USA > Maine > Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume II > Part 18
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(VI) Jonas (2), son of Dr. Ebenezer Ma- son, was born June 7, 1778. He was in the war of 1812. He was sheriff, justice of the peace, and deputy to the general court in 1838-39. He settled in Thomaston, Maine, and afterward at Hermon, Maine. He mar- ried first. February 28, 1799. Abiah Bryant, born December 2, 1777. died February 9, 1821. daughter of Stephen Bryant. He mar- ried second. Alay 20, 1824, Rebecca Matthews, born November 19. 1798, died January 12, 1845, daughter of Herman Matthews. He married third, March II, 1846, at Somerville, New Jersey, Catherine Campbell. About this time he removed to Raritan, New Jersey. He died at the Maine Insane Hospital at Augusta, November 21, 1868. Children of first wife : 1. Sultana, born 1799, married George W. Jones. 2. Jonas, March 10, 1802. 3. Zip- porah (twin), born October, 1803. 4. Elisha- be (twin), October, 1803, died young. 5.
Miles, March 12, 1805, died July 27, 1832. 6. Zelotes, April 30, 1807, mentioned below. 7. Pethriel, June 10, 1809. 8. Abiah Bryant, April 27, 1811, married Lemuel Worcester. 9. Lorahamah, June 19, 1813, married Isaac Worcester. 10. Elizabeth Burton, February 19, 1817, married Jeremiah Moulton. II. Henry Swazey, June 17, 1819. Children of second wife: 12. Halsey Healey, February 6, 1825. died April 7, 1825. 13. Halsey Healey, March 27, 1826, died December 29, 1827. 14. Rebecca Matthews, February 16, 1828, married Isaac Bird. 15. Joseph Huse, Novem- ber 23, 1829. 16. Isabella Miles. September 16. 1832. 17. Emeline Wood, January 14, 1835. 18. Frances Munroe, March 5, 1838, died August, 1845. 19. Royal Munroe, July 27, 1840.
(VII) Zelotes, son of Jonas (2) Mason, was born at Thomaston, Maine, April 30, 1807, and died at Howland, Maine, July 9. 1886. Ile was a mariner and resided at Howland. He married, at Bangor, Maine, April 1, 1832, Eleanor Butler Lancaster, born at Bangor, July 21, 1812, died September, 1903. Chil- dren : I. Mercy Ann, born September 1, 1833, married George Bradford Derby. ( See Derby family herewith. ) 2. Pethuel, August 25, 1835. 3. Lewis Treat, May 8, 18.11. 4. Mary Jane Pierce, December 1, 1845. 5. Abraham Hammet, December 16, 1850. 6. Emma Au- gusta, February 3. 1853. 7. Joseph Henry, February 17, 1855, died August 18, 1855.
From the Genealogical Reg- RICHARDS ister of the Richards family, by Rev. Abner Morse, A. M., we obtain the greater part of this article. Richards is a Welch patronymic, answering exactly to Richardson in English. It evident- ly originated in the principality of Wales, and early spread in noble families, for books of Heraldry give no less than seventeen distinct coats-of-arms by the name of Richards, enough of which point back to Wales to justify the belief that here was an original line from which issued founders of illustrious families of the name in different counties in England. Its locality has not been ascertained. At Caerynwick, Marioneth county, Wales, the late Lord Chief Baron of the Court of Exchequer, often president of the House of Lords, Sir Richard Richards, inherited a manor of which his ancestors, about 1550, were spoken of as "the ancient possessors." Now the lordship of Dinwiddick, embracing no doubt the pres- ent county of Marionette, the ancient strong- hold of North Wales, must have been assigned
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by Edward I, after the conquest of 1277, to his son-in-law of high Norman extraction. His descendants continued to possess it, and to marry princes, and are not found to have ever lost it. May not then the manor of Sir Rich- ard Richards be a part of it, and have descend- ed from the original assignee, and he and his race have sprung from princely stock? Of any connection between the inheritors of this manor and any of the early emigrants to New England, nothing has been discovered beyond the common use of the names Edward and Richard, and their emigration from a part of England, where probably an offshoot of the Welsh stock had previously taken root.
