USA > Maine > Piscataquis County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 7
USA > Maine > Aroostook County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 7
USA > Maine > Hancock County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 7
USA > Maine > Washington County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 7
USA > Maine > Somerset County > Biographical review : containing life sketches of leading citizens of Somerset, Piscataquis, Hancock, Washington, and Aroostook counties, Maine > Part 7
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Samuel J. Wallace acquired his early edu- cation in the public schools of Philadelphia. In 1861 he enlisted in Company A, Twenty- sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. Entering the service as an Orderly Sergeant, he served for eighteen months. He was twice wounded, once quite severely in the leg at the second battle of Bull Run, and was for some time confined to the hospital in Washington. While in Washington he met his half-brother, James, who after their father's death went to Ohio, and had not been heard from since
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1843. James had been wounded in the arm while serving as Lieutenant in an Ohio regi- ment, and the surgeons were about to ampu- tate the limb when Samuel made a vigorous protest. Though ordered out of the room, he was undismayed, and sought the aid of Secre- tary Stanton, who refused to interfere; but an appeal to President Lincoln resulted in secur- ing for his brother a furlough of one month. Three weeks after, James Wallace stopped in Washington while on the way to rejoin his regiment, to personally thank the President for his kindness. On that occasion the Presi- dent was so well pleased with his patriotic zeal that he gave him a Lieutenant Colonel's commission. James was afterward killed at the battle of Cold Harbor. When the war ended, Samuel J. Wallace studied medicine at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadel- phia. He first came to Castine in 1877, and since 1881 has resided here permanently, practising his profession with success, and also carrying on the drug business.
Dr. Wallace married Lucy V. Little, a daughter of Otis and Abigail (Perkins) Little, by both of whom she is a descendant of pio- neer settlers in this locality. She is the mother of three children - Edward Otis, Lucy Kate, and Joseph Dickinson Wallace, aged respectively eighteen, fifteen, and twelve years. The Doctor is interested in every- thing relating to his profession, and belongs to the Hancock County Medical Society. For seven years he was the president of the Board of United States Pension Examiners and the secretary for one year. He is a mem-
ber of the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Improved Order of Red Men, and the Order of Good Fellows; is Court Physician of the United Order of For- esters; Past Grand Commander of the Sover- eign Patriotic Knights; Past Commander of Charles L. Stevens Post, No. 76, G. A. R., of which he is now Surgeon; and he formerly belonged to the Knights of Pythias. His first Presidential vote was cast for Abraham Lin- coln in 1860, and in 1896 he supported the candidacy of William J. Bryan. He is a strong sympathizer with the Cubans in their struggle for independence, and believes that they should be allowed to establish their own government. He thinks that where Admiral Dewey planted the Flag of Freedom there it should remain, and that Spain is unfit to govern in any part of the world.
ON. ALBERT M. NASH, who was formerly State Senator from Wash- ington County and a merchant of Harrington, was born in this town on the fifteenth day of April, 1833, son of Stillman W. and Melissa W. Nash. The grandfather, Uriah Nash, who built the first mill, was en- gaged in farming, and with his half-brother, Isaiah Nash, was one of the first two settlers in Harrington. He died here at an advanced age.
Stillman Nash, born here on May 31, 1809, died on May 22, 1880. He was interested in various enterprises, including ship-building, tanning, and the manufacture of boots and
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shoes, and was very successful. A great impetus to the industrial life of the town was given by him, and many of Harrington's young men in his time owe to him their start in lifc. During his life he served in many town offices, and he was the second Postmaster of the placc. A devoted member of the Bap- tist church, his daily life and practice were those of a consistent Christian. In early life a Whig, he later became a Republican. His wife, born at Columbia, this State, on May 15, ISII, died on October 30, 1876. She was a daughter of Joseph and Lydia (Noonan) Nash, of Columbia. Her children were: Al- bert M., the subject of this biography; Irene L., born January 12, 1835; Rebecca E., born June 31, 1837, who died February 28, 1839; Frederick S., born February 28, 1840, who died April 13, 1840; Mary L., born August 23, 1841, who died January 17, 1849; Elijah H., born September 17, 1843, who died Oc- tober 15, 1866; Elizabeth C., born August 22, 1845; Stillman E., born July 17, 1847, who died August 28, 1872; and Annie E., born March 17, 1855, who died May 6, 1883, Elizabeth C. is the wife of Captain Russell Glover, who has been for thirty years in the United States revenue marine service, and is now superintendent of the same, being located at Baltimore. Annie E. married Charles A. Coffin on June 7, 1880, and was the mother of one child, Alice F., who, born in 1881. died in 1884.
