HISTORICAL SKETCH OF CANAAN.
The East Somerset County Register
1911-12
Compiled and Published by Chatto & Turner
Auburn, Maine
Clarence I. Chatto; Clair E. Turner
pages 55-64
HISTORY OF CANAAN
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF CANAAN.
The oldest town of the group covered in this brief historical
account, is Canaan, which was incorporated in 1788, some years
before most of the others had been explored to any considerable
extent. This was due, perhaps, to its proximity to the Kenne-
bec River along the banks of which the earliest settlers of the
county made their homes. The first settlement is said to have
been made about 1770. The survey of the town was made by
John Jones in 1779, and the town was incorporated in 1788,
under its present name, which was given to it because of the
beauty of its scenery and the fertility of its soil. The planta-
tion name was "Wesserunsett" and later "Heywoodstown,"
from Peter Heywood, the first settler. The area of the town
was formerly very much larger than at present, Skowhegan
having been at one time included within its limits. The plan-
tation records commence in 1783. Canaan was first represent-
ed in the "General Court" by Benjamin Shepherd. The first
post office was established in 1793.
Being settled so soon after the Revolutionary War, it is nat-
ural that many of the settlers in the town should have been
engaged in that conflict. Among the names which have been
mentioned in this connection are Daniel Nelson, J. E. Hall,
Stephen Holman, Jonathan Holt and Elisha Nason. The town
furnished several soldiers for the 1812 war also, among these
being Chas. Hodsdon, three members of the Holt family, and
others. One soldier at least, Jackson Goodridge, went to the
Mexican War from Canaan.
The town suffered a disaster during the summer of 1911 in
a destructive fire, which swept away a considerable part of the
business section. of the village. In the excitement caused by
the fire, which threatened his residence, Dr. L. W. Shean, who
had been a life long practitioner in the town, succumbed to
heart disease.
Capt. Joseph Barrett, came to Canaan with his family from
Ludlow, Vt. in 1806 and cleared the farm now owned by his
great granddaughter, Mrs. Viola Rand. In 1816 Mr. Barrett
built the house which still stands on the farm. His children
were: Hulda m. Corson, Joseph, Silas, John, Levi, Lucinda m.
Bangs, Harrison. Mr. Barrett died when quite young.
Joseph, Jr. followed the profession of law and served in the
capacity of Judge, County Commissioner and Trustee of sev-
eral State Institutions.
Among the most noteworthy of the early families in the
town were the Holts several of whom were among the pioneers.
The first member of the family with his four sons came to
Canaan from New Hampshire or from Berwick, among the
earliest settlers. The sons were: Isaac, Alvah, Asa and Jona-
than. There was also a sister, Polly, who m. Mr. Wheeler.
Alvah Asa and Jonathan Holt served in the War of 1812, the
latter being a corporal. He took part in the battle of Sackett's
Harbor. Isaac held the position of Captain in a company mus-
tered for the Aroostook War.
Jonathan Holt m. Betsey Bailey of New Hampshire, and
they had six children: Mary, m. Henry Fernald, res. Troy;
Lucina, m. Win. Foster; Lovina, m. Moses Furber; Samuel, res.
Clinton; Drew, res. Skowhegan; Royal F.
Capt. Isaac Holt was prominent in public affairs during the
early years of the town. He m. Eleanor Kimball of Canaan
and lived in Canaan until near the end of his life, when he
moved to Clinton. His children were: Chauncey, Theodore,
Alden, Loren.
Brown's Corner, in the northern part of the town was
named from an early settler of that name, who cleared a farm
in the vicinity. For some years Eldridge Brown kept a small
store at the corner.
Noah Hubbard, a veteran of the War of 1812, came from
Cape Cod to Sidney, Maine and thence to Canaan, in the days
when the trail from Sidney was nothing but a spotted line
through the forest. He settled oil Herrin Hill, which was then
a part of Hartland. The land is owned at present by his grand
son, E. F. Hubbard of Hartland. Mr. Hubbard served through
out the second war with England and was severely wounded
at the battle of Lake Champlain. When he came to Maine to
make a settlement, he brought with him the cavalry horse
which he had used in the army. His wife Betsey came with
him from Cape Cod, riding on horse back and carrying Edward
Hubbard, then a baby of nine. months, in her arms. The first
shanty of the pioneer was built near a big boulder on the side
of the hill. Later a log house a little more pretentious was
erected near. Still later Mr. Hubbard, with his son Orin
moved down into the valley near the pond, where they built
a log house, the traces of which may still be seen, on the far
now owned by George Hubbard, a grandson of the pioneer
John Nason was born in Hinkley about 1789 and came when
a young man to Canaan, married, and made a settlement there
He cleared a farm in the southern part of the town where hi,,
son James lives today.
