USA > Maine > Oxford County > Norway > The history of Norway [Me.] comprising a minute account of its first settlement, town officers, interspersed with historical sketches, narrative and anecdote > Part 9
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
British government has since the war quietly yielded the right of search.
This year (1815) seems fraught with many incidents of interest to myself, and doubtless was to many others. In the spring I left the Village school, where I had been employed for five successive winters in the town school, and during the intermediate summers had been engaged in a private school, or what now-a-days would be termed a high school. About the close of the winter school, some friend, Capt. Rust, Esquire Reed, Mr. Bartlett, or some other person, would get up a subscription paper. and go round to get enough subscribed to support a school through the following summer --- averaging the expense in proportion to the number of scholars which each subscriber should send. The number of pupils in the winter was generally from eighty to ninety, and in summer . about forty. Thus I spent many of my happiest years in Norway Village, teaching the "young idea how to shoot." After the close of the winter school, we used to have a splen- did school exhibition. The scholars were not permitted to devote any of their school hours in preparation for the exhi- bition ; that was done by evening study and rehearsals ; and after the close of the term I always gave them one week to prepare for the occasion. The parents erected a stage in the meeting-house, and the ladies furnished their best carpets to cover it, and their best bed-dresses for curtains; and any articles wanted from the stores were always proffered for our use. Good music was furnished to enliven the scene, and we never failed of having a crowded audience. Our excellent superintendent of schools, the Rev. Noah Cresey, always honored us with his presence ; and good old Esquire Eastman, with some other privileged old characters, were ever furnished with a seat upon the stage. The scholars, each one ambitious to excel in his parts, and feeling such perfect confidence in their good memory and action, were never known, when on the stage, to make a failure. The parents sat, their counte-
112
HISTORY OF NORWAY.
nances beaming with satisfaction, witnessing these early developments of the oratorical faculties of their offspring. Many of our speakers were very young, and as an illustration of how we "went it" in those days, I will give a little piece of original bombastic egotism, spoken at one of our earliest performances by Henry C. Reed, son of William Reed, Esq.
Respected audience, here behold
An orator full six years old,
Who at some future day will raise
Our nation's fame above all praise ; And if to Congress I should go,
'T will save our nation's overthrow ;
For on that floor my voice shall thunder,
More eloquent than Troup, or Grundy.
If grumbling critics, with sarcastic Tone, should even hint that I'm bombastic,
A prettier method of haranguing
I'll teach them all by dint of banging ;-
For know, you grumbling set, that I
Am very nearly four feet high ; Besides, I always keep a cudgel . For those who of my talents judge ill ;
So if you wish to 'scape a drubbing,
Good gentlefolks, pray please to curb in,
For I no love nor favor 'Il show
To such a grumbling, carping crew. In literature I do profess
To be quite good, if not the best ;
I write, and read, and also spell, And many things too much to tell. The Latin non intelligo,
Likewise the Greek I do not know ;
But English grammar is my hobby,
I mount more oft than papa's nobby. But lest your patience I should tire, I'll stifle my poetic fire ; Then I, the wonder of this age,
Will make my bow, and quit the stage.
And, as the papers say of new actors when they make their
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
debut on the stage, "he met with unbounded applause." While in this school my health was rather feeble, and some- times I found it necessary to leave the school for an hour or two; and when this occurred, I selected certain scholars to teach particular branches; and on returning to the school- room after resting, everything would be "all right." Such was the good feeling subsisting between teacher, scholars and parents, that there never was a word of fault found on that, or any other account, though I sometimes left for half a day or more at a time. But there ! I won't say another word about my old scholars. In a few weeks after leaving the school, I commenced on a new lot of land, and had to prepare myself to cut down the trees, and pile up the black logs.
Town officers for 1816 : Job Eastman, Clerk ; Joshua Smith, Treasurer ; Nathan Noble, Aaron Wilkins, William Hobbs, Selectmen ; Moses Ayer, Collector. Levi Whitman, Esq., Representative.
Valuation, $52,732. Number of polls 264; number of scholars 519.
Highway .tax, $1640,23.
Town tax, -
-
-
-
$756,59
State tax,
-
-
-
182,67
County tax,
- -
236,64
Total money tax, -
-
$1175,90
New Immigrants : Enoch Crocker, John Rust, 'Thomas Clark, Benjamin Joseph, William M. Lovejoy, John March, Jeremiah Mitchell, Edward Mitchell, John Phipps, James Varney, Joel Town, Dudley Woodbridge. Old settlers' sons : Lemuel Bartlett, Flavel Bartlett, Thomas Briggs, Cyrus Cobb, Ebenezer Cobb, Jr., Nathan Foster, Jr., Samuel B. Gurney, John Lovejoy, John Noyes, Nathan Noble, Jr., Nathaniel Pike, Samuel Tubbs, John Millett, Jr.
