The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1899-01-05
9th Annual Hatch Family Reunion.

GRovEvILLE, Me, Jan. 2, 1899. l feel
in duty bound to beg the pardon of the
members Of the Hatch Family Association
for the long delay in preparing the report
of the proceedings of our ninth annual re
, union. Before leaving for Maine
spent nearly two weeks at Ocean Park,
n. j., in atten lance upon the triennial
session Of the General Conference of Free
Baptists, and soon after returning to my
home in Vermont | fastened across to the
western part of the State to attend the
Vermont yearly meeting of Free Baptists,
and when | again returned to my home |
began to pack up my effects to remove to
now pleasantly situated, but nearly over
whelmed with the great amount Of work
that has accumulated since [ first left the
Green Mountains the latter part of July.
The association met for the ninth CON
secutive time at the Hatch homestead near
Centre Montville, Maine. II may be that
terested to know something about this
farm. Prior to 1900 Theophilus Sargent
of Gambia, n. H., settled on what was
then known as North Ridge. on land now
owned by Dudley Tasker He was the
only settler in that part of the town, and
in order to pre- empt a large tract Of land
ba r,,lIp fln al al,
| thus claimed to improve the land Abel
Hatch first came to Knox from Mansfield.
Mass. to work for his uncle Prince Hatch.
sometime prior to 1909 III 1910 he mar
RED Sarah Sargent daughter of Theophi
lus and bought of him what is now known
as the Hatch homestead. He built a small
house on the site of the one now standing
On the place, and was living there in April
1913, The present house was built in 1887
Abel's son Ebenezer, who afterwards went
to Texas, was the master builder He was
only twenty one years of age at that time,
and the frontice work and the finish on
the best room, all of which he did by
hand was the admiration of many older
carpenters and was used by them as a
pattern in their own work
On this reunion day Mrs. Cora A. Good
win of Palermo had placed above the
frontice, the word welcome, most taste
fully executed in cedar. As one entered
the porch door another welcome greeted
the eye, and as the visitor entered the
sitting room he beheld the portrait of
Abel Hatch draped in the national flag,
which he defended in the war of 1872.
Above the portrait were the words, also
worked in cedar, "Home, Sweet Home, ;"
All these things, with the decorations of
flowers, made the old home sweet indeed
The attendance at the reunion was
larger than in any previous year. The
host, Deacon L. S. Hatch, aged so, was
the oldest person in attendance. The
other names on the register were as fol-
lows: Rev. E. Judson Hatch, Mrs. Nellie
f. Hatch and Miss Agatha M. Hatch,
Wheelock, V. T.; Martha A Hatch,
Centre Montvlle; Deacon Frederick A.
Hatch and Capt. W. S. Hatch, Damaris-
Gotta Mills; Allen Goodwin and Cora A.
Goodwin, North Palermo; Cornelius r.
Hatch, Alice E. Hatch and Reginald j.
Hatch, Weeks Mills; George U. White
and Sarah A. White, Belfast; Hattie A..
Clough and Walter E. Clough, Liberty
n. B. Allenwood and Angelina Hatch AL
lenwood, Ctr. Belmont; Dea. W S. Hatch,
Walter G. Hatch, George U. Hatch,
and Caroline G. Hatch, North Belfast
Mabel S. Cram, Liberty; Gardner L.
Hatch, Almira E. Hatch and Harriet E.
Hatch, Citypoint: Martha j. Bemis,
Lawrence, Mass DR.. T. n. Pearson AND
Mrs. L. n. Pearson, Morrill,; Mrs. Pyan
d. Hatch and Mrs. Wealtha P. Hatch,
| Islesboro.
The Association was called to order by
exercises of singing, scripture reading
and prayer by the chaplain, we listened tc
the address of welcome by Martha A.
Hatch of Centre Montvllle, as follows:
DAY Dy ddy another Year udS passed
and again we meet i'll family reunion
Again | am permitted, as in former years
to greet and welcome the dear ones to this
Reunion Home. At first these pleasant
reunions included only the descendants OF
Abel, but now they extend to all the
Matches in America. We see to-day {
representative of the ninth generation
Agatha, the daughter of Judson, the sol
of Theophilus, the son of Abel, the son OF
Jonathan, the son of Israel, the son of
Walter, the son of William. As the mino
is carried back over the centuries, we are
led to think of the hardships and priva
lions that our ancestors endured, and ais,
of the freedom and liberty that we nov
enjoy. Slowly, yet how gloriously, this
} family tree has grown. A giant, indeed
with its branches extending over tn.
whole earth. Oftimes the silent reaper
has gone forth, and wrenched asunder the
branches from the mother tree, while
both the sorrowing and sympathizing hav'
watered them with their tears. From tn,
beginning, the springing buds have beer
carefully watched and trained, and this
years increase of the present generation
gives promise for the continued safety o
our constitution.
THIS REUNION
With the descendants of Abel did begin,
| Now reaches out to all his kith and kin: