USA > Maine > Biographical sketches of representative citizens of the state of Maine > Part 45
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In 1877, as senior Associate Justice, he became president of the Electoral Commission convened early that year. Although a firm believer in Mr. Tilden's election, he conducted the proceed- ings with perfect impartiality. In October, 18SO, attacked by serious illness involving a complication of disorders, he was obliged to submit to amputation of the foot. From this sickness he never fully recovered, but died in Cornish, Me., July 25, 1881. His wife, in maidenhood Hannah Ayer, whom he married in 1826, was born in 1811, a daughter of Captain James Ayer, of Newfield, Me. She died August 2, 1892, aged eighty-one years and five months. They had six children-Charles Edward, Nancy A., Nathan J., Hannah Frances, William Henry, and George Franklin.
Charles Edward Clifford, born in Newfield, Me., November 2, 1828, married Antoinette Ellis Ayer, of Newfield, and had five children- Charles H., Nathan S., Edward C., Franklin M., and Hannah C.
Nancy A. Clifford became the wife of E. G. Cummings, and had four children-Nathan C., Fannie C., Annie C., and Lincoln C. She died November 14, 1899. Hannah Frances married Philip Henry Brown (a brother of the mother of the subject of this sketch), and had six chil- dren-Philip G., Nathan C., Frances, Annie E., John C., and Helen C. She died December 20, 1900. George Franklin married Martha O'Brion, and has four children-Hannah, Ellen, Mary, and William Henry.
The Hon. William Henrys Clifford, son of Nathan and Hannah (Ayer) Clifford, was born in Newfield, York County, Maine, August 11, 1840. He fitted for college at Portland Academy and Professor Wood's school at Yar- mouth, Me. Graduating from Dartmouth Col- lege in 1859, he began the study of law in Port- land in the office of Shepley & Dana, completing his course under Benjamin R. Curtis, of Boston. Upon his admission to the bar he opened a law office in Portland, where he practised his pro- fession up to the time of his death, which oc- curred September 18, 1901. As a lawyer he achieved a marked success. For eight or ten years he was Commissioner of the United States Circuit Court for the District of Maine, and he later acquired an extensive practice in the
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Federal courts of this and neighboring circuits and in the Supreme Court at Washington. He was the author of Clifford's Reports, a compila- tion of Justice Clifford's decisions on the New England Circuit (four volumes). From an carly period in his life Mr. Clifford took an active part in the political contests in Maine on the Democratic side, and shared the fortunes of his party in this State. He achieved a high posi- tion as a Democratic leader, participating in every political campaign from the close of the Civil War, and rendering other services to his party outside the State. He was twice nomi- nated as Democratic candidate for Congress in the First District of Maine, once against John H. Burleigh and the second time as the oppo- nent of Thomas B. Reed, and won credit and respect both by his ability as a political speaker and by the vigor and energy of his campaigns. He served on the National Democratic Com- mittee, and presided at State conventions of his party, his opening speeches on these occa- sions being printed as campaign documents. He was also the author of numerous speeches and addresses of a literary and other character. ("Biographical Review of Cumberland County, Maine," 1896.)
In August, 1866, he married Ellen G. Brown, daughter of the Hon. J. B. Brown, of Portland. They had six children, all born in Portland, namely-Nathan, Matilda Greely, John Brown, Helen Greely, William Henry, and Philip Greely. Of these, John Brown died young, and Helen Greely in infancy. Matilda Greely, born July 20, 1869, is unmarried, and resides in Port- land. William Henry, born July 28, 1875, is unmarried. He is a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. Philip Greely Clifford, born September 10, 1882, was graduated, June, 1903, from Bowdoin College.
Nathanl' Clifford, born June 17, 1867, was fitted for college at the Portland High School and Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., and was graduated from Harvard University, June, 1890. He studied law in the office of his father, Will- iam Henry Clifford, was admitted to the bar May, 1893, and since that time he has practised his profession successfully in Portland.
