The Somerset reporter., 1897-04-01
TnE8trlloR.

written. then viii they not have been
written in vain.
TnE AUTHOR.
/ BLOOMFIELD N uHE LAND OF CANAAN.
II would be interesting to know how
many Of fhe Inhabitants OF the present
town Of Skowhegan have ever visited
the old Bloomfield cemetery where the
first settlers OF the town we're laid to
rest. II Is an ideal spot on little elega-
ton by itself and guarded by pine trees.
! According to the English custom the
church formerly stood next the road,
and back of it was the burying ground.
/ From appearances Il seems that there
we're no separate plots, such "a we are
] now accustomed To, but the graves we're
made in rows across the lot, beginning
at the buck.
Not many OF the original stones that
were set up IN those far-Off days are now
/ standing, but from those remaining one
can get An outline of the early history Of
i tn" town. That Bearing perhaps the
oldt ST date i Iuscti3ed "ln memory Of
Mr.. Joseph Weston. who died Oct Is,
| l775. aged 81. Next this Is In mrmorY
of Mrs. Euniee Moor, formerly r'liet Of
Mr.. Joseph Weston. who died Nov. 5,
! 1872, aged 81 yrs. She was the second
woman who moved into Somerset
county. Her descendants 222'. Near
by is a tall stone inscribed "Sacred to
the memory Of Samuel Weston, Esq,
who with Christian resignation and un-
shaken faith, departed ths life June Z,
| 1902, in the I6 year of his age. la his death
J ; h., mid Ia, 70 tho 1ocu
of kind husband aud tender parent, the
church one of her firmest pillars, and the
town one of its most active and useful
citizens. Not far off is u new m lrble
stone which has for its foundation an
old slate stone. The inscription reads
.Wajor Eli Weston, 4th son of Joseph
/ Weston. Born in Concord. Mass, July
4, 1850. Died Oct. IA, lS48". On the
back is this bit of history, "Maor Eli
Weston came here with the first settlers
in 1772, and remained alone with Isaac
I Smith, the first to clear land, SOW grain
and pass the winter in Somerset county.
The other families who came at this time
seem to have been less careful to mark
the resting places of their ancestors, but
these will serve the purpose Of our story.
As one stands at the back of the lot
aud looks across the ntervale and up and
down the viver, it Is not hard to under
stand why the settlement was made here
instead of three miles up the river where
! the present town is situated. Nearly
opposite is large island with smaller
ones farther down the river, and ira
dition says that it was these islands
which induced the new corners to stop
here. as they had been nearly cleared by
the Indians, it Is supposed, and crop
could be raised with but little difficulty
1t was In the early summer of l771
that Peter Haywood Of Concord, and
Joseph Weston of Lancaster, started
from Massachusetts to make new homes
for themselves in the wilderness of
Maine. The proprietors of the Plymouth
Co. had given free grants of land to en-
courage settlers and 1t Is probable that
these men had explored the country be-
fore l771, as they seem to have known
exactly where to make their camp.
Peter Haywood had with him his son
John, or Asa, II years old, and Isaac
Smith, l6 years of age. Joseph Weston
had only his son, Eli, II years old.
They brought with them from Massa
chusetts, herd of twenty cattle and
secured corn and potatoes for seed at
Vassalborough. After the planting had
been done on the great island they built
a cabin, 20 feet square, on Weston's land,
rs ne intended to bring his family that
fall. There were natural meadows
where they cut and stacked hay for the
cattle, and in September Weston started
for Massachusetts taking with him the
boy, Asa Haywood. For some unknown
reason, Peter Haywood soon returned to
Concord, leaving the two boys TO finish
the harvesting and take care of the
cattle. Fearing that they could not Sc
cure the crop in season, the boys found
a man to help them, but he went away
before the winter was over and never re-
turned.
Weston did not start from Lancaster
with his family till the 9Th of November
and it WAS the first day of December
when their sailing vessel reached Capt.
Lovejoy's at Dresden. Here he estab-
lished his family aud went up the river
to the camp. AS there were hunters and
trappers around, the boys were not en-
tirely alone. so after a visit of a few
weeks, Weston returned to his family,
and the last OF January moved them on
the ice to Fort Halifax where they
stayed till the 9th of April; and he adds
in his diary "then set out for Canaan,
| got Ms lar us WI LllIlll Ilcy WOUu - 20
we got over the landing, 30 we got
about mile above the Is mile stream,
30 of April we got to my own house"
Aud thankful enough they must have
been to get there too, after having spent
six months in coming from eastern Mass.
Joseph Weston's family at this time con
sisted of his wife Eunice Farnsworth,-
n large, strong woman, said to have been
the handsomest woman who ever went