The Portland daily press., 1898-02-01
LoMBARps AND HAMLgNs.
Interesting Sketch of Two of Gorhan's
Early Settlers.

The following communication wa
written by James II. Hamlen, Esq. OF
this city, and it was intended that i
should be read rs a part of the exercise
of the recent dedication Of the Gorhan
CONGREGATIONAL chapel, but was omitte,
pn account Of want OF time. The ar ticl
contains valuable and interesting infor
nation in regard to two OF the old famil
ies OF our state, and Ex-Governor Robie
to whom the communication was ad
dressed hos permitted it to be published
In the Daily PRESS:
Portland, Dec. gath, 1897.
My Dear Governor: when you frs
mentioned to ine that number of memo
rial windows would be placed in tn,
chapel at Gorhsm, saand asked me If
would not like to contributed one in mem
ory OF sons of my ancestors in the oldtoWn
you well know that without much hesita
ton, accepted the proposal, and one o.
the names that mentioned that [ .woulC
like to memoriallze, was my ancestor, or
my mothers side, the first settled minis
ter OF the town of Gorhan, Maine, tht
Rev. Solomon Lombard. AS expressed
to you, did not wish to have placed upor
the window Saints, Angels, etc., and tt
carry out my ideas. [ asked for some
original designs OF the painters, leaving
out all of the usual emblems. Following
out myErequest, received number OF
designs. and selected one which seemed
TO please me, and 1 hope that it will meet
the appreciation of all the parties under
whose observation it will come moresoften
than under my own.
After carrying ont the principal design
Of the window. there is placed twe
memorials, that of the first, being the
name of the first settled minister, the
Rev. Solomon Lombard OF the early
history of this man, l am not able to
learn anything, or of his ancestors. He
was born in Truro, on Cape Cod, March
1st, 1906, and no doubt he was of the
family that descended from Thomas
Lombard, who was born in Tenterton,
Kent County, England, about the year
1910. Mr.. Savage. in his Biographical
Dictionary asserts that Thomas Lom-
bard, came to Bdrnstable in 1889, and MIR.
Otis, the historian of the Barnstable fam
lilies, says that the Truro family is de-
rived from Thomas, and remarks THAT
this branch has made its mark in the
financial and commercial circles of the
country, as few names have done" In
the year 1923 he graduated from Harvard
College at the age OF II years, and was
ordained at Gorham on the Goth of De-
cember, 1850. He probably was settled
in some ministry before coming here, as
i6 had been ~ years since he graduated
from college, but of this there is nc
record, but he must have been known to
a committee, which doubtless was appoint
edsto look for a man who should serve
them as q minister, the simple record be
ing, THAT the proprietors of the town
voted to give bfr Solomon Lombard 8
call to settle here in the work Of the gos.
pei ministry"
10 cTr NIL cfcfa nrat ie II ho~, -,
regard to him, before he was called to
GorhaJQ. -
OF the sermons which he delivered there
has been no manuscript left, but il is
probable that they were Of the usual type
Of orthodox sermons of that day. His
style of composition, however, has come
down to US, as chairman of committee
which was raised by vote Of the town on
March 25th, i77l, to return the thanks of
the town to Mr.. Jacob Hamlen, for his
gift of half acre of nlandkfor burial
place, situated on Sonth street, and which
is called the "old Burying Ground,'' of
the town, and as chairman of this com
mittee, he made an address, which proba ply
was of his composing, and this address is
found in Pierce's History of the Town of
Gorham. His resting Eplace is probably
= IN tIfssi old bdlyIng Ground On ooutf
street.
Josiah Pierce in giving the account o.
were deemed necessary for an ordination
dinner; the value of each of the articles
etc. In view of the sentiments of today
the articles deemed necessary at that time
for an ordination dinner, would hardly
be tolerated. 1t would seem that Mr.
Lombard, did not long live in harmony
with his parish, for as early as 1857, mat
tiers had reached such crisis in th,
affairs of the church, that d part of hi
hearers requested the proprietors to dis
miss Mr.. Lombard complaining tha
they had no affection for him, and tina
his usefulness toward them had passed
and ether matters which came up, ant
for the rest of his ministry, which con
tinued until 1864, when he was regularl,
dismissed.
[ thi1k that tho first settlers of Gorhan
must have been rather strong minded
men; having opinions of their own, anc
were persistent enough in them 20 become
at variance with the minister, for il
those days the minister was the guide
and philosopher of the people, and his
teachings were implicitly believed in, but
in this case it seems that they soon diff
fered with him, and expressed themselves
very strongly in regard to their feelings
toward him. Perhaps this same feeling
has come down, even to the present day.
and for myself, must say that 1 think
such criticism on the part of the mem
bers of the parish, on the whole, is rather
helpful to the minister, because @ man
who has no contradiction, and has hi:
way in all things, is apt to become die
tatorial, with his mind running in one
direction. and that contradiction and
criticism is like the running stream in
encountering obstacles in its course, is g
life giving fluid, whera as stagnant water
with nothing to ruffie its surface, becomes
putrid and unhealthy.
Notwithstanding the differences which
occurred between the members of his
church and himself, it would seem thai
Mr.. Lombard after his dismissal entered
upon secular and political life, and be.
came a very valuable member of society