The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-08-16
,,, Aleer music Mr.. Brown presented the
library TO the town. saying:

,'''aFS 30 the town. saying:
MIR. W. W. BROWN.
Citizens Of my Native Town. Ladies
i, y seems lifting that / should, upon
ms occasion, trace briefly the lives OF my
latner ana mother, la whose mantorv his
isro"h memorial Library has been erected.
an0 give some expression To the deem
"neo11on IN which hold their memory.
me hundred years ago my father,
ooAabhdn brown, q young man twenty
I'VE years of age, came to this tov1-
snip bnen almost q Wilderness. took mn
. lot OF land felled few acres OF frees
p1lhe1 Gnu cleared them or, put in i
eF t41 Of grain and bu lit a log house.
lie nsedeu helpmate. AS good for
tune would have it, there lIvad not far
away young woman, seventeen wears
oi ases Wen lifted Tor such a man and
such a position she was comelv. of
Fv00 .S ufe, with dark eyes ana complex
lohs aDoundtng in health and enured to
the tolls OF frontier life.
Her air, her smile, her motion told
VI WomAnly completeness. 80
Altogether she was a most attractive
person ana brought TO his home devoted
ana aHectlonate compani0nshfp AS re-
gards her education, she was on a mar
WIN tnls young man. She had only
huch as q trontler settlement can give
Iney were married ana began life in
this log house together In due time the
frame house which now stands took the
place OF the log house On this spot they
lived and tOiled all their lives
The fruit of this marriage was twelve
cnlldren, six boys and six girls, born in
the twelve different months of the year
All grew up, married and had families
but one remained here. The others and
shelr descendants are scattered AL over
the lands-1n California, Washington
Dakota Minnesota, Indian Territory
Illinois. Oregon, District OF C0Iumbfa,
Mary land, New Jersey, New York, Cam
adas Turkey and IN various parts OF this
state. This IN brief is the history of
Jonathan and Betsey MIchaels Brown.
am the tenth child only one other sur
vlving.
Ny earliest recollection of my life hers
dates hack seyenty-five years. Then there
were only seven families besides our own
IN this neighborhOod AIr. Joel Leonard
and Mr. James Hunter bad farms a short
distance up the river, and adjoining our
farm below was the farm OF David
Hunter called Great David" which
Is now covered ia part By this village.
Next to him lived David Hunter called
king David, opposite him a Mr..
Baker, and next below, James and
Charles Brown. no relations of ours.
This region was then. as 1 have said, a
+ wilderness except for the clearings Of
these farms. All was then IN a primeval
state. The travelled road on this river
practically ended at this settlement, al
though there was beyond what would
now lie called q blackboard road, hardly
paseabie, 20 Pittsneld.
Well do remember seeing the PenoD-
scot Indians passing in their canoes down
this river on their annual pilgrimage
10 the sea. In those days they were &C.
cuatomed TO go up the kenduskeag
stream, a branch OF the Penobs3Ot river,
10 its source, cross over to the head
waters OF the Sehasticook, and SO down
this river To tbs AenneDeo river, to the
seashore, where they would spend the
summer in fishing ana basket making,
returning by the same way IN the fall.
Our schooling was limited to three
months IN the summer for the younger
children, and three months IN the win
ter for children OF all ages, but in addI-
ton Ia this my father gave all his boys
: on leaving the public schools the benefit
of three months at an academy. This
was his contribution, however small. to
the needs of O higher education. We had
! no books except the Bible and "a few
! school books, and one newspaper, the
Zion Herald.
Among these school books was the old
!, English reader edited by Lindley Muir
: ray. ] read and re-read It, and can still
E read It with the greatest delight. 1 do
4 not think that a better collection Of read
i ing matter for school IS ID be founc
) anywhere than between the covers Of that
. old book.