USA > Maine > Sagadahoc County > Bath > History of Bath and environs, Sagadahoc County, Maine. 1607-1894 > Part 28
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
5
328
HISTORY OF BATH.
Rodney Hyde followed the sea for several years ; was a clerk with Zina Hyde, and since 1842 has spent most of his life in Bath, unmarried. In 1892 he gave a free deed of land for a site for a con- templated "Home for Aged Couples and Old Men," on Weeks street.
WILLIAM KING, Maine's First Governor .- Of all the eminent men who have been citizens of Maine, less has been published of the career of William King than that of any of his contemporaries; yet few have placed their mark so conspicuously upon the public affairs of the state as he. To accomplish a full history of his life and his services at this day is attended with difficulties. Among his voluminous papers few can be found of value to the historian.
For over fifty years, William King was a resident of Bath, yet his name and fame belong to the whole state, as it was his energy and perseverance, in a great measure, that sundered the tie to the Com- monwealth of Massachusetts and placed Maine as an independent state in the Union. Bath, however, is identified with him in that close and more sympathetic tie that results from familiar companion- ship in the more quiet walks of life; from a thorough knowledge of his manly character, his honorable dealing in matters of business, his devotion to right, his undoubted intellectual ability and states- manlike qualities, all of which he used freely for the benefit of the town as well as the state.
His grandfather was Richard King, who came to this country from Kent, England; his father was also of the name of Richard and came from Watertown, Mass., to Scarboro in 1745. His father was twice married, his first wife died in 1759, having had a son and two daughters. Rufus King was the son of this marriage, and was one of the great men of the day of Washington, Adams, and Jeffer- son. His second wife was Mary Black, of York, from which union there was three daughters and two sons, Cyrus and William. William was born in 1768, at Scarboro. William was less fortunate than his brothers, in the matter of a liberal education, as his father died when William was only seven years of age, leaving the bulk of his estate in lands that did not yield much income; William had therefore to
1
329
HISTORY OF BATH.
make his own way in the world and went to work in a saw-mill at Saco. When he was nineteen years of age a division of his father's estate was made, and his portion was a yoke of two-year old steers. With these, in the the spring of the year, he started east to seek his fortune. He stopped at many of the houses on the way offering to work for his board without finding employment. It was cold when he reached Bath, and came into town barefoot, not being able to own either shoes or stockings. Failing to find any employment he went to Topsham where he went to work in a saw-mill and by industry and frugality soon owned half a saw and afterwards a whole mill. After a while he formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Dr. Benjamin Jones Porter, and opened a store, which was conducted by Porter, King continuing his lumber business. Mr. King was one of the incorporators of the toll bridge crossing the river at Topsham. The first cotton mill in Maine was at Brunswick, erected in 1809, and King was one of the incorporators and one of the principal owners. While living at Topsham he built five vessels, consisting of one ship, two brigs, and two schooners. His first vessel was built at Bruns- wick in 1793, another in 1793; a ship at Bath in 1794 ; a brig at Topsham in 1799; a brig at Bath in 1798; from 1800 to 1815 he built four ships and five brigs at Bath, and was owner and manager of other vessels.
When General King first came to Bath, in 1800, he opened a store in connection with Peter H. Green. He also had wharfs and ware- houses. He organized the first bank opened at Bath, of which he was president, having full control. He possessed much real estate in Bath and other parts of the state. Originally he owned the terri- tory of what is now the town of Kingfield, in Franklin County, which was named for him. He was accustomed to visit his town once or twice a year, going up from Bath in a carriage with his family. He took great delight in Kingfield, where he had much land under culti- vation. He owned the stone-house farm, some two miles from Bath on the Brunswick road. It was originally built for a shooting-lodge by a party of English sportsmen. It was notable for its large orchard of five hundred fruit trees of great variety, and on it were raised large quantities of potatoes for shipment to the West Indies.
£
330
HISTORY OF BATH.
When the state-house at Augusta was built, he was at the head of the commissioners who superintended the building.
