1825 Shipbuilding Document, Steuben, Maine; Names of brothers Philo Lewis & Thompson Lewis; and Tunk Mill owners Mark Wilson & Moses Colson

January 3, 1825, Steuben, Maine; handwritten document where Philo Lewis and his brother Thompson Lewis are purchasing planks from Mark Wilson and Moses Colson, owners of the Tunk Mill.

A previous contemporary owner of this document wrote "Shipbuilding" in pencil; presumably the Lewis brothers were shipbuilders.

From brief online research: If you have corrections and/or additional information, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers

• Philo Lewis - presumably Philo Lewis (abt 1785-1838); Postmaster of Steuben from 1823-1827; Connecticut native. Also, thanks to information provided by a reader, a smuggler during Pres. Jefferson's Embargo Act of 1807.

• Thompson Lewis - presumably Thompson Lewis (abt 1788-1827) - his FindaGrave notes his military rank as Colonel; Connecticut native

• Mark Wilson - presumably Mark Wilson (1782-1866); Maine native, possibly Cherryfield, Maine

• Moses Colson - presumably Moses Colson (1782-1860); Maine native, possibly Cherryfield, Maine

10 Documents, c1772-1852, pertaining to the Spinney & Pettegrow Families of York County, Maine, & Portsmouth, New Hampshire

10  documents, one since donated, pertaining to the Spinney and Pettegrow families of York County, Maine, with one document, the one shown above, from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, perhaps 1772.

The documents are listed below, followed by a guess as to the identity of those mentioned.  If you have corrections or additional information, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.

1. [shown above] Portsmouth, New Hampshire, February 22, 1772 [not sure of year].  John Raynes and Israel Kaen [Kean ?] promise to pay Joseph Pettigrow 3 pounds lawfull money for value...  Perhaps Joseph Pettegrow (1742-1822)
2. November 7, 1798 handwritten document: codfish sold to Stephen Pettegrow,  Jr.
3. 1819-1822 handwritten document: Capt. Caleb Spinney to C. Greene; mentions Mr. Morton and Benjamin Adams; seems to be an account of court cases.  Perhaps Capt. Caleb Spinney (b. 1755). Perhaps Capt. Benjamin Adams (abt 1763-1842)
4. July - October 1820 handwritten document: Nicholas Spinney, invoice from Nehemiah Green.  Perhaps Nicholas Spinney (1783-1845); perhaps Nehemiah Green (1766-1824)
5. August 2, 1824 handwritten document; Nicholas Spinney, invoice for mending from James B?- Bartlett? Bouths? Bouthes?  Perhaps Nicholas Spinney (1783-1845)
6. Eliot, Maine, November 30, 1839 [not sure of year, could be 1829]: Nicholas Spinney, invoice for sash and glazing from Stephen Paul.  Perhaps Nicholas Spinney (1783-1845)
7. November 18, 1842, Kittery, Maine: handwritten document: received of ? Spinney for Dresser, Sixteen Dollars in full, Warren Dockum. Perhaps Warren Dockum (1812-1890)
8. Eliot, Maine, April 12, 1843; Nicholas Spinney, invoice from Nathaniel Paul for building a cart plus iron, nails, boards, etc.  Perhaps Nicholas Spinney (1783-1845); perhaps Nathaniel Paul (1787-1865)
9. Kittery, Maine,  May 28, 1849 handwritten document: Nicholas Spinney, Esq. bought at auction, horse rake; plough; sled.  Received payment, Isaiah Hanscom, Administrator and Auctioneer. Perhaps Nicholas Spinney (abt 1789-1866); perhaps Capt. Isaiah Hanscom (1815-1880)
10. 1852 handwritten document: W. Skinner [or possibly Spinney]; invoice from William Seaward for pasturing cows. Possibly William Seaward (abt 1772-after 1860)

Papers of John Keller Ames (1834-1901), Lumberman of Machias, Maine

 

Invoices and letters associated with John Keller Ames (1834-1901), lumberman of Machias, Maine, whose Christmas card is shown above.  

