GORDON, Ithial 1790 U.S. Census Winthrop

Ithiel Gordon was born in 1735 in Raymond, NH, the son of Daniel & Susanna (Smith) Gordon. He married Mary Glidden on December 28, 1756 whose mother was Deborah Bean (another old central Maine family). Ithiel Gordon's marriage to Mary Glidden took place in the First Church of Kingston by Rev. Joseph Secomb. If the family were in Brentwood at that time, they must have moved soon after to Chester into that part of the town known as Freetown or North Woods. Chester, NH was incorporated in 1722 (Grant of 1720).

Ithiel Gordon's name is listed among the soldiers of the French and Indian War (1754-1760). If the family lived in Brentwood, they must have moved to Chester before 1764. They lived in the part of Chester that became Raymond in 1764. In 1769 Widow Jenkins was paid twelve shillings for teaching a term of four weeks of school in Raymond, NH. Fifteen shillings was paid Ithiel Gordon for going after her, boarding her, and carrying her home again.

Ithiel Gordon was a tax collector for the town of Raymond in 1769 to 1771, and 1773, and selectman in 1778-1779. On September 13, 1777 the rebuilding of the Dudley Bridge in Raymond was bid off to Ithiel for $104. The list of solders of the Revolutionary War from Raymond includes Eliphlet Gordon, Thomas Gordon, Ithiel Gordon, Daniel Gordon, Jr. (See New Hampshire State Papers Vol. XIV-VL of Rev rolls page 584.)

Two of Ithiel Gordon's sons were in the Revolutionary War also, Josiah and Ithiel, Jr. Ithiel Gordon and his family moved from Raymond, NH to Winthrop, ME about the year 1783. This is indicated by his signature to deeds. In the year 1782, he signed as Raymond, NH and 1783 as Winthrop, ME. This last deed was a conveyance of property in Raymond, NH. In an old account book of Samuel Gilman of Washington Plantation (later Mt. Vernon, ME) a tailor by trade, there is a credit item under the date of June 17, 1785 to Ithiel Gordon.

He served in the French & Indian War and the War of Independence. By the time of our nation’s Revolution Ithial and Mary had born 11 or 12 children. In 1783 Ithiel brought his family to East Readfield where they settled on Lot#124 (route 135). At the time of the first US Census in 1790, Ithiel Gordon, his wife, four daughters and two sons were still living at home, one over 16 and the other under 16 were living in Winthrop, ME (in that part of the town that became Readfield in 1791).

FULLER, Francis 1790 US Census Winthrop 1-5-4-0-0



Francis Fuller is buried in Case Cemetery
in East Readfield, Maine

Francis Fuller was born in 1751 in Barnstable, MA a descendant of Edward Fuller of the Mayflower. He was an early settler in Readfield – having settled in the eastern section that later became Manchester. He was a farmer and a Revolutionary War Veteran. He died in Manchester May 28, 1844. He married Hannah Cobb in 1772 in Barnstable.[i] She died 10/19/1816 at age 64years.[ii] Her gravestone reads "Consort of Mr. Francis Fuller."[iii] They are buried in the Case Baptist Cemetery in East Readfield.[iv]

 

 

 

Children of Francis and Hannah (Cobb) Fuller:[v]

1) Hannah b.1773 m. Peter Hains of Readfield[vi]
2) Mary b.1775 m. Richard Hilton of Readfield[vii]
3) Sally b.1778
4) Francis, Jr. b.1780
5) Edward b.1782
6) David b.1785  m.Lovina _?_ who d.1812 age 30 and is bur.Case Cemetery beside a son named Charles H. Fuller who d.3 years 7 months "his death was occasioned by the kick of a horse." [viii]
7) James b.1787
8) Gorham b.1788 d.1812
9) William C. b.1791 d.9/16/1861 m. Nancy Melvin; both bur.Readfield Corner Cemetery [ix]
10) Temperance b.1793
11) Ebenezer b.1795

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[i] Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.

[ii] Stackpole, Everett; history of Winthrop, ME with Genealogical Notes by Keene; pub. 1992 Heritage Books Inc. ; page 397-398
[iii] Potter-Clark, Dale; To Those Who Rest in Peace in Readfield, ME; personal library; Case Cemetery listings

[iv] ibid

[v] Potter-Clark, Dale; To Those Who Led the Way VR’s Readfield, ME 1768-1913; self.pub.2009; pages 15-16

[vi] Stackpole page 397

[vii] Ibid page 116
[viii] Potter-Clark, Dale; To Those Who Rest in Peace in Readfield, ME; personal library of Dale Potter Clark, pub. pending.
[ix] ibid

FULLER, Edward, Esq. (see highlights for edits made 6/11/2019)

Edward Fuller was born January 22, 1782 in Readfield (then part of Winthrop), a son of Francis and Hannah (Cobb) Fuller.[i] He was a well known and respected lawyer in Readfield, whose name appears on many legal documents and transactions in our area.

