History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 126

Author: Williams, Chase & Co., Cleveland (Ohio)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Williams, Chase & Co.
Number of Pages: 1100

USA > Maine > Penobscot County > History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches > Part 126

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The next one of the professionals coming to Winn was Benjamin F. Fernald, who came from Exeter in 1868 to seek a field for labor in the practice of law. Here he still resides, holding the positions of Trial Justice, Notary Public, and Pension Notary, and having held the posi- tion of School Committee and Collector of Taxes.

J. F. King next, for a brief season in the fall of 1869, came to us from Paris (not the transatlantic one), new- ly fledged and replete with legal lore. But he did little else than run up a board-bill for his father to pay, and getting into bad company and consequently bad habits. He was soon recalled by his father, being hardly six months in town.

In 1871 Dr. John R. Hathaway, from Temple, Frank- lin county, was introduced into this section by his

brother, J. H. Hathaway, then engaged as an insurance agent in Bangor, and settled in Winn, where he remained till 1874, when he removed to Lincoln, in practice with his father-in-law, Moses Wilson, M. D., when he removed to Howard City, Michigan, where he now is, I under- stand, doing well.

In 1871 also came James H. Burgess, lawyer, who had become known in the Penobscot Valley by having been in the drug business in Lincoln several years before and failed; besides, his father had lived for some time in Old- town, and at that time his mother and family lived in Orono. A short time previous to coming to Winn, Bur- gess had been a clerk in the Pension Department at Washington, and later in the extension of the Post-office and Custom-house at Bangor. After filling several town offices in Winn, in 1876 he was a candidate for Clerk of Courts of Penobscot county, in which he was successful, and at the close of his term in 1880 he went into the practice of law at Corinna, where he still remains.

In 1873 Dr. F. W. Merrill came from Brownville, Maine, to engage in the practice of medicine at Winn, where he still remains.

In 1878 E. B. Towle came from Jackson to engage in the practice of law, employing himself in teaching for a year or more of his stay in Winn. He held the position of Selectman, Supervisor, and Collector of Taxes, and in the spring of 1881 he removed to Kansas, where he had an uncle residing, and at last accounts was practicing law at Clay Center, Clay county, Kansas.

In 1877 Jeremiah E. Estes returned to Winn, having been engaged in lawing and milling in Kingman and in Macwahoc, Aroostook county. He still remains in Winn pursuing the same business.

The sons of Vulcan who, with brawny arm, struck while the iron was hot, have been P. King and Samuel Davis, Jr., whose father removed from Mattawamkeag in 1852, and who had a shop just out of the village. The shop has since become the house of Charles King, a worthy French citizen of Winn. There, about 1864, William Willy completed the present shop of E. P. Lee, occupied it for a couple of years, and sold it to Stephen B. Lovejoy, who removed to Winn from Lincoln. Mr. Willy eventually removed to Mattawamkeag, where he now resides. Mr. Lovejoy occupied the shop until about 1871, was then with E. P. Lee two years, and in 1875. he died a very respected citizen. His widow still resides in town, and an adopted son, Wilbur F. Lovejoy, now book-keeper for H. Poor & Son, has held many stations of honor in town, though still quite a young man. The present blacksmiths are E. P. Lee and John D. Stanwood.

The large foreign element in the population of Winn, brought here by employment in the tannery, gives many adherents to the Catholic faith, and about 1870 a church was commenced on the hill nearly opposite the school- house, which in the course of two years was com- pleted. John Hardman was then overseer for H. Poor & Son in the tannery, and helped greatly to push forward the enterprise. His successor, James Rice, also has done much for the church, and several elegant and com-

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

paratively costly windows attest to the liberality of Irish and French citizens in a large circle about Winn. The dimensions of the church are thirty-five feet by sixty, with twenty feet post, built at a cost of $6,000. It has eight large windows, which cost $25 each, besides several smaller ones of less cost, and one larger one, the gift of John Hardman, of about $40. Since its con- struction, those in charge of this church have been Rev. Daniel McPhail, Rev. John J. Cassidy, Rev. James Carus, all residing at Benedicta, Aroostook county, while Rev. D. Francis Cinq-Mars, now in charge, resides at Winn, holding service every Sunday. There are in Winn about forty French families and about fifteen other Cath- olic families, and from seventy to one hundred Irish population, the Irish being less in families. This church also gathers in many from quite a large circuit about Winn.

