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HISTORY
OF THE OLD TOWNS
NOMIDGEWOCK AND CANAAN,
NORBIDGEWOCK, CANAAN, STARKS, SKOWHEGAN, AND BLOOMFIEID,
FROM THEIR EARLY SETTLEMENT TO THE TEAR
1849;
INCLUDING A SKETCH OF THE ABNAKIS INDIANS.
BY J. W. HANSON,
AUTHOR OF THE HISTORY OF DANVER3.
MEMORIAM MAJORUM,
BOSTON:
PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR.
1849.
fc-fc-^i. oJ»» uc« '»'
Iv- .■ _ 1 , > > 5 ,->->) 3 ) ?
Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1849, by
J. W. HANSON,
in the Clerk's office of the District Court of the District of Maine.
B o s T o X :
COOLIDGE AX I) WILEY, PRS.
12 WATER S T R E K T .
PREFACE.
The vein of History which runs through
that portion of Maine considered in the follow-
ing pages, presents matter of great value to the
Antiquary. The hills and vales now vocal
with Agriculture and Business, were, but a few
years ago, the sacred haunts of the Red Man.
Here he found his most delightful retreats. In
the waters that now reflect civihzed life, he
speared the salmon, floated his frail bark, or
bathed his tawny limbs. On the shores he
pursued the simple joys and labors of barbarous
life, and knew no higher end or aim.
Here, too, the hardy pioneer of civilization
erected his log hut, and commenced tilling the
soil, and preparing it for future generations.
The memory of the Indians should be pre-
served ; — the hardships and the early labors of
the first settlers should not be forgotten ; — the
progress of the towns should be noticed, and
their present condition should be exhibited.
To convey an adequate idea to other minds, as
well as to aflbrd the State or National historian
data for future labors, is the aim of this book ; for
we can never have a perfect National History
4: PREFACE.
until every State shall have contiibuted its own,
and a perfect State History cannot be written,
until every town shall have furnished its own
local facts.
The five towns herein treated upon, are
among the most important, as well as most
beautiful in the State, and it is believed that
the following pages will prove deeply interest-
ing to all natives and inhabitants, while, it is
hoped, the general reader will be much inter-
ested.
In compiling these pages, the author has
resorted to every known source of probable in-
formation, and has been deeply indebted for
books and information to many obUging gentle-
men, among whom stand conspicuous, Hon.
Cullen Sawtelle, Hon. John S. Tenney, Hon.
David Kidder, Hon. Warren Preston, Hon.
Joseph Barrett, W. D. Gould, Esq., Thos. Heald,
Esq., Josiah Spaulding, Esq., John Waugh, Esq.,
Levi Sawyer, Esq., Eusebius Weston, Esq.,
Melzar Lindsay, Esq., Dea. John Loring, Elder
Stephen WilHamson, Calvin Heald, Esq., Mark
S. Blunt, Esq., Eevs. N. M. Wood, C. C. Cone,
Dr. J. Harden, Ruel Weston, Esq., Stephen
Coburn, Esq., and the town clerks, and other
civil and religious officers. Indeed, the citi-
zens have emulated each other in forwarding
the author's plans, and aiding his enterprise.
Besides these, his thanks are due the officers of
the Maine State Department, Somerset Court
and Probate Officers, all of the Clergymen, with
one solitary exception, and many of the ladies
and gentlemen, whose names, though not writ-
PREFACE. 5
ten here, are held in grateful remembrance.
To all, his sincere thanks are paid. The fol-
lowing authorities have aided materially : —
Drake's Book of the Indians ; AVilliamson's
History of Maine ; Sullivan's Do. ; Greenleaf 's
Ecclesiastical Sketches ; Penhallow's Indian
Wars ; Genealogical Register ; Pickering's Es-
say on Indian Orthography ; Francis' Life of
Rale ; Symmes' History of Battle at Lovewell's
Pond ; Kennebec Claim ; Massachusetts Rec-
ords ; Maine Records; Millet's History of the
Baptists of Maine ; Bulletin of the Pennsylvania
Historical Society ; Senter's Narrative ; Meigs'
Expedition ; Town Records of Norridgewock,
Canaan, Starks, Bloomfield, and Skowhegan ;
Church and Society Records ; Private Manu-
scripts ; Somerset Journal ; People's Press ;
Workingman ; Democratic Somerset Repub-
lican ; Skowhegan Sentinel ; Skowhegan Clar-
ion ; Gravestones ; Authentic Tradition, and
other authorities. It is believed that the work
is, as far as is possible in a first edition, correct ;
and it is commended to all lovers of history
with the earnest hope, that while they may
imitate the virtues of the people of an earlier
generation, they may so shun their faults, as to
be instrumental in establishing a people whose
rules of life shall be Liberty, Temperance,
Peace, and Charity, and whose God shall be
the Lord.
1*
INDIAN HISTORY.
The valley of the Kennebec, to the lover of
natural and artificial beauty, presents one
of the most charming panoramic views to be
found in this country, which so abounds
in all that delights the eye, and gratifies an
elevated taste. From the river's source in the
unfathomable waters of Moose-Head Lake,
to its union with the Atlantic, it is an uninter-
rupted series of beautiful and picturesque
views. Its blue waters flow smoothly along
their pellucid course, dash over steep precipi-
ces in snowy cascades, or break into slight
ripples and mimic waterfalls that fill the sum-
mer air with music, or gleam in beauty amidst
the ice of winter. Now they dash against
rocky shores, wash grassy slopes, or beat
among the roots of forest trees, and anon slide
up the sandy shores of level plains. Here they
narrow into the swift current, chafing the
shores, and soon they expand into the broad
and peaceful bay. Occasionally the verdant
loveliness of the scene is relieved by the bold
outlines of distant mountains, that loom up
into the clear air, or are craped and shrouded
8 INDIAN HISTORY.
by wandering clouds. Fertility teems along
the shores, and smiles on all the plains.
Along the first course of the river, occasional
farmhouses dot the vales, and cheer the loneli-
ness of the scene, but as the river passes on its
way, villages appear, and the smoke ascends
from many quiet homesteads, grouped peace-
fully together, and as the river broadens and
deepens, the shght canoes and scarcely heavier
batteaux give place to the snow-white sails of
vessels, and the swift steamboat ; while the
roar and din of populous cities fill the surround-
ing air with the sound of business, and the
unceasing noise of Human Life. The White
Man, with all the tumult of civihzed life, fills
the waters with his vessels, and lines the shores
with his machinery and abodes.
How great a change is here ! " Roll back
the tide of Time ! " Scarcely a century has
passed away, since " here lived and loved an-
other race of beings." The silent river, as it
rolled its constant journey to the sea, bore
on its bosom some dark-eyed Indian maid in
hei' light shallop, or at the most, a company
of hunters or warriors, as they paddled their
white canoes across its blue surface. Where
stands the busy mill, then drank the antlered
moose. Where spreads the wide green inter-
vale, then wrought the busy beaver. Where
now is heard the locomotive's scream — the
steamboat wheel — then howled the wolf, then
leaped the salmon, then fled the caribou. The
'' all-beholding sun," as he gazed down upon
our splendid stream, saw only nature and her
INDIAN HISTORY
children. Inanimate Nature and Irrational
Life were here in all their solitary beauty, but
only the Avild, uncultivated red man stood
among the beasts and birds, — God's represent-
ative on earth, — to rule the creatures subject
to his power.
The vales and uplands of the Kennebec
were the favorite haunts of a great tribe. Here
they dwelt, among their hunting grounds, their
fields, and the graves of their fathers. In the
neighboring ponds and streams they captured
the trout, and in our own blue river they
caught the golden salmon. The moose, the
caribou, the brown deer, the bear, the rabbit,
and the partridge were hunted and secured,
and the common wolf^ the fox, the beaver, the
martin and the wild loupcervier. Here gleam-
ed their canoes, here were grouped their wig-
wams. The songs of festivity and mirth were
heard at their joyful feasts, — the low beautiful
Indian songs of sorrow and affection, breathed
in sweet unison with the voices of nature, — the
wild war-whoop, — all these were here. When
the tribe and its allies would have a great gath-
ering, the Androscoggin, the Saco, and the Ken-
nebec poured their dusky warriors and braves
into the great Merry-meeting bay. When
times of trouble, of disease or massacre oc-
curred, the sacred vale of Norridgewock was
filled. All that was dear, — all that was sacred,
— all that the unsophisticated Indian loved,
were here scattered in rich profusion. All this
has passed away ! Like the mists of morning
10 INDIAN HISTORY.
they have faded, nor left a lingering wreck
behind.
" Alas ! for ihem — their day is o'er,
Their fires are out from hill and shore ;
No more for them the wild deer bounds,
The plough is on their hunting grounds ;
The pale man's axe rings through their woods,
The pale man's sail skims o'er their floods.
Cold with the beast he slew, he sleeps ;
O'er him no filial spirit weeps ;
No crowds throng round, no anthem- notes ascend,
To bless his coming and embalm his end ;
Even that he lived, is for his conqueror's tongue.
By foes alone his death-song must be sung."*"
When America was discovered, the soil was
occupied by many tribes of Indians, who were
scattered over its entire surface, and who, in
their own well-defined regions, pursued the
pastimes and occupations of savage life, dis-
turbed only by occasional feuds, and short,
though sanguinary wars.
The present limits of the State of Maine
were occupied by the Abenakies, Abenaques,
or Abnakis, and the Etechemins. The Eteche-
mins dwelt east of the Penobscot valley, in-
cluding both shores of that river, while the
Abnakis owned all from the Penobscot to the
Salmon Falls river. The Abnakis, as they
were found by Rale, are thus described : t
Their cabins were made by planting a
centre pole and covering with bark ; the fire
in the middle, on the ground, and their beds
and chairs were mats made of reeds, spread on
the earth.
* Charles Sprague. f Lettres Edifiantes.
INDIAN HISTORY. 11
The men dressed in the skins of animals, or
in loose robes of red or blue cloth, and the
women wore a mantle, reaching to the middle
of the leg, very gracefully arranged, with a
light covering thrown over the head, and fall-
ing to their feet, and stockings from the knee
to the ankle. Their moccasons were of deer-
skin. In the winter they wore snow-shoes,
without which they could not subsist. With
them, they were able to overtake the swiftest
animals.
They were tall, powerful, and active, with
teeth whiter than ivory. Their only ornaments
were beads made of shell, white and black, so
arranged in belts and the like, as to represent
different figures with great beauty.
Their children were regarded with the
greatest affection, and the utmost respect was
manifested toward the aged. Their skill with
the bow was great ; even children could shoot
with astonishing accuracy.
They ate with great irregularity : feasted on
the best one day, and famished the next. To-
bacco was used by all, and esteemed the great-
est luxury. They were less barbarous than
other tribes.
When they fought, they divided their bands
into small companies of ^Ye men, each with
knife in one hand, and tomahawk in the other ;
and they were thus very formidable. When
they entered the possessions of an enemy, they
scoured the country in small bands ; and they
inspired the greatest dread, by attacking all
quarters at once.
12 INDIAN HISTORY.
The Abnakis^ were divided into four smaller
tribes, occupying distinct boundaries. The
Sokokis or Sochigones, the Anasagunticooks, the
Canibas or Kennebecs, and the Waicenocs, The
SoJcokis dwelt on the Saco, the Anasagunticoohs
on the Androscoggin, the Wawenocs east of
Merry-meeting bay, and the Canibas or Kenne-
becs, from Merry-meeting bay upwards, on both
sides of the Kennebec.
The Kennebecs were found very numerously
when the country was discovered.! They
were divided into several clans, owning soil
and dwelling thereon, subject to different sub-
ordinate chiefs, who held fealty to the great
bashaba,t whose residence was on Swan
island,§ in Merry-meeting bay. These smaller
tribes were known by the names of the places
of their residence. Among the Kennebecs,
therefore, we read of the Norridgeivogs, the
Taconnets, the Cuslinocs, &:c. These small tribes
or families were all Kennebecs, and the Ken-
nebecs, Sokokis, Anasagunticooks, and Wawe-
nocs, were all Abnakis. They spake the same
language, with a slight difference of dialect,
were friends in war, and were emphatically
one people. Sometimes the family name was
taken in early times for the generic term, as,
those living at Sagadahoc were called, incor-
'* The Wapanachki, or Abenaki, or Wabanaki, as these In-
dians were called indifferently, were known in English as the
East-landers, or Eastern men — such being the signification
of the word. — Heclcew elder's Hist. Account, p. 107.
t Hubbard's New England, p. 31.
X This fealty was merely political deference.
§ Williamson, ii. 4, Hist. Maine.
INDIAN HISTORY. 13
rectly, Norridgewocks. The Kennebecs were
that branch of the Abnakis that occupied the
river which bore their name ; and the Norridge-
wogs were that clan of the Kennebecs that
hved at Norridgewock.^
These clans owned the soil in common.!
The Indians did not believe that one person
could own the soil. The country of Norridge-
wock was possessed in common by the Nor-
ridgewogs, and each member of the clan owned
an undivided portion. The sachems of this
tribe were able to convey to other persons
whatever portion of the estates of the tribe
they wished, — only with this principle, never
questioned by an aboriginal : that no sachem
had a right in the soil beyond the period of
his natural life, and that whatever he should
dispose of must, at his death, revert to the tribe
again. ^\lie never a white man, however,
framed a deed, it was a title to the land bought,
forever. Thus the disputes arose. The red
man would not have denied a bargain, or vio-
lated his word, but he declared all transfers
to have been only for the life of the grantors,
while the white man triumphantly pointed to
* Norridgewock "has been spelt in many different \Yays.
The French spell it Orantsoak, Narrantsouack, Narantsouack,
Naniantsouack ; the English spell it Norridgewock, Norrigea-
wok, Nerigwok, Noridgewoc, Waw ridge wick, Ridgewock, &c.
" t From the history and modes of living amongst the Indians
of this country, there can be no great doubt but that they origi-
nally held as tenants in common, in a state of nature ; and though
they have formed themselves into tribes and clans, yet the mem-
bers of those tribes still retain common and undivided right to
the land of their respective tribes." — Statement of the Kennebec
Claims, p. 21. »
2
14 INDIAN HISTORY.
his deed, and the white man's bayonets bristled
behind it, and obedience followed necessity.
Justice was not discussed, a plea of ignorance
was invalid, and though an Indian was made
drunk, and sold a rich township, holding be-
neath its turf the graves of a thousand years,
for a string of beads. Might made Right, and
the strong arm conquered.
The history of the Indians of Maine, pre-
vious to the landing of the Pilgrims, is envel-
oped in the obscurity of the past. Capt. John
Smith, of Pochahontas memory, was the first
Englishman who ever looked upon the Kenne-
becs. He visited them in 1614, and in his ac-
count he says : ^ " The principal habitations I
saw at Northward, Avas Penobscot, who are
in wars with their next northerly neighbors.
Southerly up the rivers, and along the coast, we
found Mecadacut, Segocket,t Pemaquid, Nus-
concus, Sagadahock, Satquin, Aumaughcawgen
and Kenebeca. To those belong the countries
and people of vSegotago, Panhunlanuck, Poco-
passum, Taughtanakagnet, AVabigganus, Nas-
saque, Masherosqneck, Wawrigwick,1: Mosho-
quen, Waccogo, Pasheranack, &c. To these are
allied in confederacy the countries of Aucocisco,
Accomenticus, Passataquack, Augawoam and
Naemkeek, all these, for anything I could per-
ceive, differ little in language or anything ;
though most of them be sagamos and lords of
themselves, yet they hold the bashabes§ of Pen-
* 3 Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc. iii. 21 - 2. f Saco. J Norridgewock.
§ The Indians " were divided into several tribes, each of
which had their own sachem, or, as the more northern Indians
INDIAN HISTORY. 15
obscotjthe chief and greatest amongst them." He
seems to have learned but httle concerning them,
and even his names are less than half correct.
There was a prominent sachem of the Can-
ibas, who flomished about the year 1660,
named Kennebis,^ and it has been conjectured
that he was one of a long line of the same
name, from whom the Kennebec river and
tribe received their names.t It is highly pro-
bable that a sachem named Kennebis, from
some other tribe, out of dissatisfaction, left his
own people, and, followed by his family and
a few others, settled in the wilds of Maine.
From him and his followers proceeded the
Kennebec tribe, and the Kennebis of Indian
History, was, doubtless, a lineal descendant of
the first Kennebis. History is silent, how-
ever, and reasonable conjecture is our only
authority.
The Abenakies t or Eastern Men, as the name
signifies, occupied a large portion of the present
State of Maine.. The primeval forests of our
broad State were peopled by this family of the
red men, though their favorite haunts were the
winding slopes of the Androscoggin, and the
broad green intervales of the blue Kennebec.
In whatever place the salmon and shad
abounded, and wild game was plenty, close at
pronounced that word, sachemo, which the English understood
Sagamore ; and yet all the sachemos acknowledged subjection
to one still greater, which they called bashaba." — Drake iii. 7.
* Wiliamson Hist. Maine. f Drake, B. iii. c. vii.
X " None of the Abernaques tribes, however, were more
strongly attached to their native soil, than the Canibas. They
were bold and brave fighters through all the Indian wars ; in
which they sustained probably a greater loss of numbers than
any other tribe."
16 INDIAN HISTORY.
hand, in the most favorable spot, were seen the
wigwams of an Indian village.
The first notices of the Abenakies are of their
selling lands to the hardy and adventurous
sons of England, who flocked in, and began to
people the rich intervtiles and teeming slopes
of the rich State of Maine. James Smith
bought of Ramegin, '' soe called by my Indian
name, or Robinhood, soe called by Enghsh
name, . . . part of my land, beginning att
Merry-meeting Cove, and soe downward the
maine riuer vnto a rocke, called Winslowe's
Rocke, in the longe reach, and in breadth east-
ward ouer the little riuer, runninge through the
great mersh, with the priuiledges [reserved to
me] as hunting, fowling, fishing, and other
games." For this large and beautiful tract of
land, the extent and value of which will at
once suggest itself to all acquainted with the
locality, Ramegin was to receive annually,
November 1st, one peck of corn. The deed
bears date May 8, 1648, and is signed Negri-
mis, Songreehood, and two English; Robin-
hood, Mr. Thomas, Pewazegsake, and Robin.
He sold the island of Jeremysquam in the year
following, and in 1654, he sold Neguasseag,
(Woolwich) to Edward Bateman and John
Brown.^
Wilham Bradford and others, bought of
Monquine, the land on both sides of the river,
from Cussenocket to Wesserunsicke, August 8,
1648. Attached to the deed are the names of
^ Sullivan's Plist. Maine. f Augusta.
INDIAN HISTORY. 17
Agodoadeinago and Tussucke, freely consent-
ing, and in 1653, " Essenlenosque certified that
the region of Taconnet belonged to him, and
the wife of Watchogo."^
" The sachems called Kennebis and Ab-
bagadussett, were generally united in their
grants, and appear to have sold nearly all the
lands on the Kennebec river, to one and
another, and the greater part several times
over." t Kennebis, in 1649,1: sold to Christopher
Lawson land as high as Teconnet
One of the most interesting points in our
early history is the experience and adventures
of the French Jesuits, who entered the forests
and willingly underwent the privations and
sufferings of savage life. Macaulay has well
set forth their character.§
" Before the order had existed a hundred
years, it had filled the whole world with me-
morials of great things done and suffered for
the faith. No religious community could pro-
duce a list of men so variously distinguished ;
none had extended its operations over so vast
a space ; yet in none had there ever been such
a perfect unity of feeling and action. There
was no region of the globe, no walk of specu-
lative or of active life, in which Jesuits were
not to be found. They guided the counsels of
kings. They deciphered Latin inscriptions.
They observed the motions of Jupiter's satel-
lites. They published whole libraries, contro-
* Williamson, Hist. Maine, vol. i. p. 467. $ IWd.
t Sullivan's Hist. Maine. § Hist. England.
2*
18 INDIAN HISTORY,
versy, casuistry, history, treatises on optics,
Alcaic odes, editions of the fathers, madrigals,
catechisms, and lampoons. The liberal educa-
tion of youth passed almost entirely into their
hands, and was conducted by them with con-
spicuous ahility. They appear to have discov-
ered the precise point to which intellectual
culture can be carried without risk of intellec-
tual emancipation. Enmity itself was com-
pelled to own that, in the art of managing and
forming the tender mind, they had no eqiials.
Meanwhile they assiduously and successfully
cultivated the eloquence of the pulpit. With
still greater assiduity and still greater success
they applied themselves to the ministry of the
confessional. Throughout Catholic Europe
the secrets of every government and of almost
every family of note were in their keeping.
They glided from one Protestant country to
another under innumerable disguises, as gay
Cavaliers, as simple rustics, as Puritan preach-
ers. They wandered to countries which neither
mercantile avidity nor liberal curiosity had ever
impelled any stranger to explore. They were
to be found in the garb of Mandarins, superin-
tending the Observatory at Pekin. They were
to be found, spade in hand, teaching the rudi-
ments of agriculture to the savage of Paraguay.
Yet, whatever might be then residence, w4iat-
ever might be their employment, their spirit
was the same, entire devotion to the common
cause, imphcit obedience to the central author-
ity. None of them had chosen his dwelling-
place or his avocation for himself "Whether
INDIAN HISTORY. 19
the Jesuit should hve under the arctic circle or
under the equator, whether he should pass his
life in arranging gems and collating manu-
scripts at the Vatican, or in persuading naked
barbarians in the southern hemisphere not to
eat each other, were matters which he left with
profound submission to the decision of others.
If he was wanted at Lima, he was on the
Atlantic in the next fleet. If he was wanted
at Bagdad, he was toiling through the desert
with the next caravan. If his ministry was
needed in some country where his life was
more insecure than that of a wolf, where it
was a crime to harbor him, where the heads
and quarters of his brethren, fixed in the pub-
lic places, showed him what he had to expect,
he went Avithout remonstrance or hesitation to
his doom. Nor is this heroic spirit yet extinct.
When, in our own time, a new and terrible
pestilence passed round the globe ; when, in
some great cities, fear had dissolved all the ties
which hold society together ; when the secular
clergy had deserted their flocks : when medical
succor was not to be purchased by gold ; when
the strongest natural aflections had yielded to
love of life, — even then the Jesuit was found
by the pallet which bishop and curate, physi-
cian and nurse, father and mother, had desert-
ed, bending over infected lips to catch the faint
accents of confession, and holding up to the
last, before the expiring penitent, the image of
the expiring Redeemer.
" So strangely were good and evil intermixed
in the character of these celebrated brethren.
20 INDIAN HISTORY.
and the intermixture was the secret of their
gigantic power. That power could never have
belonged to mere hypocrites. It could never
have belonged to rigid moralists. It was to be
obtained only by men, sincerely enthusiastic in
the pursuit of a great end, and at the same
time unscrupulous as to the choice of ^neansr
'' Amid the snows of Hudson's Bay —
among the woody islands and beautiful inlets
of the St. Lawrence — by the council fires of
the Hurons and of the Algonquins — at the
sources of the IVIississippi, where, first of all
the white men, their eyes looked upon the
Falls of St. Anthony, and then traced down
the course of the bounding river, as it rushed
onward to earn its title of 'Father of Waters'
— on the vast prairies of Illinois and Missouri
— among the blue hills which hem in the salu-
brious dwellings of the Cherokees — and in the
thick canebrakes of Louisiana — everywhere
were found the members of the ' Society of
Jesus.'" ^
There is great difficulty in obtaining proper
materials to illustrate their career among the
Abenakies. The Indian history of this State
for the seventeenth century would be very im-
perfect without a historical sketch of those
self-sacrificing laborers in the cause of Christ,
who, from the beginning of the second quarter
of the seventeenth century to the year 1725,
made the wilderness and the solitary place
glad for their presence. And yet the opportu-
nities for a full account are very meagre. The
=^ Rev. VV. I. Kip.
INDIAN HISTORY. 21
late Gov. Lincoln, who took great interest in
this subject, and who has left enduring monu-
ments of his research and labor, has recorded
this testimony. " On the suppression of Jes-
uitism, which had been in some respects a
valuable variety of enthusiasm, the manu-
scripts were carried from Quebec to France ;
and the efforts I have made have not enabled
me, through favor or reward, to obtain copies."^
The writer of this work has applied to a distin-
guished bishop, now living, for such facts as
might be essential to a full account ; but he
has, as yet, received no answer. There seems
to be an unwillingness, on the part of those
who are best acquainted with the facts in the
case, to communicate those facts to the public.
The refusal of the possessor of records to sub-
mit documents to the inspection of the his-
torian, is a circumstance which excites the
suspicion in the mind, that the facts related are
of such a character as would prove detrimental
to the reputation of the institution, if made
public.
Poutrincourt, the French colonist, had been
laboring for some time in Acadie, when, about
1610, the infant settlement found itself weak,
and in need of aid. They accordingly sent to
the parent country for assistance. The mother
of the then infant King, Louis XIII, more re-
gardful of the spiritual than of the temporal
condition of the new world, instead of dis-
patching food and clothing, sent two Jesuit
* Hist. Coll. Maine, p. 310.
22 INDIAN HISTORY.
Priests, in the persons of the fathers Biart and
Masse. The authorities would not receive them,
unless they would maintain themselves, and
2,000 crowns, charitably given them in France,
enabled them to make the journey.
These Jesuits, like the most of their colabor-
ers, the world over, had an eye to the peltries
as well as to the souls of their heathen chil-
dren, and this contribution enabled them to
ti'affic in both commodities to great advantage.
On their arrival at Acadie, however, they
found Poutrincourt indisposed to allow them
temporal rule, and they were forced to confine
themselves to their spiritual measures. Father
Biart went to Kennebec, where, says Gov.
Lincoln, " he exchanged the Ught and knowl-
edge of his doctrines for provisions for the in-
habitants of Port Royal.'' He was well treated
however, and succeeded prosperously. Masse
is not known to have arrived at Kennebec.
Soon after the arrival of these, namely, in
161 3j Quentin and Gilbert du Thet were sent
over, and all seemed promising for great suc-
cess, when Argal, a settler in Virginia, attacked
the settlement where the Du Thets were, killed
one of the brothers, and entirely destroyed
their prospects. The forementioned priests be-
long to the history of this region only from the
occasional visits they paid to the Canibas.^
* The entire Indian population of Maine in 1615 was probably
about 37,000, including 11,000 warriors. The Abenaques num-
bered 17,000, including 5,000 warriors. Of these probably about
1,500 warriors, or an entire number of about 5,000, lived on the
Kennehec, and were known as Kennebecs or Canibas.
IXDIAX HISTORY. 23
The first regularly settled evangelist among the
Kennebecs, was
Gabriel Dreuillettes. With that spirit of
self-sacrifice and implicit obedience, Avhich
characterizes the Jesuit, and which sends him
without a murmur of complaint, at the request
of his superior, from all the luxuries and ad-
vantages of civilized life, to the inclemencies
of polar snows or tropic suns, to undergo hard-
ships and privations for the good of souls, and
the advancement of supposed truth, this apos-
tle of Christ left his home in the year 1646,
and stationed himself on the lonely Kennebec.
Here he built a chapel of fir trees, in the same
year, and commenced his work at Norridge-
wock. It was the first church ever built on
the Kennebec river. So faithful had the good
Father Biart been, and so well had he illus-
trated his teachings in his life, that Dreuillettes
found the fallow ground broken up, ready to
receive the seed of the gospel, on his arrival.
He succeeded in converting great numbers of
the Kennebecs, and he impressed them all with
a love for the Catholic religion, which the
Enghsh, thirty years previous, had sought in
vain to do for the Protestant. He taught the
natives the Catholic creed, taught them to pray,
and rendered many old hymns into their lan-
guage, ~^ and set them to music, which often
woke strange and unwonted echoes in the for-
est solitudes of the Kennebec. The news of
his success obtained the establishment of a
^ " Day nf Judgment, day of wonders,^' was one.
24 INDIAN HISTORY.
mission. He possessed great influence among
the Kennebecs, and negociated for their pro-
tection against their foes. The Cathohc ver-
sions of his labors are adorned with many
wonderful miracles, and his name ranks among
the saints of the new world. Whenever a
sick person was brought to him, he made the
sign of the cross, uttered some holy phrase,
and administered a little medicine^ and thus
very often performed a miracle. Whether the
same result would not have followed, had the
medicine been used, and the sign and phrase
dispensed with, history does not declare. The
English were fully acquainted with the power
and influence of the Catholic apostle, and they
made him many overtures. But the faithful
priest, with an "eye single to the glory*' of
Catholicism, continued to convert the Indians
to his religion, excite them against the English,
give them the bread of life for the meat that
perisheth, or in other words, what he deemed
gospel truth for beaver skins and moose meat,
until he was called away to another field of
labor further nortli. The chapel he had erected
was destroyed in 1674, by English hunters, and
was rebuilt in 1687, by English workmen sent
from Boston, according to treaty stipulations.
It was of hewn timber, and for the day and
country, Avas a good building. The next mis-
sionaries were the brothers
Vincent and Jaques Bigot. — These fathers
were of the Barons Bigot, among the nobility of
France. They left all the temporal luxuries
of their estate in civiHzed life, and abode
INDIAN HISTORY. 25
among the Abnakies. " Their domicil was a
rude hut of bark, theh bed, bear-skins spread
upon the earth, their dishes were taken from
the birch tree, and their food, the sagamite and
the game which the savages furnished them."^
Vincent dwelt usually on the Penobscot, but
Jaques was on the Kennebec.
Governor Andross made great efforts to
obtain the Canibas as allies, but Mons. De-
nonville affirms that they would not desert the
French, and attributes their faithfulness to the
fathers Bigot. Jaques Avent to Montreal in
1699, at the time when the English were
endeavoring to negociate with the Indians on
the Kennebec. Such were his representations.
that the Canadian Governor would not inter-
fere. In reply to the advances of the English,
the Kennebecs declared that they would not
allov/ English houses to occupy their soil, but
that they would cleave to the French, and live
and die in the light of their rehgion.
On a certain occasion, the elder brother, Vin-
cent, t went with the red men against New
England, and on their return homewards, they
were pursued. Vincent entreated them to flee,
as the force was more numerous than their
own, but they refused, and marched very
leisurely. They were overtaken, and a hard
battle was fought, in which not a Kennebec
was slain, while the English reti'eated, leaving
the ground covered with the dead bodies ot
their companions. This great victory is one
^ Enoch Lincoln. t Charlevoix.
26 IXDIAN HISTORY.
of the Catholic mhacles, — materially accom-
plished, however, by hard fighting. Besides
those previously mentioned, the Jesuit Thury
resided at Penobscot, and v/as possessed of
great influence aniong the Abnakies. After
the conquest of Acadie in 1687, the French,
and especially the Priests, saAV the soil they had
won, and the converts they had made, sliding
from their grasp, and their efforts to regain and
retain were desperate. Thury was very zeal-
ous. Said he : " By the religion I have taught ;
by the liberty you love, T exhort you to resist
them " (the unsparing Ncav Englanders.) . . .
" The hatchet must be cleaned of its rust, to
avenge God of his enemies, and to secure to
you your rights. INight and day a continual
prayer shall ascend to him for your success ;
an unceasing rosary shall be observed, until
you return covered with the glory of triumph."
The capture of fort Pemaquid followed this
language, and such as this. Thus the priests
of the New World excited miniature crusades,
and caused blood to flow, out of love to Christ.
The Abenakies seem to have been most
peaceably inclined to the whites,^ on the
original settlement of New England, but
repeated acts of the most violent and grossest
wrong, and the advice of the priests, and the
hypocritical pretensions of the French, roused
all the vengeful passions that dwell in the red
man's breast. Marauding parties of pilgrims,
=^ '^ During fifty years, the planters and traders of Maine had
great intercourse with the natives, undisturbed by any open
rupture. — Williamson^ voh i., p. 498.
INDIAN HISTORY. 27
under the sanction of the broad seal of the
State, surprised Indian villages, and carried
into abject slavery, men, Vv''omen, and children,
and in the larger settlements, as Boston and
elsewhere, compelled them to the most menial
offices. As early as 1614, Capt. John Smith's
companion, Thomas Hunt, remained behind
Smith, who sailed for England, July 8. Smith
says : " Hnnt purposely tarried behind, to pre-
vent me from making a plantation, to monopo-
lise the trade, and to steal savages^ Squanto
was one whom Hunt captured. He was a
Wampanoag. Besides these, other minor out-
rages, as the devastation of fields, and the
destruction of their wigwams, fully convinced
the Indians that cupidity and love of conquest
were darling passions in the souls of the English,
and at length they began to seek revenge. It
is believed that the first instance of aggression
on the part of a Kennebec Indian has yet to
be recorded by the pen of history. Blame is
not attache^ exclusively to either the French or
English nation. The latter made every effort
to obtain the alliance of the Eastern Indians
in vain, while the former succeeded. The
English were successful with the Massachu-
setts. Both were unscrupulous.
Many of the settlers along the Kennebec,
having fire-arms and ammunition, which the
English had prohibited the Indians, drove away
the Indians from the the land they had culti-
vated, and left them to suffer, and in many
cases to perish for want of food. Accordingly,
on the breaking out of King Phihp's war, many
28 INDIAN HISTORY.
of the Eastern Indians were found ready and
willing to join against the EngUsh. The latter,
conscious of their wrong-doing, endeavored to
pacify them, and a great council Avas held at
Taconnet, at which Madokawando, Assimi-
nasqua, Hopewood, Mogg, and other distin-
guished Chiefs, were present. Complaints
were offered by the Indians, and the English
promised a sort of redress. Madokawando,
however, wishing for something definite, asked :
'^Must ive perish, or fiij to the French for protec-
tion ? " The English virtually answered, fly to
the French, for they assured them that if they
waited ten years, they could not have powder.
The French were resorted to, and they gave
what the English refused, and the scenes of
war and massacre that succeeded were natural
results.
Mogg was soon after enticed on board of a
vessel, and carried to Boston. On his release,
he used all his influence against the whites.
Major Waldron, in February, 1677, came
suddenly upon a party of Indians, at Pemaquid,
by whom the English were invited to a treaty,
but as they found arms among them, they
inferred that they Avere enemies, and fired upon
them. A bloody fight ensued, in which many
were killed, and several Indians taken prison-
ers. Among the rest was a sister of Madok-
awando.
The treaty of Casco, in 1678, at the end of
King Philip's war, Avas considered disgraceful
to the English. The Eastern Indians dictated
the folio w^ing terms : 1. All captives were
INDIAN HISTORY. 29
to be released. 2. All inhabitants were to
enjoy their possessions unmolested. 3. The
English were to pay a quit-rent to the Indians
for their lands, of a peck of corn for each
Enghsh family.'^ This latter exaction was
just, for lands had been taken from them im-
properly ; but the success which they met with
in Philip's war emboldened them to dictate as
they did.
It was a party under Madokawando, that,
February 5, 1692, laid waste York. Seventy-
five people were slain, and eighty-five taken
prisoners. Madokawando led his braves in
other attacks upon white settlements, and
gained himself much renown. He died in 1698.
Hannah Swarton, who was carried captive
from Falmouth, in 1690, by the Indians, to
Canada, after incredible hardships, tarried a
short time on her journey at Norridgewock.f
About the year 1675, the contemporary
sachems of the tribes of Abenakies were these :
Squando of the SoJwMs ; Tarumkin of the
AnasagunticoolxS ; and Robinhood of the (7am-
has. They were considerably attached to each
other, and the great war of 1675, known as
King Phihp's war,1: may be ascribed to the
^ Neal's New England, p. 407.
t Mather's Magnalia, p. 306 - 12.
4 In Williamson's Histor}^ of INIaine, we find the following list
of the wars and principal treaties with the Eastern tribes : —
Musrg's treaty, November 6, 1676. —2 'NeaVs New England^
p. 403 - 5.
1. King Philifs war, from June 24. 1675, to the treaty of
Casco, April 12, 1678. — Massachusetts Records. Treaty of
Portsmouth, Sept., 8, U^5. — Belhiaph New Hampshire,]). 348.
2. King William's war, from August 13, 1688, to the treaty of
Marepoint, Brunswick, January 7, \m9. — 2Mathefs Magnor
3*
30 INDIAN HISTORY.
affronts which the Indians had received, and
the part which they took, grew out of their own
wrongs. Tarnmkin and Robinhood were fast
friends. The latter was very unwiUing to join
in any hostihties, and would do so only when
the wrongs which his friends suffered obliged
him to fear for his country and race. " Hope-
hood, his son, was a young warrior, who
panted for glory ; and the tribe became active
in the war before it closed." ^
On the arrival of the news of the outbreak of
Philip's war, the scattered settlers of Maine
were filled with alarm, and a party of men
went up the Kennebec, to ascertain the dispo-
sition of the Indians. They met with five
Anasagunticooks, and seven Canibas, all of
whom surrendered their arms. While the con-
ference was going on, Soiven, a Canibas Indian,
lia. p. 556-7. Treaty of Peramaquid, August 11, 1693. —
2 Mather'^ M.ignalia, p. 542-3, entire.
3. Queen Anne's icnr^ from August, 1703. to the treaty of Ports-
mouth. Julv 11, 1713. — Penkalluw's Indian Wars. 1 Collection
New Hampshire Historical Society, p. 83 - 6.
4. LociWfirs War. from June 13. 1722. to Dnmrner's treaty,
December 15, 1725. — Sccretari/s Office, Boston.
5. Spani^sk. or jive ye irs' Indian war, from July 19, 1745,
to the treaty of Falrnnuth, October 16, 1749. 9 Collection
Afassachusclis Historical Society, p. 220 - 3. Treaty of Halifax,
Auiiust 15, 1749. — Secretary's Office, Boston.
6. French, and Indian war, from Apiil, 1755, to the treaty of
Halifax. February 22, 1760; and PownaPs treaty, April 29. —
Secretary's Office.
* William.sou, vol. i.. p 517. In all of these six Indian wars,
the Kennchecs, and in all but the last, the Norridgewogs espe-
cially, were actively eniraq;ed. Sometimes they were led by an
Abenaque chief, and sometimes by a Penobscot., or Elechemin, but
they were uutirin;^ in seeking revenge. A complete history of
the Canibas would be a recital of all the Indian wars of the East.
Let it suffice to state thus much generally, and glance at the
.leading particulars.
INDIAN HISTORY. 31
struck at one of the whites, Hosea Mallet, and
endeavored to take his Ufe. He was instantly
seized, and confined in a cellar, and his com-
panions confessed that he deserved death, but
offered a ransom of forty beaver skins for
his life. He was at length released, and his
companions were regaled with tobacco and
a feast, and Robinhood, to commemorate the
occasion, celebrated it in a dance, and songs
and shouts.^ He who reads the records of
these times, cannot avoid believing that the
Kennebecs were most peaceably disposed.
The affront which Squando, the sagamore of
the Sokokis, received, undoubtedly awakened
the sympathy of his friends on the Kennebec.
His squaw was passing along on the Saco, in a
canoe, with an infant child, when some rude
sailors met her, and having heard that Indian
children could swim naturally, they overturned
the canoe. The child sunk, and the mother,
diving after it, brought it up, and swam to the
shore. The child soon after died, and the
parents very properly attributed its death to the
injuries it received. Squando thereafter used
all his efforts to unite and exasperate the
Eastern Indians against the EngUsh, and
whatever acts of violence the well-disposed
Kennebecs afterwards committed, may be
attributed to this act, and such as these, t
The villages on the frontiers, and the few
scattering, hardy settlers, suffered from the
Norridgewocks in all the Indian wars. Hal-
lowell was depopulated in the first Indian war.
t Hubbard; Indian Wars, p. 330-1.
32 INDIAN HISTOBY.
The last and greatest of the Jesuits in Amer-
ica was
Sebastian Rale, who v/as born in Franche-
Comte, France, in the year 1657. He was
educated a priest of the Jesuit order, and em-
barked at Rochelle, July 23, 1689, for America,^
filled with ardor and zeal to convert the hea-
then to the Christian faith. He arrived Octo-
ber 13th of the same year. When he first
came over, and for two years after, he resided
in a small Abnaki village near Quebec, and at
different periods he visited probably nearly all
of the northern tribes. He succeeded in learn-
ing the Abnaki language, in preparing a dic-
tionary, and also in learning other Indian
tongues. He lived with the savages as one of
them, and succeeded in devoting them all to
his person in a surprising manner. They
regarded him as a superior being. And what-
ever fault may be found with his theology,
candor must reverence the beauty of that life
and those teachings, which the Red Man so
admired. He "pointed them to heaven, and
led the way." In the words of a sachem of
the times : " The Friars taught them to pray to
their God, which the English never did." He
was recalled by his superiors, after two years,
and ordered to the lUinois. He spent three
months at Quebec, learning the Algonquin
language, and embarked August 13, 1692, for
his station. He abode among the Huron s and
Iroquois for a short season, spent two years
^ Mass. Hist. Collection, 1819, p. 250.
INDIAN HISTORY. 33
among the Illinois, and then resorted, as he
styles it, to Kinibiki, to devote the rest of his
days TO the " service of the Abnakis." His or-
thography of our river, together with the sim-
ilar word, Kenebeca, used by Capt. John Smith,
seems to indicate that Kenebeca may have
been the proper name of the country originally
ruled by Kenebis.
It was about the beginning of the year 1689
that he came to Norridgewock. He immedi-
ately commenced his duties, and began to pre-
pare himself for the great work which he
designed to accomplish. He learned the lan-
guage, customs, and habits of the Abnakis ;
and with that deep insight into human nature
which he possessed, he laid his plans to pro-
mote success. He commenced a dictionary,
which was taken at his death, and which con-
tains some five hundred pages of words and
definitions, quarto. The manuscript is now in
Harvard Library, at Cambridge. On a fly leaf
are these words : " II y a un an que je suis
parmi les sauvages je commence a mettre en
ordre en forme de dictionaire les mots que
j'apprens." ^
He found the Indians acquainted with the
art of making candles ; for, he says, that with
twenty-four pounds of the wax of the bayberry,
and twenty- four pounds of tallow, he made one
hundred candles, one foot in length, which he
used for the purpose of illuminating his chapel,
* " T have been about a year among the savages, and now
begin to arrange, in the form of a dictionary, the words that I
learn." — 1 3Iem. Am. Academy, vol. iv., p. 358.
34 INDIAN UISTORY.
which was at first a mere hut. In 1697 or '98,
however, a more convenient one was erected.
Gov. Villebon, in a letter to Stoughton, claimed
all the land as far west as the Kennebec, from
the lake to the sea. He proposed leaving the
course of the river free to both nations, and the
Indians on both sides free.
Rule's success was astonishing. In a very
short period of time he had so impressed the
Indians, that they were thoroughly Catholic ;
and whatever may be said by partisans, they
were milder and kinder, and more like Chris-
tians, and their conduct was better towards
their enemies, than that of their Indian neigh-
bors ; — nay, was not wanting, when weighed
in the balance with that of the EngUsh Chris-
tians.
Both Catholics and Protestants seem to have
been desirous of making Religion the hand-
maid of Trade. They sought to make con-
verts, to lower the price of furs. To this rule
there were honorable exceptions ; and among
those who labored for the good of souls, exclu-
sively, and whose minds were pure and honest,
Rale must, by impartial history, be placed
high.
The English looked with great disgust on
the Catholic conquests, and sought to counter-
act them. Accordingly King William estab-
lished, about 1700, the " Society in England,
for propagating the gospel in foreign parts." It
received great contributions, sent forth many
missionaries, but so much more captivating
were the manners and teachings of the Jesuits
INDIAN HISTORY. 35
than those of the Protestants, that they could
not " win to Christ " the unsophisticated sons
of nature. The seed dispensed by Rale fell on
congenial soil ; and in less than six years he
beheld the tribe at Narrantsoak obedient as
children to his wishes, and ready, in the spirit
of the church militant, to say masses to the
souls of departed saints, or slay living and ob-
stinate heretics.
Nov. 29, 1690, a truce was consummated at
Sagadahock, by commissioners from Massa-
chusetts, and six Sagamores, among whom
were Egeremet alias Moxus, Toqualunt, and
Watombamet of Kennebec.^ At this time
the condition of Maine was truly deplorable.
Wells, I'ork, Kitter}^, and the Isle of Shoals
only remained, and the people at each of these
posts were fearfully looking for that destruction
which seemed to threaten them every moment.
The Indians made repeated attacks on these
places, and seemed bent on the extirpation of
the white race in the eastern portion of the
continent. The treaty w^as not kept. Contin-
ual outbreaks were occurring, and again, Aug.
11, 1692, a treaty was formed at Pemaquid.
Among the sachems w^ho agreed to it were
AYassambomet and Ketteramogis, of Norridge-
wock, and Bomazeen and Wenobson, of Ta-
connet.
This treaty was no better observed than the
one previous, for Sieur de Yillieu, an agent of
Frontenac, assisted by Rale, instigated f a com-
* Williamson, vol. i., p. 626.
t Fit instruments to effect his purpose, were the French mis-
sionaries, all of whom were ready, with tearful eye, to preach
36 INDIAN HISTORY.
pany of twenty Indians, under Madockawandoj
Bomazeen and Toxus, to march against and
destroy Dover, N. H., which they did, July 18,
1693. They also attacked many other places
in Maine.
Soon after this gross violation of the treaty,
several Indians were seized and imprisoned,
among whom was Bomazeen, who Nov. 19,
visited the fort at Pemaquid, under command
of Captain March, pretending to be a stranger
from Canada, ignorant of the recent outbreak.
He and those with him were seized, and sent
to Boston. They would have been ransom-
ed but for the great ^ poverty and misery of
the Indians. Still they were mcited by the
French, and constantly made petty attacks on
the whites.
Sheepcot John was sent to the Abnakies to
arrange a negociation of prisoners. He obtain-
ed a flotilla of fifty canoes, which met a de-
tachment of Englishmen, May 20, 1695, at Fort
William Henry, Kntherford's Island. A trace
was entered into for thirty days, and a confer-
ence was held ; but the Enghsh commissioners
refused to treat, because the white prisoners
were not produced. This offended the Indians,
and they angrily inquired, " Where are Boma-
zeen, Robin Doney, and others ? We will
talk no more." The conference, thereupon,
from a text in their creed — *• that it is no sin to break faith
with heretics."
^ '' Such were their uncommon miseiies, that humanity weeps
over tliem. Besides famine, in which their English prisoners
were the most wretched sharers, — a mortal sickness was rag-
ing among them."
INDIAN HISTORY. 37
broke up, and savages were infesting the settle-
ments throughout the summer.
The language of the Norridgewogs was one
of the most harmonious dialects of the best of
Indian tongues. A few extracts are sufficient
to show us that it was peculiarly beautiful and
rich. " Alas," says old Duponceau, "if the
beauties of the Leni-lenape language were
found in the ancient Coptic, or an ancient
Babylonish dialect, how would the learned of
Europe be at work to display them in a variety
of shapes, and raise a thousand fanciful theories
on that foundation. " Though not so flowing,
the language of the INorridgewogs was particu-
larly synthetic. Entire English sentences were
formed with a single Indian word, and in all
their intercourse with the French and Enghsh,
especially with the former, — and although
they lived in common with Father Rale and
his compeers, the Norridgewock dialect of the
Abnaki tongue, was never augmented by
foreign additions.^ Gov. Lincoln presents us
with several specimens of that tongue, which
from their beauty and simplicity astonish us.
Instead of giving all parts of speech in a com-
plicated sentence, a single word is modified to
meet all emergencies. Thus: nepeshessamon
— I break it ; napooskoonamon — I break it
with the hand ; najmosJcooadahmon — I break
it with the teeth ; 7%apooshooafikamon — I break
it with the feet. Their vocabulary was that of
poetry. Thus, when we find the Indian word
^ Maine Hist. Coll., p. 313.
4
38 INDIAN HISTORY.
God, signifying " the great Father of Life," the
name alone elevates the thoughts and kindles
the fancy.
After showing that the Norridgewog tongue
possessed many advantages ascribed to the
Greek and Sanscrit, and other of the most
admired tongues in the world, he makes the
following random citations, illustrative of his
position. I sing — nakeeooahhahdoo ; I sing
quick — nanahhahronmootahmen ; I sing slowly
— namonnahronmootahmen ; I sing to cause
dancing — nanahooahdwa ; I sing well — noo-
rinte ; I sing badly — nomatrinto ; I sing the
death song — nametsitsintoo ; &c." These
phrases, and the proper names which abound
where this tribe formerly dwelt, when properly
pronounced, show us that for poetical form and
signification, and rich beauty, this northern
tongue is unsurpassed by that of any of the
Indian tribes. There were other modes of com-
munication, mostly hieroglyphical, as by belts,
shells, drawings, &:c. Gov. Lincoln relates,
that Father Rale, on a particular occasion, was
absent from his post, and that one of his savage
friends was convinced of his death, and deter-
mined to acquaint the rest of the tribe of the
fact ; he painted with a coal on a piece of birch
bark, Father Rale surrounded by English, with
his head cut oflf by one of them. This he
placed on a stake, on the bank of a river. Its
communication was understood, and it filled
the tribe with alarm. They also drew charts
of routes on birch bark, laying out rips, carrying
places, falls, &c., with great precision. I pre-
INDIAN HISTORY. 39
sent a few Norridgewock phrases and their
signilication : messeeivee — all ; ooasoos — bear ;
merah'oo -^ tongue ; ahnoodee — a way ; nanan-
mah — slowly ; noska — squirrel ; ooscikooes —
an orphan girl ; ooesoomenar — yellow corn ;
shdlmioon — indian corn.
Numbers in the Norridgewock language.^
Ij pezeko ; 2, niss ; 3, nass ; 4, ieo ; 5, baren-
esko ; 6, negodaus ; 7, taubaovans ; 8, ntsaiisek ;
9, norioi; 10, mtara ; 1,000, negodamgoaki.
The strophe of a hymn at the elevation of
the host, commencing " O salutaris Hostia,"
reads, Kighist oui nuanurouinus spem kik papili
go ii damek Nemeani oui kouidau ghabenk Taha
sau grihine. " O saving sacrifice, who art con-
tinually offered, and who givest life, thou by
whom we enter Heaven, we are constantly
assailed ; O strengthen us."
The benighted neighbors of the Norridge-
wogs caused the good father Rale some anx-
iety ; but in at least one recorded instance he
poured that oil on the troubled waters which
smoothed their raging, and made them obe-
dient to his will. In the year 1C97 word was
brought to him that the A^naUngans, a tribe
that had steadily repelled all the approaches of
Christianity, were about settling within a day's
travel of Norridgewock. This news appalled
the good Father. He feared that the plant
which had began its healthy growth in the
desert would wither before this bad influence,
and that his children would return to their sav-
^ Rale's Vocabulary, Mem. Arn. Acad. John Pickering.
40 INDIAN HISTORY.
age and heathen condition ; and accordingly
he put all the arts of the Jesuit into requisition,
and endeavored to ward off the impending
blow. When some of the Amalingans came
to stipulate with the Kennebecs, Rale took
them into the temple, and having appealed to
then imagination and uncultivated feelings
with his mysterious ceremonies, he addressed
them in the most pliant language his seductive
tongue could modulate. " For a long time,
my children,^ I have desired to see you ; now
that I have that happiness, my heart cannot
contain its joy. Think of the pleasure that a
father experiences, who tenderly loves his chil-
dren, when he revisits them after a long ab-
sence, during which they have incurred the
greatest dangers, and you will conceive a part
of mine ; for although you do not yet pray, I
still regard you as my children, and entertain
for you the affection of a father, inasmuch as
you are children of the Great Spirit, who is the
author of being as well to you as to those who
pray ; who has created the heaven for you as
well as for them, and who thinks of you as he
thinks of them, and of me, that they may en-
joy an eternal happiness. That which pains
me, and diminishes the joy of this meeting, is
* " I was then/' says Rale, ''occupied in receiving the con-
'fessions of my Indians, which lasted the whole of that (Corpus
Christi) day, the night following, and the next day even till
noon, when commenced the Procession of the Consecrated Host.
This was conducted with much order and devotion, and although
in the middle of these forests, with more of magnificence and
pomp, than you can well imagine. This spectacle, which was
entirely new to the Amalingans, attracted their attention and
excited their admiration."
INDIAN HISTORY. 41
the reflection that I shall one day be separated
from a part of my children, of whom their lot
will be eternal misery, because they do not
pray ; — while the others who pray, will pos-
sess the joy which endures forever. When I
reflect on this fatal separation, can I have a
heart at ease ? The joy I feel for the happiness
of the one, does not balance the affliction I
suffer for the misery of the other. If prevented
from prayer by insurmountable obstacles, and
remaining in the state in which you are, I
could procure your admission into heaven, I
would spare nothing to obtain you that bless-
ing. I would aid you, I would cause you all
to enter there, so much do I love you, so much
do I desire your happiness ; but that is impos-
sible. It is necessary to pray, it is necessary
to be baptized to be enabled to enter into that
abode of pleasure." He then continued by
explaining the Catholic faith, appeahng to
their sympathies to found a mission, and con-
cluded thus : " Let us not separate, that some
may go in one way, and some in another. Let
us all go into heaven ; it is our country, it is
the place to which we are invited by the sole
master of life, of whom I am but the inter-
preter." ^
The reply of the Amalingans was evasive,
but the ceremonies and address had evidently
made a deep impression upon them. They
concluded by asldng Rale to wait until autumn
for their answer. At that time, the Amahn-
* Maine Hist. Coll., vol. L, p. 333-4.
4*
42 INDIAN HISTORY.
gans sent word by a Norridgewog who visited
them, and in the name of RcUe besought their
answer, as follows :
" We cannot forget our fathers words while
we have a heart, for they have been so deeply
engraved that nothing can efface them. We
are persuaded that he loves us; we wish to
listen to him, and to comply with his wishes.
We consent to his proposition, and we see
nothing but what is good and praiseworthy ;
we are determined to embrace it, and should
before this time have gone to visit our father in
his village, if he had been furnished with pro-
visions sufficient for our subsistence during the
time consecrated to our instruction. But in
what condition shall we find him there ? We
know that famine is in the cabin of our father,
and we are doubly afflicted that he is suffering,
and that we cannot go to receive instruction.
If our father will come to pass some time with
us, we will furnish him with provisions, and
he shall instruct vis."
This invitation was accepted, -and Rale em-
barked in a canoe for their village. Before he
arrived, a salute of musketry assured him of
the friendly enthusiasm of the Amalingans,
and gave him an earnest of the success he met
with. He erected a cross and chapel, and suc-
ceeded in baptizing the entire tribe. When he
departed for Norridgewock, the Indians testi-
fied their thanks in language that must have
been sincere. " It seems to us now," said
they, "that we have a new heart. All that
gave us pain is dissipated, our thoughts are no
INDIAN HISTORY. 43
longer wavering, baptism has fortified ns in-
wardly, and we are resolved to honor it all our
lives." This pledge was fully redeemed. In
peace and war, in plenty and famine, the Ken-
nebecs and Amalingans buried the hatchet in
earth, or sunk its edge in human blood, as the
French priests and rulers requested. Their
lightest word was stringent law.
The Kennebecs demanded that their church,
which had been destroyed by Col. Hilton in
1705, should be rebuilt. Accordingly an em-
bassy was sent to Boston to effect that result.
The governor wished to improve the opportu-
nity to secure the alliance of the Kennebecs,
in the event of subsequent troubles. While
the embassy was in Boston, he addressed them
to that end ; he assured them, that although it
belonged to the governor of Canada to rebuild
their church, yet he would gladly do it in his
stead. He assured them that he would treat
them with more friendship than the French
governor had done. '^ For me," said he, " I
defend myself as I can, but he xiiakes use of
you to protect him, and then abandons you. I
will deal better with you ; for I will not only
furnish you workmen, I am willing also to pay
them, and to be at the expense of building the
edifice you are desirous to have constructed ;
but as it is not reasonable that I, who am an
Englishman, should build you a church with-
out providing a minister to take care of it, and
to teach you prayer, I will give you one with
whom you shall be satisfied, and you must
send to Quebec the French minister who is in
your village."
44 INDIAN HISTORY.
The answer of the Indians was full of sar-
casm and sathe, and reveals to us one fact :
that the English missionaries were no better
than the French priests. At least we may say,
that if the French were as bad, their exquisite
art concealed their intentions. Said the In-
dians :
" When you came here, you saw me a long
time before the French governors knew me ;
but neither your predecessors, nor their ser-
vants, ever spoke to me of prayer^ or of the Great
Spirit. They have seen my peltries, my shins of
the heaver and the deer, and of those only have
THEY taken thought. Tliosc they have sought
with eagerness. I could not furnish them
enough, and ivhen I brought them many, I was
THEIR GREAT FRIEND, — that was all. Ou the
contrary, my canoe being one day lost, I mis-
took my course and wandered a long time by
chance, until I stopped near to Quebec, at a
great village of the Algonkins, where the black
coats lived. Scarcely had I arrived, when a
black coat came to see me. I was loaded
with peltries. The French black coat did not
even deign to look at them. He spoke to me
at once of the Great Spirit, of paradise, of hell,
and of prayer, by which is the only path to
heaven, I listened to him with pleasure, and
relished so well his conversation, that I stayed
a lono: time in that villao^e to hear him. Fi-
nally, prayer was agreeable to me ; I engaged
him to teach me ; I demanded and received
baptism. . . . My people, emulous of my
happiness, sought to partake it, and they also
INDIAN HISTORY. 45
went to find the black coat, and demanded
baptism. Thus have the French conducted
towards me. If when you saw me you had
spoken to me of prayer, / should have had the
misfortune of praying as you do, for I was not
capable of distinguishing whether your prayer
was good. Thus I tell you that I hold fast the
prayer of the French. I like it and will pre-
serve it until the earth shall burn up and per-
ish. Keep then your workmen, your money,
and your minister. I will mention them to
you no more. I will tell the French governor,
my father, to send them to me." The English
governor did not insist on his terms, but built
the chapel.
Rale says : " The Governor-general of New
England sent to the lower part of the river the
most able of the ministers ^ of Boston, to es-
tablish there a school to instruct the children
of the Indians, and maintain them at the
expense of the government. As the pay of
the minister was to increase in proportion to
the number of scholars, he neglected nothing
which could attract them. He went himself
to seek them out ; he caressed them ; he made
them little presents ; he pressed them to come
and see him ; in fine, he gave himself the
trouble of many useless manoeuvres during
two months, without being able to gain a sin-
gle child."
Rale opposed his labors, and wrote him a
letter, in which he informed him that his neo-
* Rev. Joseph Baxter, of Medfield.
46 INDIAN HISTORY.
phytes were good Christians, but not able dis-
putants ; and attempted to prove, from Scrip-
ture and tradition, the " verities of tlie Cathohc
faith." The letter, which was about one hun-
dred pages in length, challenged the Protestant
to a discussion. Rale complains, that Baxter
sent him a short answer, and took his depar-
ture for Boston, and that the Latin of his cor-
respondent was so bad, that he could only
" comprehend it at last, by dint of study." At
the end of two years, he received another an-
swer, which did not enter at all into the sub-
ject-matter of discussion. Thus ended the
efforts of the Protestants to establish their reli-
gion on the Kennebec.
The Indians were in great distress in 1708,
having scarcely food or raiment. The Kenne-
becs and Penobscots would have been, but for
their trade with the English, — a fact which
old Charlevoix chuckles over considerably.^
The Norridgewogs were very busy, and were
a source of much trouble to the English in
Queen Anne's war. About 1710, according to
Rale, "they spread themselves over about
twenty leagues of territory, filled with villages,
hamlets and mansions ; on the day designated
they made their attack early in the morning,
and that single day swept away all that the
English possessed there, killed more than two
hundred, and took five hundred prisoners."!
There were five parties, and they returned
with ten canoes filled with valuable plunder.
* Pp. 100-20. t Early Jesuits, p. 55.
INDIAN HISTORY. 47
Throughout the war, they laid waste the Eng-
Hsh possessions, and filled the settlements with
distress, although there were but two hundred
and Mty warriors. These outrages were all
attributed to Rale, and a reward of a thousand
pounds sterling was offered for his head.
Those who signed the treaty of 1713, at
Casco, were Warraeensit, Wadacanaquin, Bo-
niazeen, and others. Moxus would not sign.
The modes in which the several wars and
treaties were made, are very differently related
by the English and French historians. Rale
and Penhallow, Charlevoix and Hutchinson,
give altogether different versions. One charges
all to the English, and the other all to the
French. " The golden mean lies between."
At the Arrowsic meeting, in August, 1717,
the Canibas chiefs led in council. The gover-
nor offered them an English and Indian Bible,
and Rev. Mr. Baxter as a minister. They re-
fused all advances peremptorily, and chose to
adhere to the Catholic creed, saying, " All peo-
ple love their own ministers. Your bibles we
do not care to keep ; — God has given us
teaching, and should we go from that, we
should offend God."
The English insisted on certain claims east
of the river, and the Indians denied those
claims. The difference was so wide, that the
Indians threw their English flag on the ground,
and entering their canoes, they paddled to
another island. In the evening they returned,
bringing a letter from Rale,^ addressed to
^ Williamson, vol. ii.. p. 92.
48 INDIAN HISTORY.
Governor Shute, declaring that the King of
France had never, by any treaty, ceded the
lands of the Indians to the English, and that
he would defend them from their aggressions,
at all hazards. His interference highly incensed
the governor, and as he made immediate prep-
arations for embarkation, and as the Indians
were not ready for war, they begged to be
further heard, and asked for the flag they had
insulted. It was at length agreed that the
English should settle wheresoever they had
purchased, and that the Indians should hunt
and fish where they chose. The published
correspondence of Rale is considerable, while
his unpublished letters are very numerous. He
met the arguments and accusations of the Eng-
lish with great adroitness. He was not, however,
always quite so successful. In August, 1718,
he sent a letter to Governor Shute, in the
course of which he says : " Ecclesia abhor ret a
sanguiner ^ To which the governor repUed :
" I suppose you mean vera Ecclesia,^ the church
of God, built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner stoneP
Charlevoix says, the Canibas sang the war
song in 1720, and that they generally built the
great council fire at Narantsouak, or Norridge-
wock. — Nouvelle Erancais, iv., p. 120. In the
year following, however, the Indians began
to discover the folly of waging war with their
powerful foes, and they sued for peace. Rale
steadily, though cautiously, opposed pacific
* " The church abhors blood." f '' The true church."
IXDIAN HISTORY. . 49
measures, but the peaceful movement prevail-
ed, and Ouikouiroumet was sent to Boston to
treat with the English. It was agreed to allow
no injuries to be done to the EngUsh, and two
hundred beaver skins and four hostages were
sent to Boston as pledges of fidelity. Rale sent
an Indian runner to Vaudreuil, with the
particulars of this unwelcome movement, and
the governor immediately replied. He raved
sadly at the Indians, and told them that he had
secured the services of the villages of St.
Francois and Becancourt to sustain the people
of Nor ridge wo ck, and that if they gave way,
the English would have others to deal with.
He sent Father de la Chasse and Lieutenant
de Croisel to Norridgewock, to strengthen
them in their attachment to the French interest,
and to endeavor to draw the cords of alliance
between them and the Penobscots.
There were, as a result of these movements,
two parties in the village and tribe : — the war
party and the peace party. The former were
instigated by Rale, and the latter were warned
by their fears, strengthened by experience.
About two hundred of those at Penobscot and
Kennebec were prevailed upon to go down to
Padeshal's island, Georgetown, accompanied
by Rale, La Chasse, Croisel, and Castine,^ in
August. The main body remained behind,
* Baron De St. Castine was a Frenchman, born in Oleron.
He came to America as an ofRcer, but at length moved to the
Penobscot, and began to live among the Abnakies. He married
a daughter of Madokawando, and becam.e entirely domesticated
among the savages. Such was his conduct and character, that
he irained the entire confidence and veneration of the Penob-
50 INDIAN HISTORY.
while the leaders continued their journey to
Arrowsick, where they had an interview with
Penhallow who commanded. They gave him
a letter, probably written by Eale, addressed to
Governor Shute, in which they threatened the
entire extermination of the Enghsh settlers, if
they did not vacate their premises within three
weeks.
Soon after this the four hostages escaped,
and the province was thrown into great alarm
by expresses which passed through the settle-
ments, and a detachment of troops, who de-
manded the surrender of all the Jesuits, and
especially of Rale, or the transportation of all
Indians which were found, to Boston. The
hostages were retaken, but the capture of Rale
was determined on, and in December, 1721, a
party under Col. Westbrook was ordered to
Norridgewock to secure him.
As these latter conflicts had thus far been
bloodless, there had been no impassable breach
made, and the Governor sent a valuable pres-
ent to Bomazeen, to obtain his friendly inter-
ference. But the repeated wrongs committed
by the English were too great to be borne, and
there were unmistakable tokens of a coming
storm.
June 13, 1722, about thirty Canibas, with as
many more Anasagunticooks, took nine families
near Merry-meeting bay, but they seemed well
•
scot family of the Etechemins, and %ras made chief. He
amassed a large fortune, had several daughters, all of whom
married Frenchmen, and never seems to have abused his power
and influence. — Abridged from Memoires de I'Amerique.
INDIAN HISTORY. 51
disposed even then, for all the prisoners were
disQiissed except five — Hamilton, Hanson,
Trescott, Love, and Edgar, who were retained as
sureties for the four hostages at Boston. They
then continued their depredations on the
settlements, and war was formally declared
against them, August 8, 1722.
Feb. 6, 1723, an unsuccessful attempt was
made on Norridgewock. Capt. Harman, with
120 men, went up the Androscoggin, to the
head waters of the Sandy river. The state of
the country was such, that they abandoned
their enterprise. The winter had been warm,
the country was full of water, and the rivers
were clear of ice, so that they were obliged to
return without seeing an Indian.
. Rale wrote the following in a letter to his
brother in 1723. " The village in which I live
is called Narrantsouack, and is situated in a
country between Acadie and New England. .
