USA > Maine > Oxford County > Norway > A history of Norway, Maine : from the earliest settlement to the close of the year 1922 > Part 3
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Upon getting located the settlers began the work of enlarging their clearings, constructing and completing their habitations and out-buildings needed, made bridle paths between their openings, rude- ly bridging the little streams and wet places, and all other things re-
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HISTORY OF NORWAY
quired to be done. And in this labor, they not only worked from sun to sun but from daylight to dark. Even in dull weather they found enough to do in making utensils for the family use, improving the in- sides of their structures, constructing implements to be used in the cultivation of the soil, and in fact everything that was needed to make pioneer life endurable, and as comfortable as possible.
Inside every habitation was a hive of industry. The housewife not only prepared the meals for the family and performed her other household duties, but assisted her husband in his work in many ways, and often helped in planting and harvesting the crops, and in taking care of the stock.
As soon as the fallen trees in their clearings had sufficiently dried they were burned-all turning out to assist in the work. There would always be some parts of the trees which would not be burned and these would have to be piled together for a second burning which the settler could ordinarily do without the help of his neighbors. Then would come the planting for a crop of corn, beans, peas, pota- toes, pumpkins, etc., and a plot sowed to wheat, another to rye and a third to flax. That these pioneers, the first year had successful burnings, their planting done in season, and fair crops harvested, may be presumed from the fact that nothing to the contrary has come down to us. That there were many hardships and some suffering there is little doubt. But these they expected and bore without com- plaint. How they subsisted till their first crops were grown, we have no means of knowing. The nearest places where corn was ground were at Jackson's mill on Stony Brook in what is now South Paris village, some six miles distant, and at Ray's mill-"a rude af- fair," in what is now Otisfield, but when it was impracticable on ac- count of the weather, or other reasons, the settlers pounded their corn, rye and wheat in rude mortars. From the material thus obtained, the housewives made "samp porridge" and cooked this material in various ways, and it was considered very good.
In the summer of 1787 William and John Parsons came again to the lots they had selected and began felling more trees for their clearings. With them were Benjamin Herring and Dudley Pike, who came to select lots for themselves. Herring selected a lot on the high land in the south part of Rust's tract, over which the first county road was afterwards located. Frank T. Pike, who married Herring's granddaughter, formerly owned the farm. Dudley Pike's lot was on what was afterwards called Pike's Hill. His grandson, Seth Pike, lived there for many years. It is the farm next south of the burying ground.
Herring was the third Benjamin Herring in direct descent from an English sea captain of that name and was born at Cape Ann, Massachusetts, September 3, 1761. He married Esther Robinson and had eleven children. Harriet, next to the youngest, married Captain Jonathan Whitehouse. Benjamin Herring was a Revolutionary sol- dier and was a worthy and industrious citizen. He died in 1843. Dudley Pike was born in Exeter, N. H., September 2, 1760. He served a period in the Continental Army and it is said under General John Stark, the hero of Bennington. His wife was Celia Weston of Kingston, Mass. They had twelve children. One, Seth, a promising
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young man, died in the War of 1812, at Burlington, Vermont. He was a member of the Norway company. Dudley Pike died in 1838, aged 78.
These four pioneers, the Parsonses, Pike and Herring had come into this section with two horses, bringing their tools, camp utensils, blankets, clothing and provisions. Some time after they arrived, the animals got frightened one night, broke loose and ran away and could not be found. Late in the autumn they were discovered nearly starved, on or near a hill not very far from Pike's clearing, which from this occurrence has since been known as "Horse Hill."
Much work was done by them that year towards clearing their lots, erecting log houses and out-buildings and getting ready to move their families into their new homes early the following year. And it may be here stated that all of these settlers after establishing their homes, lived and died on the farms they had wrought out of the wil- derness.
During the year 1787, Nathaniel Stevens came to the settlement and selected a lot northwesterly of Jeremiah Hobbs', several acres of trees were felled and a habitation and out-buildings erected, pre- paratory to moving his family in, the next year.
Nathaniel Stevens was born in Townsend, Mass., in February, 1761. He married Rebecca Cobb, a relative of Rev. Sylvanus Cobb. He died, June 30, 1816, and his widow married Jacob Frost, the Rev- olutionary soldier. She died, January 19, 1847, "aged 80."
At the close of the first year there were five families established in the little settlement, and five other clearings had been made and habitations erected upon them, ready for occupancy.
