USA > Maine > Biographical sketches of representative citizens of the state of Maine > Part 23
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man's brigade, Howard's division. In this command the Nineteenth Maine was first under fire at Charleston, W. Va., and next at Fred- ericksburg, where several men were wounded. Under the command of Colonel Heath this regiment. was conspicuously engaged at Gettys- burg, where, facing a terrific fire, sixty-eight men were killed or mortally wounded, one hundred and twenty-seven were wounded, and four were missing, undoubtedly killed-a total loss of one hundred and ninety-nine out of four hundred and four present. It is a matter of history that the greatest percentage of loss in any brigade, in any one action during the war, occurred at Gettysburg in Harrow's bri- gade, composed of the Nineteenth Maine, Fif- teenth Massachusetts, First Minnesota, and the Eighty-second New York Regiments. These four regiments went into the action with one thousand two hundred and forty-six officers and men, of whom they lost sixty-one per cent. killed and wounded.
In the battle of the Wilderness Lieutenant, then Captain, Parsons was shot through the arm, when he was granted a sixty days' fur- lough, and came home. While returning to his command he was at the battle in front of Fort Stevens, in command of convalescents, when Early made his attack on Washington. During the battle President Lincoln was con- spicuous in the fort.
He was promoted to be First Lieutenant of Company A, November 21, 1862; Captain of Company B, June 23, 1863; and Major of his regiment, November 11, 1864. Major Parsons fought with his regiment in all the principal battles of the Army of the Potomac, from the first battle of Fredericksburg to Appomattox, except when absent, wounded. He served faithfully to the close of the war, and was mustered out May 30, 1865. The Nineteenth Regiment went to the front under the last call by the President for three years' men, "who went without bounty.
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph W. Spaulding, who went out as First Lieutenant, and Major Parsons, were the only two men who went out with the Nineteenth Regiment as commis- sioned officers, and returned as such. Of such a record any one has a right to be proud, and
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those of the present generation have cause to be grateful that such men were found in plenty in the nation's hour of trial. As their valor and devotion saved the Union, so will their fame endure and intensify as time rolls on.
Returning home after his discharge, Major Parsons read medicine with Dr. John Robbins, of Norridgewock, having chosen and commenced preparing for this profession while in college. He attended lectures first at Harvard Univer- sity, and completed his course at the medical department of Bowdoin College, where he grad- uated in the class of 1866. His first practice was in Stetson, Me., where he remained till 1870. Then for a few years he was in Norridge- wock; and since 1874 he has practised his pro- fession in Oakland, where he has built up an excellent reputation both as a physician and surgeon. He is a member of the Kennebec County Medical Association, the Maine State Medical Association, and the American Medical Association. He is fraternally affiliated with the Free Masons and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Grand Army of the Re- public, and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion.
Dr. Parsons was married February 20, 1864, to Clara A. Rogers, of Stetson, Me., who bore him one child, David Whitman. This son, who graduated from the Yale Law School in 1893, is now an attorney-at-law in Minneapolis, Minn. Mrs. Clara A. Parsons died in 1869, and in 1872 Dr. Parsons married Belle F. Bixby, of Norridgewock. Of this second mar- riage there is one child, Mary Bixby, who re- sides with her parents.
AMUEL H. WOODBURY, a well- known and respected citizen of Brewer, Penobscot County, Me., is a native of Bremen, Lincoln County. He was born August 14, 1847, son of Samuel H., Sr., and Jane (Bryant) Woodbury, and is the only survivor of a family of four children. His father was a merchant in Bremen, where he died, aged thirty-seven years. His mother was born at Bristol, Me., being a daughter of Robert and Sally (Morton) Bryant.
Having acquired a knowledge of the element-
ary branches of study in the schools of his na- tive town, Samuel H. Woodbury at the age of twelve years went to sea. During the twenty- seven years following he made foreign voy- ages, advancing from the position of ship's boy to that of able seaman, and thence in course of time to that of captain, in which capacity he continued for fifteen years. Subsequently abandoning his original calling, he started in his present business in Brewer, that of dealer in stoves and hardware, in which he has been quite successful. He is also identified with many other industries and business enter- prises, among them the Smith Planing Mill Co., of which he is treasurer and director. A Re- publican in politics, he has taken a close inter- est in public affairs, and has held many offices of trust and responsibility, being at the present time one of the Board of Assessors and Trus- tee of Brewer Savings Bank. He was the first City Treasurer of Brewer, assuming the duties of that office on the city's receiving its charter in 1SS9. He belongs to Bristol Lodge, A. F. & A. M., No. 74, of Bristol; Wildey Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Brewer; and for thirteen years has been Recorder of Brewer Lodge, A. O. U. W.