He married first, in 1804, to Temperance Fuller of Barnstable, MA.[ii] She died in 1828 and he married Miss Elioenai Frost (dgt. of Edmund & Elioenai Frost) on 8/30/1829.[iii]



Edward Fuller, Esq. home on Main Street, Readfield

His home was located on Main Street near Gile Hall and believed to have been built by James Craig, Jr. circa 1788.[iv] After Craig died in 1805 his wife married William Luce who was living on the land at the time Fuller bought it in 1809. Luce’s father, Beriah, and Edward’s father, Francis both came to Readfield from Cape Cod at about the same time, before 1780. Francis settled, with his family, in the eastern section of town (near the current town line) in what later became Manchester.

In 1846 a mortgage was extended on this home by Jesse and Mary Ann Aiken, Edward's daughter and husband. In 1860 it was sold to Perley Fiske by his son Hiram and son-in-law Jesse Aiken. This lends itself to more exploration to figure out exactly who was living on the Fuller homestead during these years. Hiram was listed as a resident of Hallowell on the 1850 and 1860 U.S. Census. Those same census records reveal that Jesse and Mary Ann were also living in Augusta and Hallowell during that time frame, so the heirs may have owned and rented the homestead. 

East of this location - beyond Readfield Corners - land was purchased in 1838 by an Mrs. Eleornia Frost (I have seen this unusual name spelled in various ways). There were no buildings on it at that time. In 1851 she sold it and stated in the deed "same which I with my family now resides". Could this have been the same Elioenai who was married to Edward Fuller? The dates work but why was her name Frost on the deeds. [vii] So, there we have another mystery to solve!  

Edward Fuller died at age 74 on August 26, 1856; his first wife "Tempy" died August 2, 1828; his second wife Elioenai died 9/15/1881 at age 76 years. Elioenai was living in Portsmouth, NH with her daughter Hellen and family in 1880. [viii] They, and several of their children are buried at Readfield Corner Cemetery.[ix]

Edward Fuller had four children by his first wife, Temperance,[x] and five by his second wife[xi]

1) Mary Ann b.1805 d.1888 New Bedford, MA m.1823 to Jesse Aiken of Wilton, ME 
2) Hiram b. 1809 d. 1896 in Hallowell m.1836 in Hallowell to Sarah Williams Fuller Whittier (her given name).  
3) George Gage b. 1814 d.9/14/1844 age 31years bur.Readfield Corner Cemetery
4) James b.1816 d.8/5/1839 age 23 years bur.Readfield Corner Cemetery
5) William H. b.1832 (more info not known at this time)
6) Gorham b.1836 d.8/30/1837 age 16 mos. bur.Readfield Corner Cemetery
7) Hellen Louise b.1838 d.1924 Portsmouth, NH m. Daniel L. Church b.1828 Farmington, ME. A Civil War veteran and a teamster by profession. He d.1910. They lived in Portsmouth, NH.
8) Charles E. b.1839 d.9/27/1840 age 11 mos. bur.Readfield Corner Cemetery
9) Mary F. b.1842 d. age 1 year bur.Readfield Corner Cemetery

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[i] Potter-Clark, Dale; To Those Who Led the Way – Readfield VR’s 1768-1913; self pub. 2009; pages 15 and 16

[ii] Ibid page 104

[iii] Ibid page 130

[iv] Kennebec County Registry of Deeds 2/25/1809 Book 15 Page 423

[v] ibid pages 15 and 16.

[vi] 1850 US Census Readfield, ME
[vii] Kennebec County Registry of Deeds Book 123 Page 319; Book 176 Page 15; and Book 149 Page 206
[viii] 1880 US Census Portsmouth, NH; Daniel Church, HOH
[ix] Potter-Clark, Dale; To Those Who Rest in Peace in Readfield, Maine, Readfield Corner Cemetery listings; personal library of Dale Potter-Clark, publishing pending.
[x] Potter-Clark, Dale; To Those Who Led the Way – Readfield VR’s 1768-1913; self pub. 2009; pages 15 and 16
[xi] Various birth, death and US Census records

FORD, Nathaniel, Sr. 1790 Census 2-1-4-0-0

Nathaniel Foord Sr. homestead c1782 on Old Kents

Hill Road. The barn and el are no longer standing and in

their place is a new (2012) attached 3 car garage.

Nathaniel Ford was born in Marshfield, Mass. 7-11-1731, the son of Capt. Peleg & Alice Ford, the youngest of seven children. His mother Alice died when he was 2 yrs. old, and seven years later his father remarried to Phebe. Nathaniel would later name two of his daughters after his mother and step-mother. At age 25 yrs. Nathaniel married Eunice Rogers, daughter of Timothy & Lydia (Hatch) Rogers. Their first son, Peleg, was born 4-19-1757. Over the next nineteen years there were eight more children born. Sometime around 1782 Nathaniel, Nathaniel Jr., and another son, James, moved to Readfield, Maine. The eldest son, Peleg, remained in Marshfield where he married Olive Sampson in 1781 and recorded births of six children between 1782-1792. Nathaniel, Sr. settled the southerly 1/2 of lot #197 (Joshua Packard settled the north 1/2). Nathaniel, Jr. settled lot #195, and built his house on the west side of the Old North Wayne Road (now discontinued). Both James & Nathaniel Ford, Jr. appear in Wayne on the 1790 census. War grant lots had to be settled according to specific conditions that included[i] living on the land for seven years in addition to building a minimum sized home and clearing 5 acres of land. James Craig built a sawmill & grist mill at Factory Square on the lower dam about this time which was less than 1 mile away. In 1804, the year most settlers were finally given title, Nathaniel was deeded his 100 acres. Three years later, at age 76, Nathaniel Ford, Sr. sold 70 acres and his home to youngest son John for $200, and with conditions that he be provided with a home and care the rest of his life. He died 11 years later. Children of Nathaniel & Eunice (Rogers) Ford: 1) Peleg b.4-19-1757 m.1781 Olive Sampson in Marshfield  2) Nathaniel Jr. b.3-20-1759 m1.1780 Abigail Foord m2.1783 Lydia Simons both in Marshfield 3) Charles b.8-5-1761 4) James b.10-20-1763 m. Sybil Morrison of 30 Mile River Gore (later annexed to Readfield) 5) Eunice b.4-3-c1765 6) Else (Alice) b.9-1768 m. Capt. Dudley Haines whose property abutted Nathaniel Ford's, and whose homestead is known as the H.O Nickerson house on Nickerson Hill. 7) Lydia b.11-2-1770 m. Caleb Packard s/o Joshua & Mehitable (Alden) Packard, their neighbors to the north. 8) Febe (Phoebe) b.?-7-1773 m. Joshua Packard 9) John b.1-7-1776 m.1801 Ruthey Oldham of Fayette 10) ?Abigail who married Alexander Morrison, Sr. in 1802.

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[i] Conditions in their entirety were: build a house not less than 20 ft. square and 7 ft. stud; clear and bring to fit for tillage 5 acres of land within 3 years from the day of this grant, and settlers, if living, or their heirs must have lived on the property for seven years before the property was released.

FORD, John 1790 U.S. Census Winthrop 1-2-4-0-0

John Ford was born 07 Jan 1776 in Marshfield, MA the youngest child of Nathaniel and Eunice (Rogers) Ford. He married Ruthey Oldham of Fayette in 1801. According to 1816 Readfield tax records he owned 82 acres, one house, and one barn joining brother-in-law Dudley Haines' property. For 17 years John and Ruthey cared for his elderly parents. In 1826 they were listed as members of the Readfield Methodist Society. In 1841 John, as had his father before him, deeded his property to Robert Skofield with conditions they be given a home & care for the rest of their lives. In 1841 there is also mention made of the Morrison cemetery located on this property. This cemetery is no longer visible, but is located near the home of Steven Wight (2012), and tradition says there are two Morrison children buried there. Ruthey died 5 years after the property transaction in 1846, at age 70 and John Ford died in 1852 at age 76 yrs. Both are buried in Kents Hill Cemetery.
Children of John & Ruthey (Oldham) Ford: 1) David b.4-14-1801 2) Peleg b.8-25-1803 d.3-4-1824 3) John b.6-10-1805 4) Marshal b.9-4-1807 5) Rufus b.9-15-1812 6) Sybil Morrison b.8-10-1815 m. Robert G. Skofield of Barring, Maine 5-20-1842 7) Hannah b.1-31-1817.

Bibliography:

To Those Who Led the Way: Readfield, ME VR's 1768-1913; self-published by Dale Potter-Clark 2009

Readfield Historical Society index cards of accumulated information from primary sources and local histories

Readfield, Maine cemetery listings as collected by Marjorie Elvin of the Readfield Bicentennial Committee 1974-1992

Kennebec County Registry of Deeds; various

 

FOGG, Dudley

The view from the yard at Fogg Homestead.

Mr. Fogg has much to tell you about his trip here from Raymond, NH. in 1806. He and his wife Nancy settled high on a hill overlooking Chandler's Pond (Maranacook) and began to homestead a beautiful farm that remained in the Fogg family for six generations. There is much to tell, so come back, sit in the parlor and take in the view while you visit with Dudley and Nancy Gove Fogg at the Fogg Homestead! We'll have the teapot ready!

