A-CHS NEWSLETTER Established 1980

Issue 128 February 2006

A Country Boys View

Growing up in Crawford during the Depression and World War II by Gordon Lord

We continue with Gordon Lord’s memories. The first part was in Special Issue #11, September 2005, followed by more in Issue 127, November 2005. We plan to continue publishing these memories throughout 2006. We hope these will rekindle your memories of growing up.

SMALL BUSINESSES

There were several mercantile businesses in town during the 1930’s. One was on the Arm Road at the home of Walter and Mary Moraisey. Actually they could be called two businesses as Mary had her own, which was located in a small entry room between the kitchen and living room. Everything she sold was from a locked trunk, setting on the floor, which was nearly filled with candy and tobacco products. Candy bars were sold for five cents and were named “5 cent bars.” The penny candy was her most popular item which she purchased at Beckett and Co. in Calais, her only supplier.

Mary was an elderly lady, but she always raked blueberries for my Dad and Grandmother and usually would rake more berries per day than any other person in the field. Trying as hard as they could, the young men would usually go home embarrassed by this hard working senior citizen.

Walter also had his own retail business that consisted of a hand pump gasoline tank and a kerosene tank. He also carried a small amount of oil and grease. The tanks, located between the house and barn, were difficult to see from the road. There was no reason to have them on the highway as his customers were local and they all knew his location. I remember when five gallons of gasoline cost $1. I believe at times it was less. I have seen history publications from that era, when gas prices were as low as ten and eleven cents per gallon. They may have been near Texas or Oklahoma area when there were oil wells operating. (Article continues on page 4)

At left we have Adin McKeown pumping gas at McKeown’s Store in October 1928. On the right is William Cushing on his way to McGeorges’ Crossing with a load of Christmas trees for rail shipment to the Boston market. Big trucks on the Airline are nothing new. This load would have gone down the #19 Road to reach the siding at McGeorges’ Crossing on Route 191. This picture is dated November 1928 and features the same truck as on the left. These images are from Gordon Lord’s collection.

Another business in town was Ralph McKeown’s tiny store with a gas pump located on route 9 about a quarter mile north of the Love Lake Corner. It stood across the road from his home, which still stands today. Remembering the Depression years, I have a running charge account on notebook paper from McKeowns' store to my father with a starting date of August 24 1934. (This account is reproduced on pages two and three of this newsletter. Readers should note that Joe Lord paid part of this account with cash and part of the account with eggs. It was Ralph’s wife Bertha (Magoon) McKeown who marked the final payment in March 1936, in the middle of the Great Depression!)

Knowing Dad, I imagine he still shopped at McKeown’s while he still owed Ralph money or eggs from Dads home grown hens. Merchants’ charge accounts were quite common back then when almost everyone was poor but honest.

At some point during the 1930s William Cushing put in gas tanks which I had forgotten about until I came across a charge to Dad from Bill, dated 1938. The charges were for gasoline and oil which was all he sold. There also shows on Dads account a charge of $3.00 for a truck body. That price is hard to imagine, even in those days. It likely would be that Bill had just purchased a long wheel base truck, so he had no use for a short body. It also could have been that Bill had purchased a new hydraulic dump body so he was dumping (no pun intended) his old hand cranked wooden dump body.

Another incidence of family bartering happened in 1932 when brother Lawrence was born. I was born at my grandmother’s home in Milltown N.B. Canada. However, both my siblings were born at Doctor Walter Miner’s Calais Hospital on Church Street. To pay the medical bills for Lawrence’s birth, my parents paid the total bill over time with chickens and butter. At that time, new moms stayed in the hospital up to ten days after giving birth.

CHORES

Firewood for both the cook stove and living room stove was carried into the house and put in the wood box in armloads from a pile in the yard, or a small woodshed. This was done daily, except twice daily during cold weather or when Mom planned a lot of canning or cooking. Water was carried from a nearby rock-lined well at a depth of about 25 feet. A bucket was attached to a rope, which was lowered overhand into the well, this would be pulled out again, hand over hand. Water pulled out of the well not only was for drinking, but cooking, washing hands and face, baths, and clothes washing on washday, and enough drinking water for each and every animal. This was a good-sized project, especially during the winter months. Many families had a hand water pump, similar to those used today at camps etc. which was so much easier than the hand over hand method. During the summer months the horse and cow could get drinking water in the pasture unless it was a dry summer. When our well went dry, water had to be trucked from Crawford Lake. On washdays water was needed for the washtubs, one used for washing and one for rinsing. The tubs held ten to fifteen gallons each. These same tubs would also be used for our Saturday night’s baths whether we needed one or not. All clothes had to be scrubbed by hand on a scrub board which can only be seen today in antique shops. After rinsing, each piece it had to be put through a hand turned “wringer.” This consisted of two rollers, which were turned by a crank. By guiding the material between the rolls, the excess water was removed. Then the clothes were put on the line to dry. During the winter months there was snow under the clothesline to contend with, as well as the problem of the clothes freezing on the line, besides cold hands. Warm water, supplied from a hot water side tank attached to the wood burning cook-stove was dipped out with a water dipper or a cooking utensil.

We didn’t have an icebox so we had to ‘make do”. We used the well for food storage during hot weather. Things like milk or fresh meat would be lowered into this cool space.

