USA > Maine > Penobscot County > Corinna > A brief history of Corinna, Maine, from its purchase in 1804 to 1916 > Part 2
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Other Bloomfield families are the Pratts, the Gardiners and the Masons.
Uncle Jeremiah.
"Uncle" Jeremiah Titcomb, a sailor and a pensioner of the war of 1812, came from the town of Gray at about the time that James Young arrived from Cornville, and later married a daughter of Mr. Young, named An- nie. Mr. Titcomb was of a jovial dis- position and abounded in stories of his experiences upon the ocean. He was of the Adventist doctrine in religion and in 1843 was one of those who set- tled their business and disposed of property preparatory to the "end of the world." He settled on Titcomb's hill, the last farm in Corinna, toward the east. He was by trade a stonecut- ter, and built, among others, the cellar of the old Corinna House.
He was a great favorite with the young people who were always amused to hear "Uncle Jerry" give his testimony in meetings and compare himself to "an old ship," concluding
with his hopes as to the "old ship's reaching port," all of which was de- livered with twinkling eyes and a broad smile.
He was also fond of telling the for- tunes of the young people by examin- ing the "bumps on their heads."
In his day it was customary for the relatives of the deceased at a funeral to treat the bearers to a generous draught of rum. He must have been possessed of more than ordinary strength for it was no uncommon thing for Mr. Titcomb to walk to the mill at the village, a distance of about four miles, with a half bushel of wheat on his back, have the wheat ground, return home with it, and then do a full day's work.
The Knowles Family.
Silas and Lovina Knox Knowles, parents of Columbus and Edwin Knowles of this town, came from Truro, Mass., about 1823 and set- tled in district number 6 east of what is now known as the old Knowles place where the Knowles reunions are annually held. Later they exchanged farms with a neighbor, and settled for life on the latter farm. The Knowles family is numerous in descendants.
Two others of the name of Knowles were among the petitioners for the in- corporation of the town. Nathaniel and Seth. It is probable that Na- thaniel was the son of Seth, and that all others of the early Knowles set- tlers, with the exception of the Silas named, were sons of this Seth, or his brothers, as many of them if not all of them came from Fayette, which was his former home.
Nathaniel Knowles was married three times and was the father of 19 children, so it is scarcely remarkable that the name of Knowles is still prominent in Corinna.
His first wife was Tamson Barker, whom he married April 30, 1816, and by whom he had two sons: Ira and Daniel. He married the second time, January 17, 1822, Polly Chamberlain, and their children were: Sally, Sum- ner, Salmon, Anna, B. Franklin, Emily, Betsey, Julia Ann, and Mary.
March 20, 1838, he married Abigail Southard. Their children are: Lem- uel P., Eveline M., Josephine F., Elbra Augusta, Orville H., Abby Frances, Susan N., and Fred.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORINNA
THE PEARL HALL FARM, CORINNA CENTER, Known in Earlier Days as the John Knowles Place, Where One of the First Schools of the Town Was Held
Seth and Anna Knowles' first child, John, was born March 4, 1799. the third child born in Corinna. Their other children were: Henry, Anna, Lydia, Mary and Richard Emerson.
David Knowles, 2nd, and Lydia Knowles had two sons, John and James.
Caleb C. and Rachel Knowles also had two children, Horatio and Mar- tha.
John Knowles evidently had two wives named Susannah for we find re- corded the birth of the first child in Corinna, as far as shown by the town books, Samuel Canada Knowles, "son of the second Susannah." Nov. 18, 179S. It is to be remembered that the first child was a Chase. but no record was kept. It is possible that these early births may have been elsewhere, or else the parents were "squatters" before the land was sold by Massa- chusetts to Dr. Warren. Such cases were not uncommon. He settled on the P. W. Hall place at the center.
The other children were: Susannah. John, Lydia, William, Louisa, Robert, Charles and James.
Nehemiah and Rebia Knowles had three children: Naomi, Nehemiah, Jr., and Henry.
Jonathan and Fanny Knowles had two sons, James B. and Cyrus Pres- ton, and a daughter, Sarah Frances.
Roby Knowles and Mary Bassett, his first wife, had six children: Mary Ann, Joseph, Haskell, Loann, David Roby, and Cushman; and by his sec- ond wife, Victoria Knowles: Olive, Estelle. Warren and Walter. He came to Corinna in 1814 with his father. David, and mother, Mary, and settled where. David Palmer now lives. They came from Fayette and forded the Kennebec river. Mrs. Knowles rode on horseback and car- ried a baby in her arms. Robert Knowles was then 12 years of age. They drove three cows and three hogs with them. Mr. Knowles as well as the children was barefooted. There was only a muddy tow-path through where Corinna village now stands when they came. At first, food was a scarce article, and they lived much upon buckthorn brake-roots and milk. Roby Knowles afterwards settled where Sears J. Shepard now lives at Morse's Corner.
