Town of Pittston ILLUSTRATED HISTORY of KENNEBEC COUNTY MAINE 1625 - 1892 Editors Henry D. Kingsbury Simeon L. Deyo Resident Contributors James W. Bradury, William Penn Whitehouse, Samuel L. Boardman, William B. Lapham, Hiram K. Morrell, Lendall Titcomb, J. Clair Minot, James M. Larrabee, Henry S. Webster, Charles E. Nash, John L. Stevens, Howard Owen, Rufus M. Jones, Asbury C. Stilphen, Harry H. Cochrane, Harry H. Cochrane, George Underwood, Orrin F. Sproul, Albion F. Watson __________ New York H.W. Blake and Company 94 Reade St. 1892 taken from the chapter Town of Pittston starting with page 725 PERSONAL PARAGRAPHS. Captain George W. Bailey, born in 1826, is a son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Barker) Bailey, and grandson of Jacob Bailey. He began going to sea in 1841, and from 1855 until he retired in 1886, he was in command of vessels. He married Philena, daughter of William Brown, and their children are: Sarah H. (Mrs. Charles Lawrence), Augusta (Mrs. A.E. Lewis), and George W., jun., who married Caddie R. Small. Captain Will O. Basford, born in 1838, in Augusta, is a son of William P. and Emeline (Colburn) Basford, and grandson of Jacob Basford, who came from New Hampshire to Augusta. Mr. Basford has lived in Pittston since 1839. In 1855 he began a seafaring life in the foreign trade. He was master of vessels from 1873 until 1886, since which time he has remained at home. James K. Bickford, born in Smithfield, Me., in 1844, is the only child of Isaac and Lucretia (Down) Bickford, and grandson of Moses Bickford. He came to Pittston with his parents in 1851, and settled on a part of the Jackins farm, where he now lives. He married Annie L., daughter of John Price, and their children, all deceased, were; Lucy L., Gertrude and an infant son. Harrison D. Blodgett, born in 1855, is a son of Jasper and Mary E. (Tyler) Blodgett, grandson of David and Nancy (Marson) Blodgett, and great-grandson of Joseph Blodgett. Mr. Blodgett is a farmer, and is the fourth generation of his family to occupy the home farm. He married Flora, daughter of John and Maria (Mitchell) Marson. Their children are: Jessie E., Florence M., Harrison S. and Fred D. John Blodgett, born in 1833, is a son of Nathaniel and Jane (Choate) Blodgett and grandson of Joseph, who, with his brother, Ebenezer, came from Lexington, Mass., to Pittston. Mr. Blodgett is a farmer. He married Henrietta, daughter of Daniel Thompson. Their children are: Henry, Almeda, Arthur, Chester, Elmer, Walter, Gertrude and Annie. Charles E. Bradstreet is one of the nine children of Joseph and Ruth (Moore) Bradsteet, and grandson of Andrew Bradstreet, who came to Maine from England. Mr. Bradstreet has been a farmer on the homestead where his father settled. He died April 3, 1892. He married Abigail Smith, who died leaving eight children: Charles E., jun., George W., Delia A., Orlando W., Caroline A., Frederick G., Maria A. and Mary E. Orlando W. Bradstreet, born in 1845, is a son of Sharles E. Bradstreet. He followed the sea for twelve years, since which time he has been a farmer. He married S. Lettie, daughter of Cavalier and Julia (Alexander) Hondlette, and granddaughter of Lewis Hondlette. Frederick G. Bradstreet, born in 1847, is a son of Charles E. Bradstreet. He is a farmer and is also employed int he ice business. He married Annie M., daughter of Alexander and Maria (Newell) Atkins. The have one daughter, Eva M., and lost one son in infancy, Eugene. John F. Bragden, born in 1836, is a son of John D. and Elmira (Shepard) Bragden, and grandson of John Daniel Bragden. mr. Bragden followed the sea for fourteen years, and is now a farmer. He married Mary Sullivan. His children are: John, Susan, Raynold and Mary. Eben N. Brande, whose father was captain of militia in 1812, was in the late war one year in Company I, 24th Maine. He married Elvira M., daughter of Daniel Butland; her mother was Eliza, daughter of Abner and Margaret (Corney) Marson, and granddaughter of Abner Marson. They have one son, W. Wirt, and lost one, Roscoe W. Mrs. Brande keeps a small variety store in a part of her residence. Ebenezer Brookings, son of John and Harriet (Moore) Brookings, was born in Wiscasset in 1831. John Brookings was a sea captain. Ebenezer came to Pittston in 1847, where he was engaged in the mercantile business until July, 1863, when he entered the army and served in Company F, 11th Maine volunteers, until February, 1865. In 1866 he settled where he now lives and engaged in farming and the meat business. In 1888 his son, Everett E., succeeded