USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Gorham > History of Gorham, Me. > Part 53
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GENEALOGY.
raised. Women have been known to travel three miles on snow- shoes to attend the meetings. It is not our intention or wish to make any misstatements, or give too high a coloring to these doings, for they were high enough and singular enough in themselves. (See article on the " Come-outers, or New Lights.")
George Hamblen and some of his family were greatly wrought upon, and took a deep interest in this movement, and we have reason to think that they conscientiously believed it was all right. On the blowing over and cooling down of the excitement, there appears to have been a division even among the faithful. The old society having settled the Rev. Caleb Jewett, who was a very popular man, some returned to their old home, but the Free Will Baptists took the largest share, and a large and flourishing society grew up on Fort Hill, which included many of our best and most substantial citizens. The Shakers carried off quite a number, and some joined the Society of Friends, among whom were George Hamblen and his family, where he and his wife were honest and upright members as long as they lived. Mr. Hamblen, being a Quaker, did not aspire to any military office; and being an honest man, had but little to do with political affairs. Living quietly on his farm, his whole aim seemed to be to love his neighbor as himself, and to do justice to all, and to serve his God according to the dictates of his own conscience and the rules laid down in the Scriptures.
Mrs. Hamblen died Sept. 2, 1830, at the age of 74, and Mr. Hamblen, Dec. 18, 1834, aged 85. Their graves are side by side on the old farm, and on the spot where they erected their first log house, and commenced their clearing, more than fifty years before the death of Mr. Hamblen.
(3) Enoch Hamblen, son of Timothy, lived for many years in Gorham, where he and his brother John carried on the mills above Fort Hill, which had formerly belonged to their father. He was also a farmer and sailor. He married Happy, daughter of Zebulon and Hannah Whitney. Children :
Abigail, b. Mar. 21, 1803. Martha. b. Dec. 16, 1805.
Allen T., b. Aug. 8, 1807, m. Hannah J. Wentworth; was a cooper in Gorham ; d. in 1888.
Eunice S., b. Apr. 2, 1809.
Hannah, b. Sept. 21, 1811.
Esther, b. Sept. 11, 1814, m. Daniel Wentworth, June 3, 1840
Mary E., b. Feb. 4, 1820, d. July, 1821.
Enoch Hamblen moved to Baldwin. He died Nov. 28, 1843, aged 70. His wife Happy died July 20, 1852, aged 74.
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HISTORY OF GORHAM.
(3) John Hamblen, son of Timothy, lived on the north side of Horse Meadow road, in the two-story house still known as the Hamblen house. He married Olive Murch of Buxton. Children :
Hannah, b. May 20, 1808, d. unm. Dec. 13, 1879.
Susan, b. Oct. 21, 1809.
William, b. Apr. 15, 181I.
Stephen, b. Feb. 10, 1813, d. Aug. 1, 1814.
Grata R., b. May 9, 1815, d. Feb. 27, 1816.
Grata R., b. Nov. 17, 1816, d. Dec. 23, 1853.
Rebecca, b. Dec. 11, 1818, m. Royal Whitney of Buxton, Apr. 29, 1846. Timothy, b. Dec. 17, 1820, d. Nov. 17, 1861.
. Arthur, b. Jan. 11, 1823, d. Oct. 27, 1895. Martha Ann, b. Feb. 12, 1825, m. Henry Murch of Biddeford ; d. Aug. 19, 1865. Emeline, b. Jan. 1, 1827.
John Hamblen died Feb. 28, 1842, aged 61. Mrs. Hamblen died March 17, 1845, aged 55.
(3) John Hamblen, son of George, married Hannah, daughter of James and Deborah Bangs. He lived on the Gray road, where his son George afterwards lived. Children :
James, b. Jan. 9, 1805, lost at sea, Feb. 1, 1833.
Decker P., b. Sept. 18, 1806, d. July 16, 1828.
Caroline, b. Sept. 6, 1808.
Martha, b. July 17, 1810.
Elias, b. Mar. 3, 1812, d. April, 1838.
