USA > Maine > Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume II > Part 86
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106
941
STATE OF MAINE.
married Elder, of Ward (Auburn),
Massachusetts. 12. Sally, married Rev. Nathan Mayhew, a Baptist minister.
(V) Captain Samuel, son of Lieutenant Abial (3) Atwood, was born at Berkley, Mas- sachusetts, July 6, 1768. Like his brother Nathan, who was a year older, he appears on the revolutionary records at a very youth- ful age. He enlisted in 1779 and was de- livered to Ensign T. Clarke, giving his age as seventeen, though he was but twelve. His height is given as five feet six inches. He appears to have been a boy on some vessel in 1780 and 1781, and was reported captured May 5, 1781. He was on the ship "Protector," Captain John F. Williams, October 23, 1780. He settled in Livermore, Maine, in 1795, and became a prominent citizen of that town. He was selectman in 1814 and held other offices from time to time. His farm at Livermore was cleared originally by Major Joseph Mills. He married Hannah Boyden. Children : I. Nathan, born 1800, mentioned below. 2.
Hezekiah, prominent citizen of Livermore.
(VI) Nathan, son of Captain Samuel At- wood, was born in Livermore, Androscoggin county, Maine, May, 1800. He settled in Buckfield, in the southeastern corner of the adjoining county of Oxford, Maine He be- gan life as a clerk in the general store of Deacon Barrell, in Livermore, attending the public schools of his native town. He re- moved to Buckfield when he was of age and worked for a time as clerk in the general store of Mr. Phelps. He entered partnership with Zadock Long, and they conducted a gen- eral store in Buckfield. He bought out the interests of his partner and continued the store alone. He sold out to devote his energies to the cutting and sale of wood, but returned to mercantile business and continued his store until his death. He died in Buckfield at the age of forty. Though his career was cut short in early manhood, he had attained a high position in the esteem of his townsmen, an enviable reputation as a business man of excellent judgment, great industry and enter- prise. He was upright and earnest in charac- ter. He was a Democrat in politics, a Uni- versalist in religion. He married Ruth H. Rogers, born in Berwick, Maine, May 17, 1797, died at the age of eighty-seven years. Children : 1. Charles B., mentioned below. 2. Ellen (Helen) M., was the mother of George M. Atwood, one of the proprietors of the Oxford Democrat. Three children died young.
(VII) Charles B., son of Nathan Atwood, was born in Buckfield, Maine, April 9, 1825,
died October 6, 1907. He resided at home and attended school until he was in his twelfth year, when he shipped as cabin-boy on board the whaling-vessel "Columbia," commanded by Captain Thomas R. Hussey. This vessel, fitted for a cruise of two years, sailed from New York, September 26, 1836; was wrecked December 25, 1838, on the coast of Chile, South America, both ship and cargo being a total loss. Fortunately, Atwood escaped with his life, and January 3, 1839, was taken on board the ship "Edward Quesnell," of Fall River, homeward bound, but on May 9, 1839, that ship met the same fate as the "Columbia" on the shore of Long Island, New York, six miles west of Montauk, eleven of the twenty- three souls on board being lost. Atwood reached home and remained there until 1841, when he shipped as a harpooner on the barque "Minerva," of New Bedford, Captain Horton, for a whaling voyage in the Atlantic and In- dian oceans. Returning after a successful cruise of twenty months, he made a voyage to the west coast of South America on board the brig "Samos," of Salem, Massachusetts, Captain Horton, and, after returning with a cargo of guano, he made a voyage to Africa and up the Congo river with Captain Wood, on another Salem barque, "Seamen," on a voyage lasting eight months and a half. His last voyage was made as second mate of the barque "T. O. Brown," Captain Horton, from Portland, Maine, to Cienfuegos, Cuba, ar- riving in Philadelphia, on the return voyage, he relinquishing his seafaring life. He en- gaged in business at Buckfield, in partnership with his Uncle Ephraim, as proprietors of a general store. After his uncle retired he con- tinued the store alone until 1851, when he joined the adventurers seeking gold in Cali- fornia. He did not remain in California long, returning to Maine and engaging in mercantile life. During the civil war he was in retail trade in Chicago for about two years, return- ing to Buckfield and opening a general store again. In 1867 he embarked in the whole- sale flour trade in Portland, Maine, in partner- ship with his uncle, but in 1870, a year later, sold out, and the next three years was engaged in the drygoods business in Portland. He then removed to Auburn, Maine, where he was in the drygoods business, returning then to Buckfield and resuming in 1884 the general store business, in which he continued the re- mainder of his active life. He retired from business six weeks before his death. During his latter years he was associated with his son, under the firm name of C. B. Atwood &
942
STATE OF MAINE.
