USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Harpswell > History of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell, Maine, including the ancient territory known as Pejepscot > Part 81
USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Brunswick > History of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell, Maine, including the ancient territory known as Pejepscot > Part 81
USA > Maine > Sagadahoc County > Topsham > History of Brunswick, Topsham, and Harpswell, Maine, including the ancient territory known as Pejepscot > Part 81
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848
HISTORY OF BRUNSWICK, TOPSHAM, AND HARPSWELL.
in a building near the river. He built vessels, had a mill, and was one of the most enterprising citizens of the time. All of his children but the last three were b. in Duxbury. Ch. were : - John, b. July 30, 1767; Leri, b. Nov. 7, 1769; James, born Dec 30, 1771; Nancy, b. Mch. 20, 1774; Charles, b. Aug. 20, 1776; Hewett, b. Sept. 19, 1778; Sarah, b. Jan. 20, 1781; Daniel, b. Oct. 28, 1783; Abigail, b. in Brunswick, Sept. 17, 1786; William, b. Mch. 4, 1789 ; Lucy, b. April 27, 1791.
POTTER.
The name of the ancestor of the Potter family in this vicinity has not been ascertained. He had three sons, William, James, and Alexander, who all set- tled in Topsham, about 1740.
WILLIAM POTTER m. Catherine Mustard (tradition says). She afterwards m. Edward Cunningham, of Bowdoin. He was killed by the Indians in 1747. Ch. were : - James, called the second ; Alexander, who m. a lady by the name of Snipe, of Georgetown; John; David, who m. Ruth, dau. of Caleb Curtis, of Harpswell; Samuel, who was drowned; Joseph, who lived at Moose Island, Eastport; Matthew, who m. Isabel Heddrean, Sept. 1787; William.
JAMES POTTER settled on Lot No. 41, in Topsham. Ch. were : - William, who lived in Litchfield; John, who also lived in Litchfield; Samuel, b. in 1746, m. April 21, 1778, Elizabeth Dunlap, and d. about 1800; Hewey, who lived in Gardiner; Joseph, who lived in Ohio; James, who m. April 8, 1784, Jenny Mallet; Andrew, who lived in Gardiner; Christian, who m. Jan. 6, 1777, Eben- ezer Dunlap, of Litchfield; Elizabeth, who m. Nov. 26, 1782, James Dunlap ; Jane, who m. April, 1787, Nathaniel Marston, of Gardiner.
ALEXANDER POTTER b. in 1711, d. April 14, 1800. Ch. were : - Alexander, who m. in 1782, Abigail, dan. of Ezra Randall; Mary, who m. April 18, 1777, Hatherby Foster, of Georgetown; Jane, b. in Topsham, Dec. 11, 1743, m. John, son of William Rogers.
PURINTON.
Humphrey Purinton came from Cape Cod, about the time of the last Indian war, to the New Meadows River, settling on the Bath side, near the present railroad bridge. His ch. were all born before he came here. They were : - Nathaniel, b. 1731 (or 1736) ; Abial, who m. Brig. Sam'l Thompson ; Joshua, who lived in Bath; Hezekiah; James, b. in Truro, Mass., April 9, 1742; Humphrey.
He was the ancestor of all the name in this vicinity who spell the name as above.
RANDALL.
WILLIAM RANDALL emigrated from Bristol, England, and settled in Scituate, Mass., about 1660. He was the father of Joseph, who was the father of Benjamin.
EZRA RANDALL, son of Benjamin above named, settled in Topsham, but afterwards moved to Bowdoinham. He is called a shipwright in a deed to him dated Oct. 15, 1761, from Jacob Eaton, of a lot numbered 18, in the town plan.1 May 7, 1762, he also bought lots 13, 14, 15, and 16, of Michael Mal-
1 Lincoln Registry Deeds, Lib. 1, p. 144.
849
FAMILY HISTORIES.
colm of Georgetown, and May 14, 1762, he sold lots 13 and 14 to his brother Paul.1 June 4, 1766, he sold to his brother William fifty acres of land .? He is said to have been addicted to drinking liquors, and to have soon squan- dered his property. He m. Margaret - . He d. in Bowdoinham, aged 88. Ch. were : - Isaiah, b. Nov. 4, 1772; John, b. Feb. 24, 1769; Nabby, who m. John Mustard, Jan. 22, 1778; Joseph, who m. Martha Reed, about 1778; Heatherby, b. Aug. 26, 1766; Ezra, b. Aug. 28, 1764; Margaret, b. Aug. 6, 1762, mn. Alexander (son of Alexander) Potter, of Bowdoin; Isaac, b. June 1, 1776; Elizabeth, b Nov. 28, 1779.