This year was noted for its cold summer, and not only cold, but extremely dry. The spring was unusually cold and back-
8
114
-
HISTORY OF NORWAY.
ward; there were snow-squalls on the 7th, 8th, and 9th days. of June, and on the 7th, plowed ground actually froze in many places.
The spring of 1815 was also very cold and backward. On the 18th day of May a snow-storm commenced, and the next morning the snow was eighteen inches deep on an average. The funeral of Charles Stevens, the oldest son of Nathaniel Stevens, took place on the 19th, and people had hard work to get to the funeral with sleighs, on account of the snow; but the sun shining out warm, carried it off very suddenly.
On the 7th of June, Mr. James Flint, and Jeremiah Sta- ples, a young man living with him, and Mr. Joshua Young, of Greenwood, set out with a large raft of mill-logs from the shore of the pond against the writer's farm, intending to take them down the pond to the mill. The morning was still, but by the time they had reached the middle of the pond, squalls began to rise, and soon the wind blew a gale. Their raft parted its fastenings and went to pieces ; Mr. Flint succeeded in getting astraddle of a large log, and Young and Staples were lucky enough to do the same thing, both of them on one log. Thus, in this perilous situation, they floated down the pond, with the waves breaking over them, and running feath- er-white, for the distance of two miles. When they reached the shore, many men, who had in some way learned their situation, but could do nothing to help them, were there to assist and welcome them to terrafirma. They were so chilled and benumbed that they could hardly stand; and it might truly be considered as a wonderful escape from drowning.
About this year, or a little previous, Mr. Jabez Chubb was drowned in Crooked river, between Norway and Waterford, while driving logs, in the spring season. He was an early settler in the town, and married a daughter of Mr. Phinehas Whitney, the old soldier.
The crops in 1816 were very much injured by the cold and drought, and an early frost almost destroyed the corn. The
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
writer this year planted the first corn on his new farm, on a piece of burnt ground by the side of the pond ; and when the early frost came, the fog from the pond went over the corn, and saved it from injury in a great degree; and he probably had more sound corn than all north of the center of the town. Seed corn towards spring was worth $3 or more per bushel; and Maj. Jonathan Cummings, who then owned the Phillips Academy half-township in Greenwood, bought four bushels of seed corn of the writer to furnish the poor settlers, in part, on his new settlement. This was a praiseworthy act of benevolence.
Owing to the great drought, in the fall, the fires made dreadful ravages, and hundreds, even thousands, of acres of forest and woodland were destroyed. Many buildings were in imminent danger, yet only one in this town was burnt ; that was a barn belonging to Mr. Samuel Pingree, with all his crops, with which it was well filled.
Benjamin Joseph, mentioned among the new immigrants, did not come here in 1816, but as early as 1807. He was a full-blooded West India negro, from Cuba. When a boy, Dr. Stephen Cummings, of Portland, brought him to that city ; but thinking it would be far better for him to be brought up in the country, he let his brother, Maj. Jonathan Cummings, have him, not as a slave, but as a servant. Here he was well- treated, well-fed, clothed and schooled, and when he became twenty-one years of age, had his time and earnings for him- self; he was accordingly taxed after becoming of age. His native simplicity, and mild disposition, made him rather a favorite in the family and neighborhood as long as he resided in the place. He afterwards went to Portland, where he still resides, and has a family. He is the only colored person who has lived in the town during the last half century.
Town officers for 1817: Job Eastman, Clerk; Joshua Smith, Treasurer; Nathan Noble, Aaron Wilkins, William
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
Hobbs, Selectmen; James Crockett, Collector. No Repre- sentative chosen.
Valuation, $49,889. Number of polls 262; number of scholars 558.
Highway tax, by the bills, $1207,35.
Town tax, - - -
-
$1172,62
State tax, - -
-
182,67
County tax, - - -
177,48
Total money tax, 1
- $1532,77
New immigrants : Israel Dresser, Benjamin Richards, Jer- emiah Staples, Jonathan Swift. Old settlers' sons, arriving at twenty-one years of age: Clement Bartlett, Sylvanus Bartlett, John Merrill, Daniel Witt.
