he realized that the law of the
land would not uphold him in the act, he had filled a
bag with the coveted kernels and cautiously lowered
it to the ground from a back window. Watching his

398 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

1

opportunity, he crept around behind the store and con*,
veyed the corn by a circuitous route to "honest John
Welch", the miller, who ground it "coal free". The
theft was soon discovered, and a warrant for his arrest
sworn out before John Alphonso Chandler.

The evidence was all in, and the judge arose with a
dignity which none but a country trial justice can asi
sume, to pronounce the awful sentence. Before him
sat the trembling culprit, completely broken down withj
the weight of his guilt and the wretched condition of
his family.

"Gentlemen", said the doctor, turning to the plaintiff
"for refusing to trust a man for bread for his starving:
family, I fine you one bushel of corn." Waiting a mo-
ment for the murmur of surprise and satisfaction to sub-
side, he continued, "John Welch, as a penalty for grind-
ing a bushel of stolen corn, you shall grind this corn
without charge, and add to it a half-bushel of wheat.
Alphonso Chandler, for serving a warrant on William
Hutchinson, I fine you two dollars and myself a like
amount for sitting on this case."

"And you," said he, turning sharpty to the prisoner
and assuming his severest tone, "for stealing a bushel
of corn from Blossom &Judkins, shall take this corn,
wheat and money and carry it the entire distance to
your home without changing it from your shoulder
or stopping to rest."

The love of justice which he manifested on this occa-
sion may, and may not, have been an index to his char-
acter. He was impulsive, and somewhat visionary, and
to this may, in a measure, be attributed his careless
business habits. Soon after he became a trustee of

A DiiCADK OF DEVELOPMENT. 399

Monmouth Academy, in which capacity he served many
years as secretary of the board. He conceived the idea of
instituting a school of languages and fine arts for young
ladies. The upper part of the academy was an unfin-
ished attic. He obtained a lease of this, and furnished
it at his own expense. He then engaged the best teach-
er of modern languages, drawing and painting and
art needle-work that could be found in the state — Miss
Hamlin, of Bangor, a sister of Hon. Hannibal Ham-
lin— and advertised the school quite extensively as a
department under the management of the regular board
and faculty. The first term was a failure. The to-
tal attendance did not exceed three, and two of this
number were members of his own family. The next
term he tried again with a new teacher and less success.
This ended the project. Considerable money had been
expended to no purpose. The idea was not a bad one,
it simply came out of season. Since then other schoo's
have been founded on precisely the same basis and ha\ e
proved successful. It wasan in novation, an original con-
ception, which has found its way into nearty ever}- fit-
tin;;- school in the land; and failure though it may ha\e
been in a financial aspect, the present age proves that
the theory was sound and practical.

In 1829 ne was appointed to plan and superintend
the erection of the new court-house at Augusta. The
convenience and good st3Tle of the building bear testi-
mony to his skill as a designer, for which he is com-
mended in North's History of Augusta. The following
year he removed to Rockland (then East Thomaston),
Maine, where he practiced medicine until he became so
old and crippled with rheumatism that he could not vis-

•

400 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

it his patients.

In his last days the animosity he had held against '
religions truth faded from his heart, and he was led fcji
a sincere repentance. He died, at Rockland, in October." ,
i860.

Dr. Cochrane was the father of fourteen children,
all but one of whom reached maturity. Of the dau^H
ters, Jane was the first, and Marietta the second, wife Si
Ivory F. Hovey, of Rockland, Me. Sarah died in jj
early womanhood; Eliza married Rev. Rufus Day, once;'
pastor of the M. H. Church of Monmouth and fatlnW
of Rev. James W. Da}-, late presiding elder in the ''
East Maine Conference; Mary married Dr. Henry S.
Dearborn; Ann, Isaiah A. Jones, of Rockland; Delia|
Cyrus V. R. Boynton, son of Hugh Boynton, of Mon-
mouth; Margaret married Emery Sawyer, of Brooks.
She is the mother of Rev. J. E. C. Sawyer, of the New
York Conference, whose name is familiar to every
reader of Zion's Herald.

The sons were James, Lorenzo- H. M., John C, Eras-
tus Henry and George W. The latter was for severa
years General Western Agent of the New York Cen-i
tral R. R. He now resides in Rockland, Me. Erastua
Henry married Hannah B. Ayer, of Freedom, Me., and
established himself in business as a harness-maker at
Rockland. He soon abandoned his trade, and after buy
ing out all the local fire and life insurance agencies
opened an underwriter's office. He has since devote
his entire attention to this business, and claims to b
the oldest representative of the vocation in the stateJ
He has held the office of secretan- and treasurer of the'
M. E. church of Rockland for about forty years, and is

A DbCADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 40 1

:hairman of the board of trustees. His only daughter
narried Rev. J. R. Baker of the East Maine conference,
who is now associated in business with his father-in-
law under the firm name of Cochrane, Baker and
Cross. John married Susan M. Snowman, of Sedgwick,
and established himself in the practice of law at Rock-
land, where he served a long term of 3'ears as judge of
the municipal court. He died in 1854 at the age of for-
ty-four. Lorenzo H. M. went to Boston at an early age
and engaged in journalism. At the age of twenty-
three he was retained as editor of "The Olive Branch",
a Protestant journal, a position he held for many
years. While engaged in this work, he occasionally
preached, but was never settled as pastor of a church.
He subsequently founded and edited "The Odd Fel-
low," a publication devoted to the interests of the mys-
tic craft, which he controlled many years, and for
which he continued to write as long as his health per-
mitted. In 1834 he opened a leather exchange in Bos-
ton, and, later, engaged extensively in land specula-
tions. Had he been contented with his journalistic ca-
reer it would have proved far happier for his earthly
prospects; but he had a mind which grasped large
things, and he was not the only member of the family
who has been carried beyond his depth by attempting
to carry too man)- things at a time. In one of his spec-
ulations he became owner of the entire tract that is
now covered with the city of Melrose, Mass. Much of
the land was then in a marshy state, and he expended a
considerable sum in redeeming it and preparing it for
house lots. He gave the township the name it still
bears, and erected the first house within its bounds.

402 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Unfortunately he entered too largely into these specu-
lative schemes, and lost, in a day, the large property
that it had taken years to accumulate. His misfortune
crushed him, and he died a heart-broken man. He
was twice married; first to Sarah W. Hooper, of Ken-
nebunk, Me., and second, to Frances A. Potter, of the
same place.

Dr. James Cochrane, jun., to whom stands the credit
of inaugurating a project which it has fallen to one of
a later generation to complete, was born in Limerick,
Main?, December i, 1801. Being the first son, he
received the name that the oldest son in the line had
borne for many generations; and with the name a great
many attentions that were denied the younger broth-
ers and sisters. Very early in life he was driven to
books, for which he soon developed a remarkable fond-
ness. Although it seems incredible, it is stated that at
the age of seven he began to study Latin,* and for his
precocity was wholly absolved from manual labor, and
permitted to pursue his studies without interruption;
his sisters being called upon even to black his boots and
otherwise perform the duties of servants to him. A
course more injurious to his future happiness and
welfare could not have been arranged.

When a small boy he came with his father to Mon-
mouth, where he found superior educational advantages.
The free high school, which boasted an existence of a
little more than half-a-dozen years, evolved, about 18 10,
into Monmouth Academy, an institution affording as
complete a classical education as could be gained in

*As his father designed him from the day of his birth to be his successor
in medical practice, it is to be presumed that he forced Latin upon him at
an unusuallv early age.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 403

my of the college-preparatory schools of New England.
Under such preceptors as Herrick, Weston, Davis and
Jocelyn, he became a most assiduous student. His en-
tire attention was devoted to his books, and, but for a
remarkable constitution, his physical system must at
this time have suffered havoc. To this severe strain
ma}-, perhaps, be attributed the irascibility which many
who read this sketch will recall as one of his promi-
nent characteristics.

After completing his education, he studied medicine
with his father, and was graduated from the medical de-
partment of Eowdoin College about the time he reached
his majority. He immediately entered on the practice
of his profession at Brooks, Me., and, a few months
later, was married to his second cousin, Mrs. Eliza
Cochrane McClure, the widow of Thomas McClure and
daughter of Capt. James McClure, an officer of the
Continental arm}-. His union with this lady was the
most fortunate circumstance of his life. She was
descended from the same colony of Argyleshire emi-
grants to which the doctor traced his lineage, was well
educated, and possessed in a large measure the talent
and versatility which have, in a less marked degree,
coursed in the veins of her chile ren.

Just as he was getting comfortably settled, and was
beginning to overcome that lack of confidence with
which a young physician is usually greeted, he heard
of a good opening in the town of Lisbon. Like many
of his name, lie failed to recognize the value of persist-
ency, and, although he was enjoying good prospects,
cbose to move to the new field rather than wait for their
fulfillment.

404 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

At the solicitation of his father, who wished to place
his practice in his son's hands while he was superintend-
ing the construction of the court-house, he returned to!
Monmouth. About two years later the old physician
of Brooks died, and, in response to a call from the people
of that village, he returned and remained there eight
years. In 1849 ^e came back to Monmouth, and in the
fall of 1852 erected the building now occupied by War-'
ren W. Plummer, where he resided until his decease in

1874.

Probably no man in town ever had more ardent friends,
and, at the same time, more virulent enemies, than Dr.
Cochrane. He was always ready to engage in anything
that demanded an unequivocal position, and invariably
took the side of the weaker party. He was a firm be-,
liever in the truth of revealed religion, and, at least
twice during his career, publicly announced his inten-
tion to live a religious life; but the quick temper, which
as a youth he had not been taught to control, was a con-
stant "thorn in the flesh" to which he 3Tielded at the
slightest provocation, without any apparent attempt to
bring it into subjection. Although he seldom had the
consistency to apply it to his own life, he professed
faith in the efficacy of prayer. Mrs. L. P. Moody, of
Winthrop, has recently related a remark of his made
while attending her through a seemingly hopeless sick-
ness. "I have prayed," he said, "over e\ery dose of
medicine that I have administered to you."

What his standing and success as a physician were,
it is not becoming in one who knows little concerning
his professional ability, except what has come through
relatives and ardent friends, to state. He had his ad-

J

'&»til&<J (n &

<^L.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 405

mirers who were, perhaps, reckless in their confidence;
and it would be surprising if he did not share the ex-
perience of ever}r other medical practitioner in having
enemies who considered him a man of indifferent abili-
ties. Perhaps the testimony of his son, Dr. C. A. Coch-
rane, of Winthrop, who, although hostile to the school
which he represented, has in recent years broken out
in highest praise of his father's knowledge of materia
medica and skill in compounding curative agents, is
worth more than the expressed opinion of either friends
or enemies. In the opinion of this possibly prejudiced
judge there were few physicians of the last generation
who could prepare such effective original remedies as
his father. Had he been less rough and crude in his
application of surgery, he probably would have taken
high rank among the medical men of his da}^. Wheth-
er his abilities were great or small, he never made the
slightest attempt to give himself prominence in these
lines. His aspirations were wholly turned toward the
field of politics, in which they were never realized. A
wealthy business-man once offered him a royalty of fif-
ty per cent on the sale of proprietary medicines com-
pounded from his original recipes. Had he taken ad-
vantage of this opportunity, he would have stood an
equal chance with other proprietors of patent medicines
of becoming affluent; but he had not sufficient business
perception to grasp the opportunity. As a business
man he was entirely unde\ eloped. His books often
went without being posted for weeks, and everything
with which he was concerned was conducted in the
most unsystematic and disorderly manner possible.
Herein he differed widely from his wife, who possessed

e

!

406 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

remarkable business tact, and bad a system for every-
thing. But if he "was slack about everything else, he
was scrupulously neat about his person. No matte]
how urgent the call, he never left the house to visit a
patient until he had thoroughly brushed every thread
of his clothing, blacked his boots and brushed his bald
head until it blushed over its nudeness. Then he was
ready to pronounce a man dead or alive as the cas
might be after the delay. If the call was from any
distance, additional time was spent in grooming the
sorrel pacer. No matter if a man was dying, the fav
orite mare could not have a strap placed on her unti
she had been curried, brushed and wiped with a wo >le
cloth, even if the entire operation had been performe
on her glossy coat less than an hour before.

Dr. Cochrane was always a profound student of his]
tory, and was a writer of more than ordinary ability;
but, as in everything else, his carelessness and lack of
method were apparent in nearly every product of his
pen. A few existing specimens of his carefully pre-
pared compositions are remarkable for their clear,
strong and incisive diction. In 1S51 he prepared, and
delivered in different parts of the town, a series of lect-
ures on the earl}* history of Monmouth. Although
these lectures were written in his most careless, desul-
tory style, the}- served well the purpose of entertaining
a mixed company somewhat acquainted with the char-
acters brought out in the series of reminiscencies,
which was his only purpose in their preservation. But
they went beyond this; for had it not been for the inter-
est aroused by the perusal of these sheets, it is doubtful
if a complete history of the town would ever have been

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 407

written, and certain it is that but for their existence, so
thorough a work would never have been compiled.

In 1874 the doctor was suddenly stricken with par-
alysis. Gradually his mental faculties gave way un-
til, at the very last, he failed to recognize his own chil-
dren. He died Sep. 7, 1874. His wife survived several
years after his decease. Up to the day of her death,
which occured in her ninety-second year, her mind was
as clear and her spirits as buoyant as those of a woman
in the prime of life.

The fact that but for him whose career has been set
forth in these paragraphs this history would never have
been compiled is sufficient apology for devoting so much
space to the biography of a man who was in no sense
greater than many to whose memory shorter paragraphs
have been written. I have endeavored to write an un-
prejudiced outline of his character, and those who were
best acquainted with him will, I think, acknowledge
that it is nowhere overcolored.

Dr. Cochrane was the father of eight children, two of
whom died at an early age. Those who survived him
were James Henry, John Edward, Silas Dinsmore, Char-
les Albert, Granville Park, and Mary Eliza Annette.

The latter married A. A. Luce of Monmouth. Gran-
ville Park was born, in Monmouth, Apr. 7, 1S36. He
fitted for college at Monmouth Academy, and at the
opening of the civil war was just closing his university
course. Without waiting for his diploma, which would
shortly have been placed iu his hands, he left his books
at the first call for troops, and began to raise a com-
pany. His degrees were conferred after the close of the
war as an honorary award. He enlisted as first lieu-

408 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

tenant of Co. K., 7th Reg. Me. Vols., and was mustered
into service Aug. 12, 1861. On the 25th of December
following he was commissioned captain. At the battle
of Antietam he received a serious wound. As soon as
he was able to go on crutches he reentered the service
as recruiting officer, and served during the year 1863
as Assistant Inspector General on the staff of Maj. Gar-
diner. On the organization of the First Regiment of
Veteran Volunteers, he was placed in comanded of Co.
E., but was shortly transferred to Co. K., which was
composed largely of his old comrades. After the war
he married Lena C. Wendenburg and settled in Augus-
ta. He died at Monmouth in 1883, and was buried un-
der the honors of Trinity Commandery, of which he was
a member.

Charles Albert Cochrane was born in 1833. At the
age of eighteen he began studying medicine with his
father, and was graduated from the medical department
of Bowdoin college in 1856. In the meantime he earn-
ed his way by clerking for a local firm and keeping the
books for a large manufacturing concern in Boston.
At the age of twenty-two he was elected town clerk.
The following year he took his final course of lectures
at the medical school, and emerged grasping the roll
that entitled him to practice the art which, in the hands
of a tyro, is mightier than the sword.

Shortly after taking his degrees, while visiting a rel-
ative, he formed the acquaintance of a wel* -known ho-
meopathic physician who succeeded in interesting the
somewhat prejudiced young doctor in the new school.

He investigated its principles, and being convinced
that it possessed points of superiority over the time-

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 409

honored theories into which he had been ingratiated,
yielded to his convictions, and amid rancorous persecu-
tion on the part of his disgusted parent, who had the
happy faculty of placing the"little pill" advocates in a
most ludicrous light, he began again the study of reme-
dial agents. When he had familiarized himself with
homeopathy, he possessed the advantage of thorough
apprenticeship in both schools. In 1856 he formed a
partnership with Dr. Henry Barrows of Vassalboro',
Me., with whom he remained two years. In 1858 he
settled in Winthrop, Me., where he now resides. The
following year he was married to Caroline Augusta,
daughter of Col. Rufus Marston, of Monmouth.

Dr. Cochrane was a member of the Massachusetts
Homeopathic Society before a similar organization was
instituted in this state, and has served as president and
secretary of the Homeopathic Society of Maine. He
has been a successful practitioner, and is frequently
called to the eastern part of the state in cases of con-
sultation.

Silas D. Cochrane was born in 1834. He enlisted in
the government service during the civil war as escort
to one of the emigrant trains that crossed the plains to
the Pacific coast. Soon after his arrival, he secured a
clerkship in the territorial government of Idaho, and,
after some months, was called upon, on account of the
removal of that functionary, to assume the duties of
secretary of the territory. Ci\ il government was at that
time in a chaotic state throughout the nation, and doub-
ly so in the territories, to which little attention was
paid by the officials at Washington while their atten-

4-IO HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

tion was riveted to the more important military opera-
tions in the south. The unprincipled governor of Ida-
ho seized upon the opportunity afforded by this relaxa-
tion of vigilance to intercept the appropriations intend-
ed for the support of the territorial government, end
absconded with several thousand dollars. Mr. Coch-
rane had already received the recognition of the nation-
al government as acting secretary, and now he was
called upon to assume the duties of governor of the ter-
ritory. The executive at Washington could not legally
appoint a new governor until matters had been thor-
ough ly investigated, and in the face of the pressure of
more important issues, this was long delayed. For
many months he continued to discharge the duties of
both governor and secretary without receiving a dollar
for his services. At last he laid down the seal and took
to the mines to secure a livelihood. He was not success-
ful in his mining operations, and after ten years' ab-
sence returned to Maine. He soon repaired to Wash-
ington, introduced a bill to Congress, and secured emol-
ument for his official services in Idaho territory to the
extent of nearly three thousand dollars. He remained
in Washington as clerk in one of the departments un-
til his decease in 1888. He was twice married; first, to
Sarah Hudson, of Lowell, Mass.; second, to Martha C.
Blaisdell, of Monmouth.

John Edward Cochrane was born Apr 29, 183 1. He
was for a short time engaged in manufacturing mahog-
any and rosewood knobs and fancy turned ware at
North Monmouth, and afterward made ladies' boots and
slippers for the trade. He was appointed postmaster
at the Center in 1861, and the next year removed to a

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 411

farm in Aroostook county. His home is now in Cali-
fornia. He married Margaret A., the daughter of Dr.
Asa Heath, and aunt of Hon. H. M. Heath, of Augusta.
Their children, although reared in the very heart of
the Maine wilderness, have all succeeded by diligent ap-
plication in securing an education. One of them who
had attended school only seventeen weeks during his
entire boyhood entered Coburn Classical Institute one
year in advance of the regular course. Two, Rev. Hen-
ry P. and Rev. Willis W., are now missionaries in Bur-
mah; another, Re\ . James B., has served a term as mis-
sionary in the same country, and is now pastor of the
Baptist church in Hallowell; Dr. Clarendon T. died from
the effects of overwork a few weeks after receiving his
diploma from the Hahnemann Medical College, of
Chicago; Werter W. is a contractor in California and
Charles Albert is engineer in a silver mine in Park
City, Utah.

James Henry, the oldest son of Dr. James Cochrane,
jun., inherited his mother's artistic talent. He prac-
ticed without an instructor and succeeded in establish-
ing a reputation that brought him orders for life sit-
tings from some of the wealthiest families of Belfast,
Me., where he was then residing. At an early age, he
started for Italy to complete his education in art, but,
unfortunately, when he reached Boston he was offered
a remunerative position, which led him to temporarily
abandon his plans. Soon after, he opened a studio in
Boston, and advertised as a fresco artist. The process
of making pictures by the action of light on a sensitized
silver plate had just been perfected, and men were
making money rapidly with daguerreotype outfits.

412 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

The visions of gold looked more attractive than fame,
and the brush was laid aside forever. Shortl}- after he
established himself in the daguerreotype business in
Maine, he was offered a position at the state eapitol ?s
engrossing clerk. He was soon raised to the office of
deputy secretary of state, a position which he held un-
til 1866, when he was appointed Superintendent of Con-
struction of Government Buildings, in which office he
was retained until the change in administration which
took place about twenty years later. Specimens of his
earlv designing may be found in the engraved title of
the Maine Farmer which is still in use, and in the elab-
orate diploma used for many years by the Maine State
Agricultural Society.

Mr. Cochrane was once nominated for the office of
Secretary of State, and was defeated by the 'misapplied
zeal of some of his political friends, who, the morning
before the election, published in the Kennebec Journal
scurrilous statements concerning his opponent that
were obviously false. He married, first, Ellen M. Ber-
ry, daughter of Col. Watson Berry, of Belfast, Me., by
whom he had three children — Nellie H., Flora G., and
Harry H., and, second, Julia A. Allen, of Augusta, by
whom he had four, only one of whom, Herbert Lep-
pien, is now living.

