Illustrated history of Kennebec County, Maine; 1625-1892, Part 105

Author: Kingsbury, Henry D; Deyo, Simeon L., ed
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York, Blake
Number of Pages: 1790

USA > Maine > Kennebec County > Illustrated history of Kennebec County, Maine; 1625-1892 > Part 105

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Sanborn T. Fifield, born 1808. died 1878. was a son of Joseph and Lovina Fifield, and grandson of Joseph and Elizabeth (Sanborn) Fi- field. He was a farmer, occupying a part of the farm which was set- tled by his father, where Mrs. Fifield now lives. He was married in 1830, to Cyrene, daughter of Tabor and Abigail (Caldwell) Lyon, and granddaughter of Eliab Lyon.

JOHN HAMMOND was born March 18, 1801. on the home farm of his father, John, in Sidney. He spent his early life in his native town, where he was a farmer. He married Athiel Butler March 1, 1827. She and her two children died, and March 2, 1845, he married Martha C. Pinkham, who survives him. In 1856 he came to Manchester, where he was a farmer. He died October 7, 1884, and his only son, Lindley H., owns and with his mother occupies the farm home. Lindley H. was born in 1849. He is a farmer and the owner of Hammond's Grove. He held the office of selectman five years, and was a member of the school board one year. He married Flora, daughter of George Wadsworth, of East Winthrop. Their two sons are: Herbert L. and Chester E. Hammond.

John C. Hartung, born in 1828, in Germany, came to America in 1842, with his father, Helman Hartung. They came to Manchester in 1845 and bought the farm where John C. now lives. Mr. Hartung

885

TOWN OF MANCHESTER.

worked several years in the Alden Sampson oilcloth works, but since they were burned has been a farmer. His father was a locksmith by trade. John C. married Martha Kerber, and they have four sons: Herman, Frank, Henry F. and William.

I. Warren Hawkes, son of Isaac and Lucy (Jones) Hawkes, born in 1835 on the the farm where he now resides, received his education at Oak Grove Seminary and at Friends School, Providence. He served several years on the board of selectmen of Manchester, was in the state legislature one term, and has been a school officer for a number of years. His time and energy, excepting that necessary for the care of his own business, have been given for several years to church work in the Society of Friends. He is secretary of Oak Grove school com- mittee and a member of the official board of Friends School, Provi- dence, R. I. He married, March 4, 1863, Sarah A., only daughter of Proctor Sampson, of Manchester. Their children are: Alfred W., a granite cutter and farmer; Lucy J. (Mrs. Prof. Walter S. Meader, of Providence), and Edgar S., a teacher, who graduated in 1891 from Farmington Normal School.

Frank J. Hewins, born February 8, 1847, is a son of John and Ro- sanna (Rockwood) Hewins, and grandson of Ebenezer and Zilphia (Cummings) Hewins. Mr. Hewins' maternal grandfather, Solomon Rockwood, son of Solomon Rockwood, of Oxford, Mass., came to Man- chester in 1800. Mr. Hewins is one of a family of nine children, six of whom are living: John A., Emma, Harvey G., Sarah, Frank J. and Fred L. Those deceased were: Harriet, died in 1854; Joseph T., died in 1889, and Charles F., died in 1885. Frank J., choosing the occupa- tion of his father and grandfather, is a farmer, and a part of his two hundred acre farm was owned by his grandfather, Ebenezer Hewins. In 1891 he served as chairman of the board of selectmen, having been a member of that board nine previous terms. His wife, Helen M., is a daughter of Alva Cummings. Their children are: Della A., Gracie B. and Gertrude.

Albert Knowles, born in 1824, is a son of Jonathan and Sarah (Hall) Knowles, and grandson of Jonathan and Mary (Prescott) Knowles. The elder Jonathan Knowles was a tailor by trade. He was a revolutionary soldier, and came from New Hampshire to Man- chester in 1785. Albert Knowles is a farmer on the homestead, which has been in possession of the family 107 years. His.first wife, Fannie N., daughter of John Brown, died leaving one son, Alfred M. His second wife is Margaret, daughter of James Wyman. They have nine children: Gardiner M., Anna A., Holden H., Lewis W., Roland F., Arthur W., Gertrude M., Mary L. and Hollis G. Mr. Knowles' grandfather, Jabez Hall, was a revolutionary soldier. He has three daughters now (1891) living, whose united ages make 276 years.