In General King's day the military had a high prestige, and as a military man he was conspicuous. He was popular with officers and men under his command, and this was particularly shown when he received the appointment of Major-General, at Boston, and on his coming home the military of Brunswick, Topsham, and Bath turned out to escort him into town. Besides in service as Major- General of militia, he had a commission of Colonel of the United States army as recruiting officer of United States volunteers, in the District of Maine, upon the declaration of war in June, 1812. He recruited a regiment in Bath early in 1814, and was engaged in recruiting another when the war closed.
He began his political career in Topsham, at the early age of 27 years, by representing the town at General Court in Boston in 1795 and 1796. In 1800, he was elected Representative to the Legislature of Massachusetts, from Bath, for three years; and 1807 and 1808, was elected Senator to represent the Lincoln district.
General King was a leader by nature, in military, civil and citi- zen life; when appointed on a committee, King was the committee.
During the many years which General King served in public life, his record shows a desire to legislate for the people. The so called " Betterment Act" was of special significance. The pioneer settlers went into the edges of our forests, made clearings, and prepared homes for their wives and children. Speculators then came forward and claimed a right to the entire property and proceeded to eject the settlers; they rose in rebellion, a surveyor for the proprietors was shot and suspected men were put in jail; a rescue was attempt- ed and the militia companies were called out.
In 1802, General King, then a member of the Massachusetts Legislature, took the matter in hand and framed a bill that gave the original proprietors the choice to sell the land to those occupying it at its appraised original value or pay for the improvements. King pressed the measure through by the force of his character. He was likewise the father of the famous "Toleration Act," which annulled the law that had compelled towns to support a minister; a grand work of entire religious freedom.
33I
HISTORY OF BATH.
The public services of General King will, however, be the most recorded in history in connection with the leading part he took in the question of the separation of the District of Maine from Massa- chusetts. He battled seven years for separation in every political convention of which he was a member, and it would not be much of a convention without King. The separation being effected he was president of the convention that framed the constitution of the new state, and no state ever entered the Union with a better constitution.
The people of the new state proved their appreciation of the eminent services he had rendered them, by unanimously electing him its first governor. During his term of office, he resigned to accept appointment as commissioner for the general government to settle claims in Florida.
His state did him the honor of selecting him out of all his dis- tinguished contemporaries to be its representative in the national statuary at Washington. This statue of Maine's first governor was executed by Franklin Simmons, at Rome,-a native of Maine-repre- senting him as in the prime of life. It has been said to be the finest in the whole collection, which is made up of the most eminent men from every state in the Union. On the occasion of the presentation of this statue to the government, Senator Hanibal Hamlin, James G. Blaine, Thomas B. Reed, Mathew H. Carpenter, Roscoe Conklin, and other eminent statesmen, paid tribute to General King's character.
Upon the institution of Solar Lodge at Bath, in 1804, William King was one of the charter members, and its first Master, and also Worshipful Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Maine.
His mansion which he built in Bath stood, in the Governor's time, near the banks of the Kennebec, on the site of the present Custom House. The grounds were extensive; old-fashioned flowers and shrubs filled the front yard, while on the west and north was an extensive orchard of fine fruit trees, the pride of the Governor, and which was enclosed by a high stone wall. This house, in its palmy days, with its ample hall, broad stair-case, its chambers, with high post bedsteads and draperies, the coat-of-arms on the wall, the par- lor, with its massive furniture, and French plate mirrors over the mantel, the silver service, with convex mirrors, the candles blazing
£
1
1
332
HISTORY OF BATH.
in the winter twilight above the glowing fire on the broad hearth, all going to make a picture of beauty and comfort. He was a great entertainer. With unbounded hospitality his house was the resort, from time to time, of eminent men and women of this and foreign lands. There was not one who could outdo him in table argument, and, though often forcible and abrupt in his speech to men, his manners were always gentle and courteous to ladies and children. His evenings were often devoted to whist, and it was even a common thing in those days to devote a portion of the day to cards, and General King's card parties came to be a decided feature in Bath society. There was the Governor in the showy costume of the day, ruffed, starched and frilled, seated in state in his long parlor, where his friends assembled. They would sit at cards until late in the evening, not forgetting a cup of tea for the ladies and a glass of wine for the gentlemen. There used to be hot rubbers. The gay dames of a quiet day, sitting around the parlor, and the fresh breeze blow- ing through the open windows, where one could sit and look up and down the Kennebec ; then in the twilight his servant would harness up the span and drive the guests to their homes.
