Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-04-30
Tuesday, April 80. 1907.
The province" and District" of
Maine.

Of Maine than Rev. Henry S Burrage Of
Tngus and his paper last week before
the Maine Historical Society at Port
land on THE Origin and Use of the
Designations Province Of Maine and
District Of Maine" was a particularly
valuable contribution to the historical
literature of our State. Before Maine
became the 23d state Of the Union by
the at Of Congress approved March 3,
1870. it was known in turn as the
Province of Maine and the District of
Maine and writer's have differed as to
the origin of these two terms and as to
ne time when the first was superseded
by th, second ana the reasons therefor.
DR.. Eurrage asserts that the deSig-
nation "Province Of Maine" is hrst
found in the charter granted 10 Sir
Fcrdnando Gorges and Captain John
Mason under date of August 10, 1872.
II has been held by some thar the name
was a compliment to Henrietta Maria
VINO became the queen of Charles !,
or of a province III France called the
"Prnvince Of Mcyne." but Or. Burragr
asserts that as this marriage did not
take place until 1925 the charter of lG22
was entirely too early for amy such
compliment as is referred to above, es-
prciaIIy since in 1879 Charles was in
Spain seeking the hand of Il Spanish
pine, - in marriage.
Dr. Burragc gives more weight t"
the theory that the name came IRON
th,. carly designation Of the main land
by sailors and fishe rmen who spoke of
il rs The main" in distinction from the
nuurrnus islands along our coast.
When Georges and Mason in l629 dlNld-
"a ;heir interests and the part north
Of th.. PIscataqua river went to Georges,
H. called it New Somersetshire III
honor of his English birthplace; but 10
wears later when the king conferred to
corges this territory "to be called ana
named the Province of Maine" there
was a return to the original deSigna-
tion. During the following century
the designation "PrOvince Of Name
appears only occasionally in royal or
local documents. As Massachusetts
Strengthened its hold upon this terri
,n~v il was commonly known as the
comfy Of York ana by some II was
called Yorkshire. In some legal do"n-
urutY the expression In the County
of York in New England, alias Province
Of Maine is found.
TIL. change from "ProVlnce OF
Maine" to District of Maine" came
about in the closing years Of the lNth
c.ntury II has been commonly hcld
MAI This was q result Of the DIVISION
of Massachusetts, into judicial DIS
tricts Williamson. the historian. says
mat its new name was first used IN
us when Massachusetts was hlVlheu
into three court districts, the eastern
district being toned the District oi
N,iu. Most writer's have followed
Williamson in this matter. DIR. bur
rage. however. finds that the term dlS-
,ric,' vas first applied in this c"nn"r-
ti,u At least two wears earlier IMAM the
aa,. ~, by Williamson. In an act of
Auril Il. l116. the jurisdiction al the
three courts of Massachusetts was ~
,idcd into districts instead of couh'itS'
as in earlier acts. The thlrd was en-
ti,Irl The court for the eastern us
trirt. with sittings To br held at fal-
mn,lth ana PuwnalbOrough. IL = III
,ri, A., that the word "distriCt' as
arp,i.d 10 the territory Of Maine hrS'
anpears, although the designation i'S-
t,i,t of Maine" was not used then nor,
indeed for Il number of years later.
Instead ot being known i'll las as III"
"DistIict Of Maine" as Williamson mas
held. d. Burrage cannot ma that the
term was then used either commonly OF
in the acts of the Massachusetts ieslS-
lature of the Continental Congress. 8ul
when the federal constitution was
adonted and Massachusetts was CIVIC
.d into eight districts in 1890 for the
choice Of representatives to Congress
tho counties of York. Cumberland ana
Lincoln comprised one Of these dlS-
tricts and in this way. without any
official action that We know OF, the
state of Maine acquired the designa-
zion District of Maine" The earliest
use Of this designation by the Massa-
chusetts Legislature was in resolve
passed Feb 9. 1892, granting land TO
Berwick Academy. Once in use the
designation became more and more
general until in 1895 a book was pub
nshed entitled 1.-The History of the Dis
trict Of Maine and in the generation
which followed before Maine became
separate State, it was both officially
and popularity called by this name.
Thus. DIR. Rurrage contends that the
a Strin nf