USA > Maine > Piscataquis County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 33
USA > Maine > Aroostook County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 33
USA > Maine > Hancock County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 33
USA > Maine > Washington County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 33
USA > Maine > Somerset County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 33
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January 1, 1671, he married Sarah Brooks, daughter of John and Eunice Brooks and grand-daughter of Deacon John Mansell, of Charlestown, Mass. She became the mother of five sons and thrce daughters, of whom Ebenezer, the next in this line, born in Woburn, May 20, 1689, was the seventh. A weaver by tradc, he removed from that part of Woburn which is now Wilmington to Haver- hill. On November 25, 1713, he married for his first wife Lydia Eames, who bore him two sons and one daughter. Of his union with Judith Wood, his sccond wife, whom he mar- ried February 22, 1723, was born one son.
Colonel Jonathan Buck, third child of Ebenezer by his first marriage and great- grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in what is now Wilmington, February 20, 1719. When a child he accompanied his parents to Haverhill, where he was reared; and in August, 1762, he settled in the lower Penobscot valley. He was one of the founders of the town of Bucksport, which was named in his honor. Hc carried on quite an exten- sive trade among the neighboring Indians, with whom he was very popular on account of his firm adherence to principles of honesty and integrity, his commanding personal ap- pearance being probably another cause for their admiration. He was made a Lieutenant in 1745, and commissioned Colonel in 1775. In politics he was a stanch Whig. Colonel Jonathan Buck died March 18, 1795, aged seventy -seven years. His wife, Lydia Morse, of Newbury, Mass., whom he married in 1743, died December 15, 1789, aged seventy-
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FREDERICK R. BUCK.
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one years. She was the mother of nine children.
Of these, Daniel, Frederick R. Buck's grandfather, was the fifth. He was born in Haverhill in 1755. In early life he followed the sea, becoming master of a vessel when he was but nineteen years old. In 1784 he bought a farm, upon which he built a new house; and, abandoning the sea in 1798, he engaged in mercantile business and farming. In 1805 he erected a store and wharf, con- structed a dock in 1810, and there he con- ducted an extensive business until 1812. Daniel Buck died November 18, 1826, aged seventy-one years. He was a member of the Congregational church. In 1783 he married Mary Sewall, daughter of Colonel Dummer Sewall, of Bath, Me. Of the twelve children born of this union, Daniel, Jr., was the eighth.
Daniel Buck, Jr., Frederick Buck's father, was born in Bucksport in the year 1800. He was a civil engineer, and among his surveying operations was the laying out of a site for the construction of a fort by the United States government. In 1856 he went to Wisconsin, where he was engaged in farming. He died in 1869. He was prominent in the public affairs of Bucksport, and served as a Select- man. . He had a family of five children, three of whom are living.
Frederick R., the second-born, the subject of this sketch, completed his education at the Bucksport High School, and served an appren- ticeship at the iron founder's trade in Ells - worth, Me. He accompanied his parents to
Wisconsin, where he assisted in carrying on the farm until 1860. In September, 1861, he enlisted in Company C, Eighth Regiment, Wisconsin Volunteers. His regiment was attached to the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Army Corps, and he served under Generals Grant, Sherman, and Logan. He was discharged in Memphis at the expiration of his term of ser- vice in September, 1864; and in March, 1865, he re-enlisted in the United States Veteran Corps, composed only of veterans, raised especially to serve under General Hancock. He was stationed in Washington until his final discharge in 1866. He rose to the rank of Orderly Sergeant, and during his long period of active service he participated in the following engagements: Fredericksburg, New Madrid, Greenville, Island Number Ten, Farmington, Corinth, Inka, Raymond, Jack- son, Mechanicsburg, Richmond, Mo., Forts Scurry and De Russey, Pleasant Hill, Nachi- toches, Cloutierville, Calhoun's Plantation, Bayou De Glaize, and Lake Chicot.
After leaving the service Mr. Buck came to Skowhegan, and was associated with S. L. Gould in the foundry business until 1871, when he entered into partnership with the Hon. A. R. Bixby, with whom, under the firm name of Bixby & Buck, druggists and booksellers, he continues to carry on business in this town. In January, 1894, Mr. Buck opened a branch store at Bingham, Me., and there he has since spent the greater part of his time. In politics Mr. Buck is a Republi- can. He is connected with Somerset Lodge and Chapter, Masons; Carrabasset Lodge,
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1. O. O. F .; and Russell Post, No. 96, G. A. R., of which he is a Past Commander.
