Uriah Jewett and the sea serpent of Lake Memphemagog;

URIAH JEWETT

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AND THE SEA SERPENT

OF-^

LAKE MEMPHEMAUOO

FROM NOTES LEFT BY THE LATE GEORGE C. MERRILL

WHO WAS PURSER ON THE MOUNTAIN MAID IN

URIAH'S TIME.

CITY OF NEWPORT, VERMONT
1917

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URIAH JEWETT

AND THE SEA SERPENT
LAKE MEMPHEMAGOG

FROM NOTES LEFT BY THE LATE GEORGE C. MERRILL

WHO WAS PURSER ON THE MOUNTAIN MAID IN

URIAH'S TIME.

CITY OF NEWPORT, VERMONT
1917

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DEDICATION.

This volume is most cordially dedi-
cated to THE DUKE OF CON-
NAUGHT who visited the Eastern
Townships and the United States in
1869 and 1870; and caused His Poor
Mother some unpleasant memories
by the ardency of his youth, and
who left the imprints of his visit on
the shores of Lake Memphremagog.

PREFACE.

Uriah Jewett and his Sea Serpent
Story of Lake Memphremagog so
famous sixty years ago has now
almost become ledgendary and many
do not believe that Uriah Jewett was
ever a living personage on the shores
of that beautiful lake. But the note
book of George C. Merrill who was
purser on the steamer Mountain Maid
at one time, will show that Uriah
Jewett was not only made of human
flesh and blood, but was a poet of
the Province of Quebec. As to the
sea serpent we shall leave the matter
to the reader and our artist who is
represented to us, as a man of great
note, research and ability. He comes

to us very highly recommended. He
was a member ''of the 3d Ambulance
Company of the New York National
Guard." When on duty on the Mexi-
can border in 19 16 and 19 17 he was
"Art Editor of the Rio Grand
Rattler ^^* which especially qualified
him as the artist best fitted to prop-
erly delineate this serpent of Lake
Memphremagog.

We learn that Uriah Jewett was
from New Hampshire, and was an
old-time schoolmaster in that state.
There in those days they estimated
a man's qualifications for teaching
school by his ability to wield a beech

""A magazine issued by the army on a traveling
press.

withe. The town superintendent of
schools always examined the candi-
dates for teachers in deeck-letics.

SKETCH OF URIAH JEWETT OF
LAKE MEMPHREMAGOG FROM
THE MANUSCRIPT NOTE-BOOK
OF GEORGE C. MERRILL

Uriah Jewett hailed from New
Hampshire about the middle of the
nineteenth century. He settled on
the eastern shore of Lake Memphre-
mago^, about one and one-half miles
north of the summer residence of Sir
Hugh Allen. There is a point of
land extending westward into the
lake from his farm which is known
and called, to this day, as Jewett's
Point.

Jewett was a farmer; never mar-
ried ; his appearance was rather rus-

tic, and his clothes showed a want of
female care; there were no creases
in his pants. He was a very honest
and upright man.

Jewett had a great dislike of J. B.
Hoyt who kept the Mountain House
at the foot of Owl's Head, and bought
poultry and other farm productions
of him and never paid him. After
Hoyt's departure from the Lake,
Jewett commemorated the event in a
poetical effusion which probably will
survive as long as the English lan-
guage is spoken on the shores of the
lake, and long after Canada has be-
come a free and independent nation,
with a constitutional government,
with dying memories of lords and
lordships. Hoyt hailed from New

10

Hampshire. Capt. George W. Fogg
married his sister. Hoyt and Capt.
Fogg, built the first mountain house
in the bay at the foot of Owl's Head
in 1850. It was burnt in 1854. An-
other mountain house much larger
was built near the site of the old one
in 1855, by J. B. Hoyt and Miles E.
Knowlton. This one changed own-
ers several times, and had several
additions built on to it. It was burnt
on October 11, 1899.

In September, 1856 Hoyt left Lake
Memphremagog in the night. His
coat and hat, and boat were found
floating near the shore the next day.
It was supposed that he was drowned ;
the lake was dragged three weeks
or more for the body, by Capt. Fogg ;

11

and three hundred residents of the
vicinity assisted in searching for the
body. The body was not discovered.
A coffin was got in readiness, but
was never used for Hoyt ; and it was
stored in an old ash house on the
Point at Georgeville for a long time.
For several years after this event the
coffin was used for the storage of
beans. About eight years afterwards
John Diamond was drowned off Black
Point and when his body was found
the beans were taken out and the
body was put in their place and was
buried.

Hoyt turned up in Minnesota
several years afterwards. He enlisted
in a Minnesota regiment early in the
Rebellion and was promoted for his

12

bravery from one engagement to an-
other, till he was appointed colonel
of his regiment. He was a very-
dark skined man and could be easily
mistaken for an Indian.

Jewett was a crank on the sea ser-
pent ; he was watching the shores of
the lake all the time for its trails in
the sand. He imagined he saw where
he had eaten some fish and a turtle
on the beach. He set many cul-
heaghs along the shore of the lake
to capture the animal, but never suc-
ceeded in catching him, however he
had found his culheaghs sprung in the
morning and the bait gone. He baited
those culheaghs with the bodies of
lambs, calves, pigs and poultry.

13

The sea serpent was never traced
further south than Cove island.

