USA > Maine > Franklin County > Farmington > The history of Farmington, Franklin County, Maine, 1776-1885 > Part 35
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III. John Lewis, b. Aug. 31, 1810 ; d. Apr. 8, 1814.
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IV. Elbridge Gerry, b. May 14, 1812. Was fitted for his collegiate course at Farmington Academy, and graduated from Harvard College in 1834. Among his classmates were Hon. Joseph H. Williams of Augusta and Thomas Cushing, late principal of Chauncey Hall School in Boston. After his graduation he devoted some time to the profession of law, and then studied theology at the seminaries in Andover, Mass., and New Haven, Conn. In 1842 Mr. Cutler was settled over the Congregational church and society at Belfast, and in 1846 received an invitation to preach in Reading, Penn., which he accepted, with the hope that the changed climate would be beneficial to his health, but before his return he was prostrated by lung- fever, and died at Reading, Apr. 28, 1846. He was an able preacher, a faithful pastor, and an earnest Christian. He md., May 21, 1843, Clara Ann, dau. of Jacob Abbott. q. v .; s. p. Reuben, b. Oct. 20, 1815 ; d. Jan. 12, 1816. V. VI. * John Lewis, b. Dec. 15, 1816.
VII. * Reuben, b. Dec. 13, 1819.
VIII. Hannah Moore, b. Oct. 16, 1821 ; md., July 12, 1843, Philip Sydney Page of Malden, Mass. ; d. Mar. 10, 1885. 4 chil.
IX.
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Isaac Moore, b. Nov. 3, 1823. Was educated at Farmington Academy, and early engaged in mercantile pursuits, in company with Leander Boardman. He afterwards removed to Port- land, where he was associated in the flour-trade with Thomas Weston, and later entered the dry-goods business with Storer Bros. He was at one time a large government contractor, and having acquired an ample fortune retired from active business. He served the town of Farm- ington as treasurer in 1851-52-53. Resides at Malden, Mass .; unmd.
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JOHN L. CUTLER (vide page 279) md., Aug. 16, 1843, Abby D., dau. of Hiram Belcher, q. v. She d. Apr. 24, 1847. He md. (2), Oct. 18, 1848, Zilpha Ingraham, dau. of Reuel and Sarah L. (Cony) Williams of Augusta. She was b. Aug. 18, 1822; d. July 25, 1851. Four chil- dren : -
GENEALOGICAL REGISTER. 453
II 1. Nathan, b. Jan. 7, 1845. Entered Harvard Col- lege in the class of 1864, but at the close of his sophomore year left college to enlist in the Civil War, and remained in his country's ser- vice until after its close. While a member of the 2d Me. Cavalry, he served through the Port Hudson campaign, and was severely wounded in an engagement at Marianna, Fla., Sept. 27, 1864; being left behind by his regiment, he fell into the hands of the Rebels, and became a prisoner for eight months, three of which were spent at Andersonville. He was promot- ed major June 13, 1864, and afterwards com- manded the post at Marianna. "His duty during his whole term of service was active and arduous, and was performed with that fidelity which won for him the name of a good and useful officer." Major Cutler received an appointment in 1867 as commandant of the U. S. Military Asylum at Togus, which he re- signed after two years. He adopted the law as his profession, and began practice in New York City. He md., Oct. 4, 1884, Mrs. Louisa F. Merrill of New York City.
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II, Elbridge Gerry, b. Sept. 7, 1846. Graduated at Harvard College in 1868, and subsequently at the Harvard Medical School. After receiving its degree, he spent two years in study and at hospitals in Europe. He has established a successful practice in Boston, Mass., and is Clinical Instructor in Auscultation and Percus- sion in the Harvard Medical School.
Second marriage :
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III. Anna Williams, b. Aug. 22, 1849; d. in Passy, Paris, Oct. 7, 1872.