Nathaniel Goodale, another of the settlers of Canaan, was
by trade a ship builder. He came from England and settle,:
first in Wells, Maine, later removing with his family to Canaan
Elisha Nason, a farmer and trapper, came from Berwick t
Canaan about 1800, and settled upon the farm now occupied b,
Silas Nason although the original buildings have long sink,
been abandoned and fallen to decay. His wife was a Miss
Clinton. Their children were: John, Olive, Sarah m. Wyman
Samuel, James, Huldah m. Holt, Elizabeth m. Joy, Mary It
Johnson, Meleanda m. Holt.
David Nason (b. Nov. 16, 1783) came to Canaan from Ber-
wick in 1800. He felled the first tree upon the farm now oc-
cupied by his great grandson, Guy Nason. In 1803 he built the
house which now stands upon the farm. He m. Priscilla Hub-
bard and to them were born the, following children: Rufus
b. 1809, Elisha b. 1812, Harriet b. 1814, Almon b. 1816, Eliza
Ann b. 1S19, David b. 1825, Cyrus b. 1827.
The first of the name of Goodridge to come to Canaan were
four brothers, David, Samuel, Jonathan, and Jeremiah, who
came from Brunswick about 1790. They all reared large
families except David, and their descendants are very numerous
in the town today. The brothers cleared arms near the
Clinton line, in the south part of the town. Jeremiah m.
Sarah Wentworth of Boston. Their children were: Ebenezer,
res. Skowhegan; Noah, res. Canaan; Jeremiah, res. Palmyra;
John, res. Canaan; David, res. Canaan; Fannie, m. Nahum
Goodrich; Polly m. John Nason; Abigail, m. John Goodrich;
Eunice, m. John Goodale, res. Clinton; Betsey, m. Moses,
Goodale, res. on the old place in Canaan.
Jonathan Goodridge settled also in the south part of the
town. He was in trade for some time and had a mill in Canaan
village. A noteworthy incident about the family is that Mr.
Goodridge and his wife died only about six hours apart, both
being at an advanced age. They brought up a large family,
Waterville. They bad a family of four girls and one boy:
Lucy, m. George Moore, res. Canaan; Betsey, m. Samuel Hobbs,
res. Burnham; John, res. Canaan and Pittsfield; Francena, m.
Henry Farrar, res. Lisbon; Flavilla, m. Frank Russell, res.
Skowhegan.
Tristram Ricker came to Canaan about 1809, and cleared
the farm now occupied by Herbert Davis. In 1807 he had m.
Myra Lason, and to them were born: Hannah, m. Salsbury;
Esther, m. Merrifield; Mary, m. Hubbard; Clarissa, m. Goodrich;
Amy, m. Hubbard; Caroline; Henry S.; Abigail, m. Shepard;
Tristram; Noah; Ann, m. Wells.
Edward Ramsdell (b. 1805, d. 1883) came from "Old York"
about eighty years ago and cleared a farm near the Pittsfield
line. His wife was Maria Welch, who was b. in 1812. They
had a family of four: David, b. 1831, lived on the old place;
Samuel, b. 1833, d. in Cal.; Emeline, b. 1835, m. Welch; Paul
V .1 b. 1837, res. Canaan. Mr. Ramsdell was long a deacon of
the Christian Church of Canaan.
One of the earliest settlers of the town was a Mr. Brock
who cleared a farm about two miles south of the village. He
lived here in the days when the settlers were obliged to make
long trips to Waterville or Bangor for supplies. It is related
that sometimes during his absence His wife sometimes was
obliged to go out with torches to frighten the bears away from
the cattle, a test of courage which would probably daunt most
of the women of today.
About one hundred years ago Joseph Boston came with his
wife from Buxton, Maine, and took up a settlement in Canaan,
clearing a farm where J. Wilson Boston, his great grandson,
lives at present. A number of the residents of the town trace
their descent to this pioneer. His children were: Noami,
John, Lois m. Parker, Elizabeth m. Rand, Mary m. Dickson,
Jason, k. in the army.
The Salsbury or Salisbury family came to Canaan from Mt.