Mr. Buck was married in 1858 to Orella Patten, a daughter of William Patten, of Hermon, Me. She went with Mr. Buck to Eau Claire, Wis., and died there in 1860. She was the mother of Charles E. Buck, who is now carrying on the drug business in Bos- ton. In 1869 Mr. Buck married for his sec- ond wife a daughter of Ephraim Spaulding, of Dover, Me.
AVID A. BRIDGES, a veteran of the Civil War, who cultivates a good farm in Dover, Piscataquis County, was born in Bucksport, Me., Novem- ber 7, 1833, son of Joshua and Mary (Bow- doin) Bridges. His grandfather, Edmund Bridges, was a stone-mason by trade, passed the greater part of his life in Castine, and served both in the Revolutionary struggle and the War of 1812. The maternal grandfather, Ebenezer Bowdoin, was also a Revolutionary soldier. Both of the parents were natives of Castine, Me. Joshua Bridges settled upon wild land in Dover in 1835. There he cleared a farm, and successfully carried it on for the rest of his active years. He lived to be ninety-four years old. Of his several chil- dren three sons served in the Civil War.
David A. Bridges attended the district school, which he remembers to have been built of hewn logs and to have contained a brick fireplace. That its temperature in win- ter was not so high as that maintained in the comfortable school-rooms of the present time
he is able to vouch for, as both of his great toes were once frozen while he was seated upon one of the plank benches studying his lesson. He assisted his father in farming until he was twenty-one years old. Then he started out for himself, accepting any kind of employment that came in his way. At length he became associated with his brother, Warren Bridges, in the purchase and improvement of a tract of wild land, which they cultivated together for seven years. On October 24, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Company C, Thirteenth Regiment, Maine Volunteers, under Captain Alfred Buck. Afterward he served in the Department of the Gulf, was with the Red River expedition, saw much active service in Texas, and later took part in the Shenandoah Valley campaign. He par- ticipated in several notable engagements dur- ing his long period of active service, and suf- ered much from disease, which he has never been able to eradicate from his system. After his discharge in January, 1865, he returned home. A short time later he bought his pres- ent farm of one hundred and ten acres. His property, which is desirably located, produces excellent crops and contains good buildings.
In 1868 Mr. Bridges was joined in marriage with Eunice A. Sweet, a native of Corinth, Me., and a daughter of John Sweet. Mrs. Bridges is the mother of three children : Willie A., who resides at home and assists on the farm; Frank W., who married Rhoda Draper, and is a farmer and a mechanic in Dover; and Lizzie A., the wife of Willie Stone, of Garland, Me. Mr. Bridges cast his
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first Presidential vote for John C. Fremont, and has since acted with the Republican party. He has never used tobacco or liquor to any extent, preferring to avoid habits not conducive to health. Although he suffers much from the disease contracted in the army, he does not regret the sacrifice he made in the defence of the Union. He is a comrade of Doughty Post, G. A. R., of Dover. Mrs. Bridges is a member of the Baptist church.
ON. JOSEPH MASON LIVER- MORE, formerly a leading attorney of Washington County, Maine, and a resident of Eastport, was born in this place on the twenty-second day of November, 1824. He was the eldest son of Oliver S. and Sarah (Johnson) Livermore. His father, who was born here on the 5th of March, 1800, was for many years one of the leading merchants of the city.
After acquiring a competency and retiring from active business Oliver S. Livermore was chosen president of the Eastport bank, and for several years continued in that posi- tion. He was a prominent worker in the Unitarian church, and carried his liberal and humanitarian principles into his daily walk and life. His political views were Republi- can. He served in various civic offices, and before Eastport was incorporated as a city was one of the Selectmen. His wife, Sarah, who was born at Robbinston, in this county, on June 4, 1801, and died on October 12, 1863, bore him eight children, as follows: Joseph
M., who was born on November 22, 1824; Oliver S., born on February 23, 1828; Susan, born on October 18, 1830; Sarah S., born on February 4, 1833; Mary R., born on March 4, 1835 ; Stephen G., born on March 9, 1837; Lydia S., born on January 24, 1840; and Samuel G., who was born on April 24, 1842. Of these children the only one now living is Oliver S., who resides in Livermore, Cal.
Joseph Mason Livermore attended the pub- lic schools of Eastport in his childhood and youth, and there acquired a practical educa- tion. He did not begin the study of law until his thirty-third year, when his matu- rity of character and knowledge of the world enabled him to grasp with completeness and precision the subjects to which he then turned his attention. Opening an office in his native city for the practice of his profession, he be- came in a very short time one of the foremost lawyers in the county, and had all the clients he could attend to. His opinions on matters of public importance bore weight with all classes, and he was almost irresistibly drawn into the arena of political action. He was a stanch advocate of Republican principles ; and his party sent him to the lower branch of the State legislature and subsequently to the Senate, in both of which places he gave ample proof that their confidence in him had not been misplaced. He was a popular man not only in Eastport, but wherever he was known ; and his friends were legion. His death oc- curred in this city on November 20, 1878. Though not a member of any religious society, Mr. Livermore attended the Unitarian church,
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and was a regular contributor to its varied benevolences. Fraternally, he was a member of Eastern Lodge, No. 7, F. & A. M., at Eastport.
