USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Cumberland County, Maine > Part 54
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ENRY WARREN LORING, one of Pownal's most enterprising and pro- gressive farmers, was born in this town, August 9, 1857, son of Will- iam and Susan Y. (Moody) Loring. Mr. Loring's grandfather, William Loring, was born in the year 1800, and was one of the early residents of Pownal, where he owned and conducted a farm. He was a hard-working man, who succeeded in obtaining a comfort- able prosperity by a diligent application of the resources at his command. He resided in
Pownal until his death, which took place No- vember 22, 1885. He attended the Baptist church. He married Susan Staples, a native of Gray, Me., and reared a family of five chil- dren, as follows: Andrew G., who resides in Pownal; Alonzo, a resident of Yarmouth ; Ellen, wife of Stephen Richardson, of Pownal; William, Mr. Loring's father, who was the eldest son, and is no longer living; and Henry, who died at the age of sixteen. Mrs. Susan S. Loring lived to reach the age of seventy-four years.
William Loring was born in Pownal in 1826, and was a lifelong resident of this town. He adopted agriculture as an occupation, own- ing a good farm, which he cultivated with energy and suecess, and was known as an in- dustrious and worthy citizen. He died April 3, 1860. His wife, Susan Y. Moody, became the mother of two children, namely: Henry Warren, the subject of this sketch : and Etta, who is now Mrs. Downs, and lives in Belfast, Me. Mrs. Susan Y. Loring married for her . second husband Joseph Black, by whom she had four children ; and she died in 1872.
Henry Warren Loring was but three year's old when his father died. When he was five years old he went to reside with his grand- father. He received his education in the schools of his native town, and at an early age engaged in the butehering business, which he learned so rapidly that at the age of thirteen, being, as it would seem, unusually strong for his years, he was able to kill and dress an ox without assistance. He followed that occupa- tion for eight years; and, after engaging in other kinds of employment for a time, he se- eured a position as elerk in the store of Tuttle & Lawrence of West Pownal, where he remained for eighteen months. In 1874 he entered the employ of the Grand Trunk Rail- road Company as a switchman, six years later becoming a fireman upon the road; and he continued in that capacity until 1887. Nat- urally economieal and thrifty, he had saved his surplus earnings; and with this money he then bought his farm of one hundred and sixty aeres, where he has since carried on general farming with suceess. He also de- votes considerable attention to a dairy, keep- ing a herd of ten full-blooded Jersey cows ; and
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he is the owner of a registered Jersey bull. Although his experience as a farmer has been short, his natural capability and good sense have led him to avail himself of the improved methods of modern agriculture, so that he already ranks among the foremost members of the farming community of Pownal.
On November 22, 1885, Mr. Loring was married to Cornelia E. Plummer, daughter of Moses and Cornelia (Warren) Plummer. Moses Plummer was born in Gloucester, Mass., February 11, 1816; and when a young man he learned the trade of a blacksmith, which he followed for some time. He later entered mereantile business in Gray, Me., where he continued in trade successfully for several years, and served as a Justiee of the Peace and Trial Justice. In 1858 he moved to Pownal, and engaged in farming upon the property which Mr. Loring now owns. He died July 25, 1890. He was twiee married; and by his union with his wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Merrill, he had two daughters. Mrs. Elizabeth M. Plummer died December 28, 1856; and he married for his second wife Cornelia Warren, who was born in Pownal, October 4, 1825, and by whom he had three children. The five children of Moses Plummer are as follows: Lizzie M., who is now Mrs. Pierce, and resides in San Francisco, Cal .; Jennie E. who is now Mrs. Flagg, and lives in Lewiston, Me .; Cornelia E., who is now Mrs. Loring; Charles M. and Harry L., who reside in Lewiston. Mrs. Cornelia W. Plummer, the mother of the last three, is a Universalist in religion.
Mr. and Mrs. Loring have no children. They are liberal in their religious views, and are very pleasant people to meet. Mr. Loring is in every way a self-made man, his prosper- ity being the result of his own persevering in- dustry. He is a member of Cumberland Lodge, A. F. & A. M .; Cumberland Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; and of Portland Council. In polities he supports the Republican party.
Gorham,
ILLIAM H. PAYNE, one of the leading and well-to-do farmers of North Yarmouth, Me., was born in an inland town of Cumberland
County, April 7, 1822, son of Riehard and Euniee (Blake) Payne. Mr. Payne's grand- father, Captain John Payne, was born on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and became a well- known ship-master of his day. He early set- tled upon a farm in Gorham, but continued for the most part engaged in nautical pur- suits, and was lost at sea in middle life. He married Anna Pike, who was a native of Cape Cod, and who lived to reach the age of sev- enty-seven years. She reared a family of seven ehildren; namely, John, Abner, Elisha, Thomas, Leonard, Richard, and Mary.
