more especially in the village. There are eighteen miles of county and the town annually raises from $1500 to $2000 for the repair of these and the town roads. The town contains several ponds the largest of which is Brewer's pond, on the northeast part of the town adjoining Orrington, and its length from north to south is four miles, and it is over one mile wide. Buck's, McCurdy's, Hancock's and Long Ponds are the next largest and flow some hundreds of acres each. The township was surveyed by Jonathan Buck, Jr., Esq., in 1780. Most of the people have the fee simple in themselves. The price of cultivated lands is from five to twenty dollars per acre; wild lands are worth from one to six dollars. There are seventeen stores and about 2000 tons of navigation owned here, also three grist, five saw mills, and two clothing and fulling mills attached to one of which there is machinery for manufacturing some of cotton and woolen goods, also three carding machines. For ten years last past, there have been on an average three paupers maintained or received some help from the town. There are two parishes only, and two meeting houses, viz: the Congregational and Methodist societies or parishes. Rev. John Kenny was the first minister and located here about 1795. The Řev. Mighill Blood, was the first Congregational minister and was ordained May 1, 1803. There are 250 members now in the Methodist church, and thirty-four members in the Congregational church. The Methodist ministers are paid by subscription. Rev. Mr. Blood has a salary of $450. and the use of a parsonage worth $230, making in all $630. There are some Calvinist Baptists, Free Will Baptists, Unitarians and Universalists, most of whom unite with the Congregational or Methodist societies. There are eleven school districts and nine hundred scholars from four to twenty one years of age. The school fund is fourteen hundred dollars more for that purpose. Two private schools are in operation through the year, the cost of which is about four hundred dollars more yearly. Six hundred volumes are in the Social Library. There are three gentlemen of collegiate education, viz: Rev. Mighill Blood, Elias Upton, Esq, andSamuel M. Pond, and two physicians, one hundred and fifty newspapers are taken and there are over three hundred voters. This town was first represented in the General Court in 1804, Jonathan Buck, Thomas S. Sparhawk, Caleb B. Hall, Stephen Peabody, Joseph Lee, Samuel Little, Abner Curtis and Samuel M. Pond, Esq., have each of them represented the town and all excepting Messrs. Hall and Curtis have been sent for more than one year. The first post office was established in 1799. The habits of the people are generally very exemplary, sober, industrious and economical, and very attentive at public worship. The largest portion of the inhabitants are concerned in navigation and fisheries, more especially those that reside on the river. There are a variety of mechanics. Those that reside in the center of that part of the town are principally agriculturalists. For a description of Orphan Isle I would refer you to Morse's Gazetter, written by Judge Wetmore, who called it Wetmore's Isle. ORPHAN ISLAND. Orphan Isle, or Isle Wetmore in the County of Hancock in the Penobscot River. It belonged to the late wife of Hon. William Wetmore, now of Boston, formerly a resident on this Island. It is four miles long from north to south and one and a half wide. The north end is opposite Bucksport village, and is seperated from the town and a part of Orland by the thoroughfare, being the easterly branch of Penobscot River which is about one eighth of a mile wide. The south end is three miles above old Fort Pownal, now called Fort Point, within the town of Prospect. The tide rises here about from twelve to fourteen feet. Horses, neat cattle and sheep do not require so much hay to winter them on the islands in Penobscbt Bay as on the main by about one half on account of the abundance