John Knowles, born in 1817, is a son of John and Betsey (Powell)

886

HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.

Knowles, and grandson of Jonathan and Mary (Prescott) Knowles. He is a farmer, owning a farm of 170 acres which was originally set- tled by Elisha Prescott. He married Sarah A., daughter of James and Keziah (Benton) Wade. Their children are: John A., Josephine K., Charles A., Alden W., Stephen H., Abbie E., Saphronia S., Mark T. and William S.

SULLIVAN KILBRETH .- Among the prominent representative agri- culturists of Manchester, the late Sullivan Kilbreth held an unques- tioned place. He was born on a farm in Hartford, Me., January 25, 1815, and was the fifth in a family of nine children. His father, James Kilbreth, a native of Casco, Me., was a son of Daniel Kilbreth. He married Rebecca Johnson, of Limington, Me., in 1805, and in 1807 removed to Hartford, where he lived, a farmer and a shoemaker, the balance of his life.

It was here that Sullivan Kilbreth lived during his boyhood and early manhood. He had the advantages of the common schools of that time and at an early age he began working, by the month, dur- ing the summer season and attending school in the winter. In 1836 he came to Manchester, where by his own efforts and energy he achieved an enviable name and an ample competency. On the 10th of June, 1844, he married Sarah E., only daughter of Isaac and Re- becca (Hewins) Wadsworth, and granddaughter of John Wadsworth, jun., who was a musician in the revolutionary army, and soon after that war came from Stoughton, Mass., and settled at East Winthrop. Mr. Kilbreth's four children are: George H., Emma A. (Mrs. D. C. Robbins), Charles F., an oilcloth manufacturer of Hallowell, and Nel- lie S. (Mrs. A. E. Brainard).

In 1859 Mr. Kilbreth bought of his father-in-law the farm where Mr. Wadsworth settled in 1823, and in 1832 he burned the bricks and built of them the house. Here Mr. Kilbreth passed the remainder of his life. George H., the eldest son, married Martha, daughter of Wil- liam Torrence, formerly of Pembroke, Mass., and has one child, Edith L. Since the death of his father, December 15, 1889, George H. has owned, and with his family and mother has occupied, the homestead.

Sullivan Kilbreth was an active republican and was several times elected to the offices of town clerk and selectman. In addition to his farmingthe quarried and cut granite from a ledge on his farm. He was frequently chosen to settle the estates of his friends and neigh- bors, and his superior executive ability especially fitted him for these duties, which he always discharged with credit. He was a consistent member of the East Winthrop Baptist church. In the Kennebec Agricultural Society he was an honored and useful member and sev- eral years president and trustee, being an intelligent and useful sup- porter of the interests of agriculture. In public and private life he was an unostentatious and genial man, plain in his tastes and domes-

If Pybilir ith

888

IHISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.

tic in his habits. He had a high character as a business man, and his firmness, perseverance, honesty and integrity were worthy of emula- tion.

Edward F. Lyon, born in 1839, is a son of Eliab and Eliza (San- ford) Lyon, and grandson of Eliab and Rachel (Faught) Lyon. He is the only survivor of five children, David S., Sarah E., Charles E. and Catherine R. having died. He is a farmer and stock breeder, and raises and feeds some very fine steers and other stock. His farm of three hundred acres was owned by his father and grandfather.

Lovicount S. Lyon, born in 1855, is a son of Tabor, grandson of Tabor, and great grandson of Eliab Lyon. He was a farmer until 1884, since which time he has been a lumber manufacturer. He owns three hundred acres of standing timber. He married Mrs. H. F. Lar- rabee, daughter of Ambrose Mariner, of Augusta.