Richard Payne was born in Gorham, May 18, 1788, and was the youngest son of his parents. When a young man he learned the cooper's trade, which he followed as an oeeupation. Later he succeeded to the ownership of the home property by purehasing the interests of the other heirs. He was a practical and sue- cessful farmer and a worthy eitizen. He re- sided in Gorham until his death, which took place May 29, 1859. He was a Whig in poli- tics. His wife, Eunice Blake, who was born in Gorham, September 8, 1787, became the mother of eight children, as follows: Solo- mon; Elmira; Martha; Freeman; Charles; William H., the subject of this sketeh; John; and Abner. Of these the only ones now liv- ing are: William H., of North Yarmouth; and Abner, who resides in Portland. Mrs. Eunice B. Payne passed her last years at the home of her son in North Yarmouth, where she died January 28, 1870. She was a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church.
William H. Payne attended the distriet schools of his native town, and was reared to farm life. He resided with his parents until reaching the age of eighteen, when he bought his time, and went to Saeearappa, now West- brook, Me., where he found employment in the cotton-mills, and remained there for two years. On account of his father's failing health he then returned to the homestead for the purpose of taking charge of the farm, and later he purchased the property. He resided there until 1865, when he sold the farm; and, after engaging in mereantile pursuits at Gor- ham Corners for one year, he in 1866 moved to his present farm in North Yarmouth. He has about fifty aeres of well-improved land de-
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voted to general farming with gratifying suc- cess. He has made various improvements upon the buildings, which present a neat and substantial appearance. In his political views he is a Prohibitionist. He has taken an active part in town affairs, having served with ability as a member of the Board of Se- lectmen and in other offices.
On November 17, 1845, Mr. Payne was united in marriage to Mary E. P. Moulton. She was born in Standish, Me., January 28, 1828, daughter of Eben and Martha (Phil- brook, Moulton, both of whom were natives of that town. Eben Moulton was a tanner and currier, and followed his trade successfully for many years. He has now reached an ad- vanced age, and is residing with his son Charles in Wilmington, Ill. His wife, Mrs. Payne's mother, lived to reach the age of seventy-one years. Of their five children three are now living, namely : Mrs. Payne, who is the eldest; Mrs. Maria Fitz, of Oak- land, Cal .; and Charles Moulton, who resides in Illinois. The departed are: Amanda S., who became Mrs. Andrews; and Horatio F. Moulton, who was for some years a conductor on the Chicago & Alton Railroad.
Mr. and Mrs. Payne have had six children, but two of whom survive, namely : Emma F., who was born September 30, 1851, married Charles Longshore, and resides in Iowa; and Lincoln A., who was born March 16, 1870, and now resides in Lunenburg, Vt., where he is freight clerk for the Maine Central Rail- road Company. He married Abbie Lane, of Strafford, Vt. The other children were: Llewellyn V., who was born July 3, 1847, and died at the age of three years and nineteen days; Ellen M., who was born June 21, 1850, and died August 30, 1854; Llewellyn W., who was born January 31, 1855, and died June 24, 1864; and Mary E., who was born Octo- ber 17, 1865, and died December 3 of that year.
Mr. and Mrs. Payne are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and Mrs. Payne has long been prominent in church and Sun- day-school matters. He is well and favorably known among the leading residents of North Yarmouth, being a man of high moral prin- ciples and one who keeps himself in touch
with the progress of the times. On Novem- ber 17, 1895, Mr. and Mrs. Payne celebrated their golden wedding at their pleasant home in North Yarmouth.
ON. DAVID W. MERRILL is a well-known and influential citizen of New Gloucester, Me., his native town. He was born on December 18, 1820, and has been a resident of the vil- lage of Upper Gloucester since 1855, and has held various public offices, discharging the duties thereof with ability and faithfulness.
His parents were William and Lydia (Pu- rinton) Merrill. William Merrill moved at an early day with his parents from Falmouth to West Gloucester, where he was engaged in farming until his death in 1839. His wife, Lydia, was from Kittery, Me. She died No- vember 30, 1859. They had four children - James, Charles, Rhoda, and David W. James Merrill married Lucy Tobie, and lives in New Gloucester. Charles married first Malinda Brackett, and after her death married Mrs. Buck, who survived him, and is now living at Paris, Me. Rhoda's first husband was Lewis Holmes, whom she outlived. Her second was Jesse Young. They have both passed away.
