USA > Maine > Lincoln County > Wiscasset > Wiscasset in early days : historical notes pertaining to the old town on the Sheepscot River > Part 2
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The files contain a letter from James Bridge, written just prior to the elec- tion of directors in 1803, expressing, as he so well could, his appreciation of the honor of having been invited to the directorship and regretting that his many duties made it impossible for him to serve longer, and recommending that Capt. William Robinson be elected to succeed him on the board. Later, Col. Arthur Lithgow, of Augusta, whose wife was Patty Bridge, a sister of James Bridge, appears as a director. Other changes occurred from time to time, and on the seventh of September, 1807, the Clerk of the corporation, John Merrill, Jr., recorded the following ac- tion of the stockholders:
Voted, Unanimously, that the Stockholders of the Lincoln & Kennebec Bank do approve of the conduct of the late President the Honorable William King for his able attentive & impartial discharge of the duties of his Office
Voted, Unanimously that the new President of said Bank be di- rected to present William King, Esgr. the late President with a peice of Plate to the value of five hundred dollars as a token of the Stockholders approbation of his past services.
The commercial transactions of Messrs. Abiel Wood, Jr., Moses Carlton, Jr., William King and Peleg Tallman became so varied and so extensive that, in order to facilitate the same they, in addition to their banking and insur- ance connection, organized a commis- sion house in which they had as part- ners Charles Savage, who for a time was a resident at Waterville and who married the charming Miss Susan Wood, a sister of Mr. Wood, and John B. Frazier, of Boston, a brother of Mrs. King-the title of the firm being Fra-
zier, Savage & Company, and its prin- cipal place of business in Boston. The items of account of Frazier and Frazier Savage & Co. with the Bank appear of magnitude: At the turn of the year, 1810 to 1811, Frazier was charged with the balance of the Frazier-Savage ac- count, $3,440.08, with balance of inter- est account as stated by the committee of accounts in December, 1809, $3,665.11, and with interest on balance of account as stated by the committee, say on $36- 640 for one year to December, 1810, $2,- 198.40; and he was credited on the 4th of January, 1911, with amount of prem- ium account to 5th April, 1808, $2,064.84, with balance of premium account as stated in December, 1809, $12,222.76, and balance of interest thereon $830.77, with commissions on $417,179.52 @ 1/4 of 1%, $1,040.45, and with short credited on same December, 1810, @ 1/2 of 1%, $2,080.90. The next day, 5th January, 1811, Abiel Wood, Jr., was credited with the net proceeds of his endorsed note, $18,315, and same of his marine stock note, $5,049; on the same date Moses Carlton, Jr., had credit for the net pro- ceeds of his indorsed note, $18,315; and Frazier was credited with Wood's
check for $18,320 and with Carlton's check for a like amount. We have seen that Captain Tallman was President of the Lincoln and Kennebeck Marine In- surance Company, which Company, it may be supposed, had its office in the bank building: that the Insurance Company was a good customer of the Bank is indicated by entries to the ef- fect that the notes discounted for the Company from 8th May, 1809, to 2d July, 1810, amounted to $161,568. The Bank had a custom of carrying "stock" notes, so-called, and at one date the stock notes of Major Wood amounted to $19,008. By all which it is evident that the great quartet of Wood, Carl- ton, King and Tallman were equipped with every method of profiting from their various combinations, which also included extensive real estate holdings in Maine.
On the whole the Bank did a profit- able business and made dividends to the shareholders from the first year, the highest annual rate being 10%, and in no year less than 6%, paying in all twenty dividends in its existence of ten years, at the end of which term it was liquidated by reason, it is believed, of the expiration of its charter.
In liquidation the bank building and the original lot of land upon which it stands together with the furniture and apparatus of the bank fetched the sum
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WISCASSET IN EARLY DAYS
of six thousand dollars. At that time the modern roof which the building now has had not been thought of, the structure being a two story brick build- ing for public uses and the second floor was under rent to the County for the offices of the clerk of the courts, the register of probate and the register of deeds and there they kept their records and files. It then had stone steps along the Main Street front which had two entrances, which steps had been added in 1810-11 at a cost of $768.61.