Company. The store was prosperous, and Mr. Atwood left a handsome competence as the fruit of liis business career. He was a man of unusual energy and business ability. He won a position in the regard of his townsmen, and especially those who knew him best in social and business life. A man of sterling integrity and high character, he was a con- spicuously useful citizen in the community in which he lived. In politics he was a Repub- lican. He and his wife were members of the Universalist church. He was a charter men- ber of Evening Star Lodge of Free Masons. He married, August 20, 1847, Emily D. Irish, born in Buckfield, June 27, 1827, daughter of Joshua Irish. Mr. and Mrs. Atwood lived to celebrate their golden wedding. Children: I. Charles, died young. 2. Horace, died young. 3. Sarah E., born 1851, deceased; married John E. Moore, station-agent of the Maine Central railroad at Buckfield; children : Charles, deceased; Emily M., Sarah, Bessie and Ethel H. Moore. 4. Harold, died aged about eight. 5. Fred H., mentioned below. 6. Edwin F., born in 1866, was in partner- ship with his father in the firm of C. B. At- wood & Company, now in the employ of the Carlton Furniture Company, of Portland.
(VIII) Fred Harold, son of Charles B. At- wood, was born in Buckfield, Maine, July 25, 1861. He was educated in the public schools of Buckfield, Portland and Auburn, Maine, and in G. Boardman Smith's Business College, of Lewiston, from which he was graduated in 1880. He began his career as messenger of the American Express Company on the Port- land & Ogdensburg railroad, from Portland to Fabyans. He was transferred to the western division of the Boston & Maine. After five years with the express company, he returned to Bucksfield and was associated with his father in the general store at Bucksfield until 1895. He established himself in the retail grocery business in Rumford Falls in October, 1895, continuing there until January 1, 1899. He was appointed postmaster at Rumford Falls by President Mckinley, April 16, 1900, reappointed by President Roosevelt, March 24, 1904, and again by President Roosevelt, February 27, 1908, and upon changing the name of the post-office from Rumford Falls to Rumford, he was again reappointed, April II, 1908. He is an active and influential Re- publican. He was the first clerk of the Buck- field Village corporation. He is a member of Blazing Star Lodge of Free Masons, Rum- ford Falls: of Rumford Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Strathglass Commandery, Knights
Templar, of Rumford; Nezinscot Lodge, Odd Fellows, of Buckfield, and of the Rumford Lodge, B. P. O. Elks. In religion he is a Universalist. He married, August 12, 1882, Margaret, born in Sumner, Maine, daughter of Elijah and Lucy A. Turner, of that town. Children, born at Buckfield: 1. Helen F., De- cember II, 1883, in Portland, educated in Buckfield and Rumford Falls schools and at- tended Miss Moody's Business College in Port- land; married Newman C. Lyon, foreman of the Continental Paper Bag Company, of Rum- ford Falls, Maine ; he died April, 1905; child, Fred Atwood Lyon, born August 2, 1904. 2. Lucy E., December, 1885, educated in the pub- lic schools of Rumford Falls, and now ste- nographer for the Rumford Falls Insurance Agency. 3. Charles R., October, 1891, stu- dent in the Rumford Falls high school.
COOPER Peter Cooper, immigrant an-
cestor, came to New England in 1635 on the ship "Susan and Ellen." He was then twenty-eight years old. He settled in Rowley. Massachusetts, and was the owner of a house lot of an acre and a half as early as 1643.
He married Emme, Ame, or Amelia -, who died in Rowley in 1689. He died January 15, 1667. Chil- dren: I. Mary, born April 2, 1642, married John How, of Topsfield. 2. Samuel, Decem- ber 8, 1646, mentioned below. 3. Deborah, June 30, 1650, married, December 28, 1670, Samuel Hazeltine, of Haverhill. 4. Sarah, June 14, 1652, married, January 3, 1676, Ed- ward Moors, of Newbury.
