Old Foxcroft, Maine : traditions and memories, with family records, Part 7

Author: Lowell, Mary Chandler, 1863-1949
Publication date: 1935
Publisher: Concord, N.H. : Lowell
Number of Pages: 552


USA > Maine > Piscataquis County > Dover-Foxcroft > Old Foxcroft, Maine : traditions and memories, with family records > Part 7


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).


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Mrs. Foxcroft has for more than two years been confined to her chamber, but has latterly been free from pain, but remains very feeble; the residue (except Miss Hammond, Mrs. F's sister) enjoy comfortable health and we hope you and your good wife and all your family are in health and prosperity. I am glad to hear your son is in College and I wish him much success


Mrs. F unites with me in our respectful regards to yourself and wife and your children and I am remaining always,


Truly yrs. (Signed) JOSEPH E. FOXCROFT.


In 1827 Mr. Gideon Dawes of Minot purchased of Samuel Chamber- lain the south east tract of his farm and thereon, across the road from Isaac Weston's, erected the house on what was later known as the Rowe farm. To that house he brought his wife Sarah Winslow, dau. of Barnabas Winslow of Minot. They were very active and prominent members of the Congregational Church and very valued citizens.


In 1827, Col. Foxcroft decided to dispose of his remaining property in town. This he did by public auction, thus closing his proprietorship. He however continued to keep in touch with affairs in town through his attorney, Charles P. Chandler.


In 1830, three men of experience and large public spirit settled in town, Jacob Hobert Jones, an intelligent farmer, Capt. John Hale, an owner of a Packet line between Boston, Portland and Bangor and Capt .. Henry Scott, all from North Yarmouth.


Mr. Jones was a brother of Mrs. Mary (Jones) Hale and Mrs. Sarah (Jones) Scott and they were children of Dr. David Jones of Bunker Hill fame. Dr. Jones was a surgeon in the Revolutionary War and was act- ing in that capacity at the battle of Bunker Hill where his old teacher, the American patriot Dr. Joseph Warren (grandson of Richard of the May Flower) was shot. Dr. Jones was one of the first to reach Dr. and Gen. Warren, but life was extinct. The surgical instruments used by Dr. Jones are now in cases in the Mass. Historical Association rooms,


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£


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. OLD FOXCROFT


Charlesgate, Boston, presented by his oldest daughter, Mrs. Mary (Jones) Hale.


Dr. David Jones, married on Feb. 1777 in Abington Mass Elizabeth, daughter of Col. Aaron and Elizabeth (Pillsbury) Hobert (Edmund1) of . Abington.


Jacob H. and wife Hannah (Bisbee) Jones were the parents of Eliza- beth, Mrs. Franklin Mayhew,-Mary Jane, Mrs. John Thayer, Wil- liam F, Husband of Harriet Buck, daughter of Nathaniel Buck Jr., and sister of Dr. William Buck, and David, who was the Father of Capt. Frank L. Jones of the 39th Maine.


The following, copied from the Boston Journal of July 7, 1866 tells an heroic story :


"During that terrible conflagration in Portland, started by a fire- cracker, it was judged that unless the brick house of John True Esq. was blown up nothing could save the balance of the City. With the second story of Mr. True's house already in flames and coals falling in showers around the door, the use of gunpowder was about to be abandoned, when with the intrepedity so characteristic of his grand- father, Dr. David Jones, Capt. Frank L. Jones (late of the 30th Maine) of this City (Portland) seized a keg of powder and fuse, dashed through the flying sparks into the house, affixed and ignited the fuse, escaping just in time to avoid the explosion.


The blowing up of the True house saved all of Pearl St. from Cum- berland St. to the Cove and the whole of Oxford St. north."


Continuing, the Journal states; "Rations were issued at the old City Hall this morning to a thousand homeless people."


