USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Portland > The history of Portland, from its first settlement: with notices of the neighbouring towns, and of the changes of government in Maine, Part II 1700-1833 > Part 6
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"The number of families in Falmouth in 1764 was 585, and the population 3,770-one third of which was probably on the Neck.
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51
Schools and Education.
C. 3.]
each district should draw money in proportion to the taxes it paid, provided a school were kept in it the whole year ; no children were to be sent to these schools unless they could read in the Psalter. The districts on the Neck were divided by a line drawn across it " between Mr. Freeman's house and Mr. Waldo's," which was a little east of the late Judge Freeman's house ; the upper district extended to round-marsh ; this fact shows conclusively where the dense part of the population was situated at that time. The money raised for schools this year was £100; in 1761 but £50 were rais- ed which was distributed as follows: to the Neck £25, Back Cove £11, Long Creek £9, Saccarappa £5. Cape Elizabeth parish not being included in this distribution, may be considered as now set up for herself.
The only money raised for schools in 1763, was £20, which were wholly appropriated to a grammar school ; with this exception no money was voted for a grammar school for several years before and after, until 1771, when under an apprehension that the penalty of the law would be visited upon them, they voted £150 for schools to be distributed according to polls, of which £6 were to be added to the Neck's proportion to keep a grammar school and prevent presentment : the same amount was appropriated for that purpose the two following years.1
In 1764 the late Judge Freeman then 21 years old, kept a public school and the next year a private school on the Neck. In 1769 Theophilus Parsons, afterwards the distinguished Chief Justice of Massachusetts, graduated at Harvard College and immediately came here to pursue his professional studies under the direction of Mr. Bradbury. While preparing for the bar, he took charge of one of the public schools on the Neck, which he kept until he was admit-
1The sums voted for schools in different years were as follows. -
1734
£48.5.0
1767
£65.0.0
1745
180.0.0 O. T.
1768-'70 100.0.0 each year.
1747
40.0.0 for grammar school 1771
1772
200.0.0
1752
100.0.0 Lawful money.
1773
300.0.0
1755-'53
6.13.4 for grammar school 1774
300.0.0
1761
50.0.0
1775
320.0.0
1762
100.0.0
1776
50.0.0
1763
20.0.0 all for gram. school 1777
200.0.0
1764
250.0.0
1778
400.0.0
1765
100.0.0
1779
1000.0.0
1766
200.0.0
1781
80.0.0 "hard money."
150.0.0
1748
60.0.0 66
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52
Schools and Education. [P. II.
ted to practice in July 1774. Those who remember him while engaged in this humble pursuit speak of his close and unremitted application to study when not engaged in school.1 He kept in a school house which stood in King-street near where Middle-street joins it, which was removed in 1774 to Congress-street, where it now forms a part of the house of the late Jonathan Bryant. The late Judge Frothingham also kept a school here before as well as after the revolution ; he graduated at Harvard College in 1771, and about two years afterwards entered the office of Mr. Bradbury as a fellow student with Parsons. It was very much the custom of that day for young men on their leaving College to sustain themselves while studying their professions by keeping school. The men of our country who became most distinguished in the eighteenth centu- ry achieved their own fortunes and fame from such humble begin- nings, many of them working even while at College for the very means to get them through. By struggling with narrow circumstan- ces, their minds were formed and nerved in a severe school. They were not accustomed to the ease and the enervation which have been produced in our days by the general diffusion of wealth over the land, and the immensely increased facilities of education. Min- isters who were barely able to assist one or more of their sons through College, were obliged for the most part to leave them at the gate, to win their way in the world by their own exertions. Hence many were brought to the necessity of keeping school as a temporary expedient, while they were preparing themselves to sus- tain higher characters on a more extended theatre. We have seen in this town, these facts illustrated by some eminent examples.
It cannot escape observation that nothwithstanding the ability of the persons who at different times taught in our schools, that the cause of education was quite low. The amount appropriated for the important object of instruction from the limited means of the inhabitants, was not sufficient to command or reward the undivided attention of any person qualified for the task ; the business must
1Mr. Parsons boarded three years with Deac. Codman and the remainder of the time with Dr. Deane ; Mr. Codman's son who went to school to him told me that Mr. Parsons was constantly studying when out of school-that he was always in his chamber. It is well known that this great man, in addition to his vast attainments in the science of law, was a profound classical scholar and deeply skilled in mathematics.
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53
Educated Men.
