USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Windham > Windham in the past > Part 22
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"Field Drivers" were chosen to look after the unruly cattle; "Fence Viewers," to see that the fences were built according to law; while the "Way Wardens" were supposed to keep the highways in a passable condition.
All these old-time offices have become things of the past, and their several duties are now performed by the board of select- nien.
It is impossible for us of the present generation to realize fully the hardships and privations which our ancestors had to contend with in the early settlement of Windham. When
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Thomas Chute made his first settlement here in 1738, the town- ship was an unbroken wilderness, and contained not an acre of cleared land where a white man had ever lived, nor a single inhabitant, except it might be a few Indians, who occasionally came here for hunting and fishing. The nearest English settle- ments were miles away through a dense forest, and were reached only by foot paths marked by "blazed" trees, or by the Pre- sumpscot River, up whose rapid eurrent they transported their first supplies in rude boats.
Bears broke down their fences and ravaged their growing crops; wolves and fierce wild cats attacked and killed their sheep; and sly foxes stole barn-yard fowls. Notwithstanding all these trials, they steadily continued the arduous work of clearing and improving the land.
They foresaw that farming must be their chief dependenee for many years, and every acre, when eleared, was sown with grass seed. In the process of time, English hay became plenty, which enabled them to keep more live stock, besides having a surplus, that found a ready market among the lumbermen, who had already began operations at various points on the Pre- sumpscot River.
The land was new and produced good crops of corn, rye, barley, oats, peas, beans, and flax ; turnips, beets, and other gar- den vegetables were raised in large quantities. But few potatoes were planted, as these were not regarded with much favor as an article of diet at that time, and tradition tells of a settler, who raised five bushels one year, and was at a loss how to dispose of his surplus erop, as he said that one bushel would be all that he and his family, consisting of seven grown persons, could possibly eat that winter.
After the first two years, the settlers were able to produce nearly all their food and clothing from the farms; but, until the first erops were harvested, they sometimes suffered for the bare necessaries of life. Their food during this period consisted principally of vegetables, with but little meat, unless they were lucky enough to kill a moose, deer, or bear. The river, however, abounded with delicious salmon, and the smaller streams with speekled trout, and these added greatly to their scanty fare. In fact, it was a time of rejoicing in the little settlement, when spring eame and the salmon began to run.
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Their clothing, for many years, was manufactured at home from the wool of their own sheep, which was carded, spun, and woven by the wives and daughters of each household, and the music of the spinning wheel and hand loom was heard often- times far into the night. The yarn was woven on the old- fashioned hand loom, and was colored at home with dyes made of the barks of various forest trees. Garments for every day wear were coarse and heavy, and received no other finish than could be given by the good wife. A finer variety of cloth made of selected wool was sent to the cloth .dressers at Falmouth, or elsewhere, to be colored and finished for Sunday wear.
The men wore breeches and coats, with ample skirts and low collars; the brecches reaching to just below the wearer's knees, where they were fastened by bands or buckles of brass or some other metal. They also wore long, home-knit stockings and low shoes, fastened with broad steel buckles instead of laces. The boys wore jackets and trousers, instead of coats and breeches; and, in the summer time, generally went barefooted. The women and girls dressed in homemade flannel expressly finished for that purpose, and dyed, usually some shade of brown. Their stockings, the product of their own skillful fingers, were knit from choice wool, dyed various colors to suit the wearer's fancy, while their shoes were made of the best ealf- skin then obtainable.
At this time, cotton had not come into general use, and the few articles manufactured from it were costly; hence a calico dress was regarded as a treasure, to be preserved with care and only worn to church, or on festive occasions.
Coffee was an unheard of luxury, and tea was rarely tasted. Chocolate, however, was common and was used by nearly every family.
Every farm had its patch of flax, from which the females manufactured linen cloth, which they made into pillow slips, sheets, table covers, napkins, and various articles of wearing apparel. Some of these were woven in beautiful and intricate designs.
They bore their daily burdens with sublime courage; and, although their days were dark and stormy, in the extreme, they never faltered, but did their whole duty and waited patiently
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for better times. All honor, then, to those early wives, mothers, and daughters, who, while daring all things, even death from a cruel and relentless foe, did their part in making this wilderness blossom like the rose.
Notwithstanding the early settlers were poor as they well could be, they were hospitable to a fault and were ready to share with others the little they possessed, one of their eustoms being to always offer refreshments of some kind to every chance visitor.
