USA > Maine > Lincoln County > Bristol > History of York, Maine, successively known as Bristol (1632), Agamenticus (1641), Gorgeana (1642), and York (1652) Vol. I > Part 38
USA > Maine > York County > York > History of York, Maine, successively known as Bristol (1632), Agamenticus (1641), Gorgeana (1642), and York (1652) Vol. I > Part 38
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The Province, heretofore faced with an increasing war debt, was now heavily burdened with these appalling military losses of men and material. The enemy was on our coast, firmly entrenched, and to these discourage- ments was added the depression of the public credit.
415
HISTORY OF YORK
Paper money emitted to finance the military operations of the Province sank in value to forty paper dollars to one of silver, but the issue had to be met. An Eastern Military Department was organized to save Maine from further invasion. The surviving York County Troops, raised for the original expedition, were made the nucleus of a freshly organized Eastern Army under command of Gen. Peleg Wadsworth, and a detachment of eight hun- dred men was allocated to it for eight months duty. New quotas were ordered for each town in the Province and under such disheartening conditions the townsmen of York met on April 10, 1780 to grapple with their share of the problem. The response was both courageous and satisfying as will be seen by the following record of its decisions :
At a legal Town Meeting holden in York April 10th 1780.
John Swett Esqr Chosen Moderator.
Voted; this Town will do their utmost in assisting the Militia Offi- ciers in raising the Towns quota of Soldiers for the Eastern Depart- ment.
Voted: and granted to those of this Town as will Inlist, or who shall be drafted and perform the Service prescribed by the resolves of the General Court of the 25th of March last: (In Lieu of their Bounty and Wages there set, which shall be Assigned over to the Town), shall have forty shillings p month in Lawful Silver Money, or in Country Produce at the prices they were generally sold for in the year 1774, or before the Emission of Paper Money: or so much Paper Money as shall be equivalent thereto; and shall be paid by the Cap- tains who Inlist or draft them respectively; and draw the Money out of the Town Treasury for that purpose and where there are no Militia Officers to a Company the Select Men shall pay them out of the Town Stock.
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The pessimists, already encouraged by these unfortu- nate events, were further confirmed on May 19, 1780, by a natural phenomenon which caused general speculation as to its portent. Throughout New England it was a "Dark Day," in which a lighted candle was required at noon for reading and the night was thrice dark and awe- some. Sayward records that he was "obliged to light candles to dine by." The superstitious saw in it the frown- ings of Providence, but it was probably due to forest fires in Maine or New Hampshire combined with a peculiar atmospheric condition. It was symptomatic of the dis- concerting events of this dark year of the Revolution.
416
YORK IN THE REVOLUTION
Arnold added to the depression of spirits by his treason, but the bull-dog tenacity of the colonists, despite these reverses, was not yet weakened. Already they had been fighting four long years, but York continued to supply man power. Additional soldiers can be credited to its quota under other officers. In the company of Capt. Daniel Wheelwright of Wells, Josiah Bragdon and Josiah Parsons served as his Lieutenants; Richard Adams as Sergeant; and Jotham Baker as Corporal. The following from York also were privates in this company: Stephen Bridges, John Beal, Peter Grant (who died January 25, 1777), Shubael Nason, Oliver Plumbery, Abraham Preble, John Sutton, Archibald Rutledge, Abraham Sawyer and Ebenezer Young.
In the company of Capt. Nicholas Blaisdell his Ser- geant was John Beedle from this town, together with these privates: John Carlile, William Conaway, John Davidson. Under other commands Solomon Bloome, Timothy Donnell and Daniel -1 are to be added to the town's roll of honor. Capt. Thomas Bragdon of York was serving in Col. Josiah Prime's regiment in 1780 at Falmouth Neck.