(II) Samuel, son of Peter Cooper, was born in Rowley, December 8, 1646, died May 25, 1727. He lived in Rowley all his life. He married, June 25, 1691, Mary Harriman, who died October 7, 1732. Children : 1. Mary, born November 10, 1693, married, November 5, 1734, Moses Hopkinson. 2. Peter, March 7, 1696, drowned August 12, 1715. 3. Han- nah, April 10, 1701, died September 25, 1705. 4. Moses, April 19, 1703. 5. Leonard, June 26, 1707, mentioned below.
(III) Leonard (I), son of Samuel Cooper, was born in Rowley, June 26, 1707. He settled in Newcastle, Maine. He married, March 13, 1729, Sarah Platts, born June 22, 1710. Chil- dren: 1. Hannah, born April 7, 1730, mar- ried, November 7, 1749, Thomas Lull as his second wife: died September 29, 1793. 2. Peter, March 3, 1732, married (first), Decem- ber 25, 1755, Mary Skillian; (second) Widow Woodman; died returning from the French war, October 22, 1759. 3. Mary (baptized
943
STATE OF MAINE.
Sarah), born November 18, 1734, married, May 31, 1753, Jacob Pearson. 4. James, March 4, 1737, married Hannah 5. Jedediah, July 3, 1739. 6. Susannah, bap- tized May 6, 1742, died June 27, 1742. 7. Moses, born May 26, 1743, married Tarr, widow, and settled in Whitefield, Maine. 8. Ezekiel, born October 7, 1745, removed to Ohio. 9. Sarah, born February 26, 1748. 10. Jesse, born May 17, 1751, mentioned below. II. Susannah, born October II, 1753, married Samuel Gray ; died September 6, 1842.
(IV) Sergeant Jesse, son of Leonard Cooper, was born in Rowley, Massachusetts, May 17, 1751, died in 1828. He married, November 8, 1777, Hannah Nichols, of Bris- tol, Maine, born August 22, 1755, died April 30, 1818. He was a farmer and lumberman. He got out the masts for the ship "Constitu- tion," which were thirty-six inches in diameter and ninety-four and ninety-six feet high. He was sergeant in Captain Robert Hodge's company, Colonel William Jones' regiment in the revolution. He assisted in the recapture of the ship "Grout," or "Gruel," from the British ship "Rainbow," September 10, 1777. Children : I. Sally, born May 27, 1778, mar- ried Samuel Gray, died 1809. 2. Fanny, March 2, 1780, died young. 3. James Nichols, March 29, 1782, married, November 14, 1809, Sally Little; died July 17, 1848. 4. Fanny, Febru- ary 19, 1784, died young. 5. Jesse, February 8, 1785, died young. 6. Alexander, February 18, 1787, died March 11, 1838; married Betsey Nichols. 7. Leonard, September 16, 1789, died young. 8. Ruth, September 7, 1791, died young. 9. Hannah Lull, September 1, 1794, married, July 4, 1828, William Nichols Ames ; died March 7, 1872. IO. Leonard, July 4, 1796, mentioned below. II. William, July 7, 1798, married Frances Wilder. 12. Gilmore, June 17, 1800, married, January 1, 1824, Lucia Lewis; died July 21, 1861.
(V) Leonard (2), son of Jesse Cooper, was born in Newcastle, Maine, July 4, 1796, died at Montville, October 6, 1863. He received his education in the district schools, and was a farmer and lumberman. He had a sawmill at what was known as Cooper's Mills. He was a prominent citizen, serving as selectman and in other town offices. In politics he was a Whig. He was captain of militia, and was in the war of 1812 in Bristol, Maine. He married, November 23, 1823, Abigail Weeks, of Jefferson, Maine, born April 26, 1801, died November 6, 1881, daughter of Thomas and Ruth (Taylor) Weeks. Children: I. Thomas W., born November 16, 1824, died May, 1896;
married, November 22, 1854, Ursula J. Stev- ens, and resided at East Machias, Maine. 2. Hannah N., February 28, 1827, married, May 25, 1854, Daniel Stevens, of Montville, Maine, and had Abbie Wilder Stevens, born December 31, 1859. 3. Leonard, March 12, 1829, men- tioned below. 4. William Edwin, May 9, 1832, married, December 13, 1865, Julia A. Weeks and resides at East Machias. 5. Marcellus R., born May II, 1835, died at Belfast, 1893; married, July 16, 1864, Olive Hayford. 6. Freeman B., August 29, 1838, married, Feb- ruary II, 1865, Sarah Gunn, at. Newport, Maine, and had Walter, born October 2, 1869, and Isabel, October, 1878. 7. Laura A., Sep- tember 19, 1841, married, February 10, 1864, William Ames Cooper, born August 5, 1826, and had Clara Maria, born December 13, 1867, and Abbie Lucia, June 21, 1876. 8. Alex- ander, April 13, 1844, married, December 17, 1871, Eugenia A. Russell, and had Helen S., born May 19, 1881 ; lived at Newport.