He married May 5, 1897, Caroline L. Devens, of Boston, Mass., a daughter of the late Captain
Edward Fesser Devens of the United States navy, whose wife, mother of Mrs. Clifford, was Abbie Maria Fairbanks, of Charlestown, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Clifford are the parents of two children, both born in Portland: Katherine Louisa, August 18, 1898; and Nathan, August 9, 1900. Mr. Clifford is a member of the Maine Historical Society and the Maine Genealogical Society. He is a Democrat, and has been quite active in politics.
IMEON KEITH, who for many years was engaged in the business of car- riage trimming and harness making in Waterville, was a native and life- long resident of Kennebec County. His birth- place was the town of Winslow, where his father, Sidney Keith, was a pioneer settler, removing thither from Bridgewater, Mass. Sidney Keith, born in 1783, was a descendant in the fifth gen- eration of the Rev. James Keith, who came from Scotland in 1662, and was ordained and settled in February, 1664, as the first minister of Bridgewater. His church, the First Congre- gational, in West Bridgewater, is now Unita- rian.
The Rev. James1 Keith married Susanna, daughter of Deacon Samuel Edson. The line of descent was continued through their son Timothy,2 who married Hannah Fobes; Nathan,3. born in 1714, who married Hannah Snell; Sim- eon,+ born in 1749, who married Molly Cary, and was the father of Sidney,5 named above, and grandfather of Simeon,6 the subject of this sketch, who was born October 26, 1814. Han- nah Snell, wife of Nathan Keith, was a daughter of Joseph2 Snell and his wife, Hannah Williams, who was a grand-daughter of Richard1 Williams, "perhaps the most prominent of the first set- tlers of Taunton," Mass., now known by gene- alogists as a distant kinsman of Oliver Crom- well.
Sidney Keith, on coming to Winslow, erected a log cabin in the wilderness, and cleared a farm, which he occupied for the rest of his life. Simcon Keith was educated at the Winslow village school. He learned the saddler's and carriage-trimmer's trades in Augusta, Me., and. for over thirty years was employed as an up-
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holsterer in the car shops of the Maine Central Railway in Waterville. After leaving the ser- vice of that company, he engaged in the busi- ness of carriage trimming and harness-making for himself at Waterville. He took a lively interest in local public affairs, especially the fire department, of which for a long period he was chief engineer, but was not an aspirant to political office. His citizenship was of such a loyal and unselfish character as to commend him to the esteeni and confidence of the entire community. Mr. Keith died in Waterville, De- cember 17, 1901. He was a member of Samari- tan Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and his religious affiliations were with the Uni- tarian church.
Simeon Keith was married November 26, 1840, to Lydia Frances Hill, daughter of Purmot and Lydia R. (Smith) Hill. She was born in Exeter, N.H., December 5, 1820. Her paternal grandfather, Jonathan Hill, a Revolutionary soldier, rendered valuable service to his coun- try early in the war by carrying in the face of much personal danger an important despatch from General Washington in Cambridge, Mass., to the Continental authorities in Philadelphia. In the New Hampshire Revolutionary Rolls his name is found in various records; for ex- ample, in vol. iii, p. 649, in " A Return of Sol- diers in the New Hampshire Regiments" en- listed before January, 1781, for the town of Exeter during the war; and again, Jonathan Hill, drummer, Captain Robinson's company, was one of the subscribers to a receipt for bounty money, dated Exeter February 7, 1781. Also a muster-roll of Captain Caleb Robinson's company in Colonel Nathan Hale's regiment contains the name of Jonathan Hill, Exeter, mustered February 4, 1777.