Albert M. Nash grew to manhood in his na- tive town, receiving his education in its schools and at academies in East Machias and
Cherryfield. A mercantile business here, started by him before the Civil War, proved so successful that he continued it down to 1891. In connection with his father he was also interested in ship-building until the death of the latter, and he subsequently carried it on alone until 1891. During these years he built some of the largest vessels ever launched in this section of the State. On April 15, 1863, he was first married to Martha H. Glover, of Calais, who died on January 17, I870. A second marriage on Christmas Day, 1876, wedded him to Emily C. Moore, of St. Stephen, N.B. By the first union there were three children - Mary C., Grace P., and Elijah Hamlin. Mary C., who was born on October 29, 1864, is now the wife of Dr. Fred Nickels, of Cherryfield, and has two children - Martha Glover and Albert Nash Nickels. Grace P., born on September 26, 1867, is now a kindergarten teacher at Provi- dence, R.I. The son, Elijah Hamlin Nash, born on March 20, 1869, resides in the State of Washington, and is County Clerk of the county in which he lives. On February 16, 1896, he married Deborah Kelley, of San Juan Island, who was born February 3, 1877. They have two children: Albert M., born October 16, 1896; and E. Hamlin, born April 2, 1898. By his second wife Albert M. Nash, Sr., has one daughter, Melissa W., who was born October 20, 1878.
One of the most energetic and progressive men in Harrington, Mr. Nash has taken an active part in town affairs. For a number of years he held the office of Selectman, and he
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has also been Town Treasurer. In 1877-78 he occupied a seat in the State Senate. Al- though believing in the spirit of Christianity and a generous supporter of the Baptist church in this place, he is not connected with any religious society. The new building of the Baptist society here probably could not have been erected without his liberal contribution. Mrs. Nash is an Episcopalian. Fraternally, Mr. Nash is a member of Dirigo Lodge, F. & A. M., at Cherryfield; and also of the Masonic chapter at that place. In politics he has been a Republican since the formation of that party.
HARLES H. SAWYER, of Green- ville, the landlord of the Lake House, was born in Augusta, Me., Decem- ber 2, 1844. His parents, Charles and Eliza- beth (Plummer) Sawyer, are both natives of the Pine Tree State. The father, who was born in Saco, was in the hotel business a great many years. He managed the Cushnoch House and the Stanley House in Augusta. In 1858 he moved to Greenville and took charge of the Seboonook House, at the same time managing the Eveleth House. Afterward, in Newport, Me., he was in charge of the Shaw House for a number of years. He died in Newport, November 8, 1897. An energetic and capable man, he was very popular as a hotel-keeper. In politics he was an active Republican, and in Newport he served as Se- lectman and Tax Collector for a number of years. His wife had nine children, namely :
Nellie, the wife of J. B. Marsh, of Newport, Me. ; Charles H., the subject of this sketch ; Sarah J., now the wife of E. J. Winnie, of Newport; Anna, the wife of O. E. Dexter, of the same place; Sumner F., a resident of Winthrop, Me. ; Carrie E., residing in New- port ; Louisa, the wife of David T. Sanders, of Greenville; and George E. and Louisa, both deceased.
Charles H. Sawyer grew to manhood in Augusta and Greenville. He attended school in both places, and was for some time a stu- dent at Foxcroft Academy. In 1862, though under age, he enlisted in Company E, Eigh- teenth Maine Regiment, which was afterward merged in the First Heavy Maine Artillery. He was three years in the service, participat- ing in some of the greatest conflicts of the war, including those fought at Spottsylvania, North Anna, Tolopotomy Creek, Cold Har- bor, Petersburg, Jerusalem, Deep Run, Deep Bottom, Poplar Springs, South Weldon, Hatch's Creek, James Farm, the capture of Petersburg and Amelia Springs, and was present at the surrender of Lee. Mr. Sawyer was never in hospital or camp when his com- pany was in action, but was always in his place; and, though his comrades fell about him, he miraculously escaped injury. After he was honorably discharged, on September II, 1865, he kept the Saco House in Saco, Me., for a year. He was then in the livery business in Newport, Me., for two years. In 1868 he took charge of the Lake House, which has now been under his able management for thirty years. In that period for a while he
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managed the Lake Hebron Hotel at Monson and the Foxcroft Exchange. To-day he is one of the oldest and most popular hotel men in this section. His house is a neat, modern hotel, beautifully situated on the bank of Moosehead Lake. The rooms are airy and light, the beds good, and the cuisine and ser- vice excellent. Free transportation to the depot is provided for the guests, and there is a good livery attached to the hotel. The house accommodates seventy-five guests and is open the year round.