George, b. Apr. 3, 1814, m. Sarah J., dau. of Morrill and Hannah Elder of Windham. Ch: Edwin, b. Aug. 2, 1844; Ellen, b. Sept. 17, 1848 ; Martha, b. June 23, 1850; Nathan D., b. Jan. 7, 1853, I's in Winthrop. Mr. Hamblen I'd on the Gray road on the farm lately occupied by Melville C. Johnson. Mrs. Hamblen d. in Gorham, Jan. 4. 1854, ag. 36. Mr. Hamblen m. 2d, Christiana Farr of Winthrop, and moved to that town.
Elizabeth, b. Feb. 18, 1816, m. William B. Libby, 1838.
Ruth, b. Oct. 21, 1818, d. Oct. 9, 1850.
Sarah, b. Aug. 28, 1820.
Hannah, b. Oct. 25, 1823, m. and d. in Winthrop.
John Hamblen died in Winthrop, Dec. 22, 1858, and his wife, Feb. 7, 1847, aged 65.
(3) Joseph Hamblen, son of George, lived on the old farm which his father cleared. He married Esther Bangs, sister of his brother John's wife. Children, from their family Bible :
Evelina, b. Dec. 19, 1809, m. Jacob Coburn.
Almery, b. July 31, 1812, m. Betsey Butterfield of Farmington ; I'd in Gorham on the old George Hamblen place. Ch: Adeline, b. Nov. 5, 1835; Esther, b. Mar. 26, 1837; Emily, b. Dec. 1, 1838; Eveline, b. June 14, 1842; Elizabeth Jenette, b. -; Marshall Smith, b. Sept., 1847; Mary Louisa, b. in Farmington. This family moved to Farmington. Mr. Hamblen d. in Windham, Feb. 26, 1862.
Allen, b. May 6, 1814, m. Mary Lunt of Westbrook ; d. in Minneapolis.
Adeline, b. Oct. 15, 1816, d Oct. 15, 1834.
Albert, b. Sept. 10, 1819, m. Cynthia W., dau. of David and Hannah Silla, Oct.
30, 1842. Ch : Henreich, b. Sept. 23, 1843, d. Dec. 3, 1843; Eliza J., ,
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GENEALOGY.
b. Nov. 23, 1844, d. Mar. 19, 1845; Hannah M., b. Feb. 3, 1846, d. Sept. 8, 1847 ; Albert M., b. Aug. 5, 1848, m. Ida O. M. Libby, Jan. 6, 1875; Marcena, b. Nov. 18, 1850, d. Apr. 29, 1857 ; Eveline M., b. Dec. 25, 1852, m. Edward B. True of Windham; Infant son, b. May 2, 1856, d. y. ; Adella, b. Oct. 5, 1857, m. Lorenzo F. Davis of Cumberland Mills, Oct. 5, 1881 ; Joseph E., b. Feb. 17, 1863, d. Mar. 24, 1864. Mr. Hamblen I'd on the old place. He d. Apr. 2, 1890; Mrs. Hamblen d. May 14, 1889.
Andrew R., b. Sept., 1828, d. Oct. 4, 1831.
Joseph Hamblen died Aug. 3, 1851, aged 68, and his wife, April 12, 1867, aged 80 years, 11 months.
The family of Samuel Hamblen claim to be cousins to Timothy, George and Gershom. It is known that the father of Samuel and Prince was a deaf mute, and that his name was Samuel ; none seem to remember the name of his wife, but there is a tradition in the family that they had a maternal ancestor who was a Lewis. The records are somewhat complicated as to the Samuels, but we find a Samuel Hamblen, son of Ebenezer, born Jan. 7, 1722. In the will of John Hamblen, dated Oct. 25, 1735, he says : "I give to my three deaf cousins (children of my brother Ebenezer, viz : Nathan, Samuel and Dorcas Hamblen) " &c. We also find a Samuel Hamblen who married, Dec. 13, 1750, Temperance Lewis. She was probably the daughter of Seth and Sarah (Revis) Lewis of Barnstable, and was baptized April 7, 1734. From the foregoing facts we must infer that the Samuel Hamblen who came to Gorham with his family about the year 1768 was the seventh child of Ebenezer Hamblen and his wife Thankful, and the brother of Gershom Hamblen, the husband of Hannah Almory.
