Saturday, May 13, 2017

Bible of the Leighton, Fish, Little, King and Related Families of Midcoast Maine


Bible that belonged to the Leighton, Fish, Little, King and related families of Midcoast Maine.  Surnames include:
  • Blackman
  • Boynton
  • Coombs
  • Fish
  • Halpen or Halpin
  • Hatch
  • Hysom or Hysome
  • James
  • King
  • Leighton
  • Little
  • McDaniel
  • Podboy
  • Reeves

The Bible, which measures approximately 9-1/2" by 6-1/2" by 2-1/2", was published by T. Carlton & J. Porter of 200 Mulberry Street, New York, New York.  There's no date of publication, but I suspect it was the mid 1800s.

The Bible was originally owned by Samuel Leighton and wife Adaline (Hatch) Leighton.   Adaline died in 1873, and Samuel subsequently married Elizabeth (Fish) Little, widow of Benjamin Little, with whom she had several children.  Most of the entries in the Family Record pages deal with Elizabeth's children from her first marriage.  Samuel and Elizabeth had no children together.

In addition to births, marriages and deaths, the Bible has some notations concerning events in the area, including sermons preached by named ministers and tombs constructed.  It also includes a few items tucked in, including newspaper clippings, needlework, religious items and two four-leaf clovers.

The first front end paper bears the names:
  • Elizabeth Leighton, who was Elizabeth (Fish) Little Leighton
  • Annie A. King, who was Elizabeth's daughter Annie Augusta (Little) King, wife of Abraham Lincoln King


The second front end paper bears the names:
  • Leland S. King, who was Leland Stanford King, son of Abraham Lincoln King and Annie Augusta (Little) King
  • Samuel Leighton of North Newcastle, Maine, who was the first owner of the Bible

The page before the Births page has been removed.  Sadly, this was likely the Marriages, with entries on one or both sides of the leaf lost.

The first Births page:
  • Samuel Leighton Born Nov 15 1820
  • Adaline Leighton Born Sept 16. 1821
  • Edward E. Leighton [son of Samuel and Adaline] Born Jan 24, 1853
  • Carroll Bryce Little Born at Augusta Me. March 11 1895  [grandson of Elizabeth (Fish) Little Leighton]
  • Elizabeth Fish born at Jefferson Maine November 10, 1830
  • Fremont J. C. Little born Dec 5, 1861 at Whitefield, Maine
  • Annie A. Little born at Whitefield Maine June 4, 1863
  • Mabel L. Little born at Whitefield Maine April 8, 1865
  • Alice Coburn Boynton born at Jefferson Maine May 2, 1889
  • Leland Stanford King born at Jefferson Me Sept 7 1896
  • Forest Leland King born at Jefferson Me Sept 7 1896
  • Lillian R. Boynton born at Jefferson Me. August 12th 1905


The second Births page:  see the image for all births; listed below are those born before 1900
  • Hazel Mertie Halpen King born in Friendship Me. May 15, 1898
  • Abraham Lincoln King born in Skowhegan Maine April 1st 1856


The first Baptisms page: see the image for all baptisms; listed below are the baptisms before 1900
  • In Jefferson Maine May 1897 Mabel L. Boynton By the Rev. P. S. Collens Ordained Minister of the Gospel
  • In Jefferson Maine May 1897 Eli Little Boynton by the Rev. P. S. Collens Baptist Minister
  • In Jefferson Me - June 20 - 1858 Mrs. Patience Fish, Baptised



The second Baptisms page is actually a list of birth dates:  see the image for all births; listed below are those born before 1900
  • Mertie Hysom Halpen Coombs born in Friendship, Me. Mar 20, 1873.  Died June 7, 1926.  Mother of Hazel H. King [Hazel Mertie (Halpen) King]
  • Frank Halpen.  Born in Windsor Ville Me. Nov 15 - 18 [1867 - husband of Mertie (Hysom) Halpen Coombs
  • Fred F. Coombs born Dec 15 1872
  • Charles Atwood Halpen born Jan 20 1893
  • William F. Halpen, born Feb 26, 1894
  • Hazel M. Halpen born May 15 - 1898


More birth information is written on the title page of the New Testament:
  • Born May 15 1898 Hazel (Halpen) King died April 26 1985, wife of Leland S. King
  • Leland S. King - born Sept 7, 1896 died July 1, 1988