Desert, where so many of the name are living today.' In the
days when the first member of the family came to Canaan the
roads were but little developed and Mr. Salsbury was accustom-
ed, as were the other inhabitants of the town at that time, to
travel about with an ox cart, using even this mode of convey-
ance for visiting and going to church. He used to truck from
Waterville with six oxen, traveling often at night to avoid the
heat for his cattle. This family, in common with some of the
other early settlers, raised their own flax and wove from It
their own linen cloth. Mr. Everett Salsbury has still an old
flax wheel made more than a hundred years ago.
John Nevins came about ninety years ago from Danville,
when this part of the country was almost an unbroken wilder-
ness, traveling part of the way from Danville by means of a
spotted line through the woods. - There was a brother who
came at the same time and took up his settlement in the town
of Embden, while John settled on Herrin Hill, then within the
limits of Hartland. Later he moved to Canaan. His wife's
name was Mary Ray, and four children were born to them in
Canaan: Chas. m. Roxana Wheeler, David m. Susan Finson,
John m. Nancy Washburn, Julia m. Wm. Rines. There were
several other children in the family, born in Danville. At the
present time there are forty-three descendants of John Nevins
living. A reunion of the Nevins family is held yearly on Au-
gust 12, at the home of some of the members.
James Whitten came in 1805 probably from Berwick and
cleared a farm in Canaan. Among his children were: James,
Jr., John, George, Betsey m. Buzzell, res. Eden, Mary m. Good-
rich.
Four brothers named Kendall came from England to Ameri-
ca a hundred years or more ago. Of these Abiatha settled in
Canaan; William was an early settler of Fairfield and gave the
Panic to Kendall's Mills in that town; David settled at Pishon's
Ferry; and Benjamin settled in Reddington, Mass. Mr. Ken
dall's farm in Canaan was in the south part of the town. His
wife was Betsey Spearin and to them were born the following
children: David; Betsey m. Java Wing; Usiah, res. Cinci-
natti; Benj., res. Reddington; William, res. Bangor. David
had a son Hartley who became an explorer in the employ of the
government died in the government service at St. Anthony
Falls, Minn. At the time when Mr. Kendall settled the settlers
were accustomed to carry their corn on horseback to the mill
at Pishon's Ferry to have it ground.
Stephen Moore, the first of the name to settle in Canaan,
was 1). in England, and came to Canaan in 1815. He cleared
the farm and built the buildings now occupied by Frank Penny.
Very soon after his coming he built the mill which has given
the name of Moore's Mills to that part of the town. Later lie
built a grist mill on a ledge near the saw mill, and this was sold
and a new one erected about 1842. This last mill is the one
which, revised and remodeled, is at present operated by Frank
Penny, the grandson of Stephen Moore. The children of the
family were: Ann, Joseph, Mary, born in England, Sarah,
born in Halifax, Stephen, Hannah, Patience, John, Silas.
Eben Tuttle came in 1806 from Berwick and settled at
Canaan village. He took up and cleared a large tract of land.
His second wife was Sarah Nason, who lived to be 95 years
old. Their children were: Wentworth, Reuben, John, Levi,
Eben, Asa, Hiram, Jefferson.
David Kimball came about 90 years ago and cleared a farm
at Brown's Corner. He m. (1) Belinda _____ and they had the
following children: George, James d. in Michigan, Joseph,
David, Levi, res. Cornville, Hannah m. Hurlbert, res. Mass.,
Anne m. Hurlbert, res. Littleton, N. H., Eliza m. Elbridge
Gower. The second wife was Delia Jewett, and she had three
children, Howard, Laura and Nellie.
Near the western side of Chase Hill settled Benjamin Crom-
mett, who cleared the farm now occupied by C. N. Nichols,
building a log house near the brook, not far from where the
Nichols brothers have their mill. He bought his land of Ben-
jamin Chase, one of the first settlers of the town, and for some
time worked for Mr. Chase, who bad a mill on the brook.
Benjamin Chase mentioned above, was probably the first
settler in his part of the town. He cleared the farm on the side
of the Hill that bears his name, which is now occupied by
Charles Allen. The old county road over the hill used to pass
by the door and the passing of the stage from Bangor to Nor-
ridgewock must have been a great event for the lonely settler's
family. Mr. Chase was a soldier in the war of 1812. He be-
came one of the prominent citizens of the town owning large
tracts of land and being interested in the growing industries
of the settlement. His descendants are numerous throughout
the town today.
Among the other settlers in that part of the town was Jonas
Wheeler who made a clearing near Herrin Hill. Samuel
Wheeler settled to the south of Canaan village.
south of Canaan village.
About 1806 William Rand came from New Hampshire and
settled on the farm in Canaan now occupied by Asa Goodrich.
