Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-02-28
FOREIGNERS IN MAINE.
Four Different settlements In which
There Are Few Yankee
Families.

Maine is a Yankee state. if there is
one such anywhere. the proportion of
foreign born residents, or even of i'm
mediate descendants of foreign born
people being small. yet there are in
the state four quaint and prosperous
settlements that show how gregarious
aud how thrifty are the Irish. the
Dutch, the French AcaGians and the
Swedes. Benedicta, away up in the
woods of Aroostook county, is prac-
tically all Irsh Marlborough, in
Lincoln county, on the seacoast. col
onized from Holland $50 years ago. is
still 80 per cent Dutch: Madawaska,
where the eXiled Acadians of Grand
Pre-. the land of Evangeline. found a
refuge in 1858. is more than 80 per cent
French. while New Sweden, the colony
founded by William VI. Thomas. United
States minister to Sweden. in 1870. ha 5
to-day only two or three Yankee fla mi
lies SAYS the New York Times.
While all of these peoples make good
citizens and add greatly TO the wealth
ef the state, it is probable that Rene
Gicta. the one almost exclusively Irish
settlement in Maine. beats them all in
point of thrift and general prosperity.
Several mistaken historians have writ
ten that lienedicta was colOniZed from
the slums of Boston an nnwarrantetl
statement, many lines refuhed. In HE
early days Of the nineteenth century
the Catholic churches of Boston were
very poor, every parish having mem
berS who found it a hard struggle IN
get living, Some of the men drank
TOO much liquor, and Archbishop Fen
wick saw that it would he a good hing
for many of them if they could have
homes on farms. and get back TO some
thing ike the conditions to which they
had been used in the old country.
Acting upon This idea. the archbishop
went TO the general court OF Massachu-
>etts (Mainc being then a. province Of
that state) and bought township OF
wild land in AruoStook county. For
various reasons nothing further was
done until about the year 1881. when
he archbishop began to colonize the
township. sending TWO or three fam
lies at a time to make their homes
there. The experiment was a success.
and at the time of The breaking out Of
he civil war there were 4l0 persons liv-
ing in The colony. which had been chris
tened BeneGicta, and every one of them
Was Irish.
The population has fallen off some
what Of late years. being now but about
| $50. but the estates have increased in
value. and the place !, very prosperous
in its small way. There are no paupers
in fact, there never has been n pau
per in the town. and sickness is almost
nnheard of. most of the deaths result
ing FROM old age. The people are gen.
| eral.N farmers. most Of the tim ber h av-
ing been cut off wears ago. The houses
are all comfortable. he town hall is n
substantial building. and the Catholic
church, which is the only church there,
| Is one OF the best in Maine. The
streets are well kept. and the sidewalks
are of asphalt. There is no town debt
and few individual debts. Benedicta.
named for The archbishop founder.
| benedict Fenwick was incorporated
in 1872. The fact that there are no
criminals in the place, and that some
OF the families contain as many as IA
| children, are matters of especial bride.