USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Harpswell > History of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell, Maine, including the ancient territory known as Pejepscot > Part 67
USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Brunswick > History of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell, Maine, including the ancient territory known as Pejepscot > Part 67
USA > Maine > Sagadahoc County > Topsham > History of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell, Maine, including the ancient territory known as Pejepscot > Part 67
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705
MILITARY HISTORY OF THE THREE TOWNS.
receive from the town a sufficient sum for that purpose, either in scrip or money, provided it did not exceed three hundred dollars for a one- year, four hundred dollars for a two-years. or five hundred dollars for a three-years substitute. L. H. Stover was chosen the agent to pro- cure substitutes and to expend the money. At a meeting held Feb- ruary 20, the town voted to receive recruits to fill their quota from those who were not enrolled. It was also voted to raise $5,000 in addition to the sum raised on the twenty-fifth day of August, 1864.
At the annual March meeting, it was voted " that the selectmen and treasurer of the town of Harpswell be authorized and instructed to fund the war debt of the town of Harpswell. which has already accrued. and also for what may be necessary to be raised to fill the remainder of the quota of the town under the last call of the Presi- dent, and issue town bonds with coupons attached. bearing six per cent semiannual interest. The funded debt not to exceed. under any circumstances. thirty thousand dollars, said bond to be given running not over twenty years, and in such manner that at least fifteen hun- dred dollars of said bonds shall become due each successive year."
For a complete list of the volunteers, drafted men, and substitutes in the army or navy, from each town, the reader is referred to the Appendix.
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PART III.
BIOGRAPHICAL AND GENEALOGICAL.
CHAPTER I.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
IN the following pages will be found brief biographies of some of the prominent citizens of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell, who are not now living.
It is probable that the names of some who were deserving of special notice have been omitted, and that some of the sketches are briefer than might be deemed desirable. If such be the case, it is because we have not found or been furnished with the requisite information for such sketches. There has been no intentional injustice done or par- tiality shown. In writing these sketches we have depended upon the communications received from the friends of the parties, and from information obtained from such printed sources as were accessible to us. Much assistance has been furnished by the files of the Brunswick Telegraph, and in numerous cases we have not hesitated to make verbatim extracts from its columns.
ABBOT, HONORABLE JACOB.
Honorable Jacob Abbot was born in 1746. In 1767 he inarried Lydia Stevens, and moved to Wilton, New Hampshire, where he made a farm from the forest. About 1776 he sold his farm to his brother Joseph, and bought in the middle of the town, and traded in goods. He built the first mills on Souhegan River, in Wilton ; was employed in town business ; was the first representative to the General Court, and the first justice of the peace in the town; was Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and a Councillor of State. He moved to Andover, and assisted Honorable Samuel Phillips in his business, and was a trustee of Phillips Academy. In 1797 he moved to Concord, New Hampshire, traded in goods, and represented the town in the General Court for three years. In 1802 he moved to Hallowell, Maine. In 1803 he removed to Topsham, and in 1804 or 1805, to Brunswick. He was a useful member of the Board of Overseers of Bowdoin Col- lege, and a senator for the county of Cumberland in the legislature of
710
HISTORY OF BRUNSWICK, TOPSHAM, AND HARPSWELL ..
Maine. In the several offices which he sustained he was capable, faithful, and useful; and in the several places in which he lived he was influential in promoting peace, good order, and prosperity.
His mind was active, his perception quick, his memory prompt, his judgment sound, his disposition mild. He was facetious, affable, and benevolent, and had a fund of anecdote. Early impressed with a sense of right and wrong, he was upright in his dealings, faithful in business, a firm friend and supporter of religion and religious institutions, and active in the cause of education. One son and seven grandsons have had a collegiate education. He died in Brunswick at the age of seven- ty-four years.1
ABBOTT, REVEREND JOHN S. C.
John Stevens Cabot Abbott was a son of Honorable Jacob Abbot, and was born at Brunswick, Maine, September 18, 1805. He was graduated at Bowdoin College in 1825, and at the Andover Theologi- cal Seminary in 1829, and was subsequently settled at Worcester, Rox- bury, and Nantucket, in Massachusetts, and afterward at New Haven, Connecticut. " The Mother at Home " was written in 1833, and was his first work of any note ; and to the several European languages into which it was translated are added the Greek, Turkish, and Tamul languages of Asia. He has written several works of a moral and highly instructive order, and several biographies, but his greatest renown, at home and in France at least, is due to the history of Napo- leon and other works relating to the same subject, all of which are remarkable for a vigorous defence of that emperor. So effective, indeed, were his efforts in his behalf, that Napoleon, never too free with recognition of such service, acknowledged the handsome tribute not alone with formal courtesy, but by bestowing upon the author his warmest friendship, and many substantial proof's thereof. Mr. Abbott's history of the late civil war and his other American histories comprise about twenty-five volumes. He died at his residence, in Fairhaven, Connecticut, in June, 1877.
