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STEWART FREE LIBRARY
A BRIEF HISTORY OF
CORINNA, MAINE 1804 1916
BY LILLA E. WOOD
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GENEALOGY COLLECTION -*
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01092 2190
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A Brief History of Corinna Maine, from Its Purchase in 1804 to 1916
BY LILLA E. WOOD
J. P. BASS PUBLISHING COMPANY, BANGOR, MAINE
1916
IT ISN'T YOUR TOWN, IT'S YOU.
"If you want to live in the kind of a town Like the kind of a town you like, You needn't slip your clothes in a grip And start on a long, long hike. You'll only find what you've left behind, For there's nothing that's really new, It's a knock at yourself when you knock your town, It isn't the town, it's you."
"Real towns are not made by men afraid Lest somebody else gets ahead, When every one works and nobody shirks You can raise a town from the dead. And if while you make your personal stake Your neighbors can make one, too; Your town will be what you want to see, It isn't the town, it's you."
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1180119 FOREWORD
This history is gathered largely from traditionary sources, though much of the material was taken from the town records. It is not to be expected " that there will be no errors, and it is to be expected that many, whose names are quite as important to the town as those mentioned, will be omitted. The reason for such omissions is not a desire to withhold honor to whom honor is due, but lack of information concerning them. Consid- ering that the author has known few of the people about whom she has written, perhaps a few mistakes may be pardonable. She does not claim any special merit for the history which follows either as to literary style or completeness, her wish is merely to preserve to future inhabitants of her native town a few of the interesting facts which it has been her good for- tune to discover.
L. E. W.
Dedicated to my native town CORINNA
CHAPTER I
PURCHASE AND FIRST SETTLEMENT
The period following the Revolu- tionary War was a period of emigra- tion for inhabitants of Massachusetts, to what is now the state of Maine, the emigration being due partly to that spirit of the pioneer which makes him always aready to leave the haunts of his fellows and push on to new land to settle, but doubtless greatly influ- enced by the various acts of the legis- lature of Massachusetts, which gave large tracts to the soldiers of the Revolution, their widows, or children, on condition of their clearing the land and residing thereon.
Corinna, however, was not settled in this manner, though doubtless many of her pioneers came to Maine in consequence of these acts, for we know that among the first residents were several veterans of that war.
At Two Cents an Acre.
It became the fad to buy a tract of land in the wilderness of Maine as a speculation, and in this manner the purchase of Corinna was first nego- tiated, but when the date of settlement arrived, the unknown young man who was to buy it lacked the necessary funds, and in 1804, it was sold to Dr. John Warren of Boston, the whole tract being sold at two cents per acre. There are 23,040 acres in the town, which would the purchase amount to $460.80. Today the valua- tion of Corinna is $528,300.
The town has increased in valuation in the past five years, $74,000. The valuation of the village is 40 per cent. of the whole and has increased seven per cent. in the past five years.
The apparent worthlessness in the pioneer days of the land now the east side of Corinna village is illustrated by a story told by the late Jel Young. His father and mother, "Uncle Jim" and "Aunt Hannah" Young, went to call upon "Uncle Robert" Moore and his good wife one day taking with them their dog. The dog in question was of that kind commonly known as a "yaller dog," but possessed some charm for "Uncle Robert," who tried to trade for the animal. Finally Mr. Moore offered to deed him what is now Selden Knowles' farm with sev- eral acres adjoining it in exchange for the yellow cur, but Mr. Young con- sidered "the Cedar Swamp" as worth- less, and refused to trade.
Dr. Warren was a brother of Gen- eral Joseph Warren of Bunker Hill fame and himself served as surgeon and head of the Boston hospital dur- ing the war. His purchase was de- scribed as "Township number four in the fourth range of townships north of the Waldo patent in the county of Somerset, District of Maine."
Inducement to Settlers.
Dr. Warren immediately showed his business sagacity by offering induce- ments to settlers such as would en- courage them to make their homes within his boundaries and sent Sam- uel Lancey, Esq., to bush out a road near the center of the township east and west, giving him in exchange for his labor 170 acres of land, providing he should erect a house and barn thereon.
Squire Lancey fulfilled his contract and built his log cabin home at Corinna Center land afterwards owned by Jacob Philbrick and Wink- worth Allen. This barn was after- wards used for religious meetings un- til the erection of a schoolhouse.
