USA > Maine > Aroostook County > Bridgewater > History of Bridgewater, Maine > Part 6
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Forest began serving his town at a very early age: he was on the School Board from 1914 to 1917 and again from 1925 to 1929; he was one of the Selectmen from 1930 to 1933, besides holding other offices.
He was a member of the Grange from the age of fourteen until it closed in 1942 and held practically every office, serving as Master for several years. He was a member of the Universalist Church of Caribou. He died about ten years ago. His widow, Mrs. Jessie Bradstreet, is in possession of the farm. She spends the school year at Oak Grove Semi- nary for Girls, as housemother. Her son Warren lives on the farm.
1882
Henry Scott
Henry Scott came here and bought a farm on the south side of Bunker Hill from Charles Bradstreet. Part of the farm was a wood lot which he sold to Howard Slipp, whose farm adjoined it on the south.
Henry had five children. One son Ransford, carried on the farm after Henry's death. It is now owned by Ransford's son, William. This is another four-generation farm: Henry, Ransford, William, and Wil- liam's sons.
1882 William McBurnie
Another arrival this year was William McBurnie, who came from Middle Simonds, N. B. He bought the farm on the north side of the Snow Road that had been first settled by Orlo Smith. He later sold it to his son Edmund, who sold it to Harry Good. It is owned today by Harry Simonson.
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1882
Finnemore Family
The Finnemores came here from Carlton County, N. B., when the boys were very small. There were four boys and five girls: Charles; Archie; Duncan; George Will; Kate, who married James Wright; Emily, who married Wesley McNinch; and Vine, who married William Green. The other two girls married and left town.
Charles married Berdie Bulley, Archie married Minnie Bulley, and George Will married Ada Morrell. Duncan was never married.
Charles' children are James, Stanley, Leonard, Eric, Dorothy, and Frances.
Archie has two children, Clara and Lewis (who has a grocery store and meat market). He is now the Representative to the State Legisla- ture. Only Charles and Archie are living at the present time.
The Finnemore men worked in the tannery during the years it was in operation. They bought land on the West Road and built com- fortable homes.
1882 Bradbury Family
Lewis Oswald Bradbury came here in 1882 and ran the boarding- house on Tannery Street for G. W. Collins. With him came his wife, three sons, and four daughters. Only two grew up and lived in town: Hattie, who married Charles Burns; and Effie, who married Herman McIntyre. The boys were Frank, Walter (Wallie), and George Renalda (Nal), the youngest. When the boys were old enough they worked in the tannery until it closed.
Frank married Gertrude Holmes; they had quite a large family but all have moved away from town.
Walter never married.
Nal married Laura Kinney from Canada. He has four sons: Wilbur, Leon, Earl, and Elden. A son Guy died a few years ago and a daughter died when a small child.
Earl and Elden are farmers. They own the farm that was first settled by Charles Kidder, later owned by Charles Bradstreet, and then by Fred Nickerson. Elden is unmarried. Earl bought the old hotel which he remodeled and where he now resides. Wilbur, the oldest, works with his brothers. He has a nice home on the Randall Road. Leon has a fine law practice in Hartford, Connecticut.
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1883
Kinney Family
The Kinney family traces its ancestry back to Ireland. There is a book owned by Mrs. Isah Kinney that gives the family history in the old country and down to about fifty years ago. It is too bad this book was not available, for it no doubt gives many interesting facts and stories.
Gilbert Kinney came here from Bristol, N. B., in 1883. At first he lived on the Jacob Morse farm, no doubt working for him. In 1910 he bought from Albert Chandler the farm where his son Austin lives today.
He had a family of five boys and five girls. They were Isaiah, Emery, Edith (who died April 1953), Lena (Shaw), Bertha (Horn), Austin, Frank, Albert, Hazel (Beals), and Pearl (who died when an infant).