William Harrison Lyon, born in 1813, is a son of Tabor and Abi- gail (Caldwell) Lyon, and grandson of Eliab Lyon, who came from Roxbury, Mass., to what is now Manchester in 1784. He has been a farmer, but he has given the management of the farm to his son-in- law, Mr. Jackson. His first wife was Maria, daughter of William R. Sanford. She left two children: William H., jun., and Ella A., who married in 1873, Thomas E. Jackson, son of Samuel and Julia (Hewit) Jackson, and grandson of Caleb Jackson. The house where the family now live was built in 1813, near where Eliab Lyon built the first resi- dence when he settled here. Mr. Jackson was born February 25, 1854.

James Martin, born in Devonshire, England, in 1849, is a son of John Martin. He is a stone cutter by trade. He came to America in 1872 and one year later to Manchester, where he has been employed at the Hallowell Granite Works. He married Avis Tremills, and their children are: William J., Eliza J., Mary E., James, Bessie and one son, James, who died.

Edwin R. Mayo, born in 1842, at Waterville, Me., is a son of Asa and Penial (Scribner) Mayo, and grandson of Jacob Mayo, whose father came from Cape Cod, Mass., and was a descendant of Rev. John Mayo, who settled there about 1650. Mr. Mayo came from Fairfield to Manchester in 1883, where he is engaged in poultry and fruit rais- ing. He was in the war of the rebellion for eleven months, in the 21st Maine. He married Mary D. King, of Fairfield, and they have five children: Vaughn M., Oscar B., Asa M., Jennie M. and Alice M.

Willard R. Merrill, born in 1836, is a son of William P. and Martha C. (Averill) Merrill. His father was an adopted son of Samuel and Abigail (Plummer) Merrill, and held the offices of treasurer, collector and selectman. Willard R. is a mason by trade, as were his father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He married Mary Elizabeth At- kins, and they now live on the farm which was settled in 1778 by Samuel Cummings, and have the care of his three aged descendants.

889

TOWN OF MANCHESTER.

They have three children: Arthur L., Hattie G. and Willard Scott. Mr. Merrill was three years in the war, in the 1st Maine Cavalry.

Benjamin J. Richards, born in 1836, in Frankfort, Me., is a son of Rev. David and Susan (Ginn) Richards. He began to work for the Bodwell Granite Company in 1854 at Vinal Haven, and ten years later was made superintendent of the quarry there and continued until 1876, when lie removed to the Hallowell Granite Works, owned by the same parties, and has been superintendent of the quarries there since that time. In 1889 he built a neat and substantial residence near the quarries and just within the limits of Manchester. His first wife, Ellen Spaulding, died leaving three children. His second mar- riage was with Ella F. Rose, and they have three children.

Hubbard S. Roberts, born April 30, 1834, is one of nine children of Jonathan and Ruth (Hall) Roberts, who came from New Hamp- shire to Augusta, where Jonathan was a farmer until his death in 1837. He was a son of John Roberts. Mr. Roberts has been a farmer in Manchester since 1869. He married Sarah, daughter of John and Margaret (Hall) Fifield. Their only child, Mary E. (Mrs. Herbert Young), died in July, 1884, aged twenty-six years.

Virgil Scribner, born in 1824, in Augusta, is a son of Samuel and Mehitable (Pierce) Scribner, and grandson of Thomas Scribner. He came from Augusta to his present home in 1846, where he has since been engaged in farming and orcharding. The farm, called Hillside- farm, was a part of the original Allen homestead and was later owned by Jotham Allen. Mr. Scribner's first marriage was with Isadore R., daughter of Jotham and Thankful (Longley) Allen. His second mar- riage was with Mary Catherine Mears.

Reuel W. Smart, farmer, born in 1824 at Vienna, is a son of Rob- ert and Betsey (Dow) Smart. In February, 1868, he came to Manches- ter and bought the ninety acre farm known as the Isaiah Jones place. He married Louisa M., daughter of Stephen Carr, of Vienna. Their children are: Rosetta, Jessie, Willie T., George W. and Robert R.

