USA > Maine > Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume I > Part 44
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The inclosures to your letter are herewith returned. Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
E. D. TOWNSEND, Adjutant-General.
Returning to his command, he was on gen-
eral court martial duty at Fort Laramie, Wy- oming, and with his company at Camp Red Canyon, Wyoming, till May, 1877; with com- pany at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, till May 20, 1879; with company as A. A. Q. M. and A. C. S., at Fort Laramie, Wyoming, till June, 1880, when he was promoted first lieutenant and assigned to Company A, Fourth Infantry. He was with company, A. A. Q. M. and A. C. S., at Fort Fetterman, Wyoming, till April, 1881; on leave of absence till October, 1881 ; commanding company, instructor of musketry and range officer, at the Infantry and Cavalry School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, till Au- gust, 1883. On being relieved from duty at Fort Leavenworth, the commandant of the school forwarded the following letter to the Adjutant General of the Army :
POST OF FORT LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS, July 16, 1883.
ADJUTANT-GENERAL, U. S. ARMY :
First Lieutenant Lewis Merriam, Fourth Infantry, dur- ing almost his entire tour of duty at the post, extending from November, 1881, to July 10, 1883, has been acting as Instructor of Musketry. This duty, owing to the num- ber of Company organizations present, has occupied nearly all his time, although during a good share of that period he has been obliged to exercise command of "A" Com- pany, Fourth Infantry, the interests of which he faith- fully attended to. As Target Officer he showed in the performance of his duty practical intelligence, matured experience, the power to impart instruction and, in fine, the essential qualities which a competent Instructor of Musketry should possess, and he labored faithfully, as- siduously and efficiently with officers and men of the Command, to improve them in rifle practice.
The zeal with which he prosecuted his labors, attend- ing to all the details connected with the target range, deserves especial mention and praise.
(Signed) E. S. OTIS,
Colonel Twentieth Infantry, Commanding.
Lieutenant Merriam was with Company F, Fourth Infantry A. A. Q. M., A. C. S., range officer, and instructor of rifle practice at Fort Niobrara, Nebraska, till 1886. He was cham- pion rifle shot of the United States army for the years 1883, 1884 and 1885, and is the owner of more first-class government medals, won in competition, than any other officer or enlisted man in the army. He was with com- pany, instructor of rifle practice and range officer at Fort Spokane, Washington, 1886 to 1887. He was granted six months sick leave, and ordered before a retiring board in 1888, and sick leave until retired from active service for disability contracted in line of duty, with rank of captain, June 23, 1893, and promoted to rank of major by act of April 23, 1904. During his army service he re- ceived many commendatory letters from' offi- cers of high rank-Adjutant General H. C. Corbin; General M. I. Luddington, Quarter- master General; Paymaster General T. H. Stanton ; Brigadier General J. C. Gilmore, A. A. G .; Brigadier General T. E. True ; Briga- dier General E. V. Sumner; General Ellis
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Spear, and many others. Major Merriam is a companion of the District of Columbia Com- mandery, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, and of Kit Carson Post, Grand Army of the Republic, Washington City, and a member of the Society of the Army of the Potomac, and resides in Washington, D. C.
He married, at Omaha, Nebraska, August 7, 1876, Annie Burnham, born in Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, June 17, 1854, daugh- ter of Lieutenant Colonel Horace Blois and Mrs. Ruth Ann ( Jackson) Burnham, her father being deputy judge advocate general United States Army. Children of Major and Mrs. Lewis Merriam: I. Ruth Mary, born at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, August I, 1877; married, at Washington, D. C., June 8, 1899, Dr. Frank Hood Schultz, D. D. S .; re- side in Washington, D. C. 2. Henry Clay, born at Fort Omaha, Nebraska, December 17, 1879; graduate of Shattuck Military School, of Faribault, Minnesota, and is cap- tain of coast artillery, U. S. A., stationed at Fortress Monroe, Virginia; married, at Man- ila, Philippine Islands, August 30, 1900, Bes- sie Charlotte Ray, of Faribault, Minnesota ; has a daughter, Charlotte Burnham, born at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, April 6, 1903. 3. Hat- tie Newell, born at Fort Fetterman, Wyom- ing, June 15, 1881, died at Clarksville, Ten- nessee, October, 1881. 4. Lewis Burnham, born at Fort Niobrara, Nebraska, March 4, 1884 ; died December 2, 1884. 5. Blois Burn- ham, born at Fort Spokane, Washington, Sep- tember 21, 1886; drowned in Coeur d'Alene Lake, Idaho, August 20, 1892. 6. Lewis, born in Spokane, Washington, May 30, 1893, now attending St. John's College, Annapolis, Mary- land.