Thomas and William Richardson and their wives
came from Standish, Me. in 186 1 and purchased in one
lot the farms at North Monmouth now owned by Mil-
lard Richardson and the Bishop heirs. They lived in
the Bishop house until 1809, when Thomas built the
house in which his grandson Millard now resides
They were the children of David Richardson, who re-

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 413

moved from Newton, Mass. to Standish, Me. in 1778,
and thence, in 1807, to Monmouth, where he died in
1825. He was twice married, and at the time of his de-
cease boasted eighty living descendants. His second
wife, the mother of Thomas and William, was blessed
with three pairs of twins within the space of three-and-
one-half years ; and less than two years later her lone-
liness was relieved by the birth of a seventh child.

That these children might be connected with an event
worthy of rehearsal to their posterity, the prond moth-
er packed them together like a box of sardines and
rocked them in one cradle. William was the youngest
of these seven children, and Thomas, one of the second
pair of twins. Long after they came to Monmouth, the
father of Thomas and William used to gather his
grandchildren about his knees iii the light of the blaz-
ing open fire-place and tell them of this wonderful epi-
sode in the life of their parents. And then the little
ones snuggled closer to their grandfather's side, and
cast furtive glances into the dark corners while they
listened to the still more wonderful events which befell
his grandfather's wife and children. It seems that the
old gentleman's grandfather was a soldier in King
Philip's war. On the afternoon of Apr. 10, 1676 "he
was employed in casting dressing into his field, accom-
panied by his son Samuel, a boy between five and six
years old. Looking toward his house, he was surpris-
ed at seeing feathers riying about it and other tokens
of mischief within. He also heard the screams of his
wife. Apprehending that Indians might be there, he
hastened home with his gun, and there found two of
his family murdered." His wife, Hannah, who only a

414 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

week before had given birth to a child, and Thomas, a
twin to the five-year-old son who was with him in the
field, were the victims. "On further search it was
found that the infant, only a week old, had been slain
by the same ruthless hands. The nurse, it appeared,
had snatched it up in her arms upon the alarm of dan-
ger, and was making her escape to a garrison-house in
the vicinity; but so closely was she pursued by the sav-
ages, that, finding she could not save herself and the
babe too, she let the babe drop, and the Indians des-
patched it at once. Mr. Richardson now rallied some
of his neighbors ,who went with him in pursuit of the
enemy. Following them some time, they espied three
Indians sitting on a rock, fired at them, killed one, and
drove the others away."*

Thomas and William Richardson married, in Bux-
ton and Standish, Mary Ayer and Lydia Ayer respect-
ively. William died in 1847, childless. In 1818,
Thomas's wife died, leaving a family of six children,
one having died in infancy. For a second wife, he mar-
ried Mary, daughter of Benjamin Dearborn, who lived
at Dearborn's (now Moore's) corner, in Monmouth.
Four children came of this union.

Mr. Richardson was a deacon of the church at North
Monmouth. His oldest child, Lucy, married Rufus
Moody. Aaron, the oldest son, removed to Brunswick,
Me., where his children now reside. He was a mill-
wright and machinist. Elbridge Gerry, the third child,
passed the greater portion of his life in North Anson
where he married Sarah Gambage. He returned to his
native town, however, and, in the autumn of 1852,

♦From Sewell's History of Woburn.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 415

started on a voyage to California. He died before
reaching his destination, leaving a widow and six chil-
dren. His youngest son, William G., is a graduate of
the Boston Theological Institute and a member of the
New England conference of the M. E. church. Nancy,
the fourth child, married Moses Frost, and Mary, Ly-
man Fairbanks, of Winthrop. Thomas Miller, the old-
est child of the second wife, married Bernice Jack, of
Litchfield. They removed from Monmouth to Bruns-
wick, Me. He died at Pike's Peak, in 1872. The two
3'oungest children were Almatia A. and William Jordan.
The former married William A. Lawrence, of Gardiner,
and the latter, Amanda Strout, of Wales. He died in
California in 1873.

The only son who remained in Monmouth was Jesse
Pierce. He was born May 3, 1822, and married Fidelia
King of Winthrop. He was selectman in 1888. Of
his five children three married and settled in Mon-
mouth. Ella M. married Geo. L., son of Samuel O.
King. Millard F. resides on the home place and Wil-
fred A., the youngest son, on an adjacent lot.

Thomas and William Richardson had a half brother
Jonathan, the son of their father's first wife. He fol-
lowed them to Monmouth in 1812. His wife was Mary
Thomas, of Stroudwater(now Westbrook), Me. They
had seven children, the o'dest of whom, Mary, married
Waterman Stanley, of Winthrop. John, the second
child, married Mary, daughter of Leonard Orcutt, of
Winthrop, and removed to Brunswick, Me., and thence,
in 1852, to Lawrence, Mass., where he passed the remain-
der of his days. He was a carpenter. Henry married
Sally, daughter of Robert Withington and removed to

416 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Portland; Thomas, Bathsheba Stevens, of Winthrop, and
removed to Brunswick; and Jonathan, Ruth Lewis, of
Buekfield. The}- lived in Winthrop and Monmouth.
Louisa and Lucy were the youngest of the family.,
The latter married James Bowdoin Johnson, of Mon-
mouth, and the former, Moses Fogg of Wales.

Col. Rufus P. Marston, son of Col. Jonathan Mars-
ton, was born Oct. 30, 1807, and married, at the age of
twenty-three, Sally Prescott, of Mt. Vernon. The mili-
tary honors of his father and grandfather fell to him
as by inheritance. In 1841, he was commissioned colo-
nel of the regiment of which his father had been the
principal officer, having been promoted successively
captain, major, and lieut. colonel from the ranks. Like
his father, again, he served on the board of selectmen,
and for four years he held the office of town treasurer.
While following closely the form of his sire in military
and civil prominence, he departed widely from him in
stature, his large frame giving him a more command-
ing presence than that of Col. Jonathan, who was rath-
er below the medium in height. Col. Marston was a
trustee of the M. E. church, of which he and his wife
were devoted and useful members. At about five
o'clock in the evening of the 25th of Dec, 1861, he fell
through a scuttle from the high beams of his barn,
and received injuries from which he died two hours lat-
er. He was found in an unconscious state by his son,
and before a physician could be summoned, had expired.
His wife died July 10, 1890. Of their seven children,
four died at an early age. The three who reached ma-
turity were Caroline A., David, and Luella F. The
first married Dr. C. A. Cochrane, of Winthrop; David

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 417

married Anna A., daughter of Daniel W. Gilman, and
settled on the home place, and Luella married Ronald
Mcllroy, of Winthrop.

In 1807 James and Joseph Eaton came from New
Hampshire and purchased the land afterwards known
as the James Sinclair place, now owned by Mrs. Roberts.
Their mother was Nancy Nichols of E. Monmouth.
James had been a sailor. The father of these boys came
from New Hampshire and made his home with them
until his decease. He had other children, all of whom,
with the exception of Polly, the wife of John Moody, re-
moved to Thomaston after the death of their father.

The same year Nathaniel Whitcher commenced clear-
ing the farm occupied by Robert Macomber on Mon-
mouth Neck. His first wife was killed by lightning
in the month of January. His second wife was Mary
Jones. He sold his farm to Isaac Twombley and moved
to the Aaron Hinkley place, near Oak Hill, where he
died. He was an esteemed citizen and a valuable
member of the Free Baptist Church.

Josiah Orcutt was born in North Bridgewater (now
Brockton), Mass., Sept. 14, 1781. His father, Nathan-
iel, born in 1746, was of Scotch descent, and was an
officer in the war of the Revolution. Josiah married
Naomi Chesman, of North Bridgewater, in November,
1806, andthe following sprang he and his brother Leon
ard came to Maine. Leonard settled in Winthrop,
on the farm now owned by Francis Perley, and built
the house now in use. Josiah settled near North Mon-
mouth, on the farm lately owned by Henry Allen, long
known as the ''Deacon Blaisdell place." His wife died in
18 19, and he married, second, Mrs. Eunice Lambard.

4l8 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Mr. Orcutt was a man of good education, a suc< ess
ful teacher and a fine penman. He taught school twel
ty-two winters. At the age of twenty-two he was coin
missioned Justice of the Peace, an office that lie hell
at the time of his death, which occurred Feb. 15.
He was the father of three children: Naomi, who mar
ried Jedecliah P. Hopkins, and removed to Peru, Mc.
Elizabeth, who married Amasa D. King, of Winthrop,
and Josiah Leonard who married 1 sat el M. Foss,
Winthrop and settled at North Monmouth.,

J. L. Orcutt has been a Justice of the Peace and Trial
Justice about thirty-five years, during which he has serv-
ed as administrator and executor on man}- estates. He
has taken considerable interest in sabbath school
work, and has held the superintendence- of the North
Monmouth Union school for a period of over twenty!
four years. In musical circles he is a well-known leader
having been a teacher, and a member of the North Mon
mouth choir for more than forty years, 'three-fourths of
which time he has served as chorister. He served four
years on the board of selectmen — as chairman of the
board during three of the four terms — and has once rep
resented his town in the legislature.

Dea. Thomas Williams came to Monmouth hi 1S07.
He purchased of Capt. Arnold a large section of wild
land near the, so called, Lyon district, and started a
clearing. While working on this clearing alone in the
woods, with a vivid picture of the home he had left ever
before his eyes, he would often sit down on a log and
weep like a child; but after Dearborn Blake, who, as one,
bearing the same name had preceded him in the settle-
ment, was known as " Ncwcome Dearborn, ?' came from

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 419

-his old New Hampshire home and settled on the Whit-
tier place near him, he became more reconciled to his lot.
He married Charlotte, daughter of Josiah Brown, of
Monmouth. A few years later he left his farm for the
one that Dearborn Blake had cleared, where he passed
the remainder of his life. He was deacon of the Christ-
ian Band Church and an esteemed citizen. From one
who knew him well and probably heard the statement
from his own lips, we learn that Mr. Williams came
near being a victim of the horrible Pnrrington tragedy
that paralyzed the people of Maine about eighty years
ago. The circumstances of this homicide may be
briefly stated as follows:

At about two o'clock in the morning of the ninth day
of July Purrington attacked his sleeping family with
an axe, and killed and mangled, in a manner too shock-
ing to relate, his wife and six children, wounded two
others, and then, with a razor, cut his own throat. Of
a family of nine persons, seven were killed. Towards
the close of the dajr preceding the assault, he sharpen-
ed the fatal axe, and Mr. Williams, who, it is said,
happened to be at the house, turned the stone to draw
out the jagged edge. Purrington's repeated invitations to
spend the night with him, Williams refused, not know-
ing that his life was dependent on his decision.

Dea. Williams died Dec. 25, 1858. He had four chil-
dren, Mar\-, Rufus, Charles B. and Henry A. Man-
married Dea. Daniel S. Whittier, of Monmouth. Rufus
married Harriet Newcome and settled in Gardiner, and
Charles B. removed to Boston. Henry A. Williams
was born May 25, 1829. His earl}- life was spent on
the farm. Soon after he reached his majority, he left

420 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

the old homestead which it had been his father's design
that he should inherit, and engaged in trade at Mon-
mouth Center. For a mercantile life he was eminently
fitted. Nature had endowed him with a robust con-
stitution, which every man who shuts himself within
doors should possess, and a genial, humor-loving tem-
perament which was calculated to draw men toward
him. By an improvement of the opportunities afforded
by the local schools, he had secured a good education,
had learned to write a fine hand, and had learned well
to adapt himself to that indispensable principle of suc-
cessful life — method. He had but just begun his career
as a trader, when he was offered the position of bag-
gage-master on the train running from Portland to
Bangor. This position he held two years, when he was
placed in charge of the Monmouth station, and this of-
fice he retained to the time of his decease.

In 1863 he was appointed by Edwin M. Stanton, the
Secretary of War, commissioner of the board of enroll-
ment for the third congressional district of Maine.
This office he held nearly two years, when he resigned,
having in company with Col. Charles A. Wing, of Win-
throp, purchased the leading hotel of Augusta. On the
receipt of his resignation at Washington, the following
words of commendation were addressed to him by Hon.
James G. Blaine:

House of Representatives.

Washington, D. C. 8lh Dec. 1S64.
My dear Sir :

Your letter advising me of your resignation as L'omr.
of Enrollment was duly reed.

I trust your change in business will result in an increase of your prosper-

itj-

It gives me great pleasure to say that your official conduct has been without

»'

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 421

stain or blemish and that you leave the position with an enviable reputation
for integrity, ability, and zealous loyalty to the Government.

If I can serve you in any way in the future, you must feel yourself free to
call on me at any time.

.Very truly etc.,

J. G. Blaine.
H. A. Williams, Esq.

During his term of service under the government,
and while attending to his duties as proprietor of the
Stanley House and the Augusta House at the state
capitol, Mr. Williams employed an assistant to take
charge of the railroad station and to discharge the du-
ties of postmaster, to which office he was appointed
Feb. 24, 1859, and again Jan. 15, 1863. He was elect-
ed town treasurer in 1878, and served in that capacity
four years.

Mr. Williams was married in June, 187 1, to Miss Lydia
Barker, daughter of Nelson Barker, Esq., of Monmouth.
In the disastrous fire of Apr. 19, 1888, he lost the home
in which he had taken great pride, and a few weeks lat-
ter his mother-in-law, to whom he had been strongly at
ached was taken from earth. The weight of these-
weeks of sorrow bore heavily upon Mr. Williams, and
his natural buoyancy was crushed. On the 22nd day
of the following August, while bathing in the surf at
Old Orchard, he was stricken with apoplexy, from the
effects of which, after lingering several hours in an
unconscious condition, he died.

Through accident, a portion of the matter relating
to the children of Jonathan Richardson, which should
have appeared on page 416, was omitted.

Benjamin, the youngest son, was twice married, first
to Ruth P. Graves and second to Clara H. Manning, of
Limington, Me. He came to Monmouth with his fath-

422 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH

er, but left town after his first marriage, and settled
in Andover, Me. After the decease of his first wife, he
returned to Monmouth. He subsequently resided for
a short time in New Orleans, where he was in the em-
ploy of his cousin, a lumber merchant. On his return
he purchased the farm at North Monmouth now owned
by Elbridge G. Bent, and, later, of Alanson Hall, the
farm on which his son, Melvin M. Richardson, now re-
sides. He was connected Math the Congregational
church at Monmouth Center as one of its founders, and
was a man who was honored with the confidence of his
townsmen. He had two children, Edwin A. and Mel-
vin M., both of whom reside in Monmouth.

The first stage which was run in this vicinity M-as
started in Feb., 1806, by Col. T. T. Estabrooke of
Brunswick. The route was through "Purgatory" in
Litchfield. In January of the following year, John
Blake, Meshech Blake, and Levi Moody commenc-
ed running the first line of stages from the Kenne-
bec river to Portland, by way of Monmouth and New
Gloucester. Leaving Hallowell every Monday and Fri-
day morning at four o'clock, these stages reached
Portland the same evening at seven o'clock. The mails,
which previously had been carried on horseback, were
now transferred to the stages ; but the roughness of the
roads led to the abandonment of the latter enterprise, as
the cost of new horses to take the places of the worn-out
ones exceeded the cash receipts; and the mails were
taken to and fro on gigs and on horseback as hereto,
fore.

On the second day of May, 1808, a town-meeting was
held, at which Lieut. Joseph P. Chaudler presided. A

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT^ 423

this convention three roads which had been laid out by
the selectmen the previous year were accepted. The
first of these was described as ''begining on the Range
between boyingtens and Simon Marstin's Nine Rods
and half from the southerly line between Joua. Mars-
tins and Boyingtons at a stake and stones, thence
Running North 23 1-2 degrees west 84 Rods' thence
North 7 degrees west 28 Rods thence North 32 degrees
Ea.st 27 Rods to the northerly line of lot No. 46 the lot
which Boyington now lives on this Road to be the same
width that the other part is that leads from the Main
Rode to this Rode — Excepted May-2-1806". The sec-
ond began uat the head line of Willm. Bachelors land
at the RpdeRunningfrom the school house near Palti-
ah Warren's to Ezekiel Arnows thence Running South
25 D. west 16 Rods to the land owned by Joseph Grays
the Rode to be on the westerly side of the Courses and
to be four Rods wide.'' The third began "at the end
of a iog fence near Benja. Waterhouses thence Run-
ning south 35 degrees West 344 Rods to Cobbisse
Rode to be three rods wide on the East side of the
Courses.''

It was voted to postpone accepting a fourth road
leading from Nathaniel Marston's to the main road,
which had been surveyed on the 17th day of April. It
was desired by some of the voters that a petition to the
General Court, relative to establishing a line between
Monmouth and Leeds, be drafted by a committee
chosen at this meeting. This suggestion did not meet
with general favor; but at a special meeting called the
ensuing November, a committee consisting of Nathan-
iel Smith, Joseph Norris and David Marston was clios-

424 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH

en to converse with a committee chosen by the town of
Leeds, for the purpose of establishing the boundary.

Nehemiah Pierce, Jr. settled this year on the farm
now owned by his grandson, Rev. J. E. Pierce, about a
mile south of the Center. He came from Bath, Me.
where he had resided only one year, having removed
there in 1807 from Coventry, Conn. He was the son of
Nehemiah Pierce, and was the youngest of six chil-
dren, only one of whom survived him. He was born
May 10, 1771. On the fourteenth day of April, 1794, he
was united in marriage to Clarissa Williams, daughter
of Dr. Jesse Williams of Mansfield, Conn. Mr. Pierce
was known as one of the most industrious and progress-
sive farmers in the state. He was the pioneer of sys-
tematic dairying in Maine, and is reputed to have been
the most extensive manufacturer of cheese in Eastern
New England. His herd of milch cows often number-
ed as high as forty or fifty head. Geo. Lewis, a human
anomaly who tenanted a small house on Mr. Pierce's
farm, boasted that he and "Square Parce" owned more
cows than any other two men in Monmouth. The
"Square" owned forty, and he, one, making a total o:
forty-one. Mr. Pierce was a devout and exemplary
christian and a strong helper in educational work.
As secretary of the board of trustees of Monmouth
Academy, when it was classed with the first fitting
schools in New England, he became widely known in
educational circles, and as president of the Monmouth
Mutual Fire Insurance Company, a corporation known
as the largest of the kind in the state, he was brought
into public notice as a man of extraordinary executive
ability, and, in consequence, received appointments to

^2~~^ &

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 425

many offices of trust from the chief executive, among
which was that of state commissioner of public
roads. To this position he was well adapted, hav-
ing had considerable experience as a road builder, not-
ably in constructing the military road from Bangor to
Houlton, and the turnpike from Bath to Brunswick,
a piece of work which he superintended in 1807. His
wife died Jan. 27, 1842, leaving nine children. Two
years later he married Nancy Ladd, of Winthrop, Me.
He died May 6, 1850.

Mr. Pierce first built the house where Mr. Stewart
now lives, and cleared the land about it. On the oppo-
site side of the road was the clearing made by Daniel
Gilman. Mr. Pierce purchased this clearing with his
farm, and in 1825 built the brick house. On the 4th
of March — the day that John Q. Adams was inaugu-
rated— he opened it to the public writh a grand celebra-
tion. With raw "West India" for fire-works and the old
brass cannon for speaker of the day, the occasion
wanted nothing but an exchange of snow-drifts for
high thermometer to pass for the Fourth of July.

It is only a matter of justice to state that the liquid
fire-works which enlivened this occasion were not fur-
nished by Mr. Pierce. To him stands the honor of be-
ing Monmouth's first aggresive advocate of temperance.
To be a teetotaler in those days involved far more than
it does in this age of insipid sentimentality . When Ne-
hemiah Pierce boldly said, "I am for temperance and
sobriety, and teetotalism is the platform on which I
stand," he had no eye open to official contingencies.
And had he fostered a scheme for attracting to himself
apolitical constituency, nothing could have been more

426 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

disastrous than the advocacy of those principles of
which every political party of the present generation
would fain stand as the most faithful exponent. His
was the first house raised in town without liquor. When
the first broadside was raised, the men paused for the
customary treat. It came in the form of coffee — steam-
ing hot. The men looked at each other in amazement.
Then the leading spirits rounded up their backs and
ordered a general strike. Mr. Pierce expostulated. The
men were undecided. The}' liked the man and they
liked the anticipated spirits. If they left the frame, they
would incur the displeasure of one whom they profound-
ly respected, and to whose good-will thev were not in-
different ; but if they proceeded with the work, they
would establish a precedent which might become local-
ly universal. Better nature and the advice of a few
lenient ones at last triumphed, and they raised the other
broadside. Another installment, of hot coffee at this
period only served to bring out the heat of their tem-
per, and another strike ensued. More arbitration and
the addition of some seventeen inches of temperance or-
atory overruled the crisis, and the roof went up with-
out furthur remonstrance. The house was held open
as a public tavern for several years. Near by was the
Higgins house, now owned by H. S. Smith, a struct-
ure that has undergone no change in the past seventy-
five years. After Mr. Higgins's decease, his son, Jesse,
exchanged places with Capt. Nicholas Hinkley, and re-
moved to Hal" owell.

