Remembering Frances Jane Barbour

    Today is the last day of the month of July 2022.   I would be remiss if I neglected to post the only recorded death and burial of this very young woman to have taken place on July 14th, 1846. 

    Frances Jane Barbour was born sometime in November of 1831 to George (1804 - 1888) and Emma Knight Barbour (1804 - 1893), the second child of the four children born to the couple.

    Frances died at the tender age of 15 years and 8 months, according to the death record taken from her tombstone ( no longer exists).  Unfortunately, the record reveals nothing about her cause of death, and there is no obituary that I was able to find.

    We do recognize that Frances Jane, and all the Barbours trace their family lineage to John and James Barbour, originally from Scotland who are named among the "fifteen" men who contributed to the re-settlement of Portland, then called Falmouth, in 1718.

    Frances Jane Barbour's maternal grandparents were Zebulon Knight (1784 - 1848) and Marion  'Mary Ann' Sawyer ( 1784 - ?). Her paternal grandparents were John M. Barbour (1773 - 1850) and Anna Huston Wilson (1774 - 1829).

    Frances Jane Barbour is buried at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery near her uncle John Barbour and her cousin Mary Ann Barbour.

In Memorium: Anthony Sawyer,Sr., William Blake, Sarah Blake, Francis Smith and Joseph Merrill Sawyer, Sr.

    Today is the last day of the month of June 2022, and I would be remise if I did not offer this opportunity to remember these five people who resided in the part of Portland we now call East Deering.  They are five individuals whose names, out of 47, have survived out of the nearly 200 people we know to be buried at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery.  Their deaths, begining with Anthony Sawyer. Sr. in 1804, span a period of 71 years, ending with his grandson, Joseph Merrill Sawyer,Sr. in 1875. 

    During this time span, the name of the place where they lived changed from Back Cove in the town of Falmouth to East Westbrook in the town of Westbrook , to East Deering in the town of Deering.  The name changes reflected many historical events that certainly impacted their lives.

    Since I have already written about each of these people in previous posts and offered threads of their individual stories , today  I write to take an opportunity to memorialize them on the anniversary of their deaths in the month of June.

JUNE 1ST, 1840

    Francis Smith was born in 1791, to Joseph (1757 - 1831) and Abigail Clark Smith (1759 -1819) in Newmarket, New Hampshire.  Sometime before 1814, he married Martha Mitchell from Kittery.  Between 1814 and 1825, four sons and two daughters were born to the couple who lived in the area around Ocean Avenue.  

    Most of what we know about Francis Smith comes from the biographical information about his well known and respected citizen, his son  Joseph Smith who died in Lebanon, Missouri.  The  notices published in the local papers by his wife Martha Smith regarding the disposition of his property at the time of his death, indicate he was a cordwainer, a maker of fine shoes.  We also learned, according to a city directory from 1835, that he served as a Toll Taker on Tukey's bridge, not an enviable position at that time and not often respected by the locals.

    Francis Smith was also a Veteran of the War of 1812.  He died at the age of 49.  What remains of his slate monument is at the rear of the cemetery next to that of Simon Davis, a Revolutionary War Veteran.

The partial stone on the right belongs to Francis Smith.

JUNE 1ST, 1875

    Joseph Merrill Sawyer , son of  William (1763 -1825) and Tabitha Graves Sawyer (1768 -1857), was born in August of 1745.  Joseph was the second oldest of four children, three died as young children , all in 1800.  Joseph's brother , Crispus  Sawyer was his only sibling to survive into adulthood.

    

    Joseph, at the age of 17, would serve along with his father William and his uncles, John Sawyer, Andrew Graves and Joseph Merrill in the militia to defend the Port of Portland during the War of 1812.

    I have come to realize that Jospeh carries the Merrill name for his maternal grandparents:  his grandmother Tabitha Graves Sawyer's mother was Susannah Merrill, married to Leut. Crispus Graves.  Joseph Merrill Sawyer passed on the Merrill name to his on son, Joseph Merrill Sawyer, Jr. who tragically, died just before his 3rd birthday.

    Recently, I found evidence of a close relationship to Joseph Merril (1754 - 1823), where Joseph Merrill Sawyer was in fact the appointed executor of his will when he died in April of 1823.

    Joseph was married sometime before 1832 to Dorcus Whitten (1801 - 1856).  Three other children:  David N. (1836 - 1862), Sarah J. (1838 - 1904), and Elizabeth J. (1839 - 1888) were born to the couple.

