USA > Maine > Oxford County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Oxford and Franklin counties, Maine > Part 6
USA > Maine > Franklin County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Oxford and Franklin counties, Maine > Part 6
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Edwin B. Hatch during his boyhood and youth remained at home assisting on the farm and attending the town schools, and at the age of twenty he pursued a course of study for one term at the Maine State Seminary in Lewis- ton. For a short time after that he was em- ployed as a farm assistant by Squire Hill, who lived in the vicinity of Great Falls, N.H .; and from there he went to Bedford, Mass., where he remained for six months. He then went to Boston, and shipped on board a fish- ing-smack for a season's cruise; and in the following year, 1861, he made a voyage to England and Ireland as a sailor on board a merchant vessel. In 1862 Mr. Hatch enlisted as a private in the First Massachusetts Com- pany (Governor Andrew's) of Sharpshooters, with which he went to the front, and took part in the battle of Fredericksburg and all other engagements fought by the Second Army Corps until June 2, 1864, when he was taken prisoner at Pleasant Ridge, Va. He was first confined in Libby Prison, later being sent to Pemberton, after which he was repeatedly moved from one place to another, being im- prisoned successively at Andersonville, Milan, Savannah, Thomasville, Selma, Ala., and Danville, Va., where he was held until paroled on June 3, 1865. After his discharge from the service he followed various occupa- tions in Boston and Wilton, Me., until 1874, when he bought a farm of one hundred and thirty acres in Chesterville, where he has since resided. As an industrious general farmer he has succeeded in accumulating con-
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siderable property. He continued to till the soil diligently until 1891, when he sold his farm and bought his present homestead, con- sisting of a comfortable residence and five acres of land. He also owns a valuable tract of woodland in this town and an interest in the homestead farm in Wilton.
Mr. Hatch and Velora H. White, daughter of R. White, were married on November 25, 1874, and enjoyed a wedded life of nearly twenty years. Mrs. Hatch died September 27, 1893, leaving no children.
In politics Mr. Hatch is a Democrat; and in September, 1893, he was appointed Post- master at Chesterville, which position he still holds. His war record is an honorable one; and, as a stirring, progressive, and use- ful citizen, he is widely known and highly re- spected. Mr. Hatch attends the Methodist Episcopal church. It is worthy of note that eleven representatives of the Hatch kindred served in the Rebellion, and returned to their homes; and of these seven are still living.
ILLIAM F. CALDWELL, a suc- cessful farmer and respected citizen of the town of Oxford, Me., was born April 28, 1840, on the ancestral farm on which he now lives. His great-grandfather, John Caldwell, settled on the estate when this portion of Maine was wild and almost unpopu- lated, and those who dared to encroach upon the hitherto undisputed domain of the deer, beaver, bear, and wolf that abounded in the Maine forests had to endure the privations of pioneer life and accustom themselves to con- stant dangers. Quite a number of Massachu- setts people received grants of land in the District of Maine as rewards for military ser- vices in the Colonial wars, and the sturdy sol- diery and their sons were quite equal to cope with the vicissitudes of frontier life. John Caldwell, like most of the settlers of his day, was thrifty as well as brave, and planted a pos- terity here which is still marked by the same traits of character possessed by their ancestors.
He left a son, who bore the name of Will- iam, born October II, 1775, who grew up to be a stirring and industrious farmer, passing his entire life on the Oxford farm. He mar-
ried Nancy Woodward, May 2, 1799. Miss Woodward was born January 27, 1781, and was therefore a bride at eighteen years of age. William Caldwell was a member of the Meth- odist church, and was successively identified with the Whigs and the Republicans in politi- cal affiliation. He died on November 19, 1862, aged eighty-seven years, and was fol- lowed four years later by his faithful wife, who passed away June 30, 1866. They were the parents of four children, namely : Zenas, born March 31, 1800; Leonard, born January 30, 1803; Merritt, born November 29, 1806; and Nancy, born April 5, 1809.
Leonard Caldwell, the second son of Will- iam, followed in the steps of the two previous generations and became a practical farmer. As the toilsome years went on, his means increased until, besides being the proprietor of the old Caldwell homestead, he was the owner of much additional property. At his death he left an estate of three hundred acres of land, improved by cultivation and many new build- ings, among them the substantial dwelling, which was one of the best in its time and is still a comfortable and attractive residence.
