USA > Maine > Hancock County > Ellsworth > History of Ellsworth, Maine > Part 5
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John Wintwerth,
William Fletcher,
Josiah Garland, Josiah Garland, Jr."
The petition above given was presented, and referred to the General Court, Feb. 6, 1798. It slumbered for two years, when the Act incorporating the town of Ellsworth was passed, Feb. 26, 1800. The prayer of the petition, that the new town should be named Sumner, was not complied with.
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
AN ACT TO INCORPORATE THE TOWN OF ELLSWORTH, APPROVED FEB. 26, 1800.
Described as follows: "Beginning at Union River at the north-easterly corner of No. 6 (Surry), thence north 60°, West six miles to corner; thence north 18°, west 51/4 miles to a corner being on the line of Township No. 2 (incorporated the present session by the name of Orland) ; thence easterly on Township No. 8, nine miles to a corner; thence south by No. 14 and No. 8 in the lottery townships, nine miles to the north line of Trenton; thence west by said Trenton line, two miles to Union River; thence up said river and bounding thereon 134. miles to the place of beginning."
CHAPTER IV ELLSWORTH, THE TOWN AND CITY
ENERALLY, many names are contemplated before an infant is duly christened. So it was with Ellsworth. For thirty-two years the township was known as Union River Settlement and Union District; and from about 1795 to 1800 as Bowdoin and New Bowdoin, probably in honor of Governor James Bowdoin, of Massachusetts. It is evident from the petition of 1798 that the inhabitants had not found a suitable name and were anxious to try Sumner, but in this they were disappointed. The legislature of Massachusetts, which State at that time included the County of Hancock, would not grant the petition. There was already a Sumner in Oxford County. This little town had been incorporated June 13, 1798 and had been named for Governor Increase Sumner. The name was finally decided by the legislature, and in honor of Oliver Ellsworth, an able judicial leader who was a Massachusetts
* 144
ELLSWORTHE.
1945
De sumi of
Dollars and
Cents it being in mellow payment for his States Conaty and Town taxes, for the year 1814 as
fia Ellawarth
delegate to the National Convention in 1787, for the adoption of the Constitution of the United States, the township was incorporated the town of Ellsworth February 26, 1800.
Theodore Jones was authorized to call the first town meeting April 14, 1800. Tradition has it that this meeting was held in Mr. Jones' house. George Haslam was chosen Moderator; Theodore Jones, Clerk; George Brimmer, Nathaniel Jellison and Theodore Jones, Selectmen; James Hopkins, Treasurer; John Fabrique, Collector.
From a transcript of the first valuation book, 1800, the following facts were gathered : in the list of persons taxed were
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
44 residents and 5 non-residents. Seven of the residents-John Tinker, Melatiah Jordan, John Fabrique, George Haslam, James Hopkins, Nathaniel Jellison, Edward Moore, register them- selves as having two heads or polls.
The property invoiced for valuation and taxation consisted of houses, barns, number of days in saw-mills, ditto in grist- mills, farm animals, sheep excepted, and number of acres of land; vessels not taxed. Of the twenty-nine houses taxed, Theodore Jones and Melatiah Jordan had the best two, each valued at $500; George Haslam and James Hopkins had the sec-
EASTERN
EX BRESS
First Express Wagon.
ond best two, valued at $300 each. Of the twenty-three barns, George Haslam's, George Brimmer's and Joseph Moore's were valued $100 each.
The next assessed value is on number of days in saw-mills at from $10 to $20 a day or $480. John Fabrique and Daniel Somes each are held for twenty-four days, $480. George Brimmer, 24 days at $240. Number of days in grist-mill, Jones is held for 24 days at $200, and William Maddocks one day at
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
$200. At the head of the column of saw-mills was that of Joseph Card's .*
In 1802 there were 19 dwelling houses, 47 polls, 2 shops, 15 horses, 76 oxen and 77 cows at Ellsworth.
The loss of all the town records previous to Feb. 5, 1850 by fire in the burning of the Thomas Robinson store renders it impossible to make a list of town officers prior to that time. In 1807 George Brimmer, Nathaniel Jellison and John Chamber- lain signed a remonstrance to the General Court as Selectmen, the same remonstrance having been attested by George Brimmer as Town Clerk.
State Street as it has looked since 1838 except for plate glass fronts in all buildings.
It appears by official papers in the Massachusetts State House that, in 1813, John G. Deane, as one of the selectmen. signed the petition to reimburse the town of Ellsworth for the expense of the Militia, ordered out to suppress the riot at Castine in July, 1813.
