USA > Maine > York County > Parsonsfield > A history of the first century of the town of Parsonsfield, Maine > Part 36
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" WEST POINT, Jan. 4, 1781.
This may certify that Coporal John Fenderson of the U Company has turned in 1 fire lock, 1 cartrig box, 14 rounds, 3 flints, 1 napsac, 1 bunget, 1 C. belt, for he being discharged the army.
T. Hunt, Capt."
He was born in Scarborough, July 15, 1756, and married Sarah Kenny of Saco, and had a family of six children, Polly, Nathan, Nathaniel, John, Edward and Sally. He came to Parsonsfield in 1795, and died June 24, 1852. The willow tree in front of his residence, grew to large proportions, from a walking-stick which he carelessly stuck in the ground, measuring eighteen feet in circumference. Nathan, his eldest son, born March 1, 1785, in Saco, married Betsey Parks, daughter of Deacon Joseph Parks of Parsonsfield, June 19, 1808, and resided on the home place in Parsonsfield. Their children were Joseph, Edward, Ivory, Jonathan and John. All have left town ex- cept Ivory who occupies the same homestead with his son Nathan W.
Ivory Fenderson was born February 9, 1816, and married Martha Chase of Oxford, April 4, 1841. He is a republican in politics and a party leader in town, who has in the past been selected, even by those who politically oppose him, to serve in positions of responsibility. He is a very genial man, who has an abundance of friends and acquaint- ances, straightforward in his dealings, of quick perceptions and accur- ate in his judgments. He was a member of the legislature of 1866 and 67. His eldest brother, Joseph, settled in South Danvers, and died there December 13, 1884. Edward, the next, resided in town for many years, but is now a resident of Caribou, Maine. Jonathan is a whole- sale commission merchant in Portland. The youngest brother, John, is superintendent of local freight at Fitchburg depot, Charlestown, Massachusetts.
There are the descendants of William Fenderson, a brother of Cor- poral John, living in the same neighborhood, men of equal integrity and merit. It was adjoining the farm of John Fenderson, where Simon
*
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HISTORY OF PARSONSFIELD.
Frost and his son William took up their residence. Henry Merrill succeeded them, and his sons, John and Robert, succeeded him. Also, in this immediate neighborhood, Moses Wilson settled on a place now owned by his son Joseph and grandson Moses. These are all success- ful and independent farmers.
MOORE.
About the year 1650, Colonel Jonathan Moore came to this country and settled in Stratham, New Hampshire. He had two sons, Jonathan and William. William had four sons, William, Coffin, Harvey and Peter. The third son, Harvey, born July 12, 1741, married Miss Mary Wiggin, of Stratham, November 18, 1762. They had eight children, Susanna, Abigail, Betsey, Simon, John, Harvey, Sally, and one son dying in infancy. The oldest was born in 1763, and the youngest in 1782, all born in Stratham. He was a soldier in the Revolution, and subsequently was commissioned Captain by the Secretary of War. In 1791, he came with his family to Parsonsfield and died May, 1801. His wife survived till October 8, 1817.
His eldest daughter married Job Colcord, and they had four chil- dren, Job, Charles, Mary and -. His second daughter Abigail mar- ried Stephen Parsons, and they had seven children, John U., Enoch, Betsey, Louisa, Abigail, Mary and Harvey. Mrs. Colcord and Mrs. Parsons both died in 1832. The third daughter married Simeon Towle, and resided in town until her death in 1854. They had eight children, Betsey, Abigail, Harvey, Ruth, Mary, Levi, Sally and Priscilla.
Simeon Moore, the oldest son, had two children, Jacob and Char- lotte. He died in 1823. John Moore married Betsey Tuck, and occu- pied the homestead till his death, April 28, 1828. He bequeathed his property to his brother Harvey. Harvey, born October 31, 1779, mar- ried the daughter of Reverend Levi Chadbourn, November 9, 1802, and died May 7, 1848. Mrs. Moore died January 15, 1872. They had ten children, four daughters and six sons, Nancy, Harvey, Levi, Mary, Cyrus, Ira, John, Martha, Urania and James Otis. All are now gone save Ira, Martha and Urania. Three were physicians, whose lives are sketched on pages 142 and 143. Nancy married a Mitchell, and two children of hers survive, Mrs. Van Buren Glidden, of Effingham, and
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Mrs. Doctor I. F. Pray, of New York City. Harvey married a Doe, and raised a large family of children, all residents elsewhere. Three of them reside in Lynn, viz. : Edwin, Charles and Calvin. Mr. Moore died in 1885. Mary, who was never married, resided with her brother, Cyrus K., on the homestead. Cyrus was a devoted and true friend, a man of more than ordinary intelligence, and a conscientious and noble Christian. Ira is a resident of one of the western states. Martha was a school teacher many years and married Mr. Howe, of Haverhill, Mas- sachusetts. Mr. Howe died several years since, and she there resides. The youngest sister, Mrs. Urania Mitchell, is also a resident of Haver- hill.