him in the meat business. He first married Huldah Preble, who died leaving three children: Mrs. Augustus Moody, Everett E. and Winfield S. His present wife was Mrs. Hannah Roberts, daughter of Alexander and Maria (Newell) Atkins, and granddaughter of Joseph and Jane (Blair) Atkins. Samuel J. Brookings, son of Samuel and Fannie (Reed) Brookings, and grandson of james Brookings, was born in Whitefield in 1843. He served int he war of the rebellion from September, 1862, to August 1863, in Company F, 21st Maine. He is now a farmer in Pittston, where he has lived since 1871. He married Jennie, daughter of Ira and Betsey (Richardson) Elkins, and granddaughter of Jonathan Elkins. They have one daughter, Jessie L. James M. Carpenter, born in 1813 in Massachusetts, came to Pittston in 1844. His father, Joseph, was a son of Colonel Thomas Carpenter, a revolutionary soldier. Before coming to Pittston Mr. Carpenter had been clerk for Brown and Ives, at Lonsdale, R.I., for eleven years, and made out the first pay roll on the Blackstone river. His wife, Martha J.R., was a daughter of Henry Bodge, late of Pittston. Mr. Carpenter bought a farm in the south part of Pittston in 1844, which he carried on until his death, March 22, 1892. His wife died the same day. Mr. Carpenter was one of Pittston's most worthy and well known citizens. He was always interested in town affairs, and held various town offices for many years. He was county commissioner for several years, and was chairman of the republican town committee. He served several years on the state board of agriculture, and was prominently connected with local agricultural organizations. From 1836 until his death he represented different insurance companies. Hosea H. Cary, son of Seth S. and Susanna (Hildreth) Carey, was born at Topsham, Me., in 1847. He came to East Pittston in 1878 from Gardiner, where he had lived seven years. He carries on a wholesale meat business at East Pittston, having abandoned the retail part of the business after the first five years. He married Harriet A. Pray, and has four children: Susan A., Mary H., Eliphalet P. and Gilbert G. Mr. Cary has been selectman of Pittston three years. C. Wallace Church, son of Charles B. Church, was born in Washington, D.C., in 1849. In March, 1880, he was appointed paymaster and agent of the INdependent Ice Company, of which his father is president, and since that time he has lived at Pittston. He married Laura F., daughter of Franklin Powers. Their children are: Lewis M. and Charles B. Lorenzo S. Clark, the only surviving child of Samuel and Mary (Clark) Clark, and grandson of Isaac Clark, was born in 1818. He was a merchant at East Pittston from 1836 until 1889, when he was succeeded by his son, Henry A. He has been four times elected selectman, and nine time town clerk. His wife is Sarah, daughter of Henry Dearborn. Their children are: Warren D., Samuel, Henry A., Florence, Permelia and H. Augustus, who died. William S. Cleaves, son of Samuel and Eliza (Kies) Cleaves, and grandson of Samuel Cleaves, was born in 1843. He followed the mercantile business six years at Windsor, and since 1871, with the exception of two years, has been a merchant at East Pittston. He has lost two wives, who were sisters - Nellie and Delia Smith. His present wife was Mrs. Jane Hovey. Richard H. Colburn is a son of Gustavus and Alzina (Knight) Colburn, grandson of David and Hannah (Averill) Colburn, and greatgrandson of Reuben and Elizabeth (Lewis) Colburn. Gustavus Colburn died in 1886, aged sixty-four years. Richard H. married Idell S., daughter of Fred S. Blackman. July 5, 1763, Jeremiah and Hannah (Varnum) Colburn came to Pittston and bought 800 acres of land on the eastern side of the Kennebec river. On May 6, 1765, he sold to his son, Reuben, 107 acres, on which the latter built the homestead now standing. About the time of this purchase Reuben married Elizebeth Lewis. Richard H. now occupies a part of this tract. The house he lives in is the oldest in Pittston. Captain James S. Cooper, born in Pittston in 1825, was a son of Henry and Eleanor (Bailey) Cooper, and grandson of Leonard Cooper. Captain Cooper followed the sea from 1841 until 1872, after 1851 as master of vessels. He married Mary G., daughter of Captain George Carr, of Hallowell. From 1872 until his death, May 5, 1892, Captain Cooper was engaged in farming and horse breeding. Washington Cutts, born in 1817, is the youngest son of Samuel and Catherine (Woodward) Cutts, and grandson of Samuel and Sarah (Hill) Cutts. Mr. Cutts' father came to