Saco Valley settlements and families. Historical, biographical, genealogical, traditional, and legendary, Part 17

Author: Ridlon, Gideon Tibbetts, 1841- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Portland, Me., The author
Number of Pages: 1424

USA > Maine > Saco Valley settlements and families. Historical, biographical, genealogical, traditional, and legendary > Part 17
USA > New Hampshire > Saco Valley settlements and families. Historical, biographical, genealogical, traditional, and legendary > Part 17

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).

JOHN GREENLAW,

ISAAC HURD,

WALTER HAGENS,

DAVID HASTY,

ROBERT HASTY,

DANIEL HANSCOME,

ROBERT JACKSON,

WILLIAM JOHNSON,

EDWARD KENNARD,

PAUL, LOMBARD,

LUTHER LOMBARD,

SAMUEL LARRABEE,

ISAAC LARRABEE,

PHINEUS LIBBY,

ABNER LIBBY,

ROBERT LIBBY,

JOSEPH LIBBY,

JESSE LIBBY,

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PLANTATION AND TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENTS.

HUMPHREY MCKENNEY,

DIMINICUS MCKENNEY,

JAMES MCKENNEY,

JOHN MACARTHUR,

LEVI MERRIFIELD,

GEORGE MESERVE,

NATHANIEL MESERVE,

EBENEZER MORTON,

THOMAS MILLER,

JOSEPH MORTON,

MARK MANSON,

WILLIAM MANSON,

JAMES MARR,

ISAAC MARR,

PELATIAH MARR,

DENNIS MALLOY,

JOSEPH MESERVE,

JONATHAN NASON,

JOIIN NASON,

DAVID NASON,

ABRAM PARKER,

THADDEUS RICHARDSON,

DAVID RICHARDSON,

ELISHA RICHARDSON,

JAMES RENDALL,

DANIEL RIDLON,

JOSEPH ROSE,

JAMES SAWYER,

SAMUEL SAWYER,

JOSHUA SAWYER,

EBEN SAWYER,

JOHN SUTTON,

JOHN STONE,

GEORGE STONE,

JOSHUA SMALL, ESQ.,

DANIEL SMALL,

ISAAC SMALL,

JOIIN SMALL,

JOSHUA SMALL, JR.,

HENRY SMALL,

LIEUT. DANIEL SMALL,

WILLIAM SMALL,

JACOB SMALL,

BENJAMIN SMALL,

JAMES SMALL,

REUBEN SMALL,

SAMUEL STROUT,

SIMEON STROUT,

RICHARD STROUT,

ELISHA STROUT,

WILLIAM STROUT,

GILBERT STROUT,

JOHN STROUT, JR.,

ROBERT STAPLES,

ENOCH STAPLES,

JONATHAN SPARROW,

JOSEPH TYLER,

ABRAM TYLER,

OBADIAH IRISH,

WILLIAM WENTWORTH,

EBEN IRISH,

JOHN WENTWORTH,

WILLIAM WHITNEY,

WILLIAM WHITTIMORE,

DAVID YOUNG.

FOUNDERS OF LIMINGTON.

Jonathan Boothby came early from Scarborough and took up a valu- able tract of land near Pine hill, where his descendants have since lived. Like nearly all of his name he was a good farmer, who was hospitable; a genuine Puritan and warm communicant of Parson Coffin's church in Buxton many years. His descendants are numerous. (See Genealogy.)