Mr. Woodbury married on January 7, 1872, Stella A. Hall, daughter of Washington and Sarah (Hall) Hall, of Brewer, Me., her mother being a daughter of Daniel Hall. Mr. and Mrs. Woodbury have two children, Grace B. and Doris H., both of whom were born in Brewer.
EWALL PETTINGILL, of Wayne, Kennebec County, was born in this town, April 26, 1839, son of Isaac and Hannah (Norris) Pettingill. His father and mother were both of English de- scent. About the year 1786 his paternal grandfather, William Pettingill, who had been a Revolutionary soldier (one record in the State archives shows that he was a corporal in Cap- tain Joseph Cole's company in 1778), came from Bridgewater, Mass. to the then District of Maine, settling in Leeds, Androscoggin County. Born in Leeds, April 10, 1797, Isaac Pettingill learned the blacksmith's trade, which he followed in connection with farming through-
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out the active period of his life. In 1837 or 1838 he moved to Wayne, residing there until his death, which occurred in September, 1873. His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah Norris, was a native of Wayne.
After concluding his attendance at the pub- lic schools of his native town, Sewall Pettingill pursued the higher branches of study taught at the Topsham (Me.) Academy and the Maine Wesleyan Seminary at Kent's Hill. When a young man he turned his attention to school teaching, and taught seven winter terms in Wayne. The disasters suffered by the Fed- eral troops during the first few months of the
Civil War, which seriously threatened the in- tegrity of the Union, roused his patriotism; and on July 30, 1862, he enlisted as a private in Company F, Eleventh Maine Volunteer In- fantry. His regiment, which was attached at intervals to the commands of Generals Butler, Ord, Terry, and others, operated chiefly in Virginia, participating in the battles of Drury's Bluff, Bermuda Hundred, Deep Bottom, Deep Run, Fort Harrison, and numerous other en- gagements. It was under fire for a greater part of the time during the siege of Peters- burg; and in the concluding operations under General Grant at Appomattox Court House, which resulted in the surrender of General Lee, April 9, 1865, it lost forty-six men while charg- ing upon a Confederate battery. Mr. Pettingill was honorably discharged and mustered out June 12, 1865, at Richmond, Va. He returned to Wayne, and has ever since continued to re- side here, giving his attention principally to agricultural pursuits.
For a period of eleven years he was a mem- ber of the Board of Selectmen, serving as its chairman a portion of the time. He was for two years Town Treasurer, has been a member of the School Committee for a number of years, was elected a County Commissioner in Sep- tember, 1896, and is now chairman of the board, having retained his membership six years. In politics he is a Republican. His record in public affairs has been marked by a sturdy adherence to upright principles and a' determination to properly safeguard the in- terests of the town and county. He was for- merly Commander of Albert H. Frost Post, No.
21, Grand Army of the Republic, Winthrop, Me., and was the first Commander of Lewis H. Wing Post, No. 167, of Wayne. He is also a member of Asylum Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Pocasset Lodge, No. 6, Ancient Order of United Workmen; and of Wayne Grange, Patrons of Husbandry.
Mr. Pettingill was first married September 20, 1860, to Mary H. Sanborn, of Fayette, Me., daughter of John and Mary (Bachelor) San- born, late of that town. Of this union there was one son, Francis S., who is no longer living. His first wife died March 28, 1862. He married March IS, 1866, Emma F. Bishop, daughter of Jesse and Lucy (Maxim) Bishop, late of Wayne. The children of this union are: Mary E., wife of Luther M. Norris, of Wayne; Blanche A., a public school teacher; and Olin S., who is now attending the Maine Wesleyan Seminary at Kent's Hill.
ANIEL GLIDDEN, a venerable and highly respected resident of Randolph, is a native of Whitefield, Me., and was born September 13, 1821. His parents were Charles and Ruth A. (Plummer) Glidden, the father being a lifelong resident of Whitefield, and the mother of Jefferson, Me. Ilis paternal grandfather, Charles Glidden, Sr., was an early settler in Lincoln County, Maine. His grandfather's brother, Arnold Glidden, participated in the War of 1812.
