USA > Maine > Androscoggin County > Livermore > History of the town of Livermore, Androscoggin county, Maine : from its inception in 1735 and its grant of land in 1772 to its organization and incorporation in 1795 up to the present time, 1928 > Part 3
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
acres, $24; mowing, 7 acres, $70; pasturing, 10 acres, $80; wild land, 90 acres, $270; total, $594.
Lovewell, Isaac. He lived on the farm now owned by W. H. Thompson on Lovewell's Hill, now called Water's Hill. House, $400; 2 barns, $85; tillage, 3 acres, $36; mow- ing, 20 acres, $200; pasturage, 20 acres, $160; orchard, one acre, $40; wild land, 107 acres, $428; total, $1,349.
Livermore, Hannah, the Deacon's widow, was in this year taxed with $1,000, at interest.
Morse, Jonathan, lived on the Hamilton Marten place, now owned by Adney D. Boothby. House, $75; barn, $15; tillage, 2 acres, $24; mowing, 2 acres, $20; pasturage, 4 acres, $32; wild land, 42 acres, $84; total, $250.
Keith, Ebenezer, lived on the farm now owned by his grandson, Marcus M. Keith. House, $30; barn, $40 ; tillage, one acre, $12; mowing, 4 acres, $40; pasturage, 6 acres, $48 ; wild land, 89 acres, $267; total, $437.
Pierpont, Sarah, widow of Robert the 1st; she was a daughter of Deacon Livermore and inherited his farm, now owned by E. E. Putnam. House, $100; 4 barns, $80; till- age, 6 acres, $72 ; mowing, 8 acres, $80; pasturage, 8 acres, $64; wild land, 130 acres, $390; total, $786. She was also in this year taxed for $2,000 at interest.
Fuller, Samuel, the father of John, Philander and Sam- uel, Jr., who at this time lived on the Simeon Brown farm, now owned by Theodore Russell. House, $20; barn, $20; no tillage or mowing; pasturage, 2 acres, $16; wild land, 45 acres, $90; total, $146.
There were eleven orchards in town with a total area of seven and one-half acres, valued at $300. Thirteen mills, valued at $2,200. Stock in trade, $490, and $4,300 at inter- est, taxed in this year-1813. In 1812, the total amount of . municipal orders drawn was $366.57, and those for the sup- port of schools amounted to $497.72.
In 1802 the town and county tax was $205.62. At the present time the law allows the assessors to combine the
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1770020
HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
State, county and town tax in one assessment and the col- lector pays to the State, county and town treasurers their respective proportion, but in the early history of this town a distinct assessment was made for the county and for the town tax.
In 1803, there was a road tax, minister tax, school tax, county and town tax ; all made separate and with a different rate per cent for each.
During these first years of the town's existence, an im- mense amount of road tax, as compared with that raised in money, was worked out by each individual; not in repair- ing, but in building the highways that traverse our town in every direction. One would almost suppose that they lo- cated the roads over the highest hills from that innate pro- clivity of the Yankee to always be on top and uppermost. Deacon Livermore brought the first horse into town as a pack animal, May 17, 1773, and not for many years were they generally used as a mode of conveyance in traveling ; the man in the saddle and the woman seated on the "pillion" behind, holding on to the driver for support. A wooden shod sled was used for transporting goods, etc., and as late as 1810 for hauling hay both summer and winter.
The "bridle way" was the forerunner of the "cart road," and the earliest "highway" was accepted in 1795. Today, not one-half of the families in town own a saddle or ever saw a "pillion." Private individuals established "Post Routes," to Hallowell and Portland or to some point that touched the government lines, and carried the mail in saddlebags, deliv- ering to each as he passed their door the paper or letter addressed to them. This was the first style of "Free De- livery ;" let us hope that the next will be broader and more general. What would children think now of going to a neighbor's to borrow fire? Remember, they had no matches then, and to lose their fire was like losing yeast, you had to get some to have more. The way they carried fire from one house to another, was to take a live coal and placing it in a
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36
HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
handful of ashes, run for home and with the help of bellows start the fire. Now, every coat has a "match pocket," and one-half of the male sex carry matches whether at home or abroad.
