USA > Maine > Lincoln County > Bremen > A history of the towns of Bristol and Bremen in the state of Maine : including the Pemaquid Settlement > Part 34
USA > Maine > Lincoln County > Bristol > A history of the towns of Bristol and Bremen in the state of Maine : including the Pemaquid Settlement > Part 34
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At the annual town meeting, March 14th, 1769, it was voted to raise £100 "for preaching and schooling " the ensuing year, and that each of the three parishes, Harrington, Walpole, and Broad Cove, should expend its own proportion of the money raised for schools. It was also voted that each parish should "raise by tax £100 for building its meeting house."
We have no means now of knowing by what majorities these votes were carried in regard to the meeting-houses; but we know there was a powerful opposition, which at a meeting, May 30th, had attained such strength, as to cause all those votes for raising money and building meeting houses, to be " repealed."
The meeting house question had now become decidedly in- teresting ; and every one was obliged to fall in with one party or the other. The party in favor of having only one house for the whole town, were evidently in the majority, and March 13th, 1770, at a regular town meeting, another vote was passed " re- pealing " all former votes on the subject, and appointing Thomas Rice, of Pournalboro, Andrew MeFarland of Boothbay, and David Hopkins of Newcastle, a committee to go through the town, measure the distances from the centre on the principal roads,
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL AND BREMEN.
and appoint a place or places for a meeting house or houses, ac- cording to their best skill and judgment. The record is very brief; but it appears that the whole matter was to be decided by this committee ; - Ist, whether there should be only one house or several, and 2d, the first question being settled, they were also to decide where the house or houses should be located.
This committee reported at a town meeting, July 12th, 1770, recommending the division of the town into three parishes, and that a meeting house should be erected in each, and described accurately the boundary lines of the proposed parishes. The re- cord does not say whether this report was ever accepted or not ; but the next year, Nov. 28th, 1771, it was again " voted that all former votes, concerning meeting houses be repealed," and that a " committee be nominated and voted to survey the town, the length and the breadth of sd town and find the center of the northerly part, likewise to find the center of the southerly part of sd town, and the middle center of the whole town, and voted that it be left with the committee to agree on the place where to set out from, in each part of sd town." The com- mittee were put under oath, and Thomas Boyd was to accom- pany them as surveyor, also to be under oath.
March 12th, 1772, this committee reported at a regular town meeting, but there was the same difference of opinion among them as before, and without coming to any decision they ad- journed to the 31st when, according to the record, they " voted that there shall be but one meeting house in this town."
They also voted to grant £90, lawful money from the treasury for building the meeting house. A protest against this action was handed in, signed by Alexander Nickels, Patrick Rodgers, Wm. Burns, Robert Sproul, Wm. MeLain, and Wm. Miller.
May 12th, following, an attempt was made to have this action rescinded, but without effect, and James Sproul, Henry Hunter and Simon Elliot, appointed a committee, to attend-to the building of the proposed house, which was to be 43 by 52 feet on the ground.
Thus the advocates for a single meeting house seemed finally to have prevailed, and we are informed by tradition that a frame for a meeting house was actually erected at " The Mills," on the hill, 60 or 80 rods west, and a little south of the present town house. This was done, it is believed, in the autumn of 1772, but at the regular annual meeting, March 9th, 1773, (at
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL AND BREMEN.
the house of Wm. Sproul), it was found that a great change had taken place in the public sentiment; and after much wrangling, if tradition may be relied on, they first "repealed " all previous action on the subject, and then "voted that the meeting house be pulled down." To show that they were in earnest they appointed " Alexander Nickels, Robert Sproul, and Wm. Jones a committee to pull down the meeting house." We are informed by tradition that the house, or rather the frame for the house, for this is all there was of it, was actually pulled down a little time after this, not, however, by the com- mittee of worthy citizens appointed for the purpose, but by a mob self-appointed. The frame was afterwards removed to Harrington, and erected on Wm. Sproul's land, as had been previously voted. This house, with its heavy "sounding board" over the pulpit, is associated with pleasing recollections
THE PRESENT HARRINGTON MEETING HOUSE.
by very many of the present inhabitants. A few years ago, when it was taken down for the purpose of using the materials in constructing the present house, erected near the same spot, abundant evidence was found of the violence previously used upon it.
Broad Cove and Walpole parishes were by vote, at the same meeting (March 13th, 1772), authorized to locate their own meeting houses and the people of each parish to raise among themselves the money needed for their own meeting house. Any money which they had previously paid into the treasury for the purpose was to be refunded.