PAUL RANDALL, son of Benjamin and brother of Ezra, b. in Scituate in 1736; settled in Harpswell. He m. Molly McFarland. Ch. were : - Paul, and probably others.
WILLIAM RANDALL, also brother of Ezra, was b. in Scituate, Mass., Jan. 1, 1743. He m. Jane Patten, to whom his intention of marriage was published, July 23, 1783. He settled in Topsham, later than his other brothers there. He bought fifty acres of Ezra, and together with Daniel, eighty-five acres of land of his brother Paul, and fifty acres of William Thorne, Jr. (See deeds referred to.) He was one of the selectmen in 1776, and one of the Commit- tee of Correspondence and Safety in 1778 and in 1785. He d. in Topsham, June, 1826. Ch. were : - Jane, b. April 28, 1784, m. James Jameson ; William, b. Aug. 22, 1785, who was father of Elbridge; Benjamin, b. Nov. 14, 1789, graduated at Bowd. Coll. in 1809.
DANIEL RANDALL, brother of Ezra, m. a Widow Kemp, and moved to Harpswell, where he d. He bought land, with his brother William, of Paul, Ezra, and William Thorne. Ch. was : - a duu., who m. Capt. Norton Stover.
RAYMOND.
PAUL RAYMOND came from Dorchester, Mass., or vicinity, to Harpswell, previous to 1770. He had ch. : - Edward, b. in Harpswell, Dec. 5, 1771; m. Lydia Coombs, dau. of Anthony, who came from Dorchester; moved to Brunswick (Growstown), in 1799. Paul, who ni. Abigail, dau. of Win. Thompson, of Harpswell.
REED.
The name of the ancestor of the Reed family, of Topsham and Harpswell, has not been ascertained, but the family is of Irish descent. Three brothers, David, John, and William, settled in Topsham about 1731.
DAVID REED In. Anna Rogers (the sister of John who was the father of Hugh). He lived on what is now known as the Willis Sprague farm. He was licensed May 26, 1761, by the Court of Sessions, as an innholder, and also in 1762, '63, '64, '66, '67, and in 1771, as a retailer, and again as an inn- holder in 1772, '73, and '74. He was a lieutenant, under Capt. Actor Patten, at the Penobscot expedition, and was a captain in 1783. He was one of the Committee of Correspondence and Safety in 1776, '81, and '83. He removed to the Penobscot about 1790, and was one of the earliest settlers of Stillwater. He is said to have built the first mills there. Ch. were : - Deina, b. July 12,
1 Opus cit., pp. 187 and 188.
2 Opus cit., Lib. 5, p. 6.
54
850
HISTORY OF BRUNSWICK, TOPSHAM, AND HARPSWELL.
1760; Mary, b. July 8, 1762; Margaret, b. Aug. 20, 1769; Anna, b. July 22, 1766; Darid, b. Mch. 7, 1769.
JOHN REED Was b. in Ireland about 1719. He d. Jan. 12, 1795. Ch. werc : - John, b. in Ireland about 1747; Jane, who m. Joseph Foster, of Topsham ; Martha, who m. Joseph, son of Ezra Randall; Hannah, m. Robert, son of Rev. James Potter; Charity, who m. Ist, Benjamin, son of Ezra Randall, 2d, a Prescott (who ran off and left her), and, 3d, John Hern, of Ireland, after- wards of Whitefield; Susan, who d. single.
WILLIAM REED Was b. abt. 1691. His wife's name was Mary. He d. in July or Aug. 1773. Ch., if any, are unrecorded.
