The Portland daily press., 1884-04-02
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
The Men and the Business Of Pertiand In
1884.


PresumiDg it may be matter of interest to
| portion Of tho people to know something of
the Business of Portland fifty years ago, and
OF its men who were then engaged in the
various avocations and pursuits, who are still
living, and also to know how small is the
number, 1 have been induced to gather up
| and give you a few statistics in order shat
those now on the stage of active business
clearing the burden and heat of the day.
may see how great are the changes which the
past half century has brought about, and to
what all are rapidly tending.
In 1884 the business Of our city was con-
Quoted on a comparatively small scale, Middle,
Exchange and Fore streets, Market Square and
"Huckler's Row" being the principal business
centres. Its country trade was then largely
from Vermont and New Hampshire, (Dow
thersis very little from either, coming through
the White Mountain Notch, during the winter
season and from Cumberland, York and Ok,
ford counties in the winter, summer and
autumn. Often in the early morning in win
ter could be seen long line of two horse pungs
or sleighs loaded with dead hogs, dried apples,
butter, cheese and other produce, also large
OK teams loaded with boards, shocks, heading,
hoop poles and other green lumber, extending
from Market Square to Exchange street and
the wharves. These commodities we're to be
exchanged, chiefly for fish, molassss. tea,
coffee, tobacco and ne,c rum. There were
five or six distileries then in full blast here,
with plenty of sour molasses on the wharves,
suitable only to be conve ted into that kind OF
ram, which was the means of greatly i'm
poverishing the farmers Of that time.
Our populat iou was then only little more
than $4,000 including the people of color and
those on the islands. OF all the men then In
active business, it is found that only 1l2 are
now known to be living, possibly there may be
a few females or others not enumerated in the
following list, which is furnished mainly from
recollection and knowledge of these persons,
all Of whom by the favor of kind providence
have been permitted to see the years allotted
to man on the earth and some have attained
fo1r score or more years, viz:
Alexis Abbott, shoe store, Middle street.
John B. Bagley, baker.
Abel NJ Baker, grocer, head of Union Wharf.
Harris G. Barnes, joiner, Free street.
Jehn Barbour, shoe store, Exchange street.
David Boyd, rigger, Union Wharf.
cOnopA DE- any, CaOlHot ulak6T AT OAiVln EQWhTub.
Geo. Bunham, cooper, Maine Wharf.
Edward P. Banks, matchmaker, Exchange street.
Chas. E. Barrett, counsellor, Canal Bank.
Jso. S. Bailey, shoe store Exchange street.
Nath'l Blake, Jr, dry glods, Middle street.
S. H. Colesworthy, book binder, Exchange street.
Daniel c. Colesworthy, publisher, now in Boston.
John Crockett, trader, Congress and Court streets
VIM. W. Carr. confectioner. Exchange street.
Thos. Gun mings, joiner, now in Freeport.
Daniel d. Chase, hard ware, Middle street.
Ezra Carter, Jr., Carter & Churchill, grocers.
Market Square.
Ira Berry, printer, Advert ser Office.
John Bradford, sparmaker, Richards on's Wharf
Simon A. Dyer, cabinet maker, at Walter
Corey's.
Nathaniel o. Cram, clerk with Cram Cahoon.
Solomon I. Corser, stage driver, Elm Tavern.
S. o. Danielson, shoe maker, Midi lie street.
Dexter Daniels, grocer, Green street.
Charles Davis, printer of Daily Courier, Fore
street.
Jer'h. Dow, dry goods. j. and j. Dow, Mussey's
Row.
Alfred Dyer, tailor, Middle street.
Moses G. Dow, grocer, dow and Burbanl) Preble
street.
Hiram h. Dow, talow chandler, Green street.
Nathan Dyer, Jr., ship carpenter York street.
Neal Dow, tanner, corner of Dow street.
Daniel F. Emery, hardware, Middle street.
John Edwards, printer of Evening Advertiser,
Middle street.
Benz Fogg, shoe store, Fore street.
Geo. c. French. grocer, Marshall French 8 Co.,
Middle and Court streets
| Chas. Fobes, painter, Fore street.
James L. Farmer, clerk with Asa Clapp, Long
Wharf.
Chas. r. Frost joiner.
George Pickett, blockmaker, widgery Wharf
William Gould. sailmaker, Ingrahams Wharf
Oliver Gerrish, watch maker, Exchange street.
VIM Gould, merchant tailor, (now in windham)
| Exchange street.
Moses Gould, hat store, Exchange street.
Ezekiel d. Cannon. painter, Union street.
Edward Goold, cashier, Traders Bank.
jesse Gould, clerk, with Churchill s. Carter, now
| III Chelsea.
Horace Harvey. joiner Portland Pier.
VIM. II. II. Hatch, watch maker, Exchange
street.
George S. Hay clerk Franklin House.
Elihu Hasty, cooper, Wharf.
John Hasty, shipmaster
Ezra Hartford, caulker, Cotton, street.
Charles P. Ilsley, iistiller, Robinson Wharf
iona. NJ. Knapp, caulker, Deer street.
George Mcclellan, cooper, Locust street.
Albert Marwick, shipmaster.
George HearD, shipmaster, Deer street.
VIM. Hoyt, joiner, now in Minneapolis.
Henry X. Huxley, apothecary, Middle stre.t-
Jobn D. Hambet, brickmaker, near Aims houss.
Hosea Ilsley, painter, Qlsey & Noyes) now in
Chelsea.
Joseph Ilsley, clerk In bank,
Joseph nsley, Jr., painter, Union street