USA > Maine > York County > Saco > History of Saco and Biddeford, with notices of other early settlements, and of proprietary governments, in Maine, including the provinces of New Somersetshire and Lygonia > Part 10
USA > Maine > York County > Biddeford > History of Saco and Biddeford, with notices of other early settlements, and of proprietary governments, in Maine, including the provinces of New Somersetshire and Lygonia > Part 10
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This family is supposed to be allied to a noble stock in England. In 1637, Sir Richard Edgecomb received an extensive grant of land from Sir F. Gorges, situated between Sagadehock river and Casco bay. It is suppos- ed by Sullivan that Saco river was intended, but this is very improbable ; the territory east of Casco bay, which was the subject of no former grant, was more plausibly fixed upon by the heirs of Sir Richard, who himself paid no attention to the grant. The first attempt to urge this claim was made 1718 by John Edgecomb, agent for a Sir Richard. This was, perhaps, our townsman already mentioned or his son. There is a tradition that one of the Saco Edgecombs went to England by invitation from his noble relatives early in the last century. In 1756, the claim to this tract was revived by Lord Edgecomb, who empowered Sir W. Pepperell, and after his death, Mr. Sparhawk, to recover it for him, but other titles had
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become too well established in that quarter, and his lord- ship lost his case .* The title of Lord Edgecomb of Mount Edgecomb, is still borne by one of this family.
The Gibbins estate was divided among the heirs in 1730 ; it was then comparatively small, large tracts hav- ing been disposed of by Mr. Gibbins, as will be noticed in another place. There were four sets of heirs: 1. The heirs of Elizabeth Sharp, the oldest daughter of Mr. Gibbins. Her son, Capt. John Sharp, was one of them. 2. The heirs of Rachel Edgecomb viz. her sons Robert and Thomas; and her daughters, Judith, the wife of Abra- ham Townsend, and Mary, the wife of David Young. 3. Hannah Mace. This was a Kittery name, where the mother of Hannah, a daughter of Gibbins, probably lived. 4. Patience Annable and Rebecca Wakefield, grand daughters doubtless of Mr. Gibbins; but which of his children they represented we are not informed. Mr. Thomas Edgecomb, of the fifth descent from Thomas Lewis, the original patentee, at present occupies a part of the Gibbins estate, which has continued in the uninter- rupted possession of this family.
Capt. Richard Bonython was probably settled on his grant as early as his associate, Mr. Lewis.t Our first no- tice of his presence here, however, is in the record of the Commissioners' court 1636, holden at his house. He was appointed by Sir F. Gorges one of the Counsellors for the government of the Province in 1040. The last court under that authority sat at Wells 1646, when Capt. Bonython was present, The latest transaction in which we find him engaged, is the conveyance of a piece of Jand July 14, 1647. His death probably occurred not long after, certainly before the year 1653 ; for he is not enumerated among the inhabitants of East Saco, in a list taken at that time, which contains the name of liis son.t Capt. Bonython was, doubtless, strongly opposed to the claims of Rigby, but we have met with no evidence that he took an active part in the discussions growing out of them. He seems to have sustained a character for gravi-
*Sullivan. 126. tSee Appendix D. #Mass. Records,
. .. .
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ty of deportment, and was evidently treated with great respect by his associates in office. He was rarely, if ever, a party in any action of whatever kind, but constant in the performance of his duties as a magistrate ; we even find him entering a complaint against his own son, for threatening violence to Mr. Vines. At the same term the court ordered "that Jane Shaw, wife of Edw. Shaw, shall be whipped at the next quarter court holden at Saco, for abusing Capt. Bonython in slanderous and unreverend speeches." Edward recognized in the sum of £50 "to bring his wife to abide the censure of the court." The children of Capt. Bonython were a son and two daugh- ters ; born in England.
John, the son, bore a character the reverse of that of his father. His litigious disposition has already appeared in our extracts from the court records. In 1645, Capt. Bonython said in open court, "that he knew wherever his son met Mr. Richard Vines he would be revenged on him, for he had not forgotten the old quarrel." He did not appear to answer to the charge, and the court pro- ceeded to pass the following decree ; "Whereas J. Bony- thon of Saco, in the Province of Maine, hath been sum- moned divers times in his Majesty's name to appear at our courts, and hath refused, threatening to kill and slay any persons that should lay hands on him ; whereupon the law hath had its due proceeding to an outlawry, and divers judgments, executions and warrants of good be- baviour : We, therefore, at a General Court assembled, adjudge the said John Bonython outlawed and incapable of any of his Majesty's laws, and proclaim him a rebel." It was then ordered "that if Mr. John Bonython be taken, that he be forthwith sent to Boston, to answer such things as shall then be brought against him.". His contempt of the authority of the province was referred to the arbitra- tion of that government. His father was a member of the provincial court.