The notable event here for the year 1787 was the birth in the family of Jonas Stevens of Sarah Stevens, October 17. She was the first child of English parentage born in what is now the town of Norway.
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CHAPTER V.
EARLY SETTLEMENT OF RUSTFIELD CONTINUED.
During the latter part of March, 1788, Dudley Pike moved his family from Paris to their new home on the hill. The next day, toward nightfall, William and John Parsons and Benjamin Herring came to his house and stopped till the next day when they "proceeded to their own habitations which were nothing but humble log houses." We are left to infer that their families came with them, as the writer, David Noyes, would not have been so particular about their habita- tions unless their occupancy was thereafter to be permanent. No other allusion in any account is made to the families of these pioneers moving into their new homes.
Early this year Nathaniel Stevens moved his family into the set- tlement. Soon after they came, while felling trees on his lot, he met with a serious accident by having a leg broken. The family, consist- ing of his wife and young children-the published genealogy gives but two, but David Noyes says three-with the injured husband to care for, was thus put in straitened circumstances. But while the set- tlers had scarcely enough for their own families, they did what they could to relieve the distress of the unfortunate ones and performed the work the injured man had expected to accomplish in felling trees, planting and gathering the crops. It was a very trying time for Mrs. Stevens-the hardest year in all her existence, and nobly and well did she perform her duty. That she was an exemplary woman, there has never been any question. An incident of that starving time, was given in the first history and commented upon at length in the second, arising no doubt from hasty passing observation and idle gossip which in our view should never have been mentioned at all, for it is not rea- sonable under the circumstances, that one would take what could be had for the asking, and when it was the rule for all to share with the unfortunate ones, all they had.
During the same period Jeremiah Hobbs who had a family of eight children, lost his only cow, and a similar misfortune happened that year or the next in George Lessley's family. They somehow sur- mounted all the difficulties and misfortunes that beset and befell them. Abundant harvests at last came to reward them for their abiding faith and patient industry. They not only builded for themselves but for posterity. They with others founded a town which is a lasting mon- ument to their worth and their memory.
Samuel Ames came from Paris, then No. 4, this year and settled on the southern slope of Pike's Hill, adjoining the Dudley Pike farm. It was known in recent years as the David W. Frost place but now (1917) is owned by Prof. Richard E. Clement. The story of the family's coming was told by the oldest daughter, born in Shepards- field in October, 1783, and is substantially as follows: Procuring a steady horse, a sack closed at the ends and open in the middle, was placed across the saddle, then each of the two youngest of three children was put in either end of it. The oldest child was placed on the horse's back, and held on over the rough places by the father who
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led the animal while the mother walked behind, carrying such articles in her arms as she could conveniently take with her. In this way they followed the bridle path into the settlement, crossing the two streams, and going up over the hill to their new home.
Samuel Ames, whose real name was Samuel Buck, but which for some reason he had discarded for his mother's name-Ames, was born at Haverhill, Mass., in 1759. He had served in the Continental Army. His wife was Jerusha G. Baker. They had eleven children. He built the first frame house in the village in the vicinity of the mills. Mr. Ames was the principal source of information, for facts concerning the early settlers, which David Noyes relied upon in writing his history of the town. He was a very intelligent, highly respected and worthy citizen. He died in March, 1852, at the great age of 93. His wife had died eight years before.
A noteworthy occurrence during the year 1788, in the little set- tlement was the birth of Joseph Stevens, Jr., May 31-the first white male child born in what is now the town of Norway.
. And this same year, as will be seen elsewhere, trees were felled for a settlement on the Waterford Three Tiers, which became a part of Norway when the town was incorporated.
Jonathan Cummings of Andover, Mass., in August, 1788, obtained his deed of the tract of his first purchase. It seems by the com- munication of the Secretary of State at Boston to the author, referred to in a previous chapter, that Cummings had in April of the same year obtained a deed of the tract, or a part of it which had been cancelled. The occasion for this does not appear.
Its early settlement will be given in its place.
The year 1789 was the most notable one, in all the early history of the little settlement. A saw and a grist mill were built by Capt. Rust; the frames being raised in June and the mills completed in October. For many years thereafter, they were called Rust's Mills. They were erected on the water privilege, on the outlet of the lake, at what is now the head of Norway Village. The successors to these first mills are still there, but the grist mill is not now operated as such.