That the notes issued by the Bank were not all redeemed we have evi- dence here tonight. The records show that as late as 13th May, 1817, notes of the Bank to the amount of $139, held by Joel R. Ellis and Robert C. Vose who were in partnership in Augusta under the firm name of Joel R. Ellis & Com- pany, were presented to Cashier Roby for payment which was refused; where- upon the holders brought suit against the Bank for the face value of the notes and interest thereon at 2% per month and sought to establish their allegation that William King, Abiel Wood, Moses Carlton and Samuel Cony were trustees, but at the June Term, Supreme Judicial Court, 1818, the suit was discontinued as to the supposed trustees; judgment was taken at the September Term for $210.92 plus $38.72 for costs of court.
The
influential
combination
of
WOOD, CARLTON, KING AND TALLMAN
was also a power in the politics of Lin- coln County. The formation of parties in the United States began at about the time of the Jefferson administration, although Senator Maclay's Journal kept during his participation in the proceedings of the first session of the Congress contains evidence that an op- position party was then already in
embryo. Massachusetts and Maine were Federalist. Silas Lee, of Wis- casset, a Federalist Representative in the Congress in the early days of Jef- ferson's administration, was offered appointment to the office of United States District Attorney for the Dis- trict of Maine, not because of any par- ticular regard on Jefferson's part, but in a hope that the choice of his suc- cessor might fall upon a Democrat, or Republican, as members of his party were then known, and thus strengthen the administration party in the Con- gress. The scheme failed to work, however, and Col. Samuel Thatcher, a Federalist, was returned. It was alleged that at that time Orchard Cook, of
Wiscasset, offered himself as a Fereral- ist candidate and that as such failed of election. The Eastern Argus, then the only Democratic organ in Maine, was founded in 1803; and in 1804 Cook was brought forward as a Democratic can- didate for the Congress.
On the 29th of October, 1804, a few days before election day, there ap- peared in Jenks's Portland Gazette, a Federalist newspaper, an "Address to Electors of Lincoln District" from
which I will quote:
But, fellow citizens, we have now a new cause of alarm. A danger- ous plot is formed against your liberties; a powerful combination threatens to revolutionize Lincoln -a plan which assumes an appear- ance as formidable as it is disgrace- ful and wicked. Four men only are at the head of this conspiracy. One of them situated at Bath- another in Woolwich-and two at Wiscasset, threaten to compel you by absolute force to serve their purposes of political ambition and revenge their political disappoint- ment. These men being among di- rectors of the bank and insurance company at Wiscasset and being largely interested in commercial connections lately formed in Bos- ton have made a public declara- tion in the hearing of many re- spectable citizens, that they will not only employ all the power and influence which their situations and property in these corporations will give them, but that they will make the whole property of the stockholders subservient to their political views. This actually gives them a power which may possibly enable them to command a majority of the votes in Lincoln district, un- less you resolve to be independent and defend yourselves against the bold and wicked attempt thus to abuse such influence, and insult your rights.
The communication charged that they say that they do not support Judge Cook because they like the man, but only to effect a change at present, in order to make way for some other candidate. Who this other is, many of you besides the inhabitants of Bath, can
easily determine.
(Signed) LINCOLN
On the evening before election the Wiscasset members of the combination in favor of Judge Cook were thrown into consternation, as will appear by the
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WISCASSET IN EARLY DAYS
WILLIAM KING
following communications sent by special messenger to King at Bath:
Wiscasset Novemr 4, 1804. Wm King Esq D Sir
Cap Parker has this moment re- turned from Portland & says the greatest exertions are making in the western part of the district to support the election of our Friend Tallman said to be an arrange- ment of yours-This Certainly will be not only a damning Stroke to the Election of the Candidate we have engaged to support, but will beside strike a home Stroke to our reputations & from what the Feds charge us with viz, triming-Tem- porizing-& acting an inconsistent part we have taken pains to send dispatches east this night to Coun- teract any effect this Idea may have in that Quarter & doubt not but you
will take
immediate methods to do the same in those Towns where this information may have reached-Judge Cook feels much hurt at the arrangement & thinks his worst enemies could not have planned a more Certain de- struction to his Election-We hope
for our own Characters not a Vote will be given for Cap Tallman be- cause it will be ruining our Char- acters gratify'g in the highest de- gree those who are our greatest political Enemies-& Cap Tallman Certainly will feel hurt at being handled in this way-& we Cer- tainly shall be exposed to the lash of public Censure by acting this double part-We can hardly express how much Mr Cook is hurt & we with him think it will be Complete- ly fatal should not the plan be to- tally altered-
Your &c A. Wood, Jr. Moses Carlton, Jr.
