Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-06-09
| For the Ellsworth American.
Trenton-l762 to 1900.
The FIRST SETTLER.

Trenton-l762 to 1900.
| No. 13.
THE FIRST SETTLERS.
| II will be readily seen from what has
preceded that the owners Of Thorndke
| township from the time they received their
grant had been making preparations to set
| tie 1t. Surveys had been made of the
township, boundary lines had been estab-
lished, lots had been run out and each pro-
| prietor, to the number of about sixty, had
drawn his lot In the first division and
| equivalent lots had been run to those
whose lots were below the average in
| quality; and lots of hundred acres each
had been surveyed, in the second division,
| three years later. We will now introduce
written evidence concerning some of those
who went there to take possession, who
| built houses and mills. cut timber and
shipped it, cleared land and planted it. car
! red their families there to make homes
| for them, and shall give the name of the
man who declared under oath that he was
{
on that township, and We expect to prove
/ that these men and families were not
''sqRatters" as they have been enormously
called. The names Of every family that
lived there in July, l7s5 will also be Civ
en-. The proprietors sent an agent to the
/ township to obtain them at that date, and
also Shall show who were there Nov l6,
! OF the same year, As during the interim
large acces-ions had been made.
/ We are not trying to write an interest
| ing story, but to give your readers
/ simple, naked facts, fortifying evsry i'm
| portant assertion that Is made by what in
/ Law would be considered strong evidence,
( the written statements Of those who over
a century and third ago were the prime,
active movers in all that concerned the
! ownership and settlement Of ancient Tren-
4 ton. From The very contradictory accounts
! that have heretofore been published about
/ her history we are led perhaps unwiseiy,
/ to give you fuller extracts from these 81
lent witnesses than would otherwise have
I been necessary.
/ The clerk Of the proprietors of No. /
| Township received from Ebtn Thorndike
statement 10 writing Of what he did to-
ward settling it, on the back of the pa
per l. this eudorsemcnt-"W What Capt.
Thnrndike did towards settling No. l."
"A memorandum Of Sundry account.
coucernil the Tow nship No. near Union
River granted anu Laid out to EbcneLer
Ihorndike and others June 18th, 1852.
/ The Committee sent down Daniel Mer-
I rift, Surveyor. MIR. Nathaniel Jordan
/ David Alden. Andrew Simonton.
In 1864 made hr~t Division of oak
I Point into 80 acre lots. June 1865. Built Il
/ Camp at the Head Of SkiiIns River now
called Kilkenny, IN Company with Capt
/ Nath. Jordan and Ebenr Libby.
/ Nav l1GG, | carried down joel Bonuy and
I Tomas Stevens In order to Build mill on
! Jort!an's River ana built Camp on small
/ stream that fall, into ,Jordan'- River and
Lett them 70 cut timber.
! June | moved MIR Steven Hutchinson
+ and helped ID settle him at Oak Point with
Il large Family and a good stock, pair Of
oxen and ) cows and afterwards brought
/ him down a tiue Bull the same time |
| fenced field and planted Corn and rota-
| toes and made a Garden At Oak point.
! In l7G9 was there and warned of some
! men who was cutting tinIber on sd town
! ship.
4 l110 Agreed with one Ephram Hane.
and Roger Goohins to settle in the town 10
| perform the Conditions oil proprietors
/ Right, Hanes 70 have ! Hundred Acres and
! Gookins have IL Right
! December, l712, went Down with INV
vessel and hands, Joshua 1horudike and
! Daniel Curtis, ana laid out two hundred
j acres tine western side Of Jordans
! River beginning At small stream running
/ 100 Rods up the river and 100 Rods down
\ the river and then back into the woods, II
/ parallel line, till the 200 acres il completed
/ AT the same time cut part of the timber
| for House and some logs for Boards and
| Loaded my vessel with pine Bolts.
| October, l113, went Down and sold
/ rights to Thoma, We,cott and his son
l Thomas, 10 make them proprietors.
/ MAY, l714 | went to Jurdan'- River with
my vessel and my two sons. Benin and
4 Robert, and worked on My Lofts which |
had Pitched before on The same stream
and help'i % Clear the Brow in order to
! build mil! and Left some Boards and
| Plank in the Care Of Thomas WesCott at
| the same time fenced yard and planted
| Potatoes.
The above may all be proved by Living
/ Evidence.
EKEN'R THoKNpIkE.
| Capt. Thorndike in the following ac-
count against the propIietols of No. |,
made in 1855, throws further light upon
| the early settlement of the township. 1t
afford. more interesting reading than
charges usually DO and when the Captain
made out his statement and bill and pre-
sented the latter for payment, he could
not have realized that century thereafter
the events % plainly and truthfully re
corded would be brought from their long
resting place to be read by the descend
ants Of the men spoken of and presented
to the public to be audited and used to es-
tablish important incidents and facts In
the history of ancient Trenton.
| June 20 1865. Account Of my
| time and trouble at >undry
| times to take and keep posses
4 sion at No. on Union River to