Pittston about 1800 and was a blacksmith by trade. Mr. Cutts is a farmer. He married Lettice, daughter of Nathaniel and Hannah Tibbetts, and granddaughter of Abiather Tibbetts. T heir two sons are Samuel W. and Alvin; they lost one daughter, Alice. Moses J. Donnell, son of Rev. Moses and Martha (Cunningham) Donnell, was born at Wiscasset September 27, 1833. He moved to Windsor with his parents November 30, 1839, and moved to Pittston November 24, 1864. he married Ann E., daughter of David and Susan Bryant, of Windsor. Henry Dow, born in Wiscasset in 1801, is the oldest man in Pittston. His father, Thomas, son of henry Dow, of Haverhill, Mass., a revolutionary soldier, came to Pittston in 1813, where he died in 1814, leaving six children. The support of this family fell on this boy of thirteen years. With heroic will and ceaseless toil Henry and his noble mother guided the family boat between the awful rocks of starvation and the almshouse. "One morning, in 1817, with an empty stomach - not a mouthful int he house for breakfast - I bought with the ox team a half cord of hemlock bark to the river bank, borrowed a boat, ferried my bark to Gardiner, and sold it to William Bradstreet for $1.25 - just enough to buy a half bushel of corn of McClellan, who kept the Great House Tavern - got my little grist ground at the old wooden mill - burried back, every step quickened by pangs of hunger and the thoughts of a famishing family." In 1825 he married Hannah Jewett. Their children were: Hannah E., Thomas H., Anna D., Ellen A. and George W. The second and last two are still living. Captain Andrew J. Erskins, born in 1834, is a son of David and Betsey (Waltz) Erskins, grandson of Alexander and Betsey (Boland) Erskins, and great-grandson of Captain Robert Erskins, who settled at Bristol, Me., and took up one thousand acres of land, giving each of his nine sons a farm from it. Alexander was captain of a company in the revolutionary ward, and in 1812 he had charge of the fort at Bristol, Me. Captain Erskins began going to sea in 1846 and attained to master in 1855, which position he continued to hold until 1881, when he retired. He married Margaret, daughter of George King, of Whitefield. They have one daughter, Ella (Mrs. Everett E. Brooksins). On Captain Erskins' lot in Pittston is a mineral spring which General Dearborn used. He walled it as it now is, with curved brick burnt for the purpose, and over it still stands the spring house which the general built. James Farrell, born in 1834, is a son of Thomas and Catherine (Finity) Farrell, who came from Ireland to Boston, and in 1830 came to Pittston and settled on the farm where Mr. Farrell now lives. He married Mary Jane, daughter of Patrick Gilson. Their children are: Mamie E., Eugene J. and two that died. Mr. Farrell was several years in the lumber business in California, but since 1870 has been a farmer at East Pittston. William O. Foye, son of James and Harriet (Stickney) Foye, and grandson of Joseph and Polly (Chase) Foye, was born in Pittston in 1865, and is a farmer and milkman. He married Georgia, daughter of S. Willis Dunton, of Whitefield. Jonathan Gilman, born in Whitefield in 1815, died March 26, 1892, was a son of Jonathan and grandson of Peter Gilman. He was a farmer in Pittston for fifty years; the farm where he lived was owned for many years prior to his pruchase of it by Asa Averill. Mr. Gilman married Abigail, daughter of Asa and Abigail (Bickford) Averill, and granddaughter of David Averill. Charles C. Goodwin, born in 1838, is a son of Abial and Susan (Small) Goodwin, and grandson of Samuel Goodwin. Mr. Goodwin was in the late war in Company C, 19th Maine, from August, 1862, until July, 1865. He married Alwilda, daughter of William T. Blair, and has one daughter, Charlena F. Fred B. Gould, born in 1853, is the only surviving child of William and Lydia A. (Moore) Gould, grandson of Dennis and Elizabeth (Warren) Gould, and great-grandson of Joseph and Ruth (Renwick) Gould (or Goold, as then spelled). Mr. Gould now owns the homestead and occupies the house built by Dennis Gould. He has been a farmer since 1879, and prior to that he was in business in Gardiner. William Gould was a tinsmith and tin-ware merchant at Gardiner several years prior to 1845. Mr. Gould's wife is M. Avesta, daughter of Van Buren Hathorne. James Gould, 2d, born in 1833, is the eldest son of James and Rachel (Rollins) Gould, grandson of Dennis, and great-grandson of Joseph and Ruth (Renwick) Gould. He drove a team for twelve years in granite quarries. He is now