In 1802 General King married Miss Ann Frazier, of Scarboro. The marriage proved a very happy one. At the next meeting after the marriage ceremony, as was the custom of the time, Gen- eral King and his bride "appeared out." The services were held in the "Erudition " school-house. Everybody was there in good season. At the proper time the couple walked deliberately in, when the General, with his commanding figure and dignified mien, with his beautiful bride by his side, made a pleasing sensation. Mrs. King was welcomed into Bath's best society, became a leader, and all through her life universal deference was accorded her many lovely traits of character.
Characteristics .- Some reminiscences of General King may best illustrate his traits of character. A meeting was held to arrange for a celebration of "Independence Day," and King, as a matter of course, presided. The customary resolutions were prepared by Judge Ames, who was a man of wide attainments and patriotic. He
333
HISTORY OF BATH.
evidently took in the situation as a fine opportunity to air his gifts as a rhetorician. He had prepared an elaborate preamble to his resolutions, spending much time on it, calling upon his friends for the purpose of reading the paper to them for criticism on both the matter, its writing and his style of reading, and completed the doc- ument to his entire satisfaction, ready for the meeting to which he looked forward as his coming triumph. The eventful day arrived, and when called upon for the resoultions he commenced reading his eloquent preamble, and had hardly gone through with the first sen- tence when General King exclaimed, in his decisive way: "Never mind the preamble, Judge, never mind the preamble, it is always about the same thing you know, never mind it, give us the resolu- tions." Thus spread eagle rhetoric was squelched by a presiding officer, who at the time was truly "king."
When General King was in his prime he was quick witted as well as profoundly intellectual. During the time he was one of the commissioners under the Florida treaty he was walking the streets of Wasington one bright moonlight evening in company with another gentlemen, when two girls flourishingly dressed came up close behind them apparently endeavoring to attract their attention. To avoid annoyance they turned a corner, but in vain ; the girls fol- lowed close; they turned another corner, the girls still following, when General King faced about and thus addressed them: "Ladies, I can only say to you that we are not members of Congress." The girls followed them no longer.
Although friendly to the cause of temperance, he never gave up the use of wine and always had it on his table. On one occasion a judge was dining with him and refused wine on the plea that he was a member of a temperance society. Melons were brought in at dessert and the General poured wine on his; his guest did the same; a short time after a physician was dining with the General, he also refused wine, when King bluftly remarked, "Won't you have a spoon Doctor? recently Judge Blank was dining with me and he would not drink my wine but he ate it with a spoon."
It has been said that when some worthy ship-master, on returning from a voyage, would unroll before him the long columns of his
1
1
334
HISTORY OF BATH.
accounts, the restless Governor would interupt the whole by the exclamation, "Ah, that will do. We will lay these two accounts of debt and credit on the floor and find the difference by pacing them off."
A zealous member of the church to which he belonged, felt it his duty to labor with the Governor on account of his occasionally allowing the use of cards in his house. In his efforts to convince Governor King of the evil influences of such amusement, his fellow member remarked that it led to cheating, and that he always used to cheat whenever he played. "Ah!" said the General, "I dare say this is true, but you need have no fear for me; I never allow myself to play in such company as yours."
Early one morning the stage drove up to the door of King's resi- dence, and when his wife was about to enter it he discovered inside the stage, a Frenchman with his dog. "Driver!" thundered the irate General, "take this dog out." The frightened foreigner, dog and all, leaped from the stage, muttering ; "I have seen the King of England; the King of France, and other Kings, but this King of Bath is the biggest King I ever saw."
