History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 98

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 98

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

area of the town, in round numbers, is thirty square miles, or about twenty thousand acres.

Holden is bounded on the northeast by Eddington ; on the southeast by the "L" of Eddington and by Ded- ham, in Hancock county; on the southwest by Dedham and Bucksport, the latter of which also bounds the gore on the southeast; and on the northwest by Orrington (bounding the gore only), Brewer, and a small angle of Eddington. It is but one mile from the Penobscot River at the nearest point, from the north corner of the town straight across to Eddington Bend.

There is no important sheet of water wholly within the bounds of Holden; but several lakes lie upon the bor- ders. On the northwest line of the gore, and stretching in a narrow breadth of it across the opposite line, is Brewer Pond, the largest water which touches Holden. It lies, however, chiefly in Orrington, in whose history it will be described. Upon the north half of the southeast border are Holbrook and Davis Ponds, with their con- necting stream. These waters have been sufficiently de- scribed in our account of Eddington. The greatest length, and by far the greatest part of the surface of Holbrook, are in Holden. The east corner of the town lies in the south central part of Davis Pond. Neither of these, strange to say, receives any tributary of account in this town. The Dead River rises near George's Corners, a little below Holbrook Pond, flows appropriately out into Dedham, and through two good-sized lakes in Han- cock to Union River. Another small stream, flowing southward half a mile or so in this county, also heads near the Corners. Two miles west rises another Han- cock county stream, which has a course of about one and a half miles in Holden, and flows out near the south corner. Indeed, the town seems to be full of "heads,", from the peculiarity of its situation as a sort of summit in the south central part of it, between Holbrook and Brewer Ponds. Not a single stream completely intersects the town in any direction, or any large part of it. In the north part of it, however, a brook of moderate length rises half a mile above the north bay of Holbrook Pond, and flows with a northwest and west course into the Eaton Brook, close upon the Brewer line. The head- waters of this brook, three in number, are two or three miles to the southward, and scattered over about two miles' space. The brook, as we have already noticed, crosses the upper part of Brewer town, and enters the Penobscot at North Brewer. Another Brewer stream, Felt's Brook, heads less than a mile southeast of the Brewer line ; and still another comes down from Edding- ton, makes an arc of about half a mile length in the north angle of Holden, whence it flows again into Ed- dington, and makes a final end in Brewer.

Holden is a moderately populous town, having 717 people by the census of 1880. The only post-office bears the name of the town, and is kept by P. L. Pond at his store near the cemetery on the Bangor road, one and a half miles northwest of George's Corners. This hamlet is situated at an important cross-roads half a mile southwest of the south end of Holbrook Pond, and about the same distance from the southeast town line. It

has a public school-house, saw-mill, tannery, blacksmith's shop, etc. From it radiate roads to all the cardinal points except west. One runs east and northeast near Holbrook Pond to and through East Eddington post- office. Above that place and Davis Pond a branch route runs off to the southwest, which, about two miles after passing the Holden line, joins the road from Eddington Bend, which comes in near the north corner of the town, and runs southerly to the junction near the school-house, whence it continues nearly due south to George's Cor- ners, through which it runs a mile further into Dedham. The Bangor road comes in from Brewer in a straight course of three and a half miles, when it ends in a coun- try neighborhood south of the post-office. A little more than a mile west of that, however, at the Congregational church, parsonage, and school-house, nearly two miles southeast of the town line, the main or stage-road turns off to the eastward, but presently to the southeast, and continues to and through George's Corners into Hancock county. Still another highway runs from George's to the southwest, across the south of the gore of Dedham to Bucksport. George's Corners are thus the centre of the road system of Holden. No other important road of length exists in the town than those described. For about two miles nearly parallel with the last, however, is a road from the gore of Dedham, running northerly and northeasterly to the Eddington Bend route. From the cemetery on the Bangor road, one and a quarter miles from the Brewer line, a road runs to the southeast across Prospect Hill-a locality famous for its fine views of the Penobscot Valley-and by the school-house there, out by a west course into Orrington. And from the school- house on the Eddington Bend road, a mile from the north corner of Holden, a highway runs nearly two miles to the southwest, and then bends northwesterly into Brewer.

The surface of Holden, as has already been intimated in our descriptions, is somewhat uneven, but not suffi- ciently so to destroy its adaptibility to agricultural pur- poses. On the contrary, there are a number of fine, pro- ductive farms in the town; and its chief industries, by far, are agriculture, stock-raising, and dairying.