Mr. Sawyer was married in 1865 to Eliza- beth J. Littlefield, a native of this county. He has one son, Carl I. Sawyer, born in Greenville, March 3, 1873, who married Miss Belle Larkin, of Chester, Pa., resides in Bos- ton, and is the secretary of the Sunny Side Gold Mining Company. Mr. Charles H. Sawyer is a Republican. He is Junior Warden of Columbia Lodge, No. 200, F. & A. M., of Greenville, having membership in Piscataquis Royal Arch Chapter, of Dover, St. John's Commandery, of Bangor, and Kora Temple, of Lewiston; belongs to Kineo Lodge, No. 64, I. O. O. F., at Dover; and is a member of Moosehead Lodge, No. 46, A. O. U. W., at Greenville. On religious subjects his views are liberal.
LLIS YOUNG, who is spending the closing years of his long and busy life on his pleasant homestead in Surry, Hancock County, was born in this town, Au- gust 9, 1820, son of Joseph Young. The
paternal grandfather, Samuel Young, who came from Saco, Me., to Surry when a young man, settled on the Neck, close to the shore. He took up a tract of wild land, which by means of incessant toil he converted into a good farm. Like his pioneer neighbors he built a log house, and there dwelt for the rest of his life, rearing his family and reaching a good old age.
Joseph Young was born in the old log cabin on the homestead which his father wrested from the wilderness. During his earlier years he was employed in coasting. Subsequently he turned his attention to farming, in which he was successfully engaged until his death at the venerable age of fourscore and four years. A man of sterling integrity, he became prom- inent in town affairs, and wielded an influence for good in the community. To him and his wife, whose maiden name was Margaret Ed- munds, eight children were born, namely : Loring, now deceased; Ellis, the subject of this sketch; Samuel J., now a resident of Bangor, Me. ; Henry J., Amelia, Cynthia S., Apphia S., and Sarah P., who are also de- ceased.
Ellis Young left the district school when a boy of fourteen to become a sailor. From that time until 1885, a full half-century, he fol- lowed the sea. At the age of eighteen, hav- ing become thoroughly familiar with the man- agement of ships, he was made a captain, and thereafter sailed as master mariner. In his long experience he was unusually fortunate, the only vessel that he ever lost having been one on the Penobscot River. Since he retired
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from seafaring, he has managed a farm that he purchased while it was in its primitive condi- tion, there being then neither highways nor clearings in the locality. The property is now wonderfully improved. Commodious and conveniently arranged structures have replaced the original buildings, which were destroyed by fire; while the residence is one of the best in the vicinity.
In politics Mr. Young has been a sound Democrat since 1844, when he cast his first Presidential vote for James K. Polk. Al- though he has never sought public office, he has served as Road Surveyor and School Agent. On May 25, 1845, he married Mary E., daugh- ter of Philip N. and Jane H. (Moore) Kim- ball, and now has two children - Harry H. and Edna J. Harry H., the eldest child, now a resident of Surry, married Eleanor Jarvis, and has two children - Eva A. and Hallie. Edna J. is the wife of John Hooper, of New Hampshire, and has one son, Harry Hooper.
HARLES D. HILL, formerly of the firm Hill, Pike & Co., wholesale gro- cers of Calais, Washington County, was born in this city, August 7, 1851, son of Daniel and Elmira (Quincy) Hill. His grandfather, Abner Hill, was one of the early settlers and pioneer lumbermen of St. Stephen, N. B. Through his maternal grand- father, Edmund Quincy, of Portland, he was a descendant of the famous Massachusetts fam- ily of that name.
Daniel Hill was born in Milltown, N. B.,
in 1804. When a young man he started in the lumber manufacturing business in Milltown, where he was located for a number of years. Then he transferred his mills to Baring, hav- ing his office and wharves in this city. A short time before his death he established the Hill Planing Mill Company. His business ability and progressive tendencies were of much benefit to this locality. Elmira Hill, his wife, became the mother of six children, five of whom lived to maturity ; namely, Frank H., Albert Q., Fred M., Charles D., and Ed- mund Q. Hill. The father was a member of the Universalist church, and the mother was a Congregationalist.