(I) Edward Richards is presumed to have been the nephew of Thomas Sr., and the broth- er of Nathaniel and Thomas Jr., and the cousin or brother of William and John of Plymouth. He probably came with Nathaniel in the "Lyon," in 1632, and resided with him at Cam- bridge until 1636. He became one of the pro- prietors of Dedham. 1636-37, and was the six- ty-second signer of its social compact. "On ye 17 dd of ye 5 mo 1640 he was received into ye Church, giving good satisfaction ;" and his wife Susan was received 19 (11) 1644. With this church they walked blameless through life. In 1641 he took the freeman's oath; and in 1646 was chosen selectman, and by annual elections served nine years. Edward Richards began life with more means than most of the planters of Dedham, and left his descendants good estates. The proprietors having adopted the rule of dividing their lands generally ac- cording to estate, he drew an uncommon amount, in no less than fourteen lots. In 1648 his county rate was above the average; and in 1651 his house was valued at f18, when only twelve in Dedham were valued higher. In 1657-58 a previous cedar swamp was ap- portioned to seventy-nine proprietors, and the size of forty-three of the lots is given. Of these Edward Richards received the largest next to Rev. Mr. Allin, the minister. But of these grants he must have made no great ac- count. For, according to tradition, he bore the sobriquet of "Gent. Richards," and obvi- ously aspired to a manor, and was the only planter of Dedham who did so. Farms, as they were called, that is, extensive tracts, were early granted by the general court to the high men of the colony, and to no others. These were expected to be manors. One, prior to the incorporation of Dedham, had been grant- ed within its subsequent limits, to Mr. Cook, probably of Watertown. This Gentleman Richards evidently purchased, preparatory to
settling in Dedham, and proceeded independ- ently, receiving no house or home lot in the town, as did all the others. Upon this estate he commenced his improvements. Here he read his Bible, communed with his Redeemer, interceded for his race, and ended his pil- grimage. In May, 1684, being advanced in age, he walked to a neighbor's, and before wit- nesses dictated a will, left it to be copied, and died before he had an opportunity to sign it. In this he gave his wife room in his house, the selection of the "household stuff" to the value of £40, and an annuity of £12 to be paid her by his sons Nathaniel and John. His homestead, two miles west of the present court house, he gave to his son Nathaniel, with lots in Fowl Meadow, and on Pond, Poweset, Birch, and Great Plains. "The remainder of Mr. Cook's farm" he gave to Nathaniel and John. He made various bequests of money. One of these was to his son Nathaniel, to whom, "if he brought up a son to learning," he bequeathed "£60 more out of his estate to- ward it." This will was proved September 25, 1684. The reason of his making his second son his principal heir instead of his elder son is explained as follows: The ambition of the testator looked ahead. The privations of a new country had affected his family. He wanted his name and place transmitted, and his race to maintain rank. John, the elder. had only one son, and he the first born, whose birth had been followed by that of four daugh- ters. By this time the patriarch must have concluded that if the last had been named Waitstill, which, in other families, had so often brought a boy, it would not insure him another grandson by John, and certainly not a house- ful to bear up his name and furnish gradu- ates, ministers and judges. But at the date of the will, Nathaniel, the junior brother, had nothing but sons, three already born, another near his arrival, and more in prospect. These were a pledge of the certain transmission of the name and homestead in the line of Na- thaniel, and of the birth of many sons to be brought up "to learning," and stand foremost in church and state. He therefore made him his chief legatee; and a comparison of the record of the number of male descendants of these two sons shows how correctly the old Puritan reasoned, and how wisely he acted. John had enough, and Nathaniel none too much ; for the old homestead continued in his family longer than the Crown of Great Brit- ain has remained in one House, or entailments, on an average in one name. Edward Richards was born about 1610-15, and died 25 (6)
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1684. He married, September 10, 1638, Susan Hunting, who was doubtless the sister of Elder John Hunting, of Watertown. She died 9 (7) 1684. They had born to them at Dedham : Mary, John, Dorcas, Nathaniel and Sary.
