USA > Maine > Biographical sketches of representative citizens of the state of Maine > Part 33
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75
its principles until the formation of the Repub- lican party, with which he was afterward ac- tively identified.
In 1876, as a protest against a nomination which he had opposed in the convention, and with no thought of an election, Mr. Oak, at the very urgent importunities of friends and men of influence and standing in the party, allowed his name to be used as an independent candidate for Congress. This was regarded by himself and others who had been friendly to him as po- litical suicide; yet in 1880, at a convention held under the leadership of such men as Blaine, Hamlin, Hale, Boutelle, and Dingley, he was offered the regular Republican nomination for Governor, but declined, owing to personal and business interests. Mr. Blaine insisted that "there would be magic in the historic name of Lyndon Oak, of Garland." Mr. Oak subse- quently published a biographical sketch of Gen- eral James Irish, and at the time of his death was at work on a history of Garland. As the most prominent man of Garland for more than half a century, as representing the best and a fast-disappearing type of local politicians, and by reason of his marked ability and many admir- able traits of personal character, the Hon. Lyn- don5 Oak, more than any other of his branch or of his tribe, is one who deserves an extended bio- graphical sketch, such as cannot be given here.
The Hon. Lyndon" Oak married September 1, 1846, Rebecca Chadbourne Irish, who was born in Gorham, Me., September 21, 1817, and died in Garland, February 24, 1902. She was the daughter of General James3 Irish and grand- daughter of James2 Irish. General James3 Irish was of the third generation of the Irish family from the emigrant James' Irish and, throughi his mother, of the seventh generation from Thomas Rogers, who came over in the "May- flower" in 1620. James2 Irish, father of General James,3 born at Falmouth, now Portland, Me., January 28, 1736, was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary War. He died in Gorham, Me., April 1, 1816. His wife, Mary Gorham Phinney, who was the first white child born in Gorham, the date of her birth being August 24, 1736, died in that town, May 13, 1825.
General James3 Irish, the youngest of nine children, was born in Gorham, August 18, 1776,
196
AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES
.
and died June 30, 1863. From the age of six- teen years his life for almost half a century was characterized by continuous, earnest business activity. In the line of military promotion he held almost every position, from the lowest to that of Brigadier-general, to which he was ap- pointed in 1812 by the Governor of Massachu- setts. In 1816 he was detailed to sit upon a court of inquiry, held in the old City Hall of Bangor, for the trial of General Blake, charged with cowardice at the battle of Hampden, two years earlier. Among the civil offices he held by election or appointment was that of Senator in the Massachusetts Legislature in the year 1819, before the separation of the District of Maine from that State.
He was a member of the convention that framed the constitution of Maine, and was the first Representative from Gorham to the Maine Legislature after the separation from Massachu- setts. In 1824 he was appointed Land Agent, being the first on the list of Land Agents in the State of Maine. He was afterward appointed to accompany General Wool to the north-eastern boundary of Maine, to aid him in the selection of sites for military posts, and was also appointed on a commission to trace the north-eastern boundary of Maine. He was married Septem- ber 2, 1798, to Rebecca Chadbourne, who bore him ten children. She died October 5, 1831. Her father, Silas Chadbourne, who was the ma- ternal grandfather of Rebecca Chadbourne Irish (Mrs. Lyndon Oak), was a soldier in the Revo- - lutionary War.