Capt. Hale opened a general country store on the site of the present Opera House, formerly the Francis Shaw store, and because of his Packet transport business was able to bring the freshest and latest styled goods from the Boston markets to Bangor and thence by ox team to Foxcroft. His house is believed to have been about in the roadway of the American Woolen Company's mill. It burned in 1836 and at the same time, Bradbury and Herring's store located on the site of the western end of the present Blethen block. Capt. Hale then moved his family to the house now the residence of Mrs. William Ham on Lincoln, st. His business kept him from home much of the time, but made him a most interesting citizen because of contact with Boston and Portland and men of high mercantile, political and social standing.


Capt. Scott purchased of John Bradbury in 1830, land from corner red store run by Francis Shaw, bounded by river to Benj. Hassell's line (Davis place, Lincoln st.) with the privilege of keeping up and main- taining a dam across the mouth or outlet of Oil Mill brook, so called, which runs through the land. Capt. Scott soon had the present Lin- coln St. laid out and accepted by the town, building a platform bridge over the brook. The road probably took its present course to Depot St., thence down that street east of the B. & A. station, joining the old



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OLD FOXCROFT


bridle path to Morse's crossing, as the warrant calling for town meeting in 1831 calls for action on the road as laid out across Benj. Coffren's land. His land extended from top of hill, (locally known as Aunt Han- nah's Hill because of Hannah Coffren's popularity) to range #2. Capt. Scott also purchased the old Greeley grist mill site and erected upon that water privilege a mill of very improved and modern plan and it had a very large patronage.


When in 1835, Capt. Scott disposed of his property in "Old Foxcroft" and moved to Athens, the mill passed to Vaughan (B. B.) Buck (Benj.) and Chamberlain (Timothy). In 1854 a tremendous spring freshet car- ried the mill and bridge away. A foundry was built upon the mill site and did a good business. Beyond it, bounded on the two sides by the river, was the old sash and blind factory of Buck and Brown.


Capt. Scott and Capt. Hale each were interested members of the first Congregational Meeting House Society of Foxcroft and gave much of their time as well as money in the building of the first & second Church. Capt. Scott's home was the house now owned and occupied by Mrs. Hattie (Green) Coffren, (Mrs. Henry). This was the home of Sarah M. (Scott) Ware until she went to Athens to teach and there met and was married to John Ware.


Capt. Scott died in Athens. His widow, Mrs. Sarah (Jones) Scott died in Athens Feb. 18, 1876, aged ninety years.


In 1832 as per an old invoice recently found, John Bradbury was making preparations to close his business in town and move away. When he took up his residence in Plantation #5 in the 7th range, he was a young man of twenty-five years of age. Whether he was able to pur- chase his first real estate is not recorded, but, in the twenty three years of his residence, he made a most creditable record. He was a shrewd money lender, but nevertheless, many a family would have lost their home but for his aid, and he seemed always ready to purchase from one wishing to leave town. He was, to a degree, public spirited, giving much of his time to town, church and school matters. When Maine became a State, he represented this class in the Legislature. Through the trial and loss of the first church by fire, he gave freely of his time and advice on committees. From the invoice it would seem that his estate was near $35,000.00, possibly more.


Of his son Albion, I cannot find any records except that he attended the Academy in 1825 and expressed a desire to go to Brown University. His daughter, Matilda, born July 27, 1821 in Foxcroft was married in Bangor Sept. 18, 1845 to one Jonathan Pottle, whose residence was then given as Foxcroft, but his name cannot be found in any records. They resided in Chelsea, Mass.


Mr. John Bradbury died in Bangor July, 9, 1847.


Melvin Stevens and Richard K. Rice would seem to have taken Mr. Bradbury's place in mercantile and public affairs.


Bradbury owned the first pleasure vehicle to be brought into town, a


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OLD FOXCROFT


$150.00 chaise. Until the invoice above referred to was found, it was assumed that "honor" went to Samuel Chamberlain!


Mr. Caleb Prentiss, a son of Dea. Caleb (Rev. Caleb) Prentiss of Paris, Me. was b. there Jan. 9, 1806. His mother was Mary Webber Morgan, b. in Gloucester, Cape Ann, Mass. Dec. 16, 1775.


