Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume III, Part 52

Author: Little, George Thomas, 1857-1915, ed; Burrage, Henry Sweetser, 1837-1926; Stubbs, Albert Roscoe
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 818

USA > Maine > Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume III > Part 52

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(VIII) John (3), son of Ebenezer (2) and Sally (Hayes) Winn, was born at Lebanon, Maine, November 7, 1842. At the age of nine years, on account of his father's death, he went to work on a neighboring farm, gaining such education as the district schools of the time afforded. When a young man he learned the business of manufacturing cotton goods, and he has been engaged in this work ever since, at Lewiston, Maine. He belongs to the Masonic order, is a Republican in politics, and a Presbyterian in religion. October 25, 1864, John (3) Winn married Margaret O'Meara, of Lewiston, Maine. They have two children : George Hayes, whose sketch follows; and Therese Belle, born October 21, 1885.

(IX) George Hayes, only son of John (3) and Margaret (O'Meara) Winn, was born at Lewiston, Maine, November 30, 1880, and ob- tained his early education in the public schools of that city. He was graduated from the University of Maine in the class of 1900 and from the law department of the same institu- tion in 1903. He was admitted to the bar, February 7, 1904. Mr. Winn is a Republican in politics, and has been secretary of the city committee for five years. He has twice been candidate for representative, but was defeated on account of the city being strongly Demo- cratic. During the session of the Maine legis- lature in 1907 he served as secretary of the committee on legal affairs. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in which he is an active worker, has filled all chairs and is now exalted ruler.

(For ancestry see preceding sketch.)

WINN (V) Nathaniel Winn was a con- temporary of John Winn (4), probably a cousin. He lived at Wells, Maine, and in 1769, when the seating of the new meeting-house was in progress, he was assigned by the committee one of the pews of second rank in the gallery, which was valued at five pounds. Nathaniel Winn was a blacksmith by trade, and in early middle life moved with his family to Clinton, Maine, where he was among the first settlers.

(VI) Japheth, son of Nathaniel Winn, was born at Wells, Maine, near the close of the eighteenth century, and died at Benton, Maine, in 1875. In his younger days he followed the sea as a cook aboard ship on the vessels that sailed from Wells. After a time he gave up his seafaring life, and learned the blacksmith's trade, at which he worked during the greater part of his days, having his home at Benton.

He was a staunch Democrat, attended the Universalist church, and at one time was a major in the militia. About 1817 he married Annie Simpson, who was born at Winslow, Maine, and died at Benton. They had nine children : Charles H., Abigail A., Japheth M., whose sketch follows, George W., Olive J., Eliza A., Maria A., Mary C. and Frances.

(VII) Japheth Miles, son of Major Japheth and Annie (Simpson) Winn, was born at Clinton, Maine, May 14, 1822. He was edu- cated in the schools of Clinton, which is now a part of Benton, and also at Benton Academy. He then learned the trade of blacksmith with his father. At twenty years of age he went to Boston, where he remained but a short time, when he went to Bingham, Maine, where he learned to make axes by hand, following gen- eral work for one year, working for Cyrus Hunter. In 1843 Mr. Winn returned to his native town of Clinton, where he built a black- smith-shop of his own; shod many oxen, manufactured axes by hand, and conducted an extensive business in general work. In 1867 he sold his business to Messrs. Hussey and Thompson, and became a dealer in lumber and wood. He supplied the Maine Central rail- road with wood until they adopted the use of coal. For two or three years he was asso- ciated with John Jewell in the ownership of a general store at Clinton, but in 1875 Mr. Winn sold out his interest, and has since been re- tired from active business. He attends the Universalist church, and is a Democrat in politics. He was a member of the board of selectmen in Clinton during the years 1859-66, serving as chairman of the board, and with the exception of two years was town treasurer. from 1867 to 1880; in 1880 served one year as county commissioner. Mr. Winn married, December 31, 1852, Eleanor S., born at Clin- ton, August 17, 1833, daughter of David (2) and Mary (Hayford) Hunter. They had three children : Annie M., born April 18, 1854, died September 25, 1860. 2. Mary A., Feb- ruary 5, 1857, died September 13, 1860. 3. Frank, August 2, 1867, died April 10, 1869.

TOMPSON The posterity of Rev. Will- iam Tompson, immigrant, of Braintree, , and particularly the line written in the present article, is re- markable for the moral and mental qualities of many of those who constitute it, and the number of clergymen and graduates of Har- vard College which it has produced.

