USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Harrison > Centennial history of Harrison, Maine > Part 27
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ular man with a certain class, and had a wide influence on account of his connection with a large manufacturing enterprise. Buck made an earnest fight, and his campaign was a clean one. He was an earnest and aggressive speaker, and held several meetings in the district, but the managers of the party did not give him the assistance that they should have done, evidently thinking it best to put their work elsewhere. The result showed that, although he was defeated by a small majority, he received every clean vote in his party and several from the other side. The Bridg- ton News, an opposition paper, said of the result: "Al- though defeated by a small majority, it is no small compli- ment to Norman Buck, Esq., that he received the unan- imous nomination of his party, and so hearty a support. He was a strong candidate."
He was ambitious to go into a new country and grow up with it, and decided to locate at Floresville, Texas, where he opened a law office, and soon gained a good practice, but was obliged to give it up on account of the climate not agreeing with him. He moved to Lordsburg, New Mexico, where he at once took high rank in the courts of New Mexico and Arizona, and was building up a large practice when his career was cut short by the bullet of the assassin. On June 23, 1887, after a residence of about a year and a half in Lordsburg, he was shot in the street by a shoemaker named Otter Johnson. Johnson had been a party in a lawsuit in which Buck was counsel on the suc- cessful side. After the close of the trial he and Johnson met, a few words passed between them, and as Buck passed along, Johnson drew a revolver and shot him in cold blood, he dying almost instantly. After his death the press was profuse in his praise, speaking of him as "a man of sterling worth, a gentleman, well bred, chiv- alrous, brave, kind, generous and honest. Quick to re- sent an injury, and would not give an inch if he thought that he was being imposed upon; but would deprive him-
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self of anything in order to assist a friend." It was a just and well merited tribute to as worthy a young man as ever went from Harrison. He was a clean, hon- orable, upright man, and one of most decided ability who would have arisen to eminence if he had not met such an untimely fate.
He was unmarried, but was engaged to an estimable young lady at his place of residence, and would have soon been married to her if he had lived. On being noti- fied of his death, his brother in California at once went to Lordsburg and took charge of the remains, which were carried to California and interred, it not being deemed ad- visable to carry them to his home in Maine, at that season of the year.
Surely thou wast full of promise, Was destined to be great ; But in thy morn of blooming youth Thou wast cut down by fate.
A niche in fame, reserved for thee, Is vacant - canst be filled,- For the assassin's deadly shot Thy youthful blood has spilled.
BURNHAM FAMILY.
The immediate ancestor of the two Burnham families who settled on the northerly side of Summit Hill (formerly known as Burnham Hill and Scribner's Hill) was REUBEN BURNHAM. The heads of these families were: Abra- ham, born in 1765; and Nathaniel, born December 22, 1769; brothers, and natives of Bolton, Mass.
ABRAHAM BURNHAM, married Alice Scribner of Waterboro, Maine. The homestead of Abraham was op-
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posite the old mansion of Nathaniel Burnham. He died January 24, 1850. Of their children, only those of Timothy are known or can be learned. Children :
REUBEN.
TIMOTHY, b. Dec. 12, 1802; married Catherine Dingley of Raymond. He was a farmer in Harrison on the farm settled by his father ; moved to Westbrook in 1850, thence to So. Windham, in 1858, and died there July 14, 1883. Mrs. Catherine Burnham died in So. Windham, Aug. 29, 1890. Children :
I. Ellen H., b. in Raymond, May 11, 1834; married Daniel Brown of So. Windham, Mar. 9, 1868, and resides in that village. Their children are: Alice E., b. Nov. 15, 1869; married Frank E. Hall, Jan. 18, 1896. Lendall H., b. Nov. 30, 1873; married Ethel V. Boynton, Sept. 28, 1898; resides in North Ber- wick, Me. Mrs. Alice E. Hall and husband reside with Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Brown, the parents, in South Windham.
