John Gilmore Deane Sprague's Journal of Maine History Vol. 6 May, June, July 1918 No. 1 page 3-9 John Gilmore Deane BY EDGAR CROSBY SMITH Numbered among those men, who in the first half of the last century, helped to place our state on a firm basis, and a pedestal of prominence with the others which compose our union, and who to our shame and regret we are relegating to a nameless oblivion, is one whose name in his day and generation was known and honored. throughout our borders. Born in our mother state, of genuine old Bay State stock, John Gilmore Deane first saw the light of day March 27, 1785, in the old town of Raynham. His parents, Joseph Deane and Mary Gilmore, both were born in that town, and lived all their days there. Mr. Joseph Deane was a prosperous farmer and a highly respected in- habitant of his native town, of high repute for his honesty and in- tegrity, and held in great esteem by his neighbors and townspeople. He served in the War of the Revolution, entering the service imme- diately after the Concord and Lexington fight, and remained in the regular service for several years. John G. Deane had the benefit of a college education, graduating from Brown university in 1806. He read law in Taunton, Mass., with Hon. Seth Padelford, judge of probate, and came to Ellsworth, Maine, Sept. 23, 1809. The following September (the 13th) he married Rebecca, the youngest daughter of judge Padelford, his former law tutor. Mr. Deane sailed from Boston for Ellsworth, Thursday, September 21, and arrived at the head of Union bay the following Satur- day. As the tide was too low when the vessel arrived to permit the passing of the bar, he prevailed upon the captain to set him ashore at Surry, and from there he walked the remaining two miles to Ellsworth. He at once secured a boarding place and a room for an office, and on Tuesday started on a trip to Castine to get for himself blanks necessary in his practice. On his trip to Castine he went up to Hampden, and visited acquaintances, a Mr. and Mrs. Brown. Here he met General Ulmer of Lincolnville, who urged him to settle in that town, and invited him to pay him a visit and look over the situation. Two days later he went down to Lincoln- ville, and although the general made him very generous induce- ments, offering to take him into his family to live, and to furnish him enough business to pay for his board, Mr. Deane considered that Ellsworth promised more for the future, and remained firm in his original determination to settle in that town. He returned to Ellsworth October 3, and commenced fitting up his office. In a letter of October 6, to his ' future wife, he says he is ready to begin practice. His equipment at the time consisted of his few books, one chair, a table and a bench. Close application to business, and carefully guarding the interests of his clients, soon brought him a fair clientage, which grew to, large proportions as the years went by. During the earlier years of his professional life he was connected with the military organi- zation in Ellsworth, and held a commission as lieutenant-colonel. He served for a short time in the war of 1812. In person Mr. Deane was about five feet and ten inches in height of quite large frame, dark complexioned, brown hair and eyes. rather spare, and never wore a beard; an entertaining conversa- tionalist, though not much inclined to be talkative. Hon Charles S. Davies, a colleague and co-laborer with -Mr. Deane in the ad- justment of the North Eastern boundary question, said of his per- sonal appearance in an obituary notice, "the cast of his countenance, was remarkably intellectual and indicative of acuteness, foresight and sagacity. It had also something of a more grave, reflective and resolved character. The upper part of the face, particularly the intersection of the principal features bore a striking resem- blance to the bust of Alexander Hamilton, while the perpetual activity of its fibres in their animated expression, might remind one who had seen the original of the incessant motion of Lord Brougham's." He was much loved in his family, entering into the sports of his children with a zest that made him one of them, and as one of his sons said, "More the big brother than the stern parent." He was an admirer of manly sports, fond of hunting and fishing and an excellent marksman. He loved the woods and the study of nature. Surely these traits of character eminently fitted him for the prominent part which he was to take in later years in the exploration and survey of our northern wilderness. He was also a man of decided literary tastes, and his style of composition was clear and polished, as an inspection of any of his writings and reports on the North Eastern Boundary question will show. He collected a good sized library, consisting of history, poetry, romance and essays. His law library was very large in comparison with those of his day. He was a subscriber to the North American Review from its first issue to the time of his death. Mr. Deane was not a member of any church, but he was a con- stant attendant at the Congregational church in Ellsworth after its organization in 1812, and his pastor during all the time of his life in Ellsworth was the much revered Parson Peter Nourse, the brother of the U. S. senator, Dr. Amos Nourse of Bath. He was of a Catholic spirit, and all the church organizations received as- sistance from his purse. When the Baptist church was erected he purchased a pew there, although his