USA > Maine > Oxford County > Paris > History of Paris, Maine, from its settlement to 1880, with a history of the grants of 1736 & 1771, together with personal sketches, a copious genealogical register and an appendix > Part 25
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PRENTISS or Prentice, probably contracted from Apprentice, a form once used but now obsolete.
PRATT, Latin, pratum, a meadow ; or it may be from the Dutch, Prat. proud, arrogant, cunning.
ROWE, a river that overflows its banks ; or it may mean red- haired.
RECORD, same as Rickard or Richard, of which it is a corruption. Our families of this name were early spelled Rickard ; now Record.
ROBINSON or Robertson, the son of Robin or Robert.
RODGERS or Rogers, one desirous of rest. (Teutonic).
RAWSON, a corruption of Ravenson, or perhaps Ralph's son.
RUSSELL, red-haired, or somewhat reddish.
RICHARDS or Rickard, rich, powerful ; ric, rich, and ard, nature. RIPLEY, a market town in Yorkshire.
Russ, a Russian ; so called in Holland.
SHAW, (Scotch) ; a place surrounded by trees ; a lawn, or an open space between woods.
SNow, subtle, crafty. ' From the Dutch snoo.
SHURTLIFF, the "short cliff ;" from the Saxon sceort, short, and cliff.
SMITH, from the Anglo Saxon, smitan, to strike. A smith.
STOWELL or Stoyell ; orthography not known.
SPRAGUE, speech or lanuage, from the Dutch, spraak.
STEVENS, the same as Stephen, from a Greek word signifying a crown.
SWAN, a swan.
SWIFT, a river in England ; also, fleet of foot.
STONE, a town in England ; derivation obvious.
STEARNS or Sterne ; from stern, severe in look, bold.
SOULE, local ; a territory in France.
TUTHILL or Tuttle, local ; a town in Wales.
TRIPP, formerly Tripe.
TWITCHELL or Tuchill ; derivation not known.
TRUE, from Trieu, a river in Betragne, France ; or perhaps from the word true.
WILLIS, the same as Willison ; the son of Willy.
·
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HISTORY OF PARIS.
WINSLOW, the name of a town in Buckinghamshire, England.
WALTON, local ; the name of several villages in England.
WATKINS, from Wat, and the patronymic termination kins; the son of Wat or Walter.
WOODBURY, same as Woodberry.
WILSON, the son of William or Will.
WARREN, from Guarenna in Normandy whence the family came with William the Conquerer.
WYMAN, (Dutch) ; a huntsman.
WHITMAN, the same as Wightman, a stout man.
WALKER, the same as Fuller. In the north of England, a fulling mill is called a "walk-mill."
YATES, an old word for gate ; same as Gates.
YORK, a city in England ; from euere, a wild boar, and ryc, a refuge.
YOUNG, with reference to age.
Many of our surnames have undergone such changes in this country, as to be hardly recognizable. The emigrant ancestor of the Bisbee family, spelled his name Besbedge. The name of Bum- pus or Bump is of French origin, and the first of this name in this country wrote his name Bonpasse. So Delano comes from De La Noye, Cary from Carew, Hamblen and Hamlen from Hamlin, Cas- well from Kearswell, Dunham and Donham, from Downham, Hada- way from Hathaway, Lufkin from Lovekin, Stanley from Standlake, Trueworthy from Treworgy, Atwood from Wood, and Chandler from Chaundler. Many others might be mentioned, but these are suffi- cient to illustrate the point.
DIRIGO
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HISTORY OF PARIS.
CHAPTER XXXII.
POST ROUTES AND POST OFFICES.
The old Methods .- Post-riders .- Mails once a Week .- The March of Improvement .- Single Wagons .- Two and then Four Horse Coaches .- Character of the Old Drivers .- Opening of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad .- List of Post Officers and Postmas- ters in Paris .- Postal Receipts 1826.