. . The river which flows through my mis-
sion is the largest of all those which water the
territories of the Indians. It should be marked
on the maps by the name of Kinibiki, and it is
this which has induced the French to give
these Indians the name of Kambals. This river
empties into the sea uX Smikderank.^^ — Early
French Jesuits^ p. 51. The French seem to
have pronounced the harsh guttural och as ank.
Hence Sagadahock is called Sankderank.
The following just account is by the late
Gov. Enoch Lincoln : ^ " A great and mem-
^ Maine Hist. Coll., vol. i., p. 331 - 2.
52 IXDIAX HISTORY.
orable portion of the life of Father Sebastian
Reasle was identified witli the relations be-
tween the natives of our state and the English,
and with incidents which must always be con-
spicuous on the pages of our early history.
The faithful attachment of the Indians to his
person and his doctrines, presented an insuper-
able barrier to the plans of occupancy and
domination, which our forefathers prosecuted
in regard to the country and its inhabitants,
where his inflaence extended ; and the Enghsh
have charged upon his head the Christian
blood which flowed in the wars in which these
parties engaged. However groundless or well
founded such a charge may be, the character
of the man is too remarkable, and the scenes
in which he was engaged too important, that he
should be passed by without especial notice,
in regard to so much of his life as was spent
with the Abenakis.
" The Indian village where Father Ealle
established his abode, was then called Nanran-
tsouak, and is now known by the name of
Norridgewock ; and it certainly had even then
some advantages in its shuation, to compensate
for his immense sacrifice, in the abandonment
of civilized society. It is seated near the con-
fluence of the Sandy river with the Kennebec,
on one of those beautiful prairies, or spots of
alluvial ground, to which nature seems to have
invited the residence of man, as if to free him
from toil, and to lavish upon him all the goods
which spring from fertility, and all the pleasure
which conversation with the finest scenes of a
INDIAN HISTORY. 53
romantic solitude can afford. Above, the rapid
of the Kennebec gave the unceasing music of a
waterfall ; little islands below stadded the ex-
panse at the confluence of the streams, and
the horizon around rested oil a gently waving
line of hills." How admirably has New Eng-
land's favorite poet described the sabbath
stillness and loveliness of the autumn scenery,
before the red foot of War trampled it out.
" 'T is morning over Norridgevvock —
On tree and wigwam, wave and rock.
Bathed in th' autumnal sunshine, stirred
, At intervals by breeze and bird,
And wearing all the hues which glow
In heaven's own pure and perfect bow,
That glorious picture of the air.
Which summer's light-robed angel forms
On the dark ground of fading storms,
With pencil dip'd in sunbeams there —
And stretching out on either hand,
O'er all that wide and unshorn land,
'Till weary of its gorgeousness,
The aching and the dazzled eye
Rests, gladden'd, on the dark "blue sky, — <
Slumbers the mighty wilderness 1
The oak upon the windy hill
Its dark green burden upward heaves —
The hemlock broods above its rill,
Its cone-like foliage darker still,
While the white birches' graceful stem,
And the rough walnut bough receives
The sun upon their crowded leaves;
Each colored like a topaz gem ;
And the tall maple wears with them
The coronal which autumn gives,
The brief, bright sign of ruin near,
The hectic of a dying year.'' — Mogg Meg one.
" To Quebec was a distance of more than five
days of painful travel, and it was a journey of
two days to the dwelhngs of the English. The
country around, in every direction, was a wil-
5*
54 INDIAN HISTORY.
derness, inhabited only by savages. In this
situation, the missionary determined to conse-
crate his life to the political and spiritual ser-
vices which he had been appointed to render ;
and began by buifding a church, supplied with
all the decorations and implements calculated
to engage the imagination in the pompous cer-
emonies, and imposing worship of the Catho-
lic faith. The women contended with a holy
emulation in the embeUishment of their sanctu-
ary, by all the finery they possessed, and the
chapel and the church were illumined by bril-
liant fights from the wax of the bayberries, gath-
ered upon the islands of the sea. Such was the
machinery of the holy office, among the rude
people of Nanrantsouak ; and multitudinous
processions, symbolical images, paintings, and
mysterious rites were combined to arrest the eye
and catch the fancy of the savage neophytes.
" Dictator of the consciences of his flock,
where no envious rival, no jealous competitor,
no heretical teacher, could break into the fold,
the temporal concerns of their mortal welfare
could not be kept from his hands ; and they
looked to him for advice at the council fire, on
the policy and arrangements for war, not less
than for edification in the principles of the re-
hgion of peace. Dependence and devotedness
were never more perfect, and never was a
system adopted, better calculated to obtain and
preserve them. The Christianizing of these
savages, their regularity of observances, their
unreservedness of belief, were perfect ; yet
wha"; was the state of their civilization ? They
INDIAN HISTORY. 55
were buntei-s and savage warriors still." Bel-
knap states,^ that he always unfurled a stand-
ard, on which was pictured a cross, surrounded
by bows and arrows, whenever he gave them
absolution, as they were about departing on a
warlike excursion. He thus excited them with
religious phrenzy, and was sure that his con-
verts would fight to the last.
Rale refused to go to Nova Scotia on its
cession, and declared against the establishment
of a line of forts. The English told the natives
that mills and dams were only fortifications !
that they prevented the ascent of fish never
occurred to them. Their anger when they
discovered the fraud, may be imagined.
Williamson gives a synopsis of the conduct
of the English and French towards the Indians,
in expressions which they uttered from time to
time. " Frenchmen never take away our lands.
No ; but their kind missionaries come and tell
us how to pray, and how to worship the Great
Spirit. When the day is darkened by clouds,
our French brothers give us counsel. In trade
with them we have good articles, full weight
and free measure. Indians and white men
have one Great Father.! When you first came
from the morning waters, we took you into our
open arms ; — we thought you children of the
sun ; — we fed you with our best meat. Never
went a white man cold and starving from the
cabin of an Indian. Do we not speak truth ?
"But you have returned us evil for good.
* 2 Hist. New Hampshire, p. 41. f Vol. ii.,p. 112.
56 INDIAN HISTORY.
You put the flaming cup to our lips ; it filled
our veins with poison ; it wasted the pride of
our strengtii. Ay, and when the fit Avas on
us, you took adv^antage — you made gains of
us. You made our beaver cheap ; then you
paid us in watered rum and trifles. We shed
your blood ; — we avenged your alTronts.
Then you promised ns equal trade, and good
commodities. Have Christian Ensflishmen
lived up to their enagements? Never;'
At the time Norridgewock was destroyed, it
presented a singular spectacle to all observers.
The French Jesuits, Biart, Massi, Vincent,
Jaques Bigot, and Sebastian Rale, with all the
zeal that ever actuated a member of their sect,
had gone forth in the spirit of their religion, and
sounded the " silver trumpet of the gospel "
through the silent forests of these northern wilds,
and had planted the cross of Christ, and so
adorned it, that it was rendered attractive to the
simple red men, and they had become initiated
into the principles of Christianity. The spot
they occupied was one of the most delightful in
nature. On a beautiful level plat of land,
gently circumscribed by the blue windings of
the river, they had made their village. Sudden
acclivities defended them from the northern
and eastern storms, while the beautiful river's
banks lined with forest trees, gave a charming
finish to the picture. The rude huts of the
Indians, that of good Father Rale undistin-
guished from the rest, the spring, (yet visible,)
the two chapels, and on Sundays the quiet
stillness of nature, broken but not disturbed by
INDIAN HISTORY. 57
the sound of the chapel bell mournfully steal-
ing through vale and wood, and the hymn and
prayer of the pale priest or red worshipper, pre-
sent us with a view possessing the highest
poetic beauty. The romance of the scene
surpasses the best picture of fancy in works of
imagination. The wigwams of the Norridge-
wogs were placed in two parallel rows, run-
ning north and south ; a common road skirted
the bank of the river, while between the rows
of cabins there was a fine street two hundred
feet wide. At the northern extremity of the
street stood the church, with the principal
entrance toward the east, with a vacant space
between it and the river. Rale's house joined
the sacristy.
The New England poet, Whittier, has graph-
ically described the probable appearance of the
Indian village.
*' On the hrow of a hill, which slopes to meet
The flowing river, and bathe its feet. —
The bare washed rock and the drooping grass,
And the creeping vine as the waters pass, —
A rude and unshapely chapel stands,
Built up in that wild, by unskilled hands ;
Yet the traveller knows it a place of prayer,
For the holy sign of the Cross is there ;
And should he chance at that place to be,
Of a Sabbath morn, or seme hallowed day,
When prayers are made and masses are said.
Some for the living and some for the dead, —
Well might the traveller start to see
The tall dark forms that take their way
From the birch canoe on the river shore,
And the forest paths to that chapel door ;
And marvel to mark the naked knees
And the dusky foreheads bending there, —
And stretching his long, thin arms over these, -^
In blessing and in prayer,
58 INDIAN HISTORY.
Like a shrouded spectre, pale and tail,
In his coarse white vesturej Father Ralle."
— MoGG Megone.
The good Father declares that alewives are
so plenty, (in 1723,) that if a man had strength
to endure the labor, he could gather 50,000
barrels in a day. The territory of Old Point
has been suffered to pass from the town of
Nonidgewock, and it is now in Madison. It is
very singular that the proposition was allowed
to prevail. There ought to have been an uni-
versal outcry on the part of the people of
Norridgewock against the movement.
At the lower end of the village, near the
Bomazeen falls, there was a chapel dedicated
to the Virgin Mary, while at the upper end of
the village, at the Old Point, was another chapel
in which they Avorshipped, dedicated to the
guardian angel of the tribe. Daily worship
was celebrated in the humble temple. Mass
was observed each morning, and hymns and
prayers in the Indian tongue were chanted
each day. At night the churches were splen-
didly illuminated, by candles made of bayber-
ries, and forty Indian youths, in sacred cas-
socks, officiated around the venerable priest.
Rale wrote concerning his situation as follows :
" Here I am in a cabin in the woods, where I
find both crosses and religious observances
among the Indians. At the dawn of the morn-
ing I say mass in the chapel made of the
branches of the fir tree. The residue of the
day I spend in visiting and consohng the sav-
ages."
INDIAN HISTORY. 59
He wrote a letter to his nephew,^ dated at
*' Nanrantsouak, this loth of October, 1722," in
which he details the habits, manners and cus-
toms of his disciples. He says, "I have erected
a church there, which is neat and elegantly
ornamented. I have indeed thought it my
duty to spare nothing, either in the decoration
of the building itself, or in the beauty of those
articles which are used in our holy ceremonies.
Vestments, chasubles, copes and holy vessels,
all are highly appropriate, and would be es-
teemed so, even in our churches in Europe. I
have also formed a little choir of about forty
young Indians, who assist at Divine Service in
cassocks and surplices. They have each their
own appropriate functions, as much to serve
in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, as to chant
the Divine Offices for the consecration of the
Holy Sacrament, and for the processions which
they make with great crowds of Indians, who
often come from a long distance to engage in
these exercises ; and you would be edified by
the beautiful order they observe, and the devo-
tion they show." He relates the account of
the two chapels, the method of making bay-
berry candles and maple sugar, the emulation
of the Indian women in adorning the chapel,
and other things, connected with his duty and
their habits, elsewhere related. He then adds :
^' After the Mass, I teach the Catechism to the
children and young persons, while a large
number of aged persons who are present assist
* Kip's " Jesuits in America."
60 INDIAN HISTORY.
and answer with perfect docility the questions
which I put to them. Tlie rest of the morn-
ing, even to mid-day, is set apart for seeing
those who wish to speak with me. They come
to me in crowds, to make me a participator in
their pains and inquietudes, or to communicate
to me causes of complaint against their coun-
trymen, or to consult me on their marriages,
and other affairs of importance. It is, there-
fore, necessary for me to instruct some, to con-
sole others, to re-establish peace in famihes at
variance, to calm troubled consciences, to cor-
rect others by reprimands, mingled with soft-
ness and charity ; in hne, as far as it is possi-
ble, to render them all contented." He relates
that his engagements among them are so great,
that he had not time to recite his Office. So
attached were they to the new religion, that
when they went to the sea-shore in summer to
hunt sea-fowl, they erected a temporary church
on an island, and observed the regular wor-
ship.
" As soon as they reach the place where
they are to pass the night, they fix vip stakes at
intervals in the form of a chapel ; they sur-
round them with a large tent made of ticking,
which has no opening except in front. It is
all finished in a quarter of an hour. I always
carry with me a beautiful board of cedar about
four feet in length, with the necessary supports,
and this serves for an altar, while above it they
place an appropriate canopy. 1 ornament the
interior of the Chapel with very beautiful silk
cloths ; a mat of reeds dyed and admirably
INDIAN HISTORY. 61
made ; a large bear skin serves for a carpet.
They carry this always prepared, and no sooner
are they settled down, than the Chapel is ar-
ranged. When the Indians have reached their
destination, the very next day they occupy
themselves in raising the church, which they
dress up with their bark cloths. I carry with
me my plate, and every thing which is neces-
sary to ornament the choir, which I hang with
silk cloths, and beautiful calicoes. Divine ser-
vice is performed there as at the village, and in
fact they form a kind of village, with all their
wigwams made of bark, which are all prepared
in less than an hour."^ From corn-planting
until the middle of August, and from Nov. 1st
till Feb. 1st, it was the custom of the tribe to
dwell on the sea-shore and fish, — all but the
hunters, who were securing and preparing
game. He relates that nothing could induce
the Indians to perform an act which could en-
danger their enjoyment of the Catholic faith
or its advocates. They even resisted the temp-
tation to trade with the English, and steadily
adhered to the French, through good and evil
report. He relates many of the wiles of the
English to circumvent the French, and the
faithfulness of the Indians. He speaks at some
length of their attempt to capture him, and of
the attacks made both by the English and
Indians. After recounting various incidents
herein recorded, and particularly mentioning
the request of the Indians that he would retire
* Early Jesuits, p. 60.
62 INDIAN HISTORY.
to Quebec, he winds up with the words of the
apostle : " I do not in the least fear the threats
of those who hate me without a cause, ' and I
count not my life dear unto myself, so that I
might finish my course, and the ministry which
I have received of the Lord Jesns.' "
Oct. 12, 1723, he addressed a letter^ to
" Monsieur, my very dear brother," dated at
Nanrantsouak, in which he details at great
length the manners, customs, habits, etc. of the
Indians, and his own progress in their savage
arts. He had many narrow escapes, one of
which he relates. He was crossing the river
St. Lawrence in a birch canoe, with two In-
dians, when he was immediately wedged in
with ice. The large cakes borne by the swift
current threatened them with destruction, and
the Indians cried, " We are lost ! " But they
made an effort to leap on the ice, and dragging
the canoe after them, they ran from one cake
to another, until they were out of danger.
He had found it very difficult to eat with the
Indians after their gross manner, and they in-
quired the cause. He replied that he could
not overcome his former habits. " We too,"
was the answer, " have difficulties to overcome,
in order to have faith in what we cannot see ! "
This answer, significant indeed, overcame the
scruples of the good Father, and he conformed
to their habits.
He relates his adventures among the western
* Kip's '' Jesuits in America,'' p. 23. Translated from " Let-
tres Edifiantes et Curieuses, Ecrites des Missions Etrangeres."
INDIAN HISTORY. 63
Indians during the two years of his absence
from Kinibiki, and says to his brother, " You
will not require from me, my dear brother, that
I should enter into detail with regard to all that
has happened to me during the many years
that I have been in this mission. My occupa-
tions are always the same ; and I should expose
myself to wearisome repetitions. I will there-
fore only relate to you certain facts, which
seem to me most worthy of your attention. I
feel authorized to assert, in general, that you
would find it difficult to restrain your tears if
you should find yourself in my church when
our Indians are assembled there, and be a wit-
ness of the piety with which they recite their
prayers, chant divine offices, and participate in
the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist.
When they have been enlightened by the faith,
and sincerely embraced it, they are no longer
the same persons, and the greater part pre-
serve undimmed the purity they have received
at baptism. It is this which fills me with the
deepest joy, when I hear their confessions,
which are frequent ; no matter what questions
I put to them, I often can with difficulty find
materials to render absolution necessary."
Thus in patriarchal simplicity this faithful man
labored among the uncultivated savages.
But the fierce zeal of the Jesuit against her-
esy, coupled with the wrongs which the East-
ern Indians were continually receiving at the
hands of the English, infused a hatred into
them which they sought to wreak in vengeance
on the foe. Accordingly, like lightning on the
6i INDIAN HISTORY.
horizon's edge, they hovered on the frontier, and
became the most dangerous foe of the EngUsh.
Their depredations, as has been seen, were
many and serious. It is not probable that
there were many incursions into EngUsh set-
tlements, of any importance, which did not
inchide the Abnakies.
As was quite natural, Sebastian Rale, the
Jesuit, was supposed by zealous puritans to be
the mainspring of all the savage movements.
Before the final attack in 1724, a reward was
offered for his head, and in 1721 a body of
troops was ordered by the Government of Mas-
sachusetts to break up the village at Norridge-
wock, and take Rale if possible. They par-
tially succeeded in their efforts, and seized the
papers of the priest, including his correspond-
ence with the governor, by which his plans
were fully developed. When these papers
were taken, they were found enclosed in a
" strong box." This box was very singular in
its construction. It contained a secret drawer,
so contrived that it was with the greatest diffi-
culty that access could be had to the contents
without breaking the box. It is evident that
the artfully contrived box was to conceal pa-
pers from the English in case of a sudden sur-
prise. It could also have been easily slung to
the back, and transported from place to place.
It had two rude engravings on the lid, of the
scourging of Jesus, and the crowning with
thorns. The cunning box, and its contents,
which were among other things letters of cor-
respondence with the Marquis de Vaudreuil,
INDIAN IIISTOUY. Qo
Governor of Canada, revealed the plans of the
Jesuit. The governor, through the priest, en-
deavored to excite the Indians against the
English. The box contained a complete dic-
tionary of the Abnaki language, which has
been deposited in the library of Harvard Uni-
versity. " It is a quarto volume, in E ale's own
handwriting. . . . The work is divided
into two parts. The first is a dictionary of the
Abnaki dialect, in French and Indian, the
French word or phrase being giA^en first, and
then the corresponding Indian expression, gen-
erally, though not uniformly, in distinct col-
umns. Two hundred and five leaves, a com-
paratively small part of which have writing on
both sides, and the remainder on one side only,
make up this part. The second part has twen-
ty-five leaves, both sides of which are filled
with writing.^' Besides the papers, was found
Rale's inkstand. The dictionary has since been
published under the superintendence of John
Pickering. — Memoirs American Academy^ New
Series, vol. i., p. 377. See also Harris' Life of
Hale, Massachusetts Historical Collection, vol. viii.
Third Series, p. 250. The box is in the pos-
session of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
The letters found were of great value. Messrs.
Dudley and Thaxter, of Massachusetts, and
Colonel Atkinson, of New Hampshire, were
appointed to treat with the Governor of Cana-
da, and when, in reply to their accusations, he
denied that he had endeavored to stir up strife
among the Indians, his letters to Rale, taken
at Norridgewock, were, to his great confusion,
6*
66 INDIAN history;
produced. The mission was a fortunate one,
and peace soon followed.
In this " strong box " a letter was found, in
which Father Rale rejoiced very much over
the victories of his savaare votaries, though his
~ 'CD
glee seems to have been tinged with forebod-
ings.=^ '' My people returned in the spring,
having learned what had passed in the winter,
and made a party of forty men, against the
English, not with a design to kill, but to put
them in mind of their word, and make them
draw off. In one night they ravaged near ten
leagues of the country where the Enghsh had
settled, broke into their houses, &:c. ... At
break of day, ten Englishmen coming out of
their stone fort, with their arms, seven of my
people set upon them, killed some, &:c. ; and
these 600 miserable Enghshmen saw all this
without daring to come out ; and as for myself,
to pleasure the English, I made my appearance,
and showed myself to them several times,
which perhaps increased their fury against
me, while they saw me, but dare do nothing
to me, although they knew that the Governor
had set my head at a thousand livres sterling.
I shah not part with it, nevertheless, for all the
sterling money in England The
Indians have quitted, being persuaded that
the English, to avenge themselves for the
damage Ave have done, will come and burn
Norridgewock." His prediction was speedily
fulfilled.
* Massachusetts Hist. Coll., 2d Series, vol. viii., p. 260.
INDIAN HISTORY. 67'
Westbrook's expedition, however, unques-
tionably produced Love well's war, which rag-
ed daring the following summer; for the
anger of the Indians at the attempt to seize
Rale, vented itself on the frontiers, and Love-
well's expedition was to make reprisals. The
different tribes, about this time, came together
from all quarters, and assembled at Nanrant-
souack, where around the great council fire,
kindled in that sacred vale, they chanted
the war song with the Llurons and L'oquois,
and vowed the destruction of the palefaces.
It seems to have been the scheme of Rale,
to make the Catholic Faith the means of
u.niting the Indian race in one great party
against the Protestant English, and thus to give
them power, aided by the French, to destroy
the English. But though Rale escaped, his
capture was almost accomplished. Colonel
Westbrook, the commander of the English
forces, found the village deserted, and was only
able to burn the empty wigwams. Rale was
the last one to leave. He secured the sacred
vases, relics, and ornaments, and secreted him-
self behind a neighboring tree, for, having had
both legs broken, he could neither travel fast
nor far. The strictest search was made for
him, and though the soldiers were sometimes
within eight feet of him, he escaped. Two
Indians first discovered the approach of West-
brook, and hurrying on, they gave the alarm.
Rale says, " They were scarcely a gunshot
distant when we perceived them, and all I
could do was to hide myself with precipitation
68 INDIAN HISTORY.
in the depths of the forest. They penetrated
even to withhi eight paces of the tree which
concealed nie.^ They were repelled by an
unseen hand."
This attack upon their beloved priest aroused
the Norridgewocks to redoubled fury, and the
attack on Brunswick, and other atrocities which
immediately followed. induced the government
of Massachusetts to send out a Ibrce whicli
would destroy Rale and his Indian alhes.
These threats moved the Indians to beg his
removal to Quebec, but he steadily refused,
preferring to die with the harness on. His warm
friends remained with him. Mourning over
their many losses, their gloomy prospects, and
their feeble condition, they made a last stand
above the bones of their fathers, among the
sacred haunts at Norridgewock. With the
desperation of a hunted deer, turning to meet
its pursuers, they awaited their fate.
In describing this event, we tread on classic
ground. The touch of genius has hallowed it,
and we give its representation.
" In one lone village hem'd at length,
In battle shorn of half their strength.
Turned like the panther in his lair,
With his fast flowing life blood wet.
For one last struggle of despair,
Wounded and faint, but tameless yet !
'' Unreaped, upon the planting lands,
The scant, neglected harvest stands —
No shout is there, no dance, no song —
The aspect of the very child
* Early Jesuits, p. 16.
INDIAN niSTORY. 69
Scowls with a meaning sad and wild,
Of bitterness and wrong.
The almost infant Norridgewock
Essays to lift the tomahawk ;
And plucks his father's knife away
To mimic in his frightful play,
The scalping of an English foe —
Wreathes on his lip a horrid smile,
Burns like a snake's, his small eye, while
Some bough or sapling meets his blow.
The fisher, as be drops his line.
Starts when he sees the hazels quiver.
Along the margin of the river,
Looks up and down the rippling tide,
And grasps the firelock at his side.
For Bomazeen from Taconnock,
Has sent his runners to Norridgewock,
With tidings that Moulton and Harmon of York,
Far up the river have come ;
They have left their boats, they have entered the wood,
And filled the depths of the solitude
With the soundof the ranger's drum.''— MoGG Megone.
The final and successful effort was made in
August, 1724. On the 19th day of the month,
a detachment of four companies, consisting of
two hundred and eight men, in seventeen
whale boats, under command of Captains
Moulton, Harman, Bourne, and Bane, left fort
Richmond. They Avere guided by three Mo-
hawk Indians. Having arrived at Taconnet,
they left the boats under a guard of forty men,
and the remaining one hundred and sixty-
eight proceeded along the river, through the
woods, to the devoted village. They had
hardly started when they met the distinguished
Bomazeen, whom they shot as he was crossing
the river. A little further up his wife and
daughter were taken.
Harman crossed the river at the great eddy
70 INDIAN HISTORY.
in Skowhegan, with sixty men, for the purpose
of cutting off those who might be at work in
the corn fields on the Sandy river, while after
leaving ten men at Skowhegan with the bag-
gage, Mouhon proceeded vvith the remaining
ninety-eight men for the Indian viUage. He
divided his company into three bands, and by
steahhily pursuing a circuitous route, screened
by tlie woods, lie at length, August 24, 1724,
(O. S., August 12th,) stood on the highlands,
within a few feet of the village. The Indians,
to the number of sixty men, were all in their
huts, and the foe adv'^anced unobserved. An
old Indian accidentally came oat of his Avig-
wam, and discovering their presence, he gave
the war-whoop, which aroused the warriors,
and, seizing their guns, they rushed to meet
their assailants. The Indians made the first
discharge, and overshot the English, who im-
mediately returned a volley which did great
execution. The Indians fired a second time,
and fled with great haste to the river after their
wives and children. Many of the canoes had
been scuttled by the whites, and as the Indians
entered the river in them, they immediately
sunk. vSome, in their haste, forgot their pad-
dles. Several were shot as they were swim-
ming across. About fifty escaped through the
river, and one hundred and fifty through the
woods. Mogg Megone would not retreat, but
continued to fight until he wounded a Mohawk,
when the brother of the wounded man rashed
upon him and destroyed his life, and the
soldiers massacred his wife and children.
INDIAN HISTORY. . 71
There were thirty warriors slain, and fourteen
wounded, — according to Father de la Chasse,
superior general of the missions to New France,
who declares that there were eleven hundred^
English, and about fifty Indians. He says that
those who fought did so only to allow the aged
and the children opportunity to escape. He
adds, that Father Rale ran out in sight imme-
diately, hoping to draw attention to himself,
and thus preserve the lives of his converts, and
that he fell at the foot of a cross in the middle
of the village.
The battle-scene is appropriately described
by Whittier.
" Hark ! what sudden sound is heard
In the wood and in the sky,
Shriller than the scream of bird, —
Than the trumpet's clang more high?
Every wolf-cave of the hills —
Forest-arch and mountain-gorge,
Rock, and dell, and river-verge —
With an answering echo thrills.
Well does the Jesuit know that cry,
Which summons the Norridgewock to die,
And tells that the foe of his flock is nigh.
He listens, and hears the rangers come
With loud hurra, and jar of drum.
And hurrying feet, (for the chase is hot,)
And the short, sharp sound of the rifle-shot,
And taunt, and menace, answered well,
By the Indians' mocking cry and yell.
The bark of dogs, the squaw's mad scream,
The dash of paddles along the stream,
The whistle of shot as it cuts the leaves
Of the maples around the church's eaves,
And the gride of hatchets, at random thrown
On wigwam-log, and tree, and stone."
And while the priest in his chapel is building
* This wide discrepancy is inexplicable.
72 INDIAN HISTORY.
hopes of a grand union of the tribes, in the de-
fence of the Cathohc faith, —
'^ Black with the grime of paint and dust,
Spotted and streaked with human gore,
A grim and naked head is thrust
Within the chapel-door,
* Ha, Bomazeen ! in God's name say.
What mean these sounds of bloody fray ? '
Silent the Indian points his hand
To where, across the echoing glen,
Sweeps Harmon's dreaded ranger band,
And Moulton with his men."
" Thro' the chapel's narrow doors,
And thro' each window in the walls,
Round the priest and warrior, pours
The deadly shower of English balls —
Low on his cross the Jesuit falls ;
While at his side the Norridgewock,
With failing breath essays to mock
And menace yet the hated foe —
Shakes his scalp-trophies to and fro,
Exultingly before their eyes —
Till, cleft and torn by shot and blow,
The mighty sachem* dies." — Mogg Megone.
Note. — There are several discrepancies be-
tween this poem and fact. Bomazeen was not
in the battle at Norridgewock, — he was shot
at Taconnet.t Mogg Megone was not killed
by John Bonython ; he was slain at Norridge-
wock.t There are no proper walnut trees in
the vicinity of Norridgewock.§
Rale, according to the English account, bar-
ricaded himself in his house, and animated
his tawny friends by his voice, while he con-
tinued to fire on his assailants. He succeeded
in wounding a soldier, when Lieut. Jaques,
* Bomazeen. J lb.
t Drake, B. iii., c. ix. ^ A well known fact.
INDIAN HISTORY. 73
of Newbury, shot him, notwithstanding Moul-
ton had forbidden his death. However RPile
may have forgotten the sacred injunction, to
war only with spiritual weapons ; however his
mistaken views may have led him into the
carnal fight, too much blame cannot easily be
laid to the English. Their ministers were
active soldiers in most of the Indian wars, and
they very much excelled the Jesuits in warlike
deeds. Though there seems to have been no
English clergyman in this engagement, yet the
Enghsh conducted with the greatest barbarity.
They slaughtered women and children indis-
criminately, and after Father Rale was slain,
he was scalped and shockingly mutilated.
Those who coolly shot little children and wo-
men, as they were seeking safety by swimming,
could not with great propriety charge cruelty
upon French priests or savage Indians.
The church was robbed of the sacred ves-
sels, and then wantonly set on fire. The
bell was not melted, but seems to have
been buried by the Indians after they re-
turned. A few years since it was disclosed
by the blowing down of a tree, and was car-
ried to Brunswick, and presented to the cabi-
net of Bowdoin College. It weighed 64 lbs.
At different periods other aboriginal relics have
been exhumed ; such as wampum, arrow-
heads, mortars and various implements of rude
aboriginal husbandry and household labor.
Three captives were taken away, and among
them was a little boy fourteen years old. Char-
levoix, agreeing with La Chasse, declares that
7
74 INDIAN HISTORY.
Rale, knowing the hatred the English had of
him, presented himself to them, for the single
purpose of drawing their vengeance upon him,
and allowing his disciples to escape. Seven
Indians who endeavored to shield him with
their bodies, were slain at his side. The Eng-
lish fired about 2,000 muskets, and killed thirty
and wounded forty^ men, women and children.
The burning of the church has been ascribed
to one of the Mohawks.
The night after the battle, the English forti-
fied themselves in the Indian huts under a
guard of forty men, and returned the following
day. Charlevoix relates that they were seized
with a panic, and retreated homeward with
great precipitation. The Indians returned to
their village immediately, and found everything
laid waste. The women endeavored to heal
the wounded, and all joined in lamenting the
loss of their spiritual Father. " They found
him pierced with a thousand shot, his scalp
taken off, his skull fractured with hatchets, his
mouth and eyes filled with dirt, the bones of
his legs broken, and all his members mutilated
in a hundred different ways." Besides Boma-
zeen, who was shot at Taconnet, as the English
were ascending the river, and Mogg, shot by
Jaques, Wissememet, Job, Carabesett t and a
son-in-law of Bomazeen were among the slain.
* The English account.
t •• Carabasset the best and bravest of the Norridgewocks,"
seems to have been a sagacious and merciful chief. He was
accustomed to treat his captives with mercy. Deering says with
historical accuracy : —
" who can say
That Carabasset slew except in battle ?
Oft, through the snows for many a weary day,
INDIAN HISTORY. 75
Although Harm an was general in the expe-
dition, he did not arrive at the village, from his
excursion to find those at work in the field,
till nearly nightfall, after Moulton had planned
the battle, and accomplished the victory.^
The English reached Fort Richmond without
the loss of a man, on the 27th. It was a
splendid achievement. Moulton, when a small
boy, was taken prisoner at the destruction of
York, in 1692. He died at York, July 20, 1765,
aged 77.
The Norridgewogs never recovered from the
effects of this blow. They soon deserted their
village, and emigrated north.
Negociations were immediately put in motion
to effect a treaty. When these advances were
first made, the Indians said, " Demolish your
forts. — move one mile west of Saco river,
build the church at Norridgewock, and give us
hack Father Rale, and we will be brothers."
But necessity soon compelled them to recede
from these hard conditions.
In 1726, Loron and Ahanquid were in Bos-
ton, and through their influence the Eastern
Indians empowered them, and Arexus, Francis
Xavier, and Meganumba to frame a treaty.
This was done December 15, 1725, in Boston.
The Norridgewogs and others of the Abena-
The trembling, helpless captive have I borne
Back to its mother's arms, nor asked for ransom.
Oft struck aside the tomahawk's keen edge,
That the red warrior brandished o'er their young.
Ay, plunged into their dwellings, wrapped in flames,
And drawn them forth to life and liberty. "
^ Hutchinson, ii., 313.
76 INDIAN HISTORY.
quies joined the St. Francis Indians, and peace
prevailed on the Eastern frontiers.
MoGG Megone^ was an old sachem at the
time Norridgewock was destroyed. He ruled
the village for many years previous to 1724.
He seems to have been guided and moulded
in all his movements by Rale. The best Amer-
ican historical poem bears his name. AVho
has not read Mogg Megone ?
Rale was 67 years of age at the time of his
death. There is a foolish story told of a slain
half breed having been found on the field of
battle, and it has been suggested that he bore
a striking resemblance to Rale, and might have
been his child by an Indian woman. This
slanderous supposition rests on no authority,
and when we remember the great number of
gallant French officers who were stationed
among the Abenakies, such a supposition is
not at all necessary.
It is also said that Rale shot and stabbed an
English boy who was a prisoner in his house.
This story is related on the authority of an
irresponsible soldier, and when we remember
the manner in which he ran out of his house,
and was shot down immediately, the statement
that the boy was wounded to prevent him
from falling into the hands of the English,
seems incredible.
Among Rale's effects, a letter to his superior
at Montreal, was found, bearing date the very
* He was quite a friend of
'• John Bonylhon, sagamore of Saco,
^Who lived a rogue, died a knave, and went to Hockamocko ! '*
INDIAN HISTORY. 77
day he was slain. It sounds strangely in these
temperance times.
He mentions several recent exploits of his
people with much relish, returns many thanks
to his Rev. Father and others for blessings re-
ceived, and closes thus : " Since thou hast sent
me some wine, I take a glass after my mass,
but I don't find it keeps me so well as a dram
of brandy ! " This does not well accord with
these words in La Chasse's account of him :
" He interdicted himself the use of wine even
among the French."^
Pere De la Chasse's account, dated October
29th, 1729, differs widely from that of the Eng-
lish. In addition to statements already record-
ed from his pen, he says,t " The Father Rasles,
missionary to the Abnakis, had become ex-
ceedingly odious to the English. Convinced
that his industry in strengthening the Indians
in their faith, constituted the greatest obstacle
to the design they had formed of encroaching
upon their lands, they set a price upon his
head ; and, on more than one occasion, en-
deavored either to capture or destroy him. At
last they have effected their object."
La Chasse continues, t — "It is by so pre-
cious a death that this apostolical man finished,
on the 23d of August of this year, a career of
thirty-seven years, passed in the painful toils
of this mission. His fasts and continual fa-
tigues had latterly enfeebled his constitution.
During the last nineteen years he had dragged
* Early Jesuits, p."75. f lb. p. 69. | lb. p. 72.
7*
78 INDIAN HISTORY.
himself with difficulty, in consequence of a
fall, in which he broke his right thigh and left
leg. It happened, that the fractured parts
having badly united, it became necessary to
break the left leg anew. While they were
drawing it most violently, he sustained this
painful operation with extraordinary firmness
and admirable tranquillity. Our physician who
was present, appeared so astonished, that he
could not forbear saying to him : " Ah, my
Father, permit at least some groans to escape
you, for you have cause for them."
La Chasse represented his dangers to him,
and advised him to take precautions for safety.
He replied, — " My measures are taken. God
has committed this flock to my care, and I
will share its lot, being too happy if permitted
to sacrifice myself for it." When his neo-
phytes made the same representations to him,
his constant answer was, — " Your salvation is
dearer to me than my life."
Charlevoix says:^ ''The noise and tumult
gave Father Rale notice of the danger his con-
verts were in. Not intimidated, he showed
himself to the enemy, in hopes to draw all their
attention to himself, and secure his flock at the
peril of his own life. He was not disappointed.
As soon as he appeared, the English set up a
great shout, which was followed by a shower
of shot; when he fell down dead near to a
cross which he had erected in the midst of
the village, seven Indians, who had sheltered
* Hist, de la Nouvelle France, vol. ii., p 120.
INDIAN HISTORY. 79
his body with their own, falhng around him.
Thus died this kind sliepherd, giving his hfe
for the sheep, after a painful mission of thirty-
seven years. Moved by the greatest conster-
nation at his death, the Indians fled. The
Enghsh finding they had nobody left to resist
them, fell to pillaging and then burning the
wigwams. They spared the church, so long
as they thought proper to profane the image of
the adorable Savior, and the sacred vessels, and
then they set it on fire. At length they with-
drew in so great precipitation, that it was rather
a flight ; and they seemed to be struck with a
perfect panic. The Indians immediately re-
turned to their village, when they made it their
first care to weep over the body of their holy
missionary ; whilst their women were looking
for plants and herbs to heal the wounded. They
found him shot in a thousand places, scalped,
his skull broke to pieces with the blows of
hatchets, his mouth and eyes full of blood, the
bones of his legs fractured, and all his mem-
bers mangled in a hundred different ways.
After his converts had raised up and oftentimes
kissed the precious remains, so tenderly and
justly loved by them, they buried him in the
same place where he had the evening before
celebrated the sacred mysteries ; — namely,
where the altar stood before the church was
burnt."
The romantic history of the Abenakies, the
residence of the Jesuits among them, their
swift and sudden destruction, have been immor-
80 INDIAN HISTORY.
talized in prose and poetry. Among other
poems and tales may be mentioned
^' Isadore, or the Captives of the Norridgewocks.
A Tale of Real Life. By W. W. Murray." 37
pp. In the "Legendary," a volume edited by
N. P. Willis, is a Tale written by Mrs. L. M.
Child, entitled " The Church in the Wilderness^'
founded on the labors of Rale. 23 pp. " Car-
ribassett,''-^ a five act Tragedy by N. Deering,
Esq., is located at Norridgewock, Skowhegan
and vicinity. It was a candidate for the prize
when Metamora was Avritten, and received many
eulogiums. It is a very creditable performance.
•' Mogg Megone,'' emphatically the best histori-
cal poem in American Literature, by J. G.
Whittier, is founded on the destruction of Nor-
ridgewock.
Old Point has been thus described by a
gifted pen :
" There is a solitary spot, in a remote part of
Maine, known by the name of Indian Old
Point. The landscape has no peculiar beauty,
save the little sparkling river, which winds
gracefully and silently among the verdant hills,
as if deeply contented with its sandy bed ; and
fields of Indian corn, tossing their silken tresses
to the winds, as if conscious of rural beauty.
Yet there is a charm thrown around this neg-
* Mr. Deering when a young man, resided in Canaan. Mrs.
Child, then Miss Francis, who lived in Norridgewock, wrote
the following neat and felicitous epigram on his name :
" Whoever weds the young lawyer at C ,
Will surely have prospects most cheering;
For what must his person and iyitelled be,
When even his name is N-Dearins V
INDIAN HISTORY. 81
lected, and almost unknown place, by its asso-
ciation with some interesting passages in our
early history. The soil is fertilized by the
blood of a murdered tribe. Even now, the
spade strikes against wampum belts, which
once covered hearts as bold and true as ever
beat beneath a crusader's shield ; and gaudy
beads are found, which once ornamented bos-
oms throbbing with as deep and fervent ten-
derness as woman ever displayed in the mild
courtesies of civilized life." — L. Maria CJiild.
Whittier, in his Mogg Megone, gives a de-
scription of the village, on the return of the
scattered Indians after the battle.
*' No wigwam smoke is curling there ;
The very earth is scorched and bare ;
And they pause and iisten to catch a sound
Of breathing life, but there comes not one,
Save the fox's bark, and the rabbit's bound ;
And here and there, on the blackening ground,
White bones are glistening in the sun.
And where the house of prayer arose,
And the holy hymn at daylight's close,
And the aged priest stood up to bless
The children of the wilderness,
There is nought save ashes, sodden and dank,
And the birchen boats of the Norridgewoc,
Tethered to tree, and stump, and rock,
Rotting along the river bank ! ''
Rcile was a man of remarkable powers of
endurance — of great physical and moral forti-
tude. Otherwise, his journeys, his depriva-
tions, and his great labors would, long before
his death, have broken him down. His suc-
cess among the keenly discriminating sons of
nature, as well as the testimony of his contem-
poraries, bears witness to his unwearied zeal,
8t INDIAN HISTORY.
his great knowledge of human nature, his
distinguished talent, his power of thought, per-
suasive eloquence, and his commanding man-
ners ; — while the respect entertained for him
by those who never fail to detect and despise
hypocrisy, announces that his life among the
Indians, despite the slanders of others, was
pure and above reproach. Indeed, we know
it was. Not only did he relinquish the luxuries
of civilized life, but he endured famine and
death, in his single desire for the spiritual inter-
ests of the Indians, when, Uke Castein, he
might have become rich among them. Besides
his talents and industry, he spoke several In-
dian dialects fluently, wrote a chaste, elegant
Latin, and was, in a word, a finished scholar.
These, added to his self-denial, adherence to
principle, and purity of life, write him down as
one of the most remarkable men of his age.
Well did his superior in Canada, M. de Belle-
mont, when requested to put up masses for his
soul, reply in the words of St. Augustine : "It
would be wronging a martyr to pray for him!"
(" Injuriam facit martyri qui orat pro eo.")
In Deering's " Carabasset^^ the French por-
traiture of Rale is sustained, and the author
represents the priest as replying to the sugges-
tions of a soldier, who demands war, —
'• No more ! no more ! the thought is horrible.
Tf France, in order to regain her rights,
Must have recourse to arms, let her engage
In honorable war. Alas ! e'en then
Its pathway ever is incarnadin'd.
Oh, why increase its horrors 1 why let loose
A wild, revengeful race, to fire at night
The widow's humble cot, and steep their hands
In the life-blood of helpless innocence '? ''
INDIAN HISTORY. 83
And when Ravillac would excite anger and
revenge in his breast, in return for the intended
injuries of the English, and asks, —
And canst thoa then,
Thus hunted and traduced, look calmly on,
Nor think of retribution 1 ''
Rale replies, —
" Yes ! and can
Forgive them too. They little know my heart.
I am a pilgrim of the holy cross,
And that enjoins good will to all mankind.
No worldly views induced me, else had I
Clung to the happy shores that gave me birth.
My aim, I trust, was higher, and for this
I dared the dangers of the sea, nay, dared
Pursue my lonely route through pathless woods.
Teeming with savage beasts, and man more savage,
So I might draw one wandering soul to Heaven.''
And when he is taunted with his slight suc-
cess, he refers to the great wrongs they had re-
ceived, and speaks of that change in the people
of his charge, which History mentions.
'• I will confess
I have not realized what fancy painted.
And yet have gained enough to check despair.
How did I find them ? Desperate and wild.
Goaded by frequent wrongs almost to madness,
And panting for revenge. Their crops consumed,
Robbed of their heritage, and, worse than all.
The robber's footsteps on their fathers' graves.
And yet they can show mercy to the captive, —
Thus wrong'd, yet manifest redeeming virtues,
That man more civilized but slightly values.''
It is but just to observe, that while the Eng-
lish view of Rale is too forbidding, the above
is rather too flattering. If we should receive
both accounts of Rale, we should have an
84 INDIAN HISTORY.
anomaly indeed. The one declares him to be
a perfidious, cruel, blood-thirsty monster; the
other, a peaceful, tender-hearted, honorable
man. The one pictures a demon, the other an
angel. The English attributed all the enormi-
ties committed by the French and Indians to
him, — nay, they even accused him of being
in the habit of taking the dark-eyed Indian
squaws to his cabin, as a substitute for mar-
riage,^ while the French elevated him above
the frailties and sins that flesh is heir to. It is
evident that he was a great man, and that he
had the misfortune of great men, to make his
opposers hate him. To the dispassionate, un-
prejudiced mind of this age, his character may
be summed up in one line : He was an accom-
plished Jesuit. He commenced and finished
his life in defence of his church ; and with a
consciousness that he was performing a holy
work, in endeavoring to advance the kingdom
of God on the earth, he believed that the great
end would sanctify the means, and thus was
able to count all things honorable, that looked
to that result. A holy fraud in defence of
Mother Church, and for the propagation of the
truth, either in the conversion of a heathen, or
the destruction of an heretical Englishman, lost
its fraudulent character, in his eyes, by its asso-
ciation with a righteous end. In a word, he
was perfectly unscrupulous what measures he
adopted, if they would destroy supposed error,
and build up truth. To this rule of action may
* It is well known that the Catholic Priest is not allowed to
marry.
INDIAN HISTORY. ^
be traced all the objectionable deeds of the life
of this remarkable man. If he deceived the
Indians, it was for the sake of the church ; if
he wronged an Englishman, it was for the sake
of the church ; if he laid down the crozier and
lifted the sword, it was to smite the enemies of
God. Judged in the hght of to-day, he is found
wanting ; — compared with the great men of
to-day, he is sadly deficient. Beside those of
that distant generation, he towers above his
fellows, and reaches the full stature of a man.
It is true that the men of that day, the good
and the great, reviled him, but they had better
held their peace. While the Jesuit Rale was
peaceably tending his spiritual flocks, and lead-
ing them beside the still waters of peace, and
into the green pastures of salvation, New Eng-
land's Protestant Mathers, and Parrises, and
Noyeses were fanning the accursed flame of
witchcraft, or the w^orsc fire of Religious Intol-
erance and Persecution. And if Rale, when
attacked in his peaceful domain, forgot the
spirit of Christ, and in accordance with the
spirit of his times, used carnal weapons, he did
no more than Frye, Avho joined Lovewell in
his lawless, piratical journey after scalps, and
not so much as others who, having taken the
same sacred office, fought as violently as did
he. The clergy of that day ought to have re-
membered themselves, and remained silent,
while their descendants and partisans ought to
do justice to a great man, judge him by his
light, measure him by the standard of his times,
and place him where he of right belongs.
8
86 INDIAN HISTORY;
A rude moniiment has since marked the spot
where Rale fell, and whQe the Indians have
always regarded his grave with sacred affec-
tion, the Catholics have cherished it with a
commendable pride. The area of Old Point is
about two hundred and fifty acres, at present
constituting several rich farms. In 1833, Bishop
Fenwick, of Boston, purchased an acre of land
around the grave of Rale, including the site of
the old church, the sacristy and Rale's house,
and caused an appropriate monument to be
erected.
The 23d of August, the day on which the
Bishop dedicated the spot, already consecrated
by the blood of a martyr, Avas one long to be
remembered. Several hours before the ap-
pointed time for the services arrived, the ground
was covered by anxious expectants, and on the
commencement of the services, there was sup-
posed to be ten thousand persons present.
From all quarters of New England and Canada,
men of every shade of belief were there.
Catholics from Canada and the States, Prot-
estants from various quarters, promiscuously
mingled with the Indians from Passamaquoddy,
Penobscot, and the Canadas, were in the great
mass. The services were solemn and im-
posing, and will long be remembered. A rude
altar of rough boards was made by the Indians,
and covered with wicker work, of white birch
trees, and a sacristy joining it, of the same ma-
terial. Rev. Mr. Conway was present with
eighteen Indians, Rev. Mr. Ffrench celebrated
mass, and Bishop Fenwick pronounced a dis-
INDIAN HISTORY. 87
course from a text in Ecclesiasticus, — " The
memory of him shall not depart away, and his
name shall be in request from generation to
generation. Nations shall declare his wisdom,
and the church shall shew forth his praise." In
the celebration of mass, the Indians w^ere the
choir, and the service was thus in a high de-
gree interesting to ail. It seemed to renew the
past.
A foolish and fanatical attempt was made on
one occasion to destroy the monument; it was
thrown down and disfigured. The act was
almost universally condemned, and had the
authors been known, they would have suffered
merited punishment. The monument is a
plain, granite, pyramidal shaft, or obelisk, eleven
feet in height, and three feet square at the
base, standing on a table stone five feet in
height, and four feet square. An iron cross,
four feet in height, surmounts the shaft. On
the south side is the following Latin inscription :
" Rev. Sebastianus Rasles natione Galluse So-
cietate Jesu missionarius, per aliquot annos
Illionois et Huronibus primum evangelanus,
deinde per 34 annos Abenaquis, fide et chari-
tate Christi verus Apostolus, periculis armorum
intenitus se pro suis Ovibus mori paratum soe-
pius testificans, inter arma et cocdes ac Pagi
Nantrantsouak Norridgewock, et Ecclesise suae
minas, hoc in ipso loco, cecidit tandem opti-
mus Pastor, die 23 Augusti, A. D. 1724, Ipsi et
filius suis in Christo defunctis Monument um
hoc posuit Benedictus Fenwick, Episcopus Bos-
88 INDIAN HISTORY.
toniensis dedicavitque 23 Augusti, A. D. 1833.
A. M. D. G."
The English translation is,
" Sebastian Ralle, a French Jesuit missionary,
for many years the first evangelist among the
Illinois and Hurons, and afterwards for thirty-
four years a true apostle in the faith and love of
Christ, among the Abenakies, — unterrified by
danger, and often by his pure character, giving
witness that he was prepared for death, — this
most excellent pastor, on the 23d day of August,
1724, fell in this place, at the time of the destruc-
tion and slaughter of the town of Norridgewock,
and the dangers to his church. To him, and to
his children, dead in Christ, Benedict Fenwick,
Bishop at Boston, has erected and dedicated
this monument, this 23d of August, A. D. 1833."
September 25, 1725, an exploring party of
eleven men, under Lieutenant Steele, passed
up the river, and encamped at Skowhegan
falls. They called the country the land of
beavers. After they reached Norridgewock
they were afraid to fire guns, lest they should
alarm the Indians. The rich abundance of
moose and waterfowl and other game rendered
this a serious inconvenience.
Several attacks on the part of the Eastern
Indians were made in 1745, and as the Nor-
ridgewocks were called upon to surrender
hostages, and refused, war was declared against
them, in common with the Eastern tribes. Four
Qundred dollars were offered as a bounty on
scalps. Indians were slain, and many attacks
INDIAN HISTOllY. 89
were made by them on nearly every town and
settlement on the frontier.
But httle is known of the Kennebecs for
several years. They seem to have been
thoroughly discomfited by the destruction of
Norridgewock. In 1751, the most of the Nor-
ridgewock branch went into the St. Francois
tribe, and thereafter formed a part of it. This
mongrel tribe sent a war party of sixty, in
1754, to fort Richmond. After delivering a
letter as the pretended object of their journey,
they used insolent language and threats ; and
mentioned the name of a French Jesuit, who
had made efforts to build a church at Cushnoe
or Taconnet. But they confined themselves
to words. They said, — " Better for English-
men to leave these rivers, else our French
brothers clad like Indians, will, soon as the ice
is gone, help us to drive you all away." —
Williamson^ vol. ii., p. 297.
The tribe had become so reduced, that it was
no longer dangerous of itself to the early set-
tlers of Maine. But by becoming incorporated
with other tribes it was really formidable.
They were familiar with all the regions about
the frontiers, and joining the other tribes as
scouts, they were worse than before. A ranging
party of fifteen men passed through Norridge-
wock in 1761, under James Howard of Cush-
noe, to explore the Kennebec to its sources.
In 1764, there were but thirty^ warriors left of
the once great tribe of the Kennebecs. The
rest were all amalgamated with other tribes, or
* Williamson, vol. i.. p. 482.
8*
90 INDIAN HISTORY.
had been slain. These few wandered about
Moosehead lake, gaining a precarious sub-
sistence by hunting, trapping, and fishing. In
the troubles of 1750 - 60, or during the French
war, the aggressive acts of the Norridgewocks
were few. They occasionally made excur-
sions among the settlers, with their new cousins
the St. Francis Indians, but their injuries were
few and slight. Some Canibas acting as
guides, and moved by cupidity, would occa-
sionally lead their northern neighbors against
the settlers.
When the Revolution broke out numbers
of the Norridgewocks gathered at Cobbossee,
and with their chief, Paul Higgins, marched
to Cambridge, where General Washington's
quarters were. They arrived under command
of Reuben Coburn, in August, 1775,* but
Washington refused their services. Swashan,
who seems to have been the principal Indian,
declared that most of the tribes and Canadians
stood ready to oppose the English. Some of
the ancient Kennebecs seem to have joined the
Americans, but evidently the sagacious advice
of Washington was complied with, and they
generally stood aloof The character of the
Norridgewocks seems to have been fully
equal to that of any of the Aborigines. Sul-
Hvan t relates a choice anecdote of one of
them, which is equal to anything in the early
days of Spartan simplicity. '* A few years ago,"
(previous to 1790,) " I was on the banks of the
Kennebec, and saw a savage who I supposed
* Drake, iii,, 56. f History of Maine, p. 106.
INDIAN HISTORY. 91
was of the Norridgevvock tribe. His name
was Quenockross. He had in his family
his mother and his wife. He had been
wounded in the war, and was lame in one of
his feet. His mother was very aged, he had
her in his canoe, with a blanket carefully spread
over her ; and when he came ashore, he
kindled his fire, took her out in his arms, and
laid her tenderly down by it. When he had
cooked his mess, he gave it to her, and he and
his wife waited until she had done eating.
Upon seeing me notice it, he exultingly pointed
to her, and said she ivas his mothei-y
In the year 1795, there were but seven fami-
lies of the ancient Norridgewocks known to
exist, and gradually since then, those scattered
few have passed away gradually, and now it is
not known that one of them remains in this
world.
A few notices of different chiefs who have
stood conspicuous in the annals of the Kenne-
bec tribe, will close our Indian history.
RoBiNHooD, or Ramegin, as was his Indian
name, lived near the mouth of the Androscog-
gin. He seems to have been amicably disposed
to the whites, for he refused to join King
Philip, and gave a dance and other manifesta-
tions of joy, on learning that the English were
peaceably inclined to him. His abode was
called Neguasseag.^
" MoNQuiNE alias Dumhanada," alias Nata-
HANADA, was a son of Natawormett, who was a
sachem on the Kennebec. — See ante, p. 16.
* Drake, iii., 7.
92 INDIAN HISTORY.
Kennebis, from whom, or from whose ances-
tors of the same name, the Kennebec was
named, hved on Swan Island, " in a dehghtful
situation."^ In 1649 he sold to Christopher
Lawson, Spencer and Clark, land as high up
as Taconnet. At the same place resided
Abbigadassett, who sold Swan Island to
Humphrey Davie in 1667. Sir John Davie, a
sergeant at law, afterwards claimed the same.t
Madockawando lived on the Penobscot, and
was a friend to the English until they injured
him by despoiling his corn, in consequence of
the injurious acts of other Indians. He was a
brave and powerful chief At the close of the
war of 1676, he had sixty Enghsh captives.
He was one of the most dreaded of all the sa-
chems. York and Saco were destroyed by his
directions. From the first two syllables in his
name, a theory has been started that Madoc
the Welshman, who set sail from Wales in
1170, and was never heard from, may have
landed in this country, and that the Eastern
Indians descended from him. Theories built
on words, usually fall for lack of a proper
foundation. See Preface to Madoc, Southey's
Works. Madockawando seldom maltreated
captives, and, taking the worst historical view
of his character, was a most estimable savage ;
— " The mildest mannered man, that ever cut
a throat." Although not a Caniba, he was so
constantly with them in battle against the Eng-
lish, that he deserves mention here.
* Williamson, i. 467. f Ibid. 331.
INDIAN HISTORY. 93
AssiMiNASQUA dwelt at Waterville, (near Ta-
connet,) and was the principal speaker in the
Kennebec councils.
MuGG resided on the Androscoggin, and fig-
ured conspicuously in the war of 1676. In
October, 1676, he captured Black Point, and
was killed at the same place in the following
May. He had been besieging the place three
days, and had killed three men and taken one
captive, when Lieut. Tippin fired from the fort
and shot him. He used to boast that he had
found out the way to burn Boston.^
HoPEHooD, or WoHAWA, was hated and feared
by all the whites who heard of his name. He
was a son of Robinhood, and was chief of the
Ne rig woks. He was in Philip's war, and at-
tacked a house in Newichewannoc, now Ber-
wick.! " Fifteen persons were in the house,
all women and children, and Hopehood, with
one only beside himselfj Andrew of Saco,
thought to surprise them ; and but for the
timely discovery of their approach by a young
woman within, would have effected their pur-
pose. She fastened and held the door, while
all the others escaped unobserved. Hopehood
and his companion hewed down the door, and
knocked the girl on the head, and otherwise
wounding her, left her for dead. They took
two children, which a fence had kept from es-
caping. One they killed, the other they car-
ried off alive. The young woman recovered,
and was entirely well afterwards.''^
* Hubbartl, Indian Wars, ii. 46. Hubbard's Hist. N. England.
t Drake, iii. 8. $ Ibid.
94 INDIAN HISTORY.
Hopehood also engaged in the expedition
against Salmon Falls in 1690, under the Sieur
Hertel. Twenty-seven houses and two thou-
sand domestic animals were destroyed. He
followed him to Casco, and there succeeded in
destroying the garrison, which capitulated —
seventy men, and a large number of women
and children were horribly massacred. In the
same month he destroyed the garrison at Fox
Point, ]N. H., kiUing fourteen persons and car
rying away six. Being pursued by two com-
panies of English soldiers, he was wounded
and lost his gun. His treatment of those pris-
oners who fell into his hands, was in the
last degree barbarous. Perhaps he had some
reason for his conduct, for he w^as for some
time a slave in Boston. This may explain
the reason of his cruelty. Hopehood seems
to have been among the most vigilant in
King AVilham's war. About 1690, he was
constantly prowling through the province, on
the outskirts of the settlements. He was in
a sharp engagement at Wells, with a party un-
der Capt. Sherburne, and made severe attacks
upon South Berwick and Eliot. He commit-
ted many outrages in New Hampshire, destroy-
ing wherever his arm could fall. He was
killed about this time, by a party of Indians
from Canada, who took him for a Mohawk.
He seems to have had a son of the same name,
for a Nerigwok chief named Hopehood was in
negociations with Gov. Dudley at Casco, in
1703,^ and there was a Hope wood in Love-
* Drake, iii., 9.
INDIAN HISTORY. 95
well's fight, in 1 725. This latter was a misera-
ble creature, and after the massacre at Kenne-
bunk he was accustomed to lie drunk at the
houses of those whose friends he had slain.
On one of these occasions, a Mr. Baxter was
advised to " tumble him into the well," but he
neglected the advice.
BoMAZEEN, for whom the falls above Nor-
ridgewock village (" Bombazee Eips ") were
named, resided at Nerigwok and Taconnet. He
was a fierce, warlike chief, and his name in-
spired much terror. He came with a flag of
truce in 1694 to Pemaquid, where he was
seized, and in a vile manner imprisoned in
Boston several months. After his release, he
endeavored to wreak his vengeance on the
whites. He led the attack on Durham, in
which he killed ten persons. Chelmsford, Sud-
bury, Groton, Exeter and Dover were attacked
by him. He seems to have had some gleams
of benevolence in his disposition, for when old
Sampson was about hanging Rebecca Taylor,
his prisoner, Bomazeen passing by at the time,
rescued her. In October, 1710, he "fell upon
Saco," with sixty or seventy men, and de-
stroyed some lives. " In conversing with a
clergyman of Boston, Bomazeen said, 'the
Indians understand the Virgin Mary was a
French lady, and her son Jesus Christ, the
blessed, was murdered by the English ; but
has since risen and gone to heaven, and all
who would gain his favor, must avenge his
blood.'" ^
* Williamson, vol. i., p. 641.
96 INDIAN HISTORY.
In 1703,^ there were alarming rumors that
the Eastern Indians were about joining to de-
scend upon the settlements. Gov. Dudley was
very desirous of learning their intentions. He
therefore sent commissioners to treat with the
sachems at Casco. The Kennebecs were led
by Moxus, Hopehood, Bomazeen and Capt
Samuel. They came in great numbers, and
were well armed, painted and dressed. They
mutually announced peaceful intentions, and
adjourned to two heaps of rocks, erected at a
former treaty, called the Two Brothers, where
they increased the size of the monuments, and
made the most solemn protestations of friend-
ship. Bomazeen and Capt. Samuel owned
that the friars had been among them, urging
them against the English, but declared that
they should remain firm as long as the sun
and moon endured. In sitting down to the
council, the English, who feared treachery, sat
promiscuously among the Indians. The latter
desired the conference delayed, which con-
firmed their suspicions. When, however, the
peace had been concluded, a salute was pro-
posed, and the Indians were tendered the com-
pliment of firing first. Their treachery was
thus manifest, for their muskets were all loaded
with ball. The Governor and his friends would
have been sacrificed, if they had not mingled
with the Indians at the council. Three days
after, two hundred French and Indians arrived,
but they v/ere too late, as the treaty was already
consummated.
# Ibid, vol ii., p. 35-6.
INDIAN HISTORY. 97
AssACOMBUiT, alias Nescambiouit, was one of
the Sacos, a branch of the Abnakis, and was
warmly allied with the Norridgewogs. He
seems to have been from the first a firm ad-
herent of the French, as we find him in 1696,
with Iberville and Montigny, at the capture of
Fort St. Johns from the English. In the fol-
lowing year this " Bloody Devil,"^ as old Cot-
ton Mather called him, very cruelly treated a
little girl, Thomasin Rouse. She cried in con-
sequence of some command of his, when he
smote her Avith a stick, and threw her into the
water for dead. She was rescued by another
Indian, and lived to grow up. In the year
1700 he joined the St. Francis tribe. He was
in the attack on the fort at Casco, in August,
1703. Joined by fifty Abnakis, and assisted by
Montigny, he destroyed a fort, and committed
great depredations, in consequence of an attack
made by the English on some Abnakis who had
settled in Newfoundland. He figm^ed conspic-
uously in 1705, when the French took Rebou,
Pefit Havre, and Forrillon. About 1706 he sailed
for France, where he became acquainted with
Charlevoix, received an elegant sword from the
King, and was knighted, with a pension of eight
livres a day. On this occasion he said, " This
hand has slain a hundred and forty of your
majesty's enemies in New England ! " He re-
turned to New England in the following year,
and was with Rouville, in his attack on Haver-
hill, in 170S, where the renowned chief dipped
^ Magnalia, vii,, 95.
98 INDIAN niSTORY.
his new sword in blood. He continued to be
heard from occasionally, from that time until
his death, which was m 1727, though he seems
to have been obscure. He was so puffed up
by the honors of the French King, that he was
deserted by the Indians, and Avas generally
alone. He carried a huge club with him,
which had ninety-eight notches, the number ot
EngUsh he had slain Avith his own hands. He
was one of the most cruel and valorous of all
the Abnakis.
The treaty consummated at Falmouth, in
1749, bears, besides the names of several prom-
inent Anasagunticooks and Penobscots, the fol-
lowing Canibas : Toxus, Cneas, Magawonbee,
Harry, Soosephnia, Noktoonos, Nesacombuit,
and Pereer.
There were some troubles in 1751, but the
Norridgewogs declared that they had no part
in the matter, and they seem to have been
sincere.
Arruhawikwabemt also lived at Nerigwok.
In 1710, when Col. Walton visited Maine,
Avith one hundred and seventy men, the light of
his fires decoyed some Indians into his hands.
Arruhawikwabemt Avas one of them. " When
they asked him several questions, he made
them no reply ; and when they threatened
him with death, he laughed Avith contempt.
At Avhich, they delivered him up unto our friendly
Indians, who soon became his executioners."^
He was a fearless and valiant " hraveJ^
^ Penhallow.
INDIAN HISTORY. 99
Warraeensit and Wadacanaquin were chiefs
of Norridgewock. They signed the treaty of
1713, at Casco, but were not much distinguished.
AcTEON, otherwise known as Captain Moses,
was a Norridgewog, but marrying an Anasag-
unticook woman, he became domicihated with
the latter tribe.
Wenamovet was a sort of Prophet-chief who
fohowed Mod oka wan do, and
Noxus or Toxus was his successor as fight-
ing sachem. HoAvas a fierce, cruel, mahgnant
" salvage," dreadful in the sight of all the pale-
faces. He died in 1721, and was succeeded by
Ouikouiroumenit, who Avas a peaceable, noble-
minded savage.
HoNQuiD, Abenquid, or Ahanquid, was never
known to engage in hostilities against the Eng-
lish. It is not known what relation he bore
to the Honquid. who was massacred with
Egremet.
LoRON bore a very similar character to
Honquid.
Natanis and his brother Sabbatis lived on the
Kennebec, at or near Sandy river. On account
of their isolated situation it was suspected that
they were British spies, and General Arnold
issued orders for their capture. Drake says,
"the residence of Natanis was a lonesome
place, upon the bank of the river ; his cabin,
situated in the centre of a green, the border of
which was beyond musket-shot from it, was a
discovery which added to the suspicions of the
party, who, having arrived in the neighborhood
4th of October, surrounded it at every point,
100 IXDIAN HISTORY.
and run in upon it with great eagerness, expect-
ing, without doubt, to have taken him prisoner.
In this they were disappointed, for it appeared
that the place had been deserted a week.
Near by, at the shore of the river, a map drawn
upon birch bark was found on the top of a
stake, very accurately dehneating the courses
of the rivers toward Canada, and hues denoting
places of crossing from one to another. This
greatly surprised them, but they profited by it."^
Natanis and Sabbatis were met by the army
after it had penetrated Canada, and Arnold was
assured by them, that they had kept on the
skirts of the army constantly during the march.
They were afraid to announce themselves,
though they were friendly to the Americans.
These two chieftains and seventeen other In-
dians joined the Americans on the Chaudiere,
and were in the siege of Quebec, December
31, 1775, where Natanis was wounded in the
wrist, and was taken prisoner by General
Carlton, who gave him his liberty. They were
the only Indians known to have been em-
ployed by the Americans in the Revolution.!
Sabbatis does not figure protninently in the
Colonial annals. He occasionally appears till
near the close of the Revolution. He does
not seem to have troubled the whites much,
though he has been accused of having been
instrumental in the enormities of 1722-5.$
Natanis was in the battle at Saratoga. Sab-
batis was shot by Ephraim Brown.
