USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Gorham > History of Gorham, Me. > Part 3
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"IT IS HOPED THAT the neglect of these petitionrs so long or the provinces having disposed of the Nipmug Country to others & so defeated their ancient Grants will not be thought to wear out any more than it rewards their merit. The Grant seems to be made in acknowledgmt both of yr promise & of yr fulfilling ye Condition & being well entitled to it, & there is great Reason to fear that publick Guilt wd ly upon the Country if we should neglect and continue in the Breach of this promise after it has been made & omitted for above fifty years. As to the late Grant of two Townships to Seven or Eight
25
NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS.
hundred of these Soldiers, It is so far below the Value of the Land they Conquer'd, & the Price the province had for it when it was sold, & the money divided to the Colonies that carried on the War, It is such a Pittance of wt they obtained for us, so exceedingly beneath wt the province has defeated them of which was granted to abt Two thirds of them in the Nipmug Country, that it is rather mocking & deriding - them to offer it. Beyond wt has been offered it shd be Considered that to Grant the present petition, & give such a quantity of Land as may be worth Settling, & upon Conditions of bringing forward Townships is much more agreeable to Charter & for the publick Good than to Give away Tracts of Land & suffer & even tempt men to let them ly waste & unimprov'd, for in the way that has been proprosed & in which some Progress has been made, the Lands will be divided into such Scraps that they will not be worth receiving.
"In Council read
A year from this time the matter was again brought up by a second petition from Thomas Tilestone and others; and in June, 1732, on a third petition from the same the following action was taken :
(From the Massachusetts Court Records, June 9, 1732.)
"A PETITION of Thomas Tilaston & others a Committee in behalf of the Officers & Soldiers in the Narrhaganset War, PRAY- ING the Revival of a Vote pass'd by both Houses on their former Petition given in at the last winter Session for Enlarging the Grant of Land formerly made to them in Consideration of their great Services to this PROVINCE in the Sd War - In the House of Representves Read & in answer to this Petition, -ORDERED that such further Grant be made the petition's as yt Every One Hundred & Twenty Persons whose Claims have been or shall be allowed of by this Court within four months of this Time may have a Township of the Con- tents of Six Miles square under ye same Restrictions & Limitations with those Towns already granted, & that the Commtee formerly appointed to lay the Towns of the Narraganset Soldiers be a Com- mittee to lay out the Land above granted, & the PROVINCE be at the Charge of laying out the Same, but not of any Subdivisions to any particular persons.
"In Council Read & Concurred
Consented to."
An additional list of officers and soldiers of the Narragansett war was presented to the General Court, and the following action taken, April 26, 1733 :
(From the Massachusetts Court Records, April 26, 1733-)
" A PETITION of a Commtee for the Narraganset Soldiers, SHEW- ING that there are the Number of EIGHT HUNDRED & FORTY persons Enter'd as Officers & Soldiers in the late Narraganset War,
26
HISTORY OF GORHAM.
PRAYING that there may be such an addition of Land granted to them as may allow a Tract of six miles Square to Each One Hundred & Twenty men so admitted.
In the House of Representves Read & ORDERED that the Prayer of the Petition be granted and that Major Chandler Mr Edward Shove Coll: Thos Tilestone M' John Hobson & Mr Samuel Chandler (or any three of them) be a Commtee fully authorized & impowered to Survey & lay out five more Tracts of Land for Townships, of the Contents of Six miles Square each, in some of the unappropriated Lands of this province & yt sd Lands (together with the two Towns before granted), be granted & disposed of to the Officers & Soldiers who were in the Narraganset War, or to their lawful Representves as they are or have been allowed by this Court being Eight Hundred & forty in number in the whole, and is in full Satisfaction of the Grant formerly made them by the General Court as a reward for their publick Service; and the Grantees shall be obliged to Assemble within a short Time as they can conveniently, not exceeding the Space of two months & proceed to the Choice of Commtees respectively to regulate Each Propriety or Township whch is to be held & enjoyed by One Hundred & twenty of the Grantees each & in equal propor- tion who shall pass such Orders & Rules as shall effectually oblige them to Settle Sixty Families at least within each Township with a learned orthodox Minister within the space of Seven Years from the Date of this Grant, PROVIDED always that if the said Grantees shall not Effectually settle the sd Number of Families in Each Town- ship & also lay out a Lot for ye first Settled Minister one for the Ministry & one for the School in Each of the said Townships, they shall have no Advantage of, but forfeit their respective Grants, any- thing to the Contrary contained Notwithstanding; the Charge of the Survey to be paid by the province
"In Council; Read & Concurr'd .- Consented to J BELCHER.