The march of progress is nowhere more strikingly shown than in the improved facilities for traveling and for the transmission of intelligence. The first settlers of Paris travelled on foot, making the journeys to New Gloucester, Turner, Waterford, Bethel and Rumford through the woods, and guided by, where practicable, the course of the principal streams, and by spotted trees. In time, roads were cut out and then journeys could be made on horseback in summer, and on sleds in winter. It was quite a number of years before four wheeled carriages were used, and the first of these were of the rudest and clumsiest kind. Paris had been settled about twenty years before a Post Office was established in town, and pre- vious to that time the small amount of mail matter for the inhabi- tants, was left at the nearest office to be brought in by any person who happened to be in the vicinity of the office. For some years New Gloucester was the nearest office, and after that, Poland received the mail intended for Paris and the surrounding towns. An office was established in Fryeburg, January 1, 1798 ; in Water- ford, Sept. 29, 1800 ; Buckfield, January 1, 1801 ; Paris, April 1, 1801 ; Norway, April 1, 1801 ; Sumner, June 21, 1811 ; Hebron, April 15. 1815 ; Albany, April 1, 1815, and in other towns in the county, offices were established somewhat later.
The first mail-carrier or post-rider through this region, was Jacob Howe. He was of Ipswich, Mass., and the ancestor of the Howes in this town, in Sumner and in Norway. In a notice in an issue of Jenk's Portland Gazette, published in 1801, in which he asks his patrons to pay up, he stated that he had been on the route from Portland to Bridgton for two years. The next year, he extended his route to Waterford, and the year following he commenced going weekly rounds, starting from Portland and traveling through Gor- ham, Raymond, Standish, &c., to Bridgton and Waterford, and returning by way of Norway, Paris, Hebron, Poland, New Glouces-
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HISTORY OF PARIS.
ter and Gray. Waterford was for some years the distributing office for western and central Oxford. The trip was made on horseback, the post-rider carrying, besides the mail pouch, a pair of saddle- bags, in which he carried papers to be delivered on the route. He was armed with a tin horn or trumpet, upon which he always blew a blast before reaching a Post office or a house where a paper was to be left, in order that parties might be ready, and his business des- patched with as little delay as possible. He did not advertise to be at a given place at a given time, and so time-tables would have been of little account. He was often delayed by bad weather and bad roads, and sometimes on account of sickness, but he was an energetic man, and was always sure to come round, if not exactly on time. The Portland Gazette was the paper generally taken in this region prior to 1803. Then the Eastern Argus was started and was gener- ally patronized by the Republicans, the Gazette being Federalistie in politics. Letter postage was then high, and but few letters came through the mails into the several districts in those days, or went out. The settlers had something to do, besides attending to corre- spondents. Mr. Howe carried the mails for quite a number of years. After him Seba Smith, (father of the pcet), William Sawin of Waterford, and Joshua Pool of Norway, each in succession became post-rider, carrying the mails and distributing papers, the same as Howe. In 1815, Post offices had been established in towns north of Waterford, and that year, the mails reached Waterford from Portland Friday night. Saturday the postman made a circuit through the towns in western Oxford and back to Waterford, and Monday came through Norway to Paris, and from here through Woodstock to Rumford. In 1812, William, son of Gen. Benj. Sawin of Water- ford, bought the line from Portland to Waterford. He generally traveled on horseback, but if any one desired, he would take a wagon and carry him. In 1820, the business had so increased that he drove a four horse coach. He was the father of Jabez Sawin, long the popular driver between Augusta and Portland.