C. 3.]
therefore have been necessarily neglected, or have fallen into the hands of those who took it up as a secondary object, for their own convenience.
But two natives of the town had received a public education previous to the revolution ; these were John and Peter T. Smith, sons of our minister. They were graduated at Harvard College, the former in 1745, the latter in 1753 ; John became a physician, the other followed the profession of his father and was settled in Windham, where he died in 1827, aged 96. John died in 1773. At the commencement of the revolution, there were upon the Neck but thirteen persons who had received a liberal education,1 only six of these were engaged in professional pursuits,2 and not one was a native of the town ; we had then to import our literature as well as the necessary supplies of life; the activity and energy of the people were employed in procuring means of support and in the accumula- tion of wealth, rather than in cultivating the sources of intellectual improvement.3
There were several physicians in town, but not one had received a public education.4 The younger Dr. Coffin, a few years before the revolution, had been sent to England by his father to complete his medical studies, which he pursued a short time in London. On the death of his father in 1766, he succeeded to his business and continued a very large and successful practice for more than 50 years. The Rev. Mr. Smith for many years in the early settlement of the town performed the responsible part of physician to the body as
1These were Rev. Thomas Smith who graduated 1720, Enoch Freeman 1729, Stephen Longfellow 1742, Francis Waldo 1747, John Wiswall 1749, Jonathan Webb 1754, Theophilus Bradbury 1757, David Wyer 1758, Samuel Dean 1760, Stephen Hall 1765, Edward Oxnard 1767, Theophilus Parsons 1769, John Frothingham 1771.
2 Messrs. Smith, Dean and Wiswall in the ministry, and Messrs. Bradbury, Wyer and Parsons in the law.
3In other parts of the town, there were at the time of the revolution, but two liberally educated men, and those were Thomas Brown minister of the Stroudwater parish, and Ebenezer Williams minister at New-Casco, the for- mer graduated at Harvard College in 1752, the latter in 1760.
4These were the elder Dr. Nathaniel Coffin, Dr. John Lowther, and Dr. Edward Watts, who all lived on the Neck; Nathaniel Jones lived at Cape Elizabeth, he was a physician and a man of much promise, he came from Ips- wich, Mass. and was in full practice when the war broke out. He entered zealously into the measures of the whigs, enlisted as a surgeon in the Baga- duce expedition, where he sickened, and died soon after his return. Dr. Watts married Polly Oxnard of Boston, May 1765, and came here about that time.
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54
Educated Men.
[P. II.
well as the soul, and he was no less beloved in his temporal than in his spiritual employment. It was very common for ministers in thinly peopled towns to discharge this two-fold duty. The other publicly educated men who resided here previous to the revolution were Samuel Moody, his two sons Joshua and Samuel,1 Jabez Fox, who graduated at II. C. in 1727, and studied divinity, but whose health did not permit him to preach ; and Samuel Waldo, eldest son of Brigadier Waldo, graduated in 1743, at Harvard College." These all died some years previous to the revolution. Mr. Waldo came here immediately after he. graduated, and the next year was chosen representative of the town, his family having long exercised great influence on account of a largo ostate herc. While a member of the house this year, he received from Gov. Shirley a commission as Colonel on the commencement of the war of 1744. In 1753, he went to Europe with authority from his father to procure emi- grants to settle the Waldo patent, and by flattering representations and liberal offers he induced a number of Germans to follow him to his possessions in this State, many of whose descendants still occupy part of that territory. In August 1760, he was married to
. 1Dr. Samuel Moody had been a surgeon in the army in the war of 1722, he afterwards received a military appointment and died at Brunswick in 1758, commanding officer of Fort George. He was born Oct. 29, 1699, and gradu- ated at HI. C. 1718. Joshua Moody was born Oct. 31, 1697, graduated at H. C. 1716, and established himself in this town; he did not study a profession, but was an acting magistrate, sustained many public employments and was a large land holder. He married Tabitha Cox in 1736, by whom he had three sons, Houtchin, William and James-He died Feb. 20, 1748.
