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 11
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 11
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, 13 14". "The quaint title of some puritanical work.
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nor my executrix, and my son William executor, unto all which I set my hand and heart." Of the sons, William died 1664, and Major Pendleton administered on his estate ; John died the same year. Samuel was living 1719 at York, seventy three years old. William jr. ap- pears to have left children ; a son William, born 1661 ; and a daughter Anne, married to John Carter 1666. The family name is now extinct in this quarter, so far as we can learn ; but the falls on Little river near the house of Mr. Jeremiah Bettes, are still called Scadlock's falls . by the inhabitants in that vicinity.
A Robert Morgan was an inhabitant at Sagadehock, 1665 ;* but we are unable to identify him with certainty as the planter of 1636.
Henry Warwick, or Waddock ; the former orthogra -. phy is found only in the Court Records, and in legal in- struments. He was long an active and useful inhabitant of the town ; his house was at the lower ferry, on the main road at that period from Wells to Casco, where he- died about 1673. His children were a son and two daughters; the former, John, is mentioned among the principal townsmen 1674; he removed a few years after to Black-point. Joan, one of the daughters, married John Helson 1658; their son, Ephraim, was born 1667. The other daughter married John Tenny of Black-point ; they, together with goodwife Jane, the widow of the old. planter, were living at Gloucester Mass. 1690.
. Richard Hitchcock lived at Winter Harbor, near the point on the north side of the Pool, still called by his name. He was buried 22 June, 1671. His son Thomas, a youth, died the same year. His other children, born 1653-64,. were Jerusha, Lydia, Rebecca, Ann and Margaret, who with his wife survived him.
- Thomas Page was a juror 1640, after which we have not met with his name. Sylvester Page was in the fami- ly of Mr. Williams 1652. George Page married Mary Edgecomb, probably a daughter of Nicholas, 1664; he was one of the selectmen 1683, and after. Christopher Page is mentioned 1667. These were probably sons of
*Sullivan. 287:
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Thomas Page, who we suppose died before his children were of age. The name is still among us.
Ambrose Berry was a respectable inhabitant for many years.' The situation of his house, on the northern limit of the lands left at the town's disposal by the Commis- sioners 1659, is not precisely known at the present time. He was buried at Winter Harbor May 3, 1661. His son Ambrose married Ann Buly 1653. The families of this name now in our towns, are unquestionably descended from him.
Mr. Henry Watts settled at Blue-point near Mr. Fox- well, 1636, where he was living 1684 over eighty years of age. He was a member of the Assembly of Lygonia 1648. His children appear to have settled at Falmouth, where we find John Watts 1721 .*
Beside the planters named in the Book of Rates, a few other names occur as early as 1636. Of these several have been mentioned as soon after settled at Casco. George Jewell, mariner, was drowned in Boston harbor 1638.+ Stephen Batson was living at Cape Porpoise 1653. Margery, daughter of Stephen and Mary Bat- son, was bound to Capt. Bonython 1636. John Batson married Elizabeth Saunders 1660. James Cole was an inhabitant at Kennebec 1654.1 John Cole of Saco, died 1661 ; perhaps a son of Thomas, who had occupi- ed the estate leased to West.
John West first appears 1638 ; he removed to Wells about 1659, where he died four years after. He ap- pointed William Cole of Wells trustee of his estate for the use of his daughter's children, the wife of Thomas Haley ; the property to be divided among them three years after his (West's) death. The names of the chil- dren were Ann, Lydia, Samuel and Thomas. Mr. Haley lived on the western side of the river opposite Waddock. His descendants are numerous.
Morgan Howell has been named among the colonists who came out with Mr. Vines. He was engaged in a
*Judge Samuel Watts of Chelsea, Maes. mentioned by Mr. Far- mer, Geneal. Register, in connection with the name of our planter, came to New England early in the last century. Family tradition. Winthrop. Jour. i. 244. Hazard. i. 585.
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suit with Scadlock in the court of 1637. A few years after (1643) he is described as of Cape Porpoise, in a deed of 100 acres of land from Gorges .* He was pro- bably settled there in the former year, in the neighbor- hood of Scadlock. When the inhabitants of Cape Por- poise, now Kennebunk-port, submitted to Mass. 1653. the Commissioners reported that "Morgan Howell did acknowledge himself bound in fifty pounds to the trea- surer of the county, that he will prosecute his action against John Baker at the next county court." The set- tlement on Cape Porpoise was probably made about the same time as at Winter Harbor ; in 1632, a trader named . Jenkins, is said by Winthrop to have removed thither from Dorchester, Mass .. The Cape presented great ad- vantages for fishermen, many of whom made it a place of resort, and perhaps of abode as early, probably, as any other point of the coast. Howell and Scadlock were with- out doubt the first planters who settled within the town- ship.