Ezra Davis, Jr., and wife Susanna, "owned the covenant" of the first church of Saco, Sept. 16, 1770. He resided in Biddeford, which then included Saco, for many years, and there six children were born. He is said to have removed to Little Ossipee, now the town of Limington, as early as 1774. A daughter was baptized in Biddeford in 1785, her parents then being of "Ossapy." He was a prominent and useful citizen, who was called to positions of trust. In 1793 he was sent to Boston as agent of the town, and was paid

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PLANTATION AND TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENTS.

two shillings a day for twenty-one days of service. From him descended the family in Sebago and Porter. (See Genealogy. )

Maj. Nicholas Davis, descended from an old family in York, married Charity Haley. in 1777, at Biddeford, and he and his wife "owned the cove- nant" of the first church of Saco, being then of " Little Osapa," in 1779. He was a soldier of the Revolution, and was major of the militia after settlement in Limington. Ile is said to have been 97 years of age at his decease, about 1830. Hon. William G. Davis, of Portland, and the Davis families in Stan- dish and North Hollis are descendants.

Samuel Larrabee, son of Samuel and Sarah Brown, was a native of Scarborough. He married Elizabeth Blake, of Gorham, in 1776, and imme- diately removed into the plantation of Little Ossipee, settling in the eastern section of the township, where Israel and Ezekiel Small have since lived. The old house taken down by Doctor Bragdon was built by Mr. Larrabee. lle returned to the coast, being an owner of land on Richmond's Island, but died in Limington, aged 84, in 1836. (See Larrabee Genealogy.)

Isaar Mitchell, Esq., son of Dominicus Mitchell, of Cape Elizabeth, removed from Standish to Limington, and was for many years one of the most public-spirited, capable, and useful of townsmen. He was justice of the peace and served in the municipal offices. The beautiful penmanship found in the town records shows that he was a master of chirography. He was postmaster for many years. In every position to which he was called to serve his fellow- citizens, Squire Mitchell faithfully performed the duties devolving upon him and held the respect and veneration of the people. (See Genealogy.)

Humphrey MeKenney, descended from John McKenna, evidently from Ireland (some say Scotland, but I doubt), who settled early in Scarbor- ough, came into the plantation of Little Ossipee with the other families from the coast, and with his sons, all powerful men, sat down in the north part of the town, where descendants now live.

John MacArthur, descended from an ancient Highland Scotch clan. came to America from the county of Fife, and was an early settler in Little Ossipee, where he lived until Aug. 30. 1816. His age was 71. He was a man possessing in full measure the traits peculiar to the Scotch character; was conservative, opinionated, argumentative, and logical: a man of sound mind. who availed himself of every source of information. His sons, Arthur Mac- Arthur and James MacArthur, Esquires, were leading citizens in Limington and extensively known in their county, being highly respected for their intel- ligence, probity. and public spirit. (See Genealogical Department.)

Col. Cephus Merds, son of Francis Meeds, of Harvard, Mass .. was horn in that town and settled in Limington, where he was one of the solid citizens and a man of noble character every way. He had been colonel of the militia, representative to the Legislature, and in town offices. He was a

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PLANTATION AND TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENTS.

judicious farmer, and in manners a good type of the old-school gentleman. His personal appearance was attractive, being tall, erect, and handsome of face. (See Genealogical Sketch.)

Capt. Nicholas Edgecomb was one of the first who cleared land in the southern part of the town. He served as one of the first board of selectmen and in other positions where good judgment and executive ability were required. From him, or his family, Edgecomb's bridge, that spans Little Ossipee river, took its name. His sons, Nicholas, Robert, and William, were early townsmen. (See Genealogy.)

Maj. John Small, son of Dea. Samuel and wife Anna, was born in Scarborough, Jan. 30, 1722, and married there for his first wife Sarah Atkins; he married, secondly, Oct. 12, 1752, Mary McKenney. He was an officer in the English army. Being a land surveyor he was sent, in 1762, to run out a military road from the Kennebec to Canada, and was unintentionally shot by one of his party when in the woods, by being indistinctly seen and mistaken for some animal. He was instantly killed. He is represented as a "large, dark- complexioned, stately, courtly, and handsome man." His desk, chest, and commission are preserved. After his death his widow, of whom traditions, was married to one Haskins, but her last days were spent in the home of her son Henry, at Limington. Children : John, Edward, Zacheus, Francis, Henry, Daniel, Rachel, and Dorcas. Several of the Smalls settled in town, but as their history has been printed we shall not trace them here.

