USA > Maine > Piscataquis County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 50
USA > Maine > Aroostook County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 50
USA > Maine > Hancock County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 50
USA > Maine > Washington County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 50
USA > Maine > Somerset County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 50
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He was married May 7, 1846, to Mrs. Lucy C. Wass Tibbetts, eldest daughter of Levi Wass and widow of John C. Tibbetts. Mr. Tibbetts was drowned in Machias River, May 7, 1843. He left one daughter, Em- vesta A., born June 27, 1842. Mr. and Mrs. Leighton celebrated their golden wedding in May, 1896. They reside near the store at Columbia Falls. Their son, Horace M., was born in Columbia, April 14, 1850. Taken into partnership by his father in 1872, as noted above, he is now active manager of the store, which, since 1894, has been conducted in the name of the Columbia Falls Packing Com- pany. This company was organized in 1875 by some of the leading men of the locality, Horace M. Leighton among the number. It controls the leading enterprise of the town - canning blueberries - and employs every year directly or indirectly from two hundred to three hundred people. Thousands of cases of canned blueberries are annually sent from here to all parts of the United States. Horace M. Leighton, with his father, did an extensive
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business in ship-building from 1872 to 1883, and they are now financially interested in ten vessels.
Horace M. Leighton was married May 4, 1872, to Maggie L. Wass, of Addison, Me., daughter of Captain Moses L. Wass, a mem- ber of one of the old and honored families of Washington County. Mr. and Mrs. Horace M. Leighton have three children : Lucy May, born July 3, 1879; Frank Horace, born Au- gust 10, 1881 ; and Josephine Wass, born June 15, 1885. Horace M. Leighton is a Repub- lican. He has served on the Columbia Falls Board of Selectmen for fifteen years, presiding twelve years of that time as chairman; and he has held many other town offices. He was in the State legislature in the winters of 1892, 1893, 1894, and 1895. He is a member of Tuscan Lodge, No. 106, F. & A. M., at Addi- son Point; Dirigo Chapter, R. A. M., at Cherryfield; and St. Elmo Commandery and the Lodge of Perfection at Machias. In relig- ious belief he is liberal.
ILLIAM H. SARGENT, a former business man of Castine, Hancock County, now retired, was born in Sedgwick, Me., February 4, 1818. A son of Captain Benjamin C. and Susannah (Cole) Sargent, he traces his descent to William Sargent, who received a land grant at Gloucester, Mass., in 1649. This ancestor married Abigail Clark, a daughter of Edmund Clark. A grant of land was also given to the family of his son, who lost his life in the public service. Dr.
Thomas Sargent, the grandfather of William H., born in Gloucester, October 19, 1739, served as an officer in the Revolutionary War. It is related of him that in 1779 he accom- panied an expedition under the command of Captain Saltonstall to Penobscot Bay for the purpose of recovering possession of Castine, which was then occupied by the British, and that the party was partially successful in a daring attempt to land for the purpose of co- operating with the force under Captain Lovell. After the close of the war he returned to Gloucester, and resided there for the rest of his life. The maiden names of his succes- sive wives were Lucy and Jemima Haskell. He was the father of seventeen children, nine by his first union and eight by his second.
Captain Benjamin C. Sargent, who was a native of Gloucester, during the War of 1812 commanded the fort in the harbor of Castine. He moved to Sedgwick in 1816, and there fol- lowed the trade of shoemaker for a number of years. Afterward he cleared a tract of new land for agricultural purposes, and died in the town of Brooklin, Me., October 26, 1855, at the age of seventy years. Besides serving in various town offices and acting as a Justice of the Peace, he acquired considerable local repu- tation for his skill in extracting teeth. He married Susannah Cole, of Wenham, Mass., a daughter of Thomas and Susan (Cleaves) Cole, who moved from Massachusetts to Sedgwick prior to their daughter's wedding. Benjamin and Susannah Sargent were the parents of eleven children ; namely, Benjamin C., Wyer G., John O., Sarah J., William H., Lucius
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B., Thomas C., A. P. Sargent, Mary M., Jas- per N., and George M. Sargent. Of these, Benjamin C., John O., Sarah J., and Lucius B. are no longer living. The first death among them did not occur until the youngest had reached the age of fifty-three years.
Having been educated in the district schools, William H. Sargent learned the shoemaker's, trade, and afterward followed it for a time. Later engaging in business as a house and ship-carpenter at Sargentville, he erected many of the buildings in that village. He also kept a store there, which he subsequently sold to W. G. Sargent & Son. Moving to Castine in 1870, he purchased a half-interest in a ship-yard. When Castine began to ac- quire its popularity as a summer resort, he bought seventy acres of desirable land, and afterward sold it in cottage lots. In 1879 he built a store and engaged in trade under the firm name of Sargent & Son. Although he has retired from active business, he still re- tains a financial interest in that concern. He is also part owner of the steamboat wharf, and is the proprietor of other valuable real estate.