STETSON The name appears in the rec- ords variously spelled: Stet- son, Stilson, Studson, Stedson or Stutson, from the time of its first record in the Plymouth Colony in 1633. It is tradition- ally credited with having been a Scotch family. Robert, the first of the name in America, is credited with having been a native of Kent county, England, and landing in New England in 1633. As the first settlers of Scituate were known as "Men of Kent;" it may be that he is credited to county Kent, England, with the others, as in 1634 he received a considerable grant of land from the general court of New Plymouth Colony, at which date he must have been twenty-one years of age. The land granted him was on the North river, in the
town of Scituate, where he built a home, and the land did not pass out of the family or out of the Stetson name until the widow of Charles Stetson married Clarke Sampson, of Duxbury.
(I) Robert Stetson, immigrant, was an im- portant man in Plymouth Colony and a useful citizen both in time of peace and of war. He took the oath of freeman in 1652; was made foreman of jury for laying out roads in 1653; a deputy to the general court of Plymouth Colony 1653-56; erected a saw mill in 1656; was again a deputy to the general court in 1658-59-60-61-62, and again in 1666-67, and an additional deputy in 1674, on account of the immediate prospect of war with the In- dians. He was a commissioner in June, 1659, with Major Josiah Winslow and Lieutenant Southworth, appointed by the general court of Plymouth Colony to view and adjust the trou- blesome question of the boundary line at the time unfixed between the colonies of Massa- chusetts Bay and Plymouth, finally fixed in 1664. In 1675 he was a member of the com- mittee to procure clothing for the soldiers in the Indian wars, and in 1681, with Nathaniel Thomas, of Marshfield, he hired the Cape fish- eries for the privilege of catching bass and mackerel. He served in the colonial militia as cornet, or flag bearer, of the first company of horse organized in Plymouth Colony, in 1658 or 1659, and was a member of the council of war in 1661 and again in 1681. He took the field repeatedly in repelling Indian attacks or the defending of settlers on the frontier. In the time of the King Philip war he was de- spatched to visit Sachem Philip, and was paid for this service, according to the records, as follows : "1677 Paid Cornett Studson for his horse, time and pains forty shillings." In
1668 he was commissioned by the general court to purchase from the Indian owners the tract of land which subsequently formed the towns of Hanover and Abington, for the use of the colony, but the title to be made in his name and some of his sons settled on these lands. The maiden name of the mother of Cornet Stetson's children is not known. In his will, made and witnessed September 4, 1702, he gives his wife's name as Mary, and it is gen- erally conceded by the most careful and trust- worthy genealogists that she was his second wife and the widow of John Bryant, and that he married her after 1682. His will was proven on March I, 1703, he having died February I, 1703, at the age of ninety years, and in his will his daughter Eunice is men- tioned as Eunice Rogers, and the widow of his son John as Abigail. He evidently became
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a member of the Second Parish Church of Scituate before the time he took the oath of freeman in 1652, as his first three children were brought to the church and baptized, Oc- tober 6, 1645. The time of his marriage is not definitely known, but the eldest of these children, Joseph, was born in Scituate; other children were : Benjamin, Thomas (died young), Samuel, John, Eunice, Lois, Robert and Thomas.
(II) Joseph, eldest child of Cornet Robert Stetson, was born, June, 1639, at Scituate, Plymouth Colony, and was baptized in the Sec- ond Parish Church, October 6, 1646(?). He married Prudence , and lived a quiet life on his farm, taking part in neither the affairs of the church, town or colony. He died between 1722 and 1724. His will was dated April 4, 1722, and was probated May 8, 1724. Children of Joseph and Prudence Stetson: Joseph, Robert, Lois, William, De- sire, Prudence, Samuel and Hannah.
(III) Robert (2), second son of Joseph and Prudence Stetson, was born in Scituate, Ply- mouth Colony, December 9, 1670. He served his town as constable in 1722, the only office credited to him on the town records. He was evidently a man of business affairs, in addition to his cultivation of a farm. He married Mary Collamore, of Scituate; chil- dren : Anthony, Jemima, Isaac, William, Mar- tha, Gideon and Robert.
(IV) Robert (3), youngest son of Robert (2) and Mary (Collamore) Stetson, was born September 3, 1710. The date of his death is not known. He was a farmer, and evidently lived on a part of the Indian plantation pur- chased by his great-grandfather, Cornet Stet- son, he having a farm of forty-three acres, and on it he erected a house that was still standing on the highway leading from the meeting house to Hanover and was still stand- ing in 1900, being next to the oldest house in the town of Hanover. He sold the place to his brother William in 1746. He married, November 23, 1738, Hannah Tower, of Pem- broke, Massachusetts ; children: Robert, Reu- ben, Hannah, Mary, Batcheler, Caleb, Martha and Jemima.