Under the government of Mass., John was still more violent ; by whom, we have seen, he was again outlawed, and a price set upon his head. This rigorous procce- ding brought him to terms. The town book, in which his
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name is rarely found, contains the following record : "July 11, 1665. At a townmeeting, the justice of the peace and the freeholders being met together, a warrant is sent to Mr. John Bonython to come and take his oath to be constable, as he was chosen : but he refused, and is fined 4l." R. Booth was then chosen in his place. This was soon after the arrival of the King's commissioners in the province. It appears, therefore, that he attempted to act independently of all authority ; hence doubtless he gained the burlesque title of 'Sagamore of Saco,' which has come down to us in the couplet, said to have been in- scribed on his grave stone :
"Here lies Bonython, the Sagamore of Saco;
He lived a rogue and died a knave and went to Hobomocko."*
His death occurred about 1684 ; an order of the court in that year continues his wife in the possession of her late husband's property. He was supposed at a subsequent period to have been destroyed by the Indians, as appears from the following record in the Book of Claims to eastern lands, opened by order of government at Boston 1718 : "Peter Weare, of Hampton claims a tract of land contain- ing 120 acres on the eastern side of Saco river, part of that granted to Richard Bonython in 1629, and by him granted to his son John, who was killed by the Indian enemy-said Weare bought of his son and heir by deed." In the registry of deeds we find, that "Richard Bonython, formerly apprentice to Jas. Weymouth of Newcastle, N. H. cordwainer, son and heir to John Bonython of Saco, sold in 1713 to Lieut. Peter Weare of Hampton, a tract of six score acres on the north east side of Saco river in the patent granted to his honored grandfather, Mr. R. Bonython and T. Lewis."
. This Richard, however, was not a son, but a grandson of John Bonython, senior. At the time of the death of the latter, there was peace with the Indians ; and as he was then far advanced in years, it is more probable that he
*Hobomocko -- the evil spirit of the Indians. Sullivan, p. 368, sup- poses that the lines were intended for Capt. Richard Bonython by his political enemies ; but the moderate character of the patentee is inconsistent with this supposition. Their application to his son is much more probable.
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died in the course of nature. In May, 1683, when near the close of his life, John gave to the town '20 acres of upland for the minister,' as if to atone for his past errors. He was buried at his own request near the river on the line separating one division of his estate from that of Gib- bins. A man who lives near the spot, informs us that having had frequent occasion to pass it when a boy, the path from a landing place on the river leading in that di- rection, he was often told that the 'governor of Saco' lay buried there. The children of John Bonython were John, Thomas, Gabriel, William, Winifred, and Eleanor. John, the oldest, was born 1654; chosen one of the selectmen 1685 ; and four years after, removed to New- castle, N. H. where he was living 1694. It is probable he afterwards fell by the hands of the Indians. Richard, the cordwainer, who sold to Weare, was unquestionably his son. This Richard had a sister, the wife of John Collins. The other sons of the 'Sagamore' left no heirs, except collateral ones. Winifred, the oldest daughter, married Robert Nicholson, or Nichols : Eleanor married a Churchwell. A son of the former, living at Marble- head, sold his mother's right in her father's estate to Ro- bert and Thomas Edgecomb, 1729. The name of Bony- thon has long been obsolete in this quarter, and probably in New England.
The daughters of Capt. Bonython became the wives of Richard Foxwell and Richard Cumming. Mr. Fox- well was one of the first and most respectable planters in this vicinity. He settled at Blue-point, on the south- western side of Scarboro' river in 1636, when thirty two years of age .* George Foxwell, his nephew, who died in Virginia, was from the city of Exeter, in Devonshire, England, and it is quite probable that Richard was from the same place, or its neighborhood. He lived forty years on his estate at Blue-point, without apparently mingling in the political disputes of that period. He was
"There was a person of the same name at Scituate 1634, a mer- chant; (Farmer's Register ;) but as our planter married in England, it is probable that he came out with his father in law with the view of settling on his patent, and hence it is unlikely ho should have gone to Scituate.
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a member of the General Assembly of Lygonia in 1648, being of the committee to whom was referred Mr. Jor- dan's petition. But his chief attention was given to his plantation, which became a valuable legacy to his heirs. He died about the close of 1676, or early in the succeed- ing year. Administration on his estate was granted to his son Philip Foxwell 1677; Joseph Curtis and Richard Rogers afterwards administered.
