USA > Maine > Knox County > Warren > Annals of the town of Warren; with the Early History of St. George's, Broad Bay and the Neighboring Settlements on the Waldo patent > Part 27
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Several deaths occurred this year from accidental drown-
* At the raising of the court-house, Col. Head attracted some attention by a high crowned, conical hat, which he wore, a fashion which was just beginning to supplant the low hemispherical crowns, then universally worn. It was crushed by a board which accident- ally fell from the frame, which gave him an opportunity to expatiate upon its utility in preserving the skull from a similar fate.
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ing. June 12th, Seth, a son of Capt. Crane, 6 years old, perished in the river at the village ; and, on the 26th, a child of Francis Young, 3 years old, in a well having no curb. Wm. Perham, who had settled on the farm now owned by S. Payson, was also drowned in the course of this season, whilst rafting in the river.
1800. Mr. Wilde's place was, this year, supplied by Samuel Thatcher, Esq., who purchased his property and succeeded to his practice. He was a native of Cambridge, Mass., graduated at the University there in 1793, taught an Academy one year at Concord, studied law with Hon. Tim- othy Bigelow, then of Groton, and, possessing talents and confidence, commenced his profession here under the most favorable auspices. He represented the town 11 years ; was twice elected to Congress, and sustained the office of High Sheriff of the county of Lincoln from 1812 to 1821. He was particularly active in raising funds and getting an endowment for the Academy here ; and to him, and to Col. Head, is the town indebted for the elegant row of elms on each side of the street near the meeting-houses. In 1833 he removed to the town of Brewer.
In the spring of this year, the town was, for the first time since its settlement, visited by the small pox ; a disease so direful in itself, and at that time so entirely new to most of the people, as to occasion a general panic of dread and appre- hension. A son of John Fitzgerald, in the borders of Wal- doboro', was first taken with it ; and, before any suspicion of its true nature was entertained, most of the neighbors had been exposed to the contagion. A visit was also made there by Mrs. Starrett and Mrs. Andrews, of this town, with Lewis, son of the former; and no apprehensions were felt, till, shortly after, the disease was pronounced small pox, and the
patient died. Mrs. Starrett escaped ; her son and Mrs. Andrews had the disorder ; the latter of whom died, and the former barely escaped with life. Mr. Andrews's house was selected as a hospital, and, April 1st, the town voted, that as many as could be accommodated there should have leave to be inoculated within the 24 hours next ensuing, on condi- tion of not leaving the prescribed limits from the time of in- oculation till they procured a certificate of being thoroughly cleansed. About fifteen embraced the opportunity, and had the disease.
In May, when the patients at Mr. Andrews's were nearly ready to leave, a son of Thomas Starrett, Jr. took the disease, and, before its nature was suspected, the rest of the family
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and some of the neighbors had been sufficiently exposed to give rise to serious apprehensions. As Mr. Starrett then lived in the old house near the river, it was converted into a hospi- tal, and his whole family, together with many others, were inoculated. But at a meeting called for the purpose, the town refused to give leave for further inoculations ; and the distemper did not make its appearance in town again until 1843. At that time, none but one child was affected. But in 1845, it prevailed more extensively, making its appearance on both sides of the river simultaneously, with some fatal cases among the colored population. In 1848, it was again brought home by two seamen, and a hospital provided on J. Lermond's land, near D. Page's. Several cases occurred again in 1850, in the eastern part of the town, but, in conse- quence of the general vaccination voted in 1845, excited little apprehension.
The alarm of the small pox, did not prevent party spirit, which was now raging, from extending to this town ; and the unanimity which the votes of the three preceding years exhibit, was not again witnessed for twenty years. Of the two par- ties which divided the country, the supporters of Washing- ton's and Adams's administrations, were called Federalists, or Federal Republicans ; their opponents, Anti-Federalists or Democrats. William Lermond, who had spent some time abroad trying to save something from the Brig Neptune, came home with feelings strongly enlisted in the republican cause in Europe, and immediately became a principal leader of the democratic party in this town. But in April, C. Strong, the federal candidate, who was chosen Governor, received 51 votes ; M. Gill, also a federalist, 3; and E. Gerry, the democratic candidate, 7. The Presidential electors were chosen by the Legislature, and unanimously voted for Mr. Adams ; but his opponent, T. Jefferson, was elected.