The town was surveyed by Isaac and Moses Hodgdon previous to the fore- going settlement. These men also surveyed Exeter and many other neighboring towns. They built a camp in the southeast part of the township and brought their supplies from East Corinth, 16 miles away.
Sixteen miles to East Corinth in these days of good roads and automo- biles is a trifling distance, but 16 miles through the dense forest on horseback with no roads at all was a far different matter.
The next year, two brothers named Goodhue came to the same place and felled 18 acres of forest, and put in a crop of corn the same year. They, however, wearied of the solitude and abandoned their camp, allowing the grain to rot in the bins where they gathered it.
It is scarcely to be wondered at that these men gave up their undertaking when their nearest neighbors were in East Corinth, and only a blazed trail marked the way. Had they brought with them their wives and children, their home ties no doubt would have established them as permanent resi- dents.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORINNA
The First Tragedy.
Had they remained, the first trage- dy of which we have record might have been awided. Among the first settlers came Mr. Chase and his fami- ly, and it was in their log home that the first child was born. Chase tired of the wilderness struggle, and left his wife and babies in the forest while he returned to Massachusetts there to remain. One can scarcely imagine the horror of that desertion to the wife who was left alone with her little ones to the desolation of a wilderness home and a solitude which had proved too much for her husband to bear even with the aid of wife and children to help him. Probably neighbors soon came to her aid, but all that is known of the sequel to her story is that she afterwards married a Mr. Hartwell.
Along the east and west road, other families settled as follows: Thomas Barton, James Smith, Joseph Pease and Ebenezer Nutter; and time went on, the township became dotted here and there with log cabins usually situated upon a hill or knoll, and mads were bushed out roughly be- tween the clearings of the settlers.
Thomas Barton was a good citizen but not active in public affairs. He was a soldier of the Revolution and in the census of 1840 is mentioned as one of the four veterans then living in town.
James Smith settled on what is now the town farm.
Joseph Pease was a pioneer of Exe- ter as well as of Corinna. He set- tled in the eastern part of Corinna, and sold his farm to Henry Dearborn, a tanner and shoemaker of North Durham. N. H. Mr. Pease was one of the first board of selectmen.
Ebenezer Nutter, a single man, set- tled in the western part of the town. His name appears frequently in the early town records as holding respon- sible positions.
The First Mill.
Dr. Warren induced Captain Joseph Ireland of North Newport and his nephew, Daniel Ireland, to erect a mill at what is now Corinna village. This mill was for both grist and lumber. The settlers paid for the grinding in grain and lumber hauled on "hoopling sleds." The supplies for the mill were brought on horseback from Bangor.
After two years, the Irelands sold their rights to William Moore, Esq., and it was from then until its incor- poration called "Moore's Mills," which name included the whole settlement at the village.
The history of Corinna is singularly free from Indian depredations, due no doubt to the location of the town
which is between the Penobscot and Kennebec rivers, the water highways of the Indians, and not being either a favorite hunting or fishing ground, or located upon a trail of their favorite haunts. Their trails lay either to the east of Corinna or several miles far- ther west. So it was the occasional stragglers who came to dwell within its boundaries or to barter with the white settlers from time ৳ɔ time. Within the memory of citizens now living, an Indian named Louis Toma with his son, Mitchell, lived in their wigwam at what is called The Horse Back near Southard's Mills, and both father and son earned their living by weaving baskets.
They were probably of the Penob- scot tribe. However tranquil our town history may be in this respect, many families have traditions of those of our first settlers who met with thrill- ing experiences prior to their settling here.
These stories of Indian horrors no doubt kept our little great grandpar- ents awake long after the tallow "dip" had been extinguished and the fire in the fireplace had burned itself out. . It must have been a very real termor to the older members of the family, too, at times whenever the news of the outside world reached their settle- ment.
Though we were secure from our Indian neighbors, there were other creatures of the forest less friendly than they for bears were common and other wild animals abounded.
"Old Doctor" Fisher used to tell some of his personal experiences in the early days when he made his rounds on horseback. Upon one oc- casion his mare, Jennie, refused to cross a small footbridge over a brook that at that season of the year was dried up. The doctor urged the horse forward to no avail, tried to lead her across without effect, then finally his suspicions were aroused and he hurled stones and sticks at the bridge. Presently a big bear scrambled from under the bridge and disappeared into the woods, and the doctor resumed his way.