Leonard Caldwell married Miss Hannah Farrington, May 29, 1831. Six children were the fruit of this union, namely : Emily C., born May 28, 1833, who died January 13, 1855; Leonard A., born October 14, 1834, who was a soldier in the Federal ranks during the late Civil War, and died while in service, on June 17, 1863 ; Ellen C., born January II, 1836, who became the wife of James O. Thompson, and now lives in Virginia, where Mr. Thompson edits a paper called the Moun- tain Echo; Zenas M., born August 5, 1837, who died August 16, 1839; William F., born as before mentioned, April 28, 1840; and Annah E., born February 21, 1848, who mar- ried Dr. George Kelsoe, and resides in Bloom- ington, Ill., where she practises the same pro- fession followed by her husband.
William F. Caldwell is now the only sur- vivor of the three sons. He passed his youth in his native locality, receiving his education in the schools of Oxford and Hebron. After leaving school he, with hereditary instinct, turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, in which he is still actively engaged. He
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
now owns and carries on an excellent farm of two hundred and thirty-five acres, and is ac- counted one of the best farmers of Oxford. February 18, 1862, was the date of his mar- riage with Miss Mehitable D. Winship, a na- tive of Otisfield, where she was born February 23, 1840.
Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell have had seven chil- dren, namely : Emily A., born January 30, 1864, who died January 10, 1878; Adelbert F., born May 8, 1867, now engaged in teach- ing; Minnie B., born October 18, 1868; Annie C., born July 19, 1871; Willie L., born December 24, 1874; Guy H., born No- vember 24, 1880, who died February 27, 1885 ; and Cornelia B., born March 30, 1884.
Mr. Caldwell and his wife are allied in a common religious faith, both being members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Oxford, in which Mr. Caldwell has always been an active worker. He is a stanch Republican in political fellowship, and has held, besides various minor offices, that of Selectman. He has also been active in promoting educa- tional progress in his town and county. Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell are prominent members of society in their town, and their charming home is a hospitable rendezvous for their large circle of friends.
RANK W. OSBORNE, one of the most enterprising and progressive though one of the youngest farmers of Farmington, Me., was born in Marshfield, Mass., September 22, 1864. He is the son of George T. and Wilhelmina (Wilson) Osborne, both of Marshfield. George T. Osborne was a shoemaker by trade, and at the time of the war he was one of the large contingent of New England "knights of the last," who fought under the banners of the Union. He served a year in the Forty-third Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, and returned home with a shattered constitution, dying at the age of twenty-nine. He left a widow and two children - Eleanor W. and Frank W. Mrs. George T. Osborne, who is now fifty-one years of age, is living with her son.
Frank W. Osborne left home at the age of eighteen to battle with the world and make his
fortune. Of strong constitution and progres- sive nature, he adopted the pursuit with which he was most familiar, agriculture; and, saving his earnings, he began to invest in real estate. In company with Ira Blanchard he bought the Johnson farm, an estate of one hundred and fourteen acres in Farmington ; and the partners remodelled the buildings, and engaged in general farming with such enter- prise that they achieved marked success. In 1891 Mr. Osborne purchased Mr. Blanchard's interest, and became sole proprietor; and the business continues to prosper under his able management. Besides attending to the cult- ure of garden produce and general crops he has a fine dairy of twelve handsome Jerseys. He is a typical New Englander, pushing and thrifty ; and his success has won the admira- tion and respect of his townsmen. In politics he is independent, in religious matters liberal.
'ACCHEUS A. DYER, a successful farmer and sterling citizen of New Sharon, Franklin County, Me., was born in this town, June 2, 1819.
He comes of an English family of ancient and honorable name, his direct ancestor, Sir James Dyer, having been Speaker of the House of Commons and Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in the year 1511. Mr. Dyer's grandfather came from Truro, Cape Cod, to New Sharon, about one hundred years ago, and . took up a tract of wild land of a hundred acres in extent. Clearing ten acres and building a log house during the first year, he moved his family into their new home the ensuing winter .. The original tract of land owned by this first representative of the name in this State is now known as the farm of Benjamin C. Roby. Here the Cape Cod emigrant lived to a re- markable old age, dying, in the home he had fashioned so long ago, in his ninety-second year. His wife also lived to a green old age, for both came of hardy Cape Cod stock. They were the parents of ten children - Reu- ben; Christopher; Gideon B. ; James; Henry ; John; Nathaniel; Hannah; one who died in infancy ; and a daughter (whose name cannot now be ascertained), who married Captain Small, of Truro, Mass. Christopher, the
ZACCHEUS A. DYER.