    After his wife Dorcus death in 1856, Joseph continued farming and seem to maintain a close relationship with his brother Crispus Sawyer.  Joseph  Merrill Sawyer died at the age of 79 years.  There once was a memorial stone, probably erected by his children, which has long ago vanished, but the inscription was recorded and preserved:

    

JUNE 1853

    William Blake, born March 6th, 1774, the youngest son of  John (1725 - 1815) and Dorothy Merrill Blake (1735 - 1780), died sometime in June of 1853 in the hospital of the Porland Almshouse, at the age of 79 declared by the courts non co pus mentis.  His estate was taken care of by a court appointed guardian, an attorney, until his death and the dissolution of his will.

    William Blake was a Veteran of the War of 1812, and a stone to honor his service as a citizen soldier and patriot was erected in his memory on October 2, 2016.

    In 1805, William purchased property from his father John, probably in anticipation of his marriage to Lucy Hodsdon/Hodgton,(1769 - 1807).  The couple were married only two years when Lucy died.

    In 1810, according to the Rev. Caleb Bradley's journal, William married Sarah Eaton (1776 - 1843).  It is unclear whether the couple had children but early census records  seem to indicate that a male and female child  lived with them.

    Now a mystery persists, in that some believe that William's wife Sarah Eaton is really Sarah Starboard whose family lived in Stroudwater Village, and who was also married to a William Blake.  It does seem that there were two William Blakes, but one came from somewhere in Massachusetts, and our William.  Unfortuately, I haven't been able to find good information other than Rev. Bradley's journal of recorded marriages.

    William and Sarah were married for 33 years until her death on June 18th, 1843 at the age of 67.  Perhaps it was her death that percipitated William's

decline into insanity. and his own death ten years later.

Memorial Stone erected on October 2, 2016.

JUNE 21ST, 1804

    Anthony Sawyer was born on January 21st, 1735, one of ten children born to Isaac Sawyer, Jr. (1707 - 1748) and Sarah Brackett Sawyer (1709 - 1784).  Anthony Sawyer is the one ancester that the Sawyer family members that I have met identify with as contributor to their lineage. 

    

     When this project to recover the Presumpscot Cemetery began, a prime resource was Theodore 'Ted' Sawyer's manuscript, "Back Cove to Quaker Lane" which provided well researched historical insight into the early settlement and the people who lived and died there, including the first Sawyer, Isaac  Sawyer, Sr. who was came from Cape Ann  in 1725 and is Anthony Sawyer's grandfather.

    Anthony Sawyer married Susannah Marston (1738 - 1819) at the 1st Church of Falmouth on November  7, 1755.  Anthony and Sarah brought 12 children into the world  during the 49 years of their marriage.

    There is a record of Anthony Sawyer, his older brother Zachariah, and his younger brother Thomas serving in the militia during the French and Indian Wars.  Over the course of many years of political, social and economic changes and conflict, Anthony, a loyal subject of the Crown, would ultimately adopt America as his homeland.

    Three years ago, June 21st, 2019, on the 215th anniversary of Anthony Sawyer's death, the Friends of the Grand Trunk Cemetery, held a ceremony of Remembrance and the Unveiling of the Interpretive Sign to honor those known and unknown souls interred at this small, but historically significant sacred burial site.  The date was intentionally chosen to honor Anthony Sawyer and all the Sawyers , the largest family group interred here as well as the other families, known and unknown.

    Members of the Portland Girl Scouts who continue to carry on the legacy of care of Samantha Allshouse and Kayla Theriault spread rose petals on the graves to honor the dead.

PRACTICAL NOTES

    Some of you who may wish to visit the Grand Trunk Cemetery this summer need to be aware of the on-going school construction project and the need to park on the street in front of the school, or on a Sunday at the Department of Motor Vehicles lot.  The Project Manager has errected a sign so that visitors know to where to access the walking path.  The school expansion project will not be completed until

 February 2023.

    You will also notice that there is another project going in to land adjacent to the cemetery.  At some point, it may be necessary to put up a rail fence on that side of the cemetery.  I have been in touch with the Cemeteries Director and we will keep abreast of what is happening.

    I want to thank Ron Romano for providing information, along with his friend from the National Parks Service about the fading lettering on our Veterans' stones.  Apparently, the black lettering is bound to fade over a short time, but re-painting is expensive and will not last.  It is better to allow  the lettering to go back to white.

    Finally, a sincere "Thanks" to Ron for his generous donation which will be used well for a future project to beautify the Cemetery. 

    I wish all who continue to follow this blog a Happy 4th of July!