a farmer. His first wife was Lucie Moody and his present wife was Cora B. Cunningham. They have one child, Jennette A. Edward E. Hanley is a son of Franklin and Catherine (Doyle) Hanley. He has had charge of the East Pittston creamery since April, 1891, and previous to that he was a merchant four years. He was town auditor in 1888 and 1889, and selectman in 1890, '91 and '92. He has been secretary of the East Pittston Agricultural and Trotting Association. George R. Hanley, born in 1833, is a son of Michael and Effie Hanley, and grandson of Patrick Hanley. He is a farmer and carpenter, and lives on the farm where his father settled when he came to Pittston. He married Margaret, daughter of Patrick Gilson. They have two children: George A. and Mary E. Alfred Hanley, son of Michael and Effie (Howard) Hanley, was born in 1836. He is a farmer on the farm formerly owned by Patrick Gilson. He married Catherine, daughter of Patrick Gilson. They have two daughters: Gertrude M. and Tesa I. Van Buren Hathorne, born in 1835 in Dresden, is a son of Warren and Mary (Bickford) Hathorne, and grandson of John Hawthorne. He was been a farmer in Pittston since 1868. He married Joanna L., daughter of Hiram Pottle, and their children are Maria Avesta (Mrs. F.B. Gould), Jenette M., Jefferson W. and Herman F. Thomas B. Heath, son of John Heath, married Miriam C. Pottle, and of their eight children only two sons are living. Rufus E., born in 1846, is a farmer, and married Hattie L., daughter of Franklin and Sarah (Smith) Colburn. Their children are: Charles, Ella, Maud, Maria, Amy B., Eugene R. and Clarence. The other son is George P., born in 1856, married to Nellie, daughter of Joseph E. and Abbie (Marson) Soper, and granddaughter of Joseph and Susan (Woodward) Soper. Their children are: Rena M. and Harold R. Henry W. Hunt, son of Winslow and Mahala (Clark) Hunt, was born in 1851. He is a blacksmith; he worked six years at East Pittston, two years at Sagamore, Mass., and is now with the P.C. Holmes Company, Gardiner. He married Emma L., daughter of Daniel Thompson. They have three children: Ralph L., Clarence C. and Florence M. Samuel A. Jewett, born in 1831, is the eldest son of Samuel H. and Mary (Pottle) Jewett, and grandson of Jonathan Jewett, who came from Londonderry, N.H., to Pittston in 1798, with his five children, all of whom lived to be over seventy years of age. Mr. Jewett was in California from 1853 to 1858, engaged in mining. Since that time he has been a farmer. He is now (1892) serving his fifth term as selectman. He married Lovina, daughter of Greeman Cooper. Their children are: William B. and Carrie A., living, and three daughters deceased - Mary S., Hattie L. and Georgia. Benjamin H. Knight is a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Hodgden) Knight, and grandson of John Knight. Mr. Knight came to Pittston in 1864 and settled on a part of the Rev. David Young farm, where he has since been a farmer. The farm and its duties he has now intrusted to his son, Alden. Mr. Knight married Sarah, daughter of John Decker. They have had nine children: Warren R. (died in May, 1892), Benjamin F., Joseph A., Adoniram J., Fred W., Dummer C., Clara E., Allen and Alden, who married Abbie E., daughter of D.C. Little, and is now at the home farm caring for his aged parents. He has one son, Wallace L., born March 31, 1892. Henry Knight, born in 1829 in Pittston, is a son of Robert and Mary (Pratt) Knight, grandson of Robert and Betwey (Davis) Knight, and great-grandson of Robert Knight, of New Hampshire, who was killed by the Indians about 1780. Mr. Knight is a house and ship carpenter. He has lived at East Pittston since 1859, where he has been a farmer and kept a mill; from 1864 until 1887 it was a water mill and since the latter date it has been a steam mill. Mr. Knight is a dispenser of viands and his residence is the nearest approach to a hotel that East Pittston affords. He married Rose B., daughter of David H. and Polly (Knight) Howe, the latter a daughter of Robert and Betsey (Davis) Knight, as above. Their only daughter, Lydia A., is now Mrs. Daniel Moore. William Alonzo Knight, son of William and Asenath (Thompson) Knight, and grandson of Amos Knight, was born in 1834. He is a lumberman and lives where his father settled when he came to Pittston from North Wayne in 1834. He married Sarah J., daughter of Abner P. McFadden. Their two sons are William W. and Harry C. Edward Augustus Lapham, born in 1835, is the youngest son of Isaac and Dorcas (Cutts) Lapham, and grandson of Rogers