Left an orphan at the age of nine years, Daniel Glidden went to reside with his brother- in-law, John W. Chapman, in Nobleboro, Me., where he remained for about six years, and at the expiration of that time he went to sea. After spending some four years as a sailor in the coastwise and West India trade, he aban- cloned a seafaring life to labor as a farm assist- ant; and he was subsequently employed in the lumbering industry. In February, 1845; he found employment in a shipyard in Pittston, and for about thirty years was actively iden- tified with the ship-building industry of that town, acting for a considerable portion of that time as foreman in the yard of William Brad- street. Subsequently for a number of years he was employed in a similar capacity by
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DAVID F. AUSTIN.
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Stevens & Co., well-known ice dealers of Pittston in their day; and he was afterward engaged in the lumbering business on his own account. During his residence in Pittston Mr. Glidden was for a period of eight years chairman of the Board of Selectmen, and he has also served as a Selectman in Randolph. Politically, he is a Democrat. Having been from his boyhood, through force of circumstances, compelled to fight the battle of life unaided, he has learned by actual experience the true value of energy and perseverance as elementary principles of success.
Mr. Glidden has been twice married. Of his union with Joanna A. Dudley, his first wife, who was a native of Mount Vernon, Me., there were four children, two of whom are living, namely: Mary E., a teacher in the Dorchester (Mass.) public schools; and Walter S. Glidden, a resident of Somerville, Mass. The others were William R. and Warren C. For his sec- ond wife he married Mrs. Elizabeth M. Quimby, of Pittston. She was born in St. Stephen, N.B., daughter of Joel and Temperance (Chase) Green. Her father was a native of Norridge- wock, Me., and her mother was born in the province of New Brunswick. Joel Green was a soldier in the War of 1812. Mrs. Glidden is a member of the Woman's Relief Corps of Gardiner, Me.
AVID FARNHAM AUSTIN, a promi- nent representative of the agricult- ural interests of the town of Read- field, Kennebec County, was born in Belgrade, this county, October 24, 1819, son of Nahum and Jane (Farnham) Austin. His paternal grandfather, Moses Austin, who was a Revolutionary soldier and of English ancestry, settled in Belgrade in 1789, and died in 1823. Nahum Austin, who was born in Lebanon, York County, Me., was ten years old when he accompanied his parents to Bel- grade. Here lie remained for the rest of his life, which terminated March 13, 1881. In- heriting the militant patriotism of his father, he served against England in the War of 1812. His wife, Jane Farnham Austin, was a native of Belgrade. Their children were: Lidia, Da-
vid F., Moses, Jane, Draxanah, Paulina, Martha J., Louis A., Nahum, Orintlia, Charles, and Georgianna.
David F. Austin was reared to manhood on his parents' farm in Belgrade, acquiring his education in the public schools of the town. The knowledge thus gained has been supple- mented in later life by miscellaneous reading and practical experience in the affairs of life. In the spring of 1840 he went to Boston, Mass., and thence, after a short stay, to Cambridge, Mass., where for seven years he held a position as an officer in the Cambridge almshouse. Sub- sequently he was in the employ, as messenger, of the Tremont Bank of Boston, which in 1863 became merged into the Tremont National Bank, his period of service in the institution before and after its consolidation amounting in all to fourteen years. Afterward he was employed for six years as messenger for differ- ent insurance companies. In 1869 Mr. Austin settled on his present farm in Readfield, where he lias since resided. Here he has a good farm, consisting of three hundred acres of well- improved land. Capable and industrious, he has met with well-deserved success.
Mr. Austin was married December 31, 1859, to Mary J. Weaver, a native of Belgrade, Me., and daughter of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Rol- lins) Weaver. Mrs. Austin's mother was also a native of Belgrade, while her father was born in Mercer, Somerset County, Me. Her maternal grandmother was a Crowell, belonging to the Cape Cod family of that name, founded by John Crowe, an Englishman, who with his wife Elishua settled in Yarmouth, Mass., in 163S. They had previously lived for a few years in Charlestown, Mass. Succeeding gen- erations changed the family name to Crowell.
Mr. and Mrs. Austin have been the parents of six children, of whom three are now living. namely: Arthur E., M.D., professor of medical chemistry at Tufts Medical College, Boston, Mass .; John B, who resides in Methuen, Mass .; and Mary E., formerly a student at Radcliffe . College, Cambridge, Mass., who resides with her parents in Readfieldl Those deceased are Carrie M ; David E., and Minnie F.
Mr. Austin is a Democrat in politics, but above all a public-spirited citizen, ready at
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any time to do his share in advancing the moral and material interests of the community. In Free Masonry he has taken the thirty- second degree, and he has been a member of the Massachusetts Lodge, at Boston, Mass., for some years, over half a century. He and his wife are members of Readfield Grange, P. of H.