At another time his horses were loose in an enclosure behind his barn. He went to the bars to saddle a horse towards dusk and found all three horses racing excitedly back and forth across the small field and seem- ing afraid of something in the further corner. He walked down toward the corner only to retreat hastily before three full grown bears.
As money was scarce in the early days, he commonly accepted in pay- ment for his services, vegetables, grain, a side of beef or perhaps a live lamb or pig.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF. CORINNA
Often on retiring at night he would turn the lamb or pig loose in his back- yard until a more convenient time to care for its shelter; but he seldom needed to give the creature further thought for before morning the bears attended to the matter for him.
Mr. and Mrs. Luke Mills came from Waterboro about 100 years ago and settled opposite what is commonly called the Andrews' place. There their children were born. Azro Mills of Morse's Corner was their son. One day Mrs. Mills went to draw a pail of water at the well a short distance from the house and discovered in her path a very cunning bear cub. Her first inclination was to seize the cub in her arms and carry it to the house, but fearing that the mother bear might be near, she left it in the path, walked around it to the well, drew the water and returned to the house, leav- ing the cub in possession of the path.
Some 50 years later a member of the writer's family was chased by a wildcat.
Nor have wild animals in recent years become altogether extinct, for no longer than eight years ago last summer, a cow moose walked down Pleasant street, down School street, forded the stream and wandered off eastward toward the woods.
Early Homes.
First houses were of hewn logs, fur- niture was mostly built by the settlers themselves and their lives were simple in the extreme.
Every One Worked.
Everybody worked, men, women and children, and everybody needed to work to sustain life in the hard struggle of those first years in the wilderness.
John Briggs came from Augusta in 1816, following a spotted line. He purchased what is now known as the Rackliffe placed, felled the trees and cleared enough land to plant a crop of corn, erected a log cabin, then re- turned to bring his wife and children.
That was the usual proceeding, al- though sometimes, man and wife came at the same time and worked to- gether, clearing the land. All sum- mer the cow was hitched behind the cabin, as no barn had been built. At night the milk was set upon the grindstone under a tree. One night a thunderstorm came and lightning shattered the tree, which in falling, upset grindstone and milk.
Mrs. Martha Briggs, who died re- cently at the age of 100, recalled that upon one occasion during an unusually cold snap, to keep the corn from freezing, they lighted fires around the corn field at intervals and tended them all night.
Mr. Briggs strapped a feather bed upon his horse's back for the journey to their new home and upon the feather bed Mrs. Briggs and the smaller two children, mode in state.
This seems rather a novel mode of travel to us, but in those days was not uncommon, although the number of children riding with the mother. varied, and often, instead of a horse, they rode upon their cow. Some families came with a rude ox-cart, or with poles dragging from the saddle and their household goods fastened to the poles. Sometimes they drove two or three hogs or sheep, or, if their means would allow, cattle.
Their goods and chattels were for the most part the barest necessities with perhaps a flax wheel or a spin- ning wheel. Almost always there was a Bible. The luxuries which they brought from their old homes,-a plate, a cup, pair of brass candlesticks, or the like,-today we treasure as priceless heirlooms.
The homes they built were at first log houses only and with floors of Mother Earth. A big fireplace heated the one room and lighted it too, and the same fire cooked all of the food for the family.
The later log houses had floors and were comfortable and even cozy.
Mrs. Frank Ireland bears the dis- tinction of having been born in a log house near the residence of W. S. Kimball.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORINNA
CHAPTER II
INCORPORATION
Petition to Legislature.
In 11 years after the purchase of the township by Dr. Warren, the population had increased until in 1815 there were about 25 or 26 families, for in May of that year the follow- ing petition was drawn up, signed and presented to the Massachusetts legis- lature:
"To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Common- wealth of Massachusetts:
"Humbly represent the subscribers, inhabitants of an unorganized Planta- tion on the east side of Kennebec river, in the county of Somerset, called Number Four. in the fourth range; that said Plantation contains about 25 or 26 families; that they labor un- der many inconveniences in not being able to support schools and make roads, and for the want of other powers which an act of incorporation would obviate; that there have been several corporations in the county with a population not greater than ours, which have been greatly bene- fited by the act. We, therefore, pray your honors would incorporate us into a town by the name of North Wood, with all the privileges and powers which other towns possess, and as in duty bound will ever pray.