ALEXANDER SCHOOLS

By Pliney Frost

Part 10

Pliney took the following accounts from annual town reports. Since town reports have additional information about our schools, this article will tell about some new expenses and detail not previously mentioned. Pliney did not mention expenditures for textbooks and supplies. As in the first nine parts of this series, I have attempted to describe the people and situations found within the reports. My additions are in Italics. jd

1939-40

Teachers: Agnes White - $130.00, Zela Cousins - $130.00, Eva Bennett - $140.00, Marcia Williams - $286.00, Norma Eaton - $195.00, Evelyn Hall - $91.00, Mary Severance - $308.00,
Town of Baileyville for tuition - $120.00
Superintendence: Superintendent's Salary, (F. A. Day) - $140.88, School Committee members -Lyston Frost - 1940, Raymond Flood - 1941, Roland Perkins - 1942

Janitors and Cleaning: District No. 1 - $37.80, District No. 2 - $33.80, District No. 3 - $52.40, Banking - $4.00

Fuel: Roland Perkins - $98.00, Raymond Flood - $12.00

Mildred Holst pointed out that School Committee members were from each of the three school districts. Agnes (Berry) White, wife of Carter White, lived in Grand Lake Stream and boarded here in Alexander with Nelson Flood’s family while teaching at Cedar School. The fall 2005 Newsletter of the Grand Lake Stream Historical Society mentions Agnes and Carter in the continuing series entitled The Dobsis Diaries. Agnes was at Dobsis helping prepare the Thanksgiving dinner on November 24, 1937. On December 9 they “left for GLS this morning at 7 A. M. Walked near the shore of Compus on ice with a hand sled loaded with their supplies…. Agnes is going to teach school. Spitting snow at 9: 30 A. M.” Our issue 127 states that Agnes started teaching in the school year 1936 – 37. Zela (Wallace) Cousins (1904 – 2000) lived on the Airline with her husband Harold. She would be a long time teacher in Alexander. Eva Bennett taught at Hale School in 1938 and 39. Her student Pauline Flood DeWald remembers that her father, Bert Flood thought Eva was a Catholic and asked if she ate meat on Friday. As a third grade student, Pauline couldn’t understand the relationship between eating meat and religion. Eva boarded with Ralph and Linnie McArthur on the Spearin Road. Marcia (Grover) Williams was Frank William’s wife and lived on the Airline in Crawford near Azor Brook, Frank and Marcia were raising her nephew Luther Thornton. Mary Severance, wife of Lawrence, was from Kossuth. She taught at Hale School and boarded with Ralph and Linnie (Cousins) McArthur on the Spearin Road. Lyston Frost was a dairy farmer and lived at the Townsend place on the Cooper Road. Raymond Flood repaired cars at his home on the Cooper Road. Roland Perkins lived on Bailey Hill on the Airline. Banking did not concern money, but had to do with putting sand, sawdust, or boughs along the foundation of buildings to keep out the winter wind. The fuel was wood, preferably dry hardwood cut stove length and split. Some call this manufactured wood, ready for the stove.

1940-41

Teachers: Bessie Brown – $351.00, Mary Severance - $140.00, Marcia Williams - $130.00, Dorothy McFarland - $268.80 in District #2, Walter McFarland - $261.95 in District #1, Mrs. Reginald Dority - $13.30.

City of Calais for tuition - $60.00, Plantation of Grand Lake Stream for tuition - $40.00, Town of Baileyville for tuition – $40.60, Town of Princeton for Tuition - $60.00

Noland Perkins - $12.60 for transportation of pupils, Walter McFarland $36.00 for transportation of pupils.

Salary of superintendent (F. A. Day) - $139.96, School Committee: Raymond Flood – 1941, Roland Perkins – 1942, Lyston Frost – 1943.

Janitors and kindling - $118.60

Fuel: Roland Perkins - $15.00, Roy Carlow - $16.00, Lyman Strout - $96.00

Noland Perkins, born 1890 son of Albion and Rhoda (Crafts) Perkins married Gladys Johnson and they lived on the McArthur or Lyons Road. Lyman Strout (1908 – 1945), son of Willie and Nettie (Fickett) Strout was married to Doris Dwelley and lived on the Cooper Road in what was the rectory.

Dorothy and Walter McFarland lived in Milltown Maine. Both were teachers and they commuted. Dorothy was at hale school this year. Reginald Dority and his wife also lived in Milltown. He would become superintendent.

1941-42

Instruction: Walter McFarland - 11 weeks in District 1 - $135.85, Evelyn Pottle - 21 weeks - $299.95, Dorothy McFarland – 11 weeks in District 2 - $146.30, Jean Smith – 14 weeks - $196.00, Mary Severance – 7 weeks - $93.10, Bessie Brown – 13 weeks - $169.00, Agnes White – 19 weeks - $266.00, Maine Teachers’ Retirement - $43.97

Conveyance: Walter McFarland – 11 weeks - $22.00, Jean Smith - 14 weeks - $28.00, Roland Perkins – 7 weeks - $70.00,

Tuition and Interest on same: City of Calais - $131.95, Town of Baileyville - $182.60, Town of Brownville - $101.50, Town of Grand Lake Stream - $11.85.

Superintendent and School Committee: Salary of Frank A. Day, 4 months - $45.00, R. H. Dority, 8 months - $90.00, Roland Perkins - $10.00 - term expires March 1942, Lyston Frost - $5.00 – term expires 1943, Nelson Flood - $5.00 – term expires 1944

Conveyance: Roland Perkins - $110.00, Bus Insurance $11.16

High School Tuition; City of Calais - $199.48, Town of Baileyville - $151.50

Superintendent and School Committee: R. H. Dority - $141.00

Lyston Frost – (1943) – $10.00, Nelson Flood – (1944) $5.00, Roland Perkins (1945) $5.00 Janitors and Cleaning: Sherman Flood - $15.00, Alfred Gordon - $12.00, Alvin Carlow - $5.00, Leota Flood - $14.50, Darrell Frost - $13.00, Mary severance - $15.00, Carl Perkins $11.00, Mrs. Almond Frost - $5.00, Douglas Hunnewell - $6.00, Austin Frost - $6.00, Arthur Perkins - $9.00

Fuel: Alvin Carlow - $1.00, Alfred Gordon - $2.80, Nelson Flood - $140.00, Austin Frost - $1.20, Darrell Frost - $2.60, Douglas Hunnewell - $6.20, Arthur Perkins - $1.80, Carl Perkins - $2.20, Mary Severance - $2.80