It has been truly said that mankind is more or less super- stitious, and our ancestors were no exception to the general rule. They confidently believed in witches, ghosts, various signs, and portents. In this, they simply followed the teachings of the most profound scholars and theologians of the age. Hence, indis- putable facts go to prove the falsity of the old idea that supersti- tion is confined to the ignorant elasses alone.
Who was it, we ask, who wrote page after page to prove the truth of witeheraft? It was no less than Rev. Doctors Increase and Cotton Mather, two of the most learned divines and versa- tile writers of early New England.
Who was it that sent many a poor wretch to the gallows for the same supposed crime ? It was Sir Matthew Hale, ealled in history "The Just Judge; the light of the British Bar, the honest lawyer and the man without prejudice." Yet he could calmly pronounee sentence of death on innocent men and women, simply because he was superstitious enough to believe them capable of doing mischief through the medium of some diabolical ageney.
As late as 1790, Rev. Dr. Deane, second minister of Portland, wrote a long treatise full of words of "learned length and thundering sound," to prove that the best time to gather apples was on the first day of the full moon; though why the second or third would not have been equally favorable, it is hard to tell. He also gravely informs us that he invariably planted corn and potatoes on the increase of the same luminary.
The fact is, whether we are willing to admit it or not, that nearly everybody has some particular sign or portent in which he puts more or less faith; so, if our ancestors were super- stitious, they had the law, eivil and divine, as the foundation- stone of their belief.
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July 31, 1767, a violent hurricane, such as never was known here before, occurred.
Thomas L. Smith, Esq., in the "History of Windham," says, quoting from another authority: "It commenced near Sebago Pond, took an easterly direction, passing through the north- easterly corner of Gorham, crossed the Presumpscot river at Loveitt's Falls, passed through the middle of Windham, directly over the Duck Pond, (now called Highland Lake,) through the north part of, and the south part of North Yarmouth to the sea. It appears to have been most violent in the town of Falmouth. It unroofed the house of Mr. Purinton, situated near the Duck Pond, and prostrated everything in its course except a few sturdy oaks, but abated in some measure after it entered North Yarmouth, so as not to do much damage in that town. It ex- tended in breadth about three fourths of a mile."
This tornado is further described by an eye-witness, whose record tells us that he was at work with several men and four cxen, rolling logs into the river at a place called Whitney's landing. This place is just below Loveitt's Falls and near where the late Israel Kemp lived; and is a level space extending back from the river about ten or twelve rods to a steep bank fifty or sixty feet high, covered at that time with a heavy growth of trees.
*He says, "The day was extremely hot and sultry all the morning and not a breath of air was stirring and the men as well as the oxen suffered greatly from the heat. Towards noon, while busy at work we were suddenly startled by a strange rushing noise, to the westward of the place where we were at work; on which we clambered up the steep bank to ascertain the cause, and when at the top, saw with amazement and alarm, a portentious looking cloud rapidly approaching the spot where we stood. It appeared to be of a sulphurous color, that reminded us of the storm that overwhelmed the ancient cities of the plain, so vividly described in Holy Writ.
"On it came with tremendous speed bearing before it large trees torn bodily from the earth, shattered limbs twisted from the parent stems, and in fact everything except large stones,
. I very much regret that the Author does not give us the name of this eye-witness. F. H. D.
--
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that happened to be in its track. Thoroughly alarmed at the awful sight, we hastened down the steep bank, and waited in mortal terror until the fury of storm had passed by, which it did in a short time, leaving the sky perfectly clear and eloud- less. Neither rain, hail, thunder nor lightning accompanied the hurricane. We found our oxen unharmed, but so hemmed in by fallen trees, that it took us several hours of hard work to liberate them." This is no doubt as correct a description of the occurrence as ean be obtained at this time, and is probably all that will ever be known about the great "Hurricane" of that far-off year, 1767.
In 1775, occurred an extensive forest fire, in speaking of which Mr. Smith, in his history, says: "It commeneed at Gambo Falls on the Presumpscot, and passed through the town in the same direction, and following the course of the hurricane. This fire did considerable damage. It consumed seven dwelling houses and their contents, with other buildings; four near the fourth Congregational Meeting-house stood, and three at Gambo Falls."
We think that Mr. Smith is in error in regard to this event, it being a well-known fact that the great fire of 1775 originated in the northerly part of Gorham, and was started by Uriah Nason, an early settler.