Samuel Ames assisted in the building of the mills and while at this work, occupied a camp he had built-the first building of any kind erected in what is now Norway Village. He was our first miller and continued to run the grist mill for about 45 years. He sold his place on Pike's Hill, in 1790, to Moses Twitchell of Paris or No. 4, and moved his family to a place on the northerly side of the stream near the mill, where he lived to his death.
Thomas Cowen came from No. 4 to take charge of the saw mill under Mr. Ames' superintendence. He lived in a little cabin across the stream nearly opposite the mill. After two or three years, an- other millman was selected to run the saw mill and Cowen went on to a farm and finally removed to Paris, and we hear nothing further concerning him.
Samuel Perkins from Bridgewater, Mass., probably came here some time in 1789, as he was here with his family when the U. S. census was taken in 1790. He settled on the ridge on the east side of the great pond between what was afterwards the Anthony Bennett and the Joshua Crockett farms. His lot was 60 acres for
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which he paid 20£-$100. He did not get his deed till September 10, 1794. Perkins had served three and one-half years in the Con- tinental Army. His wife was Mehitable Shurtleff, daughter of Jona- than. He married her in 1787. They had nine children. He sold the north part of his farm to Anthony Bennett, Dec. 10, 1803, and the same day the other half to Joshua Crockett, and moved into Paris, where he died some years after-(about 1809).
Some time during this year, Nathan Noble from Gray, came and felled trees and built a habitation on the lot that had been selected for him adjoining George Lessley's on the south, and while this work was being done his family stayed at Amos Hobbs', whose sister he had married.
Nathan Noble was the son of Nathan Noble, who was killed at the Battle of Saratoga, which resulted in the Surrender of Gen. John Burgoyne and his British Army, Oct. 17, 1777. Nathan Jr., was born at Stroudwater, near Portland, Feb. 28, 1761.
He had served a period in the War for American Independence. Nathan Noble was one of the ablest men of the early settlers. He was one of the assessors of Rustfield plantation and served twelve years as one of the selectmen of the town-seven of which he was chairman of the board. He was killed while felling trees in 1827, and was buried on Pike's Hill. There has been a Nathan Noble in every generation of his descndants to the present time and with only one break in a direct line.
John Millett from New Gloucester, settled in the plantation this year. His lot was on Millett Hill near the Oxford line. He was the son of Capt. John and Mary (Woodhouse) Millett, and was born Jan. 28, 1768. He married, in 1790, Martha Sawyer, born June 12, 1767. They had 11 children. He died, Dec. 1, 1843, aged 76. His wife died April 10, 1839, aged 71.
It is stated in both Norway histories that John Pike, brother of Dudley Pike, settled here in 1793-one has it: "1794 or the year pre- vious." He probably came in 1789, for he was in Rustfield with his family when the census was taken in 1790. His lot was on the hill south of the mills and adjoined Dudley Pike's on the north.
John Pike was born in New Hampshire, June 11, 1763. He came to Maine after the War of the Revolution, staying a while in New Gloucester, where he became acquainted with Mary Tarbox, whom he married. They had two children, a son and a daughter, when the census was taken. They afterwards had 11 more. She died in Jan- uary, 1813, and he married Sarah Perry of Otisfield, by whom Mr. Pike had two more children. John Pike had a very strong voice and for many years took the lead in moving buildings, and in building stone walls. He was a great worker, steady and industrious, and withal a good citizen. He purchased land on the river in Oxford and mortgaged the old homestead on the hill to Wm. C. Whitney, which afterwards fell into his hands as Pike couldn't pay the claim on it. He died on what was afterwards the Robert Noyes farm, near the covered bridge in Oxford, in 1844, "aged 81."
Benjamin Witt from Lynn, Mass., a nephew of Capt. Henry Rust, a young man who had learned the blacksmith's trade became a settler here this year. He was the first blacksmith in the place and lived
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HISTORY OF NORWAY
for several years near the mills. He obtained lot 46 in 1791, which he sold in 1799 to Joshua Crockett of Gorham, Maine. From him the place was afterwards called the Crockett farm, and the name sur- vives in the Crockett Bridge over the outlet of the lake. Witt also acquired some land near the mills, presumably for his shop. In those days blacksmiths made many things needed in family use and for work in the fields, as their principal business of shoeing cattle and horses of a later time had not then come into vogue. Witt thrived at his trade for several years till Levi Bartlett came and established himself in the same business. Bartlett used water power to operate a trip-hammer. Witt afterwards bought a tract north of the village on which he built and lived to his death.