Eva (Seavey) Flood (1907 - 1945), daughter of Ernest and Gertrude (Roberts) Seavey of Crawford taught at Hale school until 1945. Her husband was Bert Flood and the family lived at the intersection of Spearin and Cooper roads, across from Hale School. She was the mother of Mildred and Pauline who have helped on this article. Alfred Gordon was a state kid who lived at Nelson and Leota Floods on the Cooper road. Alvin Carlow (1869 - 1954) lived across from Cedar School on Gooch Hill. He was father of Belle Carlow, Grandfather of Barbara McArthur, and great-grandfather of Donna Brown and several other A-CHS members. Mrs. Almond Frost was Margaret Young Cummings of St. Stephen. They were married in 1928. They lived on the Airline on Bailey Hill. Austin Frost was a son of Almond and Margaret. Arthur Perkins (1929 - 2001), son of Edgar and Lenora (Carlow) Perkins, lived on the Airline, last house before the Crawford line.

1943 - 44 - No Town Report

1944 – 45 - No Town Report

1945 - 46

Instruction: Ethel Bagley - $78.44, Eva Flood - $244.40, Evelyn Pottle - $652.67, Lena Smith - $128.10, Helen Southard - $522.90, Ada Wheeler - $522.90, Maine Teachers’ Retirement - $56.49, Govt. Tax - $155.00

Conveyance: Rupert Day - $195.00

High School Tuition: Town of Baileyville - $304.50, City of Calais - $182.70, Portland - $50.75

Supervision Account: Superintendent Reginald Dority - $189.00, School Committee Lyston Frost - $10.00, Hubert Dwelley - $5.00, Robert Thistlewood - $5.00

Janitors and Cleaning: Alvin Carlow - $68.00, Hubert Dwelley - $17.50, Eva Flood - $26.00, Charles Frost - $42.00, Carl Perkins - $42.00, Roland Perkins - $15.00

Fuel: Hubert Dwelley - $244.00

Helen Southard was from Woodland; she married Paul Ward of Meddybemps in September 1946 and presently lives in Princeton. Ada Wheeler also was from Woodland. Rupert Day (1903 – 1991) came from Wesley to Crawford. He drove the stage from Wesley to Crawford, then from Crawford to Baring. Most readers will remember that the “stage” was the vehicle that carried the mail, passengers and occasionally a package. The term came from the real stagecoach of the Airline Stage Company that had done the same between 1857 and 1887. Hubert Dwelley (18883 – 1966) lived on the Cooper Road near Dwelleys Lake. On December 8, 1944 he and Olive D. Edgerly were married. She was not the teacher who married George Flood in 1942. Robert Thistlewood was married to Verna Crafts and they lived in a small house on the Crafts’ place at the top of Lanes Hill. Charles Frost (1935 -) was a younger brother or Darrell mentioned in 1941.

Addition: Olive H. Edgerly (1906 – 1943) taught at Hale School in 1936–7 and 1937–8. Pauline Flood DeWald was one of her students. This was the Olive that married George Flood in 1942, his second wife. Her name was Olivia. Thank you Pauline for this and thank you Mildred Holst for the following memories. Pauline and Mildred are sisters.

Names of those we could not identify: Norma Eaton, Evelyn Hall, Bessie Brown, Frances McCurdy, Ethel Bagley and Lena Smith. Please send your identifications on these and any other additions jd.

A COUNTRY KID GOES TO THE CITY SCHOOL

MILDRED HOLST REMEMBERS HER YEARS AT CALAIS ACADEMY.

Mildred (Flood) Holst, born May 1, 1928 a daughter of Bert (1890 - 1978) and Eva (1907 - 1945) (Seavey) Flood. As a child she lived in Cooper, then the family moved to the corner of the Cooper and Spearin Roads in Alexander. Excepting five months working in New Jersey after Christmas 1946, Mildred has lived her adult life in Alexander.

Mildred finished grade eight at Hale School in June 1941. Her teacher that year was Dorothy McFarland, who Mildred describes as “a really good caring person, the best teacher I ever had.” She encouraged Mildred to spend another year at Hale School and then go to Calais Academy. Mildred went back to Hale the next year, but Mary Severance was her teacher.

In September 1942 Mildred started at the Academy and boarded with Wilson and Loretta Frost. Stephen Wilson Frost (1881 – 1958) was a son of Augustus and Josephine (Quimby) Frost. This Frost family was from Alexander. Wilsie married Lottie Flood, divorced, then married Loretta Coleman. Wilsie and Lottie had Norman, Frank, and Roger. The two children that Mildred cared for were Lorraine and Shirley from the second marriage.

Wilsie operated the Corner Lunch at the corner of Maine and Church streets. The Frosts had two children. They lived in two large rooms above the restaurant. As with most kids from the country, Mildred had to work her board. For the Frost family, that included hanging out the wet wash (that had been sent out for washing, but returned wet) then ironing all the clothes. That was before drip dry and permanent press. Mildred had to look after the children and cook supper if they didn’t eat in the restaurant. She also had to help clean the house.

The Frosts and Mildred moved to 8 High Street, then to 120 North Street and then at the beginning of her junior year to Union Street. At this time Mildred’s mother felt Mildred was working too hard for her board and Mildred moved in with Floyd and Vira Frost on South Street across from Cleveland Street. Floyd Frost (1897 – 1955) was a son of Thomas Edward and Dora (McGraw) Frost of Alexander. He married Vira Beany; they had 4 children; Fletcher Richard, Alice, Norris, and Wilfred. Here Mildred looked after their granddaughter Diane, daughter of Alice, a much easier task than things had been in the other home.

During her senior year, her mother Eva (Seavey) Flood moved to Swan Street in Calais where they rented rooms from Harold ‘Shorty” and Marion Hartford. Marion was another daughter of Ernest and Gertrude Seavey. Mildred’s mother died that fall and her father sold the cows and the family moved to an apartment on Church Street. Mildred graduated from Calais Academy in June 1946. The Academy burned on February 2, 1945 so she had classes in improvised classrooms for her last year and a half.

