USA > Maine > Franklin County > Farmington > The history of Farmington, Franklin County, Maine, 1776-1885 > Part 49
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I. Abraham Guillermo. b. in Lima, Dec. 17, 1850. Came to the States to be educated in 1868 ; returned to Peru in 1870. and md .. Aug., 1872, Laura Valderieso of Santiago. Chili. He re- turned to this country to begin the study of medicine in 1874; graduated at Bowdoin Medical School in 1876, and at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City the following year. He enlisted as one of the physicians during the yellow-fever scourge at Memphis, Tenn., in 1878 and also in 1879.
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
In 1878 he established himself as a physician in Minneapolis, Minn., and began a successful practice. His health failing, owing to the effects of malaria contracted in the South, he resolved to return to Peru. He sailed in the spring of 1880, and died in Lima soon after his arrival. I child.
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JOSEPH FAIRBANKS WENDELL began trade at Fairbanks' Mills in 1832. He removed to Readfield in 1845, and thence went to California among the pioneers of 1849. He returned for his family in 1854, and made a home in Crescent City, Cal., where he d., Mar. 5, 1860. He was a fine musician, and a man universally beloved for his social qualities. He md., May 25, 1840, Lemira, dau. of Abijah Upham of Readfield, who survives him. Seven chil- dren : -
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I. Leonora Josephine, b. July 9, 1841 ; d. Oct. 16, 1842.
II. Leonora Josephine, b. Mar. 15, 1843; md., June 12, 1866, John Baxter, and resides at Gilroy, Santa Clara Co., Cal. 3 chil.
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III. Joseph Fairbanks, b. Jan. 21, 1845 ; md., Nov. 12, 1874, Emma G. Kinloch. Mr. Wendell is a lawyer by profession, and first established prac- tice at Fairfield, Solano Co., Cal., and was for some time county attorney of Solano Co. He has also served in the Senate of the State of California. In 1882 he removed to San Fran- cisco, where he is a rising lawyer. 2 chil.
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IV. Thomas, b. in Readfield, Aug. 22, 1847 ; d. Aug. 9, 1879 ; unmd. He was a journalist by pro- fession, and editor of the Vallejo Chronicle.
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V. Augusta M., b. in Readfield, Aug. 1, 1849 ; md., Oct. 22, 1881, Martin V. Ashbrook. 2 chil.
VI. Abraham, b. in Crescent City, May 20, 1856. VII. William, b. in Crescent City, Feb. 14, 1860.
JASPER WENDELL ind., October, 1857, Julia Williams. Three children :-
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I. William, b. Nov. 23, 1858 ; d. April 10, 1881.
II. Charles, b. July 18, 1860; d. Dec. 10, 1883.
III. Julia, b. Aug. 27, 1862; d. Feb. 2, 1878.
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THOMAS WENDELL, 3D, is a mechanic, residing in Farm- ington. He md., April 23, 1848. Martha Ricker of New Portland. Three children :-
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I. Sarah Elizabeth, b. April 23, 1849; d. Dec. 14, 1882.
GENEALOGICAL REGISTER. 613
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II. William, b. Nov. 10, 1853; d. July 13, 1854.
III. * Frederic Augustus, b. Aug. 17, 1855.
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FREDERIC A. WENDELL md., Sept. 17, 1879, S. Amanda Niles of Chesterville, and resides in Livermore. Four children :-
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I. Thomas Roy, b. Sept. 25, 1880.
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II. Lovie Knowlton, b. March 13, 1882.
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III. Daniel Adams, b. March 8, 1883.
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IV. Sarah Amanda, b. Sept. 22, 1884.
Wentworth.
The Wentworth family is of honorable English lineage. The founder of the family in this country, Elder William Wentworth, emigrated some time prior to 1639, at which time he was a resident of Exeter, N. H. He was the father of eleven children, of whom the second was John. Of John's six children the fourth was Shubael, who was a blacksmith at Stoughton, Mass. He married, Apr. 11, 1717, Damaris Hawes, and died in 1759. Sion, fourth of the ten children of Shubael and Damaris Went- worth, was born Mar. 31, 1725, and married Hannah Pettingill. He also was a blacksmith at Stoughton, where he died, Nov. 9, 1796.