Jewett had a theory that the ser-
pent came to Lake Memphremagog
through a subterranean channel un-
der Owl's Head, from the Atlantic
ocean and could never find its way
back to the ocean through this chan-
nel.

14

JEWETT'S SATIRE ON HOYT'S
DEPARTURE FROM OWL'S HEAD
MOUNTAIN HOUSE, TOWNSHIP
OF POTTON, CANADA EAST.

For fame and dear freedom I left my native home,
I went straight to Canada, Owl's head for to roam.

The scenery is romantic, picturesque and fine ;
The people in Canada were all very kind.

They trusted me with money, two thousand or more,
I thanked them very kindly and laid it up in store.

I bought a yoke of oxen of Jewett by name;

It was well contrived, a pusillanamous game;

Eighty-five dollars was the face of the note,

I quickly robbed his pocket and away I did tote;

The farmers of the townships were all very good,

They trusted with poultry and everything for food.

They trusted me for mutton and both butter and

cheese.
My house filled with company as full as you please.
We all dined together; it was on a fair day,
They paid me their money and by steam went away.

15

The thoughts of that money it ran through mjr head,
I laid a deep scheme that they might call me dead.

By the side of Lake Magog I fired the big gun,
1 bid them good-night and away I did run.

I had a fine dive, I caught the serpent by the tail,
My speed was like lightning or the sword fish in the

gale.
My passage was under subteranean cliffs.
And I popped up in Minnesota with money enough.

Captain Fogg with his men, they were very kind.

They grappled the lake but no Hoyt could they find.

They laid up my coffin in a very safe place.

By the side of Lake Magog and in an old ash-house.

Now my coffin is awaiting my speedy return,

St. Anthony's Falls is where I sojourn.

So I must be quick and dexterous in my way.

For old Cuty stand a calling and I must obey.

The Indians invite me to stay here with them.

My complexion well favors both the squaws and

their men.
So here with the Indians I still will remain.
And live in Minnesota till old Cuty calls again.

N. B.— When old Cuty calls again J. B. H, has got
to heave to. (Signed) U. Jewett.

16

The above poem was composed by
Uriah Jewett in 1856011 thecharacter,
escape and supposed drowning of J.
B. Hoyt of Owl's Head fame. Jewett
had suffered financially by Hoyt's
unsuccessful transactions in business
and he took this way to defame him.

Among Mr. Merrill's papers on an
envelope containing this effusion was
written the following memorandum:
' ' Composed by Uriah J e wett of George-
ville in 1856, for Geo. S. Ayer, who
was in St, Anthony Falls, Minn., at
that time and who was swindled and
drove out of Canada by George Brown,
architect of Montreal, and Alex. Mol-
son of Lake Memphremagog, P. Q.,
1866."

17

MEMBERS OF THE ENGLISH

ROYAL FAMILY VISITS IN THE

CANADAS AND THE UNITED

STATES.

According to Mr. Merrill's note
book, Prince Arthur, now Duke of
Connaught, visited the Canadas and
the United States in 1869 and 1870.
When he visited the valley of Mem-
phremagog lake, he was royally en-
tertained several days at the sum-
mer residence of Sir Hugh Allen,
located on the eastern shore. He
occasionally came up the lake on
Sir Hugh's yacht with the family
and stopped at the Memphremagog
House.

18

The Hon. John G. Foster, United
States Consul General at Ottawa,
Canada, on March 12, 191 7, writes:
"that His Royal Highness, Prince
Arthur came to Canada late in the
Autumn of 1869, and returned to
England about August, 1870. It is
probable that he visited Lake Mem-
phremagog some time in June or
July of 1870, but the exact date I
am unable to give."

In 1872 when Uriah Jewett was
following the deeply furrowed trails
of the sea serpent in the shifting
sands of the Memphremagog beaches,
the news swiftly spread through the
Eastern Townships that a Prince of
the English Royal Family, The
Duke of OwVs Head^ was that morn-

19

ing born in the densely tangled for-
ests of Canada. This stain upon the
escutchion of the Royal Household
sorely grieved the young Prince's
grandmother and she deplored the
uncontrolled ardency of her son's
youthful indescretion. But little at-
tention was paid to this child of the
Canadian forest by the members of
the Royal Family and they did not
speak of this stain upon their escut-
chion among their neighbors. The
Duke of Owl's Head lived to be
nearly fifty years of age. His death
occurred only a few years ago and
was somewhat tragic and obscure,
but no one seemed to care to investi-
gate the cause of it, or the circum-
stances connected therewith.

20

Soon after the birth of this young
DUKE OF OWL'S HEAD, the
Order of Knighthood was conferred
upon his maternal grandfather by
Queen Victoria.

According to Mr. Merrill's Note
Book^ '* Victoria was a very nice girl
and married a young German. His
privileges were somewhat curtailed :
he was not allowed to meddle with
British politics, but was imported
and kept wholly for breeding pur-
poses. Her girls were nicely brought
up. They were taught to be indus-
trious and frugal and to keep good
company. But she had little con-
trol over her boys. They were
brought up in idleness and luxury,

21

and were continually getting into
mischief."

PLATE TWO shows the steamer
Mountain Maid as it first appeared
on Lake Memphremagog. This plate
was made from a photograph in the
possession of Mrs. John M. Cun-
ningham the adopted daughter of
Captain George W. Fogg, who kindly
loaned it to the author for insertion
in this work.

22

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