USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Portland > Baptisms and admission from the records of First church in Falmouth, now Portland, Maine > Part 9
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Boston is the chief town in it ;it is seated upon a peninsular, in the bottom of a bay, which is a good harbor and full of fish; it was fortified this year 1665 with two blockhouses; they had
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before a castle on an island where ships must pass. Their houses are generally wooden, their streets crooked, with little decency, and no uniformity.
At Cambridge they have a wooden college and in the yard a brick pile of two bayes for the Indians; the com- missioners saw but one, but they said they had three or four more at school. It is to be feared that this college may afford as many schismatics to the church, and the corporation as many rebels to the king, as they have done, if not timely prevented.
The government established by the kings commission had a feeble existence for about three years, but as soon as the commissioners were returned to England, conflict was renewed between the two parties, resulting in again es- tablishing the jurisdiction of Massachu- setts. Settlers came in slowly, mostly from the older colonies, only about forty families can be named as being in the town of Falmouth at the break- ing out of King Philip's war in 1675. Prior to this war the settlers of Fal- mouth had experienced no inconven- ience from the Indians; in fact they evi- dently considered them of no account. The first to shed blood was a party of English who went to the north end of Casco Bay to gather corn; while there they discovered three Indians whom they attempted to arrest; one was killed, another wounded and the third escaped to his friends who, rallying to his rescue, attacked the English and drove them to their vessel. This was immediately after the disturbance at the house of Thomas Purchase at Pe- jepscot, and supposed to have been the same gang. About a week after this affray the Indians raided the homestead and burned the buildings of John Wakely, who lived about three quar- ters of a mile below the falls on the east bank of the Presumpscot. This
family consisted of John and his wife and his four children,his father Thom- as and wife; all were most cruelly mur dered except one daughter, Elizabeth, age eleven, carried into captivity. She subsequently became the wife of Rich- ard Scamman. The Indians visited the town a second time this year, burned several houses, killed a son of George Ingersol and another at Capisic, and Ambrose Boaden, Sen., at Spurwink. Many of the inhabitants now left the town, seeking refuge in more thickly settled places.
In 1676 the Indians, emboldened by their successes of the previous year, again visited Falmouth, and commenced their operations at the house of Anthony Brackett, who lived near where the railroad now crosses Grove street. In this attack upon the town, Hubbard says there were thirty-four persons killed and carried into captivity. The names of the killed, so far as known (but there were probably others) were Benjamin Atwell, Thomas Brackett, Robert Corbin, Humphrey Durham, Nathaniel Mitton, only son of Michael, died without issue, John Munjoy and Isaac Wakely. All upon the Neck ex- cept Munjoy, Wakely and the Brackett family, escaped with their pastor, Rev. George Burroughs to one of the islands. To what extent the buildings were de- stroyed does not appear, but it is evident that the town was deserted, for there is no account of the presence of any fam- ilies until after the close of the war.
The enemies of the Massachusetts government took advantage of the In- dian troubles to further prejudice the king against that colony, and were so far sucessful as to procure a confirma- tion of the charter with its original bounds, annulling its jurisdiction over Maine and New Hampshire and restor- ing those provinces to the heirs of Gorges and Mason. When this decision became known in Boston, the govern-
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ment privately employed Mr. John Usher, a prominent merchant, to secure by purchase the province of Maine f:om the Gorges heirs. He was successful in his negotiations, secured a deed of the whole province from Piscataqua to
Sagadahoc, and in 1678 conveyed the same to Massachusetts, the considera- tion being twelve hundred and fifty pounds. This purchase made it neces- sary to make a change in government to such as was authorized by the Gorges charter, and Thomas Danforth, deputy governor of Massachusetts, was ap- pointed President of Maine. The first General Assembly was held at York on the thirtieth day of March, 1680, Wal- ter Glendele appearing for Falmouth, but having no certifica.e of election, he was not allowed a seat; Anthony Brackett was appointed Li.u.enant, and Thaddeus Clarke, Ensign.
A treaty of peace was concluded with the Indians at Casco April 12, 1678, and many of the inhabitants returned. A fort, called Fort Loyal, was erected on a point of land where the Grand Trunk station now stands, and in it Pres. Dan- forth held a court in September for the purpose of settling the inhabitants. A record of his proceedings may be found in the York Registry.