I DAVID WENTWORTH, third child of Sion and Hannah (Pettingill) Wentworth, was born in what is now Canton, Mass., Dec. 11, 1763. He came to the Sandy River township in 1786, and took up a tract of land on the west side of the river, and, after cultivating it for five years, brought his bride to share his new home. Mr. Wentworth remained in Farmington until 1805, when he sold his farm, which comprised front-lot No. 36, west side, to James Rowings, and removed to Strong, where he resided until his death, Jan. 10, 1855. He was regarded as a man of blameless life, and was among the earliest of the members of the Free-Will Baptist Church in Farmington. His wife, whom he md. in Norridgewock, Mar. 20, 1791, was Eliza- beth Brown. She was b. in Billerica, Mass., Aug. 19, 1772 ; d. in Strong, June 19, 1843. £ Ten children, six of whom were born in Farmington : -
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I. * Jesse, b. Nov. 3, 1792.
II. David, b. Sept. 21, 1794; md., Mar. 13, 1828, Myra, dau. of Hebron and Deborah (Stewart) Mayhew; d. Mar. 2, 1856. She was b. Apr. 9. 1798 ; d. Mar. 3, 1854. 7 chil.
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III. George, b. Sept. 16, 1796; md., Feb. 3, 1825, Susan, dau. of John and Abigail (Smith) Read of Strong ; d. Sept. 26, 1854. 1849. 1 1 chil. She d. Sept. 22,
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
IV. Elizabeth, b. Oct. 4, 1798 ; d. July 4, 1845.
V. Hannah, b. July 30, 1801 ; md., Feb. 2, 1825, Osgood Eaton, Jr., of Wilton; d. June 26, 1871. He d. Jan. 7, 1877, aged 77 years.
V1. Brown, b. Nov. 21, 1803; d. July 14. 1852 ; unmd.
8 VII. Anna, b. Feb. 20, 1806; md., Feb. 9, 1836, Will- iam M. Reed, who d. Aug. 5, 1860, aged 59 years. She md. (2), May 10, 1863, Jeremiah Ellsworth ; d. May 17, 1874. He d. Feb. 10, 1871.
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VIII. Sarah, b. Jan. 26, 1809 ; nd., Apr. 2, 1833, Louis Voter, q. v.
IX. Obed, b. Mar. 4, 1811 ; d. May 13, 1811.
x. Mary, b. Mar. 2, 1812 ; d. Dec. 28, 1813.
JESSE WENTWORTH was a merchant at Hampden for many years, and after a short residence in Bangor, came to Farmington, where his death occurred July 1, 1868. He md., Sept. 5, 1825, Frances Tyler Herrick of Hampden, who was b. Dec. 25, 1807, and d. May 20, 1829. He md. (2), July 10, 1860, Mary Morton, who d. Dec. 27, 1874. Three children : -
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I. Frances Elizabeth, b. in Hampden, May 26, 1826; md., Feb. 26, 1855, Reuben Cutler, q. v.
II. Jedediah Herrick, b. Apr. 14, 1828 ; d. Feb. 9, 1856. Second marriage :
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III. Jessie May, b. Nov. 3, 1861.
