PACKARD, Caleb 1790 US Census 1-0-1-0-0 UPDATED 4/24/2016

This corner of Main Street and P Ridge was called Packard Corner,
and P Ridge Road was called Packard Ridge in the early days.
Some old deeds describe P Ridge as "the road from Nathaniel Thomas to
Capt. Dudley Hains" or "from Nathaniel Thomas to
Capt. Christopher Turner's." Nathaniel Thomas lived in the red house
seen in the distance in this picture, slightly east of this intersection.

Caleb Packard was born 3-5-1758 in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, a son of Joshua and Mehitable (Alden) Packard. He came to Readfield with his father brothers Joshua, Sr., Ralph and Lebbeus. The Packard men were carpenters and built at least four houses on Kents Hill as well as in other parts of town. He married Lydia Ford September 15, 1790, she a daughter of Nathaniel Ford, Sr. and Eunice (Rogers) Ford. Caleb Packard bought several parcels of land on Kents Hill between 1797 and 1822.

1) In 1797 the house of Caleb Packard is mentioned when James Lane sold him 7 acres and 140 square rods, on the east side of the road, to said Packard. The road was described as that leading from Nathaniel Thomas to Capt. (Christopher) Turner’s.[i] (P Ridge Road later came to be known as Packard Ridge Road) and binding on corner of Packard’s house.

2) In 1807 he bought more land from James Lane - a part of lot #198 – which bordered on that he purchased from Lane in 1797. This land was located on the east side of the road now described as leading from Nathaniel Thomas to Capt. Dudley Hains (P Ridge Road).[ii]

2) In 1810 Packard bought 30 acres from his father-in-law, Nathaniel Ford - part of lot #197. Location was described as on the west side of the road from the Methodist Meeting House on Kents Hill to Capt. Dudley Hains[iii] (another description of said P Ridge Road) Further description says “…starting at the southeast corner of Joshua Packard’s land…running about 104 rods (1,716 feet) on the northerly line of said Joshua’s land…”

3) In 1811 Samuel Morrison, wheelwright, sold Packard 20 acres of land – part of the land where his father, Robert Morrison, had lived. Located on the south side of the road leading to Fayette with the house standing on said land reserving the barn on said land. This land was later conveyed to his son Luther Packard.[iv]

4) In 1822 he bought 5 acres – part of lot #184[v] (also on Kents Hill) – from his son-in-law Manley Bean, who married his daughter Sabrina / Sylvia in 1814[vi] and moved their family to Dover in Piscataquis County, Maine before 1830.[vii]


Caleb Packard’s house was located on the west side of P Ridge Road - it burned in 1979. There is a vacant lot where it sat, near 89 P Ridge Road. In later years Caleb's farm was owned by Stanley Palmeter and during the years Palmeter lived there "Packard Ridge Road" came to be called "Palmeter Ridge Road". Today the road is simply called "P Ridge Road".

Caleb died December 30, 1833 age 70 yrs. and Lydia died in 1838. They are buried in Kents Hill Cemetery.



I believe Caleb and Lydia (Ford) Packard had ten children though only seven are listed in my source:[viii]
1) Sylvia / Sabrina (seen both ways) b.1791 2) Lydia b.1793 3) Caleb, Jr. b.1797 4) Calvin b. 1797 5) Luther b. 1799 6) Silas b.1802 7) James b.1805 8) Sally b.1806 9) Betsey b. 1807 10) Ruel b.1813

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[i] [i] Kennebec County Registry of Deeds 10/9/1797 Book 23 Page 397

[ii] Ibid 5/18/1807 Book 33 Page 436

[iii] Kennebec County Registry of Deeds 2/2/1810 Book 23 Page 395

[iv] Ibid Book 23 Page 196

[v] Ibid 6/10/1822 Book 54 Page 496

[vi] Potter-Clark, Dale; To Those Who Led the Way, VR’s of Readfield, ME 1768-1913; self-published 2009; page 101

[vii] US Census 1820 counted in Readfield and in 1830 in Dover, ME

[viii] Potter-Clark, Dale; To Those Who Led the Way, VR’s of Readfield, ME 1768-1913; self-published 2009; page 35-36