The Republican journal., 1914-01-29
THE T. D. PIPE.
And Something About Lord" Timothy
Dexter.


Dexter.
The query Of the ostonGlobe a. to the signifi-
eance Of at. D." on the old clay pipe. and the
recollection of Mr.. Asa F. Riggs that they
were the initials of Timothy Dexter OF New
buryport, Mass, has brought to light some IN
teresting particulars concerning that eccen'
trio character. Timothy Dexter was born IN
Maiden. Mass, Jan. 20. 1747, and died in New
buryport Oct. %, 1906. He rose from poverty
to af1uence and assumed the title OF Loro
Timothy Dexter. His residence in Newpury-
port was a large two story house with extern
sive grounds and on each fence post. and about
the grounds, were wooden statues represent
ing distinguished personages OF the past ana
present. 1t is said that occasionally py tne
use of paint, he would change these statues
from one character to another. Years a1ter
he was dead and gone the house was still staho-
ing. and was pointed out to the present writer
but the statues had disappeared.
Some of Dexter's fortune was made In land
deals in what is now the city OF Belfast. and IN
this vicinity When the township was bought
in October, 1868 the land was divided into 81
rights or shares and Williamson's History OF
Belfast (vol. ~ says: Dexter made quite a
fortune specializing in buying the rights Of
several proprietors, which were not reclaimed
after the town was abandoned during the
revolution" In the Waldo County Registry of
Deeds COPIED from the Hancock Registry are
eleven deeds from Timothy Dexter to various
parties, running from the LIST to the Slst vol
ume When the first deed was recorded the
land was in Lincoln county. when next record
ed it was in Hancock County. and it is now IN
Waldo county. This deed was drawn IN
1888, and is from Timothy Dexter of "New-
bury PORT" Mass. a Bay Trader, to
Laughlin Mcdonald, for the consideration OF
1873 pounds, shillings and pence. Salmon
Point of SO acres "bounded on the river"
also 100 acres "bounded in front on said
Penobscot river" formerly the property of
Jeremiah Picker The deed was witnessed
in 1880 and recorded in 1898. Another deed
to James Gilmore was witnessed in l7s5 and
recorded in 1872. Belfast then included all
the land to Halfway creek, now in the center
of Searsport village and also contained North
and South ponds.
Among the stories told of this eccentric
character is that relating to the I. d. pipes,
which is to the effect that he left a certain
sum to the pipe factory on the condition that
the pipes should always bear his initials. He
was interested in shipping and on one occasion
had vessel going to theWest Indies for car
go and the captain not wishing to go out light,
asked what he should take,and was told to"take
warming pans" Some of our readers may
know what the old fashioned warming pans
were like. but others will not, and they may
be described as round pan of copper with
perforated lid on hinge, and long handle.
The pan was filled with live Goals and used to
warm the beds when the time came for retir-
warming pans found ready sale, as the COW
ers were used as strainers and the pans to
bail the syrup out of the kettles.
Dexter published book entitled ga Pickle
for the Knowing Ones" and being troubled by
his printers about punctuation he retaliated
by writing pamphlet without comma or any
other point, but at the end he put half page
of points in mass, inviting his readers TO
''pepper the dish to suit themselves" 1t is said
that he conceived the idea of holding his own
funeral to ascertain what people would DO ana
say about him, and that it was carried out IN
every detail with satisfactory results except in
one particular. His wife did not manifest the
grief he had expected of her, and he chastised
her for her lack of devotion.
Here is something to think over when you
smoke your T. D.