ADAMS, REVEREND GEORGE E., D. D.
The subject of this sketch was the oldest son of Deacon Eliashib Adams, and was born in Worthington, Maasachusetts, October 27, 1801. Two years later, his father removed to Bangor, Maine, with his family. The son fitted for Yale College, and graduated in 1821. He graduated also from Andover Theological Seminary in 1826, and
1 From Abbott's Gencalogical Register, 1847, A. and E. Abbott.
yours truly, Geo. E. adama.
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
was appointed the very next year Professor of Sacred Literature in Bangor Theological Seminary. He retained this position until 1829, when he was called to the pastoral charge of the First Parish Church in Brunswick. This charge he resigned in June, 1870, and assumed that relation to the Trinity Congregational Church in Orange, New Jersey. Although his health was failing, he continued to minister to that growing church, even after he had swooned away in his pulpit with the exertion, until he was forced to yield to the effects of disease and suffering, and tendered his resignation in 1875. The church where his late labors had been so signally blessed clung to him with singu- lar affection. But he desired to come back to Brunswick to spend his last days " This brief appearance among his old people and in his old pulpit seemed like the visit of an angel." Returning to Orange in the autumn, his health failed rapidly, and he passed away December 25,1875.
His funeral was held in his old church at Brunswick, where a large concourse of citizens testified their respect and affection. A public meeting was also held, at which resolutions were passed expressive of a deep appreciation of his character and services.
The doctor married early in life Miss Ann Folsom, of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Having no children, they adopted Frances Caro- line Adams, daughter of Asher Adams, of Boston, and now the wife of General Chamberlain. They afterwards adopted Anna Delamater Davis, who married and died in this town, leaving one daughter, Georgie A. Atkinson.
Mrs. Adams was a woman of remarkable character, and will long be remembered in this place. She died in 1850.
Some years afterward Dr. Adams married Miss Helen M. Root, of Chicago. Their oldest child, George, died at an early age. The daughters, Sarah R. and Mary L., are with their mother in Orange, New Jersey.
For forty years Doctor Adams filled the pulpit, which may well be considered a difficult and trying one, with great acceptance, and managed a parisli composed of strong and diverse elements, with consummate judgment and tact. The church grew under his hands by steady, regular increase.
" Doctor Adams was not only a good pastor, he was also a good citizen, alive to the interests of the people among whom he lived, and his eminently benevolent nature prompted him to the discharge of numerous trusts which did not legitimately belong to his calling. Doctor Adams, with great geniality of temper, possessed a reserved
712
HISTORY OF BRUNSWICK, TOPSHAM, AND HARPSWELL.
fund of humor, which rendered him a charming companion in social life, and which gave to many of his fugitive addresses and writings a point and elegance that few could impart to such efforts. There was about the man so much that was genial and loving, so much of con- sideration for the rights and opinions of others, that even those who most ditfered with him could not fail to recognize his sincerity of pur- pose and his firm intent to do what he honestly regarded for the best."
ALDEN, PETER O., ESQUIRE,
Was the son of Joseph and Hannah [Hall] Alden, and a descendant of John Alden, who came over in the Mayflower, in 1620. He was born in Middleboro', Massachusetts, August 20, 1772 ; was graduated at Brown University, in 1792; studied law with Judge Padelford, in Tannton, and came to Brunswick near the close of 1796 or early in 1797. Ile was admitted to the Cumberland bar at the March term in 1797. He married, in 1801. Mindwell, a daughter of Doctor Lyman, of York, by whom he received some property. He was the only lawyer in Brunswick for a number of years after his admission to the bar. His business for a time was very good. He was well read as a lawyer, and had fair talents and information, but he was no advocate. Ile was very irritable in his temper, and his manner when he under- took to argue his cases was abrupt and disagreeable. Whenever a shrewd adversary wished to gain an advantage over him, a certain way was to ruffle his temper, when Peter would be sure to spoil his own canse. As competitors gathered around him, in Brunswick and the neighboring towns, his business declined, and he was left almost briefless. To make good the deficiencies arising from these causes, he engaged in commercial operations, which for a time were success- ful. but which were suddenly and sadly blasted by the restrictions on mercantile transactions which took place prior to the war of 1812. The latter portion of his life was embittered by disappointment and poverty, which produced hypochondria, and left him a wreck. His death occurred February 14, 1843. His wife survived him a few years, and died among her kindred, in York.
