Minot, Androscoggin Co, Maine CENTENNIAL, August 7, 1902. Historical Sketch of Minot, Maine By CHARLES E. WATERMAN. It is generally considered that the life of man is "three score years and ten," and only by reason of strength is it lengthened to four score. If perchance. then, a man lives to see his hundredth birthday, it is thought a matter worthy of A celebration He has passed one hundred milestones one hundred years-each of which is a unit. In nations, or parts of nations, a year does not count for as much. In this case it is administrations or changes in government which count as periods of demarkation-the different ideas of succeeding generations- and on a hundredth national birthday, when certainly two and probably three generations have passed from the scene of action, it has become a custom to stop and consider what has been done by our forefathers and congratulate ourselves that so much of their work has been commendable and so little open to criticism. It was the celebration at Philadelphia in 1876 that set the fashion of centennials. Of course it was eminently fitting that the nation should celebrate its one-hundredth birthday, but it is no less fitting that fractional parts of the nation should also celebrate their century marks. Most of us have little to do with the nation at large, which Hamilton, Adams, Madison and others declared was a delegated government- a government of representatives, who knew better than the populace what the people themselves wanted and what was good for them but the town has always been a democracy in which questions of policy were decided by all the people in open town meeting, and we and our fathers before us have been component parts of these towns and have risen or fallen with them. On February 18th, 1902, Minot became one-hundred years old, and at the annual town meeting, the third of the following month, provisions for celebrating this event were made. The date for this celebration was set for "Old Home Week," the recently established state festival week, in which absent sons and daughters are invited to return and partake of the hospitality of their relatives "Up in Maine," the particular date being August 7th. This celebration is of interest, not only to the town of Minot, but the neighboring towns of Poland and Mechanic Falls and the city of Auburn, for they all hat] their origin in the plantation of Bakerstown, which was granted by the General Court of Massachusetts in 1765. Very few settlers, however, found their way to this plantation until after the Revolutionary War. In 1795, this territory was incorporated and named Poland. As recorded in the records of the town, its boundaries were as follows : Beginning at a great Rock in Amariscoggin Falls called the twenty mile Falls: then running Southwest to New Gloucester Side Line: then by said line to the Northeast corner of the said New Gloucester: then Southwest on the Head line of New Gloucester four miles: then running Northwest about seven miles and one-quarter of a mile to Hebron: then running Northeast by Hebron line to Turner: then by Turner line to Amariscoggin River: then down said River to the bounds first mentioned. As can be readily seen, the town was large and unwieldly and talk of division began to be heard almost as soon as incorporated. The division did take place within seven years, when Minot was incorporated by taking all of the territory (about one-half ) on the easterly side of the Little Androscoggin River. Minot, in turn, was subdivided in 1842, when the town [now city] of Auburn was set off, with its northern boundary forming a line about four and one-half miles from an I parallel with the [Big] Androscoggin River. In 1893, again, a portion of its territory was set off to form the easterly half of the town of Mechanic Falls. Its present area is about eight miles long by four wide. From Ladd's Annals it is learned tha the Minot's first town meeting was held in the school house at the foot of the hill near Mr. Shaw's, April 5th, 1802: warrant issued by Nathaniel Adams of New Gloucester to Nicholas Noyes of Minot. First selectmen, Nicholas Noyes, Wm. Briggs and John Chandler; first treasurer and town clerk, Chandler Freeman; committee to settle accounts with Poland, Dr. Jesse Rice, Ichabod King and Samuel Shaw. The history of the settlement and growth of our country has been a good deal like a tree-that is, it added a ring of territory each year. The first settlements were on the coast, and from them each year or two, a thin section of the territory immediately back would be settled. Although coast settlements in