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Westbrook Historical Society "A Society That Preserves the Past" Fall 2012

Presentation area at Westbrook Historical Society ∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞

EARLY WESTBROOK HISTORY

Westbrook became incorporated as a town in 1814 under the name of Stroudwater. This name did not meet the approval

of the majority of its inhabitant so three months later its name was changed to Westbrook, in honor of Col. Thomas

Westbrook. It included within its boundaries what we now know as the Woodfords and Morrill’s Corner sections of

greater Portland, as well as Stroudwater. The boundary line between Westbrook and Portland extended to a point on

Forest Avenue near the brick power house of the old Portland Street Railroad Company across from the Forest Avenue

entrance to Deering Oaks. Villages, Locations and Settlements of Westbrook were Cumberland Mills (anciently

known as Ammoncongin), Highland Lake (formerly Duck Pond), Prides Corner, Saccarappa, Westbrook,

Halidon.

CITY GOVERNMENT Archelaus Lewis, Justice of Peace, called the first town meeting, before the name was changed to Westbrook, at the

meeting house in Stroudwater in 1814. The first entry in these government records reads: To Nathaniel Patridge,

one of the principal inhabitants of the town of Stroudwater in County of Cumberland by virtue of an act of the

Commonwealth of Massachusetts made and passed on the fourteenth day of February in the year of

Purpose: The Westbrook Historical Society meets regularly in its rooms at the Community Center at 426 Bridge Street,

Westbrook at 1:30 pm on the first Wednesday of each month. The purpose of the Society is to bring together those people interested in the history of Westbrook, and to

discover, collect, and preserve any materials and objects which establish and illustrate the history of the area.

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our Lord eighteen hundred and fourteen entitled an act to incorporate the town of Stroudwater, I hereby request

you to notify and warn the freeholders and other inhabitants of said town of Stroudwater qualified by law to

vote for town officers. Signed by Archealaus Lewis, Justice of the Peace.

This first meeting elected the following citizens to town offices: Moderator – Silas Estes; Town Clerk and

Treasurer – Jonathan Sparrow; Selectmen – Silas Estes, Randal Johnson, Joseph Valentive; Collector –

Zachariah B. Stevens, Nathaniel Hale, John Warren, Peter I. Clerk; Surveyors of Highways – Timothy Cobb,

James Gowen, Daniel Lunt, William Cobb, Benjamin Boadey, Samuel Hayier, Jeremiah Bailey, Silas Estes,

Levi Pale, John Sawyer, James Blake, William Slemous, James Porterfield, Alex Johnson, Peter Knight, Jon

Stevens, William Roberts, John Grant, Arch Lewis, Bela Shaw; Surveyors of Lumber – Abel Quimby, Gebelin

Babb, George Bishop, James Clemens, Jonathan Sparrow, John Garden, Nath Warren, Joseph Babb, Thomas

Knight, Abner Knight, Benjamin Quimby, Joseph H. Waterhouse, Asa Knight, Joseph Partrage, Joseph

Chamberlain, Nath Hale, Charles Jordan; Cullers of Hoops and Staves – Jonathan Sparrow, Samuel Jewett,

Thomas Sawyer; Fence Viewers, Fish Drivers, Hog Rearers and Pound Keepers – Peter I. Clerk, George Ilsley,

Isiah Winslow, Nathaniel Haskell, William Stevens, William Slemeus, Daniel Knight, Charles Pratt, James

Gowen, Levi Bailey, Jeremiah Clemens, Jonathan Sparrow, Nemeiah Ingals, Nathan Burnett, Enock Trickey,

Benjamin Boadey, Clever Bartlett, Benj Stevens, George knight, Daniel Broad; Tything Men – James Gowen,

Job Knight, Joseph Storer, Joseph Valentine; Sealers of Leather – Joseph Chenery, Jon Sawyer, John Baker,

Eaton Nichols, Charles Pratt.