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IV. Zilpha Ingraham, b. July 19, 1851 ; md., Dec.'30. 1874, William Allen, son of Prof. Henry B. and Elizabeth (Allen) Smith. 4 chil. :
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I. William Allen Smith, b. Oct. 6, 1875.
2. Henry King Smith, b. Feb. 21, 1877.
3. Reuel Williams Smith, b. Jan. 11, ISSO ; d. Jan. 14, 1880.
4. Anna Cutler Smith, b. Nov. 13, 1884.
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REUBEN CUTLER (vide page 303) ind., Dec. 18, 1845, Mary Jane, dau. of Francis Butler, q. v., who d. Mar. 24, 1847. He md. (2), Sept. 26, 1855, Frances Elizabeth, dau. of Jesse Wentworth, q. v., who d. June 17, 1873. He
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
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md. (3), Aug. 30, 1875, Charlotte Belcher, dau. of Thomas Hunter, q. v. He d. Nov. 21, 1882. Four children : -
1. * Reuben Francis, b. Mar. 20, 1847.
Second marriage :
II. Charles Herrick, b. Dec. 18, 1859. Graduated from Bowdoin College in 1881. Tutor ,at Brunswick in 1882. At present studying for the Congregational ministry at Andover, Mass.
III. Nellie Frances, b. July, 1863 ; d. Apr. 30, 1864.
IV. Isaac Moore, b. May, 1867 ; d. Sept. 21. 1868.
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REUBEN FRANCIS CUTLER md., Mar. 23, 1870, Etta M., dau. of Joseph R. and Sarah (Watson) Greenwood. One child : - I. Fred Greenwood, b. Oct. 2, 1874.
Davis.
The pedigree of the Sylvanus Davis family, as given by family tradi- tion, is derived from Dolor Davis, who was in Cambridge, Mass., in 1634, through his eldest son, John. Dolor Davis, second of the name, and son of John, married, Aug. 3, 1681, Hannah Lynnell, and settled in Barnstable. Among his children was Thomas, who was born Aug., 1687. Jabez Davis, son of Thomas, was the father of Solomon, of Falmouth, Mass., among whose children was Sylvanus.
There is some reason to believe that, while this genealogy is accurate in the main, it cannot be implicitly relied upon. No relationship is known to exist between this family and that of Sanford Davis, noticed below.
I CAPT. SYLVANUS DAVIS was born in Falmouth, Mass., May 2, 1756, and there married, Dec. 7, 1777. He removed to Gorham, and after a residence of some years came, about the year 1815, to Farmington, where he had previously purchased of Joseph Starling the south portion of the Moses Starling farm, situated at West Farmington, together with the saw and grist-mills located upon the Temple stream. These mills were operated by Capt. Davis and his sons for many years, and were long known as Davis' Mills.
A communication before the writer says of Capt. Davis and his wife : "They were noted for their knowledge of the Bible, their purity of heart, and their Christian charac- ter." He was instantly killed in passing the spur-wheel in his mill, Dec. 24. 1831. His first wife, Elizabeth, was b. Aug. 2, 1759, and d. in 1792. He md. (2), Dec. 14, 1793, Katherine Smith, b. March 7, 1766 ; d. July 9. 1837. Thirteen children :-
GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
455
I. Sylvanus, b. July 6, 1780 ; d. Aug. 13, 1799.
II. Chloe, b. June 13, 1782 ; mnd. Alexander McLel- lan of Gorham ; d. June 6, 1813. 3 chil.
III. Robinson, b. April 28, 1785 ; md., and resided in Whitefield ; d. Sept. 10, 1879.
IV. * Ebenezer, b. April 19, 1788.
v. Walter, b. March 23, 1790 ; d. May 10, 1790.