Mr. Livermore was married on March 7, 1847, to Ellen Irene Bucknam, a daughter of Seward C. and Irene (McLellan) Bucknam. Mr. Bucknam, who was one of the early set- tlers and one of the first merchants of East- port, was born at Falmouth, Me., on June 7, 1783, and died at Eastport on February 14, 1868. His residence was one of the finest in Eastport, and during the War of 1812, when the British occupied the town, was seized and used by them for their commanding officer. Irene Mclellan, who was married to Mr. Bucknam in Portland, on the last day of January, 1826, was born in that city. She died in Eastport on October 19, 1865, having been the mother of two children: Ellen I. (Mrs. Livermore) ; and Annie M., who is now deceased. By a former marriage Mr. Buck- nam had nine children - Sarah A., Eliza P., Seward C., an infant daughter, an infant son, Harriet J., Lucy H., Annie P., and Eliza- beth M.
Mrs. Livermore since the death of her husband continues to reside in her beautiful home at Eastport. She is a Unitarian in religious belief, as were both her parents. She has been the mother of eight children, as follows: Joseph McL., who was born on June 15, 1851; Edward S., who was born on August 7, 1853 ; Charles P., who was born on March 23, 1855; Ellen I., who was born on May 7, 1857; Anna B., who was born on
October 13, 1859; Oliver S., who was born on September 24, 1861; Seward B., who was born on September 2, 1864; and Sarah P., who was born on June 1, 1867. Of these children the survivors are: Ellen I., Anna B., Seward B., and Sarah P.
Anna is the wife of Lincoln Hamlin New- comb, to whom she was married on June 1, 1897. Mr. Newcomb is a descendant of one of the old Eastport families, his great-grand- father and his grandfather, who were named respectively John and Robert Newcomb, hav- ing been among the earliest settlers here. His father, who was brought to Eastport when a boy, was born in Charlotte, Me. He is a carpenter and builder, still engaged in active business here. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Watson, is a native of Pennfield, N. B. Of the seven sons and one daughter born to them, three are living, namely: Gen- eral Edward E. Newcomb, of Eastport; Harry C. Newcomb, of Cohasset, Mass. ; and Lin- coln Hamlin, above named.
Lincoln Hamlin Newcomb, who was born here on November 8, 1860, grew to manhood in Eastport, and after leaving school began the study of law in the office of E. E. Liver- more. After a two years' course of reading he was admitted to the bar of Washington County, this being in January, 1895; and immediately afterward he opened an office for the practice of law. He has already in the three years that have elapsed built up a good practice, and his outlook for the future is most promising. Mr. Newcomb is a Repub- lican, and he takes an active interest in local
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affairs. He has served for a number of years on the School Committee, and has been As- sessor and Collector of Taxes. Prior to August, 1897, he was Regiment Inspector of Rifle Practice for the Second Regiment, but at that time declined to serve longer. Fra- ternally, he is a member of Eastern Lodge, No. 7, F. & A. M., and of Border Lodge, No. 81, I. O. O. F. Of the latter he is a Past Grand.
RIN LIBBY, a prosperous farmer of Detroit, was born in Hollis, Me., January II, 1825, son of Aaron and Emily (Woodsum) Libby. The grandfather, Captain David Libby, was a ship-master, hailing from Saco, Me. Aaron Libby, who was a native of Saco, worked in a saw-mill in Hollis when a young man, and in 1827 moved to Clinton, where he resided for some years. He came to Detroit in 1842, locating upon an estate on the Nortli Road, and there afterward carried on general farming and lumbering until his death, which occurred September 25, 1866. Emily, his wife, who was a native of Stewartstown, N. H. died August 3, 1867. She was the mother of seven children, namely : Orin, the subject of this sketch; Dyer Wood- sum, born January 27, 1827; Simon, born January 6, 1829, who died May 6, 1830; David F., born June 3, 1831; Elizabeth, born November 3, 1833; George, born February 20, 1836; and Emily J., now deceased, born August 14, 1838. Dyer W. Libby, who is a retired carpenter and farmer of Pittsfield, suc- cessively married Salome Gibson, of Clinton,
and Mary Simonds. David F. Libby, who resides at the old homestead in Detroit, mar- ried Nancy M. Bowman. Elizabeth married Hiram W. Blake, and resides in La Grange, Me. George Libby, who is conducting a tannery in New York State, married Rosilla Humphrey, who has since died. Emily J. was the wife of Lindley M. Dinsmore.
