USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Portland > The history of Portland, from 1632 to 1864: with a notice of previous settlements, colonial grants, and changes of government in Maine > Part 69
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East, John, was here as early as 1720, when a grant was
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made to him of forty acres on Little Chebeag Island, and a three acre lot on Congress street. He was a man of some consequence in town, was often on committees, was selectman six years, and town treasurer in 1730. He married Mary, a daughter of John Oliver, who came from Boston. East was a mariner and a very eccentric man ; it is said that when he arrived from sea, he would not come on shore to see his wife for several voyages, although he placed great confidence in her and made her the keeper of his purse. He lived at the foot of India street, on the east side, near the fort, in a gambrel- roofed house, afterward occupied by Henry Wheeler. He died in 1736, without issue, having bequeathed his whole estate to his widow ; the same year she married Henry Wheeler. The name in this town died with him.
Epes, Daniel, graduated at Harvard College in 1758; he came here from Danvers before the revolution and kept a store in Stroudwater. In 1781 he married Abigail, a daughter of Charles Frost of Stroudwater ; after the war he moved to the Neck and lived in the Waldo house opposite the old meeting- house in Congress street, and became an insurance broker ; he was several years one of the selectmen. He died in May, 1799, aged sixty, leaving one daughter who died about ten years after him.
Erving, Shirley, a respected and most honorable physician of our town, was a son and grandson of John Erving of Bos- ton, merchants. His father married Maria Catherine, young- est daughter of Gov. William Shirley, from whom the doctor's name is derived. His father was a mandamus councilor, a royalist, and an eminent merchant. Having fled the country, he was proscribed and his property confiscated. He died in Bath, England, in 1816, at the age of eighty-nine. His son Shirley was born in Boston, November 6, 1758, educated at the Boston Latin School and entered Harvard College in 1773. But when the war commenced he left college with several of his classmates, Dr. Bentley, Rev. Dr. Freeman, and Judge
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Dawes. He studied medicine with Dr. Lloyd of Boston, and afterward visited Europe to complete the study of his profes- sion, and returned to Boston to enter upon its practice. In the spring of 1789 he moved to Portland where he continued his practice and connected with it an apothecary establishment, and also became inspector of pot and pearl ashes, a great arti- cle of commerce at that period. He returned to Boston in 1811 to the great regret of his fellow-townsmen, to whom he and his family by their kind, amiable, and honorable deport- ment, had universally endeared themselves. He died much lamented, July, 1813. His wife was a daughter of William Coffin of Boston, by whom he had Frances, born in Boston, 1789, William Shirley, Anne Smith, Thomas Aston, Edward Shirley, and Henry ; all of whom are dead without issue but three, Frances married to Rev. Benjamin C. C. Parker in 1823. Thomas Aston and Edward Shirley, by the latter alone the name is perpetuated. He married Harriet, daughter of John Miller of Boston, and had three children, Harriet, married to William W. Goddard of Boston, Shirley, and Mary: Mrs. Er- ving, the Dr.'s widow died in Boston, January 19, 1852, aged ninety-two.
