USA > Maine > Waldo County > Belfast > History of the city of Belfast in the state of Maine, Volume II, 1875-1900 > Part 1
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NYPL RESEARCH LIBRARIES 3 3433 07954274 6
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HISTORY OF BELFAST VOLUME II
fracper willingmann
HISTORY
OF THE
CITY OF BELFAST
IN THE
STATE OF MAINE
VOLUME II 1875-1900
BY JOSEPH WILLIAMSON
COMPLETED AND EDITED BY ALFRED JOHNSON
BOSTON AND NEW YORK HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY Che Cimberside press Cambridge 1913
THE NEW YSIE PUBLIC LIBRARY 637939 ACTOR, LENOX A D TILDEN FOUNDAT Ne. R
1913 L
COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY ALFRED JOHNSON
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Published September 1013
INTRODUCTORY NOTE
TUDGE WILLIAMSON did not live to finish the second volume of his History of Belfast. During the decade follow- ing his death in 1902, it became a matter of general regret that the records he had spent so many years of careful research in collect- ing were not preserved in permanent form, and several attempts were made to complete and publish them. Among these the most important took place in 1910, when, as a result of the interest shown by the late George Prentice Field, Dr. James Clarke White, Charles Albert Pilsbury, editor of the Republican Journal, James Clinton Durham, Albert Wooster Thompson, and others, in conjunction with Judge Williamson's children, who offered the free use of the manuscript, a paper was drawn up and signed by a score of persons, who thereby subscribed to a guarantee fund to meet such deficit as the publication of the volume might involve. Although the subscriptions at the time were liberal, suf- ficient money was not pledged to warrant publication, and the matter was not further considered seriously until the summer of 1912, when subscriptions were again solicited, and the number of signers to the paper was gradually increased from twenty to one hundred and nineteen. The names of these subscribers are printed at the end of the volume, as members of the William- son's History Association, a title which was adopted in Novem- ber, 1912, in honor of Judge Williamson, and under which all business relative to the book has since been carried on. In ac- cordance with the terms of the original agreement the following committee was elected in 1912 15 arrange for the publication of the volume: George Albert Quimby, James Howard Howes, Ben Davis Field, James Clinton Darhain; and Alfred Johnson. This committee selected Alfred Johnson as Editor and Treasurer.
The Editor's task of preparing and completing the manuscript, of seeing the book through the press, and of raising the neces- sary funds, has been lightened by many instances of individual kindness, and the encouragement and help he has met with on every hand speak well for the public spirit of the present and former residents of Belfast. To make even brief mention of all
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INTRODUCTORY NOTE
who have aided in the work would require more space than has been assigned to this introductory note. Specific obligations are in certain instances acknowledged in the text as they occur. Some reference should be made here, however, to the invaluable assist- ance received from the following persons : the surviving members of Judge Williamson's family, who have furthered the publication of the book in every way possible; George Albert Quimby, whose remarkable memory and familiarity with local events during the period treated have enabled him to perform the same services for this volume as did his uncle, the venerable William Quimby, a generation ago, for the earlier one; Hiram Pitcher Farrow, and Augustus Daniel Hayes, civil engineers, whose professional knowledge has been freely called upon; Mrs. James Clinton Durham, who has not only compiled the List of Births comprising chapter XLVIII, but has assisted at every stage of the work; Miss Margaret Nickerson Hazeltine, who has collected the material relative to College Graduates and Students in chapter XIV, and Miss Caroline Williams Field, who has verified and corrected the lists of High School teachers and graduates in chapter XVI. All of these have read the proof-sheets in whole or in part, which in addition have been seen by Dr. James Clarke White, Charles Albert Pilsbury, Charles Prescott Hazeltine, James Clinton Dur- ham, and Mrs. Henry Herbert Edes, niece of Judge Williamson. By thus submitting the proofs to a number of persons familiar with the history of the town, it was hoped that the errors pecu- liar to a book of this kind would be eliminated so far as possible. The list of those of a typographical nature, which were discovered too late to be corrected, may be found as errata on page 697.
