USA > Maine > Penobscot County > Holden > Brewer, Orrington, Holden, Eddington : history and families > Part 22
USA > Maine > Penobscot County > Eddington > Brewer, Orrington, Holden, Eddington : history and families > Part 22
USA > Maine > Penobscot County > Orrington > Brewer, Orrington, Holden, Eddington : history and families > Part 22
USA > Maine > Penobscot County > Brewer > Brewer, Orrington, Holden, Eddington : history and families > Part 22
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).
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Funeral services for Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain were held in Portland amid a large gathering of civic, military, and educational leaders. Later services were held at Bowdoin College where the Rev. Chauncey W. Goodrich conducted the services and President Hyde delivered the eulogy. The body was en- tombed at Pine Grove Cemetery with a salute of three volleys by the National Guard.
When Chamberlain was speaking at the dedication of the Maine Monument at Gettysburg he said, "In great deeds some- thing abides. On great fields, something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear; but spirits linger to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls. And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not and we know
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not of, heart drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field to ponder and dream; and lo! the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom and the power of the vision pass into their souls. This is the great reward of service. To live, far out and on, in the lives of others; this is the mystery of the Christ, - to give life's best for such high stakes that it shall be found again unto life eternal." In his eulogy President Hyde quoted from these words of the man himself, and stated that they were indeed indicative of his character and his deeds.
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas D. Chamberlain enlisted as a private in the 20th Maine at the time of its organization. It was not long before he was promoted to sergeant and in January 1862 he became the First Lieutenant of Company G. Soon after this he was detailed as Acting Adjutant of the regiment. Follow- ing the battle of Gettysburg he was promoted to the Captaincy of Company G, as a reward for general efficiency and gallantry in action. While engaged in action in Bethesda Church, Virginia, he was wounded and he was breveted Major for distinguished service at the battle of Peeble's Farm in Virginia. Having been appointed Provost Marshal of the First Division Fifth Corps, in December, 1864, he held this office until May 1865, when he was appointed Commissary of Musters of the same division. He mustered out a large part of the troops belonging to that division. For gallant and distinguished service at the battle of Five Forks, Virginia, while serving as Colonel of the 20th regiment, he was recommended for brevet colonelcy. He was mustered out of service with his regiment at time that the pro- visional corps were disbanded.
Dr. Robert Winchester was born in Brewer, April 27, 1845. He was educated at East Corinth Academy and following the Civil War he accompanied a friend who was a physician and surgeon who had served during the war, to the military hospitals. There he received fine training. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1867.
He began his actual study of medicine in the office of the above-mentioned East Corinth physician. In 1868 he opened an office in San Francisco. Soon after this an epidemic of small- pox broke out in the little town of San Batista in Monterey County and the young doctor volunteered to serve there. At one time he was in charge of 1500 patients. He became
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acquainted with Father Rubio at this time and they became fast friends. Following the epidemic he returned to San Fran- cisco and yet later became a physician in Santa Barbara. He retired from active practice in 1925. He died in Santa Barbara in 1932.
Captain Billings Brastow served successively as 2nd Lt. of Company I, 9th Infantry; Ist Lt., and then Captain of the same command. While a lieutenant he was for a time Acting Adjutant and Captain; and while a Captain, he was Acting Colonel. He won renown because of the gallant action of his command in the charges and capture of the flags at Fort Wagner. It is said of him that he never asked his men to go where he was not ready to lead them. It was while leading a charge at the battle of Laurel Hill Church on September 29, 1864, that he was instantly killed.
Lewis O. Brastow was born in Brewer, November, 1834, and educated in the public schools of the town. He was a member of the class of 1857 at Bowdoin College. Later he studied at the Bangor Theological Seminary. He accepted a call to the ministry at St. Johnsbury, Vermont. He was serving there at the outbreak of the Civil War, when be became a chaplain in the 14th Vermont Regiment.
John C. Chamberlain was born in Brewer, August 1838. He graduated from Bowdoin College in the class of 1859. He studied at the Bangor Theological Seminary. He was commissioned chaplain of the Eleventh Maine during the Civil War. He served on the United States Christian Commission and is said to have rendered important service at the battle of Gettysburg.