Fox, John, of whom we have spoken on page 582, as the son of Jabez Fox, was born September 5, 1749; his mother's maiden name was Hodge of Newbury, and was the widow of # Phineas Jones, when Mr. Fox married her. On the 23d of April, 1777, John Fox married Sarah, daughter of Daniel Fox of Maryland, who chanced to be here to take passage for the West Indies. She was thus agreeably arrested in transit, and spent the remainder of her long life in our town. In the nine- teen years which this union continued, it produced eight chil- dren, the sons became useful citizens, and the daughters prolific mothers. They were Mary, born August 3, 1778, died January 31, 1809. Daniel, born September 15, 1780, married to Eliza- beth Lewis of Westbrook, by whom he had a large family and died April 11, 1861. Charles, born May 2, 1782, married first
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to Eunice Mclellan in 1805,by whom he had numerous children, and who died in 1837 ; second to her sister, Jane Mclellan, who was left a widow, and died in April, 1864. John, born April 1, 1785, married Lucy Jones Oxnard, daughter of Ed- ward Oxnard, by whom he had three sons and two daughters, Edward, Frederick, John, Lucy, and Octavia, he died February 19, 1852. Sarah, born June 10, 1787. Caroline, born June 15, 1789, married John Potter of Augusta. George, born July 7, 1791, married a daughter of Archelaus Lewis of West- brook, and died in Wisconsin, October 12, 1864. Rebecca, born March 1, 1793, married Thomas Chadwick and has a large family ; Mr. Chadwick died June 22, 1859. His widow and Mrs. Potter are the only surviving children. The mother died April 29, 1826, aged sixty-five, her husband having died March 16, 1795. Mr. Fox was an enterprising merchant and was descended from distinguished ancestry, having their de- scent in a direct line from the author of the "Book of Mar- tyrs," published in London in 1563. Mr. Fox held many important offices in Portland, was repeatedly one of the select- men, was chosen a delegate to the convention in Massachusetts which adopted the Constitution of the United States, was the first representative from Portland, after its incorporation, to the General Court, to which he was elected four years. He was an honored and useful citizen, and his death was deplored. Mr. Fox inherited and transmitted not only the blood of the - biographier of the martyrs but of Cleeves and Tucker, the first settlers of Portland, of Thaddeus Clarke, of Michael Mitton, Edward Tyng, etc.
Freeman, Enoch, an ancient and honored inhabitant of Portland, came here in 1741. He descended from Samuel Free- man, who is supposed to have come to this country with Gov. Winthrop in 1630; it is certain that he was here as early as that year. He settled at Watertown, but subsequently re- turned to England and died there, leaving two sons, Henry and Samuel. His widow in 1644 married Gov. Thomas Prince
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of Plymouth, and settled at Eastham with her son Samuel. The branch of Henry ended with his grandson Samuel of Bos- ton, who died unmarried ; his father, James, having been a brewer in that town. Our townsman Enoch was the eighth son and ninth child of Samuel Freeman of Eastham, and great grandson of the first Samuel who came over. He was born May 19, 1706, and having graduated at Harvard College in 1729, he entered the counting-room of Mr. Hall in Boston, as a clerk in the commission business. In 1732 he became a part- ner. His business led him often to Maine, which resulted in his permanent establishment here in 1741. He was a man of great energy of character, ambitious, enterprising, and a use- ful and respected townsman ; he and his eldest son, Samuel, for near a hundred years exercised a controlling influence in the affairs of the town and county.
On his removal to this place he engaged in commercial busi- ness ; in 1742 he received a military commission from Gov. Shirley, and in 1746 was appointed major of the second regi- inent of militia in Maine. In 1748 he was appointed justice of the peace, and commanding officer of the forces on the east- ern frontier, in 1749 naval officer, and in 1750 deputy collector of this port. In 1748 he was chosen representative, and was re-elected in subsequent years, and in 1774 was chosen a mem- ber of the council, but was negatived by the Governor for his firm adherence to whig principles. On the division of the county in 1760, he was placed on the bench of the Common Pleas, which office he held until about two months before his death ; the same year he was chosen by the people register of deeds, and continued in the office twenty-eight years to the time of his death. In 1770 he succeeded Samuel Waldo as judge of probate, which office he held until he was disqualified by the constitution, holding at that time the office of register of deeds. He filled at one time the offices of judge of the common pleas, judge of probate, register of deeds, colonel of the regiment, selectman, and representative to the General
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Court; a multiplication of offices which shows that he possessed the confidence of the public. He was a man of proud bearing and severe manners, which were more suited to the age in which he lived than in that which followed. August 31, 1742, he married Mary Wright of Eastham, by whom he had seven children, viz., Samuel, born June 26, 1743 ; James, born Sep- tember 9, 1744, died unmarried 1771; Mary, born June 1, 1746, died October 22, 1750 ; William, born November 13, 1747, drowned June 6, 1765 ; Enoch, born September 4, 1750 ; Mary, born January 12, 1752, married Thomas Child in 1772, and died in Boston 1832 ; Lathrop, born March 27, 1753, died April 26, 1753. None of the large families of himself and son Samuel now reside here, and liis blood and name are only transmitted by the children of his sons Samuel and Enoch. He lived first in a house on Congress, a little east of Wilmot street, where his first three children were born. In 1749 he built a house on Middle street nearly opposite the second par- ish meeting-house, which was destroyed in Mowatt's attack on the town in 1775, and was rebuilt after the war and occupied by his son Samuel to the time of his death in 1831. It is now a boarding-house kept by George S. Hay, No. 49 Middle street. He died September 2, 1788, aged eighty-two.
