History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 216

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 216

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The rock formation is slate, excellent for building ma- terials, an' impure limestone, which is found to make a good article of cement, and quartase rock. In the latter are found veins of lead and silver, not in paying quanti- ties, but enough to set some to digging who are in haste to get rich.

The soil is generally a vegetable loam, very little clay being found, fertile, well adapted to orchards, and yield- ing well the usual farm crops. The forest trees are maple, birch, beech, and other deciduous trees, on the upland; and spruce, fir, cedar, etc., on the lowlands.

The growth of Dexter in population and wealth has been steady and constant, except an apparent decline in both in the last decade. An examination of the facts, however, will show that from 1870 to 1880 there was an actual increase in both. In 1870 the valuation was $1,006,966 and the population 2,875. By some unac- countable error the valuation of 1870 was reported to the State committee and adopted by them on nearly a full value basis. The valuation of 1880 is on a two-thirds basis. At the rate of 1870 our valuation would be near $1,400,000. It is patent to every one that the real prop- erty of Dexter was very largely increased in the last ten years. Among the valuable buildings are notably the Bank Block, the residence of Dr. Fitzgerald, the fine residences on Maple, Pleasant, Free Grove, and Church streets, Gazette office, Odd Fellows' Hall, and Grange Hall. The capacity of Dexter to do business was increased one-third at least. The census of 1880, taken at a time when the Dexter mills had been closed for nearly a year, and was only preparing to resume, shows a decrease of

RESIDENCE OF THE HON, JOSIAH CROSBY, DEXTER, MAINE,

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

about three hundred. Then many houses were vacant throughout the village. Now not a house is unoccupied; the hotels and boarding-houses are filled. Our popula- tion is now over three thousand, and there is no reason why it should not increase. Through the past season labor has been in very great demand and high wages paid. The influx from Canada is rapidly increasing our population as well as that of other manufacturing towns. As a French Canadian said, who had but lately arrived : "Be gar, I wark all one day long in Canada hard for fafty centimes, now I wark in haying for two dollars a day, and I not work mooch hard either. I mows with the cheval and I peech with the cheval, and I don't go back to Can- ada no more, not mooch."

The valuation of 1860 was $465,000, that of 1870 should have been about $725,000, and that of 1880 was $963,000, making a fair and regular increase in the wealth of the town.

Yet for all the public improvements made our taxes are not high. The rate this present year is $17.50 on the $1,000. This is the whole tax. There is no highway tax behind this as in most towns in the county.

TO THE READER :- Many important and interesting matters relating to our town have been omitted, for want of time and space. If any er- rors have crept into this sketch, the writer would like to be notified, and those having knowledge of incidents of the early days will do a kindly favor by forwarding the same to yours truly,

VOLNEY A. SPRAGUE.

EXETER.

GEOGRAPHICAL NOTES.

The town of Exeter, in Penobscot county, Maine, is situated in about 45° north latitude, and 69° west longitude from Greenwich. It is about fifty miles northeast from the State capital, at Augusta, and twenty miles northwest from Bangor, the county seat, at the head of tide waters, and of ship navigation on the river Penobscot. The town was calculated to be six miles square, and is bounded on the north by Garland, on the east by Corinth, on the south by Stetson, and on the west by Corinna. Its corners are held and maintained in common with the towns of Dexter on the northwest, Charleston on the northeast, Levant on the southeast, and Newport on the southwest. In area, the town is estimated to contain about 23,040 acres ; and is watered by the Kenduskeag Stream and its smaller tributaries, on which, according to Wells's report on the Water Power of Maine (page 274), there were returned by the Selectmen to the Com- missioners in 1868 ten water-powers, as follow:

First-On the Kenduskeag Stream, shingle- and grist-mill, fall ten feet, capacity 500,000 shingles per year; grist-mill runs eight months. Second-On the same, saw-mill, fall twelve feet; capacity 500,000 of lumber a year-could do more.

Third-On the same, saw- and shingle-mill; saw-mill capacity 600,000 per year; shingle machine 300,000; fall eleven feet-could do more.

Fourth-A shingle-mill on the same; fall ten feet; capacity 300,000 per year.

Fifth-On the same, saw and shingle machine and two runs of stones; saw-mill capacity 300,000; shingle-mill about 300,000; fall eleven feet.

Sixth-On the same, shingle-mill; a nine-foot fall.

Seventh-On the same, grist-mill, machine-shop, carriage-shop, and tan-yard; fall eleven feet.