It will be noted that Mr .: Willian son's original intention of continuing the present volume onky to .1900; thus completing the century, has for the most part been carried out by the Editor. In some cases the narrative has been continued to 1912 or 1913. This has usually been done; however, only when the mate- rial was at hand. It did not seem advisable to delay publication long enough to bring the entire book down to date. In places where an ambiguity of statement might arise, the figures (1900), (1912), or (1913) have been inserted to fix the period. It is hoped that a third volume may continue the history in full from 1900. No attempt has been made to indicate exactly what parts of the book have been supplied since Mr. Williamson's death. Many
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INTRODUCTORY NOTE
isolated facts were lacking throughout his manuscript; not a few chapters were incomplete, and two were missing. The lapse of time had made it necessary to supplement or rewrite many of the biographical notices, while many others have been added. In general about two hundred and fifty of the seven hundred and thirty pages, including the four indexes, together with all the maps and illustrations, have been supplied. Those familiar with Judge Williamson's style will recognize the points at which the pen fell from his hand.
Finally, the Editor would take advantage of this opportunity to express his personal admiration for the scholarly attainments of Mr. Williamson, whom he knew and revered from childhood, and whose family had been connected with his own by ties of friendship and of marriage for several generations. No boy ever read Plutarch's Lives with more avidity than did the writer the biographical notices in the earlier volume of the History of Bel- fast. Mr. Williamson's peculiar skill in seizing the specific char- acteristics which went to make up the personality of the man he was describing, and his sympathetic portrayal of them, were instinctively felt at the time, and later his painstaking, tireless research, and his judgment in selecting and correlating significant details, his concise style, and his willingness to perform long and laborious tasks without the hope of pecuniary reward, came to be understood and appreciated. To Judge Williamson's personal dignity, his uniform kindness and courtesy toward young and old alike, his deference to the opinions of others, his interesting and instructive conversation, with its wealth of narrative, his moder- ation and accuracy of statement,. -- to all of these lack of space permits here allusions only. It, was the writer's privilege to pass a year under the same hospitable.roof with Mr. Williamson, while the manuscript of this volume was in preparation, and to hear from his own lips the author's . intentions and wishes regarding its completion and publication. The work incidental to the Edi- tor's efforts to carry these out has been both agreeable and inter- esting, and has brought him into pleasant relations with the many friends of his boyhood, whose generosity has made it pos- sible to put this record of persons and events, familiar to our youth, in permanent form for those who come after us.
ALFRED JOHNSON.
! BOSTON, August, 1913.
WEN
MEMOIR OF JOSEPH WILLIAMSON
BY
WILLIAM CROSS WILLIAMSON
JOSEPH WILLIAMSON was born in Belfast, Maine, on the 5th of October, 1828. He traced his descent from Timothy 1 Williamson, of Marshfield, a freeman of Plymouth Colony in 1657, who served in King Philip's War, and was buried August 6, 1676. His wife was Mary Howland. George1 Williamson, a son of Timothy, was born in Marshfield in 1675, and died in Middle- boro, Massachusetts, about 1742. His wife was Mary Crisp. Caleb,3 son of George, was born in Harwich, Massachusetts, in 1715, and removed to Canterbury, Connecticut, where he died August 9, 1795. He married Sarah Ransom, of Middleboro, who died April 18, 1792, at the age of seventy. George, 4 son of Caleb, born in Middleboro, January 15, 1754, was a soldier in the Revo- lution, until the close of the war, when he took up his residence in Woodstock, Vermont, where he was esteemed as farmer, inn- keeper, and selectman of the town. Thence emigrating to Maine, shortly before its separation from Massachusetts, he died in Bangor, October 10, 1822. His wife, who survived him, was Mary, daughter of William Foster, of Canterbury, to whom he was married July 9, 1778. Her ancestor was Reginald Foster, who came, it is said, from Exeter, England, to Ipswich, Massa- chusetts, about 1638. She was noted for her good sense and for her benevolent works. Possessed of phenomenal memory, especially of the Holy Scriptures, she left to her family a volum- inous diary bearing testimony to that unquestioning faith in the Lord which sustained her through the trials and vicissitudes of a somewhat nomadic life. Of her eight children, the three sons who reached maturity preceded their father in his removal from Woodstock to Maine. These were William Durkee, later known as the historian of the State; George, who lived in Pittston, where he died in 1860; and Joseph, who came to Maine at nearly the same time with his brothers.