In this we find the rule of settlement for the five last townships granted, which includes Narragansett No. 7.
The Narragansett battle took place in 1675, and by the time the Grants were made by the General Court in 1733 it will be seen that besides those that perished in the fight, most of the survivors, by reason of the lapse of time, must have passed away; and it would be but natural that there should be many conflicting claims among the heirs. To settle these claims and rectify mistakes in the list of Grantees, committees were appointed from both Houses to attend to the affair. On April 18, 1734,
(From the Massachusetts Court Records, April 18, 1734.)
"Thomas Palmer Esqr from the Committee of both Houses on the Affair of settling the Towns granted to the Narraganset soldiers gave in the following Report; viz.
27
NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS.
"The COMMITTEE to whom was referr'd the Affair of the Narraganset Claimers are of OPINION that the Consideration of Admitting such Claimers as heretofore omitted presenting or proving their Claims should be refer'd to the Session of the General Court in May next; THAT the true Intent & Meaning of the Grant made of Lands to those that were in that War was that the Persons who were in that War, only should be entitled, if alive, whosoever put in his Claim, and if deceased, then his legal Representves were entitled to benefit thereby, in such way as was consistent with the Conditions & Limitations of Settlement &c, upon which said Lands were granted; which it was never supposed a Deceased Claimers Heir (in ordinary Cases) could or would receive where there were more than one on the Conditions of the Grant, but that where there were divers descend- ants of a person that had a Right they would agree & consent it should belong to one only ; but WHEREAS in some cases by reason of an evil Mind & turbulent disposition, & in others by reason of Minority there is a great difficulty ; We propose that it be RESOLVED & ORDERED That where the Person is deceased who was in the service, the Grant shall be and belong to his legal Representves in the following manner; viz. THAT the oldest Heir Male, if such there be, otherwise the oldest Female, if they please shall hold the Land, paying to the other descendants or Heirs such proportionable parts of Ten Pounds (at which we judge a Right ought to be valued) as such descendants or Heirs would be entitled to in the Land, if such Land descended according to the Law of this Province for the Settle- ment of Intestate Estates; & also pay what charge any of said descendants may have been at to prove or bring forward such claims ; and if any dispute shall happen about the Person or charge, the Settlers or Grantees in such of the Towns shall fix and settle it by a Major Vote. THE COMMITTEE IS FURTHER OF OPINION that the seven years for settling the Towns granted to the Narragan- set Claimers as well the two first as the five last be computed from the first day of June next: In the Name & by the order of the Commtee Tho. Palmer.
"In Council; Read and ORDERED that this Report be accepted : - In the House of Representves Read and Concur'd; Consented to, J. BELCHER."
The eight hundred and forty grantees met on Boston Common in 1733, where on the 6th of June, at an adjourned meeting, it was
" Voted that the Grantees allowed by the General Court amounting to the Number of Eight hundred & forty in the whole be divided into Seven distinct Societys: each Society to Consist of One Hundred & Twenty of the old Grantees which Society shall be Intitled to one of the Townships Granted to the Narrogansit Soldiers
"That one of the said Societys shall Consist Mostly of the pro- prietors belonging to the Towns of Barnstable Yarmouth Eastham Sandwich Plimouth Tisbury Abbington Duxbury & one of Scituate."