Orin Libby attended the common schools, and resided with his parents until he was twenty years old. For some years he was em- ployed in the lumbering industry during the winter season. After his marriage he settled upon his present property of one hundred and sixty acres in Detroit, where he has since been engaged in general farming and lumber- ing. The farm, which is one of the oldest in this section, was originally cleared and used as a trading post previous to the general set- tlement of the locality, and is said to have had the first farmhouse erected in Somerset County. Mr. Libby has made various im- provements upon the land and buildings, and devotes much of his attention to stock-raising and dairying. He also owns six hundred acres of timber land.
Mr. Libby has been twice married. His first wife, whom he wedded October 6, 1850, was previously Abbie G. Blake, of Detroit, a daughter of Zebulon and Sally (Durgan) Blake. She died November 22, 1851. On April 2, 1853, he married for his second wife Margaret Clement, who was born in Berwick, Me., February 18, 1824. Her parents were Ebenezer and Margaret (Lord) Clement, who moved from Berwick to Detroit, where they
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passed their last days. The only child of the first union is Charles H. Libby, born July 10, 1851, who is a carpenter, residing in Detroit. He married a lady of Pepperell, Mass., now deceased, and has one child, Violet May. By the second union there were four children, namely: Aaron C., born Janu- ary 20, 1855, who is residing with his father; Orin E., born November 30, 1859, who mar- ried Emma Thompson, of Curwensville, Pa., and is a farmer in Detroit; George H., born October 2, 1861, who married Nellie Sanborn, resides in the neighborhood of the homestead, and has one child, Florence M .; and Florence A., born October 7, 1863, who died May 16, 1891. Politically, Mr. Libby is a Democrat. He has served with ability as a member of the Board of Selectmen for nine years, was Treas- urer and Collector for two years, and has held other town offices. He is the treasurer of Meridian Lodge, F. & A. M. ; and a member of Phlentoma Lodge, I. O. O. F, of Pitts- field. He attends the Universalist church in Pittsfield village.
ARRY A. SNOW, M.D., a young and rising physician of Milo, Piscat- aquis County, was born in Atkin- son, this county, June 18, 1866. A son of Dr. Edwin P. and Lorina L. (Reed) Snow, he is the third Snow in the line of descent to practise medicine in this locality. His grandfather, Eleazar W. Snow, was a pioneer physician and surgeon in Piscataquis County ; and his father, Edwin P. Snow, is still prac-
tising to some cxtent in Atkinson. The fam- ily originally came from New Hampshire. A more detailed account of it will be found in the biography of Dr. E. P. Snow, which ap- pears elsewhere in this work.
Harry A. Snow acquired his early educa- tion in the common schools of Atkinson, at the East Maine Conference Seminary in Bucks- port, and at the academy in Monson, Me. His father had hoped that young Snow would turn his attention to some other line, as the life of a country physician is anything but pleasant; but, when it became apparent that his son was determined to enter the medical profession, he assisted him in every way pos- sible. The young aspirant matriculated at the Maine Medical School, where he remained for one course of lectures. Then he attended the Bellevue Hospital Medical College for two years, and was graduated from the Balti- more Medical School in 1893. He took par- ticular interest in the diseases of women, and while in Baltimore had the advantage of in- struction under Professor Ashley, a noted specialist. After receiving his diploma he located in Milo, in order to be near his father, who is now gradually giving up practice. Al- though abundantly equipped to begin his career in a broader field of usefulness, he con- siders it his duty to remain near his parents in their declining years. Since settling here he has met with most gratifying success. Answering all calls, day or night, no matter how great the distance may be, he has made himself popular among the residents of this section of the county, who have implicit faith
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in his professional ability. His residence in Milo was previously the residence of other physicians for many years. The property has been much improved since it was purchased by him.
Dr. Snow is a member of the Foresters' So- ciety and of Kineo Lodge, I. O. O. F. In politics he is a Democrat, and for the past three years has served upon the School Board. He married Mary A. Davis, a daughter of Josiah F. Davis, of Milo. His devotion to his profession is regarded with much favor by the people of this vicinity. As he has already succeeded to a large part of his father's prac- tice, his future prospects are unusually prom- ising.