Elias Pierce, a cousin of Nehemiah, who came to
Monmouth the same year as the latter, was also a
man of considerable ability and enterprise. A tannery

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 427

which he built near the saw mill at East Monmouth
was supposed to be the largest in the state. The vats
connected with this establishment are still where he
placed them, many of them still sound. His house
which was taken down a few years ago, stood near the
red building near the mill known as "Arnold Mill
house." Like others who had attempted to build up
industries in that localit}-, he had hardly got his busi-
ness in running order before he was snatched from
earth by a quick working decease. The Pierce house
was in later years supposed to be haunted. Many
w. o lived there were disturbed by weird sounds which
were doubtless produced by the imagination. Elder
Hinkle}' finally bought the place and commenced at
once a search for the cause of the supernatural dis-
turbance. What he found, he would never tell, but he
assured the neighbors that nothing would be heard
there again. One occupant of this house was Daniel
Rand, of whom little is known except that he was acci-
dentally killed at a shooting match. The grief and
faithfulness exhibited b}r his dog over the dead body of
his master on that occasion were a touching manifest-
ation of brute intelligence.

Oliver W. Pierce, the oldest son of Hon. Nehemiah
Pierce, married Rebecca Carleton and settled near the
Wales line on Monmouth Ridge. His wife died in
1824, and he married Mrs. Delia Norris. Although
never prominent, and never aspiring to prominence in
public affairs, it may truly be said of him, as of Joseph
of Arimathea, that "he was a good man and a just."
Six of the seven children of his first wife died at a
comparatively early age. Capt. Henry Oliver Pierce,

428 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH

the oldest son and sole survivor of the family, was
born Feb. 7, 1830. At the age of seventeen years,
having faithfully impro\ed the superior educational
advantages offered by the schools of his native town,
he was considered competent to discharge the duties of
a district school-master. The spring of 1858 found
him in Wautoma, Wis., where he remained six years
as teacher in the public schools. During two years of
this time, he held the office of Count}' Superintendent
of Public Schools. From Wautoma he went to Fort
Atkinson in the same state. After teaching about a
year in the latter place, he enlisted in the Union army.
"He was mustered into the volunteer service as cap-
tain of Co. H., 49th Reg. Wis. Inft. Vols., Mar., 1865.
His regiment was ordered to Missouri, where it re-
mained doing guard and provost duty until the sol-
diers were mustered out in November of the same year.
He remained at Fort Atkinson until 1868, when he
returned to Monmouth. His father dying in 187 1, he
succeeded to the estate."

As a citizen, Capt. Pierce has, to a remarkable ex-
tent, enjoyed the confidence and esteem of his towns-
men. He has been honored with many terms of service
on the board of selectmen and local school board, and
has once been called to represent his district in the
legislature. He is prominently connected with the G.
A. R., and in 1893 was elected Junior Vice Command-
er of the state department.

Capt. Pierce married Martha E. Storm, of Wautoma,
Wisconsin. They have six children, all of whom re-
side in Monmouth.

Of the other sons of Hon. Nehemiah Pierce only

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 429

four, Bela, Jesse, John and Daniel reared families. Bela
settled on the farm adjacent to that of his brother
Oliver; that of the latter being in Monmouth, and
that of the former, in Wales. As a citizen of the latter
town he, was several times honored with a position on
the board of selectmen. He married Elizabeth Wilcox
and reared a large family of children, none of whom
settled in Monmouth. Jesse married and settled in
North Andover, Mass. John studied medicine and es-
tablished himself in a successful and lucrative practice
at Edgartown, Mass. He had three children, of whom
one is a physician at Marston's Mills, and another an
attorney at New Bedford, Mass. Daniel married Caro-
line Shorey and remained on the homestead. Of him
may be said what is true of the posterity of Nehemiah
Pier:e as a family — that he was an honorable, respect-
ed, God-fearing man. He was the father of seven chil-
dren, the youngest of whom, Ella A. died at the age of
twenty-three.

The other daughters are Frances C, Maria A. and
Marjr J. The latter married Moses B. Sylvester, son
of Rev. Bradbury Sylvester of Wayne; Maria married
Capt. A. C. Sberman, and cied in Monmouth in 1892,
and Frances married Dr. Henry M. Blake and resides
in her native town. Of the sons Daniel O. is the
youngest. He married Ida N. Williams and settled
on a farm in Monmouth; George Boardman, the oldest
son, married Mar3' A., daughter of John Kingsbury, of
Monmouth, and resides on the Kingsbury homestead.

Although, in the main, his life has been the quiet
uneventful one of a farmer, he is not lacking in those
a ttributes which have made his family one of the most

430 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

highly esteemed of the town. He served for a term of
years as steward of the Maine Wesleyan Seminary,
and has devoted a portion of his time to teaching.

Rev. John Edwin Pierce, the third in order of the
children of Dea. Daniel Pierce, was born Sep. 22, 1838.

After a preparatory course at Monmouth Academy,
he entered Bowdoin College, at the age of nineteen
years, and was graduated from that institution in
1862. On leaving college, he spent a year as teach-
er in the public schools of Wisconsin.

In 1864, he enlisted in the 39th Reg. Wis. Vols, and
served during the year as orderly sergeant of Co. B.
The 'following year found him in Co. K. of the First
Wis. Heavy Artillery, as clerk at headquarters. In
1865 he entered Bangor Theological Seminary, and
was graduated at the end of a three years' course. On
leaving the seminary, he was married to Miss Lizzie
A. Grey, of Exeter, Me., and, a few days later, sailed
from New York as an ordained missionary of the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mis-
sions.

The field to which he was appointed was rich in his-
torical and religious associations. Lying immediately
west of the mountain on which the ark of Noah rested
after the deluge, it stretched off through the ancient do-
minions of Pontus, Cappadocia, Galatia and Bithynia,
where the gospel was preached nearly two thousand
years ago by men who were converted under Peter's in-
spired oratory at Pentecost. His missionary journeys
carried him over the route of Xenophon's celebrated re-
treat, and the emotion he experienced on reaching the
terminus of their wanderings was not unlike that of

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 43 1

the wear)' Greeks, when, with tears streaming down
their sunburned cheeks, the)' shouted, "The sea! The
sea!"

After nine years of labor in this interesting field, Mr.
Pierce returned to his old home for a year's rest. In
1878 he again sailed for Turkey. Leaving Erzroom,
the principal station of his first term of missionary life,
several hundred miles to the east, he located at Barde-
zag, about sixty miles north-east of Constantinople, as
the general superintendent of the work in the Nicome-
dia field and principal of a boarding high school of one
hundred and twenty-five pupils.

He again returned to America in 1890, and was pre-
vented from sailing a third time for his missionary
field by a severe casualty which befell his wife. He
is now living on the old homestead in Monmouth.

Mr. Pierce is the father of three children, Arthur,
Bessie and George. The oldest of these is a graduate
of the Boston Institute of Technology, and Bessie is a
student in Wellesley College.

Joseph B. Allen, or "Deacon Joseph Allen", as he was
generally called, to distinguish him from the two oth-
er citizens of Monmouth bearing the same name, was
the youngest child of Joseph Allen the pioneer, and
was born May 27, 1784. He had six brothers and sis-
ters, among whom were Patty, who married John Gil-
man; Olive, who married Reuben Basford and inherit-
ed the original Allen farm, and Philena, who married
John Sawyer. Joseph B. Ah en was married, in 180S,
to Susannah Roberts and started in life on the farm on
Monmouth Ridge now owned by his grandson, Al-
more J. Chick, where he built the brick house in

432 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

which the latter resides. A portion of this farm was
probably taken from his father's land, which ran back
toward the Ridge, and the rest was purchased of Es-
quire Pierce.

Deacon Allen was a man of true christian mold.
As a boy he had sat long winter evenings and listened
to his father and his neighbor, Philip Jenkins, while
they discussed election and free grace, and, although
he did not cling to the Arminian tenets of his parent,
he received in the good soil of his heart the seed of
grace which bore the beautiful fruitage of a life hidden
with Christ in God. He had several children, none of
whom settled in Monmouth except Cordelia, who mar-
ried Levi J. Chick and settled on the farm on Oak
Hill now owned by Mrs. Catherine Pincin. Mr.
Chick was the son of Le\ i Chick, who came from Ber-
wick, Me., and took up the above mentioned farm on
Oak Hill earl}- in this century. The latter had twelve
children, only one of whom, William H. Chick, of South
Monmouth, is now living in town. Levi J. Chick
was a house carpenter and joiner. He remained on
his father's farm until 1845, when he removed to the
home of his wife's father, where his son Almore J.
Chick now resides. He had one son and three daugh-
ters. Two of his daughters, Augusta D. and Orra D.,
were the first and second wives, respectively, of O. W.
Andrews, Esq., and Sarah E., who for many years was
a teacher in our district schools, married W. A. Palm-
er, of North Monmouth.

John Plummer was born in New Hampshire (wheth-
er in Hampstead or Warner I am unable to decide, as
there is a slight discrepancy in the statements of his

A DECADE OE DEVELOPMENT. 433

descendants), April 1, 1777. His father was killed while
fighting for his country on one of the battle-fields of
the Revolution. At an early age, he was bound out to
an uncle, for whom he does not appear to have developed
a remarkable fondness ; for, at the age of sixteen, he
quietly slipped away from all "scenes to memory dear"
and came to reside in Litchfield. Here he met Rebecca
Johnson, whom he married some time near 1800. Eight
years later he moved to Monmouth, and purchased of
the Sawyers, in a wild state, the farm on Pease Hill
which his son, Joseph H. Plummer, has recentlv sold
to Mr. LeClair. Here Mr. Plummer spent the residue
of his days, and here he died. He was the father of
nine children, the first three of whom, John J., Judith,
and Jabez, were born in Litchfield. Of this trio, the
first married Matilda Parks, of Litchfield, and removed
to Skowhegan, in the vicinity of which town a maj-
ority of his posterity now reside ; Judith died at the
age of twent3--six unmarried, and Jabez, who was
the father of our citizens, Sanford K., Warren W.
and John Plummer, married Abigail Powers, of White-
field, and settled on the farm on which his son, Jabez.
M. Plummer, resides. This farm he purchased, in
a partially cleared state, of Maj. James Campbell, a
drum-major of the Continental army, who had it of
Nehemiah Hutchinson, the first settler on the lot.
Hutchinson was a Revolutionary soldier. He came
from Massachusetts, and was here as early as 1800.
After his decease, his family removed to Litchfield.
One of his daughters married James H. Cunningham,
of Monmouth.
Joseph H. Plummer, the fourth of John, the pioneer's

434 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

children, was the first child born on the Plummer farm.
When he began to inhale the exhilarating ozone of
Pease Hill his father's family was living in the log cab-
in. At the age of twenty-five he married Hannah Hil-
dreth, of Gardiner, a granddaughter of Paul Hildreth,
the first white settler of Lewiston, Me., and settled on
the home place, where he resided until 1891, when he
sold, it and took up a residence with his son, William
B. Plummer. The other children of John Plummer
were Mary, William J., Diana, Jedediah P. and Alden.
The first of these married Aaron Spear, Esq., who, in
company with Mr. Billings, established the shovel and
hoe manufactory at North Monmouth. William was
a blacksmith. He learned the trade of manufacturing
farm-tools at Plimpton's, and later, added to this a knowl-
edge of horse shoeing. He removed to Skowhegan,
but returned to North Monmouth in 1848, and purchas-
ed of Benj. Richardson the farm now owned by Mr.
Bent, where he died in 1867. During the exciting times
following the discovery of gold in California, he spent
a year in that state repairing miners' tools. Although
he was rapidly accumulating wealth, he was compelled,
on account of the sickness of his brother Jedediah, who
accompanied him, to return to the eastern states, but
not until he* had received a sunstroke from the effects
of which he afterward died. His wife was Hannah
Partridge of Augusta. Their two children, Augusta A.
and George M., reside at North Monmouth. Diana
Plummer married Shepard Pease; Jedediah P. married
Sophia Spear and removed to Medway, Mass., where he
now resides; and Alden, Mary Hill. This last member
of the family followed the .sea, and became the mate of

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 435

a vessel. He died in Boston not far from 1890.

Martin Gushing, who settled this year on the place
where Mr. Tillson now lives, was a joiner and master
of his trade. He framed the Old South church at Win-
throp, and was working on it when the frame which
was being raised fell, killing six men. Mr. Cushing
was a good citizen. He sold his place to Jonathan Fol-
som and removed to Winthrop where he died.

The Blossom house at Monmouth Center was built
this year by Ansel Blossom, son of Capt. James Blos-
som. It is one of the old landmarks that time has
spared us, and, rude in architecture as it is, may its
warped frame stand long against the merciless calls of
village improvement advocates.* Mr. Blossom, the
builder, removed to the West.

In 1807 or 1808, Daniel and Moses Boynton remov-
ed from Buxton and settled on the Moses Waterhouse
farm. They lived together about three 3-ears, when
Moses purchased, and settled on, the Charles Hyde
Potter fai'm. Moses Boynton was born Feb. 6, 1877.
At about the age of twenty-six lie was married to
Ruth Eden of Saco. He was appointed captain of Co.
B., Monmouth militia, and held that position when the
company was called into service in the last war with
England. As a hereditament, or a coincidence, this
office has fallen to one of each generation of his de-
scendants. Father, son and grandson, all have been
captain of Co. B. He died June 12, 1828.

*Since the above was written, the appearance of this ancient domicile has
been greatly changed. The addition of a two-storied structure has trans-
formed it into a commodious hotel. But thanks to the Fates and good judg-
ment, the old frame, though now playing the inferior role of an ell, is un-
changed.

436 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH

Of his ten children John E., Ruth E., the wife of
Daniel Sampson, who at one time was, with Ebenezer
Blake, engaged in the manufacture of table cloths at
Baileyville, Me., and James Madison all moved to St.
Albans, Me., where John F. Boynton, a soa of the lat-
ter, now resides. Nathaniel married Polly Judkins, a
daughter of Capt. Jonathan Judkins, and removed to
the eastern part of the state, while M >ses ( who fatally
shot himself by the accidental discharge of his gun
while hunting for a squirrel in his corn-barn on the
third day of March, i860), Eliza, who married Hen-
drick W. Judkins, and William H. settled in Monmouth.

William H. Boynton was born Apr. 7, 1809. At the
age of twenty-four he married Martha PI timer, the
daughter of David Plumer, one of the early settlers
and leading citizens of Wales. He started in life as
the junior partner of the firm of Perkins & Boynton, oc-
cupying a store erected by his wife's father inside the
angle of the two roads at Wales Corner. This build-
ing was removed to Monmouth Ridge, and now serves
as a stable to the Baptist parsonage.

Mr. Boynton was appointed ensign in Co. A. Third
Regiment, Second Brigade of the Maine militia, in 1S37.
In 1840 he was commissioned lieutenant in the same
company, and in 1841 was promoted to the captaincy.
His commissions bear the respective signatures of gov-
ernors Dunlap, Fairfield and Kent. Although urged to
retain his command, he resigned, aud was honorably
discharged Apr. 10, 1843, iu tne ^ace °f a pledge of pro-
motion to the rank of major.

Capt. Boynton was a man of quiet manners and dig-
nified bearing. He always enjoyed the confidence and

i

kv- i

»*•

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 437

Respect of his townsmen and was often selected by
them to discharge the duties responsible stations. In
1846 he was placed on the board of selectmen. Three
years later, he began another term of six consecutive
years' service in the same capacity, and in 1856 was re-
elected to the first of a term of two years as chairman
of the board. He died Jul}- 25, 1877.

Capt. Boynton was the father of two children. The
younger, Mary Luella, born Apr. 5. 1842, married, in
i860, George F. Rowell. She died Feb. 16, 1865, leav-
ing one child, Luella B.

D laiel P. Boynton wasborn Jan. 16, 1838, and married,
Jan. 19, 1864, Lovina J. McFarland, of Wales. Mr.
Boynton is an expert cabinet-maker, and has followed
this vocation in several of the large cities of New
Hampshire and Massachusetts, including Dover, Marl-
boro', Charlestown, Dedham and Worcester. He takes
a deep interest in history, owns a large and well-se-
lected collection of historical works, and is one of the
few whose en :ouraging words and apparent confidence
in the project have prevented the abandonment of this
history in times of utter discouragement. Like his
father and grandfather, he has been captain of Com-
pany B. ; and again following the footprints of the for-
mer, has served on the board of selectmen.

Mr. Boynton joined the Monmouth Lodge of Free
Masons in 1892, and was raised by successive degrees
to membership in the Lewiston Commandery of Knights
Templar, and Maine Consistory 32° Ancient Accepted
Scottish Rite, of Portland. He was elected Master of
Monmouth Lodge in 1882 and 1883, District Deputy
Grand Master of the nth district in 1888 and 1889, and

43§ HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Senior Grand Warden of the Most Worshipful Grand
Lodge in 1890.

The Boynton family dates from the invasion of Ire-
land by the Norsemen in the seventh century. A chief-
tain of the race obtained a victor)- on the river Borne^"
and from that historic stream took the name Boynton.
The family appears to have been one of the leading
ones among the nobility of England both before and
after the Conquest. There were, at least, twenty
baronets among their number.

In 1738, Rev. Ezekiel Rogers, of Yorkshire, Eng.,
emigrated to America, taking with him a large num-
ber of respectable families from the same district, for
the purpose of founding a colony in the new country.
These people are described as "godly men, most of
them of good estate." They settled in, and founded,
the town of Rowley, Mass., giving their new home the
name of the one they had left across the water. Among
these colonists were William and John Boynton. Wil-
liam was a tailor. He was born in 1606, and lived with
his wife, Elizabeth, in Rowley until 1657, when he re-
moved to Ipswich, where he died, Dec. 8, 16S6. From
one of these brothers, descended John, who was born
July 3, 1729, and as early as 1754 removed from
Haverhill, where he had worked, to Narragansett No. 1 ,
the territor}^ now included in the town of Buxton, Me.

John was a blacksmith. He figured conspicuously
in the records of Narragansett No. 1. In 1767, he con-
veyed to William Boynton Lot 1 1 of Range D, 2nd divi-
sion, on which William settled and built a house which
is still standing, and is occupied by one of his descend-
ants. This William, it is supposed, was John's son.

A DECADE OE DEVELOPMENT. 439

John's wife was Mary, daughter of William Hancock.
He died, while serving in the Continental army, in a
! barn used by the soldiers as a barrack. He had'six
children, of whom William, the third child, was the fa-
ther of Daniel and Moses Boynton, the first of the
name in Monmouth.

Daniel Boynton, who was six years older than his
brother Moses, married Mary Moore, of Buxton, Me.,
daughter of Hugh Moore, and sister of Sarah, who
married Rev. Asa Heath, and of Jane, the wife of Dr.
James Cochrane, sen., both of whom subsequently set-
tled in Monmouth. Daniel was a mason. He died in
1837, at the age of sixty-six, leaving four sons and two
daughters. The latter were Mary, the wife of Cyrus
Stebbins Hillman, and Margaret, who married Dr. Asa
Heath. The sons were Hugh M., Ebenezer Ayer,
Daniel and James Cochrane. Hugh married Polly,
daughter of Daniel Prescott, and sister of Dr. K. K.
Prescott, and removed to Brooks, Me. He had three
children, only one of whom (Cyrus, who married Delia,
daughter of James Cochrane, sen.) lived to adult age.

James Cochrane Boynton studied medicine with his
namesake, and established himself in the practice of
his profession at Richmond, Me., where he amassed a
handsome property and died, in 1865, leaving one child,
the mother of James A. Proctor, the Richmond drug-
gist. The latter married a daughter of Dr. David Rich-
ards, another descendant of a Monmouth family. Dr.
Boynton's political affiliations were Democratic and his
religious tenets, Swedenborgian in cast.
Daniel Boynton, jun., married Eliza, daughter of Capt.
Benj. Kimball. Mr. Boynton was a man of more

44^ HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

than ordinary activity and business tact. He built sev-
eral houses in town, and the store that was occupied by
W. W. Woodbury prior to the great fire of 1888. Like
many other enterprising men, he contracted the gold
fever, and died while crossing the isthmus on his way
to California, in 1855. His widow and three children,
Harriet, Benjamin and Clara, purchased a farm in
Rumford, Me., to which they removed about twenty-
five years ago. The latter married Rev. Henry Libby,
and died in early womanhood. Harriet died unmarried.
Benjamin struggled manfully against adverse fortunes
many years; until, at last, his nervous system collapsed,
and he was forced to an untimely end b}" his own delir-
ious volition.

Ebenezer Ayer Boynton, born Aug. 8, 1797, married
Ann M., daughter of Rev. Asa Heath, and removed to
Brooks, Me. His four children were Charles W., Sa-
rah A., Mary S. and Henry. The first of these died
in Detroit, Me., Oct. 12, 1891, in his sixty-fourth year.
Sarah A. resides in Lynn, Mass; Mary S., in Detroit,
and Henry, in Augusta, Me.

