Patriots' Day 2020

     This year marks the 245th anniversary of the battles that ushered in the Revolutionary War and the long and arduous road to America's independence as a free nation.

     This Patriots' Day, like the palnned events celebrationg Maine's bicentennial, have been put on the back burner in the light of recent events; events that will long be remembered and whose impact has world-wide implications now, and for the future.

     This Patriots' Day willl not be celebrated with parades,speeches, re-enactments or the Boston Marathon or Portland, Maine's annual 5 mile race.  Instead, we will remember  folks out walking along Back Cove or the Eastern Prom keeping  their respectable 6 feet distance from one another and, many are wearing  face masks.

We will remember the doctors, nurses, health care professionals and staff working long hours to care for the sick and the dying.  We will remember lines to get into grocery stores and shortages of a number of staples we have come to expect. 

 We will remember how much we missed our Friday night get togethers at local restuarants, or movie date nights, or Sunday morning religious services.  There will be many remembrances of how we adjusted to changes in our everyday routines,and what " thanks" meant to grocery clerks, mail carriers, delivery persons and our first responders.

     We will remember this Patriots' Day for another kind of war; a war for the health and well-being of people in our state, our nation and people all over the world.

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     Somehow, the lyrics of this favorite Patriotic Hymn seems appropriate for this Patriots' Day:

O beautiful for pigrim feet

Whose stern impassioned stress

A thoroughfare of freedom beat

Across the wilderness!

America! America!

God mend thiine every flaw, 

Confirm thy soul in self control,

Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved

In liberating strife, 

Who more than self their country loved,

And mercy more than life!

America! America!

May God thy gold refine

Til all success be nobleness

And every gain divine!

O beautiful for patriot dream

That sees beyond the years

Thine alabaster cities gleam

Undimmed by human tears!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

 From sea to shining sea.

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     Lest we forget, Joel and I placed flags at the Grand Trunk Cemetery to honor our Revolutionary War veterans in rememberance of their patriotic service and sacrifice, this Patriots' Day, April 20, 2020.

          Wish all who follow this post good health, stay safe and remember.

       

As We Prepare to Celebrate Maine's Bicentennial

    

      In a month's time, we will celebrate Maine's 200th anniversary as the 23rd state in the union.  I wondered how many of those people  interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery were alive and witnessed the event in 1820 and what impact it may have had on their lives.

     About three weeks ago, I received a phone call from our friend Herb Adams, Portland historian and  great supporter of the reclamation project of the Grand Trunk Cemetery.  Herb wanted to give me the citations for three articles published in the Portland Evening Express regarding the cemetery.  One dated August 7, 1967 was written by State Historian Earl G. Shuttleworth, Jr. entitled:  Ancient Presumpscot Cemetery Appears On Wat To Obliteration.  The two other articles from July 1982; actually one is a letter from Thomas L. Sawyer, continue in the same vein about the deplorable condition of the East Deering Cemetery and the need to preserve it.  If interested, the articles arre on microfilm at Portland Public Library.

     I was particularily interested that two of the pieces had photographs of some of the gravestones, albeit in poor condition.  I mention this as a reminder that because of neglect and devastating vandalism, so much was lost resulting not only in physical damage to the gravesite, but much more. There was irreperable  loss of historical memory of the people, their family relationships and the place they regarded as home.

     Over the last nine years, through connections made to living relatives and research, some of the stories have been retrieved.  While only forty-seven names remain of the approximately 197 people interred at the ancient cemetery, their memory has been preserved.

This is a picture of what remained of the monument to
Anthony Sawyer, born January 21, 1735, died June 21, 1804
Portland Evening Express, August 7, 1967

Two other stones that had been smashed and moved from the graves
where they had been placed to honor the dead

     In thinking about the approaching bicentennial, I thought about how much history had passed from the time of the re-colonization or resettlement of Falmouth (Portland) to 1820 when Maine would finally separate from Massachusetts and become a sovereign state.  

     The majority of people buried at the ancient cemetery, dating back to the 1740's when Isaac Sawyer, Jr. died in 1749, and who is probably buried here, are the children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren of the men who were first admitted as proprietors between 1728 and 1740 and beyond. 

 The Sawyers all descend from Isaac Sr.who signed the first covenant at the ordination of the Rev. Thomas Smith in 1727 establishing the First Church of Falmouth. They arre the largest family group interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery. 

    The Barbours are descended from John Barbour and his brother James who were here in the area as early as 1718.  The Blakes are descendants of Jasper Blake who purchased property from Cornelius Hall in 1736 and who came from Hampdon, New Hampshire.

