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REYNOLDS HISTORICAL GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01093 0359 E
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1
A SHORT HISTORY
of SOUTH BRISTOL, MAINE
į
by
NELSON W. GAMAGE
:
-
Mimeograbped by
Rev. Harold W. Woodbury by permission of Mr. Everett W. Gamage 1
To be sold with the proceeds being divided between Mr. Gamage and Union Church.
i
A SHORT HISTORY OF SOUTH BRISTOL MAINE
1770884
BY
NELSON W. GAMAGE
1
· 323
F GAMAGE, NELSON W. 841836 A short history of South Bristol, Maine, [n. p., n. d. ] 49p. 22cm.
Gift '50
SHELF CARD
ICN 51-135
A SHORT HISTORY
i
of SOUTH BRISTOL, MAINE
1
by
NELSON W. GAMAGE
-
1
:
Mimeograbped by
Rev. Harold W. Woodbury 4
by permission of :
Mr. Everett W. Gamage 1
To be sold with the proceeds being divided between Mr. Gamage and Union Church.
¿
Anonymous
PREFACE
In my attempt to record some events which I think may be interesting in conn- ection with the early history of South Bristol, I have found it quite difficult, as; the new town of South Bristol is so much connected with the old town of Bristol, especially near the line of division where, at the present, it is hard to tell in which some of the early settlers lived and in the matter of town officers, up to the se- paration in some cases it is hard to deter- mine in which town they should be placed. This is also the case with soldiers of 1860 - 65. I have found it impossible to prepare pedigrees of nearly all of the early families, as so few have been inter- ested in preserving family records.
These records were started about 1915 before the division. Then, South Bristol Was from McClintick's down, In regard to ship building in the northern part of the town, in several cases the writer is unable to decide whether the location of building should be in Bristol or South Bristol, as in many cases he has had to depend on the memory of men well advanced in years.
My plan is, if ever this is printed, to put in some photographs of some of the oldest deeds where they belong. In several cases it is hard to separate the two towns, the old and the new, but we have tried to be correct, yet it has been hard to make it plain.
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HISTORICAL AND TRADITIONAL SKETCHES,
STORIES, AND LEGENDS OF SOUTH BRISTOL, AND SURROUNDING COUNTRY
The old and historic town of Bristol named for Bristol, England, is one of the oldest towns in Maine, being the 20th of near 700 towns and plantations in the state. It was incorporated in 1765, fifty- five years before the separation of Maine from Massachusetts and is older than the national government. For a history of Bristol, I refer the reader to the "Ancient Dominions of Maine" by Rufus King Sewall and Johnston's "History of Bristol and Bremen. "
South Bristol was made a separate town by act of legislature in 1915 and 18 a part of Bristol. The new town is bounded as follows, beginning at north side of Prentiss Island on Damariscotta River, running east with north side of Prentiss line to an ash tree in the fork of the road. Theron south to the east branch of Foster's Cove so-called at the head of John's Bay, thereon southerly and westerly following the shores of John's Bay, Ruth- erford's Island, Atlantic Ocean, and Dam- ariscotta River to the point of beginning, including all adjacent islands formerly belonging to Bristol.
The first meeting of the new town was called December 15, 1915 at Centennial Hall, Clark's Cove. The meeting was organ-
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ized by Everett W. Gamage, Justice of Peace, who read the warrant and its duly certified return. William H. King of Walpole was elected moderator by a unani- mous vote, duly sworn and took the chair. Everett Poole was elected town clerk and duly sworn. The article relating to the acceptance of the act of incorporation and its being recorded upon the town re- Cords Was duly passed. Everett W. Gamage Was elected fown treasurer; ,Wilbur Bearce, Robert H. Woodward, and Frank Wells were elected selectmen. It was voted that the annual town meeting be held on the second Monday in March. It is not necessary to give the details of this meeting. The Whole meeting was marked by a sense of union and a spirit of concord. Every vote Was unanimous and while perhaps a tinge of sadness over the separation yet every- one appeared desirous that the new dispen- Sation Should prove to be good for all of this section. It is safe to say that few town meetings of this state ever adjourned with better satisfaction over the good results achieved.