2Mr. Fox was the second son of John Fox, minister of Woburn, and was born in that place in 1705. He was a descendant of John Fox, the author of the "Book of Martyrs," first printed in London in 1563. The first of the name who came to this country was Thomas, who was admitted a freeman in 1638, and lived in Cambridge, where Jabez his son, the grandfather of the Jabez who came here, was born 1646. The precise time that Mr. Fox came . to this town we cannot determine, we find him here in 1743, when he was married to Ann Bradbury of York. On her decease which happened not long after, he married the widow of Phineas Jones, by whoin he had William who died young, John for many years a respectable merchant in Portland and Mary who married Edward Oxnard. Mr. Fox filled several important offices in town, was justice of the peace, was repeatedly chosen representative to the General Court, and for the three years preceding his death was one of the Governor's council, the first ever chosen from the territory now forming the County of Cumberland. He died respected and lamented April 7, 1755, aged 50. The mother of Mr. Fox was Mary Tyng, a grand-daughter of Thaddeus Clark, who lived on the Neck and was killed by the Indians in 1690. Clark's wife being grand-daughter of George Cleeves, this family inherit the blood of our first settler.
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55
Public Library.
C. 3.]
Olive Grizzel of Boston, who died the next February, and in March 1762, he married Sarah Erving by whom he had four sons, Samuel, John Erving, Francis and Ralph, and two daughters Sarah and Lucy. In 1760, he was appointed the first Judge of Probate for the County of Cumberland, which office he held until his death April 16, 1770, in the 49th year of his age.
The state of literature in town previous to the revolution, was not, it will be perceived, of a very elevated character ; nor indeed from the situation of the people, could much have been expected. Yet when the small population of the Neck is considered, not exceeding 1900, at the very eve of the war, perhaps it contained as large a proportion of educated men as any other place in that day. In 1763, several gentlemen upon the Neck, desirous of promoting the diffusion of useful knowledge, and extending the means of information, made some attempts to establish a library. In 1765, twenty-six persons had associated together for this purpose, all but two or three of whom lived upon the Neck.1 The progress of their laudable undertaking was extremely slow, and at the opening of the library in 1766, it contained but 93 volumes, of which ancient and modern universal history comprised 62 volumes, being just two thirds of the whole number.2 Only part of this work was first put in, but in 1765, a subscription was raised among the members to complete the set, and £39. 15. were contributed on this occasion.3 Books at that period were not thrown from the press with the rapidity and in the quantity they are at this time : book-shops were rare, and all works of stand-
1The names of the first associates were Enoch Freeman, Benjamin T'it- comb, Stephen Longfellow, Richard Codman, Edward Watts, Thomas Scales, Paul Prince, John Waite, Benjamin Waite, Enoch Ilsley, Jonathan Webb, Francis Waldo, Thomas Smith, Moses Pearson, James Gooding, Josiah Noyes, John Cox, Jeremiah Pote, Alexander Ross, Ebenezer Mayo, John Wiswall, Richard King, Jedediah Preble, Ephraim Jones, Stephen Waite, and John Waite, jr. Mr. King lived in Scarborough. William Tyng and some others were admitted previous to the war.
2The catalogue of the books is so small, we may be excused for publishing it entire. Ancient and modern universal history from No. I to No. 62 inclu- sive, The Reflector I vol., Leland's view of the Deistical writers 3, Prospects of Mankind &c. 1, Lardner's history of the writers of the New Testament 3, London Magazine from No. 71 to No. 79 inclusive, 1755 to 1763, Physico Theology 1, Ray's Wisdom of God 1, Propagation of Christianity 2, Rapin's History of England 7 vols. from 85 to 91 inclusive, History of Peter Czar of Muscovy 2d and 3d vol., volume 1 not put in. Total 93.
"In this subscription Benjamin Titcomb gave a guinea, the other members a silver dollar each.
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Public Library. [P. II.
ard value were imported from England. It will be seen that among those which constituted the first library here, not one was printed in this country. Even the newspapers and almanacs which issued from our presses were very small and of mean quality. The formation of a library therefore under such circumstances, was a very serious un- dertaking, the difficulty of which cannot be felt now, when works in every department of literature and science are scattered, like the leaves of the Sibyl, from a thousand presses. We believe this to have been the first establishment of the kind in Maine. Not much addition was made to the books previous to the revolution, and in the destruction of the town, the little collection was widely dispersed and a number of the books lost : during the war its operations were entirely sus- pended until 1780, when an attempt was made to collect the frag- ments and restore them to use.1
We shall resume the consideration of this subject in a future stage of our work and must now dismiss it to make room for matters which it has already anticipated.3
1 All the books which survived the destruction of the town are now preserv- ed and form a part of the Portland Atheneum.
"The following memorandum found among Enoch Freeman's papers shows that the members of the society while catering for the mind did not forget the more humble concernments of the body. "Capt. Benjamin Waite has laid a wager with Mr. Richard Codman of a turkey and trimmings for ye good of the members of the library, that the ferry ways from the brow above Proc- tor's wharf, must be built three hundred yards further off or longer than the ways at or from the rocks above Capt Bang's wharf, in order that the ferry boat may lay afloat at low water." Though the subject of the wager is not kindred to the destination of the turkey, it indicates that the library was oecu- pying a place in peoples' thoughts.