In the first census, 1790, Fayette, then known as Starling Plantation, had among its citizens a John and a David "Knowly" which is no doubt
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORINNA
intended for "Knowles." In many cases the census taker was a poor speller and penman, and many names were all but illegible.
Freeman Knowles lived at Corinna Center where A. H. Parkman now lives and kept a store in the little store adjoining. He was also post- master.
The Knowles family is perhaps the most numerous as well as one of the most prominent of our pioneers. First Public House.
William Moor seems to have come to Corinna about 1820 and purchased the mill from the Irelands. He added one set of stones for grinding and a hand bolt. It is related that the stone, which surrounds the hitching post at Sidney H. Winchester's resi- dence, is one of these old millstones of the first mill.
Mr. Moor erected a house where the old Corinna House was afterwards built, nearly in front of Eastern Grain Company's grist mill. Later he built a public house west of the mill and where Stewart Public Library now stands. That was replaced by the tenement building known as The Bee- hive, which, in turn was destroyed by fire, and gave place to our beautiful public building.
Squire Ebenezer Nutter settled where Milton Wingate now lives. Squire Nutter was one of the first men drawn on the jury and earned his board while in Bangor by blowing the bellows in a blacksmith shop.
The Buxton family was already set- tled at Buxton's Corner when one day there arrived at their door a weary tri composed of Mr. and Mrs. James Smith and their three weeks old baby, who had come all the way from Bloomfield that day, Mrs. Smith rid- ing horseback and carrying the tiny baby in her arms. The horse was further burdened by household uten- sils, and strapped to the saddle was a spinning wheel. The Smiths took up their residence in a hastily built log house on the site of what is now Corinna town farm. The exact date of their coming is unknown, but they were among the earliest families.
"Uncle" Daniel Smith, J. C. Smith's grandfather, came from Lowden, N. H., and for many years lived where Mrs. Hannah Richardson now lives. His blacksmith shop was across the street on land now occupied by the residence of Mrs. Alberta Emery. His first wife was Elizabeth Wiggin, and he married for his second, Fannie Ire- land, who was the first baby girl born in Corinna. He first settled between the residence of W. L. Pitcher and J. E. Flagg.
Mulliken's stream takes its name from Nathaniel Mulliken, who helped
to build the first bridge in the village, and his father, John R. Mulliken. The latter lived in later years on George Young's land on Pleasant street south of his residence and opposite "the big tree," an immense maple between the street and the sidewalk. John Mulii- kin came from Tuffleboro, N. H., and related that in Tuffleboro, it was so cold that he once threw a pail of water out of a chamber window and it froze before it touched the ground.
Tobias Leighton settled where Loren Dearborn now lives.
Ezekiel Leighton, a veteran of the War of 1812, and Lydia Pearl, his wife, of Mount Vernon, settled near where George Footman now lives.
Dr. Borden once lived at the town farm and the corner was then called for him, Borden's Corner.
The Eliots.
The Eliots, John and Daniel and French were prominent men in town affairs and prominent members of the church and temperance societies. They were aristocratic in manner and dress.
French Eliot was very orthodox in his views and considered the theatre the very essence of wickedness. His niece, Mrs. Mary Eliot Enneking, re- cently told of her uncle and aunt's ar- rival in California when they left
Corinna and went west to live. Friends showed them the city, and she, not being as rigid in her views as was her husband, they took her among other places to the theatre. When she reported the fact, her hus- band was greatly concerned for her spiritual welfare and scolded her for her worldly-mindedness. Mrs. Eliot exclaimed in conciliation, "Oh well, French, I only went to a matinee," and her husband, not knowing the dif- ference, was consoled by her explana- tion.
The brick house where Oliver L. Jones now lives was built by Daniel Eliot, and the John Eliot homestead is now owned by W. L. Pitcher.
Dr. Jacob Eliot settled where J. H. Winchester lives at Corinna village.
John and Lucy Eliot, had a son, John, born Sept. 16, 1817.
The children of Daniel and Edith Eliot were: James Hayden, born Sept. 25, 1816; Lydia Hayden, June 16, 1818; Mary Ann, Oct. 11, 1819; Dolly, Feb. 10,1821; Elizabeth, Sept. 22, 1822; Harriot, April 22, 1824.
Alphonso Elliott and
his wife, Mary, had a son, Rufus S., born July 5, 1819, and a daughter, Sarah Ann, born Feb. 14, 1821.