There was another branch of the Moore family, whose members were quite numerous in town, and some of whom were prominent in its busi- ness affairs. Ira Moore was notably so. He married a daughter of Colonel Bartlett Doe, resided in Freeport, Maine, for some years, and then removed to his native town, where he died about 1870. He was a man of strong mind and iron will, who allowed nothing to swerve him from his convictions of duty. He was true to his trusts and an honor to his town.
LORD.
There are and have been several families of this name, but the writer is unable to trace the connection. Ami R. Lord, who settled in what is known as "Little Hampton," in 1801, was born in Limerick. He married Mary Durgin, of Limerick, the same year that he took up his residence in Parsonsfield. He raised a numerous family, was thrice married, second to Drusilla Lord, of Freedom, and third to Mercy Whitten, of Cornish. He died May 1, 1864, aged eighty-six years. His children, by his first wife, were Arthur, Lois, Isaac, Ami, Simeon, Cyrus, Julia and Edmund ; by his second, Woodbury and Caroline ; by his third, Martha, Abby and a son. Besides these, there were several who died in infancy.
Most of the members of the family are gone, all of the living save Abby, the youngest daughter, who is the wife of John Colby Foss, of this town, reside in Wisconsin, Kansas and California. The fifth son, Cyrus K., born June 10, 1811, has for more than fifty years been a resi-
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dent of La Crosse, Wisconsin, a lawyer of good repute, now retired from business. Woodbury is settled in California. Caroline in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Martha married Daniel Baker and settled in Kan- sas. I think no others are living.
There is another branch of the family of Lords, of which George Lord was the first settler in town. It is said that Abram, Nathan and John Lord are the progenitors of all of the name, that they all moved from Ipswich to South Berwick. Of this there is no proof. George Lord, referred to above, was the son of Samuel and Lydia (Waling- ford) Lord, and was born October 19, 1764. He came to town about 1799. He married Patience Hobbs, of Hampton, New Hampshire, and they had ten children, Samuel, Mary, Morris, Lydia, George W., Isaac, Sarah, Frederick, Louisa and Betsey. The eldest son, Samuel, was successfully engaged in milling and mercantile business during his long life. He was born December 4, 1789, and was thrice married, first to Nancy Neal, January 4, 1811. She died December 5, of the same year. He was next married to Lydia Neal, on March 24, 1812. She died February 1, 1834, leaving issue. He then married Eunice H. Knight, March 4, 1835, by whom he had a son, Edwin E., now a resi- dent on the homestead, and Carrie, who died in early womanhood. Mr. Lord died November 15, 1862, and Mrs. Lord, December 31, 1879. Mary, born February 4, 1792, married John L. Marston, of Effingham, and died February 14, 1881. Morris, born September 29, 1794, mar- ried Abigail Colcord, December 21, 1819, and resided in Lowell, Mas- sachusetts, and died September 25, 1849. Lydia died unmarried. George W., born November 3, 1799, married Sally Sweat, sister of Doctor Moses Sweat, May 23, 1825, and moved to Buxton, where he engaged in the lumber business, accumulating much property, and died April 4, 1864. His son, A. K. P. Lord, has continued in the same business till the present time. Isaac, born April 25, 1801, followed milling and farming, married Hannah Redman, October 26, 1826, resided on a portion of the homestead of his father, and died suddenly November 6, 1855. He left a family of four daughters and one son, all now living save the youngest daughter. They were Kate, Fannie, Sarah, Hannah and Leander. Kate married Mr. Nicholas Springer, of St. Louis, and has there resided for many years. She is a lady of great
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force of character and much executive ability. I would be glad to afford more space, but can only quote briefly from the "History of Woman's Work in the Civil War," page 639. In relation to this lady, we find the following :
" On the breaking out of the war, Mrs. C. R. Springer espoused with patriotic ardor the cause of her country in its struggle with the great slave-holding rebellion. To do this in St. Louis at that period, where wealth and fashion and church influence was so largely on the side of rebellion, and every social circle was more or less infected with treason, required a high degree of moral courage and heroism. From the first opening of the hospitals in St. Louis, in the autumn of 1861, Mrs. Springer became one of the most untiring, devoted and judicious visitors, and by her gracious manner and kind words of sympathy, and her religious consolations, she imparted to many a poor, sick and wounded soldier, courage and hopeful comfort. Besides her useful labors in the hospital, Mrs. Springer superintended the giving out and receiving of hospital garments, provided by the Medical Purveyor, to soldiers' wives. During the winter of 1862, one hundred and twenty- seven thousand were made. This work came under the charge of the organization called 'Ladies' Aid Society.' In all the deliberations of that society, Mrs. Springer's counsel had great weight. No one will be more gratefully remembered by soldiers and their families, to whom her kind words and untiring services came as healing balm in the hour of despondency, and those services were gratuitously rendered. Her reward will be found in the consciousness of having administered com- fort and sweet consolation to thousands of loyal, brave defenders of our country and liberty." Much might be written of her labor in various ways, but limits forbid.