Lapham. Mr. Lapham is a farmer. He served several years as buying and selling agent for the Pittston Grange, P. of H., but since 1886 has run a store of his own. He has been postmaster at Pittston since 1889. He married Myra E., daughter of James Beedle. Their children are: Addie L., Frank M. and Isaac N. They lost two: Ivane V. and Alice I. Frank M. has been town clerk since 1890, and is timekeeper and pay-master for the Great Falls Ice Company. Eliphalet H. Lapham, son of James and Hannah (Troupe) Lapham, and grandson of Rogers and Mary (White) Lapham, was born in 1820 on the old farm south of Smithtown, where lived and died the three generations mentioned. From the Lapham Family Register we learn that the parent stock came from England, and that the Pittston branch has cescended from Thomas Lapham, of Massachusetts. Eliphalet's early life was without incident. he enjoyed the usual winter schooling only to the age of fourteen. From that time to the day of his death farming was the occupation to which he gave exclusively the attention and energies of a virgorous life. He loved and clung to his calling with such a single purpose that none of the attractions of public affairs of speculative ventures allured his fancy, or swerved his feet from the soil his fathers had tilled. Unlike many farmers, who know and care for little beyond their immediate neighborhood, he was well informed and took an active interest in affairs of general importance. He early became a life member of the Maine Agricultural Society, attended its fairs, frequentlyt aking the products of his farm for exhibition, particularly his cattle, for the excellent quality of which he was noted. He took great delight in raising and training oxen, and derived his principal income from the sales of live stock. The productive condition of his farm of two hundred acres bore ample proof of his constant care and hard work. He was active member of the Pittston Grange, giving the land on which their hall was built. In politics he was always a democrat and a staunch temperance man. With his family he attended the Congregational church, though not a member. The termination of his useful life was unusally sad. On the morning of February 27, 1889, he hitched several yoke of cattle to a heavy load of logs and started north on the road to Randolph. He was found an hour later in the road near Smithtown, lying in a dying condition under the bob-sleds. He was an excellent teamster, and how he fell under the crushing load must always remain a mystery. Mr. Lapham, in 1853, married Emeline R. Follansbee, daughter of Benjamin and Betsey (Kenney) Follansbee. Benjamin Follansbee and his father, who was also Benjamin, came from Salisbury, Mass., to Pittston in 1806, and were shipbuilders at Smithtown. An ice house now stands where their yard was located, and the Knickerbocker Ice Company of Philadelphia owns the old Follansbee house, using it for a boarding house. Mrs. Lapham, who has no children, still lives in the old home where for thirty-six years she enjoyed the society and affection of a worthy man and a devoted husband. Roger M. Lapham, born in 1838, is a son of Roger and Lucinda (Brown) Lapham, and grandson of Rogers and Mary (White) Lapham, who settled where Rober M. now lives. Mr. Lapham is a farmer. He married Ruth Ella, daughter of Hiram and Elizabeth (Peasley) Pottle. Their children are: Sophia M., Elmer W., Roger H. and Elsie. Washington Lawrence, born in 1812, was a son of Edward and Abigail (Wells) Lawrence. Mr. Lawrence was a farmer. He died in 1890, since which time the farm (which was formerly owned by Captain William Crowell) has been carried on by David and Charles, his sons. He married in 1837, Hertilla, daughter of Captain William and Mercy (Parker) Crowell. Their children were: Henry C., David A. and Charles W., and three that died - George W., Lucy E. and Hertilla. Frank M. Little8, is a son of Eli7 and Mary (Bailey) Little (Samuel6, Joshua5, Samuel4, David3, Joseph2 and George Little1). Mr. Little has been employed for several years as a cotton mill operative; the last three years he was an overseer. He married Belle, daughter of William and Lizzie (Stilphin) Cheney. They have one daughter, Eulela M., and lost one, Lela M. F. Willis Mansir, son of George W. and Margaret (Brown) Mansir, and grandson of George W. Mansir, was born in 1852, and has been a wagon manufacturer at East Pittston since 1871. He married Ida, daughter of William Reade. George R. Mansir, son of Charles B. and Martha A. (Murphy) Mansir, and grandson of George