May 31, 1881 Machias Union (part 2) Date: 97-08-11 05:39:49 EDT From: ctyankee@bigfoot.com (Ken) Machias, Maine in 1811 Date: 97-08-11 06:32:23 EDT From: ctyankee@bigfoot.com (Ken) Machias in 1811 By an eye witness In these times when people are looking up their ancestors I thought it might be interesting to note a list of the bulidings, and who occupied them in what is now the town of Machias in the year 1811, as remembered by one of its citizens at that time. Commencing on Court St. (it was then called "Back St") near tide water stands the house that Joseph Goodhue then lived in, but now occupied by Mr. Lincoln. Near the top of the hill on the south side of the street stands the house where Capt. Jacob Longfellow lived, now Geo. Conners. A little nearer the river where Stephen Sadler lives, Jonathan (called Luke to distinguish him from another Jonathan) Longfellow lived. These three houses have been changed but little. Where J.O. Hanscom lives is the house that Rev. Marshfield Steele occupied. This house was built on the site of the Fort and has been changed somewhat. On this lot is a deep well said to have been dug by the soldiers who occupied the Fort. In the house now occupied by Mrs. W.F. Smith, Ellis Smith lived. On the opposite side of the street in the house that Geo. W. Fisher now occupies Mr. Hodgkin lived. The Meeting house stood where Libby Hall now stands. Lawyer Bruce lived where Mrs. P.E. Donworth lives. This house was afterwards occupied by Dr. Witherbee and has since been moved and is now occupied by Jona Bowers. In the house where Nelson Clark lives, Mr. Albee lived. Jonathan Longfellow lived in a two story house where Gerry Allen now lives. Isaac Longfellow lived in a one story house near Roscoe Boynton's. Gen. Cooper owned a one story house that stood where J.C. Adams now lives. His office was in a small building east of his house. He was High Sheriff and lived in the County house. Where Mrs. Wilson lives, David Prescott lived. This house was taken down the year the present jail was built. Mr. Bowles lived in a one story house where Clare's Hotel now stands. The jail Courthouse and County house were upon the land of the present County buildings. The jail was a small wooden building with a high fence around it made by setting posts in the ground close together and sharpened at the top. The Court house was the house that Dr. Peabody lived in and was burned a few years ago. The County house was the house now occupied by Frank Stone and Mr. Davis. Col. Chaloner lived in a two story house where Wm. Longfellow now lives. Josiah Hill lived in a one story house a little to the west of Col. Chaloner. There were additions built to this house and it was afterwards known as the Machias House. This house and the Col. Chaloner house were burned in 1875. Mr. Ellis lived in the one story house that Clark Perry moved from the site he now occupies. It was in this house that the late Dea. W.A. Crocker commenced trading. The Widow Chaloner lived in what is now the L part of Gilbert Longfellow's house. London Atus lived near Warren Hill's. Obadiah Hill lived in a one story house nearer the road than the present O. Hill house. In the two story house known as the Mariner Crocker house lived Marshal Thaxter. Where Otis Smith lives, Mr. Stuart lived. Mrs. Burnham lived where Watts Hanscom lives. Where Mrs. Andrews lives and trades Harrison Thacher lived and traded. Mrs. C. Sargent's shop was H. Thachers old house. The Chandler & Tarbell building was occupied by Dr. Clark, Israel Foss and Mrs. Miller. It was smaller then than now. Phillip Clark lived in the old Crocker house back of Annie Wilder's store. In the house back of M.J. Allen's harness shop lived Ebenezer Inglee. Mr. Jones lived in the two story house that stood where the Post Office now stands. Tom Miller lived in a small house near Mr. Jones's. Mr. Westcoat lived in a two story house where Perry & Inglee's store now stands; this house is now back of R.T. Crane's drug store. Mr. Westcoat's blacksmith shop was at the west of his house. A part of what is now the Donworth store was the only school house in