In 1807 the following petition was sent to the General Court for the annexation of parts of Trenton and Surry :
"To the Honorable Senate and the Honorable House of (*Maine Hist. Mag.)
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
Representatives of the Commonwealth of Mass. in Gen. Court assembled in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and seven.
"The petition of the subscribers, inhabitants of the towns of Ellsworth, Surry and Trenton in the County of Hancock in said Commonwealth humbly shows that the principal settlement in said town is situated around the head of navigation on the Union River and contiguous thereto upon the adjacent corners of each of said towns and almost equally distant from the geographical centers of all of them.
Main Street (South Side), 1850.
"That the center of said settlement or village on Union River is better situated to accommodate that part of the towns of Surry and Trenton particularly described hereafter together with that part of the town of Ellsworth, now settled, as the center of a town, than any other part of either of said towns now is with the present boundaries.
"That from the natural form, shape and disposition of the lands in the neighborhood of the village of Union River, and particularly from the circumstances of it lying on a small narrow river, so narrow as to admit of most easy communica- tion over it by bridges, and from the interests, business and conveniences of a public, private and local nature being entirely
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
the same among the inhabitants and ever likely to be so, it is evident as anything of such nature can be that whatever altera- tion may hereafter take place in the adjacent country upon its settlement the convenience and necessities of the people inhabiting said village, and within a suitable distance of it, will always make it of the highest importance to them that the center of said village should be the center of a town.
"That the inhabitants of said village being divded into nearly three equal parts by the dividing lines of said towns are
View from Post Office Square. The Building shown in the right foreground was occupied as the post office from 1854 until new Federal Building was completed.
rendered utterly unable to act in concert or with efficiency in any public concerns however obviously beneficial or necessary they may be.
"That if said villages of Union River should be united by incorporation with the town of Ellsworth the other parts of Surry and Trenton will be left in as good, or better condition for their own convenience while the inhabitants of said villages will be in every respect much better accommodated than at present.
"To exhibit in a more conclusive and convincing manner the correctness or truth of the above statement and in the im-
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
portance to said inhabitants of the Union hereafter prayed for, your petitioners beg leave to present a plan of all said towns as correctly drawn as circumstances would permit to which they subjoin a memorial of some other matters which may be necessary to be known.
"Wherefore your petitioners humbly pray that this honor- able court, taking into consideration the evils to which they are now subjected and the privileges and advantages to which their situation entitles them, will set off to said Ellsworth, and incorporate therewith into one town so much of said Surry as lies northerly of a line beginning at a stake and stones on the western side of Union River near its mouth where the line between lot No. 20 now improved by John Jordan and lot No. 21, now improved by Benj. Lord touches said river ; thence run- ning on said line between said lots north 72 degrees west one mile and 22 rods to a marked tree; thence north 50 deg. west to the westerly line of said Surry, and that part of said Trenton in said Co. included as follows, viz:
"Beginning at the southeast corner of the town of Ellsworth in said Co .; thence running south 25 deg. west 3 miles 110 rods; thence south 81 deg. west to Union River Bay ; thence northerly by said Bay and Union River to the southern boundary lines of said Ellsworth, and thence east on said line of Ellsworth 2 miles to the place of beginning.
Solomon Jordan
Amos Parsons
Ebenezer Jordan
Benjamin Joy
Joseph Morrison
Jesse Dutton
Benjamin Joy, Jr.
John Whitaker Benjamin Jordan
Nyatt Moor
John G. Jordan
Samuel Joy
Nathaniel Jordan
Nathaniel Treworgy
Nathan Jordan Joseph Jordan
James Davis James Grant
John Ticker or Tinker, Jr.
Joshua Maddocks
Jacob Sawyer
Abijah Smith
Caleb Mattocks
Nathaniel Smith, Jr.
Joseph Garland Allen Milliken
Abner Moor
George Haslam
Thomas Gallenyd ( ?)
James Treworgy Moses Adams John Moor
Eli Wormwood John Garland Edward Garland
Benj. Milliken
Joseph Milliken, Jr. Melatiah Jordan
Elias J. Ingersoll
John Jordan Benj. Moor
John Wentworth William Jellison George Hopkins
Amaziah Treworgy
Edward Moor, Jr.
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
William Dollard
Elias Townsend
Jacob Lord
Samuel Maddocks
John Fullerton
James Davis, Jr.
