Radio Script #352
Little Talks On Common Things
October 27, 1957
This is the time of year when Colby Col lege gives annual attention to the memory of Elijah Parish Lovejoy, the Albion man who died for freedom of the press 120 years ago. It is well for us to note, therefore, that a free press exi sts ri ght here in Watervi lie today.
For some time there has been agitation in Watervi I Ie for a city manager form of municipal government. Editorially the Watervil Ie Sentinel has come out boldly and emphatically in favor of a city manager. On the same page Jim ~kClay’s flAround the Town l1 column opposes the city manager p Ian. That those two contrary views can be expressed on the same page, not in letters to the editor, but by persons employed by the newspaper itself, is such evidence of a free press. Watervi lie should be proud that it has a paper like the Sentinel.
In February, 1812 the struggling new nation, the United States of America,was on the verge of another war with Great Britain. Inflation was already rampant and the Kennebec Val ley, like other parts of the nation, was feeling hard Times. Conditions were so bad that, as often happened in those days, the people didn’t depend upon government for action, but turned to the device which Americans had persistently used since the rv1ayflower Compact, the device of private association. Kennebec County, of course, had its duly elected county commiss ioners. l’Jeverthe less a group of independent ci ti zens of the county gathered in January and formed a committee of which Benjamin Brown of what is now Riverside, between Watervi I Ie and Augusta, was chairman, and Wi Iliam Emmons of Augusta was secretary. That committee decided to hold a meeting on February 27, but a severe snow storm caused a postponement. Recently I saw a copy of the printed notice which was posted al lover the county calling for the postponed meeti ng.
I tread: HA Commi ttee appoi nted at a meeti nq of sundry i nhab i tants of Kennebec County, held at the Town House in Augusta on February 27, announce that the said meeting stands adjourned to Thursday, ~1arch 5 at 10 A.M. The inclemency of the weather and impassable state of the roads having prevented a general attendance of our fellow citizens, the citizens present were unwi II ing to take the responsibi lity of nominating a candidate to represent them in the Senate of the Genera I Court of Massachusetts., and to take measures to re I i eve the pressing poverty of the times. The present situation of our public affairs, the recent innovations and departure from wages and laws, which we have considered our birthright, together with the dangers which rrenace the sacred liberties and rights of the people through the conduct of ambitious men, induce the hope and be lief that a fu II attendance of the peop Ie wi II be gi ven at the adjourned meeti ng. n
We do not know what action that March meeting of the Kennebec committee took, other than to choose a candidate for the Senate, and I have been unable to ascertain who he was. I do know that in 1812 the Massachusetts Senate was controlled by the Federalists, whi Ie the House of Representatives was dominated by the Jeffe rson i an Democrats. S i nee po Ii ti ca I fee ling at that ti me in Kennebec County was strongly Democratic, their chosen senator was probably of that party.
There was little that Kennebec citizens could do to curb inflation. Withina few weeks of the i r meeti ng there began what ‘was ca lied “~1r. Madi son’s War” l the War of 1812, and inflation grew steadi Iy worse. The period from 1813 to 1815 was indeed one of the worst economic eras that Centra I Maine has ever experienced.
Among some Benton papers which it was my recent privi leg~ to see, was a petition for a road from Clinton to Unity, dated Apri I 17, 1809, and bearing toe names of 32 -citizens, headed by the we~1 known Benton name of Asher Hinds. Obviously this was not a road from Clinton Vi Ilage to Unity. \~e must remember that, in 1809, BenTon was a part of Clinton, and the road in question is probab I ythe genera I line of the present highway from Benton Fa lis to Un i ty through Unity Plantation.
Thi sol d peti Ti on gi ves us the names of seve ra I fami lies in the Eenton and Un ity areas 150 years ago. There were Ri chardsons, Mi tche I Is and Hea I ds; Bartletts, Vi ckerys and Stevens; . Bowmans, Bartons and Hunts; \~ebbs, Carters and more Healds. On this single petition the given names of signers tel I us what a big part the Bible played in the names of that time, for here -we find Jeremiah;and Ephraim, Isaac and Matthew, Job, Nathaniel and Simeon, two Jonathans and four Josephs.
In these days when every college in the land is carrying on a financial campaign for bui Idings and endowment, it is interesting to know how America’s oldest college, Harvard, did it 150 years ago. Recently an interesting old paper turned up in Winslow. It is a single hand-written sheet which says:
nThi sis to certi fy that the followi ng numbers in the Harvard Co liege lottery were bought for the \1i ns low Company of Adventurers by Charles Hayden thi s 22nd day of January, 1807.” Following the numbers of seven lottery tickets is the following notation: “Looked over and taken account of by me this 22nd day of January, 1807, Ashe r Hi nds. ”
How a Benton ~an got entangled with that Winslow Company of Adventurers wou I d be interest i ng to know.