By his first marriage, which was contracted with Mary Redman, of Brooksville, Me., Mr. Sargent became the father of four children - Eleanor W., Mary J., William G., and Hattie A. Hattie died young. Eleanor W. married Captain Herbert Sargent, of Portland, and has one daughter, Hattie. Mary J. married Dr. Grindle, of Blue Hill, Me., and died leaving one daughter, Lena S. Grindle. William G. first married Flora Herrick, of Brooklin, Me., by whom he has two children - Guy H. and
Florence Sargent. His second marriage was made with Lillian Roberts, of Boston, Mass. Mr. Sargent cast his first Presidential vote for Martin Van Buren in 1840, and has been iden- tified with the Republican party in Hancock County since its formation. He has served with ability as legislative Representative and County Commissioner, was a member of the Executive Council under Governor Morrill, was Collector of Customs at the port of Cas- tine for sixteen years, and has acted as a Jus- tice of the Peace. While affiliated with the Masonic order and the Sons of Temperance, he is a member of the Calvinist Baptist Church of Sedgwick, Me.
TIS M. HILTON, of Anson, Somer- set County, an enterprising and pros- perous agriculturist and a former Selectman of the town, was born here, Sep- tember II, 1845. A son of Joshua Hilton, he is a grandson of Benjamin and Betsey (Manter) Hilton, who were early settlers of Anson, and of whom further information will be found in the biography of John M. Hilton. Joshua Hilton is an old resident of Anson township. While residing in Stark he purchased the property formerly belonging to William Man- ter, and for many years was successfully en- gaged in clearing and cultivating the land. Of late years he has lived retired. His wife, whose maiden name was Susan Moore, died September 5, 1888. She bore him five chil- dren, of whom three are deceased -two in- fants and Luke, who lived but seven years.
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The survivors are : Otis M. and Joshua Hilton, Jr. The latter, a resident of Norridgewock, married Miss Georgia Waite, of New Sharon, Me.
Having been educated in the common schools of Anson, Otis M. Hilton, following in the footsteps of his ancestors, chose farming as his occupation. He remained at home, assisting his father on the homestead, until 1868. Then he removed to Norridgewock, where he resided for a time. Returning again to Anson, he settled on his present property, the farm bought by his father in 1856, known as the old Manter farm. He has now about two hundred acres of finely improved land, with commodious and conveniently arranged buildings. In bringing his estate to its pres- ent fine condition he has worked unceasingly, sparing neither time nor strength. It is one of the most attractive places in this vicinity. He carries on general farming, and also con- ducts a profitable milk business, running a wagon daily to Madison and Anson.
Mr. Hilton was married September 27, 1865, to Miss Maria Athearn. Born in Stark, Somerset County, January 4, 1848, she is a daughter of Robert and Martha (Beckwith) Athearn, late of Stark, where they were well- known farming people. Mr. and Mrs. Hilton have four children, as follows : Granville B., a resident of Charlestown, Mass., born March 23, 1867, who married Miss Nettie Wellman, of Augusta, Me. ; Susie M., born May 18, 1870, who resides in Boston; Wilbur, born March 12, 1872, who lives at home; and Marion, born January 19, 1887. Mr. Hilton
is a stanch adherent of the Democratic party, and has served his second term as a Selectman of the town. He is a member of Indian Spring Lodge, No. 115, I. O. O. F., of Madison.
OSES BURPEE, a well-known civil engineer residing in Houlton, was born February 25, 1847, in Sheffield, Sunbury County, N. B. He comes of Huguenot stock, being a descendant of a family that was driven from France by re- ligious persecution to Yorkshire, England, whence the emigrant ancestor came to Amer- ica at an early day, and settled in Massachu- setts. One of his more immediate progeni- tors removed from New England to Sheffield, N. B., in Colonial days, and, taking up a tract of land in that town, thenceforward made it his home.
George Burpee during the early part of his life was engaged in farming and conducted a lumber-mill. To him and his wife, whose maiden name was Phœbe Burpee, six children were born, namely: David H., who lives on the old homestead; George F., now a resident of Vancouver, B.C .; Tyler C., who died at the age of five years; Moses, the subject of this sketch; Louisa, widow of the late J. B. Hawes, who resides in New Rochelle, N. Y. ; and Tyler C., second, who was a division en- gineer, and had the supervision of some of the most difficult work in the building of the Ban- gor & Aroostook Railroad, and is now an assistant engineer on the Intercolonial Rail- way at Moncton, N. B.
