The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1888-10-11
SELECTED.
FAIRFIELD CENTENNIAL.


The early history of a town is inScpara-
bly, connected with the individual lives Of
its first settlers; while its later history
would seem to depend more on the occur
renee of important events and the growth
and development of the town a n whole
Therefore IN this brief sketch of Fairfield
we shall devote some attention, at the
first, to those pioneers of Maine, who
brayed the danger, and endured the hard =
ships of a forest wilderness To make this
town in fact, what il is in name; a fair
ncd, filled with pleasant homes, flourish
inc villa gcS, aud a prosperous people.
The tract of land comprising what is
now the Town of Fairfield was settled
previous to the year l7Nl. In the spring
of that year William Kendall and Peter
pushard, with possiblya few Others, were
livingsherc. In that spring, Elihu Bow
ermau the name Was afterWard changed
to Bowman moved from Falmouth,
Mass, and, with his wife and his two
brothers. Harper and /acchcus, settled in
Fairfield, ON the farm where Abel lIoNie
now lives His son. Alden Bowman,
born in l1S2 is without doubt the first
white child born in Fairfield. Pictures
of Elihu and others TO the 9th generation
are sthl preserved. In letter to John
and Abigail Nichols written by Elihu
Bowman in ISIS, when he was about 30
years of age, he tells of his early expert
ence as follows When we got TO Water
Vile hired Il room for my wife, then l.,
with my two brothers went up To Fair
field, then a wilderness. When we got
there We had neither bread meat nor fish
to live upon but what we had to pay for
in labor, and after paying our fare we
sitn,tinn ~, had y hard hroinnino Th.t
simmer we worked nnt t,yo-thirIIs of the
fine f., nov far food and the rest of thr
timn we f,lIod frees for onr.plvr, and
nrenorrd tn build a louhousp i'm the fan.
and ,vbnn fan ramp we huilt , lnohnusr
and co,,,.nd il win hart, ilnrn yr h,a
harl o,.,L.,,l .na b,rl, nn,l,r foot for -
door" ......... .antI aftrr we GOT fine loo
ha,u.a. IittIo hxnd NV wifi. moved mn
rbnn nnr hnusr fnrnitnrr was altoorthrr
n,,l nioLt ash. ho,.n hn.r b.,Ind an ,
Ind si,I .t four tin.s ..This
summer W.. raisad a fnw nntotnns an
}nmin,ton unhh,s farm and nut Thorn
h,t,, ~ rnl1,,. u,h.ro mn, ,ll fr,yo a
this timn we bad ont chimney in onr
loghonsr and lnadr il a littln comfortable
~ soon moi a man in Wmslov thai
Womb lrt me hnvn corn and wait for his
INV ,ilI nn,t .nriny Tbis corn with
ah1nt ., lh. Of nn,.l5 and son,e smul,rd
h.rring. vim, tho frnynn anoi,tons wore
all ITO nr,, iui,,,. ,v h,I for the winter ."
uAnd whilst IN. winter vas nos.ino
away some linn hrfnrr smear MAKING
,.nmm,ocnL we b,ula1 ,b,nt SIM f,.rt nf
awards fnur miIas an hnnd slrd. and
VIM, 49,. ,,,t IN, ba,rl. home ~, nI,rrd
s,,,,n Of non, n,nrhn,L mud .nn,r If thrm
un,rrfnnt rn,. tIonrs in the room of bark
We bad un nails Ia nail the floors that
v,nrn nct.u uneven and tott.riuo
,bink we had not - snuorr of ,,ln.s i'm onr
loo, bnu.n fortwn wars mr. over
Err the trst len months nnr tea was
boyhcrrv len which we drank without
SWEET ar milk .This snrino .lIN94
of,or .,,,,a,. n,al,in,,. vo. ,vor we ,,nt tuo
na,.s ;rho,. nm, in ,In woods Th.r .,y,.
j,aJ a ,,1onttnf sn,or miIk md buttrr
which n,II,1 =, enntnrt ia nnr hard fare
nm, cow. ran in ,ln woods for vpars and
mint ram hundreds Of miIrs in the
woods flor cnvs often without shoes
an my foot Mr. Rnyvprman .,rrc adds
in - humorous WOW. ..,rhis was dnnr from
- md ,.,t From, ,.h,,i,, ~, will
,,,t .ia,,. tisr.,.,,o5, tn Mr. Rnuor,r,p bv
roytin,,, dnurt nnnn his last statement
Elibu pnwnrman,s vouno,st sister sell
tlol .Lont ,,,.n miIcs from him and the
n,hrr Il tor. and the brntbrrs scftlrd be
t,,ao, ,bn two A.. nn,r settlers arrived
rrn,n ',.,,,. ia ,,oar thnrn was soon uuitr =.
,,,,,,,,l,tin, :, TINT nart of thn town nov
ialIaI ,i,,, G,.n,rn and nn tho road run
ni,',,. ,,,,,i. r,.a,, ,b, Cnrtr.
Ia ,b, ,n,,ntin,. in tho southeastern
,., l,f ,,, 80 pntor pn.hurl ,v..
,n,,,,l,. II, in,,'in III. .n,yu la., hou.r bniIt
, a., .,,,, To-, f,h,rI.s t,Nr,urr
,,.,,. li,'n. ,yillion, l,,u,l,ll ba,l ,ht.,iurd
- r.,nthnid !, I'M vilJ,rn,s. bu,ino
,,ii, h. ,i,.. so,, mill o..va bay, reason
- i, ~, ,aor ~ Rim
,n,innl a. Law rho f,undation for a future
,,,,..,,,.iat, n,.,,,nr Inc ,,a.
i,j',,.d So - l1,i,nd,,, at TnlIn.s Ferry ON
J J,,'ri.,no. dar in 80 anJ win hi.
,,,ntl,fn1 hri,I. un.t,I down ibr dark
,.,,,,,,i,,,, ,,..,o.s 'of Tho Eonnehar in his
, un,,'" ,','', ,,.;,l ,l,.,r thought NJ II, .
,.1,,,i,,,, ,t,,,,.an,i. nf Eairf,ld Who wonld
Ionl hoct thron@h a hundred years and
,,,3n,, ,i,.n,,7a th,, ,,rimitiyn bridal
,nnr II,,.in,, baen a snldirr i'm the rryo-
I,,i,a, rant william, kendall ,iid mot fear
hardsbins ar d,noer. lie cleared land
rais,.l III. crons and also sci ont nm or
chard IF amir trees in and around the
..a,,,h and ,r ,,hot !. nn,, Xnyb.ll street
c,,,,,a.,,c hos, a,,nl,, tran. vol stand
ih,, in Mr. Calyin Thnmpson,s yard lie
s,on b,,iit him = GOOD frame hons. in this
orchard which was the first frame house
in Eairn,IJ VILLAGE And abont lSoS he
hnilt t,r brick hons, now owned by Mrs.
Narsn and STANDING ON the corner of
R,idor and Newhall streets. For several
wears he WAS engaged in trade, where rum
and nolossrs in common with the other
r i;, ,,..r, ,,iJ at ,,nnular