USA > Maine > Piscataquis County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 47
USA > Maine > Aroostook County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 47
USA > Maine > Hancock County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 47
USA > Maine > Washington County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 47
USA > Maine > Somerset County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 47
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Mr. Freeman threw his first vote for Henry Clay in 1844, and remained a Whig until the formation of the Republican party, and has remained a Republican since. During the war of the Rebellion he gave his professional services to the soldiers and their families, doing the correspondence for many of them free of charge. He was a member of the Maine legislature from 1880 to 1885, has been Justice of the Peace and Quorum over fifty years, and now holds the office with that of Notary Public. He has held at different times offices of trust in Cherryfield.
He married first Sophia T. Lewis, who was born October 26, 1827, and died June 7, 1874. She was the fourth child of Thompson Lewis, who came to Cherryfield from Connect- icut, and engaged in trade and the manufact- ure of lumber until his death. Her mother was Sophia Archibald, daughter of Thomas Archibald, who came from Scotland, where his ancestors were men of note in their day. Thomas Archibald married Hannah, daughter
of Colonel Alexander Campbell, of Cherry- field. Mr. Freeman married second, Decem- ber 24, 1881, Mary Cushing Freeman. She was born November 10, 1851, and is a lineal descendant from Enoch Freeman, Jr., fifth son of Judge Enoch Freeman. The following is a record of the children of William Freeman : William, born April 8, 1853, died March 12, 1856; Mary Lewis, born July 17, 1855; Charles, born December 9, 1857, died No- vember 19, 1861 ; Everett L., born January 3, 1860, died in August, 1865; Frances Clarke, born May 26, 1862, died November 11, 1869; George Gifford Freeman, born January I, 1868; Catherine Lewis, born November 7, 1869; William, born December 19, 1882, died February 11, 1883; Helen Elizabeth, born December 23, 1886; Charlotte Burbank, born September 23, 1889.
Mr. Freeman is a member of the Sons of the American Revolution and of the Genealogical Society of Maine, and was a member of vari- ous temperance societies in the past. For six years he was a member of the Farmers' Na- tional Congress, whose sessions were held in the South and West under commissions from the governors of the State; and he held the office of vice-president for Maine of that body during that time, and for two years was its treasurer. He has been clerk and director of several business corporations. For thirty years past he has given much attention to agriculture and to beautifying his extensive .
grounds. He has written for the press on historical and other subjects, and delivered addresses before different organizations. He
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is liberal in his religious views, and approves of sustaining all religious denominations and other associations whose aim is to educate, elevate, and improve the human race, to make men purer, better, leading to moral, upright, honest, and happy lives.
[Constant Freeman,6 a great-great-grandson of Samuel 2 and Mercy (Southworth) Freeman, an artillery officer in the Revolution and Brevet-colonel in 1812, was a member of the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati. He was a brother of the Rev. James Freeman, D.D., for fifty-two years minister of King's Chapel, Boston. ]
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AN RENSELAER TUTTLE, a re- tired lumberman of Canaan, Somerset County, and an ex-member of the legislature, was born in this town, November 1I, 1812, son of Wentworth and Elizabeth (Wyman) Tuttle. In the beginning of the century the father came from Berwick, Me., his native town, to the region of the Kennebec. After lumbering for some time successively in Fair- field and Clinton, he moved in 1804 to Canaan, where besides lumbering and farming he conducted a general store in the village for some years. One of the pioneer business men of the locality, he took a leading part in affairs. He represented his district in the legislature for six terms, and was also a State Senator and a member of the Executive Coun- cil. His death occurred in 1864. His wife, Elizabeth, who was a native of Fairfield, be- came the mother of ten children. Of these,
two are living, namely: Lodoiska, who re- sides in New York City; and Van Renselaer, the subject of this sketch. The others were: Philena, Mary, Roxana, Elizabeth, Frances Adeline, Eben, Wentworth, and Wallace. Wallace Tuttle was a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Eben Tuttle invented a water-wheel that was extensively used throughout the United States. The mother died in 1856.
Van Renselaer Tuttle was reared and cdu- cated in Canaan. While yet a youth he be- came connected with the lumbering industry. In the thirties he began to operate a saw and grist mill, which he still owns. He has also dealt in real estate, and has been interested in patent rights. In connection with the latter he estimates that he has travelled upward of twenty-eight thousand miles within the United States. His business ventures have proved financially successful, and he is the owner of much valuable real estate, including the water-power privileges of this locality.