In Memorium: Lucy Hodsdon/Hodgton Blake and Isaiah L. Frank

    Tomorrow is Memorial Day in the United States,  and we will remember those who served our country throughout its history, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice with their deaths.  We also remember all those who served and continue to serve in the military.

    Memorial Day is also a day to remember our own beloved dead, and perhaps remember others who may have lived long ago, and are threads that form the fabric of  our mutual history.

    As promised, I would like to raise up to memory two individuals who lived and died in the place we call East Deering, part of the city of Portland, and are interred at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery.

    LUCY (HODSDON /HODGTON)BLAKE was born about 1769 to Benjamin Hodsdon ( 1702 - 1774) from Kittery, Maine.  Her mother is unknown.  Lucy was the youngest child if the record is accurate.  To this point, very little is known about her. 

     Lucy married William Blake on March 23rd, 1805, as recorded by the Rev. Caleb Bradley.  In August of 1805, Lucy's potential father- in - law, John Blake sold property to his son William.  In all probability, this twelve acre parcel was for William to build a house for his new bride.

    Sadly, The marriage lasted two years, Lucy Hodgton Blake  died on May 26th, 1807, at the age of 38.  Interestingly, the recorded obituary mentions that she was the daughter of Benjamin Hodgton.

    Lucy Blake's old death record does not give any information about the cause of her death.

    When the project to recover the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery began in 2010, all that existed for information about William Blake's two wives, were their first names.  This is not an unusual occurance at that time, records were sparce. 

    We do know that Lucy Hodsdon or the other spelling:  Hodgton, existed and that she lived for a short time in East Deering, and she was the first wife of William Blake, and was buried beside him.

    ISAIAH L. FRANK was born on December 18, 1809, to William ( 1774 - 1836) and Nancy Lara Frank, (1785 - 1878), one of ten children.  He married at the age of thirty, Elizabeth Ann Sawyer on November 15, 1840.

    Elizabeth and Isaiah produced four children during their long marriage: 

Seward (1845 - 1890), Albert H. (1848 - 1929), Orin (1850 - 1881), and Mary Elizabeth (1853 - 1931).

 According to Census records, Isaiah was a farmer and lived in East Deering, off of Lunt's Corner and Ocean Street, in what was then part of Westbrook.

    Elizabeth Ann Frank died four years before her husband, and was listed as at the Eastern Cemetery Dead house.  It is thought that she may have been transfered to the Grand Trunk Cemetery to be interred with her husband Isaiah who died on May 27th, 1894.  

    Isaiah's burial is the last recorded burial at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery that we know.  Isaiah L. Frank died of old age, according to the death record.  He was 84 years old at the time of his death.

    However you choose to celebrate Memorial Day, I wish you all the best and hope that you will treasure the memories of those 

who contributed to the fabric of our lives.

Memorial Day is coming!

    Memorial Day will be celebrated next weekend, and there is a lot of flurry around cemeteries all over the state of Maine to place flags at the graves of Veterans.

                                            PATTI THERIAULT PLACE FLAGS AT THE 

GRAND TRUNK CEMETERY VETERANS MEMORIAL

     Today, four of us gathered at the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery to remember  nine men  who lived in the area once referred to as Back Cove,  later  Westbrook,  still later the village of East Deering, then, all part of Massachusetts.  Maine would not become an independent state until 1820. 

     Only one, served in the Civil War who had originated from Rhode Island.   Most began their service in the militia for the defence of the Port of Portland.  Some would be attached to units that supported the colonial army during the Revolutionary War. 

    All of those we remember today,  lived through their various millitary engagements and came home to their farms or ships and lived useful lives until their deaths.  Over the last eleven years, it has been our custom to gather to spruce up the burial site, to lay flags and set out wreaths, and to read aloud the names of our deceased Veterans so that they will not be forgotten,  I invite you to do the same:

SERVED IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR

ENSIGN CRISPUS GRAVES, 1742 - 1818

PRIVATE JOHN SAWYER JR., 1760 - 1842

PRIVATE JOSEPH LUNT, 1757 - 1804

PRIVATE SIMON DAVIS, 1765 - 1810

SERVED IN THE WAR OF 1812

PRIVATE JOHN SAWYER JR., 1760 - 1842

PRIVATE WILLIAM SAWYER, 1763 - 1825

PRIVATE JOSEPH MERRILL, 1754 - 1823

PRIVATE FRANCIS SMITH, 1791 - 1840

PRIVATE ANDREW GRAVES, 1774 - 1860

PRIVATE JOSEPH MERRILL SAWYER, 1795 - 18755

PRIVATE WILLIAM BLAKE, 1774 - 1853

SERVED IN THE UNITED STATES CIVIL WAR

PRIVATE JAMES MOSELEY, 1836 - 1892

       The two  women who came to rake the small gardens and place flags for our Veterans are Lynda Allshouse and Patti Theriault,  Readers may remember them as the  mothers of the two former Girl Scouts whose project brought life back to the once pretty much demolished and abandoned cemetery.  Lynda and Patti always come to help out when they are able, thus continuing the legacy of service begun by their daughters, nearly twelve years ago.  We are most grateful!