Notwithstanding the fact that he claims to have no
biography, Henry Boynton's life has been far from
uneventful. After leaving school he bent his youth-
ful steps toward that El Dorado of the North, Califor-
nia. Journeying by way of the present route of De
Lessep's Panama Canal, he reached his destination,
spent two years in the mines with a result concerning
which he is reticent, and returned through Central
America, over the present route of the Nicaragua Ca-
nal. His next move was toward Kansas, where he took
an active part in the struggle to make that state a

^fit/ZvyuJZZL

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 44 1

free state, serving in the capacity of captain of the "e-
lection guards, and was wounded in one of the sharp
fights that were called battles before the great battles
of the civil war dwarfed them to skirmishes." He
studied law, and was admitted to the bar of the U. S.
court in Kansas in i860, but has never practiced his
profession, for the reason, as he states it, that he has
always been able to get an honest living He return-
ed from Kansas to Maine just in time to enlist in the
volunteer army as a Maine soldier. Five days after
the bombardment of Fort Sumter, he began to raise a
company of volunteers. On the second day of May,
1 86 1, only eighteen days after the first rebel gun
waked the echoes of the Potomac, he organized a full
company at Newport. Immediately after the disas-
trous battle of Bull Run, he organized another company,
and, in all, raised (chiefly at his own expense), more
than two hundred and fifty men who actually went in-
to service in 1861. He was commissioned captain in
the 8th Me. Vols., and was promoted, successively,
Major, Lt. Colonel, and brevet Brigadier General. He
took his share of the battles of the war, one of which
was the nearest to Richmond of any battle of the four
years' campaign — the attack of October, 27, 1864, when
the troops he commanded penetrated to within four
miles of the heart of the rebel capitol. On that day
he commanded the artillery (18th army corps) and
the skirmishers and sharpshooters, notwithstanding
the fact that he was still suffering from severe wounds
received at the battle of Drewry's Bluff, near Rich-
mond, only a little more than five months before.

After the war closed, he returned to his home, at the

442 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

end of nearly four years of service; but was, for a year
and a half, disabled from business by his wounds. He
then served two years in the state senate, and subse-
quently held the position of U. S. Pension Agent, at
Augusta, for a term of five years.

Gen. Boynton has travelled extensively. He has
made several sea voyages, and has visited about twen-
ty-five different countries. He is the author of three
books — "The World's Greatest Conflict", a history of
the French Revolution, and of the struggles to get the
United States' Constitution and a new government into
successful and full operation ; covering the critical pe-.
riod fron 1789 to 1804; "Thirteen Thousand Miles of
Sight Seeing", which covers a rapid tour of a party1
from New York to Turkey through all central Eu-
rope, and thence back to New York — a race of thirty
days for a prize — and "A History of the Nineteenth
Century in the United States and Europe", which
dwells upon the events of the years between the acces-
sion of Napoleon in France and of Thos. Jefferson in
the United States, to the climax of the former's suc-
cesses in 181 1. In preparing to write this history,
Gen. Boynton devoted about eight years' time to dili-
gent research, "and twice visited Europe for the pur-
pose of study, examination of libraries and national ar-
chives, to obtain material from records, state papers,
and other original sources not accessible in this coun-
try, and also that he might make an actual examina-
tion of battle-fields, sites of important historic events,
etc."46" The original manner in which he has treated
the historical events' and characters portrayed by his

*Kennebec Journal.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 443

pen has called forth favorable notices from the press.
His last work is extended to the space of four \olumes.

The only child of Gen. Boynton, and the only grand-
child of his father, was Clara E., who was born April
14, 1856, and died Feb. 20, 1875.

Joseph Merrill removed from Lewiston to Monmouth
in 1808. He was the son of John Merrill, sen., of Lew-
iston, and one of twelve children. His father was an
early settler in Lewiston, whither he removed from
Freeport, or Yarmouth, Me., and was proprietor of the
estate now owned by his grandson, Israel Merrill.

When Joseph was a lad, he went to live with Dr.Dwel-
ley. Here he had opportunities to improve his mind
such as the sons of the pioneers seldom enjoyed. The
atmosphere of the home of a professional man is in it-
self educational, and young Merrill came to man's es-
tate with an inter, ect well stored with practical knowl-
edge.

He married Sail}-, daughter of Daniel Smith, of Mon-
mouth, and settled on the farm now owned by Mr.
Mann, in the Warren district. Here the remainder of
his life was spent.

Nothing could be adduced which would more clearly
demonstrate that Mr. Merrill was a man of principle
and strong individuality than the fact that he was one
of the first three who had the courage to vote the Abo-
lition ticket in Monmoiith. The other members of the
trio were Zelotes Marrow and Washington Wilcox.

In 1829 Mr. Merrill sustained a severe loss which
nearly ruined his earthly prospects. In the fall of that
year, all his buildings, stock, furniture and produce
were consumed by fire. The family barely escaped

444 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

with their lives through a warning given by a membei
of Dr. Daly's family who was awakened by the light.]
Mr. Merrill had just harvested and stored his crops^
and nothing remained to cover the scowling face of
rapidly approaching winter but the land on which the
buildings stood. The house now occupied by Mr. Mann
was erected a few rods south of the old site the follow-
ing year. It has undergone no change whatever, and
the accompanying sketch shows it as it appeared sixty
years ago.

Air. Merrill had six children, two of whom died in
infancy. Of those who reached maturity, Joseph A.
was the oldest. He married Sarah Robinson, a sister
of Rev. Ezekiel Robinson and aunt of Mrs. Dr. Torsey,
of Kent's Hill. After her decease he married Han-
nah Haskell, of Auburn. He first settled in Gardiner,
and removed to Lewiston. His present home is Boston,
Mass., where he has resided about twenty-five years.
Since living in Boston, he has been nominated by the
Republican party for representive to the General Court
and ran ahead* of his ticket.

Alcander F. Merrill, the second son of Joseph, mar-
ried Olive Andrews, daughter of John Andrews, jun., of
Wales, and, after her decease, Lucinda Blaisdell of Lew-
iston.

He was book-keeper for the Lewiston Woolen Mill
under Col. John F^e, and was subsequently elected, for
a long series of successive terms, treasurer of Andro-
scoggin county, to which office he was succeeded by;
his son, John Frye Merrill, who is now a practicing
attorney- in Redwing, Minn.

Joseph Merrill had two. daughters who married and

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 445

settled in Monmouth — Frances Ann, the wife of Capt.
Joseph A. Basford, and Elvira, the wife of Geo. W.
Norris, Esq.

Capt. John Arnold moved from Lebanon, Conn., to
Hallowell, Maine, near the close of the last centur}^.
He settled in Hallowell, and established mills for saw-
ing lumber and fulling cloth. In 1801, he purchased
a half interest in the mills at East Monmouth, and a
large tract of timber land.

It was not far from 1808 that he removed to this
town. He came then in a stylish chaise, a vehicle ut-
terly unfitted for the rough roads of a new settlement,
and the first one that entered the town. It was a nov-
el turnout to the natives, and not less so to the captain
and his good lady when it became necessary to attach
oxen to draw it through the deep bog holes.

Captain Arnold had been a wealthy trader and ship-
owner. Before the French Revolution his income was
reckoned high in the thousands. That war put an
end to his temporal prosperity. His ships were seized
by the French fleet, his cargoes confiscated, and he was
left without business, income, or hope of recovering
his property.* With more courage than capital and
enterprise than advantages, he again launched into
great commercial ventures. With youth instead of
middle life on his side, and the ardent hope of early
manhood instead of a spirit crushed by the death of
his wife, he might have regained his opulence. This
he did not succeed in doing, although his projects were
far from being failures.

•His grandchildren are still trying to recover damages from the govern-
ment under the French Spoliation Claim act.

446 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

The maiden name of Mr. Arnold's first wife was Bar-
rel. By her he had eight children, the oldest of whom'
married Samuel Avery, who lived on tbe place lately
owned by Geo. L. King, near Monmouth Center. Mr.
Aven', as has been stated in a previous chapter, set-
tled in this town in 1799, and was the first person^
buried in the Center cemetery.

Capt. Arnold's second wife wTas Mrs. Sewall, of HalJ
lowell, the mother of Stephen Sewall of Winthrop. By
her he had two children. He died at the home of his^
son Eben, in Monmouth, in 1847, at the age of ninety,
three years.

Under the influence of Capt. Arnold, business was
greatly accelerated throughout the town. He en.
larged and made extensive repairs on the saw-mill at'
East Monmouth, adding a sort of gang-saw arrange-]
ment that did double the work of an ordinary saw,
and established in connection with it a fulling mill
and a mill for the manufactory of linseed oil. Rais-j
ing flax to supply this mill became an industry of:
some importance, but by no means as considerable,
as the lumbering interest which was awakened by
Mr. Arnold's enterprise. From his mill at East Mon-^
mouth, he rafted lumber down the stream to the Cob-j
bossee-contee pond, and across to the point now known
as Hammond's Grove in Manchester, but then known as
Brainerd's Landing, where it was landed and drawn •
with teams to Arnold's wharf in Hallowell, and then
loaded on his ships and carried to Boston and the
West Indies. Before he built his mill at East Mon-
mouth, he ran the logs through the Munjaw stream,
and the Cobbossee pond to Hallowell to be sawed. The

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 447

labor of conducting logs through this course, while
by no means as hazardous as river driving, yet re-
quired considerable skill, and afforded employment for
a large number of men.

It is claimed that up to this time no section had
been discovered so rich in heavy, rank pine growth as
that which Mr. Arnold and his men handled. The
lumber cut through the line from Sawyer's was said
to be the finest and cleanest ever cut in Maine. The
writer states this on the authorit}' of a citizen who
makes few rash statements, and is in no way respon-
sible for it himself. That there were very large trees
through this belt cannot be disputed. On the farm
of E. K. Blake, at East Monmouth, not many years
ago, was a pine tree twenty-one feet in circumfer-
ence, having three prongs, any one of which was
large enough for the mast of a large ship. It was 165
feet tall and was probably in its prime when Columbus
discovered America. In South Monmouth, on the
bank of the Munjaw stream, stood an elm, said by
those who probably knew nothing about it to be the
largest in Maine. It grew on a rich intervale, very
near the water. Several years ago, during a severe
freshet, it was undermined and carried into the stream.

After a few years, Capt. Arnold left East Monmouth
and built a house near the Cochnewagan stream on the
East Monmouth road. This house is still standing,
unoccupied, and is fast going to decay. He hired Capt.
Judkins to build a saw-mill near by, paying him in
land. Considerable business was done at this place un-
til the Mill was built at the Center. This was not a
very successful enterprise however. As a reservoir,

44-8 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

could not be constructed with sufficient head to carry a
large wheel without flooding quite a portion of the low-
lands in the vicinity of the Center. The mill was very
appropriately termed the "Mud mill." It was burned
many years ago, and was supposed to have been
fired by the torches of men spearing pickerel beneath.

A man by name of William Heath was hired to run
this mill. He lived in the new house, and the Captain
spent the most of his time in Hallowell attending to
his shipping. Arnold was a man of great enter-
prise and considerable ability. He was a member
of the Congregational church, and although keen at
a trade, was, so far as is known, an honest and esteem-
ed citizen.

The Captain's mills were, a great portion of the
time, under the management of his son, John Arnold,
jun., a man of great energy and considerable executive
ability. He shipped when young as supercargo of a
vessel and earned over $2000 for his father before he
was twenty-one years of age. During the French
Revolution, the vessel on which he sailed as second
officer was captured, and the crew carried to Dartmoor
prison, where they were held twelve months.

He was married, in 1815, to Mary Bosworth, of Bath,
Me. Of the seven children that came of this union
only two, John B. and Nathaniel B., are now living.
The former resides at Dexter, and the latter, at Garland,
Me. Mr. Arnold lived during his closing years in the
house already mentioned as standing on the line east of
the Cochnewagan stream. He died Feb. 22, 1845, aged
sixty-four years, five years later than his wife, who died
at the age of fifty-three. He was third in a family

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A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 449

ily of ten children. Ebenezer, the eighth child, born in
New London, Conn., Sep. 4, 1795, was long identified
with the business circles of Monmouth and Bath. The
"old xArnold store," now occupied as a grocery by Plnm-
mer & Thompson, has stood as a monument of his en-
terprise, while every companion of its juvenility has
been swept away. He married Mary J. Hill, of Bath,
and, after her decease, Mrs. Luc}- P. Donnell, of the
same city. He passed a large portion of his later life
in Bath, and died there, Mar. 10, 1870. His sons William
and John followed their father in the grocer}' business.
The former was for many years one of Monmouth's
most active, enterprising and respected citizens. The
latter, who at one time was engaged in business with
his brother at the Center, removed to Natick, Mass.,
where he died, May 16, 1888. William was nevermar-
ried. John married Sarah J. Sheldon. Of their five
children, only three reached maturity. Frederick W.,
the eldest, married Sarah M. Whitbeck, of Springfield,
and resides in Brockton, Mass. Lizzie S. and Fannie
M. married and reside in New York City and Boston
respectively.

David Sinclair came from Brentwood, N. H., in 1808,
and settled on the farm now owned by Mrs. Emily
Smith, on the North Monmouth road. Peter Lyon
had made a clearing there, but, as he was unable to
pay the exorbitant price charged for the land, the
heartless proprietors sold it to Sinclair. Mr. Sinclair
was born not far from 1778. He married in New
Hampshire. Not more than three years after he set-
tled in Monmouth, he sold his farm and removed to
Danville, Vt. The opening of the war of 18 12 found

45° HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

him at the front, a rugged, hearty man, with no end of
courage and muscle, and just enough sailor activity
about him — gained while a youngster on a merchant
ship — to make him a saucy specimen in a hand-to-
hand conflict. One of his comrades, Gilman Shaw,
was attacked try a dangerous disease; and as there was
apparently no chance for recovery, a coffin was pre-
pared to receive him as soon as possible after his de-
cease. It was an "off day" in camp. No duty other
than picket-duty being required, the brigade made ar-
rangements to have a grand ring-wrestle. It was the
closing scene of the old time "raisings" on an im-
mense scale. A ring was formed covering acres and
acres of open field, and, at a signal, the sport com-
menced. Within a minute hundreds of men lay sprawl-
ing on the greensward. Round after round followed ;
and as the fallen ones picked themselves up and retired,
the ring drew steadily toward the center, until only
a handful of men wrestled for the mastery. At last
only two men stood face to face, in the center of an
eager, excited multitude. One of them was to be the
hero of the brigade.

They stood panting and nerving themselves for a
moment, and then grappled in the fiercest contest of
the day. Around and around they went, wrestling,
tripping, dodging and twisting. The crowd about
them became more earnest. Not a word was spoken ;
every man held his breath, and glared with fixed eyes
on the magic center, hardly daring to wink lest he
should fail to see the result. A trip, a catch, another
trip and a quick twist, and one man lies upon his back.
The other staggers a bit, then draws himself up and

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 45 I

turns his heated face and blood-spangled eyes proudly
toward the applauding crowd. It is David Sinclair,
and seven regiments are ready to bear him on their
shoulders. He returned exulting to his sick compan-
ion, and pity took the place of pride as he thought of
his own manly strength and the other's pitiable weak-
ness. The next day the brigade was ordered out
again ; this time to prepare for a far different service.
As they stand shoulder to shoulder with reversed arms
and uncovered heads, four men pass slowly down the
line to the mournful cadence of muffled drums, bear-
ing a coffined companion. They place the coffin be-
side the shallow grave and tenderly drape it with the
stars -and stripes. With a simultaneous movement,
seven thousand muskets are brought to a horizontal
position, and a roar more deafening than the shouts of
yesterday's jubilation swells out upon the air. Yes-
:erday it was David Sinclair's acclamation ; today it is
his final eulogium. Gilman Shaw recovered, and, at
last accounts, was a Baptist minister in Palmyra, Me.

Benjamin Sinclair, a half-brother to David, and the
oldest son, settled in Monmouth one year later than
his brother. He made a purchase of land, a portion
of which was cleared. He remained here but a short
time; and removed to Waldoboro, Me.

Jonathan Sinclair came to Monmouth, it is supposed,
with his younger brother David, and located where Mr.
Sanford Plummer now lives. He built a log-cabin,
and never attempted a more pretentious structure, as
he soon removed to Palmyra. Hiram Sinclair of Win-
throp is his grandson.

Ebenezer Sinclair, another brother, and the young-

452 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH

est of a family of nine children, was born in Brentwood,
May 7, 1780. On the 17th day of June, 1802, he mar-
ried Polly Sanborn, of Epping, N. H. Three years lat-
er he came to Monmouth. Ebenezer Sinclair was a
thorough farmer, a mechanic and a practical chemist.
Understanding, as he did, the nature of the different
soils, he made farming a successful vocation. He had
eight children, Abigial, Ann B., Betsey, H. Blake,
James W., Harriet, Cynthia O., and Joseph D.

Newell Prescott, a son of Simon Prescott, of Deer-
field, was another immigrant of 1808. He had worked
for Major Wood of Winthrop, and it probably was
while he was living at the Major's that he was mar-
ried to Sally Danielson. On coming to Monmouth, he
first settled at North Monmouth, on the farm now oc-
cupied by Christopher Hammond. Thence he re-
moved to the Lyon district. The house in which he
lived while a resident of the latter part of the town
disappeared many years ago. It stood on a knoll east
of the Oscar True place.

In 1827 he again changed, and located on the farm
on Monmouth Neck now owned by his grandson,
George Newell Prescott, and occupied the deserted
house which stands on the opposite side of the highway
from the one in which the latter lives. Mr. Pres-
cott was a woolen weaver. He was well connected,
numbering among his immediate relatives two govern-
ors. Governor Wells of Maine was his cousin, and the
late Gov. Prescott of New Hampsire was his nephew.
He was one of a family of six children. One of his
sisters married a Dicker, who settled in the western
part of Monmouth at an early date, and another mar-

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 453

ried, for a second husband, Joseph Prescott who pur-
chased the Swift place, on Monmouth Neck, several
years ago.

Newell Prescott had three children. Sail}*, the old-
est daughter, married Harrison Allen, of Litchfield.
One of their daughters is the wife of Jeff. Coburn, the
Lewiston architect. Dolly, the second child, remained
at home. The only son, George Prescott, married
Mary, daughter of James Smith, of Monmouth Neck.
He was a carpenter and mill-wright. Being an only
son, the care of the farm claimed much of his atten-
tion ; but this did not prevent his gaining the reputa-
tion of being one of the best master-workmen in town.
His only son, George Newell Prescott, inherited the
farm and mechanical skill of his parent. Perhaps the
most delicate and intricate piece of work he has ever
attempted is a violin. The manufacture of a violin is
not an exceedingly difficult task ; but the construction
of one possessing the timbre and volume of a first-class
instrument calls forth all the powers of a high order
of genius; and such an instrument was the result of
Mr. Prescott's efforts. He married Lois A., daughter
of Dennis G. Howard and has one child, Frank H.,
who resides at home.

William Brimijine, who for more than fifty years
was a citizen of Monmouth, came from Bowdoin in
1809. He was then in his twenty-first year. His wife
was a Fisher, of Durham. They settled first on Pease
Hill, a short distance north of the house lately occu-
pied by Joseph Plummer. Brimijine sold to Levi Harri-
man, who, in turn, sold to his brother Andrew, and
the latter, to Ebenezer Pease. Mr. Brimijine reared a

454 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

large family, but the name has been unknown in Mon-
mouth for man}- years. He died on Christmas day,
i860.

John Freeman, a veteran of the Revolution, came
from Winthrop to Monmouth in 1809. He lned in a
house that stood about eight rods south of the Jireh
Swift place on the Neck. The maiden name of his wife
was Prudence Follet. Five children were born to them

William, Elvena, Lydia, Caroline and Ebenezer.

Elvena married Harvey Pettingill ; Caroline, George
Welch, of Monmouth, and Ebenezer, Abigail Perkins, of
Winthrop. The latter moved to Monmouth about the
time his father came, and settled on the "Clark W^ilcox
place" near the store, at East Monmouth. Several years
later, he built the house on the Neck now owned by
Charles W. Woodbury, where he resided until his de-
cease. He served in the war of 1812 as sergeant in
Capt. Samuel Randlet's company of artillery. In 1821
he was raised to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, a posi-
tion which he resigned after three years. He held the
office of selectman for an aggregate period of fifteen
years, served three terms as town treasurer, and was
elected more than once to represent* his town in the
legislature.

Col. Freeman was a man of noble character, and was
respected and esteemed by his contemporaries. He took
a deep interest in music, and for many years played
the bass viol in the East Monmouth church choir. He
had two sons, Charles H. and Alexander, both of whom
died at an immature age.