Paul Higgins was a white man, born at
^ Book of the Indians, iii., 10. f Ibid. t ^b.
INDIAN HISTORY. 101
Berwick, but who, taken prisoner by the
Indians in his youth, was so educated in their
manners and customs, that he continued with
them through hfe, and rose to the rank of a
chief. He offered his services to Washing-
ton in the Revohition.
The Indians were very plenty in Norridge-
wock and Canaan, on their first settlement.
Captain Philip and Sabbatis seem to have
been the most prominent, and are best re-
membered by the few of the early settlers
who yet survive. These, together with other
chiefs and their followers, came each season
with the furs they had secured by hunting.
The birch canoes, and the primitive wigwams,
filled with sanups, squaws, and papooses, was
a common sight. A httle rum, or a small
piece of bright-colored cloth, would purchase
much valuable fur. They were faithful to
their bargains, and would return punctually
to pay any demand against them, incurred
by drinking rum after they had sold all their
furs, in a previous year. Though a wreck of
their great progenitors, they presented many
traits of character which are more scarce in
civilized society than they ought to be. In
religion they were Catholic, and were cout
stant in the observance of the rites and cere-
monies of the church.
A few of the settlers w^ere taken prisoners
by a marauding party of Indians in 1777,
and carried to Canada. They succeeded in
effecting their escape, and returning home.
These Indians were from Canada, and seem
9*
102
INDIAN HISTORY.
to have been freebooters, on the lookout for
gain, rather than disposed for mischief They
carried captives from Newry, Bethel, and other
towns in Maine, and received a bounty from
the Enghsh. Thus ends the scanty history of
that tribe, whose annals, if complete, would
present one of the most interesting tales of
ancient or modern times.
ERRATUM.
On page 70, for August 24, read August 23.
BI O G G M E G O N E
GENERAL DESCRIPTION, PRODUCTIONS, ETC.
Coming into the beautiful area occupied by
the five towns herein treated of, the traveller
will, as he approaches from the east, find him-
self in Canaan. Here he first notices Sibley's
pond, which is a beautiful sheet of water, sup-
plying Carabasset river. It is well stored with
pickerel and other fish, and is a pleasant re-
sort. Oakes' Long Pond deserves an admir-
ing glance, for its beautiful location, and sur-
rounding scenery. It is partially in Skowhegan.
The gentle valley formed by the tributaries of
Carabasset river next attracts his eye. Black
Stream rises in Skowhegan, and joins Fifteen-
mile Stream, which rises in Sibley's Pond,
and from the junction to the Kennebec the
river is known as the Carabasset. About one
mile above the lower line of Canaan, Sabbatis
Brook joins the Carabasset, and it becomes a
beautiful stream about ten miles in length.
The sloping fields on both sides, afibrd pleas-
ing landscapes to the traveller from the many
elevations into which the town is broken up.
Haynes' Ledge is a remarkable quarry of
granite. It seems to consist of large layers,
104 GENERAL DESCRIPTION, PRODUCTIONS, ETC.
easily split into any size, and deposited one
upon another, like the majestic leaves of a vast
volume on whose granite pages the finger of
God has recorded the progress of the ages.
The stone is of an excellent description, entire-
ly free from rust.
The general beauty of the scenery, the con-
venient water power, the rich fertiUty of the
soil, and the flourishing appearance of the fences
and buildings will impart most favorable im-
pressions.
Oakes and Mud Ponds, in Skowhegan, are
the only sheets of water of any size in the five
towns, besides those previously mentioned.
As the traveller passes on he will enter
Skowhegan, and following the Carabasset river
towards its mouth, he will strike the southern
boundary of Skowhegan, on the Kennebec
river. Then turning his feet a little west of
north, he will follow the rich valley of the Ken-
nebec a few miles, until he reaches the mouth
of the Wesserrunsett. Following the eastern
bank of that romantic stream in a northerly
direction, over the high ridges of land, he will
be able to survey the varied scenery of the
town, including the Kennebec and Wesserrun-
sett valleys, the hills and plains of the town
and neighborhood, while the dark blue outlines
of the distant mountains present an admirable
background. Following the road until it reach-
es the northern part of the town, he will cross
the Wesserrunsett, and returning in a northerly
direction, he will follow the western shore of
the stream, until he strikes Skowhegan village.
105
The Wesserriinsett or "Wesserrunsicke^^ de-
serves a word of desciiption. Its most easterly-
branch rises in a small pond in Brighton ; the
next branch west rises in another pond in the
same place ; the third branch rises in a pond in
the north-west part of Solon : these three branch-
es, each from five to ten miles long, form a junc-
tion in Athens, where the stream attains a very-
considerable size, besides possessing much
beauty. Running through Cornville, it is join-
ed in the northern part of Skowhegan by an-
other small stream, which finds its principal
head in Madison Pond, and finishes its course
by emptying into the Kennebec, about two
miles below Skowhegan village. It abounds
in beauty and utility.
Crossing the bridge into Bloomfield, the trav-
eller will pause to admire the Falls of Skowhe-
gan, elsewhere described, and rising to the high-
er parts of the village of Bloomfield, he will see
spread out before him the two towns, forming
one beautiful village. Business will pass him in
various forms, and the activity and air of indus-
try which pervade everything he sees, will
cause him to regard Bloomfield and Skowhe-
gan as forming one of the most active and
enterprising villages in the State of Maine.
Following the course of the Kennebec down-
ward, he will have a charming view of the
farms in Skowhegan, and will be delighted
^ The Indians cannot define Wesserrunsett. The stream pass-
es through Brighton, Athens, Cornville and Skowhegan, and
alTords most excellent mill-sites. It is about thirty miles in
length.
106 GENERAL DESCRIPTION, PRODUCTIONS, ETC.
with the aspect of the soil over which he passes,
which richly merits the appellation of Bloom-
Jield, and having reached the southern boundary
of the town, he will take a road leading north
through the centre of the town, presenting
varied objects to please the eye, and delight a
rural taste, and he will strike the village.
Here he can take either side of the river and
continue to Norridgewock. Either side will
be a delightful ride. Continually changing
views of the blue Kennebec in its beautiful
windings, — varying views of the villages of
Skowhegan and Bloomfield, which he has left,
and of Oosoola, which he is approaching, will
cause him to regard the five miles of distance
between the villages as a most delightful route.
Supposing him to have passed up the south
side of the river, he will behold from the pre-
mises of Captain Elias Works, a Adllage land-
scape which would charm the soul of the nicest
critic. The view cannot be giA^en on paper
with any fidelity. The buildings are hidden
in foliage, so that they cannot' be discerned,
and to denude them of the forest trees by
which they are shaded, would be to destroy
the beauty of the village. A fair view of Oo-
soola, at the foot of the eminence on which he
stands, is there obtained, while a long reach
of the river stretches away towards the north-
west, and the village of Norridgewock, embow-
ered in foliage, and relieved by a background
of mountains, gives him a view rarely equalled.
Taken at sunset, when the trees have a light
of golden green, in the midst of which the
PRODUCTIONS, ETC. 107
white houses gleam, and when the mountains
in violet hues seem to repose in the orange-
colored West, the quiet beauty, the serene rest
that seem to brood over all the scene, afford
the spectator great delight.
Passing from this point of view, the traveller
will enter the village of Oosoola,^ where he
will note the voice of Business and the sounds
of Industry, and where he will feel himself
among those who swing the ponderous ham-
mer, and pursue those other business avoca-
tions on which the prosperity and happiness of
a community depend. It is a growing and
prosperous village ; the water privilege of Mill
stream moves the wheels of its business. It
rises in Smith field, and runs north into the
Kennebec at Oosoola.
A course continuing north-west will carry
him, after five miles of travel, to the mouth of
Sandy river. Here will open the magnificent
intervales of the Sandy river in Starks, perhaps
for fertihty and beauty unsurpassed in New
England. The old Waugh Farm, spoken of
in another place, is the best, doubtless ; but the
river is fringed with choice intervales, for many
miles towards its source. Following the river
towards its head in a south-westerly direction,
the traveller will cross Meadow stream, and,
reaching the southern boundary of Starks, he
will cross Sandy river, and, passing in a north-
* Tradition says that Oosoola was the Indian name of Mill
stream. As near as I can learn, Oosoola means " the place
where it is very yellow," referring probably to yellow flowers
which abounded along the course of the stream. Oosoomenar
signifies yellow corn.
108 GENERAL DESCRIPTION, PRODUCTIONS, ETC.
easterly direction, after crossing Leernan stream,
which empties into the north side of the Sandy,
can follow the river on the northern shore to
its mouth, or he can pass farther to the north,
and behold the fruitful fields of the sons of
Toil, or their mills, and stores, and places of
labor. Crossing the Kennebec at Madison
bridge, or old Norridgewock falls,^ he will find
himself in a corner of Madison ; and continu-
ing a short distance south, he will reach Old
Point, the sacred home of the ancient Nor-
ridgewogs. After pausing to reflect concern-
ing the shifting scenes in the Drama of Life,
and refreshing his memory with reminiscences
of the Past, he can direct his course south-east,
and, travelling about six miles, will be in the
" quiet and beautiful village of Norridgewock."
Here, if he have leisure, Jie had better pause
and repose among the quiet scenery, and re-
fresh himself with its loveliness. Probably
there is not a street north of New Haven more
beautiful with quiet homes and magnificent
shrubbery, w4iile there certainly is not one,
which presents so many attractions to the in-
valid, or to the man of business or wealth, who
washes to escape, daring the heat of summer,
from the dust and disease of city life. The
street of itself is very wide, bordered on each
side with pleasant houses, and literally empar-
^ Norri(l<2:e\vock Falls, between Anson and Madison, is a fine
cataract of ten feet, over a ledge of argillaceous slate, mica
slate, ffrauwacke and cr3-stal pyrites, and specks of iron ore.
The stratified rocks dip to the N. VV. 80 deg., and run N. 70 deg.,
E. S. 70 deg. W. The fall and the surrounding scenery compose
a fine view.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION, PEODLXTIONS, ETC. 109
adised with noble trees, most of which are
magnificent old elms. The trees are in fine
variety, and of great beauty. Tiie elm, Lom-
bardy poplar, pine, willow, rock maple, butter-
nut, basswood and red oak blend their fohao:e
and assist in completing the beauty of the
place. Besides these natural attractions, there
is an indefinable air of hushed repose which
seems to pervade the atmosphere, and invite
the tired frame and weary mind to rest. Tur-
ner's, long known as Pike's Hotel, and said by
travellers to be the best country hotel in Maine,
will afibrd him most excellent accommoda-
tions. From this place Old Point is but six
miles,-— Norridgewock falls but eight, — Skow-
hegan falls but ^\\^, — the ponds in Madison
and Smithfield but six, literally filled with
large pickerel, frequently found weighing four
and six pounds, and other fish, — a ^^^ min-
eral spring close at hand, — and beautifid rides
in every direction, while the great Moosehead
lake is but sixty miles, — all these attractions
loudly call the seeker of pleasure and rural
life, to turn his steps thitherward. Hundreds
of eminences, overlooking the different villages,
and landscapes and views that would adorn
the canvas of the painter, are so numerous as
to def}^ enumeration. The Kennebec is the
Garden of Maine ; — this region is the Garden
of the Kennebec.
The productions and articles of manufacture,
&c. v/ill be found elsewhere. The indigenous
trees and shrubs are the white, black, ground,
mountain and red ash, alder, balm of Gilead.
10
110 GENERAL DESCRIPTION, PRODUCTIONS, ETC.
basswood, beech, birch, biitterniit or oilniit, black-
berry, blueberry, boxwood, bayberry, cedar, black
and red choke-cherry, wild currant, dogwood,
elm, eider, fir, gooseberry, grape-vine, hazel,
hemlock, ground do., hornbeam, larch, sugar,*
white and red maple, moose wood, juniper, red
oak, poplar, plum, white and Norway pine,t
sumach, thorn-apple, wild-pear, spruce, willow,
witch-hazel, wickapee or leather-wood, sheep
laurel, raspberry, thimbleberr}^, wild rose, &c.
The principal medicinal plants and herbs
are fir balsam, yarrow, sweet flag, mayweed,
sarsaparilla, spikenard, everlasting, burdock,
wormwood, wild turnip, coltsfoot, milkweed,
white root, celandine, snakehead, wintergreen,
horse radish, sweet fern, conium, goldthread,
apple of Peru, thoroughwort, queen of the
meadow, wild hoarhound, avensroot, penny-
royal, liverwort, hop, round wood, elecompane,
blue flag, dandelion, motherwort, lobelia, pep-
permint, spearmint, catnip, woodsorrel, garget,
broad-leaved dock, elder, bloodroot, goldenrod,
tansy, snake root, ginseng, maidenhair, hard-
hack, addertongue, sweet cicely, and many
others.
The horticultural products are the apple,
plum, pear, peach, and grape.
* The saccharine qualities of the roek maple seem to have
been well known to the Indians^ for old Father Rule wrote,
while in Nonidgewock, that he prevented the insipidity of hi»
dish of boiled corn, " by adding sugar, made by the women in
the spring, who boiled down the sap of the maple, which they
collected in bark troughs, as it flowed from incisions made in
the trunk of the tree.''
^ t "Williamson relates (Hist. Maine) that a pine was cut down
m Norridgewock one hundred and fifty-four feet in height, and
four £ni a half feet in diameter at the base.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION, PRODUCTIONS, ETC. Ill
The most important culinary plants, roots
and herbs are anise, artichoke, bean, beet, car-
away, blackberry, currant, carrot, hop, mus-
tard, onion, pea, pepper, sage, cabbage, turnip,
cranberry, Sec. The common plants usually
found in these latitudes abound. Besides these
are large numbers of floral plants, &c., and
many splendid forests, most of which are of
Ike rock or sugar maple.
There were formerly bears,^ raccoons,^ wol-
verines, beavers, muskrats,^ catamounts, wild-
cats, black cats, nioose,^ deer,* caribous, foxes,^
wolves, hares,^ rabbits,^ moles,^ mice,* por-
cupines,* rats,* skunks,* ermines, martins,
minks,* otters, weasels,* and woodchucks*
Those birds, insects and fish, usually found in
these northern latitudes, are jet found. Those
marked thus (*) are still met with.
The Kennebec river is one hundred and
seventy miles in length, and has its source in
Moosehead lake. Its principal branches are
the Dead river, Seven-mile brook, Sandy river,
Wesserrunsicke, Sebasticook, Cobbosseecontee,
and Androscoggin. Its general course is south-
erly into the Atlantic ocean. It v> aters a beau-
tiful region, appropriately styled the *• Garden
of Maine.'' The Kennebec is usually calm
and placid, though there are falls and rapids
along its entire course. The water at the out-
let falls over a dam, artificially raised for the
transportation of lumber, and then passes to
^'the forks''' or junction of the Dead river and
Kennebec, a distance of twenty miles ; thence
through a wild country fourteen miles to " car-
112 GENERAL BESCKIPTiaN, PRODUCTIONS, ETC.
rying place rips,'' a half mile in length ; thence
twelve miles farther to Carratunk fails, between
Solon and Embden. The river, which is gen-
erally about thirty rods wide in this vicinity,
here narrows to forty feet, and is precipitated
over a ledge, forming a beautiful cataract.
From this place to Norridgewock falls, the dis-
tance is fourteen miles. These fails are usually
called rips, as are the '' Bomazeen rips, just
above the village of Norridgewock." The river
at the falls and village is fordable in dry sea-
sons. The beautiful fall at Skowhegan will be
found elsewhere described. Taconnet falls at
Waterville, and the artificial fall at Augusta,
are the principal interruptions to the otherwise
calm course of the river. It waters a beautiful
and fruitful country, peopled by a hardy, enter-
prising and virtuous people.
Moosehead lake is the largest body of fresh
water in New England. It is forty miles in
length, and from ten to fifteen wide, in some
places, and contains a large number of islands.
Deer island contains two thousand, and Sugar
island seven thousand acres, and the rest are
smaller. It is one of the most charming places
in New England, and is destined to be a gi-eat
place of resort. The surrounding mountains,
the islands, the immense trout, the moose, deer
and other animals, and the other attractions,
will soon be known, and the steamboat which
at present plies the waters will be in constant
demand. As the woods are cleared vip, the
black flies and other insects, which are so trou-
blesome now, will disappear. June or Sep-
113
tember are the proper months in which to visit
the lake at present. It is now visited by lum-
bermen principally, who, in the winter, cut
down the trees on the shores of the lake and
its tributaries, which, in the succeeding spring
freshets, they run down the Kennebec, while
in the follov/ing summer they explore the for-
ests for new spots for the labors of another
winter. There are several kinds of fish, among
which are trout, frequently found weighing
twenty-five pounds. There are also small lob-
steis found. Its Indian name was Cerbenij
^signifying Great Waters.^
The head waters of the Kennebec, Penob-
scot, Androscoggin, and St. Johns are all within
a few rods of each other, though they pursue
such different routes, and water widely apart
realms, subject to different rulers. James
Stackpoie, of Norridgewock, informs me that
he has been lumbering on the Kennebec, while
he has, for the sake of convenience, watered
his cattle in the Penobscot There is said to
be a place where a man can lie with his feet
in the head watei-s of the Androscoggin, and
drink out of a spring which passes into the
Kennebec.
The following description was furnished by
Dr. John S. Lynde, and it will be gladly pe-
rused by all who are acquainted with the sci-
entific as well as poetic character of his pen.
" Few localities ofter more interesting con-
siderations to the geologist, than the toAvn of
* Governor of Penobscot, via Eev, 0. H. Johnson.
10* ,
114 GENERAL DESCRIPTION, PRODUCTIONS, ETC.
Norridgewock and its environs. Most of the
soil on the Kennebec is alluvia], but the high
lands are mostly primitive.
" There are lio precipices and lofty moun-
tains now to show the primeval work of crea-
tion, but the geologist can plainly see, that they
once were here ; for the landscape far around
declares, that on it rocks have been rent asun-
der, barriers of tremendous waters broken
through, and mountains not only uplifted from
the deep, but overturned, and their fragments
scattered like chaff before the wind.
'• There is geological evidence that Dodlean
Hill and Bare Hill, in this town, and Mount
Tom in Smithfield, were once lofty mountains
of granite ; but, at a remote epoch, their sum-
mits were torn away by some awful cataclysm,
sweeping in turbulent billows from the north
towards the south, and strewing on the hills as
well as the valleys of Smithfield, blocks of
granite, of all sizes, from one pound to a thou-
sand tons.
" Dodlean Hill, situated about two miles
from the village, is so connected with the geol-
ogy of this vicinity, that it deserves to be men-
tioned. Its north-eastern side is only a regular
acclivity, but as you reach the summit, you
will find it a hill of solid granite, highly useful
and inexhaustible. Its escarpment, or steep
side, is on its south-west part, and is about two
hundred and fifty feet from the smiling valley
below. The view from this station in summer
is beautiful, picturesque, and enchanting. You
can see in the north the two rom.antic villasres
GENERziL DESCRIPTIOX, TRODUCTIONS, ETC. 115
of Norridgewock, situated on both banks of
the river, and all the adjacent scenery, with its
thousand-tinted foliage. Paradise, at its crea-
tion, could look no fairer than the champaign
around you. In your front, you will observe
Mount Tom, shaded with evergreen and ma-
ple, fanned by perpetual zephyrs, giving a
beauty and brilliancy to the wandering eye.
On your left, several miles distant, will glitter
and expand two beautiful sheets of water,
called East and North Ponds ; and on your
right. Mount Abraham and Mount Bigelow,
forty miles in the north, with all the wild and
sylvan landscape mtervening, will also capti-
vate your vision.
" Limestone, and its associates, may be con-
sidered the real base rock of this vicinity ; but
granite almost everywhere overlays it. The
limestone, from its parallel arrangement, de-
monstrates that it must have been formed un-
der water, by deposition from the surface
downwards ; whereas the whole character of
the granite rocks equally prove that they must
have come to the surface from the interior of
the earth, by volcanic power, after the deposi-
tion of the limestone. We must therefore in-
fer that the sedimentar}'- deposits, or lim crocks,
have been upheaved at an elevation of about
70 deg. by the granite rocks ; and also that the
latter were made hj Jire, and the former by
ivater.^-
HISTORY OF CANAAN.
As early as 1607, A. D., an attempt was
made by the English to settle on the Kennebec
river.^ The colonists, after remaining about a
year, and experiencing many hardships, relin-
quished their undertaking. Different parts of
the State were visited by both French and
English voyagers from that time, until about
1623, when the first permanent settlements
were made around the mouth of the river, and
at Sagadahock. t A patent for the exclusive
trade of the Kennebec was granted by the Ply-
mouth Council, in the year 1627, and in 1628
a trading house was erected at or near Merry-
meeting bay. t
In 1629, a grant of land was made to New
Plymouth, of the Plymouth or Kennebec Patent.
This patent bore date January, 1629, and was
a grant from the council of Plymouth to
William Bradford and his associates, " of all
that tract of land, or part of New England, in
America, aforesaid, within or between, and ex-
tendeth itself from the utmost limits of Cob-
biseconte, alias Comaseconte, which adjoineth
* Sullivan's History of Maine, p. 170.
t Williamson, vol. i., p. 238. $ Ibid, 223.
HISTORY UE CANAAN. 117
to the river of Kennebec, alias Kennebekike,
towards the western ocean, and a place called
the falls, at Negnamkike, in America aforesaid,
and the space of fifteen English miles on each
side of the said river, commonly called the
Kennebec river, and all the said river called
Kennebec, that lies within the said limits, &c."^
It was decided to reach as far north as the
southern boundary of Cornville, which was
originally located half a league further up than
at present. The decision was made in 1757,
by Messrs. Walcot, Grid ley, Pratt, Worthing-
ton, and Hawley, very eminent lawyers. The
north line was determined in 1648 and 1653,
by deeds from the Indians, to include all the
lands as far as Wesserunsicke.f The Kenne-
bec Grant, therefore, included all the lands
fifteen miles on each side of the river Kenne-
bec, from the north line of Yv'^oolwich to half a
league above the present southern boundary of
Cornville. Such a grant would include the
five towns sketched in this book.
The lands comprised in the above grant were
purchased again of the Indians, w^lio were the
true owners of the soil, and in many cases they
were bought several times.
The permanent settlements followed the
river up, though their progress was very slow.
In 1634, a trading house was erected at Fort
Popham and at Cushnoc. The charter of
the Province of Maine t was granted April 3,
*^3 Greenleaf, p. 110.
t Siiillvan's History of Maine, p. 118-170.
$ The name of our Slate is said by some to have been given it
as a compliment to the Queen, who inherited the province of
118 HISTOllY OF CAXAAIf.
1639, and from this time until 1771, settlers
continued to advance up the river, purchasing
and occupying the lands.
The first strong garrison at any distance up
the Kennebec, was at Cushnoc, at which place
Dr. Noyes, in 1716, erected a stone fort of great
strength, which was of much service to the
sett lei's, hunters, and traders. When Dr. Noyes
died, in 1721, it was abandoned, and was en-
tirely demolished in LoveweU's war, by the
Indians. From this period the settlers along
the Kennebec were very few, and it was not
until about the year 1754,^ that much progress
was made in peopling this vast wilderness. At
that time Fort IlaUfax was built at Taconnet,
and Fort Western at Augusta. Slowly the tide
of emigration followed the Kennebec, and
although an occasional hunter, or trapper, visited
these regions after game or fars, or an explorer,
on the lookout for soil, the first serious effort
at settling either of the five towns herein spoken
of, was made in the year 1771.
The Kennebec Company had granted a strip
of land to Sir Thomas Temple, consisting of
several thousand acres, reaching through a part
of Fairfield, Canaan, Norridgewock, and Starks.
This land struck the Kennebec river on the
north side, and was about a mile in width from
the river. This, with other land, was bought
by John Nelson, of the Island of Granada, and
Maine, in France. Others say, it was because it laid so much,
on the sea or main; — ''the main," " the meyne," &c., is com-
mon in ancient authors. — Sullivan and Willinmson.
* Two men were killed by the Indians in 175G, which were
the last outrages committed by the Aborigines on the river.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 119
was surveyed by John McKechnie, who drew
a plan, dated jNovember 7, 1769. In this lot,
the Company, with a view to the settlement of
the country, and the elevation of the price of
neighboring lands, reserved 17801 acres, which
were given away to actual settlers. At the
death of Nelson the land was sold by his
administrator, and the purchaser was Jonathan
Palmer, of Wakefield, New Hampshire. The
entire strip was about a mile in width, passing
in a north-westerly direction through the planta-
tions, striking the river at the great bow on
which is located the village of South Norridge-
wock, excluding that and most of the soil on
the river in Norridgewock and Canaan, which,
as was stated above, was reserved to be given
to actual settlers. *
The Grants were worded somewhat like the
following, which is extracted from the first deed
given to Mr. AVaugh, the first settler on Sandy
river. It is dated February 17, 1781, seven
years after the farm was settled. " Granted
and assigned to James Waugh, of a new Planta-
tion called Norridgewalk, ... a Lot of Land
in said Plantation, containing about Two
Hundred acres, lying on the Westerly side of
Kennebec river, being Lott No. 86, as delineated
on a plan, made by Thomas Farrington, Sur-
veyor, dated the Twentieth day of July, 1774,
. . . that the said James Waugh build an
house, not ]ess than Twenty feet square, and
seven feet stud, clear, and bring too, fit for
Tillage, ^Ye acres of Land, within three years
* Law Reports.
120 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
of the date hereof, and actually Kve and dwell
upon the premises himself, during said term, or
in case of his death, that his heirs or some per-
son under him, &c." It was provided that he
should live seven years^ after the three before
mentioned, — work two days each year on the
ministerial or church lot, for ten years, — and
two days each year on the roads, until the
town should be incorporated.^ All mines and
minerals were reserved by the company.
Those who desired grants were obliged to pre-
sent a petition to the Plymouth Company like
the following : —
^'Tb the Proprietors of the Kennebeck-Purchase
fro7n the late Colony q/"Kew-Ply mouth.
" Gentlemen,
" I the Subscriber of in the
County of being desirous of setthng
within your Purchase, pray you. would make a
Grant to me and my Heirs of the Lot numbered
containing Acres, situated in
within your said Purchase. And I hereby
engage for myself and Heirs that the Con-
ditions of the said Grant shall be performed,
viz. That a Dwelling- House shall be built on
the said Lot not less than 18 Feet square, that
five Acres of said Lot shall be cleared and
made fit for Tillage within three Years from the
Date of the Grant, and that I will dwell there-
on personally during said three Years, if living,
or in case of my Death, that my Heirs or some
'* Original Deed.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 121
Person under them shall dwell on said Premises
during said Term ; and for the Term of seven
Years more by myself or Substitute ; and as
soon as said Grant shall be made out and ready
to be delivered to me, I hereby promise to pay
your Clerk for the Time being, Seven Shillings
Lawful Money, for his Fee, and also Shil-
lings Lawful Money, towards defreying your
Expences for Surveying ; and you'll oblige
your Petitioner. Dated this Day of
17 y^'
In accordance with the plans and proposals
of the Plymouth Company as aheady related,
Peter Hey wood, Sen.,t an inhabitant of that part
of Concord that is now Lincoln, secured about
* Printed form of Grant.
t Peter Heywood was a son of John Harwood or Haywood,
who was an ensign in the famous Love well's fight.
" With Lovewell brave John Harwood came.
From wife and babes 'twas hard to part ;
Young Harwood took lier by the hand
And bound the weeper to his heart.
" Repress that tear, my Mary dear,
Said Harwood to his loving wife ;
It tries me hard to leave thee here,
And seek in distant woods the strife.
" When gone, my Mary, think of me,
And pray to God that I may be
Such as one ought that lives for thee,
And come at last in victory.
" Thus left young Harwood, babes and wife ;
With accent wild she bade adieu.
It grieved these lovers much to part,
So fond and fair, so kind and true.
11
122 HISTORY OP CANAAN.
six hundred acres of land on the Kennebec
river, on the western shore, between two and
three miles below Skowhegan falls, being the
land in the neighborhood of the residence of
Major Abraham Wyman. This land he placed
at the disposal of Peter Heywood, Jr., his son ;
and Joseph Weston of Concord, now Lincohi,
procured other land in the vicinity, and in July,
1771, they left Concord for the Kennebec.
The grant to the Heywoods and Weston con-
sisted of a large lot of land on the river, in
Bloomfield, with all adjacent islands. A line
drawn in a south-easterly direction from the
northerly intersection of Bloomfield and Nor-
ridgewock, to the south-easterly corner of
Bloomfield, would enclose all the land originally
granted.
According to a diary kept by Joseph Weston,
he went from Concord to Lancaster, thence to
"John Harwood died all bathed in blood,
When he had fought till set of day;
And many more we may not name,
Fell in that bloody battle fray.
" When news did come to Harwood's wife,
That he with Lovewell fought and died,
Far in the wilds had given his life,
Nor more would in this home abide, —
" Such grief did seize upon her mind,
Such sorrow filled her faithful breast,
On earth she ne'er found peace again,
But followed Harwood to his rest.*' *
Besides Harwood and Wyman, Daniel and Thomas Woods,
Jonathan Robbins, and John Chamberlain had descendants and
relatives, who settled in Norridgewock and Canaan.
* Drake, Book of Indians.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 123
Salem, where he shipped for Seguin, and
from the latter place to Dresden. Here he and
his companions met the ice in the fall of 1771,
and after remaining a few days, Captain Nathan
Weston and others removed them to Vassal-
borough. From the latter place Zimri Hey-
wood moved them to Fort Halifax, where they
bought a canoe called the Rainbow, w^ent up
to Clinton, in the Spring of 1772, and thence to
the place to which they had been directed by
the surveyor, John Jones, or as he was gen-
erally styled, Black Jones.
At the time Heywood and Weston ascended
the river, the beautiful valley of the Kennebec
presented a very different aspect from that
which greets the traveller of to-day. The ma-
jestic forests that have now nearly disappeared,
clothed the hills and vales to the river's edge,
with the exception of an occasional clearing
made by the former dwellers on the soil.
The birds and beasts of the untrodden wilder-
ness, — an occasional hunter or trapper, — the
white canoe and gliding form of the Red Man,
alone were seen. The solemn, silent grandeur
of Nature was disturbed and gradually invaded
as their industrious axes let the sunlight in
upon the virgin soil, which was so soon to bring
forth its abundance for the sustenance of
civilized man.
Weston and Heywood were the first settlers
north of AVinslow, excepting a few at Sebasti-
cook. They carried from Concord twenty head
of stock, and immediately on their arrival, erect-
ed their camp, which was twenty feet square,
12 i UISTORY OF CANAAN.
containing one room. They went to work on
their arrival, and were soon able to cut hay on
Great Island, Herrin Intervale, Oakes Meadow,
and the banks of Turner Brook. The islands had
been cleared by the Indians, but a few years
before, and they bore only a small growth of
basswood, oilnut, poplar, cherry, &c. About
fifteen acres were cleared on Great Island, and
a small spot on the main land in Bloomfield
was devoted to potatoe and corn fields, — the
seed they brought from Vassalboro' with them.^
With Peter Hey wood, sen. and Joseph Weston,
aged 46 and 40 years, were John Hey wood,
brother of Peter Hey wood, junr., aged 23 years,
Isaac Smith, aged 16 years, and Eli Weston,
son of Joseph, aged 11 years. Peter Hey wood,
junr. came down the next year.
As these individuals were conspicuous in the
early settlement of the country, the following
data may be interesting : Peter Heywood,t sen.
was born in Concord, Mass., April 24, 1726,
and died April 3, 1803, aged 77 years; Mr.
Hey wood became quite eccentric in his old
age. When the house was on fire he would
not move until he had mated his stockings.
His widow Avas Joseph Weston's sister, and
lived to be between 90 and 100 years of age.
* Kusebins Weston and INIelzar Lindsay, Esqrs., furnished
many of the very interesting facts contained in this sketch of the
early history of Canaan.
t '' It is a singular fact, that Joseph Weston came here with
seven sons and two daui^hters, from whom have descended
in right line over six hundred, mostly of the name of Weston,
while Peter Heywood came with three sons and two daughters,
and soon after his brother Oliver, with three sons and four daugh-
ters, and though their descendants are somewhat extended, but
one of the name of Heywood remains." — Eusehius Weston^ Esq.
HISTORY OF CANAAX. 125
After being nearly blind, her sight so far return-
ed that she could read very fine Bible print.
She died in Palmyra. Joseph Weston^ was
born March 7, 1732, and died October 16, 1775,
aged 43, of a violent cold and fever, which he
took in accompanying Arnold's expedition np
the Kennebec. Peter Heywood, jiinr., was
born March 28, 1751, and was thrown from his
carriage, in Norridgewock, and died July
17, 1822. John Heywood was born in 1759.
He soon returned to Concord. Isaac Smith
was born in 1756.
The children of Joseph Weston were Sam-
uel and Joseph, twins, born January 17, 1757.
Samuel t died June 7, 1802, aged 45; Joseph
died March 22, 1838, aged 81 ; John, born July
19, 1758, died November 12, 1842, ^aged 84;
Eli, born July 4, 1760, died October 14, 1846,
aged 86; Wilham, born November 11, 1763,
died December 29, 1840, aged 77 ; Benjamin,
born February 3, 1765, now living in Madison,
aged 84; Eunice, born August 25, 1766, died
August 12, 1779, aged 13 ; Hannah, born Febru-
ary 23, 1768, died February 11, 1800, aged 32 ;
she married N. Parkman ; Stephen, born Sep-
tember 15, 1770, died May 31, t 1847, aged
77. §
* Eunice, his wife, was born in 1735, and died Nov. 8, 1822,
aged 87 years.
t '* Squire Weston" was a very active, energetic man, and
stood conspicuous in the early annals of Canaan. He filled
many offices, and died much lamented and regretted.
X The very day on which died Daniel 6'Connell and Dr.
Chalmers.
§ Collected from gravestones, family registers, &.C., aided by
Eusebius Weston, Esq.
11*
126 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
The children of Peter Heywood, sen., were
Peter, junr., born in Concord, in 1752, died by-
being thrown from a carriage while descend-
ing a hill near Sawtelle's fulling-mill, Norridge-
wock, in July, 1822; Sarah, born in 1754,
married Oliver Wilson, of Starks ; Asa, born in
1756, died young; Hannah, born in 1758, and
married Isaac Smith. Peter Heywood, junr., and
Isaac Smith were the first two white men that
ever passed a winter on the Kennebec river,
above Taconnet Falls. '^
After haying was over, Joseph AVeston and
John Heywood made an agreement to go back
to Massachusetts, and bring down Joseph Wes-
ton's family. They started in September, 1772,
leaving Peter Heywood and Eli and Isaac to
finish sowing the winter rye, and harvesting
the potatoes. One week after, Heywood be-
came homesick, and left the boys to finish the
work. About that time came John Hale from
Sebasticook. He settled on the farm now oc-
cupied by Dea. Thos. Pratt. The boys obtain-
ed the assistance of Hale to sow their grain,
by giving him four days of their labor to one
of his. After working a few days Hale left,
and the boys, aged 16 and 11, finished sowing
the grain, and wintered in their cabin, seven-
teen miles from any settlers ! As soon as a
portion of the rye was sown, a rain came on,
and it sprouted without being harrowed, and
yielded finely. This was the first grain ever
sowed in Canaan. Finding that the moose had
* Melzar Lindsay, Esq.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 127
destroyed their haystacks, they let their cow to
Joel Crosby, at Chnton, for the milk she would
give through the Avinter.
At the time the town was settled, there were
a few Indians within its limits, and they had a
current tradition, that some years previous,
a great freshet overflowed all the islands and
intervales, and drowned large numbers of the
Indians. Near the landing at Herrin's Ferry,
there is a mound several rods in diameter, and
several feet high. It is composed of gravel and
sand, resting on the common soil. It indicates
a great freshet at some period previous to the
settlement of the country, and seems to corrobo-
rate the Indian tradition. Soon after, the tra-
dition declares that the small pox took off a
large number, and the rest emigrated up the
river, probably to Canada.
When Arnold passed up the river, Joseph
Weston went to aid him in transporting his
baggage across the great carrying place, and
on his return he took cold, and died in a few
days. He left a family of nine children, who
have branched out numerously and respectably.
His widow married Colonel John Moor, sen.,
in 1779.
In the autumn of 1772, came John Oakes,
with several sons, to "spy out the land." He
settled on the farm occupied by George Lane,
opposite Great Island. Oakes Island was given
to him by the Heywoods and Westons.
His son Solomon is in Ohio ; Abel is in Do-
ver ; Levi is dead ; and William is in Sanger-
ville. Oakes was out in the French war, and
128 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
was engaged with Wolfe, on the plains of
Abraham. He was a skilful mechanic, and
was employed to make the coflin in which the
brave General Wolfe was buried. He died in
Canaan, in 1788. William Avas born soon
after the arrival of his father in Canaan. He
was, according to some citizens, the first white
child born in Canaan, and is now an aged
Baptist clergyman. He was deposed from the
ministry at one time, for alleged immorality,
but was again restored. He was ordained at
Canaan, in 1815.
Isaac Smith came in 1773. He settled near
Wesserrunsett. Abraham, his son, was born
soon after, and was probably the first white
child born in Canaan. The palm rests between
Abraham Smith and William Oakes. There
were but a few days between their births.
Jeremiah Pease settled in 1773, on the Her-
rin Farm. He did not remain long. Mordecai
Moore came in 1774, and worked awhile, but
soon went to Clinton. He died in Clinton, in
August, 1840, aged 103 years.
Seth Wyman came in 1773. He was un-
married, and settled near Heywood's location,
on a farm now occupied by Dea. James Cleve-
land.
Joel Crosby came up from Sebasticook in
1773, to assist Weston, Hey wood and Oakes
in erecting a mill on Skowhegan Island. He
afterward went up to Starks, and seems to have
been the principal mill-wright in the vicinity.
He died in 1775.
Dea. John White settled with his family in
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 129
the Spring of 1773. He came first, alone, in
tiie Summer of 1772. He settled where his
grandson Solomon now lives.
Jonas Parlin, an elder brother of Nathan,
came in 1774. He settled, near Skowhegan
Yillage.
Daniel Steward settled in 1775, on one of
the "back farms" in Bloomfield.
Solomon, Phineas, and Dea. William, uncles
of Daniel, came soon after, say in 1776.
In 1775, Isaac Smith, Joseph and Eh Wes-
ton, Mordecai Moor, and several others, volun-
teered to enter the Eevolutionary army, but
Joseph Weston was the only one who went.
Joseph Cleveland came in 1777-8, and
lived in Bloomfield village.
Ephraim Brown came in 1774. He "worked
in the mill above the present village, and
camped near by. An Indian named Sabbatis
lurked about their camp, till, finding an oppor-
tunity, in the absence of Brown, he stole from
Brown's chest. He was seized, and his hands
tied behind him with a silk handkerchief, and
he was put into Brown's keeping and taken to
the house of the Senior Peter Hey wood, Esq.,
for trial. Sabbatis contrived to get at a scythe
which hung in the snath across the fence, and
cut his bands, and took an opportunity, while
Brown was unsuspicious of danger, to attempt
his death by wringing his neck in savage style.
Brown discovered his aim in season to seize
him, and though a very athletic Indian, threw
him and sprang to the kitchen for the " ready
gun," while Sabbatis tried to escape his almost
130 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
inevitable fate. Brown's charge entered the
vitals of the Indian, notwithstanding which
he jumped over two fences and on the third,
from which he fell dead. Brown considered
himself unsafe, and moved to New Hampshire,
where he was found in a saAv-mill by an Indian.
But he got notice by a friend of whom the
Indian enquired for him, and setting his hat
and coat m such a manner as to deceive him,
retired to a pile of boards, and waited till the
Indian's gun cracked ; he then opened his fire
with sure and deadly efl^^ect. Report says, that
in two other instances he was obhged to kill
one or more in self-defence ; yet he lived
to a good old age, and died an honest death.
This Sabbatis was buried on the land now
owned by Mr. Joel Leighton, — then owned by
Mr. Hey wood. The river at one time made an
advance upon his resting-place, and left his
bones to whiten on the bank." — Eusehius
Weston, Esq.
In 1776, Joseph AVeston and Oliver Wilson
wished to go down to Pownalboro' to transact
some business, and Isaac Smith thought he
would accompany them a short distance. They
were very much afraid that Indians in the
British interest might be prowling about, and
for fear of unnecessary alarm, as Avell as to
have a certain sign of the presence of Indians,
it was agreed on parting that neither should
fire a gun, unless an Indian was seen. Smith,
who was quite a hunter, had scarcely left his
companions, when he saw a bear. Forgetting
his promise, he saluted Master Bruin with the
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 131
contents of his gun. The report so alarmed
Weston and Wilson that they made all ex-
pedition for Pownalboro', and scarcely stopped
for breath until they reached the place of their
destination. The alarm was given, and Gen-
eral Lithgow called out the regiment to resist
the supposed enemy.
In the year 1777, the house in which Mr.
Peter Heywood lived, situated near the res-
idence of Major Abram Wyman, in Bloom-
field, was picketed as a fort. It was never
found necessary to use it, as the Indians were
peaceable. On the occasion just referred to,
all of the settlers were alarmed, and retreated
to Great Island, but the Indians, of whom they
stood in fear, did not attempt to molest them.
It is very doubtful whether they had any such
intentions at any time, but the lonely situation
of the first settlers naturally excited their fears.
They endured and suffered much, and were
not able to know what unseen foes lurked
around them.
Dea. Solomon Clarke came in 17 7-, and
settled on land since occupied by Hon. Bryce
McLellan, and now by Mr. Samuel Hight. He
planted the first orchard in Canaan.
The territory of Canaan was surveyed by
John Jones, Esq., in 1779. The settlers styled
their plantation at first, in honor of the oldest
man and most prominent settler — Heywoods-
town ; but for some unknown reason it was
soon afterward changed to the Plantation of
Wesserunsett. Both of these names were
regarded as being too long to speak or to wiite,
132 HISTORY OP CANAAN.
and in selecting the name ultimately chosen,
two considerations ruled. The religious char-
acter and habits of thought of the primitive
settlers, and the level beauty, rich fertility, and
charming appearance everywhere visible, —
bearing a faint resemblance to those " sweet
fields arrayed in hving green," which they saw
at the end of life's pilgrimage, — induced them
to call their beautiful possessions, Canaan.
Soon after the settlement was made, twenty-
six active and enterprising young men saw
and coveted the territory, and petitioned the
Plymouth Company against the actual settlers.
Heywood prosecuted them, and they were
obliged to withdraw ignominiously.
In the spring of 1781, a tax was laid on the
people of Winslow and on "all adjacents."
Winslow was, at that time, the last town ; it
was incorporated in the year 1771, and includ-
ed Waterville. It has been peopled since
1754; eleven families having commenced a
settlement at that time, though the township
was not granted until 1766. The town was
divided by the erection of Waterville, June 23,
1802. Clinton was not a town until 1795,
seven years after Canaan. The names marked
Clinton refer to those who were settlers in
1781 between Canaan and Winslow. The
Winslow names are marked AV. The rest
will be explained hereafter. Several who at
this time were in Clinton and Winslow, after-
ward became citizens of Canaan and Nor-
ridgewock.
HISTORY OF CANAAN.
133
" An assessment of the polls and Real &
Personal Estates of the inhabitants of the
Town of Winslow & also the Nonresident
Proprietors Land Lying in said Town & also
the Polls of the adjacents being a tax of one
Hundred & Seventy five Pounds Eleven shil-
lings and Eleven pence Laid on said Town by
the General Court of the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts begun & held at Boston on
wednsday the 25th day of October AD 1780
& Continued by adjournment to the 11th day
of April A D 178L
Joseph Carter W.
Nathaniel Cailer W.
Joseph Richardson W.
Benet Woods W.
Nath" Evins W.
John Cole VV.
Manuel Smith W.
Solomon Parker W.
Asa Parker W.
Jesse Davis W.
James Pink ham W.
Samuel Reed W.
Francis Dudley W.
Will™ An 2:0 w W.
Simeon Tozer W.
John Simson W.
John McKechnie (1) W.
Randolph Fiitch W.
John Rule W.
Timothy Hudson W.
David Pattee W.
Will"^ Shenehen W.
David Webb W.
Jonathan Soul W.
Tho« Lewis W.
Eliab Smith W.
Edward Blanchard W.
Nath'i Low W.
12
Sum on
No. Polls, each PolL
£ s. d.
11
11
II
11
11
11
n
11
11
11
11
10
11
11
11
10
10
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
11
Personal
Estate.
10
15
18
12
8
9
13
4
1
3
7
6
6
1
8
1
5
4
134
IIISTOEY OP CANAAN.
Sum on
No. Polls, each Poll.
Eeal Estate.
Personal
Estate.
£ s.
(1.
jT
s. d.
£ s. a
Jabez Lewis
W.
1 n
6
5 7
James Cromett
W.
1 11
S 10
JValhan Burton
W.
1 11
1
Will'" Huston
^v.
2 13
1
10
6 8
James Huston
^Y.
1 11
1 3
Nathan Dexter
\v.
1 11
Timothy Heald (2)
W'.
1 11
1
7
John McGraugh
w.
1 11
10
3 6
Josiah Brewer Esq""
w.
1 11
1 8
Andrew Gillman
^Y.
1 11
Will>^^ Wyman
^v.
2 1 3
7
2 4
Willard Spalding
w.
1 11
9
4 7
John Spalding
^y.
1 11
9
4 4
Benj'' Runnels
w.
1 11
14
9 2
Benj*! Hartford
w.
1 31
John Humes
w.
1 11
4
Ephraim Osborn
\Y.
1 11
15
8 8
Ephraim AVillson
w.
1 11
1 4
Thomas Gullifar
AV.
1 11
6
3 2
Ezek. Pattee Esq' (3) W.
3 1 15
2
1 4 1
Asa Phillips
w.
1 11
16
7 7
Jonathan Low
^y.
2 11
Tho« Parker (4)
w.
1 11
14
7 4
William Bradford
w.
1 H
Isaac Bradford
w.
1 11
Michal Thornton
w.
1 11
William Thornton
AV.
1 11
James Stackpole
w.
1
10
l>aniel Spring
w.
12 3
Hezekiah Slraton
w.
1 11
1
11 4
James Collar
^y.
1 11
12
5 8
Costalow
w.
12 2
Jonah Crosby
AY.
2 1 3
1
10
1 1 2
Thomas Smiley
^y.
1 11
4
Will™ Richardson
yy.
2 1 3
2
6
1 6
Andrew Richardson
\v.
1 11
Ebene"- Heald (5)
^y.
1 11
1
Zimri Haywood (6)
^y.
2 1 3
10
2
13 6
Sixty-six tax
payers
resident in
Winslow in
1781.
HISTORY OF CANAAN.
135
Assessment Laid on the Polls of the AcJjacents.
Silas Wood
Willni Fletoker
Oliver Will son (16)
Stephen Fattrige (17)
Nalhaii Parting
Seth* Keith (18)
Ruel Keith (18)
Jonathan Keith (IS)
Benj« Hilton (19)
Janaes Brown (20)
Sylvanus Sawyer
Luk-e Sawyer
John Heakl
John Law to II
Jaraes \V^au»h
Thomas Waugh
George Gray
Benj" Thofiason (21.)
Tim° Heald
Peter Farnswortli (22)
David Larvcester (23)
Cwnaan.
John Wesson
Daniel Smith (24)
John EtTiery
Edwd Hart well (25)
SolorRon Steward
Josiah Goodridge (26)
Norridgcicock.
Daniel Steward (27)
Ganacm.
Samuel Stewar<l
John Emery (28)
Samuel Emery
Josepl^ Emery
Peter Haywood, Jr
Joseph Wesson
Eli Wesson
Sam' Wesson
PhinehasSteward
John While
Levi Po^vars (29)
John Tozer
Elias Tozer
Jeremiah Tozer
Seth Wyrnan
Isaac Smith
Jonathan Tozer
* Scotland, not Seth.
i
£2
s, d.
Clinlon.
J-enathan Philbroeks
11 11
Isaac Spencer
11 11
Silas Baron
11 a
Barthelamy Fow'iar
11 11
Lawarance Ccstagan
11 11
Henry McKeney
11 11
]Michai TkorntGn
11 ii
Jan-.es Thomson
11 11
Charles Brown
11 u
Ezekiel Brown
11 a
Roger Chase
11 a
Geo. Fitzgerald
a a
Sarzi Kendall
a a
Abiathar Kendall
a a
Daniel Spencer
a a
Frederick. Jerikens
a a
Janties MaAone
a a
John Sperin
a a
Pratt
a a
Parker
a a
Modica Moore (7)
a a
Sannuel Varnum
11 a
Solonnon Whidden (-8)
a a
Varnum Chase
a a
ISIathew Chase
a a
Beriah Brown
a a
John Burril
a a
Canaan,
Willard Sears (9)
a a
John Oaks(10}
a a
James Turner (11|
a a
Peter Haywood
a a
Asa Haywood
a a
John Moore (12)
11 a
Norridgcwoclc
Jonas Parling
a a
Eleazer Spalding
a a
Eleazer Spalding Jr.
a a
Josiah Spalding
a a
Jonas Tarbell ("iSj
a a
WiUm Spalding
a a
Joseph Savage (14)
a a
Josiah Warren (15)
a a
Obadiah Witherell
a a
Ephraim Brown
a a
John Clark
u a
Oliver Wood
a 11
1
«
11-11
ii li
2ll.2s.lU.
11 11
a 11
a 11
a a
ii a
a 11
a 11
a 11
a 11
a 11
a a
a 11
a 11
a a
a li
a 11
a 11
ilSsAOd.
a 11
a a
a a
a a
11 11
11 u
a 11
a a
I6b HISTOIIY
OF CANAAN.
1
1
ij
d
K 3
i
-i
S. d.
8. d.
Jonathan Emery 1
11 11
Fairfitld.
Silas Warner 1
11 11
David Emery 1
11 11
Adam Cason 1
11 11
Benja Noble 1
11 11
Joseph Lancaster 1
11 11
Ezra Towns 1
11 11
Norrids^ewock.
New Portland.
Eph™ Chamberlin* 1
11 11
Joseph Cragin 1
n 11
Nathei Chamberiin* 1
11 11
Joseph Chirchel 1
11 11
Robert Whittem (30) 1
11 11
Those who owned land in these towns and
plantations in 1781, but who did not live on
their possessions, may be ascertained from the
following " assessment laid on the Nonresident
Proprietors lands."
£ s. d.
Sir William Baker 2 10
Gamaliel Bradford 1 13 4
Isaac Winslow 1 13 4
William Taylor 2 7 10
Daniel Howard 1 13 4
Isaac Warren 1 13 4
James Otis Esq"" 1 13 4
William Lithj?ew Esq'" 2
John Hancock GoV 16 8
Florentas Vassell 16 8
Fox & Fowl
James Pitts or heir
Lot No 92
Lot NO 89 & S3
Benjf^ Holloweil
the Kennebeck Prop"
the Kennebeck Proj)^
a lot of Land lying near Fort
ifax known by the name of Doc"^
Sylvester Gardiner 10
£ s.
a.
16
8
16
8
16
8
1 13
4
1
1 13
4
13
4
r Fort
Ha)-
Given under our hand this tenth day of October A D 1781.
{ZiMRi Haywood "|
Solomon Parker V
David Webb J
assessors
Winsloio
NOTES TO THE FOREGOING TABLE.
(1.) First surveyor of Norridgewock and Starks, in 1769. (2.) Eld-
est son of John. (3.) One of the first settlers. (4.) Ibid. Thomas
Parker's dau£;hter Betsey was the first white child born in Winslow.
She was born March 16, 1759. (5.) Son of John Heald. (6.) Win-
slow was first represented by Zimri Heywood, 1782. (7.) Mordecai
Moore afterwards settled in Canaan. (S.) Lived in Clinton, but after-
wards settled in Canaan. (9.) Settled about a mile below the falls
in Skowhegan. (10.) John, should be Jonathan; he settled about a
mile below Skowhegan fails. (11 ) Settled on the first lot below the
Wesserrunselt. (12.) First settled in Canaan, then in Norridgewock,
then Anson, where he died. (13) Settled in the Nutting neighbor-
hood. (14.) Near Anson. (15.) Josiah Warren, from Pepperell, set-
* Settled where the Nuttings live — did not remain.
HISTORY OF ca:taan. 137
tied on the George Warren farm. (16.) First settled in NoriJdge-
wock ; afterwards, near the mouth of Sandy river in Starks. (17.)
Settled on Wilson's first lot. (IS.) Settled near Boma/.een rip=^, (19.)
Settled in Starks, adjoinins: Oliver Wilson's lot. (20.) First located
where Mr. John Wood lives, but soon went to Clinton. (21.) Settled
on land now occupied by Mr. Joseph Savage. (22.) Settled where
Mr. William Farnsworth now lives. (23.) Settled where Dea. Morse
now lives. (24.) Settled on land now owned by Maj. Joseph Webb.
(25.) Settled near Daniel Smith. (26 ) Settled in Canaan, but soon
went to Bingham. (27.) Settled where Col. J. G. Neil lives — then
the last lot in Norridgewock. (2S.) Where Ezekiel Durrill now lives.
(29.) Where Francis W. Swan now lives. (30.) Settled near Moriah
Gould's first settlement.
About the year 1783, Isaac Smith and Sam-
uel Walton went after a load of moose-beef
they had captured, and took their hand-sleds
to transport it home. They returned with their
loads as far as the mouth of the Wesserrunsett,
when Walton declared that he should haul his
load far enough to get it out of the way of
Myrick's dogs, when he should leave it. Smith
endeavored in vain to persuade him to go
home with him. He left his companion, and
soon after his sled, and went up as far as
to cross the brook in Skowhegan village, within
a hundred rods of home ; but fatigued with
travel and benumbed with cold, he wandered
from his path, and was found the next day,
frozen to death. He had several times taken
off his snow-shoes. He left a wife, who was
a daughter of Colonel John Moore, and one
child.
The plantation of Canaan kept a sort of rec-
ord previous to its incorporation, commencing
as early as 1783. There are some events
w^orthy of note. The warrants were dated
" HoAvard's Town or Canaan," and the meet-
ings were held in Peter Hey wood's house. The
12*
138 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
first regularly elected officers of the plantation
were chosen March 15, 1784, and were John
White, Moderator ; Samuel Weston, Clerk ;
Solomon Clark, William Steward, Eobert
Hood, Assessors; Seth Wyman,^ Peter Hey-
wood, Collectors ; Joseph Weston, Treasurer ;
Phineas Steward, Daniel Smith, "to notify the
inhabitants who live on the river, to work on
* Seth Wyman ^va3 a son of Selh, who was first lieutenant in
Lovewell's tight. He shot the first Indian in that engagement,
" Seth Wyman who in Woburn lived,
A marksman he of courage irue ;
Shot the first Indian whom they saw, —
Sheer thro' his heart the bullet flew.
*' The savage had been seeking game.
Two guns and eke a knife he bore,
And two black ducks were in his hand ;
He shrieked and fell to rise no more.
" Good heavens ! they dance the powow dance,
What horrid yells the forest frll ;
The grim bear crouches in his den ;
The eagle seeks the distant hill.
" ' What means this dance, this powow dance V
Stern Wyman said ; with wond'rous art,
He crept full near, his rifle aimed,
And shot the leader through the heart."
A song composed the year of the fight thus speaks of Wyman.
After Loveweli fell, and the whites retreated, they
" Wyman captain made,
Who shot the old chief Paugus, which did the foe defeat,
Then set his men in order, and brought off the retreat.
And braving many dangers, and hardships on the way.
They safe arrived at Dunstable, the thirteenth day of May."
The General Court presented Wyman with a silver-hilted
sword, and a captain's commission, for his heroic conduct. The
military spirit seems to have descended to the present gener-
ations. It should be observed, that Chamberlin has generally
had the credit of shooting Paugus. Chambeilin's descendants
settled in Canaan and Starks.
HISTORY OF CAXAAN. 139
the highway division at Mr. Isaac Smith's ;" and
AViliiam Steward, " to notify those who live on
the middle road ; " and Samuel Emery, " those
who live on the third range of lotts:" Solomon
Clark, Solomon Steward, Surveyors of Lum-
ber.
September 1, 1784, it was voted not to peti-
tion the General Court for incorporation. This
vote, however, was reversed the next month,
and in November, a petition for incorporation
was drawn up, and the boundaries are thus
recorded : *' Beginning on the river, the south
line of F 2, and following said line until a N.
N. E. course shall strike the upper corner of
this Plantation, and then following Down the
River to Scowhegan Falls, thence to Norridge-
v/alk north line, thence east on sd. line untill a
South Course strike the South line H. 1, five
miles from the River, and then following sd.
line to the River, and thence to the first-men-
tioned Bounds." Dr. AVhitaker^ was appointed
agent to transact any proper business con-
nected with the petition. The Doctor seems
to have transacted most of the public business
of the plantation for several years.
June 1, 1786, Peter Hey wood was chosen a
delegate to Portland, to attend the convention
held June 3, 1787, to consider the question of
" separation." He was unable to attend, and
it was voted in August to send the opinion of
the plantation in writing. December 15, 1786,
however. Dr. Whitaker was chosen delegate,
* See " Ecclesiastical."
140 HISTORY OF CANAAX.
and Samuel Weston substitute. Gideon Park-
man contributed $7 towards his expenses, and
William Steward, Joshua Good ridge, Isaac
Smith, John Emery, John Weston, contributed
one hah' bushel of rye each ; Perley Rogers
one fourth bushel of rye ; John White, Solo-
mon Steward, Isaac Russell, one bushel of rye ;
Adam Carson, Phineas Steward, Seth Wyman,
Abraham Steward, William Carson, Joseph
Emery, one half bushel of corn ; Peter Hey-
wood, junr., one bushel of corn ; Ephraim Car-
son, Phineas Steward, junr., one fourth bushel
of corn; vSamuel Weston three fourths bushel of
corn. Peter Heywood's horse was procured
for the journey of the Doctor, and it was paid for
thus: Samuel Steward gav^e a bushel of rye,
Robert and Samuel Emery and Wilham Stew-
ard gave each one day's work.
The first recorded election was held April 2,
1787, and forty-four votes were given for John
Hancock for Governor, and forty-one for Sam-
uel Thompson for County senator.
When Canaan was about being incorporated,
quite a number of people, namely, nineteen
settlers on the west side of the river, within its
alleged limits, were desirous of belonging to
Norridgewock. This the j>eople of Canaan
objected to, and as their tithes were to benefit
Dr. Whittaker, he drew up, in 1786, "A Brief
Narrative of the State of Canaan, showing the
necessity of Incorporation, and why the town
should be bounded agreeable to our Petition."
He gives many shrewd reasons why the
seceders should not be allowed to join Nor-
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 141
ridgewock, and it must be confessed that some
of them have more of the shrewdness of the
lawyer, than of the honesty of the clergyman.
He describes the bounds of Canaan and Nor-
ridgewock thus: ^ " About fifteen years ago,
Peter Hey wood, Esq., and Mr. Joseph Weston
apphed. to tlie Plymouth Company, who agreed
to give away to settlers two small tracts of
land ; one on the east side of the Kennebec, in
the bend of the river above Souhegan falls, to
which they added one tear of lots on the west
side s'd river, from the upper end of said tract,
down to the upper end of the other tract,
given to settlers as afores'd. This is called
Norrigwalk. The other tract lies wholly on the
west side, in another bend of the river, below
Norrigwalk, as may be seen by the plan, and
contains about 10,000 acres. On the opposite
side of the river, the proprietors gave to settlers
two lots, and reserved two for themselves, from
the mouth of Wesserunset to the lower end of
the said tract. These lots lie only on the front
next the river, and these, together with the tract
on the west side opposite, is called Canaan."
He argues that the nineteen joined in setthng
a minister over the people of Norridgewock and
Canaan, in 1777, and again, in 17S4,t that all
public affairs in Canaan plantation had been
shared by them, "even to the last plantation
meeting." He contends in their behalf, that
Norridgewock had no minister, and that if the
nineteen settlers are allowed to go away, as
^ " Brief Statement," p. 1. owned by Eusebius Weston, Esq.
t Messrs. Emerson and AVhittaker.
142 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
they are more than one third of the settlers,
"the residue will be utterl}^ unable to fulfil
their contract with their minister, and they
must break up.
" This evil will not be removed by giving us
a larger extent below, bat rather increased;
lor what shall we have in lieu of nineteen
settlers' lots, as well settled and improved as
the rest of the plantation in general? Why,
the compensation must be a tract of poor land
down the river, ^ve or six miles from our
meeting-house, with few settlers, and which lies
in the hands of the Plymouth Company, and is
not likely to be settled, if it were settled, for
many years. . . In a word, should this plan
take place, and the part we hear that Norrigwalk
has petitioned for be set off to them, the matter is
up with Canaan as a people. Besides, would
it not be quite without a precedent, should the
General Court cut Canaan to pieces, to gratify
Norrigwalk, which lying above, may extend
their bounds for miles up the river above their
ancient bounds, without injuring any settlers,
or discommoding any town or plantation ?
Why should Norrigwalk leave out at the upper
end of their former bounds nine settlers, and
crowd down on Canaan, to take in eighteen or
nineteen, unless it be with a view to brake up
this people, and root out the Gospel from
among us.
" The first adventurers here, believing that
God is the Governor of the AVorld, and that it
is the indispensable duty of all men to worship
Him, and attend on the ordinances and institn-
niSTOKY OF CAXAAN. 143
tions of our common Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ, according to the Holy Scriptures, kept
in view, in their setthug in this wilderness, the
design of settUng a pious orthodox minister to
preach the Gospel, and minister the ordinances
of Christ amons: them as soon as it should be
in their power. . . . The undertakers were
empowered to allow none to take up any of
said land, but such as they should judge would
be friendly and forward to settle and support
the Gospel among them, and accordingly such
care has been taken that at this day there is not
a single sectary among us." He then says,
" How hard it must be for us to be driven back
again, to be deprived of the Gospel ? How
affecting and afflicting to be cast back again
into a state tending fast to heathenism, which
we had so long lamented, and from which we
have so lately emerged, and be left like the
other towns and plantations for sixty miles
around us, one only excepted, ^ without any
preaching or public instruction ! " He goes on
to say that the famous nineteen petitioned
with Canaan, and against Norridgewock, and
that their course is unfair and dishonorable.
" Surely such dark and sly designs ought not to
meet the approbation of the G. Court." After
enumerating other reasons, the petitioners add
throuo:h their reverend or^an : " All these evils
we could the more easily submit to, if any
great public good could arise therefrom, either
to the State or to Norrigwalk. But we can
conceive of no material advantage that can
=5^ Hallowell.
144 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
accrue to them by breaking up this town, nay,
they themselves, being asked can tell of none.
They have no minister, 7ior are ever Vikelij to
have one, as they for nearly five years past have
never hired preaching, nor do they even desire to
have it, though they might have frequent lectures
without pay.
" Surely it wears no good face to endeavor
to disable the only place in these parts, for sixty
miles around, Hallowell only excepted, who
has a minister, while they neither have, nor are
taking one step toward procuring one.
'' Should the General Court countenance
such conduct, and give to Norrigwalk nineteen
out of fifty-four settlers' lots, (which are all yt
are settled on both sides the river,) we shall be
forced to conclude that they have lost all due
care for the instruction and eternal happiness
of their subjects. May God preserve us from
the necessity of forming such a shocking, dis-
honoring idea of a Christian nation." The
petition is artfully drawn up, and certainly
rubs hard on the good people of ancient Nor-
ridgewock.
The people of Norridgewock at this time
proposed to those of Canaan that both towns
should be incorporated together, but the prop-
osition was refused. Had it been complied
with, it would have made an extensive town.
The reason given was, that it would " introduce
the greatest confusion and contention, and ruin
both places."
The town of Canaan, Somerset County,
State of Maine, the fifty-seventh town incor-
HISTORY OF CAXAAX. 145
porated in the State, lies east of the Kennebec
river, forty miles north of Augasta, one hundred
and three north north-east of Portland, and
forty-two miles west of Bangor, and is bounded
north by Skowhegan, east by Pittsfield, south
by CUnton, and west by Skowhegan. It is
situated in 44 deg. 40 min. north latitude. It
contains an area of 15,891 acres, of v/hich there
are 500 acres covered with water; 266 occu-
pied by roads; 2035 of waste land; 6300 of
unimproved land; 2400 of wood land; 1555
of pasturage; 73 of natural meadov/; 1762
of English mowing; and 1000 of tillage. The
productions are generally the same as those in
Norridgewock and vicinity, and the general
aspect of the town is quite rough, though it
presents many level plains and fertile vales.
The soil is mainly a clayey loam.^ The value
of the real estate is $193,807, and of all taxed
property is $214,133. There are 253 polls, 190
dwelling-houses, 175 barns, 15 stores, shops,
&;c.. and 20 other buildings.
The town of Canaan was incorporated June
18, 1788,t and the first town meeting was held
August 21, 1788. The first officers were
Daniel Cony, Esq., Moderator ; Samuel Wes-
ton, Town Clerk ; Samuel Weston, John Fow-
ler, and Seth Wyman, Selectmen and Asses-
sors ; Levi Powers, Constable ; Joseph Weston,
* Dr. Whitaker, in arfjuing against the secession of certain
settlers, in 1788, declared that there were about 10,000 acres of
fair land, mostly on the west side, in Bloomfield, and that the
capacity of Old Canaan, (which makes now three rich towns,)
was very small.
t The Town Records were transcribed in 1796.
13
146 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
Town treasurer ; Samuel Emery, Tax-gatherer ;
Lieut. Isaac Smith, Informer of deer and
moose. Eh Weston's barn-yard was to be the
pound.
In the year 1790, Samuel Weston was
ahowed " eighteen shilhngs for protracting and
drawing '' a plan of the old Plantation of Ca-
naan.
