USA > Maine > Oxford County > Norway > Centennial history of Norway, Oxford County, Maine, 1786-1886, including an account of the early grants and purchases, sketches of the grantees, early settlers, and prominent residents, etc., with genealogical registers, and an appendix > Part 22
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District No. 2. Bounded on the North by Greenwood, East by Lee's Grant to the North East corner of Wm. H. Pingree's land, thence Westerly to the North West corner of the same, thence South to the South Westerly Corner of the same, thence Easterly to the County road, thence Southerly by said road to the North Easterly corner of the Codman farm on the
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
West by the Easterly line of Wm. C. Pierce's lot and continuing the same course to the Northerly line of the Codman farm, on the South by the lot line between the said Codman farm & Ephraim Brown's lot to continue to the new County road.
District No. 3. Bounded on the west by the Waterford three tier on the North by a con- tinuation of the Northerly line of the Codman farm to the great pond, on the East by said pond, on the South by a line as follows, commencing at the South East corner of Dresser Stevens's land, thence Westerly on the line between Job Eastman & James Flint & to con- tinue the same course to the Waterford three tier.
District No. 4. Bounded on the West by Waterford, on the North by a line commencing at the North West corner of the town farm, thence Easterly on the lot line to the Easterly line of the Waterford three tier, on the East by the Waterford three tier on the South by the lot line from the South Easterly corner of lot No. 15 in the fourth range to Waterford line.
District No. 5. Bounded on the West by the Waterford three tier on the North by Dis- trict No. three on the East by the great pond, on the South East & South by a line as follows beginning at the South Easterly corner of Rufus Bartlett's land, thence Southerly by said Bartlett's land to the North East corner of James Buck's land, thence Westerly by said Buck's land to the county road, thence Southerly by said County road to the South East corner of Joseph Small's land, thence Westerly by said Small's land to the South West corner of the same, thence Northerly to a lot of land formerly owned by Samuel Lord; thence Westerly to the Waterford three tier.
District No. 6. Bounded on the North by district No. five on the West by the following line : Beginning at the South West corner of district No. five, thence running Southerly by the Waterford three tier and to continue that course to the South line of the town, on the South by Oxford, and on the East by a line as follows, beginning on the side of the pond at the North East corner of Henry Pike's land, thence running Southerly by the lot line until it strikes Jacob Parsons' land, thence Easterly Southerly & Westerly by said Parsons' land to the North West Corner of land formerly owned by William Corson, thence Southerly to Oxford line.
District No. 7. Bounded on the East by Paris line, on the North by a line as follows, commencing at the North East corner of John Bird's land then running Westerly on the lot line to the North Westerly corner of Benjamin Witt's land thence Southerly by the said Witt's land & continue the same course to the North East corner of Joshua Crockett's land, thence Westerly to the great pond, thence Southerly and Westerly by said pond till it strikes district No. six, and on the West by district No. six, and on the South by a line as follows, beginning at Paris line at the corner between Ezra F. Beal's meadow & a piece of meadow owned by Sarah Rust, thence Westerly on the division line between said meadows to the Cushman stream, so called, thence Southerly by said stream to the bridge near Stephen Greenleaf's house, thence by the division line between Henry Rust's land & Sarah Rust's land through their meadow & South of the same to Henry W. Milletts land, thence by the division line between said Milletts land and Sarah Rust's land to the North West corner of the fifty acre lot, (so called) thence by the Easterly line of said lot to the North East corner of the same, thence Westerly by the Northerly line of said lot to Jacob Parson's land.
District No. 8. Bounded on the West by the great pond & a line running from the South West corner of Israel Pike's land to the North West corner of a lot of land, owned by Joshua Crockett, on the North by the Northerly line of said Crockett's land & continuing the same course to the North Pond, thence Southerly & Easterly by said pond to the North
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West corner of Moses Parsons' land thence Easterly by said Parsons' land to the swamp road, (so called) thence Southerly by said road till it strikes the North line of lot No. five, thence Easterly by said lot line to Paris line, thence Southerly by Paris line to the North Easterly corner of District No. seven, and on the South by District No. Seven.
District No. 9. Bounded on the South by Otisfield, on the West & North by the following line commencing at the South West corner of the town, thence Northerly on the town line as far as the South line of the Waterford three tier, thence Easterly on the line of said three tier to the South Easterly corner of Lot No. thirteen in the first range, thence Northerly to the North East corner of said lot, thence Easterly to the road leading by John Frost's, thence Northerly to the County road, thence Easterly by said County road to the line of the Waterford three tier, and on the East by the Eastern line of the Waterford three tier, and continuing the same course to Oxford line.