On September 28, 1868, Mr. Tuttle was united in marriage with Mrs. Helen Gilman Tuttle, his brother's widow. She was born in Canaan, March 14, 1829, daughter of Winthrop W. and Deborah (Tupper) Gilman. The former was for many years engaged in the leather business in New York, where both subsequently died. In politics Mr. Tuttle is a Democrat. He served as a member of the Board of Selectmen and Town Treasurer for a number of years, and represented this district in the legislature during the session of 1856. Having been a prime mover in procuring the
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construction and the charter of a railroad from Boothbay Harbor to Quebec, he hopes to see it completed in the near future.
ULLIVAN MORSE, a well-known business man of Foxcroft, Piscata- quis County, was born in this town, April 8, 1835, son of Amos and Lucy (Bul- lard) Morse. The father, a native of New Hampshire, came to Foxcroft when the village contained but six houses, and there settled upon a farm. In 1849 he went to California, where he worked in the mines until 1851. On his way home with the proceeds of his labor he was robbed. He again started for the mines, but died before reaching his desti - nation, and was buried in San Diego. At this time he was sixty-five years old. His wife, Lucy, who was a native of Turner, Me., reared six children, namely: Julia, Justina, and Hannah, who are no longer living; and Albion, Sullivan, and Charles, who are resid- ing in Foxcroft. She attended the Univer- salist church. Her death occurred in her seventy-second year.
Sullivan Morse acquired a common-school education in this town. In his youth he made himself useful about the home farm. When a young man he engaged in farming, which he has since followed. Also, for a number of years he carried on quite an extensive butchering business, and shipped cattle to the Boston market. He and his brother Charles have been associated in several successful business enterprises. Besides fifty-five acres
of the homestead property, he owns a pleasant home in the village, where he now resides. His business ability and upright character have gained for him a wide circle of friends, and he is much esteemed by his fellow-towns- men. On June 22, 1898, he married Miss Rose A. Smith, a daughter of Benjamin and Hannah (Maryfield) Smith, of Bingham, Me. He attends the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mrs. Morse is a member.
AMUEL H. RICHARDS, a retired business man of Eden, Hancock County, and an ex-member of the Maine legislature, was born in this town, February 20, 1811, son of William and Heph- zibah (Hadley) Richards. His paternal grandfather, also named William, removed from Newburyport, Mass., to Deer Isle, Me., where he resided for a time, and then returned to Massachusetts. The father, who was born in Newburyport, followed the sea for the greater part of his life. After his marriage he settled in Eden upon a farm formerly owned by his wife's father, and was the master of coasting-vessels until he was quite an old man. He reached the age of eighty-five years. His wife, who was a daughter of Simeon Hadley, became the mother of nine children; namely, Josiah B., Priscilla D., William B., Samuel H., Ruth, Mary Ann, Hannah B., Simeon H., and George B. Rich- ards. Of these, three are living: Samuel H., the subject of this sketch; Mary Ann, resid- ing in Eden, who is the widow of Cornelius
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Thomas; and Hannah B., who married Nathan King, and resides in Vineland, N.J. Josiah B. Richards left quite a large family. l'ris- cilla D. Richards, who married Moses Rich- ardson and lived to be eighty-nine years old, was the mother of four children, of whom the survivors are: Perry and Whitcomb Richard- son. William B. Richards left two children - Frank and Hephzibah.' Ruth married William Richardson, and left four sons - Josiah, Clifford, Eli, and David.
After finishing his studies in the district schools Samuel H. Richards went to sea for two years. Then he learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed for many years. Afterward at Salisbury Cove he successfully carried on a general store for ten years. Since then he has practically lived in retire- ment. Having invested in shipping quite ex- tensively, he is interested at the present time in several paying vessels. With the excep- tion of five years spent in Rockland, Me., he has been a lifelong resident of Eden. By his marriage with Elizabeth R. Cox, a daughter of John Cox, of Bristol, he has two children -- George W. and M. Emma. George W. married Aurelia Carey, and has one daughter, Marie. M. Emma married Samuel N. Rich, of Eden, and has two daughters - Louise and Maggie Rich.
In politics Mr. Richards is a Democrat, and he cast his first Presidential vote for Andrew Jackson in 1832. He has been Selectman, Assessor, Road Commissioner, and Agent of Town Funds; and he was a member of the legislature in 1855. When elected to the
legislature again in 1876 by a close vote, he declined to oppose a contest for his scat.