It was about the same time (1812), that a Mr. Brown of Water- ford contracted to carry the mail from Waterford by the way of Nor- way and Paris to Portland, and he used a one horse wagon for that purpose, and would sometimes take on a passenger or two. Brown was succeeded by James Longley who was the first to drive direct from Portland to Paris and Norway and return. He was the son of Jonathan Longley of Waterford, and lived on Paris Hill. He run
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HISTORY OF PARIS.
a double sleigh in winter and a two horse wagon in summer, and built up quite a business. John B. Stowell succeeded Longley, and after a few years he was in turn, succeeded by G. G. Waterhouse. The latter drove direct to Paris, where he connected with two tri- weeklies, one running through Norway, Greenwood, Bethel and Gilead to Shelburne and Lancaster, N. H., and the other through Woodstock and Rumford to Andover or Dixfield. The popular drivers on these last-named routes, all of whom are now dead, were Waterhouse himself, A. A. Latham, Orren Hobbs and William Gallison. The three former became conductors on the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad.
A long and interesting chapter might be written upon the old stage lines which centered at Bridgton, Waterford and afterwards at Paris, and the drivers, but space cannot be spared here. The old drivers were men of ability and integrity, and it was necessary that they should be so, for they had great responsibilities. They not only had to look out for the welfare and safety of their passengers, and were the custodians of the United States mails, but valuable packages, and oftentimes large remittances of money were entrusted to them, and important business given them to transact. In the latter years of staging over the routes here named, the express business was of no small account, either in the amount of care and labor it required, or the additional revenue it produced. It was wonderful, the way these drivers without memoranda, would remember the almost numberless errands they were asked to do, and how few mis- takes they made. They were kind-hearted and obliging, ever antici- pating the wants of their patrons, and putting forth every effort to make them comfortable. They were a jolly set, full of anecdotes, and great lovers of fun, an important qualification in helping the passengers to while away what would otherwise have been the tedious hours of the long journey. But they are all gone now, and a gen- eration has grown up which knows nothing of them, or of the modes of travel of those days.
The question of railway communication between the Atlantic ocean at Portland, and the St. Lawrence river at Montreal, a sub- ject of deep interest to Paris and entire central Oxford, began to be seriously agitated in Portland during the summer of 1844. Fre- quent meetings to discuss the subject were held, and in Oxford county the matter was discussed at great length through the columns of the Norway Advertiser and Oxford Democrat. At a meeting at
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HISTORY OF PARIS.
City Hall, Portland, Oct. 18, 1844. the report of Judge Preble and Josiah S. Little, who had previously been sent to Montreal to rep- resent the interests of Portland in the great enterprise, was read, and was highly favorable and very favorably received. At this meeting, James Hall in connection with John M. Wilson, was directed to examine the route by the way of Andover and the lake region. The charter for the road was granted by the Legislature, February 10, 1845. The latter part of June 1845, a meeting was held at South Paris, and the following week one at Norway, to discuss the railway question and receive subscriptions to the stock. It was stated in the South Paris meeting, that the town of Paris had taken stock to the amount of nearly thirty-five thousand dollars. The Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad Company was organized at Portland, September 25, 1845 ; Hon. Josiah S. Little was chosen President, and Thomas Crocker, Esq., of Paris, was made a director. The preliminary survey of the road had already been commenced, and it was continued through the summer and fall. In January, 1846, an express went through from Portland to Montreal and a rival one from Boston to the same place, carrying the mails and dispatches received by the last European steamer. It was taken from Portland to Norway by Orren Hobbs in two hours and forty-five minutes, and from thence to Canaan, Vt., by G. G. Waterhouse in eleven hours ; from that point it was taken by another messenger, and reached Montreal in twenty-six hours from Portland.
Ground was broken for the road at Portland, July 4, 1845, the road was opened to North Yarmouth, twelve miles from Portland, in 1848, and the cars were running to Mechanic Falls in the early part of the summer of 1849. The road was opened to South Paris and the first train arrived January 1st, 1850. The location was made and the road bed constructed through from Paris to New Hampshire line in 1850, and in March of 1851, the first train reached Bethel. In July of the same year, the road was opened to Gorham, N. H. During the year of 1852, it was opened to the Connecticut river, and early in 1853 the cars commenced running through from Portland to Montreal, a distance of three hundred miles. The open- ing of traffic by this railway, revolutionized the whole business of the region through which it passed, but this will be spoken of in another connection.