John Eliot once made a trip to Bos- ton when travel of so extensive a na-
·
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORINNA
ture was most uncommon. Upon his return, he was dubbed by his friends, "Boston John."
The Eliot family are nearly all resi- dents of the west, although a de- scendant resides in Dexter.
Where E. M. Dunning now lives, familiarly known as the "Mills place" was once a store which was run by a Mr. Wessenger.
The Sherburne house, another of the old residencees of the town, had a store in connection which was run by Mr. Sherburne. Mr. Knowles, Mr. Morse and others were in business at the Corner at various times.
Elder Couillard was an early settler at the Corner. I find the names of James and Olive Couillard's children given as follows: Olive, born May 22, 1797; Betsy, Sept. 19, 1799; Stephen King, Sept. 7, 1801; Polly, Sept. 8, 1803; Margaret, Sept. 29, 1805; Su- sannah, Nov. 4, 1807; Nancy, May 14, 1810; David Spooner, Aug. 5, 1812.
At the time of the Civil War, Silas Morse was keeping store in the Sher- burne building and lived where C. J. Trickey now lives.
Gibson Patten then traded in what was afterward called the Bachelder store. Mr. Patten sold out his busi- ness to Mr. Morse and went to the de- fense of the Union.
David Hicks lived where Mary Young lives near the brick school- house.
Isaac Veazie settled opposite the Morse's Corner cemetery.
Mr. Banton lived in the house be- yond and was a wheelright by trade. J. C. Smith now wns one of the sleighs which he made.
Morse's Corner was once the busi- ness center as well as the social cen- ter of the town, and it was here that Fourth of July celebrations and Sun- day school picnics were celebrated and in those days the whole town turned out to participate in the festivities.
The Southard Family.
Southard's Mills takes its name from William, the eldest son of Con- stant and Sally Southard of Leeds, Me., who were among the first fami- lies in point of early settlement and also in importance, for he served as one of the first board of selectmen, al- though the absence of his name in the list of petitioners would seem to indicate him a new-comer in the spring of 1897. Their children, part of whom were born in Leeds, were as follows: William, born Feb. 7, 190S, Gorham. May 25. 1811; Harriet, June 21, 1813; Abigail, Nov. 21, 1815; George, Nov. 27, 1817; Joslin, Dec. 6. 1819; Moses, Nov. 21, 1822; Samuel Constantine, May 4, 1824; Paul M. Feb. 4. 1826; Christina. Aug. 6, 1828; Mary Ann, Jan. 11, 1831.
The Southards settled first on the Sewell Dearborn farm, where A. H. Bell now lives, which they cleared and rendered habitable. They came orig- inally from Marshfield, Mass., and
were descendants of one of Gov. Bradford's stepsons, the name on the early Massachusetts records being spelled "Southworth." Constance and Sally Southard are buried in the pas- ture near their old home.
William married Maria Ambrose of Mortonboro, N. H., and they settled first where Joel Young afterwards lived, clearing the land and erecting a cabin thereon. Later they cleared the large farm at Southard's Mills and erected the dam and sawmill which has been in operation ever since and is now owned by F. H. Welch, Arah Southard lives in the old William Southard place.
The Masons, Abijah M. and Lydia, with their ten children came from Bloomfield and settled on the Hamm farm in a log cabin at the junction of the two roads known from its flatiron shape as "the heater piece." Later they erected the frame dwelling now standing. Among their children
were: Mary Jane, whı married Hezekiah Lancaster, Silas, Alexander, Leonard, Abijah who was killed in battle in the Civil War, and a daugh- ter who was afterwards Mrs. Fitzger- ald of Dexter.
They settled at about the same time that the Beans and the Nickersons came.
Abijah Mason belonged to the Dex- ter militia and went to the Aroostook war. Mrs. Mason drew a pension during the last of her life.
The fact that Abijah Mason be- longed to the Dexter militia company at the time of the Aroostook War of 1839, may explain the lack of a record of any Corinna company on the state records, for it may be that those whom tradition says marched may have at that time belonged to the Dexter company as did Mr. Mason.
Edward Moody, Levi Moody's grandfather, was a Revolutionary sol- dier and came from Tarmouth, N. H., 91 years ago. He brought with him his family, and moved them and his household goods with a four-ox team, his son, Flint B. Moody, a boy of 14, walking behind and driving the cows.