The hourglass, and noonmark on the windowsill, told our grandfathers the "time o' day." Now, stem-winding, sec- ond-splitting gold watches are an everyday affair. The old wooden plough and crotch harrow, the spring pole, mortar pestle and Dutch oven, the beater and winnowing fans, and a hundred other primitive necessities, are replaced by mod- ern labor-saving inventions.
Throughout the town we find the remains of ancient tanpits ; an excavation in the ground curbed so as to hold the liquor in which the hides were pickled for three years and came out as leather ; not so finely dressed or so fashionable as that tanned in thirty-six hours today, but leather that would stand grief and last a lifetime. The warping bar, reeds and shuttle of the old loom in which our grandmothers wove the family raiment, are unused and covered with the dust of years and the stock and cravat, the calash and sampler, the slut, snuffers and extinguisher, the spit, warming pan, footstove, sickle and flintlock gun, are preserved only as mementoes of the past; while the electric light, the tele- graph and telephone, railroad and steamboat, the Mauser and Krag-Jorgensen rifles, the mower and reaper, corn- planter and harvester completely revolutionize our daily life and labor, and place us in touch with the world. The annual day for fasting and prayer has become a time for feasting, sport and merriment. The denominational baptism of church applicants through midwinter ice is now considered imprudent. The ancient "Blue Laws" of Connecticut made it a penalty for any mother to kiss her child on Sunday and the Puritanical code of Salem dealt severely with any per- son who on the Sabbath stepped outside his own gateway for any other purpose than religion and charity. The pessi- mist considers any modern innovation with mournful solici-
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
tude and makes the social atmosphere chilly with "sack- cloth and ashes," while the optimist rejoices in anything that improves our situation in morals, privileges, comforts and blessings and thanks God that he lives now.
THE FIRST MEETING-HOUSE, THAT NEVER WAS BUILT
When this township was granted to the sixty soldiers who assisted in the reduction and capture of Port Royal, N. S., it was stipulated that one 64th part should be set aside for the first settled Minister, one 64th part for the use of the Ministry, one 64th part for the use of Schools and the same for Harvard College. Thus the entire township was to be divided into 64 equal parts, and there being four times as many lots, each beneficiary would re- ceive four lots.
One of the lots for the Ministry was No. 36, on Bradbury Hill, and on Jan. 9, 1793, the Proprietors of the township of Port Royal held a meeting at the house of Benjamin Bird in Waltham, Mass., and it was "Voted to confer with the in- habitants of said Township respecting building a meeting- house." On Sept. 4, 1793, they "Voted to build a meeting- house in this township, fifty feet long and forty wide, to be set at the east end of Lot 36," and also raised 150 pounds to erect the house, finish the outside, build a porch at the door and underpin the building. They elected Dea. Elijah Liver- more, Sylvanus Boardman and David Learned a committee for the above purpose. Lot 36, before referred to, was the "Minister Lot" and is the farm now owned by Clinton R. Babb, and the church was to have been erected on the east end or very near where the farm buildings now stand. The reader must understand that this church was not denomi- national, but was for the benefit of the township, and con- sequently a "bee" was made for the clearing of the spot, the hewing and framing of timber, and at which two men, Isaiah Manly and David Handy by name, were accidentally
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38
HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
killed by the falling of a large tree. They accepted it as a premonition of destiny and abandoned the enterprise.