1884
Elmer E. Milliken
Elmer E. Milliken of Surry, Maine, after spending two successful years in the lumber business in Minnesota, arrived in Houlton in the spring of 1884. As there was no railroad at that time, and traveling by team was impossible at that time of year, he walked from Houlton to Bridgewater on the early morning crust.
He bought the shingle mill from John McKeen, which he operated ten years. During that time he had an understanding with a number of the farmers whereby they would take a wagon- or sled-loads of shingles to Houlton and bring back merchandise for the storekeepers.
When the railroad was put through the town in 1895 it was a great advantage to Mr. Milliken, as it enabled him to sell lumber to the out- side markets. He then built a long lumber mill. His letterheads read:
Spruce Frames, Hemlock Boards and Cedar Shingles
From 1895 to 1900 he cut lumber on the North and South Branches of the Whitney Stream and around Portland Lake. In 1900-1901 A. L. Chandler built a lumber camp two miles west of town on Letter D, Range 2, where he cut and hauled logs to Mr. Milliken's mill for so much a thousand feet.
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In 1902 he had his own camp on the Packard Road back of the Ray- mond farm. In 1915 the shingle mill burned but he soon rebuilt it. He retired from active duty in 1918, when his sons Leon and William took over the business.
Elmer E. Milliken married Bertha Lawrence in 1885. To them were born four children: Leon, Charles Morton, William, and Henrietta.
Mr. Milliken was a keen judge of lumber and under his instruction Leon and William gained their training and knowledge. They carried on the business for several years, operating camps on D Plantation. Then William went into business for himself in Presque Isle. Leon carried on the business until his death in 1924.
William became very successful in the lumber business and also en- gaged in farming. He served in World War I. He was active in the American Legion, a member of the Masonic Lodge, Chairman of the City Council of Presque Isle, besides holding other offices, and was active in various other organizations. He died April 3, 1952.
Charles Morton, better known as "Mort," is a retired Brigadier Gen- ral, U. S. Army, now living in Tennessee (see page 92).
Henrietta (Vose) lives in Freeport, Long Island, N. Y. She has one daughter, Jane.
Leon's son, Ralph, is a very successful merchant in town, operating a general store, assisted by his charming wife Virginia (Brewer). He has been Town Treasurer since 1941. They have one son, Leon.
1885
Asa H. Bradstreet
Asa H. Bradstreet, a younger brother of J. Fuller, came from Rich- mond, N. B. He attended Houlton Academy and after graduation taught school in Houlton several years. Having an urge to travel he spent three years in the West, most of the time in Kansas.
Upon returning to the East he came to Bridgewater (1885) where he taught school for a short time, then bought a lot of wild land close to that of his brother, J. Fuller.
Like all these farms at that time, they had to be cleared. This he did. In 1902 he sold part of the farm to D. A. Mccluskey (this is now the Fullerton farm), and the rest to his brother J. Fuller.
In 1903 he bought the store of Nate Bradstreet and started in the grocery business (see stores).
Sometime previous to this he had acquired the house and seven acres
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of land of Wilson Webber, on the south side of J. Fuller's farm, which he sold to Adolphus Kingsbury.
In 1908 he bought the last farm on the West Road, which joined D Plantation and had been owned by George Cole. He now combined farming and the grocery business.
Asa H. Bradstreet married Minerva Tooker from Canada. She was a talented musician and for many years had a large class of piano pupils. They had three children: Frank, Minerva, and James.
Asa was at one time Supervisor of Schools in the town and in the early 1900's was the Town Auditor. He took no other active part in town affairs, devoting all of his time to his own business.
Frank bought the J. H. Farley grocery store which he operated several years. At the same time he was the Postmaster, from May 16, 1916 to April 14, 1919 (see stores).
In 1920 he sold the store to his brother-in-law, Guy S. Twitchell, and went west settling in Riddle, Oregon. He married Etta Penning- ton; they had no children. He died early in 1953.
Several years after Frank went to Oregon to live, Asa sold all of his property and went there to live with Frank, where he died.
