Illustrated history of Kennebec County, Maine; 1625-1892, Part 71

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 71

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Reuben Foster, mentioned at page 326, is the fourth of the eleven children of Reuben B. and Sarah (Bartlett) Foster, and grandson of Asa and Anna (Bartlett) Foster, of Newry. He was a member of the Maine legislature in 1866, '67 and '70, and of the senate in '71 and '72, and in '88 was the first mayor of Waterville city.

Mark Gallert, born in 1847 in Prussia, came to America in 1862, and began business in Waterville. He was a partner of his brother, David, until 1870, when their business was divided and since that time Mr. Gallert has carried on a shoe business. He filled one unexpired term as selectman, and has been actively interested in the Masonic fraternity.

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HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.

His wife is Rebecca, daughter of Jacob Peavey. Their children are: Jacie D., Sidney, Miriam, Amy and Gordon.

Charles B. Gilman, born in Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1839, is a son of Nathaniel and Joanna (Boyd) Gilman, and grandson of Nathaniel Gil- man, who came to Waterville in 1798 from New Hampshire. He was a commissioned officer in the revolutionary army. Nathaniel, jun., was engaged in mercantile business. He made his first visit to Water- ville when fifteen years old. He built ships here and at Bath, loaded and sent them to Africa and the West Indies, importing hides, ivory, etc. He began in the hide and leather business in New York in 1836, and continued it until 1852. He was the first and only president of the Ticonic Bank, when it was the Waterville Bank, from 1814 to 1832. He was reelected, but declined. His first wife was Lydia Watson, and of his ten children by that marriage, only one is living. Of the seven children by his second marriage, four are living: Anna K., Charles B., Frazier and Theophilus. Nathaniel, jun., died in Waterville, in 1859, aged eighty one years. Charles B. lived in Brooklyn from 1869 until 1885, while administrator of his father's estate. His home is now in Waterville. His wife is Belle F., daughter of William and Hannah (Hooper) Jaqueth, of Vassalboro.

Martin V. P. Guptill, farmer, born in 1846, is a son of Simon and Elmira (Foot) Guptill. . They came from Berwick, Me., to Winslow, in 1828. Mrs. Guptill's father, Mr. Foot, is said to have been the first man to own a wagon in Thorndike, Me., he having built it himself. Mr. Guptill was in the late war three years in Company G., 9th Maine. In 1878 he bought his present home. His marriage was with Sarah, daughter of Hiram and Francis (Flood) Jewett, and grand- daughter of Joshua Jewett, who came to Benton in 1826, from Am- herst, N. H. They have two children: Orville J. and Rosco V.

JAMES H. HANSON, LL.D., whose illustrious career as the long time head of the Coburn Classical Institute has been related at page 99, is indisputably the most eminent educator now living in this county. The blood that courses through his veins was purified by trials that made it not only historic, but heroic. His ancestors, John and Eliza- beth Hanson, were English, and settled in Dover, N. H. In Septem- ber, 1724, thirteen Indians appeared during the absence of the father, and surprised Mrs. Hanson and her six children-the eldest fourteen years old, and the youngest only fourteen days. The two children next older than the babe were killed and scalped before her eyes. The house was robbed, and the remaining four hurried off to the hor- rors of an Indian captivity. The two older girls were taken to distant camps, while Mrs. Hanson was allowed to keep the babe and a little boy of six years. After five months of this hellish existence, the In- dians took them to a Canadian settlement. and sold the three to the French. Soon after this Mr. Hanson found them, and redeemed his

James Ht. Hanson

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CITY OF WATERVILLE.

wife and children, except the eldest daughter, the squaw who had her refusing to give her up, saying she loved the girl, and wanted she should marry her son.

Mr. Hanson and his family now returned to their old home, reach- ing it a year and six days from the date of the capture. Two years later he left home again to reclaim the captive daughter, Sarah-was taken sick, and died in the wilderness .* This was the furnace in which an inscrutable Providence ordained that the metal of the Han- son family should be heated and sublimated, and recast for the gen- erations that followed. It was endured with a Christian fortitude and trust, possessed only by heroic souls. The inheritance of such blood is richer and grander than the birthright to a kingdom.