CORNISH.

In consequence of the destruction of the records of the plantation, as well as those of the town, by fire in the store of John F. Jameson in 1865, our materials for a reliable historical sketch are very meagre. Some data, said to be of a valuable historical character in a number of letters written by one of the townsmen, has been preserved, but the custodian has declined to have them examined.

The lands now comprised in the pleasant town of Cornish were a part of that extensive territory purchased by Francis Small of the Indian chief, Cap- tain Sunday, and after the partition, were sold by Joshua Small to Joseph Doe, of Newmarket, N. H., and Benjamin Conner, of Newburyport, Mass., for £1,980. The plantation was a dense wilderness when surveyed in 1772.

Henry Pendexter came from Biddeford, and is claimed to have been the first settler. Some, however, say James Holmes, who came from Scarborough, was the first to pitch here. He moved his family to the plantation in 1774. Several families from Saco and Biddeford came in the next year, among them Henry and Asahel Cole.

At the first plantation election, held at the house of Asahel Cole, only thirteen inhabitants were present, all coming on snow-shoes. It appears that

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PLANTATION AND TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENTS.

Joshua Small, and others who lived in the Plantation of Little Ossipee, had petitioned the General Court for an act of incorporation to embrace the whole territory of Limington and Cornish, but the inhabitants forwarded a renton- strance in 1791, in which they endeavored to show cause " why the prayer of Joshua Small should not be answered concerning both Plantations coming into one Town." This document shows as one cause, that "the land of both Plan- tations is of great length, thirteen or fourteen miles at least, which will be very ill convenient for us to go to Town Meetings, and not only so, the land is very broken, costly, and hard to make good roads thereupon. We can't go to Town Meeting and come in one day to our homes "; another cause why the prayer should not be answered: " There is too large a tract of land for one Town. it is so broken "; another cause: "We cannot see that there will ever be a union together. This being the case, we should not be such good sub- jects to government." They said it would be a "hardship" for them to be set off to any town or plantation whatever, and prayed to be incorporated by themselves. Dated. "Francisborough, May the roth. 1791." Plantation assessors, Noah Barker. Timothy Barrons, and Asahel Cole; clerk, Simeon Johnson. To preserve the names of the inhabitants at that time I subjoin the list of those who signed the remonstrance and petition, all in one :

ROBERT COLE,

JAMES WANMOUTH,

JOHN SHUTE,

THEOPHILUS SMITH,

BENJAMIN ESTES,

EBENEZER BARKER,

BENNETT PIKE,

SAMUEL MORRISON,

ELIAB PENDEXTER,

JOHN KISSIC,

LEVI CHADBOURNE,

JOHN GILPATRICK,

NATHANIEL BARKER,

FRANCIS KISSICK,

CHARLES TRAFTON,

WILLIAM SAWYER,

WILLIAM CHADBOURNE,

EZRA BARKER,

ISAAC CHICK,

JOHN DURGIN,

SAMUEL SHERBURN,

GEORGE GRAV,

THOMAS PENDEXTER,

WILLIAM DAV,

JAMES HOLMES,

WILLIAM DAY, JR.,

EDMUND PENDEXTER,

JOSEPH COUSINS,

RICHARD ESTES,

SAMUEL BARRONS,

JNO. CHADBOURNE.

ABRAM BARRONS,

JONATHAN ESTES,

JOHN PIKE,

OHADIAH EASTMAN,

JAMES WORMWOOD,

WRIGHT GRAFFAM,

DAVID JEWELL,

JOUN JEWELL,

JOSEPH LINSCOTT,

MARTRESS TREADWELL,

OBADIAHI COLE,

DANIEL, PERKINS,

EDMUND HAMMOND,

ISAAC LINSCOTT,

NOAH LINSCOTT,

ANDREW SHERBURN.