Orlando Moore was born in Holden on April 2, 1840 and he became a well-known figure for many years in Brewer. He moved to Brewer at the age of twenty-one. In 1866 he became the toll gatherer at the bridge. He served three years in the Army and the Navy and returned to serve his town as constable, town treasurer, and surveyor of wood and bark.
George W. Patten was born in Brewer, November 2, 1843. He was educated in the schools here and after graduating from high school moved to Quincy, Massachusetts, where he worked for a year in a lumber yard. He then returned to Brewer and opened a grocery and provision store on Washington Street in Bangor. He held the office of selectman in Brewer for a number of years.
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Brazer Brastow settled in Brewer during its early years, coming here from Wrentham, Massachusetts. He remained in Brewer for a number of years when he moved to Orrington. There he bought a large farm of about 130 acres. He also followed the lumbering and milling business.
G. C. Brastow was born in Brewer, January 31, 1850, the son of Brazer Brastow. When a man he entered the milling business. His mill was located at Orrington and had a capacity of 30,000 bushels of grain a year. His mill was said to make the finest flour of any place in the country.
Charles O. Farrington was educated in the schools of this city before there was a public high school. He attended a private high school here and then went on to the Auburn Academy in Auburn. He taught school in Brewer and surrounding towns for a number of years before he entered the grocery business with his brother. Later he conducted a hardware business. He had a fine bass voice and sang with the choir of the First Congrega- tional Church for many years. Mr. Farrington, in association with his brother Edward P. Farrington, and the Deacon John Holyoke, organized the Brewer Savings Bank in 1869, he becoming a trustee at that time. He was made president of the bank in 1883 and held that position for seventeen years. Miss Alice Farrington was his daughter.
Oliver Cummings Farrington was born November 2, 1833. He served for thirty-three years as the Curator of the Field Museum of Natural History of Chicago. He was the fourth of the six children of Joseph and Ellen Farrington. He was extremely interested in nature even as a child. He had learned the alphabet at the age of three, graduated from high school at thirteen, and graduated from the University of Maine with a Bachelor of Science degree at the head of his class when he was barely seventeen. He received his doctorate from Yale in 1891. He married Clara A. Bradley of New Haven, Connecticut. They had no children. From 1895 to 1903 in addition to his other duties he served as Professional Lecturer of Determinative Mineralogy at the University of Chicago. His natural science collections were unusual. He was affiliated with many scientific and other societies of importance, including Phi Beta Kappa. From 1891 to 1931 he wrote many important volumes.
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Samuel Henry Barbour, born on December 29, 1839, was the son of William Barbour and Susan Staples Barbour, both of Deer Isle, Maine.
The Barbour family moved to Verona, Maine. There Mr. Wil- liam Barbour built many small boats on the shore of his property near the northern end of the island. His four sons, William, Samuel Henry, Charles, and Thomas, were all sailing coasters. Each of them owned shares in several two and three masted schooners.
Samuel Henry Barbour came to Brewer and married Alice Hall, July 30, 1865. He settled on Center Street. There he raised a family consisting of five daughters; Maude, Leila, Flor- ence, Susie May, and Alice; and two sons, George and Henry.
During the Civil War he served as master of coasting vessels and continued to do so until 1874, when he became master of his own three-masted schooner, the "Maude Barbour", named for his eldest daughter. He served in this capacity for several years.
In June 1874, he launched a small sloop, the "Alice", named for his wife. He and his family took many trips down the bay in this sloop and it was while he was enjoying this pastime that the idea for building steamboats to run from Bangor to Bar Harbor was conceived.
During the years from 1874 to 1902 twenty-six steamboats, large and small, as well as several schooners were built by the Barbours.
In 1885, Mr. Barbour built four houses on Union Street in Brewer. The following winters of 1886 and 1887 he built a saw mill at George Town, Florida, for the purpose of making boxes for the shipment of oranges from his own grove in Florida to the North.
Mr. Barbour lived a varied and successful life. He watched his boat business grow from an idea to a valuable industry and one which has added many a colorful picture to the history of Brewer over the years. He died on June 12, 1896, at the age of 58 years. The business which he originated was carried on by members of the family for about ten more years.
Manly Hardy, who became one of the most widely known naturalists in Maine, was born in Hampden, Maine, November
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11, 1832. He was the only son of Jonathan Titcomb Hardy and Catherine Sears (Atwood) Hardy. His parents moved their home to Brewer when Manly was four years old. Seven years later they bought the house on Wilson Street which was his home for the remainder of his life.