RICH.
The earliest known ancestor of this family was RICHARD RICH, a mariner, who went from Dover, N. H., to Truro, Mass., and was admitted as a freeman in 1681, and d. in 1692. His son Richard was father of Obadiah.
ISAAC RICHI, son of Obadiah and Polly [Cobb] Rich, of Truro, Mass., moved to Harpswell and settled on Great Island in 1797, bringing with him a numerous family. He was the ancestor of all of the name in this vicinity. Of his ch., Zaheth, m. Mary, dau. of Capt. Sam'l Snow; Isaac, m. Sarah S. Small, who still survives; David, m. Betsey Rich, of Truro; Reuben, settled in West Bath, where his descendants still reside.
RIDLEY.
JAMES RIDLEY came from Truro to Harpswell before the Revolution, but precisely when is not known. He m. Mary, dau. of Samuel Small of Truro. Ch. were : - Mark, b. 1757; Daniel, b. 1759; Rachael, b. 1763.
ROGERS.
WILLIAM ROGERS, the ancestor of all of that name in this vicinity, was b. in Ireland. Nothing more than this fact and the names of his children have been ascertained concerning him. Ch .were : - John; George, who. d. in Freeport ; Thomas, who d. in Georgetown; Hugh, who d. in Georgetown; William, who d. in Freeport; Ann, who m. Benjamin Kendall ; Margaret, who m. Rev. John Miller, of Brunswick; Robert, who d. in Phipsburg.
JOHN ROGERS, son of William, Sen., was b. in Georgetown, June 20, 1746, O. S. Hem. Jane, dau. of Alexander Potter, of Topsham. He probably moved to Topsham about 1768, as there was a John Rogers there at that time. The last-named was a sea-captain during a portion of his life. He was one of the selectmen in 1790, '91, and '92. He was town clerk in 1797 and '98. Ch. of John and Jane were :- John, b. Aug. 30, 1771, lost his leg in Jan. 1836; Wil- liam, b. June 2, 1773; Jenny, b. Nov. 15, 1775, m. Ephraim Larrabee ; Alexan- der, b. March 13, 1778, moved out West; Dinah, b. April 1, 1781, m. Nahum Houghton; Hugh, b. Feb. 9, 1785, d. April 30, 1867.
ALEXANDER ROGERS, son of George and grandson of William, Sen., was b. in Georgetown in 1754; moved to Topsham, but precisely when is not known. He m. Margaret [Wilson] Hunter, widow of John Hunter, and settled on the farm which was occupied by the late Hon. George Rogers, and which is now
p
851
FAMILY HISTORIES.
occupied by the family of the late George A. Rogers. He was the father of George and grandfather of George A.
ROSS.
The earliest reference to this family which has been found is contained in Vol. I. Me. Hist. Coll., p. 314, where allusion is made to a James Ross, as follows : -
"JAMES Ross was born in Falmouth, 1662, son of James. He was taken pris- ouer with his father's family in 1676, and again in 1690. He was a shoemaker by trade, and occupied his father's farm, or part of it, at Back Cove. His mother was Axx, the eldest daughter of George Lewis. On his return from his second captivity, he resided at Salem. His father was here [Falmouth], about 1657. He was living in Salem in 1724." In 1720 a JAMES ROSS pur- chased of the Pejepscot proprietors a lot of land in Topsham (probably lot No. 18), and built a house upon it, and resided there for some time. After his death, which was previous to 1761, his heirs sold their rights to the land. (See Linc. Co. Reg. Deeds, Vol. I, p. 170.) It is not improbable that this James may have been a son of James of Falmouth, but the connection has not been traced. The first of the family in Brunswick of which we have found any record was WILLIAM ROSS, who was b. July 15, 1747. He was probably son of William, of Sheepscot. His wife's name was Jennett. She was b. Nov. 12, 1752. Ch. were : - William, b. Nov. 15, 1773; Jennett, b. Aug. 3, 1775; Martha, b. Mch. 27, 1777; Elizabeth, b. Mch. 22, 1777; Anna, b. Oct. 11, 1781; Robert, b. Oct. 7, 1783; Jumes, b. Mch. 27, 1785; Sarah, b. Apr. 21, 1790.