Military reviews, as before observed, from the improved discipline, and sham battles which they exhibited, and also, in consequence of threatened hostilities with France, now excited great interest, and drew together crowds of spectators of all ages and both sexes. The regimental muster, was this year held in Thomaston; but the bright anticipations concerning it, were turned into disappointment by a heavy and uninterrupted rain.
Umbrellas had now been introduced ; and oilcloth hat cases, were used as a means of saving, in sudden emergen- cies, the napped, high crowned hats then generally worn. Men's vests had lost their skirts ; and double breasted coats,
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with lappels, were in fashion. Shoe-buckles had yielded to ribbons and silk strings ; the white tops, to half boots worn outside of the close pantaloons, which in summer were made of nankin. The toes of shoes and boots were brought to a sharp point, which was more and more elongated for some half dozen years later, when they were supplanted by the square toes, that, with some interruptions, have held their place till the present time. Ladies' slippers, also, with low heels, had succeeded to the white rands, buckled straps, and high wooden heels of an earlier date. Long queues and heavy clubs of hair, were now disappearing, and the author- ity of St. Paul prevailed over the heads, if not the hearts, of men. Such favor did short hair gain, that, in a few years after, it was adopted by young ladies ; and phrenologists, if they had existed in that day, might have gained a ready in- sight into the characters of all, and made matches after the most approved method. Horses' tails were docked and nick- ed in such a manner as to exhibit a short, upturned appen- dage, cropped square at the end. Pleasure carriages were beginning to multiply; and sleighs shod with iron, were in general use. Wooden clocks first made their appearance about this time, and, without casing, sold for $20 or $25. A few brass, eight-day clocks, and other time-pieces, had been used in town; and watches, heretofore a rare article, were becoming fashionable.
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CHAPTER XV.
EMBRACING THE PERIOD FROM 1801 TO 1806, AND INCLUDING THE HISTORY OF THE BAPTIST SOCIETY.
1801 to 1806. Rev. J. Huse, Rev. T. Whiting, and Samuel Davis, in conformity with a law then recently passed, were, in 1801, appointed a committee to visit the several schools in town, and see that they were properly conducted by teachers legally qualified. This was the first committee of the kind in town ; teachers having been before employed without examination, and, some of them, with very slender qualifications. Among those employed at and prior to this time, may be mentioned Messrs. Fairbanks and Whiting, before spoken of, and Edward Roach, a native of Ireland. Rev. Mr. Huse, also, taught one season at the village. Others from Massachusetts were temporarily employed ; Daniel Vaughan, Backus Leach, and Nathan Pierce, in 1802 and 3 ; Woodbury and C. Eaton, in 1804 ; the last of whom, the year following, became a permanent resident. Nathan Lucas, from Carver, for many years occasionally taught a common as well as a singing school in this and the neighboring towns. The books used in school at this time, were, Webster's Spel- ling Book, the American Preceptor, Perry's Dictionary, and sometimes Pike's Arithmetic or its abridgment. English Grammar was here first taught to one of Col. Head's daugh- ters by Mr. Woodbury in 1804; and the following year, Eaton persuaded five or six of his most forward scholars at Oyster river to commence the same study. Geography was introduced a little later, but had few students for many years.
During the period in question, the school tax was gradually increased fron $333 to $700. It was expended by commit- tees chosen by the school districts, independent of any other authority. The income of the ministerial and school lands, arising from the annual lease of the marshes and the sale of standing timber, had hitherto gone into the town treasury, and been expended without any particular regard to the objects for which these lands had been designed. But fears now began to be entertained, that, with the multiplication of sects, difficulties might arise concerning the land granted for the support of the ministry ; and, April 2, 1804, the town voted to sell both the school and ministerial lots, and appointed the selectmen a committee to apply to the General Court for an
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act to establish the proceeds thereof as a fund for the support of schools alone. This application was partially successful, and, March 4, 1805, an act was passed, incorporating T. Star- rett, John Libbey, A. Lermond, John Creighton, and M. Smith, Jr., with the power of filling any vacancies in their number, as trustees to dispose of all the real estate belonging to the town, which was originally appropriated for the use of schools ; to put the proceeds thereof at interest until a sum be accumulated sufficient to yield an annual income of $200; then to apply the same annually to the support of schools forever. The following year, an additional act conferred the power to sell the ministerial lot, and add the proceeds to the same fund. The trustees held their first meeting November 7, 1806, and proceeded to advertise and sell both these lots accordingly. This was done at a favorable time, February 16, 1807, and brought the sum of $2520. This fund contin- ued to increase till 1813, when the sum of $200 began to be annually paid for the support of schools. This annual pay- ment, with the exception of the years from 1840 to 1844, when it was omitted on account of some recent losses, has contin- ued ever since. The first report of the trustees was made in March, 1807.