(II) Mr. Nathaniel, second son of Edward and Susan (Hunting) Richards, was born 25 (II) 1648, baptized 26 (11) 1648, and died February 15, 1727. He inherited the home- stead and about a double share of his father's lands. He was a man of character and stand- ing, and bore the title of Mr. He took the freeman's oath 1690, and made his will Jan- uary 26, 1721. This was exhibited in court March II, 1727, by his son Edward, who de- clined to act as one of the executors. It was again presented December 10, 1731, by Ed- ward Richardson, and proved. In this he gave to his wife Mary all his silver money, the use and improvement of all his housing and lands and moveables during her life ; mentions hav- ing previously given Nathaniel and James lands to a considerable amount, and to Jere- miah £60 in silver, and loaned him £30. He gave Nathaniel twenty acres at Strawberry Hill, and one-third of his cedar swamp, near Easy Plain. To James, forty acres at Straw- berry Hill, one-third of his cedar swamp, and one-half of his cow commons; and to Jere- miah the £30 which he had loaned him, and one-third of his cedar swamp. To his daugh- ters, Mary Tolman, to whom he had given £57, an additional sum of £43; and to Elizabeth fioo, that is, £50 at her marriage and £50 in four years after the death of his wife, or fioo if unmarried at the death of his wife. To his son Edward he bequeathed his home- stead, and all his lands on both sides of the road leading from the town into the woods, the Allen meadow, six acres of wood land near that of Ephraim Wilson Sr .. all his land at Cole Hearth Plain, two acres of Cedar Swamp near Wigwam Plain, one-half of his cow commons, and all his moveables. After the death of his wife, Edward was required to run out the lots given to his brothers, and in four years to pay all the legacies. He cut off all of the legatees who should attempt to break his will, and gave their portion to be equally divided among the rest; and appointed his wife Mary and son Edward executors. He died very suddenly while sitting in his chair, February 15, 1727, in his seventy-ninth year. He married 28 (12) 1678, Mary Aldis, of Dedham, who survived him. She was the daughter of Deacon John and Sarah (Elliott) Aldis. They had : Nathaniel, Jeremiah,
James, Edward, William, Mary, Dorcas and Elizabeth.
(III) Captain Jeremiah, second son of Na- thaniel and Mary ( Aldis) Richards, was born in Dedham, 30 (3) 1681, and was living in 1752, aged seventy-one years. He settled in West Roxbury, and became the progenitor of a numerous race of the name, who long made his homestead their geographical center. No record of his death or the settlement of his estate is presumed to exist. He seems to have been the proprietor of much land, and is sup- posed to have established the famous Peacock tavern. He married Hannah Fisher, by whom he had eight children: Jeremiah, William, Daniel, Nathaniel, Joseph, Hannah, Ebenezer and John.
(IV) Ensign William, second son of Cap- tain Jeremiah and Hannah ( Fisher ) Richards, was born December 20, 1707, and died June 19, 1797, in the ninetieth year of his age. He settled on land given him by his father, at Pigeon Swamp, in the northern part of Sha- ron. then Stoughton, and died there. He mar- ried, May 30, 1733, Elizabeth, born February 15, 1707, died March 5, 1786, daughter of Thomas and Sarah (Pike) Baker, of Roxbury. Their children were: William, Thomas, Ben- jamin, Elizabeth, Jeremiah and Ebenezer.
(V) Benjamin, third son of Ensign William and Elizabeth (Baker) Richards, born March 20, 1738, died January, 1816. He married, October 1, 1763, Mary Belcher, of Stoughton. They had born to them at Sharon: Mary, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Hannah, Luke, Lucy, Barna, Pruda, Thomas Pownal and Nancy.