District No. 10. Bounded on the East by Paris line, on the North by Greenwood, on the West & South by the North pond & district No. eight.
District No. II. Bounded on the West by district No. two, on the North by Greenwood on the East & South by districts Nos. three, eight & ten.
District No. 12. Bounded on the North & West by district No. one, on the East & South by districts Nos. two three and four.
District No. 13. Bounded on the West by Waterford line on the North by district No. four, on the South & East by districts No. five and nine.
District No. 14. Bounded on the East by Paris line, on the South by Oxford, on the West and North by districts Nos. six and seven.
All of which is respectfully submitted
HENRY C. REEd Committee.
This report was amended by including in District No. five the land of Henry Noble & the land of Joseph Rounds East of the County road running Southerly by said Noble's to Oxford.
A true Record.
Attest SIMON STEVENS Town Clerk.
Some few changes in district bounds have been made since that time, but the districting of the town for school purposes is essentially the same as in 1843.
CHAPTER XIX.
MILITARY AFFAIRS.
THE NORWAY MILITIA.
MANY of the early settlers of Norway had taken an active part in the struggle for independence, and duly appreciated the importance of sustaining an active and efficient militia. Those who had not personally participated in the conflict were generally the sons or brothers of those who had, and were imbued with the same patriotic spirit. The military spirit has been active in this town ever since, and no town of its size and population in the State has furnished more or better men to aid in repelling invasion or crushing out rebellion than Norway. In the year 1800, under the militia laws of Massachusetts, the first military com- pany was organized in Norway. Jonathan Cummings Jr. was elected Captain; Anthony Bennett, Lieutenant; and William Reed, Ensign. Two years later, probably the first regimental muster ever held in what is now Oxford County was held in Norway. The spot selected for parade was where Anthony Bennett afterward built his buildings. The land was new and rough, though the trees had been felled and the ground burned over. The citizens turned out and put the land in as good condition as was possible under the circumstances, and the occa- sion was an important one for Norway, and for all the surrounding country. Six companies mustered on this occasion, namely, from Buck- field, Paris, Rumford, Hebron, Otisfield, and Norway. The field officers were, Levi Hubbard, of Paris, Colonel; William Livermore, of Liver- more, and Mark Andrews, of Buckfield, Majors; and William C. Whitney, then of Hebron, Adjutant. There was not much uniformity either in arms or equipments. The old flint-lock muskets were used, and several varieties differing in size, length, and caliber, were repre- sented. The officers were armed with swords or spontoons; their uni- form was a tri-colored cocked hat, dark blue coat, faced with bright red, buff vests and pants for field officers, and light cream-colored for the
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line. Field officers and captains wore epaulettes on each shoulder, and inferior officers on one. The privates usually wore dark clothes, with no attempt at uniformity, and carried a knapsack and cartridge-box. This, our first muster, passed off pleasantly enough. There was no accident, but to say that everybody kept entirely sober, where the various kinds of ardent spirits were as free as water, and when no con- scientious scruples seemed to exist, would doubtless be wide of the truth. A military muster without drunkenness in those days, would have indeed been a rarity.
In 1804, Captain Jonathan Cummings was promoted to be Major in the regiment, and Lieutenant Anthony Bennett succeeded to the Cap- taincy of the Norway Company, with Ward Noyes as Lieutenant. This company organization continued until 1807, when William Reed resigned as Ensign, and was succeeded by Amos Town, who was chosen at the May inspection. In the spring of 1808, Captain Anthony Bennett received an injury which resulted in his death, an account of which is given elsewhere. The accounts that come down to us concerning Captain Bennett, all agree that he was a model military officer, and greatly beloved by the company. The vacancy was filled by the choice of Ward Noyes as Captain, Amos Town as Lieutenant, and Ephraim Twombly as Ensign. The company at this time numbered one hun- dred and twenty men, and was in a most excellent condition.
In the winter of 1808-9, the company having become large, and the population of the town being now sufficient to support two companies, Captain Ward Noyes, with the consent of his company, petitioned to have the company divided, and by general orders issued at Boston, March 27th, 1809, it was done. The two organizations were thereafter known as the South and the North Companies.
All the commissioned officers, by the division line, fell within the limits of the North Company, and June 27th, 1809, in accordance with regimental orders, the South chose the following officers, who were duly commissioned: Bailey Bodwell, Captain; William Twombly, Lieuten- ant; and Daniel Holt, Ensign. Captain Ward Noyes resigned his command of the North Company during the winter of 1809-10, and May 7th, 1811, the following reorganization was effected: Amos Town was promoted to be Captain, Ephraim Twombly to be Lieutenant, and
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William Parsons Jr. was made Ensign. The war of 1812 began to be foreshadowed by current events, about this time, and the monotony of May training, drill meetings, and fall muster, gave place to military enthusiasm at the prospect of real service. An account of Norway's part in this war will be given further along.
