<\/p>\n
One of the ways by which we learn much about persons, places, customs and events of long ago is through old letters. Let me tell you now about one such letter written by a Bangor man to his brother 130 years ago in 1836. It is a letter that tells us more about the Kennebec Valley.<\/p>\n
It seems that the recipient of the letter was a sea captain, whose vessel, the brig Macauly was then, or would soon be, in New York. The sea captain was Captain Eben Farwell, and the brother who wrote the letter signed himself simply, your brother Dim. The brother had relatives in the Kennebec Valley, for the writer had just returned from a visit to them. In fact some of them lived in a place that was then called Kennebec, for the letter begins, “I have just returned from Kennebec.”<\/p>\n
The town named Kennebec in the 1830’s is now the town of Manchester. It was there, apparently, that the father of the two brothers still lived. The writer says: “I sent a first rate man to the old gentleman. All the fall work is done, with the exception of threshing. The grain has yielded very productively. Father says there will be 50 bushels of wheat, 80 of oats, and other things in proportion. There is sufficient wood cut and piled away to last through the winter.”<\/p>\n
For a farmer to think of abandoning oxen as early as 1836 seems almost unbelievable. But the letter writer told his seaman brother: “Father thinks of using horses altogether in the future. I shall send him a first rate horse, cart and harness, and a good backing-up iron plow — a regular horse team.<\/p>\n
“I think the whole Kennebec area is getting ahead of the Penobscot. Real estate there is rising rapidly. I suppose our old homestead would fetch at least half as much more today than it would have two years ago. The Augusta dam is responsible for much of this boom. It is causing many manufacturies to spring up.”<\/p>\n
The writer’s next comment was: “When I was over to Kennebec I went to Gardiner to see the new brick paper mill which is being built by Mr. Gardiner for his son-in-law Richards.” The Mr. Gardiner referred to was Robert Hallowell Gardiner, grandson of the pioneer settler and land developer Sylvester Gardiner. The son-in-law was the husband of the woman who became a well known author, Laura Jean Richards, and their son, John Richards, is now an elderly, highly respected resident of Gardiner.<\/p>\n
Farwell tells his brother Eben that the reason he visited the paper mill was to try to get a job for a relative. “I saw Richards, and he said he would want George, but the mill will not be in operation until spring. Yet it will be hard to persuade George to leave Hampden.”<\/p>\n
It seems the Farwells’ father was himself a sea captain. The letter says: “Father mentioned something about taking charge of your vessel, but he should not do so. It is altogether too much for him. He has been to sea enough.” Then the brother adds: “I have never received the articles you wrote me you had sent, viz: the sugar and salt. I went on board the vessel, which you said you put there, but I was told that, while the vessel was lying in New York, a truckman came down and asked if such articles would be accepted. That was the last the captain or the mate heard of the matter. Both said the articles never came aboard.”<\/p>\n
The letter-writing brother was also one who followed the sea. He wrote: “I am not sure what course I shall next take. Mr. Vetter has not yet returned from the South, but we expect him soon. I shall probably go out with him. If not, I have other situations enough, but if Father actually does go to sea I shall accompany him.<\/p>\n
“Brother Eb, there is nothing that would please me more than to have you quit going to sea, but can you stop on shore at present and be at all contented? You are well aware that just now home is not well calculated for enjoyment. It is the last place I would go to with any idea of enjoying myself.”<\/p>\n
When this letter was written the little railroad line from Bangor to Old Town was nearly ready to open. The letter says: “I can have a situation on the railroad after the cars are in action in about three weeks. George thinks I ought to take the agency for the paper mill, but I prefer to leave on your vessel. Perhaps you can find a factory in New York that will employ me as their agent.”<\/p>\n
The writer is not complimentary to one Kennebec town. “Vassalboro”, he says, “is the most lonesome place I was ever in.”<\/p>\n
Now consider what the letter says about a theater that had just opened in Bangor: “The theater attracts much attention. It is well patronized, usually crowded. We have some of the best actors and actresses in the country. Still, I should never attend it if it was any expense to my pocket, but as I have a free ticket I frequently spend til nine o’clock in that way. John Rice is the stage manager. We must see whether it will continue to flourish in this congenial soil or soon wilt.”<\/p>\n