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Ecclesiastical Affairs.
C. 4.]
CHAPTER 4.
Ecclesiastical affairs-Purpooduck Parish set off-Presbyterians- Purpooduck Parish-First Parish, new meeting-house-Revival - George Whitfield-New-Casco Parish-Episcopal Society- Settlement of Mr. Deane-Quakers.
THE whole town notwithstanding its large extent of territory and the remote situation of many of its inhabitants, continued united in one parish until 1733, when by mutual consent the people residing on the south side of Fore river were incorporated by the General Court as a distinct parish.' The dividing line of the parishes pas- sed up Fore river to a point half a mile south of Stroudwater river, and thence extended due west to the line of Scarborough.2 On the 18th Sept. of the same year, the new parish held a meeting, at which they voted to build a meeting-house, and chose the Rev. Benjamin Allen to be their minister ; he accepted the invitation and was installed Nov. 10, 1734.3
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The meeting-house which stands upon the hill opposite Portland, was erected in pursuance of the vote, the frame being constructed of white oak timber cut upon the spot where the house stands.4 A month previous to the settlement of Mr. Allen and the organization of the church, the number of communicants in Mr. Smith's church including both parishes, at the sacrament Oct. 6, 1734, was 70, which shows a rapid increase in the number in the period of seven years. After this separation, the records of the parish, which was no longer co-extensive with the town, were kept distinct and the
1 The members of the first church dismissed to form the second, were John Armstrong, Wm. Jameson, Robert Means, Robert Thorndike and Jonathan Cobb.
" This is the present boundary line of Cape-Elizabeth.
3 Mr. Allen was born at Tisbury, on Martha's Vineyard ; he graduated at Yale College in 1708, and was settled at South-Bridgewater in 1718 ; after preaching there about 10 years, he was dismissed by an ecclesiastical council. He died May 6, 1754, aged 65-Mitchell's His. of Bridgewater. He had sev- eral daughters, one married Rev. Mr. Upham of Barnstable county ; another, Rev. Mr. Emery ; a third, Clement Jordan, Esq. of Cape-Elizabeth ; a fourth, Tristram Jordan, Esq. of Saco, and a fifth died unmarried at Cape-Elizabeth.
4 This meeting-house was afterwards enlarged by adding a piece of about . fifteen feet to its width. This alteration left the pulpit in the middle of the floor, with galleries and pews behind it, and was allowed to remain so until 1801.
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Presbyterians-Purpooduck Parish. [P. II.
first parish was regularly organized in pursuance of the statute, in 1734. Dr. Samuel Moody was chosen the first Clerk and annually re-elected until 1744, and again in 1746 ; Joshua Moody his broth- er was chosen the intervening years ; Moses Pearson from 1746 to 1750, and was succeeded by Stephen Longfellow who was annually re-chosen 23 years.
In 1736, some excitement prevailed in town on the subject of Presbyterianism particularly in the Purpooduck parish. The Irish · emigrants were all of that persuasion, and although they were too few to support a separate establishment, they were enough to pro- duce a sensation in a small parish. Elder Armstrong had continued a member of Mr. Smith's church until he was dismissed for the formation of a new church at Purpooduck, but he probably never relinquished the prejudices of his early education in favour of those peculiarities which his countrymen brought with them. At that early period this class of sectarians was numerous in this State and con- troversies existed on the subject, which, now that the order is extinct among us, can hardly be imagined. In May 1736, the neighbouring ministers had a meeting at Purpooduck on the subject, but what was its result we have no means of ascertaining. In November the Rev. Wm. McClanethan, a staunch Presbyterian from the north of Ireland, was installed at Purpooduck, but the people were unable to support him and his labours among them were soon discontinued. He had been employed as a preacher to a large society in Georgetown in 1734, and was again hired there for a year in 1742 ; at another time he preached and kept school in Brunswick, but what finally became of him we do not know. On the death of Mr. Allen in 1754, new troubles occurred in that society in supplying his place. Eleazer Holyoke, who graduated at Harvard College in 1750, preached there on probation ; the church by a majority of one, and the society by a majority of two votes, invited him to be their pastor. But he not being militant enough to accept the call, William Wentworth and a number of others petitioned the General Court for a division of the parish, which was unsuccessful, and " the parish was in a sad situation, dismally divided and quarreling."" In the midst of this confusion the Rev. Ephraim Clark came among them to preach, and so great
1 Smith's Jour. Dec. 15, 1754.
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C. 4.] Troubles in Purpooduck Parish.