VI. Edmund, b. May 10, 1792 ; d. July 1, 1792. Second marriage :
VII. * Charles, b Sept. 24, 1794. VIII. Elizabeth, b. Dec. 7, 1796; md., Nov. 6, 1817, Thomas W. Tobey, who was drowned by fall- ing from the Center bridge in the autumn of 1822 ; his body was found the following spring, upon the shore of a farm near the Falls. 2 chil. Md. (2), in 1834, John S. Scales of Temple. Resides in Waldoborough. 3 chil. IX. Nathan Smith, b. Feb. 5, 1799 ; md., May, 1820, Mrs. Betsey (Cooper) Demick, who d. Jan., 1834; md. (2), April 5, 1836 (pub.), Eunice Bolan ; d. June 19, 1869. I child :
I. Sarah Smith Davis, b. Sept. 5, 1822; md., Oct. 16, 1845, Abiel Abbott, who d. March 21, 1884. Resides in Watertown, Mass. 3 chil.
*Sylvanus, b. March 30, 1801. x. XI. Caroline, b. Nov. 19, 1804; md., Sept., 1835, William Scales, who d. in Topeka, Kan., where she now resides. 4 chil. ; all d. XII. Abner, b. Jan. 17, 1807; md., July 4, 1833, Harriet, dau. of Asa Butterfield, q. v .; d. in Waldoborough, March 28, 1846. 4 chil. XIII. Thomas Cifcart, b. Sept. 8, 1809 ; md., and d. in Topeka, Kan. 3 chil.
EBENEZER DAVIS was b. in Barnstable, Mass., and removed with his father to Gorham, where he md., April 22, 1809, Betsey Mclellan, who was b. Nov. 7, 1790 ; d. Sept. 19, 1873. He came to Farmington about 1815. where he pursued the occupation of a saddle and harness- maker. His death was caused by falling upon the ice from a pier of the Center bridge, Dec. 30, 1831. Nine children :-
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I. * Thomas Mclellan, b. June 7, 1810.
II. Elizabeth Demick, b. Feb. 19, 1812 ; md., Nov. 8, 1832, Moses Butterfield, Jr., q. v. ; d. March 16, 1861.
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
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III. Mary Ann, b. Dec. 1, 1815 ; md., Sept. 9, 1845, Aaron Chandler. 2 chil.
IV. Sylvanus D., b. March 19, 1818; md., Dec. 12, 1842, Mary Ann, dau. of Moses Butterfield, q. v. Resides in Phillips. 3 chil.
V. Robinson Alexander, b. Oct. 8, 1820 ; md., Feb. 22, 1848, Abby J. Baker. Resides in California. 2 chil.
VI. David Strout, b. Sept. 22, 1822 ; md. Mrs. Mary Ann Tucker of Boston, Mass., where he d. Feb. 21, 1879.
VII. Statira Curtis, b. July 2, 1826 ; md., May 25, 1851, Cyrus C., son of Abner Ramsdell, q. v. I dau.
VIII. Belinda Dallerston, b. Sept. 20, 1829; d. June 16, 1830.
IX. Ebenezer, b. Aug. 28, 1832; d. Feb. 27, 1855 ; unmd.
CHARLES DAVIS, a native of Gorham, came to this town with his father, and about 1819 began trade in Phillips. He subsequently removed to West Farmington, where, and at Temple, he continued in business for sev- eral years. In the later years of his life, he devoted himself to his trade-that of a carpenter. Mr. Davis was admitted to the Congregational Church in 1817, and remained an exemplary member until his death, which occurred Dec. 23, 1873. He md., Dec. 7, 1818, Sophia Augusta, dau. of Henry Stewart, q. v., who d. March 31, 1858. He md. (2), Nov. 14, 1860, Louisa Carsley, who d. Feb. 15, 1880, aged 78 years. Eight children :-
I. Chloe Mclellan, b. Oct. 3, 1819 ; md., June 27, 1843, John W. Piper; d. Nov. 15, 1846. I child :
I. Harry Stewart Piper, b. Mar. 7, 1844; md., Apr. 23, 1870, Eliza J. Gordon Prescott. Resides in South Boston, Mass .; s. p.