(VI) Leonard (3), son of Leonard (2) Cooper, was born March 12, 1829, at Cooper's Mills, Whitefield, Maine. He received his edu- cation in the public schools of his native town. He worked on his father's farm as a youth and young man. In 1853 he established a livery-stable business at Rockland, Maine, and continued it until 1860, when he returned to Montville and took charge of the homestead farm. He also engaged in the lumber busi- ness there, and in partnership with his nephew in Belfast, where the firm had a lumber-yard. At the present time his son Ralph is his part- ner, and the firm conducts both a retail and wholesale business, shipping much lumber to distant markets, carrying a stock worth twenty thousand dollars, and having an annual busi- ness of fifty thousand or more. Mr. Cooper has made his home at Belfast since 1898, and is one of the substantial and influential citi- zens. In business he has been very successful, evincing special ability and great enterprise and industry. He has accumulated a hand- some competence through his own energy and efforts and is a model of the American self- made man of affairs. As a citizen he takes a keen interest in municipal affairs and lends his help to every movement for the improve- ment and welfare of the towns in which he has lived. In politics he is an old-line Demo- crat, having voted first for General Scott for president, and being influential in his party, though not a seeker of office. He is a mem- ber af Montville Grange, Patrons of Hus- bandry.
He married (first), February 12. 1863,
944
STATE OF MAINE.
Mary Agnes Keating, of Scarsmont, Maine, who died May 30, 1870. He married ( sec- ond), June 2, 1880, Annic S., born September 12, 1840, daughter of William and Charlotte ( Nesmith ) Cunningham, of Montville. Her father was born in Peterborough, New Hamp- shire, son of Samuel Cunningham. ( See sketches of Cunningham and Nesmith families herewith. ) Child of first wife : Mary Hanly, born September 28, 1867, died February 26, 1877. Child of second wife: Ralph L., born in Montville, August 3, 1881, graduated at the Belfast high school and was a student at the University of Maine nearly four years, but was obliged to leave before receiving his de- gree to assist his father in his business. He is at present in partnership with his father and has virtually the management of the business.
There are three known NESMITH branches of this family in America. Thomas Nesmith, a rigid Presbyterian, lived near Philadelphia in 1730. A grandson of his, James H. Nesmith, was living in 1867 in Lewisburg, Greenbrier county, West Virginia, and was of the opinion that this Thomas Nesmith was a brother of James, the ancestor of the London- derry, New Hampshire, family. Another branch is descended from John Nesmith, who was contemporary with Thomas in Pennsyl- vania and James of Londonderry. There was much communication between the New Hamp- shire and Pennsylvania settlements of the Scotch-Irish in the early days, and it is not unlikely that the three immigrants mentioned were brothers.