SIMPSON.
WILLIAM SIMPSON, the ancestor of all of the name in this vicinity, came from the southern part of Ireland (probably from the county of Clare) about 1735, and bought the farm at Maquoit where Robert Chase lived in 1859. He returned to Ireland and brought back his wife and two daughters, but left one son there. Both of his daughters married and went to Sheepscot. One, Jane, m. a Hopkins, and lived, it is said, to be 102 years old. His wife's name was Agnes. Ch. b. in America were: - William, b. Nov. 17, 1738; Robert, b. Oct. 30, 1740; Lewis, Josiah, and two other sons. All but Lewis and Josiah settled at Sheepscot. Josiah settled on the homestead. He m. 1st, Elizabeth, dau. of Robert Spear, Jr. ; 2d, a dau. of James Potter. He d. Dec. 25, 1819. Lewis m. Martha Skolfield.
SINNETT.
MICHAEL SINNETT, the ancestor of all by that name in this vicinity, was born in an inland town of Ireland. After serving his time as an apprentice, he, in company with one or two fellow-workmen, went to Dublin in search of employment. They had been in Dublin but a few days when, as they were loitering about the wharves, looking at the shipping, which to them was a novel sight, they were accosted by a well-dressed man of pleasant appearance, who, after some conversation, invited them to go down the harbor in a ves- sel which was about to sail, assuring them that they could return with the pilot. They, without suspicion, accepted the invitation. As soon as the
852
HISTORY OF BRUNSWICK, TOPSHAM, AND HARPSWELL.
city was fairly left behind, Mr. Sinnett and his companions were taken before the captain, who informed them that they must go to America with him, and that resistance would be of no avail. They were thunderstruck, but resolved to make the best of their unlucky situation.
When the vessel reached Boston, public notice was given that Sinnett and his companions, having embarked of their own free will, and having no money to pay their passage, would be sold to pay their passage fees. Joseph Orr, who with his brother Clement had purchased Orr's Island, paid the passage money for Sinnett, and took him home with him and set him at work upon his farm. What became of Sinnett's companions we do not know.
When Sinnett had served for a length of time sufficient to reimburse Orr for the passage-money paid by the latter, he was a free man. Soon after gain- ing his freedom, he married a woman whose relatives lived in Hingham, Mass. Her full name we have been unable to learn, but her Christian name was Mary. Shortly after his marriage, Sinnett went with his wife to what is now Boothbay, where he built a small house and began to clear up a piece of land. By and by a coaster came along, bound for Boston. Mrs. Sinnett thought it a good opportunity for her to visit her relatives, and Mr. Sinnett assuring her that he could get along alone for a few weeks, she concluded to make the journey. She had been gone but a few days when a press-gang came ashore and carried him to New York, from whence he was marched, via the Lakes, to Quebec, to join Gen. Wolfe's army. He continued in the service until after the capture of Quebec, when he was discharged. Meantime his wife had returned to their dwelling at Boothbay, and finding it deserted she picked her way, as best she could, to Orr's Island, and told her story to Joseph Orr. He took pity on her, and promised to take care of her. He and she then went in a boat to Boothbay, and brought back to Orr's Island what few things of value were left in the house.' When her husband was discharged, he, with others who had been impressed into the service, picked their way back to Maine. He came directly to Joseph Orr's, where he found his wife. Mr. Orr then sold to Sinnett thirty acres of land, for which the latter was to pay, and did pay, in days' work.
On this lot he built a house, and it stands to-day in good repair, a monument to his industry and perseverance under difficulties. Ch. were : - Stephen, b. 1766; James, b. 1770.
SKOLFIELD.
The first of the name of whom tlfere is any knowledge was Thomas Skol- field, of England, who was an officer in King William's army in 1690, when King James was driven from Ireland. He was granted a tract of land for his services, and settled in Ireland. He had four ch. : - Thomas, George, Elizabeth, and Susan. Thomas, George, and Susan came to America carly in the last century. George settled in Philadelphia. Thomas and Susan settled in Bruns- wick. The latter m. JJohn Orr.
