The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1896-12-24
In Memoriam, Capt. R. S. Aver.

j. o. johnson, Esq, offered the following
remarks on the life and services of their de-
ceased comrade, Capt. r. S. Aver:
COMRADES 1t has perhaps been my lot to
have had longer acquaintance with our de-
ceased comrade than any other member of
this Post-an acquaintance that extends
back half a century Away back in the
early forties, when small boy, lived in
West Belfast on the stage road from Liberty
to Belfast AT that time the city OF Belfast
was great lumber mart Lumber of all
kinds was shipped from that port to all parts
of the world. The shipping OF sugar shocks
to the island of Cuba was speciality and
for the making of those shocks the tall pines
of Montvile and Liberty were being depict
ed. All the Old settlers of Montvile and
Liberty appeared to be engaged in that en-
terprise, and among them L can readily re-
call Gen. Aver, father of our deceased com
rades the Stevens, the Coopers, the Drews,
the Woodmans and many others. i well
remember that about 10 O'Clock a, NJ IN the
winter IA string of horse teams from Mont
vile, Liberty and Searsmont would pass my
fathers house. Sometimes the procession
would be mile long One OF these teams
was for several wears driven by Comrade
| Aver, Though he was five years my senior,
| | then made his acquaintance, an acqualn-
| tanCe which with the exception OF slight III
tervals has been kept up until the hour OF
his death.
Captain Richard Small Aver was born in
Montvlle Oct. ., 1925 and was educated in
! the common schools in his native town in
school district that has become noted from
the fact that it has sent out three members
of Congress, viz. Hon. Eben Knowlton, Hon.
| L. S. Aver and Hon. Seth L. Milliken, the
| han nf that HIGH Office IT
perhaps, worthy of note that there is an old
| lady now living in Montville near Liberty
village who taught school in that district,
aud both Mr.. Milliken and Mr.. Aver We're
her pupils, viz, Mrs. Robert Foy, aged So.
Her maiden name was Bond, and she is
native of Jefferson, think.
On arriving at his majority comrade Aver
started in as merchant in Rockland in
company with another young man from
| MontvllIe, named Everett, under the firm
lame of Aver & Everett, This firm was
doing business in 1851, but at what time it
closed up its affairs am unable to say. Mr..
Aver afterwards taught school in western
Pennsylvania, but how long am unable to
say. He later travelled through Georgia and
the Carohnas selling some kind of patent
appliance for saw mills. Returning to Maine
he in company with the late Marcellus
Cooper went into trade at Centre Mont
Vile, where he renamed up to nearly the
time of the breaking out of the great Rebel
lion.
When traitors thrust upon us the perils of
a civil he the first from his native
town to answer the call of Abraham Lincoln
for 5000 men, and the second man to enlist
in Waldo county, the first being Jefferson
Gray of Morrill,. Both enl sted in Captain
Cunningham 5 Company, which subsequent
iy became Company A., 4th Maine Infantry.
At an election of officers for that company
Comrade Aver was chosen 2nd Lieut.. and
was subsequently appointed to the positions
| n 1st tent ra2nartjNplV La
took part in all the early campaigns in which
that gallant old regiment participated, but
was compelled to resign on account of dis
ability incurred IN the service before the
regim -nt's term of service expired. He was
later an officer in the Invalid Corps.
Al tle close OF the war, his friend, the late
Edmund Brown, a native n Montville, at
one time carpenter at the Hunt Tdnnery,
living on the place where John Fuller now
lives. hut later successful bridge and
wharf builder living at Elizabeth, n j.,
bought large tract of lumber land in Vr-
ginia. Comrade Aver was sent to Virginia to
look after Mr.. Browns purchase. While
there lie entered politics. He was the regis
t"rug officer at large for Richmond coun-
", Va, III 1867, was d member OF the
Virginia constitutional convention in
1861 and was elected to the fist con
grtss from the 1st Virginia District
in 1865. This congress frittered away a
large part of the fruits of the war that
Comrade Aver and you and I, my com
rarles, 70 light for. La their haste to get
the negro vote to swell the electoral
vote of Gen. Grant they let the bars down,
50 to speak, and made it possible for the
South to become solid by reason of ku
kluX tissue ballots and other forms of cu>s-
edness--a position they have managed to
maintain ever since. Such being the condi-
tlon of things IN 1870, at the expiration of
his term of office, and finding it too hot for
a Republican to remain in Virginia in peace,
he returned to his Old homestead in Montville
having while an M. G. married Miss Fanny
Stevens, a daughter of a Boston physician
An invalid and unable to perform any
manual labor he found farming uphill work
aud the farm was leased or sold to his broth
erin law, Hon. E 2. Walker. He re nted a
| house which was known as the home of his
grandfather, where he resided for few
years and while there he represented his
class in the Maine Legislature. He came to
this village about ten years ago, where he
won a host OF friends by his many manly
qualities. He had faults. Who among us
has not? He was man of very impul-
| slve nature, strong in his likes and dislikes
and did not hesitate to express then, some
time getting enemies by so doing. He was
! a generous hearted man, always ready to
render all the assistance in his power to the
afflicted and the unfortunate. He would
share his last dollar or his last dime with a
! friend. This Post will miss him as a com
rade and this village will miss him as citi-
| zen!
| When this Post was formed, by reason of
poor health Capt. Aver was unable to be-
come a charter member. Some two years
later, while | was Post Commander, on his
| expressing strong desire to become mem
ber. obtained d dispensatlon from the De-
partment Commander for the Post to go to
his house and muster him in. You who were
there remember how royalty we We're enter
tanned on that occasion and from that day
until the day of his death he was an active
member so far as his health would permit.
The Post adopted the following resolu-
tionS:
Whereas, The Great Commander of the Uni
verse has given the command to comrade Richard
S. Aver to come up higher, and be mustered
| into the Grand Army above; and
Whereas He has obeyed that command, has
pit he'd his tent the eternal camping ground;
! therefore, be it
Resolved, That in the muster out OF Comrade
| Aver the country loses one OF its braveSt defen-
ders, the town an open-hearled cltlzen and this
Post of its best members. Though great
| sufferer from disease he alw'ys present at
our meetings when able to do so, and, In view of
his great suffering cannot wish nm back ana
though our voices may talter a1d our Inference
choke as the name of our departed cOmrade rises
TO our lips, yet remember him III hGnor, not in
| sorrow, Remembering that he is but one of the
many thousands who by reason OF wounds that
would not heal and desease that no skill could
cure constantly depicting our ranks to swell
the mighty army whose silent blvcuacs are to be
found every hillside and ia every pleasant