S. ROBINSON, a prominent resi- dent of Palmyra, Somerset County, was born in Mount Vernon, Kenne- bec County, November 26, 1825, son of Daniel and Clarissa (Jewett) Robinson. When a young man the father, who was for twenty years a schoolmaster, moved from Brentwood, N. H., his native town, to Mount Vernon, and there settled upon a farm. In 1835 he came to Palmyra, and, purchasing the farm now oc- cupied by his son, resided here until his death, which occurred in 1837. His wife, Clarissa, who was a native of Dover, N.H., became the mother of seven children. Of these, three are living, namely: Daniel S., the subject of this sketch; Reuel, a real estate dealer in Seattle, Wash .; and Roscoe Robin- son, a fruit-grower in Healdsburg, Cal. The others were: Clarissa, Angeline, Fritz Ed- ward, and Jonathan. Jonathan, who was an attorney, and died in 1849, aged twenty-seven years, married Rebecca Veasey, and left one daughter, Annie Robinson, who is now a school teacher in Washington, D.C. The mother died in 1877, aged eighty-three years.
Daniel S. Robinson went from the common schools to the Rockingham Academy in Hampton Falls, N.H. Afterward he was em- ployed as a clerk in Lawrence, Mass., whence he went to California in 1851. There he was engaged in mining for over two years. Upon his return to Palmyra he bought a part of the
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homestead, and some time later was engaged in a mercantile business in Lawrence. In 1857 or 1858 he resumed farming in Palmyra, where, excepting an interval of six months spent in his brother-in-law's store in Hart- ford, Conn., he has since remaincd. His property contains two hundred acres of land, which he uses for general farming. The most of the farm labor is performed by hired men.
On November 9, 1857, while residing in Lawrence, Mr. Robinson was united in mar- riage with Anna Bruce, of Northampton, Mass., whose father, Robert Bruce, now de- ceased, was a manufacturer in that town. Mrs. Robinson became the mother of two children: Reuel, born September 25, 1858; and Walter, born October 11, 1861. Reuel Robinson, a graduate of Bates College, who is an attorney in Camden, Me., married Blanche Atkins. Walter Robinson, located in Hartford, Conn., is a Special Examiner of the United States Pension Department. In politics Mr. Robinson is a Republican. For four years he served with ability as a Select- man, and he was Town Clerk for twelve years. A member of the Patrons of Husbandry, he is connected with the Palmyra Grange. Mrs. Robinson died in October, 1889, aged fifty- eight years.
ALON PATTERSON, Town Treas- urer of Solon, Somerset County, and an enterprising general mer- chant, was born in Industry, Me., May I, 1849, son of David and Harriet K. (Chaney) Patterson. The father, who was a native of
Madison, Me., in his youth was employed as ferryman upon the river. He also worked in the woods, spending in both occupations about fourteen years. During that time he resided in Solon and Industry, Me. He likewise car- ried on a large farm in West Mills for some time. In 1866 he returned to Solon, and, settling upon the Sanborn farm, he resided here until his death, which occurred April 27, 1896. He served as the chairman of the Board of Selectmen in Industry for three years, having been a member of the board for a longer period. In Solon he was the chair- man of the Selectmen for five years, and he represented the Solon district in the legislat- ure for one term. His wife, who was a native of Solon, became the mother of six children, namely: Malon, the subject of this sketch: Olivia, who died aged one year; Sarah, who married Philander Baker, of Carritunk, and has three children - Eda, Charles E., and David Seth; David Horace, a horse dealer in Athens, who married Flora Locke, of that town; Ellen H., the wife of Ernest Whipple, who is a farmer and resides at the old Patter- son homestead ; and Mildred E., who married Dr. F. G. Manson, formerly of Limington, Me., later the principal of the Anson Acad- emy, and now a physician in Billerica, Mass. The mother resides with her daughter in Solon.
Malon Patterson attended the common schools and the Norridgewock Academy. At the age of twenty-one he went to Boston, where he was employed as clerk and book- keeper in a retail grocery store for three and a
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half years. Then a serious affection of his eyes compelled him to relinquish that occupa- tion ; and, returning to Maine, he was for the next three years engaged in farming in Solon. He had also managed the grange store here for five years, when he was obliged to give it up on account of ill health. After that he was for a time connected with a map enterprise in Elizabeth, N.J. Since May, 1886, he has carried on a flourishing general store in Solon village.
On March 25, 1879, Mr. Patterson was joined in marriage with Emily S. Whipple, of Solon, a daughter of Sumner and Martha (French) Whipple. Mr. Whipple, who at one time was a carriage manufacturer, resides in this town. His wife is no longer living. Politically, Mr. Patterson is a Democrat. He has served with ability as Town Treasurer for the past twelve years, and he has been a mem - ber of the School Board. In 1894 and 1895 he was Worshipful Master of Keystone Lodge, F. & A. M., and has advanced in the order as far as the commandery. He is also connected with Solon Lodge, I. O. O. F.
