A HISTORY OF THE EARLY SETTLEMENT OF PALERMO ME. by Allen Goodwin Belfast, ME: The Age Publishing Co. 1896 Page 11-16 CHAPTER II This town of Palermo was first called Great Pond Settlement from the fact that the first settlement was near the Sheepscott Great Pond. The first settlers of Palermo were principally persons from New Hampshire Some of those persons which my grandfather referred to as the first settlers were Stephen Belden, Christopher Erskines, David Turner, Benjamin Turner, Jonathan Greeley, Jacob Greeley, Jacob Worthing, John Johnson, John Bradstreet, Jonathan Bartlett, Joseph Rust, Stephen Marden and James Marden. The first settler in Palermo was Stephen Belden, who came here on horseback, bringing his Bible under his arm, about 1778. He was mar- ried to Abigail Godfrey and had a son, Aaron, prior to coming to Palermo. They took up the farm where Van Ransalaer Turner now lives. He died June 15, 1822. Aaron lived here and married. To his wife Charity, was born a daughter, Sabrina, March 25, 1805. They moved out west and he became a minister of the gospel. The first male child born in Palermo was a son of Stephen, who was born in the spring of 1779, who he named Stephen. The first female child was bis daughter, born in the fall of 1780, who was named Sally. Stephen Jr. married Miss Mary Harvey and settled on Level Hill. The buildings are now gone, but the farm is owned by Fred Norton. He died Dec. 21, 1857. The sons born to them were Stephen, James and John, from whom sprang children and grandchildren too numerous to mention. James is still living at the age of eighty-two. Sally married David Linscott and settled on Level Hill, where their son James Linscott now lives. Mr. Edmund Black was born in 1736. He died in Palermo, Feb. 6, 1809 aged seventy-two years. Mrs. Molly Black, his wife, was born in 1733 and died in Palermo April 23, 1812, aged 79 years. Eleven children were born to them in Chester, N. H., and were among the early settlers coming to Palermo about 1798. They had passed the meridian of life ere they started on their long horseback journey into tile wilderness to their log house, with their four sons James, John, Edmund Jr. and Benjamin and their wives. James, the oldest son was born in Chester, N. H. Sept. 15, 1764, and married his, wife Molly, born in Newmarket, N. H. March 15, 1768. They first settled in Meredith, N. H. They had eight children. They settled in Palermo on the farm now known as the Studley place. Among, his children were Edmund 3rd., Joshua, Olive and James 3rd. was born in Meredith, N. H., Jan. 6, 1788, and married Comfort Wiggins. He was chosen Town Clerk in 1811 and con- tinued three years. He drove the stages for quite a number of years. Their children were quite numerous. Joshua was born at Meredith, N. H., June 3, 1796. He married Mary Briant. He was called the vet- eran stage-driver, having driven the stage twenty-eight years. John Black was born June 22, 1766, and with his wife Betsey, set- led first on the farm where Ira Black now lives. Among their children are Berley Black, now living, in his 91st year, and Nancy Black Sanford, now living at the age of 81 years. Edmund Black Jr. was born June 16, 1772, and his wife Betsey settled on the Ira Black place with his brother. Among their children were Betsey, Cleaned, John, Abagail and Susan. As they moved to Readfield, and finally to N. Y., and their children were mostly girls, but little is known of their descendants, though Betsey married Jose Greeley of China, for her last husband. Benjamin Black was born April 6, 1780 and with his wife Mary first settled on the Peleg Sanford place. Among their children were Claren- don and Benjamin Jr. now living at the age of 78 years. Levi Rowe was born at Ipswich, N. H., August 1, 1765. Lucy Nelson was born at Ipswich, N. H., Sept. 7, 1766. When he was twenty-three years of age they were married and -settled in Alna, Maine. Seven children were born to them : Jeremiah Rowe, born Aug. 17, 1789 and died at the age of four months; James, born Feb. 20, 1791 ; Levi, Jr., born June 20, 179.5; Rufus, born May 15, 1796; Annie, born July 27, _____ Jeremiah, born June 25, 1799; Mary E. born Sept. 29, 1806. Mr. Rowe was an early settler who came to Palermo and settled on the farm which has been handed down as the Rowe farm. James Rowe married Martha Noyes of Jefferson and settled with his father in Palermo and finally moved to Morrill; Levi, Jr., was killed on the farm by a tree, May 25, 1811, at the age of sixteen. Rufus lived at Alna until a young man. He married Lydia Noyes of Jefferson for his first wife and settled in Palermo and finally settled on the old Rowe farm. His second wife was Sally Marden, then the widow Cunningham. They were the parents of George and Rufus Rowe, Jr., of Palermo and Mrs. Frances Sylvester and Thomas Rowe of Newton Centre, Mass. Annie was drowned, Nov. 2, 1832, at the age of thirty-six years, while drawing a pail of water at the spring, where Bennie Colby now lives. Jeremiah married Miss Noyes of Jefferson, a sister of his brothers' wives, * for his first wife and settled in Newcastle. His second wife was Mary Andros of Palermo. They settled in Carr's corner in 1825. He worked there at the blacksmith's trade and later moved to Bradford, Me. Mary E. married John W. Marden and settled in Palermo. Benjamin Young was born in Chester N. H., 1775. He learned the blacksmith's trade of a smith in Hallowell, Me. His first work after learning his trade was on the first bridge across the Kennebec river at