During the summer of 1813, Lieutenant Ephraim Twombly of the North Company resigned, and William Parsons Jr. was promoted to succeed him. Cadwallader F. Jones was chosen ensign. The company at this time had seventy privates, and the South Company about the same number.
In 1816, Captain Amos Town was promoted to Major, and subse- quently to Colonel of the regiment. The company then elected William Parsons, Captain; Cadwallader F. Jones, Lieutenant ; and John Whit- marsh, Ensign.
The South Company was reorganized on the 23d of March, 1816, by the choice of Henry Rust Jr. as Captain, John Millett Jr. as Lieutenant, and Isaac Bennett as Ensign. At the May inspection in 1818, Captain Rust's company had a target shooting match. Ezra F. Beal carried off the first prize, Stephen Greenleaf the second, and Malachi Bartlett the third.
In 1818, August 27th, the North Company met for the choice of officers, Captain William Parsons having been promoted to Major. He was afterward promoted through the various grades to Brigadier-Gen- eral. Cadwallader F. Jones was promoted Captain ; John Whitmarsh, Lieutenant ; and David Noyes was made Ensign.
In 1820, Captain Jones of the North Company having resigned, John Whitmarsh was made Captain ; David Noyes, Lieutenant ; and Thompson Hall, Ensign.
Captain Rust of the South Company resigned in 1821, and on May 12th of that year, John Millett Jr. was promoted to the Captaincy, Isaac Bennett was promoted to be Lieutenant, and Amos Millett was chosen Ensign.
In 1823, Ensign Amos Millett of the South Company was an aid on the staff of General William Parsons Jr., and April roth, the company elected John Richards to fill the vacancy. (John Richards subsequently changed his name to John Lee.)
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
April 9th, 1823, Ensign Thompson Hall of the North Company having been commissioned brigade inspector, Jeremiah Foster was elected Ensign.
May 6th, 1823, the South Company chose Ensign John Richards, Lieutenant, and Malachi Bartlett, Ensign.
In 1823, Henry W. Millett was chosen Major of the cavalry battalion connected with this brigade.
The North Company met October 2d, 1824, Captain John Whitmarsh having resigned, and promoted David Noyes to be Captain, Jeremiah Foster to be Lieutenant, and elected Nathan Foster Jr., Ensign.
Captain John Millett having been elected Major, the South Com- pany, October 25th, 1824, promoted John Richards to be Captain, and chose Henry C. Reed, Lieutenant, and subsequently chose Thomas J. Cox to be Ensign.
April 8th, 1826, Captain David Noyes having resigned, and Ensign Nathan Foster Jr. having deceased, the North Company elected Jere- miah Foster, Captain; Benjamin F. Hall, Lieutenant ; and William Needham, Ensign.
Captain Jeremiah Foster of the North Company having resigned, the company, August 22d, 1828, promoted Benjamin F. Hall to the Captaincy, made William Needham, Lieutenant, and Ansel Town, Ensign.
August 11th, 1830, the South Company elected a new set of officers, the others having resigned. They were as follows : Joseph Bennett, Captain ; Hiram Millett, Lieutenant ; and William Hayes, Ensign.
In 1831, Captain Hall of the North Company having resigned, Ensign Ansel Town was elected Captain, and William Stevens, Ensign.
October 24th, 1832, William Stevens was made Lieutenant, and Henry L. Noyes, Ensign.
September 13th, 1832, the South Company made Hiram Millett Captain, in place of Joseph Bennett who had been elected Major. Cephas Sampson was elected Ensign, and William Hayes, Lieutenant.
Cephas Sampson was elected Captain of the South Company ; Will- iam Noble, Lieutenant ; and Alanson M. Dunham, Ensign, April 20th, 1836, to fill vacancies caused by resignation.
Several years later, Captain Sampson resigned and was succeeded by
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Lieutenant Noble. Alanson M. Dunham was promoted to Lieutenant. Subsequently, they both resigned. Jonathan Whitehouse elected En- sign in 1838, and Captain in 1841; Wm. P. Buck, Lieutenant : A. C. Houghton, Ensign. Whitehouse resigned 1844. This was about the winding up of the affairs of the South Company. David Sanborn was the last captain elected, but he never called the company together.
