USA > Maine > Oxford County > Bethel > History of Bethel : formerly Sudbury, Canada, Oxford County, Maine, 1768-1890, with a brief sketch of Hanover and family statistics > Part 10
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
uting office for western and central Oxford. In eighteen hundred and fifteen, an office was established at Bethel Hill, and Dr. Moses Mason was appointed postmaster. The doctor often remarked in after years, that the most exciting moment of his life was when he heard the post-rider's horn and knew that the first regular mail was about to arrive at Bethel Hill. The excitement and enthusiasm among the citizens was greater by far than when the first train of cars reached Bethel thirty-five years later. It would be interesting to know the name of the first post-rider to this town, but it has not come down to us.
The amount of mail matter brought into town was very small at. that time when compared with what is brought now. No daily paper was then published in the State, and comparatively few weeklies. Stationery was expensive, postage high, and the people too busy to do much letter-writing. Nevertheless, the weekly com- munication with the outside world by means of the post-rider was pleasant, and an important era in the progress of the town. These post-riders were generally very obliging, and for a small remunera- tion would distribute the mail matter all along their route. For instance, before leaving Waterford for Bethel, he would take from the Waterford office papers and letters belonging to persons resid- ing on the way, and just before reaching a house, a shrill blast from his tin horn would announce his approach and indicate that he had something for its inmates. The next step in the progress of carry- ing the mails was a single wagon, and from this, in a few years, came the elegant coach and four or six horses which brought us mails and passengers direct from Portland by way of Gray, Poland and Norway, twice a week, and this was highly satisfactory. The route was also extended up the river to Gilead, Shelburne and way to Lancaster in the heart of the Coos region. Those old stagers were a jolly set of men, but their responsibilities were great and they fully realized it. In addition to carrying the mails, they did a. large amount of express business and were often entrusted with large sums of money sent by country traders to their creditors in the city. Among the early drivers through this region to the Coos country were Grosvenor G. Waterhouse, Oren Hobbs and Addison A. Latham, with a host of lesser lights, but these were the leaders. After the railway was built and the cars took away their occupation, they became railway conductors, but they have long since passed the stage of human existence to the unknown worlds beyond. The
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
cars commenced running to Bethel in eighteen hundred and fifty- one, and a mail from Portland for each week day satisfied every one. Since then mail and transportation facilities through all parts of the country have steadily improved, and Bethel, actually situated seventy miles from the sea-coast, has by the acceleration of speed been brought very near to it, as near as is desirable. The following shows the postmasters who have served in Bethel, and the date of appointment of each :
BETHEL.
Moses Mason, Jr., January 5, 1815. Oneil W. Robinson, December 27, 1833.
Robert A. Chapman, June 17, 1835. William Frye, March 31, 1846.
Thomas E. Twitchell, June 22, 1849. William Y. Merrill, January 9, 1850.
Thomas E. Twitchell, April 19, 1850. Sylvester Robertson, January 7, 1852.
Richard A. Frye, April 11, 1853. Newton Swift, March 24, 1857.
Daniel A. Twitchell, May 6, 1861. Abner Davis, July 13, 1863.
Melville C. Kimball, May 6, 1865. Enoch Foster, Jr., January 6, 1868.
Leander T. Barker, March 24, 1869.
Samuel R. Shehan, May 28, 1869. Leander T. Barker, June 27, 1877.
Oneil R. Hastings, August 19, 1885.
George H. Brown, September 12, 1889.
Gilman P. Bean, April 15, 1890.
EAST BETHEL.
Timothy Carter, April 28, 1824. Hiram Holt, April 2, 1845. Israel G. Kimball, April 9, 1849.
Charles E. Swan, August 27, 1851.
John L. Dustin, January 23, 1858. Discontinued, December 28, 1858.
This office was at Middle Interval, and after it was discontinued its patrons received their mail at the Bethel office.
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
WEST BETHEL.
Jacob Holt, January 12, 1837.
Henry Ward, February 4, 1842. Gilbert Chapman, January 5, 1854. Milton Holt, April 2, 1857. Alpheus S. Bean, October 19, 1871.
NORTH BETHEL.
Phineas Frost, March 2, 1831.
Eliphas C. Bean, September 10, 1836.
Discontinued, December 17, 1851.
Re-established, June 12, 1854.
John Hamlin, June 12, 1854. Discontinued, December 7, 1855.
Re-established as "East" Bethel, October 28, 1862.
Discontinued, October 13, 1865.
Re-established, September 24, 1884.
Francis Carpenter, September 24, 1884.
Discontinued, January 21, 1886.
