USA > Maine > Penobscot County > History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches > Part 218
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George Shaw, who had removed his family here the same year from New Durham, New Hampshire, and continued to reside here until his death. In the summers of 1814 and 1815 the schools in this district were taught by Betsey Shaw, a sister of Sarah (the first teacher). The first male teacher in District No. 3 was Isaac Jacobs, who taught here in the winter of 1816-17, and again the next winter following. The first school in District No. 4, or Southwest District, was taught by Sally Peabody, of Corinth, in the summer of 1818; and Hannah Peabody, her sister, taught in the same district in 1819. The first male teacher in No. 4 was James Adams, who taught here in the winter of 1823-24.
Exeter High School was incorporated in March, 1838, with an appropriation of six hundred dollars from the State. The first preceptor in this institution was the late Dr. Albert Wheelock, of Belfast, Maine. The high school was located at Exeter Corner, where a large, com- modious building was erected by School District No. 3, and is used both for the high school and the public town school.
THE EXETER SOCIAL LIBRARY
was established at East Exeter, in January, 1826, being the first public library in town; and John Huckins, then a merchant in the place, was chosen Librarian. In the establishment of this library, Flavel Butters was an active mover, and chairman of the committee to solicit sub- scriptions for shares in the library, at two dollars per share; and also to select and purchase the books.
In after years, when the books had been extensively read, they were divided among the shareholders.
PLACES OF TOWN MEETINGS.
The Exeter Town House was erected, for municipal purposes, in the summer of 1843. Prior to this time, town meetings were held at private houses in different parts of the town, and at school-houses, as the selectmen of the town might direct. The private houses at which town meetings were held, at different times, during the first ten years of the town's municipal history, were those of Samuel Eastman on lot No. 1, R. 6; William Hill on No. 6, R. 7; Levi Stevens on No. 3, R. 6; Jonathan Palmer No. 3, R. 8; and Isaac Jacobs on No. 5, R. 7.
The first town meeting held at a school house, was on the 3d of April, 1815, at the "Southeast School House" (No. I), where the town again met May 20, 1816.
On the 4th of November, 1816, a town meeting was held, for the first time, at the "Northeast School House " (No. 2).
On the 9th of March, 1818, for the first time, a town meeting was held at the "Northwest School House" (No. 3).
And the annual March meeting, in 1835, was held at the school-house in District No. 4.
CHURCHES.
Prior to the building of the old school-house in Dis- trict No. I, no public building of any kind had ever been built in town, but, as the early settlers were a religious, church-going people, and having no other places in which to assemble, the farmers' barns were used in summer,
877
HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE
and their log-house kitchens in winter, as places of public religious worship. That was at a time when almost every one, within four or six miles, attended religious meetings on the Sabbath, females not excepted, and walked this distance with great seeming alacrity; when feelings of kindness were entertained, and acts of bene- volence exercised by each, towards all others; when each rejoiced at the prosperity of his neighbor, and sympathized with him in adversity and affliction; when none of those hateful, invidious distinctions existed in society which too often destroy the confidence, peace and happiness of neighborhoods and communities; when the criterion of respectability was neither in the contents of one's purse, the cut, or texture of a garment, nor the furniture of his domicile ; when not a town was incorporated, nor a school-house, nor a meet- ing-house erected north and west of Bangor, within the then county of Hancock; at a time when
To build the towering church and spire, God's people were not able, And so, to hear their humble prayer, The Lord would meet them anywhere- In kitchen, grove, or stable.
Among the primitive preachers who occasionally held meetings among the early settlers, were the Rev. Jotham Sewall, Elder Simmons, the venerable John Sawyer, Isaac Davis, Paul Ruggles, Enoch Huntting, Jonathan Palmer, Joseph Merrill, Joseph Osgood, Aaron Hatch, Peter Burgess, Melville Cox, Joseph Lull, and, more lat- terly, Jesse Norcross, Jacob Hatch, and Albana Pease.
The first baptism in town, by immersion, was adminis- tered in the summer of 1811 by Elder Paul Ruggles, of Carmel, the candidate for the ordinance being Reuben Seavey, who subsequently became an ordained minister of the Gospel, of the Calvinistic Baptist persuasion. Elder Ruggles held his meeting on the occasion of Mr. Seavey's baptism, in the log-house kitchen of Na- thaniel Barker, and the rite of baptism administered at what was called the "Bradbury Rips," in the Kendus- keag Stream, half a mile distant from the place of meet- ing.