Mr. Freeman was a man of sanguine and ardent tempera- ment, and although the long exercise of office made him some- what arrogant and overbearing, he was a man of great integ- rity and moral worth, and faithful and prompt in the discharge of the duties of the numerous offices, with which he was in- trusted.
Of his son Samuel I have spoken at large in another place. His son Enoch early moved to Saccarappa and engaged in lum- bering and farming. In September, 1787, he married Mehita- ble Cushing, by whom he had six children, viz., Abigail born July 7, 1788, married Daniel Babb; Enoch, born July 14, 1790 ; Nathaniel, born July, 1792 ; Mary, born July 21, 1796 ; Sarah, born October 27, 1797, died 1814 ; James born May 29,
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1800. He died in Westbrook in 1832, aged eighty-two, the same age at which his father and grandfather died.
Freeman, Joshua, was another descendant of Samuel of Watertown. He came here from Plymouth or Barnstable prior to 1740. September 4th of that year, he purchased of James Milk the lot on the corner of Exchange and Middle streets, three rods nineteen links on Middle street and four- teen rods deep, for which he paid eighty pounds old tenor, equal to ninety dollars in coin, and built upon it a two-story wooden house which was removed a few years ago by James Deering to make room for the block of brick stores now stand- ing on the lot. It was burnt in 1860, then being on Washing- ton street. Mr. Freeman lived and kept a store and tavern in the house. The estate afterward became the property of John Tyng, who sold it to John Fox for four hundred pounds, who subsequently conveyed it to Nathaniel Deering; it was suc- cessively occupied by Mr. Fox, Nathaniel Deering, and his son James. This valuable estate now belongs to the heirs of James Deering. Mr. Freeman was a large, fleshy man, and by way of distinction bore the name of "Fat Freeman." He died September 30, 1770, and his wife the year before. His wife was Patience Rogers, daughter of Dr. Daniel Rogers of Ipswich, by his wife, Sarah Appleton. They were married September 17, 1728, and he was then called of Plymouth. Their son George, born in 1739, died in Standish in 1831. His eldest son, Joshua, born in 1730, has transmitted the name and fam- ily through numerous branches in the city and State. In 1750 he married Lois the youngest daughter of Moses Pearson, and had by her the following eleven children, viz., Sarah, born Jan- uary 4, 1751; Mary, born July 22, 1755 ; Daniel, November 30, 1757; Lois, February 18, 1760; Eunice, January 19, 1762; Joshua, October 2, 1763 ; Moses, December 20, 1765 ; Samuel, October 8, 1767; Pearson, February 4, 1770; Jeremiah, April 1, 1772; Thomas, December 30, 1774; Dummer, June 2, 1779. Mr. Freeman was married when he was twenty years old, and