Calvin Rubin Gardner of Pembroke, Maine

If you have information on John Keller Ames or any of the people/firms mentioned  below, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.

Hill, Pike & Co., Calais, Maine

Isaac Pennell Longfellow (1845-1808) of Machias, Maine

Invoices, Letters, in alphabetical order:

• Adriance, Platt & Co. of Portland, Maine (Poughkeepsie, New York), Manufacturers of Mowers, Reapers, Binders - invoice of July 24, 1896
• Adriance, Platt & Co. of Portland, Maine (Poughkeepsie, New York), Manufacturers of Mowers, Reapers, Binders - invoice of July 27, 1896
• Bearce, Murphy & Co. of Portland, Maine, Notions, Clocks, Jewelry, Spectacles, Eye Glasses -  invoice of June 15, 1888 
• A. H. Berry Shoe Company, Manufacturers and Jobbers, of Portland, Maine - invoice of September 14, 1892
• John Bird Company, Wholesale Grocers, of Rockland, Maine - invoice of July 6, 1896
• W. L. Blake & Co. of Portland, Maine - Fine Engine Va;ve & Cylinder Oils and Portland Lubricating Greases - invoice of March 16, 1891
• Cobb, Wight & Co., Wholesale and Retail Grocers and Ship Chandlers, Rockland, Maine - invoice of September 29, 1891
• Emerson & Stevens Manufacturing Company, Oakland, Maine - Scythes and Axes - invoice of September 9, 1892
• C. R. Gardner of Pembroke, Maine, Manufacturer of Brick, Dealer in Mowing Machines & Farming Implements - letter of July 15, 1889
• Hill, Pike & Co. of Calais, Maine, Molasses, Tea, Jobbers of Flour - invoice of March 26, 1896
• M. A. Jewell & Company of Portland, Maine, Teas, Tobacco, Cigars, Molasses, Vinegar, Pickles - invoice of July 31, 1886
• J. L. Keith & Son of Old Town, Maine, Custom Boots and Shoes - invoice of April 9, 1888
• J. L. Keith & Son of Old Town, Maine, Custom Boots and Shoes - invoice of April 12, 1888
• I. P. Longfellow of Machias, Maine, Broken Egg, Stove and Mixed Coals - invoice of August 4, 1882
• Loring, Short & Harmon of Portland, Maine, Books, Stationery & Paper Hangings - invoice of May 27, 1881
• McLellan, Mosher & Co. of Portland, Maine, Blank Book Manufacturers, Stationers, Lithographers, Law Booksellers - invoice of June 10, 1889
• Monson Refrigerator Co. of Monson, Maine, Arctic Slate Lined Butter Boxes - invoice of September 9, 1887
• Portland Rubber Company of Portland, Maine, Rubber Goods of Every Description - invoice of March 30, 1896
• John F. Rand of Portland, Maine, Hosiery, Gloves, Corsets, Underwear & Notions - invoice of September 15, 1893
• John F. Rand of Portland, Maine, Hosiery, Gloves, Corsets, Underwear & Notions - invoice of October 24, 1893
• Byron Stevens of Brunswick, Maine, Bookseller & Stationer - invoice of March 20, 1889
• Widber & Bacon of Portland, Maine, Building Lumber, Doors, Sashes and Blinds, Black Walnut, Cherry, White Wood, Mahogany, Ash, Etc., Brownville and Monson Slate - invoice of October 24, 1881
• William Anson Wood Mower & Reaper Co. of Portland, Maine, Mowers, Reapers, Self and Hand Dump Hay Rakes, Harvester and Twine Binder - letter of January 23, 1884
• William Anson Wood Mower & Reaper Co. of Portland, Maine, Mowers, Reapers, Self and Hand Dump Hay Rakes, Harvester and Twine Binder - invoice of July 9, 1886
• F. C. Young of Winterport, Maine, Harnesses, Trunks, Bags and Robes - invoice of August 12, 1889

1889 Letter from Calvin Rubin Gardner (abt 1834-1909) of Pembroke, Maine, to John Keller Ames (1834-1901) of Machias, Maine; re: Bricks

(Reprinted, with permission, from the Border Historical Society blog)

July 15, 1889 letter from Calvin Rubin Gardner (abt 1834-1909) to lumberman John Keller Ames (1834-1901) in Machias, Maine, regarding Gardner's delivery of bricks to Ames.