Re-established, July 8, 1886.
Eugene Bean, July 8, 1886.
Dana B. Grant, March 26, 1890.
Elbridge Crooker, November 20, 1890.
NORTH BETHEL.
George C. Atherton, March 28, 1862.
Orange C. Frost, April 24, 1865.
William D. Hastings, September 30, 1868.
Arvilla Swan, June 9, 1876.
Discontinued, October 2, 1878.
This office was situated north of Mayville and near the mouth of Sunday river, and took the name of the discontinued office at Bean's Corner. Former patrons of this office are now accommodated at Bethel Hill.
SOUTH BETHEL.
Hiram Hodsdon, March 31, 1875.
Lyman W. Russell, October 20, 1884. This office is at what was formerly Blake's, then Abbot's, after-
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
wards Walker's and now Virgin's Mills, situated on the Locke's Mills road, four miles distant from Bethel Hill. The mail matter for East Bethel is taken from the cars at Locke's Mills. The office at Bethel Fill is the distributing office for Norway, Grafton, Upton and all the lower lake region, including the Magalloway country ; also for North Albany. Two mails daily from Portland and beyond, are now received at Bethel, and two mails from Gorham, New Hampshire, and beyond.
CHAPTER XIV.
LATER SETTLEMENTS.
HE land near the Androscoggin river, and at the westerly part of the town, was settled many years before other portions of the town were taken up. The belts of interval were quickly appropriated, because the soil was rich, free from stone and level. The uplands next to the intervals were taken up for building purposes, for pasturage and for upland tillage. The east and central portions of the town south of the river, is much broken by hills and mountains, the soil is rocky and tillage expensive. The crops on the burn were luxuriant and cheaply raised, but when it became necessary to use the plow, hard labor and comparatively poor returns were the experiences of most farm- ers. When the Paris and Rumford road was built in seventeen hundred and ninety-seven, it passed through the southeasterly por- tion of Bethel and brought a few lots of land into the market. The road enters Bethel about half a mile from the southeasterly corner of the town, and after passing across the corner, enters Milton Plantation about a mile from the point where it enters Bethel. The road was originally laid out and built along a ridge known as the "Whale's Back," but in later years it was made to pass through the ridge over the bed of a branch of Concord river, and then kept along east of the ridge as still traveled.
The first settler on this road within the limits of Bethel was Francis Hemmingway. He was born in Boston, married Rebecca, daughter of William Godwin and settled in Rumford. He moved
7
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
to Bethel as stated, cleared land and built a house, and after a few years, he exchanged farms with Benjamin Sweat and moved back to Rumford. Benjamin Sweat was the son of Benjamin Sweat, an early settler of Rumford, and his wife was Molly Harper, sister to the wife of William Godwin. Mr. Sweat lived and died on this farm and left it to his son Moses Sweat, who still owns and occupies it. Another settler on this road was Porter Kimball, who purchased the corner lot next to Hamlin's Gore and Milton Plantation. After a year or two, he sold out to Abijah Lapham of Buckfield, who came to it about eighteen hundred and twenty-two. His purchase amounted to nearly three hundred acres. The place has had many owners and occupants since, and the old house built by Deacon Lapham is still standing on the west side of the road, the first house on the left after passing through the Whales' Back, going toward Rumford. The sons of Deacon Lapham, John and Thomas, settled upon portions of this land, but they left it after a year or two. Isaac Twombly was another early settler here who did not long remain. Later James Daniels came from Paris and settled on this road, and also his son, Gilman Daniels. Enoch Estes settled upon a portion of the Lapham tract, and his sons still occupy it. In eighteen hundred and sixty-five Hobbs and Tuttle of Bryant's Pond, purchased the two Daniels' farms and made one of them, but they soon sold out.
Caleb Besse of Paris, took up a lot west of the Lapham place, and near the Locke's Mills road that crosses what was once Hamlin's Gore, now a part of Woodstock. After him, Jedediah Estes came in possession and still occupies it. North of the Besse place and reached only by a settlers road, Tilden Bartlett, formerly of Norway, took a lot and cleared up a farm. This was about eighteen hundred and twenty-six. He died here and his sons Benjamin, Abijah and Enoch Bartlett, have lived on the place at different times. On the Locke's Mills road across the Gore, near where John Buck of Buck- field once lived and more recently William R. Hemmingway and Robert Bearce, is a settlers road leading into Bethel, to the farms formerly occupied by Isaac Estes, Hezekiah Moody and Stephen Estes. Moody was not the first one on his farm, but he was there quite early, and the buildings are long since gone. Still farther along on the Locke's Mills road, is a road that leads to the Bird Hill, so called, though not much traveled. There are two farms on this road early occupied by Joseph Cummings and John Buck, Jr.