In the days of the early settlers and for quite a number of years afterwards, the rates of postage were high and were graduated accord-
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HISTORY OF PARIS.
ing to the distance the mail matter passed over. The postage for let- ters was twenty-five cents for four hundred miles and over, eighteen and two-thirds for one hundred and fifty miles and not exceeding four hundred, twelve and one-half cents (ninepence) between eighty and one hundred and fifty miles, ten cents between thirty and eighty miles and six and one-fourth cents (fourpence half-penny) for any distance under thirty miles. The above were the rates on a single sheet of paper of any size, and consequently large sheets were gen- erally used in the epistolary correspondence of our grand-parents. There were then no self-sealing envelopes and letters were secured by means of wafers or wax. Postage on letters might be prepaid or not at the option of the writer. These fractional' letter rates made it quite a difficult task to make up the quarterly accounts at the Post Office, and they were very often returned for correction. News- paper postage was one cent per copy within the State, or if pub- lished one hundred and fifty miles beyond the State limits. Beyond that distance, the postage was a cent and a half each. The Post- rider generally claimed the newspaper postage as part of his com- pensation, and was permitted to collect it. The following compiled from the archives of the Post Office Department, shows the number and names of the offices in Paris, the time when each was established, and the changes of administration in each, up to the present time :
Paris. Caleb Prentiss, April 1, 1801 ; Levi Hubbard, Feb. 10, 1807 ; Russell Hubbard, Jan. 12, 1813 ; Joseph G. Cole, Dec. 14, 1829 ; Geo. W. Millett, Jan. 7, 1837 ; Simeon Norris, July 13, 1841 ; George W. Millett, July 7, 1843 ; James T. Clark, Septem- ber 26, 1850 ; Geo. L. Mellen, Sept. 21, 1852 .; Thomas M. Crocker, May 5, 1853 ; Samuel R. Carter, Oct. 30, 1853 ; Charles T. Mellen, Dec. 20, 1858 ; Samuel D. Weeks, June 20, 1861 ; Albert M. Ham- mond, Dec. 2, 1874 ; Hiram R. Hubbard, June 30, 1879.
West Paris. Elijah S. Berry, Feb. 27, 1854 ; Francis A. Young, Feb. 16, 1857 ; Benjamin Bacon, 3d, Feb. 8, 1860 ; Francis A. Young, Oct. 4, 1861.
North Paris. Ebenezer Drake, Jan. 26, 1829 ; William Russ, June 14, 1844 ; Calvin F. Bonney, Sept. 26, 1844 ; William W. Benson, June 18, 1846 ; Eliab W. Murdock, April 8, 1848 ; Sulli- van Andrews, Mar. 20, 1858 ; William H. Drake, Jan. 6, 1862 ; Ira Bartlett, Jr .. Sept. 16, 1863; Lewis C. Bates, Sept. 8, 1866 ; Chas. W. Chase, Jan. 23, 1871 ; Sam'l W. Dunham, Feb. 23, 1874.
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HISTORY OF PARIS.
South Paris. Seth Morse, Jan. 6, 1824 ; David Jordan, March 2, 1839 ; John Dennett, Feb. 24, 1841 ; Samuel M. Newhall, March 29, 1853 ; William Foster, Dec. 26, 1856 ; Benj. W. Bryant, May 17, 1860; Elisha F. Stone, June 9, 1862 ; William J. Wheeler, Sept. 13, 1881.
Snow's Falls. Leander White, July 19, 1850 : Alfred W. Stearns, July 15, 1851 ; George W. Proctor, April 24, 1865 ; George W. Hammond, May 29, 1867.
POSTAL RECEIPTS, 1826.
Showing the net amount of postage received at the several offices named for 1826.
Andover, not reported.
Albany, $5.79.
Bethel, $37.74; East Do. $5.37.
Brownfield, 15.40.
Buckfield, 40.58.
