Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-03

Wv <hIluiCN ID pICSCA NC'A a. IiiS
State House in manuscript volumes
carefully inGeXed and these are full of
priceless historical material. DR.. Bur
rage attempted to find some of the cor
respondence or records relating to the
fugitive slave case involving Georgia
and Maine in 1874 A slave escaped
from Savannah in a Maine schooner
and reached Thomaston in safety. The
owner followed the slave and recovered
him, but brought charge against the
captain and mate for stealing the slave.
The governor Of Georgia asked the
Governor of Maine for their delivery to
| Georgia justice. Three successive gov
errors of Maine declined to grant this
governor and legislature of Maine for
several years. DR.. Burrage was unable
to find any of the correspondence or
documents bearing upon this matter.
There was a reference to the case in a
governors message of that period, but
nothing more; none of the letters, leg
islative resolutions or anything which
| would give the historian material.
These two instances might be multi
piled many times, and the condition of
| things which they disclose as 10 our
State archives is largely due to the
| fact that no suitable provision has yet
been made for the care and preserva-
ton of the public records, the official
pers which accumulate year by year at
the State House. The department re-
ports and the legislative proceedings
are all right as far as they go, but the
Investigator, the historian who is af-
| ter the bottom facts, wants these hings
and many others not found IN printed
form first hand from the original doc
uments.
In the matter of the records of tho
earlier period, the period between the
first explorations and settlements OF
our coost and the establishment OF
Maine as an Independent State in 1920
the conditions are ii anything, still
more 6eplorable. The materials FOR the
history of Maine during that long peri
Cd are to be found only, if at all, In the
archives of London, France and Spain
or in the public records Of Massachu-
sets repositories. Thanks to the Maine
Historical Society and particularly its
president, Mr. Baxter, much has been
done in recent years in cleaning infor-
nation from these sources, but much
remains to be done.
| 1t is not to be expected that the his
torians of Massachusetts would single
out the history of Maine, the achieve
ments of Maine men, etc, during the
period that Maine was a part of Massa-
chusetts. That is naturally left for
Maine historians to accomplish. Thus
| il has come about that while the out
| line is plain enough. still the details
have been sadly obscured as to the part
played by Maine in the early history OF
New England.
| 1t has received scant credit for in,
stance, for what it did during the Colo
NAL and Revolutionary wars. 1t re.
manned for DR.. Burrage TO bring out
the fact in which Maine can take sc
much pride that no fewer than 100:
soldiers from the District of Main,
We're under Washington at Valley
Forge. Only 10000 soldiers were witt
| him during that memorable winter anC
Ione-tenth Of that army was from
what is now the State of Maine, all OF
these being members OF Massachusetts
Regiments. Before the names Of thesf
1908 men We're cleaned from the rolls Of
the Massachusetts regiments. it mac
Eeen assumed that Maine had perhaps
a "few hundred men, at Valley Forge
Similar research under more difficult
conditions is bringing out the fact thai
Maine had over one-third of the mei
who participated in the siege and cap
ture OF Louisburg in 1745. Not only die
Maine furnish the commanders of boil
the land and sea forces OF that famous
expedition, but also more than 1000 O.
the troops, one-third of those who par
ticipatcd, and DR.. Burrage is now CO
ing his best to gather the names of al
these men, and the result of his re
searches will soon be published in {
volume as was done with the case O
the Valley Forge heroes at the time O
the dedication of the Maine marker a
Valley Forge. In bringing to ligh
these facts regarding Names earl.
history DIR. Burrage is doing grea
i work and deserves the thanks of tn,
Ipeople of our State.