The first burial ground was fenced in the
year 1790.
May 2, 1791, ii naniuioKsIi/ Yoied to petition to
be separated from Massachusetts. In the
following year the same was tried, yeas 41,
nays 0.
A pound was buih in 1793. In 1795 it was
voted to join the town of Winslow, in petition-
ing for a division of Lincohi County. The
same year there were ten votes for revising the
constitution, and none against it. At the same
meeting it was voted to protest against the
erection of a bridge at the Hook, (Hallowell)
and not to object to a bridge at Fort Western,
(Augusta.)
In 1797, there were thirty persons in favor
of a separation, and none against it. In 1807,
the vote stood yeas, 30 ; nays, 80.
In the year 1808, it was voted to petition the
President to remove the Embargo, and in the
year following, a powerful protest was sent to
the general gov^ernment. It was unanimously
voted to petition the General Court for a divi-
sion of Kennebec County, in 1809.
In 1809, 22 were for, and 31 against a di-
vision of the town.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 147
Moose are yet occasionally found, but until
1790, they were so plenty as to be killed for
the hide and tallow merely. An expert hunter,
with a sharp knife, could shave the hair from
the skin of a moose in fifteen minutes.
The list of the first tax-payers has been lost,
and the reader who desires the names of the
first inhabitants, can obtain a clew from these,
the names that occur in the plantation records
previous to the incorporation of Canaan, in
1788.
Peter Heywood, sen. and junr., Seth Wyman,
John White, Samuel Weston, Solomon Clark,
William Steward, Robert Hood, Joseph Wes-
ton, Phineas Steward, Daniel Smith, Solomon
Steward, John Fowler, Isaac Smith, Isaac
Russell, John Emery, Abraham Ireland, Perley
Rogers, Joseph Cleveland, Hezekiah Lambert,
Asa W^yman, John Pooler, William Weston,
Solomon White, Oliver Trowbridge, Solomon
Oakes, Edward Piper, Noah Clarke, Levi Pow-
ers, Nath'l Whitaker, Joseph Savage, Samuel
Steward, Joshua Goodridge, Bryce McLel-
lan, Eli Weston, Ebenezer Richardson, Abra-
ham Steward, Maximilian Jewett, Christopher
Webb, David Lancaster, Samuel Whitman,
James Turner, John Weston, Gideon Park-
man, Adam Carson, Phineas Steward, jr.
William Carson, Joseph Emery, Ephraim Car-
son, Samuel Emery, Abiathar Kendall, Jona-
than Robbins, Nathaniel Burrill, Samuel Var-
num, John Oakes, Samuel Emery, Abraham
Ireland, jr., William Steward, jr., Noah Clark,
Amasa Steward.
148 HISTORY OE CANAAN.
There are sixty names in the above list.
Dr. Whitaker, in his reasons for the incorpo-
ration of Canaan, says, " there are 54 settlers
in the plantation." Several of the above were
juniors, and it is probable that nearly, if not
entirely all the male inhabitants of Canaan, in
1788, above eighteen years of age, are speci-
fied. Those not mentioned in the Winslow
tax hst, came between 1780 and 1788.
The first Postmaster in Canaan was Samuel
Weston, who was appointed in 1795. He was
succeeded by Eh Weston, and in 1812, Gen-
eral Joseph Locke was appointed.
An interesting episode is made by the
" Lambert Fraud," so called, one of the most
surprising delusions that ever took possession
of a community.
In the vicinity of the year 1800, Daniel
Lambert and his son Moses lived in that part
of Canaan now called Bloomfield. They were
men who were not generally regarded as of
ordinary powers of mind, but the sequel will
show that they circumvented the most acute of
their neighbors. The father and son were very
poor and needy, but suddenly their fortunes
began to mend. Daniel Lambert, the father,
gave out, that by aid of witch-hazel rods he had
discovered untold wealth. To substantiate his
declaration, he produced a battered brass candle-
stick, brightly pohshed, which he declared he
dug from the earth. He obtained permission
to dig on the farms of his neighbors, but at
length his ambition and plans extended, and he
excavated in other towns. Finally, he wrought
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 149
as far north as Anson, and as far south as the
mouth of the Kennebec river. He even went
to the State of Rhode Island, and his pits,
(which many a poor man's all fell into,) were
scattered along the shores of Maine and Massa-
chusetts. At last he declared that he had dis-
covered the long lost treasures buried by Robert
Kidd. The proofs he adduced were battered
candlesticks and polished brass, which he
liberally showed, and the sight seemed to inoc-
ulate the people with insanity. He declared
that he had sent the gold to Philadelphia to be
coined, and that when it returned he should
freely scatter it among the people of this
vicinity, and that they should all be rich.
Hundreds of infatuated men flocked to Lam-
bert, and urged him to accept their cattle,
horses, and other effects, which he readily did,
and converted them immediately into cash.
Thus he seized the property of hundreds of
families, and became apparently very wealthy.
So extravagant and lavish did he become, that
he was often known to light his pipe with
valuable bank notes.
He announced that the first arrival of the
coined gold might be expected September 1st,
and handbills were issued, calling a meeting at
Norridgewock on that day. Many of the gold-
finder's victims assembled, but Daniel Lambert,
as may be supposed, had fled. The bubble
burst, and with it the hopes of the deluded.
But those who assembled, determined not to be
balked, procured a suit of clothes of Mr. John
Ware, and hung their deceiver in effigy, and
150 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
then cut off his head. Probably Lambert was
well satisfied with his punishment. The son,
however, did not fare as well. He was arrested
and imprisoned. The father afterward returned
and settled a few miles above Bangor, on the
Penobscot. " Lambert's Day," September 1st,
was observed for several years, with a good
deal of mirth.
The excitement, so universal and intense,
can hardly be reahzed at the present day. It is
still remembered as one of the most remarkable
events in the history of Somerset County.
The present flourishing and active village of
Canaan was commenced in the year 1803,
when Jeremiah Goodwin, Thomas Chase, and
Nathan Taylor (who was drowned in 1804)
moved there, and began to erect mills, and lay
the foundation of the present enterprising
village. In the year 1805, Joseph Barrett
entered the town. At that time the region
round about the village was an unsettled
wilderness, and bears and other wild animals
were very numerous. The sheepfold and corn-
field were often subjected to their visitations,
and obliged to surrender a portion to their
savage visiters.
The most of the early settlers of modern Ca-
naan were those who designed to engage in the
lumber business, and who were very poor and
much addicted to intemperance. In process of
time, Canaan rather flowed with rum and
molasses than with milk and honey, and it
became a by-word and a synonym e for poverty
and drunkenness. Probably but few towns in
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 151
the State had so large a proportion of paupers
and drunkards. Hon. Joseph Barrett estimated
from the town statistics, that the people drank
up the amount of the entire valuation three
times in thirty years.
A most remarkable change has been effected.
Canaan is now occupied by a temperate, vir-
tuous, and industrious people, and probably is
equalled by but few towns in the State for the
industrial and moral enterprise of the people.
The soil is very fertile, and there is as large an
average of wheat raised per acre as in most
towns in Maine.
The strongest opposition to the Embargo pre-
vailed in this vicinity, and the Town drew up
and transmitted to the President a petition for
its removal. The petition was a well written
document, and a series of resolutions, equally
well constructed, were recorded on the Town
Books, and unanimously adopted by the people
of Canaan.
" Resolved, — That, in the opinion of the
inhabitants of this town, the end of establish-
ing the present Federal Government was the
more effectual protection of the people of the
several States in their various civil rights and
interests ; that the Federal Constitution is to be
considered as a compact between each and
all the States, whereby the submission of the
several States is binding so long and no longer
than while the affairs of the Union are admin-
istered in strict conformity to the rules and
principles set forth in that important instru-
ment ; and that it is the undoubted right of the
152 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
people to assemble together to declare their
sentiments, to make known their grievances,
and to demand and insist upon redress.
" Resolved, — That we view with indigna-
tion and horror the present dreadful situation in
which our country has been involved by the
Federal Government, — An Embargo unprec-
edented in its nature, and perpetual in its terms,
imposed on the whole of our foreign com-
merce by land, as well as by sea — the wasting
business, interrupted, and very nigh destroyed,
— all the channels of useful enterprise blocked
up, — thousands of our citizens thrown out of
employ and exposed to suffering and want —
the produce of our farms deprived of a market,
and left to perish on our hands — the usual
sources of revenue dried up, and the Govern-
ment reduced to the necessity of resorting to
destructive loans and heavy taxes, upon our
houses and lands — Vast and unusual quotas
of MiUtia required from the States without
assigning any reason — Formidable additions
made and making to the standing army in a
time of profound peace — Detachments of this
army spread thro' our large towns — placed
under the controul of underling officers in the
revenue department, and employed without
the consent of the civil magistrate, in enforcing
at the point of the bayonet arbitrary and uncon-
stitutional measures — Laws passed and pass-
ing in Congress, of the most unprecedented
and despotic kind, which break in upon the
proceedings of the common Law courts, which
tend to annihilate all State authority, and over-
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 153
turn the ancient foundations of Liberty — Our
relations with foreign powers managed in a
one-sided, uniform, and partial manner — The
most flagitious outrages, insults, and breaches
of treaty on the part of France smothered over
and winked at, while the most trifling provoca-
tions on the part of Great Britain are basely
exaggerated and magnified into a cause of war
— All steps towards an amicable adjustment
of difficulties with the latter power either stu-
diously avoided, or taken with such e\ddent
and barefaced insincerity and duplicity as
wholly to fail of their purpose — Every insid-
ious artifice put in practice to impel the people
to war with England, and a consequent alHance
with the French Emperor, with whom, alliance
is death, and against whom eternal AVar, — as
is demonstrable from history, — furnishes the
only means of safety.
" Resolved, — That in this perilous crisis of
our national affairs, the language of private
remonstrance having failed, and the General
Government being fatally bent on a system of
measures which tend to destroy our country,
there is but one peaceable remedy left, and that
is, for the State legislature, the great bulwark
of our liberty, to throw themselves between the
people and their oppressors, — to raise their
voice against such a career of despotism, and
provide that the Commonwealth receive no
detriment.
" Resolved, That we are well and truly at-
tached to the principles of the Federal Consti-
tution, and that we will support the Union, so
154 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
long as there is any reasonable prospect that
the majority in Congress may be reclaimed
from their desperate purposes, and that the
affairs of the Union may be restored to their
usual and rightful channels.
" And Whereas — in this period of our ca-
lamity and distress, when the barriers of the
Constitution are broken down, our acknowl-
edged civil rights trampled under foot, and the
hand of the spoiler pressing hard upon us,
there is reason to apprehend that a highly in-
censed providence has averted its face from
our land, and put us out of its divine pro-
tection,
" Therefore, resolved, That it is highly incum-
bent on towns and individuals to humble them-
selves before Almighty God, to make thankful
acknowledgements for those special and re-
markable interpositions of Divine Providence
in times past, and fervently beseech the Throne
of Grace, that as we have been so miraculously
supported hitherto, we may continue to be
taken by the hand, lifted up out of our present
troubles, and not suffered to become slaves
either to the upstart tyrant of the European
world, or to the treacherous and apostate patri-
ots of our southern States.
" Resolved, That a respectful petition, in the
name of the inhabitants of this Town, be pre-
sented to the Legislature of this State, stating
our grievances, and praying for protection and
relief"
Judah McLellan, James Bowen, and Josiah
Locke were chosen to draft a petition.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 155
There was a strong feeling pervading the
parts of Canaan not inchided in Bloomfield,
against the erection of tlie latter town, and a
committee was chosen to remonstrate against
the movement. The votes were all reversed,
however, two months after.
The A^ote on the separation of Maine from
Massachusetts stood, in the year 1816, ninety-
three yeas, seven nays. In 1819, the vote was
unanimous for a separation.^
April 5, 1819, it was voted that no persons
should he allowed to carry any spirituous
liquors near the place of town meetings, under
a penalty of five dollars.
In the year 1822, the town of Canaan pro-
tested against the erection of the town of
Skowhegan. At a subsequent meeting, in the
same year, it was voted to divide the town,
forty-nine to thirty-seven. In the year 1828,
every man in town was field driver. In 1831,
the town protested against being classed with
any other town in electing representatives.
Efforts toward erecting a town-house were
made in 1841 ; it was finished in 1844, and
has since admirably answered the purposes of
its erection. In 1843, it was resolved by the
town, that no liquors should be sold, unless for
medicinal and mechanical purposes.
The present limits of Canaan are much nar-
rower than when they included Skowhegan
and Bloomfield. The town stands high in
^ In the early part of the year, but in September it was one
hundred and ninety-two yeas, and sixteen nays. Wentwoith
Tuttle, Esq., was chosen delegate to Portland,
156 HISTOHY OF CANAAN.
public estimation, and is in visible contrast
with its former condition. It contains many
men who labor ardently for Religion, Educa-
tion, and all worthy enterprises ; and is doing
much for the race.
The first mill was erected on the Wesser-
rimsett, on the bridge near the mouth ; some
traces of the work are yet remaining. Joel
Crosby commenced a mill on the island soon
after he came. He was to have the Pratt
farm, and the Solomon Steward lot, for his en-
terprise. The first mill afterwards became the
property of Hon. Bryce McLellan, and was
burnt down.
The Agricultural products for the year 1837
were 1978 bushels of corn ; 4642 bushels of
wheat; 155 bushels of rye ; 4493 bushels of
oats; 263 bushels of beans; 106 bushels of
peas ; 1570 bushels of barley ; 36,507 bushels
of potatoes ; 448 bushels of turnips ; 3585
bushels of apples^ ; 1519 tons of English hay ;
59 tons of meadow hay ; 4262 lbs. of wool ;
135 lbs. of maple sugar ; 73,326 lbs. of pork ;
3600 lbs. of beef ; 11,420 lbs. of butter ; 1775
lbs. of cheese; 85 barrels of cider; 142 horses;
12 colts; 144 oxen; 308 cows; 317 other cat-
tle; 1808 sheep; 372 swine.
There were 2 chaises, 60 horse- wagons, 1
grist mill, 2 saw mills, sawing 300,000 feet of
boards, 1 fulling mill, dressing 3000 yards of
cloth, 1 tannery, 4000 feet of granite quarried,
^ There are now more apples raised, and less cider produced
than formerlv^, in all this section of country. We have" learned
that apples have a better use than to '-bite like a serpent, and
sting like an adder."
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 157
and 200 feet dressed, $17,200 stock in trade,
$4,973 loaned, $8,500 bank stock ; real estate
valued by the Legislature in 1841, $131,240 ;
State valuation, 1845, $132,075; taxable es-
tates in 1837, $161,736.
Since 1837 the wheat and potato crops have
fallen off, — other productions have much in-
creased. There are now 800,000 feet of boards
sawed.
Moderators. — John White, 1784, 5, 6, 7 ;
John Emery, 1784, 5, 8 ; Solomon Clark, 1785;
Samuel Whitman, 1786 ; Samuel Weston,
1787 ; Perley Rogers, 1787 ; Levi Powers, 1788 ;
Daniel Cony, 1788; Seth Wyman, 1783, 7,
9, 1807, 10 ; Eh Weston, 1789, 90, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8, 9, 1800, 1, 2, 5, 8, 9 ; Peter Heywood, Jr.,
1790; William Steward, 1784, 92, 3, 4; Ed-
ward Hartwell, 1794; John Smith, 1797;
Bryce McLellan, 1798, 1811; Nathaniel Bur-
rill, 1801, 3 ; Seth Currier, 1804, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,
10, 12, 13, 14; John Kimball, 1811, 12, 13;
Eleazar Coburn, 1813 ; Benjamin Shepard,
1813 ; James Bowen, 1814 ; Joseph Merrill,
1815, 16, 17, 18, 19 ; Nathaniel Hubbard, 1817,
18 ; David Kidder, 1819, 20, 21 ; Joseph Patten,
1822 ; M. P. Norton, 1819, 21, 8, 9, 37, 8 ; Jo-
seph Haskell, 1814, 15, 21 ; Daniel Herrin, Jr.,
1820, 21 ; Wentworth Tuttle, 1822, 5, 6, 7, 8,
34, 7 ; John Wyman, 1814, 16, 18, 19, 22 ; S.
Carson, 1820, 3,4,6, 8,31, 2; H. P. Hobbs, 1824,
5 ; Adam Powers, 1825 ; Joseph Morrison, 1826 ;
Joseph Barrett, 1814 ; Jos. Barrett, Jr., 29, 31, 2,
3, 4, 5, 40, 1 ; Hiram Tuttle, 1830, 1, 4, 6, 8, 41, 6,
14
158 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
7 ; Levi Johnson, 1835, 43 ; John Wil shire,
1836; Thomas Atkins, 1837; David Biehard-
son, 1838, 9, 40, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 ; Hiram C. War-
ren, 1839, 41 ; Howard C. Keith, 1842 ; Sam-
uel Bobbins, 1845; V. B. Tuttle, 1848; George
F. Gerald, 1848 ; Henry S. Graves, 1848.
Town Clerks. — Samuel Weston, 1784, 5,
7, 8, 9, 90, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 1800, 1 ; Perley
Bogers, 1786 ; Solomon Clark, 1794 ; Bryce
McLellan, 1802, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ; Benjamin
Shepard, 1810; Eleazar Coburn, 1811, 12;
Josiah Locke, 1813 ; Adam Powers, 1814, 15,
16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 2; Josiah Smith, 1820; Isaac
Holt, 1823, 4 ; Oliver Hamihon, 1825 ; H. P.
Hobbs, 1826 ; Levi Barrett, 1827, 9, 30; Lewis
Thomas, 1828, 31,2; Jesse Washburn, 1833,
4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 40, 1, 2, 3, 4 ; Thomas Atkins,^
1838 ; John Wilshire, 1838 ; WiUiam Macart-
ney, 1845, 6, 7, 8 ; C. C. Wheeler, 1849.
Town Treasurers.! — Joseph Weston, 1784,
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 92, 1801, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ; Peter
Heywood, Jr., 1790, 1800, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ;
Benjamin Shepard, 1808, 9, 11 ; Eleazar Co-
burn, 1810; Judah McLellan, 1812, 13; John
Wyman, 1814, 15; Wentworth Tuttle, 1822,
32 ; Daniel Herrin, Jr., 1816, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 ;
Joseph Barrett, 1823, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,$ 43, 9 ; Joseph
O. Scammon, 1828 ; Lewis Thomas, 1829 ;
Levi Johnson, 1833, 4, 5, 41, 5; Van B. Tuttle,
1836, 7, 9, 40 ; Levi Barrett, 1838 ; Daniel Bich-
ardson, 1842, 4 ; Hiram Barril, 1846.
* Resigned. f No record of 1830, 1, 47.
t Chosen after Scammon.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 159
Representatives. — Nath'l Whitaker, 1785;
Peter Heywood, 1786 ; Samuel Weston, 1787,
8; Benjamin Sliepard, 1805; Bryce McLellan,
1806, 7, 8, 9; Eleazar Cobm'n, 1811; Judah
McLellan, 1812; John Wym^n^ 1^14, 15, 16,
19, 20 ; Joseph Ireland, 1821 ; John Brown,
1822; AVentworth Tnttle, 1823, 7, 31, 3, 5;
Benjamin Eaton, 1824, 40; Jonas Heald, 1825;
John S. AVeymoLith, 1826 ; David Kidder, 1828 ;
M. P. Norton, 1829 ; Samuel Weston, 1830 ;
Josiah Parhn, 1832; Thomas CmTier, 1834;
Silas Hichardson, 1836 ; Van Ransalaer Tattle,
1837; Asa N. Wyman, 1838; Richard Pearson,
1839 ; David Richardson, 1842 ; Robert Hun-
ter, 1843; Jonathan Harden, 1844; Elbridge
G. Morrison, 1845; David Martin, 1846; James
T. Leavitt, 1847 ; Ziba Burrill, 1848.
Votes for Presidential Electors. — 1788,
Washington 43; 1792, Washington 6; 1796,
Federal 17, Repubhcan 12; 1800, Federal;
1804, Federal 74, Republican 11 ; 1808, Mad-
ison; 1812, Madison 115, 60; 1816, ;
1820, Monroe, 28; 1824, Adams; 1828, Ad-
ams ; 1832, Adams ; 1836, Van Buren 80, Har
rison, 43 ; 1840, Van Buren 170, Harrison 103;
1844, Polk 165, Clay 95, Abolition 3; 1848,
Cass 145, Taylor 67, Van Buren 30.
160
HISTORY OF CANAAN.
TAXES
— 1785
TO 1849.
Town.
Highway.
Schools.
Minister.
1785
£4 Ss.
, 4d
£80
1786
80
1787
16
£100
80
1788
80
1789
16
100
1790
100
30
15
1791
20
100
40
15
1792
15
100
30
1793
15
125
150^
1794
15
150
30
114
1795
25
150
50
114
1796
$100
$500
$160
$434
1797
160
250
600
234
1798
100
500
400
235
1799
lOO
400
200
234
1800
100
400
200
150
1801
150
400
400
50
1802
150
400
200
150
1803
100
500
250
100
1804
100
920
300
200
1805
200
800
400
1806
100
1000
500
100
1807
100
1200
600
200
1808
100
1200
450
150
1809
100
1200
450
250
1810
1500
450
250
1811
150
1500
500
150
1812
200
1700
500
150
1813
150
2000
500
150
1814
850
1200
225
250
1815
20
1500
250
250
1816
150
2000
350
250
* School-houses erected this year.
HISTORY OF CANAAN".
161
Town.
Highway.
Schools. Minister.
1817
300
2500
400 250
1818
150
1500
500 250
1819
150
1500
500 250
1820
500
1500
500 250
1821
500
1500
800 250
1822
250
1500
600
1823
100
900
300
1824
125
1200
300
1825
800^
600
355
1826
200
1075
300
1827
150
1000
300
1828
250
1500
300
1829
460
2000
t
1830
225
1000
300
1831
250
1500
450
1832
600
1000
430
1833
400
2000
450
1834
400
2000
450
1835
400
2000
450
1336
700
2000
400
1837
350
1500
465
1838
550
2300
430
1839.
800
1000
450
1840
1150
1000
440
1841
900
1100
550
1842
900
1500
552
1843
720
1000
552
1844
760
1200
600
1845
1165
1000
590,93
1846
1000
1500
591
1847
950
1200
591
1848
1050
1200
601
1849
1000
1200
700
* Town fined.
t What the law compelled.
14*
J.§8 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH AND SOCIETY.
The first settlers of Canaan were generally
of the Presbyterians or Congregationalists, and
as soon as their numbers warranted the effort,
they turned their attention to the establishment
of a church, and the employment of an " or-
thodox" minister. A society was formed in
1777, originally called the Presbyterian Society.
Rev. Ezekiel Emerson, famiUarly called Par-
son Emerson by the first settlers, came up
from Phippsburg, then Georgetown, in the
time of the war, say 1777. He was driven
up the river through fear of the British. He
lived in Norridgewock, and preached one half
of the time in Canaan and half of the time in
Norridgewock. He gathered a small church,
the records of which are lost.^ He married
the people, and very acceptably performed the
duties of his office until 1783, when he return-
ed to Georgetown. Besides his amiabilities, he
conscientiously entertained an inveterate dis-
like to the Methodists, whose religion he styled
the vilest essence of Arminianism. He was
born in 1735, was ordained in July, 1765, and
died November 9, 1815, aged eighty years.t
He was a pious, learned, and most estimable
man. It was reported by a committee, August,
1783, that the town owed Mr. Emerson
d£17 0^. 5f?., and the sum was faithfully paid.
* Rev. G. W. Hathaway, via Eusebius Weston, Esq.
t Williamson, Hist. Maine.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 163
It will be seen by Mr. Emerson's receipt that
the town was well discharged.
" Canaan, Feb. 16th, 1786. I have received
of the Town of Canaan, the fall of all accounts
for ministerial services done among them, from
the beginning of the world untill this time — I
say received pr me Ezekiel Emerson."^
On Mr. Emerson's return to his people, the
choice of the town fell on Rev. Nathaniel
Whitaker, D. D., of Salem, Mass., who was
duly installed in the year 1784.
When Orcum the Indian preacher was sent
to England, to obtain the royal patronage for
Dartmouth College, Dr. Whitaker was sent
with him, and he preached before the King.
Undoubtedly he would have ranked very high
but for his moral character. See Life of Pro-
fessor Wheelock, first President of Dartmouth
College.
The first plantation action relative to Dr.
Whitaker is recorded August 16, 1784.t The
meeting was at the house of Peter Hey wood,
jr. The record stands thus : " Taking into con-
sideration the Great Importance of having the
stated means of Grace settled among us, and
having heard the Revd. Dr. Natlil Whitaker,
a member of the Salem Presbytery preach
sometime, and being satisfyed with his Princi-
ples in Doctrine and Discipline, and with his
Ministerial Gifts, and his Character on the Testi-
monials he has exhibited from his Presby^ Do
make Choice of him, the s*^ D'' Whitaker to be
our minister —
* Town Record. t lb.
164 HISTORY OF CANAAN;
« Voted to pay the s^ B' Nath" Whitaker for
his salary Eighty Pounds averaged, or Equiva-
lent to the following articles, viz. Indian Corn
Ss per Busell, Rye at 4 Ditto, Wheat 6 Ditto,
Pease a 6 Ditto, Beef at 2 pence per lb, Pork a
3 pence per lb, Flax at 8 pence per lb, Butter
at 8 pence per lb, Wool at Is 6d per lb, to be
paid yearly so long as he shall continue in the
ministry in this place, from the time provided
he shall accept our Call, and come and labour
among us.
" Voted to clear five acres of land fit for seed,
on his land, in this plantation, yearly for the
space often years, Provided he continues to be
our minister till that term is Expired.
" Voted to cut and haul 20 Cords of Wood
to his Door yearly. During his Ministry in this
Plantation."
It was also decided at the same meeting,
'* to build the first meeting-house on the front of
Lott No. 14, Peter Heywood, Esq. agreeing to
give 50 acres of land for a burying place and
training field on that condition."
It was voted September 1, 1784, to adopt
the Presbyterian form of Church Government,
and the watch-care of the Presbytery of New
Boston was solicited. Dr. Whitaker was in-
stalled September 10. December 6, 1784,
it was voted to build a meeting-house fifty feet
by forty. Joseph Savage, William Steward,
Seth Wyman, Samuel Steward, Joshua Good-
ridge and Bryce McLellan were chosen com-
mittee to provide timber for the meeting-house.
Levi Powers and Isaac Russel were appointed
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 1G5
a committee to bring Dr. Whitaker's goods up
the river. Isaac Russell was employed to move
Dr. AVliitaker's furniture to Canaan. The fol-
lowing is a fac-simile of his receipt.
" Canaan Plantation Dr. M"* Isaac Russell,
for going after Dort Nath^ Whickecors goods —
Set out the ninth day of february and Avas gon
till the 18*^ day I charge for seven days 125 Per
day which is
^4:4: 0."
The depth of the snow of 1784 prevented
the people from procuring timber for the meet-
ing-house as soon as was expected, and the
undertakers were allowed until July, 1785, to
convey it to the spot designated. In January,
1785, Dr. Whitaker and twenty-two others
were constituted a church, the first in Somerset
County.
There was in December, 1786, a slight mis-
understanding between Dr. AVhitaker and his
parish, but he agreed to yield his right, provided
the plantation would expedite the meeting-
house, and have it ready for use in the autumn
of 1787. In the winter of 1786-7 meetings
for worship were held at Mr. Samuel Weston's.
The church progressed very slowly, and
urged strongly by Dr. Whitaker, it was voted
September 24, 1787, to raise £l50 "for the
purpose of Building a meeting house, — and
to procure necessary materials, with all expedi-
tion, so that it may be raised this fall if pos-
sible, and materials for covering it early in the
Spring."
In 1788 twenty cords of wood were raised
166 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
by the town, and given to Dr. AVhitaker. A
committee was chosen in 1789, to ascertain
the relations existing between Dr. Whitaker
and bis parish, and they reported that the latter
had voted him £483 16^, of which he had then
received but £349 11 IO4. October 26, a com-
mittee was raised to settle with Dr. Whitaker,
and make proposals to him to dissolve his con-
nection.
The town voted, January 25, 1790, " a de-
clinature from the Presbyterian form of Church
government. The following persons entered
their dissent, and ordered it to be recorded,
vizt. Peter Hey wood, Esq. ; Elders John
Wliite, Solomon Clark, Isaac Smith, Peter
Hey wood, Satnuel Whitman and John Wes-
ton." A " declinature from the jurisdiction of
Salem Presbytery," and a vote to " receive the
Congregational form of Church government
agreeable to the Cambridge Platform," were
also passed by the town, from both of which po-
sitions all the foregoing dissented, John Weston
excepted.
" After the Revolutionary struggle was ended,
the town settled rapidly, and a Presbyterian
minister was settled in 1784. It appears how-
ever that the people did not favor his doctrines ;
for after a ten years' struggle to bring them
under his influence, the people cast off the
yoke, and embraced the Arminian doctrines
of the Congregationalists. The Presbyterian
church was disbanded in 3 794, and in 1801 a
Congregational church was organized in its
place, or revived, as it appears that a church
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 167
of the same description had existed from 1794.
To this dmrch, says Mr. Coburn, (S.W.) 'every
body belonged,^ as no experience was requir-
ed, but a moderate morality was a sufficient
quahiication to membership.' "
June 28, 1790, a Committee was chosen "to
settle with Dr. AVhittaker on the underwritten
conditions, vizt. : That the town shall clear up
the ten acres in part cleared on Lot No. 39, fit
for seed, also, that the Town shall pay up the
salary already assessed, — Likewise ninety one
pounds, two shillings & 2<i more agreeable
to contract — And that all civil suits, except
such as may have been commenced for Prom-
isory notes and book account, prior to this day,
and also all such which might be hereafter
commenced against Dr. Whtttaker, excepting
as above excepted, to be totally dropped on the
part of the Lihabitants of this Town, on con-
dition that Dr. AVhittaker shall make no
further demand on the Inhabitants of said
Town, in virtue of the contract made with him
in 1784." The difficulties were at length sub-
mitted to Thomas Rice, Jedediah Jewett, and
William Howard. They decided that the
people should pay Dr. "Whittaker £114, and a
vote to comply with the decision was passed,
and he was remunerated to the latter part of
the year 1789.
Dr. Whitaker was undoubtedly the most
learned and talented clergyman of his denomi-
nation ever settled m Somerset County, and he
* Millet's Hist. Baps. Maine.
168 HISTORY OF CANAAK.
had begun to wield a large influence, but his
moral character was ascertained to be very bad,
and his dismission was a consequence. He
was an Englishman by birth, stood six feet
high, of A^ery commanding and majestic deport-
ment, gentlemanly manners, and great versatil-
ity of talent. He directed the framing of the
most difficult parts of the meeting-house, in
1788.^ He also built a loom, made a wheel,
warping bars, scarn, spools, quills, rule, harness,
slaie, temples, drew in a webb, and wove it in
his leisure hours. " Parson McLane has been
heard to say, that a Deacon who was afterward
acquainted with the Dr., who practised physic
withal, informed him, that he knew nothing of
real regeneration liimself, until three years after
he left Canaan ! He moved to Taunton, Massa-
chusetts, and is supposed to have died there.
His family was bad, and all but one of his sons
died young. His daughter married a Trow-
bridge, who died near Dea. John Kimbal's, no
one in the house but himself and wife. His
widow, some years after, married Magnus Beck-
ey of Norridgewock." — Eusehius Weston, Esq,
Dr. Whitaker was a man void of principle,
and was said to have violated the Seventh
Commandment.
The Doctor seems to have made great efforts
to procure a peaceable adjustment of his diffi-
culties with his parish. They had agreed to
pay him £80. John White and Wilham Stew-
* It should be remembered that the church oris^inally stood
below the village, near the residence of Major Abraham Wyman,
where the first settlement was made. It was torn down in 1838^
and parts of it are in houses in the village of Bloomfield.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 169
ard were appointed a committee to negociate
with their minister, and he only demanded of
them the ^£80 lawful currency, which was his
due. He, however, agreed to receive his pay
in produce, provided the salary would rise as
provisions advanced in price, or fall if they
should recede. For instance, he says, "Sup-
pose corn to rise to 6s. and all the other articles
to keep their stated price, then the salary would
rise only ^8 175. 7d., which added to the ^80,
will be ^88 175. 7d. But should these articles
taken altogether fall, tho' some might be higher
than the stated price, the ^£80 would fall in
proportion."
November 21, 1791, a committee was raised,
and instructed to " procure a preacher, a young
person of good moral character, that can be
well recommended by some Association of
Congregational Ministers." At the same meet-
ing £60 were raised to finish the meeting-
house, but it was afterwards voted to erect
school-houses with the money. May 7, 1792,
it was voted to join Norridgewock in hiring a
preacher of the Gospel. A committee was
raised about this time to dispose of the '' Pew-
ground in the unfinished meeting-house."
July 18, 1793, the church solemnly renewed
its covenant, and voted to give Rev. Jonathan
Calef a call to settle in the town. A motion
was made at an adjourned meeting to recon-
sider the vote, but the movement was negatived,
14 to 5. It was then voted to give Mr. Calef
^£80 as long as the people of Norridgewock
would employ him one third of the time ; after
15
170 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
that ^70, until there were one hundred famihes
m Canaan, and then £80 as long as he remain-
ed. He Avas to receive £20 in cash, and the
remainder in produce. He was also to have
d£120 as a settlement.
A committee was chosen from each place to
negociate for his settlement as follows : — From
Canaan, — Solomon Clark, William Steward,
Br}"ce McLellan, Peter Heywood, and John
Fowler ; from Norridgewock, — John Clark
and Silas Wood. It was proposed by the
Committee of Canaan, that the people of Nor-
ridgewock should employ Mr. Calef one half of
the time for three years, to which it was replied
that they would employ him one half of the
time for two years, and after that for one year,
provided they did not by that time have a can-
didate for themselves. They voted to pay him
£40 yearly for two years. It was agreed that
whenever twenty persons became dissatisfied,
if Mr. Calef did not remove the cause, a coun-
cil should be called who should act on the
complaint. Mr. Calef was ordained June 11,
1794. A Congregational Church was formed
the same year, in the place of the old Presby-
terian Church.
November 7, 1796, Robert Hood, John Hood,
Samuel Yarnum, Solomon Whidden, William
Carson, Ephraim Carson, Joseph Mils, Levi
Powers, and Nathaniel Burrell, were released
from supporting the ministry of Mr. Calef^ pro-
vided they would give evidence satisfactory to
the selectmen, that they aided in the support
of the Baptist denomination.
HISTORY OP CANAAN. 171
The question was tried in town meeting,
May 29, 1799, '''Whether the Rev. Jonathan
Calef can be use full to the majority of the
Inhabitants of this town as a Gospel Minister,'
passed in the negative by a large majority."
Another meeting was held August 24, and
Mr. Calef having presented a receipt, discharg-
ing all from aiding in his support, excepting
those who voluntariiy chose so to do ; — his pro-
position was accepted. A council was held
in July, which proposed terms of settlement.
Efforts were made to agree thereto; but, No-
vember 1 8, another meeting was held, at which
the people declared by vote, that the recom-
mendation of the Council was not at all bind-
ing on them, but that they would pay Mr.
Calef $100 within one year, if the church and
himself would dissolve their connection as
church and pastor. In 1800, it was voted that
each person paying a ministerial tax, might
give it to any religious teacher, and that his
receipt should be a discharge. The difficulties
continued to increase, and after being advised
by two councils, Mr. Calef requested a dis-
missal, which was granted in October, 1801.
He was afterwards settled in Lyman. He mar-
ried a most excellent woman, a daughter of the
late Dr. Hemmenway. She died in 1798, and
he married a Miss At wood of Fairfield. He
died in 1848.
April 6, 1801, " After taking into considera-
tion the unhappy situation of this town as it
respects our religious Interests, and feeling a
sincere desire to provide for the support of the
172 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
Gospel on such terms as may appear to have a
tendency to sweeten the tempers, conciliate the
affections, and introduce love and harmony
among all the reall friends of rehgion," a com-
mittee was raised to provide ministers for the
ensuing year.
Jonathan Powers preached a few Sundays
in 1801-2. November 19, 1801, the church
which had been allowed to slumber for a sea-
son during the difficulties consequent on the
dismissal of Mr. Calef, was aroused, and com-
menced its regular operations. Certain altera-
tions were made in the form of faith, discipline,
&c., and a council of five ministers with their
delegates assembled, and ten males and five
females were organized into a new church.
Their names were Solomon Clarke, William
Steward, Phineas Steward, Jr., Solomon Stew-
ard, Jr., Peter Heywood, Jr., Samuel Weston,
EU Weston, Selma White, George Bigelow,
(living, about 80), John Hunt, Rebecca Jewett,
EUzabeth Steward, Polly Weston, Sally Weston,
(hving, aged about 86), and Mary White. The
foregoing names were the fruits of the Ran-
dall Reformation, so called.^
Rev. Marcy preached considerably in
1804, but the town voted not to settle him. In
the year 1808, Rev. Jotham Sewall received
a call to labor one half of the time in Canaan,
at $200 per annum, but he did not accept. In
the year 1808, there was quite an interesting
revival.
Rev. John Cay ford was employed six Sab-
* Eusebius Weston, Esq.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 173
baths in the fall of 1808, and in December was
invited to settle. He was to have $250, one
quarter cash. He was installed September 6,
1809, and the Rev. Messrs. Jotham Sewall,
Eliphalet Gillet, and Jonathan Ward, assisted
in the services. A dissatisfation which had
been growing for several years, broke out
in 1812, and the church and town united in
demanding a council to investigate several
charges against Mr. Cayford. The charges on
the part of the town were, 1st, an unfaithful
watch over his flock; 2d, too much talk of
merchandise and politics, and too httle of reli-
gion ; 3d, ungentlemanly allusions to public
characters in the pulpit.
The Council met, and advised his dismis-
sion, and Dec. 29, 1812, it was voted in town
meeting to dismiss him from his charge. The
next year he had 55 out of 159 votes cast
for representative to General Court. Mr. Cay-
ford was an Englishman, and a man of bad
character and reputation. He did not preach
for the Congregation alists but a short time after
his dismissal, when he went over to the Bap-
tists. He was confined in Augusta jail, fo»
misdemeanors altogether unworthy of a clergy-
man. He went to Florida, where he was a
postmaster for some time, and is supposed to
have died there. He was a man of much tal-
ent, a mechanic, an excellent business man,
but void of moral principle.
By the division of Canaan, and the erection
of Bloomfield, the remainder of the church
history belongs to the latter town.
15*
174 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
CHRISTIANS. ^
This sect in Canaan owes much of its pros-
perity to the long and faithful labors of Rev.
Joseph Merrill. This gentleman was born in
Raymond, N. H., September 7, 1779, and he
commenced the work of the ministry in Ca-
naan village, and other towns in the vicinity,
in the year 1811. Li 1818 a church was
formed, of nine members, and a season of re-
vival was soon after enjoyed, in which many
obtained a hope. The meetings were held, at
first, in barns and private dwellings. Gener-
ally, for thirty-eight years, Mr. Merrill has
preached to this people one fourth of the time.
The years 1836 and 1843 were distinguished
by great revivals, and other seasons of refresh-
ing have been experienced. The state of re-
ligion has generally been low. The church
now numbers ninety members, and has a Sun-
day school of sixty scholars, called the Union
Sunday School, and a Sunday School Library
of one hundred volumes. The Christians of
Canaan are among the best of the people.
UNIVERSALISTS.t
The first beginnings of Universahsm in Ca-
naan were about the year 1823, when Rev.
Sylvanus Cobb organized a small society in
the town, through the influence of Joseph
Barrett, father of Hon. Joseph Barrett, who re-
moved to Canaan in 1805, and was for a long
* Rev. Joseph Merrill.
t Hon. Joseph Barrett, H. C. Warren, Wentworth Tuttle, Jr.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 175
time the only believer in the doctrine in the
town. After Mr. Cobb's labors, other preach-
ers spoke to the people, from time to time,
among whom were Eevs. M. McFarland, Dan-
iel Young, F. A. Hodsdon, John B. Dodds,
Fayette Mace, Alanson St. Clair, L. P. Rand,
C. S. Hussey, C. H. Leonard, John A. Henry,
and others, occasionally. Eev. C. S. Hussey
is the present pastor, and occupies the Union
church one fourth of the time. The church
was organized in June, 18 3-, and now consists
of thirty-five members. Since its organization,
not one member has died. There is a Sunday
school of sixty scholars, and a library of two
hundred volumes.
The beautiful church in Canaan village was
erected in 1831-2, and dedicated in November,
1832 ; sermon by Rev. C. H. Leonard, Univer-
salist. It is owned by the Universalists, Chris-
tians, Methodists, and Calvinistic Baptists,
METHODISTS.^^
Daniel Ela and wife were about the first
Methodists in town. They came in 1826, and
were soon joined by Theodore Ela and wife,
until 1832-3, when three or four others united
with them. This small band, making about
nine or ten, held on together until March,
1835, when a general revival took place among
the sects, and quite an accession was made to
the church. This revival has since been re-
membered as the great Methodist protracted
* Samuel Rollins.
176 HISTORY OF CANAAN.
meeting; — it lasted about six weeks. The
whole number of Methodists in Canaan, in
regular standing, is forty. They worship a por-
tion of the time in the Union house.
In 1835, the town was united to the Skow-
hegan circuit, and Rev. Samuel P. Blake was
preacher. In 1836, E. Hotchkiss, in 1837-18,
Revs. D. Hutchinson and P. P. Morrill were
preachers. In 1839-40, the town was on the
Winslow circuit, and Revs. Sullivan Bray, L.
P. French and J. C. Murch were the pastors.
In 1841, 2, 3, 4, it was on the Palmyra circuit,
and Revs. Zebulon Manter, C. L. Browning,
Joseph Gerry, and F. A. Soule were pastors.
In 1845-6, Rev. Joshua Nye, local preacher,
supplied. In 1847, the town was on the Win-
slow circuit, and Rev. B. F. Sprague was pas-
tor. In 1848, the society was placed on the
Palmyra circuit, and Rev. J. W. Dow was ap-
pointed preacher.
FREE-WILL BAPTISTS.^
There are several of this sect in different
parts of the town, and a small church has been
gathered in the eastern part. The numbers
are few.
CALVINISTIC BAPTISTS.!
There is a small Baptist church, but its oper-
ations have been limited. It was organized in
1819, with nineteen members. Rev. Mr. Cain,
of Clinton, preached one fourth of the time till
the year 1834. Rev. Samuel Knox spent a
* Rev. Joseph Merrill, f Hon. Joseph Barrett. Millet's Hist.
HISTORY OF CANAAN. 177
profitable ministry of two years in Canaan,
fi-om 1834 to 1836; and from 1837 to 1842,
Eev. L. Packard labored with the church a por-
tion of the time. It licensed S. Cook and
Nathaniel Hubbard. There are thirty or forty
members.
The Congregationalists have never made
many efforts in modern Canaan, and it is not
known that there is one of that sect in town.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
In the year 1769, the Plymouth Company
advertised to give away all the land in the
bend of the Kennebec river, beginning at
Skowhegan falls, and running up to Old Point,
on the north side, to any and all persons who
would immediately settle on the same. The
rule adopted by the Company was to give
away two lots, and reserve two alternately,
with the belief that the lots given away would
encourage settlers to flock in, and thus enhance
the value of the lots to be sold. This was the
general rule adopted down the river. But
as Canaan and Norridgewock were regarded as
being in the backwoods, the rule was so far de-
parted from, that all the river lots in Norridge-
wock, and those in that part of Canaan which
is now Bloomfield, were given away. A slight
fee of four or five dollars was all the land cost
the settlers. They decided that the lots in Nor-
ridgewock should commence on the river, and
being seventy-five rods in width there, should
run back from the river one mile and one
third. As the land was declared to be rich
and fertile, and the prospect for a prosperous
TUBJbTER'S E.OTEL , IJPfEK EITO OF IT TILLAGE
\TEV or ITORRLL'GEWOCK ^TTLLAG-E
HISTOHY OP NORRIDGEWOCK. 179
section of country very good, Lieutenant Wil-
liam Warren, Obadiah Witherell, Eleazer
Spaulding and William Fletcher, in 1771, came
down at the request of several of their friends,
John Clark, Seth Wyman, and others. They
returned, and reported to the proprietors and
their friends, that as there v^as not land enough
for a town, nor a good mill privilege, it was
not expedient to emigrate. The Company
was very desirous that the region should be
peopled, and in consequence of Mr. Warren's
representation, immediately voted another tier
of lots on the opposite side of the river, from
Canaan to Sandy river, which would include a
very good miU-site. The prospect for a flour-
ishing town was made encouraging, and in
1773,
WiUiam Warren,^ the first actual settler,
came from Pepperell, Mass. He had kept a
tavern in Pepperell, lost his wife, married a sis-
ter of Dea. John Clark, and emigrated. He
was a Lieutenant in the old French war.
He settled on a farm, a part of which is now
occupied by Mr. Obadiah Witherell. His log
hut was erected near the present residence of
J. S. Abbott, Esq. He left his sons in Pep-
perell, and only broLight his wife.
James McDaniels came at the same time,
and also
Lamson, who settled about where the
Bixby family lives.
William Fletcher, of Concord, a son of Wil-
* Levi Sawyer — Josiah Spaulding.
180 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
liam, came at the same time, in September,
1773. He settled above the village of Norridge-
woek. He aided in building the first saw-
mill ever erected on Sandy river. He remained
but a few years, when he removed to Moscow,
where he died.
In the spring of 1774, Warren, McDaniels,
Lamson and Fletcher attempted a voyage to
Sebasticook to mill, but the canoe struck the
famous '' Death Rock," and all but Fletcher
were drowned. He was thus the first perma-
nent settler. Sylvanus Sawyer, when he
came, purchased Lamson's possessions of his
widow. The widow of Warren immediately
returned to the west.
The children of William Fletcher were Amos,
William,^ Thomas,! Asa,1: Dorcas, Sarah,§ Pol-
ly, Lucy.
Lieutenant Obadiah AVitherell came down
in 1773, and determmed to locate on the farm
where Mr. Simon Page now lives. He made
some shght beginning, but returned for some
purpose, and the Revolution breaking out before
he left Concord, he entered the army. He did
not return to Norridgewock until about 1780.
Nathan Parlin came down in 1773, from
Concord. He was a single man, and settled
on the farm now occupied by Mr. Seth Parlin.
He accompanied Arnold's expedition up the
Kennebec, and had the small-pox while there.
^Drowned in the Kennebec in 1800. f Drowned in the Moose
river in 1800. X Now in Moscow. § Sarah or Sally is the Sally
Fletcher spoken of in another place as the first female white
child born in Somerset County. Amos was a very prominent
and respectable man in the early annals of Norridgewock.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 181
His brother Jonas came down the next year,
aged seventeen years, and settled on land own-
ed by Mr. Isaac Page.
John Parlm, their father, came down several
years after, and settled on the land owned by
Mr. Hanson Hight.
Walker, who came in 1773, was the
first settler on the south side ; he chose that
side, while the most of the first settlers preferred
the north. On the breaking out of the Revolu-
tion, he entered the army, and never returned.
John Clark ^ was born in Townsend, Mas-
sachusetts, January 24th, 1752. During the
summer after his twenty-first birth-day, in the
year 1773, he settled in this town, on land near
that of Mr. Seth Cutler. He was unmarried,
but he erected a log hut, and began to keep
"bachelor's hall." After commencing his
"clearing," and laboring with much industry
for a while, he returned in 1774 to Massachu-
setts, still holding his land and calling his home
here, and in 1775 he entered the Revolutionary
army. He served his country faithfully for a
period of eight months, and in the year 1777
he was married, and returned to his log house
on the Kennebec, where his eldest son was
born. In a short time he changed his location
to the site of the village of Norridgewock, and
erected a log house, where Mr. Obadiah With-
erell now lives.
For some years after his first settlement here,
he was obliged to go to Gardiner, or Cobbos-
seecontee, to mill, in dry seasons, when he did
* Asa Clark, Esq.
16
lg.2 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
not pound his com ; and the first potatoes he
used here, he bought at Augusta, and brought
all the way on his back through the woods.
He built the first fi'amed house in the ^dllage
of Norridgewock, which was completed in the
year 1788. It is now occupied by J. Baker,
Esq., near the town ferry. Mr. Clark became
deacon, took high rank for his piety and respec-
tability, and sustained several prominent town
offices. For many years, the town meetings
and sabbath gatherings were in his house, and
the musters and trainings in his field. He
gave the land where the church and village
burial ground are located. After seeing his
descendants settled, and the wilderness around
him blossom with life, he died Sept. 3, 1832,
aged eighty years.
His children were John, born July, 1 778 ;
Daniel, born Nov. 15, 1780; Eebecca, born
1782, died 1787; Dorcas, born Nov. 22, 1783,
married Eliakim Tobey; Asa, born Aug. 5,
1785; Mary, born May, 1787, married Abijah
Goodrich ; Sally, born June 17, 1789 ; Cyn-
thia, born June 7, 1793.
Thomas Farrington ^ was employed by the
Proprietors to survey the lots, and was to give
to each person a farm seventy-five rods wide
and one mile and one third in length, large
measure. He scarcely left his boat as he passed
up the river, and barely making bounds on the
river shore, he neglected to run out the side
fines and back bounds. Several disputes have
arisen in consequence of his negligence. His
=^ MS. of Dea. John Lorin"r.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 183
survey took place in 1773. He procured the
drawing of a plan by Dr. John McKechnie.
He began at high-water mark, made an allow-
ance of four rods for a road, and then com-
menced with his bounds. The consequence
was, owing to the curvature of the river, some
of the lots at Sandy river were two m.iles in
length, some at Bloomfield a mile and a half,
while others were less than a mile. He settled
in the early part of 1774, on land near Old
Point, but he lost his wife in 1774, and returned
to Groton in the following year. His son Abel
was taken into the family of Sylvanus Sawyer,
and lived in town many years.
Much discussion has prevailed in the town,
on the question, "Who v/as the first white
child born in Norridgewock ? " and tradition
has mentioned several names. Rev. Obed
Wilson declared, at the funeral of Dea. John
Clark, that he was the oldest child living, born
in Norridgewock, and from that statement peo-
ple inferred that he was the first. He was born
Oct. 15, 1778; John Heald was born Oct. 17,
1775 ; and James Waugh was born Jan. 10,
1775. Mr. Waugh's tombstone declares him
to be the first white child born in Somerset
county. Though unquestionably the first child
born on Sandy river, there were three children
born in Norridgewock before him. Sally
Fletcher was born in August, 1774, Susannah
Fairbrother in Sept., 1774, and Abel, son of
Thomas Farrington, the surveyor, was born in
the very earliest part of August, in 1774. He
was, beyond all controversy, the first white
184 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
child born in Somerset county. Not only will
this fact be learned from Maj. Meigs' diary, in
the sequel, but the family of Sylvanus Sawyer,
in which he lived, endorse the declaration. He
was nearly six months old, when Col. Waugh
was born.
Love well Fairbrother^ came in the fall of
1773, with his family, and wintered. He occu-
pied fom' hundred acres of land, now possessed,
in part, by the Bixby family. He remained but
five years, when he removed to Seven Mile
Brook. His daughter Susannah, born in Aug.,
1774, v/as the second child born in Norridge-
wock.
Moriah Gould t was born in Groton, Massa-
chusetts, June 5, 1754. His father was slain
by the Indians at the Halfway brook, between
Crown Point and Fort Edwards, in the year
1758, when he was about forty-three years of
age. He left eight children, including Moriah,
and another was added to the family soon after
the father's death. He was early in life put
out to service, and, as is often the case, he suf-
fered. At the age of twelve years, he was
attacked with an ague sore in his knee, which
caused him much trouble, and which obliged
liim to undergo an amputation, many years
afterward.
September 15, 1773, he left Groton for Bos-
ton, and entered on board a coaster, to seek his
fortune in the wilds of Maine. He arrived at
Canaan, and began to work for Capt. Nehe-
* Levi Sawyer. 1 M. Gould's MS.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 185
miah Pease. In the spring of 1774, he pro-
cured a piece of land in Norridgewock, near
the northern village, erected a hut, and cleared
four acres of land.
In June, 1775, he went to Groton after some
clothes, intending to return in three weeks, but
he was persuaded to enter the American army
at Cambridge, in August of the same year. He
remained in the army sixteen months, and
then returned to Norridgewock. He found a
stranger on his farm, who paid him a few dol-
lars for his improvements, but the money was
in continental currency, which soon became
worthless. He soon after procured other land
in the " Glen," nearly opposite the residence of
M. M. Gould, Esq., on the southern shore of
the river. June 8, 1780, he was married. He
continued to labor as long as he could, but his
lameness increased, until the amputation spo-
ken of above.
He died in September, 1825, aged seventy-
one years, having been for twenty-eight years
a professor of religion. He left a large family
of highly respectable descendants, many of
whom fill prominent places in community.
So distinguished did he become for his piety,
that he was termed " Saint Gould " for many
years previous to his death. His children were
Mary, who died an infant ; Joshua, born Sep-
tember, 1785; Maria, born November, 1787,
married Calvin Heald ; Melinda, born May,
1797, married Alden Fuller; Mary, born Jan-
uary 4, 1792, married Jotham Chase ; Lucy,
born Sept. 17, 1783, married W. W. Dinsmore.
16*
186 HISTORY OF XORRIDGEWOCK.
When Moriah Gould first settled here, he
was accustomed to subsist considerably on the
fine salmon that filled these waters. Finding
the day's labor enough for his strength, and
being unwilling to pass many of the night-
hours in fishing, he was accustomed to capture
his ^nnj food in the following orighial manner.
His house stood near the water's edge, and
after he had set his net, he would tie one end
of a fine to his wrist and the other to the net,
and go to bed ; and as a fish, in endeavoring to
dart by, became entangled in the net, the
motion would awake him, and springing out of
bed, he would secure his prey.
Although the Indians had all removed from
this region, yet the early settlers were easily
alarmed, if any indications of their appearance
were seen. On one occasion INIoriah Gould
had some business to transact at a distance,
and he Avent on foot through the east part of
the town. Passing through a field where the
owner was clearing up by burning, he sat down
to light his pipe, and was sitting by a burning
heap, smoking, when he was seen by a neigh-
bor, who immediately gave the alarm of
" Indians ! " The bad news spread, and soon
a terrified knot of people collected together to
discuss the matter. Mr. Gould finished smok-
ing, and very soon appeared among those
alarmed, and explained the phenomenon to
their entire satisfaction. — Mrs. Calvin Heald.
Sylvanus Sawyer ^ was born in Templeton,
Massachusetts, and came to Norridgewock in
* Levi Sawyer.
HISTORY OF NOERIDGEWOCK. 187
June, 1774, accompanied by six sons and two
daughters. He settled on the land first taken
tip by Mr. Lamson ; — he bought the widow's
possessions. His son John, aged 17 years, was
drowned the very day of the Declaration of
Independence, July 4, 1776. Sylvanus, John,
and Captain Fletcher were going in their
canoe to Sebasticook to mill, and they struck a
rock in the Great Eddy below Skowhegan,
overturned, and young Sawyer was drowned.
Luke, another son, is buried at Starks Corner,
and his epitaph reads thus : " Luke Sawyer
born in Templeton Massachusetts, in 1760,
Emigrated to Kennebec in 1774, died July 5,
1841, aged 80 years, 9 m., 5 days. Gone but
not forgotten."
One son and one daughter are now (1849)
hving ; the one aged 84, and the other 82 years.
Oliver Wood ^ was born in Concord, Massa-
chusetts, April 11, 1730, and died in Norridge-
wock, July 1, 1816, aged 86 years. His was an
adventurous life. At the age of 28 years he
entered the British army, and went to Lake
George. He endured the hardships, and shared
the dangers of a camp life, and though he was
not wounded, his health and strength were
much impaired. He kept a journal of his prog-
ress, the different engagements and the occur-
rences of the campaign, from July 17, 1758, to
his arrival home, November 15. He relates,
" June 22, marcht from Mr. Chays to Glasco,
* The facts relating to Oliver and Silas Wood were principally-
obtained from papers furnished by the widow of Silas, and by
Mr. Abel Wood.
188 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
and Lodg'd at Mr. Ruts, whare we Cleared out,
and Froliked allmost all night." " 24, niarcht
from No. 1. and came through the Duch Cuntry
and the 25, arrived at Green Bush, on Sunday,
about 3 of ye Clock, and went into a Duch
Barn, and heard a very Good Sermon." " July
6, our army arrived at the narrows, and Fell
upon the french advance Gard, and kild and
Took them all. They took one hundred and
Thirty Prisners, and stout men they was."
His records are generally of a private nature.
When the Plymouth Company published its
proposals, Mr. Wood, with others from Concord
and vicinity, set out for Norridgewock. He
arrived in September, 1774. He first located
himself near the house now occupied by James
M. Wood, his descendant. He bailt a log
house, but he was hardly settled when the
Revolution broke out, and fears of the Indians
and a desire to engage in the struggle for liberty
induced him to return. He entered the army,
and remained in active service during several
months.
Towards the middle of the year 1777, finding
that the Indians did not molest this region, he
returned, and located himself on the farm now
occupied by James M. Wood. He built a log
house, and, in process of time, became one of
the most distinguished of the settlers in this
region.
During his lifetime he sustained many town
oflaces, and received the respect and confidence
of the people. He transacted a large amount
of legal business, and left many papers.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 189
He was somewhat imbued with the supersti-
tion of those days, and in his journal has left
the following list of Unlucky Days. The
reader can profit by them if he chooses.
January 12, 13, 15, 17, 21, 26, 28, 30; Feb-
ruary 19,28; March 2, 24, 27; April 1, 12;
May 2, 26, 28, 31 ; June 25, 28 ; July 26, 31 ;
August 31 ; September 5, 17, 18 ; October 17 ;
November 16, 30 ; December 18, 22, 26, 30.
He died July 1, 1816. His children were
Jonas, born September 14, 1750, died October,
1777; Silas, born August 28, 1753,^ died De-
cember 17, 1834; Lucy, born February 24,
1756, married Ezekiel Miles, died June 9, 1782,
Anna, born January 3, 1758, died January 18,
1758; Ephraim, born November 19, 1759, died
; Lydia, born March 10, 1762, married
Silas Parlin, died ; Rebecca, born May 26,
1764, died November 25, 1766; Abel, born
November 17, 1766, died February 9, 1782;
Hepsibeth, born July 3, 1771, married Simon
Pierce, died ; Thomas born April 20, 1774,
died September 16, 1811.
About 1774-5, came down several young
men named Keith, from Bridge water, and
made a location near Bomazeen rips, — Jona-
than, Scotland, Unite, Buel, and Israel. Israel,
who was the eldest, merely came on a visit.
He was aide-de-camp to General Heath in the
Revolution, was Governor Hancock's aide, and
^ Silas came down on a visit in the fall of 1774, and while
here, he sowed on his father's land the first grain ever cast into
the ground in Norridgewock. A good crop of winter rye was
produced the following season. In the year 1782, he became a
settler himself.
190 HISTORY OF NOREIDGEWOCK.
was a somewhat distinguished lawyer. He
graduated at Harvard University. Major Zepha-
niah, their father, came down at the close of
the Revolution.
There was but one horse in this vicinity for
several years, and that was owned by Colonel
Waugh. All travel Avas on the river in canoes,
as there were no roads. There were mills on
the tributaries of the Sebasticook, and the set-
tlers were obliged to go to Winslow to mill,
and to the Lower Fort, as Augusta was called,
to purchase stores. The people of Norridge-
wock at length went to Skowhegan, and after
1777 to Heald's mill.
In 1775 there was a great scarcity of grain
among the early settlers. Two of them went
among their neighbors, and taking all the corn
they had, they started for Gardiner. The canoe
was upset in the river and all the gi'ain was
lost. They returned, sad-hearted indeed. From
that time, until January, 1776, at which time
the grain gathered the previous fall had been
carried on the ice to the mill at Sebasticook
and ground, these destitute families were de-
prived of vegetable food, excepting only dried
berries and unground corn.
On the breaking out of the Revolution, the
settlers were all alarmed for their safety, and
made preparations to leave the frontier. The
two or three families residing on the south side
of the river, gathered their effects together,
and made preparations to secrete them. They
dug a large pit near the river, and placing the
most of their valuables in it, they covered them
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 191
with earth, and that no stranger might discover
them, they felled several trees over the spot.
They went away ; some of the men entered
the army, and when they returned they found
all safe and unmolested. Fairbrother, Sawyer,
and Fletcher remained after they came, and
did not go to the war.
The passage of Arnold's army up the Ken-
nebec was a great event in those lonesome
times. Eye-witnesses describe the train of
canoes as having been several miles in length,
and very imposing. They tarried at the Falls
of Skowhegan and at Norridgewock. At the
Falls two fresh beaver-tails were obtained of
two whites in exchange for pork, by the ex-
ploring party. They found a rock of bluish
flint, five feet high and twelve feet in diameter,
in a conical form, just below the Falls, scallop-
ed to the water's edge. It was where the Nor-
ridgewogs obtained their arrow-heads. They
blazed the road around the Fall, and according
to Judge Henry, they found the last white at
Nor ridge wo ck. ^
On the journey of the main army, they pro-
ceeded from Fort Western in three bodies. As
Major Meigs with his detachment, (which was
the last,) passed up the river, he tarried at Nor-
ridgewock, and called at a house and saw a
child fourteen months old — the first white
child born in Norridgewock. It was Abel Far-
rington, son of Captain Thomas Farrington,
formerly of Groton.t His batteaux filled with
^ Maine Hist. Coll., vol. i., p. 397. f See Meigs' Expedition.
192 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
water near Old Point, and he lost his kettles, but-
ter, and sugar. He relates that Rale's grave was
yet visible. There was a covered way through
the bank of the river, for the purpose of obtain-
ing water. Colonel Montressor, an engineer
in Arnold's army, in describing the return says,
" After having gone about — we carne to a deep
fall, where begins a carrying place of about
two miles in length, the river being too rapid
for canoes. This bears the name of the Falls
of Aroansoak, from a village of the Abenaques,
&c. Its current is very gentle to the Nine-mile
Falls ; here it precipitates itself with great fury
over high rocks, and being confined by high
and rocky banks, runs a quarter of a mile with
vast rapidity, beloAv which it forms a basin,
and then directs its course to the south. We
encamped on an island half a league below
the Falls." The island on Avhich they encamp-
ed was Great Island. Different parties halted
on the islands, and along the shores, and relics
are yet occasionally found.
In Dr. Senter's^ narrative, which commenc-
ed at Cambridge, September 13, 1775, and
ended June 11, 1776, of the most remarkable
enterprise of the American Revolution, that
part of the journal relating to our vicinity reads
thus : " Sunday, Oct. 1. — I was now seven
miles above Fort Halifax, and for the first time
encamped upon the ground, the last evening.
* " The Journal of Isaac Senter, Physician and Surgeon to the
troops detached from the American army encamped at Cam-
bridge, Mass., on a secret expedition against Quebec, under the
command of Colonei Benedict Arnold, in September, 1775.''
HISTOEY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 193
Morgan's division were still forward. Here in
my little rural hut, I received orders this morn-
ing to tarry till Col. Enos' division came up.
Col. Greene commanded one battalion, and
Col Enos the other, both Lieut. Cols. Boats
were now continually passing by us, when I
impatiently awaited the coming of the last
division. My boat's crew consisted of three
Englishmen, sailors, one old Swiss, and a
young Scotchman, a deserter from the British
army at Boston ; as indeed all the rest were
deserters from them at different places. This
day I spent in marching up and down the river,
to see the progress of the army in passing the
rapids.^' The river for about two miles was ex-
ceeding swift, water shoal, &c. Every batteaux
crew were obliged to take to the water. Some
to the painter, and others heaving at the stern.
In these rapids the Avater was in general, waist-
band high. With their nnited efforts, the
stream was so violent, as many times to drive
them back, after ten or twelve fruitless attempts
in pulling and heaving with the whole boat's
crew.
" Monday 2. — Yet was I in possession of
my little hut, waiting for the rear division,
when an express came up from the river about
nine miles, in quest of my going to see a sick
soldier. Upon which I concluded to quit my
habitation, and proceed up along. Rapids
obliged us to fall short, about four miles, where
we lodged at one McCracts.
" Tuesday 3. — Proceeded early this morning
* In Clinton.
IT
194 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
up to my patient ; found him at one Mr. How-
ards,^ where were numbers of the army. The
water now grew very rapid, three miles above
was the falls, called by the name of Wassarans-
keigjt ere we come to these falls. The river
formed an elbow, across which there was a
carrying place. This I passed over to view
the falls, though did not move my baggage, &c.,
till next day. The rear division was still be-
hind.
'• Wednesday 4. — As the rapids afforded
but a tedious route of three miles by water
round, I chose rather to take advantage of the
carrying places, which ,was two and a half
miles only, accordingly I had boat and baggage
carried over by land, to the foot of the Falls,
where we were obliged to put in and cross over
to the opposite side, ere we could carry by the
Falls. These were a very high water-fall, and
exceeding difficult carrying by. After backing
all the boats, provisions, camp equipage, &c.,
over, we again advanced up the river. Not
far had we advanced, ere we came to a fall,
called Scunkhegon.t With a great deal of dif-
ficulty we passed this, but not without coming
very nigh losing one of my hands. After pas-
sing these, I proceeded about half a-mile and
tented.
" Thursday 5. — We were now within about
four and a half miles of Norridgewalk, where
I left the charge of my batteaux to my lads, and
proceeded up the river by land, till within about
half a mile, where I contracted with a couple
* Zimri Heywood's. f Wesserrunsett. X Skowhegan.
HISTORY OF NORRTDGEWOCK. 195
of savages who followed the army, to take
charge of the boat, in consequence of the
water growing exceeding rapid. They con-
ducted her safe to the foot of Norridgewalk
fall, where they were, (that is the batteaux) all
haul'd up. AVe had now a number of teams
employed in conveying the batteaux, provisions,
camp equipage, &c., over this carrying place.