The Hon. and Mrs. Lyndon Oak were the par- rents of three children-James Hastings," John Marshall," and Grace Elizabeth." James Has- tings Oak, of Presque Isle, Me., was born in Gar- land, Me., October 4, 1849. He married May 10, 1874, Adella Estelle Johnson, who was born in Garland in December, 1856, and died in Presque Isle, February 21, 1894. She was the daughter of Noah W. and Mary Jane (Bartlett) Johnson. Their children were: Lyndon John- son, born in Garland, March 18, 1875; Walter Charles, born in Garland, May 30, 1878; Harry Wallace, born in Caribou, Me., May 15, 1SS0; Marion Rebecca, born in Presque Isle, April 30, 1882; Ray, born in Presque Isle, Me., May 16, 1885, died July 12, 1885; Noah Johnson, born
in Presque Isle, June 1, 18S9; Mary, born in . Presque Isle, January 8, 1891; and Edson L., born in Presque Isle, February 21, 1892. James, perhaps more than any others of this generation, is deserving of great praise for the courage he has always shown in the up-hill fight it has been his fortune to make. By the death of his wife in 1894, he was left with a family of seven chil- dren, most of them of tender age. By his in- dustry and pluck he has overcome difficulties that to most of the others would have seemed insurmountable and which they would have given up in despair. His business is that of a lumberman, and he is one of the largest shippers of railroad ties and telegraph poles in Aroostook County. His eldest sons, Lyndon and Walter, served in Companies H and K, First Regiment of Maine Infantry, during the war with Spain.
John Marshall Oak, born in Garland. June 16, 1851, was graduated from the Maine State Col- lege in the class of 1873; from 1873 to 1SS0, clerk and superintendent of schools in Gar- land; 1880 to 1890, travelling salesman for Wheelwright, Clark & Co., of Bangor; 1890 to 1S98, member of the firm of Oak & Clark, Bangor, wholesale and retail clothing; 189S, October 1, appointed Postmaster of Bangor by President MeKinley; 1903, January 7, reappointed Post- master by President Roosevelt; 1896, president of Eastern Maine Republican Club: 1897, elected the first president of the Penobscot Valley Alumni Association of the University of Maine, and served till 1900. He is a member of St. Johns Commandery, K. T. of Bangor; Maine Consistory, Scottish Rite, thirty-second degree, Portland; Kora Temple, Mystic Shrine, Lewiston. He is also a member of the Tar- ratine, Melita, and Madockawando Clubs, of Bangor. John was always interested in politics, and has a very large acquaintance. He has served on the Republican County Committee and as a member of the Republican City Committee, and can probably call more people by their names than any other man in Penobscot County. He married January 11, 1882, Jennie Filelia West. Her father, Daniel West, of Bangor, was a member of Company K, Eleventh Maine Regi- ment, in the Civil War. He died and was buried at Yorktown, Va., June 5, 1862. Iler mother, whose maiden name was Susan Rounds, died
197
AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES
in Bangor in December, 1862. Her adopted father was Winthrop Chapman, Jr., of Exeter, Me., in whose family she lived from 1862 to the time of her marriage in 1SS2. No children.
Grace Elizabeth6 Oak (of Bangor, 1903) was born in Garland, June 1, 185S. On June 22, 1891, she married Jacob Nason Parker, a com- mercial traveller, who was born in Monroe, Me. No children. Mr. Parker's parents were Richard and Hannah (Nason) Parker.
Lorenzo5 Oak, born in Boscawen, N.H., May 17, 1818, son of Benjamin,+ married 1844, died August 6, 1875. Wife, Flavia Haliburton Flan- ders (Widow Webb), daughter of Jeremiah and Elizabeth (Straw) Flanders, was born November 9, 1810, died April S, 1889. Lorenzo was a skilful accountant and a man of great energy. He served as Town Clerk in Garland six years, on School Committee five years, Selectman and Town Treasurer twenty-two years, Assistant Assessor of Internal Revenue four years, and Representative to the Legislature in 1873.
The children of Lorenzo were: Frank Jere- miah6 Oak, · Boston, Mass., salesman, born in Garland, Me., May 28, 1845, died, unmarried, May 24, 1867; Benjamin Hastings Oak, Gar- land, Me., born July 4, 1847, died, unmarried, January 1, 1892; George6 Oak, Boston, Mass., lawyer, born in Garland, Me., May 2, 1851, grad- uated from Bates College, class of 1875; is un- married. The line of Oaks descending from Lorenzo seenis destined to become extinct. .