- We have thus noticed all the original colonists whose names have occurred in the course of our inquiries. There were without doubt many others, but owing to the imper- fect state of the early records, their names cannot now be recalled. The length of years to which most of them attained, at the place of their first settlement, must have struck our readers, and is indeed remarkable when con- trasted with the opposite fact in the history of the other · New England colonies. A distinguished antiquarian has remarked that "in no instance, in the whole Atlantic coast of this Union, will five men, on any spot at the first open- ing of the country, be found on the same spot ten years after."f The writer was unacquainted with the settle- ments in this quarter.
*Sullivan 229, dates the earliest grant at Cape Porpoise 1648. ¿Savage. Winthrop. Jour. i. Appendix.
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CHAPTER X.
After the departure of Mr. Jenner there appears to have been no regular minister of the puritan faith in this vicinity for several years. The ministrations of Mr. Jor- dan were probably continued until the province came un- der the authority of Massachusetts, and for some time after, as in 1660 an order was passed by the Gen. Court forbidding him to baptize children, and requiring his ap- pearance before them to answer for having performed that christian rite. The King's Commissioners in their report to the English government respecting N. England, 1667, refer to the unworthy treatment of him by the Mass. au- thorities : "They did imprison and barbarously use Mr. Jordan for baptizing children, as himself complained in his petition to the Commissioners."* . In the mean time, George Barlow seems to have annoyed some of his townsmen by the exercise of his gifts as a preacher. This man was a follower of Rev. John Wheelwright, a distinguished clergyman who was banished from Mass. on account of a difference of opinion with the leading members of the Colony on a point of doctrine. Mr. Wheelwright was an antinomian, and taught that an in- ward assurance, or 'the evidence of the Spirit,' furnished the only proper criterion of the christian character. His opponents contended that the sanctification of the heart and life, was the true ground of religious confidence ; whence Mr. Wheelwright pronounced them all under 'a covenant of works.' 'This was too much for the worthy colonists, who valued themselves on their orthodoxy, and Wheelwright was banished for sedition.t He retired with a number of followers to an uncultivated tract with- in Mason's patent, where he laid the foundation of the town of Exeter. There they established a Combination government 1639.1 Three years after, when the New Hampshire settlements were taken under the wing of
*Hutchinson. State Papers. 418. 11 Mass. Hist. Coll. ix. 31. · tThe members of this Combination were in all thirty five. Haz- ard. Coll. i. 403.
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Mass., Mr. Wheelwright removed into this quarter, and with some of our planters, as already noticed, commen- ced the settlement of Wells; of those who were with him at Exeter, we afterwards find George Barlow here, William Cole, Edward Littlefield, William Wardwell, at Wells, Edward Rishworth at York, and Christopher Lawson at Kennebec. Barlow probably had the zeal without the knowledge of his master, and was silenced by the Mass. Commissioners at the request of some of the inhabitants. His adherence to Wheelwright, however, may have been the real cause of their prohibition. The order containing it, relates to the state of the religious af- fairs of the town in general : "The Commissioners being informed that Saco is destitute of a good minister, where it is much desired that all due care be taken to attain the same, and in the meantime that their peace may be pre- served, they do declare and order that Robert Booth shall have liberty to exercise his gifts for the edification of the people there. Several persons complaining that George Barlow is a disturbance to the place, the Commis- sioners at their request thought it meet to forbid the said Barton any more publickly to preach or prophesy there under the penalty of ten pounds for every offence."- The term prophesying was usually applied to the religious exhortations of laymen, or persons not regularly inducted into the office of a minister .* The name of Mr. Barlow does not appear in the records after 1653, but we find the marriage of Henry Hatherly to Elizabeth Barlow, probably his daughter, about 1670.
Mr. Booth officiated several years as the religious tea- cher of the town. In Feb. 1658-9, it was voted, "that Robert Booth shall teach the word on the Lord's day till we have a better in place. And he shall have for his labor as the major part are disposed to give." At the town commissioner's court, about the same time, it was "ordered that this town of Saco shall forthwith make a rate to the value of ten pounds and levie it as and bring it in to R. Booth to what place in the (town) he shall appoint before March next in full satisfaction for
*Hist. Coll. ut supra. 19.