WHITE SETTLEMENT.

The pioneers got into the interior here even earlier than they did into most parts of the present Penobscot county on the other side of the river. The date of the first arrival is well settled to have been May 31, 1786. Like the colony of twenty-six that two and a half years later laid the foundations of the Queen City of the West in the Ohio Valley, this party consisted of men only, with three exceptions, and at least one young child. It thus almost lacked some of the most interesting elements which usually aid to make up the earliest colonization; as in the case of the Plymouth Colony, thus poetically set forth by Mrs. Hemans :

And there was woman's fearless eye, Lit by her deep love's truth; There was manhood's brow, serenely high, And the fiery heart of youth ;-

but was perhaps by this better fitted for the stern struggle

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

that had to be waged for a few years in the howling wil- derness.

The men of this company numbered eight, and were Captain (afterwards General) John Blake, John Farring- ton, Silas Winchester, Calvin Holbrook, David Mann, Elijah Jones, Isaac Clewley, and Samuel Gilmore.

A valuable historical letter, written a few years ago by George C. Wiswell, Esq., grandson of one of the later settlers, gives the following interesting notes concerning the Blake and Farrington party :

They followed a spotted line, which was their only guide (a son of one of the settlers, who was five years old, riding a eow), about six or seven miles from the Penobscot River, in an unbroken wilderness; and here they built their log-houses and covered them with bark. The first year they felled some trees and cleared some land, but were not able to raise any crops. Fortunately some natural meadows which the beavers had made, were found near by and furnished pasturage for the cows in summer, and in winter they were kept near the meadow haystack, the owners going by turns to get their milk. In 1788 quite a quantity of rye and Indian corn was raised, which the farmers carried on their backs to the river and boated it to South Orrington to be ground, bring- ing it back in the same way. A sled-road, however, was soon opened to the river; but then it took two days to make the journey and back, one man going as teamster and another with a handspike to pry up the sled, which often caught on roots and stumps.

The first wheel carriages that they used were carts, some of the wheels of which were made by sawing off a short piece of a large log, while others were made with hubs, spokes, and felloes, but had no iron about them.

This courageous band of pioneers was from Wrentham, Massachusetts. Most, if not all of them, like their leader, Captain Blake, had been soldiers in the War of the Revolution, then but recently closed, were inured to peril and privation, and were well fitted to lay the foun- dations of civilization in the wilderness east of the Pe- nobscot.

General Blake spent the rest of his life in this region, and became its most noted citizen. He was born in Boston, August 29, 1753; entered the Revolutionary army April 19, 1775, at twenty-two years of age. became a lieutenant in the Continental line, and served as such until December of 1780. His military experience and abilities were still made serviceable after his settlement in Maine. He was advanced through all grades in the military service, until he became Major-General of Di- vision. At sixty-one years he was Brigadier-General commanding the militia at the unlucky affair with the British forces at Hampden, in September, 1814. His management on this occasion was made the subject of investigation by a military Court of Inquiry, under direction of the State authorities; but he was altogether exonerated by it "of censure and suspicion," as the historian Williamson says. Then, at the instance of General Blake, two of his subordinate commanders, a Colonel and a Major, were arrested and tried by a regu- lar court-martial. The former was suspended from rank and command for two years; the latter was honorably acquitted. General Blake lived a long and useful life thereafter, dying at last January 25, 1822, in his eighty- ninth year.

Of the first settlers, only Messrs. Gilmore, Clewley, and Jones brought their wives with them. During the next two years, however, the remainder sent or went for their wives and families, and brought them also to the

pioneer homes. Subsequent early arrivals in this part of the country included Colonel Solomon Blake, Elisha Robinson, and Billings Brastow. Of these Colonel Blake survived until May 4, 1858, when he passed away at the great age of ninety-three.

It is a remarkable fact that so many of the Holden pioneers lived to advanced age, a number of them to or near eighty years. We have already noted the deaths of General and Colonel Blake. Deacon Farrington died at the age of eighty-seven, September 30, 1843. Joseph Copeland, who came subsequently, lived to be seventy- nine years and five months old, dying here January 3, 1864. Isaac Bates died September 11, 1849, aged seventy-one years and three months. William Copeland, who departed this life February 10, 1849, was seventy years old. Others, whose names and dates of death we have not, lived to still greater age.

About eight or ten years after S. Blake, Robinson, and Brastow, came in William Copeland aforesaid, from Mansfield, Massachusetts, and George Wiswell, from Norton, in the same State. They were the first to settle in the southwest part of the present town. Wiswell died June 27, 1836, at the age of sixty-four-comparatively young for a Holden pioneer.

Other settlers, about the same time or no great while after, were Messrs. Ebenezer Fisher, Jacob Hart, James Hastings, Thomas George, Asaph Gates, Deo Dat (" He Gives to God") Brastow, Isaac Bates, Joseph and Lem- uel Copeland, Samuel Cobb, John Robinson, Nathan Clark, Abia Pearl, Nathan Kingsbury, Elisha Rider, Zenas and William Rogers, Newell Shepard, and Allen Hodges.

ORGANIZATION.

This town occupies a part of Township No. 9, as known in the surveys. It was originally, for purposes of civil government, a part of Orrington, which was erected from New Worcester Plantation March 21, 1788, and was then a large town, embracing thirty-seven thousand three hundred and four acres. When the northeast part of old Orrington was set off, February 22, 1812, to con- stitute Brewer, this part of the former town went with it, and was locally known as East Brewer. More than forty years passed before another division was imperatively de- manded, and then, April 13, 1852, the final separation was made which bereft Brewer of by far its larger and perhaps fairer portion, and the new town of Holden was born. It is, with the exception of seven towns-Matta- wamkeag, Medway, Mount Chase, Prentiss, Stetson, Veazie, and Winn-the youngest town in the county. Kenduskeag was created the same year, but in February.

STATISTICS OF GROWTH.

Although so early settled, the population of the tract now constituting Holden cannot be given, in conse- quence of its inclusion in other towns. As we have seen, a considerable percentage of the people of Orrington, and afterwards of Brewer, must have been settled in this quarter. The first census taken after the final separa- tion-that of 1860-showed a population in Holden numbering 805. Brewer, at the next preceding census,

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

exhibited a roll of 2,628 people, of whom nearly one- third must have lived in the subsequent Holden territory. In 1840, when all of old Brewer had but 1,736, the pro- portion belonging to "East Brewer" must have been much larger. In 1870 Holden had 761, and in 1880 717.

The number of polls in 1860 was 180; in 1870, 185; in 1880, 200. The grown men or voters, it will be seen, have steadily increased, although the population has fallen off somewhat.

In 1860 the valuation of estates in this town was $168,938; in 1870, $193,561 ; in 1880, $174,681.

RELIGIOUS HISTORY.

At early dates in the annals of this region, the Rev. "Father" John Sawyer and Rev. Jotham Sewall, the well-known pioneer preachers, and afterwards venerated patriarchs, held Protestant services in it here and there. The latter was an especial favorite, and the whole settle- ment, almost without exception, would turn out to his preaching. The Rev. Enoch Mudge, of Orrington, and Rev. Thomas Williams, who was pastor at Brewer post- office in 1813, preached a part of the time in the East Brewer pioneer school-house. This was built in 1803, and used for religious as well as educational purposes until 1829, when the first church edifice in this quarter was erected. The previous year there was an extensive revival hereabout, which led to the formation of a church November II, 1828. It was known as "the Second Congregational Church of Brewer " until 1839. The ministers settled over this church, in order of service, were the Rev. Messrs. W. W. Niles, Charles R. Fiske, A. L. Whitman, J. R. Munsell (who remained twelve years), F. Southworth, J. S. Cogswell, and E. C. Crane. The latter is the present incumbent of the pulpit. The pioneer John Farrington was the first Deacon of this church, appointed during the month next after its or- ganization; and he served it in this capacity honorably and acceptably fifteen years, or until his death.

This is still the only religious society in Holden.

EDUCATIONAL.

The children of the pioneers were at first, and for many years, gathered in an informal way for private instruction at the dwellings. The first regular school was held in a rough, unfinished room at Deacon Farrington's house in 1799, and was taught by John Wilkins. Four years afterwards, as before noted, the first school-house was built.

There are now in Holden eight school districts, and as many school-houses.

SOCIETIES.

The first temperance organization in this region was formed soon after the Congregational church, and at a time when organized temperance sentiment was a very rare thing anywhere in the land. Its date was December 5, 1828, and its place of birth the Wiswell School Dis- trict. Other associations of the kind were subsequently formed; and it is a record eminently creditable in the history of the town that it has never been without a tem- perance society. The present organization, Holden Di-

vision, Sons of Temperance, was instituted November 6, I866.