     Joseph Noyes and Isaac Ilsley bought large parcels of land here, and lived on farms adjacent to each other about the same time.  Each man was influential in his own way,and played active roles in building up the community.Their relatives are also buried here. The Lunts and the Noyes families have many descendants who lived and died in this area.  

     The Graves are descended from John who, along with Joseph and James Merrill are listed among the early communicants of the First Church in the 1730's.  Early baptismal records and marriage listings in the journal of the Rev. Thomas Smith attest to these facts.

      Before continuing, I am going to include several articles and a book for the interest of those of you who want to do your own research into the events that led to Maine's statehood from the Indian Wars to 1820 and shaped the geographic, economic, political, social,religious and cultural landscape.

This book is a powerful, fully researched and readable account that examines
the impact of colonization, and idealogical differences as it effected
Maine's Natives population and Euro-Americans who came to live here.

     My 21st century consciousness was enlightened,  and disturbed.  I hope you will be too.  It is definitely worth reading for anyone interested in Maine history.

Articles for your interest:

bicentennial.mainememory.net/page/4612  Maine's Road to Statehood

https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2018/03/15/tbt-maine-becomes-a-state/

http://www.mainehistory.org  1668 - 1774 Settlement & Strife,  Mainers Go To War, 1775 - 1820 Tension, War & Separation.

https://www.massmoments.org/moment-details/massachusetts-loses-maine.htm/



     The people who lived here in what would become the city of Portland experienced constant disputes with First Nation people over land ownership and use,exacerbated by imperial wars and land speculators.  While the Port, Falmouth Neck grew posperous, the back country grew more slowly and small villages made up of family farms were spread out along Back Cove.

     In 1756, when the Sagamore Chief Polin was killed in a woodland battle in New Marblehead (Windham), the last of the Indians moved out of the area.  I found the monument established by the Friends of the Presumpscot River at the old Conant homestead in late spring.

     In 1730, in an attempt to preserve the river and the fish, Chief Polin went to Boston to protest the dams that were being built by Thomas Westbrook and asked that fish ladders be put in to allow the fish passage up the river.  Westbrook, reluctant to comply with Boston idicts ignored them until settlers began to notice the impact on their ability to catch fish.  Today, the Friends of the Presumpscot River, the "River of Many Falls" as it was named by the Indians, has done and continues to do extrordinary work to preserve the river and its history.

     In 1754, a so called conference was held in Falmouth,Anthony Sawyer, then 19 years old, his brother Zachariah and his uncle Thomas Sawyer were part of militia guard for then Governor William Shirley.. Within, three years of that meeting, the final French and Indian War was waged.  The Sawyers were members of Capt. Isaac Illsley's Back Cove Company.

         After the long struggle with France and its Indian allies ended in 17633, British national debt stood at an all-time high, and its empire now included Canada, parts of the Caribbean, Florida, and a vast territory west of the appalachians....Britain launched a broas program of imperial reorganization expecting the American colonies to contribute to their own defenses.

Between 1765 and 1773 - a time of financial hardship in the colonies - Parliment imposed a series of trade regulations and taxes, and after protesting these new policies, Whig leaders in America adopted a course of action that led to the Declaration of Independence in 1776. 

Maine History Online:  1775-1820  Tension, War & Separation

      While the people who lived on Back Cove, particularily those whose memory we recall,  remained fairly isolated from the Neck until the Back Cove (Tukey's) Bridge was built in 1796, young men served in the militia to help to defend the coastline and older men provided protection by maintaining garrisons for the citizens. Undoubtably, if there was reluctance to change their loyality as Englishmen or to remain neutral, that would change after Falmouth Neck was destroyed in 1775:

Like the Boston Massacre, the Burning of Falmouth rallied Americans to proclaim independence.

Maine History Online: 775-1820 Tension, War & Separation

     Included here is a list of men and women interred at the Presumpscot Cemetery who were born prior to and up to the Revolutionary War:

             INTERRED AT THE PRESUMPSCOT/GRAND TRUNK CEMETERY

      PRE- REVOLUTIONARY WAR BIRTHS:  1742- 1776

Key:  Red indicates person lived to witness Maine becoming 23^rd state in the union.  Blue indicates person died earlier.