The enthusiasm of the earlier days had now settled down to a spirit of determination to carry the war through to a victorious conclusion. Volunteering had been encour- aged by increased bounties and the draft began to be employed as a means of filling up the depleted and con- stantly depleting ranks. On June 19, this year, the town met again to arrange for the supply of seven more men to serve for six months in the Continental Army, and Capt. Esaias Preble, Samuel Young, Moses Sewall, Joseph Bragdon, Ebenezer Simpson, Major Abel Moulton and Lieut. Simon Grover were constituted a committee to attend to this requisition. Five days later they reported that they had obtained these men:
John Barns Tobias McIntire Samuel Paul, Jr. Abraham Facundus John Tenney Josiah Bale Jeremiah Lord
1 Illegible.
417
HISTORY OF YORK
On July 10 two more were added to this list: Joel Jellison and Daniel Garey. Eight more were called for by the provincial authorities this same month, but the com- mittee could not find more than four by the end of July at the bounty of five hundred pounds each. When not engaged in finding volunteers for the army they were wrestling with a kindred problem of supplying subsistence for the troops. In October 1780 this town was charged with supplying fifteen thousand pounds of beef requisi- tioned by the provincial authorities, and nine hundred pounds "of the last Emission" was required to purchase this meat for the use of the Continental Army.
The year 1781 began with the usual demand for addi- tional enlistment for service in the Continental Army. Major Abel Moulton, Capt. Esaias Preble, Capt. John Stone, Capt. Ebenezer Simpson and Capt. Joseph Bragdon were appointed a committee "at the Town's expence to procure 29 Soldiers for the Continental service (being this Town's Proportion) and agree with them upon the most reasonable Terms they can." The bounty offered for this particular enlistment was "One Hundred Dollers of the last Emission." Capt. John Stone, William Grow and George Randall became the Committee of Corre- spondence, Safety and Inspection. This proved to be the last year of the conflict, but its end was not known to them. The theater of operations had been transferred to the southern colonies, far removed from most of the earlier battles of the Revolution. Except for the armed vessels of the English Navy appearing now and then off the coast to make sporadic forays for supplies of fresh meat and vegetables, Maine was out of touch with the actual movements of the army. But in June of this year the General Court enacted a reminder to the several towns of the Province that delinquency in meeting requisitions for men and material would be met with fines for such failures. Notwithstanding the large bounties offered, York was unable to fill her entire quota of the three months men, then called for. She had exhausted her current resources.
The last record of the town's activities in furnishing men and supplies was on November 20, 1781 when it was making arrangements to furnish "fatt cattle" for the soldiers. This was a month after the deciding battle of
418
YORK IN THE REVOLUTION
the war, as on October 27 Gen. Lord Cornwallis sur- rendered the British Army at Yorktown, Va. to the combined forces of the American Army under Wash- ington and the French Navy under Admiral Count De Grasse. The long and gruelling task was finished and America was a free and independent nation won in the arbitrament of arms. Congress went in solemn procession to church to return thanks to Almighty God for crowning the allied arms with victory, and issued a proclamation appointing December 13 as a day of national thanksgiving and prayer. Premature announcements of this result had reached here early in October but the news of the actual surrender arrived by express post on the twenty-sixth (Friday) and without the aid of any diary or official record we may assume that the day and night were spent with hilarity and unrestrained joy. It can be said that the people were glad to resume their normal lives after six years of struggling with the consciousness that they had fought a good fight and kept the faith. And it may be added that the British Government was equally glad to be rid of a conflict which reflected no credit on themselves in their long attempt to subjugate their own flesh and blood by force of arms. The House of Commons resolved on March 4, 1782 that they "would consider as enemies to his Majesty and the country all who should advise, or attempt the farther prosecution of offensive war on the Continent of North America." Commissioners were soon after appointed to negotiate terms of peace, and on November 30, 1782 they agreed upon the Provisional Article by which Great Britain acknowledged the inde- pendence of the United States. In this war it is stated that Great Britain lost of her own subjects and mercenaries one hundred thousand and added to her national debt one hundred twenty million pounds sterling, besides losing foolishly a colonial empire that would have become her greatest possession. The United Colonies established their right to freedom and independence at an immense sacri- fice of blood and treasure; losing more than fifty thousand men and starting the new nation with a debt of forty-five million dollars. On September 3 the definitive Treaty of Peace was signed at Paris. It may be interesting to quote what Judge Sayward had in his diary about ther eception of the news in York as a fitting close to this chapter:
419
HISTORY OF YORK
A Day of Publick Rejoicing on accompt of peace carried to excess in breaking the whels and Gun carriages all to pieces supposing we should never want them any more.