(V) Batcheler, third son of Robert (3) and Hannah (Tower) Stetson, was born in Han- over, Massachusetts, December 11, 1753, and died in Greene, Maine, in 1825. He removed to New Gloucester, Maine, and in 1791 settled in Greene, locating on the place lately occupied by Reuben Stetson. He served through the revolutionary war, and in the battle of Ben- nington received a charge of powder in the
face. His record in the Massachusetts Rolls is as follows: Batcheler Stetson, Hanover, list of men raised to serve in the Continental army from Colonel John Cushing's (second Plymouth county) regiment, residence, Han- over, engaged for town of Hanover, term, three years, also bombadier, Captain William Treadwell's company, Colonel John Crane's (Artillery) regiment; Continental army pay accounts for service from February 14, 1777, to December 31, 1779, reported as services twenty-four months as matross, ten months seventeen days as bombadier. He married Margaret Nash, of New Gloucester ; children : Hannah, Deborah, Turner and Caleb.
(VI) Turner, son of Batcheler and Mar- garet (Nash) Stetson, was born in Greene, in 1788, and died in the same town in 1847. He was a farmer, a man much respected and pop- ular. He was a lieutenant in the militia. He married Thankful Lombard, born in 1795, died in 1848. Children: Reuben, Angelina, Han- nah, Benjamin, Caleb, Melissa, Andrew Jack- son, Maria, Martin Van Buren, Alfred, Alonzo Johnson.
(VII) Reuben, son of Turner and Thankful (Lombard) Stetson, was born in Greene, March 25, 1813. He followed the sea, and was mate for six years, and was the last sur- vivor of the crew that took the Stevens ex- ploring party to Mexico and Central America. He afterward settled on the farm upon which Batcheler Stetson first located in Greene. He married Christiana, daughter of David Tomp- son. She was a woman of most attractive personality and great force of character. Their children are: Herbert Lee, William Wallace, Clement Skofield and James Henry.
(VIII) William Wallace, second son of Reuben and Christiana (Tompson) Stetson, was born in Greene, Maine, June 17, 1849. His early life was passed at the family home- stead and in attending the district school. He went to Monmouth Academy, and later to Ed- ward Little Institute in Maine, and finally to Monmouth College, Illinois. He began teach- ing at the age of fifteen years and taught some part of every year until 1895. He com- menced in the district schools of Maine, and in 1868 went to Illinois, where he taught in district, normal and high schools, and finally became superintendent of schools. While principal in the high schools of Illinois he fitted pupils who took honors at Cornell, Har- vard, Evanston and Ann Arbor, in mathe- matics, the languages, literature and history, and wrote for educational journals. In 1884 he returned to Maine, and in March, 1885, be-
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canie principal of Webster school in Auburn, and took charge of the Auburn schools, a position he filled for a period of ten years, at the same time lecturing on educational sub- jects and writing for magazines. "As a sup- erintendent of schools," says the "History of Androscoggin County," "he enjoys an enviable reputation for executive ability, a broad grasp of what should be taught, and great fertility in devising methods of instruction. He is noted not only for being abreast of the times on educational subjects but as an explorer in new fields. His annual reports, in which he has elaborated his theory of education, have received the hearty endorsements of leading educationalists." From 1895 to 1907 Mr. Stetson was state superintendent of the schools of Maine and brought to his work vigorous health, marked enthusiasm and tireless energy, great capacity for sustained effort, wide know- ledge of school organization and management, quick insight into educational conditions and needs, and foresight into methods of meeting them ; a large and ready fund of pedagogical laws' and facts, the power to think clearly, connectedly, to right conclusions, and, withal, a terse, vigorous, graphic, ready style of ex- pression in speech and writing, giving power to make others think with him and make his thoughts their own. The state reports of Mr. Stetson have been more extensively circulated than any other similar documents in the last decade. Besides being largely copied by edu- cational journals of this country, many por- tions of these volumes have been reprinted in French, German and Spanish. When Mr. Stetson resigned from the responsible office of state superintendent of schools, Governor Cobb, upon accepting the resignation, desig- nated June 30 as the date upon which it was to go into effect, thus keeping Mr. Stetson identified with the office until the close of the school year. The feeling of the legislature was shown by its voting seven to one in the house and unanimously in the senate, to nearly double the salary of the state superintendent. The governor, in a public letter, expressed his approval of and confidence in Mr. Stetson, concluding with the words: "You have done much for the cause of education in Maine, and I thank you." Though his school work made up a busy and useful life, the more than or- dinary energy of Mr. Stetson led him, upon taking up his residence in Auburn, to ally himself with every effort to increase the pros- perity of that city, and his efforts have ma- terially aided in the advancement of many important organizations. He was especially
prominent in the founding of the Building and Loan Association, having charge of the meet- ings which led up to its formation. It was a suggestion made by him to a newspaper re- porter that kindled the flame of enthusiasm for a public library. Later he brought the subject before the Board of Trade and was made chairman of the committee of the board on library, and it was largely through his per- sistent efforts that the idea has been substan- tially realized. He was one of its corporators and was elected one of its trustees.