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second-born son, became a man of prominence, holding the office of Town Clerk for forty- three years.
Gideon B. Dyer, father of Zaccheus A., was born on Cape Cod and was but eight years old when his father moved from Massachusetts to Maine. On coming of age he bought a tract of one hundred acres of land, which is now known as the Hamlin place. Extending the boundaries of his estate, later on, by the addi- tional purchase of two hundred and twenty-five acres, he became one of the most successful farmers of the locality. He faithfully dis- charged all the duties of citizenship both in peace and war, serving as a private during the War of 1812, and receiving a land warrant for his services in that short but lively struggle with Great Britain. He was Town Treasurer
for some years. Religiously, he was con- nected by membership with the Free Baptist Church. On July 7, 1818, he wedded Mahala Sleeper, of Loudon, N. H., who was born in 1797, and died in 1857. Six children were born to them - Zaccheus A., Mahala S., Bar- low, Abigail S., Hannah A., and Samuel S.
Zaccheus A. Dyer, the special subject of this memoir, was educated in the common schools and at the High School of New Sharon. He remained under the parental roof until he had reached his twenty-sixth year, when he bought fifty acres of land and began his career as a farmer. By careful manage- ment and judicious investment he increased both the extent and value of his property until it now includes three hundred and twenty-five acres of well-cultivated land. In 1852 he built a new dwelling-house on his estate, which he still occupies. Besides holding many minor offices, Mr. Dyer has most ca- pably filled several positions of trust and honor, among them that of Deputy Sheriff, in which he served from 1860 to 1870, and Sher- iff, holding the latter office from 1870 to 1876. He was a member of the legislature of 1878 and 1879, representing the people of New Sharon with intelligence and fidelity. He has also served as Selectman of the town for one term. He is a Republican in political affilia- tion, and a Free Baptist in religious faith.
March 23, 1843, was the date of his mar- riage with Miss Emily K. Cram, who was born
in 1827, a daughter of General Varnum Cram. Five children were the result of this union : Francette A., born August 27, 1845, died February 3, 1846; Augustus L., born June 23, 1847, married Miss Emily Pottle, and is now the foreman of a shoe factory in Manches- ter, N. H .; Roland H., born September 23, 1850, married, is a merchant and hotel propri- etor in South Dakota; Milton B., born Octo- ber 7, 1852, died September 30, 1880; War- ren C., born September 21, 1855, married Miss Churchill, and is now a prominent man in Boulder, Boulder County, Col., where he holds the important and somewhat dangerous office of Sheriff. Mrs. Emily Cram Dyer died in 1860, at the age of thirty-three years. On April 30, 1861, Mr. Dyer formed a second marriage with Miss Mary H. Gillman. This lady, who was born in 1820, was the daughter of Samuel Gillman. She died in 1892, leav- ing no children. Two years later, June 23, 1894, Mr. Dyer was again married. The present Mrs. Dyer was a Miss Affie Collins in her maidenhood, a daughter of John Collins of Starks. She was born in 1824, and was a widow when married to Mr. Dyer, her first husband having been Mr. Benjamin Bradford. Mr. Dyer is a member of the Masonic Order, belonging to Franklin Lodge, No. 123, A. F. & A. M., in which he has filled all the chairs except that of Master. His eldest son is also a Mason, having attained the thirty-second de- gree in that ancient society.
R EV. STEPHEN D. RICHARDSON, a well-known clergyman of Oxford County, whose home is in Hebron, and who is Secretary of the Hebron Academy Board of Trustees, of which he has been a member some twenty-one years, is a native of this town. He was born May 24, 1825, son of Adam and Margaret (Crooker) Richardson.
Adam Richardson was born in Pembroke, Mass., May 24, 1781. A blacksmith by trade, he was also a competent farmer, and was a very industrious man. He died in Buckfield, December 28, 1843, survived by his wife Margaret, who was born in Buckfield in 1783, and was called to rest at the age of
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seventy-four. They were the parents of ten children, namely: Susan, born February 7, 1806, who died in 1864; Margaret, born Feb- ruary 21, 1808, now a resident of Otisfield, Cumberland County, Me. ; Winslow, born Oc- tober 1, 1810, who died in 1886; Adam, born July 18, 1812, who died in 1887; Rosella, born March 22, 1815, who died in 1867; Pa- tience C., born August 22, 1817, now residing in West Minot, Me. ; Mary F., born January 1, 1820, who died in 1889; Lemuel C., born August 23, 1822, who died in 1854; Stephen D., the subject of this sketch ; and Rachel C., born September 16, 1827, now residing in West Minot, Me. The first four were natives of Hartford, Me., and the last six were natives of Hebron. Mr. Adam Richardson was a Whig in political preference. In religious matters he was liberal.