Rev. Thomas J. Marsden came in 1863, from Clarks- town, New York, to occupy the vacant place and estab- lish an Episcopal church in Winn. In numbers this church has not had material success, but in 1871 a neat little church edifice was erected in a grove on a ledge bluff at the lower end of the village, at a cost of about one thousand five hundred dollars, a larger part -- in fact, nearly all-having been contributed by a lady in Philadelphia. Rev. R. W. B. Webster, Rev. James Davis, and Rev. Frederick Pember have since been in charge of this church. At present there is none in charge, and the membership has hardly ever exceeded twelve or fifteen. All those in charge have been from England. Mrs. Davis received a large inheritance, and Mr. Davis was last heard of in the practice of medicine near Port- land, a very learned man. Rev. Mr. Pember is farming in Kennebec, having received a large inheritance from England.

Winn can never be very successful as a farming town. Still, there are a few quite good farms in town. The descendants of Joseph Snow, the pioneer, have continued farming, and have quite a good farm. Among the best farms in town are those of Nicholas R. Houston on the Military Road just above Winn village, who has a fine set of buildings connected with these.

R. S. Kingman, while resident here, had a good farm. George S. Ranney, a son of Thomas S. Ranney, has with one of the Brown Islands leased from Mr. Andrews a very good farm.

Some of the land in the back part of the town is free from rocks, but more liable to frost, and among those Mr. Joseph Deering has a nice farm.

The farms of David Bunker and of Daniel C. Haynes should not be omitted.

A large number of new settlers nave come in within a year or two, giving their sole attention to farming on quite good soil, and their influence will be felt in the town.

But the town as a whole is much better adapted for grass than tillage. But little attention has been paid till very lately to fruit-raising, therefore these must be ob- tained outside.

The European & North American Railroad reached Winn from Bangor in the fall of 1869, bringing us nearer

the East and West, giving a station in the village and also a telegraph station, the agent and operator being at first Edgar F. Davis, of Auburn, a relative of James M. Lunt, whose fortunes he has followed, and since his departure Stephen M. Chase, of Lincoln, both able and gentlemanly men. Winn is the station for Lee, but ten miles distant, and for Springfield, sixteen miles distant, with which latter place a mail route connects tri-weekly. Winn is also the point of departure for the sportsmen going down on to the Sysladobsis, Duck, and other lakes, of whom there are two clubs, the Duck Lake and Dobsis Clubs, composed of Massachusetts and New Hampshire gentlemen, who have land and buildings, boats and fish- ing facilities, and one of them a large fishing estab- lishment near the confines of Penobscot and Washington counties, under the care of S. L. F. Ball.

Winn has several water-powers, though but slightly improved-one into Penobscot river at the village, or rather just above, at Five Island Rips (Five Islands being from five islands in the Penobscot River, near the town line of Winn and Mattawamkeag); Gordon Falls, in the Mattawamkeag and within a mile or two of the Euro- pean & North American Railroad; and several falls on the Mattakeunk Stream.

Only those on the lots about five miles from Winn village are improved by shingle-, saw-, and clapboard- mills, though other improvements have been much agi- tated; but the forest is largely burnt after the peelings of the hemlock and the almost annual strippings of hem- lock, spruce, pine, and cedar lumber; though the water power at Gordon Falls on the Mattawamkeag, having a large tract of forest back of it, and having but about three miles of quite good road to connect it with Mattawamkeag station, or less than half that with the nearest point on the European & North American Railway, may be improved. This lies very near to the Mattawam- keag line, and is owned by B. F. Fernald, Esq., of Winn.