Rutherford's Island lies at the ex- treme end and forms part of the long pen- insula of South Bristol, Maine, and is Connected therewith by a stone bridge. The island rises to about 130 feet above high tide. A large portion of the island as well as the adjoining peninsula is cover- ed with the beautiful and health-giving balsam, fir, spruce, and pine. The spot is beautifully located having all the ad- Vantages of both seashore and country. The island was named for Rev. Robert Rutherford, a Presbyterian clergyman of
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good character and superior ability who came here as a chaplain to Gov. Dunbar in 1729. Gov. Dunbar under the direction and at the expense of the British Government rebuilt Fort Frederick at Pemaquid in 1729-30. Rev. Mr. Rutherford, it is said, settled for a Short time on the island that bears his name. There is an old legend that a girl by the name of Ruth Ford was murdered on the island by the Indians and that the name is derived from that event, but it is generally accepted that the name is derived from Mr. Ruther- fond's short settlement on the island. The new town of South Bristol includes the western part of Harrington and Walpole. Walpole on the northwest and Harrington on the southern part with Rutherford's Island extending into the Atlantic Ocean, forms a prominent headland.
Walpole and Harrington were named after two English noblemen of the day. The village of South Bristol is near the bridge that connects the island to the main land, a part of the village on each side. It con- siste of six stores, Post Office, library, barber shop, school house, church, fish market, dance hall, public hall for the different lodges, Masonic, Eastern Star, Red Men, Boy Scouts, eto., and two summer hotels, Christmas Cove at the southern end and near the ocean is a fine harbor and is fast beginning to be a popular summer re- sort. It has three large hotels, a summer post office, three stores run in the summer a Casino, library, swimming pool, tennis court, and other things for amusement.
Evidently there have been early
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settlers both on the shores of the Damar- iscotta River and John's Bay of which we have no record as there are cellars and un- known graves of which we have no record, but evidently there were but few very early settlers in this section; , evidently they were either massacred or driven off by the Indians. A short distance east from the Thompson Inn are some old cellars, a well, and quite a number of graves. Tradition informs us that the (people ) that once own- ed Rutherford's Island are buried there and that the other graves are unknown. A heavy growth of oak now Covers the ground so that the graves can scarcely be found. There is an old tradition that the people that lived there mysteriously disappeared, that a family that lived in a log house on the island, not seeing any smoke in the morning or any signs of life, crossed over and found the houses deserted, that appar- ently the occupants had left in a hurry as they had left their breakfasts partly cook- ed. An old gentleman for whom the writer Worked when a boy said that no one in his day: Claimed to know anything about who lived there. He said he could remember when pl plants grew there that were unlike anything that he had seen.
A story is told, and evidently a true one, in regard to a sunken ledge east from Davis, now known ad Witch Island, near the strait between the mainland and Rutherford's Island, called the Corvette. This name had its origin in the reputed incident of the struggle between the British and French in 1744 for the possession of the fortifica- tions at Pemaquid. A british Sloop of war Was pursued by a French corvette, a much
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larger and more powerful craft. The bonny captain of the British vessel, estimating Shrewdly the draft of the two vessels. with his knowledge of the depth of water in the vicinity of his ledge, craftily led the pursuer in this direction and, safely scraping across the shallow places, lured his enemy to grounding on the shoal while he escaped. The brass cannons were thrown overboard from the French Corvette to lighten her. Twice divers have tried to raise them, but the mud is said to be so Soft around the ledge that they are sup- posed to have sunk too deep in the mud by the rough seas that they have never been raised. From that time, this reef of ledges has been called the Uervette. The earliest authentic document that is in ex- istence, or at least that I can find re- lating to South Bristol is a plan of a piece of waste land surveyed by Thomas Boyd, sworn surveyor January 25, 1733.
There must have beensettlers in this section at that time as names of land holders are mentioned in the plan; this lot of land mist have been near the place owned and occupied by Mr. Everett Poole. Another early document is a plan called the Jonathan Davis plan of 100 acres at Seal Cove, dated December 25, 1763. Elijah Parkard sworn surveyor of land. The next in order is a deed of 100 acres of land from Thomas Thompson to Joshua Thompson for five hundred Spanish milled dollars dated November 4, 1783. Thomas Thompson evidently was the ancestor of all the Thompsons in South Bristol, but we have no record of the family except Joshua.
