Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1891-07-20

tbs tovn Of LUDLOW lies Immediately vest
Of the north half Of Houitoc shica vAs me
rrsas % Williams College. This bali town
,hip fLsdiavl VS. granted BY The general
eoars of the common wealth OF MAsssrhu
,stt. IN the trustees Of Belfast Acsdemv By
. resolve passed Feb. 18Th. 1905. John
Reed and William Smith were appointed
sy tn. aensrsl court - agents TO deed tne
grant 20 the trustees Of the academy The
bslf township VA surveyed BY Fax hoi-
and Ia the month Of September, lso9, AID
.ss decided 10 the trustees on Dec. GU,
1860 The graz, is TINS described IN The
Original Deed
.sBsa;nnias at the southwesseriy corner OF
. tavnship granted to Wiliismstown Col
Lgs. at hard maple tree, thsnce Sest,
,hirtsea degrees north SIX miles 10 an ssh
tree. thence north, thirteen degrees east
thrss miles to maple tree, thence
sxss thirteen degrees south six E,liee
In a esasr. thence on Wiliiamstovn
Coilege westerly lire south. thirteen degrees
20, three miles to the nrst bounds and
eunt.inins eleven thoasaad i've hundred
and twenty sores, etc" The conditions Of
ti,e deed bound the trustees ITO lay out and
couyey to each settler sho settled on SAID
tract before the Afst day Of January, 1854,
one hundred acres Of land TO be laid OUT 80
a. best to include his Improvements and De
lsas, il iurious to the adj oining lands AS
no settler had entered upon this wilderness
region previous TO 1884 this provision Wa
really super aous. The trustees were also
bound TO settle On said tract ten families
In sig years including them now settled
thereon" They were also to lay out three
i,ts Of 100 sores each, zone lot for the use
Of the ministry, one LOT for the hrst settled
minister and one lot for the use OF
schools"
Early Conditions Of Settlement.
The condition in relation to placing ten
settlers upon the tract within six years
must have been extended for the settlement
"a, not made until some ten years after the
expiration Of tina, limit. We find upon the
records the following certificate Land
Ofics, Boston, 23th. March 1926. This
carti8es that have received Of The trus-
tees of Belfast Academy . certified list
containing the names Of ten settlers that
are nov settled on the half township OF
land In the county Of Washington and
State Of Name lying northwest from Houi-
ton Plantation, granted 10 ssid Academy
and il tstisfsctory evidence that the condi
ion for placing settlers upon said grant is
reasonably complied with. Attest, Geo
". Coftio, land sgent." On Sept lsf,
1885. the trustees deed all the unsold lands,
com pri.iog 1854 acres, to Henry p Bridge
Of Boston. for s7264. He paid one-foutth.
or slsl6. down and gave his notes for the
remainder ia three equal snnuAl pay
neut. Sept. 4tb, 1885. Mr. Bridge
deeds his purchase to Saml Fl. Blake
of Bangor. Various deeds Of lots
in the grant were given by the trustees
u atil 1858. On Nov. %, 1858, they deed
To James White Of Belfast, for $1,000,
".Il the unaoId lands in said half township,
with all debts, dues and demands
belonging TO said trustees for any lands
sold In said half township, he paying all
claim, against them for the services Of
their agents heretofore accruing' 30
much for the documentary history OF the
grant to the time when the trustees of the
Academy made final sale Of all their in
t, rest in the half township.
The hrst settler on the grant was Gen.
J ohm Cummings Tor Comiugs IS the name
vas then spelled) who on the 9Th day OF
Oct 1925, made bis way through the woods
20 the 10, about two and one.hslf miles
vest Of the Houlton line, where Mr.. Will
liam Hand now lives. The woods were at
that time filled with the dense smoke from
the Mirimichi FIRE. Gen. Cummings with
his party camped near where Mr.. Hands
watering tub now stands by the ROADSIDE,
and the G anil chose this lot for his new
home Here be cleared up large farm upon
a beautiful elevation from which he could
o overlook all the settlements upon the adJoin-
ing townships. Houlton was then but
small settlement and there were openings
IN the forest in Hodgdon, Linneus and New
Limerick. the smokes from which could be
s,en from the elevation upon which Gen.
