USA > Maine > Aroostook County > Bridgewater > History of Bridgewater, Maine > Part 5
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John's family are Donna, Shirley (Barker), Fred, Carl, Merrill, Howard, and Catherine. Only Howard and Shirley live in town today.
1865
Harvey Collins
James Harvey Collins came here from St. Albans, Maine. Wtih him came his wife, Mary Sayward, and four children-Fred, Jennie, Ed- ward, and Etta. He had gone to California at the time of the Gold rush, making the trip by boat around the tip of South America. It is thought that he had a very successful trip, as he was able to buy con- siderable property after coming to town.
James Harvey was a brother of G. W. Collins and, although not so spectacular a man as G. W., he became quite influential. His property was mostly around the Corner; at one time he had three farms.
After his children were grown, he and his wife made another trip to California, this time searching for health instead of gold, which he evidently found, for he lived many years after he returned.
Edward, son of J. H., was Postmaster at the Corner from December 1886 to May 1888. After that he was Express Messenger on the Cana- dian Pacific Railroad, but the work was too confining, so on the doc- tor's orders he gave up the work and sought an outside job.
An opportunity occurred which gave him the chance to work out of doors and at the time time to regain his health. He was made Game Warden. His territory was the Allegash River area.
It was while he was on one of his rounds of duty that he met with a serious accident. A law breaker, thinking that Edward was after him, fired a shot which went through his chest; however Edward recovered. The law breaker, after a year, was captured, stood trial, and was sen- tenced to ten years in State Prison, but before the time was up he was committed to the State Hospital.
This accident put an end to Edward's Warden duties, as the work was now too strenuous. For many years he was janitor of the high school building.
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He had a very good education and was a great reader. Many are the times he helped a boy or girl solve a problem in algebra, or a knotty problem in history.
He served as Postmaster again, from April 1919 to November 1926. It was during his term of office that the Post Office was raised to a third class office.
He married Grace Barrett, sister of Edward Barrett. They had three children: Harvey, who lost his life while a brakeman on the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad at Greenville; Mae (Tidd); and Etta (Parker), who is a successful teacher in Caribou.
Etta Collins, daughter of J. H. Collins, married Edward Barrett. Fred and Jennie, son and daughter of J. H. Collins, moved to other parts of the state.
1866
Richard H. Perkins
Richard H. Perkins came from Woodstock, N. B. According to one account he was a "joiner" by trade. This is interpreted as a "skilled workman who finishes the inside woodwork for houses," or a maker of furniture. He established a jewelry trade at the Corner, but after the fire of 1894 he built a house at the Center with his jewelry shop in the front part. He was the first one to bring suit against G. W. Collins after the fire. After that others did likewise.
He married Ada Ketchum, daughter of Sam Ketchum. They had no children. Mrs. Perkins was Postmistress at the Center from September 22, 1909, until May 16, 1916.
A niece of Mrs. Perkins, Mrs. Ethel K. Collins, now has the house.
1867
Edmund Hayes
Edmund Hayes came from Limerock, Maine, and bought the Wil- liam Shane place (now the Earl Kingsbury place). He lived here most of his life. The last years he was blind. His wife often took him riding; she drove a little bay horse.
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1867
Baptist Church
The Baptist Church was organized this year, on Bunker Hill. A church was later built on the Smith farm (see churches).
1869
Lawrence Family
William I. Lawrence came from Prince William, N. B., with his wife and two sons, John and Albert, and four daughters, Elizabeth (Lizzie), Henrietta (Etta), Bertha, and Agnes. Charles Edgar was born after they came here.
William bought a lot of land from Josiah Bradstreet. After living here a few years he sold it to his son-in-law, John Kimball, but retained a house lot where he lived with his youngest son, C. Edgar.
About 1895 Edgar bought, from Mr. Pennington, the farm that had been cleared by Gideon Kinney. This farm was north of the Oliver Rideout farm.
Edgar married Alberta Jamison in 1904. In 1910 he bought the Chandler farm east of the village. This made him one of the largest farmers in town at the time. In 1924 he bought the Baptist parsonage at the Center and moved there in November of that year.
The next year he sold the farm on Bunker Hill to the Lawrence Brothers (sons of John), but through the adverse years of the thirties it went back to Edgar until he sold it in 1950 to Ralph Terrill. About 1935 he bought the Martin Rideout farm which he sold to Dan Brad- street in 1945.