Mr. Alden was large and bulky, but not well proportioned. Ile was. as may be inferred from the faults of this temperament, unpopu- lar in the community in which his life was spent ; but by some reaction in 1826, perhaps from sympathy, he was elected to the House of Rep- resentatives, and re-elected the three following years, growing each time in favor, until his election in 1829 was nearly unanimous.1
1 Willis's The Law, the Courts, and the Lawyers of Maine.
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
ALLEN, REV. WILLIAM, D. D.
William Allen, D. D., an American clergyman and author, son of Thomas Allen, born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, January 2, 1781, died in Northampton, July 16, 1868.
He graduated at Harvard College in 1802, and studied theology with the Rev. Doctor Pierce, of Brookline.
After being licensed in 1804 by the Berkshire Association. he preached for some months in various parts of Western New York. Upon his return he was appointed a regent of Harvard College, and was also assistant librarian of the college.
During this period he prepared the first edition of his " American Biographical and Historical Dictionary " (1809), containing notices of about seven hundred Americans. This was the first book of general biography issued in the United States. In 1807 he prepared the bio- graphical sketches of American ministers for the Reverend David Bogue's and Bennett's " History of Dissenters," published in London in four volumes. The second edition of his dictionary appeared in 1832, and contained more than 1,800 names.
The third edition, published in Boston in 1857, contains biographies and notices of nearly 7,000 Americans. His connection with the uni- versity ceased in 1810, when he was ordained pastor of the Congrega- tional Church in Pittsfield, as his father's successor.
The legislature of New Hampshire in 1816 altered the charter of Dartmouth College, and created in its stead a university, of which Doctor Allen was made president in 1817. Upon an appeal to the Supreme Court at Washington, the rights of the college against the State were maintained in 1819. In 1820, Doctor Allen was appointed president of Bowdoin College, Maine, and retained that position till 1839, when he resigned it, and retired to Northampton, Massachu- setts, engaging in various literary labors. Among these is a collection of more than 10,000 words not found in dictionaries of the English language ; nearly 1,500 being contributed to Worcester's Dictionary (1846), more than 4,000 to Webster's (1854), and about 6,000 to the new edition of Webster. His other chief writings are, " Junius Uminasked," to prove that Lord Sackville was the real Junius ; " Ac- counts of Shipwrecks "; "Psalms and Hymns," with many original hymns (1835) ; "Memoirs of Doctor Eleazar Wheelock and of Doc- tor John Codman " (1853) ; " Wunnisoo ; or, The Vale of Hoosatun- nuk," a poem with learned notes (1856) ; "Christian Sonnets" (1860) ;
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HISTORY OF BRUNSWICK, TOPSHAM, AND HARPSWELL.
" Poems of Nazareth and the Cross" (1866) ; and "Sacred Songs" (1876).1
APPLETON, JESSE, D. D.
Reverend Jesse Appleton was born at New Ipswich, New Hamp- shire, November 17, 1772. He married, in 1800, Miss Elizabeth . Means. He died in Brunswick, November 12, 1819.
Reverend Mr. Appleton graduated at Dartmouth College in 1792, and subsequently entered the ministry. He was elected president of Bowdoin College in September, 1807, and was inaugurated in Decem- ber following. He took an active part in the instructions of the col- lege, and was noted for his punctuality in the discharge of duty. " Aside from the common routine of his college duties, as a gratuitous service,
he composed, with great care, a course of more than fifty lectures on the most important subjects in theology. They were delivered once a week, in the chapel, to the whole college, and were always listened to with deep attention by the students. A part of them have been pub- lished in a volume with a few of his sermons, and in connection with his baccalaureate addresses, which are before the public in a separate volume, place him in the highest rank of the theological and ethical writ- ers of our country. During his life, sermons, which he preached on sev- eral interesting and important occasions, were published. In truth, Pres-
1 American Cyclopædia, Vol. 1, p. 330.
715
BIOGRAPHICAL.
ident Appleton lived not in vain. He was a most diligent student and a laborious man. His varied attainments in philology and criticism, of which, particularly in reference to our own langnage, he was very fond ; in mental and moral philosophy, to which his habits of mind were pe- culiarly adapted : and in theology, which was his favorite study, all combined with a fine taste, admirably qualified him to preside over a lit- crary institution. When we add to these qualifications his uncommon dignity and courtesy of demeanor, and those traits of character which have already been mentioned, we cannot but regard him as one of the most able and most valuable among the presidents of our colleges." I
BADGER, CAPTAIN NATHANIEL.
