Hope, Maine Town Clerk Records 1804 - 1848 A Literal Transcription Cynthia S. DellaPenna, Editor Hope Historical Society 2020 [00-4] [This page is blank The Hope Historical Society hopes the reader enjoys the Following transcribed pages oF the original Town oF Hope Record Book kept by various Town Clerks over the years beginning with the town’s incorporation in 1804. This record book or journal, which has entries to 1848, contains the early history oF a signiFicant portion oF the Town oF Appleton, as it was not until 1843 that Hope was ordered by the Maine State Legislature to set oFF the populous western section of town, that included McLean’s Mills, to Appleton. The early record book had been presumed lost; it was Found on Ebay by Lois Montbertrand, a private donor, who presented it to Yale Law Library where it was digitized. At the top leFt of most pages, one will see numbers in brackets, as on this page; what these numbers reFer to are the digitized pages of the original record book. When the record book was digitized, it was done in sections running from 00 to 17, 17 being the back cover. Each section contains from 12 to 20 pages. To easily reference the original document, the bracketed numbering system was incorporated. The transcription was done by Five people: Linda Hillgrove, section 02; Bob Appleby, halF oF section 06; Ron Smith, section 07; Veronica Westbo, section 09; all other sections were transcribed by Cynthia S. DellaPenna and all sections were edited by her plus indexed. There is limited Footnoting and some sidebar annotations throughout the transcription. A separate Excel spreadsheet has been prepared listing some of the most important elected town officers from 1804 to 1848, also a spreadsheet, extracted from the Town Record book, listing town roads that were laid out and/or discontinued From 1804 to 1847. The reader needs to be aware this is a literal transcription. The handwriting at times was diFFicult to read and the spelling of names hard to interpret. Researching other records including U. S. Federal census, surrounding towns, and our own local history records assisted in interpreting poor handwriting. The editor is aware that that there may be need for further fine tuning of the interpreted written word, brackets have been used with question marks when a word or phrase is unreadable in the original document. The Towns oF Hope and Appleton are in debt to the beneFicent donors, Lois Montbertrand and Mike Widener, who is the Rare Book Librarian & Lecturer in Legal Research, Lillian Goldman Law Library, Yale Law School. The town’s beginning history have been restored. This transcribed original Town Record book pairs well with the subsequent journals held at the Hope Town OFFice. Hope Historical Society – 2020] 1 1 Commonwealth of Massachusetts In the Year of our LORD onethousand eight Hundred & Four An Act to incorporate the plantation called Barrettstown, into a Town by the Name of Hope. – Sect 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House oF Rep- resentatives in General Court Assembled, and by the authority of the same that the Plantation heretofore called Barrettstown lying in the county oF Lincoln, as described within the Following boundaries with the Inhabitants thereon ˞ Be and they are hereby incorpo- =rated into a Town by the name oF Hope, beginding at the north =, westerly corner oF Camden, thence – running North fifty six degrees East on Camden line five Miles and one quarter of a mile, thence north thirty four degrees west six miles making a corner thence south fifty six degrees west Five miles and one quarter of a mile to Union line thence South thurty Four deg- =rees East by Union line and the line oF the town oF Warren Six miles to the place oF beginning – and the Said Town oF Hope is hereby incorporated and vested with all the powers, privileges, rights, and immunities to which other towns are intitled by the constitution and Laws oF this commonwealth. -- - - - - Sect 2 And be it Further enacted, that Samuel Jacobs oF Camden in the County of Lincoln Esqr be and he is hereby authority to issue a Warrant directed 2 [00-5] 2 to Some suitable person an inhabitant of the said town oF Hope ˞ requiring him to notiFy and warn the inhabitants thereof, to assemble at some conven= ient time & place as shall be expressed in the said warrant For the choise oF such Town OFFicers as towns are by Law required to choose, at their anual meeting in the Months oF March or April annually -------- In the House oF Representatives June 23. 1804 This bill having had three several readings passed to be enacted, H G Otis [1] Speaker In Senate June 23. 1804 This bill having had two several reading passed to be enacted David Cobb [2] President June 23. 