Whittier. -
The ancestor of the New England families bearing the names of Whittier, Whitcher, and Whicher, was Thomas Whittier, who emigrated to this country in 1638, when a lad of sixteen. He married Ruth Green, and was for a time a resident of Salisbury, Mass., but afterward moved to Haverhill, where he built the famous Whittier homestead. He seems to have been a prominent man in both church and state. He died Nov. 29, 1696. Thomas and Ruth Whittier were the parents of ten children, the sixth of whom was Nathaniel, born in Haverhill, Aug. 11, 1658. He was a carpenter by trade, and resided at Salisbury, where he married, Aug. 26, 1685, Mary, daughter of William Osgood, who was the mother of his children. After her death he contracted a second marriage, and died July 18, 1722. He was the first of the family to change the spelling of the name from Whittier to Whitcher and Whicher, a custom adhered to by many of his descendants. The eldest of the two children of Nathaniel and Mary Whittier, was Reuben, who was born in Salisbury,
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
May 17, 1686. He married. Dec. 19, 1708, Deborah Pillsbury. His home was in Salisbury, where he died Nov. 18, 1722. Nathaniel Whittier, second of the seven children of Reuben and Deborah, was born in Salisbury, Aug. 12, 1711. He married, Nov. 16, 1734, Hannah Clough, and resided in Salisbury until the birth of all his children, after which he removed to Poplin, N. H., and later to Raymond in the same State. He died with one of his children in Winthrop, Jan. 2, 1784. His second son, Nathaniel, who was born Feb. 23,1743, was the grandfather of True G. Whittier, a former resident of Farmington.
I BENJAMIN WHITTIER, eldest of the ten children of Nathaniel and Hannah (Clough) Whittier, was born in Salisbury, Mass., Oct. 24, 1736, and there married, in 1755, Mary Joy. About 1775 he removed to Chester, N. H., and a few years later to Readfield, but finally settled, in 1783, on Sandy River. The lot which he took up, river-lot No. 22, west side, the same now owned by George A. Williams and others, proved to be one of the best in the township, and Mr. Whittier was very successful in farming. In 1793, when it was proposed by the inhabi- tants of the township to ask for an act to incorporate a town with the boundaries as surveyed by Judge North in 1780, Mr. Whittier strenuously opposed the movement, and proposed taking the southern portion of the town, together with the northern portion of what is now Chester- ville, and making a town with a center at or near Farming- ton Falls (vide page 66). In this movement he received considerable support from the residents of the south part of the town. Mr. Whittier was for some years constable and collector of taxes, and served the town as chairman of the board of selectmen in 1801. The cause_of his death, which occurred Nov. 11, 1822, was a fall from his carriage while riding in the town of Chesterville. His wife was b. in Salisbury, Oct. 18, 1736; d. July 5, 1822. Twelve children, nine born in Salisbury and three in Chester, N. H. :
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I. Anna, b. Dec. 3, 1757 ; d. May 31, 1759. 11. Betsey, b. Apr. 24, 1759; md., Feb. 8, 1781, Samuel Prescott of New Sharon ; d. July 12, 1821. He d. in Hallowell in 1841.
HII. Benjamin, b. Aug. 26, 1760 ; d. Apr. 29, 1782.
IV. Mary, b. Jan. 17, 1763 ; md., Dec. 1, 1783, Jesse Prescott of New Sharon ; d. Aug. 7, 1841. He d. Jan. 15, 1847.
V. Moses, b. Sept. 14, 1764; md. Betsey, dau. of John and Lydia (Norton) Flint ; d. Aug., 1833. She was b. Sept. 4, 1771. 12 chil.
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
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Anna, b. July 2, 1766; md. Joseph Hutchinson ; d. Jan. 31, 1819. Resided in Readfield.
VI. VII. Miriam, b. June 20, 1768; md., Dec. 28, 1790, Richard Maddocks of Chesterville ; d. Sept. 9, I841. He d. Jan. 19, 1839. 5 chil. Sarah, b. July 20, 1771 ; md. Arnold Weathern ; d. Oct., 1862. He d. Mar. 6, 1853. 7 chil.
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IX. William, b. Feb. 22, 1774; md., June 2, 1795, Nancy Butterfield, who d. May 1, 1830. He was killed by falling from a load of hay, Aug. 7, 1806. 4 chil.
II x. Ruth, b. Sept. 18, 1775; md., Feb. 22, 1795, Jedediah, son of Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Prescott) Whittier ; d. Feb. 3, 1866. He was b. Aug. 2, 1771 ; d. Oct. 29, 1841. Resided in Vienna. 10 chil.
