John BAKEMAN in Hancock Co.
Date:	98-03-30 01:56:33 EST
From:	Hancock Co, Maine USGenWeb Project


From George A. Wheeler’s History of Castine, Penobscot and Brooksville,
Maine. Privately printed in Cornwall, NY, 1923.

Pages 166-167:

BAKEMAN, JOHN.
	Mr. John Bakeman was born in Holland, in 1731. He married Christiana
Smart, who was born in 1744, and who died in Brooksville, August 4, 1818
- aged seventy-four years. Mr. Bakeman died, in the part of Castine
which is now Brooksville, on October 29, 1800 - aged sixty-nine years.
	The subject of this sketch was a cousin to Martin Van Buren. He had two
brothers. One of them settled in New York, and spelled his name Bateman.
The other, a clergyman, named Garret, came to Penobscot, but remained
here only a short time. He returned to Holland, and was never after
heard from. Mr. Bakeman came to this place at the same time as his
brother Garret, purchased a tract of land on Cape Rozier, erected some
mills, and engaged in ship-building. Mr. Bakeman’s wife was a Tory, and
it is a family tradition that, trusting in her sympathy for the English
cause, General McLean, at the commencement of the siege, intrusted to
her care a large quantity of gold, which was honorably returned to him
after the siege was raised, notwithstanding that Mr. Bakeman espoused
the cause of the Federalists, and that his house was used as a hospital
for the wounded Americans. After the contest had ceased, some English
soldiers were sent to seize Mr. Bakeman, but he, having timely warning,
had escaped in a boat. A few days later, the English seized his stock of
cattle, about twenty in number, and over one hundred sheep. One of his
daughters, at that time a little girl of some seven or eight years of
age, often declared that she distinctly remembered hearing the soldiers
say, while dressing the animals, “Wont we live fat now, all the way to
Halifax!”
	Mr. Bateman went to Bath, Maine, where his family soon joined him. He
engaged in making salt from sea-water, at a place near Bath, called New
Meadows. When peace was declared, he returned to Castine, but did not
find even the foundation of his house remaining. The English had taken
it down, and removed it to Castine village, and it was there rebuilt and
occupied by Doctor Calef.
	Mr. Bakeman was a Justice of the Peace, and was much respected for his
sound judgment, and the judiciousness of the advice he gave in all
matters relating either to individual or town interests. His death
occurred so suddenly from hemorrhage, that he was unable to give any
information in regard to his property. His family had but little doubt
but that he had gold and silver concealed about the premises, though
having no proof thereof, they never made any very extensive search.
Spiritualists and people with “divining rods,” have, however, dug up a
large portion of the field near where his house stood, though without
success.
	After Mr. Bakeman’s death, his oldest son, Francis Evans Bakeman,
succeeded to his estate, and became a very successful ship-builder.
During the occupation of Castine by the British, in 1814, his shipping
was all seized, and nothing left him but his homestead. Many of Mr.
Bakeman’s descendants still reside in Castine and vicinity.



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