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL AND BREMEN.
Several persons who were present at this meeting, were not allowed to vote, but for what reason does not now appear.1 They were Samuel Bates, Thomas Thompson, Patrick Wallis, Daniel Cortland (Cattland?) Ebenezer Cox, Miles Thomson, and Wm. Kelsey.
A protest (called in the record, as before, a " desent," but spelled with an s) against the decision on the meeting house question, was presented and put on record. The reason they give was " that the meeting was not legally warned." The signers were James Sproul, Simon Eliot, Saml. Paterson, John Dickey, Wm. Sproul, Ninyon Askins, Ebenezer Blunt jr., Alexander Askins, George Clark, Francis Young, and Alex- ander Fosset.
Saturday, May 1st, town meeting at the house of Wm. Burns, at Muscongus; the late decision concerning meeting houses was confirmed, and the question settled, after full six years' earnest discussion ; other matters then received attention which would not be considered quite inappropriate for discus- sion at such a meeting. On motion, it was "voted that the people of this town submit themselves to the Boston Presby- tery." Patrick Rogers was appointed a delegate to the Presby- tery with the minister, Rev. Alexander McLean, who had then recently come into the place.
He was born on the Isle of Skye, Scotland, about 1744, and educated at the university of Aberdeen ; he came here from New Jersey on the recommendation of Rev. Dr. Witherspoon, to whom application had been made by the committee. We shall have occasion to speak of him frequently hereafter.1
As most of the churches in New England were in form In- dependent or Congregational, we naturally inquire for the reasons of their preference, which probably may be found in the fact that many of the leading men of the town were Scotch Pres- byterians, or sons of Scotch Presbyterians, as was also the min- ister, Mr. McLean, whom they had engaged to settle among them.
The meeting houses in Walpole and Broad Cove parishes were erected in due time, and the former, somewhat dilapidated is still standing. Recently it has been repaired, and modern
1 Very probably it was for non payment of taxes, for at the next meeting, it was voted that any man who pays two-thirds as much as his poll tax shall be allowed to vote.
2 Greenleaf's Ecclesiastical Sketches, p. 148; Panoplist, Feb., 1808.
1
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL AND BREMEN.
blinds added, which of course considerably changes its ex- ternal appearance ; but the interior is wisely preserved just as at first constructed. The Broad Cove people selected as the
WALPOLE MEETING HOUSE.
site of their meeting house a place directly on the shore at Greenland cove; and the house erected by them stood there until 1824, when it was taken down, and the materials used in the construction of the present meeting house in Bre- men. This place is now inaccessible by any public road, but the travel in those days was directly along the shore from Round Pond to Muscongus harbor, and from this place northward. Many families then lived on the adjacent islands whom they also desired to accommodate. The house continued to be used for religious worship until after the beginning of the present century, but had long been abandoned when torn down in 1824.
It is altogether probable that the " dedication " of these houses to the worship of Almighty God was attended to according to the usual custom in New England, but no records of such an event have been found. .
The fathers in those days intended that order should be ob- served in the house of God, and therefore, at a town meeting, March 18th, 1774, " Timothy Weston was chosen to take care of the dogs on the lord's day, and on other public days," -"sd dogs to be killed if found surly and disorderly."
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL AND BREMEN.
345
CHAPTER XXVIII.
BRISTOL IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR.
The people generally sympathized strongly with the patriot cause - Petition to the Provincial Congress -- Vote of Town Meeting to pull down the old fort - Committees of Inspection and Correspondence -The town called upon to fur- nish supplies of clothing and beef forthe army-Gloomy condition of affairs during the winter of 1780-1- Piracies on the inhabitants by torics -- Nathaniel Palmer- The people of the town unable to meet fully the demands upon theni for money and men in 1781-1782, vote to memorialize " the Great and General Court," setting forth their distressed situation - Efforts to conciliate the Penobscot Indians - Letter of Indians to Washington and his reply - Efforts of the Ca- nadian Indians to seduce the Penobscot and St. Johns' tribes from the patriot cause- Privateering - Gen. North - Expulsion of the tories - Names of citi- zens of Bristol who perished during the war in the patriot service, by sea and land.
It was well for the people that the meeting houses were fin- ished, or nearly so, before the struggle of the revolutionary war had seriously begun. The people of the town sympathized strongly with the country in general in opposition to the ty- ranical course of Great Britain; but nothing appears on the records making allusion to the state of the country, until the 14th of March, 1775, when in town meeting it was decided to pay the province tax, collected in the town on the grand levy of the preceding year, into the hands of " Mr. Henry Gardner who had been appointed by Congress province Treasurer for this colony." This was in accordance with a recommendation of the Massachusetts provincial congress. the previous autumn.