The name of Samuel Hamblen is not on a Gorham tax bill for 1763. It is probable that he came here about the year 1768. Mrs. Hamblen died soon after the family came to Gorham, and it is said she was buried on the old Prentiss lot, near the place where the Methodist church now stands. As there were no monuments erected to mark the place, all traces of her grave and others of the early settlers (among which was the grave of one of the early ministers, the Rev. Mr. Townsend ), are now entirely obliterated by the plow and spade. The last recorded baptism in Barnstable of a child of Samuel and Temperance Hamblen is Mar. 10, 1765. Mr. Hamblen was alive in 1779, for in that year we find Samuel and Samuel, Jr., but do not find his name after that date, which is probably near the time of his death. Children of Samuel and Temperance Hamblen were :
- 1
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HISTORY OF GORHAM.
Tabitha, b.
Samuel, bap. Apr. 11, 1753, m. Molly Clay, p. Nov. 29, 1777.
Ebenezer, , m. Deborah Crockett or Lovell.
Elijah, bap. Nov. 28, 1756, was a Revolutionary soldier; d. in the army, Apr. 12, 1778.
Prince, b. Mar. 4, 1758, m. Bethiah Webb, Mar. 22, 1781.
Nathan, b. -, d. at sea, in Revolution ; unm.
Temperance, bap. Apr. 18, 1762, m. Richard Dresser of Saco, Apr. 5, 1796; I'd in Buxton.
Seth L., b. Jan. 1, 1765, m. Jerusha Sawyer of Buxton, in 1791 ; Revolutionary soldier ; I'd in Brownfield ; went to Shenango, N. Y .; d. Nov. 10, 1834. Sarah, b. Mar. 31, 1767, m. Joshua Crockett, Jr., Nov. 29, 1787.
The first settlement of Samuel Hamblen and his son Samuel, for they seem to have lived together, was on the thirty acre lot, situated one range westerly from South St., on the right-hand side of the Weeks road, so called. This lot was common land and not num- bered, and has since been owned by the late Nathaniel Gould. The old house stood near the head of the brook which we used to know in our younger days as the first, or Samuel Hamblen brook, and where is the man or boy that has been raised at Gorham village, that does not know where to find the first, second or third brook, always famous for little speckled trout? Here Mr. Hamblen and his wife died.
(2) The son Samuel, after the death of his father, moved the old house out to the main road, where it now stands about half a mile from the village. on South St. ; and is owned by William Hanscom. He married Molly, daughter of Richard and Rachel Clay of Buxton. Children :
Elijah, b. Apr. 2, 1779, m. Jane, dau. of Daniel Murch of Buxton, Nov. 12, 18or , d. in Raymond Mar. 20, 1866 ; she in Sept., 1870.
Jonathan, b. Jan. 3, 1781, m. Deborah, dau. of Daniel Murch of Buxton, June 17, 1810; 2d, her sister Hannah, widow of Phineas Parker, I'd in Raymond; d. in Gorham, and she, in Otisfield, Dec. 10, 1860.
Rachel, b. Dec. 21, 1782, m. Toppan Sawyer, Apr. 12, 1801.
Temperance L., Jan. 11, 1785, d. young.
Samuel, b. May 13, 1787, m. Mary Davis Hayden ; I'd in Raymond and Bridgton. Stephen S., b. June 11, 1789, m. Rachel Dunbar of Hingham, Mass., p. Mar. 19, 1814; she d. Oct., 1844; he d. in Top-ham, Me.
Polly, b. Oct. 7, 1791, m. Robert Weeks, July 10, 1843.
Benjamin, b. Nov. 29, 1793, m. Barbara Hamblen in Paris, Me., Nov. 19, 1818.
Temperance L., b. Jan. 30, 1796, m. Richard Lombard, Mar. 17, 1818.
Sophia, b. Mar. 13, 1798, m. Jonathan Bean of Hollis, p. May 20, 1838.
Rebecca, b. Sept. 16, 1800, m. Stephen Larry, Oct. 20, 1822 ; d. in Paris.
Samuel Hamblen, Jr., died Dec. 24, 1834, aged about 82, and his wife, Aug. 12, 1833, aged 77.
