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sioner by the townsmen in 1664, but not allowed by the General Court. He was evidently at this time suspected of disaaffcetion towards the authority of Massachusetts; hence his rejection by the Court, although he still retained the entire confidence of his fellow-townsmen. There is some uncertainty with regard to the time of Watts' death, and his age. In a brief notice of him in the history of Saco, he is said to have been living at Blue Point in the year 1684, being then upwards of eighty years of age. Upon what authority this is asserted we have not learned, but we find it incidently recorded upon one of the old York record books, that he was living in 1685 at the age of seventy-one years. If this be true he was not born until 1614, and was therefore eleven years younger than his friend Foxwell, with whom he was so long associated. We have discovered nothing respecting Watts' family, and know not that any of his children survived him.†

For a few years Foxwell and Watts were the only settlers upon Blue Point. The first planters who went to settle near them were George Dearing and Nicholas Edgecomb, who came in 1639, and were joined during the next year by William Smyth. Smyth affirms, in a deposition given in 1670, that when he went to live at Blue Point in 1640, there were then there four plantations, those of Richard Foxwell, Henry Watts, George Dearing, and Nicholas Edgecomb; and that some time after came Hilkiah Bailey and Edward Shaw. There was also one Tristram Alger living there about the same time with these last. Of George Dearing we can find no account whatever.

The duties of these early Commissioners were somewhat similar to those of our Justices of Peace. They constituted a Court for the trial of all causes under £50; and any one of them could determine as magistrate small causes whether civil or criminal.

+ Folsom (History of Saco.) notices a John Watts of Falmouth 1721, whom he supposes to have been a son of our Planter; but there is no such person mentioned in Willis' History of Portland, though there is frequent mention there of one John Wass who became an inhabitant of that town about 1716.

The Roger Dearing, who died here in 1676 was probably a son of George, and Roger Dearing who came from Kittery and settled here early in the next century, a grandson. Nicholas Edgecomb was a member of the younger branch of the noble family of Edgecomb, of Mount Edgecomb, England. Sir Richard Edgecomb received a grant from Gorges in 1637 of 8000 acres of land, which was for a long time after his death a subject of controversy. A descendant of Nicholas Edgecomb, probably his grandson, acted as agent for Lord Edgecomb of Mount Edgecomb, at the time when the claim of Sir Richard's heirs was first entered in the Massachusetts Book of Claims.* Mr. Edgecomb remained at Blue Point twenty years, and then removed to Saco. His plantation at Blue Point consisted of fifty acres which he rented of Capt. Richard Bonython. He was a man of good sense and fair abilities, but had not enjoyed, or at least had not improved, the common advantages of educa tion. His failing in this respect accounts in a good degree for the small part he shared in the early government of the Province. His sons were Robert, John, and probably Michael and Christopher, who were living here in 1675. Robert was married to Rachel Gibbins of Saco, where he died in 1730 aged seventy four. John was one of the Selectmen of Saco in 1686. Of our townsman's daughters, Mary married George Page of Saco, and after his death John Ashton of Blue Point, afterwards of Marblehead, Massachusetts. The other daughter, Joanna, married a Puncheon of Boston.

William Smyth first settled at Blue Point in 1640. He afterwards removed to Black Point, where he resided at the time of his death. He and Foxwell were the appraisers of Capt. Cam

It is not a little remarkable that three of the earliest settlers of Scarborough were members of English families of high rank. Cammock, as we have seen, was nephew of the Earl of Warwick; Jocelyn, was son of Sir Thomas Jocelyn Kt; and Edgecomb was connected as above.

mock's estate in 1643. He had a brother Richard, and two sisters living in the city of Westchester, England, in the year 1661. It is very probable that our townsman was a native of the same city. He was a simple planter, taking no part in political affairs. He was born in England in the year 1587, and died at Black Point in March 1676, having passed the limit of threescore and ten by nearly another score of years. Rich. ard Smyth, who was one of the witnesses to the delivery of Black Point to Cammock in 1633, was perhaps the brother of William who was living in Westchester in 1661. If so, he remained in the Province but a few years.

Hilkiah Bailey and Edward Shaw settled at Blue Point sometime after the other planters just noticed, yet before 1648; for Smyth's deposition above referred to, says, that they had been sometime there when Rigby's government commenced, which was in 1648. We know nothing further of Bailey, bnt suppose that he was the father of Jona Bailey who died at Blue Point in 1663, and whom we shall have occasion to notice hereafter. Shaw left at his death a son Richard, who lived a number of years on his father's estate at Blue Point, and then sold it in 1662 to John Howell.