of rockweed which is also valued very highly here as a manure. The soil is good; the island contains fifty inhabitants. About one eighth is cleared. The rest is woodland. Vessels of two hundred tons burden may sail round it, though the channel is not so deep on the eastern as on the western branch, which is called the Narrows and is the most common highway for vessels to pass up and down the river. This island breaks off the south wind from vessels in the harbor of Bucksport. In 1821, Captain Bache and Lieuts. Ringold, Bowes and Eakin, U. S., topographical engineers assisted by fifteen men surveyed the river at and near Bucksport and taking depths of water the channe! proved to be from seventy to one hundred and twenty feet. They were also about three months surveying the roads streams etc., of the adjoining country. In 1826 Gen. Bernard, Col. Totten and U. S., topographical engineers in their report to the government on the subject of fortifications on the coast recommended that a fort be erected opposite Bucksport, on Pierce's Point, a little eminence at the north entrance to the narrows: They estimate that an expenditure of one hundred and one thousand dollars will be necessary for that purpose. REVOLUTIONARY PENSIONERS IN WASHINGTON COUNTY. PENSIONS UNDER ACT OF MARCH 18, 1818. Jonas Bond, Massachusetts Line, aged 74. Joseph Barnes, Massachusetts Line, aged 70. Christopher Benner, Massachusetts Line, aged 78. James Blackmore, Massachusetts Line, aged 90; died March, 1827. Levi Bowker, Massachusetts Line, aged 71. Daniel Bosworth, Massachusetts Line, aged 74. James Carson, Delaware Line, aged 79: died Oct. 28, 1832. Thomas Dakin, Massachusetts Line, aged 71; died Jan. 29, 1828. Thomas Dexter, Ensign, Massachusetts Line, aged 85. Daniel Garnett, Massachusetts Line, aged 69; died Oct. 19, 1819. John Hull, New Hampshire Line, aged 79. James Keith, Major, Massachusetts Line, aged 77; died May 14, 1829. David Kezer, Massachusetts Line, aged 74. Daniel Leeman, Massachusetts Line, aged 74. Samuel Marston, New Hampshire Line, aged 74; died Nov. 6, 1828. Wm. Merritt, Massachusetts Line, aged 83. John Mitchell, Massachusetts Line, aged 64. Moses Norwood, Massachusetts Line, aged 75; died Dec. 9, 1833. Jesse Perry, Massachusetts Line, aged 75; died Dec. 18, 1832. Oliver Potter or Peter, aged 75; died Aug. 23, 1831. James Ramsdell, Massachusetts Line, aged 63; died June 3, 1829. Eliphalet Reynolds, Connecticut Line, aged 74. Josiah Sawyer, Massachusetts Line, aged 71. Benj. Shaw, Ensign, Massachusetts Line, aged 8o. Thomas Murphy, Connecticut Line, aged SS; died June 1, 1825. Michael Thornton, Massachusetts Line, aged 72; died Dec. 2, 1825. Jeduthan Upton, Massachusetts Line, Cherryfield. Josiah Wallace, Massachusetts Line, aged 72; died Jan. 22, 1830. UNDER PENSION ACT OF JUNE 7, 1832. London Atus, Private of Artillery, Machias. Gamaliel Demons. Massachusetts Company, aged So. Abiah Demons, Massachusetts Troops, aged 73. Lewis F. Delesdernier, Massachusetts Troops, aged 82, Machias and Lubec. Nezer (?) Daley, Massachusetts Militia, aged 72. Gideon Dean, Massachusetts Militia, aged 77. Joseph Getchell, Private Artillery, Massachusetts Militia, aged 77. John Gibson, Massachusetts Militia, aged 71. Zadock Hersey, Massachusetts Militia, aged 83, Dennysville. Nicholas Hawawas, Massachusetts State Troops, aged 90. Joseph Libby, Massachusetts Company, aged 86. George Peck, Captain and Lieutenant-Colonel Rhode Island State Alexander Patterson, Massachusetts Militia, aged 81. Ebenezer Ramsdell, Massachusetts Company, aged 74. Nathaniel Stanley, Massachusetts Militia, aged 79. Daniel Smith, Massachusetts State Troops, aged 72. Benjamin Sanborn, New Hampshire Continental, aged 72. Samuel Tuttle, Massachusetts State Troops, aged 80. INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE CARNEY FAMILY BURIAL GROUND IN DRESDEN. Mark Carney died at Halifax, Oct. 16, 1782; taken prisoner while defending his country