attendance was still with the Congregationalists. But as interesting as each little event connected with the lives of our pioneers and early statesmen may be, I must, with reluctance, leave this part of my sketch, and turn to the more important events in the life of the man whose work for his state was of so great concern. Mr. Deane was admitted to practice in the Court of Common, Pleas in Hancock county, in 1810, and four years later, as was the rule in those (lays, as an attorney and counselor in the Supreme court. As his reputation grew for being a learned, sound, and discriminating lawyer, so his practice increased accordingly, and very shortly he was enjoying a remunerative clientage. As his business extended he was brought in touch with prominent men in all parts of the state, and numbered among his personal friends were Jacob McGaw, Prentiss Mellen, Joshua Hathaway, Simon Greenleaf, William P. Preble, and many others of equal note and distinction. It is certain that he took an active interest in municipal affairs as soon as he was settled in Ellsworth, for he was one of the select- men as early as 18Q. He was first brought prominently before the general public by being elected a member of the General Court of Massachusetts in 1816; he was returned to that honorable position for four consecutive terms, thus indicating that he filled the posi- tion to the eminent satisfaction of his constituents. He was a member of the House of representatives of the Maine legislature for the years 1825, '26, '27, '28, and '31, and it was during his service there that he became a particularly conspicuous figure, not only in Maine, but throughout the borders of our country, on account of the prominent part he took in bringing about the settlement of the dispute over our northeastern boundary, and the vast fund of material lie had collected, and knowledge acquired relating to this vexed and troublesome controversy; a controversy that he was not permitted to live to see settled. In 1827, Governor Lincoln endeavored to bring this matter to the attention of the general government with a view to having the matter finally determined, and referred to the question in his mes- sage to the legislature. A committee was appointed to whom was referred "So much of the governor's message as relates to the northeastern boundary," and Mr. Deane was its chairman. Perhaps it may be well to take a glance at the previous training that so peculiarly fitted him to fill the position that from this time on until his death he assumed regarding our north and eastern frontier. As has been said previously, he was a lover of nature; he loved to feel himself in her sublime and ennobling presence, and as one has said of him, "He loved to pierce the vast, profound, unpeopled solitude of the forest. He liked also to meet the remnant of the ancient race of proprietors, in their native woods." His natural bent inclined towards these things, and he cultivated the inclination. Sometime before he settled in Ellsworth, John Black, a young Englishman, located there as deputy agent of the Bingham heirs, who owned large tracts of land in Washington and Hancock coun- ties, commonly known as the Bingham purchase. Mr. Black later became an American citizen, and on account of his holding a com- mission in the militia, was known, as Col. Black. The two men became intimate friends, and Col. Black employed Mr. Deane , in his professional capacity in connection with the lands of which lie had charge. This called for many excursions into the wilderness to inspect the lands, adjust disputes, and locate boundaries, and gave him much valuable and practical knowledge which was of great advantage to him in the performance of his duties relating to our disputed limits. His duties as- a member of the committee of the legislature of 1827, did not require much labor, as this was about the beginning of our legislature as a body taking much interest in the subject; yet the report of the committee, which was prepared by Mr. Deane, though brief, shows that he had already given the matter much study, and that lie was thoroughly familiar with the situation. In this report of his we find the key note of the whole political situation at the time, and the one that governed the Webster- Ashburton treaty of 1842, made after Mr. Deane's death. He says: "The rule for settling the boundary definitely, is clear and plain and explicit. Nor can we forbear to remark, that if views of national interest did not interfere there would be no difficulty in ascertaining the line." In 1828, the matter of the dispute over the northeastern boun- dary was a subject that interested everyone, the executive, the legis- lator, and the citizen. The British provinces had become aggres- sive, and one of our citizens was in the Fredericton jail charged with trespassing. Gov. Lincoln devoted over half of his message addressed to the legislature of 1828, to this all-absorbing topic. A joint select committee was appointed to whom was referred so much of the governor's message as related to the northeastern boundary question, of which committee Mr. Deane was chairman on the part of the House. Practically the whole of the work of preparing, the elaborate report submitted to the legislature was his. It is always referred to as Deane's report, and he was granted an allowance Of $100 for expenses in procuring information regard- ing the subject of his report. The report exclusive of documents Occupies s6 closely printed