The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-01-25
4 MAINE FAMInK or CHANTS.

Over Six Feet Tall. From the Boston Globe.l On the summit of q big hill in the eastern part of this town there was
 born and raised one of the most inter- esting families in Maine, that of Will
 liam Fessenden, the railroad builder, a family that weighed about three thou
 sand pounds. The best-known mem
 Der of the family is Rufus Gardiner Fessenden, who has recently been pro-
 noted to a police sergeantcy in Boston.
 There is probably not a resident of
 Boston who has not seen Big Rufe," :"
 who for eleven years has been the tall est policeman in the city. An average sized man walking beside Sergeant Fessenden looks like a child, but "big Rufe" was but a child by the side of his sister Sarah Elizabeth, who was without doubt the biggest girl In New England.
 In the composing room of the Bridge ton News is a post on which is the measure of the tall men of Bridgeton. At the top or the list Is Rufus Gardiner Fessenden, six feet four inches. Then comes D. s. March, six feet three inch- es; Lester Hanney six feet two inches; Charles Walker, Ed Chaplin, James Cooms and Eugene Chaplin, six feet.
 A Globe correspondent climbed the long, steep hill and found William Fes- senden to be quite an active man in full possession of his. faculties, save for a slight deafness, although he has been hard working man for seventy-nine years.
 MT. Fessenden told this interesting story:
 'I was the father of eleven children. Perhaps you may consider them large, but they did not look very big to me, though I don't know but what Sarah was good sized sirl,
 My first child was William Austin. He was born in 1888. Austin is six feet six inches in height and has weighed two hundred and seventy pounds. He lives on a farm about two miles out of Bridgeton village at Sandy Creek 2 My second child was George Alnow, born in 1841. He was the shortest of the family. He was only six feet in height and weighed two hundred pounds. When constructing railroad in Ohio George jumped from a moving car and received injuries which caused his death
 My third child was Thomas Pingree, born in 1S42. He was six feet two inch es, and weighed considerably more than two hundred pounds He is dead
 "The next was Sarah Elizabeth, born in 1S44 She was more than six feet in ,sfVI cha weighed two hundred and forty pounds. She was sensitive about her weight, and would not get on the scales when she became dlder I guess you can put down her weight as more than three hundred pounds. She died about seven years ago.
 My fifth child was William Walker, born in 1S46 He died when fifteen years old. He was as large as any of his brothers at that age.
 Charles Ellsworth was the sixth l child. He was born in 1S40. His height l was six feet three inches, and his weight two hundred and thirty pounds. 1 He lives on the old Governor Cleaves 1 in Bridgeton.
 "The seventh child was Edwin Pal | mer, born in 1S50 He is six feet three | inches and weighs two hundred and | forty pounds. He lives on farm in | this town.
 Stephen Alexander was born in 1852, | and Parker Pingree in 1854. Stephen | and Parker both died in 1854
 "The tenth child was Rufus Gardiner, | born in 1857. He is a police sergeant in Boston,"
 My last child was Adolphus Deer ng, born in 1858. He lives here on the 'arm. He is six feet seven inches, and weighs one hundred and ninety | pounds"
 In speaking of himself, MT. Fessen- len said;
 I was born in 1S16 I am six feet in