Charles D. Hill was a pupil of the public schools, Calais Academy, Westbrook Semi- nary, General Russell's Military School in New Haven, Conn., and Yale College. After leaving Yale he entered the Calais National Bank as a clerk, in which capacity he served for four years. Then he took a similar posi- tion with Willard B. King, an importer in St. Stephen. In 1887 he and others bought the business of Mr. King, and under the style of C. D. Hill & Co. carried it on for about seven years, during which time a branch store was opened in Calais. When the firm dissolved in 1894, Mr. Hill formed a partnership with W. H. Pike, and purchased the Calais store, which was afterward conducted until recently by Hill, Pike & Co. This firm, perhaps, transacted the largest wholesale grocery busi- ness in the city, and was a direct importer of West India goods, teas, etc. The senior part- ner was one of the original projectors of the
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Calais Street Railway and a member of its Board of Directors.
Mr. Hill married Helen Greenwood King, a daughter of the late Willard B. King, of this city. In politics he was a Republican; and for the two years preceding his death he was a member of the Board of Aldermen, serving as the chairman of the Committee on Sewers. A Mason of high standing, he belonged to St. Croix Lodge and Chapter, Delta Lodge of Per- fection at Machias, and Kora Temple of the Mystic Shrine in Lewiston; and he was Emi- nent Commander of Hugh de Payens Com- mandery, Knights Templar, of this city. As a business man of unusual energy and enter- prise he had the esteem and confidence of many people. Of this fact his appointment as a trustee of the Granville Chase estate was one of many proofs. He attended the Congre- gational church. When he died, April 30, 1898, the event was deplored as a public loss.
OHN DEAN HOPKINS, a native resi- dent of Ellsworth, elsewhere spoken of as a man who has been for more than a generation one of the most notable characters of Eastern Maine, was born February 13, 1817, while the State was yet a part of Massa- chusetts. His parents were John and Abigail (Brimmer) Hopkins. His father was a native of Cape Cod, probably a descendant of Stephen Hopkins, who came over in the "Mayflower " in 1620, and whose son Giles settled at Yarmouth on the Cape; and his mother was a daughter of George B. and Abi-
gail (Eddy) Brimmer, who removed to Ells- worth from Boston, it is said, about the year 1794.
When a young man John Hopkins came in a coasting-vessel to Hancock County, Maine; and, foreseeing in a measure the possibilities that might be realized from a further develop- ment of this part of the State, he located at Ellsworth, then a small village. There were no markets near, and in order to purchase goods he often drove to Boston in his chaise. He bought and sold land, carrying on quite an extensive real estate business for some years, and accumulated a good sum of money. He became active in local affairs, and for some time was Sheriff of Hancock County. Hc died in 1840, at the age of fifty-six years. To him and his wife, whose maiden name was Abigail Brimmer, eleven children were born, as follows: George B., deceased; John D., the special subject of this sketch; James H .; Abigail B .; Francis A., deceased; Sarah ; Albert M. ; Mary J., deceased; Alphonso, de- ceased; Eliza Ann, deceased; and Edward K. All of those now living, six in number, are residents of Ellsworth.
John D. Hopkins received such educational advantages as were afforded by the pioneer schools of his day, and until the death of his father worked on the home farm, after which he engaged in teaming and lumbering ten years or more. He has since been actively employed as a dealer in lumber much of the time, but is now practically retired from busi- ness pursuits. Wonderful changes have taken place in the face of the country during his re-
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membrance, the dense forests having been cut down and converted into lumber, much of which has been used in the erection of dwell- ings and public buildings; and the straggling hamlet has grown into a prosperous and beau- tiful city, the pride of its inhabitants. Dur- ing the late Rebellion, for three years, Mr. Hopkins was a member of the State legislat- ure, and took an active part on behalf of the brave soldiers. He has also been prominent in municipal matters, and for four or five years succeeding the incorporation of the city was one of its Aldermen. In 1869 he was ap- pointed Collector of Internal Revenue, a posi- tion which he retained four years. He was appointed Collector of Customs in 1873, and served twelve years, reappointed in 1889, and served four years, thus making his term of service in this department longer than that of any other incumbent of the office in the town's history. He cast his first Presidential vote in 1840 for William Henry Harrison, and until 1856 was identified with the Whigs. Since that time he has been a firm supporter of the principles of the Republican party; and for fifteen years, under James G. Blaine, he was one of the Republican State Committee. He is a Free Mason and a member of the Uni- tarian church.