The one thing that Mildred wants understood that going off to high school was the total disruption of her life. Mildred, like others then, moved out of her home and away from her family to live with a different family with different expectations, rules, and food. She, like others, moved from a small comfortable hometown environment and the security of a familiar school and teachers to attend a strange school full of strange faces in a city full of strangers. It was not easy for a country kid to go to a city school.

The following generation had only to overcome part of the problem. Most of these scholars lived at home and traveled to Calais or Woodland by private car, often operated as a business by the driver. Mildred’s son Roger drove to Calais for high school. For the school year 1969–70 the Town of

COPIED FROM THE 1946 BROADCAST, YEARBOOK OF CALAIS ACADEMY.

Alexander started paying for transportation to Calais for high school students. Even then country kids had to over come the strange school and teachers and also their lack of background in many extra curricular activities. Today the town has a bus haul pupils to Calais and another bus hauls them to Woodland. Now teachers and community members volunteer to lead after school activities such as sports, chorus, band, and art. With this background, country kids are better prepared as they go off to that strange school with the strange teachers.

A DAY IN A ONE ROOM SCHOOL

Many younger readers never attended a one-room school so might be interested in how one teacher organized the school day. This plan is from Laura Beam’s A Maine Hamlet which depicts life in Marshfield, Maine between 1894 and 1904. Ida McPheters may have organized her teaching day in this manner at Ash Ridge in 1890. How does this fit with the one-room schools in other towns during the first half of the twentieth century?

9:00 – 9:15 ..….. Bible Reading, Lord’s Prayer, Calling the Roll

9:15 – 9:30 ..….. Reading I (Arithmetic II on blackboard)

9:30 – 10:00 ….. Reading II & III (Arithmetic I on blackboard)

10:00 – 10:30 … Arithmetic III (Grammar I on blackboard)

10:30 – 10:45 … Recess (Tutor older pupils in Grammar)

10:45 – 11:15 … Geography II (Geography I on blackboard)

11:15 – 11:45 … History I

11:45 – 12:00 … Hygiene

12:00 – 1:30 ….. Dinner

1:30 – 1:45 …… Hymn Singing

1:45 – 2:15 …… Writing on Monday and Wednesday

Advanced Reading on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

2:15 – 2:35 ……. History II (Arithmetic or Grammar on blackboard)

2:35 – 2:45 ……. Reading I

2:45 – 3:00 ……. Recess (Tutor older pupils in Arithmetic)

3:00 – 3:30 ……. Advanced Arithmetic and Algebra

3:30 – 4:00 ……. Spelling

MISS IDA E. McPHETERS’ DIARY

OCTOBER 1890

Ida enters into her second month teaching at Ash Ridge, Plantation #14. Even though it is fall, romance visits Ida. Read on! Editor’s comments in Italics.

1 – Wednesday: Warm and pleasant. I enjoy the company much, the music especially. Ollie and Rhoda Jones were here in the evening. Mr. Palmeter stayed all night. Olive R. McPheters (1868) was a cousin of Ida. Daughter of George and Harriet McPheters of West Ridge Cooper, she married John Tuell on December 24, 1887. Rhoda Jones (1866) was daughter of Ira Jones and his first wife. Rhoda married Will Morton in 1893.Mr. Palmeter likely was Dennison of Cooper.

2 – Thursday: Pleasant. Mr. & Mrs. Phipps went to Machias this morning with Mr. & Mrs. Cary. I went up to Ollie’s to dinner and supper. Came home in the evening. William and Mary Phipps are noted in the list of residents of Ash Ridge listed on page 9 of issue 127. We still cannot place Will Cary and his wife.

3 - Friday: The review business was long and I am tired. Eddie came after me and I was glad to get home. Eddie isn’t very well, but I am thankful they are as well as they are. Eddie was Ida’s younger brother who has had to be the man of the house since their father’s death in the spring.

4 – Saturday: Pleasant. I helped Mother some. Went up to Rebecca’s in the afternoon and over to meeting in the evening. I played some on my organ. Ida’s mother is Hannah (1822), daughter of early Alexander settler Ananiah and Amelia (Campbell) Bohanon. Rebecca (Godfrey) (Wright) Scribner (1850), second wife of George Stillman Smith Scribner, lived about ½ mile west of Ida’s home on the Airline.

5 – Sunday: Showery today. I went over to meeting this forenoon. The sermon was good. I had to go back to #14 in the P. M. Found two of my scholars here when I came back. Rec. a postal from Clara that she will be home next Tues. Clara (1850) was Ida’s sister who was married to Shepherd Cottel.

6 – Monday: Pleasant. I have neglected writing and now can’t think of anything to write. I expect to go home next Friday. I am very anxious to see Clara and the children.

7 – Tuesday: We are having lovely weather. I think my scholars are improving fast. I like them all very much, and the people are very kind. Mr. & Mrs. Phipps are good company and are kind.

8 – Wednesday: Pleasant. I am very anxious for Friday night to come. I suppose Clara is at home. I don’t feel well lately. Have a cold on my lungs and it is very hard work for me to talk so much.

9 – Thursday: Pleasant. My scholars attend regularly and are attentive to their lessons. So the school is interesting, even if small. Some of them are smart to learn and might become good scholars.

10 - Friday: Cloudy and rained some. The review lessons are quite boring. I get very tired. They didn’t come after me and I am disappointed and homesick. Don’t believe Clara has come.

11 – Saturday: Pleasant. I did up my morning work. Hoping Eddie would be after me. Then went up and swept the schoolhouse. We attended evening service; Mr. Young exchanged with our minister.