Stephen D. was next to the youngest-born of the parental household. He grew to manhood in Hebron, and here received his early educa- tion, fitting for college at Hebron Academy, where he was assistant teacher in 1851 and 1852. He spent five years in Lawrence, Mass., employed as clerk in the Boston & Maine car shops, and then entered on his ministerial work after about six months' study of theology with the Rev. C. Parker. His first pastorate was at Manchester, Me., where he had charge of the Baptist church for ten years ; and the five years following he was at Fayette Corner. In 1875 he was installed as pastor of the Baptist church in Hebron, which was under his able direction for twelve years ; and later he was pastor at Tenant's Har- bor, Me., three years. On account of his wife's feeble health he was then compelled to retire from active pastoral work, though supplying pulpits at intervals. Since living in Hebron he has supplied the church at Buckfield for a year, the one in East Sumner for four years, also, in connection, the church at West Sum- ner two and a half years, besides supplying for short periods churches in the surrounding towns. As a pastor he has been very popular and successful; and he is still a very busy man, active in ministerial work, and perform- ing many important duties as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of Hebron Academy.
This institution, which has been recently
endowed and made a fitting-school for Colby College, with the addition of a handsome new building, Sturtevant Hall, is one of the best schools of the kind in the State, the tuition fees being very reasonable, considering the advantages offered. An able corps of teachers give instruction in Greek and Latin, moral science, history, English language and liter- ature and Biblical literature, the natural and physical sciences, mathematics and book-keep- ing, elocution, music, painting, and penman- ship; and a fine gymnasium, heated by steam, supplied with baths, and furnished with all necessary gymnastic apparatus, helps to de- velop the bodily strength and elasticity re- quired to keep pace with mental growth. Circulars containing full information in regard to the academy are in charge of the Principal, William E. Sargent, A. M., and the Secretary, the Rev. S. D. Richardson.
On April 15, 1855, Mr. Richardson was united in marriage with Miss Lizzie J. Mar; shall, who was born in Hebron, June 4, 1832, a daughter of Moses and Ruth (Whittemore) Marshall (both deceased). Mr. Marshall, who was born in Bethel, Me., was a mill- wright. Mrs. Richardson died in Hebron, June 29, 1894, after a long period of invalid- ism, leaving one son, Albert Marshall Rich- ardson. He was born in Manchester, Me., February 28, 1863, fitted for college at Hebron Academy, and was graduated at Colby University in 1886. Though qualified to teach, and having had two years' experience as an instructor in Wayland Seminary, Washing- ton, D.C., his taste is for mechanical work ; and he has given some attention to the ma- chinist's trade. He returned to Hebron at the time of his mother's death, and has since made his home in this town. At present he is employed in Dr. Marshall & Dunham's splint manufactory in Portland, Me. In poli- tics a Republican, he has been elected to a number of town offices, and, having served for two years as School Supervisor, is now Town Clerk and Treasurer. He married Rosa, daughter of H. A. Cushman, of Hebron, and has two children - Norman C., born in Waterville, April 12, 1892; and Albert M., born in Hebron, July 27, 1896.
The Rev. Stephen D. Richardson has long
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been prominent among the Republicans of his district. In 1869 he represented the town of Manchester, Me., in the State legislature ; and he has been School Supervisor for twenty- three years, filling that office in different towns. He is now the stated supply and act- ing pastor of the Baptist church in Peru, Ox- ford County.
To the end of his life he will doubtless re- call among his most vivid remembrances his experiences while at the front during the war of the Rebellion, when he rendered valuable services to his country and the cause of hu- manity as a delegate of the Christian Commis- sion, assigned to duty in the Shenandoah Val- ley, Virginia. He was for several weeks at Harper's Ferry, but most of the time at Win- chester, then the headquarters of the Middle Division, Veteran Corps, under General Sheri- dan, followed by General Hancock. He was there when the war closed, in charge of the Commission rooms, and was in Washington at the time of President Lincoln's funeral.
SAAC A. D. BLAKE, M.D., of Wil- ton, a well-known physician of the ho- mæpathic school and a veteran of the Civil War, was born in Lisbon, Me., December 24, 1833, son of Zebulon and Sarah A. (Durgin) Blake. His grandfather, John Blake, was an Englishman who emigrated to America in Colonial times, and served as a soldier in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. After the close of the war John Blake settled upon a tract of wild land in Maine, where he cleared a good farm, and thereafter resided upon it until his death, which occurred when he was eighty years old. He married Mercy Dean, and she lived to reach the advanced age of ninety-four years.