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Moses Burpee acquired his early education in the public schools of Sunbury County, where his natural aptitude for drawing, mathematics, and mechanics was encouraged and developed by his instructors and friends. Soon after leaving school he went to Philadelphia to work in a machine shop. While there he availed himself of the educational privileges offered him by attending the winter evening sessions of the Franklin and Polytechnic In- stitutes for four terms. On his return to New Brunswick he worked for a time on the Fred- ericton Branch Railway, then in process of construction; was next rodman in the con- struction of the European & North American road; and then under Mr. Nichols was assist- ant engineer on same road in Maine between Vanceboro and Danforth and afterward on the New Brunswick Railway, between Freder- icton and Grand Falls. Mr. Burpee then went West, and was with the Chicago, Milwau- kee & St. Paul Railway in Dakota and Iowa from 1879 to 1884 with the exception of the season of 1883, which was spent on the con- struction of the Canadian Pacific east of the Rocky Mountains, when he returned to New Brunswick to make surveys for the Central Railway, on which he was engaged until au- tumn, when he took charge of a survey of a portion of the Short Line across the State of Maine between Mattawamkeag and Moosehead Lake. The following year, 1885, he was made chief engineer of the maintenance de- partment of the New Brunswick Railway, and had charge of tracks, bridges, and buildings during the whole of Mr. Cram's management,
and continued in the same position after the lease of the New Brunswick Railway to the Canadian Pacific Railway under Mr. Timmer- man, general superintendent for the latter company, another year, with addition of one hundred and sixty miles more of the road, his circuit being extended to Megantic, Quebec. In June, 1891, Mr. Burpee, whose study and experience fitted him for the difficult task, began surveys through the unbroken wilder- ness, in many parts, for the Bangor & Aroos- took Railway, which is one of the finest roads in the State, and of which he has since been the chief engineer. He also in 1874 sur- veyed the New Brunswick Railway to Fort Fairfield and thence to Caribou.
On March 4, 1880, Mr. Burpee married Miss Caroline Alexander, a daughter of John Alexander, of Sunbury County, New Bruns- wick. He has two children - Mary and George. Mr. Burpee and family are members of the Congregational church in Houlton.
ON. ALDEN BRADFORD, presi- dent of the Eastport Savings Bank, Representative to the legislature in 1 869 and 1870, and State Senator in 1879 and 1880, and for many years a leading business man of Eastport, was born here on April 28, 1828, son of Andrew R. and Elizabeth (Blatch- ford) Bradford. He is a direct descendant of Governor William Bradford of the Plymouth Colony, the line continuing through the Gov- ernor's second son, Major William Bradford (born in 1624), Israel (born in 1679, son of
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Major William by his third wife), Israel's son Joshua (a native of Kingston, Mass., who settled in Meduncook, now Friendship, Me., in 1748), and Joshua, second, to Andrew R. Bradford, above named.
Joshua Bradford, second, son of the first Joshua, and grandfather of Alden Bradford, was born in Kingston, Mass. In 1797 he set- tled in Robbinston, where he died three years later. He engaged in ship-building in Rob- binston, and commanded the first packet that ever sailed from that port. His wife, whose name before her marriage was Mary Johnson, bore him five children, as follows : Cornelius, who was born on January 4, 1791 ; Margaret A., who was born on September 26, 1793; Andrew R., who was born on November 17, 1795 ; Patience, who was born on October 25, 1797 ; and Elizabeth, who was born on Novem- ber 17, 1799.
Andrew R. Bradford, father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Friendship. Early in life he worked as a clerk, and subsequently became an auctioneer. He served all through the War of 1812, and at its close settled in Eastport, where he was a prominent man in the dry-goods business ; and at the time of his death, on August 15, 1854, he was Deputy Collector of Customs for this port. His church membership was in the Congregational denomination, and his political affiliations were with the Democratic party. He was twice married, his first wife being Elizabeth Blatchford and his second wife her sister Lydia. By the first marriage thirteen chil- dren were born, and by the second one. Of
these, three are living, namely : Andrew V. Bradford, of Portland, Ore .; Alden, who is the eldest ; and Myles Standish Bradford, of St. Paul, Minn. The deceased are : Joshua, Andrew, Mary E., Emmeline N., Cornelius, Clarissa, Frederick C., and four children that died in infancy. Mrs. Elizabeth Bradford, mother of Alden Bradford, was born in 1800, and died on February 11, 1848.