We have now briefly noticed each of the principal planters who established the Blue Point settlement. While Capt. Cammock and his tenants at Black Point were mostly engaged in the fisheries, for which that place has ever afforded excellent advantages, the early settlers upon the other Point appear to have given particular attention to agriculture, and to have been chiefly occupied in the improvement of their estates. They were very appropriately styled planters. This distintion does not apply so well to the present inhabitants of the two Points; though there still remain prosperous planters on the one, and successful fishermen on the other.

The third principal settlement within the town was that made at Dunstan about the year 1651, by the brothers Andrew and

Arthur Alger. They bought a large tract of land of the Indians residing here, and retained their possession of it by virtue of their Indian title. Andrew Alger was living upon Stratton's Island as early as 1645, at which time he had a company of men there engaged in the fisheries. He afterwards removed to Saco, whence he came to this town about 1654, and settled with his brother Arthur upon their purchase. The terms upon which they bought this tract of more than a thousand acres, have been preserved in the declaration of one of the Indians concerned. This interesting document is here copied from the Records word for word.

"19th September, 1659. The declaration of Jane the Indean of Scarborough concering lands. This aforesayd Jane alias Uphannum doth declare that her mother namely Nagaasqua the wife of Wack warrawaskee Sagamore, and her brother namely Ugagoguskitt and herselfe namely Uphannum coequally hath sould unto Andrew Alger, and to his brother Arthur Alger a Tract of Land beginning att the mouth of ye River called blew Poynt River, where the River doth part, and soe bounded up along with the River called Oawasscoage in Indean, and soe up three scoore poole above the falls, on the one side, and on the other side bounded up along with the northernmost River that Dreaneth by the great hill of Abram Jocelyns and goeth northward, bounding from the head yt River South West and soe to the aforesayd bounds namely three scoore Pooles above the Falls. This aforesayd Uphannum doth declare that her mother and brother and shee hath already in her hand received full satisfaction of the aforesayd Algers for the aforesd the Land from the beginning of the world to this day, provided on condittions that for tyme to come from yeare to yeare yearly, the aforesd Algers shall peaceably suffer Uphannum to plant in Andrew Algers field soe long as Uphann and her mother Neguasqua doe both live, and alsoe one bushl: of corne for acknowledgment: every yeare soe long as they both shall live, Uphann: dothe declare that ye bargan was made in the yeare 1651: unto which shee dothe subscribe, the marke of Uphannum X't. In 1674 the indian" Jane" made a second acknowledgment of this sale, which is thus

* Sometimes written Auger; but an original power of attorney from Andrew to Arthur, now before me, and other original papers in my possession, have the name spelt Alger.

↑ York Records B. 2, page 114.

Recorded: "Note yt this sayle of ye Land Recorded in pa; 114: written expressed, sould to Andrew and Arthur Alger by these Indeans, was sould to ye sd Algers, them yr heyrs, executors, administrators and assigns forever, as is owned by Uphann: alia Jane this 27: of May 1674: In presence of WILLIAM PHILLIPS SETH FLETCHER."

That part of the town which lies back from the sea coast was at this time in the possession of the Indians. Their proprietorship seems to have been generally acknowledged by the first English settlers. The inland part of the town was left unoccupied, except by the Indians, until after the second settlement, when the excellent quality of the soil led many to settle in that part. The Algers gave their tract of land the name of Dunsten in remembrance of their native town in the County of Somersetshire England. Dunster soon became corrupted to "Dunston," and then to "Dunstan." This name, at first given to the whole tract purchased of the Indians, afterwards distinguished the settlement at the Landing, and still later was transferred to the village which now bears it. The houses of the Algers were near the present landing road where it turns towards the south, within a field now owned by Horatio Southgate. Arthur's house was on the northern side of the deep "run" that extends towards the marsh, and Andrew's was on the opposite side. Next to Andrew lived his son John Alger, and below him towards the landing were the houses of Andrew's three sons-in-law. The traces of Andrew Alger's cellar were distinctly visible but a few years since. In another chapter further account of the Algers may be found. We have now completed a brief sketch of the three earliest settlements within the town. The few facts which we have thus gathered, together with others, which a regard to brevity has induced us to omit, establish the respectable character of these early planters. Many of them were highly worthy men; equal to the performance of all the duties arising from their various relations in life. The mercenary

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