Her children were - John, Sally, William, Polly, Zebulon, and Susan.
Zebulon Blake, Dr. Blake's father, who was also a native of Lisbon, followed agriculture during the active period of his life. In 1835 he moved to Detroit, Me., where he tilled the soil of a good farm until his retirement from active labor. Selling his property in Detroit, he removed to Penobscot County, where he lived till 1872. He then moved to Wilton.
Here he spent the rest of his life, and he died at the age of ninety-one years. His wife, Sarah, bore him ten children, of whom John W. died in infancy, and three others before reaching maturity. The rest were - Abbie, Hiram W., Isaac A. D., Jane, Nellie, and John W. (second). The mother lived to be eighty-four years old.
Isaac A. D. Blake acquired his early educa- tion in the schools of Detroit, Me. He sub- sequently attended the Hampden Academy and the East Maine Conference Seminary at Bucksport, Me. After studying medicine with Dr. Hamilton of Hartland, he attended the Homeopathic College at Cleveland, Ohio, during the year 1858-59, and the Pennsyl- vania Medical University during that of 1860- 61. He graduated from the latter institution in 1861, and began the practice of his profes- sion in Philadelphia. A short time after leav- ing college he enlisted for service in the Civil War, being commissioned Second Sergeant of Company D, Twenty-ninth Regiment, Penn- sylvania Volunteer Infantry, with which he served as Sergeant and Lieutenant until his discharge on April 8, 1864. He afterward re-entered the army as Surgeon of the Seventy- third Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served until the close of the war. During the interval that elapsed between his first discharge and his re-enlistment, he practised medicine in Oxford, Pa., After the war he located in North Carmel, Me., where he had a large prac- tice for three years. On account of his wife's health he then moved to Lakewood, Ocean County, N. J., where he resided until 1880. Returning to Maine in that year he located in Wilton, where he has since practised with suc- cess. For some years he was able to with- stand the fatigue and exposure of a country physician's practice; but the long rides, to- gether with his increasing weight, acting on a constitution weakened by four years' expos- ure in the war, finally caused spinal and heart troubles. These infirmities compelled him to give up his outside patients, and confine him- self to his office practice. Soon after estab- lishing himself here he bought the Dunn home- stead on Main Street. This he has since re- modelled into a handsome residence in which his office is located. He is still the regular
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physician of many prominent families in Wilton.
In 1864 Dr. Blake was united in marriage to Mary H. Hill, of Philadelphia. She is a daughter of James Hill, an Englishman, and a shoemaker by trade. Dr. and Mrs. Blake have had four children, as follows: Florine, who died before reaching maturity; another child who died in infancy; Alfred C. ; and Louisa. Alfred C. graduated from the Wil- ton Academy in 1891, and entered Colby Uni- versity, class of 1895. His failing eyesight compelled him to leave at the end of one year. He has since been engaged in teaching, and is now Principal of the High School at Vance- boro. Louisa is now the wife of the Rev. Charles H. Williams, a Baptist minister, and has one son, Charles Spurgeon. In politics Dr. Blake is an Independent Republican. He is connected with Williamson Lodge, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is Secretary. Both he and Mrs. Blake are mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
HARLES W. FLINT, a retired farmer of Sweden, Oxford County, Me., and a veteran of the Civil War, was born upon the farm he now owns and occupies, August 7, 1826, son of Nathaniel and Rebecca (Ingalls) Flint. Mr. Flint's parents were both natives of Bridgton, Me., his pa- ternal grandfather, James Flint, who was born in Reading, North Parish, now North Read- ing, Mass., having come to Maine and settled upon a farm in that town in 1776. He was a son of Captain John Flint, grandson of Eb- enezer, and great-grandson of George and Elizabeth (Putnam) Flint, all residents of the North Parish of Reading. George Flint, known as Sergeant Flint, was the second son of Thomas Flint, who settled in Salem, Mass., before 1650. (See Flint Genealogy. )
Nathaniel Flint, son of James, resided in Bridgton until after his marriage, when he moved to Sweden and settled upon a tract of wild land. For some time he occupied a log house, but after clearing off a large part of his land he erected a set of frame buildings. He continued to reside here until his death, which took place in 1875. His wife, who
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