The week following another meeting was held, and a vote passed to raise three militia companies, one in each part of the town, and Tuesday, the 28th, was appointed for the companies to assemble for the choice of officers.
They also decided, in accordance with recommendations of the provincial congress, to appoint " a Committee of Inspec- tion," who shall " inspect into all invasions against the town, and also to see that there is nothing carried on contrary to the resolves of the Continental and Provincial Congress." The names of this committee are not given ; but we learn they were not
44
.
346
HISTORY OF BRISTOL AND BREMEN.
idle, as two of them, Wm, Martin and Wm. McLain, July 30th, seized the sloop Sally, Capt. Andrew Johnson, at Meduncook, [Friendship] and wrote to Boston for instructions as to further proceedings. The sloop was owned by Messrs. Isaac and John Winslow, of Boston, who were supposed to be unfriendly to the patriot cause. It is not known how she was disposed of. The selectmen were authorized to procure " three barrels of powder and balls, and the flints answering thereto."
May 2d, 1775, town meeting at house of Wm. Sproul, voted to send Thomas Bracket as agent of the town " to Congress to represent the difficulty of the town for the want of ammunition," "and other stores." Miles Thompson was hired at $8 per month to carry on Bracket's farm during his absence. This farm is believed to be the one owned by the late James Blais- dell, and formerly by Arthur Child.
Caleb Turner, of Broad Cove, was appointed " to ride post to Falmouth (Portland) and bring the weekly papers, three papers to be brought, one for each part of the town." He was to re- ceive 20 shillings, lawful money, for each trip. At the next meeting, May 24th, this arrangement with Mr. T. was discon- tinued, probably for the reason that a weekly post from Fal- mouth to Thomaston had been established by the government a little time before (Boston Gazette, Oct. 20th. 1772).
Thomas Bracket who had been sent to congress (the pro- vincial congress, then in session at Watertown, Mass.), for ammunition reported his doings ; and £38, O. T. was awarded him for hisexpenses. The "provincial Congress " at Watertown, May 11th, advised the selectmen of Framingham to supply him with one-half a barrel of gun powder, for the town of Bristol ; and this probably was all he obtained. He was to pay for it ; and an equal quantity from the public stores, when more should be obtained, was to be supplied to Framingham.2 Bracket was ordered to divide his powder among the captains of the three militia companies ; and if any man, receiving a portion of this powder, should consume it for any other purpose than in de- fence of his country he was to receive "ten lashes on his back, or pay a fine of 10 dollars."
The following address to the " Provincial Congress" was agreed upon, which Bracket probably took with him. No copy
1 Mass. Arch ... 150 .; No. 216.
2 Mass. Arch., 206, p. 14.
*
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ILISTORY OF BRISTOL AND BREMEN,
is preserved in the records, but the original is still on file in the State House in Boston :
" To the Honourable the Members of the Provincial Congress of the Massachusetts Bay -on the second Day of May, 1775. At a Legal Meeting of the freeholders and other Inhabitants of the Town of Bristol the following artickels were agreed to :
" Ist. Whereas we wrote to your Honours Last March a little Sketch of our Circumstances and that we would put ourselves as soon as possible Futo Military order, and Inform your Honours more particularly of our Strength in Regard to Arms and ammunition. Therefor we would now Inform your Honours that we have Indeavour'd to put our Selves into Military order and Discipline as well as we war Capable. We make out three Companys. Each Company consisting of Sixty Training Soldiers Exclusive of Officers, which Officers was Chosen by vote of the Several Companys in ye Training Field. As to arms the most part of us have Got Guns, but we are in very low Sircumstances in Regard Ammunition, powder especially. We have used Several miens to provide ourSelves with powder but it has hapened to be to no purpose. Therefore if it is passable that your Honours Can point out to us any way of Releff in this particular we shall take it as a very grate favour ; we apprehend that we are very unsafe to be Distitute of ammunition as our Town borders on the Sea we are much Expos'd to our Enemys.
2d. Voted unanimously that Mr. Thos. Bracket of this Town be, and. we hereby Impower him to be our agent and attorney in all matters what- soever, in our name and Sted to Contract for any Artickels that our said Attorney shall think Necessary for this Town, And to Represent to your Honours the Whole Sircumstances of our Town By whom we hope to Receve advices from your Honours How we Shall Conduct in all matters.