According to the letterhead, Gardner was a manufacturer of bricks, a dealer in mowing machines and farming implements and the proprietor of the Gardner House lodging establishment.  

This auction site features a postcard of the Gardner House, although the house depicted may have been a private home.

Gardner mentions delivering bricks to Ames via the Schooner Osias. I wasn't able to find information about a schooner named Osias (Ozias or Osiris ?). Interestingly, there were several people named Ozias in the area. Hopefully a reader will weigh in.

Perhaps the current-day Brickyard Road (map below) was named for Gardner's brickyard, which, if so, was presumably located along it, perhaps close to a wharf.  

If you have information to share on Calvin Rubin Gardner, John Keller Ames or the Schooner Osias (sp?), please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.

1877 ByLaws of the Masonic Mutual Relief Association of Dexter, Maine

ByLaws of the Masonic Mutual Relief Association of Dexter, Maine; organized July 9, 1877.  

Small booklet, approximately 5" by 3-1/2", with eight numbered pages; printed by R. O. Robbins, Printer, of Dexter, Maine.

Officers:

• W. D. Eaton, President - perhaps Walter David Eaton (1830-1899)
• J. H. Fitzgerald, Vice President - perhaps Joseph H. Fitzgerald (1836-1920)
• H. C. Parsons, Secretary - perhaps Henry Clay Parsons (1832-1893)
• J. W. Barron, Treasurer - perhaps John Wilson Barron (1838-1878)
• W. H. Dustin, Finance Committee - perhaps William Hazen Dustin (1845-1890)
• J. D. Maxfield, Finance Committee - perhaps James Dwight Maxfield (1838-1884)
• Ephraim Gee, Financial Committee  - perhaps Ephraim Gee (1834-1882)
• S. Mudgett, M.D., Medical Director - presumably Dr. Simeon Mudgett (1819-1888)

If you have information to share on any of these men, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.

For more information, read One Hundred Years of Masonry, History of Penobscot Lodge No. 39, Dexter, Maine, made available online by the University of Maine.

Centennial Celebration Program for St. Albans, Maine, 1813-1913

Centennial Celebration Program for St. Albans, Maine, 1813-1913.  Booklet, approximately 7-3/4" by nearly 5". with four interior pages.  Printed by Mathews Printing of Pittsfield, Maine.

The booklet contains:

• Program of the Day - 2 pages
• Program of the Evening
• Town Officers in 1913
• Members on the Centennial Committees

Many St. Albans residents, and people from other towns, most of whom presumably had a connection to St. Albans, are mentioned. Maine governor William T. Haines gave an address in the morning.

If you recognize a name and have information to share, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.

1826 School or Church School Document from Thomaston, Maine - Names of 37 Scholars

1826 school or church school document from Thomaston, Maine, with the names of 37 scholars.

[Thanks to Maine Genealogical Society members for helping me tease out the meaning of this document.]

If you have information to share on any of the scholars listed, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers. I'll amend the post to show your contribution.

Some of the scholars were apparently siblings or cousins.  I've included some information on possible identities, but many of the surnames are common to the area, with given names repeating many times.

 If you have information on any of these scholars, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.  