(1) Deacon James Nesmith, the immigrant ancestor of the New England family of this name, was one of the first sixteen settlers and founders of Nutfield, New Hampshire, later called Londonderry, April 22, 1719. He was one of the signers of the memorial to Governor Shute sent from Londonderry, Ireland, under date of March 26, 1718, for a suitable grant of land in Massachusetts. The Nesmiths were of ancient Scotch ancestry. The name was also spelled Nasmyth, and the family is found in Berwickshire and Peebleshire, Scotland, be- fore the year 1300. The ancestors of Deacon James are said to have removed from Scot- land to the valley of the River Bann, province of Ulster, Ireland, in 1690. The Nesmiths were staunch Presbyterians. Deacon Nesmith married, in Ireland, 1714, Elizabeth, daugh- ter of Justice James and Janet (Cochran) McKeen, and sister of Janet Cochran, wife of the immigrant, Jolin Cochran, of Windham,
New Hampshire. She was born in 1698 and died in Londonderry, New Hampshire, April 29, 1763. Two of their children were born in Ireland, the rest in Londonderry, New Hampshire; the eldest was buried in the old country. Deacon James was a proprietor of the new Londonderry and was prominent in town affairs. At the formation of the West Parish Church in 1739 he was chosen elder. He was born in 1692 and died May 9, 1767. Children: 1. Arthur, born in Ireland, died young. 2. James, born in Ireland, August 4, 1718, married Mary Dunsmoor, of Windham, and settled in North Londonderry: was in the battle of Bunker Hill ; died July 19, 1793. 3. Arthur, April 3, 1721, married Margaret, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Dinsmoor) Hopkins, of Windham, and settled in North Londonderry. 4. Jean, April 12, 172-, prob- ably died young. 5. Mary, January 29, 1726, probably died young. 6. John, February 6, 1728, married Elizabeth Reid, sister of Gen- eral George Reid, of Londonderry, and settled in the south part of Londonderry. 7. Eliza- beth, January 8, 1730. 8. Thomas, March 26, 1732, married Annis Wilson. 9. Benjamin, mentioned below.
(II) Benjamin, son of Deacon James Nesmith, was born September 14, 1734. He married, in 1763, Agnes, daughter of James Gilmore, of Londonderry, and sister of Colo- nel James Gilmore, of Windham. He re- moved to Belfast, Maine, and was among the early settlers of that town. In 1776, soon after the breaking out of the war, on account of the close proximity of the British army, they fled from that town, and slept in the woods every night for a fortnight. They re- turned to Londonderry and remained until 1783, when they went back to Belfast. He died September 18, 1800, aged sixty-six years. Children, all born in Londonderry, ex- cept Mary: 1. James, born May, 1764, men- tioned below. 2. Benjamin, married (first) Martha Houston; (second) Hannah Morrill ; removed to Pennsylvania. 3. Elizabeth, mar- ried Captain James Miller. 4. Jenny, mar- ried Dr. William Crooks, of Meriden, New Hampshire. 5. Jonathan, married Sally Crosby. 6. Mary, married Thomas Algo. 7. Thomas, married Susan Davidson; married (second) Sally Cargill ; (third)
(III) James (2), son of Benjamin Nesmith, was born in May, 1764, died March 4, 1811. He married, September 1, 1795, Nancy Gil- more, of Londonderry, daughter of Colonel Edward Gilmore, who was in the revolution. Children : 1. Charlotte, married William Cun-
945
STATE OF MAINE.
ningham, of Montville, Maine. (See sketch of Cunningham family herewith.) 2. Nancy (Mrs. Moses Brown), removed to California. 3. James, resided in New York. 4. Benjamin, resided near Madison, Wisconsin. 5. Maria, married Israel G. Shepherd. 6. Clarissa, mar- ried Otis Spring. 7. Jane, died aged twenty- three, unmarried.
CUNNINGHAM This family is of Scotch origin. The home of the clan bearing the name of Cunningham is in Ayrshire, where they were established and prominent as early as 1200. The family possesses the Earldom of Carrick and Glencairn and the Lordship of Cuninghame. From Ayrshire are descended all known branches of the family in England, Scotland and Ireland. According to family tradition, the first settlers in Ireland were two of six brothers who won distinction under King James of Scotland, who became James I of England. The records show that among the first grantees of King James in Ireland were several of this name. In the precinct of Portlough, county Donegal, John Cunning- ham, of Crawfield, Ayrshire, Scotland, re- ceived a grant of a thousand acres in 1610. At the same time James Cunningham, Laird of Glangarnocke, Ayrshire, received two grants, one of a thousand, the other of two thousand acres in the same precinct, and Cuth- bert Cunningham, of Glangarnocke received a thousand acres. Alexander Coningham, of Powton, Gentleman, of Sorbie, Wigtonshire, Scotland, also had a thousand acres in the precinct of Boylagh, county Donegal. There is reason to believe that Glangarnocke, Ayr- shire, was the original home of the family, and one of these settlers was the progenitor of the branch given herewith. History tells us that Sir James Cunningham took posses- sion of his grant of two thousand acres, but returned to Scotland. His agent, Robert Young, built one Irish barn of coples; he "hath forty-four head of cattle, one plow of garrons, and some tillage at last harvest. Three families of British resident on his pro- portion, preparing to build; as yet no estate passed to them." "John Cunningham of Crawfield," the Carew manuscript just quoted says, "one thousand acres, resident with one family of British, is building a bawn, and preparing materials; hath a plow of garrons, and thirty head of cattle. Cuthbert Cunning- ham, one thousand acres; resident with two families of British; built an Irish house of coples, and prepared materials to re-edify the
castle of Coole McEctrean; hath a plow of garrons, and 80 head of cattle in stock." This document is dated July 29, 1611, and refers to the land granted as above. As Sir James returned to Scotland, we may assume that these two other Cunninghams, whose grants were evidently together, as all three are mien- tioned together in the records, were the two brothers traced in the tradition as the settlers from Scotland. Another Cunningham, Alex- ander mentioned above, of Powton Elder, had not appeared and perhaps never did, and an- other, James Cunningham, of Horomilne, re- turned to Scotland in the fall of 1611, leaving his herd of cows and six servants, but had made no preparations for a permanent stay. The next official report of the settlement, under date of 1619, shows progress in the settlements of Sir James, John and Cuthbert Cunningham.