Near John Freeman, on the south, as nearness was
then counted, Ebenezer Starks took up a squatter's

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 455

claim as early as 1798. A flat rock that once served as the
door-stone of his cabin is still seen by the traveller as he
ascends the hill leading to the home of the Misses Til-
ton, resting on the exact spot where it was placed by
the pioneer's hands. Mr. Starks was the father of
Hon. Alanson Starks, who, for many years, was a famil-
iar personage in Kennebec county politics. Alanson
Starks was born June 20, 1804. From the age of four
years he was an invalid. Rheumatism in its worst
form settled upon him at this early age, and left its
marks permanently upon his physique. For three
years he was unable to walk, and the children of the
neighborhood drew him to and from the school-house
011 a hand-sled in the winter and on trucks in the sum-
mer. Nor was this his only misfortune; for just as the
excruciating pains which bent his body began, his left
eye was put out by an accident. "Under these difficult
circumstances, which would appall timid minds, he ob-
tained an excellent education in the town schools and
at Monmouth Academy." After completing his edu-
cation, he taught school for several years with good
success and then embarked in trade at Monmouth Cen-
ter. He continued in trade until 1844, a term of twelve
years, when he was appointed register of deeds, to fill
the place made vacant by the death of Hon. Albion
Richards. Mr. Starks was elected to the office by a
large majority for the two succeeding terms of five
years each. He then removed to Neenah, Wis., and
engaged in trade. Being unsuccessful in business,
he returned to Augusta, at the end of two years, and
was elected a member of Gov. Cony's council. This
position he held two years. He was next nominated

456 HIvSTORY OF MONMOUTH

treasurer of Kennebec count}-, was honored with ten
consecutive elections to this office, and was the only
one to whom the people looked as the prospective in-
cumbent at the time of his decease.

"While a resident of Monmouth, he held many
responsible positions, and was chairman of the board
of selectmen a number'of years. He was called to ad-
minister on many estates, and his advice was often
sought on difficult questions, or on matters of diffi-
cult}- between parties." He died at his home in Au-
gusta in 1878, and was buried in the family lot at
Monmouth Center. Mr. Starks was married on the
third day of Dec, 1846, to Sarah C, daughter of John
Welch, jun.

Ebenezer Starks had another son, by the name of
Benjamin, whose heroic gallantry was once the sub-
ject of every tongue in Monmouth. When Benjamin
Starks and Elmira Torsey were little children, they
were playing one day beside the Win slow brook. Of
a sudden, a large, dark-colored animal emerged from
the water and made toward them, snarling and gnash-
ing its jaws. While the little girl ran, the boy,
with heroic courage, vigorously attacked the ferocious
animal with a stick. After a severe battle, in which
the brave little fellow got severely handled, and had
his clothing badly torn, he ran ; but was soon over-
taken, and another fight ensued. Time after time
the boy attempted to run, only to be caught by the legs
from behind, and compelled to fight for his life. At last
he reached his father's doorstep, lacerated, bleeding,
and almost exhausted, the animal still pursuing. He
gained entrance to the house, and the otter, for such

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 457

it proved to be, was about to catch him again, when his
grandfather, Samuel Torsey, who happened to be near
the door, struck it on the head with his huge walking-
stick, and repeated the blows until he had despatched
it. The otter measured seven feet in length, and was
so old that its teeth were worn down almost even with
the gums. This circumstance, and this alone, saved
the children from a terrible death.

Capt. Samuel Ranlet was born in Gilmanton, N.
H., Mar. 28, 1780. He was the son of Charles and
Elizabeth (Lougee) Ranlet, and was seventh of ^
family of eleven children, three of whom came to Mon-
mouth. The first of the family who entered the town
as a resident was Moses, who was taxed here in 1805.
He was a blacksmith. His shop was in the vicinity
of Smart's Corner, and necr by was a building which
he stocked with general merchandise. There is no
proof that he did not erect this building for a store, and
that he was not the first occupant ; but papers have re-
cently been unearthed which show that the firm of
Norris and Evans (probably Lieut. James Norris and
Daniel Evans, who came to town about that time) was
in trade in 1803; and it is to be presumed that they
occupied the same building. This, however, is mere
speculation. A store at Smart's Corner to-day would
appear about as much in keeping with its surround-
ings as would a school-house on the top of Mount Sabat-
tus; but ninety years ago a small stock of general
merchandise was an essential feature in every neigh-
borhood. There was at that time a store at Chand-
ler's, one mile north of Smart's Corner, but in the
rush of haying it was not always convenient to go a

458 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

mile for household necessities, such as a "pig" of tobac-
co or a gallon of rum. Charles, another brother, was
taxed here in 1813; but it is probable that he removed
almost immediately to Thomaston, Me. Samuel Ran-
let came from New Hampshire to Augusta when a
young man, and learned the clock-maker's trade. In
1809 he took up a residence in Monmouth, and, two
years later, married Molly Dearborn Norris, a daughter
of . Lt. James Norris. He purchased, and settled on,
the farm now owned by the Jacobs brothers. This
place he sold some years later, and, probably at about
the same time, bought out the interest of the other heirs
in the farm of his father-in-law on Norris Hill. Here
he resided until 1867. During all these years, until
the market became overstocked with a cheaper grade
of clocks, he worked at his trade. The brass time-
pieces he made were wonders of mechanism. Some
of them recorded the days of the week and month, the
changes of the moon, and all other notable events, ex-
cept births and marriages. His brother-in-law, Jacob
Miller, made the cases, and the combined skill of these
two men wrought out some of the finest eight-day
clocks that ever graced the parlors of the wealth}- citi-
zens of central Maine.

Mr. Ranlet was commissioned captain of the artil-
lery soon after he came to Monmouth, and was in com-
mand of his company at Fore Edgecomb during the
last war with England. He was a worthy member, and
a trustee, of the M. E. church, and was a citizen who
commanded the respect and good-will of his townsmen.
His wife died in 1836, and he married the following
year, Jemima Mower, of Greene.

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 459

He was the father of seven children, three of whom
died in early life. John H. was drowned at the age of
eighteen years in the shocking casualty of July 9th,
185 1. James N., the oldest son, was a man of extraor-
dinary physical development. He was six feet and four
inches in height, well molded and muscular, and was
as attractive in feature as he was remarkable in pro-
portions. When a young man, he traveled for a time
with a circus, as a keeper of order; and his commanding
figure was as awe-inspiring to the rough crowds that
invariably accompany such a troupe as a whole police
force. At another time in his career, he was engaged
in the manufacture of the "silhouettes", or "profiles",
that preceded the daguerreotype as an inexpensive pro-
cess of reproducing the outlines of one's features on
paper and metal. He finally settled down to the trade
of a shoe-maker at Topsham, Me., where he died of con-
sumption in 1849, leaving one son, James Scott Ranlet,
who resides in East Boston. Samuel M. Ranlet, was
in the Aroostook War. He died at the age of eighteen.
Simon D., a younger brother of James and Samuel M.
Ranlet, was a mechanic. He worked for a time for the
Whitmans of Winthrop. During the civil war, he en-
listed from the town of Monson, and died before York-
town.

Elizabeth A. Ranlet, the youngest of the Captain's
children, married John W. Goding. She was a sweet
singer, and for many years was one of the leading so-
pranos in town. Mr Goding came from Acton to Lew-
iston in 1854 and thence to Monmouth in 1856. His
grandfather, Rev. William Goding, of Watertown, Mass.,
was one of the earliest Calvinist Baptist preachers of

460 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

central Maine. He was licensed by the church in Jav
in 1800, ordained an evangelist in 1802, and preached
in Wayne the most of the time for the four following
years. He then removed to Shapleigh, and received
the pastoral care of the church now known as the Acton
Baptist church in 1807, over which he presided until

1835.

Mr. Goding, soon after his marriage to Miss Ranlet,
purchased of her father the farm on Norris Hill. A-
bout twelve years later, he sold this place to Rev. Aaron
Sanderson, and purchased of Capt. Wm. B. Snell, the
Gen. John Chandler stand, near Monmouth Academy.
Mrs. Goding died Feb. 28, 1880, and the following au-
tumn the home which had been cheered by her bright
presence and happy songs was destroyed by fire. Mr.
Goding still resides in Monmouth. To his labor, over-
sight and tasty skill are due a majority of the improv-
ments on the property of the M. E. society at the Cen-
ter. He has two sons, the elder of whom, Luther S.,
resides on the home place. John H., the younger son,
is connected with a large grain firm in the west.

Blias Nelson settled in Monmouth in 1809, on land
now owned by the Macomber heirs. His house, which
was a somewhat remarkable structure for this town,
being plastered on the outside in imitation of stucco
work, stood on the brow of the hill west of the railroad
crossing on the East Monmouth road, and nearly oppo-
site the house recently occupied by Mr. Potter. Mr.
Nelson united with the Calvanist Baptist Church at
East Monmouth, and in 1812 was licensed to preach.
In 1814 he was ordained pastor, and continued as such
about three years. Later, he had the pastoral care of

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 46 1

churches in Livermore and Jay. In the latter place
he spent many years, and probably ended his life there.
Benjamin Hinkley, a grandson of Judge Aaron
Hinkley, of Brunswick, Me., moved from New Mead-
ows to Litchfield Corner at an early date. A survey
of lots made in 1776 demonstrates that he was there
prior to the opening of the Revolution. About 1804
he removed to the Danforth farm on Oak Hill, and
thence, four years later, to the farm which he cleared,
now owned by Wm. H. Chick, at South Monmouth.
Like all the other early settlers in that section of the
town, he built his cabin on the east side of the Jocmun-
yaw stream, supposing that a highway connecting the
Ridge road with the one leading east and west through
the Lyon district would be laid out on that side. At
this time a line of cabins extended along the bank of
the stream for a distance of at least a mile and a
half. When the road was finally established se\eral
rods west of the stream, Mr. Hinkley and nearly all
of the other settlers moved out on their lots and
erected houses along the highway. The land along
this intervale, which is now considered the best in
town, was then thought to be all but worthless. The
pine stum page had been purchased by a Gardiner
speculator, and his lumbermen had made sad havoc in
the forest growth. Fire had followed in the line of
their march, and the charred skeletons of the sparse,
worthless, hardwood growth stretched their arms in
every direction. It was a rough and sterile region. A
party of extremely facetious and somewhat inebriated
gentlemen driving through dubbed it "the city", and
as "the city" this part of the town will probably be

462 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

known to the end of time. Passing on, these gentle-
men found themselves still burdened with an inex-
haustible supply of wit. Not so with their liquor
It was gone; and, holding the empty vessel high in
the air, one of them shouted the interrogation, "Jug 01
not?" and, not receiving a reply from his obfuscatec
companions, smashed it on the hard road beneath. It
was the action of "naming" a building; and to these
jocular gentlemen it seemed eminently proper that th<
name "Juggernaut" should thenceforth be applied t(
that locality. Whether this is a true version of tin
creation of the appellation which for more than half £
century clung to the eastern part of the town, no oin
of the present generation can positively affirm.

Benj. Hinkley married Esther Sargeant, and had six
children. John, his oldest son, was the first person
born in Litchfield after that town was incorporated,
and the first man who died in Dixfield after its incor-
poration as a town. Polly and Isabella married and
settled in Monmouth. The latter married John Coombs,
whose home was on the farm now owned by Barzillai
Walker, and the former, Capt. Isaac Hall, who lived on
the place now owned by Mr. Avery, at South Mon-
mouth. Aaron, the youngest son, married Charlotte
Goodwin, of Durham, Me. He was the father of Oli-
ver Hinkley, of Harpswe'l, Me., who for man}- years
lived on the place now owned by Cyrus Goodwin, and
of Silas E. and Charles H. Hinkley, both of whom lost
their lives while defending their country during the
late war with the South. Benjamin, jun., married Ruth
Jackman, the daughter of Richard Jackman, a veteran
of the Revolution, who took up the farm now owned by

A DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT. 463

W. H. Chick. Not satisfied with the chastisement he
had helped to give John Bull the first time that haugh-
ty autocrat tampered with American independence, Mr.
Jackman enlisted in the war of 18 12, leaving his farm
to the care of his son-in-law.

The times were hard, and, like all their neighbors,
the Hinkleys had to live from "hand to mouth." After
a time, intelligence came that a ship-load of corn for the
soldiers' families had landed in Bath. There were no
horses in the neighborhood, and young Hinkley and his
companions walked to Bath and "backed in" a bushel
each over roads that would now be considered impass-
able.

A little later, he was drafted, and went with his com-
pany to Wiscasset. On his return he located on the
farm now owned b}r Frank Carr, which he had taken up
four years prior to the opening of the war.

In one of the fires that devastated the tract known as
"the city", Mr. Hinkley came near losing his life. He
and Francis Hall had been to the river with loads of
hemlock bark. On their return, as they came in sight
of home, they discovered that the woods at a point be-
tween the Lyon school-house and Lewis Lane's were
a blazing mass. Tossing high in the air, and leaping
from tree to tree, the defiant flames forbade further pro-
gress. Leaving Hall to guard the frightened cattle, Mr.
Hinkley cautiously worked his way along in the
smothering atmosphere to see if there was a possible
chance to gain a passage. Soon Hall heard the order,
"Start the oxen, and run them for life!" Furiously
goading the trembling animals, he plunged forward
through the falling fire-brands, and, a moment later,

464 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

amid the bellowing of the tortured beasts and tl e
shouts and cheers of the crowd that had gathered on
the other side with the expectation of seeing them cre-
mated, the two men emerged from the furnace, alive
and unharmed.

Mr. Hinkley was the father of eight children, only
two of whom remained in Monmouth. Of these,
Ruth married William H. Chick and resides on the
farm of her grandfather Jackman at South Monmouth,
and John married Huldah Chick, a sister of his broth-
er-in-law, and settled on the farm now owned by Mrs.
Achsa Hall. His wife died at an early age, and he
married, second, Hannah F. Day, a sister of Levi Day,
of Monmouth. His first wife was the mother of two
children, of whom only one, Georgietta, the wife of
Lewis Lane, survives. John H. Hinkley, the oldest
son of the second wife, married Mary, daughter of
Harrison Sawyer, and lives at South Monmouth.
Only three others of the six children are living, and
two of these reside in Wales.

William E. married Mary Maxwell, and Relief A.
married Alden Maxwell, daughter and son, respective-
ly, of Daniel Maxwell of Wales.

CHAPTER XIV.

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR.

While the incorporation of one half of Wales planta-
tion as a separate town drew a distinct line between the
two communities, the political relations of the northern
and southern districts were but slightly modified. The
settlers south of the divisional line had never held any
offices in the plantation, and, aside from paying taxes,
had taken no part in public affairs. In fact, the sepa-
ration was to them a decided benefit. Taxation without
representation is as grievous to the community as to
the state and nation, and, in some respects, as great
a hindrance to growth and development.

As in the days of our country's infancy, the colonies
were taxed, not to support colonial institutions and to
promote the colonial welfare, but to build up a nation
and people from which it received no reciprocal advan-
tages, so, in a small degree, the pioneers of the south-
ern portion of Wales plantation were, prior to the in-
corporation of Monmouth as a separate municipality,
taxed to promote the interests of a section of the plan-

466 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

tation which, in return, granted them neither advan-
tages nor favors.

The exact date of the first settlement of the terri-
tory now included in the township of Wales cannot be
accurately determined. John C. Fogg, esq., of that
town, to whom I am indebted for much of the data con-
tained in this chapter, is of the opinion that James
Ross, of Brunswick, who took up the farm on Sabattis
mountain now owned by his descendant, Isaac N.
Witherell, was the first settler, and that his advent was
not far removed from 1778. On the other hand, Reu-
ben Ham, concerning whom much has already been
said, was, according to the statement of Dr. James
Cochrane, in possession of the farm now owned by his
granddaughter, Mrs. Beckler,. as early as 1775. The
reader is already acquainted with Mr. Ham, but noth-
ing has yet been said concerning his family.

Reuben Ham was the father of eight children, only
one of whom remained in Wales. Jonathan, the old-
est child, temporarily settled on the farm near Mon-
mouth Ridge long known as the uDea. Bela Pierce
place", now owned by Eugene Ham, a descendant in
the fourth generation from the pioneer. He afterward
removed to Ohio. Reuben, jun., found a home for him-
self in Fayette, Me., and four others of the family emi-
grated to the eastern part of the state. Rhoda, alone,
remained unmarried. Thomas, the third son, married
Mary, daughter of Daniel Smith. He lived a few
years after his marriage on the homestead, but selected
for a permanent home the farm on which his son,
John C. Ham, now resides. Mr. Ham reared a fam-
ily of ten children. The oldest of these was Isaac

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 467

who married Eleanor Potter and became the father of
six children, one of whom, William H., was in 1876
principal of Monmouth Academy. He prepared for
college at this academy and the Maine State Seminar)-,
and was graduated from Bates College in 1874. Three
years later he was admitted to the Androscoggin bar,
and immediately removed to Granville, 111., where he
served as superintendent of schools two years. He
subsequently removed to Jackson, Wash., where he
now resides. Mr. Ham was married in 1876 to Miss
Ida M. Fletcher, of Phippsburg Center, Me. They
have six children. Frances, the oldest daughter of

Isaac Ham, married John W. Beckler and lives on the
old homestead.

Harrison, the second son of Thomas Ham, married
Matilda Small and settled in Wales. Hannah married
Isaac Jenkins, and Joel, Maria N.Maxwell. He first
lived on the "Snell farm," now occupied by Benjamin
Jenkins ; afterward on the Elijah Potter place, now
owned by his son Evander A. Ham. Although Joel
Ham was primarily a farmer, he was always deeply in-
terested in educational work. He obtained a good
education for his times, not only at the district schools
and Monmouth Acadeni}7, but by diligent private
study, without which school work is of little value.
At the age of eighteen he began to teach ; and from
that time until his decease, he taught every winter
except two. His services as a teacher were greatly
sought on account of his success in governing un-
ruly schools. He was frequently elected to town of-
fices, and during the session of 1867-8 represented
his town in the legislature. From the rank of a

468 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH

private he had worked his way up through the suc-
cessive official stages of the local militia, and was in
command of his company when it was disbanded.
While serving as a private, he was called to partici-
pate in the bloodless battles of the Aroostook war.
Two of his five children have inherited his love of
pedagogy. The oldest, Llewellyn S., is a resident
teacher of Pana, 111., and the youngest, Lizzie I., is em-
ployed in the public schools of Auburn, Me. Allie M.
married Dr. G. F. Webber, and is located at Waltham,
Mass., Irving T. resides in Medford, Mass. and Evan-
der A. lives on the homestead. Perhaps nothing
could be said that would more clearly indicate Mr.
Ham's standing among his townsmen than the state-
ment that from the year 1845, when he was first elect-
ed, to 1S70, when he filled his last term of office, he was
on the board of selectmen nearly one-half of the time.

The next in order of Thomas Ham's children was Ur-
sula who married Benj. L. Jewell. Then came Thomas
Worcester, John C, Mary J., Charles I. and Emeline S.
The latter married O. M. Maxwell. Mary died at the age
of twenty-four years ; Charles removed to Athens, O.,
where he now resides, and John settled in Wales, on the
most beautiful spot to be found within the limits of the
town-ship. The view from his door is one of those en-
trancing vistas of undulating hill and sweeping meadow
so often described in works of fiction, but seldom seen
in Nature. Mr. Ham is an official member of the
Baptist church on Monmouth Ridge. He possesses
those sterling qualites which have been the natural in-
heritance of his kinsmen. His oldest son Eugene E-,
who lives on the farm contiguous to his father's on the

l£4±

19

h

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 469

north, has served three years on the board of selectmen.
Thomas Worcester Ham married Adelia Small,
daughter of Hon. Isaac S. Small, of Wales. He resides
on the Small homestead. Quiet and unobtrusive, cor-
dial, yet always calm and dignified, he is a man who has,
in a remarkable degree, gained and retained the confi-
dence and good-will of his townsmen. He has served
several years as town-clerk, has five times been elected
selectman, and has once represented his town in the leg-
islature. His oldest daughter, Annie, married Henry
S. Marr, of Wa'.es. The youngest daughter, Olive, re-
sides with her father. Two sons, Isaac V., and Frank A.,
both of whom were young men of promise, died in ear-
ly manhood.

As has been stated in a previous chapter,* Patrick
Keenan was doubtless the next immigrant after Reuben
Ham and James Ross.

Stephen and John Andrews followed their old neigh-
bors from Brunswick in 1788, and took up farms a
short distance south of Reuben Ham's. The land that
Stephen cleared is now the farm of William Alexander,
and John's lot is the property of his grandson, John
C. Andrews, who lives on the spot where the ring of
the pioneer's axe was first heard. John married Olive
Baker, who was, it is supposed, a sister of Ichabod Ba-
ker, who came from Brunswick to WTales plantation
about thirteen years earlier than Andrews.

Of all the families that were numbered among the
founders of the first plantation of Wales, probabhy
none has, through all the decades, borne so large a
part in molding the destinies of the two municipalities

•Page 47.