AMUEL HENRY MORRILL, a well- known citizen of Oakland, Me., where he has been engaged in mercantile business since 1894, was born in Readfield, in the west central part of Kennebec County, April 23, 1838. His parents were Samuel and Sarah H. (Hutchinson) Morrill, his father a native of New Hampshire, his mother of Readfield. His maternal grand- father, Joseph Hutchinson, removed from New Hampshire to Maine in 1790, and, buying land in the eastern part of the town of Readfield, built a log house. He married Annie Whittier, and reared a family of thirteen children.
Samuel Morrill died in Readfield in 1843, being then forty-three years of age. A Levi Morrill, who was an early settler in Readfield, went from Brentwood, N.H., it is said. Abra- ham Morrill, of Salisbury, Mass., the immi- grant progenitor of many of this name in New England, was in Cambridge, Mass., in 1632. It is thought that he came from England in the "Lion" in 1632 with his brother Isaac, who set- tled in Roxbury, Mass. Isaac Morrill left no sons to perpetuate the name. The descendants of Abraham, of Salisbury, are numerous.
Samuel H. Morrill grew to manhood in his native town, obtaining a common school edu- cation and being employed from time to time in various fields of useful industry. He was but five years old when his father died. In his twentieth year he left his home in Read- field, and went to California, journeying by way of the Isthmus of Panama and going to the Butte County mines, where he made but a brief stay, returning then to Maine. He afterward made two other visits to California, and in the second, which was of several years' duration, he devoted himself to farming in the Santa Clara and San Joaquin valleys.
In 1875 Mr. Morrill, in company with C. W. Parsons, under the firm name of Parsons & Morrill, established himself in business at Read- field Depot, keeping a store and dealing in gen- eral merchandise and country produce. This firm, after a time, was succeeded by that of Morrill & Gordon, Mr. Morrill's partner being Nelson D. Gordon. They continued engaged in mercantile business at Readfield Depot until 1890, when Mr. Morrill sold out his interest in that concern. Subsequently he was engaged for a brief period in the grain business at Water- ville, Me. In 1894, as noted above, he estab- lished himself at Oakland, where he is engaged at this day as a dealer in flour, grain, feed, grass seed, fertilizers, and different kinds of lumber, such as laths, shingles, and other carpenter's supplies.
In politics Mr. Morrill is independent of parties, preferring to cast his vote according to his own judgment for the best men and meas- ures. At Readfield Depot he served for four years as postmaster, and in Waterville he was a member of the City Council. He is a member of Messalonskee Lodge, F. & A. M., of Oak- land, and of Trinity Commandery, K. T., of Augusta.
He married in November, 1871, Mary E. Greeley, daughter of Henry and Nancy (Whit- tier) Greeley, of Readfield. They have two children, namely: Evelyn G., wife of Charles H. Frizzelle, of Augusta, Me .; and Charles H., of Oakland.
In 1886 Mr. and Mrs. Morrill took a pleasure trip to California, going with the Grand Army excursionists and visiting many places of inter- est. His travels and experience of life on the Pacific coast have, as it would appear, but strengthened his attachment to his native State of Maine. Here, therefore, he makes his home.
ILLIAM W. KNIGHT, of the firm of Knight & Lord, general merehants, Pittston, was born in Bath, Me., June 9, 1873, son of William A. and Sarah J. (McFadden) Knight. The city of Bath was his mother's birthplace. His paternal grandfather, William Knight, was a native of Wayne, Me., and an early settler in Pittston. His father,
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William A: Knight, was a native and lifelong resident of Pittston, being employed in the lumbering industry on the Kennebec River. He died January 27, 1896.
William W. Knight began his studies in the public schools of Pittston. He was graduated from the Gardiner High School in 1891, and from the Dirigo Business College, Augusta, Me., in 1892. Two years later, in company with A. E. Lord, under the firm name of Knight & Lord, he embarked in the general mercantile business at Pittston, in which he is still engaged, carrying on a large and profitable trade.
In politics Mr. Knight is a Republican, and has been actively concerned in local public affairs ever since his majority, having served upon the School Committee six years, as town Treasurer three years, and being now in his third year as a member of the Board of Selectmen. He was Postmaster at Pittston for six years, holding that position until the post-office was discontinued on account of the establishment in this locality of the Rural Free Delivery Sys- tem.
On June 30, 1902, Mr. Knight married Miss Estelle Beedle, of South Gardiner.
OHN F. LAMB, a veteran of the Civil War, now (1902) president of the Board of Trade of Lewiston, Me., was born in the town of Clinton, in the north-eastern part of Kennebec County, November 24, 1843. Son of James3 and Lovina (Low) Lamb, he is a descendant of a pioneer settler of the Kenne- bec River region of Maine.