Purmot Hill, father of Mrs. Keith, was born in Exeter, March 14, 1797. On February 13, 1820, he married Lydia R. Smith, who was born in Dover, N.H., September 30, 1797. Not long after the birth of Lydia, their eldest child, Mr. and Mrs. Hill settled in Waterville, where for many years Mr. Hill carried on an extensive business as a manufacturer of carriages and sleighs. Incapacitated by his advanced age from serving in the field during the Civil War, he displayed his patriotism by volunteering liis
services as a repairer of ambulances. He died in Waterville, August 19, 1871, and his wife died May 7, 1879. They were the parents of nine children. Of these four-Arianna S .. Cordelia, Samuel H., and Charlotte S .- are deceased. The survivors are: Lydia F .. now Mrs. Keith; Augustus Mark, who married Har- riet Dresser, of Castine, Me .; James Preston. an account of whom will be found upon another page of this book; Julia Ann, widow of Dr. Larkin Dunton, late of Allston. Mass .: and Charlotte Elizabeth, wife of Dr. Henry Aders. of Pukwana, S. Dak. Arianna S. married Moses J. Kelley, of New Sharon, Me. Cordelia was the first wife of Dr. Henry Adams, and had four children. For a more detailed account of the Hill family the reader is referred to sketches of James P. and Dr. James F. Hill, which appear elsewhere in this volume.
Mrs. Lydia F. Keith, in the early years of her married life, became the mother of six chi !- dren, namely: Sidney, born August 26. 1542. who died October 10, 1890; Arianna. bors March 2, 1845, died in infancy; Willard, born May 15, 1847, died May 14, 1886: Charles F .. born June 12, 1849; Marion, born May 9. 1552. and Robert, born May 22, 1855. Sidney Keith. named for his grandfather, married Minnie Nichols, of Bangor. Willard Keith married Hattie S. Cameron, of Milwaukee, and had one son, Robert. Charles Keith married Sadie C. Pingree, of Portland, and has one son. Albert Russell, now (1903) a student in Harvard Me.I- ical School. Marion Keith is a teacher in the public schools of Allston, a district of Boston. Mass. Robert Keith married Julia Willoughby. of Lebanon, Ind. They live in Milwaukee. and have one son, Charles.
RANK HINCKLEY, a well-known and respected citizen of Bangor, was born in this city, July 9, 1844, son of Daniel Bill- ings and Mary Ann (Gorham) Hinckley.
His first lineal ancestor in this country was Samuel1 Hinckley, who with his wife Sarah and four children came over in the ship "Hercules" in the spring of 1635. They were from Ten- terden, in the county of Kent, England. Di- rectly after landing in Boston, Samuel' Hinckle;
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DANIEL B. HINCKLEY.
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went to Scituate, where he built a house. In July, 1640, he removed to Barnstable. He was one of the first settlers in West Barnstable, and owned one of the best farms in town. He served as juror and Surveyor of Highways. It is highly to his eredit that in an age of gen- eral religious intolerance he was among the small number of colonists who held more liberal opinions than their fellows, for we find that he was twice "indieted for entertaining strangers." His first wife, Sarah, died August 18, 1656: and he married December 15, 1657, Bridget Bodfish, widow of Robert, of Sandwich. By his wife Sarah he had eleven children. He died Octo- ber 31, 1662.
Thomas2 Hinckley, son of Samuel and Sarah Hinckley and next in the line of descent under present consideration, was born in England. He became one of the most prominent members of the Plymouth Colony. In 1652 he was one of the jurors appointed to lay out the most convenient way from Sandwich to Plymouth; and in the following year he appears, with the rank of Sergeant, as one of a convention of mili- tary men to meet at Plymouth, April 6, "to agree on military affairs." In 1658 he was elected Assistant Governor, Thomas Prince being Governor, and he held this office subse- quently for several years. He was appointed with Richard Bourne, in 1659, to arrange with the Indians for the purchase of a tract of land at Saconessett. Two years later he was ap- pointed with Mr. Alden "to purchase lands of Janno, sachem," in behalf of Barnstable. In 1676 he was one of Barnstable's town coun- eil of war ordered by the General Court. Elected Governor of Plymouth Colony in 1681, he served uninterruptedly until 1686. He was then superseded by Sir Edmund Andros, who arrived at Boston with a commission from Janres II. as Governor of New England.
