Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1899-05-24
SWANS ISLAND.
INTERESTING HISTORY OF THIS
PLACE JUST PUBLISHED.
HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED AND SET
TLED-SKETCH OF JAMES SWAN
STORY OF THE EARLY SETTLERS.

with great care aud patient labor, DR..
Fl. W. Small, Of Atlantic, has collected a
large amount of interesting matter reiat-
ing to swans island, in Union river bay,
and has published it under the title If
"A History OF Swans Island".
1t is a book that ought to, and doubt
less will, be found III the household Of
every family whose early history is in any
way connected with this historic little
island.
The work is divided into eight chapters,
as follows:
/. Observation-Disclosures discovery.
II. e-Settement-Land Titles
III. Sketch Of the Life of Col. James SWAN
~. Biographical Sketches of tue Ear
Settlers.
V. Colts Island.
VI. History of the Fishing Industry.
VII. Synopsis of the Municipal Records
VIII Miscellaneous.
Each chapter contains much Of inter g
not only to the people of Swans Island,
but to many of the towns of Hancock
county. The people who settled that
island came almost wholly from the
nearby towns Of Deer Isle, Mt Desert and
Sedgwick, and the biographical sketches,
especially, will interest many in these
towns.
The first chapter gives he introduction,
sources of Information, trace of the
aboriginal settlement near Hocomock
Head. Indian skeletons unearthed as well
as stone arrow heads and hatchets, and
many other interesting relics of bygone
days that showed that island to have been
favorite resort for red men, probably on
account of the excellent harbor, excellent
fishing near the shore, and the good
hunting.
1t takes up an interesting record of the
discovery OF that island by Champlain in
1904, when he made map which is still
preserved in Boston. He gave on that
early map the name of that island as
Brule Cote, a French term meaning Burnt
Hill, which was improperly translated
into Burnt Coat, by which name that
island was called until Swans purchase.
1t also gives, incidentally, much concern
ing neighboring towns, ancient names
and settlements.
The next chapter gives record of the
old deeds and oil her documents given by
the commonwealth of Massachusetts to
Col. James Swan, who bought the twenty
five islands contained in the Burnt Coat
group, in 1888, for the sum of 81 .92O.
Then follows complete record OF the
settlement of the island, the hardsh hips
overcome, mode of living, survey, estab-
lishment of schools; in fact, a perfect
pen picture of every day life as it existed
on the island at that time.
JAMES SWAN.
The sketch OF the life OF Colonel James
Swan, the purchaser of these islands, and
after whom that town was named, APP
proaches the romantic. He was one of
Boston's wealthiest merchants. He came
to Maine about the same time that his
lifelong friend, Gen. Henry Knox, took
up his home in Thomaston. He was in
vesting in wild land in Maine which
promised to give good returns.
He built mansion on Swans Island,
called by the natives the "Big House,,
saw mill and grist mill. The fiattering
uS DtItI oul W SETTLERS
brought many families from the neigh
boring towns.
Swan was in the Boston Tea Party,
fought at the battle of Bunker Hill, and
served throughout the Revolution, in
which he was several times promoted.
He gave generously from his immense
fortune to further the American cause.
He filled many public offices in Massach hui
sets after retiring to civil life. He enter
tanned the most distinguished company
that visited Boston, Lafayette was his
firm friend.
SWANS MISFORTCNES.
By series of misfortunes he lost heavi-
ly in his speculations so that he left this
country and visited France just at he be-
ginning of her revolution. There,
the efforts of Lafayette and
Others, he secured the contract to supply
the French army. Here he made large
amount of money which he sent to his
wife and family in Boston.
At tue close of the French revolution,
the government claimed that Swan was
heavily in debt to it. This Swan
denied However, he was put into