EVANS, Daniel 1790 U.S. Census Winthrop 1-0-0-0-0

Daniel Evans, Jr. was the grandson son of Joseph and Mercy Evans. His father, Daniel, was born at Dover, NH in 1716. He m1.Eleanor Bamford by whom his children were born and m2. Elisabeth Weymouth or Barrington in 1770. Daniel Sr. was appointed the executer of his father's estate and inherited the Evans homestead. In 1740 Daniel Sr., moved to Allenstown, N.H. where he was one of the first settlers and where he became a prominent citizen. He was a member of the 3rd. Provincial Congress from New Hampshire in 1775. He and his son George (Daniel Jr. brother) fought at the battle of Bunker Hill at Boston, Mass. and in this fight the elder Daniel was critically wounded. He died at a Mr. Blount's home at Andover, Mass. Jan 15, 1776 before he could be taken home to Allenstown. After his death, Daniel Jr.’s brother George was made executor of his father's estate, and Mr. Burgin of Allenstown was appointed guardian for the other two sons. George in order to close the estate when younger brothers Robert and Daniel Jr. became of age, received quit claim deeds from them as well as from the other children. These deeds and the appointment of the guardian for the minor children, Robert and Daniel, are recorded[i] Daniel Jr. was born at Allenstown, NH on May 24, 1767. He was already residing in Winthrop (Readfield) in 1787 and shows as living alone as head of household on his own property on the 1790 US Census here. He settled on lot# 96 but moved to Hallowell in 1793, however, and that same year he married to Joanna Haines, daughter of John and Mary Dudley Haines and niece of Captain Dudley Haines. In 1806 Joanna Evans sold 50 acres, part of lot# 96, in Readfield to Peter Huntoon and in 1816 Daniel Evans sold Huntoon another 10 acres, part of lot 96. That lot is directly east of and bordered on the Huntoon property. As time went on Huntoon purchased more acres that were part of lot# 96 from others. Daniel Evans died after 1840[ii] in Hallowell. He and Joanna had 7 children born 1795–1815.  

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[I] http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/12559/person/6240583583/ accessed 11/11/2012

[ii] 1840 US Census in Hallowell

DUTTON, John 1800 U.S. Readfield Census

Dutton house on Cross Hill Rd. Vassalboro, Maine

The corner of Quaker Lane and Cross Hill Road where
the old Vassalboro Town Office once stood. The birch
trees once surrounded the building. The pile of rocks
were extracted from the old foundation. This land is
now owned by Fieldstone Gardens whose crew have
reclaimed and beautified it from a lot that was
overgrown with alders and sumac to a beautiful spot!

John Dutton was a son of Jesse Dutton, born June 1, 1773. He married to Sarah “Sally” Parrott in New Boston, NH on December 20, 1796. About that same time his father moved to Readfield. They both appear on the 1800 US Census in Readfield. John was a steward of the Readfield Circuit in 1816.[i] That same year – also the year his father died - the Readfield tax list reflects that he owned 100 acres, a two story house, two barns and that his lot adjoined that of widow Lambert [ii].  In April 1815 Eunice Lambert remarried to Capt. Benjamin Davis and seven months later she sold property to John Dutton. About that time he began to sell pieces of his Readfield property and continued to do so until 1828. In 1815 Dutton made his first land acquisition in Vassalboro and in 1820[iii] he sold his farm in Readfield to Solomon Lombard so we  assume he moved to Vassalboro in that time period, where he remained for the rest of his life. 

In 1828 the Vassalboro townspeople voted to move their town hall to Dutton's land. It was built in 1795 in another location and they apparently wanted it closer to the center of town than it was.[iv] Vassalboro Town Hall remained at that location, near Dutton's home, on the corner of Quaker Lane and Cross Hill Road, and in continuous use for various purposes until it burned in the early 1970's. A picture of the old Vassalboro Town Hall appears on the town seal.



The cemetery in Center Vassalboro where
John and Sally Dutton are buried, is located
behind the Center Vassalboro Baptist
Church vestry building.

John Dutton lived in Vassalboro for 25 years until he died there in 1845. He and his wife are buried in the cemetery behind Center Vassalboro Baptist Church on Cross Hill Road about 1 mile south of where they resided.





[i]] Readfield Historical Society collection

[ii]i bid. Widow Lambert was Eunice who first married to neighbor Joseph Lambert and, after his death, to another neighbor, Captain Benjamin Davis.

[iii] Kennebec County Registry of Deeds: Book 38 Page 402 December 20, 1820
[iv] Kingsbury History of Kennebec County; pub. 1892; chapter on Vassalboro page 1097.

DUTTON, Jesoniah 1800 U.S. Census, Readfield 1–1–1–3–1–1– 1

Jesse Dutton grave, Huntoon Cemetery

Dutton, Jesoniah “Jesse” was born July 9, 1747 in Tewksbury, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. He was Revolutionary War veteran and enlisted in Dunstable, Massachusetts[i].  He married twice – first to Mary Treadwell in Ipswich, Massachusetts on November 22, 1770 and the second to Prisilah Cowan.  Jesse Dutton emigrated to Readfield in 1795[ii] and James Craig sold Dutton land in Readfield on May 5, 1798[iii]. Four years later Jesse sold Readfield property to his son John and, presumably, at that time moved to Fayette where he received a deed for property from Abigail Page in 1805[iv]. In 1807 he bought land from Jeremiah Tuck, Jr. in Fayette and a year later another transaction took place for more land in Fayette when he bought another parcel from his brother David. In Fayette he and Prisilah lived on lot# 63 where Jesse was a blacksmith[v]. According to Thurston’s History of Winthrop, Dutton was a great hunter who had traps all along the streams and ponds to the Androscoggin River. Jesse died 1-15-1816 at age 68yrs and Prisilah died 4-22-1821 at age 66yrs. He and wife Prisilah are buried in the Huntoon Cemetery in Readfield. His stone reads: Born he was thou and not our own Thou hast not done us wrong. We thank thee for the precious loan afforded us so long. Children: 1) Jesse b.1772 d.1844 2) John b.1773 d.1845 3) Polly b.1777 d.1778 4) Sally b.1775 d.1849 m. Jeremiah Lane of Fayette 5) Abigail m. Samuel Jenkins of Pittston in 1814. Presumably this was the same Samuel Jenkins who participated in settling Jesse Dutton’s estate. 6) Fanny 7) Betsey m.1811 Daniel Stone of Readfield 8) Jonathan b.1780 m.1803 to Hannah Cochran of Readfield d.1851 9) David 10) James m.1801 Susannah J. 11) Nancy was a minor when her father died in 1816 and Solomon Lombard was appointed her guardian. Some of Jesse Dutton’s family moved to Chesterville, Vassalboro and Ellsworth, Maine.

[i] Notation on www.findagrave.com made in 2002 that gravestone is still legible but has sunk into the ground enough to be of concern for the future.

[ii] 1800 US Census, Readfield, Maine page 54

[iii] Kennebec County Registry of Deeds: Book 11 Page 35 May 5, 1798

[iv] Ibid Book 11 Page 425

[v] Stackpole’s History of Winthrop, page 740

[vi] Widow Lambert was Eunice who first married to neighbor Joseph Lambert and, after his death, to another neighbor, Captain Benjamin Davis.

[vii] Kennebec County Registry of Deeds: Book 38 Page 402 December 20, 1820

DUDLEY, Stephen 1790 US Census Winthrop 1-0-2-0-0

Jesse Lee Church at the corner of route 17 and Plains Road.
This picture was taken about 1900.

As you drive through East Readfield and ascend the hill where the Jesse Lee Methodist Church sits guard you will see a sign that reads “Plains Road.” Those who have lived in Readfield for many years will tell you that road used to be known as “Dudley Plains Road" and after reading this you will better understand why. Many surnames are familiar to older residents in Readfield, but I doubt there is any as prolific in our annals as Dudley.

 

The Dudley family of Readfield descends from Thomas Dudley, who was elected Governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony four times between 1635 and 1650.  He had the distinction of being the first Governor selected by representatives of the people in this new country. By his two wives he fathered eight children. The eldest, Samuel, married three times – first to Mary Winthrop, daughter of Massachusetts Bay Colony’s Governor Winthrop, second to Mary Byley, and third to Elizabeth _?_. Samuel’s three wives bore five, five and eight children respectively. His twelfth child, Stephen, married to Sarah, daughter of the honorable John Gilman of Exeter, NH.  Stephen and Sarah’s third of twelve children, James, married to Mercy Folsom, daughter of Deacon John Folsom of Exeter, NH. Of their eight children, four sons – James, Samuel, John and Joseph - sent shoots to Mt. Vernon and Readfield, Maine.



James son, Stephen, came to Hallowell  c1770 and followed spotted trees through the woods to Readfield. Stephen Dudley, as many men did in those early days, chose a beautiful and practical spot in which to live and built his road afterwards. He settled Lot#52 in Mt. Vernon near the Readfield town line and this part of town came to be known as “Dudley Plains.” County records tell us that in 1774 a road was extended from Sandy River Road (route 17) to the Dudley’s and John Stain. Stephen’s wife was an invalid and according to the Dudley Genealogy by Dean Dudley she “did not stand or walk for over forty years, but outlived her husband.” They had one child, Eliphalet, who married, had nine children and lived on the homestead with his parents. His sons Samuel, Stephen, John and Henry carried on the family name in this area.

 

DUDLEY, Samuel II c1794 Readfield

Samuel Dudley II was born 1747 in Kingston, New Hampshire to Samuel and Mary (Ladd) Dudley. He came with his father and siblings to Hallowell, ME sometime before 1774. He married Sarah Young about 1780 and they had four children: i.Samuel b.1780 ii.Aaron b.1782 iii.Sarah iv.James

There is little known about Samuel II, except what I stumbled on to in “Methodism in Maine” by Allen & Pillsbury, which gives the following account of a visit by Rev Jesse Lee to this area. “On December 12, 1794 Lee was in Readfield where he served eight people with the first celebration of the Lord’s Supper by Methodists in Maine. On Tuesday December 16, he rode with Samuel Dudley to “the Hook” (Hallowell) and crossed the Kennebec River on unsafe ice. The horses broke through 10 or 15 feet from the east shore but got out safely. Lee and Samuel Dudley then rode to Pittston Meeting House and called on Major Colburn, then went on to Eastern River and dined. At this point Rev. Lee went on alone to Alna.” It is recorded in the family history that Samuel Dudley drowned in the Sheepscot River in 1795. One must assume that this Samuel Dudley never made it home to Readfield after guiding Rev Lee to the Eastern River. [i]

 

[i] History of Methodism in Maine 1793-1886 by Allen and Pillsbury; pub. Charles Nash, Augusta, ME 1887

 

Bibliography:
Heritage Consulting, Millennium File (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003), www.ancestry.com, Database online.
1790 U.S. Census Hallowell, ME
  

DUDLEY, Samuel 1790 U.S. Census Hallowell 1-0-0-1-0-0

Samuel Dudley was born 1720 in Exeter, NH the eldest child of James and Mercy (Folsom) Dudley. Samuel had three brothers - James, John and Joseph - who also sent shoots to central Maine. Of Samuel's eight sons - Jeremiah, Micajah, and Samuel - permanently settled or spent some time living in Readfield or nearby in central Maine.

