USA > Maine > Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume III > Part 42
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prominent position in Free-Masonry. "His death was deeply lamented by the community, which he had served with the utmost fidelity for nearly half a century. His purity of char- acter, his kindness and his marked courtesy won the admiration of all who knew him." Mr. Gerrish married (first) in 1807, Barbara Scott, and (second) in 1842, Mrs. Mary Ann Hersey. He had thirteen children, all born of his first marriage: Adeline, born 1808, mar- ried W. E. Edwards; Frances Ann, born 1810, married (first) William Bartol, (sec- ond) Reuben Ordway; Joseph Frederick Au- gustus, born 1812; Martha Martin, born 1814, married Rufus Rand; Ellen Lucretia, born 1816; Joseph, born 1817; Edward Payson, born 1819, married Julia W. Scott; Ellen Louise, born 1821, married Henry W. Hersey ; Frederick Augustus, born 1823, married Mar- tha J. Ordway ; Augustus Franklin, born 1823, married Caroline Elizabeth March; William Oliver, born 1827; Mary Kidder, born 1828; William Scott, born 1830.
(V) George, fourth son and child of Major Charles and Mary (Frost) Gerrish, was born in Durham, June 16, 1753, and died May 23, 1814. He was a farmer, and lived on the parental homestead. He married, December 20, 1781, Mary Mitchell, of Freeport, born June 21, 1758, died December 1I, 1816; chil- dren : Susannah, born September 10, 1782, died June 1, 1868, married March 1801, Thomas Bagley, and removed to Troy, New York; James, born November 22, 1784; John, born June 10, 1787, married September 15, 18II, Joanna West, and had Lucy B., born 1813; George, 1814; Mary, 1816; Alvin, 1818; Lydia, 1820; Charles, born August 7, 1789, married March, 1812, Betsey Woodbury, and removed to New York state; Mary, born April 3, 1792, died May 7, 1819, married May 18, 1817, Thomas Winslow.
(VI) James, eldest son and second child of George and Mary (Mitchell) Gerrish, was born November 22, 1784, and died June 8, 1834. He was a farmer and shoemaker. He married October 8, 1808, Mary Sylvester, born 1787, died August 20, 1859, daughter of Barstow Sylvester, of Freeport; children : Harrison, born January 27, 1810, married Jane T. Small, of Lisbon, and had: Melissa Jane, born 1836, Charles Harrison, 1838, Mary Adelaide, 1841, Julius Monroe, 1844; George Barstow, born July 3, 1811, died Au- gust 28, 1850, married November 17, 1841, Eliza Field, and had: George Henry, born 1846, Eliza Ella, 1848, Sarah Eliza, 1850; Emeline, born March 7, 1817, married, March
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29, 1840, Amos Field, and had James Lewis, Emeline and Clarence H. Field; Stephen S., born March 23, 1820, died May 6, 1864, married October 18, 1848, Harriet N. Conner, and had : Horace Greeley, born 1850; Arthur F., 1854; Antoinette, 1856; Helena, 1858; Alice and Agnes, 1860; John Jordan, born December 21, 1821.
(VII) John' Jordan, youngest child of James and Mary (Sylvester) Gerrish, was born in Durham, Maine, December 21, 1821, and died in Portland, April 7, 1904. After his marriage he settled in Portland. He was employed on the Atlantic and St. Lawrence railroad (now Grand Trunk) from the time the work of construction was begun, and later on he became a successful merchant. After leaving the service of the Grand Trunk, Mr. Gerrish built the old Portland horse railroad (now a part of the city cystem of electric street railways) and was its superintendent for several years. Later on he became super- intendent of Eutopean and Northern railroad (now part of the Maine Central system) and filled that position during the next two years. In 1871 he established himself in business in Portland as a dealer in railroad supplies, and for the next twenty-four years was actively identified with the business life of the city. He retired from active pursuits about 1896. Be- sides being a successful business man, Mr. Gerrish was somewhat prominently identified with the public and political affairs of the city, serving in various capacities, and for many years he was one of the influential Re- publicans in the city and county. He repre- sented ward one in the council and also in the board of aldermen, was a trustee of Ever- green Cemetery for eleven years, a prominent Mason, member of the Maine Historical So- ciety, the St. Lawrence Congregational church, and at the time of his death he was with a single exception (Henry Bodge) the oldest railroad man in the state. He lived a life of much usefulness and was highly respected by all persons to whom he became known. It is to his early researches that we are indebted for much of the information contained in this narrative which relates to the branch of the Gerrish family to which he belongs. Mr. Ger- rish married, December 21, 1848, Susan Rich Small, born May 1, 1822, died March 13, 1896, daughter of Thomas and Jane (Teb- bets) Small; children : Ella Susan, born March 14, 1851 ; Mary Ida, May 4, 1855 ; John Herbert, October 13, 1858; George Lester, August 9, 1860; Hattie Small, April 7, 1864; Elmer Grenville, December 28, 1865.