470 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

into which this plantation was divided as the Andrews
family.* John Andrews was prominent among the
pioneers. He was a member of the first board of
assessors of the second plantation, and for many years
held a leading position in public affairs. His mantle,
instead of falling with discriminative favor on some
individual, seemed to spread its broad folds over his
entire posterit}^. John, jun., his youngest son, who in-
herited the estate, as well as the name, of the pioneer,
served his town as selectman and town clerk many
years, was twice elected to a seat in the legislature,
held for a long term a position on the board of trustees
of Monmouth Academy, was a commissioned officer of
the militia, and, in the capacity of justice of the peace,
was long recognized as a public mediator and council-
lor. He left two daughters and a son. The former,
Olive and Archilla, married Alcander Merrill and An
drew J. Ricker, respectively, and the latter, John Cal-
vert, married Ann M., daughter of Thurston Gilman.
and resides, as has been stated, on the homestead.

John, the pioneer, had five daughters, two of whom
were the first and second wives of Hon. Isaac S. Small,
and four sons, Ichabod B., Otis, Arthur, and John, the
latter of whom has already been noticed. Arthur An-
drews married Olive Welch, daughter of John Welch,
the pioneer, and removed to Gardiner. He had seven
children, the youngest of whom is A. E. Andrews of
Gardiner, one of the most widely known pomologists
of central Maine. Baker and E\erett, his two oldest
living sons, reside on farms in West Gardiner. Both

*The article prepared by the writer for the Btate press at the time of the
decease of Hon. G. H. Andrews, of Monmouth, was copied largely from this
manuscript, which accounts for the similarity of phraseology.

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 47 1

are men of wonderfully retentive memories, and have
rendered valuable assistance in the compilation of this
work. Otis Andrews married Rachel Thompson, and
located on Monmouth Ridge. His life was the un-
eventful one of a farmer; but, though uneventful, it
was by no means obscure. In 183 1 the honors which
are the almost invariable accompaniment of the family
name came in the form of a first election to the office
of selectman , a position he held on several later occa-
sions. He reared a large family of children, only four
of whom are now living. Two sons, Otis Wilson and
Leonard C, reside on "the Ridge"; the former on the
homestead and the latter on an adjoining farm. Both
are worthy citizens. The former has been eminent-
ly active in municipal affairs. He received his educa-
tion at Monmouth Academy, under the instruction of
such teachers as Dr. N. T. True, Hon. Wm. B. Snell
and Milton Welch. At the age of nineteen years, he
brgan to teach, and for many years — aggregating fif-
ty-five terms — was employed at interrupted intervals
in this vocation. In addition to his long experience in
t7ie common schools, lie taught two terms of high
school in Wales and was principal of the Fairfield high
school three terms. It was not a novice, therefore, that
the town honored with fifteen elections to the position
of superintending school committee. In 1880 he was
further honored by an election to the office of select-
man, in which he has been retained twelve years, ten of
which have been consecutive terms, and during eleven of
which he has been chairman of the board. He was
chosen in 1885 to represent Monmouth in the legisla-
ture, and served during that session as chairman of

472 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH

the board of Education.

Mr. Andrews married Augusta D. Chick, daughter
of Levi J. Chick, of South Monmouth. She died in
1866, and he married her sister, Orra D. Chick. Seven
years later she died, and he married Marilla V. Dixon,
of Wales. He has three sons, all of whom are the
children of his first wife. Ernest C, the oldest of the
family, married Hattie M. Pierce, daughter of Capt.
H. O. Pierce, of Monmouth Ridge, and lives ner.r his
father.

Ichabod C. Andrews, the oldest son of the pioneer,
married Margaret Fogg, of Wales, and selected for a
home the lot adjoining on the south the one on which
his brother Otis afterward lived. He, too, received
marks of esteem and confidence from his townsmen by
being elected selectman and member of the board of
trustees of Monmouth Academy. Eight of his ten
children lived to marry and rear families. W. Augus-
tus, the oldest son, located in Ohio. One of his sons
is an eminent attorney of that state, and has been
Democratic candidate for Representative to Congress.
George Harrison and John Albion were Ichabod An-
drews's youngest sons. The latter was twice married,
first to Sarah L. Small, of Pownal; second to Delia
Brookings, of Pittston. After the death of Ins first
wife, he left Monmouth, and for fourteen years served
as principal of the Grammar schools in Augusta, Hal-
lowell and Gardiner. He then spent two years on
Monmouth Ridge, after which he returned to Gardi-
ner and engaged in the boot and shoe trade. His only
son, Harry E. Andrews, is on the editorial staff of the
Lewiston Journal.

^/Tj?^

UL^^*^

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 473

George Harrison Andrews was born Sep. 9, 183 1,
and was educated at Monmouth Academy. At the
age of nineteen, he began to teach. He was success-
ful in his work, and formed many warm attachments
which endured after the memory of school-days was al-
most obliterated. A little later the first symptoms of the
disease against which he ever after maintained a
heroi: struggle appeared, and for a few years he was a
confirmed invalid. At the age of twenty-eight, al-
though still in delicate health, he had so far recovered
as to engage in trade in a general store at Monmouth
Center; and from that time until 1883, when the state
of his health compelled him to retire, he was, with the
exception of one or two years, actively engaged in
business at this village. It is doubtful if any other
man in Monmouth was ever identified with the mer-
cantile interests of the town for so long an unbroken
period.

In all these years he sustained the reputation of a
man of unequivocal honesty, and gained the ever in-
creasing good-will of his townsmen. While in these
days of political chicanery and wire-pulling, official sta-
tion is not always a mark of superior ability or of the
respect of the populace, the public trusts that Mr. An-
drews held with almost unbroken sequence for nearly
fifty 3-ears were the demonstration of a people's confi-
dence and esteem. Soon after he reached his majority,
he was elected to the office, of superintending school
committee, and was retained on the board ten 3Tears.
For sixteen years he held the office of town clerk (a
longer period than was ever awarded an3^ other incum-
bent) and for six years that of selectman. In 1873 he

474 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH

was commissioned postmaster at Monmouth Center,
but resigned after a few months. He was treasurer of
the Monmouth Mutual Fire Insurance company, in
the days when the fame of that corporation reached
beyond the limits of the state, and, at the time of his
decease, had been a member of the board of trustees of
Monmouth Academy twenty-eight years, a large por-
tion of which time he was the recognized executive
of the institution. At the annual meeting of 1894 he
was elected town treasurer, and was again placed in
the office in which he began his public service — that
of superintending school committee. He was elected
Commissioner for Kennebec county in 1879, and, with
the exception of one year, had unremittingly served
in that capacity. During the years of his incumbency
the county court-house was remodeled and enlarged,
a work which called for a greater exercise of judgment
and executive ability on the part of the county commis-
sioners than had been demanded for more than half a cen-
tury. As he was chairman of the board of commis-
sioners under whose supervision these changes were
made, much depended on his competence and able
management.

For many years Mr. Andrews suffered from a dis-
ease which demanded the attention of the best sur-
gical skill in the state. With a vitality that even as-
tonished the profession, he baffled once and again the
councils of eminent consulting physicians, and suc-
ceeded in tearing himself from what, to anyone but a
man of iron will, would have proved a death-bed. His
vitality at last gave way, and his pain-racked body
sank to rest on the 26th day of April 1894.

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WALKS PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 475

Mr. Andrews connected himself at an early age with
the Baptist church on Monmouth Ridge, and always
held fast to the profession of his faith. He was united
in marriage in 1849 with Miss Sarah H. Safford, daugh-
ter of John Safford, esq., of Monmouth, a lady of most
estimable and beautiful character. Six children were
born to them, only three of whom are now living.
Helen F., the oldest of these, is the wife of Hon. A. M.
Spear, ex-mayor of Gardiner and senator for Kennebec
county. Charles L., the oldest son, is connected in
business with his brother- in-law, under the firm name
of Spear and Andrews, attorneys, and Lester M. is
book-keeper for the firm of Emerson, Hubbard & Co.,
Oakland, Me.

The year after John and Stephen Andrews came to
Wales, Richard and James Labree settled on the farm
south of John Andrews's. They were sons of Peter
Labree, who came from France in 1759 and settled in
Woolwich. Of the career of Richard but little is
known. James was born in Woolwich March 5, 1761.
At the age of thirteen he had the honor, so it is stated,
of piloting the first ship that sailed up the Kennebec
from Bath to Gardiner. Two years later he enlisted
in the Continental army, and served in the ranks un-
til 1779. He married Mercy Austin, a granddaughter
of Bill Austin, the famous scout, whose son William
was carried into captivity by the Indians when a small
boy, and, remaining with them until he became a man,
married a sister of the celebrated chief, Tecumseh.
After his marriage he left the tribe and settled in Bath,
where his daughter Merc}- was born.

James and Mercy Labree had five children, the

47§ HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

of worth and a leading spirit among the pioneers. He
served as plantation clerk eleven years, and, after the
incorporation of the town, was honored with the office
of town clerk nineteen years consecutively, and was
twice sent to the legislature. He also served several
terms as selectman and treasurer, and was officially
connected with the first church organized in Wales.
His death, which occurred in the sixty-seventh yesr
of his age, was the result of a shocking casualty.
While working on the roof of Joseph Maxwell's house,
probably topping out a chimney as his trade was that
of a mason, he fell and dislocated his neck. The home-
stead fell to his son, Isaac S., who was born two years
after his father settled in Wales.

Hon. Isaac S. Small was a man of keen insight, ex-
ceptional executive ability and unswerving integrity.
He received a good academic education and devoted
several years of his early life to teaching, chiefly in
the town of Wiscasset. In 18 19 he married Olive
Andrews, and soon after purchased of Josiah Orcutt
the place now occupied by C. C. Richmond, of Mon-
mouth, where he resided until his appointment as Sur-
veyor General of Maine in 1835, when he took up his
residence in Bangor. Four years later, the office to
which he was appointed was abolished, and he returned
to the homestead in Wales, where he resided until his
decease. He began his public surveying in 1825, and
during the fifty years following probably used the sur-
veyor's compass more than any other man in Maine.
He was employed by the state during a large portion
of his career, in allotting the public lands into town-
ships and preparing the requisite maps and accompany-

)/6 a^ cx^J j&.f&^r-z- *Uj&.

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 479

ing data. These plans are on file in the state archives.

"Esquire" Small's first commission as justice of the
peace was signed by Maine's first governor, William
King. Others bear the signature of Albion K. Parris,
Samuel E. Smith, Robert Dunlap, John Fairfield, J.
W. Dana, Joseph Williams and Samuel Cony.

He was elected to represent Monmouth in the legis-
ture for the sessions of 1832 and 1833. ^n x844, and
again in 1847, ne was a member of the governor's
council. During his residence in Monmouth, he

served one or more terms as commissioner for the
count}- of Kennebec, and was elected to a similar ca-
pacity in Androscoggin county in 1SS5, serving five
3^ears. The governor of Maine appointed him inspect-
or of the state prison in i860, an office in which he was
retained eight 3rears, and the Secretary of the Treasury
of the United States issued a public recognition of his
ability and judgment in a commission which made him
superintendent of construction of the light-house on
Mount Desert Rock.

In local affairs he often served as selectman and
treasurer, and, for a term of some length, as a director
of the Monmouth Mutual Fire Insurance Company.

Mr. Small died in 1882, at the advanced age of
eighty-nine years, leaving one daughter (Mrs. T. W.
Ham), who, excepting a son who died at an early age,
was his. only child.

Joel Small, a younger brother of Esquire Isaac, al-
though never so eminent as the latter, was a man of
talent, and one who was highly esteemed by his ac-
quaintances. He took up the farm next to his father's
on the north, but devoted his energies more to ship-

480 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

building than to agriculture. For many years he was
in demand on the Kennebec river as a master builder,
and superintended the building of a large number of
vessels in Gardiner, Pittston and Dresden. He repre-
sented Wales in the legislature in 1843 an(^ JS44, and
again in 185 1. Some time after this, he left his native
town, and for a term of several }Tears resided in East
Somerville, Mass. But the charms of youthful asso-
ciations proved stronger than the new surroundings,
and he returned to Wales to enjoy in quietude the
closing days of a life of activity. He died at the home
of his son-in law, John C. Fogg, esq., June 4, 1886.

Joseph C. Small, the pioneer's third son, settled in
Newport, Me. Daniel was a Baptist clergyman. He
was ordained pastor of the first church of Thomaston
in 1839. From that town he moved to Wiscasset, and
thence to Kansas where he died in 1872. Otis, who
was four years his junior, learned the mason's trade
in Portland, at an early age. As soon as he reached
man's estate, he located in Bangor. Nine years later
occurred the disastrous conflagration which reduced
the city of St. John's, N. B., to a bed of ashes. Mr.
Small was then a man of thirty years, possessing only
the experience of a young man and limited capital,
but he had the judgment of one far beyond his years
and energy which was worth more than dollars. He
repaired at once to the desolate city, and, although
strongly opposed, had, before many days, secured a
large portion of the contracts for replacing brick build-
ings. He remained in the city which he had thus
constructed, and prior to the second extensive fire of
1877, had, it was estimated, erected at least one-half

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 48 1

of the brick buildings in the city. Among the promi-
nent structures which are ascribed to him were the
Custom House, the Carleton Insane Asylum and the
towers of the suspension bridge. He also built in
Frederickton the beautiful Episcopal cathedral, and a
portion of the military barracks. He was a prominent
projector of the scheme for erecting Victoria hotel and
was president of the corporation that controlled it.

In 1850 Mr. Small engaged extensively in steam-
boating, purchasing at that time a half interest in the
steamers plying between St. John's and Portland, St.
John's and Frederickton and on the upper St John's.
Although his enterprise was well demonstrated before
that unfortunate event, it is stated that as a comple-
ment of his energy he was one of the first to rebuild
after the great fire of 1877. He died Mar. 12, 1879.

Dr. Alvan E. Small, the most eminent of Dea. Jo-
seph's children, was born Mar. 4, 181 1. When he en-
tered Monmouth Academy to complete the acquisition
of knowledge which had been begun in the district
schools of his native town, his brother Isaac, who was
eighteen years his senior, was living a short distance
east of the school building, and from him the young
student doubtless received, while living in his family,
instruction and advice which shaped, in a measure,
his after life. At the age of twenty years, he com-
menced the study of medicine, and in due time was
graduated from the medical department of the Uni-
versity of Pennsylvania. He settled in Delaware coun-
.ty, Penn., and established a practice which was relin-
quished in 1845 for a more promising one in Philadel-
phia. During the early part of his eleven years' resi-

482 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH

dence in the latter city, he was soundly converted from
his allopathic tenets to the then new theories of home-
opathy. In 1849 he was appointed Professor of Phy-
siology in the Homeopathic College of Philadelphia,
and, later, was transferred to the chair of the Homeo-
pathic Institute and Practice of Medicine. He subse-
quently removed to Chicago, where he gained an ex-
tensive practice. On the organization of the Hahn-
emann Medical College of Chicago, he was elected
Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine, a
position which he occupied for a term of ten years. To
his experience and wisdom is due, in a large degree, the
acquisition of the eminent reputation which this insti-
tution now sustains. In 1869 he resigned his profes-
sorship and was elected president of the college. With
the burden of this responsibility upon him, he as-
sumed the general superintendence of the Scammon
Hospital, and served as president of the Illinois
Homeopathic Medical Association and of the Ameri-
can Institute of Homeopath}-. He was a life member
of the Chicago Academy of Science and of the Chica-
go Historical Society. He must have been a methodi-
cal man who, with the diverse interests of these vari-
ous institutions on his mind, could find time to make
an extensive tour of Europe and to prepare voluminous
articles for the press.

Dr. Small was for many years engaged in editorial
work, preparing many articles for the medical reviews,
and by his miscellaneous productions securing some-
thing of a reputation as a journalist. He also acquired
an enviable name as an author. His published works
include the Manual of Homeopathic Practice, which has

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 483

passed through fifteen editions and has been translated
into the German language; a volume on Diseases of the
Nervous System, and monographs on various subjects,
that have given him a world-wide reputation.

Dr. Small was married in 1834 to Martha Shaw, of
Bath, Me., by whom he had four children, two of whom
are practicing physicians in the west. He died Dec. 31,
1886.

William, the youngest of the Small family, was born
Feb. 4, 18 1 3. He resided in Wales until 1861, when
he removed to Fort Fairfield. Two years later he was
elected high sheriff of Aroostook county, an office which
he resigned in 1865 to accept the govorner's appoint-
ment of Judge of Probate to fill out the unexpired term
of Judge Wentworth. In 1864 he opened a general
store, and, although his age has gone an entire decade
beyond the years allotted to man, he is still actively
engaged in trade.

"Joseph Murch came from Gorham, Me., in 1792,
and settled on a farm near Joseph Small's in Wales.
His house was destroyed by fire and three of his chil-
dren perished in the flames. This is the only house
known to have been burned in the town's history."

The next settler after Murch was John L,arrabee, a
native of Scarboro, Me., and a descendant of William
Larrabee of Maiden, Mass., who, with his brother
Greenfield, came to this country from France about
164s.

John Larrabee came to Wales in 1703, and the year
following he was united in marriage with Susanna
Andrews, a sister of John Andrews, sen., and took up
the farm now occupied by Joseph W. Sawyer. They

484 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

had eleven children, among whom were five sous who
have been actively engaged in ship-building and lum-
bering in Maine and Florida. Philip, the oldest son,
married Elizabeth Norton. He lived several years on
the farm of his father-in-law, but in 1839 purchased of
his brother Daniel the Larrabee homestead, where he
resided until 1858, when he removed to Farmingdnle,
Me., where he died in 1868. John, Stephen, and Wil-
liam, Philip Larrabee's younger brothers, all settled
in Bath. They were prominent among the ship-build-
ers of that maritime town. Two of Stephen's children
are eminent residents of Bath. Edwin L. Larrabee,
the younger of these, is a leader in business circles ;
the other is the wife of Hon. Frank O. Moses. Wil-
liam still resides in Bath and is the only one of the
pioneer's sons now living. Daniel married Sabrina
Ricker and remained on the homestead until about
1840 ,when he moved to the farm of his wife's father.
Sixteen years later he removed to Gardiner, where he
passed the remainder of his days. He was the father
of Hon. James M. Larrabee, of Gardiner, Me.

James Morrill Larrabee was born Dec. 4, 1833. He
married, Sept. 18, 1855, Priscilla Woodward, of Win-
throp, and the same year removed with his father to
Gardiner, Me. His family consists of five sons and
two daughters.

He was educated at the Maine Wesleyan Seminary
and Phillips Exeter Academy, having passed three years
at the former school, and one at the latter. Mr. Larra-
bee came to Gardiner in 1855. He taught in one of the
grammar schools in the city for several years. He has
held various offices in the city of his adoption, has been

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 485

president of the Common Council and of the board of Al-
dermen, was five years collector and treasurer, and, for
the same term, one of the assessors and overseers of
the poor. He has taken a deep interest in the public
schools of Gardiner, and for nineteen years has served
on the superintending school committee.

In 1885 Mr. Larrabee was appointed judge of the
police court and still holds that office. He is a promi-
nent Mason, having filled the several chairs of Mas-
ter of Hermon Lodge, High Priest of Lebanon Chap-
ter, Master of the Adoniram Council, and Eminent
Commander of the Maine Commandery. He has also
been Grand High Priest of the Grand Chapter of
Maine, and Deputy Grand Commander of the Grand
Commandery of Maine.

Judge Larrabee is a member of the Congregational
church, and has been identified with various organiza-
tions for the physical and moral welfare of his fellow
citizens.

According to the statement of Mr. Fogg in the His-
tory of Androscoggin County, five other new families
appeared in Wales in 1793. They were those of James
Wilson, James Clark, the father of Robert Clark, Da-
vid, Adam and Isaiah Jenkins.

James Clark was born in Brunswick in 1789, and
consequently could have been but four years old when
he came to Wales. It is probable that James Clark, sen.,
the grandfather of the present occupant of the farm, is
intended. The error is undoubtedly due to the care-
lessness of the printer, and is similar to several that
have occurred in my own experience. Mr. Clark pur-
chased of Reuben Ham the farm on which his son,

486 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Robert H. Clark, now resides. He married, first, Su-
sanna Dyer, of Durham, and, second, Irene Pettingill,
of Leeds. The children, eleven in number, were the
offspring of the first wife. Two of the sons reside in
Abbot, Me., one died in childhood, and one went to the
gold mines of Colorado in 1848, and was never again
heard from. James married Irene Foss and resides in
Lewiston. He has gained more than a local reputation
as a contractor and mover of buildings. Like his
brother Robert, who has always resided on the home-
stead, he is a man of sound judgment, and one who
commands the respect of his acquaintances.

The Jenkins brothers settled on the intervale south
of Monmouth Ridge. They were sons of Philip Jen-
kins, who came to Monmouth in 17 75 and settled on the
farm now owned by Cyrus Titus. David took up the
farm now owned by his son Isaac S. Jenkins, and Isaiah
the one which was inherited by tbe widow of the late
Lawson W. Jenkins. Isaac married Patience Jackson,
and had seven children, and David married Susanna
Jackson, and had thirteen children, only one of whom
now lives in Wales. Two of his sons served in the last
war with Great Britain, and one of his grandsons, Hi-
ram, the son of Isaac, died in service during the civil
war.