28
HISTORY OF GORHAM.
It was also voted that Col. Shubal Gorham, Mr. Timothy White, and Robert Sandford should be a committee for this society, to form a part of the Joint Committee of twenty-one members -three from each society-to assign the different townships. This committee met at Luke Verdey's in Boston, on the seventeenth of October, of the same year (1733), and proceeded to number the townships. It is said that No. I (Buxton), on the Saco river, was first assigned to the society from Ipswich and vicinity, and that the remainder were then disposed of by lot, which resulted as follows: Narraganset No. 2, at "Wachuset," now Westminster, Mass., to Jas. Lowden and others; No. 3, at "Souhegan-West," now Amherst, N. H., to Richard Mower and others; No. 4, first laid out at " Amoskeag Falls," on Merrimack river, now Goffstown and a part of Manchester, N. H .. and, subsequently at what is now Greenwich, Mass., to Edward Shove and others ; No. 5, called "Souhegan-East," now Bedford, part of Manchester and part of Merrick, N. H., to Col. Thomas Tileston and others; No. 6, now Templeton, Mass., to Samuel Chandler and others; and No. 7, now Gorham, Me., to Shubael Gorham and others.
Following is the list of Grantees of Narragansett No. 7, together with the number of the lot, consisting of thirty acres, and bearing the same number as the right, affixed to each Proprietor's name.
BARNSTABLE.
Mary Douenour,
38
- John Phinney,
87
Jacob Hinkley,
122
Joseph Bearse,
81
John Carmon,
22
Samuel Hinkley, 80
George Lewis,
14
Samuel Davis,
98
John Hathaway,
40
Samuel Allyn,
70
Joseph Higgin,
86
John Lewis's heirs,
I
Samuel Bryant,
54
Caleb Lumbert,
19
Richard Ellingham,
21
Joseph Gorham,
64
Samuel Childs,
118
Josiah Davis,
23
Samuel Barnam,
13
Ebenezer Goodspeed,
85
Samuel Linnell,
89
Ebenezer Clap,
100
Dr. Matthew Fuller,
69
Lot Conant,
33
Samuel Fuller,
20
Jedediah Lumbert,
47
Thomas Fuller,
25
Samuel Cops,
97
Increase Clap,
16
Joseph Blush,
27
Joseph Taylor,
72
John Howland,
III
John Duncan,
15
John Clarke,
II5
Bartholomew Hamblen,
88
Shubal Gorham, Jr., for his father John, 63
Eleazer Hamblen,
42
Thomas Huggins,
14I
Joseph Crocker,
II4
John Goodspeed,
II2
NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS.
YARMOUTH.
Samuel Barker, for his
Richard Taylor,
120
father, Samuel,
74
William Chase,
II3
William Gray, for his
Capt. Jno. Gorham,
96
father, William,
71
Thos. Baxter,
84
John Thatcher,
31
John Hallitt,
93
John Matthews,
55
Thos. Thortons,
3
William Gray,
4
James Maker,
6
Samuel Hall,
5
James Claghorn,
7
Joseph Hall,
119
Samuel Hedge,
83
Nathaniel Hall,
8
Joseph Wildens,
30
Samuel Thomas,
34
Jonathan Smith,
17
Samuel Jones,
9
Richard Tayler,
18
Thomas Felton,
IO
John Gage,
52
William Fellows,
12
William Gage,
49
Ananias Wing,
IIO
John Crowell,
75
John Chase,
108
Henry Golds,
60
Richard Lake,
102
Jabez Gorham,
109
Henry Gage,
50
Yelverton Crowell,
62
John Pugsley,
106
Daniel Baker,
107
Jonathan Whites,
78
Samuel Baker,
79
William Baker,
43
EASTHAM.
