The Portland daily press., 1895-07-10


A representative of the PRESS called
upon Mr.. Woodford at his home on Ocean
street recently and enjoyed pleasant
conversation with him in regard to his
family history. The old gentleman
entered the room with a step that is still
suggestive of its former strength and
firmness, and with presence that has by
/, no means lost all of its former stateliness
and manly beauty of form and feature.
To him belong the massive frame, the
iron constitution and the handsome head
and countenance that almost defy the
ravages of time. Though 81 years old, his
hearing is but very slightly impaired and
his eyesight is still good He pointed
with pride through the open window to
his vegetable garden, which is gulltless
of weed and in flourishing condition,
and which he himself planted this spring
and has taken care of ever since.
He still weighs over two hundred
pounds and it was not until five years
ago that he ever knew what it was to
have the toothache. Then some OF his
teeth began to get sore and to become
loose, and now he has lost several OF his
front teeth. ALI of his teeth were double
He gave the following facts in regard
to his family history:
q At almost the very beginning OF this
century, Isaiah Woodford of Connecticut,
a tinsmith by trade, started out from his
home in the Nutmeg State to seek his
ar ahO1t
twenty-one or twenty-five years OF age.
He came to Maine and located at what
is now known as Woodford's Corner in
the present city of Deering. 1t was then
a part of the old town of Falmouth, that
included Portland, Deering, Westbrook
and Falmouth.
He purchased of Isaac Knights the
house at the corner of Spring street and
Forest avenue, which is now known as
the Chenery house, and which stands in
the very heart of Woodford's Corner. The
house was not SO large then as now, but
it was large house then, and must have
seemed an imposing mansion in those
early days.
sIn 1903 he married Margaret Sawyer,
whose family lived on Ocean street and
who were ancestors of the Woodford' S
Corner Sawyers of today
He had established his tinsmith bust
ness in shop behind his house, and then
went back to Connecticut, driving by
team all the way, of course, since there
were no railroads, and brought back to
III l1,rAt ~
Ebenezer D. Woodford The two brothers
engaged in the tin business together and
prospered. They carried on the manu-
facture of tinware in brick shop that
stood near the site of the present post
Office and they also built large wooder
building in the rear of that and engaged
in the manufacture Of combs. The in
dustry became quite extensive. The tin
ware and combs were sold throughout thu
county and st ate by peddlars, and some
times there would be row of ten or
dozen tin peddlars' carts waiting to re
ceive their supp ly of goods.
1t was in the old house on the corner O.
Spring street that Mr.. William Woodfor(
was born, in 1906. He was the first child
of Isaiah Woodford and Margaret Sawyer
His fathers untimely death occurred il
1919. The younger brother and partner
Ebenezer Woodford, succeeded to tn,
business and purchased the homestead
from his brothers widow. He later pur
chased the Mosher house, the large
mansion that still stands just across tn,
street On the opposite corner. This wa
also built by Isaac Knight and was {
public tavern. Both of these large houses
were there when Isaiah Woodford came
fromE EConnecticut, and must have beer
built in the last century.