2. Albion Hall, b. in May, 1835.
Hall Burnham, as he was familiarly known, was born in Raymond, Maine, but the family soon after removed to the old home of Abraham Burnham on Burnham Hill, Har- rison, where Hall grew to manhood. His introduction to the business which led in after years to an avenue of pros- perity and distinction in the world of commerce was as an apprentice in the modest tin-shop of Daniel Mayberry in Harrison Village about the years of 185 -. He sub- sequently became connected with the corn packing industry through his employment in the extensive factories operating in Congin (Cumberland Mills), Westbrook, and at Pride's Bridge (Riverton Park), Deering, owned by John Winslow Jones. He soon became familiar with every department of that business. In 1865, Mr. Burnham settled in Bridgton as superintendent and general manager of the John Wins- low Jones corn canning factory. From that year as man- ager and proprietor. Mr. Burnham was at the head and
ALBION HALL BURNHAM
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front of the corn canning industry in Bridgton; as a large stockholder and director in the Bridgton and Saco Valley Railroad Co., and as a promoter of the successful establish- ment of the Bridgton Hotel, the Water Company and other local enterprises. He was a liberal contributor to the sup- port of religion and the preaching of the Gospel. In poli- tics he was an ardent Republican. In 1886, he married Miss Mildred Johnson of Yarmouth, who survives him and resides in Bridgton. Mr. Burnham's death occurred on Jan- uary 7, 1902.
AI, third son of Abraham, b. June 21, 1807, married Polly Whitcomb of Waterford and lived at Bolster's Mills for several years before 1850. They afterward lived at Bar- row's (Scribner's) Mills, where he built a dwelling house. Their last years were spent at South Windham, in Gor- ham. They were universally esteemed by all who knew them for their Christian character, and many virtues. He died July 26, 1881.
NATHANIEL BURNHAM married, January 24, 1799, Abigail Scribner in Waterboro, Maine, born January 22, 1778, a sister to Abraham's wife, and settled in Harrison on the farm owned and occupied by the family for more than fifty years; since become famous as the location of the Summit Spring, one of the most remarkable springs ever discovered in New England. Mr. Burnham built one of the first frame houses in town. He was a very industrious and prosperous farmer. He was a leading citizen, serving his town as selectman and town treasurer many years in succession from the date of its organization. He had seven children by his first wife. He died October 12, 1837. His first wife died November 25, 1819. His second wife, who was Nancy Marshall of Alfred, Maine, to whom he was married April 30, 1820, was the mother of two children. She died November 12, 1866. Children by first wife were:
BANI, b. Nov. 12, 1799, married Eliza Haskell in 1820, set- tled on a farm adjoining that of his father and had seven
4
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children. He moved to Dwight, Ill., about 1866, and died there May 4, 1874. He was a man of high character and was repeatedly elected to office and served his town with honor and ability. His children were:
I. Jacob H., b. Dec. 10, 1820; married Martha, daugh- ter of Clement and Chloe (Wardwell) Scribner of Harrison. To Jacob and Martha was born, Mary, b. - , who married Perry of Nor- way, and resides near Norway Lake.
2. Elizabeth H., b. Dec. 10, 1823; died -.
3. Emeline H., b. Apr. 27, 1828; was a school teacher ; married Frederick Lakin of Sebago, who migrated to Dwight, Ill., and settled there, and was a prosper- ous farmer. She died Oct. 31, 1901, at Sandwich, I11.
4. Octavia D., b. Mar. 20, 1834; was a school teacher ; went West with her father's family about 1866, and settled in Dwight, Ill .; she married J. M. Smith and resided in Bloomington, Ill .; they had a son, Fred, who is a druggist in Sandwich, in that State; married and has one son. Mrs. Octavia (Burnham) Smith died in Dwight, Ill., Oct. 10, 1880.
5. Alvin, b. May 15, 1836; in 1855, he went to Illinois and settled near Leland, La Salle Co .; he married in 1860, Cynthia P. Morton, a former Maine girl; since his marriage, he has lived at Leland, Ottawa and Dwight; he now resides in Sandwich, Ill .; they had one daughter, Clara, b. in 1869; married Charles Arnold. Mrs. Cynthia P. Burnham died Oct. 22, 1897.
6. Sumner Marshall, b. Sept. 6, 1840; he was killed in battle at Hartwell, Tenn., Dec. 7, 1862; unmarried.
7. John, b. Oct. 10, 1842; he enlisted in 1862 in Co. H., 17th Regt., Me. Inf., and served honorably until his death by pneumonia ; died in hospital Jan. 15, 1863.
LEVI, b. May 8, 1802; married June 3, 1824, Deborah C., daughter of Naphtali, and Mehitable Harmon, their last days being spent on the Ben Willard place, near the Floral Lawn farm of William H. Briggs. Their children were: I. Sally H., b. June 8, 1825; married Lorenzo D. Swan of Woodstock; died Aug. 20, 1850.
