Radio Script #713

Little Talks on Common Things

January 15, 1967

Through the courtesy of Miss Helen Brown I have seen some interesting papers concerning the People’s Bank of Waterville. How these papers happened to be in the possession of Miss Brown’s father, the late Luke Brown, is a mystery. Perhaps, being of no intrinsic value, they were left in the building where, at one time, both the bank and Brown’s tailor shop were located.

Many of the papers are original certificates of stock in the People’s Bank, organized in 1855, six years before the outbreak of the Civil War. The first president was Paul L. Chandler, and the cashier was Sumner Percival, who in 1859 was succeeded by his brother, Homer Percival. When the bank was nationalized under the title Peoples National Bank in 1865, John Ware was the president. Quite appropriately, the Peoples Bank was long known as the bank of the Percival family. Sumner was cashier for four years, Homer for 34 years, and his son Foster for 25 years.

The Percival family had been residents in Kennebec County since the dawn of the 19th century. William Percival came to Winslow in 1804, moving to Cross Hill in Vassalboro in 1807. Of William’s eight children, three sons — Sumner, Joseph and Homer — became prominent in Waterville business and finance. In 1835 Sumner and Joseph bought the business of William Dow, who kept a general store near where the Federal Trust Company now stands. Homer later replaced Sumner in the partnership.

It is interesting to note that, though Homer and Joseph Percival had many things in common besides their joint business interests, they were of different religious persuasion. Homer was a staunch Congregationalist, while Joseph was an ardent Universalist. That was years before Percivals would become strong supporters of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.

As I have said, the stock certificates were for shares in the original Peoples Bank, ten years before it was nationalized. They were, of course, called in and made void at the time of nationalization, and new certificates were issued for the Peoples National Bank. Today those old certificates are merely historical items of no monetary value.

One surprising fact is revealed by those old stock certificates. Today every such certificate bears a certificate number, regardless of the number of shares named in the certificate. In those earlier days each share of bank stock carried its own number. For instance, the oldest of the certificates in the Brown collection bears the date November 2, 1855, and is for two shares numbered 55 and 56, issued to David Blaisdell. A week later three shares (61,62 and 63) were issued to George Pressey, and on the following day 66 and 67 went to George Wentworth. So many shares were sold during 1856 that in November Albert Capen’s five shares carried numbers from 320 to 324. By 1859 the numbers had reached the 800’s.

Among the papers preserved are other interesting items besides stock in the old Peoples Bank. One is a document describing how Sumner and Joseph Percival took over the business of William Dow in 1835. Under its terms Dow sold to the Percival brothers all the goods in his store at the values indicated on Boston bills of purchase, less a discount of 12%. The Percivals gave Dow a note payable half in six months, the other half in twelve months, with no interest for the first half year, but with 6% interest for the second half. Dow agreed to assist the Percivals in the purchase of spring stock in Boston, and he further agreed not to set up any competing business within twenty miles of Waterville.

Dow made a few dollars on his rent deal with the Percivals. They were to pay him the same rent Dow paid for the whole building, but allowed Dow to retain the first floor office and the upper half of the building, free of charge, to store the produce not included in the Percival purchase, until Dow had a chance to dispose of it, and Dow was given six months to accomplish that disposal. A sort of codicil or addendum indicated that, besides perishable produce, other items not taken by the Percivals, for which Dow was allowed storage space, included scythes held on commission, a bundle of furs, some woolen yarn in rather bad condition, and a number of returned broken axes.

That document recording the sale of a retail business on Waterville’s Main Street 132 years ago reveals the careful detail in which such instruments were worded in those days when the general stores dealt with almost every known commodity. It was a time before packaged goods were common, and everything had to be sold by weight or measure made by the merchant or his clerks. It was a time when every store had a yard, with its fractions, clearly indicated on top of the counter, and when the commonest scales were steel yards.

A unique historic building in our part of Maine is Long House in Larone on the road from Waterville to Norridgewock. For many years the house has been owned by the Kidder family, and since her retirement from the faculty of Westbrook Junior College, has been the home of Miss Lucille Kidder. Miss Kidder has recently shown me some interesting papers from Long House.

