<\/p>\n
Last week we had indicated the move of Obadiah Williams from Belgrade to Sidney in 1787. Five years before that move, when he had been scarcely a year in Belgrade, Williams acquired land right on the Kennebec River. The deed, signed by Peter Clarke of Hallowell in 1782, reveals the manner in which payments were sometimes made in those pioneer days and also the indefinite description of the property. The deed says: “From Peter Clarke of Hallowell, yeoman, to Obadiah Williams, late of Epping, N.H., now of Hallowell, a physician, for 50 Spanish milled dollars, land in Hallowell, one acre, beginning at the southeast corner of land I had of Benjamin Hallowell on the bank of the Kennebec River at or near a small oak.” The surprising thing about this deed is that it describes Williams as a resident of Hallowell.<\/p>\n
Other papers in the same year call him Obadiah Williams of Washington Plantation, where he apparently built a home as an early settler. If or how he gained residence in Hallowell is a mystery.<\/p>\n
Already in 1782 Williams had begun to buy more land in the Belgrade region. One deed shows him getting possession of an entire lot, 200 acres, for 200 Spanish milled dollars, from one Jonas Dutton. That Williams already had land in the plantation is shown by the description of the lot, “lying in the bow of the mile and a half stream and northwest of the meadow lot owned by Williams.”<\/p>\n
Dr. Williams was actually agent for his group of associates to secure settlers under their agreement with the Plymouth Company. On March 17, 1785 he gave a bond to William Marston of Gilmantown, N.H. for $500, which read: “The conditions are that if said Williams shall procure for Marston as much land in Washington Plantation as shall be approved by Samuel Dutton and James Page of Hallowell as worth $200, the title to be delivered to Marston as soon as it can be obtained from the Plymouth Company, then this obligation shall be void; otherwise it shall remain in full force and virtue.”<\/p>\n
Williams was picking up land allover the place. In 1786, before the tract in Washington Plantation had been incorporated as a town, Williams received the following deed: “From John Emery of the Plantation of Hancock, so called, but not in any town in the County of Lincoln, to Obadiah Williams of the Plantation of Washington, so called, but not in any town of the County of Lincoln, for 60 pounds lawful money, land in the Plantation of Canaan, containing 100 acres, delineated in the plan of Canaan done by John Jones, surveyor, it being in the fifth range of lots on the west side of the Kennebec River.”<\/p>\n
That deed reminds us that Old Canaan Plantation, and indeed the original town of Canaan, is not to be confused with the boundaries of the present town of that name. Old Canaan comprised, in addition to the present Canaan, all of what is now Skowhegan except a small portion near Norridgewock. That explains the phrase “on the west side of the river”.<\/p>\n
So prominent was Dr. Williams that he had no sooner come to Sidney than he was made one of a committee of three men to arbitrate a property dispute. The preserved paper in the case shows that Ebenezer Bacon, who would soon become a prominent citizen of Waterville, had rented a farm to Timothy Robinson. A quarrel ensued, with Robinson’s rights as tenant and Bacon’s rights as landlord in dispute. When Bacon seized a number of Robinson’s cattle and sheep, Robinson sued. Before the case could come to court, the two men agreed to submit the whole matter to Abial Lovejoy, Daniel Waters and Obadiah Williams for final settlement. The three arbitrators decided that if Robinson paid six shillings to Bacon, the case would be considered settled. Bacon had to post a bond of $200 that he would abide by the settlement and return to Robinson the seized stock.<\/p>\n
No account of Dr. Williams that has hitherto appeared in the local histories makes any mention of his work as a surveyor. The known original surveyor of the Kennebec lands in this vicinity was Dr. John McKechnie. It is very interesting to discover that the only other physician to reside in Waterville previous to 1800 was also a surveyor. Both Dr. McKechnie and Dr. Williams knew how to handle sextant and chain. Let us take a look at a letter that Daniel Cony, then of Hallowell, on behalf of the Committee on the Eastern Lands of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, wrote to Obadiah Williams on April 21, 1788. That letter said: “You are directed to proceed to Norridgewock Point, with assistants under oath, survey and run a line, beginning on the Kennebec River at said point, running due west, with the south line of the tract laid out by the Plymouth Company, extending on the same course due west 48 miles toward the N.H. line. Running a line of such length, you will be careful to check yourself by sighting back as well as forward, lest the needle of your compass be affected by any minerals you may pass on the route. You are to observe the quality of the land and growth of timber. Every mile of the line as you proceed you are to observe and note down all the mill sites, rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, mountains, hills, vales and bogs. You are to mark every six miles a tree on three sides, which may serve for common bounds of the township to the north of said line. You will also mark every mile and carefully spot the whole line. You will make return to the committee of your doings as soon as possible. with an accurate plan of said line, marked and numbered. For which service you and your assistants will be paid in lands belonging to this Commonwealth, to be located west of the Kennebec River.”<\/p>\n
After that survey had been completed. Williams rendered to the Commonwealth an account of expenses. The account was introduced by the following words: “In consequence of a letter from Daniel Cony dated April 25. 1788. I went to Hallowell on April 29 to receive official orders from Cony to proceed on a line from Norridgewock Point to N.H. My time and expenses for me and my horse – 2 days,\u00a0 $1.40. April 30 – Hired a person and sent a letter to David Ware of Winslow to engage him to pilot us to a good plot of land north of Waldo Patent for the purpose of a college, three shillings. May 21 – Two hands came from Hallowell to proceed on the survey. Was hindered by bad weather. One hand turned back; he charged for his time three shillings. Sent my son to Hallowell for stores. His time and horse, 4\/6. May 31 – Started two hands from Vassalboro. Went myself with one hand on June 1. June 17 – Returned from the survey. Hindered three days by bad weather after we went out. Two of the hands stayed from May 21, waiting for fair weather.<\/p>\n
Their full time was 27 days each, amounting altogether to t 7\/16. Hired one hand to convey one horse and baggage round from Norridgewock to the Sandy River. His time, two days, 12 shillings. The two other hands went from here, 17 days each, total t 10\/4. My own time, 17 days, t 10\/4. Planning and writing. three days, t 1\/16. Cash paid Major Getchell for his horse, 12 shillings. Expenses of my own horse, 12 shillings. Total expenses for the survey, t 48\/18\/6.”<\/p>\n
When Obadiah Williams made that survey, the new U.S. government had not been formed, and the Constitution of the U.S. had only been adopted a few months earlier.<\/p>\n
When the new government adopted its own decimal system of currency, it could not at first enforce a uniform conversion of pounds into dollars, but had to let the values of the several different regions prevail. In New England the value was fixed at six shillings to the dollar; so we may compute that the entire cost of surveying the complete north line of the Kennebec Purchase from Norridgewock 48 miles west, and carefully marking the line as directed, with several men engaged in the enterprise lasting 17 days, cost only $163.<\/p>\n
Every deed granted by the Plymouth Company was preceded by a long preamble recounting the history of the lands from earliest English discovery to the company’s own ownership. The deeds given to Obadiah Williams and his associates in Washington Plantation were no exception, and when Williams later secured deeds in Vassalboro and Winslow, the same preamble was attached. It is worth our noting exactly what that preamble said, for it shows precisely how the lands came to be held as they were when Williams arrived in Maine in 1781: “Whereas, his late majesty, King James I, for the advancement of a colony and plantation in New England in America, by his Highness’ letters patent under the Great Seal of England, bearing the date at Westminster the third day of November, in the 18th year of his Highness’ reign, did grant unto the Rt. Hon. Lodowick, late Duke of Lenox, George, late Lord Marquis of Buckingham. James,Marquis of Hamilton, Thomas,Earl of Arundel, Robert,Earl of Warwick, Sir Ferdinando Gorges, Knight, and divers others, whose names are expressed in the letters patent, and their successors, that they should be one body politic and corporate, and perpetually consist of 40 persons, and that they should be called by the name of the Council Established at Plymouth in the County of Devon, for the planting, ruling, and governing of New England in America; and further did grant unto the said council all that part of New England lying from 40 degrees North latitude to 48 degrees inclusively, and extending from sea to sea, to hold and enjoy the same forever, yielding and paying to the said King, his heirs and successors, the fifth part of any ore of gold or silver that may be obtained within these lands.<\/p>\n
“And, whereas the Council at Plymouth, by their charter of January 16, 1629, in consideration that William Bradford and his associates had for nine years lived in New England and there started a town called New Plymouth, and by the providence of God and their own industry had increased their plantation to near 300 people, granted and assigned unto William Bradford, his heirs, associates and assigns, all that part of New England in America that lies between a certain rivulet commonly called Coahasset on the north and the river Narragansett on the south, and the great western ocean on the east, and to the west unto the utmost limits of a country or place in New England called Pocanacutt.”<\/p>\n
The Council further assigned to William Bradford et al “all the land in New England which lieth between the Cobbossecontee, which adjoineth the river Kennebec, and a place called the Falls of Neguamkike, and the space of 15 miles on each side of the river.”<\/p>\n
“And whereas the colony of New Plymouth on October 27, 1661, for the sum of 400 pounds sterling, sold all the said lands to Antipas Boies, <\/em>Edward Tyng, Thomas Brattle and John Winslow, know ye that we, the heirs and assigns of those four, at our meeting in Boston on June 13, 1792, have granted to etc.<\/p>\n Next week we’ll tell about Obadiah Williams after he came to Waterville.<\/p>\n Year: 1963<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Read the script for “Little Talks” program #589, Broadcast on November 10, 1963<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[796,35296],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8331"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8331\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}