Apparently the brother had custody of some of Captain Eben’s funds, for the let letter says: “Your money is in good hands and is paying 36%. It is safe. If you are not already on the coast, you should be soon, with the brisk, fair wind that now blows. But somehow the mere thought of sea sickens me. Your brother Dim.”<\/p>\n
Now let us turn to another letter written four years later in 1840. This one was written by a man signing himself M. Smith and was addressed to Dr. David Folsom, Vassalboro, Maine. Significantly the letter refers to a Maine man who was rapidly winning fame as a sculptor. Now bear in mind that 1840 was the year of the political campaign of “Tippecanoe and Tyler too” — the campaign that saw the long supremacy of the Andrew Jackson Democrats end, and the Whig William Henry Harrison elected president.<\/p>\n
Smith wrote from Cincinnati in Harrison’s own state. He said: “I have seen Old Tip. I was introduced to him by Edward Brackett, Reuben’s older son who was sent here by a Whig committee of New York to make a bust of the old general. Edward has succeeded in getting an admirable likeness. As I saw the general at one of the last sittings, I could compare the bust with the original. Edward has already arrived at enviable fame as a sculptor. He expects to go to Italy in a year or two. He returns by way of Washington, where he is to make the bust of Senator Talmadge.”<\/p>\n
The letter continues about the President-elect: “Perhaps you would like to know how I take the personal appearance of General Harrison. He did not seem as old by ten years as I had imagined. He is about five feet eleven in height, but is very slender. He stands erect as a plumb line. Though a little stiff in his gait, his step is as quick as that of a young man. His countenance indicates mildness and composure. He has a quick and penetrating eye. There is not the slightest sign of decrepitude, superannuation or imbicility. His manner is frank, easy and modest, free from assumed dignity. He has no airs of any kind. He was dressed in a frock coat of Kentucky jeans, very like Yankee satinette though not so handsome. I hope he will take possession of the White House on the fourth of March in the same plain, Republican costume.”<\/p>\n
Another letter from Smith to Folsom has much to say about a Vassalboro farm. The letter says: “I remember you said something about my coming back to Vassalboro to take up quarters for life on the old farm out back. Well, I did indeed receive a letter from James a few days before I got yours. He asked how much I would give him for the farm. In reply I asked him how much he would take. A few days ago I received his price and terms. I at once informed him that I could not accept his proposal for I was not yet ready to decide to return to Vassalboro. What do you know? He now asks $700 more than the sum you told me he would take. I could not come back until next year even if I now decided to buy his farm, and I am going to wait at least until fall before I decide either way. Then I may well decide to remain here. If, however, I do decide to return to Vassalboro, I am not worried about finding some other desirable farm if James does not want to sell at a fair price. Yet I confess that I like that farm better than any other in your county. Let me tell you, if I do come, it will only be from a sense of duty, believing I might thus add to the happiness of the family. If it were a matter of personal interest or financial advantage, I would stay right here. I know I would eventually be better off to buy a farm out here rather than take the gift of one in Maine. Here it does not require half the work, half the outlay for stock and tools, nor half the expense for repairs as it does with you. A small farm here in Ohio —- support my family well, even if I had to hire all the work done.”<\/p>\n
That same letter has a reference to Millerites — a religious group who were then preparing for the imminent end of the world. Smith asked Dr. Folsom: “Have you read Miller’s Lectures on the Prophesies, in which he proves from Scripture that the world will be destroyed in 1843? I have glanced over <\/em>his story and do not think much of it. Miller may believe it, but since he is interested in selling his book, I am inclined to regard it as one of the humbugs of the day.”<\/p>\n On the immediate end of the world the Millerites were, of course. disappointed and disillusioned, but their enthusiasm gave birth to the Second Adventists, a sect that remains alive to this day.<\/p>\n Year: 1966<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Read the script for “Little Talks” program #705, Broadcast on November 20, 1966<\/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":[42954,35296],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8644"}],"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=8644"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8644\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8644"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8644"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8644"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}