·        Susanna Barton Sawyer, born 1766, died February 6, 1805

·        Timothy Galvin, born February 2, 1766/76, died 1836/38

·        Simon Davis, born September 2, 1765, died March 17, 1810

·        Abigail Graves Sawyer, born August 13, 1765, died March 10, 1848

·        Lieut. Crispus Graves, born c. 1742, died March 14, 1818

·        Joanna Ilsley Galvin, born February 14, 1769, died April 4, 1840

·        Joseph Merrill, born c. 1755, died April 8, 1823

·        Brackett Sawyer, born March 19, 1775, died April 21, 1857

·        William Sawyer, born c. 1763, died May 14, 1825

·        Lucy Hodgston Blake, born c. 1769, died May 26, 1807

·        William Blake, born March 1774, died Jun 1853

·        Sarah Eaton Blake, born c. 1776, died June 18, 1843

·        Anthony Sawyer, born January 21, 1735, died June 21, 1804

·        Jane Noyes Lunt, born c. 1754, died September 12, 1834

·        Joseph Lunt, born April 3, 1757, died September 15, 1804

·        Andrew Graves, born c. 1774, died November 28, 1860

·        Susanna Merrill Graves, born c. 1745, died December 4, 1793

·        John Sawyer, born November 18, 1760, died December 6, 1842

·        Tabitha Graves Sawyer, born December 11, 1768, died December 6, 1857

     We remember four Veterans of the War for Independence, althought there may have been others whose names have been lost over time:

     Here is a list of those born after the Revolutionary War, some of whom served during the War of 1812 and others who came to live in the area we call East Deering today.

           Interred at the Presumpscot/grand trunk cemetery

                      POST REVOLUTIONARY WAR BIRTHS: 1777 – 1849

KEY:  Red indicates person witnessed or was born when Maine achieved

            Statehood in 1820.                        

           Blue indicates person died before

           Green indicates person born a citizen of the state of Maine

·        Samuel Blake, born c. 1794, died February 14, 1846

·        Ann Moseley, born c.1799 (England), died February 24, 1850

·        Agnes Wilcox, born c. 1820 (Scotland), died April 21, 1864

·        Warren Small, born April 21, 1804, died March 1, 1824

·        Elizabeth Ann Sawyer Frank, born c. 1818, died March 14, 1890

·        Crispus Graves, born c. 1816, died March 15, 1879

·        Nancy Merrill, born c. 1801, died March 25, 1824

·        Isaiah I. Frank, born December 19, 1809, died May 27, 1894

·        Thomas Sawyer, Jr., born c. 1785, died April 21, 1807

·        Emeline Blake, born c. 1823, died May 15, 1847

·        Harriot Galvin, born 1800, died September 21, 1805

·        Joseph Merrill Sawyer, born August 1795, died June 1, 1875

·        Francis Smith, born c. 1791, died June 4, 1840

·        Frances Jane Barbour, born 1831, died July 4, 1846

·        Benjamin Sawyer, born c. 1805, died August 22, 1878

·        Crispus Sawyer, born March 28, 1804, died August 24, 1873

·        John Barbour, born c. 1802, died August 27, 1873

·        Elizabeth Webb Sawyer, born c. 1792, died September 21, 1864

·        Joseph Merrill Sawyer Jr., born October 10, 1832, died September 27, 1835

·        Frances I Boothby, born c 1815, died September 20, 1893

·        John Gould Blake, born c. 1824, died September 25, 1827

·        Mary Ann Barbour, born c. 1823, died 1855

·        Silas Boothby, born February 14, 1814, died November 22, 1867

·        Jonas Johnson, corn c. 1782, died December 2, 1837

·        Dorcas Whittam Sawyer, born c. 1801, died December 15, 1856

·        James Moseley, born c. 1836 (Rhode Island), died December 9, 1892

·        Eva Ella Boothby, born October 17, 1849, died January 4, 1852

·        Tabitha Cutter Graves, born c. 1782, died September 7, 1849

18 persons witnessed Maine becoming the 23^rd state in the Union, plus 12 from the Pre-Revolution list = 30

7 from Pre- Revolution list died before statehood plus 2 post Revolution = 9

6 persons were born as citizens of the state of Maine

3 persons were born in England, Ireland and Scotland, 1 came from Rhode Island and settled in East Deering, then Westbrook after the Civil War.

     Eight monuments were erected to the memory of those Veterans who served for the defence of Portland during the War of 1812.

     As we celebrate this bicentennial, it is good to reflect a bit on the people whose lives formed the threads woven into the fabric that created our city of Portland and our state of Maine.

Highlights of 2019

A Pictorial Reflection

     Snow is on the ground, the rain has finally stopped on this New Year's Eve day, a perfect time to share some of the events and happenings that took place at the Grand Trunk  (Presumpscot/East Deering) Cemetery over this last year. 

     A decade has past since the work began in earnest to recover the once neglected ,and nearly obliterated, sacred, final resting place for  people who lived and died in this area of Portland from the period of re-settlement when Portland, then called the town of Falmouth was subject to the British Crown and part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Some lived through the French and Indian Wars, the War for Independence and the War of 1812, and the United States Civil War.  Some lived to witness Maine  become a separate and sovereign state.