A Baptist church was organized in Exeter by the Rev. Paul Ruggles in 1815, but the early records of the church are not now to be found. On the sale of the lands in town which were "reserved for the ministry," the several religious denominations organized their soci- eties (regardless of church membership), in order that each society might draw its share of the interest accru- ing annually from the " Ministerial Fund." But after dividing this interest among the religious societies for some years, the town at length voted that the Ministerial and School Fund should thereafter be held in trust by the town, and the interest distributed to the several school districts, in proportion to the number of scholars in each, for the support of education.
A Free-will Baptist Church was instituted in town not long after that of the Calvinistic Baptists, and the Rev. Joseph Osgood was ordained as its pastor, as early as 1817. Messrs. Osgood and Aaron Hatch were early and zealous exhorters in their meetings. At a subsequent period the Rev. John Page, Elder Daniel Swett, and
Samuel Whitney were employed as preachers for the so- ciety. At a meeting of the society held May 26, 1827, it was "voted to divide the ministerial money equally be- tween Elder John Page and Elder Joseph Osgood." In 1828 the money was divided between Elder John Page and Elder Daniel Swett ; and in 1829, between Elder Page and Elder Samuel Whitney. No decisive move- ment is known to have been made to secure preaching here by the Methodists, till 1816, when Ebenezer Hig- gins moved into town and interested himself in the mat- ter, and succeeded in the formation of an "eight weeks' circuit" from Harmony to Palmyra, comprising the towns of Harmony, Ripley, Dexter, Garland, Exeter, Corinth, Levant, Stetson, Corinna, and St. Albans-all taking the name of the "Exeter Circuit." In 1817 the Rev. Joseph Lull was sent here, as the first minister upon the circuit.
In 1818-19 a church was organized here, known as the "Christian Band," in which the Rev. Albana Pease officiated for many years ; afterward becoming a Chris- tian Adventist. He died in Exeter September 30, 1863, aged seventy-six years, one month and fifteen days.
A Congregational Church was organized in Exeter in 1842-3, and Congregational preaching was. obtained, al- ternately with the Baptists; and through the efforts of the Rev. E. G. Carpenter, a church edifice was erected at East Exeter, in 1843, by these two societies, in which the desk was occupied, for a year or two, by Mr. Carpenter, and Elder Jacob Hatch, of Dexter ; also occasionally by the Rev. John Sawyer, of Garland.
A Universalist Society was also organized in town about the year 1834-35, and the Rev. William Frost and Rev. William Miller were the officiating clergymen. Their meetings were held in school-houses, which were generally well filled.
The first meeting-house in town was built by the Meth- odists and Free-will Baptist Society, jointly, at Exeter Corner, in 1829. That house was burned within a few years after. These two societies then dissolved partner- ship, and each society built a house for its own accom- modation. Since that time other religious societies, such as the Christian Adventists in1841, the Congrega- tionalists and Calvin-Baptists in 1843, and finally the Episcopal Society in 1874, have erected their own church edifices, and each for its own particular form of worship. For these laudable and worthy enterprises, each of the above-named societies is entitled to much credit. But to the ladies of Exeter Mills and vicinity was reserved the crowning honor of erecting, in the centennial year of our national independence, the first Free House within the precincts of the town, where the people of every creed and denomination may unite in the worship of the Great Common Father, and, in the mode and manner his conscience shall dictate ; it being designed not only as a place for public religious worship, but for scientific lec- tures, social gatherings, and for the convenience and benefit of a free, intelligent, and progressive people. This edifice is called the " Exeter Mills Hall," dedicated November 27, 1876.
EARLY MARRIAGES.
Among the early marriages in Exeter were : Samuel
878
HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.
Osgood and Roxanna Knapp, 1803; Lemuel Tozier and Betsey H. Gates, 1804 ; Joseph Osgood and Nancy Wil- kins, 1806; Nathaniel Barker and Sally Pease, 1807 ; George Tilson and Nancy Barker, 1808 ; Joseph Pease, Jr., and Polly Barker, Aaron Hatch and Betsey Wilkins, 1809 ; Albana Pease and Sally Barker, Matthew Milliken and Peggy Matthews, Rufus Simpson and Nancy Blaven, 1811.
TAX-PAYERS OF SIXTY-FOUR YEARS AGO.