Alphabetical list of Scholars - sorry about the white background in spots

Mary Branton	possibly Mary Jane Branton (1812-1839); married John Wallace Haskell
Margaret Butler	possibly Margaret B. Butler (1815-1892); would marry Capt. Mark Perry
Maria Butler	possibly Alberta Maria Butler (1809-1881); married Capt. Job Perry and Jesse K. Dean
Melly Butler	possibly Amelia Butler (1811-1899); married Capt. Henry H. Fales and Elkanah S. Smith
Sophia Butler	possibly Sophia Butler (1819-1902); married Capt. Hiram Worcester
William Butler	possibly William Butler II (1817-1900); married Eliza P. Butler
Hannah Harden
Sarah Holmes	possibly Sarah A. Holmes (1814/5-1892); married Francis Harrington
Katharine Holmes
Hannah Holmes	possibly Hannah S. Holmes (1818-1877); married William C. Ramsey
Eliza Holmes	possibly Eliza Croner Holmes (1820-1908); married Cyrenius Crockett
Amelia Holmes	possibly Amelia Doyle Holmes (1819-1894); married Sylvester H. Fuller and Henry True Luce
Achsah Ingraham	possibly Achsah Ingraham (1820-1909); married Joseph Kalloch
Ann L. Ingraham	possibly Ann Lindsey Ingraham (1819-1836), daughter of Deacon Henry Ingraham;
Betsey Ingraham
Elizabeth Ingraham	possibly Elilzabeth Ingraham (1813-1861)
Margaret Ingraham
Mary Ann Ingraham	possibly Mary Ann Ingraham (1817-1892); married Orris Robbins Butler
Mary Jane Ingraham
Orinda Ingraham	presumably Orinda F. Ingraham (1815-1881); married Harrison Farrand
Susan Ingraham
Sally Miller
Eliza Partridge	possibly Eliza Partridge (1815-1850); married Dr. William Stevens Wiley
James Partridge, Jr.	presumably James Partridge (1816-1903); married Adeline Glidden Harrington;
Mary Partridge	possibly Mary Jane Partridge (1822-1908); married Nathaniel Adams Burpee;
Sevey W. Partridge	Rev. Seavey William Partridge (1812-1860); married Hester Ann Chapone Hinkley;
Lucinda Penney
Hannah Robbins
Lucy Simonton	possibly Lucy Simonton (1818-1853); would marry Samuel B. Partridge and Elijah Mayhew Averell
Rebekah Spear	possibly Rebekah Spear (1820-1906); married Andrew Grant Luce
William Spear	possibly William Henry Spear (1816-unk)
Hannah Spofford	possibly Hannah Simonton Spofford (1815-1842)
Lucinda Spofford	possibly Lucinda Spofford (1816-1887); married Hezekiah Prince Coombs
Maria Spofford	possibly Maria Spofford (1813-1879); married Elkanah Spear
Sophia Spofford	possibly Sophia Spofford (1819-1899)
Katharine Ulmer	possibly Catherine B. Ulmer (1815-1880); married Adriel Cox Fales
Mary Ulmer	possibly Mary B. Ulmer (1813-1829), daughter of Martin Ulmer and Susan (Stodder) Ulmer

Note:  In 1826, Thomaston contained what is now most of Rockland, Maine, and South Thomaston, Maine.

1853 Deed from Harvey H. Cleaveland to Harriet Thorndike, for a Pew in the West Camden Union Society's Meeting House

1853 deed for a pew in the West Camden Union Society's Meeting House, at Camden, Maine [now presumably Rockport, Maine], for $25 paid to Harvey H. Cleaveland by Harriet Thorndike. Witnessed by Samuel T. Cleaveland.

Harvey Hewitt Cleaveland (1816-1889)

Harriet Thorndike - presumably Harriet (Watts) Thorndike (1813-1888), widow of Emery Thorndike

Samuel Tyler Cleaveland (1824-1901)

If you have information to share on the Cleaveland brothers or Harriet (Watts) Thorndike, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.

West Camden is presumably the part of Camden that became Rockport in 1891.

November 1845 Document from Bion Bradbury, Customs Collector at Passamaquoddy, Eastport, Maine, to Customs in Alexandria, Virginia

November 22, 1845 document from Bion Bradbury (1811-1887), Customs Collector at the District of Passamaquoddy, in Eastport, Maine, to the Customs Collector in the District of Alexandria, then, apparently, considered part of Washington, D.C.