Besides the joint letter here copied Moses Carlton, Jr., wrote a personal note to King upon the same subject, asking for an answer by the bearer. And Judge Cook wrote:
Mr King-I will still consider you my Friend-although you are ruining the Election-what will be said-or rather will not be said- already they say you have aban- doned the very man you was first to nominate Unless-you instantly send to Topsham & elsewhere men & Horses-to stop the plan-you are Culpable-& unless it is efect- ually stopd-the Election is gone & your character will be Mirth for your Enemies
That the bluff and fiery Captain Tallman did not submit patiently to the accusations of LINCOLN there is evidence in the recorded action of his town:
We the Inhabitants of the Town of Woolwich, being warned and assembled in due form of law:
We have now before us "Jenks' Portland Gazette," of the 29th Oct. last past, in which we read a libellous piece signed "Lincoln"- This infamous piece, in pointed terms, charges one of our peaceable inhabitants with attempts to revo- lutionize this District; "That he will make the whole property of the Bank and "Insurance Company, now established in this District
"subservient to his ambitious views," together with many other gross and groundless charges-The gentleman alluded to in this dirty piece, (for it deserves no softer name) is too plainly pointed out to be mistaken; and we blush for the Villain who wrote it. It wounds our feelings to be obliged to defend the
12
WISCASSET IN EARLY DAYS
fair character of one of our fel- low townsmen against the asser- tions of this daring and wicked as- sassin. However, to satisfy the pub- lic mind, we do in town meeting UNANIMOUSLY declare that the gentleman thus alluded to, has never directly nor indirectly at- tempted to influence one of us in our political sentiments .- Some of us are Stockholders in the two in- corporations above mentioned, and we know that Lincoln's assertions respecting these bodies are false and wicked .- It is upwards of twenty years since this Gentleman first came to this town, he has al- ways conducted himself with pro- priety, he was active in the revolu- tionary war-he fought and bled, for our liberties, he for some years past has been charged with much of our public business, and has always conducted with fidelity and to our entire satisfaction, and we believe him as firmly attached to his country and our constitution, as any man in the country. And to find him in this public manner blackguarded and belied by some villian who conceals his name is what we ought not to pass over unnoticed :- We, therefore, unani- mously and publicly Vote, That this piece in the Portland Gazette, signed "Lincoln," is groundless, libellous, malicious and contempti- ble, it is calculated to make mis- chief, stir up strife, and disturb the peace and harmony of our inhabi- tants; and the author, whoever he is, deserves the severest punish- ment for his wickedness, and the printer a reprimand for the pub- lication .- Voted, That this our res- olution shall be published three weeks successively in Jenks' Port- land Gazette, and in the Eastern Repository.
Attest,
Michael Ryan, Town Clerk. Dated at Woolwich, this 5th day of November, 1804.
This was printed in the Portland Gazette of 19th November, 1804, and in the next issue of that paper is found the following:
Apostacy of Lincoln District .- Our friends at Woolwich have been indulged with the publication of their proceedings; and though no committee has yet waited on us to execute the vote of reprimand, we proceed with due deference and
.
candor to give the defence of "Lin- coln."
Mr. Jenks,
Having seen in your last paper a sort of advertisement purporting to be a vote of the inhabitants of the town of Woolwich, I was struck with the novelty of that measure, and cannot avoid expressing my opinion of it to the public. By whose influence the inhabitants of said town were induced to pass a vote so entirely beyond the power of a corporation, must be left to conjecture. As to the
effect of their vote, perhaps they themselves may determine the extent of it when they are assured that not- withstanding the coarse and inde- cent expressions which they have suffered to stain the records of their town, the writer of the piece at which their vulgar and intem- perate philippic is directed is not disposed to retract anything he has asserted; until better proof, than the unauthorized vote of a town, shall convince him he has been misinformed.
