USA > Maine > Lincoln County > Sheepscot > The history of ancient Sheepscot and Newcastle [Me.] including early Pemaquid, Damariscotta, and other contiguous places, from the earliest discovery to the present time, together with the genealogy of more than four hundred families; > Part 35
USA > Maine > Lincoln County > Newcastle > The history of ancient Sheepscot and Newcastle [Me.] including early Pemaquid, Damariscotta, and other contiguous places, from the earliest discovery to the present time, together with the genealogy of more than four hundred families; > Part 35
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36
Thomas' chil. Thomas C, b July 27, 1836 ; r in Cal. Mary J, b Aug 20, 1838 ; r in Hallowell. Frances Sabinia, b Jan 20, 1841 : r in Mass. William Henry, b Feb 16, 1843; r in Cal. Sophia Lennox, b Mar 4, 1846. Emily Brooks, b May 12, 1848. Geneva, b July 7, 1850.
WRIGHT.
Dr. John Sullivan, b at Pepperell, Mass ; c to Edg and com- menced practice in 1807; moved to N, ab 1842; m 1st, Lois Patterson of Edg, Dec 28, 1807; m 2d, Margaret Pinkham of Booth, Ap 5, 1829 ; d Aug 7, 1853 and buried under Masonic honors. Lois, d Nov 30, 1827. Margaret ; d Feb 26, 1850.
Dr John S, chil by 1st w. 1, Henry, b Dec 18, 1809; r in Booth, N and Dam ; m Elvira Sawyer of Ban, Oct 2, 1835 ; c to N in 1840. 2, Mary b, 1811 ; d in inf. 3, Royall, b Ap 13, 1813 ; m Mary Robinson, Nov 6, 1845. Mary, d Nov 27, 1879. 4, Sullivan, b Mar 1817 ; r in Wis. 5, Lucretia, b Feb 1819 ; d May 21, 1849. 6, Mary, b Mar 15, 1825 ; m Jotham Perkins. Chil by 2d w. 1, Cleveland, b Sept 21, 1835. 2, William, b July 19, 1840. Naval officer ; Capt of Steamship Mystic. Ap- pointed Oct, 1862. 3, Albert, b July 20, 1841. Entered Bow Col Aug, 1862. Teacher at Cherokee Cal.
Henry's chil. 1, Fannie A, b Sept 2, 1836; m Edwin D Knight of Dam. May 30, 1861; r in Gard. 2, Belle R, b June 30, 1838. 3, Mary L, b Dec 22, 1840. 4, Henry S, b Feb 17, 1842 ; d Ap 19, 1842. 5, Elvira, b Ap 1, 1843. 6, Henry Jun., b June 26, 1845. 7, Ella A, b Nov 20, 1847. 8, Maggie HI, b Feb 17, 1850. 9, Frank M, b Dec 2, 1852 ; d Oct 24, 1853. 10, Estelle W, b Aug 8, 1857 ; d May 14, 1876. 11, Willie S, b Oct 27, 1860.
Royall's chil. 1, Annah, b May 22, 1855 ; d Sept 30, 1858. 2, Lizzie, b Oct 17, 1859.
WYMAN.
Samuel D, b in Monmouth, Oct 15, 1828; m Frances Genth- ner of Nob. Jan 1, 1850; c to N. in 1851.
437
GENEALOGY.
Samuel D's chil. 1, Emma F, b Jan 7, 1851. 2, George Manford, b Ap 6, 1856. 3, a son b July 27, 1864.
VANNER.
John, b in Jeff, Jan 31, 1808 ; c to N in 1850 ; m Eliza Jane Woodbridge, Jan 26, 1843.
John's chil. 1, Larkin W, b Oct 13, 1845. 2, Benj Frank- lin, b June 30, 1860. William, b in Jeff; m Rebecca Murray, Dec 14, 1848 ; d Jan 1849.
APPENDIX.
PENTECOST HARBOR. WHERE IS IT?
SOME years ago I wrote an article on this subject, and read it before the M. H. S. ; but Mr. Willis who edited the VI volume of the Society's Publications, caused to be printed only a portion of my article, because he said the limits of the volume forbid his publishing the whole of it. Thus it stood until August 1879, when the Society appointed an excursion to this locality as their field day ; but unfor- tunately the day proved to be murky and cloudy and unfit for observation, and nothing new was developed as to the situation of the harbor and the interest connected with it. Besides, they only arrived there about four in the afternoon and came away at six the same day, and a portion of that time was spent in investigating the marks upon the rocks of the island near, so that nothing new was developed respecting this question, and it is still open to discussion.