W. Mansir, was born in 1855. Mr. Mansir is a farmer and owns the Blair homestead. He was tax collector one term and is now (1892) filling his fourth term as supervisor of schools. He has taught five terms of school. He married Hattie E., daughter of Benjamin Elkins. They have two children: George L. and Mattie L. Henry S. Marson, born in 1846, is the youngest of four children of Jacob and Harriet (Glidden) Marson, grandson of Samuel and Rachel (Fountain) Marson, and great-grandson of Samuel and Janette (Miller) Marson, who were among the first settlers of Pittston. Mr. Marson is a farmer on the farm where is grandfather settled. He married Faustina Houdlett. Mr. Marson has two brothers and one sister: Isaac R R., Amanda H. and George W. Isaac R. Marson was born in 1833. he was a carpenter twenty years, eight years superintendent of the Cedar Grove ice houses, and since 1885 has been a farmer. He married Helen J., daughter of James P. Wheeler. Their children are: Henry F., Alpheus M., Marh L. and one that died, Alice, the eldest. Captain Joseph A. Marson, born 1838, is a son of Captain Hiram and Ann G. (Waitt) Marson, grandson of Stephen, and great-grandson of Abner Marson. Captain Marson has followed the sea since 1852, and since 1862 has been in command of vessels. He married R. Augusta, daughter of George W. Nickels. They have two daughters: Adelle B. and Annie A. They lost one, Nettie L. George E. Moody, born in 1840, is one of eleven children of Royal and Eliza (Nickereson) Moody, and grandson of William and Polly (Hunt) Moddy. Mr. Moody's mother was a daughter of Salathial Nickerson, of Chatham, Mass. Mr. Moody is a farmer, and since 1887 he has kept a store opposite his house. He married Luetta,d aughter of Eli Little. They have two sons: George A. and Arthur B. Fred P. Morrell, son of Samuel and Eliza J. (Dorr) Morrell, was born in 1848, and was a farmer until 1881, since which time he has been a merchant at North Pittston. Since 1886 he has been postmaster at North Pittston. His first wife, Lucy L. Gould, died, leaving one son, Walter F. His present wife was Carrie M. Blodgett. S. Winter Moulton, born in 1843, is a son of Samuel H. and Ellen (Winter) Moulton, and grandson of Oliver Moulton. He is a farmer; his house faces Lake Nehumkeag, and he devotes some attention to summer boarders. He married Abbie, daughter of Gideon Meserve, and they have two sons: Burton M. and F. Guy. Francis Nash, born November 20, 1824, is a son of Peter and Mehetable (Blodgett) Nash, and grandson of Peter Nash. He is a farmer, having bought the farm where he now lives in 1846. He married Mary E., daughter of Dennit Waymouth. She died leaving four children: Fannie W. (Mrs. Charles Bliss), Helen W. (Mrs. herbert Thompson), Alfred H. and Fran H., deceased. His present wife is Anna, daughter of William Lamson. Henry Nash, brother of Francis Nash, was born in 1813, and is a farmer. His first marriage was with Mrs. Charlotte McMillen, daughter of Archibald Stuart. She died leaving one daughter, Octavia, now Mrs. William Rundlett. His present wife was Mary E. Lamson. John Nash, born in 1828, is a brother of Francis Nash, and like his two brothers, is a farmer. He married Hannah Jane, daughter of Joseph Ware, and they have two sons: William W. and Orrington W. George W. Palmer, son of Lewis and Eliza (Laforce) Palmer, was born in 1835, and is a blacksmith and farmer. He spent eight years in Massachusetts, a part of that time being employed as shipsmith for the government. He married Hannah J., daughter of Reuben Meserve, and their children are: Hattie E., Reuben L., Georgia M., Arthur B. and Ernest C. Seth Palmer is the only survivor of eleven children of Samuel and Abigail (Pratt) Palmer, and come from Rowley, Mass., to Maine. Mr. Palmer is a farmer on the farm where his father settled in 1800. He married Lydia A., daughter of Edward and Mary (Woodbridge) Palmer, granddaughter of Thomas, and great-granddaughter of Samuel Palmer, as above. She died October 20, 1891. Their children are: Oscar A., died June, 1874; Clara E.; Orrie C., died October, 1891; Irwin W., died March, 1872; Fred W., settled in New Bedford, Mass., and Oakes M. Franklin Powers, son of Luther, was born at Georgetown, Me., in 1825. He is a ship carpenter by trade, having worked in Maine several years, and in Cincinnati, O., for a number of years prior to 1866, when he came to Pittston and bought a farm of 140 acres. He was foreman for the Independent Ice Company from 1876 to 1883, and during that time all the buildings now owned by the company were