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2. Mahala J. A., b. Jan. 8, 1829; married John Thomp- son of Hartford, July 4, 1844.
3. Naphtali Harmon, b. Oct. 7, 1834; married Mar. 3, 1857, Harriet N., daughter of Amasa and Martha Stedman of Harrison. They had two children: Lin- coln M., b. Oct. 15, 1858, in Harrison; married Ist, Frances Augusta, daughter of James T. and Frances A. Jenner of Bridgton; their children were: Edith Blanche, b. Oct. 8, 1881 ; married, Dec. 25, 1907, in Harrison, Charles F. Bartlett of Rumford, Me. Agnes Minta, b. July 13, 1886; died Sept. 2, 1886. Mrs. Frances Burnham died July 2, 1888. Lincoln M. Burnham, married 2d, May 19, 1891, Mabel Iola, daughter of Rev. Elias and Clarissa Foster of Bridg- ton; children : Elsie Mabel, b. Oct. 20, 1892. Hazel Frances, b. Aug. 30, 1897. Marion Garden, b. Aug. 17, 1902. Marjorie Harriet, b. Apr. 19, 1905. Bertie M., 2d child of N. H. and Harriet Burnham, b. July 3, 1863; unmarried; resides with her mother in Sanford, Me.
4. Nathaniel L., b. May 9, 1839; died July 1, 1852.
5. Abbie M., b. Mar. 22, 1845, in Hartford, Me .; mar- ried Seth M. Keene of Harrison, Jan. 21, 1871. They had two sons: John Thompson, b. Oct. 31, 1871, in Hartford; married Oct. 31, 1891, in South Paris, Me., Florence Mabel (b. Feb. 10, 1875), daughter of Alison and Jane (Morse) Libby of Naples, Me .; their children are: Helen Jane, b. Feb. 26, 1895, in Harrison. Harmon Burnham, b. Apr. 29, 1900. Audrey Hazel, b. Jan. 25, 1902, in Rumford, Me. Anna Farnham, b. Aug. 8, 1906, in Rumford. Er- nest, 2d, son of Seth M. and Abbie M. Keene, b. in Worcester, Mass .; died Jan. 14, 1874, in Harrison. Mrs. Abbie M. Keene died in Harrison, Apr. 22, 1880.
MOSES, b. Mar. 21, 1804; married Lucretia, daughter of John Bucknell, Apr. 17, 1828, and settled near his father's residence. He had one son, Albert. Mr. Burnham died Aug. 4, 1834; his widow married Rev. David Jewell, a Baptist preacher ; they had one daughter, Lucia, b. who married Jonathan Hobbs Brackett of North Yarmouth, and resides there. (See Brackett family).
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JOHN, b. Mar. 23, 1807; married Susan, daughter of Dea. Charles and Sally (Barbour ) Walker of Harrison. They moved from Maine to Jamestown, N. Y., in 1835; moved thence to Sheffield, Pa., in 1838; returned to Jamestown in 1843, where and at Busti, N. Y., they continued to live until 1883, when they removed to Cameron, Mo. Their children were :
I. Charles Nathaniel, b. in Jamestown, N. Y., May II, 1837; married Mary, daughter of Ahaz and Ann Carpenter of Busti, N. Y. Charles N. Burnham learned the art of printing in Jamestown, N. Y., be- fore the Civil War. He enlisted as a private, May 7, 1861, at Warren, Pa., in the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, Army of the Potomac, and served until June 13, 1864, when his term of service expired. He was promoted to Corporal, Dec., 1861. He participated in the battles of Drainsville, Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mills, Newmarket cross-roads, Malvern Hill, Second Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, and Freder- icksburg, where he was taken prisoner, Dec. 13, 1862; was confined in Libby Prison till Jan. 9, 1863, when he was paroled and sent to Annapolis, Md. After being exchanged he was detailed on special duty in hospital until his discharge from the service. Since the Civil War, Mr. Burnham has resided in Cam- eron, Mo., where he is proprietor of a flourishing printing business, and publisher of the Cameron Ob- server, a Republican weekly newspaper. His aged father and mother spent their last years in the home of their eldest son's family in Cameron. The chil- dren of Charles N. and Mary Burnham are: Netta and Nella, twin girls, b. Jan. 9, 1867, at Jamestown, N. Y .; Netta married, June 23, 1892, Dr. Erwin E. Shaw of Cameron; they have one son, Burnham Ev- erett, b. Apr. 13, 1893. Nella married James F. Frazier, Sept. 2, 1896; they have one son: Finis Frazier, b. Jan. 26, 1899.