 

Samuel married Mary Ladd in 1740 in Kingston, N.H. Their eleven children were born in Rockingham County, N.H. - in or near Exeter - between 17410-1761. Mary died in Exeter in 1768 and sometime before 1790 Samuel migrated to Hallowell, ME. On the 1790 he and one other adult female are listed. Perhaps this was his 33year old daughter Mehitable as it appears she never married. Samuel died in Readfield in 1797 - having gone to live near his sons, no doubt.   

 

Children of Samuel and Mary (Ladd) Dudley:

i.Stephen b.1740 ii.Daniel b.1744 iii.Samuel b.1747 iv.Micajah b.1751 v.Jeremiah b.1753 vi.Moses b.1755 vii.Mehitable b.1757 viii.Mary b.1757 ix.Eliphalet b.1759 x.Lydia b.1760 xi.James b.1761

DUDLEY, Micajah c1775 Readfield

Samuel Dudley was born 1720 in Exeter, NH the eldest child of James and Mercy (Folsom) Dudley. Samuel had three brothers - James, John and Joseph - who also sent shoots to central Maine. Of Samuel's eight sons - Jeremiah, Micajah, and Samuel - permanently settled or spent some time living in Readfield or nearby in central Maine.

Micajah Dudley was the born 1751 in Brentwood, NH the 4th son and child of Samuel and Mary (Ladd) Dudley. He married Miss Susannah Foster in Hallowell in December 1774 - they were both residents of Hallowell at the time. They arrived in Readfield (then still part of Winthrop) in 1775 or earlier where their first four children were born 1777-1782. Sometime before 1784 they left Readfield because their 5th child was born in Durham and that is where this family appears on the 1790 U.S. Census Durham 1-3-7-0-0.

Micajah became a minister of the Society of Friends in 1795 and died in China, Maine at age 46years in 1798. His wife died in China, ME in 1838.

Children of Micajah and Susannah Dudley:
i.Samuel b.1777 ii.Susnnah Winthrop b.1778 iii.Mary b.1780 iv.Sibil b.1782 v.Thankful b.1784 vi.Micajah b.1786 vii.Lydia b.1788 viii.William b.1790 ix.Anstras b.1792 x.David b.1794

DUDLEY, John 1790 U.S. Census Mt. Vernon 2-3-1-0-0

John Dudley II was the son of James and Mercy (Folsom) Dudley of Exeter, New Hampshire. John had three brothers - Samuel, James II and Joseph - who also sent shoots to central Maine.
 

John's son John Dudley II was born in 1750 in Exeter, New Hampshire, the oldest of John and Elizabeth (Gilman) Dudley. He married to Susanna Smith in 1771 and soon after they settled in Mt Vernon where he was a neighbor of his younger brother Daniel.

John served on their first board of selectmen and lived in that town for forty years. He is said to have been a highly respected citizen by townspeople there. Some of his five children moved on to Norridgewock and Kingfield.

Children of John and Susanna Smith Dudley:
i.John b.1773 ii.Caleb b.1779 iii.James b.1783 iv.Gilman b.1788 v.Eliza b.1791
 

DUDLEY, Joseph ~ Readfield 1778 (Revised 9/7/2018)

Joseph Dudley II was the son of Joseph and Mercy (Folsom) Dudley of Exeter, New Hampshire. Joseph II had two brothers - Samuel and James - who also sent shoots to central Maine.

 

Joseph II lived in Raymond, NH where he married Deborah Bean about 1775, she a dgt of Lieut. Benjamin & Hannah (Smith) Bean. Three to four years after their marriage Joseph II moved his wife Deborah and their two children, Benjamin Franklin and Hannah, to Readfield. On July 17, 1780 - where they settled on what came to be called "Dudley Plains” (Plains Road) - 24year old Deborah died giving birth to twins Deborah and Susannah.  Joseph then became discontented and returned with this his children to Raymond where he remarried to Sarah Smith c1783. Joseph II and Sarah had five children - all born in New Hampshire.  Joseph II never returned to Readfield but years later his son Benjamin Franklin returned to live on "the Plains", in Mt. Vernon. Some of his descendants live in Readfield to this day.

Joseph’s son, Benjamin, returned to Mt.Vernon before 1796, where he was a blacksmith. His son, Rev. Thomas Jefferson Dudley, married Louinda Fifield of Readfield.