Canton, 14.83.
Denmark, 9.11.
Dixfield, 26.21.
Fryeburg, 105.72.
Gilead, 3.71.
Greenwood, not reported.
Hartford, 17.01; North Do. 3.44; South Do. 0.43.
Hebron, 15.52; Craig's Mills, 27.92.
Hiram, 14.93.
Jay, 38.38.
Lovell, 11.95.
Livermore, 39.13; East Do. 10.04; North Do. 11.73.
Mexico, 5.67.
Norway, 45.89; North Do. 14.14.
Newry, not reported.
Paris, 74.28; North Do. 11.96.
Porter, 9.43.
Peru, not reported.
Rumford, 39.27; East Do. 5.37.
Sumner, 12.81.
Sweden, 4.86. Turner, 33.26; North Do. 2.08; Turner Village, 1.83. Waterford, 52.34. Woodstock, 0.60.
Weld, not reported.
27
HISTORY OF PARIS.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
PARIS CHURCHES AND MINISTERS.
It is but justice to say in the outset that many of the facts embraced in this Ecclesiastical History of the town, were compiled by Rev. Hiram C. Estes, D. D., and contained in a paper read by him at the Centennial Celebration. We have been able to glean some additional facts and have rearranged the whole matter in accordance with the general plan and scope of other portions of our work. We have given brief biographical sketches of ministers so far as we have been able to obtain them, and regret that in this par- ticular, our history is not more nearly complete. Where ministers remained long in the town, we have found no trouble in getting at the leading facts in their career, but many of them, especially in case of the Methodists, were here only a short time, and of their previous history in many cases, we have been able to learn but little. The inhabitants of Paris have ever been a church-going people. The early settlers of the town were not far enough removed from their Puritan and Pilgrim ancestors to have forgotten or neglected their duties in providing for religious worship, and their pious exam- ple and veneration for things sacred, have been transmitted as a priceless legacy to their posterity.
THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH.
The Baptist church on Paris Hill, was the first organized, and this has ever been the leading organization in town. Among the first settlers were seven from the third Baptist church in Middleborough, Mass., who were dismissed from that church to join here. The elder Lemuel Jackson and Deacon John Willis, the latter of whom became a licensed preacher, were of this number. At an early period they opened and maintained a Baptist meeting, and when they were visited by Rev. James Potter in 1790, they enjoyed their first revival, and several were added to their number. Mr. Potter con- tinued his visits at intervals, during the years 1791 and 1792, and laid the foundations of the church, which was subsequently organ- ized .* Paris was also visited by Rev. Elisha Snow; while travelling
*Millet's "Maine Baptists."
+Rev. or Elder Elisha Snow, was born in Brunswick, Me., March 26, 1739, (O. S.), mar- ried Betsey Jordan of Cape Elizabeth, December 6, 1759, and settled at South Thomaston, where he died January 30, 1832, aged 93 years. He labored much with destitute churches, and was well known in many portions of the State three-quarters of a century ago.
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HISTORY OF PARIS.
as a missionary among destitute churches, who united the Baptists here in a church relation, November 18, 1791. Elder Hooper states the number of members to be twenty-eight, twelve males, and six- teen females, but the minutes of the Bowdoinham Association of 1792, which are probably correct, give the number as twenty one. From the time of its organization until 1795, the church was aided by the labors of several visiting ministers, besides those already named. 'Rev. James Hooper first visited the town November 6, 1794, and on the 25th of June of the following year, he was ordained as pastor of the church* ; he was elected minister of the town on the 6th day of April, 1795, and was the only Paris minister who ever enjoyed that distinction. He continued as pastor of the church until the ordination of his successor in 1838. He was not only pas- tor of the church and minister of the town, but he was an influential and much respected citizen in all that the term implies, and a more complete sketch of his life and services is given with other minis- ters of Paris.