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according to his own account he must have been something of a fop in his younger days. He described to Isaac Ilsley the dress he wore when he went a courting in 1750 ; he said he wore a full bottomed wig, a cocked hat, scarlet cloak and breeches, white vest and stockings, shoes with buckles, and two watches, one on each side. Mr. Freeman owned and occupied the farm at Back Cove adjoining the Deering farm, and now owned by Jeremiah Dow. He died there November 11, 1796; his widow died at the age of eighty, March 21, 1815. His eldest son, Daniel, on January. 15, 1789, married Sarah, a granddaughter of William Weeks, an old inhabitant, and sis- ter of Major Lemuel Weeks, and had issue; Sarah, the eldest daughter, died unmarried, April 5, 1805. Lois married Jo- seplı Weeks, a son of Lemuel and grandson of William, Novem- ber 25, 1784, and had Joseph, August 1, 1785; Eunice, January * 17, 1787 ; Daniel, September 3, 1788; Mary, June 11, 1791, died 1799 ; and Joshua Freeman, December 10, 1793. She died in January, 1829; her husband died in 1797. The eld- est son, Josepli, having followed the sea for more than half a century, now lives, unmarried, in the family of his younger brother Joshua, who with buoyant spirits, still pursues with en- ergy the active duties of life. Jeremiah, the third son of Joshua, was also a sea captain ; he married Lydia a daughter of Wat- son Crosby, and sister of Mrs. Lemuel Moody, and had two children, viz., George, who died unmarried, at the age of twenty-four, and a daughter, Eunice, born in 1797, and now living here unmarried. Thomas, seventh son of Joshua, born in 1774, was the last surviving child ; he was a trader and an honest one, and was many years deacon of the First Parish. He died October 27, 1847, much respected, leaving by his wife, Mary Mayberry, an only son, Daniel, who, as a most faithful and honest mechanic, is diligently pursuing the daily duties of his calling.
Frost, Charles, came here from Newcastle, N. H., previous to
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1740, as a clerk to Col. Westbrook. He was the third son and fourth child of the Hon. John Frost, by his wife Mary, the eld- est sister of Sir William Pepperrell, and was born in Kittery, August 27, 1710. The family was one of great respectability in early provincial days. He married Hannah Jackson of Kit- tery in 1738, by whom he had Abigail, married to Daniel Epes, William, who died single in 1791, Jane, Andrew Pepperell, and Charles, born in 1755. He lived on the hill this side of Stroud- water bridge, and was a man of respectability, influence, and property in town for many years; he was a representative at the time of his death, which took place January 4, 1756.
Gookin, Simon and Samuel, were brothers, and the sons of Rev. Nathaniel Gookin of Hampton, N. H., the grandson of Daniel Gookin, who was born in Kent, England, and came to Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1644. Simon married Prudence Ilsley, a daughter of Isaac Ilsley, in 1742; he was a joiner and lived on the court that went up from Middle street near where Exchange street now is; he owned the land which he exchanged with John Fox for land in other parts of the town. This valuable tract is now in possession of the heirs of Mr. Fox. The house was moved to the corner of Elm and Congress streets and was burnt in the destructive fire of 1852. It had been successively occupied by Thomas B. Wait, Dr. Kinsman, Dr. Cummings, W. B. Norton, etc. He died in 1782, leaving three children, John, Abigail, married to Micalı Sampson, and Dorothy. Samuel married Sarah Haskell in 1754, and died in 1804, aged seventy-five. His widow died the same month aged seventy.
