The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-04-22
Capt. James Rackleff.

whose death occurred yesterday morning, was
born in Bristol, on the south bank of the DAM
ariscotta river, November 3, 1879, in the
midst of the war of the Revolution. His
father kept the ferry between Bristol and
Edgecomb, at 'The Lodges" six miles below
the bridge, and removed to the Edgecomb
shore. In the ferry boat the son took his
first lessons in navigation His first venture,
on his own account, was in the cause of hui
manity, when he was about twelve years DID,
esquire Arthur Noble" who lived at the
Falls and owned the mills there, in company
with Major Farley, grandfather of Hon. E.
Wilder Farley, went down the river in a
small boat for sail, and when near the
"Ledges" the boat was upset but did not sink
The two gentlemen hung to the boat and :were
carried rapidly down the river by the ebb
tide. Young Rackleff alone witnessed the ac-
cident. His fathers small boat was moored
several rods from the shore. To reach it in
time to render any assistance, it was necessary
to swim, and the boy plunged in and and
swan to the boat and !"sculled" with all his
might for the men in the water. but did not
overtake them until they had been carried a
mile down river. They got into his boat and
and after sculling them on shore he left them
to dry off in the sun, and to come up with the
boat at floodtide, while our brave boy trudged
home on foot with half dollar in his pocket
for his pains, and has mot felt so rich since"
The boy had an uncle at Boothbay who was
master of small vessel, and when he was
fourteen he obtained leave of his father to 90
with his uncle to Portland to seek his fortune
with less than a quarter of dollar to begin
with. He landed on Ingraham's, now Com
mercial, wharf, and "felt lost among so many
people," He soon saw man buying a load of
slaves, and when the bargain was closed and
directions given to the teamster to unload
them at vessel. the boy asked the buyer if he
wanted the slaves put on board the vessel, and
engaged the job. Soon another load came and
the boy found the same employment most of the
day, but when night came he felt lonely. His
employer proved to be Capt. Judah Delano,
who owned and sailed as Boston packet, the
schooner Paragon of $50 tons.
Capt. Delano liked the correct manner in
which the boy slowed the slaves, and hired
him to go in the packet to "pull and haul' at
six dollars month, and he remained with
the captain until he became seaman While
our sailor boy was in this employ, Capt. De-
lano built in 1900 the two story brick house on
the west corner of State and Danforth streets,
now owned and occupied by George A. Thorn
as, Esq. After becoming a seaman young
Rackleff struck out into deep water. He
shipped with Capt. Robert Storer in the
schooner Betsey for voyage to the West In
dies. His next voyage was to the same islands
in the brig Gorham, Capt Mcclellan of Cor
ham, and afterwards sailed with Capt. Nathl.
Blanchard. While foremost man and mate he
made voyages to Hayti, Antigua and St.
Thomas.
In 1905 at the age of twenty six Mr.. Rack
left had won so good reputation that Elias
Thomas, Capt Thomas Burnham, Cooper,
and Charles Rogers, Sem, proposed to him to
buy vessel with them and for him to have
the command, and by agreement the sloop
Cyrus was purchased, of which Mr.. Rackleff
was part owner and captain for five years.
He then built the schooner Scion, and after
wards the schooner Enterprise in which he
made occasional coasting voyages during the
war of 1S12-15. and afterwards bought and
commanded the brig Hero, owning at the
same time the sloop Ranger and schooner Par
agon. Capt. Rackleff left the sea in 1880 with
a competency, and went into trade in a store
on Commercial wharf near the same place
where he landed in 1793 and earned his first
money in Portland by loading slaves.
In 1907 Capt. Rackleff purchasd ~ large lot
of land on the corner of Middle and Church
streets and built two story wooden house on
Church street, where he lived many years,
and about 1880, he built a block of three story
brick houses on the corner lot, and built a
house for himself on Cumberland street.
Capt. Rackleff was one of the originators of
the First Universalist Society. and in 1921
was large contributor to the building of their
first church, which stood on the north corner of
Congress and Pearl streets. He was the fore
most man in the founding of the Widows
Wood Society. Several of the Universalist
society with their minister, the Rev. Mr..
Reese, commenced to distribute frewood to
the needy windows, in a small way in about
1851. Capt. Rackleff took upon himself the
duty of ascertaining the circumstances of the
applicants, and in this service he was very ac-
tive and continued an officer of the society for
many years, until this society from those days
Of small things became one of the most promi-
nent and useful charities of the city. He was
/ prominent member of the Masonic fraterni-
~ having been initiated into Ancient Land
mark lodge October 5, 1908, at the age of twen-
5y-nine years. He was not the oldest Mason in
'he United States, but there are only four men
in the country who have been members of the
order longer than he. These four are Younger
men than Capt. Rackleff, but joined the order
1t all earlier age. He was an older Mason
than any recorded in England. He distinctly
remembered at the time of his death the night
that he was initiated in the Masonic hall on
India street. He said that at the next meets
ing he witnessed the initiation of ex Gov
Albion K. Paris, and described that gentle
man as ga fat little fellow" He was also a
member of the Aged Brotherhood.
Capt Rackleff married Miss Olive Bostine
If Medfeld, Mass, by whom he had a son
md daughter. The latter married the late
Allen Haines, Esq. The son Charles was for
several years grocer on the corner of Cum
oerland and Washington street, but died early
n life, leaving an only child, James R., the
leputy collector Of internal revenue, with
whom the aged grandfather has, in his serene
I'D age. found pleasant home.
By life of industry and economy Capt
Rackleff accumulated large property, which
became very mnch lessened by his kind at.
sempts to assist others; yet he maintained his
reputation for integrity, and retained the re-
spect of the community through his reverses.
Although he always was temperate in all
things, yet to encourage others, in 1927 he
signed what was then new thing-a temper
ance pledge-and kept it. The fruits of his
temperate and viruuous life were good health
and extreme age, reaching 100 years, months,
ind Is days. And yet his latter years were
not years of "labor and SORROW" VIC.