A HISTORY OF THE EARLY SETTLEMENT OF PALERMO ME. by Allen Goodwin Belfast, ME: The Age Publishing Co. 1896 Page 17-22 CHAPTER III Settlements in the various places, now incorporated into towns, were formed before any surveying was done, of which I will give a brief account. To make a long story short I will omit the lines bounding Palermo on the north, east and south, which were marked by trees, stakes and stumps, and speak of the line between Palermo and Harlem, name which was changed to China in 1818. The first survey was made in 1800, when this township was laid out. The northerly corner of the line between the two towns was a beech tree, marked No. 11, 1800 (A). The southerly corner between the two towns was a hemlock tree, marked as the first. In 1805 it became necessary to perambulate the said line. The survey was made by William Davis of Palermo, a sworn surveyor, Icbabod Chadwick and Edwin Fairfield, selectmen of Harlem, and Elijah Grant and Nathan Coburn, selectmen of Palermo. They commenced at the first mentioned tree and marked it 1805, thence southerly 30° west, until it struck the hemlock tree at the southerly corner. This line they well spotted and frequently marked with a marking iron; thus:-(A) and at Johnson's Mills, (now- Branch Mills) a cedar post, marked on the west (H), on the east (P), and north and south marked 1805. At the county road near Deer Hill a beech tree was marked on the west side (W. D.) (1805), (H.), (I., C.), (E. F.). On the east side (1805), (P.), (W. D.), (F. G.), (N. C). On the north and south sides. (A). The survey was finished March 14, 1805. As time rolled on mid passed away, the cedar post has been removed and trees cleared away and the line was in dispute for seven years. Palermo and China both claimed the valua- tion mid tax of those farms along the line. At the town meeting March 12, 1827, a vote was passed that those inhabitants along the west line of the town should be held blameless and shielded from all by paying their taxes in Palermo, and refusing to pay to the town of China. The selectmen were authorized to go and see the selectmen of China about running the line, and if they could not agree to petition the Legislature,- to establish the same. The next season the line was perambulated, ant a stone monument was set at Branch Mills, which forever settled the matter at that place, and marked 1828. Thus they were continually per- plexed from the other sides of the town, by disputed lines. On Jan. 1, 1838, the selectmen were instructed by the town to petition the Legisla- ture to pass an act to set stone monuments at all the corners and angles of the town lines, so that they would not be liable, as the then existing law required of them. Their petition was granted, and thus you is ill see that the credit is due Palermo for the stone posts now seen throughout the State of Maine Sept. 10 of the same year, the selectmen set about perambulating the town lines, and setting the stone monuments accord- ing to the new law. Oct. 13, Joseph Stewart of China, a sworn surveyor, Joseph White and Enos Greely, selectmen of Palermo, Coridon Chad- wick and Joseph Stewart, selectmen of China, met at the southerly corners of the two towns and surveyed the lines northerly, to the road where David Whiten then lived, and erected a stake and stone; thence to the old county road near Deer Hill, where was a beech stump, which was formerly a line tree; thence to the stone monument near Joseph Hacker's at Branch Mills; thence to the height of land to the road where Reuel Balcom now lives; thence to the new county road, then in build- lug; thence to the northerly end of the line between Palermo and China, at the southerly line of Albion. They ordered stone monuments erected at each of the given point-,, to be marked thus: (P. & C. 1838). On this, line were found repeated marks of former perambulation. From 1800 to 1810 the farms were surveyed by Bradstreet Wiggins of Freedom, and laid out into shape, and a plan drawn and printed. Palermo was a part of the Kennebec purchase, and lies within the Plymouth charter. The first settlers of this Great Pond Settlement took up their lands without purchase of leave of the proprietors, and held the same by Pos- session. Robert H. Gardiner of Hallowell, Maine, and Ruel Williams of Palermo, were large owners in this township, being two of the pro- prietors. Ruel Williams moved to Augusta about 1820. PLANTATION MEETINGS WERE HELD FROM 1801 TO 1805. THE FIRST TOWN MEETING. To Christopher Erskine, one of the Inhabitants of Palermo, in the County of Lincoln, GREETING.- By virtue of an act entitled, "An act to incorporate the Plantation of Great Pond Settlement, in the County of Lincoln, into a town by the name of Palermo." You are hereby required in the name of the Common- wealth of Massachusetts to notify and warn the male inhabitants of said town being twenty-one years of age and residing in said town for the space of one year next preceding having herein a freehold estate within said town of the annual income of ten dollars, or any estate to the value of two hundred dollars, to meet at Robert Foye's dwelling house, Janu- ary 9th, 1805, to act on the following articles, etc. JOSIAH STEBBINS, Justice of the Peace. December 30th, 1804. The following officers were chosen :-Moderator, Samuel Longfel- low; Clerk, Elijah Grant, Jr.; Selectmen and Assessors, Elijah Grant, Jr. Nathaniel Coburn, Samuel Longfellow; Collector and Constable, Stephen Marden; Wardens, Samuel Longfellow and Stephen Marden, Tything- men, Josiah Perkins and Abel Creasey; Pound-Keeper, Daniel Clay; Field-drivers, Andrew Lewis and Amos Dennis; School Committee, Sam- uel Longfellow, Stephen Marden and Christopher Erskine, Sr.; Hog- reeves, Joseph Creasey and William Briant; Treasurer, Christopher Erskine, Sr., and Palermo became an organized body. It was voted in 1803 that