99
HISTORY OF BETHEL.
More recently the places were occupied by Elbridge Fifield, Jared Young, and still later, Josiah Moody. East of the Rumford and Paris road, on the side of the hill, and not approachable with a team from the Rumford road, James Wilbur had a clearing and lived here, after his son was stolen from him as was supposed by David Robbins, near Rangeley Lake. After an absence of many years, the son returned as stated elsewhere, and then the whole family returned to Martha's Vineyard. Luther Locke, after his late in life marriage with Marilla Kenyon, also lived in this region and died here.
The first settler on the Bird Hill, so called, was Levi Berry from Paris. He began on the place afterward occupied by Lyman Bird, and his house stood a little east of the school house. His three sons, Levi, Jr., William and Leonard settled around him and the place was then called Berry Hill. His son-in-law, John Lapham, also lived on this hill. William Berry lived on the place afterward occupied by John Bird, John Lapham on the Samuel Bird place, Leonard Berry on the place afterwards occupied by Peter Ayer and Daniel Dunn, and Levi Berry's house stood opposite the school house. Eli H. Cushman began on the place next below the school l'ouse and died here. The family still occupy it. Farther on toward Locke's Mills, on the left, John Knight took up a lot and lived here quite a number of years. After him Richard Jordan had the place and he was followed by John Chase whose son, Jacob A. Chase, still lives here. Easterly from this place a fourth of a mile, is the place where Abraham Jordan began, and where he spent his days. His son John had it after him, and later Moses Cummings. North of the Chase place above referred to, a little farther on toward Locke's Mills, is the place occupied many years by Abraham Bryant. He commenced here in the wilderness and by a long life of hard labor, he made of it a good farm. His son Benjamin had the old homestead, but sold out and moved to an interval farm near May- ville. Another son, Charles C. Bryant, occupies part of his father's old farm. Farther on from the John Bird place, Eli Estes once lived, and a good man he was. He reared a large family here, and died of cancer many years ago. The place soon after passed out of the family. Through the woods toward Kimball Hill, the road leads to where John Estes was living in eighteen hundred and forty- five and later. The place has had several owners. Daniel Estes, a brother of Eli, occupied the next place, and after him Nathan
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HISTORY OF BETHIEL.
Hall. The road now sharply pitches toward the river and Bird Hill has become "Kimball Hill." Jacob Kimball had a farm here, and after him his sons Jacob, Jr., and Moses. The farm of James Estes, who was the brother of John, comes next, and this afterward became the town farm. Still farther down the hill and the last place before the Locke's Mills and Androscoggin river road is reached, is the place once occupied by Capt. William Andrews, and later by his son-in-law, Alonzo Howe. Near this place, a short road leads to the place once occupied by Chandler R. Duston.
After leaving Rumford Corner and passing up the river on the south side, the road soon passes into Bethel, and the first place is that once occupied by Hezekiah Hutchins, Jr., and now by his son. Hutchins was not the first occupant and who was the writer knows not. Along farther is the place where Richard Estes long lived, and his son Peter. Richard Estes of the third generation now occupies it. Samuel Goss was the first settler upon this land ; he moved to Rumford. Aaron Moor also lived near here and also Richard Dolloff. These also went to Rumford. And still farther along, Jeremiah Andrews lived. His place was afterward owned by William Goddard. Elihu Kilgore once lived along here on the bank of the river, and near his place a settlers road turned that led to the farm of Job York, Benjamin Estes and Samuel J. Howard. Joseph Peverly once lived on this road, and on a short road that branches off easterly from this, David Adamson lived. Returning to the river road and passing on toward Bean's Corner, is the place once occupied by Stephen Cummings, Jr., although not the first who lived upon it by several. Phineas Howard once lived here and Thomas Frost. Near this is a settlers road that leads to the farm once owned and occupied by John Estes, but for many years after by Peter Powers. Southwest of this farm, but reached by a road from the William Andrews place, were two farms once occu- pied by Phineas Howard, Jr., and William Bartlett. Henry R. Bartlett succeeded to the latter and died there. These two homes were situated where the outlook was grand and beautiful, but the place was bleak in winter.