David W. Merrill at the age of nineteen was obliged on account of the death of his father to take charge of the old farm in West Gloucester. In 1855 he came to Upper Gloucester, and rented a farm. Two years later, with Mr. George Blake and others, he started in the general mercantile business in this village, continuing thus engaged for five years, when he sold out his interest in the store and resumed the life of a farmer, having bought his present farm in 1859.
In politics Mr. Merrill is an earnest and active Republican. He was elected Select- man in 1861, and served six years. In 1866 he was Collector and Treasurer of New Gloucester, and in 1867 he represented his dis- trict in the State legislature. He was also in the custom-house for six years, and as Chair- man of the Town Committee he served thirty years. Mr. Merrill is a member of the Ma- sonic Order, belonging to Cumberland Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 12, of Upper Gloucester.
DAVID W. MERRILL.
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He is also interested in the temperance eause, being an active member of the Society of Good Templars.
On October 14, 1844, Mr. Merrill was united in marriage with Mrs. Pamelia (Dun- lap) Soule, of Lisbon, Me., where she was born September 8, 1814, a daughter of David Dunlap. Five children were the fruit of this union - Willie, who died in infancy; Elmira, wife of Charles A. Metcalf, who is in the Treasury Department at Washington, D.C .; Harvey W., who married Ida Gerrish, and lives in West Medford, Mass .; Neal Dow, who died at the age of ten years; and Willie F., who passed away at the age of seven. The surviving children were educated at Westbrook Seminary, Me. Mrs. Pamelia D. Merrill died in 1873; and in 1882 Mr. Merrill married Hannah, daughter of Perez B. Latham, who came to this village in 1864. She was born August 7, 1845. By this union there were no children. Mrs. Hannah Merrill died on September 10, 1893. Mr. Merrill married on June 6, 1895, his third wife, Florence H. Leach, who was born August 29, 1846, daugh- ter of Benjamin F. Leach, of Auburn, Me. Her parents are both deceased.
Mr. Merrill has practically retired from his various business enterprises; but he still car- ries on a small farm of twenty-five acres, hav- ing plenty of healthful exercise, and enjoying the freedom and quiet of country living and thinking. With only a common-school edu- cation Mr. Merrill has pushed his way on- ward and upward, leading an industrious, use- ful life, working not for himself alone, but mindful of his obligations as a citizen and neighbor, contributing to the welfare and ad- vancement of the community. He is widely known and highly esteemed.
LIHU H. RICE, Freight Agent of the Portland & Rochester Railroad at Portland, was born in this city March 26, 1859, son of Richard G. and Mary E. (Libby) Rice. The father spent the larger part of his life in Cumberland County, living in different towns. He was engaged in truck- ing in Portland for several years. His wife was a daughter of Eli Libby, who belonged to
the family of Libbys that settled in Scarboro, and was of Revolutionary stock. They reared a family of three children - Elihu H., James L., and R. M. James is a grocer in Portland. R. M. Rice also resides in this city.
Elihu H. Rice obtained his elementary edu- cation in the country schools of North Pownal, this county, where his parents lived for a while. He afterward attended the schools at Deering, Cumberland County, completing his studies in the Deering High School. He began life as a clerk in the wholesale store of D. W. True & Co., for whom he worked a year. Mr. Rice then entered the service of the Boston & Maine Railroad Company, and was employed in their local freight office here for twenty years. For the last fifteen years of the time he was cashier of the freight de- partment. On December 10, 1894, he was appointed to his present position, the duties of which he is discharging with characteristic fidelity and ability. The position places upon him a heavy responsibility; for the road, although a small one, carries on a large freight business.
On April 29, 1885, Mr. Rice was united in marriage with Miss Lizzie J., daughter of John T. Sterling, of this city; and he is the father of one child, Richard L. He is a Mason and an Odd Fellow. He belongs to Atlantic Lodge, A. F. & A. M. ; Greenleaf Chapter and Portland Commandery; and to Ligonia Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Eastern Star Encampment. He is also a member of a life insurance order. Mr. and Mrs. Rice are regular attendants of the Con- gress Square Church. The family residence is pleasantly located at 192 Clark Street.
BEL HEALD HARRIMAN, a resi- dent of the village of Bridgton, is a native of Lovell, Oxford County, born May 14, 1844. His father, Asa B. Harriman, was born, it is supposed, in Chatham, N. H. Very little is known of the ancestral history beyond the fact that Asa was a little lad when he lost his father, who was accidentally killed by a falling tree. He was reared on a farm. After his removal to this State he bought land in Lovell, on which
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he cleared a homestead, and resided until his death, at the age of seventy-two years. His wife, formerly Amanda Heald, was a lifelong resident of Lovell, where her death occurred when she was but fifty-four years old.