The first Baptist church or meeting house on the Hill, was built in 1803, as our extracts from the town records have shown. Pews had previously been sold to the amount of two thousand dollars. The building committee consisted of five persons, viz : Ebenezer Raw- son, Jairus Shaw, Lemuel Jackson, Jr., Benjamin Hammond and Nathan Woodbury. The frame was raised in June, 1803, and the house was dedicated on the 30th of May, 1804. The first meeting- house in Paris was a large house, in the old style of New England architecture, with two tiers of windows, a lofty, massive tower, three entrance doors, one in front, the others on the south and north sides of the tower, though only the south door was ordinarily used ; square pews, with seats on two sides, the one facing the pulpit and the other the door of the pew ; a high pulpit with sounding board above, and galleries running round three sides of the house. Thus built of immensely heavy timbers, one must have thought that it would stand a century ; but in the space of a single generation, it became dilapi- dated and unfit for use, and, like the old dispensation when Christ came, was ready to vanish away and give place to another.
In 1838 this old meeting-house was removed, and another was erected in its place, on very nearly the same spot, only a little fur- ther removed from the main street and like the other facing the east.
*The occasional sermon was preached by his brother, Rev. William Hooper, the charge given by Rev. Isaac Chase, and the right hand of fellowship by Rev. JJames Potter.
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HISTORY OF PARIS.
The old house had been used for town meetings as well as for religious purposes as was the custom of the time; the new house was built with a basement story. which was finished for a town- house, and has served this purpose to the present day. This new house of worship was completed and dedicated on the 6th of Decem-
BAPTIST CHURCH, PARIS HILL.
ber, 1838. The dedication sermon was preached by the pastor, Rev. C. B. Davis, from the text, Gen. 28 : 17, "This is none other than the house of God. and this is the gate of heaven." Twice this house has been repaired ; once in 1860, when the style of the pews was changed, and the pulpit lowered to a convenient platform, and again in 1875. At this latter date, the total expense of repairing
18
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HISTORY OF PARIS.
and refurnishing was $622.16. In 1864, a convenient vestry was built in the rear of the church to which there is access by a stairway and door at the right of the pulpit. The vestry was finished and formally opened with religious services on the 5th of November, in that year. In 1883, Hon. Hannibal Hamlin presented the church with a fine clock, which has been put in place, and while the old bell calls the people of the village to church, the new clock furnishes them with the standard time.
The successor of Elder Hooper was Rev. Caleb B. Davis, a native of Methuen, Mass., born July 3, 1807, and ordained June 27th, 1838. He was a graduate of Newton Theological Seminary, class of 1837, a man of culture and refinement, and in many respects the opposite of his predecessor. He was an able preacher and distin- guished for the purity of his life. During the first three years of his ministry, eighty new names were added to the roll of members of the church. In marked contrast to Elder Hooper, he was an ardent worker in the temperance cause, a strictly total abstinence man himself and an advocate for it with respect to all others. He labored in this field not only in Paris, but in the surrounding towns, and several town temperance societies were formed as the result of his efforts. Hè resigned the pastorate of the church Aug. 23d, 1852, on account of declining health, and died January 12, 1855, in Portland. His death in middle life and with natural and acquired abilities capable of doing so much good, was universally regretted. Mr. Davis was succeeded by Rev. Adam Wilson, D. D., who assumed the pastorate of the church in 1852, and remained until 1855. For a further notice of this distinguished minister, the reader is referred to sketches of Paris ministers. Rev. W. H. S. Ventres was pastor eight years, from his ordination July 8th, 1858, till his resignation Oct. 28th, 1866. Rev. Wm. H. H. Walker three years, from 1867 till 1870, and Rev. A. A. Ford from his ordination on the 2d of Novem- ber, 1870, till his resignation on the 2d of October, 1872. Rev. Hiram C. Estes, D. D., entered upon his work as pastor of this Church, January 1st, 1873, and resigned to take effect in July, 1883. The present pastor, J. E. Cochrane, commenced his labors with the Church, August 1. 1883.
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