There recently came into my hands the original hand-written deposition taken in the year 1808 in connection with a lawsuit in the Town of Winslow.
Strange to us today, but not to iJ6ine people 150 years ago, is the fact that the lawsuit was brought because of alleged damage done by hogs. Ezra Crosby of Winslow charged that hogs belonging to Wi I liam Spring had repeatedly invaded Crosby’s corn field and had rendered substantial damage to the crOD.
A principal witness was Crosby’s former hired man, Andrew Abbott. It was two years after the alleged damage in 1806 before Crosby decided to bring suit.
By that time Abbott had removed to Clinton. The distance between Clinton and Augusta is a mere trifle today, but in 1808 it was regarded by Justice of the Peace \vi II iam Swan of \1inslow as sufficient to justify his taking Abbott’s deposition, rather than having his presence required in the Augusta court.
Before Judge Swan, this is what Abbott swore to about hogs 150 years ago:
HI, Andrew Abbott, testi fy and dec I are that in the summe r of 1806 I lived with Ezra Crosby, and during that time \~Ii Iliam Spring’s hogs and pigs to the number of about twenty were repeatedly within the enclosure of Mr. Crosby, and were repeated I yin his corn and damaged it cons i derab I y, inconsequence of which the crop in my opinion was shortened one-third or nearly, during the aforesa i d summer. Mr. Crosby noti f ied Mr. Sp ri ng a number of ti mes that his hogs were injuring him, and at Mr. Crosby’s request I once notified ~/1r. Spring myself, and Mr. Spring came at once and put his hogs into Mr. Crosby’s pen. He took part of them out the same day and the rest the next day. Those hogs and pigs were in Mr. Crosby’s corn field several times afterwards. I saw Mr. Spring and asked hi m why he di dn ‘t take care of his hogs. H~ sa i d they got away from him. In the same summer Joseph Swift came to Mr. Crosby’s whi Ie Mr. Crosby was away. He wanted Mr. Crosby’s cart for Wi I liam Spring and said that Spring had agreed with Mr. Crosby for the cart. I told him I didn’t know as he should have it. So he took the cart. How long he kept it I cannot te II. I understood from Mr. Swift that he was going to haul boards for Mr. Spring with “I .I • ”
To this statement is appended a question by Crosby and its answer bv Abbott. Crosby asked: “What quantity of corn do you think the field would have produced if it had not been damaged?” Abbott answered: “\’/hen I was cutti ng the sTalks, I thought the field, which was about three acres, would have had 130 bushels, if it had not been damaged by the hogs.”
An unusual name that occurs in the old Maine records is that spel led He ALE F”. had a Iways supposed it was pronounced Ca lef. It was the name of old Canaan’s first minister. It was also the name of a cooper who came from Massachusetts to Thomaston in the early 1800’s. Eaton in his interesting hisTory of Thomaston te II s us that the name was pronounced as one sy II ab Ie: IlCa I f·.~
One day The cooper was introduced to the town’s most p romi nent ci ti zen, General Hanry Knox. HCalf! Calf!~’, blurted out the general. !?Do you mean to say your mother was a cow?” The cooper Ca lef was just as qui tk to take advanTage of the Knox name. He rep I i ed, !’No, my mother wasn’t a cow, and my father wasn’t an ox.”
The early Maine towns were constantly afraid of being burdened by paupers.
From the very beginning of incorporation, a town’s major financial problem, next to highways, schools and preaching, was the support of the poor. How the Town fathers tried hard to see that they didn’t have any poor! It was therefore necessary to keep a sharp eye on new settlers, in fact on all strangers in Town. In 1785 the town of Newcastle ousted 17 individuals. In 1787 the town of Bowdoi nham got ri d of severa I persons, but had to acknow ledge the i r responsibi lity to the pauperized widow of Thomas Clark. So the best they could do in Town meeting was to authorize a committee to take methods of relieving the town of the support of Widow Clark, if any justifiable means may appear. The next year the selectmen were authorized to bring suit against whomever had oonfiscated Mrs. Clark’s estate, and voted to reimburse, out of future Taxes, with interest at 25%, anyone who wou I d advance money to carry on the sui t.
In 1792 eleven strangers were warned out of Thomaston. Pauperism had in- ci denta I I Y become a p rob lem there because in the same year the town voted to build a poor house, but failed to appropriate any funds to build it, so it Simply wasn’t bui It.
By the way, I wonder how many poor houses are sti II operated in Maine. The widening coverage of Social Security is fast driving them out of existence.
Year: 1957