Timothy Cole, for his father, Timothy,
Jeremiah Smith, for his father, Jeremiah,
91
Jonathan Grew for his father-in-law Daniel Cole,
59
Doan, for their father Saml Berry,
36
Thomas Paine,
9.4
Jedediah Higgins,
65
Eliakim Higgins,
II
Joseph Downings,
104
Benjamin Downings,
103
John Freeman,
34
Jonathan Sparrow,
92
John Knowles,
,73 .
Samuel Atkins,
67
John Doan,
51
Thomas Mulford,
90
Daniel Doan,
29
John Walker,
53
John Myrick,
82
Nathaniel Williams,
58
Josiah Cooks,
76
Joseph Harding,
39
George Brown, for his
father George, 44
SANDWICH.
Jonathan Morrey, for
Samuel Tobey, for his uncle Samuel Knott, 48
his wife's brother Foster,
68
Nathaniel Wing, for his father Nathaniel, 45
Samuel Gibbs,
37
James Atkins,
61
John Davis, for his
brother Ben,
56
Jehosophat_Eldridge, 35
41
Joseph and Samuel
¥
29
30
HISTORY OF GORHAM.
PLYMOUTH.
William Ring, Thomas Savery, for his father Samuel,
46 Peter Tinkman, for his father Peter,
26
TISBURY.
Jonathan Lumbert,
II7
ABBINGTON.
William Harrage,
66
DUXBURY.
Robert Barker,
IOI
Robert Sandford, for his
Thomas Bonney,
32
father Robert, 95
Stephen Sampson,
97
Thomas Hunt, for his
uncle Thos. Hunt, 77
Thomas Standish, for his uncle Henry Clark,
105
SCITUATE.
Timothy White, for his father Timothy,
II6
28
That the committee appointed to rectify the list did not perform their work very thoroughly is shown by the following petition, which we find in the old Proprietors' Records :
"To his Excellency Jonathan Belcher, Esq., Captain General and Commander in Chief, in and over his Majesty's Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, &c.
" To the hono: ble the Council & Representatives now sitting, April 7, 1741, Humbly sheweth Shubal Gorham, Esq in Behalf of several of his neighbours & at their requests, *
"That wheras the General Court some time since made a Grant of Lands to the Soldiers of Narrogansett Fight so Calld. & a List of Names of such was accordingly Taken; But so it was in the perfect- ing or Taking said List By Mistake of the Clark, or scribers, the names of some was wrong Entered viz.t in said List is Entered Richard Tayler alive and Richard Taylers heirs, wheras the Latter should have been Jnº Taylers heirs; There not being Two Richd. Taylers in said Company, But that there was one Jnº Tayler : & another viz.t Entered Wm Gray For his Father Willm & Willm Gray :s heirs, there not Being two Wm Grays in said Company, But that their was one Edward Gray: & another vizt Entered Joseph Croker wheras It should have Been Josiah Croker. Your Memoralist well knowing their mistakes to be so & that there was no such person as Joseph Croker of Barnstable in said Company in Service, But that there was Josiah Croker in said Company; & that their several heirs have Carried on the Charges of Bringing on the settlement & performed the order of Court Accordingly. Wherfore your Memor-
31
NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS.
alist in Behalf of his neighbors humbly Moves that an order of This Court may Be, so that the Names of the said John Tayler Edward Gray & Josiah Croker may be Entered & that Their several heirs may Accordingly Enjoy the wrights of Their said Ancestors, & your Memoralist in there Behalf, as in duty Bound, Shall pray. April 8, 1741. Shubal Gorham.
" In the House of Representatives April 10, 1741 .-
Read & Ordered that Ye prayer of The Petition Be Granted & the Mistakes Mentioned are allowed to be Rectify'd Accordingly.
Sent up for Concurrance J Quincy Speaker.
" In Council April 10, 1741,
Read & Concurred, J. Williard Secty.
Consentd to J Belcher."
In 1736 Shubael Gorham received the following order from the General Court : -
(From the Massachusetts Court Records, July 5, 1736.)
