<\/p>\n
Recently I have mentioned several Maine wills of long ago. Just as interesting as the wills are some of the inventories of estates. Believe me, the appraisers omitted nothing. Listen to this inventory made in old Lincoln County in 1788.<\/p>\n
Besides house and land, the inventory included a great coat at 8 shillings, two pairs of breeches, 4 shirts and 6 pair of stockings, all valued at 1\/5. That meant 22 cents in U.S. money. Warming pan was set down at 4 shillings a cart and wheels at 30 shillings or $5.00, and an ox yoke at 15 shillings. Another item was beatle rings, iron wedges and augus, 14s, 4d. Sixteen cow-rights in the fourth general pasture were valued at 128 pounds; a looking glass was set at six shillings, and a pew in Mr. Cary’s meeting house at four pounds. In 1788 the new U.S.money set a shilling in New England at 16-1\/3 cents.<\/p>\n
A few days ago I took another look at that old account book of Jacob Pillsbury’s that I talked about on a recent broadcast. I wanted to see if it verified my previous impression gained from other. such writings, that Christmas Day was not a holiday in Maine during the first half of the 19th century. I found that indeed the Pillsbury account book did verify that impression. Jacob Pillsbury worked on every Christmas Day from 1833 to 1843. On December 25. 1833 he shod the hind feet of six oxen for 40 cents. The next year, on Christmas in 1834, he spent a half day shoeing oxen for Jethro Horn, for which he got 25 cents. Likewise. on Christmas in 1835 he shod two yoke of oxen for David Stilman. On December 25. 1837 he drove to Belfast to buy cattle. On the following Christmas he was using Gideon Parkman’s winnowing machine to sift out nine bushels of grain. On Christmas in 1839 he delivered to Mrs. Dole four bushels of oats for $1.47. On December 25 in 1840 he took to Page’s store four calf skins and a cow hide. and bought molasses. sugar, spices, calico and tobacco. On all three Christmases from 1841 to 1843 he chopped wood for a neighbor at the wage of 75 cents a day. Yes, in the 1830’s and 1840’s Christmas was just another day.<\/p>\n
Almost any account of a shipwreck has its spectacular incidents. Especially interesting is that of a wreck in the vicinity of Mt. Desert Island in 1741. In his “Annals of Warren”, Eaton, the usually reliable historian, tells of it as the wreck of a ship named Grand Design, and he tells of the hardships suffered by the few survivors, including a Mrs. Galloway.<\/p>\n
Some fifty years after Eaton’s book, there was published the “History of the Gamble Family”, in which is told the story of a woman called the “Mount Desert Widow, a Mrs. Galloway, who later married a Gamble”.” Many other publications repeated the story, most of them giving the scene of the wreck as Ship’s Harbor on Mt. Desert.<\/p>\n
A few years ago Mr. Robert Terrell of Englewood, N.J. got interested in that shipwreck and published his findings in the New England Historical and Genealogical Record in 1957. Mr. Terrell discovered that there was indeed a Mrs. Galloway who experienced shipwreck, but the ship was not the Grand Design. What Mr. Terrell turned up was definite information that a ship called the Martha and Eliza, bound from Londonderry, Ireland to Philadelphia was wrecked off Grand Manan in the early autumn of 1741. The first group of survivors was brought to Pleasant Point on the St. George River in November. To clinch matters, Mr. Terrell discovered an ancient document in which a survivor of the wreck had made a record of what happened. In substance the old record stated that a company of emigrants bound for America left Londonderry on August 25, 1741 in the ship Martha and Eliza, Captain Rowen. Most of the passengers were Irish Presbyterians, planning to join others of the faith who had preceded them to the New World. Ten weeks out of Londonderry a violent storm drove the ship off its course, and carried the masts overboard. On October 28 survivors managed to reach an island. Some twenty who went out in search of inhabitants never returned. Meanwhile the captain and a few of the crew had reached New Harbor in the ship’s boat, where, securing a small vessel, they returned to salvage what they could. It turned out that their real intent was plunder; for after getting everything of value from the wreck, which still clung to the rocks, they took with them several passengers to sell as indentured servants and left the rest on the island to their fate. Mussels from the beach, dulce from the rocks, and sea-kelp were stirred in a pot for food. For two months life was thus precariously sustained for a few, while others died of hunger and exposure. Finally all succumbed except Mrs. Galloway and two other women. A fierce storm put out their fire, and they were in despair. The next day one of the women died. The two survivors were then discovered by two men, who had come for more plunder. They agreed to take the two women to New Harbor, if the women would agree to be sold as indentured servants. That is exactly what was don. and the unfortunate women were little better than slaves when they encountered a fellow Irishman, who succeeded in having them freed by the magistrates, who at last listened to their story.<\/p>\n
A contemporary account of the same wreck, but without the names of captain, crew or passengers, appeared in the Boston News Letter in 1741. Perhaps some of you remember reading in Franklin’s Autobiography that the Boston News Letter was published by Benjamin Franklin’s brother. On December 3, 1741 the News Letter has this account: “A vessel from Londonderry in Ireland, bound to Newcastle in Pennsylvania, with 200 persons, having lost all masts and having been at sea upwards of ten weeks, was lately driven among the islands in the eastern parts of this province, and at last ran ashore on Grand Manan, where they were utter strangers, and in want of all necessities. Hence many perished from want. A few survivors at last got to Georges Fort and to Pemaquid. but in such miserable condition that most of them died.”<\/p>\n