Alden Bradford's boyhood days were spent in Eastport, where he attended the public schools and subsequently Eastport Academy. When he was sixteen years old his father gave him his time, and he then began to engage in the manufacture of clothing. He gave em- ployment to between fifty and sixty-five hands, and at first did a large business in ready-man- ufactured clothing. This department, how- ever, he subsequently gave up, and confined himself to the manufacture of high-grade cus- tom garments. This. was the first establish- ment of the kind opened up in Eastern Maine, and Mr. Bradford did a most successful busi- ness down to 1890, when he retired. His son still carries on the business, which was estab- lished in 1845.
Mr. Bradford was married on April 28, 1857, to Ruth A. Pike, a native of Eastport. She died here on July 2, 1867, leaving three children, namely : two sons, Alden Ring and Winslow T. ; and a daughter, Jennie S.
Alden Ring, who was born on May 7, 1860, is his father's successor in business. Wins- low T., who was born on November 21, 1864, now resides in Portland, Ore., where he is interested in the manufacture of drugs and
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essences. A daughter, Ella P., who was born on July 17, 1863, died on February 13, 1864, three years before her mother ; and Jennie S., who was born on June 27, 1867, died on Sep- tember 23, 1867. Mr. Bradford was married a second time on September 19, 1875, to Nellie Rice Bryant, who was a native of Ma- chias, born on February 3, 1842, daughter of Stephen O. and Sarah (Russell Kilton) Bryant. Her grandmother was Mary Paris Russell. Her grandparents removed from Boston, their early place of residence, to Jonesboro, Me., on Rocque's Island, owned by their uncle. Her father, Stephen Bryant, was a ship-car- penter, and followed that trade during his ac- tive life. He died in 1883, over ninety years of age. His wife, who was born in Jones- boro, died in 1880, at the age of eighty-two years. They had thirteen children. By his second marriage Mr. Bradford is the father of three children - Fred Prince, Laura Pike, and Ethel Lola. Fred Prince, who was born on January II, 1877, was a student last year in the Maine State College at Orono in the de- partment of chemistry. In May, 1898, he enlisted in Battery D, Second Regiment, United States Artillery, and is now Sergeant. Laura, who was born on June 26, 1878, and Ethel, who was born on July 7, 1880, are at home with their parents. Both Mr. and Mrs. Bradford are members of the Unitarian church.
Politically, Mr. Bradford is a Republican. He has held various offices in Eastport, among these being that of Selectman, which he occu- pied for several years. For a part of this time he was chairman of the board. In 1869 and
again in 1870, as mentioned above, he served in the lower house of the State legislature, and in 1879 and 1880 in the Senate, where he was head of the Judiciary Committee. He has been connected with the savings-bank of Eastport since its organization, and since 1887 has been president of the bank. Mr. Bradford is a member of Eastern Lodge, No. 7, F. & A. M .; also of the chapter and com- mandery at Eastport. He has been a busy, useful man all his life, and has well merited the success he has obtained. The positions of honor and influence which he has held in the Commonwealth have come to him unsought, and have been a tangible expression of the esteem and respect which his fellow-citizens entertain for him. Mrs. Bradford is a lady of much influence in social circles.
R. WILLIAM H. STEVENS, a prominent physician of North New Portland, Somerset County, was born in Lovell, Me., on March 12, 1822, son of Asa and Mary (Senter) Stevens. Asa Stevens, who was born in Bridgton and fol- lowed the occupation of farmer, after residing for a short time successively in Sweden and Lovell, Me., returned to Sweden, where he remained until his son William was eight years old. Then he removed to Milan, N. H., and there was engaged in farming until his death, which occurred on July 21, 1858. His wife, Mary, who was born in Londonderry, N. H., died on April 4, 1856. They were the parents of ten children, as follows : Alexander
WILLIAM H. STEVENS.
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H., Charles P., Sophia, and Aaron Spofford, all of whom are deceased; Almeda P., who is the widow of James Harris Vincent, and re- sides at Milan, N. H. ; Augustus V., who died in Fryeburg, Me .; William H., the subject of this biography ; Calvin P., who is deceased ; Abba, who died at the age of twenty years; and a child that died before being christened.