Since 1907 Mr. Stetson has devoted all of his time to writing and the lecture field. He is a polished and impressive speaker, his well- chosen words flowing gently and smoothly from a fountainhead of sound reasoning, pro- found logic and wholesome thought. His elo- quence is calm but inspiring, his argument, simple but convincing, his humor, plain but genuine and refreshing. He has contributed much to educational publications. His writing is characterized by his ability to grasp a sub- ject with ease, to express his ideas with clear- ness, yet in a terse and striking manner, while a fine presence and a harmonious and well modulated voice add much to his delivery. In speaking without notes he is more apt to be brief and pungent than in his more care- fully prepared speeches. He is a constant student of history, philosophy and literature, and to these subjects he has devoted the greater part of a fine private library. From his interest in these branches he has always made it a point to belong to a history and literature club, and he has formed several of these organizations. The following extract from the Evening Post, of Wellington, New Zealand, is certainly of great interest: "In this revival (educational) Maine appears to lead the way. That state is blessed with an enthusiast in the person of William Wallace Stetson, superintendent of the educational de- partment. He raises his voice on paper, and he sings in a way that makes the people listen gracefully. Even his correspondence paper bears signs of his belief that the care of the young is the most important national duty. On the left-hand corner of his note-paper sheet there are five statements-democratic, incontrovertible : 'The homes of Maine are domestic universities.' 'The home and the school hold the hope of the future.' 'The common school is to be the social, literary, and art center of the community.' 'The safety of the nation is not in the hands of its rulers, but in the lives of its com- mon people.' 'The world's best servant
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knows the past, lives in the present, foresees the future, and is ready for the next thing.'" Such appreciation from far-off New Zealand is certainly pleasant. Professor J. D. Wilson furnishes the following comments: "In the way of intellectual outlook and professional uplift the Kirksville Normal School of Mis- souri came to high tide under the masterful sway of Hon. W. W. Stetson, the brilliant, scholarly and eloquent State Superintendent of the schools of Maine. In ripeness of scholar- ship, in catholicity of spirit and in finish of culture Mr. Stetson has few equals in this country. * * Mr. Stetson's large and last- ing service to this institution and to the cause of education and the higher life in Missouri came less from his preaching and more from his personality."
Mr. F. B. Arundell, a well-known author of North Carolina, wrote an appreciation of Mr. Stetson as a speaker, from which the follow- ing is taken : "He has sojourned among many peoples and has studied men and conditions everywhere his travels have led him. These experiences give him a power and make him a force for progress. He is one of this country's foremost educators. His educational creed is as comprehensive as the children of his coun- try are numerous and his impulses are as sin- cere and patriotic as the cause for which he pleads is essential and just. Dr. Stetson is a really great American, and he who hears him on the rostrum, or lingers with him in social intercourse, will not only admire him but hold him in sincere and lofty esteem."
He is a man of strong personality, warm heart and generous impulses, and out of he strength of his own manhood impresses him- self on those with whom he comes in contact. His record as a lecturer extends over the United States and Canada, and he has been heard in many of our most famous educational institutions. Some of his principal lectures are : Some Essentials, The Natural Order of De- velopment. The Literary Training of the Teacher, Reading an Unprinted Page, The Emotions as a Factor in Education, A Master's Message, Some Lessons the South May Teach Us, A Review of the Record, Historical Study for the Teacher, The Duty of the Community to the School, Lessons Taught by Leaders, The Big Four, Education Through the Study of Things, Basis of the Efficient School, One Point of View, Helping Without Hurting, In- terpretation of Works of Art, The New Edu- cation. Aesthetic Culture. He is the author of : History and Civil Government of Maine ; Rural Schools of Maine; Needs of Schools of
Maine ; What is and Should be Taught in the Common Schools; Waste and Kindred Evils in the Administration of Public Schools; The Public School System with Regard to Pur- pose, Scope of Instruction, Organization and Present Condition; The Schools of North- eastern Maine; Sketches. Designs and Plans for School-buildings, School Yards and Out- houses ; What the School Should do for the Child; Suggestions on Study of U. S. History and Arithmetic; Library and Art Exchange; Local History and. Geography and Kindred Subjects ; Some of Our School Problems and State of Local Interest; Experiment in Child Study ; The School as it Was, Is and Should Be ; Words, Reading and Literature ; Improve- ment of School Buildings and Grounds ; Meth- ods for Elementary Schools; Manual for Teachers; Gains and Losses; Educational Ideals ; Rural Communities and Centers of Populations ; The Work of a Decade; Stand- ard Schools; To the Boys and Girls of Maine; Crying of the Children; Industrial Educa- tion ; A Theory and a Condition ; and Thoughts by the Way. Mr. Stetson received the degree of A. M. and LL. D. from Colby College, and the degree of LL. D. from Monmouth (Il- linois) College. The home of Mr. Stetson on Minot avenue is one of the notable residences of the city, and is surrounded by handsome and well-kept grounds.