Hall, Stephen, was son of Rev. Willard Hall of Westford, Massachusetts, and was born there May 28, 1743; his mother was Abigail Cotton of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He de- scended from John Hall of Concord, 1658, who afterward set- tled in Medford, through Stephen, born 1670, and Willard, H. College, 1722, who died in 1779. Stephen graduated at Har- vard College in 1765, was educated for the ministry and oc-
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casionally preached, but was never settled. He was a tutor and one of the Fellows of Harvard College from 1772 to 1778. He came here a visitor in December, 1772, and preached for Dr. Deane, and again in August, 1773. He was probably re- lated to Deacon William Cotton through Abigail his mother, who may have been William's sister, and this no doubt led him to Portland. In 1778 he married Mary, daughter of William Cotton and widow of Moses Holt, Jr., who died in 1772, and came here to live. By her he had John H., January 21, 1781 ; Mary, Dec. 13, 1783; William Augustus, October 6, 1785 ; Wil- lard, June 5, 1788; and Martha Cotton, July 26, 1792. He lost two children in infancy. Neither of his daughters was married. The youngest and the last survivor of the family died Novem- ber 26, 1847, having generously bequeathed her whole estate, amounting to six thousand dollars, to benevolent objects in her native city. None of the family have since resided here. He died September 13, 1795, at the age of fifty-two, and his widow died July 27, 1808, aged fifty-four. Their son, John H., in- vented an important improvement in the rifle, and was twenty years in the service of the government at Harper's Ferry, where he died in 1841. He left a family which was quite distin- guished. His son, Willard P., was a representative in Congress from Missouri from 1847 to 1853. Mr. Hall was a very promi- nent actor in the affairs of the town during the seventeen years he resided here. He was a man of ardent and sanguine tem- perament, and engaged earnestly in the political questions of the day. He was particularly active on the subject of separa- tion of the State, and wrote and spoke in favor of it. He was a delegate to several of the conventions held on the subject and on committees. He was one year a selectman, and a repre- sentative to the General Court in 1780 and 1781. He was chiefly occupied in carrying on the large tannery, between Free and Fore streets, which descended to his wife from her father.
There was another Hall family came here among the early
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settlers, whose ancestor, Hate Evil, was born in Dover, N. H., in 1707. He married Sarah Furbish of Kittery and established himself in Falmouth. He died November 28, 1797, aged nine- ty, leaving four hundred and seventy-five descendants. He had thirteen children, ten sons and three daughters, by whom the blood and name are scattered far and wide through our State and beyond it. His daughter Dorothy married George Leighton and had six sons and two daughters. His daughter Mercy married Joseph Leighton and had five sons and six daughters. Abigail married Isaac Allen and had four daugh- ters and three sons. His sons were Daniel, Hate Evil, Ebene- zer, William, John, Jedediah, Andrew, Nicholas, Paul, and Silas, who all married and whose names are recognized among their numerous descendants. Ebenezer was admitted an in- habitant in 1728; he had a house lot on Middle street ; he married Hannah Anderson, and moved eastward.
The other sons were Daniel, who married Lorana Winslow, and had eight children, four sons and four daughters. Hate Evil married, first, Ruth Winslow, second, Ann Jenkins, and had seven sons and six daughters. William married, first, Betsey Cox, second, Elizabeth Wilson, and had five sons and four daughters. John married Grace Sprague and had nine daughters and six sons. Jedediah married, first, Hannah Hus- sey, second, Elizabeth Clough, and had six sons and five daugh- ters. Andrew married Jane Merrill and had five sons and three daughters. Nicholas married, first, Experience Stone, second, Emma Sawyer, and had six sons and four daughters. Paul married, first, Sarah Neal, second, Keziah Hanson, and had five sons and five daughters. Silas married, first, Mary Gould, second, Hannah Neal, and had seven sons and eight daughters.
Such an example of fertility in marriage, of every member of a very large family, and many of them twice married, has rarely, if ever, been paralleled. The names presented, are
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many of them transmitted and are now familiar in our own city-Paul, Winslow, Neal, Silas, Ebenezer, William, etc.
Daniel, the eldest son, was born in Dover, March 24, 1735, married Lorana Winslow in 1757; his eldest son, Winslow, was born September 7, 1758. He died December 18, 1785, and his widow August 14, 1793.