James Hanson, a farmer of North Berwick, Me., was one of the descendants of John and Elizabeth, and married a Chadbourne. Their son, James, married Deborah Clark, of South Berwick, Me., and came in 1812 to China, Me., where he was a farmer, and was also a tailor. He was drafted soon after, and went with the force that was sent to Castine-fortunately not having to fight. Their children were: Dana, now of China; James H., Mary E., Mrs. Zebulon Coffin, of Boston, and Hadley Proctor Hanson, also of Boston.

James Hobbs Hanson, the subject of this sketch, married in 1845, Sarah B., daughter of Kenelm Marston, of Waterville. This union was broken by Mrs. Hanson's death in 1853. Doctor Hanson's second marriage was to Mary E., daughter of Benjamin Field, of Sidney, in 1854. Florence P., their eldest child, died when twenty months old. Sophia M., their second child, is now Mrs. Edward A. Pierce, and Frank H., the youngest, is a citizen of Zanesville, Ohio, where he is general secretary of the Young Men's Christian Association.

The names of the five pupils who, as stated, constituted the whole school when Doctor Hanson assumed control in 1843, were: Elizabeth Scammon and Caroline Fairfield, both dead; Aaron A. and Hamilton Plaisted, brothers, both still residents of Waterville, and George B. Gow, now a Baptist clergyman of Glen's Falls, N. Y.

Without great physical vigor and elastic mental fiber, Doctor Han- son could not have generated the tireless energy that has been the motor of his usefulness, and still keeps him in the harness doing a strong man's work. Like the late Doctor Torsey, and every other emi- nent educator, there come constantly to his ears strains of music from a chorus of the voices of former pupils singing that sweet anthem of reward-" Well done, good and faithful servant; all that we are we owe, under God, to you." Which, except the mother's cradle song, can compare with this? Who can say the teacher's life is barren of

* For this story in Mrs. Hanson's own words, see page 113, Drake's Indian Captivities.

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HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.

rewards? Colby University honored itself when, in 1872, it placed its highest approval on the brow of its son, and made the master of Co- burn Classical Institute a Doctor of Laws.

CHARLES FOSTER HATHAWAY is a man of strong, original char- acter. Descended from Old England stock, with New England growth, his grandfather, Alanson, his father, Joshua, and his mother, Rebecca (Foster) Hathaway, were poor, industrious and virtuous in- habitants of Plymouth, Mass. Charles had scant schooling, for he went to work in Russell's nail factory in Plymouth at the age of eleven and at fifteen became a printer with E. Merriam & Co., at West Brookfield, Mass., and worked for G. & C. Merriam, publishers of Webster's Dictionary, at Springfield, Mass.

After seven years of life as a printer, Charles F. settled himself in the neck stock business in Plymouth, and did his work so well that Daniel Webster and Governor Briggs, of Massachusetts, were custom- ers for his goods. This fact throws light on all his subsequent career. He learned at the outset of his business that thorough, honest work pays the seller as well as the buyer. He sold this business in 1843 and came to Waterville, where he worked a while at his old printer's trade and started the Waterville Union, which he afterward sold to Ephraim Maxham.

In the year 1850 he built a shirt factory in Watertown, Mass., which he operated four years, with a store in Boston, that he continued to run till 1864. In 1853 he sold the Watertown business and established his present manufactory in Waterville, that has grown with the steadiness of an oak tree from that time to this. This in- dustry was at first confined to shirts, but since 1874 ladies' underwear has also been made in large quantities. Modern appliances run by steam power, combined with the services of from 100 to 150 people, are unable to supply the demand for these goods. Mr. Hathaway has the vigor of body and mind of a middle aged man, and is constantly adding improvements to a business that has long been noted for its clock like regularity of movement. His relations with his employees have always been friendly and honorable.

He was born in 1816, was the second in a family of ten children, and married in 1840, Temperance Blackwell, of Waterville, who died January 19, 1888. Mr. Hathaway is a man of unusually earnest religious convictions, with an abiding sense of the sacredness of life and its duties. His personal labors among the people on the Plains, begun in 1857, were the seed from which the present flourishing branch of the Baptist church has grown. Incessantly observant, with a warm heart and tender sympathies, Mr. Hathaway is a ready, easy writer in prose or in verse. There is beauty and pathos in the follow- ing expression of experience, from his pen:

CHHathaway

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HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.