Augusta in 1797. He then went to Belfast and worked at his trade about four years. In 1802 he married Miss Abigail Whittier, daughter of Joseph and Priscilla Whittier of this place, who was fourteen years of age. They settled on the farm where his grandson Fred Young now lives, and as he did not have slings in those days as now for shoeing oxen, their legs were tied and turned them over on their backs while nailing on the shoes. They had eleven children, Joseph and Page, now living in Freedom. He died March 3, 1848 at the age of seventy-three. His wife died April 23, 1872, aged eighty-four years. Captain and Mrs. Elijah Grant, senior, were probably the oldest couple that made the horseback journey in those early days, as the record of their births date back to 1721. John Cain, senior, probably had the largest number of children, which numbered eighteen. GENEOLOGY OF WILLIAM JONES AND ABIGAIL BENNETT JONES. Capt. Miles Standish came in the "Mayflower" in 1620. He married for his second wife Barbara Standish, who came in the "Ann" in 1623. Their son, Alexander, married Sarah Alden, second daughter of John and Priscilla (Mullen) Alden, who both came in the "Mayflower." Lydia, daughter of Alexander and Sarah (Alden) Standish, married Isaac Sampson, born 1660. Ephraim, born 1698, son of Isaac and Lydia (Standish) Sampson, married Abigail Horrell, daughter of Humphrey Horrell of Beverly. Mary, born in Plimpton, April 10, 1745, daughter of Ephraim and Abigail (Horrell) Sampson married Nov. 1st, 1764, in Middleboro, Mass., Bach- elor Bennett, born in 1736, son of Cornealas Bennett, Physician of Mid- dleborough, and Ruth his wife. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. Abigail, born in May, 1777, daughter of Bachelor and Mary (Samp- son) Bennett, married in 1798 William Jones, who was born in Bristol, Me., In 1774, and died in Palermo, February, 1834. He was a son of Richard Jones of Bristol, a soldier of the Revolution**, and committee of corres- pondence and safety in 1782. Richard Jones was a son of Wm. Jones, who came to this country in 1725 and settled in Bristol in 1730. He was a man much respected in his town and was the first chosen to the Provincial Congress in 1775 ***. He was a brother of Colonel Win. Jones, who was a member of the Convention of Massachusetts, by which the Constitution of the United States was adopted. The descendants of William and Abigail (Bennett) Jones are numerous. Their children were: Nelson, married Hannah Bowler. They had three sons and four daughters. Abigail, married Samuel Brown. Left a son and several daughters. Harriet, married Warren Cooper. They had one son and five daughters. Sylvanus, died young. Eliza Maloon, married Lot Rust. They had four sons and four daughters. William, married Mary Ann Marr. They had four sons and three daughters; several of them died young. Cathlena, married Benjamin Marr. They had one son who died in youth, and one daughter who married a Turner. She left three children. Mrs. Marr is the only one of the family now living. She resides at Branch Mills. Sylvanus, son of Win. Jones, is living, at Branch Mills. He married Olive Erskin. They have one son in college. Lot Rust, Jr., married Marcia Cooper, and Hattie Rust married Abiel Erskin. Both families live at Moro, Oregon. Cathlena Cooper married Joseph Grant. They have one son and five daughters. Their home is in Portland. Abbie Bennett Cooper married James E. Shepard of Union. He was Adjt. of the 9th Maine V. M. during the war of the Rebellion. Nelson W. Jones, son of Nelson am] Hannah Jones, enlisted in the 3rd Maine Reg. V. M.. June 4th, 1861, and was killed July 2, 1863. He was a very promising, young man, and was a sergeant with a promise of a commission. An honor to his native town West W. Cooper, only son of Warren and Harriet Cooper, enlisted in the 4th Maine Regt. V. M. May 8th, 1861, and was killed in action, July 21st, 1861, at the battle of Bull Run. The G. A. R. of Union have named their Post for him, and his name stands first upon The Roll of Honor, on the Soldiers' Monument at Union Common. William Jones moved his family from Bristol to Palermo in 1815, having, previously prepared their home. The old house which was large and roomy, stood on the spot where the house of Silas Bowler now stands. It was in the old days surrounded by orchards, an ideal country farm house. It was torn down in 1859. William Jones' children were at one time all settled around him on farms which were part of the original grant in the lower part of the town. He died in middle life from the effects of a fever contracted in New Orleans, while on a voyage as captain of a merchant ship. Abigail (Bennett) Jones was a woman of strong character. She was a widow for twenty-seven years. She kept her farm and managed her affairs until she was very old. She died in March, 1861, aged 83 years and 10 months. Palermo has the honor of being the nativity of a millionaire. James H. Bowler, son of Rev. William Bowler, was born at the foot of John Ayer's hill, April 23, 1814, and died in Bangor, Maine, April 4, 1893. _________ Note. The three brothers married three sisters. See Vol 13, Page 51; Vol. 24, Page 57; Vol. 3, Page 225, Rev. Archives, State House Boston. See Vol. 19, Page 181, Rev. Archives, State House Boston. See History of Bristol (c) 1998 Courtesy of the Me GenWeb Kennebec County Site ************************************************* * * * * 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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