Willis H. Wing, born June 19, 1848, in Monmouth, is a son of Sands and Deborah (Robbins) Wing. His parents, who were mem- bers of the Society of Friends, came to Manchester in 1857, where his father was a farmer until his death. Mr. Wing, with his aged mother, occupies the farm which has been their home for thirty-five years. He is an active member of the Grange. He served seven years on the board of selectmen and one term as representative in the state legislature. He was in the clerk's office of the house of representa- tives at Washington during the 47th Congress, and during the 51st Congress was clerk for the committee on public buildings and grounds. He was secretary of the republican state committee for 1886 and 1888. He married, November 30, 1871, Sarah E., daughter of James H. and Mary L. Sleeper, of East Winthrop.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

TOWN OF READFIELD.

BY HENRY D. KINGSBURY.

Incorporation .- Characteristics .- Early Settlers .- Villages and Post Offices .- Early Mills .- Woolen Factory .- Tanneries .- Manufactories .- Stores .- Ho- tels .- Business at the Depot .- Old Mills .- East Readfield .- Mills .- Oilcloth Works .- Stores .- Ashery .- Union Meeting House Company .- Churches .- Cemeteries .- Societies .- Schools .- Town Reports .- Population .- Civil Lists. -Town Meetings .- Personal Paragraphs.

R EADFIELD is perpetual heir to half of the fictions, traditions, facts and settlement of old Pondtown, and to a like proportion of the first twenty years' history of Winthrop, from which she was taken in 1791. Only in the civil adjustments that spring from separate organization did her real life become any different after she became a township. The first significant feature that looms up in her character seemed to crop out soon after her incorporation. It was the moral quality and religious tendency of her people. No higher quali- ties or better tendencies exist than these. Here was built in 1793 one of the earliest Baptist meeting houses in the Kennebec valley, and in the same town and at the same time flourished a Methodist so- ciety that marches in the van of its denomination, as having built their oldest house of worship in the state. These facts are significant. They indicate a vigor that permeates the entire character. Intellect is quickened, talent is developed, and the possibilities of genius are enlarged by such environments. The air of Readfield seems there- fore to have been charged with a tonic, attractive to the tastes and conducive to the growth of lawyers and statesmen. Four governors of Maine, a United States senator and two members of presidential cabinets she reckons with pride as having been her citizens. More men have been admitted to the bar who have prepared in a single law office in Readfield than from any other lawyer's office in Kenne- bec county.

In 1821 a public spirited farmer at Kents Hill became fired with educational zeal, and with five associates procured the incorporation of the Readfield Religious and Charitable Society. Like many other wise men they builded better than they knew; for only three years

891

TOWN OF READFIELD.

later they changed the name of their child to the Maine Wesleyan Seminary-the first Methodist institution of learning in the state.

The intellectual and religious life of Readfield has always been characterized by breadth and liberality. In 1827 representative citi- zens from every part of the town built of brick a Union meeting house, at a cost of over $10,000, that for more than fifty years was the only house for worship in the village at the Corner, and is still owned by persons of differing religious tenets. Agricultural progress, al- ways measured by the amount of brain and thought devoted to its interests, has always been characteristic of its farmers. They were partners with Winthrop in the formation in 1818, of the first agricul- tural society in Maine, if not in New England, and one of their num- ber is the present secretary of that body. The names, and what few dates are obtainable of the worthy pioneers of Readfield and some of their descendants, are interesting and suggestive reading.

SETTLERS .- Of the twenty-seven men who signed the petition, dated Kennebec, 1770, for the incorporation of Pondtown Plantation, the eight following were living on territory that is now Readfield: James Craig, lot No. 212;' Elisha Smith, lot 134; Moses Ayer, lot 213; Joseph Greeley, lot 135; Watt C. Emery, lot 23, near head of East cove; Robert Waugh, 1765, lot 98; Moses Greeley and Jonathan Em- ery. Others who were contemporary with them on Readfield soil, but whose names do not appear on the petition, were: John Greeley's sons, John, Samuel and Henry, the last two living near the old town house; John O. Craig, who had a son, John P .; Mr. Whittier, who came in 1765 and cleared a farm and sold it to Levi Morrell, and had sons, Levi, Samuel, David, Jacob and James Whittier; Mr. Hoyt, who came in 1770 and had sons, Eliphalet, Hubbard and Levi; Captain Job Shurburne, 1770, and Eliphalet Dudley, who settled Dudley's Plain's in 1770.