The children of Mr. Foxwell, were three sons and five daughters. Richard jr., probably the oldest son, was living 1664 ; we have no further account of him. John married a daughter of Richard Cumming ; he died young, leaving one son, Nathaniel, who removed to York. De- borah, daughter of Nathaniel, married William Corbain of Boston, and as the sole heiress of her father and grand- father, conveyed all her right in the estate of Richard Foxwell, to William Pepperell jr., afterwards Sir William, in 1729.
Philip Foxwell, the other son, was one of the select- men of Scarboro' in 1681. In the subsequent dispersion of the inhabitants of that town by the Indians, Philip re- moved to Kittery, where he died, apparently without heirs, in 1690.
Of the daughters, Esther married Thomas Rogers of . Goose-fair, in 1657. Mr. Rogers was here as early as 1638, when we find him attesting a deed. He was pro- bably quite young at that time, as his name does not occur again until 1653. He lived on the seashore, near the mouth of Goose-fair brook, in the western part of what is now called Old Orchard. A northwest line divi- ding the patent of Lewis and Bonython into two equal por- tions, was run 1681 ; which the commissioners began at "Rogers' garden." The house of Mr. Rogers was de- stroyed by the Indians 1676, when he removed to Kittery, and soon after died. An inventory of his estate was ta- ken the following year. He had two sons, Richard and John. The former, purchased from Gibbins 1687 a tract of about half a mile square situated between Goose-fair brook and the middle line of the patent. He afterwards removed to Kittery. His son Richard jr. gave this piece of land to Patrick Googins 1737. Patrick came
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over from Ireland at an early age, and was in the service of Pepperell at Kittery, by whose influence, it is said, he obtained a daughter of R. Rogers, (grandson of Thomas,) in marriage. He settled on the estate given him by his father in law, where he died 1783, aged 84 years. Pat- rick left six sons, one of whom is now living at an advan- ced age. Mr. Rogers Googins, a grandson of Patrick, and some others of this family, now possess and improve a part of the old estate.
Lucretia Foxwell married James Robinson of Blue- point. On the breaking out of the Indian war, they re- moved to New Castle, N. H. and there ended their days. They left four children, daughters, three of whom were married.
: Susannah Foxwell married an Austin. Mary, another daughter, married George Norton, of York. Sarah Fox- well married Joseph Curtis of Kittery, 1678. Their daughter Eunice was born Dec. 23, 1698. She mar- ried Richard Cutts of Kittery, Octo. 20, 1720. Their children were seven sons and three daughters, viz. Sa- rah, Robert, Joseph, Samuel, Edward, Foxwell Curtis, Richard, Mary, Thomas, and Eunice. Thomas, late Col. Cutts of Saco, the ninth of these children, was born April 5, 1736. Edward, the fifth, late Judge of the C. C. Pleas, was born 1728. The mother, a grand daughter of Richard Foxwell, died March 30, 1795, at the great age of ninety six years .*
The second daughter of Capt. Richard Bonython was married to Richard Cumming before 1647. Mr.
:
*Kittery Records. Jocelyn, in the account of his first Voyage 1633, relates the following story as "told by Mr. Foxwell now living in the Province of Maine. Having been to the eastward in a shal- lop, on his return he was overtaken by the night, and fearing to land on the barbarous shore, put off a little further to sea. About mid- night they were awakened by a loud voice from the shore calling Forwell, Forwell! come ashore! three times ; upon the sands they saw a great fire, and men and women hand in hand dancing round a- bout it in a ring. After an hour or two they vanished, and as soon as the day appeared, Foxwell put into a small cove, and traced along the shore where he found the footing of men, women and children shod with shoes, and an infinite number of brands' ends thrown up by the water; but neither English nor Indians could he meet with on the shore nor in the woods. 'There are many stranger things in the world than are to be soen between London and Stanes'." p. 24.
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Cumming first settled on the western side of the river, but after the death of his father in law, he removed to the eastern part of his patent, near Little river. In 1672, a committee was appointed by the town "to meet the Black- point men at the river next Richard Comming's, to run the line between them and us." Mr. Cummings Banks, one of his descendants, now lives at the same place. The name of Richard Cumming, or Cummin, occurs very often in the town records until 1674; he died soon after. An inventory of his estate was taken 1676. The administrators were Thomas Cumming and John Har- mon. The former did not long survive his father.