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Doubtless Miles Thompson was his son; he had children, James and Benjamin, who settled in South Bristol. There were other Children, but we are unable to learn their names, but they did not settle in South Bristol. James married Martha, daughter of Nathaniel and Mary M. Davis Gamage, and Benjamin married her sister Mary. This land was taken from the property now known as the King Colony. Thomas Thompson was born in 1718. His wife was Abigail Smith. He moved from Berwick to Bristol in 1752 and bought a large tract of land, a part of which is what is known as the King Colony of summer cottages. We have no record of Children except Joshua. Joshua Thompson was born Sept. 27, 1758, and married Martha Coombe, born March 5, 1761 of New Meadowe, May 29, 1782. He settled on part of his
father's farm. His children: Isaac, born
April 13, 1783 - Joshua, born March 22, 1787 - Amy, born February 19, 1785 - Ichabod, born July 26, 1789
July 12, 1791 - --- Martha, born Nov. 12,
Mary, born
1793 - -- Abigail, born April 15, 1796
Waty, born October 31, 1798 - Thomas, born April 19, 1802
- Elizabeth, born
February 20, 1805 - And Asa, born April 2, 1808. In an old cemetery on the land formerly owned by Thomas Thompson and given by him for a publio cemetery the early generations of Thompsons are buried, as also nearly all of the early settlers of the southern part of South Bristol.
The next is a deed from Thomas Drown to Samuel Otis for a certain island lying and being within the township of Bristol called Katherine's Island or Rutherford's Island, was doubtless included in the
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Pemaquid Patent, and this deed from Thomas Drown was the first deed that we have of the island. Thomas Drown was heir of Shern Drown who long acted as agent for the pro- prietors of the Pemacuid. patent. The pur- Chase of Rutherford's Island will show the difference between doing business in 1788 and the present time. The reader will re- member that this was before steamboats and sailboats. Three men, namely: Samuel Otis, Miles Thompson, and John Foster, had agreed to the purchase of the island for the above price which would be in our money at this time, a little less than $150,00. To get this money to Boston andna deed of the island was a very important trust. Samuel Otis, being a man of considerable business ability and a strictly honest and trust- worthy man, was chosen to carry the money, which was in silver, to Boston. At that time this journey had to be made either by wood coaster or by stage. Mr. Otis went by Water, paid over the money and procured the deed in his own name and gave deeds to the following: To Miles Thompson the West- ern side; John Foster the Christmas Cove part, retaining the east part for himself. Descendants of all three of the original proprietors are living, but on account of records being lost, I am unable to trace their ancestry. Otis lived in a log house near the shore on the old Otis farm, and ecme old apple trees are now standing near where the old log house stood. The ferry at that time to the mainland was a log canoe canoe or dugout, pulled across by a rope stretched from shore to shore near the Otis house, later a wooden bridge was construct- ed a little way east from the present stone bridge. Tradition informs us that one
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barrel of rum was used by the workmon while building the present stone bridge. We have no reason to doubt this story. The work is in evidence and speaks for itself. We often hear people say, "I don't know what the world is coming to; the young people are so bad. It was not so in my day! The writer, when a boy, has listened to many stories told by the old gentlemen in those days. Among some of them that I can remember are the following: Some boys for Some reason got mad with the people who owned the ferry alluded to, went one night and drove big spikes through the bottom, and fastened her fast to the big logs on which the canoe rested. Another one I re- member being told by one of the same old gentlemen is: that an old man and his wife lived alone in a log cabin; and one after noon when the old couple were from home, the boys entered the house, bored a hole in in the back log in the big fireplace and filled it with powder. Shortly after the old folks retumed, the fire reached the powder, The consequences were that the log went through the side of the house, taking one side of the kitchen with it. At the olose of one of these stories, the old gentlemen would say, "Rum was at the bottom of it all." And another story comes to my mind: Some boys that were at work for a man packing fish destroyed the old man's Whole field of corn when he said something that displeased the boys. And still an- other is remembered: Several boys, getting mad with the owner of a whale boat, went in the night and put rocks enough in her to sink her, then towed her to the middle of the river, bored holes in her, and she