The story, as told by his deseendants, relates that, for several years, he suffered greatly from the depredations of wild animals, which were then quite numerous. Especially black bears stole the old settler's calves, sheep, and pigs, besides making a general havoe among his growing erops, so he waged a war of extermina- tion against the whole tribe. He shot and trapped large num- bers each year.
However, there was an old ranger that proved too much for the sturdy pioneer. He set numberless traps and artfully eon- trived pitfalls; he watched night after night, rifle in hand, to compass the maurader's destruction, but all in vain. The old fellow kept at a respectful distance from the death-dealing rifle, while to eseape the traps was mere child's play.
Finally, Mr. Nason, after a long and patient seareh, dis- covered the bear's den among the debris of the hurricane; and, failing to drive him from his stronghold by any other means, he set fire to the mouth of the den.
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The wind was blowing a gale from the west, and, in a short time, a conflagration of no small magnitude was raging all along the line. It followed the track of the hurricane, crossed the Presumpscot River at Loveitt's Falls, and swept through Wind- ham, until arrested by the Duck Pond.
The statement made by Mr. Smith that "seven dwelling houses, and other buildings" were consumed by this fire, we cannot now verify.
Friday, May 19, 1780, is known throughout New England as the "Dark Day." This phenomenon has been described by various writers and scientific men, but none give a more vivid picture of the occurrence than Whittier, in his poem entitled "Abraham Davenport."
' 'Twas on a May-day of the far old year Seventeen hundred eighty, that there fell Over the bloom and sweet life of the Spring, Over the fresh earth and the heaven of noon, A horror of great darkness, like the night In day of which the Norland sagas tell,- The Twilight of the Gods. The low-hung sky Was black with ominous clouds, save where its rim Was fringed with a dull glow, like that which climbs The crater's sides from the red hell below.
Birds ceased to sing, and all the barn-yard fowls Roosted ; the cattle at the pasture bars Lowed, and looked homeward; bats on leathern wings Flitted abroad; the sounds of labor died;
Men prayed, and women wept; all ears grew sharp To hear the doom-blast of the trumpet shatter The black sky, that the dreadful face of Christ Might look from the rent clouds, not as he looked A loving guest at Bethany, but stern As Justice and inexorable Law."
We can add nothing to the poet's words, save to say that they most graphically describe the condition of things as they existed in Windham on that memorable day. The people were compelled to light candles at noon-day, and a physician whose duties obliged him to be out that night, stated that it was so dark that he could not see his white handkerchief two feet from
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his face, although it was the time of the full moon. People watched and waited all night in mortal terror, but the next morning the sun rose on a clear and cloudless sky, thus dispell- ing the darkness of the preceding day and night, and also the gloomy forebodings that had oppressed their minds.
January 18, 1810, is memorable in the annals of New Eng- land as the "Cold Friday." From tradition and a few printed accounts now extant, it would seem as if nothing like it was ever known before in this vicinity. It appears that the day previous was warm, the thermometer ranging from 45 to 50 degrees above zero, with a southerly wind; which, in the afternoon, changed suddenly to the north and commenced to blow with hurricane force. It continued to grow cold that night, and the next day the country was in the grip of a severe blizzard, with the mercury standing at 30 degrees below zero. The wind abated nothing of its force through the day, and the air was so filled with par- ticles of fine snow and hail that objects were rendered invisible at two rods distant.
It seems to have reached its highest point of intensity in central New Hampshire, where buildings were blown down, and several people, together with large numbers of domestic animals, were frozen to death.
In Maine, many sheep and cattle perished, but so far as we can ascertain, no human beings lost their lives.
On the night of Nov. 13th. 1833, occurred a meteoric shower, said by astronomers to be the most brilliant one ever seen on this continent. It was visible from the Great Lakes to the equator. Phosphoric lines swept over the sky like the flakes of a snow storm. Large meteors darted across the heavens, leaving luminous trains behind them that were visible sometimes for half an hour. These generally shed a soft white light; however, yellow, green, and other colors varied the scene.
It was observed in Windham by several people and is de- scribed as something truly appalling. Jonathan Loveitt, a well- known citizen, makes the following quaint entry in his diary : "Nov. 13, 1833, the stars fell as thick as they was in the skye."
Another eye-witness, in describing the scene, said that the entire heavens seemed to be on fire from one end to the other, as far as he could see. Many were greatly terrified at the awful sight, thinking that the end of all things was at hand.
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There lived in Windham, at that time, a natural philosopher, who, on being awakened from a sound sleep by his wife, with the somewhat alarming intelligence that the Day of Judgment had come, calmly remarked that the Day of Judgment wouldn't come in the night. Having delivered himself of this pithy opinion, he turned over in bed and went to sleep, without even looking at the celestial display.