Manly's father, Jonathan, was one of the leading business men of this area, having varied interests which included shipping, lumbering, timber lands, and general trade; but his outstanding interest was in the fur trade. He knew many who dwelt in the wilds of Maine, both white men and Indians.
The public schools of Brewer provided early education for Manly, but for more advanced work and a study of the classics he attended a private school which was conducted by the Rev. George W. Field, D.D., in Bangor. He hoped for a career in the mission field; but these hopes were dashed and his college course abandoned, when he suffered a serious difficulty with the optic nerve and general ill health. Although forced to give up the idea of mission service, his religious ideals were maintained throughout his life.
On December 24, 1862, he married Miss Emeline Freeman Wheeler of Hampden. Their family consisted of three daughters, Fannie, Annie, Charlotte, and one son, Walter.
Upon giving up his previous ambitions, Mr. Hardy turned to the business of buying furs. He became expert in the judging of the quality of pelts. Through his experiences in this field he built up a wide and interesting acquaintance with the men of the wilderness. Through his friendship with the Indians he became adept at canoeing, trapping, and general woodcraft; and an authority on Indian language and history.
His interest in the field of nature dated back to his child- hood. He became interested in the brilliantly colored birds when he was but nine years old and tried to learn what he could about them. In 1844, when he was twelve, Count Karl Luther, a Prussian nobleman who was traveling in this country, spent some time in this area. The young boy's interest in natural history was brought to his attention and he instructed Manly in nature lore in so far as time and ability would permit. Among other things he left a recipe for mummifying birds. Manly pre- served a few specimens at this time in spite of the fact that he had no book on the subject and no teacher.
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In 1861, Mr. Hardy, then twenty-nine years of age, was offered the opportunity to accompany the Maine State Scientific Survey as assistant naturalist. He was one of the older men on the expedition. It was his thought that through this study he might add to his store of knowledge, particularly concerning the art of taxidermy. Dr. Ezekial Homes, editor of The Maine Farmer, headed the survey. He was a man of great ability, but had little knowledge concerning either ornithology or taxidermy. He did, however, provide the group with a pamphlet from the Smith- sonian Museum which gave the essential directions for the preser- vation of the birds found on the survey.
The taxidermal outfit of the survey included a large coil of unannealed wire about the size of hay wire, this same wire to be used for all birds found, from the tiny humming bird to the mighty eagle. Mr. Hardy worked constantly throughout the survey, searching for birds, paddling and poling the canoe, and doing the work expected of a naturalist, with the exception of writing the final report. The results of the survey were not particularly important and the collection of bird skins was destroyed in the great Portland fire.
This expedition damped his enthusiasm for ornithology and it was many years before he regained it. Although he had bought a few small birds previous to 1877, it was not until this time that he first attempted the mounting of a bird. Assisted by his daughter, Fannie; and guided by a book on taxidermy by Manton, they proceeded. Fannie read the directions and her father followed them.
Although the result was far from a perfect specimen, it was the beginning of a fine pursuit. At first Mr. Hardy attempted to collect specimens of all the birds in the Uinted States; and then his ambitions grew to cover the continent of North America. He succeeded in collecting most of these. Those which he lacked were either extinct by the time he started his collection; or were of rare species where only one or two had even been taken. His collection held many beautiful and rare birds.
His hobbies included, besides birds; mammals and Indians. A fact which he established for the Peabody Museum of Ethnology was that of cannibalism among our Maine Indians. He became an authority throughout the area and many came to him for help in the identification of natural objects.
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The woods were his early playgrounds; the Indians his play- mates; and the hunters, his friends. He began to carry a gun when he was so small that another boy had to go along and rest the muzzle on his shoulder while Manly aimed the gun and shot. The trouble which he had with his eyes gave him much time to spend in the woods, since he could not read. He roamed the wilds, gunning, trapping, and supervising the men who were employed by his father either in the woods or on the farm.
He accompanied the Indians to the coast where he learned how to hunt seal and porpoise and how to sail a birch canoe in a heavy wind and sea. During the years from 1852 to 1897 he made from one to three trips a year into the woods. In Septem- ber, 1897, he was taken seriously ill while camping at Gassobeeis Lake and it was only because of his own strong will and the aid given him by his devoted companions that he was able to reach home. He made no more trips to the woods.