THOMAS SKOLFIELD (see Biog.) was b. in Ireland in 1707. He settled in Brunswick on the farm now owned by Peter Woodard. Hem. Mary Orr. He d. Jan. 6, 1796. She d. Aug. 1. 1771, aged 57. Ch. were : - Rebecca, b. July 8, 1737; Richard, b. Sept. 6, 1738; Clement, b. June 1, 1740; Anne, b. May 18,
853
FAMILY HISTORIES.
1742, m. Robert Spear, Jr .; Thomas, b. June 8, 1744, in Brunswick, m. Ann Anderson ; Mary, b. Feb. 10, 1748, m. Captain Robert Given; Stephen, b. July 8, 1751; Martha, b. Mch. 19, 1753, m. Lewis Simpson; John, b. June 13, 1755; Joseph, b. Mch. 1, 1757; William, b. Aug 27, 1760.
SMALL.
The ancestor of this family, in Harpswell at least, is believed to have been TAYLOR SMALL, who was b. in Truro, Mass., and moved to Harpswell, between 1750 and 1755. He m. Thankful, dan. of Thomas Ridley. Ch. were : - Deborah, b. 1743; Thankful, b. 1745; Taylor, b. 1746; Joseph, b. 1748; Darid, b. 1750, -all b. iu Truro. The following were b. in Harpswell :- Thomas, b. 1755; Samuel, b. 1757; Ephraim, b. 1759; Lydia, b. 1761 ; Mark, b. 1763.
SMITH.
JOSEPH SMITH was one of the early settlers of Brunswick. He settled at New Meadows in 1739. His wife's name was Susannah. Ch. were : - Thomas, b. Feb. 22, 1754; Samuel, b. Oct. 10, 1756; Molly, b. Mch. 22, 1758.
Thomas was killed by the Indians when fourteen years old, i. e., in 1768. He was going after the cows, and when near the tan-pits the Indians intercepted him. His father saw the Indians and shot one of them. They then shot Thomas, and his father killed another of them.
SNOW.
NICHOLAS, ANTHONY, and WILLIAM SNOW are reported to have come over early. The two former brought families. William was an apprentice and set- tled in Duxbury. Anthony settled first at Plymouth, and then, in 1642, in Marshfield. Nicholas, who came over in the Ann in 1623, settled in Eastham. From one of these probably sprang the Snows of this vicinity, but the con- necting links are missing.
The ancestor of the Snow family of this vicinity was ISAAC SNOW, who set- tled in Harpswell early in the last century. His wife's name was Affier. Ch. were : - John, b. July 25, 1734; Isaac, b. May 18, 1736; Elisha, b. March 26, 1739; Joseph, b. Oct. 2, 1740; Ambrose, b. Mch. 20, 1742; Elizabeth, b. Nov. 3, 1743; Samuel, b. Feb. 28, 1745; Mercy, b. Dec. 8, 1751; Hannah, b. Oct. 30, 1756.
Samuel, John, and Isaac are said to have once owned all the land on the east side of Great Island, Harpswell, north of where Mark Small now lives.
SPEAR.
ROBERT SPEAR, one of the carly settlers in Brunswick, was b. abt. 1682. He may have been son or grandson of George, of Braintree, who was made a freeman in 1644. He lived a little west of where the old meeting-house stood. His house was a garrison, protected by a timber fortification. Mr. Spear is supposed to have m. a Finney. His wife d. in 1781, aged 85 years. He d. in 1763. Ch were: - Robert; William ; a dau. who m. John Given; another dau. who m. William Ross.
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HISTORY OF BRUNSWICK, TOPSHAM, AND HARPSWELL.
SPRAGUE.
This family is doubtless descended from FRANCIS SPRAGUE, who arrived in this country in 1623, and settled in Duxbury about 1632.