XI. Hannah, b. Apr. 26, 1777 ; md., Mar. 24, 1800, Simeon Norris ; d. Nov., 1865. XII. * Nathaniel, b. July 14, 1779.
NATHANIEL WHITTIER became a farmer, and settled upon the old homestead, where his life was passed. He md., Nov. 6, 1813, Alice, dau. of Paul and Mercy (Stevens) Sears of Winthrop, where she was b., Oct. 22, 1785 : d. Aug. 12, 1873. He d. May 30, 1837. Eight children : -
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I. Hiram Benjamin, b. July 26, 1814; md., Mar. 16, 1858, Anna Butler, dau. of Aaron and Elfrida (Greenleaf) Stoyell; d. at Somerville, Mass., Mar. 30, 1882.
1I. Mary Jane, b. Apr. 20, 1816; d. Mar. 11, 1818.
III. William Henry, b. Oct. 29, 1817 ; md., Sept. 16, 1857, Mary H. Bass. Resides in Portland.
IV. * Nathaniel Gross, b. May 17, 1820.
V. Caroline Elizabeth, b. Apr. 1, 1822 ; md., July 1, 1841, William Woods, q. v .; d. Apr. 28, 1865. VI. Mercy Emeline, ( b. Jan. 5, 1825. VII. Mary Angeline, S VIII. Alice Adeline, b. Nov. 7, 1826 ; md., Jan. 26, 1858, Lewis J. Hall; d. Sept. 19, 1882.
NATHANIEL G. WHITTIER resides in this town, upon a portion of the estate left by his father, and is a thrifty farmer. He md., Apr. 3, 1858, Mary L. Hardy, b. in Anson, Mar. 11, 1831. Three children : -
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1. Cora Mabel, b. July 18, 1860; d. May 23, 1861.
I1. Frank Nathaniel, b. Dec. 12, 1861. Graduated from Bowdoin College in 1885. II1. Carrie Augusta, b. Oct. 20, 1867.
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
Woods.
Samuel Woods, from whom the Farmington family of Woods is descended, was an original proprietor of Groton, Mass., and owned an eleven-acre right. In 1666 he held the office of constable, and served the town in other capacities. His six children, two sons and four daughters, were natives of Groton. Dr. Green, in his book entitled "Groton During the Indian Wars," records the following deposition of Samuel Woods, and also one of Alice his wife : " Samuell Woodes of Groton aged aboute 40 yers of age witnes that he saw tooe indens stand- ing upon captine parker's Land, at grotten, and danill adams shote at tham and one of thame falle doune and the other ran away 17: day of 2: month : 1676. Mark of T Samuel Woods. Alse Woods aged about forty yeares testifieth & saith that at Grooton upon the day that moste of the Towne was burnt by the Indians she heard severall say that Daniell Adams had killed an Indian and she went vp presently into Mr. Willard's Garrit and saw two Indians stand over a dead Indian about halfe an hour and they carried him away & further saith not. the mark of O Alse Woods." Nathaniel Woods, second son of Samuel and Alice Woods, was born March 25, 1667-8. He resided in Groton, and was selectman of the town in 1706. He died June 20, 1738, and his wife Alice died Jan. 10, 1717-8. To them were born twelve children. Nathaniel, the eldest, and his brother Reuben, were soldiers sent in a company from Groton to Boston on military service in 1746. Daniel, the second, accompanied Capt. John Lovewell to Pequawket, and was killed in his famous fight with the Indians, May 8, 1725, while Nathaniel may have been the Sergt. Woods who, with seven other soldiers, was left to guard the stockade at Ossipee while the command went forward .* Jonathan, the youngest, was in the expedition to Nova Scotia in 1755 for the banishment of the Acadians. The above-mentioned Nathaniel Woods and Alice his wife were the parents of five sons : Nathaniel, the fourth, was born June 3, 1732, and married Anne French. The births of their five children are here recorded: Anne, born Feb. 16, 1755; John French, born Aug. 9, 1756; Jonas, born Nov. 29, 1759; Nathaniel, born Sept. 6, 1760: Peter, born May 29, 1763.
