Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1859-07-08
Mount Desert as a Nursery.

MOuuC DeSerC as q nursery.
Ma. EpIroR Perhaps the following
article will be interesting to many CT your
readers. If you think proper please give it
place in your columns.
I have seen sketches in newspapers respect
ing this Island, its mountains, lakes, &c
Its mountain tops number twelve, and its
scenery, and picturesqness is unsurpassed
As to the personal history OF the inhabitants
| have seen nothing in public. The Island
was settled by a few people before the Revo-
lutionary war; and SION after, think 1888
or SO, incorporated into a town by the name
of Mt. Desert, which also included some
small islands. In few years, Ellen was
incorporated, embracing portion of the n
E. part of the Island. Since then, three
other towns have been incorporated viz
fremont, Cranberry Isle and Seavile.
This Island at a d.tanc, has the appear
ance of a barren waste; but when one travels
over it he will find many fertile spots, pro-
ducing large crops of corn, wheat, potatoes,
beans &c, yet it has been more prolific in
the produce Of sons and daughters The first
settlers suffered in the time of the Revolutions
airy war, by loss of property from cold and
hunger, but the Lord blessed them with good
health, large families, and long life. One
family Of nine sons and daughters, all lived
to become men and women and of these
nine, lived to the aged of ninety four years
The mother lived to the age Of one hundred
years ten months and four days; and seven of
the nine children are now living. This is
not a rare instance. 1t was common for
mothers to have ten and twelve children
There were three families settled, side by side
on a point OF the Island, near corner of
Eden; the three mothers had twenty three
sons that had families, and twelve of these
are now living.
The first settlers were also blessed with a
goody number of daughters, healthy aud
fair and educated to make good wives. l
knew ten fine young men to come from one
town not far distant, about the time the
town was incorporated, and take each of
than a wife; and these ten wives were all
taken from four families. You may now
see why call Mt. Desert a Nursery. -
This capturing the fair daughters of an
Island, by strangers, has been carried on for
more than twenty years, until the female
descendants of the Island may be found
scattered almost all over the Union, and
some in other counties. 1t may be asked,
what do the sons do for wives Well they
50 abroad for them, or find them at home
knew one to marry in Prussia another in
Texas before its annexation, who after being
settled there about forty years, returned to
Mt. Desert to see his friends, and found his
mother alive and well. whom he had not
seen for forty five years. One acquainted on
the Island sixty years ago, and since stran-
ger to it.by seeing so many of the inhabitants
scattered over the world, mi sht think that
the Island had become deserted. Such is
not the fact. The population had trebleed
within seventy years.
1t is not uncommon to find families with
seven to ten sons each. know two mothers
who could each boast of sixteen children;
and nearly all have large families. Young
married women, did not die as of late. To
show the difference between the robust health
of our mothers, and the weakly condition of
the same sex now, I will relate the fact that
of more that two thousand cases OF midwifery
which noted female practitioner had, in
those days of scarcity of parchment practi-
TONERS, that only one patient died.
1t was an uncommon thing to find man
with a second wife. A wife in those days
was a helpmeet indeed; and widows were
plenter than widowers, the husband often
dying first. know of four sisters who are
widows, the youngest is sixty four years old.
The senior is as old as was Anna the daugh-
ter of Phanuel, and in some respects she i.
like her-Luke oh.
Ancio 10 INV iNihS ou tne lsldnl TWO
persons who in 1885 had each eleven kindred
bearing the relation Of parents, grand parents
and great grand parents, all living on the
Island except two. The people are we'll in
formed. generous, and moral. There are
pany active and accomplished sea-captains
The Island have been blest with revivals Of
religion from time to time; and there ar,
seven ordained ministers, now in the mnestry
who were brought up here, and FIVE of them
born here. Before Cranberry Isle was in
corporated. there were published, and con
sequently married, on that Island, abou
twenty couples, yearly l remember of tw,
cases desperation of divorce, only.
A FRlENp OF OLD PEOPLE.
May % 1859.
.'TIrE To urR INSTINCTS I'm tho discps