CAPT. JOSEPH SPRAGUE came to this vicinity from Duxbury in 1787. Set- tled first in Bowdoinham; moved to Topsham in 1791 or 1792. He was b. in 1757 : mn. Ruth Hunt, of Duxbury. Ch. were : - James, b. in Weymouth, Oct. 5, 1783; Oakman, b. in Duxbury, Oct. 4, 1786; Joseph, b. in Bowdoinham, Aug. 16, 1788; Elizabeth, b. in Bowdoinham, Aug. 1, 1790; Ruth, b. in Tops- ham, June 29, 1792; Mary, b. Aug. 27, 1794; Samuel, b. Apr. 1, 1796; Willis ; David ; Frances.
STANWOOD.
EBENEZER STANWOOD, Or STANDWOOD, as he himself spelled the name, was the ancestor of all of that name in this vicinity, if not of all of the name in the country. He came from Ireland, and settled in Brunswick in 1719. He was a lieutenant in the Indian wars, and was a selectman for two years. He was b. about 1695, and d. July 21, 1772. Ch. were : - David, m. Mary Reed, of Topsham; William, b. 1726, m. Elizabeth Reed, of Topsham; he d. 1797. Samuel, m. 1st, Jane [Lithgow], widow of John McFarland, 2d, Mary Wood- side : he d. 1790; Susan.
STAPLES.
This family is understood to be of English origin. One or more of the name came early to this country. The connection between the first of the name to settle in Topsham and those who first came to America has not been traced.
SAMUEL STAPLES was. b. April 19, 1733. He settled in Topsham as early as 1768 and probably earlier. He m., 1st, Sibbel -, who was b. Oct. 31, 1737, and-d. in 1778. He m., 2d, Lydia Wells, of Falmouth. Their banns ' were published July, 1779. Ch. by Sibbel were : - Dorcas, b. Dec. 9, 1783, m. 1st, James, son of Stephen Staples, and, 2d, a Hondlette ; Stephen, b. Nov. 6, 1756, m. a Coombs, lived and died in Lisbon; Mary, b. Jan. 31, 1760, m. a Hobbs; Elizabeth, b. July 16, 1762; Sibbel, b. Mch. 23, 1764, m. a Walker; Charity, b. April 20, 1778. Ch. by Lydia were : - Jeremiah, b. June 9, 1780; Winslow. h. Mch. 30, 1782; Lydia, h. Mch. 28, 1784, m. James Wain; Eleanor, b. June 4, 1786, m. Dec. 1802, Nathaniel Quint; Lucy, b. Dec. 8, 1789, d. single.
STEPHEN STAPLES was b. Mch. 27, 1739, settled in Topsham about 1758. He m. 1st, Jude -, who was b. Nov. 15, 1738, d. Oct. 6, 1763. He m. 2d, Susannah Hobbs, of Falmouth, about 1764. Intentions were recorded Aug. 11, 1764, she survived him and m. Johnson Graves. Ch. by Jude were : - Lucy, b. Nov. 8, 1760 (probably the one published to Hatevil Laten, Fal- mouth, Jan. 13, 1781) ; Joseph, b. Aug. 12, 1762. Ch. by Susannah were : -- Ephraim, b. May 28, 1765, lived in Gray ; Anne, b. April 15, 1767, m. Alexan- der Howland, abt. 1787; Jude, b. May 9, 1769, m. George Potter, of Bow- doin ; John, b. July 27, 1771; Josiah, b. May 2, 1774 ; Daniel, b. April 19, 1777 ; James, b. June 2, 1779; Mary, b. July 7, 1782, d. single; Robert, b. May 6, 1788, lived in Bowdoinham.
.
855
FAMILY HISTORIES.
STONE.
SIMON STONE and his brother GREGORY were among the early settlers of Watertown, and from them are descended most of the very unmerous fami- lies of that name in New England. Gregory moved to Cambridge about 1637.