Eighth -- On the same, not now in use, formerly a saw- and shingle-

mill; fall twelve feet; of one-fourth greater capacity than either of the other privileges.

Ninth-Shingle- and grist-mill upon the "Andrews Brook;" fall nine feet; can cut 200,000 shingles; can grind about four months in the year. [Since the above report was made, a steam-mill has been built on the same brook, where a shingle- and grist-mill are in constant operation, and are doing a good business].

Tenth-On the "Allen Brook," or "Atkins Brook," capacity the same as No. 9.

SURVEY AND LOCATION.

Exeter, the one hundred and eightieth town within the District of Maine, was located as a township by the survey of its exterior lines in the autumn of 1792. It was then known and designated on the Surveyors' plan as Township No. 3, in the Fourth Range of townships north of the Waldo Patent ; this being one of the twenty- one townships surveyed by Ephraim Ballard and Samuel Weston, under the direction of the "Committee for the Sale of Eastern Lands," and of which committee the late Hon. Daniel Cony, of Hallowell (now Augusta), was chairman. The twenty-one townships thus surveyed comprised the territory lying between the Waldo Patent on the south, and Piscataquis River on the north; and extending west, from a line passing north and south through Pushaw Pond, the distance of twenty-four miles, and are all embraced in the following schedule, to wit:

The following townships were surveyed in 1792, by Ephraim Ballard and Samuel Weston, Surveyors, as per plan : Dixmont, Troy (first Kingville), Carmel, Etna, Plymouth and Detroit, Glenburn, Levant, Stetson, New- port, Hudson (Kirtland, 1825), Corinth, Exeter, Corinna, Bradford, Charleston, Garland, Dexter, Orneville (first Milton), Atkinson, Dover, and Sangerville.

*By Hon. Noah Barker.

870

HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

On completing their survey ahd location of the above townships, the Surveyors returned a plan of the same, with the following title:

This plan represents, within the red lines, twenty-one townships of land between the rivers Kennebeck and Penobscot, surveyed for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by the subscribers, A. D. 1792; also part of the river Penobscot; the northern bounds of Waldo Patent; to- gether with four townships surveyed by Jonathan Stone ;* as also the bounds of the northerly part of the Plymouth Claim ; part of the Sebesticook River; the southeast corner of the "Million Acres," located on the river Kennebeck, and a tract of land betwixt the Ply- mouth Claim, etc., and the four northerly ranges of townships afore- said; all which has been taken from actual and approved surveys and here protracted by a scale of two miles to an inch, and inscribed to the Committee for Sale of Eastern Lands by their obedient and humble ser- vants,

EPHRAIM BALLARD, SAMUEL WESTON, Surveyors.

HALLOWELL, COUNTY OF LINCOLN, October 20, 1792.

FOUNDATION OF LAND TITLES IN EXETER.

This township (No. 3, R. 4, N. W. P.) was donated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to Marblehead Academy by resolve approved February 8, 1793, reserv- ing 960 acres for public uses, which were divided into three lots, or parcels, one for public schools, one for the ministry, and one for the first settled minister.

It appears by the records of the Corporation that the following persons constituted the Board of Trustees of Marblehead Academy in 1793: Samuel Sewall, Robert Hooper, Samuel Hooper, William Raymond Lee, Elisha Story, Samuel Russell Trevitt, John Humphreys, John Goodwin, Marston Watson, Richard Homan, Joseph Sewall, Samuel Bartoll, John Dixey, Richard Pedrick, Ebenezer Graves, and Burrill Devereux.

At a meeting of the Trustees of the Marblehead Academy on Monday, the 21st day of January, 1793, after transacting the usual business of the Association, and passing several votes, etc .-

Voted II, That Samuel Sewall, William R. Lee, and Marston Wat- son, Esq., be a committee to apply to the Honorable General Court of this Commonwealth in such form as they may think best, for a grant to this Corporation of a tract of land, and any other suitable encourage- ment to this Academy.

The Committee, it seems, lost no time in forwarding their petition, in behalf of the Trustees, to the Legisla- ture, as the following proceedings will show :

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, January 31, 1793. On the Petition of the Trustees of the Marblehead Academy :

Resolved, That there be and hereby is granted a township of land of six miles square, to be laid out at the expense of the grantees by the Committee for the Sale of Eastern Lands, from any of the unimproved lands belonging to this Commonwealth, lying between the rivers Ken- nebeck and Penobscot, and said township shall be vested in the said Trustees of the Marblehead Academy and their successors forever, for the use and purpose of supporting the said Academy, to be by them holden in their corporate capacity, with full power and authority to set- tle, divide, and manage said township, or to sell, convey, and dispose of the same, in such way and manner as shall best promote the interest and welfare of said Academy.