Elizabeth the only daughter of R. Cumming married John Foxwell, her cousin ; after his death John Harmon, previously to 1680. By this marriage Mr. Harmon be- came sole heir to that division of the patent which fell to the wife of Cummings. The daughter of Mr. Harmon, an only child, married Joseph Banks of York, to which place Harmon removed before 1690. , Banks thus ac- quired Harmon's right, but, in 1714, conveyed one-half of it to Peter Weare and others. He also sold one quar- ter to Caleb Preble of York, who afterwards transferred it to Jas. and Joseph Brown of Newbury, 1717. Sam- uel Banks, a son of Joseph, settled at Old Orchard on a part of the Cummings estate, about 1735, where his descendants now live.
A brief notice of the other early planters will conclude this chapter. The first name in the book of Rates after the patentees, is that of Henry Boade. This gentleman settled at Winter Harbor before 1636, but six years after be removed to Wells, where he was associated with Rev. J. Wheelwright and E. Rishworth, in a commission from Sir F. Gorges to lay out and allot that township, extend- ing from Ogunquit river to Kennebunk river, now form- ing the towns of Wells and Kennebunk. The small estate left by Mr. Boade at Winter Harbor, was transferred by Mr. Vines to Thomas Mills, fisherman, and James Gib- bins planter, in 1612. In 1653, he was appointed first commissioner or justice of Wells. His death took place four years after. The executors of his will were "his loving cousins, Mr. John Winthrop, Esq. and Rev. Timo- thy Dalton, minister of Hampton,"
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John Wadlow, or Wadleigh, also removed to Wells be- fore 1650. An Indian Sagamore, named Thomas Chabi- nocke, devised to Wadleigh 'all his title and interest of Nampscascoke', comprising the greater part of Wells ; with a condition that he should allow one bushel of In- dian corn annually to the 'old Webb,' his mother, as long as she lived. The extent of the tract was from the sea as far up as 'the great falls on Cape Porpoise (Mousum) river', and from Negunket to Kennebunk river. The Sagamore seems to have died 1649, in which year Wad- leigh took legal possession of his lands. Ten years after, John Wadleigh and his son Robert conveyed the portion between Cape Porpoise and Kennebunk rivers, with several reservations, to Daniel Eppes of Ipswich. Mr. Eppes was a son in law of Samuel Symonds, deputy- governor of Mass. Bay .* William Symonds, a son of the deputy-governor, settled at Wells, probably on the Jands purchased by Mr. Eppes. Under the jurisdiction of Mass., Indian titles were held valid where previous grants had not been made. A small part only of the township of Wells had been taken up previously to the date of Chabinocke's will. John Wadleigh was one of the selectinen of Wells 1653. He died 1671. His will contains the bequest of 'a pair of oxen called Sparke and Berry,' to his daughter Mary Mills. The practice of giv- ing names to working cattle, said to be peculiar to the eastern farmers, was, it seems, of early introduction. The same custom doubtless prevails in that part of Eng- land from which our planters came.
Thomas Williams, who is usually dignified with the title of Mr. in the town book, was a leading townsman for many years. The following record is dated 29 June, 1674 : "This day Mr. Williams did make his address to the town for 14 pounds due to him for dieting the minis- ter of the towne : and it is ordered and consented to by the whole town that for the time during his or his wife's life, he is freed from all town, Commonwealth or Ecclesi- astical rates." The same year, at an October meeting, the record says : "The town hath cleared Mr. Thomas
"Farmer's Genealogical Register.
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Williams from all his rate that is behind hand and so for- ward.". Also, "the town hath ordered that there shall be two men appointed to look into Mr. Williams' estate to see if he shall have maintenances." We have not met with his name after this date : he had then been an in- habitant at least forty years. Having served the town long and faithfully in several responsible offices, he was at last, when past service, necessitated to apply for assis- tance, as it appears from the foregoing record. He seems. to have had no family. Beside his brother Richard, who: died 1635, as mentioned in a former chapter, no other person of this name is found among our inhabitants in that century. :
Robert Sanky, provost-marshal 1640, died at Winter Harbor before 1642. His land adjoined that of Mr. Williams, as, in an action of trespass brought by the lat- ter against Ferdinand Grant, who being employed to cut his hay, had set fire to it, Mr. Sankey joined for the in- jury done his own hay and grass. Mr. Joseph Bowles afterwards owned Sankey's estate, which he sold in 1659, being then resident at Wells, to John Bowden. The fees of the provost-marshal, or sheriff, were 2s. for serving a warrant in Saco, and 4s. for every day employed out of the town. The under-marshal, or deputy, received a salary of 4l. per annum.
