mill, this year married, and, after living a while in Snow's store, built a house on his own lot now occupied by his son Dea. Samuel Dean. George Emery from Kittery, a brotherin-law, came probably about the same time, 1789, to Owl's Head; having resided for a time previous in Harpswell. The preceding year, according to family tradition, though probably later as the name is not in the census of 1790, came the widow Sleeper and her five sons, who settled at Ash Point, and whose descendants have been numerous in the vicinity. John White, who this year married a daughter of Mr. Rendell at Owl's Head, and Eliphalet Gray, with a family of six, were also settled in the town; and Wm. Green, an Englishman, about this time was located on the farm since owned by J. W. Small on the George's River side of what is now South Thomaston.

1790. The new or federal constitution of the United States, which had been ratified by Massachusetts Feb. 9th, 1788, and put in operation April 30th, 1789, by the inauguration of George Washington as its first president, was now regarded as of equal authority with that of the State. And, it would seem from the records, that an oath to support the same, together with the test oath of the State constitution, was required here, even of the selectmen, the number of whom was this year increased to five. In the first election under that constitution, the present State of Maine formed but one congressional district, and elected Hon. Geo. Thatcher of Biddeford its representative; but, in the election, this town does not appear to have taken any part. The first census under it, taken this year by Rev. T. Whiting of Warren, showing the extent of population the town had now reached and the families composing it, we here insert at large, alphabetically arranged. The first column gives the heads of families; the second column, the free white males under 16 years of age; the third column, ditto, of 16 and upwards; the fourth, free white females; the fifth, colored, or all other free persons; making an aggregate of 801 inhabitants :

* Copied in March, 1862, by Capt. A. C. Spalding, from the original manuscript in the Census Bureau, Washington, D. C.

16*

CHAPTER X.

VARIOUS INCIDENTS, FIRST POST OFFICE, AND FIRST

MEETING-HOUSE.

Ar the annual meeting in March, 1790, a vote is recorded that "Quakers have Liberty to wear their hats in Town Meeting;" but whether passed for the accommodation of Mr. Chapman of that denomination or as a joke upon some who wore their hats regardless of the custom then prevailing at such meetings, tradition does not state. Possibly the coldness of the weather made the wearing of hats a necessity; as Capt. J. Watson wrote on the 7th April that "the snow was very deep, and that snow and sleet fell, all that day.”

The first division of the town into school districts was made in Oct. 1790, as follows: "The 1st District to be from Warren line to the east line of J. Dillaway's land, and from thence to T. Stevens's upon the N. side of the road; the 2d, from the 1st District Line, including the Beech Woods, Mr. Creighton's, Mr. Butler's, and all the inhabitants upon the River to the Town line at Cushing (now St. George;) the 3d, all the N. E. part of the town from Mr. Creighton's northerly line, including all the inhabitants to the Camden line and southerly on the sea-shore to Mr. Lindsey's; the 4th, all the inhabitants on both sides Wessaweskeag River, taking in Mr. Spalding; the 5th, all the inhabitants from Timothy Spald ing's to Ash Point and Owl's Head Harbour, including James Rendell; the 6th, all the inhabitants from John Godding's to Rosamus Lowell's."

The "pound of good logs," voted in 1786, seems never to have been built; as the selectmen this year ordered that the barn-yard of Capt. Thomas Vose, who now occupied the Wadsworth house, be used as a pound for the present; and, the autumn following, votes were passed "that one pound should be built on the N. W. corner of the town Landing place near Wheaton's saw-mill," and another at Wessaweskeag; of which James Fales, Jr., and Wm. Rowell were chosen pound-keepers.

1791. At a meeting, May 5th, the town voted "that Capt. Josiah Reed have liberty to build a store on the town landing, near Col. Wheaton's Mill, for the term of seven years, he paying three shillings per year for the use thereof."

Reed came from Massachusetts, where he married Betsey, the daughter of Dr. John Taylor, proprietor of the township

since named Union, and from whom he had, in 1782, receiv-. ed a deed of some 14000 acres of land, all that remained unsold in that township. There he erected a saw-mill and, not improbably, resided for a time; but, in this or the preceding year, became, with his wife and two daughters, Eliza and Lucy, a resident of Thomaston. It may have been at his invitation and for the purpose of receiving some tendered acknowledgment of the favor granted by the above vote, that the town, in December following, "voted to adjourn the meeting for one hour to the house of Capt. Josiah Reed." He traded in the place many years, at first in the porch of his own house opposite the foot of what is now High street; became a magistrate; twice represented the town in the General Court; was flattered by the marriage of his eldest daughter to Henry J., son of Gen. Knox; but subsequently became involved, returned to Massachusetts, and was for a time a justice of the peace in Boston, where, it is believed, he died in comparative obscurity.

While Reed was trading in this town, a piece of cloth was missed from his store, and a young fellow by the name of Louett, a tailor, was accused of purloining it. Whether guilty or not, the evidence against him was so strong that the magistrate thought proper to bind him over to the court for trial. Leonard Fales, then deputy sheriff, took charge of him, and, meeting old Mr. Creighton, told him he had a prisoner in charge whom he "should be obliged to carry to jail, unless somebody would be bound for his appearance at court. Would'nt you be his bondsman ?" "Ye-e-s!" said C., in his deep hoarse voice, "I'll be bound for him." Well pleased, they all turned back to the magistrate's to have the bond executed. Here, after being well "treated" by the prisoner and being asked by the magistrate if he was willing to be bound for Mr. L., he gave the same emphatic "ye-e-es! I'll be bound for him." After partaking of a second treat and being told the bond was ready if he was willing to sign it, Creighton said, "I told you I'd be bound for him, and I will be bound that he will do the same thing again the first opportunity. That not being the bond required, the prisoner's hopes were of course disappointed.*

Zephaniah Everton, whose grandfather came from England and was a manufacturer of gunpowder in Dorchester, Mass., came to this place about 1790. In 1777, at the age of thirteen, he entered the army as drummer in Col. Jackson's regi

*Mr. Nathaniel Fales (3d.)