(2) Ebenezer Hamblen, son of Samuel, came to Gorham from Barnstable about the year 1773. We find that he purchased Jan. 8, 1773, of Jacob Hamblen the seventy acre lot 40, on which it is prob-
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GENEALOGY.
able he afterwards lived. Aug. 12, 1805, he purchased of Judith Gorham of Boston, an undivided half of the seventy acre lot 41. He was published in Barnstable, Nov. 21, 1772, to Deborah Lovell, but is said to have married Deborah Crockett of Otisfield. Possibly she was a widow, and one and the same person. Children :
Susannah, b. Aug. 7, 1774, m. John Sawyer, Jr., of Standish, Jan. 22, 1797 ; d. in Knox, Me., June 1, 1825.
Sarah, b. Aug. 13, 1776, m. Robert Mayo, Jan. 17, 1796.
Dorcas, b. Aug. 15, 1778, m. Michael Rand, Oct. 18, 1798 ; d. in Buxton, Dec., 1801.
Ebenezer, b. Sept. 13, 1780, m. Betty McCorrison, Jan. 23, 1799; I'd in Knox and Orono.
Dennis, b. Oct. 19, 1782, m. Eunice Carsley, Apr. 7, 1805; moved to Wayne Co., N. Y .; d. in Angola, Ind., Sept., 1851.
Betty, b. Aug. 12, 1784, m. Benjamin Brown, p. Nov. 27, 1803.
Lovell, b. Sept. 4, 1786, d. Apr. 20, 1787.
Love, b. Mar. 17, 1788, d. young.
Levi, b. Aug. 13, 1789, m. Susanna Hamblen of Otisfield, Oct. 24, 1812 ; went to Ohio.
Temperance,
William,
b. Nov. 6, 1791, { d. young.
William G., b. Feb. 23, 1794, m. Relief Tuell, Dec. 3, 1818; a cooper in Bath ; d. June 9, 1853, in Watertown, N. Y.
Deborah, b. Mar. 29, 1796.
We suppose that Ebenezer Hamblen died in 1812. Jan. 29, 1812, he made his last conveyance of property ; and March 16, 1812, his widow relinquished her right of dower in "Knox Plantation," in favor of her son Ebenezer. The family, a few years afterward, sold out and left town. They settled somewhere near Belfast, probably on the Knox land.
A story is told of Sarah, daughter of Ebenezer, who married Robert Mayo and lived in Gorham near the old folks. They had no children, but a waif was found one Sunday morning on their door- step in the shape of a fine male child, good looking, healthy and well dressed, and what was more, an accompaniment of cash, to the amount of five hundred dollars. This, under the circumstances, made everything pleasant. The child was at once adopted and well cared for and grew up to be a good man. It is said that he lived in Windham or Standish. The old lady was of rather grasping dispo- sition, and when she found that there was money in this transaction, she wanted it, and at once claimed the child : she said there was a mistake, and that the intention of the parents was evidently to leave the boy to her. It made quite a stir in the family, but Sarah kept the boy and the money. No one ever knew who were the parents of the child.
(2) Prince Hamblen, son of Samuel, senior, lived for many years on the old Portland road about two miles from the village, where he
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HISTORY OF GORHAM.
occupied a small piece of land. He purchased the old Thurrell house and moved it on to this. This house was recently standing in a dilapidated condition, nearly opposite the house of Merrill W. Mosher. We do not know its age, but it was one of the oldest houses in the town. When owned and occupied by the Thurrells it stood near to the place where the house of Freeman Richardson now stands ; some say on land which is now Mr. Richardson's garden. Prince Hamblen married Bethiah, daughter of David and Dorothy Webb, who lived near the Westbrook town line. Children :
Dorothy, b. Mar. 25, 1782, m. John Wallace of Falmouth, p. July 27, 1811.
Nancy, b. June 20, 1783, m. Ezekiel Bishop, Aug. 18, 1804.
Joseph, b. July 4, 1784, d. in 1784.
Solomon, b. Apr. 27, 1785, d. in 1785.