1 JOHN F. WOODS, son of Nathaniel and Anne (French) Woods, was a native of Groton, Mass., where his ancestors had resided since the first settlement. In the spring of 1788 his removal with his family to the Sandy River town- ship took place. The journey was made with ox-teams, and consumed twenty-three days, from March 11, to April 3. During the first of the journey a lack of snow detained them, and during the last part the unusual depth of the snow prevented them from making rapid progress. Mr.
* Potter's History of Manchester.
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
Woods settled upon the farm in the southwest part of the town, back-lot No. 6, which is still owned by his descend- ants.
Mr. Woods was a man much esteemed in the com- munity. He was one of the original members of the Free- Will Baptist Church, and a ruling elder in that communion. He served the town as selectman in 1804-5-6, and again in 1812-13. He md., Oct. 28, 1778, Mrs. Mary, widow of Peter Parker, Sr., and dau. of Ebenezer Butterfield, q. v. His death occurred Oct. 3, 1818, and his widow survived him until Oct. 16, 1844, attaining the great age of ninety- six years. Four children :-
I. Lucinda, b. in Groton, Mass., June 26, 1780 ; md., Feb. 10, 1801, David Morrill, q. v .; d. Oct. I, 1857.
11. * John French, b. in Groton, Sept. 11, 1783.
I11. Alice Taylor, b. in Groton, Aug. 30, 1786 ; md., March 28, 1805, John Gould, q. 7 .; d. Oct. 25, 1859.
IV. * Nathaniel, b. in Farmington, Dec. 14, 1789.
JOHN FRENCH WOODS, JR., settled upon a part of the homestead farm, and there made his home for life. He was connected with the militia, and attained the rank of major in that organization. Mr. Woods md., in 1806, Elizabeth, dau. of Solomon Adams, Esq., q. v. He d. May 5, 1865, and his wife survived him ten years, until Aug. 10, 1875. Seven children :-
I. Elizabeth, b. May 3, 1807; md., Dec. 27, 1827, Samuel, son of Henry Butterfield, q. v.
II. Hannah, b. Nov. 26, 1808; md., Nov. 13, 1828, Isaac Russell, q. v. ; d. June 21, 1883.
III. * John Adams, Sept. 29, 1810.
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IV. Sarah, b. Dec. 24, 1812; md., Dec. 1, 1831, Elkanah Oaks, who was b. in New Vineyard, March 19, 1806, and d. Sept. 27, 1879. 3
chil. :
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I. Sarah Marilla Oaks, b. Feb. 17, 1834; ind., May 21, 1856, Isaac Webster Young. 2 chil.
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2. John Francis Oaks, b. Oct. 28, 1838 ; d. Aug. 3, 1849.
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3. Charles Henry Oaks, b. Dec. 1, 1844 ; md., October 9, 1878, Juliette Cobb Haynes. Is a physician residing at West Farmington ; s. p.
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V. Lucinda, b. March 1, 1815; md., Jan. 23, 1845, Albion P., son of Nathaniel Russell, q. v.
14 VI. * William, b. Nov. 29, 1817.
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
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VII. Mary Butterfield, b. July 26, 1827 ; md., Jan. 28, 1850, Charles B. Russell, q. v.
NATHANIEL WOODS was the only child of his parents born in Farmington. In early life he was a school teacher, and was very successful in this profession. He taught no less than twenty-two schools in Farmington and adjoining towns. Mr. Woods succeeded to the homestead farm, which he made his home and where he lived to the advanced age of ninety-five years. He was noted among his fellow-townsmen for his great industry and excellent sense. He early connected himself with the militia, and rose through regular gradation to the command of the Second Regiment. He also served the town as selectman in 1824. Col. Woods has been three times married : Oct. 15, 1811, to Hannah, dau. of Solomon Adams, q. v., who d. March 15, 1841; (2), July 18, 1841, to Mrs Lurana Morrill, widow of Benjamin F. Weathern of Vienna, who was b. Dec. 14, 1806, and d. Sept. 15, 1852 : (3), Jan. 30, 1853. to Mrs. Mary Moore, widow of Moses Fellows and dau. of James Craig, b. in Readfield, July 25, 1800, and d. March 28, 1872. Col. Woods d. May 26, 1885. Seven children :-
I. Mary Ann, b. Oct. 29, 1812 ; md., June 11, 1833, Joseph, son of Joseph Milliken, q. v. ; d. July 17, 1867 ; he d. April 29, 1873.