(VI) Benjamin (2), eldest son of Benjamin (1) and Mary (Belcher) Richards, born March 6, 1768, died in 1850. He married (first), January 19, 1797, Ruth Billings, of Sharon, who died September 15, 1824, in her forty-fourth year; (second) Widow Betsey (Tolman) Harlow. His nine children, all by first wife but the two youngest, were: Polly. Charles, Billings, Caroline, James Madison, Lewis, George, Alfred and Spencer.
(VII) Charles, eldest son of Benjamin (2) and Ruth ( Billings) Richards, born January 16, 1800, died in Rockport, January, 1881, aged eighty-one ycars. He settled in Lincoln- ville in 1825, and in Rockport, Maine, 1856, and was there engaged in operating wood lands. In politics he was a Democrat up to the formation of the Republican party in 1856, when he joined that party. He married, in 1822, Elizabeth Pierce, of Canton, Massachu- setts, born in Stoughton, Massachusetts, 1799,
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died Rockport, June, 1877, daughter of James Smith. Six children were born to them: Charles Francis, Henry Augustus, Benjamin Franklin, Caroline E., Mary M., Fred E .. whose sketch follows. Charles Francis, born January 6, 1826, died February 7, 1906. He was educated at the Maine Wesleyan Semi- nary and Waterville, now Colby College, where he took the degree of A. B. in 1855. Ile married, May 11. 1857, Lucinda, daughter of Captain Lewis Morse, of Stoughton. Hen- ry Augustus. October 15, 1827, died February 20, 1858. Caroline Elizabeth, October 25. 1832, married Andrew MeCobb Jr., and moved to Charleston, South Carolina, where she now resides.
(VIII) Fred Edgecomb, sixth and youngest child of Charles and Elizabeth P. (Smith) Richards, was born in Lincolnville, Maine, August 28. 1841. He spent his boyhood days in Rockport, at school and as a clerk in the stores at that place. When seventeen years old, on account of ill health and by advice of his physician, he went to California by way of Panama, and spent three years in different parts of that state. On his return to Maine he engaged in the manufacture of lime at Rockport, and continued in that business until 1876. Mr. Richards has been a Republican from the time he became a voter, and being a natural leader of men soon became a leader in politics, and was sent to the Maine legislature as representative of Camden in 1872, and served by re-election the following year. In 1875 he was chosen by the legislature a mem- ber of the executive council of Governor Dingley, representing the district composed of Waldo, Knox and Lincoln counties. The next year he was re-elected and served in the same capacity while Selden Connor was governor. In 1877 he was appointed state land agent to fill a vacancy, which position he held but a por- tion of that year. In the same year he was appointed a member of the board of trustees of the Maine Insane Hospital and served two years. In 1880 he was appointed state bank examiner by Governor Davis, and at the ex- piration of that time was reappointed by Gov- ernor Robie, and again reappointed by him, so that he served in that capacity three terms or nine years. In December, 1888, he resigned his position and retired from official life. In the same year he removed to Portland and es- tablished the banking house of Fred E. Rich- ards at 89 Exchange street, and was fiscal agent of the Maine Central railroad, and later of the Portland & Rumford Falls railroad. While acting for the Maine Central he re-
funded the Androscoggin & Kennebec loan of a million and a half dollars of six per cent bonds, substituting therefor Maine Central at four and a half. In like manner he refunded the European & North American loan of a million ; purchased the Knox & Lincoln rail- road for the Maine Central, paying for the same $1,500,000, and placing and disposing of bonds secured by mortgage upon this for $1,300,000 at four per cent. He also sold the bonds issued in aid of the extension of the Mountain Division of the Maine Central, amounting to nearly a million dollars. He served as fiscal agent of the Portland & Rum- ford Falls railroad in 1890 and later during the time of its extensions to Rumford Falls and from Mechanic Falls to Rumford June- tion. Mr. Richards was instrumental in finan- cing these large operations, and in directing the financial policy of the road to its success- ful issue of prosperity of after years. In Oc- tober, 1893, he was elected president of the Union Mutual Life Insurance Company of Portland to succeed John E. De Witt, which position he still holds. As president of that great company he has carried out