They settled on the Mason .place now occupied by E. E. Hamm. A few years later, an older son came with his wife and settled in a log cabin where George A. Tibbetts lives at Pleasant Vale. The wife, however, was so homesick that they returned to New Hampshire.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORINNA
When the Moodys came to Corinna to make their home, there were sev- eral families in their vicinity already located, having come nine or ten years previously. Among them were the Potters, Holiday, and his wife, Nancy, who were settled on the Dunham farm, and whose daughter afterwards married Flint Moody.
Captain Bean, George Tibbetts'
grandfather, lived across the road from Mr. Tibbetts' home. When James and Margaret Bean with their children: Jacob, Margaret, Neal, Re- becca W. and Nelson, came from Sandwich, N. H., in 1827, and settled at Pleasant Vale on what is called the Lowell Knowles place, there was only a footpath from Pleasant Vale cor- ner to their home and also from the corner to Lyford's Corner. There was no path at all where the south road now is. There was a log house across the road from where George Tibbetts now lives and another one where Everett Simpson's barn stands. Isaac Williams lived in the former and Asa White, father of H. W. White, in the latter.
Amos Worthen built the frame house that is now used by Everett Simpson as a workshop. Mr. Bean also erected a frame house on his land.
Rebecca W. Bean married Joseph Tibbetts who came here from Fair- field about 1850. George A. Tibbetts is their son.
James Bean was a man of powerful physique and noted for fetes of strength. It was his custom to come on horseback with grists to Moor's mill and on one such occasion he had started to return with the grist and was already on his horse when a stranger challenged him to fight.
Mr. Bean, or "Captain" as he was called because of having held that position in the Corinna Militia, replied that he didn't want to fight. The stranger persisted in his efforts to start a quarrel until finally Captain Bean leaned over, grasped the stranger by his collar and, holding him at arm's length, rode with him up the hiill as far as Uncle Ben Moor's house (H. W. Knowles' residence), where he dropped him in the road and continued on his way home. The mill then stood about where the I. O. O. F. block is now.
At another time, a neighbor was raising a barn and the men were all working to put it up broadside as was customary. They had it partly up and had called the women to prop it, since they could get it no further, when Capt. Bean rode into the yard. He promptly put his great strength at their service and with the order
"Up with it," raised it with little ap- parent effort.
Beyond the Pleasant Vale limits was a settlement known as Ossipee, because its pioneers came from Ossi- pee, N. H. Prominent among them was William Nickerson, who cleared the land and settled on the Harrison W. White place, and there erected a dam and mill for lumber and shingles. William and Hittie Nickerson had a large family of children among whom were: Aaron, William, Josiah, Mer- riam, (Mrs. Albert Remick) Mehit- able and John who died in the army.
Others of the settlement were the Williams family, and Lovina White's father, Humphrey White.
Humphrey White lived across the road from the Nickersons in a log house with no floor, and settled at about the same time.
John Weeks settled where Isaac Bates now lives.
Bial Lancaster settled on the old Lancaster place at about the same time that Liba Smith settled in
Corinna. They both came from Bloomfield, now part of Skowhegan.
Deacon Elder, oldest son of William Elder, who was one of the petitioners for the incorporation of the town, set- tled in the northwest part of Corinna where Clarence Higgins now lives and probably came from Green as did John Mower, who settled where Elmer Cole lives.
Thomas Brown, the settler of the Mell Nichols place, came from Bloom- field.
Hiram and Isaac Moore of Greene settled near the Moore pond at about the same time, 100 years ago.
"Col." Labree settled where Reed Packard lives. The colonel was one of the first representatives to the legisla- ture and was absent from home about five or six weeks attending to state affairs. He returned to town on foot and via Lyford's Corner, and dropped in to the hotel kept by "Bily" Lyford to rest and exchange views with his neighbors. In the course of conversa- tion he inquired: "Wonder if they make as many cedar shingles over in Corinna as they used to ?" The question amused his friends on account of his short absence from home and they used it as a by-word ever after to tease the Colonel.
Levi Moody recalls hearing his uncle, Edward Moody, son of the first Moody settler, tell about Capt. La- bree's company of militia that marched in 1839 to the Aroostook border, being called out hastily at night for the ex- pedition. Some of the party never completed the journey but Mr. Moody went to Fort Fairfield. Mr. Moody says that the company stopped in Ban- gor either on the way north or on the return.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORINNA
A Mr. Parker settled where Weyland Philbrick lives.
Simon Philbrick, father of Jacob and grandfather of Weyland Philbrick, settled the George Booker farm.
Alvin Young settled where J. W. Blaisdell lives.
LeBaron Weymouth's father settled his farm near Moore's pond, James Weymouth settled nearby.
David Prescott settled beyond Moody's mills, Elisha Thompson set- tled where Albert Thompson lives near the Dexter line on the back road.