How long this shower continued, we do not know; but, with the coming daylight, it became invisible, and the fear and excite- ment of the seene died away. It was for a long time remem- bered and spoken of as "the night when the stars fell."
Several freshets have occurred on the Presumpscot and Pleasant rivers. The first one of which we have any record took place April 25, 1827, and is noticed by Mr. Loveitt, in his diary, as follows: "Water very high, carried away Pleasant river bridge, Sacearap bridge, Congin and all below to the sea," and adds, "We have two thunder showers, with very sharp Light- ning." This was probably caused by a cloud burst on the head waters of the Pleasant River.
Again on May 7, 1814, he writes, "Rainy to the 13th, very high water."
The winter of 1842-3, was notable for the large amount of snow that fell. Many heavy storms were frequent through the winter, and, by the last of April, 1843, it was said that the snow was five feet deep on a level. This melted rapidly, and, in May, caused freshets in various sections of Maine and New Hamp- shire. On the Presumpseot it did considerable damage at the powder mills at Gambo, besides carrying away several bridges below.
Mr. Loveitt also notices two earthquakes, as follows: "Nov. 28th, 1814. At half past seven o'clock in the evening there was a very heavy shock of an earthquake, from S. W. to N. E."
Again, on Sunday, Feb. 22, 1807, he writes, "There was an earthquake at 2 o'clock in the afternoon."
Major Edward Anderson, who had a sawmill on Pleasant River near the village of Windham Hill, caused an artificial outlet to be made from a small pond into Smith's Brook, which empties into the river, for the purpose of supplying his mill with an additional quantity of water. This outlet inereased in
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size, until two sawmills were erected upon it. On June 4, 1814, the water undermined the dam, swept it and the mills from their foundations, and forced its way into Pleasant River, and so to the Presumpseot. This freshet carried away one sawmill, one grist mill, four bridges on Pleasant River, and the Gambo and Horse Beef bridges on the Presumpscot, besides doing other damage.
The great freshet which destroyed the Pope manufacturing plant has been described in a previous chapter.
Between July 19, 1828, and Feb. 7, 1901, the powder mills at Gambo have had twenty-five explosions, by which forty-five men lost their lives, besides several others who were injured, but recovered.
Mr. Jonathan Loveitt thus records the first explosion (July 19, 1828) in the following quaint language :
"The Powder mill to Gambo blew off and Seven men Blowed off. Their names as follows, Josiah Clark, Hanson Irish, Major Mains, Wm. Moses, James Green, Noah Babb and Daniel Moses Badly burnt," others dead, and he adds "all dead."
Sinee the above date, the following persons have been killed while working in and around the mills :
Oet. 17th, 1835, Charles Humphrey.
Sept. 2d, 1847, Greenleaf Baehelder.
July 18th, 1849, Dennis Hatch.
Oct. 1st, 1850, Leander White.
Sept. 22d, 1851, Thomas Bickford.
Oct. 12th, 1855, Luther Robinson, Edwin Hardy, John Swett, Franklin Hawkes, Samuel Phinney, George Whipple, Jame Whipple.
May 6th, 1856, Alfred R. Allen.
Oct. 4th, 1856, George White, Oliver Gerry, Peter Ritchie.
Jan. 15th, 1859, David C. Jones.
July 9th, 1861, Charles Carmichael.
July 7th, 1862, Augustus H. Little, Albert Glidden, Mark Varney.
Nov. 15th, 1863, Haggart Freeman.
Feb. 22d, 1869, Charles Charlow.
July 2d, 1869, Benjamin Hawkes.
Aug. 6th, 1870, Frank Jordan.
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Nov. 15th, 1871, John Densmore.
Oct. 27th, 1879, C. P. Stokes, Clinton Mayberry.
Jan. 31st, 1884, Reuben Kenny.
Ma. 11th, 1886, Clarence Clay, Harry Hooper.
Nov. 5th, 1888, Walter Childs, Edwin Williams.
Dee. 3d, 1888, William Bamblet.
May 9th, 1898, Walter Maxfield, Frank Guptill.
Feb. 7th, 1901, Thomas A. Field, John Ross.
There have been other explosions at these works, in which no person was injured, and of which no record has been kept.
One that took place during the Civil War destroyed seven mills in less than twenty minutes. Fortunately, however, the workmen had finished their day's labor and left the mills a few minutes before and thus escaped injury.