some portions of Maine were made at quite an early date, she did not grow as fast as some other portions (if the country, and at the begining of the Revolution, the frontier town in this vicinity was New Gloucester ; and nearly all of the earlier settlers of Minot and adjoining towns, coming from Massachusetts, made a first stop in this town while picking out a place of settlement further in the wilderness an I preparing it for their families. Minot is, an,[ always has been, primarily, an agricultural town, and as such has taken a high rank. The land is diversified and fertile. Situated amid the foothills of the White Mountain system, it is well adapted to forestry, fruits and general Crops. On the west the highland slopes to the rich intervales of the Little Androscoggin, and on north to the valley of the Bog Brook, at one place extending into a wide grassy expanse, known as the Bog. In looking at the farms lying upon these hills and forming the wealth of the town, one naturally wonders who cleared the virgin forests and made them the dwelling places of man. Although most of the early settlers were very humble people, there is an interest centered in pioneers excited by no other class of people. Moses Emery is said to be the first settler in the territory now known as Minot. He came to Bakerstown in 1769 from Newbury, Mass., as a kind of agent for the proprietors, and later acted as a medium between settlers and proprietors. He first settled on the Poland side of the river, but in 1772 moved to the side now known as Minot on the site of the little village of Minot Corner. He built saw and grist mills, which were carried away by a freshet in 1776, but soon rebuilt. He was the agent of the settlement at the General Court of Massachusetts which incorporated the plantation of Bakerstown into the town of Poland. He died April 28, 1836, aged 92. His son, Moses, was born Sept. 20, 1772 and received a grant of 50 acres of land from the proprietors for being the first male child born in their township. He died in Auburn, Nov. 4, 1861. Hon. Stephen Emery, son of Moses, was the first man in Minot to receive a liberal education. He was born April 29, 1790, graduated at Bowdoin in 1814, studied law with Governors Parris and Lincoln at Paris and was admitted to the bar in 18ig, settling at Paris. , He served Oxford County as judge of Probate and the state as Attorney General and District judge. He married a daughter of Daniel Stowell of Paris. He had four children as follows: Hon. George F. Emery of Portland ; Sarah Jane and Ellen Vesta. first and se, cond wives of Hon. Hannibal Hamlin; and Stephen, Jr., who for many years was a professor of music at the New England Conservatory of Music. judge Emery died in Auburn, Nov. 18, 1863 Among the earlier settlers were Samuel Shaw (1 7 76), Levi Shaw, Henry Sawtelle, Israel Bray, John Herrick, Edward Jumper, John Hodge, job Tucker, Solomon, Walcott, Edmund Bailey, James Toole, Stephen Yeaton, Moses and Benjamin Bradbury, Amos Harris, David Dinsmore (1777), John Leach, Edward Hawkes, Capt. Daniel Bucknam ( 17 7 8), John Coy, John and David Millett, Benjamin Clifford, John Rowe, Zebulon Harlow (1779), John Allen, Ichabod King (1780), Capt, John Bridgham, John Bridgham, Jr., Joseph Bridgham (1781), Joseph, Noah and Robert Waterman, Aaron, Amos and Jacob Dwinal ( 1782), Isaac Currier, Abner Chase, Moses and William Pottle, Jonathan and Peabody Bradford, Samuel and Chandler Freeman (1783), Joseph Leach, William Davis, Samuel Verrill and Samuel Ver- rill, Jr. ( 1784), Dr. Jesse Rice [first physician], True and John Woodman ( 1785 ). By 1790, the settlement was well advanced, with neighborhoods scattered over most of its territory. At this time, the inhabitants were so well established that they began to add the embelishments of civilization, and to exchange their log cabins for frame houses [the first frame house is said to have been built by Jonathan Bradford in 1783], to build roads (county roads were opened from 1785 to 1790 be- tween Buckfield and Portland over Hersey and Centre Hills, and between Paris and Portland over Pottle Hill), and establish schools and churches. Many of these early settlers expe- rienced much trouble in securing titles to their land. Many had settled with- out any title and some had purchased of parties who had no legal right to the land, and all this made trouble. Some were evicted, and many after expen- sive litigations to obtain possession were obliged to pay a high price for their holdings. This matter was not fully settled until as late as 1824, when Josiah Little, agent for