Edgar has one daughter, Mrs. Bertha Durrell of Kingfield; at the present time Edgar and his wife are living with her.
John, oldest son of William, spent six years in the West when he was a young man, then returned and bought the Oliver Rideout farm. He married Ruth Ritter of Williamstown, N. B. They had three chil- dren, Annie (Simonson), and twin boys, Bert and Byron.
Mrs. Lawrence is still living. She owns the farm and it is managed by her son Byron, who married Glenna Cook, daughter of Fred Cook.
Albert, son of William, married Nellie Dyer of Canada. After a few years in town they moved to Massachusetts where he spent his last years. They had two sons, Elmer and Donald, the latter still living in Massachusetts.
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The daughters of William were Elizabeth, married to John Kimball; Henrietta, married to Martin Rideout; Bertha, married to Elmer Mil- liken. Agnes died at the age of ten.
1869
Allen Boone
Allen Boone was born in Canada near Keswick on the St. John River. He came here from Bangor driving a four-horse team and hauling sup- plies for G. W. Collins' numerous projects.
At first Mr. Boone was in the lumber business but later turned to farming. His farm was south of Whited Lake.
He married Emily Ketchum, daughter of Sam Ketchum. They were living at the Corner at the time of the fire, and their buildings were burned with the others, but he rebuilt immediately, a very modern house for those times.
In the early 1900's Mrs. Boone started to build a church. The frame was put up, the outside finished, even to the stained glass window, but for some reason it was never finished. No one knows today just what denomination it was to have been, possibly Church of England since that is what the Ketchums were. It sat on the east side of the road a short distance from the Corner until it was torn down about thirty years ago.
The Boones had no children, but a niece, Ethel Ketchum, lived with them. After the death of Mr. and Mrs. Boone, she inherited the prop- erty. Ethel and her husband, Arthur Collins, lived on the farm until a few years ago when they sold it to Roy Cluff. It is now owned by Isaiah Hartley of Presque Isle.
Mr. and Mrs. Collins now live in the Perkins house at the Center.
1869
Charles Gallupe
Charles Gallupe came here about this time, from where it is not known. He had a little store at the "Line" on the point of land near the bridge. After only four years in business he died suddenly. Possibly the Gallupes in Robinson and Mars Hill are his descendants.
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1870
Thomas Parks - Thomas Buckley
The Parkses came from the Isle of Man, England, and settled in Houlton on a hill between Houlton and the Canadian border. This hill still bears the name Parks Hill.
Thomas Parks came from Houlton to Bridgewater in 1870. He bought the farm originally owned by the Berry Brothers, and continued clear- ing it. With him came his grandson, Thomas Buckley, who bought the Edwin Snow place.
Rodney Parks, son of Thomas, improved the farm and cared for his elderly parents. Later he sold the farm to Thomas Buckley and took up a farm on the Monteith Road (see Monteith Road).
Thomas Buckley farmed for a number of years, then went to Massa- chusetts where he acquired considerable property. He returned to town when an old man, bought the old hotel, and lived there until his death. (See hotels.) His farm is now owned by Sam Hartley.
1870
Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook came from Nashwaak, N. B., and bought the Sam Kidder farm on the Corner Road. He finished clearing the farm, im- proved it, and built a fine set of buildings.
Thomas had two children, Fred and Laura (White). Fred married Florence Nelson. To them were born three children: Glen and Glenna, who are twins, and Thomas. Glen is married to Arvella Kingsbury, Glenna to Byron Lawrence, and Thomas to Miss Gray from Mars Hill. Thomas has bought the Chandler farm on the Corner Road. Glen has the Charles Ackerson farm on the Boundary Line Road but lives with his father.
This is a four-generation farm: Thomas, Fred, Glen, and Glen's son Robert.
After the death of his wife Fred married Jane Kingsbury, who also died a few years ago. Fred spends his winters in Florida.
1870
Samuel Hartley
Samuel Hartley came from Canada and lived on a farm on the Corner Road. After a few years he sold this farm to Orlo Smith. It was
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later owned by Edward Dow and is now the property of John Edmunds.
Besides carrying on his farm Samuel also did a great deal of buying and selling goods of all kinds: potatoes, apples, cattle, machinery, any- thing he could sell. He was a born salesman, being a keen trader.
Samuel was married before coming to town. His children were El- bridge, Nettie (Webber), Wilmot, and Laura (Gomez).