Most of his writings were for Forest and Stream and Shooting and Fishing. There is no record of his writing. His two longest works, published in installments in Forest and Stream; were, “A Maine Woods Walk in '61", and "A Fall Fur Hunt." Nearly all that he wrote had to do with Indians, the Maine Woods, or mammals. "Nesting Habits of the Red-Bellied Nuthatch" was his first published writing, appearing in the Nuttal Bulletin, in 1872. Also in 1872, Professor F. W. Putnam, reporting as curator of the Peabody Museum, published Mr. Hardy's letter which established the fact of cannibalism among the New England Indians. Mr. Hardy numbered among his friends and acquaint- ances many of the leading ornothologists of his time. On the day before that of his death he completed an article on the otter for Forest and Stream. He died, December 9, 1910, at the age of 78 years and 28 days.
From an article on Mr. Hardy, which appeared in the Journal of the Maine Ornithological Society for March 1911, we quote the following eulogy:
"As a man he was genial in his intercourse with men, and with a keen sense of humor; steadfast and energetic in his purposes; generous toward all mankind; charitable in every way toward the unfortunate, giving freely and quietly; modest in all well- doing and zealous for truth and justice."
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Dr. Benjamin Franklin Tefft, D.D., L.L.D., was born August 20, 1813, in Floyd, New York. He was graduated from Wesleyan University in 1835, following which he held pastorates in Boston, Massachusetts, Providence, Rhode Island; and Bangor and Brewer in Maine.
He served as the pastor of the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Bangor from 1839 to 1841, and after returning to this church in 1858 and in 1860, he became pastor of the Grace Methodist Church in Bangor.
He was professor of Greek and Hebrew at Indiana University at Asbury from 1843 to 1846; and carried on his college work by serving as president of Genesee College (now Syracuse Uni- versity ) in New York from 1851 to 1854. He was awarded the degree of L.L.D. from Madison University on August 17, 1853.
His diplomatic career began in 1861, when he was appointed U. S. Consul to Sweden and Minister to Germany by President Abraham Lincoln. This career was interrupted for a time while he served as Chaplain of the First regiment of Maine Cavalry, Army of the Potomac in Washington. His son, George, followed him as consul to Sweden. In 1864, he was made Commissioner of Immigration from Northern Europe to the State of Maine; and in 1874, he was the representative from Penobscot County to the State Legislature. While serving in this office he was successful in putting through a bill which put an end to hanging as a death penalty in Maine. Although he met with no success, he put forth a great deal of endeavor to have water piped to the towns of Bangor and Brewer from Hatcase Pond.
Journalistic work and writing played a large part in his life. This work had its start in the years 1846 to 1852 when he served as editor of Ladies Repository, The Western Book Concern, and the Northern New Yorker. From 1873 to 1878, he edited the Northern Border in Bangor. He spent one year at the British Museum reading and writing Evolution and Christianity. His writings include: Prison Life, 1847; The Shoulder Knot, 1850; Hungary and Kossuth, 1852; Webster and His Masterpieces, 1854; Our Political Parties, 1860; Methodism Successful, 1860; Evolution and Christianity, 1870; and other publications. Dr. Tefft was a member of the New York Historical Society, the New York Geographical and Statistical Society, and of an Art Society in London, England.
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His wife, Sarah Ann Dunn Tefft, was the daughter of Hon. William Dunn of Poland, Maine. Their children were Dr. Henry F. Tefft, Brewer; George Van A. Tefft, lawyer, Brewer, Bangor, and Buffalo, N. Y .; Anna Tefft Bragg, Bangor; Laura Tefft Bass, Brewer and Bangor; and William Moore Tefft, lawyer, Buffalo, N. Y. Of the years which Dr. Tefft spent in Europe, his family spent fifteen months with him.
During the last years of his life he was asked to become Bishop. He spent these years at his home on Center Street, Brewer; preaching, lecturing, and writing, except for a brief time when he was in Buffalo, N. Y. He died in Brewer, September 16, 1885.