The following is a list of the tax-payers in Exeter for the year 1818, and the proportion paid by each, on a tax of $300, assessed by Samuel Eastman, Nathaniel Atkins and Theophilus Brown, assessors for that year:
Thatcher Avery, $7 04 Henry Cain. $0 70
Nathaniel Atkins.
93
Bangs Doane I 24
Joshua Atkins.
2 85
Daniel Dole 2 66
Elisha Atkins
1 54
Noah Dow. 6 14
Elisha Atkins, 2d
2 32 John Daniels. 88
Nathaniel Atkins, Jr. I 4I
David Dunbar 2 61
Ezekiel Atwood
2 72
Zenas Dexter. 83
Theophilus Brown
3 73
Benjamin Evans 3 15
James Brown.
2 82
Samuel Eastman 5 60
Lot R. Brown.
I 29 Michael Glidden I 4I
Josiah Barker
8 02 William Glidden 97
Nathaniel Barker;
4 35
Isaac Glidden 70
Lewis Barker.
3 61
Gardner Farmer. 4 46
Benjamin Ballard.
3 72
Mace S. Grinnell. 3 23
Charles Butters.
6 09
Francis Hill 5 73
Simeon Butters.
2 91
Nathaniel Hill, Jr.
3 71
Daniel Butters.
I 73
Nathaniel Hill 4 49
Nathan Batchelder
2 15
John Hill
IO 37
Ebenezer Batchelder.
4 88 William Hill 4 88
Samuel Brown
6 87
Henry Hill. 3 44
John W. Buswell
2 74 Stephen Holt I 45
Phineas Batchelder. 2 68 Barachias Holt. I 12
Nathaniel Batchelder
4 77
Ebenezer Higgins. 2 34
Asa Cartland.
IO IO
John Hodsdon 89
John B. Clark. .
I 73
David Hamilton
I 81
Winthrop Chapman
5 97
Leonard Hill. 70
David Crowell.
2 51
Isaac Jacobs.
5 38
John Chamberlain
2 13
John Kenniston 7 59
2 13
Bartlett Leathers 2 93
Pickman Chamberlain
2 33
John McLellan. 1 33
Joseph Carr
83 Timothy Miller 1 06
David Cain
70 Nathaniel Oak 12 62
Samuel Osgood.
7 25 George Shaw 4 99
2 88
John Shaw.
4 99
Benjamin Osgood.
3 53
Asa Shaw
6 06
John Oaks.
I 71
Levi Stevens 5 60
Nahum Peirce.
85 Benjamin Stinson. 75
Albana Pease.
2 58 Ira Shepardson. 2 63
Samuel Pease.
I 66
Joseph Tibbetts 4 39
('lark Pease.
70
Henry Tibbetts. 4 39
Jonathan Palmer,
4 28
Thomas Townsend. I 33
William Palmer.
I 26
Ebenezer Towle. 3 40
John Palmer
I 06
Ebenezer Towle, Jr.
3 14
Joseph Robinson
2 62 Paul Towle. 4 86
Jeremiah Richards
I 41 Smith Williams
70
Reuben Seavey.
3 26 Jonas Warner 70
Jonathan Sargent
2 51
Harvey Woodard. 70
Joseph Sargent. .
77
Total
.$296 09
OBITUARY.
Of the foregoing names on the tax-list of 1818, only two out of the ninety-five composing the list are now liv- ing, viz: Daniel Dole and Leonard Hill. The last one that died, out of the list, was Colonel Francis Hill, whose exit was on the 8th of January, 1881. He died on the old homestead, where, in 1814, he commenced in the wilderness to make for himself a farm and a future
home. Here he had lived ever since. He was left an orphan at an early age, and, without a patrimony, was obliged to shift for himself. At the time of his marriage, in January, 1815, like most of the early settlers of Exe- ter, he and his young wife, who was equal to the emer- gency, commenced the struggle of life in a log cabin, de- pending mainly on the labor of their hands, and their labors were crowned with success. Colonel Hill was noted for his habits of industry, economy, and superior business tact. In this way he accumulated a large estate, and before his death was accounted one of the wealthiest men in town. He had often been called, by the suffrages of his fellow-citizens, to fill the most important offices in town, whose business affairs were ever considered safe in his hands. In his death one of the oldest land-marks in town has been removed, and of which but very few now remain.