The next daughter Fannie married a Doctor Moore, of St. Louis. She is much devoted to music and has won distinction in this direction. The third daughter Sarah married Mr. James Dittrick, a gentleman of much character and ability, who died a few weeks since, in October, 1887. Mrs. Dittrick is a very superior lady, whose abilities and accom- plishments are not exceeded by any of the family. The youngest daughter Hannah now gone, was the wife of Mr. Wells, of Newton, Massachusetts. Leander, the son and brother, is in successful business in St. Louis.
Geo. H. Walker & Co. Lith. Boston
Joseph Wedgwood
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HISTORY OF PARSONSFIELD.
Another branch of the Lord family was represented early here by John Lord who came from Berwick, was born there in 1771. He had eight children. The eldest, Joseph, settled in Limerick and many of the name, now residents of Parsonsfield, belong to that family.
Another branch settled here, of which Richard Lord was the earliest. He had children Mary, Betsey, Nancy, Isaac, James, Lydia and George. There are others whose ancestry I am unable to trace, but they have no descendants in town. Deacon John Lord, father of the late Caleb B. Lord, of Alfred, was a son of the above-named Richard.
JOSEPH WEDGWOOD
Was the son of John and Polly Wedgwood, and was born April 22, 1818. He was the youngest of eleven children, and the only survivor. He was educated at Parsonsfield Seminary and was a teacher of schools for many years. He has also been identified with the business interests of the town, having held various offices. The most of his life he has devoted to agriculture, in which he has achieved success.
In 1842, he married Jane, eldest daughter of John Bailey, of Par- sonsfield, and they have five children, all residents of Massachusetts. Anna married Harrison P. Bradstreet, of Danvers. John B. married Abbie Goodwin, of Scarboro. Anson married Lizzie Coffin, of Somer- ville, and William H. married Nellie Eberhard, of Holdenville, Massa- chusetts. In religious professions and preferences he is a Baptist, and in politics a republican from the birth of the party. He is a man worthy the confidence of his associates.
JOHN BAILEY
Was long a resident of the town, settling in the northwestern part, in the Doe neighborhood. He was twice married and had several sons and daughters. The eldest daughter is the wife of Joseph Wedgwood, above referred to. His eldest son, John, is a resident of Topsham, Massachusetts. Another daughter is the wife of Doctor William San- ders, formerly of Boston, and another son Henry, a resident of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, a lawyer of repute, who has been for a term of years in the office of judge.
Mr. Bailey was one of the firm men of the town. A democrat of the
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old school, he was kept much in office in town and county, was repre- sentative in the years 1831 and '32, and county commissioner from 1842 to '46, inclusive. He was independent and outspoken, percep- tions keen, discriminating in his judgments and wise in his counsel. The other members of the family, his brothers and his father, joined the Shakers, and have continued therewith.
AVERY.
On page 184, Mr. Smith says "Tradition gives to Jere Avery the honor of being the fifth pioneer. He came in 1776, settled on the western side of Ricker's Mountain, where he lived till 1806, after which I have no trace of the family." Tradition also says that Walter Avery, son of Jeremiah, was the first white child born in Parsonsfield. . There is no doubt but at that early period it was so thought, for the brothers, John and Eben Moore, on the southeastern part of the town were sup- posed to be residents of Newfield, and Joseph Moore was born there as early as January, 1776, which gives him the prior claim. Jeremiah and Rachel Avery had eight children, six girls and two boys. Five of the children died of spotted fever in early life. It is probable that the two sons were among the number. One daughter Mary, born in 1777, lived to be ninety-six years old. In 1811, she had a son, John Avery, who is now a resident of Milton, New Hampshire, and through him the name is brought down. John Avery had eight sons, seven of whom are now living. Two are married and reside in Strafford, Maine, Others are located elsewhere. One of his sons, Joseph Howard Avery, an active, energetic business man, is located at Milton. He has a family of wife and two daughters, the eldest the wife of a Mr. Brown, of Tuftenboro. The youngest is but six years of age.