Nathaniel Badger was a son of Joseph Badger, and was born in Gilmantown, New Hampshire. in March, 1789. He moved, with his father, to Franklin County, and afterward came to Brunswick. He married Jane, daughter of Philip Owen, of Brunswick. In early life he followed the sea, but afterwards for many years was a trader in Brunswick.
" For twenty-three years Captain Badger was annually elected town clerk (1837-1859 inclusive), the duties of which office he discharged with great fidelity, his record being ever clearly and intelligently made. IIe was also a conveyancer, and was remarkable for the accu- racy with which he performed his work, for the urbanity and courtesy which marked his conduct when transacting this class of business ; he was no less remarkable for the stern integrity of his character, for his rigid adhesion to all the required forms of business. For some time he was postmaster of Brunswick, and he filled this post to the full acceptance of his fellow-citizens. Genial in his temper, appreciative of the humor which warms but never stings, he was a most cheerful companion, his rich, merry laugh over a good story or witty saying being in the highest degree sympathetic and encouraging. A man of rare good sense, his judgment upon public matters was greatly to be relied upon."
He died September 13, 1866.
BADGER, CAPTAIN JOSEPH.
Joseph Badger, a brother to Nathaniel, was born in 1791. He was married to Eunice Noyes. In early manhood he was a sea-captain, afterwards had a large interest in navigation, and at the time of his
1 History of Bowdoin College, Quarterly Register, 1835. Packard.
716
HISTORY OF BRUNSWICK, TOPSHAM, AND HARPSWELL.
death was president of the Pejepscot Bank. " A methodical man, he conducted his business with great exactness, was kind, charitable in his feelings, gave freely, and in many instances with unusual liber- ality, and ever manifested the liveliest interest in the comforts and pleasures of the young, doing his best to contribute to them." He died in Brunswick, March 27, 1863.
BAKER, WILLIAM.
Mr. William Baker was born in 1811. He was an apothecary for many years in Brunswick. He was a man of a genial . temper, of stern integrity of character, and of whole-hearted generosity.
He was a kind and generous husband and father and a good citi- zen. He was a Freemason, and acted as secretary of the Brunswick Lodge for about twelve years.
For many years he was a member of the First Parish Church, and in his relations of life observed a consistent Christian character. IIe died December 22, 1867.
BALLARD, REVEREND EDWARD, D. D.
The subject of this sketch was born at Hopkinton, New Hampshire, November 11, 1804.
He died at Brunswick, November 14, 1870. He graduated at the General Theological Seminary, New York, in 1829, and was ordained a deacon of the Episcopal Church on July 5 of that year. Ile was ordained as priest September 16, 1830. From 1829 to 1832 he was a missionary and rector in St. Luke's Church, North Charlestown, and in St. Peter's Church, Drewsville, New Hampshire. He was rector of St. Stephen's Church, Pittsfield, Massachusetts, from 1848 to 1852. From 1852 to 1858 he was principal of the Episcopal Academy of Connecticut. He was received into the Diocese of Maine, June 22, 1858, and was made missionary and rector of St. Paul's Church, Brunswick, in 1858. He was secretary of the Maine Diocese from 1860 to 1869, of which he was, at the time of his death, the Senior Presbyter and President of the Standing Committee. He was repre- sentative of this Diocese to the General Convention of Episcopalians, to the General Board of Missions, and to the General Theological Sem- inary. Doctor Ballard received the degree of Master of Arts at Dart- mouth in 1830, at Trinity in 1845, and at Bowdoin College in 1858. He received the degree of S. T. D. at Trinity in 1865. Doctor Bal- lard was much interested in educational matters, and especially in what is called the common-school system of the State. He was appointed
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BIOGRAPHICAL.
State Superintendent of Common Schools. and filled that office from 1865 to 1868. Ile was also interested in historical matters, as is seen from his contributions to the publications of the Maine Historical Soci- ety, of which he was a member, and of which he served as secretary from 1861 until his decease.