Lebbeus5 Oak was born in Boscawen, N.H., December 12, 1820. Although his attendance at school was less than that of his brothers, he acquired much general information from reading books and periodicals. He was a man of ready wit and humor, and was liked by everybody, being, perhaps, the most popular member of the Oak family. Energetic, industrious, and am- bitious, he claimed to have worked more days than any other man in Garland, and at the age of eighty-three years was hale and hearty. As Captain of the town militia and later as Major of the regiment, he did more than any other per- son toward raising the Garland quota of recruits for service in the Civil War. He went to Cali- fornia in 1899, to make his home with his young- est son, and remained there till 1901, when he returned to Garland, where he is now living
(1903). On January 18, 1843, Lebbeus Oak married Sarah Elizabeth Merriam, daughter of Josiah and Sally3 (Hill) Merriam. She was born October 23, '1825, in Mason, N.H .. and died April 18, 1886. They were the parents of six children, three of whom have passed away. namely: Sarah Adeliza,6 born June 15. 1545. died, unmarried, November 23. 1891: Edwar i Merriam," born in July, 1850, died September 3, 1852; and Mary Elizabeth," born February 25. 1853, died May 25, 1853. The survivors are: Henry Lebbeus," Ora," and Orman."
Henry Lebbeus" Oak was born in Garland. Me., May 13, 1844. His line of descent is as follows: Nathaniel,1 John,2 Nathaniel.3 Benja- min Hastings,+ Lebbeus, Henry Lebbeus."
Henry Lebbeus® Oak was graduated at Dart- mouth College in 1865. While in college he partly paid his expenses by teaching in the pub- lic schools of Exeter, Garland, and Westport. After his graduation he taught one year in Mor- ristown, N.J. Going to California in 1566, he was employed for a short time as a warehouse clerk in Petaluma. In 1867 he served as princi- pal of the Hayward Public School, and was act- ing principal of the Napa Collegiate Institute. In 1868 he was office editor of the San Francisco Occident. From 1869 until 1SS7 he was librarian of the Bancroft Library in San Francisco and superintendent of the literary industries con- nected with the library, being the author of ten of the thirty-nine volumes comprising Ban- croft's "Native Races and History of the Pa- cific Coast." On account of impaired health Mr. Oak has since lived as a semi-invalid hermit in his mountain cabin at Seigler Springs. Cal .. whiling away his time by smoking a good deal of tobacco, as he says, and by dabbling some- what in genealogical matters. For many years he has been at work on a history of the family. with its many collateral branches; but, being unable to infuse his kinsmen with such a degree of interest in his work that they will contribute toward the expense of publishing a genealogy, of the Oak tribe, he will give the manuscript to some library, probably to the New England Historic Genealogical Society of Boston, to be preserved in their library. Mr. Oak is un- married.
Ora" Oak was born in Garland, Me .. June
198
AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES
21, 1851. Starting out in life for himself when a young man, he went to the Pacific coast in 1871, and has since had a wide and varied ex- perience. He is familiar with life in Mexico, Nevada, and California, and has worked as clerk, accountant, salesman, fariner, miner, assayer, commercial traveller, real estate dealer, as a writer for the press, and in other capacities. For ten consecutive years he was a prosperous merchant in Perris, Cal., but lost his entire accu- mulations by an unfortunate investment in land. At present (1903) he is supporting his family by keeping a dry-goods establishment. Ora6 Oak married first, December 23, 1881, Bertha Millett, who died in 1887, leaving no children. He married second, September 12, 1889, Ellen+ Hewitt, who was born Septem- ber 11, 1857, a daughter of the Rev. Enoch and Lucy (Beardslee) Hewitt. Mr. and Mrs. Ora Oak have five children, namely: Alfred Henry," born April 20, 1891; Lyndon Hewitt, born No- vember 15, 1892; Liston Merriam, born Sep- tember 8, 1895; Irving Laurens, who died in 1899; and Harold,“ born in 1900.