12 Sunday: Pleasant. Mrs. Phipps mother and brother are here. We attended morning service. The discourse was good. They went home in the afternoon. Heard Orson Tuell is going away soon. Orson Tuell (1866) was John Tuell’s brother and son of Eben and his first wife.

13 - Monday: Pleasant. May Tuell is a nice girl. I think she is pretty. Her brother has gone away to Minneapolis. Her mother feels very badly. They are a nice family and seem to think lots of Ollie. May or Mary (1869) was Orson’s sister. Many people from this area when to Minneapolis, including Ananiah Bohanon and several of his children.

14 – Tuesday: through 22 - Wednesday: are blank

23 – Thursday: Pleasant. Mother came after me. Mabel Cottel was with her. I was very glad to see them. We didn’t get home until late. Clara was up waiting for us. She has a lovely baby. Ida’s sister and her new baby are visiting in Alexander.

24 – Friday: Pleasant. I played a few tunes for Mabel. We went up to Scribner's in the P. M. on an errand. I feel about sick today. Had a mustard plaster on my lungs tonight.

25 – Saturday: Pleasant. Mr. Strout came here before we had the morning work done and stayed until after dinner. Baby will come to me today. I played some and we sang and enjoyed ourselves much. Mr. Strout might have been Ben Strout (1812); all the other Strout men were nearer Ida’s age and wouldn’t have half a day to spent visiting a recent widow. Ben lived at Lanesbrook and had run the stage stop until 1887. His second wife, Caroline (Scribner) (Huff) had died in 1888.

26 – Sunday: Pleasant. I am sorry to go back to my school. I have enjoyed my visit much, but “we meet to part in this life.” Clara expects to go home Thursday. Mabel is a nice girl. Mother carried me as far as Stella’s and Edgar the rest of the way. Stella (1861) was the young second wife of William Doten (1840). William Doten lived on the Vining Road. William’s first wife was Elizabeth McPheters who had died in 1875. Edgar was William’s 26-year-old son.

27 – Monday: Pleasant. I guess some of the scholars think I have a fellow. Fred Tuell said he saw a white horse and a covered carriage. I guess there is one that don’t want to think so, I couldn’t break his heart. A black horse drawing an empty wagon signified death; a covered carriage drawn by a white horse likely is symbolic of a wedding.

28 – Tuesday: Pleasant. I guess I have found the one I am to make happy. He is worthy of my love, too. So good, and smart, and handsome, too. But he is considerable younger than I am. Mr. Gray was buried today. I attended the funeral. Who was “the one I am to make happy?” Mr. Gray likely was Joel (1816). Where was the cemetery?

29 – Wednesday and 30 Thursday blank.

31 – Friday: Fred Tuell says he cannot come to the school any longer as his father needs him. I am sorry and I think he is sorry too. His mother and I were down to Mrs. Phipps. Fred Tuell’s (1875) parents were Eben and Lois. We see that Fred was 15 or 16 and going off to work in the woods. Was he really needed in the woods, or was his father concerned about his interest in his 25-year-old teacher?

Can you help identify these? Mr. (Willie) and Mrs. Cary, Mr. Young, and Mabel Cottel.

DANIEL SEAVEY PAPERS

DANIEL S. SEAVEY – CRAWFORD TAX COLLECTOR

This article should give a picture of some of the activities that Daniel Seavey did over a number of years as elected Tax Collector for the Town of Crawford. Editor’s observations and comments are in Italics. jd

1852 TAX LIST

The 1852 tax list has seven columns; Names of Tax Payer, Number of Polls, Amount of Poll Tax, Amount of Real Estate Tax, Amount of Personal Estate Tax, Total Tax, and Amount Collected. See separate page for part of this list. The Assessors were Edward Sevey and Wm. Sevey. The commitment was $509.26. On the back of this document is a short list of those “Deficient Highway Money” Those were M. J. Talbot ($34.03), Nathaniel Burjis ($3.39), Aaron Sevey ($3.39), James Lane ($3.36), Ovid Burrel ($9.80), Joseph Sevey ($12.11), Peter Stevens ($6.93) George Talbot ($4.70), and Henry H. Hanscom ($1.98). Highway taxes were usually collected in man and animal labor on the roads.

WHERE DID THE MONEY GO? TOWN OF CRAWFORD

Daniel Seavey turned over some of the money collected to the Treasurer of Crawford. According to the receipts on hand, other treasurers were Edward Sevey and Thomas Nason. Wormwood served many, many years. A few receipts mentioned “highway” or “School District No. 1”, but most were like the one pictured below.

WHERE DID THE MONEY GO? COUNTY TAX

October 7, 1853 – Received from Daniel Sevey $35.13 by Albert Pilsbuy

October 5, 1854 – Received of D. Seavey by M. J. Talbot $41.18 by George Walker

November 27, 1876 – Received of J. R. Talbot for Daniel Seavey, Collector - $31.73 by I. Sargent

December 10, 1878 – Received of Daniel Seavey, Collector of Taxes - $50.84 by I. Sargent

October 3, 1882 - Received of Jacob Davis for the Collector of Taxes for Crawford - $39.56 by I. Sargent

Let’s look at the above in reverse order. Why in 1882 did Jacob Davis pay the County Tax? Likely he was going to Machias and was a trusted person to carry all that cash to the County Treasurer. County Treasurer Ignatius Sargent was from Machias. (This article continues on page 14.)