HARVEY PAGE
Was born April 9, 1803, was the fifth child of Dudley and Betsey Page, of Parsonsfield. He was for many years engaged in buying cattle for the Brighton market, in company with Captain Luther Sanborn. He was the earliest to interest himself in the improvement of stock, and brought to town the first Durham's that were here seen. He has been a very active business man, and now past eighty-four years of age he is
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able to enjoy the society of others, driving his own team short dis- tances. He married Miss Sarah Mason, of Bethel, quite late in life, and they have two children, a son and daughter. Mrs. Page died in 1887.
DEVEREUX.
Richard Devereux was taxed here during the last six to ten years of the last century. He was probably the ancestor of those now in town.
Thomas Devereux was born August 4, 1790, married July 31, 1818, to Phobe Trueworthy, and died February 1, 1865. His wife died December 25, 1883, aged ninety-three years. They had six children.
The eldest son, John, was born February 6, 1820, married Eliza A. Patten, of Newport, in 1848, was engaged in moving pianoes and furni- ture in Boston for fifteen years, then returned to Parsonsfield, and has been engaged in the lumber and woolen business since. They have one son, Doctor F. G. Devereux, a sketch of whose life appears on page 157. Mr. Devereux is an industrious man and has made life a success.
The next brother, Jonathan Devereux, is a resident of Brownfield. Has two sons, Willie and Frank. The other members of the family are not living.
DAVID JOHNSON
Came from Hampton and settled near East Parsonsfield about 1795. He was married in Hampton to Lydia Bachelder about 1790. They were both born in the year 1767. They had nine children. Sally, Ruth and James were born in Hampton, and Jonathan, David, Nathan- iel, John, Edmund and Lydia were born in Parsonsfield. The eldest was born December 6, 1791, and married William Frost, son of Simon Frost, and resided in Parsonsfield. Ruth, born November 13, 1792, married Thomas Dearborn, of Parsonsfield, and removed to Dixmont. James was born September 19, 1794. Jonathan, born May 16, 1796, married Mehitable Dearborn, daughter of Francis Dearborn, on August 18, 1818, and they raised a large family of children; the youngest, John Osborn, yet residing on the old homestead, and one of the elder daughters, Mary Ann, the wife of James Eastman, of Parsonsfield; all the others have either died or left town. Of the next four sons I have no trace. Lydia, the youngest daughter, married John Goddard, son
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of Henry Goddard, of Portland. They resided for a time at East Par- sonsfield, afterward went to Bangor and Orono, and later to Cape Elizabeth.
JABEZ TOWLE
Married a sister of David Johnson and came to town at the same time They had three sons, Jabez, James and David, and one daughter, who became the wife of Samuel Moulton. Jabez married Susan Wedg- wood, daughter of Jesse Wedgwood, and James married Nancy Holmes. The children of Jabez are all dead but one, and he has not for years resided in town. Several of the children of James are living in town. The eldest daughter is the wife of Joseph Wilson. One son, Marshall, resides on the homestead. The eldest son, James, resides in Limerick, and the second son, Albion, in Newfield. The second daughter, Mrs. Lydia Day, and the youngest, Mrs. Alonzo Moulton, are also residents of town. Mr. Towle died some years since. Mrs. Towle is yet (November, 1887) living.
WILLIAM K. DOE.
From what is considered reliable information, the first Does in this country were Nicholas and Sampson Doe, who came from England and settled in Newmarket, New Hampshire. Nicholas was the ances- tor of the Parsonsfield Does. He had a son, Nicholas, second, who also lived and died in Newmarket. His children were Nathaniel, who died in Newfield, Maine; Joseph, who died in Newmarket; Gideon, who came to Parsonsfield ; Nicholas, drowned in Newmarket, and John, who came to town with Gideon.
Gideon was born in 1740, married Abigail Conner, of Newmarket, in 1765, moved to Wolfborough, New Hampshire, and thence to Parsons- field in 1775, when there was not grass enough in that portion of the town to pasture a pair of geese, and they were obliged to carry them to Leavittstown, New Hampshire, now Effingham, to pasture.