the Bakerstown proprietors, was awarded $22,073 by the legislature for 2500 acres of land, which it decided the company had been deprived of. The first town meeting, as has been stated above, was held April 5, 1802, in a schoolhouse near Levi Shaw's, and on the following May (the A another was held at the house of Dea- con James Perkins. The principal business seemed to have been for the destruction of crows, which evidently troubled the inhabitants much. It was voted to pay 12 cents and 5 mills for the head of every crow brought to the selectmen, who should burn the same and issue an order on the treasury for the bounty. It was also voted to buy two palls to cover the dead. I From early records it has been learned that in 1803 it was voted to build a pound near the house of Nich- olas Noyes and to put up the poor at public vendue. In i8og, there seems to have been an itching for public of- fice, for at a meeting to choose a rep- resentative to the General Court, there were 34 candidates. Dr. Seth Chand- ler had 112 votes out of the 308 cast. The first lawyer in town seems to have been Jacob Hill; and there is a record that he was chosen town agent in 1814. At this same meeting it was voted to choose a committee to visit Dr. Snell at Winthrop for advice in regard to ty- phus fever which was invading the town. This same year seems to have been a red letter year for Minot, for in it her most noted citizen, Capt, Win. Ladd moved into town front Ports- month, N. H. He moved into town in June and on July 4th of the same year, gave an oration in the grove near Marshall Washburn's. On May 20, 1816, the town voted on the separation of Maine from Mass- achusetts, there being 89 ayes and i o8 noes. A vote was again taken iu r8j9, the ayes being 100, noes 95. Chandler Freeman and Aseph Howard were chosen delegates to the Constitutional Convention, and the instrument which they helped to frame was accepted by the town by a vote of 57 to 13. Asaph Howard was the first represent- ative to the new General Court, which was held in Portland. The number of inhabitants at that time was 2,525, and the number of families, 402 * May 26, 1820, there was a heavy bnow storm in which sleighs were out and at the same time there were blossoms on the apple trees. August 24th, of this same year, a fast was ap- pointed on account of an extraordina- ry drought prevailing. In 1837, Wm. Ladd, Daniel Briggs, Jr., and Moses Emery were chos- en a committee to remonstrate against the admission of Texas as a state of the Union. In 1841, the agita- tion for the division of the town began but was voted down. On Feb. 1842, however, the division took place and the present city of Auburn had its birth. . The liquor law seems to have begun giving trouble to Minot as early as 1843, for on November 26, of that year, there is a record that the town "voted to insist upon prohibiting the sale of all ardent spirits in violation of the laws of the state." In 1844 it was voted to build a town house near At kinson Corner. In 1845, Jabez C. Woodman gave his collection of books to the town for a public library. In 1846, the town voted to purchase a town farm ; and in 1853 voted against the formation of the new County of Androscoggin. Religion formed quite a part of the life of the older towns and Minot was not an exception. The first record of public worship in Bakerstown was in 1784 at the house of Chandler Freeman. Occasional meetings were held until 1791, when there was a revival through the efforts of Rev. Wait Cornwall a missionary from Connecticut, and on September 8 of that year the First Congregational Church was formed with 5 9 members, as follows: Joseph Waterman, Joseph Freeman, Jonathan Chandler, James Shaw, job Cushman, Isaac Cushman, Nathaniel Chandler, Samuel Pool, John Row, Noah Harsey, True Wood. man, Jonathan Gurney, John Chandler, Chandler Freeman, Amos Harsey, Thomas Gurney, Joseph Bradbury, John Millett, Moses Bradbury, James Harsey, James Dunham, Benjamin Bradbury, Isaac Allen, Rebecca Chandler, Ruth Chandler, Olive Shaw, Anne Washburn, Mary Row, Mary Bradford, Mercy liarsey, Rebeckah Bisby, Caroline Freeman, Eunice Bradbury, Ruth Seabury, Elenor Bradbury, Mercy Chandler, Ruth Harsey, Abigail Pool, and Salley Cobbet. Nov. 30, 1791, the first meeting was held at Chandler Freeman's house. Joseph Freeman and Moses Bradbury were chosen deacons and Noah Hersey led the singing. In 1793 and 1794, Rev. Jonathan Scott from Nova Scotia preached for some months While there he urged the people to build a church and assisted in cutting the lumber. This church was built in the