That a combination of the nature suggested by Lincoln was formed by four influential men, three of whom, three months ago claimed to be federalists, and acted with the federalists, can be proved in- contestibly. How far the members of that combination adhered to that compact, they individually can best inform the public. Whether they shrunk from the execution of their plan, when it was disclosed by Lincoln and other writers, or whether they exerted themselves publicly as well as privately, to car- ry it into effect, is little worth en- quiry; since the event they labored to produce, the election of a demo- crat to Congress, has by their de- parture from their avowed political principles, been unhappily secured.
Whether the gentleman residing at Woolwich, of whose political reputation the inhabitants of that town have become the guardians, saw his error before the election, and had not the hardihood to per- severe, is left for the people of the district to determine.
The writer under the signature "Lincoln" was so shocked at the sudden and unprecedented tergiv- ersation of several leading federal- ists in Lincoln district, that it is very probable, some expressions escaped him, which he would not
13
WISCASSET IN EARLY DAYS
have uttered in a cooler moment; but that the facts on which those observations were founded are true, his information respecting them, is too respectable to permit him to doubt.
As the inhabitants of Woolwich have seen fit to embark in a dis- pute which did not belong to them, it is proper to observe that al- though it appears, by the support given by them to the federal can- didates at the late election, either that no influence was attempted to be exercised over them in that par- ticular, or if attempted, that it did not meet with any success; yet that a more flagrant instance of the undue influence of an individu- al over their proceedings could not have been produced, than the pass- ing a vote replete with language and sentiments infinitely more of- fensive and irritating in their na- ture than any thing contained in the piece they so zealously and suddenly have undertaken to con- demn.
As it respects you, Mr. Jenks, I think it but justice to state that you declined publishing "Lincoln," from a doubt of the information upon which it was written, your opinion of the persons referred to, not suffering you to believe that they could be guilty of the conduct imputed to them, and that you did not consent to give place to the piece, until it was claimed of your partiality to do it, the writer hav- ing assured you of his beliefs of the facts. The reprimand voted to you, therefore, as a conductor of a free press, is less excusable than the rest of the extraordinary vote re- ferred to.
Having heard that the gentlemen at Bath and Wiscasset, who sup- posed themselves alluded to by Lin- coln, have threatened great things against the author, if they could find him; let them be assured that he does not mean to take the field against them, and that as soon as their public conduct shall, prove either that the charges against them are untrue, or that they re- pent of their agency in destroying the federal interest in this Dis- trict, no one will be more ready to do justice to their reputation than Lincoln.
"Manly Argument!"-The last Argus says, "By the little spite of a puny federal print, it would seem
that the election of Mr. Cook en- rages the insurgents or feds to madness; and the poor inconsistent souls now declare him unworthy to represent the republicans-but omit to tell us that three years since they extolled him as the honor of the district."
So much for the "Damsel's" "man- ly argument and facts!" Now be it known, that the above sentence was occasioned by the following arti- cle, which appeared in a respecta- ble paper published at Wiscasset:
"It is the duty of all peaceable and well disposed citizens to sub- mit to the will of the majority. Perhaps this restraint was never more irksome than at present. If we thought it the will of a majori- ty of the good people of this dis- trict, to be represented in Congress by the Hon. Orchard Cook in the room of Col. Samuel Thatcher, we would submit with cheerfulness; but we know to the contrary. It is acknowledged, even by his own party, that he is neither fit nor capable of filling, the office to which he is probably elected. We do not believe that Lincoln county is yet democratic, as the election, we trust, in April next will shew. In the late election the nerves of democracy have been stretched beyond its usual bounds; and the people have been most shamefully imposed upon. Personal enmity and self interest has been the sole cause of this change. We hope the people will learn wisdom by ex- perience; and not again sell their liberties and perhaps their country for-a glass of New England Rum!"
An occasional exposure of the falsehoods of the Argus has be- come necessary. To pass over the indecency of calling a large por- tion of our fellow-citizens IN-
SURGENTS, for differing in
opinion as to certain measures; and these citizens too who and ever have been the uniform supporters of the constitution and government -we shall at present be content with saying, it is false that the federalists ever "extolled Mr. Cook as the honor of the district." To be sure, some two or three years since this gentleman was candi- date for Congress, and professed himself a federalist; in consequence of which he obtained many federal votes, and there was no one op- posed to him but Mr. Kingsley, of
14
WISCASSET IN EARLY DAYS
jacobin memory; but Mr. Cook rather prematurely discovered his real sentiments, which he had taken pains to disguise. It was then that the yeomanry of that district united in Col. Thatcher; a man whose exertions and whose eloquence to save us from the in- fluence of a Virginia faction, will be gratefully remembered by his country, while the memory of his successor will be extinguished with the present unhappy political de- lusion.