The Union Star Grange, No. 168, Patrons of Hus- bandry, also in this town, was organized May 5, 1875.

BUSINESS.

Dr. Joseph Fogg was a practicing physician here for nearly half a century-forty-five years. There is still but one resident doctor in the town. Two persons keep general stores, and one firm are grocers. The Holden Steam Mill Company manufactured lumber here for a number of years, and one person is still running a saw- mill. There is a tannery at George's Corners. One firm are turning out carriages and smith-work ; and there are two smiths besides.

TOWN OFFICERS FOR 1881.

Benjamin F. Farrington, Charles Wiswell, F. K. Hart, selectmen ; A. B. Farrington, town clerk; Henry T. Hart, treasurer and collector ; F. K. Hart, constable ; George C. Wiswell, school supervisor; F. K. Hart, A. B. Farrington (quorum), justices.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

The following notice is included in the Roll of Honor of Bowdoin College, of the students and graduates during the late war :

Class of 1842 .- Charles M. Blake, born in Holden, December, 1819; Principal of a school for young ladies in Philadelphia several years ; entered service as Chap- lain ; was Captain United States Colored Troops ; Hos- pital Chaplain, United States Artillery.

Benjamin Farrington was born in Holden in the year 1792, and lived in this place until his death in 1844. He was through life a mechanic and farmer. His wife was Betsey Brastow ; she was born in Holden in the year 1793, where she died at the age of seventy-nine years. Benjamin F. Farrington was born in Holden in the year 1823, and has always made this town his home. He was the fourth child in the family : Eliza Ann, dead; Alden B., Nancy B., Susan E., Billings B., Thomas F., Charlotte C. Mr. Farrington's early educational advan- tages were very good for the time. While a youth his business was millman and farmer. He was first married to Laura A. Fisher, of Bangor, November 20, 1851, and has one son now living. His second marriage was to Nancy J. Fisher, of Holden, May 22, 1862. His busi- ness since his marriage has been farming. He is now first Selectman ; was on the Board of Selectmen several years before ; also President of the Steam Mill company.

The subject of this sketch, Philander L. Pond's father, was born at Wrentham, Massachusetts, in 1776, and lived there until he was about twenty-one years of age, when he moved to Holden, Maine, and lived here until he died at the age of seventy-eight years. His business through life was that of shoemaker and farmer ; his name, Abia Pond. His wife was Cynthia Clewley, born in Holden in the year 1787, where she lived until her death in the year 1857. Philander L. Pond was born at Holden in 1817, May 23; he was the fifth child in the family: Har- vey, William C., Increase S., Benjamin B., Mary E.,

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HISTORY OF PENOBSCOT COUNTY, MAINE.

Nancy C., Silas N., Isaac C., Julia R., Angeline M. The early educational advantages of Mr. Pond were the common schools. While a youth he worked at farming. He was married in 1842 to Emily W. Billington, and has six children : Albert A,, married to Celia A. Criffin, and has one son. Gideon F., unmarried; his home is transient. Henry L., unmarried ; home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Marcia J., unmarried ; Sarah, unmarried ; Myra A. F., unmarried. Mr. Pond is a farmer and carpenter ; he has been postmaster of the town for thirteen years and still continues in the same office.

Eli Kingsbury was born in the town of Holden in the year 1813, on the 21st day of June. He was the fifth child in the family, and has had two brothers and two sisters-Charles, dead ; Willard ; Nancy, dead ; Julia. Mr. Kingsbury's early educational advantages were very poor. His business while a youth was shoemaking. He was married to Miss Rebecca B. Morse in the year 1843. They have three children living-Susan L., mar- ried Abrua P. Levenseller, and has five children, all liv- ing ; Marilla, married to George B. Glover, and has two children living ; Nathan G., married to Lura Orcutt, has three children, all living. Mr. Kingsbury's children all reside at home. His business since his marriage has been farming. He has held some of the town offices.