We Remain With arnest Prayer to almity God for a Blessing upon your Honours' Persons, and upon your Honours Proceedings in Behalf of this Province.
Your Honours Most Dutifull, Most Obedient,
And Most Hmble Servants.
By order and In behalf of the Town of Bristol.
SAMUEL OATES,
ROBERT GIVEEN,
Committee Men.
THOMAS BOYD. GEORGE RODGERS, THOS. JOHNSTON,
Selectmen of Bristol.
JAMES HUSTON.
WILLIAM BURNS, Town Clerk."
-
348
HISTORY OF BRISTOL AND BREMEN.
The name, Oates, is now usually spelled Otis. The next name should be Robert Given; and was probably written for him by another hand.
At this meeting it was " voted to pull down Peinaquid fort, and that next Tuesday be appointed for the purpose." This was done to prevent the British taking possession of it, and using it in their warlike operations against the colonies. At the time appointed many of the citizens repaired to the spot, and partially demolished the stone walls, the gates and other parts made of wood having mostly decayed. The walls, or rather the highest parts of the walls, were simply pushed over ; and the small stones of which the walls were made, allowed to remain where they fell. Earnest patriots as they were, they evidently felt that they had performed a patriotic service ; but if the enemy had really desired to use the place as they feared, he could, in a very little time, have repaired all the damage they had done.I
The town had now been incorporated about ten years, but had never aspired to send a representative to the legislature ; now however (at a town meeting, July 10th) they determined to assert their "right of representation," and made choice of Wm. Jones, as their first representative in the legislature, or provincial congress, as it was then called.
Several town meetings were held during the summer and autumn of this year (1778), as the public business required, though the distances to be travelled by many of the citizens, were great, and to attend a meeting required of them very considerable sacrifice. Places of meeting during the year, Walpole school house, Wm. Sproul's, Simon Elliot's, Alexander Askin's, and Wm. Burn's.
At a meeting in October, a vote of thanks to the committee of " Correspondence and Inspection " was passed, and they were dismissed, and a new committee appointed. They were Robert Mckown, Henry Hunter, Robert Sproul, George Rodgers, and Thomas Johnston. They, like the preceding committee were to act " during the town's pleasure."
The next week another meeting was called, and the preced- ing one was declared " ealeagal " (illegal) ; for what reason does not appear. Many were not satisfied with some members of the " Committee of Correspondence and Inspection," just ap- pointed ; and desired that a new election should be held ; and
! Tradition.
HISTORY OF BRISTOL AND BREMEN. 349
this method was taken to accomplish their object, The com- mittee, named above, were therefore " dismissed," and two new committees appointed in their stead, one to be called a "com- mittee of Correspondence, and the other a committee of inspec- tion." Robert Sproul, Edward Young, Wm. McLean (he usually spelled his own name, Mclain), Joseph Eaton and Henry Hunter, were appointed a committee of correspondence ; and James Morton, Samuel Paterson, James Given, a committee of inspection, both of whom were to hold office " during the town's pleasure."
Previous to this, warrants for the town meetings had all been issued in the name of his majesty; but a notable change is now to take place, not important in itself, but significant of the future. The battle of Bunker Hill had been fought, but the Declaration of Independence was yet unwritten, when the au- thorities of Bristol issued their warrant for a meeting of the "legal voters " of the town, March 12th, 1776, " in the name of the Continental Congress." Subsequently the meetings were called " in the name of America," and finally in the name of Massachusetts.
At the meeting. March 12th, a new " Committee of Inspec- tion and Correspondence " was appointed, consisting of Alex- ander Nickels, Simon Elliot, Henry Hunter, Henry Fasset, Zebulon Howland, Amos Goudy, Wm. Burns, and (Prince ?) Baker.
Though sympathizing fully with the patriotic cause, the peo- ple here soon began to feel severely the enormous burden of the war. Early in the spring of 1776, a convention of delegates from the several towns in Lincoln county was called at Wiscas- set, and Alexander Nickels was chosen as delegate from Bristol. This was at a town meeting held at the house of Wm. Sproul, April 22d; and the record mournfully speaks of him as a " dele- gate" "to represent the difficulties that we labor under at this difficult day."
Committee of " Inspection and Correspondence," for the first part of the year, 1777, chosen March 13th, were Wm. MeLain, S. Eliot, Edward Young, Samuel Boyd, Prince Baker, Wm. Jones, Robert Randall, Samuel Paterson and Robert Given. Committee for the latter part of the year, chosen July 15th, Samuel Boyd, Robert Given, Robert Randall, Win. MeClure, Win. Jones, Samuel Paterson, Prince Baker, Edward Young, and Simon Eliot.