Provided, Nevertheless, that there be and hereby is reserved one lot of three hundred and twenty acres for the use of the ministry, and one lot of three hundred and twenty acres for the support of schools, and one lot of the same quantity to the first settled minister in said town.

And provided, further, That the grantees aforesaid, or their assigns,

shall cause twenty families to be settled within said township on or be- fore the first day of June, one thousand eight hundred.

DAVID COBB, Speaker.

February 8, 1793.

On the 25th of March, 1793, at a meeting of the said Trustees it was ---

Voted, That ten pounds be advanced to pay for a deed of land granted to this Academy by the Honorable General Court of this Com- monwealth to be advanced by the several Trustees, and repay them from the first monies belonging to said incorporation.

On the 27th of March, 1793, a deed of the township was made and passed to the Trustees, as the following copy of the deed will show :

To all persons to whom these presents shall come, greeting:

WHEREAS, The Legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachu- setts did, on the 7th day of February, 1793, grant a township of land to the Trustees of Marblehead Academy, by a resolve in the following words, viz : Resolved, etc. [Here the words of the foregoing resolve are recited], and

WHEREAS, The Legislature aforesaid did, on the 28th day of Feb- ruary last, by their resolve of that date, authorize and empower the Committee for the Sale of Eastern Lands to execute deeds of certain grants of lands in the words following, viz :

" WHEREAS, Several grants of townships and tracts of land have been and may be made by this Court for the encouragement of literature in the various parts of the Commonwealth-

" Resolved, That all the lands which have been or may be granted for the purpose aforesaid be located under the direction of the Committee for the Sale of Eastern Lands, and that said committee be and hereby are authorized and empowered to execute deeds. of conveyance and confirmation of the same conformable to the condition of said grants."

Now, therefore, know ye that we, the undersigned, being the Com- mittee for the Sale of Eastern Lands in the said resolves mentioned, and pursuant to the grant and authority thereby made, and in consider- ation of the sum of ten pounds lawful money, being the whole expense of surveying the township hereinafter described, have located to the said Trustees of the Marblehead Academy, and do hereby convey and confirm to them and their successors a township of land of six miles square, situate in the county of Hancock, and between the rivers Ken- nebeck and Penobscot, in the Fourth Range, northward of the Waldo Patent, so-called, and being number three of that range, according to the actual survey and return of twenty-one townships, and the plan thereof made by Ephraim Ballard and Samuel Weston, in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two, and by said plan is bounded southerly by number three in the third range, easterly by number two in the fourth range, northwardly by number three in the fifth range, and westerly by number four in the fourth range of those twenty-one townships, with all and singular the privileges and ap- purtenances of the said township hereby located and confirmed, sub- ject always, nevertheless, to the conditions mentioned in said resolve for said grant, as hereinbefore recited, and according to the true intent thereof.

To have and to hold the said township hereby located and granted with the appurtenances, and subject, as aforesaid, to the said Trustees of the Marblehead Academy and their successors and assigns forever, for the use and purpose of supporting the said academy, to be by them holden in their corporate capacity, with full power and authority to set- tle, divide, and manage said township, or to sell, convey and dispose of the same in such way and manner as shall best promote the interest of the said academy, excepting and reserving as in the said resolve men- tioned.

In witness whereof, the said committee have hereunto set their hands and seals this twenty-seventh day of March, in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety-three.

SAMUEL PHILLIPS, NATHANIEL WELLS, JOHN READ, DANIEL CONY.

Signed, sealed, and delivered in presence of us. SAMUEL WARD, SAM .. COOPER.

SUFFOLK, BOSTON, March 27, 1793.

Personally appeared Samuel Phillips, Nathaniel Wells, John Read, and Daniel Cony, Esqrs., and acknowledged the foregoing instrument to be their act and deed. Before me,

SAMUEL COOPER, Justice of the Peace.

*These " four townships " embrace the present towns of Parkman, Cambridge and Ripley, St. Albans, and Palmyra.

