The Republican journal., 1874-06-18
ANNALS OF BELFAST FOX HALF 4 CEirTRI,
Il Y AN OLD SETTLER.


~" A1''"Sitiih hitl'oliitl, tlc oldest per-
son Ill Town; ms age was not accurately
known; put from his own story Of his life
and what could be learned from liz
relatives he must have been nearly one
hundred and ten Years old ut the time of
MS death. nc remembered to have seen
the Duke OF Marlboro who died ninety
nine years before he did. He wa, born IN
Scotland and entered the British service
when very young. lie was in General
Wolte's army in 1909 and engaged in the
memorable battle of the plains of Abra-
ham, After the capture of Quebec he
managed to dissolve his connection with
the British army and eventually found
himself located on the banks of the Penob-
scot not far from where the village of
Bucksport now is; there were then but a
few scattered settlers in that region. He
was residing there in 1879 when q party
OF British soldiers visited the locality and
burned saw-mill. vessel, and five dwell
lings; the list Of their owners embraces
the name Of Mcdonald; one of the dwell
lings burned belonged to him, probably,
or some relative. After that event he re-
moved to this place. He was hale, Wig
orous, and to the last a cheerful man. He
resided on the east side Of the river
an old friend met him with the Sautation.
why Mac. you alive veto" "Alive?'
was the CHEEKY answer, 'sYcs: and the
Lord only knows hut I'll live 4 hundred
Years longer"
The press of Hancock county which,
SO far as it had a local habitation within
| the territory now constituting the county
Of Waldo, up to this date had spoken only
/ fbrDnnb tho nb1u,hD., ,,f
| the advertising show bills Of public spirit
| ed individuals who were interested in the
Improvement Of the breed of horses, gave
utterance this year in the form OF a pam
| phlet; Il "Communion sermon. delivered
| by Rev William rockingham published
by request of hearers: printed by Fellowes
and Simpson" 1t was followed the next
year by the publication in pamphlet form
OF Il very learned discourse by Rev. Alfred
johnson, published by request Of hear
ers, on the 'Divinity OF Christ consistent
with the Unity of God" Embodied in the
same pamphlet is discourse by the same
author on the Humanity of Christ
Belfast had now become Of such COM
| mercial Importance that the right to have
three mails per week had been conceded
to her; accordingly the Western mail ar
rived on Monday, Wednesday and Satur-
| day Of each week at p NJ, and left on
it's return on the evening Of same days;
| the mail from the East via Bucksport, also
! came and lett tri-weekly; the mail route
from this place to Bangor was by the way
| OF Bucksport.
There was at this time. and for several
years before had been library, owned in
| shares. denominated the Belfast Social
| Library. 1t contained several hundred
volumes, Iudiciously selected, and was
largely patronized As its shareholders,
one after another died, OF removed, and
private libraries increased the interest in
| maintaining the institution gradually di-
minished until it died; where it was buried
is as unknown as the grave Of Moses. Now
and then one of its dry bones, in the shape
of q volume substantially covered with
sheepskin and dust is turned up by some
bookworm-or Brdget-prowling among
the heaps of rubbish in lumhrr-room OF
garnet.
On the 18th Of December, Paul Giles,
one of our most active business men was
drowned on his passage from st. Johns to
Eastport The vessel on which he was 4
passenger struck ledge near Campobello
in a thick snow storm early in the eve
ming but in a few minutes slid off into
deep water without sustaining any ma
terial injury. The captain, who was we'll
acquainted with the locality ordered the
man at the helm to steer z certain course
which would carry them clear Of the lodges
in the vicinity on going aft he discovered
that the card OF the compass was unship-
ped, and at almost the same moment the
vessel strucl; another ledge She remain
ed on this ledge until after midnight, the
sea breaking over her. during which time
Mr. Giles, the captain and one of her crew
were washed from tho wreck and drowned
His body was found abont the last OF
January, on the shore of Casco Bay Island,
near the spot where he was drowned was
carried to Passport and hnrod by the Ma
sonic Fraternity, Of which he was n mem
her
Mr.. Giles came here to reside about
1900. lie was 4 native of CINNAMON. n
H., and by occupation tanner. He was
the founder of the old LANYARD on the
road to the Upper Bridge, now occupied
by Nathan F. Houston. Esq. lie carried
ON for many years the business OF tanning
and manufacturing boots and shoes en-
ploying quite Il number Of operatives tor
those days. Subsequently he engaged in
the business Of purchasing and shipping
lumber TO the British Provinces. Soon
after coming here, in 1902, he built the
house on High street, opposite the store Of
Nh Oakes Angler, TO whose father he sold
it in 1904, and then built house which
stood on the site of the North Church,
which was removed many Years after
wards to premises now occupied by Hon.
W. III. Mcclellan. and was still later de
stroyed by fire; this house was his family
residence at the time of his death He was
the father of Mr.. Charles Giles, for many
years publisher of the Waldo Signal, and
the maternal grandfather of the present
editor OF the Republican journal
lie was IN active, energetic business
man. Had he lived in this day he would
have been among the foremost in promot-
ing the new local enterprises ofour city He
was OF that class Of men who seem to be
designed by nature to be the pioneers in
| newly settled country; not always of cool,
deliberate Judgment, but of earnest, an
dent impulse; emphatically 'sgo ahead
men. There were many Of that class left
here, it is true, when those cold December
waves broke over him, but no one fuller
of lite and energy than Paul Giles
The Belfast Light Infantry was organ
lied this year, 1922, and the following Off
GERS elected; Oshea Page, Captain, joel
Hills, Lieutenant and Dudley Griffin, the
fashionable tailor referred to il previous
chapter, ensign. Mr.. Page was one of the
| numerous proteges of Samuel Upton and
carried on business here for some Years
under his auspices; his business light was
extinguished with that of the luminary
| around which he revolved He removed
from this place about 1858 and died at
/ Springfield, Mass. about two years ago
his remains We're brought here for inter,
ment Nh Hills, was deputy under Joseph
Williamson Esq Postmaster, during his
| whole term of office. He removed from
tins place to Bangor, afterwards to Boston
where he died some years ago Mr.. Grif-
fin died in this place in 1928, aged thirty
He and Mr.. Page both married daughters
of DR.. John S. Osborn. The Company was
composed entirely OF. young men who
|