    Here are some photos from today!

LYNDA AND JOEL PLACE A WREATH

Lynda Allshouse

Patti Theriault

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY

REMEMBRANCE... Weaving threads

Author's notes:  Memorial Day in New England, in my recollection and personal experience, is not just for remembering 'War Dead'.  All over Maine and other New England states, Veterans' groups, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and citizen volunteers will lay flags at the graves   of soldiers; those who died in battle, and those who survived , but were Veterans of all wars. 

    Memorial Day has also become a time for families to remember and honor their relatives; parents, grandparents, spouses, and other loved ones who have passed on from this life.  It is in this vein  that I want to begin a series of short postings to remember the men, women and children who died each month, and are interred at the Grand Trunk Cemetery.

    Although I have already written about them in earlier posts, research often continues to surprise with little threads of information that add to their individual stories. 

     I do want to remind readers of this blog,  that when the restoration project began in 2010,  only 42 names of the dead existed in the city record. Forty two names survived of the 197 burials that took place, from sometime in the 1740's to the last burial in 1894.  

    Over time, and with persistance, we have been able to add five more names to the record.  It is to be noted, that there were a number of children born to several couples,  who died very young, but whose  death records have been lost.  

    Fortunately,  other sources indicated when these children were born, and when they died.  In all probabliity, these young ones would have been buried here, along with their parents.

    So, let's pick up a few more threads and remember those who died 

                                                in the Month of May!

    

    On May 14, 1825, 197 years ago, William Sawyer, born to Anthony (1735 -1804) and Susannah (Marston) Sawyer (1738-1819) in 1763, died.  Accordng to the Eastern Argus, dated May 17, 1825, published in Portland,  William died at the age of 62.

    William, one of thirteen children, was the third oldest son of Anthony and Susannah Sawyer.

     On January 3rd, 1793, according to the journal of the Rev. Caleb Bradley, William married Tabitha Graves (1768 - 1857.)  Although the couple had four children during their marriage, only two survived into adulthood. 

     William Sawyer, Jr. was born in 1794 and died at the age of 6 years in 1800.

     Joseph Merrill Sawyer was born in 1795 and died in 1876, and a

     daughter, possibly named Hannah, was born in 1798 and died  in 1800 at the age of two years old, and a

     son Crispus Sawyer was born in 1804 and died in 1873.

    During the War of 1812, William, along with his brother, John Sawyer, Jr., his brother-in-law, Andrew Graves, and his son Joseph Merrill Sawyer served in the militia for the defence of the Port of Portland.

    William is listed on the early records as a farmer by trade.  Over the course of his marriage to Tabitha, the daughter of Lieut. Crispus Graves, there were a number of property transactions from Tabitha's father to her (through her husband), her sister Abigail Graves Sawyer, wife of John Sawyer, and her brother Andrew Graves, and his wife, Tabitha Cutter Graves.  It is clear that the families' farms were close to one another and they maintained a close relationship throughout their lives.

    The Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder, vol. 4, listed a few inscriptions from the East Deering/Grand Trunk Cemetery.  Here is Williiam and Tabitha Sawyer's as recorded in 1887.

        On May 15, 1842, Emeline Blake, the 19 year old daughter of Samuel (1793 - 1846) and Martha H, Goold Blake (1803 - 1857), died.  The cause of her death was not recorded.  Emeline was one of six children and the oldest girl in the family.  She was the second of the couple's children to die at a young age.  When she was four years old, her two and a half year old brother, John died.

        

    The Blakes, and there were several families,  owned farms in an area close to the Grand Trunk Cemetery. All these Blake families were descendants of Jaspar Blake who ssettled in this area of Portland around 1736.

     It is hard to imagine what size the farms were, although many were at least 50 to 100 acres.  It is more difficult to define their exact locations.   We do know that neighbors maintained relationships to one another for survival, particularily in the early days of the settlements and the villages.