ON. SAMUEL WILSON COLLINS, one of the pioneers of Caribou, Aroostook County, and in 1870 a member of the Maine Senate, was born in Bangor, Me., September 6, 1811, son of Will- iam and Sarah (Dickey) Collins.
His paternal grandfather was James Collins, a native of Lancashire, England, who came to America as a Lieutenant in the British army at
the time of the French and Indian War, and, remaining here after the close of the war, set- tled in Hancock County, Mainc. He was twice married, first to a Miss Abbott and sec- ond to a Miss Green. Of cach union were born two sons - John and Davis of the first and William and James of the second. Grand- father Collins, who drew a pension from the British government, went to England to settle an estate, and was never heard from afterward.
William Collins, third of the four sons named above, was born in Castine, Me., and in early life was a sailor, serving as mate of the first packet plying between Bangor and Boston. He later bought a farm in Calais, Me., where he resided for many years, or until 1836, when he sold his property. He died at Vance Mills about the year 1840, aged sixty-two. Sarah Dickey Collins, his first wife, was a native of either Londonderry, N. H., where members of the Dickey family were among the early settlers, or Prospect, Me. She died at the age of forty-five years ; and he married for his second wife Eliza Budd, of the Province of New Brunswick. Of his first union were born ten children, one of whom died in infancy. The others were : Sarah, who married Silas Farnham; Elenor, who lived to be eighty-four years old; Abigail, who died young; William, Jr. ; Samuel Wil- son, whose personal history is given below ; James; Sewell; Harvey; and David. Of these the only survivor is Samuel W., the sub- ject of this sketch. By his second marriage William Collins had three children, namely : Eliza; Nancy, who married Abraham Sawin,
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SAMUEL W. COLLINS.
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formerly a merchant and mill operator and now in the oil business in California; and a child that died young.
Samuel Wilson Collins was reared in Calais previous to the adoption of a regular public school system, and his educational opportuni- ties were therefore limited; but his natural aptitude for accumulating knowledge has in a great measure enabled him to supply this deficiency. He resided at home until eighteen years old, at which time he started in life for himself, and for three years was employed in a saw-mill at Robbinston. He worked in a ship-yard there for the same length of time, and was subsequently engaged in building and repairing mills at Millbridge and other places. In 1840 he went to Providence, R. I., and later to St. Louis, Mo., remaining there for a short ยท time, and passed the following winter in Cin- cinnati, Ohio. Upon his return East he went to Jackson, N. B., and in the spring of 1844 he took up his residence in the then struggling settlement of Caribou. In company with the late W. A. Vaughan, he built saw and grist mills, and began the manufacture of lumber, employing quite a number of men and bring- ing considerable business to the town. The enterprising firm of Collins & Vaughan also engaged in trade as general merchants, hand- ling goods from Bangor. At one time they owned the entire central portion of the town of Caribou. Mr. Collins was associated with Mr. Vaughan until 1857, when he engaged in the sawing of long and short lumber on his own account for the market in St. John, N. B., and carried on a thriving general store. He was
actively connected with these enterprises until 1892, since which time the business has been superintended by his son.
A few years ago Mr. Collins erected a fine business block on Sweden Street, one half of which is occupied by S. W. Collins & Son, and the other half by Mr. Spaulding as a hard- ware store. He also owns three other stores, eight dwelling houses, and one hundred acres of land in the village, and deals extensively in real estate. His energy and ability have been used for the benefit of the general com- munity, as well as for his private enterprises ; and as a public-spirited citizen he has accom- plished much in the way of improvements. As early as 1856 he advocated the building of a railroad from Bangor to Aroostook County, the advantages of which he foresaw; and he is to be congratulated for having lived to see the consummation of that enterprise. He has served with ability as a Selectman, Treasurer, and in other town offices; was a member of the House of Representatives in 1856 and again in 1860; and was a State Senator in 1870. In politics he is a Democrat.
