The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1890-06-26
-FTef.
Cornviile Of Old.

CoTnyilie In common with other 10 WINS
had It's days Of JOTe. Although va. not
here in season TO vitnes. its first ieyelop-
ments 1t sas in one VI me early Years u
lso5 when became rognitiye of my sur
- on1urnHx rtund myself living ia the
dwelling house Of my parents standing with
IN few rods Of where tLe Revere post once
~ now kept, within al opening made by
my father aud my uncle Daniel WOodnau,
called the Woodmsn opening.
In those days and for years after We
subsisted almost entire from the prod
ucts Of the laud ar 'pthsd ourselves
from the fax Of the feel he nool Of
the sheep. Shoes ~et RS. indis
pensible il tie winter e sum.
Iner. Boots were unknOsu u Us.
As years advanced and kuowlejge in.
creased learned that / was living In a
town Of by u miles and tia, It va.
at hlst called Barnard's town, Col Barn
ard and Col. Hilton b-ing It's proprietor.
1t was incorporated Feb. "A, 1875, and
retained its size until 1893, when i. mile
strip from the south WAS annexed to
skoshegan (then Milburny and at other
times part Of Canaan and Of Norridge " &C k
together with all Of Bloomfield, thus
making skowhegsn prominent town by
such liberal donations from its nsighbors
The first town meeting was held March Is,
1898, aud the first frame dwelling house
was built by Samuel Elkns Esq. and
stood within four rods Of my present res
lsence. The first white child born in
town was Peter S. Elkins an intelligent
man and who lived TO the advanced age Of
80 years. The first settled minister was
Elder Joseph Palmer, and the first ply
All I1F fgl -
meeting house was bull; In 1925 and after
SO years converted into a town house
In common with other towns IL ,hi.
county, Cornville had its STARE Of rum
drinkers during the first years Of it, set
tlement. They thought ardent spirits
were as essential az food OR rainient to the
comfort and happiness Of life. To show
what were the habits Of those times We
may state that VIII en- the second Baptist
minister was ordained, about 1914, rum
was sold in the dooryard Of the house
vii eret the ordination services were per-
formed
Gen. b. +. Butler when quite Young
taught two terms of school in the town,
and when threatened by some rocghs to
break up an evening spelling school were
awed into good behavior by learning
that he had 4 pistol.
few Items Of my own personal ex-
perience and l close. Some fifteen years
ago went to Canaan for the express
purpose of seeing a child whose Great
grandfather grandfather helped me
drive an eight OK team to plow when /
WAS IL years old. | went to Boston the
first time in 1880 and by chance 1t was the
two hundreth anniversary Of its nrst
settlement. Went again in 1880, just 80
yrs. after when 1t took more than three
hours for the procession to pass =
given point. Born under the admins
trstion of the third president of the
L. S. | have lived under II and also
TO know of the taking Of the L. census
times The FIRST In 1910 by Esq Has
kell Il think of Skowhegan, sitting on his
horse at the front door OF my fathers
house. and standing in the entry. One
question asked my mother was How
ihady children nave you was once arous-
ed from sleep in the chamber of the Tufts
hotel when teaching school In Athens at
ter fire in the barroom remote from all
in the house, had consumed a dining chair
and burnt of much Of the mantlspiecs by
Joseph Barker who left the company he
had been to Bangor with at Ripley and
came home alone without any good e1-
cuse he could assign. But for that lone
traveller at some O'Clock | might not
have written this brief history of Corn
vile of old.
SAMUEL WooDN4S