Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1874-04-28
From the Maine Farmer.
Indian Raid into Bethel, 1881.


Sac0 river in 1862, the next permanent
settlement in Oxio.d county was in Beth.
el, then called Sudbury, Canada, in l713.
/ The whole Of northern Maine was then u
vast wilderness Of which but little was
/ known. Hunters who had left the haunts
OF civilization in the older towns, and
had pursued the doer and moose through
these magnificent forests and had caught
! the Speck led trout from the cool mountain
streams, had told in the towns on the
coast and in Massachusetts and in New
! Hampshire, marvellous stories OF the
wonderful richness OF these northern
lands and OF their great value Tor purposes
OF agriculture. The rich bottom lands
on each side of the Androscoggin river.
forming n gateway to the White Hills in
Now Hampshire and extending through
the territory now comprising the towns OF
Gilead, Bethel, Hanover, Rumford. Dix
field and Canton, in the county OF Oxford,
were particularly attractive to the pioneer
settlers.
Within The original limits OF Bethel.
the mountain chains arc farther from The
river, and the belts OF interval are broader
aud were consequently more attractive
then they were above aud Immediately
below that town. We speak Of the
original Limits of Bethel. because in 1913.
that portion oi the lower part of the town
which WAS situated on the north side OF
the river, was set of and Incorporated by
the name OF Hanover.
Bethel having been surveyed and loiled
on, earlier than any of the surrounding
towns. there WAS nothing to prevent the
proprielors from extending their limits as
far rs they desired, and in order 10 incor.
Foraic rs much of these valuable bottom
lands as possible into the town, they run
ont a section twelve miles long on the
river and about six miles wide, it being
quite enongh for two towns.
Four or five samil les came into town in
1875. bu, the terrible struggle between
the colonies and the mother country
which soon came on, so retarded The set
Element, that in 1850 The number had only
increased 10 ten families. In the spring
OF l779 Nathaniel Segar, who was born
in Newton, Mass, aud had resided there
up TO this time, cane TO Sudbury Canada.
with view of making that his iuiuIc
home. lie WAS . young unmarried man
and on his arrival in Bethel, he went -
work aud laborcd through the summer
and then returned to Newton 10 spend the
winter with his father. He Was intending
to return the following spring, but after
the affair at Concord which occurred in
April l777j. fired with patriotism, young
Sogar enlisted in the company of Capt.
Nathan Fuller OF Newton, which WAS
subsequently joined TO Col. Glrdncr's reg
imCnt in the continental service and Mass
aschusct,s line. Segar remained in the
service nearly three yeats. After the
battle OF Bunker in which Col Gard
ner was mortally wounded. the regiment
was ordered 70 norlhera Now York
Scgar served until January ,, 77,when
his health having failed, he WAS houora.
bly, discharged He after wards reenisted
and served in the Rhode Island campaign
and was again discharged in Jan. l779.
In the spring Of 1779, accompanied BY
Jonathan Bartlett. Segar again went 10
Bethel, carrying kettles and other utensi',
for making maple sugar. They succeeded
in making several hundred posnds OF
sugar. and spent the remainder OF the
season in clearing up land. Their purpose
was to clear mp farms and make for them
selves permanent homes in this new
country.
In the autumn they again returned to
Newton and spent the winIer.
In the spring of 1850. Segar again sci
out for Bethel, this time acc ompanied not
only 10y his former associate, Jonathan
Bartlett. but by Thaddeus Bartlett and a
boy named Aaron Barton. This spring
they again engaged in making sugar with
good success, and at The proper season,
they cleared up more land and planted
and sowcd for q crop. In this they sue
ceeded so WELL that they concluded 10
spend the winter here, which they accord.
ingly did
Parties OF Indians engaged in hunting
and fishing frequently visited The infant
settlement and appeared very friendly
They belonged mostly to the St. Francis
tribe, whose homo was on The St. Francis
river in Canada. At this time there were
two settlements in town, each comprising
I've families. The colony 10 which Segar
belonged was in the lower part OF the
town and on the north side of the river
in what is now called Hanover. This
consisted OF Segar's family and the
families OF Samuel ingalls,, jesse Dustin,
John York and Amos Powers. The other
settlement situated partly below the
and partly above the present site of the
village of Bethel Hill, consisted of the
families of Capt. Eleazer Twiichell Ben
iamin Russell, Abraham Russell, Jonathan
Clark and james Swan. The nearest OF
those of the upper settlement was six
miles from The lower. and some OF them
,rorn nien or ortyelye miles distance. There