pages of the acts and resolves. Much has been written on this subject, and by able men, but I doubt , if a clearer, more concise, and accurate treatment of the question ever appeared. He traces the history of the boundary from the records of the earliest discoveries, grants and treaties, down to the time in which he wrote, and his array of facts and force of argument must convince the most skeptical that our claim was. the just one. This report was ordered to be printed, and copies to be sent to the President of the United States, the gov- ernors of each of the states of the union, to each of our foreign ambassadors, and to our senators and representatives. So far as Maine is concerned, this is the most important document ever pub- lished relating to the question. Mr. Deane's next term in the legislature was in 1831, when he was again a member of the House; again the governor, referred to the much vexed boundary question, in his message, and Mr. Deane was again the spokesman and authority for the committee that was especially appointed to consider the matter. This report dealt with the unsatisfactory, idle and absurd award of the king of the Nether- lands, and Mr. Deane takes up paragraph after paragraph of that award and considers it in the light of history, statecraft, and in- ternational law, and leaves but little chance for argument when he has finished. The report of the king was :not accepted. The arbiter's work was for naught. In 1838, during Gov. Kent's administration, a resolve was passed directing a survey and location of the northeastern boundary of our state, and Mr. Deane on account of his intimate and accurate knowledge of the subject and the country, was at once appointed to execute the commission. This work he did to the satisfaction of the government. From the time of , his first interesting himself in the boundary question in 1827, it was an all-absorbing topic with him. He mas- tered more of its details, historical, geographical and statistical, than any other person, and wrote, spoke and printed, not only more than any other person, but possibly more than all others combined. Personal business was secondary with him, he ate, drank and slept with our northeastern boundary question. When discoursing on the subject he was in his native element, "His foot was on his native heath and his name was McGregor." No difficulty wearied him or obstacle appalled. He gave it his best thought, hardest labor and maturest deliberation. Never was a public servant more devoted to his trust than he; it was his ruling passion. But possi- bly, providentially, he did not live to see the determination of the question by the Webster-Ashburton treaty in 1842. It would have been a cup of bitterness and a feast of mortification. It may have been statecraft, diplomacy, Or international amity that effected the compromise, but nevertheless we lost six million acres of most valuable territory, and receded from a position that was right logically, historically and lawfully. Mr. Deane removed to Portland in the fall of 1835. He died in the prime of his manhood at the age of 53. His death occurred at Cherryfield, in November, 1839, where he had gone on business connected with his 'large landed interests. "Strong to the end, a man of men, from out the strife he passed." THE DEANE MAPS. The maps of Mr. Deane followed those of Moses Greenleaf, and were prepared for the special purpose of delineating our northern and eastern boundaries. Previous to 1838 there had been only partial surveys of this disputed territory, and Mr. Deane's work as commissioner on behalf of the state to execute a full survey of these boundaries afforded him exceptional facilities to procure the material to make a map showing the true limits of our state. To accompany his report to the legislature, a large map of the territory survey was prepared under his direction, and having all the data at his disposal he considered it an opportune time to publish a map giving the exact north and cast boundaries of the state, an undertaking that heretofore it had been impossible to accomplish. Three new counties had been incorporated since Mr. Greenleaf's map of 18'29, viz: Aroostook, Franklin and Pis- cataquis, consequently a new map of the state was needed. Mr. Deane was not a civil engineer, neither was he a cartogra- pher, and the actual work of constructing and drafting his map was done by another hand, although under his direction and super- vision. Mr. Deane died the year his first map was published, (1839). Mr. Williamson gives four editions of the Deane map, 1839, 1840, 1842 and 1843. 1 have seen and examined but two, viz: The 1840 and 1842. These are well executed, and are good examples of map-making. The size is 33X27, and the engraving was done by C. A. Swett of Portland. His great work in locating our disputed boundaries soon came to naught, as the Webster-Ashburton treaty of 1842 changed the location entirely, and his maps were of no further usefulness so' far as these were concerned. On account of this change, I assume that the sale of his maps was much curtailed, and they are becom- ing quite scarce. The work he intended to do was well performed, but events beyond his control abridged its usefulness. If the boundary had not been changed the map would have been of great value, as it is they are of much historical interest in showing the exact location of the bounds as claimed by the state of Maine. 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