Cummings built his home. He was for
' ears the principal man in the new settle
ment and was sgeLt for the trustees OF
Belfast Academy for the sale Of lots and
location Of settlers. He lived upon this
farm until his death which occurred Oct.
1t. I849. His son, John M. Cummings,
C ,ntinued to live upon the old Homestead
until about 1870, when he removed to Wis
consin. Bradford Cummings, smother son
OF the Gen'i came at the same time aud set
tied on the lot where David X. Small now
lives. Mr.. Cummings was land surveyor
snd in October, 1926 lotted the half town.
ship and in all subsequent deeds reference
is made to his plan and survey. He built
a mill on the stream which flowed across
the southwest corner Of his lot and which
hss ever since been known as Mill Brock.
The mill contained an up and down
saw and sawed lumber for the settlers.
Il was afterwards rebuilt by Dsniel Small
Who run it for number Of years, when 1t
wss abandoned and has decsyed and fallen
down. Bradford Cummings subsequently
removed to Houlton where he femsined for
q short time and then moved to Fort Faif-
field where he resided for many years on
fine farm q short distance from the villsgs
aud where he died few years ago. Judge
Cummings, IS he WAS known for many
years. was q man we'll known and respects d
throughout Aroostook county. He served
~ sheriff OF the county and also as
idge Of probate and was an Influential cit
izen for many years.
The Ten Original settlers.
Among the ton original settlers besides
John and Bradford Cumming, were John
Stuart, Lewis WriGh Robert Blsisdel i,
Bsrro~., Cyrus Hutchings. James
II. Stevens aad Alfred Marshall. Who the
tenth man Was who completed the list We
have been unable to determine. Miss Ruth
W. Cummings taught school in the grant
in the GUNNER Of 1880 Her bill for teach
Ing eleven We. ks at 81 co per week xod
boarding herself, approved by Johu Stuart,
school agent, 10 still preserved. Mss Cum
niinss after~ards msrrisd Mr.. Jacob
Pickad aud hved in the town until her death
last summer She Was we'll educated
lady and was mugh beloved ard resp cited
by ali who knew her John Smart st'led
on the lot next adjoining John Cummings
on the east, where be cleared 10 the farm
ppon which the widow l. g sham now lives
He lived here until his aesth
some twenty years ago Le.is
Wright took the 10: opposite John
Stuart. He made smsli clearing and put
Up log house and so,n stterwsrts SO d to
1,sac Dickson WIN cleared p the farm snd
lived upon it 70, many years, thea sold T.
George Howe and remlvei % No. Brurs
~ick. Robert Rlsi.d III sst,'e3 On lot No
Il. Rsrga 2. where Frremsn Sm,il nov
live. He cleared up large fam and
buiis the upas- in ~btch Mr. Small now
ives lie atter~srds sold TO rnos. Small
std moved To Wi-con-ii, ~her- he IA
usin-d I. short tine aud then ~'n' ~ Mn
uesots ard invested in lands TIE ii,- in
value Of these lands n-d. Elm ~ealthy.
H. d ed some srar wears ssr Me-, Bar
rows to- X tn, lut ~t-rs Mr.. Peter Moore
now lives Here b. mate IN Ill clearing
bus Gid rot i've on the lot. II. vas =
| nephew OF Ms Cammng, And resided
with that FANNY auttns his -hrt .tsy IL the
| settlement. yru' Buscpins. . Oh the 10,
next vest OF B .rrows on ,h south sd uf
the road. He cleared no Ihe farm aud
lived on II soue t~en'y yeas When he ,e-
moved TO Mtrnes "a lae farm ia nos
Owned BY NJ, [ u Ki3srus Who lives oppo-