Radio Script #721

Little Talks on Common Things

March 12, 1967

A prominent early citizen of the town of Sidney was Samuel Tiffany, and I am able to tell you something about him today through the courtesy of Chester Basford of Benton Station, who retains some valuable historical papers about that Kennebec pioneer.

The first of those old papers is a letter written to Samuel Tiffany in 1775 by his son, Samuel, Jr., a soldier of the Revolution. The letter reads: “Roxbury Camp, August 6, 1775

“My dear Father:

“These lines are with my sincere love and regard, hoping they find you well as I am, through God’s sparing mercy, for which I am under the strongest obligation to put my trust in Him and to recommend to his care all that is dear to me.

“You must not expect that I shall write of every particular affair here, for that would cost much time and trouble. So I shall only inform you that all our neighbors here in the army are well, although many of my own company are not fit for duty. But I think none of them is really sick. We fare well for provisions. My duty is but once a week and I stand it pretty well, though it would tire any man less used to hard work. Please keep the oxen in the best feed we have till I can get home. Send me the biggest roll of tobacco in a bag, and a little balm, and my leather breeches. Send them by Bashly Daniel if he comes here to bring provisions with his team.”

Remember that in those days letters had no envelopes. They were intricately folded, and the address then written on the outside. This particular letter was addressed in two short lines: “To Samuel Tiffany living in Attleboro.”

In those first months of the Revolution neither Tiffany had yet moved to the Kennebec.

Another paper is a deed of land from the elder Samuel Tiffany to his son, Samuel, Jr. It was for a tract in Attleboro, and the deed ends with the words: “being part of a lot that my father, James Tiffany, gave to me.”

It was Samuel Tiffany, Jr., not his father, who became a prominent pioneer settler in Sidney, and in the fall of 1792 he received a letter from his brother Daniel in Massachusetts. This is what the letter said: “After my tender regards to you and your family, I hope you are all well and prosperous, as through the goodness of God we are at present. A fortnight ago Esther and Benjamin arrived here and told us of your welfare. We have no special news to write you, only that Miss Sally and Miss Annie are both likely to marry soon. They are making preparations so fast, the day must not be far off.

“Benjamin told me you are in want of a wagon wheel tire, which is a scarce article. Nails consume iron faster than the blacksmith can get it, and good iron for a tire is hard to come by. But if you must have one, I will do my best to get it for you.

“I hear you talk of coming here this winter. I would not have you stop for fear of having to go without cider. I have laid in a barrel. As for food, you’ll get it here about as you do in Sidney.

“Stephen Pond’s wife died the day Esther and Benjamin arrived in Dorchester. Cider is seven shillings a barrel in this neighborhood.”

Remember the value of the New England shilling in 1792 was rated at six to the dollar, so that seven shillings was equivalent of $1.17. Bear in mind also that the standard barrel for liquids contains 42 gallons, so that Tiffany was telling his brother that the price of cider in Massachusetts was then about three cents a gallon. Now notice the next sentence in the letter. It says: “Tell Daniel I have nine barrels of whole cider and five barrels of water cider. I wish you had some of my water cider to wean you from drinking so much whole cider, but I admit mine is only one-third water. So no more at present. I remain and subscribe myself your nearest, if not your best, brother.”

In 1799 Samuel Tiffany was troubled about a new road in Sidney. He appealed to the Court of General Sessions for Kennebec County by the following writ: “Samuel Tiffany of Sidney humbly showeth that a committee consisting of Mathew Howard and others, by order of the court of the County of Lincoln, at their session in Pownalborough at the June term in the year 1798, appointed the said committee to layout a public county road through lands of said Tiffany, the course of which doth fully appear on the plan of said Committee exhibited to said court.

“Said road is laid out much to the damage of said Tiffany, and can be altered so as to be less to the damage of private property and be more convenient to the public, and a new location will cost less, because the present planned location will necessitate one long bridge of extraordinary cost.

“The proposed road will further deprive said Tiffany of a mill privilege and obstruct the flow of a meadow. Therefore the said Tiffany prays that the court will appoint a jury to estimate the damage, as the road is now laid out, or order the road to be laid in another location.”