summer of 1794, near Reuben Chandler's residence. In the fall of 1794, Rev. Mr. Scott came again and this time promised to become their minister. His family arrived April 18, 1796. Ninety-eight persons agreed to contribute toward his salary, which was Z65 and the ministeral land (which he never received). Sept. 8, 1804, a meeting was held to see about building a meeting house near the center of the town. Sept. 28, the town voted "not to build a meeting house near the center of the town and not to build two meeting houses." Nov. 27, the town consented to the incorporation of a Congregational Society and in 1805 the Centre meeting house was built and in 1806, fourteen members were set off in a new society. Rev. Mr. Scott opposed this division, which finally led to his withdrawal as pastor, although he continued to preach for them more or less until his death which occured in 1819. In 1807, his house burned (in it perished his youngest son) and the old meeting house was given him for a home. The town, however, was not large enough to support two Churches, so they were .re-united in 1821. A Congregational Church was organized at West Minot in 1802 and a meeting house built in 1811 It was taken down in 1855 and rebuilt as a Union house. There are several other relgious societies represented in town with church edifices in other towns and supported in connection with the people of the towns in which the churches are situated. Minot has always had an interest in - military affairs. Many of her early settlers were Revolutionary soldiers and she furnished men in both the war of 1812 and the Mexican War. It appears that in the old training days there were four companies of militia within her borders for in the records of April 23, 1836, the selectmen fixed the territory from which the several companies were to be mustered and the captains of each were named as follows: Hiram Churchill, Robert Martin, Win. B. Merrill and John Townsend. In the Civil War, Minot furnished 206 men. Six of them reenlisted, so she is credited in the Ad jutant General's Report as furnishing 212 men. Nearly $50.000 was raised to pay bounties and to support the families of volunteers during their absence, $43,590 going for bounties. Outside Mechanic Falls, one-half of which was in Minot until 1893, Minot has always been largely an agricultural town, yet at the little village of Minot, commonly called Minot Corner, and West Minot, considerable business has been carried on at times in their history and many infant industries have been started there that have moved to other places where they flourished like a green bay tree. At Minot the Milliken family had its birth and there they started in their mercantile career. At West Minot, the shoe business of Auburn had its birth in the little shop of Ara Cushman. It was there also that J. A. Bucknarn first set up in business. In regard to the industry of the town this inventory of 1830 the work of Captain Ladd has been found: Taxable Polls, 494 ; inhabitants, 2,908 paupers, 25 ; dwelling houses, 392 ; barns, 424 ; stores, 8 ; tanneries, 3 ; workshops and out-buildings, 16q ; grist mills, 6 saw mills, 9 ; clapboard machines, clothing mills, 2 ; acres of tillage, 1,211; tons of hay cut, 2,652 ; acres of pasturage, 4,061 ; barrels of cider made, 892 ; homed stock, 2,802 ; horses and colts, 477 ; sheep, 6,686. Up to 1849, Minot, in common with other towns in the interior of Maine, was dependent upon the stage coach and horse freight wagon for communication and trade with the outside world. In the above year the Grand Trunk Railroad reached Mechanic Falls, part of which was then a portion of Minot, and in the same year, what was then known as The Buckfield Branch was built and still runs through the northern part of Minot, furnishing the town with an outlet. This road, for many years, was an unpaying enterprise, and changed owners and names several times. For a number of years it was owne I by F. 0. J. Smith, a man who had a checkered industrial career, known as the Portland & Oxford Central Railroad, and was finally abandoned by him. In 1874, it was resurrected and re-named the Rumford Falls & Buckfield Railroad. In 1892, this road was extended to Rumford Falls, then a new city building in the wilderness, and the name again changed to Portland & Rumford Falls Railway, whjch name it still bears. It, has been extremely prosperous in late years, and is now extending its track toward the Canada line and in afew years is expects to reach Quebec. Quite a number of noted men have lived during some portion of their lives in Minot; and some