Among other children were Augusta Louise b. Feb. 4, 1812 who be- came the wife of Sylvanus Herring, for several years after 1829, a trader in "old Foxcroft" and clerk of the "first Congregational Meeting house Corporation of Foxcroft."


Addison b. June 13, 1814, m. Sophia Coffin of Worcester Mass. Was an invester in Foxcroft real estate in 1830-45.


Joseph Webber, b. Sept. 8, 1816, came to Foxcroft in 1842 where he remained until after the death, in 1846, of his brother, Caleb Prentiss, when he moved to Pennsylvania to join his older brother Arthur in · business. He entered Foxcroft Academy where he studied, with occa- sional vacations for teaching, about five years. After leaving town he often "revisited the scenes of his early life, never failing to look, with love and veneration upon the old Academy," now adapted to other pur- poses. He was a man of commanding physique, great muscular power and undaunted courage.


George Mellen Prentiss b. at Paris Me. Jan. 23, 1819, m. Miss Emily Cleaveland of Worcester. He owned a book and stationery shop which he operated several years and finally disposed of it to D. D. Vaughan.


Mr. Caleb Prentiss was a resident of "old Foxcroft" as early as 1830, coming here as bookkeeper for Sylvanus Herring. He took over Mr. Herring's business Oct 12, 1830. In Dec. 6, 1832 he m. Almira Sloan, youngest dau. of Dea. Isaac3 (Richard') and Betsey (Murray, Col. John1) Wheeler of Garland. They lived in the attractive house known as the "Butterfly." In 1833, Mr. Prentiss decided to build a larger and more modern home, and purchased of Samuel Greely, 2nd, the lot on Main St., later the home of Capt. George W. Goodwin. Feb. 18, 1834, after the disastrous fire in the first Congregational Meeting house, and preparations were being made for the erection of the building on North St., Mr. Prentiss was made clerk of the Society, also treasurer. He was very active in all the affairs of the church as well as town and was postmaster for one term. In 1839 his health became impaired, owing to his large business responsibilities and he was obliged to give up many projects and curtail public work. He d. Mar. 18, 1846.


His wife and children, the oldest a daughter of twelve years, con- tinued to make their home in Foxcroft for several years. The oldest son, Henry C. Prentiss, b. Apr. 17, 1836, always resided in "old Fox- croft " except when away to school at Paris and Hebron ; and in 1858 com- menced as clerk, in the largest store then in town, and finally succeeded to the business. In 1861, Mr. Prentiss received the appointment of Postmaster of "old Foxcroft" which office he held for twenty four years.


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OLD FOXCROFT


During his official life the office was placed in the money order class, Sept. 1868; in 1873 we were connected with Dexter by telegraph line, the first town in the county to have such privileges and the office was established in the postoffice,-Mr. Prentiss having become a proficient telegrapher.


In the early days, indeed nearly all the period of his service, the west- ern mail came by stage from Dexter, reaching this office between ten and eleven o'clock in the evening, and leaving at four A.M. so that Mr. Prentiss' hours were long and his sleep broken into.


But the length of his incumbency tells a better story than words of mine. Mr. Prentiss was also an able stenographer, and was often called into Court in that capacity. As deacon of the Baptist Church, he served many years, earnestly and faithfully. A strong Republican, he never allowed politics to enter his official life.


On May 19, 1859 he married Miss Ellen M. Jordan, b. Sept. 5, 1837, dau. of Dea. Joshua and Martha (Merrill) Jordan. Mr. Jordan was for years a valued citizen of "old Foxcroft".


Mr. Prentiss rented of his mother, the small house located between the postoffice block,-now Blethen block-and A. O. Robbins house, known as the "Butterfly". When she sold it, the purchaser had it moved to Winter St. and it is now the residence of Mrs. Norris Herring.


Mr. and Mrs. Prentiss each lived a "four score years.".


HIGHWAY SURVEYOR'S LIST FOR 1830 DISTRICT #2


Beginning at Frederick Tyler's (site of the Congregational Chapel) and south to and including the north west side of village square, op- posite "Academy Common", also from the last named, up what is now North St., to Daniel Buck's (Mr. Willis Gilman's), comprised the mill district or District #2, and of which Andrew Blethen, for the year 1830 was Surveyor.