The two Deaths pages:  see the images for all deaths; listed below are deaths of those born before 1900
  • Edward E. Leighton Died December 26 1866 Aged 13 years 11 months  [son of Samuel Leighton and Adaline (Hatch) Leighton]
  • Adaline Leighton Died May the 4 1873 Aged 51 years 5 months  [Adaline (Hatch) Leighton, first wife of Samuel Leighton]
  • Jonathan Leighton Died Jan. 31. 1886.  Aged 73 years  [brother of Samuel Leighton?]
  • Rebecca McDaniels Died Nov. 6. 1891 Aged 80 years  [wife of John or [&] David McDaniel or McDaniels - was she a sister to Samuel Leighton?]
  • William Leighton died in Somerville Me. Oct. 24 1900.  Aged 84 years [brother of Samuel Leighton ?]
  • Samuel Leighton died March 31, 1901  Aged 80 years 4 months 16 days
  • Elizabeth Leighton died April 20th 1910.  Aged 79 years - 6 months  [Elizabeth (Fish) Little Leighton, second wife of Samuel Leighton]
  • Amos Fish died November, 23, 1874 aged 79 years 5 months and 23 days  [Father of Elizabeth (Fish) Little Leighton
  • Benjamin Little died January. 5. 1871  Aged 68 years 9 months 18 days  [first husband of Elizabeth (Fish) Little Leighton  [See a reference to his cause of death and funeral in a later image]
  • Elias H. Fish died January 19, 1882  Aged 54 years  [brother of Elizabeth (Fish) Little Leighton]
  • Patience Fish died Sept. 7, 1888, aged 81 years 3 months  [Patience (Reeves) Fish, mother of Elizabeth (Fish) Little Leighton
  • Augusta M. Jones died April 25 1890 Aged 45 years  [sister of Elizabeth (Fish) Little Leighton and wife of Julius Jones]
  • Annie A. (Little) Jones died in Jefferson Me. Dec. 13 - 1932  Age 69  [daughter of Benjamin Little and Elizabeth (Fish) Little Leighton
  • Fremont J. C. Little died in Augusta Me. Sept. 1st 1933 Age 71  [son of Benjamin Little and Elizabeth (Fish) Little Leighton]
  • Abraham Lincoln King died in Jefferson Me. Dec. 5 1933 Age 77 [wife of Annie Augusta (Little) King, who was a daughter of Benjamin Little and Elizabeth (Fish) Little Leighton



Back end papers that have information about local events
  • Funeral of Mrs. Emma Bodge Knight, who died June 1, 1895
  • Funeral of Mrs. Eliza Chaney Tibbetts, who died at her home in North Whitefield, Me. on September 22, 1904
  • Rev. A. A. Bennett read the 90th psalm at the funeral of the late Arthur Leland Sukeforth, M.D., who died March 12, 1912


  • The new preacher Mr. Bailey, Miss Gwynne and the singers Miss Martin and Miss Patch gave services at Coopers Mills Church


  • Sunday morning September 16, 1917 - Rev. L. H. Clark preached at the church
  • Psalms 34 chapter verse 6 - These words were chosen by Rev. Sanford Partridge, Adventist minister of the Gospel January 7th 1871 - as a text at the funeral of the late Benjamin Little, who died of Pneumonia after nine days illness January 5, 1871, Attended by A. R. G. Smith, M.D., and David Beaton of Turners Corner, Whitefield, Maine


  • Tomb built in summer of 1922


  • Henry W. Clay's - New Tomb at Highland Cemetery - Dedicated, first by the body of Danville Noyes Jr. in March 8, 1823
  • Second body to lie in Tomb, Cora Trask Boynton - February 20th - 1924
  • Third casket to lie in Tomb - Chester Douglass March 5th 1924


  • Rev. C. C. Tilley's first sermon at Damariscotta
  • Miss A. F. Gwynne, Text May 9, 19xx [possibly 1915]


Newspaper clipping about Orr's Island, below:



Obituary of Rev. Cushman E. Harden (1840-1897), who died a McLain's Mills in Appleton, Maine, after a few days' sickness.  He was born in Lamoine, Maine, and graduated from Colby College and became a Baptist minister.  He's mentioned in several posts featuring 1880s issues of The Hebron Semester, a student publication at Hebron Academy where Rev. Harden was a chaplain at one time.  He's buried with wife Abbie (Whitaker) Harden in Forest Hill Cemetery at Lamoine, Maine.


Part of the calling card of Fremont J. C. Little:


Scrap of paper with birth information for Abraham Lincoln King:


Newspaper clipping of Maine County News: Washington County on one side, and Lincoln County on the other:

Needlework and four-leaf clovers:




If you have corrections to the information above, or clarifications and additions to it, please leave a comment or contact me directly.

2 comments:

  1. Pam, this is my families bible! I sent you an email, but thought I should write here too. I’m intrested in purchasing it if it’s still available.
    Thanks, Cathy

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. SO glad you happened upon this post! And very glad the Bible will find a home with you.

      Delete