The spring and early part of summer were noted on account of the great scarcity of provisions of almost all kinds, owing to the short crops of the year previous. Many families were often destitute of bread for many days together ; potatoes were nearly as scarce, and meat not much more plenty. I saw the widow Dale pay $2,50 for one bushel of rye to feed her fatherless children. Flour was worth here in Norway $16 per barrel; pork from 17 to 20 cents per pound, and scarce at that; and the war having so recently closed, all store arti- cles were proportionately high.
But Providence did not always frown upon us, for this year the harvest was abundant-perhaps never better. Al- though pressed by pinching want, people put a great deal of seed into the ground, and everything seemed to grow with great luxuriance. There were hundreds of acres which were burnt over the fall before, and this spring the small stuff was picked up, and rye sown, with a scanty allowance of seed, say, one peck sometimes, and at most, a half bushel to the acre ; and the crop was abundant, often twenty to twenty-five bushels per acre. Thus the labors of husbandmen seemed to be blessed in the time of their greatest need.
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
Town officers for 1818: Job Eastman, Clerk ; Joshua Smith, Treasurer ; Aaron Wilkins, Uriah Holt, Henry Rust, Jr., Selectmen ; James Crockett, Collector. No Representa- tive chosen.
Valuation, $49,403. Number of polls 269; number of scholars 556.
Highway tax, by the bills, $1651,92.
Town tax, -
-
-
-
$898,79
State tax, -
-
-
-
176,67
County tax, -
- -
88,00
Total money to.x, - -
- $1163,46
New immigrants : William Churchill, Samuel Davis, Mar- tin Girts, Samuel Howc, Henry McKenney, Matthew Lassell, Seneca Landers, Samuel Martin, Samuel Perry, Andrew Richardson, Elijah Whiting, William Yates, James Eastman, Ansel Field. Old settlers' sons : Baker Ames, Benjamin Flint, Jr., Consider Hill, Stephen Jenkins, Solomon Millett, Jr., Henry W. Millett, Bela Noyes, Jr., Evi Needham, Wil- liam Shed, Silas Shed, William Young, Ezra F. Beal, Lewis Crockett, Solomon Crockett, Henry Pike.
This year, on the 23d day of June, Lemuel Shed was killed while assisting in raising a house for his oldest son, N. P. Shed. The accident happened in the following manner : The house was to be a story and a half high"; the west end had been raised and leaned out against two timbers to hold it up while they raised the middle band; Mr. Shed had prepared himself to hold one of the posts, and Capt. Ward Noyes the other ; they stood with their backs towards the end that was raised. The hands had just taken hold of the timber to raise it up, when there came a strong gust of wind and blew the end over upon them ; the other men seeing the timber falling, made their escape from under it; but the beam struck Mr. Shed on his head, crushing it against the post he was about to hold, and dashing it to pieces in a shocking manner, even
1
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
driving some of the bones into the timbers. He was killed in an instant. It also struck Capt. Noyes on his thigh and knee, breaking his leg very badly. The wife and only daugh- ter of Mr. Shed were both present to see his son's house raised; but instead of witnessing that pleasing sight, they beheld the instantaneous death of a beloved husband and fa- ther. Thus suddenly perished the good and faithful old soldier, who had braved the dangers of a seven years' war. Capt. Noyes, after a long confinement, finally recovered, and continued to follow the carpenter's business until his death, which took place April 23d, 1822. He was a very indus- trious, persevering man, and probably framed and raised more buildings than any other man in the town ; as he came here in 1800, just as people were beginning to erect frame build- ings. He left a family of nine children.
Town officers for 1819: Job Eastman, Clerk; Joshua Smith, Treasurer ; Uriah Holt, Henry Rust, Jr., Jonathan Woodman, Selectmen; James Crockett, Collector. No Rep- resentative chosen.
Valuation, $50,496. Number of polls 250; number of scholars 550.
Highway tax, $2118,14.
Town tax, - -
-
-
$1060,83
Second assessment, -
-
-
79,96
State tax, - -
122,67
County tax, - -
- 204,48
Total money tax, -
-
-
$1467,94
New immigrants : Thomas Davis, James Corson, Joseph Gammon, Oliver Hale, Hatevil Hall, Charles McKenney, William Lord, Ebenezer Lord, George Lord, Martin Stetson, William Yates, Jr. Old settlers' sons : Ichabod Bartlett, Jeremiah Foster, George French, Reuben Knight, Simon Noble, Charles Pike, Levi Shed, Nathaniel Twombly, Ben- jamin Witt, Jr., Jabez Chubb, Edmund Frost.