Orman6 Oak was born in Garland, Me., No- vember 1, 1856. After learning the trade of harness-maker of his father, he carried on a good business at that occupation in Caribou, Me., until 1893. Going then to California, he first engaged in the furniture business in Perris, after- ward running a hotel in Santa Paula, but was not successful in either venture. When " dead broke," he embarked in something entirely new for a Yankee, taking up the Mexican carved leather work, an occupation for which he is especially fitted by reason of his natural ability and artistic talent. He has organized and in- corporated the Los Angeles Art Leather Com- pany, of which he is vice-president and inechan- ical manager, and is now carrying on a large and profitable business. On December 19, 1877, he married Belles Haskell, daughter of Edward and Georgiana (Towle) Haskell. She was born in Dover, Me., September 26, 1860. Mr. and Mrs. Orman Oak have had three children, namely: Edward Kent, born September 25, 1879, died in August, 1881; Ralph, born in Caribou, Me., November 29, 1880; and Amy," born in Caribou, Me., October 11, 1883.
Edson Lang Oak, Garland, Me., tanner and
currier and later boot and shoe manufacturer, born in Boscawen, N.H., November 14, 1822. married January 15, 1849, died February 9, 1892. Wife, Mary Ann Moore Prescott, daugh- ter of Joseph and Lucinda (Sargent) Prescott. born January 26, 1831. (Living in Caribou, Me .. 1903). Seven children. Edson was the young- est, tallest, strongest, richest, father of the most children, and probably, also, the best all-round business man of the family. He was a teacher for some years .. At his trade he could easily do the work of two men, but ruined his health try- ing to do the work of four. Like his brother Lyndon, he was a fine singer. He filled many offices in the town of Garland, including that of Representative to the Legislature. His children were: Maria Fellows, Joseph Prescott, Charles Edson, Willis Laurens, Fred Lyndon, Mary Re- becca and Frank Evans.
Maria Fellows" Oak (of Caribou, Me., 1903 . born in Garland, July 22, 1850, married Novem- ber 13, 1869, Captain Joseph A. Clark, merchant. born in Corinna, September 30, 1840, son of Shepard and Mary (Wiggen) Clark. He was Adjutant and Captain of the Fifteenth Maine Regiment, wounded and prisoner in Louisiana in 1863, has been member of the Legislature. and United States pension agent in 1889-93. One child, Mabel (of Caribou, Me., 1903), born September 29, 1874, married June 3, 1596, John F. Jerrard.
Joseph Prescott6 Oak (of Skowhegan, Me .. 1903), merchant, born in Garland, April 18, 1852. married first, August 25, 1875, married second. June 12, 1889. First wife was Etta Sturtevant. who died in 1877. No children. Second wife was Kathleen Louise Eaton, born January 1. 1860, daughter of Benjamin and Sarah (Totman; Eaton. They have one child, Pauline Eaton' Oak, born March 6, 1893. Joseph is a popular and prosperous business inan of Skowhegan: a member of De Molay Commandery, K. T .. having served as Eminent Commander; is a member of Kora Temple, Mystic Shrine, at Lew- iston; and of the Milburn Club, of Skowhegan."
Charles Edson" Oak (of Bangor, Me., 1903). born in Garland, Me., October 27, 1855, mar- ried January 6, 1883, Edith Mary Collins, born in Caribou, Me., February 17, 1864, daughter of Samuel Wilson and Dorcas (Hardison) Collins.
1
AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES
199
The Hon. Charles Edson Oak was graduated from the Maine State College (now University of Maine) in 1876 as a mechanical engineer. In 1882 he was admitted to the firm of S. W. Col- lins & Son, Caribou, dealers in lumber and gen- eral merchandise. In 1892 he was appointed Land Agent and Forest Commissioner and later Fish and Game Commissioner for the State of Maine, which positions he held until 1901, when he resigned to accept that of general manager of the American Realty Company, a timber- land and pulp-mill enterprise connected with the International Paper Company of New York, but with an office in Bangor. Charles, like some other members of the family, has taken considerable interest in Masonry, having served as Master of the Blue Lodge in Caribou and High Priest of the chapter in the same town. He is also a member of St. Aldenar Commandery, K. T., at Houlton. Charles is a natural-born sportsman, having spent much time in the woods and on the lakes and streams, while officially connected with the offices of Land Agent- and Fish and Game Commissioner at Augusta; and it is safe to say that in knowledge of matters per- taining to fishing and hunting, as well as of forestry and of the locations and values of timber land in the State of Maine, no man in the State is his superior.