The document concerns the Schooner Lucinda Snow of Boston, whose master was then William Hall.

The schooner Lucinda Snow came to grief after a voyage to the Gulf of Mexico, where her cargo was unloaded in Galveston, and she was then chartered by the U.S. Government for use during the Mexican-American War.  During the "great norther" of May 2, 1846, the schooner was cast upon the island of Sacrificios near Vera Cruz, Mexico, and later became the subject of a lawsuit.

Bradury, a native of Biddeford, Maine and graduate of Bowdoin College, was an attorney, before, in 1844, being appointed Customs Collector for the Passamaquoddy District. He served in the Maine State Legislature and ran several times for governor, but was not successful, although, according to a contemporary note in pencil on the document, he did serve as Lieutenant Governor at one time.

See a photograph of him circa 1880, on the Maine Memory Network.  From the July 2, 1887 issue of the Portland Daily Press:

If you have information on Bion Bradbury, William Hall or the Schooner Lucinda Snow, please leave a comment for the benefit of other researchers.  

And if you know of a way for Google Maps to show sea routes, please let me know.

1777 Document, Kittery, Maine; John Gowan, Constable; Edw. Cutts, Treasurer

March 5, 1777, Kittery, Maine, document, with names of John Gowen, Constable, and Edw. Cutts, Town Treasurer.

Recd of Constable John Gowen the Sum of Seventy One Pound Six Shillings and Eight pence Lw money in full of the town's money he was to pay me for the year 1774. 

Edw. Cutts, Town Treasurer

L 71-6-8

Kittery, March 5, 1777

• John Gowen, Constable - perhaps John Gowen (1740-1809

• Edw. Cutts, Treasurer of Kittery, Maine - perhaps Edward Cutts (1728-1818)

If you have alternate identities for John Gowen and Edw. Cutts, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.

Note: Kittery was much larger when this 1777 document was created; what is now Eliot, Maine, was set off in 1810.

March 1775 Notice to Assemble at Meeting House in Northerly Parish of Kittery, Maine - now Eliot, Maine

March 4, 1775, Kittery, Maine - where Constable John Gowen gives Notice to Assemble to "all Freeholders and other Inhabitants in the Northerly Parrish in Kittery Qualified by Law to Vote in Parrish Affairs".

In 1810, the North Parish of Kittery was set off to become the new town of Eliot.

Transcription at the end of this post.

Those assembled will take up:

• choice of a Parrish Clerk, Treasurer and other Officers
• the sum of money to be raised for a Minister 
• examination of the Treasurer's account
• sums the assessors and committee shall have for the services in the past year
• what sum the Treasurer shall have for his receiving paying out the Parrish's money
• any other matters brought up
• inset lines appear to refer to a Rev. Rogers' death

John Gowen, Constable - perhaps John Gowen (1740-1809)

Rev. Rogers - perhaps Rev. John Rogers (1692-1773)

If you have information to share on a Constable John Gowen or a Rev. Rogers, or if you have corrections/additions to the transcription below, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.

Transcription 

York fs/ To the freeholders and other Inhabitants of the Northerly Parrish in Kittery Qualified by Law to vote in Parrish Affairs.

Pursuant to a Warrant from the Committee for Calling Parrish Meetings in said Parrish, to me Directed You are hereby Notified and Required to Assemble Together & meet at the Meeting House in Said Parrish on Tuesday, the Twenty Eighth Day of March, Instant at Two of the clock afternoon then and there to make Choice of a Parrish Clerk and Treasurer and all other Parrish Officers as the Law Directs and To receive and Examine [?] the Parrish Treasurers Account and Vote what Sum of Money Shall be raised on ye Polls & Estates in sd Parrish for the Support of the Minister and other Necessary as Charges arising in said Parrish. Also to Vote what Sum the Assessors and Committee of Said Parrish shall have for their Service the year past. [an inset about the money drawn by Rev. Rogers before his death] Also what Sum the Treasurer Shall have for his receiving and paying out the Parrish's money. The Year ___ And to receive the Account of any Person and Persons which they have against Said Parrish. And to also any Vote on Voters residing to the Premises as You Shall then and there think fit.