I've been tossed on the depths Of earth's billowy sea,

When no pitying eye Seemed looking on me;

The clouds that are darkening, To the Infinite Love,

And responsive comes back The sweet voice unto me,

" All things work together For good unto thee!"

But the depths of my heart Held the treasure untold, More precious to me Than the finest of gold:

Then, Father, in weakness, Let the burdens come strong,

The word that was spoken, " If thou dost love me,

Let poverty, sickness,

All their trials prolong,

All things work together For good unto thee!"

Let my friends all forsake, Let my foes press on me,

And whene'er my sad heart Is so weary and faint,

From sorrow and trial Unable to flee,

And no earth ear is open To hear its complaint,

Thy Word shall give joy Though in depths I may be,

Then the voice of its faith Reacheth np far above

" All things work together For good unto thee!"

Frederick P. Haviland, son of Ebenezer, and grandson of Benjamin Haviland, was born in 1808 at Danville, Vt. He learned the trade of blacksmith and machinist, and in 1832 began work for E. & T. Fair- banks & Co., scale manufacturers at St. Jolinsbury, Vt., and in the fall of the following year he came to Waterville to assist in the starting of a plant here by the same parties, and in 1843 he, with Mr. Webber, became owner of the business and continued in the manufacture of machinery and plows until 1873, when they sold the business. He was two years agent for the Dunn Edge Tool Company, three years president of a copper mining company in New Hampshire, and is now a director of the People's National Bank. He married Pattie E. Colby, who left one son, Fred., of Port Huron, Mich. His present wife was Abigail Chase. They have one son, Charles T., who is a lawyer in New York.

Josiah D. Hayden, son of Josiah and Mary G. (Snell) Hayden, was born in 1837 in Winslow. His father died in 1837, aged twenty-eight years, leaving three children: Mary O. and Orlando, both deceased, and Josiah D. Mr. Hayden began to learn the carpenter's trade in Water- ville in 1854; three years later he went to New Jersey, and after fol- lowing his trade there one year he went to New Haven, Conn., where he worked ten years. He came to Waterville in 1869, where he has since been engaged in contracting and building. He married Emily, daughter of Josiah G. Hewitt. Their children are: Alice J., J. Irving, Blanche W., Ethel V., Harold P. and two that died-Lillian and May. J. Irving is learning the trade with his father.

Perham S. Heald, son of Thomas H. Heald, was born in Solon, Me., in 1842, and was educated in the public schools of Norridgewock and Skowhegan, and at Bloomfield Academy. He served in the late war, from 1862 until 1865 in Company A., 19th Maine, and was nine months

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CITY OF WATERVILLE.

of that time in Andersonville prison. In the fall of 1865 he became a partner in the tailoring business with E. N. Fletcher, of Waterville, and two years later succeeded to the business, which was established in 1834 by James West. Mr. Heald has added to the business ready- made clothing and men's furnishing goods. He employs seven mnen and thirty girls, and his sewing machines are run by electricity. He has served four years as representative, and is treasurer of the Ken- nebec Mutual Life Insurance Company. His wife, Mary E., is a daughter of Dea. David Webb, whose father, David, was one of the early settlers in the south part of the town. They have one son, Fred. P.

Samuel Hitchings, born in 1820, is the youngest child and only son of Samuel (1780-1840) and Margaret (Ward) Hitchings, and grandson of William Hitchings, who was present and participated in the historic " Boston tea party." Mr. Hitchings' father and his brother, Joseph, came to Waterville in 1809, where they were manufacturers for several years. Mr. Hitchings is a farmer and mechanic. He owns and oc- cupies the place where his father lived from 1809 until his death in 1840, aged sixty years. He was first married to Celia F., daughter of Gilbert Whitman, who came to Waterville in 1813 from Bridgewater, Mass. She had five children: Frank E., Edson F., Anna (Mrs. Martin Blaisdell), and two that died-S. Kimball and Ezra F. His present wife is Eliza J., a sister of the first wife.