In 1843, and some time after, John Fiske of Boston, Massachusetts, and Bridge of Milford, owned all of Winn, except, perhaps, lands owned by Rufus Dwinel, of Oldtown. The site of the village was obtained by Wy- man B. S. Moore, but his title failed. It was afterwards called Bridgetown. John M. Winn, a young man, poor but enterprising, and employed in an insurance office in Salem, Massachusetts, got into the good graces of David Pingree, of that town, and afterwards was employed by Pingree as book-keeper.

Neither Fisk nor Bridge had sons who aspired for busi- ness or who called for the property, the primeval forest, but only for the money obtained from it for spending, and Winn bought the township of Fisk and Bridge, backed by Pingree. Winn then resided in Bangor, hav- ing an interest with Pingree in the land.

Near the time of the incorporation of the town of Winn, named for that proprietor, John M. Winn became involved by loaning money, by endorsements, and other ways in which sharpers overcame him, and he went, about that time, reduced from the possession of many thous- ands to poverty, back to Salem to live with a pair of maiden sisters, where he died on charity.

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

When the tannery firm bought, in 1863, they bought the Pingree and Winn lands. All lands that had not been taken up by settlers were sold, ten thousand one hundred acres, October 3, 1881, to Joseph W. Burke, of Lee. The Dwinel lands are in possession of the Moors, of Bangor, some two or three thousand acres. The balance the old farmers and the new settlers occupy, becoming benefactors by putting two blades of grass where none grew before. Winn had its greatest growth in the seventh decade of this century now, and since its increase must be from the tillers of the soil, is slow and sure.

As an illustration of liberality in voting, in 1862 William H. Maling was sick in his bed, three miles from the voting place, and a motion was made and a commit- tee of two were appointed to take the box to him to vote, which was done, the meeting waiting their return.

Reuben Harmon was drawn as a juryman. Reuben didn't want to go, so he came to Winn village, and got Michael L. Boss to take his place. The accommodating Constable and Clerk were acquiescent, not having com- pleted their duties, and Michael L. Ross's name was put in the place of Reuben Harmon's, and Mike Ross per- formed the services.

When the Gordon Mill was erected on the Mattawam- keag, assistants came a long distance to help raise it. Rum being plenty and strong, three days were passed in ca- rousal. On the fourth day they fell to work and raised the mill.

Somewhere in the seventh decade a Bible class was formed in Winn village, composed of the flower of the youth-Grove H. Moor, agent of H. Poor & Son; George H. Stratton, Frank Gilman, Henry H. Blackwell, H. G. Naurt, and several other active business men. The object was to hold evening meetings at the place of busi- ness of one of their members, and the one who drank the hardest was the leader of the class. This continued for half a dozen years, and had a great influence. Dr. Reynolds, Grove Moor, Frank Gilman, and others have reformed. Dr. Reynolds had a barbecue, several roasted pigs and plenty of rum, lasting nearly a week, and the Doctor's office at the last abounded in snakes and almost every other specimen of a menagerie.

STATISTICAL.

Winn had a population of 253 by the census of 1860, had 714 in 1870, and 898 in 1880. The number of polls in 1860 was 41, 248 in 1870, and 202 in 1880. The valuations of estates for these several years were $25,057, $95,798, and $103,304.

THE PROFESSIONS

in Winn include one Episcopal and one Roman Catholic clergyman (the Methodist pulpit at present is vacant), one physician, and three lawyers.

THE INDUSTRIES

of the town comprise one tannery, two manufacturers of long lumber, one of short lumber, and one of both; one harness-maker, one boot- and shoe-maker, one carriage- maker, one tinman, four carpenters, two smiths, and one merchant tailor.

There are also three general stores, two for millinery and fancy goods, one of confectionery, and one market. One hotel, the Katahdin House, is kept at the vil- lage.