Each year, the highway surveyor for each of the twelve highway districts received a homemade book containing the following instruc- tions in the handwriting of one of the "Assessors of the Town of Fox- croft"; for that year,-


"To Andrew Blethen one of the surveyors of highways in the town of Foxcroft herewith are committed to you a List of the Persons and the Sums at which they are severally assessed for your Limits each, and his respective proportion of the Sum Total of two hundred and seven- teen dollars and four cents ($217.04) being the amount of money you are to cause to be expended in labour and materials upon the highways and Townways within your Limits according to law agreeably to a vote of said Town passed at their last annual meeting, allowing twelve and a half cents per hour and the same for oxen, until the fifteenth day of July next and ten cents per hour after that time and fair price for


السالدورة


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OLD FOXCROFT


materials and you are to cause two thirds of the sum to be expended before the first day of July next and you are hereby required at the ex- piration of your office to render to the Assessors of said town a List of such persons as shall have been delinquent in making (working?) out or paying the sum in which assessed.


And you are by law requested to exhibit this bill to the Assessors on the first Monday of July next. And at the expiration of your term of office under Penalty of twenty dollars for each neglect.


The assessors will be in session at the dwelling house of R. K. Rice on the first Monday of July next at four o'clock P.M.


Given under our hands at Foxcroft this 5th day of June 1830.


(Signed) R. K. RICE JOSEPH CROOKER Assessors


The following named men comprised the district and their property as located is given under present resident's name.


Ellis Robinson


Weston farm


Nathaniel Snow


Charles Ronco


Frederick Tyler


Congregational Chapel


Joseph Garland


Railroad station


Samuel Greeley


Chase Studio


Daniel Mansfield


Hiredman for Joel Pratt & lived at Pratt's


Thadeus Howe


Harold Grey


John Bradbury


House, little in rear of east end of Blethen Block


Nancy P. Bradbury


Small house in rear of Davis' Bake shop


(Heirs of N. Bradbury) Daniel Buck


Willis Gilman


Andrew Blethen


Mrs. Jennie La Plante


Chase and Kimball Filling Station


A. O. Robbins


Harold Grey farm


Mrs. Harriet Chandler Dearth


Sylvanus Longley


Samuel Newhall


Small house on Congregational Parsonage lot, later moved to North and Cherry Streets


Silas Paul William Parsons, Jr.


Paul house, Maine St.


Rich K. Rice


Bearce farm Site of Congregational Church


John Bradbury owned what he called his "farm", the land now bounded by North St. from the Ham store corner to the LaPlante house, thence east to the line of Archalaus Jackson place; south to present Lincoln St. and up Lincoln St. to Ham store; except a small store on that corner and a mill on the site of the present Ladies of the G.A.R. building. His tax was $64.29!


J. S. Holmes Esq., owned from the Paul-Buck line on Main St. to Sampson-Annis line and extending back to Brook. Tax, $11.09.


Samuel Greeley owned from the Congregational Church west to


James S. Holmes office


Sylvanus Herring


James Howe


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OLD FOXCROFT


Ralph Jack's west line, except the Burying ground at Main and Green streets. Tax, $18.29.


Sylvanus Longley all the late Ira Whittier farm and the present Goff property on south side of Main Street. Tax, $12.07.


Samuel C. Newhall, the present parsonage property and that part of mill property bounded by river and including site of eastern one half of third mill in American Woolen Co. Group. Tax, $7.35.


Sixteen dollars and eighty cents of the tax was assessed against non- 'residents, already delinquent on 1829 tax to the amount total of $7.90!


These Surveyor's books are badly worn and extremely soiled, sug- gesting that much of the bookkeeping was done by the roadside with large rocks as desks! The covers of the books are used for computa- tions and problems!