In 1820 town meetings were held in the First Parish

Meeting House on Capisic Street, later known as

the Parson Bradley Church. In 1830 when the town

was no longer allowed to use that facility they

arranged with Universalist Society to use their

chapel on Stevens Avenue for town meetings. Soon

it was voted to build a town house on Riverside

Street near Warren Avenue. The town soon realized

that this site was not ideal since the meetings were

held in March when heavy snow often covered the

roads, so the building was sold. It is probable that

later meeting were held in the Saccarappa section of

town.

When in the winter of 1887 the general consensus

that the old government no longer suited to

Westbrook’s increasing needs, a town meeting was

held at the Odd Fellows Hall in Cumberland Mills,

to discuss a city charter. The state was petitioned

and the legislature charter granted that same year,

1887, but it was not accepted and put into operation

until 1891.

Later, the 2

nd floor of the Scates Building, built in 1903 & located facing Bridge Street, was reserved for the Westbrook

City offices. The Municipal Court Room was located in the rear of the offices. During the years the court was held here

(until about 1965) the Westbrook lawyers serving as judges were Mr. Tolman, Fabius M. Ray, William Lyons, Frank

Pride, Wade Brigham, Armand LeBlanc and Francis Rocheleau.

Westbrook Birth, Marriage, and Death Records at City Hall:

Birth - If you were born in Westbrook or your mother lived in Westbrook at the time of your birth, your official

birth record will be there.

Complete records begin in 1877 with a few scattered records from earlier years. Very early records may be

found in Falmouth or Portland as Westbrook was part of those towns before it became a town in 1814. The

State of Maine Archives also has extensive information.

Marriage – If you were married in Westbrook or were a resident of Westbrook at the time of your marriage,

your official marriage record will be there. Complete records begin in 1892 with some information from the

State Archives dating from 1799.

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Death – If you died in Westbrook or were a resident of Westbrook at the time of death, your official death

record will be there. Of course, you may not be interested if that is true, but a descendent may be. The Society has books listing marriages from Parson Bradley (old 1st Congregational Meeting House on Capisic St.) and St. Hyacinth & St. Mary’s; it also haa copies of the Vital Statistics from City Hall and cemetery burial listings in local cemeteries.

Scates Block showing Carpenter Street to left which has been closed off between Main Street & by-Pass

EARLY SETTLERS OF WESTBROOK

There is no authentic record stating as to who was the first white settler to make his home is what is now

Westbrook. Tradition names Joseph Conant, but some manuscript records put forth the names of Deacon John

Bailey and his business associates. Other records show that Colonel Thomas Westbrook may have come before

Deacon Bailey, in pursuit of mast trees. It is generally accepted that the first settler to build a permanent home

was Joseph Conant.

CONANT: Considered to be the first settler of Westbrook, Joseph Conant, is thought to be a descendant of Roger Conant, one of the first settlers of Salem, Massachusetts in 1628. Joseph first settled at the village of Saccarappa, on the Presumpscot River. He built a house on the northerly side of the River, at the falls. He was a husbandman and also owned a mill-site at Saccarappa Falls, though there is no evidence that he ever built a mill there. His son, Samuel Conant, married Mary Peabody who was born on August 10, 1718. Samuel and Mary had three children: William, Daniel and Elizabeth (who married William Babb). William married Ruth Chapman on September 23, 1779. William and Ruth had three children: Ruth, Samuel and Edward. Daniel was born in 1761 and married Anna Haskell on October 26, 1786. Anna was the daughter of Solomon Haskell, Sr. of Saccarappa, Westbrook Daniel and Anna had the following children: Daniel (who died unmarried in 1874), Nathaniel, Solomon (who married Susan S. Libby of Gray, Maine), and Betsey (who married Jeremiah Clements). Solomon married Susan S. Libby of Gray, and had the following children: Mary E. (who married Henry S. McLellan), Hattie L. and Daniel.

BABB: The Babb family was among the early settlers of Westbrook. They came from Scarborough. Peter Babb married Anna Haskell on January 24, 1760. She was thought to be the daughter of Thomas Haskell and born in 1737. William Babb, son of James Babb, sibling to Solomon, Elizabeth, Alexander and Daniel, married Elizabeth Conant, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Peabody) Conant.