Joseph Murch
Edward Beals
Joseph Tyler
Joseph Lord
Alfred Langdon
Jonathan Robinson
Sabin Pond
Samuel Joy, 3d
Dyer Peters
William Fletcher
George Herbert
Nathaniel Smith
Benjamin Galinly (?)
John Hopkins
John Maddocks
Joseph Brown
Nathan Joy
Nathaniel Parker
Daniel Lowlycott ( ?)
Joseph Ames
Micajah Lunt
James Hopkins
William Urquhart
Ross Hopkins
John Vose
David M .-
Robert Milliken, Jr.
Riah Morrison
James Fletcher
Joseph Moor
George Brimmer
Nathaniel Jellison
Daniel Kealiher
That there were inhabitants who did not wish to have the petition granted is manifested by the remonstrance below :
"To the Honorable Senate, and the Honorable the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in Gen- eral Court assembled :
"We the subscribers a committee duly appointed by the town of Ellsworth at a meeting legally assembled to take into consideration the petition of Solomon Jordan of Trenton and others, and by the said town instructed to remonstrate against the Granting the prayer thereof,
"Respectfully represent that the Inhabitants of said town harmonise on all matters, excepting those affecting national concerns, and if the projected alteration of boundaries should take place, they fear that would no longer be the case, but that the major part of the inhabitants would be obliged to attend Town meetings in an extreme corner of the town, and the In- habitants of other towns would not only have a power to over- rule them in the raising of money, but in appropriating of it ;--- The Town has no objections to any individuals being set off to Surry or Trenton, his forming with any of the Inhabitants of those Towns, a Town by themselves, but they see no reason for admitting any portion of the disaffected citizens of other Towns to be incorporated with them to their injury,-We therefore
Zelotes Grover
Wyatt Moor
George Lord
John Peters"
William Maddocks
Jona. Chamberlain
John Bates
Joseph Jellison
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
pray your honors not to grant the prayer of said petition, and as in duty bound will ever pray,-
Attest,
GEORGE BRIMMER Selectmen
NATHANIEL JELLISON of
JOHN CHAMBERLAIN
Ellsworth
(Signed)
GEORGE BRIMMER
Committee JOHN JELLISON
Attest,
GEORGE BRIMMER, Town Clerk
A true copy, attest. GEORGE BRIMMER, Town Clerk."
In 1809 the petitioners succeeded and the following Act was passed :
"Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and nine :
"An Act to set off a part of the Town of Surry and a part of the Town of Trenton and to annex them to the Town of Ells- worth. Approved March 3, 1809.
"Sec. I. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre- sentatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same: That that part of the Town of Surry in the County of Hancock, which lies northerly of a line beginning at a stake on the western side of Union River, near its mouth, where the line between lot number twenty, now improved by John Jordan, and lot number twenty-one, now improved by Benj. Lord, touches said river,-thence running, on the line between said lots, north seventy-two degrees west one mile and twenty-two rods to a marked tree; thence north fifty degrees west to the westerly line of said Surry-and that part of Trenton in said county, included as follows, viz :- beginning at the southeast corner of the Town of Ellsworth, in said county ; thence running south twenty-five degrees west three miles one hundred and ten rods; thence south eighty-one degrees west to Union River Bay; thence northerly by said Bay & Union River to the southern boundary line of said Ellsworth-thence east on said line two miles to the place of beginning-be, and they are hereby set off from the towns of Surry and Trenton and annexed to the said town of Ellsworth. And the inhabitants
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
of the said parts thus annexed to said town of Ellsworth shall hereafter be considered inhabitants of said town and shall then exercise and enjoy all civil rights and privileges and be subject to all civil duties and requisitions in like manner as the other inhabitants of said town. Provided, however, that the said inhabitants of the parts thus annexed to the Town of Ellsworth shall be respectively holden to pay their due proportions of all monies granted prior to the passing of this act by either of the Towns to which they heretofore respectively belonged: the same being legally assessed."
Main Street, North Side, 1855.
In 1812 some of the inhabitants of the original township became dissatisfied and made an attempt to restore the town to its original limits, and sent a petition therefor to the General Court :
PETITION OF 1812.