119
HISTORY OF NORWAY.
Town officers for 1820: Job Eastman, Clerk; Joshua Smith, Treasurer; Uriah Holt, Henry Rust, Jr., Jonathan Woodman, Selectmen; James Crockett, Collector.
By measures adopted during the preceding year, Maine was separated from Massachusetts, and erected into a separate State. Aaron Wilkins, Esq., was chosen as a delegate from Norway to form the Constitution, and Henry Rust, Jr., was chosen Representative to the first Legislature, which met in Jan., 1821.
Valuation, $76,671. Number of polls 250; number of scholars 526.
Highway tax on common town roads, on County, or extra roads,
$1049,74 523,81
Total highway tax, -
-
$1573,55
Town tax, -
-
-
$960,01
State tax, -
-
-
-
122,67
County tax,
-
-
-
233,79
Total money tax,
-
$1316,47
New immigrants-very small number : Ambrose Parris, John H. Rand, Horatio G. Cole. Old settlers' sons : Amos Millett, Levi Noyes, William Pool, David Smith, John S. Shed, William Foster, Amos Hobbs, Jr., Simon Stevens, David Noble.
By an old list of voters who voted on the question of sepa- ration from Massachusetts, I find the whole number 199.
In the little sketch of the religious affairs of the town, I said something of Maj. Jonathan Cummings, who built the Congregational meeting-house. He was a son of the propri- etor of the Cummings Gore, and probably came into the plantation under the most favorable circumstances of any early settler. He was naturally of an obliging, kind disposition, and very cheerful and social in his every-day deportment, which caused him to become a favorite with all who became acquainted with him. From the early settlement of the town
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
up to nearly the time of his death, there probably was no man in the place who could exercise so great an influence as Maj. Cummings. He was thought to be rich, and probably was, during part of his life. About 1806, he purchased the half- township, now in Greenwood, belonging to the "Phillips Academy," and gave back a mortgage to secure the payment of the purchase-money. He sold many lots of land, on which the purchasers commenced clearing and building, and he re- ceived large quantities of lumber, and a great amount of labor towards these lands, while building the meeting house ; he likewise employed much help about farming, which he carried on largely. He built a saw-mill on the outlet of the little Pennessewassee pond, which did but little business ; he also built mills in the Academy half-township, which produced small profit at that early stage of the settlement of Green- wood. Thus things ran along for many years, without any apparent interruption, and the settlement in Greenwood was progressing rapidly, as he was very accommodating in receiv- ing almost any commodity in payment for land. Some paid ap in full for their lots, and some had the precaution to insist on his getting an acquittance of their particular lots from the Trustees of the Academy, who held the mortgage; and, to accomplish this, he mortgaged his own farm to them to keep their security good. He was, in the first place, to give $4500 for the land'; and in a few years he sold enough to have paid up the sum, with. interest; but, from the multi- plicity of his concerns, he applied his receipts to other purposes, while his debt to the Trustees was fast accumulating: Any calculating man can discover that interest money is the " worm that never dies ; " and, with him, it ate out all hope of ever being able to extricate himself from his pecuniary embarrassments. About 1819 his affairs were approaching a crisis, and by the spring of 1820 his difficulties so harassed: his mind that it seems he could not bear up under the burden: Near the first of May he was driven to such desperation that
121
HISTORY OF NORWAY.
he took his razor and repaired to his barn very early onc morning, and applied it to his throat, partly severing the windpipe and some large veins ; he would have shortly ex- pired had he not been discovered by his wife, who, having occasion to pass by the barn, saw him weltering in his own blood. She took a handkerchief from her neck and bound up his wound, and called for help. A surgeon was summoned with all possible dispatch, and the wound dressed in so careful a manner, that in a few weeks he was restored to tolerable bodily health, and scemed to have become very sensible of the awful decd which he came so near executing. He conversed freely with his friends about the sad affair, and expressed a firm determination never to yield to such wrong impulses for the future. His proud spirit was humbled, and he seemed to acquiesce, and submit to come dowa from the high position he had occupied. All pitied him; and, in fact, almost for- gave him for the rash act he had committed. His creditors felt for him ; they even offered to lend a helping hand to keep him up ; but all human strength secmed unequal to the task of sustaining his good resolutions, and about the middle of July he put a period to his earthly troubles by cutting the. jugular vein on the right side of the neck with his jack-knife. Some time in the forenoon he left the house, telling his wife- he was going to the field where his men were mowing ; but. he went into the nursery a few rods from the house and com- mitted the fatal deed. The writer summoned a coroner's jury, and assisted in taking up the body ; and never, never. did he behold so horrid a spectacle as that. The wound was: below, and a little behind the point of the right jaw, two and a half inches decp, and five-eighths of an inch wide-just the width of the knife. After the wound was given, he shut up the knife, and still held it in his hand when found. The ver- dict of the jury was, that he put an end to his life in a state of partial derangement. He fell in the full strength and pride of manhood, aged forty-two years. Thus the high hopes
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
of his interesting family were prostrated, as it were, in a mo- ment. He occupies a little space in our grave-yard, and that is the only spot of ground, of all the Cummings land in Nor- way, that is now retained by any of the descendants. Thus we may see the instability of all earthly possessions. But I will write no more, for the tears of pity drop at the sad recol- lection of his untimely end.