1885
First School at Center
The first school at the Center was started this year (see schools).
Frank Sharp 1889
There seems to have been no new settlers between 1885 and 1889, but this year four new families came to town. Although Frank Sharp was born in Bridgewater, he went to Woodstock, N. B., with his parents when a small child and grew up there. In 1889 he returned and bought a half lot, eighty acres, from G. W. Collins along the North Branch of Whitney Stream and half a mile from the West Road. The only road to this farm was over a woods road from town near where the Station now stands.
Here he built a frame house consisting of a parlor, dining room, kitchen, and two bedrooms. Behind the house he built a milk house of
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logs and banked it with earth which kept the milk cool in summer and the frost out in winter. Along the walls of the milk house were narrow shelves where the pans of milk were set. Later the pans were replaced by tall five-gallon cans. These cans had a tap at the bottom through which the milk could be drawn off, leaving the cream undisturbed. The cans were kept cool by being placed in a tub of water.
As soon as Frank got this place paid for he bought the eighty acres nearer the West Road. This also was purchased from G. W. Collins who owned most of the land on the north side of the West Road in the Bridgewater Academy Grant.
In 1899 he built a barn and then a house on the new lot, and the next year moved from the old house to the new one near the road. He lived here about twenty years, then sold to Elisha Shaw. It was then sold to Harold Beals and is today owned by Ray Yerxa.
After Frank sold his farm to Mr. Shaw he bought the Guy Morse farm and lived there the remainder of his life. He died in 1931 at the age of sixty-eight.
He was married at the time he came to Bridgewater. His family were Gertie, Glen, Eli, Lily, and Etta. Glen, Eli, and Etta (Mrs. Joshua Morse) live in town; Lily (Gallagher) lives in the southern part of the state; and Gertie (Wood) is living in California with her daughters.
Clifford, brother of Frank, came here shortly after Frank. They bought the sawmill at the Center, but after a few years Frank sold his share to Clifford.
Clifford married Jennie Wright. They had three children: Guy, Etta, and Arnold. When Guy grew up, he and his father went into the garage business and later Arnold joined them. They built a large two- story building with the garage on the ground floor and two apartments upstairs. Several years ago this property changed hands. Arnold is living in town, while Guy lives in Topsfield.
1889
Andrew Esty
Another arrival this year was Andrew Esty, who came from Jackson- town, N. B. He bought a farm from Mrs. Bedford Hume of Houlton; this was the original Bedford Hume farm. The buildings were new at the time.
Andrew married Mary Raymond from Middle Simons, N. B. They had eight children, four of them born before the family came to town.
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Of these eight, only four are living today: Hattie (Bartlett), Hazel (Rand), Myrtle (Everett), and George (who is living in town).
Andrew retired in 1913 and bought a home in Mars Hill, but lived there only three years, when he returned to the farm.
George married Edith Terrill in 1911 and started farming when his father retired. He bought the farm from his father in 1930. His mother died that year and Mr. Esty lived with George until his death seven years later.
George still owns the farm but his son-in-law, Bernard Kingsbury, lives on the homestead. George lives in his home nearby.
1889
Norman Dickinson (See West Road.)
Martin S. Rideout 1889
Martin S. Rideout, son of Thomas and grandson of Nathaniel Ride- out, was born in Bridgewater but at an early age moved with his parents to East Blaine where he grew up. When a young man he married Annie Gregg of Centerville, N. B., and went to Lewiston where he worked in a shoe shop. He lived there for nine years. Then in 1889 he bought the farm of John Ackerson (now Dan Bradstreet). He first paid taxes on it in 1890. The tax, according to his old account book, was $7.00 and the insurance was $8.00.
Martin did not come here to live until March 1891, when they drove a pair of horses hitched to a pung from Lewiston to Bridgewater. The trip took nearly a week. With them they brought a canary bird in a cage which they kept under the robes.