names have been common in the town, not only during the one hundred years of its life as a separate town but during the twenty years of existence previous. Perhaps the most note I man, who has lived in Minot, was Capt. William Ladd. He was born in Portsmouth, N. H., and was a graduate of Harvard College. He began life as a merchant in foreign commerce, commanding. his ships,. and accumulated money. He came to Minot in 1814 and resided in the town until his death in 1841, at the age of 63 years. The thing which brought him note was his advocacy of universal peace, which in the light of the recent convention at The Hague is of great interest. at the present time. He was president of the Peace Society and advocated his doctrine by addresses and the publication of essays. He took great interest in agriculture and possessed the largest and finest farm ever owned in the town of Minot. Ara Cushman, a leading citizen of Auburn, is another prominent son of Minot. He was born on Woodman Hill in 1829 and early began the manufacture of shoes at West Minot, in a little shop called the "tea can". His large factory in Auburn is well-known to all the people in this vicinity and is in marked contrast with the beginning at West Minot. His grandfather was among the early settlers of Minot and his ancestors of New England, Robert Cushman having landed at Plymouth in 1621. One of the prominent families of the town whose names have been upon the records from the earliest times are the Milletts. Three families originally settled here-John, David and Thomas. ,Their descendents are mostly scattered. L. T. Millett, now living at West Minot, the great-grandson of John, having returned to town after the absence of a generation or two. Some of the descendents of Thomas have always lived in town, viz: Edmund C., W. Greenleaf and Charles R. One of the present selectmen, Mr. C. C. Washburn, is a descendent of one of the old families, the fourth generation from Eliab Washburn. Hon. William Lowell was for many years a prominent citizen of West Minot, who died in Auburn in 1889, where a son, W. G. Lowell, now lives. Another, one of the noted sons of Minot, is judge S. A. Lowell of Oregon. He is a graduate of Hebron Academy and Bates College, and was for a number of years a member of the Androscoggin Bar. Some years ago he moved to Oregon where he was appointed a judge in the state courts. Another son who won considerable renown in his own town was Josiah A. Bucknarm a descendent of one of the original settlers, Capt. Daniel Bucknam who was a prominent merchant of Mechanic Falls for many years. A half- brother, Capt. H. T. Bucknam, a veteran of the Civil War, yet resides there and has been selected as marshall of the present Centennial Day. Col. Joshua Parsons, who was born in Norway, July 251 1796, settled at West Minot in 1817, and was for many years a prominent citizen of the town. He carried on the carding and cloth dressing business for many years. In 1843, he built a grist mill and operated it for many years. He married Sybil, daughter of Capt. John Bridgham, in 1819 He represented Minot in the legislature in 1833, and was elected to the Maine Senate in 1839. He died in Auburn, Oct. 13, 1884. Among his children were Solomon, John W., Jeffrey (who yet lives at West Minot), Elizabeth and Ann C. Gideon Bearce has for many years been a prominent citizen of Minot. He is the seventh in descent from Austin Bearce who came from Southampton, England, in the ship Confidence, to Barnstable, Mass., in 1638. He is the son of Daniel and Synvinia Bearce. His grandfather, Gideon, was among the original settlers. He has been town clerk and treasurer of Minot for 23 years, although his services have not been continuous. He was first elected to that office in 1860. He was one of selectmen for five years (in 1882, '83, '84, '85 and '86), represented the town in the legislature, and has been postmaster at West Minot for many years. He has a great love for nature and has a valuable mineral collection and a number of Indian relics. There are many other persons who have been a credit to the old town of Minot whose records have not been obtained; and there are many young people within the limits of the town who are destined to make the history of the town for the centennial of the year 2002, and the further gathering of statistics will be left to the historian of that time. (c) 1998 Courtesy of the Androscoggin Historical Society ************************************************* * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. 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