Fanny, b. Mar. 12, 1786, m. Isaac Chesley, in 1803; d. in Sept., 1856. Sally, b. June 17, 1788, m. Levi Wallace of Falmouth, Apr. 10, 1808.
Katy, b. Sept. 3, 1791, m. Thos. Wallace of Falmouth, Feb. 7, 1811.
Bethia, b. Oct. 22, 1795, m. Nathaniel Watson, Mar. 24, 1825.
David, b. June 13, 1797, d. unm. in Gorham at his sister's (Mrs. Partridge's).
Dennis, b. Apr. 12, 1799, m. Sally Crockett, 1824; d. in Wilton, Sept. 12, 1846. Mary, b. Dec. 16, 1800, m. John W. Partridge, Oct. 13, 1825.
Prince Hamblen probably died Dec. 19, 1834, aged about 76. Mrs. Hamblen survived her husband, dying April 18, 1836, aged 78. He was a soldier of the Revolution, a private in Capt. Williams' company, and marched to Ticonderoga, under Col. Phinney, in 1776 ; he also served in Capt. Mclellan's company in 1779, in the Bagaduce expedition. In the latter part of his life he received a pension from the General Government.
HANSCOM.
George Hanscom came to Gorham from Scarborough about the year 1760, and settled on the thirty acre lot 109, which he purchased of John Williams. His wife was Abigail, daughter of John and Mary (Hanscom) Fogg. She was born in Scarborough, July 20, 1736. Children, the two oldest born in Scarborough :
George, b. Oct. 6, 1754, m. Eunice Whitney, p. Jan. 27, 1776.
Moses, b. Jan. 15, 1759, m. Phebe Crockett, Apr. 23, 1781 ; 2d, Esther Hall.
Hannah, b. Mar. 12, 1761, m. Josiah Swett, Apr. 27, 1783; 2d, John Martin, Nov. 5, 1794.
John, b. May 19, 1763, m. Mary Hanscom, p. June 2, 1792.
Katherine, b. Aug. 9, 1765, m. Ezra Hanson of Windham, Aug. 3, 1788.
Joseph, b. Apr. 30, 1774, m. Polly Bacon, June 3, 1798.
(2) George Hanscom, son of George, married Eunice Whitney. Children :
Abigail, b. Sept. 16, 1776, d. young.
Abigail, b. Oct. 8, 1778.
Eunice, b. Oct. 25, 1780, m. Elisha Sanborn, Dec. 22, 1799. (?)
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GENEALOGY.
Patience, b. 1782.
John, b. June 10, 1784.
Nancy, b. May 3, 1786, m. Solomon Newbegin, p. Apr. 3, 1813.
Catherine, b. June 8, 1788, m. Meltiah Bourne, p. May 28, 1808.
Cyrus, b. Oct. 2, 1790, m. Abigail Hutchins of Gorham, Dec. 29, 1816.
Lewis, b. Oct. 26, 1792, m. Rebecca Johnson, Apr. 14, 1816.
Mattie, b. Oct. 10, 1794.
George, b. Dec. 7, 1797.
Marrett, b. Dec. 27, 1799, m. Polly Thompson, of Buxton, p. Oct. 22, 1819. Mrs. Eunice Hanscom died May 22, 1820.
(2) Moses Hanscom, son of George, at one time owned a farm near the North meeting house. This he sold, and then moved on to the farm, now occupied by Mr. Fenderson, near the Westbrook town line. He married Phebe, the daughter of Pelatiah Crockett. Children :
Sally, b. June 16, 1782.
Hannah, b. Sept. 8, 1788, m. George Rice, p. Apr. 8, 1807.
Mary, b. July 23, 1791, m. John Rice, Nov. 12, 1812.
Rebecca, b. 1797, m. Almon Hanscom, Oct. 26, 1826.
Moses Hanscom married, April 10, 1814, Esther, daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth Hall. He died Oct. 2, 1841.
(2) John Hanscom, son of George, lived on the farm now owned by Chas. A. Brackett. His son Daniel lived on the place just across the road where Mrs. Levi Hamblen lately lived. John married Mary Hanscom of Kittery, and their children were :
Betsey Hill, b. Sept. 26, 1795, m. Ira Baker, Oct. 23, 1825.