During the next ten years the popula- tion of Falmouth increased to six or seven hundred persons, about twenty- five families lived upon the Neck. In 1689, the French and Indian war being in progress, a body of four or five hundred Indians made an attack upon the town. A sharp engagement of about six hours took place in Lieut. Bra.kett's orchard and the enemy were forced to retreat, the town being saved by the timely ar- rival of Maj. Church with his command. The following spring the town was again attacked, this time by a numer- ous body of French and Indians under command of Mons. Portneuf and Lieut.
Courtmanche. Many of the people
fled to the fort for safety, the siege con- tinued for five days, and then with a solemn promise of "good quarter" from the French officers, Fort Loyal was sur- rendered on the twentieth day of May. These officers have been justly char- acterized "Indianized French," for re- gardless of their obligation, and the claims of a common humanity, a gen- eral massacre followed the capitulation. Little less creditable was the conduct of Massachusetts at this time, for dis- regarding the first principle of govern- ment, it neglected to furnish protec- tion in time of dire need, and left un- sepulchered the evidences of its inhu- manity for more than two years. (See Hull's Siege of Fort Loyal.)
The melancholy event on the Neck dis- heartened the remaining inhabitants and within a few days the town of Fal- mouth was for the second time deserted. The names of but few persons who lost their lives at the destruction of Fort Loyal have been preserved; Mr. Willis gives a list of the names of about 170 persons, believed to have been set- tled in Falmouth between the first and second wars and supposes that some of the families were entirely destroyed, others who escaped never returned, but that many of the ancient names are found in our subsequent history.
It is likely that fishermen from other parts pursued their calling, with little interruption, and probably continued to make use of the outer islands, but there is no evidence of returning set- tiers until after the treaty executed at Mare's point in Casco bay Jan. 7, 1699. The following spring, in accordance with the treaty a fort was erected, pri- marily for the convenience of the In- dians for a trading post. The fort was built at the head of the bay on land now occupied by Gen. John Marshall Brown. The place was named New
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Casco, to distinguish it from the Neck, which was called Old Casco.
Settlers gathered in the vicinity of the fort, and some of the old families returned to their possessions on Cape
Elizabeth. The
Indians had been greatly reduced and impoverished by the wars, and would have given the settlers little further trouble, had the treaty concluded
at Ryswick în 1697 produced a lasting peace, but a new administration coming into power in England, the wars with France were renewed with increased fury in 1702. The French in this country had, through their missionaries and other- wise, won the confidence of the eastern Indians, and feeling, if possible, more bitterly hostile towards the English settlers than the savages themselves, lost no time in persuading the Indians to disregard their promises of peace and renew their war of extermination.
In August 1703, a large party of French and Indians unexpectedly at- tacked all the settlements from Casco to Wells. The inhabitants of Cape Eliz- abeth being this time the most severe sufferers; nine familles had settled near where Fort Preble now stands, and they were suddenly come upon, some of the men were absent and 25 men, women and children were killed, and several were made captive.
Some of the Jordans had returned to Spurwink, and they were visited at the same time, twenty-two persons by that name were killed or made pris- oners. There being no settlers upon the Neck, the enemy next turned their attention to New Casco. Here the people had been alarmed and taken refuge in the fort. Maj. March with his command of 36 men bravely withstood their attacks, notwithstanding the dis- parity of numbers ,for upwards of six days, but the timely arrival of Capt. Southack, in an armed vessel, saved
them from the fate of Fort Loyal. The fort continued to be maintained, al- though the town was again entirely deserted of its inhabitants. Maj. Sam- uel Moody succeeded Maj. March in the command of the fort in 1707, and continued in command until the cessa- tion of hostilities in 1713. In 1716 the government of Massachusetts voted to remove the stores and demolish the fort at Casco. At this time Maj. Moody and Capt. Benjamin Larrabee, with others, who had been occupants of the fort, removed to the Neck and built themselves houses, “one Ingersol," being then its only inhabitant. The lo- cation of Mr. Ingersol's house is not known, but it is not unreasonable to presume that as Pres. Danforth assign ed lots on the Neck to John, George, Samuel and Joseph Ingersol in 1680, and as this was evidently an old man, that it was one of them, and that he was in the possession of his own lot. RESETTLEMENT OF THE NECK.