built. His first wife, Sarah B. Pinkham, died, leaving one daughter, Annie. His second marriage was with Elmira P. Plummer. Their children are: Melville J., Asbury M., of Boothbay Harbor, and Laura F. (Mrs. C.W. Church). Melville J. Powers, son of Franklin and Elmira (Plummer) Powers, was born in 1857. He has been employed since 1874 by the Independent Ice Company, and in 1883 he succeeded his father as superintendent of the business. He married Laura E. Goud, of Dresden. They have had one daughter, Alice F., who died February 28, 1892. William S. Pulsifer, son of Alfred and Ruby (Moody) Pulsifer, was born in 1844, and is a farmer. He married Amanada, daughter of Madison and Martha (Bailey) Balcom. They have one son, Eddie D. John B. Ripley, son of Joseph and Betsey (Barker) Ripley, was born in 1831, at Rumford, Me. Mr. Ripley came to Pittston in 1864, where he has been engaged in farming and carpentering. He was selectman in 1886, town clerk in 1889 and 1890, and chairman of board of selectmen in 1891. He married Mary F., faughter of John Wentworth. They have three children: Arthur C., Ellen F. and George H. John C. Rollins, born in 1853, is a son of Oliver C. and Sarah Ann Rollins. He has been employed by the Knickerbocker Ice Company since 1872. He married Maria F., daughter of J. Warren Vaughn. They have one son living, Oliver H., and lost one, Arthur. William Rollins, son of Oliver C. and Sarah Ann (Cutts) Rollins, and grandson of Joseph Rollins, was born in 1838. He spent six years in California prior to 1867, and since 1885 has been superintendent of the Knickerbocker Ice House at Smithtown. he married Sophia J., daughter of Roger Lapham, and has one son, George R. Alfred L. Stilphin, born in 1848, is a son of Alfred and Mary (Call) Stilphin, grandson of George and Betsey (McCan) Stilphin, and great-grandson of George, whose father, Michael Stilphin, came to America from France at the time the edict of Nantes was revoked. Mr. Stilphin followed the sea for two years, spent two years in Boston, and since then has been a farmer in Pittston. he married Georgia A., daughter of Thomas Hayland. Their three sons are: George Fred, Harry L. and Everett C. C.C. Stilphin, son of William and Sarah (Pushard) Stilphin, was born at Dresden, Me., in 1832. His grandfather was Francis Stilphin. He was in California from 1855 until 1858. In 1860 he came to Pittston, where he was a farmer for five years. Since that time he has been a carriage maker at East Pittston. His first wife, Eveline M. Crie, died leaving two children: Edgar D. and Ada I. He married for his second wife, Mrs. Sarah T. Linscott, daughter of Eli Little. Captain Joseph B. Thomas. - An important and interesting topic for consideration in the history of Pittston is the eminent career of those who, natives of the town, have been best known by their achievements beyond her borders. Among those men, if not the foremost of them, was Captain Joseph Brown Thomas, the facts of whose life are worthy of statement and of study. He came of Welsh stock, a people of strong, manly traits. His father, Samuel and his sgrandfather, Samuel, were natives of Biddeford, Me. The former came in 1799 to the Kennebec valley and became a farmer in Pittston, where Joseph B. Thomas was born June 23, 1811. Here was his home during the years of his early manhood. At the age of fourteen he went to sea, where he was rapidly promoted. While still a young man he became master of a ship and visited the principal ports of the world. When the fold excitment of 1849 swept over the country Captain Thomas saw a great opportunity and seized it. In command of the ship Thomas Watson, which a dozen years later became a rebel privateer, he took a cargo to California, the profits on which were the first of a series of remarkable successes. San Francisco was booming, and his keen judgement led him to quit the sea, still retaining an interest in its commerce, and establih a large shipping and commercial house. From the age of forty, in the meridian of a vigorous manhood, the next seventeen years were filled with great undertakings and crowned with gratifying rewards. He was a man of public spirit, never shrinking public duties. He belonged to the law and order party, and was chairman of the vigilance committee of San Francisco in one of the bitter struggles with outlaws. During the great civil war he was a co-worker with T. Star King in the difficult work of holding California true to the Union, and his purse was ever open in aid of the sanitary commission and other agencies that