The other children of Edson Lang and Mary Ann Prescott Oak were Willis Laurens6 Oak (of Caribou, Me., 1903), merchant and Ameri- can Express agent, born in Garland. Me., August 6, 185S, married December 25, 1889, Margaret Nelson, daughter of James and Sarah (Goss) Nelson, born May 24, 185S, died February 25, 1901. No children.
Fred Lyndon" Oak (of Caribou, Me., 1903), boot and shoe merchant, born in Garland, Me., October 21, 1860, married September 2, 1SS4, Elizabeth C. Allen, born January 8, 1863, daugh- ter of James and Lovina (Pratt) Allen. They have two children, born in Caribou, Me .: Allen Edson, born January S, 1SS8; and Malcolm Hayford, born December 14, 1892.
Mary Rebecca" Oak, born in Garland, Me., September 30, 1863, married September 10, 1891, Frank W. Barker, of Caribou, Me., dentist. She died July 29, 1892, and he died December 9, 1893. No children.
The children of Charles and Edith Collins Oak, all born in Caribou, Me., are :-
Edson Collins Oak, born October 30. 1553. cadet, 1903, Naval Academy, Annapolis, Mi .: Zelma Florence, born March 14. 1SS5: Gertru le Estelle, born August 29, 1SS6; Donald Prescott. born May 12, 1SS9.
Frank Evans" Oak (of Bangor. Me .. 1903 . clerk in office of American Realty Company. was clerk in State Land Office at Augusta from 1:92 to 1901. Born September 19, 1872. in Garazi. he married June 21, 1899, May Violette Tracy. daughter of Stephen and Violette Yeaton Tracy. They have one child, Philip Tracey. born in Augusta, Me., August 1, 1901. Frank. from his long experience in the Land Office at Augusta and from natural ability along these lines, ranks as an expert in tracing original titles from old records and locating tracts of wild land.
AMES FRANK ASHFORD, of Windsor. was born in this town, February 15. 1856, son of James E. and Hannah :. (Hilton) Ashford. His paternal grandi- father was Robert Ashford, a native of the island of Barbadoes, who was of English ex- traction, and who, coming to Maine, settled at an early date in Litchfield.
James Frank Ashford was educated in the Windsor schools and Litchfield Academy. For over twenty years he taught school for a pos- tion of each year, his pedagogic experience embracing the States both of Maine and Wiscon- sin. For a number of years his chief occupa- tion has been agriculture, and to-day he is num- bered among the flourishing and substantial
farmers of Kennebec County. His homestead. consisting of one hundred and sixty acres of well- cultivated land, with neat and commodious buildings, presents a thriving appearance. in- dicative of the thrift and energy of the proprie- tor. The free and independent. if laborious. occupation of a New England farmer, is to his taste; and none can say that he has not made good use of liis opportunities for self-advance- ment.
Mr. Ashford has taken an active part in public affairs, having served the town as Selectman for
-
.
200
AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES
four years, during one of which he was chair- man; as Superintendent of Schools, which office he held for four years; and as a member of the Republican Town Committee. For ten years he has held the position of assistant messenger in the Maine Senate. He is now assistant secre- tary of the South Kennebec County Agricultural Society. With his wife he belongs to Windsor Grange, P. of H.
He married August 30, 1882, Hattie Griffin, who was born in Chelsea, Me., a daughter of Adoniram and Naomi (Douglass) Griffin. Mrs. Ashford's father was a native of Vassalboro, Me., and her mother of Litchfield. Mr. and Mrs. Ashford have had five children, of whom there are four now living, namely-George R., Mae H., Robert V., and James L. The one who died was Harold A.