Mr. Hopkins was married in 1843 to El- mira Jourdan, who died a few years later, leaving two children, namely: Maria S., wife of Gilbert Howell, of Bangor, Me .; and Frances, wife of Charles A. Lyon, a merchant in Bangor, who has one son, John H. Lyon. November 10, 1866, Mr. Hopkins was again
married to Mrs. Carrie M. Jarvis, a widow with one daughter.
The firmly written, handsome signature of "John D. Hopkins, eighty-two years young," is indicative of a state of physical and mental vigor that might be envied by many a man of sixty. The estimation in which he is held by those who know him best is shown in the following paragraph from the Whig and Courier : -
"One of the pleasing incidents of the re- cent meeting (1897) of the State Board of Trade at Ellsworth was the spontaneous tribute paid to one of its oldest and most dis- tinguished citizens, the Hon. John D. Hop- kins, who has for more than a generation been one of the most notable characters of Eastern Maine. In his opening address at the ban- quet, the president of the State Board, the Hon. Henry Lord, of this city, referred in eloquent and complimentary terms to the ven- erable citizen whose absence from the festivi- ties he regretted, and paid a tribute to his sturdy patriotism, tireless energy, and enthu- siastic championship of every good cause, that elicited rounds of heartiest applause from the Representative men assembled from all parts of the State. On Thursday, at the entertain- ment of the board and other guests at the home of Senator Hale, the presence of Mr. Hopkins was signalized by heartiest demon- strations of good will: and among the groups on the lawn his erect and towering form, sur- mounted by the familiar white felt hat, was constantly surrounded by the friends he has made during his long and honorable participa-
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tion in public affairs. It was a gratifying tribute to a strong and earnest character and career."
IDEON L. JOY, of Hancock, one of the most extensive landholders in Hancock County, son of Stephen Joy, was born here, December 18, 1830. His great- grandfather, Benjamin Joy, was a pioneer set - tler of Ellsworth, Me., to which he re- moved from Saco in Colonial times. Among the children reared by him were: John, the grandfather of Gideon L .; and Ivory H., the father of Calvin P. Joy, of Ellsworth, in whose biography will be found further in- formation regarding the family. John Joy came from Ellsworth, the place of his birth, to Hancock by boat, and settled near the shore at a time when white men were rarely seen in this section of the country. He built a log house in the first clearing he made. Soon afterward he placed beside it a black- smith's shop, in which he worked at his trade when not employed in lumbering and farming. That he was a good workman at his trade is believed to be proved by an axe, supposed to have been made by him, which was turned up by his grandson, Gideon L., a few years ago, when ploughing over the site of the old smithy. He died in 1845, aged seventy-seven years. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Clark, bore him six children, of whom Stephen was the second son.
Stephen Joy, who was born in Franklin, Me., spent the greater part of his life in Han-
cock, where he died in 1863, at the age of sixty-three years. From his father he learned the blacksmith's trade, and likewise became proficient in that of carpenter. In the latter capacity he built two vessels, and was for a time engaged in coasting and fishing, com- manding the craft in which he sailed. On two or three of these trips, when accompanied by his son Gideon, he had very narrow escapes from death by drowning. Although often urged to accept public office, he steadily de- clined, preferring the quietude of his fireside to the turmoil of official life. He married Almira Lee, a daughter of Abner Lee, of Amherst, Mass. They became the parents of the following children: Stephen D., a resi- dent of Hancock, who married Eliza A. Mc- Farland, and has three sons and a daughter ; Gideon L., the subject of this biography; Herman D., deceased, who was an extensive farmer, and married Elizabeth Clark; Julia A., deceased; Almira E., who married George P. Clark, resides in Boston in winter and on the old homestead in summer; and Charles B., who is a ranchman in Colorado.
After completing his studies in the district schools of Hancock, Gideon L. Joy went to Sullivan, a near-by town, to study navigation. At an early age he began his career as a sea- man. Afterward, in the capacity of mate on different vessels, he visited many of the im- portant ports of the world. In 1849, seized with the gold fever, he went to California, and there spent two years engaged in mining and lumbering. Returning then to the East, he remained here pretty contentedly until
GIDEON L. JOY.
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1856, when he went to Oshkosh, Wis. Not finding any better opportunities there for im- proving his circumstances, he came home in the following year, and spent the next four years in seafaring. Then, settling down on shore, he began the improvement of a farm. He bought twenty-seven hundred acres of forest land, and, cutting off the timber, re- served two hundred acres of it for a home- stead. Here he has built a log house, which he and his family have since occupied. He has about twenty-five acres of the property under cultivation. He is also the owner of nearly ten thousand acres of heavily timbered land, from which he cuts large quantities of lumber each year.
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