met a watery grave. Sarah Rawley also, a girl living in the family of Mr. Coombs at Wessaweskeag, was accidentally drowned in that river or pond.

1815. Notwithstanding the good fortune of the Fame, the great demand and generous remuneration of teams and men for transporting the goods brought in by captures and by contraband traffic, and the ample crops of grain raised the preceding season upon newly cleared lands, which had afforded great relief and increased activity to business in this and the neighboring towns, still the general condition of the country was distressing in the present and gloomy as to the future. Poverty, taxes, and want of employment, pressed heavily upon private life; whilst a rapidly accumulating debt, political divisions, and party animosity, perplexed and distracted public councils. In this state of things, the 12th of Jan., 1815, was observed as a national Fast. But, in the midst of this cloud of despondency, there suddenly burst a gleam of light and sunshine on the 14th February; when, at 6 o'clock, afternoon, came to this place the news of Jackson's victory at New Orleans, and, two hours later, that of the cessation of war by a treaty of peace concluded at Ghent.

CHAPTER XVI.

CHANGES CIVIL, SOCIAL, ECCLESIASTICAL, AND DOMESTIC.

To go back a little; -in 1814 the pulpit of the North Parish was supplied from March 22d to Sept. 7th as it had been three weeks in the preceding December, by Rev. Enos Merrill, a missionary, whose board and horse keeping were paid by the North Parish. During 1815 and 1816, being still in debt to Mr. Lord for a portion of his salary, the parish contented itself with ordering its treasurer, J. Paine, to pay the same out of any monies that should come into the treasury and voting to pay Dea. Tilson $32,25 for board and horse-hire of Rev. James Weston, who, as a missionary, labored with them ten weeks prior to April 11, 1816. In the South or First Parish, since the defection of Mr. Baker, the church had been under the sole care of Elder Snow, who seems to have retained a brotherly affection and charity for his colleague, and used to pray earnestly that he might be reclaimed; using, on one occasion, it is said, the following language Take him, Oh Lord, and shake him over the pit of everlasting fire, till he shall see the error of his way; but, God, don't let him fall in!" This prayer seems, in the sense in which it was offered, to have been answered; and, this year, Mr. Baker renounced his alleged error and was restored to his office. A brighter day appeared then to dawn upon the church; and a fourth general revival ensued which resulted in the addition to it of more than fifty members.

This South church having become numerous and the society in a prosperous condition, many members in the western part of the town, finding it inconvenient to travel so far, now began to hold meetings at Mill River; and, January 20, 1816, united with others lately come to the place, and were constituted the 2d Baptist Church in Thomaston. The first male members, seven in number, were H. Prince, Job Washburn, John Barnard, Jas. Stackpole, Asa Fales, Wm. Sayward, and Everett Williams, who, together with thirteen female members, held their church meetings each month in the district school-house, — being supplied by Rev. S. Baker six communion Sabbaths in the year, and three each by Elders Ames of St. George and Fuller of Warren, at $3 a Sabbath. In 1819, Rev. John Wakefield came from Waterville to the place, and was ordained as an evangelist, Mar. 1, 1820. He being soon called to Warren, this church licensed, Feb. 13,

1822, one of their brethren, Job Washburn, to preach; who, Sept. 3, 1822, was ordained and became the settled pastor of the church, faithfully laboring in his vocation till 1841. The church gradually increasing in numbers and ability, in 1827 contained 66 members; and in 1828 an extraordinary revival took place, 43 new members being added between Jan. 13th and June 8th. The society had then purchased and repaired the old N. Parish meeting-house, and the Lincoln Baptist Association was for the first time held in it, Sept., 1830. The deleterious effects of ardent spirits having become generally acknowledged, this church after some discussion unanimously voted, July 12, 1834, that total abstinence in the use and sale of spirituous liquors except as a medicine, be required of its members, and that the same be made a subject of discipline. The old house of worship being again out of repair and inconveniently situated to many in the western part of West Thomaston village, which had comparatively greatly increased in population, a new one was now erected there by subscription at a cost of $11,288. But it was found that a large portion of the church in the neighborhood of the old one. were utterly averse to the change, and, being unable to agree, it was voted, Dec. 3, 1836, that this church be divided into two, and that certain members by name, to the number of 21 males and 39 females, shall form one of said churches; which, Dec. 10th, was duly constituted under the name of the 1st Bap. Church in W. Thomaston. The remainder, 17 males and 47 females, were to form the other church, and retained the old name of the 2d Baptist Church in Thomaston. But difficulties soon arose as to which should be considered the old church; the pastor and a majority of members being included in the western division, taking the new house, claimed to be, and retained the name of the 2d Bap. Ch. in Thomaston; whilst the other section, retaining the clerk, the records, and former house, made the same claim, which they attempted to fortify by adopting the name of the 1st Baptist Society in West Thomaston. After calling a council July 12, 1837, these conflicting claims were at length adjusted by allowing those worshiping in the new house to be the old church, and those remaining in the old house to be considered as dismissed from her, and to retain the name of their choice. Being now established in their elegant and capacious house of worship, this mother church went on prospering, under Mr. Washburn's ministry, and, aided by the professor and students of the Bap. Theological Institution then recently located in that part. of the town, enjoyed quite a religious revival, and, in the