town. The schoolwas taught that year by Betsey Chaloner who afterwards married Deacon Peter Talbot. Capt. Smith's store stood at the east of the school house. He lived in the house now occupied by Ruby Stuart. In the house occupied by Miss E.G. Longfellow lived Nathan Longfellow and Mr. Boynton; this was the first two story house built in town. Mr. Hitchcock's blacksmith shop stood opposite the house. Mr. Prescott lived near Mrs. Rowena Longfellow in the first framed building in town. This house had but one room in it and was taken down in 1866. Mrs. Kelly lived in the house now occupied by Berton Foster before it was moved and raised. Her son John's blacksmith shop stood opposite. Col. Penniman lived in the house where Jacob Penniman now lives. His store stood upon a small wharf opposite the house. Capt. Jacob Longfellow's store was a little farther down river and Ellis Smith's store a little below Capt. Longfellow's. These were all of the houses and stores on the north side of the river. On the south side of the river and near the end of the bridge stood Capt. Gideon O;Brien's tool house in his ship yard; his store was where Lewis Foster now lives. Mr. Elliott lived where John Pierce now lives in a one story house. Col. Jerry O'Brien lived in a one story house near A. Curtis's garden. He was Collector of Customs. The house that Morris O'Brien used to live in was standing in the field near the river, east of R.T. Crane's; not occupied in 1811. S.A. Morse lived in the two story house that stood where G.W. Flynn lives, called the Ames house and was burned. Mrs. Holway lived near Dean Robinson's in a one story house. The house now occupied by J.F. Harmon was Jeremiah O'Brien's. Gideon O'Brien lived in a one story house near the Baptist Church. This house will be remembered by many as the "Old Maids" house, it being the home of Aunt Martha and Rebecca O'Brien for a good many years. There were four saw mills, The Phoenix, Smith, Rock and Dublin and a grist mill, each where mills of the same name now stand. The EMERSON Family Rev. Ezekiel Emerson, a Free Will Baptist was one of the earliest settlers at Georgetown on the Kennebec River. He lived and preached at Georgetown and neighboring towns before the Revolutionery War. Ezekiel's children were Ezekiel, John, Holly, Calvin, Luther and Eusebius. He had six daughters, a family of 12 children. Luther was a lawyer. At one time he came to Machias contemplating establishing a law office, being young and not feeling satisfied, he left, subsequently married and removed to Cincinnati, Ohio. Except Luther, no one of Rev. Mr. Emerson's son's came to Washington Co., but Eusebius, who came to Jonesboro in 1819 and settled on Fellow's Point, west side of Chandler's River, three miles below the Falls. Eusebius moved from Jefferson, Me. when he came to Jonesboro. In 1827 he removed from Jonesboro to Indian River, where he took up a farm; farming and fishing for a living. The name "Indian River" was attained by being an Indian Settlement in the earliest New England days, the river abounding with fish and the forest with game. Eusebius Emerson married Margaret Lennan of Georgetown. Their children were Mary, Susan, Eusebius, John, Holly, Philens, Joseph D., Margaret, Ezekiel, Enoch, Ruth, Aaron. Mary married Joseph Schoope of Jonesboro. Susan married Enoch Leighton; Eusebius married 1st Susan McKengie, 2nd Susan Wass; John married Louisa Jackson; Holly died at age 19; Philena married Curtis Leighton; Joseph D. married Eliza Wakefield; Margaret married Ellis B. McKenzie; Ezekiel married 1st Rebecca Lennan, 2nd Sophia Allen of Centreville; Enoch married Julia Wass; Ruth died at 18; Aaron married Salome Wass. Major Charles P. Nash, ex-Mayor of Augusta is a grandson of Rev. Ezekiel Emerson. Eusebius Emerson died at Indian River in 1850 at the age of 72 years. -- Kenneth A. Dill ctyankee@bigfoot.com ctyankee@home.com http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/7229 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. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. 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