(VIII) George Lester, second son and fourth child of John Jordan and Susan R. (Small) Gerrish, was born in Portland, Maine, August 9, 1860, graduated from Port- land high school in June, 1878, and for the next ten or eleven years worked for his father in connection with the various business enter- prises in which he was interested. In 1889 he associated himself with Moore & Wright, who were then engaged in deep water dredging. In 1895 he, with Mr. A. R. Wright, of the above firm, engaged in the wholesale and re- tail coal business, incorporating under the name of A. R. Wright Co., of which Mr. Wright was president until his death in 1900, being succeeded in this position by George E. Runyan, with Mr. Gerrish its treasurer and general manager, both of which positions he still fills. He is a Republican in politics, and takes an especial interest in the educational affairs and institutions of the city, having been a member of the superintending school com- mittee for two terms. Mr. Gerrish is treas- urer and a deacon of the St. Lawrence Con- gregational church. He married, May 17, 1888, Mary Emily, daughter of Charles P. and Ada (Perry) Kellogg, of Minot, Maine. Three children have been born of this mar- riage : Gertrude Kellogg, November 2, 1890; Stanley Small, June 2, 1896; Lester Newton, December 1, 1901.
(III) Colonel Timothy, fifth son of Captain John and Elizabeth (Waldron) Gerrish, was born in Dover, New Hampshire, April 21, 1683 (or 1684), and died probably in Kit- tery, Maine, in 1756. He settled in Kittery, and became a successful and wealthy farmer and merchant in that town; and he filled cred- itably various public offices. He married, November 14, 1706, Sarah Eliot, born Octo- ber 1, 1687, died October 27, 1770, daughter of Hon. Robert and Margery ( Batson) Eliot, and who received as her marriage dowry the eastern end of the Champernowe Island, which contains nearly one thousand acres of land, and which for almost two hundred years has been known by the distinguishing name of Gerrish's Island, and this island is still the place of residence of some of the Gerrish de- scendants. Colonel Timothy's children were Robert Eliot, John, Timothy, Sarah, Anne, William, Abigail, Nathaniel, Andrew, Eliza- beth, Benjamin, Jane and Joseph.
(IV) Andrew, sixth son and ninth child of Colonel Timothy and Sarah (Eliot) Gerrish, was born in Dover, New Hampshire, August 4, 1724, and died in Exeter, New Hampshire. He lived in several different places, and his
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first two children were born in Providence, Rhode Island. The baptismal name of his wife was Hannah, but her family name is not known. Their children were Sarah, who died young ; Elizabeth, Hannah, Joseph, Timothy, Sarah and Jean.
(V) Timothy (2), second son and fifth child of Andrew and Hannah Gerrish, was born in Dover, New Hampshire, April 7, 1756; and died in Portsmouth, New Hamp- shire, December 30, 1815. He was a gold- smith and silversmith by principal occupa- tion, but during the last sixteen years of his active life he was deputy sheriff and jailer. He married February 6, 1780, Dorothy Pat- terson, of Portsmouth; children : Abigail, Sarah, Andrew, Joseph. Thomas Patterson, Dorothy, Lydia, Oliver, Caroline and Mary.
(VI) Dorothy, sixth child of Timothy and Dorothy (Patterson) Gerrish, was born Jan- uary I, 1791, and died September 27, 1867. She married (first), September 1, 1808, William Senter, and bore him seven children (see Senter). She married (second), Octo- ber 12, 1829, Thomas Currier, and bore him two children. Three of her sons ( William, Timothy Gerrish and Andrew Gerrish Sen- ter) lived in Maine. All of her children were born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire (see Senter).
(VI) Caroline, daughter of Timothy and Dorothy (Patterson) Gerrish, was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, July 8, 1798, and died February 19, 1871. She married October 21, 1821, Nathaniel Pearson, of Exe- ter, New Hampshire, and by him had four sons and two daughters. Both daughters died in infancy. The sons were Oliver Gerrish, Edmund, Nathaniel and Augustus William Pearson. Nathaniel, the third of these sons, was born July 23, 1826. He learned the trade of watch making with his uncle, Oliver Ger- rish, of Portland, and after working at that trade for several years in New York City, he returned to Portland and became partner with his uncle under the firm name of Gerrish & Pearson. For many years this firm carried on a large and successful business in Port- land, and the junior partner was a valued member of the household of the senior partner. Failing health compelled Mr. Pearson to re- tire from active pursuits, several years before his death, which occurred in Bridgton, Maine.