Benjamin Witt was born in 1766, and came here at the solicita- tion of his uncle, Captain Rust. He married soon after coming, Betsey Parsons. By her he had four children. She died and he married Lucy Cobb. She had two children by him. She died and he married for his third wife, Hannah Parsons, a sister of his first wife. By her he had three children. For his fourth wife he married Mrs. Patty (Hathaway) House, but had no children by her. After he had moved to his farm, north of the village, he built a shop of split logs, in which he did blacksmithing for many years. This build- ing was in existence till a recent period. He served several years on the board of plantation assessors and also on the board of selectmen of the town. He died in 1842, "of the palsy."
The second male child in the settlement was born in August of this year, in the family of Amos Hobbs and named Ebenezer.
Two deaths occurred this year in the little settlement.
Esther Smith, daughter of Josiah and a sister of Joshua and Daniel, of whom we shall hereafter hear much-born February 20, 1765, married John Parsons, the Norway pioneer. In the Pike's Hill cemetery in the family lot is a grave with its headstone, on which is the following inscription :
"Esther, wife of John Parsons Died Feb. 20 1789 aet. 24"
This was the anniversary of her birthday. There is a melancholy history connected with her death. She had given birth to a female child which died soon after it was born-the mother surviving its birth only a few days. This child was the first one to die, in what is now the town of Norway. They were buried near a large tree on the border of Mr. Parsons' clearing, and afterwards their bodies were taken up and reburied in the cemetery on Pike's Hill.
Several of the settlers obtained their deeds from Captain Rust this year; Joseph Stevens, his of Lot 20, Dec. 7; William Parsons of Lot 30, and John Parsons. Lot 31 of 246 acres, the consideration being 36£ 18 s. or three shillings per acre-an English shilling being worth about 25 cents in our currency. He had paid the State at the rate of 11% shillings per acre for his tract including the water power privi- lege. Dec. 9, 1789, Captain Rust sold to James Stinchfield of New Gloucester (not the great hunter of that name but a relative, who became a resident here after the town was incorporated), 234 acres
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HISTORY OF NORWAY
bordering on lot of Wm. Parsons for 35£ or 700 shillings, a fraction less than three shillings per acre. On the 4th day of December, 1789, he had sold to Moses Abbott of Andover, Mass., the lot west of Nathaniel Stevens, for 30£, which was found to be on State land, afterwards the second Cummings Purchase, which of course was of no effect, and the consideration had to be paid back to Abbott. June 28, 1791, Captain Rust sold to his nephew, Benjamin Witt, Lot 46 of 110 acres, for 30£ or 600 shillings-5 5/11 shillings per acre. Witt sold this tract November 7, 1799, to Joshua Crockett for $330-$3 per acre. Captain Rust sold 60 acres north of this tract, September 10, 1794, to Samuel Perkins for 20£, or 400 shillings-at the rate of 6 2/3 shillings per acre. Perkins had presumably been several years on his lot as he was here with a family in 1790.
It thus appears from these transactions that Capt. Henry Rust began by selling lots on his tract to the settlers whether relatives or otherwise, at the general uniform price of three shillings per acre- twice its cost-not an unreasonable sum certainly-yet deemed by him a satisfactory price, and being such, as lands were being sold, at that time, in contiguous territory. It was an eminently wise policy, and as it appeared, worked so well as to rapidly populate the plantation. It appears also as might well be expected, that as the population in- creased the price of his land not sold, increased.
A survey of Rustfield was completed and the tract lotted by December, 1789, by Samuel Titcomb, a surveyor of State lands and a plan of the tract drawn. A copy of this plan may be seen on another page. The lots of Jeremiah Hobbs, Nathaniel Stevens and Moses Abbott are marked thereon, showing that at that time he and these settlers supposed they were on his tract.
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CHAPTER VI.
2
LATER PIONEER PERIOD OF RUSTFIELD.
The first U. S. census was taken in 1790. It gave the names of the heads of families, the number of males and of females, but not their individual names. The author has this printed list, for all the towns, plantations and places in the District of Maine, issued by the Government, before him as this chapter is written.