(Signed)
Benjamin Bodge, Asa Russell, Nathan- iel Knowles, William Mathews, Enoch Hayden, Alpheus Hayden, Asa Heywood, Richard Labree, John Knight, Varen Packard, James Labree, Thomas Labree, William Labree. John Eliot, Samuel Cook, Nathaniel Winslow, Daniel Eliot, Charles Elder. James Young, Sam- uel Grant, David Russell, William Elder, Seth Knowles. William Hole. Andrew Crawford."
We are unable to tell how many more families were actually residing here whose names were not sub- scribed, but it is probable that Squire Lancey, who was the first to settle in town, and whose name appears upon the town records later. was here then, but was not in favor of incorporation. Others seem also to have opposed it, though the opposition was small.
No records were kept during the Plantation days.
I rather doubt if there was at that time even a beginning of a village in any part of the town, for as far as I have been able to locate the first places settled by these petitioners, it would seem that every locality of Corinna today had its representative among these 25 men.
It was about this time that Squire Lancey erected the second mill in town and this necessitated a new road.
These roads were of the crudest sort, and today would not be consid- ered passable.
There were no bridges and the streams must be forded in summer, while in winter one might cross on the ice. Main street was a footpath through a cedar swamp.
The act of incorporation was passed by the House and Senate of the Com- monwealth of Massachusetts, Dec. 11, 1816, and bears the following signa- tures: "Timothy Bigelow," Speaker; "John Phillips," President of the Sen- ate; "John Brooks," Governor; "A. Bradford," Secretary of the Common- wealth.
Between the date of the petition for incorporation and the act of incorpor- ation, more than a year later, the name North Wood was changed to Corinna, which was the name of Dr. Warren's daughter.
Act of Incorporation.
The act of incorporation reads as follows: "Commonwealth of Massa- chusetts. In the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and six- teen-An act incorporating the town of Corinna in the County of Somerset.
Sec. 1. "Be it enacted by the Sen- ate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled and by the authority of the same that the town- ships north of the Waldow (Waldo). Pattern (Patent) in the County of Somerset, as contained within the fol- lowing described boundaries be and hereby is incorporated as a town by the name of Corinna, viz: East by the town of Exeter, north by the town of Dexter, south by the town of New- port, and west by the town of St. Albans-and the inhabitants of the said town of Corinna are thereby vested with all the powers and privi- leges and shall also be subject to all
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORINNA
the duties and requisitions of other towns according to the constitution and laws of this commonwealth.
Sec. 2. "Be it further enacted that any justice of the Peace for the Coun- ty of Somerset upon application there- for is hereby impowered to issue a warrant directed to a freehold inhabi- tant of the said town of Corinna re- questing him to notify and warn the qualified voters therein to meet at such time and place in the same town as shall be appointed in the said war- rant for the choice of such officers as towns are by law empowered and re- quired to choose appoint at their an- nual town meetings in March or April. "In the House of Representatives, December the 10th, 1816, this Bill hav- ing had three several readings passed to be e enacted. In Senate, Dec. 11th, 1816, this bill having had two several readings passed to be enacted."
First Town Meeting.
The warrant for the first town meeting was issued by Samuel Lancey, Esq., justice of the peace, and was ad- dressed to John Eliot, the meeting be- ing called at the home of Benjamin Hilton, Saturday, March 1, 1817, for the purpose of choosing a moderator and other town officers.
Mr. Hilton was not among the peti- tioners and may have settled in town during the year and a half that had elapsed between the presenting of the petition and the incorporation of the town, or he may have been originally opposed to it, in which case our first settlers early manifested diplomacy in town business by having the first town meeting at Mr. Hilton's house and further by calling upon another non-petitioner, Squire Lancey, to is- sue the warrant.
First Town Officials.
The officers chosen were: Samuel Lancey, moderator; William Elder, town clerk; William Elder, Joseph Peace and Constant Southard, select- men, assessors and overseers of the poor; Benjamin Hilton was given the collectorship at five per cent., upon the condition that he should furnish a bond; Benjamin Hilton, constable; Ebenezer Nutter, town treasurer; Enoch Hayden, James Smith, Josiah Burrill, John Burton, Seth Knowles, surveyors of highways; Enoch Hay- den, James Smith, surveyors of lum- ber; John Eliot, William Elder, field drivers; John Eliot, Liba Smith, Sam- uel Cook, Ebenezer Nutter, Arnold Chatman, hogreeves; William Elder, Simon Young, fence viewers; Enoch Hayden; Seth Knowles, tithingmen; Simon Young, pound keeper; William Elder, sealer of weights and measures.