(I) Thomas Cunningham, immigrant an- cestor, was of Scotch-Irish descent, and un- doubtedly descended from one of the three brothers mentioned above. He settled first in Townsend, Massachusetts, and removed to Peterborough, New Hampshire. He was born in 1706. He resided just north of the Deacon Field place, on the same side of the road, in Peterborough. He died September 23, 1790, aged eighty-four. He married ( first) Elizabethı - -, born 1706, died in Town- send, May 17, 1748. He married (second) Elizabeth Creighton, who died April 22, 1805, aged ninety-nine years. Children: 1. John, removed to Maine. 2. William, removed to Maine. 3. James, married Mary Nay. 4. Samuel, born July, 1739, mentioned below. 5. Elizabeth, married Alexander Robie. 6. Mary, married (first) James McKean; (second) Samuel Treadwell. 7. Moses, born 1751, mar- ried Elizabeth Miller ; died October 25, 1822. 8. Thomas, removed to Maine.
(II) Captain Samuel, son of Thomas Cun- ningham, was born in July, 1739. died in Feb- ruary, 1828. It is said that Thomas Cun- ningham (son of "Old Mose," so called) and Samuel Cunningham were in the French war in 1756, when he was only seventeen years old, and that in the Rogers fight, March 13, 1758, he and Alexander Robbe only escaped, while seven men from Peterborough were slain. He was in the Revolution and an- swered the Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775. He was a captain and was with the army in Rhode Island in 1778. He was a lieutenant in a company raised in Peterborough and New Ipswich to resist the progress of Burgoyne, and joined the army at Bennington, Vermont.
946
STATE OF MAINE
When the company had fallen into an am- buscade of the British, Cunningham's coolness saved it. Dunbar, in his Historical Collec- tions, says: "With the voice of a lion he called out to one of the officers to bring up a body of five hundred men to flank the enemy ; at which the tories fled, leaving behind them all their baggage and plunder, and an open and unmolested road to the main army." He held many town offices; was selectman, town clerk and representative several years. He re- sided on the place afterwards occupied by Captain Robert Swan, in the east part of the town. Late in life he removed to Belfast, Maine. where he died. He married, in 1774, Susan Carter, of Hollis, born June 27, 1756, died October, 1842. Children: I. Susanna, born April 1, 1778, married Thomas Cunning- ham; died in Belfast. 2. Thomas, February 10, 1780, married Charlotte Elwell; died in Belfast. 3. Mary, February 6, 1782, married Samuel Jackson; died in Belfast. 4. Eliza- beth, March 15, 1784, married Thomas Cald- well. 5. Sarah M., May 4, 1786, married James Cunningham Jr. 6. Rachel, May 10, 1788, married Zaccheus Porter ; resided at Belfast. 7. Jane, June 10, 1790, married Hud- son Bishop ; died in Belfast, January 21, 1874. 8. Samuel, November 5, 1792, married Eliza Dummer ; resided in Bucksport, Maine ; died November, 1870. 9. William, June 17, 1795, mentioned below. 10. James, January 5, 1800, died in Belfast, unmarried.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.