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MEMOIR OF JOSEPH WILLIAMSON
Joseph 5 Williamson was born in Canterbury, August 5, 1789, and graduated at the University of Vermont in 1812. After serving the usual legal apprenticeship, he came to Belfast, and at once established himself as a lawyer. In 1820, Mr. William- son was appointed County Attorney for Hancock County, an office which he again filled for Waldo County, when that county was formed in 1827. From 1822 until 1832 he was Postmaster; and was elected to the State Senate in 1832 and 1833, being its President during his last term. For several years he edited a local paper, was interested in politics, and delivered frequent speeches, lectures, and addresses, and took a willing hand in every scheme for the education and improvement of his town and its inhabitants. In 1839, he received from Brown Univer- sity the honorary degree of Master of Arts. Resolutions passed at a meeting of the Bar of the Supreme Judicial Court, after his decease, make mention of "his indefatigable devotion to his profession, and of the esteem in which he was held and of his unvarying amenity of manners."
June 24, 1824, he married Caroline, daughter of William Cross, of Newburyport, Massachusetts. She was a descendant in the fourth generation from Ralph Cross, of that town. In the old church there, where lie the bones of Rev. George Whitefield, may still be seen in the pulpit a Bible bearing an inscription which declares it to be "the greeting of Mr. Ralph Cross, August 4, 1746." Ralph had a son who bore the same name. He, with his brother Stephen, were large shipbuilders before the Revolu- tion, and when t at crisis came both were unswerving in their support of the patriotic cause. Both went to the front. Ralph was commissioned Lieutenant of the Essex Regiment, and with his command took part in the memorable battle which occa- sioned the surrender of Burgoyne. His son William, for many years in business and for a long time holding the office of Sur- veyor of the Port of Newbury, was the father of Caroline named above. She died June 22, 1852, leaving four children, Joseph, William Cross,* George Ralph, and Caroline Cross.
Joseph 6 Williamson, Junior, was fitted for college at the public schools and at the Academy of his native town, and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1849. Upon leaving Brunswick, he
* Mr. Williamson died June 13, 1903, just after finishing this memoir of his brother.
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MEMOIR OF JOSEPH WILLIAMSON
became a student at law in the office of his father, was in due time admitted to the Bar, and began the practice of his pro- fession in 1852. He was at first associated with, and finally suc- ceeded, his father in business; thus in their joint lives they com- pleted a continuous professional career in the same town, on the same spot, and under the same sign, of nearly ninety years. In 1853, Belfast became a city, and Mr. Williamson received from Governor Crosby the appointment of Judge of its Police Court, an office to which he was again chosen, the last time by the unanimous vote of his fellow-citizens. In this official capacity he administered the oath of office to Hon. Ralph Cross Johnson, its first Mayor, and to the members-elect of the first City Govern- ment, a duty which, by a sort of tacit custom, he continued to perform every successive year as long as he lived.
From the day when his professional life began, Mr. Williamson was a hard-working man, unsparing of pains and patience in behalf of a numerous clientage. The Maine Reports bear witness, from the beginning of his career to the end, to the able and con- scientious labor which he brought to the preparation of his cases, as well as to the great variety of legal problems which came before him for consideration. The practice of law, during the greater part of his professional life, was not, as now, divided into specialties. The country lawyer was expected to be learned in every branch of his business, whether law, equity, or admir- alty. Mr. Williamson's abilities brought remunerative employ- ment, as well as friends who gave constant proofs of their never- failing confidence. For several years he was elected and served as City Solicitor. His opinions upon matters of highways, of taxes, and of the rights and obligations of towns and their officers, were greatly valued. Within the last decade, owing to the rapid rise in value of lands in Islesboro and adjacent seaside resorts, his services were in frequent demand in the examination of titles, especially such as involved obscure and difficult ques- tions of fact and law. In this field his researches were complete and exhaustive, especially so because they were in line with those local historical inquiries which had been the delight of his life.