(VI) Oliver, fourth son and eighth child of Timothy and Dorothy (Patterson) Gerrish, was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, January 4, 1796, and died in Portland, Maine, December 3, 1888, aged ninety-two years. At
the age of fourteen he began an apprentice- ship to the trade of watchmaking, and served his master until he attained his majority. In 1807 he went as a journeyman to Boston and there learned the business of dealing in gold and silver wares; but in 1819 he settled in Portland and spent the remainder of his long and useful life in that city. He had very little practical schooling during his boyhood; but, appreciating the advantages of an education, he did his utmost to remedy the deficiencies of his youth in that respect ; and surely one who met him in middle life or in his advanced years would not have suspected the defects in his early training. He became possessed of one of the finest private libraries in the city, and gave to each of his children an excellent education. He possessed great love of horti- culture, and his flower garden was always one of the very finest in Portland. He early be- came interested in the theological writings of Swedenborg, and was a devout communicant of the church, which is based on these doc- trines, as well as a principal supporter of the society of that sect in Portland. His public spirit was always in evidence, and he freely contributed by his personal effort and his money to the benevolences and philanthropies of the region. From the time of its founda- tion, he was one of the trustees of the Port- land Savings Bank, and was its president for a number of years previous to his death. He also was concerned in the Portland Athen- aeum, the outgrowth of which is the present Public Library; of the Provident Associa- tion, the Portland Dispensary, and other insti- tutions established and maintained for the public good. He became a Free Mason in his early manhood and ever afterward felt a deep interest in the work of that ancient craft. He held membership in Ancient Landmark Lodge, F. and A. M .; Mount Vernon Chapter, R. A. M .; Blanquefort Commandery, K. T .; and other bodies in the York rite; and he took thirty-two degrees in the Scottish rite. In several of these bodies he held offices of trust and honor, and was treasurer of the Grand Chapter for thirty-four years. On the fif- teenth anniversary of his being made a Master Mason the lodge presented him with a beauti- ful gold junior grand warden's jewel. In the great fire which swept through Portland in 1866, both his house and his store were de- stroyed, with the greater part of their con- tents. Just before that disaster he was about to retire from active pursuits, but his losses were such that he was compelled to relinquish his desired purpose and remain at his bench
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for further work, although he was seventy years old, and he worked on uncomplainingly for twenty more years. His strength gradu- ally waned, however, during his last two years, and at the end of that time, without discase or suffering he sank gently into the eternal sleep. His was a very long life, filled with usefulness to his fellow men, and he left a memory of uprightness of conduct and nobility of char- acter which are most exemplary ; and even now he is spoken of with admiration, rever- ence, and affection. Mr. Gerrish married, January 6, 1825, Sarah Little, born in Wind- ham, New Hampshire, in 1802, daughter of Paul and Sarah ( Redington-Emerson) Little. The five children born of this marriage' were : Frances, Sarah Caroline, Charles Oliver, Wil- liam Little and Frederic Henry.
(VII) Charles Oliver, eldest son and third child of Oliver and Sarah (Little) Gerrish, was born in Portland, Maine, March 19, 1834, and died January 24, 1896. For many years he was a jeweler and watchmaker in Saco, Maine. He married, March 19, .1867, Julia Perkins Jordan, born January 13, 1843, daughter of Samuel Scamman and Clarissa Hovey (Perkins) Jordan, of Saco. The chil- dren of this marriage are William Little Ger- rish, dealer in real estate and collector of cus- toms at Saco, ex-city clerk, and a member of the Society of Colonial Wars; and Clara Ara- bella, widow of Donald McLean Barstow, M.D., late of New York City.
(VII) William Little, second son of Oliver and Sarah (Little) Gerrish, was born in Port- land, Maine, August 31, 1841, graduated from Bowdoin College in 1864, and promptly en- tered the volunteer service during the civil war, enlisting in the Nineteenth Maine In- fantry. He left the state as orderly sergeant, was soon promoted second lieutenant, and then became acting adjutant, and that regardless of the fact that there were several first lieu- tenants in the regiment. His commission as first lieutenant was on its way to him at the time of his death, which was the result of a congestive chill at Hatcher's Run, before Petersburg, Virginia, February II, 1865. His standing as a student was of the highest or- der, his soldierly qualities were tested in sev- eral battles and found true, and he was a great favorite among his fellows, both in college and in the army ; his ability, unflinching courage, fidelity to duty, and winning personality being recognized by all who knew him.