1852 CRAWFORD TAX LIST

This is the first and sixth columns of that list with the original spelling. (Name and Total Tax) Only a couple names were hard to read so this list is quite accurate. jd

Aaron Averill - $9.92

John Burly (Burleigh) - $3.73

John Bird, Jr. - $2.46

Abial Bonny* - $6.40

James V. Lane - $1.41

Samuel Brown - $8.71

Jedediah Dwelly - $10.79

Jedediah G. Fenlason - $2.20

Wm. V. Davis - $1.42

Joseph Davis - $3.97

Daniel Ford, Jr. - $4.57

James Dewey* - $0.15

Luther Sevey - $1.79

Elisha P. Fenlason - $6.96

Isaac Bedel - $3.99

George L. Fenlason* - $2.24

Wm. M. Fenlason* - $4.71

Josiah L. Foster - $6.90

Joel Hanscom - $9.17

Joel Hanscom and

Howard Wright* - $5.72

Ephraim H. Wright - $5.49

John Hanscom - $8.30

Nathan Hanscom - $6.14

Samuel Hanscom* - $5.71

John B. Hanscom - $7.54

Elisha Hanscom - $1.73

John Lydick - $4.51

Eliakim Tupper - $16.48

Samuel Pope* - $3.78

Jacob Sevey - $4.77

Ezra Sevey - $1.93

Joseph Sevey – 11.18

Ephraim H. Stevens* - $7.02

Charles Godfrey* - $0.78

John Moracy* - $3.57

Robert Noddin - $5.27

Edwin Noddin - $2.23

Samuel Wormwood - $4.15

Daniel F. Wormwood – $8.18

Edward Sevey - $5.32

Jacob Stevens - $10.31

Mary Stevens* - $4.54

Allen Ramsey - $13.44

Sawyer N. Fenlason - $5.64

Stephen Hanscom - $1.15

Daniel S. Sevey - $6.43

Abram B. Hanscom - $1.78

Thomas Nason - $11.14

Hiram Nason – 7.03

Wm. Hanscom - $1.00

Thomas Ford - $6.28

George Russel – $3.31

Aaron Sevey - $7.73

Leonard Sevey - $1.94

Wm. Sevey - $5.21

Levi Nason - $1.00

E. S. Hanscom* - $0.06

Foster Hanscom - $1.00

Hillard Sevey - $1.00

James Wiswell* - $0.84

John Sevey - $3.22

R. K. Porter* - $3.93

James Love or Unknown* - $2.10

Benjamin Barstoe - $1.37

Wm. Graham - $5.97

Daniel Ford* - $5.29

David Hat?? - $1.00

Abram Fletcher - $1.65

Sally Hanscom - $6.14

Nathaniel Burjis - $5.82

James Brown - $5.76

Robert Ford or Unknown* - $2.83

John Love - $5.59

Henry Hanscom - $1.89

M. J. Talbot* - $154.22

*Poll Tax was required of resident men between the ages of 21 and 70 (I believe 70 was the cut off age). Those with the * were women (and not allowed to vote), young or old resident men, or non-residents such as James Wiswell and Micah Talbot of East Machias.

M. J. Talbot was taxed for 13056 acres of Crawford wildland valued at $1.12 ½ per acre. Eliakim Tupper had the largest personal estate taxed at $11.28. What did he own that was so valuable? Was it saw or grist milling equipment?

Why in 1854 and 1876 were Talbot men involved in the payment of Crawford Taxes? A study of deeds tells us that Micah Jones Talbot of East Machias acquired the wild land in Crawford from the Bingham interests in June 1843, excepting settlers lots, the public lots, and the lottery lots. This purchase, amounting to about 16000 acres, has, until this day, remained in the hands of large timber producing concerns. His son, James R. Talbot, apparently took over the business according to Henry Smith Whittier’s East Machias, 1765 – 1926; a source provided A-CHS by member Christine (Gardiner) Small.

George Walker was County Treasurer in 1854. He was a resident and lawyer in Machias in 1875 according to the Maine Registrar. The same source tells us that he was mayor of Portland in 1879. George Colby’s 1981 Atlas of Washington County, page 15, indicated that George Walker owned a strip of land in Wesley being one-mile wide and four miles long along the northwest portion of town.

WHERE DID THE MONEY GO? STATE TAX

Daniel Seavey, as Tax Collector of Crawford, paid tax money to the State of Maine as follows:

January 12, 1853 - $42.63 received by Samuel Coney of Augusta, State Treasurer

January 6, 1854 - $42.63 received by Samuel Coney of Augusta, State Treasurer

January 12, 1855 - $42.63 received by Samuel Coney of Augusta, State Treasurer

July 28, 1877 - $114.35 received by Esreff H. Banks of Biddeford, State Treasurer

February 27, 1879 - $121.94 received by Charles A. White of Gardiner, State Treasurer

May 25, 1883 - $133.61 received by Samuel A. Holbrook of Freeport, State Treasurer

WHEN PEOPLE DID NOT PAY THEIR TAX

The job of Tax Collector was not always pleasant. Some could not or would not pay their taxes. Here is a notice likely posted at the schoolhouse and maybe at some other public place in town.

Notice is hereby given by the undersigned Daniel S. Seavey, Collector of Taxes for the town of Crawford, County of Washington, State of Maine, that he will sell at public auction so much of the following real estate of resident owners as is necessary to pay the taxes and legal charges thereon for the year A. D. 187-six. Said sale to take place at the school house in District No. 1in the Town of Crawford on Thursday the sixth of June A. D. 187-eight at four o’clock in the afternoon. That said bills were committed to me for collection on the tenth day of June A. D. 187-six and remain unpaid.

Abraham Bailey – west half lot No. 60 = eighty acres more of less – tax $3.30

James P. Jeffrey – Homestead part of lot No. 48 = eighty acres more or less – tax $4.04

Signed by Daniel S, Seavey on April 14, 187-eight.

Lot 60 was the first lot in Crawford south of the Airline or Black Road. At this time James Perkins lived on the east half of this lot (Lynn Wallace lives here today.) Abraham Bailey also lived south of the Airline near where Randy Wallace now resides. James P. Jeffrey was a Civil War veteran as was Daniel Seavey. His homestead was on lot 48, the first place in Crawford going from Alexander. Below is part of the 1840 Hayden Map of Crawford showing these lots.

WHAT MACHINE?

East Machias

Sept. 29 / 80

Dear Mr. Seavey; Sir:

Every day I meet the enquiry “When is that machine coming?”