By this time, many of our batteaux were noth-
mg but wrecks, some stove to pieces, &c. The
carpenters were employed in repairing them,
while the rest of the army were busy in carry-
ing over the provisions, &c. A quantity of dry
codfish by this time was received, as likewise
a number of barrels of dry bread. The fish
lying loose in the batteaux, and being continu-
ally washed with the fresh water running into
the batteaux. The bread casks not being water
proof, admitted the water in plenty, swelled the
bread, burst the casks, as well as soured the
whole bread. The same fate attended a num-
ber of fine casks of peas. These with the
others were condemned. We were now cur-
tailed of a very valuable and large part of our
provisions, ere we had entered the wilderness,
or left the inhabitants. Our fare was now re-
duced to salt pork and flour. Beef we had
once now and then, when we could purchase
a fat creature, but that was seldom. A few
barrels of beef remained on hand, but of so in-
different quality, as scarce to be eaten, being
killed in the heat of summer, took much dam-
age after salting that rendered it not only very
unwholesome, but very unpalatable.
196 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
" Friday 6. — Several of onr army continued
to be troubled with the dysentery, of which dis-
ease, Capt. Wilhams, a gentleman from Con-
necticut, came nigh to lose his life. Continued
getting over provisions, &c. Weather mostly
cloudy, and considerable reign.
" Saturday 7. — We w^ere still at Norridge-
wock, where was now most of the army. By
a council of the officers, it was thought advis-
able to send letters into Quebec, informing
some gentlemen of that city of our movements,
&c. After the despatches w^ere wrote, it w^as
conchided to send one Mr. Jackuith, inhabitant
of this river, and native of Germany, w4ro spoke
the French language, in company Avith two
Penobscot^ Indians, Sabbatis and Enneos,t
who were well acquainted with the wilderness
through, as well as the inhabitants of the coun-
try where they w^ere going. Accordingly they
were dispatched in a bark canoe, taking a suffi-
cient quantity of provisions for the purpose.
" Sunday 8. — Our provisions w^ere now all
over, and had it not been for the inclemency of
the weather, we should have decampt. No
occurrences of note this day.
Monday 9. — Early this morn we w^ere all
in motion, and bid good-by to old Norridge-
wock."
The progress of this army, led by the gallant
spirits who accompanied it, was an event of
* These Indians were hrotliers, and were originally Anasa-
gunlicooks, and not Penobscols. They removed to the head
waters of the Kennebec, where they resided in 1775.
t Katcnis.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 19T
great importance to the scattered settlers. Sev-
eral hours in passing a given point, the emo-
tions its display naturally inspired, joined to
make it an era in the history of those lonely
pioneers.
As the army passed up the river, it rested on
Great Island, and the officers and soldiers
amused themselves with wrestling. There
was one very athletic negro who had lived a
short time in Canaan, who succeeded in throw-
ing all competitors. At length a young officer
named Dearborn took hold of him, and suc-
ceeded in flooring him. This Dearborn after-
wards became General Dearborn, father of
Adjutant- General H. A. S. Dearborn, Mayor of
Roxbury, Mass.
Oliver Hey wood,^ brother to Peter Hey wood
the elder, settled in Norridgewock, about 1777.
He was born in Concord, August 12, 1728, and
died October 13, 1806, aged 78 years. He set-
tled in the neighborhood of Old Point, Norridge-
wock.
John Heald t was born in New Ipswich, N.
H., in the year 1722. At the beginning of the
Revolution, he removed to the town of Win-
slow, in this State, and in the year 1777 he
came to Norridgewock. He settled on Mill
* The name of Hey wood was pronounced as spelled, or Har-
wood, or Howard indifferently.
t Three brothers, named Hale, left England, and settled in
Concord, Massachusetts, and agreed that each should spell his
name different from the rest, and thus see which branch would
become most numerous and distinguished. The names were
spelled Hale, Heald, and Haile. Doubtful Tradition.
17*
198 HISTORY OF xorridgewock:
stream, and erected a mill.^ He lived in a tent
while he was building his grist mill, and on its
completion, in 1778, he built a log house near
the site of the mill. He brought three sons
with him, one of whom died immediately, and
the other two, Thomas f and Josiah, reared
families.
The house in which Mr. Fletcher lived, situ-
ated near the residence of Mr. John R. Pooler,
was surrounded by pickets, and thus converted
into a sort of fort, in 1777. This was done
through fear of the Indians. The families of
the settlers were accustomed to retire to this
house at night. This was done until 1779,
when the peaceable character of the Indians
removed their fears. Mr. Heald's children
were Timoth}^, John, Jonas, Josiah, Thomas,
Ebenezer, Sybil, who married William Hews-
ton, and Betsey, who married John Longley.
The most of the few settlers who had for-
merly been here were driven away on the
commencement of the war, and when Mr.
Heald came, there were but a very few families
near. They returned, however, and began to
occupy the river lots soon after.t
Eleazar Spaulding§ came down from Pep-
* For many years, the settlers were obliged to go to Dr. Gar-
diner's mill, at the mouth of Cobbosseecontee ; — it was erected
in 1760.
t Thomas was living in 1849, at the advanced age of 85. He
was born Aug. 5, 1764. His descendants were numerous and
respectable.
$ Thomas Heald.
§ Communicated by Josiah Spaulding, who is now (1849) liv-
ing, in the possession of his faculties, at the ripe age of 89.
He has held many offices of trust and confidence, was Town
Clerk seventeen years, Representative, &c. His early recollec-
tions are very valuable.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 199
perelj, where he was born about 1730, in the
course of 1774, and finding that there was good
opportunity for himself and family, he deter-
mined to settle. Before he had got himself in
readiness, however, the Revolution broke out,
and destroyed all his plans. He enhsted in
the Revolutionary army for the year 1776, to-
gether with his sons, Eleazar and Josiah.
Eleazar was in the battle of Bunker Hill, as a
waiter for his uncle. They were at the famous
battle of White Plains, and did their country
good service through the year 1776. Eleazar,
senior, was out in the old French war, where
he was sergeant in a company in which Col.
Prescott was Lieutenant. After the battle of
Bunker Hill, Prescott gave Spaulding a Lieu-
tenancy, and in that capacity he served in
1776. Li December, of that year, they re-
turned home, determined to go to Norridge-
wock as soon as possible. They dared not go
by water, for fear of the British cruisers, and
in February, 1778, they started with two oxen
and two horses, with their family and effects.
They arrived here and began their settlement,
in March, 1778. Eleazar, junior, was born in
1758,-^ and Josiah, Oct. 23, 1760. Besides
these, were Seth, John, and Mary, who mar-
ried Jonas Parlin ; Esther, who married Rob-
ert Richards ; and Elisabeth, who married
Abram Moors.
The father settled on land now occupied by
Isaac Page, and procured lots for his sons all
^ Eleazar is now living in Dover, at the age of 91 years.
200 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK,
around him, and soon his daughters were mar-
ried by neighboring settlers. The descendants
of this family are very numerous, and are
widely scattered.
After the family had been here twenty-five
years, an old chest, which had never been
thoroughly examined, was overhauled, and a
small paper of seeds was found at the bottom.
They were planted, and a plentiful supply of
mandrakes was the result.
John Laughton came with Lieut. Spaulding
from Pepperell, in 1778, and settled in the
Laughton neighborhood.
William Spaulding, Eleazar's nephew, came
in 1779. He was in the battle of Bunker Hill.
David Lancaster, John Moore, and others,
settled the south side of the river in 1779-80.
The Tarbells came in 1780, the Charnberlins
in 1781, and the Longleys in 1783.
Mmrod Hinds came in 1779, and took up a
lot of land, about where Dea. John Loring now
occupies. It will serve to show how land
changes hands, by tracing that lot of land to
the present time. Hinds sold a part to a man
named Cleveland, he to David Pierce in 1783,
he to David Pierce, jr., he to John Ware, he to
Moriah Gould in 1800, he to John Brown, he
to Charles Pierce, he to Hatsell Delano, he to
Charles Pierce, he to Calvin Selden, he to Lo-
renzo Brooks, he to La Loring, he to A. Tozier,
and he to General Trask. The southerly half
David Pierce sold to Simon Pierce, he to Mar-
tin Stinson, and then took it back and sold it
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 201
to Simeon Spencer, he to John Bacheldor, he
to Nathan Bacheldor, and he to John Loring.
Thomas Whitcomb settled in 1779, but he
sold out in 1783.
Josiah Warren came in 1779, from Groton.
It will be seen that the settlers in this region
were nearly all out of the old Massachusetts
stock, and mainly from the immediate neigh-
borhood of Concord, the central point of revo-
lutionary patriotism. Those familiar with that
section of country, at this time, will readily
perceive the relationship subsisting between
the people of this vicinity and those of Con-
cord, Groton and neighborhood. The Fletch-
ers, Spauldings, Prescotts, Woods, Warrens,
Clarks, Goulds, Keiths, Adamses, Longleys,
Westons, Heywoods, Gilmans, Pierces, Sylves-
ters, Wymans, Oakeses, and other names, are
prominent in both States.
In the year 1780, Eleazar Spaulding owned
a sled and two horses, which constituted the
only team in the town, with the exception of
Mr. Waugh's horse. At this time most of the
people let their hay stay in the field till winter,
when they hauled it in on hand-sleds.
David Moore, from Groton, came to Nor-
ridgewock first of the merchants, about 1780,
and endeavored to dispose of a few goods
which he had. A short time after, Mr. John
Ware came here, and began to work at his
trade as a cooper. He soon went into a part-
nership with Mr. Moore, and soon after he
bought him out, and erected a small building
near the site of Mr. J. Baker's.
202 HISTORY OP NORRIDGEWOCK.
In 1781, it was thought that a saw and grist
mill might be built to good advantage on the
small brook near Dea. S. Turner's. The build-
ings were erected, and in 1782, Henry Bickford,
Asa Crosby, Eleazar and Josiah Spaulding,
started for the Penobscot to procure the requi-
site iron. Some vessels had been burnt by the
British, and the iron was sold very cheap.
They travelled the entire distance on snow-
shoes, loaded a handsled for each, and drawed
it back in the dead of winter ! The grist-mill
never amounted to much, but the saw-mill was
considerably improved.
The first framed house was built by Dr.
Zebulon Oilman, in 1781 or 2, on the south
side of the river. In the same year and soon
after, on the other side. Lieutenant Parlin
finished another, which was the second in
town. William Spaulding and Major Obadiah
Witherell soon followed. The first in either
village was that of Dea. John Clark, built in
1788, and now occupied by Joseph Baker,
Esq. When the meeting-house was erected
there were but four or five houses within the
entire limits of the town.
February 9, 1782, Abel Wood,^ a son of
Oliver, aged 16 years, accompanied by Amos
Fletcher, undertook to carry provisions to Jere-
miah Shephard, at Ooshen. They travelled on
snow-shoes on the river. They had arrived
within I2 miles of their destination when
Wood's strength gave out, and he declared that
^ A letter of Oliver Wood, dated March 24. 1782.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 203
he could go no further. Fletcher urged him
in vain, — the cold had already frozen one foot
and rendered him indifferent, and he fell on the
ice. Finding remonstrances useless, Fletcher
left him, and hastened forward, hoping to be
able to reach an Indian wigwam, the location
of which he knew. When he arrived at the
spot, he had become so feeble that he made
several ineffectual attempts to chmb the bank.
Summoning all his energies in a desperate
effort, he succeeded, and was barely able to
reach the door, and communicate his tidings,
when he became senseless, and was with great
difficulty restored. A party of Indians were
despatched to succor Wood, and they found
him frozen to death. Fletcher's foot was badly
frozen, but the Indians made a poultice out of
some mud in a spring, and saved amputation.
Silas Wood, Oliver's son, came in the Spring
of 1782. He seems to have been quite a poet.
On a sheet of paper, labeled " Silas Wood,
His Vearces 1777," he has left the following.
Verses 1 and 5 are missing.
2
" When there's not But Blood and wounds
Drumes a Beetinj^, Colours Flying.
Cannon Roring, Tories Dying,
These are the noble Effect of war.
" They that reign masters of the seas,
Shak of your youthfull sloth and Ease,
Well make the hawty Tories know
The torter they must under go
When they Ingage their mortal Foe.
204 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK,
" Display your Colars, Beat your Drums,
Batter their Shipping, Fire their Towns,
United Sons of Amaricans Fame,
Let not your Corage Corage Tame,
Weall Drive the Tories Back again.
'« Forget the Fight of Bunkerhill
Alltho they gand the Feld of Blood
By what that We have Undertrod
They Dar not Venter out again.
" And they have Pact up all and gone,
That they Cold carrey out of Town.
God grant that they may not Return
To Do the Brave american harm,
may this be our Daly Prayer,
amen amen.
8
" And now our Trops ar Sent away.
To gard our Secost Night & Day,
All around the Continental shore,
Which Thing was Never Don Before
O may they be preserved in health,
amen amen."
There seems to be more patriotism than
poetry in these lines. They have the spirit of
sincerity in them.
About the year 1800, WiUiam Fletcher, jr. and
Ebenezer Heald went above Caratiink, to hunt,
in the month of November. They attempted
to cross the Kennebec on a raft which they
constructed, but the anchor-ice was running
very swift, and the weather was so intensely
cold that the raft soon froze in the river, and
there remained. They endeavored to build a
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 205
fire on the raft, and a few blackened sticks and
embers were found. It is supposed that they
attempted to reach the shore, as their bodies
were found in the water below the Falls, the
following July. Two dogs that were with
them returned, as the ice was firm enough to
bear them.
Adventures of Robert Forbes and Family.
March 17, 1784, Robert Forbes started, with
his wife and four children, from Nouvelle Bois,
on the river Chaudiere, for the settlements on
the Kennebec. He was a native of the States,
and wished to live among his countrymen.
He employed three Dutchmen, MidstafF, Pan-
cake, and Christian, to guide him, as they were
going (as they said) in his direction. His chil-
dren were to be drawn on sleds, while himself
and wife, who was enciente, were to travel on
snowshoes.
After travelling through the silent wilderness
eight days, on the ninth they left the river,
whereon they had travelled, to strike across the
country. They found the surface so broken,
by gullies, that they could proceed but a short
distance with their sleds, and were compelled
to halt. On the ninth day the difficulties ol
their journey obliged them to make a camp,
and the mother and children were left behind,
while the father and a part of the baggage went
on with the guides, intending to find Mecon-
nich Pond, and return the next day. But the
pond was not discovered until the next day, at
three o'clock. Their baggage was left at this
place, and MidstafF led the way to where he
18
206 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
said an Indian resided. The habitation was
found, but it was deserted.
The next morning, March 27, they returned
to the Pond where the baggage had been left,
and the three guides seized the most important
part thereof, and refused to return to the family
of Forbes, but signified their intention of going
on to Kennebec. No entreaties could change
their bad resolution, and leaving him nothing
but a small axe, a poor firelock, and two loaves
of bread, they left him. He arrived at the
place where he had left his wife, that evening,
and to them he communicated the sorrowful
tidings. Thus this unprotected family was
left alone, eight days from the Canadian settle-
ments, and 150 miles from any American habi-
tation, without food or friends, or even a com-
pass. They knew not where they were, or
where to go.
The river had began to break up, so that
they could not go back, and whither else
should they go ? They left all their heavy bag-
gage, and started, as they supposed, in the di-
rection of the Kennebec. The eldest daughter
walked, and Mr. Forbes took two children and
John one, on sleds. The first day a violent
storm prevented much progress, and they did
not reach the pond where their guides left them,
until Friday. Here, to their great joy, they met
the Indian, named John Baptist, who hospita-
bly invited them to his camp, where he kindly
entertained them till the following Monday.
Meanwhile, he killed a moose and gave the
family as much as they could carry, and piloted
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 207
them to the Kennebec river, and would have
gone to the settlements but for his wife, who
was sick. He then wished them well, having
previously drawn a map of their route on a
piece of birch bark.
On leaving the Indian, Mr. Forbes gave him
a part of his valuables, and expressed his great
gratitude. He then followed the river, but found
every conceivable obstacle in his path, and
April 12, finding his provisions exhausted, he
set forward, with his eldest son, hoping to find
a settlement, and return with succor. He ac-
cordingly erected a camp for his wife and four
other children, and started, leaving them a small
piece of tallow and a pound and a half of
moose-meat ! The first and second days they
travelled on the ice, as it would bear them, but
unfortunately they mistook a carrying place,
twelve miles across, and followed the bend of
the river sixty miles. The third day they found
the river tolerably clear of ice, and they built
a raft, and got it under weigh about ten o'clock
the fourth day. Of course they were constant-
ly wet through by the many rips, over which
they passed. About noon their raft struck a
rock, and parted, leaving them only a single
string of logs. At this time they lost their axe.
At four o'clock, after drifting in great danger on
the spring tide, they struck an eddy and reach-
ed shore. After this they travelled by land un-
til the 20th of April, when they heard the report
of a gun ! They answered several times in vain,
and supposing that they heard the fall of a tree,
they abandoned themselves to despair. April
22, however, having built a small fire, they
208 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
were seen by Luke Sawyer and others, and con-
ducted to the settlement at Seven Mile Brook.
They had eaten the few ounces of moose-
meat they took, and theh moccasons, having
nothing else to subsist on, and they were so ex-
hausted, that they could scarcely stand alone.
On their arrival. Major Hale, Willam Hus-
ton and Ebenezer Hilton started for his wife
and children, and after being absent thirteen
days they returned, unable to find them. It
had now been twenty-four days since they left
the wife and four children, with the pound and
a half of moose-meat and a small piece of tal-
low. But Mr. Forbes succeeded in prevailing
upon James McDonald and Jonathan Ames
to renew the search, he accompanying them.
But finding him a hindrance rather than a help,
the two sent him back and pursued their
journey together. On the 2d of June, they
reached the place where Mrs. Forbes and the
children had been left, and to their great aston-
ishment, they found the mother and one child
aUve ! They had been forty-eight days without
fire, and fifty with the before-mentioned meat
and a little of the inside bark of the fir-tree.
Thirty-eight days after Mr. Forbes left his fami-
ly the little boy died, Katharine the next day,
and Mary four days after. The poor woman
herself was expecting to die each moment, and
the other child, Peggy, had scarcely the breath
of fife. The three dead children were laid out
side by side in the camp, for the mother had
not strength to bury them. On the 3d of June,
they placed the surviving child and the mother
HISTORY OF NORPJDGEWOCK. 209
on a bier, and at length reached Norridgewock,
where the family settled, and dweh some time.
They occupied a house formerly standing be-
tween the houses of T. C. Jones, Esq. and
Alfred Stackpole. A child was born soon after
their arrival.
The dangers and hardships of the family, in
traveUing so far, under such circumstances,
cannot now be fully appreciated. The early
pioneers of this now beautiful country deserve
the endless gratitude of this and all succeeding
generations.
The famiUes residing in Norridgewock at the
time of its incorporation, may be learned from
the following list of the first payers of taxes.
Those not mentioned in the Winslow tax list
came between 1780 and 1788.
Asa Longley, Charles Witherell, Joseph Tar-
bell, Josiah Nutting, Amos Adams, Edmund
Parker, Asa Parker, Luke Withee, Thomas
Heald, Alpheus Parlin, Nathaniel Withee, Jon-
athan Spaulding, Ephraim Linsey, William
Yarnum, John Longley, Samuel Cook, Levi
Sawyer, John Lam son, Zebulon Gilman, James
Laplain, James Adams, Amos Adams, Jr., Sol-
omon Squier, Unite Keith, Sylvanus Sawyer,
Jr., Samuel Richards, James Smith, Phineas
Mclntyre, John Ware, Luther Pierce, Calvin
Pierce, Uzziel Withee, Abraham Clarke, Dan-
iel Steward, Benjamin Moore, Col. John Moor,
Jonas Parlin, Goff Moor, Robert Richards,
Eleazar Spaulding, Lieut. Eleazar Spaulding,
Seth Spaulding, widow Jane Laughton, John
Laughton, Wilham Spaulding, Jr., Josiah
18*
210 HISTORY OF NOEKIDGEWOCK.
Spaulding, Levi Proctor, William Spaulding,
Josiah Spaulding, Jr., John Clark, Oliver
Wood, Silas Wood, William Weston, David
Lancaster, Oliver Heywood, Samuel Squier,
John Squier, Peter Farnsworth, Isaac Kidder,
Dr. Zebulon Oilman, widow Elisabeth Heald,
Josiah Heald, Thomas Whitcomb, Simon Pierce,
David Pierce, Benjamin Thomson, Charles
Whitcomb, Moriah Gould, Davenport,
John Brown, Ephraim Brown, John Cook,
widow Ann Cook, Moses Pickford, Sylvanus
Sawyer, George Brown, Moses Martin, Maj.
Zephaniah Keith, Levi Samson, John Parlin,
Nathan Parlin, Benjamin Hinds, John Heald,
Ezekiel Emerson, William Sylvester, Ephraim
Ward, Obadiah Witherell, Zachariah Longley.
If there were any others in 1788, their names
do not appear on the tax list.
The Town of Norridgewock, County of
Somerset, State of Maine,^ lies on both sides
of the Kennebec river, in north latitude 44 deg.,
40 min. It is the shire town, and was the
fifty-eighth incorporated in the State. It lies
28 miles N. from Augusta, 90 miles N. N. E.
from Portland, 55 miles W. from Bangor, and
60 miles S. S. W. from Moosehead lake, and is
bounded north by Madison and E^ffB^ja^^toH,
east by Skowhegan and Bloomfield, south by
Smithfield and Mercer, and west by Starks
and Mercer.
The general aspect of the town is uneven.
Along the banks of the river the intervales are
* Originally Mavooshen.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWCCK. 211
broad, and the soil in many places is very level,
producing some of the most beautiful farms in
the world ; but the surface is generally broken
into small vales, and numerous fruitful hills,
which give the town almost every variety of
scenery. The soil is a sandy loam, resting on
limestone, and is very productive.
" Old Norridgewock was a most pleasant
site, opposite the mouth of Sandy river, — the
general and almost sole resorting place of the
tribe, immediately after their numbers or ranks
were thinned ; and a spot consecrated to them
by every sacred and endearing recollection."
( Williamson^ Hist. 3Iaine, vol. i., p. 467.) The
name originated from the appearance of the
water in the Kennebec, at this place. There
are no cataracts, but the water from Norridge-
wock falls to Skowhegan is a succession of
small rapids and intervals of smooth water.
Hence the name : Norridge [falls] ivoch [smooth
water]. The Indians called the entire region,
from the head of Moose river to Madison
falls, Arantsook, or, as they more correctly pro-
nounced it, Dalantsou, meaning Great Camp-
ing Ground.^ From the falls at Madison to
Skowhegan falls, including most of the terri-
tory treated of in this history, they used an
Indian term, which the French pronounced
Wanrantsouak, and the Enghsh, Norridgewock.
An intervale was called Natuah.
There is another way of accounting for the
name of the town. It is said that in the old
^ Governor of Penobscot, via Rev. 0. H. Johnson.
212 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
French War, the Indians took an Enghsh pris-
oner by the name of Norridge^ who was sick.
They carried him up the Kennebec until they
arrived at our town, when they placed him
on his feet, angrily exclaiming, — ''Norridge —
ivalk / " — a name which the territory has since
been known by. This name, however, desig-
nated the region on its first discovery by the
Enghsh, long before the French War. Tradi-
tion cannot always be rehed on.
Granite is found in great abundance, and of
such an excellent kind as would be the wealth
of any town on the sea-board. As it is, it is of
more benefit to the people than a gold mine.
There is an area of 24,620 acres of land, of
which 880 are covered with water, 610 occu-
pied by roads, 1,204 of waste land, 8,059 of
unimproved land, 2,859 of wood land, 5,009 of
pasturage, 3,000 of mowing, and 2,999 of til-
lage. The value of the real estate is $187,787,
and of all taxable property, $300,000. There
are 400 polls, 280 dwelling houses, 365 barns,
18 stores, shops, &c., and 140 other buildings.
The town is six miles and two hundred rods
long from north to south, and six miles one
hundred rods broad from east to west, being
very nearly square. The river enters the town
at its north-west corner, and passing south-east
five miles, to about the centre of the town,
makes a sharp bend just below the villages,
and passes out of the town in a north-easterly
direction. It is from twenty-five to forty rods
in width.
There is some excellent limestone in the
HISTORY OP NOKKIDGEWOCK. 213
town, on the estate of J. S. Abbott, Esq., and
in other portions. According to a survey of
the State,^ the limestone on the estate of S.
Sylvester presents the following analysis : —
carbonate of lime, 88.2; carbonate of iron, 1.2;
insoluble mica and silex, 10.6, — giving 49.6
per cent, of pure lime. It is of a very excel-
lent quahty, and contains veins of pure calca-
reous spar, which passes through the kiln
without melting, and issues pure lime. It will
readily slake in water, and gains 40 per cent.
It bears as much sand as any in use. The low
price of wood, and other conveniences, urge
upon our citizens the propriety of using it for
all proper purposes. As most of the soil of the
town is deficient in lime, it ought to be used
for dressing. On the land of J. S. Abbot, Esq.
lime is found, presenting the following anal-
ysis : — 51.2 carbonate of Hme ; 48.4 insoluble
matter; .4 oxide of iron ; 28.7 pure lime. It
is weak, and slags at high red heat.
The soil is excellent, for the most part. Dr.
Jackson published the products of the soil on
the farm of Obadiah Witherell. It yielded 1 5
bushels of wheat, 200 bushels of potatoes, or
40 bushels of corn, per acre. It is a loose yel-
low loam, surrounded by slaty limestone, mica
slate, lime and gypsum. He also examined
the plain of Dr. Bates, now owned by Charles
Bates, Esq. It is a yellow loam, resting on
sand, then gravel, then quicksand and clay. It
yielded 372 bushels of oats and pease to the
acre. The analysis of the uncultivated land
^Jackson's Survey.
214 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
of Mr. Bates is as follows : — pebbles and sticks,
50 ; roots of grass and sand, 350 ; fine powder,
600. The fine powder, on being submitted to
a chemical test, yielded water, 4.8 ; vegetable
matter, 10.2 ; oxide of iron, 6.8 ; insoluble mat-
ter, 77.1 ; carbonate of lime, 0.9 ; loss, .2.
These regions were once the favorite resorts
of the moose, bears, deer, and all other animals
that usually haunt these latitudes. They are
yet occasionally seen. As lately as May, 1848,
John W. Sawtelle and S. M. Handy, Esqrs.
saw two moose cross the river, and pass near
the dwelling of the former and disappear over
the rising ground near Mr. Works' house.
The first records in the Town Books read as
follows :
"Lincoln ss. To Lieu. Obadiah Witherell
of Norridgewock in said County, Greeting. . .
" In the name of The Commonwealth of
Massachusetts you are required fourthwith to
Notify and warn all the Free men Inhabitants
of said Town of Norridgewalk to meet at the
Dwelling house of Mr. John Clark's in sd Town
on Wednesday the Twentieth day of August
next, at one o' Clock afternoon, then and there
to choose Town Clerk, Selectmen, and such
other Town officers, as the Several Towns
within this Commonwealth are Impowered and
Directed by Law to choose, on the month of
March or April annually, and also to Transact
such other business as shall there be thought
necessary and Important. Hereof fail not &c.
Daniel Cony Justis Peas.^^^
* Town Records.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 215
Pursuant to the above warrant the first meet-
ing was held, and the followmg gentlemen
served as the first legal ofiicers of the Town of
Norridgewock : — Dr. Daniel Cony, Moderator ;
John Clark, Town Clerk; John Clark, Major
Zephaniah Keith, Moriah Gould, Selectmen ;
John He aid. Constable.
"Mr. John Heald was in the next place
chosen Town Treasury."
Lieut. Obadiah Witherell, Samuel Parker,
Lieutenant Eleazar Spaulding, Ephraim Brown,
and Peter Farnsworth, Surveyors.
Benjamin Hinds, Simon Pierce, and Josiah
Spaulding, Tythingmen.
Sylvanus Sawyer, " moos and Dear Reaf "
Benjamin Thompson, " Hogg Reaf"
The Collectorship having been set up at
vendue, it was bid ofi' by Charles AVitherell, at
4:1 per cent.
It was voted that the Selectmen should
" sarve " as assessors. " Voted that men's labor
be is. per day, and ox work 2s. 6d. per day."=^
A petition was forwarded to the General
Court, praying that the taxes assessed upon the
town for the few years previous to its incor-
poration, should be abated.!
Li a warrant calling a meeting on the Tenth
of September of the same year, the people are
called upon to decide whether they will choose
" a committee to Lay out a highway Through
the Town on the Est side of Kennebeck River,
where it may be Lest Predical and Most Bene-
fical to the Pubhck." t
* Town Records. f Ibid. X lb.
216 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
Messrs. John Heald, Ephraim Brown, Josiah
Spaulding, Nathan Parhn, and William Spauld-
ing, were chosen a Committee to lay out a road
'' from Norridgewock Point to the lower end
of the town, on the east side of the River."
This road was ordered to be'four rods wide.^
At an adjournment of the same meeting,
holden October 6th, Messrs. Ephraim Brown,
Josiah Heald, and Peter Farns worth were
chosen to Jay out a road on the west side of the
river,t and Messrs. Zachariah Longley, Obadiah
Witherell, and Amos Adams to lay out a road
in the back part of the town on the east side
of the river.t
The first votes were cast December 18, 1788,
when Hon. George Thatcher received thirty-
five votes as a candidate for Congress, and Hon.
Daniel Cony and William Graham, Esq.,
received thirty-five votes as candidates for
Presidential Electors. The people at this time
seem to have been like a jug handle, all on one
side.§
It seems that in the year 1789, the town
employed certain men to transact business in
Boston, for it is recorded, April 6, 1789, "voted
to draw 25 bushels of Eye out of the Town
Treasurer to pay for the Cow that Majo''
Zeph^ Keith had for his Son's services at
Boston." II
Captain Samuel Weston was employed to
describe the boundaries of the Town, and he
made his report March 31, 1789. He thus
describes them : " Beginning at the head of
* Town Records. f Ibid. | lb. § lb. || lb.
HISTORY OP NORRIDGEWOCK. 217
Scowhegan falls, so called, at a black Oak tree
standing on the bank of Kennebec river,
being a boundary betAveen Canaan and Nor-
ridgwalk, thence running north one mile &
one hundred Ninety six poles, to an Hemlock
tree marked I. M, 196. R. thence turning and
running West, numbering and marking the
respective miles to Norridgwalk Point, striking
said Point seventy Eight rods north of line, run
due East from the South East corner of Lot no.
1. formerly in Norridgwalk, but now in the
Possession of Mr. Oliver AVillson, being seven
miles and two hundred and forty eight poles
to the bank of Kennebec river, on the Easterly
side thereof; thence turning and running across
a small part of said Norridgewock point, thence
across the river, numbermg and marking the
miles to the Southwest corner of said town,
being six miles, and two hundred and two
poles to a red oak tree marked on the north
side 6. M. 202 R., and on the East Side 6. M.
113. R. thence returning to South East Corner
of Norridgewock, and South West Corner of
Canaan, to a small Hemlock tree marked on
the East side 4. M. 208. P., thence running west,
Numbering and marking the miles to the South
West corner of said town at the red oak tree
aforementioned, being Six miles, & one hun-
dred & thirteen Rods." ^
The road from Skowhegan falls was survey-
ed and run in the year 1789. It commenced
four rods from the bank at the head of Skow-
* Town Records.
19
218 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
began falls, and terminated at Mr. John Clark's
house.^
It was voted, April 20, " to have the training
field before Mr. Clarke's Dore, up and down
the river."t
In those primitive times, when fences were
rare and sheep were nimble, it was found nec-
essary to record the marks by which sheep
might be known and recognized. Accordingly
we are certified that William Weston's sheep
are marked with a swallow-tail cut out of the
left ear ; David Lancaster's, with a swallow-tail
on the right ear, and a halfpenny under the
same ; William Spaulding's with a hole punch-
ed in both ears ; Moriah Gould's with the left
ear half cropped ; John Healds with a crop of
the left ear ; Obadiah Witherell's with a hole
in the left ear ; Lovell Fairbrother's with a crop
and notch on the right ear.J
About this time Mr. John Ware procured a
beaver of an Indian, which he domesticated
and kept in his store. It was his custom to let
him out at nightfall, and he would follow his
instincts in the neighboring Kennebec, and re-
turn at dawn of day to his home. One night
the beaver was kept in the store, and a violent
south-west rain-storm came up, and drove the
rain violently under the street door. Mr. Ware
heard a noise all night beneath him, but he lit-
tle suspected the cause. On going down in
the morning, he found that his favorite beav-
er, fearing a flood, had prepared according to
* Town Records. i lb. | lb.
HISTOEY OP NORRIDGEWOCK. 219
his nature to resist it, by sawing up the rounds
of chairs and whatever else came in his way,
to manufacture a dam. The absence of mud,
however, rendered it somewhat leaky, — but it
was in the way of the flood.
The barn of Wm. Sylvester was used as the
first pound, in the year 1791. In the year fol-
lowing the town voted not to pay Josiah Spaul-
ding, for " the bridges."
In the year 1792, when the question arose
whether the District of Maine would become
an independent State, the vote in Norridge-
wock stood, yeas 32, nays 2.^
John Malloy, Samuel Howard and others,
having petitioned for a bridge over the Kenne-
bec river, at the " Hook," it was declared by
the town that a bridge in that place would be
very prejudicial to navigation, but that one
might be erected at F. Weston's, which would
not be " detrimental to vessels, &c.," as the lat-
ter place was the " head of navigation.!
September 3, 1795, £17 were raised to pur-
chase a stock of ammunition for the use of the
town. In the year 1797 it was voted to "give
12 cents for each crow's head that is killed."
In the same year, when the people were asked
if they were favorable to a separation from
Massachusetts, there were 54 for and 6 against.
There were at that time 67 federalists, and one
democrat.^
In the year 1801, a petition having been pre-
sented for the alteration of the road between
Silas AVood's and Benjamin Farnham's, it was
* Town Record. f lb. If. lb.
220 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
voted to comply with the request, provided
" the neighbors who will be most accommodat-
ed will give something handsome Extraordi-
nary, &c."^
January 11, 1806, the town remonstrated
against a bridge at Swan Island, and sent a
memorial to General Court. t
April 6, 1807, the people of Norridgewock
gave 3 votes for and 94 against making a sepa-
ration between Maine and Massachusetts.
September 14th, 1808, the town voted to
petition the President of the United States to
suspend the operation of the Embargo laws.
In the year following, "William Jones, Calvin
Selden, John Harlow, John Ware, and Richard
Sa^vtelle, were chosen as a committee to cor-
respond with other towns respecting the times,
— the '' present critical situation of our national
and public affairs," and to propose a plan by
which the people could relieve themselves from
the threatened destruction of public liberty. J
In the year 1809, Mr. Ezekiel Emerson of
Norridgewock Avas hunting in the neighbor-
hood of the lake, when he was taken violently
sick. He found a camp belonging to a friend
occupied by a lad ; the father had gone in pur-
suit of game. He told the boy of his sickness,
and asked him not to be alarmed if he died.
In a few hours he breathed his last, and was
brought home to his friends. He was a son of
Rev. Mr. Emerson of Woolwich.
The question of a separation between the
State of Massachusetts and the District of
Maine arose again in 1816, and there were
* Town Records. t Ibid. Jib.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 221
thirty-three for, and fifty-one against the separa-
tion. A Convention was holden in Brunswick,
on the last Monday of September in the same
year, to discuss the expediency of erecting the
Province of Maine into a Sovereign State, and
Wilham Allen, Jr., Esq., was elected as a dele-
gate from Norridgewock. The town declared
by a vote of sixty-five to sixty-four that Maine
should not become a State.^
May loth, 1819, it was voted that "the
County of Somerset have liberty to erect a
court-house on such part of the common
belonging to the town, as shall be designated
for the purpose, so far as the town have a right
thereto. The site was selected and a deed
from the town was given. The same year the
town forwarded an earnest petition to the
General Court, praying that the district of
Maine might become a State immediately.
The vote stood 160 yeas, and 33 nays. William
Allen, Esq., was chosen a delegate to Portland,
to form a Constitution for the State of Maine.t
The Constitution was drafted, and when it
was presented to the people for their ratifica-
tion, there were sixty-six votes cast in Norridge-
wock, all of which were for the Constitution, t
In 1820, the town protested against being
classed with any other town in electing a
representative. In the year following, the
town passed a series of resolutions, protesting
against the appointment of Warren Preston as
Judge of Probate.
September 10, 1821, the town unanimously
''f^ Town Records. t Ibid. Jib.
19*
222 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
voted against erecting the towns of Farmington,
Strong, Avon, Phillips, Kingfield, Freeman,
New Portland, New Vineyard, Industry, and
other towns and plantations into a new county.
At the same meeting the town remonstrated
against the annexation of East Pond Settle-
ment to Norridgewock.^
In the year 1829, the first public action in
relation to the subject of Temperance was had,
when the town voted by 87 to 79 not to grant
licenses to Retailers of Ardent Spirits, to allow
alcoholic liquors to be drunk at their stores.
The same question was resumed in the Spring
of the following year, and decided as before,
but in September, the question was decided in
favor of granting licenses.
A protest was unanimously passed this year
against being classed with any other town in
electing a representative to the General Court.
The great Freshet of 1832, was the most
remarkable that has ever occurred on the Ken-
nebec since the memory of man. The waters
were highest at midnight of May 21st. The
roads and dwellings were overflowed in many
places for miles. In Norridgewock, the dwell-
ing of Dr. Amos Townsend, now occupied by
Charles Norton, was on an island, accessible
only by a boat. At the residence of Thomas
C. Jones, Esq., the water came in, and flowed
up to Turner's tavern, which had two feet of
water in the cellar. Twenty inches higher,
and the water would have flowed in by the
north school-house, and met that which backed
up from below the village, and in the opmion
* Town Records.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 223
of many, the wash would have taken away
the entire village on the north side of the river.
The greatest consternation prevailed ; stores
and houses were emptied of their contents,
and artificial means were employed to prevent
the buildings from being undermined, when
the waters began to abate, and the danger
passed. Mills were destroyed at Skowhegan,
and many thousands of dollars' worth of prop-
erty were overwhelmed on the Kennebec and
other streams.
In January, 1839, a large wolf committed
many depredations in our neighborhood, and
the people turned out en masse to destroy him.
He was of the Canadian species, and the largest
ever seen in this vicinity. After chasing him
two hundred miles in seven days, he effected
his escape.
On petition of James Mills, in 1843, it was
voted to grant no licenses for the sale of ardent
spirits, except for medicinal and mechanical
purposes; and that each retailer should keep
a book containing a record of all sales, with
the name of the purchaser, &c., which record
should be open for pubhc inspection. In the
following year, the selectmen were warned to
be on their guard, and prosecute all violations
of the License law.^
February 3d, 1845, on motion of Hon. Drum-
mond Farnsworth, — John Robbins was ap-
pointed agent to ferret out and prosecute all
violations of the License law. It was voted
that one person on each side of the river
* Town Records.
224 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
should be licensed to retail ardent spirits for
medicinal and mechanical pm'poses only.
Resolutions to the same general effect were
introduced at the following March meeting by
the Hon. Drummond Farnsworth and J. S.
Abbott, Esq.
The history of the town since its incorpora-
tion is brief, but it may be said generally that
the town is pursuing a prosperous course, and
is steadily gaining ground.
" Aunt Harlow," the second wife and present
widow of Dr. John Harlow, has been a fixture
of the town for the last quarter of a century.
She resides in a most beautiful and romantic
spot, near the bank of the river, where, in gen-
eral seclusion, she pursues her favorite occupa-
tions. By her own industry, and the aid of
others, she has filled every possible corner and
crevice of her cottage with geological speci-
mens, some of which are really curious. In
addition to these, she has, by her ingenuity,
constructed of moss and yarn, many tableaux,
representing scenes in the Scriptures, the early
settlement of the country, &c., and the young
people are frequently drawn together to exam-
ine her cabinet, and listen to her instructive,
though eccentric conversation. She has con-
duced to the amusement of the young, and
they, in turn, have added to the comfort of her
declining years. She is altogether the most
remarkable personage in Norridgewock.
John Ware, is a name that richly deserves
mention in this history. He was born in Gro-
ton, Massachusetts, and was a son of Dr.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 225
Ware, formerly well known in the vicinity of
his sphere of practice. Mr. Ware came here
very poor, with nothing but mdustry, integrity,
and a good will as his friends, in the year
1782. He began at his trade as a cooper, and
was accustomed to give a great deal of credit
for the work he did. It was his custom to trust
his work out for a year, and then, for every
bushel of grain that was owed to him, to take
a note for five pecks. From such humble be-
ginnings he continued in trade until he be-
came the wealthiest person in Somerset county.
Some of his customers have complained of
him ; but the most that can be said to his dis-
advantage is, that he was well calculated for a
successful merchant. He understood human
nature, and especially the nature of the Indians,
who came many miles to deal with him. He
bought their furs greatly to his advantage, and
sold them as well. He kept a very large store,
was a great economist, never imprudent, and
always exercised the Yankee's skill after the
" main chance," and if those whose wealth
helped to swell his own would but blame the
avidity with which, in former times, they re-
sorted to the strong drinks which were sold by
Mr. Ware, as well as by every other merchant,
they would accuse their own folly quite as
much as Mr. Ware's keenness at a bargain.
His spirit of enterprise is an example to every
young man. He died in August, 1829, aged
62 years.
Ithamar Spaulding, Esq. was, for many years,
a prominent and highly respected citizen. If
226 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
the Persians acted with propriety, when they
pronounced the Hfe of every man useless, who
died without planting a tree, while they re-
garded the Hves of those who planted trees as
beneficial to the race, then the name of Itha-
mar Spaulding should be held in grateful and
lasting remembrance. It was through his ad-
mirable taste and commendable zeal, that the
village of Norridgewock acquired its beautiful
appearance.
It was in those days when all the wheels of
enterprise were oiled with good (?) liquor, that
Mr. Spaulding proposed to Mr. Ware, that if
the latter would furnish liquor for the men, he
would furnish trees, and oversee the labor of
transplanting them. The offer was accepted,
and the village was rendered beautiful. Mr.
Ware insisted on poplars and willows, but
wherever Mr. Spaulding had his way, he set
out elms, which have the strength of the oak
and the pendant grace of the willow, and
which are the most beautiful of all shade-trees.
Posterity ought to cherish his memory as often
as it looks upon the magnificent and enduring
monuments of his taste and skill, which render
Norridgewock one of the most charming and
delightful of all New England villages. He
was assisted by Dr. John Harlow.
Mr. Spaulding, after discharging many offices
of trust, and enjoying the confidence of the
people, removed to Solon, in September, 1817.
He was a rigid moralist, upright and virtuous,
and emphatically an honest man. He died
May 20, 1832, aged about 60 years.
HISTORY OF NOERIDGEWOCK. 227
The Agricultural productions in 1837 were, —
3,975 bushels of corn, 6,841 of wheat, 842 of rye,
29,014 of oats, 412 of beans, 296 of pease, 652
of barley, 53,320 of potatoes, 2,058 of turnips,
7,035 of apples, 9,182 lbs. of wool, 132,410 of
pork, 26,623 of beef, 2,905 tons of English hay,
324 horses, 51 colts, 264 oxen, 561 cows, 618
other cattle, 3,339 sheep, 530 swine, 291 bbls.
of cider, 31,545 lbs. of butter, 12,347 of cheese.
There were 41 chaises, 1 coach, 136 horse
wagons, 1 grist-mill, 1 saw-mill, sawing 150,000
feet of boards, (now 200,000 ft.,) 1 fulling-mill,
dressing 3,000 yards of cloth, 1 oil-mill, 2 tan-
neries, with 42 vats, 5,400 feet of stone quar-
ried, and 700 feet dressed, $5,700 stock in trade,
(now $21,100,) $22,761 loaned, $15,300 bank
stock ; real estate in 1841 was valued by the
Legislature at $279,069 ; valuation in 1845,
$305,776; taxable estates in 1837, $336,891.
Agriculture has advanced somewhat in the
town since 1837, with the exception of the
wheat and potato crops ; but the trades remain
about the same. There was a time when
Norridgewock was, as a town, far more enter-
prising than at present. Business has decreased,
but the town is one of the first in Maine for its
agricultural productions and general standing.
J. S. Longley & Co. have, within a few
years, raised for the market large quantities of
garden seeds. They are doing a large business.
Tanneries. — Mr. James Laplane, a Scotch-
man, came to Norridgewock in 1782-3, and
had a few small tan-pits in the south part of
228 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
the town, in what was called Fairfield woods.
He ran away from Scotland. He loved a girl
whose parents were averse to him, and he car-
ried her, a slender female, in his arms to the
sea-board, and emigrated to America. In
1790-1, William Farnham commenced dig-
ging pits where the road now is, between John
W. Sawtelle's house and Henry Butler's store.
The pits were on land belonging to Josiah
Heald, who gave them to Major John Loring
when he came. Farnham then went up to
the small brook near Seth Cutler's, where he
worked a short time. David Lancaster carried
on the business, for several years, near the edge
of Bloomfield, on land now owned by Deacon
Morse. Maj. John Loring camd in 1802, and
commenced the business near the river on
Mill stream, in South Norridgewock. He in-
vested considerable, and did a large business.
Li 1806 a fire destroyed his buildings, and
nearly ruined him, but he recovered from the
blow, and erected other buildings, and in 1812
he built an oil-mill, the only one in Somerset
county. He sold out in 1825 to Col. E. Rowe,
who continued until 1845. Maj. Willoughby
Prescott has also followed the business to good
advantage. There is nothing of it now done
in Norridgewock.
The statistics of Canaan, Bloomfield, and
Skowhegan, for the year 1850, will show the
state of the business.
Moderators.^ — Daniel Cony, 1788; Zepha-
niah Keith, 1788, 9 ; John Parlin, 1789, 90, 1, 2,
* Town Record.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 229
3,4; Dr. Zebulon Gilaian, 1790, 1802; Oba-
diah Witherell, 1790, 1 ; Zachariah Longley,
1790 ; John Clarke, 1791, 3 ; Oliver Wood, 1792,
3 ; John Moor, 1793 ; Perley Rogers, 1794, 5,
6,7; Josiah Warren, 1794; William Ward,
1794; Daniel Stewart, 1795, 7, 1801, 2, 10, 16;
James Thompson, 1796, 7, 8; John Harlow,
1799, 1806, 8; William Spaulding, 1800, 1, 4;
William Jones, 1802, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 12 ; Solomon
Bixby, 1804 ; Simon Pierce, 1806, 7 ; John
Loring, 1808, 9; John Ware, 1808; Calvin
Selden, 181 1, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 20, 1, 3, 4, 6,
7, 8, 9, 30, 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9, 40, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ; Warren
Preston, 1814 : William Allen, 1815, 17, 21, 2, 3,
4, 5, 6, 7, 36, 7, 8, 9, 40, 1, 6, 8 ; James Waugh,
1816, 17, 18 ; John G. Neil, 1818, 19, 20, 1, 4, 5 ;
Samuel Searle, 1818; Defvid Kidder, 1822, 3 ;
John S. Tenney, 1827, 9, 32, 3, 4, 40, 3 ; Driim-
mond Farnsworth, 1827,35, 7, 8, 41, 3, 9 ; Cullen
Sawtelle, 1830; Caleb Jewett, 1830; Solomon
W. Bates, 1831; Melzar Lindsay, 1833, 41, 2,
4, 5 : James Bates, 1837, 8, 9, 44 ; Elisha P. Bar-
stow, 1838; David Danforth, 1844; Seth Par-
lin, 1845: Simeon Bobbins, 1847; Thomas C.
Jones, 1847.
Town Clerks.^ — John Clark, 1788, 95;
Daniel Stewart, 1789, 90, 2,3,4; Josiah War-
ren, 1791 ; Josiah Spaulding, 1796, 7, 8, 9, 1802,
3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 ; John Har-
low, 1800, 1, 6 ; William Allen, 1816, 17, 18, 19,
20, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 30, 1, 2, 42, 3, 4, 5 ; Asa
Clarke, 1833, 4, 5; Melzar Lindsay, 1836, 7,
* Town Records.
20
230 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
8, 9, 40; Calvin Selden, 1841 ; Edward Rowe,
1846, 7, 8, 9.
Town Treasurers.^ — Josiah Heald, 1788;
John Clarke, 1789,90; Simon Pierce, 1791; Silas
Wood, 1792, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 1803, 4, 5; John
Ware, 1799, 1800, 1, 2, 6; John Loring, 1807,
8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16; James Wright,
1817, 18 ; Ezekiel Heald, 1819, 20, 2 ; Mark S.
Blunt, 1821, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 30, 1, 2, 3, 4 ; George
Sylvester, 1835; Edward Rowe, 1836, 7, 8, 9,
40, 2, 3 ; Cullen Sawtelle, 1841 ; David Dan-
forth, 1844, 5, 6, 7, 8 ; Loren B. Jones, 1849.
Representatives to General CouRT.f —
Ithamar Spaulding, 1807 ; John AVare, 1808, 9;
Calvin Selden, 1810, 11, 12; William Sylves-
ter, 1813, 14, 15; Josiah Spaulding, 1819. The
town did not send a delegate for the first eigh-
teen years after its incorporation, nor during the
years 1816, 17, and 18. The foregoing gen-
tlemen went to Boston, Avhile those that follow
went to Augusta. Eleazar Coburn, Nor. and
Bloom., 1820; Caleb Jewett, 1821; Jonas Par-
lin, 1822, 3 ; William Allen, 1824, 7, 34; Drum-
mond Farnsworth, 1826; Calvin Selden, 1828;
Samuel Searle, 1829 ; John Kidder, 1831 ; Cy-
rus Fletcher, 1832 ; Arthur Spaulding, 1833 ;
Seth Gage, 1835 ; John S. Tenney, 1837; Sam-
uel Hutchings, 1838; Melzar Lindsay, 1839,
40 ; Wilham H. Ellis, 1841 ; Edward Rowe,
1842; Anson P. Morrill, 1843; Abraham W.
Freeman, 1844 ; James Adams, 1845 ; David
* Town Records. f lb.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
231
Danforth, 1846; Stephen AVeston, 1847; Sim-
eon Robbins, 1848.
Votes for Presidential Electors.^ — 1788,
Washington 35; 1792, Washington 12 ; 1796,
Federal 24 ; 1800, Federal ; 1804, Federal 26,
Democrat 41; 1808, Madison; 1812, Madison
99, 14 ; 1820, Munroe 23, Scattering
4; 1824, Adams 116, Crawford 12; 1828^
Adams 130, Jackson 66 ; 1832, Adams 158,
Jackson 94 ; 1836, Harrison 137, Van Buren
114] 1840, Harrison 271, Van Buren 100 ; 1844
Clay 198, Polk 85, Birney 41 ; 1848, Taylor 177,
Cass 86, Van Buren 72.
Votes for Governor in Norridgewock.I —
From 1789 to 1798 they were unanimously for
the successful candidate, except a scattering
vote occasionally; usual number 20. In 1793
the whole number was 9, all for Hancock.
Not Chosen.
1799
Chosen.
Sumner
1800
Strong
1801
Do.
1802
Do.
1803
Do.
1804
Do.
1805
Do.
1806
Do.
1807
Do.
1808
Sullivan
1809
Gore
1810
Gerry
1811
Do.
* Town Records.
30
Heath
17
14
Gerry
23
11
Do.
35
27
Do.
27
26
Do.
21
34
Sullivan
27
27
Do.
50
41
Do.
41
47
Do.
48
35
Gore
49
80
Lincoln
22
22
Gore
101
31
Do.
88
t Furnished by Melzar Lindsay, Esq.
232
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
Chosen.
Not Chosen.
1812 Strong
100
Gerry
21
1813 Do.
115
Yarn urn
25
1814 Do.
112
Dexter
22
1815 Do.
122
Do.
30
1816 Broohs
115
Do.
41
1817 Do.
119
Dearborn
29
1818 Do.
110
Crowninshield
32
1819 Do.
59
Do.
46
1820 King
129
Weston
1
1821 Parris
74
Wingate and
Whitman
155
1822 Do.
84
Whitman J et al
\ 80
1823 Do.
68
Longfelloii\ et al 76
1824 Do.
100
Do.
49
1825 Do.
49
Lincoln
95
1826 Lincoln
119
1827 Do.
85
1828 Do.
113
1829 Huntoon
142
Smith
102
1830 Smith
108
Huntoon
159
1831 Do.
115
Goodenow
147
1832 Do.
110
Do.
159
1833 Danlap
124
Do., etal
137
1834 Do.
148
Spragve
176
1835 Do.
112
King
124
1836 Do.
150
Kent
160
1837 Kent
221
Parks
84
1838 Fairfield
125
Kent
237
1839 Do.
99
Do.
226
1840 Kent
263
Fairfield
100
1841 Fairfield
109
Kent
223
1842 Do.
98
Robinson
187
1843 Anderson
80
Do.
175
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 233
Chosen.
Not Chosen.
1844 Anderson
90
Robinson
203
1845 Do.
81
Morse
171
1846 Dana
75
Bronson
128
1847 Do.
68
Do.
142
1848 Do.
80
Hamlin
155
In 1841 the Abolitionists began to be dis-
tinctly known; — their votes were, 1841, 20;
1842, 48 ; 1843, 50 ; 1844, 50, and 6 scatter-
ing ; 1845, 51: 1846, 74 Abolitionists, and 33
National Reformers ; 1847, 36 Abohtionists,
and 29 National Reformers ; 1848, 105 Free
Soil.
Those names in italics were Whigs or Federalists.
TAXES^ — 1788 TO 1849.
Town. Highway, Schools.
1788 £10 $4t £60
1789
1790 £8
1791 8
1792 60
1793
1794 20
1795
1796 30
1797
1798
1799
1800
1801 $130
1802
* Town Records. t And 25 bushels of rye.
20*
58
£100
100
£30
50
40
50
20
80
25
150
40
100
50
$200
45
300
$150
400
200
400
200
500
200
500
200
234
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
Town.
Highway.
Schools.
1803
$100
$700
$300
1804
100
600
300
1805
100
700
300
1806
130
800
300
1807
50
900
300
1808
100
700
300
1809
50
1000
400
1810
150
1000
400
1811
75
1100
400
1812
75
1200
400
1813
100
1500
400
1814
100
2000
500
1815
200
1500
500
1816
200
1500
500
1817
500
1500
500
1818
200
1500
500
1819
300
1500
500
1820
200
2000
500
1821
2o0
1500
500
1822
300
2000
600
1823
250
1625
600
1824
250
2000
600
1825
250
2000
600
1826
250
2000
600
1827
200
2500
600
1828
200
2500
600
1829
200
2500
600
1830
300
1500
600
1831
500
2000
700
1832
200
1500
700
1833
250
2000
700
1834
500
2000
700
1835
300
2200
700
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
235
Town.
Highway.
Schools.
1836
600
2500
700
1837
400
1600
700
1838
600
1500
700
1839
600
1700
700
1840
700
2200
700
1841
600
1700
700
1842
600
2200
750
1843
700
2000
750
1844
750
2000
750
1845
750
2500
750
1846
650
2000
750
1847
650
2000
900
1848
700
2000
900
1849
700
2000
750
For Ministers' Tax see '•' Ecclesiastical."
CONGREGATIONALIST CHURCH AND SOCIETY.
As related in the History of Canaan, Rev.
Ezekiel Emerson, Pastor of the Church in
Georgetown, on the breaking out of the Revo-
kition, retreated to Norridgewock, where he
resided several years, preaching to the settlers
of Norridgewock, Canaan, and vicinity. He
undoubtedly broke the bread of life to the peo-
ple from 1777 to 1783, say six years. As there
was no town in either place, he was supported
by private subscription, and was much beloved.
He was a most excellent and worthy man. See
Ecclesiastical History of Canaan.
The first public movement for the establish-
ment of Public Worship was on April 7th, 1789,
when a committee of nine men was chosen to
236 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
" view the center of the town, and pitch on the
most convenient spot for a meeting-house."
But it was decided on the 20th of the same
month, to dismiss the matter " for the present."^
April 5, 1790, " voted that the preaching be
at Mr. John Clarke's." The first preacher's
name mentioned on the Town books, is record-
ed in the following vote, passed May 26, 1790.
" Chose Decon Longley, Mr. John Heald, and
Oliver Wood, Esq., for a committee to agree
with Mr. Muzzy, to make up a year from the
time he began to preach." In the year follow-
ing the selectmen were instructed to engage
Mr. Muzzy permanently, but the vote was
countermanded, and he left the town. Efforts
were made in 1792, to join with the people of
Canaan, and secure regular preaching in each
town alternately.^
In the latter part of the year 1792, there were
serious efforts made to erect a meeting-house.
There were two lots selected as appropriate
places. " Esq. Tobey, of Fairfield, John Burrill,
of Hancock, and Captain John Grey, of Seven
Mile brook," were chosen to decide on the loca-
tion. There was considerable feeling in the
town on the subject, and it was thought that
citizens of other towns would give an unprej-
udiced decision on the best site for the church.
John Moor, John Heald, and John Clark were
chosen to wait upon the aforesaid committee,
and join with them in drawing a plan for the
building. The town voted to raise £150 to
erect the church. In 1793, Rev. Jonathan
'* Town Records.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 237
Calef was voted to be employed until all the
money in the bank belonging to the town was
expended.^
The different portions of the building were
let out to those mechanics who bid lowest, and
the lumber was furnished on the same terms.
July 15, 1793, the town agreed to hire Mr.
Calef one third of the time if he would settle
in Canaan.f He preached a short time, but
was not popular in Norridgewock, and soon
ceased.
The committee appointed to select a location
for the church, reported in favor of a spot, but
the town voted not to accept the same. It was
at length decided that it should stand in Mr.
John Clark's field, t
In those times a raising was a scene of great
mirth, when it was the custom to raise the
building, and sometimes for the people them-
selves to fall down. A meeting-house was a
rare building, and the raising thereof corres-
pondingly remarkable. In order to do full
justice to the occasion, therefore, it was voted
Jan. 23, 1794, "to choose some person or per-
sons to provide rum, and whatsoever is found
necessary, for raising the meeting-house, and
that the committee formerly chosen for procur-
ing material, &c., be the persons, and that they
appoint a day at this meeting, when they will
let out the giting of one barrel of West Lidia
rum, and one quarter of a hundred of maple
sugar, to them that get it the cheapest."
* Town Records. f Ibid. % lb.
238 HISTORY OF NOREIDGEWOCK.
Different views of necessity prevail among
different people.
A little manuscript volume, entitled " Town
Book, for the Meeting House Accounts, No-
ridgwock," gives the following items of the
cost of the church.
1794. Toivn of NoridgwocJc to
October — Obadiah Witherell, William Sylvester, and
John AVare, Dr. — as Committee for said Town to
finish the meeting house.
to sundres paid for Rum at vendue of
pews Brot. from Ware's account 155, 6(i. £0 15 6
to bringing up lOd & 20d Nails In October
105. as Ware's Book - - -
I Qr paper to Write Notes 2s.
to paying Charles Witherell for bringing
up 4d Nails 45. . _ . .
Paid Simon Pierce for under pining -
to Cash paid Sundre Persons for Lumber
bid off at Vendue 22 Dec'r 1794
Paid Elezer Spaulding Jr. underpining
to Josiah Heald for i m Boards -
1795. paid Ware 6s for l m lOd Nails
May paid Josiah Warren for 2 m Boards at 245
25 per m for feching s^ Boards
paid Capt° Witherell for 1137 feet Boards
245 per m.
29 Paid Joseph Vickere - - - -
Paid Josiah Warren for gitting Bark for the
meeting house . - - .
Paid Joseph Vickere for Labour for finish-
ing out side of the house - - 1
July 27 : Paid for Brads, Nails, Gill, and giting
Novem. from Boston oill —
Paid Elezer Spaulding Jr.
Paid to Wm. Weston for under pining
Paid Joseph Vickeree for Labour
1796. Paid Mr. Heald for Sawing Boards -
June 2 to Cash sent to Boston for Glass, paint,
putte)', oill, at pa. 33, W— s Day Book 110
8 Paid Wm. Sylvester for 564 Clabboards
at 65. - - - - - - - 1^
Paid 65, for Stagan poals - - - 6
10
0'
2
4
7
5
6
36
2
6
6
12
6
2
8
4
1
6
1
18
17
6
6
05
15
1
6
6
6
12
13
6
4
10
G
1
lOj
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 239
Paid Mr. Sylvester for Gowing after Win-
dow Crowns 100
Paid Mr. GiJman for 4 lb 4d Nails - 3 3
15 Paid for feching out Sparks, from Wither-
ell's to Edmund Parker's, 1 Glass W,
I. Rum ..-'.- 003
Cash paid Kidder for advise feee - 12
July 24 paid Joseph Moor for 550 clabb : at Eight
Dollars pr. m. - - - - 16 4
£332 6 3?.
In the winter of 1794-5, divine worship was
celebrated one third of the time at Mr. John
Clark's, one third at Mr. Silas Wood's, and the
remainder at Mr. Josiah Spaulding's. During
the year 1795, £27 were raised for the support
of the gospel.^
The house was made tolerably habitable,
and on the 29th of September, 1794, the pews
were sold at public vendue, to Joseph Vickere,
John Ware, Josiah Spaulding, Eleazar Spauld-
ing, Jonathan Parlin, Uzzial Withee, David
Lancaster, Josiah Heald, William Weston,
Robert Richards, Amos Adams, Jr., Nathaniel
Withee, WiUiain Farnham, John Laughton,
Solomon Bixby, Dr. Wilham Ward, John
Spaulding, Joseph Tarbell, Edmund Parker,
Abraham Moor, David Pierce, James Thomp-
son, Robert Whitcombe, John Moor, Wilham
Spaulding, Seth Spaulding, Ephraim Brown,
Nathan Parlin, Thomas Heald, Peter Farns-
worth, Isaac Kidder, Amos Shed, Samuel
Cook, Obadiah Witherell, Peter Oilman, Jr.,
Wilham Withee, Josiah Warren, Luke Withee,
* Town Records.
240 HISTORY OF NOREIDGEWOCK.
Asa Longley, and Charles AVhitcombe, for
$2,001.15.
The house seems to have progressed very
slowly towards completion, as we find each
year some little addition made. Eev. Phineas
Randall preached a few months, commencing
June, 1796. At this time a very encouraging
revival commenced, and about thirty persons
were hopefully converted. In the year 1797 a
movement was made to settle Mr. l^andall, but
it was not successful.
In February, 1797, an article was inserted in
the warrant for the town meeting, — " To see
if the town will vote to establish a church in
this town, in the Congregational order." The
article was dismissed.
In 1798, Eev. Jotham Sewall was employed
one half of the time.
In the year 1800 negotiations with Eev.
Bell were had. His services, or his terms,
seem not to have been very acceptable, for the
town A'Oted, in 1801, not to raise any money
for the support of the Gospel. The amount of
money bid for the pews having come in rather
slowly, it was voted to reimburse those who
had paid for their pews, and finish the house at
the expense of the town. In the following
year it was voted " not to settle Mr. Stetson."
At the same time it was voted that " each Ee-
ligious Denomination (there being three in
number, the Congregationalists, Baptists and
Methodists) shall have the use of the Meeting
House according to their respective numbers,
and that they shall have the privilidge to occu-
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 241
py the same according to the disaphiie of their
respective Churches, and that the meeting
house shall never be sold without the Consent
of the majority of all the denominations."^
At this time, the church was very roughly con-
structed. Planks, laid on blocks, constituted
the pews ; a few rough boards made the pulpit ;
something like an orchestra was erected to
correspond with the rest. The chief singer
was a son of Parson Emerson. — Rev. S. iStet-
son^s MS.
In April, 1802, Eev. Seth Stetson received and
accepted a call to settle over the Congregation-
alist Society. He removed here in the follow-
ing June,! and remained about two years, when
he took charge of the Second Church and So-
ciety in Plymouth, Ms. He remained a preach-
er of Congregationalism about twenty years,
when he renounced his sentiments, and became
a Universalist clergyman. Mr. Stetson was
born in Kingston, Ms.
He preached a portion of the time in Nor-
ridgewock, and the rest in the neighborhood.
He also taught school. He had preached but a
few Sabbaths when he was invited to settle in
Norridgewock.
*■ Town Records.
t " Called (in 1802) on Mr. Gould, a good christian, who lived
in a log house. Happy souls ! I had rather dwell in the poorest
cottage with humble disciples of Christ, than in the richest pal-
ace with the greatest ungodly princes. Met with marty christian
friends, Esq. Wood, Esq. Sylvester, Capt. Pierce, &c. The peo-
ple in general were comparatively poor, and able to support
preaching but part of the time. The Methodists used the meet-
ing-house occasionally. Then we made use of such a sort of
place as Jesus of Nazareth was born in. — Capt. Pierce's barn.'*'
—Mr. Stetson's MS.
21
242 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
The town was destitute of regular preaching
for several years after 1804.
In the year 1804 Rev. Mr. Marcy preached
four sabbaths in the town, but it was voted not
to employ his services further.^
The people did not manifest a very praisewor-
thy zeal in finishing their church. As late as 1 807
a committee was raised to see that the house
was decently finished. At about this time the
money raised for the support of the Gospel was
equally divided among the three denominations.
Mr. Sewall was invited again in 1809, and in
1810 Rev. Mr. Elliot occupied the pulpit for a
short time.f In the year 1813 the meeting-
house was granted to the use of each denomi-
nation in proportion to the taxes paid by each.