Orrington C. Holway, born in Bowdoinham, Me., in January, 1836, and died in Waterville in June, 1892, was a son of Daniel and Free- love (Hatch) Holway, and grandson of Barnabas Holway, who came to Fairfield, Me., from Sandwich, Mass. Mr. Holway came from Bow- doinham to Waterville in 1855, where he was a farmer. He married Elizabeth S., daughter of Robert Hall, of Vassalboro. Their children are: Clara M., Ralph O. and Rosco S. M. The widow and three chil- dren survive him.

John C. Horne, son of Alden Horne, was born in 1841, at Fairfield, Me. He has been several years engaged in buying and shipping gen- tlemen's driving horses, and has been remarkably successful, having owned about two thousand horses and never lost but one. He came to Waterville in August, 1888, from Oakland, where he had lived twelve years. His wife is Sarah A., daughter of Seth Fairfield. Their four children are: Ernest M., George F., Colby M. and Hollie, who died.

Frank B. Hubbard, born in Oakland, is a son of George W. and Mary E. (Bailey) Hubbard. He was educated in the schools of Oak- land and two years at Colby, in the class of '84. February 1, 1883, he entered the Waterville freight office as assistant under E. C. Low, and at the death of the latter he became freight agent for the Maine Cen- tral Railroad Company and he still fills that office. His wife was Miss Smith, of Waterville.

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HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.

I've been tossed on the depths Of earth's billowy sea,

The clouds that are darkening,

To the Infinite Love,

When no pitying eye Seemed looking on me;

And responsive comes back The sweet voice unto me,

" All things work together For good unto thee!"

But the depths of my heart Held the treasure untold, More precious to me Than the finest of gold:

Then, Father, in weakness, Let the burdens come strong,

The word that was spoken, " If thou dost love me,

Let poverty, sickness,

All their trials prolong,

All things work together For good unto thee!"

Let my friends all forsake, Let my foes press on me,

And whene'er my sad heart Is so weary and faint,

From sorrow and trial Unable to flee,

And no earth ear is open To hear its complaint,

Thy Word shall give joy Though in depths I may be,

Then the voice of its faith Reacheth up far above

" All things work together For good unto thee!"

Frederick P. Haviland, son of Ebenezer, and grandson of Benjamin Haviland, was born in 1808 at Danville, Vt. He learned the trade of blacksmith and machinist, and in 1832 began work for E. & T. Fair- banks & Co., scale manufacturers at St. Johnsbury, Vt., and in the fall of the following year he came to Waterville to assist in the starting of a plant here by the same parties, and in 1843 he, with Mr. Webber, became owner of the business and continued in the manufacture of machinery and plows until 1873, when they sold the business. He was two years agent for the Dunn Edge Tool Company, three years president of a copper mining company in New Hampshire, and is now a director of the People's National Bank. He married Pattie E. Colby, who left one son, Fred., of Port Huron, Mich .. His present wife was Abigail Chase. They have one son, Charles T., who is a lawyer in New York.

590

CITY OF WATERVILLE.

of that time in Andersonville prison. In the fall of 1865 he became a partner in the tailoring business with E. N. Fletcher, of Waterville, and two years later succeeded to the business, which was established in 1834 by James West. Mr. Heald has added to the business ready- made clothing and men's furnishing goods. He employs seven men and thirty girls, and his sewing machines are run by electricity. He has served four years as representative, and is treasurer of the Ken- nebec Mutual Life Insurance Company. His wife, Mary E., is a daughter of Dea. David Webb, whose father, David, was one of the early settlers in the south part of the town. They have one son, Fred. P.

Samuel Hitchings, born in 1820, is the youngest child and only son of Samuel (1780-1840) and Margaret (Ward) Hitchings, and grandson of William Hitchings, who was present and participated in the historic "Boston tea party." Mr. Hitchings' father and his brother, Joseph, came to Waterville in 1809, where they were manufacturers for several years. Mr. Hitchings is a farmer and mechanic. He owns and oc- cupies the place where his father lived from 1809 until his death in 1840, aged sixty years. He was first married to Celia F., daughter of Gilbert Whitman, who came to Waterville in 1813 from Bridgewater, Mass. She had five children: Frank E., Edson F., Anna (Mrs. Martin Blaisdell), and two that died-S. Kimball and Ezra F. His present wife is Eliza J., a sister of the first wife.