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sank where the water was so deep that she Was never raised, "Rum was at the bottom of it all." Another deed of land is from Pratt Wall of Bristol to Joshua Gamage cf Rockport, Mass, dated 1789, consideration seventy-two pounds and ten shillings. This is the farm now owned and occupied by Daniel Hodgden. Mr. Gamage must have bought this farm several years before moving to Bristol as he came here in 1795. Besides his family, he brought with him his mother, Mary, , daughter of Jonathan Norword. She was born October 18, 1717; She died in 1821 aged 104 years, She was buried on the farm where the graves of herself and other mem- bere of the family are still to be seen. She was a Smal but very active woman, in- telligent and quick witted; she had bright, black eyes and dark hair that never turned gray. Her activity of mind yielded to the touch of time a few years before her death, but her bodily usefulness remained to the last. Her husband Nathaniel Gamage born in Cambridge, Mass., March 1, 1712. He myster- iously disappeared when he went to England to settle a estate left them by his ancest- ors and was never heard of. It was believ- ed he had been seized by the press gang, a method often pursued at that time in order to secure men for the English Navy. His widow never ceased to mourn for him, and when her mind became weak with extreme old age, she would sit for hours with a needle and thread, sewing on an old garment Saying she was getting Nathaniel's clothes ready for him when he returned. In those days, doctors traveled horseback and carr- led their medecine in a saddle bag. Dr. Gamage's saddlebags were brought by the Son, Joshua, to his new home, but they are
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not to be found at the present day. Joshua Gamage lived in a log house a short dis- tance west from Daniel Hodgdon's house near the island; he was born in 1741. His son, Joshua was born in Massachusetts in 1766, married Sarah Webster of Gloucester, and came to Bristol with his father in 1795. Their children were Joshua, Thomas, Samuel, Jane, Sarah, Jemina, Hannah, William, Mar- tha, and Webster. He died in Bristol, April 18, 1838. His wife died September 4, 1 853. They are buried in the Thompson Cemetery. When they came from Gloucester, they sett- led on the place where Alpheus McFarland, Freeman Kelsey, and others now live. Nathaniel came also with his father and settled on the place and built the house known as the Pierce place. The house was built in 1812 and stands near the Thompson Inn. He bought the place of a Mr. Catlin. He was born in 1772 and married Mary M. Davis. He was a farmer and Was also engaged in the fishing business. He was the second keeper of Pemaquid Point bight. (Nathaniel ) His Children were Mary, Eleanor, Nathaniel, Martha, Ruth, Benjamin, Daniel, Oliver, Lucretia, and Davis. He died January 16, 1840, and his wife died March 19, 1838. They are buried in the Thompson Cemetary. He was said to be the wealthiest man in this section of the tom in his day, which would doubtless be rather small fortune at the present day. A story is told of him which comes to show the convenience in the present method of banks and banking busi- ness, compared with a century ago. He drove horseback to Bristol Mills to pay his taxes taking paper money. As this was not a legal tender at that time, Mr. James Drummond, the town collector, refused to take it.
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Mr. Gamage came home diligently to collect the old-fashioned large pennies. When he had collected enough to pay his taxes, he put them in a meal bag, put them on his horse's back, and drove again to Bristol Mills and to Mr. Drummond's office where he poured them out on the table. The only remark Mr. Drummond made was, "Well, I do declare. "
Besides Joshua and Nathaniel, Dr. Nathaniel Gamage and Mary Norwocd Gamage had children: Mary, Joshua, Ruth, John, and Rebecca. Joshua married Elinor Foster of Gloucester, Mass. Their children were: Nathaniel, Samuel, Daniel, Jemina, William, Ruth, Elinor, Stephen, Joshua, and Jane. Daniel, at his father's death, took the farm. Nathaniel and Joshua settled in Bristol. Jemina married McFarland. (Child- ren: George and Deborah). McFarland was lost at sea; she afterwards married Eben Poole, Their Children were: Eben, Reuben, William, Sarah, Emeline, and Hannah. Eben Poole is the ancestor of all the South Bristol Pooles.
The McFarlands of South Bristol can be traced to Solomon Mcfarland, who, with his family, lived in Fort Frederic, Pema- quid. during the last Indian War. He had a family of at least six: two sons and four daughters, probably more. His two sons, George and Waalter, while at work on J John's Island, were suddenly attacked by Indians. The former was killed on the spot and the latter taken captive, After being with the Indians about two years, Walter Was restored to his friends at the Indian conference at Falmouth in October, 1749.
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His father was present, and so complete- ly had he become in his appearance and manner during his stay among the Indians that he was unable to recognize his son only by his voice. He learned to speak their language and was subsequently em- ployed by the Government as an interpre- ter. Solomon McFarland's daughters married David Brown, Thomas Johnn, and Jacob Dook- endorff. :
Capt. Alexander Nickles married Mary McFarland, daughter of Solomon, in Pema- quid Fort, April 13, 1758.
