Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-11-28
"AaO osTOOK, OR BUsT.,
A" Entire Family ON The way to the
Promised Lsud-TweIve Mile. a Day
Incid nts of the Trip

Aroostook country. The emigrant wagon, quit a
rude affair, mprov ed for TIL occasion, contained
whole family of five persons, consisting of Mr.
Benjamin S. Simpson, aged 30 his wife, Elsie A.
aged 81; heir child "Bennie," of Is months
Mrs. SIS daughter Susi', by her first husband,
aged Is, aud Mrs. Sylvester grandmother of TIE
children. aged So. They were full Of courage
and hope. and expected to reach their destna.
ton in few days, if pleas ut weather is
| granted them.
| To go back little. These parties had been
| living in Durham, y. IL. The husband had fol-
| lowed the sea con, idefaby, but la'terly had de
pended upon odd jobs for livelihood, with "here
little and there litte," but It was mighty little
| most Of the time. The woman's soul was full OF
courage and there came to her the intelligence OF
| the "promi-ed land" the future garden of Maine
aud they let their faces as a flint Aroostookw ard.
In July last, with rude team they started for the
W Ids Of the Aroostook, to take up farm, rough.
| ing it on the way, until they reached Glenwood
| twenty miles this side Of IIoulton, where they
took up farm of l05 acres, of the States lands
| cleared two acres and a half, and built a log
| house Is by 30 feet. They had ten cents between
| them. rs their entire capital but with an abiding
c pnidence IN their own puck and endurance, as
well As the generosity Of the people along the
route, they started out and accomplished then
object. obtaining for themselves home without
| the expo nditure of any m,ney being Obliged
only TO do thirty five dollars worth of work on the
| roads. One incident Of the journey we will let
Mrs. Simpson, who is "ss smart as as'esl tap, y
tell 10 hel own words ave put up 10 Greenbush.
| aud there The horse was choked to death, having
been tied toa tree. That was when we were com
ing back. We sold onr long baggage wagon for
another horse got two wheels, drove two stakes
down. put board across with bag Of hay on,
| and rode from there TO China. There we run
afoul of one large wheel and on- small one,
thrown away. We took them, and nailed two
boards on behind, so the two wheels of differ
ent size would run even, and drove with these a
distance of % IN lies. We came TO snotte place
where man bad pair OF old csst-away wheels
which matched ours. and which he let us take
We took three fence boards and laid two down
and pat the other in the mid lie, on top Of the IN
aud set shoe-boS 10 the middle for a seat, thus
making a sort of blackboard. On this we rode
home from China to Denmark very comfoi table. -
1t was August when they returned home to
Denmark, and they would have retracei heir
steps to the Aroo.,ook, with the family, earlier
than this, had it not been for the sickness of the
little babe. BIT starting finally from Denmark
800 miles from Aroo,took, they got down
to Bdieior1 whore their team gave out
the citizens raised subscription. purchased an
other wagon. covered with sheeting, on each
side Of which is painted "Aroostoox, or Bust,
from BldefUr1.' With two old plugs" of
horses thew started for the promised land. -
Leaving Bddeford the fifteenth OF Nov m
Der, they reached Augusta on Tuesday night last.
This was slow progress, but when they make
twelve mile. d,v, th. travelling. they have an
idcs that tina, isn't bad progress. They carry bnt
little baggage, and pick mp their living on the
wav, sleeping at night in houses bsrus or hay
| mows, according to the generosity want of
generosity Of the people along the line. Said Mrs
81 npson When get mother and the baby a
nice chance to sleep in a house. then Ben. and |
gladly take to the havmow, if we can find no het-
ter place. On Thursday, it was veiy muddy and
hard travelling, and was obliged to walk all the
way the horse was ba'ky, and | hal to take a
stick ard keep poking him under the ribs and
for ard leg, TO make him 20 at all. We had little
pride when we started out, little too much, as
the generality Of people have-and we tried to
| humble it as much as possible. We knew that
with courage, every obstacle presenting itself
would be taken away "What did Won expect
| to live on, during the jourpeyi" we inquired.
That's the beauty of the thing" repli d the
| spunky woman; 1--WE had faith to believe they
wouldn't let u. stsrve." They can't balk US, -
| she continued, emphstcay, 1--WE sie going for
| the land where we can help OURSELVES"
One quite ludicrous incident of the journey, we
will let Mrs. Simpson herself relate: we ar
| rived in Richmond at oclo k. on the afternoon
| of Thursday, and tried to reach the house of Mr..
ard where we had storped on our previous jour
ney. II was muddy and rainy, and the dark com
| ing on. When about half way down a steep Hill
the whiiii stree broke, which trpped of the
horses, and he fell across the road The other
| horse stood on his name, and we couldn't move
him off. ran ahead aud halloed Fire. and
Ben. he ran on behird trying to raise some one.
| Two men came to our rescne with lanterns, and
| we rolled the wagon to one side of the road to
| get the horse up. We then all walked TO Mr..
Freeman's where stopped for the night
Ga their way, they have received help from
the following parties, whose names publish a,
| their request;
Albion A. P,umner, Cane Eliz'heth Capt
| Sackpoe, We-tbrook; Cspt. +. II. Day and Hir-
vey Otis, Brunswick; proprietor of Tonine
| Brunswick Hiram rhbets, Brunswc ok; Capt
| Hall East b ,~doinhan; Lancaster Brothers and
| Fred Coilss, East Bowdoinhsm; Mrs. NJ. Pur-
ngon, Bowdoinhau; Daniel F Potter. South
| Gardiner; Mr.. b. F. Freeman, Rich nond; Hon.
| Z c. Bulleigh and James Hersom Augusta.
VIII they arrived here. Mrs. Simpson went
straight for the Land Office and found Mr.. Bur-
| leigh, who was glad to see her and to extend a
| helping hand The Swedes had been helped by
the Government, aud FOL Bennie was going to
push right up to the Land Ofice, aud get help if
| could" They were joined here by Mr.. Geo A.
| II rsom, a Young man. who cont ihu'ed stout
4 horse to the caravan. and who will be pio'ed
| through by these pioneers. They are enthusi,s
| tic 10 their progress towards their new home
They report having cone across places where the
| people had abandoned heir farms with the hay
standing n the fields and gone to the Aroostook
| to live This is the first team that has started
| from Bjddeord for the Aroostook. Mra Simn on