LISHA BRIGGS, a leading farmer of Parkman, Piscataquis County, was born on his present farm, September 30, 1832, son of Abitha and Eunice (Turner) Briggs. The paternal grandfather, also named Abitha, who was born in Greene, Me., came to Park- man early in 1808, and cleared the farm now owned by his grandson. Industrious and courageous, like most of the settlers of Maine, he had the satisfaction of seeing before his death well-cleared and well-tilled fields where formerly he looked upon the wilderness. In religion he was a Baptist and in politics a Democrat. He lived to a good old age. Abitha Briggs, Jr., a native of Greene, was a farmer, and carried on the homestead farm. He was also a pedler of tinware and Yankee notions. Like his father he was a Baptist and a Democrat. He died in Parkman at the
age of seventy-five years, having been three times married. His wife, Eunice, was a na- tive of Leeds. Of the eleven children born to him, three are now living; namely, Arvida Briggs, Elisha, and Charles. Arvida Briggs, who resides in Ripley, Me., successively mar- ried Louisa Bennett, of Parkman, and Ann Ramsdell, of Ripley, who became the mothers, respectively, of Walter and Frank Briggs. His first wife died about thirty-five years ago. Charles, a resident of Bangor, married Dora Hustin, of Bangor, and had no children.
Elisha Briggs grew to manhood in his native town and received his education in the public schools. Having chosen as his occupation in life the same work as that in which his father and grandfather had been engaged, he has de- voted himself to cultivating and improving his farm of two hundred and fifty acres. He carries on general farming, and has dealt suc- cessfully in stock and dairy products. On April 13, 1857, he married Rosetta Bates, a native of Parkman and a daughter of Seth and Mercy Bates, both of whom are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Briggs have one son, William E. Briggs, who was born on the old home- stead, May 13, 1864, and now resides in Park- man. William married Mary Hussey, of Guilford, and has had one daughter, Emma J. Briggs, who died at the age of three years.
Mr. Briggs, Sr., has been Selectman of Parkman for one year and Town Agent for two years. He is a member of Mount Kineo Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Guil- ford; of Good Cheer Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Guilford; of Moose-
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head Encampment at Guilford; of the Order of Rebecca; and of the Patrons of Husbandry at Parkman. In politics he is a Republican. Both he and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. They have been industrious people, and are highly respected in Parkman.
RS. ABBY C. CONDON, an en- terprising manufacturer of knit goods in Penobscot, Me., senior member of the firm of Condon & Grendell, also a dealer in dry goods, smallwares, and millinery, is a native of this town. Born on March 17, 1839, daughter of James and Cla- rinda (Orcutt) Grendell, she represents the fifth generation of the Grendell (or Grindle) family in Hancock County, her great-grand- father, William Grendell, first, having settled at Brooksville, the town adjoining Penobscot. It is said that he served in the Revolutionary War.
Mrs. Condon's grandfather, William Gren- dell, second, who was a native of Brooksville, was an extensive real estate owner, and origi -. nally possessed all the land around Penobscot Cove, including a water-power and a mill. His wife was Lydia Bowden. He gave to each of his sons a farm. His son James, Mrs. Condon's father, who was born in Penobscot, and remained at home for the purpose of car- ing for him during his declining years, in- herited the homestead and the mill. James Grendell was a man of excellent business abil- ity. He carried on a saw-mill during his ac- tive years. He lived to the age of seventy-
eight. He rendered valuable service to the town as an Overseer of the Poor; and his brother, William Grendell, third, was at one time a member of the Executive Council. James Grendell married Clarinda Orcutt, daughter of Galen Orcutt, a sea captain, of Brooksville. Five children were born of this union, namely: Frank; Eliza; Elijah; Edna; and Abby C., the subject of this sketch. Their mother died July 9, 1849, and their father died April 15, 1890. Their grand- father Orcutt had two brothers who also were sea captains - Jacob and Malachi. Grand- mother Orcutt was a Littlefield. She and her husband both died before the marriage of their daughter Clarinda, who was their only child. Frank Grendell, the eldest son, succeeded to his father's business. He married Phœbe Littlefield, and has two sons-Carl and Norris, both of whom are engaged in the man- ufacturing business with their aunt, Mrs. Condon. Eliza is no longer living. Elijah at the time of the Civil War enlisted in Com- pany A, Fourth Regiment, Maine Volunteers, went to the front, was engaged in battle, was taken by the Confederates, and was confined a number of weeks in Andersonville Prison. He eventually died from the effects of injuries received while in the army. Edna married for her first husband Emery Wardwell. He was lost at sea in August, 1874; and she sub- sequently became the wife of Paul Perkins, of Penobscot. She died August 24, 1898. Her only child, a son, J. Wardwell, died March 30, 1891, aged twenty-one years.
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