Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-02-14

AA~a hohseS Ess Gultn.
MIR. Stevens married second wife Mrs
Margaret II. Grindle, of Penobscot, March
!, 1858; she died Feb. Ia. 1869. leaving NO
children by this union. Mr.. Stevens
name in the records is given as varnum.
also as Edward Varnum.
Capt. Steven Norton and family occu-
pied this house and place after Mr.. Stevens
for some years, just how many the writer
cannot state. He was sea captain, born
IN the town of st. George, Me-, March %,
1883; came to Blue Hill, where he con-
tinued to make his home until his death
Jan. 8, 1873, aged nearly eighty-six years.
He commanded coasting vessels between
the town and Boston until age and infirm-
tiles compelled him to retire from sea
life. The writer sailed with him IN schooner
Zodiac, and the father OF the writer also
sailed with him when he was mate with
Capt. Robert Means in the early part of
the last century.
Few men on the coast OF Maine engaged
in coasing were better known than was
Capt. Norton. There were few il any
harbors or anchorages between Blue Hill
and Boston that he had not visited; as he
became timid and careful as age crept upon
him, and he did not take chances where
anchorage seemed TO him to be more dis
Greet. This criticism, though Just in the
writer's view of the case, is not intended
to be hypercritical.
Captain Norton was twice married-first
Ian 1S 1919 ~ g
Andrew and Mehitable Kimbau Witham,
born Aug. Is, 1877 she died July 10, 1895,
leaving ten children. On Nov. q, 1885, he
married, second, Clarissa Carleton, daugh-
ter OF William and PAMELA (Osgood) Car
Teton, born Feb. 7, 1918; died Nov. H. 1878,
aged sixty years and eight months. She
also bore ten children, so that by two
wives there were twenty as follows, viz:
By first wife:
|. Mary Wtham, born Oct. p, .1s13;
married Willard Fisher.
2. John Kimball, born Aug. 81, 1915;
married Ruby Ann Hinckley.
3. Stephen, born Feb. %, 1918; died at
sea May II, 1915.
4. William, born June 5, 1920; married,
lived and died in Boston.
5. Mehitable Kimball, born Oct %,
1922; died March 6, 1874.
@. Sophia Tenney, born June 5, 1925;
died April 20, 1919.
7. Priscilla Morse, born April 10, 1928;
died in Boston.
s. Frederick Henry, born Aug. %, 1879.
8. Catherine, born May 10, 1892.
10. Lois, born Oct. I, 1891.
By second wife:
II. Harriet Webster, born Nov 10, 1895.
u. Hollis Wheeler, born Nov. 10, 1897.
10. Clara Windship, born Sept. 5, 1899;
de4 Sept, II, lsil.
II. Francis Warren, born March 2, 1s41
Is. Granville, born March Is, 1913; died
Sept. 2, 1913.
IS. Clara w, born July IS, 1874; mar
ried Frederic S. Stevens.
IT. Mehitable Witham, born Aug. q,
1916; died Sept. p, 1850.
is. Stephen Kimball, born March 81,
1919.
10. Ann Buck, born Dec. 8, 1852.
20. John Albert, born April 30, 1855.
Beside these John Havlin was an adopted
son OF the family.
Mrs. Clarissa Norton, the summer before
her marriage to Capt. Norton, was the
writer's school teacher in the Falls dis
trict. William Norton was also his teacher
one winter in the same district. John
Havlin, the adopted son, was the writer's
schoolmate, shipmate and lifelong friend.
Miss Priscilla Norton was the writer's
school friend at the academy, and at her
death he wrote her obituary, so that in
various ways the writer's life was linked
with this family.
BLUE HILL ACADEMY,
square wooden building, the first one,
built in 1903, stood on the corner just be-
low the last described place until 1893,
when it gave way for thelpresent structure
to be built that year, by being moved
down the road to near the mill stream,
where it did duty as a store until de-
stroyed by fire twenty-five or thirty
years thereafter.
The writer remembers to have seen it in
transit; after il was converted into a
store, and also to have seen the present
brick structure while being erected; to
have attended school within it; later to
see it abandoned for school purposes;
wreck shorn OF its former Importance.
Its history the writer recited in 1903, at
the centennial OF the founding of the
academy, which has been printed, leaving
nothing more to be added at this time.
THE SAMUEL SMITH PLACE.
on which stood a brick one-story cottage
built by John and Ames Arnold was the
next below the academy. The writer does
not remember when it was built, but it
was probably about 1882. Samuel smith,
it is said, came from Beverly, Mass, to
the town, and entered into trade of gem
eral character in the village, keeping
groceries, West India and other goods.
He married Julia Ann Holt, Sept. ID,
Of IaraYniab fTbprndike