THE ASSOCIATIONS

are the Silver Star Lodge, Independent Order of Good Templars, and the Juvenile Temple.

TOWN OFFICERS IN 1881.

W. F. Lovejoy, S. H. Merrill (East Winn), Post- masters ; Frank Gilman, W. H. Chesley, N. R. Hus- ton, Selectmen ; W. F. Lovejoy, Town Clerk; W. F. Lovejoy, Treasurer; Hiram Davis, Collector; Hiram Davis, Charles J. Carle, A. K. Lewis, Constables; H. N. Fifield, School Supervisor; B. F. Fernald, Frank Gilman, E. Estes, E. B. Towle, William H. Chesley, Samuel H. Merrill (Quorum); B. F. Fernald, Ambrose Dennis, F. C. Estes (Trial); D. Merrill (Dedimus), Jus- tices.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

One of the prominent merchants in Winn is Captain William H. Chesley, who was born in Paris, Oxford county. His father, David Chesley, was a native of Paris; he married Mary Knight, who was a granddaugh- ter of Joseph Weare or Wier (it is spelled both ways), the famous Indian killer, of old Falmouth. David and Mary Chesley had seven children, viz: Julia A., widow of the late Alvin Haynes; William H .; Joseph M., de- ceased; Sarah C., now wife of Charles Green, of Matta- wamkeag; Mary A., now Mrs. Charles A. Haynes, of Bangor; Olive E., deceased; David B., died from expo- sure in the army. David Chesley came to this county in 1833, and lived in Chester and Lincoln. He died in 1870. Mrs. Chesley is still living, being eighty-four years old. Captain William H. Chesley was born February 4, 1826. On reaching manhood he worked in the lumber yards in the winter and on the farm in summer. He engaged in the lumber business for himself when eigh- teen. He continued in this a few years, then spent some years as scaler, explorer, etc., for lumber companies. He then became a raft pilot on the river for some time dur- ing the spring months. In 1856 he became a captain on the river between this place (Winn) and Oldtown. He continued as captain on the river as long as the boats continued to run, or till 1869. During part of this time he kept a store also in connection with his river business. After this he did some surveying and some writing, there being no lawyer in the village. In 1876 he came to Winn and opened a dry-goods store. In 1865 and 1866 he represented his town in the Legisla- ture. He has held various town offices, and served for three years as County Commissioner. He married Emma J. Morrill, daughter of Henry T. and .Jane Morrill, of Lincoln. They have no children other than an adopted daughter.

Hiram Davis, deputy Sheriff of Aroostook and Penob- scot counties, was born in St. George, New Brunswick, April 11, 1840. His parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Davis, had eight children, seven of whom lived to man- hood and womanhood, viz: Mary, Josiah, Hiram, Wel-

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

lington, Eliza, Phœbe, and Melissa. Hiram Davis, the second son of this family, was raised on the farm in St. George. His father was a lumberman and ship-builder, but owned a farm where the family lived. On becoming of age Hiram engaged in lumbering on the Penobscot, coming here when fourteen years of age. He has been engaged in the lumber business until within four years, and in 1877 was appointed deputy Sheriff, which office he now holds, and which takes all his time. He mar- ried for his first wife Ann E. Henry, daughter of Andrew Henry, of Prince William, York county, New Brunswick; she died April 14, 1859. Mr. Davis married for his second wife Miss Lydia A. Scott, daughter of Moses Scott, of Chester, Maine. They have had four children, of whom Martin and Henry only are living.