In the foregoing pages we have traced the history of Wind- ham, from the time when it was granted to sixty-three men of old Marblehead, to comparatively recent times. The territory thus granted was a dense wilderness, lying at the back of the little fringe of English settlements along the sea coast.
It required men of steady nerve, undaunted courage, and strong determination to settle in this wilderness; yet such un- doubtedly was the character of our ancestors. Cut off from home, friends, and all their early associations, under difficulties and dangers, such as we today can form no adequate conception of, they labored and sacrificed to lay the foundation of future success broad and deep, that their children might enjoy the blessings of liberty and civilization.
The results are before us. In the place of the unbroken forest, we see well-cultivated farms; and, in place of uncom- fortable log huts, are to be found well-built and even elegant dwellings, filled with everything that renders life comfortable and happy. Thriving villages have grown up where once the wilderness frowned; manufactories flourish among us, giving employment to a large proportion of the inhabitants; school- houses and churches dot the hillsides in every direction; books and newspapers adorn the homes; and a high state of education prevails among the citizens.
While thus in the enjoyment of these manifold blessings, let us not forget the debt we owe to those sturdy men of old, who laid the foundation of our present prosperity.
GENEALOGY
CHAPTER XV
ALLEN
Peltiah Allen, first of the name to settle in Windham, was the son of Francis and Mary Allen of Kittery. He was born in that town, Dee. 14, 1746; married, Apr. 20, 1766, Hannah, daughter of Ebenezer and Hannah Hall. From manuscripts in the possession of the Allen family, we learn that three brothers named Hall came to this country from England. One of them was drowned, and one returned to England; the third one, Ebenezer, settled on Martinicus Island, which, the manu- script says, "he bought and paid for." By his first wife, whose name is not known, he had three children, Ebenezer, Susan, and Hannah. Mrs. Hall died when the last-named child was but one day old, and a Mrs. Green was employed to nurse and take care of the motherless infant. Mrs. Green's husband dying about this time, Mr. Hall married her for his second wife, and they had three children, Peter, Phebe, and Tabitha. While the last children were quite young, the house was attacked by a party of Indians, but being built of logs and construeted with refer- ence to probable attaeks from the savages, it was suecessfully defended by the inmates, for three days and nights. Quiet having reigned outside for some hours, Mr. Hall, thinking the Indians had gone away, ventured to take a look from the win- dow. The savages had not left, as he expected, but were hidden in ambush near by and immediately shot Mr. Hall dead. As he fell back into the room, the frightened children cried out, "Father is dead." The mother not being able to prevent their lamentations, the savages who were listening found out that the principal defender was either dead or mortally wounded. They at onee renewed their assault, and, in a few moments, broke down the door and took the mother and the children prisoners. After this, they plundered the house of such things as they cared
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for, set fire to the buildings, and drove their captives before them to Canada.
Williamson, in his "History of Maine," on Page 326 of Vol. 2, gives the following account of this event, which differs but slightly from the old manuscript: "On the first of June, 1757, a party of Indians beset the dwelling house of Ebenezer Hall, on the Island Martinieus, containing his wife and a young family of two sons, three daughters and a son-in-law. He was a man of courage and some distinction, having been a lieutenant at the reduction of Cape Breton. The attacks were renewed several days, and the house resolutely defended by him and his wife, at the imminent hazard of their lives, until the 10th; when he was killed, his house broken up, rifled of its contents, and re- duced to ashes. The brave Hall was then scalped, and his wife and children carried into captivity. At some place up the Penobscot, she underwent the painful trial of being seperated from them; thence compelled to take up a tedious journey to Quebec. The fair captive was a woman of piety and charms, which attracted every eye. Captivated by her uncommon abilities and beauty, Capt. Andrew Watkins, in a spirit of honor and generosity, paid her ransom, amounting to 215 livres, and finding a vessel bound to England, procured a passage for her thither. From that country she re-crossed the Atlantic, return- ing by the way of New York to Falmouth, after an absence of 13 months-but notwithstanding her inquiries were pursued for her captive children, through a long life, with the energetie perseverance that marked her character, she could never gain the least knowledge of either. A son of 12 years old, by a former husband, Mr. Greene, who was in the house when it was assailed, escaped and hid himself, until the savages were gone; and, after three days, he ventured with an old canoe into the bay, where he was taken on board of a vessel. Subsequent to the war, his mother and he returned to the Island, and dwelt there till her death."
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