Governor Andros, acting in an arbitrary and despotic manner, became very unpopular, and Thomas Hinckley petitioned the crown inef- fectually in earnest and forcible language against the disregard and violation of the rights of the people. In April, 1689, on the news of the accession of William III., the people of . Boston and the vicinity overthrew the gov- erminent, and arrested Sir Edmund and his
adherents, he being later impeached- and sent to England. Thomas Hinckley thereupon again became Governor of the Plymouth Colony, and so remained until 1692, when under the new charter the Plymouth Colony came under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay Col- ony. He died April 25, 1706, with the record of "a man of reputation and great energy of character, who had filled a large place in the history of Barnstable County and the affairs of Plymouth Colony"; who "had been from first to last the associate in weal or woe of its great and good men, and had lived. himself the chief among the surviving, to see the last chapter written in its immortal annals."
His family numbered some sixteen or seven- teen children. His first wife, Mary Richards, whom he married in 1641, was a daughter of Thomas Richards, of Weymouth. She died in 1659. He married for his second wife Mary, widow of Nathaniel Glover, of Dorchester, and daughter of Quartermaster Smith, who came to America in 1635. She is described as a woman of great beauty and " the most accomplished and intelligent in the colony." Her sweet Christian disposition and the general charm of her char- acter made her universally beloved; and at her death her husband, then eighty-five years old, wrote verses to her memory.
Samuel3 Hinckley; son of the Governor and third in this line, was born in Barnstable, Feb- ruary 14, 1652-3. His name appears occasion- ally in the town records as that of a citizen who took an active and worthy part in public affairs, though he was not especially distin- guished among the contemporary colonists. as his father had been. He married in 1676 Sarah Pope: and he died March 19, 1697.
Thomas+ Hinckley, born in Barnstable, March 19, 1680-1, son of Samuel and Sarah (Pope) Hinckley, died 1710 in Harwich. The maiden surname of his wife Mercy is not known. Their son, Thomas3 Hinckley, born March 11, 1708-9, in Harwich, Mass., died 1769. He married Ruth Myrick (or Merrick).
Seth" Hinckley, born in Harwich, September 2, 1730, son-of Thomas and his wife Ruth, married February 2, 1755, Sarah Berry, and soon afterward removed to Hardwick. Hc served in the French and Indian War. His
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son, Barnabas Hinckley, born January 23, 1773, died March 2, 1807, probably in Hardwick. He married October S, 1797, Mary Billings (born September 25, 1771, died in Bangor, Me., March 11, 1849), a daughter of Daniel and Mary (Ruggles) Billings. She was a descend- ant of Governor Thomas Dudley and of Stephen Hopkins of the "Mayflower."
Daniel Billings$ Hinckley, named for his maternal grandfather, was born in Hardwick, Mass., September 13, 1800. Having learned - the iron foundry business, he went to Bucks- port, Me., in 1831, and established a foundry. In 1833 he moved the plant to Bangor, and later he became the senior partner of the Hinck- ley & Egery Foundry Company, now merged in the Union Iron Works, one of the leading industries of the city. His death took place in Bangor, August 21, 1864. He left a large fortune, which, acquired entirely through his own efforts, represented in a sense the measure of his superior intelligence, enterprise, and business capacity. Of a manly. dignified, and upright character, he was highly respected in the city of his adoption, and his death was felt as a severe blow to the business community.
He was married in 1830 to Mary Ann Gorham, who was born in New Hampshire, August 17, 1808, a daughter of Elnathan and Edith (Far- well) Gorham. The father of Elnathan was Stephen Gorham, of Hardwick; and his mother was Sarah Freeman, a descendant of Mercy Prince, daughter of Governor Prince, of the Plymouth Colony.