Mrs. S. B. Lovejoy, of Winn, is a daughter of Jona- than and Betsey Peasley. She was born February 28, 1815, in Jefferson, Lincoln county, where her parents spent most of their life, though Mrs. Peasley was born in Whitefield, Maine. They were originally from New Hampshire. Mr. and Mrs. Peasley had four children, viz : Mary, Miles, Betsey, and Washington. Betsey, the subject of this sketch, married Stephen B. Lovejoy, of Fayette, Maine. He lived in Sebec until coming to this county, working at the blacksmith's trade. He came to Lincoln in 1834, and was married in 1836. They lived in Lincoln about thirty years, where he worked at his trade of blacksmith. He moved here to Winn in 1866, where he died February 15, 1876. Mrs. Lovejoy had no children of her own. They have brought up three adopted children, with one of whom, Mrs. Fifield, Mrs. Lovejoy is now living. Mr. Wilber F., now in the em- ploy of Poor & Son, is an adopted son. The other adopted daughter is deceased. Mrs. Lovejoy has a pleasant home in Winn village, where she is spending her aged life cared for by her adopted daughter.

Frank Gilman, of Winn, is a son of John H. and Sally U. Gilman (nee Lovejoy). John H. Gilman had two children-Frank and Ada. John H. Gilman is a son of Josiah Gilman, of Gilmanton, New Hampshire. Frank Gilman was born at Sebec, September 8, 1839. On reaching manhood he went into the army as a clerk in the Commissary Department, where he remained till the close of the war. In the spring he went with his father, who was Superintendent of the Agricultural College Farm at Orono, and remained there two years. In the fall of 1868 he came to Winn and engaged in trade in which he continued two years. In 1870 he entered the employ of Henry Poor & Son, as general superintendent of their tannery business at Winn and Medway. This firm employ over one hundred men at these two places during the entire year, and at some seasons they employ over six hundred men. Mr. Gilman has general charge of this immense business here. He married Maria Averill, daughter of William Averill, of Orono. They have two children, viz: Kate W. and John A.

Ambrose Dennis, the hardware dealer of Winn, is a son of Amos Dennis, of Palermo. His mother's maiden name was Thankful Coombs, of Albion, Maine. Amos moved to Passadumkeag about 1847, where he died in

1880. Mrs. Dennis died in 1866. Mr. and Mrs. Den- nis had seven children, viz : Albert, deceased; Mary, wife of Ira Haskell, of Munson, Maine; George and John W., twins-George is deceased; Amos, now of Passadumkeag; Ambrose; and Edwin T., of Passadum. keag. Ambrose Dennis was born in 1843, in Passadum- keag. He engaged in trade on becoming of age in his native town with Mr. Costigan. This firm continued five years, when they dissolved and Mr. Dennis went to Michigan and spent two years, and then came to Winn in 1870, and opened his present business of hard- and tin-ware. He has since lived in this place. He married Clara J. Trask, of Hudson. They have two children- Albert and Stella M. Mr. Dennis has served as Select- man, Supervisor of Schools, Collector of Taxes, etc., in Passadumkeag. He has also held similar positions in Winn. He is at present Trial Justice in Winn.

David Bunker, of Winn, who came into the county in 1825, is a son of David Bunker, Sr. His father was a native of New Hampshire, but lived principally in Canaan, in Somerset county, where he died. He married Mary Stanton, whose parents were from New Hampshire. They had nine children, all of whom lived to maturity- Moses, now living in Ripley, eighty-two years old ; Sally, deceased; Polly, wife of J. Bigelow, of Corinna Centre; David ; Amanda, widow of Timothy Ricker, of Corinna; James, deceased ; Ezra, deceased; John, who went to California, but it is not known whether he is living or not ; Horace, in Colorado. David Bunker, Sr., died in December, 1843; Mrs. Bunker died in 1849. David Bunker, Jr., as he used to write his name, was born Au- gust 12, 1805. He first settled in this county in 1823. He spent his early manhood in milling and lumbering. He settled in Chester in 1827, where he lived about thirty years. He came to Winn, where he now lives, in 1861, and built the dam and part of the mill which he completed the next year, and soon after moved his family over. He has since then followed the business of lum- bering and farming, though principally farming. He married Phobe Scott, of St. George's, New Brunswick. They had one daughter, Sarah E., who married Daniel C. Haynes, of Winn. Mr. Bunker died July 14, 1881. He has held many of the offices of his town, both in Chester and Winn.