He married Sally Pearson of Clinton, and to them were born:
Olive m. Barrett, William, Isaiah, Thomas, Prescott, Darius,
Sally m. Richardson, Frank, Samuel. Of these children Isaiah
was the only one to settle in Canaan, and Mrs. Susie Rand,
widow of Frank, lives on his farm.
James Goodwin cleared a farm not far from the stream near
Canaan village. He had a large family: Caleb, Jerry, Miles,
William, James, Anne, Esther m. Augustus Hubbard. The son
James cleared the farm which is now occupied by L. Goodwin,
his son.
Samuel Jewett lived on the east side of Herrin Hill. He m.
Betsey Stewart, and they brought up a family of ten children:
Isaac, Fifield, Samuel, Henry, Solomon, William, Joseph,
Amanda, Zilphia and Eliza.
Jeremiah Goodridge came to Canaan from Berwick about
1816, with his wife Sarah Wentworth and eleven children,
two more being born after their coming to Canaan. He bought
a large tract of land in the southern part of the town and erect-
ed a large set of buildings which have since burned. In
his old age Mr. Goodridge divided his land among his children,
who settled around him. Among those were Samuel, who
settled on the farm now owned by Mr. Jerold, who lived to
the remarkable age of 104 years; Jonathan who lived on the
farm now occupied by Eugene Goodridge and Timothy, whose
farm is now owned by Charles Farnum.
Enos Jewell, the first of the name to come to Canaan, settled
in about 1810. He came from Berwick with his wife, Mary
(Fairbanks) and they built a log house and cleared the farm
where their grandson, Washington, lives at present. The story
is told that they occupied the house before the roof was done,
and that they were obliged to shelter themselves from a shower
one night by covering the bed with pans. To them were born
five boys and seven girls, all of whom are now dead: Katherine,
Anson, Alford, Albert, Henry, Sylvanus, Moody, Mary, Claris-
sa, Fanny, and twin girls, who died in infancy.
Jesse Washburn (b. in Joy, 1800) came from Waterville
with his wife Deborah (Wilson) (b. 1802) and set up a shoe-
maker's shop in the village. He had a large family: Charles,
b. 1821; William, b. 1823; Mary, b. 1825, m. Alexander; Seward,
b. 1827; Calista, b. 1829, m. Jenkins; Joseph, b. 1831; Albion,
b. 1833; Hannah, b. 1835, m. Holden; Marcelle, b. 1845, m.
Stocker; Adeline, b. 1849.
John Bailey was b. in Canaan in 1798. His parents, of
whom the records have been lost, were among the earliest
settlers of Canaan., Mr. Bailey m. Sally Richardson, who
was b. in Litchfield, also in 1798, and moved to a clearing on
the land now owned by their son, Wesley Bailey. There they
cleared a farm and, after living in a log cabin for some time,
built the house now standing.
Mr. Wheeler is said to have been the seventh man to settle
in Canaan. He built at first a log house about a mile below
the location of Canaan village and later a frame house a little
farther from the village on the spot where Fifield Mitchell
lives at present. One of his sons, Samuel, settled on his
father's clearing, building a second log house. The family
consisted of five sons and two daughters: Samuel, Roswell,
res. Aroostook; Alvah, res. Winslow; C. Bradford, res. Canaan;
Seth, res. Canaan ; Almira, m. Win. A. Davis, res. Skowhegan;
Elvira, m. Gideon Davis, res. Canaan.
Jeremiah Goodwin (b. 1772) came from Wells among the
earliest settlers of Canaan, and settled in the neighborhood of
the village, where he built and operated for some time the
first mill there. His wife was Miss Fannie Powers (b. 1772)
of Deer Isle. They had the following children: Clement, b.
1804; Fannie, b. 1807, m. Hale; Rachel, b. 1813, m. Richardson;
Mary Ann, b. 1805, m. Cobb; Eliza, b. 1809, m. Graves. The
oldest son, Clement is said to have been the first born in the
town. He became later one of the early settlers of the town of
Hartland. Mr. Goodwin at one time owned a large part. of
the land where the village now stands.
The son Clement went to Hartland and in 1840 settled on
place where Wallace now lives, about 70 years ago, and made
the farm. Clement was the first boy born in the town of
Canaan. He married Sarah Thomas (b. 1817) by whom be
bad eight children: John, b. 1838; Fanny, b. 1840, m. Nichols;
Thomas, b. 1842~; Chas., b. 1844; Sarah, b. 1847, m. Smith; Geo.,
b. 1849; Jeremiah, b. 1853; Wallace, b. 1856.
(c) 1998
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