Capt. William MoFarland, a brother of .Rev. Moses McFarland of whom we shall have occasion to speak later, was born in South Bristol. He married Abigail Robinson, and settled on the farm now owned by Leander, Brainbridge, and Addison McFarland (Three brothers), his grandsons. William McFar- land's children were Moses Alexander, William, Jane, Pratt, Israel, Charlot, Martha, and Marjorie. William, Pratt, and Israel, and Charlot settled in South Bristol. Thomas Erskine married Charlot. Israel married Sally Jones. Tradition says that Mrs. Cross had the reputation of being a witch by the superstitious of those days. The writer hashheard many stories in which she "Was supposed to work evil cn anyone with whom she might wish to injure. One story is told that she went to a neighbor to borrow his oxen, and for some reason he denied her. She said, "You will be sorry for this." The next morning the owner of the oxen started for the fish- ing ground in his log canoe with a fair wind down John's Bay. Just before he reach-
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ed the fishing grounds, the wind all died down and a fresh breeze from the south- West sprang up; he had to put back with- out any fish. This, the reader will under- stand, is not an uncommon occurrence, but, as the old gentleman offended the witch the day before, he thought he was bewitch- ed. He bought a pound of tea and gave it to the witch, and the next day was a fine day and a good catch. Another story is told . of a neighbor doing something which dis- pleased the witch; the next day while at work with a pair of young steers, they suddenly took fright, turned their yoke, and scampered through the field. The ommer was unable to catch them that day. This Was not an unusual thing for young steers, but as the ommer had displeased the witch, he supposed his steers were bewitched, so as a peace offering, she would receive a pound of tea or tobacco and all would go well. There appears to be a tonge of super- stition which clings to every sensitive mind in a World full of mysteries, but people in those days were very supersti- tious. An old gentleman Was plowing in a field a little way east from the Thompson Inn near the unknown graves previously alluded to on the Pierce farm, and not knowing that the graves extended so far out into the field where he was at work, one of his oxen broke through the ground and one foot went through and pulled up a piece of coffin on his foot. The old gentleman, believing this to be a bad omen, immediately put his oxen in the barn, and neither himself, family or beast belonging to him worked any more that day. These things took place only a little more than a century ago. -
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ASometime in the early part of the last century, Ambrose Jones came to South Bristol from Rockport, Mass., and settled on the farm now owned by Stanley Alley, Atwood Plummer, Geo. Rice, and others. He kept a store and engaged in the fishing business. His wife's name was Mary Harding. Their children were Mary Sally, Addison, J Lydia, and James, Three of this family Settled in South Bristol; Sally, who married Capt. Israel McFarland; Mary, who married Capt. James Plummer; and Ambrose who married Abagail Robinson. We find a document signed by Edward Kent, governor of Maine, appointing Ambrose A. Jones in- spector of pickled fish and smoked ale- wives and herrings for the town of Bristol in the county of Lincoln, now South Bristol. He kept a store at Rutherford's Isi and and was engaged in the fishing bus- iness. His land was near the bridge; sub- sequently, he represented the town in the State Legislature. Shortly before the breaking out of the Civil War, he went vith his family to California where he died Shortly after, His wife lived to be more than ninety years old. John Foster, who bought the Christmas Cove part of Ruther- ford's Island from Samuel Otis, kept a store and carried on in the fishing bus: ness where the old store now stands. He left descendents, but we are unable to give their names; but he was ancestor to a large part of the Fosters of South Bristol. He was succeeded in business by a Mr. Burns, who came from Massachusetts. He was succeeded by John and Eliphalet Thorp under the firm name of J & E Thorp. They came from Boothbay and their wives from South- port. John married Harriet Pierce and
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Eliphalet married Betsy Pierce, sisters. They bought larger and more modern bessel s than had been owned by their predecessors, Mr. Eliphalet Thorp represented the tom of Bristol in the legislature. Mr. John Thorp died Oct. 12, 1882, and Mr. Eliph- alet Thorp died May 20, 1887.
Where their fish flakes once stood and where thousands of quintels of fish have been cured for the Boston Market, th there is now a fine tennis court; and the point of land known as Thorpe's point where once roamed hundreds of sheep, is now detted with summer cottages and the whole point is a playground.
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