The Portland daily press., 1874-09-19
New Sweden.
Report of a Com m ission.

On hearing the reports of the destitute con-
dition of the coonsts at New Sweden Land
Agent Burleigh requested two experienced men
living in Lyndon to visit the colony and report
to him. Mr.. Hardison is Democrat and Mr..
Lufkin who has been County Commissioner is
Republican, though not in full accord with
the "powers that be-" Both are experienced
men of high character and their report on this
matter should be conclusve
To Hon. Parker p. Burzeigh, Land agent of
Maine:
SIR,-In compliance with your request of
Aug. 18th, for us to proceed to the colony of
New Sweden, and ascertain what persons and
families were in INDECENT circumstances and
standing in need of immediate relief, and the
causes which have led to their conditions; and
to ascertain what would be necessary to relieve
their present wants. and what their prospects
are for supporting themselves in the future ;and
and to give you the facts necessary to full un-
derstanding of the condition of the colony," on
the 20th Of August we visited the colony. In
view of the many and conflicting reports that
were in circulation respecting the suffering of
the colonists for want of food, we felt that we
should fall short of our duty unless we went 10
every family and enquired how they were get
ting along, how and where they have obtained
their bread the past summer, and as to their
prospects in the future. They related to us the
had been surrounded the past year, the short
ness, and in some instances the almost failure
of their last years crop, how they had to resort
to making shingles to supporG their families,
and in cases of sickness had asked and receiv-
ed assistance from the town of Lyndon, but in
no instance did we ascertain that any one had
suffered for the want of food.
Twenty families have received assistance
from the Overseers of the Poor of Lyndon. Of
these families four have received assistance
n oru I'M \,
ist to May 4th. -Four since about the 10th of
July; of the remaining number assistance has
been rendered since about the middle of Au-
gust There are but two or three families being
helped at this time, and we are of the opinion
that there would be no suffering if nearly all
aid should be withdrawn, as all have raised
something, and nearly every family has COW.
| Accompanying this is list of the families
| that have received assistance from the town of
Lyndon, and the amount chargeable for the
same.
OF the families relieved by the town proba-
bly, not more than six would have received as
sistance under like circumstances, but they
were so far away. Stories and rnmors were
| afoat that the Swedes were suffering, or rather
| starving so that the Overseers of the Poor of
| Lyndon authorized Messrs. Sawin and league
| to furnish limited amount to such families as
| were represented to them to be needy, until
such tirno as their conditions could be enquired
iDso, and in a few days it was not deemed nee
essary to render furtder assistance.
The scarcity of bred stuffs the past summer
has not been confined to New Sweden. In all
Northern Aroostook, the crops of 1873 were
shorter than they had been for twenty years
and as the Chief cause was theiearly autumn
frosts, the new settlements, with their small
cearings, suffered most The Swedes compre
hended the situation as soon as other people.
and those that had cedar rift upon their lots or
could obtain it, went to making shingles and
within the last year there has been 3,0OO, 900 of
cedar shingles made by the colonists, and had
it not been for the decline in the price, and the
depression in business, the Swedes, notwith-
standing the failure of their grain crops would
have got along well.
Their crops the present year are good and
nearly all matured The fall sown rye and the
barley is already cut. We found the cOlonists
men, women and children at work, either in
the pillng field or harvesting their grain. They
| are contented and hopeful. Several that left
tne colony and went West the first year, have
returned. They say that they can do better in
New Sweden than in the West
The colonists are making good preparations
TOR their next years crop, many have already
prepared their land to sow winter rye and az
the recent dry weather has been fayorable for
burning their field pieces, much more will vet
be cleared and sown this fall. They will have
from $50 to 300 acres of new land for anotber
year in addition to what has already been in
crop. The irhay crop was good, and much
larger breadth has been seeded down than we
expected to find. The stock is looking we'll
the cows as good or better on an average than
in the adjoining towns. Nearly every family
has one, some have two, and few instances
three ;and about every day there are cows being
taken into the colony. We should Judge that
about one-half of the colonists have team of
some kind, a few have pair of horses, or a
yoke of exen others one horse or one OK. We
notice several new buildings that had been
built the present season among them, two
barns, which we consider credtable to any new
settlement.
Respectfully yours,
JACOB HARRISON
NATHAN S. LUFKIN.
Lyndon, Sept. 1st, 1874.