What shall I tell them? All hands are getting very impatient. Yours truly,

Frank Sanborn

East Machias: 1765 – 1926 by Henry Smith Whittier tells us that Sanborn was a musician, a Colonial, (was that in the Militia since we don’t find his name in the Adjutant Generals Reports about the Civil War), drove a four horse stage coach (was that hauling mail?), was a Democrat, operated a livery stable in the 1890s, and was living in Portland in 1926. Seavey family members are at a loss as to what that machine was. What was that machine that Frank Sanborn expected from Daniel Seavey?

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CENTERVILLE, MAINE

TWO HAPPENINGS MAKE THIS COMMUNITY UNIQUE PLACE IN MAINE?

TOWNSHIP #23 BPP ED, what we today know as Centerville, was surveyed by Rufus Putnam as one of the fifty Massachusetts Land Lottery townships offered in 1786. A copy of that map - plan is reproduced here. The drawing of tickets was in June 1787 and eight lots were drawn totaling 1920 acres.

Ticket 624 - Lot 23 of 160 acres went to Jonathan Glover of Marblehead.

Ticket 226 - Lot 28 of 160 acres went to Joseph Russell and Judah Hayes of Boston

Ticket 157 - Lot 30 of 160 acres went to Charles Turner of Situate

Ticket 189 - Lot 33 of 160 acres went to Jonathan Dwight of Springfield.

Ticket 154 - Lot 37 of 320 acres went to Charles Turner of Situate.

Ticket 733 - Lot 43 of 320 acres went to William Powell of Boston.

Ticket 1849 - Lot 47 of 320 acres went to Robert and Alexander Barr of Portland

Ticket 797 - Lot 48 of 320 acres went to Eben Foster of Boston

As noted in Special Issue #10, the Massachusetts Land Lottery was a failure and in January 1793 the lottery land was sold to William Bingham of Philadelphia. Not included in Bingham’s purchase were the lots drawn in the lottery, the lot for the first settled minister, the lot for the ministry, the lot for schools, and the lot for public education. These lots were 320 acres each.

Later in the 1790s loggers from Machias were cutting timber in Township #23 and Bingham’s agent, David Cobb, wanted to stop this theft. He discovered that when the lottery lands were sold to William Bingham, TWP 23 was NOT on the deeds and Cobb informed Bingham in 1800.

The omission of #23 was an error, however the Massachusetts Land Commission did deed one million acres between the Penobscot and the Schoodic (St. Croix River) to Bingham.

They talked about trading land from the northern tier for #23 because #23 had a mill site (on the Machias River). Bingham approved the trade, but it never was done. This omission of a township in this land sale was unique.

On December 6, 1806, the Massachusetts General Court granted 12,320 acres, being the western part of #23, to Blue Hill Academy. James Peters of Blue Hill had surveyed this western half in 1800 and noted that settlers had been in #23 before 1784. Each of these settlers was allowed 100 acres. Also within the western half were 800 acres belonging to the “Lottery Adventurers.”

Massachusetts granted townships or half townships to help academies, colleges and canal companies. Later Maine granted land to aid railroads. Most of these grants were in north west and north central Maine. There was one more academy grant in Washington County; that was all of Township 11 ED or Cutler, which was the Washington Academy Grant before the town incorporated in1826. The organization receiving the grant usually sold it to land speculators or a lumber baron for immediate cash return. So Centerville and Cutler have unique beginnings in Washington County.

The south half of the eastern part (7290 acres, reserving 304 acres for public use) was purchased by Nathan Longfellow of Machias. The northeast portion, including the Great Falls mill site, was purchased by Samuel Lewis. This part of Centerville has remained mostly unpopulated and owned by big lumber operators.

Settlers continued to come to Centerville and on March16, 1842 the township was incorporated as Centerville, Maines 358^th town. Centerville annexed part of Columbia on February 24, 1859.

Part of Centerville was set off to Northfield on May 11, 1915.

The final unique thing about Centerville is that it de-organized on July 1, 2004. Like many small towns, the town officers could not keep up with all the requirements of late twentieth and early twenty-first century. Cooper is going through that process now.

SIGNERS OF PETITION FOR INCORPORATION – DECEMBER 28, 1841 – Henry Allen, James Lord, Richard Allen, William Tenney, Hiram Coffin, Matthew Coffin, Joel Young, John Wood, James Wood, Aaron Coffin, Joseph E.Burton, William Allen, Obediah Allen, William Ingersoll, James Allen, Samuel Ingersoll, David Ingersoll, Edmund Stevens, Stephen Reynolds, Daniel Coffin, John Burton, Wm. Callaghan, Briggs Floyd, Jeremiah Drisko, Nathaniel Ingersoll, John Floyd, William Foster, Henry W. Foster, Henry Caler, Jr, Henry Caler, John Caler. 1850 census residents underlined

CENSUS OF #23 – CENTERVILLE: 1790 & 1800 - In spite of James Peters statement, I could find no data; 1810 microfilm not readable; 1820 = 70 people; 1830 = 85 people; 1840 couldn’t read film; 1850 = 178 people; 1860 = 191 people; 1870 = 145 people; 1880 = 137 people; 1890 = 114 people; 1900 = 91 people; 1910 = 91 people; 1920 = 104 people; 1930 = 65 people; 1940 = 86 people; 1950 = 63; 1960 = 47; 1970 = 19; 1980 = 28; 1990 = 30; 2000 = 26 people

Based on William Bingham’s Maine Lands by Frederick Allis; Length and Breadth of Maine by Stanley Attwood; Land Lottery material from Maine State Archives; Deeds at Machias; Maine Registers for census records 1850 and after; Microfilms for early census numbers

A-CHS NEWS

ALEXANDER – CRAWFORD COMMUNITY SCHOLARSHIP TRUST FUND: Last fall The Dudley Family Tree Farm, a certified Family Forest, donated a cord of split dried fire wood to the Alexander-Crawford Community Scholarship Trust Fund. Randy’s Store in Alexander, McLeod’s store in Crawford, and Calais High School National Honor Society (President Chris Wallace of Crawford) sold $330 worth of tickets. The winning ticket drawn on October 19^th belonged to Carolyn Hatton of Camp Road in Cooper. Carolyn volunteers in the Alexander School Library and in 2002 assisted, along with her granddaughter Alicia McClure, in researching the Article on her neighborhood that appeared in issue 123 of this newsletter. Donations to the Trust Fund are always welcome and can be sent to Rhonda Oakes, 1328 Airline Road, Alexander ME 04694

THANK YOU: Wilfred Parker sent descendants of Francis Sprague information on the John and Priscilla (Mullins) Alden family that relates to the Spragues of this area.