The list for "Rustfield Gore" is as follows:
William Dunlap, George Lessley, Benjamin Witt, Amos Hobbs, Joseph Stevens, Warren Lucas, Jonas Stevens, Nathaniel Stevens, Samuel Perkins, Jeremiah Hobbs, John Millett, Samuel Ames, Thomas Cowen, John Pike, Dudley Pike, Moses Twitchell, John Parsons, William Parsons, Benjamin Herring and Nathan Noble.
There were twenty families consisting of 22 males of and above 16 years of age, 30 less than sixteen and 50 females-total 102.
To these should be added the settlers on the Waterford Three Tiers, afterwards annexed to Norway, when the town was incorpor- ated, which will show the total population of what is now the town of Norway, in 1790. The names of heads of families on the Water- ford Three Tiers at that time were as hereafter will be seen, Phinehas Whitney with wife, two boys and two girls besides himself, and Jonathan Stickney, who had with him another male over 16 years of age (Lemuel Shedd)-eight persons in all, which added to the 102 in Rustfield makes just 110 as the population of the place later called Norway-22 families and 110 persons-not 80 families and 448 per- sons as the Centennial History gives it, and yet a very satisfactory showing for three years' time.
Moses Twitchell's name was also on the No. 4 (Paris) census list, showing that between the time of the taking of the census there and here he had moved into Rustfield. He had lost or left there during the meantime a male child under 16.
John Millett, Benjamin Witt, Warren Lucas, Jonathan Stickney and Lemuel Shedd had no wives, at that time, but John Parsons had,. showing that he had married his second wife before the census was taken. We have no further mention of Warren Lucas and his name disappears from our narrative.
Moses Twitchell was a Revolutionary solider. He bought the farm of Samuel Ames on the southerly slope of Pike's Hill where he lived for several years, when he sold to Ephraim Briggs and moved away-where it does not appear.
David Noyes' History states that Peter Everett, a native of France, who had come to America previous to or during the Revolu- tion, took up a lot south of Jeremiah Hobbs and built a habitation to which in 1789 he had moved his family. This must have been a mis- take. He was not here when the census was taken in 1790, nor was his name on any of the lots when the plan of the Rust tract was made from the survey in December, 1789. He probably came here and selected his lot and perhaps built his habitation in 1790, after the census was taken, and moved his family hither, it may be in 1791. But Jonathan Cummings had obtained his deed of his second pur-
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HISTORY OF NORWAY
chase April 10, 1790, presumably before the census was taken, yet, there was a controversy about Captain Rust's north line (close to which Everett's house was built) which may have dragged along for some time, before he relinquished his claim, but when he did, whether earlier or later, he assigned Peter Everett a lot in the southern part of Rustfield, west of William Parsons'-since known as the Lombard place, to which his habitation was moved, where he passed the last years of his life. Everett had lost an arm, it was said, on the voyage to this country, in the French vessel's conflict with a British man-of- war, which it managed to escape. He married the widow Susan Burns. Despite the loss of an arm he did much work in clearing his land and planting flowers and medicinal herbs, some kinds of which are still to be seen on the place. He died March 27, 1821.
It has been claimed that he was a pensioner of the United States but the author's inquiry at the Pension Department showed this to be incorrect. He may have been pensioned by the French Government, however. The eventful occurrence in the history of Norway, con- nected with the Everetts, is that Mrs. Everett, while the family lived near Norway Center, as it came to be called, taught a school for small children at her house-the first in the settlement and also in the town.
Just at what time the plantation of Rustfield was organized as such is uncertain as the records have not been preserved. We know that it had a corporate existence in 1794, for a State tax was assessed that year, and it continued as a plantation till 1797 when the town was incorporated. None of the other tracts which went to make up the town of Norway were ever organized as plantations, so far as known.
Anthony and Nathaniel Bennett, twin brothers from New Glouces- ter, came and selected lots 43 and 44 on the east side of the great pond in 1790. They were induced to come by Captain Rust who on one of his trips to his tract, saw them at work beside the road. He knew they would be valuable acquisitions to the little settlement he had started. Anthony married Mary Blake, born in Gloucester, Mass., May 10, 1771, and settled in 1791 on the lot he had selected, where he lived to his death, the result of being injured at Craigie's Mills, while at work on a mill, October 28, 1807. He was very popu- lar in the community and was captain of the military company. His death was a great loss to the town as well as to his family. Captain Anthony Bennett was in the 38th year of his age-having been born in New Gloucester, December 11, 1770. His widow died July 21, 1849-surviving her husband 42 years. They had eight children.
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