The depredation committed by crows upon the corn-fields, induced the town, in 1803 and 4, to vote a bounty of one shilling a head for the destruction of these birds; and, in those two years, this bounty amounted to $24,67.
In 1804, according to the treasurer's book, the town first began to derive a small revenue from the oyster fishery ; al- though a law for protecting such fisheries, and allowing selectmen to impose conditions upon the taking of them by people of other places, had been passed as early as 1796. In early times, oysters abounded in the lower part of the town, both in St. George's and Oyster rivers; and vessels from Portsmouth and other places, used to come, and carry off whole cargoes of them. After the passage of the above mentioned law, fewer vessels came for them. They were already on the decline, either from saw dust washed down from the mills, as some suppose, or from other causes not ascertained; and they have now become so scarce that few take the trouble to search for them. Small sums were oc- casionally paid into the treasury for these fish, till 1813.
The population of this and the adjacent towns, had now so increased, and so much disorder, growing out of eager- ness and violent contention for fishing-stands, was exhibited, as to induce many of the inhabitants to petition the Legisla-
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ture to make the fishery a town privilege. At a town meet- ing in Sept. 1801, the representative was instructed to use his endeavors in aid of said petition ; and, in 1802, an act was passed, giving to the town the exclusive right of dispos- ing of said fish, on condition of supplying the inhabitants living on the river, with alewives, when on hand, to the amount of five hundred each, at 20cts. per hundred, of fishing but three days in a week, and of choosing a committee to pre- vent obstructions in the river and other infractions of the law ; the proceeds to go into the town treasury, and be disposed of as the inhabitants of the town shall from time to time direct. The fishery was, accordingly, set up in April, 1802, to the highest bidder, and struck off to Reuben Hall, for the sum of $360. This put an end to the contest for fishing-stands, and, for a time, produced general satisfaction. Yet the old habits of the people, and their eagerness to obtain the earliest caught and best fish, still brought together, at the annual fish- ing season, large crowds from this and the neighboring towns, who, like the Indians before them, and the Greeks at the Olympic games, found, in this annual gathering, a fine oppor- tunity of renewing old, and forming new, acquaintances, re- suscitating former friendships, and preventing the ties of fam- ily and kindred from rusting out.
The difficulties with France having been settled by the treaty of 1800, the period we are now treating of, was one of great commercial activity and general prosperity. Be- sides boards and staves to southern or W. I. ports, vast quan- tities of timber were exported to Great Britain and Ireland ; and goods brought back in return, to the great profit of merchants, ship-owners, lumberers, and sea-faring men. Traders multiplied ; ship-building increased ; and the appear- ance of the town was greatly improved by the disappearance of the woods, and the erection of new and commodious dwellings. Henry Knox, Jr., was established by his father with a store of goods at the upper falls. M. Cobb was engaged in trade at his, now Burton's, corner, and at the same time, besides farming, carried on the blacksmith busi- ness, lime-burning, ship-building, and foreign trade. Wm. Hovey, who, in Dec. 1802, came here, and commenced business in partnership with his uncle, Thomas Hovey of Portland, had now purchased the Frost or Whiting house, and was doing an extensive business in the old store erected by Mr. Moore. Frost had, about the commencement of this period, been detected in a nefarious attempt at seduction and incest ; and the general indignation of the people made
23