Daniel C. Haynes, of Winn, was born in Chester, in this county, November 9, 1831. His father, Walter Haynes, married Lydia Carlton, formerly of Rumford, Maine. They had twelve children, of whom Daniel is the third son. He spent his boyhood on the farm. On becoming of age he first settled in Chester, where he mar- lied Sarah E. Bunker. They lived in Chester until 1861, when they moved to Winn, where he now lives. Since coming here he has built all the buildings on his farm. He owns one hundred and ten acres of land, nicely located on the east bank of the river. Mr. and Mrs. Haynes have nine children-Laura E., wife of Joseph Harmon, of Winn; David B., of Mattawamkeag ; Delia H., now Mrs. James Harmon, of Winn; Walter, of Winn ; Carrie V .; Delia B .; Henry R .; Herbert D .; and Sadie M. Mr. Haynes has held the office of Selectman

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

One of the oldest settlers of Winn was Reuben Har- mon, who came from Gorham, New Hampshire. He used to drive the stage from Bangor to Houlton, or, in other words, carry the mail, for he began before the road was built, and often had to carry the mail on his back part of the way. He married Betsey A. Snow, of Winn. They settled on the place where Joseph now resides about 1832. They had eleven children, all of whom grew to maturity-Daniel, deceased; Rebecca, wife of

George W. Young, of Winn ; Allen S .; Martin, deceased; William, now in Lisbon, Maine; James K. P., now in Winn ; Joseph D .; Horace G., now in Lisbon, Maine; Benjaman F., also in Lisbon; Reuben, now in Lisbon; Henry M., also in Lisbon. Mr. Harmon died some fifteen years ago, about 1866. Mrs. Harmon is still liv- ing in Lisbon. Joseph D. Harmon was born August 27, 1846, in Winn. In 1871 he married Laura Haynes. They have three children-Adra, Ora, and Elwell.

THE PLANTATIONS.

DREW PLANTATION.

This far-off but not altogether insignificant municipal- ity is in the southernmost northeast corner of the county, fifty-three miles northeast of Bangor. It is bounded on the north by the Reed and Barker Plantations, in Aroos- took county, on the east by a strip of Township No. 8, Range 4, north of the Bingham Penobscot Purchase, beyond which lies the town of Danforth, in Washington county ; on the south by Prentiss; and on the west by Kingman. It is about ten miles from the Penobscot River at the nearest point, the mouth of the Mattawam- keag River; but has ready access to all the world by the line of the European & North American Railroad, which intersects the town with a track of more than five miles, and gives it one station, with the singular name of "Wytopitlock," nine and three-tenths miles from King- man, and four and a half miles from Bancroft.

The chief water of Drew Plantation is the Mattawam- keag River, which has a very devious course of about eight miles in the Plantation, and drains nearly every part of it. This fine stream enters from Barker's Plantation, a mile west of the northeast corner of Drew and of the county, flows south half a mile and makes a big bend to the west and northwest, nearly reaching the north line again, and being here very closely neighbored by the rail- way. Here it again turns south, and runs four miles west of south to its southernmost bend or reach in the Plan- tation. One-half of a mile before making the bend it receives a small tributary from the east, and a little fur- ther sends off a cross channel west to its own stream op- posite, thus forming an island one-fourth of a mile in greatest length or breadth. After receiving this the Mat- tawamkeag flows north of west two and a half miles fur- ther, when it crosses the Kingman line just about mid- way of its length. About half-way between its southern bend and this exit the river takes in from the south, by an outlet one and one-fourth miles long, the water of Mud

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History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 126

Author: Williams, Chase & Co., Cleveland (Ohio) Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Cleveland, Williams, Chase & Co. Number of Pages: 1100

Author: Williams, Chase & Co., Cleveland (Ohio)
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Williams, Chase & Co.
Number of Pages: 1100