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all his labor in teaching from the beginning unto this day." This worthy townsmen seems to have filled a variety of useful offices, for which he was qualified by an education superior to that of most of the inhabitants. He appears to have resided both at Exeter and Wells before he came to this town ; as his name is subscribed to a pe- tition of the former town, addressed to the Mass. Gen. Court 1645, praying the court not to grant any lands or meadows lying near Exeter unto the town of Dover ;* and that he lived at Wells, we learn from a deposition in which he expressly states the fact. Yet three years after the date of the Exeter petition, Mr. Booth was on a committee of the Gen. Assembly of Lygonia ; and as Wells was not included within that jurisdiction, he was then unquestionably an inhabitant of Saco. He died 1672, aged seventy years. His children, born 1627-55, were Mary, Ellen, Simeon, Martha, and Robert. Mary was married to Walter Pennell 1647 ; Ellen to N. Buly jr. 1652; Simeon married Rebecca Frost, 1663. Mr. Booth lived, according to tradition, at the last bend of the road leading to Fletcher's neck, near the sea. A strip of land called Stony Stand point, belonged to him. He had a corn tide mill on the creek that runs into the head of the Pool ; the 'stepping stones,' laid between the shore and the mill, have been seen by a person now living. The mill was appraised, after the death of Mr. Booth, at £30. The name of his family is now extinct in this quarter.
A complaint was entered in the court of 1659, against R. Booth "for disturbing the minister, Mr. Dunnum"; which probably arose from some unfriendly feeling to the former, as he was acquitted, and the complainants were obliged to pay the costs of the action. We find no no- tice of this minister in the town-book.t
In 1661, a committee was raised "to speak to Mr. Hooke about teaching to them on the Lord's day, and to conclude with him after what manner and upon what terms he will accept." This gentleman had then recent-
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*Farmer, MS. Letter. tThere was a preacher of the same name (Dunham) at Edgarton, Martha's Vineyard, 1685. J. Coffin.
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HISTORY OF SACO
ly become an inhabitant of the town ; the next year, Phillips sold him the land which had been occupied by John Leighton at Winter Harbor. Mr. Hooke has been mentioned in a previous chapter, as a friend to the govern- ment of Gorges. At a subsequent period, 1681, he was treasurer of. the Province, and under the charter of 1692 a member of the Council of Mass. He was then living at Kittery, where he died in Jan. 1695.
. The Rev. Seth Fletcher commenced preaching here 1661-2. The earliest notice of him furnished by the town records, is the following : "June, 1662. It is consented to make a rate for Mr. Fletcher's diet 10 30." The next month, at a townmeeting, the town contracted with John Rice for the rent of a house at Winter Harbor, "which he bought of William Tharall," for their use one year, for the accommodation of the minister, and agreed to pay him 5l. in merchantable fish. Mr. Fletcher was previously settled at Wells, as early as 1655, but, in 1660, some of the inhabitants petitioned the Gen. Court for his dismission, stating that "for near two years past he had drawn them into neglect relating both to the sanctifying of the Sabbath, and the performance of God's holy wor- ship therein." It was ordered "by the authority of this court that due notice be given to the inhabitants of Wells and Mr. Fletcher, that they appear at the next county court at York, there either to justify those exceptions of unmeetness they seem to charge against Mr. Fletcher," &c .* His dismission followed, and he removed to this place the following year. At the expiration of the year for which he was engaged, Phillips and Hooke were appointed a committee to procure a minister. It does not appear, either that Mr. Fletcher was re-engaged, or another minister obtained at that time.
We find nothing more relating to this subject until 5 March, 1675, when it is recorded that the inhabitants a- greed to send for a minister, namely, Mr. Paine, and to pay all such charges as he shall necessarily have occasion
*DIass. Records. MIr. Greenleaf, Eccl. Sketches of Maine, has over- looked Mr. Fletcher, although himself for several years minister of the same town.