a shrewd and aggressive policy which has developed its business in a remarkable degree, and his well- known financial ability has strengthened it in every possible direction. The Portland Na- tional Bank was organized in 1889, and Mr. Richards was chosen president of that suc- cessful institution. In 1894 the Union Safe Deposit & Trust Company was organized, and he was made president of that also. He re- signed both of these positions in August, 1907. Mr. Richards is an unquestioned leader among the business men of Portland. He is a great power in the business of that city, and has been and still is very closely identified with its largest financial institutions. He is not only one of their directors, but one of their managers also, because he believes that a di- rector should direct, and that if a director fails to know about the business and standing of every company with which he is connected, he ought to resign. He is more than a business man. He is interested in political matters as keenly as ever, and is one of the great poli- ticians of southwest Maine, in the sense that when he desires the nomination of a man, he is generally nominated. He works quietly and seldom finds it necessary to appear personally in politics, but his patent and often dominating influence is there, and is likely still to he. He is a pleasant man to meet, is a good conversa- tionalist, and remarkably well informed con- cerning all matters in which his fellow citizens
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are interested. He has seen much of the world, and his own place in business is se- cure.
He married, in Rockport, November 23, 1866, Caroline S., born June 20, 1849, died May 13, 1903, daughter of Captain John D. and Caroline (Gardiner) Piper. They had no children. Mrs. Richards "was a woman of a strong nature, of excellent judgment, of great executive ability and practical force. She had unusual insight into character and no little capacity both in social and political matters. She was a wise counselor and a natural leader. Not easily satisfied with ordinary achievements in those whom she loved, she seldom failed to stir and stimulate their ambition to the ut- most.
STEWART Soon after the Norman Con- quest in the last quarter of the eleventh century, Alan, son of Flaald, obtained a grant of the castle of Oswestry, county of Salop. Alan married the daughter of Warine, heiress to his estate. Warine was sheriff of Shropshire, county of Salop, of the time of William of Normandy, and by this marriage Alan had three sons : William, whose descendants became Earls of Arundel and Dukes of Norfolk; Walter, who founded the house of Stewart ; and Simon, the forebear of the family of Boyd, from which family sprang the Earl of Errol.
Walter Fitz Alan, son of Alan and the heiress of Warine, appears as a witness to a charter granted by David I. King of Scotland, in favor of the Church of Glasgow. David's name appears in the calendar prefixed to Laud's Prayerbook for Scotland as "Saint David." though he was never formally canon- ized. This charter is dated at Cadzow in the early part of the twelfth century. Walter was also granted by King David the office of Steward of Scotland. Walter Fitz Alan, Steward of Scotland, died in 1177, leaving by his wife Eschina an only son Alan, who be- came Lord High Steward of Scotland, wit- nessed two charters of William II, and died in 1204, leaving his office to his eldest son Walter, who in 1230 obtained the office of Justiciary. He witnessed the "Walterus Alen- ifilius, Senischallus Justiciar Scotiae," a char- ter by Alexander II. Walter's oldest son and heir, Alexander, succeeded to his offices in 1283 and Alexander's son and heir, James. succeeded in 1309. James's son and heir Wal ter commanded a division in the army led by Robert Bruce at Bannockburn, when King Edward II was routed with a loss of thirty
thousand men, June 24, 1314. He also held civil offices with distinction, and married as his second wife Marjorie, daughter of Robert Bruce. King of Scotland, and their son Robert became King of Scotland in 1371, and is known in history as Robert II. Lord Walter Stewart died in 1326, only twelve years after he distinguished himself on the battlefield of Bannockburn. The line of descent from Rob- ert II of Scotland, founder of the Stuart dynasty, who reigned from March 26, 1370, to the date of his death at Dundonald Castle, May 13, 1390, to the appearance of his direct descendant, Allan Stewart, as a prisoner in Boston Harbor, Massachusetts, in 1775, it is not our purpose in this sketch to trace.