BENJAMIN STONE and w., Rebecca Littlefield, came from Kennebunk in 1760, and settled in Brunswick. At first he lived in the fort, afterwards built a large house near the corner of Maine and Mill Streets, which he occu- pied as a tavern. He d. 1806. Ch. were : - Lydia, b. 1758, m. Joseph Holt Ingraham, of Portland ; William, b. 1761, d. at sea, unmarried; Benjamin, b. 1763, m. Elizabeth McLellan, of Portland, d. at sea; James, b. 1764, m. Han- nah Walker, of Topsham, d. in 1802; Rebecca, b. 1766, m. Joseph Mclellan, of Portland, moved to Brunswick in 1819, and d. in 1825; John, b. 1768, d. at Brunswick, 1787; Theodore. b. 1770, never m., d. at Baring, Me., in 1839; Daniel, b. 1772, m. Nancy Hinkley, of Brunswick, d. 1825; Mathias, b. 1774, d. in Brunswick, 1793; Hannah, b. 1776, in. Joseph E. Foxcroft, of New Gloucester, d. in 1810; Jotham, b. 1778, m. 1st, Bridget Walker, of Concord, N. H., 2d, Nancy Whitwell, of Boston. He d. at Brunswick in 1824.
STOVER. (STAFFORD?)
JOHN STOVER, the ancestor of all of that name in Harpswell, was b. in 1709, in the town of York. It is held as a family tradition, handed down for many generations, that when he was nine years old his parents and all his brothers and sisters were killed by the Indians; that he escaped by hiding under a pile of brush ; that when he was discovered by the whites he had been so terribly frightened that he was not sure of his name, but thought that it was Stafford ; and that he was adopted by a family named Stover. (It has been ascertained that two brothers named Stafford emigrated from England, one of whom set- tled in Providence, R. I., and the other in York, Me.) He m. a dan. of Captain Johnson Harmon. He moved to Harpswell, probably not later than 1730, and settled on a spot about half-way between the present highway and Norton Stover's ship-yard. He d. about 1786. Ch. were : - John, who d. at home ; Wanton, who settled in Portland; Joseph ; Alcott ; Johnson ; Abigail, who m. a Varnum, and moved to Bowdoin; Mary, m. a Wheeler, who lived where Robert Stover now does.
SWETT.
ARMS. - Gules, two chevrons between as many mullets in chief and a rose in base argent, seeded or.
CREST. - A mullet or, pierced azure between two gillyflowers, proper.
According to Burke, the SWETE or SWETT family was formerly of Trayne in Edward VI's time, and subsequently of Oxton, in the county of Devonshire, which furnished many colonists to New England.
JOHN SWETT, admitted to the freedom of the Mass. Colony, 18th May, 1642, was one of the grantees of Newbury as early as Dec. 7, 1642.
JOHN SWETT, probably a descendant of John of Newbury, came to Bruns- wick in 1788. Ch. were : - William ; John ; and James.
856
HISTORY OF BRUNSWICK, TOPSHAM, AND HARPSWELL.
SWIFT.
WILLIAM SWIFT Was an carly settler on Cape Cod. He d. in Sandwich in 1642. His descendants are very numerous.
MAJOR LEMUEL SWIFT, probably a descendant of William of Sandwich, came from New Bedford, and settled in Brunswick in 1790. He was a hatter by trade, and a major in the militia. He d. June 30, 1820, and was the first person buried in Pine Grove Cemetery (the village burying-ground). Ch. were :- Dean, b. Feb. 16, 1791, d. Nov. 1877 ; Mary Jane, b. Sept. 19, 1810; John Lufkin,b. Jan. 1, 1813; Swan Dincen, b. Mch. 3, 1815.
SYLVESTER OR SILVESTER.
ARMS. - Ar. an oak tree, eradicated, vert.
CREST. - A lion's lead, erased, vert.
This name appears to be of French origin; and in the French language, Sylvestre signifies a tree, whence the coat of arms represents an oak-tree in the shield, being a parlant or speaking coat, descriptive of the name. We find the family settled in England not long after the Conquest, and the ancestor probably went over in the army of William, in 1069. Stephen Silvestre was among the gentry of Norfolk. Gabriel Sylvester, D. D., was .Prebend of Weeford, Litchfield, in 1506. The family is highly respectable in the old country, and is numerously represented in the United States. (See Hist. of Hanover, Mass.)
The first of the name in New England was RICHARD, who was of Weymouth, 1633, and of Scituate, 1642.
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