Such was his work. His recreation was found, from his earliest years, in the domain of history and biography. In boyhood he had prepared and written a history of Belfast, which formed the nucleus of his later work. His first venture in print was in 1852,
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MEMOIR OF JOSEPH WILLIAMSON
when he completed and had published the "Maine Register and Reference Book," giving an account of the institutions, corpora- tions, and business interests of the State. The enthusiasm which he brought to historical topics is amply displayed throughout the numerous articles which he contributed for publication to the Maine Historical Society, of which organization he was for many years Corresponding Secretary, and the meetings of which he rarely failed to attend from the time he was elected a member in 1850. Among these are the "Journal of Governor Thomas Pownall, with Notes"; "Castine and the old Coins found there"; "General Henry Knox"; "Capital Trials in Maine"; "Briga- dier-General Waldo"; "The British Occupation of Penob- scot"; "Traces of the Northmen"; "Sir John Moore at Cas- tine"; "Martin Pring"; "Memorials of Father Rale"; "Where is Columbus buried"; "The Professional Tours of John Adams in Maine"; and the paper read before the society at the unveiling of the bust of Longfellow. They number about seventy formal contributions.
He also prepared articles, upon a great variety of subjects, for the "Bangor Historical Magazine," the "Maine Historical and Genealogical Register," and for the "Republican Journal" and other newspapers. In 1870, he gave an elaborate historical address at the centennial of the settlement of Belfast; and in 1894, he was the orator on the occasion of services held in com- memoration of the installation of Rev. William Frothingham as Minister of the First Parish (Unitarian) Church of that town, at which he, as well as his father, had been lifelong attendants.
In 1877, Mr. Williamson published his "History of Belfast," a work which had been for twenty-five years in preparation, and which gives in great detail a complete story of the life of a New England town, from its settlement down to 1875. In the compil- ing of this volume, he followed the methods which were adopted by his uncle in gathering materials for his "History of Maine." He went to original records and documents for information. Every statement of fact was made upon the best evidence. Not the smallest event was left to conjecture. A second volume of this history, bringing the account down to the close of the cen- tury, was in preparation at the time of his death.
But the magnum opus of his later years was the Bibliography of Maine. This consists of two octavo volumes of 670 pages
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MEMOIR OF JOSEPH WILLIAMSON
each, giving, with the exception of certain public, municipal, and legal reports, the full title of every book, pamphlet, and reput- able magazine article which has been printed in, or which has reference to, Maine; and, also, all of which the authors were, at the time of writing or publishing, residents within the State. A glance at its eleven thousand titles is sufficient to disclose the labor required for searching after and collecting the mass of information stored away in this reservoir, no less the good judg- ment and care required in the classification of subjects. Some idea of its value may be obtained from the lists which it con- tains of writings devoted to the Cilley Duel, Charlevoix, the voluminous literary progeny of Jacob Abbott, and the countless titles relating to incidents in the history of Maine. It is both a digest and a dictionary. These volumes were printed in 1896, under the auspices of the Maine Historical Society, and met with a gratifying approval, especially from scholars, at home as well as abroad. In the year following their appearance, the author received from his Alma Mater the honorary degree of Litt.D., and in 1900, he was elected a member of the society of Phi Beta Kappa.
This work was, as the preface expresses it, a "labor of love." Neither for this nor for any other of the productions of his pen did the author receive any pecuniary reward. He might have said of himself, as did Agassiz, that he "had no time to give to the making of money"; but he seemed always to have time for works intended for posterity, "which delights in details." He was no recluse. He was generous of himself, of his time, and of his historical treasures. His correspondence was large, but he never neglected it. He was never too busy to enjoy the society of friends and the amenities of daily life. No one ever wrote to him concerning an historical question without receiving a prompt and courteous reply, sometimes involving much time and study. No brother attorney ever consulted him upon a vexed question without finding him ready and eager to devote his best know- ledge to the matter at hand. Especially by his friends among the younger members of the Bar, he was beloved for his kindliness and helpful, encouraging words. He was incapable of dissimula- tion. The same absolute truth which is manifest in his written work characterized his daily duties. He loved music. He delighted in the old melodies, in the time-honored hymns of the
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MEMOIR OF JOSEPHI WILLIAMSON
past. He took pleasure in his nightly play of whist; but did not, like "Mrs. Sarah Battles," insist upon the "rigor of the game."
