The Portland daily press., 1867-08-23
EIiZahefIa naY.

Ninety-two years ago in October, Elizabeth
Pearson, a bright girl of seven summers, might
have been seen playing on the beach fronting
her fathers house, at the eastern end of Fore
street. Over this little bay and beach. the
Grand Trunk Railway has spread its net work
of tracks. % On that day the 18th of October
l775, the wondering eyes of this little child be-
held the fleet of Mowatt slowly coming up the
harbor. The next day her fathers and her
grandfather's houses with most of their con-
tents, and the whole village clustered around
King and the lower part of Fore streets, were
utterly and wantonly destroyed by the relent-
less Mowatt, and their houseless inhabitants
were driven into exileg 0sGsgA uss5 ssifa9
This little girl grew to womanhood was mar,
ried in her 10Th year to George Day, and died
on the 2Oth INST, in the one hundredth year of
her age, the Oldest personin town and the old
est so far as we have any authentic record,
VINO ever died upon this peninsula. She never
forgot those exciting incidents of her child
hood. 4f'
Mrs. Day was the daughter of VIM. and
Maria bradbury Pearson, and was born in
December 1867, on lot an acre in extent,
which was granted to her great grandfather
John Oliver Of Boston, in 1721 Portions Of t'1is
tract have ever continued in divers family,
his daughters, Mary having married Henry
Wheeler, and Elizabeth, Rowland Bradbury,
both early inhabitants of our town, and their
descendants are still living in it. Bradbury
built house upon the lot in which his grand
daughter Mrs. Day was born. Her father Wn.
Pearson, married Maria, a daughter of Row
land Bradbury, July 2, 1894, another daughter
married Watson Crosby, who lived on the
same Oliver acre, whose daughter Emma mar
RED our late estimable citizen Capt. Lemuel
moody, whose children fill useful and honor
apie places IN our community iHdsaj js.t fo
Mrs. Day was in 1885, married to Georpe
LAY, py our venerable pastor, Thomas Smith,
then "a years Old, who also married her father
% years before. They had six children of
whom four, two sons and two widowed daupb.
tiers still live; our fellow citizen Charles Dav.
born in 1898 was the youngest. She was mar
ried 81 years ago. and has been widow more
than sixty years She has during her long life
enjoyed remarkably good health; she has hard I
~ felt the infirmities of age; and until within
Il week OF her death has enjoyed her faculties
ana mas engaged in the ordinary duties of do
mestic life. After she was 95 wears old. she
was in the habit of taking long walks in nass-
ing from one part of the town to another to
visit her children. Her home has been nrinci
pany with her son Charles since her husbands
death, on the spot on which she was born.
do not know of another instance where an
original town grant has continued in one fam
lily from its date to the present time, Jag years,
as this has, and is likely to continue for years
to come. Mrs Day was blessed with cheer
lui temper, and bright and buoyanb spirits;
even In her advanced years she had no depres-
SION tne vigor of her body was well sustained
ny radiant, hopeful mind. She was a well
come companion in her large circle of relatives
and friends; her children and grandchildren. |
and great-grandchildren rose up to do her rev. |
erence, and will long continue to cherish and |
honor hermemory. %
In contemplating this heightened life. the
mind naturally recurs to the immense chang
es which have taken place during its continu-
ance She was born British subject on our