From his ledger, he had on hand April 1, 1891, a farm, for which he paid $1000; property valued at $906.94; and $327.67 in cash to start.
Following are a few items taken from his ledger:
52 bu. oats. $25.10
100 lbs. buckwheat $1.50
6 bbls. seed potatoes
$9.75
1 bbl. eating potatoes $1.25
Horseshoe
$0.25
Double harness
$32.00
3 cows
$55.00
Ax handle $0.12
Some of the groceries are as follows: cream tartar .20 lb., vinegar .09 gal., flour $7.00 bbl., sugar $1.00 for 25 lbs., molasses .40 gal. (compare those prices with the prices today).
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Following are some of the prices received for items sold: butter .18 lb .; eggs .15 doz .; milk .10 quart; 10 bu. buckwheat $2.95.
The ledger has the following record for the fall of 1891:
Planted 5 acres potatoes, 15 bu. raised 250 bushels
Sowed 32 bu. oats-9 acres raised 227 bushels
Sowed 15 bu. buckwheat-11 acres .raised 300 bushels
Martin and Annie had one son, Fred, born January 13, 1895. The mother died shortly afterward. About a year later he married Henrietta Lawrence.
Martin later bought part of the Harding Ackerson farm and after that a wood lot west of his farm from Elmer E. Milliken, making a farm of over two hundred acres. In 1930 he sold the farm to his brother- in-law, C. Edgar Lawrence, who sold it to Dan Bradstreet in 1945.
When Martin was married he could scarcely read his name, having received very little schooling, but under the instruction of his wife, Annie, who had a very good education, he learned to read, write, and figure. He became a great reader, being especially interested in history and geography, and few were the places on the map that he did not know.
Probably there were other men in town in similar positions whom we do not know about. This is simply to show what a man can do who has the desire to learn and the determination to stick to it.
In 1883 he joined the I.O.O.F. Lodge in Lewiston. When he came here there was no lodge in town, so he became a member of the Blaine Lodge, No. 126. It was through the efforts of George Kimball, and John and Martin Rideout that a chapter, known as Central Lodge, I.O.O.F., No. 134, was organized in Bridgewater.
In a Directory of Blaine Lodge, No. 126, printed in 1911, there is a list of Past Grands in which the names of three Bridgewater men appear and the year they were Noble Grands. They are Martin Rideout, 1892; George Kimball, 1893; and John B. Rideout, 1903.
Martin soon became interested in Town affairs. He was Road Com- missioner for over twenty-five years, or until the State took over the road-building program. He was on the School Committee 1905 to 1907, Selectman 1905-1906, and was a Trustee of Bridgewater Classical Acad- emy for many years.
He and his wife, Henrietta, became members of the Grange shortly after it was organized; he served as Master a number of times.
Martin and Henrietta had two daughters: Annie, who taught school over twenty-five years, and Bertha (Mrs. James B. Stevens of North Belgrade) with whom Annie is now living.
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Fred married Ruby Black of Bloomfield, N. B. They have six chil- dren: Clair of New York City; Henrietta (Mrs. Dan Bradstreet); Ralph, at home; Vinca (Condon); Augusta; Helen, a Registered Nurse at the Eastern Maine General Hospital in Bangor; and Earl, U. S. Air Corps, stationed in New Jersey.
Nathaniel Rideout, who came here in 1845, had eighteen children. The only descendants living in town today bearing the Rideout name are Fred and his son, Ralph.
Martin Rideout died in 1931 at the age of seventy-four. His wife died in 1942 at the age of nearly eighty.
1890
Henry Bradstreet
Henry Bradstreet, younger brother of J. Fuller, after attending Houl- ton Academy clerked in a store in Houlton, then came to Bridgewater where he taught school a few terms, and then built a store (see stores) on the lot where Ralph Milliken is now located. He stayed here until 1900 when he sold to Richard Kimball and went to California to live.
He married Harriet Smith, daughter of Joseph C. Smith Sr.