NATHAN BARKER, JOHN WHALES,

JOSEPH ALLEN.

The plantation of Francisborough was incorporated by the name Cornish, Feb. 26, 1794.

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PLANTATION AND TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENTS.

The first potash factory was established by Andrew Sherburn about 1800, two miles south of Cornish village. Simeon Pease also had a large potash factory here, and opened a store. A tannery was erected here, a post-office was established, and the place became the business centre of the town.

Town-meetings were held in the meeting-house on Brimstone hill until the town-house was built, a half-mile farther south.

Courts were held at the house of Squire Asahel Cole, and here the old militia met to draw their supply of powder and rum. The learned judge came down on the old P'equawket trail from the north and tarried over night with Mr. Cole, and so he procured his host an appointment as magistrate. Old- fashioned patronage, you see.

The following is a nearly complete list of the inhabitants of Cornish previous to the incorporation in 1794 Joshua Chadbourne and Joseph Seavey had removed, and Joseph Wilson had died in consequence of being frozen in a snow storm when on his way to Saco.

ALLEN, JOSEPHI,

IIART, AARON,

ADAMS, THOMAS,

JOHNSON, SIMON,

BARKER, EBENEZER,

JOHNSON, THOMAS A.,

BARKER, SIMEON,

JEWELL, DAVID,

BARKER, THOMAS,

JEWELL, JOHN,

BARKER, EZRA,

KENNARD, JOIIN,

BOLON, JOHN,

LINSCOTT, NOAH,

BARRONS, TIMOTHY W., (?)

LINSCOTT, ISAAC,

BARRONS, ABRAM, (?)

LINSCOTT, ISAAC, JR.,

BROWN, CLEMENT,

LINSCOTT, JOSEPH,

COLE, OBADIAH,

LONG, JOHN, LORD, AMMI,

COLE, ROBERT,

COLE, ASAHEL,

MCKUSIC, JOHN,

COLE, HENRY,

MCKUSIC FRANCIS,

COLTON, JOHN,

MERRIFIELD, SAMUEL,

CHADBOURNE, HUMPHREY,

MATTOX, THOMAS,

CHADBOURNE, WILLIAM,

NEAL, ANDREW,

CHADBOURNE, WILLIAM, JR.,

NORRIS, JONATHAN,

CHADBOURNE, LEVI,

NORRIS, ISAIAH,

CHADBOURNE, JOHN,

PEASE, STEPHEN,

CHICK, ISAAC,

PENDEXTER, EDWARD,

CHICK, DANIEL,

PENDEXTER, ELIAB,

CLARK, BENJAMIN,

PENDEXTER, HENRY,

CLARK, BENJAMIN, JR.

PENDEXTER, PAUL,

DURGIN, JOHN,

PENDEXTER, THOMAS,

DAVIS, JOSIAH,

PERRY, JAMES,

DAY, NATHANIEL,

PERRY, SAMUEL,

DAY, WILLIAM,

PERRY, JOSEPH,

DAY, WILLIAM, JR.,

PERKINS, DANIEL,

DAY, STEPHEN,

PIKE, JOHN,

ESTES, BENJAMIN,

PIKE, NOAH,

ESTES, RICHARD,

PIKE, BENNETT,

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PLANTATION AND TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENTS.