871

HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

At a meeting of the trustees aforesaid on the 3d day of June, 1793, present Samuel Sewall, Esq., William R. Lee, Marston Watson, Joseph Sewall, Samuel Hooper, Robert Hooper, John Dixey, Dr. Elisha Story, Richard Pedrick, Ebenezer Graves, and Williem Harris, the following pro- posals were made by Samuel Sewall, Esq., viz:

To purchase the township of land in the county of Hancock granted by the General Court to the Trustees of the Marblehead Academy, and to give therefor the sum of fifteen hundred pounds, payable with inter- est, the principal and interest to be secured by the said Sewall's note or bond, with a collateral mortgage of the under-mentioned lands and ten- ements, the principal to be paid on demand after seven years, the inter- est to be at six per cent. per annum, payable quarter yearly.

At the same meeting of the Trustees it was "voted that the proposals of Samuel Sewall for the purchase of the township be accepted; and, being fulfilled on his part, this corporation shall and will bargain, grant, assign, and convey to the said Sewall, his heirs and assigns, or to any person whom he or they shall appoint, all the said township of land with the privileges and appurtenances thereof, subject to the conditions, reservations, restric- tions, and limitations of every kind which are mentioned and set forth in the said grant," etc. "And Colonel William R. Lee, Colonel M. Watson, and Dr. Elisha Story are hereby appointed a committee to receive of the said Sewall the securities mentioned in his said proposals, which being made and had to the satisfaction of the said committee, they are hereby fully authorized, in the name and behalf of this corporation, to make, seal, and execute a good and sufficient deed to convey in fee simple to the said Sewall, his heirs, or assigns, or to any person whom he or they shall appoint, the said township of land," etc., and the deed was duly executed and delivered, in accord- ance with said vote, on the 2d day of July, 1793.

It appears from the records of the Registry of Deeds at Ellsworth, for the county of Hancock, that Samuel Sewall conveyed Township No. 3, Range 4, to William Wetmore and John Peck, October 12, 1793.

William Wetmore and John Peck conveyed one-fourth of same to John Gardner February 14, 1794.

William Wetmore and John Peck conveyed one-fourth of same township to Henry Newman February 14, 1795.

William Wetmore conveyed one-fourth of same to John Peck the 24th day of -, 1797.

John Peck conveyed "11,520 acres of land in Township No. 3, Range 4," to David Green January 21, 1797.

CHANGES OF OWNERSHIP.

1800. It appears from the proprietors' records that, prior to the year 1800, several changes had been made respecting the ownership of the township, the proprietors at this time being as follow: Benjamin Joy, William Turner, Edward D. Turner, Stephen D. Turner, John Cushing, David Cheever, and Benjamin Hichborne, all of Boston; John Gardner, of Milton, and Sally Wetmore, of Castine.

On the 20th day of February, A. D., 1800, an inden- ture of agreement was made and concluded by and be- tween the above named proprietors of the one part, and John J. Blasdel, of Collegetown (now Dixmont), phy- sician, of the other part, whereby the said Benjamin Joy and bis associates agreed to sell unto the said Blasdel

four thousand acres of land in said township in the man- ner and upon the terms hereinafter specified, to-wit : That the said Joy and his associates will make, execute, and deliver to the said Blasdel a good warrantee deed or deeds of four thousand acres of land in said township (No. 3, Range 4), at $1 an acre, each of said parties to contribute according to the proportionate share which he holds in said township to make up the quantity of four thousand acres, and each party to be bound only for himself upon his compliance with the convenants and promises by him hereafter made, that the said Blasdel shall be allowed to choose his land at large in said town- ship, provided he shall not take more than two lots ad- joining each other in the same range, and shall have two or more lots between his choices; that the said Joy and his associates will convey to the said Blasdel 160 acres whenever he shall have surveyed said township and laid out the same into lots of 160 acres, and marked all around, and returned unto the said Joy and his associ- ates a plan thereof, provided the same be within one year from this date, and one hundred acres whenever he shall have built a good grist- and saw-mill in said town, and sixty acres whenever he shall have cut a road through the same, provided the same be com- menced within one year from this date, and completed in two years, both mills and roads, and provided the same be performed according to the directions of said Joy and his associates.