Another immigrant of this period was Hugh Getch-
ell, who settled on the place now owned by the heirs
of James Mann.

For a period of three years following 1793, if tradi-
tion may be accredited, the stream of immigration ran
dry. In 1796 the drouth broke; and from that time un-
til 1803, when, from the incorpoeate state into which this

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 487

section was thrown when the northern half of Wales
plantation became the town of Monmouth, it was again
raised to the station and privileges of an incorporated
plantation, scarcely a year passed without the accession
of new families. In 1796, it is supposed, Enoch Strout
settled on the farm on which his grandson, Charles W.
Strout, lives and built a log cabin on the spot now cov-
ered by Mr. Strout's hen-house. Four years later it was
replaced with a framed house.

Enoch Strout came from Limington, Maine. He was
a veteran of the Revolution, and the first commissioned
officer of the local military company. When the plan-
tation was organized, he was placed on the first board of
assessors, and retained in that office two years. Dur-
ing the early years of his residence in Wales, he was
universally known as Capt. Strout; but this title was
dropped after he became an officer in the church, and
on his grave-stone appears the more peaceful designa-
tion of deacon.

Deacon Strout married Mercy C. Small, a relative of
his old neighbor, Joseph Small, through whose influ-
ence he was undoubtedly led to make a home for him-
self in Wales. He was about thirty-five years of age
when he left Limington, and was the father of six
children. During the seven years following his settle-
ment in Wales four other children were born. Wil-
liam, who was a child less than a year old when he
came to this town, saw service in the war of 18 12, and
afterward married Martha Swett, and located on the
farm now owned by Mr. Jones, near the centre of the
town. His next younger brother, Gilbert, whose name
appears on the records as selectman in 1826, married

488 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

L/ucy Small, and remained on the homestead. He had
five children, of whom only two married. Charles W.,
the older of his two sons, married Ann Springer and
inherited the farm which his grandfather cleared. He
is the Wales postmaster. His brother, Allen F., mar-
ried Jane Webster and settled on the Enoch Gilbert
Strout place, opposite the home of his father and elder
brother. He has one son, John W. Charles W. has
three children, two of whom are married and reside in
Wales.

Ebenezer Strout, the deacon's youngest son, mar-
ried Hannah dishing, of Durham. He lived in Wales
until about 1836, when he removed to Topsham. Five
years later be went to Portland, and resided there un-
til his decease in 1880. He had but one child, Sew-
all C. Strout, who is now a prominent member of the
Cumberland bar.

Sewal] C. Strout was born iu Wales, Feb. 17, 1827,
and remained with his parents until he began his pro-
fessional career. He studied law with the late Judge
Howard and Judge Shepley, then in practice under
the style of Howard and Shepley, and was admitted to
the bar of Cumberland county in 1848. He immedi-
ately opened a law office in Bridgton, Me., and remained
in that village until 1854, when he removed to Portland.

Mr. Strout has never soiled his hands with politics;
the only approach to this muddy whirlpool being his
acceptance of the office of alderman for the year 1870.
He has not failed to wield an influence among men,
however, nor to secure their confidence, as is attested
by the fact that he has, for about nine years, held the
office of president of the Cumberland bar, and that

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 489

upon the retirement of Judge Lowell from the United
States Circuit Court, the bar of this state, without re-
gard to party, almost unamimously, and without solic-
itation on his part, recommended his appointment to
fill the vacancy on that bench. A considerable num-
ber of the attorne}Ts joined in the recommendation, as
did man}' prominent officials and citizens of both par-
ties. The appointment, however, went to Rhode Is-
land.

After the retirement of Judge Howard from the Su-
preme Court bench, in 1855, Mr. Strout continued to
practice alone. At the end of that time, Hanno W. Gage,
esquire, became his partner. The style of Strout
and Gage remained unchanged until 1877, when Fred
erick S., son of the senior partner, became a member of
the firm under the name of Strout, Gage and Strout;
and upon his death, in 1888, his younger brother, Char-
les A., became a member under the same style. In
November, 1849, Mr. Strout was married to Octavia J.
P. Shaw, of Portland. The}- have had five children.

It is supposed that four other immigrants settled in
Wales in 1796 — Joshua Adams, Luther and Went-
worth Lombard and Joseph Foss.

Joshua Adams came from Limington, Me. He was
the grandson of John Adams, an English immi-
grant, and was born Oct. 10, 1766. Two years before
he came to this part of the state, he was married to Sa-
rah Plumer, whose brother, David Plnmer, afterward
became one of the principal men of Wales.

Adams took up the farm now owned by Luther D.
Ricker. He was a shoe-maker, and, undoubtedly, was
the first representative of that craft who settled in the

49° HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

town. He had three daughters and seven sons. Sev-
eral of the latter engaged in tanning and shoe-making
in other towns. Of these Aaron, the second son,
was for many years a resident of Monmouth. He was
twice married ; first, to Hannah Phillips, and, second, to
Eliza Gove, daughter of Elijah Gove, of Monmouth.
His first wife bore him three children, and his second
wife, five. Sarah A. Adams, one of the latter, married
Geo. W. Fogg, of Monmouth, and resides at the home
place.

Joshua, the fifth son, married Abigail F. Mcsher, a
native of Gorham, Me. He was the father of six sons
and two daughters. Five of his sons served in the war
of the rebellion. One studied for the ministry, but died
while taking his theological course. His youngest
daughter, Abby M., is a practicing physician in La
Crosse, Wis.

. Luthur and Wentworth Lombard were former resi-
dents of Gorham, Me. The farm on which they set-
tled fell to Almond Lombard, a son of Wentworth.

Joseph Foss settled in the northern part of the town,
on the farm now owned by Joseph Wight. He did not
become a permanent resident however, but returned to
Scarboro', whence he came.

In 1797 Benjamin Tibbetts, Obed Hobbs, Simmonds
Getchell and Elijah Morton made clearings in the cen-
tral part of the township. Tibbetts was evidently a
roving character. Only the year before this, he set-
tled (if sitting down and jumping up may be called
settling) on the Matthias A. Benner farm near South
Monmouth. The former residences of the others can
not be ascertained.

WALKS PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 491

One morning, two years after Enoch Strout began
clearing his land, he heard the sound of briskly rattling
axes coming from the dense old growth that lay south
of his cabin. If he went to investigate, he found two
strangers there; one, a man of thirty-eight, the other,
a m in of thirty-four years of age. They were the Giv-
en brothers, Arthur and William, and had come from
Brunswick, whence so many of the early settlers of the
two towns under consideration had come before them.
Arthur Given afterward opened the first public house
on this site in town. He was the first plantation treas-
urer, and was thrice placed on the board of selectmen.
When the post-office was established in WTales, he was
commissioned postmaster, and was retained through
all the changes in the administration as long as he
was able to perform the duties of the office. His son
Arthur was the next incumbent, and from him, after
long years of service, it passed into the hands of his
daughter, who held it until her decease. Then, after a
short interval, it returned to its old location under the
management of Mrs. Hattie L. Given. Until the re-
cent transfer of the office to the residence of Mr. Charles
W. Strout, the mails were always delivered from the
same house. Robert Given, a son of Arthur, settled
first on Thompson's hill, but subsequently removed to
Newport or Corinna. Arthur Given, jun., was several
times elected to municipal offices. He was the father
of six children, four of whom reached maturity. Two
of his sons, Arthur and Lincoln, are Free-Baptist clergy-
men. The former is a graduate of Bates college, and
has for several years been employed in the office of the
Youth's Companion. John, another son, was for man}'

492 HLSTORY OF MONMOUTH

years station agent of the Maine Central R. R. at
Lewis ton.

William Given cleared the farm which has in late
years been the property of Orville S. Jones. Beginning,
like all the other pioneers, with the log-cabin, he af-
terward erected a large two story house, which sheltered
a family of eleven children. William, jun., the third
child, enlisted in the war of 1812, and, as he died early
in the year 181 3, probably lost his life in the service.
Philip, another son, married a daughter of Capt. Lom-
bard, and reared a family of sons that inherited the pas-
sion of their paternal grandsire. The oldest of them,
Freeman, was master of a ship. Stanwood G., the young-
est son of William, the pioneer, married Mar)-, daugh-
ter of Joseph Maxwell. He was the father of Stan-
wood Given, of Wales, and Joseph M. Given of Mon-
mouth, the latter of whom was one of the selectmen
of Wales in 1874. Dr. Frank I. Given, the only son of
Joseph, has attained enviable success in the medical
profession at Hillsboro', N. M.

It is not known that the year 1809 brought any new
families to the slowly expanding settlement ; but the
opening of the new century was celebrated by a large in-
flux of immigration, and a tremendous sweeping away of
the forest. The sharp ring of axes in ever}- direction,
and clouds of smoke rising from a dozen new clearings,
must have given those who had come into the woods to
escape the enervating influences of bus}- scenes, occas-
ion to fear they would suddenly find themselves in the
heart of a city. The Witherells, the Maxwells, the
Foggs, Dixons, Marrs, and Plumers were all immi-
grants of this period.

WALKS PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 493

The Marr brothers, Daniel and Rufns, came from
Searboro, Ale. They were carpenters. Daniel settled
on the farm now owned by William T. Dingle}-, and
Rnfns on the one now owned by his grandson, Henry
S. Marr. The latter had seven children. His second
son, Henry, inherited the homestead. He married Cath-
erine Marr, of Webster and, had two children, Henry
S. and Frank E., both of whom are honorable citizens
of Wales. The sons and the father all have served on
the board of selectmen.

About the time the Marrs began to clear their land
in the settlement, James Maxwell took up a claim on
the Jesse Austin farm.

Joseph Maxwell came from Cape Elizabeth and set-
tled on the farm now owned by his grandson, Daniel
A. Maxwell. Mr. Maxwell built on a stream near his
house the first grist-mill erected in WTales. He had
four sons that settled on adjoining and adjacent
farms. Joseph, the oldest son, married Mary G. An-
drews. He was prominently connected with municipal
affairs and was frequently elected to town offices. His
only s m, Edwin S., lived on the homestead. Samuel S.,
the second son, married Elmira Gray, of Litchfield, and
located on the farm now owned by his son, Joseph Alex-
ander Maxwell. Jesse married Harriet Gray, a sister of
his brother Samuel's wife, and lived on the farm now
occupied by his son-in-law, Augustus C. Frost.

William left home at an early age to learn the shoe-
maker's trade. He served his apprenticeship at Augusta,
Me., and remained there several years as journeyman.
Thence he moved to Waterville and engaged in busi-
ness for himself. He died in 1873.

494 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

Daniel, the 3'oungest son, married Mary Jane Wey-
mouth, of Webster, and settled on the homestead.

Benjamin Fogg came from Scarboro', in 1800, and
settled on the farm now owned by his grandson, John
C. Fogg, esq. William, the oldest of the three chil-
dren, married Mary Cushing, daughter of John Crush-
ing, of Durham, and remained on the home place.
The other son, Moses, learned the blacksmith's trade,
and settled near his brother. The latter had four chil-
dren, all but one of whom died in earl}- life. The young-
est son, Orin S., is teller in the Cumberland Nation-
al Bank, of Portland. William Fogg had four sons.
Two of them died in childhood. The youngest of the
family was Geo. W. He was married, first, to Laura A.
Small, second, to Louisa J. Given, and, third, to Minerva
K. McLane, of Temple, Me. He located near his birth-
place, and lived a life that won him friends while liv-
ing, and mourners at the hour of death. He was sever-
al times called to serve the town in an official capacity.
John C. Fogg, the oldest of William's sons, has been
one of the most prominent and active citizens. The
office of selectman, to which both his father and broth-
er were elected, has been open to him, also, on several oc-
casions; and at least ten times he has been elected town
clerk. Not to mention the service he has rendered to the
town as school committee, moderator, and in other subor-
dinate relations, he has, in the double capacity of justice
of the peace and land surveyor, been the recognized au-
thority on real estate transfers since the decease of
Esquire Small.

Mr. Fogg has taken a deep interest in the early
events of his native town, and has twice written an his-

WALKS PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 495

torical chapter for publication; first, for the atlas of
Androscoggin count}-, published by Sanford, Evarts &
Co., in 1873, and, more recently, for the history of that
county which was published by a Boston firm about
two years ago. He has, with rare generosity, turned
the result of his long research into the writer's hands;
and to him, more than to any other individual, are the
citizens of Wales indebted for the facts and traditions
in this volume concerning their town and families.
Although a considerable amount of matter from other
sources has been added, the data furnished by him have,
in all cases, been taken as a working basis.

Some years after Benjamin Fogg came to Wales, his
brother Ephraim followed him and took up the farm
now owned by Ira Alexander. He had four sons, all
of whom were carpenters. William Fogg, a cousin of
Benjamin and Ephraim, came with the former and
assisted him in clearing his farm. He afterward moved
to the farm lately occupied by Hugh Mottram. Here he
reared a large family, none of the members of which left
descendants in Wales. One of his grandchildren (Mrs.
H. S. Bent, whose mother was his daughter) resides in
Monmouth. Two of his children, Mar}- and Alvan,
never married. Phebe married Daniel Small, a broth-
er of Esquire Isaac Small, and Hannah, Otis Small,
another brother. Ann became the wife of Caleb Humph-
rey and lived in the eastern part of the state, and
Benjamin was for many years a boot and shoe manu-
facturer and dealer in Bath, Me. He subsequently
removed to the old homestead in Wales where he died
in 1887.

Sometime during the interim between the incorpora-

496 HISTORY OK MONMOUTH

tion of the town of Monmouth and that of the new plan-
tation of Wales, Matthew Hagens settled on the farm
at Wales Corner long known as the David Plumer
place, now owned by Mr. Webster. He came, it is sup-
posed, from Gorham, Ale., of which place his wife, Dor-
cas Plumer, was a native. In a short time after his set-
tlement in Wales, Hagens died, leaving his wife to the
far from tender mercies of a rough, thinly- settled^
strange country. In 1800 Mrs. Hagen's brother Da-
vid, accompanied by his wife and child, came down from
Gorham to see the place, and perhaps to look after his
sister's interest in the property.

The}- rode upon two horses, while the custom of the
day placed the woman on a pillion behind her husband
on the same overburdened beast. Crossing the An-
droscoggin River atXittle River, they struck into the
line of spotted trees that led from that point to the set-
tlement in Monmouth. When they reached Hagen's
clearing, they found very little had been done to improve
the place. The pioneer log-cabin was the only build-
ing that had been erected; but they liked the location,
and decided to make it their permanent home.

David Plumer was the son of Aaron and Lydia Plum-
er of Gorham. He was born Oct. 4, 1776. About one
year prior to his removal to Wales, he married Abigail
Haskell. He had several brothers and sisters, two of
whom (Dorcas, who has already been mentioned, and
Sarah, the wife of Joshua Adams, who settled on the
farm now owned by Mr. Luther D. Ricker) were res-
idents of Wales.

That Mr. Plumer was a leading man in the planta-
tion of Wales, is evident from the numerous public re-

WALKS PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 497

ores and documents bearing his signature. He was
for many years a justice of the peace and trial justice,
and was the first collector of the second plantation of
Wales.

He was a tanner, currier and shoe-maker, or "cord-
wainer", in the ancient nomenclature. That he was a
good workman is evident from the fact that his books,
now in the possession of his grandson, Mr. D. P. Boyn-
tom bear charges against men who must have traveled
many miles to patronize him. He erected the house
now occupied by Mr. Webster, and built the substantial
walls that surround the farm. He was quite a student,
firm and unswerving in his convictions, and un3'ielding
in their aefense. By giving some attention to the
preparation and dispensation of botanical compounds,
he earned the title of doctor. Mr. Plumer died Oct.
18, 1847, surviving his wife, who died July 31, 1846, by
but little more than one year-

In April, 1803, the portion of the plantation of Wales
which had been dropped when the town of Monmouth
was established was incorporated under its old name,
plantation of Wales. At the first plantation meeting
Joseph Small, Enoch Strout, and John Andrews were
chosen assessors, and Joseph Small, clerk. The rec-
ords of this meeting are very meagre. We simply know
that the sum of fifty dollars was appropriated for the
defrayment of plantation expenses, exclusive of schools
and highways. These were provided for in the sum of
$150 each.

It is tantalizing not to be able to secure complete
records of this meeting. The people of Wales have,
from the days of the pioneers, borne the reputation of

49§ HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

being pre-eminently cautious and discreet. Evidence
of the truth of their affirmation is found in their refu-
sal to allow their territory to be incorporated wi:h the
town of Monmouth. But in the matter of records, the
other extreme is reached. For a period of at least thir
ty-five years after the act of incorporation which con-
stituted it a plantation was granted, the records were
kept on separate, loose sheets; and, as man)' of these
have become scattered and lost, it is not only impossi-
ble to furnish an epitome of each year's progressive
work, but it is also impossible to determine as accu-
rately as I have in the case of Monmouth, the dates
when the early settlers of Wales took up their various
lots. In relation to dates of settlement, the statements
of Mr. Fogg have been taken as the most reliable data
procurable, except in cases where private family papers
and floating fragments of the town archives which had
escaped his notice have fallen into 1113- hands. But
Mr. Fogg, in his research, labored under the same dis-
advantage to which I have been subjected, and it would
not be safe to claim that the exact order has been main-
tained. David Plumer's tax-book for the year 1804,
which, through the courtesy of Mr. D. P. Boynton, has
been placed in my hands, throws some light on the
matter. From it we ma}-, at least, learn who had set-
tled in Wales prior to that date. In this connection I
would acknowledge 1113- indebtedness to Mr. J. C. An-
drews for a large collection of valuable documents
which have proved of inestimable service in supplying
missing data. According to Mr. Plumer's list, the heads
of families residing in Wales in 1804 were as follows:

Andrews, John Clark, James Ham, Jonathan

WALKS PLANTATION, jtFNIOR.

499

Andrews. Stephen
Andrews. Reuben
Austin, William
Adams. J,,shua
Cobb, Ebenezer
Chase, Xathanial
Keenan, James
Labree, ,,
Larribee, John
Lombard. Hd.
Lombard. Luthur
Lombard, Wint
Libby, [osiah
Mc Manners. John
Murch, Joseph
Marr, Daniel
Marr, Rufus
Morton, Win.
Niles, Jerimi
Woodside, Anto

Fogg, William
Fogg, Benj
Given, William
Given, Arthur
I lodson, James
Ham, Reuben
Roberts, Thomas
Remmack, Joseph
Remmack, William,
Strout, Enoch
Small, Joseph
Small, Ebenezer
Sweate, Xathl.
Stanwood, David
Thompson. Richard
Thompson, Phineas
Thompson, James
Treet, Ezekiel
Tebets, Benj.
Withered, lames
Watts, Samuel

Ham, Reuben, jun
Ham, Samuel
Ham, Clement
Hubbs, Obe
Hubbs, Obe, jun.
Jackson, Samuel
Witherell, John
Weymouth, Walter
Hamilton, John
Gray, Stephen
Gray, Thomas
Gray, Samuel
Foss, Joseph
Will, John
Sully, Win.
Sewell, Xathl.
Plumer, David
Small, Daniel
Ross, Robert
Ross, lames

On the third day of September, 1803, the assessors
of the new plantation, with the assistance of William
Spragne, surveyor, laid out three thoroughfares, each
of which was to be four "poles" wide. One started on
the north side of Lisbon, which then included the town
of Webster, "about half mile easterly of the great pond
& two Rods Easterly of Jeremiah niles house" to the
Monmouth line. Another was a "cross road beginning
on the road operset the road from Green to Willianm
& Arthur Givens, thence across the E Road to Litch-
field." The third was the "Wales middle Road— be
ginning on monmouth line buting monmouth Road-
about 100 Rods northerly of Richard Thompson house
to the westerly Road on the northerly line of David

500 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH,

Stanwood lot. The original of this record was loaned
by J. C. Andrews. It is a scrap of torn, yellowed paper
covered with a scrawny hand in pale ink, and is*j ust such
a piece of paper as hundreds that have been carried away
by the junk-dealer. If all these apparently worthless
scraps could have been preserved, the history of Wales
would read far differently. The Pluraer tax-book fur-
nishes, in the abstract, some interesting and valuable
data. It has always been supposed, and neve r disput-
ed, that Maj. Josiah Iyibby, John Hamilton, and J; in s
Hodsdon settled in Wales in 1807, 18 10, and 18 12 re-
spectively; but Mr. Plumer's assessment lists demon-
strate the fact that these men were all here prior to 1804.

James Hodsdon came from South Berwick and lo rated
on Sabattus mountain. He was a Revolutionary sol-
dier. James, jun., his oldest son, enlisted in the war
of 18 1 2. The third son, Benjamin, who inherited the
homestead, had two sons who were soldiers in the civil
war. Both were wounded, and one died of small-pox
contracted while in the service. The farm is now
owned by Oliver Hodsdon, the youngest son of Jams s.