     The place where they resided was first referred to as Back Cove, then separated from the Neck (Portland),  became part of the town of Westbrook, called East Westbrook, until in 1871, the area, became part of the town of Deering, and is still called East Deering.

     In August of 2013, in an effort to recover to memory the stories of these first residents, this blog; the Remnant was first published.  With the support and encouragement from the city of Portland Cemeteries Director, two volumes of posts from the blog were published and accepted by the Maine Historical Society so that others who might wish to pursue their own research might find some of what is included helpful.  To date, there have been 26,384 page views.  It's a surprise, but gratifying that therre has been such interest.

     Over the last year, the cemetery has been well cared for by the city's Cemeteries Department despite their changes in personnel and being short staffed.  I can report that there have been no incidents of misuse or vandalism.  I believe that people are far more respectful because of the care given to the space.  In great part, this is due to the on-going commitment of the Machigonne Service Unit of Portland Girl Scouts who twice a year, organize the annual Spring and Fall Cleanup and Planting Parties at the cemetery.

     The Girl Scouts contribution of service to the city of Portland at the Grand Trunk Cemetery is a genuine continuation of the legacy began in 2010 by Samantha Allshouse and Kayla Theriault with their project "Unearthing the Roots of the Back Cove and East Deering Communities."  We are ever grateful to the young women, their Girl Scout Leaders and their families, and the Friends of the Grand Trunk Cemetery for their hard work during this past year.

Highlights

May 19, 2019

Annual Spring Garden Party 

and Multi-level Bridging Ceremony

There were 30 plus participants

Girls and parents planted annuals.

These young ladies partnered with "Garbage to Garden"
and recieved bags of soil to spred in the gardens

The Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony where girls move up to the next level of Scouting

Claire and Janet Christopher longtime supporters of the GTC.
Claire bridged to Adult Girl Scouts today.

Flag Ceremony In Preparation for Memorial Day

    A tradition was created over the last several years to involve Portland Girl Scouts in the laying on of flags to honor the soldiers interred.  Girl Scouts from Troop 1756 had never performed a formal Flag Ceremony and I were honored to instruct them.  The ceremony included a procession from Presumpscot School, the Presentation of the Colors, the reading of the names of the deceased soldiers, the presentation of the individual flags, and the laying on of the wreathes.

The Procession

Presenting the Colors

Honoring Simon Davis, Revolutionary War, and Francis Smith, War of 1812

Ceremony of Remembrance/Unveiling of Interpretive Sign

June 21, 2019

     

A copy of the Press Release

        June 21st was a day that started out with rain, mud and humidity, a challenge to putting up the tent and the chairs. The sun came out and it turned out to be a wonderful afternoon of celebration.

     There were 41 participants who attended; representatives from the City of Portland, Friends of Evergreen Cemetery, Spirits Alive, Friends of the Grand Trunk Cemetery, Girl Scouts and their families, and even visitors from France who were friends of Nancy Montgomery and Jack Vreeland, the wonderful designers of the sign.  I think Anthony Sawyer who we remembered this day, would be pleased especially to see that two of his descendants, Stephen and Benjamin Sawyer were here to honor him.  Here are some of the best pictures.

Particpants Gather

Steve Sawyer speaks about his ancesters

Flower Girls scatter rose petals on the graves to honor the dead.

Matthew Jude Barker speaks about School Master Timothy Galvin

Anya Ouellet recites poem "Ancestors"

Ethan Hipple delivers Greeting from The Cty of Portland

Nancy Montgomery speaks about the process of creating the sign
to benefit visitors to the cemetery

Ethan Hipple Unveiling the new sign

Musician Michael Albert plays for the scattering of roses
and throughout the ceremony of Remembrance.

Our lovely Girl Scout Flower Girls

Ethan Hipple, Nancy Montgomery and Marianne Chapman

The sign contains the surviving 47 names of early residents
and some history of the cemetery.

The Annual Fall Cleanup and Planting Party

November 3, 2019

     This was the first year we actually had to use a rain date.  It was a cool but perfect day with over forty participants.  In addition to the cleanup and regular daffodil planting, the Girl Scouts planted 100 daffodil bulbs around the new sign to commemorate the 100 anniversary of Women's Suffrage, and they collected cleaning supplies and toiletries to benefit Portland's newest residents.  I also shared a bit of history to usher in Maine's 200th birthday, albeit brief because it got very cold and windy.  Here are some pictures of the day.

     Finally, I will conclude this post with the wish that we, the Friends of the Grand Trunk Cemetery, will continue the work of preserving this little, but none the less, sacred place, to honor those who once lived here, and whose lives have contributed, in some small measure, to the history of the city we call Portland.  

     As has been our custom since beginning this project, we deliver wreathes to celebrate the holiday season.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year 2020!