    Emeline Blake must have been well loved by her family, and greatly mourned her loss at such a young age. 

  Here is the inscription on her gravestone as it still existed in 1887.

    There are two more deaths to remember later this month.  

    In the meanwhile, I want to extend an invitation to anyone who has a hour or so to spend with Joel and me, this Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM at the GTC.  Bring a rake,  if you can, and meet us at the entrance to the children's play area to walk the short distance into the cemetery. 

     We will provide, bags, gloves and water.  We will do a little raking of leaves and picking up broken branches from the winter. 

     We will also take the opportunity to place flags and wreaths for our Veterans and read their names aloud so they will be remembered.

    Hope to see some of you on Sunday afternoon!  Thank you in advance!

Another Patriots Day 2022

 

    This last Monday was the 247th anniversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord, and Menotomy which ushered in the Revolutionary War in 1775.  Here in Maine and Massachusetts, along with a handful of other states, the third Monday of April is celebrated as Patriots' Day.

    In 1894, Massachusetts Governor Frederic T. Greenhalge created Patriots' Day.  This date replaced what was then referred to as Fast Day in Massachusetts.  Maine, having separated from Massachusetts in 1820, eventually adopted the holiday in 1907.

    Maine's celebration of the holiday is low key compared to Masachusetts with re-enactments of the battles and the Boston Marathon.  This year, men and women gathered on some of the states bridges to wave the American Flag.  Here are a few pictures from the Joshua Chamberland Bridge in Bangor and pictures from Wiscassett.

    Reflecting on the events of these last several months with the on-going war in Ukraine, I found it particularily poignant, that so many of the men (and women) are ordinary citizens, not professional soldiers fighting for their freedom, not unlike the militia of our own Revolution who were farmers and fishermen.

    As has been our custom since the recovery of the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery, we placed flags in honor of the Patriots of long ago interred here.  Access to the cemetery is a little challenging because of the work being done at the school and requires walking along the pathway adjacent to the children's playground. 

    The area is fenced in because of the construction.  It's exciting to see the progress and the structure taking form.  This photo was taken inside the cemetery.

    For those who wish to visit the cemetery this spring, you will also notice that the wooded area adjacent to the soccer field entrance has been cleared and a new development is proposed for the future.  I will be interested to see what, if any impact this will have for accessibility to the cemetery.

    For now, the walking path from Sherwood Street is blocked off.  I am waiting to get further information abut the project and the potential impact on the burial ground.

    It has been a while since our informal Friends group and the Girl Scouts have been able to hold our annual Spring cleanup day, but I am hoping that at least a few hardy souls might join together, rakes in hand in the week or so before Memorial Day.  Look for updates soon.

    Here are a few more photos from Patriots' Day 2022.

                                         A Veteran honors brother Veterans

    We pay particular homage to the memory of our four Revolutionary War Veterans, Lieut. Crispus Graves, Prvts. Simon Davis, Joseph Lunt and John Sawyer during this Patriots' Day 2022.

MEMORIAL DAY 2021

     It is Monday, May 31st, Memorial Day in the year 2021.  Although we are in better shape as a nation and state than we were last year, because of Covid 19, we are still unable to commemorate  the day in our customary manner with parades, speeches, and formal services.  I thought I would share through photographs, some of the present and past events.

     This morning, a small but dedicated group of Portlanders, a number who were Veterans, gathered in Monument Square at the Our Lady of Victory statue to witness the one retired soldier process down Congress Street carrying the colors.  The Commander of the Andrews Post laid the wreath.  Taps was played and salutes were made; a poignant moment for all gathered.

     It has been eleven years since the project to reclaim the Presumpscot/Grand Trunk Cemetery was begun,  and from that time, some community members made sure that the cemetery's inhabitants who were members of the military were honored with the laying of flags for Memorial Day.  Although, none died in combat, as far as we know, we continue to honor their service from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and our one known veteran of the Civil War.

     We know there were at least 197 burials that took place from about 1749 to 1894, and  it is possiible and probable, that there are others who served who still remain unknown to us.  In previous years,  prior to the pandemic, Portland Girl Scouts continued to carry on the legacy of Kayla Theriault and Samantha Allshouse, the authors of the reclamation project, whose effort to honor these Veterans from long ago resulted in our being able to obtain new  government issued markers for them. 

      Unable to gather this Memorial Day, Joel and I paced the flags and wreaths ourselves in a well groomed burial ground, 'Thanks' to the city of Portland Cemeteries Division.

                           May we always remember to say "Thank You for your service!"