for liberty. James Carney, Sr., died Mar. 15, 1858, Æt. 84 years. Joanna, his wife, died May 4, 1832, Æt. 52 yrs. Capt. James Carney born in Boston, May 27, 1804, died in Richmond, Jan. 2, 1887, where he had lived 54 years honored and respected. Lucinda P. Martin, his wife, died Jan. 7, 1851, Æt. 44 yrs., 5 mos. Children of James and Lucinda P. Carney: Capt. D. Oscar, died at Havana, Cuba, Aug. 1, 1835, Æt. 25 yrs., 2 mos. Geo. Fred, washed overboard and lost off Cape Horn, June 3, 1867, Æt. 25 yrs., 2 mos. James Horace, died May 20, 1876, Æt. 41 yrs., 7 mos. Melinda Carney Carlisle born Aug. 5, 1800, died Aug. 5, 1830. Amanda Carney, wife of Capt. Oliver Blanchard, died Aug. 17, 1839, Æt. 37. Capt. Oliver Blanchard died and was buried at sea, Aug. 31, 1833, Æt. 34. Capt. Osgood Carney, died Dec. 8, 1845, Et. 25 yrs., 8 mos. Howard Carney died May 1, 1850, Æt. 28. Capt. William Howard died at sea, Aug. 11, 1850, Æt. 58 yrs. Mary, his wife, died Sept. 17, 1838, Æt. 45 yrs., 9 mos. Clara J. Carney died June 14, 1881, aged 65 years. Mary Ann Carney, widow of Royal Sanford, died Apr. 16, 1886, aged 79 yrs., 3 mos. Capt. William Carney died Jan. 24, 1887. Catherine, his wife, died June 14, 1885, Et. 71 yrs. William D. Patterson, Wiscasset. ORIGIN OF THE NAME OF UNION RIVER BETWEEN SURRY AND ELLSWORTH. (BY REV. JONAthan fisher, OF BLUEHILL. 1827.) Contributed by Joseph Williamson, Esquire. In the year 1762, Samuel Livermore, Esq., and others were appointed by the Governor of the Colony of Massachusetts to lay out twelve town ships on the east side of Penobscot River, six of them to David Marsh and others between Penobscot River and Mount Desert River, thus so called and six of them below Mount Desert to a company from Plymouth and thereabouts. Two sub-committees were employed on this business, and with them a pilot to assist them in finding Mount Desert River. Having found it, from the circumstances that each tract of six townships was to meet upon it, Esq. Livermore said, "Let it be called Union River." Upon this with the ceremony of breaking a bottle filled with rum, it was called by that name, which it still retains. This from Col. Nathan Parker, who was present. The six townships to Marsh and others were those afterwards called Buckstown, Orland, Penobscot, Sedgwick, Bluehill and Surry. After these six townships were laid out, a part of the lines being run a request was sent home to England to have the grant established, but about the same time the British court was informed that it contained a large quantity of timber for masts, etc. So the request was deferred till it should be surveyed and the lots of timber marked off. A little before the Revolutionary War, a surveyor came and ran round a number of townships and through them in several directions to discover timber, but before the return was made, the business fell through. After the commencement of Independence, in the year 1782, the proprietors of the six townships between Penobscot and Union Rivers petitioned the Massachussetts General Court for an establishment of their title to these township. The petition was granted on the condition that for each town ship a hundred pounds should be paid into the treasury. This was thought a hardship by the proprietors and afterwards about the year 1785, with assistance of Col. Putnam, who was employed in surveying the neighboring islands, they drew up another petition stating their difficulties and praying to be released from such a heavy tax. Their request was granted to their satisfaction. The grant was to this effect, that settlers should be quieted with a hundred acres of land each, resident proprietors to receive one hundred acres each including their settlement, the remainder, exclusive of public lots to be divided among all the proprietors. The petition which issued in this success was carried to the General Court by Mr. Simeon Miller, who had been employed as a preacher of the gospel in Blue Hill. |