An order passed the Council July 20, 1716, granting the petition of Capt. Samuel Moody, late commander of the fort at New Casco, to build a small for- tification about his own house, upon his own land at a place commonly called Old Casco, and to furnish the same with arms and ammunition at his own expense, for himself and the inhabitants there, being in number fifteen men be- sides women and children. Zachariah Brackett and Benjamin Skillings had already returned to their farms at Back Cove, and others of the previous settlement, findng their ancient posses- sions invaded by a new population, united (36 in number) in a petition to the General Court for liberty to rebuild their ruined settlement.
The previous year a committee con- sisting of John Wheelright, Abraham Preble, Joseph Hammond, Charles Frost and John Leighton, to which were
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subsequently added Lewis Bane and Joseph Hill, any three of them author- ized to act, were appointed "to prose- cute the regular settlement of the east- ern frontier," and were "directed to lay out the town platts in a regular and de- fensible manner, at the charge of the proprietors." Under this act, the com- mittee met at Falmouth on the 16th day of July, 1718, and in their report, say that they had determined the spot whereon the ancient town of Falmouth stood and defined its bounds according to their best judgment, they found it a very agreeable place for a settlement, with above twenty families already set- tled; and had advised in respect to laying out streets and highways, also for locating the meeting house, for the convenience of the town in general; they recommended that the inhabitants be invested with the power to act as a town as soon as may be.
The report was accepted, and the town incorporated with the "proviso, that the order shall not infringe on the just title that any person has to land there, and that fifty more families, at the least, be admitted as soon as may be."
In August, 1718, five vessels with im- migrants, from the north of Ireland, arrived in Boston. One party, about twenty families, in a brig, visited the coast of Maine, seeking a favorable location. They spent the winter in Falmouth, and as no adequate provis- ion had been made for such a large increase of population, there was much suffering and aid was asked and received from the General Court. The brig sailed away with most of the families in the spring, some however concluded to remain, among whom were James Armstrong, and his sons, John, Simon, and Thomas, and Robert Means, his son-in-law, William Jame- son, Willlam Jeals, (Gyles,) William and Andrew Simonton, and Randal
McDonald; these became valuable citizens, and their descendants are yet with us.
The first town meeting, after the in- corporation was held March 10, 1719. Joshua Moody was chosen clerk, John Wass, William Scales, Dominicus Jor- dan, John Pritchard, and Benjamin Skillings, selectmen; Thomas Thomes, constable, and Jacob Collings and Samuel Proctor, surveyors of fence. William Scales, representative to the General Court.
In compliance with the proviso that additional families should be settled, upwards of one hundred and thirty persons were taken in upon act of the town, who were to pay ten pounds each, but a difficulty arose as to the titles to the land. Parties calling themselves the "Old Proprietors," claimed all the land, as heirs or assigns of the original grantees, while those who had come in, were suffi- ciently numerous to take the manage- ment of the town into their own hands, called themselves the "New Proprietors," and claimed that the act of incorporation gave the land to the town, and imposed upon them the duty of granting the same to actual settlers, and that it was for the inter- est of the town to have it done. The controversy continued for several years, causing much embarrassment and confusion to the settlers and hin- dering the growth of the town. The Supreme Court held in Boston in 1731, sustained the claims of the Old Pro- prietors, having special reference t those whose titles had been confirmed by Pres. Danforth. This judgment ment settled the controversy and led to an amicable arrangement in 1732; the actual possessions of the former inhab- itants were respected, and the unap- propriated and was applied to the useg of the town.
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MINISTRY IN FALMOUTH.
There is no pretense that the first set- tlers came to Falmouth to escape relig- ious persecution, likely some came to escape prosecution, but the unrest and ambitions inherited from a mixed an- cestry account for the presence of the Anglo Saxon, and "The danger's self is lure alone." From what is known of Sir Gorges, we can believe that he was animated with the noble desire to im- prove the condition of his less fortunate neighbors by encouraging emigration, but his great ambition was to create a new state wherein he and his heirs should be the lords palatine. "A church without a bishop, and a state without a king," may have been in the hearts of the Pilgrims at Leyden, but to him they were but dreams of fanaticism, and as a loyal churchman, when his son Robert was sent to be governor of New England, the Rev. Wiliam Mor- rell was appointed an attache, to have superintendence in ecclesiastical af- fairs. Mr. Morrell is supposed to have
been the first to officiate in divine services within the limits of ancient Falmouth; it is possible, however, that there may have been a clergyman in Capt. Levett's company, he having then been here several months, but no men- tion is made of any.