1891 Boundary Church Dedicated (See Churches)
Howard Lewis 1891
Howard Lewis came here from Smithfield, Maine. For a few years he lived on the Boundary Line road, then moved into town where he became the sexton, an office he held for thirty-eight years. In that time he has dug over six hundred graves, an average of about fifteen a year. Are there any people left in town you ask? Oh, yes! Look at your old town reports and you will see this is about the yearly average of deaths in the town, and the town is slowly growing.
Howard has eight children: Gordon, Effie (Weeks), Hazel (Simon- son), Freda (Jamison), Gladys (Cooper), Vaughn, and Avis. All but Vaughn and Freda are living in other parts of the state.
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1891
Gideon Hallett (See West Road.)
1892
Dell Cookson
Two barbers came to town this year, Adelbert Cookson and Moses Jones. These two men had a great deal in common. They were the same age, they came from the same town, New Limerick, they came to Bridgewater at the same time and lastly, both were barbers.
Mr. Jones had a shop near the bridge, where the present barber shop is. Here he barbered about fifteen years, when he died suddenly.
Adelbert Cookson had his shop, first, in the small building north of the A. M. Stackpole store. After Mr. Jones' death, Dell moved his shop into the building that Mr. Jones had occupied. Here he carried on his business until he retired in 1942, after fifty years of continuous business.
He married Sarah Barrett of Tracey's Mills. They had several chil- dren. The only one living in town today is their daughter, Mrs. Gert- rude Jamison.
Mr. Cookson died in 1950 at the age of ninety. Mrs. Cookson is very smart at the age of ninety-five and has the distinction of being the old- est person in town.
1893
Lowell Brothers
The Lowell Brothers came here in 1893 from Mars Hill. They bought the south corner lot on the now B. & A. Street where they built the present Snow store. They remained in town only a short time. The store passed through several owners until it was purchased, in 1901, by Fred Snow (see stores).
1894
E. B. Morton
Mr. E. B. Morton came on the first train into town to be the first Station Agent, a position he held for over twenty-five years. He then
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moved to Mars Hill where he was employed by the railroad over twenty years there. He had been working for the Bangor and Aroostook Rail- road Company before coming to Bridgewater, and at the time of his retirement (about 1940) he had completed over fifty years of service with the Company.
His wife came the following year in February and lived for a time at the Hotel, which at that time was operated by Charles Sanford.
His family were Frances, Jean, George, and Laura. Jean married Harry Simonson; they have one son, Robert, and one granddaughter, Roberta. Frances and Laura are married and live in Massachusetts, and George lives in Presque Isle.
Mr. Morton was a member of Central Lodge, No. 134, and both were members of Crescent Rebekah Lodge, No. 121. They attended the Methodist Church during the time it was in existence, and later be- longed to the Methodist Church in Mars Hill, in which they were ardent workers.
Mr. Morton died a few years ago. Mrs. Morton is living with her daughter, Laura, in Massachusetts.
1894
Corner Fire (See page 131.)
Boundary Fire (See page 133.)
Town Hall 1894
After the Corner fire the people thought the need of a Town Hall was imperative, so no doubt a special Town Meeting was called. It was probably held in the schoolhouse, that being the largest building in the town. It was voted to build a two-story building large enough for future needs, the second floor to have a lodge room, ante-rooms, dining room, and a kitchen. The contract was given to G. W. Collins, the work to begin immediately.
Since there would now be space available to hold Lodge meetings, many of the Odd Fellows now decided to withdraw from Blaine Lodge and organize a chapter in town, which they did, receiving their charter February 26, 1895. They then bought the second floor of the Hall for $1,200.
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Here the Rebekah Lodge hold their meetings as did the Grange until they closed their doors and gave up their Charter, November 1942. It has also been the meeting place for other organizations that existed for a time.
The first floor has been used for Town Meetings, and for school plays and basketball games before the new high school was built. Town dances and Firemen's Balls and other affairs are held here.