(I) Rev. William Tompson, or Thompson, as the name was sometimes spelled, matricu-

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lated at Brazen Nose College, Oxford, Eng- land, January 28, 1620, at the age of twenty- one, but his degree is not found in the Fasti. He had been a preacher in Warwick, a parish of his native Lancashire, before he came to our side of the sea in 1637, and was engaged first at Kittery or York. He brought with him his wife Abigail and sons Samuel and William, perhaps daughter Mary, and Elinor, who was born in 1626. He had born here Joseph and Benjamin. He settled in Brain- tree, Massachusetts, in 1639, and was made a freeman May 13, 1640, and in the same year received a grant of one hundred and twenty acres of land. Also, on July 29, 1644, a grant was made to "Thompson, William and Flint, Henry Marsh in the three hills march not formerly granted to J. Wheelwright, to- gether with two hillocks of upland." He owned and occupied an estate on the west side of the sea, now Chestnut street, and Rev. Peter Whitney and Rev. Henry Flint had property on the east side of the same street. "The Rev. Mr. Thompson, pastor of the First Church of Braintree, was selected as chaplain to sound the silver trumpet along with the army," when a draft was ordered on Brain- tree for soldiers, August 5, 1645, to fill a quota of two hundred men to go to fight the Narragansetts, but the deputies of Pessacus and the other chiefs averted war at that time. After the dismissal of Mr. Wheelwright, the people of Braintree called Mr. Tompson to be their pastor and Mr. Henry Flint to be their teacher. From a report of a committee made in 1657 it appears that they received . fifty-five pounds as their salary. The original covenant, as signed by the members of the First Church of Braintree, at their first gather- ing, September 16, 1639, had for its first sub- scriber "Wm. Tompson, Pastor." Mr. Tomp- son was ordained November 19, 1639, and Mr. Flint, March 17, 1640. According to the dis- tinction observed in those early times in churches, Mr. Tompson became pastor and Mr. Flint teacher. One of the most important incidents in the life of Mr. Thompson was his being chosen one of the ministers to go on a mission to Virginia in 1642, upon a re- quest from certain individuals in that remote colony that competent ministers of the Con- gregational order should be sent to preach the gospel to them. The following extract from Hubbard's History of New England will ex- plain the reasons and object of this mission : "In the same year, 1642, one Mr. Bennett, a gentleman of Virginia, arrived in Boston, bringing letters with him from sundry well-

disposed people there, to the ministers of New England, bewailing their sad condition for want of the means of salvation, and earnestly entreating a supply of faithful ministers, whom upon experience of their gifts and godliness, they might call to office. Mr. Knowles and Mr. Tompson were sent away by the con- sent of their churches and departed on their way on October 7, 1642, to meet the vessel that should transport them, at Narragansett. They were long wind-bound at Rhode Island, and met many other difficulties, so as they made it eleven weeks of a dangerous passage before they arrived there; but had this ad- vantage in the way, that they took a third minister along with them in the person of Mr. James, of New Haven. They found loving and liberal entertainment in the country, and were bestowed in several places by the care of some honest-minded persons, that much de- sired their company rather than by any care of the governor. And though the difficulties and dangers they were continually exercised with in their way thither, put upon them some ques- tion whether their call were of God or not, yet they were much encouraged by the suc- cess of their ministry, through the blessing of God, in that place. Mr. Tompson, a man of melancholy temper and crazy body, wrote word back to his friends that he found his health so repaired, and his spirit so enlarged, that he had not been in the like condition since he first left England. But he fared with them as it had done before with the Apostles in the primitive times, that the people magni- fied them, and their hearts seemed to be much inflamed with an earnest desire after the Gos- pel, though the civil rulers of the country did not allow of their public preaching, because they did not conform to the orders of the Church of England; however, the people resorted to them, in private houses, as much as before. At their return, which was the next summer, by the letters which they brought with them, it appears that God had greatly blessed their ministry for the time, while they were there, which was not long; for the rulers of the country did in a sense drive them out, having made an order that all such as would not con- form to the discipline of the English Church, should depart the country by such a day. It appears from what is related concerning this mission that, although it did not succeed, as had been anticipated, and was abruptly ter- minated by the order from the authorities of the Virginia Colony, yet it was not wholly without fruit. Many seem to have been favor- ably impressed by the preaching of Tompson