Elbridge married Sheloa Durgin, daughter of Thomas Durgin. In 1895 he and his brother, Wilmot, bought the Thomas Snow farm on the Snow Road, the second farm east of the Line Road. After five years Elbridge sold his share to Wilmot and bought the Elbridge Webber farm, first settled by William Mallery. This farm was across the road from the Edward Snow farm. Later he bought the Jerry Turner farm, a half lot west of the Webber place, making about two hundred acres.
When Elbridge died in 1903, his widow managed the farm until her son Sam bought the place from the heirs in 1917. When Wilmot died in 1923 Sam purchased that place from the heirs.
Sam has added the Edward Snow farm on the east corner, the Buckley place on the west corner of the Line Road, the two lots north of the Snow farms, and other property until today he is the largest farmer in town, having over eight hundred acres.
Elbridge's family were Bertha, Sam, Catherine, better known as Cass (Kingsbury), Frances (Tompkins), and Rhoda (Lamb).
Wilmot married Rose Durgin, sister of Sheloa and daughter of Thomas Durgin. They had five girls-Nettie, Pauline, Hildred, Imo- gene, and Rowena-all living in other parts of the state or in Massa- chusetts.
Sam married Clara Gardner of Canada. They had one son Ralph, who was killed in Formosa in 1945, and two daughters, Evelyn and Glenna, both living in California.
John Pryor 1872
John Pryor came from Canada to the Boundary Line. He bought the sawmill from John D. Baird (see sawmills), and later bought a store at the "Line." His son Herbert had a grocery and meat store at the Center. Another son Joshua had a harness shop in the Freeman block for many years.
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1874
Dr. W. W. White
Dr. White came here from Canada and lived at the Boundary Line (see Doctors).
1874
Barrett Family
In order to get the background of the Barrett family we must go back to about 1840 when a man named Edward Barrett came from Nashwaak, N. B., and bought a farm half a mile from the Boundary Line at the top of the hill in Canada. He had a large family of sons who helped on the farm and at the mill at the "Line."
The first Barrett to come to Bridgewater was Sanders, son of Ed- ward, who came in 1874 to the Corner. He was a carpenter by trade. He was married but had no family.
George Barrett, son of Edward, came a few years later. He bought the farm that was known as the Howard Jamison farm, just under the hill below the Corner. He married Isadore Packard, daughter of David Packard. Mrs. Barrett was Postmistress at the Corner from June 14, 1889, to September 29, 1893. George served the town as Tax Collector from 1910 to 1921.
George had two children, Harry and Helen. Harry at one time owned the farm where Chester Sargent now lives. He then had the Will Black farm but later bought a farm in Blaine. Helen married Harry Buck of Houlton. She was a talented musician. Both Harry and Helen are now dead.
Edward C. Barrett, grandson of the first Edward mentioned above, came here in 1880. At that time he married Etta Collins, daughter of James Harvey Collins. Their family were Belle, Vella, Flora, Fred, and Dennison.
Edward bought one of the farms owned by his father-in-law, J. H. Collins, where he lived the remainder of his life. Upon his death, his son Dennison managed the farm, later selling it to John Edmunds, and moved to Warren, Maine, where he was Superintendent of the prison farms at Thomaston until his death in 1951.
Fred left town when a young man and died a few years ago in Cali- fornia. Belle (Mrs. M. L. Williams) lives in Presque Isle, Maine; Flora
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(Mrs. E. A. Welch) lives in Mars Hill; and Vella (Mrs. E. W. Stacey) lives in Shirley, Maine.
Dennison, brother of Edward, worked on the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad many years; his widow still lives in town.
For many years there were two Den Barretts in town and in order to distinguish them they were called "Old Den," brother of Edward, and "Young Den," son of Edward.
All of the Barretts were very musical and had especially fine voices. The older generation received considerable training at the evening sing- ing schools in Canada. Edward had a fine tenor voice and sang in church choirs both in Bridgewater and in Canada and was in great de- mand at funerals. He would leave his farm work and help out at a funeral at any time, on both sides of the Border.
He played the organ and the violin and sometimes in the long winter evenings he would line up his five children and try to teach them to read music, the do, re, me method. They all had good voices. Mrs. Barrett died in June 1952, Mr. Barrett quite a few years earlier.
1876
Tannery
The tannery was running this year (see Tannery).
1877
Fullerton Farm
In 1877 this farm was deeded to Mary Pryor. It was then sold to Wilmot Briggs. In 1902 David A. Mccluskey bought it and in 1915 he sold it to his son-in-law, R. A. Fullerton. Mr. Fullerton has two children, a boy and a girl. His wife Vera is now nearly blind, but still enjoys her friends and gets around very well. She attends church and many other social gatherings.