My own mind was made up with regard to it many years since, nor have I seen any reason to alter it, after all that has been said upon the subject. Pentecost Harbor was what was afterwards called George's Island Harbor-the moun- tains were those which are distinctly seen from this Har- bor,-the river up which the Archangel was taken, was the St. George's river, and the islands so frequently spoken of, as the islands about the mouth of this river, are what are . now called George's Islands, among which was the Harbor named Pentecost Harbor, where the Archangel lay the most of the time she was upon the coast.
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I thought when I laid down my pen upon this subject that I should not be required to take it up again ; but as only a part of iny article was published before, and as my name has been frequently used in the discussion of late upon this subject, I feel called upon in justice to myself and what I consider to be the real facts in the case, to state what additional information and views I may have upon this subject. My main witnesses are Rosier and Strachey, besides my own familiar acquaintance with the coast, from Casco Bay to the Penobscot river.
ROSIER.
"Friday the 17th of May, about six o'clock at night," says the historian, "we descried land which bare from us north, northeast ; but because it blew a great gale of wind, the sea very high and near night, not fit to come upon an unknown coast, we stood off till two o'clock in the morning, being Saturday ; then standing in with it again, we descried it by eight in the morning, bearing northeast from us. It appeared a mean highland, as we after found it, being an island of some six miles in compass; and about twelve o'clock that day we came to anchor on the north side of this island, about a league from the shore."
This island was Monhegan ; and "from hence," he says, "we might discern the main land from the west-south-west, to the east-north-east, and a great way (as it then seemed, and we after found it) up into the main we might discern very high mountains, though the main seemed but low land ; which gave us a hope it would please God to direct us to the discovery of some good."
This anchorage was inside of Monhegan; and the description of the shore-the land prospect and the moun- tains in front, is as accurate as if taken by a natural artist ; and it is a description which answers neither to the coast of Boothbay nor Kennebec river. For where are the mountains? There are none to be seen from either of
.
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these points. The White Mountains are 100 miles to West and can only be seen from certain points east of the Ken- nebec, in very clear weather ; but these mountains were always in sight, and were inland from the main shore that stretched from the West-South-west to the East-North- east.
"The next day being Whitsunday, because we rode too much open to the sea and winds, we weighed anchor about twelve o'clock, and came along to the other islands more adjoining to the main, and in the road directly with the mountains, about three leagues from the first island where we had anchored.
"When we came near to the other islands, our captain manned his ship boat and sent her before with Thomas Cam one of the mates, to sound and search between the islands for a safe place for our ship to ride in; in the meantime we kept aloof at sea, having given them in the boat a token to weffe in the ship, if he found a convenient harbor ; which it pleased God to send us far beyond our expectation, in a most safe berth, defended from all winds in an excellent depth of water for ships of any burden.
"We all with great joy praised God for his unspeakable goodness who had, from so apparent danger, delivered us and directed us upon this day into so secure a harbor ; in remembrance whereof we named it Pentecost Harbor."
Now you will notice, here and elsewhere, that this har- bor was among islands and not connected with any part of the main land, as is Boothbay harbor or an anchorage at the mouth of the Kennebec. In one place he tells us, there are four different passages to this harbor ; and it was "about three leagues from the first island where we had anchored." The place itself answers to what is now called George's Island Harbor, it being among islands, and which has four different passages leading to it-and not to Boothbay harbor which is formed a distance of several miles upon its northern side by the main land and
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about four islands lying off seaward at considerable dis- tanee from each other and the main land ; viz : Damaris- cove, Squirrel Island, Mouse Island and Cape Newaggan now Southport, and up which harbor, in front of the vil- lage that is the chief place of anchorage, it is formed almost entirely by the main land-Spruce Point which extends southwesterly a considerable distance towards the sea.
"About four o'clock, after we were anchored and well moored, our captain with half a dozen of our company went on shore to seek fresh watering and a convenient place to set together our pinnace which we brought in pieces from England; both which we found very fitting." You will please to take notice of this watering place- where it is, and its importance.
"Friday, the 24th of May," he says, "after we had made an end of cutting wood and carrying water aboard our ship, we marched about and through part of two islands ; the bigger of which we judged to be four or five miles in compass and a mile broad." Where in the locality already referred to, do you find islands answering to this descrip- tion ? You do find them among the St. George's islands.