"To the Honorable, the Senate and House of Represent- atives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General Court assembled in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and twelve. "We, the Inhabitants of the Town of Ellsworth, as originally bounded, Respectfully represent that in consequence of an
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
application of a part of the inhabitants of Surry, Trenton and Ellsworth, to your Honorable body, a portion of Surry and Trenton against the inclinations of your petitioners and in opposition to a Remonstrance of the Town of Ellsworth, were set off to the said Town, as will appear by a Copy of the above mentioned Remonstrance annexed, which passed unanimously at a legal meeting holden in consequence of an order of notice on the petition of Solomon Jordan and others served upon said Town, and presented to the Legislature in their session of May, 1808. Your petitioners beg leave also to represent that before the alteration the Town was remarkably united, which is not now the case, from the numerous conflicting interests which never can be reconciled, that further such a weight of population and strength is added to the extremity of the Town, that confid- ing in that strength they attended only to their own individual advantage-Regardless of the General interest, and more particularly to that of the old Town of Ellsworth-we also wish further to state that one Great reason for some of the inhab- itants of Ellsworth concurring in the former petition was the establishment of a minister, but from the overbearing majority situated as before mentioned in the extremity of the Town we have every reason to apprehend that the meeting house will be so placed as that we shall derive but little advantage from it, and added thereto three hundred acres of land which we appropriated to the first settled minister will be lost forever to Ellsworth, as originally bounded,-that the expenses of the Town have been greatly increased since the annexion, by con- tinual disputes respecting the roads in that part of Surry so annexed-
"Your petitioners beg leave also to represent that the boundaries of Ellsworth was originally sufficiently extensive for a town,-that a road is contemplated from Union River to Orrington on Penobscot River, and as it will pass through lands well calculated for settlement there is every reason to expect that the center of population at no distant day will be near the center of the Old Town of Ellsworth,-but the inhabitants of that part of Surry which has been annexed to Ellsworth are applying for a road from Buckstown to Union River, not a rod of which passes through the Old Town, and though the
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
inhabitants of it will be burthened with a part of the expense of making it, yet they will not only derive no advantage from the same, but will find the present existing inequalities greatly increased thereby,-the privilege of sending a Representative to the Legislature is estimated as it ought to be, by your petitioners, but we do not wish to be compelled by any influences whatever to send one when we think it unnecessary, -for thousand other reasons we Respectfully solicit that the Town may be restored to its ancient limits, and as in duty bound will ever pray.
(Signed)
John Jellison
Benjamin Maddocks
Asa Wormwood
James Smith
Daniel Moor Edward Garland
John Hopkins
Asa McGray
Edward Moor
Allen Milliken
Oliver Maddocks
John Garland
Wyatt Moor
Joseph Moore
John Chamberlain
Elijah Smith
Nathaniel Jellison
John Whidden
Robert Milliken, Jun.
Gara Townsend
Asa Milliken
Sam' Maddocks, Junior
George Brimmer
Edwin Moor
Josiah Garland, Jr.
Alexander Moor
Abner Moore Thomas Garland
Ross Hopkins
Josiah Garland
Robert Milliken
Sam' Maddocks
Benjamin Moore."
Allen Hopkins
In 1821 all that part of the original township of Surry lying west of Union River in Ellsworth was set back to Surry through the influence of Leonard Jarvis. This was against the wishes of the inhabitants residing on the territory, the most of whom dated their letters Ellsworth as before. The Ellsworth post office was in Surry and the Surry post office six miles away. In 1829 the Surry territory was reannexed to Ellsworth through the influence of John Black .*
The Town of Trenton, August 26, 1803, laid out a road to Joseph Morrison's (S. S. Estey's) house and from his house due north two hundred and forty rods to the town line. Counting the telegraph poles from the Morrison house, twenty-four or twenty-five poles, ten rods apart, brings this line between the road leading to J. W. Coombs' (Treat Farm) house and the road leading to Gideon Cook's (Davis Farm) house. Mr. Eben E. Morrison, grandson of the original settler, Joseph Morrison, (*Maine Hist. Mag.)
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
lived in the old house and in 1893 stated that the line was between the two roads above mentioned. When, in 1809, a part of Trenton was set off to Ellsworth a considerable portion of the new road became an improvement to the Town.
In 1805 the towns-people organized a military company with Col. John Black as captain. The company was in the Second Regiment, Second Brigade, Tenth Division of the Massachusetts Militia. June 30, 1810 the company agreed on their uniform, "which is a red coat trimmed up with black, white waistcoat and pantaloons trimmed with red cord, black gaiters, and caps
The Granite Block, 1855. Building at left on site of Liberty National Bank.
like the Raynham company, or hats in form of officers' hats, with feathers."