EORGE KEITH, who has resided on his present farm, one and a quarter miles west of Fayette Corner, Kenne- bec County, since 1864, was born in Pownal, Cumberland County, Me., February 22, 1828, a son of Timothy and Elizabeth (Marston) Keith. The father, Timothy Keith, settled in Cumberland County, Maine, with his parents, when a mere boy, and subsequently resided there for many years. A seafaring man, he was at one time mate on the steamer "Port- land." He met his death by drowning in Bos- ton Harbor early in the fifties of the nineteenth century. His wife, mother of the subject of this sketch, was a native of North Yar- mouth, Me.
George Keith was educated in the common schools of Pownal, and as a youth made the best of his limited opportunities for obtaining an education. Early trained to agricultural labor, he has since made farming his regular occupation, which, followed intelligently and with industry, has made him one of the thriving citizens of the town. Mr. Keith has been one
of the most energetic workers in the local ranks of the Republican party, having served for some fifteen years on the Republican Town Commit- tee, of which he was for a while the chairman. He was also a Selectman of Fayette for two years, and he has been ready at all times with
his aid and influence to advance the cause of good local government and the prosperity and progress of the town. For seven years he was a trustee of the Kennebec County Agricultural Society and for two years chairman of the Board of Trustees. He is a member and chair- man of the Board of Directors of Starling Grange, No. 156, P. of H., at North Fayette.
Mr. Keith married May 6, 1849, Miss Huldah J. Adel, a native of Readfield, Me., and daughter of Christopher Adel, who in his day was a well- known citizen of that town. Of this union were born four children: Mary J., wife of Albion Gordon, of Fayette, Me .; Charles H., who resides at East Livermore Mills, Me .; Sallie A., who is now deceased; and Alonzo S., who resides in Fayette. Mrs. Huldah J. Keith died May 28, 1892.
ILLIAM GILMAN HESELTON is an elderly and substantial citizen of Skowhegan, in which place he has been a resident since 1866. His birth took place in Belgrade, December 17, 1822, his par- ents being Reuben and Hannah (Gilman) Heselton.
Reuben Heselton, the father, was born in Winthrop, Me., in which town his father was an early settler. A farmer by occupation, he re- sided for the most part in Pittston, where he died in his ninety-first year. His wife was a native of Belgrade, Me. They were the parents of six children, among them being-Elizabeth. William G., Reuben, Harriet, George M., and Delphine.
William Gilman Heselton, who was eight years old when his parents removed to Pittston. resided there until reaching the age of fourteen. Then leaving home he went to Hallowell, Me., where he learned the trade of tinsmith with the firm of Prescott & Wood. A few years later he engaged in business for himself in North Anson, Me., in the manufacture and sale of tinware and hardware, and so continued for several years. He then purchased a saw and grist mill in North Anson, which he conducted for some years. Coming to Skowhegan in 1866, he engaged here in the hotel business, in which he remained for fifteen years, being
201
AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES
proprietor of the Elm House four years and of the Turner House eleven years, or until it burned. At the end of this period Mr. Heselton turned his attention to agriculture and lumbering, and he has since resided on his homestead farin of sixty acres, which he cultivates successfully. He is a member of Skowhegan Grange, P. of H. In politics he is a Democrat. The position of comfortable independence that he has attained has been well earned by intelligent, well-directed industry, and is due to no extraneous assistance or accident of fortune.
Mr. Heselton was married May 18, 1844, to Elizabeth Baker, a native of Moscow, Me. She was born October 13, 1822, a daughter of Will- iam and Lydia (Densmore) Baker. Both her parents were born in Maine, her mother being a native of Concord. Somerset County. Mr. and Mrs. Heselton have had nine children, of whom there are now but four survivors. These are-Franklin B .. William H., Martin B., and Alphonso, all residents of Skowhegan. The de- ceased are-Ganzelo C., Lydia B., Alphonso, Elizabeth B., and Edwin C.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.