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350
HISTORY OF BRISTOL AND BREMEN.
The plan of government for the colony, submitted to the people by the general court, the previous year, was brought before the town at a regular meeting, May 4th, and was unani- mously rejected, 103 votes being cast."'
Committee of "Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety," - first part of the year, 1779, chosen, March 2d, Jacob Eaton, Wm. MeLain, Wm. Burns, Lemuel Doe, Amos Goudy, Robert Sproul, Ebenezer Thompson, Benjamin Day, and Elijah Crooker. For latter part of the year, chosen Nov. 19th, Thomas Martin, Wm. MeLain, Benjamin Messervy, Samuel Boyd, Win. Mc- Glathery, Robert Given, Nathaniel Thompson, Elisha Hatch and Henry Hunter.
Bristol, in common with other towns, was early called upon for articles of clothing for the soldiers and later for beef and other articles of food; but no detailed statement has been found to show how much was done in response to these calls. In the record of a town meeting, held Aug. 18th, 1775, we find the following, voted " that we think we cannot send any of the coats and other clothes that the Provincial Con- gress sent for to the town." Subsequently, in 1779, the town voted to pay £60, lawful money, as a bounty to each man who should enlist in the service for nine months, or a like proportion fora lesstime. Thenumber of men wanted not being readily ob- tained, a committee was appointed, at the March town meeting, to attend personally to this matter, and it was also decided to enforce the law on Nathaniel Smellage, a citizen of the town who had previously received the bounty, but failed to perform the promised service.
The following document was addressed to Dummer Sewall, Esq., of Georgetown :
Sr. We are informed by Mr. Hiscock that you must have an Account of the price of every articale of the Clothing separately by itself ; we there- fore take this opurtunity to let you know the same.
The price of the Shos is, 2 : 8 : 0 per pair. The price of the Shirts is, 2 : 7 : 0 a peace.
The price of the Stockings is, . 1 : 16 : 0 per pair. The 27 pair of Shoes at 4Ss. per pair is, ... ...
64 : 16 : 0 The 27 Shirts at 47s. a peace is, ... 63 : 9:0
The 27 pair of Stockings at 36s. per pair is, 48 : 12: 0
The sum of the whole is, £170 :17:0
1 Brad. Muss., II, p. 345 ; Will. Maine, 11, 461-65.
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL AND BREMEN.
We are informed by Mr. Hiscock that you think the price very High, but things is so dear that we was obledged to return Sundry articels to the owners again, because we could not come to their pricc.
THos. JOHNSTON, } Selectmen JAMES HOUSTON, f of Bristol.1 Bristol, Sept. 28th, 1778.
These high prices were occasioned by the great depreciation of the currency ; but if they were then high, at a subsequent period they were destined to be much higher. At a town meet- ing, May 2, 1780, it was voted to allow each man $40, per day for work on the roads, and $20 per day for a yoke of oxen.
The requisitions of the government this year for clothing and beef for the army were enormous, and the people of Bristol staggered under their burdens. By a resolve of the legisla- ture, May 4th, each town was required to procure one-tenth as many shirts, pairs of shoes and stockings as there were male inhabitants in the town above the age of 16 years, and half as many blankets as shirts ; and by other resolves, Sept. 25th and Dec. 4th, the towns in Lincoln county were called upon in all for 1952421bs. of beef.
This town, of course, was called upon for its share ; and by great effort the beef required seems to have been procured in due time, and probably also the articles of clothing; but the state taxes were greatly in arrears. For much of the beef, $5 a pound was paid ! Nov. 4th, it was " voted to give five dol- lars per pound for beef; and what the inhabitants turn in must be delivered to Wm. Burns by Thursday next." A committee was appointed " to purchase what beef may be wanting after the citizens have carried in what they can get."
A part of this beef, and perhaps all was sent to St. George.
The winter of 1780-81, was a season of deep gloom in all this region. The previous winter had been unusually severe, both as to the great depth of snow on the ground and the intense cold. For several days in the month of February people passed on the ice to and fro between Camden harbor and Biguyduce (Castine), on the opposite side of the bay .? As the winter sea- son again approached, recollections of the past naturally had the effect to increase the general depression ; and the people knew not which way to turn. At a town meeting, Dee. 7th, 'Original MS., in the handwriting of Thomas Johnston.
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