Of the thirty-three petitioners to the Legislature, in 1810, asking for the incorporation of Exeter, only one is left on the shores of time. That survivor of all his early companions is Mckenzie Pease, now (1881) in his ninety- fifth year, and living with his daughter in Bangor. He was a twin brother of the late Rev. Albana Pease.
THE POST-OFFICES.
In Exeter are four post-offices-Exeter, South Exeter (formerly Hill's Corner), Exeter Mills; and East Exeter. The first was established at Exeter Corner, May 1, 1824, and John Shaw was the first postmaster. The second was established February 27, 1834, and Bradbury Robin- son was appointed postmaster. The third was established December 6, 1844, and David N. Buffum appointed postmaster. The fourth was established in 1854, and John Cuttler appointed the first postmaster.
APPORTIONMENT OF REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICTS.
1820-21. New Charleston, Blakesburg, Levant, Cor- inth, Exeter, and Plantation No. I, Third Range, and No. I, Fourth Range, one Representative.
1821, March 22. Exeter, Corinth, New Charleston, Garland, and Dexter, one Representative.
1831, March 10. Exeter and Dexter, one Representa- tive.
1841, April 2. Exeter, one Representative.
1842, March 17. Exeter and Garland, one Repre- sentative ; and these two towns still remain as one Rep- resentative District.
SENATORS.
In 1837 and 1838 Ebenezer Higgins, of Exeter, was elected Senator to the State Legislature; and for 1881 and 1882 Francis W. Hill of Exeter, was elected by the county for that office, which he now holds.
REPRESENTATIVES.
1820-23, Daniel Wilkins, New Charleston; 1824-25, Cornelius Cool- idge, Dexter; 1826, Winthrop Chapman, Exeter; 1827-31, Reuben Bartlett, Garland; 1832, Reuben S. Prescott, Exeter; 1833, Isaac Smith, Dexter; 1834, Chandler Eastman, Exeter; 1835, Gilman M. Burleigh, Dexter; 1836, Ebenezer Higgins, Exeter; 1837, Isaac Russ, Dexter; 1838, Noah Barker, Exeter; 1839, Charles C. Cushman, Dexter; 1840, Noah Barker, Exeter; 1841, Isaac Hatch, Dexter; 1842, Hammon Eastman, Exeter; 1843, Smith Libby, Exeter; 1844, Lyndon Oak, Garland; 1845, Charles Butters, Exeter; 1846, Lyndon Oak, Gar- land; 1847, William Palmer, Exeter; 1848, Stephen D. Jennings, Gar-
-
Zenas Chamberlain
Joseph Osgood.
-
Francis W Hill
879
HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.
land; 1849, Isaiah Avery, Exeter; 1850, Loring D. Hayes, Garland; 1851-52, Samuel M. Woodman, Exeter; 1853, Joseph T. Knight, Gar- land; 1854-55, Thomas K. Holt, Exeter; 1856, Noah Barker, Exeter; 1857, Artemas Merriam, Garland; 1858, Joshua Palmer, Exeter; 1859, Noah W. Johnson, Garland; 1860, Winthrop Chapman, Exeter; 1861, Luther Rideout, Garland; 1862, E. H. Small, Exeter; 1863, Daniel M. Haskell, Garland; 1864, John W. Osgood, Exeter; 1865, Lyndon Oak, Garland; 1866, Augustus E. Chandler, Exeter; 1867, Lyndon Oak, Garland; 1868, Amasa Stetson, Exeter; 1869, Lyndon Oak, Garland; 1870, John Whitney, Exeter; 1871, Andrew M. Haskell, Garland; 1872, David Barker, Exeter; 1873, Lorenzo Oak, Garland; 1874, Benjamin Frost, Exeter; 1875, Edson L. Oak, Garland; 1876, James L. Linnell, Exeter; 1877, George S. Clark, Garland; 1878, George S. Hill, Exeter; 1879, Charles Seward, Garland; 1880, George S. Hill, Exeter; 1881 -- 82, Calvin P. Berry, Garland.
CORONERS.
The following-named persons have served as Coroners from Exeter:
Josiah Barker, June 24, 1829; Ebenezer Higgins, December 25, 1833; Ebenezer Moulton, March 2, 1837; Charles W. Adams, March 24, 1838; Philbrick B. Tay, May 2, 1839; Isaiah Avery, November 7, 1839 to May 1, 1848.
DEDIMUS JUSTICES.