March 11th of the same year it was voted that
" Mr. Ebenezer P. Sperry be invited to settle in
the Gospel Ministry in this town, and that he
be accordingly chosen to that office : provided,
however, that the said Sperry shall obligate
himself to ask a dismission whenever he shall
be requested so to do, by a major part of two
thirds of the legal voters of the town, who are
taxed towards his support, in legal town meet-
ing assembled for that purpose. Also voted,
that as a compensation for the services of the
said Sperry, in the office aforesaid, the following
salary be paid him ; to witt : for the first year,
the sum of two hundred and fifty dollars ; for
the second year, two hundred and eighty dol-
lars ; for the third year, three hundred and ten
dollars ; for the fourth year, three hundred and
* Town Records. t Ibid.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 243
forty dollars ; for the fifth year, three hundred
and seventy dollars; for the sixth year, four
hundred dollars; for the seventh year, four hun-
dred and thirty dollars; for the eighth year, four
hundred and sixty dollars ; and from and after
the eighth year of his ministry in this town,
there be paid him the sum of five hundred dol-
lars annually, the town reserving to themselves
the right and privilege of paying two hundred
and fifty dollars of the respective sums aforesaid,
in each and every year, in country produce, at
the market price in cash," &c. This call, with
certain provisions made by Mr. Sperry, was ac-
cepted, and he was about to commence his la-
bors, but he suddenly changed his mind, and,
June 16, 1814, Rev. Josiah Peet received and
accepted an invitation to settle in Norridgewock.
He had previously labored a few months as a
missionary. He was ordained August 4, 1814.^
Oct. 20, 1817, it was voted that ''a belfry be
erected on one of the porches of the meeting-
house, to be built in a workman-like manner."
The addition was made.t
May 15, 1819, it was "voted, that the Con-
gregational Society shall have a right to the
use of the meeting-house one half of the time,
and that the several other religious denomina-
tions or societies shall have a right to the use
thereof the other half of the time, that is, every
other Sabbath alternately."^
March 21, 1836, two thirds of the lower story
of the church was made into a town hall, the
* Town Records. f Ibid. X Ibid.
244 HISTORY OF NOERIDGEWOCK.
remainder into a vestry, the upper into a hall
for worship, and at the same time the church
was shingled, and other appropriate repairs
were made.
The substance of the following history of the
Congregationahst church was written by Rev.
Josiah Feet, pastor, and by him furnished for a
Heligious Periodical, from which it was copied
into the Somerset Journal.
The Congregationahst church was formed
September 22, 1797, \\ith twenty-four mem-
bers.^ During that year and the following,
thirty more Avere added, making fifty-four. In
1807, ten more were added ; and from that
time until 1814, there were but seven additions.
The lack of a minister for six or seven years of
the time, and the destitution of preaching, re-
duced the spiritual progress of the church very
much. With the exception of the occasional
labors of a missionary, they were nearly desti-
tute of preaching from 1784 t until 1813, when
a call was extended to Rev. Ebenezer P. Sperry,
* One of the first and most useful members of the church was
Dea. John Loring. It was through his influence that Rev. J.
Peet, the present and long-tried pastor of the church, was set-
tled. The friends of religion in those days were few, and Mr.
Loring taxed himself greatly in behalf of the cause he held
dear. His liberality and zeal rendered him a conspicuous and
worthy example. He has since left the church.
t This is not strictly correct, as Rev. Seth Stetson was perma-
nently settled two years, and only left in consequence of a flat-
tering invitation to settle in Plymouth Rev. Loomis also
was invited to settle in Norridgewock, and returned a favorable
answer, when he received a call to go to Bangor, which he ac-
cepted. He preached in Bangor ten or twelve years, and fell
dead in his own pulpit. Rev. Allen Greely, row of Turner,
preached here in the interval, as did Rev. Messrs. Randall, Bell,
Marcy, Elliot, and others. — Dea. John Loring, Town Record, ^x.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 245
who returned an affirmative answer. But he
soon countermanded his consent, and, in the
fall of 1813, Rev. Josiah Peet, agent of the
Maine Missionary Society, visited the church
in his official capacity. He found it considera-
bly depressed and discouraged.
He lectured one evening to the people, and
left them the next morning, without expecting
to see them again. He relates that as he was
going away, a venerable member of the church
observed to him, "I know not that you will
ever visit us again, but I shall ask the Lord to
send you." Soon after, Mr. Peet was directed
to spend two weeks with the people of Nor-
ridgewock, and a subscription was raised, and
Mr. Peet was engaged half of the time for one
year. Nine members were added to the church
during the winter.
In the summer of 1814, the town and church
concurred in giving Mr. Peet a call to labor one
half of the time in Norridgewock, and the re-
mainder in missionary fields in the neighbor-
hood.
On the 4th of August, 1814, Mr. Peet was
settled permanently in the town. Rev. Messrs.
Emerson and Calef, with their delegates, were
present.
For the four following years, but five persons
were added to the church. A revival took
place in 1819, and thirteen members were
added to the church. But four persons were
added for the six following years. In the
spring of 1826 a powerful revival prevailed.
From that time until late in autumn, the church
21*
246 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEAVOCK.
was gladdened by the evidence of growing
interest. During the entire season, about sev-
enty persons were converted, some of whom
united with the Methodist church. Forty-one
were added to the Congregationahst church,
and twenty-two were heads of families.
Jan. 3, 1828, Samuel Brintnall Witherell was
ordained as an EvangeUst. Sermon by Rev.
J. Peet.
The present pastor is Rev. Josiah Peet. He
has been pastor of the Congregationahst church
and society thirty-five years. He has sustained
a faithful ministry, has gone in and out before
his people with zeal and honor, and his name
will long be remembered, and affectionately
treasured. There are now one hundred mem-
bers in the church, and it has a Sunday school
of one hundred and twenty scholars, with a
library of ^ve hundred volumes.
Should there be any deficiency, or any mis-
statements in this sketch, the writer begs leave
to call the readers attention to his authorities.
A history of the church, from 1797 to 1826,
was written by Rev. J. Peet, and published in
the Christian Mirror. All the facts in that his-
tory are embodied here. Besides that docu-
ment, the town books are quite full, and have
been freely used ; also Greenleaf's Ecclesias-
tical Sketches, while information has been re-
ceived from Rev. S. Stetson, the former pastor,
Dea. John Loring, and others. Doubtless the
church books would give some additional data,
but though the writer made a most respectful
HISTORY OP NORRIDGEWOCK. 247
application to the pastor of the Congregation-
alist church, Rev. Josiah Peet, for the use of
the church books, the reverend gentleman per-
emptorily refused them.
BAPTISTS FIRST CHURCH.
^
The first Baptist church in Norridgewock
was organized July 31, 1819, with ten mem-
bers : John Piper, David Trask, Joseph Pratt,
Daniel Manter, Sarah Piper, Mary Trask, Han-
nah Washburn, Mary Washburn, Lydia Trask,
Lydia Manter. It was one of the results of the
labors of the Bloomfield church, and was organ-
ized, and held its first meetings, in the school-
house near Old Point, and has occasionally held
meetings in other school-houses in the town.
Dififerent preachers officiated, among whom
may be mentioned the different clergymen of
that denomination in Bloomfield. A pastor was
never settled, and in consequence of the seces-
sions of those who had left to join other church-
es, it was so reduced that it disbanded in 1830.
It had but twelve or fifteen members, and did
not have a very prosperous existence. Most of
the members joined the Second Church at the
village.
BAPTISTS SECOND CHURCH, t
This church was organized September 17,
1828, with sixteen members : Jeremiah Tuck,
John Cromwell, Nancy Tuck, Ezekiel Oilman,
Susannah Kilgore, Sally Kilgore, Mary Crom-
well, Jesse Taylor, Motherwell Preble, Susan-
* Mr. McKechnie. Millet's History. f Ibid.
248 HISTORY OP NORRIDGEWOCK.
nah Preble, John Cleaves, Jona. Mitchell, Bet-
sey Norton, Betsey McKechnie, Sally Black,
and Betsey Merrill.
Occasional preaching by Bevs. Datus Allen,
Sylvanus Boardmaii, and Francis Powers, and
others, was enjoyed; and in August, 1838, Bev.
Thomas Goldthwait was installed as the first
pastor. He preached one fourth of the time to
the society, and remained proclaiming the Gos-
pel until Nov., 1841, when he was dismissed.
About this time the church was greatly re-
duced by reason of the dismissal of a large por-
tion of the members to form a church at Oak
Hill.
In December, 1843, Bev. Arthur Drinkwater
began to supply the pulpit. He remained until
the fall of 1844. In the meantime the church,
aided by the Methodists and Free-will Baptists,
erected the excellent meeting-house now stand-
ing in Oosoola. It cost about $2000, and was
dedicated January 1, 1844; sermon by Bev. A.
Drinkwater, and other services by Bev. Messrs.
Downing and Hutchings.
From March, 1845, to the spring of 1846,
Rev. Stevens preached at the village, and
at Oak Hill. He was succeeded, April 25, 1846,
by Bev. Isaac Merrill, who preached to both
churches, and who remained until March, 1849.
The church is now without a pastor. It now
numbers forty-three members, and a union Sun-
day School is held at the Union House, contain-
ing 60 scholars, with a library of 250 volumes.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 249
BAPTISTS OAK HILL CHURCH.^
The third Baptist Church formed in Norridge-
wock, was organized June 14, 1842, with 16
members. The pastors of the Second Church
have usually officiated in the pulpit at Oak Hill.
There is a small Sunday School at the Dudley
school house, but none at the church. The
present convenient church at Oak Hill was
built in 1836, at an expense of about $1100.
There are now twenty-two members of the
church.
The Baptists of Norridgewock are faithful and
persevering Christians, and therefore, good citi-
zens.
METHODISTS.
The first Methodist preacher that ever pene-
trated these parts and exercised his vocation,
was Rev. Cyrus Stebbins, who spoke on a few
occasions about the year 1796. About the same
time Jesse Lee, a distinguished minister of that
sect, delivered a funeral sermon on the death of
a young man named Nutting, who was drown-
ed. Mr. Lee happened in the town, and was
persuaded to preach the sermon, and it is relat-
ed that he spoke on the bank of the river, to a
very large concourse of people, many of whom
were on the opposite shore. He tarried over
Sunday, and occupied the meeting house.
The first preacher stationed on the circuit
was Rev. Jesse Stoneman, who was sent here
in 180 — . He remained here one year, and
preached from Bingham to Waterville. He
^ Mr. McKechnie. Millet's History.
250 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
established the first society and church. The
presiding elder was Rev. Joshua Taylor.
Rev. Roger Searle was his successor. To-
wards the close of the year, Mr. Searle brought
a coarse rustic lad with him, very young, and
apparently very diffident and uncouth. To the
surprise of the people, this boy entered the pul-
pit with Mr. Searle, and made an excellent
prayer. On a subsequent Sunday he returned
to supply for Mr. Searle, and though a boy, he
performed the services very acceptably. The
next year he was sent to Norridgewock by the
Conference, and was stationed here during the
year following. This rough, uncultivated lad,
was none other than the now justly distinguish-
ed Bishop Joshua Soule, the temporal head of
the largest denomination in North America.^
There have been many preachers here,
among whom are remembered Rev. Messrs.
Asa Heath, Caleb Fogg, Joshua Randall, Daniel
Emery, John Lewis, Greenleaf Greely, Gorham
Greely, Abram Holway, Henry True, John
Allen, P. P. Morrill, Abel Alton, Isaac Down-
ing, Ira T. Thurston, Elias F. Blake, Isaac Lord,
Parker Jaques, Theodore Hill, Josiah Higgins,
Samuel Ambrose, Dan Perry, Harry W. Latham,
A. F. Barnard, D. F. Hutchinson, B. F. Sprague,
Benj. Bryant, and others.
The present preacher is Rev. Heman Nicker-
son, who resides in Skowhegan. He occupies
the desk in South Norridgewock, or Oosoola,
one fourth of the time. There are about fifty
Methodists in Norridgewock. The church has
* Josiah Spaulding, Esq. James Trench, Esq.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 251
a Sunday school in connection with the Bap-
tists. Dea. John Clark, Luke Withee and
Joseph Tarbell were among the first and most
zealous of the Methodists in this town.
As late as 1823, Dea. John Clark, Josiah
Spaulding and wife, Ezra Turner and wife,
Hannah Allen and James Trench were about
all the Methodists in Norridgewock, but in
1824-5, there was a revival and about sixty-
joined the connection.
UNITARIANS.^
The first Unitarian Society and Church in
Norridgewock was organized May 28, 1825.
Hon. Warren Preston, Chairman; Asa Clark,
Esq., Secretary ; Richard Sawtelle, Esq., Treas-
urer; Warren Preston, Amos Townsend, Asa
Clark, Committee ; Thomas C. Jones, Esq.,
Collector. Among the names attached to the
call for the Society, and among the officers, are
many of the principal people of the town.
The first pastor was Rev. William Fessenden,
who labored with the Society about one year.
In the year 1826, the Society took the name of
the Second Congregational Society, and in
September of the same year, Rev. Samuel
Brim ble com was invited at a salary of $500
per annum. Mr. Brimblecom remained, dis-
charging his duties faithfully, until November,
1829, when he removed. The Society included
those known as liberal Christians, and Unita-
rians and Universalists worshipped together.
Mr. Brimblecom, however, became somewhat
dissatisfied with the position he occupied, and
* Hon. CuUen Sawtelle. Society Records.
252 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
at the Session of the Maine Convention of
Universalists in June, 1829, he made a public
announcement of his behef in Universalism.
He has since been recognized as a Universahst
preacher, and now resides in Grafton, Massa-
chusetts. He was succeeded in 1830 by Rev.
Thomas Beede.
Mr. Beede afterwards became a Universahst
preacher, and died in the winter of 1848-9.
The meetings were held in the court-house.
The Unitarian Society was highly respectable,
and wrought a good work.
FREE-WILL BAPTISTS.^
The Free-AVill Baptist Church in Norridge-
wock was originally situated in Fairfield, but
its location was changed to the fornier place in
the year 1829. At that time the Rev. Cyrus
Stilson occasionally preached to the church,
and during that year a revival was enjoyed.
The fruits were an addition of ten by baptism.
The church was about this time aided by the
efficient labors of Rev. Messrs. Williamson,
Leach, Gray, Colcord, and Hutchins. In 1830,
two united with the church by baptism, and
two by letter. In 1832, Rev. Samuel Hutchins
baptized eight who united with the church.
Two united by letter. From the year 1836,
until 1842, Rev. Samuel Hutchins was pastor
of the church, and discharged a good ministry.
During his stay the following additions were
made: — In 1836, 3; 1837,4; 1838,3; 1839,
3; 1840, 6; 1841, 6; 1842, 1.
* Communicated by Rev. StefJhen Bovvdoin.
HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK. 253
111 1843, Rev. Abel Turner supplied the pul-
pit a short season, and baptized three. Rev.
Ephraim Harding commenced laboring in the
same year, and baptized three. He continued
until the year 1847, when the services of Rev.
Samuel Wheeler were secured. The people
of this denomination are liberal towards other
sects, and the labors of Mr. Wheeler are highly
acceptable. " The common people hear him
gladly." He preaches one fourth of the time in
Oosoola.
The present number in the church is
thirty-four. For Sunday School statistics, see
Baptist sketch.
Rev. Stephen Bowdoin, of this connection,
resides in Norridgewock, though his labors are
mainly directed to fields in other towns.
UNIVERSALISTS. ^
Different clergymen in the denomination
labored occasionally to the believers in a world's
salvation from sin and suffering, as early as the
year 1830, but the society was first organized
August 16, 1836. Rev. Darius Forbes was
chairman, and T. J. Copeland clerk of the first
regular meeting, and T. J. Copeland, Wm. L.
Wheeler and Dr. Amos Townsend were ap-
pointed to draft a constitution. The first officers
were Calvin Heald, President ; Joshua Gould,
Secretary ; Amos Townsend, Treasurer ; Eben
E. Russell, Collector.
Mr. Forbes preached a portion of the time to
the Universalist Society, in the Court House,
* Society Records, S. W. Turner, Esq.
22
254 HISTORY OF NORRIDGEWOCK.
during the year 1836-7, and April 1, 1838, he
Avas engaged to supply the desk every Sabbath
for one year. His efforts were highly blest, and
great interest was taken in his labors. The
following editorial paragraph is taken from the
Somerset Journal for 1838.
'•Revival of Eeligion. — There is quite an
interesting state of things existing in connexion
with the Universalist Society in this town.
That the Lord is affording them tokens of his
presence, we cannot dovibt. ..."
Inconsequence of a very flattering invitation
to settle in Hallowell, Mr. Forbes removed
in January, 1839, universally regretted. The
remainder of his year was occupied by Rev.
John A. Henry. Mr. Forbes now resides in
Boston. He is author of a treatise on Odd
Fellowship, and a popular theological work.
In April, 1839, Rev. Albion S. Dudley took
pastoral charge, and he was succeeded in 1840
by Rev. R. Blacker, now of Livermore. From
that time the society remained in a destitute
condition, whh the exception of occasional
preaching, until November 12, 1848, when
Rev. J. W. Hanson, from Dan vers, Mass. com-
menced laboring in the parish. Religious
services are observed in the Court House, every
alternate Sabbath. There are eighty famiUes
that support the gospel of Universal Grace.
The " Oberlin Sunday School and Bible Class/'
connected with the society, was organized June
16, 1837, though its meetings have been sus-
pended a portion of the time since. It now num-
bers fifty, and has a hbrary of 200 volumes.
HISTOUY OF STARKS.
James Waugh, the first settler on Sandy-
River, was born in Townsend, Massachusetts,
about the year 1749. He came down to Chn-
ton, in early life, and avaihng himself of the
offer of the New Plymouth Company, he took
his gun, knapsack and dog, in the year 1772,
and started up the Kennebec, determined to
follow the stream until he found a farm to suit
his eye. When he came to the Sandy, or
Penobsquisumquisebou, he found he could not
cross the river, and thought he would follow
up, what seemed to him a very small stream.
The first lot in the angle formed by the junction
of the streams pleased his eye much, but he
concluded to look further before settling. The
next lot so exactly suited him, that he resolved
to settle upon it.
The farm he took merits a moment's descrip-
tion. It lies nearly opposite the Old Point, and
when first seen by Mr. Waugh, was entirely
cleared, and filled with the ancient cornhills of
the Indians, which remained visible until with-
in a few years. The intervale is formed by a
sharp bend of the river, and contains one
256 HISTORY OF STAKES.
hundred acres of the richest soil, requiring only
eighty rods of fence ! A portion of the soil is
washed each year by the spring tides, which
deposit a rich sediment, rendering dressing
needless. Indeed, for seventy-five years there
has not a plough struck the soil, nor has plant-
ing or artificial manuring been resorted to,
and yet two tons of hay to the acre has been
the annual produce. When discovered, the
growth of native grass was so luxuriant, that a
tall man could stand in the field, and tie the ends
of the stalks together above his head. There
is no sand or gravel, but the soil is the finest
loam, producing the heaviest crops. In the
words of the present owner, James M. Hilton,
Esq., — "That land never yet told a lie." Taken
as a whole, there is not a better farm of its size
in Maine or New England. " Singular ^ as it
may seem, a distinguished agricultural editor
once lived on this farm, and he found it an un-
profitable place. So much better is practical,
than theoretical farming."
Mr. Waugh marked the lot, and returned to
Sebasticook, and in the following spring he re-
turned with three others, Captain Fletcher,
and his sons Daniel and Joseph, and erected
temporary, bullet-proof camps, and began to
plant the new soil. After waiting until they
had gathered the fruits of their industry, they
spent the winter of 1773 in Clinton, and were
married, and in the spring of 1774, the four
came up, with their wives, and began the set-
* J. S. Abbott, Esq.
HISTORY OF STARKS. 257
tlement of Sandy river. Mr. Waugh's wife's
name was Fairfield.^
January 10, 1775, James Waugh was born,
said by some to be the first white child born on
Sandy river, if not in Somerset County.t He
enjoyed the confidence of liis fellow-citizens,
discharged many trusts, and died in Norridge-
wock, August 31, 1818, at the age of 43 years.
The Indians were here in great abundance,
*' as plenty as the red squirrels," and the whoops
they made at night, and their frequent appear-
ance, filled the early settlers with great alarm,
so much so, that after remaining a short time,
the females were afraid to stay longer, and
accordingly they were sent to Fort Halifax.
The men remained and worked together.
Each one had a dog by his side, a gun near
by, and a powder-horn and shot-pouch slung
around him, and thus accoutred, they tilled
their fields. Though in constant fear, they
were never attacked. The Indians were always
peaceable, and in the autumn the females
returned.
On the breaking out of the Revolution, Mr.
Waugh's neighbors were fearful that the
Indians would be excited against the settlers
by the English, and they left him alone, with
none nearer than those on the north bank of
the Kennebec. Mr. Waugh remained through
^ The facts in relation to James Waugh, and the early settle-
ment of Starks, were obtained from John Waugh, Esq., the
second son of James, and brother of the Colonel, who was born
March 11, 1777. He is now (1849) living, and respected for his
excellence.
t See Thomas Farrington.
22*
258 HISTORY OF STAKES.
the Revolution, and in 1777 he was appointed
Captain of a scouting party, as is seen by the
following
" Orders.
" To Mr. James Waugh, Commander of a
Scouting Party on Kennebeck River.
" You are to proceed up said river with your
Party, to the Great Carrying-Place, then divide
the Party equally, send three to the Crotch of the
Main River, or as far as Moose-Pond on the
Eastern Branch of said River. The other three
are to cross the great Carrying-Place, to the
Dead River, and scout between s'd Dead River
and the Seven Mile Brook. Keep a faithful
account of your Proceedings, and Advise me
by all opportunities of the Discoveries you
make of the Enemy — Till further Orders.
" William Howard L. Col.
"Hallowell Aug. 2. 1777."
Empowered by his Commission, he went up
the Kennebec, and divided his men, who were
four in number. An agreement was made that
Oliver Wilson and Luke Sawyer should go
towards the Lake, while Captain Waugh, Isaac
Smith, and Samuel Weston, should scout on
the Dead river. Orders were given that neither
party should fire a gun in any emergency,
unless Indians were seen. Wilson and Sawyer
were in a canoe, and they had gone bat a short
distance when Sawyer discovered a bear
swimming, and fired at him. He shot him,
but Wilson sharply upbraided him, telling him
that the report would alarm the other party.
The two scouted to the lake, and returned to
HISTORY OF STARKS. 259
the appointed place of rendezvous, but no trace
of the other three could be found. They re-
turned to Norridgewock, where they learned
that the sound of Sawyer's gun so alarmed the
other party, that they scarcely looked behind
them in their flight, until they reached Norridge-
wock, from which place they sent an express
to Col. Howard, who ordered out a detachment
of troops, and had got them nearly to Norridge-
wock to disperse the Indians, before the mis-
take was rectified.
Captain Waugh and his men saw an Indian
trail on the Dead river, and the tracks of two
white men among the rest, and they knew
that they were prisoners. It was afterwards
ascertained that Roger Chase and John Noble
were hunting on the Dead river, when they
were discovered and taken prisoners by a party
consisting of three Indians, and carried to
Canada, where they were surrendered to the
English. Chase proposed to his friend, several
times, that they should make an attempt to
escape, but he refused. The Indians seem to
have been well-disposed, and to have taken
them for the sake of the bounty offered by the
English. They were imprisoned in an English
frigate which lay in the St. Lawrence, about
three fourths of a mile from shore. After being
on board several days, Chase proposed to his
companion to attempt an escape. He replied
that he could not swim, but that if Chase would
make ^n effort, he would not expose him.
This was agreed to, and, accordingly. Chase
improved the first dark night by tying his cloth-
260 HISTORY OF STARKS.
ing in a hard bundle, and after securing it well
to the back of his neck, swimming to the
shore, though it was in the inclement month
of December. He reached the shore in safety,
and after rubbing himself to restore circulation,
and dressing himself, he started through the
woods of Canada for home. He had neither
compass, fire-arms, nor money, but he was a
brave and experienced hunter, and was noth-
ing daunted. He begged of the occasional
French settlers he met, and, for the most part,
subsisted on what they gave him. On one
occasion, nine days elapsed between leaving a
French settlement and reaching food. And
what was the luxurious repast he obtained?
As he was about giving up to die in despair, he
saw a bear's foot floating in the water, that
some fortunate hunter had thrown away.
When he removed it from the water, it was so
far decomposed that the hair slid off, but Mr.
Chase declared it to be the best meal he ever
ate. It sustained him till he reached Norridge-
wock. His companion escaped from the frigate
in Boston harbor a short time after. Roger
Chase was not only a man of remarkable
endurance, but of some humor withal. He
was out hunting on one occasion with Samuel
Weston, and on reaching their camp, he com-
plained of indisposition, and asked his com-
panion to procure light food for supper. On
being asked what he would prefer, he replied,
" Some bread crummed in melted bears' -grease ! "
Mr. Waugh kept his farm until it was incor-
porated into Starks. He reared a large family
HISTORY OF STARES. 261
of children, and died Jan. 17, 1826, aged 77
years.
James Waugh was, during his life time, em-
phatically the Man of Starks. He was revered
by all the people, and was well worthy of the
esteem he received. Without making any
professions or pretensions, he had the interests
of Education and Morality at heart, and threw
all his influence in their behalf He was him-
self a rigid moralist, and died universally
lamented. His children were James, dead ;
John, living ; Sarah, died unmarried ; Elijah,
living ; William, living ; Abigail, who married
William Hilton ; Lucy, married William Syl-
vester, then Elder Samuel Hutchins ; David,
dead ; Handall, living ; Joseph, died an infant
in 1787.
Capt. Fletcher, and his sons Daniel
and Joseph, are not known to have been of
any relation to William Fletcher and his fam-
ily. They remained but a short time with
James Waugh, when they returned to the
large settlements, in consequence of the Revo-
lution, and are not known ever to have re-
turned.
Robert Crosby moved to the Sandy river in
1778, and settled next to James Waugh, on
the same side of the river. Asa Crosby was
his son, and Maj. Thompson Crosby, who
served in the Mexican war, his grandson. The
family became large and numerous, and the
descendants are highly respectable.
Zimri Hey wood took up the lot called the
"Bull's bow," and put a man named Cham-
262 HISTORY OF STARKS.
berlin on it, about 1779. Chamberlin after-
ward went to Ohio, and Heywood put the
farm into the hands of his son Thomas. He,
too, ultimately went to Ohio, and the farm
passed into the possession of the Wood family.
John Heald, in 1777, went up to Sandy river,
and settled on the lot opposite Old Point. The
next year there were the following settlers in
Starks : — James AVaugh, Robert Crosby, John
Heald, Nichols, Ohver Wilson, and Capt
George Grey. Oliver Wilson first located, for
a very short time, on land now possessed by
the Cutlers ; but he soon after purchased John
Heald's improvements.
James Young came to Starks in 1780, and
Peter Holbrook in 1781.
Thomas Waugh^ came in 1780, and settled
near his brother, where he continued to live
until his death, which was in the year 1830, at
the age of 79. His descendants are quite nu-
merous.
The foregoing names are the first who set-
tled within the limits of the town of Starks,
then called by the name of Norridgewock, or
Sandy River Plantation. Other families flocked
in, and began to people the beautiful alluvial
vales of the Sandy river, until the town be-
came populous and flourishing. In 1790, six-
teen years only after the axe first disturbed the
primeval solitudes, there were three hundred
and twenty-seven souls within the limits of
Starks.
^ His wife was a Laughton.
HISTORY OF STARES. 263
The Town of Starks, the one hundredth
town in the State, County of Somerset, State
of Maine, lies on the west side of the Kenne-
bec river, at its junction with the Sandy. It is
bounded north by Anson and Industry, east by
Madison and Norridgewock, south by Mercer
and Industry, and west by Industry, and is in
44 deg., 40 min. north latitude. It is 37 miles
N. N. E. from Augusta, 95 miles N. N. E. from
Portland, and 60 miles W. from Bangor. It
was granted to Dummer Sewall and others in
1790. It received its name from John Stark,
the hero of Bennington. It had been, for a
long time, called " Lower Sandy Biver Planta-
tion," but was incorporated as a town, Febru-
ary 28, 1795.
It contains an area of 17,154 acres, of w^hich
368 are in roads, 2,224 waste land, 7,859 unim-
proved land, 1,703 wood land, 1,134 pasturage,
171 natural meadow, 2,509 mowing, and 1,200
tillage. The value of the real estate is $103,688,
and of all taxable property, $195,800. There
are 347 polls, 186 dwelling-houses, 230 barns,
20 stores, shops, &c., and 40 other buildings.
Sandy river, called by the Indians, Penoh-
squismnquis-sehoii,^ rises on a spur of Saddle-
back mountain, in the wild region north of
Madrid, and pursues a serpentine course, south,
east, south-east and north-east, and empties into
the Kennebec at Starks. It passes through
Madrid, Phillips, Avon, Strong, Farmington,
Chesterville, Industry, New Sharon, Mercer,
* Governor of Penobscot, via Rev. 0. H. Johnson.
264 HISTORY OF STAKES.
and Starks. Much of these towns was occu-
pied by the rich corn-fields of the Norridge-
wogs, and it is liighly probable that at the time
Rale was slain, Harmer destroyed corn as far
west as Farniington, while Mouhon was de-
stroying the village. The level beauty and
fertility of the soil, generally watered by the
Sandy river, is unsurpassed in the State. The
river is about seventy miles long.
Little Norridgewock river, interesting to this
history only from its name, rises in Fayette,
and, running north through Vienna, Chester-
ville and New Sharon, empties into the Sandy.
It is about fifteen miles long.
Leeman Stream is another small stream,
emptying into the Sandy river at Starks.
The first ofiicers were Jonathan Williamson,
moderator ; James Waugh, town clerk ; James
Waugh, Oliver Wilson, Joseph GreenleafJ
selectmen ; Thomas Waugh, town treasurer ;
Jonathan Williamson, Nathan AVood, Samp-
son Sheaf; assessors ; Nicholls Kimball, collec-
tor and constable ; Benjamin Arnold, Reuben
Gray, John Pomroy, Thomas Haywood, Ben-
jamin Hilton, Luke Sawyer, Peter Holbrook,
Samuel Williamson, John Greenleaf, and Jo-
siah Dutton, highway surveyors ; Jonathan
Williamson, James Waugh, lumber surveyors;
George Nicholls, Joseph Greenleaf fence view-
ers ; Thomas Lovejoy, Caleb Witham, Benja-
min Arnold, John Pomroy, Samuel William-
son, David Leeman, tythingmen ; Thomas
Haywood, Nathan Wood, fish committee. The
HISTORY OF STARKS. 265
town meetings were held at the houses of
James Wangh and Stephen WiUiamson.
The following petition, against a movement
to establish a new county, in 1814, is a novelty.
The schoolmaster cannot always be at home ;
he was abroad when this was penned.
" the pertition. to the Honarable Senate and
house of Representatives in General Court as-
sembled January 1814 Whereas at the Last
Session of the Leguslator an order of Nitice
Was Granted on the pertition of Supply Belcher
and others, praying that a new County might
be Established from a part of the Counties of
Somerset Kennebec & oxford the Inhabitants
of Starks in the County of Somerset being in-
trested With other inhabitents of Said County
in said pertition would respectfully remonstrate
against Granting the prare of said pertition ;
Because, our County buildings are now erect-
ed, the Expences of Which is partly on Credit
Which must in som futer time be paid by the
inhabitents of said County ; because it Would
Grately Deminish the population ; and increase
the taxes, having to pay the same Jury fees,
Justices of the Court of Sessions, Sherrefs and
Goalers fees
'' because it would make Starks a fruntear
Town the Center of which is onley Eight
miles from the Court house of said Coimty
We therefore pray that the prayr of said Belcher
and others may not be granted and as in Deuty
bound will ever pray January 8, AD 1814
James Waugh ) Selectmen
John McLaughlen ) of StarksJ'
23
266 HISTORY OF STARKS.
In the year 1816, declaration of the feeling
in the town in regard to the separation of
Maine from Massachusetts was made. The
vote stood, yeas, 32; nays, 33. At a subse-
quent meeting, in the same year, the vote
stood, yeas, 34; nays, 50. In 1819 the vote
was, yeas, 35 ; nays, 23.
A somewhat similar occurrence to the " Lam-
bert Fraud," related in the sketch of Canaan,
had its origin in Starks.
About the year 1814, a shrewd, money-mak-
ing Yankee justice of the peace settled in
Cornville, and commenced working on the
creduhty of his less intelligent neighbors.
William Young, of Starks, Johii Fowler and
Nathaniel Burrill, of Canaan, and Joseph Gree-
ly, of Belgrade, had heard of a foolish boy
named ]\lichael Eld red, who lived in Massa-
chvisetts, and w4io had found a perforated stone,
by aid of which he could discover money and
valuable minerals in the earth. They employ-
ed Abner Kirby to bring the boy to Starks.
He arrived and commenced his work ; — his
manner was to place the stone in his hat, and
then his face, and he then declared that he
could see a chest, or a bag, or a jar of money.
The money he saw, however, had the faculty
of sliding from place to place, and it is not
known that any ivas ever found. Young, Fow-
ler, Burrill, and Greely were evidently deluded,
and those who deceived them, it has been
thought, intended to place counterfeit money
in their excavations, and thus get it into circu-
lation. This suspicion grew out of the fact
HISTORY OF STARES. 267
that a large issue of counterfeit coin made its
appearance on the Merrimac river, about that
time, but it was detected, and after the delusion
had cheated a few persons and benefited no
one, except those who were hired to dig for
others, it died away.
Tradition relates that on one occasion, on a
very dark night, a large company of people
were assembled together, and the conversation
turned on the boy Eldred. It was declared
that he could find any metallic substance in a
few moments, dark as was the night. An in-
dividual dared a trial of his skill, and he was
brought to the house. A logging chain w^as
carried a long distance and sunk in a brook.
Eldred put the stone and his face into his hat,
and walked directly to the chain, which he
pulled out of the brook ! The historian does not
vouch for the accuracy of this story ; he " tells
the tale as 'twas told to him." It was said
that Eldred was a fool, but it is quite evident
that in that respect he was not alone.
In the year 1825, it was voted to build a
town house, and that the expenses thereof
should be paid in grain. It was bid off by
William Sylvester, Esq., at $260. It was voted
to ^'set it on James AYaugh's, Esq. land, in
frunt of his old Barn, by giving him six dollars
for the land." Rufus Viles, Aaron Higgins and
Thomas Waugh were appointed building com-
mittee.
The first action on the part of the town, on the
subject of Temperance, was March 1st, 1841,
when it was voted to prohibit the sale of ardent
spirits in the town.
268 HISTORY OF STARKS.
As will be seen by the table of statistics,
Starks produces annually the most abundant
crops, and possesses within itself all the ele-
ments of independence. Within a few years
past, it has been rapidly advancing in industrial
enterprise, and in all that adds to the prosperity
and dignity of a town.
The agricultural productions for the year
1837 were, — 2,532 bushels of corn, 3,537 of
wheat, 70 of rye, 8,192 of oats, 221 ofbeans, 13
of pease, 83 of barley, 31,883 of potatoes, 100
of turnips, 945 of apples, 5,163 lbs. of wool,
43,785 of pork, 400 of beef, 1,876 tons of English
hay, 139 tons meadow, 5 bbls. of cider, 165
horses, 34 colts, 1 73 oxen, 386 cows, 396 other
cattle, 2,309 sheep, 327 swine, 4,323 lbs. of but-
ter, 150 lbs. of cheese. The valuation of 1850
will show a great gain in the productions of
this town. It is almost entirely an agricultural
town, and is capable of very great wealth.
There are several mills, such as saw, grist,
starch, &c., and a small tannery. The real
estate was valued in 1841 by the Legislature,
at $131,824, in 1845, at $134,538, and the tax-
able estates in 1837 were worth $152,974.
Moderators. — Jonathan AVilliamson, 1795,
6; Benjamin Young, 1795, 1801, 7, 14; James
Waagh, 1796, 8, 1800, 4, 5, 9, 12, 14, 16;
George Sawyer, 1797, 8, 9, 1803, 5; Ezekiel
Elliot, 1802, 11; Nathan A\^ood, 1806, 8, 9, 15,
17, 18, 20, 1, 2 ; James Elliot, 1806 ; James
Waugh, Jr., 1808, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 ; Stephen
Williamson, 1814, 33 ; James L. Wood, 1815,
HISTORY OF STARKS. 269
16, 17; Nicholas Kimbal, 1818, 22, 3; John
Greenleaf; 1818, 23, 4, 5; Williaai Greenleaf,
1819 ; Benjamin Holbrook, 1819, 21, 3 ; Thomas
McFadden, 1819 ; Martin Moor, 1820, 31; Leon-
ard Greaton, 1820, 1 ; Valentine Felker, 1824,
30, 1, 9; James Young, 1826, 8, 9, 30, 1, 2, 3;
Stephen Greenleaf, 1826, 32, 5, 8 ; Edgar Hil-
ton, 1827, 8, 9, 34 ; Samuel Chapman, Jr., 1829 ;
William Meader, 1831; Jas. Thompson, 1832;
William E. Folsom, 1833, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 40, 1, 3,
4, 5, 6 ; Asa Chapman, 1833, 5, 42 ; Peleg
Bradford, 1833, 5, 42, 4, 5; John Frizzel, 1838;
John H. Smhh, 1839, 40, 9; Levi Curtis, 1839;
Elijah Button, 1840, 7; Ebenezer Grey, 1841,
2, 4 ; James G. W^augh, 1842, 5 ; James Davis,
1842; Cyrus Rogers, 1843; Abijah Joy, 1843;
Thomas Waugh, 1843 ; Jason Greenleaf, 1845,
John A. Witham, 1845, 6, 7, 8, 9 ; Robert
Waugh, 1846.
Town Clerks. — James Waugh, 1795, 6, 7,
8, 9, 1800, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 1, 2, 3; Leonard Grea-
ton, 1824, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; James Varnum, 1830, 1,
2, 9 ; Washington Waugh, 1833, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ;
James G. Waugh, 1840 ; Thomas Waugh, 2d,
1841; Leander G. Smith, 1842, 3; Cyrus
Rogers, 1844, 5; John Greenleaf,' 2d, 1846, 7;
Cyrus M. Greenleaf, 1848, 9.
Town Treasurers. — Thomas Waugh, 1795 ;
Stephen Williamson, 1796, 7, 8; George Saw-
yer, 1799, 1800, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 ; James Waugh,
Jr., 1806, 9, 10, 11 ; Benjamin Holbrook, 1808,
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 1, 2, 3, 4; Nathan
23*
270 HISTORY OF STAEKS.
Wood, 1812, 13; A^alentine Felker, 1825, 6, 7,
33, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 40, 2, 3, 4 ; James Varnum,
1828, 9, 30; James Young, 1831, 2; Thomas
Williamson, 1841 ; Stephen Greenleaf, 1845, 6,
7, 8, 9.
Representatives.^ — James AVaiigh, delegate
to Hallowell, 1798. July 27, 1809, the first
representative was chosen to General Court.
Benjamin Young, Stephen Wilhamson, Nathan
Wood, and Luke Sawyer, were appointed " a
commity to agrea With the Representative, and
Give him such instructions as they shall think
best, to promote the publick good." Nahum
Baulding, 1809 ; Jas. Waugh, Esq., 1812, 13, 16 ;
delegate also to BrunsAvick in 1816, 18; dele-
gate to Portland in 1819, 20; John Gower,
1821 ; Luther Burr, 1822 ; Benjamin Holbrook,
1823; Andrew Croswell, 1825; Leonard Grea-
ton, 1826, 9 ; Ezekiel Hinkley, 1827 ; Nahum
Baldwin, 1S28 ; Jabez Norton, 1830 ; Hannibal
Ingalls, 1831 ; John Elliott, 1832, 41 ; William
Metcalf, 1833 ; Asa Chapman, 1834 ; James
Field, 1835 ; Stephen Greenleaf, 1836 ; Hanni-
bal Ingalls, 1837 ; Peleg Bradford, 1838 ; Mason
Wiley, 1839; John H. Smith, 1840; Arnold
Hardy, 1842 ;t Moses Whittier, 1843 ;t Wm.
H. ElUs, 1844*; Saml. Holbrook, 1845 ; Ephraim
Low, 1846; Arnold Hardy, 1847; Henry
Leach, 1848.
Votes for Presidential Electors. — 1804,
Federal 15, Democrat 25; 1808, Madison;
* The person receiving a plurality is here recorded,
t Eleventh trial. $ Tenth Trial.
HISTORY OF STARKS. 271
1812, Madison 55, 22; 1820, Federal 17,
Democrat 16 ; 1824, Adams 52, Crawford 55 ;
1828, Adams 61, Jackson 36; 1832, Adams
104, Jackson 97 ; 1836, Van Buren 59, Harrison
55; 1840, Harrison 146, Van Buren 99; 1844,
Polk 102, Clay 73, Abolition 41 ; 1848, Cass
42, Taylor 59, Van Buren 106.
T
AXES
— 1795 TO 1849
Town.
Highwaj'.
Schools.
1795
$60
S333
$50
1796
120
700
200
1797
60
400
200
1798
40
500
200
1799
50
500
3 00
1800
110
500
200
1801
6
600
200
1802
50
400
200
1803
50
600
200
1804
150
400
200
1805
80
800
200
1806
80
800
200
1807
80
1000
250
1808
80
1000
250
1809
30
800
250
1810
70
1000
250
1811
150
1000
300
1812
80
1000
300
1813
100
1000
300
1814
200
1000
300
1815
250
1200
300
1816
700
1000
300
1817
900
1200
300
272
HISTORY OF STARES.
Town.
Highway.
Schools.
1818
900
1200
300
1819
900
1500
400
1820
900
2200
400
1821
500
1500
300
1822
500
1500
400
1823
330
2000
400
1824
320
1800
400
1825
350
1800
420
1826
200
2000
420
1827
300
1700
420
1828
300
1750
420
1829
500
2000
420
1830
800
2100
420
1831
500
3000
588.40
1832
600
2000
588.40
1833
1000
2000
600
1834
1000
2000
600
1835
550
2150
525
1836
600
2500
550
1837
800
2500
550
1838
500
2400
550
1839
500
2000
550
1840
600
2100
600
1841
800
2000
600
1842
600
2100
600
1843
800
2500
^
1844
1000
2200
^
1845
1000
2125
623.60
1846
1000
2100
623.60
1847
1000
2000
^
1848
800
2000
^
1849
1000
2000
^
* The sum required by law.
HISTORY OF STARKS. 273
ECCLESIASTICAL.
The people who originally settled Starks
would not seem to the uninformed reader of
the town records to have been very religiously
inclined. In Norridgewock and Canaan, as
well as in most other towns, it was almost the
first movement after settlement, to see what
could be done for the support of the Gospel.
Not so with Starks. Incorporated in 1795, it
was not until 1828 that the shghtest ecclesias-
tical movement was made on the part of the
town. Indeed, it must be acknowledged that
the name of Starks has not been held in the
best repute in times past. Religion has been
in a low state ; Education has not been prop-
erly regarded, and as a consequence Poverty
and Irreligion have somewhat marked the
people. These observations, however, refer to
the past. The town has now two churches,
enjoys the labors of several clergymen, is ele-
vating its schools, and has already, as a town,
obtained a worthy position, and there is every
indication that the time will speedily come,
when its natural advantages as a town will be
rightly used, and when the beauty of its soil,
and its loveliness as a country will be emblem-
atical of its Religious, Social, and Intellectual
condition.
The early settlers were generally of the Meth-
odist persuasion, and knowing that the town
would be obliged to devote all the funds it
might raise to the support of the Congregation-
alist order, they wisely refrained from any
274 HISTORY OF STARES.
Town efforts. The Methodist evangelists were
well supported by the people, in advance of the
labors of any other preachers, though the facts
do not appear on the town records.
The first Ecclesiastical movement was April
7, 1828, when it was voted "to choose a com-
mittee of three persons, (James Varnum, Leon-
ard Greaton, and James Young,) to draw a
plan by which to finish the inside of the town
house into pews, and to sell the same at publick
auction, and the money propriated to defray
the expence of finishing said house, if said sum
shall be sufficient, and the owners of the pews
shall have exclusive right to occupy their pews
at all religious meetings, for which use the
house is to be devoted free to all denominations
of cristians, according to the property in pews
owned therein." After making this single and
useless eflfort, the town, as such, halted, and all
subsequent efforts have proceeded from the
members of the diflferent sects.
The people of the town have erected two
commodious churches for the accommodation
of the different denominations. The River
meeting-house was erected in 1839, and the
Centre house in 1841.
METHODISTS.
This denomination had quite an early origin
in Starks. From 1790, to about the year
1800, there were different itinerants who
sounded the notes of the gospel in the town.
Eev. Messrs. Lee, Yallerlee, Martin, Asa Heath,
Bishop Soule, (then 17 years of age,) and
HISTORY OF STARK S. 275
others, penetrated the town, and proclaimed
their sentiments. About the year 1799, or
ISOO, a church was formed. There were then
but a few members, and but two classes. The
different preachers who have been stationed in
the town, so far as they can be recollected,
are Rev. Messrs. Joseph Parker, Robert Hayes,
Joshua Randall, Henry True, John Atwell,
David Hutchinson, John S. Ayer, Benjamin
Ayer, William McGray, Philip Ayer, Daniel
Went worth, Ezekiel Robinson, Peter Burgess,
Ehsha Streeter, Elliott B. Fletcher, John Perrin,
Samuel P. Blake, Aaron Fuller, James Far-
rington, Asa Heath, Theodore Hill, Thomas
Smith, John Allen, Abel Alton, Harry Latham,
Zebulon Manter, Junr., Marcus Wight, Silas
B. Brackett. These preachers were stationed
on the Industry Circuit — which includes
Starks — from the years 1812 to 1848. ^
Public meetings are held in the Red meeting-
house in Industry, near the boundary line, and
in Centre meeting house. There are four
classes, eighty church- members, about one
hundred Sunday school scholars, and two
good libraries ; the Schools are conducted on
the Union plan.
During the labors of Rev. Messrs. Allen, At-
well, and Perrin, there were seasons of revival,
and additions were made to the church.
The Methodists of Starks are numerous, and
are distinguished for general integrity, and a
love of religious liberty, and will compare well
with all differing Christians.
* Wm. E. Folsom, Esq.
276 HISTORY OF STARKS.
FREE-WILL BAPTISTS.^
This order is quite numeroas in town, and
comprises many of the most respectable citi-
zens. The discipUne has been very strict,
and the welfare of the members has been care-
fully regarded.
The first church was organized in February,
1803, with five members. The first preachers
were Revs. James Elliott, Ezekiel EUiott, his
son, and Daniel Young. These resided in the
town, and preached in Starks and elsewhere.
Revs. James and Ezekiel Elliott died in 1811,
of the Cold Fever, which raged in this part of
the world at that time. Rev. Daniel Young
removed in 1834, and now lives in Lewiston,
and is understood to have embraced the Uni-
versalian sentiments.
Revs. Reuben Gray and Stephen Williamson
were ordained December 4, 1826 ; Mr. Gray
having charge of the first, and Mr. Williamson
of the second church. These, and those pre-
viously mentioned, have had pastoral charge of
the first and second churches since their forma-
tion, with the exception of the year 1845, when
Rev. Abel Turner was stationed there. The
second church was formed in June, 1823.
About the year 1837 the third church was
formed, and the Rev. Ephraim Harding had
pastoral charge for about Hve years. Revs.
Thomas Oliver and John Spinney preach with
the society, and labor in other places in the vi-
cinity. There are now about 125 members of
* Church ReoorJ. Rev. Stephen Williarasoa.
HISTORY OF STARKS. 277
the Free-will Baptist conmiunion in Starks.
The Sunday School enterprise has received
some attention, though there are no schools at
present in actual operation.
Some of the records are quite curious to the
reader of to-day. " March 12, 1808. This day
part met and part were absent but we opened
our meeting with solom prair and waity exhor-
tation, then gave in the Relation of our minds,
and found it to be a very low Distressing time,
yet some fealing Determined to arise and thrash
and beat down all apperishion &c." First
Church Records^ page 18. Some of the princi-
pal laymen have been Benjamin Holbrook,
Thomas Williamson and Aaron Higgins.
The church records containing some of the
foregoing facts, were furnished by Messrs. Abi-
jah Joy and Silas Wood.
CONGREGATIONALISTS,
^
There was a small church consisting of elev-
en members, organized in August, 1804, and
the occasional services of a missionary were
obtained. Meetings were held in schoolhouses
and barns, and private dwelUngs. One of the
first preachers was Bev. Jotham Sewall, who
aided materially in the formation of the church.
During the residence of Bev. Mr. Sikes in
Mercer, the church enjoyed preaching one
fourth of the time. About the year 1839, the
church disbanded, and the members imited
with the church in Mercer. Occasional preach-
* Dr. James Varnum.
24
278 HISTORY OF STARES.
ing is had at the Centre meeting-house, though
the small numher of the order in the town, for-
bids a distinct church. No CongregationaUst
clergyman was ever settled in Starks.
BAPTISTS.^
The Baptist church was organized June 26,
1833, with eleven female and four male mem-
bers. A revival was enjoyed in 1837, and in
April fourteen members were added to the
church. In the spring of 1842 fourteen more
were added. Another revival commenced
in the spring of 1849, and is yet in inter-
esting progress. Five have been added to
the church, and others are expected. There
are now twenty- one male and twenty -two
female members. The pastor is Rev. Datus
T. Allen of Industry, who commenced preach-
ing in the society in the year 1831, and who
has labored a portion of the time since. He
was ordained pastor of the church in Industry,
in 1828. There is a school of thirty scholars,
and a small library attached to the church.
PROTESTANT METHODISTS.
At the time of the great schism in the Metho-
dist church, on the subject of slavery, there
were secessions in Starks. They were then,
and still remain, few in numbers. They have
occasional preaching.
* Rev. D. T. Allen, Peleg Bradford, Esq.
HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD.
The Town of Bloomfield— the two hundred
and third town incorporated in the State —
County of Somerset, State of Maine, hes on
the west side of the Kennebec river, north lati-
tude 44 deg., 40 min. It is 33 miles N. from
Augusta, 95 miles N. N. E. from Portland, and
50 miles W. from Bangor, and is bounded
north by Norridgewock and Skowhegan, east
by Skowhegan, south by Fairfield, and west
by Norridgewock. It contains an area of
11,910 acres of land, of which 1,200 are tillage,
1,950 are mowing, 41 are fresh meadow, 2,885
are pasturage, 3,157 are wood land, 2,158 are
unimproved, 219 are roads, and 300 are waste
land. The value of the real estate is $193,308,
and of all taxable property, $292,227. There
are 290 polls, 160 dwelling-houses, 175 barns,
10 stores, shops, &c., and 140 other buildings.
The soil is rich, and presents a beautiful ap-
pearance. Some good limestone is found in
the town.
The town was incorporated Feb. 6, 1814,
and its name will be appropriate as long as its
fields shall continue to hloojn with vegetation
280 HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD.
as they do at present. All the islands included
within the boundaries of ancient Canaan, with
the exception of Oakes island, are in Bloomfield.
The events recorded on the town books are
not remarkable. The peace and prosperity
which have ever attended the town, have ren-
dered its history uninteresting.
In June, 1817, when the proposition for a
separation from Massachusetts was first brought
before the people, it Avas decided in the nega-
tive, by a vote of seventy-one to twenty-four,
and afterward the vote was confirmed by a
vote of ninety-two to twenty-two. This vote
was reversed, however, in 1819, when the peo-
ple decided that such a division should be
made as should erect the State of Maine. The
contest was close, however, and spirited, and
the ballots stood, forty-one nays aiid forty-eight
yeas.
There is a vote recorded in 1820, which does
not seem clear. It was resolved to remunerate
Samuel Weston for a blanket he lost in the
late war.
In 1833 a plan for a town house was pre-
sented, and accepted, and the present conve-
nient house was erected and finished in the
summer of 1834. It is situated in the centre
of the town.
That portion of the surplus revenue which
belonged to Bloomfield, consisting of $2,146.08,
was divided among the citizens in 1839, and
amounted to $2.04 to each citizen.
The town has generally occupied admirable
ground on the subject of Temperance, as will
HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD. 281
be seen by the following records. September
8, 1828,
" Voted, that we deem the use of ardent
sphits as not only destructive to health, but
also to morals, and that we feel it not only our
duty, but also our obligation and privilege, to
use every endeavor in our power for the ad-
vancement of good morals in society, therefore
unanimously voted to make use of no Ardent
Spirits, on days of Election."
In the following year it was voted to grant
no licenses to sell liquor to be drunk about the
premises of the vender, and in 1833 it was de-
cided that none should be used on the high-
ways at the expense of the town. Voted, in
1845, not to license, but the same meeting re-
considered the vote so far as to allow one suit-
able person to sell, provided he kept an accu-
rate list of his customers.
The early history of Bloomfield may be
found in the history of Canaan. Since its in-
corporation, the events worthy of publication
have been very few. The general progress of
the town, as developed in the statistics, the
officers, taxes, &c., and the rehgious history,
will be found hereafter. The town is one of
the most beautiful and flourishing in Maine,
and is gaining ground steadily in prosperity.
The Agricultural products for the year 1837
were, corn, 2,214 bushels ; wheat, 3,120 ; rye,
18; oats, 6,731 ; beans, 163 ; pease, 66 ; barley,
794; potatoes, 34,555; turnips, 785; apples,
6,265 ; wool, 5,755 lbs. ; hops, 950 ; maple su-
gar, 415 ; pork, 73,900; beef, 11,450; English
24*
282 HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD.
hay, 1,735 tons; meadow, 37 ; 153 bbls. cider;
141 horses; 11 colts; 167 oxen; 311 cows;
407 other cattle; 2,662 sheep; 344 swine;
10,185 lbs. butter; 6,955 lbs. cheese.
There were 1 coach, 37 chaises, 69 horse-
wagons, 2 grist-mills, 2 saw-mills, which sawed
475,000 ft. boards, 2 fulling-mills, which dressed
7,000 yds. cloth, 1 tannery, Avith 40 vats, 1 fur-
nace and foundry, $2,900 of stock in trade,
$8,600 money loaned, $21,850 bank stock; the
value of the real estate was, in 1841, $164,450,
as established by the Legislature, the taxable
estates were VEilued at $206,233, and the valu-
ation, in 1845, was $180,814.
Since 1837 the crops of potatoes and wheat
have very much diminished, while other pro-
ductions have increased. Manufactures have
very much increased. The town has grown
rapidly, and business has very much improved.
Mulberry trees and silk worms have been cul-
tured and reared with good success. In the
year 1843^ one lady had five thousand trees,
on one fourth of an acre of land, and raised
eighteen thousand silk worms. Other persons
have also engaged in the business successfully.
To the Coburn family, more than to any
others, belongs the credit of much of the pros-
perity of Bloom field and Skowhegan ; and,
indeed, the entire county is benefited by their
business talent and enterprise. They are men
of wealth, unblemished integrity, and of busi-
ness talents rarely equalled. Their efforts are
* Melzar Lindsay, Esq.
HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD.
283
public-spirited, and are directed to the general
welfare. Messrs. Stephen and Alonzo Coburn
are attorneys and counsellors at law ; Samuel
W. Coburn is a partner Avith S. Harvey in an
extensive tannery and boot and shoe manufac-
tory ; Eleazar is an occupant of the family
homestead ; and Messrs. Abner, Philander, and
Sylvanus, are partners in the store in Skowhe-
gan. They are largely interested in the lumber
business, and upon their success much of the
welfare of the neighborhood depends. They
are sons of Eleazar Coburn, Esq., who was a
prominent and worthy man, while he lived.
FIRST LIST OF TAX PAYERS IN BLOOMFIELD, IN 1814.
Abraham Adams,
Isaac Adams,
James Allen,
Eliphalet Allen,
Daniel Allen,
Daniel Austin,
James Bigelow, junr.,
George Bigelow,
James & Levi Bigelow,
Andrew Barnard,
Thomas Brown,
Dr. James Bowen,
Joseph Elaisdell,
Jonathan Brown,
Eleazar Coburn,
Seth Currier,
John Cayford,
Richard Cook,
James Clark,
John Clark,
James Cleveland,
Joseph Cleveland,
Joseph Cleveland, junr.
Bobert Coburn,
Wigglesworth Dole,
Jona & Joseph Davis,
Obed Davis,
Brooks Dascomb,
Joseph Emery,
Levi & Darius Emery,
John & Joseph Emery,
Tilly Emery,
Daniel Emerson,
Jeremiah Fairfield,
Alpheus Fairfield,
Jonathan Farrar,
WilUam Fletcher,
Barney Hoxey,
284
HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD.
James Hinkley,
Nimrod Hines,
James C. Hill,
Benjamin Hartwell,
Edward Hartwell,
George Noyes,
Paul Nooth,
George Pooler,
Thaddeus Prentice,
Thomas Parker,
Steph& Sam'lHartw^ellNoah Parkman,
Robert Humphreys, Noah Parkman, junr.
Amos S. Hill,
Peter Heywood and
Ab. Wyman,
Levi Homan,
Pickard Jewett,
" " Executor,
Joshua Jewett,
Maximilian Jewett,
David Ireland,
David Kidder,
John Kimball,
Edmund Knight,
Sylvanus Kelley,
Sylvanus Kelley, junr., John Smith
Josiah Locke, John Steward
Simeon Parkman,
Micah & Sam'l Pratt,
Phineas Parker,
Elam Pratt,
Jonathan Parker,
Samson Parker,
Whitcomb Pratt,
Isaac Potter,
Holaday Potter,
Jacob Parington,
Nath'l & Joseph Russell
Benjamin Shepard,
Dr. Joseph Shepard,
George Lawrence,
Joseph Locke,
James Lander,
Robert Lander,
Bryce McLellan,
Judah McLellan,
David Mason,
Nathan Moor,
Stephen Moor,
Tilly Mason,
Seth Mayo,
Mark Nooth,
Amos Stilson,
Nehemiah Spear,
Solomon Steward,
Solomon Steward, junr.
Lemuel Smith,
Amasa Steward,
William Steward, 3d,
Dea. William Steward,
Jonathan Steward,
Samuel Steward,
Phineas & Thomas
Steward,
HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD.
285
John Southard,
Jos & Nath'l Sawyer,
John Smith, 2d,
Andrew Tinkham,
Josiah Varney,
Salmon & Nath'l White,Levi Wyman,
Mary Weston, Ephraim Ward,
Daniel Cony AVeston, Seth Wyman, jimr.,
Samuel Weston,
James Webb,
John AVeston,
Isaac AVeston,
Seth AVyman,
Joseph Weston,
Joseph Weston, junr.,
James Weston,
John AV. AVeston,
Eh AVeston,
John AVood,
Eusebius Weston,
Stephen Weston,
Daniel AVheeler,
Henry AA^eeks,
Asa Wyman,
Edward W. Wheeler,
Elijah Wyman,
Samuel Webb,
Jonas AVeston,
Asa AVeston,
Zacheus Spear,
Daniel Snow,
Stephen Southard,
Amos Southard,
Dea. Thomas Steward,
James Hinton.
NON-RESIDENTS.
William Weston,
John Drew,
John G. Neil,
David Lancaster,
Phinehas Mclntire,
Nathaniel Burrell,
Rowland Freeman,
Nathaniel Oilman,
James Bridg-e,
Benjamin Davis,
Joseph Hook,
D. Page,
Heirs of Thos.Deckman
Nathan Whitman,
James Prout,
Richard Shepard,
Cyrus Weston,
William Bridge.
Moderators. — Seth Currier, 1814, 15, 16,
21 ; Brooks Dascomb, 1814, 18, 19, 22, 3, 5, 7,
41 ; Eleazar Coburn, 1815, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 30, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 42 ; Judah
286 HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD.
McLellan, 1815, 27 ; John Kimball, 1816, 17,
21, 5, 6, 37, 43 ; David Kidder, 1817 ; Bryce Mc-
Lellan, 1817, 21 ; James Bowen, 1819 ; Abraham
Wyman, 1824, 30, 43 ; Joseph Weston, Jmir.,
1826, 7, 41 ; Eusebius Weston, 1826, 34 ; Joseph
Locke, 1828, 31, 2, 5 ; Solomon Stewart, 1828 ;
Amasa Stewart, 1829; Levi Emery, 1832; Jo-
seph Emery, 1832; Samuel S. Bordman, 1834;
Amasa Bigelow, 1835 ; Abner Coburn, 1836,41,
2, 5, 6, 7, 9; Philander Coburn, 1840; Joseph
Weston, 1844; George W. King, 1847; James
B. Dascomb, 1847, 8.
Town Clerks. — Josiah Locke, 1814, 15, 16,
17, 18, 19, 20, 1, 2, 3, 4 ; Joseph Emery, 2d,
1825, 6; Brooks Dascomb, 1827; Abner Co-
burn, 1828, 9, 30, 1, 2, 3 ; Eben AVeston, 1834,
5, 6, 7; James B. Dascomb, 1838, 9, 40, 1, 2;
Eusebius Weston, 1843, 4, 5 ; Joseph Philbrick,
1846, 7, 8, 9.
Treasurers. — Judah McLellan, 1814, 15,
19, 20, 1, 2; Pickard Jewett, 1816, 17, 18;
Eleazar Coburn, 1823, 4 ; Brooks Dascomb,
1825, 6 ; Sylvanus Pitts, 1827, 8 ; William F.
Pitts, 1829, 30, ], 2 ; Gen. Joseph Locke,
1833,4, 5; Levi Bigelow, 1836, 7; Thomas
Lord, 1839, 42, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ; Samuel
Parker, 1840 ; Levi Emery, 1841.
Bepresentatives. — B. Shepard, 1814 ; Judah
McLellan, 1815; Eleazar Coburn, 1816, 25, 8,
30 ; James Bowen, 1817, 18 ; Brooks Dascomb,
1819, 22, 4 ; David Kidder, 1823 ; Isaac Farrar,
1826; Abraham Wyman, 1831 ; Joseph Webb,
1833, 5 ; Abner Coburn, 1837, 9 ; John Wheel-
HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD. 287
er, 1841; Ebenezer Davis, 1844; William F.
Pitts, 1845; Charles F. Coffin, 1846; Charles
Chase, 1847 ; James B. Dascomb, 1848.
Note. — The person who received the most
votes on the last trial each year, in each town,
is set down as elected, unless other sources of
information teach that other towns overcame
his majority.
Votes for Presidential Electors. — 1824,
Adams 57, Crawford 2; 1828, Adams 108,
Jackson 8 ; 1832, Adams 139, Jackson 23, scat-
tered, 78 ; 1836, Harrison 94, Van Buren 100 ;
1840, Harrison 163, Van Buren 25, Abolitionist
8 ; 1844, Clay 136, Birney 36, Polk 29 ; 1848,
Taylor 144, Cass 40, Van Buren 24.
TAXES — 1814 to 1849.
Schools.
Town.
Road.
Minister.
1814
$300
$125
$1000
$130
1815
300
500
900
200
1816
350
100
800
150
1817
375
150
900
200
1818
375
250
700
200
1819
400
200
1000
120
1820
400
200
1000
130
1821
300
175
1000
120
1822
400
225
1000
120
1823
400
250
1150
110
1824
400
275
1000
90
1825
400
150
1000
80
1826
400
200
1500
85
1827
400
200
1600
1828
400
200
1500
1829
400
300
1500
288
HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD.
Schools.
Town.
Road.
1830
$400
$100
$1300
1831
480
150
1200
1832
480
150
1550
1833
480
125
1500
1834
480
300
1200
1835
480
500
1200
1836
480
700
1200
1837
525
400
1200
1838
525
475
1200
1839
525
600
1200
1840
525
500
1200
1841
500
400
1200
1842
500
375
1200
1843
437.20
400
1200
1844
437.20
175
1200
1845
^
350
1200
1846
437.20
450
1500
1847
437.20
575
1500
1848
437.20
300
1500
1849
600
225
1500
CONGREGATIONALISTS.
The ancient Congregationalist Church, by
the division of the town, became transferred to
Bloomfield, soon after the dismissal of Mr.
Cayford, and the Church, much impressed with
the ministerial character and qualifications of
Rev. Fifield Holt, invited him to settle, and the
town concurred February 17, 1814. He was
to have $250 for one half of the time.
The people of Bloomfield voted to employ
Mr. Holt one half of the time for the year 1814,
HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD. 289
but the vote was very soon reconsidered, for
some reason, though finally a vote was passed
inviting him to settle; and June 15, 1814, the
Rev. Fifield Holt was installed as pastor of the
church. He was to preach one half of the
time in Bloomfield, and the remainder he was
to devote to missionary labor in the neighbor-
hood. He was born in Hollis, N. H, and was
graduated at Middlebury College, Vt., in the
class of 1810. He studied divinity in Andover,
Mass.
In accordance with a law passed in June,
1817, providing that each town should create a
ministerial fund, Bloomfield raised $612.36, on
which the annual income was $34.89. Land
was purchased, and other property, in 1819,
the proceeds of which went yearly to the sup-
port of the Gospel. It was purchased for
$1,830.52, and the annual interest was $76.56.
It was voted, in 1824, to divide the interest
on the fund among the Baptists, according to
their numbers. They received $43.25.
March 1, 1824, it was voted to select a spot
for a new Congregationalist church, and John
Kimball, Pickard Jewett, and Joseph Weston,
2d, were appointed a committee to report a
plan. They discharged the duty laid upon
them, and reported in favor of a wooden
church, fifty feet long, forty feet wide, and
eighteen feet stud, with a belfry, — to have
forty-four pews, and to cost $1,700. Their re-
port was accepted, and a committee was raised
to carry it into effect. It consisted of Bryce
McLellan, Joseph Weston, Jr., Abraham Wy-
25
290 HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD.
man, and Josiah Locke. A part of the old
house was sold at auction, and the new church
was finished late in 1825. It was dedicated
the following year.