Mr. Terrell says, concluding his account in the 1957 magazine: “The area along the St. George River abounds in Scotch-Irish names. The Indian wars drove many of those early settlers away, but with the coming of peace some of them returned. Among today’s Scotch-Irish families in Knox County are probably some who could have their descent from survivors of the Martha and Eliza.”<\/p>\n
Now let us turn to another and much more famous will than those of the ordinary farmers and tradesmen I have recently mentioned. The famous will is that of Dr. Sylvester Gardiner, chief proprietor of the Kennebec Purchase of 1749, and the man who gave his name to the City of Gardiner. When that rugged Tory, who had fled to England with the coming of the Revolution, died in 1786. the following were some of the provisions of his will: “To my two sons-in-law. Robert Hallowell and Oliver Whipple, all my Cobbossicon tee tract of land at Gardinerstown, on the west side of the Kennebec, abutting on Cobbossicontee Great Pond; also an island in the Kennebec. about 120 acres, formerly called Lynd’s Island, to be held for the use and benefit of my son William Gardiner during his life, and afterwards to heirs male of his body lawfully begotten. In default of such issue, I give all the aforesaid premises to my grandson. Robert Hallowell, son of Robert and Hannah Hallowell and in default of heirs male or female of Robert Hallowell, I give the aforesaid premises to my grandson Oliver Whipple. son of Oliver and Abigail Whipple.<\/p>\n
“I give 20 pounds to be paid annually forever in four equal quarterly payments out of the rents of my estate to the Episcopal minister for the time being of St. Ann’s Church in Gardinerstown. I give to St. Ann’s Church ten acres of land so as to include a parsonage house.<\/p>\n
“I give my whole library of books for a public library to be kept in Gardinerstown.<\/p>\n
“I give to my wife, Catherine Gardiner, the interest on 1,000 pounds placed at good security, to be paid every year that she remains a widow.<\/p>\n
“I give to my two daughters. Hannah Hallowell and Abigail Whipple, the whole of my Worromontages tract of land of 6,000 acres, and to my daughter Rebecca Demeresque my Diamond lot of 1,000 acres, also 300 pounds in lawful money.<\/p>\n
“I order my executor to sell all the rest of my estate and divide the money into six shares, one share each to go to my daughter Brown, my daughter Hallowell, my daughter Whipple, the chil dren of my son John, my daughter Derneresque and my son William.<\/p>\n
“To John Gardiner himself I give only the sum of one guinea, and it is my will and order that he be paid no more.”<\/p>\n
It was dissatisfaction with his eldest son, John, that caused Sylvester Gardiner to cut that son off with only a guinea, the equivalent of about five dollars, though at the time of hi s death Syl vester was worth more than $100, 000. But before he died, the old man relented a bit, and a codicil to the will gave John more money and about 1,000 acres of land. But Sylvester Gardiner never had the fondness for either of his sons, John and William, that he bestowed upon his grandson, Robert Hallowell. You will note that Robert Hallowell ;s the first beneficiary named in the will along with his cousin. Oliver Whipple, another grandson of Sylvester’s. While the large and increasingly valuable property at Gardinerstown was to be held in trust for William Gardiner and his male heirs, the will provided that, if William had no male heir, the whole property should go to Robert Hallowell. Old Sylvester knew when he made the will that William was unlikely to have a son. So he arranged with his daughter Hannah and her husband Robert Hallowell, that their son, also named Robert, should be Sylvester Gardiner’s major heir if it would, during the old man’s lifetime, be solemnly agreed that the young Robert Hallowell would upon securing the inheritance, legally change his name to Robert Hallowell Gardiner.<\/p>\n
So it came about that in 1815 the deed to the Trustees of the Maine Literary and Theological Institution in Waterville (the future Colby College) was signed R.H. Gardiner.<\/p>\n
In fact, throughout the first half of the 19th century the largest landowner in the Kennebec Valley was Robert Hallowell Gardiner. It was he who built the family mansion known as Oakland’s, south of the City of Gardiner.<\/p>\n
Of that chief inheritor of Sylvester Gardiner’s wealth, the historian Hanson says: “Robert Hallowell Sr, son-in-law of Mr. Sylvester Gardiner, was born in Boston in 1739. He was prosecuted as a Tory and banished in 1778. He accompanied the British troops to Halifax in the evacuation of Boston. He later returned to Gardiner and died there in 1818. Robert Hallowell Jr. was born in England in 1781.<\/p>\n
Dr. Gardiner was displeased with the Unitarian and Republican principles of his son John, and his son William was not an efficient man. So he settled nearly all his property on his grandson. Robert Hallowell Jr., then about five years of age, on the condition that he should legally assume the family name of Gardiner, which indeed he subsequently did.”<\/p>\n
Year: 1968<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Read the script for “Little Talks” program #781, Broadcast on November 10, 1968<\/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":[1199,35296],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8861"}],"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=8861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8861\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}