Without leave, I will revert back to the winter of 1816. In January, or thereabout, the school-house in district No. 5 was burnt in the night, and many books were destroyed with the building. This was the first school-house built in the town, or rather plantation, as it was built before the town was incorporated. Another house was erected on the same spot the ensuing summer, which gave place to a new one in 1851. The school-house in district No. 1, in the northwest corner of the town, was also, burnt in Jan., 1819, and rebuilt in the ensuing summer.
I have traced things up along to the time when Maine be- came a State, and our town was commencing a new era ; but as yet have said nothing about our public-houses ; and lest the reader should be fatigued and wish to put up, or take a little refreshment, I will now give some account of them. Joseph Stevens, one of the very first settlers, kept the first tavern in the town, and it was a good one for that early day. He began to put up " strangers and travelers and others " as early as 1800, but had no license until the County of Oxford was organized. He afterwards had a license until he gave up the business, a short time before the organization of the State. About 1806, a Dr. Case came into Norway Village and stopped a year or more, (he did not act the physician much while here,) and opened a tavern in the old Samuel Smith house, on the site now occupied by William C. Whitney's house; but there was not sufficient head to make it go, and he emigrated elsewhere. About 1812, Joshua Smith, Esq., opened a public-house in the Village, and did a good business
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
till about 1843, when he died, aged 73 years. James Bick- ford attempted to keep a public-house in the old Samuel Smith house, about 1813, but made rather a failure, and quit the business. In 1807-8, William Hobbs built a large house at the center of the town, and opened a tavern in 1809; he continued it until nearly 1820, but the travel was then small through that part of the town. About 1821, Hezekiah Pin- gree opened a public-house at Fuller's Corner, in North Norway, but the business was rather small, and he soon abandoned it. After the building of the new County road from Bethel to Norway, which was made passable in 1823, the writer put up travelers as occasion required, and on the Ist of Jan., 1824, he received a license from the town au- thorities for keeping a public-house, and continued the business until April, 1851, when the railroad rendered it unnecessary for the public accommodation. Innholders' licenses, from the organization of the State, were for many years $6,25, in- cluding the Clerk's fee, amounting to 60 or 75 cents per year, which was paid into the treasury. Increase Robinson, after building his new and commodious house, on the site of the old Samuel Smith house, opened a tavern; but at that time the Village did not seem to require two public-houses, and he continued the business but a few years. William Reed likewise tried a public-house a short time, about 1820. About 1830, Ezra F. Beal fitted up a public-house near the center of the Village, and kept it a few years ; and, on removing to Portland, leased the house to Anthony Bennett, (son of Capt. Anthony Bennett,) who, in a few years, was succeeded by his brother, Col. Joseph Bennett. In process of time, Mr. Beal sold the stand to Titus O. Brown, who previously had kept a tavern at Gray Corner for many years, and he and his son- in-law, Mr. Amos Purington, managed the house till about 1842, when Anthony Bennett purchased the stand; he soon after made additions to the house and stable, and fitted up a large and commodious establishment, which he occupied until
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HISTORY OF NORWAY.
Sept. 23, 1851, when all his buildings and most of his furni- ture were destroyed by fire. But I shall speak of this hereafter. In 1844, William Hayes fitted up a house at the Corner, one mile and three-fourths west of the Village, and entertained strangers and travelers four or five years. About 1846, a company of gentlemen purchased the old tavern-stand so long occupied by Joshua Smith, Esq. ; they added a third story to the house, and finished the whole in an elegant and convenient style. When completed, James N. Hall opened a public- house, known as the " Elm House," and managed it a year or more; he was succeeded by S. T. Dutton, who kept the house about a year and a half, when Otis True assumed the. management of the establishment, which he yet. continues. This is the only public-house in the town at this time.
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