Twelve members were dismissed, in 1840,
to join the church in Skowhegan, and about as
many more some time after, to unite with the
Baptist and Methodist churches. The church
was formed principally out of the first settlers,
and as they have departed this life, the church
has been weakened. Probably from five hun-
dred to one thousand have enjoyed its com-
munion since its formation. Very many have
died within ten years. The smallest number
was in 1801, when it numbered fifteen, and its
largest in 1835, when it had one hundred and
twenty-nine members, and was the largest
church in the county.
Mr. Holt was quite successful in his calUng,
and was very popular in his parish. He was
attacked with the erysipelas, in his pulpit, Sun-
day, Nov. 7, 1830, and he died in about a week,
much lamented. His remains rest in the
Bloomfield burial ground, marked by a tomb-
stone with the following inscription : — "In
memory of Rev. Fifield Holt, a man greatly
beloved in all the relations of life, but espec-
ially as a good minister of Jesus Christ. He
was born in Hollis, N. H., became pastor of the
Congregationalist church in Bloomfield, June
15, 1815, and died Nov. 15, 1830, Aet. 47, in
the blessed hope of dwelling forever in the
Savior, whose cause on earth he had diligently
and successfully labored to promote."
HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD. 291
The church and society Hstened to many
candidates during the two years following the
death of Mr. Holt, but it was not until the year
1833 that a successor was found. Rev. George
W. Hathaway, the present pastor, was ordained
March 20, 1833. He was born in 1808. He
has discharged the laborious duties of his office
with distinguished zeal and ability, and occu-
pies, deservedly, a desirable position in public
estimation. He has had trouble with a portion
of his parish, but he sustained himself before
an ecclesiastical council with great success.
His church numbers eighty-eight members,
and it has a Sunday school attached, number-
ing, at different times, from forty to two hun-
dred and eighty, possessing a library of five
hundred volumes.
BAPTISTS.
" The Baptists first made their appearance in
Maine in 1681, when several persons in Kittery,
embracing their tenets, were baptized by im-
mersion." — Williamson, vol. i., p. 569. Quite
a number of the people of Canaan were dis-
satisfied with the preaching of the Congrega-
tionalists, and as early as 1796, invitations were
extended to Elders Asa Wilbur^ and Jabez
Lewis, of Sidney, to visit the people, and preach
the Baptist doctrines. They were very much
opposed, and " no reproaches were too severe
to heap upon the adherents to the new religion."
The converts at first united with the church in
Chnton, but at length the church was organ-
ized, October 20, 1803, with 15 members, in-
* Ordained in 1793.
292 HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD.
habitants of Canaan and Norridgewock. Their
names were Daniel Smith,^ David Lancaster,
Nathaniel Burrell, Umphrey Burrell, Eleazar
Spaulding, James Webb, Christopher Webb,
Isaac Lawrence, Mary Burrell, Rebecca Webb,
Mary Smith, Sarah Spanlding, Rachel Burrell,
Sarah Lancaster, and Meribah L'eland.
The church was organized as the First Church
in Canaan, about two years before the regular
proclamation of the gospel was listened to ; but
in the year ISO 6, the labors of Rev. Henry Ken-
dall t were employed for a portion of the time.
During his administration a revival refreshed
the church, and about fifty were added thereto.
Mr. Kendall was succeeded, in 1809, by Rev.
John Wagg.t He remained until the year 1812,
when a meeting-house was erected and dedi-
cated, at an expense of $3,000. It stood upon
the hill, near the residence of Mr. Jonathan
Mitchel, until the year 1822, when it was re-
moved to the site of the present church, where
it stood until Nov. 11, 1841, when it took fire,
at noon-day, and was burned to the foundation.
The bell, weighing eleven hundred pounds,
was destroyed.
The church was presided over, from 1812 to
1814, by Rev. Joshua Brooks,^ and from the
* Daniel Smith was the first deacon.
j " Mr. Kendall says ' many were converted, among whom
were Jonathan Steward, converted from Congregational errors,
and Robert Coburn and David Steward, from the love of sin.
The two former became Baptist preachers.'" — Millefs Hist. Bap.
Maine. Mr. Coburn was converted in 1806, and was pastor of
the church in Newport from 1825 to 1836.
t '' The efforts and proceedings of both these men were alto-
gether unprofitable to the church, and to the Baptist cause," —
Millet's Hist. Baptists of Maine.
HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD. 293
year 1814 to 1822, Revs. J. Steward, Robert
Coburn, and Francis Powers, were the pastors.
From 1823 to 1825, the office of the mhiistry
was discharged by Rev. Samuel Dinsmore.
During the labors of Mr. Dinsmore, the church
enjoyed a season of revival.
From 1825 to 1829, the pulpit was supplied
from Waterville College, and from 1829 to 1832,
Rev. Noah Hooper^ was the preacher. He
was succeeded in 1836 by Rev. Arthur Drink-
water,! who remained until the year 1842.
During the winter of 1838-9, there was a very
encouraging revival, during which thirty-three
were added to the church ; and in the winter
of 1841-2, another revival secured an addition
of twenty-four. In the course of the year 1842
active measures were taken to erect a church
in the place of the one burned the previous
year. In the year 1843, while it was in process
of building, Rev. Charles Miller was engaged
as pastor, and during his engagement the
church was finished and dedicated,^ June 17,
1844. Its cost was $5,000. It is a splendid
building, and while its internal arrangements
are every way adapted to its object, its outside
appearance is very beautiful. It is conspicuous
from every entrance into Bloomfield, and is an
ornament to the town. Its architect was Jo-
* " Mr. Hooper became unprofitable, and resigned." — Millet.
t Mr. Drinkwater was ordained in Mt. Vernon in 1816 ; he
was pastor there from 1816 to 1821, and from 1829 to ISSSj from
1821 to 1829 in Danvers, Mass. ; and in Hallowell from 1834 to
1836.
$ The sermon was by Rev. Dr. Sheldon, and the other ser-
vices by Rev. Messrs. Miller, Drinkwater, Tilley, &c.
25*
294 HISTORY OF BLOOMFIELD.
seph Bigelow, of Bloomfield. Mr. Mller re-
signed his pastoral charge in the year 1847.
He was succeeded in the year 1848 by Rev. N.
Mihon Wood, the present pastor.
Since the year 1803, there have been 383
persons connected with the church. The pres-
ent number is 189. Connected therewith, is
a Sabbath School, containing 125 scholars, and
possessing a library of 200 volumes. The
church and society are in a very flourishing
condition.
Note. — The early history of this church be-
longs to old Canaan, and since 1814, to Bloom-
field. Most of the materials were furnished by
Rev. N. M. Wood and Stephen Coburn, Esq.
SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH.
There is another church in the southern
part of Bloomfield. Elder L. Packard preached
occasionally in the course of the year 1835,
and created so much interest that a church
consisting of thirteen members was organized
October 4, 1837. Mr. Packard was pastor from
1838 to 1842, preaching a portion of the time.
There are now about thirty members.
i-'t
HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN.
The Town of Skowhegan, County of Somer-
set, State of Maine, lies on the north side of the
Kennebec river, and is bounded north by Corn-
ville and Madison, east by Hartland and Ca-
naan, south by Canaan, Chnton, and Bloom-
field, and west by Norridgewock and Bloom-
field. It is in 44 deg., 40 min. north latitude,
and is 33 miles north from Augusta, 95 miles
N. N. E. from Portland, and 50 miles W. from
Bangor. The territory was originally a part of
Canaan, but in the year 1823, it was separated
from Canaan and incorporated under the name
of Milburn. This name it bore until 1836,
when the efforts of many of the people who
wished to preserve the ancient name, succeed-
ed, and it was called by its present name,
Skowhegan. Skowhegan, pronounced by the
Indians Skoohegan, signifies a "place to watch."
It was formerly a famous place to catch salmon
and other fish. They were accustomed to rest
themselves behind the rocks and in the eddies,
to recruit their energy, before making efforts to
ascend the falls. It was a choice spot to the
Kennebec Indians. It contains an area of
19,071 acres, of which 48 are covered with
water, 324 occupied by roads, 2,913 of waste
296 HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN.
land, 6,678 of improved land, 3,000 of woodland,
2,096 of pasturage, 12 of natural meadow, 2,200
of mowing, and 1,800 of tillage. The value of
the real estate is $246,505, and of all taxable
property $322,026. There are 337 polls, 240
dwelling houses, 226 barns, 18 stores, shops,
&c., and 19 other buildings. The village of
Skowhegan was commenced in the year 1803,
since which time the losses have been $200,000.
There is much very good limestone in differ-
ent parts of Skowhegan. It is not good for
mortar, however, but is excellent for soil-dress-
ing. The people ought not to import from
abroad, when it may be so easily procured at
home. The followmg is an average analysis
of the Skowhegan lime : ^ Carbonate of lime,
53.8 ; carbonate of iron, 7^6 ; insoluble mica
and slate, 38.6 ; leaving a per cent, of 32.3.
There is also much excellent bog iron ore,
some of which is found in a fine powder, com-
posed of yellow ochre, and brown oxide iron. It
contains arsenic, found in arsenical pyrites. It
makes good cast iron but is not suitable for bar.
In 1838, a vein was found, 480 feet long, 240
feet wide, and 1 foot deep, on the estate of
Sampson Parker, and another was found on the
land of Jonas Barrill, 132 feet long, 33 feet
wide, and 1 foot deep. It is found in abun-
dance in different parts of the town. The anal-
ysis is about as follows : Water and vegetable
matter, 24.2 ; silex, 7.3 ; oxide of iron, 68.5.
The per cent, of iron, is about 40 — 50.
* Jackson's Survey.
HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN. 297
The falls at Skowhegan strike the lover of
natural beauty with delight. Situated in the
middle of the river, is a high, rocky, wood-
crowned island, sprinkled with a few pleasant
residences, and the waters, after meeting this
obstruction, divide, and passing along, they are
precipitated over a fall on either side. The
velocity of the river, as it hastens through its
narrow channel, and its magnificent beauty as
it tumbles over the precipice, in foam and
thunder- tones, make one of the wildest scenes
in the State. Before the works of man had
impressed the scenery, when the island and
rough, rocky shores, covered with woods, were
unshorn of their natural beauty, with the
antlered moose gazing a moment before he
fled from the flashing rapids, and, perhaps, a
dusky Indian watching for his finny prey, the
salmon, it must have been a glorious view.
The entire fall is twenty-two and a half feet.
Occasionally cattle are borne over the falls. A
yoke of oxen at one time passed over back-
ward, with a log behind them, and came out
in safety. Geese often ride over.^
The Poet has endeavored to paint the scene.
The second Act of " Carahasset^'' is laid at
Skowhegan falls, and Rale and his protege,
Adelaide, the daughter of Castine, are repre-
sented in company, gazing at the spectacle.
The priest enquires, —
'' What can vie
With the rich tints that Nature lavishes
=^They are drawn on imperceptibly at first, in the spirit of the
old proverb, — Facilis descensus averni est, but they find out the
impossibility of escape when too late.
298 HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN.
On forest leaves in Autumn ; — with the birds
That sang regardless of our near approach,
And the deep glens so wild and shadowy? "
Adelaide,
" 'Tis beautiful indeed ! mark how the cliffs
Darkened with hanging cedars, bravely breast
The shock of angry waters rushing by.
The roar is almost deafening. See the foam
Dancing and curling in a snowy sheet ;
And now in gathermg eddies, lo ! it whirls
Around the rock, and sparkles to the moon. ''
Rale.
" These circling eddies teem with animation ;
For here in their migrations rest awhile
The finny tribes, 'till renovated strength
Enables them to leap above the cataract.'' •
Though the first settlements in ancient Ca-
naan were within the present Umits of Bloom-
field, yet Skowhegan was peopled at an early
date. The natural boundary made by the river,
soon led the people to aim at a separation from
Bloomfield, and the inconvenient size of the
town of Canaan, after the separation from
Bloomfield, caused the people to aim at the
erection of a new town.
The Town of Milburn^ was incorporated
February 5, 1823. The first annual meeting
* Samuel Philbrick, Esq., has lived for a number of years in
the house he now occupies, and strange as it may seem, he has
lived in two states, two counties, and three towns, during the
time, though he has not changed his location in the least!
Maine and Massachusetts are the states ; Kennebec and Somer-
set are the counties ; Norridgewock, Milburn, and Skowhegan
are the towns. The frequent alterations of names and bound-
aries serves to solve the apparent difficulty. Nearly one twelfth
of Norridgewock was added to Skowhegan in the year 1828.
Continual alterations are taking place in this respect^ and seces-
sions and additions are of frequent occurrence.
HISTOEY OF SKOWHEGAN. 299
was called to order by Daniel Steward, Esq.,
and the following gentlemen served as the first
Town Officers:
Joseph Patten, Moderator; Samuel Weston,
Town Clerk; Saml. Weston, Benjamin Eaton,
and Joseph Merrill, Selectmen and Assessors ;
Josiah Parlin, Town Treasurer.
The Town voted in 1830, to petition the Gen-
eral Court for leave to elect a Representative
such part of the following ten years as they
were entitled to, and not be united with any
other town.
It was voted March 4, 1833, to cause the
" laws to be enforced so far as it respects drunk-
enness, in or about the taverns, stores, or other
places, in Skowhegan Village, and also as it
respects licenses, and persons selling spirituous
liquors, contrary to law." It will be seen by
the record of this vote, that though the town
bore the incorporated name of Milburn, yet
the Indian name of the Falls, designated the
village. There was a growing dislike to the
name of Milburn, and a strong wish to adopt
the old Indian name.
Elder Joseph Merrill received the interest
arising from the Ministerial Fund for services
as minister of the town for the years 1836, 7.
In the year 1836, the name was changed
from Milburn to Skowhegan.
September 7, 1837, the town voted against
amending the constitution. Yeas 21, nays 69 ;
in the year 1839 the same question was thus
decided, — yeas 78, nays 57.
April 7, 1839, five hundred dollars were
300 HISTORY or SKOWHEGAN.
raised for the use of the poor. A small farm
was bought, and a house erected for the same
purpose.
In 1843 it was voted that but one person in
the town should have permission to sell ardent
spirits, and that he should keep a record of all
sales, which should be open to the public, and
that the said agent should make a report of his
sales at the next annual meeting.
In the year 1846, it was voted " that there
shall be no license given for anything."
In the year 1848, the Ministerial Fund was
appropriated to building a Town House. The
house was built in 1849, and it is a very com-
modious edifice. The upper story is finished
into a beautifal hall, owned by the Odd Fellows.
The history of Skowhegan since it has been
severed from Canaan, has not of course been
eventful. The history of Canaan belongs to
Skowhegan.
The agricultural products for the year 1837,^
were corn, 2,919 bushels; wheat, 4,506; rye,
579 ; oats, 13,810 ; beans, 321 ; pease, 953 ;
barley, 1,286 ; potatoes, 37,875 ; turnips, 715 ;
apples, 4,865; wool, 5,261 lbs.; maple sugar,
720 ; pork 90,400 ; beef, 10,550 ; butter, 19,555 ;
cheese, 6,260 ; hay (English), 2,084 tons ;
meadow, 12; cider, 228 bbls. ; 208 horses; 15
colts; 145 oxen; 341 cows; 349 other cattle;
2,323 sheep ; 379 swine.
There were 26 chaises ; 78 horse wagons ;
1 coach ; 1 grist mill ; 2 saw mills which saw-
ed 50,000 feet of boards ; 1 tannery with 10
vats; $15,350 stock in trade; $3,000 money
^ Melzar Lindsay, Esq.
HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN. 301
loaned ; $9,100 bank stock. In 1841, the State
valued the real estate at $183,970, and in 1845,
at $19(5,403.
The agTicuItural products have considerably-
changed since 1837. Tiiere is less land unim-
proved and more occupied, and while fewer
bushels of wheat and potatoes are raised, and
less barrels of cider made, there are more of
other products.
The rapid growth of the town has very much
increased its industrial enterprise. Calculations
would only approximate to correctness, and
the valuation of 1850 will give an exact state-
ment.
The following facts were furnished by Euse-
bius Weston, Esq., too late to be inserted in
their proper places :
Solomon Steward, junr. erected the first dam
across the west channel, and built a grist mill
about 1811, — subsequently taken down and
moved below the bridge. He and others built
a saw mill below.
Andrew Morse built a saw mill, grist mill,
and clothing mill, at the mouth of Currier
Brook ; a Mr. Heald owned a saw mill near
where Savage and Hawkes now work.
In the great freshet of 1832, the whole went
off with one arch of Skowhegan bridge, &c. ;
the damage estimated at not less than 10,000 or
12,000 dollars.
The first saw mill in Skowhegan, after the
Judge McLellan mill at the mouth of Wesser-
runsett, was built by Phineas Steward, sen., on
a brook near Sam. Parkman's.
26
302 HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN.
About 1792, James Malboii, sen. built on the
Wesserrunsett ; the site is now owned by Jo-
seph and Stephen Malbon, grandsons.
The next mills were built by Rev. John Cay-
ford, where Neil's mill is. Cayford's grist mill
went off in 1832.
First store opened very small by Samuel
Weston, in partnership with the late John
Ware, about 1780 — Mr. Ware at Norridge-
wock, and Weston at his farm ; — kept as long
as he lived, and was preparing to enlarge.
1803 — Seth Currier and William Bridge
bought an old school-house, and made a store
of it, on the site now occupied by widow Nuth,
— kept in it several years and built a part of
what is now the Coburn store.
John Wyman, son of Seth Wyman, built
the Parker Store in Bloomfield.
Jona. Farrar came into the town from Bath ;
did a handsome business through the war of
1812 and so on ; went into the Merino sheep
business ; pursued it to some profit.
First mill in Bloomfield built by Solomon
Steward, sen., on the brook near the tannery ; run
several years and answered the wants of the set-
tlement. Another by the same up the stream
near the school-house, did not do much.
Peter Heywood, sen., built on Skowhegan
Island, about 1790. Sold to Capt. Isaac Smith,
he to Abraham, his son, and so on, to Currier
and Bridge, and then to William Weston, in
1809.
The following is the list of the first persons
taxed in Milburn, now Skowhegan. It will
HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN.
303
serve in future years to show the reader the
first dwellers in the town.
Jonas Ames,
Daniel Austin,
I. F. and E. Ames,
Thomas Annis,
Samuel Bickford,
Abraham Boston,
Humphrey Burrell,
Thomas Barry,
Dudley Blake,
William Brown,
Noah Burrell, Jr.
Humphrey Burrell,
Reuben Burrell,
John Booker,
James Brown,
Francis Caldwell,
John Clarke,
John Connor,
William Carson,
James Curtice,
Thomas Currier,
Morrill Currier,
Aaron Colman, Jr.,
Nathaniel Deering,
Jacob Doyen,
Samuel Doyen,
Asa Dyer,
Joseph Dudley,
Thomas Darhng,
Benjamin Eaton,
Do.
James Fairbrother,
George Fish,
John E.& J. H. French,
Daniel Foster,
Catherine Greenleaf,
William Graves,
Jr., James Grace,
Joshua Gardner,
Ebenezer Gardner,
Abel Homstead,
Joseph Hook,
Joseph H. Hill,
J. H. Hill, Jr.,
Daniel Herrin, Jr. Esq.
Samuel Herrin, 2d,
Samuel Herrin,
Andrew Herrin,
James Howe,
Daniel Homsted,
Beuben Homstead,
Timothy Homstead,
Amos S. Hill,
Joseph Herrin,
Daniel Herrin, 3d,
Joseph Haskell, Esq.
William Herrin,
Thomas W. Hayden,
Joseph & Joseph Jen-
kins, Jr.
Jeremiah Ireland,
Capt. Joseph Ireland,
304
HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN.
Samuel Kincaid,
Lewis Kraus,
James Leavitt,
Abiel Lancaster,
John Lambert,
James Lambert,
Richard Lambert,
Wilham B. Morrill,
James Merrill,
James & Andrew M'
Crellis,
Palmer M' Crellis,
James Mitchell,
Mary Merrill,
Joseph Merrill,
Edmund Merry,
Eben. H. Neil,
Thomas Nye,
Josiah Parlin,
Joseph Patten, Esq.
Patten & Neil,
John Pooler,
George Pooler,
Asahel Polly,
Daniel Park man,
Daniel Parkman, Jr.,
Noah Pratt,
Joseph Patten,
Josiah Patten,.
Jacob Pratt,
Joseph Pooler,
Atherton Pratt,
Joseph Russell,
Benjamin Rowe,
Thomas Robinson,
Peter Robinson,
Thomas Robinson, Jr,
Willard Sears,
Daniel Steward,
Osgood Sawyer,
William Soule, Jr.
Newell Sandborn,
Gilman Smith,
John Steward,
Josiah Steward,
Dudley L. Swain,
Hugh Smiley,
Nathaniel Shaw,
Joseph Simonds,
Levi Wyman,
Stephen Weston,
Eusebius Weston,
Daniel C. Weston,
S. & D. C. Weston,
Samuel Weston,
Eli Weston, Esq.
James White,
AVilliam White,
David Wyman, Jr.
Solomon White,
Nathaniel B. White,
John Webb,
Susanna Ward,
Jonathan Woodman,
John Whitman,
Christopher Webb, 3d.
John Wyman,
Samuel Young.
HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN. 305
Treasurers. — Josiali Parlin, 1S23, 4, 5, 6, 7 ;
Joseph Patten, 1828, 9, 30, 1, 2; Eben H. Neil,
1833, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 40, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ;
William B. Morrell, 1848; Albert Fuller, 1849.
Representatives. — Wentworth Tiittle, 1823,
31, 3, 5, ; Benjan^iin Eaton, 1824 ; Jonas Heald,
1825; John F. Weymouth, 1826; Joseph Bar-
ret, 1827; David Kidder, 1828; Milford P.
Norton, 1829, 37 ; Samuel Weston, 1830 ; Dan-
niel Herrin, 1832; Samuel Robinson, 1834;
Eben H. Neil, 1836, 8 ; Hiram Tuttle, 1839 ;
Cyrus Fletcher, 1840, 7 ; Joseph Patten, 1841 ;
Hiram C. Warren, 1842; Robert Hunter, 1843 ;
Joseph Merril, 1844 ; Jesse Washburn, 1845 ;
John W. Patten, 1846 ; Alvah J. Baker, 1848.
Moderators. — Joseph Patten, 1823, 4, 5, 6,
7, 9, 30, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 40, 1 ; Joseph Merrill,
1823; Levi AYyman, 1825, 6, 7, 31; David
H. Raymond, 1826, 8 ; John G. Neil, 1829, 30,
1, 2, 3, 4; Eben H. Neil, 1836; Samuel Phil-
brick, 1837; Benjamin Eaton, 1837, 9; Daniel
Herrin, 1842 ; Asa Wyman, 1842 : Osgood
Sawyer, 1843, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 ; Cyrus Fletcher,
1844 ; Ruel Weston, 1848.
Town Clerks. — Samuel Weston, 1823, 4, 5,
6, 7, 8 ; Ichabod Russel, 1829 ; Samuel Phil-
brick, 1830, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 40 ; Eben H. Neil,
1837; John Kerswell, 1838; Joseph Patten,
1842, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ; Ruel Weston, 1849.
Votes for Presidential Electors. — 1824,
Adams 14 ; 1828, Adams 78, Jackson 7 ; 1832,
26*
306
HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN.
Adams 84, Jackson 66 ; 1836, Harrison 32, Van
Buren 27; 1840, Harrison 205, Van Buren 127,
Birney 1 ; 1844, Clay 146, Polk 123, Birney 13 ;
1848, Taylor 147, Cass 75, Van Buren 67.
t
TAXES —
1823 TO 184^
1.
Town.
Highway.
Schools.
1823
$200
$1100
$300
1824
100
800
300
1825
200
1000
280
1826
120
960
280
1827
245
1000
280
1828
125
1500
350
1829
100
1200
350
1830
200
1250
350
1831
225
1200
405
1832
200
1500
405
1833
200
1875
400
1834
200
1650
500
1835
300
1500
500
1836
400
2000
500
1837
400
2000
500
1838
1000
2000
500
1839
800
1500
500
1840
800
2000
500
1841
900
1800
600
1842
800
1500
600
1843
1000
2000
600
1844
1000
1800
600
1845
900
1500
600
1846
1300
1800
600
1847
1200
2200
600
1848
450
2450
600
1849
1000
2250
600
HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN. 307
CHRISTIANS.^
The church history of Skowhegan, previous
to the year 1823, is embodied in the History of
Canaan. The first church, located within the
present hmits of the town, was the Christian.
The early labors of Rev. Joseph Merrill,
though in Canaan, were in that portion of the
ancient town now known as Skowhegan. He
commenced preaching within the present lim-
its of the town about the year 1811, and
formed a church at Dudley's Corner about the
year 1818. Many of the fathers and mothers
of the cause, since connected with the Village
church, were members of that body. About
the year 1830 a small church was organized at
Haskell's Corner, and the Village church was
formed June 5, 1836. Still another was formed
in the Pooler neighborhood, on the plains, about
the year 1840. Elder Merrill has sustained a
very prominent part in the movements of this
body, he having generally employed a portion
of his time with one or all of the churches.
Among the number of non-resident preach-
ers are remembered Revs. Henry Frost, Mark
Shepard, Benjamin P. Reed, Samuel Young,
and Eleazar Hamlin. Rev. Samuel Bickford
was pastor of the Village church from 1838 to
1843. He now labors in the neighboring towns,
though he resides in Skowhegan. He was or-
dained June 23, 1838.
Rev. Nathaniel White now resides in the
town, and labors as occasion calls. He was
ordained eight or ten years ago.
* Communicated by Ruel Weston, Esq.
308 HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN.
From 1843, 4, to the fall of 1845, Rev. Milton
Chalmers labored among the people. He was
succeeded, m 1846, by Elder Merrill, and in
1847 there was no stated preaching, as the
church was husbanding its resources, prepara-
tory to building.
In the year 1849, Rev. John B. Weston, of
Madison, the present pastor, commenced his
labors. April 5, 1849, a legal society was
formed, agreeable to the petition of Ruel Wes-
ton and fourteen others, of which Samuel
Bickford was moderator, and Ruel Weston
clerk. The four churches in the Christian con-
nection in Skowhegan, now number about two
hundred members. There is a fine Sunday
school at Haskell's Corner, with forty scholars
and one hundred library books, and the school
at the Union house is in part composed of chil-
dren connected with the denomination. The
principal years of interest were 1822-3, '36, and
'43. At these times great blessings were re-
ceived.
As related in the sketch of the Congrega-
tionalist society, meetings are held in the beau-
tiful Union house every alternate Sabbath,
besides religious services in other parts of the
town. The denomination is in a flourishing
state.
METHODISTS.^
The branch of the Methodist church in
Skowhegan, comprises those who profess that
form of Christianity in Skowhegan and Bloom-
* Communicated by Rev. C. C. Cone, and Joseph Palten, Esq.
HISTORY OF SKOWHEOAN. 309
field. The church was organized in the year
1827, by Rev. Ezekiel Robinson. It consisted,
at that time, of but four members, all of whom
were men. The first pastor was Rev. Benja-
min Jones. After enjoying seasons of growth
and prosperity, the present neat and eligibly
located house of worship was completed, in
June, 1836, at an expense of $3,500. It was
the first meeting-house ever erected in Skow-
hegan, and is not only convenient, but it is an
ornament to the village.
The church numbers now one hundred and
twenty members, and there is a Sabbath school
attached, which was organized in 1828 ; it has
one hundred and twenty-five members, and a
library of five hundred and fifty volumes.
The different pastors, with their years of
labor, have been as follows : — Revs. Henry
True, 1828-9; F. Drew, 1829-30; Greenleaf
Greely, 1830-1; Ezekiel Robinson, 1831-2;
Benjamin Follett, 1832-3 ; S. P. Blake, 1833-4,
25-6; Asa Heath, 1834-5; Edward Hotchkiss,
1836-7 ; D. Hutchinson, 1837-8 ; P. P. Morrill,
1838-40; A. Sanderson, 1840-1; C. P. Brag-
don, 1841-2 ; H. Butler, 1842-3 ; C. Scammon,
1843-5; Obadiah Huse, 1845-6; A. F. Bar-
nard, 1846-8; C. C. Cone, 1848-9.
The church is now in a prosperous condition,
and promises well for future success.
UNIVERSALISTS.
The believers in God's unconditional Grace
and Mercy, scattered in Bloomfield and Skow-
hegan, have supported the preaching of the
Gospel, as they understand it, for several years.
310 HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN.
A society was organized in the year 1836, and
though no preacher statedly ministered, yet
many distinguished advocates of the doctrine
deUvered theh message. Revs. Seth Stetson,
Darius Forbes, Jacob K. Fulmer, and many
others from time to time proclaimed their sen-
timents, but it was not until the year 1842 that
a preacher was procured to occupy the desk
with regularity. At that time, Rev. John Ad-
ams Henry re-organized and took the pastoral
charge of the society, which had been suffered
to run down. He remained, much beloved,
discharging a faithful and successful ministry,
until December, 1846, when he removed to
Ludlow, Vt. The society had been making
efforts to erect a house of worship, and Mr.
Henry removed to Ludlow, intending to return
at the end of two years, and it was hoped that
the building would then be commenced. But
Dec. 15, 1847, he was called from earth. He
was thirty-two years of age, having been born
in Bowdoinham, Nov. 13, 1815. His death
was regarded as a denominational calamity.
Rev. C. S. Hussey, of Sanger\dlle, supplied
the desk for a portion of the year 1848, and in
the spring of 1849, Rev. John Wesley Hanson
became pastor. Attached to the society is a
Sunday school, numbering forty scholars, with
a hbrary of two hundred volumes. The place
of worship is Washingtonian Hall, but a splen-
did site for a new church has been purchased
on Skowhegan Island, Bloomfield, and prepa-
rations are being made for the erection of a
handsome brick church, during the summer of
1850.
HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN. 311
CONGREGATIONALISTS.^
In the year 1840, a portion of the Bloomfield
Church, desirous of estabUshing a church and
society in Skowhegan, joined several members
of other churches, — in all sixteen, — and
formed a distinct and regularly organized
church. It was agreed to continue to attend
upon the preaching of the Hev. Mr. Hathaway,
and to observe the ordinances with the Bloom-
field Church, for a short time after organization.
Its meetings and discipline were distinct from
the Bloomfield church. This arrangement
continued until 1845, when the connection was
dissolved. Soon after, preparations were made
to erect a place of worship. The plan was as
follows : The Christians being destitute, it was
agreed that a legal body should be organized,
consisting of the members of both churches,
who should erect a house by stock subscription,
and that each should occupy the house one
half of the time, until one or the other should
purchase it on terms satisfactory to both.
The first pastor was Rev. Alpha Morton, of
Temple, who was engaged February, 1848, for
one half of the time. The house was com-
pleted, and publicly dedicated to God, March
16, 1848. Introductory Prayer, Rev. Alpha
Morton ; Reading of Scripture, Rev. Samuel
Bickford ; Dedicatory Prayer, Rev. Rogers ;
Sermon, Rev. J. B. Weston ; Closing Prayer,
Rev. J. Merrill. The house is a very beautful
one, in most excellent taste, adorned with a fine
clock, costing in all about $5,500.
^ Communicated by Dr. J. Marden.
312 HISTORY OF SKOWHEGAN.
The church received -$50 from the Mission-
ary Society during the first year. To this they
added $150, which was the sum paid Mr. Mor-
ton for his services for one half of the time.
In February, 1849, Mr. Morton returned to
Temple, and Rev. Asa T. Loring, of Phippsburg,
was settled as pastor, on the same terms as his
predecessor. Though the church has had ad-
ditions since its formation, yet, by removals and
death, it is now reduced to its original number,
sixteen. The two societies have a Sunday
School in common, consisting of sixty scholars,
with a library of two hundred volumes.
BAPTISTS.
There is a small Baptist Church in Skowhe-
gan. It was organized as the Second Baptist
Church in Canaan, January 7, 1813, with
twenty members. Its progress has been very
slow, and " for thirty years they were not able
to provide for themselves the benefit of a pastor
or stated ministry." — Millet. They have been
occasionally supplied by Rev. Messrs. Jonathan
Steward, Jas. Steward, Robert Coburn, Joseph
Roberts, JosephWagg, M. Cain, and L. Packard.
Mr. Packard preached one fourth of the time
in 1839, and in 1840 the church was enlarged
to forty members. The first settled pastor was
the Rev. John Robertson, who came in 1843,
and remained two years. William Oakes was
ordained as an Evangelist, in February, 1815.
Rev. Daniel McMasters immediately succeeded
Mr. Robertson, and remained until the fall of
1848. The church now numbers thirty-eight
members. There is no Sunday School attached.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Roads. — The only means of travelling and
transportation for several years after the first
settlement of Norridgevi^ock and Canaan, was
on snoAv-shoes and hand-sleds in winter, and
with boats in the summer. The first roads
were mere paths through the woods from house
to house along the banks of the river. From
time to time, as necessity demanded, the roads
increased in number and excellence. No one
but hunters and explorers went far north of
Sandy River, until 1815, when Pease
drove horses and cattle through to Canada, and
about that time the State laid out a road. A
subscription was raised, in 1826, in Augusta
and other river towns, to enable a road to be
kept open through the winter. William and
Henry H. Humphreys, Enghshmen, engaged
for two hundred dollars, to keep an open
winter road. In 1836-7 a mail was transport-
ed to Quebec, but the arrangement was discon-
tinued in a disagreement.
A road was first laid out on the Bloomfield
shore of Canaan, and, crossing just above the
falls, it passed up on the opposite bank, and
went through Norridgewock, to Old Point.
27
314 MISCELLANEOUS.
Ill a few months roads were laid out on the
opposite shores, at first mere horse-paths, but
in process of time, they became well-made
thoroughfares. • As the river-lots were settled
and the back-farms were sold, parallel roads
dividing them were made, and cross-roads and
other avenues of travel were laid out, until the
roads and streets in suburb and village became
what they now are : — neat, commodious, and
often extremely beautiful. When a road was
first made passable for wheels from Parlin's to
the ferry and mill, the people were greatly
delighted.
Graveyards. — Norridgewoch. The first
burial place in the town was located a short
distance above the village, on land now
OAvned by J. S. Abbott, Esq. A few years since
many of the bodies were exhumed and re-
interred in other places. There was formerly
a public burial ground in the south part of
the town. Besides these there are private
places of deposit. A child of Thomas Far-
rington and his mother were buried on the
land he occupied.
There are now two cemeteries ; both of which
are pleasant, retired, and neatly adorned by
art and nature. They are appropriately named
" valleys of peace." They lie, one on each side
of the river, contiguous to the two villages, and
are neatly enclosed and pleasantly adorned by
young shade trees, that will improve in beauty
with each succeeding year, until their grateful
shadows shall rest in quiet benediction on the
MISCELLANEOUS. 315
sleeping dead. There the departed rest. Side
by side sleep kindred and friends, who were
" beautiful in hfe, and in death were not divided."
The qniet murmuring of the neighboring river,
and the whispering of the leaves, blending with
the music of birds, make constant melody, and
chant a ceaseless requiem about the holy place
of death.
The North burial ground was located in 1789,
when it was ^ " voted to have one place for a
burying ground and no more, and that the place
shall be between Mr. Clark's bars on the River
Road, and Mr. William Spalding's line on the
west." The land was given by Dea. John
Clark. In this yard lie the remains of many
of the early settlers and their descendants. The
earliest tomb-stone reads thus : " Here lies the
body of Abraham Moors Spalding, who de-
parted this hfe August 27, 1796, aged 1 year, 2
m. 12 d." The tombstone over the remains of
Mrs. Esther Emery presents the following
beautiful inscription : '' Not lost, but gone be-
fore." Rarely, however, are sweetness of lan-
guage and poetic thought, combined with
Christian feeling, seen in an epitaph so well
expressed, as on a tablet over the remains of an
infant child of Rev. Josiah and Sarah Peet :
" She tasted of life's bitter cup,
Refused to drink the potion up ;
But turned her Httle head aside,
Disgusted with the taste, and dy'd.''
The yard on the south side of the river was
laid out ill the year 1838, and was given to the
* Town Record.
316 MISCELLANEOUS.
town by Dr. Amos Townsend. The oldest in-
scription is as follows : " Charles Morse died
March 12, 1838, Aged 28 years 6 m." Among
many good epitaphs are the following.
The first is over the grave of Mrs. Achsah Tink-
ham, and the second above that of Mrs. Lncy
D. Gray.
" Lord, she was thine, and not our own,
Thou hast not done us wrong ;
We thank thee for the precious loan,
Afforded us so long."
Mrs. Gray's.
'^ The brightest rose when faded,
Flings forth o'er its tomb,
Its velvet leaves laded
AVith silent perfume.
Thus round me will hover
In grief or in glee.
Till Life's dream be over,
Sweet memories of thee."
There is a neat yard located near Old Point,
which was laid out in 182- The oldest in-
scription reads thus : " Mrs. Lucy, Wife of Dea.
Solomon Bixby, died September 16, 1826, aged
59 years."
Nearly opposite, on the west bank of the
Kennebec, is another small yard, containing
several bodies, but the only monuments are
erected above the remains of a wife and child
of Mr. David Gil man.
StarJcs. — There is a beautiful place of rest
on the intervale, settled by Mr. AVaugh, within
full sight of the river and the first haunts of the
early settlers. The remains of many of the
MISCELLANEOUS. 317
Waiigh family repose there, until the earth
shall be no more. The oldest monument is
above Joseph Waugh, an infant, who died
September 4, 1787.
There is another at the centre of the town,
and another in the Williamson neighborhood,
and others smaller than the foregoing. They
are neat and quiet places of rest.
Bloomjield. — The graveyard in the village
was laid out in the year 1826, and is one of the
finest in the county. It is neatly enclosed in a
fence of iron set in stone posts, and contains the
bodies of many of the former citizens of Bloom-
field. Among the tombstones, a beautiful mar-
ble monument in the form of a pyramid, in-
scribed with the names of Hon. Bryce McLellan
and Brooks Dascomb, is conspicuous. There
are six large granite tombs, with marble doors.
The inscriptions are generally very appropri-
ate, and among them the following may be
designated as pecuharly beautiful. It is above
the remains of Mrs. Deborah H., wife of Kev.
C. G. Porter.
" If life be not in length of days,
In silvered locks and furrowed brow,
But living to the Savior's praise,
How few have lived so long as thou.
Though Earth may boast one gem the less,
May not e'en heaven the richer be,
And myriads on thy footsteps press
To share thy blest eternity.''
The old Bloomfield yard, about three miles
below the village, contains many tombstones,
and holds the sacred dust of many of the early
pioneers of civilization.
27*
318 MISCELLANEOUS.
Skowhegan. — The Skowhegan Graveyard
is in an appropriate and very retired location.
The oldest tombstone is that of WilHam Leavitt,
who died March 23, 1813, though the ground
did not become public for several years after
that time.
Among others who rest here, are Rev. Rich-
ard E. Schermerhorn, Drs. Frederic Raymond,
and O. C. Thayer. There is a large granite
tomb, built by Jonas Parlin, in the year 1846.
One of the most striking monuments is a
slight pyramidal shaft, of elegant granite, with
these simple words : —
" Sleep, Albert, sleep ! "
The following lines, copied from a tablet,
deserve mention.
" As those we love, decay, we die in part,
And string by string is severed from the heart/'
There is quite an ancient yard at Malbon's
Mills, well arranged for the solemn purposes to
which it is devoted. There is also a small and
neat yard about three miles below the village
in Skowhegan, containing many monuments.
The oldest stone is dated March 6, 1816, above
the remains of Isaac Coknan.
Canaan. — There is a beautiful yard in Ca-
naan, near the village, filled with young trees
and shrubbery, (in part the work of the year
1849,) destined to be a charming spot. The
earliest tombstone has the following inscrip-
tion : " Sacred to the memory of Joseph Os-
MISCELLANEOUS. 319
good, who departed this Hfe May 29, 1822, aged
79 years, 7 months, and 11 days.
" Here on my mother's quiet breast,
My weary limbs find peaceful rest;
Ye busy world, adieu !
I rest in hope once more to riso,
To realms of bliss beyond the skies,
My Savior's charms to view."
There too, rest the remains of Daniel Nelson,
who died February 27, 1837, aged 75 years.
He was with Paul Jones in the Bon Homme
Richard, and drew a pension from Government.
He was a powder boy, aged only 13 years.
Another pubhc burial ground is located about
three miles below the village of Canaan.
Besides the before-mentioned, there are private
burying grounds, where the dust of the depart-
ed has been hallowed by the dew of affection,
— the tears of bereaved Mortality. Generally
speaking, the places of the dead are rapidly
improving then appearance, and are becoming
as they should be. They are the vestibule of a
Beautiful Land, and Art and Affection should
do their utmost to adorn them.
REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS.
As these towns v/ere not settled until about
the period of the commencement of the Revo-
lution, of course no individual born in either of
them served in the war. Many of the settlers,
however, engaged in the struggle for liberty,
and many who have since settled here were
engaged in the great conflict. Those I have
been able to ascertain are annexed.
320 MISCELLANEOUS.
Obadiah Witherell, Norridgewock ; bom in
Pepperell, August 26, 1748 ; was in the service
in the Massachusetts Hne, three years and eight
months ; part of the time was Heutenant ; was
at the battle of White Plains, at the taking of
Burgoyne, and at the battle of Monmouth. He
died in 1847, aged 99 years.
Charles Witherell, Norridgewock ; was nine
months in the service, in the Massachusetts
line ; was half-brother of Obadiah ; was born Oc-
tober 8, 1763, and died July 16, 1833.
Timothy Pollard, Canaan ; was born in the
year 1740 ; was in the New Hampshire line
one year.
Benjamin Patten, Canaan ; was born in 1762 ;
was in the Massachusetts line one year ; was
at the battle of Harlem Heights.
Thomas Robinson, Canaan; born in 1755;
was in the Massachusetts line ten months ; was
a lieutenant at the retreat from Ticonderoga ;
died April 22, 1839, aged 84.
Daniel Parkman, Canaan ; born in 1746 ;
was nine months in the Massachusetts line, in
1775-6 ; died Nov. 4, 1824, aged 78.
Robert Arnold, Starks; born in 1747; was
in the Massachusetts line seven years ; was at
Hubbardstown and other engagements.
Adin Briggs, Starks; born in 1767; was in
the Massachusetts line seventeen months.
Jacob Doyen, Canaan ; born in 1760 ; was in
the New Hampshire line three years; was at
the taking of Burgoyne, battle of Monmouth,
&c. ; was wounded in the breast at Burgoyne's
capture.
MISCELLANEOUS. 321
Noah Burrill, Bloomfield ; bom in 1759 ; was
in the Massachusetts hne six years and three
montiis ; Avas at the taking of Burgoyne and
CornwalUs, battle of Monmouth, kc.
Jabesh Bowen, Starks; born in 1757; was
four years and nine months in the New Hamp-
shire and Massachusetts hues.
Robert Hood, Canaan; born in 1742; was
in the Massachusetts hne nine months.
Benjamin Libbey, Canaan; born in 1763;
was in the Massachusetts Hne three years ; was
at the taking of Burgoyne, and battle of Mon-
mouth.
Moriah Gould, Norridgewock ; born in 1754 ;
was in the Massachusetts line eighteen months.
Calvin Bussell, Canaan ; born in 1762 ; was
in the Massachusetts line three years ; living in
Bingham.
Benjamin Hinds, Norridgewock; born in
1755; was in the Massachusetts line three
years.
Wilham Youling or Yeuland, Canaan ; born
in 1749; was in the Massachusetts line two
years and six months; died July, 1838, aged
eighty-nine.
Levi Flint, Norridgewock ; was in the Mas-
sachusetts hne seven months.
Phineas Mclntire, Norridgewock ; born in
1757 ; was in the Massachusetts line one year;
was at Harlem Heights, &c. ; died March 4,
1838, aged eighty-one.
David Pierce, Norridgewock; born in 1742 ;
was in the New Hampshire line one year.
Thomas Whitcomb, Norridgewock ; born in
322 MISCELLANEOUS.
1736 ; was in the New Hampshire Hne one
year ; was taken prisoner by the Indians at the
Cedars ; died June 21, 1824, aged eighty-eight.
Josiah Spaulding, Norridgewock ; born in
1761 ; was in the Massachusetts hne one year ;
was at the battle of White Plains ; hving.
Joseph Frederick, Starks ; born in 1742 ; was
boatswain's mate on board the frigate Alhance,
twenty months ; was in the engagement with
the Serapis ; was wounded ; died March, 1822,
aged eighty years.
Willard Sears, Canaan ; born in 1749.
Magnus Beckey, Norridgewock ; born in
1752 ; was in the New Hampshire and Massa-
chusetts hues twenty-one *months ; was at the
battle of Monmouth, &c.
Jonathan Hebbard, Starks; born in 1753;
was in the Massachusetts hne one year ; died
September 19, 1838, aged eighty-five years.
Asa Longley, Norridgewock ; born in 1762 ;
was in the Massachusetts line 1777, 8, 9, 80.
Butler Lombard, Canaan ; born in 1756 ; was
in the Massachusetts line from December, 1766,
to December, 1779 ; was at the battle of Mon-
mouth, taking of Burgoyne, &c.
Jonathan Da^ds, Canaan ; born in 1756 ; was
in the Massachusetts line from January, 1777, to
December, 1779.
Michael Arbour, Norridgewock ; born in
1754; was in the New York service from De-
cember, 1776, to June 30, 1783; was in the
battles of White Plains, Horseneck, Brandy-
wine, and the surrender of Burgoyne and Corn-
wallis ; was wounded at the surrender of Bur-
goyne.
MISCELLANEOUS. 323
Abel Leathers, Norridgewock ; born in 1746 ;
was in the New Hampshire line one year.
John Emery, Bloomfield; born in 1754; was
in the Massachusetts Hne three years ; was at
the battle of Bunker Hill ; was at Burgoyne's
capture ; was kept in close prison in New York
city by the British, eighteen months after his
period of service had expired ; died February
26, 1848, aged 94 years.
Besides the foregoing the names of the fol-
lowing persons should be held in lasting re-
membrance for their services in the revolution.
Facts concerning them may be gleaned from
'' Deaths of Aged Persons," "Early Settlers,"
and other parts of the book.
John Clarke, N; Oliver Wood, N; Silas
Wood, N. ; Peter Oilman, N. ; Joseph Weston,
C. ; Joseph Tarbell, N. ; Benjamin Moor, N. ;
David Lancaster, N. ; Luke Withee, N. ; Ed-
mund Parker, N. ;• Thomas Heald, N. ; James
Bigelow, B. ; Peter Holbrook, S'ks. ; Joseph
Jenkins ; WiUiam Young, S'ks. ; William
Spaulding, N. ; John Greenleaf^ S'ks. ; David
Sterry, S'ks. ; Eleazar Spaulding, N. ; Amasa,
Daniel, and Benjamin Steward, three brothers,
C. ; Nathaniel Lombard, Skowhegan ; Dyer
Loomis, Skowhegan ; Solomon Whidden, C. ;
Benjamin Eaton, Skowhegan ; Nath'l. Worm-
wells, Skowhegan ; Tilly Mason, B. ; Jonathan
Hayden, N. ; Elam Pratt, B. ; Benoni Barrill,
B. ; Nathaniel Burrill, B. ; Daniel Nelson, C. ;
James Whidden, C. ; Joseph Pratt, N. ; Eben-
ezer Dean, S'ks. ; [living.] Edward Hartwell,
C. ; Stephen tlolmans, B. ; Jonathan Holt,
C. ; Nathan Taylor, C. ; Samuel Cone, Skow-
324 MISCELLANEOUS.
hegan ; David Kincaid, Skowhegan ; John
Kincaid, Skowhegan ; Eli Andrews, B. ; John
Barrett, B.; Isaac Lawrence, B. ; Eleazer
Parker, B. ; was in the French Avar, and Revo-
hition; died aged about 100 years.
Obadiah Witherell, John Clark, Moriah
Gould, Silas Wood, Benjamin Hinds, Peter
Oilman, Joseph Weston, Joseph Tarbell, Ben-
jamin Moor, David Lancaster, Luke Withee,
Josiah Spaulding, Edmund Parker, Thomas
Heald, Charles Witherell, were all aUve Feb-
ruary 22, 1825, and attended and gave great
interest to a celebration of Washington's birth
day. Hon. Warren Preston gave the entertain-
ment, and it was one of great enjoyment. Jo-
siah Spaulding and Thomas Heald are now
(1849) Uving, one aged 88, and the other 85
years.
The ^ve towns furnished seven men for the
War with Mexico. Maj. Thompson Crosby,
who enlisted a company in the different towns
in the County, and who went into the campaign
with the rank of Lieutenant, and who now, in
consequence of shattered constitution, draws a
pension, and Peter Laurie, of Norridgewock;
John Greenleaf, of Starks ; Wallace Tuttle,
Cone, and Goodridge of Canaan.
Charles Gould, of Norridgewock, aged 16 years,
reached Vera Cruz.
Militia. The militia of Maine is now in
a low condition. As early as 1809 a company
of artillery was formed in Norridgewock, Calvin
Selden, Esq., captain. A company of Light
Infantry was formed about the same time in
MISCELLANEOUS. 325
Canaan, David Kidder, Esq., captain. These
were the first of their kind as far north as Som-
erset County. The miUtary spirit has always
dwelt in this vicinity, and though it has no vis-
ible organization, it would be aroused from its
slumber on the least foreign invasion, and
would fall like lightning on the foe. Subjoined
is the first order for a muster in Canaan.
'' K-igemanteal orders for the forth Rigement,
in the County of Lincoln, in the furst Brigade.
" Sir, you are Required to muster the Com-
pany under your Command as Sun as Posa-
bley you Can for the Purpose of makeing a
Return of thare Equpements and also for the
Purpes of makeing tham Radey and prepared
for a Regimantal muster which is to be on
thursday the 2th Day of octber Naxt at Fort
Halifax in the town of Winslow at teen o Clock
in the fore Noon on said Day, at which time
and Place you will not fall to appear with your
offcres and Compney, as wall as thay Posabley
Can be aq'up*'. for the Purpose.
^' I also Sand you a Coppe of Return of the
Equpements of your Compney.
" EZEKIEL PaTTEE CoLE."
Schools. The first settlers of Canaan and
Norridgewock were governed by the same spirit
which has made the schoolhouse almost equally
regarded in the villages of New England with
the temple of God.
^Mrs. White, wife of Deacon John, opened
the first school in Canaan, in the year 1777.
* Eusebius Weston, Esq.
28
326 MISCELLANEOUS.
She met with good success. Mr. Robert Hood, *
v/ho lived and died in Skowhegan, kept a school
for a short period, commencing the year after
Mrs. White's. Polly, a daughter of Parson Emer-
son, and William Whitaker, son of Dr. AVhitaker,
also kept a while. After him Daniel Steward,
Samuel Weston, who had as early as 1778-80,
a class of married men, and Andrew Turner,
who was called "Master Turner" dining his
life. In about the year 1796, John O'Neil kept
a summer school in a barn; ]\L's. Trowbridge,
daughter of Dr. Whittaker; Isaiah Wood in
1796; Mr. Calef during his residence; Ephraim
Russel in the winters of 1797-8.
While Mr. Wood taught, the first innovation
on the old routine was made. Besides his
classes in the Psalter and Dilworth's Spelhng
Book, he introduced a class in the Newspaper,
which proved a very interesting document to
the young generation. In 1797, the third part
of Bingham's American Preceptor was intro-
duced, and then schools increased in number
and excellence.
The first attempt at school teaching in Nor-
ridgewock, was made by Josiah Spaulding,
Esq., who, in the year 1779-80, kept a private
school in Laughton's house; the principal schol-
ars were the Spauldings and Laughtons. The
first town schools were taught by the Misses
Lydia and Sarah Tarbell, who occupied private '
dwellings. Sarah married a Parker, and Lydia
married Benjamin Longley.
The town of Norridgewock was divided into
* He had $5 per month.
MISCELLANEOUS. 327
five districts, in the year 1790, and different
citizens were selected to provide for the wants
of the schools. It was decided "that Grain
or Corn of any kind, beans, peas, flax. Sheep's
wool, Pork and Beef, be Rece'd in payment for
the School and Minister Rates. That Wheat
be 6s. pr. Bushel, Rye 5s. pr. Bushel, Corn 4s. pr.
Bushel, Pease 6s. pr. Bushel, Flax Is. pr. lb.,
Wool 3s. pr. lb.. Clear middling pork, well
salted. Is. pr. lb., salt Beef, 4s. to discharge sd
Rates." The first teachers who received wages
from the town, were '• Coin Moor," who received
£3, 8s. Od. ; Ehzabeth Heald, £2, 8s. Od. ; and
£5, 8s. Od ; Jane Laughton, £1, 12s. Od. ; Jonas
Parlin, £2, 17s. Od. £20 were raised in 1791
for the support of schools. It was to be ex-
pended in " Each Class their Equil proportion
in Schooling, according as the major part of
said class shall agree." We are led to judge
by the orthography of several of these votes,
that they were penned before the services
of the school-master were secured. Another
district was created in 1792, extending from
"Heald's mills to John Cooks." ^20 were
raised for the support of schools in the year
1793, and £40 for the year 1795.'^
In the year 1806, the town instructed a com-
mittee to report a series of regulations for the
schools, and among other rules, were the two
following.!
"2^*. It is recommended to parents and others
who have the care of youth, that previous to
* Town Records. f Ibid.
328 MISCELLANEOUS.
their sending them to any school that they be
careful that they are free from the Itch.
"3*^. It is the duty of every Teacher of a
school when it shall be discovered that any one
belonging to the School is infected with the
Itch, to debar such youth from attending the
school from that time until cured." ^
The schools in each of the towns have con-
tinued to increase in number and excellence.
The following are the statistics for the year 1848 :
Starks, 600 ; Canaan, 720 ; Norridgewock, 800 ;
Bloomfield, 4S0; Skowhegan, 740; Norridge-
wock Academy, 70 ; Bloomfield, 90 ; Total,
3,470.
Attorneys at Law. Norridgeicoch — Gen.
William Jones was born in Massachusetts;
came to Norridgewock about 1803, was an
officer in the Oxford army, general in the mili-
tia, first clerk of the courts for Somerset, died
in 1813.
Calvin Selden, Esq., was born in Connecti-
cut, settled in Norridgewock in 1808, captain
of the first artillery company north of Hallow-
ell, member of Maine and Massachusetts Leg-
islature, commissioner in bankruptcy, a gentle-
man much respected and honored.
Hon. Warren Preston came to Norridgewock
in 1809 ; Judge of Probate; removed to Bangor
in 1828.
Joseph Donnison, Esq. was here about a year
in 1812.
Jotham Fairfield, Esq. was born in Water-
ville, and settled in Norridgewock in 1816, died
^ Town Records.
MISCELLANEOUS. 329
in 1822 ; he was a lawyer of remarkable ability
and learning.
Hon. John S. Tenney was born in Rowley.
Mass., settled in Norridgewock in 1820, has
been a member of the legislature, appointed
Judge of the Supreme Court in 1841, re-ap-
pointed in 1848, lives in Norridgewock.
Hon. David Kidder. (See Skowhegan attor-
neys.)
Hon. Charles Green was born in York
County, settled in Norridgewock in 1823, mem-
ber of the council, State Senator, Judge of Pro-
bate, removed to Athens in 1826.
James Adams, Esq., "was a native of Roch-
ester, N. H. AVhen about thirty years old, he
came to Norridgewock and entered the office
of Hon. John S. Tenney. Locating himself at
Guilford, he had an extensive and lucrative
practice. From Guilford he removed to Exe-
ter, where he remained until Governor Kent
appointed him clerk of the courts in Penobscot
County, which office he held until Gov. Kent
retired from office. He then removed to this
town and formed a copartnership with Judge
Tenney.
"In the summer of 1846 he represented this
town and Madison in the State Legislature, and
was an active and influential member of that
body. He was selected by the Whigs of this
county as delegate to the National Whig Con-
vention, and was a member of the body in
Philadelphia that nominated Gen. Taylor for
President.
"He died at his residence on Wednesday
28*
330 MISCELLANEOUS.
evening, Aug. 30, 1848, aged 48 years. The
society of Odd Fellows, (of which he was an
honored member, having lield the highest offi-
ces in the lodge,) attended liis funeral in a body."
— Communicated hy W. D. Gould, Esq.
John H. Webster, Esq. was born in Hart-
land, Vt, removed to Norridgewock in 1834,
remained until 1837, then went to North An-
son, returned to Norridgewock in 1849.
Hon. Cullen Sawtelle was born in Norridge-
wock, admitted to the bar in 1830, Kegister of
Probate, State Senator, member of the twenty-
ninth and of the thirty-first Congress, lives in
Norridgewock.
John S. Abbott, Esq. was born in Farmington,
and settled in Lincoln County, came to Nor-
ridgewock in 1841, County Attorney for Lin-
coln, Visitor to West Point Academy for 1849.
Wn\. D. Gould, Esq., Avas born in Norridge-
wock, and was admitted to the bar in 1846, the
only attorney ever settled in South Norridge-
wock, or Oosoola.
Bloomjield. — Judah McLellan, Esq., was born
in Connecticut, settled in Canaan, now Bloom-
field, in 1803, County Attorney from 1824 to
1834, Representative to Massachusetts Legis-
lature.
SJwivhegan. — Hon. David Kidder w^as born
in Dresden, and settled in Canaan, (now Bloom-
field,) in 1811, removed to Skowhegan in 1817,
to Norridgewock in 1821, to Skowhegan in
1827, captain of the first Light Lifantry compa-
ny north of Augusta, field officer in the militia.
County Attorney from 1811 to 1823, member
MISCELLANEOUS. 331
of the Maine Legislature, and of the eighteenth
and nineteenth Congresses.
Hon. John Ruggles was bom in Massachu-
setts, and resided one year in Canaan, (now
Skowhegan,) in 1815-16, removed to Thomas-
ton, Speaker of Maine House of Representa-
tives, District Court Judge, U. S. Senator.
Hon. MLlford P. Norton was born in Read-
field, and came to Canaan, (now Skowhegan,)
in 1819, removed to Canaan proper in a year
or two, subsequently to Waterville and Bangor,
returned to Canaan about 1836, Land Agent,
member of Maine Legislature and State Sen-
ator, removed to Texas in 1838, and is now
Judge of the 3d Judicial District, Superior
Court, Texas.
Hon. Ebenezer Allen was born in Vermont,
and came to Skowhegan in 1836 ; he was sev-
eral years County Attorney, and removed to
Texas, where he became Attorney- General and
Secretary of State for the " Lone Star."
Nathaniel Deering, Esq., was born in Port-
land, and came to Canaan, (now Skowhegan,)
in 1822 ; returned to Portland in 1837 ; he is a
literary gentleman of just celebrity.
Horatio Bridge, Esq., was born in Augusta,
and came to Skowhegan in 1828 ; remained
one year ; now purser in the Navy.
Henry Dummer, Esq., was born in Hallowell,
and came to Skowhegan in 1830; removed
west in 1831.
Hon. W. B. S. Moore was born in Waterville,
and came to Skowhegan in 1832 ; remained
about six months, and removed to AVaterville ;
now settled in Bangor ; member of the Maine
332 MISCELLANEOUS.
Legislature ; Attorney General and U. S. Senator
by Executive appointment.
James T. Leavitt, Esq., was born in Bangor,
and settled i^ Skowhegan in 1838 ; Judge Ad-
vocate in the militia ; member of the Maine
Legislature, County Attorney-
George F. Talbot, Esq., now of Machias,
was formerly settled for a few months in Skow-
hegan. He was the Free Soil nominee for
Governor of Maine, 1849.
Llewellyn Kidder, Esq., was born in Bloom-
field, and settled in Skowhegan in 1835 ; field
officer of Cavalry ; elected Clerk of the Courts
in 1847.
Alonzo and Stephen Coburn, Esqs., were born
in Bloomfield, and settled in Skowhegan in
1847. Stephen is a member of the Board of
Education.
Henry A. Wyman, Esq., was born in New
Sharon, and settled in Skowhegan in 1848.
Canaan. — Hon. Levi Johnson was born in
Readfield, and settled in Canaan in 1830; State
Senator in Maine.
George M. Mason, Esq., was born in Vermont,
and came to Canaan in 1833.
Rev. Joseph Stockbridge was born in North
Yarmouth, and came to Canaan in 1834; re-
moved to Monson the next year, and is now a
chaplain in the navy.
J. M. Waters settled in Canaan in 1849.^
To these may be added Timo. Langdon, H.
W. Fuller, A. Allen of Norridgewock, and oth-
ers, who like them remained a short time.
* Hon. David Kidder, Calvin Selden, Esq., Hon. Levi Johnson,
W. D. Gould, Esq,
MISCELLANEOUS. 333
Starhs. — There was never an attorney settled
in the 4own.
Physicians. Bloomjield. — Dr. Nathl. Whit-
aker settled as a minister in Bloomfield about
1784, and practised medicine to some extent
while he remained in Town. What his profes-
sional attainments were is unknown, but he
gave pretty general satisfaction, yet some of his
difficulties with his people arose from misde-
meanors incidental to his medical practice to-
wards some of his female patients.
Dr. Zebulon Gilman, for a long time sub-
sequent a resident and practitioner in Norridge-
wock, settled in Bloomfield, then Canaan, about
1786, — remained a few years, when he became
interested in carrying the U. S. mail from Nor-
ridgewock to Augusta. He removed to Nor-
ridgewock, settled on the farm now owned by
Capt. Ehas Works, — was a careful, useful man,
in a new place ; he was not eminent, and hardly
" kept up with the times," — lived to a good old
age and died respected.
Dr. Wm. Ward came from Antrim, and set-
tled in Bloomfield, near the Skowhegan falls, at
the old Ferry way, about 179- and practised
medicine very satisfactorily and extensively in
this new country ; — was a man of good talents
and acquirements for the time. He was in
partnership with Senr. Col. John Moor, ^ who
furnished him medicines. Habitual intemper-
ance rendered him unfit at times for profession-
al service, although his experience in it and his
^ Col. Moor lived on the hill near Col. J. G. Neil's.
334 MISCELLANEOUS.
ever ready wit, gave him some advantages.
In 1794 he married Patty Bullen.
Dr. James Butterfield came to the town
about 1796 or 8, as a Baptist preacher, but left
shortly, and in a year or two came back, and
began the practice of medicine, with great suc-
cess. He staid four or five years or more — was
probably 30 years old or more when he began
the practice, moved to Athens, thence to Cum-
berland, where he became a Universalist and
preached again. He died not long ago.
Dr. Joseph H. Shepard, a son of Dr. Samuel
Shepard of Brentwood, N. H., came to Bloom-
field about 1806 or 7, had considerable success
in practice, but he left the place and settled
in Newport, Penobscot County, and is still liv-
ing. He had some inventive talent, and tried to
make water rise above its head : — published a
chronology in a small pamphlet, which did not
succeed, and which run him in debt for pubUsh-
ing, &c. It was very similar to the table ap-
pended to Johnson's small dictionary.
Dr. James Bo wen came to town in the spring
of 1808 or 9 — had received a good academical
education, and studied his full term with the
somewhat celebrated Dr. Gallup, and his appli-
cation, industry, and economy have raised him
to an enviable position in the estimation of the
most eminent practitioners of the day, and
given him a comfortable independence in his
advancing age. He was repeatedly in the
legislature before the " separation."
Dr. Francis Caldwell came from Kennebec
County to finish his reading with Dr. Bowen,
MISCELLANEOUS. 335
about 1816 or 17, and subsequently went into a
partnership with him and practised very satis-
factorily, — afterward settled in Skowhegan and
there practised in his profession for a few years.
In the period previous to this there were
several physicians flitting across the medical
horizon, among whom were Dr. Joel Miller and
Dr. James B. Fisk. Dr. Miller staid only a few
months of the fall and winter of 1807, then
went to the seaboard and was afterwards
Warden of the State Prison.
Dr. Fisk settled in Bangor, a druggist, and
practised medicine some, — was a man of
talents and has since become wealthy, although
he lost considerably in the attack of the British
upon the town of Bangor. In attempting to
convey his wife away from the scene of strife,
he was ordered by the notable commander to
get out of his carriage in the street, but finally
was allowed to take off Mrs. F., and expose his
goods to the ravages of a drunken soldiery.
Something was saved by telling them there was
danger of an explosion.
Dr. Seth Clark, alias Samuel Farrington,
came to Bloomfield in the fall of 1801, from
Connecticut, and commenced boarding at a
pubhc house kept by Capt. Salmon White.
He was well educated, studied medicine in
Paris, settled in successful practice, left for a
reason never disclosed to any one here.
Dr. William McClellan came to Bloomfield
about 1836, and settled in the back part of the
town.
336 MISCELLANEOUS.
Dr. Horace Stevens came in 1848, from
Canada, joining Vermont.
Shoivliegan. — Wiien Dr. Caldwell left Skow-
hegan, about 1820, Dr. David H. Raymond took
his place by exchange. Dr. Raymond was like
Dr. Bowen and many others, a stndent of the
late Gallup. He derived something from Dr.
G.'s recipes, from a book of which in his pos-
session, Dr. E. A. Ward, afterward of Lowell,
got his famous hair oil and other nostrums, out
of which he made money. He died Decem-
ber 2, 1840, aged 42 years.
Dr. William Snow, a student from Dr.
Bowen's office, came to Skowhegan a year
ago, and has been there before for a while ; is
now settled in the house erected by Dr. Bowen.
Is in a good practice, and is at present erecting
conveniences for the Hydropathic system of
practice.
Dr. Alvah Bacon came to Skowhegan about
1830, from Scarboro', from which place his
father went out on an enterprise to Florida ; —
turned his attention to medicine and surgery —
came here — removed to Boston — and now
Hves in Biddeford.
Dr. James Brooks came to Skowhegan from
Cumberland County, about 1842, by an arrange-
ment with Dr. Bacon, when he left. Has some
cases of surgery out of the ordinary course.
Dr. John Heard came to Skowhegan some
time in 1848, and staid about half a year. He
was recommended by eminent men, and main-
tained himself as a physician very respectably.