Abel HI. Harriman entered the army when eighteen years of age for service in the Civil War. He enlisted in Company D, Sixteenth Maine Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to the Army of the Potomac. With his gal- lant comrades he took an active part in the memorable battle of Fredericksburg, at which one-half of the men in his regiment were killed, wounded, or captured, he being fortu- nate enough to escape unscathed. Mr. Harri- man was subsequently detached as one of the headquarter guards of the First Corps. He performed this duty until the spring of 1864, when he was transferred to the ambulance corps as stretcher-bearer. In this capacity he was present, and assisted in removing the killed and wounded from the field, after the battles of the Wilderness, Laurel Hill, Spott- sylvania, North Anna, Chickahominy, Sand Hill, and the various engagements before Petersburg. In April, 1865, being then the driver of an ambulance wagon, he was present at the closing scenes of the campaign. He was at Appomattox when Lee surrendered, and afterward participated in the Grand Review at Washington. From Washington he returned home, receiving his discharge at Augusta, June 14, 1865.
After visiting his friends and home in Lovell for a month, Mr. Harriman went to Massachusetts. Ilere he was for a time em- ployed in a shoe factory at Halifax and engaged in lumbering in Brockton. Having passed three years in the old Bay State, he returned once more to Lovell, bought an interest in a saw-mill, and was for several years there- after occupied in the manufacture and sale of lumber and wood. In 1877 he settled in Bridgton, which has since been his home.
Mr. Harriman has been twice married. His first marriage was contracted in 1868, with Mary Bass, a native of Wilton, this State. She bore him two children - Linwood A. and Adelia I. The latter died when but four years old. The mother's death occurred in 1883. Two years later he married Miss Mary
J. Lewis, who was born in New Brunswick, and reared in Bridgton. Socially, Mr. Harri- man is connected with Farragut Post, No. 27, Grand Army of the Republic; Cumberland Lodge, No. 30, and Mount Pleasant Encamp- ment, No. 14, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; the Rebecca Lodge; Highland Lodge, No. 10, Knights of Pythias; and Ori- ental Lodge, No. 13, A. F. &. A M.
RED VIVIAN MATTHEWS, attor- ney-at-law of Portland, resides at 58 Pearl Street, Deering. He was born at Boothbay, Me., September 2, 1865, eldest son of Elbridge Matthews, now a prominent business man of this city, who is also a native of Boothbay.
Mr. Matthews's paternal grandparents were Alfred and Charlotte (Dunton) Matthews. Charlotte Dunton was the daughter of Timothy Dunton and Margaret (Pinkham) Dunton, of Boothbay, and grand-daughter of Timothy. Dunton, Jr., an Englishman, who, with a brother and sister, settled in what is now Westport, Me., prior to 1749, where he and his wife, Mary Elizabeth, lived and died. Margaret Pinkham Dunton was the second wife of Timothy Dunton, of Boothbay, and was a daughter of Solomon and Sarah Pinkham, of Boothbay. Alfred Matthews was a carpenter by trade, much respected in business and re- ligious circles, being a prominent member of the Free Will Baptist church, at the time of his death, which occurred January 26, 1879, holding the office of Deacon. He always lived in Boothbay, though he made occasional sea voyages, and was well acquainted with the New England coast.
He was the grandson of John Matthews, Sr., a pioneer of that town, and his wife Janette (Barter) Matthews, and a son of Captain John and Rebecca (Southard) Matthews. Rebecca was one of the twelve children of John and Sarah (Lewis) Southard, of Boothbay, and a grand-daughter of a French pioneer of the town named Scerotte, who came from Mar- seilles, France, and settled there about the time of the French and Indian War, and changed his name to Southard. Captain John Matthews, the great-grandfather of Fred
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Vivian, born at Boothbay, May 20, 1779, was a seafaring man; and, as master of a vessel during the early years of the present century, he visited every quarter of the globe, his trips sometimes reaching three years in length.
