The Portland daily press., 1884-11-01
mAnNE GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY.
Enteresting Papers Read in Reception
EHall Last Evening.

A meeting of the Maine Genealogical Socie.
ty was held at Reception Hall, last evening.
About thirty members were present, including
among the number Mayor King, Hon. Charles
Mclaughlin, and Hon. W. W. Thomas. Pres
ident John F. Anderson called the meeting to
order, and without formality introduced DR..
A. X. P. Meserve, who read paper on the
early days of the town of Standish, of which
the!following is an abstract:
THE EARLY SETTLERS og sTANDIsH.
During the earlier years of the last century vari-
GUS individuals who had been engaged in the wars
with the Indians or in the expeditions against the
French in Canada, as recognition OF and reS ard
for their services, were granted Dy me Great ana
different parts of New England. Thus The survi-
voIs OF King Phil ip's or the Narragansett wars
were granted In 1927 or 8, TWO townships, and in
1888 five more were added, making in all two
of which Nos. l and z. now Buxton and Gorham,
were in this State, and the rest in Massachusetts
and New Hampshire.
These and other grants OF land about 1850, prob.
ably induced the survivors of the expedition to
Cape Breton in 1745, to consider that they had
some claim upon the government for their services
beyond the amount which they had received al
ready. Moses Pearson, Esq,, had been in command
of company at the siege and capture of Louisburg
and a capable business man of fifty years OF
age he seems to have been the moving spirit in So
lcitDg the Great and General Court for landed
BOUNTY, A large numDer OF MS company were Nv
ing in tbs immediate vicinity, and readily Joined
HIM in his efforts. These gratuitieS of the govern
ment. although somewhat gratifying TO the p rsonal
ambition of those seeking and obtaining them, were
nevertheless, of small value to the recipients. In
deed, scarcely score of the original grantees OF
this township OF Pearson a. d Hobbs ever occupied
or even sold their rights. The great majority al
lowed their aims lapse for want of pa, ment of
the taxes levied for cost of settlement These we're
.ba IN ey eS ssar or wso "
nominal sum; five shilliDgs being the usual cost to
settler of one one hundred and twenty-thrd Of the
township, but the settler was Obliged within five
wears to clear five acres and build house.
But if the grant was Of small value to the
gran the loss to the State was less 1t was in
became integral factor in the state long before
otherwise the sound of woodman's gave that OF
the trespasser) would have been heard in It's Ii
ludes. This result being less attributable TO the
desrabiity of its location or the prospective pro-
ductveDess Of its soil than to the enter prise, am
bion and hope of gain Of the few leading spirits in
the enterprise.
OF these Moses Pearson. Esq. undoubtedly stands
at the head but ably seconded by Capt Isaac His
lev, Capt. Joshua Freeman. James Lent, Epbram
Jones, Capt. James Milk, Simon Gookin, Josiah
Noyes, Benjamin Titcomb &C., &c. These men
while never residents of the township were in con-
st4t activity to secure its settlement and owned at
various times large portions of its territory
The petition was made in January, l749, signed
by Moses Pearson and torty-hve others, and on
kriday, April % 1850, a tO~ nship of the contents
of SIX miles square the northwest side OF tho
ine from Sebago Pend to the head of Berwick
l.
to Capt. Humphrey Hotbs and company and Capt.
Moses Pearson and company, and associates of the
cape Breton soldiers, so called, to the number Of
hundred and twenty. Certain provisions of
settlement were made which seem to have been
ignored by the proprietors.
The township was known as Pearsontown or Pear
son ami Hobbstown until 1855, when it was incor-
porated into the town of Standish. The first meet
ing of the proprieors was held on June 8, 1852 at
the house If Edward lngraham in York Capt
Humphrey Hobbs WAS cbO-en moderator; Moses
carson clerk, and Capt. Isaac Illsey treasurer.
Various committees were chosen among which was
one ito lay OUT some person or persons q tract Of
land including stream for the purpose of building
a MILL Another meeting was held at the house OF
Capt Joshua Freeman IN Falmouth Feb. %, 1853,
when it voted to lay out sixty five acre lots on
the plain between the Pond and Gorhamtown for
such persons of the propTietors shall settle on
and improve the same And on April l6, 1853, it
voted for encouragement of first settlers hat
there be erected the expense OF the proprietors
the wallr Of house hundred feet square and
ten feet high, with two spurs or hahkers at oppo-
site corners each twenty feet square, to be built of
hewed timber. And on May rs, 1854. the COM
mttee-Moses Pearson, Joshua Freeman and James
Lunt-report that "tbey have proceeded to build said
Fort or Block House eighty feet square, hanker
at the Northeast corner thirty feet .Quaie and
at Southwest corner fourteen feet square; had al
most finished the same, but, as you have been in
formed the same is consumed by fire in part which
will cost considerable to repair the same which we
think of absolute necessity and Will be much for
the interest and advantage of the proprietors
therefore we of the opinion that the
proprietors forthwith vote sum of money
to repairing sal FORT. The report accepted and
the c, mmittee authorized to draw the treasurer
for what they have already done in building said
fort and tor the repairs thereof. The fort was
doubtedly finished this summer and occupied during
the winters of 1856. 1t stood at what is
Standsn Corner, short distance southwest from
the site of the old church which in the middle
of the square where the "Town PUmp'' now is
When the workmen were repairing the fort a guard
of six men was employed tor one month at charge
of eight pounds The guard was Daniel Mosher,
James Gilkey, Jonathan Illsley, Thomas Morton,
BENZ. Titcomb and Daniel Illsley The cost was
probably 208 pounds 912 pence On the 10th of
April, 1855 tax of ten shiings each Ri hit was
voted to pay wages and subs for eight in
pay and duiy in the fort for one month from the
eleventh day of April instant; this was afterwards
increased to twenty shil gs and the time made two
months. The men on duty Ut der this vote were
John Burnal. j hn Meserve, Clement Meserve, jun,
Elijah Durham, Wentworth Stewart Timothy
Crocker, Isiael Thorn and Joseph Meserve. These
were probably all living in the township at this
time
Government for aid, which he probably did, as the
draft of petition in his own handwriting is among
his papers AboIher petition is In Massachusetts
archives dated August, 1857 in answer to which
the following appears:
BOSTON, Aug. &c, 1867.
Noses Pearson Esq:
Sir, By order of his Excellency you have sent you
pr. Mr. Weeks swivel Guns, half Barrel of Powder
8 shot proportonabe for ye use of the Garrison at
Pearson and Hobbs Town You are to be account
able for ye same Agreeable to ye Governors order
being We present needful.
from ye Humble servant,
JNo. WHEELRIeHT.
This letter was directed:
ION his Majesty's service,
MOSES PEARSON ESQ.,,
Fa1nnontb