2. John Henry, b. July 31, 1839; married, Feb. 4, 1864, Lucy, daughter of Peter Bennock of Jamestown, N. Y .; he died in Busti, Sept. 15, 1870. Their chil- dren: Ellen May, b. Jan. 15, 1865. John Henry, b. June 22, 1869.
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TOWN OF HARRISON.
3. Andrew Murray, b. June 10, 1843; married Viola Davis, daughter of Franklin and Mary A. Davis. Andrew served as a soldier in the Civil War; he died in Busti, N. Y., Mar. 31, 1899.
4. Sumner Barbour, b. Oct. 13, 1844; married Esther Stockton. He was a printer by trade; he died in Jamestown, N. Y., Nov. - , 1894.
5. Sarah Maria, b. in Jamestown, N. Y., Aug. 13, 1847 ; married Clark S. Hazeltine, May 20, 1875; they re- sided in Kansas, and at Long Beach, Cal., many years. They removed to San Jacinto, Cal., in 1908, where she died Oct. 6, 1908. Their children are: Spencer G., b. Aug. 16, 1877. Arthur, b. Mar. 10, 1879. Roy J., b. Dec. 20, 1881. Herbert W., b. July 16, 1883. L. E., b. Apr. 3, 1886.
SUMNER, b. Nov. 16, 1805; married Christina, daughter of Ephraim Washburn of Hebron, Me. Their children, all born in Harrison :
I. Moses Greenleaf, b. Sept. 12, 1834; married Chris- tiana, daughter of Amasa and Martha (Washburn) Stedman of Harrison. Children: Annie C., married Edwin C. Rowe of Norway; children: Lillian M., who married Webster Kilgore of Norway; died in 1888. Hattie; also deceased. Moses G. Burnham died July 15, 1871; Christiana, his wife, died in 1889, in Norway.
2. Frances A., b. Mar. 20, 1836; married William Ev- ans of Portland, Dec. 4, 1856; children: Alice Isabel, a teacher in the Emerson Grammar school, Portland. Carrie Mabel; married Walter H. Field (now de- ceased). Harry, a cashier in the First National Bank of Lincoln, Neb. Philip Sumner, a milk deal- er in Portland.
3. Otho Willard, b. Feb. 27, 1838; married Mabel Bates of Waterville, Me., in 1865. He was a member of the Bar in Maine and served as Ist Lieut. in Co. - , 17th Me. Vol. Inf., in the Civil War; he died Aug. 19, 1868.
4. Mary Caroline, b. Dec. 10, 1839; married Henry C. Roby of Harrison, Dec. 13, 1862; lived twenty-five years in Harrison and in Norway, until their re- moval to Lincoln, Neb., in 1887, where they reside.
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5. Sumner W., b. Apr. 22, 1842; died Apr. 3, 1844.
6. Sumner W., b. Oct. 15, 1845, in Harrison ; married Sarah Depp of Glasgow, Ky., June 1, 1876.
Sumner W. Burnham enlisted in 1862, in Company C, 17th Maine Infantry, for three years, and served till close of the war. This regiment fought in seven battles and was at the surrender of Lee. At Chancellorsville, he was pre- sented with the Kearney medal of honor by Gen. Daniel E. Sickles, for meritorious service in that engagement. At Petersburg, he was promoted to be Second Lieutenant by recommendation of Gen. W. S. Hancock, for daring and dangerous work during that siege. After the war, he attended school for two years, then travelled for a New York firm through New England and the Middle States for three years, when he became partner and had charge of the business in the southern States for four years.
After marriage, he went to Lincoln, Nebraska, and set- tled on a stock farm three miles from the city where for several years he engaged largely in stock raising. He is the founder of the town of Burnham, Nebraska, where is located the most extensive brick manufacturing industry in the Middle West, of which he is the principal owner.
He served in the Legislature of Nebraska, from 1886 to 1890. Two years in the House, and two years in Senate. In 1890, was chosen County Treasurer and served four years. In 1908, he was again chosen State Senator to represent the city of Lincoln. He has always been a staunch Republican, having voted for Abraham Lincoln while in the army in front of Petersburg in 1864, when only nineteen years of age.
7. Silas Henry, b. Apr. 12, 1848, in Harrison; married Eliza Lewis of Glasgow, Ky., Oct. 26, 1878; has four children, two sons and two daughters. His oldest daughter, Sarah W., married George W. Holmes of Lincoln, Mar. I, 1905. His first born son, Sumner, died in infancy. His oldest living son, Joseph Lewis, married Clara Watt of Carbon-
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dale, Penn., Apr. 5, 1905. His second daughter, Carrie Loise, married Willard S. Yates of Lincoln, Neb., June 24, 1908. His youngest son, Silas Hen- ry, Jr., is a student preparing for college at St. Paul's School at Concord, N. H.
Silas H. Burnham attended school at Hebron and North Bridgton Academies. Graduated from Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, class 1874. Practiced law in Norway, Maine, in partnership with H. M. Bearce till 1880, when he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska. He organized and was presi- dent of the First National Bank at Broken Bow, Nebraska. Also organized seven smaller State banks in country towns. In 1888, he organized the American Exchange National Bank at Lincoln, Nebraska, and was cashier for five years, then elected president. In 1893, the State National Bank was bought and merged into the American Exchange Na- tional Bank. In 1898, the First National Bank of Lincoln and the American Exchange were merged into one bank, called the First National Bank of Lincoln, Nebraska, with a capital of $400,000 ; surplus, $200,000 ; deposits, $5,000,000, and he is president and chief manager. In 1906, he started the First Trust & Savings Bank of Lincoln, and is the president and his oldest son is cashier.
He is, at this time, the only member from Nebraska of the Executive Council of the American Bankers' Asso- ciation, the largest financial organization in America, and is taking an active part in the effort being made for a general revision of our national currency.
8. Alice S., b. Oct. 12, 1850; married Eugene F. Fuller of Oxford, Me., Nov., 1875, and moved to Lincoln, Neb., the following year; they had two children: Otho and Alice. Mr. Fuller and little Otho died in Lincoln, in 1879. Mrs. Alice Fuller died in Nor- way, Apr., 1887, leaving a daughter, Alice, who mar- ried H. P. Larr and lives in Lincoln, Neb.
9. Horace A., b. Oct., 1852; married Lizzie Frost of Norway in 1873. ' He moved from Norway to Lin-
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coln, Neb., in 1877, and lived on a large farm, also dealt in cattle and horses. His wife died in Wester- ville, Neb., in 1889, leaving five sons, all grown to manhood and living in Neb. In 1891, he married Anna Noble of Westerville, Neb. He died of pneu- monia in Mar., 1903, leaving two daughters and a son by second wife.
NATHANIEL, b. in Harrison, Feb. 24, 1812; married Mary Mustard of Bowdoinham, Me., in 1819. Mrs. Mary Mustard Burnham died in Harrison in Feb., 1842. Na- thaniel Burnham married, 2d, Olive Sawyer, b. in Madi- son, Me., in Feb., 1824. Nathaniel Burnham died in Dwight, Ill., Apr. 8, 1870; his widow married Franklin Hall and moved to Holdridge, Neb., where Mr. Hall died and Mrs. Hall is believed to reside there yet, if liv- ing. They had one son :
I. Joseph Mustard, b. in Harrison, Apr. 21, 1840. He received his education in the public school of his district. The old schoolhouse has long since dis- appeared from its site on the western hillside, in the shade of the beechwoods, and only a big patch of primrose bushes remains to indicate the location of the old temple of knowledge, and revive the mem- ory of the departed school days. He went to Illi- nois in 1864, and settled in Dwight, where he still lives. He is reputed to be a prosperous farmer and large owner of landed property. He married Miss Jane Gray of Grundy Co., in Feb., 1867; she was b. in 1836, in Aberdeen, Scotland, and came to Grundy Co. in 1837. Mr. and Mrs. Burnham have had five children: Nathaniel Franklin, b. Nov., 1867, died in infancy. John Sumner, b. Feb. 3, 1869, married Anna Chalmers (b. in Dwight, in 1874), in Feb., 1894; to them have been born six children: Lillie May, Myrtle Jane, Roscoe Joseph, Gladys Marie, Alice Edythe, and Blanche Ethel. John Sumner Burnham lives on his farm at Plano, Ill. Mary Ma- bel, b. in Dwight, Aug. - , 1871; she resides with her parents ; unmarried. Carrie Joseph, b. in Dwight, Jan. 20, 1873; married Richard Murray, b. in La Salle, Ill., in 1870; they have no children; reside on a farm in Mazon, Grundy Co. Clarence E., b.