The first clergyman to be located here was the Rev. Richard Gibson, a gradu- ate of Magdalin college, who was sent out with Mr. Winter by Mr. Trelawny to look after the spiritual welfare of his colonists in and about Richmonds is- land. He did not get along very well with Mr. Winter; in a letter to Mr. Trelawny he complains of coarse treat- ment from Winter; that he had not
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been paid according to agreement, so that he had been forced to remove to Piscataquis for maintainance. Mr. Gibson married January 14, 1368-9, Mary, daughter of Thomas Lewis of Saco; the
next year he was chosen pastor of the church at Portsmouth and later he was arrested for disrespectful comments on the Massachusetts government. Gov. Winthrop says that he was a scholar, but he did not like his zeal in behalf of the Episcopacy; being a stranger and about to depart from the country in a few days, he was discharged without punishment.
Rev. Robert Jordan, a graduate of Oxford, succeeded Mr. Gibson, probably sent out by Mr. Trelawny in 1639. He married, January, 1643-4, Sarah, daugh- ter of John Winter and succeeded to his estate. Gov. Godfrey, who was as- sociated with him as a magistrate, says that he was "an orthodox divine for the church of England, and of great par's and estate."
Rev. Thomas Jenner, probably the first minister of the Puritan faith that preached in the district, was at Saco in 1640, and evidently remained in the vic- inity about six years. Some of his let- ters to Gov. Winthrop have been 'r'e- served. In 1640, speaking of the people, he says that he was kindly embraced and lovingly respected amongst them; but not without some hot discussions, especially about ceremonies; yet they have all ended in peace. "But general- ly they were very ignorant, supersti- tious and vicious, and scarce any re- ligious." Mr. Jenner was first settled in Roxbury in 1635, he was later in Wey- mouth, and in 1651 had returned to Nor- folk, England.
The next notice we find of a minister in the vicinity is the presentment by the grand jury of Mr. John Thorp, for abusing Mr. Robert Jordan, and for ex- cess in drinking, and for teaching un- sound doctrine. Tried at York in 1653, and admonished and discharged .pon payment of costs. In 1661 the inhab- itants of Scarborough represented to the General Court, that some two years
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since or upwards, they had made an agreement with Mr. John Thorp 'o be helpful to them in the work of the min- istry, "and to our great grief we are in- forced to accuse him of notorious crimes in his conversation as may appear by several testimonies upon oath, and sev- eral presentments in court of drunk- enness and revilings of neighbors and others, and divers inordinate carriages, very unseemly for any christian, much more for a minister of the gospel, by which we conceive he doth much more hurt by his evil example in life that ever he did or can do good by his doc- torine." The court that he forbear to preach and be warned to appear at the next court at York.
Mr. Thorp may not have officiated in Falmouth, but the fact of his being in the vicinity, and the town not named at this time by the court as delinquent, suggests the probability of his serving both places, and perhaps may have continued in Falmouth af- ter being driven from Scarborough,
as "abusing Mr. Robert Jordan," would not have been a serious offense, to the Cleeve party on the Neck. In 1669 both Falmouth and Scarborough were ordered by the court to forthwith provide themselves with an able and orthodox preacher,or pay fifty pounds per annum, to the ministry of the next adjoining town. Falmouth probably obeyed but Scarborough was present- ed again the next year.
The laws imposing upon all Massa- chusetts towns the responsibility of maintaining an orthodox minister, were quite rigidly enforced, and Fal- mouth was probably not exempted, but the loss of all town records makes the personal uncertain. There has, however, been found ample evidence that the Rev. George Burroughs, who graduated at Harvard college in 1670, was settled in this town. The date of
his coming is not known, but at the ravage of the town by the Indians In 1676, he, with some of his parishloners, escaped, and were afterwards settled in Salem. He returned to his charge on the resettlemnt of Falmouth, but had removed before the general mas- sacre in 1690, thus escaping a savage death, only to suffer a felon's doom. He and several others were most wick- edly hanged for witchcraft, at Salem, August 9, 1692." "His fellow Chris- tians were more cruel in their igno- rance than the heathen in their
wrath."