Until peace was actually settled the protective organ- ization of citizens, instituted at the outset of the war, was kept in operation. In 1782 Capt. Richard Trevitt, Capt. John Stone and Capt. George Randall were chosen as the Committee of Correspondence, Safety and Inspection. In 1783 Edward Emerson, Samuel Milbury and Capt. Rich- ard Trevitt became their successors, but 1784 was the last year in which this committee was continued, and Richard Trevitt, William Grow and George Randall were its last members. As an unpleasant aftermath of the struggle Massachusetts undertook to enforce the law of June 30, 1781, assessing fines on the towns who had been delin- quent, in part, in filling their quotas of the call for volun- teers in the Three Months class, and York among other localities in the Province was called upon to pay the fine of twenty pounds per man lacking in her share of the re- quired number. Under date of January 24, 1783, the Selectmen made the following explanation of their failure to the General Court:
Humbly Shew The Subscribers Selectmen of the Town of York- That agreable to the Resolve of June 30, 1781 great Pains was taken by the Town to comply therewith But the failure of the Paper Cur- rency, and the great exertions of the Town made to procure their Quota of the Continental Army for three Years renders them unable to Comply with the Requisition - The. Memorialists would observe that they have procured and now have in the Army their quota that has been assigned, that they have done from Time to Time every thing for the support of the Warr, that they could in procuring Clothing, Beef &c.
That by the loss of all their Vessells by the Enemy at an early period of the War - they are much reduced in their circumstances That the Soil they Inhabit is poor and Barren - and they really appre- hend such a time of Scarcity before the Month of April next as they never Saw before, probably one half the Inhabitants without Bread - that under this Situation they humbly hope the General Court will not assess the Fine of £20 a man on the said Town for not raising the Three Months men in the said Resolution mentioned, for that in your memorialists opinion all the money in the Town will not be adequate to discharge one Quarter part of the Continental Taxes already ordered for 1782
JOSEPH SIMPSON Selectmen of the town of York
JOHN KINGSBURY
NICHOLAS SEWALL
(2 Maine Hist. Soc. xx, 136)
420
YORK IN THE REVOLUTION
Nothing further was heard of this and nothing appears in the town records supporting this "demand."
YORK IN THE NAVAL SERVICE
While the struggle for independence was, in the final analysis, a war on land yet from the beginning an ever- increasing flotilla of armed vessels improvised for the occasion became the nucleus of the Revolutionary Navy. Fighting on the sea began in the first year of the war in this Province, and until the end of it at Yorktown, in 1781, the seasoned mariners of New England lent their powerful aid to the victory that came to our arms. American warships and privateers were tearing the mari- time trade of England in pieces. A race of seamen as bold and as hardy as her own, flying the flag of the revolting colonies, swarmed along the highways of English sea- borne commerce. Even in the English.Channel these sea- wasps were seizing her merchantmen and crippling her trade. Her naval prestige was stung to the quick by Com- modore John Paul Jones who captured the Serapis of the Royal Navy in a hand to hand fight as he circled Great Britain with his cruisers.
York men were with Jones in a number of his famous naval engagements overseas, and at least four of our townsmen shared with him the honors of his forays into the home waters of the enemy. The English ships of war which were on duty on our coast at the beginning of the Revolution had succeeded in destroying all the vessels belonging to this town which could be turned into priva- teers, and for that reason little of this class of warfare can be credited to the town. The men who sought service in this phase of the war turned to the Navy and did their patriotic share afloat. The records of four privateers of the Revolution have survived :
Argo, A ship of 18 guns, Richard Trevett, commander, in 1782. She was wrecked "near old York Harbour" (Boston Gazette of De- cember 2, 1782)
Black Prince, a Brigantine of 6 guns and carrying 16 men. George Rendall of York commander.
Putnam, a Sloop of 4 guns and 10 swivels and carrying 45 men. Among her owners were Thomas Donnell; David Sewall as Bondsman. John Harmon was commander.
Sally, a Schooner carrying 15 men, in 1781. George Rendall was commander.
(Allen, Massachusetts Privateers, 84, 245, 273)
421
HISTORY OF YORK
In 1776 the privateer Dalton had four men from this town among her crew: John Downes, Timothy Harris, James Sellars and Tobias Sellars who were captured by the enemy and taken to Dartmoor Prison in England. The Naval service, however, was more attractive to the seafaring men of this town and a considerable number of them were to be found in the new vessels authorized by Congress under the command of the famous Commodore John Paul Jones. Among them was William Stacey who kept a tavern on the Lindsay Road. He served in the ship Ranger under Jones, and was in receipt of a pension for his services until his death in 1840 at the age of eighty- two years. Esaias Preble also served under Jones and was in his immortal battle between the Bon Homme Richard and the English frigate Serapis in August 1778, which resulted in the capture of the latter ship and the sinking of his own vessel.
In August 1777 the Continental frigate Raleigh went to sea with the following men from this town among her crew :
Abbott, Aaron
MacIntyre, Primus
Adams, John
Parsons, Thomas
Booker, Jotham
Rankin, Andrew
Bridden, Joseph
Sellars, Tobias
Clements, Joseph
Tinney, David
In addition to the above the following named residents were in receipt of pensions for services in the Naval estab- lishment:
Obadiah Donnell as Seaman of the U. S. S. Ranger under Capt. John Paul Jones. He was living in 1820 aged 69 years.
John Junkins as Seaman on the U. S. S. Ranger under the com- mand of Capt. Thomas Simpson. He was living in 1820 aged 62 years.
In the armed ship America, commanded by William Coffin, in 1780, the following sailors from York were in service that year:
Jonathan Moulton Benjamin Jacobs
John Finam Zachariah Brown John Davis Samuel French
James Harris Joseph Swett Zebediah Banks
John Obey Woodman Moore
Jeremiah Banks
(Mass. Arch. xl, 58)
422
CHAPTER XXXVI
YORK UNDER REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT
York was now living in peace. Instead of concentrat- ing her energies in supplying men and munitions she was confronted with the inevitable necessity of "paying the piper." The corporate burden was shared by the towns- men personally, for all had suffered individual losses through increased taxes, depreciation of currency and the actual losses in material and the cessation of productivity through the withdrawal of able-bodied men from the farms, fisheries and factories. Everybody was in debt and everybody had claims on town, state or neighbor. Next in order was the setting up of independent housekeeping.
Massachusetts under the Crown was administered by the terms of the Royal Charter, but when divorced from that instrument by entering the War for Independence, it was necessary to provide for itself a state constitution by which the people in the towns should be governed in their relations to each other and to the state at large. A com- mittee of twelve was appointed in June 1777 to draft the basic law for the new state. This was reported in January 1778 and submitted to the people for their acceptance at the March town meeting following. York acted on it May II, and the decision was "unanimously a Disapprobation thereof; and none for it." One hundred forty-seven of the inhabitants were recorded in this decision.
A second attempt to form a constitution came before the town on May 17, 1779, with the following result: "the Vote being put to Seventy Voters present; Whether they chuse at this Time to have a new Constitution or form of Government made; and after Mature consideration and serious Debate it Unanimously passed in the Negative," and Col. Edw. Grow was chosen to carry this opinion as representative to the General Court. A Convention of towns was called to meet at Cambridge September 6, 1779, and after prolonged consideration in committee and pro- tracted debates in the Convention, a form of government was completed and accepted by the delegates, of whom David Sewall, Esq., was the representative of this town,
423
HISTORY OF YORK
and was sent out for adoption by the various towns. It was considered in York May 22, 1780 and referred to a committee consisting of Daniel Moulton, John Swett, Esq., and Joseph Sewall. The committee reported on May 27 "when but 30 of the Freeholders and the other Inhabitants of said Town, qualified Voters met, who Unanimously Voted to accept the sd committee's Report" as follows:
That the Governor & Council, more especially the Governt. shall be of the Protestant Religion: That Military Officers shall be appointed by the Governt. with the advices & consent of the Council: That the Power Suspending the Habeus Corpus be confined to Six Months: That the Revisal and Amendment (if need be) of the Constitution instead of 15 years shall be done in Ten: But if these Alterations can't be agreed upon, rather than the form of Government shod fail: We advise to approve of the Whole: And we are content it shall take place as soon as the Honble. Convention in their Wisdom shall think fit or recommend. We approve of Hon. Judge Sewall our present Delegate still to continue as such : And that he endeavour the Amendmts. above.
The Convention remained in session until one hundred and eighty-six towns and plantations had met and acted, and the returns show that every article was adopted by the requisite majority as it stood in the printed form submitted to their revision, and by proclamation it was decreed to come into force on October 25 following. The amendment suggested by our town committee evidently failed of approval, but the town showed its desire for its adoption as a whole rather than to lose the labors of these many months. York lived under it satisfactorily for forty years.