needed large sums of money. He was prominent in the board of trade, a bank director, a real estate owner, and belonged emphatically to the stalwart band of strong, true men who gave a right direction to the life of San Francisco at the formative period of its growth. In 1866, having satisfied the ideals of a reasonable ambition, Captain Thomas most suitable laid down business cares and with his family traveled two years in Europe. Returning to America he purchased the John Wade Damon mansion, in Charlestown, Mass., where the remaining year of his life were enjoyed. But he did not retire from business. His mastery and love of exact methods and his wonderful ability in guiding great enterprises belonged to a nature that must have occupation. He purchased the Standard Sugar Refinery, of Boston. When the famous sugar trust was formed he was elected director, and when it was reorganized, in January, 1891, he was elected its vice-president. It was in returning from this meeting that he took a cold, resulting in a fatal attack of pneumonia. He was married November 5, 1841, to Martha T. Seran, of Philadelphia, who still survives him. They had two children, who are his business successors: Joseph B. Thomas, who was born in 1849, and Washington B. Thomas, born in 1857. Captain Thomas' mother was Betsey Brown, one of the family mentioned at page 756. Captain Thomas was a hearty supporter of the Methodist Episcopal church and society, whose parsonage on High Street, Charlestown, was the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas. The shock of sorrow and the words in which it found expression when the tidings went forth, January 13, 1891, that Captain Joseph B. Thomas was dead, made it plain that the great public heart was deeply touched. With singular accord these words bore one prominent thought - that not only a rich man, but a good man had gone. It was something to have amassed so princely a fortune, but a greater thing to have built up such a character. He loved business methods, hated shams, was a devoted friend, helpful to the poor, and was guided by a conscientious love of right. His upright life and Christian character stand a shining example before the world, overshadowing all his other successes. George P. Thompson was born in 1852, in Pittston, where he now resided, and is a farmer. His marriage was with Ella A., daughter of Philip T. Pierce. Their five children are: William F., Ada A., Charles P., Harvey and Fannie O. John Scott, born in 1828, is the only son of John and Thankful (Eastman) Scott, and grandson of Daniel and Elizabeth (Nelson) Scott, who came from Rowley, Mass., to Wiscasset, and in 1803 came to Pittston. Mr. Scott operates the farm which his father and grandfather both carried on before him. He married Mary C., daughter of Jonas Emory, of Buxton. Their children are: Eva E. (Mrs. Alvin Cutts), Fred E., Walter C. and Bert W. Edward Soper, born in 1825, is a son of Seth and Abigail (Billings) Soper. He followed the sea from 1840 until 1877, with the exception of the time he spent in California. Since 1877 he has occupied the homestead of his father. Henry N. Soper, youngest son of John and Evaline (Smith) Soper, and grandson of Seth and Prudy (White) Soper, was born in 1845. He was for ten years engaged in the machinist trade, and has since been a farmer. He married Almatia, daughter of Jacob W. Nelson. They have one daughter, Effie G. Sanford Stevens, born in 1814, is a son of John and Elizabeth (Hanover) Stevens, grandson of Caleb and Elizabeth (Wilson) Stevens, and great-grandson of John Stevens. Mr. Stevens married Catherine, daughter of Samuel Jewett, and their children were: Maria (Mrs. J. H. Scammell), Mary (Mrs. F.W. Pitcher), Walter (married Mary Baker), John S., Kate W. and Edward D., who died. Mr. Stevens is a farmer. Daniel Thompson, son of Hugh and Mary (Lawrence) Thompson, and grandson of James Thompson, was born in 1818, and is a farmer, owing and occupying the farm where he was born. He married Nancy, daughter of William and Mary (Hunt) Moody. Their children are: Daniel A., Henry, Henrietta (Mrs. John Blodgett), Emma L. (Mrs. Henry Hunt), and Herbert L. Henry Thompson, son of Daniel Thompson, was born in 1842. He is a carpenter by trade. He was in Nevada from 1873 to 1885, where he worked at his trade. He served in the civil war 11 1/2 months in the 21st Maine. He married Abiah F., daughter of Royal and Eliza (Nickerson) Moody. They have four children: Henry B., Ernest C., Mabel A. and Jessie S. 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