HISTORY OF THE FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH
The Baptists first began their work in this State in 1681, and were persecuted as heretics. Rev. William Sereven, born in 1629, came here in early life and became their relig- ious teacher and during his labors was fined ten pounds and "ordered no more to hold religious service," and that "Mr. Sereven in future forbear from his turbulent and con- tentious practices, give bonds for his good behavior and stand committed until the judgment of the Court be com- plied with." This was the light or rather the darkness with which any new religious doctrine was viewed by the Puri- tanic people who made religious laws purely for the sake of enforcing them. Dating the actual settlement of Livermore from 1779, we can readily see that perhaps ten or a dozen years must elapse before a sufficient number of families were firmly and comfortably settled so that some thought would be given toward the observance of the Sabbath with its Bible teachings, and about this time certain itinerant preachers traveling through the settlements on horseback, preaching in barns, log cabins or wherever they might, aroused religious thoughts, and denominational arguments naturally followed so that competition built up circles of Baptists, Methodists and Universalists. About this time Rev. Paul Coffin, one of these traveling missionaries, says in his diary, that "the people of Livermore were superstitious, ignorant and predestinarian." In 1798 he visited Dea. Liv- ermore and his son "who had fifty cattle, many sheep and horses, a house large and high of four rooms and two chim- neys, and four barns." In 1800 he visited Dr. Hamlin and says that he "spake much with the Doctor, who seemed to suppose, as others also told me, that he had lately experi- enced the new birth. He is much of a predestinarian Bap- tist. He said we regular clergy teach people to do their
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
best, and then by fifty or sixty years they may arise to a ray of hope." However, seven years before this conversation took place, a Baptist church was organized in the barn of Henry Bond, now owned by Manter Cummings. At that time it stood fifty feet north of its present site, but the same floor is in it yet on which August 7, 1793, the seventeen men and women who regarded duty paramount to a frescoed ceil- ing, consecrated themselves to this work. Under the au- thority and guidance of Elder James Potter and James Alex- ander of Bowdoin, Elder Isaac Case and Deacon William Briggs of Winthrop, Elder Eliphalet Smith, Deacon Joshua Walton and Eleazer Goodwin of Stirling (Fayette) the fol- lowing persons organized themselves into the First Baptist Church of Livermore:
Daniel Holman, Peletiah Gibbs, Isaac Lovewell, Elisha Williams, Otis Robinson, Henry Bond, James Delano, Zeb-
Baptist Church, North Livermore
£
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
edee Delano, Thomas Wyman, Peter Goding, David Reed, Anna Gibbs, Hannah Robinson, Mary Delano, Susanna Wy- man, Grace Delano and Catherine Walker. Their names are familiar to us, and descendants well known, nearly all be- ing represented by families living in town at the present time.
For a season they worshiped in the school-house that stood where Sylvester Norton lived, but in 1799 built a small church on the Loney ledge a few rods north of the old grave- yard, which they occupied until 1807, when a more commo- dious church was built on the common at North Livermore. In 1885 the last remnants of the horse block could be seen, from which the ancient tythingman and giddy girl alike did mount, and today some of the timbers, the last relic of the church on the rock, are framed into the woodshed of the old Jimmie Chase buildings. No doubt the proposition of build- ing a church on the common, stirred up the zeal and interest of all classes to great energy in building a meeting-house larger, better and on a grander scale than any in town or in the region round about. To this day the proportions, style and arrangements of this building are quoted by the octo- genarians as an example to modern church builders. The first thing that greeted the eye as you stepped into the porch, was the long, smooth publishing board, and as you entered the audience room the first thing that met your gaze was the high, scoop-like sounding board directly over the preacher's head, and it must have required a level head to have occu- pied the pulpit, for it was at least eight feet above the con- gregation. A gallery with two tiers of pews ran around three sides ; that directly opposite the pupilt occupied by the singers. It is as interesting to hear the old people tell of the customs and doings of these ancient choirs, as it is to ob- serve the peculiarities and actions of those of later date. At one time they had a long red curtain hung in front and as soon as the hymn was given out, this was drawn, that cu- rious eyes and listening ears might not see and hear the di-
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
rections of the leader: the tuning of strings and fixing of furbelows, so that when all was ready and the veil parted, a sudden burst of harmony accompanied the equally sudden appearance of the choir. Numerous and fierce were the bickerings and jealousies that pervaded the singers' seats in those days. At one time a certain left-handed fiddler be- came obnoxious to the performer on the double-bass and was finally ejected from the choir. For retaliation the fid- dler in an opportune moment greased the strings of the double-bass with a piece of pork, so that at the first stroke of the bow the old instrument only whispered. To prevent any such contingency in the future, the owner of the big fiddle built for it a large box or case, secured by a padlock. The next Sunday there appeared on some convenient post or corner these doggerel lines:
"Farewell, ye double-bass ; Your strings are greased with meat; Your owner's locked you in his case, And Rose his pork must eat."