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THOMPSON: Tradition has it that some of the Thompsons lived early on at Ammoncongin Falls, Westbrook. The old burying-ground shows a family of Thompson buried there. The Thompsons were said to have been driven from Salem, Massachusetts, by the witchcraft persecution. They were connected with the family of Peter G. Winslow. From: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com

Another website to visit for Westbrook information is by Ted Lampron. http://www.westbrookbicentennial2014.com

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NEW DONATIONS -:

Janice Fullerton St.Cyr with her recently donated painting “Springtime at the Farm”. It now hangs with the Society’s other local artists’ paintings on the meeting room wall.

[Typ

WINNERS OF THE FIRST ANNUAL HISTORY ESSAY CONTEST 1st Place, Student: Mrs. Card's 3rd Grade Class Congin School for their slide show of "The City of Westbrook" 2nd Place, Student: Morgan Rielly for his interview with "Arthur and Bill Currier"

1st Place, Adult: Beth Paulsen-Olmstead & Charles Marsters for "511 Main Street", a history

of the owners and businesses at that address.

2nd Place, Adult: Craig Siulinski for "The Art of Good Business" about the Men's Shop in

Westbrook. All entries may be viewed at the Historical Society. They are in a notebook on the book shelf...B-5. Two of the entries are on-line under the “People & Places” page; we hope to put them all into a book for the 2014 Bicentennial.

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BOOKCASES FROM PRIDES CORNER SCHOOL

WESTBROOK CITY LEDGERS Woodland Cemetery - from 1917

Pauper Denial – from 1897

Support of the Poor 1956

Support of the Poor 1964

Bond Records - from 1886

Poll Tax 1955, 1960, 1961, 1965, 1970

Valuation Records 1960, 1965

Personal Property 1980

1974, 1965, 1955, 1954

1950, 1945

Below are Assession #2012.21

Overseers of the Poor: 1903-1913, 1907-1911, 1911-1914, 1915-1919, 1915-1922, 1919-1926, 1923-

1929, 1926-1929, 1930-31, 1930-1932, 1932, 1933-1934, 1935-1936, 1937-1938, 1939-1942, 1943-

1947, 1950-1957, 1958-1960

List of Unsettled Taxes: 1859

Disbursement Record: 1815-1869, 1903-1906

Disbursement Record for School, Poor House, Roads: 1861

Account of the Collector: 1818

U.S. Citizenship Ledger: 1941 (with copies of documents for Muriel Bridget Soucy, Christine Mathilde

Frank, Benedict Joseph Palubinskas, Walter Sydney Williams)

Voter Registration: 1920-45, 1926, 1946

Board of Registration: 1898, 1899, 1990, 1901, 1902, 1903

Mortgages, Personal Prop. & Bills of Sales: Book #4) 1849-1860, 1861-1872

Sewer Ledger: 1886, 1887

Daily Cash Expended: 1900-1902

Assessment of Property of Volunteers: 1863-1965

Treasurer’s Receipt of Families of Westbrook Volunteers (?CW): 1862-1863, 1864-1866

Westbrook Trust Co, Soldiers Fund Receipt book

Canal Bank Receipts: 1869

Notes & Bonds Issued: 1871-1888, 1871

Assessor Town of Westbrook: 1860

Recapitulation – Road Tax: 1860-1861

Receipt Ledger: 1859

Record of Valuation (no date)

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM THESE VOLUMES?

Examples of some information which could help if you are doing genealogy. Board of Registration for the City of Westbrook 1898 This volume lists Street, No., Name, Age, Occupation, Place of Occupation, Residence April 1, 1897 and Remarks. A majority of the men (no women) were employed at S. D. Warren. Most do not have street number or age. Some of the listings: Warren Ave 49 Anderson, Edward, -, Foreman, S.D W. & Co.