John was born September 9, 1748, married Elizabeth Ames, a sister of John and Nathaniel Ames, all of whom settled in town. As before stated, he came with his brother Gideon, and his children were three sons and five daughters. One son died in infancy. The other two, Bartlett and John, junior, settled in West Parsonsfield. John Doe, junior, married Abigail D. Giddings in 1800, and died in 1820.
GEOH. WALKER & CO. BOSTON
REV. CHARLES A. HILTON.
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HISTORY OF PARSONSFIELD.
William K. Doe is the youngest of their ten children, born July 9, 1820, married Pamelia J. Hanson, of Lowell, in 1848. Most of his active life has been spent in Lowell, Massachusetts, but in 1875 he came to his native town and purchased the homestead farm, where he has rebuilt and made substantial improvements. He was with the Massachusetts Sixth, in its memorable passage through Baltimore in 1861. They have had two children, both dying in infancy. In politics he is a republican, and in religion a Universalist. He is a man of integrity and honor, and a worthy citizen.
REVEREND CHARLES A. HILTON
Is of the third generation in town. Dudley Hilton came early, mar- ried Rhoda Bickford, had a family of six children, of whom George, the father of Charles A., was next the youngest. The following sketch is from the pen of Reverend T. H. Stacy, of Auburn, Maine.
Reverend Charles Augustus Hilton, the youngest son of George Hil- ton and Abigail Ricker, was born July 22, 1845. The days of his boyhood passed without incident worthy of special mention. The only thing noticeable being his successful attempts to trouble and annoy his parents and teachers by all sorts of mischievous tricks and escapades. But the stern discipline of his father, combined with the kind nurture of an unusually devoted Christian mother, so far restrained him that nothing very bad resulted from his inclination to mischief. And though his mother died before he reached his ninth birthday, the influ- ence of her sainted life has had a power over his life that cannot be over-estimated. His educational advantages were almost exclusively those of the common district school. He attended "tuition " schools in the fall, some three terms, intending to take a college course. But the war of the Rebellion broke out, and poor health resulting from dis- ease contracted while in the service, together with limited financial resources, prevented the execution of his plans in this direction.
He entered the ministry without any theological training, in the year 1868. His first pastorate was at Ross Corner, Maine, where he remained one year. The next five years of his life were spent in Frank- fort, Will County, Illinois, teaching in the village school and preach- ing. Here, in 1872, he was married to Sarah Adelaide Carpenter, and 23
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where were born to them two children. In 1874. he received and accepted a call to the pastorate of the Free Baptist church, at North Parma, New York, where he remained seven and one-half years, bap- tizing and receiving into the church more than one hundred members. Poor health compelled him to accept a field where the demands upon him would not be so exacting, and in 1882 he settled at East Kendall, New York. Here he remained one year, and then came to his present (1887) location, Haverhill, Massachusetts. Mr. Hilton is a preacher of more than average acceptableness and effectiveness ; those who have sat under his preaching from the first of his ministry until the present, have been helped and pleased. His lack of a classical education early drove him to the study of the Bible and Bible expositions, of which he has been a faithful student; consequently, his sermons are marked, to a very large degree, by direct biblical teaching. His work is especially helpful, from the fact that he finds Jesus Christ everywhere in the Bible, and keeps Him, instead of himself or the sayings of men, con- stantly before his people. His deep interest in current literature and events enables him to meet his people with fresh thought constantly. Having a keen insight, a readiness to act, being thoroughly honest, and absolutely hating anything low, or mean, he is a safe leader. Alto- gether, he ranks among the best men now in Free Baptist pulpits.
COLONEL. BARTLETT DOE,
Son of Deacon John and Elizabeth (Ames) Doe, was born in Parsons- field, July 30, 1785, and was the sixth child of a family of eight. His father, Deacon John, and his uncle, Gideon Doe, were the two first white settlers in Parsonsfield .* His father, Deacon John, settled in the western part of the town on the western slope of the Doe Mountain, and there the Colonel was born and made his home through life. It is the most picturesque part of the town, and brings under the eye a bold and most beautiful scenery. To the west lies Green Mountain, the plain below garnished by the tiller's hand, the grove of pine, Province Pond, with its mirrored surface, the vast expanse of woods and fields which spread out in panoramic beauty and grandeur around his old
*The writer of this sketch, John Bennett, Esquire, has fallen into this error, for reasons before stated, viz .: That John and Eben Moore settled on the southeastern boundary, and for several years were sup- posed to be residents of Newfield. They came in 1774.
Banitten Dac
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homestead, the lofty and magnificent mountains in the distance, con- spicuous among which are the rugged crest of Chocorua and the high summit of Mt. Washington, with lakes here and there, contribute to animate and diversify this enchanting landscape.
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