Reverend Doctor Ballard was a self-educated man, his early advan- tages of education being slight. He was a tall, stout, and muscular man, but yet not very robust. He was esteemed as a faithful and lov- ing pastor, and was especially fond of children. "Humility, equanim- ' ity, gentleness, and fidelity were perhaps the most conspicuous virtues in his character. But firmness in his convictions and unwavering loy- alty to the church. under whose orders he served. were no less remark- able in his teachings and public action. His wisdom and moderation made him an excellent counsellor, his kindness, unselfishness, and ami- ability the most desirable of friends, and Iknow not in what Christian attainment he was not a worthy exemplar.
" His manliness was apparent, while there was a touch of womanly tenderness in his character. Whatever responsibility was laid upon him was faithfully discharged. He was a large-hearted man, a gener- ous man, far beyond his means a friend of the poor."
BARRON, HONORABLE JOHN.
Mr. Barron was born in Dracut, Massachusetts, in 1792. He went with his father to Danville, Maine, about 1796, where he lived until he removed to Topsham, about 1813. He did not, however, establish himself there permanently until 1820. In 1817 he married Martha Crockett, of Danville. He died in 1860. During his forty years' res- idence in Topsham he was known as an active and influential citizen. and often filled offices of trust. He was a member of the State Sen- ate in 1850.
The following is from an obituary notice by Reverend Doctor Adams : -
" For a long course of years Mr. Barron was extensively and suc- cessfully engaged in the lumbering business, and was one of the most industrious and enterprising of the many energetic and laborious men who in this occupation have contributed so much to the growth and prosperity of our State.
" Being vigorously honest and of an excellent judgment, he pos- sessed the confidence of all who knew him, there being no man whose opinion in relation to the lumbering business was inore sought after than his. And though unobtrusive and retiring, and not inclined to
718
HISTORY OF BRUNSWICK, TOPSHAM, AND HARPSWELL.
volunteer unasked advice, he was ever ready to give good counsel where he thought it would be well received. He was a man of quick feelings and generous impulses, and many are the deeds of his kind- ness, done quietly and unpretendingly, by which, we trust, he laid up treasures in heaven ; a kind husband, an indulgent father, often speak- ing to friends, when absent from home, of his family, and declaring it to be his chief object and desire to see his children started happily in life. His last illness, caused by an internal cancer, as supposed, was very distressing, continuing more than two years. In politics Mr. Barron was a Whig. In his religious views he was a Trinitarian Con- gregationalist, uniting with the church of that denomination in Tops- ham, about 1840."
BARRON, WILLIAM.
William Barron was born April, 1797, and moved to Topsham about 1816. "For many years, in company with his brother John, he carried on lumbering, and the firm, through its business energy and enter- prise, secured a handsome fortune to each of the brothers. William Barron, at the time of his death, was president of the Pejepscot National Bank, in Brunswick, a position that he filled with marked ability and acceptance. He ever sustained the character of an upright man, a good citizen, and a benevolent, Christian gentleman. He was one of the deacons in the Baptist Church, in Topsham." He died in Topsham, January 18, 1866.
BOARDMAN, ALEXANDER F.
Alexander F. Boardman was born at Aux Cayes, Hayti, in 1819. He was educated principally at Hildreth Academy, at Derry, New Hampshire, but finished his studies at North Yarmouth. He entered Bowdoin College in the fall of 1834, but was compelled to leave in his Sophomore year, on account of weak eyes. He afterwards engaged in the dry-goods business in Brunswick, and continued in trade until the time of his death. He was among the first persons in Brunswick who dealt in dry-goods only, and he carried on a large business. He was a kind father, husband, friend, and neighbor, known and esteemed by all. He died November 29, 1876.
CLEAVELAND, PROFESSOR PARKER.
The following sketch of this distinguished man is abridged from the eulogy of Reverend Leonard Woods, D. D., it being impossible for words of ours to add anything of interest or value thereto.
719
BIOGRAPHICAL.
Those who desire to read the full account of the life and character of this really remarkable man will find it in the eulogy referred to, which is published in the Collections of the Maine Historical Society, Vol. VI, pp. 381 to 432.
Parker Cleaveland. M. D., of Byfield, Massachusetts, the second son of Reverend John Cleaveland, was the father of the subject of this sketch. Doctor Cleaveland married. in 1773, Elizabeth Jackman. Their only child, PARKER, was born in Byfield, January 15, 1780. He was married in Boston. September 9, 1806, by Reverend John Elliot, S. T. D., to Martha Bush, who was born in Boylston. Massachu- setts. on August 19, 1787. They had five sons and three daughters. Professor Cleaveland died August 15, 1858.
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