Hogs should run at large, provided they be well yoked and ringed. Hogreeves were chosen from three to fourteen in number, each year, who were civil officers, whose duty it was to im- pound all hogs running at large that were not yoked and ringed according to vote. This was continued many years. Cattle and Sheep had to he ear marked and had all the rights and privileges of the highway. It was also provided, in case they should break and enter a private enclosure, by way of a four foot fence, then Pound-drivers should take them to the Pound where they were kept until called for, and the bills paid. From two to nine Tythingmen were chosen each year who were Par- ish Officers. It was their duty to enforce the observance of the Sabbath by sending the offenders to church or imposing a title. It seems that in those early days crows were troublesome as now, for I find that in different years they paid a bounty of from twelve to twenty-five cents each for killing old crows and half price for young ones. A tannery was built about 1800, on the farm where John H. Black now lives, owned by George Carlisle. The bark was ground by horse power, the horse traveling round and round. Soon after one was built by Nathaniel Bradstreet, on the stream where H. R. Carr now lives. The old dam and tan vats are now plain to be seen. Two of the first settlers at Johnson's Mills (now Branch Mills) were John Johnson and Jacob Worthing, residents of Palermo. Johnson built the first mills on the dam where James Dinsmore now owns, which were built in 1801 or before. Later Joseph Hacker came in possession of the mills. They have changed hands several times since. There was an old Fulling Mill on the west end of the Toby dam and all old saw mill on the east end, which was built in 1823. At the raising, Silas Hamilton was struck by a falling timber and died on Sunday, December 7th. Jacob Worthing had twelve children, five of them being born before 1800. Hiram, one of the younger boys, born in 1806, was first selectman in Palermo for many year,-. He was Postmaster continuously for forty- seven years, with the exception of two years under Buchanan's Adminis- tration. His son, Pembroke S. Worthing, is a grandson of Des. Stephen Marden by way of his mother. He has served Several terms as Town Clerk and first Selectman He has been Postmaster twelve years. Doctors Daniel Pratt, Samuel Hight arid Enoch Hutton were among the first settlers and the first doctors in town practicing before 1800. Another of the early settlers was Amasa Soule, who took tip a farm in 1799 and took his wife and children to his new home two years later. She lived to be 101 years, five months and twelve days old. She was the mother of thirteen children. She lived to the greatest age of any person in Palermo. In the year 1807 two town burying grounds were purchased, one for the lower settlement, by Jonathan Greeley's Grist Mill, and the other on Dennis Hill in file tipper settlement. A vote was passed in 1801.) that the town should be divided into two burying districts and that the dividing line should be at William Tucker's, south line square across the town. Each district to fence and care for their own yard. In 1811 seven School Districts were formed and the school houses were built by each District in about 1812. In the seventh district not un- til 1822. Previous to this, schools were kept in dwelling houses and at such places as could be obtained. The Center School, then called, in District No. 3 was held in what is now Herbert Batchelder's old shop, which then set near where the hearse house now stands. This school house was built a four hiped roof. It contained two rooms; one for a school-room, the other for town meetings. It had an elevated floor about four feet high, which required three stone steps to enter the school-room and a flight of four wooden steps to the town part. I he town rented this part for three dollars a year. It contained two brick tire places. The first wagon in Palermo was owned by Dea. Stephen Marden about 1815. The first roads were laid out in 1802. The first road. called the main road, commencing at the lower part of Great Pond Settlement, running through the lower and upper settlements to the north line of the town, by way of Greeley's Corner and Marden's Hill, it distance of ten miles and forty rods. The next road, called The Back Road of the upper settle- ment, running from Thaddeus Bailey's to John Johnson's Mills, (now Branch Mills) thence to Robert Foye's, where Downer now lives. An- other called the Eastern road of the upper settlement, known as the Level Hill road. Also another called the Western Road of the lower settlement running from Longfellows Corner to Turner's Ridge. Many of the cross roads were laid out in 1805. Road from Greeley's Corner to East Palermo and on the east side of the pond in 1806. Many changes have since been made. Road from Branch Mills to Longfellow's Corner in 1809. Road from John Nutter's place to Sheepscott Pond, 1807, and changed as it now is, from said Nutter place to Fred Spratt's in 1816. The new road from James Soule's to Branch Mills, In 1819 and old road discontinued. The Western Ridge Road in 1811, changed as now in 1838. The old Belfast Road of 1805 was from John Ayer's by the Oliver Pullen Pond, crossing the Bog of the Turner Pond on a log bridge over six hundred feet in length. In 1821 a new road was built from Ford's Corner to Montville, still crossing the old log bridge. In 1841 a com- mittee of three, Reuben Whittier, William Foye and Eli Ayer were chosen to superintend the building of a new bridge to be completed with- in four years. Those taking the job should keep it in repair while build- ing. The bridge is of stone covered with earth six hundred and forty feet in length. (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. 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