The Republican journal., 1874-06-04
The Shilling. Claim in Portland.

According 10 the Portland papers, a
lawsuit OF great Importance, involving the
title 10 some Of the most valuable property
in Portland, is about to be commenced by
"a Miss Skllllngs, now residing i'll New
but descendant OF Thomas
Hklllings, who settled in Portland as early
Is l6ol, and acquired a title to titty-tlve
acres Of land lying on Back Cove. The
Advertiser SAYS:
Ii appears that all the Skillings property |
passed from Thomas Skillings, the ances- |
tor, into the hands of his second son, |
john and from him to his children, In |
1872 samuel Saiilings 2d-the grandson
OF jou-- ~ IGgs-was the representative
OF lac -gs family in Portland and
NiclLl.. ii this time Enoch Ilslev was
one OF the most prominent land owners
and dealers IL real estate in town He
was the son Of Captain nsley. who came
here n 1854 from Newburv. Massachusetts.
L1och llsley was merchant and n-as for
many years selectnan and town treasurer.
fitS house stood on the corner of India
and Middle streets. and he was one Of the
greatest sufferers by the burning OF the
town n 111j. He died III 1871, leaving
large family. One Of his children maj
Ted Samuel Freeman, another Ebenezer
Preble, third Stephen Mcclellan, a fourth
James Deering-the ancestor Of the Deer
ing he-rs-a fifth Eliza Smith, from whom
our toWnsman e F. Ilsley is descended
and from a sixth the late wife of Nathan
tAmmlnga, Esq, traced her genealogv.
Between these two parties, Samuel Skill
lngs I'd and Enoch llsley, al extraordinary
lease W2s agreed upon i'll the year 1872
covering the remainder Of the seven-acre
tract, still belonging to Skillings, and
lying in the vicinity OF what is now known
as Market Square. This document is on
record in the Cumberland Registry of
Deeds
This lease a>+n,,as G.,~.., ,-oo until enl
ana has now seventeen years to run. The
property described as near rs we can as
certain, Is that now covered by the old
City Hail. and the plot at the west end
where lobSter-car;s do congregate Back
street was Congress street, the hay-scales
stood Just at the junction of Middle and
congress, and the jail partly on the
ground now occupied by that portion of
Elm street in front of the United States
Hotel This property is Of course OK
tremely valuable, the very heart of the
cltN and embraces about third OF an
acre. The city received its title from 4
number OF holders under the lease, one of
whom made a proviso in his deed that
the old City Hall should ALWAYS he used
either as City Hall or Market House -
and provision stall is to this day kept IN
one corner OF the basement to protect this
ute Whether If 'three indifferent men, s.
should value the property too highly a
claimant would have any redress is Il
question; but the old City Hall, as q
building. is of no enormous value
About year ago a lady made her APP
perance in this city at the office of the
Register OF Deeds and manifested an I'M
common interest in this queer old lease.
Nhe was about forty Years of age, quietly
.nt Ilchly dressed in a French gray silk,
-tllef some preliminary inquiries about
me records, she obtained permission to
examine them, and visited the room con
t-huaIlY. Although very pleasant in man
Aer; she minded her own business, and
evidently was deeply intent on investiga-
ing the index as tar back rs the earliest
NaYs OF which any records are kept in this
county II she had only presented herself
4 dozen times, her pursuit would not have
attracted much notice, but weeks and
months new away, and that familiar figure
SUI! hoVered among the mustv documents
UNI! late IN the autumn, Finally the d.
Ieclion OF her enquiries gave a clue TO the
mollVe OF researches If her motive was
correctly construed and her position is
leLaRle- a lawsuit is toreshadOwed that
VIII Dwarf III proportions any known to
New England IN the present century, IN
Nol!Ihg the title to the very heart OF the
BUSINESS centre OF Portland, valued we
shQald Judge, at millions of dollars.
III We are correctly informed the ladv's
curiosity was quite natural She is Miss
9AlIIlAgs' resident in New Hampshire, a de-
Scehaant OF one of those ''other children
4elt by Thomas Skillings, the ancestor Of
tHe ohlIllngs family, mentioned in clause
oi ms VIII as entitled to an equal share in
ms property but who could not be traced
We understand that she has all the docu.
mentS TO prove her descent; the second
marriage OF her ancestors wife; her rights
thai have been handed down to her by her
own immediate ancestors; and is ready to
give good reasons for allowing her claim
20 le dormant SO many years. She is not
crazy, OF a monomanlac, but an extreme
y well educated woman, well verse; in
the dry details of digging up legal proofs
and connecting the chain of evidence.
we have already given the lease, under
which the heirs Of Samuel Skillings may
soon claim Market Square; but it is prob
able that their title Will be confronted by
IN Older and broader claim We under
stand that Miss Skillings has copies of
agreements and deeds by which it is PROV
ed that great deal Of the property living
on and between Centre, Middle Fore.
cross and Free streets should revert 10
her The magnitude Of the claim can be
Seen al 4 glance This property was con
yeyed to Deacon William Cotton-tew of
whose descendants are now living here
and others, as we have said, in 1892, or
thereabout Almost all the land where
Skilling'8 seven acres were situated, was
a swamp in 1872, and it was not until
after Free street was laid out that people
could pass over the bog. Deacon Cotton
had a great tanDery on this boo. in the
rear of Free street, and men now living
can remember it when it was run by
Deacon Cotton owen. descendant in