The independent-reporter., 1910-04-21
OLD CANAAN IN THE REv0LC1. ION
CONTINUED from Last Weekly

kOOuIluucu lIOLA Last WCchV
The next great event In wfsfch our
infant settlement was concerned was
Arnold's march to Quebec. Nature had
fore ordained this march says 0re
author, by the natural road way for
an army which she provided, the
Kennebec, Dead River, the ponds and
streams lying between that river
and the Chaudiere. We know this
story also, but 1t becomes more
thrilling If we stop to realize that
this vain quest for glory really lead
up our pleasant valley, that our
own river really fioated the bateau
which carried that most hated of
men whose crime has obscured his
wrongs and misfortunes and robbed
him of the justice the years might
have accorded him,-could he have
waited.
When Arnold passed this way
what did he find? 1t is hard to
fancy Joseph Westons and Peter
Heywoods rude dwellings were here
log houses not far from the spot
where the old cemetery is today. John
Whites was just below.-did the
Mayflower bring his forbears? Jona-
than Oakes, the man who was with
Wolfe on the plains of Abraham
who made the coffin in which that
hero was buried, had settled just
across the river. The Heywoods and
| Westons gave him Oakes Island. Eph-
rain Brown was here at work in a
mill. Seth Wyman (possibly others)
had taken up farm on one of the
back lots. Jonas Parlin had settled
nearer the falls, and perhaps Daniel
Steward had come. Later he owned
land just beyond the falls and at
first included in the town of Nor
ridgewock. At the most a little hand
full of settlers, with few more at
the place where Norridgewock vii
lage now is; very few in Starks,
across the river from ancient Nor
ridgewock and two or three settlers
in East Fairfield, near Pishon's Fer
ry. The log cabins in which the set
tiers dwelt were built at first of
rough logs, later of hewn timbers,
mortised together at the ends. They
had puncheon floors, made of small
tree trunks hewn on three sides,
fitted closely together with the sur
face roughly smoothed.
Some of these earlier settlers had
large families but the oldest sons OF
Haywood and Weston were yet un-
married. Sarah Haywood and Oliver
Wilson had joined hands and the
winter before the march, someone en-
powered to perform the marriage
ceremony had come up the river and
united three couples of whom tradi-
ton says Isaac Smith and Hannah
Haywood made one. Isaac was called
in from hauling wood, SO the story
goes, and stood up goad stick in hand,
for the ceremony after which he
went on a wedding trip alone like
Samantha's hired man,-to the wood
lot. No child had been born in Hey
woods town, though Arnold found one
fourteen months old at Norridgewock; i;
and two children, Abraham Smith
and William Oakes born in December
of that year contest for the honor of
being the first English child born in
Canaan. There was no minister. no
church. no school. No death is re-
corded.
The settlers no doubt endured many
hardships but they liked the place
we'll enough to call it Canaan" The
name of the settlement was written
Heywoods or Howard's Town in the
had begun to be applied to it even in
Arnolds time for two of his men
write of it thus in their diaries, one
apparently in scorn calling it, "A
Canaan indeed" the other adding
there is as good land there as ever
| saw. The pioneers never had In
dians for near neighbors. never
knew the horrors of an attack and
had only a few scares.
The mill at the mouth of the Wes-
serrunsett is said to have been the
first built but If the historians of
Arnold's march know whereof they
speak. they found mill at Skowhe-
gan falls near which lived Mr..
Howard. Hanson's history states
that Joel Crosby came in 1878 to help
Hey wood, Smith and Weston build a
mill OH Skowhegan Island. Crosby
soon after removed to Starks where
he died in 1775. 1t is said this mill
was never finished.
From Concord to the mouth of the
kennebec past Georgetown and Pow
nalboro to Gardnerstown, the army
came; from thence to Fort Western,
the head of navigation. then to Fort
Halifax and thence to Canaan, Ar
uold now in advance now falling
back to urge on the rear guard. Capt.
Daniel Morgan lead the rifiemen,
Lieut.. Col. Greene and Major Bige-
low the second division and Major
Meigs the third, while fourth and
last came that part of the army en-
trusted to Lieut.. Col Enos. The
main part of course came by land
from Fort Western but the baggage
and camp equipment came by bateaux
up the Kennebec. The soldiers
marched on the east bank from Fort
Western to Fort Halifax where they
crossed the river and came up on the
west side.
From Joseph Weston's house to Nor
ridgewock falls In Madison was II
long hard stretch of towing, polling
and carrying the bateaux. Part of
the train at any rate stopped at
Westons. When they went on, Jo-
seph Weston and others with OK
teams, accompanied them to help In