II. Nathaniel, b. June 8, 1814; d. April 18, 1838; unmd.
II. Sarah Adams, b. April 5, 1819 ; md., June 1, 1841, William Tripp of Wilton, who d. March 30, 1878. 3 chil. :
I. William Wallace Tripp. b. Aug. 31, 1843 ; d. Feb. 13. 1863.
2. Flora Louisa Tripp, b. March 26, 1849 ; ind., Dec. 22, 1873, Floramond E., son of Louis Voter. q. 7'.
3. Flora Louisa Tripp, b. May 6, 1851 ; d. Sept. 13, 1852.
IV. Solomon Adams, b. Feb. 3. 1823 ; d. Aug. 8, 1825. V. * Solomon Adams, b. Oct. 7, 1827.
VI. * John French, b. Oct. 18, 1830.
Second marriage :
VII. Lurana Hannah, b. May 19, 1844; d. May 29, 1844.
JOHN ADAMS WOODS first settled on a part of the Silas Gould farm, back-lot No. 7, west side, but removed with his family to Boston in August, 1862, where he engaged in the insurance business. Mr. Woods is an amateur poet of
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
no mean ability, and has written many poems for special occasions of much merit. He md., Dec. 27, 1838, Maria, dau. of Oliver Sewall of Chesterville. Fight children :-
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I. John Harrison, b. Aug. 23, 1840; graduated from Bowdoin College in 1864, adopted the profes- sion of teaching, and is now a teacher and composer of music in Boston. He md., July 25, 1865, Henrietta, dau. of Isaac Whittier. 2 chil.
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II. Justin Sylvester, b. May 11, 1842; d. Sept. 4, 1843.
III. Ellen Maria, b. March 25, 1844.
IV. Emma Caroline, b. May 15, 1846 ; md., Feb. 21, 1870, Arthur P. Ford of Boston. 2 chil.
V. Marietta Delphine, b. May 3, 1848 ; d. Aug. 26, 1874.
VI. Jotham Sewall, b. June 26, 1852.
VII. Mabel Harriet, b. April 3, 1860.
VIII. Lena Eliza, b. Dec. 17, 1864.
WILLIAM WOODS first settled as a farmer on a part of the homestead. He removed from town about 1868, and now resides in Lowell, Mass. He md., July 1, 1841, Caroline, dau. of Nathaniel Whittier, q. v., who d. April 28, 1865. He md. (2), Feb. 28, 1873, Mrs. M. Frances (Lake) Laughton. Two children :-
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I. Alice Allura, b. Sept. 2, 1847.
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II. Carrie Estelle, b. Nov. 17, 1852 ; md., Feb. 29, 1876, Frank W. Lunt ; md. (2). Sept. 8, 1883, Dr. J. L. Williams of New Haven, Ct. I child by first marriage.
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SOLOMON ADAMS WOODS, son of Nathaniel Woods, left Farmington when a young man, in 1851, and went to Boston to begin life for himself. He finally settled in South Boston and engaged in the manufacture of machin- ery, in which business he has gained a substantial fortune. He is a man of unusual business capacity, and is highly esteemed in the commercial circles of his adopted city. He has several times been called to fill positions in the city government. Mr. Woods md., Aug. 21, 1854, Sarah Elizabeth. dau. of Benjamin F. and Lurana (Morrill) Weathern, who d. Dec. 9, 1862 ; he md. (2), Oct. 29, 1867, Sarah Catherine, dau. of Charles S. and Sarah (Fishburn) Watts of Boston. Three children :-
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I. Frank Forrest, b. Oct. 3. 1855.
Florence, b. Feb. 13, 1857.