Among the first acts of the new organ- ization of the town of Falmouth was to vote that a minister be procured as soon as possible, and Samuel Moody was ap- pointed to look out for some suitable person for that service. This was in May, 1719, and in September, it was voted to raise sixty-five pounds by sub- scription, to which was to be added strangers' contributions; later it was voted that if the subscriptions prove in- sufficient, the town make it up to one pound and five shillings per week by a rate. At the March meeting In 1720, before drawing lots for the three acre lots, it was voted to set apart one lot for the minister that first settles, and another for the ministry. The town
evidently concluded that Mr. Moody was a little slow, for in August it was voted that the selectmen look out for a minister by writing to the president of the college, or any other means, they should think proper. In Mav 1721, the town voted that the same committee that was chosen to treat with Mr. Pare Point, shall treat with him again for his further continuance with us; and in July the committee reported that they had agreed with him for six months longer, as they had for the former six months. In April, 1722, a committee, consisting of Capt. Larraby, Mr. John
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Sawyer and Mr. Thomas Thomes, were appointed to agree with Capt. Samuel Moody, Esq., for the half year's board that Is behind, and not satisfied, for the year past for Mr. Parepinte.
This person whose name so severely taxed the spelling ingenuity of the town clerk, and also of Parson Smth, was the Rev. Jonathan Pierpont of Reading, graduated at Harvard college in 1714. He was chaplain and surgeon at Fort Richmond in 1739 and died at Byfield, Mass., in 1758, leaving widow Margaret, but no children.
In 1723. in consideration of the present circumstances. Mr. Dom . Jordan was appointed to confer with the selectmen of Black Point, to see if arrangements could not be made to have their minis- ter half the time.
The following February, the select- men were desired to write to some minister in or about Boston, and pray their assistance in procuring a suitable minister. From this appeal we find no report, but in March, 1726, the selectmen were called to consider "the making provision for the subsistence and set- tlement of a gospel minister among us, and particularly to consider some pro- posal to ye Rev'd. Mr. Smith about his continuance with us." It was voted that the town allows of the agreement made by the selectmen with Maj. Moody, for the minister's board at ten shillings a week.
April 26, 1726, a formal invitation was extended to the Rev. Thomas Smith, who had been a frequent supply during the preceding ten months, to settle in Falmouth, offering him a salary of seventy pounds and the contributions of strangers; and promising to increase the same "as their circumstances would allow." 'The call was accepted the following January and March 8, 1726-7 the church was gathered, and Mr. Smith ordained pastor.
MEETING HOUSES IN FAL- MOUTH.
The only mention of a meeting-house in Falmouth prior to the resettlement, is found in a deposition taken in Boston in 1736, the following being an abstract: John Alliset, aged about eighty years, testifieth and saith, that he formerly lived in Falmouth, in Casco Bay and that he well knew Mr. George Cleeves, and Mr. George Munjoy, and Mary his wife, with whom he lived eight years, and that there is a certain rum of water about twenty rods distant from Fort Point, laying about north from said Fort Point. That he well remembers
that Mr. George Cleeves had a house and lived therein; which house was be- tween the said Fort Point and the said run of water; and that Mr. George Munjoy had a house and lived therein. which was upon the northeasterly side of said run of water; that he also well remembers that there was a meeting- house built on a point of Mr. Munjoy's land bearing about N. E. or easterly from said Munjoy's house."
It was a long struggle for the new town to build their meeting house, al- though proceedings were inaugurated promptly enough. At a meeting held February 22, 1719-20, the town voted "that there be a meeting-house built as soon as possible, thirty-six feet in length, and twenty-eight in breadth and twenty foot stud." Samuel Moody
Esq., Captain Richard Coller and Mr. John Sawyer, were appointed to take charge of the building. The following January the town voted that the tax for building, "may be paid in lumber or such things as may be produced in the town." July 3, 1721, it was voted, "that the meeting-house frame should be raised there or thereabouts, upon ye
rising ground where the timber now
lies, and that Wednesday the 12th of
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