He was married, July 4, 1871, to Rebecca Jane Killough, of Morning Sun, Iowa. She is a woman of education and refinement, and is active in literary and philanthropic work.
(For first generation see Robert Stetson I.)
(II) Benjamin, second son of STETSON Cornet Robert Stetson, the immigrant settler, of Scituate, Plymouth colony, was born at Scituate, Au- gust, 1641, and baptized October 6. 1645. He was a deputy in the general court of Plymouth colony to 1691, and a representative in the general court of the Massachusetts Bay col- ony at Boston in 1693-94-1700, the two col- onies having joined in a common government with the general court to assemble at Boston in 1692. He was conspicuous in the affairs of the Second Parish of Scituate, and represented the interests of the church repeatedly before the general court. He married Bethiah
and their children were: I. Benjamin (q. v.). 2. Matthew, born June 12, 1669, died Novem- ber, 1690, in the expedition which successfully. besieged Quebec under Sir William Phipps at the time that knight was high sheriff of New England colonies and before he was made the
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first royal governor of Massachusetts Bay Col- ony, 1692-94. 3. James, born May 1, 1670. 4. Samuel, born in October, 1673. 5. Bethiah, May 14, 1675. 6. Mary, April 21, 1678. 7. Hannah, June 1, 1679. 8. Deborah, December 3, 1681. 9. Eunice, March, 1683. 10. Mary, born September, 1684, died young. Benjamin Stetson, Sr., died at Scituate, Massachusetts, May 4, 17II.
(III) Benjamin (2), eldest son of Benja- min (I) and Bethiah Stetson, was born in Scituate, in February, 1663, baptized May 19, 1668. He was a farmer, and also engaged in manufacturing iron as early as 1720, when the towns at annual town meeting "granted two acres of land on Indian Head River to Joseph Barston and Benjamin Stetson for the accom- modation of a forge." He was a representa- tive in the general court of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1700, and a man of importance in the affairs of the town. He married, Jan- uary 22, 1690, Grace Turner; children: I. Matthew, born November 5, 1690. 2. Grace, April 29, 1692; married (first) John Hatch, Jr., February 26, 1718-19, and on the settle- ment of her father's estate she is recorded as Grace Beals. 3. Margaret, born March 30, 1694; married, November 22, 1739, James Briggs. 4. Benjamin, born July 1, 1696. 5. Bethiah, born May 4, 1699; married, Septem- ber 5, 1728, Nicholas Powers. 6. Leah, born May 6, 1702; married, November 16, 1732, Enoch Whitten, or Whitney. 7. Abijah, born July 4, 1704 (q. v.). Benjamin Stetson Jr. died in Scituate, Massachusetts, about 1740.
(IV) Abijah, youngest child of Benjamin (2) and Grace (Turner) Stetson, was born in Scituate, Massachusetts, July 4, 1704, and he was taken to the church and baptized with his sister Leah, two years his senior, Septem- ber 24, 1704. He married, June 5, 1728-29, Deborah Turner, of Scituate, and they made their home in the town of Hanover after their first three children were born in Scituate. Children : 1. Adam, born March 12, 17 -. 2. John, April 17, 1731. 3. Abigail, November 4, 1733, died February 3, 1752, unmarried. 4. Deborah, born 1737, died 1762. 5. Prince, born in August, 1741 (q. v.). 6. Margaret, born April 7, 1745; married, July 18, 1765, Job Sylvester. 7. Elijah, born in March, 1747. 6. Zilpha, born in March, 1750; married, Oc- tober 17, 1771, James Carter, and died Sep- tember 21, 1776. The five children last named were born in Hanover township, Massachu- setts.
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