One of those papers is a testimonial signed by the most famous of all Maine governors, Joshua L. Chamberlain. It seems that, after the Civil War, the Maine Legislature voted to send a testimonial signed by the governor to every Maine veteran of the war. This particular copy was issued to Nelson Howard, and it reads: “You having borne an honorable part in the service of the United States in suppressing the Rebellion and thereby maintaining the integrity of the Union, the prosperity of Republican Institutions, and the Liberties and Peace of the People, now therefore I, Joshua L. Chamberlain, Governor and Commander in Chief, by authority of the Legislature, do present you this Testimonial to your Patriotism, Fidelity, Courage and Suffering in the common cause.”

What makes that document of striking significance was that the Governor who signed it had been the heroic commander of the Twentieth Maine at Gettysburg and the officer deputized by General Grant to receive Lee’s surrender at Appomatox.

Another of the Long House items is an ancient note book, inside the front cover of which is written: “Moses Winslow’s Book, Providence, R.I.” Although the giver is not named, the book was apparently presented to Moses Winslow along with an accompanying poem of eight lines. The verses say:

“My spirit breathes a blessing
For him, my valued friend,
And thoughts beyond expressing
Within my bosom blend.
Accept this vain oblation
My heart to thee would raise;
Worth needs no commendation
When all delight to praise.”

Another notebook is filled with handwriting exercises so common in those days when “riting” was one of the most valued of the three R’s. The book was the property of Eunice Pinkham, who had written on the first page: “This is a fair specimen of my handwriting previous to taking lessons of H. Dudley.” If the writing at the end of the book is also Eunice’s, Dudley’s lessons had borne fruit.

Another item from Long House is the family Bible of Samuel Fuller. Like so many of the big Bibles of a hundred and more years ago, its title page bore the words “Bible and Family Record”. Unfortunately the pages carrying the family record have been removed. We cannot ascertain the age of this old Bible because it contains no publishing date. Its title page tells us: “The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Testaments, together with the Apocrypha, translated out of the original tongues and with the former translations diligently compared and revised; with Carver’s marginal notes and references, to which are added an Index and Alphabetical Table. and all the names in the Old and New Testaments. with their original significance; tables of scripture weights, measures, coins, etc. Auburn and Rochester, by Alden and Beardsley.”

On an earlier broadcast I told you that Thomas Edison’s much publicized first prefabricated buildings in America, which the inventor set up on his estate at Fort Myers, Florida, were made in Fairfield, Maine, but at the time no one here seemed to know anything about it. Judge Cyril Joly, who brought me the information, and I both agreed that it was too valuable publicity for Fairfield to miss. I have now had time to dig up a few facts that cast light on the Edison buildings at Fort Myers.

They were made by the Kennebec Framing Company that flourished in Fairfield in the 1880’s. Mr. Edison learned of some work the firm had been doing and arranged with them to construct an entire set of buildings to be made in Fairfield and shipped in prefabricated parts, ready to be set up at Fort Myers. One of the largest jobs undertaken by the Kennebec Framing Company was for the Bristol Brass and Clock Company of Connecticut. On January 29, 1881 that Connecticut company’s plant was burned. Three days later C.H. Smith of the Fairfield company received a telegram that hastened him to Bristol, where on February 10 he closed a contract for four large buildings consuming nearly 200,000 feet of lumber. All was cut and marked for instant erection — an entire prefabricated plant. Completed in the incredibly short time of ten days, the last car load left Fairfield on February 20.

The Bristol firm was so grateful that, in addition to paying’ the bill promptly, they gave to the Kennebec Framing Company a beautiful regulator clock as testimonial of their appreciation. Accompanying the clock was this letter:

Kennebec Framing Co.
Fairfield, Maine
Gentlemen:
“Bristol, Conn., April 7, 1881

The frame arrived in good time and order and went together perfectly and we are very much pleased. As a testimonial of our high appreciation of its qualities and of your exceptional promptness in delivering it at our place, we send you this day by Adams Express one of our best regulator clocks, which we trust will reach you in good time and condition, and when placed in proper position will not only be a perfect timekeeper, but will also remind you of a pleasant business association. As often as you behold it moving with perfect regularity, may you be reminded that both you and we are passing with equal regularity around our cycle of time to that bourne from which no traveler returns. May you be admonished thereby to take your steps on this journey in such a manner as to insure a hearty welcome from the Great Architect into that Universal Temple of Rest not made with hands. Bristol Brass and Clock Co.”

Year: 1967