The second town meeting was held April 7, 1817, when it was voted to raise $200 for the support of schools and $100 for town expenses, a total of $300. This year, March 13, we raised $13,005.54.
Cast 35 Votes for Maine as State.
Corinna cast 35 votes in favor of Maine's becoming a state, and William Elder was elected delegate to the con- vention at Portland where the con- stitution was drawn up, and the citi- zens later, Dec. 6, 1819, voted unani- mously for the adoption of the consti- tution.
William King, the first governor of Maine, received all of the votes cast in Corinna which was 48.
William Elder was our first repre- sentative to the Legislature.
Besides those men who signed the petition for the incorporation of the town, the following men must have been residents here as early as March 1, 1817; Samuel Lancey, Esq., James Smith, Joseph Peace, Ebenezer Nut- ter, John Briggs, Constant Southard, Benj. Hilton, Joseph Burrill, Benoni Burrill, Samuel Burrill, John Burton, Liba Smith, Arnold Chatman and Simon Young.
There were probably many whose names appear on the town records a few years later who were already liv- ing in the town at that date, but were not old enough to be voters when the town was incorporated.
Early Taxpayers.
Corinna was the 220th town in the District of Maine. The year that the District of Maine was taken from Massachusetts and became the State of Maine, 1820, the taxpayers of Cor- inna were as follows: Isaac Mower, Walter Weymouth, Richard Labree, William
Peter Labree, James Labree,
Eider, Joshua Elder, Charles Elder, Jabez Bates, Samuel Hoyt, Joseph
Blanchard, Thomas Brown, Liba
Smith, James Smith, Jr., Ebenezer
Nutter, Daniel Eliot,
John Eliot, Stephen Veazie, William Matthews, Dodge Bachelder, John Briggs, John Clark, Benja. Hilton, Simon Young, Philip Morse, William Hole, John Jud- kins, Seth Knowles, James Couillard, John Hubbard, Wm. R. Page, Seth Knowles, Jr., Jonathan Knowles, Lew- is White, David Knowles, Deborah Young, Josiah Burrill, Benoni Burrill, Varen Packard, Christopher Well.
John Ireland, Constant Southard. Daniel Clough, Eunice Judkins, Sam- uel Kennedy, Eben Quimby, Elihu Lancaster, Wm. McKenney, James Young, Thomas Pratt, Benjamin Bodge, Samuel Morse, David Knowles, Enoch Hayden, Adkins & Couillard,
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORINNA
Wm. Warren, Abram Cook, Samuel Cook, Mekinstey Pease, Joseph Ord- way, Comfort Spooner, John G. Couil- lard, Joseph Pease, Caleb C. Knowles, Mace Smith, Samuel Capen, John Knowles, Richard Austin, Nathaniel Knowles, John Burton, Constant South- ard, Joseph Burton, Peter Sanburn, David Russell, Hammond Russell,
Samuel Sawtelle, Jonas Sawtelle,
Abram Bean, Freman Craig, Jonas Warren, Benj. P. Winchester, Andrew Cole-82 names in addition to the firm name of Adkins and Couillard. This shows with what rapidity the popu- lation increased after the first few settlements were established.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORINNA
CHAPTER III
FIRST SETTLERS
Many of the settlers of North New- port, as well as Corinna, came from Bloomfield, a part of Skowhegan, and the settlement of that part of Corin- na adjoining must have been made at about the same time.
The Ireland family, who were the first settlers of North Newport, were the progenitors of all of the Irelands of Corinna. At the same time that Deacon John Ireland came to clear land for his home and prepare the way for his family, Nathaniel Burrill came from Bloomfield and cleared his home farm where H. E. Turner now lives. This Burrill had no descendants but other Burrills, Josiah, Benoni and Samuel, the three sons of Benoni, Sr., later came from Bloomfield as early settlers of Corinna and are married into the Ireland family again and again.
Benoni Burrill, Sr., was a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and lived in Abington, Mass. He was in Abington in 1790, but sometime later removed to Bloomfield where he died and was buried in a pasture. His widow, Lydia Hunt Burrill, came to Corinna with her three sons, and some years later her husband's remains were brought here and buried. At Mrs. Burrill's death, she was laid beside her hus- band in the village cemetery.
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