" In the House of Represents ORDERED that Shubal Goreham Esqr be and hereby is fully authorized and Impowered to Assemble and Convene in some Suitable place and as soon as may be the Grantees of the Narragansett Town Number Seven, adjoining to Falmouth, & Pesumpsutt River, in the County of York, made to the Narragansett Officers and Soldiers in the Company Under the Com- mand of the late Capt Goreham desed, and in answer to the petition of the said Shubal Goreham Esq' That the said Grantees in such time and place make choice of a proprietors Clerk and pass such Rules and Orders as may be agreeable to the Conditions of the Grant for bringing forward the Settlement of the Township and also to agree on Some Regular method how to Call proprietors meeting for the future.
" In Council Read & Concur'd -- Consented to J BELCHER "
A meeting, in accordance with the above order, was held, and after choosing a clerk, adjourned for further business. (This was the first meeting called.) The adjourned meeting failed on account of the clerk not appearing at the meeting, as the following taken from the Massachusetts records will show; but of these meetings no record, so far as we are aware, has been preserved.
(Massachusetts Archives, Vol. 114, pp. 670-2.)
" To his Excely William Shirley, Esq', Capt Gen1 & Govr in Chief, the honble, the Council & Representves in Gen1 Court assembled II Aug. 1741.
" The petition of Shubal Gorham Esqr for himself & rest of ye pro- prietors of the Naraganset Township No Seven joyning to Falmouth & Pesumpsutt River in the County of York
32
HISTORY OF GORHAM.
" Humbly Sheweth :
That on the fifth of July 1736 by an Act of the Gen' Court the sd Shubal was impowered in some suitable place as soon as might be to convene the Grantees of the sd Townships for divers purposes & among the rest to agree upon some regular method how to call proprietors' meetings for the future.
That he then accordingly called the sd meeting & did several things & adjourned to a future day, when they should have proceeded upon further business & particularly to agree on ye method for call- ing future meetings, but that adjournment failed by the clerk's casual absence, & so they are disabled to call any meetings as their present occasions necessarily require
Wherefore yr petitioner humbly prays that he may be anew empow- ered to convene the Grantees & proprietors aforesd to do what their present occasions require & agree on some proper method to call proprietors' meetings for the future & yr petitioner as in duty bound shall ever pray.
Shubal Gorham.
" In Council Oct. 7th 1741. Read and ORDERED that the prayer of the Petition be granted & that the Petion' be & hereby is empowered to convene the Grantees & Pro- prietors within mentioned for the Purposes mentioned in the Petition -Sent down for Concurrence
J. Willard Secry. "In the House of Representves Read & Concur'd J. Hobson Spkr "Consented to W. Shirley."
Upon receipt of this order, Col. Gorham issued this warrant for a meeting :
"To the Proprietors or Grantees of the Narrogansett Township No. 7. Persuant to the Authority to me for This purpose Granted by the Great & General Court you are here by required to assemble & meet at the dwelling house of Mr. John Phinney at the aforesaid Township at Tuesday the 24th of November Next at Ten of the Clock before Noon & there to Chuse a proprietors Clark & to Agree on some Methods for Calling Meetings of said Proprietors for the future as also to Take the proper measure for defraying the Needful Charge that May arise in Erecting a Meeting house for the Public worship supporting a Minister in the Winter season or otherwise as said proprietors shall agree & to act & Transact such Other Matters & things as by the said proprietors shall then be thought Necessary. Given under my hand & Seal this 18th day of October Anno Domini 1741
Shubal Gorham."
The meeting was held Nov. 24, 1741, and is the first meeting of which we have any record. At this meeting Moses Pearson was
33
NARRAGANSETT WAR AND GRANTS.
chosen Moderator, and John Gorham, Clerk. It was adjourned until the 26th, when among other business done, it was voted to build a meeting house. This meeting was adjourned till April 27. As Mr. Pearson, being a member of the General Court, could not attend this adjournment, Shubal Gorham, Esq., again, April 23, 1742, petitioned the General Court for liberty to call another meeting, and liberty was granted him to call a Proprietors' meeting, which was notified to meet at the house of Moses Pearson at Falmouth, May 19th, at 10 o'clock A. M.