By this it will be seen that Judge Cook was elected; and so we will leave the politicians whose quarrels and am- bitions long ago crumbled into dust and cannot vex us.
MR. CASHIER ROBY
deserves passing notice: he first ap- peared here about the year 1790 in partnership with one Foster Crufts, Jr., who was attracted here at about the same time that Roby was. Crufts remained but a few years, sell- ing out to his partner. Roby married one of the six daughters of Robert Hodge, Jr., of Newcastle, and they took up their residence at the corner of Main and Middle streets, where Rund- lett Block now stands. His marriage brought him a valuable connection with the Hodges, Woods, Nickelses and others and such connections may have led to his being selected for the re- sponsible post of bank cashier. His penmanship was a marvel of clearness, neatness and legibility, as you will see by this specimen from one of the Bank's books, and the reputation for accuracy in his bookkeeping was no doubt well-founded. Some of you may have heard our late associate, Mr. Silas L.| Young, relate that Cashier Roby had been overheard to say when bal- ancing his books, "That's right! Who says that's right?" Henry Roby says that's right. Well, if Henry Roby says that's right, it must be right." And then he would stow away the books, specie and bank-notes, drafts, promissory notes, mortgages and acceptances, and other evidences of debit and credit, close the bank vault and doors, drop the big key into his pocket and take his way down the hill homeward. I have the lock to which that key fitted: it is too heavy to bring around with the impedimenta required at an annual meeting but I will be glad to exhibit it at another time. Some of you may have heard of that bank vault: it may be doubtful if anyone
present ever saw it so as to remember it. The mason, now dead, who helped demolish it, told me that it was a jug vault, so called, a type of vault that was entered from the top. Such were the cells in the original State Prison at Thomaston. Mr. Roby was made cashier of the successor of the Lincoln and Kennebeck Bank, the Wiscasset Bank, organized in 1812-13, the story of which and that of the Lincoln and Kennebeck Marine Insurance Com- pany may well be deferred to a future meeting, should you care for it. He removed to Boston soon after the year 1820 and there entered again into mer- chantile pursuits, and there he died in the year 1845, leaving his son, Joseph C. Roby, his only heir. The son died about the year 1860 at Baltimore, Mary- land, survived by his wife who was his sole legatee and devisee and who in 1866 conveyed to Henry Ingalls, Esq., a much respected and well remembered member of this Society the Roby lot, so-called, being a small piece of land situate at Hodge street.
At our last annual meeting mention was made of the
LINCOLN AND KENNEBEC
MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY;
and such a passing glance as was then had of that corporation and its mana- gers left much to be related. It was then observed that the records of this Society show that at our quarterly meeting held 5th April, 1802, the Treas- urer was
directed to Subscribe for two Shares in the Bank and Insurance Office about to be established at Wiscasset, for the use of this So- ciety,
by which record and by a letter from John Merrill, Jr., who was at one time closely associated with Silas Lee in the practice of the law, written under date of 20th of March, 1802, it appears that petitions for bank and insurance com- panies were already in circulation. Mr. Lee thought it better to let the peti- tion for the charter of an insurance company rest until the fate of that for the bank was determined; and so we find that the Great and General Court of Massachusetts did not charter the insurance company until the 12th of February, 1803. The only name of an individual appearing in the charter is that of William King, who, together with such other citizens of the United States as might become holders of the capital stock, were constituted a cor-
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WISCASSET IN EARLY DAYS
poration with power to make insurance on vessels, freight, money, goods and effects, against captivity of persons, and on the life of any person during his absence by sea, and in cases of money lent on bottomry and re- spondentia. The capital was never to exceed $75,000, exclusive of premium notes and profits arising from the bus- iness. On the fifth of May, 1803, John Merrill, Jr., the secretary, gave notice from the Company's office in Wiscasset of the amount of its capital and that it was ready to receive proposals for in- surance; and that the maximum amount that it would insure on any one vessel or any one risk was $10,000. In August, 1804, that limit was en- larged to not exceeding $12,500.
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