The following have been appointed since the admis- sion of Maine as a State :
Isaac Jacobs, July 7, 1821; Winthrop Chapman, March 13, 1826; Ebenezer Higgins, March 17, 1836; John L. Hodsdon, January 1, 1839; Chandler Eastman, May 2, 1839; Isaiah Avery, September 25, 1847 .; Noah Barker, May II, 1852.
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.
The following were appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts :
John Chamberlain, March 20, 1816; John ·Kenniston, March 20, 1816; Isaac Jacobs, July 3, 1818.
The following Justices of the Peace were appointed after the separation from Massachusetts, from the year 1826 to 1855, inclusive, twenty-five years ; each for terms of seven years :
1826, Benjamin Evans; 1827, Ezekiel Hayes ; 1828, Charles Butters, Winthrop Chapman, Isaac Jacobs, Joseph Tibbetts; 1829, Henry Hill, John B. Hill; 1831, Reuben S. Prescott, Chandler Eastman, Ezekiel Hayes ; 1835, Francis Hill; 1836, Joshua Palmer, Samuel Brown, Wil- liam Fairfield, Henry Hill, John Lovett, Ebenezer Higgins, Winthrop Chapman, James Adams ; 1837, Noah Barker, Alexander M. Robinson; 1838, John W. Osgood, George W. Hill, Chandler Eastman, Hazen Eastman, Edward Snow; 1839, Augustus C. Smith, 1841, William Clark; 1842, Joseph C. Chandler, Francis Hill; 1843, Ebenezer Hig- gins ; 1844, George Kenniston, Henry Hill, Noah Barker, Francis W. Hill, David Barker; 1845, Samuel K. White, John L. Hodsdon. Hazen Eastman, George W. Wilcox; 1846, Lorenzo D. Butters, Benjamin B. Brown; 1848, Thomas McCard, Mark Barker, John Bus- well ; 1849, Francis Hill, Isaiah Avery, Henry P. Haynes ; 1850, James M. Daniels, Benjamin B. Brown, Ebenezer Higgins; 1851, Noah Barker, David Barker, Francis W. Hill.
DEPUTY SHERIFFS.
The following is a list of the Deputy Sheriffs down to the year 1851 :
Francis Hill, Ebenezer Higgins, Ebenezer Moulton, Philbrick B. Tay, Charles W. Adams, Isaiah Avery, Augustus C. Smith, George W. Hill, Allen C. Tibbetts, Nathaniel Barker,
In 1855 Hon. Francis W. Hill, of Exeter, was Sheriff of Penobscot county.
MERCHANTS.
The first merchant in town was Samuel Currier, who came here from Vermont in June, 1819, and opened a stock of goods in 1821, in a small building then standing where the Abee House, at East Exeter, now stands, the place being then known as Stevens's Mills. He
soon after built a new store adjoining the old one, which last was occupied by the district, in the winter of 1822, for a school-house, in which John Shaw was teacher. The merchants who succeeded Currier at this place were, John Huckins, in 1824-25; Reuben S. Prescott, in 1827, who continued here till May, 1833; Joseph Ken- drick, Jr., Henry G. Hill, David Barker, Warren R. Abee, John Cutler, Butters & Shaw, Lorenzo D. Butters, and John Q. Adams (the present trader of the place), and each at different times engaged in mercantile busi- ness.
In 1822, after closing his school in the Currier store, John Shaw built a store at Exeter Corner (then a forest), and commenced trade therein, this being the second store built in town, and the only one then occupied. Mr. Shaw continued in the mercantile business till May, 1851, having followed the business twenty-nine years. The amount of goods sold by him during that time, as he says in his letter, "was probably from $200,000 to $300,000." The successors of John Shaw, at Exeter Corner, have been Ezekiel Hayes, Shaw's partner, in 1824; Andrew Shaw, as partner, in 1825: John Walker, in August, 1825; John D. Prescott, with J. Shaw, in April, 1835. Joseph and Josiah Paine bought out Walker, and commenced in 1835 ; they sold to Andrew Pease, in 1836; and about this time Joseph and Henry M. True commenced trade in the building since occupied as a law-office by John L. Hodsdon and David Barker. In 1839 William W. French commenced trade in the Shaw store; and in 1840 Augustus C. French com- menced in partnership with J. Shaw. In 1842 Lewis T. Joscelyn commenced and sold out to J. Walker in 1847. Francis W. Hill commenced trade at the corner about the year 1843; and Samuel Heard, Jr., about 1848.