(I) Allan Stewart, a lineal descendant of Robert Stuart, known in history as Robert II, King of Scotland, was born in Cromdale, In- vernesshire, Scotland, either 1755 or 1756. As was the custom of the time and place he was apprenticed on reaching a suitable age to the trade of tailor. He also, on reaching military age, became a member of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Archibald Campbell's Royal Highland reg- iment. At the beginning of the revolution in the American colonies in 1775 this regiment was drafted for service in America. but upon inspection before being embarked the men of low stature were rejected for the service, as the government desired to send only men of average stature, and among those rejected was Allan Stewart. Having determined to go to the American colonies at any risk, he stole on board the ship, and when they were well at sea he came from his hiding place, appeared among his fellow soldiers on deck, and was allowed to take his place in the ranks, but was refused enrollment and pay, being thus deprived of protection under the Articles of War. On reaching Boston Harbor the vigi- lant Yankee privateers were ahead of the British fleet in the harbor in welcoming the recruits to General Howe's army, and Colonel Campbell and the commissioned officers were sent by the American commander as prisoners of war to the prison at Concord, and the rank and file were paroled. On calling the muster roll and checking it, a single soldier stood iin- called, and as he was in arms, but not en- rolled, he could not be paroled, but could have been summarily shot as a spy or deserter. He was, however, put in the prison, and after a time was released on condition that he would bind himself to work in making clothing for the army for the period of four years. At the end of that time young Stewart, whose ancestors had so valiantly defied and defeated
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the armies of England on their invasion of the soil of Scotland, was anxious to join the de- fenders of similar rights on American soil, and he enlisted in the American army at West- ford, Massachusetts, and was credited to the town of Dunstable, now Nashua, New Hamp- shire, mustered in by Major William Scott, July 6, 1780, and assigned to Captain Proc- tor's company in Colonel Cilley's regiment, his term of enlistment being for six months, and was honorably discharged December 15, 1780, having been credited with five months and twenty days' active service. He was paid £763 16s. as wages ; £335 allowance for blanket, etc., and for mileage to Worcester at twelve shillings per mile, seventy miles, £42, making his total pay £1,140 16s. He worked at his trade for seven months, and July 25, 1781, re- enlisted and was mustered by Colonel Moses Nichols "to fill up the Continental army at West Point." He was credited to the town of Amherst, New Hampshire, and after serv- ing four months and twenty-one days was dis- charged December 15, 1781. He settled in Dunstable, New Hampshire, and appears on the records of that town as one of the signers of a petition to the New Hampshire legislature to "be allowed to elect a representative in Dunstable." He married Mary Berry, of Dunstable, soon after returning from the war, and purchased property there. In 1790 he exchanged his home for some wild land in Ryegate, Vermont, whence he removed his family the same year. He carried with him to the wilderness of Vermont apple seeds to plant an orchard, said to be the first orchard that produced fruit in the town. In 1806 he built a new house in the place of the cabin he first occupied, and this home was subsequently owned and occupied by Edward Miller Sr., and in 1896 by the family of James Miller. The children of Allan and Mary (Berry) Stewart were: Mary, married William Craig ; Francis, married Sally Bedell; Betsey, mar- ried Luke Higgins ; Allan (q. v.) ; John, mar- ried Janet McDonald; Margaret, married Robert Armstrong, a soldier who died in the United States army in the war of 1812; Will- iam, died unmarried in his twenty-seventh year. Mary (Berry) Stewart, the mother of these children, died at Ryegate, Vermont, where she was living with her husband on the Jesse Heath farm, formerly owned by Isaac Cameron. July 25, 1832, Allan Stewart was granted a pension "for nineteen months actual service as a private in the Massachu- setts troops, Revolutionary War," the pension being eight dollars per month. After the death
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