Daniel, b. June 15, 1799, m. Mahala Virgin ; d. Mar. 18, 1833.
Rufus, b. Dec. 23, 1801, d. Nov. 20, 1873.
John Hanscom died May 10, 1836, aged 73, and his wife Mary, Feb. 20, 1830, aged 56.
(2) Joseph Hanscom, son of George, lived on the Moses Hanscom place. He married Polly, daughter of Nathaniel Bacon, Jr., by whom he had two children :
Almon, b. Mar. 18, 1799, m. Oct. 26, 1826, his cousin Rebecca Hanscom ; I'd on his father's place, near Saccarappa. Ch .: Mary Ann, b. Jan. 5, 1829, m. Joseph Ellsworth of Ellsworth, d. in 1870; Almon W., b. Apr. 2, 1831, m. Abby H. Strout, Dec. 3, 1857. Mrs. Hanscom d. July 4, 1835, and Mr. Hanscom m. Oct. 9, 1836, Isabella, dau. of Jeremiah and Mary Deering; she d. May 17, 1870, aged 60. Mr. H. d. Sept. 28, 1868. Miranda, b. Sept. 14, 1850, d. young.
Humphrey Hanscom, son of Elisha and Keturah ( Fogg) Hanscom, was born in Scarboro, Jan. 28, 1754. In November, 1791, he bought of Briant Morton, then of Berwick, forty-seven acres of land in the south part of the town of Gorham, near the land of Chas. Morris and Wm. Mclellan. The place is on the cross-road running easterly
550
HISTORY OF GORHAM.
from near Chas. Strout's, and is now owned by Mr. Barker. Mr. Hanscom moved on to this farm shortly after purchasing it. His wife was Esther, daughter of Dea. Joshua and Hannah Libby, of Scarboro, whom he married Sept. 20, 1781. They had four children :
Joshua, b. 1782, m. Abigail Libby.
Keturah, b. 1784, m. William Libby, May 18, 1806.
Hannah, b. 1787, m. John Bradbury.
John, b. , m. Fanny Riggs, Oct., 1813, and 2d, Eunice Sloane.
Humphrey Hanscom died Sept. 19, 1836, aged 82, and his wife Esther, July 3, 1830, aged 72.
(2) John Hanscom, son of Humphrey, married Fanny, daughter of William and Polly (Parker) Riggs, by whom he had :
William, m. Eunice Hanson ; 2d, Mrs. Charlotte Flynn ; d. Sept. 6, 1900. Humphrey, d. young; and another Humphrey who also d. young.
Mrs. Fanny Hanscom died Nov. 22, 1823, aged 40, and Mr. Hanscom married Mrs. Eunice Sloane of Westbrook, by whom he had four children, all born in Westbrook. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, serving as a private in Capt. Toppan Robie's company. He drew a pension from Government for his services at Portland in 1814. After living for a time in Westbrook, he returned to Gorham and lived on the old Hamblen place on South St., where his son William afterwards resided. He died there Nov. 27, 1880, aged 89. His wife Eunice died June 27, 1860, aged 69.
Nathan Hanscom's name appears on the Gorham tax bills as early as 1773. He married, Nov. 14, 1776, Abigail Moody of Scarborough. Children :
Molly, b. Feb. 27, 1778.
Edward, b. Sept. 27, 1779.
HARDING.
John Harding, who settled on the thirty acre lot, 46, lately owned by Mr. E. P. Weston, on the Flaggy Meadow road, and Seth who settled on the hundred acre lot, 12, on South St., lately owned by Mr. Phillips, were brothers. They came to Gorham from Eastham, Mass., about the year 1750.
John Harding was a man of busines capacity. After coming to Gorham he was for several years Collector of the Province taxes, assessed before the incorporation of the town; and quite a land owner. In the year 1757 he was a private in Capt. Woodman's com- pany of Provincials in the Northern Army, in the French war. In
551
GENEALOGY.
the drawing of the seventy acre lots, Mr. Harding drew No. 91, on which Great Falls is located. This lot he sold to his son Zephaniah. In 1767 Mr. Harding and his son John were the possessors of the thirty acre lot 24, known till the present day as " Harding's woods." .. June 26, 1735, Mr. Harding married Thankful Rich of Eastham. She died there, and he married, Mar. 24, 1757, Margaret Cole of the same place, who came to Gorham with him. Children of John and Thankful Harding :
Zephaniah, b. 1737, m. Mary Davis, Nov., 1759; 2d, Lucy Harding. - Nicholas, b. 1739, d. in the army at Lake George, about 1759.