In about 1834 a club of young men, the Zetetic Club, was formed in contradistinction to a lyceum of older and more conservative men, and the members, after a long discussion of the education question, prepared to act in concert at an annual town meeting on a measure to be offered to improve the schools. It was arranged to proceed in this wise: An order, prefaced by suitable remarks, was to be offered by a member designated, to raise for schools an addi- tional sum of $3,000 more than was required by law to do, and consequently would provoke strong opposition from large tax payers. It was arranged that a dozen or so should be ready to reply in turn to the opposition, and that they should be well distributed in the house so as not to appear to act in concert. Town meeting was held and the "order" offered, and immediately assailed by General King, who did not make any lengthy remarks, seeming to be confi- dent, as he had always before "carried the town," that it was only necessary to make known his wishes to have them fully carried out. To his manifest surprise, however, no sooner had he taken his
1
335
HISTORY OF BATH.
seat than a vigorous reply was made to his remarks by the man who had offered the order and between whom and King there had been some previous sparring on some other question. To effectually silence him, King arose, looking straight at his opponent, with the remark that he "would willingly favor the appropriating more money for the support of schools if it would result in preventing the children of some men from being as ignorant as their fathers have shown them- selves here to-day." No sooner was the general seated when another advocate of the measure was on his feet in a distant part of the room, presuming to antagonize the long-time dictator. Amazed at this audacity, General King rose again and with more extended remarks apparently thought he had silenced the reformers. Then a voice from a far corner of the house is heard, dashing aside his arguments with audacity, Again General King takes the floor, and no sooner is he seated than Robert Babb assails him and evidently pitches into his feelings to some purpose. King inquires of those around him, "who is he?" and arising with glaring eyes looking around the room, says he: "Mr. Moderator, I should like to know what we are coming to! Who is this Mr. Roberty Bobberty Babb, and the rest of them, are they going to rule the town?" The other members continuing to reply and assail him, General King, thoroughly amazed at this audacity, inquired of a neighbor what it all meant, "this happening in such a manner," and he arose in his mighty indignation to say: "Ah, Mr. Moderator, I have just learned where all this mischief comes from; it is the Zetetic Club; and what do we see?" pointing with his finger, "Why, its cockadodle, here, and its cockadodle there, and its cockadodle everywhere; and what does it all mean?" But the "cockadodles" carried their point with the complete overthrow of King rule.
When General King and others seceded, in the year 1802, from the North Church and Society of Bath, and built the South Church, congregational clergymen declined to install Mr. Jenks who had been engaged for pastor, on the ground that there was no church. When this state of facts was made known at a meeting of the South Society, Mr. King promotly exclaimed, "We must have a church, must we? I'll have one immediately." He sat down and wrote a
336
HISTORY OF BATH.
document to be signed by such as were willing to enroll themselves as members. To quiet any conscientious scruples any might have in belonging to a church when not a professor of religion, he explained that their wishing to organize a church was simply a form and matter of business. Signing the paper himself, he took it around for others to sign, and very soon obtained the required number. On returning home from the meeting, he explained to his wife what he had done, and asked her to head the list for lady mem- bers. She said, "I cannot, I cannot." "Why not?" asked he. Said she, "I am not good enough, you know I am not a Christian." "Ah," said he, "jine, Annie, jine, I have jined, and you are a d -- d sight better Christian than I am." She "jined" and the church was founded.
The Governor had a commanding figure above middle height, bright piercing eyes, shadowed by heavy, coal-blick eye-brows, which retained their color even after his hair become white. It was said that in anger or when filled with righteous indignation his eyes had a flash that few cared to encounter. Many still remember him attired in his military cloak with scarlet lining, and his dignified mein and distinguished countenance made him always an object of interest in public or private life.
The family of his son, Cyrus W. King, consisting of a widow, son and daughter, reside in Brunswick, the son a physician and the daughter an artist.
When General King died, June 17, 1852, he was buried with military, masonic, and civic honors, the Governor and distinguished officials being in attendance. He was enterred in the old cemetery, where the state placed a monument of granite of suitable propor- tions to his memory, his wife resting at the same spot.
The Patten Family .- As far back as 1119 mention is made of a Patten family at Pattine, near Chalmsford, Essex County, Eng- land. Various Richard Pattens are spoken of in different eras as men of worth and filling high positions, particularly in church gov- ernment. In the fifteenth century a number of families of that name emigrated to Scotland from Essex County, and from thence to
337
HISTORY OF BATH.
