The Republican journal., 1906-10-04
A RELIGIOUS LANDMARK
The Old Free Baptist Church IN IhornolRe.
BY CASsIUS c. ROBERTS.
rCopo1u6o6
1Concluded.1

Concluded
Elder Joseph Higgins removed to
Gorham, Me-, in childhood, where he
married Betsey Files, they emlgratlng
to Thorndike at the beginning OF mar
ried life, which country was then re-
ceivlng its first settlers, and was known
as Lincoln plantation. The first settler
of Brooks, an adjoining town on the
southeast, was a native of Gorham, IN
the person of Joseph Roberts OF Buck
field. who was Revolutionary soldier,
and whose wife esther HamllnQ was
also originally from Gorham. Another
native of Gorham, Revolutionary SOL
der, was Joel Rich, who tralled his way
to North Yarmouth, thence to pass
few years in Buckfeld. finally adding to
the Gorham colony by settling IN the
wear 1903 in the adjoining town OF Jack.
son. east of Thorndike. on the land OF
the proprietors, Thorndike, Sears and
Prescott, the name of Lincoln planta-
ton being changed to Thorndike in hon
or of Israel Thorndike, one OF the pro-
prietors.
Elder Higgins was a strong man,
physically and intellectually, and COM
manded great respect from MS Towns
men, while standing high in the coun-
ellis his church. He declined to take
active part in public affairs to any ex,
tent, devoting himself and MS naturai
talents to religious work and to the up
building OF his church. He was the
first clerk of the township, ana taught
the second school in town, and remain
ed the active pastor OF the church TOT
fifty years, when he gave way to a young
Ell man to bear the increasing burdens
at a time when the society was ID. Ihe
zenith of its strength and prosperity.
His wife, Aunt Betsey, as she was
known to ALL was worthy helper ana
greatly beloved in the community ana
their lives, fittingly closed together on
the same day, within few hours, ne at
the age of 81, she at SO years.
The son. Deacon Joseph Higgins,
who gives every promise of passing pc
vond the ninety one years mile post OF
his father, is one of those fare legacles
handed down to the present generation,
a link in the great cham OF historical
events in locality that the average In
dividual of today only knows by tradl-
ton. For more than sixty years ne
has sung IN the choir of his chnrch.
He has seen generations come and go
until he is left practically alone, head
and front of the society and chufch.
Well and truthfully can he say, 81 have
fought the good fight, | have kept the
faith
Deacon Joseph Higgins was born IN
Lincoln plantation, Hancock county
State of Massachusetts,, May Is, 1919,
and has resided in the same terrltory
ever since. He was married to Louise
W. Higgins in 1916 She died in 1869.
She was a leading worker in the church
and sang in the choir before her mar
rage and until her last illness. They
had three daughters; one, Mrs. j. ).
Foster of Rockport, Me-, survives. HIS
second wife was Lydia Vickery Fergu-
son. daughter of Eli Vickery, a proml-
nent citizen of Unity, who twice repre-
scented his town in the legislature. They
have two children, Joseph Dumont
Higgins and Betsey Ida Higgins. Dea-
con Higgins secured such education as
could be had in the common schools OF
those early days and soon became III
terested in public affairs. lie has been
clerk. treasurer and selectman OF ms
town upon frequent occasions. tie
rarely misses church or sunday schooi
service and as clerk and treasurer TOT
twenty-five years of the Free VIII Bap-
list Quarterly Conference meeting.
never failed to be present III the race
of long distance to travel, rough ROADS
and severely inclement weather. lie
has always done his own thinking and
had an independence to act upon all
questions according to his convictions,
as his first vote in 1910 demonstrated,
when he supported Edward Kent for
governor and William Henry Harrison
for president, wings, thus antagonzlng
the overwhelming sentiment OF his
town and the views Of other members
OF the family, who were then Demo-
Gratis: but all soon to be with him, abo-
litloniSts. In 1912, when the liberty
party presented its first candidate for
governor James Appleton, Deacon
Higgins was one of ten in the town
who voted for him. Two years later )
theil number had increased to thirty
three, and their candidate for repre-
sentative, Reuben W. Files, father of
Prof. George B. Files OF Lewiston, re-
ceiyed more than one hundred votes III
the classed towns of Thorndike, Troy
and Jackson. j
In 1S4S the Liberty party vote had ID
creased to seventy-tive i'll the town,
with a majority of one over both the
old parties; and the following year they
elected their representatlve-Jos lah
Harmon-father of Truman Harmon, a
famous Waldo Republican leader IN
later years, defeating Jesse Smart of /
Troy, an old Democratic war horse, the
first bitter dose administered to one of |
d class of long powerful politicians in
that diStrict-the Brooks representa-
tive class having been the first to back
away in the county the year previous,
1878, by electing the Free Soil candl-
date, Elisha Merriam Of Belmont, now
Morrill,. At this time nearly all the
members of the Thorndike Free Will
Baptist church were found in the ranks
of the Free Soilers-the Higgins, Files
and Cotfins families counting more
than twenty votes of that strlpe-With
the Gordons, ShaWs, Stones, the Meth
odist Harmons. and Quaker Hansons,
Coles, Smalls, Pratts, Hawkes., TiltOns,
Ezekiel Boothbay, Isaac Whitaker,
Amos Jones, Edmund P. Prescott and
Christopher Varney.
Deacon Higgins was among those
who organized the Waldo county Re-
publican party i'll 1854 and he has never
swerved in allegiance to its candidates, t
or locally, preferring, as he
says, in an experience with it OF fifty
two years, to bear some of its ills rather
tlian to fly to those he knows not of.
He has never failed 10 vote at all cleo
tions, general, special or town meetings,
since he became of age, Il slXty-iive
wears record for patriotic duty as an