Ilsley, Isaac, of whom I have spoken on page 418, the ances- tor of most of those among us who bear the name, left four sons and one daughter. Isaac, the eldest son, was born in Newbury ; in 1751 he married Mary Bradbury, a daughter of Rowland Bradbury, by whom he had Mary, born 1752, mar ried to George Warren in 1780, and died April 7, 1832 ; Joshua, born in 1755, died in 1830; Abigail, born in 1756, married Samuel Motley, and died in 1833 ; Sally, born in 1758, died in May, 1846; Nancy, born in 1762, died in October, 1843 ; Isaac, born in 1764, died in 1778; Betsey, born in 1766, married Daniel Mountfort, and is dead ; John, born in 1767, died at. sea. Mr. Ilsley became insane at the beginning of the revolu- tion and lived with his brother Enoch at Stroudwater.
Enoch, the second son of Isaac, was born in 1730, probably at Newbury, and was brought up to his father's trade of a joiner. It was while he was at work in Andover, Massachusetts, that he made the acquaintance of Mary Parker, and married her in 1753. By her he had all his children, viz., Betty, born October 6, 1754, married first, Pearson Jones, November 26, 1771, by whom she had several children, and for her second husband, Samuel Freeman, February 7, 1786, by whom she had a large family ; she died in March, 1831. Dorcas, born May 30, 1759, married Ebenezer Preble, son of the Brigadier, October 7, 1781, and died February 20, 1784, leaving one son, Edward, who died in France in 1802 ; Enoch, lost at sea ; Fer- dinand died young of consumption ; Charlotte married Ste- phen Mclellan, October 30, 1787 ; Almira, married to James Deering, March 9, 1789, by whom she had a large family, as I have recorded elsewhere. Parker married Eliza Smith, Jan-
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uary 15, 1795, and left a family of whom Mrs Abiel Tinkham, and our townsman, Charles P. Ilsley, are living representatives. Hannah, the second wife of Stephen McLellan, taking the place of her deceased sister, and married in 1803. Augusta, the youngest, married her cousin, Isaac Ilsley, by whom she had several children, one of whom only, Emily, the wife of Nathan Cummings, survives.
Mr. Ilsley's second wife was Elizabeth Harper, sister of Capt. William Harper, to whom he was married in 1783 ; his third wife was Abigail Barstow, who died in 1842, aged eighty-eight. He died November, 1811, having for many years taken an ac- tive part in the affairs of the town and filled important offices, as selectman, and town treasurer, fifteen years. He lived on the corner of India and Middle streets in a house built by him, which is still standing. He was one of the largest owners of real estate in town toward the close of the last century, and one of the largest sufferers by the destruction of the town in 1775.
Jonathan, the third son of Isaac Ilsley, was born in 1738, and died in May, 1809. October 18, 1764, he married Dorcas, a daughter of Nathaniel Ingersoll, who lived on Center street, where it now crosses Free street; their children were Mary, born July 22, 1765, died November 29, 1824; Clarissa, born January 2, 1767 ; Joan, born February 14, 1769, died Decem- ber, 1840; Olive, born February 25, 1772, died January, 1790; Dorcas, July 26, 1775, died August 7, 1842; Joshua, born August 23, 1778, died February 25, 1827; Nathaniel, March 10, 1781, a joiner in Portland ; Jonathan, born April 15, 1783, - died December, 1783 ; Enoch, born October 22, 1785, dead.
Daniel, fourth son of Isaac Ilsley, was born in 1740, and in 1762, he married Mary, the second daughter of Ephraim Jones, by whom he had the following children, viz., Daniel, born May 21, 1763, died December, 1787 ; Isaac, born March, 1765, married Augusta Ilsley, and died in October, 1853 ; George, born January 8, 1767, died in 1836; William, born November 16, 1768, died September 12, 1806; Robert, born December
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18, 1772, died April 9, 1829 ; Judith, born November 18, 1770, died October 12, 1774; Charlotte, born February 28, 1775, married Jonathan Andrews, 1801; Stephen, born September 26, 1777, died 1794; Henry, born June 25, 1779, married Elizabeth Mclellan, October 29, 1805, and are both dead. There is no survivor of Daniel's children.
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