CHAPTER III.
THE INDIANS IN AND ABOUT GORHAM.
The history of the Indian tribes that inhabited the region of coun- try now known as the County of Cumberland, in the State of Maine, in or about the year 1736, when the white man first attempted a settlement in the town of Gorham, is involved in much mystery. Historians at that day were few to chronicle their deeds of arms and civil and religious history. They noted only those deeds which were called Indian aggressions, and Indian murders. The settlers were men who had other business on their hands, which to them was of more vital importance. Most of these men were poor, and came here for the purpose of making a settlement and getting a living, having fam- ilies to provide for; and all their time was required to procure even the bare necessaries of life for their support, and they were often much harassed, and their lives jeopardized by the very people with whose history we at this day would be glad to be made more acquainted ..
At the time of the first settlement of Maine, the country was not very thickly settled by the natives ; disease and other casualties had, we have reason to believe, much thinned their numbers, but those that remained were a brave, hardy race, inured to a cold climate and the hardships of the chase and of war. And as we wish to confine our history to a small space of territory, we do not deem it necessary to go far into the history of the Indian tribes of the State generally, but will treat more particularly of those of that part now known as the town of Gorham, and its immediate neighborhood. The natives, that in time of peace were usually met with by the first settlers on the above-named territory, were of the Ossipee, Pickwocket and Androscoggin tribes. The Ossipee were on the river of that name, on the borders of New Hampshire ; the Pickwockets on the Saco River, at what is now called Fryeburg, and the Androscoggins were on the Androscoggin River. These were the principal locations of the tribes, or where they had their villages. At this time these tribes were much reduced in the number of their warriors, owing to their frequent wars with each other, and their battles with the English, and
35
THE INDIANS IN AND ABOUT GORHAM.
the migration which had taken place among them ; many having gone to Canada, and joined the St. Francis and other Canadian tribes, not choosing to submit to the English. These were much under the influence of the Catholic priests, who were French Jesuits, and with whom their religion was as much for the service of the State as for the salvation of the souls of men, and to the French this influence over the natives was of no small consequence.
Those of the tribes who remained in the neighborhood of the English settlements were induced to do so from the fact that their local situation was such as to insure them the means of an easy sub- sistence. Good fishing-places, and the opportunities of trade were, in the opinion of the natives, not to be thought of lightly. And as hunting for peltry for the English market was not the work for all sea- sons, and as subsistence had to be procured when the chase failed, no place could afford better facilities for this than the seashore. The seashore then was as much a summer resort for the natives of the forest as now for the more modern inhabitants of the land. Shell- fish were consumed by them, as appears from the remains of the shells found in large quantities about the shore. The clambake is not the invention of modern fashionables, but dates, probably, far back with the Red man. The bow and arrow, spear, hook and net were used in their hunting and fishing, and besides this, the Indi- ans were expert at snaring and trapping. Their arms and implements, before acquaintance with the whites, were of rude construction, made of bones of animals and hard stones ; and the nets, of twine twisted from the bark of trees ; and to ensure success in their use required much dexterity, skill and patience. Many of these ancient imple- ments are found, at the present day, in the piles of clam shells, which accumulated under the hands of the natives on the seashore.
Previous to the war of 1745, the Indians in Gorham were much more numerous than the whites, but were not troublesome, otherwise than by continual begging and stealing from the settlers. This was often exceedingly aggravating to the latter, as it was only by the greatest exertions, and many privations, that they were enabled to support their families, and to supply their necessary wants, but their situation made it for their interest to keep on good terms with their neighbors when the sacrifice was not too much.
When the first settlers came into the town of Gorham there were a number of Indian trails or roads through the town. There was quite a resort for the Indians about Sebago Pond, in the vicinity of what is called Indian Island. From there they had a trail toward
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