One of the first omens of a prosperous young settlement is the sign of an inn or boarding house. It usually implies that people from the outside world are in the habit of visiting the town for business purposes. For many years one, Porter Sawyer, kept a place known as the "Old Mill Boarding House." This was one of the first boarding houses in Ellsworth. The house was situated somewhere on the east side of the river. I believe that he later located on the site of the Odd Fellows'
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
Block. From a letter written by John G. Deane to Rebecca D. Padelford (afterwards his wife) in 1809, I have extracted the following description of his first boarding place at Ellsworth. It was kept by Porter Sawyer, "a clever and industrious man ; he likes good living and good cheer; he came from Reading, Massachusetts." But it is evident so far as household affairs were concerned, Mrs. Sawyer was the chief personage. She is described as an "intelligent and, considering her opportu- nities, a superior woman." There were also at the same house "Mrs. Captain Peters; her husband resided in Boston." Mrs. Peters "has a fine little boy, named Alexander Hamilton Peters. A missionary preacher, John Brewer by name, boards here; he is an intelligent, social and well informed young man. The physician (Moses Adams?) of the place boards here; he is a clever young man ; but the place is very healthy, therefore the people can dispense with a physician of the first rank. The schoolmaster is likewise a boarder."
Until 1820 roads of any length were not known here and prior to that time all of the provisions were brought by vessels. It was sometimes necessary for the towns-folk to unload their supplies from the boats down at the mouth of the river, the boats being unable to arrive at other ports per schedule if they run up to the town. In those days apples were almost an unobtainable luxury. I have an account of the towns-people, having gone down to Union River Bay in rafts and small boats (in 1809) to meet a vessel, from the captain of which they purchased seventy barrels of apples. For many Sundays thereafter most of the folks enjoyed apple pies. Strawberries and gooseberries were almost the only fruit that the country roundabout then produced, and they grew in abundance.
For several winters the condition of the poor was wretched, but after 1809 the vessels came more often and carried larger stores of provisions. If any of the people were then in need, it was because they were unwilling to work.
Developments necessitate developments. As the town grew and business increased, the town meetings became more frequent. The townsmen experienced many inconveniences and uncertainties meeting in the different houses and shops. The military company had also expanded and become more active.
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
Thus, some common place of meeting was voiced as necessary. Accordingly a Town House was constructed in State Street at a place commonly known as "Town House Hill," in 1810. This building was used until 1843 for town meetings; a school house; for the training of the Militia, and all other town purposes. At that time it was moved to Main Street and renovated, and is now occupied by Mrs. Harriet Giles.
In the war of 1812, Ellsworth played a comparatively small part, but the citizens of the town, as loyal and patriotic as were their fathers of the Revolution, displayed the greatest enthu- siasm in the cause of our country, and manifested a sincere and earnest spirit of willingness to undergo self-sacrifice and
Winter, 1923
privation and to render all the aid in their power for the success of the American arms. In the fall of 1814, when the British so suddenly swooped down upon and attacked and pillaged this section of Maine, almost all of Ellsworth's fighting men were absent from the town, aiding their fellow-country- men in their struggles on Penobscot Bay. The town was left inadequately defended and suffered much from the depredation of the British .*
The embargo established by the government during the war and for about two years after it, caused considerable suffering in the town by the loss of the trade-coast service. The suffer- ing was increased in 1813 by failure of the crops. There was no wheat flour and very little corn meal, which compelled the (*Lawton, Loring & Jordan's Register of Ellsworth, Surry & Bluehill.)
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HISTORY OF ELLSWORTH
people to go to extremes for food. But no situation is so utterly barren that we may not look for relief, and the next harvest brought a great amount of prosperity with its extremely plenti- ful crops.
In about the middle of the nineteenth century the Hon. Joseph Deane wrote a manuscript on the appearance of the town when he came here in 1820. Some parts of the work seem to be ambiguous but it is of historical importance and deserves a place in this history. Therefore I have copied it from the original and enclosed in parentheses all possible correc- tions.
"Ellsworth as it was when first visited by the writer
State Street, Winter 1923
(Joseph Deane) in 1820 stood on the east side of the river and consisted of seven dwellings, five stores and one law office. The dwellings were occupied by Andrew Peters (where A. P. Royal resides), Benjamin Jordan (Public Library), Samuel Dutton (where Estey's Laundry now stands), Samuel Jordan (on the site of D. E. Linnehan's store), John G. Deane (on the site of T. C. Smith's store), Henry Bowers (on the site of the James P. Whitmore house-recently torn down) and Theodore Jones (on the site of the Smith & Head block). The stores were oc- cupied by Thomas J. Whiting (about where Moor, Foster & Hillgrove are), Andrew Peters (Chief Justice Peters' father- on the site of present Peters Block), Benjamin Jordan (on site
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