Simeon Adams settled where William Snell afterwars lived. He was a cob- ler by trade and some of his tools are now in the possession of Clinton Snell.
Benj. Burrill lived where M. L Flanders now lives. Jas. P. Copeland lived where Mrs. Almy Curtis lives Sanford Stephens built the house where Arthur J. Cook lives.
The H. H. Fisher residence was oc- cupied by Deacon Fish. Thomas An- drews once lived where J. C. Smith lives now. James Babb settled on the Seth Lancaster place. Elder Sherman Stone settled the Elmer Hopkins farm. The Stinchfield family settled where Percy Ireland lives.
Among the signers of the petition for incorporation of the town of Corinna, appears the name of William Hole. dark and foreign in com- plexion and appearances, nɔ one knew his nationality nor his origin. Not even his name was known to his neighbors, for William Hole was one given him because of his manner of coming to America. He was a ·stow- away in the hold of a European sail- ing vessel that touched at a New Eng- land port; and when he was put ashore, unable to speak the English tongue, someone applied the naine William Hold, which came to be William Hole by the time he settled in Corinna. He never gave the reason for leaving Europe and was always a mystery to his associates. He settled in a house back of the residence of A. L. Hayden, between Corinna village and Morse's Corner, the old Elder Nelson place. He had been a sailor in his early life, and had a sailor's liking
for rum, so that occasionally he rode horseback to Bangor, and returned with two. poles dragging from his saddle, and upon them was strapped a barrel of the liquor. He practiced the blacksmith's trade at Morse's Corner. His wife's name was Mary, and their children were: Elizabeth, born Jan. 31, 1809; Joseph, July 4, 1812; Mary, Nov. 11, 1815; Lovina, July 12, 1818; William Jr., June 7, 1821.
First Town Farm.
During Andrew Jackson's adminis- tration, there was a division made of the surplus funds in the United States treasury among the towns of the country. In 1838, article & of the town warrant, provided for a decision
as to a farm on which to keep the poor. It was voted to expend "so much of : the surplus revenue now loaned out as it will take to buy a farm for the poor of the town." The farm purchased was our present town farm, which is rented and occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Willis Jeweil, because for several years Corinna has had no paupers to make a town farm neces- sary.
At the time of this town meeting, "Tame" Hole was very anxious that the town should divide the money among the citizens instead of using it for a public expenditure, and when later the town was in possession of the town farm, he vented his spleen by going to the farm in a state of in- toxication aad throwing stones at the windows until he shattered every pane of glass. The managers of the farm at that time were an elderly couple and the other occupants of the house were children. But little as he desired the purchase of a farm for the maintenance of the town's poor, his descendants reaped the benefit of its purchase. His son, Walter, married Lefa Hoyt, and they, as town charges, cost Corinna a large sum of money, before death end- ed the line of William Hole, or Hold, in Corinna.
William Hole lived to be about 100 years of age, and lies in the Morse's Corner cemetery.
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF CORINNA
CHAPTER IV
THE FIRST PHYSICIAN
The first practicing physician in Corinna was Dr. Paul M. Fisher, and for many years he was. the only doctor in Corinna, ministering to those in sur- rounding settlements as well. He was the son of Paul M. Fisher, M. D., and Artimissa Aldrich and was born in Wrentham, Mass., where his father practiced medicine for more than 50 years.
DR. PAUL M. FISHER
Dr. Fisher, junior, was a Yale man and afterwards studied medicine at Harvard and it was while in Boston completing his medical education that he met and fell in love with Miss Mary M. Fifield of Corinna, a native of Exeter, N. H. Miss Fifield was en- gaged as a seamstress in Boston at the time. They became engaged and took passage on a sailing vessel for Bangor on their way to Corinna to be married at her home. It took two weeks for the voyage, and from Ban-
gor they rode through the woods fol- lowing a blazed trail, both riding upon one horse. Their marriage intentions were published Sept. 4, 1825, and the record of their marriage bears the date Sept. 19, 1825. Abra Bean, Jus- tice of the Peace, performed the cere- mony.
Dr. Fisher.
Dr. Fisher began at once the build- ing of a log cabin home, clearing the land for its site on what was after- wards 'known as the old Deacon Gil- man farm adjoining the cemetery at Morse's corner. There the next year, the first of their children was born.
With the exception of only one or two years, his name appears on town records as town clerk, selectman, school committee or treasurer, every year following his arrival in Corinna until he left town to become a surgeon in the Union army 36 years later.
During the early years of his prac- tice he made his rounds on horseback and the sight of his flapping saddle- bags was a familiar one to all. Later he substituted a gig when roads had been constructed to admit of its use.
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