Some of those who came a little later were: John French, in 1785, who had a son, James; Benjamin Carr, 1785, on lot No. 29, and had sons, Joseph, Samuel, Benjamin, Aaron and John; and William El- liott, who came in 1805 and bought of Andrew Blunt the farm on which his son, David Elliott, still lives; John Hubbard, M.D., came from New Hampshire in 1784, settled on lot No. 28, and had sons, Doctor John, who became Governor Hubbard, Cyrus and Greenlief; the Sanborns, who lived just west of Hubbard's; Jeremiah Brown, who lost a son in the war of 1812 and whose other son's name was Jacob; Doctor Sawyer, about 1795; Joseph Hutchinson, 1790, who settled on lot No. 25, and had sons, Joseph, Eben, Henry and Edmond; Levi Johnson, who died in 1814, had a son, Levi; Samuel Page, settled on lot No. 24, had sons, Nathaniel, Simon, Samuel and Madison; Mr. Richardson, 1799; Jonas Packard, 1800; John Lane, sons, Joshua and George; Samuel H. Luce; Taber Lyon, 1800, sons, Taber and Harri-

892

HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.

son; Daniel Gordon, 1790, sons, William, Daniel and Stephen; Luther Gordon, sons, Luther, Henry, Joseph and James; David Homes; Ben- jamin Melvin, 1802, sons, Benjamin, Hiram, Abram and George; Sam- uel Melvin, brother to Benjamin, sons. John, Samuel, Benjamin, George and Bradbury; David Sleeper: James Clough, 1800; Captain Judkins, 1805, son, Charles, and John Coombs.

Three brothers, Nathaniel, William and Thomas Whittier, came about 1765 from New Hampshire and felled the trees on twenty acres, and the next spring burned the ground over and planted it without plowing. The crop was left to the tender mercies of coons and bears, who did some damage, but enough remained in the fall for a good yield. This surprised the previous comers, who had plowed the new land before planting. One of these brothers carried a bushel and a half of potatoes on his back from Hallowell to his farm in Readfield.

Rev. Isaac Case came in 1792 and raised ten adult children. His sons were: Isaac, Ambrose, William and Elisha. When Elisha was seventy years old there were living representatives of five genera- tions of the Case family. Robert Page, a very early settler, came in 1767, and had sons, Robert and Jere. Joseph, Calvin, Alfred, Daniel, Martin and Margaret Johnson came from Bridgewater, Mass., with their mother, and settled in Readfield in 1800. John Dutton had a son, John, who had sons, John, Reuben, Daniel and Joseph; Shubel Luce had sons, Shubel, Thomas and Atest; William Macomber had sons, William, Hatch, Sanders, Calvin, Harvey and Martin; Solomon Lombard had sons, Ephraim, Daniel, Benjamin, Solomon and Gor- ham; Rev. William Hankerson, a revolutionary soldier, had sons, William and George; Christopher Turner came from England and built the first frame dwelling in Readfield, now a barn belonging to William Harvey, on the Lombard road; and Peter Hunton had sons, George Washington, Wellington, Napoleon B., Lafayette and Louis B. Hunton.

VILLAGES AND POST OFFICES .- The early mills may have located the first village at Readfield Corner, although the first saw mill on the upper dam is over a half mile distant, and the woolen mill is more than a fourth of a mile from the post office, and is surrounded by a collection of houses sometimes called Factory village.

The village of Kents Hill is two miles to the westward of the Corner, and was created and is maintained by the wants of the school. The settlement at the Depot was created by the railroad, which ran its first train of cars to this town in 1849.

East Readfield used to be a thriving hamlet when the oilcloth fac- tory was in operation, but possesses now but few promises of an in- crease of inhabitants. A post office was established here, with Amos Stickney as postmaster, March 2, 1827. His successors were: Silas Leonard, 1828; Abijah Upham, jun .; Joseph A. Sanborn, 1844; David

893

TOWN OF READFIELD.

Bowker, April, 1857; Jacob Morrill, November, 1857; and Peter F. Sanborn, 1861, who served until the office was discontinued in Decem- ber, 1870.