II. Lucy Church, b. Apr. 6, 1821 ; md., Nov. 22, 1842, John D. N. Goodwin of Gardiner; d. Feb. 4, 1845. I child :
I. Lucy Sophia Goodwin, b. Dec. 23, 1844 ; md., April 30, 1866, Edwood T. Hatch ; d. March 22, 1878. 3 chil.
III. Sophia Stewart, b. Feb. 18, 1823 ; md., Nov. 25, 1847, Dr. Edwin Ellis ; d. April 6, 1849. His second wife was Martha Baker of New Sharon. April 17, 1854, Dr. Ellis left Farmington for St. Paul, Minn., where he remained a year
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
457
and then removed to Ashland, Wis., his present residence. He has done much to increase the prosperity of that town, from its settlement, and is regarded as one of its greatest bene- factors. I child :
I. Augusta Sophia Ellis, b. April 1, 1849 ; md., Aug. 5, 1874, George H. Ken- nedy. Resides at Port Arthur, Can- ada. 2 chil.
IV. * Charles Henry, b. July 4, 1825.
v. Isabel Mariah, b. Sept. 16, 1827; d. Aug. 12, 1830.
VI. * Alexander Hamilton Stewart,
b. April 3, 1834.
VII. * Hiram Belcher Stoyell,
VIII. Marcia Catherine Stewart, b. June 27, 1840; mnd., April 17, 1860, Charles M. Heath, q .v., who d. Dec. 31, 1861. Md. (2), March 16, 1864, George H. Knapp, b. in Livermore, Oct. 29, 1837. 2 chil. :
I. Charles Melvin Heath, b. March 18, 1861.
Second marriage :
2. Helen Marcia Knapp, b. Oct. 8, 1866.
SYLVANUS DAVIS came from Gorham, his native town, to Farmington while yet a boy, and upon the death of his father succeeded to the paternal estate. He operated the mills until 1836, when they became the property of Butterfield and Witham. Mr. Davis was a Congregation- alist in religious belief, and his christianity gave shape to his character as exhibited in his daily life. He md., Dec. I, 1831, Jane Carsley, b. at Portland, Aug. 3, 1806. He d. Oct. 29, 1853, and she md. (2), July 2, 1855, Stillman Tarbox; d. May 2, 1883. ¿ Five children :-
I. Franklin Carsley, b. Jan. 14, 1833. Received his preparatory education at the Academy, and graduated from Bowdoin College in the class of 1856. He taught school more or less during his preparatory and college course, and after his graduation was employed as preceptor of Foxcroft Academy. He studied law under the direction of Hon. Robert Goodenow of Farmington, and B. A. G. Fuller of Augusta. In 1860 Mr. Davis went to Philadelphia to reside, and very soon issued a book known as " Davis' Business Guide," which obtained con- siderable celebrity. Upon the breaking out of the Rebellion in 1861, he entered the Federal
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
army from Pennsylvania as lieutenant of 3d Penn. Cavalry, and served three years and a half, when he was captured, after a most gallant defense, while on picket duty, and con- fined in Libby prison for seventy-three days. The exposure and privations undergone at this time, were the primary causes of his untimely death, March 25, 1870. Lieut. Davis participated in the battles of Yorktown, Wil- liamsburg, Hanover Court-House, Fair Oaks, Seven Days, and South Mountain. During the campaign before Richmond, Gen. McClel- lan found it necessary to open communication, through the Rebel lines, with the Federal gun- boats on James River, fifteen miles distant. Lieut. Davis, with a small party under his command, was detailed to perform this hazard- ous undertaking, and was eminently successful, as the following complimentary testimonial from the commanding general will show :
HEADQUARTERS ARMY OF THE POTOMAC, May 27, 1862.
LIEUT. F. C. DAVIS,
3d Penn. Cavalry. Sir :
I am instructed by the Major-General Com- manding to express to you his thanks for the very discreet, prompt, and satisfactory manner in which you and the small party under your command performed the important duty as- signed to you by Colonel Averell, of commu- nicating with the commander of the Gunboats on James River.