DUDLEY, Jeremiah c1775 Readfield

Jeremiah was born 1753 in Exeter, NH to Samuel and Mary (Ladd) Dudley. He came to Hallowell, Maine with his father and family sometime before 1774 and then moved on to Winthrop where he enlisted in the Revolutionary War at the very beginning. He served at Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point under Colonel Arnold. He marched to Quebec with Benedict Arnold in 1775 and suffered from rheumatism in later years, which he attributed to that march. He returned about 1780 to Winthrop and brought his bride, Elizabeth Turner of Penobscot County with him. They stayed for a short time before moving on to Pittston 1790 U.S. Census Pittston 1-2-3-0-0. They moved on to Bangor, and eventually went west to New York with his family in 1813. While in Bangor he was the first to build a sawmill on the Kenduskeag River. He died in Bath, N.Y.  10 Nov 1838 at age 85years.

Children I know of (extracted from SAR application):
i.Mehitable ii.Moses, Sr. iii.Elizabeth

DUDLEY, Eliphalet 1790 U.S. Census Winthrop 1-3-3-0-0

Eliphalet Dudley was born 1765 in Exeter, New Hampshire, the only child of Stephen and (Miss) Sleeper Dudley. He came to Readfield (then part of Winthrop) with his parents in 1770 from Brentwood, New Hampshire to Hallowell ("the Hook") and through the woods to Readfield by following spotted trees. They settled Dudley Plains (now Plains Road) where Eliphalet lived / carried on his father's homestead as did his son Henry and grandson David. Their homestead was listed on the 1816 taxpayers list as 60 acres and neighboring John Sleeper and John Dudley. Eliphalet is listed as providing patriotic service in the Revolutionary War. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1825 and a member of the First Free Religious Society of Readfield in 1826.

In 1781 he married Sarah Emerson in Winthrop. She was born 1763 in New Hampshire, daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (Arnold) Emerson. Sarah's father, Samuel Emerson, also settled in this area - first coming to Pownalbourough where he enlisted for service in the Revolutionary War. His wife died there in 1776. Samuel Emerson then came to Mt. Vernon - to be near his daughter and son-in-law no doubt - where he was counted on the 1790 census as 1-1-2-0-0. Samuel Emerson died in Mt. Vernon in 1808.

Eliphalet died at Readfield in 1836 age 71years. In 1850 Sarah was living on the homestead where their son Henry was then head of the household. Their youngest, unmarried child Mehitable was also still living there with her mother and brother Henry. Sarah died in 1850 at age 88, soon after the census was collected. Both are buried in Dudley Plains Cemetery on Plains Road.

Children of Eliphalet and Sarah (Emerson) Dudley:
1. Elizabeth b.1-1-1782 m.Currier Brown s/o Samuel Brown of Readfield
2. Samuel b.2-16-1785 m.Mary Childs of Hallowell, ME
3. Stephen b.7-1788 m.Sibyl Simpson of Clinton, ME
4. John b.8-28-1790 m.Polly Brown d/o Samuel Brown of Readfield. He d.9-22-1862
5. Prudence b. 7-1792 m.Mr. Moore
6. Henry b.8-16-1795 m.Dorothy (Dolly) Maxfield of Mt. Vernon
7. Nancy b.12-26-1798 m.Daniel Ingraham of Mt. Vernon
8. David b.10-11-1806 m.Thankful B. King of Boston, MA
9. Mehitable b.1808 unmarried

Bibliography:
Soldiers, Sailors and Patriots of the Revolutionary War, Maine by Fisher page 216
History of Kennebec County by Kingsbury page 891, 910, 997
History of Winthrop with Genealogical Notes by Stackpole & Young; pgs. 736-737
To Those Who Led the Way: Readfield VR's 1768-1913 self published by Dale Potter-Clark
1790 Winthrop and 1850 Readfield U.S. Census

DUDLEY, Daniel ~ 1790 U.S. Census Mt. Vernon 1-3-4-0-0

James Dudley II was the son of James and Mercy (Folsom) Dudley of Exeter, New Hampshire. James II had three brothers - Samuel, John and Joseph - who also sent shoots to central Maine.

Daniel was born 1768 in Exeter, NH, the 6th and youngest child of Joseph and Susanna Ladd Lord. He married Susan Glidden of Exeter NH in October 1792 and soon after they moved to Mt. Vernon where he and his brother John were neighbors. It was said that Daniel's wife was a good woman who helped him make a decent living. Their five children were all born in Mt Vernon between 1794 and 1804, but then Susan died in 1804. Daniel responded much differently than his brother Joseph II had when his wife died at a young age. Daniel, who was a “devotee of rum,” left his children scattered among strangers in Maine and returned to New Hampshire where he became poverty stricken. His children, who ended up living in Vienna, Corinth, Bangor and Wilton, never saw their father again. A few years later, in 1813, Daniel died in Chester, New Hampshire.