Frank9 Hinckley, whose birth date is given above, married June 5, 1873, Frances Isabella Hopkins, who was born in San Francisco, Cal., July 23, 1854. They have three children: Frank Caspar10 Hinckley, born in Bangor, June 30, 1874, who was graduated at Harvard Col- lege in 1896; Myra10 Hinckley, born in Bangor, November 20, 1877; and Harold, born in Ban- gor, October 31, 1879, who is a Harvard graduate of the class of 1902.
The parents of Mrs. Frank9 Hinckley were Caspar Thomas and Almira (Burtnett) Hop- kins, who were married in September, 1853. Her father was born May 18, 1826, in Pittsburg, Pa. Her mother, born April 3, 182S, in Now York, died near Oakland, Cal., September 13,
1875. She was a daughter of Daniel Burtnett (born 1794) and Maria De Groot (married 1814), the latter of whom died March 2, 1834.
Caspar Thomas Hopkins was son of the Right Rev. John Henry Hopkins, D.D., LL.D., D.C.L., who was first Bishop of Vermont, and whose wife was Meluzina Müller, a native of Germany, born in Hamburg, May 15, 1795. Caspar Thomas Hopkins was graduated from the University of Vermont in 184S. He went in the following year to California, making the trip by way of Mexico. Subsequently he became the founder of the California Fire and Marine Insurance Company, with which he was connected for many years. He was called the father of insurance on the Pacific coast, and was a highly successful and esteemed citizen.
UGAN P. MOODY, formerly a prominent citizen of Winthrop, Kennebec County, was born in Monmouth, Me., Novem- ber 27, 1823, son of John Moody, a citizen of that town. The Moody family is an old one in Monmouth, having been domi- ciled there for several generations.
The subject of this sketch was reared in his native town, acquiring his education in its public schools. The knowledge thus gained was well supplemented in after life by reading and observation. When a young man he learned the trade of carriage-maker at Win- throp, which he followed subsequently for several years. In 1849 he joined the great throng of gold seekers bound for California, and made the trip around Cape Horn in the brig "Margaret." After a long voyage of eight months the vessel reached San Francisco, and Mr. Moody at once made his way to the gold fields, where he spent a short time in mining. Not finding it so easy to acquire sudden wealth in this occupation as he had been led to believe, the search for the precious metal lost much of its charm for him, and he soon turned his attention to the less precari- ous employment of carpentry, with which he combined the management of a ranch in what is now a part of Oakland, Cal. At the end of four years he returned home via the Isthmus of Panama, and, settling in Winthrop, pursued
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industrial life for some time as a mechanic. In 1859 he engaged in the hardware business in Winthrop, which he followed here subse- quently for twenty-five years, making a finan- cial success of the enterprise. In this period he built up for himself an enviable reputation as an energetic, capable business man of the strictest integrity. His aid- and influence were marked factors in the advancement of the town, which he served for seven years as Town Clerk. He was a member of the Masonic order, and in politics was a Republican. In his death, which took place March 29, ISSS, the commu- nity lost one of its most progressive and re- liable citizens, whose work and personality will be long held in favorable remembrance by his surviving acquaintances.
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Mr. Moody was married November 5, 1854, to Eleanor W. Nichols, a native of Monmouth, Me., and a 'daughter of William C. and Mary (Ware) Nichols. Mrs. Moody's parents were both born in Maine, her father in Monmouth and her mother in Freeport. Her paternal grandfather, Nathaniel Nichols, was in his day a well-known citizen of Monmouth. Mr. and Mrs. Moody were the parents of three chil- dren-Mary W., Eva L., and a son who died in infancy. The two daughters reside with their mother in Winthrop. All belong to the Methodist Episcopal church, and are esteemed members of Winthrop society.