ESTES, JONATHAN,

SARGENT, CHASE,

EASTMAN, DANIEL,

SMITH, DAVID,

EASTMAN, OBADIAH,

SMITH, THEOPHILUS,

EASTMAN, EZEKIEL,

SHERBURN, ANDREW,

EASTMAN, JACOB,

SHERBURN, GEORGE,

ELLIS, JOHN,

SHERBURN, SAMUEL,

FESSENDEN, WILLIAM,

STONE, PAUL.,

GRAY, JOSIIL'A,

STORER, BENJAMIN,

GRAY, DANIEL,

STORER, WILLIAM,

GRAY, ISAAC,

STORER, JOHN,

GRAY, JOHN,

SIMU'TE, JOHN,

GRAV, GEORGE,

THOMPSON, JOSEPH M.,

GORDON, JOSEPH,

THOMPSON, ISAAC,

GRAFFAMI, UNITE,

TRAFTON, CHARLES,

GILPATRIC, JOHN,

TREADWELL, MASTRES,

GRAFFAM, THEODORE,

FINEV, RICHARD,

GUPTILL, DANIEL,

WEYMOUTH, JAMES,

HOLMES, JAMES,

WORMWOOD, JAMES,

HOLMES, JAMES, JR.,

WHITTEN, JAMES,

HUBBARD, HEARD,

WHITTEN, RICHARD,

HUBBARD, JOSEPH,

WHALES, JOHN,

HAMMOND, EDMUND,

WEEKS, SAMUEL,

HAMILTON, JAMES,

W'IL.SON, JOSErn.

At the time of the incorporation the town was divided into six "classes." or districts, each having a " class-master " chosen for a year, with the following appropriations for the schools :

Class No. 1. Noah Barker, 14s. to hire a teacher.

No. 2. William Chadbourne, $5.43.

No. 3. Abram Barrons, [1 25 90.

No. 4. James Wilson, [1 65. 3d.

No. 5. Asahel Cole, f2 os. 3d.

" No. 6. Chase Sawyer, [1 8s.

FOUNDERS OF CORNISH.

Francis Small may properly be assigned to the head of this list, as he was the first known settler, then a "squatter," and afterwards the first white proprietor of the township. As we have intimated, he had strayed through the wilderness, and built a small house where the village now stands, said house being burned by the Indians while he was secreted within sight of all their movements. Small was a trader at Kittery. It is said that Captain Sun- day was on good terms with Small, and to make good his loss, deeded him the extensive tract of land which was conveyed by the Indian deed signed by Sunday, now in possession of a descendant.

Henry Pendexter was a son of Henry, and Deborah Wellfeald. He was descended from an ancient family of respectability in the Isle of Jersey. The surname was originally Poingdestre, and became Poindexter after settlement in

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PLANTATION AND TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENTS.

England. It is now spelled variously. Mr. Pendexter came up from Bidde- ford in 1773, and opened his clearing by cutting down trees on about two acres. This was burned, the logs piled, and the following spring he went up with his two eldest sons with considerable provision, and planted his burnt ground with corn. Having built a small, comfortable camp the year previous, in which he lodged while working on his first clearing, he left his sons there to cut down weeds, watch the corn, and keep the bears away. These lads remained at their camp alone from spring until fall. They had a gun and fishing tackle, and as game and fish were plenty managed to live first-rate; so they said when old men. But they were lonesome and homesick, and betimes climbed a hill and looked down river in hope of seeing their father coming. Mr. Pendexter moved his family into a log-house in the autumn of 1784. (See Pendexter Genealogy.)

James Hohnes moved his family from Scarborough to Francisborough in 1774. His son James was eight years of age at the time of removal, and he was born Aug. 30, 1766. The Holmes family was settled early in Scar- borough, having come from Massachusetts, and were of the same ancestry of Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, the poet. Members were intermarried with many of the most respectable families near the coast, and there are descendants of James now living in Porter and other towns near Cornish.

John Durgin came into the plantation as early as Henry Pendexter and Holmes; some say he was the first pioneer to pitch here. I am not acquainted with the genealogy of this race, but suppose the numerous families now domi- ciled in adjoining and near towns are the descendants of John, who was the last plantation collector, in 1792-3. He was an owner in the first grist-mill and saw-mill on the Great Ossipee river in the plantation.