Mary Ellen Nadeau of Crawford sent a donation in memory of her mother Dolly Hanson, long time town clerk and storekeeper of that town. We note that in November 2005, Mary Ellen had the building that Dolly and Thuryl called home and also the store taken down. A-CHS has a picture of the store, but not the house. We have many pleasant memories of each.

MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR: Member Alta Flynt of San Antonio, TX is busy this winter typescribing the tapes from the Meet Your Neighbor project done last summer. This project, under the leadership of Roland and Grazina Paegle of the History Dome had John Foley interview on tape a number of local folks, then create a summary of each interview. The Paegles then photographed the interviewees and used images from their family albums to create a pictorial collage to go with the summary on a panel. The 17 panels have been shown at the Downeast Heritage Museum, Alexander Grange and at Alexander Elementary School. In March these will be at the Calais Free Library. The material will eventually end up at both the History Dome and in A-CHS files.

A PUBLIC TRUST AT RISK: Last summer A-CHS took part in an assessment of collections. In December the report arrived. Risks to historic collections are divided into three areas: Environmental Hazards, Security, and having an Emergency Plan. Environmental hazards deal with water, light, and temperature. A-CHS is not bad in this area. Security involves mostly with art museums with valuable paintings; I doubt that anyone would steal our history that I try hard to pass on to all of you. We don’t have many hurricanes, mud slides, or earth quakes here in Maine. But, fire is a danger and I will meet with the Alexander Volunteer Fire Department to tell them what should be moved and where in case of a fire. This is their community and it is their history. The exercise and report were of value to A-CHS.

Before this report arrived, I started playing the cassette tapes that are in our files. Alta Flynt has typescribed most of these, but if we don’t replay these regularly, the tapes will disintegrate and we will lose the voices of the past, even though the information is preserved on the transcripts. Another copy of each tape is with Northeast Folklore in Orono, but we do not want to lose these unique recordings.

My primarily way of safeguarding our valuable material is to make multiple copies in the newsletter and send it to you. Complete sets of the A-CHS Newsletter are at the libraries at Princeton, Calais, UMM, Alexander Elementary School, and Maine State Library at Augusta.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: A-CHS has long sent birthday cards to natives 75 years old or older. This year the card is of a painting done by Alexander’s own John Foley. If you or someone you know fits the bill, send us the name, address and date of birth and we will send a Happy Birthday card.

DOWNEAST MILESTONES

LINDA ATHENA AYER ~ CRAWFORD ~ Linda Ayer died on October 26, 2005 at a Bangor Hospital. She was born on January 4, 1959 at Farmington daughter of Hiram and Carol (Spooner) Cochran. She was a granddaughter of Pat and Athena Spooner who were long-time A-CHS workers. Linda is survived by her parents and two daughters, Kristina Bell of Woodland and Katrina Ayer of Augusta.

MAZIE ANNA BLANEY ~ PRINCETON ~ Mazie Blaney died on December 22, 2005. She was born on March 19, 1915 at Princeton a daughter of Harold E and Ruth (Harriman) Cheney. Mazie had strong Alexander connections in that both her parents lived at the north end of the Pokey Road. Among her survivors are her daughter Ruth Knowles and her children and grandchildren of Alexander.

LINWOOD CLINTON BROWN ~ ALEXANDER ~ Lindy Brown died January 5, 2006 at Punta Gorda FL. He was born at Vanceboro on March 23, 1922, son of Carrie Scott Mansfield and Ora Wallis Brown. Lindy and his wife Diane spent many years at their home on Pleasant Lake. Among his survivors are his wife, sons William and David and daughters Susan and Lyn.

NORMAN ERNEST BROWN ~ ALEXANDER ~ Norman Brown died after a short illness on December 12, 2005. He was born at St. Stephen on June 18, 1941 son of Sheldon and Ruth (Gray) Brown. He was a long time employee of Georgia-Pacific and Domtar. Among his survivors are his wife of 42 years, Donna (McArthur) Children Dean, Wendy, and Scott, and his mother-in-law Barbara McArthur.

MARTIN LUTHER DOYLE, SR ~ ALEXANDER ~ Martin Doyle died on October 23, 2005 at Alexander. He was born in Milltown, Maine on March 5, 1946 son of Joseph and Elizabeth (McNutt) Doyle. Martin lived several years on the gore lot south of the Airline Road.

EDITH WANITA LANGER ~ BELFAST ~ Edith Langer died on November 24, 2005. She was born at Ashland on May 5, 1943 a daughter of Robert and Doris (Hunnewell) Keene. Among her survivors are sisters Elaine Joseph, Irene Keene, Evelyn Reece and brothers Ernest, Linden, and John. Edith and several of her siblings have been long time A-CHS members.

CARROLL GLENDON NILES ~ ALEXANDER ~ Carroll Niles died at a Calais nursing home on November 3, 2005. He was born at Alexander on December 4, 1923 son of Fred and Avis (Knowles) Niles. Carroll lived most of his years in the home of his grandparents on the Arm Road. Carroll was an A-CHS member.

GEORGE WILLIAM TRACY ~ ALEXANDER