was the interest taken in the neighbour parish, that several people went from this side to hear him.' Notwithstanding a very powerful opposition he was invited to settle there and accepted the call, but the objections to him were urged so strongly that the council first called did not think proper to recommend him for installation. A new and grand council consisting of fifteen churches was then summoned which met in July, and which after three days of " close hot work" as Mr. Smith says, arrived at the same conclusion by a vote of 23 to 18 " and two neuters." This result was not submitted to by Mr. Clark's friends and he continued to preach. The opposition now proceeded to most unwarrantable lengths to prevent Mr. Clark's settlement and attempted to ruin his reputation : they entered a complaint against him for lying, which was submitted to a jury who acquitted him .? The trial was one of deep interest and " thou- sands of people were present." His friends in this emergency did not abandon him and after repeated disappointments in procuring persons to instal him and the practice of unusual intolerance, they finally succeeded, and the ceremony was performed in Mr. Simon- ton's orchard at Purpooduck, May 21, 1756.3 Colonel Ezekiel Cushing who was one of the leaders of the opposition and several others were set off to the first parish where they afterwards attended. The difficulty did not cease here, so deep rooted was resentment on the occasion, that it was even supposed an attempt had been made to poison Mr. Clark, which very much increased the excite- ment already sufficiently high.4 Twenty four members of the par- ish refusing to pay their rates were committed to jail, and the ministers in the neighbourhood kept a private fast on occasion of these contentions.
It was a long time before quiet in that parish was restored, but it
1 He had lately been dismissed from the pastoral care of a church in Bos- ton.
2 " Our justices are at work, contriving to take Mr. Clark in hand." "Things are in a sad toss about Mr. Clark."-Sm. Jour. Aug. 14 and 18, 1755.
3 " 1756, Jan. 20. Clark's messengers returned, not being able to get instal- lers." May 3, " Mr. Clark set out once more to get installers." May 20, "There is a great bustle again at Purpooduck ; Jon. Rogers and the Cleave- lands are come there to instal Mr. Clark, who spent to-day in a mock council. Many of our people went over, and (21) this afternoon installed him in Simon- ton's orchard"-Sm. Jour.
4" 1756, June 17. A terrible uproar about Mr. Clark's being poisoned by Mr. Lovit."
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First Parish.
[P. II.
at length subsided and Col. Cushing just previous to his death in 1765, petitioned the General Court and was restored to that pre- cinct. No greater practical illustration can be given of the folly of this intense agitation than this fact, that the very leader of the disaffected, should in so short a time, sit quietly down under the preaching of the man whom he had persecuted almost unto the death. It is more easy to trace the effect of this quarrel than to discover at this late day, its cause. The little objects which arouse the passions in the excitements of party are often lost sight of in the whirlwind they produce. That they could not be of magnitude, is evident from the fact, that Mr. Clark continued to officiate to the people there for forty years without any impeachment of his char- acter. We have been able to find no other cause for this mighty stir than that it was objected to Mr. Clark that he was a man of small talents and those not cultivated by a liberal education, the opinion of the council which was given by a majority of only three, may have turned on the expediency of a settlement against so strong an opposition. Mr. Clark died Dec. 11, 1797, without issue, leaving behind him the reputation of piety and sincerity.
Notwithstanding the separation of the Purpooduck people, the first parish had increased so rapidly, that an inconvenience soon began to be felt from the narrow dimensions of the meeting house. As early as February 1737, a few members of the Society met together to concert measures for a new house, and the prayers of their respected pastor were invoked on the interesting occasion. The parish as a body would not engage in the undertaking, but so determined were some public spirited individuals to accomplish the work, that they advanced their own funds and erected a large and , convenient house on the lot belonging to the parish, where the stone meeting house now stands. They had to encounter a severe oppo- sition, arising partly from the local situation they had chosen for the house and partly from an apprehension of the expense.1 It was indeed remote, and continued for many years beyond the centre of
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