Joshua Gammon, J. T. Morton, Noah H. Smith, and Ezekiel H. Page, were each in trade here before the present merchants, George S. Hill and John Whitney, commenced.
At Exeter Mills the first merchant was Zebediah Holt. He was succeeded by Benjamin Plummer, Phil- brick B. Tay, William Hunnewell, David N. Buffum, Thomas J. Hill, George W. Libby, Edward & John Snow, Benjamin B. Brown & Mark Parker, Nathaniel E. & Charles Brown, Thomas Mansfield, John Whitney, Edmund T. Canney, Benjamin R. Laird, and Mr. Fau- sette, who is now the only merchant in the place.
At Linnell's Corner the first trader was William Can- ney, Ist, who in 1825 opened a store of goods in the west room of Timothy Drew's dwelling house. He afterwards commenced trade at South Exeter, then known as "Canney's Corner." His successors at Lin- nell's Corner were Edmund Peavey, Henry Hill, Brad- bury Robinson, Levi Cutler, and James L. Linnell.
At South Exeter the first merchant was William Can- ney, Ist; since his death the traders have been Reuben Butters, Flavel B. Shaw, Edmund T. Canney, and J. W. Kent, who is now the only trader there.
PHYSICIANS.
The first physician in Exeter was Dr. Benjamin Evans, who settled here in 1817. His successors have been
S80
HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.
William Fairfield, William R. Morrill, Dr. Waterhouse, J. M. Small, John B. Wilson, S. W. L. Chase, and F. N. Wheeler, Drs. Chase and Wheeler being the present practitioners.
LAWYERS.
The first lawyer in town was John B. Hill, Esq., who settled at Exeter Corner in 1827-28. His successors have been Samuel Cony (afterwards Governor of the State), James Adams, Charles Cushman, Alexander M. Robinson, Josiah Crosby, George W. Wilcox, John L. Hodsdon, and David Barker, who died September 14, 1874. At present (1881) there is no lawyer in town.
EARLIEST MECHANICS IN EXETER.
The first saddler in town was John Chamberlain, who came here in 1803, and died in 1830.
The first shoemaker was Thomas Townsend, who came here in 1809, and died of small-pox in 1821.
The first house-joiner was Samuel Hersey, who finished off the first school-house in town, in 1812. He was fol- lowed, in 1815, by Stephen Holt, who was a mechanic of the first order; not only a joiner but a wheelwright, and built the first wagon that was ever constructed in Exeter. His ingenuity seems to have descended, as by inheritance, to his sons, Stephen, Edward B., and Thomas K., the latter of whom is still living, and a supe- rior workman. He built the Corporation Mills at Veazie.
The first hatter in town was Joseph Bradbury, who came here in 1806, and raised his hatter-shop on the Dole farm, August 19, 1814. He removed with his family to Ohio in 1816.
The first blacksmith in town was Zenas Dexter, who came here in 1817. His shop stood nearly on the site where now stands the school-house at East Exeter, then Stephens's Mills.
The first printer was Benjamim F. Tozier, who started a newspaper here in 1843, called The Pioneer, which was a short-lived concern, dying for want of patronage.
The first cabinet-maker in town was David Adams, who built his house at Exeter Corner in 1821, where he worked at his trade for several years and then went to Massachusetts.
The first tanner in town was Hazen Eastman, who came here in 1820. He is still living at Exeter Mills.
The first tin plate-workers were William C. and Leon- ard P. Smith, who worked at the business at Exeter Mills as early as 1835. Leonard P. is now at Seattle, Washington Territory.
The first goldsmith in Exeter was John A. Mayhew, who worked at his trade at Exeter Corner for some years, and then removed to Bangor, where he died not long since.
The first chair-maker in town was Samuel K. White, who was an excellent workman, and died here of cholera in 1849.
The first tailor was David Dinsmore, who died in Minnesota soon after his arrival there in 1851.
The first painter, glazier, and paper-hanger in town was Daniel Dole, who purchased his farm here in 1816, and moved his family here in 1825. He is now the oldest citizen living in town.
The first regular butcher and meat vender was Con- sider Glass, who commenced buying the farmers' calves and lambs in about the year 1841-42.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.
The first saw- and grist-mill in town was built at East Exeter, by Levi Stevens, in 1813. Previous to this time the inhabitants were under the necessity of going through the woods on horseback, either to Hodsdon's Mills in Kenduskeag, or to Elkins's Mills in Dexter, to get their corn and grain ground.
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