One William Tukey and one Thomas F. Howe each paid a poll tax and I assume they were young employees. Samuel C. Newhall was the undertaker and his "coffin shop" was on the site of the American Woolen Co. Mill as stated.


Much of the Bradbury, Blethen, Snow, Longley, Greeley and Holmes property was then covered with the first growth. Main and North streets had been laid out and accepted as four rod roads, Lincoln St. was still a bridle path as to my best information.


1


THE DECADE FROM 1832 TO 1842


In the decade from 1832 to 1842 not many new homes were opened. There was an increase in population of only twenty nine and many of those were sons of pioneer settlers, young men born in "old Foxcroft" who had "come of age." Two Pratt families alone increased the voting list from eight to eighteen in the decade! Some of the twenty nine took places of those removed; also some remained on home farms under the paternal roof or had built on a part of the paternal acres set off for his occupancy. The clearing of new farms was small.


Ebenezar Dunham and Levi Bearce his father-in-law had come in from Hebron and settled on the farm on which an opening had been made by Hutchinson; and here was added another symbol to our already splendid type of citizenry. Mrs. Dunham was a help mate in its fullest sense, a woman of enduring physical qualities, combined with a marked intelligence and administrative ability. After four years of home life in this young settlement, Mrs. Rebecca (Bearce) Dunham was left a widow with seven children the youngest, Oren C. but two months old. With true womanly fervor, the same spirit so character- istic of our women pioneers, at once she grasped her situation and re- solved to hold the family together. She was Mr. Dunham's second wife and I am not able to prove or disprove that the first wife, Lucy Bearce, was a sister; but a son, Alanson M., by the first marriage re- mained on the farm with his step mother and assisted in educating the younger children.


Eventually Oren C. Dunham succeeded to the homestead. A few years prior to his decease, finding the care of the farm too much for him, he disposed of it and moved to the village. Mrs. Rebecca Dun- ham not only kept the farm unencumbered but added acres to it and increased the tillage.


By the Assessors books of 1840, seven years after the decease of her husband, Mrs. Dunham had purchased and cleared more land, raised three bushels of corn, fifty bushels of wheat, twenty bushels of oats, two bushels of beans, three of beans, one hundred of potatoes, thirty- two lbs. of wool. She owned one horse, two cows, two swine and eleven sheep, had made one hundred and fifty pound of butter and killed five hundred pounds of pork.


The names of Arnold, Besse, Bailey, Cates, Cole, Cross, Deering, Gould, Kinney, Mansfield, Philbrick and Whittemore were new among our farmers, while Benj. Hassell had come over from Sebec to look after cabinet work as well as a large farm, later owned by Wm. B. Davis; and Lathrop Jones with his home where our highly esteemed citizen,


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OLD FOXCROFT


Wm. Nelson Thompson later lived on North St. made our tin ware and looked after the stoves; Joseph Tyler and D. D. Vaughan furnished our drugs and stationery and the Vaughan brothers, Anselm and Benj. B, kept real estate changing hands.


For some unmentioned reason, it had become or seemed necessary to give attention to the line between Foxcroft and Guilford as the follow- ing is evidence :


FOXCROFT December 14th 1829


We, the subscribers have this day perambulated and marked anew the town line between the town of Foxcroft and the town of Guilford STEDMAN DAVIS Selectman of Guilford SAMUEL CHAMBERLAIN Selectman of Foxcroft ISAAC WESTON,-appointed for the purpose


And the roads in the township were a source of more or less trouble.


1832-1842


Warrant for Town Meeting Mar. 28, 1834


"Art. 2 To see what course the town will take to repair the road lead- ing from the four corners by A. Bolsters to Sebec and also to see what course the town will take to build the New County road leading from Foxcroft Bridge by Dea. Washburns to Sebec Bridge and to act on any business relative to said roads."


And boards at the ends of the bridge were cause for argument in May 1836.


"Art. 5 To see if the town will vote to remove the boards from each end of Foxcroft Bridge, notifying of the penalty of the law for immoderate driving on said Bridge."