II. Second marriage :
111. Frederic Adams, b. Jan. 29, 1873.
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GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
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JOHN FRENCH WOODS, 2D, carries on the homestead farm, although residing in the village. For fifteen years he has been actively engaged in the insurance business, which has consumed the greater part of his time. He md., Jan. 5, 1858, Georgiana Payson, dau. of Rev. Jonas and Jane (Merrill) Burnham, a lady of great worth and of rare musical attainments. One child :-
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I. Cornelia Jennie, b. Jan. 10, 1864; md., May 21, 1883, Frank Edwards McLeary, of the publish- ing firm of Knowlton, MeLeary, and Co. He is the son of Justin E. and Harriet A. (Voter) McLeary, and was b. in Strong, May 13, 1859. I child :
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I. Annie Woods McLeary, b. Feb. 9, 1884.
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Brief Biographies of Early Settlers.
IN the foregoing Genealogical Register the reader will find biographical sketches of the more prominent early settlers of the Sandy River township, whose descendants reside in town. There are, however, others who came to the township and made settlements for longer or shorter periods before the incorporation of the town, but whose families are now extinct. Little is known of their subse- quent history.
It is proposed in this chapter to say something of these families, premising that the material at hand is meager, the facts herein stated being drawn largely from Judge Parker's History, a few scattered dates and notes in the town records, and also from fast-fading memories.
MOSES ADAMS was born in what is now the town of Bowdoin in 1770. He came to the settlement in 1789, and began to make improvements on back-lot No. 28, east side, a part of the same lot known as the William Cothren farm. He was an inhabitant of the town at the time of its incor- poration, but afterwards disposed of his land to David Coth- ren, and removed to Wilton, settling upon the farm now owned by Samuel K. Wellman, where he lived until his death, Jan. 4, 1855. His wife's name was Martha Kinney.
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HISTORY OF FARMINGTON.
JOIIN AUSTIN was a native of England, and came from Brunswick to the township. He was a soldier under Gen. Wolfe, and shared the fortunes of that victorious general in the battle fought on the plains of Abraham, near Quebec, Sept. 13, 1759. He was also in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. Mr. Austin was the first sexton in town, and served in that capacity many years. His settlement was on river-lot No. 46, west side, opposite the Center Village. Mrs. Austin, familiarly known among the early settlers as "Granny Asten," was a native of Cape Ann, and one of those rare women full of energy and capable of great endurance. As a doctress she rendered efficient service to the inhabitants for many years, and was largely employed in midwifery, a branch of medical practice in which she excelled. Few children were born in the township for the first fifteen years after its settlement, at whose birth she did not preside. Her field of visitation was mostly confined to the settlements on the river, occasionally, however, extending to what are now the towns of Stark and New Sharon, and also to Strong and Avon. When visiting her patients at a distance, she frequently went and came by boat ; while at other times she would travel miles on foot, braving the merciless storms of midnight, and allowing no obstacles to prevent the accomplishment of her purpose. The town records state that "Jerusha Asten died in Jesse Gould's house, October ye 6, A. D. 1804."
JOSEPH BATTLE made the first improvements upon front- lot No. 33, west side, in 1787. He also made the first im- provements in what is called the Holley neighborhood, in 1790, and erected the first framed barn in that part of the township. His marriage with Eunice Maloon, in 1784, was the first solemnized in the township. The ceremony was performed by Dummer Sewall of Bath, in Joseph Holland's log-house, a rude dwelling without a floor. A quarter of of baked lamb was served to the guests on the occasion, but they had no knives except those they carried with them. Mr. Battle's death probably occurred in 1798, and his widow
625
BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES.
married, Feb. 28, 1804, John Brooks, who settled in New Vineyard. The following are the names and births of Mr. Battle's children as recorded upon the town books: Anna, born Jan. 26, 1786; John, born March 8, 1787; Joseph, born Oct. 17, 1789; Betsey, born Nov. 26, 1791; James, born Aug. 23, 1793 ; William, born April 7, 1795; Daniel, born Jan. 23, 1797.
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