It is said that when all things were pleasant the bass-viol was simply immense, but when trouble was brewing, it could play so near the key and not hit it, that it confounded basscons, fiddles and all. The membership of the church rapidly increased, enrolling many prominent men in town, and here let me say that two ministers have represented the town in the Legislature, viz .: Rev. Sylvanus Boardman in 1802, and Rev. Philip Munger in 1846; the first a Baptist and the other a Methodist. Its male members have been from the start and now are, far above the average both in ability and means.
Four of the original charter members became Baptist ministers, viz .: Otis Robinson, ordained in 1798; Zebedee Delano, 1799; Elisha Williams, 1799, and Thomas Wyman in 1806. The first nine years in this church's history, it was without a pastor, nevertheless, one hundred and one mem-
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
bers were added to the rolls. During this period a strong opposition led by Sylvanus Boardman, endeavored to form a Unitarian Congregational church and to build a meeting- house; and perhaps the reason of their failure to do so, was that Boardman was converted to the Baptist faith and was in 1802, ordained as minister of the very church that he tried to belittle, and served as such until 1809. Rev. John Haynes was the second minister and faithfully served them as such from 1811 to 1821. Rev. David Nutter, who came from England, received a call to become their pastor in 1823, and was remarkably successful as such at first, but he had the habit of frequently resigning, apparently to test their sup- port. At one time they inadvertently accepted his resigna- tion and Rev. John Hull became their minister for a few weeks; when it became known that Nutter desired to re- main and Elder Hull's feelings being somewhat exercised, a queer state of church affairs existed for some time, but Elder Nutter remained until 1833. Rev. Nathan Chapman was invited to settle with this church in 1835 and labored with them for two years, but on account of the divided con- dition of the church at the close of the third pastorate, his position was not to be envied. Rev. Charles Miller, born in Scotland and usually called Father Miller, was the next pastor, coming in 1840 and closing his labors with this church in 1844. In 1841 the Evangelist, Elder John But- ler, came and under the steady guidance of Father Miller, the revival called the "Butler reformation," occurred, in which sixty-one united with the church.
Rev. John Billings was the next pastor, coming in 1844 and closing his pastoral work here in 1845. Rev. A. B. Pen- dleton came in 1846 and one night in 1847, the church on the common was burned, but, by its glowing embers, plans were made to rebuild a more costly and modern edifice, in a bet- ter place, where it can be seen today, a monument to its people. The house was erected at a cost of $1,839.52 and dedicated in January of 1848, and the next year Elder Pen-
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
dleton closed his work with this church; three years of work with heart and hand and a work well done.
In 1849 Elder David Nutter returned and renewed his service with the church until 1853, when he retired from active work but continued for many years to live at North Livermore.
Rev. Lucius Bradford came as pastor to this church in 1853 and faithfully served its people and society until 1858. Rev. William Durfee was ordained as their pastor in 1859 and continued as such for two years, or until December, 1860.