"Wednesday, the 29th of May, our shallop being fin- ished, our captain and men being furnished to depart in her, we set up a cross on the shore side upon the rocks." Now you will please to take notice of this fact; for I regard it as a most important one. It was set up as a signal at Pentecost Harbor, that others might know where the harbor was, in which the Archangel found excellent anchorage, and which Capt. Weymouth discovered, and it was found two years afterward by Sir John Popham when he was on his way to the Sagadahock. This was the place where it was found-at Pentecost Harbor-among the George's Islands-and not at Pemaquid, Boothbay Har- bor, at the mouth of the Sheepscot or Kennebec, or at any place to the westward of this point. This I regard as a
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strong point in the argument and one which the opponents of this theory have never been able to meet.
THE RIVER DISCOVERED.
Thursday, the 30th of May, about 10 A. M. the captain "departed in the shallop," for the purpose of discovery, leaving the ship in a good harbor, with fourteen men, and on the next day they were seen, about the same hour, return- ing, and "we certainly conjectured our captain had found some unexpected harbor further up toward the main to bring the ship into, or some river." This language certainly implies that they were not now in a river, but outside: and he joyously writes : "Our captain had in this small time discovered up a great river trending along into the main about forty miles." This is nearly the length of the St. George's river, starting from the ocean and running up through Warren, Union and the other towns above. It is a river too, bearing the excellent des- cription which Rosier has given of it-wide below Thomaston, of good depth of water, with gallant coves, a remarkable bend to the westward, a codde on the eastern side of it, easy of access and as secure from all winds and storms as any river on our coast. They called it a great river ; it was to them who were brought up in a country with rivers no larger than the Severn and the Thames, and the Loire and the Seine in France.
And now, I would respectfully ask the opponents of the St. George's theory, and the advocates of the Sagadahock theory, how it was possible for that captain in his shallop in a space of only twenty-four hours, including the night, to go from George's Island harbor to Sagadahock in a strange country and make the discovery of that river-a distance of at least 50 miles-and say nothing about, and know nothing about, either the Sheepscot or the Damariscotta rivers ?
Rosier frequently speaks of their going to and fro among
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the islands, and also of their going and returning from the main, in such a way as to show us that the harbor where they were anchored, was a considerable distance from it ; and on the eighth of June he coasted five or six leagues among the islands adjoining and sounded all along where- soever he went, for the purpose of interesting himself and "thereby be able to direct others that shall happen to come to this place."
"Tuesday, the eleventh of June," he says, "we passed up into the river, with our ship, about six and twenty miles." This would bring them up as high as Thomaston from their island which was named St. George's Island. This name has been indelibly attached to the islands in that vicinity ever since, and to no others on the coast of Maine."
"For (besides without" i. e. outside "the river in the channels and sounds about the islands adjoining the mouth thereof, no better riding can be desired for an indefinite number of ships) the river itself runneth up into the main very nigh forty miles"-this cannot be the Sagadahock which runs up more than 100 miles-"toward the great mountains, beareth in breadth a mile, sometimes three- quarters, and half a mile is the narrowest where you shall never have under four or five fathoms of water and on both sides every half mile very gallant coves." This is the description of the river as far up as the bend-the anchoring ground of the Archangel.
Now, if this is the Sagadahock river, please to tell me where are the islands about its mouth with its excellent harbor named by them Pentecost Harbor, and where are the mountains so conpsicuously seen before them and towards which the river run from the day they cast anchor inside of St. George's Island to the hour when they weighed their anchor and set sail for England.
THE MOUNTAINS.
They surely cannot be the White Mountains, for these
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are only seen from certain elevated points, to the eastward of the Kennebec; and between which points and the mountains themselves the land is low, and not where the intervening land is high so as to interrupt the view. They may be seen from a certain point in Woolwich, from Cush- man's mountain in Wiscasset-from the top of Monhegan and from the upper deck of the steamboat as you pass by Casco Bay, in going from Kennebec to Boston. But the day must be very clear and sky cloudless to see them at all. Ordinarily they are not seen to the East of the Kennebec. As I have said, I am familiar with the coast, from the waters of the Kennebec to those of the Penobscot ; and I have never yet been able to see the White Mountains in this locality from any vessel on whose deck I have stood. Out to sea, with no intervening lands, they may be seen ; but I never yet have beheld them from George's Island harbor where the Archangel lay. But the mountains of which Rosier speaks, were conspicuous objects before them, and the river which they discovered, ran up towards them, which cannot be said of the Sagadahock nor of the Sheep- scot. None of these rivers run toward the White Moun- tains.