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and his associates; and Daniel Gookins re- moved from Virginia and settled in Cam- bridge, and was later Major General of Mas- sachusetts Colony, and was author of 'The Historical Collections of the Indians of New England.' Mr. Tompson met with a severe bereavement in the death, during his absence, of his wife, who died January 1, 1643. She is described as a Godly young woman, and a comfortable help to him, being left behind with a company of small children. She was taken away by death and all his children scattered, but well disposed of among his Godly friends. Mr. Tompson married (second) 1646 or 1647, Anne, the widow of Symon Crosbie, of Cam- bridge. Their only child, Anna, was born March 3, 1648. In 1648 Mr. Tompson was connected with the synod which convened at Cambridge, and framed the platform of church discipline for the Congregational churches. For several years before his death Mr. Tomp- son's happiness and usefulness appear to have been destroyed by a fixed melancholia which amounted at times to mental alienation. He left his public labors as a preacher in the year 1658, about seven years before his death. The state of his mind in the latter part of his life doubtless incapacitated him for the management of his temporal affairs, as well as the discharge of his official duties. In the archives of the state is a document entitled 'A proposal for the issue of the complaints pre- sented by the beloved brethren, the Deacon of the Church of Braintree, in reference to our beloved sister, Mrs. Tompson, yet standing member of the Church of Cambridge, drawn up by the elders and some brethren of that church, who had a hearing thereof at Cam- bridge, October 15, 1661. This unhappy dif- ference between Mrs. Tompson and the offi- cers of the Braintree church seems to have continued. After the decease of her husband she presented a petition, in 1668, to the gen- eral court, in which she complains of certain moneys being withheld that were due to her husband for his services, and asks relief, al- though she humbly craves that she may not be interpreted to accuse the church of any acts of injustice or neglect in the place where she lives." In this connection it may be men- tioned that in the Dorchester church records is the following entry: "The 26 (1) '65. The day aforesaid, at the Motion of Mr. Mather, there was a contribution for Mr. Tomson of Braintree, into which there was given in money £6 os gd, besides notes for corn and other things above 30s; and some more money was added afterwards to the value of 8s 3d." Mr.

Tompson's reduced circumstances were due probably to the mode of raising the minister's salary in Braintree, which was by contribution, and varied from time to time. Death at length came to deliver the pastor from his outward straits, and to relieve his mental distress. It is gratifying to be assured that before his de- parture, the cloud that had settled upon him for years, lifted, and he enjoyed a brief season of peace. He died December 10, 1666. He was buried in the old Hancock cemetery, and his headstone, the oldest to be found there, bears the inscription: "Here lies buried the body of the Rev. Mr. William Tompson, the first pastor of Braintrey Church, who de- ceased December 10, 1666. Aetatis suae, 68. He was a learned, solid, sound divine, whose name and fame in both Englands did shine.' And by his side lies Mrs. Ann Tompson, his wife, deceased October ye II, 1675. Aged 68 years. Mr. Tompson died intestate. There is in the Suffolk Probate Office an inventory of his effects, which corresponds too closely with Mather's lines: "Braintree was of this jewel then possest, Until himself he labored into rest, His inventory then, with John's was took; A rough coat, girble, with the Sacred book."

(II) Deacon Samuel, eldest son of Rev. William and Abigail Tompson, was born in England in 1631, and died in Braintree, June 18, 1695. The house in which the public Latin school was taught for many years was first in the possession of Mr. Samuel Tomp- son, who in 1672 sold it to the Rev. Moses Fisk, the second settled clergyman of the First Church. This estate then consisted of a house, barn, orchard and six acres of land, and was purchased for f115. Samuel Tompson was appointed ensign October 15, 1684. He was ordained deacon of the First Church in Braintree, November 2, 1679, though his name is not found in the list of freemen. He was an influential man in political affairs, and was representative from 1676 to 1686, except in 1681-82, and again filled that office in 1691. Among the bequests in the will of William Penn, of Boston, were: "To Deacon Tompson, of Brantry, two pounds in silver; and to his son Edward I give two pounds in Money." Samuel Tompson married (first) April 25, 1656, Sarah, daughter of Edward Shepard, who died January 15, 1680, aged forty-three. He married (second) Widow Elizabeth Bil- lings, perhaps the daughter of Roger, of Dor- chester, who died November 5. 1706, aged sixty-nine. She was buried in the old Han- cock cemetery, and her gravestone is inscribed :

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"Here lyes buried ye Body of Elizabetli Tompson, wife of Deacon Samuel Tompson of Braintry, aged 69 yrs. Died Nov. 5, 1706." The children of Deacon Samuel and Sarah (Shepard) Tompson were: Sarah (died young), Deborah, Samuel, Edward, Abigail, Sarah (died young), Hannah, William (died young), William and Sarah.