As Tiffany was a prominent name in Sidney, so was Titcomb in Belgrade. And the given name of the patriarch in each town was Samuel. Probably the best remembered about Samuel Titcomb is his part in founding the school that became known as Titcomb Belgrade Academy.

Here is the official record of the first meeting of the trustees of that academy, held on February 15, 1834: “At a legal meeting of the trustees of Titcomb Belgrade Academy, holden at the house of Thomas Eldred, the meeting was called to order by John Pitts, and Samuel Titcomb was chosen chairman and Anson F. Morrill secretary. Voted to elect fifteen trustees to govern the academy. On motion of John Pitts a committee was appointed to nominate fifteen persons.”

Then follow the names of the fifteen original trustees of the Titcomb Belgrade Academy, of whom the three best known — and they were known all up and down the Kennebec Valley — were Samuel Titcomb, Anson Morrill and Reuel Williams. After solemnly voting to petition the legislature for financial aid, the meeting adjourned.

Samuel Titcomb had settled in Belgrade during the closing years of the 18th century. In the summer of 1797 he was in Boston where on August 31 he wrote the following letter to his wife in Belgrade: “We arrived in Boston without difficulty and expect to set off for St. Andrews tomorrow in a Boston sloop of about 100 tons, along with the British Commission’s agent and Samuel Webber, astronomer of the College at Cambridge.

“I would have you look in my trunk, I think the small one, and find a small, paperback book. In it are the minutes of our survey of the north branch of the Schoodic River. Seal up the book well in a sheet of paper and send it to Mr. Burton. I have written him what to do with it. I am now in great haste and shall not be able to send you any things from Boston.”

On the outside of that letter, beneath the address, was inscribed: “Mrs. Titcomb. Please to send the packet that Mr. Titcomb writes for in the letter. Yours, G. Lucas.”

In December, 1797 Samuel Titcomb was in St. Andrews, where he wrote again to his wife, saying: “I am extremely happy to be able to write you from this place. We arrived here last Wednesday, having completed the survey that I have been engaged in, and we had to travel down the head of the river, partly by land and partly on the ice, for 120 miles. I shall dismiss my men tomorrow. Sawyer and Blackburn will set out for home at once. I send this letter by them, but I have to stay at St. Andrews to copy our field books and draw the plans before I can set out for home. That may well be a month from now. I would have you be perfectly easy about me, as I am in good quarters.

“I am afraid your father, to whom I entrusted our business while I am away, may not be able to attend to both his business and ours. So you must take extra care to see that you get everything you need. Let him have the money to get for you all you must have. I have told him to provide hay for the cattle, or take them to his barn if he has more hay there than his own stock will need. If circumstances arise so that you cannot be comfortable at home, I would have you go to your father’s, but unless you find it necessary to go there, I had rather you stay at our home.

“I advise you to buy wood by the cord and pay at the customary price. If Bill is not able to cut it, hire a man to do it. You must not suffer for want of anything so long as you have money and friends.

“P. S. I shall come home by 1 and, not take passage by water at this season of the year.”

A Titcomb paper dated in 1797 shows how cheaply Maine land was disposed of in those pioneer days: “I, Samuel Titcomb, collector of taxes in Belgrade for the year 1797, do note that the assessors have assessed the lot in said town numbered 43. belonging to non-resident proprietors not by me known, in the sum of $1.272. and whereas no person has appeared to discharge said tax. although I have advertised the same in the Boston Gazette and in the Kennebec Intelligencer, as the law directs.

“Therefore. in consideration of seven dollars, 46 cents and two mills, paid to me by John Jones of Augusta, I have granted and sold to said Jones the said tract of land, he being the highest bidder therefore at a public auction held at the house of David Smiley on January 1, 1798.”

Another well known Sidney name is Longley. Here is the kind of love letter young men wrote 170 years ago. William Longley wrote to Nancy Titcomb: “Tuesday morn., May 7, 1816

“Miss Nancy,

“I will inform you that we now have a horse and chaise and I want you should come as early tomorrow morning as you can make it convenient, and you shall have a ride. With respect, yours, William S. Longley.”

Then the swain added four lines of verse:

“Friendship, thou charmer of the mind,
Thou sweet, deluding ill,
The brightest moments mortals find
Are sharpest pains they feel.”

Year: 1967