Elbridge Matthews was born on October 24, 1840. He inherited from his grandfather, Captain John Matthews, love for the sea, which was fostered in his younger years by the old man's tales of adventure and personal experi- ences ; and so, when a young lad, he went as a cabin boy on a brig, after which he rapidly worked his way upward until at the age of twenty-two he took charge of a vessel, thus visiting many of the important ports of the world, crossing the line in different parts of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans eighty-eight times. He sailed the seas as master mariner continuously for twenty-four years, never having the misfortune to be wrecked. He was run down in the night at one time by a steamer of the Guion Line, about four hundred miles out of New York ; but by dint of courage, coolheadedness, and per- severance he succeeded in bringing his vessel and valuable cargo of South American goods safely into port, although the ship was badly stove forward and leaking fast, and his crew at one time deserted him. Retiring from sea- faring in 1886, he continued to reside on Me- chanic Street, Deering, where he has made his home since January 1, 1874. Soon after set- tling permanently on shore, he established himself in the grain and feed business at Knightville, Cape Elizabeth, now South Port- land, where he is still engaged, having rebuilt his place of business, which was destroyed by fire in the spring of 1894. In 1892 he opened another store at the corner of Kennebec and Green Streets in Portland. Mr. Matthews is at present Alderman of his ward in the city of Deering ; is a member of the Fraternity Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Deer- ing; of Machigone Encampment; of the old Lincoln Lodge of Free Masons, of Wiscasset, Me. ; and of the Improved Order of Red Men.
Elbridge Matthews has been twice married, his first wife having been Miss Lovesta Hodg- don, who was born November 19, 1839, in Boothbay, being the daughter of Timothy and Frances (Tibbetts) Hodgdon. Frances Tib-
betts, born December 2, 1801, in Boothbay, was a daughter of James and Abigail (Lewis) Tibbetts, and grand-daughter of Nathaniel and Abigail (Alley) Tibbetts, who were among the first settlers of the town of Boothbay. Sarah Lewis Southard, mentioned above, and Abigail Lewis Tibbetts were daughters of Joseph and Sarah (Dexter) Lewis, of Boothbay.
Miss Lovesta Hodgdon's father, Timothy Hodgdon, was born March 13, 1798, at Westport, near Boothbay, was married July 20, 1820, and died at Boothbay, October 19, 1881. He was the son of John and Deborah (Dunton) Hodgdon, of Westport; and John in turn was son of Thomas, of Westport, whose father, Alexander Hodgdon, was born and reared in Boston. Deborah Dunton was a daughter of John and Abigail (Walker) Dun- ton, of Westport; and John Dunton was a brother to Timothy, the father of Mrs. Char- lotte Matthews, mentioned above.
By his first wife Elbridge Matthews had five children - Fred Vivian; Chester, who is in business with his father; Genevieve; Leslie, who died in infancy ; and Lovesta. Mrs. Lo- vesta Matthews died March 9, 1883; and in October, 1884, Mr. Elbridge Matthews mar- ried her niece, Miss Flora D. Hodgdon, also of Boothbay. They have one child, Marion Laura.
Fred Vivian Matthews was graduated from the Deering High School in 1883, from Hebron Academy the following year, and was a member of the class of 1889 of Colby Uni- versity, where he was President of his class while a Freshman, taking the first prize for declamation in his Sophomore year, and being a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon Society. Leaving college at the end of the Sophomore year, he read law with Drummond & Drum- mond of Portland, and was admitted to the Cumberland bar in October, 1889. Mr. Matthews at once entered upon the practice of his profession, opening an office in Portland, where he has met with success.
Continuing his residence in Deering, Mr. Matthews has been active in the political circles of that city, being Secretary of the Republican City Committee and a delegate to every county convention, as well as to other conventions, during the last six years. For
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four years he was Collector of Deering, for two years the Republican member of the Board of Registration ; and he is at present City So- licitor, besides which he has held other minor offices. Socially, he is a member of Deering Lodge, A. F. & A. M. ; of Fraternity Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Deer- ing; of Una Encampment of Portland and of the Portland Club; of the Congregational Club of Portland, of which he has been the Secretary for the last three years; and of Deering Board of Trade. He is a member of the Woodfords Congregational Church of Deering.
On June 25, 1890, Mr. Matthews was united in marriage with Miss Annie B. Harmon, a daughter of Truman and Harriet (Files) Har- mon, of Deering. They have one child, a daughter, Vivien Harmon Matthews.
Mrs. Matthews, through her ancestors the Phinneys, is a lineal descendant from the earlier Pilgrims of Plymouth and the Plym- outh Rogers family. She is the great-great- grand-daughter of Colonel Edmund Phinney, who commanded a Maine regiment in the Revolutionary War, and thus a descendant of Colonel Phinney's father, Captain John Phin- ney, who was the first settler in Gorham, in this county ; and she is a great-grand-daughter of Samuel Files and of Josiah Harmon, vet- erans of the Revolution. By virtue of this lineage Mrs. Matthews is clearly eligible to membership in various patriotic and Colonial organizations. She has become a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and is also prominent in literary, musical, and social circles.
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