1804 – By the Governor approved Caleb Strong A True Copy Attest. John Avery Secy This record was made November 19th. 1805 By me Almond Gushe Town Clerk 1 Harrison Gray Otis (1765 – 1848) obtained a law degree From Harvard, served as a Representative and Senator From Massachusetts; born and died in Boston. 2 David Cobb (1748 – 1830) a graduate oF Harvard College; he practice medicine; served during the Revolutionary War becoming an aide-de-camp to George Washington; served as a County judge and member oF Massachusetts legislature; moved to Gouldsboro in the District oF Maine in 1796 to pursue agricultural interests and was elected in 1802 from the eastern district oF Maine to the Massachusetts Senate where he served as president. He removed permanently back to Massachusetts in 1817. 3 3 At a legal Meeting of the inhabitants of Hope Holden at the meeting House in said Town = = October 1st AD 1804 the following officers were chosen, Moderator Capt = = Nathan Miles, Town Clerk, Saml Reeves, Fergus McClain Calvin Crane Jesse Medcalf Selectmen Rubin SaFFord Lemuel Wintworth Oliver Simmons Thadus Hastings Archel Mclain Ebenezer Whit= = comb Daniel Bartlett Rubin Barrett Wade Sweetland Almond Gushe Saml Reeves William Thompson Surveyors. Town treasurer Capt. Nathan = = Miles. Enoch Philbrick constable Ebenezer Whitcomb Collector Mr Jacob Mansfield Bondsman for Ebinezer = = Whitcomb. At a legal meeting of the inhabitants of the Town oF Hope Holden at the Meeting House in said Town October 18th 1804 the following votes were past to pay the Charges for laying out Dolls Cnts County roades For discharging the same - - - - - 300 for to layout on the roads --- ---- ----- -- -- -- 500 Men to be allowed one shilling pr hour For oxen eight pence Ebenezer Whitcomb collects For Five per cent to except the county roades. That there be a road out From McClains bridge by William keatings to Union line. Committee to lay out said Road the Select Men At a legal Meeting of the inhabitants of the Town of Hope duly qualiFied to vote For representatives in the General court oF this commonwealth holden at the Meeting House in said Town on the fifth day oF November beginning being the 4 [00-6] 4 the first Monday in said Month AD 1804 Votes For the Following persons were to represent the people of said commonwealth in the Congress of the United States For the Lincoln District were given in a follows viz for Orchard Cook[3] 15 for Samuel Thatcher[4] - 16 A Moderator chosen For other business Fergus McClain Voted that their be a road laid out From Reubin = = Rickers to the County road The above Record is a I Received it From Atte= = Samuel Reeves Town Clerk Attest Almond Gushe Town Clerk _________________________________________________ At a legal Meeting of the inhabitants of the Town of hope holden at the Meeting House in said Town April the first 1805 the following officers were Chosen and business Transacted Viz First to choose a Governor Lieutenant Governor and Senators For Governor Caleb Strong[5] 30 James Sullivan[6] --- 31 For Lieutenant Governor Edward N Robbins 23 for William Heath - - - 35 For Senators Ulmer 31 Farley 36 David Cobb Esq 22 Hill – 26 a moderator chosen For other business & moderator Fergus McClain Town Clerk Almond Gushe Fergus McClain Daniel Bartlett & Almond Gushe Chosen Select Men Assessors & overseers oF the Poor Town Trea= = serer Jacob Mansfield. Nathaniel Meservy Junr 3 Orchard Cook (1763 – 1819) was elected as a Republican and served in the Ninth, Tenth, & Eleventh Congresses (Mar. 4, 1805 to Mar. 3, 1811) then became Postmaster oF Wiscasset until his death. 4 Samuel Thatcher (1776 – 1872) served as a U.S. Representative to Congress From 1802 to 1805, he was a resident oF Warren at the time. He likely was personally known in town as he had owned real estate in Barrettstown. Mr. Thatcher was a lawyer who eventually removed to Bangor. 5 Caleb Strong (1745 – 1819) won reelection as Governor oF Massachusetts. 6 James Sullivan (1744 – 1808) will win the Governorship in 1807 and serve until his death the Following year. 5 5 Jacob Robbins Oliver Simmons Reubin SaFFord Micah Hobbs Wade Sweetland Samuel Reeves Reubin = Barrett Ebenezer Whitcom and Matthew Beveridge all Surveyors oF Roads in the Town oF Hope Micah Hobbs William Jackson Isaac flagg Junr Roger Handley and Almond Gushe all Chosen Hog reeves the price of labor voted by the town on the Roads one shilling per Hour For Men ten Cents For oxen for an hour and a large plow six pence pr hour carts six pence pr hour. Money voted by the Town for Highways & other uses Highways 1500 To deFray Town Charges - - - 300 For Schooling - - - 400 Voted Mr Ebenezer Whitcomb Collector Voted that Merium Pease be set up at vendue Bid oFF by Almond Gushe For one Dollar and seventy cents per week to be delivered at his house.