Dr. Henry F. Tefft, who served as the third Mayor of the City of Brewer, was born in East Greenwich, R. I. in February of 1842. During his early boyhood the family lived for a number of years in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he attended the public schools. He resided in New York State for a time, but later moved to Maine, where he first took up residence in Bangor and then removed to Brewer.
During the Civil War, Dr. Tefft spent one year with his father the Rev. Dr. Tefft, who was Chaplain of the First Maine Cavalry. Later he spent a year in Europe in the interests of the copper mining companies of Michigan. While serving as immigra- tion agent he was responsible for the first group of Swedish immigrants coming to this country, as well as for the thousands who followed them. He traveled quite extensively in Europe.
In 1865, he attended the Penn Dental College in Philadelphia. When he had completed his course of education there he opened an office in Bangor, where he engaged in dentistry for many years.
Active in local politics, Dr. Tefft contributed much in gaining city government for Brewer. He served for three years as alder- man, following which he was elected Mayor, and subsequently re-elected for two more terms. Although the progressive policy to which he adhered during his administration was sometimes subject to criticism, his reward lay in the applause of the people which he received when the results of these policies began to take effect.
Charles Eugene Tefft. One of the outstanding sights of Bangor is the Pierce Memorial statue of the "River Drivers", which
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stands in the park which is adjacent to the Bangor Public Library. The sculptor who executed this piece of work was Charles E. Tefft of Brewer.
Beginning his career at the home of his father, Dr. Henry F. Tefft, on Center Street, he became well known throughout the world of fine arts. One of his earliest pieces, if not the earliest, is at present in the Brewer Public Library.
In Bangor, the statue of Hannibal Hamlin and the bronze "Victory" on Norumbega Mall were created by Mr. Tefft.
His first professional work was a bust of General Joshua L. Chamberlain. This is one of those at present in the Brewer Public Library. He later collaborated with another sculptor in designing figures for the Columbian Exposition at Chicago. As a result of this work his talent received recognition and he was elected for a candidate to enter competition for a scholarship which later provided funds for study in Rome.
Figures for the Buffalo, N.Y. Exposition and for those at St. Louis, Missouri, New York City, and Philadelphia, were designed by Charles E. Tefft.
During World War I he served in the Coast Artillery, after which he was granted one of the highest honors an American sculptor can hope to achieve. He was appointed Director of Sculptor for the International Sesqui-Centennial Exposition; and two of his works were purchased by the City of New York for permanent exhibition. His paintings and his sculpture were ex- hibited throughout the world.
Mr. Tefft died at the age of 76 at the home of a nephew, Walter F. Tefft, of Presque Isle, with whom he had been making his home.
He was a member of a very talented family. His brother, Nathan Tefft wrote poetry and published several small volumes.
Mrs. Mary A. Burr, formerly Miss Mary Crook of Brewer, was graduated from Bangor High School. She prepared for a teaching career at Castine Normal School.
At the time of her candidacy for her 12th term as city clerk she was the only one in New England. She was first elected to this office to fill the unexpired term of George W. Nickerson, who
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resigned because of poor health. At the beginning of her 12th term she had served under five different mayors.
She was in office when the primary election law first came into effect. She was a justice of the peace and performed many marriage ceremonies.
Mrs. Burr led a well adjusted and well balanced life as is shown in her interest in activities in the community other than political affairs. She was a member of the M. P. M. Club, one of Brewer's older organizations; and a past president of the State Rebekah Assembly.
She was kind, courteous, and efficient in all of her work and in all of her associations with others, both political and social. Every Mayor under whom she served had only words of praise for her ability and for her cooperative spirit.
Fannie Hardy Eckstorm, the author of the Penobscot Man, has made sure that the art of river driving in Maine is a poig- nant memory for people, not only in Maine; but everywhere that the book is read. Even today, with this book long out of print, there is great demand for copies of it.
Mrs. Eckstorm was born in Brewer, June 18, 1865, just seven years before Bangor reached its peak as a lumber shipping port. Her grandparents had come to Hampden from Massachusetts, later moving to Brewer.
Jonathan Hardy, grandfather of Fannie, was a fur trader, en- joying a fine relationship with the Indians. Her father, Manly, was a fur trader, naturalist, and the guide and teacher of his daughter. Her uncle, Jeremiah Hardy, was a Maine portrait painter. Her brother, Walter, was also an artist, studying in New York and Paris, and later illustrating the writings of his father.
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