1877
Alonzo Tompkins and Family By Harvey A. Tompkins
June 3, 1953
To Miss Annie E. Rideout who has taken the responsibility of writing the History of Bridewater and some of its people.
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I assure you that it is a great pleasure to comply with your request and write a short history of my Family. I am proud to be a citizen of Bridgewater and Aroostook County. It has been said that our Country consists of 48 states and Aroostook.
Aroostook is very rich in splendid productive farm and timber lands. No doubt it was our fine timber lands which brought on our bloodless Aroostook War. Lumbermen from both sides of the international line insisted on cutting fine large trees and floating them down the St. John River. Aroostook is also rich in lakes and streams. One of these streams, the Presque Isle, has its source in Fort Fairfield, flows south through Easton, Westfield, Blaine and Bridgewater and crosses the international line at the place known to the citizens of Bridgewater as the Boundary. A short distance this side of the Boundary, the Presque Isle stream re- ceives the water of the Whitney stream. Not far from this point is where my father and mother first began their home life.
It is very near the location where the Boundary Church and school house now stands and it was here that the writer was born. My father, Alonzo Tompkins, and my mother, Jennie Hartley Tompkins, were born in Carleton County, New Brunswick. Father was born about 1848, and came to Aroostook when about seven years old and lived with his uncle, Mr. Chase in Ludlow, Maine, until he was a young man. In 1877, father and mother were married and made their home as stated above, near the Boundary in the town of Bridgewater. There were three children, Harvey A., Otho Wilton and Serena.
My father was always a hard working man and home lover and a good provider. He used up all of his working days at first in the lumber woods, on the stream drive cooking, and later in the shingle mills and tannery of this town.
I well remember that we lived in several places in Bridgewater until about 1894. Mr. A. L. Chandler gave father permission to build a house on the piece of land where I (Harvey A. Tompkins) now live. The house was put up quickly, in the month of March and we moved in before the snow left the ground and while the house was not plas- tered and finished. Mr. Chandler deeded the building lot to father in November 1898. The land was then all covered with bushes and heavy trees and how father and I enjoyed cleaning up the land, although it took quite a few years to do it as father worked out and we did the cleaning up as he could get time during the long summer evenings. When I was old enough to help in a financial way he remodeled the house which was enjoyed by the whole family.
The house was burned March 21, 1925 at 8 A.M. No one was home except father and mother and NOTHING was saved. As the house
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contained the savings gathered and accumulated over a period of 48 years, it was a very severe blow to both and from which they never fully recovered. My father passed away very shortly after this fire, on August 14, 1925, at the age of 74. If any man ever had good, indus- trious, law abiding citizens for parents, it was I. I would be a vaga- bond indeed, if for no other reason I had not tried to be a useful citizen of the town. I am proud of the fact that records will show, that I have served my town as a member of the School Committee, Trustee of B.C.A., Auditor and on the Board of Selectmen. I also consider it a great honor to have represented this section of the County in the Legislature of 1931, and also 1933, and take this opportunity to thank any and all of my friends who gave me their support and those who will read this outline. Also served as State Senator for the years 1935- 36-37 and 1938 and was elected County Commissioner of Aroostook at the State Election September 12, 1938, serving from 1939 to January 1, 1951 or for twelve years. As I grow older I appreciate more, how my parents worked and schemed in order that I might be kept in school.
I am not unmindful of the fact that because of this I was able to teach school in Bridgewater and have ten years' experience on the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad as operator, agent and travelling auditor.
For 21 years I held the position of Aroostook Representative of the Bowker Fertilizer Company of Boston.
My brother Wilton was associated with me in the fertilizer business for a number of years, having an office in Caribou. Wilton passed away very suddenly February 29th, 1920 and was laid to rest on his birthday, March 2, 1920, leaving his wife and three children-Wilton, Ruoff and Mary.
It is an undescribable loss to have one's brother taken while so young and while his family needed him so much.