The road from Ichabod Chandler's to William Shaw's called for mandatory proceedings as follows,-


"STATE OF MAINE


PENOBSCOT SS


To the Sheriff of our County of Penobscot, or his Deputy,- GREETING:


We command you that immediately and without delay you summon the Inhabitants of the Town of Foxcroft in said County (if they be found in your precinct) to appear before our Justices of our Court of Common Pleas to be holden at Bangor, within and for our said County of Penobscot, on the first Tuesday of June next, then and there in our said Court to answer Us upon an Information filed against them by the States' Attorney for said County for not repairing and amending a


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OLD FOXCROFT


Town road within said town, "beginning at the South line of said Fox- croft near the dwelling house of Ichabod Chandler, then northerly to the dwelling house of William Shaw in said Foxcroft" And have you there this writ with your doings thereon.


Witness David Perham Esquire at Bangor the twenty third day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand and eight hundred and twenty nine.


ISAAC HOLDEN, Clerk


A true copy attest DANIEL WILKINS, Sheriff.


STATE OF MAINE Clerk's office of the Judicial Court


Sequel to above PENOBSCOT COUNTY To the Assessors of the


Town of Foxcroft


GENTLEMEN: At the Court of Common Pleas holden at Bangor within and for said County on the first Tuesday of June instant, a fine of Six Hundred Dollars was assessed upon the inhabitants of your town for not repairing and amending a town road within said town: "Begin- ning at the South line of said Foxcroft near the dwelling house of Ichabod Chandler, thence northerly to the dwelling house of Wm. Shaw in said Foxcroft, together with cost of prosecution taxed at $11.16, and appointed Thomas Davee of Dover in said County esquire, agent to superintend the collection and expenditure of said fine for the repair and amendment of said road and for receiving and paying the cost aforesaid to the Clerk of the Judicial Court of said County agreeably to the Law in that case made and provided.


Respectfully yours &c. (Signed) ISAAC HODSDON, Clerk


Laid out for the use of the town of Foxcroft a road as follows viz: be- ginning at the river road and running north between lots Nos ten and eleven two miles to the center road, said road to be four rods wide, two rods on each side of the line.


THOMAS WENTWORTH ICHABOD CHANDLER Selectmen


FOXCROFT May 18th 1822


And now Foxcroft bridge was again a source of trouble.


"To the selectmen of Foxcroft


MESSRS: We the subscribers, Committee chosen to repair Foxcroft bridge hereby certify that we have attended to it, and have contracted the following debts in so doing; which we have agreed shall be paid on the first of October next agreeable to vote of the town.


You are therefore requested to make out orders accordingly.


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OLD FOXCROFT


TOWN OF FOXCROFT


To Samuel Chamberlain


$11.85 To Caleb Prentiss


$19.14


" Gideon Dawes


39.96


Reuben Brawn


.89


" Sylvanus B. Stevens.


17.16


William Arnold .


2.67


Joel Pratt


2.67


" Joshua Ricker


2.67


Isaac Scammon


2.67


" Leonard Robinson


1.50


" Silas Paul


6.33


" Isaac Blethen


1.92


Richard K. Rice


1.00


James S. Holmes


15.90


66


Henry Scott


4.00


Nathaniel Chamberlain 10.39


73.79


35.94


11.85


19.14


85.64


55.08


85.64


$140.72


May 2q, 1835


NATHANIEL CHAMBERLAIN HENRY SCOTT J. S. HOLMES Bridge Committee


1832-1842


When Charles Parsons Chandler, the first "Preceptor" of the Acad- emy, undertook that position, it was with the determination to start the Academy in its now known, as creditable career, and then return to a larger field and engage in the practice of his chosen profession.


Chandler was a young man with a meritorious college career behind him. Among his college friends at Bowdoin, he numbered John Apple- ton, later Chief Justice of Maine; Franklin Pierce, the fourteenth Presi- dent of the United States; William Pitt Fessenden, a cousin; Jacob Abbott, the author; William Smythe of mathematical fame; Dr. D. Humphrey Stover (his room mate); Hawthorne, Longfellow and many others equally noted.




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