(VII) Frederic Henry, third son and youngest child of Oliver and Sarah (Little) Gerrish was born in Portland, Maine, March
21, 1845, graduated from Bowdoin College in 1866, received the degrees of Master of Arts and Doctor of Medicine from the same insti- tution in 1869, and since that year has prac- ticed general medicine in Portland. He has given much attention to professional teaching, having occupied successively the chairs of microscopy and histology, physiology, anat- omy, and surgery in the Portland School for Medical Instruction; the professorships of materia medica and therapeutics, anatomy, and, finally, of surgery, in the Medical School of Maine (the medical department of Bowdoin College) ; and the chair of therapeutics and physiology in the Medical College of the Uni- versity of Michigan, 1873-75. Almost from the inception of the Maine General Hospital he has held official positions in it: first as. secretary of the corporation and board of directors, then for a long term as visiting sur- geon, and now and for many years past as consulting surgeon. He was largely instru- mental in effecting the establishment of the State Board of Health, in 1885, and was its first president, resigning that. office in 1889. The passage of the anatomical bill in 1897 was to a great extent due to his efforts, and under its operation and workings the study of practical anatomy is pursued with much more ease and advantage than ever before in this state. In 1904, the University of Michigan conferred on him the honorary doctorate of laws, and the same degree was given him by his alma mater in 1905. He is a member of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, and also is a Phi Beta Kappa, an overseer of Bowdoin College, a trustee of the Portland Public Library, president of the Portland Charitable Dispen- sary, member of the Maine Historical So- ciety, Maine Genealogical Society, Society of Colonial Wars, and also of the Fraternity, Cumberland, Athletic, Economic, Country and Naturalists clubs. Among professional or- ganizations he is a member of the American Surgical Association, fellow and ex-president of the American Academy of Medicine, presi- dent (1908-9) of the American Therapeutic Society, member of Société Internationale de Chirurgie, the Association of American Anat- omists, the American Congress of Physicians and Surgeons, the American Society of Naturalists, the National Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, the Maine Medical Association (and its ex-presi- dent) and member and ex-president of the Cumberland County Medical Society ; he is at this time county examiner of insane convicts. To the literature of his profession he has made
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a number of contributions, being editor and in large part author of the "Text-Book of Anatomy by American Authors" ( 1889) translator and editor of "Championnière's Chirurgie Antiseptique" (1881) ; author of "Prescription Writing" (1878) ; of articles in Dennis' "System of Surgery" (1895), Park's "Treatise on Surgery" ( 1896), and Keen's Surgery ( 1906) ; and of many articles con- tributed to various journals and the transac- tions of societies. Dr. Gerrish married, De- cember 31, 1879, Emily Manning Swan, daughter of Francis Keyes and Emily ( Brad- bury) Swan, of Portland (see Swan).
SENTER William Senter married, Sep- tember 1, 1808, Dorothy, born January 1, 1791, died Septem- ber 27, 1867, daughter of Timothy and Doro- thy (Patterson) Gerrish (see Gerrish). After the death of William Senter his widow Doro- thy married, October 12, 1829, Thomas Cur- rier. By her first husband she had seven chil- dren, among them sons William, Timothy Gerrish and Andrew Gerrish, all of whom were born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
(II) William, son of William and Dorothy (Gerrish) Senter, was born October II, 1813, and died December 22, 1888. He served an apprenticeship with his uncle, Oliver Gerrish, of Portland, and made his home in his master's family; and the intimacy thus estab- lished ripened into an enduring friendship. Having completed his term of service, Mr. Senter at once formed a partnership with Abner Lowell, who had been his fellow ap- prentice under Mr. Gerrish, and the new firm rapidly built up in Portland a large business as dealers in watches, clocks, jewelry and orna- mental wares, and also as general repairers of watches and jewelry. Mr. Senter was pos- sessed of a frank and kindly nature, which, combined with an incorruptible character and rare good comradeship, attracted and held to him a large number of friends. His mind was distinctly scientific and so well stored with valuable information that it was often said of him that if one were puzzled for a fact he should ask Mr. Senter. He loved nature in all of her aspects, and found much enjoyment in the fields and woods with their flora and fauna, and in the ocean with its ever-changing beauties. His yacht "Sparkle" was a novelty and a wonder in its time and his hunting dogs were trained to perfection. His affection for dumb companions was shown in the burial of a favorite setter dog, in the same lot where his own body was to lie-a fact not revealed
until after his death. He was not an office- seeker, but the demands of his friends and fellow citizens made him repeatedly alderman of his ward, and afterward for several years mayor of the city. His name is worthy of lasting remembrance in these annals.