MISCELLANEOUS. 337
Botanical Physicians. — Several have been
here, but none to make any considerable stay,
till about 1835 to 40, when Jona. Mardin came
to occupy the stand.
The foregoing facts, relating to the Physicians
of Skowhegan and Bloomfield, were principally
furnished by Eusebius Weston, Esq.
Norridgewock, — The first doctor in Nor-
ridgewock, was " Old Granny Whitcomb," as
she was familiarly called, who flourished from
1775 to 178- She lived under the hill on the
south side of the river, near the residence of
Mr. Norton. She was very much relied
on in certain cases, and practised considerably
until the advent of
Zebulon Oilman, who came in 1785. He
was born in New Hampshire, and built the first
framed house in Norridgewock. He did a large
business, was much respected, and died Octo-
ber 17, 1826, aged 67 years. He carried the
first mail ever transported through this region.
He afterward relinquished the business to his
brother, Mr. Peter Gilman.
Abel Ware of Groton, father of John Ware,
came here in 1784, and practised considerably
during the few months of his visit.
John Harlow came about the year 1 795, and
enjoyed an extensive practice. He was regard-
ed as a very scientific practitioner. He died
June 9, 1824, aged 54 years.
Spencer Pratt was here one year, in 1804 - 5.
Amos Townsend settled in Norridgewock in
1809. He gave the land occupied by the
29
338 MISCELLANEOUS.
South Burial Ground, and has been long and
favorably known.
Joseph Bachelder came from Fayette, settled
in 1815, and died here in December, 1817.
John Boutelle was here in 1818-19.
James Bates was born in Maine, and came
to Norridgewock in 1819. He was a surgeon
of much repute, was a member of Congress in
1832 - 3, and is now presiding over the Insane
Asylum at Augusta. He was surgeon in the
war of 1812, and Surgeon- General in the Aroos-
took difficuUy.
James Goodwin, from Berwick, was here
about six months, in 1819, and went to Athens,
and is now in Saco.
William Fairfield was in town from 1819-25.
He was an inmate of the jail for a period of
time, and died a few years since in Exeter.
John Adams practised a short time here in
1821-2.
John S. Lynde was born in Vermont, and
came to Norridgewock in 1827. He is a med-
ical writer of excellent standing, and a poet of
considerable merit.
Nyron Bates was here, and enjoyed a fair
share of practice as a physician, in 1829 -32.
Jesse Taylor, a Thompsonian practitioner,
remained here for a few years, about 1834 -44,
when he died.
Charles E. Townsend was born in Norridge-
wock, and began to practise in the town
in 1838.
George Gurley practised in Norridgewock
from 1845-8. He now resides in Canaan.
MISCELLANEOUS. 339
George W. Eastman was in town a short
time in 1S45.
Theodore W. Lyman resided in Norridge-
wock six months in 1848.
Many of the data relating to the Physicians
of Norridgewock, were famished by David
Danforth, Esq.
Amos A. Mann was born in this State, settled
in Mercer about 1841, removed to Bloomfield
in 1848, and established "Mann's Family
Physician and Literary jNIiscellany," the same
year, in Norridgewock, and also the " Down
East Screamer." His practice is probably as
extensive as that of any physician in Maine.
His calls are from all quarters of New England,
and the published accounts of his cures are
truly wonderful. He resides in Bloomfield,
and is understood to have a medical work in
the press, developing his system of practice.
Miles Williams, a colored gentleman, resides
in Norridgewock, and practises physic.
Canaan. — Hans P. Hobbs settled in Canaan
in 1821, and died in 1831.
Sullivan Holman settled in Canaan in 1829,
and died in 1841.
Reuben Y. Atwood settled in Canaan in 1840,
and died in 1844.
Thomas H Merrill settled in Canaan in 1844,
and removed in 1846.
Rufus M. Chase settled in Canaan in 1844,
and now practises there.
Asa Johnson settled in Canaan in 1847, and
left in 1849.
George Gurley settled in Canaan in 1849.
340 MISCELLANEOUS.
Starks. ^ — Theophilus Hopkins, from Farm-
ington, the first Pliysican in Starks, settled in
1794 - 6, and remained twelve or fom'teen years,
removed to the Penobscot.
Timothy Barnes from Vermont came about
1800, and remained eight or ten yeats.
Dr. Whittemore came from New Hampshire
about IS 10, and remained five or six years,
when he went uj) to Farmington or Chesterville.
Briggs came about 1813, and remained one
or two years.
William Ingalls came about 1814, and re-
mained about twenty years.
James Varnum was born in Dracut, Mass.,
and settled in Starks in 1824. He has occupied
a very prominent poshion in the town, and has
enjoyed a large practice.
College Graduates born in the five towns,
WITH THEIR professions, PRESENT PLACES OF
abode, &c. — Norridgeicoch. Hon. Cullen Saw-
telle, Attorney, Representative in Congress,
Norridgewock ; Graduated at Bowdoin, in 1825.
Rev. Stephen Allen, graduated at Bowdoin,
1835, is a Methodist clergyman in Augusta.
Rev. Charles Allen, graduated at Bowdoin, in
1839, is a Methodist clergyman in Portland.
Stephen and Charles are children of Wilham
Allen, Esq. t Hon. Volney E. Howard, Attor-
ney, has been editor of the Mssissipian, and
pursued an eventful career, having fought two
^ Joseph Holbrook furnished many of the following dates,
t Albert Allen, another son of William Allen, Esq., died in
1841. He was a young man of much promise.
MISCELLANEOUS. 341
duels, one with Hon. S. S. Prentiss, and one with
Governor McNutt, — judge in Texas, &c. Rev.
Sampson Powers, clergyman, graduated at
Waterville in 1845, now resides in Winthrop.
Horatio Q. Wheeler, Attorney, graduated at
Bowdoin in 1845, now in Evansville, Indiana.
Solomon Bixby, graduated in Waterville in
1849. Bloomjield. Samuel Farrar, AVaterville,
1826, Bangor, Merchant. Samuel McLellan,
Waterville, 1828, Dexter, Lawyer. Joseph
Baker, Bowdoin, 1836, Augusta, Lawyer. Dan-
iel Dole, Bowdoin, 1836, Sandwich Islands,
Missionary. Nathan Dole, Bowdoin, 1836,
Clergyman, Brewer. Stephen Coburn, Water-
ville, 1839, Skowhegan, Lawyer. ^ Arthur F.
Drinkwater, Waterville, 1840, Bluehill, Lawyer,
Isaiah Dole, Bowdoin, 1840, Bloomfield, Teach-
er. Alonzo Coburn, Waterville, 1841, Skow-
hegan, Lawyer. Samuel Coburn, Waterville,
1841, Bloomfield, Merchant. Henry McLellan,
Waterville, 1842, New York city, Merchant.
Edmund Pearson, Bowdoin, 1843, Machias,
Merchant. Joseph W. Weston, Bowdoin, 1843,
Bloomfield, Teacher. Charles Coburn, Water-
ville, 1844, died November, 1844. Skoivhegan.
Samuel A. Bickford, Bowdoin, 1847, Skowhe-
gan, Lawyer. Henry B. Neil, Bowdoin, 1847,
Skowhegan, Merchant, t
The different Citizens who have won the
TITLE of " Honorable." Hon. Eleazer Coburn,
of Skowhegan, was a member of the State
* A resident of Bloomfield at the time of graduating,
t The list of graduates in Skowhegan and Bloomfield, was
furnished by Stephen Coburn, Esq.
29*
342 ]\IISCELLANEOUS.
Senate. He died January 9, 1845, aged 68
years. He was much distinguished in the
County of Somerset, and died very much la-
mented. Hon. Abner Coburn, of Skowhegan,
has been a member of the State Senate. Hon.
Wilham Jones, of Norridgewock, was for sever-
al years the Judge of Probate. He died in 1812.
Hon. Milford P. Norton of Canaan, was a
member of the State Senate. He now resides
in Texas. Hon. Bryce McLellan, of Canaan,
was a member of the first bench of Somerset
County, and for seven years after, Judge of
Probate. He died September 29, 1836, aged 74
years. Hon. Samuel Weston was a member
of the State Senate. Hon. Seth Currier was
Judge of Probate previous to removing to
Bloomfield, and was a member of the Senate of
Maine. Hon. David Kidder of Skowhegan,
was a member of the 18th and 19th Congresses,
from this District, has filled other important
trusts, and occupies an elevated position in
community. Hon. Warren Preston, of Nor-
ridgewock, was for several years Judge of Pro-
bate for Somerset, an office the duties of which
he discharged with integrit}^ He resides in
Bangor. Hon. Asa Clarke of Norridgewock,
was a member of Gov. Dunlap's Council, and
Register of Deeds for Somerset for 25 years,
and Presidential Elector in 1848. Hon. Went-
worth Tuttle of Canaan was a member of the
Governor's Council. Hon. John H. Smith, of
Starks, was a member of the State Senate.
Hon. Jonas ParUn of Skowhegan, was a
member of the Governor's Council, and
MISCELLANEOUS. 343
a member of tlie State Senate. Hon. Cullen
Sawtelle was a member of the State Senate,
and member of the 29th and 3 1st Congresses.
Hon. John S. Tenney has filled a seat on the
bench of the Supreme Court of Maine, for seA^er-
al years. Hon. James Bates was a member of
Congress m 1832 - 3. Hon. Levi Johnson was
a member of the State Senate. Hon. Cyrns
Fletcher, was a member of the State Senate.
Hon. Joseph Barrett was a member of the State
Senate. Hon. Drummond Farnsworth was
Judge of Probate for Somerset, and a member
of the State Senate.
Associations, Institutions, &c. — Skowhegan
Bank, situated on Skowhegan Island, in Bloom-
field, was incorporated March 4, 1833. Capital,
$75,000; Discount day, Monday. First Offi-
cers, — Samuel Weston, President ; Samuel
Philbrick, Cashier; Samuel Weston, Isaac Far-
rar, J. G. Neil, Abner Coburn, Edmund Pear-
son, John Ware, and Calvin Selden, Directors.
Somerset Mutual Fire Insurance Co., Incor-
porated February 25, 1829. First Officers,
— John G. Neil, President; James Dinsmoor,
Secretary and Treasurer ; John G. Neil, James
Dinsmoor, Samuel Philbrick, Edmund Pearson
and Brooks Dascomb, Directors.
Free Masons. — Somerset Lodge ; Charter-
ed January 11, 1821, at Norridgewock, now
in Skowhegan ; 50 members. First Officers, —
James Bates, Master ; Warren Preston, S. AV. ;
Drummond Farnsworth, J. W. ; Richard Saw-
telle, T. ; Samuel Sylvester, S. ; Milford P.
Norton, S. D. ; Eusebius Weston, J. D.
344 MISCELLANEOUS.
Odd Fellows. — Somerset and Franklin
Lodge, No. 21 ; Instituted in January, 1845, in
Norridgewock ; 75 members. First Officers,
F. W. Mooers, N. G. ; L. M. Stillman, V. G. ; J.
P. Emerson, S. ; E. D. Johnson, T. ; D. Hinkley,
W. ; J. Trask, C.
Sons of Temperance. — Skowhegan D ivi-
sion. No. 66 ; Instituted February 25, 1847 ; 102
members. First Officers, James Savage, AV.P. ;
George W. King, W. A. ; Charles K. Turner,
R S. ; John K. Morrison, A. R. S. ; Moses Little-
field, F. S.
Daughters of Temperance. — Washington
Union, No. 18; Instituted March 15, 1848, in
Skowhegan ; 40 members. First Officers, —
P. S., Mary Daggett ; S. A., Angeline L. Hard-
ing ; R. S., Irena Savage ; A. II. S., Mary C.
Paine ; F. S., Elizabeth A. Boyce ; T., Caroline
R. Littlefield.
The Skowhegan Washingtonian Temper-
ance Society was formed with nine members,
in September, 1841, and a building two stories
high, and 24 by 41 feet, was immediately pro-
jected. It was finished in the course of the
year, and has been used by the society, and
rented to others. A school is kept in the lower
story.
Norridgewock Female Academy was incor-
porated in April, 1837, and is admirably adapted
to study. It has educated many who are now
on the stage of life, performing its active duties.
It is in a delightful location. The land was
given by Dr. A. Townsend, who conveyed it in
such a manner, that it reverts to him or his
MISCELLANEOUS. 345
heirs, whenever it ceases to be a literary insti-
tution.
Bloomfield Academy was incorporated in
February, 1807, and is a fine institution. It is
in a brick building, which will accommodate
one hundred scholars. It is admirably located,
and is a charming place for study.
Sons of Temperance. — Carabasset Division,
No. 49 ; Canaan. Instituted November 26, 1846 ;
Rufus M. Chase, W. P. ; Hon. Joseph Barrett,
W. A. ; Charles Robinson, R S. ; C. A. Hobbs,
A. R S. ; Hiram Burrill, F. S. ; Samuel Rollins,
T. ; 55 members.
There is in Norridgewock an Internal Im-
provement Society, whose object is to beautify
the village by adorning it with trees. It was
organized in 1837, and many of the young
trees in the villages and burial grounds are
monuments of its taste. It is an example
to every town.
Odd Fellows, Carabasset Lodge, No. 84,
Skowhegan; 100 members. Instituted Janu-
ary 1, 1846. James B. Dascomb, N. G. ; Alex.
H. Gilman, V. G. ; Samuel W. Weston, S. ;
Samuel D. Arnold, T.
There was formerly a social library in Nor-
ridgewock, and another has recently been
started. Winter Lyceums, and other associa-
tions designed for human improvement, are
frequent and valuable. Temperance, Peace,
and Anti-Slavery societies are existent.
County Officers, &c. — Somerset County
was organized March 1, 1809, and after can-
346 MISCELLANEOUS.
vassing the merits of Anson, Canaan, and
Norridgewock for shire towns, the choice fell
on Norridgewock.^ The court held its ses-
sions, for several years, in the large wooden
building opposite the house and store of Joseph
Baker. The bell which was exhumed at Old
Point, was hung on a joist at the corner of the
house, and was rung to call the court together.
In 1810, the present comfortable and commo-
dious jail was built, and in 1820, the court-
house was erected at an expense of about
$4000. Repairs and additions were made in
1847, for about $3,000. It is now a beautiful
building, admirably located, and well adapted
to the uses to which it is put. The Probate
office was erected in 1810, and is conveniently
situated.
There is, proportionally, a large amount of
htigation in Somerset County, as in all lumber-
ing counties. Criminal cases, however, are
somewhat rare. There have iDcen but three
capital trials, and in each case the prisoner was
acquitted. Adaline Taylor, alias Joy, of Mercer,
was tried in 1828, for the murder of Warren P.
Taylor, an infant ; Gridley T. Parkman, of St.
Albans, was tried in 1837, for poisoning his
wife ; and John Ferguson, of Haverhill, was
tried in 1845, for the murder of Jefferson
Spalding.t
* The late John Ware was very strenuous in his efforts to have
the Courts sit in Norridgewock. He said that he was willing
the other towns should have all that belonged to them. Being
asked what that was, he replied, " the gallows rope to Anson,
and the whipping post to Canaan." In 1809, the court held its
sessions in the meeting-house.
t Llewellyn Kidder, Esq.
miscellaneous. 347
First Bench of the Supreme Court.^ —
Prentiss Mellen, of Portland, Chief Justice;
William P. Preble of Portland ; Nathan Wes-
ton, Jr., of Augusta.
Subsequent Judges. — Albion K. Parris, of
Portland ; Nicholas Emery, of Portland ; Ether
Shepley, of Portland ; John S. Tenney, of Nor-
ridgewock ; Ezekiel Whitman, of Portland ;
Samuel Wells, of Portland ; and Joseph How-
ard, of Portland.
Court of Common Pleas. First Bench. —
Beza Bryant, of Anson ; Bryce McLellan, of
Canaan ; Andrew Crosswell, of Mercer.f
Subsequent Judges. — Benjamin Ames, of
Bath ; Nathan Weston, Jr., of Augusta ; Eben-
ezer Thatcher, ofThomaston; Josiah Stebbins,
of Alna ; % Samuel E. Smith, of Wiscasset ;
Sanford Kingsbury, of HalJowell ; David Per-
ham, of Brewer ; Ezekiel Whitman, of Port-
land ; John Buggies, of Thomaston ; Asa Red-
ington, Jr., of Augusta ; Richard D. Bice, of
Augusta.
Clerks of the Court.^ — William Jones,
of Norridgewock, 1809 - 12 ; William Allen, Jr.,
of Industry, 1813-24; Nahum Baldwin, of
Starks ; James Dinsmore, of Anson, 1825 —
June, 1832 ; Elias Cobb, of Anson, September,
1832 — June, 1834; Joshua Gould, of Nor-
^ Llewellyn Kidder, Esq.
t It is said that the aggregate weight of the first bench in
Somerset, was exactly 300 lbs. It was, however, muUum in
parvo.
I The first court business transacted in the name of the State
of Maine, was March 16, 1820. The first session of the State
Legislature, was June 6, 1821.
348 MISCELLANEOUS.
ridgewock, September, 1834 — March, 1838;
1839 — March, 1841 ; June, 1843 — November,
1846 ; Cyrus Fletcher, of Norridgewock, June,
1838 - 1839 ; June, 1841 — March, 1843 ; John
Kerswell, of Skowhegan, 1847 ; Llewellyn Kid-
der, of Skowhegan, 1848.
PuGBATE Judges.^ — WilUam Jones, of Nor-
ridgewock ; Bryce McLellan, of Canaan ; War-
ren Preston, of Norridgewock ; Drummond
Farnsworth, of Norridgewock ; Charles Greene,
of Athens.
Probate Registers, t — James Waugh, of
Starks ; Samuel Weston, of Bloomfield ; Benja-
min Shepard, of Bloomfield ; WilHam Has-
kell, of Anson; James Dinsmore, of Anson;
Joshua Gould, of Norridgewock; Cullen Saw-
telle, of Norridgewock ; William Allen, of Nor-
ridgewock; Thomas C. Jones, of Norridgewock.
County Treasurers.^ — Mark S. Blunt, of
Norridgewock ; John Loring, of Norridgewock ;
Daniel Steward, of Canaan ; Joseph Philbrick,
of Skowhegan ; John C. Page, of Norridge-
wock ; William B. Morrill, of Skowhegan ;
Henry S. Tobey, of Fairfield.
Registers of Deeds, t — Amos Townsend,
of Norridgewock, 1809 — November, 1817 ; Ja-
bez P. Bradbury, of Athens, November, J 817 —
March, 1822; Asa Clark, of Norridgewock,
March, 1822 — March, 1847; William Tit-
comb, of New Portland, March, 1847.
Richard Sawtelle, of Norridgewock, first
Sheriff.
=* Llewellyn Kidder, Esq. ] T. C. Jones, Esq.
X William Titcomb, Esq.
MISCELLANEOUS. 349
Bridges. — The people of Norridgewock and
Canaan depended on ferries to cross the Ken-
nebec previous to 1810. Dea. John Clark
established one near his house in 1777, and it
continued until a bridge was erected. Since
that time, in the absence of a bridge, the ferry
has been continued, and in 1847 another was
established, opposite the store of Blunt and
Turner.
The first bridge stood in the place occupied
by the present unfinished structure, and was
opened Oct. 31, 1810. It cost $3,000, and was
built for the proprietors by Mr. William Sylvester.
On the 25th day of the following March, on the
breaking up of the ice, one of the piers was car-
ried ofi' and the bridge very much injured, about
two hundred feet having been destroyed. It
was, however, repaired in December, at an ex-
pense of $1,200, and remained, doing good ser-
vice, until it met its final destruction, March
26, 1826.
Efforts were soon made to erect a second
bridge, and Mr. Amos Fletcher finished it in
April, 1828, at a cost of $7,200. It stood be-
iow, nearly opposite the Court House. Its ex-
istence was short, and March 31, 1831, it bade
us a final farewell.
The third occupied the site of the first, and
was completed by Hon. Drummond Farns-
worth, at a cost of about $4,700, in September,
1835. It soon followed the "example of its
illustrious predecessor," and, leaving a wreck
behind, ceased to exist as a bridge, January 31,
1839.
30
850 MISCELLANEOUS.
In September, of the same year, Mr. Fariis-
worth, as agent of the proprietors, built the
fourth bridge, at a cost of between S4,000 and
S5,000. Part of the material of the former
bridge was used in its construction, and it ar-
rived at a very considerable age — for a Nor-
ridgewock bridge. It took French leave March
26, 1846.
The proprietors employed Messrs. B. and N.
Weston, in the fall of 1848, to build bridge No.
5, at a cost of $11,000. It was designed to be
a strong structure. The piers were to be of
solid granite, and an abutment of the same
material on each shore was thought to be an
immovable foundation. The bridge was to be
of that description called " X work." The stone
work was finished, and the bridge had passed
to the second pier, when, on the night of March
29th, 1849, a small body of ice moved against
the false bridge, and laid the wood work a
waste of ruin. On the following day, March
80, the whole field of ice, from the bridge to
Bomazeen Rips, began to move, and imme-
diately it prostrated the northern pier. The
proprietors soon re-commenced operations, and
a fine bridge will be finished in the winter of
1849-50, at a cost of about §13,000.
The first bridge paid its expenses, but the
rest, up to the last, have been a dead loss to
the proprietors, of $11,000, besides tolls.
It is said by the "oldest inhabitants," that no
bridge ever withstood the ice if it moved ofi^in
March. Its power is irresistible, and its gran-
deur unimasfinable. It was the writer's fortune
i
MISCELLANEOUS. 351
to see the breaking up of the ice, and the de-
struction of tiie bridge in 1849. Tlie ice had
formed in the preceding winter to the thick-
ness of two and a half feet, and a violent rain
for several days had loosened it from the shores,
raised the river considerably, and in some
places broken it up somewhat. All day the
large floating cakes had been drawn under the
immense field above the bridge, and as they
struck the ice over them, and as the rapidly
rising waters broke the great body, the hollow,
booming sound filled the ear like distant thun-
der. Several times the vast field started, and,
after accumulating on the shores and in the
eddies, would stop, as if to gather strength. At
length, at about six o'clock, the grand march
commenced. With a steady, stately, but irre-
sistible movement, it passed down the river.
All obstacles gave way before it. Trees, deep-
rooted and gigantic, were torn up by the roots
and borne like playthings by the mighty wa-
ters. As they struck the northern pier, the iron
bands confining the rocks were sundered like
flax in a candle's blaze, and the granite rocks
forming the pier, many of them weighing sev-
eral tons, were hurled from their resting-places,
or borne away on the ice, that moved on, re-
gardless of their vast weight. It was an exhi-
bition of the wildness, the grandeur, and power
of Nature, when conflicting with the feeble
works of human art.
But the sublimity of the scene was height-
ened at the Falls of Skowhegan. The huge
body of ice bore down in w^ild majesty against
352 MISCELLANEOUS.
the rocky island, as if to overwhelm it, and the
island, indignant at the assault, crushed the
huge mass, which parted, and passed on over
the falls. Fallen trees, logs, and earth, plowed
from the shores, went over in wild confusion,
and the roar filled the ear of the spectator. Af-
ter the passage over the cataract, the logs were
tossed to and fro in strange disorder, in some
instances protruding from the water twenty and
thirty feet, as if striving to escape the watery
grave. It was a scene which no pen can ade-
quately describe, but which to be admired was
but to be seen.
Efforts were made in 1795 to erect a bridge
at Skowhegan, but the first bridge in Old
Canaan, across the Kennebec, was chartered
in 1808, for Isaac Beale and Wm. B. Shaw.
It was to be of "Merchantable Boards," nailed
one upon another so as to break joints, with
wrought nails. AVhen about eight courses of
planks had been laid, the whole affair fell of its
own w^eight, and the enterprise was abandoned.
The Skowhegan bridge is built from an island
in the Kennebec to each shore, and thus con-
nects Bloomfield and Skowhegan. It was first
built by William Weston, Esq., of Norridge-
wock, at a cost of $5,500, in the year 1809.
With a few slight interruptions it has been kept
open for tolls since.
Besides these there are several bridges in
different portions of the five towns, as across
the Wesserrunsett, Fifteen Mile stream, Lee-
man stream, and other smaller brooks.
Newspapers. The Somerset Journal was
MISCBLLANEOUS. 353
established May 15, 1823, at Norridgewock, by
Edes and Copeland. $2 per annum. In Jane,
1841, it took the name of the People's Press,
and in 1845 it was removed to Skowhegan.
During several months in 1843, it bore the
name of The Working Man, and was pubHshed
hj H. P. Pratt, and W. D. Gould. The present
. pubhsher and editor, H. P. Pratt, has pubUshed
vthe paper since the year 1844.
"v In August, 1828, the Democratic Somerset
RejMblican was estabhshed at Norridgewock, at
$2 per annum ; the name was changed to The
Skowhegan Sentinel, Dec. 12, 1831, and tlie office
removed to Milburn. By A. Wyman and Son.
In Oct. 1838, it was commenced by Littlefield
; iiid Hill, and Oct. 8, 1840, J. D. Hill published
^ it six months, ending April 8, 1841.
■'In July, 1841, the Skowhegan Clarion was
commenced by Moses Littlefield, the present
I ^editor and publisher.
::-rJ/' ' The Family Physician and Literary 31iscellany
Wy^. established in December, 1847, by Dr. A.
r|i|-.i$^gier Mann, and it ceased to exist at the end
^•;.pf one year. In May, 1849, the Physician and
%^own East Screamer was established. Dr. A. A.
■•".Mann editor and publisher.
• •;/ The Kennebec varies considerably in closing
./tod opening. The following seven years will
. fgi:^e a fair view.
•' ■ ;.?Ijr''^ Eiver closed. Kiver opened.
I^ft 1819 Dec. 5 April 13
;--^'S^/ V1820 Nov. 29 " 15
W-1821 '' 30 "• 11
■■::■:■ 1822 Dec. 7 March 27
••; 30*
354 MISCELLANEOUS.
1823 Nov. 14 Aprii 9
1824 " 15 March 27
1825 Dec. 11 April 4
This refers to the condition of the river at
Augusta. It opens later and closes earlier as
we travel north.
Since 1786 the river has not been obstructed
by ice after April 20th. The average for 45
years, was as follows : closing, Dec. 12th ; open-
ing, April 11th. The most remarkable years
were 1792, when the river closed up Nov. 4th,
and did not open until April 1st; and 1832,
when it closed Jan. 10, and opened April 13.
In 1843, opened April 22; 1844, April 13;
1845, April 22; 1846, March 27; 1847, April
26; 1849, March 30.
Weather, Casualties, &:c. — In May, 1779,
there was a terrible tornado, which did im-
mense damage throughout the entire State.
The darkness was only relieved by constant
flashes of most terrific hghtning.^
In 1780, for forty days, thirty-one of which
were in March, there was no thaw on the south
side of any house. Teams passed over the
walls in every direction.!
May 19, 1780, was the famous Dark Day.
Time could not be ascertained by watches,
common print could not be read without a
light ; birds retired to roost, and everything
wore the appearance of night. This phe-
nomenon was caused by a dense stratum of
clouds.
* Williamson'd History of Maine. f History of Dan vers.
MISCELLANEOUS. 355
The winter of 1784 was remarkable for its
intense cold.^
In April, 1785, three feet of snow fell.t
March 13, 1787, there were five feet of snow
in the woods.J
August 26, 1787, at 4 o'clock, p. m., a ball of
fire was seen, by most of the settlers of Maine,
flying through the air, in a south-westerly di-
rection, and it was heard suddenly to explode
three times in quick succession. Buildings
were shaken by the report, which was heard as
far east as Frenchman's Bay, and as far west as
Fryeburgh.
June 16, 1795, there was a great frost that
cut down all vegetation.§
In the winter of 1795, Isaac Russell was
killed near Skowhegan Falls, by a loaded sled
passing over him. He left a wife and several
children.
John Smith, Esq., Deputy Sheriff and Tax
Collector for Canaan, attempted to cross the
ferry, which previous to the erection of the
bridge, was just above the Falls in Skowhe-
gan, on a night in August, 1803. There was
a strong freshet, and Mr. Smith, with his horse
in the boat, found 4iimself unable to manage it.
He shrieked for assistance, and awoke David
Parkman, who made every possible effort to
save him, in vain. His horse leaped into the
water and swam to the shore. The boat was
swept over the cataract, and Mr. Smith was
drowned. His body was found a few days af-
terwards, on one of the islands.
* Williamson's History of Maine. t lb.
$ Melzar Lindsay. § Workingman.
356 MISCELLANEOUS.
June 10 and 11, 1823, there was a great
frost, which froze the ground and destroyed
beans, cucumbers, &c.^ There was also quite
a shock from an earthquake on the lOth.t
There was a severe drought in the latter
part of July, 18234
Sunday evening, October 12, 1823, the dwel-
ling house of Mr. John Whitman, of Milburn,
was discovered to be on fire. The parents
were attending a lecture. There were five
children burned to death, aged 20, 19, 16, 12,
and 6 years.
The house of Peter W. Gould, in Norridge-
wock, and all its contents burned, February 17,
1824.
March, 1825, John McGuire frozen to death;
aged 30.
A tavern belonging to Mr. Bangs, in Canaan,
was burned, in May, 1826.
Tuesday, May 16, 1826, thermometer 96^;
frost the next night.
Cyrus Kidder, aged 36, and Ellis Tobey,
aged 22 years, Avere drowned in Martin stream,
May 16, 1826. They had been washing sheep,
and were bathing, when Tobey ventured be-
yond his depth. Kidder endeavored to save
him, and both perished.
The dysentery prevailed and proved very
fatal, in 1827.
The dwelling house of Captain Eben Heald
was burned in April, 1827.
Li July, 1827, Adaline Joy, thirteen years
* Somerset Journal. f lb. $ lb.
MISCELLANEOUS. 357
old, murdered Warren P. Taylor, aged three
years. They were both paupers in the town
of Starks, in the family of Andrew Lovell. —
First capital trial in Somerset County.
In July, ] 822, Peter Heywood, the first set-
tler of Canaan, was killed by falling from a
wagon, near Sawtelle's mills, Norridgewock.
In May, IS 32, occurred the greatest freshet
ever known on the Kennebec. It rained 70
hours, and the water rose so high as to flow
over the roads in Norridgewock village. It rain-
ed incessantly the whole time, and the damage
on the river was immense, especially in Nor-
ridgewock, Skowhegan and Bloomfield. Mills,
bridges, and other property were destroyed to a
large amount.
Malbon mills burnt, February 27, 1843 ; loss
$3,000. Hon. Joseph Barrett suffered severely.
The " cold fever " raged in the winter of 1811,
and proved very fatal.
The Piper family drowned on Death Rock,^
about 1813. June 8, 1816, there was a very
cold and bitter snow storm. The winter of
1816-17 was so very cold and the spring so
backward, that the crops were very short. Grain
was so scarce that hardly enough was raised in
some parts of the State for seed. The Western
fever had begun to rage, and in consequence
of the backward season and the favorable ac-
* This rock was situated in the Kennebec, about one mile be-
low the great eddy. It was so placed as to be invisible, and
yet a boat was certain of being swamped by passing over it.
Many persons perished by it. It was suddenly removed, either
by ice or logs, and cannot now be found.
858 ]\nSCELLANEOUS.
counts from the West, it has been estimated
that fifteen thousand people emigrated.
Friday, June 22, 1849, Avill be known as the
hot day in Maine. According to a thermome-
ter which had liung in one place in the shade
fifteen years, it was the hottest day during that
time. Tiie mercury stood at 86 at 7; 96 at 10;
100 at 1 ; 102 at 2 ; 100 at 3 ; 99 at 4 ; 95 at 5 ;
92 at 6 o'clock. It was 131 in the sun. It
was 103 at Dexter, and 102 at Bangor and Au-
gusta. Nearly all labor Avas suspended.
Several days in April, 1825, the moon and
stars were visible at noon-day.^
July 4, 1828, London McKechnie drowned,
at Skowhegan Falls.
^*f Joseph W. Stevens was drowned at the
Skowhegan Ferry, Oct. 29, 1831, aged 24. He
Avas thrown out of the Ferry Boat by the un-
shipping of an oar.
Capt. Timothy Homestead, Nov. 2, 1831, was
drowned below Skowhegan Falls, by the part-
ing of a raft. Also, at Starks, Nov. 8, Gil-
more.
The year 1831 is memorable as giving the
best crop of wheat and corn ever known in
Somerset Coiinty.t In the following winter a
terrible mortality prevailed among sheep and
cattle. A fly deposited an egg in the ear or
nostril, from which a maggot was produced
which destroyed thousands. The year 1832 is
remarkable for the introduction of the Asiatic
* Hist, of Danvers. f Melzar Lindsay, Esq.
MISCELLANEOUS. 359
Cholera into this country. Many epidemics
prevailed this year in Maine. In the winter of
1835-6, hay was so scarce that some people
were obliged to give their cattle flour. The
deaths by starvation were very numerous. In
the year 1838, the wife of Elder Jonathan
Stewart, in Bloomfield, was killed by lightning.
Crosby Myrick drowned, Sibly's pond, Ca-
naan, Nov. 28, 1839.
Albion Hayden, drowned, above Skowhegan
Falls, June 21, 1840, agad 19.
Miss Mary Bigelow, 33 years of age. Bloom-
field, killed by being thrown from a wagon.
Harriet W. Weston, daughter of Eusebius
Weston, Esq., burnt to death, Sept. 30, 1842.
The body of a woman was found at Bloom-
field, in th3 river, very much decayed, in the
Spring of 1843. Jan'y 28, 1844, thermometer
38 degrees below zero.
July 15, 1845, Patrick Brown drowned at
Skowhegan, 31 years of age.
The winter of 1847-8 was remarkably mild.
Very little snow fell, and the weather was very
warm. Small pox in Canaan, in the winter of
1845-6.
WilUamson mentions January, 1810, and
February, 1817, as being very cold, when the
thermometer ranged during two days of each
month, at 11, 15, and 16 deg. below zero. But
February 15 and 16, 1849, it was 26 and 30
deg. below, besides several other very cold
days. Probably no previous year within the
memory of the "oldest inhabitant" had so
many cold days in succession, as the year 1849.
860 MISCELLANEOUS.
Feb. 23, 1843, the thermometer was 32 deg. be-
low, and the wind a hurricane.^
Prices. — Prices in 1779: W. I Rum, $26
per gall; N. E. Eum, $20; Molasses, $20;
Coffee, $3 per lb. ; Brown sugar, $250 per cwt. ;
Chocolate, $4 per lb ; Bohea tea, $26 ; Salt $45
per bushel; Indian Corn, $22; Rye, $30;
Wheat, $45; Beef, $1,25 per lb.; Mutton, 80 cts;
Butter, 2,33 cts. ; Milk, 50 cts. per qt. ; Hay, $10
per cwt.; Iron, $150 per cwt. These prices
remind us of those in California in the present
year. The inflated paper currency of that day
explains the extravagant prices. A Convention
was holden in Concord this year, to take meas-
ures to subdue the exorbitant prices, and
Gideon Putnam of Danvers was posted in the
" public newspapers," for breaking a resolution
of the Convention. He sold some cheese at
$1,50 per lb.! These prices are explained
when we remember that one dollar in silver or
gold, was equal to forty in paper.
A few years served to lessen prices consider-
ably, as will appear by
Samuel Weston^ sf Justice Records. [The cur-
rency was changed July 5, 1795, from pounds
to dollars.]
Bryce McLellan's store at AVesserrunsett, in
1784:—
Rum, 65. %d. per gallon. Is. 8d. per quart;
Molasses, 45. per gallon ; Bohea tea, 125. per
pound ; coffee, 25. per pound ; wheat, 85. 9d.
per bushel; salt pigeons, lOd. per dozen; day's
work, 25. and 25. 6d.
* Skowhegan Clarion. \ Eusebius Weston, Esq.
MISCELLANEOUS. 361
Samuel Weston's store, 1787: —
Corn, 65. per bushel ; beans, 85. per bushel ;
wheat, Ss. per bushel; peas, Ss. per bushel;
cider, Is. 6d. per gallon ; hay, Ss. per cwt. ; glass,
£3 125. per 100 feet. 1792 — Corn, 5s. per
bushel ; wheat, 6s. per bushel ; rum, 45. 9d. per
gallon ; wool-cards, 4^. each. 1795 — Tea, 4s.
Gd. per pound ; powder, 85*. per pound ; cotton,
45. per pound; brandy, 125. per gallon; W. I.
rum, I65. per gallon ; Molasses, 75. per gallon.
The low value of paper money at the time
this region was settled, introduced much incon-
venience and trouble. In 1778, a pair of stock-
ings or a shu't was $6, and a pair of shoes $7 ;
and in Falmouth, in June, 1779, corn sold for
$35 per bushel ; molasses, $16 per gallon ; wheat
meal, $75 per bushel ; tea, $19 per pound. All
the ordinary articles of use were forbidden to
be carried from the State, for any purpose what-
ever. One town voted in 1780, to purchase
1,780 pounds of beef, at $5 per pound.^
Statistics. — The wealth of the towns and
their condition generally, may be learned in the
following summary :
Value of real estate, $925,095 ; value of tax-
able property, $1,324,186 ;t State valuation,
1845, $950,606 ; value of real estate established
by the Legislature, in 1841, $890,553 ; total
acres of land, 88,646 ; covered with water,
1,428; occupied byroads, 1,782; waste land,
8,676; unimproved, 31,306; woodland, 13,519 ;
* Williamson's History of Maine, vol. ii.
t It will be remembered that this is the amount returned to
be taxed. It falls under the true value.
31
352 MISCELLANEOUS.
pasturage, 12,679 ; natural meadow, 297 ; mow-
ing, 11,169 ; tillage, 7,499 ; No. of polls, 1667 ;
dwelling houses, 1,056; barns, 1,171; stores,
shops, &c., 79 ; other buildings, 429 ; population
in 1840, 7,480; State tax, in 1841, $3,184.21;
3 printing offices, all in Skowhegan.
It was intended to give a complete statistical
statement of the towns for 1850, but the great
labor of the undertakhig, coupled with the con-
sideration, that in a few months the census and
valuation will be taken, by the assessors, pre-
vented the effort. The reader can procure the
account when published, and paste it in this
volume.
It may in general be said, that the people of
the towns pursue agricultural avocations in
the main, but that manufactures are gaining
ground. Tanneries, boot and shoe manufac-
tories, an iron foundry, shovel-handle makers,
machine shops, planing mills, carriage manu-
factories, tin- ware makers, &c., arc becoming
prominent in the town. The statistics of 1850
will exhibit the actual condition.
A Record of a part of the Deaths of persons,
aged 50 years and upwards, in the five towns :
Abraham Adams, June 27, 1843, 74, B. ; Mrs. Adams,
February, 1630, 91, N. ; Mrs. Adams, 1811, 105, N. ; Abel
Adams, September, 1844, G2, S'n ; Amos Adams, March,
1844, 98. N.
Lucy Booker, May 3, 1824, 58, S'n ; Lucy Bixby, Sep-
tember 16, 1826, 59, N. ; Moses Bickfbrd, October, 1827,
93, S'ks; James Bigelovv,=^ January 27, 1629, 87,^* B. ;
J-Iumphrey Burrill, January 3, 183-, 81, S'n ; Ruth Brown,
July 25. 1847, 94, S'n ; Thankful Blackwell, April 17, 1847,
75, N. ; Mary Brown, August 11, 1647, 54, N. ; Sarah
Brown, September 11, 1843, 59, S'ks ; David Bunker, De-
MISCELLANEOUS. 363
cember 27, 1841, 79, C. ; Stephen Burgess, April 12, 1844,
76, N.; John Boies, March 17, 1833,72, S'n ; Soloaion
Bixby, September 2, 1835. 72, N. ; Mary Burt, May 30,-
1839,70, S'n; Asa Brown, July 5, 1835, 5o, S'ks ; Wm.
Bray, January 7, 1835, 50, B. ; Mary Burrill, December
25, 1844, 82, S'n ; Ellis Blackvvell, July 29, 1848, 55, N. ;
Mrs. Blackwell, 1838, 75, N. ; Jabez Blackwell,
1838, 78, N. ; Mrs. Bales, 1834, G9, K
Ephraim Carson, February 23, 1832, 70, B, ; James
Clark, March 19, 1632, 61, B. ; Mary Crombie, August 19,
1835, 75, N. ; Eleazar Coburn, January 9, 1845, 68, B. ;
Hannah Chamberlain, June 29, 1840, 61, S'n ; Isaac Car-
son, March 4, 1832, 62, C. ; Lucy Crosby. April 15, 1839,
60, N.; Jo.seph Cushing, February 9, 1830, 61, B. ; Seth
Currier, January 3, 1842, 78, B. ; John Clark,=* September
3, 1832, 80, N.; John A. Chandler, October 2, 1842, 54,
N. ; Judith Cay ford, January 15, 1842, 87, S'n ; Elizabeth
Carson, February, 1828, 73, B. ; Sally Chandler, Septem-
ber 3, 1836, S8, S'ks ; Elizabeth Chase, January, 1848, 87,
S'n ; Keziah Cushing, September 15, 1847, 76, B. ; Robt.
Chase, August 29, 1837, 77, S'n ; John Connor, May 31,
1849, 70, S'n.
W. W. Dinsmoor, July, 1848, 62, N; John Davenport,
April 12, 1826, 86, N. ; Brooks Dascomb,t November 27,
3842, 61, B.; Wigglesv/orth Dole,'^*-^ June 16, 1845,67,
B. ; Mary Dole, March 7, 1827, 85, B. ; Elijah Dutton,
Dec, 24, 1835, 70, S'ks; Reuben Dinsmoor. March 30,
1847, 61, N, ; Ruth Delano, April, 1844, 89, S'ks ; Loomis
Dyre, August 14, 1839, 66, S'n.
Josenh Emery, March 18, 1842, 84, B. ; Benjamin
Eaton,* Mar. 24, 1839, 77, S'n ; Betsey Emery, May, 1839,
81, B. ; Elizabeth Emery, May 26, 1838, 80, B. ; John
Emery, February 26, 1S48, 94, B. ; Hawlev Emerson,
January 6, 1844, 77, N. ; Nathaniel Emery, May 7, 1824,
79, S'ks; Betsey Emery, May, 1839, 81, B.
Israel Fox, August 16, 1848, 65, S'n; John E. French,
Januarys, 1831, 62, S'n; Elizabeth Fairfield, December
30, 1827, 65, N. ; John Frizzle, August 4, 1827, 64, S'ks;
Potter Fish, September, 1841, 81, B. ; William Fletcher,
February 8, 1800, 63, B. ; Widow Fletcher, January 7,
1849, 98, B. ; Nancy Freeman, April 17, 1845, 63, N.;
Rebecca Fairbrother, August 20, 1839,70, S'n; James
Fairbrother, March 21, 1847, 80, S'n ; Tamar Frizzle, De-
364 MISCELLANEOUS.
cember, 1839, 53, S'ks ; Joseph Frederick, March, 1822,'
80, S'ks.
Joseph Greenleaf, February 24, 1814,57, S'ks; Peter
Gilman,* October 3, 1834** 82, N. ; Moriah Gould.*
September 7, 1825, 71, N. ; David Grafiam, September 2,
1844, 51, S'ks ; Lucy Gould, January 3, 1846, 85, N. ; Ze-
bulon Gilman, October 17, 1826, 66, N.; Patty Goodridge,
April 3, 1849, 50, C. ; Sarah Green, December, 1844,75,
S4^s; Mary Goodridge, December 12, 1648, 60, C. ; Jere-
miah Gk)odridge, April 27, 1844, 73, C. ; David Green,
May, 1846, 53, N. ; John-Greenleaf,* June, 1846, 91, S'ks.
Phebe Heald, June 19, 1829, 79, N. ; Elizabeth Heb-
berd, June 24, 1828, 74, S'ks ; Josiah Heald, June 10, 1826,
07, N.; John Harlow, June 9, 1824, 54, N. ; Benjamin
Hilton, March 7, 1802, 62, S'ks; Lucy Heald, Dec. 23,
1846, 87, N.; William Hilton, August 17, 1841, 59, N. ;
Daniel Herrin, April 24, 1849, 50, S'n ; Peter Holbrook,*
April 23, 1842, 88, S'ks ; Lvdia Hartwell, April 1, 1837, 82,
B.; Edward Hart\vell,.t March 30, 1844, 96, B.; Jona.
Hebberd, Sept. 19, 1838,85, S'ks; Daniel Homestead,
May 11, 1838, 71, S'n; Catharine Hey wood, October 12,
1844, 82, B ; Hanson Hight, December 18, 1832, 72, N. ;
Susannah Hilton, January 14, 1820, 75, S'ks ; Peter Hey-
wood, April 3, 1803, 77, B. ; Peter Heywood, Jr., July 17,
1822, 71, B. ; Oliver Heywood, October 13, 1806, 78, B. ;
Betsey Herrin, December 5, 1839, 64, S'n ; Daniel Herrin,
September 9, 1839, 101, Cl'n ; Alvan Howes, January 9,
1847, 72, S'ks ; Martha Ilolbrook, December 7, 1842, 81,
N. ; Betsey Hill, June 17,1849, 69, N. ; Mrs. Hagget,
1836,'80, N. ; Mrs. Hight, 1847, 88, N.
Abraham Ireland, April 9, 1816, 79, B.; Meribah Ire-
land, March 2, 1825, 83, B.
Maximilian Jewett, October 9, 1823, 82, B. ; Sarah
Jenkins, August 1, 1848, 65, S'n ; Fanny Jewell, January
9, 1842,57, C.; Abagail Jenkins, February 8, 1835,60,
S'n ; Jos. Jenkins,* April 26, 1833, 80, S'n ; Betsey John-
son, September 10, 1838, 07, C.; Rebecca Jewett, June
5, 1816, 70, B. ; Sarah C. Jones, February 28, 1833, 71,
N. ; Thomas Jones, November 12, 1841, 75, N. ; Lucy
Jewett, May 14, 1844, 66, N. ; Jeremiah Joy, March, 1847,
67, C ; Timothy Jewett, July 1, 1833, 65, S'n ; Caleb Jew-
ett, 1835, 55, N.
Nicholas Kimball, June 27, 1827, 03, S'ks.
MISCELLANEOUS. 365
Ephraini Lindsay, 1831, 73, N. ; Esther Loomis,
October 5, 183o, 78, S'n ; Rhoda Longley, September 21,
1848, 83, N. ; John Langliton,^ July 2o, 1842, 82, N. ; Sa-
muel Lewis, February 21, 1842, 76, S'n ; Hannah Loring,
September 20, 1841, 56, N. ; Isaac Littlefield, June 24,
1846, 75, N, ; Jemima Longley, January 17, 1814, 82, N. ;
Zachariah Longley, June 1, 1815, 86, N. ; John Laugh-
ton, 1786, 60, N. ; EHsha Lambert, December, 1844,
85, N. ; Samuel Loomis, July 25, 1847, 63, S'n ; Pamelia
Lambert,** January 16, 184*5,78, S'n; Sarah Litilefield,
September, 1845,78, S'n; Nathaniel Lambard,** June 29,
1837, 80, S'n.
Betsey McLellan, March 10, 1835, 69, B ; Bryce Mc-
Lellan, September 29, 1836, 74, B. ; Lydia Mclntyre,
November 14, 1844, 84, B. ; Martha Miller, September 23,
1837, 73, N. ; Phineas Mclntyre,* March 4, 1838, 86, N. ;
Margaret Murray, May 1, 1839, SO, C. ; Patty Moor, July
9, 1839, 69, S'n ; Benj. Moor,* May 15, 1826, 71, N. ; M.
McPhearson, March 13, 1842, 80, N. ; Hannah Mason,
April, 1842, 76, B, ; Daniel Malbon, April 30, 1827, 52,
S'n. ; Betsey Malbon, May 22, 1842, 50, S'n ; Sally Malbon,
March 8, 1815, 67, S'n; Thomas McKechnie, October 9,
1842, 80, N. ; Jabez Morton, April 11, 1824, 83, N. ; Eunice
Moor,tt November 8, 1822, 87, B. ; Lucy Mclntyre, Jan.
19, 1809, 76, B. ; James Malbon, July 25, 1847, 65, S n ;
Aphia Moore, August 2, 1843, 85, S'n ; Nathaniel Malbon,
June 3, 1847, 70, Sn ; James Malbon, April 20, 1808, 68,
S'n; Tilly Mason, Jnne 8, 1847, 87, B. ; Mordecai Moore,
August, 1840, 103, Clinton.
Abijah Nuttin?, October 26, 1827, 50, N. ; Benjamin
Nutting, May, 1843, 62, S'n. ; William Nason, April 3,
1842, 64, C; Mark Nuth, January 17,' 1847, 77, B ; Dan-
iel Nelson, ** February 27, 1837,'75, C. ; Elisabeth Nuth,
July 16, 1840, 73, B. ; Mrs. Nay, October, 1846, 60, S'n.
Abagail Pratt, September 24, 1825, 58, B. ; John VV^
Page, February 2, 1846, 66, C. ; Lucy Parlin, Decembet
12, 1837, 76, N. ; Jonas Parlin, December 9, 1838, 80, N. ;
Polly Pratt, Jnly 19, 1834, 55, B. ; Lydia Pratt, July 14.
1840, 78, B. ; Elam Pratt, April 18, 1836, 84, B. ; Edmund
Parker, * November 18, 1836, 75, N. ; Jesse Parhn, May,
1843, 50, N. ; Adam Powers, September 3, 1841, 61, C. ;
Margaret Parker, March 4, 1844, 88, N, ; Susan Palmer,
o-i *
366 MISCELLANEOUS.
September 9, 1827, 78, N. ; Daniel Parkman, =* Novem-
ber 4, 1824, 82, S'n ; John L. Prescolt, Dec. 25, 1825,
50, N, ; Hannah Parker, March, 1826, 52, S'n ; John Par-
lin, March 25, 1806, 88, N. ; Susan Perkins, September
21, 1836, 56, S'n ; Mary Pratt, January 27, 1827, 76, B. ;
Micah Pratt, October 8, 1826, 67, B. ; Ruth Prentiss, De-
cember 6, 1840, 89, B. ; Thaddeus Prentiss, June 1, 1816,
65, B. ; John Pooler, April 12, 1840, 62, S'n ; Isabella
Pomeroy, May 10, 1844, 60, N. ; Elder Francis Powers,
December 13, 1843, 72, N. ; Mrs. Pratt, September
1845, 51, B. ; Jane Oliver, April 13, 1846, 75, S'ks ; Micah
Pratt, August 24, 1839, 64, S'n ; James B. Oliver, April
20, 1846, 81, S'ks ; William Palmer, 1829, 75, N. ; Nathan
Parlin, 1833, 78, N.
Sarah Reid, July, 1842, 5S, C. ; Hannah Reid, April 3,
1827, 53, S'n; Mary Raymond, September 25, 1842, 52,
S'n ; Temperance Pvichardson, September 5, 1841, 61, C. ;
William Rogers, April, 1842, 61, B. ; Thomas Robin-
son,*^ April 22, 1839,* 84, S'n ; Mary Robinson, Septem-
ber 5, 1848, 88, S'n ; Nathan Rogers,^^ April 23, 1829, 83,
N. ; Jona. Robbins, December, 1824, 75, N. ; Lydia
Ricker, April 28, 1842, 70, C.
Eleazar Spaulding, , 8-, N. ; Phebe Spanld-
ing, April 13, 1643, 84, N. ; Levi Sampson, December 20,
1813, 57, N. ; AVillard Sears, December, 1831, 86, S'n;
Philomelia Stoddard, October 29, 1842, 68, S'n; Sally
Steward, April 6, 1835, 80, B. ; Solomon Steward, De-
cember 20, 1643, 81, B.; Betsey Steward, August 1, 1845,
81, B. ; Ephraim Swan, December 7, 1835,72, B. ; Han-
nah Savage, August 25, 1840, 75, B. ; Mary Smith, March
15, 1845, 58, B. ; Nancy Steward. March 1, 1846, 55, B. ;
Richard Sawtelle, December 23, 1838, 70, N. ; Sally H.
Steward, April 29, 1847, 81, B. ; Daniel Steward,** Sep-
tember 15, 1840, 82, S'n; Rachel Steward, October IS,
1839, 78, S'n ; John Smith, October 28, 1846, 67, B. ; Le-
muel Smith, October 1, 1831, 55, B. ; Mary Sawyer, April
13, 1840, 84, B.; Joseph Sawyer, January 26, 1832, 81,
B. ; Lucy Steward, July 19, 1843, 76, B. ; Luke Sawyer,
July 5, 1841, 81, S'ks ; Fanny S. Sturgess, Aug. 26, 1844,
60, N. ; Betsey Sheafe, January 17, 1840, 80, N.; Wm.
Spaulding, December 6, 1844, 85, N. ; Sarah Spaulding,
October 4, 1843, 82, N.; David Sterrj,* April, 1843,88,
S'ks ; Olive Steward, March 12, 1848, 75, B. ; Mary Saw-
MISCELLANEOUS. 367
yer, April 13, 1840, 84, S'n ; Thomas Steward, December,
1839, 74, B. ; Mary Steward, April 29, 1847, 81, S'n; Wm.
Span '.ding,* December 6, 1844, 86, N. ; Khoda Squire,
November 19, 1847, 75, S'n; Jonathan Steward, July 31,
1848, 79, B.; Otis Spaulding, December 8, 1848, 57, N. ;
Mary Sylvester, 1847, 87, N. ; Daniel Smith, No-
vember, 1829,80, B. ; William Sylvester, September 28,
1826, 60, N. ; Benj. Steward, Fe'bruary 7, 1820, 59, B. ;
Mary Steward, January 30, I8l8, 79, B. ; Prudence
Sampson, October 12, 1844, 82, B. ; John Smith, May,
1849, 67, B.
Joseph Tarbell, ^ August 20, 1826, 70, N. ; Asa Turner,
August 25, 1821, 78, N. ; Abagail Turner, April 16, 1823,
72, N. ; David S. Trask, November 4, 1823, 57, N. ; Benj.
Thompson, August, 1825, 78, N. ; Mary Thompson, April
19, 1842, 56, N. ; Asaph Thom[)Son, March 28, 1844, 62,
N. Mary Tozier, May 17, 1838, 60, N. ; Achsah Tinkham,
August 4, 1847, 53, N. ; Mercy Trench, April 10, 1849, 93,
N. ; Sally Tilton, February 5, 1835, 50, B. ; Stephen Tuck-
erman, February 27, 1833, 50, N. ; Dr. Jesse Taylor, March
25, 1844, 50, N. ; Abagail Tilton, April 16, 1844, 83. N. ;
Mary Tozier, May, 1838, 50, N. ; Bev. John Thompson,
May 17, 1836, 71, S'ks ; Betsey Thompson, Mar. 7, 1846,
70, S'ks ; Moses True, October, 31, 1841, 62, S'ks.
Mary Vickere, February, 1838, 67, N. ; Joseph Vickere,
September 3, 1838, 67, N.; Eliphalet Varney, January
20, 1810, 72, B.
Lucy Wood, June 3, 1834, 69, N. ; Anna Whitcomb,
June 1, 1823, 82, N. ; Thomas Whitcomb, January 21,
1824, 88, N.; Nathaniel Withee, December, 1825, 60, N. ;
James Waugh,=^* December 17, 1825, 77, S'ks ; Jona.
Williamson, March 24, 1826, 92, S'ks. ; James Waugh,
January 17, 1826, 77; Henry Weeks, May, 1826, 63, B. ;
Mary Witherell, September 8, 1827, 61, N. ; Azubah
Weston, January 6, 1829, 70, B. ; Thomas Whitcomb,
June 11, 1829, 60, N. ; Nathan Wood, March 26, 1830,
80, N. ; Thomas Waugh, September, 1830, 79, S'ks. ;
Thomas Williamson, July 5, 1848, 62, S'ks. ; John Weston,
November 12, 1842, 84, B. ; James Weston, November
18, 1342, 54, B. ; Mary Wyman, April 1, 1843, 54, N.-
Aaron Wadsworth, May, 1843, 73, S'n. ; Bathsheba
Waugh, June 26, 1841, 90, S'ks. ; Thomas Waugh, Feb.
19, 1843, 61, S'ks. ; Martha Waugh, September 26, 1843,
368 MISCELLANEOUS.
50, S'ks, ; Susannah Wood, June 25, 1844, 83, S'ks. ;
Silas Wood,* December 17, 1834, 81, N. ; Mary Wheeler,
March 13, 1846, 52, N. ; Solomon Whidden, October 4,
1841, 87, S'u. ; Mary White, October, 1841,76, S'n ; Oba-
diah Witherell,* 1847, 99, N. ; Joseph Weston,* March
22, 1838, 81, B. ; Luke Withee,* April 26, 1844, 84, N. ;
Charles Witherell,** July 16, 1833, 68, N. ; Ruth Wines,
March 16, 1838, 69, B. ; Isaac Weston, November 12,
1840, 59, B. ; Sally Willamson, Augusts, 1836, 76, S'ks.;
Stephen Weston, May 31, 1847, 77, S'n.; William Wilson,
July 13, 1831, 80, S'ks. ; Samuel Weston, April 21, 1838,
51, S'n. ; Anna Weston, December 24, 1845, 84, B. ; Ste-
phen Williamson, November 13, 1840, 79, S'ks. ; Asa
Weston, September 5, 1842, 54, B. ; Mary AYeston, Janu-
ary 26, 1840, 77, B. ; Eli Weston, October 14, 1846, 86, B. ;
Nancy White, October 6, 1845, 84, B. ; Solomon White,
April 21, 1837, 76, B. ; Susan Wyman, May 1, 1833,50,
S'n.; Sarah Warren, April 13, 1840, 58, C. ; James L.
Wood, December 17, 1818, 62, S'ks. ; Oliver Wood, July
1, 1816, 86, N. ; William Weston,** December 19, 1840,
77, B. ; Elisa Webb, January 22, 1826, 80, B. ; J^ucy
Walker, Februarv, 1838, 51, S'n. ; Lucy Wood, June,
1814,69, N.; John White, January 20, 1815,87, B. ; Mary
White, September 15, 1793, G5, B. ; Sarah Weston, May
25. 1829, 70, B.; Sarah Warren, 1833, 83, N. ; Piudenco
Willard, May 27, 1847, 04, B.; Webb, September,
1840, 90, S'n. ; Mrs. Webb, November, 1848, 80. B. ; Mrs.
Weeks, 1847, 80, N. ; Phineas Whitney, 1832, 80, N.
Samuel Young, December 31, 1844, 80, S'n. ; William
Young,* July, 1842, 89, S'ks. ; James Young, May, 1846,
59, S'ks. ; William Youland,* July, 1838, 95, B.
Most of the foresroin^ names are taken from
the Somerset Journal, People's Press and
Democratic Sentinel, and Clarion. They are
responsible for the correctness of many of the
dates.
* The names in the foregoing list marked with an asterisk,
were engaged in the Revolution.
f Mr. Dascomb was an honored and respected citizen, and held
the office of selectman a quarter of a century.
t Edward Hartwell attained the age of 96, and many others
MISCELLANEOUS. 369
in the towns have reached almost that age. Hartwell was born
in Lunenburg, and moved to Canaan, in 1780. Rev. Josiah
Peet stated, in a funeral sermon preached at the funeral of Mrs.
Mercy Trench, as a result of about thirty years of observation,
that the proportion of longevity has been as follows : in Norridge-
wock, 1 in 45 lives to the age of 70 ; 1 in 200 to the age of
80; and 1 in jOOO to the age of 100 years. It will be seen
from the above list, that the average length of life, after the age
of 50, is about 72 years.
§ Mr. Rogers was Judge of Probate for Rockingham County,
N. H., and Marshal of the State, and was paying a visit to his
daughter, Mrs. Jotham Fairfield, when he was taken sick and
died.— Hon. John S. Tenney.
_ ^ John Laughton removed with his father and family to Nor-
ridgewock, when he was ten years old.
*"* Daniel Steward was born in Lunenburg, Mass., and settled
in Skowhegan, in 1784 ; James Bigelow was born in Weston,
Mass., Jan. 28, 1742; Dea Wigglesworth Dole was born in
Nevvburyport, Nov. 17, 1779; William Weston was born in Con-
cord, Mass., in 1763 ; James Waugh was Town Clerk 28 years ;
Charles Wilherell w-as born Oct. 8, 1764; Paraelia Lambert
had been midwife at the birth of 1400 children in Canaan and
vicinity. Nathaniel Lambard was born in Gorham, Maine, in 1757,
and came to Canaan in 1783. Thomas Robinson was a lieuten-
ant in the American Revolution, and did good service for his
country. The widow of Peter Gilraan, Mrs. Martha G., cele-
brated her one hundredth birth-day, in Norridgewock, July 12,
1849. She was born in Kingston, July 12,1749, married Peter
Gilman, April 5, 1775, moved to Norridgewock in 1792, and
when she was one century old had had 9 children, 76 grand-
children, and 140 great-grandchildren. She possessed good
health and fine spirits.
ft Mrs. Eunice Moor was wife of Colonel John Moor, whom
she married when widow of Joseph Weston. She was the
second white woman who ever penetrated Somerset County, and
she left 222 descendants.
STATE TAX.
1781 1786 1791 1796 1810 1820
Norridgewock, £37.10 £116. 5 £9.7.10 $73.61 $86.66 $98.67
Canaan, 67.10 170.18.9 13.9. 6 86.67 101.33 65.90
Starks, 64.00 81.33
Bloomfield, 114.00
The above taxes were levied on six per cent,
of the property. — Rev. J. B. Felt,
870
MISCELLANEOUS.
POPULATION.
1784 1793 ISIO
1820
1830
1840
Norridgewock,
240 427 880
1454
1710
1865
Canaan,
420 448 1275
1470
1076
1379
Starks,
828
1053
1471
1559
Bloomfiekl,
889
1072
1093
Skowhegan,
1006
1584
660 875 2983 4866 6335 7480
The population for 1850 will be about 9,000.
Plates. The reader will be delighted with
the elegant stone engravings contained in this
volume. They are from the hands of those ex-
perienced and faithful artists, J. H. Bntford &
Co., Boston. The views of Old Point, and of
Skowhegan and Bloomfield, were drawn by
Miss Abby Daggett, of Skowhegan, and their
admirable fidelity reflects great credit on their
authoress. The view of South Norridgewock
was drawn by the skilful pencil of Maj. King,
son of the first governor of Maine, who is about
finishing a magnihcent panorama of the Ken-
nebec River, for European and Southern exhi-
bition. He is a superior artist, whose works
are his best praise. The two beautiful views
of Norridgewock village were daguerreotyped
by J. H. Williams, Esq., whose excellent pic-
tures meet universal approbation.
Errata. Page 56, insert a/^rZ between Vincent
and Jaques ; p. 60, hue 16, for arereixdicere; p. 81,
last line, for bears read bear ; p. 112, last line, for
or read and: p. 124, for brother read cousin ; p. 128,
Abraham Smith thinks William Oakes was born
a few days before him; Smith was born in
MISCELLANEOUS. 371
Bloomfield, and Oakes in Skowhegan ; p. 129 for
Solomon read Salmon; p. 137, line 11, for Ezekiel,
read Elkanah ; ibid, after Daniel Smith, read on
James H. King's farm ; ih'id, Daniel Steward set-
tled first on Pratt farm ; p. 147, for Hezekiah, read
Sherehiah ; p. 156, line 7, for on, read at, or heloitj ;
p. 159, line 15, for Jonathan Marclen, read Rev. J.
Merrill; p. 172, line 20, for Selma, read Salmon ;
p. 184, line 13, m.^exi female heWieeM second and
child; p. 204, the last paragraph should be on
p. 219 : p. 230, insert '' Ehenezer Rnssel, 1836,"
between 1835, and John S. Tenney ;\i\ 1811, 12
and 13, Eleazar Coburn Avas representative
from Canaan; in 1810, Canaan did not send ;
in 1806, 7, 8, 9, Bryce McLellan was represen-
tative ; Arthur Spaulding was representative in
1834, and not William Allen ; p. 249, probably-
Lee preached in Norridgewock before Stebbins.
There are other errors doubtless, incident to
the haste with which the work has been hurried
through the press, which may be hereafter
found, but which will be pardoned by the can-
did. The " Indian fright" is quite differently
related by different persons. Tradition has
many tongues. It is said that several hunters
came in and reported Indians, — that Samuel
Weston, Isaac Smith, and Oliver Wilson were
chosen to go out and reconnoitre, that Wilson
fired, and then gave the war-whoop, and that
the settlers retreated to Great Island, determmed
to fight the Indians to the last. Pease refused
to go to the fort. This may be a version of
the same, or another story.
INDEX,
GENERAL HISTORY.
Inrtian History, 7
General Description, &c., 103
History of Canaan, - -116
History of Norridgewock, 178
History of Starks, 255
History of Bloonrifield, 279
History of Skovvhegan, 295
Roads, 313
Graveyards, 314
Revolutionary Soldiers, 319
Schools, 325
Attorneys, 328
Physicians, 333
Military, 324
College Graduates, 340
Citizens entitled "Honorable," 341
Associations, &c., 343
County officers, &c., 345
Bridges, 349
Newspapers, 352
Ice, 353
Weatlier, Casualties, 354
Prices, 3G0
Statistics, 361
Deaths of Aged People, 362
Population, 370
State Tax, 3G9
Description of Plates, 370
ECCLESIASTICAL.
Congregationalists, 162,235,277,288,311
Christians, 174, 307
Universalists, 174,253,309
Methodists, 175,249,274,308
Baptists, Freewill, - 176,252,276
Baptists, Calvinistic, - - - 176, 247, 249, 278, 291, 294, 312
Unitarians, 251
Protestant Methodists, 278
PLATES.
Frontispiece, Rale's Monument.
View of Oosoola, 102
Two views of Norridgewock, 178
View of Bloomfield and Skowhegan, 294
Fancy Sketch, — Mogg Megone, ^ - 102
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41
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