The first post office in Readfield was established April 1, 1798, and took the name of the town. The succession of postmasters, with dates of appointment, includes: James Dalton, appointed April 1, 1798; Samuel P. Gliddens, July 1, 1801; Samuel Currier. August 2, 1803; James Fillebrown, jun., May 23, 1829; Timothy O. Howe, June 12, 1841; John Lambert, July 1, 1843; Francis A. Williams, September 16, 1850; Moses Whittier, July 20, 1855; William Turner, March 5, 1857; Shubael P. Me --- s, January 18, 1861; Benjamin T. Richards, Novem- ber 16, 1861: Henry C. Packard, November 21, 1872; Augustus P. Tur- ner, March 12, 1877; Jere P. Johnson, October 3, 1878; Annie M. Craig, November 13, 1885; and Emma F. Johnson, who was appointed April 2, 1887.

Readfield Depot post office was established February 19, 1851. and its postmasters have been: Benjamin F. Melvin, appointed February 19, 1851: Daniel Craig, February 10, 1854; Nelson Pool, August 15, 1861; Samuel H. Morrill, September 21, 1885; and Nelson D. Gordon, appointed August 6, 1889.

The Kents Hill post office was established in 1826 to meet the wants of the young Methodist school, then only two years old. Its postmasters have been: Lory Bacon, appointed December 11, 1826; Dudly Moody, March 21, 1829; David Wheelock, February 13, 1851; Charles S. Haynes, January 7, 1854; Robert G. Skofield, January 16, 1855; Gustavus Clark, April 4, 1861; John W. Manter, November 19, 1869; Noah Jewett, April 30, 1875; Samuel McNear, September 15, 1885; and Noah Jewett, appointed April 22, 1889.

The offices at Kents Hill and Readfield village are served twice a day by a stage that carries the mail to and from the Maine Central depot.

MILLS .- On the upper dam about 1770, James Craig built a saw mill, which at his death became the property of John Bean, together with a wood lot. This property was purchased by John Bean, jun., and John O. Craig, who ran the mill awhile and sold it to Dudley Fogg and David Sampson. The old saw mill had been rebuilt, with a grist mill and dwelling house added. Mr. Fogg bought his partner's interest, and kept the mills running till 1855, when his son, Josiah N., became the owner. He kept the mill in operation about ten years and sold it to the factory company.

On the upper dam Joel Bean built a fulling mill that was run by his sons, Philo and Reuben, and afterward by Mayo & Bartlett, who in 1825 were carding wool and coloring and pressing cloth there. Dean Smith bought the old factory, which did its last work in 1843.

894

HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.

There was a tannery and a bark mill, built by Joshua Bean before 1815, on the stream that crosses the stage road at the foot of what used to be called the Cameron hill; they were in operation as late as 1840. The old dam still remains.

The first grist mill in Readfield was built by James Craig before 1790, on the site where the present grist mill stands, on the lower dam. After many years Dudley Fogg and Luther Sampson became the owners. Mr. Fogg purchased Mr. Sampson's share, and in 1843 built the stone dam, and the next year built the present mill. In 1845 his so11, Josiah Fogg, became the owner, and continued to operate the mill till 1889, when the present owner, William C. Record, purchased the property. The mill has three runs of stones, sufficient water power, and has always served a large number of patrons.

As early as 1785 to 1790, Robert Conforth, an Englishman, who had sons, William, Robert and Leonard, built a mill on Factory dam, where he made yarn and wove cloth for a term of years. After him a com- pany in which Thomas Nickerson was main owner and manager, bought the property and were operating it when the great freshet of 1826 swept away all the dams on the stream. About 1830 cotton yarn was made in the factory by Thomas Ling. At the same time a Mr. Stanton hired a room and wove webbing two or three years. His son, Thomas, went to Monmouth, and made the same kind of goods there. After this, custom cloth was made, the yarn being spun by machinery and woven by hand.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Illustrated history of Kennebec County, Maine; 1625-1892, Part 105

Author: Kingsbury, Henry D; Deyo, Simeon L., ed Publication date: 1892 Publisher: New York, Blake Number of Pages: 1790

Author: Kingsbury, Henry D; Deyo, Simeon L., ed
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York, Blake
Number of Pages: 1790