There was no road between Locke's Mills and the Androscoggin until about the year 1823, and no settlers except near the two termini. Solomon Annas, Jr., commenced on a lot just over the line in Bethel and lived here many years. Charles Crooker bought the place some forty years ago, and his son Washington Crooker
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
still occupies it. The next place going toward the Androscoggin, was that of Thomas Goss, son of Samuel Goss. He bought two wild lots before the road was built, and cleared up a large farm. The next place and on the west side of the road, was occupied by Clark Kimball fifty years ago, and now by Emery G. Young. A little farther along and on the opposite side are the buildings put up by James Lapham, who long occupied them The next two houses have been put up on the same farm in more recent years, and the next place, on the east side of the road, is the old home- stead of James A. S. Bartlett. He lived here many years, and the place is now occupied by his son. The next farm and the best on the road, is the Foster homestead. Here Eli Foster, a young man from Newry, commenced to clear land about the time that Thomas Goss took his lots, and here he worked and managed until he had one of the best farms in town. His son David now occupies it. The next place was that of Ebenezer Bartlett, who occupied it many years and died here. His son succeeded to it, but sold out to Jared Young and left the State many years ago. Near this place a settlers road turns westerly to the farm of Jonas W. Bart- lett. Phineas Frost began on this farm and built the buildings. The road formerly extended to another farm where Daniel Hodsdon once lived. After him, Zeri Whitman, Thomas Farrar and others occupied the place, but it has long since been dismantled and the buildings taken down. The next one of the old places is the one formerly owned by Aaron Stevens, where James Dunley once lived. Afterwards Evi Needham owned it and lived here. Passing the Kimball Hill road and the place where the old school house stood, the next place is the one on the right lately occupied by Enoch Stiles and previously by Timothy Glines as the tenant of Aaron Stevens. This is the last farm before the river road is again reached, and was early occupied by Nathaniel, one of the Bean family. He moved to the Magalloway.
Leaving Locke's Mills and traveling toward Bethel Hill, the road soon crosses the line into Bethel. The first place is the one occupied by Benjamin Stevens. William Whitman first settled this place and subsequently several families occupied it until it was bought by John Stevens, father of Benjamin Stevens, who was the next occu- pant. A collection of small houses on the cross road which comes in near here, were built by Charles Crooker and his sons. Farther along is the Ethridge house, but not an old one. Near Walker's
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IIISTORY OF BETHEL.
Mills on the right hand side, a few years ago, could be seen the remains of an old house. This was built and occupied by Elijah Swan three-fourths of a century ago.
The little hamlet now known as South Bethel was begun in eighteen hundred and three by David Blake, who built mills there. He also built a house which stood a little east of what was once known as the Walker house and which was taken down soon after the Walker house was built. The mills passed from the Blake family to Jonathan Abbot and from him to James Walker. Mr. Walker built the carding and fulling and cloth dressing mill and dug the canal which conveys water to it. This building was after- wards used as a bedstead factory. Ballard Hatch was the first one in charge of the carding and cloth dressing establishment, and after him Ebenezer Cram, James Russ, Albion K. P. Dunham and others. Stephen A. Russell long had charge of the grist mill. The oldest of the houses on the right hand side on entering the village was built by Phineas Stearns. It was afterwards occupied by Jonathan Blake and has since had many occupants. Mr. Stearns was a harness-maker and his old shop is still standing further along on the same side of the road. It was afterwards occupied as a store by the Walkers and by Erastus Hilborn who sold goods here, in- cluding New England rum by the glass or quantity. The next place on the right is the Walker mansion, long occupied by James Walker, the proprietor of the mills. Nearly opposite is where Jonathan Clark Robertson, the old cabinet-maker lived, and the next on the same side, was built and long occupied by the old miller, Stephen A. Russell. Several houses have been put up in more modern times, but it is the purpose here to notice only those standing half a century ago. Across the bridge is the house once occupied by Ephraim Whitcomb, and the one occupied by Lawson E. and Lyman W. Russell. The mills here were built originally by David Blake. The sawmill a little up-stream was built by Samuel B. Locke. Passing on towards the hill, the Jonathan Abbot place is on the left. Jonathan, Senior, and Jonathan, Junior, lived and died there, and the place is still in the family. The school house stands a little beyond, and here a road turns which now extends to Bean's Corner, but formerly only to the Chandler neigh- borhood and Swan's Hill. Passing up the hill, and once through a growth of wood, the first place is that where John Cushman long lived and toiled. It is now owned by John Chase. The next is the
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
Moses Chandler place, now occupied by his son, and then the John Stevens place, afterwards occupied by Amos A. Young, who died there. Farther along on the road are the Josiah Brown, the Abial Chandler, the James Nutting and the Stephen Hodsdon places, and as the road continues it passes near where Urban Shorey and others once inhabited. Beginning again at the school house and passing toward Bethel Hill, the place on the right has been successively occupied by Benjamin Blake, Nathan Eames, John Needham and Ira Cushman. On the plain below, Dudley M. Needham built a house a few years ago, and after crossing the meadows and the brook, the site is reached where Thomas Cushman once lived. He was called "Beaver" Cushman because he located his house over a brook. Then comes the swell of land on which Solomon Annas once lived and which, excepting that portion assigned to his son Benjamin which still remains in the family ; another son sold to the Blakes, who have retained more or less of it since that time. The John Case farm is next, afterward and long occupied by Isaac B. Littlehale, and this brings us considerably past the center of the town. With the exception of the river road from the Cummings place, this sketch covers all the roads and settlements in the east part of the town. Many changes have been wrought within the memory of those now living ; many comfortable hillside homes have been abandoned and dismantled, and where half a century ago was heard the voice of happy childhood and the hum of home industries, is now heard only the sighing of the winds through the old trees that once shaded these humble yet comfortable dwellings. The old cellar holes in many cases are still visible, and the mints and the worts, famous panaceas in the hands of our grandmothers, now flourish in wild profusion around them.