Anna, b. 1747, m. Timothy Hamblen, Sept. 14, 1769.
John, b. 1748, m. Abigail Harding, p. Sept. 13, 1777.
Mary, b. 1750, m. John Butterfield, Nov. 25, 1773; d. Sept. 3, 1830.
Thankful, b. 1752, m. William Murch, Jan. 20, 1774.
There is no record of the death of Mr. Harding, or of his wives, but from examination of the tax bills and other documents, it is prob- able that he died in 1792, aged about 90.
(2) Zephaniah Harding, son of John, was probably a native of Eastham, Mass. He married his first wife in Gorham in 1759. It is not now known at what time he came into town, but from certain cir- cumstances it is probable that it was at the same time with his father John. Zephaniah Harding was one of the levies from the town of Gorham in the Colonial or British army at Fort William Henry on Lake George, at the unfortunate and disastrous surrender of that fort to the French in the year 1757. He and William Files of Gorham were together in the same company, and were marched out of the fort at the same time with the other troops. The disgraceful neglect of the French commander, Gen. Montcalm, to furnish the guard sol- emnly stipulated for in the capitulation, and the awful massacre and butchery committed in consequence of this neglect by the Indians, their allies, on the unarmed prisoners, are matters of history; but the personal and providential escape of our townsmen are matters in which we may be pardoned for having an extra interest.
In the general assault on the unarmed and comparatively helpless prisoners the utmost confusion and terror took possession of all. No one had any definite idea of what was the best course to pursue. Some stood still and were coolly cut down, some were made captives, as the whim took their Indian butchers; some made a rush for the woods through the Indian lines ; in this many were cut down or cap- tured. Harding and Files succeeded in breaking through their foes, but not without being twice in the power of the enemy as prisoners ; by powerful efforts, however, they shook them off, and in the confu-
552
HISTORY OF GORHAM.
sion finally reached the woods. The Indians pursued them and they were often on the point of again falling into their hands, but being young and powerful men they were able to keep ahead, and as night came on they secreted themselves in a large hollow tree that had fallen to the ground. This they had hardly accomplished before they heard the much dreaded footsteps of their pursuers in full chase. The Indians passed directly over their hiding place, and on farther into the woods. Harding and Files knew that the most prudent course for them was to remain still, as their pursuers not finding them would early return and beat the woods, and if they came out their capture would be certain ; it could be no more where they were. Their predictions and calculations proved true, for soon the enemy, finding they had lost the trail, came back with a dreadful howl or whoop. Harding said it was enough to freeze any man's blood, and turn black hair gray, and he said that although Files was a remark- ably dark-skinned man, he was quite white for a while. When the Indians returned, one of them immediately came to the log, and after looking about him for a minute raised his voice in one of the whoops which only an Indian can make, which brought all his companions around him - some six or eight in all - when a most exciting con- versation was carried on by them in their own language, accompanied by a continual stamping on and running around and over the log; all this time the prisoners hardly let a breath escape them ; their suspense was dreadful ; they thought there was barely the thickness of rotten hemlock bark between them and an awful death, but it was no time for exposure, they lay still. Soon operations were commenced by their enemies. Holes were cut and poles run in, but fortunately the pris- oners were not hit by them, and they were not discovered. Still their enemies could not give it up; they had been through the woods and had not found them -if they were not in the log, where were they? Another consultation was held; the result was soon known. By a process known to the natives, fire was quickly made, wood and com- bustible materials were then procured and smart fires made at the ends of the log, which were kept up till well into the night, when as no victim was smoked out, the Indians became convinced that they had fairly lost their game and slowly left for the neighborhood of the fort to join their friends and find other victims on whom to wreak their vengeance.
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