Rev. E. S. Fish, a very scholarly and dignified man, was called in 1861 and continued as their minister until 1870. This period embraced those years of excitement and sus- pense, during which the North and South struck those blows that wrought the shackles of slavery into plowshares and gave to the world a flag without a blot or stain. Whatever else of this church can now, or may be said in years to come, whether its walls echo the true or a false doctrine, or its members march in disorder or with a solid front, this fact remains : Its doors were always open and its hands ready to uplift and sustain with a loyal heart the principles of a perfect government. Many a box and barrel filled with the comforts of home, found its way to the Sanitary Com- mission for the boys in blue, and many a bandage and roll of lint for the hospital, came from this church and society. Mr. Fish, during his pastorate, was respected and honored by his townsmen and beloved by the church.
Rev. Carleton Parker came in 1871, and he and his esti- mable wife did much toward harmonizing the entire com- munity. In this year the church edifice was thoroughly re- paired and some changes made in its arrangements. A fine chandelier, the gift of Erastus and Arad Thompson, was hung in the church and a new carpet laid, thus making a very pleasant interior. In 1874 the society was called upon to mourn the decease of him whose honesty of purpose was
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
never doubted. This was the first time in the history of the church that its pastor was removed by death.
Rev. J. R. Herrick was settled as pastor of this church in 1875 and remained until 1880. During his pastorate he baptized forty and the church enjoyed unusual prosperity. Mr. Herrick being a young man and having an interest in the various occupations of life, soon made his influence felt outside of the church limits. His kindness to the poor and needy was one of the many virtues he possessed.
Rev. L. P. Gurney followed, commencing his labors Jan. 1, 1881, and occupied the pulpit for three years. As a ser- monizer he had few equals and being gifted with a good voice, both for singing and speaking, he soon acquired many admirers, but the uncertainty of his health induced him in the third year of his pastorate to offer his resignation.
Rev. W. H. S. Ventres received a call to preach in this church in 1884, and although he possessed education and ability, yet he failed to successfully guide the many differ- ent elements that go to make up church society. In the spring of 1884, Arad Thompson of Bangor, presented the church with a beautiful toned bell in memory of his father and mother who were prominent members of this society. The bell, which weighs between twelve and thirteen hundred pounds and has cast in its rim these words, "In memory of my father and mother," was placed in position May 17, 1884.
Rev. Orrin Richardson began his labors as pastor over this society in September, 1885, and remained until August, 1888. He was an energetic man and quickly distinguished the right from the wrong.
Rev. G. W. Colby came to this church in June, 1890, and served the society as pastor until October 18, 1896. He was a very active worker in church and society and it was owing to his energy and perseverance that the one-hundredth an- niversary of the church's existence was so happily cele- brated, Oct. 5, 1893.
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
Rev. A. D. Graffam accepted the pastorate and began his work January 17, 1897, preaching his farewell sermon, Jan. 8, 1899. He was an eloquent speaker and highly esteemed by the society, although in the church there were dissensions. In May, 1900, Rev. E. H. Doane began his pastorate, but on Oct. 8, 1901, he suffered from paralysis which rendered very active work impossible.
Rev. W. H. Rice came in 1905 and he and his wife imme- diately associated themselves with the community in gen- eral. He was as successful in the pulpit as among the peo- ple and was a valuable member of the community. Rev. John G. Vance became the pastor in 1910. He was a brill- iant sermonizer and met with more moral support outside of the church than among its members.
Rev. W. D. Hetherington came in 1912 and only re- mained one year. We understand that he is located in Con- necticut and is now pastor of a Methodist church.
Rev. J. Frank Jones was called to this church in 1914, and remained nine years. He was a gentleman in every sense of the word and he worked for unity and good-will on all occasions. His wife was a great worker among the sick and unfortunate and she and her husband had a large circle of acquaintances. Rev. Mabel C. Johnson, the first woman preacher to be called to this church, in the one hundred and thirty years of its existence, came in 1924 and is still hold- ing the interest in church work and the attendance at Sun- day service. There is a "Ladies' Union" connected with this church, that is a wonderful help in the financial depart- ment.
SALE OF THE PEWS IN THE OLD CHURCH ON THE COMMON AT NORTH LIVERMORE
A plan was drawn, the pews numbered, and they were sold to the highest bidder. The following list was copied from the original, found among Gilbert Hathaway's papers.