A DAY'S JOURNEY.
"Wednesday the twelfth of June, our captain manned his light horseman with seventeen men and ran up from his riding in the river, to the codde thereof " (this he tells us is on the eastern side of the river and is supposed to be what is now called Mill river), "where we landed leaving six to keep the light horseman till our return. Ten of us with our shot and some armed, with a boy to carry powder and match, marched up into the country towards the mountains which we descried at our first falling in with the land." This is unmistakable. "Unto some of them the river brought us so near, as we judged ourselves, when we landed to have been within a league of them." These surely
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could not have been the White Mountains which were 100 miles to the West. "But," he says, "we marched up about four miles in the main and passed over three hills ; and because the weather was parching hot, and our men in their armor not able to travel far and return that night to our ship, we resolved not to pass any farther, being all very weary of so tedious and laborsome a travel."
UP RIVER.
"Thursday the thirteenth of June," he says : "By two o'clock in the morning, to take advantage of the tide, our captain and men went from our ship up to that part of the river which trended westward into the main, to search that ; and we carried with us a cross, to erect at that point, which we left on the shore until our return back, when we set it up in manner as the former. For this we diligently observed, that in no place, either about the islands, or up in the main, or alongst the river, we could discern any token or sign that ever any christian had been there before ; of which, either by cutting wood, digging for water, or set- ting up crosses, (a thing never omitted by any christian travelers), we should have perceived some mention left."
"But to return to our river further up into which we then rowed by estimation twenty miles, the beauty and good- ness whereof I cannot by relation sufficiently demonstrate." The distance here given, is evidently an over-estimate ; for forty miles, besides the time spent in setting up that cross, would be a feat which men in their circumstances would be unable, in a single day to perform. Twenty miles or even fifteen, would be a long distance for a single company to row a boat in one day, besides attending to other duties. And so also when he says : "For from the place of our ship riding in the harbor at the entrance into the sound,- Pentecost Harbor-to the furthest part we were in the river, by our estimation was not much less than three score miles." You will observe it was not a matter of measure- ment but guess-work ; estimation is his word.
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THE RETURN.
"Friday the fourteenth of June, with the tide, our two boats and a little wind, we rowed down to the river's mouth and there came to anchor about eleven o'clock." The ship could not have been very far up river, to have reached the month of it at that early time of day. The rest of the day was spent in making observations and taking soundings about the mouth of the river and among the islands. "And the next day being Saturday we weighed anchor, and with a breeze from the land, we sailed up to our Watering place and there stopped, went on shore and filled our casks with water." And the day following, Sunday the 16th, they set sail for England. Friday, the 17th of May, they cast anehor three miles North of Monhegan ; and Sunday, the 16th of June, they set sail for England. Thus they were on the coast just thirty days.
And now I would, with all deference and respect, like to ask those who think that Boothbay Harbor was Pentecost Harbor-that the Sagadahock was the river that Wey- mouth discovered, and that the Chopps at Merrymeeting Bay was the bend "of the river, that trended westward into the main," and that this was the place of anchorage of the Archangel, how it was possible for them to perform all these mighty acts, in this short space of time ? Tues- day, the 11th of June, they went up from their anchorage to that point of the river which suited best their purpose, by estimation 26 miles-Wednesday they went up to the codde, creek, on the eastern side of the river, left their boat, travelled in the heat toward the mountains till they were overcome by fatigue, when they returned to the ship -Thursday they set up a cross at the bend of the river and spent that day in making observations, and the next day at four in the morning, they left their anchorage, and with a light wind and favorable tide arrived at the mouth of the river-how it was possible for a vessel of the size of the Archangel, in that short space of time, only three
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days and a half, to go from Boothbay Harbor to the Chopps on the Kennebee and accomplish what they did? How could the Archangel, in a single day, go all this dis- tance, and come back again in a period of only seven hours, from four to eleven in the morning? How was it possible, in the first place, to find their way up there in that short space of time? Remember that the country was new-the way unexplored, and how happened it that they found the way to this spot? In the first place, they would have to go up through the narrow passage, between Cape Newaggan and Boothbay, called the Gut, to get into the Sheepscot river, and then instead of following up this broad and beautiful sheet of water to its head, they shouldl cross over and search out the narrow passage between Squam Island and Erascohegan, up through Great Hell Gate into Hoekomoek Bay-then up by Hockomock itself into that blind passage, the Cross river and Little Hell Gate, westerly, till you open into the Kennebec opposite Bath-and then, instead of anchoring here, they ascended the river till it branches into the Androscoggin where they came to anchor-a distance nearer 50 miles than that given by Rosier? And if this was the river, and the meeting of the waters of the Androscoggin with the Kennebec, or near there, the place of anchorage, where were the moun- tains ? Merrymeeting Bay is there, but not the mountains which Rosier states were within a day's travel of the place where this ship lay. If you say that Capt. Wey- month had already been up this river, in the boat and dis- covered it on the 30th and 31st of May, and that he already knew the way, I would ask you how it was possible to make such a geographical discovery as this in the short space of twenty-four hours, during which he was absent, and taking out of them the sleeping hours of the night, which would leave only about twelve hours for observation, and going the whole distance ?
