The Portland daily press., 1886-03-23
CoRHAM.
A Day of Interest with the Stephen
sons md Descendants of the Long
fellow Family.

A Day of Interest with the Stephen
sons md Descendants of the Long
fellow Family.
Through the kind invitation of Mr.. Ste
phen l.. Stephenson of Gorham, the writer
was privileged to visit the old farm house
and home of the late Col. Samuel Stephen
son of Gorham, situated one mile from Sac
carappa village, justlover the Gorham town
line. The buildings retained their original
style ofarchitecture until about the year 1888,
when the house was enlarged and remodeled.
The colonel obtained his military title by
faithful service in the First Regiment Port
land militia. Mr.. Stephenson commenced
seafaring life in the year 1799 He made his
first voyage to the West India Islands, as
supercargo, in the ship Rebecca, Captain
Brazier, master, and continued until the year
1884, as his old log now in the possession OF
his son, Stephen L., shows. 1t is dated Sun
day, August 25th, 1899, A o'clock p. m. His
first record reads "This is journal Of an
intended voyage from Portland, District OF
Maine, to the Island of Tortula in the West
Indies. By Samuel Stephenson, supercargo
of the ship Rebecca of Portland, begun Au-
long 100 west Tortula lat 1So, IS north,
long 64o, 81 west difference, lat 25o, IT.
long. 50, So; distance, lat. miles, 1917, long,
$685."
On his second voyage, December 9, 1893, to
the Island of st. Croix, West Indies, he was
taken by a French Privateer called La
Patriotic" carrying IA guns, with 100 men,
commanded by Capt Nickolus. He makes
the following records in his log: Light
breezes and smooth sea, all sails set At 8
D. m. saw schooner to windward, bearing
down to us with all sails set We bore
away W w, and set every sail we could
pack. At she came up with US, gave us
gun, at which we hove to. She gave US
another gun she boarded us; took out
all our people except Savage, Capt B., my
self and boy. She proved to be a French
privateer from GuadalOupe, called as above
La Patriotic, or Republican"
January LIST, 1900 he makes the following
record Prize master and people use US
very civil, but our spirits very much defect
ed; ; but in hopes Of being recaptured BY
American cruiser New Year comes on with
trouble"
He and his shipmates were imprisoned nm
til January End, when set ON shore at Port
Lewso, or Sebec, a small port on the north
side of Grand Fair, nine leagues from Point
Peter. CAPT. Stephenson, a brief sketch OF
whose history is here made known, died at
the old home in 1858 at the good old age OF 81
years. His wife died in 1862 aged 30 years.
Mr.. Stephen l.. Stephenson, the youngest
son, and only surviving child OF family OF
nine, was born on the old homestead and is
proprietor Of the same to-day. He has de-
voted large portion of his life to civil engi-
neering. Forty years ago he commenced
working In that department for the Atlantic
& st. Lawrence Railroad Co. (now the Grand
Trunk railroad). His first work was on the
line between Portland and Danville juno
in q IA har of yiaiN ok
Bethel some two years. He then started the
first location at Island Pond, towards Port
land. and soon after left the road. He start
ed location on the Portland & Rochester
five times There was failure on the part
of the contractors four times, and the project
was temporarily abandoned. In the mean
time he was employed on the Buekheld
branch, now the Rumford Falls q Buckheld
railroad. In 1878 he was employed by the
United States government in the cOnstrue-
tiOn of q light house on Martlnlcus Rock.
In the same year he located the oxford
Central railroad from Gray to Mechanics
Falls for Hon. f. o. j; Smith. The same
year he was employed by the Portland s.
Rochester Railroad Co., and continued in
their employ during portion of the year
1859. In 1860 and 1861 he superintendent the
construction of the Warwick Valley rail-
road. In 1868 he was employed on the New
York q Boston Air Line, now called the
New York & New England road Since that
time he has been more or less employed by
the various railroad companies in Maine and
through the New England States, and now
has frequent calls to look after the condition
of roads at home and abroad.
In all of his travels and varied experiences
he finds no place which affords him so much
comfort and enjoyment as in the old home
stead before the bright open fire in the Long
fellow arm chair.
The Stephenson mansion is one grand Gu
riOsitv shop. The parlor walls are decorat-
ed with fine oil portraits of Mr.. and Mrs.
SNar fharo or.6 moi If fhnf ful
engineer. On the walls of the sitting room
appear correct likenesses of his uncle Ste
phen and also the father of the honOred po-
ct. To this group of Names nOblemen Is
added the familiar faces of General Wash
ington, Abraham Lincoln, John Q. Adams
and Daniel Webster.
Never before the past winter has stove
been used in the general sitting room and
then only for few weeks during Mr.. Ste
phenson's absence to protect the plants dur
ing the coolest weather. "Give me the cheer
full open fire" says Mr.. Stephenson when his
attention is called to the customs of modern
times. Hes goes in for comfort, health and
the fullest endowment of all of the good
things of this life. Although he has never
received the degree of A. B. he is neverthe-
less happy, cOntented bachelor. 1t affords
min much pleasure to exhibit the numberleSs
relics of antiquity and mement0es which
have been handed down from generation to
generation. They have sacredness to him
which few people understand.
In small room are carefully stored his
grand father and fathers kitchen utensils, in
use one hundred years ago. There is the
pot hook and trammel, the tin kitchen, the
looms large and small spinning wheels the
anvil, beck horn and vice. These were used
by Judge LOngfellow in his handy way Of
''mending up the TOOLS"
A curious article of the household Is the
iron tongs, some fourteen inches long, which
was used for lighting the pipe with a fire
coal. On one end is the pipe cleaner and
longs, on the other is cover for protecting
tpe .le sIerks from escaping The history OF
tHs sst implies mt dates back one hundred and
I4ity III years, aI1 was the property of the poet
L9nsiSuoW Sle%@grandfather.
files of Biekerduff's, BosScs and do other alma
nacks commencing in 1IGS "a continnina
through successive years, up TO S.-s'p preseu3
time. Those of the earliest date are es,Iel1
lished with cuts Of ''Ye olden time. Nea.
ly every copy has fly leaf, upon which Is
noted in legible handwriting the prominent
events of the family, date of birth OF chill
dren and stock, records of business transac-
tions &c. These were kept by the GRANDPA
ther and great-grandfather of the poet Long
fellow.
Mr.. Stephenson is busy at the present time
making a tracing of the original plan OF the
township of GOrham, taken at the desire
of a committee of the prOprietOrs of the COM
mon and Undivided land of the Gorham
town." (Signed Stephenson Longfellow, Jr.,
dated Gorham, July /, 1882 The original
plan is in the possession of Mr.. Alexander
lOngfellow of Portland. In future COM
munication many other matters of interest
will be presented concerning this historic
family and the treasures of the old home.
c. II. X.
RAILWAY MATTERS.