1 RANK J. HEWINS, of Manchester, is a good representative of the agricultural interests of Kennebec County. He was born in Manchester, February 8, 1847, son of John and Roxana (Rockwood) Hewins. His mother was a native of Augusta, Me. John Hewins was born in Manchester, Me., his father being an early settler in this town. He became one of its best known citizens, his occupation being that of farmer. He died early in the seventies and his wife Roxana early in the nineties of the nineteenth century. They were the parents of a family of nine children, of whom there are now six survivors, namely; John A., who lives in Kansas: Emma A., now Mrs. Alden Safford, of Hallowell, Me .; Harvey G., who resides in Kansas; Sarah, who is the wife
of Edgar Hearsey, of Gardiner, Me .; Frank J .. the subject of this sketch; and Frederick L., who is a resident of Winthrop, Me.
Frank J. Hewins was educated in the public schools of Manchester, and the knowledge there gained has been supplemented by general read- ing and practical experience in the broader school of life. Choosing agriculture for his permanent vocation, he has followed it up to the present time, meeting with good success. Bo- sides carrying on genera farming he is known as one of the leading fruit-growers of this part of the county having an excellent orchard of twelve hundred apple-trees. The property on which he resides, and of which he is the owner, has been occupied by his ancestors for several generations, and is called the old Hewins homestead.
Mr. Hewins is a member of the Republican Town Committee, on which he has served for a number of years. He was also for several years a Selectman of the town, serving for a part of the time as chairman of the board. His present prosperity is the result of his own persevering efforts and wisely directed indus- try.
Mr. Hewins was married December 15, 1875, to Mary H. Cummings, a native of Manchester, Me., and daughter of Alva W. and Ann Hellen (Ripley) Cummings. He and his wife are the parents of three children: Della A. (wife of Edward Weeks, of Maplewood, Mass., and the mother of one child, Edward Hewins); and Grace B. and Gertrude E., who reside at home with their parents.
ILLIAM CLEMENT RECORD, of Readfield, Kennebec County, pro- prietor of the grist and feed mill at that place, was born in Hallowell, Me., Janu- ary 24. 1837. His parents were Isaac and Mar- tha (Blaisdell) Record, both natives of Maine, the father born in Livermore and the mother in Boothbay. The latter died at the advanced age of 92 years.
Isaac Record, who was a carpenter, followed that trade in Hallowell in connection with farining. His children were: Ann, Melvin, Jane, Granville, William C., Adelia, and Ellen.
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The subject of this sketch had the misfortune in early childhood to lose both his parents, his father dying when he, William, was in his seventh year, and his mother when he was in his ninth. Thus orphaned he went to live with a Mr. Jeff Davis, of Hallowell. to whom he was obliged to make himself useful in return for his food, clothes, and shelter. So little like home were his surroundings that at the early age of ten years he took the despe ate chances, for one so young, of seafaring life, d subsequently spent the greater part of the int five years on board of different vessels, engaged for the most part in the coastwise trade, though he made one voyage to England. At the end of this period, returning from one of his voyages, he resolved to try shore life fo - a while, and accord- ingly entered the employ of Sargent & Whitte- more, well-known saw-mill proprietors of Gar- diner, Me., with whom he remained for several years, engaged in sawing shingles. In 1859 the spirit of adventure once more seized him, and he started for California, making the long trip via the Isthmus of Panama. On reaching his destination he at once set out for the gold fields, where he spent several years as a seeker after the precious metal. Failing to acquire a rapid fortune in this fascinating but preca- rious occupation, he resolved to try his luck in the silver mines of Nevada, and accordingly went to that territory, where he remained in all for some eighteen years. During a consider- able part of this time he was engaged in silver mining, but he also spent several years there as a lumber dealer and stock dealer, owning at one time three hundred head of cattle. Though fairly successful there, he felt at times a strong desire to see his native State once more, and so in the fall of 1877 he returned East over the Union Pacific Railroad. Settling at . Kent's Hill, Kennebec County, he there engaged in agriculture, and was thus occupied until 1SSS, when he came to Readfield Corners. Here he entered into the milling business, which he has since followed with good success. Interested in the welfare of the town, he has contributed his share toward its advancement, and served three years as a Selectman. Ile is a member of Lafayette Lodge, F. & A. M .; a charter mein- ber of the local lodge of the Ancient Order of
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