HON. SUMNER BURNHAM
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in Dwight, Feb. 6, 1879; married Julia Deane of Joliet, Ill., Aug. 14, 1904; she was born in Joliet, July 3, 1882.
ABIGAIL, b. July 7, 1818; married Benjamin F. Peirce of Harrison. (See Peirce family.)
SARAH ANN, b. Apr. 12, 1826; married Rev. Silas B. Brack- ett of Harrison ; they had 15 children, most of them born in Maine; she died Apr. 18, 1889. (See Brackett fam- ily.)
WILLIAM HENRY, b. Feb. 29, 1827; married Mary Max- well of
SUMNER BURNHAM was born November 16, 1805, in Harrison. He succeeded to the homestead and business of his father as a farmer. He was very active in business and in political affairs, serving his town in important civil sta- tions. He was elected on the board of selectmen in 1849, and 1850, was moderator of the annual town meeting in 1851, and selectman the same year. He was on the board of select- men again in 1857, and 1858. Mr. Burnham was converted from a state of impenitence in the first of the great revivals of religion in the churches which occurred in 1839 and con- tinued for several subsequent years, during which many scores of members were added to the visible churches of the town and of other neighboring towns. Mr. Burnham joined the Baptist Church, which was the church of his parents, and to the time of his death his life was that of a devoted Christian. His sincere piety and humility of heart was manifest in his every day walk and conversation. The daily Bible lesson and the family altar were faithfully observed. He was a sincere friend of the Sunday-school, and contrib - uted liberally for its prosperity, as well as to the cause of Christian missions and all other institutions of the church.
Mr. Burnham sold his beautiful homestead in 1861, to Francis H. Whitman of Norway, and removed to that town with his young family, settling on the farm purchased by exchange from Mr. Whitman. It is one of the best farms
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in Norway and is now owned by Mr. Benjamin Tucker. After a few years, Mr. Burnham removed to Norway Vil- lage and settled in a pleasant home on the main street, where he spent the remnant of his years. In the prime of his life, Mr. Burnham was for years, while living in his Harrison home, a Deputy Sheriff and Coroner for the County of Cumberland. He was distinguished for his rare courage and alertness in the detection of crimes, and his adventures in remote localities of the backwoods towns on pursuit of counterfeiters and horse thieves were startling and perilous. During the Civil War, he served the govern- ment as a secret detective for the detection and arrest of smugglers of contraband goods. In this office he rendered valuable services to the government. He died in Norway, June 22, 1878.
CARSLEY FAMILY.
This family may claim a historic pre-eminence over all other pioneer families-not surely for any real or fancied superiority of virtues or other merit; but because the heads of the family, two of them, brothers, came from Gorham together, and as history records, they struck the first blows for the opening up of this territory to the in- fluences of civilizing progress. It is a brief, but very in- teresting story.
First, we note the advent of John and Nathan Carsley- both born in Gorham-John, born August 19, 1766, and Nathan born April 9, 1768. It was a good old time for providing a sturdy stock of men and women to subdue the forbidding aspects of the wooded wilds of New Eng- land. Race suicide, as a cult, had not been yet suggested to the first comers from the old colony and from near places in the eastern district.
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TOWN OF HARRISON.
John Carsley married April 16, 1790, Martha Crockett of Gorham, and from the fact that he was the first one to spend the winter of 1792-3 on the chosen lot in the new settlement, he was entitled to the honor of being re- corded as the "first settler in Harrison." But little ac- count of his life in Harrison has been preserved in local history or in the tradition of that time. It is said some of his descendants were "supposed to be living in Eastern Maine." None of them are known to have remained here. And equally silent are local history and tradition concerning Martha, wife of John, the first settler. Did she come with her husband and live with him through that first winter? We can only guess that she did, and that she lived and died here, but there is no record. John Carsley died August 2, 1823, and was the first burial in the old Free Baptist cemetery.
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