The North Company, on the first Tuesday of May, 1835, elected William Stevens, Captain, in place of Ansel Town who had been elected Major of the regiment. Henry L. Noyes was made Lieutenant, and Amos F. Noyes, Ensign.
In May, 1836, Amos F. Noyes was promoted to Lieutenant, in place of Henry L. Noyes who resigned on account of lameness. Alvah Hobbs was chosen Ensign.
In the summer of the same year, Amos F. Noyes was chosen Captain ; Alvah Hobbs, Lieutenant ; and Washington French, Ensign. These officers served in the Aroostook War of which an account will be given hereafter.
In 1842, Captain Noyes was elected Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment ; Lieutenant Hobbs was elected Captain ; Washington French, Lieutenant ; and James French, Ensign.
Captain Alvah Hobbs having resigned his commission, Washington French succeeded him as Captain, James French was promoted Lieu- tenant, and Henry Upton, Ensign.
The next and last change in the North Company, of Norway, made James French Captain, Henry Upton Lieutenant, and Ebenezer Crow- ell Ensign. Before any further change became necessary, the law of the State requiring drill and muster of the entire militia was repealed.
In the battalion of cavalry connected with the regiment, a company of which was made up from Paris, Greenwood, Woodstock, and Nor- way, were several privates and non-commissioned officers from Norway, and Nathaniel Bennett was a Lieutenant. This company met for drill in Paris and Norway, and mustered with the regiment. By the repeal of the militia laws, this company also became defunct. This company of dragoons, with its grotesque uniforms and peculiar drill, always attracted a crowd whenever it came out. The battalion was organized quite early, and the company raised in this and the towns named, was organized as early as 1795.
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
The Norway Light Infantry was organized September 15th, 1855. William Wirt Virgin, then a practicing attorney in Norway, was chosen Captain ; David F. Noyes, First Lieutenant ; and Jonathan Blake, Second Lieutenant.
In 1856, two more lieutenants were chosen, namely, Edmund M. Hobbs, Third, and William M. Cushman, Fourth.
In 1858, Lieutenants Hobbs and Cushman having resigned and left town, George L. Beal was elected Third Lieutenant, and George W. Patch of Greenwood, Fourth.
In 1859, George L. Beal was chosen Captain in place of William WV. Virgin, who had been elected Major-General of the Third Division, Maine Militia. Jonathan Blake was elected First Lieutenant ; George W. Patch, Second ; Cornelius W. Hobbs, Third ; and William W. Whit- marsh, Fourth. This organization was continued until the breaking out of the War of the Rebellion. An account of this company during the four years' struggle which followed, will be given elsewhere.
In the autumn of 1869, the Norway Light Infantry was reorganized by the choice of George L. Beal as Captain, William W. Whitmarsh as First Lieutenant, and Henry R. Millett as Second.
In 1873, Captain Beal having been promoted to Aide-de-Camp on the staff of the commanding general, Lieutenant Whitmarsh was pro- moted Captain, Henry Millett, First Lieutenant, and Arthur E. Deni- son was chosen Second Lieutenant.
Lieutenant Henry R. Millett having declined his commission, John F. Fitz was elected in his place to take rank from March 31st, 1874.
Lieutenant Arthur E. Denison having resigned, William C. Cole was elected Second Lieutenant from August 20th, 1874. Lieutenant William C. Cole having resigned, Morrill M. Fuller was elected to fill the vacancy, to take rank from July 26th, 1877.
In 1878, Captain Whitmarsh resigned, and the company was reorgan- ized by the choice of John F. Fitz as Captain, Morrill M. Fuller as First Lieutenant, and Charles B. Keith as Second.
In 1882, John M. Bumpus was elected First Lieutenant in place of Fuller, resigned.
In 1882, Herman L. Horne was elected Captain, to take rank from June 26th ; Orville W. Collins was elected First Lieutenant, and William A. Ripley, Second.
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
In 1883, Orville W. Collins was elected Captain, to take effect April 14th. William A. Ripley was elected First Lieutenant, and Gilbert R. Stuart, of South Paris, Second.
Gilbert R. Stuart declined the commission, and June 13th, 1883, Albert M. Harlow was elected to fill the vacancy.
In 1884, William A. Ripley was elected Captain ; Edward R. Jordan, First Lieutenant ; and Frank D. Briggs, Second.
REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS.