". Theophilus Davis, styled 'officer for this place' in the records of 1636, was doubtless constable of Saco that year. This is all we know of him. We are almost equally in the dark respecting the next planter on the list, George Frost. He appears on a jury 1640, and perhaps died soon after. Clement Greenway has also eluded our enquiries after 1637.
. John Parker probably removed to Kennebec beyond the jurisdiction of Gorges, where a person of this name is found purchasing from the Indians the large and valua- ble island, now a part of Georgetown, in 1650. His de- scendants have ever retained possession of parts of that island under the Indian title .* There was also a Jobn
.11 Mass. Hist. Coll. i. 252.
. . 2.
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Parker at York 1652, but he was probably a late comer; as his name is not found in the early court records.
John Smith has been noticed in a former part of our inquiries. His lease of 100 acres from Mr. Vines, on an annual rent of 5s. bears date 1642. Eight years after, he assigned this lease to N. Buly, who was to enter on the property 1652, and to allow Smith one room in the. house for two years after entrance. The Mass. com- missioners 1654, passed the following order. "The com- missioners being informed that John Smith of Saco is ne- cessarily detained from coming to yield subjection to the government, and that it is his desire to subject him- self to the government, they do grant that on his ac- knowledgement of subjection to this government any two of the town commissioners at Saco may, and hereby have liberty to give him the oath of freeman." Sullivan re- marks on the above : "John Smith was one of the gran- tees of the Plough Patent, and did not personally sub- mit ; but the Commissioners readily received his excuse of ill health, and took his submission by proxy." The inconvenience of going to Wells for the purpose of ac- knowledging the Mass. jurisdiction, prevented a number of the inhabitants beside Smith, from personally appear- ing there, as we have already seen. This circumstance is, therefore, no argument in favor of his being a grantee of the Plough Patent. Had Smith really been one of the Plough Company, it is hardly probable he would have taken a small lease at Winter Harbor, when entitled to at least a township in right of that patent. He, how- 'ever, held the office of marshal under the jurisdiction of Lygonia, as it appears from his deposition given at the Jate date 23 June, 1685 : "Testimony of John Smith of Saco, aged about 73 years,, marshal under Mr. G. Cleaves,* who about forty years ago carried on Col .: Rigby's authority in this Province," &c. This is the last notice of Mr. Smith that we have found in the records of that period. " He had then outlived all the first planters, with the exception, perhaps, of Mr. Watts.
"This name is usually spelt Cleves, or Cleeve, in the oldest records :" but we have adopted the modern orthography .. [ {
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Samuel Andrews died before: 1638. Mr. Vines con- firmed to his widow Jane 100 acres near Scadlock's land, where her husband built a house and enclosed four acres. She afterwards married Mr. Arthur Mackworth of Casco, a gentleman of some note. Sarah, her daughter, married Abraham Adams of Casco. Mr. Francis Neale, rep- resentative of Falmouth 1670, married another daughter. Edward Andrews, freeman 1653, was perhaps a son of Samuel ; he died 1668.
William Scadlock, a worthy planter, settled on the wes- tern side of Little river, and when the line was run be- tween Saco and Cape Porpoise 1659, his house was left in the latter town, the river being made the dividing line. Mr. Scadlock was appointed clerk of the writs or town clerk by the Commissioners 1653, but the existing re- cords of that year are signed by the selectmen. There were others doubtless, now lost. Scadlock made his will Jan. 7, 1662, and probably died soon after. His personal property amounting to £100, and his real estate, which was of considerable value, he gave to his wife ; to his children he made small bequests, as set forth in the following extracts : "I bequeath my bible unto my son William. I bequeath unto my son John 3 yards of broadcloth, he upon that consideration to buy 3 yds. and a half of good kersey of 10s. per yard for a suit for my son Samuel, and silk and buttons unto both : I bequeath unto my daughter Rebecca my worsted stockings. I bequeath unto my son William my new hat, he buying Samuel a- nother of 10 or 12s. price. I bequeath unto my daugh- ter Susanna Mr. Cotton's work upon the new covenant of grace. I bequeath a book entitled Meat out of the Eater, to my son William ; and to my son John I bequeath a book concerning Justifying Faith ; and the Practice of piety to Rebecca : and to my daughter Susanna a Suck- ing Calf called Trubb .* I bequeath unto my daugh- ter Sara one yard of Holland : and to the end that all things be performed according to my mind and will, 1 hereby make, constitute and appoint my loving wife Ell-
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