Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-08-20

City and County.
cLARY FAMILY REUNION
Held at Georgetown. Where Their Ancestors
Made Homes Nearly $50 Years AGO.

Oh NORTH Georgetown, Tuesday. Auo
18Th. AS the home chosen more than 4
century and half ago by their first an
cestors In his country, Georgetown was
an especially fitting place for such meet.
,hg. Enough many had been gathering
ior several days from distant points, the
greater part OF She company arrived upon
tnc forenoon boat, and after short drive
'hrough the beautiful pine woods they
were most cordially received by Mr.. and
thrs' Clary at their pleasant country
nome The first few hours were passed
IN FORMING and renewing kinship &C
quainfanccs, and most pleasant were the
greetings thus exchanged.
About Z. n a bountiful dinner was
Served upon the lawn before the house.
The Divine blessing was invoked by Mr..
Hlr'am A. Clary Of Someryille, Mass.
After ample justice to the collation. had
been done, the first regular meeting of
the association was called to order by Ed
ward II. Clary of Union, for the executive
committee of the temporary organization,
both president and vice president being
absent. o. G. Clary of Somerville, Mass
was chosen president pro TEN. After the
singing of Coronation the records of the
preliminary meeting held in Jefferson
the preceding year were read and approx
ed. J. C.Clary, the host, then gave short
address of welcome, together with most
interesting sketch of this historic old
town, and the settlement there of John
CIary in the earlier part of the 18th cen
fury. The facts and traditions relating
to the founders of the family We're most
interesting and instructive.
The following is the full text:
Kindred, and friends, while we extend
to you, one and all, our heartiest greet
ings, and such cheer as we may be able
to offer, it may not be wholly inappropri-
ate to briefly consider some historical
facts which connect us with the past,
and which this occasion brings to our
minds more wildly, and awakens a deem
or interest than usual We are now in
that part of Maine which is often called
the Ancient Dominions." This title to
antiquity is surely well merited As
early as sixteen hundred and seven, Fort
st. George was built by Popham's col
ony on the west bank of the kennebec
river, and near It's mouth, and evidence
is not wanting to show that a settlement
as made near the rivers mouth, at an
earlier date. From this name, Fort St.
George, comes the ancient and honorable
name, Georgetown. So far as we are.
a ware it is not assumed by any historian,
that these settlements proved to be per
manent. Indeed, for many, many years
thereafter throughout all this region, the
same scenes were enacted over and over
again.
The struggle Of hardy and courageous
settlers, for shelter and subsistence for
brief period, then came the savage war
whoop, the whistling bullet, the CLEAN
ing tomahawk, and the assassin's torch,
f. llowed perhaps by the captivcs wall
and the abrupt close of what under other
circumstances, might have proved very
interesting page of history. With the
year seventeen hundred thirteen came the
treaty of Portsmouth, signed July l4th
making the close of Il ten years French
and Indian war, during which great de
vastation was wrought and the Province
OF Maine greatly depopulated. Authen
tic scources tell us that Maine lost fully
one-third of her population in this dis
trcssing war. Full of discouragcmcnts
large numbers left the country to return
no more. Many families had been entire
ly destroyed, and all We're mourning
friends either dead or in captivity.
The dwellings OF survivors If not en-
trely destroyed, had become dccayed and
miserable OF the trade in lumber, fish
and furs which had been so brisk and
rcmuncrativc before this period scarcely
vostige remained. Soon after this aidcd
by acts of the General Court to re.
establish their claims to the lands from
which they had been driven by the vicis
STUDIES of war former settlers were no
SLOW to return TO their former homes
Early in the spring of seventeen hundred
fourteen, John Watts of Boston, built
large brick house, having much the APP
pcarancc of fort on the margin or
lower end of Arrowsic island, . the bricks
having been brought from Medford for this
purpose. At the same time Mr.. Preble,
(history does not reveal his first name)
settled and built at the head of the island.
The following spring, seventeen hundred
Fifteen Edward Hutchinson, Mr.. Preble
and twenty-thrce others, they being the
whole number in the islands, petitioned
the " General Court for an act of incorpor
alton. As this WAS more remote than any
other frontier town, the attempt to reset
t'e II seems to have met with special favor
from inc EUNtEuIuttlti iOi iiASi' Si' 'Ni''
to protect them, and on the 18th day OF
June. seventeen hundred sixteen, the act
of incorporation passed the General Court,
making this the tenth, in the list of towns
incorporated.
We are told that this was place of
great celebrity more than any other on
the eastern coast except Falmouth and
York Here Capt John Smith had visited
and sketched a chart of the coast in six
teen hundred fourteen and twelve years
thereafter, the Plymouth colony had
erected a trading house near Fort st.
George. The increase in numbers and
prosperity was gradual and steady, from
this time until sixteen hundred seventy
six when it was laid waste by savage
bordes, and suffered like calamity
twelve years later Q6SS) from which
period. 1t remained nearly or quite desc
Ia re until the time of Watts efforts, on the
"margin of Arrowsic" island, in seven
teen hundred fourteen. In seventeen hun
dred twenty one the town was represented
in the General Court, by John Penhollow,
a very noted and very brave man, who
saws that SO great was the encouragement
given by the settlement OF Georgetown,
that the proprietors of the Plymouth pa
4 49, nrr los " n