Recently the basement has been remodeled and here the American Legion hold their meetings.
All in all, it has served the town well for nearly sixty years, and no doubt will continue to serve for many years to come.
1894 Bangor and Aroostook Railroad
The long-looked-for railroad came through the town this year (see railroads).
1894 John Delong and William Mackinnon (See West Road.)
Fleetwood Simonson 1895
Fleetwood Simonson came from Centerville, N. B. When he looked at the farm owned by A. W. Briggs on the Snow Road, the farm first bought by Asa Harvey and sold to Otis Turner, Mr. Briggs said he would sell it to him for $3,600, or sell him one he owned on what is now Hardy Hill in Presque Isle for $9000. Since all the available cash Mr. Simonson had was $300, he decided to take the one in Bridge- water. By hard work, early and late, he paid for his farm, gradually improving the land and the buildings.
He had two sons and two daughters: Charles, Jean, Helen, and Harry. All but Harry were born before the family came to town.
When the boys were old enough to look after the farm, Mr. Simon- son retired and built a house in town, where Mrs. Simonson still lives.
Charles and Harry farmed together for a number of years, then
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.
Charles bought the John Nelson farm from Joseph Milbury, while Harry had the home place. Today Charles and Harry are among the largest farmers in town, owning farms in various parts of the town.
Besides the Milbury farm Charles has the Al. Chandler farm on the edge of town, the Parsons farm, and the Walter Clark farm. Harry has the homestead, and the James Williams farm on Bunker Hill; he and his son Robert own the Orlo Smith place and the J. P. Hayes place on the Snow Road.
Charles married Annie Lawrence, daughter of John Lawrence; they have one son, Charles Jr.
Jean married Harry Good and lives in the southern part of the state; they have several children.
Helen married Guy Burns and lives in town; they have two daugh- ters, Muriel and Avis, both living in the southern part of the state.
Harry married Jean Morton, daughter of E. B. Morton; they have one son, Robert, and a granddaughter.
1896
Grange Organized (See Grange, page 135.)
1896
Henry Welch and Guy Morse (See West Road.)
Mitchell Raymond 1897
Mitchell Raymond was born in Madawaska, Maine, the son of parents who came there direct from France. At an early age he went to Greenville where he learned the carpenter trade. From there he came to Houlton where he worked a few years. Then wanting to be inde- pendent he came to Bridgewater and bought a lot of land from Madi- gan and Pierce on the Packard Road. There were only eight acres cleared when he came, by Moses Cluff. He worked hard, clearing the land, and built a good house and barns. Being a carpenter he did most of the work himself.
The first spring he was here, 1898, he tapped the maple trees on the farm and made quantities of maple syrup, some of which he sold. More of it he gave away.
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Mr. Raymond carried on the farm until 1912 when illness prevented further work. This illness left him a helpless invalid, but he remained cheerful and happy in spite of his helplessness.
He belonged to the Catholic Faith, and although living in a town where over 98 per cent were Protestants, he remained a Catholic to the end. His wife died a few years after coming to town and was buried in consecrated ground in a Protestant cemetery-at the Corner. He died at the age of eighty-nine and lies beside his wife.
Coming here with Mr. Raymond and his wife were three daughters and one son: Ada, now Mrs. Charles Murphy; Geneva, Mrs. Dell Fletcher; Edna, Mrs. Lawrence Stitham; and son Adelbert.
After the death of his wife, his youngest daughter, Edna, kept house for him. One summer they lived in town. Every good day Edna would take him out on the porch in his wheel chair where he enjoyed talking with the passers-by. One man who often used to stop to chat was the local minister. One day he said, "Mr. Raymond, why don't you ever come to church?" Mr. Raymond, in his kindly voice, replied, "I am a Catholic." The minister sat a moment then got up and walked away. All the rest of the summer he passed the porch almost daily, but never stopped to chat or even speak to the lonely, crippled man. Which do you think was the real Christian?
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