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it convenient for him to remove from the place. He subse- quently kept a broker's office in Boston, having transferred his property here to Joseph Shed of that city, whose son, William, brought down goods, and for a short time did busi- ness here. Hovey took in large quantities of staves, boards, and timber, which he exported to England and the W. Indies, often on his own account, and often, also, loading foreign vessels by contract. Putting his goods somewhat lower than they had previously been sold, he soon attracted customers from all the neighboring towns, selling annually not less than $8,000 worth of goods, and taking in lumber to the amount of 800,000 feet. Bracket and Davis still did business, but on a less extensive scale ; while Col. Head was extending his from year to year, selling a large amount of goods, and often loading 6 or 7 ships with lumber, annually. John Paine began the same business near the Narrows in Thomas- ton, and carried it on very successfully till after the peace of 1814. In addition to these, Life Wilson, near the close of this period, commenced trade in the building now occu- pied by Theodore Wilson, and was preparing to go exten- sively into the lumber business. Thomas Kirkpatrick, who now lived in a house he had previously built near the site of the present town-house, was engaged in the manufacture of lime. John H. Counce, after working two or three years in one of the ship-yards, in 1804 or 5, built, in connexion with Charles Bryant, the Sch. Union for H. Libbey, John Creighton, and others; and, the following year, began, on his own account, the business he so successfully carried on for more than 40 years. The same business was continued by Standish and Weston ; the last of whom, in 1804, built for owners in Boston, the Fredonia, the first ship ever launched in the place. For the vessels built in this and the subsequent periods, the reader is referred to Table XIII, at the close of the volume.
To facilitate the growing commerce of this river, a light- house was erected at its entrance in 1806, on Franklin Island, with a fixed light 50 feet above the level of the sea, at an expense of $3370. A year or two later, also, a small fort was built, for the defence of the river, in the town of St. George ; but little use was made of it, however, and it has long since gone to decay.
The briskness of trade, and the manufactures carried on by Knox, affording a ready market for the products of the forest, stimulated farmers to clear up their lands, but at the same time tempted them into a more lavish expenditure, and
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rendered them less cautious in contracting debts. Land was stripped, rather than cultivated ; foreign fabrics began to displace those of domestic manufacture; slaizy India cotton shirting and sheeting succeeded to the more substan- tial tow and linen ; and it was no uncommon thing for mer- chants to sell, to a single family, woollen cloths to the amount of $100 a year. Women, however, with the exception of a few fashionable families, still manufactured their common winter garments of wool, - colored and pressed at the mill.
This period of prosperity gave rise to a more ambitious style of building, and may be characterized as the era of two-story houses, no less than fifteen, having been, during this period, erected on the eastern side of the river, and per- haps nearly as many more on the western. Besides these, a large number of commodious one-story houses, together with some of smaller dimensions, sprang up in all parts of the town. Many of these houses, however, were begun under the expectation that years of continued prosperity would provide the means of completing them, and on a failure of this expectation, remained unfinished for a long period. A small proportion of them were finished and painted ; and others have been newly covered and painted within the last 25 years. Attention was, also, turned to the planting of or- namental trees. Many adorned their dwellings with willows, butternuts, balm of gileads, and particularly, with lombardy poplars, most of which, except the last, are still standing. Mr. Thatcher set out a row of alternate poplars and elms as far as his land extended, on the north side of the road, be- tween Messrs. Vaughan's and Payson's. The poplars have since been cut away ; but the elms, except where injured by the removal of the soil, continue to thrive, forming a princi- pal ornament to the village. Those on the southern side of the street, were subsequently planted by Col. Head, at the time of erecting his house, about 1811; and those east of the bridge, near Burton's corner, some twenty years later.
Pleasure carriages were still scarce ; though some addition was made to the number, in the course of this period. Near its beginning, several, of different descriptions, were brought down by N. Blake when he settled in Union; and one of them, an open chair designed for a single person, was purchased by M. Copeland, who already owned the only chaise in town. In 1802, Rev. Mr. Huse and wife, undertak- ing a journey by land to Massachusetts, and expecting to procure a chaise at Wiscasset, left home in the ill-accom- modating chair, the only vehicle they could here obtain.