I am, very respectfully, Your Obt. Servt., R. B. MARCY, Chief of Staff.
II. Edward Payson, b. Feb. 10, 1834. Entered the army from Colorado, and remained three years, receiving an honorable discharge. Upon his return to Franklin County, he was appointed deputy sheriff, and afterwards served the town as its representative to the legislature. He resides upon what is known as the "Gen. Russell " farm. He md., Dec. 20, 1875, Mrs. Catherine J. P. (Martin) Pierce, b. in Grafton, Mass., Jan. 25, 1832.
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TML Davis
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
III. Ann Louisa, b. Dec. 5, 1835 ; md., Aug. 30, 1853, Leonard E. Craig. Resides in Knoxville, Tenn. I child :
I. Ada J. L. Craig, b. Feb. 20, 1857 ; md .. Feb. 22, 1876, Thomas Melvin Mich- aels of Richmond, Va. 2 chil.
IV. Sylvanus Augustus, b. Mar. 9, 1841. Enlisted in Co. A, 11th Reg. Me. Vols., and served faith- fully during the term of his enlistment. A writer says of him: "He was active in the field, noted in the camp, and beloved in the hospital." He d. Oct. 10, 1871.
v. Catherine Sproul, b. Oct. 16, 1851 ; d. Dec. 3, 1864.
THOMAS MCL. DAVIS was born in Saco, and came to this town a lad with his father. He is by trade a black- smith, a vocation he followed for many years, afterwards going into mercantile business at West Farmington. Mr. Davis is an industrious man, and has the faculty of hon- estly making all his business operations result in pecuniary success. He md., Jan. 22, 1840, Lavinia, dau. of Col. James Butterfield, q. v. Five children : -
I. Ellen Laughton, b. Feb. 16, 1841 ; md., Oct. 7, 1866, Nathan Pinkham of Quincy, Ill.
1 II. Julia Butterfield, b. Dec. 8, 1845; md., Aug. 4, 1875, William S. King of Boston, Mass. child.
III. Lucia Augusta, b. Sept. 6, 1847 ; md .. Nov. 26, 1868, Edward K. Sweet of Quincy, Ill. 3 chil.
IV. Hattie Beecher, b. Mar. 27, 1853.
v. Thomas, b. Oct. 9, 1856.
CHARLES HENRY DAVIS, eldest son of Charles Davis, resides at West Farmington, and is a carpenter by trade. He has been for many years in the employ of the Maine Central R. R. Co. as superintendent of the erection and construction of bridges. He md., Dec. 25, 1850, Elvira Stamford, b. in Gardiner, Oct. 30, 1826. Two children :-
I. Joseph Horatio, b. Oct. 15, 1851 ; md., Aug. 28, 1880, Susan Jane Lowell.
II. Charles Elvah, b. Jan. 18, 1855.
ALEXANDER H. S. DAVIS received his education at the Farmington Academy, and learned the trade of a printer at Augusta, where he was engaged in the newspaper business for some time. In April, 1862, he was appointed
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
Paymaster's clerk in the U. S. Army, serving in that capacity through the war of the Rebellion, and afterwards holding an important Government position at Washington, D. C. In June, 1869, he purchased of Andrew C. Phillips the Farmington Chronicle, and became its editor, conduct- ing the paper with much ability, gaining the confidence of the community. In May, 1877, he was appointed foreman of the Government Printing-Office at Washington, D. C., where he has since resided. Mr. Davis was a delegate to the National Republican Convention held in Philadelphia in 1872. He md., in Charlestown, Mass., Nov. 4, 1859, Emma Gardner, dau. of Gilbert and Susan G. (Corey) Pullen, b. at Augusta, June 14, 1841. One child : -
1. Gertrude Blanche, b. Feb. 5, 1875.
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HIRAM B. S. DAVIS was a resident of Farmington for many years, but some time since removed to California. He md., June 24, 1860, Susan Baker Macomber, who d. June 15, 1879. She was the daughter of John Macomber (b. at Westport, Mass., May 31, 1782,) and Abigail Miller (b. at Dartmouth, Mass., Feb. 26, 1785,) who removed to Wilton in 1812. Two children : -
I.
