The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-02-22
DAILY PRESS.
CORTLAND.
Tuesday Morning, February o. 1870.
l2ias Eelsey Thomns.
CORTLAND;

Miss Eeisey rbcmus.
The venerable Triad, which has long led
the advanced guard of our aged native citizens,
is broken, and its youngest member, after an
afTectionate and happy union OF more than
ntnety-siG years has gently parted the chain
and ceased TO be. The two elder members, at
ninety-eight and hundred years, still keep on
their way, calmly waiting the good Providence
which. having ever attended their steps
through the century. will kindly remove from
them, in its o7n time, the burdenso ccumu
lated years, and reunited them in perpetual
Youth among the angels OF light.
This is one OF the most extraordinary cases
in the history oil Longevity. The three speak
OF are the oldest children of Peter Thomas,
who was born in Boston in 1745, and came TO
Portland several years prior to the Revolution
to pursue the trade of sailmsker; and died
here at an ca. y age Of 81 10 1897. In 1863 he
married kerrenhappuck Cox, daughter Of John
Cox and Sarah Proctor and granddaughter OF
Anthony Brackett, descendant Of the earli
est occupants of this Neck, now Portland
She survived her husband more than 40 wears
and died at the age of 80 in 1888. The mar
riage produced eleven children, all of whom
but one survived their father, and four only
their mother, viz: the three above mentioned
and Hannah tne mother OF our friend Charles
Rogers.
But among these general characteristics
which are not without interest to our elderly
| readers, there is one, more extraordinary still
| and that is That these children are liueal de-
scendants of tlgO OF the most prominent VIC
tins of that Satanic tragedy which occurred
in Salem Village in 1892, by which twenty in
nocent victims were ruthlessly and remorse
les ly hurried out of the world by this diabol-
ical witchcraft delusion. John Proctor, the
ancestor OF Mrs. Peter Thomas, the family we
are describing, was executed for witchcrait at
Salem Village, Angus 10, 1862; his son Sam
uel was the INST immigrant of the name who
came to Portland; his daughter Sarah mar
ried John Cox, by whom he had Kerrenhap-
puck, the subsequent wife OF Peter Thomas,
and mother OF the remarkable children 1 am
describing
On tue fathers side, Elizabeth, daughter of
the Rev. George Burroughs, who was execut-
ed at the same time and place with Proctor,
married George Thomas, The first immigrant
Of his family lIom Wales to Boston. Peter
Thomas, father of these chidren, was her
grandson ; and thus in these children are united
the bic cd q two of the most worthy victims
of that terocicus tragedy WHICH has lett its
"damned spot" on th fair eseutcheon OF New
England VIII ch will never "be out"
| will stop one moment to speak of another
peculiar fact which is characteristic OF this re-
maIkable historic family. Mr.. Peter Thomas
was a grandson Of Anthony Bracket, who at
one time owned and occupied nearly the
whole OF what is now Bramhal's Hill. He
was descendant in direct line from George
Cleeves, who in 1852 was the first occupant
and settler of the neck, now Portland, under
the original proprietor, Sir +. Gorges.-
Cleeves' only daughter married Michael Mil
ton, and two of his daughters, Mary and Ann,
married Thomas and Anthony Brackett,
brothers, who thus Inherited immense tracts
OF land at the west part OF this city aud in
Westbrook, which remained in their families
to the close OF the last century. What re
markable historic facts concentrated in this
single race!
The Rev. George Burrouohs was man
OF education and respected lite. For several
years he was a popular preacher on this
Neck. Driven off in 1916, by the first Indian
| war which destroyed the town, he returned
with the settlers ABOUT 1880, and preached TO
| the people i'll a meeting house which stood
| where the Portland Company's works are
| When the second utter overthrow OF the town
took place in 1890, he sought refuge IN Salem !;
where within two years he found savages
more savage than the wild natives OF the for-
est, and came t. an untimely end.
Miss Thomas, the respected subject of our
rambling thoughts, hes sat under the pl EACH
ing OF every settled minister OF the 1st Parish
ON the Neck since the death Of her great an
cestOr Burroughs, and there were less than
thirty-tive years between his death and the Or
dinalion OF our good Parson Smith, his sue
cessor. She has therefore enjoyed the society
OF the whole series OF the ministers since the
revival of the parish; has lived through the
| whole history oil the Town since 1t formed part
| of a British colony, and OF the nation since it
| became a nation; mas seen the wonderful
| changes which lice institutions have produced.
| not only in our owO country, but in the bless
ed influences they have impressed upon the
world in their benienant sway. What priv
ilege for an intelligent mind 10 have passed
through such lIunured years of grand de-
velopments, not only in the institutions of
civil, social and political life, but in those OF
art, science, literature, history, and beyond
all those OF humanity. Here are three mem
berS of one family VINO have walked hisuie ely
through these eveDttul years, in their native
town, with open eyes, watching the progress
of men aud things which have walked be-
side them. They were part OF the
times. The life of our deceased friend
has been a brimmer; it has had a
continual sparkle. She had bright, buoy
ant temperament, and the lights were always
superior to the shadows. She was happy III
the society OF her elders, and her agreeable
conversation and perpetual cheerfulness made
them happy; she was fond of reading, and her
luCmOiy bOI Oniy lCldIucu Tue Steu
winch were dropped IN her path, but those
which were gathered up by the personal OBJ
servatiou OF ninety years; and she had the gift
oil applying them with an apt and ready wit
In her intercourse with her friends. Ole OF
these friends OF thirty five years standing OBJ
served to me that "ber mind was chly stored
with long years of attentive reading, and her
conversation was always profitable as well as
entertaining" BY these fine qualities she
made herself agreeable in any society; and
while by her presence she added graces to the
lite that now is, she never forgot thai there is
another life of higher charms and nobler pos
sessions than any which this can bestow.
which will adorn with new graces and
and richer beatitudes those who have attain
ed the highest regards OF this She acted
upon the fact that most OF the shadows
that cross our path IN life are caused by our
standing in our own light.
And now as we bid farewell to this time
honored object OF our respect, we must not
fail to turn back to the dear and loved com-
panions with whom she has atiectionateIy and
tendery walked through the years of her long
life, and whose abrupt parting is the breaking
OF heart cord. Your turn must soon come;
you cannot choose when; you move mistiiy
througt. these bright shadows; you did not
choose the time to come into the world; you
cannot select the time when you will be taken
ont oil it is tor you to make the most and
best OF what remains OF lite by patience and
calm submission 10 the movements OF a
Providence which you cannot control and to
which you must submit; and prepare your
selves to receive with serenity, the uncertain
but blessed decree which shall lit from you
the pains, the vicissitude: and trials which no
man who has once entered the world can es
cape or avoid:-
"Let this be the bur'len of the heart,
l he burden that IL ALWAYS bore;
we I'VE In we; ne meet to lart,
And part on ,arth to meet more;
We clasp each other to The heart,
And parC to meet on earth no more"
W.
Eefier from H0clxiaud.
RocKLAND, Feb. IS, 1870.