The Somerset reporter., 1899-10-05
One Hundred Years Ago.
fUnion Advocate. ]

that you are collecting data for a history
of the town OF Arson. Such u history
ought TO have been published years ago
and | hope the time is near at hand when
one will be published. As have visited
the libraries of New England cities |
have found histories OF many towns In
Maine, but | have searched in vain to
find anything about the town of Arson.
In looking over very full photography
OF Maine which | found in the New
England Genealogical and Historical
Library at Boston, | found the name
"Anson' mentioned only once, and this
referred to the History of Northern Star
Lodge F. & A. NJ, written by the late
Albert Moore. There should be
history OF the town of Arson and | trust
your efforts are receiving such en-
enlargement that the book will be forth
coming.
In the years 1796, 1897, 1898 and 1900,
Rev. Paul Coffin, a Congregationalist
missionary, made preaching tour
through Franklin, Somerset and kenne-
bee counties visiting the town Of Arson
several times on his journey up and
down the river. He kept journal
which was published 10 1856 and is there
fore available. IL contains some i'm
portant items for your history. 1t gives
me pleasure to copy some items from
Rev. Collins journal which are publish
ed below. Although these do not
especially refer to the town of Arson
yet am sure they will be Of interest TO
the readers Of your paper. In another
paper | will give items which pertain
directly to the town of Arson and the
people living there one hundred years
ago.-ANsoNITE.
1896, July Is, New Vineyard, Solo
mon Luce's. Preached from 1st Corin-
thians VI: 20. From Capt. Aliens to
this house the land is rich and the road
bad Rode to Herbert Boardman's.
This is place of deep soil aud rich. 1t
contains about fifty families, mostly
from Martha's Vineyard. Perhaps a
thousand bushels of grain have been sent
to market from this settlement, only
five years old. Here is one high hill
from which looking southwest, you see
four ridges Of mountains rising one
above another; the fourth and last very
lofty and majestic"
July 10. New Vineyard. Herbert
Boardman's. Preached from Matt. V:
%, "a. Serious, attentive, friendly
people. was much respected here, and
the difference between the standing
clergy and itineranls was fully owned.
1t rained most of this day, six or seven
of us dned at Boardman's. Cold
weather, good dinner and good appetites.
Some Baptists and Methodists here.
Capt. West and family here, agreeable.
Rode to Capt. Daggetts, through woods,
bars and fields, guided by the obliging
James Mantor.n
July 20. New Vineyard. Capt. |
Daggett and his sons Capt. Daggett.
Old Capt. Dsggett has a young second
wife and no children by her. His
house Is double log and bark as usual. |
He has also a little building north Of his |
house, half under ground for cellar. |
Thus his house Is T. At the south end |
of his house through door you go into
a sweet little bed room OF logs and bark. |
1t has no chamber, and seems an arch. |
This is well furnished and for this place |
tits admirably pleasing. In it are six |
pictures under glass. Two |
of them are likenesses Of Cotton Matther |
and George Whitefield. In this rural
arch Of New Vineyard, | slept sweetly |
after a night OF fieas. Here are also |
two desks. two tables, etc. There is a |
lovely spring near the house, ever flow
ing. 1t is soft rural retreat. The |
house faces east. You look over a |
valley northeast and see two pretty |
Above these two mountains |
is Seven Mile Brock, at the right hand |
Sandy River. Preached A. NJ. from I'd |
Ill IA, 10 to a few sober hear
ers. After dinner rode to Benjamin |
Hilton's on Sandy River, about eight
miles"
July 21st. Starks on Sandy River. |
Benjamin Hilton's. Mr.. Randall, a |
preaching in this vicinity came |
to Hilton's and dined with me. After |
dinner | preached at Oliver Wilson's |
from Matt V: %, "a, to "A serious mum |
Der of people and Randall the candidate. |
W ilson lives near the mouth of Sandy |
River, on its east side or rather north |
side. On an eminence north of his house |
you have a delightful prospect. You
look over Kennebec and see the intervale |
where the Indians had fort and grand |
settlement. And on the right you see |
Sandy river and its ntervales on both |
sides. This Is nearly equal to any rural |
seen by me. After meeting |
rode In company with Mr. Randall and |
his attendant up the river mile or two
and forded itI and put up at Mr.. |
Crosby's We passed by beautiful
island of three or four acres, covered |
with feed and oilnut trees, and some
Indian corn hills, Indian relics. This |
island was sweetly romantic and softly |
elysian. We rode through some inter
val fields, very rich with corn, wheat,
potatoes, etc. And the gardens were
rare for so new place. Onions, beets |
and parsnips were excellent"
"July 22d Upper S. w. corner |
Starks. MIR. Arnold's. Rode TO this,
about six miles iu the morning. Part of |
the way was on the bank of the river,
bordered with oilnuts, very pleasant,
and part through upland, not much im-
proved. Mr.. Arnold's house and barn |
stand on an eminenee and view the in
tervale. He has been here six years and
cuts thirty tons OF hay. Near his house
Is an island, almost half a mile long and
only two or three rods wide in some
places, covered with grass and olnuts."
20, happy America Twenty-seven
years back there was not one house on
the Kennebec above Winslow. This
Sandy river country, pleasant by nature,
iii