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
Gilbert Hathaway
No. 1 $100.00
Ransom Norton
No.
3 102.00
Ebenezer Pitts
No.
5
. 102.00
Artemas Leonard
No.
7 89.00
Isaac Lovewell
No. 2 100.00
Ransom Norton
No. 4 100.00
Ira Thompson
No.
6 98.00
Peletiah Gibbs
No.
8 89.00
Sarson Chase
No. 14
74.00
Samuel Sawin
No. 13 70.00
Jesse Stone
No. 36
65.00
Ebenezer Hinds
No. 35
53.00
Sylvanus Boardman
No. 47
60.00
Samuel Dennett
No. 46
65.00
Cutting Clark
No. 34
51.00
Daniel Wyman
No. 33
53.00
Reuben Dennett
No. 45
51.00
Jacob Gibbs
No. 10
70.00
James G. Walker
No. 9
77.00
Reuben Wing, 2d
No. 12
59.50
William Chenery
No. 11
62.00
Stephen Philbrick
No. 16
56.00
Richard Merritt
No. 18 44.00
Edward Richardson
No. 20
45.00
Appollus Jones
No. 28
47.00
Cushman Bassett
No. 27 45.00
James Carver
No. 39 41.00
Isaac Livermore
No. 26
46.00
John Gibbs
No. 38
42.00
Oliver Peabody
No. 40
46.00
Gilbert Hathaway
No. 41 38.00
Philip Pitts
No. 31 46.00
John Walker
No. 32 34.00
Peter Goding
No. 29 38.00
Capt. Hinkley
No. 43
46.00
Ransom Norton
No. 44
34.00
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
James Delano
No. 42
39.00
David Reed
No. 30
36.00
Ransom Norton, gallery
No. 1
20.00
Oliver Peabody
No. 37
34.00
Sylvanus Boardman
No. 25
39.00
Sarson Chase
No. 22 37.00
Thomas Wyman
No. 24
37.00
Elijah Fisher, gallery
No. 9
23.00
N. Mahew
No. 46
46.00
E. Hinds, gallery
No.
2
17.00
P. Gibbs, gallery
No.
4 13.00
D. Holman
No. 23
37.00
E. Smyth
No. 15
22.00
E. Alden
No. 19
43.00
A. Jones
No. 26
22.00
P. Gibbs
No. 13
27.00
Elijah Walker
No. 3
24.00
H. Norton
No. 25
22.00
S. Dennett
No. 16
21.00
G. Hathaway, Jr.
No. 5
24.00
E. Pitts
No.
8 21.00
L. Hathaway
No. 17
25.00
I. Thompson
No. 7
24.00
R. Wing
No. 9
23.00
P. Gibbs and R. Norton
No. 19
23.00
Dexter Walker
No. 21
21.00
D. Holman
No. 23
21.00
Capt. Atwood
No. 22 20.00
W. Carver
No. 12 17.00
Col. Stone
14.00
HISTORY OF THE METHODIST CHURCH
To the Congregationalists who emigrated from Massa- chusetts to Livermore previous to 1800, undoubtedly the Methodist Church of this town owes its birth. At the house of Otis Robinson who lived at Gibbs Mills, on Feb. 12, 1793,
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HISTORY OF LIVERMORE
Rev. Jesse Lee of Virginia, b. 1758, d. 1816, and known as the pioneer of Methodism in New England, preached the first sermon of this faith in town. In 1795 at the house of Deacon Livermore who, before he came to Livermore, was a deacon of the Congregational Church in Waltham, Mass., Rev. Philip Wager, a Methodist, preached the next sermon and a class was then and there formed. Dea. Livermore cast his religious efforts with the Methodist, rather than the Baptist denomination, and gave the land, to be used solely for this purpose, and his energy and financial help toward the erection of the "Old church that stood on the common at Livermore Center."
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