___March 4, 1775, John Gowen, Constable

1768-1769 Record of Plowing, Timbering, Hoeing, Haying, Fencing, Harvesting; Noah Emery of Southern Maine and Southeastern New Hampshire

1768 and 1769 account of the days spent by a hired hand doing plowing, cutting timber, hoeing, haying, fencing and harvesting. 

The worker may have been Noah Emery or the hired hand may have worked for Noah Emery.

Noah Emery may have been Captain Noah Emery (1699-1761) or his son Noah Emery (1725-1788) or another Noah Emery. They lived in the Kittery, Maine,  and/or the Rockingham County, New Hampshire, area.

It's possible that the top line indicates a Caleb Emery; if so, he may have been the hired hand.

If you have a theory as to the people connected to this document, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.

Extract of an 1811 Mortgage between Jonathan Dana Clark and Abigail Emerson for 140-1/2 Acres in Berwick, Maine

Thank you to fellow members of the Maine Genealogical Society for help in deciphering names in this document.

Extract of an 1811 Mortgage of Jonathan Dana Clark (abt 1756-1817) of Berwick, Maine, to Abigail Emerson, Widow, in the amount of $256 for her purchase of 140-1/2 acres of land in Berwick, in the area of Chadbourn's Pond and Great Works River.  

Note: Berwick was much larger in 1811 than it is now; South Berwick was set off in 1813 and North Berwick in 1831, with other portions set off later.

Widow Abigail may have been Abigail (Lyman) Emerson (1765-1836), whose husband Edward Emerson, Jr., had died in 1803.

The extractor was William Frost, Register, presumably York County Treasurer William Frost (1754-1836), many of whose papers are held at Yale University.  

Read the original instrument on page 57 of Book 87 - scroll to the next image.  The extract notes that the acreage was bounded by land owned by Chadbourn, Grant and Merriam, but the original goes into far more detail.

If you have information to share on Jonathan Dana Clark, Widow Abigail Emerson, William Frost or the abutting landowners, please leave a comment for the benefit of fellow family researchers. 

1863 Legal Document, York County, Maine - Luther S. Moore of Limerick, Maine; Mr. Mason; the Alfred Bank

1863-1865 legal document from Alfred, Maine, shiretown of York County; pertaining to Luther S. Moore of Limerick, Maine, a Mr. Mason and their dealings at the Alfred Bank at Alfred, Maine.

Luther S. Moore - presumably Luther Sanborn Moore (1821-1892) of Limerick, Maine. He was educated at Limerick Academy and Harvard Law School, farmed in Limerick and served in the Maine State Legislature, where he was speaker of the Maine Senate in 1854.  See his photograph on the The Maine Memory Network.

Mr. Mason - perhaps Thomas Mason (1826-1878) of Limerick

The Alfred Bank - incorporated in 1855.  This interesting history of the Bank mentions that Luther Moore failed in 1863, to the tune of $10,000; there's no mention of a Mr. Mason.

If you have a theory as to the correct identities of Luther S. Moore and Mr. Mason, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.

1841 Document of York County, Maine, where Sheriff John A. Morrill appoints Almon Lord as Deputy Sheriff

1841 document, printed but with handwriting in the blanks, where York County, Maine, Sheriff John A. Morrill of Limerick, Maine, appoints Almon Lord as a Deputy Sheriff.

John A. Morrill - perhaps John Adams Morrill (1793-1868)

Almon Lord - perhaps Almon Lord (1803-1871) of Parsonsfield, Maine

If you have information to share on either John A. Morrill or Almon Lord, please leave a comment for the benefit of other family researchers.