Ireland in 1630. It is supposed that Actor, or Hector Patten as the English call it, was a descendant of this branch. He was born in Belfast, county of Derry, about 1693, and immigrated to this country in 1727. . He was accompanied by his brothers, William and Robert. Actor came to Saco with his brother William, settling in that portion now known as Old Orchard. After living here forty years he made a new home at Frenchmans Bay, now Sullivan, in the then District of Maine, a short time before the Revolutionary War.
His first wife's family name was Sotor ; his second, whom he mar- ried in this country, was a Mrs. Armstrong. He had three sons, John, William, and Mathew. John, his eldest son, was born in 1717. He married Miss Maria Means, of Saco, a pious and worthy woman. He settled in Topsham, Me., and lived on a farm pleasantly situated in sight of Merrymeeting Bay.
His grandson, John Patten of Bowdoinham, from whom these genealogical records have been gleaned, says of him : "He lived to a green old age, beloved by his friends and respected by all. He was honest, industrious and upright in all his dealings. Besides attend- ing to the cultivation of his farm he did all the blacksmith's work of the vicinity. Later he engaged in ship-building, and accumulated . coniderable property. He was a man of good appearance, quick and active in his movements. He raised a family of eight sons and six daughters. The daughters married into the Fulton, Randall, Jame- son, Harward, Maxwell, and Winter families. The descendants of the sons were numerous. John Patten was a deacon in the Congre- gational Church in Topsham and was always an exemplary Christian; strict in his observance of the Sabbath, he enforced like rigor on his house-hold. He died in 1795, aged 77. His son Thomas was born in Saco in 1761, and married Catherine Fulton of the same place. He came to Topsham with his father, and there were born to him there several sons and daughters, among whom were George F., James F., and John, all of whom settled in Bath while young men."
John Patten, of Bath, was born in Topsham, August 27, 1789. He followed the sea during his early years. In the war of 1812-15 he was mate with Capt. Levi Peterson and was taken prisoner five times. Through these mishaps he found himself penniless at the close
338
HISTORY OF BATH.
of the war, and was obliged to use his month's advance to purchase an outfit, but through his energy and ability, we find him in 1816 owner and master of the brig "Ann Maria," of 153 tons register, of Topsham.
Captain Patten came to Bath in 1820 and formed a partnership with his brother, George F., in 1821, under the firm of George F. & J. Patten, a partnership that lasted forty years. Their ship-yard was next south of the present office of A. Sewall & Company. Their first vessel was the brig Jasper of 222 tons. The remaining forty vessels built by these brothers were mostly ships. After the dissolu- tion of this firm, Captain Patten entered into partnership with his son, Gilbert E. R. Patten, and they occupied the yard adjacent to that of Major Harward. The first vessel by this firm was the Nimbus in 1869. Captain Patten always retained an interest in other shipping, becoming part owner in steamers and ships built by other firms. It has been estimated that he was an owner in sixty-five ves- sels. The following published at the time of his death gives an idea of various positions of trust held by Captain Patten and the various benevolent acts scattered through a long life. "For several years up to the time of his death, he was a Trustee of the Bath Savings Institution, Old Ladies' Home, and Director of the Lincoln Bank. He was one of the first members of the Merchants Exchange, afterwards known as the Bath Board of Trade; was a stockholder, and for many years manager of the Bath Gas Light Company, and president of the Patten Library Association. He was largely inter- ested in building the Sagadahoc House and gave a large sum for its completion. Endowed with a benevolent heart, he gave largely to churches, public institutions, and private enterprises. He gave sev- eral thousand dollars to the Old Ladies' Home, a goodly sum towards the erection of the High School Building, and the Soldiers' Orphan Home was frequently a receipient of his bounty." He was a con- stant attendant upon the public services of the Central Church and gave liberally to religious objects, although not a church member. He was a member of the first City Council of Bath, and served the city as Mayor in 1851 and 1852. He also represented the city one term in the Legislature.
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.