(III) Rev. Edward, second son of Deacon Samuel and Sarah (Shepard) Tompson, was born in Braintree, April 20, 1665, graduated from Harvard College in 1684, and died March 16, 1705. He taught school several years before and after leaving college, and began to preach at Simsbury, June, 1687. He was ordained at Marshfield, October 14, 1696, and remained there till his death. His wife's baptismal name was Sarah. Their children were: Samuel, Edward, William, John, Jo- seph, Sarah, Anna and Abigail.

(IV) Rev. William (2), third son of Rev. Edward and Sarah Tompson, was born April 26, 1697, died February 13, 1759. He grad- uated from Harvard College in 1718. He be- gan preaching in Scarborough in 1728, and in September of the same year accepted a call to settle there in the ministry, and was or- dained to the charge of the newly formed society. The number of male members whose names were enrolled on the church record at the time of the organization was fifteen. This was the first regularly organized church within the town of which there is any record. The salary of Mr. Tompson was fioo the first year, filo the second, f120 the third, and so to continue until the inability of the towns- men to pay more should prevent further addi- tion. When Mr. Tompson began his labors, in 1728, he preached at the house of Arthur Bragdon, who lived on the plains near the Black Point graveyard. In March following the town voted to build a meeting-house which was erected in the northwest corner of the present Black Point burial-ground, and soon afterwards another was built on what is now the common at Dunstan. Mr. Tompson preached alternately in these two divisions of the town until a second society was formed at Dunstan in 1744, by setting off fifteen males and as many females from the Black Point Society. Mr. Tompson continued his labors until his death. He was held in high esteem by his townsmen, and his loss was deeply felt and severely lamented by the whole commun- ity. The expenses of his funeral was de- frayed by the "town as a town"; and it was moreover voted in town meeting "that ex- clusive of cotton gloves, &c., for the funeral

of the deceased, and all necessaries, that the Town will give a suit of mourning to the widow." The committee appointed to oversee the ceremonies returned an account of ex- penditures amounting to £22, of which there was allowed £3 6s. 8d. "for the Rings of the Bearers." Such items illustrate the customs of the day. February 21, 1759, the following entry was made in Father Smith's diary: "I rode with my wife to Mr. Tompson's Funeral. There was a great concourse of people: as many from my parish as there were Horses and Sleighs." Mr. Tompson married Anna Hubbard, of Salisbury, Massachusetts, who was born July 22, 1702, daughter of John and Jane (Collensby) Hubbard, of Salisbury. She was a granddaughter of Richard and Martha (Allen) Hubbard. The children of Rev. Will- iam and Anna (Hubbard) Tompson were : William, Anna and John. William was chief justice of the court of sessions of Cumberland county. A sketch of John follows.

(V) Rev. John, second son of Rev. William (2) and Anna (Hubbard) Tompson, was born in Scarboro, October 3, 1740, and died in Berwick, December 21, 1828. He grad- uated from Harvard College in 1765, and was ordained October 26, 1768, the first settled minister of Standish. The ordination cere- monies were performed in Rev. Mr. Smith's meeting-house in Falmouth (now Portland). At that time there was a church organized of seven male members, and there were in the town of Standish about thirty families. To the year 1766 he received his support princi- pally from the proprietors of the township, but after that year they withheld it, believing the inhabitants were numerous and able

enough to maintain their minister themselves. Mr. Tompson on this occasion acted, in imi- tation of the Lord, the part of true, disin- terested benevolence, for he continued to preach there five years without compensation. In 1781, however, he suspended his ministra- tions in Standish and sought other fields of labor, and in May, 1783, he was dismissed at his own request, and in the same month was installed minister of South Berwick, the suc- cessor of Rev. Jacob Foster. The prospects of Mr. Tompson in pecuniary affairs were now bright and promising, for the parish owned a tolerable parsonage and other property to the amount of two thousand dollars, to which must be added General Lord's donation of fifteen hundred dollars to the funds of the society. But the church was small, no general revival of religion having ever, till lately, dis- tinguished its annals. Surely so good a min-

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ister as Mr. Tompson might often feel his heart bleed on perceiving lukewarmness so protracted among a people remarkable for so- briety and the best habits. Still, he believed there would be fruits to be failed not. He was persevering, therefore, in his labors like a primitive apostle, and he possessed "like pre- cious faith." His ministry was of uncommon length, being in the whole sixty years, forty- nine of which were at South Berwick. He married (first) November 22, 1768, Sarah Small, of Somersworth, New Hampshire, by whom he had eight children. His second wife was Widow Sarah Merrill, and they had two children.