Having received his early education at the noted Bridgton Academy, William H. Stevens read medicine for three years with Dr. Horace Stevens, of Skowhegan, and in 1850 entered the medical profession in Solon, this county. After practising there for about three years, he removed to this village, where he has since resided. At that time there were two other physicians here; but these did not remain long, and in a short time Dr. Stevens had se- cured a large share of the practice, not only in the village, but in all the adjoining towns. He has given careful attention at all times to his professional duties, and has merited fully the success he has attained. He was married to his first wife on May 25, 1845. In maiden- hood she was Eliza Gay, a daughter of Will- iam and Ann Gay, well-to-do farming people of Fort Edward, N. Y., both of whom are now deceased. Mrs. Eliza Stevens died on Novem- ber 2, 1870. She was the mother of six chil- dren, none of whom are living. These were : Marion A., born August 30, 1846, who mar- ried Charles L. Jones, an attorney of New Portland, now deceased; Agnes M., born Au- gust 20, 1849, who died December 21, 1867, at the age of eighteen; Harris William, born November 25, 1847, who died on New Year's
Day, 1849; Alice Ann, born November 16, 1851, who died February 15, 1854; Clayton William, born August 21, 1856, who died in April of the following year; and a child that died in infancy. Alice A. Jones, only child of Marion A. and Charles L. Jones, married Herbert W. Kennison, a merchant tailor of North New Portland, and has two children - Agnes and Earl E. Dr. Stevens was again married on July 8, 1871, to Maria S. Jenkins, of New Portland, a daughter of Isaiah and Sarah M. Viles Jenkins. Both Mr. Jenkins, who was a hotel-keeper in this town, and his wife died here. Dr. Stevens has no children by his second marriage.
An ardent Republican and keenly interested in politics, the Doctor served as delegate to the First Republican County Convention. Proud of never having cut a ticket of any kind, he could not be satisfied to vote anything but the straight Republican ballot. Yet, con- stantly governed by the most liberal principles, he has the entire confidence of the Democratic party. He has held a number of town offices. In 1875 and again in 1876 he was State Sen- ator for this district. During his last term in the Senate, as chairman of the Committee on Education he drafted the bill and secured the enactment that made the normal schools of the State a part of the common-school system, providing for their support out of the school fund, and which has been so popular that the original draft of it has not yet been altered. For the three years from 1876 to 1879 inclu- sive, he was one of the trustees of the State Normal School Board. Fraternally, he is a
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member of Northern Star Lodge, No. 28, F. & A. M., of North Anson. Both he and his wife are members of the Congregational church of this village. To-day the Doctor is one of the best known men in the county. At one time he had practical control of all cases requiring medical advice throughout the north- ern part of the county. He has lost large sums of money by not enforcing collections. His office is at his residence on Main Street, North New Portland. IIe has one of the finest medical libraries in the county.
INDLEY H. FOLSOM, first Select- man of Greenville, Piscataquis County, Me., was born in Tamworth, N. H., May II, 1843, son of Joshua and Martha J. (Smith) Folsom.
The Folsoms were among the early settlers of Epping, N. H. A liberty-loving race, mem- bers of the family fought bravely for Amer- ican independence in the Revolutionary War. The paternal grandparents of the subject of this sketch were Joshua and Lois (Tibbetts) Folsom, the former of whom was born on July 18, 1784, in Epping, Rockingham County, N. H. He was a farmer and carpenter, and spent most of his active life in Tamworth, N. H. His wife, Lois, died in 1853.
Joshua Folsom, second, father of Lindley H., was born in Epping, N. H., April 17, 1810. A school teacher in early manhood, he subsequently learned the trades of shoemaking and cabinet-making, and worked at both. About 1870 he settled upon a farm in Monson,
where he spent his last years engaged in the cultivation of the soil. Industrious by nature and habit, he worked hard all his life and sought or enjoyed little leisure. He was a Deacon of the Congregational church. His death occurred April 16, 1881. His wife, who was born February 5, 1813, in Water- ville, Me., died in Greenville, Me., April 27, 1897. They had a family of three children, namely : Sarah W., born in 1840, who married Hiram Smith, of Monson, and died in 1892; Levi S., born January 21, 1839, a guide and farmer living in Piscataquis County; and Lindley H., whose name begins this sketch.
Lindley H. Folsom passed most of his child- hood and youth at Oakland, Kennebec County, and at Chesuncook Lake, Me. His early opportunities for obtaining an education were limited, but at the age of fourteen and later he attended Monson Academy for several terms. In 1861, when in his nineteenth year, he was engaged as clerk by John H. Eveleth, of Greenville, who placed him in charge of his store at Chesuncook Lake. Mr. Eveleth's hotel at that place was built under Mr. Fol- som's supervision. Subsequently Mr. Fol- som became Mr. Eveleth's partner in the Chesuncook Lake enterprises. In 1865 he re- moved to Monson, where he resided for about a year, during which time he was engaged in
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