As I write this short history, I think of the many changes in travel, communication, agriculture, education and many other things through which we have passed since father built our little home in 1894, on the spot where I now live and where I built a new home during the sum- mer of 1933, on the same spot where the old home burned. I think when a small boy of sitting in the old school house, the old rough board seats, all grades in one room and taught by Mr. Asa H. Bradstreet and others, and compare that with our school system today. Think of the first telephone that came to Bridgewater and placed in the old Tannery Company store. Ed. Folsom permitted me, as a small lad, to listen in. Compare that with our radio and telephone system today. I think of the old stage coach, hung on leather straps in some ways, a day's trip to Houlton or Presque Isle, and how they always stopped at Bridge-
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water for dinner and for changing horses, and several of these coaches stored just in front of our old home. Compare that with our railroad system and air service today. I think of that treat we children thought and looked forward to, a trip to Houlton with father and the old horse and wagon. We started early in the morning and got back late at night, compare that with our 1953 model automobiles.
In conclusion I want to say our town started right. It had a good foundation inasmuch as our first settlers were from that old New England and New Brunswick stock of hard working, honest, and God fearing men and women and I want to congratulate you on being closely related to the first settlers of this town.
1880
Fred Snow (See stores)
Thomas G. Huntington 1880
Thomas G. Huntington came from Richmond, Maine, to Woodstock, N. B., in 1870 and in 1880 came to Bridgewater. By trade he was a blacksmith.
He bought the sawmill at the Center from G. W. Collins but shortly after the purchase it was burned. The site was then sold back to Mr. Collins. No doubt there was a lawsuit, for it is told that they were many times engaged in such suits. Mr. Huntington always pleading his own cases and often winning, as he had a very keen legal mind.
In 1890 Mr. Huntington bought from John Ketchum the last farm in town next to the Blaine line, on the west side of the road. In March 1894 the buildings were burned, but he immediately erected a better house.
Between the years of 1880 and 1890 he followed his trade of black- smith; his shop was the building that is now the home of Charles Murphy.
In 1903 he sold his farm to his son-in-law, Robert Kingsbury. This farm is today a four-generation farm: Thomas Huntington, Mrs. Sadie Huntington Kingsbury, Allen Kingsbury, and his children.
About 1912 he bought the farm that today is owned by Donald Kingsbury, but after a few years he sold and moved back to his native town of Richmond. He had several daughters and one son. The only
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one of his family living in town today is his daughter, Mrs. Sadie Kingsbury.
Mrs. Kingsbury has two children, Allen, who has the farm, and Arvella (Mrs. Glen Cook).
1882
J. Fuller Bradstreet
In 1882 J. Fuller Bradstreet came from Richmond, N. B., at the age of twenty-one. Having attended the local schools of Richmond and Houlton Academy his education was better than the average of those days.
After looking over several towns he decided to settle in Bridgewater, so he bought a woodlot on the Boundary Line Road from John D. Baird. At that time there was only a rough road through the woods. Mr. Baird owned most of the land in this part of the township and, after making a small clearing and building a barn, sold it to new settlers.
Having a zest for work, with courage, perseverance and hard labor, working early and late, Mr. Bradstreet cleared the land, making a very fine farm, and erected a good set of buildings.
After living alone on his farm for seven years he met Kate Forest Teague of Caribou, who was teaching school here at the time. She was a graduate of Castine Normal School. They were married in 1889.
To this union were born six children: Forest Teague; Mildred; Bernice; Winnifred and Katherine, who were twins; and Robert, who died in infancy.
Mrs. Bradstreet died in 1909 after twenty years of happy married life. Although bowed by sorrow Mr. Bradstreet devoted himself to car- ing for his motherless children alone. Again death struck his home and claimed his eldest daughter, Mildred. The cares of the household then fell on the second daughter, Bernice.
With only their father to encourage them they all graduated from high school and went on to higher institutions of learning. Forest at- tended college and the girls graduated from normal schools.
Forest, after teaching several years, became associated with his father in farming. He married Jessie Everett of Bridgewater; they had two children, Warren and Joyce Kate. He later bought the farm from his father and built a very modern house on the site of the old one.
Bernice taught school several years in nearby towns, then went to California where she is still teaching.
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Winnifred and Katherine were successful teachers before their mar- riages. Winnifred married Linwood Wellington of Caribou, and Kath- erine married E. Victor Cram of Millinocket.
Mr. Bradstreet took an active part in town affairs: he was School Supervisor many years, before the Union was formed; he was Chair- man of the Board of Trustees of Bridgewater Classical Academy for over twenty years; he served six years on the School Committee; and was on the Board of Health for a number of years. He was a member of Bridgewater Grange and an ardent worker in the United Baptist Church. He lived with his son until his death about twenty years ago.
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