Asahel Cole came with others of the name from Biddeford in 1775. He was not a man of education, but being public spirited, he took an active part in affairs. He was a magistrate, and tried all cases at his own house, where his wife, who is said to have had more education, could sit in an adjoining room and hear the evidence. When he reached the point of the proceedings where he must render his decision he would excuse himself for a moment, leave the room, and hold a secret consultation with his wife in the kitchen. Her opinions always passed for law and were never overruled by the higher courts. Mrs. Cole was a Hammond, and was no doubt a remarkably intelligent and strong-minded woman, whose good judgment bridged the gulf of her husband's illiteracy. But Cole had solid common sense, which was much better than nonsense.

Dea. Noah Jewett was one of the founders of Cornish, and was chosen a deacon of the first church organization; a carpenter by trade and in the year 1800 built the first Cornish meeting-house from a plan made by Dr. Cyrus Snell, now in existence. Deacon Jewett was a genuine Puritan, possessing the stern religious zeal characteristic of his time. He was fully conscious of

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PLANTATION AND TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENTS.

the importance of his sacred office, and claimed a share of that deference supposed to be due to the dignitaries of the period. He had not only failings but the virtues of the Puritan believer; in person said to be small, of swarthy complexion, and led forward by an enormous nose, a facial appendage that has been duplicated by some of his descendants who are supposed to be proud of this inheritance from the anatomy of their progenitor. (For the family gene- alogy, see second part.)

" Uncle Eben Barker" was a soldier of the Revolution, and after his return married a widow whose husband had died in the army, leaving one child. He came early to Cornish and settled south of the Deacon Jewett farm, where he lived to old age, esteemed, honored, and beloved by all who knew him. He was of pleasing personal appearance, having blue eyes, a fresh complexion, and prominent nose that indicated stability. His form was portly and well proportioned : said to be a man of rare good sense and prudent of speech. (For the genealogy, see second part of this work.)

"Uncle Bennett" Pike was a son of John Pike, of Epping. N. H .. who was a proprietor of a tract of wild land in Francisborough. He sent his two sons, John and Bennett, into the wilderness to open a clearing on his claim when they were aged respectively nineteen and sixteen. The sons felled trees. burnt the ground, and raised a bountiful corn crop. This land was on what has long been called the High road, and here the two pioneers decided to set- tle. "Uncle Bennett " married Dolly Morrill, of Epping, in 1787; secondly. Hannah Brasbree, who was a woman of remarkable intellectual force and culture, who exerted a powerful influence to stimulate her husband along the same line. He was said to be a Henry Clay looking man, tall, spare, and nimble; a man of superior intellect and solidity of character, who wielded a salutary and wholesome influence in his community. He wore the conven- tional blue swallow-tailed coat, ornamented with gilt buttons and surmounted by an enormously high collar, which formed a good support for his hat. He lived to old age, and when he had died they laid him to rest alongside of the town fathers in the little grave-yard at the mouth of the road. (Genealogy in second part.)

Samuel Boyuton, one of the carly settlers, came from Stratham, N. H .. and was brother-in-law of Deacon Jewett. He settled on the High road ; was a worthy man, possessed of a "peppery temper ": capable in town business ; in person tall and spare. He was twice married ; second wife, Mary Deering. a short, stout, intellectual woman of serene temperament, well calculated to get on with the crusty husband. She was an unwavering believer in ghosts. witches, and fairies, and in her old age caused troubled dreams for the chil- dren by the stories she told of what she had seen and heard.

Joseph M. Thompson was one of the early men of Francisborough township and the first to build a house where the village now stands; a log-

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PLANTATION AND TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENTN.

house, laid up about 1782, on the main street, near where the old law office stands. He was born at Exeter, N. H., Nov. 12, 1751, and served in the Revolution, being at the battle of Bunker Hill. He was a man of enterprise and business ability, who did much to advance the settlement and growth of the town of Cornish. He built a small frame house a little way south, the first at the village, which is still standing, but removed from its original site to make room for the stately residence built by his son, of whom hereafter. He died Nov. 18, 1840.