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to spend coming and going, and whilst he is with us." The Rev. Robert Paine, who graduated at Harvard Col- lege 1656, was the gentleman alluded to. He preached at Wells about this time,* but appears not to have accep- ted the invitation of our townsmen .. In May following, there were two candidates before the town, viz. Mr. Fletcher, and 'Mr. Chansee,' [Chauncy.] The votes were 24 for the latter, and 11 for the former. Mr. Chaun- cy remained one year. In April, 1666, there was a meeting about his 'going away and his wages,' when the following vote passed. "It is the consent of the major part of this meeting that Master Chauncy may be safely sent home as speedily as conveniently may be. Mr. F. Hooke and R. Booth are appointed by this meeting to take care for his passage at the town charge." The rates levied for his wages were not collected, and two years af- ter, April, 1668, we find that "Mr. Williams hath deliver- ed 34s. in to Mr. Barnabas Chansee upon condi- tion that if the townsmen do not approve of it, he promises to allow it back again." The Rev. Dr. Chauncy, presi- dent of Harvard College from 1654 to 1672, had six sons, all of whom were educated at Cambridge, and be- came ministers. One was settled in London, a colleague of the celebrated Dr. Watts. Barnabas, who graduated 1657, is said to have "died in middle age, an immature death."+ There can be no doubt that the measures ta- ken by our townsmen for his speedy and safe conveyance home, were owing to the failure of his health ; and that after his recovery, he came to receive the arrears of his salary. His father died 1672, and such was the high estimation of his services, that the General Court made provision for his surviving family, or those of them who required it. Barnabas received 10/: per annum from this. source.1
Mr. Fletcher resumed the ministerial charge soon after the departure of Mr. Chauncy. In 1669, we find the following record : "The Inhabitants being mett at the Meeting house, doe acte as followeth : 1. The covenant
*Greenleaf. Eccl. Sketches. 20. 11 Hist. Coll. z. 178. Mass, Records.
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made between Mr. Fletcher and the town is null. 2. The inhabitants unanimously vote to continue Mr. Fletch- er's ministree still amongst us. 3. It is unanimously voated that Mr. Seth Fletcher shall have fiftie pounds payed him for this next year recompense for his minis- tree. 4. The selectmen to make a rate to pay the fiftie aforesaid for Mr. Fletcher's stipend this year 1669." A- gain in 1672, we find an equally strong expression of at- tachment to this gentleman on the part of his people. "We the inhabitants of this town generally desire that Mr. Fletcher would be pleased to continue with us to be our minister as long as he may with comfort and convenience, and we are freely willing to continue our contribution as formerly we have done, and if there be any impediment in the way we shall endeavor to remove it if we are made acquainted with it ; and so we hope he will give us his answer, and for this purpose we have appointed R. Booth and T. Rogers to go to him and acquaint him with our desires, and bring his answer." This was at the March meeting. The nature of Mr. Fletcher's reply may be supposed from the votes passed at a meeting in June : "That Mr. Fletcher is left unto his liberty to continue a- mong us without any annual calls, giving the town three months' notice to provide for themselves upon his removal if possible. 2. That 50l. be annually paid him as in times past." Thus was he settled over the people as their regular pastor ; the practice had previously been to re- new the engagement annually, if agreeable to the town. He did not remain long, however, after that time. His wife, Mary, appears to have been a daughter of Maj. Pendleton, by whom their only son, Pendleton Fletcher, was adopted. The Indian war commenced in 1675, when Mr. Fletcher, together with his father in law, re- moved. He afterwards preached at South Hampton, Long Island, N. Y. and at Elizabeth Town, N. J. The following letters to the Rev. Increase Mather, D. D. President of Harvard College, furnish the only informa- tion respecting Mr. Fletcher after his departure from this place, which we have been enabled to obtain.
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٦ المطار
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"South Hampton, October 22, 1677 ..
MR. INCREASE MATHER -- REV. SIR : Hopeing the health and wellfare of yourselfe and all yours in these sickly times, and times of sickness. By these lines you may understand that the Messenger who carried my let -. ter to the Governor (which I mentioned in my letter to you dated S- last past, informed mee upon his returne home that the Gov. received my letter, presently broke it and perused it, ordering him to call an hour after for another to mee (for he would write back he said) the which he did, but when he went the Gov., Capt. Brockas, and Capt. Nichols were so busie with 3 Indian Sachems, brought from the Eastward, in drawing up Articles of peace and he had not leisure to write by him, but that there were some others that were shortly to call upon him for a letter to one of East Hampton and he would write by them, but to this day I have had no answer of my letter, and now I hear he is going to England (if he be not gone) so that my intended journey to him to New York is frus- trated. I have been to the Main to visit friends there. My brother Stow presents his service to you. In my ab- sence from the Iland there hath been (it seems) a letter drawn up to yourselfe, Mr. Thacher,* and Mr. Allen, t concerning your approbations of mee. Its made known secretly to mee, and the most of the actors know not that I am privie to it, neither hath it been with my con- sent. Indeed one of my well willers once said to me (since this great dust hath been raised) that he thought it the best way to send into the Bay to some of the elders to know their opinion of mee. . I answered that I thought they had sufficient testimony (I meant by that ) and withall I said I should not be against it so they would send those that were the longest acquainted with mee. It might, I said, bee a meanes to cleare my name some what. I [referred to] J. Brock of Reading who was the first in- stigater to my taking the work upon me concerning I have more cause than others to say, "Pros tauta tis ikanos."}
*Rev. Thomas Thacher, first minister of the Old South church in Boston. tRev. James Allen, minister of the First church in Boston. #" Who is sufficient for these things."