Bibliography:
Dudley Genealogy by Dean Dudley
1790 US Census Mt. Vernon
New Hampshire, Marriage Records Index, 1637-1947
 

CRAIG, James, Sr. 1790 U.S. Census Winthrop 1-0-1-0-0 (revised 6/4/2014)

Dudley Fogg replaced James Craig's grist mill
with this one around 1843. It is gone now.

 

James Craig  was born in Deighton, Yorkshire, England in 1740 and came to Pondtown (Winthrop) about 1765. He was one of the very first settlers in this section of Pondtown that later became Readfield, and in 1770 he was among those who signed the petition to incorporate Winthrop. Craig was a large landowner in early Readfield and we know he owned then sold parcels along the west shore of Maranacook Lake and atop Kents Hill. He ran a ferry across Maranacook Lake when he first came to Readfield and lived on lot #68 (Book of King James Grants Book 2 Page 262). Also among his land holdings was Lot#212, which encompassed most of Readfield Corner and Factory Square - then called Craig's Mills. He bought lot #212 in 1793 (Lincoln County deed Book 4 Pg. 11) from the original owner Ephraim Lane. Soon after, he built a "double millhouse" (sawmill and  gristmill), a dwelling house and barn on the mill stream.

 

James Craig's mill house was converted to a residence
(year unknown). After decades of neglect this is how it
looked in November 2011. In the fall of 2012 this building
was rescued by Bob and Helen Bittar, who have secured
and stabilized it - the last surviving mill building of
Readfield's industrial era.

Joel Bean also built a sawmill about 1802 (Kennebec County Registry of Deeds Book 3 Page 380), but his was on the upper dam at the head of Torsey Pond (then called Joel's Pond or Bean's Pond). James Craig's sawmill predated Bean's by more than eight years, so without one doubt the lumber for Readfield’s earliest framed buildings were sawed by James Craig.  In 1794 a land transaction  between James Craig to Christopher Turner the deed made reference to Craig's grist mill and sawmill.


I have recently done extensive research on Craig's Mills and Bean's Mills and have disproved the information in History of Kennebec County that states James Craig built the dam and sawmill at Bean's Mills in 1770. HE DID NOT - his dam and sawmill was always located at Craig's Mills and Joel Bean built the one at the head of Torsey (then called Bean) Pond. 6/4/2014 dmc

 

James Craig's mill house under reparation 4/2014.

James Craig's mills on the lower dam at Factory Square drew in folks from miles around. Trails to his mills soon appeared, and in no time they became roads. It was said that all roads in this area led to Craig’s mills - and they continued to do so for 150 years.



Lincoln County deed book 3 page 579

James Craig to Christopher Turner
“…dwelling house where I now dwell as also the land
under the same. Also, my grist mill and sawmill
standing near my said house as also all land under
them as also all my land lying and being on the south side
of the county road opposite my said house being
20 acres more or less…” 
When this property was sold again in 1822
(Kennebec Registry of Deeds Book 40 Page 266)
the description still included double grist mill, sawmill,
dwelling house and barn.

 

 

 

In 1773 James Craig constructed  the first bridge (then known as Craig’s Bridge) to span the passage between Berry and Dexter Ponds on route 133 in Winthrop. At that time Craig lived 1-2 miles south of Readfield Corner (on lot #68). The town forged an agreement with Craig that said he would get paid if the bridge survived the winter and spring freshet. His work survived and the town of Winthrop voted to pay him the following July.



This 1795 map recorded in Book 3 Page 32 at
Kennebec County Registry of Deeds notes 2 mills and
a bridge on Dead Stream, at what soon became known
as "Craig's Mills".



In 1777 James Craig took the loyalty oath. It those times, if there was any suspicion that someone had sentiments favorable to the British crown they could be charged with political treachery by the selectmen at town meeting. The person so accused was then immediately transported and all his property confiscated. The Loyalty Oath was taken by men hoping to ward off any such action. The oath essentially apologized for any “uneasiness to our neighbors or townspeople” by having at any time “declared friends to the King of Britain or talking against the cause of the United States.” They went on to ask for forgiveness, renounce the King of Britain and made the solemn promise to be good subjects of the United States of America.

James Craig's wife was Anna _____. On the 1790 US census Craig’s family shows one adult male and one adult female. His children were already grown by this time and had families of their own. James Craig died in Readfield in August 1797. Children: 1) Eleanor m.1776 John Hankerson of Winthrop 2) Mary m. Benjamin Allen 3) Thomas b.1764 in Deighton, England. m1 Rebecca Brown m2 Rachel Huntoon 4) James b.c1766 m1 Catherine Goud m2 Deliverance Call.

His son Thomas Craig's built a home on Church Road in Readfield.

 

Bibliography:
History of Winthrop by Everett Stackpole; pub. 1925

To Those Who Led the Way: Readfield VR's 1769-1913
To Those Who Rest in Peace in Readfield, Maine: cemetery and listings and inscriptions to 1990 (publication pending)
Readfield Historical Society resource materials
Kennebec County and Lincoln County Registries of Deeds various documents and deeds