Dr. Benjamin Thompson, son of the preceding, was born in Cornish in 1792, and died in 1874, only a few rods from where he first saw the light. In early days he was a school teacher. He studied medicine with Dr. William Swazey, of Limerick, and afterwards attended a course of anatomical lectures at Fryeburg, delivered by Dr. Alexander Ramsey, one of the most learned graduates of the Medical College of Edinburgh, Scotland. His diploma was received from the Medical College of Maine. He practised continually from IS21 until his death, and was considered by the medical fraternity to be one of the most profound and skillful physicians and surgeons of his time. He was a man of considerable eccentricity ; something like Doctor Ramsey. "As odd as Doctor Thompson " was a common phrase. He was skeptical in regard to religion, and his doubts stuck to him to his last hours. Because he did not know he would not believe. Faith was not his inheritance. He was logical and courted discussion ; was tenacious, unyielding; kind to the poor, he com- passionately went by night or day to relieve them when ill, and never distressed them for a fee. He was strictly honest and frank of speech ; eminently social, fond of lively amusement, and enjoyed festive occasions. He acknowledged that his great mistake was in living a single life. His reputation was well deserved, and when he died he was greatly missed by all classes.

BALDWIN.

Baldwin, situated on the west shore of Lake Sebago, was formed from a tract, including Sebago, granted in 1774 to the survivors of the company of Captain Flint, of Concord, Mass. The Massachusetts Government had pre- viously, about 1735, granted township No. 3, east of the Connecticut river, to the same grantees who settled upon it and remained until 1751; and from that time until 1774, no proprietors' records have been found. When the boundary line between Massachusetts and New Hampshire was established, the land granted to Captain Flint was found to be in the latter state; hence he and his associates lost the grant and all their outlay in settling there.

Samuel Whittemore and Amos Lawrence petitioned for a new grant, and the two townships were conceded on condition that thirty families should be settled there within six years. The conditions had not been fulfilled in 1780,

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PLANTATION AND TOWNSHIP SETTLEMENTS.

and the state extended the time six years more. By great exertion they were able to comply with the terms and saved their grant by "the skin of their teeth," for they had to " strain a point " to count thirty families in 1790. The plantation name of the tract was Flintstown. A petition for incorporation was formulated in 1800, in which they stated that the conditions of their grant did not require them to build a house of worship, to settle a minister, nor to make roads through the township; that they were destitute of a meeting-house and minister: that the twenty miles of county roads built through the township were in a dangerous condition for teams, carriages, or horses; that this was detrimental to the inhabitants of the township and the public, as all in the Pequawket country and Upper Coos must needs pass through on their way to the sea-ports ; that there were less than sixty families in the township, very poor, and scattered over rough, mountainous land. This petition was signed by the persons whose names follow :

WILLIAM FITCH,

JACON CLARK,

JOSEPH FITCH,

JACOB ROWE,

EPHRAIM BACHELDER, JR.,

DAVID POTTER,

JOSEPH PIERCE,

WILLIAM BICKFORD,

EPHRAIM BROWN,

SAMUEL BURNELL,

JOHN C. FLINT,

JAMES COOK,

JOSEPH LAKIN,

BENJAMIN INGALLS,

JOHN BURNELL,

JOHN BURNELL, JR.,

ISAAC FLY,

JOSEPH RICHARDSON,

ELEAZER FLINT,

SAMUEL SAWYER,

CHARLES WIGGIN,

WILLIAM INGALLS,

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Saco Valley settlements and families. Historical, biographical, genealogical, traditional, and legendary, Part 17

Author: Ridlon, Gideon Tibbetts, 1841- [from old catalog] Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Portland, Me., The author Number of Pages: 1424

Author: Ridlon, Gideon Tibbetts, 1841- [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Portland, Me., The author
Number of Pages: 1424