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Merritt, - ,Babb, Harry, -, Machinist, Portland Main, -, Cordwell, A. A., -, Paymaster, S.D. W. & Co. Seavey, - , Cotton, Wm, Yard Master, M.C.R.R., West Gorham Main – Eastman, Clinton, City Treasurer Seavey – Foster, Henry, - Draughtsman, Westbrook Cottage - , Grover, Alvin, -, Laborer, S.D. W. & Co. Tolman, - , Hendson, Herbert, - , Tinsmith Deer Hill, -, Lamb, Merritt, -, Farmer Cumberland, -, Morton, Eben, - , Laborer, Capt. Chase’s Stables Mason, -, Paine, Leon K. -, Druggist, H. G. Starr Main, -, Raymond, King S., - , Druggist, Cumberland Mills Lamb, -, Raymond, Frank, - , Conductor, Electric RR Cumberland, -, Spiller, WB. -, Blacksmith Tolman, -, Tolman, James H., -, Lawyer, Westbrook Main, -, Witham, a.N., -, Doctor, Cumberland Mills Cumberland, Waterman, Freeman, -, Trader, Cumberland Mills Lamb, -, Wentworth, Chas W. -, Teacher, Westbrook Rochester, -, Washburn, John H., -, Stone Cutter Main -, Walker, Henry P., -, Clerk, Custom House Valuation Book 1960 – Fun to look up your home and wish taxes had stayed the same. Percy Merrill, 228 Hardy Road, Land 160, bldg. 3060, Total 3220 Taxes $157.62

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In Memorium: Alwyn Waite, a long-time member of the Historical Society

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Historical Society’s School Collection

This area holds Westbrook High School yearbooks from 1906 to the present, and photographs of most

graduating classes as integral part of our collection.

Original photos of Forest Street, Prides Corner, Rocky Hill, Warren, Saco Street, and Valentine Street

grammar schools decorate a collection of old school desks and black boards. Many donated scrapbooks of

school sporting events round out this area.

Westbrook Historical Society Web Site

Visit the Society Web Site for much more information about Westbrook including many old

pictures, information about current happenings and recent additions. This web site is

maintained, added to, and improved constantly by Donna Conley. Our website:

www.westbrookhistoricalsociety.org

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

I hope everyone had a great Summer and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone back at the

Society. We have some great programs planned for the upcoming months and there are other

projects that we will be working on.

In 2014 Westbrook will celebrate it’s 200th

Birthday and I am starting to work on a couple of

projects for the

Celebration, I have found that it is sometimes never too early to plan for these things.

Dave Gowen recently sponsored a reunion for people that were members of Westbrook School

Bands over the Years. Dave Asked the Westbrook Historical Society to put on a display for the

event and I want to thank Diane Dyer and Rowena Walton for doing this.

Since our move to the Community Center we are getting more and more visitors to the

Society on Tuesdays and Saturdays and I want to thank the faithful and dedicated members that

show up to welcome and assist these visitors.

I also want to thank Donna Conley for her great work on our website which is getting better

all the time.

and also a thank you to Andrea Vasquez for her efforts to get us up and running on Facebook.

Our first meeting for the season will be on Wednesday, September 5, 2012 at 1:30 PM, Hope to

see you there. Mike Sanphy, President

Newsletter Editor: Martha Brackett

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Contact Information: info@westbrookhistoricalsociety.org Telephone 207-854-5588 Officers: President- Mike Sanphy , Vice President- Roberta Wyer Dutton Morrill , Secretary- Andrea Pacillo Vasquez, Treasurer- Nancy Joy Curran. Directors: Nancy Crump - Diane Turgeon Dyer - Suzan Norton - Rowena Walton

Open Saturday and Tuesday mornings from 9 am to noon.

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Westbrook Historical Society 426 Bridge Street Westbrook, ME 04092 Tel: 854-5588

UPCOMING EVENTS: September 5 – 1:30 pm - "Portland's Greatest Conflagration"; Michael Daicy will discuss

the book about the 1866 Portland fire that he co-authored with Don Whitney. October 2 - Westbrook's own Pat Charette Gallant will speak on the challenges and the

rewards of her record setting Swim Across the English Channel. It took her three attempts before she completed the swim but this 60-year-old swimmer persevered until

she'd accomplished her goal. November 6 - Civil War Medicine was vastly different from medicine as we know it.

Penny Loura will discuss the treatment of wounded and sick soldiers in the 1860s.