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南市1
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And thereupon the Reverend John Wheelwright, and Mr. Dalton the Pastor and Teacher of our church at Hampton encouraged to it. The others I named were Mr. John Hale of Bass river,* and Mr. Samuel Cheever of Marblehead, who had both of them been formerly ministers of our Eastern parts and of my acquaintan- ces. I lastly named Mr. John Higginson of Salem, as being less known to him, yet God haveing in his provi- dence so ordered it as that I have not only preached in his room and stead, but 3 or 4 times he being present, and withall he being the greatest encourager that I had to come into these parts I thought good to mention him. But while I was in town it would not be advisable to send at all. But no sooner am I gone off the Iland, in all haste a letter must be drawn up and sent to you and others that have had very little experience of me. Sir I have made bold to acquaint you with these dealings that you may the better judge thereof (if such letter or letters come to your hand) and indeed being a stranger and cooped up and confined to an Iland where I have more cause than ever to say "Amici boni rari sunt and that Amicus verus the- saurus est magnus." [Good friends are rare-A true friend is a great treasure.] But not to trouble you far- ther, with my humble service to yourself, and those Rev- erend Gentlemen, who are concerned in the Letter above, I committ you all and your Negotiations, Temptations and Burthens unto him that is both able and ready to accept our persons, and take notice of all our Moanes that we are moved by his holy spirit to sigh and groan out before him .. Remaineing Sir your humble and willing servant in what - I may. SETH FLETCHER."
SECOND LETTER.
"Elizabeth Towne, March 25, 1681.
MR. INCREASE MATHER-REV. SIR : You may please to call to mind that since I saw you in March (or Aprell) the year past, I wrott a Letter to you bearing date May 28, 1680, and another before that, May 10, 1080. That upon May 10 (especially) being about Mr. Gershom Ho-
Beverly, Mass., of which place Mr. Hale was the first minister.
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bart's 16s. 6d. which he is indebted to mee,* and Mr. Trapp's Exposition from Romans to the end of the Bible (in Quarto.) I never heard from you since what hath been done with it, I am now more remote and so the more to secke of Cash. New-York not being such a place for the production of mony as Boston is. Be pleased therefore to acquaint Mr. Bateman at the draw bridge foote what you have done, or like to doe, or are inclined to do about it. I have been much molested with Quakers here since I came. New ones comeing in one after another .. Upon Feb. last past upon the motion of two of the sect, one of which two is a schoolemr to some children in the towne (by nation a Scott, by name John Usquehart,) by former profession (as fame makes known to mee) a Popish Priest. A schollar he doth professe himself to be, and I find that he hath the Latine tongue. The buisinesse of that day was for mee to maintain an Assertion viz. That a Qua- ker living and dyeing as a Quaker (without repentance) must find out a new gospell, which might aford them hope of salvation, for what God hath revealed in his holy word there was no salvation for them in their impenitent condi- tion. I opened the terms Explicated by way of distinc- tion of sedusers and seduced, and so their sinnes, and likewise what God expected from the one and the other sort, which being done (although there were four or five more Quakers in the throng, yet none appearing in the Cause but the scholler aforesaid and a Chirurgon) I de- manded of them what they had to say against my Explana- tion. Instead of speaking pertinently the scholler (whom I understand had been at the University four or five years) begins to tell the people a story of Moses, Ezra, Ha- baccuk their being Quakers. Whereupon having the peo- ple an account of the business of the day I proceeded to six severall Arguments by which to make good my Asser- tion viz. That a Quaker liveing and dyeing as a Quaker (without repentance) according to what God hath revea- led in his word, he could not be saved. I in every argu- ment demanded what part of the Argument they would deny but instead of answer there was railing and threa-
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