On October 12, 1847, Mr. Collins was united in marriage with Dorcas S. Hardison, born in Winslow, Me., March 7, 1827, daugh- ter of Ivory and Dorcas (Abbott) Hardison. Her father was a native of Berwick and her mother of Winslow. Mrs. Collins was, to use the significant local term, the first Yankee girl in Caribou, the Hardisons being the first white family to make their home here. Ivory Har- dison, who was a wheelwright by trade, settled in the wilderness about three miles from the
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village, and cleared land for agricultural pur- poses. He assisted the surveyors in laying out the town, was prominent in political and educational affairs, and served as Postmaster. He reared a family of ten children, namely : Jacob; Dorcas S., who became Mrs. Collins; Oliver; Mary Ann, who is now Mrs. Bishop, and lives in California; Harvey; Ida, who is now Mrs. Brown, and resides in California; Wallace L., who is in South America; Mar- tin, who is no longer living; Ai, a farmer in Caribou; and James Hardison, who is in the oil business in Indiana.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel W. Collins have had thirteen children, one of whom died in infancy, and five are living - Charles P., Clara W., Herschel D., Florence Amy, and Edith. Charles P. Collins is now president of a large oil company in Bradford, Pa., and is also a banker. He married Ida Merrill, of Cari- bou. Clara W. married for her first husband Milton D. Teague, who died in California ; and she is now Mrs. Gries, wife of a real estate owner in that State. Florence Amy, who is the widow of the Rev. Charles Porter, a Congregational minister, is now superin- tendent of the Caribou public schools and sec- retary of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. She has three children: Helen Por- ter, a teacher in the high school; Florence; and Charles Winslow Porter. Herschel D. Collins, who was born in 1860, is now in charge of his father's business. He married Freda Files, and their children are: Mary, Maud, Clara, and Samuel Wilson Collins, second. Edith married Charles Oak, of Cari-
bou, and has four children - Edson, Zelma, Gertrude, and Don. The other seven Collins children were: Frank, George, Vira, Francis, Edward, Sadie, and James Collins. Samuel Wilson Collins is a Master Mason and a char- ter member of the lodge in Caribou. In his religious belief he is a Universalist.
B LITHEN S. HIGGINS, a thriving general merchant of Eden, Hancock County, and a member of the Board of Selectmen, was born in East Eden (now Bar Harbor), January 23, 1851, son of Albert F. and Charlotte W. (Mills) Higgins. The paternal grandfather was Henry Higgins, a resident of Eden, where he followed the blacksmith's trade during his active years, and died at the age of fifty-one. His wife's . maiden name was Huldah Leland.
Albert F. Higgins, the father, was born in Eden. After serving an apprenticeship to the blacksmith's trade he followed it as a jour- neyman until 1866. He was the pioneer hotel-keeper at Bar Harbor, having built and conducted the Harbor House, the site of which is now occupied by the Grand Central Hotel. Selling out the house in the fall of 1875, he gave his attention thereafter to the care and development of some valuable shore property of his. He died in March, 1898, at the age of seventy-five years. Charlotte W. Higgins, his first wife, became the mother of three children; namely, Mary Jane, Blithen S., and Albert Loring Higgins. By his sec- ond marriage there were other children. Mary
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Jane Higgins became the wife of Joseph E. Tripp, of Eden, and has one son, Blithen A. Albert L. married for his first wife Ella Fur- bush, who died childless. His present wife, who was before marriage Lettie Call, of Ells- worth, is the mother of three children - Mollie G., Esther, and an infant.
Having obtained his education in the dis- trict schools and at the East Maine Conference Seminary in Bucksport, Blithen S. Higgins worked at the blacksmith's trade until he was twenty-five years old. Beginning in 1878 he and his brother conducted a general merchan- dise store in Eden until 1886, when the part- nership was dissolved. Since then he has successfully carried on the business alone, maintaining a large share of patronage.
Mr. Higgins is unmarried. In public affairs he is prominent and active, having been a member of the Board of Selectmen for the most of the time since 1881, and for a number of years serving as District Clerk. In politics he is a Republican, and he cast his first Presidential vote for U. S. Grant in 1872. An esteemed Mason, he belongs to the commandery of Knights Templar in Ells- worth ; and he is also connected with the en- campment of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and with the Knights of Pythias.
ILLIAM H. BROWN, formerly of Anson, Somerset County, and a for- mer proprietor of the Somerset House for many years, son of Josiah Brown, was born in Waterford, Oxford County. His parents, who
were both natives of Waterford, died in that town, having resided there during the greater part of their lives. Of their three children William H. was the youngest. His early op- portunities for obtaining an education were limited to a short period of attendance at the common schools. At an early age he was obliged to become self-supporting. In 1840 he left Waterford and came to North Anson, act- ing as hostler and clerk at the Somerset House for Henry Stone, who, with Sherman W. Hapgood and Daniel S. Watson, had come here from Waterford several years before. Here he gave careful attention to his duties, and proved himself faithful in every way. Prudent and economical, he was able in 1843 to form a copartnership with Mr. Hapgood in the purchase and subsequent management of the hotel. Ten years later he became the sole proprietor. In 1864 he took Benjamin Hilton into partnership, after which the house was conducted for a quarter of a century by Brown & Hilton.
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