His great-grandfather, James Lamb, first, was a Scotch Highlander, who came to America with the British troops, and was wounded on the Plains of Abraham at the taking of Quebec, in September, 1759. Discharged from the army immediately after the battle, he went to New Hampshire, settling in New London, whence some years later he removed to Goffstown, now Sunapee. His son, James Lamb, second, migrat- ing eastward, made a home for himself and family in the then wood-covered wilds of Clin- ton, Me. In 1813 James Lamb, second, and his son James, third, born February 4, 179S, enlisted to serve in the second war with Great
Britain, the latter, then a youth of fourteen. being surgeon's assistant.
James Lamb, second, who was First Sergeant. was wounded in the leg by an English bulle :. which he carried in the limb over forty years. He served one year as Representative from Clinton in the Massachusetts Legislature ar. I later in the Maine Legislature. James Lato. third, died at Clinton, Me., in 1865. His wie Lovina, who was born in that town in Isol. died there in 1867. She was a daughter .: James Low, a millwright, who came to t- province of Maine from Massachusetts on horseback, bringing his kit of tools. He mer- ried Lucy Chase, who was the first white child born in the town, her birth occurring iz 1773. She was the daughter of Matthew' and Polly (Hankerson) Chase. Her father was born in 1739, son of Roger+ and Abigail Mor- rison) Chase. Roger+ Chase, born in 1704. was son of Thomas3 Chase, of Newbury. Mass .. ati his wife Sarah, and grandson of Thons? and Rebecca (Follansbee) Chase, Thomas? being soz of Aquila1 Chase, immigrant, of Hampton. N.H .. and Newbury, the founder of the most numer- ous branch of the family of this surname in New England. Abigail Morrison, wife ci Roger+ Chase, was a daughter of Daniel and Mary Morrison.
James Lamb and his wife Lovina had thirteen. children. Of these the three now living are: Albion K., John F., and Emma, who is the wife c: George E. Searles. Mr. and Mrs. Searles have three children -- Henry, Albion K., and Ella.
John F. Lamb was educated in the pldie schools of Clinton and Lewiston, completing his course of study in Clinton. Enlisting as a private in the Thirteenth Maine Regiment of Volunteers, at the age of eighteen, he served from 1861 to the fall of 1862 in General Benjamin F. Butler's command. After his discharge he went to California and Nevada. In Nevada he was First Lieutenant of a company to protect the white people from the Indians.
Returning to Maine in 1865, he was engag- ] in the hardware business in Clinton up to IsNO. when he removed to Livermore Falls. Andres- coggin County. To the same business there he gave his attention for eight years, and for the next four years he discharged the duties
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of Sheriff of the county. At the close of his term of office he engaged in the hardware busi- ness in Livermore Falls, afterward selling out to his son-in-law, W. A. Stuart. Mr. Lamb's time is now (1903) sufficiently employed in the discharge of his duties as a member of the city government, in looking after his real estate and other interests, and in presiding at the meet- ings of the Lewiston Board of Trade, he having been elected its official head in the year 1902 and re-elected in 1903.
He is a member and Past Commander of Kin- ball Post, No. 38, Grand Army of the Republic, served as Senior Vice-Department Commander of the State and as a member of the Council of Administration. As a Mason he is a mem- ber of Oriental Star Lodge of the Royal Arch Chapter, both of Livermore Falls, of the Lewis- ton Commandery, Council, and Kora Temple, Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows of Livermore Falls. He helped to organize different banks at Livermore Falls, Lewiston, and other places. He is a Republican in politics, and served as a member of the lower branch of the State Legislature in 1871 and 1872.
On August 20, 1865, Mr. Lamb married Lovina C. Pratt, daughter of Mathew and Sarah (Chase) Pratt. Her father was born in Clinton, Me., July 3, 1815, son of David and Martha (Chase) Pratt. He died June 20, 1900. Her mother, a native of Blanchard, Me., was daughter of Francis Chase and his wife, Betsey Spearin.
Mr. and Mrs. Lamb have three children liv- ing, namely: Emma, born September 14, 1868; Helen F., born May 1, 1877; and James B., born February 1, 1SS4. Their eldest child, Mabel L., born June 7, 1866, died October 29, 1899. She was the wife of W. A. Stuart. She had no children. Emma Lamb is the wife of Mr. James Huston and the mother of two children, namely: John L., born April, 1890; and Maud, born in July, 1892.
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