And the said John J. Blasdel, in consideration of the covenants aforesaid, agrees with the proprietors, their heirs, executors, administrators and assigns, that he will pay, or cause to be paid to them or their attorneys, the sum of $4,000, one-third part thereof in one year from the date hereof, with interest thereon; one-third part thereof in two years from said date, with interest, and the remainder with interest thereon, in three years from said date. That the said Blasdel will survey the said township in manner aforesaid; that he will cut the road as aforesaid; that he will cause to be settled on said land within two years from this date twenty families, and that the settlement shall commence in the course of the ensuing year. That the said Blasdel will cause to be settled in said township, within said period, ten other families, provided the said Joy and his associates will furnish lands for them and take the settlers as respon- sible for the payment of the price of their lands, which price is to be fixed by said Joy and his associates, and at not less than $1.25 per acre, provided the said set- . tlers shall have like time of credit with him, the said Blasdel. And it was further agreed between the parties that said Joy and his associates should give to said Blas- del a deed, or deeds, of one-third of the land upon his compliance with one-third of the payment and terms of purchase, and of the remainder immediately on his com- pliance with the remainder of his stipulated covenants and payments. It was also understood that the said Blasdel should have a right to choose, on the terms before men- tioned, the lots for surveying, and for. roads, and the grist-mill, but in his choosing he shall not take a mill- seat, unless he engages to build the mills, and in no case

872

HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

more than one mill-seat, and further, that said Blasdel shall produce to the parties satisfactory evidence of his having settled the township No. 3 in the Fourth Range, according to agreement.

This instrument was duly signed and sealed by the several parties aforesaid.

Dr. Blasdel (whose name is latterly spelled “Blais- dell") immediately made a contract with Major Moses Hodsdon, of Berwick, Maine, to survey and lay out the township into lots, according to his agreement, aforesaid, with the proprietors. Hodsdon commenced the survey in the spring of 1800, and completed it the same year. The township was laid out into twelve ranges, with twelve lots in each range, the numbers commencing at the southeast corner of the township; lot No. 1 in the First Range being the southeast corner lot, and No. 1 in the Twelfth Range, the northeast corner lot in the township.

As compensation for lotting the township, Hodsdon was to have a deed of one lot of land; and lot No. 4, in the First Range, was subsequently conveyed to him.

The following lots were selected and conveyed to Blasdel to make up his quantity of four thousand acres, according to his contract with the proprietors, to-wit : No. 6, in the First Range; Nos. 4 and 6, in the Third Range; Nos. 3, 8, and 9, in the Fourth Range; Nos. 4, 5, and 12, in the Fifth Range; Nos. 1, one-half of 10, and II, in the Sixth Range; Nos. 1, 2, 6, and 7, in the Seventh Range; Nos. 3, 6, and 7, in the Ninth Range; Nos. 3 and 5, in the Tenth Range; Nos. 1, 2, and 5, in the Eleventh Range, and No. 6, in the Twelfth Range. Dr. Blasdel acted, also, as the agent for the proprietors, in procuring settlers upon their lands; hence, the town- ship, previous to its incorporation, was called, and known as "Blasdel Town."

THE PIONEERS.

As the lotting of the township progressed pioneers ibegan to flock in to make selection of lots for their future homesteads. The first "chopping" by way of settlement, was done in the first week of June, 1800, by Lemuel Tozier and John Durgin, at what is called Hill's Corner (or more latterly, Linnell's Corner), Tozier commencing on lot No. 5, and Durgin on lot No. 4, both lots lying in the Fourth Range, and their choppings contiguous.

Having felled five acres of trees on lot No. 4, Range 4, Durgin sold out his possession to Josiah Barker, and settled in what is now the town of Dixmont, where he continued to reside till the time of his death, which oc- curred but a few years ago.

As appears by the Proprietors' Records, Tozier and Barker contracted for their lots with Blasdel, in behalf of the proprietors, June 10, 1800, both upon the same day, Tozier agreeing to pay eight shillings and Barker nine shillings per acre for the lots.

These two contracts for lots, by the settlers, are the first to be found on record. Other choppings, however, were made about the same time on lots No. 5 and 6, Range 3; on lots No. 3 and 6, Range 4; also on lot No. 6, Range 5. Tozier burnt his own and Barker's "cut- down " the same season, and built a log house on his lot

in the autumn of 1800, and moved his family into it the next April, being the first settler in the town.

EARLY SETTLERS.

1801. Lemuel Tozier's family and household effects were removed from his former residence on the Oakman place, in Corinth, with an ox-team, by the late Robert Campbell, who, in 1797-98, had become a settler on the present homestead of his son and grandson, John and Martin Campbell, of Corinth, adjacent to Exeter line. The late Simon Prescott, of Corinth, had also settled, early in the year 1801, on the lot next north of Camp- bell's, and these two families were Tozier's nearest neigh- bors during the first year of his residence in his wilder- ness home.

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History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 216

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