spring of 1839, received 31 new members by baptism. But a portion of its 127 members becoming desirous of a change, Mr. Washburn's connection of 19 years duration was dissolved Jan. 14, 1841; and Rev. Wm. Lamson from Gloucester, Mass., was installed Aug. 3d, as their pastor, succeeded in May 1842, by Rev. Enoch Hutchinson, Nov. 13th, by Rev. Alvan Felch of New Gloucester, and at the close of 1843, by Rev. Lorenzo B. Allen, whose services continued till his resignation on account of ill health, July 1, 1848. Rev. L. D. Rev. L. D. Royce from Claremont, N. H., was ordained Oct. 17, 1848, but removed, by death, Sept. 2, 1850; Rev. O. O. Stearns, became pastor July 1851; and Rev. Isaac Sawyer from Manchester, N. H., July, 1854. The latter removed to Alleghany City, Pa., in 1858, and was succeeded by Rev. Luther D. Hill, a native of New York; and in 1863 by Rev. Thos. Atwood. The deacons of this church have been John Barnard and Henry S. Swasey in 1822, Joel Miller in 1830, Wm. Butler and Abel Hildreth in 1832, Jos. Catland in 1834, and Asa Perkins in 1844. According to the minutes of the Lincoln Baptist Association for 1863, the whole number of members was 155. Since its formation, this church has furnished no less than six licentiates for the ministry, all of whom have been ordained.

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Returning to the year 1815, it may be noted that, on 4th Oct. of that year, a “ Foreign Missionary Society" was formed in the town, and H. Prince, Esq., chosen Treasurer.

The three winter months prior to Feb. 28th, were very cold and dry, springs and wells very low, the rivers and coves all frozen uncommonly hard. On the 19th of May, when farmers were plowing for corn, there was quite a storm of snow, which, though much of it melted as it fell, through the whole day, accumulated in this town to the depth of two or more inches, and was still deeper further from the sea. The 4th of July was celebrated this year at W. Thomaston, by a collection of people, public dinner, and an oration by Samuel S. Wilkinson, Esq. This gentleman graduated at Brown University in 1809, commenced practice as a lawyer here, in 1812 or 1813, and continued it successfully some ten years; when he removed westward, we believe, entered the ministry, and has since deceased.

As an evidence of some mitigation in the hardness of the times, the town, in March, 1815, voted a school tax of $1000 instead of $500, to which it had been reduced in the three preceding years. A project of dividing the town having been brought before a meeting, May 1st, the vote on its ex

pediency was taken with the following result; in favor, 9; against, 85.

From the non-importation of woolen goods during the war and the commercial embarrassments which preceded, together with the greater number and improved breeds of sheep kept in the country, the manufacture of domestic woolens had been greatly extended, and the dyeing, fulling, and dressing of these became a very lucrative business. The first clothingmill in this town was erected this year on the Mill River stream at some distance above the bridge, by Aaron Gleason. He learned his trade of his brother Micajah in Union, and prosecuted the business here till his death in 1819; when it was carried on by Edward Thomas, till the works were purchased in 1821, by Henry K. Gleason and Capt. David N. Piper, who became a permanent resident of the town. They added in 1824 à machine for picking oakum, and did a good business till 1828. They then sold out to Horatio Alden who continued the works till 1833; when the fulling-mill was abandoned, and he removed his oakum business to Camden.

But the more important to the country and profitable to the owner the product of the sheep was becoming, the more severely was felt the injury occasionally sustained from its destruction by wild animals. These had been pretty well exterminated in the town; but a few wolves were still lurking in the woody region between here and Waldoboro', occasionally making inroads upon the flocks; and the town therefore voted to give "$15 as a bounty on wolves the present year." Depredations had been made at the Beech Woods, as also between Mill River and the Wessaweskeag; and a pack of five black whelps and one old she-wolf (which, though of the black species, had grown grey with age, and lost one leg on some former occasion,) having been discovered, notice was given, and the people turned out, eager for their destruction. Great pains were taken to keep them south of the Wessaweskeag road, and also prevent their escaping to the woody region in St. George. This succeeded, and the pursuit became so close that the wolves took to the water and endeavored to reach one of the Muscle-ridge islands by swimming. Being headed off by a man and boat from thence, they bent their course to other islands, where one of them made out to land, while the rest came ashore on a point of the main land. Here they were beset by numbers, some of whom were afraid to fire for fear of injuring each other; some guns would not go off; others did; and the old wolf was shot through the body by Nathaniel Fales (3d); some of her whelps fled