(VI) Samuel, son of Rev. John Tompson, was born in Standish, October II, 1773. He married Mary Lancaster, born January I, 1774, daughter of Rev. Thomas Lancaster; she died February II, 1813. Among their children was a son William.

(VII) Captain William (3), son of Sam- uel and Mary (Lancaster) Tompson, was born in Scarborough, November 20, 1796, and died in Scarborough, January 15, 1849. He was a master mariner, and resided at Scar- borough. He married, September 23, 1819, Rhoda Libby, who was born in Scarborough, June 13, 1792, and died in Portland, June 23, 1876. Her parents were Seth and Lydia (Jordan) Libby (See Libby V). The chil- dren of Captain William and Rhoda Tompson were: Mary Lancaster, Benjamin Larrabee, Sally Hayman, John Adams and William.

(VIII) John Adams, second son of Cap- tain William (3) and Rhoda (Libby) Tomp- son, was born in Scarborough, March 10, 1828, and died in Portland, December 21, 1889. He was educated in the common schools. Soon after his marriage he moved to Portland, where he engaged in the express and transfer business, which he followed the remainder of his life. He was a member of the common council in 1867. In religious affiliation he was a Congregationalist. He married, in Scar- borough, May 2, 1852, Mary Elizabeth Libby, who was born in Scarborough, March 22, 1830, daughter of George and Lydia (Libby) Libby. (See Libby VI.) Their children were: Benjamin Franklin, born in Portland, August 26, 1853, died young; Frederick Au- gustus, whose sketch follows; Edward Fran- cis, July 30, 1860; and Charles Howard, July 27, 1863, died young.

(IX) Frederick Augustus, second son of John A. and Mary Elizabeth (Libby) Tomp- son, was born in Portland, August 10, 1857, and was educated in the Portland public

schools, graduating from the high school in 1876. In the fall of the same year he en- tered the office of F. H. Fassett, architect, by whom he was employed for nine years. Jan- uary I, 1886, he became Mr. Fassett's partner, the firm taking the name of Fassett & Tomp- son, and continuing until January 1, 1891. Since that time Mr. Tompson has been in business alone. He has prepared the plans and superintended the construction of many build- ings in Portland and vicinity, among which are Young Men's Christian Association's build- ing, Union Mutual Life Insurance building, Exchange street; Deering high school, Con- gress Square Hotel Annex and Wilde Memo- rial Chapel. In politics Mr. Tompson is a Republican. He has never held a political office or aspired to one. He is a Free Mason and a member of the following divisions of that order : Ancient Landmark Lodge, Green- leif Chapter and Council, and St. Albans Com- mandery. He is an Odd Fellow and a member of Harmony Lodge, Eastern Star Encampment. He is a member of the Port- land Club, the Country Club, the Kotzschmar Club, the Portland Society of Art, American Institute of Architects. He married, in Port- land, October 17, 1894, Harriet Jane Larra- bee, who was born in Portland, May 17, 1863, (See Larrabee VII), daughter of George H. P. and Jane Bayes (Phillips ) Larrabee.

The derivation of this name, PERHAM its origin or the locality in England of the family has not been determined. In America the name is rare among the immigrant ancestors, and in fact we only find two families that might claim the name, and one of these disappears after the second generation.

John Peram is found as early as 1643 in the settlement made at Seaconk, in Plymouth Colony, on land owned by Elizabeth Pole, or Pool, and known as the Pole settlement. His name is given among the proprietors of the ancient town of Seaconk, versus Rehoboth, 1643, written John Perram, John Peram, John Peren and John Perrum. His estate is valued originally at sixty-seven pounds sterling, and in the same list he acquires another estate valued at sixty-one pounds. On May 28, 1672, his name is written John Perrim Senior when given among the proprietors of the lands of the North Purchase of Rehoboth in the division of lands, March 18, 1668-69. This purchase became the town of Attleborough in 1694. His name as last written would suggest a son John and other records a son Abraham,

ET-

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but as the name then entirely disappears it is probably due to accident of birth, the two brothers either not marrying or having only female issue. The only immigrant that posi- tively left male issue and became the forebear of the Perhams in America was the Chelms- ford, Massachusetts Bay Colony, immigrant.

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Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Volume III, Part 52

Author: Little, George Thomas, 1857-1915, ed; Burrage, Henry Sweetser, 1837-1926; Stubbs, Albert Roscoe Publication date: 1909 Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company Number of Pages: 818

Author: Little, George Thomas, 1857-1915, ed; Burrage, Henry Sweetser, 1837-1926; Stubbs, Albert Roscoe
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 818