CHAPTER XV.
A CHAPTER OF STATISTICS.
HEN in seventeen hundred and seventy-four, people of English descent came to this place to commence a settle- ment, only two settlements had been made within the original limits of the county of Oxford. One of these was at Fryeburg and the other at Turner. The region north of Poland and Minot was, with the exceptions named, an unbroken wilderness. When in seventeen hundred and sixty, Cumberland county was formed from York, there was some uncertainty as to the division line, and early deeds of Sudbury Canada lands often stated that the township was either in the county of York or Cumberland, and were sometimes recorded in one county and sometimes in the other. While much the larger number of the deeds given of lands in this town, were recorded with the Cumberland county records, as late as eighteen hundred and three, a deed before me of land in Bethel, given by Eleazer Twitchell, has upon it the certificate of the York county registry. The following shows the date of settlement of some of the older towns in Oxford county :
Fryeburg
1762
Turner
1772
Livermore
1774
Hiram .
1774
Brownfield
1763
Lovell
1779
Porter
1781
Waterford 1775
Buckfield
1777
Andover.
1786
Rumford. 1777
Bethel
1774
Paris. 1781
Norway
1781
Newry
1780
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HISTORY OF BETHEL.
The western towns were in the county of York and the eastern within the county of Cumberland, and Bethel being near the center was claimed at times by both. Several of the above townships settled near the same time are not far apart, and at this date with our good roads and facilities for travel, the inhabitants regard them- selves almost as neighbors. It was far different in the times of which we are writing. There were then no roads connecting the different colonies, and no communication between settlement and settlement was possible save through the rough paths of the forest. Spotted trees guided the traveler between the different settlements, but when journeying to more distant places, he must depend on his own sagacity in part, and in part on the position of the sun, the course of the streams and the position of the mountains. Early in this century the question of the erection of a new county began to be agitated, and conventions were held at Paris Hill to talk it up. Finally, an act was passed through the General Court creating the county of Oxford with the shire town at Paris. At this day, it seems strange that such an inconvenient place should have been selected as the shire town, but centers of travel and of business were widely different then from what they now are, and Paris Hill was the wealthiest village in the county. The act creating the new county is as follows :
"That the counties of York and Cumberland shall be divided by a line beginning at a place called the Crooked Ripples on the Andro- scoggin river, at the southeast corner of the town of Turner, from thence to run westerly on the dividing line between the towns of Turner and Minot, to the most northeasterly corner of the said town of Minot ; from thence southwesterly on the lines between the towns of Minot and Hebron ; thence northwesterly on the line between Hebron and Otisfield, to the town of Norway ; thence west- erly and northerly on the line between the towns of Otisfield and Norway, to the southeasterly corner of the town of Waterford ; thence westerly on the line between said Waterford and Otisfield to the northeasterly corner of the town of Bridgton ; thence westerly on the northerly line of said Bridgton to the northeast corner there- of ; thence southerly on the westerly side of said Bridgton to the southeast corner thereof ; thence westerly on the north line of the town of Baldwin and Prescott's Grant, to Saco river ; thence down the middle of said Saco river to the mouth of the river called the Great Ossipee ; thence westerly by a line drawn on the middle of the river last mentioned, to the line of New Hampshire, and the county of York and Cumberland aforesaid : That all that part and parcel of the counties of York and Cumberland situated on the northerly side of the line before described, and extending northerly
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