Russell Hart was born in Walpole, Massachusetts, where he lived five years, and then with his father moved to the town of Holden, where he lived until his death, September 26, 1877, at the age of eighty-three years. His business through life was lumbering and farming. His wife was Weltha Britton, born in Raynham, Massa- chusetts, in the year 1798, where she lived until her mar- riage, and then came to Holden. She died April 6, 1881, aged eighty-three years, five months, and twenty- four days. William Jacob Hart was the youngest child in the family. He was born in Holden in 1840. The other children were Russell, N. B., Weltha, Maria, Eme- line L., Edwin J., Ann S., Andrew J., Henry B., Adaliad S., and William J. William J. Hart was married to May H. Gowen the 24th day of March, 1865; her father's name was Reuben Gowen; her mother's maiden name Olive Hanson. By this union they had four children- Mary H., Susan, Fannie H., and Lizzie (). Mr. and Mrs. Hart have two children living-Susie M., not mar- ried, and Herbert R., both of whom reside at home.

Adomiram J. Rogers was born in Holden in 1820, and died in the same town in 1862. His business through life was a farmer and drover. His wife was Lucy Ann Jones, born in Holden in 1825, and married in 1844. She survives her husband, at the age of fifty-six. Fred M. was born in the year 1845. He was the oldest child in the family. The others were Lucy L. and Harry W. Mr. Rogers's early educational advantages were the com- mon school, which he attended until he was eighteen years of age. While a youth he was a farmer. He was mar- ried to Sarah J. Stuart the 8th of February, 1871. His wife's father's name was Simon Stuart; her mother's name was Dorcas T. Malona; the names of her brothers and sisters were Colin M., Theresa A,, John A., Samuel F., Fred A., William S., Simon H., Frank N. Mr. and

Mrs. Rogers have by this union had two children-Venia T. and Arthur V .- who reside at home. His business since his marriage has been that of merchant, drover, and farmer. He has been Third Selectman two years, Col- lector and Treasurer two years.

John Fisher Robinson was born in Holden, Maine, on the 26th of March, 1821, and lived in Holden until his death, which occurred on the 20th of January, 1876. He was a farmer and lumberman. His wife was Mary L. Blake, born in Holden in the year 1824, and lived here until her death in the year 1877, aged about fifty- three years. They were married September 12, 1847. John Preston was the oldest child in the family. He has one brother, Charles Blake Robinson, married to Miss Fannie H. Griffin. Mr. Robinson's early educa- tional advantages were pretty good at the common school of the town. His business while a youth was farming. He was married to Mrs. Fannie H. Breed in the year 1874. His wife's father's name was Reuben Gorven, his mother Olive Hanson, who has children as follows: Susan, Lizzie, Mary, William, and Olive. Mr. Robinson is engaged as a stock drover and farmer. He has been Collector and Treasurer of the town for one year.

Daniel M. Spofford, son of Dr. Amos Spofford, of Georgetown, Massachusetts, was born in Georgetown about the year 1775, where he lived until 1839, when he moved to Dedham, Maine. There he died January 19, 1842, aged about sixty-five years. His business through life was farming and stone-masonry. His wife was Han- nah Spofford, daughter of Jacob Spofford. They were married January 19, 1814. Walter K. Spofford was the youngest child in the family, which comprised Harriet, Caroline M., Charles S., Emma C., Hattie, dead; Myron, dead; Winslow P., died in the army. Walter K. was born January 2, 1819. His business while a youth was farming. He was married to Mary M. Hart on the 19th of May, 1842. Her parents were Jacob Hart, Jr., and Nancy Farrington, daughter of Deacon John Farrington. They have had by this union two children, both living --- Charles B., married to Josie A. Wilson, has no children; Marcia E., not married, and resides in Holden,

The father of Thomas Mclaughlin was born in Lon- donderry, Ireland in 1796, and came to Sheffield, New Brunswick, where he lived ten or twelve years, and then moved to the town of Tay Creek, where he died February 3, 1880, aged 84 years. His wife was Esther Campbell, born in County Autrim, Ireland, aud died in New Bruns- wick February 7, 1880, aged 93 years. Their children were John, Joseph A., Robert S., Archibald, and Thomas. The latter was born in Sheffield, New Brunswick, in 1826. When twenty years of age he came to Massachusetts, and a year and a half later settled in Brewer. There he remained seven or eight years, when he went to Dedham, and seventeen years later came to Holden, where he now lives. He was married to Nancy J. Trueworthy, and has four children: Ella P., Emma P., Esther D., and Charles A. Ella married Jonas Frye; Emma married Charles Thompson, and Esther D. married Charles Hink- ley.

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History of Penobscot County, Maine; with illustrations and biographical sketches, Part 98

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