The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1907-12-12

One of the first permanent settlers
was Andrew Bennett who came from
| the kennebec region in the fall OF 1893
and located on the east shore of Winnie
! cook Lake. At about the same time,
two brothers, Nicholas and Caleb Dodge
came from New Londonderry, n. H.,
and settled near the shore of Winnie
cook Lake. The next season the Dodge
Brothers crossed over the lake into
Burnham, Caleb taking up farm Oh
what is now known as the Goodwin
McGray place, and Nicholas locating
upon the Mount on the farm now
owned by his grandson, Sidney Dodge.
| From these brothers sprang what came
| to be known locally as the Mount and
the Pond Dodges. DR.. M. I. Dodge of
! Troy is a great grandson of the pioneer
| Nicholas.
Also the year 1898 marked the COM
ing of the Gerrishes from Durham.
In 1893 the town was surveyed aud
made into lots and ranges. From that
time on, the settlers came i'll good num-
bers. The Bagleys from Durham came
in about the year 1900, as did John
! Rogers of Greenwich, Mass. Joseph
| Green came three years before, from
Unity. Rogers brought with him five
children and bought land at what is
now known as Rogers Corner. The
first year he cleared from the virgin
forest 25 acres and planted it to corn.
The same year Joseph Green, not to be
outdone by his thrifty townsman, plant
ed twenty-five acres to corn. Green
raised 100 bushels of corn and Rogers
1000, which of course was before it was
shelled. We seldom see the vast fields
of the good old Indian corn that graced
the fields of our ancestors. This corn
of which | have been speaking was sold
for crown a bushel, or as we would
say, S1.0S.
| 1t is an interesting sidelight on the
manners of the time to trace the career
of this corn. Rogers sold his crop to
lumbermen on the Penobscot river near
Hampden and Bangor, this having to
be transported with OK teams. On the
other hand Green sold his coan to the
nelghboring farmers. There is story
in connection with Rogers corn crop
that may prove interesting to you. At
the time OF the raising of !he first pro-
duce in town there came to Bath from
France ship in search of masts. They
weren't to be satisfied with any puny
| Sapnngs, but desired the best and tall
est that could be found, seventy in
number Being unsuccessful in their
search at Bath they came to Peltoma
Point and there hired Rogers to secure
| the desired articles
While away i'll search for the masts
he left his family III care of his wife
and oldest child, Il girl of sixteen. For
fear that they might be hungry in his
absence he left them 1000 bushels of
corn stored in dryhouses. AS matters
tIirntII 4 this 1 tbarl
three teams III search for corn. They
| had been to DIXmont and had been
unsuccessful and SO thinking that Troy
might be second Egypt they crossed
| tie line and came to this town After
frultless search at many houses they,
having heard that Rogers had corn for
sale, came to the Rogers home Hav-
Ing made known their errand, Mrs
Rogers, with true New England pluck,
set TO work to shell the desired amount
/ of corn. The work progressed far into
the night. Candles were used for light
and very likely they made use of the
blaze of the open fire At ali odds
the three teams left Troy the next
afternoon loaded down with the golden,
! yellow corn.
In the year 1900 Reuben Carleton
came to town and built mill for the
purpose of manufacturing lumber. The
site is said to be the same as the pres
ent location of l.. l.. Rogers mill.
Reuben RhoadeS also came and set
tied at West Troy. The present citi-
zen of that name is one of his direct
descendants. 1t is related that at
one time, when Mr.. Rhoades was away
at work in some place near here, he
had tod his wife before be went away
that he would send them some corn SO
that they might not lack for food in
his absence. The corn having failed to
arrive and the family meal chest get
ting low, Mrs. Rhoades set out to find
some corn. At that time there Was
store at Troy Corner kept by johnson
& Butman of which we will learn more
later Coming to the Corner, Mrs.
Rhoades secured a half bushel of corn
and carried it to Carleton's Mill, had it
ground and then went home with it and
there gave her children something to
eat. She had carried it tor about seven
miles. So much for the Yankee pluck
and grit of the women that have help
ed make Troy what it is.
The HillmanS, too, are numbered
among those who came early and made |
a place for their family. Among the |
early names in this family are those of !
JOllH duu SHallCo WIZ Cdlu0 iIOm
Readfield.
The Estes families can trace their
lineage back to the early days of the
last century.
Whitehouse too came from Dover,
n. H., in about the same year.
The Gerrishes, before mentioned, |
built one of the first houses.
The list would not be complete I'M
less we made mention of the Bankers, /
who have always been thrifty, stalwart |
farmers of that class which has made |
New England great the world over.
Stephen Baker, the pioneer of that
family, bought section of rough, billy |
land, which by dint of hard labor made |
a valuable farm. Coming in the early !
3Os he lived on his farm nearly sixty |
years and it is fact worthy of notice
that in all of this time, he never bought |
a barrel of -four, raising his own wheat |
and having 1t ground. 1t is also relat-
ed that he was among the early settlers
who went to Belfast, finding their way
by the spotted trees. On one Of these
trips he bought one gallon of molasses |
for use during the next year, the same
to be used only in the case of sickness.
We might 60 on and tell of other |
families that came and incidents con-
nactad with them vet the time will not |