(II) Timothy Gerrish, son of William and Dorothy (Gerrish) Senter, was born Febru- ary I, 1817, and died August 7, 1872. He taught in the public schools of Portsmouth from 1836 to 1858; became principal of Ward 4 grammar school in Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1858, and held that position until 1866, and then removed to Franklin, Massachusetts, to become first principal of Dean Academy. He filled this responsible position until 1871, and then resigned to take much needed rest. He afterward removed to Portland, where all of his children who grew to maturity are now living. Mr. Senter was greatly interested in Free Masonry and Odd Fellowship, and ranked high in each of these orders. In the profession of pedagogy he was remarkably successful, and his natural acuteness of mind, perfect poise, judicial habits and thorough kindliness peculiarly fitted him for the arduous duties of his profession and gained for him a wide celebrity in educational circles. His pres- ence inspired a degree of confidence which never was disappointing on more intimate ac- quaintance. He was loved and honored by all who came within the circle of his acquaintance. Professor Senter married, March 18, 1841, Emeline Dodge, and of their children three attained ages of maturity: Joseph Herbert, Emma Dodge and William.
(II) Andrew Gerrish, son of William and Dorothy (Gerrish) Senter, was born Septem- ber 19, 1819, and died October 23, 1861. He lived during the greater part of his life in Portland and was chiefly employed by his brother William. He was a skilled workman in his business occupation, a genial com- panion, an exemplary husband and devoted father, and a patient sufferer during years of protracted invalidism. He married, August 8, 1847, Eliza Ann Stubbs, and of their four children, two died in infancy. His daughter, Annie Hay, is the widow of James E. Jen- kins, of Lynn, Massachusetts, and has one child, Helen Jenkins. His son, Frank Gerrish, born January 23, 1856, married Annie S. Palmer, of Exeter, New Hampshire, and now lives in Mexico.
(III) Joseph Herbert, son of Timothy Ger- rish and Emeline (Dodge) Senter, was born September 24, 1842, graduated from Harvard College in 1861, the youngest man in his
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class. He studied theology in the Harvard Divinity School and entered the ministry of the Unitarian church. His tastes, however, were decidedly in another direction and after several years in the work of the ministry he left it for library work, and since that time he has held important positions in the libraries of Harvard University, in the city of Cincin- nati, Ohio, the Century Club, of New York City, and also in the Astor Library in New York.
(III) Emma Dodge, daughter of Timothy Gerrish and Emeline (Dodge) Senter, lives in the city of Portland, Maine, and is promi- nently identified with the work of many worthy philanthrophies.
(III) William, son of Timothy and Eme- line (Dodge) Senter, was born November 5, 1850. He learned his trade with his uncle, and ultimately succeeded him in business. He is a Mason and an Odd Fellow, member of the Society of Colonial Wars, the Cumber- land Club, the Athletic Club, the Country Club and the Yacht Club, having been commodore of the latter for seven years. He married, October 30, 1894, Grace, daughter of Win- throp S. Jordan, of Portland, Maine.
SWAN In the early days of the colonies several settlers of the surname Swan found homes in Massachu- setts Bay, and among them Henry Swan ap- pears to have been the first of his own sur- name. On the revolutionary muster rolls of Massachusetts are found no less than sixty-six men who bore the surname Swan.
(I) Henry Swan, immigrant, came from England to New England in the ship "Castle," of London, and landed in Charlestown, in the colony of Massachusetts Bay, in July, 1638. He soon settled in the plantation at Salem, where he had a grant of half an acre of land in 1639, was admitted to church communion in May of same year, and in the latter month also was made freeman. The exact date of his death is not known, but it was previous to 1652. He married Joanna, daughter of Thomas Ruck; children: Thomas, Elizabeth, and one other.
(II) Thomas, eldest child and only son of Henry and Joanna (Ruck) Swan, was bap- tized February 26, 1643, and died February 8, 1687. He was a chirurgeon, and is said to have practiced medicine and surgery in Rox- bury and Boston. He married Mary, daugh- ter of Thomas and Dorothy Lamb, of Rox- bury, and by her had ten children.
(III) Thomas (2), third child of Thomas
(1) and Mary (Lamb) Swan, was born Feb- ruary 16, 1669, and died October 19, 1710; graduated from Harvard College in 1689, and was a teacher, physician, and also registrar of probate of Middlesex county, Massachusetts. The last seven years of his life he "did prac- tise physick and chirurgery" at Castle William, in Boston Harbor, where he died. He mar- ried Prudence, daughter of Major Jonathan Wade, of Medford, and granddaughter of Governor Thomas Dudley.
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