It has already been said that several of the early settlers of this town had taken an active part in the great struggle for independence. Some of them took part in the Concord and Lexington fight, and more of them still were in the battle of Bunker Hill. Their terms of service varied all the way from a few months to the entire period of the war, which was seven years. The terms of enlistment were generally short, and some of our early townsmen enlisted three or four times. Nearly all of these men were originally from Massachusetts, and there were very few able-bodied Massachusetts men who were not in the service more or less during the Revolutionary War. Even old men and invalids were in the Rhode Island Campaign, and also in the army that besieged Boston while that city was occupied by the British troops. The close of the war found the colonies bankrupt. Massachusetts had exhausted her resources, having nothing left but wild lands with which to reward her soldiers. To such as were willing to emigrate to the " Eastward," as coming to the district of Maine was then called, liberal terms were offered, and very many ex-soldiers availed themselves of it. Fryeburg, Bethel, Buckfield, Rumford, Hebron, Waterford, Turner, Livermore, Jay, Paris, and a few other towns afterward forming the county of Oxford, had only a few scattering settlers at the close of the Revolutionary War, but all these towns and others that had not then been settled, were rapidly peopled as soon as the war was over, and a large per cent of these new settlers were ex-soldiers of the patriot army. They were of both Pilgrim and Puritan origin, and from the best families of the old Bay State. The high character of the sons and daughters of Oxford County both at home and abroad, for they may be found in every part of our national domain, is largely due to
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the infusion of patriotic blood which came here in the persons of those ex-soldiers, from 1784 to 1800.
JONAS STEVENS, the father of the Stevens brothers, who were the first settlers in Norway, and who came here himself, served in Colonel Crane's Fifteenth Regiment for three years. He enlisted from Townsend, Massachusetts.
JOEL STEVENS, son of Jonas, served in the same regiment with his father.
JACOB FROST was in the battle of Bunker Hill, was severely wounded by a bullet, and was taken prisoner. He was carried to Halifax, and after suffering almost beyond human endur- ance, in a filthy prison, he succeeded in making his escape, and came home. He died January 28th, 1839, aged eighty-four years.
DARIUS HOLT enlisted from Andover for three years, in Colonel Putnam's regiment.
JAMES PACKARD, from Bridgewater, Massachusetts, served in Colonel Crane's Fifteenth Regiment. He moved from here to Greenwood.
DANIEL KNIGHT came here from Falmouth. He enlisted three times during the war, the last time in the Third Regiment.
LEMUEL SHEDD, of Lunenburg, enlisted in Leominster, and served all through the war.
BELA NOYES was in the service more or less during the war, but as his service did not aggregate three years, he did not receive the land bounty granted to those who had served three years and upward.
DANIEL BECHLER was of German origin, and came from Waldoborough. He served twenty-one months in Colonel Hunt's regiment.
NATHANIEL YOUNG, who came here from Gray, enlisted from Falmouth. He served three years in Colonel Bigelow's regiment.
JACOB HOWE, the veteran post-rider, served three years from Ipswich. He moved from there to Baldwin, then lived in Norway and Paris.
SAMUEL PERKINS, who came here from Middleboro, served forty-three months in the Eighth Regiment. He died in this town.
SIMEON SANBORN came here from Pearsontown, now Standish. / He served one year in the Twelfth Regiment. He moved to Greenwood.
JOHN NEEDHAM, of Billerica, served thirty-two months and twenty-eight days in the Sixth Regiment, and one year in the Invalid Corps.
PHINEAS WHITNEY, who settled on the Waterford three tiers, was in the battle of Bunker Hill, and served subsequently.
AMOS UPTON, from Reading, Massachusetts, was in the Bunker Hill Battle.
SAMUEL AMES, from Haverhill, served one year in Colonel Wesson's Ninth Regiment. He will be remembered as the first resident in the village, and the first miller. He came here from Paris.
JOSHUA POOL, one of our early post-riders, was a revolutionary soldier, and a pensioner. He died in Greenwood, August 23d, 1844, aged eighty-two years.
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STEPHEN CURTIS, originally from Plymouth County, but came here from Hebron, served one year.
JOSEPH GAMMON came here from Gorham. He served one year.
ISAAC LOVEJOY, from Andover, Massachusetts, served three years in Colonel Putnam's regiment.
ASA DUNHAM, from Plympton, was stationed first at Plymouth in 1776; was in Captain Jesse Harlow's company; was at Fishkill on the Hudson, in 1778; was in Captain Pierce's regiment in Rhode Island in 1779, and again in 1780; and was subsequently in Colonel Jacobs' regiment. He volunteered in Captain Bodwell's Norway Company January 5th, 1813, and died at Burlington, Vermont, October 13th, the same year. His widow, with her large family, moved from Norway to Woodstock. Her maiden name was Lydia Cobb, a sister of Isaac Cobb, the early settler here who subsequently moved to Abbot.
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