Fred Hiram Miller, b. Nov. 20, 1861.
11. Lena Elmina Macomber, b. May 24, 1867.
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SANFORD DAVIS, a native of Martha's Vineyard, Mass., came to the township in April, 1790. His first settlement was on a part of back-lot No. 6, east side, which he sold to Jeremiah Butler in 1812. His second settlement was on the farm now owned by Benjamin Stanley, where he died, Oct. 19, 1831. He was a Revolutionary soldier, and a pensioner for many years. His wife, Deborah Coffin, possessed much intellectual ability; her death occurred Sept. 6, 1829. Six children : -
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I. Sally Cousens, b. July 13, 1791 ; nid., June 13, 1816 (pub.), Ezra Allen Butler.
II. Daniel, b. July 27, 1793; md., Aug. 9, 1823, Hannah Grant ; d. Sept. 14, 1862.
III. Deborah, b. May 19, 1796; md., Nov. 5, 1821 (pub.), John Pratt.
IV. Rebecca, b. Sept. 25, 1797 ; d. in 1826, unmd.
V. Henry Harman, b. Mar. 19. 1801; d. in 1828, unmd.
VI. David, b. Dec. 23, 1802 ; was a prominent teacher and lawyer in Edgartown, Mass .; md., Sept. 28, 1827 (pub.), Hannah Marchant; md. (2), in 1845, Octavia, dau. of Zenas Backus, q. v. ; d. Nov. 6, 1868. 5 chil.
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
Fames.
· The name of Eames has long been extinct in Farmington. Only one person bearing this name settled in the township, and that at an early date. What has been learned in regard to his family is given below, but the writer has failed to ascertain anything of the Eames ancestry which is free from doubt.
I SAMUEL EAMES, in 1788, was the first settler on front- lot No. 13, west side, where he made some improvements, afterwards selling the front portion of this lot to Reuben Lowell, Jr. He subsequently erected buildings on the back part of his land, and resided there during life. Mr. Eames was a highly respected citizen, modest and unas- suming in his manners. He was b. July 28, 1762 ; md. Sarah, dau. of Reuben Lowell, q. v., who d. Aug. 12, 1794 ; ind. (2), Mar. 10, 1796, Thankful Hawkes of New Sharon, b. Sept. 18, 1767. Eleven children : -
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I. Samuel, b. May 7, 1787. Settled in Wilton.
II. Jacob, b. Oct. 1, 1789 ; md. Sarah, dau. of Joshua B. Lowell, q. v.
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III. Hannah, b. Nov. 27, 1791 ; d. Mar. 21, 1794.
IV. Daniel, b. May 8, 1794; d. Oct. 17, 1794. Second marriage :
v. Joseph, b. July 29, 1798 ; md., Mar. 4, 1824 (pub.), Cyrena Gould.
VI. Daniel, b. May 12, 1800; md., Apr. 10, 1823, Sarah, dau. of Reuben Butterfield, q. v. She d. Mar. 24, 1885.
8 VII. Manley, b. Aug. 8, 1803; md., Aug. 27, 1840 (pub.), Ann Caroline Davis.
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VIII. Hannah, b. Oct. 18, 1805 ; d. unmd.
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IX. John, b. about 1808; d. unmd.
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x. Abigail, b. about 1811 ; d. unmd.
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XI. Louisa, b. about 1813 ; d. unmd.
Eaton.