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Disappointed in their expectations at Wiscasset, they proceeded on to Brunswick, not doubting but that a more comfortable carriage might be procured there. After considerable inquiry, they found one chaise in that part of the town called McQuoit, but, not succeeding in hiring it, they pro- ceeded on, the whole distance, in the chair. At Boston, sending the chair down by water, they purchased a second handed chaise, which, with the one owned by Mr. Copeland and one soon after by Mr. Pebbles, constituted for some time the whole number in town. Towards the close of the period, however, such carriages began to multiply.
This period of commercial prosperity was not less inviting to the legal profession than to other employments. George Reed and Manasseh Smith, Jr., opened their offices here in the early part of this period ; but the former, in a few years, removed to Damariscotta. The latter, from Wiscasset, graduated at Harvard in 1800, came hither in 1803, purchas- ed, soon after, the house which Mr. Copeland built where A. Counce's now is, and afterwards built for himself the house now occupied by his son, Hon. M. H. Smith. He was eminent for his accurate knowledge of the law, assiduous attention to business, and skill in acquiring and managing property. The Social Library was under great obligations to him, not only for his aid in the selection of books, but also for his faithful and gratuitous services as librarian from 1809 to his death in 1822. This Library, together with the number of newspapers which the growing asperity of parties contributed to swell, diffused a taste for reading, and en- hanced the general desire for improving the education of children and youth. Mr. Smith's services on the school committee, in connexion with Messrs. Whiting and Huse, were faithful, fearless, and efficient.
Many other new settlers came and took up their residence here, among whom were the following. Barnabas and Roland Cobb came from Carver, Mass. the former in 1802, the latter the year following, having stopped one year at North Yarmouth. They had been soldiers in the Revolution ; and Barnabas had held a captain's commission in the militia. He hired, of his brother Miles, the house built by E. Brown, where he died in 1807. Roland settled on a portion of the J. Lermond farm, still occupied by his son Nathaniel, afterwards removed, and resided some years in Union, but returned and died in Warren. Jonathan Fuller came from Newton probably as early as 1800, and settled on the Waldoboro' road, where his son still occupies. He kept there for many
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years a public house, rose to the rank of captain in the mili- tia, and was a successful manager of bees, which he was the first to introduce to the place, about the time of the last war with England. Marshal Wilbur for many years carried on his business as a framer and joiner, was promoted through several gradations to captain of the militia, and afterwards returned with his family to his native Bridgwater. One of his earliest apprentices, Abraham Jackson of Kingston, distin- guished at that time for studious habits and an inquiring turn of mind, afterwards received a theological education, and was settled as a Congregational minister in Machias. On leaving that place, he, in 1834, supplied Mr. Cutter's pulpit in this town very acceptably for a few weeks, and then returned to the place of his nativity. Thomas L. and James G. Mal- lett, blacksmiths by trade, came from Charlestown, at or per- haps before the beginning of this period, and built, the former the house long known as the Mallett tavern, and the latter that now owned by I. J. Burton. Charles Hovey, in 1803, and Ivory Hovey, in 1805, came from Boxford, and com- menced the tanning business as successors of T. Parsons. After some years, the first returned to Massachusetts, but the second remained, built the house now owned by S. Bosworth, and carried on the tanning business till about 1820, when he
relinquished it to O. Copeland. Joseph Wetherbee from
Brookfield, worked at the shoemaker's trade, and purchased the house of L. Wilson, where he kept tavern for several years. John M. Gates came from Barre, and set up the sad- dler's trade, was afterwards concerned with M. Cobb in the clothing mill, purchased and for some years tended the grist- mill, owned and occupied the place late William L. Starrett's, and, after building the house now owned by Rev. N. Chap- man, removed to Portland, and thence to Thomaston. Marble Alford from Connecticut, settled and erected a saw-mill on the place since owned by H. Hilt, and now by S. Merry. Micah Stone, a cabinet maker from Framingham, Mass. set up his business, built the house now owned by J. S. Newcomb, and, after many years, returned to his native town. Daniel Newcomb came from Mansfield in 1804; followed the busi- ness of painting, at which he was for many years the princi- pal or only workman, here ; and purchased the house built by Stone ; where a portion of his family still reside. William W. French, a cooper from Stratford, and William French from Bedford, N. H. came about the same time, or perhaps a little earlier. Joshua Bracket, from Wakefield, N. H. settled in the Stirling neighborhood, about 1805. John Comery of 23*
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