In the memorial service held in the Supreme Judicial Court after his death, Chief Justice Wiswall said: -
He has argued many cases before the law court, and I know of my personal experience that it has always been a pleasure when a case was taken up for examination after argument to find a brief in the well- known handwriting, as clear and uniform as if engraved, of Brother Williamson. The members of the court always knew that his brief would be instructive and valuable and that every legitimate argument. that could be made in support of his position would be made. But it always seemed to me that his most distinguishing and marked char- acteristic was his uniform courteousness and politeness. He was al- ways a gentleman in the best sense of the word. While ever zealous in the protection of his clients' rights and in presenting his side of the case to court or jury, he never forgot his dignity or his position as an officer of the court to the extent of entering into unseemly wrangles with the opposing lawyer.
Mr. Williamson, at the time of his death, was the oldest living member of the Waldo Bar Association, and for many years had been its President. He was also President of its Library Associa- tion, to the establishment and support of which he had devoted his usual public spirit. He was elected a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society in 1874, and for many years was its Vice-President for Maine; was Vice-President of the Maine Society of the Sons of the Revolution; a member of the American Antiquarian Society; the American Historical Association; honorary member of the Maine Genealogical So- ciety; corresponding member of the Massachusetts, Vermont, Wisconsin, Bangor, and Buffalo Historical Societies, and of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts.
When the Belfast Free Library was established, in 1887, he was made President of the Board of Trustees. This office he filled with never-failing energy until his death, devoting himself with most assiduous attention to the interests of the Library, and visiting it every day.
He was a devoted lover of his native town and of all the coun- try around it. He loved its beautiful bay across which lay the old town of Castine, rich in romantic history, and the far-away hills of Mount Desert beyond it, which are associated with the earliest civilization of the continent. His knowledge was unfail-
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MEMOIR OF JOSEPH WILLIAMSON
ing upon all local matters. Like Sir Walter Scott, he had a story for every hill and hamlet, and like him, was never weary of recalling incidents and traditions concerning the carly settlers. Facts which to others seemed dull and unimportant were to him full of suggestions. A train of events followed one after the other like fancies, in his mind, but were always based upon a substra- tum of truth. With all his fondness for plain unvarnished truths, he had a keen relish for fiction. For the poets, the classic Eng- lish novelists and writers - especially Johnson, Goldsmith, and Thackeray - he had a lifelong affection. He never forgot any- thing which he had once read. Characters, conversations, inci- dents long past, never seemed to pass out of his grasp, but remained and lived with him as realities.
He was married, October 22, 1857, to Ada Hortense Peirce, daughter of Waldo T. Peirce, of Bangor. She died March 19, 1872, leaving a son, who inherits his father's name and profes- sion, and two daughters, all of whom are living.
The last weeks of his life were saddened by the death of his youngest brother, George Ralph Williamson, who had but lately retired from business in New York and returned to live in his native town, where he died September 22, 1902. To a friend who came to condole with him and who asked him what he would do to bear up under this sorrow, Mr. Williamson replied, simply, "I still have my pen." And so for a little time he went manfully on.
On December 4, 1902, without premonition and without pain, in his own room, with his daughter and loving friends about him, he suddenly passed away.
"How happy is he born and taught That serveth not another's will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his utmost skill.
This man is free from servile bands Of hope to rise or fear to fall; Lord of himself though not of lands, And, having nothing, yet hath all."
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I
PHYSICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE HISTORY
Latitude and Longitude - Maps - Engravings - Descriptive Poem by Mrs. Rebecca Palfrey Utter - Directories - Harbor Improvements - Monument - Miscellaneous 1
CHAPTER II
MUNICIPAL HISTORY
Officers in 1875 - Seizure of City Agency Liquors - Abolition of Liquor Agency - Damages recovered for Defective Road - Night Police - Ordinance concerning Gunpowder - Damages of $10,000 recovered against City by L. J. Hatch - City Debt refunded - Standard Time adopted - Limits for erecting Wooden Buildings - Taxpayers' Contro- versy - New Code of Ordinances - Nine o'Clock Evening Bell discon- tinued - Licenses for Dogs required - Memorial Hall first occupied - City Ordinances revised - Railroad Debt refunded - Biographical Sketches of Mayors - Auditor established - Curfew Bell - Ex-Mayors - James Patterson White, Sherburn Sleeper, William Pitcher and Axel Hayford
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CHAPTER III MUNICIPAL HISTORY (continued)
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