Five immigrants bearing the name of Eaton are known to have come to New England prior to 1640. From John and Anne Eaton, who were residents of Colchester, now Salisbury, Mass., as early as 1640, the Jacob Eaton family of Farmington is descended. John Eaton, eldest of the two sons of John and Anne Eaton, was born in England in 1619, and succeeded to his father's estate in Salisbury. He was a cooper by trade, and married Martha Rowlandson, by whom he had ten children. Joseph, the eighth child of John and Martha Eaton, was born Mar. 1, 1661, and married, Dec. 14, 1683, Mary French. He seems to have been a man of
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
some prominence in Salisbury, and was captain of militia. He died Jan. 13, 1743. The youngest of the ten children of Joseph and Mary Eaton. was Jacob, who was born April 16, 1703. He was a resident of Topsham as early as 1730, and married Sarah Malcom. Jacob and Sarah Eaton are known to have had three sons, the eldest of whom was Jacob, noticed below.
I JACOB EATON. Among the pioneer settlers who first came to the valley of the Sandy River, there is no one whose character stands out in bolder outline, nor whose name is surrounded with more of personal history, than Jacob Eaton.
Mr. Eaton was of Scotch-Irish descent, and was born at Pemaquid proper, now Bristol, in this State, Apr. 8, 1741, O. S. He was by trade a ship-carpenter, and during his residence in Bristol spent his time in the ship-yard or in the coasting-trade. Prof. Johnson, in his History of Bris- tol, pp. 368, 369, says : "Jacob Eaton, Jr., was elected one of the selectmen, and afterwards filled several important trusts, and his name is mentioned in the act of incorpora- tion."
Mr. Eaton, at the very beginning of the Revolutionary War, was captured by the enemy, and taken to England with Joseph Berry of Topsham. All that is known of his capture and escape is contained in the following joint petition (Mass. Archives, Vol. 180, No. 281) of Eaton and Berry for aid, addressed to the Massachusetts Legislature, then in session, and dated Jan. 8, 1776. In it they affirm " they were taken by men-of-war belonging to Britain, viz. : the said Eaton, the 5th day of November, 1775, and the said Berry, in August, 1775, and brought into the Port of Boston ; afterwards they were put on board the Boyne man-of-war, to help work her home to England ; and they say they arrived safely in Plymouth, and from thence your petitioners ran away and got to France, where they entered on board a Continental vessel bound for America ; that they were taken off the capes of Philadelphia, and carried into New York. From New York they got to New Haven, and there obtained a pass home. And your petitioners, being now two hundred miles from home. without money or clothing, and being now in their own State, from which they were taken, and having lived upon charity ever since they left New York, humbly pray your honors would be pleased to take their distressed case into your compassion- ate consideration, and grant them a supply of money and clothing to get home to their families, or to relieve them in such other way as your honors in your known wisdom shall see fit." What action, if any, was taken upon this petition is not known.
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
In 1783 Mr. Eaton, in company with his brother Joseph, first came to the Sandy River township; he negotiated for the mill-lot on the west side of the river, the same upon which the village at West Farmington is now situated, made a chopping, and returned to Bristol. The mill-lot, in the original survey of the township, was located more than double the width of the other river-lots, being one hundred and fifty rods in width and three hundred rods long, " and to include the mill privilege " on what is now known as the Temple Stream. In the spring of the next year he again visited the township in company with his brother Joseph, cleared the land upon which he had felled the trees the year before, and sowed it to rye. He also made another chopping, and built a log-house, preparatory to the removal of his family to the township, which took place during the autumn of this year. The family at this time consisted of twelve persons, viz .: Jacob Eaton and his wife, William Thorn, father of Mrs. Eaton, Joseph Eaton, and eight children. Judge Parker, in his brief History of Farmington, alludes to Mr. Thorn as an elderly gentleman who came with Mr. Eaton's family, and died Sept. 15, 1786, aged 82, being the first death of an adult in the township. He was buried in the old burying- ground upon the elevated ground east of the Center bridge, where " the rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep." Mr. Thorn was from Topsham, where he suffered severely in the French and Indian war of 1755. losing an arm. In 1745 liis son Thomas, when ten years of age, was scalped by the Indians, and died in 1756. His wife, Martha Thorn, died in 1767, before the family removed to the township, aged 54.
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