John Hamilton selected the land now comprised in
the farm of Davis Maxwell, near the Webster line, on
the "pond road". He was a shoe-maker and tanner,
and was a man of much spirit and enterprise. For
man}- years the location which Mr. Maxwell has made
conspicuous by his extensive farming operations, Mr.
Hamilton made as noted b}r the manufacture of leather
goods and supplies. Two of his sons were prominent-
ly connected with the local militia, and one of them
commanded a company in the Madawaska war.

Maj. Josiah Libby came from Scarboro', the former

WALKS PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 501

home of the Foggs, and, in selecting a location for his
new home, he made choice of a section of land adjacent
to that of his old neighbors, which, according to the
statement of Air. Fogg, was first settled by George
Foss, another Scarboro' immigrant. The Libby stand
in the vicinity of Wales Corner is too well known to
require any description. A sketch of the large house
erected by the Major, and for man}' years occupied as
a tavern, appears in this volume. It represents the
building as it is now seen, not as it was when the rum-
bling stages drawn by four spirited horses dashed under
the creaking sign-board and halted while the fresh
relay was being strapped to the pole and the male pas-
sengers were depositing their loose coin at the Major's
bar. It was in this bar-room that the town officers of
Wales were elected before the voters went to the ballot-
box; it was here that the Major was raised to the com-
mand of a regiment by his admiring townsmen before
he was commissioned by the governor, and it was here
that all the affairs of the plantation, commonwealth
and nation were discussed and settled long before they
had r. assed under the deliberations of the proper authori-
ties.

Few men ever lived in Wales who were more popular
than Major Libby; and few there were who possessed
greater natural qualifications for popularity than. he.

He was widely known outside the plantation.
As a tavern-keeper he was brought into constant
contact with representatives, senators, governors
and congressmen, who stopped at his house for
something to relieve the monotony of the ride as they
passed to and from the seat of government. He was a

502 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

veteran road builder, also, and frequently took large
contracts from the government. It was his name that
headed the petition for the, so called, "western county
road." From 1811 to 1840 his name appeared at dif-
ferent periods among the assessors of the plantation
and selectmen of the town; but his election was a result
of a desire to secure the benefit of his superior judgment
rather than of a desire to honor a man who could not
be reached b}T such honors. To the regret of all who
were intimately or remotely associated with him dur-
ing his residence in Wales, he left the town after
the days of his active life were spent, and returned
to the home of his youth.

Samuel Libby came from Scarboro' a little later than
the Major, and settled on the farm now owned by his
grandson, Llewellyn S. Libby. He, too, was a popular
man in the plantation, and to him belongs the honor of
being the first town treasurer.

Hugh Owen was one of the earl}- settlers of the plan-
tation, but in the absence of authentic records, it is im-
possible to decide, approximately, when he became a
resident. If he came in 1805, which is as earl}- a date
as either the records or tradition will allow us to use,
he was a man of thirty-six years when he began to
clear his farm. He selected the broad stretch of rolling
land bordering on Sabbatus pond, and immediately
north of the clearing of John Hamilton, the tanner.
He came with a large family, for at least five, and per-
haps all, of his eight children were born before he left
Lisbon. He had four daughters — Jane who, mar-
ried Hiram Foss; Hannah, who married Col. Joseph
Foss; margaret, who married Rev. Otis Bridges and

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 503

M try Ann, who married Gyrus Hanscom. Thomas, the
oldest son, married Elizabeth Bates, of Leeds. He was
the father of Levi B. Owen, of Monmouth, and grand-
father of Rev. C. E. Owen, pastor of the Baptist church
at Houlton, Me. The youngest son, William, settled
in Bath, Me., where some of his descendants now live.
His son, Roscce Ower, is a Boston attorne}-. James set-
tled on the place now owned by Allen F. Strout. He
purchased it of Enoch Gilbert Strout, who made the
clearing. Mr. Owen afterward sold the place to Sher-
burne Gove, and removed to Fairfield, Me. David
Owen, the pioneer's second son, married Irene Libby,
an adopted daughter of Major Josiah Libby. He lived
with the Major, but after a time purchased the farm
now owned by Mr. Webster, in the "New Boston" dis-
trict, on which he erected, not far from 1825, the house
that the latter occupies . Here he remained until fail-
ing health caused him to abandon manual labor, when
he removed to Monmouth Center to live with his son.

Cyrus L. Owen, the oldest son of David, was born iu
the Major Libby house, and after his father removed
to the New Boston district, he continued to live a large
portion of the time in the Major's family. His moth-
er's health was precarious, and when he was ten years
old she died. At the age of eighteen years, he learned
the blacksmith's trade of Moses Fogg, of Wales. After
serving a long apprenticeship, he worked in Sabattus
and Durham, and went from the latter place to Win-
throp, where he was employed in the machine shops of
the Whitman Agricultural Works.

In 1848 he returned to Wales, and went into trade
with William Small, in the brick store which had just

504 HISTORY OK MONMOUTH.

been built by the latter. Mr. Small hid previously
traded in a store which stood on the site now covered
by the ell of the George W. Fogg- house. TI13 n^xt
year, at the age of twenty- six, he was married to Mary
Augusta Tilton, daughter of Henrv Tiltou, of Mon-
mouth, and, soon after, returned to Winthrop. In 1853
he removed to Fairfield, and went into business with
his uncle, James Owen, and Cyrus K. Foss, under the
style of Foss, Owen & Co., manufacturers of horse-pow-
ers, separators and agricultural tools. His health
began to fail under this employment, and he abandoned
it to accept, after a temporary rest, a clerkship in the
store of C. S. Norris & Co., at Monmouth Center.
While in the employ of this firm, he w is apo Dinted post-
master. A short time after he received his commission,
he rented a store, and stocked it with boots and shoes.
In this business he continued about eleven years. He
then sold his stock, resigned his commission, and pur-
chased an interest in the moccasin manufactory with
Win. K. Dudley and Hiram G. Judkins, under the firm
name of Judkins, Dudley and Owen. He continued in
this connection until 1883, when he retired from active
business life.

During the war, Mr. Owen served two years as
town clerk of Monmouth. His wife died in 1854,
and, four years later, he married Hannah E. Folsom,
daughter of Jonathan Folsom, of Monmouth.

Josiah L. Owen, a. younger son of David, is passenger
conductor on the Maine Central railroad. He entered
the employ of the corporation soon after the main
line was established, and is the oldest conductor
on the road. His courteous treatment of the public

WALKS PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 505

during his long term of service has won him many
friends. But he never knew the measure of the pub-
lic appreciation until the t\vent3r-third day of Decem-
ber, 1890, when his acquaintances gathered, hundred
strong, to present a tangible expression of their es-
teem in the form of a beautiful gold conductor's lan-
tern with his name blown in the globe. A special
train was run by Superintendent Tucker, and the pre-
sentation was made at the Dexter town hall, where an
elaborate entertainment had been prepared for the oc-
casion.

Abraham Jewell and his brothers, Nathaniel and
Robert, came frem Fox Island, Me., to the now rapidly
growing settlement. Nathaniel was a brick-mason.
He settled on Thompson hill, near the place now owned
by Mr. Wheeler. The house in which he lived stood
opposite the Phineas Thompson place. He was a cap-
tain in the war of 18 1 2. Robert located on the pond road,
and Abram, on the Dr. Daly place in Monmouth, now
the property of Mr. Caswell. He remained on this
farm a short time, then purchased of the descendants
of Thomas Gray, the farm on which Nelson Jewell, his
son lives. Abraham Jewell was elected selectman in
1 821. James Jewell, his oldest son, was the father of
Dr. Leslie Jewell, of Cape Elizabeth. He was a car-
penter. Two other sons, Hiram and Nelson, remained
permanently in Wales. Hiram married Mary Small, and
Nelson, Dorcas A. Ham. The oldest son of the latter
died in Libby prison, in 1864. His second son, Otis H.,
is a skillful mechanic, residing at South Monmouth.

Nathaniel Chase came to Wales as earl}- as 1803 and
located on the B. A. Fogg farm. He was from Bruns

506 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

wick. Anthony Woodside came from the same town
about a year later, and took up the farm now owned by
his grandson, George Woodside. Five of his six chil-
dren were sons, two of whom were graduated from Bow-
doin College in 1840. The older of these, B. F. Wood-
side, studied law, and was engaged in the practice of
his profession in Boston until his decease in 1890.
Anthony, jun., elected the medical profession, but died
soon after receiving his diploma. Calvin married, and
settled on the homestead. One of his sons, Dr. Albert
Woodside, has lately practiced his profession at Ten-
ant's Harbor, Me. Edwin is a merchant at Sabattus
and Hlbridge is in business in Lewiston.

In 1805 three new roads were laid out by James Shurt-
leff, the surveyor who made the first plan of the new
plantation. The course of the first road was "From
Benjamin Tibbets on the main Plantation Road between
said Tibbet's & James Kennen's Lots of Land upon
an East South east course 60 rods to Litchfield Wester-
most Line." Next: "From said Plantation Road run
West northwest 136 rods upon the line separating
between Thomas and Stephen Grays Lots of Land to
said Thomas Grays house." The third was the "Plan-
tation main Road by Sebattases Pond upon an East
southeast course from the school House upon the line
separating between James Clarke's and Rufus Marr's
Lots of Land 168 rods to James Hoddson's house
nearly."

For his services in connection with these surveys
Mr. Shurtleff presented the following modest bill :
"The Plantation of Wales to
James Shurtleff

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 507

To two days Surveying Roads
at one Dol. & 25 cents per day

$2:50
Plantation of Wales
May 2d, A. D. 1805.
This fragment of history brings out the noteworthy
fact that as early as 1802, eleven years before it was in-
corporated as a town, Wales had taken sufficient inter-
est in educational matters to erect a school house; while
Monmouth did not provide a similar building until two
years after the act of incorporation was passed. The
first school in the lower division of Wales plantation
was taught by Joseph Small, in a dwelling house on the
pond road. And as Mr. Small did not take up a resi-
dence on the plantation until 1791, it is evident that the
children of the settlers who took up lots prior to that
date must have attended the school at Monmouth Cen-
ter or borne the penalty of illiteracy.

The reader must not forget that up to the year 1 792
this has been a history of both Monmouth and Wales.
All the plantation and town records published under
earlier dates relate as much to one division of the original
plantation as to the other; and it will be remembered
that no provision was made at any annual meeting for
a school south of Dearborn's Corner. The peda-
gogues that followed Mr. Small in the schools of Wales
were Mr. Hill, Arthur Given, Mr. Page, Daniel Ev-
ans, Fayette Mace, Richard Elder, Joel Small and
Enoch Strout.

On the 28th of June, 1808, James Shurtleff laid out a
cross road running "from the school-house in the
plantation of Wales to the Middle Plantation road."

508 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

As the main course of this road ran in a north-wester-
ly direction, it is evident that the school-house men-
tioned must have been located on the east road, and
could not have been the building which received inci-
dental notice in the record of the road surveys of 1805.
The farm on which William E. Hinkley lives was
cleared by Klias Ricker. Mr. Ricker came to Wales
in 1806. He was born in Somersworth, N. H., in 1772,
and married at the age of twenty-eight, Mary Wither-
ell of Lebanon, Me. The first six years of their mar-
ried life were spent in Milton, N. H., where their two
oldest children were born. It is probable that during
these years Mr. Ricker devoted his entire attention to
tanning and shoe-making, a trade that received only a
portion of his time after he came to Wales. Just when
he built the brick portion of the Hinkley house is un-
certain, but it is altogether probable that he lived for a
time in that invariable accompaniment of pioneer life-
trie log hut. The oldest of his five children was Sa-
brina, who married Daniel Larrabee. The next was
Ezra, who settled down to the farm and trade of his
father. He married Mary M. Marr, of Wales, in 183 1,
and nine years later, died, leaving three children, the
youngest of whom is Andrew J. Ricker, a Portland
merchant. After his decease, his widow and two
daughters moved away, leaving the homestead to the
oldest daughter and her husband, who resided there un-
til 1856, when they removed to Gardiner. Mr.Larra-
bee built what is now the main house. Daniel Crom-
well, the second son of Elias Ricker, married Caroline
Higgins, of Avon, Me., where he afterward resided. He
commanded a company in the Aroostook war. Of his

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 509

nine children, two were sons. The older, Nathaniel
H., served during the civil war as lieutenant of Co. D.,
28th Maine Inft., and subsequently in the same capac-
ity in the 31st Me. He now resides in Galveston, Tex.

Capt. Smith Ricker came two years later than Elias,
and settled on the farm now owned by his son-in-law,
Joseph G. Bragg. He had four sons and five daugh-
ters, only one of whom is now living.

Sometime near 1806 James and William Sweet, from
Brunswick, began to clear lots in the plantation. The
former selected the R. C. Jones farm, and the latter,
the one now known as the Almond Lombard place.
William had a son by the name of Ebenezer who was
a butcher. He made the homestead his residence for
several years but finally located at Brunswick, Me.,
where he carried on an extensive meat trade.

Capt. Harding Lombard came frcm Cape Cod in 1802,
and purchased a. tract of land in the south-eastern part
of the town. He was born in Truro, Cape Cod, in 1774,
and was descended from one of three brothers who came
from England to that part of Massachusetts, bearing
with them a coat of arms granted to their ancestor, Rob-
ert Lumber, "for his loyalty and resolute mind", by
King James the Second.

Capt. Lombard married Joanna Watts, of Wellfleet,
daughter of Capt. Samuel Watts, the Wales pio-
neer. These two veterans of the seas established the
corn and ftour mills at Sabattus, where for many
years an extensive business was conducted.

Among the nine children of Capt. Lombard were six
sons, all of whom inherited their father's love for the
tossing waves. Samuel was drowned off Cape Cod in

5IO HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

1826, Freeman died at home in 1830, at the age of twen-
ty-two years, and Barzillai died in Cuba of fever.

John, the oldest son, was a successful sea-captain, as
was Luther, the fifth son. It is claimed that these
hardy mariners crossed the Atlantic more than fifty
times each, and in all their voyages never lost a man.
John settled on the farm now owned by Alden Moul-
ton. He emulated his father in the number of his
children. One of the nine is a citizen of Portland, Ore-
gon, and a representative of the third generation of
master mariners in the Lombard family. Luther,
after following the sea many years, purchased a home
at Sabattus, and devoted his energies to manufacturing
enterprises. It was he who built the lower dam and
erected the first factory in that village. He married
Mary J. Jameson, of Topsham, Me., and had four chil-
dren, one of whom, Luther H., now resides in Wales.
Harding Lombard, jun., who inherited the name of his
sire, if not his title, as did some of his brothers, followed
the sea many 3'ears as mate of a vessel, and served as
pilot on the Mississippi river several winters. He
elected a life of celibacy, and, after wearying of the rest-
less life of a mariner, settled down to the enjoyments
of the paternal estate and the perusal of the Eastern
Argus, which he and his father had taken for a period
of eighty-six years.

Capt. Harding Lombard had three daughters. One
died at the age of two years. Rebecca married Philip
Given, and Thankful B., Uriah Gray. Mr. Gray is the
son of Alexander Gray, of Litchfield. He had three
brothers, one of whom settled in Richmond as a gold-
smith, one at Gardiner as lumber-dealer, and one on a

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 511

arm in Litchfield. His mother was a sister to the
noted Jeremiah Nowell, who was selected by Mr. Pat-
terson, the father of the unfortunate wife of Jerome
Bonaparte to take his daughter to France when Napo-
leon issued the nefarious edict which rendered his mar-
riage to the American lady void. Capt. Nowell com-
manded some of Mr. Patterson's finest vessels, and, after
many prosperous voyages, purchased a farm in Lisbon,
Me., where his last days were spent.

Mr. Gray was for many years in charge of the flour
and grist mill of his wife's father at Sabattus. He now
resides in quiet retirement at East Monmouth. Al-
though always willing that others should enjoy their
own opinions, he is, and always has been, a staunch Dem-
ocrat, and prides himself in the fact of having been num-
bered among the subscribers of the Eastern Argus for
above fifty years.

The same year Capt. Harding Lombard took up a resi-
dence in Wales, his father-in-law, Capt. Samuel Watts,
settled on what was long known as the "Samuel Wey-
mouth farm", on the east road. Capt. Watts was a vet-
eran whaler. It was stated at the time of his death that
he had, with his own hands, killed one hundred sperm
whales. He had a family of nine children, all of whom
came with, or soon after, their parents. The three
sons were Samuel, Moses and Freeman. Samuel and
Moses followed the sea, but Freeman remained on the
farm. Samuel settled in Hallowell, while Moses and
Freeman prefered Wales. The latter lived on the home
place about fifty years. He then moved to the "pond
road," and remained there until his decease in 1856. His
wife died, at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Warren Jor-

512 . HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

dan, of Litchfield, in 1893, at the advanced age of ninety
years. Of their four children, Harding L., alone, settled
in Wales. Freeman J., the oldest son, was engaged in
the granite business at North Prospect, Me., and Henry
M. was for several years a practicing physician in Weld,
Me. Harding learned the marble cutter's trade, and
opened a shop in Wales. He married Mary H. Treat,
of Canton, Me. During his residence in Wales he was
elected to various town offices and was sent to the
legislature. Soon after the close of the war he removed
to Monmouth, and engaged in the dry goods and drug
business. Here his wife and daughter, an only child,
died. He married for a second wife Ann E. Whittier,
daughter of Dea. Daniel Whittier, and, in 1877, sold his
business and removed to Portland, where he entered the
employ of Geo. C. Frye, druggist, as traveling salesman.
He still resides in Portland.

"As Baptists multiplied in all the settlements in the
vicinity of Wales, the first occupants of its soil were
brought under the influence of their doctrines. Elder
Potter visited them as early as 1793, and found them
willing, to hear the gospel. In 1798 and the year fol-
lowing the "great revival which occurred in Bowdoin
and Litchfield extended its influence into Wales. Here,
too, Elder Potter saw evidence that he did not preach
Christ in vain. A church was gathered in the place
in 1799, consisting of about forty members."* Of this
church John C. Fogg says:

"The first mention of a deacon is in Ma}', 180 1,
when Dea. Spofford was put down from serving as dea-
con and Bro. David Jenkins was established deacon,

♦History of Maine Baptists.

WALES PLANTATION, JUNIOR. 513

and Bro. James Labree was elected deacon on trial.
Jul}- 24, 1802 met for conference and then agreed to
have a church meeting. Chose Bro. Labree modera-
tor. Voted a brother under suspension for breaking
covenant in going to hear the Methodists. The first
election of a clerk upon the records is in September,
1805, when Joseph Murch was chosen, but, judging
from the penmanship, there were many changes in the
office. The whole number of members, Sept., 1809,
was 42. The first ordained pastor was Eld. James
Pierce, received Oct. 14, 1820. May 9, 1833, Eld.
James Pierce was excluded from the church for charg-
es brought against him without proof. In August
of the same year, Eld. Daniel Pierce was admitted into
the church, and the two ministers furnished preaching
until about 1839. In July, 1839, Elder Smith Hinkley
was received as pastor, which position he held until
1842. In 1843 Eld. Wm. Smith was received as pas-
tor, which position .he held until 1850, when Elder
Thomas Goldthwait was installed. The last entry in
the first Baptist church record is dated June 21, 1856."
Although the first church organization in town, this
society had not the honor of erecting the first church
building used for public worship. It was not until
1838, eleven years after the Free-will Baptists built
their church, that they laid the foundation of their
tabernacle. It was built on land taken from the Joseph
Gray farm, in the easterly part of the town, at a cost of
one thousand dollars. Soon after this church was fin-
ished, a great revival was experienced by the church
that had a few years previously been organized on Mon-
mouth Ridge, and the membership of the Monmouth

514 HISTORY OF MONMOUTH.

society increased rapidly, drawing, it is probable, to
some extent, on the congregation of the Wales chur :li.
The latter society, after sustaining regular preaching
for several years, finally weakened, and allowed their
church to remain unoccupied. It has been taken dowri
in recent years.

The pioneers of the southern division of the planta-
tion of Wales experienced more protracted hardships
than those of that portion which was incorporated
under the name of Monmouth. Nature did not trace
the course of the streams with an eye to their accommo-
dation, and for years after the people of Monmouth
were rejoicing in grist-mills and saw-mills, the settlers
of the lower plantation were wearily "backing in" their
corn by the bushel. After a good road to Monmouth
was established, their bread was eaten with a greater
relish, but man)- were still obliged to travel a long dis-
tance with their grists until Joseph Maxwell built his
mill. The first saw-mill in Wales was erected by Dan-
iel M. Labree on a small stream which crossed his farm.
He managed to do something of a business here in
the manufacture of boards and shingles, but could keep
his machinery moving only a few weeks after the spring
and fall rains. Benjamin Yining next tried the experi-
ment on a rivulet that flows near the base of Thomp-
son's hill. But he was beset with the same difficulties.
There was no pond. Two or three dams, the upper one
of which was near Joseph Wight's, formed the reservoir.
The only permanent structure of this kind was built
in the north-eastern part of the town by B. C. Jenkins.