With this new relationship came new responsibilities and problems. Among the latter was the feeling similar to that which underlay the spirit of discontent with rulers living at a distance from the colonies. This was still a long nursed but mostly forgotten sentiment which rebelled against the subserviency of this Province to a distant land- lord. Independence of foreign control having been achieved, the idea of recovering the lost independence of this Province began early to manifest itself. The first public suggestion made on the subject appeared in versi -. fied form in an acrostic printed in 1785 in the Falmouth Gazette. In the usual manner of the period, letters on the subject subscribed by pseudonyms began to be printed by this journal, and in one of them a writer stated that separa-
424
YORK UNDER REPUBLICAN GOVERNMENT
tion "was contemplated before the war." Restoration of the "ancient privileges" of Maine was urged as a local patriotic appeal, but the principal arguments were the inconveniences of distance in transacting legal and govern- ment business, the infrequency of conveyances, and the extra burden of expense on the people of Maine as a con- sequence. But one Court a year was held in York and Cumberland Counties and none in Lincoln. Being less affected by the argument of distance York took little interest in this matter. The far eastern settlements were its most active agitators. A conference was called in 1786 at Falmouth to consider the merits of the question. York declined to send a delegate. The meeting reached no practical conclusion. The opposition was largely based on the unknown expense involved in setting up a separate State government, and the financial condition of most towns after the Revolution. Petitions to the General Court in 1788, 1789 and 1791 for an act of separation from Massachusetts were rejected, but in 1792 Massachusetts passed a resolve for a referendum on the question by the towns in Maine. At a town meeting held in May 1792 the vote of York was one for separation and 140 against. It is to be regretted that the identity of this lonesome "Aye" voter cannot be ascertained. Six towns in York county mustered only 12 votes in favor and 627 against separation. Cumberland and Lincoln Counties were strongly for the severance of political bonds from Massachusetts. The total vote in the District of Maine, for such was the desig- nation of the old Province after Independence, was 2,074 in favor of separation and 2,525 against. Agitation con- tinued and again in 1797 the General Court passed a re- solve calling upon the voters of Maine to meet and give in their votes whether separation was desired by them. In a town meeting held May 10 following three votes were cast for separation and 79 votes against the measure. It cannot be said that the Separatists were making converts in this town. Maine as a whole voted against the proposal, and for ten years the subject was allowed to rest. In 1807 it was once more put to test, but at an unfortunate time, when a new controversy with Great Britain was occupying the stage of political interest, and the Separatists lost by a still greater margin. York voted against it.
At the conclusion of peace after the War of 1812-15,
425
HISTORY OF YORK
the General Court allowed a new referendum, having in the meantime removed many of the objections raised against Massachusetts control, such as extension of Court facilities and the return of legal records to local depos- itaries. In this test the Separatists won their first victory 10,393 in favor and 6,501 opposed. York voted against the proposal. William Moody, the York representative, opposed the bill to take a referendum vote. It was now incumbent on Massachusetts to meet this sentiment by an enabling act, which she did by requiring a proportionate vote of five to four in favor of actual severance, with power to adopt a State constitution. This vote was 22,466 out of 37,858 legal registered voters, of whom 11,927 voted in the affirmative, which was about five hundred short of the required number. In this test York voted 126 in favor and 38 against separation. For the last time in 1819, as it proved, another expression of opinion was allowed by Massachusetts, by which, if a majority of fifteen hundred should be recorded in favor of separation the District of Maine was authorized to adopt a State constitution. Dur- ing all this fruitless agitation nine other new States, unborn when Maine was once an independent Province, had been admitted into the Union and we were still a District of Massachusetts. At last the people had tired of hailing from the "District" of Maine when asked their residence, and were still suffering from this inferiority complex. The proposition had by this time come to be complicated by national politics. The Federalists began to oppose the division and the Democrats were classed in favor, though this did not generally hold true. Massachusetts was then Federalist on National affairs and her influence with that party was used against separation. As the period for test- ing public sentiment on this question approached, a vigor- ous and brilliant discussion of the subject took place in which the arguments on both sides were presented from every point of view. On May 3 the town sent a petition to the General Court expressing the conviction of its citizens "that the time for separation had now arrived, and that a further continuance of our present political connexion would only be productive of increasing jeal- ousy and discontent." The political papers admitted com- munications from each party. A sample of doggerel verse on the controversy is here reprinted :
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