Now all this is natural and consistent, assuming that the
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St. George was the river, and the Camden Hills with the heavy forests standing upon them making them much higher than they are now, and the high lands trending westward through the town of Union and others, were the hills that Rosier had in view and among which his newly discovered river had its source ; but on the theory that Boothbay was the Pentecost Harbor, and those narrow, winding, blind passages which led from Boothbay Harbor to the opening through the Gut into the Kennebec, or the Kennebec itself, was the river that Captain Weymouth ascended when he went up toward the mountains, is the most unnatural and forced application of anything historical or geographical, that has ever come within the range of my knowledge.
STRACHEY.
And now let us call in our second witness-Strachey. Having given an account of his voyage and of their falling in with the islands and coast of Maine, and describing the last land which had called their attention, he says : "Nine leagues or more from yt, there be three high moun- tains that lie on the land, the land called Segohquet, neere about the river of Penobscot. They stood toward this high land untill twelve of the clock, noone the next daye and they found the ship to be by observation in 43.
"From twelve of the clock, noone, they kept their course due west and come neere unto three islands. These lyeth so-west from the easter-most of three islands, a white rockye island ; so they stood their course west fast by then, and as they stood to the westward, the high land before spoken of made shewe of this forme"-he liere gives a picture of it-"bearing of them nor-nor-west.
"From hence they kept on their course west and by nore towards three other islands which they saw lying from those islands eiglit leagues ; and about ten of the clock at night, having sent in their boat before, to make it, they bore in for one of them which they afterwards named St.
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George's Island. In the morning they were envyroned every way with islands, they told upwards of thirty islands from aboard their shipp, very good sayling out between them.
"They weyed anchor thereby to ride in more safety how- ever the wind should happen to blow ; how be yt before they put from the island they found a erosse set up, one of the same which Captain George Weyman, in his discovery, for all after occasions, left upon the island." This defines Pentecost Harbor. beyond mistake,-among the islands. And as they sailed westward, since first discovering the high mountain, it brought them Northerly from where they lay. Stachey gives a sketch of their appearance.
Having given a pencil view of the land and of the moun- tains, Strachey says : "About midnight, Captain Gilbert caused his shipp's boat to be mannde with fourteen persons and the Indian Skidawares, brought into England by Cap- tain Wayman, and rowed to the westwurd from their shipp, to the river of Pemaquid, which they found to be four leagues distant from the shipp, where she road."
Now, if they rowed West from Pentecost Harbor four leagues to reach Pemaquid, then Pentecost Harbor must be four leagues or more East from Pemaquid, as it certain- ly must be, if Pentecost .Harbor lies to the West of that point. But Rosier and Strachey both place it to the East of Pemaquid, among the islands, and the eross that Weymouth set up there forever settles the question where the Harbor was to which Captain Weymouth gave his, to him, appro- priate name.
"Sunday, the chief of both the ships, with the greatest part of the company, landed on the island where the eross stood, the which they called St. George's Island, and heard a sermon delivered unto them by Rev. Mr. Seymour the chaplain, and returned abourd againe."
They returned to their ships towards evening where they still rode, under St. George's Island. Afterwards they
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weighed anchor and set sail for the Sagadahock. They went West, and passed the island of "Sutquin," to reach it. This shows conclusively, that the river of Waymouth's discovery, was many miles to the East of that which has sometimes been called the Sagadahock.
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