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HISTORY OF KENNEBEC COUNTY.

Captain George Jewell, son of Sergeant Jewell, was born in Mt. Vernon, Me. He began to run long boats on the Kennebec when a boy, and from 1848 until 1857 he was commanding the steamer Clinton between Waterville and Boothbay. In 1858 he bought a livery busi- ness of C. E. Gray, which was kept at the Elmwood stables. In 1864 he moved the business to Silver street, the Elmwood Hotel having been burned the previous year. When the Elmwood Hotel was re- built he opened a stable there, also continuing the one on Silver street.

Marshall D. Johnson, son of Rev. O. H. Johnson, was born in 1841, at New Portland, Me. He studied dentistry with Doctor Randall, of Farmington, Me., from 1861 until 1864, when he began practice at Bethel, Me. In 1870 he moved from Bethel to Skowhegan and in 1879 came from there to Oakland. May 12, 1881, he opened his pres- ent dental rooms in Waterville. His marriage was with Agnes, daugh- ter of John Conforth. Their only child is Addie M.

Albion P. Jordan was a native of Brunswick, Me. He was engaged in photographic work in Brunswick and Bath for twelve years, and in April, 1890, he came to Waterville, where he worked for C. G. Carleton until January 1, 1891, when, in company with Mr. Preble, his present partner, he bought the Carleton photograph business. He married Miss Atkins, of Brunswick.

Thomas G. Kimball was born in Monmouth, Me., in 1811 and died in Waterville in 1879. He graduated from Bowdoin in 1838 and re- ceived the degree of A. M. in 1841. He was principal of the Hal- lowell High School for a time, then came to Waterville, where for sev- eral years he was professor of Waterville Liberal Institute, after which he became a partner of Elah Esty, firm of Esty & Kimball, in mercantile trade, where Mr. Kimball remained until 1875. His wife was Hannah R., daughter of Elah and Mary (Redington) Esty. Their children are: Elah E., of Waterville; Mary R., deceased; Benjamin H., of Monmouth, and Thomas Wesley.

Christian Knauff was born in Germany in 1841. He served a four- years' apprenticeship before coming to America, in December, 1860. He came to Waterville in May, 1863, and after clerking six years, he opened a business for himself, which became the firm of Knauff Brothers, April 1, 1877. He married Matilda Susskraut, who died leav- ing three children: Lizzie Margaret, Emma A. and W. Henry. His present wife was was Ida Grimm. They have one son, Fred E. F. August Knauff was born in Germany in 1849. He served a four-years' apprenticeship and one year in the Prussian army, and in May, 1870, came to America. After clerking in his brother's store in Waterville until 1877 he became a member of the present firm of Knauff Broth- ers. His first wife, Nellie M. Bullen, left one son, William A. His present wife is Mary A. Harttmann. They have one son, Otto Chris- tian.

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CITY OF WATERVILLE.

Daniel Libbey, born in Albion in 1831, is the sixth of a family of seven children of Daniel (1793-1876), who was five years in the regu- lar army before coming to Albion, where he was a farmer. His father, Benjamin Libbey, was born in 1758, in Lebanon, Me., where he died. Mr. Libbey's mother was Elizabeth Stores. He was nine years employed in the meat business in Waterville, after which he was farmer and stock dealer in Winslow twelve years, and since 1872 he has resided in Waterville and devoted his time to cattle buying. He has been a member of the city council since 1891. His wife is Caro- line M., daughter of Jeremiah Wardwell.

William M. Lincoln, born in 1831, is a son of George W. Lincoln, who came from Bath to Waterville in 1826, where he followed the trade of a tailor. He married Olive P. Drummond, and had three children: George W., William M. and Mary C. William followed the trade of his father until 1857, with the exception of three years, spent in mining in California. In 1857 he established a grocery business, to which were added grain, feed and flour, and he continued in the same store until 1890, when he gave up the management of the busi- ness to his partners, Frank A. Lincoln and George A. Kennison, who continue the business under the firm name of W. M. Lincoln & Co. He married Delia H. Ireland, and their children are: Cora B., Flor- ence M. (Mrs. George A. Kennison), Frank A. and Ralph E.

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Illustrated history of Kennebec County, Maine; 1625-1892, Part 71

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